On November 16, the Saudi capital Riyadh will host the “Latino Night,” bringing together top names in the world of boxing as part of “Riyadh Season 2024.” The event, organized by Golden Boy Promotions—one of the leading boxing promotion companies—will take place at “The Venue,” one of the new zones in Riyadh Season. The main event will be co-promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and BOXXER.
During a press conference held this evening in Los Angeles, it was announced that the “Latino Night” will be the first event of Riyadh Season to be broadcast free to boxing fans worldwide. DAZN will stream the major fight night globally for free, with additional broadcasters in the region to be announced soon.
The event is expected to be one of the largest celebrations of Latino talent in the boxing world. It will feature a unification battle between WBA Cruiserweight World Champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez of Mexico, who continues his pursuit to become the undisputed world champion in the division, and WBO Cruiserweight World Champion Chris Billam-Smith of the UK, who enters the fight after three consecutive successful title defenses.
In the co-main event, former unified champion and U.S. Olympian Jose Ramirez will face dangerous undefeated contender and WBO No. 1 ranked challenger Arnold Barboza Jr. in a 12-round lightweight WBO title eliminator. The card also includes a highly anticipated lightweight bout between Mexico’s William “El Camarón” Zepeda and former IBF World Champion Tevin “2X” Farmer in a 10-round clash.
Additionally, in collaboration with Miguel Cotto Promotions, a world title unification fight in the minimumweight division will be held between historic WBO Champion Oscar “El Pupilo” Collazo from Puerto Rico and the longest-reigning WBO champion in this category, Thammanoon “Knockout CP Freshmart” Niyomtrong, scheduled for 12 rounds.
The night will open with a 12-round WBA super lightweight title eliminator between WBA No. 1 contender Kenneth “Bossman” Sims Jr. from Chicago and Oscar “La Migraña” Duarte.
Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, commented during the press conference: “His Excellency Alalshikh and I share the same vision of bringing the best fights to the fans. From the world title unification fight to matchups between former champions and rising contenders, as well as a star-studded undercard, this event will showcase everything that’s great about the sport of boxing.”
Ben Shalom, founder and CEO of BOXXER, added: “Riyadh Season continues to deliver world-class bouts at the highest level of sports, and we are proud to work with His Excellency Alalshikh and Oscar De La Hoya to deliver another epic world title unification bout. Gilberto Ramirez is a great champion, but Chris Billam-Smith will come in with full confidence, ready to unify the title.”
Golden Boy Promotions’ Chief Business Officer, Felipe Bouton, expressed his excitement about partnering with Riyadh Season, stating: “We are thrilled to work with Riyadh Season to promote ‘Latino Night’ and expand Golden Boy’s global footprint.”
