Former WBA World Super Bantamweight Champion Juan Carlos Payano’s 10-round fight against undefeated Philippine “Magic” Mike Plania has been elevated to the co-main event at this Friday’s “Rumble at the Rock” event at Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

Payano (19-1, 9 KOs) vs. Plania (14-0, 7 KOs) will serve as the chief supporting bout to the 12-round WBA Interim World Bantamweight Championship main event between St. Louis’ Stephon “Showstopper” Young (17-0-3, 7 KOs) and Reymart “GenSan Assassin” Gaballo (18-0, 16 KOs) from General Santos City, Philippines.

Thirty-three-year-old southpaw Payano, a native of the Dominican Republic, who now lives in Miami, is in the third fight of his mission to regain his world championship. He has notched two solid victories since splitting a pair of championship fights with top-level bantam Rau’shee Warren. A victory over undefeated Plania would move him one step closer.

Twenty-one-year-old Plania is a mostly unknown commodity in North America, as he’s never fought on this side of the ocean. He currently resides in Miami and is looking to make Payano the first big name on his growing resume. He is currently riding a three-fight KO streak.

“This is a tremendous match-up with world championship implications for the winner,” said Henry Rivalta, Director of Boxing for The Heavyweight Factory. “Juan Carlos has said he wants no easy fights on his way to regaining his belt, and undefeated Plania will be a stiff challenge. Plania will be looking to make his mark in the US by defeating a recent world champion. He will be very determined to score this big win. I’m excited to see what plays out in the ring on Friday.”

“Rumble at the Rock” is proudly sponsored by Armero Tequila. Special guests expected for the evening include former heavyweight champions Riddick “Big Daddy” Bowe and Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield. On fight night, Hard Rock Event Center will open its doors at 6 p.m. with the first bout starting at 7 p.m.Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is located at 1 Seminole Way in Hollywood, Florida.

Hard Rock Event Center is the newly constructed 3,500-seat venue located in the northwest corner of Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood. As part of the $1.5 billion property expansion, the former Hard Rock Live arena will be razed and replaced with a state-of-the-art 6,500-plus-seat venue in a theater-style configuration, slated to open in 2019. In the interim, a full schedule of concerts, comedy shows and other events will take place in the Hard Rock Event Center. Seminole Hard Rock has hosted some of the hottest musical acts such as John Legend, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Marc Anthony, Billy Joel, Andrea Bocelli, Tim McGraw and Carlos Santana; top comedians including Kevin Hart, Tracy Morgan, Chris Rock, George Lopez and the late Robin Williams; as well as major sporting events and events of major sports stars, from UFC matches to charity galas for Jason Taylor, Alonzo Mourning, Dwyane Wade and more. For additional information, please visit www.myhrl.com.