Two-weight champion Badou Jack will now face unbeaten Venezuelan Dervin Collina in a 10-rounder on the Floyd Mayweather vs Logan Paul event at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Sunday.
Jack (23-3-3, 13 KOs) had been set to rematch WBA Regular light-heavyweight champion Jean Pascal before the Canadian tested positive for three separate PEDs. The duo previously met in December 2019 with Pascal clinching a hotly-disputed split decision.
Super-middle Collina (15-0, 13 KOs) is rated No.13 by the WBA, but has yet to face anyone of note.
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After a 16-month enforced break due to Covid-19, Las Vegas will host boxing events at full crowd capacity for Top Rank’s trio of promotions at the Virgin Hotels resort in June.
On June 12, Shakur Stevenson will face Namibian Jeremiah Nakathila for the vacant WBO Interim title at 130lbs; one week later, the ‘Monster’ Naoya Inoue defends his WBA Super and IBF 118lbs crowns against Filipino Michael Dasmarinas before Ukrainian maestro Vasiliy Lomachenko concludes proceedings with his comeback bout against Japan’s Masayoshi Nakatani on June 26.
The last boxing in Vegas without any crowd restrictions was Tyson Fury’s seventh round drubbing of Deontay Wilder at the MGM Grand in February 2020.
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WBO super-flyweight champion Kazuto Ioka has been ordered to face Mexico’s former world champion and mandatory contender Francisco Rodriguez Jr. by the Puerto Rican-based sanctioning body. There will be a 30-day negotiation period before the bout goes to purse bids.
Ex-WBO/IBF strawweight king Rodriguez hasn’t lost in five-and-a-half years and receives his opportunity due to WBO No.1 contender Srisaket Sor Rungvisai’s participation in the WBC’s super-flyweight tournament against Carlos Cuadras.
Four-weight champion Ioka halted Japanese rival Kosei Tanaka in eight rounds last December.