Meer! Rising Lightweight Contender Michel Rivera Faces Mexico’s Marcos Villasana Jr. In WBC Title Eliminator & Interim WBA Super Lightweight Titlist Alberto Puello Takes on Two-Division World Champion Rances Barthelemy
Tickets nu te koop!
FENIKS – Maart 9, 2020 – Ongeslagen WBC Super middengewicht wereldkampioen Davíd “The Red Flag” Benavidez will defend his title on Saturday, April 18 in his hometown of Phoenix, Ariz. tegen de voormalige wereldkampioen titel uitdager Roamer Alexis Angulo, live on SHOWTIME from Arizona Federal Theatre headlining a Premier Boxing Champions event.
Het SHOWTIME KAMPIOENSCHAP BOKSEN® uitzending begint om 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT and features rising lightweight prospect Michel Rivera nemen van Mexico Marcos Villasana Jr. in a WBC Lightweight Title Eliminator in the co-main event. Interim WBA Super Lightweight titlist Alberto Puello faces two-division world champion Rances Barthelemy in de op televisie uitgezonden opener.
One of the sport’s brightest young stars, Benavidez kicks off his second reign as WBC Super Middleweight Champion by returning to fight in his native Phoenix for the first time since 2015, when he knocked out Ricardo Campillo in just his 10th pro strijd.
“Op Zaterdag, April 18, Phoenix’s own super middleweight world champion Davíd Benavidez will return home looking to thrill his hometown fans at Arizona Federal Theatre and further cement his positioning in the 168-pound division,” zei Tom Brown, President van TGB Promotions. “Benavidez can expect a strong challenge from the exciting Roamer Alexis Angulo, which should create an action-packed main event live on SHOWTIME. Two more fights with title implications add to the intrigue, with fast-rising Michel Rivera barreling toward a championship and two-division champion Rances Barthelemy hoping to pry the title away from Alberto Puello.”
“From the start of his career, lang voordat hij werd kampioen, mensen hebben me gevraagd over David vechten thuis,” zei Sampson Lewkowicz van Sampson Boksen. “Nu is de perfecte tijd en ik ben erg blij om te helpen bij deze show te geboortestad Davids. Ik twijfel er niet aan dat het niet alleen een geweldige evenement; het zal ook worden verpakt met duizenden fans van ‘El Bandera Roja’ Benavidez.”
“SHOWTIME Sports zet haar traditie van met de helderste jonge sterren in het boksen,” zei Stephen Espinoza, President, Sport- & Events Programming, Showtime Networks Inc. “Op slechts 23 jaar oud, David Benavidez is één van de meest opwindende jonge kampioenen boksen, en hij is geconfronteerd met een gevaarlijke tegenstander in Roamer Alexis Angulo, die is hongerig voor een ander verstoorde overwinning. In de co-main event, we hebben nog een andere boksen wonderkind in ongeslagen 21-jarige rijzende ster Michel Rivera, die wordt geconfronteerd met zijn meest uitdagende tegenstander tot nu toe in Marcos Villasana. Ter afsluiting van de kaart, we will yet another undefeated young rising star in 25-year-old Alberto Puello, who takes on battle-tested veteran Rances Barthelemy.”
Tickets voor de live-evenement, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and Sampson Boxing, zijn nu te koop en te koop bij www.ticketmaster.com and at Arizona Federal Theatre box office.
The 23-year-old Benavidez (22-0, 19 KO) verdedigt zijn riem na het verslaan van tweevoudig super middengewicht kampioen Anthony Dirrell in september, hem stoppen in negen rondes. Benavidez wordt opgeleid door zijn vader José Sr., naast zijn broer en voormalig titeluitdager, Jose Jr. In 2017, hij werd de jongste super middengewicht kampioen in de boksgeschiedenis door Ronald Gavril op SHOWTIME om slechts 20 jaar oud. Benavidez went from a 15-year-old prodigy sparring with Gennady Golovkin and Peter Quillin, wereldtitel met een knock-outreeks van 10 gevechten van 2015 door middel van 2017, including a highlight-reel knockout of Rogelio Medina with a seven-punch combination that earned him his first championship.
