By Sean Crose
Alan Sanchez (15-3-1) will face Steve Claggett (21-3-1) at the Storm Center in Steinbeck country – Salinas, California – this Friday as part of Golden Boy Live’s broadcast on Fox Sports 1 and Fox Deportes. You may have heard of Sanchez before. He battled Luis Collazo back in 2013 and came up a bit short, losing a ten round decision.
He’s been on a win streak since then, however, and is determined to work his way back into the spotlight. The California native isn’t exactly fighting a slug on Friday, however. Canada’s Claggett has won over half his fights by knockout and has lost just one of the seven fights he’s been engaged in over the past two years. Claggett is clearly a man who keeps busy – which is a sure sign he takes the fight game seriously.
And that’s always a dangerous thing for an opponent.
Besides Sanchez and Claggett, super middleweights Paul Mendez (17-2-2) and David Lopez (45-15-1) will be facing off in a ten rounder on Friday. The Californian Mendez is on a hot streak and clearly wants to impress a television audience by beating the veteran (just look at that record) Lopez in impressive fashion. Mexico’s Lopez has indeed faced some notable competition in his career (like Austin Trout). As he inches closer and closer to forty, however, he may be a bit past the point of being called promising.
Sanchez is clearly the main attraction on Friday. Standing over six feet tall, he’s quite large for a welterweight (imagines of Hearns start coming to mind when a welter tops six). He’s also still a young man – under 25 – with an arguably bright future ahead of him. Sanchez is promoted by Golden Boy, which is showing it still has faith in him after the loss two years ago to Collazo.
Also on Friday’s card is lightweight Andy Vinces (11-0) who will be taking on Santiago Guevara (8-1) in a six round affair. Called “The Shark,” Vinces, like Sanchez and Mendez, is a native of California. Then again, so is Guevara, which means the lightweights will be engaged in an all Golden State affair.
Golden Boy Live airs Friday at 10 P.M. Eastern Time on Fox Sports 1 and Fox Deportes. There’s little doubt Golden Boy Promotions hopes at least a couple of the fights being televised will be thrilling affairs, as there are three other boxing cards being broadcast across the United States on Friday evening.
