Andres “Savage” Cortes (21-0, 12 KOs), the undefeated junior lightweight contender is gearing up for a pivotal match against Abraham Nova (23-2, 16 KOs). Scheduled for this Friday, June 21, at the BleauLive Theater in Fontainebleau Las Vegas, Cortes vs. Nova serving as the co-main event to Rafael Espinoza’s defense of his WBO featherweight world title against Sergio Chirino.
“This has been one of my better training camps,” Cortes said. “I’ve been fully focused on executing the game plan for Nova during all sparring sessions. I’ve grown a lot as a fighter during the last couple of months and I’ll be ready to put on a great performance for the fans. My weight is in place and all the hard work is paying off.”
Nova pushed WBC champion O’Shaquie Foster all the way in February before losing a split decision. The Puerto Rican’s only other loss came to Robeisy Ramirez in June 2022 when he was knocked out in the fifth round. As an amateur, Nova – now 30 – defeated Richardson Hitchins, Jamaine Ortiz and Frank Martin.
“I believe this will be the most difficult fight of my career,” Cortes admitted. “Nova has fought for a world title already and knows what it’s like to fight at the championship level. I must break him down and make adjustments. My brother (Luis) has a perfect game plan that we’ve been working on and I will follow instructions as the fight goes on.”
For Cortes, a victory will significantly boost his championship ambitions. He currently sits at second with the WBO, and the WBC rank him at 14th and Nova at fourth.
“A win puts me in position to fight for a world title,” Cortes said. “This will be the turning point of my career. A victory will solidify me as one of the best fighters in the super featherweight division. More opportunities will come my way with a win.”
The 26-year-old is relishing the prospect of fighting in Las Vegas. “Fighting at home brings the best out of me,” he declared. “All my family and friends will be in attendance. I want to give my fans my best performance, and scoring a knockout will be the goal. The exposure from fighting on ESPN is something I look forward to, and I’m grateful to Top Rank, my promoter, for this opportunity.”