Former WBO Super Featherweight title holder Roman “Rocky” Martinez (27-2-2, 16 KOs) was forced to withdraw from his featured bout in the co-main event of the April 12th “Pacquiao vs. Bradley II” PPV fight card, in which the two time Puerto Rican Champion was scheduled to face perennial contender Raymundo Beltran (28-6-1, 17 KOs) for the NABO Lightweight title.
According to Top Rank, Inc, Martinez was forced to abandon his opportunity due to an unforeseen illness that affected his ability to train properly for the upcoming fight with Beltran.
As a result, Afghanistan native Arash Usmanee (20-1-1, 10 KOs) will be stepping in to compete in the highly anticipated HBO PPV co-main event.
The 32 year old spoiler turned quite a few heads in 2013 by dropping a controversial unanimous decision to current IBF Super Featherweight title challenger Rances Barthelemy in the main event of the season opener of ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights” on January 4th, and by fighting current IBF title holder Argenis Mendez to a majority draw in the headliner of the FNF series finale on August 23rd.
Promoter Greg Cohen insists that his hard working and somewhat avoided contender was already preparing for another bout when the opportunity was presented to him by Top Rank last week.
According to the New York based promoter, Arash is a “gym rat” and will be in fighting shape on April 12th to compete for the NABO Lightweight title.
Because the NABO is a subsidiary of the World Boxing Organization, the winner of the slated twelve round contest could earn themselves a title opportunity with the newly crowned WBO Lightweight Champion, Terence Crawford, later this year.
Although the deal hasn’t been finalized, Greg Cohen Promotions and Top Rank, Inc. have agreed to terms and should complete the deal on Monday, April 7th.
The “Beltran vs. Usmanee” clash for the NABO Lightweight title is slated for twelve rounds and will be featured in the co-main event of the Top Rank, Inc, April 12th fight card, which will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, and will be broadcast on HBO PPV with a start time of 9PM EST/6PM PST and a price tag of $59.95 in SD and $69.95 in HD.
