By Jake Donovan
The 2013 season of Boxeo Telemundo begins the same way the 2012 season ended – with Jose Nieves topping the bill.
Nieves (21-2-3, 10KO) squares off against Danny Flores in a 12-round regional title fight on February 22, which will air live from Palm Bay Community Center in Palm Bay, Florida. The bout will come less than three months following his 2nd round knockout of Glenn Porras last December in Kissimmee.
The Puerto Rican southpaw has become a fixture on the Telemundo circuit; next month’s appearance will mark his fifth consecutive fight on the long-running series.
His previous four fights make for his current win streak, including a pair of thrilling 12-round wars with Cuauhtemoc Vargas in 2011.
Flores (14-2, 8KO) has appeared once on the series as well as in the United States, both coming on the same night. The evening ended in disaster, suffering a 6th round knockout against unbeaten bantamweight prospect Jonathan Gonzalez last October. His remaining 15 fights have all taken place in his native Mexico.
The bout carries a familiar theme on the series, which has done its part to continue the in-ring rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico. The same can be expected of the March 22 edition, when featherweight contender Orlando Cruz faces Mexico’s Aalan Martinez.
Promoter Tuto Zabala is currently piecing together the undercard for the season premiere, as well as securing main events for the March 1 and March 29 editions. Both cards will take place at Foro Polanco in Mexico City, as part of Telemundo’s new format. Past seasons have featured monthly shows, with each month alternating between Florida and Mexico.
This season features a similar geographical rotation, but with episodes running on consecutive Fridays twice per season. The four shows in the six week span will be followed by a three-month series hiatus before returning in late June.
As has been the case in the past, all Boxeo Telemundo telecasts – including the season premiere on February 22 - will air live at 11:35PM ET.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com. Follow Jake on Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
