-
Steve KimESPN
A junior welterweight battle between former title challenger Alex Saucedo and unbeaten Arnold Barboza Jr. has been finalized for Oct. 17, multiple sources told ESPN on Thursday. The fight is part of the undercard for the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Teofimo Lopez Jr. lightweight unification fight at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas.
Saucedo (30-1, 19 KOs) faced Maurice Hooker in November 2018 for the vacant WBO title, losing by seventh-round TKO. Since then, Saucedo has changed trainers, and has defeated Rod Salka by first-round knockout last November and Sonny Fredrickson by unanimous decision in June.
Saucedo is currently ranked No. 6 by the WBO.
Barboza (24-0,10 KOs), who defeated Tony Luis by unanimous decision on Aug. 29, is rated No. 7 by the WBC and WBO.
Also on this card, hard-hitting super middleweight hopeful Edgar Berlanga (14-0, 14 KOs), who has scored all of his knockouts in the first round, will face veteran Lanell Bellows (20-5-3, 13 KOs). Berlanga defeated Eric Moon in his most recent outing on July 21, needing just 62 seconds to get the job done.
Middleweight Clay Collard (9-2-3, 4 KOs), who has become a cult hero of sorts as he has notched five victories this year while defeating three undefeated prospects along the way, will face Quincy LaVallais (9-0-1, 5 KOs) in a rematch of a June 2019 bout that saw them fight to a six-round draw.