ESPN’s Friday Night Fights will originate from Tulsa, Okla. on February 25 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2 with a 10-round main event featuring featherweight contender Juan Carlos “Mini” Burgos (25-1, 18 KO’s, WBC #4), battling Frankie Archuleta (27-7-1, 14 KO’s). Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas will be ringside at the Osega Million Dollar Elm Casino describing the action.
Mexico’s Burgos, is coming off his first loss, a November title shot against WBC featherweight champ Hozumi Hasegawa, considered by many to be one of Japan’s best fighters of the last decade. ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael wrote, “They produced a surprisingly outstanding fight, battling tooth and nail as both men had big moments. Hasegawa led early, but Burgos mounted a comeback and staggered Hasegawa with a left uppercut in the seventh round, just one of several rounds that featured tons of furious punching and back and forth action. Burgos relentlessly pressured Hasegawa over the final four rounds and had him in trouble, but Hasegawa hung on for the unanimous decision.”
In June, Burgos TKO’d Ricardo Castillo, the younger brother of former world champion Jose Luis Castillo.
Friday’s card will also feature an 8-round bout between undefeated super middleweight Maxim Vlasov (19-0, 10 KO’s) and South Africa’s Isaac “Golden Boy” Chilemba (15-1-1, 8 KO’s). Russia’s Vlasov is coming off a September seventh-round TKO win over Mikhail Krinstin. In his previous fight, he scored one of his career-best wins- a third round TKO against Jerson Ravelo on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights in June.
“Vlasov was imposing himself on Ravelo through the first two rounds and then put him away with a massive right hand in the third round,” ESPN.com’s Rafael reported. “The blow landed flush and stopped Ravelo in his tracks before he fell face first with his arms draped over the bottom ring rope.”
Friday’s show will also feature Ring Magazine’s #1 ranked light heavyweight and future hall of famer Bernard Hopkins in studio with host Brian Kenny. Hopkins will discuss his upcoming rematch with Ring Magazine’s light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal, with whom he fought a controversial majority draw in December. Hopkins, age 46, will attempt to become the oldest fighter ever to win a significant title (besting George Foreman who beat Michael Moorer for the heavyweight title at age 45).
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