OSUMANU AKABA REPLACES JERRY BELMONTES AGAINST EDNER CHERRY OCT. 18 IN PHILADELPHIA ON NBCSN

Philadelphia, PA-Osumanu Akaba, of Ghana, who had a nine-fight knockout streak snapped in his most recent fight, steps in against Edner Cherry in a 10-round junior lightweight contest on Saturday, Oct. 18, at the 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia.

Akaba replaces Jerry Belmontes, of Corpus Christi, TX, who injured his right wrist in training last Thursday.

The Cherry-Akaba bout and the Steve Cunningham-Natu Visinia heavyweight 10-rounder will be televised live by NBCSN on its popular Fight Night series beginning at 9 pm (ET).

While more recognizable fighters balked at fighting Cherry on short notice, the 34-year-old Akaba, now living in Tuscaloosa, AL, jumped at the opportunity. He had been ready and waiting for any opportunity when he got the call last Friday to fight Cherry.

Akaba, who turned pro in 2000 as a super bantamweight (122 pounds), is now a full-fledged lightweight (135) at 5-foot-10. His record is 24-6, 19 K0s. He has won three minor championships – WBC International Featherweight Title, WBA Pan African Featherweight Title, WBO Africa Super Featherweight Title.

One of Akaba’s four losses was a 12-round decision defeat in a competitive fight in 2008 in London to Ricky Burns, who later won the WBO world lightweight title. Another 12-round decision setback came in 2005 in South Africa against Jeffrey Mathebula, who went on to take the IBF world super bantamweight title.

In his only fight in the US, Akaba dropped an eight-round decision to Bahodir Mamadjonov, of Uzbekistan, who is 17-1, 11 K0s. Prior to that match last August, Akaba had scored nine consecutive knockouts. He has been stopped only once, early in his career.

There was some good news, however, for Cherry, who moved up to No. 15 in the WBC world ratings at 130pounds. He is No. 11 in the IBF.

About October 18
The Oct. 18 edition of NBCSN Fight Nightwill take place at the 2300 Arena at 2300 Swanson Street in South Philadelphia. It features a 10-round fight between Steve “USS” Cunningham, of Philadelphia, and Natu “The Truth” Visinia, of Lakewood, CA. A 10-round junior lightweight contest between Edner “Cherry Bomb” Cherry, of Wauchula, FL, and Osumanu Akaba, of Accra, Ghana, is the co-feature. Five additional fights open the show at 6PM. Tickets are $50 and $75 and are available by calling Peltz Boxing at (215) 765-0922 or at www.peltzboxing.com. They also can be purchased at Wanamakers Tickets (215-568-2400). The card is presented by Main Events and Peltz Boxing in association with Final Forum Promotions and BAM Boxing. The NBCSN Fight Night telecast will begin at 9 PM ET. Doors open at 5 PM and the first fight will start at 6. The event is sponsored by Rocco’s Collision.

NBC Sports Live Extra:
NBC Sports Live Extra: NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices and tablets — will live stream Fight Night at 9 PM EST/6 PM PST on Oct. 18. For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app for mobile devices and tablets is available at the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch and on select Android handset and tablet devices within Google Play.

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