By Fox Doucette
WBC featherweight titlist Jhonny Gonzalez (49-7, 43 KOs) takes on Rogers Mtagwa (27-14-2, 19 KOs) Thursday at 9:00 Eastern/6:00 Pacific time on ESPN Deportes with the belt at stake as the main event of a card in El Paso, Texas that will serve as an appetizer for the big fights to come this weekend while simultaneously celebrating the anniversary of Mexico’s declaration of independence from Spain in 1810.
Gonzalez grabbed the title from Japan’s Hozumi Hasegawa back on April 11 by fourth-round knockout and gained the same result in his first defense of that title on July 9 against Tomas Villa. Gonzalez has fought most of his career between Mexico and the United States, departing North America only once, a trip to Japan and Hasegawa’s backyard in order to claim his belt.
For Rogers Mtagwa, this is his third shot at a world title; he fell short of the WBA featherweight title by second-round TKO to Yuriorkis Gamboa and lost a fairly close unanimous decision to Juan Manuel Lopez in a 122-pound contest for the WBO strap. Mtagwa’s 14 losses have come against a motley array of champions and journeymen; he should prove no match for the wily Gonzalez, especially at a venue which should be a very pro-Gonzalez Hispanic crowd.
This fight airs on ESPN Deportes on Thursday, September 15, at 9 PM Eastern/6 PM Pacific. As of this writing, it appears that ESPN3.com will not be carrying the broadcast on the Internet, so the TV will be the fan’s only option in the United States.
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