An already significant Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card on Feb. 2 headlined by the Eleider “Storm” Alvarez-Sergey Kovalev light heavyweight title rematch was expanded to a four-fight show on Wednesday that will play out over the main network as well as ESPN+.
Top Rank announced on Wednesday that the card will also include the return of featherweight world titleholder Oscar Valdez after nearly a year out of action due to injury in a defense against Carmine Tommasone; blue-chip lightweight prospect Teofimo Lopez Jr. in a 10-rounder; and, as expected, the vacant lightweight title bout between Richard Commey and Isa Chaniev.
The card, which will take place at the Ford Center at the Star — the training facility of the Dallas Cowboys — in Frisco, Texas, on the eve of the Super Bowl, will begin at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+ with preliminary action. From 10 p.m. to approximately midnight, the show will air on ESPN and ESPN Deportes for Commey-Chaniev followed by Valdez-Tommasone. And at midnight, the action will shift back to ESPN+ for Lopez’s bout against an opponent to be determined followed by the Alvarez-Kovalev II main event.
“It’s Super Saturday, and by syncing the ESPN linear and ESPN+ platforms for one night, fans have an incredible opportunity to watch a stacked show with many of the world’s best fighters and rising superstars,” Top Rank president Todd duBoef said.
Lopez (11-0, 9 KOs), 21, of Las Vegas, is coming off a sensational 44-second, one-punch knockout of Mason Menard on Dec. 8 on the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Jose Pedraza card in New York. After the fight, he struck the Heisman pose and donned the jersey of Heisman Trophy winner and University of Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, who had received the award minutes earlier on the previous ESPN telecast.
“I took over my last show, and I am going to do it again,” Lopez said. “‘The Takeover’ is coming to Texas, and I can’t wait to get back in the ring.”
Valdez has been idle since March because of a broken jaw he suffered in a unanimous decision against Scott Quigg in a hellacious fight of the year candidate. Valdez was initially scheduled to headline an ESPN card on Jan. 12 before Top Rank and ESPN elected to scrap that show instead of having it go head-to-head with NFL playoff action.
Valdez (24-0, 19 KOs), 27, of Mexico, will make his fifth title defense when he faces Tommasone (19-0, 5 KOs), 34, of Italy.
“It will be great to see our little warrior, Oscar Valdez, back in action on Feb. 2 after his full recovery from a broken jaw and a courageous victory over Quigg,” Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said. “Oscar always brings thrills and excitement to his fights.”
Valdez, now fully healed, has been anxious to get back in the ring for his first fight since leaving trainer Manny Robles in favor of Eddy Reynoso, who is best known as the head trainer for superstar Canelo Alvarez.
“The fans can expect the same Oscar Valdez as far as being an aggressive and exciting fighter,” Valdez said. “They are also going to see a different side that nobody has seen, which is the boxing skills that I also have and that I’m perfecting and learning with my new trainer, Eddy Reynoso.”
Tommasone, who will fight outside of Italy for the first time, will be taking a massive step up in his competition level. He has faced extremely low-level opposition since turning pro in 2010. He was one of three professional boxers to compete in the 2016 Rio Olympics, which was open to professionals. Tommasone won his opening bout before losing to the eventual bronze medalist Lazaro Alvarez of Cuba.
Commey (27-2, 24 KOs), 31, of Ghana, who was Mikey Garcia’s mandatory challenger before Garcia gave up one of his belts to move up in weight to challenge welterweight titlist Errol Spence Jr., will face Chaniev (13-1, 6 KOs), 26, of Russia, for title Garcia relinquished.
“When I started working with Richard in September 2016, our plan was to give him another chance to fulfill his dream of becoming a world champion,” said promoter Lou DiBella, who also promotes Chaniev and made a deal with Top Rank to have the fight on the Feb. 2 card. “While Chaniev is a very tough Russian fighter, I’m confident that Richard has the skills, punching power and the mental toughness to come out victorious.”
Commey, who has won three fights in a row since back-to-back losses, will be getting his second crack at a world title. In September 2016, he lost a split decision to Robert Easter for a vacant belt.
“I have to say a big thank you to my promoter, Lou DiBella. I know how hard it is for Ghanaian fighters to get promoted by the top promoters, but Lou has consistently shown that if he thinks you’re the man, then he will be the man for you,” Commey said. “He has shown this by the investment DiBella Entertainment has put in me and by getting me this shot at the title and securing it in the United States. I also want to thank my manager, Michael Amoo-Bediako, for the faith he has put in me over all these years. He is more than a manager to me, and come Feb. 2, I will be repaying him in full.”
Chaniev, who will fight in the United States for the first time, will face by far the most notable opponent of his career.
“I have the biggest motivation ever to win, and there is no other result that will satisfy me,” Chaniev said. “On Feb. 2, I will demonstrate all my skills and hard preparation. Some people don’t think I will win, but they will be shocked on Feb. 2. No bad words or any disrespect to Commey. He is an excellent fighter.”
Top Rank and DiBella have a deal in place for the winner to be an eventual opponent in a lightweight title unification fight pound-for-pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko, who has two of the lightweight belts, perhaps as soon as Lomachenko’s next bout, which is due to take place on April 12 in the main event of a Top Rank Boxing on ESPN+ card at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
In the much-anticipated main event, Alvarez (24-0, 12 KOs), 34, a Colombia native fighting out of Montreal, and Kovalev (32-3-1, 28 KOs), 35, a Russia native fighting out of Los Angeles, will meet six months after Alvarez won the title by upset seventh-round knockout in August. Kovalev quickly exercised his contractual right to an immediate rematch, after which Kovalev’s promoter, Main Events, made a deal with Top Rank to have the fight on an ESPN card.