De La Hoya sees good year ahead

Quigley vs. Tapia headlines first card that Golden Boy will stage for ESPN2.

The way Oscar De La Hoya sees it, his company has perfectly timed its entrance into a new deal to televise fight cards on ESPN2.

In a month when Barclays Center in New York sold out for the Keith Thurman welterweight title victory over Danny Garcia and nearly 20,000 at Madison Square Garden saw Gennady Golovkin edge Daniel Jacobs to retain his three middleweight belts Saturday, interest in the sport is accelerating, De La Hoya said.

“I’m excited about boxing for 2017. We’ve already had several great fights, with more to come. It’s about time,” said De La Hoya, whose Golden Boy Promotions will stage its debut ESPN2 card Thursday night at Fantasy Springs Resort and Casino in Indio.

In the main event, Ireland’s Jason Quigley (12-0, 10 knockouts) will test the value of his unbeaten start when the 25-year-old meets veteran Glen Tapia (23-3, 15 KOs), who is from New Jersey.

Although there have been concerns that Tapia, 27, should consider leaving the sport following back-toback fourth-round technical-knockout losses, De La Hoya says it’s a pivotal bout against a desperate fighter for Quigley, 25.

“I believe Quigley has the potential to go very far. He’s young, obviously can fight, is charismatic,” De La Hoya said. “The time couldn’t be better — this March 23 debut is perfect for him going against a veteran like Glen Tapia.

“At Golden Boy, when you get to a certain level, you either sink or swim, and this is exactly what we’re going to do with the ESPN fights. We want to put you in deep waters.” Quigley said, “If Tapia wants a war, I’ll give him a war. I’m prepared for anything.”

The card, which begins at 5:30 p.m. Pacific, also includes the return of former International Boxing Federation bantamweight champion Randy Caballero (23-0, 14 KOs) of Coachella after losing his title on the scale last year in Las Vegas.

Caballero meets Jesus Ruiz (36-7-5) in a super-bantamweight bout.

And former U.S. Olympic product Marlen Esparza, a 2012 bronze medalist, makes her pro debut.