Pittsburgh Boxing: Sammy Vasquez Jr. To Battle Jose Lopez
By Larry Snyder
For boxing fans across Western Pennsylvania, the time has come to enjoy the Sweet Science again.
This time the main event Sept. 15 features 29-year-old undefeated Sammy Vasquez, Jr. (19-0, 13 KOs) from Monessen facing off against 24-year-old Jose Lopez from Mexico (25-3, 15 KOs).
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This battle between welterweights from Premier Boxing Champions is set to go 10 rounds. According to Jeff Oliver at the Tribune Review, the Convocation Center on the campus of California University of Pennsylvania is the tentative venue for the bout. You can check out all of the action on Toe-to-Toe Tuesdays on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes.
Vasquez rose to No. 30 in the world and No. 14 in the United States with a 10-round unanimous decision against Wale Omotoso Sunday, June 21 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The southpaw has gone a total of 77 rounds in his 19 bouts and won 68 percent by knock-out.
The last win for Lopez was the unanimous decision against Jonathan Duran Saturday, May 30 at the Arena Coliseo in Mexico City. The 5-foot-9 1/2 former WBF champion has fought only one time in his career outside of his native land. That bout ended in defeat by unanimous decision at the hands of unbeaten Viktor Postol. The fight went the full 10 rounds Friday, April 27, 2012 at the Club Sportlife in Kiev, Ukraine.
The co-main event has a pair of light heavyweights in 10 round action. Southpaw Thomas Williams Jr. (18-1, 12 KOs) from Fort Washington, Maryland laces up the gloves against Cuba’s Umberto Savigne (12-2, 9 KOs). Williams, who will turn 28 on Aug. 25, is ranked 25th in the world and No. 4 in the United States by BoxRec.com. The 36-year-old Savigne is No. 61 in the world rankings and No. 3 in his native Cuba.
Before the Vasquez fight, however, Toe-to-Toe Tuesdays will begin the season Sept. 8th, the Tuesday after Labor Day, streaming live on the FOX Sports Go app.
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The evening will feature two super welterweights, Austin Trout (29-2, 16 KOs) from Las Cruces, New Mexico against Joey Hernandez (24-3, 14 KOs) from Miami, Florida at the Hollywood Palladium in California. The co-main event has Mexico’s undefeated southpaw Jorge Lara (27-0-1, 19 KOs) taking on Puerto Rico’s Jesus Rojas (21-1, 15 KOs) in super bantamweight action.
Around The Gym: Morgan Fitch, 32, places his undefeated streak on the line Sunday, Sept. 6 when he enters the ring against Dennis Sharpe at the Serbian American Cultural Center in Weirton, West Virginia. The match-up is set to go six rounds.
The super middleweight (13-0-1, 7 KOs), originally from Raceland, Louisana, now makes his home in Charleroi and trains in Ambridge. The man known as “Big Chief” last fought Saturday, June 20 at the Evangeline Downs Casino in Opelousas, Louisana against David Lujan from Texas. He earned a second round TKO. Fitch’s last three bouts did not go the distance.
The 40-year-old Sharpe (17-15-4, 4 KOs), who hails from from Bayonne, New Jersey, is 0-15-3 in his last 18 fights. The last time he won was 11 years ago with a fourth-round TKO against Earl Allen from Georgia Saturday, May 22, 2004, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
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