A preview of the first-of-its kind boxing doubleheader Saturday night on SHOWTIME PPV, featuring five world title fights, including career-defining bouts for twin brothers Jermall and Jermell Charlo.
Boxing returns to the big-event business with a blockbuster six-bout card featuring five world title fights, headlined by twin brothers Jermall and Jermell Charlo each in key, career-defining battles.
This Saturday, September 26, live from the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn., Showtime PPV and Premier Boxing Champions present a first-of-a-kind pay-per-view doubleheader.
Part One of the SHOWTIME PPV begins at a special time of 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, headlined by Jermall Charlo (30-0, 22 KOs) defending his WBC World Middleweight title against the toughest test of his career, Sergiy Derevyanchenko (13-2, 10 KOs), in a 12-round clash of styles and wills.
Underneath the Charlo-Derevyanchenko main event, WBA World Super Bantamweight Champion Brandon Figueroa defends his belt against Damien Vázquez and WBO World Bantamweight Champion John Riel Casimero faces unbeaten Duke Micah in the pay-per-view opener.
Then, after a 30-minute intermission, Part Two of the card begins with former unified world champion Daniel Roman battling former champ Juan Carlos Payano in a WBC World Super Bantamweight title eliminator. Also, undefeated Mexican knockout artist and former world titlist Luis Nery takes on the unbeaten Aaron Alameda for the vacant WBC World Super Bantamweight Championship.
Headlining Part Two will be a 154-pound world title unification bout pitting WBC Champ Jermell Charlo against heavy-handed IBF/WBA Champ Jeison Rosario in a must-win, 12-round guaranteed war of attrition.
Here's a look at what fans can expect from the action this Saturday:
Jermell Charlo (33-1, 17 KOs) vs. Jeison Rosario (20-1-1, 14 KOs)
This super welterweight battle between Houston's WBC Champ Charlo and IBF/WBA titlist Rosario from the Dominican Republic is the most important bout to be made in the 154-pound division. Pitting Charlo's steely cool impactful precision against Rosario's power-based all-out aggression, the style matchup screams impending war.
In Rosario's last fight, he stepped up big-time, shocking the boxing world with a fifth round TKO over defending unified champ, Julian "J-Rock" Williams.
Charlo, meanwhile, stopped Tony Harrison in his last outing, exacting a measure of revenge against the opponent who gave him his first professional loss via controversial decision one year earlier.
In Charlo's Own Words:
"I’m stronger and faster than I’ve ever been...Congratulations to Rosario for getting the chance to move up to this level...My legacy is on the line. I feed my family this way...The fire has been lit in me...I’m a lion in the cage, let me out and see what happens."
In Rosario's Own Words:
"This is going to be a great war...I am even hungrier now than I was before I won the titles...It’s definitely the most important fight of my career...I’m a warrior and we’re going to see that night who really is the hunter and who is the one that’s going to be hunted."
Jermall Charlo (30-0, 22 KOs) vs. Sergiy Derevyanchenko (13-2, 10 KOs)
On the precipice of big things in the top-heavy middleweight division, Houston native Charlo puts his WBC 160-pound belt on the line against the tough-as-nails battler who, in his last fight, sent Gennadiy Golovkin to the hospital in a to-hell-and-back war. One year prior, the Ukraine native lost a close, disputed decision to Daniel Jacobs. Derevyanchenko is officially 0-2 in world title opportunities, but many would argue that he should be 2-0.
“ I’m a lion in the cage, let me out and see what happens. ” WBC World Super Welterweight Champion - Jermell Charlo
Stylistically, Charlo is a calculated assassin in the ring who fights tall and is at his best when launching attacks at a distance. He's also built for war, though, and can be brutally effective in an inside skirmish.
Derevyanchenko is a come-forward pressure fighter who is equal parts technically sound and doggedly tenacious. He prefers an inside battle where he can swarm an opponent and work the body, but he's also adept at working his way inside with a solid jab and underrated footwork.
In Charlo's Own Words:
"I know that it’s my time to shine...There’s no way I’m losing. I’m carrying my whole family on my back. Houston, we have another one. I’m doing it for everybody here...This fight is another big steppingstone toward even bigger fights to come...I’m ready... I’m making this statement loud for everyone who doubted me."
In Derevyanchenko's Own Words:
"I’m anxiously waiting for September 26...I’ve had the experience of fighting at this level against the likes of Jacobs and Golovkin...I have supreme confidence in myself...Charlo thinks he’s the best in the world and I believe I’m the best in the world...The great thing is that we’re actually going to get a chance to settle it and we’ll see who the best in the world really is."
John Riel Casimero (29-4, 20 KOs) vs. Duke Micah (24-0, 19 KOs)
Opening up Part One of the twin-bill doubleheader, Filipino three-division world champ Casimero defends his WBO bantamweight title against Ghanaian warrior, Micah. Casimero is explosive, well-seasoned at the world class level, and comes into this fight with a five-bout stoppage streak. Micah, meanwhile, is tough, tenacious and eager to look good in his first main stage world title bout.
Brandon Figueroa (20-0-1, 15 KOs) vs. Damien Vázquez (15-1-1, 8 KOs)
"The Heartbreaker" Figueroa is a perpetual motion machine with non-stop punch output. Representing the fighting Figueroa family out of Weslaco, Texas, the 23-year-old rising star will be defending his WBA World Super Bantamweight title against Vazquez, the 23-year-old younger brother of Mexican legend Israel Vazquez.
Daniel Roman (27-3-1, 10 KOs) vs. Juan Carlos Payano (21-3, 9 KOs)
Part Two of the pay-per-view doubleheader kicks off with Roman, a former two-belt super bantamweight world champ coming off a disputed split decision loss to Murodjon Akhmadaliev, jumping right back into the thick of the world title scene. The LA native will be facing veteran southpaw former world champ Payano in a WBC World Super Bantamweight title eliminator.
Luis Nery (30-0, 24 KOs) vs. Aaron Alameda (25-0, 13 KOs)
Considered one of the biggest pound-for-pound punchers in the sport, Mexico's "Pantera" Nery is a spectacle of destruction in the ring. The southpaw banger is a two-time former world bantamweight champ and will be vying for the vacant WBC super bantamweight title against fellow undefeated Mexican southpaw warrior, Alameda.
For a closer look at Charlo vs Rosario, check out our fight night page.
For a closer look at Charlo vs Derevyanchenko, check out our fight night page.
