A pair of exciting matchups highlight undercard action as unbeaten prospect Mario Barrios (17-0, 9 KOs) takes on Mexico’s Yardley Suarez (20-6, 11 KOs) in a super lightweight bout while super lightweight contender Sergey Lipinets (11-0, 9 KOs) faces Clarence Booth (14-2, 7 KOs) on Saturday, March 4 from Barclays Center.
The March 4 event is headlined by the highly anticipated welterweight world title unification showdown between Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia that serves as the main event of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on CBS, presented by Premier Boxing Champions. Broadcast coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT with undefeated rising star Erickson Lubin battling once-beaten knockout artist Jorge Cota in a super welterweight title eliminator bout.
Additional undercard action will feature popular local star Heather Hardy (18-0, 4 KOs), who will now battle Hungary’s Edina Kiss (13-2, 8 KOs) in a 10-round featherweight bout, while Philadelphia-native Thomas Velasquez (6-0, 4 KOs) enters the ring in a six-round lightweight affair.
Rounding out the night of fights are Colorado’s Rickey Lopez (16-4, 6 KOs) in a six-round featherweight clash against Houston’s Pablo Cruz (14-1, 6 KOs) and 2016 Haitian Olympian Richardson Hitchins, who makes his pro debut in a four-round welterweight contest against Mexico’s Mario Perez (1-0).
A tall fighter for his division at more than six feet, the 21-year-old Barrios picked up seven victories in a jam-packed 2015 in which he stopped five opponents inside the distance. The San Antonio-native turned pro in 2013 and is on the fast track towards a world title shot as he defeated Devis Boschiero in a 12-round bout in July 2016 and followed it up with a second round knockout of Claudio Rosendo Tapia in December. He will be challenged by the 22-year-old Suarez of Sinaloa, Mexico who picked up five wins in 2016 and stopped Christian Valverde in the fifth-round of his last bout.
An accomplished amateur who was born in Kazakhstan but fights out of California, Lipinets turned pro in April of 2014 with a decision victory over Franklin Varela. The 27-year-old recorded six knockouts in a row before stepping up in competition and impressing with a victory over Haskell Lydell Rhodes in March 2015 and a knockout of Levan Ghvamichava in March. He kept the momentum going by stopping established contender Walter Castillo in July and knocking out Lenny Zappavigna in their 140-pound title eliminator in December. He will be challenge by the Keith Thurman stablemate Booth, who fights out of St. Petersburg, Florida and defeated Cesar Soriano in his last bout.
