(July 5, 2023) — Mexican former two-division world champion Luis “Pantera” Nery returns in a 10-round main event against Filipino former title challenger Froilan “The Sniper” Saludar this Saturday, July 8 at Recinto Ferial Metepec in Metepec, Mexico.
The 28-year-old Nery will look to continue his campaign towards another title run in the competitive junior featherweight division.
Promoted by Zanfer Promotions, Nery-Saludar and undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ starting at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
Nery (34-1, 26 KOs) burst onto championship scene in October 2017 with a fourth-round TKO against then-unbeaten champion Shinsuke Yamanaka to capture the WBC bantamweight crown. Three years later, he defeated Aaron Alameda to win the WBC junior featherweight title via 12-round unanimous decision. Nery suffered his first defeat in a title unification bout versus WBA king Brandon Figueroa in May 2021. He is 3-0 with two knockouts since the Figueroa loss and is coming off a 11th-round knockout over former title challenger Azat Hovhannisyan in a Fight of the Year-level battle. Saludar (33-6-1, 23 KOs) is a 13-year pro who unsuccessfully challenged Sho Kimura for the WBO flyweight title in 2018. He has given stiff tests to former world champs Andrew Moloney and Daigo Higa. The 34-year-old is coming off a first-round TKO win over countryman Crison Omayao last October.
In other streaming action from Metepec, Mexico:
- Junior welterweight standout Carlos Sanchez (24-1, 19 KOs) will take on Marcos Gonzalez (22-3, 11 KOs) in a 10-round clash. Both are coming off April wins, with Sanchez beating Alexander Duran via six-round technical decision and Gonzalez defeating Josue Veraza via 10-round unanimous decision.
- In a 10-round junior middleweight fight, Jorge Garcia Perez (25-4, 21 KOs) will square off against Ricardo Bañuelos (18-9-1, 7 KOs). Both fought on the same card last month. Perez scored a seventh-round knockout win over Hector Andres Reyes, while Bañuelos lost to Mexican Olympian Misael Rodriguez via eight-round unanimous decision.
- Rashib Martinez (20-2-1, 9 KOs) will face Ernesto Garcia Flores (10-2, 9 KOs) in an eight-round bantamweight tilt.
- In a swing bout, flyweights Luis Rodriguez (8-3, 3 KOs) and Juan Carlos Barrientos (5-2, 3 KOs) will collide in a fight scheduled for four or six rounds.
# # #About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 25.3 million subscribers. Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $9.99 a month (or $99.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices).
