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Showtime September 19 PBC card update: Jaron Ennis gets an opponent, ‘King Tug’ gets a new one

Erickson Lubin. Photo by Amanda Westcott
Fighters Network
03
Sep

There have been some updates made to Showtime’s Premier Boxing Champions card scheduled for September 19 at the Mohegan Sun resort in Uncasville, Connecticut.

While Erickson Lubin and Terrell Gausha are still scheduled to square off in a WBC junior middleweight title elimination fight in the main event, the co-feature has changed.

Showtime and PBC announced on Thursday that “King Tug” Tugstsogt Nyambayar will face Cobia Breedy in a scheduled 10-round featherweight bout rather than Eduardo Ramirez in a 12-round WBC title eliminator that was originally announced along with numerous other Showtime bouts in late July.

Although Showtime and PBC made no mention of Ramirez in its Thursday announcement, he dropped out of the fight a few days ago due to an unspecified health issue, multiple sources told The Ring.



Also, rising welterweight prospect Jaron “Boots” Ennis now has an opponent for his 10-round fight that will open the tripleheader, which will take place without spectators due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ennis will take on veteran Juan Carlos Abreu.

The LA-based Nyambayar (11-1, 9 KOs), 28, who claimed an Olympic silver medal for his home country of Mongolia, is coming off his first professional defeat. He was the mandatory challenger when he faced featherweight world titlist Gary Russell Jr. and lost a unanimous decision on February 8 in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

“The change in opponent to Breedy will have no effect on me,” Nyambayar said. “This is the fight game, so you always have to be prepared. I was already working hard and I will continue to work day by day to be at my very best when I compete on fight night.”

The Hyattsville, Maryland-based Breedy (15-0, 5 KOs), 28, a Barbados native, is coming off a sixth-round knockout of Titus Williams in December and is stepping up to higher level of opponent in Nyambayar.

“I stay in the gym and I’m always prepared and staying ready,” Breedy said of getting the fight on somewhat short notice. “I have that mindset so I can take advantage of any opportunity that comes my way. My opponent is a good fighter, but on September 19, tune in and watch me go to war. The world will get to know who I am. I’m going to give 100 percent. I can do anything in the ring and I will show it on fight night.”

Welterweight Jaron Ennis. Photo by Amanda Westcott/Showtime

Welterweight Jaron Ennis. Photo by Amanda Westcott/Showtime

Philadelphia’s Ennis (25-0, 23 KOs), 23, is coming off a one-sided fourth-round destruction of Bakhtiyar Eyubov in a Showtime-televised bout from Atlantic City, New Jersey, on January 10. It has been hard for his handlers to get opponents willing to face him, but Abreu answered the call.

“I’m getting better every single day, sharper every single day, and smarter every single day during training camp,” Ennis said. “I don’t know much about my opponent, but not too many guys have been able to withstand my power and I don’t expect this to be any different. I’m just focused on myself, preparing so I can go into the ring, have fun, look phenomenal for everybody tuning in.”

Abreu (23-5-1, 21 KOs), 33, a Dominican Republic native fighting out of Salem, Massachusetts, has won two fights in a row since back-to-back losses in 2018 to Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas and Alexander Besputin.

“Jaron Ennis is a great contender with good boxing IQ, speed and decent power, but this is not my first rodeo,” Abreu said. “I have fought first-class opposition and I would like to dance some good Merengue with him. I am having a great camp and I am excited and motivated by this opportunity. It is clear to me that this is a do-or-die fight for me.”

The 24-year-old Lubin (22-1, 16 KOs), of Orlando, and Cleveland native Gausha (21-1-1, 10 KOs), 32, are fighting for a mandatory shot at the 154-pound belt held by Jermell Charlo, who ferociously knocked out the highly touted Lubin in the first round of a 2017 title defense.

Lubin has won four fights in a row since and hopes to earn a rematch by defeating Gausha, a 2012 U.S. Olympian.

“Terrell Gausha has been in the ring with a few good fighters and he’s also an Olympian, so I know he has the experience, but I’m expecting to dominate him,” Lubin said. “My mindset will be to execute my game plan and come out on top. I’m going to show the world that I’m one of the best 154 pounders out there and I’m ready to put a strap around my waist.”

Gausha, who fights out of Encino, California, is coming off a split draw against former world titlist Austin Trout in May 2019. He suffered his lone loss by decision to Erislandy Lara in a 2017 world title bout.

“This is a big fight for me, being my second chance at getting to a world title,” Gausha said. “I know Lubin is a young, good fighter and I’m sure he’ll also be ready. But this is my fourth southpaw in a row, so I’m very prepared for this fight and I’m going to show that I’m on another level.”

 

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