Former junior middleweight world titlist Brian Castano and "Lucky Boy" Wale Omotoso will square off in the main event of a Premier Boxing Champions card on Nov. 2, PBC announced on Thursday.
The bout -- scheduled for 10 rounds, though it could become a 12-round elimination bout -- will take place at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland (Fox Sports 1/Fox Deportes, 10:30 p.m. ET).
Castano (15-0-1, 11 KOs), 30, of Argentina, will be boxing for the first time since he retained his secondary 154-pound title in a split draw against former titleholder Erislandy Lara in a hard-fought battle on March 2. In June, Castano was stripped of his belt for not signing to face Michel Soro, his mandatory challenger.
"I cannot wait to get into the ring again and show I'm one of the best fighters in this division," Castano said. "I believe I should still be holding my title, and that makes me feel even more motivated to beat a tough opponent like Omotoso. He's a straightforward fighter that takes every fight to you and has never been knocked out. I know I have to prove myself in this fight in order to get back to the world title."
Omotoso (28-4, 22 KOs), 34, a Nigeria native fighting out of Los Angeles, is 1-1 so far this year, having lost a shutout 10-round decision to Chordale Booker in May but rebounding for a one-sided, third-round knockout of former world title challenger Curtis Stevens on Aug. 3.
"I'm very excited for this fight against a great opponent who is always in exciting fights like me," Omotoso said. "None of the welterweights wanted to fight me because I'm too dangerous, so now I'm on my way to fighting the best at 154 pounds. I feel stronger and more solid in my base at this weight. I know that I'm going to have to be at my best against Castano and do what I know how to do."
Former world titleholders Javier Fortuna and Jesus Cuellar, who have a bit of a grudge against each other, will fight in the 10-round junior lightweight co-feature.
Fortuna (34-2-1, 23 KOs), 30, a Dominican Republic native fighting out of Braintree, Massachusetts, has been fighting at lightweight, including in his most recent bout -- a 10-round decision over Sharif Bogere in February -- but is returning to junior lightweight to face Cuellar.
"Cuellar knows that he can't beat me and knows he didn't want to take this fight," Fortuna said. "I'm a real fighter and I bring it every time in the ring. I hope he at least shows up on fight night to take his beating with no excuses."
Cuellar (29-3, 22 KOs), 33, of Argentina, lost a decision to Abner Mares in a featherweight title bout in December 2012 and then returned in April 2018 and got knocked out in the third round by Gervonta Davis in a junior lightweight title bout before rebounding for a second-round knockout of journeyman Carlos Padilla on March 9. Cuellar said Fortuna is wrong about his not wanting the fight.
"I'm thrilled to be facing Fortuna because we were supposed to fight back in 2013 but it didn't end up happening," Cuellar said. "When we were both training in Oxnard [California], we traded some words and there was no love lost. Now, I'm excited to settle everything in the ring on Nov. 2."