LAS VEGAS — Former contender Pablo Cesar Cano and rising prospect Ruslan Madiev had no visible issues making weight yesterday for their September 13 main event on ESPN at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
Cano came in at 139.4 while Madiev tipped the scales at 139.2. Although only 28 years old, Cano finds himself at a crossroads where continued relevancy is on the line tonight. He’s lost two of his last three fights with his last appearance being a second-round stoppage at the hands of Marcelino Nicolas Lopez last October. Madiev, who is trained by Abel Sanchez and hails from Gennady Golovkin’s hometown of Karaganda, Kazakhstan, is seeking to get on the national radar and become a legit prospect.
The co-feature is an intriguing contest between Maricela Cornejo (12-2, 5 KOs) and Franchon Crews (3-1, 1 KO). On paper, you’d think Cornejo is the more experienced fighter, but Crews had a longer amateur career and also faced stiffer competition in battling Claressa Shields in her 2016 debut. That contest was spirited and Crews went toe to toe taking Shields’s best bombs. If Crews can make this an inside fight, she can win handily. Consider this fight as having high potential for a “sleeper upset.”
The card airs at 8 p.m. ET tonight on ESPN2.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 