Unlike the UFC and Bellator, boxing tends to wait until the last possible moment before announcing undercard botus.
On Thursday, the fights that will join the Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor pay-per-view event later this month were finally confirmed, along with the FOX prelims.
Gervonta Davis will make his second defense of the IBF Junior lightweight title when he takes on Francisco Fonseca on August 26. Davis has been long-rumored for the card as he is a member of the Mayweather team.
Also, former champion Badou Jack moves up to face WBA light heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly and Andrew Tabiti faces Steve Cunningham for the USBA cruiserweight title.
“This undercard includes three meaningful matches featuring fighters we’ve seen develop over the years on Showtime,” said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Showtime Sports. “Gervonta Davis has fast-tracked himself to stardom on this network, we’ve seen Badou Jack develop from prospect to champion, and we’re now witnessing similar growth with Andrew Tabiti. We’re excited to watch them compete in tough, competitive matchups on this global stage.”
Davis is 18-0 with 17 knockouts to his credit and became the youngest reigning champion from the U.S. when he knocked out Jose Pedraza earlier this year at 22 years old. Fonseca is 19-0-1 with 13 knockouts.
“I’m really excited to fight as the co-main event on the biggest card in combat sports history,” Davis said. “I plan to put on a great show for everyone in attendance in Las Vegas and for those who purchase the PPV. I want to thank my team for this incredible opportunity. I’m ready for Floyd Mayweather to pass his torch to me. To my fans, I appreciate all of you. Support me and I’ll fight for you!”
The FOX prelims before the 9 p.m. ET pay-per-view will feature Shawn Porter taking on Thomas Dulorme beginning at 7 p.m. ET from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Unbeaten lightweights Juan Heraldez and Jose Miguel Borrego will also square off, along with Savannah Marshall making her debut. Marshall is the only fighter to defeat two-time Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields.
“The fans are in for a show,” said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions. “Not only do we have an amazing lineup of fights on our PPV telecast, we have a stacked undercard and plan to give the fans more. More fights, more access. We plan to get the fans excitement brewing with matchups like Dulorme vs. Porter and Heraldez vs. Borrego all on network TV. These are some even matchups and we are happy to have FOX and FOX Deportes on board to showcase this talent ahead of the grand finale that is, Mayweather vs. McGregor.”
