Elijah Pierce will not headline Friday’s OTX8 card in Atlanta after missing Thursday’s weigh-in ceremony and later announcing on his social media platforms that an illness would force him out of his scheduled fight.
The self-proclaimed face of OTX Boxing, Pierce (19-2, 16 KOs), 27, from Oklahoma City, had been set to meet Jose Sanmartin in a junior featherweight bout.
“Unfortunately, I’ll be fighting later TBA, due to personal illness,” Pierce posted on social media. “Appreciate all my supporters! We’ll be back real soon #TheHuntContinues.” Pierce also shared a screenshot on X with the caption: “God don’t make mistakes… I’ll be back.”
Super middleweight Lorenzo “Truck” Simpson will now face Raiko Santana in the OTX8 main event.
Simpson (14-1, 8 KOs), 24, from Baltimore, Maryland, is coming off a first-round stoppage of Noe Alejandro Lopez in May, his first win since a shocking upset loss to Vladimir Hernandez via majority decision in August.
Santana (10-4, 6 KOs), 31, an El Paso, Texas, resident by way of Cuba, enters the bout following a loss to Daniel Blancas in November via an eight-round unanimous decision, despite dropping Blancas in the first round.
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