Strictly Business Boxing
Strictly Business Boxing

November 2: Jahi Tucker and Damian Knyba

Join Conceição-Foster II Undercard

Turning Stone Resort Casino LIVE On ESPN+!

(October 5th) Long Island-born middleweight prospect Jahi Tucker and unbeaten Polish heavyweight Damian Knyba will return in separate eight-rounders on Saturday, Nov. 2, at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, N.Y.

 

Tucker will take on veteran Quilisto Madera, while Knyba aims to keep his unbeaten record intact against Ghana’s Richard Lartey.

 

Tucker-Madera and Knyba-Lartey join a loaded bill headlined by the rematch between newly crowned WBC junior lightweight world champion Robson Conceição and former titleholder O'Shaquie Foster.

 

In the 10-round co-feature, lightweight contender Raymond Muratalla will face the upset-minded Jesus Perez.

 

Venue: Turning Stone Resort & Casino, Verona, New York

Promoter: Bob Arum - Top Rank

Matchmaker: Brad Goodman

Media: ESPN+ the entire card will stream live and exclusively in the United States on ESPN+.

 

Promoted by Top Rank, tickets are on sale and can be purchased at the Turning Stone Resort Casino Box Office, charge by phone by calling 800.771.7711, or online at Ticketmaster.com.

 

Tucker (12-1-1, 5 KOs) turned pro in September 2020 and made three appearances inside the Top Rank Las Vegas Bubble, including a first-round stoppage of Deandre Anderson in his debut. Tucker suffered his first setback with a majority decision loss to Nicklaus Flaz in July 2023 and battled to a draw against Olympian Francisco Veron that December. He returned to form by decisioning Quincy LaVallais in June and Santiago Fernandez in August. Madera (14-5, 9 KOs), a 10-year pro from Stockton, California, returns following a knockout loss to top prospect Amari Jones last December.

 

Knyba (13-0, 7 KOs) made his U.S. debut in May 2022 with a six-round decision over Terrell Jamal Woods. In January 2023, he signed with Top Rank and registered an eighth-round TKO over Curtis Harper in April. He secured decision wins over Helaman Olguin in June and Michael Coffie in December. Lartey (16-6, 13 KOs) is coming off consecutive knockouts, including a fourth-round stoppage of Polish former world title challenger Andrzej Wawrzyk in April.

 

In additional undercard action:

Unbeaten heavyweight Ali Feliz (3-0, 2 KOs) will fight Rashad Coulter (5-4, 3 KOs) in a six-rounder. Feliz, a former Team USA amateur standout from Danbury, Connecticut, kicked off his career in the paid ranks with a second-round TKO over Anthony Woodson III in April. He followed up with a first-round stoppage of Lemir Isom-Riley in June and a four-round points verdict against unbeaten Robinson Perez in July.

 

Unbeaten Dominican featherweight phenom Yan Santana (12-0, 11 KOs) will step up in class in a 10-round showdown against former world title challenger Eduardo Baez (23-6-2, 9 KOs). Santana enters this bout following a decision win over Brandon Valdes in June. Baez most recently dropped a decision to Angelo Leo, who won the IBF featherweight world title in his next fight.

As the debate over their first encounter remains intense, Robson Conceição and O'Shaquie Foster are wasting no time running it back.

 

Conceição will defend his WBC junior lightweight world title against Foster on Saturday, Nov. 2, at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York. Conceição dethroned Foster via split decision in a fiercely contested matchup in July.

 

In the 10-round co-feature, lightweight contender Raymond Muratalla returns against the upset-hungry Jesus Perez.

 

Conceição-Foster II and Muratalla-Perez headline a stacked card that will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+.

 

Former world title challenger Abraham "El Super" Nova (23-3, 16 KOs) will see action on the undercard in a 10-round junior lightweight tilt against Mexico’s Humberto Galindo (14-3-2, 11 KOs). Nova looks to end 2024 on a high note after close split decision losses to Foster in February and Andres Cortes in June.

