Vincent Astrolabio vs. Nikolai Potapov will be the opening bout of the SHOWTIME championship boxing telecast headlined by Michel Rivera vs. Frank Martin on December 17th.
Vincent Astrolabio (17-3, 12 KOs) of General Santos City, Philippines is promoted by Manny Pacquiao’s MP promotions and is coming off a huge upset victory over legendary Cuban two-time Olympic gold medalist and boxing champion Guillermo Rigondeaux.
The Filipino wants to become a world champion and a win over a slick southpaw and once dominant boxer like Rigondeaux boosted his confidence.
Nikolai Potapov (23-2-1, 11 KOs) who trains out of Miami, Florida isn’t impressed with Astrolabio, and thinks his win over Rigondeaux was a fluke because the Cuban was already old and passed his prime.
The winner of Astrolabio vs. Potapov will become the mandatory challenger for the IBF title which is held by current undisputed bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue of Japan.
The main event pits two undefeated lightweight rising stars, Michel Rivera and Frank Martin against each other in a battle for the WBA mandatory challenger spot.
The WBA lightweight title eliminator bout will be set for 12-rounds and the winner could be next in line for a title shot. When two unbeaten contenders who are young and in their prime go head to head it can either be an action fight with both guys motivated to finish the other, or they could fight safe and afraid to lose so the card goes to the scorecards.
Fight Card
Lightweight WBA title eliminator -Michel Rivera vs. Frank Martin
Super Middleweight IBF title eliminator – Jose Uzcategui vs. Vladimir Shishkin
Bantamweight IBF title eliminator – Vincent Astrolabio vs. Nikolai Potapov
Watch Vincent Astrolabio vs. Nikolai Potapov Live on Showtime on Saturday, December 17, 2022 at 10:00 PM ET / 7:00 PM PT.
