Boxer Nguyen makes national TV debut
Undefeated Dat "Dat Be Dat" Nguyen (10-0, 6 KOs) makes his national television debut tonight on ESPN2 when he faces fellow stablemate Castulo Gonzalez (9-2, 3 KOs), from The Castle at Park Plaza in Boston.
Nguyen, who was born in Bien Hoa, Vietnam, and grew up on the island of Maui, meets a near mirror-image of himself when he squares off with the straight-ahead style of the Guatemalan-born Gonzalez.
While both fighters are products of very successful amateur backgrounds, Nguyen maintains an unblemished professional record, although Gonzalez has faced tougher opposition.
Gonzalez enters the bout off back-to-back unanimous decisions over veteran Priest Smalls and Barbaro Zepeda. His last defeat came in Feb. '06 when he suffered a ninth-round TKO defeat at the hands of current USBA junior featherweight champ Mike Oliver.
Nguyen has consistently won in impressive fashion, but this is a big night for him.
"This is a step up for me," Nguyen said. "(Promoter Rich) Cappiello wanted me to step up in my first TV fight, and that's what I'm going to do.
"Castulo is a very tough guy, and he'll be right there in front of me, but I'm in shape, I'm prepared and I'm confident I'll win."