Brandon Moore is ready to shine under the Top Rank banner.

Moore will have the opportunity to do so and put the heavyweight division on notice as he faces Robert Simms tonight at the Tahoe Blue Event Center in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. The eight-round bout will stream live on ESPN+, beginning at 6 p.m. ET/ 3 p.m. PT.

At Friday’s weigh-in, Moore weighed in at 234.7 pounds. Simms came in at 238.5 pounds.

Moore (12-0, 8 knockouts), who resides in Lakeland, Florida, will make his debut under the Top Rank banner after signing with the Las Vegas-based promotional company in August.

In his last bout on June 24, Moore returned from a nearly 15-month layoff to knock out Elijah McCall in the second round. McCall is the son of former WBC world heavyweight titleholder Oliver McCall. 

Over the last several months, Moore has gained experience and sharpened his skill-set after sparring the likes of current WBC world heavyweight titleholder Tyson Fury, former WBC world titleholder Deontay Wilder, contender Luis Ortiz, and Olympic Bronze medalist Frazer Clarke of England. 

Moore also comes from an athletic background. The 29-year-old was a basketball player at Southeastern University and was named The Sun Conference Freshmen of the Year in 2013. His younger brother, Shaq Moore, currently plays for Major League Soccer’s Nashville SC and is a member of the United States Men’s national soccer team.

Simms (12-3-1, 3 KOs), who resides in Detroit, Michigan, has not fought since October 22 of last year, defeating Kenzie Morrison by unanimous decision. Morrison, who is a son of former WBO world heavyweight titleholder Tommy Morrison.

The 39-year-old is unbeaten in his last six fights, but Moore is confident he will make short work of Simms and become a face of boxing sooner than people think.

“(I) couldn’t be happier,” Moore told krikya360.com Friday. “Saturday is a real monumental day for me and my family. Top Rank is where champions are made and I assure you, they made a wise decision in investing in my career. 

“Saturday is the catalyst. Simms will go back to Detroit wondering what the hell just happened and rethink his entire life. And then the Brandon Moore show will go on. One year from now, I’ll be a household name. I want to thank my team. (Trainer) Marco Fazzini, my manager Ryan Rickey. The great people at Top Rank, including Evan Korn, Brad Goodman and Jeremy (Koegel). You guys just made a great decision.”

Moore is confident he will become a household name in a relatively short period of time. 

“The division is in transit. We saw (Tyson) Fury-(Frances) Ngannou this past week. We are seeing the Joe Joyce’s of the world fall off. The division needs me. The sport needs me. I am (Muhammad) Ali, (Oleksandr) Usyk, Fury, (Mike) Tyson all in one. We need stars. I’ll carry this sport. I’ll be the face of Top Rank and the heavyweight division. 

“Maybe that sounds arrogant to some. But I believe it. In my heart, I know it. Saturday, it all begins.”

In the main event, heavyweight Efe Ajagba (18-1, 13 KOs) of Nigeria will square off against Australia’s Joe Goodall (10-1-1, 9 KO) in a 10-round. In the co-feature, unbeaten lightweight Raymond Muratalla (18-0, 15 KOs) will face hard-hitting Diego Torres (18-0, 17 KOs) in a 10-round bout,

Francisco A. Salazar has written for BoxingScene since September 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing