Rob Brant will hold the first defense of his World Boxing Association (WBA) middleweight crown on home turf against Russian challenger Khasan Baysangurov this Friday night at Grand Casino in Hinckley, Minnesota.

Brant put in one of the most surprising performances of 2017 to beat Ryota Murata and capture the 160 pound WBA regular title. Brant showed what he is capable of against a champion in that fight as he overwhelmed Murata during all the exchanges to achieve a unanimous decision. Now, he will return to his native Minnesota to enter the ring in front of his hometown crowd as the owner of the black and gold title, which represents a great and new responsibility for the champion.

The challenge before Brant on fight night will not be easy. Baysangurov is only 21 years old but he arrives at the fight with a lot of hunger for victory and with the desire to show that he is at the top level of the sport with a fight of this magnitude. Baysangurov is the European WBA Inter-Continental champion and has now made the leap to fight for the world championship title.

The atmosphere in Minnesota is heating up as the battle approaches. Both men are involved with the fight week activities, among them being the press conference, public training, and weigh in Thursday where both fighters will have to meet the 160 pound limit of the division.

Brant has a professional record of 24 wins, 1 loss, and 16 knockouts, while Baysangurov is undefeated in 17 fights, with 7 wins by knockout.