John Montez Headlines Card Tonight in Irvine

Junior middleweight John Montez, whose resume includes losses to world champions Pernell Whitaker and Hector Camacho and a victory over world champion Freddie Pendleton, will headline tonight’s fight card at the Irvine Marriott ballroom.

Montez (49-5 with 39 knockouts), who trains out of boxer/actor Mickey Rourke’s Outlaw Gym in Los Angeles, stopped boxing for four years before returning to the ring two months ago with a first-round knockout.

Montez, 30, will fight Phoenix’s James Rivas (10-6), who defeated Orange County’s John Armijo in a 10-round decision this year at the Marriott.

The five-bout undercard that begins at 7:30 will be highlighted by a match between junior welterweight Mike Walsh (4-0, four knockouts) of the Westminster Boxing Club and Sergio Baez (3-2) of Los Angeles.