Russian lightweights Rustam Nugaev and Denis Shafikov will meet in a world title eliminator in the main event of the Aug. 15 edition of ESPN2's Friday Night Fights.
The winner of the bout, which will take place at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California, will become the mandatory challenger for titleholder Miguel Vazquez (34-3, 13 KOs) of Mexico.
I have been trying to get Rustam in an important fight for one year now, promoter Gary Shaw told ESPN.com on Wednesday. The IBF had a hard time getting anyone to accept the fight for No. 1, as they know how tough Nugaev is. This is a very tough fight against a very tough fighter, and I expect a war. I was happy to be able to make this fight.
Nugaev (27-6-1, 17 KOs), 31, is riding a six-fight winning streak, including an impressive fourth-round knockout of former title challenger Marvin Quintero on March 7.
The 29-year-old Shafikov (33-1-1, 18 KOs), a southpaw, got a world title opportunity in his last fight but lost a unanimous decision to Vazquez on Feb. 22 in Macau.
Junior lightweight prospect Jose Pedraza (17-0, 11 KOs), 25, of Puerto Rico is ticketed for the co-feature against an opponent to be determined.
http://espn.go.com/
Related Fight Posts
- 2014/07/19 -- Dustin Holyko Fought at WSOF 11 Without License From Florida Commission
The Dustin Holyko story continues to unfold with news that the convicted felon was allowed to compete at last we... - 2014/07/20 -- UFC 176’s Green-Trujillo, ‘Formiga’-Makovsky Bouts Moved to Aug. 16 Maine Card
Less than an hour after the Ultimate Fighting Championship announced the cancelation of UFC 176, two of the eve... - 2014/07/20 -- UFC Fight Night 45 Results: Cerrone vs. Miller
MMA Fighting has UFC Fight Night 45 results for the Cerrone vs. Miller fight card July 16, live blogs of the mai... - 2014/07/19 -- UFC Fight Night Albuquerque Tingley Coliseum Pre-Sale Tickets are Available, Here’s the Code!
UFC Fight Night Albuquerque Tickets are now on Pre-Sale, Get them before they are available to the public April ... - 2014/07/20 -- Half-Year Awards – The Upsets
With so many top-level fighters put together in evenly matched bouts, you would think that major upsets would be... - 2014/11/04 -- Freestyle Combat Challenge
Racine, WI The new year got off to a bang, in the Midwest, with Dave Stasser's "Freestyle Combat Challenge." Eve... - 2014/07/19 -- Legacy FC 30: Reasons Why Fight Fans Should Be Excited For The April 4th Event (Part Three)
When the Legacy FC promotion rolls into town and joins forces with Fresquez Productions to host a monumental eve... - 2014/07/20 -- Willie Nelson opponent named: Luis Grajeda
On August 8, DiBella Entertainment and Dynasty Boxing, in association with Rumble Time Promotions, will head to ... - 2014/07/19 -- Abel Trujillo Faces Ross Pearson at UFC Fight Night Card in Maine
Abel Trujillo will now fight Ross Pearson at UFC Fight Night “Bader vs. St. Preux.”
UFC officials announced th... - 2014/07/20 -- Lopez-Vargas winner seeks title shot
If many had left Juan Manuel Lopez's career for dead after he suffered two knockout losses to Orlando Salido in ... - 2014/07/19 -- Maidana vs. Mayweather 2: Upset in the making?
(Photo credit: Idris Irba) By MM: With the rematch set, and the fight tour underway, most fight fans feel that F...