By Keith Idec
Joey Dawejko will encounter a familiar face Saturday night.
BoxingScene.com has been informed that Rodney Hernandez has agreed to fight the veteran heavyweight from Philadelphia on very short notice. Their 10-round rematch will be part of the Maurice Hooker-Jose Ramirez undercard at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.
Dawejko was supposed to fight former IBF/WBA cruiserweight champion Murat Gassiev (26-1, 19 KOs, 1 NC), who has moved up to the heavyweight division. Russia’s Gassiev withdrew from their fight last week, though, due to a shoulder injury.
Hernandez didn’t hesitate Tuesday when the fight with Dawejko was offered to him, once other opponents turned it down. The 30-year-old Hernandez (13-7-2, 4 KOs) is fresh off an upset of Nigerian prospect Onoriode Ehwarieme (17-1, 16 KOs), whom Hernandez knocked out in the first round of their June 1 bout at Soboba Casino Resort in San Jacinto, California.
The 29-year-old Dawejko (19-7-4, 11 KOs) last fought March 9 in Verona, New York. Dawejko dropped a 10-round majority decision that night to Russian contender Sergey Kuzmin (15-0, 11 KOs) at Turning Stone Resort Casino.
Dawejko and Hernandez fought to an eight-round split draw in April 2017 at MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland.
DAZN will stream the Dawejko-Hernandez and Hooker-Ramirez matches live Saturday night.
Dallas’ Hooker (26-0-3, 17 KOs) and Ramirez (24-0, 16 KOs), of Avenal, California, will fight for Hooker’s WBO and Ramirez’s WBC 140-pound championships. DAZN’s coverage also will include a 12-round bout between IBF junior lightweight champion Tevin Farmer (29-4-1, 6 KOs, 1 NC), of Philadelphia, and France’s Guillaume Frenois (46-1-1, 12 KOs), Farmer’s mandatory challenger.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
