Mexico City will have a boxing party on Friday when Venezuelan Carlos Cañizales steps into the ring to defend his World Boxing Association (WBA) Light Flyweight title against home fighter Esteban Bermúdez.

The 108-pound champion will feature in the main event of the evening organized by Promociones Deportivas and this will be his third defense of the pioneer organization’s belt.

The 28-year-old Caracas native won his belt on January 18th, 2018 when he defeated Reiya Konishi by unanimous decision in Japan. Since then he has defended against Bin Lu and Sho Kimura consecutively and will now return to the ring after nearly two years without fighting due to the pandemic and a suspension of his defense last December for his opponent’s failure to make the weight.

Bermúdez, meanwhile, is going for his first title shot. The 25-year-old challenger comes from a technical draw against Luis Macias in a fight that was stopped in the third round.

This week, the Mexican capital will have different activities prior to the fight. Cañizales arrived in the country last weekend and said he feels ready for his defense. The champion is undefeated in 22 fights, with one draw, and 17 KOs, while Bermudez has 13 wins, 3 losses, 2 draws, and 9 KOs.