Top Rank announced two world champions will fight on an upcoming boxing card streamed on ESPN+, but only one of them will get to defend their title.
IBF super middleweight champion Jose Uzcategui will fight Ezequiel Maderna in the main event of the September 28 Top Rank on ESPN+ card at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. The fight will be a 10-round non-title bout.
Uzcategui was supposed to defend his title against Caleb Plant, but Plant suffered a hand injury several weeks ago, delaying his title opportunity. At the time, the fight was not announced, but it was expected that it would have taken place sometime either in September or October. Uzcategui has yet to defend his title since being elevated from interim champion to full champion after James DeGale vacated the belt back in July.
As for the other world champion competing on the card, IBF super flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas will defend his title against Alejandro Santiago. The fight was previously reported to take place on September 29, but the fight had not been formally announced. This will be Ancajas’ sixth defense of the title as Santiago, coming off a split draw against unbeaten contender Jose Martinez in his last fight, will be challenging for his first world title.
Ancajas will be competing on an ESPN platform for the fourth consecutive fight and second time on ESPN+. In Ancajas’ last fight, a main event fight on ESPN+, Ancajas defeated mandatory challenger Jonas Sultan in the first boxing world title fight between two Filipinos in more than half a century.
