May 30, 2023) — Undefeated super middleweight contender Erik Bazinyan returns in a 10-round main event against Mexico’s Jose de Jesus Macias this Thursday, June 1 at Casino de Montreal in Montreal, Canada.
Bazinyan-Macias and undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ starting at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.
Bazinyan (29-0, 21 KOs) is a 28-year-old native of Yerevan, Armenia who moved to Canada when he was 16. Following an amateur career of more than 100 fights, he debuted as a pro in 2013, four months after his 18th birthday. Bazinyan rose the rankings by defeating a host of seasoned veterans, including Alan Campa, Saul Roman, Scott Sigmon, and Marcelo Esteban Coceres. Bazinyan returns to the ring after defeating Alantez Fox in February and plans to turn his attention toward the top dogs of the division if successful on Thursday. Macias (28-11-4, 14 KOs) is a 12-year veteran who holds a win over Bazinyan’s stablemate and two-time title challenger Steven Butler. The 31-year-old heads into this clash following a decision loss to Pavel Silyagin last July.
In other streaming action from Montreal:
- Canada native Steve Claggett (34-7-2, 24 KOs) will face Puerto Rican former world champion Alberto Machado (23-3, 19 KOs) in a 10-round junior welterweight battle. Claggett has scored five consecutive knockout wins since losing to Mathieu Germain in 2021. In his last fight, he beat Rafael Guzman Lugo via seventh-round TKO in March. Machado is coming off an eighth-round stoppage win against Jose Angulo last December.
- In an eight-round junior lightweight bout, Avery Martin Duval (9-0-1, 5 KOs) takes on Mexico’s Andres Sanchez Ramirez (6-6-3, 2 KOs). Duval looks to extend his winning streak to six, while Ramirez returns after two wins in his native land.
- Southpaw prospect Thomas Chabot (8-0, 7 KOs) makes his 2023 debut in a six-rounder against Luis Bolanos Lopez (4-2-1).
- Middleweight standout Alexandre Gaumont (7-0, 5 KOs) looks to earn his fourth straight knockout in a six-round fight against Poland’s Piotr Bis (6-2-1, 2 KOs).
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