Andres Cortes vs. Abraham Nova: Full video highlightsÂ
Andres Cortes and Abraham Nova locked horns in a highly anticipated 10-round junior lightweight bout at Fontainebleau Las Vegas on June 21, 2024. Cortes, a sharp power puncher, carried an untarnished 21-0 record, while Nova wielded a solid 23-2 record going into the fight.
Cortes banked on the strength of a TKO victory over Bryan Chevalier in his last assignment, aiming to harness the momentum in the forthcoming encounter. Meanwhile, 'Supernova' radiated a strong sense of purpose in overturning his second career loss, which came earlier this year against O'Shaquie Foster via a split decision in their February 16 clash.
The junior lightweights didn't mince words while previewing the challenge in front of them. Confident that a victory over Nova would warrant a title shot, Cortes asserted that he "spoke the fight into existence." Meanwhile, Nova relished the opportunity to face a formidable foe like Cortes, claiming that a victory over an undefeated fighter on his record would work in his favor in potentially lobbying for a title shot.
Watch the fighter introductions of Andres Cortes and Abraham Nova as they prepare to trade leather inside the ring:
Several prominent names, including former WBA super lightweight champion Rolando Romero and multiple-time world champion in three weight divisions Julio Cesar Chavez, were in attendance for the fight.
Check out the videos below:
With the stage set for the showdown, Cortes and Nova waged war, with the undefeated boxer starting as the early aggressor. Nova leveraged his experience to keep the fight in range, darting in with blows to the breadbasket to slow down the momentum of his rival. Meanwhile, Cortes wanted the fight to be contested in close range, attacking the body and positioning for loaded strikes with the overhand right.
Cortes' overhand right seemed to have found the mark and he was successful in luring his opponent into phonebooth exchanges. In the earlier rounds, Nova was able to beat his opponent to the punch but failed to bank on that momentum in the later rounds. Cortes doubled down on his efforts and picked up the momentum, mixing up the body-to-head strike ratio potently.
However, Nova wouldn't go down without a fight, biting down on the mouthpiece to charge forward and connect with straight rights and uppercuts.
Check out the video below:
However, the late flurry wasn't enough for Nova to claw back on the judges' scorecards, as they scored the fight 97-93, 97-93, and 96-94 unanimously in favor of Cortes.
However, the result was met with some scrutiny in the arena as well as on social media, as several fans contested that Nova had done enough to bag the fight.
Check out some of the reactions below:
The post-fight reports indicated that Nova landed 196 of 783 punches, with a 25 percent accuracy rate. On the other hand, Cortes landed 172 of 497 strikes, which accounted for 35 percent accuracy, proving himself as the sharper striker.