King Kong Ortiz Adds Sizzle to a Large PBC Fight Card at Staples Center

UNDERCARD NOTES BY SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT TARRAH ZAEL — WBC title holder Mikey Garcia (38-0, 30 KO) and IBF title holder Robert Easter Jr. (21-0, 14 KO) are set to battle for the unification of both titles tonight at the Staples Center, live on Showtime and presented by Premier Boxing Champions.

It’s a rare unification bout and a good one. But there are other fights of interest.

The co-featured event sees southpaw heavyweight Luis “King Kong” Ortiz stepping back into the ring after suffering his first loss against Deontay Wilder back in March. Cuba’s Ortiz (28-1, 24 KO) is set to face Romania’s former title challenger, Razvan Cojanu (16-3, 9 KO) in a 10-round bout. In Ortiz’s last bout against WBC titlist Deontay Wilder he gave a well-received effort against the champion despite being knocked down three times in the fight that ended in the 10^th.

In the undercard, hard hitter Jose “El Gato” Roman (24-2, 16 KO) is up against undefeated Mario “El Azteca” Barrios (21-0, 13 KO) in a 10-round battle. “I’m ready to showcase my talent and dominate,” says Barrios from San Antonio, Texas. Roman, out of Garden Grove, CA says, “Barrios has a really good record and he’s very talented. He’s undefeated for a reason. But, we’re coming here to win.” Roman, 30, has long been a recognized talent in the lightweight and super lightweight divisions. But he’s never been able to get over the hump. Barrios, 23, is Texas strong and comes in hungry and anxious to reach the top. Is he ready for the big time or is it too soon for the San Antonio prizefighter? It’s an interesting matchup.

Former 2016 U.S. Olympian, Karlos Balderas (5-0, 4 KO) of Santa Maria, CA. takes on Mexico’s Giovanni Caro (27-23-4, 21-9 KO) in a four-round lightweight battle. Balderas who is trained by his father, Zenon Balderas, has managed to capture four knockouts in his short professional career thus far. There were talks about Ryan Garcia and Teofimo Lopez being “easy work” for Balderas, “I’ve been in the ring sparring both of them know what they’re like and they know what I’m like,” said the 22-year-old Balderas, who was impressive in the Olympics with the bigger and softer gloves.

Fighting as a pro has not been a problem so far. Facing the aggressive Balderas will be Mexican veteran Caro who has fought in Los Angeles on local cards. Though he has plenty of experience he was stopped in the first round against Edgar Valerio in his last match. Don’t expect much resistance from Caro. Expect domination from Balderas.

Jose Balderas, 23, the older brother of Karlos, meets Jose Flores Chanez (6-5) in a four round bantamweight fight. Balderas (3-0) has been unable to match the stopping power of his younger brother but he has shown boxing ability so far. Chanez, 28, fights out of Tijuana and has shown durability. He fought Ireland’s Michael Conlan and was stopped in the third round. He has back to back wins and could prove troublesome for Balderas in this bantamweight fight.

There are a lot of rising contenders in the boxing world fighting this Saturday. For some of these young prospects, their engagements are just stepping stones to move through to their next opportunity. But it’s also a chance for them to showcase their talent.

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