SAN DIEGO, CA –February 27- WealthTV is set to air Prizefighter: Heavyweights III on Thursday February 28th at 10PM ET. The event features a unique eight fighter, three round single elimination tournament format. It will be the third edition of the box-off to air on WealthTV.

This installment of the series will showcase many familiar faces. Americans Travis Walker (39-9, 31 KO) and Derric Rossy (28-6, 14 KO) are in the tournament field. The United Kingdom is represented by three fighters, Audley Harrison (31-6, 23 KO) Martin Rogan (16-4, 8 KO) and Ian Lewison (7-2, 4 KO.) Claus Bertino (15-5, 8 KO), Albert Sosnowski (47-6, 28 KO), and TimoHoffmann (40-8, 23 KO) fill out the rest of the bracket and hail from Denmark, Poland, and Germany respectively.

“This Prizefighter has the best competition of any edition before.” Said WealthTV director of live events Tommy Morris. “There are world title challengers in action; Harrison & Sosnowski. We will also see regional title winners Walker, Rossy, Hoffmann and Rogan. Rogan has won the Prizefighter event in the past. The three round format creates high action fights which is somethingboxing fans always look forward to.”

All of WealthTV’s fights can be seen on WealthTV nationally on Verizon FiOS TV channel 169 and 669 in HD, AT&T U-Verse TV channels 470 and 1470 in HD, along with over 100 cable systems across the country as well as on line viewing on numerous connected devices via www.wealthtv.com.

About WealthTV

WealthTV is the premier lifestyle and entertainment network —the destination for exclusive and original programming, simultaneously transmitted in high definition and standard definition. WealthTV delivers to informative shows to its viewers, providing invaluable insights on what every American dreams of – from travel secrets to fast cars, from outrageous homes to live events, and much more. The network fills a television vacuum by delivering intellectually stimulating, thought-provoking entertainment and always-unbiased news from an insider’s perspective. For more information, please visit www.wealthtv.com

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com the much talked about Super Welterweight unification bout between WBC champ Saul Alvarez and WBA champ Austin Trout is just about finalized to take place on April 20 in San Antonio at The Alamo Dome and will be broadcasted on Showtime.

“It’s the biggest fight for Canelo, a big step up for him and a world title-unification bout,” said Richatd Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions, who promotes Alvarez. “It’s two undefeated fighters against each other, two of the best in their weight class.

“Austin Trout is coming off the big win against Miguel Cotto and can get another big win. Canelo wants to shut up all of the doubters. He wants to show he is the best at 154 pounds.”

“I was trying not to get too excited about the possibility of the fight,” Trout said when a reporter broke the news to him that the fight had been set. “Not Canelo personally, but his handlers were 100 percent against a fight with Austin Trout. Canelo would go out there and say this was the fight he wanted, but [Golden Boy promoter Oscar] De La Hoya would shoot the fight down.

“Canelo put his foot down and said this was the fight he wanted. He said he was ready. God bless him. I’m here to show the world he’s not. But he made the people who work for him make it happen, and boxing and the fans thank him.”

“I’m not worried about what he will do,” Trout said. “If I beat his brother or not, it doesn’t matter to me, but it was something I was using to entice him to fight me. But I am after his name and legacy. I got my own legacy to push out.”

“Canelo’s not making it to a Mayweather fight,” Trout said. “Our fight is a great matchup not just for me, personally, but for boxing. I know it won’t be easy, but we’re not here for easy. We’re here to be the best. The harder the challenge, the greater the victory. This is the ‘Cinnamon’ test.”

“I would have fought on the Floyd undercard because I’m happy for the opportunity, but I’m also happy that we have our own card and venue,” Trout said.

“I kept saying all along that I would work on it and see if it can be done,” he said. “People were saying it was done, but I never said that. But I’m not disappointed. I am happy for the sport of boxing to have Floyd Mayweather back against Guerrero, a guy I consider the most dangerous guy out there. I’m happy for Robert to get this opportunity against Floyd and I am happy for Canelo and Trout, as well.

“Canelo will have his own date and fight in Texas, which he has wanted to do for a long time because he has so many fans there, and he’s in a huge fight. So I have Floyd Mayweather fighting a Mexican-American on Cinco De Mayo and I got Canelo-Trout done. Hallelujah for fight fans. So the two fights will be spread out a little bit. The [Mayweather-Alvarez] fight eventually is going to happen, but right now, let’s enjoy two unbelievable fights.”

LAS VEGAS (Feb. 27, 2013) – When Cuba’s Richar Abril (17-3-1, 8 KO’s), of Miami, Fla., steps into the ring to face undefeated Ugandan Sharif “The Lion” Bogere (23-0, 15 KO’s), of Las Vegas, this Saturday, March 2 in the main event of SHOWTIME BOXING – Special Edition live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, he will be making the first defense of his WBA Lightweight World Championship.

The WBA recently announced that it had elevated Abril from interim champion to regular champion, a decision fully supported by both Abril and Bogere.

“I had no idea it was happening and it was definitely a surprise,” said Abril during Tuesday’s media workout at Long Life Fit Boxing Gym in Las Vegas. “But it was a great surprise. Every fighter has aspirations of becoming a world champion. Anybody who watched absolutely knows I beat Brandon Rios (in a bout on April 14, 2012) and that I deserved the decision. Ever since then, in my heart, I always considered myself the WBA champion. The WBA only made it official.

“This motivates me even more to put on a good fight for the fans and show them that I’m the real deal.”

Said Bogere after his workout, “I don’t think anybody is satisfied fighting for an interim title. We want a full title, a world title. I’ve been waiting my whole life for this chance. Uganda is one of the poorest countries on the planet. Most people don’t know how hard it’s been to get from where I started to where I’m at now. Fighting for the WBA title is an opportunity of a lifetime.

“People talk about my ring entrance, and that’s really good. It’s gotten me a lot of attention. They may not know my name, but they’ve maybe heard of the kid and his lion. I’m confident that after Saturday, people will know my name and know who I am.”

In Saturday’s co-feature, talented, undefeated southpaw Gary Russell Jr. (23-0, 15 KO’s), of Capitol Heights, Md., meets Russia’s Vyacheslav Gusev (20-2, 5 KO’s) in a 10-round featherweight bout.

Russell is coming off of one of 2012’s most devastating knockout victories, a brutal one-punch, third-round stoppage over Roberto Castaneda last Nov. 9 on ShoBox: The New Generation.

“I’m satisfied with the way my career is going and at the pace it’s going,” said the classy, world-rated Russell, who may possess the fastest hands in boxing. “I refuse to listen to anybody who says anything negative about it. I think in a couple more fights I’ll be ready to challenge for a world title.

“I’m not overlooking anybody. I’ve seen tapes of Gusev and he seems to have that classic European style, although he does try and box. He certainly has the potential to be a spoiler. He’s the type that if you allow him to set the pace, he’ll run up the points on you. I expect a good fight on Saturday.”

Said Gusev, who’ll be making his second start in the United States: “I’m very relaxed, calm and confident. I’ve seen some of Russell’s fights and know he is a very good fighter.

“I’m excited about this fight and looking forward to it. It’s not going to be easy, but I am here to win. I didn’t come all this way to lose.”

ABOUT “ABRIL VS BOGERE”:

Abril vs. Bogere, a 12-round fight for Abril’s WBA Lightweight World Championship, will take place Saturday, March 2 at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, sponsored by Corona and will be televised live on SHOWTIME beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) with preliminary fights to air live on SHOWTIME EXTREME at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). The co-main event will be a 10-round featherweight bout between undefeated phenom Gary Russell Jr. and Russia’s Vyacheslav Gusev.

Tickets priced at $150, $100, $75, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, along with a limited number of VIP suite seats priced at $125, are on sale at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at (800) 745-3000.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/richard_abril, www.twitter.com/sharifbogere, www.twitter.com/mrgaryrusselljr, www.twitter.com/TheJointLV, www.twitter.com/hardrockhotellv, www.twitter.com/SHOsports, follow the conversation using #AbrilBogere or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing or www.facebook.com/SHOsports.

Las Vegas, Nevada – Fresh off a brilliant submission victory over Ivan Menjivar at UFC 157, “The California Kid” Urijah Faber returns to the Octagon® Saturday, April 13 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas to meet Scott Jorgensen in a can’t-miss bantamweight showdown.

Faber, the former WEC featherweight champion ranked second in the bantamweight division, is known for his explosive athleticism and finishing ability, and the 33-year-old Sacramento native owns wins over the likes of Jens Pulver (twice), Raphael Assuncao, Takeya Mizugaki, Eddie Wineland and Brian Bowles.

A three-time Pac-10 wrestling champion at Boise State University, the 30-year-old Jorgensen defeated John Albert in a performance that earned him Fight and Submission of the Night honors in his most recent bout this past December. “Young Guns” also holds notable victories over Jeff Curran and Brad Pickett and has developed a reputation as one of the division’s most exciting fighters.

“Urijah Faber is one of the best bantamweights in the world and he proved it at UFC 157 by submitting Ivan Menjivar in the first round,” UFC President Dana White said. “He’s ready to jump right back in the Octagon on April 13 with Scott Jorgensen, who’s ranked seventh in the world at 135 pounds. Both of these guys like to finish fights. This is a really exciting main event for the TUF Finale!”

In addition to the Faber-Jorgensen main event, this season’s The Ultimate Fighter® winner will be crowned when the Octagon® makes its way back to the Mandalay Bay Events Center. The Ultimate Fighter® Finale card also includes:

· Former Strikeforce bantamweight women’s champion Miesha Tate vs. highly touted, undefeated contender Cat Zingano in the second women’s bout in UFC history.

· A heavyweight showdown between Travis Browne and Gabriel Gonzaga.

