Perez to Fight Mendoza at Forum
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A familiar main-event fighter and a fast-rising newcomer headline tonight’s Forum boxing show.
Raul Perez of Tijuana, onetime world bantamweight champion, will try to take Luis Mendoza’s World Boxing Assn. junior-featherweight title in a 12-rounder.
And in a 10-round opener to the Forum’s eight-boxer super-flyweight tournament, Cecilio Espino (18-1) of Los Angeles meets Abner Barajas (15-6) of Phoenix.
Perez (47-2-1) hopes the recent Forum jinx on world champions works in his favor. Of the last six Forum title fights, the champion has lost in five of them. Mendoza (31-2-2), from Colombia, is defending his 122-pound title for the fifth time.
Perez defended his World Boxing Council bantamweight championship eight times until losing a Forum decision to Greg Richardson last February.
It’s the Forum’s seventh championship fight in the past 11 months.
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