Elijah Pierce faces Lorenzo Parra on June 28 in OTX showdown
Junior featherweight Elijah Pierce will square off against Lorenzo Parra on June 28, manager Trifon Petrov confirmed to The Ring Wednesday. The 10-round bout will take place at the Overtime Elite (OTE) Arena in Atlanta, Georgia and will stream live on DAZN (8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT).
“We are excited at the opportunity to have Elijah Pierce fight another world-rated contender,” Petrov told The Ring. “I am confident Elijah will dominate Lorenzo Parra. We are chasing (Ring Magazine and undisputed junior featherweight champion) Naoya Inoue. On June 28, we will be another step closer to making this fight a reality.”
In his last bout on March 29, Pierce (19-2, 16 knockouts), rated No. 8 by The Ring at 122 pounds, overcame a knockdown early in the fight to stop former world title challenger Kevin Villanueva. In his previous fight on August 4, Pierce knocked out former contender Mike Plania in the third round.
Both victories against Villanueva and Plania took place at the Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta, where Pierce now lives and trains.
The 27-year-old southpaw has won his last 10 fights, eight by knockout, since losing a close majority decision to fringe featherweight Sulaiman Segawa in September 2019.
Pierce is originally from Midwest City, Oklahoma and has never lost as a junior featherweight.
Parra (23-1, 18 KOs), who resides in Machiques, Venezuela, last fought on August 18, defeating Javon Campbell by split decision. The fight also took place at the Overtime Elite Arena, where OTX Boxing promotes their cards.
The 29-year-old has won his last nine bouts since losing by unanimous decision to former world title challenger and countryman Yonfrez Parejo in June 2017.
Parra is ranked No. 15 by the WBA and is promoted by Brendan Gibbons.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at santio89@yahoo.com
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