Like many up-and-coming boxers, Oscar “El Jaguar” Negrete and Joshua “El Profesor” Franco were given relatively easy assignments following their first professional defeats. But now that they’re back on the winning track, it’s time for a far more competitive match — against each other.
Their scheduled 10-round bantamweight bout highlights a Golden Boy on ESPN card on Thursday at The Hangar At The OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, California.
In December 2017, Negrete, who has fought most of his career as a bantamweight, moved up to junior featherweight to challenge undefeated titleholder Rey Vargas. It was a daring move, but resulted in a unanimous decision loss. Negrete gave a strong effort, but was out-boxed and outworked by the more experienced Vargas — a step too far, too soon.
Franco, 22, of San Antonio, suffered his maiden defeat when Lucas Fernandez stopped him in March 2018.
Franco knocked down Fernandez with a left hook in the first round and was ahead on two of the three official scorecards after eight rounds. Then everything changed.
Fernandez staggered Franco early in the ninth with a right uppercut and didn’t waste any time going for the finish. He rocked Franco with a series of follow-up rights to the head and referee Jose Hiram Rivera called a halt just 46 seconds into the round.
In his confidence-building comeback, Negrete (18-1, 7 KOs) won a unanimous eight-round decision over journeyman Diuhl Olguin in July 2018.
Born in Colombia, the 31-year-old Negrete now lives in Los Angeles. Before turning pro in May 2013, he was a nine-time Colombian amateur champion.
“Joshua Franco is a good fighter, a great prospect,” said Negrete’s trainer, Manny Robles. “It’s going to be a tremendous fight. It’s one the fans don’t want to miss.”
Franco (14-1, 7 KOs) returned to action in June, knocking out overmatched Isao Gonzalo Carranza in the fifth round, which was just what he needed after enduring a KO defeat.
“Oscar Negrete is another talented prospect that Golden Boy has,” said Franco’s trainer, Robert Garcia. “Negrete and Franco are going to go out and put on a great show. The winner obviously moves on to bigger things and the other one has to pretty much go back to the beginning and start all over. It’s a very important fight for both of them.”
In the co-feature, Danielito “El Zorro” Zorilla (8-0, 7 KOs) faces Dakota “Lone Wolf” Linger (10-0-2, 6 KOs) in a scheduled eight-round bout between undefeated junior welterweights.
Zorilla, 24, of Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, was an amateur standout, tallying a 138-11 record before joining the paid ranks in November 2016 with a second-round knockout of Jesus Gonzalez.
“I think I’m an all-around fighter,” said Zorilla, who has never been knocked down as a pro or amateur. “I know my opponent is an undefeated fighter. I just saw a little video on him, but I don’t know that much. I’ll just make the adjustments in the ring.”
Linger, 23, of Buckhannon, West Virginia, got his start in Toughman contests, but switched to boxing in March 2015, scoring a second-round TKO of Charles Dunford in his pro debut.
Linger’s best win came in November 2016, when he won a unanimous eight-round decision over previously undefeated Adriano Ramirez. In his most recent fight Linger won a unanimous six-round decision over Marklin Bailey on Aug. 25.
Linger took the Zorilla bout on two weeks’ notice, but his trainer, Tim Wheeler, doesn’t think that’s an issue.
“Condition is not going to be a problem,” Wheeler said. “Dakota is always in shape. We’ll come up and surprise them.”
“[Zorilla] looks pretty good,” Linger said. “I’m going to give him what I’ve got and see where it goes.”
In the TV opener, Jousce “Tito” Gonzalez (8-0, 8 KOs) will try to extend his knockout streak against Ivan “Striker” Delgado (12-1-1, 5 KOs) in a six-round junior lightweight bout.
Gonzalez, 23, of Glendora, California, will be having his first bout since May 2018, when he stopped Juan Sandoval in the fourth round but suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee during the fight.
“I was back in the gym five weeks after the surgery on my knee,” Gonzalez said. “I was staying in shape the whole time, riding my bike every day and that helped me a lot.”
Delgado, 28, of Los Angeles, is having his second fight after 14 months of inactivity which followed his only loss, a third-round knockout to Charles Huerta in April 2017. Delgado had built his record against limited opposition, and Huerta was by far the most experienced boxer he’d faced in the pro ranks at that time.
Delgado is former gang member and served time in prison before he “got tired of going to jail” and focused on boxing.
“I met the mother of my first daughter, everything was good,” Delgado said. “She got pregnant and that’s when I decided that I had to do the right thing. I got out of the gang when I had my daughter.
“I’m just ready to get back in the ring and get back on the winning streak.”