Promoter Paco Damian’s path to a welterweight main event bout between Eric Tudor and Kevin Johnson has been anything but simple.

Damian recently agreed to a deal with DAZN to promote shows on their network. The welterweight bout will headline a night of fights at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California on Friday. 

Damian, a long-time promoter in Northern California, started with Don Chargin, the man Damian always credits for leading him to success. The mentorship from Chargin, known as ‘War-A-Week,’ paid dividends for this upcoming card as two important fights had fallen out. First, the 10 round main event a light heavyweight bout between Yair Gallardo and David Stevens, and then Robledo was scheduled to face Leonardo Ruvalcaba. Then, he found a suitable replacement bout with Tudor-Johnson.

“The goal is always to put on good shows,” Damian told BoxingScene. “Working alongside Eric Gómez, one of the best in the business and someone who has seen it all. We wanted to postpone the original main events until an upcoming card because we couldn’t find a suitable opponent to make the type of fight we wanted. We decided to replace it with Eric Tudor against Kevin Johnson. Both fighters were already training to face each other.”

Damian also mentioned that the card will be co-promoted with Golden Boy Promotions. It is not the first time they have worked together, as Damian, along with Chargin, used to co-promote with Golden Boy on FS1 shows and build up regional talent.

“My goal is to be open to work with anyone,” Damian said. “I am a boxing fan, first and foremost.”

Tudor, 12-1 (7 KOs), enters the fight on a three-fight win streak. Tudor, a 23-year-old from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, signed with Golden Boy Promotions in 2023. Johnson, 12-5 (8 KOs), is a 32-year-old fighter known for his ability to pull off upsets. Johnson, who resides in Las Vegas, has beaten four undefeated fighters in his career, but he enters the bout on the heels of three straight losses.

Another bout which Damian is excited about is a junior welterweight bout between Ricardo Robledo and Dante Ettore. Robledo, 10-0 (3 KOs), is a 22-year-old who has stayed incredibly active until last year. He turned professional in 2021, as the Mission Hills, California native, and is looking to solidify himself amongst up-and-comers in his division. Ettore, 11-1-2 (7 KOs), known for his sparring in Las Vegas gyms, will look to have his biggest moments as a professional. In February, Ettore, 25, upset prospect Jabin Chollet. Now, he looks to make it two in a row. For Damian, it dates back to his time on the club circuit.

“I was worried when the original fights fell out that we couldn’t make this type of fight,” Damian said. “I feel we replaced them with good fights, meaningful fights. I am excited for this card.”

With future dates upcoming, Damian is looking to continue the tradition he started nearly fifteen years ago in Northern California, and put on a show to give opportunities to young and motivated fighters with one caveat: you have to be willing to take a competitive fight. 

“I am just excited for what the future holds, and I give all the credit to my dear friend Don,” Damian said. “I truly believe we have a great main event, it wasn’t easy to get to this point, but it is an exciting match-up and this is the model I wish to build on, interesting fights working with anyone and any promoter as long as they put the fans first and make a good fight.”