· A featherweight collision between Bart Palaszewski and Cole Miller.

· A featherweight bout between TUF veteran Justin Lawrence and Houston’s Daniel Pineda.

Tickets for The Ultimate Fighter® Finale go on sale Friday, March 8 at 10 a.m. PT and are priced at $200, $125, $75 and $50. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit the Mandalay Bay Events Center Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, www.ticketmaster.com, or charge-by-phone at 800.745.3000.

UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, March 6 at 10 a.m. PT via www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, March 7, starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

The main card will also air live on FX at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Catch all new episodes of this season of The Ultimate Fighter Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT!

For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®

Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. In 2012, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which airs on FX.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries, to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide, in 28 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and Australia via Main Event and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with nearly 2.4 million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs and video games, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.

NEW YORK, NY (February 27, 2013) – Co-promoters Lou DiBella, of DiBella Entertainment, and 50 Cent, of SMS Promotions, hosted the final press conference today at the Strand Hotel in New York City for this week’s (Mar. 1) ESPN Friday Night Fights at the MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

In the 12-round main event, SMS Promotions’ IBF Featherweight Champion Billy “The Kid” Dib (35-1-0-1NC, 21KO’s) puts his world title on the line against Russia’s undefeated IBF #11 rated Evgeny Gradovich (15-0, 8KO’s). In the televised co-feature, former amateur standout and now top-ten rated junior middleweight contender Willie Nelson (19-1-1, 11KO’s) squares off against Michael Medina (26-3-2, 19KO’s) in a 10-round showdown for Nelson’s NABF super welterweight title. The Nelson-Medina bout is promoted in association with Rumble Time Promotions. The event is sponsored by SMS Audio. Both bouts will air on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET.

***50 Cent will be performing live on fight night***

Tickets priced at $200, $100, $75 and $40 may be purchased online at foxwoods.com, by calling the Foxwoods’ box office at 800-200-2882, or in person at the Foxwoods’ box office.

PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES

LOU DIBELLA – “First and foremost, I want to thank everyone here for coming out and also everyone that is involved in this event, particularly 50 cent, Foxwoods and our great sponsor, SMS Audio.

“We have an outstanding event coming up this Friday and I think it is important for everyone to know that we are not doing this event to make a ton of money. We are doing this to give the public an opportunity to see a great event and also to give this great champion, Billy Dib, the exposure that he truly deserves here in the US.

“We have a terrific card from top to bottom, including a dynamite co-feature with NABF Junior Middleweight Champion Willie Nelson defending his title against Michael Medina. It is a co-feature that easily could have been a main event on its own, in fact, it was originally, but then we had this great opportunity to put Billy Dib in the main event, defending his world championship live on ESPN and we just couldn’t pass that up. I want to thank Doug Loughrey from ESPN for giving us this opportunity and for working so hard on making this a reality.

“There are an awful lot of haters when you start a new business, especially in the boxing world. No one has laid out a red carpet for Curtis “50 Cent’ Jackson. Everything that he has achieved thus far he has worked to get. I am totally impressed by working with him to see his intellect and how hard he actually works. I only see great things for him in this sport moving forward and just wanted to say it really is an absolute pleasure to work with you and your company.”

CURTIS “50 CENT” JACKSON – “I am excited about Friday night. This has been a great partnership I have formed with Lou (DiBella) and it has just been an amazing process for me. This is the first boxing event that I have been involved with for the entire process, from beginning to end, and it really is going to be a special night for me on Friday night.

“To actually be in Billy’s camp and to see the sacrifices that he makes day in and day out is really something special. It makes you realize really what these fighters go through. It gives you a whole new appreciation for them and for this great sport.

“The level of the actual talent involved in this promotion is exciting for me and excites me for what the future has to hold for me in this sport. I believe by combining the right elements we can bring back that younger demographic to this sport, and that is something we are going to be working on constantly.”

BILLY “THE KID” DIB – “I want to thank everyone who was involved with this promotion. March 1st is going to be a great event. The whole team has worked very hard. This is my second coming. I am coming back here to America to showcase my ability. I am a completely different animal right now and you will see that Friday night. I know Gradovich is going to fight out of his skin, being this is his first world championship opportunity, so I can promise you that this is going to make for fireworks in this fight. We respect Gradovich; we know that he is ready, and these are the type of fights we want.”

EVGENY GRADOVICH – “Thank you for this opportunity, I am very excited. I know that this is going to be a great fight. We trained very hard for this fight, and I know it is going to be a very good fight for everyone involved, especially the fans in attendance and those watching at home on ESPN.”

DOVER, Del. — Ed Sutor, president and CEO of Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, announces the next Friday Night Fights series event will take place on April 12, in the Rollins Center®. Tickets are on sale now for between $50 – $225 and may be purchased by calling VIP Services at 800-711-5882 or visiting doverdowns.com.

Headlining the event will be heavyweight superstar Amir “Hardcore” Mansour, winner of the World Boxing Foundation Intercontinental heavyweight championship title. Mansour, out of Penns Grove, N.J., has a flawless record of 17 wins, 13 by knockout. In his Jan. 25th appearance at Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, Mansour entered the Rollins Center to a standing ovation. Hard-hitting Mansour did not disappoint his fans when he delivered a devastating knockout upon veteran Dominique “Diamond” Alexander in the first round, sending him flying across the ring.

“We feel very fortunate to have witnessed the growth and success now coming to Amir Mansour since his first appearance here in August 2010,” said Sutor. “Because of his continued outstanding, awe-inspiring performances in the ring, Amir is seeing his horizons and opportunities expanding beyond the East Coast. It is his goal to fight the world’s best to prove he is capable of becoming world heavyweight champion.”

Fighters on the undercard are unbeaten Washington, D.C. welterweight Dusty Harrison (13-0, 8 KOs), light welterweight Edgar “El Chamaco” Santana (27-4, 18 KOs), super featherweight Omar “Super O” Douglas (7-0, 5 KOs), super featherweight, multiple title champion “Queen” Ronica Jeffrey (11-0, 1 KO), super middleweight John “Church Boy” Bowman (5-0-1), lightweight Joey Tiberi (8-1, 5 KOs) and cruiserweight Lamont “Problem Solver” Singletary (4-0, 2 KOs).

The first bout will begin at 7:30 p.m. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. Will call will be open from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Visit doverdowns.com for updates. Event, times and card are subject to change or cancellation without notice. For media credentials and interview or photo requests, please contact Lisa Rollins at lrollins@doverdowns.com.

# # #

About Dover Downs Hotel & Casino

Owned by Dover Downs Gaming & Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: DDE), Dover Downs Hotel & Casino® is a premier gaming and entertainment resort destination in the Mid-Atlantic region. Gaming operations consist of approximately 2,500 slots and a full complement of table games including poker. The AAA-rated Four Diamond hotel is Delaware’s largest with 500 luxurious rooms/suites and amenities including a full-service spa/salon, concert hall and 41,500 sq. ft. of multi-use event space. Live, world-class harness racing is featured November through April, and horse racing is simulcast year-round. Professional football parlay betting is accepted during the season. Additional property amenities include multiple restaurants from fine dining to casual fare, bars/lounges and retail shops. For more information, please visit www.doverdowns.com.

In the wake of Cristobal Arreola’s withdrawl from the March 9th HBO show, Eddie Chambers (36-3, 18 KO’s) has offered to step up to fight Bermane Stiverne (22-1-1, 20 KO’s). Chambers has been in the gym and says he is ready to take Stiverne on.

Eddie Chambers said, “I am always in the gym. I was training anyway. It would be very easy for me to take the March 9th fight against Stiverne. I think this is a great opportunity, just too good to pass up.”

“Eddie is a throwback, old-time fighter. He is always ready to go. As soon as he heard Arreola backed out of the fight Eddie called me to say he wanted to step in to fight Stiverne. We would be happy to make this fight.” said Chambers promoter, Kathy Duva.

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. (February 27, 2013) – Acquinity Sports has announced that an agreement has been reached regarding an Interim World Boxing Association super lightweight title fight, featuring a pair of past world champions, Joan “Little Tyson and Vincente “El Loco” Mosquera, tentatively scheduled for May 31 at a venue to be determined.

Guzman (33-1-1, 20 KOs), a 1996 Dominican Republic Olympian now living in Miami, suffered his first loss as a professional this past November, dropping an eighth-round technical decision to Khabib Allakhverdiev for the WBA championship (Danny Garcia is the WBA Super 140-pound champion). Guzman suffered a knee injury when he was tossed to the canvas, leading to the fight being halted by the referee Luis Pabon. Guzman’s promoter, Acquinity Sports, requested an immediate rematch with Allakhverdiev, based on the mishandling of the event by Pabon. Instead, the WBA granted an Interim title fight between WBA #5 Guzman and WBA #9 Mosquera, and the winner earning a regular WBA title shot with Allakhverdiev.

“Guzman worked had in his last fight and fell short due to injury.” Acquinity Sports CEO Gary Jonas said. “He is a two-time World Champion who knows what to do in the ring very well. This is a very interesting fight. I feel Guzman will win this fight and get another shot at Allakhverdiev and his world title.”

Guzman captured the World Boxing Organization (WBO super bantamweight crown in 2004, stopping Agapito Sanchez in San Diego. Guzman successfully defended that title by way of a 12-round decision over Fernando Beltran.

In 2006, Guzman added the WBO super featherweight title belt to his collection by winning a 12-round decision from Jorge Rodrigo Barrios. Two title defenses against Antonio Davis and Humberto Soto, in which Guzman won by 12-round decisions, before the crafty Dominican moved up in weight class to lightweight and eventually the super lightweight division.

Including the aforementioned fighters, Guzman has beaten a virtual Who’s Who of world-class fighters between 122 and 140 pounds, such as Ali Funeka, Javier Jauregui and Fabio Daniel Oliva.

“I am happy to see Guzman get another shot,” Acquinity Sports Vice President of Operations Henry Rovalta added. “His fight with Allakhverdiev ended in an injury. Khabib won a split decision bit thjere were still four more rounds to go. Guzman won’t be looking past Masquera . We know that he’s tough but Guzman will be ready ready.”

WBA #9 Mosquera (32-2-1, 17 KOs) has won his last eight fights in a row, since being knocked out for the only time in his professional career by the late Edwin Valero in 2006. Panama-native Mosquera won the WBA super featherweight championship in 2005, taking a 12-round decision from defending champion Yodsanan Sor Nanthachai in New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden.

Mosquera made one successful title defense, a year later against Jose Pablo Estrella in Argentina, by way of a 12-round split decision. After losing to Valero in his following fight, Mazquera was inactive for 4 ½ years.

Go online to www.AquinitySports.com for additional information about Guzman and his fight against Mosquera, or any of Guzman’s stable-mates. Follow Acquinity Sports on Twitter @AcquinitySports, or friend is at Facebook.com/AcquinitySports.

NEW YORK, NY (February 27, 2013) – Former North American Boxing Federation (NABF) super welterweight champion Michael “El Magnifico” Medina (26-3-2, 19 KOs) challenges present NABF titleholder Willie “The Great” Nelson (19-1-1, 11 KOs) tomorrow in the 10-round co-feature on ESPN Friday Night Fights, airing live from the MGM Grand at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

“I wasn’t active,” Medina explained, regarding why he was stripped by the NABF. “Now, I’m getting my belt back. I feel that it’s really still my belt. He’s the NABF champion but he didn’t take my belt from me. I’m looking forward to this fight. He’s a strong, young fighter and it’ll be awesome to add his name to my resume. A win will take me from this level to a higher one with bigger fights. I’m confident that, after this fight, I’ll be getting more fights on television networks.”

The ESPN Friday Night Fights card, co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and 50 Cent’s SMS Promotions, will air live at 9 p.m. ET. The Nelson-Medina bout is promoted in association with Rumble Time Promotions. The event is sponsored by SMS Audio.

The 12-round main event on ESPN Friday Night Fights features International Boxing Federation (IBF) Featherweight Champion Billy “The Kid” Dib (35-1-0-1NC, 21 KOs), who is promoted by 50 Cent, defending his title against undefeated Russian challenger Evgeny Gradovich (15-0, 8 KOs), who is rated No. 11 by the IBF.

WBC No. 17-ranked Medina captured the NABF belt on December 22, 2011, winning a 10-round decision over veteran Grady Brewer. However, Medina was later stripped of his belt because he failed to defend his title due to him being unable to land fights, not because he turned down opponents.

“He didn’t have a promoter and Mike just got caught in the middle of things,” his manager Steve Feder noted. “I wasn’t with him until his last fight which, ironically, was on the same card (Sergio Martinez vs. Julio Caesar Chavez Jr. PPV, September 15, 2012, in Las Vegas) that Willie Nelson last fought. So, Mike will be fighting for the same belt that he didn’t lose in the ring. He signed with Lou (DiBella) and now he’s in a fight to get his belt back. He’s always wanted to be in these kinds of fights. This is a good fight for both guys.

“Mike’s a good boxer who adapts well depending on who he’s fighting. He gets a lot of different looks sparring at Wild Card Gym. Eric Brown (Medina’s trainer) has done a good job with him. Mike likes to mix it up. He’s hoping that the two of them stand there and go at it. He’s not looking to box and move, which should make for a lot of action.”

Nelson won the vacant 154-pound title stripped from Medina by way of a 10-round decision in his aforementioned title fight against World Boxing Council (WBC) Youth champion and Virgin Islands Olympian, John “Dah Rock” Jackson (13-1, 12 KOs).

Standing 6’4″ with an imposing 84-inch reach, WBC No. 5-rated Nelson (19-1-1, 11 KOs) is a freakishly built super welterweight, against whom Medina will be giving away three-and-a-half inches in height, as well as a nine-inch reach advantage.

“It’s unusual,” Medina spoke about fighting such a tall opponent. “I haven’t fought guys that tall but I have been sparring with taller guys, middleweights and super middleweights, and I’ve also been working with good technical boxers like (Nobuhiro) Ishida. He’s a good teacher and I’m comfortable that I’ll benefit from that.

“He’s (Nelson) tall but I’ve watched some tapes of his fights and he likes to fight on the inside. If he does, that will help me because I’m aggressive. His height and reach can only be a factor if he jabs and moves, but we’ve been working on different strategies for whatever way he fights.”

Tickets priced at $200, $100, $75 and $40 may be purchased online at foxwoods.com, by calling the Foxwoods’ box office at 800-200-2882, or in person at the Foxwoods’ box office.

Las Vegas, Nevada – The Ultimate Fighter® returned to FX on Tuesday night with the sixth episode of the season – “Path to Greatness”. In the evening’s preliminary matchup, Josh Samman capitalized on Tor Troeng’s relaxed fighting style, winning via knockout in the first round.

Samman, a Floridian with a 9-2 mixed martial arts record, landed a body kick and followed through with a crisp 1-2 combo to finish the fight at 4:40 of the first round and earn the first-round TKO over the 15-4 Swede. With the win, Team Jones climbs back to within one as Team Sonnen leads the preliminary fights 3-2.

A full recap is available at ufc.com.

Results after episode six:

Team Sonnen – coached by UFC® light heavyweight Chael Sonnen – (3-2)

Luke Barnatt (1-0, TKO win over Gilbert Smith in episode 2)

Uriah Hall (1-0, KOd Adam Cella in episode 3)

Zak Cummings

Tor Troeng (0-1, lost to Josh Samman via KO in episode 6)

Jimmy Quinlan

Kevin Casey (0-1, lost a UD to Collin Hart in episode 4)

Kelvin Gastelum (1-0, submitted Bubba McDaniel in episode 5)

Team Jones – coached by UFC® light heavyweight champion Jon Jones – (2-3)

Clint Hester

Josh Samman (1-0, defeated Tor Troeng by KO in episode 6)

Bubba McDaniel (0-1, submitted by Kelvin Gastelum in episode 5)

Gilbert Smith (0-1, TKOd by Luke Barnatt in episode 2)

Collin Hart (1-0, defeated Kevin Casey by UD in episode 4)

Adam Cella (0-1, KOd by Uriah Hall in episode 3)

Dylan Andrews

Team Jones regains control of the fight pick and sets up a classic clash of grappler versus striker, as Clint Hester takes on Jimmy Quinlan of Team Sonnen.

The series resumes next Tuesday, March 5, on FX at 9 p.m. ET/PT (check local listings for Central and Mountain Time). In that episode – “His Fist on My Face” – One fighter cuts loose and another alienates himself when the guys get a night out at Hooters. A fighter’s recurring leg pain lands him in the hospital. Then Hester and Quinlan square off in the sixth Preliminary Fight.

For more show information, and your chance to play the TUF Fantasy Tournament, visit ultimatefighter.com and follow us on Twitter @TUFonFX or on Facebook.com/TUF.

About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®

Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. In 2012, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which airs on FX.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries, to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide, in 28 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and Australia via Main Event and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with nearly 2.4 million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs and video games, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.

FX

FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 98 million homes. The diverse schedule features a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award-winning hit dramas series Sons of Anarchy and Justified; the miniseries American Horror Story: Asylum; the upcoming drama series The Americans; the acclaimed hit comedy series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, Louie, Archer, Wilfred, BrandX with Russell Brand, and Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell; and the upcoming comedy Legit. The network’s library of acquired box-office hit movies is unmatched by any ad-supported television network. FX’s other offerings include the acquired hit series Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother, and live sports with UFC and NCAA football.

WHIPPANY, NEW JERSEY (February 26, 2013)—On Friday night, March 15th Light Heavyweight contender Elvir “The Kosovo Kid” Muriqi returns to the ring when he takes on Paul Vazquez in a scheduled eight round bout at the Birchwood Manor in Whippany, New Jersey.

That bout plus a full undercard is promoted by Vito Mielnicki’s GH3 Promotions and Greg Cohen Promotions.

The thirty-three year old Muriqi has a record of 39-5 with 24 knockouts and is looking to make another run to the top of the Heavyweight rankings.

The native of New York City won 30 of his first 31 bouts with his lone blemish being a controversial disqualification defeat. In that streak Muriqi had quality wins over Joseph Harris, Sammy Ahmad, James Crawford and Tony Menefee. After dropping two of three, Muriqi went on a three fight winning streak that set up a showdown with former undisputed Light Heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver.

Muriqi fought a valiant fight for which some ringsiders thought he may have pulled off the upset. In the end it was Tarver who took the majority decision in their Showtime televised bout on June 9, 2007.

Muriqi rebounded with a 4th round stoppage over Jameel Wilson which set him up for an IBF elimination bout against former world champion Clinton Woods.

Once again Muriqi put on a great performance before dropping a unanimous decision in front of Woods hometown crowd in England.

Muriqi is currently riding a four fight winning streak with wins over Daniel Judah and his most recent win over Chris Grays on December 10, 2011.

Vazquez, 34 years old of Martinez, California has a respectable record of 9-2-1 with three knockouts. He has won three in a row with the latest being a third round stoppage over Brett Urban on May 19, 2011. Vazquez also has a draw with former world title challenger Pat Lawlor.

In the six round co-feature, John Thompson (10-0, 3 KO’s) will take on Calvin Odom in a Jr. Middleweight bout.

