Ghana's Fredrick Lawson returns to the ring tonight

Welterweight contender Fredrick Lawson of Ghana returns to the ring tonight in the first round of “The Jose Sulaiman World Invitational Welterweight Tournament.”

The WBC welterweight tourney is being promoted by Evander Holyfield’s The Real Deal Boxing.

Lawson (26-1, 21 KOs), who now resides in the Bronx, New York, will take on China’s Baishanbo Nasiyiwula (13-1-1, 6 KOs) In a stacked card at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

At Thursday’s weigh-in, Lawson came in at 146lbs. Nasiyiwula weighed 147.5lbs.

Lawson is the tournament’s third-seed and a strong darkhorse to win it all.

“This is a great opportunity,” he told BoxingAfrica.com. “The spotlight is shining on me so I have to take advantage. I have to thank my team, everybody back home in Ghana and in New York who have supported me. I especially my manager, Jacob Zwennes, for this opportunity.”

“Training has been fantastic. We got a lot of good sparring. I feel very strong. I’m excited to show everyone what we have been working on. This is my time. I’m 28-years-old and in my prime. I hope everyone tunes in on Friday night.”

The card will also feature top-seed Felix Diaz take on Francisco Diaz and the second-seeded Chris Van Heerden against Timo Schwarzkopf.

‘The Jose Sulaiman World Invitational Welterweight Tournament’, set for Friday will be streamed live and free of charge on the SportsLIVE OTT service, available online and via mobile and Roku apps, starting at 7:00 p.m. ET. Link here: http://www.collegesportslive.com/start/?