Colbert in action on Charlo-Cota undercard
Exciting unbeaten prospect Chris Colbert takes on Puerto Rico’s Alberto Mercado in an eight or 10-round lightweight bout while unbeaten welterweight prospect Jésus Ramos battles Rondale Hubbert in a four-round attraction as part of FOX PBC Fight Night Prelims on FOX and FOX Deportes Sunday, June 23 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas beginning at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.
Prelims will lead up to FOX PBC Fight Night on FOX and FOX Deportes beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The show that is headlined by former champion Jermell Charlo battling Mexico’s Jorge Cota in a super welterweight matchup and features former world champions Guillermo Rigondeaux and Julio Ceja clashing in a 12-round WBC featherweight title eliminator in the co-feature. Also in action is the exciting unbeaten prospect, Joey Spencer, as he faces Akeem Black in a six-round junior middleweight bout.
Representing Brooklyn, N.Y., Colbert (11-0, 4 KOs) has begun to make a name for himself showing off tremendous skills across his first 11 pro victories. The 22-year-old most recently blasted out Mario Briones by second-round knockout in April on FS1.
“I’m preparing for a big day on June 23,” said Colbert in a press release. “This is chapter 12 in my career. I know Mercado will come to fight just like he’s supposed to. I’m just focused on putting on another dominant performance like I do every time. Mercado has a good record on paper, but I’ll do what I do best at Mandalay Bay and make it look easy. People say you have to fight in Vegas to become a top-notch fighter, so I’m excited to fight there. We’ll be fighting in primetime on FOX, so I’ll get a chance to show everyone why I changed my nickname to ‘Prime Time.'”
Mercado (16-2-1, 3 KOs), who has never been stopped through his pro career dating back to 2009 most recently won a unanimous decision over Sergio Lopez in March.
“I’m ready for this fight on June 23,” said Mercado to the media. “I know who I’m facing and what I’m up against, but I’m working hard every day on a strategy that will give me what I need in to be successful. I have all the tools to make this a great fight and get the win. I’m going to be aggressive and bring the fight to him. His only advantage is speed, but I’m better at everything else.”
Having scored knockouts in each pro fight since turning pro last May, Ramos (9-0, 9 KOs) made his U.S. debut in April with a knockout over Seifullah Wise. The 19-year-old from Casa Grande, Arizona will be opposed by the 30-year-old Hubbert (13-8-2, 8 KOs), who fights out of Fargo, North Dakota.
Spencer (7-0, 6 KOs) will appear on the FOX PBC Fight Night broadcast with his bout against Black (5-2, 2 KOs) serving as part of the show following prelims. At just 19-years-old and having just turned pro just over a year ago, Spencer has shown the tremendous skill and promise he possesses across his first seven pro fights. In April on FS1, the Linden, Michigan-native displayed his boxing acumen in going six rounds for the first time to earn a dominant unanimous decision over Osias Vasquez. He will take on the Chicago-born Black, who enters this fight on a two-bout winning streak.
Marquis Johns is a unknown humorist and avid boxing fan. His love for the sweet science goes back to when matches were 15 rounds and has been covering fights since closed-circuit pay-per-views. Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth is not only a quote by Mike Tyson, it's also a pretty good reminder to keep your guard up.
