A co-promotion between Golden Boy and Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) has been reported for October. The event is expected to feature a doubleheader, with Vergil Ortiz Jr. facing Keith Thurman and Arnold Barboza Jr. taking on Frank Martin. The exact date, location, venue, and broadcast details have yet to be confirmed.
Ortiz Jr. (23-0, 21 KOs) won his previous bout in February by unanimous decision against Israil Madrimov. With the victory, the 27-year-old Dallas native retained the interim WBC super welterweight title, which he had claimed by majority decision over Serhii Bohachuk last August.
Former unified welterweight champion Thurman (31-1, 23 KOs) of Clearwater, FL, is fresh off a third-round TKO victory over Brock Jarvis in March. This marked the 36-year-old’s first outing in over three years, since he defeated Mario Barrios by unanimous decision in February 2022. Thurman was scheduled to face Tim Tszyu last March, but withdrew due to injury.
Both Barboza Jr. (32-1, 11 KOs) of Long Beach, CA, and Martin (18-1, 12 KOs) of Detroit, MI, are coming off defeats.
33-year-old former interim WBO super lightweight champion Barboza Jr. lost a unanimous decision to Teofimo Lopez in May in his bid to claim the full title. 30-year-old Martin was stopped by Gervonta Davis in the eighth round of their fight last June.
According to Bad Left Hook, citing Julius Julianis, the bouts are “being finalized.” Once confirmed, an official announcement is expected from both promotional companies.