PBC on CBS ‘Thurman vs. Porter’ Undercard Complete

The undercard for the eagerly-awaited welterweight championship showdown between Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter is finally complete, Showtime announced late Tuesday.

Heavyweight prospect Adam Kownacki (13-0, 10 KOs) will oppose Jesse Barboza (11-1-1, 7 KOs) in an eight-round battle that will highlight the off-TV undercard. Featherweight contender Heather Hardy (16-0, 4 KOs) will take on Kirstie Simmons (8-1, 2 KOs) in an eight-rounder as well.

Also set for the preliminary card will be Jonathan Alonso (9-0, 4 KOs) versus Brian Jones (13-5, 7 KOs) in a junior welterweight match; Josue Vargas (4-0, 3 KOs) standing opposite David Nelson (3-5, 1 KO) in a four-round welterweight bout; and junior middleweight Nicklaus Flaz (2-0, 2 KOs), in a four-rounder against Mack Babb (1-6).

Thurman will meet Porter in a showdown that was originally supposed to occur back in March but “One Time” suffered an injury in a car crash, postponing the fight until Saturday. The Premier Boxing Champions event will be televised live on CBS from inside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn with the telecast starting at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

With the cancellation of the potentially excellent showdown between Abner Mares and Jesus Cuellar last week, cable and network giants Showtime and CBS finally settled on a replacement bout for the telecast. Undefeated junior middleweight contenders Jarrett Hurd (17-0, 11 KOs) and Oscar Molina (13-0-1, 10 KOs) will open the CBS primetime broadcast from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Also set for the main card will be a 10-round middleweight encounter between David Benavidez (14-0, 13 KOs) and Francy Ntetu (16-0, 3 KOs) and a 10-round junior welterweight bout featuring Regis Prograis (1-0, 14 KOs) taking on an opponent to be announced shortly.