March 29, 2013 – Breidis Prescott (26-4, 20KOs) will have to wait a little longer before he receives his title shot against WBA’s “regular” junior welterweight champion Khabib Allakhverdiev. Allakhverdiev injured his elbow last week in camp and was forced to pullout of his title defense in the televised co-feature of HBO Boxing After Dark: Rios-Alvarado.

Prescott remains in the co-feature but he will now be fighting in a 10 rounder against lightweight prospect Terence Crawford (19-0, 15KOs) who will be moving up to junior welterweight for the fight. Crawford was originally supposed to compete on the untelevised portion of the card against Robert Osiobe, but he jumped at the chance to step in for the injured Allakhverdiev and now he has the opportunity to step in the ring on an HBO broadcast in his most high profiled fight to date.

It’s unfortunate for Prescott, but being on the televised portion of the card and keeping the opportunity to compete in front of a major audience is nothing to balk at, which is exactly how he sees it.

“I wish I was fighting for the belt, but I’m prepared to fight and it would’ve been much worse not competing at all. Crawford is a talented prospect, but he’s out of his division and out of his league. I’ll make the adjustments and turn in a great performance.

“Who knows, maybe if I impress on Saturday I could earn myself an even greater opportunity? My job is to fight and it doesn’t really matter who’s in front of me because I see every opponent as an obstacle standing in my way, that’s motivation enough,” Prescott said.

Verona, NY (March 29, 2013)—Tonight!!! Prized Middleweight prospect Antoine “Action” Douglas returns to the ring as part of an ESPN’s Friday Night Fights card when he takes on John Worthy in a four round bout at the Turning Stone Resort Casino.

Douglas of Washington, D.C has a perfect mark 4-0 with 3 knockouts and is returning to the same ring that he won his bout which took place on January 25th when he scored a four round unanimous decision over Emanuel Medina in a bout that made the ESPN Friday Night Fights telecast.

The show, which will be headlined by Brian Vera taking on Donotas Bondorovas is promoted by Banner Promotions and Greg Cohen Promotions.

Douglas, is co-promoted by Greg Cohen Promotions and GH3 Promotions, will be taking on his most experienced foe in Worthy.

“We are excited at the progress of Antoine”, said GH3 Promotions Vito Mielnicki.

“Worthy is a tough and durable guy so it should be a good test for Antoine. We feel he is the best young Middleweight prospect out there and we expect another great performance”

Worthy of Riverside, California has a record of 3-5 with 1 knockout and has faced some solid veterans.

Monte Carlo – According to the latest odds on Bet365.com, WBA and IBO middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin is a whopping -5000 pick to retain his title against Nobuhiro Ishida (+1200) in Monte Carlo on Saturday night.

In the Million Dollar Super Four event, light heavyweight Denis Grachev is a narrow -110 favorite to hand Zsolt Erdei (-125) his first career loss, while super middleweight Edwin Rodriguez is a solid -450 to defeat Ezequiel Maderna (+300).
Early on Friday evening the fighters weighed in with Golovkin, in particular, appearing in tremendous physical shape.
He looked all business as weighed in and was bang on the middleweight mark. “He looks a class apart from everyone,” said Hall of Famer Brian Mitchell, here as a television analyst. “Everything I’ve seen and heard suggests he is very special. I’m expecting him to be explosive.”

Apart from the US, where the tournament will be available via pay-per-view, it will be broadcast to a myriad countries, including Croatia, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Albania, Montenegro, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, Turkey, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Russia, Qatar, Argentina, Brazil, France, Belgium, Luxemburg, Portugal, Israel, Brazil, France, Switzerland, Japan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Monaco, South Africa, plus 50 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

VERONA, NY (March 29, 2013)—WBO Number-one ranked Middleweight contender Brian Vera retained the NABO Middlewight championship after Donatas Bondorovas was deemed unable to continue after round seven of their bout at the Turning Stone Resort Casino

Bondorovas was cut from the bridge of the nose in the first frame. Despite that, Bondorovas continued to charge forward and land punches. In round four, Vera was able to land some hard combinations that put Bondorovas on his heels. That was short lived as Bondorovas was able to land a hard right near the end of the round.

The continued to fight hard on the inside and in round six a cut opened up around the right eye of Bondorovas for which the ringside physician looked at the cut during the middle of the round. Round seven was an exciting one as Vera started pouting on the pressure and the blood started to cover the face of Bondorovas.

Referee Charlie Fitch checked on the cuts in between round’s seven and eight and stopped the fight due to the excessive bleeding.

Vera was ahead on the official scorecards 68-65, 67-66 and 67-66.

Vera, 160 lbs of Austin, TX will now look for a major opportunity as his name has been linked for fights against WBA champion Gennady Golovkin, WBO champion Peter Quillin and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Vera is now 23-6 with 14 knockouts. Bondorovas fought well and is now 16-4-1.

Umberto Savigne captured the WBO Latino Light Heavyweight championship with a fourth round stoppage over previously undefeated Jackson Junior.

After a solid first round for Junior, the two engaged in a wild exchange that saw a right hand put down Junior in the second frame. In round four, Savigne landed a perfectly places right hand that sent Junior on the seat of his pants. After a furious exchange, Savigne clipped Junior with a right to the side of the head for a second knockdown. The bout was ended after a barrage of punches sent Junior down for a third time in the round and fourth time in the fight and the bout was waved off at 2:17

Savigne, 175 lbs of Miami is now 11-1 with 8 knockouts. Junior, 175 lbs of Sao Paulo, Brazil is now 14-1.

2012 Olympic Bronze medal Taras Shelestyuk needed just ninety-nine seconds to dispose of Kamal Muhammad in an impressive debut for Shelestyuk.

Shelestyuk dropped Muhammad twice and after the second knockdown, the bout was immediately waved off

Shelestyuk, 152 lbs of Sumy, Ukraine is 1-0 with one knockout. Muhammad, 153 lbs of New York is 0-1

New Banner Promotions signee Evgenii Chuprakov pounded out a four round unanimous decision over Micah Branch in a Jr. Lightweight bout.

Scores were 40-36 on all cards for Chuprakov, 131 lbs of Ekaterinburg, Russia and is now 5-0. Branch, 131 lbs of Cincinnati, OH is 1-5-1

Light Heavyweight Ryon McKenzie scored a six round unanimous decision over Steven Tyner.

McKenzie dominated the tough Tyner and looked to have Tyner in trouble in round’s four and five and cruised to the victory by 60-54 tallies on all cards.

McKenzie, 173 lbs of Syracuse, NY is now 14-0. Tyner, 174 lbs of Albany, NY is now 3-10-2.

In the opener Lavais Williams and Calvin Pritchard battled to a four round draw in a Welterweight contest.

Scores were 39-37 for Williams and 38-38 on two cards.

Williams, 143 lbs of Rochester, NY is 1-0-1. Pritchard, 143 lbs of Toledo, OH is now 2-6-3.

Antoine Douglas scored a four round unanimous decision over John Worthy in a Middleweight bout.

