Andrew Cancio gets new opponent for July 16 return

Andrew Cancio is set to make his debut with Top Rank, which will also be his first fight with new trainer Joe Goossen, and has a new and approved (not improved, this wasn’t a typo) opponent for July 16 in Las Vegas.

Cancio (21-5-2, 16 KO) was originally set to face Manny Rojas on that date, but for whatever reason the Nevada commission wouldn’t approve Rojas (18-4, 5 KO), as if that’s somehow a bigger mismatch than some of the fights they’ve been approving recently, or hundreds of fights they approve yearly.

Instead, Cancio will be facing Cesar Valenzuela (15-6-1, 5 KO), a 30-year-old fighter from Phoenix who has lost two of his last three, and has only fought once since 2017.

Cancio-Valenzuela will take place at a 133-pound catchweight.

That show’s expected main event is a light heavyweight clash between two legitimate contenders in Eleider Alvarez and Joe Smith Jr.