Following three victories in 2023, welterweight Brian Norman Jr. is gearing up for a breakthrough year. Norman will face Janelson Bocachica in a ten-rounder on Saturday, March 2nd at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York. Norman-Bocachica joins a show that will be headlined by a showdown for the vacant WBA featherweight title between Uzbekistan's Otabek Kholmatov and American contender Raymond Ford. In the co-feature, Mexico’s Luis Alberto “El Venado” Lopez defends his IBF crown against Japan's Reiya Abe. Kholmatov-Ford, Lopez-Abe and undercard fights will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+.
Promoted by Top Rank, tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at the Turning Stone Resort Casino Box Office, charge by phone by calling 800.771.7711, or online at Ticketmaster.com.
Norman (25-0, 19 KOs) made his pro debut in January 2018 and went 11-0 in his first year in the paid ranks. In 2021, he fought four times, including a first-round TKO against Roque Agustin Junco that December. After a year-long layoff, Norman regained his momentum in 2023 by tallying eight-round decisions against Rodrigo Coria in January and Jesus Perez in May before defeating Quinton Randall in November.
Bocachica (17-2-1, 11 KOs) went 16-0 before handing Mark Reyes Jr. his first pro defeat in February 2021. Since then, he's been involved in several close contests, including a narrow decision loss to Alberto Palmetta last November.
ADDITIONAL BOUTS
U.S. Olympic silver medalist Duke Ragan (9-0, 1 KO) will see action in an eight-round featherweight clash against Colombia’s Brandon Valdes (15-4, 7 KOs). Ragan signed with Top Rank in August 2020 and fought four times as a pro before capturing the silver medal in Tokyo. He then continued his career in the paid ranks in 2022 by scoring four additional victories. The Cincinnati native toughed out a split decision victory against Jose Perez last October.
In a battle of undefeated junior welterweights, Dominican Olympian Rohan Polanco (11-0, 7 KOs) will lock horns against Tarik Zaina (13-0-1, 8 KOs). Polanco conquered a trio of stiff tests last year, each with only one career loss. He decisioned Ricardo Quiroz in April and earned stoppages against Cesar Francis in July and Keith Hunter in December. Zaina aims to build off his biggest triumph yet, a unanimous decision win over Argentine contender Marcelino Lopez.
U.S. Olympian Troy Isley (11-0, 4 KOs) will face Marcos Hernandez (16-6-2, 3 KOs) in an eight-round middleweight bout. The 25-year-old looks to build off a successful 2023, including a unanimous decision verdict over Mexican veteran Vladimir Hernandez in November.
Heavyweight Brandon Moore (13-0, 8 KOs) takes on Helaman Olguin (9-6-1, 4 KOs) in an eight-rounder. Moore returns following his Top Rank debut in November, an eight-round decision over Robert Simms.
Floyd Diaz (10-0, 3 KOs) puts his unbeaten record on the line in an eight-round bantamweight tilt against Puerto Rico's Edwin Rodriguez (12-7-2, 5 KOs). Diaz decisioned once-beaten Max Ornelas for a regional title in November.
Junior welterweight Bryce Mills (14-1, 5 KOs), who hails from nearby Liverpool, New York, will square off against Gerffred Ngayot (6-1, 5 KOs) in a six-rounder.
Middleweight Nico Ali Walsh (9-1, 5 KOs) will make his 2024 debut in a six-rounder against an opponent to be named. The grandson of “The Greatest” starts his 2024 following a points triumph over Noel Lafargue last December in Conakry, Guinea.