Scores were 40-36 on all cards for the impressive prospect out of Washington, D.C. and he is now 5-0. Worthy of Riverside, CA is now 3-6.

Monte-Carlo (3/29/13) – WBA middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, challenger Nobuhiro Ishida, and all four participants of the Monte-Carlo Million Dollar Super 4 Tournament, Edwin Rodriguez, Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna, Zsolt Erdei and Denis Grachev weighed in earlier today for their mega event tomorrow night in Monaco at the Salle d’Etoile.

Golovkin tipped the scales at a ripped and ready 159¼lbs. (72.3 kg) while Ishida weighed 158½lbs. (71.9 kg). Rodriguez weighed in exactly at 168lbs. (76.2 kg) for his super middleweight contest against Maderna, who weighed in just below the super middleweight limit at 167½lbs. (76 kg). Former two-division champion Erdei weighed in well below the light heavyweight limit, tipping the scales at 171¼lbs (77.7 kg) while his opponent Grachev weighed in at 174¾lbs (79.3 kg).

The event in Monaco is headlined by red-hot WBA middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (25-0, 22KO’s) defending his title against former world champion Nobuhiro Ishida (24-8-2, 9KO’s). The opening round of the Super 4 tournament matches Edwin Rodriguez (22-0, 15KO’s) against Argentinean Olympian Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna (19-0, 13KO’s) and former two-division world champion Zsolt Erdei (33-0, 18KO’s) squaring off against Denis Grachev (12-1-1, 8KO’s). The card will be distributed in the United States and Canada on PPV by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 3:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT on both cable and satellite Pay-Per-View.

The “Monte-Carlo Million Dollar Super 4” and Golovkin’s middleweight title defense will be distributed in the United States and Canada by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 3:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT on both cable and satellite Pay-Per-View via iN Demand, DIRECTV, DISH and Avail-TVN in the United States and in Canada via Bell TV, for a suggested retail price of only $24.95. In addition, the event will be available via online Pay-Per-View at:

http://www.gfl.tv/Events/Fight/Boxing/Gennady_Golovkin_vs_Nobuhiro_Ishida/1896

The event is promoted by Rodney Berman’s Golden Gloves. The Golovkin-Ishida bout is promoted in association with K2 Promotions, while the Rodriguez-Maderna and Erdei-Grachev bouts are promoted in association with DiBella Entertainment.

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

March 29, 2013 – Lightweight contender Marvin Quintero (25-4, 21 KOs) is out of his IBF lightweight final eliminator against Ammeth Diaz (31-11, 22 KOs). Quintero was forced to pull out of the April 5th bout — which was scheduled to be the main event of ESPN Friday Night Fights — after breaking his nose in camp.

The main event has been revamped and fans in attendance at the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, California will get an opportunity to see fast rising lightweight Jonathan Maicello (19-0, 11 KOs) as he squares off with Russian lightweight Rustam Nugaev (22-6-1, 12 KOs) in a 10 round catch weight of 137lbs.

Maicello, from New Jersey by way of Peru, will now get the opportunity to move from the untelevised portion of the card to the headliner spot and he plans on taking full advantage. He’s used to being in the spotlight as he was a celebrity guest in his native country on Puer’s version of “Dancing With The Stars”.

“I’ve always been the type of fighter that is willing to go above and beyond to fulfill my dreams. You have to always be ready because you never know when opportunity wlll come knocking. That is why you have to always keep your mind and body in the best condition because you always have to be ready for whatever life has planned. I won’t let this shot go to waste and that is why I plan on putting on the kind of performance that will leave a lasting impression on the television audience,” Maicello said.

Maicello is being matched against a rugged fighter in Nugaev, and although Nugaev hasn’t been active in over a year, he is confident that he has the ability to capitalize off of the same opportunity being afforded to his opponent.

“I’m ready to comeback stronger and better than ever. I feel that my record and experience trumps my opponent’s and I will use that to my advantage come fight night,” Nugaev said.

While the main event has received a makeover, the card’s co-feature remains as scheduled with Puerto Rican knockout artist Jorge Maysonet Jr. (11-0, 10KOs) taking on southpaw Gabriel Tolmajyan (13-2-1, 3KOs) in a lightweight contest scheduled for 10 rounds. Early evidence suggests that Maysonet Jr. is a genuine powerhouse and his supporters are enthusiastic about seeing him display his authentic punching prowess. Gary Shaw is excited as anyone to see Maysonet Jr. in action as he is one of Puerto Rico’s brightest rising starts.

“The injury Marvin sustained is unfortunate and I was really looking forward to his fight with Diaz, but Jonathan is a tremendous talent and he has the chance to move up the rankings. I truly believe that he isn’t far from putting himself in a position to earn his own eliminators and with Jorge on the card fans will get the chance to better familiarize themselves with his talents. This card is all about the upcoming talent in the 135-140 divisions and fans should be excited about the rich matchups that can be made in the future, but it starts with the April 5th card,” Shaw said.

March 29, 2013 – First and foremost, I want everyone to know that I did not knowingly take any P.E.D., nor do I believe I unknowingly took any P.E.D.

The facts are as follows:

My camp, at my instruction, requested WADA level testing in connection with my bout with Lamont Peterson. Post bout urine samples were sent to the WADA accredited laboratory testing lab in Salt Lake City.

We repeatedly attempted to obtain the lab results from the D.C. Commission, with no success until yesterday. We did, however, receive an email from the Commission stating that both fighters had passed their test. Nonetheless we wanted the actual lab results.

Yesterday we received those lab results. The lab results were not identified by fighter but one of the results showed an elevated HCG level. It was labeled as an “”Atypical Finding.”

There are three levels of findings for WADA testing. There is a “negative” finding, meaning that the athlete has tested “negative” for prohibited substances, there is an “Adverse Analytical Finding,” meaning that there is a prohibited substance, and there is an “Atypical Finding”, meaning there should be further investigation. In part this is because there are certain medical conditions, which can cause elevated HCG levels.

We briefly believed that the test involved was that of Mr. Peterson. In fact it may be mine.

At this point, we do not have a full chain of custody report, which we will obtain. We will also, once the full chain of custody report is obtained, have the “B” sample tested. Finally, when that is completed we will have the medical tests as indicated by the results.

# # #

Brian Vera- 160
Donatas Bondorovas- 159

Jackson Junior Dos Santos- 175
Umberto Savigne- 175

Taras Shelestyuk- 152
Kamal Mahummad – 153

Antoine Douglas – 161 ¾
John Worthy – 159

Ryon McKenzie – 173
Steven Tyner – 174

Evgenii Chuprakov- 131
Micah Branch – 131

Calvin Pritchard – 143
Lavais Williams – 143

Photo by Shane Sims / Banner Promotions

Banner Promotions, Inc.
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Office: (215) 670-2220
Fax: (215) 670-2409
Email: info@banner-promotions.com
Website: www.banner-promotions.com

This email contains information which is confidential and/or legally privileged. The information is intended only for the use of the individual or entity named on email. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution, or the taking of any action in reliance on the contents of this email is strictly prohibited. In this regard, if you have received this email in error, please notify us by email at (info@banner-promotions.com) so that we can arrange for the return of this original email to us. Thank you.

