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WBC Middleweight World Champion Jermall Charlo Battles
Jose Benavidez Jr. In Las Vegas On Nov. 25
Undefeated WBC Middleweight World Champion Jermall Charlo
will battle exciting contender Jose Benavidez Jr. in a
10-round non-title WBC special event in the co-main event of
a stacked SHOWTIME PPV undercard on Saturday, November 25 in
a Premier Boxing Champions event from Michelob ULTRA Arena
at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
The pay-per-view will also see hard-hitting IBF 140-pound
world champion Subriel Matias against unbeaten mandatory
challenger Shohjahon Ergashev, plus WBA Super Featherweight
World Champion Hector Luis Garcia duels top-rated mandatory
challenger Lamont Roach in the telecast opener at 8 p.m.
ET/5 p.m. PT.
The event is headlined by undefeated two-time super
middleweight world champion David “El Monstruo” Benavídez
defending his Interim WBC Super Middleweight Title against
unbeaten two-division world champion Demetrius “Boo Boo”
Andrade in one of the most intriguing matchups in the
star-studded 168-pound division.
“Boxing fans will get a full feast of action on November 25
with three high-stakes fights leading up to the SHOWTIME PPV
main event between David Benavidez and Demetrius Andrade,”
said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “Jermall Charlo
will look to show why he’s the top middleweight in the world
against the highly-motivated Jose Benavidez Jr., while
champions Subriel Matias and Hector Luis Garcia will enter
the ring seeking to hold off fast-rising mandatory
challengers Shohjahon Ergashev and Lamont Roach. From start
to finish, fans watching on pay-per-view and at Mandalay Bay
in Las Vegas are in for a memorable night where every bout
could truly steal the show.”
The 33-year-old Charlo (31-0, 22 KOs) will return from a
layoff of over two years, having held the WBC middleweight
belt since 2019 with a run that includes a dominant victory
over top middleweight contender Sergey Derevyanchenko in
their September 2020 showdown. Charlo’s 160-pound victories
have come after a championship reign at 154-pounds that
lasted from 2015 through 2017. He has compiled a perfect 7-0
record since moving up to middleweight and owns victories
over former champions Julian Williams, Austin Trout and
Cornelius Bundrage at super welterweight, with both Williams
and Bundrage succumbing to highlight-reel KO defeats.
“It’s been a long road to this point, but only the strong
survive and I’m built different,” said Charlo. “I’m looking
forward to reminding everyone that there is a reason why
Jermall Charlo is an undefeated world champion and one of
the best fighters today pound-for-pound. This is the next
chapter of my life and it’s going to be my best, so I want
all my fans to tune in on November 25, because I’m going to
light up Las Vegas.”
Phoenix’s Benavídez (28-2-1, 19 KOs) is the older brother of
headliner David Benavídez and is trained by his father Jose
Sr. A long-established contender who was a highly decorated
amateur, Benavídez moved up to super welterweight after
dropping a 2018 world title challenge to Terence Crawford,
concluding a long run at 147 pounds. He moved up to 154
pounds in July 2022, battling two-division champion Danny
Garcia for 12 rounds before losing by a close majority
decision. Benavídez made his 160 pound debut in August,
blasting out veteran Sladan Janjanin in round five.
“I’ve been working hard and I feel strong and ready to take
him out,” said Benavidez. “I’ve been wanting to fight Charlo
for a while. I’m going to come that night and show him what
I’m about. But I’m not here trying to use words. I don’t
need to say anything. I’m going to let my fists do the
talking in the ring on November 25.”
The 31-year-old Matías (19-1, 19 KOs) captured the IBF
140-pound championship in February, stopping the previously
unbeaten Jeremias Ponce after five rounds of fast-paced,
back-and-forth action on SHOWTIME®. Matias has shown that
his power lasts throughout a fight, as his last seven
victories have come via stoppage in round five or later. The
lone loss of his career came against Petros Ananyan via
10-round unanimous decision in 2020 and was later avenged.
Matias, of Farjado, Puerto Rico, faced two unbeaten boxers
after the loss, defeating Malik Hawkins and Batyrzhan
Jukembayev by stoppage. In the rematch with Ananyan, Matias
emerged victorious by ninth-round TKO, methodically wearing
his opponent down and exhausting him before dropping him and
ending the action.
“I would always rather let my hands do the talking inside of
the ring, but I’m very excited for this fight,” said Matias.
“This is a great opportunity to be a part of a big event in
Las Vegas. I had my only loss there, so I’m going to avenge
that defeat on November 25 and show everyone that Subriel
Matias is here to stay. I’m dedicating this fight to my
hometown of Maternillo and the people of Puerto Rico.”
Born in Uzbekistan and now fighting out of Detroit under the
tutelage of renowned trainer SugarHill Steward, Ergashev
(23-0, 20 KOs) has dominated his competition since turning
pro in 2015, earning his shot at the world title. After the
31-year-old made his U.S. debut in late 2017, he stopped the
previously unbeaten Sonny Fredrickson in three rounds in
January 2018 in his second bout stateside. He’d follow that
up in 2019 by winning a unanimous decision over Mykal Fox,
handing him the first defeat of his career. Ergashev most
recently scored a pair of victories in 2022, shutting out
Luis Alberto Veron on his way to a unanimous decision in
May, before stopping Angel Martinez Hernandez in the fifth
round in August.
“It’s been a long journey to finally get this opportunity to
fight for the world title,” said Ergashev. “On Thanksgiving
weekend I will make the whole journey worthwhile. The U.S.A.
is the land of opportunity and I want to thank my team for
always believing in me. It’s also exciting to be fighting
with SHOWTIME, where I’ve had many fights throughout my
career. With my trainers Sugarhill Steward and Theo Chambers
in my corner, history will be made November 25 and
Uzbekistan will finally have a world champion.”
García (16-1, 10 KOs) followed up his spectacular 2022 in
January by challenging boxing superstar Gervonta Davis for
his lightweight world title on SHOWTIME PPV, giving Davis a
competitive bout before losing in round nine. García has
fought professionally since December of 2016 after a stellar
amateur career that included representing his native
Dominican Republic in the 2016 Olympics and a runner-up
finish at the 2015 Pan-Am Games in Toronto. Now training in
Las Vegas under the watchful eye of respected trainer Bob
Santos, García scored one of the biggest upsets of 2022 ,
dropping and defeating then unbeaten Chris Colbert in
February of that year. Nearly six months later, García
captured the world title with a one-sided unanimous decision
over incumbent Roger Gutierrez in August.
“I’m happy to be back returning to the ring and fighting at
my natural weight,” said Garcia. “I’m really looking forward
to getting in there and defending my title against Lamont
Roach. He’s a tough opponent, but I’m at my best at super
featherweight and I’ll be ready for everything he brings.
I’m having a great training camp and I can’t wait to show
the world the adjustments I’ve made since the Gervonta Davis
fight.”
The 28-year-old Roach (23-1-1, 9 KOs) enters this fight on a
four-bout winning streak, earning his position at 130 pounds
by defeating Angel Rodriguez via unanimous decision in their
July 2022 title eliminator. Roach’s current run comes after
he dropped a November 2019 130-pound world title fight via
decision against Jamel Herring. A native of Washington,
D.C., Roach began his pro career in 2014 with 16straight
victories following an impressive amateur run that included
a 2013 National Golden Gloves Championship and the honor of
being named USA Boxing’s Most Outstanding Boxer.
“He couldn’t run for long, but we’re finally here,” said
Roach. “I’m extremely excited for this fight and this
opportunity. The world is going to get used to their new
world champion and it starts when I get my hand raised on
November 25.”
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