Jesus Ramos vs Sergio Garcia and Gurgen Hovhannisyan vs Viktor Faust round out Spence vs Crawford PPV

Showtime Boxing officially unveiled the three-fight supporting cast for their July 29th Errol Spence Jr vs Terence Crawford megashow. In addition to the previously revealed co-feature between Isaac Cruz and Giovanni Cabrera, the main card will see undefeated Jesus Ramos fight Sergio Garcia in a WBC super welterweight eliminator and Gurgen Hovhannisyan battle Viktor Faust in a clash of heavyweights with 100% finishing rates.

“I can’t wait to be back in the ring on July 29 in the boxing capital of the world of Las Vegas,” said Cruz. “It’s even more exciting that I’ll be back on the biggest show of the year. It has always been a dream of mine to fight in Las Vegas, where so many Mexican legends like Julio Cesar Chavez, Salvador Sanchez and Erik Morales have fought before. Now it’s my opportunity and I will not disappoint the fans. As always, I’m coming for the knockout!”

“It hasn’t been an easy road to this point, and I know that I have to beat ‘Pitbull’ Cruz to continue my path to the world title,” said Cabrera. “This is a hard fight, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I want to earn my status as world champion. Spence vs. Crawford is reminiscent of the glory days of boxing when the best fought the best, and I want to continue that legacy. I respect Cruz and I expect a war. May the best fighter win on July 29.”

Ramos (20-0, 16 KO), already the strongest of his fighter-heavy family at 22 years old, beat the bejeezus out of Joey Spencer in March to bounce back from a successful but unspectacular decision over Luke Santamaria. That, alongside his well-aged decision over Brian Mendoza, figures to make him a decent-sized favorite over Spain’s Garcia (34-2, 14 KO).

“El Niño” has already gone through a bizarre career trajectory despite just turning 30 last year. He hit the map with a 2019 rout of Ted Cheeseman, then essentially sat on his hands for two years before dropping back-to-back decisions against Sebastian Fundora and Tony Harrison. Still, he’s a quality fighter and by far Ramos’ most skilled opponent to date.

“I’m coming to give the crowd a great show on the biggest card of the year,” said Ramos. “I’m very happy and excited to be back on another huge card. Sergio Garcia is a tough opponent and I know he’s going to bring the best out in me. That’s just gonna make for even more entertainment for the fans. I’m training hard and I promise I’m gonna be ready for whatever Garcia brings on July 29.”

“I’m very motivated by this new opportunity to fight in the U.S. and I want to thank my team for trusting to put me back in this position,” said Garcia. “I’m hoping to give the fans a great fight. Jesus has a great future ahead of him, but I also have a lot of experience in important fights and I think that will lead me to the victory. It will be a hard fight but I’m ready to be at my very best and use everything I have to get my hand raised.”

The man they call “Big Gug” (4-0, 4 KO) was a strong amateur and has been pushed appropriately quickly since his 2021 debut, most recently battering Michael Polite Coffie in October. He was set to step up big time against Charles Martin in April, but was forced out due to injury, opening the door for Martin to fight Jared Anderson next week.

Faust (11-1, 11 KO) has been consistently entertaining during his own rise through the ranks. He and Iago Kiladze traded five knockdowns in two rounds last year, and though he suffered a weird TKO loss to Lenier Pero last time out in which he appeared to just give up, he was ahead on two scorecards and looked solid beforehand.

“July 29 is a great opportunity for me to showcase myself in front of the world,” said Hovhannisyan. “Boxing is a serious sport, but if you train hard and understand it, you can understand exactly what you have to do in the ring. I’m going to prove what I can do in this fight and make a statement.”

“I’m working very hard to come to Las Vegas and put on a great fight,” said Faust. “I’m excited to be back fighting in the U.S. and ready to show the fans what I can do. I had a rib injury in my last fight and couldn’t continue, but it has only made me more motivated to win on July 29. It’s an honor to be fighting on such a big card, and I know this is a big step that I can make toward becoming world champion. I’m sure Gurgen is going to come prepared just like me and that the fans are going to be the real winners.”

They may not be blockbusters, but these seem like three solid fights. Considering how much money probably went into staging the main event, I can live with that.