Bob Arum announced today that the World Boxing Council (WBC) No.1-rated welterweight contender Luis Carlos “El Potro” Abregu had signed an exclusive contract with Top Rank. Abregu, one of the division’s most exciting fighters, will make his Top Rank and his 2013 debut next Saturday, April 27.
He’ll be facing Top-Five contender Antonin Decarie, in Buenos Aires, in a 12-round welterweight bout for the vacant WBC Silver Championship. The Abregu vs. Decarie rumble will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing®, as part of a tripleheader which will also feature the Sergio Martinez vs. Martin Murray WBC middleweight title fight, beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT.
“We are delighted to have Carlos as part of our Top Rank group of fighters. He is a good, strong welterweight who will perform at the highest level against top competition,” said Arum.
Abregu (34-1, 28 KOs), from Salta, Argentina, is a two-time South American welterweight champion. He enters this fight riding a two-year, five-bout winning streak with all five victories coming by way of knockout. In his last fight, on October 27, he knocked out previously undefeated contender Thomas Dulorme in the seventh round of their HBO-televised bout. His sole loss was to Timothy Bradley in July 2010.
Decarie (34-1, 28 KOs), of Laval, Québec, Canada, is world-rated No. 5 by the WBC.
The winner of the Abregu vs. Decarie bout will be in good position in the crowded welterweight division to snag one of the big fish for a future fight.
