Wilder vs Ortiz 2: Omar Juarez ready for next test on Saturday undercard

Junior welterweight prospect Omar Juarez is set for action on this Saturday’s Wilder-Ortiz 2 card, as the 20-year-old “El Relampago” from Brownsville, Texas, looks to impress fans on the FS2 prelims broadcast, which starts at 7:00 pm ET.

Juarez (5-0, 3 KO) will be facing Kevin Shacks (3-4-3, 3 KO), whose record might not seem like much, but the 29-year-old from Michigan is a tough fighter for this level, and the sort of guy it’s good to check a prospect against.

“I don’t know much about Shacks except that he has a lot of power,” Juarez admitted. “All his wins have come by knockout, so I know he’s dangerous. I’m still going to go in there and dictate the pace with my game plan. My goal is to knock him out.”

Juarez has fought in California, Minneapolis, and Texas so far in his pro career, so Saturday will be his debut in Las Vegas, which remains the unofficial fight capital of the world.

“This is a dream come true for me and my dad,” he said. “We’ve always talked about fighting in Las Vegas under the big lights. To top it off I’ll be fighting on FS2 in front of a large televised audience. All my people back home are having parties showing my fight, so this is a big blessing for my career. I’m truly grateful.”

Juarez also knows that he’s trying to build a name for himself in a division that’s loaded with talent, so he’s not getting ahead of his own progress.

“The 140-pound division is loaded with talent and I think it’s one of toughest in boxing,” he said. “Mario Barrios is a beast, Josh Taylor just showed the world what he’s about by beating Regis Prograis, and Jose Ramirez is no joke. The entire division is stacked and one day I’ll be right up there with all those guys.”