A month after its reveal and one month before showtime, O’Shaquie Foster vs Abraham Nova now boasts a supporting cast. Top Rank has unveiled the other two portions of their February 16th ESPN tripleheader at The Theater, plus the ESPN+ prelim lineup.
The co-feature pits rising super featherweight Andres Cortes (20-0, 11 KO) against Puerto Rico’s Bryan Chevalier (20-1-1, 16 KO). Cortes is on a nice little run, capped off by a 2023 that saw him shut out Luis Melendez before stopping Xavier Martinez five months later. Chevalier doesn’t have quite as substantial a body of work; he’s won 12 straight, but the most noteworthy came over the soon-to-be derailed Luis Lebron and what’s left of Cesar Juarez.
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 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.”
The main card opener sees Tim Bradley’s Specialest Boy, Bruce Carrington (10-0, 6 KO), fight Bernard Torres (18-1, 8 KO). Carrington went 5-0 with three knockouts in 2023, notably handing Jason Sanchez the first stoppage loss of his career, and looks to be hanging around that same level of competition with Torres.
“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 didn’t get a quote or even appear in the Tweet announcing Carrington’s presence, which says something about his perceived chances.
Guido Vianello (11-1-1, 9 KO) continues down the comeback trail against Moses Johnson (11-1-2, 8 KO) on the prelims, which also see Delante “Tiger” Johnson (11-0, 5 KO) try to steady the ship against Paulo Galdino (13-7-2, 9 KO) after a pair of near-misses to end 2023. Ofacio Falcon (10-0, 6 KO), Euri Cedeno (7-0-1, 6 KO), and Isaah Flaherty (6-0, 3 KO) see action as well.