Philadelphia's Jesse Hart makes 175-pound debut in Las Vegas this Saturday night

After coming up short in 2 world title attempts at 168-pounds, Philadelphia’s Jesse Hart is movin’ on up, 7 pounds, to the light heavyweight limit.

He has a new nickname (goodbye “Hard Work”, hello “Hollywood”), is working in a new division and is fired up to get to the top of the 175-pound class.

Hart lost in 2 attempts at (then) WBO super middleweight champion Gilberto Ramirez who has also moved up to light heavyweight. Who knows, the 2 Top Rank promoted boxers may fight yet again?

In the meantime, Hart is trying to establish himself as a player in the 175-pound class but he isn’t getting a soft touch in his first outing at the higher weight. Hart will take on rugged veteran Sullivan Barrera on the June 15 card in Las Vegas that will be headlined by lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury facing off against Tom Schwarz. This will be Fury’s second fight in the United States after making his mark in a SD draw against WBC champion Deontay Wilder last December.

Hart (25-2, 21 KO’s) of Philadelphia (Yes, his dad is Philly boxing legend Eugene "Cyclone" Hart) is coming off a second distance loss to Gilberto Ramirez while veteran Barrera (22-2, 14 KO’s) is coming into the bout off of an impressive decision over Seanie Monaghan in November. The winner of this bout, with both fighters in the top-10 rankings at 175-pounds, will put themselves in a good position to possibly be considered for a title shot later in the year.

Florida’s Barrera, at age 37, doesn’t have time on his side. But, he does have some very impressive opposition on his resume with fights against Jeff Lacey, Andre Ward, Dmitry Bivol and Moneghan.

Hart, at 29, is the younger fighter but with less ring time against top-level fighters.

Both fighters know that a win, on a huge card like this, on the ESPN platform, is a huge boost to their career at a time when both could use a signature win. In pre-fight pressers, both fighters were excited to get to Las Vegas and make the most of the opportunity.

“I am excited to face Jesse Hart, a great fighter who has also been in there with world champions,” Barrera said. “This is a must-win fight. Simple as that. Camp has been great for me, and I am looking forward to June 15.”

“On June 15, I’m coming to knock him out,” said Hart. “I refuse to lose. This is a legacy fight. I want the big names. I need a big name, and Barrera is the name. I don’t want to just win and coast to some boring decision. I’m coming to prove to the world that I can fight with these bigger guys. After I knock Barrera out, I’m coming for all the champions. The light heavyweights better watch out because ‘Hollywood’ Hart is here”, he said.

The rest of the card features…

- Fast-rising, 2016 Olympian Mikaela Mayer, (10-0, 4 KO’s), who has stated that she will be fighting for a world title this year

-Italian heavyweight Guido “The Gladiator” Vianello (3-0, 3 KOs)

- Tyson Fury stable mate, undefeated featherweight Isaac Lowe (17-0-3, 6 KOs)

-Super middleweight prospect Cem “Champ” Kilic (13-0, 8 KOs)

-Undefeated Philadelphia heavyweight Sonny Conto (2-0, 2 KOs)

-German heavyweight prospect Peter Kadiru (3-0, 1 KO)

After coming up short in 2 world title attempts at 168-pounds, Philadelphia’s Jesse hart is movin’ on up, 7 pounds, to the light heavyweight limit.

He has a new nickname (goodbye “Hard Work”, hello “Hollywood”), is working in a new division and is fired up to get to the top of the 175-pound class.

Hart lost in 2 attempts at (then) WBO super middleweight champion Gilberto Ramirez who has also moved up to light heavyweight. Who knows, the 2 Top Rank promoted boxers may fight yet again?

In the meantime, Hart is trying to establish himself as a player in the 175-pound class but he isn’t getting a soft touch in his first outing at the higher weight. Hart will take on rugged veteran Sullivan Barrera on the June 15 card in Las Vegas that will be headlined by lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury facing off against Tom Schwarz. This will be Fury’s second fight in the United States after making his mark in a SD draw against WBC champion Deontay Wilder last December.

Hart (25-2, 21 KO’s) of Philadelphia (Yes, his dad is Philly boxing legend Eugene Hart) is coming off a second distance loss to Gilberto Ramirez while veteran Barrera (22-2, 14 KO’s) is coming into the bout off of an impressive decision over Seanie Monaghan in November. The winner of this bout, with both fighters in the top-10 rankings at 175-pounds, will put themselves in a good position to possibly be considered for a title shot later in the year.

Florida’s Barrera, at age 37, doesn’t have time on his side. But, he does have some very impressive opposition on his resume with fights against Jeff Lacey, Andre Ward, Dmitry Bivol and Moneghan.

Hart, at 29, is the younger fighter but with less ring time against top-level fighters.

Both fighters know that a win, on a huge card like this, on the ESPN platform, is a huge boost to their career at a time when both could use a signature win. In pre-fight pressers, both fighters were excited to get to Las Vegas and make the most of the opportunity.

“I am excited to face Jesse Hart, a great fighter who has also been in there with world champions,” Barrera said. “This is a must-win fight. Simple as that. Camp has been great for me, and I am looking forward to June 15.”

“On June 15, I’m coming to knock him out,” said Hart. “I refuse to lose. This is a legacy fight. I want the big names. I need a big name, and Barrera is the name. I don’t want to just win and coast to some boring decision. I’m coming to prove to the world that I can fight with these bigger guys. After I knock Barrera out, I’m coming for all the champions. The light heavyweights better watch out because ‘Hollywood’ Hart is here”, he said.

The rest of the card features…

- Fast-rising, 2016 Olympian Mikaela Mayer, (10-0, 4 KO’s), who has stated that she will be fighting for a world title this year

-Italian heavyweight Guido “The Gladiator” Vianello (3-0, 3 KOs)

- Tyson Fury stable mate, undefeated featherweight Isaac Lowe (17-0-3, 6 KOs)

-Super middleweight prospect Cem “Champ” Kilic (13-0, 8 KOs)

-Undefeated Philadelphia heavyweight Sonny Conto (2-0, 2 KOs)

-German heavyweight prospect Peter Kadiru (3-0, 1 KO)