Oscar Duarte-Richard Solano headlines Oct. 19 Golden Boy Fight Night on Facebook
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Lightweight standout Oscar Duarte will face Richard Solano in the 10-round main event of the next Golden Boy Fight Night stream on Facebook Live on Oct. 19 (10:30 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT) at the Gimnasio Rodrigo M. Quevedo in Chihuahua, Mexico.
In the co-feature, former junior lightweight titleholder Francisco Vargas will square off Ezequiel Avilas.
“We’re excited for the second installment of our four-part series in Mexico with Facebook Watch,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy. “This time, we’re headed to Chihuahua, Mexico as we continue to build our brand’s presence in different parts of the country. Oscar Duarte is a rising Golden Boy star with deep roots in Chihuahua and Francisco Vargas is a former world champion, so we guarantee an impressive event for fans in attendance and from home on Facebook Watch.”
Duarte (17-1-1, 12 knockouts), who resides in nearby Parral, stopped Venezuela’s Nestor Armas in round seven of his last bout on July 12. He has stopped his last two opponents since losing by split-decision to Adrian Estrella on Feb. 9.
The 23-year-old hopes an impressive victory over Solano in front of family and friends will put him among the top-15 in any sanctioning body.
“I’m very happy and motivated to be fighting on my native land, my state and with my people,” said Duarte. ”I am preparing to give the very best of myself. Not only do I want to win the fight, but I also want to show people that I am learning and show that I can serve as an example for all of those who have dreams and goals. Every day I work hard to achieve my dream of becoming a world champion and to be an inspiration for my people. On this occasion, I will face a good boxer from Puerto Rico who himself wants to take advantage of this opportunity.”
Solano (21-2-2 1 NC, 13 KOs) last fought on Apr. 27, defeating Robinson Garcia by unanimous decision over eight rounds. The 31-year-old is unbeaten in his last 15 bouts and believes he has enough pedigree to outbox and defeat Duarte.
“I always dreamed about fighting a Mexican in his own house,” said Solano, who will be fighting for the first time outside the Dominican Republic. “I’m ready to hand him a beating. The fans will see that I’m going to win in his own hometown. Everyone will remember my name, Richard Solano.”
Vargas (25-2-2, 18 KOs) will attempt to bounce back from defeat in his last bout while making his debut at 135 pounds. In his last bout on May 11, Vargas was stopped after the sixth round by WBC junior lightweight titleholder Miguel Berchelt. The fight was a rematch of their slugfest in January of 2017, which Berchelt won by knockout in Round 11.
The Mexico City resident will be fighting for the first time in Mexico in almost five years.
“It’s an honor to be coming back to Mexico to begin another run at a world title,” said Vargas, who is managed by Ralph Heredia. “It’s been almost five years since I last fought in my home country, so I’m excited to put on a great show for everyone there and for all those who will watch on Facebook.”
Aviles (16-4-3, 6 KOs), who resides in Ensenada, Mexico, lost a one-sided decision to unbeaten prospect Hector Tanajara on Aug. 10. The 27-year-old has lost his last three fights.
Preliminary action:
Junior welterweight Luis Hernandez (19-0, 17 KOs), who resides in Chihuahua, will face Ciudad Acuna’s Victor Zuniga (20-3, 9 KOs) in a 10-round bout.
Ruben Tellez (9-2, 5 KOs) will square off against Joaquin Aguilar (5-2, 3 KOs) in an eight-round bout between lightweights who resides in Chihuahua.
Two-time world title challenger Karina Fernandez (12-4-1, 3 KOs) of Ciudad Juarez will face Saltillo’s Cecilia Santoscoy Ramirez (2-5, 1 KO) in an eight-round bout.
Welterweight Jaime Saavedra (2-0), who earlier this year signed a co-promotional deal with Golden Boy Promotions and Cotto Productions, will fight an opponent to be determined in a four-round bout.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October of 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (Calif.) Star newspaper, Boxingscene.com, and FightNights.com. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing