Middleweight Vaughn Alexander will get an unexpected opportunity to fight on television on Saturday night when he faces Andres Calixto Rey at the Mohegan Sun resort in Uncasville, Connecticut, Main Events announced Wednesday.
Alexander-Ray will serve as the new co-feature to the main event between light heavyweight contender Sullivan Barrera and Paul Parker on HBO Latino (11 p.m. ET/PT).
Alexander-Rey was originally slated to be an eight-round untelevised bout. It was elevated to a 10-rounder on the telecast when Russian middleweight Arif Magomedev took ill earlier this week and his fight with Elias Espadas, of Mexico, was canceled.
"It's a shame to lose Arif's fight, but this is an excellent replacement," said Main Events CEO Kathy Duva. "I'm thrilled that more boxing fans will get to see Vaughn Alexander in the ring. He's quickly making up for lost time, and this is a chance for him to really get his name out there in what I expect to be a tough fight against Andres Rey."
Alexander (7-0, 5 KOs), 31, of St. Louis, is the older brother of former junior welterweight and welterweight world titleholder Devon Alexander.
Vaughn Alexander was a promising welterweight prospect in 2004, before he went to prison for 12 years for armed robbery and assaulting a police officer. Since his prison release, he has won both of his fights. He fought in October, then Main Events signed him to a promotional contract. He won his first fight with the company, also at Mohegan Sun, by six-round decision against Antonio Chaves Fernandez in November.
Rey (14-3, 9 KOs), 34, a Mexico native fighting out of Alice, Texas, has won three fights in a row.
The 35-year-old Barrera (18-1, 13 KOs), a former standout amateur from Cuba now fighting out of Miami, Florida, will meet Parker (8-1, 4 KOs), 32, of Toledo, Ohio, in a 10-round fight after declining to accept the terms of a purse bid for a world title elimination fight against Montreal-based Russian contender Artur Beterbiev, a two-time Olympian.