Friday’s WBA middleweight world championship between Rob Brant and Khasan Baysangurov is set in stone. The two men will collide in the main event of an ESPN-televised card inside the Grand Casino in Hinckley, Minn. Both combatants made weight at Thursday’s official weigh-ins, giving the contest the expected greenlight.
Baysangurov (17-0, 7 KOs) is a Russian-born contender who hails from the Ukraine. He’s torn apart the regional scene in Kiev and Moscow and has captured a few minor championship belts already. However, he hasn’t yet faced an opponent with the overall skill set of Brant and is a sizeable +550 underdog coming in. Baysangurov tipped the scale at 158.8 pounds.
Brant (24-1, 16 KOs) is making the first defense of the title he won by outpointing Ryota Murata last October. The St. Paul native has dominated the lower ranks of the middleweight division since turning pro seven years ago and is hovering around as a -900 betting favorite at most online sportsbooks. “Bravo” took the scale and came in at 158.6 pounds.
The televised action goes live on ESPN beginning at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT).