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Armando Torres returns to his favorite venue, though matched aggressively versus a contender nearly half his age.
The 40-year-old junior flyweight gatekeeper from Mexico City faces 21-year-old countryman Axel ‘El Mini’ Aragon Vega in a battle of former title challengers. Their scheduled ten-round regional title fight headlines the fall season premiere of Boxeo Telemundo, which takes place October 15 at Auditorio Blackberry in Mexico City.
Lopez-Vega was announced along with the series’ two remaining dates of 2021, though no other fights were announced for the October 22 show from Gimnasio Deportivo Oceania in Mexico or October 29 from Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Florida.
“We are happy to announce our Boxeo Telemundo Fall Series with an intriguing clash to kick things off,” Felix ‘Tutico’ Zabala, president and CEO of All Star Boxing stated of the three-show fall season. “Soon, we will reveal more details of our series which will feature many great prospects from all around the world.”
Both boxers are coming off stoppage losses through varying means in their most recent starts.
Vega (14-4-1, 8KOs) last fought in a title bid versus unbeaten WBA junior flyweight champ Hiroto Kyoguchi this past March at American Airlines Center in Dallas. Vega—a 4’9 ½” contender from Ensenada, Baja California—sought to become the shortest champion in boxing history, more than holding his own versus Kyoguchi who is widely regarded as the division’s best.
Things took a bad turn, with Vega suffering a broken hand in round five and was rendered unfit to continue. It was his second attempt at a major title, with his first shot ending in similarly unlucky fashion when a clash of heads preempted his October 2019 rematch with WBO strawweight titlist Wilfredo ‘Bimbito’ Mendez. Vega dropped a technical split decision, though in a far more competitive affair than their first fight more than a year prior.
Torres (26-19, 19KOs) heads back home to Mexico for his first fight since a fourth-round stoppage to junior flyweight contender Jonathan ‘Bomba’ Gonzalez this past May in Tampa. The loss snapped a five-fight win streak including three prior appearances at this venue where he is unbeaten (3-0, 2KOs).
The upcoming fall season subtly strays from past tradition, with two shows airing from Mexico and just one from Central Florida. However, the October 29 show at Silver Spurs Arena promises to be a memorable one, in honor of the 20th anniversary since All-Star Boxing’s first championship event in the Orlando-Kissimmee area. The venue will make its Telemundo debut, with neighboring Osceola Heritage Park Events Center normally serving as the series’ hosting site from this region.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox