Undefeated Junior Middleweight and Former Featherweight Challenger on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights
ESPN’s Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra, will originate from Tampa, Fla. June 3 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2 when undefeated junior middleweight Yudel Jhonson (10-0, 7 KOs) and former featherweight world title challenger Walter Estrada (38-14-1, 25 KOs) are featured in co-main events. Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas will be ringside at the Al La Carte Pavilion describing the action. Studio host Jonathan Coachman will present all the latest boxing news and highlights. The card is presented by Warriors Boxing.
Miami’s Jhonson will meet Colombia’s Jose Miguel “Mochuelito” Torres (21-4, 19 KOs). Jhonson is coming off a career-best win- a seventh-round March TKO over veteran Richard Guiterrez on ESPN’s Friday Night Fight’s. After the fight, ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael wrote, “Jhonson was clearly winning the fight when he picked up his offense in the seventh, landing a right hook that wobbled Gutierrez before rocking his head back with a right-left combination. Although Gutierrez was in trouble (but was throwing a punch back), referee Russell Mora surprisingly jumped in to stop it at 1 minute, 9 seconds.”
“We know Torres is a tough guy who took Mean Joe Greene the distance,” Manager Luis DeCubas Jr. said. “He’s fought a couple of other worthy guys, and he can’t be taken lightly. He’s a big puncher, but I think his style is made to order for Yudel, who is a counterpuncher who likes guys to come to him.”
Colombia’s Estrada looking to rebound after a March 10-round unanimous decision loss against 2004 U.S. Olympian Vicente Escobedo, will meet Gainesville, Georgia’s Tyrese “Head Honcho” Hendrix (20-2-1, 9 KOs). Estrada took the fight on short notice after originally scheduled Prenice Brewer was injured. Prior to his last fight, Estrada won three upsets in a row, including a November eight round decision over former WBA-IBF-WBO lightweight world titlist Nate Cambell.
After the Cambell fight Rafael wrote, “At 38, it appears to be over for Campbell, the former unified lightweight titleholder who has fought numerous top opponents. He won some and he lost some, but he usually made good fights. This fight was supposed to be quick and easy work for Campbell. Instead, Estrada won his third fight in a row (following a 1-8-1 stretch) outhustled and outpunched Campbell for the victory.”
ESPN 3D Adds Five Nights of Boxing to Schedule:
ESPN 3D has added five nights of live boxing to its schedule. Friday Night Fights will be on the network starting June 24 at 9 p.m. with matches originating from the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif. The schedule:
Date Time (ET) Bouts Location
June 24 9 p.m. John Molina vs. Robert Frankel Pechanga Resort Casino, Temecula, Calif.
July 1 11 p.m. Mark Jason Melligan vs. Robert Garcia Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio, Texas
July 8 9 p.m. Henry Buchanan vs. Jesus Gonzales Jobing.com Arena, Phoenix, Ariz.
July 22 9 p.m. TBD TBD
Aug. 12 9 p.m. TBD TBD
ESPN 3D televised its first Friday Night Fights match on February 18. It was also the first live ESPN telecast to be produced only in 3D and aired in 3D and 2D simultaneously.