Saturday: Lejarraga vs. Gavin LIVE on ESPN+

Published by Shawn C.

(Nov. 14, 2018) — Spain’s best-kept pugilistic secret is ready to impress American fight fans. Kerman “Revolver” Lejarraga, the big-punching welterweight with the signature rat tail hairdo, will defend the European welterweight title against longtime contender Frankie Gavin on Saturday evening from the BEC Bizkaia Arena in Bilbao, Spain.

Lejarraga-Gavin will headline a card that will stream live and exclusively in the United States beginning at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+ — the new multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment in conjunction with ESPN.

The Lejarraga-Gavin main event is expected to start around 5:30 p.m. ET. In one of the undercard bouts, lightweight contender Roberto Ramirez (18-2-1, 13 KOs), coming off a stunning knockout win against former lightweight world champion Dejan Zlaticanin, will face Oscar Amador (10-8, 1 KO) in an eight-rounder.

Lejarraga (26-0, 21 KOs) is a five-year pro who has fought all but one of his professional fights in Spain. His breakthrough performance came earlier this year against former British welterweight champion Bradley Skeete, who entered the bout with a 27-1 record. In a brutal exhibition of power punching, Lejarraga knocked Skeete down three times in the second round to capture the vacant European title. Lejarraga has knocked out 11 of his past 12 opponents and is ranked in the top 10 by all four major sanctioning organizations.

Gavin (26-3, 15 KOs) is one of the most decorated amateurs in recent British history, having won a gold medal at the 2007 World Championships before qualifying for the 2008 Olympics. A former British and Commonwealth welterweight champion, Gavin won the first 19 bouts of his career before dropping a 2014 split decision to Leonard Bundu for the European title. He has won three straight fights since an eighth-round stoppage loss to Sam Eggington. Gavin, a crafty southpaw, represents perhaps the stiffest test of Lejarraga’s young career.

In other action, Jon Miguez (8-0, 5 KOs) will fight Abdessamad Nechchad (8-1-1, 0 KOs) in an eight-round welterweight fight. And, in an eight rounder for the vacant Spanish featherweight title, Ibon Larrinaga (11-2, 2 KOs) will face Carlos Ramos (9-1, 6 KOs).

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