UNBEATEN RISING STAR CHRIS COLBERT TAKES ON WBA SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPION ROGER GUTIERREZ
Undefeated rising star *Chris “Primetime” Colbert*, whose mix of speed and
power have quickly made him a fan favorite, will seek his first world title
when he takes on WBA Super Featherweight Champion *Roger “The Kid”
Gutierrez* in the SHOWTIME main event Saturday, February 26 in a Premier
Boxing Champions event from The Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan of Las
Vegas.
The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast kicks off at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m.
PT and will feature another unbeaten young phenom in the co-main event. *Gary
Antuanne Russell*, a 2016 U.S. Olympian, faces former world champion *Viktor
Postol* in a 10-round super lightweight bout, while IBF Junior Bantamweight
World Champion *Jerwin Ancajas* defends his title against unbeaten
Argentine *Fernando Martinez* in the televised opener of the loaded
tripleheader.
Tickets for the live event are on sale now, and can be purchased through
Ticketmaster.com
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“We’ve had the pleasure of watching Chris Colbert develop from a prospect
to a contender on SHOWTIME, so it’s only fitting that he will get a chance
to take yet another step in his progression with a title shot against Roger
Gutierrez on our network,” said Stephen Espinoza, President, Sports and
Event Programming, Showtime Networks Inc. “Gary Antuanne Russell is
following a similar recipe for stardom. If he can turn back the
tough-as-nails Viktor Postol, it will be another signal that his time in
the spotlight may soon be at hand. We’ve seen the destructive talents of
Jerwin Ancajas on SHOWTIME before. His title defense against Fernando
Martinez should be a barnburner and the perfect start to a fantastic night
of boxing.”
Representing his native Brooklyn, N.Y., Colbert (16-0, 6 KOs) has quickly
shot up the 130-pound rankings, taking on high-level competition in his
first 16 pro fights. Already established as a fighter with dazzling boxing
skills, Colbert showcased his ability to fight toe-to-toe with an 11th-round
stoppage of Jaime Arboleda in December 2020 before most recently besting
Tugstsogt Nyambayar in July 2021. The 25-year-old turned pro in 2015 and
defeated three unbeaten fighters in his first eight contests. Prior to the
Arboleda fight, Colbert scored a highlight-reel first-round knockout
against Miguel Beltran Jr. in September 2019 and a dominant 12-round
decision victory over former champion Jezzreel Corrales in January 2020.
“I’m super ready for my title shot,” said Colbert. “This has been a long
time coming, but it’s no shocker to me. This was always the expectation. I
know Gutierrez will come to fight. He’s a champion for a reason. So he’s
not coming to lay down. But I plan to put him down and I’m willing to do
whatever I have to do on February 26 to make that happen. I know a lot of
people have been waiting to see when I get this title shot and now it’s
time.”
The 26-year-old Gutierrez (26-3-1, 20 KOs) captured his world title with a
unanimous decision victory over Rene “Gemelo” Alvarado in January 2021, in
a fight that saw him drop his opponent three times. Gutierrez followed up
that performance by defending his world championship and defeating Alvarado
a second time in August 2021, again earning a unanimous decision. Fighting
out of his native Maracaibo, Venezuela, Gutierrez is unbeaten in his last
seven outings, including four knockouts.
“First of all, I want to thank God, my mother, my team, my promoter and the
WBA for this opportunity,” said Gutierrez. “It cost me a lot of effort to
win the world championship, this is my second title defense and I am ready
to give it my all to retain it. On February 26, I am going to show the
world that I am the best at 130 pounds.”
Russell (14-0, 14 KOs) has yet to allow an opponent to make it the distance
against him since turning pro in 2017 following his run representing the
U.S. at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics. Russell added five more stoppage
victories in 2019 before knocking out Jose Marrufo in the first round in
February 2020. The 25-year-old most recently dominated Jovanie Santiago in
May on SHOWTIME, on his way to a sixth-round stoppage. Russell belongs to
one of the sport’s preeminent fighting families and trains alongside his
older brothers, former WBC Featherweight Champion Gary Jr. and bantamweight
contender Gary Antonio.
“I’m going to make sure I’m prepared mentally and ready to perform at a
high-level for this fight,” said Russell. “These fights come down to who’s
more mentally stable, and that’s a matter of training. I train my mental as
much as I do physically. I’ve watched Postol fight before and I know that
he’s a rangy fighter with a European style. He likes to stay at a distance
and that works best for him. He leans on his strengths. Every fight I come
in planning to make a statement. My prediction, I’m ending this fight in
round five.”
A feared contender in the 140-pound division, Postol (31-3, 12 KOs) returns
to the ring after losing a narrow majority decision to then unified
champion Jose Ramirez in August 2020. Fighting out of California and
originally from Ukraine, Postol, knocked out Lucas Matthysse in 2015 to
capture a super lightweight world title before losing a unification
showdown against Terence Crawford. Postol has won three of his last five
fights, with the only defeats in that stretch coming against Ramirez and
current undisputed champion Josh Taylor, both by decision.
“I accepted this fight as soon as it was offered,” said Postol. “I haven’t
fought in a while and I wanted to get back in the ring as soon as I could.
I’m especially excited that I’m going to have the opportunity to face a
good young opponent on February 26.”
Representing the Philippines, Ancajas (33-1-2, 22 KOs) was only 15 years
old when he was spotted by boxing legend Manny Pacquiao. The young fighter
blossomed with Pacquiao’s guidance, becoming the first world champion under
Pacquiao’s promotional banner when he outpointed McJoe Arroyo for the IBF
title in September 2016. The 30-year-old southpaw hasn’t lost since and
will be making the tenth defense of his title, following an April 2021
unanimous decision over Jonathan Rodriguez.
“I am thrilled to be back on SHOWTIME defending my world title on February
26,” said Ancajas. “It’s very exciting to be making my tenth world title
defense in the first Las Vegas fight of my career. I want to thank my whole
team for giving me this great opportunity to fight on this PBC event on
SHOWTIME.”
A resident of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Martinez (13-0, 8 KOs) most recently
knocked out Gonzalo Duran in the fourth round of their August 2021 showdown
and will be making his U.S. debut on February 26. The 30-year-old rose up
the rankings by stopping Athenkosi Dumezweni in his home country of South
Africa in 2019, following that up with a decision over Angel Aquino in
December 2020. Martinez turned pro in 2017 and owns an amateur victory over
former title challenger and super flyweight contender Andrew Moloney.
“I’m excited to have this great chance to show my skills on the big stage
in Las Vegas,” said Martinez. “I’m going to leave it all in the ring on
February 26 and give all the fans watching an exciting fight. My goal is to
become world champion and this is the night for me to prove myself.”