Washington, DC (March 28) – Contrary to earlier erroneous media reports,
Lamont Peterson did not fail a post-fight drug test following his successful IBF Junior Welterweight World Championship defense against Kendall Holt on Friday, February 22 in Washington, DC. In fact, Peterson tested negative for all banned substances on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Full Menu as well as human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and luteinizing hormone (LH).

“We are very pleased that there has been clarification that Lamont Peterson did not test positive for any banned substances as reported inaccurately earlier today,” said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “Today’s incident exemplifies the importance of accurate fact checking prior to reporting news. Golden Boy Promotions looks forward to Lamont Peterson’s next fight and furthering his career.”

LOS ANGELES (March 28) – Early this morning Six-Time and Four Division World Champion Robert Guerrero was checking in his luggage at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, bound for Las Vegas, and, as he was doing so, made sure to advise the authorities that they needed to be aware that he had a firearm, which was unloaded and in a locked safe box with his luggage to be checked. Guerrero was carrying no ammunition and was within his legal right to possess such firearm in the state in which he resides. He was then arrested. At an arraignment held before the New York State Supreme Court for Queens County, the court, after hearing the pertinent facts of the case, released Guerrero on his own recognizance. The next hearing in this matter is scheduled for after Robert’s May 4 fight against Eight-Time and Five-Division World Champion Floyd “Money” Mayweather.

We are very pleased Robert Guerrero was released on his own recognizance this afternoon in the wake of this incident and that he is on his way back to Las Vegas to continue training for his highly anticipated May 4 bout against Mayweather.

LAS VEGAS—Undefeated lightweight Angelo “La Cobra” Santana (14-0, 11 KOs), from Miami, Fla., will face Carlos Cardenas (20-6-1, 13 KOs), from Barinas, Venezuela, for the World Boxing Association interim lightweight championship, and undefeated super lightweight prospect Amir “Young Master” Imam (8-0, 7 KOs), from Albany, N.Y., meets Jeremy “Hollywood” Bryan (16-2, 7 KOs), from Paterson, N.J., in the co-feature on Friday, April 12 at Treasure Island Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

The ShoBox: The New Generation doubleheader will be televised live on SHOWTIME beginning at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). It will take place in the Treasure Island Ballroom and is promoted by Don King Productions in association with Treasure Island.

Tickets to the event—all priced at $100 each, plus tax and fees—are on sale now and can be purchased through the Treasure Island box office or by calling (866) 712-9308 or (702) 894-7723. Doors open at 3 p.m. PT, and a full undercard will be presented prior to the televised matches.

The 12-round world championship fight will be the first for both Santana and Cardenas, The WBA’s No. 3- and No. 4-ranked contenders, respectively. Santana, a 24-year-old southpaw, was a two-time national champion in Cuba before defecting to Miami to follow his dreams of winning a boxing title. Blessed with heavy hands, he has stopped his last seven opponents in five rounds or less.

In a sensational performance, Santana served notice that he was a force to be reckoned with by registering a third-round technical knockout out over world-class contender Justin Savi on June 23, 2012, at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Fla.

Santana won his last fight on ShoBox with a scintillating fifth-round knockout on Nov. 16 over previously undefeated Johnny Garcia—who gained attention in early 2012 by out-pointing Cuban prospect Yordenis Ugas. Santana scored three knockdowns, one in the first and two in the fifth. He finished Garcia in an ESPN.com Knockout of the Year candidate with a picturesque right-left combination.

Cardenas is a tough Venezuelan who campaigned at super featherweight until last year. He was a two-time WBC Continental Americas champion as well as a WBC FECARBOX regional champion.

At 28, he possesses an age and experience edge over Santana. While this will be the first 12-round match for Santana, Cardenas will be making his seventh appearance in a 12-round fight.

Promoter Don King sees similarities between boxers, civil rights pioneers and the American dream.

“I have named the event Fight For Freedom …The Dream Lives On in dedication to all the Freedom Fighters and trail blazers who fought for a better America,” King said. “My boxer Angelo Santana risked his life on a raft from Cuba with 27 others, braving the hazards of the ocean and inclement weather to arrive in the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave. The Dream lives on.”

“On the night of this fight, it will be exactly 31 years since we lost the inimitable and incomparable ‘Brown Bomber’ Joe Louis. I remember a memorial we had at Caesars Palace with me and Frank Sinatra on behalf of the great champion of freedom and the boxing world. Remember what Joe said during World War II: ‘We can’t lose because God is on our side.’ The Dream lives on.

“I recently saw that Warner Bros. will launch their new movie “42” on the night of our fight. Branch Rickey broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball on April 15, 1947, and now Jackie Robinson is an American hero. The Dream lives on.

“Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. An assassin took him from us on April 4, 1968. They killed the body, but his Dream lives on as evidenced by the fact that 45 years later we have an African American President in the White House. I must add to that a quote from Frederic Douglass: ‘Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightening.’”

King also wanted to thank Treasure Island Resort & Casino owner Phil Ruffin for hosting the event.

“Phil Ruffin is another great American and businessman personified. I love Phil and I believe he and Angelo Santana will make history in a night remembered for Angelo’s great performance.”

The eight-round ShoBox co-feature showcases two very accomplished amateurs that are gaining notice as professionals. Imam, 22, will be facing his toughest opponent to date in the more experienced Bryan, 27.

The fast-handed power-punching Imam, a 2011 U.S. Olympic alternate, has won all but one of his fights by knockout. Since winning a four-round decision in his pro debut on Nov. 5, 2011, Imam has won seven fights in a row by knockout, all inside four rounds.

Bryan was a National Golden Gloves Champion and national under-19 champion who notched wins over current WBA/WBC 140-pound world champion Danny Garcia and former world-title challenger John Molina in the amateurs. Bryan, a pro since November 2007, is coming off the biggest win of his career, an eight-round unanimous decision over former European champion Yuri Romanov on Jan. 4 in Miami.

In the top non-televised undercard bout, Ryan “The Irish Outlaw” Coyne (21-0, 9 KOs), from St. Louis, and Marcus Oliveira (24-0-1, 19 KOs), from Lawrence, Kan., will collide in a battle of unbeatens in a WBA light heavyweight elimination bout. The two were to have met on the undercard of Bernard Hopkins vs. Tavoris Cloud on March 9 before Coyne suffered a cut during training that resulted in a postponement.

The winner of Coyne vs. Oliveira, scheduled for 12 rounds, will become the No. 1-ranked light heavyweight by the WBA and the mandatory challenger to its champion, Beibut Shumenov.

