| |
|
|
Rene Tellez Giron vs. Luis Melendez Junior Lightweight
Clash Added To Robson Conceição
vs. Xavier Martinez Co-Feature Jan. 29
Mexican action star Rene “El Bravo” Tellez Giron will meet
Puerto Rican upstart Luis Melendez in a 10-round junior
lightweight showdown Saturday, Jan. 29 at Hard Rock Hotel &
Casino Tulsa.
Giron-Melendez will serve as the co-feature to the 10-round
WBC junior lightweight title eliminator between former title
challenger Robson Conceição and undefeated contender Xavier
Martinez. Both bouts will air live on ESPN & ESPN Deportes
(simulcast on ESPN+) at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
The ESPN+-streamed undercard will include the return of
undefeated middleweight prospect Nico Ali Walsh (3-0, 2
KOs), grandson of Muhammad Ali, in a four-round bout. Ali
Walsh made his professional debut last August with a
first-round stoppage at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa.
Tulsa-born heavyweight prospect Jeremiah Milton (3-0, 3 KOs)
will see action on the undercard in a six-rounder.
Giron (16-1, 10 KOs), a 22-year-old rising star from
Queretaro, Mexico, emerged from relative obscurity with his
December 2019 knockout victory over then-unbeaten 2016 U.S.
Olympian Karlos Balderas. He has won two fights since the
Balderas triumph, including a seventh-round knockout over
Eduardo Garza last September on the Oscar Valdez-Conceição
undercard in Tucson, Arizona. Melendez (17-1, 13 KOs),
winner of 15 straight fights since a controversial split
decision loss, had a busy 2021. He picked up seven victories
in three months in Colombia, then returned to the States
with a flourish. Melendez won an eight-round decision over
Thomas Mattice at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas last November, a
career-best victory that earned him the co-feature slot
against Giron.
“I told my manager, Frank Espinoza, that I am ready to fight
any junior lightweight out there,” Giron said. “Melendez
answered the call, and we’re going to give the Tulsa fans a
great fight. Whenever you have a Mexican versus a Puerto
Rican, it can’t help but be toe-to-toe.”
Melendez said, “I jumped at this opportunity without
hesitation. I’m thankful for this platform, and I will put
the 130-pound division on notice. Giron is the man in my
way. I am the next Puerto Rican star, and I will prove it in
Tulsa."
|
|
|
