ESPN to air title bout from Kazakhstan

Press Release

02/07/2019

ESPN to air title bout from Kazakhstan

France's Nordine Oubaali is set to make the first defense of his WBC bantamweight title against tough Filipino contender Arthur Villanueva Saturday in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, as part of the nation’s celebration of Capital City Day. However, Oubaali-Villanueva will only be the co-feature, because a crowd of more than 10,000 is expected to watch unbeaten hometown hero Zhankosh Turarov fight Mauro Maximiliano Godoy in a ten-round junior weltwrweight main event. Oubaali-Villanueva and Turarov-Godoy will headline the latest edition of MTK Fight Night on the ESPN+ streaming service — beginning at 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT.
 
Oubaali (15-0, 11 KOs) won the vacant WBC title in January with a clear-cut unanimous decision over former WBA champion Rau'shee Warren. The bout, which took place in Las Vegas on the Manny Pacquiao-Adrien Broner undercard, was only Oubaali’s second pro bout outside of his native France.
 
Villanueva (32-3-1, 18 KOs) will be making his third attempt at a world title and is unbeaten in two fights since a 2017 TKO loss to Luis Nery (who is Oubaali's predecessor as WBC champion).
 
Turarov (23-0, 16 KOs) turned pro more than a decade ago in Kazakhstan and will be fighting for the second time in as many months since signing with MTK Global. He knocked out Richmond Djarbeng in two rounds last month in Cardiff, Wales.
 
Godoy (31-4-1, 16 KOs), from Argentina, is coming off a ten-round unanimous decision victory March 15th in his home nation. He is a former South American super lightweight champion who has gone 10 or more rounds seven times.
 
In other action scheduled for the ESPN+ stream: 
 
Kazakhstan's Viktor Kotochigov (9-0, 4 KOs) will take on Jairo Lopez (24-10, 16 KOs) in a ten-rounder lightweight contests. The 26-year-old Kotochigov has fought in seven different countries in his young pro career. Lopez, from Mexico, has won two of his last three and will be fighting for only the second time away from his home country.
 
David Oliver Joyce (10-0, 8 KOs), a 2016 Olympian for his native Ireland, will fight Venezuelan puncher Breilor Teran (27-17-1, 20 KOs) in a ten-round super featherweight bout.