| |
|
|
Edgar Berlanga, Xander Zayas & Keyshawn Davis
Tripleheader Headlines At MSG On March 19
Three future fistic superstars are set to unite under the
Madison Square Garden spotlight.
Brooklyn-born super middleweight sensation Edgar “The Chosen
One” Berlanga will defend his NABO belt against crafty
Canadian Steve Rolls in the 10-round main event Saturday,
March 19 at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden. Berlanga,
whose family hails from San Juan, Puerto Rico, makes his
main event debut in his stiffest test to date.
In the junior middleweight co-feature, 19-year-old Puerto
Rican star Xander Zayas will fight in his first scheduled
eight-rounder against Louisiana-born spoiler Quincy “Chico”
LaVallais.
The eight-round televised opener will see the return of
lightweight U.S. Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn Davis
against Mexican veteran Esteban Sanchez.
Berlanga-Rolls, Zayas-LaVallais and Davis-Sanchez will air
live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes (simulcast on ESPN+) at 10
p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with DiBella
Entertainment, tickets starting at $51 go on sale Friday,
Jan. 28 at 12 p.m. ET and can be purchased by visiting
Ticketmaster.com or MSG.com.
“Edgar, Xander and Keyshawn are future pound-for-pound
superstars, and it will be a special evening in front of a
sold-out New York City crowd,” said Top Rank chairman Bob
Arum. “All three are in there with the toughest fights of
their respective careers, but I expect them to pass with
flying colors.”
Berlanga (18-0, 16 KOs) took the boxing world by storm with
16 straight first-round knockouts to open his pro career. He
went the distance twice in 2021, opening his campaign in
April by knocking down Demond Nicholson four times in eight
rounds in an ESPN-televised rout. Berlanga returned on the
Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder III card in October, defeating
Marcelo Esteban Coceres via 10-round unanimous decision
despite suffering a torn biceps in the third round and the
first knockdown of his career in the ninth.
Berlanga said, “I’m so excited to fight in my first main
event in my hometown. It’s a dream come true for a fighter
representing New York City and Puerto Rico. I can’t wait to
show the world what I’m truly about. We are going to blow
the roof off the Hulu Theater, so grab your tickets early
and get your popcorn ready for this performance.”
Rolls (21-1, 12 KOs), a 37-year-old from Toronto, is an
11-year pro who was an undefeated middleweight contender
before moving up in weight. In June 2019, he challenged
pound-for-pound stalwart Gennadiy Golovkin at Madison Square
Garden and found some success in the second round before
being stopped in the fourth. Rolls has tallied two wins
since the Golovkin bout, most recently knocking out
Christopher Brooker in the ninth round last month on the
Artur Beterbiev-Marcus Browne undercard in Montreal.
Rolls said, “I'm happy to be back headlining at Madison
Square Garden. Training camp has been going well, and I feel
very strong with nothing but war on my mind. Berlanga has
power, but I'll be ready for whatever he brings. I’m looking
forward to March 19. I'll see you then.”
Zayas (12-0, 9 KOs) had a breakthrough 2021, going 6-0 with
four knockouts while being mentioned prominently in Prospect
of the Year debates. He made his Madison Square Garden debut
last December and finished his 2021 campaign by knocking out
Alessio Mastronunzio in the first round. He steps up against
LaVallais (12-2-1, 7 KOs), who notched a December 2020 upset
over Clay Collard at the MGM Grand Bubble. LaVallais, who is
2-2 since the Collard victory, has never been knocked out.
Zayas said, "It's an honor to fight again at Madison Square
Garden, where I know my Puerto Rican people will come out to
show their support. 2021 was a great year, but I'm looking
forward to an even bigger 2022. Quincy LaVallais is a solid
veteran, so I can't overlook him. I want to make a major
statement on March 19."
Davis (4-0, 3 KOs), from Norfolk, Virginia, won three bouts
in the first five months of 2021 before journeying to Tokyo
and earning a silver medal. He then signed a long-term
promotional contract with Top Rank and improved to 4-0 with
a second-round stoppage over Jose Zaragoza on December 11.
Davis makes his 2022 debut against Sanchez (18-1, 8 KOs), a
23-year-old from Ensenada, Mexico, who has won two straight
bouts and will be making his American debut.
Davis said, “I put on a show at Madison Square Garden in
December, and I’m going to do it again. Esteban Sanchez is
supposed to be my hardest fight as a pro, but it’s going to
be easy work. The Davis Brothers are coming to represent
Norfolk and leave no doubt that we are the future of
boxing.”
Undercard action will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+
and is scheduled to include a host of undefeated talents,
including Puerto Rican junior welterweight John “El
Terrible” Bauza (16-0, 7 KOs) in an eight-rounder,
welterweight and Berlanga’s New York City stablemate Pablo
“Pretty Boy” Valdez (6-0, 5 KOs) in a six-round attraction,
Puerto Rican junior lightweight Henry “Moncho” Lebron (14-0,
9 KOs) in an eight-rounder, and a four-rounder featuring
junior welterweight Kelvin Davis (3-0, 2 KOs).
|
|
|
