by Francisco Salazar

Welterweight Jerrico Walton will face former world junior featherweight titleholder Victor Terrazas tonight at the Arabia Shrine Center in his hometown of Houston, Texas.

The eight-round bout will headline a King’s Promotions card.

At Thursday’s weigh-in, Walton weighed 144.3 pounds. Terrazas weighed in at a career-high 150 pounds and will not be eligible to win a regional welterweight title belt.

Walton (14-0, 7 knockouts) last fought on June 1, also at the Arabia Shrine Center, defeating Ricardo Garcia by unanimous decision over eight rounds. The unbeaten 28-year-old has won his last three bouts by decision.

Terrazas will be a significant step-up in opposition for Walton, who will have a height and size advantage in tonight’s fight.

The 36-year-old Terrazas (38-6-2, 21 KOs), who resides in the boxing hotbed of Guadalajara, Mexico, was stopped in his last bout at the hands of Jayson Velez on Mar. 16. Terrazas, who held the WBC junior featherweight title, is winless in his last four bouts.

In junior featherweight action, Washington, DC’s Marcus Bates (9-1-1, 8 KOs) will square off against Saul Eduardo Hernandez (14-13-1, 9 KOs) of Lakeside, California. Bates rebounded from his first loss as a pro by defeating stopping Jesse Hernandez in his last bout on Apr. 13.

Super middleweight Rafael Igbokwe (12-2, 6 KOs) will face unbeaten Genc Pliana (5-0, 2 KOs), who is originally from Armenia and now residing in Hagerstown, Maryland, in an eight round bout. Igbokwe, who was born and raised in Houston, has lost his last two bouts.

Fringe junior lightweight Pablo Cruz (17-2, 6 KOs) of Houston will square off against former world bantamweight title challenger William Gonzalez (30-12, 26 KOs) of Nicaragua in a six-round bout.

Four more fights will round out the King’s Promotions card.

Francisco A. Salazar has written for Boxingscene since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (Calif.) Star newspaper. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing