Petrov-Walsh set for WBO final eliminator

The winner of ESPN's 2014 Boxcino tournament, Petr Petrov (36-4-2, 17 KOs), will take on Liam Walsh (19-0, 13 KOs) on Oct. 10 as the WBO's final lightweight eliminator bout. The fight will take place at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. The winner of that fight will become the mandatory challenger for the winner between current titleholder Terry Flanagan and Diego Magdaleno - who will headline the card.

"This is a great opportunity to fight in a WBO final eliminator," Petrov said. "This brings me closer to a world title, which has been a lifelong dream of mine. It's been a long road for me to get to this position, and I want to make my family and friends proud. I want to thank Artie Pelullo for believing in me and for getting me the chance. I won't disappoint."

"Fighting Liam Walsh on his home turf will be tough, but at this point in my career there is no cutting corners," Petrov said. "Walsh is in my way, and I must beat him to achieve my goals. He is a young, strong fighter, but he has never seen anybody like me inside the ring."

Petrov is 8 fights removed from being KO'd by Marcos Maidana back in 2011, and has gone 7-1 in that span, losing only to Dejan Zlaticanin in a 2013 decision. Promoter Artie Pellulo credits Petrov winning the Boxcino tournament (the one he created) as the reason Petrov has gotten this shot at the final eliminator for the WBO title.

Walsh is the reigning British and Commonwealth champ and is coming off a 6th round KO over Isaias Santos Sampaio back in July.