He was fighting TBA, according to BoxRec, so I had to ask Abraham Nova (15-0, 11 KO) who he’d actually be fighting Friday night near Boston, in Everett, Massachusetts.
The super featherweight hitter said that he’d be matched with Luis Ronaldo Castillo (20-3, 15 KO), from Mexico, and their tango will top a Murphys Boxing show at Encore Boston Harbor.
That featured bout will screen on UFC Fight Pass, and a few bouts from the undercard will be featured on Facebook FightNight Live before that.
Nova, who lives in Albany, New York, is managed by Split T, David McWater, and Tim Van Newhouse. I asked for a scouting report on Castillo.
“He’s a rangy fighter, he likes to use his distance, at time he likes to fight. Castillo has a good jab, but we’re looking to shut that down,” Nova said.
His last time out, Nova, ranked No. 6 by the WBA, stopped Mario Ezequiel Lozano, who started out looking ultra defensive on May 10 in Massachusetts. He brought his hands down with body work, and his launches to the body proved very hurtful.
“I’m a boxer-puncher, I have a great boxing IQ,” he shared, but yeah, he is more than happy to end things early. His power is rock-solid, in his estimation.
Nova told me he is looking to steal the show, even though everyone is raving about the Encore, how gorgeous it is.
He said he was born in Puerto Rico, but boasts Dominican blood, and so he’s happy to get support from fight fans in each place.
And looking to the near future, will he maybe be able to fight for a crown soon? The beginning of 2020, he’s thinking that could well happen.
“I feel like I’m the best fighter in that division,” he said. He believes he just hasn’t been able to fight the people who will help him prove that.
“I just need that spotlight, once I get that spotlight, I’ma take over!”
Wait — better than Gervonta Davis?
”I’m telling you, I am better than Davis. I’m faster, I’m stronger, I’m smarter. He has had that spotlight, and I don’t. But once I receive that spotlight, I’m gonna take over!”
Does he think Gervonta is overrated? He’s doing what he’s expected to do, and no shade being cast at Davis, and Nova believes “he is a good fighter. I’m also a great fighter. I feel like I’m better than him.”
And when they collide, the world will see as much, he continued. He spoke more about why it is necessary for an athlete to believe quite highly in themself (at 55:20).
Oh, and he’d like to fight another 130-pound champ, Tevin Farmer, as well. He shared who he’d think would win if and when Davis battled Farmer.
Nova said that he has to this point learned the most from his second pro fight. It took place in Brooklyn, at Coney Island. He beat 3-2-1 Wilfredo Garriga, and he knew he’d need to be more patient, and not go KO hunting. He went down in that fight, after never being dropped, not even in sparring, he told me.
“I’m glad that that happened at that time, and I was glad to be able to learn from that,” he said.
The fighter has a pleasant personality. He is a positive sort, and showered love on his home base in Albany. “One thing for sure, there’s hardly no traffic, so it’s great to live there,” he said.
The fighting pride of Albany, New York, then. His NABA 130-pound crown will be up for grabs tomorrow night.