Costa Rican boxer Bryan Vasquez has announced his next fight; Vasquez will be facing Mexican hard hitter Raymundo Beltran on August 5th and at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, California.

Vasquez will be going up in weight once again to face the current WBA International Lightweight champion, at 135 pounds.

“Tiquito” as he is known, announced the fight through his Facebook account where he mentioned:

“This is a very strong boxer, I am going all out in this fight fighting in a different division, but it is an opportunity to shine and show the world what I am made off… I am going to give it make my country proud and everyone who has believed in me, specially my family”

Ray Beltran is 35-year-old and has a record of 33 wins (21 of them by KO), 7 losses (2 of them by KO) and 1 draw; he has fought skilled fighters and has had two world title shots, the first came against British Ricky Burns who many considered he defeated but judges called it a split draw; and the second against current champion Terence Crawford which Beltran lost by Unanimous Decision; his most recent fight was back in May when he faced Jonathan Maicelo for the vacant WBA International Lightweight Title and WBO NABO lightweight title and won by knockout. Beltran had a lot more at stake in this last fight since a win would make him the mandatory challenger for the IBF Lightweight title and he had been told by immigration experts ahead of the fight that this factor would be decisive in his long attempts to become a green card holder after entering the US as an illegal immigrant as a teenager. Beltran has been residing in Phoenix, Arizona for several years.

Bryan “Tiquito” Vásquez is 29-years-old; he has a record of 35 wins (19 by KO) and 2 losses , he is the former WBA Interim World Super Featherweight champion; he has fought before at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas against Jose Felix Jr. in the undercard of the Pacquiao-Bradley fight, Vasquez beat Felix Jr. by Unanimous Decision; he then went on to fight and defeat Mexican Sergio Thompson but he lost the title because he failed to make weight; his next title shot came in May of 2015 when he fought Dominican Javier Fortuna at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn but lost by Unanimous Decision; since then he has only fought once in July of 2016 in a small card in Panama.

Vasquez is married to Costa Rican World champion Hanna Gabriels, who recently defended her title successfully in an event that took place in Costa Rica.

Although it has still to be confirmed, the fight between Beltran and Vasquez will be apparently the co-main event in a card where current WBO World Super featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko will be the main fight against an opponent yet to be announced.

For both Beltran and Vasquez this is an important fight since it could put the winner in line for a world championship fight.