By Steve Kim (photos by Tom Hogan/Hogan Photos).

This Friday night from the Novo at LA Live, Joet Gonzalez gets his first chance to headline a televised card as he faces Rafael Rivera on Friday night as the main event on ESPN.

"I've been fighting for Joet to get on a stage like this for awhile, he's been on a lot of different cards but he's never been the featured performer on television,"said Frank Espinoza, who in the past managed the likes of Martin Castillo, Israel Vazquez, Enrique Sanchez to world titles and currently handles the career of WBO featherweight champion, Oscar Valdez.

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"I believe Joet can be our next world champion, he's a kid that works hard and stays dedicated the sport."

Gonzalez Rivera


This bout will be contested for the vacant NABO featherweight title.


Espinoza added - "it's time for Joet to start stepping up. This will be his 20th fight (19-0, 11 KO's), he's 24 years old and he's been a professional fighter since 2012. So we'll see what Joet has. I think he's going to open up a lot of eyes this Friday night and become a legitimate featherweight contender by the end of the year.

Also on this card is Christian 'Chimpa' Gonzalez, who attempts to get back on the winning track against Arturo Reyes.

Gonzalez Rivera

Gonzalez Rivera