Top Rank unveils next week’s cards at MGM Grand
Top Rank unveiled two more cards Wednesday afternoon for shows on July 7 and July 9 inside its bubble in MGM Grand’s Grand Ballroom.
In next Tuesday’s main event, junior welterweight Jose Zepeda (31-2, 25 knockouts) will take on Kendo Castaneda (17-1, 8 KOs). Zepeda, 31, is more than 19 months removed from WBC junior welterweight title fight against Jose Ramirez, to whom he lost by majority decision.
He last fought Sept. 14 on Tyson Fury and Otto Wallin’s undercard at T-Mobile Arena, beating Jose Pedraza by unanimous decision. Castaneda, 26, is making his local debut as a fill-in for Ivan Baranchyk, who was injured in training.
Junior lightweights Andy Vences (23-1-1, 12 KOs) and Luis Alberto Lopez (20-2, 11 KOs) will fight in the co-feature.
The July 9 main event will feature heavyweights Carlos Takam (38-5-1, 28 KOs) and Jerry Forrest (26-3, 20 KOs). Takam, 39 and a Henderson resident, once challenged unified champion Anthony Joshua for his titles in 2017 and is hoping to re-enter the title conversation.
Forrest, 32, is also making his local debut.
Junior featherweights Carlos Castro (25-0, 10 KOs) and Cesar Juarez (25-8, 19 KOs) comprise the co-feature.
“In the main events, you have four fighters hoping to seize an amazing opportunity live on ESPN,” Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said in a statement. “Jose Zepeda is one of the world’s elite 140-pounders, and I credit Kendo for taking on this challenge. I believe Carlos Takam can climb the heavyweight rankings again, and most importantly, he is a fan-friendly fighter who is guaranteed entertainment.”
Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.