Top Rank announced several undercard bouts that will be part of an ESPN-televised tripleheader headlined by the WBC junior lightweight showdown between reigning champ O’Shaquie “Ice Water” Foster and Abraham “El Super” Nova on Friday, Feb. 16th at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. In the ten-round junior lightweight co-feature, Las Vegas' Andres “Savage” Cortes takes on Puerto Rico's contender Bryan Chevalier. Also, rising featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington from Brownsville, Brooklyn will face Filipino-born standout Bernard Torres in the ten-round televised opener. Foster-Nova, Cortes-Chevalier and Carrington-Torres will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Murphys Boxing and 12 Rounds Promotion, tickets go on sale Friday, Jan. 12 at 12 p.m. ET via Ticketmaster.com.
Cortes (20-0, 11 KOs) emerged in July 2020 when he rose from the canvas to secure a unanimous decision win over Alejandro Salinas inside the MGM Grand Las Vegas Bubble. After decisioning Eduardo Garza in May 2021, Cortes shined with a first-round knockout against former title challenger Genesis Servania three months later and a third-round TKO against Mark Bernaldez that November. The 26-year-old signed with Top Rank in March 2022 and has since gone 4-0 with two knockouts. Last July, Cortes scored a seventh-round stoppage victory over Xavier Martinez.
Cortes said, “I can’t wait to perform on the big stage at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. This is a massive opportunity, and I will put the junior lightweight division on notice. I want a world title shot, but I must perform well against a tough opponent in Chevalier to make that goal a reality. 2024 is the year I bring a world title home to Las Vegas.”
Chevalier (20-1-1, 16 KOs), a ten-year-pro, is unbeaten in his last twelve fights. He made his U.S. debut by defeating James Wilkins to capture his first regional title in July 2021. Following a yearlong absence from the ring, he returned in 2022 with TKO wins against Carlos Padilla and Cesar Juarez. The 29-year old continued to build on his momentum last year, tallying seventh-round stoppages against Alberto Mercado in April and Ranfis Javier Encarnacion in July.
Chevalier said, “Andres Cortes is a great fighter. Boxing fans will really enjoy a great fight that night. Expect to see in me a warrior who will do everything possible to walk away victorious. That night, everyone in the boxing world will know who Bryan Chevalier is.”
Carrington (10-0, 6 KOs), 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials champion, has been ascending the ranks since turning pro in October 2021. The 26-year old obtained five victories in 2023, including a second-round knockout over then-unbeaten Brandon Chambers in April. In his last performance, Carrington knocked out Jason Sanchez in only two rounds. Carrington enters 2024 knocking on the doorstep of title contention.
“It is always extra special to fight in at The Garden in front of my hometown fans, and I look forward to putting on a show for my people and everyone watching on ESPN,” Carrington said. “I’ve graduated from prospect to contender, and this is the year everyone sees my full arsenal.”
Torres (18-1, 8 KOs), a Filipino-born southpaw from Norway, debuted in the paid ranks in October 2017. He went 16-0 before losing via ten-round unanimous decision to Frency Fortunato in September 2022 in his U.S. debut. The 27-year-old bounced back with an eighth-round TKO win against Cristian Avila last January in Oslo, Norway. Torres is coming off a ten-round points verdict over Tanzania's Nasibu Ramadhani in June.
The ESPN+-streamed undercard features:
2016 Italian Olympian Guido “The Gladiator” Vianello (11-1-1, 9 KOs) battles Moses Johnson (11-1-2, 8 KOs) in an eight-round heavyweight contest. Vianello returns following a decision win over Curtis Harper in October. Johnson, from Huntington, New York, tallied a third-round TKO against Emilio Salas in December.
Junior welterweight Tiger Johnson (11-0, 5 KOs), a U.S. Olympian from Cleveland, Ohio, makes his 2024 debut in an eight-rounder against Brazil’s Paulo Galdino (13-7-2, 9 KOs). Johnson capped off a spotless 2023 in December with a gritty eight-round split decision over Jimerr Espinosa.
Junior lightweight Ofacio Falcon (10-0, 6 KOs) will make his second appearance at The Theater against Edward Ceballos (11-4-1, 6 KOs). Falcon, a native of The Bronx, decisioned Pedro Vicente Scharbaai in June.
Middleweight Euri Cedeno (7-0-1, 6 KOs), who represented the Dominican Republic at the Tokyo Olympics, makes his New York City debut against Atlanta native Antonio Todd (15-9, 9 KOs) in an eight-rounder.
Queens-born middleweight Isaah Flaherty (6-0, 3 KOs) will see action in a six-rounder against an opponent to be named.
