Three interesting pay-per-view matches including knockout artists and increasing stars will precede three-division world champ Gervonta “Tank” Davis’ 12-round extremely fight with compelling feeling “King” Ryan Garcia in a SHOWTIME PPV production on Saturday, April 22 in a Premier Boxing Champions occasion from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The pay-per-view telecast will start at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and functions Cuban star and WBA Super Middleweight Champion David Morrell Jr. fighting Ghana’s Sena Agbeko in the co-main occasion.
The action will likewise see an excitedly prepared for rematch in between extremely middleweight sluggers Gabriel Rosado and Bektemir Melikuziev in a 10-round face-off. Kicking off the telecast will be compelling 19-year-old middleweight Elijah Garcia dealing with rugged Kevin Salgado of Mexico in a 10-round face-off.
Davis vs. Garcia is promoted by GTD Promotions, TGB Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions. The telecast is being produced and dispersed by SHOWTIME PPV and will be readily available throughout pay-per-view service providers consisting of DAZN PPV.
Tickets for the live occasion are on sale now and are readily available through www.axs.com.
A Cuban-local who concerned Minneapolis to start his professional profession in 2019, Morrell (8-0, 7 KOs) has actually rapidly displayed the skills that made him a standout in Cuba’s storied amateur scene . The 25-year-old recorded an interim title by controling then-unbeaten Lennox Allen in August 2020 in simply his 3rd pro fight. Morell, who trains in Texas with popular coach Ronnie Shields, included 2 dominant knockout triumphes in 2022 as he stopped Kalvin Henderson in June prior to a 12th-round TKO of the formerly unbeaten Aidos Yerbossynuly in November.
“I’m extremely delighted to be the co-main occasion of this extraordinary night for boxing,” stated Morrell. “’Tank’ Davis is among the sport’s greatest super stars and my goal is to one day be on the Mount Rushmore of boxing beside him. On April 22 I’m going to dispatch my challenger in astonishing style. And after this fight I desire the ‘Mexican Monster’ David Benavidez, however initially I need to surpass a hard and extremely capable challenger in Agbeko. I plan to look after my service on April 22 and after that eagerly anticipate handling David Benavidez in a fight that the fans wish to see.”
Originally from Ghana and now battling out of Nashville, Tennessee, Agbeko (27-2, 21 KOs) enters this fight having actually won his last 4 contests and 12 of his last 13. The 31-year-old won 3 times in 2022, consisting of most just recently making a unanimous choice over the formerly unbeaten Isaiah Steen last October on SHOBOX: The New Generation®. The just imperfection on Agbeko’s record because 2014 is a choice loss in 2021 against leading 168-pound competitor Vladimir Shishkin.
“I’m extremely appreciative to my whole group for this extraordinary chance to fight for the title,” stated Agbeko. “This is a stern test against among the very best extremely middleweights worldwide in the co-main occasion of the greatest fight of the year. This is a chance that I delight in considerably and is precisely how I imagined winning the belt. I’ve had a long journey to get to this point, however I’ve constantly trained like a person with a target on my back. I wish to win the belt and be the fighter that everybody is pursuing. I have a fantastic group behind me and I can’t wait to appropriately present myself to the boxing world on April 22.”
Having dealt with a deep and comprehensive list of champs and leading fighters throughout his profession, the constantly amazing Rosado (26-16, 15 KOs) will aim to duplicate his 2021 highlight-reel KO against Melikuziev in among the year’s greatest surprises when they fulfill on April 22. The Philadelphia native has actually gone toe-to-toe with existing and previous champs Jermell Charlo, Gennadiy Golovkin, Peter Quillin, David Lemieux, Joshua Clottey, Daniel Jacobs and Jaime Munguia in a professional profession that goes back to 2006.
“It was difficult having the fight against ‘Zurdo’ canceled, and now it’s me versus Bek on the greatest fight card of the year,” stated Rosado. “I’m concentrated and all set to put Bek back in check. I eagerly anticipate belonging to a historic fight card, and I intend on controling ‘The Bully’ as soon as again!”
The 26-year-old Melikuziev (11-1, 9 KOs) heads into April 22 looking for vengeance from his 2021 defeat to Rosado and to extend his winning streak to 5. Originally coming from Uzbekistan and now living in Indio, California, Melikuziev turned professional in 2019 after a remarkable amateur profession that consisted of gold medals in the 2015 and 2017 Asian Championships. Melikuziev had actually knocked out 6 of his very first 7 professional challengers prior to encountering Rosado’s right-hand man.
“This is the fight I desired and the most essential fight for me today,” stated Melikuziev. “This is the fight to right the incorrect. I am so fortunate to make it on the greatest card of the year. I wish to thank my group, my promoter, and obviously, Rosado, for providing me this chance.”
Fighting out of Phoenix, Arizona, Garcia (14-0, 12 KOs) made a career-best triumph in March, blasting out the formerly unbeaten Amilcar Vidal in the fourth-round on SHOWTIME® to reveal his existence at 160-pounds. The 19-year-old had actually formerly created a four-win 2022 project topped by a 2nd round KO of Cruse Stewart that streamed live on the SHOWTIME SPORTS® YouTube channel and SHOWTIME Boxing® Facebook page. The precocious Garcia has actually moved quickly because turning professional in 2020 and has actually knocked out 6 of his last 7 challengers.
“I’m enjoyed belong to this significant pay-per-view occasion and I’m delighted for the chance,” stated Garcia. “After my last fight, I’ve remained in the health club awaiting the time to display my abilities yet once again. I’m intending on placing on a piece de resistance against Salgado on April 22. The centerpiece is a fantastic fight and ‘Tank’ is a monster, and Ryan is unbeaten and skilled and will be a hard test. But ensure you don’t miss my fight, since it’s going to be a Mexican war for all of the fans.”
A local of Mexico City, Salgado (15-1-1, 10 KOs) is the more youthful sibling of previous extremely featherweight champ Juan Carlos Salgado and now battles out of San Antonio, Texas. The 25-year-old turned professional in late 2016 and provided knockouts in 6 of his very first 9 getaways. After scoring three-straight knockouts in between September 2019 and February 2021, Salgado went back to the ring in October 2021 to beat Ricardo Banuelos Cernas by consentaneous choice prior to battling Bryant Perrella to a split-draw in his U.S. launching in April. Salgado recovered from a September 2022 defeat to Joey Spencer by knocking out Gilberto Flores in the preliminary of their December 2022 clash.
“I understand that I’m dealing with a great challenger, however I’m all set to shock the boxing world,” stated Salgado. “This is a fantastic chance for me. I’m grateful to be in this position and I’m concerning maximize it. I’m feeling strong in training school and I’ll be all set to test Garcia and see where he accumulates.”
