Los Angeles, CA – It is very rare for a man in any profession to work his way “down” the ladder of success.  But that is just what Ricardo “El Guero” Cortes is doing, and the one-time light heavyweight (175 lbs) will face his next major challenge as a slimmed-down super welterweight (154 lbs) on Friday, February 1 in his first televised main event against undefeated Alfredo “Parra” Angulo.

The Grand Casino in Hinckley, Minnesota will be the host site of the Showtime “SHOBOX: The New Generation” telecast, with the Cortes-Angulo main event – scheduled for 10 rounds.

Ironically, this Minnesota contest pits two talented boxers who were born in Mexico, but currently live and train in California.

The 27-year old Cortes, a native of Michoacan, Mexico now calling San Jose, California his hometown, is 22-1-1 (15 KOs) as a professional.  He began his career in September 2000 as a super middleweight (168 lbs), but fought as high as 179 pounds in his 17th fight in September 2005.  In 2006, Cortes began to trim down to the point he came in 23 pounds off his high in his last fight – a second-round stoppage of Joshua Onyango in San Jose less than three months ago. 

“From some of the last few fights we realized that as the competition got better, the middleweights he was fighting were getting bigger, Ted Lucio, Cortes’ manager/trainer explained.  “We suggested to him that his height and weight were no longer an advantage, so Ricardo refocused and set out to make the 154-pound division. Now that Ricardo is stepping away from home to seek seclusion, he is training harder and mentally getting stronger without any distractions. Making the 154 division was a lot easier to him than expected.”

“My last fight was at 156 and the previous three were at the 160-pound limit,” Cortes observed.  “I have gotten used to the weight and it will be an advantage to me inside the ring. I actually feel a lot faster and even stronger at 154.”

That could spell trouble for the unbeaten Angulo, who was born in Mexicali, Mexico but lives in Coachella, California.  Just 25 years old, Angulo has compiled a record of 11-0 (8 KOs), and none of his last seven opponents has heard the final bell.

Cortes has fought on television before, most recently back in a September co-feature on the Hispanic network, Telefutura, when, he endured a series of low blows, eventually coming away with a win over Fernando Zuniga in Ontario, California.  But being in his first main event on a major cable network against a quality opponent is extra special to him.

“I feel anxious and excited to be fighting on Showtime for the first time,” Cortes offered.  “I have only seen one performance of him (Angulo) on the last ‘SHOBOX’ telecast.  The bout really didn’t go too long, but it did give me a clear picture on how to prepare for this fight.  I predict that the fight will end in a knockout, with my hand being raised.”

Cortes’ promoter Dan Goossen, of Goossen Tutor Promotions, believes these are the type of fights Cortes needs to climb up the ladder. “His performance in this fight will show where he stands in a weight division filled with talent,” Goossen said.

“A victory against Angulo puts Ricardo one step closer toward a meeting with one of the elite of the division.”