2/16 PBC on FOX Leo Santa Cruz vs Rafael Rivera (WBA Featherweight Title) / Molina Jr vs Figueroa

[patscorpio]

Featherweight world titleholder Leo Santa Cruz has a new opponent for his third defense: Rafael "Big Bang" Rivera.

Santa Cruz (35-1-1, 19 KOs), 30, of Los Angeles, was scheduled to fight Miguel Flores in the main event of a Premier Boxing Champions card on Feb. 16 (Fox, 8 p.m. ET) at the Microsoft Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles. However, Flores suffered an ankle injury in training camp and withdrew from the bout, then was replaced by Rivera, PBC announced on Thursday.

"As they say, the show must go on and it will go on," Ringstar Sports CEO Richard Schaefer, one of the co-promoters of the card, told ESPN. "People in Los Angeles love Leo Santa Cruz, and they will come out to support Leo."


The fight would have been the first world title bout for Flores (23-2, 11 KOs), 26, of Houston, a prohibitive underdog coming off a second-round knockout of journeyman Raul Chirino this past April after back-to-back knockout losses.

Rivera (26-2-2, 17 KOs), 24, of Mexico, appears to be at least a slight upgrade in opponent. He is also coming off an easy win, a first-round knockout of Jose Ramos in October. Before that, Rivera lost two fights in a row by decision, a competitive 10-round split verdict to unbeaten prospect Joet Gonzalez in July and a unanimous 12-rounder to then-unbeaten contender Joseph Diaz Jr. in September 2017.

"I think this is a more dangerous opponent and stylistically a good fight," Schaefer said. "Leo has a target on his back, and if this guy can beat him or make it a fight, it could be a life-changer for him."

In addition to the new opponent in the main event, PBC also announced the addition of a third televised fight. It will be an eight-round bout between junior middleweight prospect Sebastian Fundora (11-0, 7 KOs), of Coachella, California, and Donnie Marshall (10-0, 6 KOs), 30, of Raleigh, North Carolina. Fundora, a southpaw, is known as "The Towering Inferno" because, at 6-foot-6, he is tremendously tall for a 154-pound fighter.

In the previously announced co-feature, former lightweight world titlist Omar Figueroa Jr. (27-0-1, 19 KOs), 29, of Weslaco, Texas, will return from a 19-month layoff due to injuries and legal issues to face former world title challenger John Molina Jr. (30-7, 24 KOs), 36, of Covina, California, in a 12-round welterweight bout most expect to be a brawl.

 

[patscorpio]

someone at pbc put their matchmaking hat on

A junior featherweight world title elimination fight between Cesar Juarez (23-6, 17 KOs), 27, of Mexico, and former titlist Ryosuke Iwasa (25-3, 16 KOs), 29, of Japan, has been added to the Premier Boxing Champions card headlined by featherweight titlist Leo Santa Cruz against Rafael Rivera on Feb. 16 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. The Juarez-Iwasa winner will become the mandatory challenger for the 122-pound belt held by TJ Doheny. Juarez has won three fights in a row since a fifth-round knockout loss to Isaac Dogboe for an interim belt in 13 months ago in Ghana. Iwasa lost the title to Doheny by decision in his last fight on Aug. 16 in Tokyo.

 

[malbaker86]

Don't care about the main event at all, but interested in seeing how Figgy looks in his return vs Sugar John

 

[patscorpio]

Don't care about the main event at all, but interested in seeing how Figgy looks in his return vs Sugar John

It's kinda sad I'm looking forward to a fight with 2 ridiculous punchers...one who is past it and near shot, the other who has nearly wasted his prime eating candy and hurting his hands..than the actual main event

 

[Columbo]

Molina should have retired after the Crawford fight

 

[patscorpio]

 

[1970s HeRon Flow]

Gonna buy my ticket later on my break at work

Edit: Bought, gonna show up early for the Mikey vs Spence press conference

 

[patscorpio]

Gonna buy my ticket later on my break at work

Edit: Bought, gonna show up early for the Mikey vs Spence press conference

where are you seated breh?

 

[1970s HeRon Flow]

On the right side orch

Behind the pit where the front row section is

Never been to a fight with theater seating, cosidering it's the section behind the front row, seats gotta be good

 

[patscorpio]

omar figueroa is a joke..dude is as broner on occasion

 

[patscorpio]

 

[patscorpio]

 

[desjardins]

Sick of seeing John Molina Jr name on fight cards

 

[1970s HeRon Flow]

Sam gave me the lol

 

[patscorpio]

Sam gave me the lol