The bout between Raul Curiel and Jordan Panthen is the new main event on January 16 at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California. Panthen stepped in to replace Alexis Rocha, who had withdrawn from his welterweight rematch against Curiel due to a medical emergency. Golden Boy confirmed the new headline bout following the weigh-ins.
Panthen (11-1, 9 KOs) of Poughkeepsie, New York, was originally scheduled to face Jean Rivera-Pacheco (10-2, 1 KO) in a 10-round welterweight matchup on the undercard. Puerto Rico’s Rivera-Pacheco no longer competes on the night.
Panthen, 29, is coming off a majority decision defeat to Farid Ngoga last July in Indio. Mexico’s 30-year-old Curiel (16-0-1, 14 KOs) knocked out Victor Ezequiel Rodriguez in the fourth round last June, after fighting Santa Ana’s Rocha to a majority draw in late 2024.
The Curiel vs Panthen matchup is scheduled for 10 rounds at middleweight. Curiel weighed in at 155.8 lbs, while Panthen showed 157.6 lbs.
Following Rocha’s withdrawal, a super bantamweight rematch between Manuel Flores (20-1-1, 16 KOs) of Rancho Mirage, California, and Mexico’s Jorge Chavez (14-0-1, 8 KOs) was expected to be elevated to Friday’s top of the bill. With the new main event now officially in place, the fighters remain in the 10-round co-feature, registering 121.6 lbs and 122 lbs, respectively. Their first fight last July ended in a majority draw.
Additionally, the scheduled eight-round super bantamweight matchup between Sonora’s Gael Cabrera (10-0, 7 KOs) and Ruben Casero (13-5, 5 KOs) of Uruguay is no longer part of the event.
Check out the current Panthen vs Curiel lineup and weights below.
The Panthen vs Curiel weights are as follows:
Main card
- Raul Curiel (155.8 lbs) vs. Jordan Panthen (157.6 lbs)
- Manuel Flores (121.6 lbs) vs. Jorge Chavez (122 lbs)
- Joel Iriarte (150.4 lbs) vs. Jireh De Los Santos (145.8 lbs)
- Ruslan Abdullaev (139.4 lbs) vs. Eduardo Javier Abreu (139.4 lbs)
- Cayden Griffiths (149.6 lbs) vs. Lesther Espino (148.2 lbs)
Prelims
- John Ramirez (115 lbs) vs. Byron Rojas (114.4 lbs)
- Fabian Guzman (159.2 lbs) vs. Jose Gabriel Rodriguez (155 lbs)
- Ricardo Ruvalcaba (147 lbs) vs. Jonathan Jose Eniz (146.8 lbs)