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Mere, 168-Pound Champion David Benavidez Gør First verden titel forsvar i en omkamp med Ronald Gavril i SHOWTIME Championship Boxing® Co-Feature
Billetter i salg Lørdag, December 23 på 10 a.m. PST!
LAS VEGAS (December 21, 2017) – To-division verdensmester Danny “Swift” Garcia vender tilbage til ringen for at tage på den tidligere verdensmester Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios i en weltervægt opgør på Lørdag, Februar 17 lever videre SHOWTIME på Mandalay Bay Events Center i Las Vegas og præsenteret af Premier Boxing Champions.
I co-feature, boksning yngste verdensmester David “The Red Flag” Benavidez will defend his Super Middleweight World Championship for the first time against Ronald Gavril in a rematch of their thrilling September 2017 bout in which Benavidez won the vacant title by split decision.
The card is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and TGB Promotions in association with DSG Promotions. The Benavidez-Gavril rematch is co-promoted by Sampson Boxing. Tickets for the live event go on sale Lørdag, December. 23 på 10 a.m. PST and will be available at AXS.com.
“I’m excited just to get back in the ring,” Said Garcia, who was reigning world champion for the better part of six years dating back to his win over Hall of Famer Erik Morales in 2012 til marts 2017. “I needed the time off to recuperate and let my body heal.”
Garcia (33-1, 19 KOS) was a unified world champion at super lightweight and welterweight and has fought and defeated many of the most formidable opponents in both divisions spanning two generations-Morales, Zab Judah, Kendall Holt, Amir Khan, Lucas Matthysse, Paulie Malignaggi and Lamont Peterson among them. Four of his five opponents in the welterweight division were world champions and 10 af hans sidste 14 opponents were world champions or former world champions.
“I was the reigning champion for six years, so I needed the rest,” continued the 29-year old Philadelphia fighter. “I’m ready to kick off the year in style and take over the welterweight division.”
I sin sidste kamp, a welterweight clash of world title holders, Garcia lost via split decision to now unified 147-pound world champion Keith Thurman in a hard-fought, exciting fight that aired live on CBS. The SHOWTIME BOXING on CBS broadcast drew the biggest boxing audience of the year, mere end fem millioner seere, der fortsat den største publikum at være vidne til et primetime boksning udsendelse siden 1998.
Nu, Garcia ser ud til at genetablere sin engang dominerende stilling på weltervægt, en division, der kan prale flere top-10 pund-for-pund krigere i sporten end nogen anden vægtklasse; krigere herunder verdensmestre Errol Spence Jr., Thurman, Shawn Porter, Kell Brook, Lamont Peterson og mere.
“Det interessante i denne kamp med Brandon Rios er vores stilarter. Vi begge gerne komme frem. Denne form for matchup vil bringe det bedste frem i os begge. Jeg er spændt på at være tilbage i Las Vegas. Jeg har haft nogle af mine bedste præstationer, og nogle af mine største kampe der. Jeg slog Lucas Matthysse og Amir Khan i Vegas. Du kæmper i Las Vegas, du er en superstjerne,” tilføjet Garcia.
Ligesom Garcia, Rios har kæmpet mange af de øverste weltervægt i denne æra, herunder verdensmestre Timothy Bradley og Manny Pacquiao. Den benhård Slugger fra Oxnard, Calif., har 34 vinder, 25 af knockout. Den 31-årige Rios kommer altid parat til at kæmpe. Med en aggressiv stil og granit hage, han er en af de mest underholdende boksere i sporten. I sin sidste kamp scorede han en TKO sejr over Aaron Herrera på Juni 11. En sejr over Garcia, en top-10 weltervægt i sin egen ret, ville straks ændre løbet af Rios’ karriere og krav om, at han skal placeres blandt de top-rangerede i divisionen.
“Jeg er spændt på at bevise mine kritikere galt igen,” Said Rios. “Jeg bringe en ’Bam Bam’ Rios slugfest til mine fans. Danny er en stor fighter, but I will beat him just like I have beat others in the past. I am focused and will make this a classic Mexican-Puerto Rican battle!”
“SHOWTIME is poised to start the year with two crucial welterweight main event matchups,” sagde Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President og General Manager for SHOWTIME Sports®. “Following the January 20th event pitting Errol Spence Jr. vs. Lamont Peterson, Garcia vs. Rios features two of the most battle-tested and ferocious 147-pound fighters in the world. Add in the Benavidez vs. Gavril II co-feature, a fight that is guaranteed to deliver dramatic action, and we are picking up right where we left off in 2017 delivering the most compelling and important matchups in boxing’s deepest divisions.”
