Manuel Mendez Headlines ‘Path To Glory’ This Friday!
Rising lightweight prospect Manuel Mendez (15-1-2, 11 KOs) hopes to extend his knockout win streak against Mohamed Rodriguez (9-4, 3 KOs) in the 8-round “Path To Glory” main event on Friday, June 23, from the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, Calif.
Mendez vs. Rodriguez will be streamed live on TB Presents: Path To Glory. Watch the action on ThompsonBoxing.com and Facebook Live beginning at 7:45 p.m. PST / 10:45 p.m. EST.
Tickets for “Path to Glory” are priced at $40, $60, & $100 and are available for purchase online at ThompsonBoxing.com, or by calling 714-935-0900.
Mendez, from Indio, Calif. by way of Oregon, has dispatched his last four opponents by way of knockout. If not for a second round technical draw that occurred last June, Mendez’s knockout win streak would likely sit at seven.
In that June match against Ricardo Maldonado – whom Mendez had defeated previously early in his career – the Indio striker badly hurt Maldonado in the opening round, scoring a knockdown with a counter right hook to the head.
In the second, Mendez continued his bruising style and battered Maldonado with powerful shots to the body. The two eventually bumped heads with Mendez suffering a cut above his right eye. The ringside physician ruled Mendez unable to continue, consequently declaring the fight a technical draw.
“I’m convinced I would have knocked out Maldonado if not for the head butt that caused that cut,” said the 26-year-old Mendez. “I was hurting him pretty bad.”
Delivering thunderous power shots has become a staple for the Joel Diaz-trained Mendez. He has become an expert at working his way inside and connecting with a series of power punches to the head and body. Rodriguez, who is based in Mexico, will have to box from the outside to stay competitive.
“Rodriguez is going to be in for a battle,” said Mendez, who hasn’t lost a fight since his professional debut nearly seven years ago. “I’ll see what he has in the first few rounds and after that I’ll start making my move.”
In the 8-round co-feature, the technically polished Jessie Roman (21-3, 10 KOs) of Santa Ana, Calif. puts his boxing skills to the test against Erick Martinez (13-7-1, 7 KOs) of Tijuana, Mex.
The junior welterweight showdown is projected as a back-and-forth affair. The boxer that imposes his will on the other likely wins this highly intriguing match up. Roman comes from a boxing family with younger brother Jose considered a top prospect in the lightweight division.
The leading undercard fight matches undefeated featherweight Rafael Rivera (24-0-2, 15 KOs) against fellow Mexican native Ruben Tamayo (24-9-4, 16 KOs) in a bout set for 8-rounds.
Of the two, Tamayo boasts the more impressive resume having gone up against world championship talents like Jhonatan Romero, Oscar Valdez, and Jesus Cuellar.
Junior lightweight Michael Dutchover (4-0, 4 KOs) of Midland, Tex., who is one of the division’s most promising young prospects, puts his knockout win streak to the test against the more experienced Miguel Carrizoza (10-1, 2 KOs) of Mexico in a fight set for 6-rounds.
Dutchover, 19, has shown an advanced skill set in his first four professional fights. He has displayed the ability to control a fight from the outside or in close quarters. Dutchover turned professional in October after a solid amateur career and is promoted by Thompson Boxing and Banner Promotions.
In other action, unbeaten junior bantamweight Saul Sanchez (2-0, 1 KO) of Indio faces Cristian Bartolini (2-3, 2 KOs) of Hermosillo, Mex. (4-rounds).
Opening the “Path To Glory” show are heavyweights Sergey Kuzmin (11-1, 7 KOs) of Russia and Malcolm Tann (24-4, 13 KOs) of Seaboard, N.C. (8-rounds).