Cardenas vs Carrillo Joins The Martinez–Plantic Bill — The Galen Center Card Is Getting Proper

• WBA No.2 and WBC No.4 super bantamweight Ramon Cardenas (27-2, 15 KOs) faces WBA No.12 Leonardo Carrillo (20-1-1, 9 KOs) over 10 rounds on August 29 at the Galen Center in Los Angeles
• The fight joins the ProBox TV bill headlined by unbeaten WBC interim super middleweight champion Lester Martinez defending against unbeaten Croatian Luka Plantic
• Luke’s verdict: Carrillo’s US debut is a step too far — Cardenas wins clearly on points and keeps himself first in line for another title shot

Right Then — LA’s August Card Just Got Meatier

Right then, the matchmakers have been busy. The August 29 ProBox TV show at the Galen Center in Los Angeles — already headlined by Lester Martinez defending his interim WBC super middleweight title against Luka Plantic — has added a genuinely meaningful super bantamweight contest to the bill. Ramon Cardenas, ranked No.2 with the WBA and No.4 with the WBC, takes on Colombia’s Leonardo Carrillo over ten rounds. Tickets go on sale July 15, and this is shaping up to be a proper night of boxing.

Cardenas: One Fight From Another Big Dance

Cardenas is one of those fighters the casuals underrate and the hardcore fans adore. “Dinamita” sits at 27-2 with 15 knockouts, and his ranking with two sanctioning bodies means every outing is effectively a world title eliminator in disguise. He’s mixed at the very top level of the division, and at this stage of his career every fight is about one thing: staying unmissable until the next championship phone call comes. A dominant night in LA does exactly that.

Carrillo Arrives With A Point To Prove

Don’t dismiss the away corner, though. Carrillo is 20-1-1 with nine stoppages, an eleven-year professional out of El Copey, Colombia, and this is his American debut — the night his whole career has been building towards. Fighters in that position are dangerous. He’s ranked No.12 with the WBA himself, so this is no ticking opponent flown in to lose; it’s two ranked men fighting for a place in the queue.

The Main Event Matters Too

Quick word on the top of the bill, because it deserves it. Martinez, unbeaten at 20-0-1 with 16 knockouts, is a brilliant Guatemalan puncher defending interim WBC hardware against Plantic, an unbeaten Croatian with ten stoppages in thirteen. Winner keeps himself planted at the front of a super middleweight queue that suddenly looks very interesting indeed. Two unbeaten records, one belt, no sitting on the fence required from either man.

My Verdict

Time to call it. Carrillo will have his moments early — debutants on the big American stage usually start like a train — but Cardenas is levels above in class, schooling and experience against elite opposition. I see the American timing him from the fourth round on and pulling clear. Cardenas by wide unanimous decision, and don’t be surprised if the WBA order something tasty for him before the year is out. As for the main event: Martinez inside eight. The Croatian is unbeaten, but he’s never felt power like this.