Matchroom Boxing will park its cameras in the heart of Jalisco this spring as hometown bruiser Manuel “El Meno” Gallegos (21‑2‑1, 18 KOs) defends the WBC USA light‑heavyweight strap against New Jersey’s Khalil “Big Steppa” Coe (9‑1‑1, 7 KOs) in a 10‑round rematch. The bout tops a DAZN card inside Guadalajara’s compact Domo Alcalde, officially listed at 3,400 seats - small enough for a white‑hot atmosphere, yet large enough to anchor Matchroom’s growing Mexico series.
Watch Gallegos vs. Coe highlights: Watch
Their first meeting last November at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center produced one of 2024’s bigger upsets: the 20‑to‑1 underdog Gallegos walked down Coe and stopped the former U.S. amateur standout in round nine to snatch the vacant regional belt. What impressed ringsiders wasn’t just the Mexican’s thudding body work but the way he dragged a flashy prospect into a phone‑booth brawl and broke him. “I told people I’m no tune‑up,” he crowed post‑fight; now he gets to prove it at home.
In the co-main event, former unified 122‑lb ruler Murodjon "MJ" Akhmadaliev (13‑1, 10 KOs) will shake off ring rust when he meets Mexican puncher Luis Castillo. The stay‑busy ten‑rounder keeps the 30‑year‑old Uzbek southpaw active while he waits for his long‑deferred crack at undisputed champion Naoya Inoue, already pencilled in for September 14.
Akhmadaliev has fought just twice since a contentious 2023 split‑decision loss to Marlon Tapales cost him the WBA and IBF belts. He blasted out Ricardo Espinoza in three rounds last December in Monaco, lifting the interim WBA strap as consolation for stepping aside while Inoue unified; before that he iced unbeaten Kevin Gonzalez. Friday's outing is designed to prevent another year‑long lay‑off and sharpen MJ's southpaw angles ahead of the biggest night of his career.
Fight card:
▪️Manuel Gallegos vs. Khalil Coe, 10 rounds, for the WBC USA light heavyweight title
▪️Murodjon Akhmadaliev vs. Luis Castillo, 10 rounds, super bantamweight
▪️Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela vs. TBA, super lightweight
▪️Christian Medina vs. TBA, bantamweight
