Cyborg Tops Undercard For Terence Crawford vs David Avanesyan

The ring return for Terence Crawford is soon to come, so that means the undercard for his Dec. 10 battle versus not-Errol Spence has been settled.

Before Crawford tangoes with David Avanesyan at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska, Crawford’s native state, MMA standout Cris Cyborg will look to get to 2-0 in the boxing ring, or 1-0, if you are of the belief her debut shouldn’t be counted as a real fight.

Crawford vs. Avanesyan, a 12-round WBO welterweight world title clash, will stream live on BLK Prime for $39.99.

BLK Prime is described as “a Silicon Valley-based tech company” in a release hyping the support bouts, “a subscription video-on-demand platform that utilizes elite technology to bring the best picture-perfect stream available.” The telecast will begin at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. Tix are priced from $50, $75, $125, $200, $350, to$500.

It looks like the card will get input from promoter Dmitriy Salita, as several of his crew will glove up on Dec. 10. Featherweight Arnold Khegai (18-1-1, 11 KOs) of Odessa, Ukraine, a Salita guy, will fight Eduardo Baez (21-3-2, 7 KOs), of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. The 30 year old Khegai stepped up versus Philly slickster Stephen Fulton in January 2020 and performed respectably in losing a UD12. He’s fought twice since, getting Ws against journeymen.

Foe Baez, a 27 year old Mexican hitter, has been in tough of late. In Nov. 2021, he dropped an MD10 to Ra’eese Aleem, beat 21-1 Enrique Vivas four months later…

..and got stopped in the sixth versus Emanuel Navarrete this past August.

“I must win this fight, and I’m going to do everything possible to come out on top,” Baez stated in a release. “Khegai is not invincible, he’s been beaten before. I have the experience needed to win this fight. Those tuning in will see an all-out war, I’m going to make this a Mexican-style slugfest.”

Heavyweight Jeremiah Milton (age 28; 7-0, 6 KOs), of Tulsa, Oklahoma, will fight Dajuan Calloway (5-1, 5 KOs), of Warrensville, Ohio, in a scheduled 6-round bout.

Calloway upset 8-1 Kahlil Smoot in his last start

Opening the PPV telecast will be a scheduled 8-round light heavy scrap, showcasing Omaha’s Steven Nelson (age 34; 17-0, 14 KOs) vs. James Ballard (age 33; 10-4, 3 KOs, has lost last three) of Detroit, Michigan. Nelson hasn’t been able to transition from prospect and Ballard isn’t a step up fight.  “Fighting at home in Omaha is a blessing and the CHI Health Center is always electrifying,” said Nelson in a release. “It’s been two years since my last fight but I’m more than ready to leave everything in the ring against Ballard. Winning this fight will put me back in the rankings and in line to fight for a title in the near future. I’ve been training with Terence and the B&B team in Colorado Springs, so best believe I’ll be in the best shape of my life.”

OTHER UNDERCARD BOUTS:

Light Heavyweight Edel Gomez (6-0, 6 KOs; pictured below landing on Justin Baesman on July 30, 2022) of Fremont, Nebraska, v Joseph Aguilar (4-1-1, 2 KOs) of Portland, Oregon. (8-rounds)

Welterweight Boubacar Sylla (from Senegal; promoted by Star Boxing; 12-0, 7 KOs), of Cincinnati, Ohio, v Javier Mayoral (4-2, 1 KO), of New Orleans, Louisiana. (6-rounds)

Lightweight Alan Garcia (7-0, 6 KOs), of Ulysses, Kansas, will battle TBA.

Super Bantamweight Robert Rodriguez (10-1-2, 5 KOs), of Riverside, California,  v Jose Lopez (3-2-1), of Ridgewood, New York. (6-rounds)

Opening the card will be a welterweight bout between debuting Alton Alik Wiggins of Oakland, California, and Phillip Carmouche (2-3), of Las Vegas, Nevada. (4-rounds)

And Cyborg, age 37, the biggest name on the u-card, still does MMA, she’s the Bellator featherweight champ. The Brazilian ace fought on Sept. 25, beating Simone Silva over 8 rounds in Brazil. But fellow Brazilian Silva was on suspension in the US, for having been knocked out with a body blow dealt by Jessica Camara 12 days prior. That fight is seen as an exhibition in the eyes of BoxRec, which is GOD.

There have been rumors of a Cyborg versus Katie Taylor battle, for the record.

Cyborg is matched with 0-2 Gabby Holloway, from Virginia, who is 6-6 in MMA.