Each titleholder and challenger placed on their finest recreation face earlier than they shook arms and embraced.
Rafael Espinoza and Sergio Chirino every weighed 125.6 kilos forward of their WBO featherweight title combat. Their bout will headline Friday’s High Rank Boxing on ESPN+ present from BleauLive Theater at Fontainebleau Las Vegas.
The all-Mexico conflict marks the primary title protection for Espinoza (24-0, 20 KOs). The belt was earned in a spirited majority resolution over Robeisy Ramirez (13-2, 8 KOs) in a Battle of the 12 months contender final Dec. 9 in Miami.
At 6’1”, Guadalajara’s Espinoza, No. 6 at 126 by The Ring, made historical past because the tallest featherweight in historical past to
Chirino (22-1, 13 KOs) enters his first profession title combat.
The 29-year-old contender goals to turn out to be the primary boxer from the Mexican state of Oaxaca to win a significant title. Chirino steps properly up in competitors however is armed with a 12-fight win streak. His lone defeat got here in an Aug. 2018 stoppage loss to Mauricio Lara, who went on to win the WBA featherweight title. Chirino took that combat on quick discover. He vowed to by no means once more enter a combat at much less that one-hundred p.c preparation degree.
The co-feature pits unbeaten Andres Cortes and former title challenger Abraham Nova in a scheduled ten-round junior light-weight contest.
There stays some work to get the bout over the road, nevertheless, after Cortes’ scale fail.
Las Vegas’ Cortes (21-0, KOs) weighed 130.8 kilos and can have two hours to get right down to the 130-pound restrict. Alternatively, his workforce can attain a take care of Nova for the combat to maneuver ahead.
Nova (23-2, 16 KOs) weighed 129.7 kilos in his first bout since a factors loss to WBC 130-pound titlist O’Shaquie Foster (22-2, 12KOs)
Under are the weights for choose undercard bouts.
10 rounds, middleweight
Troy Isley (12-0, 5 KOs), Alexandria, Virginia, 158.9 kilos
Javier Martinez (10-0-1, 3 KOs), Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 159.8 kilos
8 rounds, bantamweight
Floyd Diaz (11-0, 3 KOs), 117.8 kilos
Francisco Pedroza (18-11-2, 10 KOs), Tijuana, Mexico, 117 ½ kilos
8 rounds, junior light-weight
DJ Zamora (12-0, 9 KOs), Las Vegas, 131 ½ kilos
Jose Antonio Meza (9-9, 2 KOs), Durango, Mexico 131.2 kilos
6 rounds, junior bantamweight (116-pound contract restrict)
Steven Navarro (1-0, 1 KO), 115.7 kilos
Juan Pablo Meza (7-3, 2 KOs), Conchali, Chile, 114.8 kilos
6 rounds, middleweight
Bryan Polaco (6-0, 4 KOs), Las Vegas through San Juan, Puerto Rico, 156 kilos
Richard Acevedo (6-0-1, 5 KOs), Oxnard, California through Topeka, Kansas 156.3 kilos