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Arum: Luis Carlos Abregu-Sadam Ali eyed for Hopkins-Kovalev card

Fighters Network
23
Sep

Welterweight contender Luis Carlos Abregu could face unbeaten Sadam Ali on the Nov. 8 undercard of the Bernard Hopkins-Sergey Kovalev light heavyweight title unification bout, Top Rank CEO Bob Arum informed RingTV.com on Tuesday.

Abregu-Ali is planned as a replacement for a scuttled junior middleweight bout between Gabriel Rosado and James Kirkland, the latter of who declined a fight that was nearly finalized, according to Kirkland’s legal advisor, Michael Miller.

Abregu-Ali represents a corroboration between Golden Boy, which handles Hopkins and Ali, and longtime rival Top Rank, which promotes Abregu.

Arum said an original goal was to land Abregu-Ali on the Dec. 13 card headlined by two-division titlist Tim Bradley against Diego Chaves in a welterweight bout at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.



“Abregu’s our fighter. We wanted to make Abregu-Sadam Ali on the Bradley-Chaves card, but Sadam Ali’s and his father told Golden Boy that they didn’t want to fight him in Las Vegas. But they said that they would fight him in Atlantic City,” said Arum.

“So Abregu to fight in Atlantic City, and we agreed to put that fight on the Bernard Hopkins card in Atlantic City. We’re having Golden Boy stage it on the Hopkins card, which shows that we’re all cooperating with each other to make fights.”

The 30-year-old Abregu (36-1, 29 knockouts) ended a nearly one-year ring absence with an eighth-round TKO of previously unbeaten Jean Carlos Prada in April, rising from a seventh-round knockdown to do so before his hometown fans in Mexico.

Having been out of action action since April 27 of last year because of a right hand injury, Abregu, nevertheless, was impressive against Prada, who had scored knockouts in three of his previous four bouts.

Abregu has won seven straight fights, six inside the distance, since falling by unanimous decision to Tim Bradley in July 2010. Among Abregu’s victories during his run was a seventh-round knockout against previously unbeaten prospect Thomas Dulorme in October 2012.

Prior to Prada, Abregu scored a unanimous decision over Antonin Decarie, who entered their fight with a mark of 27-1.

Promoted by Golden Boy, Ali (20-0, 12 KOs) turns 26 on Sept. 26, and is coming off last month’s split-decision victory over Jeremy Bryan, whom he floored in the ninth round at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

In an earlier interview with RingTV.com, Rosado said that he was set to face Kirkland, having agreed to take the fight.

At the time, Kirkland’s legal advisor, Michael Miller, said the boxer had intended to face Rosado, although he had not yet signed for the bout.

“We’re waiting for the contract from [Kirkland’s promoter] 50 Cent and HBO,” said Miller, at the time. “But as far as we’re concerned, it’s a done deal.”

Reached on Tuesday, however, Miller confirmed in a text message that, “Yes, he turned down the fight,” referring to Kirkland (32-1, 28 KOs).

 

RONNY RIOS-ROBINSON CASTELLANOS MOVES FROM OCT. 9 TO OCT. 10

Junior lightweights Ronny Rios (23-0, 10 KOs) and Robinson Castellanos (19-10, 12 KOs) will meet on Oct. 10 rather than Oct. 9 Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif., on Fox Sports 1 and Fox Deportes on Golden Boy Live!, Golden Boy announced on Tuesday.

In the co-feature, welterweight Antonio Orozco (20-0, 15 KOs) takes on former titleholder Steve Forbes Forbes (35-13, 11 KOs).

In a third matchup, junior featherweight Diego De La Hoya (), cousin of Golden Boy President Oscar De La Hoya, will be after his third straight stoppage win against Luis Lizarraga Jr. (5-2-1, 2 KOs).

Other matchups on the card are below:

Neeco Macias vs. Robert Crespo, middleweights.

Tony Gutierrez vs. TBA, middleweights.

Santiago Guevara vs. Rocco Espinoza, lightweights.

Jesus Delgado vs. Joan Valenzuela, lightweights

BRADLEY SKEETE TO FACE FRANKIE GAVIN ON TYSON FURY-DERECK CHISORA CARD

Welterweight Bradley Skeete (18-0, 7 KOs) will pursue his fourth straight knockout victory against Frankie Gavin (19-1, 12 KOs) in support of a rematch on Sept. 29 between heavyweights Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora at The ExCel Arena in Dockland, London, according to a release.

Skeete, 26, is coming off Saturday’s second-round knockout of Leandro Mendes Pinto, and Gavin, 28, a split-decision loss to Leonard Bundu in August.

 

KARIM MARTINEZ, CRAIG BAKER SIGN WITH SAMPSON LEWKOWICZ

Junior welterweight Karim Martinez (15-1, 7 KOs), who is 23, and light heavyweight Craig Baker (14-0, 10 KOs), who is 30, have signed promotional contracts with Sampson Lewkowicz of Sampson Boxing, according to a release on Tuesday.

Martinez, a southpaw, and Baker are both from Houston, Tex.

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