Thompson) of Newark, NJ has been stepping up the competition with each fight. The twenty-three year old has quality wins over Jermond Bourgeois (TKO 2), John Mackey (UD) and his last bout when he scored a six round unanimous decision over Elie Augustama on December 1st at Madison Square Garden as part of the Austin Trout – Miguel Cotto championship fight card.

Odom of Inglewood, CA has a record of 15-13 with 11 wins by knockout. Odom has faced top competition and has defeated the likes of undefeated Juan Gil, Jose Luis Zertuche, and Srrgio Rios and has also faced Grady Brewer (twice), Roberto Garcia, former world title challenger Marco Antonio Rubio, Sebastian Valdez, Jose Antonio Ojeda, Walter Wright, Luciano Perez, Charles Hatley, Wale Omotoso, Tony Harrison and his last bout he dropped an eight round decision to Joe Greene on January 10th

In what figure to be a six round Heavyweight slugfest, it will be the battle of New Jersey when Patrick Farrell (8-1-1, 4 KO’s) of Jersey City takes on John Lennox (10-2, 5 KO’s) of Carteret.

In four round bouts, Danny Gonzalez (1-0) of Queens, NY will square off with Carlos Nieves (0-1) of New York in a Jr. Welterweight bout.

In a four round Jr. Lightweight bout, Glenford Nickey (1-0-1) of New York, NY battles Anolan Rigal (1-3-1, 1 KO) of Johnson City, NY

Anthony “Juice”Young (6-0, 2 KO’s) of Atlantic City will fight an opponent to be named in a Welterweight bout.

In a heavyweight bout, Tyrell Wright (1-0) Bayonne, NJ takes on Lamont Capers (1-1) of Hawley, PA

Popular Vinny O’Brien (3-2, 2 KO’s) of East Hanover, NJ returns to the ring when he takes on Anthony Smith (1-1) of Brooklyn in a Jr. Welterweight bout

Rounding out the card will be the pro debut of Ricky Edwards boxing Moses Molina (1-3, 1 KO) of Bridgeton, NJ in a Lightweight bout.

THERE WILL BE A PRESS CONFERENCE ON FRIDAY MARCH 8TH AT THE MARIOTT IN WHIPPANY AT 11 AM

Tickets are priced at $150 (VIP Ringside—which includes a cocktail hour and tickets in the 1st two rows); $100 Ringside and $50 for General Admission and can be purchased by going online at www.gh3promotions.com; www.eliteheatgym.com or calling Elite Heat Gym at 862-772-2532

The Birchwood Manor is located at
111 N Jefferson Rd Whippany, NJ 07981

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. (February 26, 2013) – Fast-rising promotional company, Acquinity Sports, has signed 2008 U.S. Olympic Boxing Team alternate Hylon “Lil’ Ced” Williams, Jr. to an exclusive contract.

Williams (16-1, 3 KOs), a native of Las Vegas, was a standout U.S. amateur boxer who compiled an impressive 145-20 record, highlighted by gold medal performances at the 2007 National Golden Gloves and 2006 National PAL tournaments.

Williams’ co-managers, Luis DeCubas, Jr. and Alex Bornote, reached out to promoter Henry Rivalta, Acquinity Sports Vice President of Operations. Negotiations took place and the parties came to a mutually beneficial agreement.

“I’m very happy to have signed a promotional contract with Acquinity Sports,” Williams said. “I’m anxious to get back into the ring and eager to prove that I’m one of the top 126-pounders in the world. I’d like to thank Luis, Alex and Henry for putting this deal together. I want to fight all of the top dogs.”

Williams has campaigned for most if his professional career as a lightweight, however, he has committed to fighting as a featherweight. Acquinity Sports now has a terrific trio of featherweights with Williams joining undefeated stable-mates Claudio Marrero (14-0, 11 KOs), rated No. 2 by the World Boxing Association (WBA), and Alexei “The Hurricane” Collado (15-0, 14 KOs).

“We are very pleased to add a talent like Hylon to our growing roster of future champions,” Rivala commented. “My partner, Gary Jonas, and I feel that Hylon is a talented young man with a bright future ahead of him. He’s a slick boxer and legitimate threat for anybody in the featherweight division. I have no doubt in my mind Hylon can become world champion. He’s young and hungry, works hard, and has a great attitude.”

Acquinity Sports stable-mates Glendy Hernandez, Claudio Marrero and Hylon Williams Jr. enjoy a recent Miami Heat game.

Williams made his pro debut April 19, 2008, winning a four-round decision over Marcos Mendias, on the Bernard Hopkins-Joe Calzaghe undercard, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The 22-year-old Williams won his first 15 pro fights before losing an eight-round decision to former Cuban National Champion Rances “Kid Blast” Barthelemy (14-0). In his last fight this past October, Williams shutout John Willoughby en route to a six-round decision.

Go online to www.AquinitySports.com for additional information about Williams or any of Guzman’s stable-mates. Follow Acquinity Sports on Twitter @AcquinitySports, or friend is at Facebook.com/AcquinitySports.

DOVER, Del. — Ed Sutor, President and CEO of Dover Downs Hotel & Casino states that tickets are still available for the Cage Fury Fighting Championships professional mixed martial arts event on Saturday, March 16 in the Rollins Center®. Tickets are $55-$125 and may be purchased through VIP Services at 800-711-5882 or doverdowns.com.

The fight card:

Craig Hayes (Pennsylvania) v. Anthony Beauregard (Pennsylvania)

Brima Kamara (Pennsylvania) v. Malachi Boykin (Maryland)

Mike Shipman (New Jersey) v. Orlando Cuevas (Pennsylvania)

Caleb Gilley (Maryland) v. Jasha Vann (Delaware)

Bobby Shea (New Jersey) v. Ibrahim Toure (Delaware)

Myron Baker (Maryland) v. Bruce Baker (Delaware)

Patrick White (New Jersey) v. Christian Leonard (Virginia)

Ray Elliot (Maryland) v. Frank Lauro (Delaware)

Cassie Crisano (Maryland) v. Andria Caplan (Pennsylvania)

Chris Birchler (New Jersey) v. Sheldon Graves (Maryland)

Timothy Woods (Virginia) v. Mike Stewart (New York)

Joel Roberts (Pennsylvania) v. Jason McLean (New Jersey) Co-main Event

Travis Wynn (Delaware) v. Evan Velez (New York) Main Event

Event, times and card are subject to change or cancellation without notice. The first bout will begin at 6 p.m. Doors will open at 5 p.m. Visit doverdowns.com for updates. For media credentials and interview or photo requests, please contact Lisa Rollins at lrollins@doverdowns.com.

# # #

About Dover Downs Hotel & Casino

Owned by Dover Downs Gaming & Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: DDE), Dover Downs Hotel & Casino® is a premier gaming and entertainment resort destination in the Mid-Atlantic region. Gaming operations consist of approximately 2,500 slots and a full complement of table games including poker. The AAA-rated Four Diamond hotel is Delaware’s largest with 500 luxurious rooms/suites and amenities including a full-service spa/salon, concert hall and 41,500 sq. ft. of multi-use event space. Live, world-class harness racing is featured November through April, and horse racing is simulcast year-round. Professional football parlay betting is accepted during the season. Additional property amenities include multiple restaurants from fine dining to casual fare, bars/lounges and retail shops. For more information, please visit www.doverdowns.com.

HOLLYWOOD, CALIF, (February 26, 2013) — Hall of Fame trainer FREDDIE ROACH and No. 3 world-rated welterweight contender RUSLAN PROVODNIKOV took time out of training camp, at Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, to discuss their upcoming challenge of undefeated World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion Timothy Bradley, Jr. The Bradley vs. Provodnikov WBO welterweight championship will take place, Saturday, March 16 at The Home Depot Center and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing®, beginning at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT.

“We are having an outstanding camp,” said Roach. “Ruslan has given me everything I have asked for in training. The fact that Ruslan has been Manny Pacquiao’s lead sparring partner his past two camps has given Ruslan an outstanding foundation from which to work. When Manny was preparing to defend his title against Bradley last spring I said any of Manny’s sparring partners could beat Bradley. Ruslan will to prove that on March 16.

“I’ve heard Bradley say he’s going to take the fight to Ruslan. He said the same thing before his fight with Manny. And when he feels Ruslan’s power, like when he felt Manny’s, it’s going to be a remake of Forrest Gump. ‘Run, Timmy, run!’ This isn’t about Ruslan finishing what Manny started. It’s about duplicating it.”

“I’m very happy and very satisfied with everything I have been doing with Freddie,” said Provodinkov (22-1, 15 KOs), a native of Siberia. The two-fisted Russian buzzsaw enters this fight riding a five-bout winning streak with four of those victories coming by way of knockout. “I know my fans have seen me on ESPN Friday Night Fights fighting a certain way, but on March 16, they will see a different Ruslan inside the ring. My work with conditioning coach Gavin MacMillan has made me stronger and faster and my endurance is tremendous. I have never felt so good.”

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Banner Promotions and Tecate, remaining tickets to the Bradley-Provodnikov world welterweight championship event, priced at $200, $100, $50 and $25, can be purchased online at AXS.com or by phone at 888-929-7849 as well as The Home Depot Center Box Office (open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). Suites are available by calling 1-877-604-8777. For information of group discounts, please call 1-877-234-8425.

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, www.banner-promotions.com or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, facebook.com/banner-promotions or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, twitter.com/bannerboxing or twitter.com/hboboxing.

SINGAPORE (Feb. 26, 2013) – Four-time world champion Stephen Wakeling (36-4, 14 KO’s) of Kent, England will square off with fast-rising KO artist Eddie ‘Showtime’ Walker (11-2-1, 9 KOs) of Atlanta, Ga. in a middleweight (85 kilograms/187 pounds) contest at the star-studded GLORY 5London kickboxing event at ExCel Arena in London, England on Saturday, March 23, Glory Sports International announced today.