Coyne gained attention while campaigning as a cruiserweight when he was chosen to participate in the fourth season of The Contender. He made it to the semi-finals before suffering an accidental headbutt that forced him to leave the competition. In his final fight at cruiserweight, Coyne captured the World Boxing Council United States Championship with a unanimous decision over the previously undefeated David McNemar on June 25, 2011.

Coyne is 3-0 since moving down to the 175-pound limit in October 2011.

Oliveira has shown considerable power by winning 19 of his 25 matches by knockout, a 76% knockout ratio. He scored a pair of third-round knockouts in fights against his most notable opponents: former cruiserweight world champion Kelvin “Concrete” Davis in 2008 and Antwun Echols on Jan. 28, 2012.

About Treasure Island
Treasure Island on the Las Vegas Strip is a privately owned hotel and casino and stands alone as the only major Strip property to claim that unique market position. Boasting nearly 3,000 guest rooms, Treasure Island is a world-class destination for headline entertainment, the enchanting Sirens of TI nightly outdoor show and Mystère, the classic Cirque du Soleil performance that combines the powerful athleticism, high-energy acrobatics and inspiring imagery that have become the company’s hallmark. Upscale and casual dining choices, hip nightspots and indulgent spa and shopping experiences further complement the one-of-a-kind Treasure Island guest experience. For information visit www.treasureisland.com, https://www.facebook.com/TIvegas or follow the property on Twitter @TIVegas.

About Don King Productions

Don King Productions has promoted over 600 world championship fights with nearly 100 individual boxers having been paid $1 million or more. DKP also holds the distinction of having promoted several of the largest pay-per-view events in history, as gauged by total buys, including: Holyfield vs. Tyson II, 1.99 million buys, June 1997; Tyson vs. Holyfield I, 1.6 million buys, November 1996; and Tyson vs. McNeeley, 1.58 million buys, August 1995.

DKP has promoted or co-promoted 10 of the top 25 highest-grossing live gates in the history of the state of Nevada including: Holyfield vs. Lewis II, paid attendance: 17,078, gross: $16,860,300 (NOTE: Also second-highest live-gate gross for any event in the history of the world.), date: Nov. 13, 1999; Holyfield vs. Tyson II, paid attendance: 16,279, gross: $14,277,200, date: June 28, 1997; Holyfield vs. Tyson I, paid attendance: 16,103, gross: $14,150,700, date: Nov. 9, 1996; and Tyson vs. McNeeley, paid attendance: 16,113, gross: $13,965,600, date: Aug. 19, 1995.

New York, NY (3/28/13) – On Thursday, April 4, DiBella Entertainment’s Broadway Boxing series returns to Roseland Ballroom in New York City with a stacked 10-bout card featuring an array of talent from top to bottom. As previously announced, the card will feature former WBA junior middleweight champion Yuri Foreman (29-2, 8KO’s), and top contenders Luis “Orlandito” Del Valle (16-1, 11KO’s), WBC #6-rated welterweight Ionut “Jo Jo” Dan Ion (30-2, 17KO’s) and Gabriel “Tito” Bracero (21-1, 4KO’s).

Foreman will square off against Gundrick King (18-9, 11KO’s) in a six-round junior middleweight matchup, while Del Valle, now training with Hall-of-Fame trainer Nacho Beristain, will see action against Andre Wilson (13-5, 11KO’s) in an eight-round featherweight contest.

Ion is set to meet Damian Frias (19-6-1, 10KO’s) in an eight-round welterweight showdown, while Bracero squares off against Pavel Miranda (19-9-1, 10KO’s) in an eight-round junior welterweight matchup.

The remainder of the card features some of the most promising young talent on the DBE roster, including undefeated prospects “The Notorious” Travis Peterkin (7-0, 4KO’s), Patrick “All” Day (2-0, 2KO’s) and Heather “The Heat” Hardy (4-0).

Also scheduled to see action on the card is undefeated Bryant “Peewee” Cruz (2-0, 2KO’s) and 50 Cent’s SMS Promotions’ Luis Olivares (1-0, 1KO) and Donte Strayhorn (pro debut).

The fight next Thursday will be Peterkin’s fourth consecutive bout at Roseland Ballroom since signing with DBE in late 2012. The former Golden Gloves champion and Brooklyn-native Peterkin has impressed in each outing and continues to improve each and every time he steps into the ring. With power in both hands and an aggressive come-forward style, Peterkin is quickly becoming one of the most talked about prospects on the NY boxing scene. The southpaw light heavyweight is scheduled to face Daniel Garcia (5-2-1, 3KO’s) in a six-round matchup.

The former #1-ranked US amateur Day has yet to see the second round as a professional, scoring two equally impressive first-round TKOs in his previous bouts, both in 2013. A native of Freeport, Long Island, the 20-year-old Day, like Peterkin, is truly one of the bright young stars on the DBE roster. Day is set to see action against Yosmani Abreu (3-6-1) in a four-round junior middleweight contest.

Each time the female bantamweight Hardy steps into the ring, it seems as though her fan base grows. Always sporting her Irish-native colors, the Brooklynite Hardy has improved and impressed from each bout to the next. Hardy is scheduled to take on Mikayla Nebel in a rematch of their bout from last August. In that bout, which was an absolute war and Hardy’s pro debut, Nebel scored a knockdown in the first round, with Hardy sweeping the next three rounds on all three judges’ scorecards to win a close unanimous decision. This will be the first time that both Hardy and Nebel fight in a bout scheduled for six rounds.

Cruz, a 2012 National Golden Gloves finalist, turned pro in December 2012, scoring a third-round TKO over Jonathan Caban. He followed up that performance with a fourth-round TKO over Pedro Andres in February and looks to do the same next Thursday. Cruz is set to square off against Antoine Knight (2-2, 1KO) in a four-round junior lightweight matchup.

The card is promoted by DiBella Entertainment (DBE) and sponsored by Manfredi Auto Group, Newlio.com, and Everlast. The event will be broadcast live on FIGHT NOW TV and on broadband through GFL.TV. SNY will broadcast the event tape-delayed. Tickets are currently on sale and can be purchased through Ticketmaster by calling (800) 745-3000. Tickets are priced at $125, $85, $65 and $45 and may also be purchased at Roseland Ballroom’s box office tomorrow evening. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. ET with the first bout scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

MISSISSAUGA, ON – (Thursday, March 28, 2013) On Saturday, June 1st, at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga, Ontario, United Promotions presents a battle of the ages as undefeated 26 year-old Brandon “Bad Boy” Cook (9-0, 5 KO’s), of Ajax, Ontario faces Canadian boxing legend, former world title challenger, Fitzroy “The Whip” Vanderpool (26-7-4, 13 KO’s), of Kitchener, Ontario, for the vacant Canadian Junior Middleweight championship.

“This is a dream come true for me, and an opportunity of a lifetime,” said Cook, who turned pro in 2011, and has honed himself into a punishing boxer-puncher.

“I’ve known Fitz for years, and he actually worked my corner a few times when I was an amateur. I’ve got nothing but respect for him, but I’m coming to win and take that title home with me.”

