WBC interim 115-pound champion Carlos Cuadras has suffered a torn Achilles tendon in training and has been forced to withdraw from a May fight vs. Australia's Andrew Moloney. Former 108-pound title holder Pedro Guevara has replaced Cuadras and will now fight Moloney for, according to promoter Top Rank, "the vacant WBC interim title" in the super flyweight division. [Editor's note: it is unclear whether the WBC is stripping Cuadras of his interim title as a result of the injury or whether the Moloney-Guevara winner has to fight Cuadras or full WBC champion Juan Francisco Estrada who has nbeen inactive since 2022]. Moloney-Guevara is scheduled for Sunday, May 12th at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia and will serve as the co-feature for the vacant IBF lightweight title showdown between former champions Vasiliy Lomachenko and George Kambosos Jr. In other world championship action on the bill, WBA bantamweight champion Nina Hughes looks to turn back the challenge of another ex-champ, Cherneka “Sugar Neekz” Johnson. Promoted by DiBella Entertainment, Top Rank, Ferocious Promotions, TEG Sport and Duco Events, Lomachenko-Kambosos, Moloney-Guevara and Hughes-Johnson will be broadcast in prime time in the United States on Saturday, May 11th at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+.
Guevara (41-4-1, 22 KOs), from Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico, is a former WBC light flyweight champion. He defeated Akira Yaegashi in 2014 and who made two defenses in 2015 before losing to Yu Kimura. He had a return go for the same title against Kenshiro Teraji 2017, but dropped a majority decision. Guevara saw his ten-fight winning streak end when he lost a split decision to Cuadras last November for the WBC interim junior bantamweight world title. In February, Guevara outlasted Lamberto Macias via ten-round decision in Mazatlán.
“I’m grateful that Top Rank and my team were able to get such a great opponent so quickly and to still be fighting for the WBC Interim world title,” Moloney said. “Guevara has only lost to world champions, and each of his defeats have come by either split or majority decision. I look forward to being the first person to beat him convincingly and making a massive statement.”
"This is a fantastic opportunity. Moloney is a great fighter, but I want the WBC green belt,” Guevara said. “It’s an honor to be part of the Lomachenko-Kambosos event. I’m very grateful to Top Rank, All Star Boxing and Bxstrs Promotions for making this happen. I will not let my Mexican people down."
Moloney (26-3, 16 KOs) is unbeaten when fighting on Australian soil and looks to continue his climb back up the 115-pound rankings. After suffering a 12th-round stoppage defeat to Junto Nakatani for the vacant WBO junior bantamweight world title last May, he returned in December with a convincing decision over Judy Flores in Melbourne, Australia.
In other undercard action, streaming live and exclusively on ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, knockout sensation Imam Khataev (6-0, 6 KOs) steps up against Ričards Bolotņiks (20-7-1, 8 KOs). Khataev, who trains in Sydney, Australia, earned a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. As a professional, he has yet to be pushed past the third round.
