Vasyl Lomachenko, Jessie Vargas and China’s most iconic athlete, Zou Shiming, will be featured on the Manny Pacquiao vs. Chris Algieri undercard, which will take place Saturday, November 22, at The Venetian Macao’s Cotai Arena, and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET.
Six different nations will be represented by the eight fighters on the live pay-per-view telecast.
Lomachenko, of Ukraine, will face mandatory challenger Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo of Thailand. Vargas, of Las Vegas, NV., will go against former world champion Antonio DeMarco, of Mexico. Zou, of China, and Kwanpichit Onesongchaigym, of Thailand, will be battling in a 12-round flyweight title elimination bout. These six gladiators boast a combined record of 142-5-3 (79 KOs) — a winning percentage of 95% and a victory by knockout ratio of 56%.
“We are very proud to present these three significant international fights on the pay-per-view undercard. Boxing is a worldwide sport and this card reflects that,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum.
“I am very happy and excited to have become a world champion in my third professional fight,” said Lomachenko.
“I just followed the plan for the world title fight against Gary Russell – work the body, make him fight as much as possible and then go to the head. Russell was very fast and I had to take my time. I felt I hurt him a few times and I did not feel his power at all. That was a big win for my country and I know that they enjoyed it very much.”
“My opponent, Antonio DeMarco, is a tough, rugged fighter who comes to fight,” said Vargas.
“I know this will be a fight that fans throughout the world will enjoy. This is very exciting for our team to be part of an event of this magnitude. I plan on bringing my world title belt back to Las Vegas.”
“The goal to win another world championship and bring it back to Mexico are the reasons why I keep fighting and this title fight against Jessie Vargas is a great opportunity to do just that,” said DeMarco.
I am sure that Freddie Roach will have me ready to win the fight and because of our styles I am sure this fight with Vargas will be one that the fans will enjoy.”
“This will be my first time fighting in a bout that is scheduled for 12 rounds. It will be the toughest test of my skills as a professional,” said Zou.
“As we all know, the boxing atmosphere in Thailand is awesome. I watched videos of my opponent’s fights, where he performed fiercely and bravely. It is no surprise that he is undefeated. I respect his strength and his skills . This fight is so important because so much is at stake — most of all the opportunity to fight for the world title with a victory on November 22. I will make this the best training camp I have ever had so I can give my best performance ever.”
