Lightweight contender Richard Commey will return to the ring July 28th, on the undercard of the lightweight unification bout between WBC world champion Mikey Garcia and IBF world champion Robert Easter Jr. at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
An opponent will be announced shortly.
Ghana’s Commey, 26-2 (23 KOs), is the IBF’s mandatory challenger. The winner of Garcia-Easter must face Commey within 90 days of their bout to maintain the belt. If the winner refuses, Commey will fight for the the vacated title.
Commey and Easter met for the vacant IBF world title in September 2016. Easter escaped with a razor-thin split decision and has since made three defenses.
Commey faced Denis Shafikov in December of that year and lost another disputed split decision, this time in Shafikov’s native Russia. He returned in March 2017 with a unanimous decision win over Belgian vet Hedi Slimani at Bukom Boxing Arena in Accra, Ghana.
Last summer, Commey relocated from Ghana to New York after signing a promotional contract with Lou DiBella’s DiBella Entertainment. He is now trained by Andre Rozier, who also trains former world champions Daniel Jacobs and Sadam Ali, and is co-trained by Gary Stark Sr.
Their fruits of their labor were evident in Commey’s return to the ring last March as he blasted out then-undefeated Mexican-American Alejandro Luna inside six rounds.
Commey became the mandatory challenger immediately after. He is now one victory away from a world title opportunity.
Stay tuned to BoxingAfrica.com for more details.
