By Elisinio Castillo

Mauricio Herrera (20-4, 7KOs) believes Johan Perez (19-1-1, 13KOs) will be a more difficult battle than his March majority decision loss to WBC/WBA Danny Garcia. Herrera and Perez will clash for the interim-WBA junior welterweight championship on July 12th, as part of undercard to the Saul "Canelo" Alvarez vs. Erislandy Lara Showtime Pay-Per-View from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The winner will become the mandatory challenger to current 'regular' champion Jessie Vargas.

"I've been psyched that Johan will give me a more difficult fight than Danny Garcia. He has different style, he is also coming in there real hungry, he wants to prove who he is and a win could open up the door of the big leagues of boxing in Las Vegas," Herrera told Deportes Televisa.

"But this is precisely why I have prepared very well. Today I did ten rounds of sparring and I felt very good. I've been training for nine weeks because I know that not only can I win a championship but I can go for more."