Matchroom and Wasserman will take on the best members of their respective stables on the undercard when ‘Born Rivals’ Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn square off in a night of sold-out action at The O2 in London on Saturday, October 8, exclusively on live. on DAZN worldwide and on DAZN PPV in the UK and Ireland.
Olympic gold medal star Galal Yafai will face Gohan Rodríguez García. Yafai (2-0 2 KOs) is off to an impressive start in the paid ranks following his golden trip to the Tokyo 2020 games, winning the title he puts on the line in his debut at the North Greenwich venue in February, and successfully defending it with a second-round KO victory at Madison Square Garden in April.
The Birmingham ace now meets Mexico’s Garcia (12-1-1 1 KO), with the 21-year-old challenger fighting outside his homeland for the first time in his second title fight, having clinched the title of International Silver in April 2021.
Light heavyweight star Lyndon Arthur returns in quick succession following his return to action after headlining in September. Arthur (20-1 14 KOs) stopped Walter Sequeira aggressively as he claimed victory in six rounds at the University of Bolton Stadium earlier this month, and the former Commonwealth champion will be quick to put his name where it belongs. and return. to title the action.
World-ranked middleweight Felix Cash continues his quest for world titles as he meets undefeated Connor Coyle.
The undefeated Cash (15-0 10 KOs), a former British and Commonwealth champion, came through a check in his last outing against the dangerous Magomed Madiev at Alexandra Palace in February. However, Coyle (17-0 7 KOs) will have other ideas, and the Florida-based Irishman will try to ruin Cash’s plans and make a name for himself in his first fight in England.
It’s a family affair for Harlem Eubank, who fights on his older cousin Chris Jr’s undercard and takes on Spaniard David Martin in six rounds. Eubank (15-0 6 KOs) has made the welterweight division stand up and take notice with eye-catching performances of late, most notably his impressive one-punch KO of Sean ‘Masher’ Dodd back in May at The Indigo at The O2, after forcing Viorel Simion to retire after five rounds of a scheduled eight in Cardiff. Not forgetting his most recent win over Eliot Chavez in July, where Eubank outboxed and frustrated the dangerous Mexican opponent with illegal strikes, forcing a win by disqualification.
Ellie Scotney looks for another title as she challenges Mary Romero for the European super bantamweight title. Scotney (5-0) captured the WBA Intercontinental title in February at Alexandra Palace and successfully defended that belt at The O2 in May, beating former world champions Jorgelina Guanini and Maria Cecilia Roman in those bouts. The next belt in her sights proudly belongs to Romero (8-2 2 KOs) who is putting the belt on the line for the third time. The Spaniard picked up the vacant belt at home in January 2020 and then successfully defended it against Amy Timlin in Barcelona in September 2021 and most recently against Maria Cecchi in Milan, Italy in May and now she is fighting in England for the first time in a shock. that should put the winner in contention for the world title.
Heavyweight smash hit ‘Magic’ Matty Harris is on the hunt for a third straight first-round KO victory and will take on Chris Healey for six. Harris (3-0 2 KOs) put Mait Metsis away in the opening session of their fight in Newcastle in April and repeated that trick two months later in Liverpool against Pawel Strykowski. Standing in the way of the Coventry man’s hat-trick is Healey (9-12 2 KOs), the Stockport stalwart who has already tested the growing ambitions of Fabio Wardley and David Adeleye this year.
Shannon Courtenay makes a welcome return to the ring against Gemma Ruegg. Courtenay (7-2 3 KOs) will walk through the ropes just one day before her last action in Liverpool, where Jamie Mitchell picked up Courtenay’s WBA bantamweight title by majority decision after the Briton failed to make weight. . ‘The Baby-Faced Assassin’ aims to get back into the mix to become a two-time world ruler, and that starts with her comeback against Ruegg (5-4 1 KO), the Bournemouth fighter who, like Courtenay, also fights for the tenth time in his professional career.
Former Team GB talent Chloe Watson rounds out the lineup, with the flyweight talent taking on former world champion Nancy Franco in a six-round bout. Watson (3-0) returns to the capital where she made her York Hall debut in November and seeks win number four in the paid ranks after winning at home on Merseyside in June in her first round of six against Fara El Bousairi. . The Birkenhead boxer, who trains with former junior welterweight and welterweight world champion Ricky Hatton, faces a real step up in the form of Franco (19-17-2 KOs), the highly experienced Mexican who has had a title at strawweight and has challenged at junior flyweight.
“We are just over a fortnight away from ‘Born Rivals’ and one of British boxing’s most monumental moments in sport. A rivalry reignited by two fighters who are ready to fix the family business and find themselves in the spotlight of global boxing, and we have the perfect card for just such an occasion,” said Kalle Sauerland, Wasserman’s Head of Global Boxing. “A world-class event demands a card to match the hype, and while we’re settling the biggest rivalry in boxing history, we’ve always allowed the stars to shine and grow their stock on massive platforms. We’re almost there, the countdown begins!”
“We’ve built a stacked night of action at The O2, building a historic main event,” said Eddie Hearn. “There is a great mix of rising stars and established names looking to enhance their world title claims. The atmosphere is going to be electric on a sold-out night in London, so this is a golden opportunity for these fighters to make a name for themselves before we witness an explosive new chapter in a classic British rivalry.”
A Matchroom/Wasserman press release was used in this article.
