This Friday night, St. Paul native Rob “Bravo” Brant (24-1, 16KO) will make the first defense of his WBA “Regular” Middleweight title in front of his home fan base in Minnesota.
Brant traveled to Japan in October and left with the belt after defeating Ryota Murata by a wide unanimous decision (119-109×2, 118-110).
“Winning this title was one of the best moments of my life. I wasn’t thinking about punch output. I was thinking about winning.”
“Becoming a world champion was a dream come true. It’s extra special that my first title defense will be in my home state of Minnesota in front of my fans,”
He will be taking on undefeated Russian middleweight Khasan Baysangurov (17-0, 7KO) who will be making his debut on U.S. soil. Baysangurov is ranked #8 by the WBA.
“I am very proud and happy to receive this great opportunity to showcase my skills. I won’t disappoint my team and will give everything it takes to become the new champion. Of course, Rob Brant is a good boxer and a great champion, but now is my time to shine.”
The fight will be shown on ESPN at 9pm Est with undercards starting at 6pm on ESPN+.