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ALERT! Foster-Nova On ESPN is FRIDAY

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ALERT! Foster-Nova On ESPN is FRIDAY
Photo by Mikey Williams/Getty/Top Rank

Top Rank Boxing on ESPN presented by AutoZone: Foster vs. Nova will be presented live this Friday, February 16, at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ from The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

In the main event, WBC junior lightweight world champion, O’Shaquie Foster makes his second world title defense against Abraham Nova.

Watch on the ESPN platform

Foster (21-2, 10 KOs) won 11 in a row after losing  via split decision to Rolando Chinea in July 2016.

From a TR release: He won the WBC world title in February 2023 with a one-sided decision over Mexican standout Rey Vargas. Eight months later, he salvaged his title with a come-from-behind 12th-round knockout over Eduardo “Rocky” Hernandez.

Nova (23-1, 16 KOs) had nearly 200 fights during a storied amateur career that included victories over Frank Martin, Richardson Hitchins, and Nahir Albright.

In June 2022, he suffered his lone career setback, a one-punch knockout at the hands of two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist and eventual world champion Robeisy Ramirez.

Following the Ramirez defeat, Nova returned to junior lightweight and picked up wins over veteran Adam Lopez and former world champion Jonathan Romero.

In the 10-round junior lightweight co-feature, Andres “Savage” Cortes takes on Puerto Rican contender Bryan Chevalier.

Undefeated Cortes (20-0, 11 KOs) emerged in August 2021 with a first round knockout of former world title challenger Genesis Servania and has recorded four knockouts in his last six appearances.

Chevalier (20-1-1, 16 KOs), a 10-year-pro, is unbeaten in his last 12 fights.

In the 10-round televised opener, rising featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington, will face Filipino-born standout Bernard Torres.

Carrington (10-0, 6 KOs), 2020 U.S. Olympic trials champion, has been rapidly ascending the ranks since turning pro in October 2021.

In his last performance, Carrington stunned former world title challenger Jason Sanchez by knocking him out in two rounds.

Torres (18-1, 8 KOs), a Filipino-born southpaw, debuted in the paid ranks in October 2017. Torres is coming off a 10-round points verdict over Tanzanian veteran Nasibu Ramadhani in June.

Undercard action exclusively on ESPN+ begins at 5:20 p.m. ET/ 2:20 p.m. PT.

Calling the action will be ESPN’s Joe Tessitore, Hall of Famer Timothy Bradley, Jr., Mark Kriegel, and Bernardo Osuna.

 

Founder/editor Michael Woods got addicted to boxing in 1990, when Buster Douglas shocked the world with his demolition of the then-impregnable Mike Tyson. The Brooklyn-based journalist has covered the sport since for ESPN The Magazine, ESPN.com, Bad Left Hook and RING. His journalism career started with NY Newsday in 1999. Michael Woods is also an accomplished blow by blow and color man, having done work for Top Rank, DiBella Entertainment, EPIX, and for Facebook Fightnight Live, since 2017.