Undefeated lightweight Alan Chaves will defend his WBO Latino title against Eridson Garcia on 4 September in Newark, New Jersey. The bout places the rising Argentine prospect’s perfect record and high rankings on the line against an experienced challenger.
The 25-year-old Chaves has established himself as a significant threat in the 135-pound division. With a record of 22-0 including 19 knockouts, he carries considerable power and has stopped his last five opponents. His last victory in April, a third-round knockout of Miguel Madueno, drew widespread attention. A win over Garcia would further solidify his standing with the sanctioning bodies, where he is currently ranked No. 2 by the WBO, No. 4 by the IBF and No. 7 by the WBC.
Eridson Garcia aims to disrupt that momentum. He enters the contest looking to rebound from a recent defeat that ended a six-fight winning streak. Garcia acknowledged his opponent’s form but expressed confidence that his own skills will be the deciding factor. “Alan Chaves is undefeated, dangerous and coming off a knockout everyone is talking about,” Garcia said. He then added, “Good, that means there will be no excuses when I beat him. He has never faced anyone with my experience or the ability to take away his weapons.”
Garcia believes he can nullify the power that has defined Chaves’ career so far. “They call him ‘Veneno,’ but I’m bringing the antidote, and I’m coming to hand him the first loss of his career.”
For his part, Chaves was direct about the challenge ahead. He acknowledged Garcia’s right to the opportunity while underlining the difficulty of the task. “He earned the opportunity. Now he has to earn the victory. That’s a much harder task,” said Chaves.
A victory for Chaves would be another step towards securing a fight against one of the division’s established champions. For Garcia, an upset would represent the most significant win of his career and immediately improve his position in the lightweight rankings. The fight is scheduled for the undercard of Andy Ruiz Jr.’s return against Damian Knyba and will be broadcast on TNT, truTV and DAZN.
