Longtime super featherweight contender Andres Cortes makes the move north five pounds to the fairly wide-open lightweight division against once-beaten Eridson Garcia in the Paramount+ main event of Zuffa Boxing 05 on Easter Sunday night. The intriguing ten-round bout between two guys that have not appeared to be fond of one another in the lead-up to Sunday caps a seven-bout card from the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Fighters weighed-in early Saturday morning at the host venue.
Cortes (24-0, 13 KOs) of Las Vegas seemed to be one win away from a world title opportunity for the last 2 ½ years, perhaps squandering his last audition with a lackluster ten-round decision on the Emmanuel Navarrete-Charly Suarez undercard last May. On that night, Cortes moved past unheralded Salvador Jimenez, but failed to make himself a marketable opponent for 130-pound champion Navarrete. Since, Cortes, the WBO #4/WBC #5 ranked super featherweight, stopped overmatched Derlyn Hernandez-Gerarldo before signing with Zuffa and announcing his move to 135 pounds. Cortes weighed-in at the 135-pound lightweight limit at Saturday’s weigh-in.
Garcia (23-1, 14 KOs) of Houston, Texas made a statement as he himself moved up to lightweight in his last bout. Garcia met well-regarded Japanese prospect Taiga Imanaga on the Naoya Inoue-David Picasso undercard last December and sealed a close fight with a picture perfect right hand to score a knockdown in the eighth round of a ten-round bout. After closing the final two rounds with punishing left hands, Garcia edged the cards to score the split decision. Garcia, still the WBO #9/WBA #14 ranked 130-pounder despite fighting for the second straight time at lightweight, weighed-in at 135-pounds on Saturday morning.
Former featherweight titleholder Mark Magsayo (28-2, 18 KOs) of Las Vegas by way of Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippines will take on former title challenger Feargal McCrory (17-1 9 KOs) of New York, New York by way of Coalisland, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland in a ten-round lightweight bout in the co-feature.
Magsayo, the IBF #5/WBO #12 ranked lightweight, had actually dropped back down to super featherweight to score a win over Jorge Mata on the Mario Barrios-Manny Pacquiao undercard in Las Vegas last July. Despite his lofty rankings at 135-pounds, Magsayo had only fought north of 130 twice against nondescript opposition. With his new promoter Zuffa Boxing not recognizing the 130-pound weight class, Magasayo will now campaign at lightweight full-time, weighing 134 pounds on Saturday morning.
McCrory has fought north of 130-pounds for much of his career, but trimmed down to the super featherweight limit as he got into contention and ultimately met up with titleholder Lamont Roach in a failed bid at the WBA belt in June of 2024. McCrory hit the canvas three times prior to the eighth-round stoppage, but regrouped since to stop Keenan Carbajal in eight last March. McCrory weighed-in at the lightweight limit of 135 pounds on Saturday.
In a make-or-break fight of sorts, veterans Azat Hovhannisyan (22-6, 17 KOs) of Glendale, Arizona by way of Yerevan, Armenia and Eduardo Baez (25-7-2, 10 KOs) of Calexico, California by way of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico will meet in a ten-round featherweight bout to open the main broadcast.
Hovhannisyan is best remembered for his super bantamweight title eliminator defeat to Luis Nery in what was one of the better fights of 2023. Hovhannisyan, who had previously failed in a bid for a portion of the 122-pound crown against Rey Vargas back in 2018, was stopped on his feet in the eleventh by Nery, which set off a three-fight skid. Hovhannisyan got back into the win column last time out: an eight-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Aidos Medet this past January. Hovhannisyan weighed-in at the featherweight limit of 126 pounds on Saturday.
Former title challenger Baez enters on a two-fight win streak having taken on tough opposition for much of his career. In his failed title bid, Baez succumbed to a vicious body shot from power-punching champion Emanuel Navarrete in round six of a bout back in 2022. Since, Baez has provided a stiff test to top prospects and contenders to mixed results. Baez scaled 125 pounds at Saturday’s weigh-in.
