Robson Conceição, a 2016 Olympic gold medalist for his native Brazil, seeks
to notch the signature win of his unblemished professional career when he
takes on Luis Coria in a 10-round junior lightweight fight Saturday, Oct.
31 from the MGM Grand Las Vegas Bubble.
Conceição-Coria will serve as the chief support bout to the world
championship doubleheader featuring unified bantamweight world champion
Naoya “Monster” Inoue’s title defense against Jason Moloney and Mikaela
Mayer challenging WBO female junior lightweight world champion Ewa
Brodnicka.
The card will also feature Toledo’s 20-year-old heavyweight sensation,
Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson (6-0, 6 KOs), who will fight Luis
Eduardo Pena (6-1, 6 KOs) in a six-rounder. Anderson has three knockout
wins inside the Bubble and four first-round stoppages in his young career.
*The entire Inoue-Moloney card will stream live on ESPN+ beginning at 7:30
p.m. ET, with the co-feature (Brodnicka-Mayer) expected to start at
approximately 10 p.m. ET.*
Conceição (14-0, 7 KOs) turned pro under the Top Rank banner in 2016 after
an amateur career that included the Olympic gold medal, more than 400
victories and two World Championship medals. He last fought in August in
Sao Paulo, Brazil, and knocked out Eduardo Reis in the second round.
Conceição takes a giant step up in class against Coria (12-3, 7 KOs), a
Robert Garcia-trained fighter who is coming off a razor-thin majority
decision loss in June against Adam Lopez in one of the year’s best
back-and-forth brawls.
*In other undercard bouts:*
*Julian Rodriguez (20-0, 13 KOs) vs. TBA*
10 Rounds, Junior Welterweight
“Hammer Hands” Rodriguez is 4-0 with three knockouts since returning from a
nearly two-year layoff last July, re-establishing himself as one of the
140-pound division’s top prospects. He made his Bubble debut Aug. 22 and
knocked out the previously undefeated Anthony Laureano in the first round.
Rodriguez turned pro in 2013 as an 18-year-old, and at 25 years old, is
approaching contender status.
*Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (12-0, 8 KOs) vs. TBA*
8 Rounds, Light Flyweight
Rodriguez, a 20-year-old southpaw prodigy from San Antonio, Texas, put
forth a star-making performance inside the Bubble Sept. 5, knocking down
the normally iron-chinned Janiel Rivera three times en route to a
first-round stoppage. Trained by Robert Garcia and promoted by Teiken
Promotions, Rodriguez has won four straight bouts by stoppage, and his
sublime footwork reminds many boxing observers of Vasiliy Lomachenko.
*Andy Hiraoka (15-0, 10 KOs) vs. Rickey Edwards (12-4, 3 KOs)*
8 Rounds, Junior Welterweight
Hiraoka, a stablemate of Inoue’s from Yokohama, Japan, made his U.S. debut
last November and knocked out Rogelio Casarez in two rounds. A former high
school distance-running star, the 24-year-old also bested former world
title challenger Akihiro Kondo via 10-round decision in July 2019. Edwards,
from Paterson, N.J., hopes to snap a two-bout losing skid and pick up his
third victory over a previously undefeated prospect.
*Andres Cortes (13-0, 7 KOs) vs. George Acosta (10-1, 1 KO)*
8 Rounds, Junior Lightweight
Cortes returns for his second Bubble bout nearly four months removed from
his July 7 slugfest against Alejandro Salinas. Cortes recovered from a
fourth-round knockdown to earn an eight-round unanimous decision. As an
amateur, he notched a pair of victories over undisputed lightweight world
champion Teofimo Lopez. Acosta, from Long Beach, Calif., has won
three consecutive fights since a six-round decision defeat to Ruben Torres.
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