Andres Cortes vs. Eridson Garcia | Paramount+ - April 5, 2026

[Ruthless-RKO]

Andres Cortes vs. Eridson Garcia headlines Zuffa Boxing card on April 5

Lightweights Andres Cortes and Eridson Garcia will meet in the main event of Zuffa Boxing 5 April 5 at the UFC Apex, the promotion announced Sunday.

Las Vegas’ Cortes, 24-0 (13 KOs), and the Dominican Republic-born Garcia, 23-1 (14 KOs), are both top-10 ranked junior-lightweights by the WBO, with No. 4 Cortes, 28, also ranked by the IBF and WBC while Garcia is in the WBA top 15.

Cortes fought for Top Rank dating to the COVID era, and closed his union with the promotion in October, taking a fight at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California, as Top Rank functions without a broadcast/streaming deal.

He defeated Derlyn Hernandez-Gerarldo by fourth-round knockout.

Garcia fought four times last year, closing the year impressively by upsetting Japan’s Taiga Imananga on the December 27 card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Boxing Scene previously reported the Zuffa Boxing Easter card will feature a co-main event pitting former WBC featherweight champion Mark Magsayo versus former WBA junior-lightweight title challenger Feargal McCrory.

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Andres Cortes-Eridson Garcia tops Zuffa Boxing 05 tripleheader on Easter Sunday

Zuffa Boxing has confirmed the three-fight lineup for its next offering.

As previously reported by Boxing Scene, Zuffa Boxing 05 is set to take place on April 5 – Easter Sunday – live on Paramount+ from the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. Recent signee and locally based top-rated contender Andres Cortes will take on the Dominican Republic’s Eridson Garcia in a scheduled 10-round lightweight contest.

The evening’s co-feature will put a former titlist versus a former titleholder as Mark Magsayo, 28-2 (18 KOs) and Feargal McCrory, 17-1 (9 KOs) square off in a lightweight bout also scheduled for 10 rounds. Magsayo previously held the WBC featherweight title, while the lone defeat suffered by McCrory – an Irish southpaw who now fights out of New York City – came in a bid for the WBA 130lbs title.

Both boxers make their full-fledged lightweight debut.

Opening the three-fight livestream, California-based Armenian puncher Azat “Crazy A” Hovhannisyan, 22-6 (17 KOs) faces Mexico’s Eduardo Baez, 25-7-2 (10 KOs) in a promising featherweight clash scheduled for 10-rounds.

Cortes, 24-0 (13 KOs) previously came up under Top Rank before the two sides parted ways in 2025. He rose to the top of the 130lbs rankings with earlier career wins over Abraham Montoya, Xavier Martinez and Abraham Nova. A headlining act comes with his Zuffa debut, along with the 17th career home appearance for the 28-year-old contender.

Garcia, 23-1 (14 KOs) is riding a six-fight win streak following a 1st round knockout loss to Jordan White in their August 2023 meeting on the now defunct ShoBox series on Showtime.

The career revival has included a landslide points victory over William Foster III and – in his most recent outing – an upset split decision victory over unbeaten Taiga Imanaga last December 27 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The holiday edition of the Zuffa Boxing series is one of six confirmed dates since its official launch in January.

This event will remain consistent with the previous four, which have all taken place at UFC’s intimate Meta APEX center. Yet to be announced is a show planned for Mother’s Day (May 10), which will make five straight shows on Sunday evenings; the January 23 launch event was the only show to air on any other night (a Friday).

[Ruthless-RKO]

Azat Hovhannisyan vs Eduardo Baez joins Zuffa Boxing 5 card

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

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Zuffa Boxing 05: Cortes-Garcia headlines, Magsayo in co-main event

Junior lightweight contenders Andres Cortes and Eridson Garcia will square off in the next Zuffa Boxing main event April 5 in Las Vegas.

Zuffa Boxing announced the card Thursday morning. The emerging promotional company’s fifth show will take place at Meta Apex, UFC’s performance complex, as have its first four events.

