By: Hans Themistode
It was a feeling of déjà vu when Jose Pedraza and Mikkel LesPierre faced off during yesterday’s weigh-ins.
Just two weeks prior they stepped onto the scales for a contest that never took place. Now however, their super lightweight matchup will officially go down at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Their contest has had its fair share of storyline twists and turns. For starters, their original date of June 18th, was scrapped when Jose Tavares, the manager of LesPierre, tested positive for COVID-19. The super lightweight contender did not produce any positive test results of his own but was still forced off the card.
The positive results Tavares may have been a blessing in disguise though. Policies regarding how many personnel are allowed inside the “bubble” was reduced along with a host of other rules. With a two week postponement came another change in the way this matchup will be contested. Originally, the 140 pound limit was the target mark. Now, both men have agreed to a weight limit of 144 pounds. Something they made comfortably during the weigh-ins.
For Pedraza, he’s looking for redemption inside of the ring. He’s lost two of his last three contests and has not held a world title since 2018. LesPierre on the other hand, is simply looking to one day grab a world title of his own. In his first bid to do so against Maurice Hooker in early 2019, he came up woefully short, losing nearly every round on the judges scorecards.
Joining Pedraza and LesPierre on the card will be one of the biggest upsets of 2019. Robeisy Ramirez came into the sport of boxing with all of the hype in the world. Not only had he won gold in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, but in his latest gold winning effort, he defeated WBO featherweight titlist Shakur Stevenson.
The bright star that was thought to be Ramirez’s professional career, was quickly dampened when he was dropped and ultimately lost to journeymen Adan Gonzales during his debut. He has since won three contests in a row, all via stoppage. He’ll look to get past his early career stain when the two rematch in the co main event.
The action kicks off at 8 PM ET tonight on ESPN. For the rest of the card and weigh-in results, scroll down below.
Jose Pedraza 143.9 pounds (26-3, 13 KOs) vs Mikkel LesPierre 143.5 pounds (22-1-1, 10 KOs)
Robeisy Ramirez 125.1 pounds (3-1, 3 KOs) vs Adan Gonzales 125.4 pounds (5-2-2, 2 KOs)
Albert Bell 133 pounds (16-0, 5KOs) vs Mark Bernaldez 132 pounds (20-3, 14KOs)
Carlos Jackson (16-0, 11KOs) 125.1 pounds vs Jose Enrique Durantes Vivas 125.9 pounds
Elvis Rodriguez 140.2 pounds (6-0-1, 6 KOs) vs Dan Murray 139.2 pounds (5-3)
Kingsley Ibeh 284.1 pounds (4-1, 4 KOs) vs Patrick Mailata 284 pounds (4-0, 2 KOs)