Savage Cortes Battles Nova in Highly Anticipated Junior Lightweight Clash
On June 21st, the BleauLive Theater in Fontainebleau Las Vegas will play host to a highly anticipated junior lightweight bout between undefeated contender Andres “Savage” Cortes (21-0, 12 KOs) and Abraham Nova (23-2, 16 KOs). This clash will serve as the co-main event to Rafael Espinoza’s WBO featherweight world title defense against Sergio Chirino.
Cortes expressed confidence in his preparation, stating, “This has been one of my better training camps. I’ve been fully focused on executing the game plan for Nova during all sparring sessions. I’ve grown a lot as a fighter during the last couple of months and I’ll be ready to put on a great performance for the fans. My weight is in place and all the hard work is paying off.“
Nova, who pushed WBC champion O’Shaquie Foster to the limit in a close split decision loss in February, will be a formidable opponent. The Puerto Rican’s only other defeat came against Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez in June 2022, when he was knocked out in the fifth round. Cortes acknowledged the challenge, saying, “I believe this will be the most difficult fight of my career. Nova has fought for a world title already and knows what it’s like to fight at the championship level. I must break him down and make adjustments. My brother (Luis) has a perfect game plan that we’ve been working on and I will follow instructions as the fight goes on.“
A victory for Cortes would significantly boost his championship aspirations. Currently ranked second by the WBO and 14th by the WBC, with Nova ranked fourth, Cortes is eager to seize the opportunity. “A win puts me in position to fight for a world title. This will be the turning point of my career. A victory will solidify me as one of the best fighters in the super featherweight division. More opportunities will come my way with a win.“
Cortes is particularly excited to compete in his hometown of Las Vegas, where he hopes to deliver a standout performance for his supporters. “Fighting at home brings the best out of me. All my family and friends will be in attendance. I want to give my fans my best performance, and scoring a knockout will be the goal. The exposure from fighting on ESPN is something I look forward to, and I’m grateful to Top Rank, my promoter, for this opportunity.“
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