TUNICA, MS (December 22, 2016) – Exciting welterweight contender Sammy “The Sergeant” Vasquez Jr. (21-1, 15 KOs) is set to battle former world champion Luis Collazo (36-7, 19 KOs) in the 10-round main event of a special three-hour edition of Premier Boxing Champions on FS1 and FOX Deportes Thursday, February 2 from Horseshoe Tunica Hotel & Casino in Tunica, Mississippi.
Televised coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and will feature Cuba’s Yordenis Ugas (17-3, 8 KOs) meeting Georgia’s Levan Ghvamichava (17-2-1, 13 KOs) in a 10-round matchup of hard-hitting welterweights plus Houston’s Ryan “Cowboy” Karl (13-0, 9 KOs) taking on Chicago’s Eddie Ramirez (15-0, 10 KOs) in a 10-round battle of unbeaten super lightweights
“I’m eager to get back in the ring and give the fans a great fight,” said Vasquez Jr. “Fighting a tough veteran like Luis Collazo, who has a lot of heart and experience, is the type of fight I’m looking for. The fans are going to see a good fight between two guys who are hungry to get a victory. I can’t wait till the bell rings.”
“I’m totally stoked about this fight against Sammy Vasquez” said Collazo. “He is a talented fighter and I’m excited to test his abilities and the will that he has to win. This will be a good one.”
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Warriors Boxing, are priced at $150, $75 and $35 and are on sale Thursday, January 5. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster at www.Ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000.
Vasquez has fought professionally since 2012, after serving two tours of duty in Iraq as a member of the National Guard. He made it to the semifinals of the 2012 U.S. Olympic trials and won gold at the 2010 and 2011 Armed Forces Boxing Championships. The fighter out of Monessen, Penn., notched big victories in 2015 over Wale Omotoso in June and Jose Lopez in September. In PBC on FOX action in January, Vasquez stopped veteran contender Aron Martinez in the sixth-round in Los Angeles before suffering his first professional defeat to Olympic Gold medalist Felix Diaz in July.
One of Brooklyn’s most respected fighters,Collazo looks to make the most of his showdown with Vasquez on February 2. A world champion in 2005, Collazo has faced top fighters his whole career. Most notably in recent years, he delivered an electrifying second-round knockout over Victor Ortiz in December 2014. Collazo gave world champion Keith Thurman trouble in his last outing, staggering him with a body shot in the middle rounds before eventually losing to the undefeated fighter.
Ugas returned from a two-year layoff in August and has looked sensational in defeating undefeated prospects Jamal James by decision and Bryant Perrella by fourth-round stoppage. A sensational Cuban amateur, Ugas picked up a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics and also owns gold medals from the 2005 World Amateur Championships and 2007 Pan American Games. Now fighting out of Miami, the 30-year-old looks to further establish his credentials for a world title shot.
Ghvamichava returns to the ring after an emphatic knockout of Breidis Prescott in July that saw him move up in weight and rebound from a defeat to top unbeaten contender Sergey Lipinets. Trained by Virgil Hunter in California, Ghvamichava is originally from Poti, Georgia. Before the Lipinets bout, he carried a five-fight winning streak that included wins over previously unbeaten fighters Chris Singleton and Jonathan Garcia plus veterans Cosme Rivera and Sergio Reyes.
An undefeated prospect representing Houston, Karl had an excellent amateur career that ended with him ranked third in the nation in the 141-pound division. The 24-year-old won six times in 2015 including an October domination of Alfonso Olvera at the Dancehall in San Antonio. Now he is primed to reach contender status after dominating tough Mexican Luis Solis in June and stopping previously unbeaten Jose Felix Quezada in September.
A Chicago Golden Gloves champion, Ramirez knocked out seven of his first nine professional opponents and picked up five victories in 2015 including a decision over former world champion Cristobal Cruz. The 24-year-old most recently picked up his most impressive pro victory when he knocked out previously unbeaten Kevin Watts in September.
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