“I’m very excited to be fighting Angulo on SHOWTIME and in front of my hometown crowd,” said Benavidez. “I haven’t fought in Phoenix in five years. It’s exciting to be back. I expect Angulo to come in ready. I know he just pulled an upset in his last fight and he’s not taking any shortcuts, but neither am I. Angulo has never been stopped, so I want to be the first person to stop him. I feel like I’m more motivated with a hungry fighter like him in front of me, and you will see it in my performance.”
Geboren in El Bordo, Colombia en vecht nu uit Miami, Fla., Angulo (26-1, 22 KO) doet zijn tweede kans op de wereldtitel op een winning streak van drie gevechten, inclusief twee triomfen op voorheen ongeslagen vechters. Angulo hield Reinaldo Gonzalez tegen 2018 in zijn eerste gevecht sinds hij eerder dat jaar een beslissing verloor van de toenmalige super middengewicht kampioen Gilberto Ramirez. Hij scoorde in januari een beslissende overwinning op Anthony Sims Jr.. to put himself in position to again challenge the best in the division.
“I’m very motivated by this great opportunity to fight for the world title again,” Said Angulo. “Benavidez is a talented world champion who is clearly one of the best super middleweights in the world. This is going to be a great fight for the fans because of the style I bring to the ring. My Mexican style of fighting will be too much for Benavidez and I will have my hand raised on April 18.”
Geboren in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and now living in Miami, the 21-year-old Rivera (18-0, 12 KO) maakte zijn U.S.. debuut op ShoBox in juni 2019 by scoring an impressive unanimous decision victory against then-unbeaten Rene Tellez Giron, who would go on to upset Karlos Balderas in his next fight. The explosive rising star then followed up by stopping Jose Luis Gallegos in September and scoring a vicious 10th-round TKO against Fidel Maldonado Jr. in February of 2020.
Villasana (25-6, 14 KO) is the son of former featherweight champion Marcos Villasana, and fights out of Acapulco, Mexico. The 28-year-old will make his U.S. debut on April 18 riding a 10-fight winning streak that includes five knockouts. He most recently picked up two victories in 2019, defeating then-unbeaten Roman Villa in April before knocking out Javier Franco in August.
Representing his home of San Juan de la Maguana, Dominicaanse Republiek, Puello (17-0, 9 KO) zal zijn het Amerikaanse maken. debut on April 18 when he faces Barthelemy. The 25-year-old has fought professionally since 2015, defeating a slew of regional contenders and prospects. His most recent fight saw him defeat 2012 Olympian and then-unbeaten Jonathan Alonso by 12-round decision to capture his interim 140-pound title.
A decorated Cuban amateur who hails from a boxing family, Barthelemy (27-1-1, 14 KO) is moving back to super lightweight after fighting former champion Robert Easter Jr. to a draw in their April 2019 lightweight title fight. The 33-year-old now trains in Las Vegas and has won titles in two weight classes, defeating Argenis Mendez for a 130-pound crown in 2014 and Denis Shafikov for a 135-pound belt in 2015. Barthelemy will look to work his way toward a second world title shot at 140 pond, which could make him the first three-division champion from Cuba.
Veteraan omroep Brian Custer zal dienen als uitzending host met veelzijdige combat sportscaster Mauro Ranallo het aanroepen van de actie samen met Hall of Fame analist Al Bernstein en voormalig twee-divisie wereldkampioen Paulie Malignaggi. Afronding van de uitzending team Emmy® bekroonde verslaggever Jim Gray, officieuze eerste rang scorer Steve Farhood en wereldberoemde ring omroeper Jimmy Lennon Jr. David Dinkins Jr. fungeert als Executive Producer met Ray Smaltz produceren en Bob Dunphy regisseren.
# # #
Voor meer informatie bezoek www.SHO.com/sports, www.PremierBoxingChampions.com, volgen op Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing, TGBPromotions, en @Swanson_Comm of word fan op Facebook op www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing