Alex Saucedo confident of victorious homecoming against Leonardo Zappavigna

Top Rank’s hot junior welterweight prospect Alex “El Cholo” Saucedo 27-0 (17) is looking forward to putting on a show in his homecoming bout against Australian banger Leonardo Zappavigna 37-3 (27) at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on ESPN this Saturday night.

The 24-year-old Mexican-American knows that a victory here will put him in the box seat to challenge newly-minted WBO 140-pound champion Maurice “Mighty Mo” Hooker 24-0-3 (16).

“I grew up on the south side of town, right near the arena, so this is truly a homecoming for me,” said Saucedo, who moved to Oklahoma City with his family as a seven-year-old. “I used to ride my bike past the arena and go to basketball games and monster truck events here. I can’t wait to get in there, get the win, and feel the support of the home fans. It has been a long time coming.”

The fight is an official WBO eliminator between the number three ranked Saucedo and the number eight ranked Zappavigna with the winner expected to be made the mandatory challenger to Hooker, who claimed the vacant title with a closely-contested split decision victory over Terry Flanagan 33-1 (13) in Manchester, England earlier this month.

“I want any of the champions at 140 pounds. I want a title shot, and I know beating Lenny Z will help me earn a title shot,” said Saucedo.

“I had a 12-week training camp in Big Bear, which was the longest camp of my career. All I did was eat, sleep, and train. In order to become a champion you have to make the sacrifices. I put in the work alongside my trainer, Abel Sanchez.”

For 30-year-old veteran Zappavigna, the fight represent what may be his last chance to secure a shot at world championship glory.

“This is a great fight. Out of all my fights, this is one of the ones I’m really excited about. ESPN, it’s on a great card. Winning this fight will give me great opportunities after. This is massive for me. This is a fight I need to win to get back there on top of the world,” said the Ernie Zavala-trained Sydneysider.

“When you overcome [a hostile environment] to win, it makes it that much better. That gives me more adrenaline. It’ll be good. The crowd will be there for Saucedo, as they should be. When this opportunity came my way, I knew what I was up against. I’m ready.”

The 10-round special attraction will be the main support bout to the WBO super middleweight title defence of Mexico’s Gilberto Ramirez 37-0 (27) against Colombian puncher Roamer Alexis Angulo 23-0 (20).