More than five months after watching COVID-19 wipe out the biggest opportunity of his career, Belmar Preciado will finally enjoy his U.S. debut and promised headlining act.

The 32-year old featherweight contender from Barranquilla, Colombia fights stateside for the first time in his career, as he will top the August 28 edition of Boxeo Telemundo. The occasion comes versus Guadalajara, Mexico’s Dennis ‘El Martillon’ Contreras, airing live from a crowdless Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida.

For Preciado, it’s also the first of a 2020 campaign that was originally to have begun on this past March in New York City. He was scheduled to face Belfast’s Michael Conlan (14-0, 8KOs) on St. Patrick’s Day at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater, only for the event to get shut down due to the initial wave of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“We are so happy to be able to get Belmar back in the ring,” Felix ‘Tutico’ Zabala Jr., president and owner of All Star Boxing Inc. told BoxingScene.com. “It was horrible when we had to break the news that his fight was canceled. He trained so hard and was ready to shock the world against [Conlan].

“It felt good when we were able to deliver the good news that he is back in action [this weekend].”

Preciado (20-2-1, 13KOs) has been out of the ring since a rust-shaking 3rd round knockout win last Decmeber in Cartagena, Colombia. The bulk of his career has taken place in his home country, with the exception of back-to-back road trips—suffering a 9th round knockout loss to former title challenger Hiroshige Osawa in December 2018, followed by a 5th round knockout of junior featherweight prospect Benito Garcia last April in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

On paper, a showdown with Contreras (21-10-1, 19KOs) appears to be more of the same in his career and certainly a backward step from preparing for a two-time Olympian and 2012 Olympic Bronze medalist in Conlan.

Still, Contreras carries a bit of spoiler in him, pushing past an awful 1-8-1 stretch over his previous ten fights to score an upset win in his last fight. It came in Contreras’ own U.S. debut, claiming a hard-fought eight-round majority decision win over previously unbeaten Fernando Garcia last May in Biloxi, Mississippi.

“I can’t remember the last time we haven’t seen an upset or something crazy happen in boxing since we’ve returned [from the pandemic],” notes Zabala. “If there’s one thing that everyone should have learned by now over these past few months, is to be ready for anything.”

The show will also include unbeaten heavyweight prospect Cassius Chaney (18-0, 12KOs) and Puerto Rico’s rising featherweight prospect Orlando Gonzalez (15-0, 10KOs) in separate undercard bouts.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox