Goossen-Tutor matchmaker Tom Brown confirmed to TQBR Tuesday that junior welterweight contender Mike Dallas Jr. (18-2-1, 7 KOs) will fight Javier Castro (27-4, 22 KOs) of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuaha, Mexico in the 12-round main event of the June 22 ESPN2 Friday Night Fights, which will take place at the Soboba Casino in San Manuel, Calif.
Dallas was offered a fight with Jessie Vargas on short notice on the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Miguel Cotto pay-per-view undercard but wasn’t quite in fighting shape when the fight became available and Dallas missed out on a rumored career payday. Instead, Dallas will fight his second straight ESPN main event after easily decisioning Miguel Gonzalez on the Feb. 17 edition.
Dallas has been working with esteemed trainer Virgil Hunter his past two fights and has looked much better since being handed his first loss against Josesito Lopez, who was initially going to be in the ESPN main event against Kendall Holt. Lopez will now fight June 23 against Victor Ortiz on Showtime after Andre Berto failed a VADA drug test.
Castro is largely unknown to American fight fans having fought most of his career in Mexico. Castro has strung together three straight wins after losing to a 12-18-2 journeyman in April of last year. Castro was in a fringe and obscure Fight of the Year candidate with Antonio Diaz in October 2009, eventually losing a close 10-round decision.
Dallas’s chin will likely be tested as Castro has shown himself to be a big puncher, stopping all three of his previous foes dating back to his most recent loss.
Goossen-Tutor and Hunter middleweight stablemate Brandon Gonzales (15-0, 10 KOs) of Sacramento is slated to appear in the televised co-feature against Elie Augustama (6-4, 3 KOs) of Miami, according to Brown. Gonzales is returning to the ring for the first time since last October when he edged veteran gatekeeper Ossie Duran. Gonzales was set to appear on the Jan. 20 ShoBox against Caleb Truax, but tore his hamstring a week out and has been inactive since.
Also slated according to Brown is exciting Sacramento featherweight Guy Robb (7-1, 3 KOs), who is coming off his first loss in a thriller against Joel Diaz Jr. in a ShoBox clash back in January.
Mark Ortega can be reached via at ortegaliitr@gmail.com or followed via Twitter at Twitter.com.MarkEOrtega. Mark also contributes to notable British boxing publication Boxing Monthly as well as Ring Magazine, is a member of the BWAA and the Ring Ratings Advisory Panel.
