Gustavo Perez will hit the road in search of his biggest win to date.
The 27-year-old Mexican junior flyweight will travel to the backyard of former secondary title challenger Kevin Vivas. Their scheduled ten-round bout will headline a July 25 ESPN Knockout show from Centro de Convenciones Olof Palme in Managua, Nicaragua.
“We are delighted to be back with a great card featuring some of the best
local talent in Nicaragua,” All Star Boxing president Felix ‘Tutico’ Zabala Jnr told BoxingScene. “The response has been tremendous every time we head there and are looking forward to another memorable night.”
Perez, 15-1 (5 KOs) – affectionately known as ‘Smiley’ – has won seven in a row since a May 2022 knockout defeat to Anthony Olascuaga, who is now a WBO flyweight titlist. His most recent victory came in a fourth-round stoppage of Jose Javier Torres last December 14 in Tijuana, Mexico.
The current run has propelled Perez into the WBA and WBO top 15 ratings. The goal is to aggressively move towards a major title fight.
It led to securing Vivas, 8-3 (2 KOs) as his next opponent.
Nindiri’s Vivas rebounded from three straight defeats with an eight-round, unanimous decision over Julio Cabrera on March 7 at this very venue. The preceding losing streak included setback to Masamichi Yabuki and Rene Santiago, both of whom currently hold major titles.
Santiago claimed the WBO interim 108lbs title in his October 2023 win over a then-unbeaten Vivas and has since upgraded to full title status.
The chief support pits streaking junior flyweight contender Eveling ‘Colocha’ Ortega, 10-5 (2 KOs) in a ten-round regional title fight against Mayelis Altamar, 17-5-2 (9 KOs). Also on the show, local unbeaten heavyweights Jeffrey Gonzalez, 5-0 (2 KOs) and Jorge Silva, 3-0 (2 KOs) meet in a scheduled six-round contest,
Ortega has won four straight, a streak that began with an eight-round, unanimous decision over Yanissa Castrellon last March in Managua. The feat avenged a six-round defeat three months earlier in Panama.
Like Vivas, Ortega came up aces on the March 7 show at this location, in an eight-round, majority decision over Norleidys Graterol. The win propelled her to the number-three slot to the WBO 108lbs belt held by Argentina’s Evelin Bermudez, whom Ortega and her team plan to target.
“Eveling Ortega is on the right track to fight for the WBO title,” insisted Zabala. “Our plan is to host this event on Women’s Day 2026.”
