Robert Brant will make the first defense of his secondary middleweight world title against Khasan Baysangurov on Feb. 15, Top Rank announced on Monday.
The fight will take place at the Grand Casino in Hinckley, Minnesota, Brant's home state and a venue where he has had 11 previous bouts, and will headline a Top Rank Boxing on ESPN tripleheader (main card at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN Deportes with preliminaries on ESPN+ beginning at 6 p.m. ET).
Brant (24-1, 16 KOs), 28, a Saint Paul, Minnesota, native, upset Japanese star Ryota Murata to win the 160-pound belt by lopsided decision on Oct. 20 in Las Vegas, after which he and promoter Greg Cohen signed a co-promotional deal with Top Rank.
"Becoming a world champion was a dream come true. It's extra special that my first title defense will be in my home state of Minnesota in front of my fans," Brant said. "I fully understand the task in front of me, as it is harder to keep a title than it is to win one. My opponent is very talented and certainly deserving of his world ranking.
"I know that Khasan has weaknesses, and I feel we can exploit them. I am already working hard in a full training camp in Las Vegas in order to be prepared for top-level competition. I am confident and ready."
Baysangurov (17-0, 7 KOs), 21, who was born in Russia and fights out of Ukraine, will be boxing in the United States for the first time. He is the younger brother of former junior middleweight world titlist Zaurbek Baysangurov, who retired in 2014.
"I am very proud and happy to receive this great opportunity to showcase my skills," Baysangurov said. "I won't disappoint my team and will give everything it takes to become the new champion. Of course, Rob Brant is a good boxer and a great champion, but now is my time to shine."
In the co-feature, bantamweight Joshua Greer (19-1-1, 11 KOs), 24, of Chicago, who has notched six consecutive knockouts, will defend his regional 118-pound belt against Giovanni Escaner (19-3, 12 KOs), 28, of the Philippines, in a 10-round fight. Escaner, who has won eight fights in a row, has had all of his previous fights either in the Philippines or Japan.
"I just want to show the fans complete excellence. I'm a true gem in the sport, and I want everyone to keep following my career because you guys haven't seen anything yet," Greer said. "Don't blink because I'm coming to Minnesota to put on another great show. After I get another knockout, everyone is going to be calling me Mr. ESPN."
Junior lightweight Mikaela Mayer (9-0, 4 KOs), 28, a 2016 U.S. Olympian from Los Angeles, will fight Yareli Larios (13-1-1, 3 KOs), 20, of Mexico, in the eight-round opening bout.
"2018 was an amazing year for me and for women's boxing," Mayer said. "I won my first (regional) belt and fought six times. There's a lot more to my boxing style that the world has yet to see, and this is the year I display my full range of skills. I'm ready to turn people into fans starting with my first fight of 2019, live on ESPN where women's boxing belongs."