-
Steve KimESPN
Australia’s Jason Moloney faces Leonardo Baez, of Mexico, in a 10-round bantamweight battle in the main event of Thursday’s Top Rank card at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas (ESPN, ESPN Deportes, 8 p.m. ET).
But before that, a few good prospects will showcase their skill on the undercard.
In the co-main event, unbeaten power puncher Abraham Nova (18-0, 14 KOs), of Puerto Rico, meets Philadelphia’s Avery Sparrow (10-1, 3 KOs) in a 10-round junior lightweight battle. Nova has won his past four fights by stoppage.
Orlando “El Zurdo de Oro” Gonzalez-Ruiz (14-0, 10 KOs), a blue-chip prospect from Puerto Rico, puts his perfect record against Luis Porozo (15-2, 8 KOs) in an eight-round featherweight fight. Porozo represented Ecuador in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Nigeria’s Kingsley Ibeh (3-1, 3KOs) takes on Waldo Cortes Acosta (5-2, 2 KOs), of Arizona, in a rematch of their heavyweight bout in October, when Ibeh edged Cortes Acosta by split decision.
Junior welterweight Clay Burns (9-7-2, 4 KOs), of Louisiana, goes against the Philippines’ Reymond Yanong (10-5-1, 9 KOs), and Benjamin Whitaker (13-3, 3 KOs), of San Antonio, Texas, meets Vlad Panin (7-1, 4 KOs), of Belarus, in a welterweight bout.
Stay here for live undercard results and analysis.
Still to come:
-
Jason Moloney vs. Leonardo Baez, 10 rounds, bantamweights
-
Avery Sparrow vs. Abraham Nova, 10 rounds, junior lightweights
-
Luis Porozo vs. Orlando Gonzalez-Ruiz, 8 rounds, featherweights
-
Kingsley Ibeh vs. Waldo Cortes Acosta, 6 rounds, heavyweights
-
Clay Burns vs. Reymond Yanong, 6 rounds, welterweights
-
Benjamin Whitaker vs. Vlad Panin, 6 rounds, welterweights