 

Local favorite Bryce Mills (16-1, 5 KOs), from nearby Liverpool, New York, faces former world title challenger Hank Lundy (32-14-1, 14 KOs) in an eight-round junior welterweight contest.

 

“Conceição and Foster are eager to prove themselves following their initial fight,” said Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum. “This rematch is about setting things straight. Both want to show who the better man is, which will make for an exciting, competitive matchup, with the winner positioning himself for a chance at a unification bout.”

 

Conceição (19-2-1, 9 KOs), Brazil's first Olympic boxing gold medalist, turned professional in November 2016. His losses have been to unbeaten world champions, suffering a narrow points defeat to then-WBC champ Oscar Valdez in September 2021 and a loss to Shakur Stevenson in a bid for two world titles one year later. After a no contest against Nicolas Polanco in June 2023, Conceição fought then-WBO champion Emanuel Navarrete to a majority draw that November. In April, he stopped Jose Guardado in seven rounds. Motivated by his perseverance to win Olympic gold on his third attempt, Conceição captured world title glory on his fourth try.

 

Conceição said, "I'm fully focused and ready for my first title defense. Every fight is a new opportunity to prove myself, and on November 2, I’ll step into the ring with the same determination and hunger that brought me here. I respect O'Shaquie Foster, but I will show why I’m the true champion. My team and I have worked tirelessly, and I’m confident our efforts will be rewarded again. Foster, don’t run in the ring! See you in Verona!"

 

Foster (23-3, 12 KOs) turned pro in 2012 following a decorated amateur career with over 100 fights and an alternate spot on the U.S. Olympic team. After early-career setbacks, including a split decision to Rolando Chinea in July 2016, he mounted a successful resurgence under the guidance of trainer Bobby Benton. Foster then went on a 12-fight winning streak, capturing the WBC crown with a points triumph over Rey Vargas in February 2023 and defending it on enemy turf with a thrilling 12th-round stoppage of Rocky Hernandez last October. Foster made the second defense of his strap by decisioning Nova in February.

 

Foster said, “I can't wait for November 2. I'm ready to go out there and make a statement. That bad decision woke something up in me, and now all I can think about is the ‘get back.’ I want to thank everybody who pushed for the right thing to be done. Now the focus is to become a two-time champion.”

 

Muratalla (21-0, 16 KOs), a 27-year-old contender on the cusp of a world title opportunity, had a flawless 2023, going 3-0 with three knockouts. In March, he rose off the deck following a first-round knockdown to stop Galindo with a body shot in the ninth. That May, he opened the Devin Haney-Vasiliy Lomachenko pay-per-view by dismantling Jeremiah Nakathila in two rounds. He capped off the year in November by dispatching Mexican power puncher Diego Torres in eight. In 2024, Muratalla tallied points verdicts in 10-rounders versus Xolisani Ndongeni in March and former world champion Tevin Farmer in July.

 

Muratalla said, “I’m excited to get back in the ring. I like staying active, so fighting for the third time this year will keep me sharp as I get closer to a world title. Jesus Perez is tough and experienced. He’ll bring the fight, which means it will be an exciting clash where I can show my skills.”

 

Perez (25-5, 18 KOs) went 21-0 with 16 knockouts before suffering his first defeat against then-unbeaten Ruslan Madiyev in May 2018. Since then, the Tijuana, Mexico, native has tested the likes of welterweight contender Alexis Rocha and eventual WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. In his last outing, he upset former world champion Joseph Diaz Jr. by split decision.

 

About Turning Stone Resort Casino

Host of the November 2 event, Turning Stone Resort Casino is a Forbes Four-Star Award-winning destination resort, which continues to distinguish itself as a premier destination for major boxing events that are broadcast around the world. Boxing hall-of-famers and legends of the sport have attended fights, promoted cards, or fought at Turning Stone over the last two decades, including Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Miquel Cotto, Mike Tyson among many others.  

