Two undefeated junior welterweight contenders look to take a giant step forward Friday evening at Pechanga Resort Casino. Arnold Barboza Jr. (26-0, 10 KOs), from South El Monte, California, will battle Puerto Rican standout Danielito Zorrilla (16-0, 12 KOs) in the 10-round main event for the vacant WBO Intercontinental belt.
In the eight-round lightweight co-feature, Southern California’s Raymond “Danger” Muratalla (14-0, 12 KOs) steps up in class against Mexican veteran Jair Valtierra (16-1, 8 KOs). The televised opener will see the return of U.S. Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. (1-0, 1 KO) against Roberto Zavala Jr. (2-1-1, 2 KOs) in a six-rounder at heavyweight.
Barboza Jr.-Zorrilla, Muratalla-Valtierra and Torrez Jr.-Zavala Jr. will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
Undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ (7 p.m. ET/4 p.m PT) and includes junior featherweight prospect Floyd “Cashflow” Diaz (5-0, 1 KO) and rising heavyweight Stephan “Big Shot” Shaw (16-0, 12 KOs).
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Ringside Ticket Inc., tickets starting at $29 are on sale now and can be purchased at Pechanga.com.
At Wednesday’s press conference, this is what the fighters had to say.
Arnold Barboza Jr.
“I think this fight has all the makings of being another great war between Mexico and Puerto Rico. I’m Mexican American and he is Puerto Rican. This one will be a great battle. Everyone knows my style, and he also likes to come forward. I can’t wait for Friday night.”
“All the hard work is paying off. I began my career fighting on the small UniMás shows and now I’m the main event on ESPN, but we are not satisfied. We want more!”
“It’s exciting to fight in front of friends and family in California. It has been a while since I fought in Cali, but now we are here, and we have a great matchup. We have a tough and hungry fighter in front of us.”
Danielito Zorrilla
“I feel happy and thankful for this opportunity. I’m well-prepared physically and mentally. Everyone will see on Friday night. I expect a lot from Barboza. He is a great fighter and one of the best in the division. This will be a very competitive fight. This will be a war!”
“Now I have former world champion, Rocky Martinez, in my corner. He is a man that has a lot of experience. He is a three-time world champion and knows what it takes to become a champion. He has added a lot to my team. I think this combination will benefit my career.”
“We are working hard to represent Puerto Rico. If the opportunity presents itself for me to become the next big Puerto Rican star, we will be ready for that and will take it. That is what we are working for.”
Raymond Muratalla
“I love opportunities like this. I’m ready and can’t wait for Friday night. Working at Robert Garcia’s Boxing Academy is great. All the talent there is crazy. We have great sparring sessions, and because of that, I know I’m ready. I feel like I’m ready for the next step. I know I’m ready!”
Jair Valtierra
“I had a great training camp, and I know I’m ready to come out victorious. I know he is a strong fighter, but we have a great strategy, and we are going to follow the game plan.”
“I feel very excited about this opportunity. This is my first fight in the United States. Now people around the world will know about me. I hope to put on a great show for all the fans.”
Richard Torrez Jr.
“I think that my professional debut put me through a lot of things that I needed to learn as a pro. I had a cut and there was also a mix-up with the referee. There were a lot of different things going on that will help me in my future fights.”
“For this training camp, my team and I added a nutritionist. We felt like that was missing. We added them to the team and now I look and feel great. Right now, I’m here! I’m ready! We are prepared for this fight! I’m ready for Friday night!”
