Professional boxing returns for the second time this year to South Florida’s iconic Hialeah Park Casino on May 7. The card will be highlighted by two title fights, one featuring the undefeated WBA #15 heavyweight Lenier “El Justiciero” Peró (6-0, 3 KOs) against Hector Perez (7-4, 3 KOs) for the NABO title and the other pitting cruiserweight Anthony “White Chocolate” Martinez (12-1, 11 KOs) against #15 IBF contender David Light (17-0, 11 KOs) of New Zealand for the WBO International cruiserweight title.
“Peró was a very accomplished amateur who won gold medals for Cuba at the Pan American Games and fought at the 2016 Summer Olympics,” said promoter Henry Rivalta. “He’s a fantastic prospect, a very technical and graceful fighter. But he needs to be ready to fight! Perez is super tough and he’s on the comeback trail.”
As for the Martinez-Light matchup, “This fight will be a major class test for the local fighter Martinez,” explained Rivalta. “Light has held three different regional cruiserweight titles and he’s looking to break into the IBF Top 10.”
Before the main events on the May 7 card, Cuban super-lightweight Orestes Velazquez (3-0, 3 KOs), coming off a victory in “the fight of the night” on the January 28 card at Hialeah Park, faces former WBO champion Juan Carlos Salgado (27-9, 16 KOs), Cuban welterweight Livan Navarro (11-1, 7 KOs) returns to the ring for the first time since his only defeat to face tough Mexican veteran Silverio Ortiz (37-29, 18 KOs), and Cuban super-bantamweight Ariel Perez de la Torre (7-0, 5 KOs) risks his undefeated status against Angel Pillado (13-3, 4 KOs).
But the fight that has most ringsiders anxious about is the professional debut of Cuban super-bantamweight Victor Abreu, who will fight early in the evening.
“This kid is really special,” said Rivalta. “He fought over 170 times as an amateur in Cuba, he’s incredibly well-built for a 122-pounder, and I’m predicting he will be a world champion before the end of 2023.”
Tickets for the fights will be on sale this Friday, April 15th.