The co-feature will match former WBC featherweight champ Mark Magsayo against Feargal McCrory in a 10-round lightweight fight. The main portion of “Zuffa Boxing 5” will begin on Paramount+ with a 10-round featherweight bout between Armenia’s Azat Hovhannisyan (22-6, 17 KOs) and Mexico’s Eduardo Baez (25-7-2, 10 KOs).

Las Vegas’ Cortes (24-0, 13 KOs) and the Dominican Republic’s Garcia (23-1, 14 KOs) will fight at the lightweight limit, though they could better position themselves for a 130-pound title shot.

Cortes, 28, is The Ring’s No. 10 junior lightweight contender. He is also rated fourth by the WBO and fifth by the WBC.

Garcia, 31, has won six straight fights since Jordan White knocked him out in the first round of their bout in August 2023. He is the WBO’s ninth-rated junior lightweight contender and is ranked No. 14 by the WBA.

The Philippines’ Magsayo (28-2, 18 KOs) has won four fights in a row since Brandon Figueroa defeated him by unanimous decision in their 12-round fight for the WBC interim featherweight championship in March 2023. Ireland’s McCrory (17-1, 9 KOs) has lost only to former WBA 130-pound champ Lamont Roach, who stopped him in the eighth round of their bout in June 2024.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Preliminary fights for April 5 ‘Zuffa Boxing 05’ card announced

Two pairs of unbeatens – Alexis De la Cerda and Ervin Fuller III, and Robert Meriwether III and Tony Hirsch Jnr – will square off April 5 in the preliminary card supporting “Zuffa Boxing 05,” promoter Zuffa Boxing announced on Friday.

The entire prelims lineup was revealed for the card, which will feature Andres Cortes, 24-0 (13 KOs), facing Eridson Garcia, 23-1 (14 KOs), in a 10-round lightweight main event at Meta APEX in Las Vegas. All eight scheduled fights on the bill will be streamed live on Paramount+.

De la Cerda, 8-0 (4 KOs), will meet Fuller, 12-0 (6 KOs), in an eight-round featherweight fight, and lightweights Meriwether, 10-0 (4 KOs), will clash with Hirsch, 7-0-2 (4 KOs), in a scheduled eight-rounder atop the prelims.

Other supporting fights will include Jorge Maravillo, 11-0-1 (8 KOs), against Elias Diaz, 15-3 (8 KOs), in a welterweight eight-round bout; Troy Nash, 6-0-1 (1 KO), facing Bryan Rodriguez, 8-1 (1 KO), in an eight-round featherweight fight; and Emiliano Cardenas, 10-0 (4 KOs), taking on Alexis Alvarado, 9-1-1 (5 KOs), in a bantamweight bout scheduled for six rounds.

In the previously announced co-main event, former titleholder Mark Magsayo, 28-2 (18 KOs) will face Feargal McCrory, 17-1 (9 KOs) in a 10-round lightweight test. Rounding out the main card, Azat Hovhannisyan, 22-6 (17 KOs), will meet Eduardo Baez, 25-7-2 (10 KOs) in a featherweight 10-rounder.

[Cent0089]

This is disapointment after Zuffa 4

[Ruthless-RKO]

This is disapointment after Zuffa 4

Still early.. and they’ve done 5 shows in just over a month.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Fight Week!!

[Cent0089]

Besides one welterweight undercard, heaviest guys on the whole card are 135 lbs.

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[Ruthless-RKO]

Tonight!

[Ruthless-RKO]

Andres Cortes, Eridson Garcia make weight for Zuffa Boxing 05

All six fighters from the main card of Zuffa Boxing 05 successfully made weight.

For the 10-round main event, both Andres Cortes and Eridson Garcia came in at the lightweight limit of 135lbs.

Cortes, 24-0 (13 KOs), is a 28-year-old from Las Vegas. Since 2024, he has stopped the 20-1-1 Bryan Chevalier in the fourth round; outpointed the 23-2 Abraham Nova; nearly shut out the 14-1-1 Salvador Jimenez; and won a fourth-round knockout against the 13-4-1 Derlyn Hernandez-Gerarldo. Cortes is ranked No. 4 by the WBO at 130lbs and No. 5 by the WBC.

