Andres Cortes and Abraham Nova square off at BleauLive Theater at Fontainebleau Las Vegas on Friday, June 21. The contest serves as the co-feature to Rafael Espinoza vs Sergio Chirino live on ESPN+. Ahead of the event, the athletes previewed their matchup and went face to face at the pre-fight press conference. The bout is scheduled for 10 rounds with NABO junior lightweight title on the line.
Cortes (21-0, 12 KOs) makes his second ring appearance for the year and looks to remain undefeated. The 26-year-old North Las Vegas native said he was ready for his next challenge.
“I spoke this fight into existence, and you gotta be careful what you ask for,” Andres Cortes said. “I believe in my team. I believe in my skills and everything I do. So, I’m ready for whatever.”
“I don’t think I’m a dirty fighter. At the end of the day, it’s a fight in there. So, you do what you gotta do.”
Nova (23-2, 16 KOs) looks to return to winning ways. The 30-year-old former title challenger of Puerto Rico said he was looking for his next world championship opportunity.
“I have incredible skills,” Abraham Nova said. “I feel like I’m really underrated in my skill set. I had a lot of tweaks that I fixed from my past fights. I fixed some things in camp, and staying active has helped me in my training. I feel like my skills, experience, and the journey I’ve been on in my boxing career will prevail and show out Friday night to get that victory.”
“I need credible names. Andres Cortes is undefeated and has beaten some good names. This is the type of fight I need to get back in the mix to fight for a world title.”
“People can say whatever they want about me. His people can say stuff. My people can say stuff. That doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, our fists do the talking. Our fists do the work, and Friday night, you guys are gonna see me shine.”
In the main event, undefeated WBO featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza (24-0, 20 KOs) defends his belt against fellow-Mexican Sergio Chirino (22-1, 13 KOs). Among the prelims, Troy Isley (12-0, 5 KOs) of Washington, D.C. and Javier Martinez (10-0-1, 3 KOs) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin battle it out for the NABO middleweight strap.