The 29-year-old Wakeling, renowned for his excellent conditioning and tendency to inflict heavy punishment on opponents, has faced and defeated a host of top-ranked riva! l superstars, including Thailand’s famed world champion Jaowchalam Chatjanokgym and Australian powerhouse ‘John’ Wayne Parr. On July 7, 2012, Wakeling fought pound-for-pound sensation Artem Levin to a draw in a spectacular, five-round bout in England.

Wakeling comes from a high pedigree of fighting stock. His father Mark was a successful fighter in his own right and had a career which culminated with a fight in Thailand’s prestigious annual King’s Cup tournament in 1998. Wakeling’s brother, Mike, is a European champion.

Walker, experienced a career breakthrough last year when he scored a shocking, upset KO of WBC interim Muay Thai champion Joe ‘Stitch ‘Em Up’ Schilling after Schilling had put Walker down twice early in the fight in Las Vegas, Nev.

The come-from-behind victor! y earned Walker a spot in the ROAD TO GLORY USA inaugural, middleweight development series tournament in Los Angeles, Calif. on Feb. 9. There, Walker finished as runner-up after scoring a second round (1:26) KO on Edgar Del Fierro and a second round (2:13) TKO on Van Wyk Povey in the quarterfinal and semifinal stages of the tournament, respectively.

Walker is known for possessing frightening power in both hands and, with 9 of his 11 professional wins by way of stoppage inside the distance, he has an incredible 81 percent finish rate. Walker trains under Manu N’toh, a renowned instructor who also counts UFC middleweight Brian Stann among his students, and posted a 7-0 amateur record before turning professional in 2010.

Tickets for GLORY 5 London can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.co.uk and by phone at the exclusive ticket hotline: 0844 847 2543.

In the highly-anticipated heavyweight main event, decorated,! all-time great Remy Bonjasky (77-15, 40 KO’s) of The Netherlands will take on ferocious, surging superstar Tyrone Spong (68-6-1 42 KO’s) of Boca Raton, Fla. via The Netherlands.

All GLORY 5 London bouts are comprised of three, three-minute rounds. The complete fight card is as follows:

Heavyweight Main Event

Tyrone Spong (Netherlands) vs. Remy Bonjasky (Netherlands)

Lightweight

Andy Ristie (Suriname) vs. Albert Kraus (Netherlands)

Light-Heavyweight

Stephane Susperregui (France) vs. Danyo Ilunga (Congo)

Featherweight

Liam Harrison (UK) vs. Mo! sab Armani (Morocco)

Lightweight

Jordan Watson (UK) vs. Steve Moxon (Australia)

Light-Heavyweight

Raymond Daniels (USA) vs. TBA

Heavyweight

Jaideep Singh (UK/India) vs. Daniel Sam (UK)

Middleweight

Stephen Wakeling (UK) vs. Eddie Walker (USA)

Welterweight

Maxim Vorovski (Russia) vs. Duoli Chen (China)

Lightweight

Johann Fauveau (France) vs. Warren Stevelmans (South Africa)

Catchweight

Reece McAllister (UK) vs. Tim ! Thomas (UK)

For more information, visit www.gloryworldseries.com.

About GLORY:

GLORY World Series (www.gloryworldseries.com) is the world’s new premiere kickboxing league, producing live events across the globe and offering up to $2 million in prize money to the winners of one-night, 16-man ‘Grand Slam’ tournaments, which are open to only the best fighters in each of six different weight classes. The fight series also includes 8-man ‘Slam’ tournaments and events with traditional single bouts.

With television deals spanning every continent, online live video streaming of all shows and the world’s largest online martial arts library, GLORY is one of the world’s most widely distributed sporting organizations.

Owned and operated by Glory Sports International (GSI), the organization has offices in the UK, Netherlands, Jap! an, Malaysia, Singapore and soon in the US. Its personnel include an unprecedented mix of accomplished entrepreneurs and senior level executives from the diverse worlds of finance, sports marketing, television and martial arts fighting.

In 2013, GLORY launched the ROAD TO GLORY tournament fight series to identify and develop new kickboxing talent in the United States, Japan and elsewhere around the globe into future champions and superstars of the sport.

NEW YORK (February 26, 2013) – Co-promoters DiBella Entertainment and 50 Cent’s SMS Promotions have announced a solid undercard supporting this week’s ESPN Friday Night Fights event, featuring International Boxing Federation (IBF) Featherweight Champion Billy “The Kid” Dib (35-1-0-1NC, 21 KOs) defending his title against undefeated Russian challenger Evgeny Gradovich (15-0, 8 KOs), airing live (9 p.m. ET start) from the MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

The 12-round main event pits Australia-native Dib, promoted by 50 Cent, against Gradovich. In the 10-round ESPN Friday Night Fights co-feature, North American Boxing Federation (NABF) super welterweight champion Willie “The Great” Nelson (19-1-1, 11 KOs) makes his first title defense against Michael “El Magnifico” Medina (26-3-2, 19 KOs). The Nelson-Medina fight is being promoted in association with Rumble Time Promotions. The event is sponsored by SMS Audio.

Undefeated prospect Ryan “Polish Prince” Kielczweski (15-0, 3 KOs), fighting out of Quincy (MA), takes on Houston’s Gil “La Metrealleta” Garcia (5-3-1, 1 KO) in an eight-round junior lightweight bout.

Another unbeaten New Englander, New Haven super bantamweight Luis “KO King” Rosa Jr. (12-0, 6 KOs), is matched against New York City-veteran Jhovany Collado (4-5-2, 1 KO) in an eight-rounder.

World Boxing Association (WBA) No. 11-rated welterweight Charlie Ota (21-1, 15 KOs), fighting out of Japan by way of Harlem, has been added to the card in a six-round bout against hard-hitting Brandon “The Business” Baue (12-9, 10 KOs). Ota joined the US Navy in 2000 and was stationed in Japan. Reigning OPBF and Japanese champion Ota was slated to fight this past Thursday in New York City but the fight fell through. Baue, who lives in Troy, Missouri, lost a six-round decision in his last action to former world champion Yuri Foreman.

The fastest rising New England female boxer, New London’s (Conn.) undefeated junior featherweight Shelly “Shelito’s Way” Vincent (7-0), who is trained by Peter Manfredo Sr. in Rhode Island, faces Mikayla Nebel (0-3) in a six-round fight.

Also fighting on the undercard in four-round bouts are former Southern Connecticut State College football player, New Haven junior middleweight Jimmy Williams (1-0, 1 KO), against Raynard Younger (0-1), from Georgia, and Arizona junior welterweight Luis Olivares makes his professional debut versus Houston’s Rafael Munoz (1-1), while Cincinnati lightweight Donte Strayhorn meets Cranston’s (RI) Joe Pingitore in a battle of pro-debut fighters.

The event is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and 50 cent’s SMS Promotions and sponsored by SMS Audio. Tickets, priced at $200, $100, $75 and $40, may be purchased online at foxwoods.com, by calling the Foxwoods’ box office at 800-200-2882, or in person at the Foxwoods’ box office.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. ET with the first bout scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. ET.

The March 1 edition of ESPN’s Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra will feature an IBF Title fight between Featherweight titlist Billy “The Kid” Dib (35-1, 1 NC, 21 KOs; The Ring Magazine’s No. 4, ESPN.com No.8 ranked Featherweight) and undefeated challenger Evgeny “The Mexican Russian” Gradovich (15-0, 8 KOs) in the 12-round main event. Friday’s show from the MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn., will air live at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2 HD, and will be available online through WatchESPN.com and on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app. The card will also air live on ESPN Deportes+, the new digital extension of ESPN Deportes, and will air tape delayed on ESPN Deportes Saturday morning at 3 a.m. The card is co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and SMS Promotions, owned by multiplatinum recording artist and entrepreneur 50 Cent.

Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas will be ringside describing the action for ESPN2 HD, while studio host Todd Grisham (@GrishamESPN) will be on site presenting the latest boxing news and highlights. Alex Pombo and Delvin Rodriguez will call this week’s fights for ESPN Deportes’ Viernes de Combates (Friday Night Fights) with Leopoldo Gonzalez and Pablo Viruega in the studio. Bilingual reporter Bernardo Osuna (@osunaespn) will present live interviews and reports for both shows.

50 Cent, who promotes Dib, will be at ESPN’s headquarters on Thursday, February 28, for an ESPN “Car Wash” to discuss Friday’s main event on ESPN TV and radio shows. On Friday, he will be at Foxwoods performing a walk out song prior to the main event. He will also be the sparring partner in Friday’s “Fight Plan” segment with Atlas, in which Atlas and a sparring partner outline what each fighter needs to do to win.

Main Event:
Australia’s Dib won a 10-round unanimous decision in a non-title fight over Juan Rodriguez in his last fight. Prior to that, he defended his title for the second time with a sixth–round TKO win over Eduardo Escobedo.

“I am really excited to be headlining against the ‘Mexican Russian,’” Dib said. “It is going to be an all-out punch up. The fans can definitely expect to see a great fight on March 1st.”

Gradovich, a native of Russia, is trained by 2012 Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) “Trainer of the Year” Robert Garcia. Gradovich scored a seventh-round TKO win over William Villanueva in his last fight.

“Becoming a world champion has been a life-long dream of mine, and on March 1, I will finally have that chance,” Gradovich said. “This is going to be a very special night for me, as not only am I fighting for my first world title, but the entire country will have the opportunity to watch it. I am already in great shape and I am going to show the world what I am capable of come March 1.”

