Nico Ali Walsh defeats Jeremiah Yeager at Laborious Rock Resort & On line casino Tulsa on January 29, 2022 in Catoosa, Oklahoma. (Photograph by Mikey Williams/Prime Rank Inc through Getty Photos)
A world title combat and the grandson of “The Best” take middle stage on Saturday, Might 20 as a part of the ESPN-televised prelims to the PPV major occasion headlined by undisputed light-weight champion Devin Haney’s title protection in opposition to former pound-for-pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko on the MGM Grand Backyard Enviornment in Las Vegas.
The 2-fight telecast is headlined by the vacant WBO junior bantamweight world title showdown between Australia’s former world champion Andrew Moloney and Japan’s undefeated former WBO flyweight titlist Junto Nakatani.
Opening the published will likely be undefeated middleweight prospect Nico Ali Walsh, grandson of Muhammad Ali, in a scheduled eight-rounder in opposition to a to-be-determined foe.
Moloney-Nakatani and Ali Walsh’s return will likely be broadcast reside on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
The Haney vs. Lomachenko major card will stream reside on Prime Rank on ESPN+ PPV, the occasion’s unique digital distributor in the US, starting at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Moreover, will probably be accessible through cable and satellite tv for pc pay-per-view suppliers and is priced at $59.99 throughout all distributors.
The PPV undercard incorporates a 10-round junior light-weight co-feature between two-division world champion Oscar Valdez and Adam “BluNose” Lopez in a rematch of their 2019 battle.
Within the PPV opener, rising light-weight Raymond “Hazard” Muratalla will tackle big-punching Namibian contender Jeremia Nakathila in a 10-round conflict.
Promoted by Prime Rank, in affiliation with Devin Haney Promotions and DiBella Leisure, tickets beginning at $104, plus relevant service fees, are on sale now at axs.com.
Moloney (25-2, 16 KOs) hopes to develop into a two-time world champion within the metropolis the place Joshua Franco upset him by unanimous determination again in June 2020. The 2 fought twice extra, with a controversial no contest and second Franco determination victory closing the chapter on their trilogy. Following the third Franco combat in August 2021, Moloney regrouped in December 2021 with a transparent factors victory over Froilan Saludar. In 2022, he fought 3 times, together with a pair of homecoming appearances on the Devin Haney-George Kambosos Jr. playing cards in Melbourne, Australia. Moloney, ranked No. 2 by the WBO at 115 kilos, earned the title shot with a 10-round determination over Norbelto Jimenez final October for the WBO Worldwide strap.
WBO No. 1 junior bantamweight contender Nakatani (24-0, 18 KOs), a 25-year-old southpaw from Inabe-gun, Mie, Japan, ranks among the many hardest lighter-weight punchers in boxing. An eight-year professional, Nakatani captured the vacant WBO flyweight world title in November 2020 with an eighth-round knockout over Giemel Magramo. Nakatani defended his flyweight crown twice, bloodying and stopping Angel Acosta in 4 rounds and knocking out Ryota Yamauchi in eight. He vacated his title to maneuver as much as junior bantamweight and scored a one-sided determination over former unified world champion Francisco Rodriguez Jr. final November.
Ali Walsh (8-0, 5 KOs) strikes as much as his first scheduled eight-rounder almost two years faraway from his professional debut. He made his Las Vegas debut final April on the MGM Grand Backyard Enviornment, obliterating Alejandro Ibarra with a left-right mixture within the first spherical. Ali Walsh righted the one blemish on his document final August, stopping Reyes Sanchez within the second spherical of their rematch with a physique shot. Sanchez misplaced a majority determination to Ali Walsh in December 2021. He made his 2023 debut in February, outlasting the rugged Eduardo Ayala en path to a convincing six-round unanimous determination.
A press launch by Prime Rank was used on this article.
