JJ Pagan Takes the Doubters Head-On: Unbeaten Contender Faces 'Capu' Gonzalez Dec. 5 in Bayamon

Joshua "JJ" Pagan keeps saying he wants a world title shot in 2027. On Dec. 5 he'll have to earn it in somebody else's backyard, against a guy who's been asking out loud whether he belongs.

Salita Promotions announced Wednesday that the unbeaten lightweight will face Orlando "Capu" Gonzalez in a 10-round co-main event at Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, live on Wynn Records Network at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT).

The card also picked up a WBA world title eliminator at 122 pounds: former Puerto Rican Olympian Ashleyann Lozada against former European champion Veronica Tosi, with the winner set to face champion Melissa Mortensen in 2027.

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Pagan vs. Capu: this one got personal

Pagan (16-0, 5 KOs) is ranked No. 3 at lightweight by the WBO. The 26-year-old from Grand Rapids, Mich., is coming off a near-shutout decision over Rodolfo Bustamante on June 14 at home, where he kept his WBO NABO lightweight title. Per the release, his last three opponents were a combined 61-4 going in. He was also ringside last Saturday when Floyd Schofield won the vacant WBA lightweight title against Lucas Bahdi, a result MVP is now formally contesting.

This will be Pagan's third fight of 2026 and his third time fighting in Puerto Rico, and he made clear why he took this one.

"Capu has been talking a lot, and some of the media in Puerto Rico have been doubting me not only as a fighter, but as a fighter with Puerto Rican heritage. Once I heard this, I knew that this was the fight that needed to happen next." – Joshua Pagan

Gonzalez (25-3, 14 KOs) is a southpaw from Aguadilla who has been in with real names. He went the distance with former featherweight champ Raymond Ford in 2024, losing a unanimous decision in Philadelphia, and he's also shared a ring with former champion Robeisy Ramirez. Since moving up to 135 he's won two straight, the latest a fourth-round TKO of Nicolas Ariel Blanoc in Aguada on Oct. 10, so he'll be coming back on a short turnaround.

"The Pagan team had the courage to accept the challenge, and they made the right decision. … Not everyone gets the chance to step into the ring with the No. 3 fighter in the world, especially in a new weight class." – Orlando Gonzalez

That's the matchup in a nutshell. Pagan has the ranking and the zero, and Capu has the experience against world-level opposition, plus the home crowd.

Lozada gets her shot at a title shot

Lozada (5-0, 1 KO) was the first female Olympic boxer in Puerto Rican history. The 35-year-old southpaw from Corozal turned pro in 2025, and she's moved fast: five fights in under two years. She's ranked No. 2 by the WBA and is coming off a near-shutout of former title challenger Paulette Cuesta on the Claressa Shields undercard on Aug. 15, after beating longtime two-division champ Debora Anahi Dionicius in May.

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"To do this in Bayamon in front of the people who saw me from my beginnings is incredibly meaningful." – Ashleyann Lozada

Tosi (9-2, 3 KOs), a Milan native nicknamed "The Butcher," has won five straight since losing a close 2023 decision to Sarah Mahound. Her last outing was a 10-round decision over the previously unbeaten Elisa Papa on May 16 in Rome. "That belt has to be mine!" she said.

The rest of the Bayamon card

The main event is Litzy Vazquez vs. Stephanie Piñeiro for the WBC and WBA super lightweight titles that Katie Taylor vacated when she retired. The card also has the pro debut of Juliam "Julito" Ortiz and the promotional debut of Yandiel "Chinito" Lozano, the two Puerto Rican prospects Salita and Universal signed last week. Salita has a busy fall: it's also running the Nov. 7 Albuquerque card on DAZN with Teddy Atlas on the call.

The event is promoted by Salita Promotions and Universal Promotions in association with Wynn Records, and it streams worldwide on Wynn Records Network.

So does Pagan shut up the doubters, or does Capu spoil the No. 3 contender's 2027 plans at home? Make your call in Guess the Rounds once the fight is up, and take the argument to the Boxbid community.