Written by Yoenis Tellez is blazing his own trail towards stardom at 154 pounds.
Tellez will face Johan Gonzalez on October 19, Premier Boxing Champion (PBC) announced Monday. The bout will take place at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida. Also on the card will be Cesar Mateo Tapia squaring off against Endry Saavedra.
Both 10-round bouts will precede the main event bout between newly-crowned IBF world junior middleweight titleholder Bakhram Muratzaliev facing former WBO world titleholder Tim Tszyu.
The three fights will stream live and exclusively on Prime Video (8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT). Those with no Prime membership could join or start a free 30-day trial to watch the card.
“PBC Championship Boxing on Prime Video will kick off October 19 with two bouts featuring undefeated fighters in yough matchups, all leading up to the explosive showdown between Tszyu and Murtazaliev,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “Yoenis Tellez can add his name to the star-studded lineup of top contenders at 154 pounds against the heavy-handed Johan Gonzalez.
“Mateo Tapia sits ready to make noise at middleweight if he can get by the streaking Endry Saavedra in the opening bout. Make sure to tune into Prime Video or come out to the Caribe Royale in Orlando for what lines up to be a night of top to bottom action.”
Tellez (8-0, 6 knockouts), who is originally from Santiago, Cuba and now resides in Stafford, Texas, last fought on April 26, scoring a one-sided decision victory over Joseph Jackson in a clash of unbeaten junior middleweights.
In his previous fight on December 15, Tellez broke down once-beaten Livan Navarro, scoring a knockout win in round 10.
The 24-year-old Tellez believes, despite having only eight fights as a pro, that he is ready to take the next step and join the upper echelon of the 154-pound division, and making a statement at the expense of Gonzalez.
“Fighting an experienced fighter like Johan Gonzalez is a great opportunity to show the world what I’m made of,” said Tellez, who is trained by Ronnie Shields. “He’s fought at the elite level and I’m expecting a tough fight. I’m going to leave everything in the ring. On October 19, I’m going to be at my best to put on a great performance and give all the fans tuning in (for) a great night of boxing.”
Gonzalez (35-3, 34 KOs), who is originally from Valencia, Venezuela and now resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, stopped journeyman Ivan Herrera in the second round of his last fight on August 24. In his previous fight on May 4, Gonzalez was stopped by Jesus Ramos, Jr.
Prior to the loss to Ramos, the 33-year-old had won three in a row since a decision loss to Magomed Kurbanov in December 2022. Gonzalez is confident his experience and punching power will be too much for Tellez.
“The fight is everything for me, it’s a must-win,” said Gonzalez, who made his pro debut in June 2017, fighting a total of 10 times that year. “I’m working hard every day to make sure I leave with my hand raised. My only focus now is doing everything possible to keep pushing my career forward. I have one mission, victory on October 19.”
In his last bout on April 24, Tapia (17-0, 10 KOs), who is originally from Tijuana, Mexico and now resides in Narrabeen, Australia, defeated Keiber Gonzalez by unanimous decision in a clash of unbeaten middleweights. In his previous fight on October 18, the 26-year-old stopped Eric Robles after round five.
Tapia is managed by Ryan Rickey and is a regular sparring partner of Tszyu. Both fight under the No Limit Promotions banner.
Saavedra (16-1, 13 KOs) last fought on March 13, stopping Isaac Hardman in round eight of a close and competitive fight.
The 33-year-old Saavedra, who is originally from Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela and now resides in Tijuana, has won his last three fights since a decision loss to Etoundi Michel William in October 2022, also in a clash of unbeaten middleweights.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at santio89@yahoo.com
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