Multiple-division world champion Robert Guerrero returns to the ring to battle Colombia’s Hevinson Herrera in a 10-round welterweight bout, while former featherweight world champion Jesus Cuellar duels Colombia’s Carlos Padilla in an eight-round lightweight bout to lead a packed undercard on Saturday, March 9 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
The event is headlined by PBC on FOX and FOX Deportes show that will see WBC Welterweight World Champion Shawn Porter making his first title defense in primetime against mandatory challenger Yordenis Ugas in the main event of the broadcast beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Televised prelims on FS1 feature undefeated bantamweight prospect Damien Vazquez battles former world champion Juan Carlos Payano in an eight or 10-round attraction, while unbeaten welterweight prospect and 2016 Lithuanian Olympian Eimantas Stanionis will face once-beaten Sammy Figueroa in an eight round showdown on the telecast beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.
In other undercard action, undefeated lightweight Rolando Romero (7-0, 6 KOs) meets Nicolas A. Velazquez (10-4, 3 KOs) in a four or six-round match that will be the TV swing bout on the FOX telecast and unbeaten featherweight Isaac Avelar (15-0, 10 KOs) clashes with Juan Antonio Lopez (12-5, 4 KOs) in a six or eight-round match that will be the TV swing bout on the FS1 prelims broadcast.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions, are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at AXS.com.
The 35-year-old Guerrero (34-6-1, 19 KOs) has a rich career filled with intriguing matches against some of the best boxers of this generation – Floyd Mayweather, Jr., Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia – and has won titles at featherweight, super featherweight, lightweight and welterweight. Fighting out of Gilroy, California, he will be taking on Herrera (24-16-1, 18 KOs) following a knockout victory over Adam Mates in December.
Cuellar (28-3, 21 KOs), who is from Buenos Aires, Argentina, won an interim featherweight title by defeating Claudio Marrero in 2013 that was eventually made the regular title as he made five successful defenses. He dropped the title the next year with a split decision loss to Abner Mares and followed that up with a TKO loss in a junior lightweight championship match against Gervonta Davis last April. The 33-year-old Cuellar is seeking to get back into the world title picture but first will have to get past Padilla (16-9-1, 10 KOs).
In other undercard bouts unbeaten super featherweight Viktor Slavinskyi (7-0-1, 4 KOs) takes on Mexico’s Angel Morrell (11-11-2, 4 KOs) in a six-round match, super featherweight prospect Jose Perez (6-1, 2 KOs) battles Carlos Trevino (6-13-1, 1 KO) in a four-round bout, unbeaten super lightweight prospect Ruben Rodriguez (4-0, 2 KOs) meets Jeremiah De Los Santos of Brownsville, Texas, who will be making his pro debut in the four-round bout.
Rounding out the action is unbeaten super lightweight prospect Justin Cardona dueling Phillip Bounds in a four-round affair, plus a pair of lightweights will be making their pro debuts as David Gomez of Huntington Park, California battles George Carranza in a four-round fight and Gabriel Muratalla of Fontana, California steps in for a four-round lightweight fight against Bryann Perez.
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ABOUT PORTER VS. UGAS
Shawn Porter vs. Yordenis Ugas is a Premier Boxing Champions on FOX and FOX Deportes event that will see WBC Welterweight World Champion Shawn Porter defending his title for the first time against top-ranked contender Yordenis Ugas Saturday, March 9 from Dignity Health Sports Park, formerly StubHub Center, in Carson, California.
Televised coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and features a duel between two hard-hitting brawlers as Abel Ramos and Francisco Santana meet in a 10-round welterweight match in the co-feature, while heavy-handed slugger Efe Ajagba steps up to face experienced veteran Amir Mansour in an eight-round heavyweight attraction in the televised opener.
