The undercard of Golden Boy’s first show of the year, headlined by the rematch between welterweights Alexis Rocha and Raul Curiel includes another return, between junior featherweights Manuel Flores and Jorge Chavez.
More depth to the bill has been added with 3-0 (1 KO) Uzbekistani Olympian Ruslan Abdullaev (pictured) fights in an eight-rounder at junior welterweight, while heavy-hitting Joel Iriarte – now 9-0 (8 KOs) – boxes over eight rounds at 147lbs.
Unbeaten Coachella Valley prospect Cayden Griffiths, 6-0 (6 KOs), faces Managua, Nicaragua’s Lesther Espino, who is 10-7 (8 KOs) in a six-round welterweight bout and over eight rounds at junior featherweight, Sonora’s Gael “El Terror” Cabrera, 10-0 (7 KOs) takes on Uruguay’s Ruben Casero, 13-5 (5 KOs).
Los Angeles’ Scrappy Ramirez, 15-1 (9 KOs), faces Matagalpa, Nicaragua’s Byron Rojas, 29-5-3 (12 KOs) in a 10-round bantamweight bout.
In a 10-round welterweight matchup, Jordan “The Patriot” Panthen, 11-1 (9 KOs), of Poughkeepsie, New York, faces Jean Pacheco, of San Juan, who is 10-2 (1 KO).
Recent Golden Boy signing middleweight Fabian Guzman, 8-0 (7 KOs) and from Santa Ana, will take on Ecuadorian Jose Rodriguez, 3-1 (2 KOs).
Also on the card, Los Angeles welterweight Ricardo Ruvalcaba, 14-0-1 (10 KOs) has been matched with Argentine journeyman Jonathan Eniz, 37-24-1 (17 KOs) over eight rounds.
“We’re kicking off our 2026 fight calendar with the kind of high-impact, high-stakes rematches fans demanded we run back,” said Golden Boy boss Oscar De La Hoya. “January 16 will bring classic Golden Boy excitement and showcase the Coachella Valley’s next generation of stars we’ve been shaping from the ground up.”
It was initially thought that Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, the unified cruiserweight champion, could meet Robin Safar on the undercard, but that bout is no longer going ahead.
