After 3-year hiatus, Nico Hernandez returns to ring for USA Boxing event at Koch Arena
For the first time in three years, Wichita native and 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Nico Hernandez is returning to the boxing ring.
Wichita will play host to USA Boxing’s National Junior Olympics for the first time in the city’s history, while Hernandez will headline a new amateur-professional fight series titled “USA Fight Night” that will debut at Koch Arena on Saturday, July 9. Tickets are already on sale through the Wichita State ticket office starting at $30.
“We’re thrilled to welcome USA Boxing and its athletes and fans to the heart of the country for the first time this summer and we’re especially excited to host such a prestigious USA Boxing event combined with the debut of a new fighting series featuring Wichita’s own Nico Hernandez,” Josh Howell, Visit Wichita’s vice president of sports development, said in a release. “It will be an amazing week of boxing in Wichita and we encourage the community to get their tickets to support both of these competitions.”
After returning from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with his Olympic medal, the first won by a Wichita native since 1984, Hernandez began his professional career beating opponents at Kansas Star Arena and Hartman Arena. He improved to 7-0 with four knockouts, which included winning the vacant International Boxing Association world flyweight belt, before pausing his career to pursue a pair of bare knuckle fights.
Hernandez, 26, has not been in a boxing match since Feb. 15, 2019, when he won a unanimous decision over Victor Trejo Garcia at Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane.
The July fight card, which will feature five amateur bouts and five professional fights, will be announced in the coming days. Hernandez’s opponent is still yet to be determined.
The National Junior Olympics competition, which lasts from July 11-16, will be hosted at Century II. Tickets can be purchased through selectaseat.com/boxing.
“You will see every level of amateur and professional boxing when USA Boxing comes to the heart of the country next month,” said USA Boxing Events and Operations manager Michael Campbell in a statement. “It’s truly a unique opportunity to witness professional boxing in front of both fans and those aspiring to get to that level of the sport.”
This story was originally published June 15, 2022 at 11:14 AM.
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