ORANGE, Calif. (March 5, 2019) - Unbeaten welterweight standout Taras Shelestyuk (16-0, 10 KOs) marks his return to the ring this Saturday, March 9 in the eight-round main event of Thompson Boxing Promotions' annual private show, "Night of Champions."Shelestyuk, 33, will face veteran Martin Angel Martinez (18-16-1, 11 KOs) of Mexico in the showcase fight from the Doubletree Hotel in Orange, Calif. Shelestyuk, a southpaw from Los Angeles by way of Ukraine, was absent from the ring last year and has been inactive for a year-and-a-half.
In contrast, Martinez has seen consistent action in each of the last four years, logging a total of sixteen fights. The 28-year-old is battle tested, having gone up against former interim title holder Mike Alvarado and high-end talent such as Jose Roman, Alex Saucedo, and Giovani Santillan.
Shelestyuk, however, comes from an outstanding amateur background that culminated in an Olympic bronze medal at the 2012 London games. The seasoned Shelestyuk mixes punching power with technical ability that at one point landed him as a top contender among the WBO rankings.
"I feel as confident as I have ever felt," said Shelestyuk, who is promoted by Thompson Boxing and Banner Promotions. "I'm always in the gym working hard. I plan on attacking early and seeing what Martinez is made of."
In the co-feature, Napa's Brandon Trejo (4-1, 2 KOs) faces Mexico's Jose Alberto Castillo (6-1, 4 KOs) in a battle set for six-rounds in the lightweight division.
Trejo, the former two-time California Silver Gloves champion and back-to-back National PAL winner, is looking to build on his knockout win from October. Prior to that contest, Trejo suffered the first setback of his career, a points loss to Bogar Padilla in April.
"I've put that loss behind me," Trejo said. "Now it's all about moving forward and getting better with every fight. Castillo is the right opponent for me. He's young and hungry and I'm looking forward to the challenge of beating him."
In other action, undefeated junior welterweight prospect Angel Ruiz (13-0, 9 KOs) of Los Angeles takes on Roberto Almazan (7-9, 2 KOs) of Texas in a scheduled six-round fight.
Opening the "Night of Champions" show is featherweight prospect Arnold Dinong (3-0, 1 KO) of Daly City, Calif. and Miguel Angel Moreno (pro debut) of Brownsville, Tex. (four-rounds).
While tickets are not available for purchase, the promoter will livestream the entire fight card on TB Presents: Night of Champions starting at 8:00 p.m. PT / 11:00 p.m. ET. Boxing fans can stream the fights on our Facebook page, YouTube channel, and ThompsonBoxing.com. Blow-by-blow announcer Beto Duran and veteran boxing analyst Doug Fischer will call the action live from ringside.