Garcia, 23-1 (14 KOs), is a 31-year-old from the Dominican Republic who lives in Houston. He is ranked No. 8 by the WBO at junior lightweight and No. 14 by the WBA. Garcia has won six straight since getting taken out in the first round by Jordan White in 2023. Among Garcia’s victories were a unanimous decision over the 17-1 William Foster III in 2024 and a split decision over the 9-0 Taiga Imanaga this past December.

In the 10-round co-feature, also taking place at lightweight, Mark Magsayo was 134lbs while Feargal McCrory was 135.

Magsayo, 28-2 (18 KOs), is a former featherweight titleholder who has won four straight since taking back-to-back defeats to Rey Vargas in 2022 and Brandon Figueroa in 2023. McCrory, 17-1 (9 KOs), is a former junior lightweight title challenger back for just the second time since his eighth-round TKO loss to Lamont Roach Jnr in June 2024.

And in a 10-round featherweight bout, Azat Hovhannisyan, 22-6 (17 KOs), was 126lbs while Eduardo Baez, 25-7-2 (10 KOs), came in at 125.

The main broadcast from the Meta Apex in Las Vegas will start at 9 p.m. Eastern Time (2 a.m. BST) and will stream on Paramount+. A preliminary undercard will kick off at 6 p.m. ET (11 p.m. BST).

The weights for the preliminary undercard are:

Featherweights, eight rounds:
Alexis De La Cerda, 8-0 (4 KOs) – 125.5lbs
Ervin Fuller III, 12-0 (6 KOs) – 125.5lbs

Lightweights, eight rounds:
Robert Meriwether III, 10-0 (4 KOs) – 135lbs
Tony Hirsch, 7-0-2 (4 KOs) – 134lbs

Welterweights, eight rounds
Jorge Maravillo, 11-0-1 (8 KOs) – 149.5lbs
Elias Diaz, 15-3 (8 KOs) – 147lbs

Featherweights, eight rounds
Troy Nash, 6-0-1 (1 KO) – 127lbs
Bryan Rodriguez, 8-1 (1 KO) – 127.5lbs

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Zuffa Boxing 05

Date: April 5, 2026
Location: Meta APEX - Las Vegas, NV
Stream: Paramount+ (US) | Sky Sports (UK)

Start Time
Preliminary Card: 6 pm ET | 3 pm PT
Main Card: 9 pm ET | 6 pm PT | 2 am UK

Main Card

10 Round Lightweight Bout
Andres Cortes vs. Eridson Garcia

10 Round Lightweight Bout
Mark Magsayo vs. Feargal McCrory

10 Round Featherweight Bout
Azat Hovhannisyan vs. Eduardo Baez

Preliminary Card

8 Round Featherweight Bout
Alexis De la Cerda vs. Ervin Fuller III

8 Round Lightweight Bout
Robert Meriwether III vs. Tony Hirsch Jr.

8 Round Welterweight Bout
Jorge Maravillo vs. Elias Diaz

8 Round Featherweight Bout
Troy Nash vs. Bryan Rodriguez

6 Round Bantamweight Bout
Emiliano Cardenas vs. Alexis Alvarado

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Post-fight presser

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Started on Sky Sports in UK an hour ago.

More or less the whole card.

[skanksta]

who's watching ?

[PUGLET]

Regardless of whether or not you were IMPRESSED by the work of Cortez. Antonio Tarver is a punch drunk fornicating retard. STFU. You’re a sorry, sorry brutha. WTFU

[PUGLET]

Everything being what it is… the judging was prolly above 80% correct. We can do better. Let me judge every fight… SAVE OUR SOULS. SoulSet.13/MPBJ_MFTFc2L

[handsofstone]

The Magsayo/McCrory stoppage was a bit strange, what was the point in allowing McCrory to come out for the 6th of the corner were gonna towel him seconds into the round, no wonder he was fuming

[handsofstone]

97-93 Cortes, I didn't see the whitewash comms were seeing but it was a poor fight in all honesty, Garcia never really tried to win, got a point off for holding in the 4th and was too reactive throughout, Cortes at least tried to win, landed nearly all the notable punches, the action was sparse though, a lot of rounds decided by a ballhair, slim pickings

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