(Montreal) Boxer Mary Spencer will face Naomie Mannes in a fight for the interim WBA world title on September 5 at the Cabaret du Casino de Montréal, Eye of the Tiger Management announced in a press release Thursday morning.
This duel will be presented as an undercard of the gala featuring the championship fight for the NABF 140 lb belt between Arthur Biyarslanov and Marcos Villasana, as well as the 175 lb fight between Imam Khataev and Ezequiel Maderna.
“I’ve been waiting months for this opportunity. Unfortunately for Naomi Mannes, my patience will run out on September 5th, and she will pay the price once she steps into the ring,” said Spencer, the No. 3 contender for the WBA world title.
Spencer (8-2, 6 KOs) returned to winning ways in January after two consecutive losses in world title fights. In June, she was scheduled to face Britain’s April Hunter for the WBA Gold title, but a last-minute injury to Hunter forced the fight to be canceled. Her opponent, Mannes (7-2-1, 4 KOs), is ranked fourth in the world. In her last fight in April in the United Kingdom, the German upset former IBO champion Hanna Rankin by split decision.
Elsewhere, Khataev (7-0, 7 KOs) will attempt to defend his NABF title for the first time in the semifinals. The IBF No. 11 and WBC No. 15 light heavyweight contender will attempt to continue his rise against Maderna (31-12, 21 KOs). The Argentinian, who competed in the 2008 Beijing Games, will be making his second visit to Montreal, having faced Artur Beterbiev in 2016. Meanwhile, Montrealer Christopher Guerrero (11-0, 6 KOs) will take on American Courtney Pennington (17-8-3, 7 KOs) in a fight scheduled for eight rounds.
Avery Martin Duval (11-0-1, 7 KOs) will face Jesus Daneff (13-11-4, 4 KOs), while Jhon Orobio (10-0, 9 KOs) will face Argentinian Joel Manriquez (6-5).
EOTTM’s 2023 Rookie of the Year, Wilkens Mathieu (10-0, 6 KOs), will also be involved in an eight-round fight – his first in his career – against veteran Marcos Karalitzky (8-9-2, 2 KOs). Finally, Moreno Fendero (6-0, 4 KOs) will kick off hostilities in a six-round fight where he will face Carlos Ronner (7-4, 2 KOs).