Gennadiy Golovkin and Sergeiy Derevyanchenko fight for the vacant IBF middleweight world title in the main event of Saturday’s DAZN card at Madison Square Garden in New York.
But before that, a few good prospects will showcase their skills on the undercard
In the co-main event, junior middleweight Israil Madrimov (3-0, 3 KOs), takes on veteran Alejandro Barrera (29-5, 18 KOs) on a 10-round battle.
Former junior welterweight world titlist Ivan Baranchyk (19-1, 12 KOs) will try to recover from a loss to Josh Taylor in May when he takes on Gabriel Bracero (25-3-1, 6 KOs) in a 10-round 140-pound showdown.
Unbeaten power-puncher Ali Akhmedov (15-0, 11 KOs), who has four victories by stoppage in his past five fights, meets Andrew Hernandez (20-7-2, 9 KOs) in a 12-round super middleweight bout, and blue-chip 154-pound prospect Nikita Ababiy (6-0, 5 KOs) will try to stay unbeaten against Isiah Seldon (13-2-1, 4 KOs) in a six-round fight.
Stay here for live undercard results and analysis.
“White Chocolate” smashes Seldon
Middleweight prospect “White Chocolate” Nikita Ababiy (7-0, 6 KOs), 20, of Brooklyn, New York, scored a brutal first-round knockout of Isiah Seldon (13-3-1, 4 KOs), 31, of Somers Point, New Jersey.
Ababiy went right at Seldon and eventually landed a combination, including a short left hand, that floored him. Referee Arthur Mercante immediately stopped the fight at 1 minute, 45 seconds. Seldon, who is the son of former heavyweight world titleholder Bruce Seldon, was on the mat for several minutes receiving medical attention before moving to a corner stool to continue being examined.
Ababiy, who turned pro last October, was under the weather when he was forced to go the distance (in a six-rounder) for the first time in July on the Jose Ramirez-Maurice Hooker undercard, but he bounced back viciously against Seldon.
Still to come:
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Israil Madrimov vs. Alejandro Barrera, 10 rounds, junior middleweights
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Ivan Baranchyk vs. Gabriel Bracero, 10 rounds, junior welterweights
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Ali Akhmedov vs. Andrew Hernandez, 12 rounds, super middleweights
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Joe Ward vs. Marco Delgado, 6 rounds, light heavyweights
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Brian Ceballo vs. Ramal Amanov, 8 rounds, junior middleweights
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Kamil Szeremeta vs. Oscar Cortes, 8 rounds, middleweights