Co-Feature:
Friday’s 10-round co-feature will pit Junior Middleweight titlist Willie “The Great” Nelson (19-1-1, 11 KOs) against former Junior Middleweight titlist Michael Medina (26-3-2 19 KOs). Nelson is coming off a 10-round unanimous decision win over previously undefeated 2008 Olympian John Jackson, while Medina is looking to build momentum after an eight-round unanimous decision win over James Winchester.

Follow ESPN’s Friday Night Fights on Twitter @ESPNFNF or like it on Facebook. Follow ESPN Deportes’ Viernes de Combates on Twitter @ESPNBoxeo. Also score the fights round-by-round with the “Live Friday Night Fights Facebook Voting App,” an application on the ESPN FNF Facebook page that allows viewers to score the fight round-by-round.

— 30 –

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, featherweight beltholder Daniel Ponce De Leon will defend against fomrwe Bantamweight and Super Bantamweight champion Abner Mares on April 20th at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California and will be televised on Showtime.

“Ponce De Leon versus Mares is signed, sealed and delivered,” said Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, who promotes both fighters. “That’s a big-time fight. It’s a big opportunity for Ponce De Leon to fight against one of the best young fighters in boxing and a great opportunity for Abner to move up to yet another weight class to challenge for the world title.

“Ponce De Leon versus Mares is signed, sealed and delivered,” said Schaefer, who promotes both fighters. “That’s a big-time fight. It’s a big opportunity for Ponce De Leon to fight against one of the best young fighters in boxing and a great opportunity for Abner to move up to yet another weight class to challenge for the world title.

“It’s funny how things work out sometimes,” Schaefer said. “We’ve had some fights fall out and some are being rescheduled and some aren’t, but everything happens for a reason. With this fight, once [the Velez fight] dropped out, and with Abner moving up, it made sense. It’s definitely a great fight, a great showdown. Abner is very excited and loves the challenge and Ponce De Leon can’t wait. You will see two highly motivated guys.”

What made the fight more delicate to put together than most was the fact that Ponce De Leon and Mares are both managed by Frank Espinoza. Managers usually don’t want to match their fighters with each other, not to mention the complicating factor of it being illegal to take full percentages from both purses.

“Everything was worked out,” Espinoza told ESPN.com.

“Abner’s goal has been to win a third world championship and this is that opportunity and Ponce, as well, knows fighting Abner can only benefit his career.”

Said Schaefer, “We talked to Frank and explained to him that it was the right thing to do for both of his fighters and that he has to look at it like that, that he has to represent each one of them, but it was the right fight to make. It’s the biggest challenge for them so why stand in the way? Frank was immediately on board. He said, ‘Let me talk to the fighters and see if we can get it done.’ Frank did a terrific job getting it done with each one of them.”

Espinoza said he will keep everything even between the two in the lead up to the fight.

“It’s a difficult situation for a manager to be involved with both fighters, but I plan to be neutral,” he said. “I respect both fighters. I will not be in either corner at the fight. I won’t walk with either fighter to the ring and I won’t be in the ring. I’m just going to have a seat and watch and enjoy the fight. This is a great fight for the fans. Adrenaline will be flowing at the Home Depot Center.”

The proposed co-feature could be a Welterweight clash between Marcos Maidana and Josesito Lopez

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, The March 9th WBC elimination bout between Chris Arreola and Bermane Stiverne has been postponed due to Arreola contracting Bronchitis.

“He got sick over the weekend,” said Arreola’s promoter Dan Goossen of Arreola. “We were hoping for a quick recovery but it just didn’t happen. He’s still out of commission and hasn’t gotten any better. For a fight of this magnitude you have to have a healthy fighter.

“He’s certainly disappointed. It’s a big blow to have to delay it. It is what it is and we’ll just reschedule it and go from there.”

“I talked to HBO and, hopefully, within four or five weeks we can get it back on,” Goossen said.

“I don’t think anyone can take this any other way other than disappointment,” Goossen said. “We hoped to have this heavyweight fight on March 9, but we’ve all been around this business long enough to know these things happen.”

“I’m working with HBO to keep the rest of the show together, including the title fight,” Goossen said. “We’ve got some good fights on the show.”

CHICAGO, IL (February 25, 2013) Chicago fan favorite and perennial contender Donovan “Da Bomb” George will battle world title challenger David “The Destroyer” Lopez of Nogales, Mexico in a ten round middleweight bout on FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 2013 at Chicago’s UIC Pavilion.

The George/Lopez clash will be featured as the main event broadcast on ESPN Friday Night Fights complimented by an all-action ten round welterweight tilt between sensational prospect and hot Chicago attraction Adrian “EL Tigre” Granados and former world champion, The Fighting Pride of Carolina, Puerto Rico, Kermit “EL Asesino” Cintron.

Presented by 8 Count Productions, Round 3 Productions, Warriors Boxing and Blue Wave Boxing, advance tickets to ESPN Friday Night Fights are priced at $150, $100, $50 and $30 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000), the 8 Count Productions Offices, 312-226-5800 or the UIC Pavilion Box Office, 312-413-5740.

Doors will open on the night of the event at 7pm CT with the first bout scheduled for 8:00pm CT. The UIC Pavilion is located at 525 S. Racine, at the corner of Harrison and Racine on the campus of the University of Illinois-Chicago.

“We’re thrilled at the tremendous success that our events at the UIC Pavilion have had. As I said at The Palmer House at our last press conference, Chicago used to be the best fight town in the country and our TEAM is putting it at the top of the pedestal once again” said Frank Mugnolo, President of Round 3 Productions. “The fan and media support has been tremendous and MARCH 22 will once again be a special evening for Chicago boxing fans.”

Said Dominic Pesoli, President of 8 Count Productions, “Donovan has been a favorite in Chicago for many years, he’s had numerous terrific wins over his nine year career and has become a must-see attraction. He’s now campaigning at middleweight and this fight against Lopez presents the first step towards his ascent in the world rankings at 160.”

‘A fight between Donovan George and David Lopez is exactly the type of main event our fans have come to expect at our shows. Lopez is a true Mexican warrior who has only lost once in eight years and that was against Austin Trout, one of the sports’ elite champions.”

“With the addition of the excellent co-main event between Adrian Granados and Kermit Cintron, we’re off to a terrific start of what will be an outstanding evening of world class boxing for the Chicago boxing fans and those watching the telecast across the country.”

Continued Pesoli, “This is also the second straight month that ESPN Friday Night Fights is broadcasting our event and their commitment to these events strongly validates our growing presence in Chicago. It’s always a pleasure working with their TEAM.”

The 28-year-old George, 24-3-1 (21KO’s), known as one of the most exciting fighters in the sport, makes a quick return to action following his body crunching first round knockout of James Cook on FEBRUARY 1 at the UIC Pavilion.

Widely recognized for his must see-TV aggressive style and winning back flips, George’s three fights in 2012 were broadcast across three separate networks.

On MARCH 17, 2012, George was featured in a ten round war against Edwin Rodriguez from The Theatre at Madison Square Garden in a battle broadcast on HBO’s Boxing After Dark. Rodriguez was declared the winner of the hard fought battle by a close unanimous decision.

Five months later on AUGUST 17, George brutally knocked out Dionisio Miranda in the sixth round from the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma. Taking the fight on three days notice when original opponent Adonis Stevenson was injured, the brilliant performance by George was telecast on ESPN Friday Night Fights.

At the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada, on October 12, George and Stevenson participated in a 2012 Fight of the Year candidate before a massive crowd and a Wealth TV national audience, the war being halted in the final stanza as Stevenson earned the stoppage.

A professional since 1995, Lopez sports a record of 41-13-0 (23KO’s) and has only lost once since 2005, a very close twelve round decision to WBA Junior Middleweight Champion Austin Trout on JUNE 11, 2011.

Prior to the Trout loss, Lopez had won sixteen fights in a row and followed up the world title challenge to Trout with a ten round unanimous decision over Julio Cesar Garcia on MAY 26, 2012.

A former amateur standout and member of the 2008 Mexican Olympic Team, the 23-year-old Granados has already proved himself against world-class competition and become one of the brightest prospects in the sport.

With numerous hard fought, memorable fights in Chicago, Granados has compiled a record of 11-2-1 (7KO’s) over his four-year career.

In his last start on December 12 in front of a packed house of loud and proud local boxing fans at Cicero Stadium, Granados dominated and out-classed the previously undefeated Antonio Canas winning every round prior to the bout being stopped in the fifth stanza.

The much more experienced and hard punching Cintron, 33-5-1 (28KO’s), first came to national attention in the boxing world winning the IBF Welterweight Championship by knocking out Mark Suarez on October 28, 2006.

Over the course of his twelve-year career, Cintron has fought many of the sports top names including Sergio Martinez, “Canelo” Alvarez, Antonio Margarito, Paul Williams, Carlos Molina and Alfredo Angulo.

A full undercard featuring many of Chicago’s best prospects and fan favorites will be announced shortly for this event.

ABOUT 8 COUNT PRODUCTIONS/ROUND 3 PRODUCTIONS

8 Count Productions, HOME OF THE BEST IN CHICAGO BOXING, was started by Dominic Pesoli in 1998 and has consistently presented the highest quality professional boxing events in Chicagoland.

Joining forces with Frank Mugnolo’s Round 3 Productions in 2011, their partnership is currently among the premier boxing promotional firms in the United States.

Fighters currently under the 8 Count Productions/Round 3 Productions banner include; IBO Light Heavyweight World Champion Andrzej Fonfara, middleweight contender Donovan George, world class junior welterweight prospect Adrian Granados, former world title challenger Edner Cherry, super middleweight prospect Paul Littleton, middleweight prospect Viktor Polyakov and welterweight prospect Jaime Herrera.

