Showtime's PPV Countdown Show, this Saturday, March 25th, will freestream two bouts before the David Benavidez vs. Caleb Plant pay-per-view event that takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Unbeaten super bantamweight Kevin Gonzalez will battle Colombia’s Jose Sanmartin in a ten-round duel, while Cuban junior welterweight Orestes Velazquez takes on Argentina’s Marcelino Lopez in another ten rounder. The live streaming presentation will begin at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on the Showtime Sports YouTube channel and Showtime Boxing Facebook page and will be hosted by Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell. These fights will lead up to the pay-per-view telecast at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
The 2 -year-old González (25-0-1, 13 KOs) made a successful U.S. debut in May 2022, earning a unanimous decision over Emanuel Rivera Nieves in a ten-round fight. A native of Sinaloa, Mexico, González has fought professionally since 2016, and owns a unanimous decision over Ivan Morales in March 2021. González stopped Alexander Mejia in July 2021, finishing the fight in round seven. He takes on the 30 year-old Sanmartin (34-6-1, 21 KOs), who most recently won a unanimous decision over Miguel Martinez in December 2022. The Arboletes, Colombia-native has losses against current featherweight champion Mauricio Lara and current super featherweight champion Emanuel Navarrete during a pro career that dates back to 2011.
A native of Cuba now residing in Miami, Velazquez (6-0, 6 KOs) has stopped each opponent he’s faced since turning pro in October 2020 following a prolific amateur career. The 30-year old added four victories in 2022, including most recently stopping Guillermo Leonel Crocco in the first round of their December 2022 clash. He will be opposed by Buenos Aires, Argentina’s Lopez (37-2-1, 22 KOs), who enters this fight having won his last five outings, including triumphs over veteran contenders Pablo Cesar Cano and Breidis Prescott. The 36-year old has a 5-1 record stateside, with his only blemish coming via-split decision against Michael Perez in 2017.
The non-televised undercard lineup will be highlighted by a battle of unbeatens as Las Vegas super featherweight Demler Zamora (10-0, 8 KOs) battles Arizona’s Jesus Ibarra (15-0, 7 KOs) in an eight-round showdown. Rounding out the action is super middleweight Daniel Blancas (5-0, 3 KOs) in a six-round attraction facing Texas-native Nicholas Molina (4-1-1, 4 KOs), super featherweight Robert Meriwether III (3-0, 2 KOs) dueling Mexico’s Jesus Perez (14-15-1, 8 KOs) in a six-round fight, and super featherweight Dorian Khan Jr. (3-0, 2 KOs) in a four-round fight.
