The stakes are high Saturday when unbeaten Canadian (Prince) Lucas Bahdi faces former world champion Roger (The Kid) Gutierrez in a 12-round WBA lightweight title elimination bout in Orlando, Fla.
The winner will become the mandatory challenger for WBA 135-pound champion Gervonta (Tank) Davis.
First, Bahdi (19-0-0 with 15 knockouts) has to get past Gutierrez (29-6-1 with 22 KOs).
“He’s definitely going to be my toughest test on paper. We’ll see what he brings to the table. We’ll see how hungry he is,” said the 31-year-old from Niagara Falls., Ont. “But as far as experience and what he’s accomplished, he’s definitely my best opponent.”
Gutierrez is ranked eighth by the WBA. The 30-year-old Venezuelan, who has won his last two fights after losing two straight, won the WBA super-featherweight title in 2021, losing his crown 19 months later.
Bahdi ranks fifth among lightweight contenders by the WBA and IBF, 14th by the WBO and 15th by the WBC.
He has his eye on Davis’ title
“I can’t look past my next opponent, so I’ve got to take care of business. After this, if all goes well, I want to go straight to Tank.”
Bahdi held his training camp at his gym in Niagara Falls, bringing in sparring partners.
Saturday’s card at the Caribe Royale Resort is the first of Bahdi’s newly signed multi-fight contract extension with Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions.
Bahdi made his pro debut in 2019, winning his first 11 fights by knockout. He recorded unanimous decision wins over Mexico’s Diego Fabian Eligio and Diego Andrade Chavez in 2022 before resuming his knockout streak.
Bahdi is coming off a decision win in March over hard-nosed Filipino southpaw Ryan (The Untouchable) Racaza in Toronto.
Bahdi’s technique overcame Racaza’s heavy hands in a fight that grew more bruising round by round. Bahdi showed his power when he felled Racaza with a left to the head in the seventh round and staggered him in the ninth.
The 10th and final round saw both men fire bombs.
The “Most Valuable Prospects 11” card, at the Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto, was the first in Canada put on by MVP.
Bahdi has been on a roll of late.
Before Racaza, Bahdi scored a majority decision win over Italian super-lightweight Armando Casamonica on the undercard of the Paul-Mike Tyson fight before a crowd of 72,300 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
In July, Bahdi recorded a spectacular knockout of American Ashton (H2) Sylve, then unbeaten and a top prospect in Paul’s stable of fighters, on a short-notice bout on the undercard of the Paul-Mike Perry card in Tampa.
The win prompted Paul, a 28-year-old actor/social media influencer turned boxer and entrepreneur, to sign Bahdi.
Bahdi played hockey and soccer growing up, but found a new challenge after walking into a boxing gym at 14. He got serious about the sport at 16, shedding the other sports.
He fought as an amateur from 2009 to 2019 and was an Olympic alternate in 2016.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 22, 2025.
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
