An intriguing, intermediate level rematch takes place tonight at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas on the undercard of Oscar Valdez vs. Jayson Velez.

Raphael "Trouble" Igbokwe (14-2, 6 KOs) of Houston will fight a rematch against Genc Pllana (8-1, 4 KOs) of Kosovo.

A second-generation Nigerian-American, Igbokwe, 27, had previously outpointed Pllana, 26, via majority decision over eight rounds in August 2019. The bout, scheduled for eight rounds, will be aired live on ESPN with no audience.

Despite winning the first encounter, Igbokwe aspires to outdo himself in the rematch.

"Now I don't want to leave anything to the judges," Igokwe said. "I really want to go out there and get a stoppage. In boxing you don't get paid overtime."

It will be the first time Igbokwe will fight on national TV.

"This is definitely a stepping stone. It's the chance I've been praying for," Igbokwe said. "I don't have a promoter right now so performing in front of Bob Arum and Top Rank will definitely be a blessing. I'm using the opportunity to my advantage here. I'll shine and hopefully they'll like me and want to put me on the Top Rank team.

It will not be the first time Igbokwe has fought an opponent twice. While he has been the only fighter to defeat Pllana thus far, Igbokwe suffered back-to-back split decision losses to Alexis Gaytan (7-6, 3 KOs) last year.

"(The losses) really just humbled me," Igbokwe said. "All the fights that I've had, won or lost, they;re all in the past. All the fights that I've had have moved me on to a new game."

Preparation for the fight has been a challenge during the pandemic with gyms closed or operating at reduced capacity. Igbokwe and his trainer Dwight Pratchet had to move much of their regimen outdoors, especially the strength and conditioning workouts.

"It's been difficult with no sparring and it's a different type of getting into shape," Pratchet said. "But we're ready. He trained hard, he's confident and ready to go."

There are advantages and disadvantages to competing inside the bubble and with no live audience but they will likely apply to Pllana as well. Under normal conditions, most of the trainer's commands from the corner are drowned out by the crowd but with no live audience, everything is crystal clear.

"It's going to be a factor because I can give him the instructions and he can apply what I tell him," Pratchet said. "The downside is there's no crowd to kind of pick you up when you need it."

The strict bubble conditions have also served Igbokwe well, helping to keep his eye on the prize and removed from the ubiquitous temptations of Sin City.

"It's not a distraction but more of a focus," Igbokwe said. "I came to Vegas and I can't even gamble. We've been quarantined in our rooms for two days straight. It's like being grounded. I kind of like this better. I can't go to the casinos or nowhere that I shouldn't be."