Undefeated junior lightweight Deonte Brown will meet Grimardi Machuca in a 10-round bout that will headline “Boxfest XVI” on October 10 at Commerce Casino in Los Angeles.
In the co-main event of the card promoted by Red Owl Boxing and Bash Boxing (which will stream on DAZN), bantamweight Saul “The Beast” Sanchez will get another crack at Edwin Rodriguez, who defeated Sanchez in 2019.
Brown, 16-0 (11 KOs), from Morgan City, Louisiana, and trained by Chelo Betancourt in New York, most recently blanked Dennis Contreras in an eight-round unanimous decision in May. The result broke a streak of five consecutive stoppages for Brown.
Venezuela’s Machuca, 17-2 (14 KOs). is coming off a pair of unanimous decision defeats, but he is a dangerous puncher who could test Brown, fighting in just the second 10-rounder of his career.
Sanchez, 21-4 (12 KOs), of Encino, California, will be aiming to even things up against Rodriguez, 12-9-2 (5 KOs), his rival from Puerto Rico, in a scheduled eight-rounder. Sanchez has been out of the ring for a year, and Rodriguez is a 13-year veteran who has his number until Sanchez proves otherwise.
The card also marks the official professional debut of 2020 U.S. Olympian Rashida Ellis, of Lynn, Massachusetts. Ellis technically remained an amateur while fighting in Team Combat League, in which she won every round she fought. She will face four-time world title challenger Maria Salinas, 27-12-6 (7 KOs), of Mexico, in a six-round women’s featherweight bout.
Additionally, Criztec Bazaldua, 6-1 (1 KO), of Long Beach, California, will meet Cuba’s Darian Castro, 3-0 (1 KO), in a six-round junior welterweight clash; Cornellio Phipps, 5-0 (2 KOs), will square off with Filipino-American southpaw Jessie Mandapat, 9-2-1 (5 KOs), in a six-round featherweight bout; and welterweight Angel Perez, 9-0-1 (7 KOs), of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, will take on India’s Sachin Rohila, 8-4 (2 KOs), in a six-round catchweight bout at 143 pounds in the televised opener.
