ringtv.com

An intriguing crossroads match between Travis Kauffman and Amir Mansour, both of whom exist on the periphery of the top heavyweights, will headline a PBC tripleheader on Bounce on March 17 from Santander Arena in Kauffman’s hometown of Reading, Pennsylvania, it was announced on Wednesday.

Former two-time title challenger Edner Cherry (35-7-2, 19 knockouts) will face come-backing Omar Douglas (17-1, 12 KOs) in a 10-round lightweight bout to open the Bounce telecast. The co-feature pits former two-time cruiserweight champion Steve Cunningham of Philly against an opponent to be determined in a cruiserweight affair.

Kauffman (31-1, 23 KOs) lost a close split decision to Chris Arreola in December of 2015 that was later changed to a no-contest after Arreola flunked a post-fight drug test. He stopped Josh Gormley in two rounds last September in his last fight. He views the 12-round bout with Delaware’s Mansour as a steppingstone to bigger opportunities.

“This win will get me to the next level,” Kauffman said in a prepared statement. “Amir is a tough fighter who has never been in a bad fight. He is a desperate fighter who knows this is his last chance to retain his spot as a heavyweight contender, so I expect to see the best Amir Mansour. I will be very sharp. I expect a better performance than I had against Chris Arreola.”

The 44-year-old Amir Mansour, whose career was interrupted for nearly 10 years while he served time in prison on drug possession, was stopped in five rounds to former title challenger Dominic Breazeale in January of last year, the last time he fought. Mansour (22-2-1, 16 KOs) also has a draw against Gerald Washington and a decision loss to Steven Cunningham on his ledger.

“This is a fight that the heavyweight division needs,” Mansour said in the release. “This is two top quality (fighters) facing off against each other. I am the toughest fighter that he has ever faced, but he is not the toughest fighter that I have faced. I will say that he is one of the best boxers in the heavyweight division.  He has tremendous boxing skills, and I am looking forward to mixing it up with someone who can box and fight.”

Cherry has come up short in his two attempts at winning a world title against Jose Pedraza, a close split decision loss in 2015 and to Timothy Bradley in 2008. Douglas (17-1, 12 KOs) hasn’t fought since he lost a 10-round decision to Javier Fortuna last November.