Karlos Balderas to clash with Cesar Villarraga on December 13

Karlos Balderas, a 2016 US Olympian, is set to make his 360 Promotions debut just 30 minutes from his hometown of Santa Maria, California.

Balderas will take on Cesar Villarraga in a scheduled eight-round junior welterweight bout in the co-feature of a December 13 card at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California. 

This marks Balderas’ first fight since a July 2023 loss to Nahir Albright and his first bout in Southern California since December 2019, when Rene Tellez Giron handed him a knockout loss. Now competing at junior welterweight, Balderas, 14-2 (12 KOs), is aiming to rejuvenate his career with 360 Promotions after signing earlier this year. At 28, Balderas is focused on regaining momentum and climbing the ranks after stints with Ringstar and Top Rank.

The 39-year-old Villarraga, 11-10-1 (5 KOs) snapped a five-fight losing streak in October by defeating prospect Sebastian Gutierrez via split decision.

Balderas was previously slated to fight Gilberto Espinoza in June, but Espinoza missed weight by 10lbs. An August bout with William Encarnacion fell through as well.

“We’re excited for Karlos to make his debut with 360 Promotions,” said Tom Loeffler. “He has all the attributes for success in the junior welterweight division, and we look forward to seeing him put on a great show against a tough, upset-minded veteran in Villarraga.”

The event will be headlined by a 10-round middleweight clash between contender Sadriddin Akhmedov, 14-0 (12 KOs), a Santa Monica, California-based fighter from Almaty, Kazakhstan, and battle-tested veteran Raphael Igbokwe, 7-5 (7 KOs), of Houston.

Lucas Ketelle is a proud member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and author of “Inside The Ropes of Boxing” (available on Amazon). Contact him on X @LukieBoxing.