Mayfield in line for Khabib title shot with Saturday win

By Mike Coppinger

LOS ANGELES -- Karim "Hard Hitta" Mayfield makes his Top Rank debut Saturday against Christopher Ferndandez in an off-TV bout.

But if Mayfield (17-0-1, 10 KOs) is impressive, he'll be in line for a title shot against WBA junior welterweight beltholder Khabib Allakhverdiev this fall on HBO, per a source close to Mayfield.

Saturday's bout marks Mayfield's first bout since an Oct. 2012 win over Mauricio Herrera, the Bay Area fighter's HBO debut. HBO executives will be in attendance for the Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.-Bryan Vera fight at the StubHub Center and will get another great look at the explosive 140-pounder.

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