LOS ANGELES, May 18 – Two WBC Silver Championship fights will be in the spotlight this weekend at the Antiguo Palenque De La Feria in Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico when FOX Deportes airs the intriguing matchups between strawweights Ganigan Lopez and Denver Cuello and featherweights Robinson Castellanos and Miguel Angel Gonzalez.
In addition to fighting for the WBC Silver championship, Lopez and Cuello will also be competing in a WBC world title final eliminator.
This hard-hitting doubleheader, which is promoted by Canelo Promotions and Boxeo De Gala and is sponsored by Corona, Keuka, Big Bola Casino and Cece, takes place on Saturday, May 19 and airs on FOX Deportes on Sunday, May 20 at 4:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT
30-year old southpaw Ganigan “El Zurdo” Lopez (21-3, 14 KO’s) won the WBC Silver strawweight title in August of 2010, when he decisioned Omar Soto for the vacant belt. In his five consecutive victories since then, the Amecameca, Mexico native successfully defended his title twice with wins over Armando Torres (W12) and Omar Rosales (TKO7) before vacating the title prior to his September 2011 fight against Josue Vega when he moved up in weight to fight at junior flyweight. Lopez is eager to return to strawweight against Cuello this weekend, recapture his title (which Cuello now holds) and continue his march towards a world title shot.
Nicknamed “The Excitement,” the Philippines’ Denver Cuello (30-4-5, 20 KO’s) lives up to that nickname every time he steps into the ring. A boxer since the age of nine, the 25-year-old laid claim to the WBC Silver strawweight title (which Ganigan Lopez vacated) with a first round knockout over Carlos Perez in October of last year. The belt was added to a list of accolades that includes several regional titles, but the only title that Cuello really wants is that of world champion, but the road to that title goes through Lopez.
One of Mexico’s toughest competitors, Robinson Castellanos (14-9, 9 KO’s) came up the hard way in the fight game, yet he has become one of the hottest featherweights in the sport today. The winner of six in a row, with four of those wins coming by way of knockout, the 30-year-old WBC Silver champion from Celaya hopes to put on a show for his hometown fans when he battles talented up and comer Gonzalez.
Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico native Miguel Angel Gonzalez (16-3-1, 7 KO’s) has battled legit competition ever since lacing up the gloves as a professional in 2005, beating Fernando Beltran, drawing with Francisco Leal and losing razor-thin decisions to Cruz Carbajal and Ciso Morales. The winner of three of his last four fights, Gonzalez has the opportunity to give his career a big boost if he defeats Castellanos for the WBC Silver belt.
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As in September, I once again ran out of gas in the 10th & 11th championship rounds of October & November with this column, but I recovered to complete them and will unleash a few more flurries to close out the 12th and final round.
In the first week of October, Hassan N’Dam won a UD over Curtis Stevens in an eliminator for the right to challenge Jermaine Taylor who defeated aging Sam Soliman to regain the IBF Middleweight title. How Taylor even earned this title shot is another story altogether, but it is all irrelevant as he is now the champion. However he will not have too much time to savor his victory as he has assault and battery charges pending against him and an upcoming court fight that may turn out to be the toughest fight of his life, just when things started to look up for him in boxing, we wish him luck.
