25.03.05 – World-ranked super flyweight Jose Luis Araiza of Tecate, Mexico, faces hard-hitting Francisco Paredes of Mexico City, in the 10-round main event on the nationally and internationally televised “Guilty Fight Night” event promoted by Guilty Boxing Friday, April 8, at the Orleans Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev..
Also on the card is undefeated Rey Bautista of the Philippines, the World Boxing Organization’s No. 4 bantamweight.
The 26-year-old Araiza, the World Boxing Association Fedecentro flyweight champion, has a record of 25-1 with 17 knockouts and has won 25 straight while the 30-year-old Paredes has a mark of 13-9 with 12 knockouts.
Araiza is ranked No. 9 by the World Boxing Organization as a junior bantamweight and No. 12 by both the WBA and the World Boxing Council as a super flyweight.
He’s also rated No. 3 by the WBO’s North American Boxing Organization and No. 8 by the WBC’s North American Boxing Federation among 115-pounders.
But Araiza, a deft counterpuncher, will be putting those lofty rankings at risk against a slugger with the power of Paredes, who’s coming off a ninth-round knockout of Jesus Rios on a Guilty Boxing card Dec. 3 in Tijuana, Mexico.
Araiza is fighting for the first time in more than six months. On Aug. 8 on a Guilty Boxing card in Tijuana he took a 10-round decision over Giovanni Urbina and on June 28, also on a Guilty Boxing card in Tijuana, he took a 10-round verdict from Francisco Garcia.
Guilty Boxing’s “Guilty Fight Night” telecasts are seen domestically on America One and The Urban Network; in Europe, Africa and middle eastern countries on Fox Sports International; in Europe and Africa on BEN Television; and in the Caribbean on WCVI Super Station.
Guilty Boxing’s weekly cards are seen in 83.5 million households worldwide, making Guilty Productions one of the fastest-growing providers of boxing television programming in the world.
Bautista, the WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight champion, faces Gilberto Bolanos of Cuidad Obregon, Mexico. Bautista has a record of 14-0 with 10 knockouts while Bolanos has a mark of 10-8-1 with 10 knockouts.
Also on the eight-bout card are five six-round fights: middleweight James Countryman of Detroit (5-0, 4 KOs) against an opponent to be determined; super lightweight Cristian Lopez of Guasave, Mexico, (2-0, 2 KOs) against Antonio Wong of Tijuana, Mexico, (9-4-1, 6 KOs); bantamweight Jesus Rios of Guasave (3-2, 2 KOs) against Jose Tamayo of Cuidad Obregon, Mexico, (1-2, 0 KOs); and undefeated super flyweight Omar Salado of Tijuana (13-0-1, 7 KOs) against Juan Jose Beltran of Los Mochis, Mexico, (10-12-3, 6 KOs).
Four-round bouts include middleweight Koji Sato of Tokyo making his pro debut against Geraldo Priteo of Salt Lake City, Utah, (2-2, 0 KOs) and super featherweight Vincent O’Neil of Las Vegas making his pro debut against Jesus Carlos Sanchez of Tijuana (2-2, 2 KOs).
This is the 17th “Guilty Fight Night” card to be held at a Coast Casinos property and the 11th at the Orleans. The innovative Guilty Boxing series was launched last May and has presented cards in Southern and Northern California, Arizona, Connecticut and Tijuana as well as Las Vegas.
Commentators for Guilty Boxing’s “Guilty Fight Night” telecasts are “The Colonel” Bob Sheridan and Benny Ricardo. Sheridan, a Boxing Hall of Fame inductee, has worked almost 800 world championship bouts on six continents during a career that has spanned more than three decades. Ricardo, for 11 years a place kicker on four NFL teams, also is a veteran announcer and has covered the biggest events in the sports world, ranging from Super Bowls to World Cups.
The card starts at 7 p.m. (Pacific) with doors to the Mardi Gras Ballroom at the Orleans Hotel & Casino opening at 6:30. The Mardi Gras Ballroom is located on the second floor of the Orleans Hotel & Casino, which has been hosting boxing matches since 1999.