Lozano, Rodriguez Set For Crossroads Bout In Tampa

By Jake Donovan

In what is becoming a recurring theme in his career as of late, local favorite Daniel Lozano finds himself in a pivotal crossroads bout.

The junior bantamweight slugger attempts to return to the win column as he faces Mexico’s Ricardo Rodriguez in their Telemundo-televised main event this Friday at A La Carte Pavilion in Tampa, Florida (Telemundo, 11:35 p.m. ET). The bout is scheduled for 10 rounds, serving as the third week of the Boxeo Telemundo summer season.

Lozano (13-2, 10KOs) came up big in his last visit to A La Carte, knocking out Jonathan Vidal last October to advance the the Telemundo 115 lb. tournament finals. The Bowling Green (FL) native couldn’t land the same lottery shot in the finals this past March, suffering a late knockdown en route to a 10-round loss to David Carmona, who went on to challenge for a vacant title.

Friday’s bout will mark Lozano’s ninth appearance at the intimate A La Carte venue, and his fifth televised appearance on Telemundo. Both career defeats took place on the network, having suffered a loss at the hands of Matthew Villanueva in Oct. ’13. A rematch was discussed, but ultimately scrapped when Villanueva abruptly retired from the sport. 

Rodriguez (11-2, 4KOs) has rapidly emerged as a series favorite as of late. The Mexico City native got off to a rough start, losing to Carmona in his Boxeo Telemundo debut last summer, but has since won two straight. Both wins played up to the commonly-utilized “Puerto Rico vs. Mexico” rivalry theme, scoring wins over Edwin Rodriguez last October and most recently Jonathan ‘Pitbull’ Vidal this past March.

While a title fight isn’t necessarily at stake, it’s hardly uncommon for the winner of such bouts to move on to such a fight. Cardona has twice fought for a major title on the heels of big wins on Telemundo. A regional title is on the line in Friday’s bout, which could always lead to something big. 

For now, a great fight is the expectation. 

“Daniel and Ricardo both always bring excitement whenever they enter the ring,” commented Felix ‘Tutico’ Zabala Jr. of All-Star Boxing, the primary content provider for Boxeo Telemundo. “Daniel seems to be at his best when his back is up against the wall, and Ricardo never shows any fear, no matter the opponent. 

“The term ‘can’t miss’ is thrown around too often, but given their styles, we believe this will be a fight the fans truly enjoy.” 

Doors open at 7:00 PM with the first bell at 8:00 PM. Telemundo Network will televise the main event at 11:35 PM EST live in the US. Claro Sports will televised to all of Latin America. VIP Tables and tickets are already on sale by calling (813) 309-9991. The event is being presented by Tuto Zabala, Jr., All Star Boxing, Inc in association with Shea Bailey Promotions. The A La Carte Event Pavillion is located at 4050 Dana Shores Dr. in Tampa, FL, Tel: (813) 831-5390.