The Ecuadorian fighter showed the tricolor flag in front of his American contender on Friday in Las Vegas.
In the final stretch of the year, the Ecuadorian boxer Julio Memin Cortez (15-3-0 and 11 knockouts) will face the American Karlos Balderas (10-1-0) this Saturday in a lightweight fight that is part of the Top Rank card, which has the duel as a superstar dish by Terence Crawford (37-0, 28 knockouts) vs. Shawn Porter (31-3-1, 17 knockouts) for the welterweight belt of the World Boxing Organization (WBO).
The evening will take place tonight at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
This will be the third match from Memin Cortez out of the country. His last presentation resulted in a loss to fellow American Albert Bell on August 14 at the Hard Rock Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The 33-year-old Emerald has a great opportunity to shine by being part of a karat event in Las Vegas. It may also be the occasion of his first victory abroad, since in 2017 he was defeated at the Sangyo Shinko Center, in Sakai, by the local Hiroshige Osawa, and three months ago he fell in Tulsa against Bell.
Five weeks ago Cortez gave an account of his presence on the Top Rank card. “Putting me one hundred percent by November 20 in Las Vegas,” he said in a post and Instagram.
Bud Crawford has defended the WBO belt he has held since beating Australian Jeff Horn in 2019, at which point he became king in a third weight class.
This will be Crawford’s fifth title defense, and the first time he has faced an opponent considered to be of the same level.
Porter has faced boxers like Errol Spence Jr. (split decision loss), Adrien Broner (unanimous decision win), Keith Thurman (unanimous decision loss) and Yordenis Ugás (split decision win), to name a few.
Cartelera principal Terence Crawford vs. Shawn Porter
Terence Crawford vs. Shawn Porter | 12 rounds | For Crawford’s WBO welterweight title
Dodge Falcao vs. Patrice Volny | 12 rounds | IBF Middleweight Eliminator
Janibek Alimkhanuly vs. Hassan N’Dam | 10 rounds | Median peso
Raymond Muratalla vs. Steven Ortiz | 8 rounds | Peso ligero
Isaac Dogboe vs. Christopher Diaz | 10 rounds | Featherweight
Guido Vianello vs. TBD | 6 rounds | Heavy weight
Adam Lopez vs. Adan Ochoa | 10 rounds | Featherweight
Karlos Balderas vs. Julio Cortez | 8 rounds | Light weight
Tiger Johnson vs. Antonius Grable | 4 rounds | Peso wélter
The fights will be broadcast exclusively from 18:00 (Ecuadorian time) by ESPN and Star+. (D)
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