The long delayed rematch between Oscar Rivas and Bryant Jennings has received a new date, October 22nd in Montreal. The WBC ordered the rematch earlier this year to crown an inaugural champion for its new, arguably superfluous weight division that ‘bridges’ the gap between cruiserweight and heavyweight.
In their first meeting on January 18, 2019, Oscar Rivas (27-1, 19 KO) stopped Bryant Jennings (24-4, 14 KO) in the final round of what was a close fight on the judges’ scorecards. Jennings followed up that TKO loss with a UD loss to rising contender Joe Joyce later that summer, but has been inactive since.
Oscar Rivas also lost his next bout, dropping a 12-round decision to Dillian Whyte, albeit under suspicious circumstances. Like Jennings, Rivas followed that bout with an extended ring absence that included all of 2020, finally returning in March of this year with a victory over Sylvera Louis in a tune-up fight.
In addition to this main event fight, several local fighters will compete on the undercard. Francis Charbonneau (3-1, 1 KO) takes on Alexandre Roberge (1-1), while Sebastien Bouchard (19-2, 8 KO), Kevin Menoche (4-0, 4 KO), and Alexis Barriere (3-0, 3 KO) will match up with TBD opponents. ESPN+ will have coverage of this event.