In the preliminary card main event, unbeaten Alexis De La Cerda (8-0, 4 KOs) of Federal Way, Washington will meet fellow unblemished prospect Ervin Fuller III (12-0, 6 KOs) of Fort Washington, Maryland in a ten-round featherweight bout.
De La Cerda has built his resume mostly in the Pacific Northwest, but did make a Las Vegas appearance defeating journeyman Sharone Carter via third-round stoppage in March of last year. Fuller comes off of a sixth-round unanimous decision over tougher-than-his-record Erik Ruiz this past January. The bout is a step-up for both and De La Cerda and Fuller both scaled an identical 125.5 pounds on Saturday morning.
In an eight-round lightweight bout, Robert Meriwether III (10-0, 4 KOs) of Las Vegas returns to the Meta Apex to take on Tony Hirsch Jr. (7-0-2, 4 KOs) of Oakland, California. Meriwether impressed in his Zuffa Boxing debut, scoring a mostly one-sided six-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Cesar Correa in January. Hirsch, the 24-year-old son of former rugged gatekeeper of the middleweight and super middleweight division of the same name, last saw action in December, scoring a six-round decision over journeyman William Flenoy in Stockton, California. Meriwether weighed-in at 135, while Hirsch came in at 134 pounds on Saturday.
Jorge Maravillo (11-0-1, 8 KOs) of Salinas, California attempted to drop back down to welterweight for the first time in nearly five years to take on Elias Diaz (15-3, 8 KOs) of National City, California in an eight-rounder. Maravillo fought just once last year, bouncing back from a draw against fellow Zuffa fighter Damoni Cato-Cain in 2024, to shutout longtime journeyman Cameron Krael in a six-rounder back in November. Diaz is coming off a July 2025 loss to .500 fighter Sergio Garcia Herrera, who may be much improved since he went on to defeat previously unbeaten Jose Vargas last December. Maravillo weighed-in 2.5 pounds above the welterweight limit and thus 1.5 pounds more than the contract allowed at 149.5 pounds on Saturday. Diaz made the welterweight limit of 147.
In the featherweight opener, Troy Nash (6-0-1, 1 KO) of Colorado Springs, Colorado returns to the Meta Apex, site of his thrilling decision victory over Jaycob Ramos back in January, to take on once-beaten Bryan Rodriguez (8-1, 1 KO) of Donna, Texas in a eight-rounder.
Nash, who has taken the path of most resistance in his young career, ends a six-fight streak of meeting undefeated opponents on Sunday night. Ramos, who entered their contest 4-0, pushed “The Bank” in the maiden bout for Zuffa Boxing, but Nash won over the judges with his jab and boxing acumen.
Rodriguez bounced back from an upset defeat by springing an upset decision of his own over previously unbeaten, Robert Garcia-trained Daniel Cortez (11-0) last November. Nash weighed-in at the contracted maximum of 127-pounds, while Rodriguez came in heavy at 127.5 pounds, 1.5 pound above the featherweight limit and thus half a pound over the allowed weight.
Quick Weigh-in Results:
Lightweights, 10 Rounds
Cortes 135
Garcia 135
Lightweights, 10 Rounds
Magsayo 134
McCrory 135
Featherweights, 10 Rounds
Hovhannisyan 126
Baez 125
Featherweights, 8 Rounds
De La Cerda 125.5
Fuller III 125.5
Lightweights, 8 Rounds
Meriwether III 135
Hirsch Jr. 134
Welterweights, 8 Rounds
Maravillo 149.5*
Diaz 147
Featherweights, 8 Rounds
Nash 127
Rodriguez 127.5**
*Maravillo weighed-in 1.5 pounds over contracted weight
**Rodriguez weighed-in .5 over contracted weight
Tickets for the event, promoted by Zuffa Boxing, are available online at AXS.com
Photos by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa Boxing
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com
