Jose Pedraza-Richard Commey Both Need Win Saturday Night

Coming up Saturday night two former world champions, both in need of a victory will take the spotlight in the Top Rank Boxing main event at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa, OK.

Jose Pedraza and Richard Commey both realize that their 10 round, non-title main event is crucial to jump start their careers at a new weight (140 lb.) for both,

🇵🇷 🆚 🇬🇭#PedrazaCommey | SAT | ESPN pic.twitter.com/52dZgWwmnG

— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) August 25, 2022

From the Top Rank Boxing release about the fight and the undercard,

“Puerto Rico’s former two-weight world champion Jose “Sniper” Pedraza (29-4, 14 KOs) will battle former lightweight champion Richard “RC” Commey (30-4, 27 KOs). The heavyweight co-feature — scheduled for eight rounds (or far less) — features the long-awaited return of Toledo native Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson (11-0, 11 KOs) against Serbian veteran Miljan Rovcanin (24-2, 16 KOs).

Heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr. (2-0, 2 KOs), who captured a silver medal last summer in Tokyo, looks to make it three knockouts in a row versus Marco Antonio Canedo (4-2, 2 KOs).

Pedraza-Commey, Anderson-Rovcanin and Torrez-Canedo will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT.

Undercard action — streaming exclusively on ESPN+ at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT — includes the return of heavyweight destroyer Efe Ajagba (15-1, 12 KOs), junior welterweight prospect and U.S. Olympian Tiger Johnson (4-0, 3 KOs), Cleveland-born lightweight sensation Abdullah Mason (3-0, 3 KOs), rising junior welterweight Kelvin Davis (5-0, 4 KOs), light heavyweight puncher Dante Benjamin Jr. (3-0, 2 KOs), featherweight prospect Haven Brady Jr. (7-0, 4 KOs), and Tulsa-born heavyweight Jeremiah Milton (5-0, 4 KOs).”

Pedraza made clear that he knows what’s at stake at this stage of his career, “Same as Richard, I’m coming off a loss. I’m looking for a big win and to stay among the top names in the division.

“A big win on Saturday against a great fighter like Richard Commey will put me a step closer to a world title opportunity. That’s what we’re looking for.”

Hear our insider Dan Rafael and me previewing Pedraza-Commey and the undercard as par to the “Big Fight Weekend Preview” by clicking below,

As for the IBF lightweight champ Commey he agrees with Pedraza of needing this victory,

“It’s very important because I lost my last fight in December. It’s an opportunity to get back to winning ways, and this is my first fight at 140. I just want to announce myself. We share the same opponent twice {Lomachenko and Ray Beltran}. It’s a good fight and I’m looking forward to it.”

Commey’s lopsided decision loss to Lomachenko came on the heels of a good performance in the Top Rank/ESPN co-feature KO of Jackson Marinez i nFebruary 2021. He hopes to rebound Saturday.

Finally, Pedraza’s March loss to former world jr. welterweight champ Jose Ramirez in March stopped a three fight win streak for him. Something he can “kick start” with a good showing in Tulsa.