LAS VEGAS – Frank Martin stepped as shut as he may get to Michel Rivera with out touching him after they made weight Friday afternoon.
The Indianapolis native must shut the space as greatest he can Saturday evening, too, to offer himself the very best probability to win their 12-round battle between undefeated lightweights at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Martin (16-0, 12 KOs), who formally weighed in at 134¾ kilos, is listed by Caesars Sportsbook as barely greater than a 2-1 favourite over the Dominican Republic’s Rivera (24-0, 14 KOs).
The taller, extra skilled Rivera stepped on the Nevada State Athletic Fee’s scale at 134½ kilos.
The winner of their WBA elimination match will transfer nearer towards a title shot within the light-weight division. Their combat will headline a “Showtime Championship Boxing” tripleheader from The Chelsea, a venue inside The Cosmopolitan.
Showtime, 10 p.m. ET; 7 p.m. PT
Jose Uzcategui (32-4, 27 KOs), Tijuana, Mexico, 167½ kilos vs. Vladimir Shishkin (13-0, 8 KOs), Stepnoe, Mexico, 167¼ kilos, 12 rounds, IBF elimination match.
Nikolai Potapov (23-2-1, 11 KOs), Podolsk, Russia, 117 kilos vs. Vincent Astrolabio (17-3, 12 KOs), Normal Santos Metropolis, Philippines, 117½ kilos, 12 rounds, IBF elimination match.
Showtime Sports activities’ YouTube Channel, 8 p.m. ET; 5 p.m. PT
Omar Juarez (13-1, 5 KOs), Brownsville, Texas, 141 kilos vs. Austin Dulay (15-3, 11 KOs, 1 NC), Nashville, 140½ kilos, 10 rounds, welterweights.
Elijah Garcia (12-0, 10 KOs), Phoenix, 164 kilos vs. Cruse Stewart (8-1, 6 KOs), Maple Grove, Minnesota, 162½ kilos, 8 rounds, tremendous middleweights.
Non-televised, 6:30 p.m. ET; 3:30 p.m. PT
Joahnys Argilagos (8-1, 4 KOs), Camaguey, Cuba, 116 kilos vs. Mario Hernandez (10-3-1, 3 KOs), Santa Ana, California, 116¾ kilos, 6 rounds, bantamweights.
Kenneth Sims Jr. (18-2-1, 6 KOs), Chicago, 144½ kilos vs. Rock Myrthil (17-1, 13 KOs), Los Angeles, 145½ kilos, 8 rounds, junior welterweights.
Ray Robinson (professional debut), Cincinnati, 125¾ kilos vs. Victor Saravia (1-3-1, 1 KO), Los Angeles, 123¾ kilos, 4 rounds, junior featherweights.
Bakhram Murtazaliev (20-0, 15 KOs), Grozny, Russia, 155¾ kilos vs. Roberto Valenzuela Jr. (20-3, 19 KOs), Agua Prieta, Mexico, 155½ kilos, 8 rounds, junior middleweights.
Bxngtv.com, Time TBD (ASAP after Martin-Rivera combat ends)
Kevin Johnson (12-2, 8 KOs), Las Vegas, 143¼ kilos vs. Cristian Baez (18-2, 17 KOs), San Jose, California, 143½ kilos, 10 rounds, welterweights.
Adrian Benton (7-0, 4 KOs), Cincinnati, 135½ kilos vs. Yohan Vasquez (25-2, 20 KOs), Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, 134¼ kilos, 8 rounds, lightweights.
Micky Scala (6-0, 4 KOs), Mesa, Arizona, 153¼ kilos vs. Ricardo Villalba (20-6-1, 8 KOs), Buenos Aires, Argentina, 153¼ kilos, 6 rounds, junior middleweights.
Jalil Hackett (4-0, 3 KOs), Washington, D.C., 148½ kilos vs. Nelson Morales (3-1, 0 KOs), Scranton, Pennsylvania, 149 kilos, 6 rounds, junior middleweights.
Robert Meriweather (2-0, 1 KO), Las Vegas, 129½ kilos vs. Jayden Salway (0-0-1), Browning, Montana, 130 kilos, 4 rounds, junior lightweights.
Keith Idec is a senior author/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He will be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.