Junior welterweight Joel Diaz will return to action Saturday night against journeyman Saul Banos, a source told BoxingScene Friday afternoon.

The eight-round bout will take place at the Salon CTM in San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico.

Diaz (24-2, 20 knockouts), who resides in Palmdale, California, last fought on February 10 of last year, losing by knockout to Argentina’s Cristian Coria in round 2. His most notable fight took place in June 2017 when he faced Regis Prograis in a clash of unbeaten contenders. Prograis hurt Diaz, dropping him four times before the fight was finally stopped in round 2.

Sandwiched between the losses to Coria and Prograis was a first round knockout victory over former fringe contender Miguel Angel Huerta in October 2018.

The 28-year-old Diaz turned pro at the age of 18 in July 2010.

Banos (14-18-2, 7 KOs), who resides in Loreto, Mexico, last fought on December 21, losing by knockout to once-beaten Jose Durante Vivas. Banos has lost 12 of his last 13 bouts.

In junior featherweight action, amateur standout Fidencio Hernandez of Oxnard, California will make his pro debut against Jose Pedro Loreto (0-1) in a four-round bout.

Hernandez, who is trained by Gilbert Perez, accumulated over 100 victories as an amateur. As a 17-year-old in 2016, Hernandez was named ‘Best Fighter in the Tournament’ at the prestigious Police Activities League (PAL) tournament that took place that year in Oxnard.

Both Diaz and Hernandez are managed by Sam Contreras.

Welterweight prospect Sergey Lubkovich (11-0, 7 KOs) will square off against Mauro Loreto in an eight-round bout.

Lubkovich, who is originally from Kostroma, Russia and now lives and trains in Los Angeles, defeated gatekeeper Jose Guadalupe Rosales by unanimous decision in his last bout on December 21. The 25-year-old is managed by Vadim Kornilov.

Loreto (20-11-2, 8 KOs), who resides in Agua Prieto, Mexico, was stopped by unbeaten Alfredo Escarcega in his last bout on September 26. The 25-year-old has lost six of his last nine bouts.

In a clash of unbeaten junior welterweights, Patricio Casanova (7-0, 5 KOs) of nearby Mexicali will square off against Ivan Rochin (3-0, 3 KOs) of La Paz, Mexico in a six-round bout.

Juan Daniel Ramirez (13-2, 7 KOs) of Mexico City will face Mexicali’s Pedro Avila (5-14, 2 KOs) in an eight-round junior bantamweight bout.

Cachanilla Promotions will promote the 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