WBC bantamweight champion Nordine Oubaali defends his belt against Arthur Villanueva in the co-main event of a Top Rank on ESPN+ card at the Barys Arena in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, on Saturday at 10 a.m. ET.
In the main event, junior middleweight power puncher Zhankosh Turarov faces Mauro Maximiliano Godoy in a 10-round bout.
Oubaali (15-0, 11 KOs), of France, won the then-vacant title with an impressive unanimous decision victory over Rau’shee Warren on the Manny Pacquiao-Adrien Broner undercard in January at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, in Oubaali’s first fight in the United States.
Oubaali has won eight of his last 10 fights by stoppage.
Philippine’s Villanueva (32-3-1, 18 KOs) had three tough fights in 2017 — a unanimous decision loss to then-WBO bantamweight interim titlist Zolani Tete; a TKO victory over former flyweight title contender Richie Mepranum; and a TKO loss to former WBC bantamweight world titlist Luis Nery, in a fight where Villanueva dropped Nery once in Round 4 before being stopped in the sixth. Villanueva recovered in 2018 with a 1-0-1 record.
Turarov (23-0, 16 KOs), of Kazakhstan, has won eight of his last 10 fights by stoppage, including a second-round TKO of tough contender Richmond Djarbeng last month.
Argentina’s Godoy (31-4-1, 16 KOs) started his career 29-1, but has gone 2-3-1 in his last six bouts.
In his last fight in March, Godoy scored a close unanimous decision victory over Damian Leonardo Yapur to stop a three-fight winless streak.
Don’t have ESPN+? Learn how to get it today: ESPN+
Where can I watch the Oubaali vs. Villanueva fight card on Saturday?
The Oubaali vs. Villanueva fight broadcast on ESPN+ will begin at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday.
Watch the main event live on ESPN+ on the ESPN App.
The main card also includes:
-
Viktor Kotochigov vs. Jairo Lopez, 10 rounds, lightweights
-
David Oliver Joyce vs. Breilor Teran, 10 rounds, featherweights
-
Nurtas Azhbenov vs. Achiko Odikadze, 6 rounds, lightweights