Chris Colbert vs. Tugstsogt Nyambayar: date, time, how to watch, background
hot young junior lightweight CHRIS COLBERT returns against late replacement Tugstsogt Nyambayar on saturday in carson, calif.
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CHRIS COLBERT (15-0, 6 KOs)
vs. TUGSTSOGT NYAMBAYAR (12-1, 9 KOs)
- Date: Saturday, July 3
- Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
- Where: Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, Calif.
- TV/Stream: Showtime
- Division: Junior lightweight (130 pounds)
- At stake: No titles
- Pound-for-pound ranking: None
- Odds: NA
- Also on the card: Michel Rivera vs. Jon Fernández, lightweights; Richardson Hitchins vs. Darwin Price, junior welterweights
- Prediction: Colbert UD
- Background: Colbert, 24, is one of the most-gifted young fighters in the world. The product of Brooklyn has a combination of speed and skills that would make life difficult for any opponent in the division. He isn’t a one-punch knockout artist but he has enough power to hurt opponents, as he demonstrated most recently in his knockout victory over Jaime Arboleda in December. He’s ranked No. 1 by the WBA, meaning a title shot is on the horizon if he continues to win. Gervonta Davis is the WBA 130-pound champion but, having fought at 140 last week, might not defend his title. That could open a door for Colbert. He was supposed to have fought Yuriorkis Gamboa on Saturday but the 39-year-old Cuban pulled out because of an injury less than two weeks ago. Enter Nyambayar, who enthusiastically agreed to take the fight even though he had to move up one division. This might be a case in which the replacement is more dangerous than the original opponent. Nyambayar, a Los Angeles-based Mongolian, is a 2012 Olympic silver medalist and still only 29. The boxer-puncher lost a wide decision to longtime 126-pound champ Gary Russell Jr. in February of last year, his only title shot. He bounced back with a split-decision victory over capable Cobia Breedy in another featherweight bout in September. He put Breedy down in each of the first two rounds to take a four-point lead but lost the majority of the remaining 10 rounds on the cards. Boxing Junkie scored that fight 115-111 in Nyambayar’s favor. He has fought slightly above 126 three times but not since May 2018.