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Mario Barrios Duels Jovanie Santiago In Co-Main Event
Feb. 11 Live From The Alamodome In San Antonio, TX
Undefeated two-division world champion Rey Vargas will
battle top 130-pound contender O’Shaquie Foster for the
vacant WBC Super Featherweight World Championship in a
showdown that headlines action live on SHOWTIME Saturday,
February 11 from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas topping
a Premier Boxing Champions event.
The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast begins at 9 p.m.
ET/6 p.m. PT and also features former champion and
all-action San Antonio-native Mario “El Azteca” Barrios, now
trained by top trainer Bob Santos, returning to the ring in
a 10-round welterweight duel against Jovanie Santiago that
serves as the co-main event. Kicking off the action,
hard-hitting unbeaten heavyweights go toe-to-toe as Cuba’s
Lenier Peró takes on Ukraine’s Viktor Faust in a 10-round
attraction.
“One of the best fighters representing Mexico in the sport
today, Rey Vargas will look to continue to add to his resume
in a tough fight against O’Shaquie Foster for the vacant WBC
Super Featherweight World Title,” said Tom Brown, President
of TGB Promotions. “Vargas has continued to pass every test
put in front of him, and he’ll hope to do so once again on
Saturday, February 11 on SHOWTIME. San Antonio is one of the
best fight towns in the country, and with their hometown
star Mario Barrios in the co-main event, plus an explosive
clash of unbeaten heavyweights as the telecast opener,
there’s no doubt fight fans will want to be out in full
force at the Alamodome.”
Vargas (36-0, 22 KOs) is a former WBC 122-pound world
champion and current WBC Featherweight World Champion who
will compete in his third weight division since 2019 when he
faces Foster for the vacant WBC crown. A master of distance
with every punch in the book at his disposal, Vargas
captured his 126-pound world title in his last bout with a
decision victory over Mark Magsayo at the Alamodome on
SHOWTIME last July. That marked his second outing at
featherweight after the 32-year-old returned from a layoff
due to injury to score a near shutout decision victory over
Leonardo Baez in his featherweight debut in November 2021.
The product of Otumba, Mexico went on the road to the United
Kingdom to capture his super bantamweight title in 2017,
winning a decision over previously unbeaten Gavin McDonnell,
before racking up five successful title defenses. He has
fought in the United States seven-straight times since
picking up the 122-pound title.
“The Alamodome is definitely a beautiful venue and a place
where I have wonderful memories, and we’re coming back to do
it again on February 11,” Vargas said. “I want to thrill the
fans so Foster can come at me with whatever he has. Let’s
give the fans what they want. I’ve fought all kinds of
styles, so nothing really surprises me. I have a hunch that
Foster is going to come forward and be aggressive. If he
fights me tactically, then I’ll be ready for that too.”
Following an extensive amateur career, Foster (19-2, 11 KOs)
turned pro in September 2012, winning his first eight bouts.
The 29-year-old, who has fought four times on SHOBOX: The
New Generation®, bounced back from decision losses in 2015
and 2016 to put together his current nine-fight winning
streak. A native of Orange, Texas, who now trains in nearby
Houston, Foster scored a 2018 victory over the previously
unbeaten Jon Fernandez that set him on his path toward the
top of the WBC super featherweight rankings. Foster
solidified his spot with a knockout of veteran former title
challenger Miguel Roman in November 2020 and followed that
up with a 12-round unanimous decision over the previously
undefeated Muhammadkhuja Yaqubov in March of last year.
“I appreciate Vargas for coming up and challenging me for
the world title,” Foster said. “I’ve had to take a lot of
‘0’s’ lately and Vargas is going to be another one on the
list. I’m looking to become the first world titlist to come
out of my city so that I can make history for Orange, Texas
and raise the bar for the next generation. I’m ready to show
the world that I’m one of the top fighters.”
The 27-year-old Barrios (26-2, 17 KOs) returns to the ring
after challenging former unified welterweight champion Keith
Thurman in February 2022, dropping a decision in a
hard-fought clash. The San Antonio-product, who now trains
with Santos, a top coach, in Las Vegas, became a 140-pound
world champion in September 2019, using his aggressive style
to edge out Batyr Akhmedov and earn a unanimous decision.
Barrios lost the super lightweight title in another action
packed, highly competitive bout, as he was defeated by
three-division and five-time world champion Gervonta Davis
in June 2021.
“Everyone knows I come with everything I got when I step
into the ring, and I’m excited to be back for this big
opportunity on SHOWTIME,” said Barrios. “I’m even more
motivated knowing that I get to fight back at home in San
Antonio and give my people a great fight. Everyone is going
to see pure boxing entertainment as I’ll be putting my
skills on display with bad intentions. I’ve proven that I’m
a warrior every time I get into the ring and I’m bringing
that same energy for Santiago.”
Born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico and now residing in Dorado,
Santiago (14-2-1, 10 KOs) impressed in his U.S. debut in
February 2021 despite losing a competitive decision against
four-division champion Adrien Broner on SHOWTIME. The
31-year-old followed that up in May challenging top
140-pound contender Gary Antuanne Russell in a bout he lost
by sixth-round stoppage. Prior to those fights, Santiago had
won four of five contests by knockout, a streak that
followed a 10-round decision triumph over DeMarcus Corley in
2017. Santiago’s only blemish before the Broner fight was a
majority draw in just his third pro contest.
“This is going to be a very exciting fight,” said Santiago.
“I’m ready to go in there and throw a lot of punches.
Barrios and I are both looking to bounce back from losses
and show that we’re elite fighters. That’s going to make
this an action-packed fight and I know that I have
everything it takes to leave with my hand raised. The fans
in San Antonio can expect us to give it our all from start
to finish.”
A 2016 Olympian from Camaguey, Cuba, Peró (8-0, 5 KOs) had
an extensive and highly successful amateur career that
spanned over 100 fights, including multiple victories over
countryman Frank Sanchez and efforts against heavyweight
champion Oleksandr Usyk, heavyweight prospect Filip Hrgovic
and Olympic Gold Medalist Bakhodir Jalolov. The 30-year-old
now fights out of Miami, Fla., and made a successful U.S.
debut on New Year’s Day 2022, defeating then-unbeaten
Geovany Bruzon. He’s added two more victories since then,
most recently knocking out Joel Caudle in a bout streamed
via the SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and SHOWTIME Boxing
Facebook page in August.
“I’m really looking forward to making my SHOWTIME debut on
February 11,” said Peró. “Ever since I started boxing, I’ve
been working toward my goal of becoming the first Cuban
heavyweight world champion. Faust is a good opponent, and
this is by far the biggest fight of my career. A victory
will skyrocket my career and put me in a great position. I’m
going to seize this moment and bring home a victory for my
people in Cuba.”
Faust (11-0, 7 KOs) returns to fight in the U.S. after his
last stateside outing saw him engage in one of 2022’s most
unpredictable and fast-paced slugfests. The 30-year-old
squared off with Iago Kiladze in January 2022 with both men
hitting the canvas an astonishing five times combined in
less than five minutes of action before the Ukrainian closed
out the action in round two to earn a TKO. Faust has
followed that up with decision wins over veteran title
challenger Kevin Johnson in August and Franklin Lawrence in
December before he returns to fight in the U.S. for the
third time.
“This is a great opportunity for me to show off my talents
in the U.S.,” said Faust. “I’m especially happy to be back
against a great opponent like Peró. He was a good amateur,
and I know we’ll both be very confident heading into this
fight. I’m going to win and show everyone that I’m ready to
do everything possible to reach my goal and become world
champion.”
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