ESPN’s Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra will originate from Las Vegas, on January 13 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, ESPN 3D and ESPN3 when junior featherweights “Marvelous” Chris Martin (23-1-2, 6 KOs) and Teon “The Technician” Kennedy (17-1-1, 7 KOs) meet in the 10-round main event.
Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas will be ringside at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino describing the action, while studio host Bernardo Osuna will present all the latest boxing news and highlights. The card is presented by Top Rank.
Friday’s show will be the first 2012 Friday Night Fights telecast on ESPN 3D. Pictured in photo are ringside analysts Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas wearing 3D glasses. ESPN 3D presented boxing for the first time in the U.S. last February. Muhammad Ali’s 70th birthday will also be recognized within Friday’s show.
This Friday San Diego’s Martin, will look to rebound after an October 10-round split decision loss to Jose Branza. Previously, Martin scored his career-best win in a 10-round decision against previously undefeated Chris Avalos.
“The key to fighting this guy (Kennedy) is the jab and movement,” Martin said. “I think Kennedy’s a straight-forward fighter, and that’s what we’re working on – lateral movement and combinations. I’m working on throwing more punches and landing more punches.”
Philadelphia’s Kennedy said, “I’ve been training really hard for this fight, and am well-prepared. I’ve seen a couple of tapes on Chris Martin. He has a lot of skills, but I also see a lot of mistakes that I can capitalize on. My approach is to keep the jab out there and see what he can do with it.”
Friday’s card will also feature 2008 Olympic Bronze medalist/undefeated junior welterweight Yordenis Ugas (10-0, 5 KOs) against Esteban Almarez (10-4, 4 KOs). Miami’s Ugas is coming off a second-round knockout win over Rynell Griffin, while Texas’s Almarez is coming off an eight-round majority decision loss to Jose Reynoso.
