The bout between two former title challengers, Azat Hovhannisyan and Eduardo Baez, has been added to the Zuffa Boxing 5 card. The event takes place at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 5. The contest is scheduled for 10 rounds at featherweight.
Hovhannisyan (22-6, 17 KOs) of Armenia comes off a unanimous decision victory over Aidos Medet in January, bouncing back from three consecutive losses. The 37-year-old challenged Rey Vargas for the WBC super bantamweight title in May 2018 but fell short by unanimous decision.
Baez (25-7-2, 10 KOs) won two fights last year, defeating Alex Dilmaghani by unanimous decision and Angel Martinez Castillo by fourth-round TKO. Mexico’s 30-year-old challenged Emanuel Navarrete for the WBO featherweight title in August 2022, suffering a defeat by sixth-round knockout.
In the previously confirmed main event, unbeaten Andres Cortes (24-0, 13 KOs) of Henderson, Nevada, faces Houston-based Eridson Garcia (23-1, 14 KOs) of the Dominican Republic. The bout is scheduled for 10 rounds at lightweight.
The 10-round lightweight matchup between Filipino former champion Mark Magsayo (28-2, 18 KOs) and New York-based former title challenger Feargal McCrory (17-1, 9 KOs) of Ireland has been confirmed as the co-feature.
The Zuffa Boxing 5 prelims are expected to be confirmed shortly. The main card lineup is as follows:
- Andres Cortes (24-0, 13 KOs) vs. Eridson Garcia (23-1, 14 KOs), lightweight
- Mark Magsayo (28-2, 18 KOs) vs. Feargal McCrory (17-1, 9 KOs), lightweight
- Azat Hovhannisyan (22-6, 17 KOs) vs. Eduardo Baez (25-7-2, 10 KOs), featherweight