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Super bantamweight Diego De La Hoya will look to bounce back from his first pro loss when he returns to action on Dec. 14 in Mexicali, Mexico, headlining a Golden Boy card that will stream live on Facebook Watch.
De La Hoya (21-1, 10 KO) has seemingly been on the cusp of a world title fight for a while now, but some weight issues kept delaying things for him. 2019 has been a tough year for the 25-year-old, as he fought to a two-round no-contest on April 13 in Monterrey against Enrique Bernache, and then was pretty well dominated by Ronny Rios on July 13 in California. De La Hoya was dropped in the sixth round and gave up there.
He’ll have some work to do to convince people he can really come back from that type of loss, but he says he’s ready to do just that.
“I am returning home with renewed strength, and I’m sure that I will deliver a great show to all of my people in Mexicali,” said De La Hoya. “I already experienced how it feels to suffer a loss, but that has elevated my spirit to continue in this great sport with my mind set on a world title.”
His opponent will be Renson Robles (16-6, 9 KO), a 30-year-old Venezuelan whose win-loss record isn’t that great in the first place, but is probably stronger than his actual ability when you look at how fluffed up that record is. But he is durable, as the only person to ever stop him was Luis Nery in 2018.
“I’m ready for this great challenge against Diego De La Hoya,” said Robles. “I know we will be on enemy territory, but I am sure of my abilities. It is a great opportunity that I will not waste. I will come very prepared and ready to fight. This Dec. 14, I will score a big upset in front of all of the fans!”
The co-feature will see Roger Gutierrez (22-3-1, 19 KO) take on Andres Tapia (16-7-3, 9 KO) in a 10-round super featherweight fight. Venezuela’s Gutierrez, 24, scored a big upset on that July 13 card in Carson where De La Hoya lost to Rios, knocking out heralded prospect Rocky Hernandez in the first round.
William Zepeda (19-0, 17 KO) will face Jampier Oses (15-5-1, 12 KO), and Christian Baez (18-0, 17 KO) will take on Luis Lopez (19-2, 10 KO) in a pair of 10-round lightweight fights on the card, as well.