“Fitz is so experienced,” Cook added. “So I have to be in the best shape of my life to take him deep and break him down.”

After ending a seven-year hiatus last September, the 45 year-old Vanderpool has reeled off two consecutive wins, including a ten-round unanimous decision in early March over 28 year-old Roberto McLellan in Moncton, New Brunswick to set up the showdown with Cook.

“I want that Canadian belt, and Brandon is standing in my way,” Vanderpool said.

“He’s a young, strong kid, with a chance to take down a big name like myself, and win his first title. So I know he’s going to be prepared. There’s no way I’m taking him lightly.”

“They’re hoping I’ve seen better days, and that they expose me as an old-man,” Vanderpool said, before pausing.

“That’s not going to happen.”

According to United Promotions’ Tyler Buxton, Vanderpool vs. Cook is one of the most important Canadian title fights in some time.

“There have been many great fighters that have held this Canadian title, and I think the winner on June 1st can easily put his name along side the likes of Joachim Alcine and Stephane Ouellet.”

“It’s a fight both guys have to win. Losing is not an option.”

Tickets for the June 1st card, headlined by NABF Cruiserweight champion Denton Daley (9-0, 5 KO’s) are now on sale at TicketMaster.ca.

March 27, 2013 – Junior lightweight prospect Joel Diaz Jr. (11-0, 10 KOs) is healthy and ready to make his 2013 debut on April 4th at the Bayou Event Center in Houston, Texas against Victor Sanchez (4-5-1, 1 KO).

Diaz was scheduled to face Tyler Asselstyne on February 8th in the co-feature of ESPN Friday Night Fights until he was sidelined with a wrist injury. The injury is healed and Diaz is ready to resume his impressive campaign towards the top of his division.

Diaz is an exceptionally popular prospect amongst boxing fans; his fighting style seems to resonate with the type of fans that expect entertainment and excitement. The injury caused layoff is one of the longest in Diaz’s career — dating back to only his 3rd pro fight — and with his fans use to seeing him compete on a regular basis, Diaz felt the need to get back to action as quickly as his body would allow him.

“It was frustrating to be out of action because I’m a fighter and it’s unnatural for me to not be preparing for a fight. I’ve kept my body in shape, but I was limited with the boxing stuff and even though I was doing everything I could physically do it’s still not the same when you’re able to train 100%. It just got irritating having to explain why I was out and when my next fight would be, all I wanted to do was get back in the ring for all my supporters,” Diaz said.

Diaz took this fight without hesitation and he was able to get back on track by staying disciplined during his hiatus. His goal for this fight is to get back to the fundamentals and he knows he can’t get over anxious.

“I’m really excited to get in the ring and I badly want to make a statement against my opponent. At the same time, I don’t want to let the excitement get the best of me because that’s how you make mistakes. I’ll just go in there and execute my game plan like any other time, but I’ll be a little more enthusiastic than normal.”

Mario Yagobi of Boxing 360, Diaz’s promoter, is happy to see his fighter back to doing what he loves and spoke about how refreshing it is to see a young fighter so passionate about his craft.

“I received so many calls and his fans were always asking me when he’s getting back in the ring, Joel is as popular as any prospect in boxing, if not more. His fan base can’t get enough and that has to do with his enjoyment for competing. Fans can tell when the fighter loves being in there and they respond when the fighters mix it up, but it’s twice as awesome when the fans see how much joy the fighter gets from mixing it up, it’s almost as if they are experiencing the moment together,” Yagobi said.

Joel Diaz Jr. is promoted by Boxing 360. For more information on Diaz please visit www.boxing360.com.

NEW YORK (March 28, 2013) – A star-studded list of world champions, past and present, as well as many other boxing dignitaries have committed to attending the 88th annual Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) awards dinner on Thursday evening, April 11 at Capitale in New York City.

Limited tickets remain on sale, priced at $200.00 per person, $150.00 for BWAA members. Tables of 10 are available to purchase for $2,000.00. A limited number of special VIP tickets are also available for $400.00 per person and $4,000.00 for a table of 10. VIP tickets include premium seat at dinner, photo opportunity with honorees, and a special VIP gift. Credit card (Mastercard, Visa and American Express), PayPal, check and money order payments must be received no later than April 4, 2013. Checks should be payable to the BWAA and mailed to Boxing Writers Association of America, PO Box 153, Rockaway Park, NY 11694.

In addition to 2012 honorees such as Fighter of the Year, Nonito Donaire, and Fight of the Year winner, Juan Manuel Marquez, a virtual Who’s Who of boxing will be guests at the Apr. 11 gala affair. “The way things are starting to unfold this could be the best BWAA dinner in years” an excited BWAA president Jack Hirsch reported. “Every day it seems like another high profile star has committed to attend. Our growing lineup includes Roy Jones, Timothy Bradley, Ruslan Provodnikov, Paulie Malignaggi, Steve Cunningham, Bob Arum, and Jim Lampley. We have also reached out to a major television star that is a big fight fan. She has expressed interest in attending if her schedule permits.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________

2012 BWAA Award Winners

Nonito Donaire The Sugar Ray Robinson Award Fighter of the Year
Robert Garcia The Eddie Futch Award Trainer of the Year

Juan Manuel Marguez – Manny Pacquiao IV The Ali-Frazier Award Fight of the Year

Al Haymon The Cus D’Amato Award Manager of the Year

Kathy Duva & Bruce Trampler The Barney Nagler Award Long & Meritorious Service

Steve Farhood The Marvin Kohn Award Good Guy

Danny Jacobs The Bill Crawford Award Courage Overcoming Adversity

Peter Finney The A.J. Liebling Award Outstanding Boxing Writer

Dave Kindred The Nat Fleischer Award Excellence In Boxing Journalism

Max Kellerman The Sam Taub Award Excellence in Broadcast Journalism

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bernie Awards for boxing writing winners will also be presented. A silent auction will be held. Individuals and companies may send items to be auctioned to Andriolo Communications, 1215 76th St., Brooklyn, NY 11228. Those donating items for the Silent Auction will be listed in the event journal and may display their business cards or promotional material on the Silent Auction table.

Cocktails are available at 6:00 p.m. ET, followed at 7:30 p.m. ET by dinner and the awards ceremony.

For further information to online to www.bwaa.org, call or email Gina Andriolo, Event Coordinator at 917.312.6418/ginaandcom@aol.com or Jack Hirsch, BWAA President, at 516.790.7592/ajhirsch5@aol.com.

LAS VEGAS, NEV. (March 28, 2012) – Saturday’s star-studded World Series of Fighting Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event that aired live on NBC Sports Network will re-air on the netwo! rk 12 times in just a 30-day span, beginning on Saturday, March 30 at 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST.

“We are coming off an outstanding night of world-class MMA action and are thrilled that our television partner, NBC Sports Network, has embraced the World Series of Fighting product to such an extent that they are going to showcase our latest event a dozen times over the course of the next month,” said World Series of Fighting President and six-time world kickboxing champion and two-time Hall of Famer Ray Sefo.

