In the past two weeks, boxing fans have had to shell out quite a bit of cash to catch Jake Paul’s latest win in Dallas and Terence Crawford’s dominating performance in Las Vegas. This weekend, viewers will be able to keep their cash in their pockets as there are three intriguing boxing cards set for Saturday, August 12. Leading the way, Melvin Lopez and Emmanuel Rodriguez will fight for the IBF Bantamweight Championship in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Before they get going, a Maryland native by the name of Travon Marshall will welcome fans to the MGM National Harbor. Coming off of his latest win against Justin DeLoach, Marshall will go toe-to-toe with two-time Olympian Gabriel Maestre. The Landover-born boxer may only be 22 years old, but he says that he is prepared to make a statement in a division that will soon enter a post-Terence Crawford era in which all four titles are up for grabs.
“A victory [against] him is going to stamp me in the 147-pound division,” Marshall told Brian Custer of Showtime on Thursday, August 10.
“With me being [as] young [as I am and] only having eight fights, [getting to fight] a two-time Olympian is an amazing thing.”
Marshall may be taking on the toughest test of his young career, but this is far from an easy outing for Maestre. The 37-year-old beat former world champion Devon Alexander by TKO in April. Prior to that fight, he fought Taras Shelestyuk to a split decision draw in 2022 and earned a very controversial decision victory against Mykal Fox in 2021. He’ll be put to the test on Saturday, but he says that he’s ready for the challenge.
“He’d better be ready for each and every round because I’m coming for it all,” Maestre said on Thursday, August 10.
“I know that he’s young. I know that he’s hungry and I know that he’s going to be fighting at home, but I have prepared myself thoroughly. I’m ready for war.”
