Oscar Duarte vs Richard Solano, Francisco Vargas return set for Oct. 19 in Mexico

Lightweight Oscar Duarte will return home to Chihuahua, Mexico, headlining an Oct. 19 Golden Boy card that will stream live on Facebook, with former 130-pound titleholder and still-tough warrior Francisco Vargas in the co-feature.

Duarte (17-1-1, 12 KO) is a 23-year-old prospect who has been a regular on Golden Boy cards in both California and Mexico. His lone loss was a 10-round split decision against Adrian Estrella on Feb. 9 of this year on a DAZN-streamed card form Indio, but he’s bounced back with a pair of wins in his home country, and now will look to make it three in a row.

“I’m very happy and motivated to be fighting on my native land, my state and with my people,” said Duarte. “I am preparing to give the very best of myself. Not only do I want to win the fight, but I also want to show people that I am learning and show that I can serve as an example for all of those who have dreams and goals. Every day I work hard to achieve my dream of becoming a world champion and to be an inspiration for my people. On this occasion, I will face a good boxer from the Dominican Republic who himself wants to take advantage of this opportunity. Because of that I respect him, but I’m going to do my job in the ring.”

“I want to thank Golden Boy for the opportunity to fight on one of its events in Mexico against Oscar Duarte,” said Solano. “I always dreamed about fighting a Mexican in his own house. I’m ready to hand him a beating. The fans will see that I’m going to win in his own hometown. Everyone will remember my name, Richard Solano. You don’t want to miss this fight!”

He’ll be facing Richard Solano (20-2-2, 13 KO), a 31-year-old Dominican who has never fought outside of the Dominican Republic in his pro career, and has been out of action since Nov. 2018. His record is pretty empty, which doesn’t necessarily mean he can’t fight, he just hasn’t had the chance to prove much of anything either way.

Vargas (25-2-2, 18 KO) is 34 and past his best years, and he took a beating last time out in a rematch with Miguel Berchelt on May 11 in Arizona, but even in that fight he showed that his spirit and determination are still there. Before that he’d won fights over Stephen Smith and Rod Salka, following his Jan. 2017 world title loss to Berchelt. Vargas was involved in wars with Takashi Miura and Orlando Salido in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

Vargas will be taking on Ezequiel Aviles (16-4-3, 6 KO), a 27-year-old club fighter who has lost three straight to Oliver Quintana, Romero Duno, and Hector Tanajara, the most recent of those fights coming on Aug. 10 in Texas.

“It’s an honor to be coming back to Mexico to begin another run at a world title,” said Vargas. “It’s been almost five years since I last fought in my home country, so I’m excited to put on a great show for everyone there and for all those who will watch on Facebook.”

”This is the biggest fight of my career,” said Aviles. “But if I want to become a contender, these are the challenges I need to face. I have what it takes to beat Vargas, and I promise a great win on Oct. 19.”