The complete, 30-day NBC Sports Network re-air schedule of the event, which took place at Revel in Atlantic City, N.J. is as follows:

Saturday, March 30 9:00 p.m. EST/6:00 p.m. PST

Saturday, March 30 11:30 p.m. EST/8:! 30 p.m. PST

Tuesday, April 2 12:00 a.m. EST/9:00 p.m. PST

Friday, April 5 8:30 p.m. EST/5:30 p.m. PST

Saturday, April 6 10:00 p.m. EST/7:00 p.m. PST

Saturday, April 6 12:00 a.m. EST/9:00 p.m. PST

Tuesday, April 9 12:00 a.m. EST/9:00 p.m. PST

Thursday, April 18 12:00 a.m. EST/9:00 p.m. P! ST

Saturday, April 20 8:30 p.m. EST/5:30 p.m. PST

Thursday, April 25 12:00 a.m. EST/9:00 p.m. PST

Saturday, April 27 1:00 a.m. EST/10:00 p.m. PST

Monday, April 29 8:30 p.m. EST/5:30 p.m. PST

Monday, April 29 10:30 p.m. EST/7:30 p.m. PST

Monday, April 29 12:30 a.m. EST/9:30! p.m. PST

Saturday’s live event peaked with 332,000 NBC Sports Network viewers, a sharp increase of 46 percent from the inaugural World Series of Fighting event in November that peaked with 228,000 viewers.

World Series of Fighting’s sophomore event also averaged 210,000 live viewers, a 6 percent increase from the first event that averaged 198,000 viewers.

The live viewership increase was achieved despite the extraordinary challenge of World Series of Fighting going head-to-head on television with the highly-anticipated NCAA men’s basketball tournament game between No. 1 seed Gonzaga University and No. 9 seed Wichita State University.

Additionally, Sunday’s initial re-broadcast of the latest, five-bout TV card garnered 140,000 viewers, an increase of 75 percent from the first re-broadcast of the promotion’s debut event.

&! nbsp;

In the heavyweight main event, powerhouse Anthony “Rumble” Johnson (16-3) of Boca Raton, Fla. exchanged bombs with fellow superstar Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovksi (18-10) of Minsk, Belarus for three rounds before Johnson earned a unanimous decision.

In the bantamweight (135 pounds) co-main event, two-time national Muay Thai champion and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt Marlon Moraes (10-4) of Jupiter, Fla. via Nova Friburgo, Brazil earned his second straight victory in the World Series of Fighting cage, scoring an explosive first round (2:55) KO on Tyson Nam (12! -5) of Portland, Ore.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt David Branch (12-3) of Brooklyn, N.Y. dominated former PRIDE Fighting Championships superstar and WEC champion Paulo Filho (23-5) of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in a middleweight (185 pounds) contest for three consecutive rounds to earn a unanimous decision victory.

In welterweight (170 pounds) action, Josh Burkman (25-9) of Salt Lake City, Utah took out Aaron “A Train” Simpson (12-5) of Phoenix, Ariz. in the opening round of their matchup.

ABOUT WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING
Based in Las Vegas, Nev., the fight capital of the world, World Series of Fighting is a professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering an incredible, action-packed entertainment experience for fight fans by producing the best possible matchups between elite fighters from around the globe. For more information please visit www.MMAWSOF.com. Follow World Series of Fighting on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries and World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo @SugarRaySefo.

ABOUT NBC SPORTS NETWORK
NBC Sports Network, part of the NBC Sports Group, is dedicated to serving passionate sports fans. Now in nearly 80 million homes, the network is the cable television home of the Summer and Winter Olympics, National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Soccer (MLS), IZOD IndyCar Series, Tour de France and the 34th America’s Cup. In addition, NBC Sports Network features college football, college basketball, college hockey, horse racing surrounding the Triple Crown, Fight Night boxing, Ironman, the Dew Action Sports Tour and USA Sevens Rugby. The network is also home to original programs such as Costas Tonight, NFL Turning Point, Caught Looking, NBC Sports Talk, and Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports Network is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.

Undefeated welterweight sensation Juan The Beast” Rodriquez, Jr. (10-0, 4KO’s) has promised to show the world a new and improved fighter on Saturday night April 13th at Schuetzen Park in North Bergen, New Jersey as part of a loaded card promoted by Andre Kut’s KEA Boxing Promotions.

Rodriquez, fresh off a grueling victory over cagey veteran Dontre King in which he showed the heart of a champion in pulling out a hard fought unanimous decision victory. “I let myself get into some bad habits in that fight,” said Rodriquez. “We went back to the drawing board and worked out those bad habits in the gym. Now I am in superb shape and ready to go. This is the year that you will see me make big strides in the ring.”

“I will be fighting at home in front of my fans and it feels really great,” continued the undefeated welterweight prospect. “This has been the best training camp that I have had. I am already on weight and I still have like two weeks until fight time. I don’t need to strain myself to make weight. I am still working hard so that I can be the best in the ring though.”

“Fighting back home means so much to me,” said Rodriquez. “This is my third fight back near my hometown of Union City, New Jersey. The first time I fought at home, my grandma had just passed away. The second time I fought was the anniversary of her passing. She meant so much to me and this time it will be near her birthday, so giving her a “W” for her birthday would be very pleasant for me.”

Standing in his way on April 13th is explosive 28 year old Emmanuel Medina, who enters the ring with a highly deceiving record of 3-3-1, 3KO’s. The explosive veteran has faced several undefeated prospects which include going the distance with highly decorated amateur star Antoine Douglas. Medina knows his chances of winning are through his power as all three of his victories have come inside the scheduled distance. In his last bout he defeated local favorite Benny “The Boss” Constantino (7-2, 4KO’s).

“I am ready for anything Medina brings on April 13th,” said Rodriquez. “Expect fireworks when I step into the ring on that Saturday night. Whether it ends in a knockout or we have a war in the ring, I am ready to show the world the new and improved Juan Rodriquez. It is time to unleash the beast!!!”

Monte Carlo – Gennady Golovkin is in peak physical condition ahead of the seventh defence of his WBA and IBO middleweight titles in Monte Carlo on Saturday.

The unbeaten Kazakhstani yesterday went through his paces during a public 45-minute workout at the suitably grand Monte Carlo Casino.

With his short off, he looked lean and ripped as he worked the pads with top trainer Abel Sanchez. “I’m ready to go,” said Golovkin. “I had an eight-week camp and all has gone according to plan.”

He defends against Nobuhiro Ishida, a fighter he isn’t underestimating.

“We’re expecting a hard fight,” said manager Tom Loeffler. “Ishida is tall and has some power, but Gennady is in tremendous shape.”

Earlier, Ishida worked out and looked sharp and relaxed ahead of the biggest fight of his career.

