FRIDAY: Jonathan Gonzalez-Gerardo Zapata WBO  Junior Flyweight World Title Showdown to Stream LIVE & Exclusively on ESPN+Fight action from Nicaragua begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT

(Oct. 23, 2023) —Puerto Rico’s WBO light flyweight world champion, Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez, will defend his world title against hometown favorite Gerardo Zapata this Friday, Oct. 27 at Alexis Arguello Sports Complex in Managua, Nicaragua. Gonzalez-Zapata and undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Gonzalez (27-3-1, 14 KOs) has won five bouts since falling short to Kosei Tanaka in a 2019 bid for the WBO flyweight world title. He then moved down to the light flyweight ranks and positioned himself for a title shot with a pair of victories. In October 2019, he toppled Mexican champion Elwin Soto by split decision to capture his world title. Gonzalez defended the WBO light flyweight twice in 2022 with unanimous decision victories over Mark Anthony Barriaga in Florida and Shokichi Iwata in Japan. Zapata (14-1-1, 5 KOs), who was born in Managua, fought the first 14 bouts of his pro career in his home country. He lost his ‘0’ when he was controversially disqualified against Rene Santiago in December 2022. Zapata returned in August and was held to a 10-round draw against Panamanian contender Azael Villar. In other ESPN+ streaming bouts:

  • Rene Santiago (11-3, 8 KOs), two fights removed from the DQ win over Zapata, will defend his WBO Latino light flyweight title in a 10-rounder against undefeated Nicaraguan Kevin Vivas (7-0, 2 KOs).
  • Welterweight prospect Harvin “Manimal” Aguirre (8-0, 6 KOs) steps up against Israel Lopez (11-3-1, 8 KOs) in an eight-rounder.
  • Honduras-born Jr flyweight Gerardo Sanchez (8-1, 5 KOs) hopes to end the unbeaten run of Peru’s Eduardo Ajito (11-0, 5 KOs) for WBO Latino Championship
  • In a six-round female light flyweight contest, Eveling Ortega (5-4, 2 KOs) looks to increase her winning streak to five against Costa Rica’s Silvia Duran (3-1, 2 KOs).