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Gervonta Davis vs. Rolando Romero Showtime PPV Adds Three
Undercard Showdowns Featuring Title Clash, Sensational Young
Stars & All-Action Brawlers
The SHOWTIME PPV undercard for Gervonta Davis vs. Rolando
Romero will feature three exciting, explosive matchups
entering the ring in high-stakes action on Saturday, May 28
live from Barclays Center in Brooklyn in a Premier Boxing
Champions event.
Two-division world champion Erislandy “The American Dream”
Lara will defend his WBA Middleweight Title against
hard-hitting, Irish crowd-pleaser Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan in
an all-action co-main event of the telecast, which begins at
9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
Sensational young star Jesús “Mono” Ramos will put his
unbeaten record on the line against rugged super
welterweight battler Luke Santamaría in a 10-round showdown
on the pay-per-view, while hard-hitting contender Eduardo
Ramírez battles Puerto Rico’s Luis Meléndez in a 10-round
super featherweight thriller that shapes up to deliver
toe-to-toe action opening up the telecast.
“When you look at the matchups, this is an edge-of-your-seat
pay-per-view undercard,’’ said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of
Mayweather Promotions. “Erislandy Lara, a highly skilled
champion who has engaged in numerous exciting action bouts,
will have everything he can handle against Gary O’Sullivan,
who has never backed up in a boxing ring. Fans will also get
to see exciting young star Jesús Ramos bringing that
heat-seeking knockout mentality to the ring against rugged
brawler Luke Santamaría, and Eduardo Ramírez versus Luis
Meléndez, as they look to add their duel as the latest
chapter in the classic Mexico vs. Puerto Rico boxing
rivalry. Whether you’re watching at Barclays Center in
Brooklyn or watching live on SHOWTIME PPV, you’re going to
be entertained all night long.’’
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Mayweather
Promotions, GTD Promotions and TGB Promotions, are on sale
now and can be purchased through seatgeek.com and
barclayscenter.com. Tickets are also available for purchase
at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center.
Lara (28-3-3, 16 KOs) was the longest reigning 154-pound
world champion before he lost a tough split-decision to
Jarrett Hurd in a title unification match in 2018 that
earned “Fight of the Year” from the BWAA. Lara returned from
that fight and battled current 154-pound world titleholder
Brian Castaño to an exciting draw in another narrow fight
that could have gone Lara’s way. Lara most recently moved up
to middleweight, capturing his WBA title with a first round
knockout of Thomas LaManna in May 2021. Lara faced a slew of
the top 154-pounders in the sport, including Canelo Alvarez,
ahead of his middleweight debut.
“I’m ready to get back in the ring and show the fans that
I’m still a world class fighter,” said Lara. “Gary
O’Sullivan has proven to be a tough opponent for everyone
he’s faced, and his only losses are to champions. I’ve been
in many great fights and it will be no different when I step
into the ring at Barclays Center. Being on this stage always
brings out the best in me and fans can expect to see my
power in this fight.’’
A native of Cork, Ireland, O’Sullivan (31-4, 21 KOs) has won
three of his last four fights leading into his title shot
against Lara on May 28. O’Sullivan’s aggressive style has
made him a fan-favorite each time he steps into the ring. He
has faced a deep roster of top names, including David
Lemieux, Jaime Munguia, Chris Eubank Jr., and Billy Joe
Saunders. O’Sullivan scored a career-best victory in
December 2017, as he stopped rising prospect Antoine Douglas
during a five-fight knockout streak.
“From the very first time I watched boxing, I’ve always
dreamed of being a world champion and from the first day I
turned professional I’ve worked towards that goal,” said
O’Sullivan. “I’ve had some setbacks, but I’ve gone back to
the drawing board, regrouped, righted some wrongs and kept
pushing forward. I’ve always known that one day the chips
would fall in my favor. I’m coming to rip that belt back to
Ireland and hear the words, ‘And the new!’”
A strong southpaw who at 21 has yet to come close to hitting
his ceiling as a fighter, Ramos (18-0, 15 KOs) is the nephew
of welterweight contender Abel Ramos, who was defeated in
February by Santamaría via unanimous decision. Jesus knocked
out tough contender Vladimir Hernandez in February on that
same card. Prior to that impressive outing, Ramos had shown
the ability to outpoint his opponents with back-to-back
10-round unanimous decisions over Brian Mendoza in September
2021 and Javier Molina in May 2021. Overall, the youthful
Ramos has gained recognition with highlight-reel KOs,
stopping six of his last eight opponents, showcasing a
desire to end his fights early.
"Training out in Las Vegas has been going great so far,”
said Ramos. “We’ve had some great sparring out here. We
expect Santamaria to move around the entire fight, so we’re
going to be ready to cut the ring off and land heavy shots.
I’m going to win on May 28 because of the preparation I’ve
been doing, but I’m not underestimating anyone and will
prepare to the best of my ability."
The 24-year-old Santamaría (13-2-1, 7 KOs) will look to
continue his success against the Ramos family as he steps
into the ring after back-to-back impressive victories, first
defeating two-division champion Devon Alexander in August
2021 before defeating Abel Ramos in February on less than
two weeks’ notice. Santamaría had previously dropped a
decision to top prospect and SHOBOX: The New Generation®
alum Paul Kroll in October 2020, following an August 2020
triumph over veteran contender Mykal Fox that saw him put
Fox down in the first round. The Garden Grove, Calif. native
also owns a decision over Willie Jones and a majority draw
against SHOBOX® prospect Marquis Taylor in his 2019
contests.
“I’m daring to be great in this fight,” said Santamaría.
“That’s the main reason I agreed to fight Ramos. I’ve shown
that I’m willing to compete against anyone, because I
believe in my training and my abilities. This is going to be
a great fight for the fans and I can’t wait to step in there
on May 28.”
Fighting out of Sinaloa, Mexico, Ramírez (26-2-3, 12 KOs)
has risen up the rankings with four-straight victories,
including most recently defeating Miguel Marriaga in
December 2021. He previously had stopped then-unbeaten
Leduan Barthelemy in November 2019 before blasting out
Miguel Flores in December 2020. The 29-year-old is currently
riding wins in six of his last seven fights since losing to
then featherweight champion Lee Selby in 2017. He’s won 17
of his last 20 fights overall, including a March 2019
knockout victory at Barclays Center.
“I’m happy to be returning to Brooklyn for this fight,” said
Ramírez. “I scored a big knockout last time I was there,
even though I was the underdog going into the fight. My plan
is to deliver a moment like that once again. I’m already in
great shape and I will be prepared for a war on May 28.”
Originally from Puerto Rico and now fighting out of Miami,
Fla., Meléndez (17-1, 13 KOs) has moved into contender
status with an undefeated streak after dropping his third
pro fight back in 2018 via split decision. The 24-year-old
was busy in 2021, winning eight times, including six
victories by knockout. Most recently, Melendez scored a
career-best victory over Thomas Mattice in November, winning
a unanimous decision after eight rounds. Melendez’s clash
with Ramírez shapes up to be a classic Puerto Rico-Mexico
ring war.
“I’m very excited to be on a big card like this,” said
Meléndez. “I’m grateful for the opportunity and I’m coming
to put my name on the map come May 28. The winner of this
fight is going to be the fans. I’m going to make Puerto Rico
proud once again and display my talents in the ring. I want
to thank my team and say that I’m not going to disappoint,
because this is just the beginning for me.”
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