SOTO DEFENDS WORLD TITLE AGAINST TAKAYAMA ON MAY 8

Published by Shawn C.

**Elwin
Soto* will defend his WBO World Light-Flyweight title against *Katsunari
Takayama*as the chief-support bout to the blockbuster Super-Middleweight
unification clash between Canelo Alvarez and Billy Joe Saunders on May 8 at
AT&T stadium in Arlington, TX, live worldwide on DAZN (except Mexico).

*TICKETS ARE ON SALE AT SEATGEEK.COM*
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Soto (18-1 12 KOs) fights under the Matchroom banner for the first time on
the show having penned a deal with Eddie Hearn last week. The Mexican makes
the third defense of the crown he ripped from Angel Acosta in dramatic
fashion with a final round KO win in California in June 2019 and has seen
off the challenges of Edward Heno in October 2019 and Carlos Butrago last
October.

The 24 year old now puts the crown on the line against the seasoned
Japanese Takayama (32-8 12 KOs). The five-time Minimumweight champion made
his return to professional action in December in Osaka, Japan having left
the paid ranks as a World ruler in 2017 to aim for the 2020 Olympics in
Tokyo – and now the 37 year old has switched his focus to becoming a
two-weight World champion.

There’s a stacked card under the two World title fights, led by *Kieron
Conway* defending his WBA Intercontinental Super-Welterweight title
against *Souleymane
Cissokho*.

Conway (16-1-1 3 KOs) picked up the title with an impressive win over Navid
Mansouri at Matchroom’s Fight Camp in Brentwood, Essex in August. Conway
and Cissokho (12-0 8 KOs) were due to meet on the undercard of Anthony
Joshua’s win over Kubrat Pulev in London in December, but the bout had to
be shelved, so Conway took his frustrations out on Macauley McGowan on that
card instead, with a shut-out win over ten rounds.

French Olympian Cissokho shrugged off his pain at missing the original
fight date on the undercard of his manager Joshua by recording his eighth
KO win from 12 outings with a sixth round stoppage of Daniel Echeverria in
Dallas in March, setting up a rescheduled clash with Conway that is full of
intrigue and importance for their respective careers.

*Frank Sanchez* (17-0 13 KOs) let his hands go for a seventh round KO win
over Julian Fernandez on the undercard of Alvarez’s win over Callum Smith
in San Antonio, Texas in December, and the big Cuban Heavyweight will be
looking to repeat that feat against *Nagy Aguilera* (21-10 14 KOs).

Sanchez is ranked at a lofty #6 with the WBO, and the 28 year old Eddy
Reynoso charge will be plotting a route to the crunch clashes with his
fellow big-hitters, but Aguilera will be planning to give him a tough night
and the 34 year old comes into the bout on the back of a 21st career win in
November.

Mexican-American talent* Marc Castro* (2-0 2 KOs) makes it three Canelo
undercard appearances from three since making his pro debut on the
Canelo-Smith card in Texas. The stellar amateur recorded a third round
stoppage that night and followed that with a second round KO in Miami on
the Canelo-Yildirim bill – the 21 year old will be looking to shine on the
biggest stage once again over eight rounds against an opponent to be named
soon.

Castro’s old amateur foe *Keyshawn Davis* (2-0 2 KOs) made his debut at the
Hard Rock Stadium and he appears alongside Castro once again in his third
pro outing. The Virginia starlet grabbed a second round win that night over
Lester Brown and followed that by forcing Richman Ashelley to retire after
four rounds of their battle in Dubai earlier this month, and Davis will
face *Jose Antonio Meza* (6-4 1 KO) over six rounds. It’s a family affair
on the night with Keyshawn’s brother *Kelvin Davis* (1-0 1 KO) fights for
the second time in the paid ranks after a second round KO win on his debut
in December in Los Angeles, taking on Jan Marsalek (8-2 7 KOs) over six
rounds.

Rounding off the undercard, Mexican Welterweight *Christian Alan Gomez
Duran* (19-2-1 17 KOs) is on another Canelo undercard after stopping Angel
Hernandez in three rounds in San Antonio in December, and he’ll celebrate
Cinco De Mayo weekend over eight rounds against an opponent to be named
soon.

“It’s a stacked night of action at the home of the Dallas Cowboys on Cinco
De Mayo weekend,” said promoter *Eddie Hearn*. “Elwin Soto is a great
addition to our stable and the Mexican World champion will want to dazzle
on the biggest stage against the experienced Takayama.

“The clash between Kieron and Souleymane is a cracker, and I am thrilled
for both of them that they get to perform on this stage – there will be
some spice there after it was postponed in December and now, they get their
hands on each other in Texas.