IBF Welterweight Title Eliminator Set For March 30 On ESPN+
The undercard of the March 30 Top Rank card from Philadelphia will have a title eliminator for the IBF welterweight belt.
Top Rank announced that Kudratillo Abdukakhorov and Keita Obara are going to fight for the opportunity to become the mandatory challenger for the IBF 147-pound world title. The fight will headline the undercard streamed on ESPN+ that will serve as a lead-in to the ESPN-televised portion of the card taking place at the 2300 Arena.
Abdukakhorov is the IBF’s No. 4 ranked welterweight, having won the WBF International and WBC Silver titles in his young career. Abdukakhorov has won all 15 of his pro bouts with nine of those wins coming from inside the distance. The 25-year-old from Uzbekistan has not fought since winning an eight-round decision against Twaha Kiduku in May 2018.
Obara is a two-time WBO Asia Pacific welterweight titleholder and a former junior welterweight world title challenger. The Japanese fighter is ranked No. 6 by the IBF at 147 pounds and is coming off a TKO win over Alvin Lagumbay this past August.
The current IBF welterweight champion is Errol Spence Jr., but by the time Abdukakhorov and Obara step into the ring on March 30, they will have known if Spence is still the champion. Spence is scheduled to defend his IBF title against WBC lightweight champion Mikey Garcia on March 16 in the main event of a pay-per-view card from AT&T Stadium.
The ESPN-televised card of the March 30 event will be headlined by Oleksandr Gvozdyk’s WBC light heavyweight title against Doudou Ngumbu. In the co-main event, Egidijus Kavaliauskas, the No. 1 contender for the WBO welterweight title, will face Ray Robinson.
