THERE WILL BE BLOOD: MAURICIO HERRERA TO FACE JESUS SOTO KARASS IN MAIN EVENT ON GOLDEN BOY BOXING ON ESPN FROM FANTASY SPRINGS RESORT CASINO ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 4

LOS ANGELES (June 30, 2017): SoCal boxing in the desert will sizzle on Friday, August 4, as two of the longest reigning contenders meet in a true crossroads fight. Mauricio “El Maestro” Herrera (23-7, 7 KOs) of Riverside, CA and Jesus “El Renuente” Soto Karass (28-11-4, 18 KOs) of Los Mochis, Mexico face each other in a 10-round bout. The August 4 edition of Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN will take place at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino and will air on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 9 P.M. EST/6 P.M. PST.

Herrera, a former interim WBA World Super Champion, was last seen coming off a dominant unanimous decision victory over the rugged Hector “Charro Negro” Velasquez on the inaugural edition of Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN in March. Now, Herrera will take a step closer to title contention territory when he takes on seasoned fight veteran Jesus “Renuente” Soto Karass.

“This is life or death for me, because both Soto Karass and I potentially have our careers on the line in this ‘make or break’ fight,” Herrera said. “In order to catapult myself back to title contention, I know the most important step will be preparing harder than ever to ensure the victory come fight night.”

Having fought in back-to-back bloodbaths with Japanese warrior Yoshihiro “El Maestrito” Kamegai, Jesus Soto Karass will be well prepared for the challenge to demonstrate he is still a force to be reckoned with in the welterweight division.

“Mark my words, on August 4, the fans will witness a comeback as they’ve never seen before in the ring. This could be one of my last chances to go all-out in the ring, and I want to be sure it happens in this fight,” said Soto Karass. “I know Herrera has accomplished a lot in his career, but this win means more to me and my legacy.”

The televised co-main event will feature Vyacheslav “Lionheart-Chingonskyy” Shabranskyy (18-1, 15 KOs) of Los Angeles against rising Philly contender Todd “2 Gunz” Unthank- May (10-0-1, 4 KOs) for the vacant WBC USNBC Light Heavyweight Title. Having previously defended the title five times, the crowd can be sure Shabranskyy will be returning to the ring with a vengeance to reclaim what was once his.

Herrera vs. Soto Karass, a 10-round welterweight fight, is presented by . The event is sponsored by Tecate “Born BOLD.” and Hennessey, Never Stop, Never Settle. The ESPN and ESPN Deportes coverage begins live from Fantasy Springs Resort Casino at 9:00 p.m. EST/6: 00 p.m. PST, and will stream live on ESPN3 via the ESPN App beginning 7:30 p.m. EST/ 4:30 p.m. PST.

Tickets for the event start at $25 and will be available at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino box office, by calling 1-800-827-2946, or by purchasing online at www.FantasySprings.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and http://www.espn.com/boxing/; follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @ESPN, and @ESPNBoxeo; become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing; and follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing and @OscarDeLaHoya. Follow the conversation using #GBPonESPN. Photos and videos are available to download by clicking here or copying and pasting the link http://bit.ly/HerreraSotoKarass into a browser. Credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions for photos and videos used.