Dzmitry Asanau to defend WBC Continental Americas crown

Dzmitry Asanau will defend his WBC Continental Americas lightweight title against Francesco Patera this Thursday on ESPN+ (6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT) from the Casino du Montreal in Montreal, Canada.

Both fighters passed the official weigh-in Wednesday. Asanau weighed in at 61.6 kg, while Belgian Patera weighed in at 61.1 kg.

Asanau, with a 9-0 record (4 KOs), previously moved from Belarus to Dubai, but now resides in Montreal, where he is fighting for the third consecutive time under Eye of the Tiger Management. The 28-year-old lightweight prospect is coming off a fifth-round knockout of Argentine Marías Carlos Rueda on November 7 in his first scheduled ten-round bout.

Patera, with a 30-5 record (11 KOs), is fighting for the first time in Canada and his second appearance in North America. The 31-year-old was defeated by Keyshawn Davis in July 2023 in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Since then, he has won two of his last three fights; the only loss during that period was a narrow points defeat to Irishman Gary Cully on May 25 in Leeds, England.