By Jeandra LeBeauf

LOS ANGELES, CA –The Conga Room at LA Live played host to the official press conference on Wednesday afternoon to formally announce the first installment of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) for the New Year.

This particular occasion will also mark the debut of PBC on free-to-air Fox, the first primetime appearance on the network in nearly 20 years. Headlining the January 23rd show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, former WBC super lightweight champion Danny Garcia will face former multi-divisional titlist Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero in a 12-round welterweight bout.

Guerrero (33-3-1, 18KOs) once again finds himself starring in the launch of a new PBC series. The Gilroy, Calif. native faced Keith Thurman in the very first PBC event, which came this past March live in primetime on NBC. The former champ was brave – perhaps too brave for his own good – in defeat, though going all 12 rounds with unbeaten welterweight titlist Keith Thurman.

Anxious to put the loss behind him, Guerrero returned to the ring – and NBC – but struggled mightily, climbing off the canvas to barely edge Aron Martinez and thus, avoid a major upset. How he’s looked both in victory and defeat has a lot of people insisting the best years are behind him, a perception he understands but is eager to disprove.

“A lot of people are writing me off,” Guerrero said during the event. “They’ve seen my last fight with Martinez here and I had to tell people he’s no joke. It’s just one of those things you got to come out here and make it happen. Business is business and we can be friends after.”

Putting his undefeated record on the line, Garcia (31-0, 18KOs) looks to place himself among the best in a top-heavy welterweight division with a win in spectacular fashion.

Appearing for a second straight time as a full-fledged welterweight after consecutive catchweight bouts, the former World super lightweight champion believes this division to be a better fit.

“I feel strong, I feel great. I feel a lot stronger at 147 pounds,: said Garcia during his turn at the microphone. “I feel that the world hasn’t seen the best of Danny Garcia yet. I’m fresher, faster, stronger and a lot smarter.

“I’m from Philadelphia, but I feel like California is my home because they stay this is where the stars come right? And I’m a star right?”

Garcia demonstrated his star potential in past big wins over Zab Judah, Amir Khan and of course his World championship settling effort over Lucas Matthysse in Sept. ’13.

The pairing of Garcia and Guerrero carries the suggestion of an Americanized version of the longstanding Puerto Rico vs. Mexico boxing rivalry. Garcia is of Puerto Rican descent and based out of Philadelphia, while Guerrero is a proud Mexican-American.

For the unbeaten former champ, though, it’s simply a matter of personal bragging rights.

“It’s not about Puerto Rico or Mexico because Danny Garcia represents all Latinos,” insists the 27-year old, whose last appearance in Los Angeles also came at Staples Center. It came more than four years ago, outpointing Kendall Holt to earn a shot at then-reigning super lightweight titlist Erik Morales, whom Garcia would beat to win the crown in their March ’12 clash in Houston and then again in their Oct. ‘12 rematch in Brooklyn, New York.

Guerrero has spent a large portion of his career fighting in his home state, building his brand closer to home in the Bay Area but also frequenting Southern California. His first world title win came at Staples Center, knocking out Eric Aiken to win the featherweight title in Sept. ’06. He also scored a 1st round knockout of Edel Ruiz in Jan. ’09.

The showdown with Garcia will mark Guerrero’s third ring appearance in Southern California among his past four fights. His previous two came at the boxing-friendly StubHub Center in Carson, Calif., scoring thrilling wins over Yoshihiro Kamegai and most recently Martinez, who appears on the January 23 undercard.

Opening the telecast, Martinez endures yet another stiff challenge as he faces unbeaten Sammy “The Who Can Mexican” Vasquez in a scheduled 10-round welterweight heat.

The local favorite says he refuses to lose in his own backyard of Los Angeles, much less against a fighter flying in from the other side of the country.

“I grew up right here. This is my hood,” said Martinez (20-4-1, 4KOs), who is coming off of a career-best win in outpointing Devon Alexander in October. “I can’t disappoint my people. People keep saying, ‘You’re the underdog.’ Dude, I’ve always been the underdog. It just makes me work harder.”

No stranger to fighting in enemy territory, Vasquez - a decorated Army sergeant who served two tours in Iraq – insists he’s not at all concerned about facing Martinez on his home turf.

“To be standing here living my dream is an honor,” said Vasquez (20-0, 14KOs), a hard-hitting southpaw who is a major draw closer to his home base in the Pittsburgh, Penn. area. “He’s a step up and that’s what I wanted.

“I’m coming in his backyard, I’ve been in other people’s backyard before and I came out victorious and I’m not talking about boxing. To be here in L.A., there’s no pressure here whatsoever.”

The announcements of additional match-ups are expected to come in the upcoming weeks.

TICKET INFO

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions, are priced at $300, $200, $100, $50 and $25, not including applicable fees and service charges, and are now on sale. Tickets can be purchased at AXS.com or by phone at 888-929-7849 or at STAPLES Center.

Jeandra LeBeauf (@jethang) is based in Los Angeles and the creator of BadCulture.net. You may email her at theBadCulture@gmail.com and listen to her Tuesday nights on The Ruckus Podcast at, part of the BadCulture Radio Network . Subscribe to BadCulture.net's YouTube channel by clicking HERE.