THE stacked undercard for Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol’s eagerly anticipated rematch has taken a hit, with Bradley Rea missing out on his golden opportunity.
An injury sustained by his unbeaten opponent, Constantino Nanga, has meant that the 26-year-old’s arduous six-week training camp must now come to an abrupt end.
The pair were scheduled to lock horns on February 22, featuring on the undercard of Beterbiev vs Bivol 2 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
But while the undisputed light-heavyweight crown is still firmly up for grabs in two weeks’ time, another intriguing matchup at 175lbs has ultimately been scuppered.
Rea, 20-1 (10 KOs), delivered the disappointing news via his social media channels earlier today, calling for boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh to reschedule his showdown with Nanga.
The Lancashire man burst onto the domestic scene at 160lbs back in 2021, producing a blistering first-round stoppage finish over super-welterweight operator Lee Cutler.
But then, after amassing four further victories, Rea fell short in his attempt to capture the English middleweight title, while also suffering his first and only professional defeat, against Tyler Denny.
Since moving up to light-heavyweight, though, ‘The Sting’ has remained unbeaten through his six outings on the small hall circuit.
But now, while Rea is seemingly poised to propel himself into the domestic scene at 175lbs, he must first secure a new date for his next outing.
Beyond that, there should be plenty of opportunities for him to look forward to, with another shot at the English title – this time against unbeaten champion Troy Jones – representing a possible option.
