Undefeated, Buddy McGirt trained featherweight prospect, Dat “Dat Be Dat” Nguyen (10-0, 6 KOs) makes his much-anticipated national television debut Wednesday night on ESPN2, when he takes on his most formidable opponent to date in fellow stablemate Castulo Gonzalez (9-2, 3 KOs), from The Castle at Park Plaza in Boston, Massachusetts..
The action-packed Nguyen, who was born in Bien Hoa, Vietnam and grew up on the island of Maui, Hawaii, will meet a near mirror-image of himself when he squares of with the straight-ahead style of the Guatemalan-born Gonzalez. “This is a made for TV fight,” stated promoter Rich Cappiello. “Neither of these guys take a step backwards, and that promises to make this a tremendous fight.
Cappiello, who is the promoter of both fighters, also stated that it is a “testament to the character of these two fighters,” referencing the fact that the two stablemates were willing to climb in the ring with each other, a rarity in boxing.
While both fighters are products of very successful amateur backgrounds, Nguyen maintains an unblemished professional record, though Gonzalez has undoubtedly faced the tougher opposition.
Gonzalez enters Wednesday night’s clash off back-to-back unanimous decision wins over veteran Priest “Tiger” Smalls (11-24-06) and Barbaro Zepeda (2-23-07), both of which were televised live on the Telefutura network. His last defeat came in February, 2006, when he suffered a ninth-round TKO defeat at the hands of current USBA junior featherweight champ, Mike “Machine Gun” Oliver.
Though Nguyen has not yet faced as stiff a level of opposition as has Gonzalez, he has consistently won in impressive fashion. His tremendous strength, coupled with a relentless, show-no-mercy body attack has had a devastating affect on his opponents thus far. While four of his respective 10 foes have managed to make it to the final bell with Nguyen, they did so at a price, enduring tremendous punishment in unanimous decision defeats.
While Nguyen is fully aware of the fact that Gonzalez will represent him with his biggest challenge to date, he is confident in his ability.
“This is a step up for me,” stated Nguyen. “Cappiello wanted me to step up in my first TV fight, and that’s what I’m going to do. Castulo is a very tough guy, and he’ll be right there in front of me, but I’m in shape, I’m prepared, and I’m confident I’ll win.”
Nguyen-Gonzalez will air live at 9 PM ET, with the 12-round IBF junior featherweight title elimination bout between Mike Oliver (19-0, 7KOs) and Cruz Carbajal (28-13-2, 24 KOs) to headline, shortly thereafter.
Tickets, priced at $40, $60, and $100 are available by calling 508-586-2277. For more information visit www.cappielloboxing.com