Three matchups have been added to the SHOWTIME PPV lineup headlined by WBC and IBF world champion Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. and WBA World Champion Yordenis Ugas squaring off in a welterweight title unification clash on Saturday, April 16 live from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas in a Premier Boxing Champions event.
The pay-per-view telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features exciting lightweight contender Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz taking on veteran former world champion Yuriorkis Gamboa in the 10-round co-main event.
The lineup also includes unbeaten Jose Valenzuela battling former world champion Francisco “El Bandido” Vargas in a 10-round lightweight fight, plus unbeaten Cody Crowley faces veteran contender Josesito Lopez in a 10-round duel of all-action welterweights that kicks off the telecast.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and Man Down Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased at SeatGeek.com, the Official Ticketing Provider of AT&T Stadium.
“One of the year’s biggest events will feature a deserving pay-per-view undercard lineup loaded with consequential matchups that are primed to deliver drama and action,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “Isaac Cruz showed against Gervonta Davis that he is a star in the making, and he’ll be looking to display those talents once again against an accomplished opponent in Yuriorkis Gamboa. Plus, another rising star in Jose Valenzuela will step up in competition against former champion Francisco Vargas, while Cody Crowley and Josesito Lopez will both bring their high-octane styles into the ring in what shapes up to be a ‘can’t-miss’ showdown to open the loaded SHOWTIME PPV.”
The 23-year-old Cruz (22-2-1, 15 KOs) will return to the ring after dropping a competitive decision against three-division champion Gervonta Davis on SHOWTIME PPV in December. A native of Mexico City, Cruz shot up the lightweight rankings in 2020, announcing his presence with an electrifying first-round knockout over veteran Diego Magdaleno in October. Cruz followed that up in 2021 by winning a unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Matías Romero in March and by defeating former champion Francisco Vargas by decision in June. After making his U.S. debut in December 2019, Cruz went unbeaten in his next four bouts, appearing on SHOWTIME® three times in addition to beating Magdaleno on the Davis vs. Leo Santa Cruz SHOWTIME PPV undercard.
Gamboa (30-4, 18 KOs) is a former unified featherweight champion, holding the IBF and WBA 126-pound titles between 2009 and 2011. A native of Guantanamo, Cuba, he now lives and trains in Miami, Fla. He dropped a showdown against Terence Crawford in a 2014 Fight of the Year, before rebounding to win seven of eight fights. That run included victories over former world champions Jason Sosa and Roman Martinez, putting Gamboa back into world title contention. In his last two fights, Gamboa has dropped contests against current lightweight world champions, losing via 12th-round TKO to Gervonta Davis in 2019 and by decision against Devin Haney in November 2020.
The 22-year-old Valenzuela (11-0, 7 KOs) now trains as a stablemate of unbeaten two-time world champion David Benavidez as he seeks to move from prospect to contender in 2022. Born in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, Valenzuela turned pro in 2018 and rode a five-bout knockout streak before earning his first 10-round decision in a victory over Deiner Berrio in September 2021. Valenzuela capped off his breakout 2021 in December, dominating Austin Dulay on his way to a TKO in round four.
Fighting out of Mexico City, Vargas (27-3-2, 19 KOs) won a 130-pound title in 2015 by defeating Takashi Miura in one of the year’s best fights. The 37-year-old would go on to fight Orlando Salido to an action-packed draw before losing his title to Miguel Berchelt in another memorable affair. Vargas later defeated Stephen Smith and Rod Salka before losing in his rematch with Berchelt in 2019. Most recently, Vargas began campaigning at lightweight, scoring back-to-back victories over Ezequiel Aviles in 2019 and Otto Gamez in 2020, prior to dropping a decision against Isaac Cruz in his last fight in June 2021.
Representing his native Ontario, Canada, Crowley (20-0, 9 KOs) returns to the ring after a sensational SHOWTIME debut in December 2021 that saw him beat the previously unbeaten Kudratillo Abdukakhorov by unanimous decision. Crowley 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 before successfully defending that title with a dominant decision over Mian Hussain in October. The 28-year-old returned to fight in the U.S. for his last two fights after seven of his first eight pro fights took place in the U.S.
Lopez (38-8, 21 KOs) earned the nickname “The Riverside Rocky’’ because of his go-for-broke style in the ring. He has stepped in across from some of the top boxers in the sport, including champions Canelo Alvarez, Marcos Maidana, Andre Berto and Victor Ortiz. The 37-year-old from Riverside, California is always a tough out in the ring as noted by his narrow majority decision loss to then-champion Keith Thurman in 2019. Since that loss, Lopez has put together back-to-back victories, defeating John Molina, Jr. and Francisco Santana.
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