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WBC lightweight titlist Antonio DeMarco will defend his belt against John Molina on September 8, slotted as the HBO co-feature that night to Andre Ward vs Chad Dawson. The card will take place at Oakland's Oracle Arena.
DeMarco (27-2-1, 20 KO) won the belt last year with a stunning comeback knockout of Jorge Linares. The two were supposed to stage a rematch this year, but Linares instead lost to Sergio Thompson, and DeMarco was left hanging without an opponent. He has defended his title once, beating Miguel Roman on March 17.
Right now, DeMarco is lined up to face fringe contender Daniel Estrada (28-2-1, 21 KO) on July 21.
Molina (23-1, 19 KO) also has an interim fight scheduled for the time being, as he's supposed to fight on June 23 in Studio City, Calif., against a guy making his pro debut. It's a pure rust-shaker fight for Molina, 29, who hasn't fought since June of last year. He had some issues with promoter Dan Goossen, but those were recently resolved.
If the two make it there -- DeMarco's fight with Estrada could be called off with this deal reached -- then it's a solid fight, though one where DeMarco deserves to be considered a strong favorite. The good news is that both are action fights, and should provide a throwdown no matter the outcome.