Cruiserweight champion Beibut Shumenov (16-2, 10 KOs) will battle once-beaten Junior Wright (15-1-1, 12 KOs) and top contender B.J. Flores takes on Mexico’s Roberto Santos (12-3, 5 KOs) in a pair of bouts that highlight undercard action on Saturday, May 21 from The Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
The May 21 event features a tripleheader of 154-pound world title fights. The main event sees a rematch between WBA champion Erislandy Lara and U.S. Olympian Vanes Martirosyan plus IBF champion Jermall Charlo battling former champion Austin Trout and unbeaten contender Jermell Charlo facing top contender John Jackson for the vacant WBC Super Welterweight world title.
Shumenov will defend his cruiserweight title in a 12-round matchup with Wright while Flores will make his heavyweight debut against and Santos in a six-round tilt.
Rounding out the action is Las Vegas-native Lanell “KO” Bellows (15-1-1, 8 KOs) in an eight-round super middleweight contest against Virginia’s Scott Sigmon (26-8-1, 14 KOs) and unbeaten prospect Tra-Kwon “Superman” Pettis (3-0, 1 KOs) in a six-round super lightweight battle against Mexico’s Carlos Rodriguez (6-2, 2 KOs).
A native of Shymkent, Kazakhstan fighting out of Las Vegas, Shumenov looks to build on his last fight, which saw him earn a cruiserweight crown by defeating B.J. Flores in July. His first title defense was scheduled for December but was cancelled when Shumenov suffered an eye injury. The 32-year-old won a world title at light heavyweight by defeating Gabriel Campillo in Las Vegas in 2010. The 2004 Olympian for Kazakhstan went on to defend his title five times and will make his first 200-pound defense against Chicago’s Wright. The 29-year-old has won back-to-back fights since suffering his only loss last May.
Twice a U.S. National Champion as an amateur, Flores seeks a run at a world title after coming up just short in a decision loss to Shumenov last July. Born in San Francisco, but fighting out of Chandler, Arizona, Flores had won seven fights in a row before his last bout including victories over veterans Kevin Engel and Anthony Caputo Smith. He will be opposed by the durable Mexican Santos, who has never been stopped.
