Junior featherweight Dominique Crowder and junior welterweight Steven Galeano will see action tonight in separate bouts.
Crowder will face former bantamweight contender Jesus Martinez and Galeano will square off against Hugo Padilla at the Thomas Gymnastics Training Center in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
The eight-round bout between Crowder and Martinez will headline a SouthPaw Promotions card and will stream live on BXNG TV (www.bxngtv. com, $14.95), beginning at 6 p.m. ET/ 3 p.m. PT.
Crowder (8-0, 6 knockouts), who resides in Baltimore, Maryland, defeated Martin Sims in his last bout on January 30 in a clash of unbeaten fighters. Crowder had won his previous three bouts by knockout.
The 27-year-old will take a step up in opposition against Martinez, a former bantamweight contender who has faced the likes of Luis Nery, Jose Martinez, Azat Hovhannisyan, Hairon Socarras, TJ Doheny, and twice against Melvin Lopez. Manager Adam Glenn believes Crowder is ready to take that next step and beomce a legit contender at 122 pounds.
“Dominique is facing a seasoned veteran, who's been in the ring with a number of prospects and contenders,” Glenn told BoxingScene Friday afternoon. “Dominique just continues to grow and develop as a fighter and we want to keep putting him in with the kind of competition that can showcase what a special boxer he is. This is a big step-up in terms of Martinez's experience and toughness, but we know what ‘Dimes’ is capable of and we're confident he's going to put on another great performance. With his size, skill and power Dominique is a special fighter at 122 lbs.
“After this win, we're hoping to keep this activity and momentum going, and get an opportunity to put him on a bigger stage.”
Martinez (28-12, 14 KOs), who is originally from Monteria, Colombia and now resides in Hollywood, Florida, stopped overmatched Gustavo Agamez in his last bout on February 13. The 40-year-old has lost four of his last seven bouts.
Like Crowder, Galeano (6-0, 5 KOs) fought on January 30, stopping veteran Rynell Griffin in round 2.
Galeano, who resides in Bronx, New York, has stopped his last four opponents. He made his pro debut in December 2019, and continues to work hard in the gym that has allowed his skill-set to improve.
Galeano will face Padilla, who despite having lost his last 10 bouts, has only been stopped once.
"Steven is fighting a tough fighter, who rarely gets stopped,” said Glenn. “Coming off of a few early knockouts, we're expecting Padilla to give him a tough fight and push him a little more. Steven is an amazing young fighter, who is really coming into his own right now. He's been developing every camp and we're happy that he has an opportunity to show that. After he wins on Saturday night, we'll be looking for some opportunities to step him up even more."
Padilla (5-19, 2 KOs) resides in Aguascalientes, Mexico.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for BoxingScene since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (Calif.) Star newspaper. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing.
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