Boxlab Promotions has announced who will face heavyweight prospect Gurgen Hovhannisyan and once-beaten junior featherweight Angel Barrientes in its upcoming July 18 show, which will stream on DAZN.

In the main event at the Caribe Royale Orlando in Florida, Hovhannisyan, 8-0 (7 KOs), will take on Chris Thomas, 15-1-2 (10 KOs).

Hovhannisyan is a 27-year-old from Armenia who works with respected trainer Joe Goossen in California. He is not yet ranked by any of the four major sanctioning bodies. This will be Hovhannisyan’s second fight of 2025. In April, he scored a fifth-round knockout over the 11-3 Dajuan Calloway, who himself was coming off an upset two-round stoppage of the 10-0 Thomas Carty.

Hovhannisyan, who stands 6-foot-7 and came in at 297lbs for the Calloway bout, will have significant advantages in height and weight – and activity – against Thomas.

Thomas, a 27-year-old from New Jersey, is listed at 5-foot-11 and is far from a natural heavyweight. He fought as low as 156lbs as recently as 2017, was at 178lbs in a 2020 bout, and then spent more than five years out of the ring. Thomas’ sole bout since returning was in February, when he came in at nearly 225lbs and fought to a six-round draw against the 4-1 Dominique Mayfield.

Barrientes, 13-1 (8 KOs), is a 22-year-old from Hawaii who fights out of Las Vegas. He was knocked out in December 2020 in his fourth pro bout by the 3-0 Travon Lawson. Barrientes has won 10 straight since, most recently notching a seventh-round TKO against the 11-1-2 Alexander Castellano in March.

His foe is Jorge De Jesus Romero, 23-1-1 (14 KOs), a 31-year-old from Cuba who now lives in Miami, Florida. Romero hasn’t fought in more than 26 months, dating back to his unanimous decision loss to the 16-0-1 Leonardo Carrillo in May 2023.

The rest of the undercard has also been announced:

Heavyweights: Aleksei Dronov, 7-0 (5 KOs), vs. Joe Jones, 15-13-1 (10 KOs)
Heavyweights: Drake Banks, 9-0 (7 KOs), vs. Colby Madison, 11-7-3 (7 KOs)
Middleweights: Alex Bray, 9-0 (7 KOs) vs. TBA
Junior featherweights: Chaves Barrientes, 11-0 (6 KOs), vs. TBA
Junior lightweights: Gabriela Tellez, 5-0 (2 KOs), vs. Elizabeth Chavez Espinoza, 4-8-3 (1 KO)
Featherweights: Roberto Gomez, 6-0 (3 KOs), vs. Jose Saant, 15-10-1 (5 KOs)
Welterweights: Geise Reyes Del Verso, 6-0 (5 KOs), vs. TBA
Bantamweights: Carlos Lebron, 5-1-1 (4 KOs), vs. Anel Dudo, 3-6 (1 KO)
Lightweights: Jobed Collazo, 1-0 (0 KOs), vs. Alen Dudo, 0-1-1 (0 KOs).

David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.

Gurgen Hovhannisyan Defeats Chris ThomasTKO In Round 3

Angel Barrientes Defeats Jorge RomeroTKO In Round 10

Quick stand: Gurgen Hovhannisyan cuts down Chris Thomas in three

Angel Barrientes takes down Jorge De Jesus Romero in 10

Angel Barrientes working 24/7 in his mission to catch Naoya Inoue

Gurgen Hovhannisyan motivated ‘to make history’ for Armenia

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Gurgen Hovhannisyan Defeats Chris Thomas
TKO In Round 3

Angel Barrientes Defeats Jorge Romero
TKO In Round 10