Photo Credits: Golden Boy / Cris Esqueda
FRESNO, CALIF. – U.S. Olympian and former unified super lightweight world champion Jose Ramirez (28-1, 18 KOs) and undefeated knockout monster and super welterweight world title contender Vergil Ortiz Jr. (20-0, 20 KOs) of Grand Prairie, Texas hosted their final press conference in Fresno, California. Joined by other members of the undercard, they discussed their upcoming doubleheader on Saturday, April 27 featuring Jose Ramirez vs. Rances Barthelemy and Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Thomas Dulorme. The event will take place live from the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California, and broadcast worldwide on DAZN.
Also on the undercard is the collision course of the mighty Oscar “La Migraña” Duarte (26-2-1, 21 KOs) and U.S. Olympian and former world champion Joseph “JoJo” Diaz Jr. (33-5-1, 15 KOs) in a 10-round lightweight match. In the night’s championship clash, Unified WBA, WBC, WBO and Ring Magazine Flyweight World Champion Marlen Esparza (14-1, 1 KOs) will put her titles on the line yet again in a bad-blood rematch against the former WBC Champ of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Gabriela “La Chucky” Alaniz (14-1, 6 KOs) in a 10-round championship bout. Opening the DAZN broadcast, NABF Welterweight Title Holder Raul “El Cugar” Curiel (14-0, 12 KOs) will defend his regional title against Jorge Marron Jr. (20-4-2, 7 KOs) in a 10-round affair.
On the preliminary card, Madera, Calif.’s Brian Lua (8-0, 3 KOs) will participate in a six-round lightweight fight against Cancun, Mexico’s Ronaldo “Criminal” Solis (4-4-1, 3 KOs). Figo Gonzalez (5-0, 2 KOs) of Dallas, Texas will square up in a four-round super flyweight fight against Modesto, Calif.’s Alejandro Robles (0-2). On the preliminary card and making her highly anticipated professional debut, Jennah “The Gem” Creason of Visalia, California will make a splash in a four-round welterweight fight against a soon to be announced opponent.
Tickets are on sale and are priced at $225, $150, $100, $65 and $40 plus applicable fees. Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or GoldenBoyPromotions.com.
JOSE RAMIREZ, U.S. OLYMPIAN AND FORMER UNIFIED WORLD CHAMPION:
“First of all I want to thank God. It’s always nice to see such amazing stars; my 2012 Olympic Teammates and great fighters like Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Oscar Duarte on the undercard. It’s quite an honor for me to be a part of boxing, and to be a part of boxing in the Central Valley. We’re thankful for all the fans, we’re thankful for all the supporters and the sponsors.
“I am ready for this Saturday. My goal is to get back on top and to get all those belts back. I still feel like I am one of the best 140-pounders in the division. I plan on making a statement on Saturday, and that’s what I was working on in the gym. Thank you to Oscar and to Golden Boy for the opportunity.”
VERGIL ORTIZ, JR., UNDEFEATED SUPER WELTERWEIGHT CONTENDER:
“I don’t have too much to say right now. All everyone should know is that we had a great training camp, trained hard, and had incredible sparring. I like running – I ran a lot. I really don’t have anything else to say aside from that I love Fresno, and I can’t wait for you all to come out and watch our fights come Saturday night.”
OSCAR DE LA HOYA, CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS:
“We have an absolutely stacked card Saturday night in Fresno. We have a slew of top prospects looking to advance to contender status. We have world championship gold on the line in the Women’s flyweight division. We have a true crossroads match between two longtime Golden Boy fighters looking to rebound and get back on the championship track. And we have two of the best and best-known boxers in the world topping the card in separate fights, looking to impress and take another step towards glory. From top-to-bottom, people aren’t going to miss this barnburner of a Golden Boy card.”
Ramirez vs. Barthelemy is a 12-round super lightweight fight. Ortiz Jr. vs. Dulorme is a 10-round super welterweight fight. The event will take place on Saturday, April 27 on DAZN live from Save Mart Center in Fresno, California.
For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and DAZN.com. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing and @DAZNBoxing. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoy and https://www.facebook.com/DAZN. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoy and @DAZNBoxing. Follow the conversation using #RamirezBarthelemy
