Oscar Collazo takes it to Melvin Jerusalem. Picture by Jhay Oh Otamias
Despite having less than 10 fights as a pro, Oscar Collazo has already won a world title belt.
The unbeaten Collazo will face Reyneris Gutierrez on January 27. The 12-round bout will precede the super middleweight clash between contenders Jaime Munguia and John Ryder. Both fights will be streamed on DAZN (8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT).
“With less than a week away for my second world title defense, I feel great and at my best moment,” said Oscar Collazo, currently rated at No. 4 by The Ring at strawweight. “As always, we are very prepared and focused on what we are going to do on January 27 and leave the ring with our hand-raised”
Collazo (8-0, 6 knockouts), who is originally from Newark, New Jersey and now resides in Villalba, Puerto Rico, won the WBO world strawweight title on May 27, forcing Melvin Jerusalem of the Philippines to not come out for round eight.
“We have a good plan in place like all our previous fights, and we are ready to entertain in front of the people of Arizona, Puerto Rico, and on DAZN. Thank you, Miguel Cotto Promotions and Golden Boy for the opportunity to be on such a big card featuring a spectacular main event between Jaime Munguia and John Ryder.”
The 27-year-old made the first defense of the WBO title on August 26, stopping Garen Diagen, also of the Philippines, after the sixth round.
Eric Gomez, who is the President of Golden Boy Promotions, which co-promotes Collazo with Cotto Promotions, has been pleased with the development and transition of Collazo to become a world titleholder. He is most impressed with his fighting style, which has made more fans over the last several months.
Gabriela Fundora is the new IBF flyweight titleholder. Photo: Golden Boy / Cris Esqueda
“He’s the little champion that fights like a big man,” Gomez told The Ring Wednesday afternoon. “(He has) knockout power in both hands.”
Gutierrez (10-1, 2 KOs), who resides in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, last fought on October 14, defeating journeyman Natanael Rocha by unanimous decision. Gutierrez suffered the first and only blemish of his career in his previous fight on June 16, losing to Alex Winwood by unanimous decision.
On the DAZN Broadcast, knockout superstar in-the-making Darius Fulghum (9-0, 9 KOs) will be taking on Alantez Fox (28-5-1, 13 KOs) in a 10-round contest. In a co-promotion with Sampson Boxing, IBF female flyweight titlist Gabriela Fundora (12-0, 5 KOs) of Coachella Valley, California will defend her newly minted hardware in a 10-round combat against Christina Cruz (6-0, 0 KOs) of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Opening the DAZN broadcast, Mexico City’s David Picasso Romero (26-0-1, 15 KOs) will participate in a 10-round super bantamweight fight against Erik Ruiz (17-9-1, 7 KOs) of Oxnard, California.
On the preliminary card, Daniel “Junebug” Garcia (7-0, 5 KOs) of Denver, Colorado will participate in a six-round lightweight match against Phoenix, Arizona’s Daniel Lugo (4-1, 1 KOs). Gregory Morales (15-1, 9 KOs) of San Antonio, Texas will challenge Ronal Ron (14-4, 11 KOs) of Chino Hills, California in an eight-round junior featherweight fight. In a four-round bantamweight clash, former Mexican Olympian Gael Cabrera (3-0, 2 KOs) will measure up against Miguel Ceballos (2-0, 2 KOs) of Peoria, Arizona .
Opening the fight night festivities with a four-round bantamweight fight, Johnny “Sugarcane” Cañas (2-0, 2 KOs) of Santa Ana, California will face Oakland, California’s William Davis (2-1-1, 1 KO).
A press release by Golden Boy Promotions was used in this article.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at [email protected]
