Top Rank will be leveraging the week leading up to the Super Bowl to stage a super twin billing showcasing some of the top stars from its stable.
The NFL’s marquee championship matchup will take place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday, Feb. 11, and Top Rank will be presenting a show on Thursday, Feb. 8 on ESPN, most likely at the nearby Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
Top Rank boss and Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum told BoxingScene.com in an interview on Monday that the main event will feature Teofimo Lopez Jr. looking to defend his WBO junior welterweight title against Jamaine Ortiz, and the co-main event will feature lightweight upstart Keyshawn Davis taking on former two-division titlist Jose Pedraza.
“We have a big platform for Teofimo – the week leading up to the Super Bowl is massive,” said Arum. “That will be a way to advance Teofimo into big, massive fights for the rest of 2024. And then there is the step-up, tough fight for our rising star Keyshawn Davis.”
Arum also noted that fast-rising rising phenoms Emiliano Vargas and Abdullah Mason are also slated to be featured on the undercard.
Top Rank pulled off a similar script during Formula 1 week in Las Vegas earlier this year. On Thursday, Nov. 9, Shakur Stevenson headlined a show against Edwin De Los Santos at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas before the popular car race took over The Strip that weekend.
It’s not the fight against Ryan Garcia that Oscar De La Hoya teased, but Lopez will still be promoted on a grand stage.
The former unified lightweight champion Lopez (19-1, 13 KOs) will be aiming to defend his 140-pound title for the first time since convincingly beating former undisputed junior welterweight champion Josh Taylor in June via unanimous decision.
Ortiz (17-1-1, 8 KOs), meanwhile, will be looking to steady the ship after a turbulent 2023 campaign.
Ortiz is coming off a September unanimous decision win against Antonio Moran. Ortiz was hurt several times in the fight but still pulled off the points win. Ortiz will be making his 140-pound debut against Lopez after having trouble making weight against Moran. Ortiz was also supposed to fight on the Lopez-Taylor undercard but came in overweight and was scratched from the show altogether. Ortiz said a back injury prevented him from properly cutting weight at the time.
Last year looked a lot more promising for the 27-year-old from Worcester, Massachusetts. In October 2022, Ortiz turned in a spirited performance in a close decision loss to Vasiliy Lomachenko. Ortiz also beat Jamel Herring via unanimous decision in May 2022.
The supporting bout will be a showcase opportunity for the 2020 Olympics silver medalist Davis (10-0, 6 KOs) as well.
Davis and Pedraza were supposed to fight Dec. 9 but Davis was suspended by the Texas Commission for a positive marijuana test following his Oct. 14 fight against Nahir Albright. The majority decision win for the 24-year-old Davis was instead changed to a no decision on Oct. 26.
The 34-year-old Pedraza (29-5-1, 14 KOs) is a former 130 and 135 tilist who last fought at lightweight in 2019. The rugged Puerto Rican veteran’s last seven fights have taken place at 140 pounds or above. Pedraza is winless in his last three fights against Jose Ramirez, Richard Commey (split draw), and Arnold Barboza Jr.
Pedraza lost his junior lightweight title to Gervonta Davis in 2017 and lightweight title to Lomachenko in 2018.
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.