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Three High-Stakes Showdowns Added To Stacked David Benavidez
vs. Caleb Plant March
25 Undercard
Three high-stakes showdowns will put young stars and
unbeaten contenders in the toughest tests of their careers
to date, all as part of a jam-packed night leading up to the
highly anticipated SHOWTIME PPV main event between super
middleweight stars and former world champions David “El
Bandera Roja’’ Benavídez and Caleb Plant taking place on
Saturday, March 25 live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in
Las Vegas in an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions.
In the co-main event, unbeaten rising stars Jesús “Mono”
Ramos and Joey Spencer will go toe-to-toe in a 10-round
super welterweight scuffle, as each fighter looks to make
their claim as the future of the 154-pound division. The
action will also see rising lightweights Chris “Primetime”
Colbert and Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela meet in a 10-round duel,
while unbeaten welterweight contender Cody Crowley faces the
hard-hitting Abel Ramos in the telecast opener at 9 p.m.
ET/6 p.m. PT.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB
Promotions and Sampson Boxing, are on sale now and can be
purchased HERE through AXS.com.
“With such an intriguing fight in the main event, it was
only right that the Benavidez vs. Plant pay-per-view
undercard was also filled with evenly matched showdowns
highlighted by future stars looking for signature
victories,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions.
“Jesús Ramos vs. Joey Spencer will help determine who might
be the next star at 154-pounds, while two more young stars
also square off on the pay-per-view as Chris Colbert and
Jose Valenzuela go toe-to-toe. With Cody Crowley putting his
unbeaten record on the line against the upset-minded Abel
Ramos in the telecast opener, this card lines up to be a
can’t-miss event on March 25 in Las Vegas.”
A strong southpaw who at 21 has yet to come close to hitting
his ceiling as a fighter, Ramos (19-0, 15 KOs) is the nephew
of welterweight contender Abel Ramos but has forged his own
path toward stardom since turning pro in 2018. Jesus Ramos
added two victories to his ledger in 2022, blasting out
Vladimir Hernandez in round six in February before
dominating Luke Santamaria in May to earn a unanimous
decision. A native of Casa Grande, Ariz., Ramos also owns
back-to-back 10-round unanimous decisions over Brian Mendoza
and Javier Molina in 2021. Overall, the youthful Ramos has
gained recognition with highlight-reel KOs, stopping six of
his last nine opponents, showcasing a desire to end his
fights early.
"I’ve been in the gym for months now getting ready for this
opportunity and everything has been great,” said [Jesus]
Ramos. “I’m expecting the best version of Joey Spencer on
March 25. I know I have what it takes to beat him because of
the preparation we’ve been putting in, my dedication, my
skills and my will to win. I’m excited to be part of one of
the biggest cards of the year thus far, and I know we will
give the fans an exciting fight!"
The 22-year-old Spencer (16-0, 10 KOs) turned pro in
February 2018 and immediately caught the eye of fans and
pundits with his combination of speed, power and
athleticism. Spencer’s most recent outing saw him earn a
career-best triumph as he controlled the action throughout
and scored a unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten
Kevin Salgado in September 2022. The Linden, Mich., native
has remained busy since debuting as a pro, including two
knockouts out of three victories in his 2021 campaign. Prior
to the Salgado fight, Spencer dispatched of Ravshan
Hudaynazarov via unanimous decision in March 2022.
"It’s not that often that fans get to see fights between two
undefeated rising fighters like [Jesus] Ramos and I’m
thankful to be a part of it,” said Spencer. “This is the
fight I asked for, and for it to take place on one of the
biggest cards of the year is very special. I’m training to
put the rest of the division on notice come fight night."
Representing his native Brooklyn, N.Y., Colbert (16-1, 6
KOs) will look to impress in his lightweight debut after
dropping a hard-fought contest to super featherweight world
champion Hector Luis Garcia in February 2022. After a
decorated amateur career, Colbert turned pro in 2015 and
took out three undefeated fighters in his first eight bouts.
Since then, he took care of a slew of former champions and
contenders including Jezzrel Corrales, Jaime Arboleda and
Tugstsogt Nyambayar to establish himself as a potential
future world champion. He will now seek to reach that goal
at 135-pounds.
“I’m happy to be back,” said Colbert. “Training camp is
going amazingly for this fight. Like I’ve said before,
there’s no pressure on me. I bring the pressure. It’s
‘Primetime’ on SHOWTIME®! I’m back baby!”
The 23-year-old Valenzuela (12-1, 8 KOs) trains as a
stablemate of unbeaten two-time world champion Benavidez and
will look for a big bounce back victory after dropping a
September 2022 contest to Edwin De Los Santos. Valenzuela,
who turned pro in 2018, was sensational prior to the loss,
including a first-round knockout of former world champion
Francisco Vargas in April 2022. Born in Los Mochis, Sinaloa,
Mexico, Valenzuela rode a five-bout knockout streak before
earning his first 10-round decision in a victory over Deiner
Berrio in September 2021.
“I’m extremely motivated for this fight and have been
training really hard,” said Valenzuela. “The difference with
this camp is that I was in shape when camp started, so it’s
giving me a head start on my preparation. My strength and
conditioning are at a whole new level and I can’t wait to
show everyone what I’m capable of in this fight.”
Representing his native Ontario, Canada, Crowley (21-0, 9
KOs) returns to the ring after a pair of impressive
victories that have catapulted him up the 147-pound
division. In December 2021, he took care of the previously
unbeaten Kudratillo Abdukakhorov with a unanimous decision,
and most recently he turned back the streaking Josesito
Lopez with another unanimous decision in April 2022. The
29-year-old had previously defeated Josh Torres in September
2020 following a 2019 run that saw him win a Canadian super
welterweight title with a 12-round decision over Stuart
McLellan in February.
“After years of hard work and dedication, I’m thrilled to be
fighting back on the big stage for this fight,” said
Crowley. “I have succeeded in overcoming obstacles and
adversity, and Abel Ramos will not be able to stop me from
achieving my dream of becoming world champion. I’m
dedicating this fight to my father’s memory and to all of
those who have worked diligently to help me succeed against
all odds.”
Ramos (27-5-2, 21 KOs) is part of a boxing family out of
Casa Grande, Ariz., which includes his nephew, rising star
Jesus Ramos, who he shares a card with for the
fourth-straight time. The 31-year-old has built a reputation
as a hardnosed boxer who doesn’t back down from a fight and
gives as good as he gets. He turned the tables on Omar
Figueroa, Jr., when he went toe-to-toe and forced Figueroa
to quit on his stool in May 2021. He also owns a
split-decision defeat over former welterweight world
champion Yordenis Ugas, and has shown a flair for the
dramatic when he scored a TKO victory over Bryant Perrella
in the waning seconds of their fight in 2020. Ramos will
look to bounce back from a decision loss against Luke
Santamaria in his last fight in February.
“I’m having a great training camp and I can’t wait until
it’s time to get into the ring,” said Ramos. “I’m prepared
to take on Crowley and show off everything I’ve been working
on in camp. I’m facing a strong opponent, but I believe that
my experience in these big fights will get me the victory on
March 25.”
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