At the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, IBF 140-pound world champion Subriel Matias will make a mandatory defense against unbeaten challenger Shohjahon Ergashev.

Their fight will be featured as part of a Showtime Pay-Per-View event, which is headlined by the super middleweight clash between David Benavidez and Demetrius Andrade.

The 31-year-old Matías (19-1, 19 KOs) captured the IBF 140-pound championship in February, stopping the previously unbeaten Jeremias Ponce after five rounds of fast-paced, back-and-forth action. The lone loss of his career came against Petros Ananyan via 10-round unanimous decision in 2020 and was later avenged.

“I would always rather let my hands do the talking inside of the ring, but I’m very excited for this fight,” said Matias. “This is a great opportunity to be a part of a big event in Las Vegas. I had my only loss there, so I’m going to avenge that defeat on November 25 and show everyone that Subriel Matias is here to stay. I’m dedicating this fight to my hometown of Maternillo and the people of Puerto Rico.”

Born in Uzbekistan and now fighting out of Detroit under the tutelage of renowned trainer SugarHill Steward, Ergashev (23-0, 20 KOs) has dominated his competition since turning pro in 2015, earning his shot at the world title.

Ergashev most recently scored a pair of victories in 2022, shutting out Luis Alberto Veron on his way to a unanimous decision in May, before stopping Angel Martinez Hernandez in the fifth round in August.

“It’s been a long journey to finally get this opportunity to fight for the world title,” said Ergashev. “On Thanksgiving weekend I will make the whole journey worthwhile. The U.S.A. is the land of opportunity and I want to thank my team for always believing in me. It’s also exciting to be fighting with Showtime, where I’ve had many fights throughout my career. With my trainers Sugarhill Steward and Theo Chambers in my corner, history will be made November 25 and Uzbekistan will finally have a world champion.”