Top Rank has announced a doubleheader card in Los Angeles that will be televised on ESPN in August.
The previously announced fight between Emanuel Navarrete and Francisco De Vaca for the WBO super bantamweight title will be joined by a welterweight clash between Jose Benavidez Jr. and Luis Collazo. The card will take place August 17 at the Banc of California Stadium as the first boxing card to ever take place at the venue.
The fight between Benavidez and Collazo had been one in the works for a couple of months with both looking to re-enter the welterweight title picture. Benavidez once held the interim WBA junior welterweight titleholder from 2014 to 2015 and had his first shot at a full world title in his last fight back in October against Terence Crawford. Benavidez was stopped by Crawford in the 12th round to retain the WBO welterweight title.
Collazo was a candidate to face Crawford last April and at one point was considered one of the favorites to land the title fight. Crawford ended up fighting Amir Khan on pay-per-view while Collazo would end up winning a split decision against Samuel Vargas on a Top Rank card at Madison Square Garden on St. Patrick's Day. Collazo held the WBA welterweight title from 2005 to 2006 and has won his last three fights.
Last December, Navarrete scored an upset win over Isaac Dogboe to win the WBO title at Madison Square Garden. The pair fought one more time on May 11 in Tucson, Arizona and Navarrete's win in that rematch was much more decisive, scoring a 12th round TKO victory.
De Vaca is an unbeaten rising prospect who has won all 20 of his pro fights, six of which came inside the distance. De Vaca, ranked No. 11 by the WBO at 122 pounds, is coming off a shutout win on the scorecards against Ernesto Guerrero in February, winning all eight rounds on all three judges' scorecards.
