On Tuesday, the Cowboys announced that Ford Center at The Star in Frisco will host its first college basketball event: the 2018 and 2019 Conference USA Men's & Women's Basketball Championships.
Now championship boxing is set to debut at The Star on June 17.
Heavy-handed super lightweights Pablo "El Demoledor" Cesar Cano(30-5-1, 21 KOs) and Fidel "The Atrisco Kid" Maldonado Jr.(23-3-1, 19 KOs) will battle over 10 rounds for the vacant WBC Fecarbox super lightweight title as the main event of the June 17 edition of Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN in the Tostitos Championship Plaza at The Star.
Championship hardware will be on the line in the all-Texas co-main event as standout Golden Boy Prospect Joshua "The Professor" Franco(10-0, 5 KOs) of San Antonio faces off against Oscar Mojica(10-2, 1 KO) of Dallas for the WBC Youth Silver Flyweight title.
Cano, a 27-year-old former interim WBA World Super Lightweight champion and veteran contender who has faced off against the likes of Sugar Shane Mosley, Paulie "Magic Man" Malignaggi and Ashley Theophaneis coming off a significant victory over Mauricio "El Maestro" Herrerain his last bout.
"Even though I have been a professional for 11 years, I feel like I am just hitting my prime," Cano, of Atizapan de Zaragoza, Mexico, said. "With a win over Maldonado, I feel like I will be ready to take on the top opponents at 140 pounds and compete for a world title."
Maldonado, a 25-year-old southpaw out of Albuquerque, New Mexico is undefeated in his last five fights after engaging in a five-knockdown firefight with Amir Imamand is hungry to push further towards a world championship.
"I can't wait to get in the ring with Cano and show the Texas fans what I'm all about," Maldonado Jr., said. "People may call this a crossroads fight, but I'm only interested in taking one road -- towards a world championship."
"We're honored to host a great fight night with Golden Boy Boxing at Tostitos Championship Plaza at The Star," said Stephen Jones, Cowboys Chief Operating Officer. "With Ford Center's outdoor video board and the turf in the plaza, the outdoor area will create a lively experience for boxing fans, and we're excited to have this event here in Frisco, Texas."
Rounding out the card will be a quartet of Golden Boy's top Texas prospects.
Hot off his fifth consecutive knockout in five fights, highly decorated amateur and super lightweight prospect Vergil Ortiz, Jr.(5-0, 5 KOs) will be scheduled to go six rounds for the first time against a soon-to-be-named opponent.
Other Dallas-based Golden Boy prospects Javier Martinez(1-0, 1 KO), a super featherweight, and Alex Rincon(1-0, 1 KO), a super welterweight, will appear in separate bouts with Martinez to face an opponent to be named and Rincon stepping in against Saul Palacios(1-0, 1 KO) of El Paso.
Opening up the card, San Antonio native Hector "El Finito" Tanajara Jr.(8-0, 4 KOs), a super featherweight, will fight Eduardo Reyes(7-9, 5 KOs) of Reynosa, Mexico.
Tickets for Fight Night at The Star are on sale and priced at $90, $50, and $20, not including applicable service charges. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets will be available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com. Additionally, walk up purchases are available at the AT&T Stadium Box Office (Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. CT to 5:00 p.m. CT) or on day of the event at the Ford Center Box Office beginning at 3:00 p.m.
