FORMER two-division world champion Brandon Figueroa is set to face sturdy featherweight operator Joet Gonzalez on the undercard of Manny Pacquiao’s comeback.
According to boxing journalist Dan Rafael, the pair will square off on July 19 in Figueroa’s first outing since his unanimous decision defeat to Stephen Fulton last February.
In that fight, ‘The Heartbreaker’ was unable to disrupt the fluid rhythm of Fulton, who produced a measured performance to seamlessly breeze through their rematch.
But now, it would appear that Figueroa, 25-2-1 (19 KOs), is determined to redefine his featherweight campaign with a sustained run at world level.
The former WBC super-bantamweight titlist enjoyed an impressive start to life at 126lbs, outpointing Mark Magsayo while also securing stoppage victories over Carlos Castro and Jessie Magdaleno.
In his last assignment, though, it seemed that Figueroa lacked his usual assertiveness, almost allowing each round to pass him by as Fulton maintained his pulsating movement.
Yet still, without wishing to waste his prime years, the 28-year-old is most likely eager to prove that he remains a formidable force at the top level.
But before that, Figueroa must first get past Gonzalez, a solid contender who, while now progressing more into the gatekeeper realm, has only ever lost to elite opposition.
Headlining that Premier Boxing Champions card, meanwhile, is likely to be Pacquiao’s contentious return against WBC world welterweight champion Mario Barrios.
Along with that, an eagerly anticipated rematch between super-welterweight world champion Sebastian Fundora and Tim Tszyu has been mooted, while Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz, too, is expected to return to action.
