Saturday night’s all right for fighting at major card in Toronto, featuring boxers from Brampton to Hamilton
Published April 24, 2024 at 3:11 pm
Two world titles will be up for grabs in a big night of boxing at Woodbine Casino in Toronto Saturday.
Sara Haghighat-Joo, who is already eighth-ranked by both the WBA and IBF after just three professional fights, will try to take the title from reigning WBA World Light Flyweight Champion Maria Guadalupe Bautista (23-11-2) in the main event, while Orangeville fighter Josh ‘The Boss’ Wagner (17-0) faces Argentina’s Geronimo ‘El Caballero’ Vazquez (17-1) for the vacant IBF International Welterweight Championship in the co-main event.
Both fights will happen at the Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto arena on the Woodbine racetrack grounds.
“We’re incredibly proud to be bringing a WBA World Title fight to Toronto,” said United Promotions president Tyler Buxton. “It’s been a goal of ours to bring world championship fights to Toronto, and this is the first of many to come.
“Sara is a talent unlike any other, which is why she’s fighting for a world title this early in her career — this opportunity is a testament to her hard work, talent and amateur pedigree.”
Haghighat-Joo will be chasing history, seeking to become the fastest Canadian woman to win a major World Championship in just her fourth professional fight.
Videos
“This is the best possible scenario for me, fighting on home turf,” said Haghighat-Joo, who fights out of Etobicoke’s West End Athletic Club, not far from Saturday’s venue. “I am so thankful United was able to make this happen. This is the beginning of an incredible 12- to 18-month period for my career and I know my fans are ready for this big night.”
Sara Haghighat-Joo
Haghighat-Joo made her professional debut in eye-catching eight round fashion in 2022 and has already defeated a former world title challenger.
“Some people might think it’s too soon or too early in my career, but we have been moving aggressively thus far and it truly could not be better timing,” said Haghighat-Joo, a former Canadian and Irish national amateur champion who won all 18 rounds across every scorecard in 2023.
The chief support will feature reigning IBO Americas Welterweight Champion Wagner against Argentine star Vazquez (17-1, 5 KO).
United Promotions ringside announcer Carlos Verde caught up with Wagner during training and asked the fighter about the biggest opportunity of his career.
‘Obviously my team and I want the best fights moving forward, we want to be top 10-ranked. This is one of those fights and with one of the major sanctioning bodies, it means a lot to me and I’m excited to put on a great show.”
“I’m fighting a 17 and 1 guy for an IBF title — I can’t wait!”
Wagner’s last few fights included a comfortable decision over Xhuljo Vrenozi, a ten-round war with Williams Herrera and an eight-round stoppage of Abraham Juarez. Each fight, Wagner told Verde, was a learning experience.
“When I made my comeback, I told myself and my team I want the best fights possible. I like to challenge myself every fight, explained Wagner, who went more than five years between fights in 2015-2020.
“You always want the knockout, but it’s nice knowing I’m able to go 10 rounds, toe-to-toe. Herrera gave me 10 hard rounds, and Juarez was a durable guy that I managed to stop late.
“I’ve shown I can box and move, have a very high boxing IQ, and we want to get those opportunities for pay-per-view and world titles.”
Wagner added that against a southpaw such as Velasquez, he plans on a more patient fight.
“I’ve always done well with southpaws, (so) we want to sit in the pocket more. Guys who have fought me know I have power, and sitting in the pocket will enable me to score some good knockouts.”
Each of the three fighters Haghighat-Joo has fought as a professional have challenged for a title in their career, led by Saturday’s opponent in Bautista, who is a three-time world champion, having won the IBF Light Flyweight title in 2018, the WBA Light Flyweight belt in 2020 and WBA Flyweight crown in 2022.
(The current record for fastest Canadian woman to win a major world championship is held by Jeannine Garside, who won the WBO and WBC featherweight titles in her 14th professional fight.)
A star-studded undercard includes powerful Jamaican middleweight Kemahl ‘The Hitman’ Russell (16-1 with 14 KOs), budding Korean lightweight star Gisu ‘Terminator’ Lee (10-4), undefeated Hamilton super lightweight Bradley ‘The Truth’ Wilcox (11-0) and 6-foot-3 welterweight southpaw Joshua ‘Hell Razor’ Frazer (9-0, 6 KO), a highly regarded young Brampton boxer who fight out his father’s gym (Dewith Frazer) in Mississauga.
United Promotions is coming off a successful card at the Pickering Casino April 13, with a lineup of local fighters going six-for-six on the night. The main event was closer than expected, however, with former Canadian amateur champion Melinda Watpool (6-0), who grew up in tiny Pefferlaw on the southern shores of Lake Simcoe, earning a unanimous eight-round decision over Brazilian middleweight Adriana Araujo (6-2), despite getting knocked down twice in the final round.
Other winners included Jerome Gabriel and Thad Buntsma of Oshawa and Jerome Ennis (with a first-round KO in his pro debut), Michael Fitzpatrick and Kyle McLaughlin.
insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertising