By Mario Ortega Jr.-
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA — Tomorrow night, heading a Showtime-televised tripleheader from the Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Chris Colbert aims to stay on the path towards recognition as a world champion as he takes on ranked contender Hector Luis Garcia in a WBA super featherweight title eliminator. For the winner, the prize will be a meeting with WBA kingpin Roger Gutierrez, who had been primed to defend against Colbert on Saturday before a COVID-19 diagnosis two weeks prior. Fighters for the entire card weighed-in Friday at the Nolita 1 Ballroom, four floors up from the casino floor.
The recent lineage of the WBA’s 130-pound title is a far too complicated web to completely untangle in this space, but the belt looms over the main event. In short, Colbert claimed the interim version of the title with a unanimous decision over Jezzrel Corrales in 2020 and went on to defend it twice before it was eliminated from circulation. Gutierrez, who had claimed what had been referred to as the “regular” WBA title in 2021, was elevated to full champion with defending against Colbert the next required step for consolidation.
On February 10th, rumors of Gutierrez’ medical condition were confirmed, leaving Colbert without his opportunity to gain full recognition as the WBA champion at 130-pounds or a dance partner for the 26th.
Enter stage left Garcia (14-0, 10 KOs) of San Juan de la Maguana, San Juan, Dominican Republic. With the short notice, the WBA and promoter Tom Brown looked to the sanctioning body’s featherweight rankings, where Garcia places fifth. Garcia, who scaled 129.6-pounds, was last seen rebounding from a first-round knockdown to decision Isaac Avelar in a super featherweight bout last December.
Colbert (16-0, 6 KOs) of Broolyn, New York was relieved of his interim champion moniker in anticipation of the consolidation bout, but now finds himself in an eliminator, fighting for the opportunity he was already granted. Apparently this is by design, as Colbert, should he still be holding his interim champ tag, would be best described as a fighting champion. Reports suggest Colbert could have simply waited for Gutierrez, but chose to fight and keep the date with Showtime. Colbert scaled 128.8-pounds Friday.
One of the longest active titleholders in boxing, IBF super flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas (33-1-2, 22 KOs) of Panabo City, Davao del Norte, Philippines will attempt to defend his mantle successfully for the tenth straight outings against Fernando Daniel Martinez (13-0, 8 KOs) of Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal, Argentina over twelve rounds.
Ancajas, weighing 114.6-pounds on Friday, has not lost a bout since 2012 and claimed his belt back in 2016 with a unanimous decision over then-champion McJoe Arroyo in the Philippines. Ten months ago Ancajas made his ninth successful defense with a unanimous decision win over once-beaten Jonathan Javier Rodriguez Valles in Connecticut and on Showtime.
Martinez, who weighed-in at 114.6-pounds also, is taking what appears to be a monumental step-up in class from the competition he has seen thus far in his professional career. Martinez last saw action against a sub .500 fighter in Dubai, scoring a fourth-round stoppage in the stay busy bout. Martinez has seen the tenth round or later just three times in his career.
The fight that has most insiders excited going into the televised tripleheader, mega prospect Gary Antuanne Russell (14-0, 14 KOs) of Capitol Heights, Maryland will take on grizzled veteran Viktor Postol (31-3, 12 KOs) of Marina Del Rey, California by way of Velyka Dymerka, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine in a ten-round junior welterweight bout that likely has title implications for the winner.
On top of the career stakes for both fighters, there’s a high level of emotional components heading into the fight. Notably, Postol’s home country has come under attack in recent days, which will clearly be weighing on the mind in some way for the former champion. Russell lost his brother Gary “Boosa” to a heart attack in 2020, while his father battles serious medical issues himself presently. Facing the same backdrop of events, Russell’s older brother Gary Jr. recently dropped his title in a close fight.
With a win over a credible contender like Postol, Russell may be at the cusp of completely escaping his older brother’s shadow and launching himself into a world title opportunity. Postol represents a step-up in class for Russell, last seen stopping Jovannie Santiago last May, and is the first former champion the Maryland native has shared the ring with.
