Puerto Rican world champion Jonathan “La Bomba” Gonzalez (25-3-1, 14 KOs) is set to make the first defense of his WBO junior light flyweight title against Filipino Olympian and former title challenger Mark Anthony “Baby Boy” Barriga (11-1, 2 KOs) in a 12-round main event on Friday, June 24.
The fight, which is presented in association with Tuto Zabala Jr.’s All Star Boxing, Inc., will take place at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida and headlines a night of action that will be streamed globally on ProBox TV.
Ticket and undercard information for the event will be announced shortly.
Gonzalez is a slick southpaw who made his pro debut in April 2011. Since then, he’s faced some of the top fighters at 112 pounds, including former champions Giovani “El Guerrero Azteca” Segura and Kosei Tanaka. However, “La Bomba” decided to move down to 108 pounds in 2020, a division in which he has had much more success. Indeed, after obtaining two impressive victories in a row, Gonzalez upset Elwin “La Pulga” Soto to capture the WBO Junior Flyweight Title in October 2021. The Puerto Rican champion is now ready to defend his title for the first time in what will be his debut on the ProBox TV platform.
“I’m ready to kick off a dominant reign as world champion by making the first defense of my title,” said Jonathan Gonzalez. “Elwin Soto learned that I’m not somebody you should underestimate, so I hope Mark Anthony Barriga is training as hard as possible because I’m coming with everything on June 24. This is my division. Nobody is going to beat me at 108 pounds. I look forward to an exciting night for the fans and to leaving the ring with my hand raised in victory.”
Barriga is a 28-year-old contender who represented the Philippines at the 2012 Olympics in London. After continuing his amateur career for a few more years, the explosive southpaw turned professional in 2016 and eventually captured the WBO International Junior Flyweight Championship in 2018. Barriga then had his first world title opportunity against Carlos Licona for the IBF 108-pound title. The fight was close and ended in a split decision loss for Barriga, who bounced back with two victories in his home country. Barriga understands the importance of this new opportunity, and he is ready for war on June 24.
“I have fought in the Olympics, for a world title, and was ranked No. 1 in the world, but this is the most important fight of my career,” said Barriga. “La Bomba is a world champion for a reason. He is a great opponent, and this is going to be an exciting fight. I am so thankful to my management One Above Sports Consultancy and Dejan Zavec for making this happen with a fantastic promoter All Star Boxing, Garry Jonas and Ruben De Jesus. Thank you, Pro Box TV, for showing this around the world, especially for my country people in the Philippines.”