| |
|
|
Unbeaten Rising Star Chris Colbert Takes On WBA Super
Featherweight Champion Roger Gutierrez Feb. 26 From
The Cosmopolitan Of Las Vegas
Undefeated rising star Chris “Primetime” Colbert, whose mix
of speed and power have quickly made him a fan favorite,
will seek his first world title when he takes on WBA Super
Featherweight Champion Roger “The Kid” Gutierrez in the
SHOWTIME main event Saturday, February 26 in a Premier
Boxing Champions event from The Chelsea inside The
Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast kicks off at 10
p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT and will feature another unbeaten young
phenom in the co-main event. Gary Antuanne Russell, a 2016
U.S. Olympian, faces former world champion Viktor Postol in
a 10-round super lightweight bout, while IBF Junior
Bantamweight World Champion Jerwin Ancajas defends his title
against unbeaten Argentine Fernando Martinez in the
televised opener of the loaded tripleheader.
“We’ve had the pleasure of watching Chris Colbert develop
from a prospect to a contender on SHOWTIME, so it’s only
fitting that he will get a chance to take yet another step
in his progression with a title shot against Roger Gutierrez
on our network,” said Stephen Espinoza, President, Sports
and Event Programming, Showtime Networks Inc. “Gary Antuanne
Russell is following a similar recipe for stardom. If he can
turn back the tough-as-nails Viktor Postol, it will be
another signal that his time in the spotlight may soon be at
hand. We’ve seen the destructive talents of Jerwin Ancajas
on SHOWTIME before. His title defense against Fernando
Martinez should be a barnburner and the perfect start to a
fantastic night of boxing.”
Representing his native Brooklyn, N.Y., Colbert (16-0, 6
KOs) has quickly shot up the 130-pound rankings, taking on
high-level competition in his first 16 pro fights. Already
established as a fighter with dazzling boxing skills,
Colbert showcased his ability to fight toe-to-toe with an
11th-round stoppage of Jaime Arboleda in December 2020
before most recently besting Tugstsogt Nyambayar in July
2021. The 25-year-old turned pro in 2015 and defeated three
unbeaten fighters in his first eight contests. Prior to the
Arboleda fight, Colbert scored a highlight-reel first-round
knockout against Miguel Beltran Jr. in September 2019 and a
dominant 12-round decision victory over former champion
Jezzreel Corrales in January 2020.
“I’m super ready for my title shot," said Colbert. "This has
been a long time coming, but it's no shocker to me. This was
always the expectation. I know Gutierrez will come to fight.
He's a champion for a reason. So he's not coming to lay
down. But I plan to put him down and I’m willing to do
whatever I have to do on February 26 to make that happen. I
know a lot of people have been waiting to see when I get
this title shot and now it's time."
The 26-year-old Gutierrez (26-3-1, 20 KOs) captured his
world title with a unanimous decision victory over Rene
“Gemelo” Alvarado in January 2021, in a fight that saw him
drop his opponent three times. Gutierrez followed up that
performance by defending his world championship and
defeating Alvarado a second time in August 2021, again
earning a unanimous decision. Fighting out of his native
Maracaibo, Venezuela, Gutierrez is unbeaten in his last
seven outings, including four knockouts.
“First of all, I want to thank God, my mother, my team, my
promoter and the WBA for this opportunity,” said Gutierrez.
“It cost me a lot of effort to win the world championship,
this is my second title defense and I am ready to give it my
all to retain it. On February 26, I am going to show the
world that I am the best at 130 pounds.”
Russell (14-0, 14 KOs) has yet to allow an opponent to make
it the distance against him since turning pro in 2017
following his run representing the U.S. at the Rio 2016
Summer Olympics. Russell added five more stoppage victories
in 2019 before knocking out Jose Marrufo in the first round
in February 2020. The 25-year-old most recently dominated
Jovanie Santiago in May on SHOWTIME, on his way to a
sixth-round stoppage. Russell belongs to one of the sport’s
preeminent fighting families and trains alongside his older
brothers, former WBC Featherweight Champion Gary Jr. and
bantamweight contender Gary Antonio.
"I'm going to make sure I'm prepared mentally and ready to
perform at a high-level for this fight," said Russell.
"These fights come down to who's more mentally stable, and
that's a matter of training. I train my mental as much as I
do physically. I've watched Postol fight before and I know
that he's a rangy fighter with a European style. He likes to
stay at a distance and that works best for him. He leans on
his strengths. Every fight I come in planning to make a
statement. My prediction, I'm ending this fight in round
five."
A feared contender in the 140-pound division, Postol (31-3,
12 KOs) returns to the ring after losing a narrow majority
decision to then unified champion Jose Ramirez in August
2020. Fighting out of California and originally from
Ukraine, Postol, knocked out Lucas Matthysse in 2015 to
capture a super lightweight world title before losing a
unification showdown against Terence Crawford. Postol has
won three of his last five fights, with the only defeats in
that stretch coming against Ramirez and current undisputed
champion Josh Taylor, both by decision.
“I accepted this fight as soon as it was offered,” said
Postol. “I haven’t fought in a while and I wanted to get
back in the ring as soon as I could. I’m especially excited
that I’m going to have the opportunity to face a good young
opponent on February 26.”
Representing the Philippines, Ancajas (33-1-2, 22 KOs) was
only 15 years old when he was spotted by boxing legend Manny
Pacquiao. The young fighter blossomed with Pacquiao’s
guidance, becoming the first world champion under Pacquiao’s
promotional banner when he outpointed McJoe Arroyo for the
IBF title in September 2016. The 30-year-old southpaw hasn’t
lost since and will be making the tenth defense of his
title, following an April 2021 unanimous decision over
Jonathan Rodriguez.
“I am thrilled to be back on SHOWTIME defending my world
title on February 26,” said Ancajas. “It’s very exciting to
be making my tenth world title defense in the first Las
Vegas fight of my career. I want to thank my whole team for
giving me this great opportunity to fight on this PBC event
on SHOWTIME.”
A resident of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Martinez (13-0, 8
KOs) most recently knocked out Gonzalo Duran in the fourth
round of their August 2021 showdown and will be making his
U.S. debut on February 26. The 30-year-old rose up the
rankings by stopping Athenkosi Dumezweni in his home country
of South Africa in 2019, following that up with a decision
over Angel Aquino in December 2020. Martinez turned pro in
2017 and owns an amateur victory over former title
challenger and super flyweight contender Andrew Moloney.
“I’m excited to have this great chance to show my skills on
the big stage in Las Vegas,” said Martinez. “I’m going to
leave it all in the ring on February 26 and give all the
fans watching an exciting fight. My goal is to become world
champion and this is the night for me to prove myself.”
|
|
|
