Erik Bazinyan-Alantez Fox super middleweight showdow in Montreal Thursday

Undefeated super middleweight contender Erik Bazinyan, ranked in the top 10 by all four major sanctioning organizations, returns in a 10-round main event this Thursday, Feb. 2, against American veteran Alantez Fox at Casino de Montréal in Montreal, Canada.

Bazinyan, a 10-year-pro, hopes a victory over the 6-foot-4 Fox moves him closer to a world title opportunity.

Bazinyan-Fox and undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ starting at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

Bazinyan (28-0, 21 KOs) has spent his entire pro career in Canada after moving from Armenia at 16. Promoted by Camille Estephan’s Eye of the Tiger, Bazinyan returns to action following last June’s unanimous decision over former world title challenger Marcelo Esteban Coceres. Bazinyan rose the ranks by defeating a host of seasoned veterans, including Alan Campa, Saul Roman and Scott Sigmon. Fox (28-3-1, 13 KOs) has more experience fighting world-level talent, as he is coming off a fourth-round TKO defeat in December 2021 to David Morrell for a secondary world title. Before the Morrell loss, he had a three-bout unbeaten streak.

In other streaming action from Montreal:

• In a battle of slick boxing versus unrelenting pressure, Yves Ulysse Jr. (22-2, 12 KOs) steps up against Mexico’s Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela (25-3-1, 15 KOs). Ulysse, from Montreal, has won four bouts since a close loss to Ismael Barroso. Valenzuela impressed last May on the Canelo Alvarez-Dmitry Bivol undercard, trading knockdowns with then-unbeaten contender Montana Love before dropping a razor-thin decision.
• Canadian middleweight prospect Alexandre Gaumont (6-0, 4 KOs) aims to extend his knockout streak to three against Carlos Gallego Montijo (8-4, 6 KOs).
• Raphael Courchesne (9-1, 4 KOs) returns from a nearly 19-month layoff to fight Diego Garduno Reyes (10-1-1, 4 KOs) in a six-round welterweight tilt.
• Welterweight prospect Christopher Guerrero (5-0, 1 KOs) makes his 2023 debut in a six-rounder against fellow unbeaten Edwin Villarreal Flores (3-0-1, 3 KOs).
• In a six-round junior lightweight bout, Avery Martin Duval (8-0-1, 4 KOs) looks to extend his winning streak to five against Eduardo Mota Garcia (7-1-1, 2 KOs), who has defeated two undefeated prospects in his last three outings.

Credit: Top Rank Boxing