Showtime really seems committed to propping up the worst of its upcoming main events with strong undercards. Mike Coppinger, Julius Julianis, and Espabox all report that unbeaten Dominican lightweight Michel Rivera will face Spanish finisher Jon Fernandez as part of the July 3rd Chris Colbert vs Yuriorkis Gamboa undercard.
Both men saw marquee fights fall through earlier this year; 23-year-old Rivera (20-0, 13 KO) missed out on a chance to welcome Adrien Broner back to the ring after negotiations fell through, while visa issues kept Fernandez (21-1, 18 KO) from fighting Isaac Cruz in March. This is definitely a quality consolation prize, though, pitting two dangerous and promising young contenders against one another in what looks like an excellent matchup.
Rivera notably boasts strong wins over Rene Tellez Giron, Fidel Maldonado Jr, and Ladarius Miller, while “Jonfer’s” only professional loss came against O’Shaquie Foster in 2018. Whoever wins should find himself in title contention sooner rather than later.