In the PPV opener to the much-anticipated Cotto-Margarito rematch, welterweight contender Mike Jones from Philadelphia will get the opportunity to move one step closer to the goal of winning a major title belt. Jones 25-0 (19 KO) will open the PPV broadcast taking on the rough and rugged Sebastian Lujan 38-5-2 (24 KO) of Argentina. The winner gets the automatic shot at Randall Bailey for the IBF belt that was recently vacated by Andre Berto.
Jones has had a steady progression since turning pro in 2005, being guided by hall of fame promoter Russell Peltz. Jones was trained by the late Joe Frazier as an amateur and since turning pro has been with Vaughn Jackson. Jones started his career with a string of twelve straight knockouts. Eleven of the twelve KO?s were inside of three rounds including five first round stoppages, developing him a reputation as a feared puncher.
In his fifteenth fight Jones won the NABA belt stopping Juliano Ramos (15-1 at the time) in the sixth round. Jones continued gaining learning experience, picking up regional belts, and developing as a boxer defeating increasingly better competition. He notched wins over Lenin Arroyo, Henry Brussels, and Irving Garcia. The fifth round KO of Garcia was the featured bout on ShoBox that evening.
Then Jones got his biggest opportunity on November 13, 2010 on the Pacquiao-Margarito undercard at Cowboys Stadium in Texas. Jones entered at 22-0 taking on the veteran tough guy, Jesus Soto-Karass in the final bout before the main event. Early in round two Jones landed a huge right hand that staggered Soto Karass. Jones pounced on his opponent looking to score the highlight reel KO on the big stage, unloading a flurry of punches for nearly two minutes, but to his dismay, the hard-headed Soto-Karass was not going away easily. By the end of the round Jones was spent, Soto-Karass was still standing, and the fight was taking a drastic turn.
