Neslan Machado vs Alexander Mejia set for July 20 on ESPN+

Super bantamweights Neslan Machado and Alexander Mejia will meet on July 20 in Brentwood, England, in a 10-round bout that will air on ESPN+ in the United States.

While this may not seem like any big fight on paper, it’s an important fight for both men, as they’re ranked by the WBA and a win puts them closer to a potential title shot. The WBA super bantamweight title is currently held by Daniel Roman, who has been ordered to face mandatory challenger Murodjon Akhmadaliev. There’s also interim titleholder Brandon Figueroa.

Machado (16-0, 8 KO) is a 22-year-old Cuban now based in Miami, ranked No. 13 by the WBA. He’s coming off of a win on March 22 over Aldimar Silva in Miami, and has fought in the UK before — in fact, he spent a good bulk of his 2018 there, going 3-0 with wins in Belfast, Bolton, and at London’s York Hall.

Mejia (13-1, 6 KO) is a 27-year-old Nicaraguan. His loss was a majority decision in Japan back in Dec. 2017 against Hiroshige Osawa. Since then, he’s won five in a row, most recently fighting on April 6. His last three bouts have all been in Guatemala, and he has no really notable wins, which makes his WBA ranking ridiculous, but when a lot of sanctioning body rankings are. Machado being 13 isn’t exactly logical, either.

The July 20 card will also feature Liam Walsh (22-1, 15 KO), who you may remember challenging Gervonta Davis for a 130-pound title in 2017, and welterweight Michael McKinson (16-0, 2 KO) among others.