“We’re looking forward to the action at Mandalay Bay Events Center in February,” Said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO Mayweather Promotions. “Both Garcia and Rios are seasoned fighters that have faced the toughest competition in the welterweight division and they are both very hungry for a big win. Den co-funktionen omkamp mellem den yngste regerende verdensmester David Benavidez og udfordrer Ronald Gavril vi allerede ved vil være spændende. Alle fire af disse mænd har bevist, at de vil sætte det hele på spil i bokseringen at efterlader ingen tvivl om, hvem den bedre manden er. Desuden, Vi arbejder på en crowd-glædeligt undercard nu. Alle på dette kort skal medbringe deres ’Et spil’ to Las Vegas in order to be victorious on Februar 17.”
“Danny Garcia er en af de mest kamp-testet, dygtige boksere i sporten. What he did in running through the 140-pound division before moving up to welterweight is simply amazing,” sagde Tom Brown, Formand for TGB Promotions. “‘Bam Bam’ Rios is a throwback warrior. He never met a fight that he backed down from. Putting Garcia and Rios into the ring against each other promises nothing but fireworks in a match that should provide maximum entertainment for fans. It’s the kind of fight that belongs in Las Vegas, a classic battle that harkens to welterweight wars of the past. The first match between Benavidez and Gavril left enough room for doubt that a rematch should settle any remaining questions. I’d expect both boxers to come in with something to prove and that translates into a fan-friendly match.”
The 21-year-old Benavidez (19-0, 17 KOS) became the youngest reigning world champion in boxing and the youngest 168-pound champion in history at 20-years, ni måneder gammel, da han scorede et split beslutning mod Gavril at vinde super mellemvægt titel på September 8. Den kamp featured flere gynger af momentum, spændende udvekslinger og en vild 12th omgang. Benavidez og Gavril skubbede hinanden for at levere den bedste ydeevne af deres respektive karrierer hidtil.
“Jeg føler, at jeg vandt kampen,” sagde Gavril umiddelbart efter beslutningen. “Jeg dominerede tempoet. Jeg kan ikke sige noget andet… Det eneste jeg kan gøre er at bede om en omkamp.”
På Februar 17, Gavril vil få det.
“Ingen undskyldninger denne gang,” sagde Sampson Lewkowicz af Sampson Boxing. “I det øjeblik Benavidez færdig kampen jeg anmodede om omkamp-på vegne af vinderen-alene af den grund, at han havde brug for at vinde ved eftertrykkeligt og ikke opdelt beslutning. Jeg ønskede offentligheden at være i stand til at have den omkamp, så alle vil vide, hvem den bedste er. Jeg forventer denne gang Gavril vil sige, at han virkelig er blevet slået. Som den yngste regerende mester i sporten i dag, Jeg ønsker ikke i tvivl om, at Benavidez er det bedre menneske. It was a great fight the first time and this time we’ll see who the best truly is. Ingen undskyldninger. No doubt.”
Kæmper ud af Phoenix, Ariz., Benavidez had scored 10 straight knockouts leading up to the match against Gavril. His eight-round KO victory over Rogelio Medina put him position for the vacant title.
“This is a fight that my father, my team and I decided to take again to show everybody that I’m really the champion and there’s more to me than just being the youngest world champion,” Benavidez said. “I feel like I’m the better fighter and I’m going to definitely show it this time. I learned from that first fight that he puts on a lot of pressure. He likes to throw at the same time that I’m throwing. There are a couple different approaches to take against that. It’s going to be a great night of fights. Danny Garcia and ‘Bam Bam’ Rios, these are two fighters I look up to in the sport and it’s an honor to fight in their undercard. My training has been going well. We decided to bring in a strength and conditioning coach and I feel really strong. I believe I’ll be very prepared.”
Gavril (18-2, 14 KOS) rose rapidly through the ranks by scoring seven straight victories including four by knockout since 2015. The 31-year-old Gavril was born in Bacau, Romania and now lives and fights out of Las Vegas. He fought a brilliant match against Benavidez, seizing control in the middle rounds and even dropping the young contender in the 12th with less than a minute left in the fight. I sidste ende, it wasn’t enough as Gavril lost on two of the three judges’ scorecards.
“I can’t wait to get into the ring again and take that belt,” said Gavril. “I learned his game plan quickly during the first fight, I blocked it well then, and I plan to do the same again. He has fast hands and power, I won’t take that from him, but I am prepared for whatever plan he comes in the ring with. I know I have what it takes to win this time. Preparing for this fight the second time around has been different, training has been more intense, and my team is preparing me to take him out once and for all. I can’t let him win. Some people said I won back in September, and were surprised by my performance. I thought it was close, and I thought the knock down gave me the advantage to win. All I can do is be ready. I don’t think either of us will upset the fans on fight night. I want to thank Floyd Mayweather and Leonard for another opportunity against Benavidez. He’s a great fighter and tough competitor and this will certainly be a great fight.”
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