Carlos Canizales is ready to reclaim his place among the best junior flyweights in the world.
The unbeaten Venezuelan is set for his ring return following a two-year absence. It comes in the third defense of his WBA junior flyweight title, as Canizales faces Mexico’s Esteban Bermundez (13-3-2, 9KOs).
Both boxers made weight for their 12-round title fight, which will air live Friday evening on Estrella TV from Foro Viena in Mexico City. Canizales weighed 107.6 pounds, while Bermundez checked in at a career-lightest 107.1 pounds for his first major title fight.
Canizales (22-0-1, 17KOs) has been out of the ring since a 12-round unanimous decision victory over former flyweight king Sho Kimura in May 2019. The coronavirus pandemic was a major contributing factor to his forced two-year hiatus, having since signed with Greg Cohen Promotions upon announcing his ring return earlier this spring. His first fight back comes south of the border, with Cohen striking a deal with local promoter Ricardo Maldonado in securing a main event slot on the Spanish-speaking TV outlet.
The undefeated 28-year-old from Caracas, Venezuela, aims to make a run towards the big names in the talent-rich junior flyweight division, where he has second a secondary version of the WBA title since March 2018.
In the evening’s chief support, Belmar Preciado continues his campaign in the junior featherweight division as he faces former title challenger David Carmona in a scheduled 10-round regional title fight.
Preciado (21-3-1, 14KOs) weighed 121 ¼ pounds for his second fight in the 122-pound division, having dropped down for good following an upset 5th round stoppage loss to the resurgent Dennis Contreras last August. Colombia’s Preciado bounced back with a 1st round knockout of Rodolfo Hernandez last October, with both bouts taking place on Telemundo from Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida.
Carmona (21-7-5, 9KOs) weighed 122 ¾ pounds in hopes of turning things around in his career. The locally based former title challenger has lost five of his last six starts, a rough stretch that began with a 12-round decision defeat to the excellent Naoya Inoue in their May 2016 junior bantamweight title fight.
In his most recent start, Carmona suffered an upset points loss to countryman Hector Garcia last September in Mexico City.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox