LOS ANGELES (March 7, 2018): Julio Cesar Chavez, Sr., one of the best Mexican boxers of all time and a former six-time, three-division world champion, will be the special VIP guest for the March 22 edition of Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif. The main event will feature 2017 consensus prospect of the year., Ryan “Kingry” Garcia (13-0, 12 KOs) of Victorville, Calif., who will put his Junior NABF Super Featherweight Title on the line and fight for the vacant NABA USA Super Featherweight Title against Mexican veteran Fernando Vargas (32-15-3, 24 KOs) in a ten-round affair. Garcia, who is also dubbed “The Flash,” has ended 92% of his fights in jaw-dropping knockouts.
Doors to the Special Events Center will open at 4:15 p.m. PT and the first fight begins at 4:30 pm PT. ESPN and ESPN Deportes will air the fights beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT, and stream live on ESPN3 starting at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.
During his legendary career, Chavez Sr. held world titles in three weight classes, and
holds the records for the most total successful defenses of world titles (27), most title fight victories (31), and most title fights (37). The Hall of Famer also has the second most title defenses won by knockout, and holds the longest undefeated streak in boxing history at 13 years. Chavez, Sr. will be in attendance for this event to meet fans, sign autographs and take pictures inside the Fantasy Springs Special Events Center before the ESPN transmission begins. The meet-and-greet is open to the public with the purchase of a ticket to the event.
In the televised co-main event, St. Louis, Mo.’s KeAndre “The Truth” Gibson (18-1-1, 7 KOs) will face Eddie “EBoy” Gomez (20-3, 11 KOs) of the Bronx, N.Y. in a 10-round fight between two high-level welterweights.
Certified contender of Glendora, CA, Joet Gonzalez (18-0, 10 KOs) will combat Rolando Magbanua (26-6, 18 KOs) of Cotabato, Phillipines in a scheduled 10-round featherweight fight.
Mexican Olympian Raul “El Cugar” Curiel (2-0, 1 KO), hoping to catch the ESPN coverage as the TV swing bout, will return in a six-round welterweight fight against Quantavious Green (1-1, 1 KO) of Shreveport, La.
East Los Angeles, Calif.’s Jonathan “Thunder” Navarro (12-0, 6 KOs) will take on a soon-to-be-announced opponent in a scheduled eight-round super lightweight fight after the ESPN transmission. Opening up fight night will be top-notch prospect Emilio Sanchez (16-0, 11 KOs) of Pacoima, Calif. will return in an eight-round super bantamweight fight against Filipino fighter Eugene Lagos (12-5-2, 7 KOs).
Garcia vs. Vargas is a 10-round fight for the Junior NABF and vacant NABA USA Super Featherweight Titles presented by Golden Boy Promotions. The event is sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING” and Hennessy, “Never Stop, Never Settle.” The fights will take place on Thursday, March 22, 2018 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino. Doors to the Special Events Center will open at 4:15 p.m. PT and the first fight begins at 4:30 pm PT. ESPN and ESPN Deportes will air the fights beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT, and stream live on ESPN3 starting at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.
Tickets for the event start at $25 and are available at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino box office by calling 1-800-827-2946, or by purchasing online at www.fantasyspringsresort.com.
Media interested in attending Golden Boy Boxing: Garcia vs. Vargas must request credentials by emailing clavoie@fantasysprings.net by 5:00 p.m. PT on Friday, March 16.
For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and http://www.espn.com/boxing/; follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @ESPN, and @ESPNBoxeo; become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing; and follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing and @OscarDeLaHoya. Follow the conversation using #GBPonESPN.
Photos and videos are available to download by clicking here or copying and pasting link: http://bit.ly/GarciaVargas into a browser. Credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions for photos and videos used.
