Junior Welterweight contender Oscar Duarte will battle veteran Angel Fierro in a compelling contender fight on the Zurdo Ramirez-David Benavidez PPV undercard Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Coming up Saturday night in Las Vegas, junior welterweight contender Oscar Duarte will battle veteran Angel Fierro in a compelling contender fight on the "PBC on Prime" Zurdo Ramirez-David Benavidez PPV undercard.
The 30 year old Duarte, who lost out on a world title shot back in February when IBF champ Richardson Hitchins became ill on the day of their title fight, has been assisted by Premier Boxing Champions and put on this showcase PPV just two months later.
On Wednesday afternoon, Duarte, 30-2-1, 23 KOs, took part in the open to the public workout/interview session in Vegas.
Here's part of what he told the media there,
“I’m really proud to be part of this. There’s a long storied history of Mexican fighters competing here in Las Vegas and this card is chock full of fighters prime to make history as well. I’m here to show my best and let everyone know what I’m capable of.
“Fierro is an aggressive fighter, and so am I. The only way to neutralize his aggressiveness is for me to come forward and show him what I’m all about.
“I promise that I’m gonna give everyone a great fight. I’m ready for it. I’m here to face the best. I want to go up against the best that the 140-pound division has to offer, and one fighter in particular, Pitbull Cruz.”
Since a loss to Ryan Garcia in December of 2023, Duarte has rattled off four straight wins, including beating Kenneth Sims in a contender fight in Chicago last August.
As for Fiero, 23-4-2, 18 KOs, he's clearly the underdog, but has aspirations to pull the upset and potentially take the place of Duarte's big plans at 140 lb.
He said on Wednesday,
"I’m gonna go out there and put on a show like I always do. I’m gonna leave my blood, sweat and tears inside the ring. I’m doing this for Tijuana!
“I love being the underdog. I’m here to spoil the party. I gave everyone an amazing fight with Pitbull Cruz (lost 10 round decision) and I’m gonna do that again against Duarte.
“I’m here to steal the show. It’s hard to do with all the names on this card. It’s a tall task, but we’re gonna delight the fans and I’m gonna come out with a win.
Duarte is in line for a possible shot at the IBF title that was vacated by Hitchins earlier this month after he signed with Zuffa Boxing.
However, it's not certain that he would get that title shot from the organization. Then, again, an impressive win over Fierro in this huge setting wouldn't hurt.
And, as Duarte mentioned, he could be in the picture to fight Issac "Pitbull" Cruz, who is another prominent PBC fighter, although, there are rumors that Cruz might rematch Gervonta "Tank" Davis later this Summer.