The Jan. 24 edition of ESPN Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra and ESPN Deportes’ Noche de Combates presented by Corona Extra will feature undefeated, up-and-coming Light Heavyweight southpaw Thomas “Top Dog” Williams Jr. (15-0, 10 KOs) and contender Cornelius “Da Beast” White (21-2, 16 KOS) in the 10-round main event.
Friday’s show from Little Creek Casino in Shelton, Wash., will air live at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2, broadband Spanish-language ESPN Deportes+ and WatchESPN. ESPN Deportes will televise Friday’s fights on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 10 p.m. The card is presented by Goossen Tutor Promotions.
Commentators:
Joe Tessitore will be ringside with Teddy Atlas describing the action for ESPN2, while studio host Todd Grisham (@GrishamESPN) will present all the latest boxing news and highlights. Delvin Rodríguez and Pablo Viruega will call the fights for Noche de Combates (Fight Night) on both ESPN Deportes and ESPN Deportes+, while Leopoldo González and Claudia Trejos will anchor the studio. Hall of Fame referee Joe Cortez will join Trejos and González in studio. Bilingual reporter Bernardo Osuna (@osunaespn) will present live interviews and reports for both shows.
Main Event:
Washington D.C.’s Williams Jr. is coming off a November 10-round unanimous decision win over Yusaf Mack. Manager-trainer George Peterson, who also managed-trained former Welterweight titlist Paul Williams, said of Friday’s fight: “Cornelius White is rangy, he’s tall. He’s a good boxer. He’s got quite a bit of experience, and he’s somebody we’re going to have to contend with. We can’t look over him. But we’re going to prepare for it and we’re not going to have any trouble with him.”
White, who hails from Texas, is looking to rebound from a third-round TKO loss to current Light Heavyweight titlist Sergey Kovalev. “This is going to be my first test against a lefty,” White said of Friday’s fight. “I look at this fight as an opportunity for me to get to the next level. I wanted an opponent with an undefeated record, a young lion, somebody that didn’t want to lose that ‘0.’ My job is to take that ‘0.’ On the 24th, they’re going to see what I’m capable of doing. I’m coming prepared and am ready to go to war.”
Co-Feature:
Friday’s 10-round Featherweight co-feature will pit former Junior Featherweight titlist Rico “Suavecito” Ramos (22-3, 12 KOS) against Jonathan “Thunder” Arellano (14-2-2, 3 KOs). In his last outing, Los Angeles’ Ramos scored a one punch, 10th-round knockout win over previously undefeated Puerto Rican Olympian Carlos Velázquez, while Arellano, of Ontario, Calif., is looking to continue his winning ways following an eight-round majority decision win over Charles Huerta.
Next Week on FNF:
Friday Night Fights and Noche de Comabates return next week on Jan. 31 (9 p.m., ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN) when undefeated Light Heavyweight contender Blake Caparello (18-0-1, 6 KO’s) meets Elvir Muriqi (40-5, 24 KOs) in the 10-round main event. The fight, from Codey Arena in West Orange N.J., will take place Super Bowl weekend and is less than 20 miles from MetLife Stadium, site of the 2014 Super Bowl.
Upcoming Schedule:
Date
Time (ET)
Main Event
Location
Networks
Fri, Jan 31
9 p.m.
Blake Caparello (18-0-1, 6KO’s) vs. Elvir Muriqi (40-5, 24 KOs) —10-rounds, Light Heavyweights
Codey Arena, West Orange, N.J.
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
Fri, Feb. 7
9 p.m.
Jonathan González (17-0-1, 14 KOs) vs. Norberto González (20-2, 13 KOs) —10-rounds, Middleweights
UIC Pavilion , Chicago
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
Fri, Feb. 14
9 p.m.
Chris Algieri (18-0, 8 KOs) vs. Emmanuel Taylor (17-1, 12 KOs) —10-rounds, Junior Welterweights
Paramount Theater, Huntington, N.Y.
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
*Schedule subject to change
Follow ESPN Friday Night Fights on Twitter @ESPNFNF or like it on Facebook. Follow ESPN Deportes’ Noche de Combates on Twitter @ESPNBoxeo. Also score the fights round-by-round with the “Live Friday Night Fights Facebook Voting App,” an application on the ESPN FNF Facebook page that allows viewers to score the fight round-by-round. For the latest ESPN.com boxing news and analysis follow @ESPNBoxing.
