Rising Philly light heavyweight Atif Oberlton headlines Saturday night’s eight-bout card at 2300 Arena

Philadelphia will have its first chance to see one of the premier prospects in the city up close on Saturday night.

Light heavyweight Atif “Lord Pretty Calvo” Oberlton will headline King’s Boxing Promotions eight-bout card at 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia. First bell is at 8 p.m.

Oberlton’s first three pro fights were in California and Minnesota. All of them have happened in 2021. He signed with Marshall Kauffman’s King’s Promotions in September 2020. Like most Philly boxers, fighting at home is high on the to-do list.

“I dreamed up of [boxing] on an even bigger stage, which it’s going to get to one day,” Oberlton said in a virtual press conference. “I want to sell out even bigger arenas back home.”

» READ MORE: Meet Philadelphia’s next great light heavyweight, Atif Oberlton. ‘He’s making grown men scream.’

Oberlton (3-0, 3 KOs) will face Brent Oren (4-6, 1 KO) in a six-round bout. All of Oberlton’s fights have been nationally televised. Premier Boxing Champions is fast tracking the 23-year-old standout, who could be the future at 168 pounds.

Kauffman thinks so. King’s Promotion recently rewarded their first champion in Alycia Baumgardner. When he signed Oberlton, Kauffman felt that “Lord Pretty Calvo” could be on that list.

“I believe that Atif is the real deal,” Kauffman said. “He’s proven it in the amateurs and pros. I never said this about anybody ever, he looks to me that he’s a future word champion without a doubt. I see that he’s the total package.”

The card also features other rising Philly prospects. Quadir Albright is the cousin of Nahir “Woo” Albright, who is storming his way up the welterweight rankings this year.

» READ MORE: Philly’s Nahir ‘Woo’ Albright uses boxing to boost his R&B career

Quadir Albright trains with Rashiem Jefferson, who is high on his potential. As much as Jefferson likes Albright, even that may not top the 22-year old’s personal confidence. He didn’t hold back on his prediction Saturday against William Hernandez, who should be his toughest opponent yet.

“Come Saturday night I’m going to knock him out and I promise you that,” Albright said.

Albright isn’t the only one with supreme confidence. Oberlton is cut from that same cloth. You won’t get a knockout prediction from him, but he’s planning to leave Saturday night victorious.

“I don’t know what he brings to the table, I don’t care what he brings to the table,” Oberlton said. “That doesn’t really matter.”

A welterweight contest between James Martin and Edgar Torres will serve as the co-main event. Jeremy Cuevas (13-1, 10 KOs) hasn’t fought since March of 2020, but he’ll face James Bernadin (4-0-1 2 KOs) in one of the more intriguing fights of the night.

Neither fighter showed much love in the virtual presser. Bernadin predicted that he’d walk down Cuevas and get a knockout, which riled up Cuevas.

“We just got to see if what he’s saying is true,” Cuevas said. “We’re going to test it.”