All the fighters, bar Jean Marc Monrose, who arrives today, put on public workouts against the dramatic backdrop of the famous casino. Unbeaten Edwin Rodriguez got a first hand look at Ezequiel Maderna, who he fights in the first round of the Million Dollar Super Four event. Big around the shoulders, the Argentine is a largely unknown quantity, but Rodriguez isn’t taking him lightly given his impressive amateur career.

“We’ve come off probably the best fight camp ever,” said trainer Ronnie Shields. “I couldn’t have asked for more and we’re planning to put on a show come Saturday night.”

There is a buzz around Zsolt Erdei’s participation, not least because he hasn’t fought in two years and no-one has a real idea of how he’ll shape against determined Russian Denis Grachev.

“He has a lot riding on this,” said Golden Gloves promoter Rodney Berman. “He’s a massive hero in his native Hungary, with many of his fans expected ringside. He’ll be fighting for them as much as himself.”

Sergey Rabchenko also looks in tip-top condition ahead of his European junior-middleweight title fight against Adriano Nicchi of Italy. Training camps in France and the UK have prepared him well and he says he is looking to make a statement against Nicchi.

“I’m number two in the WBC. A title fight could be around the corner, so no slip-ups from me,” he said confidently.

Meanwhile, cruiserweight Junior Makabu charmed the crowd as he addressed them in his native French. Little-known beyond Africa, he intends making a few waves against local hero Monrose.

The weigh-in takes place 6pm local time on Friday.

SAN DIEGO, CA- March 27, 2013- Tony Bellew has warned Isaac Chilemba that he is willing through the pain barrier and beyond for victory in their official final eliminator for the WBC light heavyweight title on Saturday night in Betfair’s ‘No Retreat, No Surrender’ at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, live and exclusively on WealthTV.

Bellew and Chilemba came face-to-face for the first time at today’s press conference at the Hilton Hotel in Liverpool ahead of the crunch clash on Saturday, and the hometown star rejected the thoughts of Chilemba’s trainer Buddy McGirt, who predicted Bellew would struggle to cope with the pressure of performing in front of a huge Merseyside crowd.

“The Bellew/Chilemba match up is the only fight this weekend to receive a perfect 5 star rating from BoxRec.” Said WealthTV’s director of live events Tommy Morris. “Boxing fans should tune into WealthTV and WealthTV.com if they want to see the absolute best in live boxing.”

“People have no idea what I am willing to put on the line,” said Bellew. “He won’t understand until he gets in. It is alright saying all the pressure is on me, pressure is nothing getting in front of thousands of people, I get a buzz out of it, I get a kick out of it; there is no pressure.

“Real pressure is dealing with a family day to day, having a family life, going home to fend for kids, that is pressure. Getting in the ring and smashing away at someone’s face that is a pleasure, not a pressure, it is something I like to do. It is what I do and it is what I am going to do Saturday.

“He can say all he wants about pressure with thousands of fans and my family there, it doesn’t bother me. I have done it before with 10,000 in there. Come Saturday you’ll see. It is one thing watching me on tape, it is another thing getting in a ring with me and feeling what I have got. He is going to feel that, he is going to feel something that he has never felt before.

“Buddy can say whatever he wants; play these mind games, or do whatever. You will see Saturday it is that simple. I am willing to die in that ring; it is as simple as that. Ask yourself this, I am willing to die? I will go to any length, you have seen cuts, banged up, on the floor, anything, I am willing to die Saturday. Is he?”

Malawian Chilemba told Bellew he was comfortable as the away fighter and says that with the pressure off, he can focus on doing his job: beating Bellew to land a World title shot.

“I have always fought under those circumstances and as Buddy said, I am not the one under pressure here,” said Chilemba. “Tony is the one who is under pressure here. He is going to be in that arena full of people supporting him. They all believe in him and they expect the best out of him and he is going to do his best not to let his people down so he is under pressure. We are the underdogs here, I am here to do my business and I am looking forward to it.”

Bellew and Chilemba top a fantastic bill in Liverpool with the chief support provided by the fight of the year rematch between Derry Mathews and Anthony Crolla, whoclash for the vacant Commonwealth lightweight title.

Rocky Fielding defends his English super middleweight title against Wayne Reed while Olympic captain Thomas Stalker boxes in his hometown for the first time as a pro. Unbeaten Liverpool starlet Jazza Dickens faces Jon Fernandes for the vacantsuper bantamweight title, while Stalker’s fellow former Team GB members Kal Yafai, Callum Smith and Scotty Cardle continue their pro journeys.

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 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

LAS VEGAS (March 27, 2013) – Kicking off the Cinco de Mayo celebration and a weekend of legendary boxing, all eyes will be on the battle waged between unbeaten contenders Francisco Vargas and Jose Aguiniga when they collide at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on Friday, May 3 for the vacant NABF Super Featherweight title. On the eve of the world-recognized event Mayweather vs. Guerrero, the 10-round championship bout pitting 2008 Olympian Vargas against 33-0 Aguiniga is destined to shake up the 130-pound division. The event will be televised on FOX Sports Networks, FOX Deportes and FUEL TV. Plus, 2012 United States Olympian Errol Spence Jr. makes his second professional appearance in Las Vegas in a six-round welterweight bout and fellow 2012 United States Olympian Joseph “Jo Jo” Diaz Jr. returns for his second fight at The Cosmopolitan in a six-round junior featherweight tilt.

The exhilarating night of boxing action is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Mayweather Promotions and sponsored by Corona. Taking place in The Chelsea, doors open at 6:00 p.m. PT on fight night and the first bell rings at 6:30 p.m. PT. The FOX Sports Networks and FOX Deportes bi-lingual simulcast will air live at 11:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. PT. FUEL TV will rebroadcast the fight on a date to be announced.

Ringside tickets are priced at $100 with reserved seating tickets priced at $60 and general admission tickets available for $30. Tickets go on sale Wednesday, April 3 at 10:00 a.m. PT and will be available for purchase at www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com or through Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 and www.ticketmaster.com.

Now fighting out of Los Angeles, 28-year-old Francisco Vargas (15-0-1, 12 KO’s) represented his native Mexico in the 2008 Olympics, going 1-1 in the Olympic Games. Since turning pro in 2010, Vargas has built a reputation for having a versatile skill set and ring savvy. Last year, he turned up the heat fighting and winning six times with five of those wins coming by way of knockout. On January 26, Vargas kept his hot streak going with a second- round knockout win over Ira Terry in Las Vegas. He will be back in the boxing capital of the world this May to meet his toughest opponent to date in the unbeaten Aguiniga.

Long established as one of boxing’s top rising stars, Oxnard’s Jose Aguiniga (33-0, 15 KO’s) raced out to a 31-0 professional record and was on the verge of big things before surprisingly walking away from the sport after his 2007 win over Joe Morales. In 2011, there were rumblings of a comeback and in February of 2012, he returned with an eight-round unanimous decision win over Juan Ruiz. Three months later, Aguiniga added a seventh- round technical knockout victory against Eduardo Arcos and on May 3, he will look to return to continue his journey to the top of his division with a win over Vargas.