Unlike Russell, Postol has been in the ring with the top guys of the 140-pound division time and time again, going the distance, but coming up short against the Murderer’s Row of Jose Carlos Ramirez, Josh Taylor and Terence Crawford. Prior to the Crawford bout, Posol achieved the dream of becoming world champion with a tenth-round stoppage of Lucas Matthysse back in 2015. The question to be answered: does Postol still have it in the tank to turn back a young blue-chip prospect? Russell hopes to put himself in the same sentence with the three that turned back Postol’s challenge. Russell came in at 139.4-pounds, while Postol scaled 140.6-pounds.
In off-television action, veteran contender Claudio Marrero (25-5, 18 KOs) of Santo Domingo, Districto National, Dominican Republic will take on Viktor Slavinskyi (13-0-1, 6 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Mykolaiv, Mykolaiv Oblast, Ukraine in an eight-round super featherweight bout. Marrero, who weighed-in at 130.8-pounds, is looking to get back in line for title contention, having fought one stay-busy bout since a decision defeat in a title eliminator against Xavier Martinez in 2020. Ukrainian import Slavinskyi, who fights while his homeland surely weighs on his mind, is taking a leap in competition in meeting Marrero Saturday. Slavinskyi, who came in at 129-ppunds, has gone the ten-round distance once in his career.
Guerrero Family pupil Justin Cardona (6-0, 3 KOs) of Salinas, California will take on Joshua Draughter (4-1-1, 1 KO) of New Orleans, Louisiana in a six-round lightweight fight. Cardona, who trains under Robert Guerrero and the former world champion’s father/trainer Ruben, weighed-in at 132.6-pounds. Draughter, who is 1-1-1 in his last three fights, came in at 130-pounds.
19-year-old light middleweight prospect Micky Scala (4-0, 2 KOs) of Mesa, Arizona will battle Jose “El Guero” Gomez Jr. (3-1, 3 KOs) of Concord, California in a six-round contest. Scala, a nationally regarded youth amateur before turning professional at 16-years-old in 2019, came in at 153.6-pounds. Gomez, who trains out of the Double Trouble Boxing Club in Antioch, California, weighed-in at 150.8-pounds.
Once-beaten super bantamweight Angel Barrientes (7-1, 5 KOs) of Las Vegas will take on Brian Cannady (10-2, 6 KOs) of Fort Myers, Florida in a four-rounder. Barrientes, who has rebounded from his lone pro defeat to go 4-0 and stop three opponents, weighed-in at 121.6-pounds. Cannady, who came in at 119.8, has lost two straight decisions after beginning his career undefeated in ten bouts.
Former two-division champion, Rances Barthelemy (29-1, 15 KOs) of Las Vegas by way of Havana, La Habana, Cuba had been pegged to continue his slow rise back to prominence against returning Chris Howard (17-2-1, 8 KOs) of Cincinnati, Ohio in an eight-round light welterweight contest, but that bout fell off the card at some point.
17-year-old welterweight prospect David Lopez (1-0, 1 KO) of Oakland, California was slated to meet Corey Champion (2-4, 2 KOs) of Louisa, Virginia in a four-rounder. Champion opted to fight February 19th instead, where he was decisioned over four-rounds by Joseph Veazy in Maryland.
Former nationally ranked amateur light heavyweight Chavon Davis of Ambridge, Pennsylvania by way of Mansfield, Ohio was slated to make his professional debut against Nathan Davis Sharp (4-3, 4 KOs) of Merced, California in a four-rounder. Late in fight week that bout was a no-go for undisclosed reasons.
Tickets for the Premier Boxing Champions event, promoted by TGB Promotions, are available online at AXS.com.
Quick Weigh-in Results:
WBA Super Featherweight Title Eliminator, 12 Rounds
Colbert 128.8
Garcia 129.6
IBF Super Flyweight Championship, 12 Rounds
Ancajas 114.6
Martinez 114.6
WBA Continental America’s Light Welterweight Championship, 10 Rounds
Russell 139.4
Postol 140.6
Super Featherweights, 8 Rounds
Marrero 130.8
Slavinskyi 129
Lightweights, 6 Rounds
Cardona 132.6
Draughter 130
Light Middleweights, 6 Rounds
Scala 153.6
Gomez 150.8
Super Bantamweights, 4 Rounds
Barrientes 121.6
Cannady 119.8
Photos by Ryan Hafey / Premier Boxing Champions
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com or followed on Twitter @MarioG280
