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Top welterweight contender Kudratillo Abdukakhorov was slated to face Javier Flores on Showtime’s March 13th David Benavidez-Ronald Ellis tripleheader, but the Uzbek was nowhere to be found on Tuesday’s press release. Asian Boxing reports that with Flores waylaid by COVID, Abdukakhorov will instead face unbeaten Canadian Cody Crowley on April 10th.
That’s the same date on which Jaron Ennis fights Sergey Lipinets on Showtime, so the two fights will presumably share a card
The 27-year-old Crowley (19-0, 9 KO) has fought all over North America in almost seven years as a professional, contenting himself against low- to mid-tier opposition. Per BoxRec, he hasn’t lost a round since 2016 in any fight that’s gone the distance, and notably defeated Josh Torres on the September 2020 Ugas-Ramos undercard; here’s what Scott had to say about him:
Crowley, a 27-year-old Canadian welterweight and former Floyd Mayweather sparring partner, doesn’t have a lot of pop (though it should be said Torres has never been stopped), but he’s got some skills. As far as upside, I don’t know — fringe contender, probably, if we’re giving an honest assessment, but he’s a determined guy who will look to prove that wrong, and will absolutely give it everything he’s got to do so
Definitely more palatable than Flores, I’d say, and a decent comeback foe for Abdukakhorov (17-0, 9 KO) considering the latter hasn’t fought since September 2019.