The light heavyweight division has a new name to know. Yair “Manotas” Gallardo — 22 years old, 11 fights, 9 knockouts, and a Pan-American Games silver medal in the amateur résumé — lines up against Canadian veteran Buneet Bisla on June 20 at Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California. This is the fight where Golden Boy finds out exactly how good their young Mexican star really is.
| Date | June 20, 2026 |
| Venue | Frontwave Arena, Oceanside, California |
| Promotion | Golden Boy Promotions / Miguel Cotto Promotions |
| Division | Light Heavyweight (175 lb) |
| Rounds | 10 |
| Broadcast | DAZN (US), DAZN Global (UK) |
There are prospects and then there are prospects. Yair Gallardo (11-0, 9 KOs, Mexico) is the second kind — the kind who makes seasoned observers sit up straight. The 22-year-old from Delicias, Chihuahua turned professional in late 2022 off the back of more than 100 amateur bouts, including a silver medal at the Pan-American Games. He walked into the pros and got straight to work.
Nine of his eleven wins have ended before the final bell. His last outing — a first-round liver hook KO of Argentinian veteran Elio Trosch in April 2026 — was clinical. Before that, a dominant unanimous decision over Quinton Rankin in his Golden Boy DAZN debut in August 2025 showed he can outbox opponents when the KO doesn’t come early. Rankin was down in the sixth; the three judges scored it 80-71, 79-72, 79-72. Gallardo fights at 6’2” with a 71” reach — at 175 lb, those are formidable dimensions backed by elite punch selection from a fighter who has barely touched his ceiling.
Record: 11-0 (9 KOs) | Nickname: Manotas | Height: 6’2” / 188 cm | Reach: 71” / 180 cm | Age: 22 | Nationality: Mexico
Recent Form:
| Date | Opponent | Result | Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 18, 2026 | Elio Trosch | W | KO 1 |
| Aug 2, 2025 | Quinton Rankin | W | UD 8 |
| Feb 2025 | Carlos Guiti Miranda | W | KO 1 |
| Dec 2022 | Breidis Prescott | W | KO 1 |
Buneet Bisla (14-1, 7 KOs, Canada) is a different challenge to anything Gallardo has faced. The 27-year-old from Surrey, British Columbia is the Canadian Light Heavyweight Champion, built up through a careful campaign that produced 14 wins against one defeat. That defeat — a TKO7 loss to Khalil Coe in June 2023 — was an honest assessment of Bisla’s ceiling at the time. What happened next matters more: five straight wins, including a unanimous decision over Edwin Espinosa in March 2026 and a performance against Francy Ntetu in May 2026 that extended his run. He’s 6’2”, durable, and has shown genuine resilience since the Coe loss.
The key number is the stoppage margin. Gallardo has finished 9 of 11. Bisla has only been stopped once in 15 fights. That single data point is the tension that makes this interesting — a KO machine versus a man who doesn’t go down.
Record: 14-1 (7 KOs) | Height: 6’2” / 188 cm | Stance: Orthodox | Age: 27 | Nationality: Canada
Recent Form:
| Date | Opponent | Result | Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 30, 2026 | Francy Ntetu | W | — |
| Mar 21, 2026 | Edwin Espinosa | W | UD |
| Oct 2025 | Marco Periban | W | KO 7 |
| Jun 2023 | Khalil Coe | L | TKO 7 |
| Gallardo | Bisla | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 11-0 | 14-1 |
| KO Rate | 82% | 50% |
| Height | 6’2” / 188 cm | 6’2” / 188 cm |
| Reach | 71” / 180 cm | — |
| Age | 22 | 27 |
| Nationality | Mexico | Canada |
Height is identical — one of the variables is already neutralised. What remains is the KO rate differential: Gallardo has finished 9 of 11, Bisla has only been stopped once in 15 fights. That gap is the whole story of this fight.
Gallardo is explosive and technically precise — his KO1 of Trosch wasn’t a wild right hand, it was a placed liver hook off a feint. He’s not just powerful, he’s calculated about when and where he unloads. The concern for Bisla is that once Gallardo identifies a weakness, he returns to it until something gives.
Bisla needs to survive the early rounds and make Gallardo work. The Coe loss showed what happens when pressure becomes relentless, but that was three years and five wins ago. He’s more experienced now. Whether that experience holds against a 22-year-old Pan-American medallist with nine professional knockouts is the question this fight answers.
Gallardo wins if:
Bisla wins if:
Gallardo is the clear favourite and rightly so. His amateur pedigree, KO rate and physical gifts all point the same direction. But Bisla is not a soft touch — he’s taken good shots, beaten solid opposition and won five in a row. This fight could be an early fireworks display or, if Bisla’s durability holds, a steadier technical showcase from Gallardo.
Either way, Gallardo wins — but the manner matters. A late stoppage here does more for his progression than a first-round KO of an overmatched opponent.
Prediction: Gallardo TKO 6–8
| Country | Broadcaster | Start Time |
|---|---|---|
| United States | DAZN | 8:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM PT |
| United Kingdom | DAZN Global | 1:00 AM BST (June 21) |
Gallardo vs Bisla is part of Golden Boy Fight Night: Collazo vs. Canoy at Frontwave Arena. Check out the full previews for the card:
When is Gallardo vs Bisla? June 20, 2026, at Frontwave Arena, Oceanside, California. Main card starts 8:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM PT on DAZN.
How to watch Gallardo vs Bisla? Live on DAZN in the US and DAZN Global in the UK as part of Golden Boy Fight Night: Collazo vs. Canoy.
What is Yair Gallardo’s record? Yair Gallardo is 11-0 with 9 knockouts (82% KO rate). The 22-year-old from Chihuahua, Mexico is co-promoted by Golden Boy and Miguel Cotto Promotions.
What is Buneet Bisla’s record? Buneet Bisla is 14-1 with 7 KOs. The Canadian Light Heavyweight Champion from Surrey, BC, arrives on a five-fight winning streak following his only professional defeat to Khalil Coe in June 2023.
Who is Yair Gallardo? A 22-year-old Mexican light heavyweight with over 100 amateur bouts including a Pan-American Games silver medal. Turned professional in 2022 and has knocked out 9 of his 11 opponents, including a first-round liver hook KO of Elio Trosch in April 2026.
What is Yair Gallardo’s nickname? Gallardo’s nickname is “Manotas” — Spanish for “big hands” — a nod to his punching power.
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