For more information on 8 Count Productions/Round 3 Productions please visit their new website, www.8countproductions.com. Follow them on Twitter at 8_Count/Round 3 and Facebook at “8 Count Productions/Round 3 Productions”.

ABOUT WARRIORS BOXING

Launched in 2003, Warriors Boxing operates under a simple philosophy—bring the best boxers in the world to fight fans, match them in competitive bouts, and in doing so help re-establish the sport of boxing for a new generation.

With a series of successful Pay-Per-View shows and packed houses to it’s credit, the Warriors business model is working wonders in a sport that was sorely in need of the innovation and energy that the company brings to the table.

When it comes down to it though, a promotional company is only as good as the fighters and fights it promotes. Warriors Boxing has delivered on all fronts, with outstanding bouts such as Lara-Molina, Cayo-Peterson, Abraham-Miranda I and II, Miranda-Pavlik, Miranda-Green, Ibragimov-Briggs, Ibragimov-Klitschko, Urango-Hatton, Urango-Bailey, Cayo-Maidana and Ibragimov-Holyfield.

For more information on Warriors Boxing, visit their website at www.WarriorsBoxing.com.

TOTOWA, NJ – Main Events announced today that they have signed middleweight hopeful Curtis “Showtime” Stevens to an exclusive promotional contract. Stevens, born and bred in Brownsville, Brooklyn, NY, has a strong amateur pedigree, a solid professional record of 23-3, 17 KOs, and is a hot commodity after his most recent bout.

Stevens needed less than one round to finish off the seasoned and usually-durable Elvin Ayala last month in a nationally televised fight for the Vacant NABF Middleweight Title. Stevens brutally handled Ayala, dropping him twice in the opening round to send the message that he is ready to take on the best of the 160-pound division. It was the second consecutive first round knockout for Stevens, who halted Romaro Johnson after just 2:16, last March in his first middleweight bout.

After trimming down from the super middleweight division, Stevens is in the best shape of his life, and the move seems to have raised his game to a whole new level.

Stevens feels he now has the right tools to dominate the division. He expressed, “Everybody on your team isn’t always in your corner, but now I’m signed to Main Events, and I have a great team in my corner. I had 2 years off and now I’m back. Now I’m going to take over the middle weight division. All glory be to God.”

Stevens began boxing professionally in 2004 and reeled off thirteen straight wins to start his career. Among his victims in that opening streak was former world champion Carl Daniels. “Showtime” went on to defeat undefeated Pitor Wilczewski by knockout, and well as road warriors Dhafir Smith and Darnell Boone by decision.

Now with two explosive middleweight victories in his pocket and two Top-10 world rankings to his credit, #8 WBC and #10 IBF, Stevens is poised to make a run to the top of the division.

Main Events, whose NBC SPORTS NETWORK boxing series FIGHT NIGHT kicked off its second season with the Stevens-Ayala bout, has created an effective platform where hungry fighters can build and advance their boxing careers. Curtis Stevens took advantage of the opportunity to use the popular series as a springboard to a world title.

Kathy Duva, Main Events CEO, said, “Curtis has the potential to go all the way. He has power, skills, and miles of personality. His stunning first round KO of Elvin Ayala on NBC Fight Night in January made quite a statement and we listened. We are so pleased to make Curtis part of the Main Events family and look forward to having much success together.”

New York, NY (2/25/13) – With just more than a month until the “Monte-Carlo Million Dollar Super Four” boxing tournament in Monaco, the organizers have been swamped for ticket requests and information on the mega-event.

“I’ve been in this business a long time and I’ve never known anything like it,” said Rodney Berman, chief executive of Golden Gloves, which is promoting the tournament.

“All the major fighters, among them Gennady Golovkin, Nobuhiro Ishida and Edwin Rodriguez, are bringing out supporters while Zsolt Erdei has asked for a special block booking at the venue for his Hungarian supporters.”

Golden Gloves, in partnership with the Monte-Carlo SBM Group, is planning week-long festivities leading up to the fights.

The preceding Sunday (March 24) will start with a meet-and-greet function at the Casino de Monte-Carlo featuring Golovkin, followed by a public media conference featuring all the boxers on Tuesday and public sparring on the Wednesday, from 3pm.

The weigh-in will take place on Friday (March 29) at 6pm with the invitation-only post-fight conference set for March 30. While the tournament will be held at the Chapiteau de Fontvieille, all the parallel events will take place at the elegant and historic Casino de Monte-Carlo.

The elimination event features Edwin Rodriguez (22-0, 15 KOs) against Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna (19-0, 13 KOs) and Erdei (33-0, 18 KOs) versus Denis Grachev (12-1-1, 8 KOs) with the two winners advancing to the final at the second leg of the tournament on July 13. They will square off for a 60/40 split of US $1-million.

In the headline bout, Golovkin will defend his WBA middleweight belt against dangerous Ishida of Japan. The European junior-middleweight title bout featuring champion Sergei Rabchenko (Russia) and Adriano Nicchi (Italy) also features on this historic card.

Tickets can be puchased while contacting the SBM Reservations Department by phone at: +377 98 06 36 36 (10 am to 7 pm) or email: ticketoffice@sbm.mc

Tickets will on sale directly on the internet later this week. Details to be advised.

ST. LOUIS (February 24, 2013) – Veteran boxing trainer Jack Loew has been to the top of the boxing mountain with former world champion Kelly Pavlik and now he’s heading back there with rising star Willie “The Great” Nelson (19-1-1, 11 KOs), North American Boxing Federation (NABF) super welterweight champion, who makes his first title defense against Michael “El Magnifico” Medina (26-3-2, 19 KOs) in the 10-round co-feature on this week’s ESPN Friday Night Fights, airing live (9 p.m. ET) from MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

DiBella Entertainment and 50 Cent’s SMS Promotions are co-promoting this week’s ESPN Friday Night Fights show. Nelson vs. Medina NABF title fight is being promoted in association with Steve Smith’s Rumble Time Promotions, also Nelson’s co-promoter with DiBella Entertainment.

Nelson(19-1-1, 11 KOs), who is the top-ranked American in the World Boxing Council (WBC) ratings at No. 5, is coming off impressive back-to-back wins by 10-round decisions over a pair of previously unbeaten Olympians – two-time Cuban National champion Yudel Jhonson (12-1), on ShoBox, and previously unbeaten Virgin Islands-native and WBC Youth champion, John “Dah Rock” Jackson (13-1, 12 KOs), for the vacant NABF super welterweight title.

Back in 2007, Pavlik got his first big break by stopping Edison Miranda in the seventh-round of an HBO Championship Boxing card in Memphis, headlined by Jermain Taylor and his decision victory over Cory Spinks. The nationally televised win positioned Pavlik for his next fight, in which he captured the World Boxing Council (WBA) and WBC middleweight titles by knocking out defending champion Taylor in the seventh round, propelling Kelly into stardom.

Loew, respectfully, believes that Medina could be a stepping-stone for Nelson like Miranda was for Pavlik. “I know it’s a waiting game, Loew said. “I’ve been there with Kelly. We waited until he got Miranda. Willie knows I’ve been there before and he trusts me in his corner. Medina is a tough, dangerous kid who has a golden opportunity fighting Willie. Medina is coming to fight but he’s wide open, fighting a taller opponent (Nelson is 6′ 4″) who has a long reach (84″). If he does what he’s told and follows our game plan, Willie wins hands down, probably by knockout.”

Medina, ranked No. 17 by the WBC, has been stopped only once, by Saul Roman. He now has a hot trainer, Eric Brown, working his corner as chief second. Brown, who is a top trainer at Freddie Roach’s famed Wild Card Gym in Hollywood (CA), gained international attention last year for his work with world champions Peter Quillin and Paulie Malignaggi.

“Jack can hold his own with any trainer in boxing,” Smith commented. “In Willie Nelson, he has the best pure boxer he’s ever worked with and Willie, a highly-decorated amateur boxer, in Jack, has a trainer who has proven his ability to develop a world champion. Jack has Willie sitting down on his punches and using his monstrous reach, working everything off his jab and throwing lethal body punches. Jack has Willie using every bit of his many God-given gifts. When I say Jack has turned Willie into a frightening, imposing fighter, I really mean it, because Jack has built Willie into a complete fighter. Willie’s going to look like a million bucks too thanks Rival Boxing for designing Willie’s new custom trunks. Team Nelson wants to thank Anthony and Russ for doing that.”

Gatorade Media Lab video link: http://vimeo.com/60297175

Nelson had nearly 250 amateur matches, losing only 22, highlighted by gold medal performances in the PAL National Championships twice and U.S. Under-19 Tournament. He has dramatically improved since he moved from his Cleveland home to train with Loew in the fighting town of Youngstown, Ohio, known for producing outstanding prize-fighters such as Pavlik, Ray Mancini, Tony Janiro, Jeff Lampkin, Greg Richardson and Craig Snyder.

“Willie is like Bernard Hopkins in terms of always being in the gym and in top condition,” Loew noted. “He makes my job easier by being that way. This is a big fight for Willie because the WBC dropped Vane Martirosyan from No. 2 in the ratings (for refusing to fight No. 1 contender Erislandy Lara in a rematch of their box-off that ended in a draw to become the mandatory challenger to champion Saul Alvarez) and Willie moved up to No. 5. Maybe a big win against Medina gets us up to No. 3. It’s just a matter of time for Willie; I’ve been telling him no slip-ups, no mistakes at this stage.

Tickets priced at $200, $100, $75 and $40 may be purchased online at foxwoods.com, by calling the Foxwoods’ box office at 800-200-2882, or in person at the Foxwoods’ box office.

Go online to www.RumbleTimePromotions.com for more information about Nelson or any of his Rumble Time Promotions stable-mates.

HAWAIIAN GARDENS, Calif. (February 24, 2013) – Super featherweight prospect Toka “T Nice” Kahn-Clary (4-0, 3 KOs) remained undefeated, registering a victory by way of second-round technical knockout over Pablo Cupul 6-11, 4 KOs), last night (Saturday) at C. Robert Lee Activities Center in Hawaiian Gardens, California.

Toka-Kahn, a 20-year-old from Liberia who moved to Providence 14 years ago, dropped Cupul in the opening round. The referee halted the bout in the second as Toka-Kahn unleashed a vicious assault on his over-matched and out-classed Mexican opponent.

“Toka continues to impress people,” his trainer Peter Manfredo, Sr. said. “A lot of boxing elite came up to me after the fight saying someday he’s going to be world champion, and that they were equally impressed by how well he handles himself in and out of the ring.”

Promoted by Bob Arum’s Top Rank, Kahn-Clary was a standout amateur who captured a gold medal at the 2010 U.S. National Golden Gloves Tournament. He fights out of the new Manfredo Boxing Sports Fitness gym in Narragansett, Rhode Island. His four professional fights have been in four different states: Nevada, California, New Jersey and Rhode Island.

Chris Avalos scored a fourth round stoppage over Jose Luis Araiza after a headbutt caused a huge gash over the left eye of Araia in a scheduled ten round Super Bantamweight bout in Hawaii Gardens, CA

The time of the stoppage was 1:42 for Avalos, 122 lbs of Lancaster, CA and is now 21-2 with 16 knockouts. Araiza123 1/2 lbs of Tecate, MX is now 32-8-1.

Trevor McCumby scored a six round unanimous decision over Ricardo Campillo in an exciting Light Heavyweight bout.

There was a lot of action in the contest that saw McCumby, 174 3/4 lbs of Chicago win by scored of 60-54, 60-54 and 60-53 and is still undefeated at 10-0. Campillo, 176 lbs of Ciudad, MX is now 7-6-1.

Undefeated Heavyweights Vyacheslav Glazkov and Malik Scott battled to a ten round draw at the Paramount Theater in Huntington, New York.

Scott controlled the action early with a pin point jab and solid movement. Glazkov was only able to muster up some combinations on the ropes. Glazkov was moving forward but really didin’t have a consistent output. Scott continued to jab and move while mxing some solid hooks. Glazkov tried to come on late but it looked like Scott would be rewarded for his solid boxing.

That wasn’t the case as the scores read 98-92 for Scott, 96-94 for Glazkov and 95-95.

Scott, 225 lbs of Philadelphia is now 35-0-1. Glazkov, 220 lbs of Lugansk, Ukraine is now 14-0-1.

In a terrific back and forth fight, hometown kid Chris Algieri scored a ten round unanimous decision over Jose Peralta in a Jr. Welterweight tilt.

ALgieri was the boss early as he mixed up some good jabs and body shots. With Peralta squatting to try to get inside, Algieri also featured a solid uppercut throughout. Peralta did well in round’s five and six as he landed hard left hands that momentarily shook Algieri. Algieri then seized control in round seven as again it was a high volume of punches that had him counted at over 1000 punches with some solid uppercuts and body shots.

Algieri, 143 lbs of Huntington, NY won by scores of 96-94, 97-93 & 98-92 and is now 16-0. Peralta, 143 lbs of Jersey City, NJ is 10-2

DETROIT (Feb. 23, 2013) – Ishe Smith captured the IBF Junior Middleweight World Championship and became the first Las Vegas native to win a major world title when he scored a split decision victory over Cornelius “K9” Bundrage in the main event of a special edition of SHOWTIME BOXING at the Masonic Temple Theatre in Detroit, Mich.

The fight was scored 116-111 Smith, 114-113 Bundrage and 116-111 Smith, who became the 48th ShoBox: The New Generation alum to win a world title.

In a fight that started slow and was tough to score in the early rounds, Smith (25-5, 11 KO’s) was the more active fighter and took over in the second half of the bout. With Bundrage backing up and mostly on the defensive, Smith moved forward and found success with his right hand.

The 34-year-old Smith, a protégé and close friend of Floyd Mayweather, whose Mayweather Promotions promotes Smith, seemed to be the hungrier fighter and fought with a sense of urgency, knowing that he had to capitalize on his first championship opportunity in his 13th year as a pro.

“Thirteen years, man. That’s all I can say,” said an emotional Smith fighting back tears of joy immediately after the bout. “It means everything. Five years ago I was about to kill myself and I thought about my children growing up without a dad and I didn’t do it. I don’t know what to say. I didn’t think I’d be here. I’m so happy for the opportunity.

“I got hurt in camp and Floyd asked me if I wanted to pull out, but I knew I couldn’t give up. This was my chance to become a world champion.”

The 39-year-old Bundrage (32-5, 19 KO’s) was disappointed in his performance in front of his hometown fans.

“Ishe fought a good fight, he won fair and square,” Bundrage said. “He was the better fighter tonight. Of course I’ll fight again. I just need to take it to the next level like when I won the world title. I didn’t listen to my trainer tonight or follow my game plan.”

In an interview with SHOWTIME reporter Jim Gray, Mayweather explained his loyalty to his fellow Las Vegas resident.

“Ishe is my guy. I love him,” Mayweather said. “When everybody turned their back on Ishe, I stuck with him. Everyone turned their back on him and I don’t believe in turning my back on anyone. SHOWTIME gave him a chance and I have to thank K9 for giving him a chance, too.”

In Saturday’s co-main event, undefeated middleweight prospect J’Leon Love kept his undefeated record intact with a hard-fought unanimous decision victory (100-90, 99-91 twice) over the tough Derrick Findley.

After three fairly even rounds, Love (15-0, 8 KO’s), of Las Vegas, Nev., by way of Detroit, stepped on the gas in the fourth and staggered Findley with a series of punishing combinations that opened up a cut under Findley’s right eye. While it seemed as if Findley (20-9, 13 KOs), of Gary, Ind., barely survived the round, the bulking boxer bounced back and looked to gain momentum in a few of the latter rounds.

In the 10th, Love, who was pushed past the eighth round for the first time in his career, kept the pressure on and closed strong with a steady dose of right hands and shots to the body.

“It was a tough learning experience,” Love said. “Derrick Findley is a tough fighter, but we asked for Derrick Findley. We asked for a tough fighter. I’d rather have a tough fighter on my resume than some slouch.

“He was very, very aggressive. He gave me some close rounds. but keeping your composure and sticking to the game plan is what I learned.”

The 25-year-old Love had his promoter Mayweather also working as his trainer between rounds in the absence of his usual trainer Roger Mayweather for what proved to be the toughest fight of his career.

“He knows the experience and he knows what I’m going through so there’s nobody better than that,” Love said.

Findley, 28, complained that he got caught with a thumb in his eye early in the bout and that affected his vision.

“I couldn’t’ see after that,” Findley said. “He can’t punch. If he could, I wouldn’t’ have gone forward like I did, but no excuses, he’s the better man tonight.”

Said Mayweather: “It was rough fight. We chose Findley because he’s a rough fighter, but when J’Leon faces a tough fight later on down the road, he’ll be ready for that.”

Middleweight J’Leon Love was taken to ten rounds for the first time but remained perfect by scoring a unanimous decision over Derrick Findley.

It was a good learning experience for Love as he was very effective with the jab early and mixed in some good body punches. Love’s corner was headed by Pound for Pound king Floyd Mayweather who was stepping in for his ill uncle Roger.

Love, 161 lbs of Las Vegas won by scores of 100-90, 99-91 & 99-91 and is now 15-0. Findley, 161 lbs of Merrilville, IN is now 20-9.

SAN DIEGO (February 23, 2013)— It was a right hook that was heard around the world – at least by boxing fans. No. 2 rated American Tony Thompson shocked a nearly all British audience by dropping the formally undefeated 6’ 8” British heavyweight David Price in the second round. Price was unable to recover from the powerful right hook.

The bout was seen live all over the United States on WealthTV and www.wealthtv.com will be replayed TONIGHT AT 10 PM EST

“There’s a shining star in the Heavyweight division for American boxing fans. Tony “The Tiger” proved that he’s still one of the best heavyweights in the world. We knew he was training hard against the likes of Travis Walker, but he left even boxing insiders stunned by his quick finish of one of the most coveted young prospects in the boxing game. Us old guys can proudly wear our “Old Guys Rule” t-shirts with pride thanks to Tony”, stated Charles Herring, president of WealthTV. The network carried the fight live and exclusively in the United States.

Thompson, who was a huge underdog landed a big right hook to the side of the face that plummeted Price to the canvas. Price got to his feet but the fight was waved off at 2:17 of round two.

Thompson, who twice fought for the Heavyweight championship of the world is now 37-3 with 25 knockouts is once a again a player in the Heavyweight division.

Price, the 2012 ESPN.com prospect of the year was being groomed for superstardom falls to 15-1.

WealthTV’s Fight Night can be seen on WealthTV nationally on Verizon FiOS TV channel 169 and 669 in HD, AT&T U-Verse TV channels 470 and 1470 in HD, along with over 100 cable systems across the country as well as on line viewing on numerous connected devices and via www.wealthtv.com.

About WealthTV

WealthTV is the premier lifestyle and entertainment network —the destination for exclusive and original programming, simultaneously transmitted in high definition and standard definition. WealthTV delivers to informative shows to its viewers, providing invaluable insights on what every American dreams of – from travel secrets to fast cars, from outrageous homes to live events, and much more. The network fills a television vacuum by delivering intellectually stimulating, thought-provoking entertainment and always-unbiased news from an insider’s perspective. For more information, please visit www.wealthtv.com