Undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney of San Francisco, CA makes the second defense of his crown against two-time Olympic gold medalist and former three-weight world champion Vasiliy Lomachenko from Ukraine at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 20. The pair squares off in the 12-round main event bout live on ESPN+ PPV. The co-main event and telecast opener have been announced today.
Former two-division world champion Oscar Valdez and Adam Lopez square off in the rematch of their fight in 2019 when Valdez came out on top via seventh-round TKO. The pair battles it out in the scheduled for ten-round junior lightweight co-feature. The PPV opener pits Raymond Muratalla up against Jeremiaj Nakathila in the ten-roundder at lightweight.
Tickets for the event can be purchased through Vivid Seats, StubHub and TicketNetwork.
Oscar Valdez vs Adam Lopez 2
Oscar Valdez (30-1, 23 KOs) of Nogales, Mexico, represented his country in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. As a pro, he captured the WBO featherweight world title against Matias Rueda in 2016 and made six defenses. In 2019, he fought Lopez in his first fight at junior lightweight, rising off the canvas before stopping him in controversial fashion in the seventh round. Valdez would go on to defeat Jayson Velez before scoring a stunning 10th-round knockout over Miguel Berchelt to capture the WBC junior lightweight title. The 32-year-old suffered his first defeat in a unification fight at MGM Grand Garden Arena against Shakur Stevenson last April, and a year later, he is ready for another run at a 130-pound title.
“I feel very happy to finally be returning to the place where I most like to be, which is inside the ring, after a one-year absence from boxing,” Valdez said. “I feel happy to finally be returning. I am very motivated, more than ever, to continue my dream to once again become a world champion. That is my goal this year.
“In order to do that, I have to get past this obstacle, which is not going to be easy. I’m going to be facing someone that I fought in 2019 in Adam Lopez, an experienced opponent who even sent me to the canvas in the early rounds of our first fight. I cannot take him lightly, and that’s making me train harder now. I have to get past this fight to be able to fight the current champion, Emanuel ‘El Vaquero’ Navarrete.”
Adam Lopez (16-4, 6 KOs) is a 26-year-old native of Glendale, California, who has the sport in his bloodline. His father, the late Hector Lopez, captured a silver medal for Team Mexico at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Lopez earned a Top Rank contract with his off-the-canvas knockout victory over Jean Carlos Rivera in May 2019. Following the Rivera victory, he fought Valdez on a day’s notice after Valdez’s original opponent was more than 10 pounds overweight. Lopez is 3-2 with a no contest since the first Valdez fight, including hard-fought decision victories over Louie Coria and Jason Sanchez.
“He should have picked someone else,” Lopez said. “He barely got away the first time around. This time, it will be clear that I’m the better fighter. I’m coming to get mine back May 20.”
Raymond Muratalla vs Jeremiah Nakathila
Raymond Muratalla (17-0, 14 KOs) is the latest standout to come out of the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy. He debuted in 2016 in Mexico and made his U.S. debut in 2018. Muratalla has stopped 12 of his last 13 opponents and shined at the MGM Grand Garden Arena last April with a third round stoppage over Jeremy Hill. The native of Fontana, California, returns less than two months since his ninth-round knockout win over Humberto Galindo in March. Muratalla survived a first-round knockdown to dominate Galindo.
“This is my time. This is my moment,” Muratalla said. “I’ve been asking for this fight for a long time, and I am thrilled it’s taking place on such a significant card. Nakathila is a dangerous fighter, but that will only fuel me to put on a sensational performance.”
Jeremiah Nakathila (23-2, 19 KOs) is a 32-year-old former title challenger from the South African country of Namibia. He made his pro debut in 2013 and went 11-0 in his home country before traveling to Russia to face Evgeny Chuprakov in his first regional title opportunity. Following his first loss, the hard-hitting Nakathila bounced back with 10 knockout wins before securing a shot at Shakur Stevenson for the interm WBO title at 130 pounds. Nakathila is coming off two stoppage victories, including a brutal sixth-round demolition over Berchelt.
“I’m excited to return to Las Vegas to give Muratalla a boxing lesson he will never forget,” Nakathila said. “The experience will be valuable for his career, though, and I hope he is ready because I have every intention of taking care of business just like I did the last time I was there. It’s a great opportunity, and I’m happy to be back in the ring again on such an attractive card.”
Haney vs Lomachenko fight card
The list of non-PPV undercard bouts is expected to be announced shortly. The current lineup looks as the following:
- Devin Haney vs. Vasiliy Lomachenko, 12 rounds, lightweight – Haney’s undisputed lightweight title
- Oscar Valdez vs. Adam Lopez, 10 rounds, junior lightweight
- Raymond Muratalla vs. Jeremiah Nakathila, 10 rounds, lightweight
In Australia, Haney vs Lomachenko airs live on Sunday, May 21.
The post Haney vs Lomachenko undercard: Oscar Valdez rematches Adam Lopez, Raymond Muratalla faces Jeremiah Nakathila appeared first on FIGHTMAG.