On Saturday, November 29th at the Save Mart Center at Fresno State in California, ProBoxTV will present another edition of its Contender Series, broadcast live on ProBoxTV beginning at 7:00 pm ET/4:00 pm PT. In a ten-round head-on collision at lightweight, surging Justin “The Million Dollar Man” Pauldo (19-2, 9 KOs) will face hard-punching Colombian Nike Theran (20-1, 14 KOs). n the ten-round junior lightweight co-feature, Muhammad Yaqubov (23-1, 12 KOs) of Tajikistan, will go to war with Tijuana's Cristian Cruz Chacon (24-7-1, 12 KOs). Yaqubov had been scheduled to face Jessie Magdaleno in the night’s original main event, but Magdaleno pulled out with an injury.
“Coming off his stellar performance against highly regarded Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov, Justin Pauldo will be looking to continue his climb to a world title shot,” said ProBoxTV's founder and CEO, Garry Jonas. “This should be a phenomenal fight and a real test to see if Justin Pauldo is that guy. If he has another performance like Rakhimov, he is the running for a title fight in the 135-lb division.”
Born in Orlando, Florida, but now living in Houston and training with Ronnie Shields, the 31 year-old Pauldo is a four-time ProBoxTV veteran. He came to ProBox after having put together eleven consecutive wins since his first defeat, a split-decision to Efrain Cruz in July 2015. In his ProBoxTV debut in August 2023, Pauldo scored a ten-round unanimous decision over Eduardo Estela (then 14-2) in Plant City, Florida. He returned there in November 2023 to stop Jerry Perez (then 14-3-1) in three rounds. Pauldo suffered his second career setback on ProBoxTV air in February 2024, dropping a ten-round split decision to Miguel Madueno (30-2), but returned to ProBoxTV a year later to score an upset eighth-round knockout over former IBF 130-pound champion Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov in February of this year. Pauldo scored two knockdowns on the night, the latter of the two produced an immediate stoppage at 1:53.
In his most recent ring appearance, Pauldo took a ten-round unanimous decision over Said Chino last August. “Training has been great,” said Pauldo. “I’ve gotten a lot of great work to sharpen my skills and be at my best come fight night. I know my opponent is a tough guy coming out of Colombia. He’s got quite a few fights under his belt, so I’m looking forward to facing an experienced and hungry fighter and to being back on ProBoxTV. I’m going to put on a great show for all the fans.”
Theran, age 28, is a nearly nine-year professional who will be making his debut fighting in the United States, having spent the bulk of his career fighting in South America and The Dominican Republic. He has won two consecutive fights since suffering his only career setback in October 2023, a close twelve-round unanimous decision to Italy's Michael Magnesi (then 22-1) in the 130-pound division. “Training camp has been going great; I’m very motivated,” said Theran. “Pauldo is a very good fighter and one of the best on ProBoxTV because he likes to fight. God gave me this opportunity and I’m well-prepared physically and mentally to win. I’m very happy for the opportunity and being in this important fight only gives me more motivation.”
As for the co-featrue, Jonas had this to say: “We’re not happy that Jessie Magdaleno fell out, but we’re fortunate enough to get a great replacement in Cristian Cruz Chacon, who recently had a huge win over Jeremy Hill on ProBoxTV. Honestly, this could be a tougher test for Yaqubov.”
The southpaw Yaqubov, age 30, started boxing at the age of 10 and turned professional in late 2015. In his decade-long career, Yaqubov has victories over Emanuel López (29-9-1), Abraham Montoya (18-1-1) and former two-time world champ Tomás Rojas. In March 2022, Yaqubov suffered his only career loss via a twelve-round unanimous decision in a WBC title eliminator to current WBC champion O'Shaquie Foster. He has since rebounded with five consecutive victories, including quality wins over Pablo Vicente (23 1) in a ten rounder, Zafar Parpiev (13-2) and his most recent fight, a ten-round majority decision over William Foster III in August of this year. The win was Yaqubov’s first under new head trainer Manny Robles.
Holding one of the most deceiving records in boxing, the 28 year-old Cruz Chacon turned professional in 2014 and lost five of his first seven fights before turning things around and going 22-2-1 since then. Along the way, he has scored notable victories over Diego Ortiz Aleman (12-1-1), Jesus Acosta Ayala (15-1-1), a first-round stoppage of Pablo Robles (15-3), an eighth-round stoppage of Rafael Rosas Ramirez (19-3-2), a third-round stoppage of former world title challenger David Carmona, and his most recent ring appearance, an impressive split decision victory over a streaking Jeremy Hill (22-3-1) in September of this year on ProBoxTV.
ADDITIONAL BROADCAST BOUTS
Light flyweight Erik Badillo Mares (18-0, 8 KOs), a southpaw, will battle former WBO champion Elwin “La Pulga” Soto (21-3-1, 13 KOs) in a ten-round All-Mexican clash of contenders.
There will be a ten-round junior welterweight rumble between Carlos Balderas (16-2, 14 KOs) of Santa Maria, California and Ricardo Quiroz (13-6, 7 KOs) of Oxnard, California.
Also, on the televised slate that night is a battle for the vacant WBC women's 115-pound championship between California's Adelaida Maria “La Cobra” Ruiz (17-1-1, 8 KOs) and Canada's Alexas “Iron Lady” Kubicki (13-2, 2 KOs) of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. A longtime contender, the 37 year-old Ruiz’s aggressive style, strength, and punching power make her a dangerous foe for any of the world’s female super flyweights. A victory over Kubicki will give her an opportunity to avenge her only career loss, a thrilling ten-round split decision to Ginny Fuchs for the WBC interim title in August 2024. The WBC has ordered the winner of Ruiz vs. Kubicki to fight Interim champ Fuchs, who has been out of action for 14 months due to injuries suffered in the fight with Ruiz and also promotional issues. Kubicki will be in just her second fight on U.S. soil. In her most recent fight, the 22 year-old lost by seventh-round TKO in a brave stand against undisputed flyweight champion Gabriela Fundora in September. Kubicki’s technical skills are predicted to test Ruiz’s aggression in what promises to be a thrilling clash of styles.
The opening televised bout will feature the sole addition to ProBoxTV’s Future Stars Series, which features emerging boxing talents and serves as a platform for up-and-coming fighters to showcase their skills, as lightweight Charlie Sheehy (11-0, 6 KOs) of Brisbane, California, will continue to try and prove his worth against veteran D'Angelo Keyes (18-6, 11 KOs) of Houston.
Tickets to attend ProBoxTV’s The Contender Series in person at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California, are available from the ProBoxTV website, the Save Mart Center Box Office, or directly from Ticketmaster.