 

Turning Stone is the Official Resort Casino of the International Boxing Hall of Fame Weekend, an international event celebrating boxing legends and current superstars in the sport. Throughout the year, Turning Stone and the Boxing Hall of Fame attract thousands of boxing fans, Hall of Famers and sports media to the region for a series of boxing events at Turning Stone that culminate in June with the International Boxing Hall of Fame Weekend.

 

Turning Stone features world-class amenities including NY Rec & Social Club, featuring TS Sports, a state-of-the-art sports book an elevated sports lounge, five hotels, more than 20 signature dining options, two spas, a 125,000 square foot Las Vegas style gaming floor, multiple entertainment venues, five golf courses, and several bars and lounges offering live entertainment every weekend.

 

About ESPN+

ESPN+ is the multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. It reached 2 million subscribers in less than a year and offers fans thousands of live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, along with premium editorial content.

 

Programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of MLB and NHL games, exclusive UFC, Top Rank boxing and PFL fights and events, top domestic and international soccer (Serie A, MLS, FA Cup, UEFA Nations League, EFL Championship, EFL Carabao Cup, Eredivisie, and more), thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and other sports), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, new and exclusive series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films. Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and can cancel at any time.

 

ESPN+ is available as an integrated part of the ESPN App (on mobile and connected devices) and ESPN.com.

 

About ESPN

In the UK, ESPN operates a successful and growing business that includes a collection of leading sports websites and apps, an expanding sports content sales business, live and on-demand streaming service ESPN Player, and a long-term collaboration with BT Sport that includes BT Sport operating an ESPN-branded channel as part of its television business.

 

ESPN UK combines bespoke content from an experienced London-based team with the best writing on other sites in ESPN’s global digital portfolio, including ESPNcricinfo.com and ESPN FC. More than 100 staff from multiple locations contribute to ESPN UK’s coverage across football, rugby, cricket, tennis, boxing and golf, offering both a local and global view.

 

ESPN’s UK business is part of ESPN International, a division of ESPN, Inc., which has grown to include ownership — in whole or in part — of 26 television networks outside of the United States, as well as a variety of additional businesses that allow ESPN to reach sports fans in more than 60 countries and territories across all seven continents. Since 1983, ESPN (founded in Bristol, Connecticut, in 1979) has grown around the world, establishing itself as the leading global sports media brand – ESPN.com is one of the world’s leading sports websites. The company’s philosophy to global growth is to always serve sports fans and be locally relevant to them, with content and products that tap into their great passion and dedication. ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc., which is an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. The Hearst Corporation holds a 20 percent interest in ESPN.

 

About Top Rank

Innovation has been the standard at Top Rank since it was established in 1966 by Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum. The boxing industry’s leading promotional company, Top Rank has shaped, developed, and promoted the careers of top international pay-per-view superstars and Hall of Famers, including Muhammad Ali, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Aaron Pryor, Alexis Arguello, Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Miguel Cotto, Erik Morales, Terence Crawford, and Vasiliy Lomachenko.

 

Top Rank has promoted some of the most memorable fights in the sport’s history, including 26 Ali events, Leonard vs. Hearns, Pryor vs. Arguello, Duran vs. Leonard, Hagler vs. Hearns, Leonard vs. Hagler, Foreman vs. Holyfield, Morales vs. Barrera, De La Hoya vs. Trinidad, and the most lucrative fight in boxing history, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. In addition to the previously mentioned super fights, Top Rank possesses one of the largest sports libraries, which includes nearly 10,000 fights.

 

Known for creating strategic collaborations between athletes, sponsors, and television networks, Top Rank has been an architect of boxing’s global growth by staging high-profile events in landmark settings around the world, including Madison Square Garden, MGM Grand Garden Arena, Staples Center, Wembley Arena, Araneta Coliseum, The Venetian Macao, Yankee Stadium, Radio City Music Hall, The “Fabulous” Forum, and AT&T Stadium. Top Rank has also been the leader within the boxing industry in creating unforgettable in-arena experiences for fans and embracing 21st century technological advancements to distribute world-class fights and shoulder programming across a variety of platforms.

Print | Sitemap
© Strictly Business Boxing