LAS VEGAS – March 21, 2023 – A pair of undefeated rising contenders will look to cement their status in their divisions with statement victories in action that will be live streamed on the SHOWTIME PPV COUNTDOWN SHOW this Saturday, March 25 leading up to the highly-anticipated David Benavidez vs. Caleb Plant event taking place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas headlining a Premier Boxing Champions event.
Unbeaten super bantamweight contender Kevin Gonzalez will battle Colombia’s Jose Sanmartin in a 10-round duel topping the show, while Cuban contender Orestes Velazquez takes on Argentina’s Marcelino Lopez in a 10-round super lightweight attraction. The live streaming presentation will begin at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on the SHOWTIME SPORTS YouTube channel and SHOWTIME Boxing Facebook page and will be hosted by award-winning MORNING KOMBAT live digital talk show hosts Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell.
These fights will lead up to the SHOWTIME PPV telecast at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT featuring super middleweight rivals David “The Mexican Monster” Benavidez and Caleb Plant going toe-to-toe in the 12-round main event.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and Sampson Boxing, are on sale now and can be purchased through AXS.com.
The 25-year-old González (25-0-1, 13 KOs) made a successful U.S. debut on SHOWTIME in May 2022, earning a unanimous decision over Emanuel Rivera Nieves in their 10-round fight. A native of Sinaloa, Mexico, González has fought professionally since 2016, and owns a unanimous decision over former title challenger Ivan Morales in March 2021. González won a regional 122-pound title by stopping Alexander Mejia in July 2021, finishing the fight in round seven. He takes on the 30-year-old Sanmartin (34-6-1, 21 KOs), who most recently won a unanimous decision over Miguel Martinez in December 2022. The Arboletes, Colombia-native has challenged current featherweight champion Mauricio Lara and current super featherweight champion Emanuel Navarrete during a pro career that dates back to 2011.
A native of Cuba now residing in Miami, Velazquez (6-0, 6 KOs) has stopped each opponent he’s faced since turning pro in October 2020 following a prolific amateur career. The 30-year-old added four victories in 2022, including most recently stopping Guillermo Leonel Crocco in the first round of their December 2022 clash. He will be opposed by Buenos Aires, Argentina’s Lopez (37-2-1, 22 KOs), who enters this fight having won his last five outings, including triumphs over veteran contenders Pablo Cesar Cano and Breidis Prescott. The 36-year-old has a 5-1 record stateside, with his only blemish coming via-split decision against Michael Perez in 2017.
The non-televised undercard lineup will be highlighted by a battle of unbeatens as Las Vegas super featherweight prospect Demler Zamora (10-0, 8 KOs) battles Arizona’s Jesus Ibarra (15-0, 7 KOs) in an eight-round showdown. Rounding out the action is super middleweight prospect Daniel Blancas (5-0, 3 KOs) in a six-round attraction facing Texas-native Nicholas Molina (4-1-1, 4 KOs), super featherweight prospect Robert Meriwether III (3-0, 2 KOs) dueling Mexico’s Jesus Perez (14-15-1, 8 KOs) in a six-round fight, and super featherweight prospect Dorian Khan Jr. (3-0, 2 KOs) in a four-round fight.
# # #
ABOUT BENAVIDEZ VS. PLANT
Benavídez vs. Plant will see undefeated former two-time WBC Super Middleweight Champion David Benavídez and former IBF Super Middleweight Champion Caleb Plant meet in a high-stakes, 12-round showdown for Benavídez’s Interim WBC Super Middleweight Title live on SHOWTIME PPV on Saturday, March 25 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas in an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions.
In the co-main event, unbeaten rising stars Jesús “Mono” Ramos and Joey Spencer will go toe-to-toe in a 10-round super welterweight scuffle, as each fighter looks to make their claim as the future of the 154-pound division. The action will also see rising lightweights Chris “Primetime” Colbert and Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela meet in a 10-round duel, while unbeaten welterweight contender Cody Crowley faces the hard-hitting Abel Ramos in the telecast opener at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
For more information visit www.SHO.com/sports, www.PremierBoxingChampions.com, follow #BenavidezPlant, follow on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing and @TGBPromotions, on Instagram @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing and @TGBPromotionss or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ShowtimeBoxing.
