The “Knockout Kings” featured fighters are ready to put on a spectacular show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena this Saturday, but before the Showtime quadruple-header begins, there will be two preliminary bouts, with coverage on SHOWTIME EXTREME at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT, and two additional fights to begin the night in the arena.
The SHOWTIME EXTREME telecast will include a junior featherweight bout scheduled for eight rounds featuring 19-year-old phenom Andrés “Jaguarcito” Gutierrez (22-0-1, 19 KO’s) of Guadalajara against Cataño, Puerto Rico’s Carlos Valcarcel (12-5-4, 5 KO’s). The current IBF International Junior Featherweight and WBC CABOFE Super Bantamweight Champion, Gutierrez’s last seven wins have come by way of knockout. He will seek to keep that streak going when he makes his long-awaited United States debut on Saturday night.
Coachella, California’s Francisco “El Bandido” Vargas (14-0, 7 KO’s) looks to put on a performance to remember in his Las Vegas debut on SHOWTIME EXTREME (time permitting) this weekend when he faces Houston Texas’ Victor Sanchez (3-3-1) in a junior lightweight bout. A native of Mexico City, Vargas represented his country in the 2008 Olympics and has carried his amateur success into the pro game. He is 4-0 in 2012 with the 27-year-old most recently stopping Irving Torres in a single round in July.
Chetumal, Mexico’s Sergio “Yeyo” Thompson (22-2, 20 KO’s) will also introduce himself to American fans this weekend when he meets Guayama, Puerto Rico’s Carlos Claudio (15-8-3, 8 KO’s) in an eight round junior lightweight match-up. Thompson is riding a nine-fight winning streak that includes eight knockouts and a second round finish of former World Champion Jorge Linares in March. Claudio, a 24-year-old southpaw, has won five of his last six bouts.
Opening up this star-studded event will be highly regarded 20-year-old super welterweight Eddie Gomez (9-0, 7 KO’s) facing Quinton Whitaker (9-9, 5 KO’s) of San Antonio, Texas. A native of Bronx, New York, Gomez seeks out his third victory of 2012 in an eight round bout against.
