Top world contender Humberto Soto of Los Mochis, Mexico returns to the ring Thursday, Feb. 22 on the VERSUS Network.
Bob Arum of Top Rank made the announcement today. Soto, rated WBC #2, will take on WBC #7-rated super featherweight Humberto Toledo of Quito, Ecuador in a 12-round bout at the Mountaineer Race Track & Gaming Resort in Chester, West Virginia.
In the opening VERSUS televised bout, heavyweight Joe Mesi of Buffalo, N.Y. will take on George Linberger of Cleveland. That fight is scheduled for 10 rounds.
Soto, 40-5-2 with 24 KOs, is unbeaten in his last 18 bouts (17-0-1) which includes a victory over Rocky Juarez in the featherweight division. Following that win, Soto moved into the super featherweight division and won a WBC Eliminator over Ivan Valle on August 12 in Las Vegas.
"I feel more comfortable at 130 pounds," Soto said. "I feel very strong and I hit harder. One of my strongest points is counterpunching, although I am always learning new things in the gym."
Soto, 26, is a very skilled, technical fighter who strikes with power.
"I was born and raised in Los Mochis," he said. "My grandpa always liked to watch boxing on television and I used to spend a lot of time with him. I started boxing when I was only seven years old. He took me to an amateur tournament in Los Mochis and I wound up with 60 amateur bouts, winning 52 times. My cousin, Hugo Cazarez, is also a fighter."
Toledo has a record of 26-2-2 with 15 knockouts. He is unbeaten in his last 24 bouts including a TKO 6 over Davinson Guerra to win the WBC Latin America Championship on August 11 in Maracaibo, Venzuela.
Tickets are $150 (Platinum Ring), $100 (Gold Ring), $50, $25 and are available at Ticket Master outlets in West Virginia or on www.ticketmaster.com. Doors will open 6:30 pm and the first bout will be 7:30 pm local time.
