By Jake Donovan
Tony Luis now has an opponent for his June 26 showcase appearance in Niagara Falls. The lightweight contender from Ontario, Canada will face rugged veteran Edward Valdez of New York, by way of Dominican Republic.
The scheduled eight-round stay-busy bout will air live from Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel on CBS Sports Network. News of the fight was revealed during a network boxing telecast on Friday in Memphis, where Luis served as a ringside expert analyst.
Luis (19-3, 7KOs) was slated to appear on the inaugural episode of promoter Greg Cohen's new series on the network in April. He still fought that month, but it came on the opposite side of the Atlantic when he was presented the opportunity to challenge for a major title. Luis came up just short, dropping a heartbreaking decision to Derry Mathews on the road in Liverpool, England.
The June 26 showing will mark the third ring appearance of 2015 for Luis, whose year began with a thorough thrashing of previously unbeaten Karl Dargan in January. The win is by far the biggest of his career, having taken place on ESPN2's now-defunct Friday Night Fight series.
Valdez (13-10-2, 10KOs) picked up a quick knockout win in his native Dominican Republic in March, his first fight in nearly two years.
Headlining the June 26 edition of "CBS Sports Spectacular", unbeaten Dennis Hogan—who edged Tyrone Brunson in the main event of the series debut in April—faces Kenny Abril in a regional junior middleweight title fight.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox