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Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia Adds Three
Intriguing PPV Undercard Bouts On April
22
Three intriguing pay-per-view matchups featuring knockout
artists and rising stars will precede three-division world
champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis’ 12-round super fight with
hard-hitting sensation “King” Ryan Garcia in a SHOWTIME PPV
production on Saturday, April 22 in a Premier Boxing
Champions event from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The pay-per-view telecast will begin at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
and features Cuban star and WBA Super Middleweight Champion
David Morrell Jr. battling Ghana’s Sena Agbeko in the
co-main event. The action will also see an eagerly
anticipated rematch between super middleweight sluggers
Gabriel Rosado and Bektemir Melikuziev in a 10-round
showdown. Kicking off the telecast will be hard-hitting
19-year-old middleweight Elijah Garcia facing rugged Kevin
Salgado of Mexico in a 10-round showdown.
Davis vs. Garcia is promoted by GTD Promotions, TGB
Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions. The telecast is being
produced and distributed by SHOWTIME PPV and will be
available across pay-per-view providers including DAZN PPV.
A Cuban-native who came to Minneapolis to begin his pro
career in 2019, Morrell (8-0, 7 KOs) has quickly shown off
the talents that made him a standout in Cuba’s storied
amateur scene . The 25-year-old captured an interim title by
dominating then-unbeaten Lennox Allen in August 2020 in just
his third pro fight. Morell, who trains in Texas with
renowned coach Ronnie Shields, added two dominant knockout
victories in 2022 as he stopped Kalvin Henderson in June
before a 12th-round TKO of the previously unbeaten Aidos
Yerbossynuly in November.
“I’m very excited to be the co-main event of this incredible
night for boxing,” said Morrell. “’Tank’ Davis is one of the
sport’s biggest superstars and my aspiration is to one day
be on the Mount Rushmore of boxing next to him. On April 22
I’m going to dispatch my opponent in sensational fashion.
And after this fight I want the ‘Mexican Monster’ David
Benavidez, but first I have to get past a tough and very
capable opponent in Agbeko. I intend to take care of my
business on April 22 and then look forward to taking on
David Benavidez in a fight that the fans want to see.”
Originally from Ghana and now fighting out of Nashville,
Tennessee, Agbeko (27-2, 21 KOs) enters this fight having
won his last four contests and 12 of his last 13. The
31-year-old won three times in 2022, including most recently
earning a unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten
Isaiah Steen last October on SHOBOX: The New Generation®.
The only blemish on Agbeko’s record since 2014 is a decision
loss in 2021 against top 168-pound contender Vladimir
Shishkin.
“I’m very thankful to my entire team for this incredible
opportunity to fight for the title,” said Agbeko. “This is a
stern test against one of the best super middleweights in
the world in the co-main event of the biggest fight of the
year. This is an opportunity that I relish greatly and is
exactly how I envisioned winning the belt. I’ve had a long
journey to get to this point, but I’ve always trained like a
guy with a target on my back. I want to win the belt and be
the fighter that everyone is going after. I have a great
team behind me and I can’t wait to properly introduce myself
to the boxing world on April 22.”
Having faced a deep and extensive list of champions and top
fighters throughout his career, the always exciting Rosado
(26-16, 15 KOs) will look to repeat his 2021 highlight-reel
KO against Melikuziev in one of the year’s biggest surprises
when they meet on April 22. The Philadelphia native has gone
toe-to-toe with current and former champions Jermell Charlo,
Gennadiy Golovkin, Peter Quillin, David Lemieux, Joshua
Clottey, Daniel Jacobs and Jaime Munguia in a pro career
that dates back to 2006.
“It was tough having the fight against ‘Zurdo’ canceled, but
now it’s me versus Bek on the biggest fight card of the
year,” said Rosado. “I’m focused and ready to put Bek back
in check. I look forward to being part of a historical fight
card, and I plan on dominating ‘The Bully’ once again!”
The 26-year-old Melikuziev (11-1, 9 KOs) heads into April 22
seeking revenge from his 2021 defeat to Rosado and to extend
his winning streak to five. Originally hailing from
Uzbekistan and now residing in Indio, California, Melikuziev
turned pro in 2019 after an impressive amateur career that
included gold medals in the 2015 and 2017 Asian
Championships. Melikuziev had knocked out six of his first
seven pro opponents before running into Rosado’s right hand.
“This is the fight I wanted and the most important fight for
me today,” said Melikuziev. “This is the fight to right the
wrong. I am so lucky to make it on the biggest card of the
year. I want to thank my team, my promoter, and of course,
Rosado, for giving me this opportunity.”
Fighting out of Phoenix, Arizona, Garcia (14-0, 12 KOs)
earned a career-best victory in March, blasting out the
previously unbeaten Amilcar Vidal in the fourth-round on
SHOWTIME® to announce his presence at 160-pounds. The
19-year-old had previously put together a four-win 2022
campaign capped by a second round KO of Cruse Stewart that
streamed live on the SHOWTIME SPORTS® YouTube channel and
SHOWTIME Boxing® Facebook page. The precocious Garcia has
moved fast since turning pro in 2020 and has knocked out six
of his last seven opponents.
“I’m thrilled to be part of this major pay-per-view event
and I’m excited for the opportunity,” said Garcia. “After my
last fight, I’ve been in the gym waiting for the time to
showcase my skills yet again. I’m planning on putting on a
great performance against Salgado on April 22. The main
event is a great fight and ‘Tank’ is a beast, and Ryan is
undefeated and talented and will be a tough test. But make
sure you don’t miss my fight, because it’s going to be a
Mexican war for all of the fans.”
A native of Mexico City, Salgado (15-1-1, 10 KOs) is the
younger brother of former super featherweight champion Juan
Carlos Salgado and now fights out of San Antonio, Texas. The
25-year-old turned pro in late 2016 and delivered knockouts
in six of his first nine outings. After scoring
three-straight knockouts between September 2019 and February
2021, Salgado returned to the ring in October 2021 to defeat
Ricardo Banuelos Cernas by unanimous decision before
fighting Bryant Perrella to a split-draw in his U.S. debut
in April. Salgado bounced back from a September 2022 defeat
to Joey Spencer by knocking out Gilberto Flores in the first
round of their December 2022 clash.
“I know that I’m facing a good opponent, but I’m ready to
surprise the boxing world,” said Salgado. “This is a great
opportunity for me. I’m grateful to be in this position and
I’m coming to take full advantage of it. I’m feeling strong
in training camp and I’ll be ready to test Garcia and see
where he stacks up.”
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