First, let's talk about the two bouts for Beltway Boxers on the card. Undefeated Waldorf, MD super lightweight Mike "Yes, Indeed" Reed will compete in his first 10-round bout when he battles Reyes Sanchez of Nezahualcóyotl, México. Reed (21-0, 12 KO's) is currently ranked sixth in the world by the WBO and is coming off an eight-round unanimous decision win over Sidney Siqueira on December 10th in Omaha, NB. Sanchez (26-9-2, 15 KO's) is a multi-time former regional champion. Sanchez will be trying to break a three-bout losing streak including a third-round stoppage loss to Juan Heraldez on September 16th in Las Vegas, NV.
Hyattsville, MD super lightweight Patrick Harris will also look to remain undefeated when he takes on Omar "Mr. Power" Garcia of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico in his first scheduled eight-round encounter. Harris (10-0, seven KO's) last fought on September 30th and scored a third-round TKO over Sean Lockhart at the Sphinx Club in Washington, DC. The win was Harris's third straight knockout victory. Garcia (6-6, one KO) has lost three in a row including a six-round unanimous decision to Nestor Bravo on November 18th in Kissimmee, FL.
The main portion of the card will by televised by HBO, marking the first time the network has ever broadcast a card from the state of Maryland. In the main event, WBO Super Featherweight Vasyl "Hi-Tech" Lomachenko of Oxnard, CA by way of the Ukraine defends his title against former WBA Super Featherweight titleholder Jason Sosa of Camden, NJ. Lomachenko (7-1, five KO's) will be making the second defense of the title he won on June 11th by knocking out Roman Martinez in the fifth round in Madison Square Garden. Lomachenko is a former WBO Featherweight titleholder, defeating now-WBC champion Gary Russell, Jr. by majority decision in June of 2014.
Sosa (20-1-4, 15 KO's) defended his WBA version of the super featherweight title on November 12th winning a unanimous decision over Stephen Smith in Monte Carlo. Sosa decided to vacate his title to challenge Lomachenko.
In the co-feature, undefeated Ukrainian cruiserweight Oleksandr Usyk will defend his WBO championship against undefeated Michael Hunter of Las Vegas, NV. This will be a battle of 2012 Olympians. Usyk (11-0, 10 KO's) made a successful first defense of his world title by scoring a ninth-round TKO over Thabiso Mchunu on December 17th in Inglewood, CA. Usyk won a gold medal in the 2012 Olympics. Hunter (12-0, eight KO's) lost in the first round in the London Olympics but has been unblemished as a pro. Hunter won a 10-round unanimous decision over Isiah Thomas in his last outing on May 13th in Las Vegas.
The third bout on the televised card will feature undefeated Oleksandr Gvozdyk of Oxnard, CA via the Ukraine in a 10-round contest against Yunieski "The Monster" Gonzalez of Miami, FL by way of Pinar del Rio, Cuba. Gvozdyk (12-0, 10 KO's) won a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics. Gvozdyk is coming off an eight-round stoppage of Isaac Chilemba on November 19th in Las Vegas. Gonzalez (18-2, 14 KO's) has scored back-to-back first-round TKO's in his last two outings.
There are two more bouts on the undercard. Undefeated Philadelphia, PA super middleweight Jesse "Hard Work" Hart will be in a 10-round contest against Alan "Amenaza" Campa of Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico. Hart (21-0, 17 KO's) scored a third-round TKO over Andrew Hernandez on November 4 in Las Vegas. Campa (16-2, 11 KO's) is riding a three-bout winning streak including a sixth-round TKO over Roberto Valdez on July 30th in Hermosillo, Sonora, MX.
Also, welterweight Egidijus Kavaliauskas of Oxnard, CA by way of Lithuania (15-0, 12 KO's) will be in an eight-round encounter against Ramses Agaton of Tlalneplanta, Distrito Federal, Mexico (18-5-3, 10 KO's). Kavaliauskas won an eight-round unanimous decision over Cameron Kreal on October 14 in Studio City, CA. Agaton broke a three-bout losing streak by scoring a fifth-round TKO over Moises Cruz on December 9th in Tlalneplanta.
The doors open at 6:30 PM ET and the card is scheduled to get underway at 7 PM. The HBO telecast will start at 10 PM ET. The card has been a sellout for the past month. Boxing Along The Beltway will be blogging throughout the evening. Also, we will have live podcast reports on the Boxing Along The Beltway Google App For Android as well as on the BATB pages on Spreaker.com and Iheartradio.com.
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