Recent world-title challenger Shohjahon Ergashev, of Uzbekistan and now living in Detroit, will face Panama City veteran Juan Huertas in the just-added 10-round super lightweight co-main event of “Big Time Boxing USA” on Thursday, March 28, at Wayne State Fieldhouse in Detroit and streamed live on DAZN (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT).
Also announced on the televised undercard is a six-round super lightweight matchup between undefeated Joshua James Pagan of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Santo Domingo, Ecuador’s Luis Porozo.
Presented by Salita Promotions, the second installment of the “Big Time Boxing USA” series is topped by 2016 Colombian Olympian Juan Carrillo putting his unbeaten record on the line against veteran Quinton Rankin in a 10-round light heavyweight bout. Also featured on the telcast is IBF No. 2 super middleweight contender Vladimir Shishkin returning to battle the always tough Mike Guy in a 10-round attraction.
“Ergashev vs. Huertas is going to be an exciting addition to our talent stacked fight card,” said Dmitriy Salita, president of Salita Promotions. “A healthy Shoh is a force to be reckoned with in the 140-pound division and Huertas is a great test in a crossroads fight for both.”
Fighting under the tutelage of renowned trainer SugarHill Steward, the IBF #14-ranked Ergashev (23-1, 20 KOs), will be entering the ring for the first time since suffering his lone career defeat, a sixth-round stoppage loss against Subriel Matias for his IBF world super lightweight championship in November of last year. A celebrity in his homeland, the 32-year-old slugger had previously, at times, looked unstoppable while dominating other then-undefeated prospects in nationally televised showdowns, including a TKO 3 over unbeaten Sonny Fredrickson and a unanimous decision over Mykal Fox.
“I am excited about getting back in the ring fully recovered and ready to go,” said Ergashev. “I look forward to putting on a great performance in Detroit. It’s a city where I started my U.S. boxing journey. My goal of being a world champion has never been stronger and I will show it with my performance on March 28.”
In his nearly 11-year boxing career, 31-year-old Huertas (17-4-1, 13 KOs) has held several national and regional championships, including the Panamanian super featherweight, WBA Fedecentro super featherweight, WBA Fedelatin super featherweight, and WBO Latino lightweight titles. His most recent ring appearance came in July of last year when he scored a second-round knockout over Colombia’s Argenor Cuero.
“Fans can expect a fire-filled fight since we are both known for our knockout power,” said Huertas. “I’ve been training since January staying ready. I’m glad to have a full eight-week camp for this fight.”
The 2021 U.S. amateur welterweight national champion, 24-year-old Pagan (9-0, 4 KOs) turned pro in January 2022.
Showing steady improvement, Pagan was last seen in October of last year, when he scored a unanimous six-round decision over respectable veteran Braulio Rodriguez at Motor City Casino in Detroit.
Porozo (17-9, 9 KOs) is a 2008 Olympian who had 500+ amateur fights after starting fighting at the age of 10 in his hometown of Santo Domingo, Ecuador. Porozo was part of the Ecuadorian national boxing team before turning pro in late 2015.
As a professional, he won his first 14 fights before going on a losing skid, albeit against top-level competition.
Live on DAZN: Watch William Zepeda vs. Maxi Hughes on March 16