Two rising talents are set to put their perfect records on the line as part of an ESPN-televised tripleheader headlined by the WBC junior lightweight showdown between current champion O’Shaquie “Ice Water” Foster and Abraham “El Super” Nova on Friday, February. On January 16 at the Madison Square Garden Theater.
In the 10-round junior lightweight co-main event, Andrés “Savage” Cortés takes on Puerto Rican contender Bryan Chevalier.
Rising featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington, the latest boxing prodigy from Brownsville, Brooklyn, will take on Philippine-born standout Bernard Torres in the first televised 10-round match.
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Murphys Boxing and 12 Rounds Promotion, tickets go on sale Friday, January 12 at 12 pm ET via Ticketmaster.com.
Foster-Nova, Cortes-Chevalier and Carrington-Torres will air live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 9 pm ET/6 pm PT.
Cortes (20-0, 11 KOs) emerged in July 2020 when he rose from the canvas to secure a unanimous decision victory over Alejandro Salinas inside the MGM Grand Las Vegas Bubble. After finishing Eduardo Garza in May 2021, Cortés shined with a first-round knockout against former world title challenger Génesis Servania three months later and a third-round TKO against Mark Bernáldez in November. The 26-year-old signed with Top Rank in March 2022 and has since gone 4-0 with two knockouts. Last July, Cortés earned a seventh-round knockout victory over Xavier Martínez.
Cortes said: “I can’t wait to perform on the big stage of the Madison Square Garden Theatre. This is a great opportunity and I will let the junior lightweight division know. I want a world title shot, but I must perform well against a tough opponent like Chevalier to make that goal a reality. 2024 is the year I will bring a world title to Las Vegas.”
Chevalier (20-1-1, 16 KOs), a 10-year pro, is undefeated in his last 12 fights. He made his United States debut by defeating James Wilkins to capture his first regional title in July 2021. After a year-long absence from the ring, he returned in 2022 with TKO victories against Carlos Padilla and Cesar Juarez. The 29-year-old continued to build on his momentum last year, scoring seventh-round knockouts against Alberto Mercado in April and Ranfis Javier Encarnacion in July.
Chevalier said: “Andrés Cortés is a great fighter. Boxing fans will really enjoy a great fight that night. Expect to see in me a warrior who will do everything possible to emerge victorious. That night, everyone in the boxing world will know who Bryan Chevalier is.”
Carrington (10-0, 6 KOs), the 2020 US Olympic Trials champion, has quickly risen through the ranks since turning professional in October 2021. The 26-year-old impressed with five wins in 2023, including a second-round knockout. -the undefeated Brandon Chambers in April. In his last outing, Carrington stunned former world title challenger Jason Sanchez by knocking him out in just two rounds. Carrington enters 2024 knocking on the doors of title contention.
“It’s always very special to fight at The Garden in front of my hometown fans, and I look forward to putting on a show for my people and everyone watching on ESPN,” Carrington said. “I went from prospect to contender, and this is the year everyone sees my full arsenal.”
Torres (18-1, 8 KOs), a Filipino-born Norwegian southpaw, debuted in the paid ranks in October 2017. He went 16-0 before losing a 10-round unanimous decision to Frency Fortunato in September 2022 in his debut in the United States. . The 27-year-old bounced back with an eighth-round TKO victory against Cristian Avila last January in Oslo, Norway. Torres is coming off a 10-point verdict over Tanzanian veteran Nasibu Ramadhani in June.
The card broadcast on ESPN+ includes:
2016 Italian Olympian Guido “The Gladiator” Vianello (11-1-1, 9 KOs) fights Moses Johnson (11-1-2, 8 KOs) in an eight-round heavyweight bout. Vianello returns following a decision win over Curtis Harper in October. Johnson, of Huntington, New York, scored a third-round TKO against Emilio Salas in December.
Junior welterweight prospect Tiger Johnson (11-0, 5 KOs), a U.S. Olympian from Cleveland, Ohio, makes his 2024 debut in an eight-round bout against Brazilian Paulo Galdino (13-7-2, 9 KOs ). Johnson capped off an impeccable 2023 in December with a gutsy eight-round split decision over Jimerr Espinosa.
Undefeated junior lightweight prospect Ofacio Falcón (10-0, 6 KOs) will make his second appearance at The Theater against Edward Ceballos (11-4-1, 6 KOs). Falcón, a native of the Bronx, chose Pedro Vicente Scharbaai in June.
Middleweight prospect Euri Cedeño (7-0-1, 6 KOs), who represented the Dominican Republic at the Tokyo Olympics, makes his New York City debut against Atlanta native Antonio Todd (15- 9, 9 KOs) in an eight-round fight.
Queens-born middleweight Isaiah Flaherty (6-0, 3 KOs) will see action in a six-round bout against an opponent to be named.
