Home News Amir Imam to stay busy on Nov 28th DeGale-Bute card, awaits shot...

Amir Imam to stay busy on Nov 28th DeGale-Bute card, awaits shot at Viktor Postol

Credit: Esther Lin / Showtime

WBC No. 1 ranked super lightweight Amir Imam (18-0, 15 KOs) returns to face Adrian Granados (14-4-2, 11 KOs) in a 10-round bout on Saturday, Nov. 28 on SHOWTIME BOXING on SHO EXTREME.

The undefeated Imam is the mandatory challenger to WBC 140-pound champion Viktor Postol, who won the vacant title with a 10th round TKO of Lucas Matthysse in October.

The SHOWTIME BOXING on SHO EXTREME telecast begins live at 9 p.m. ET/PT from the Vidéotron Centre in Quebec City prior to that evening’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast. In the SHO EXTREME opener, undefeated heavyweight and former international star Oscar Rivas (17-0, 12 KOs) will face Curtis Harper (12-4, 8 KOs) in a 10-round bout.

IBF Super Middleweight World Champion James DeGale (21-1, 14 KOs) will defend his belt against former 168-pound champ Lucian Bute (32-2, 25 KOs) in the main event on SHOWTIME. In the co-feature, the WBC’s No. 1-ranked 175-pound fighter Isaac Chilemba (24-2-2, 10 KOs) will square off with No. 2-ranked Eleider Alvarez (18-0, 10 KOs) in a light heavyweight world title eliminator. The winner earns the right to become the mandatory challenger for WBC Light Heavyweight World Champion Adonis Stevenson.

One of boxing’s fastest-rising contenders, the 25-year-old Imam has knocked out 15 of his 18 professional opponents since turning pro in 2011. The Albany, N.Y., native is coming off a fourth-round knockout of former world title challenger Fernando Angulo on July 18 on SHOWTIME.

The 26-year-old Granados, of Chicago, has won three fights in a row since a close, split decision loss to undefeated welterweight prospect Brad Solomon on the undercard of the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao PPV last May 2 in Las Vegas. Granados’ only other defeat since 2011 was a majority decision loss to then-undefeated Felix Diaz in 2014. Granados, who holds a draw against former welterweight world champion Kermit Cintron, will move back down to 140 pounds for his bout with Imam.

The Montreal-based Rivas represented Colombia in the 2008 Olympic Games. The 28-year-old is coming off a three-knockdown, first-round TKO of Jason Pettaway on July 26 in his U.S. debut on ShoBox: The New Generation. Rivas returns to the province of Quebec, site of 16 of his 17 bouts, against the 27-year-old Harper, who is 5-1 in his last six fights.

Harper, of Jacksonville, Fla., is coming off a close decision loss to long-time heavyweight contender Chris Arreola on March 13. Harper was knocked down in the first round against Arreola but rallied in an entertaining slugfest.