While Richard Commey’s lightweight title reign was ultimately a transient one, the 135-pound weight division had been increasingly kind to him. Nevertheless, after squeezing down his fairly big frame to make weight over the years, the 35-year-old from Accra, Ghana, is looking forward to beginning life as a full-fledged 140-pounder.  

In what will be his first tussle in a new weight class, Commey will officially take on Jose Pedraza (29-4, 14 KOs) this coming Saturday, August 27th, at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

When last seen, Commey (30-4, 27 KOs) was on the receiving end of an uneven beating at the hands of Vasiliy Lomachenko during their December of 2021 showdown. In the seventh round, in particular, Commey appeared relaxed against the ropes as he waited on referee Steve Willis to break up the inside action. However, a seemingly dumbfounded Commey looked up from the seat of his pants as Lomachenko floored his man, before cruising to a unanimous decision victory in New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Andre Rozier, Commey’s longtime trainer, was acrimonious throughout, lambasting the former titlist for his apathetic attitude. With Rozier consistently instilling into his fighter the importance of remaining engaged at all times, he’s hopeful that Commey has received the message.

“We’re working on precision attacks,” said Rozier to BoxingScene.com. “Him utilizing his jab. He just has to stay focused, sometimes he loses focus in fights. We can’t lose focus in this fight.”

Pedraza, 33, will be attempting to restart his own championship clock. After picking up three consecutive victories, the Puerto Rican native came up just short against Jose Ramirez on March 4th, earlier this year.  

Known for his ability to box and move, Rozier isn’t expecting the former multi-divisional champion to stand and bang with the hard-hitting Commey. If, however, Commey can simply apply steady pressure and let his hands go, Rozier is of the belief that the normally durable chin of Pedraza will fail him come Saturday night.

“He just has to give a studious, blue-collar performance and he could set up a knockout.”