Hours after meeting the local press to confirm his next fight date, Charles Conwell now has an opponent for the occasion.
BoxingScene.com has learned Conwell—a 2016 U.S. Olympian and current junior middleweight prospect—will next face Mark DeLuca as part of the August 29 Showtime Pay-Per-View event at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. The bout will serve in supporting capacity to social media influencer and current cruiserweight Jake Paul (3-0, 3KOs) who faces former UFC champion Tyron Woodley in an eight-round catchweight bout in the main event.
The placement of Cleveland’s Conwell (15-0, 11KOs) on the show was revealed during a press conference held Thursday morning on site, along with fellow local prospect Montana Love (15-0-1, 7KOs). Opponents were not revealed at the time for either boxer, though sources have since informed BoxingScene.com that terms were reached between Conwell and DeLuca.
Conwell fights for the second time in 2021, coming off of an eight-round decision victory over Silverio Ortiz on June 26 in Ashland, Kentucky. The stay-busy fight came about after watching two previously scheduled televised slots fall through. Conwell lost out on a Ring City USA appearance this past April due to a hand injury, while his placement on a June 19 Triller PPV event was scrapped after headlining act Teofimo Lopez Jr. (16-0, 12KOs) withdrew from his mandatory lightweight title defense versus George Kambosos Jr. (19-0, 10KOs) after testing positive for COVID-19.
Prior to his club show appearance earlier this summer, Conwell, 23, proved himself to be among the sport’s hottest prospects following post-pandemic televised wins over Wendy Toussaint and Madiyar Ashkeyev. Both were undefeated prior to running into the gifted junior middleweight who fights in Cleveland for the first time since 2017.
DeLuca (27-2, 15KOs) has emerged as a crowd favorite in the greater Boston area and throughout New England, thought heads to Conwell’s hometown as a heavy underdog. The 33-year-old southpaw from Whitman, Massachusetts is best-known for his lopsided seventh-round knockout loss to former welterweight titlist Kell Brook in February 2020, on the road in Sheffield, England. He showed his grit in splitting a pair of fights with past Contender participant Walter Wright, earning a ten-round decision win in October 2018 to avenge his first career defeat just four months prior.
DeLuca enters the fight with Conwell currently riding a three-fight win streak, all taking place at middleweight and versus tailor-made opposition.
The bout comes as part of an undercard that includes unified WBC/WBO/IBO featherweight champ Amanda Serrano (40-1-1, 30KOs) in a title defense versus Mexico’s Yamileth Mercado.
An opponent is still being sought for Love, whose placement on the Showtime PPV telecast has not been confirmed as this goes to publish.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
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