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WBO junior flyweight titleholder Angel “Tito” Acosta will be part of the March 30 DAZN card from Indio, Calif., defending his belt against former WBC titleholder Ganigan Lopez in a classic Puerto Rico vs Mexico matchup.
Acosta (19-1, 19 KO) won his title against Juan Alejo in Dec. 2017, and has made two defenses. This will be his first fight on DAZN.
“I feel very happy because of the support from Golden Boy Promotions and Miguel Cotto Promotions. I’m delighted for the opportunity to fight on DAZN,” Acosta said at a media workout. “I’ve been working hard for this fight. I’ve been in camp since January 27 because I thought I was going to fight on March 16. But then I got the call to fight on March 30. Either way, I’m excited to defend my title for a third time.”
The 28-year-old Acosta is working with Freddie Roach for the third time as he prepares for this bout, and he says he’s open to unification in the future.
“Training with Freddie Roach has been something else. We’ve had two fights with him, and it’s been really great,” he said. “My goal right now is to keep defending my title, but if the opportunity to unify presents itself, we will take it. But right now, I’m not thinking about any other opponent. I’m focused on Ganigan Lopez. After that, we can talk about other opponents.”
The 37-year-old Lopez (35-8, 19 KO) is just 2-2 in his last four bouts, but both of the losses came to Ken Shiro, who lifted the WBC belt from him in May 2017, and then defended in a rematch a year later. He last fought in November, winning a 10-round decision over Ricardo Rodriguez in Mexico City. The fight with Acosta will be Lopez’s U.S. debut.