One of the most promising talents from the Olympic class of 2012, United States team member Errol Spence Jr. (4-0, 3 KO’s) has blasted through all of his opponents since turning professional last November, knocking out Jonathan Garcia, Richard Andrews and Nathan Butcher and scoring a shut-out decision win over Luis Torres in his last fight on March 2. On May 3, the DeSoto, Texas prospect will enter the ring looking to impress once again.

Fellow 2012 United States Olympian Joseph “Jo Jo” Diaz Jr. (3-0, 1 KO) has also made a smooth transition to the world of professional boxing, winning all of his bouts since debuting last December with a unanimous decision win over Vicente Alfaro. In February, Diaz scored his first pro knockout at The Cosmopolitan, finishing Jose Ruiz in the second round. Then a month later, on March 16, he returned to the ring and looked strong in a six-round unanimous decision win over Mexico’s Alberto Cupido. On May 3 he is sure to wow the crowd at The Cosmopolitan once again.

A co-featured bout and a full undercard will be announced shortly. For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com or www.mayweatherpromotions.com, become a follower on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/MayweatherPromo,www.twitter.com/ErrolSpenceJr, www.twitter.com/JosephDiazJr and visit the Golden Boy Facebook Page and www.facebook.com/MayweatherPromotions.com.

For more information on FOX Deportes visit www.FOXDeportes.com, become a follower on Twitter at www.twitter.com/FOXDeportes and visit www.facebook.com/FOXDeportes on Facebook.

For more information on The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas visit www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com, become a follower on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cosmopolitan_lv and visit www.facebook.com/thecosmopolitan.

Juergen Braehmer (39-2, 30 KOs) and Jack Culcay (14-0, 10 KOs) are looking
forward to fighting at the Sporthalle Hamburg, Germany. The two Team
Sauerland boxers will be putting their respective titles on the line on
April 27. During today´s press conference, the opponents were announced.
Braehmer will take on Tony Averlant (18-7-2, 4 KOs) for the European Light
Heavyweight Championship while Culcay wants to defend his
WBA-Intercontinental Light Middleweight Championship against Guido Nicolas
Pitto (17-1, 7 KOs) from Argentina.

“I won’t be underestimating Tony Averlant. He proved his worth during the
fight with Eduard Gutknecht when he nearly snatched the title away from him
last year. I watched the bout, so I know what to expect,” said the
34-year-old. Braehmer is hoping to improve in comparison to his last outing.
“I know I can do better. The fight in Berlin was the first one after a long
period outside of the ring and consequently the first time for a while that
I have gone through proper preparation. Now I will keep this professional
attitude up. The fans will be able to tell the difference come April 27.”

The next step towards the top of the game is on the agenda of Jack Culcay.
According to Culcay himself, he is taking on his biggest challenge to date,
when he enters the squared circle against Guido Nicolas Pitto. “Pitto won’t
be travelling over to Hamburg to lose.” And the prodigy of Coach Ismael
Salas has already begun to analyse the style of his next foe. “He fights
quite dirty and the elbow always follows through. I will have to be
extremely focused. His fitness level is also very impressive. Pitto tries to
overrun his opponents. However, I won’t be giving him that chance.”

Both fighters stated their joy about fighting in Hamburg. “I didn’t just
give my debut here but I have also fought for the WBO Title in this arena.
Hence I’m happy to return,” stated Braehmer. Jack Culcay is also keen to
fight in the city of northern Germany. “When I fought my first professional
fight on December 19, 2009 it was as part of the undercard to Juergen´s
world championship bout. Now we are both fighting in main events on the same
bill. I cannot wait.”

Tickets for the big fight night at the Sporthalle Hamburg, Germany on April
27 can be purchased at www.boxen.com and www.eventim.de.

LAS VEGAS, NEV. (March 27, 2012) ! – Saturday’s star-studded World Series of Fighting Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event peaked with 332,000 live NBC Sports Network viewers, a sharp increase of 46 percent from the promotion’s inaugural event in November that peaked with 228,000 viewers.

World Series of Fighting’s sophomore event, which took place at Revel in Atlantic City, N.J. on Saturday, March 23, averaged 210,000 live viewers, a 6 percent increase from the first event that averaged 198,000 viewers.

The live viewership increase was achieved despite the extraordinary challenge of World Series of Fighting going head-to-head on television with the highly-anticipated NCAA men’s basketball tournament game between No. 1 seed Gonzaga University and No. 9 seed Wichita State University.

Additionally, Sunday’s initial re-broadcast of the latest, five-bout TV card garnered 140,000 viewers, an increase of 75 percent f! rom the first re-broadcast of the promotion’s debut event.

“We are thrilled with the tremendous amount of enthusiasm that fans have shown the World Series of Fighting product and look forward to continuously delivering live events filled with world-class matchups between top superstars of the sport and emerging talent from around the globe,” said World Series of Fighting President and six-time world kickboxing champion and two-time Hall of Famer Ray Sefo.

In Saturday’s heavyweight main event, powerhouse Anthony “Rumble” Johnson (16-3) of! Boca Raton, Fla. exchanged bombs with fellow superstar Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovksi (18-10) of Minsk, Belarus for three rounds before Johnson earned a unanimous decision.

In the bantamweight (135 pounds) co-main event, two-time national Muay Thai champion and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt Marlon Moraes (10-4) of Jupiter, Fla. via Nova Friburgo, Brazil earned his second straight victory in the World Series of Fighting cage, scoring an explosive first round (2:55) KO on Tyson Nam (12-5) of Portland, Ore.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt David Branch (12-3) of Brooklyn, N.Y. dominated former PRIDE Fighting Championships superstar and WEC champion Paulo Filho (23-5) of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in a middleweight (185 pounds) contest for three consecutive rounds to earn a unanimous decision victory.

In welterweight (170 pounds) action, Josh Burkman (25-9) of Salt Lake City, Utah took out Aaron “A Train” Simpson (12-5) of Phoenix, Ariz. in the opening round of their matchup.

Additional re-air dates of Saturday’s event will be announced soon.

ABOUT WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING
Based in Las Vegas, Nev., the fight capital of the world, World Series of Fighting is a professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering an incredible, action-packed entertainment experience for fight fans by producing the best possible matchups between elite fighters from around the globe. For more information please visit www.WSOF.com. Follow World Series of Fighting on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries and World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo @SugarRaySefo.

ABOUT NBC SPORTS NETWORK
NBC Sports Network, part of the NBC Sports Group, is dedicated to serving passionate sports fans. Now in nearly 80 million homes, the network is the cable television home of the Summer and Winter Olympics, National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Soccer (MLS), IZOD IndyCar Series, Tour de France and the 34th America’s Cup. In addition, NBC Sports Network features college football, college basketball, college hockey, horse racing surrounding the Triple Crown, Fight Night boxing, Ironman, the Dew Action Sports Tour and USA Sevens Rugby. The network is also home to original programs such as Costas Tonight, NFL Turning Point, Caught Looking, NBC Sports Talk, and Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports Network is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.