RAUL “EL CUGÁR” CURIEL CRUISES TO UNANIMOUS DECISION WIN OVER JORDAN “THE PATRIOT” PANTHEN
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 17 Jan 2026
And The New! Jorge "El Niño Dorado" Chavez Defeats Manuel "Gucci Manny" Flores in Enemy Territory to Secure Continental USA and CA State Super Bantamweight Titles
PALM DESERT, CALIF. (January 16, 2026) — Adding another victory to his unbeaten record, Raul “El Cugár” Curiel (17-0-1, 13 KOs) defeated last-minute replacement Jordan “The Patriot” Panthen (11-2, 9 KOs) in a 10-round middleweight bout featured on the night’s doubleheader. Panthen stepped in for the previously announced opponent, Alexis Rocha, who was forced to withdraw due to a medical emergency. While Panthen was able to keep pace with Curiel throughout the contest, Curiel’s power and ring control proved decisive. Judges scored the bout 97-93, 98-92, and 97-93, all in favor of Curiel.
“First of all, I want to thank God, the people of Palm Springs, and all the fans who came out. I hope you enjoyed the fight,” said Raul Curiel. “For my former opponent, Alexis Rocha, I hope he gets better and I wish him the best. For me, it’s a dream come true to fight this year—my first fight at middleweight. Panthen is a warrior and gave the people a tremendous fight. I want to thank my team—we had a tremendous camp, and I have the best team in the world. I tried to do the best I could, and I almost knocked him out. The body shots were doing their damage, and I was breaking him down. I want to thank Golden Boy for this opportunity—Oscar, Eric, and Razo—for always believing in me. I want that world title next.”
In a back-and-forth firefight, fans were on their feet for the highly anticipated rematch as Tijuana’s Jorge “El Niño Dorado” Chávez (15-0-1, 8 KOs) defeated hometown favorite Manuel “Gucci Manny” Flores (20-2-1, 16 KOs). Chávez captured the WBA Continental USA and California State Super Bantamweight Titles in a 10-round bout that went the distance. Judges scored the fight 97-93, 98-92, and 96-94, all in favor of Chávez.
Also on the undercard, Uzbekistani Olympian Ruslan Abdullaev (4-0, 2 KOs) delivered a jaw-dropping knockout victory over Eduardo Abreu (14-2-2, 10 KOs) to claim the WBA Continental Gold Title. Scheduled for eight rounds, Abdullaev secured the stoppage at 2:59 of the fifth round. Opening the DAZN broadcast, blue-chip prospect Cayden Griffiths (7-0, 6 KOs) of the Coachella Valley went the distance against Managua, Nicaragua’s Lesther Espino (10-8, 8 KOs) in a six-round super welterweight bout. Griffiths earned a unanimous decision with scores of 60-53 across all three scorecards.
Los Angeles’ Scrappy Ramirez (16-1, 9 KOs) closed out the preliminary YouTube broadcast with a hard-fought win over Matagalpa, Nicaragua’s Byron Rojas (29-6-3, 12 KOs) in a 10-round super flyweight contest. Ramirez earned the victory by majority decision with scores of 98-92, 97-93, and 95-95. Recently signed to Golden Boy, undefeated middleweight Fabian Guzman (9-0, 8 KOs) of Santa Ana impressed with a knockout victory over Guayaquil, Ecuador’s Jose Rodriguez (3-2, 2 KOs). Guzman secured the stoppage at 2:36 of the sixth round. Opening the night, Los Angeles’ Ricardo Ruvalcaba (15-0-1, 10 KOs) earned a unanimous decision over Buenos Aires, Argentina’s Jonathan Eniz (37-25-1, 17 KOs) in an eight-round welterweight bout.
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Curiel vs. Panthen is a 10-round middleweight fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions. Flores vs. Chavez is a 10-round super bantamweight fight. The event was available worldwide to all subscribers on DAZN, both live and on demand.
For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, and DAZN.com. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing and @DAZNBoxing. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoy and https://www.facebook.com/DAZN. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoy and @DAZNBoxing. Follow the conversation using #RochaCuriel
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