SAN ANTONIO – February 8, 2023 – A lineup of talented fighters, including a former titleholder, Olympic bronze medalist, Pan American gold medalist and a highly touted prospect in his pro debut, will highlight a four-bout streaming presentation on the SHOWTIME SPORTS YouTube channel and SHOWTIME Boxing Facebook page this Saturday, February 11 in a Premier Boxing Champions event from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
The SHOWTIME BOXING COUNTDOWN show, which will be hosted by Luke Thomas, one-half of the award-winning MORNING KOMBAT live digital talk show, starts at 6:45 p.m. ET/3:45 p.m. PT and is topped by former titleholder Claudio Marrero battling Las Vegas’ Gonzalo Fuenzalida in an eight-round lightweight bout. Unbeaten Filipino Olympic bronze medalist Eumir Marcial will take on veteran Ricardo Villalba in an eight-round middleweight scrap.
Additionally, the heavy-handed heavyweight Dainier Peró, younger brother of unbeaten Lenier Peró, will clash with Daniel Zavala over four rounds, while blue-chip prospect David Whitmire makes his pro debut against Texan Keith Foreman in a four-round super welterweight duel.
The live streaming fights will precede the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT headlined by two-division world champion Rey Vargas battling top contender O’Shaquie Foster for the vacant WBC Super Featherweight World Championship.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions, are on sale now and are available through Ticketmaster.com.
A native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Marrero (26-5, 18 KOs) enters the fight having won back-to-back contests, including most recently earning a decision victory over the then-unbeaten Viktor Slavinskyi in February 2022. The 33-year-old owns impressive first-round knockouts of previously unbeaten contenders Carlos Zambrano and Jorge Lara and also a stoppage of former champion Rico Ramos in three rounds. His win over Zambrano earned him the Interim WBA Featherweight Title. He will be opposed by the 26-year-old Fuenzalida (12-1, 3 KOs) who is originally from Chile but now fights out of Las Vegas. Fuenzalida has won seven-straight bouts heading into Saturday night, including a successful U.S. debut in September of last year that saw him defeat Joseph Francisco.
Marcial (3-0, 1 KO) won a bronze medal at the 2020 Olympics representing his native Philippines and has had all three of his pro fights take place stateside. The 27-year-old showed his power in an April clash against Isiah Hart, rising off the canvas to stop his opponent in round four. Most recently, Marcial went six rounds for the first time as a pro, earning a unanimous decision over Steven Pichardo last October. He duels Argentina’s Villalba (20-7-1, 8 KOs), who dropped his U.S. debut in December via decision against the unbeaten prospect Micky Scala.
The younger brother of fellow Cuban standout Lenier, Pero (2-0, 2 KOs) now resides in Miami, Fla., and turned pro in December 2022 with a first-round KO of Deane Williams. The 23-year-old followed that up with another first-round stoppage, as he blasted out Benjerman Baker on January 14. He takes on the Del Rio, Texas-native Zavala (2-1-2), who fought five times in 2022 after turning pro in February. The 32-year-old most recently dropped a majority decision to the unbeaten Rudy Silvas in December.
A 17-year-old phenom set to turn pro after a strong amateur career, Whitmire is trained by former veteran title contender Andrew Council. The Washington, D.C. native earned the “Bodysnatcher” moniker during his amateur run and will look to impress in his first pro fight. He’ll battle the Waco, Texas born Foreman (0-0, 1 NC) who turned pro last September in a fight that was later ruled a no-decision.
The non-televised undercard will also include unbeaten prospect Fabian Diaz (3-0, 1 KO) in a four-round lightweight duel against Eleazar Mendietta (0-1), plus the four-round pro debuts of two light heavyweight San Antonio-natives as Manuel Sifuentes takes on Mexico’s Jesus Aguilar (0-1) while James Wohlschlegel faces Daniel Heinen (0-1).
# # #
ABOUT VARGAS VS. FOSTER
Vargas vs. Foster will see undefeated two-division world champion Rey Vargas battle top 130-pound contender O’Shaquie Foster for the vacant WBC Super Featherweight World Championship in a showdown that headlines action live on SHOWTIME Saturday, February 11 from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas topping a Premier Boxing Champions event.
The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and also features former champion and all-action San Antonio-native Mario “El Azteca” Barrios returning to the ring in a 10-round welterweight duel against Jovanie Santiago that serves as the co-main event. Kicking off the action, hard-hitting unbeaten heavyweights go toe-to-toe as Cuba’s Lenier Peró takes on Ukraine’s Viktor Faust in a 10-round attraction.
For more information visit www.SHO.com/sports, www.PremierBoxingChampions.com, follow #VargasFoster, follow on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing and @TGBPromotions, on Instagram @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing and @TGBPromotionss or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ShowtimeBoxing.