Marshall Kauffman of King’s Promotions and Dmitriy Salita of Salita Promotions proudly announce the signing of a co-promotional deal with newly crowned Women’s WBC Silver Heavyweight Champion Danielle Perkins.

Undefeated as a professional, the six-foot tall, 198-lb Perkins (3-0, 1 KO) was also the USA National Champion and 2019 Amateur Boxing Heavyweight World Champion, the first American man or woman to win a world championship since Claressa Shields in 2016. An outstanding multi-sport athlete, Perkins was also an exceptional collegiate basketball player at St. John’s University where she helped her team make two trips to the NCAA Tournament, before playing hoops professionally in Europe for a time.

From Houston via Brooklyn, New York, Perkins found boxing after she was critically injured in an automobile accident that left her temporarily paralyzed. Perkins underwent a rigorous rehabilitation program, and upon her recovery, dedicated herself to boxing where her tremendous physical gifts became immediately apparent.

Perkins stated, “I’m very excited about entering into this promotional agreement with King’s Promotions and Salita Promotions. Marshall Kauffman and Dmitriy Salita are committed to the success of women’s boxing and support my journey to become the best heavyweight champion in the history of women’s boxing. With these two promoters, plus my advisor Mark Taffet and manager & coach James Cooper, I know I have the right team to complement my abilities and desire to realize my dreams.”

Reading, Pennsylvania-based Kauffman, known for his outstanding work with countless contenders and champions as both a trainer and promoter, says he shares Perkins’ dreams of championship glory.

“I am very excited to co-promote Danielle Perkins with Salita Promotions,” said Kauffman. “Salita is very familiar with women’s boxing and has done a very good job with Claressa Shields. I believe that with all of our experience combined, Danielle will soon be the first American Female Heavyweight Champion.”

Perkins, who continues to hone her skills with trainer James Cooper, showed marked improvement and had a much easier time in her recent pay-per-view rematch against Georgia’s Monika “Lay Em Down” Harrison (2-2, 1 KO), scoring a dominant eight-round unanimous decision and her first professional title, the WBC Silver Heavyweight Championship in the process.

“Danielle is improving with each fight and is on her way to being a heavyweight champion of the world,” said Dmitriy Salita. “Her skills, personality and ring presence are going to make her an emerging star in women’s boxing.”

BoxNation and Premier Sports have today announced live coverage of the rescheduled fight between Artur Beterbiev (15-0-0) and Adam Deines (19-1-1) for the unified light heavyweight championship of the world, with the WBC & IBF belts on the line.

This is the fifth planned date after jumping from September 25th to October 9th, the parties involved finally settled on October 23rd, only for Beterbiev to suffer a broken rib. January 30th was agreed after this only for Beterbiev to test positive for COVID with March 20th eventually finalised in a special Russian homecoming.

Artur Beterbiev steps into a ring in Russia for the very first time with an undefeated record of 15 wins, zero loses and 0 draws, 15 of those wins coming by the way of knock out. Beterbiev has represented Russia at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics before moving in 2013 to Montreal to pursue his professional career. German Adam Deines will make his way to the ring with a record of 19 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw, with 10 of those wins by knock out.

Beterbiev commenting on the fight in January, “I am excited to finally have a date for the fight. Now that COVID-19 and the injury are behind me, I am able to prepare well and put on a great show for boxing fans.”

Live broadcast of the event from Moscow, Russia begins at 5pm GMT on BoxNation and Premier Sports 2 with the main event expected at approximately 8pm. The co-feature not expected before 7.05pm sees an international welterweight bout between former WBA “regular” welterweight champion Alexander Besputin (13-0, 9 KO’s), who has been inactive since November 2019 v Argentinian Maximiliano Ricardo Veron (12-3, 4 KO’s).

Further fights on the undercard include the WBA Continental Super Lightweight Title between Khariton Agrba (4-0, 1 KO) and Jesus Cuadro (19-7, 15 KO) and the Silver Super Middleweight title between Pavil Sylyagin (6-0, 4 KO) and Azizbek Abdugofurov (13-0, 5 KO)

New customers signing up to watch this event can do so easily via the Premier Sports website. More upcoming fights for April are expected to be announced shortly.

ENDS

ABOUT PREMIER SPORTS

Premier Sports was founded in 2009 is available on Sky, Virgin TV and the Premier Player. In the Premier Sports bundle on Sky, Virgin TV and Premier Player, customers can enjoy Premier Sports 1, Premier Sports 2, BoxNation and LaLigaTV.

Premier Sports 1 is on Sky channel 412 and Virgin channel 551. Premier Sports 2 is on Sky channel 435 and Virgin Channel 552. FreeSports is available free on Sky Channel 422, Virgin Media Channel 553, on Channel 64 on Freeview and BT and on Freesat Channel 252.

The channels are also available to pubs, clubs and other commercial premises throughout the UK.

Premier Sports also broadcast LaLiga, Serie A, Scottish Cup football, 152 games from the Guinness PRO14, 15 games a week from the NHL, GAA and the home of NASCAR in the UK.

ABOUT BOXNATION

BoxNation began broadcasting in 2011 and has featured some of the best fights from home and abroad in the 8 years it has been on air. BoxNation is currently available on Sky channel 427, Virgin TV channel 546, BT TV and Talk Talk channel 415.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – March 11, 2021 – Undefeated former two-time world champion David Benavidez and veteran Ronald Ellis spoke with the media for the final time ahead of their 12-round WBC Super Middleweight Title Eliminator Saturday, March 13 live on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., in a Premier Boxing Champions event.

This weekend’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast also features a co-main event bout between two under-25 lightweight rising stars, Isaac Cruz and Matias Romero, when they meet in a 12-round WBA Lightweight Title Eliminator. A 10-round super welterweight affair between Terrell Gausha and Jamontay Clark will open the SHOWTIME telecast. The event is promoted by TGB Promotions and Sampson Boxing.

Here is what the fighters had to say during fight week and during Thursday’s media availability:

DAVID BENAVIDEZ

“The thing about Ronald Ellis is that he moves around pretty good. He’s more of a boxer. I don’t see too much power, I don’t see too much speed. I’m prepared for a boxer, I’m prepared for a brawler. I’m not going to be extremely confident, but he should be very prepared for this fight because it’s a title eliminator. So I’m just going in there very cautious, and work how I work: jabs, uppercuts, body. Put pressure on him. It’s worked against everyone else, so I’m sure it’s going to work against Ronald Ellis as well.

“I’ve been preparing for this fight as if it was a world title fight. Whatever Ellis brings to the table come March 13 I’m going to be prepared for it. If he wants to bring pressure, if he wants to be a boxer and move around the ring, I’ll be ready for it. The way I’m feeling right now, I feel like it’s going to be an early stoppage. I feel great. I feel strong. I’m going in there to get an early stoppage.

“I’m not overlooking Ronald Ellis. I was looking for a big name and I didn’t really get that. But I give him the respect as a boxer and I prepared for him like he’s a world champion. I feel like I’m going to get a quick KO against Ellis.

“I’ve been very motivated and training extremely hard. I feel like this is the best training camp I’ve ever had. This is unchartered territory for me being on weight four days before. I had 13 weeks of camp so that’s more than enough time to get ready for whoever. If it’s Ellis, Canelo, (Jermall) Charlo, or whoever I’m in there against.

“The Charlo fight is the one that I want to make happen in September. Charlo has a lot to say about me and at the end of the day we are probably the best fighters in PBC and at SHOWTIME. So why not make it happen? On both my end and Charlo’s end. He doesn’t really have anyone else at 160 so it seems like a fight that should be fairly easy to make. I think Charlo makes the most sense because we both need a signature win to get to Canelo.

“Canelo is the big fish, and everyone wants the big fish. Whoever fights Canelo has to be at the pinnacle of their game. Without a doubt, Canelo is one of the best fighters today and I’m not taking anything away from him. But I feel like right now where I’m at in my life, I’m ready to accept a challenge like that. I just had a baby boy, and there’s no bigger motivation than that right now. I got youth on my side and I feel like I hit harder than Canelo and I have the speed too. All I need is to prove myself to the world and to the fans, and even to myself, that I’m the best. And I feel like I’m ready for that.

“I would love to get a fight with Caleb Plant. I think they’ve just been trying to give Plant the easy route so that they can prep him for a Canelo fight. They’re waiting to cash him out. He’s been getting back-to-back really easy fights. Even after he loses to Canelo, because I don’t think he can beat him, I would still love to get in the ring with him. Me and him still have a lot of unsettled business. I don’t like him at all. He thinks he’s the second coming of Mayweather and nobody is better than him but he hasn’t proved himself at all. He’s had no hard competition. Everybody he’s fought has been way over the hill and have all been beaten. If he really wants to prove himself as the champion, the only way he can prove himself is by fighting me.”

RONALD ELLIS

“This isn’t my first time in the bubble, so now I know what I’m expecting. It got way easier. I got no complaints. I did what I had to do.

“I got power. A lot of people seem to overlook it. But now it’s just time to show it. I’ll show my power on Saturday night.

“Just coming here on weight has been key, and doing what I had to do. Usually you could get into the hotel and shake a few pounds off, but here you can’t go anywhere. So I knew what I was getting myself into.

“I don’t feel like giving out the game plan, but I hope he pressures me. But I’ve got two hands too and I’m going to stay in there and I’m going to fight. I’m just going to mix it all up and do what I’ve been doing my entire career. Just all in one night.

“My boxing IQ is there and we’re just going to work. We’re just going to do everything we have do to get the win. To be the champion you have to beat the champion. And in my eyes, he’s still a champion.”

ISAAC CRUZ

“Training camp was very hard, I sparred for two months, my sparring partners trained me very well and we are extremely ready to take this win home.

“No, I do not feel pressure following a big knockout. I am always prepared to finish fights. That is why I train as hard as I do and prepare myself like I do.

“We prepare for fights to go the distance, and for me to knockout my opponent. If the knockout is there, I will take it, but we prepare ourselves for anything to happen and I am always ready.

“I always like to come forward because it allows me to change to something else. You never know when your boxing skills will have to take over. I like to keep my opponents guessing.

“Every fighter has a different strategy, so I can’t use what I did last fight and bring it to this one. I expect an excellent fight Saturday, and I will be ready.”

MATIAS ROMERO

“I want to thank my backers and my coach for training me for this fight and getting me ready. I’ve been preparing for this since I started boxing and I’m looking forward to Saturday night.

“I fit right into camp with German Caicedo. I felt comfortable, like I was one of the guys. The gym is known for that, the vibe that it has, all the fighters with the same goal. I’m grateful for that acceptance.

“I’m very excited. We’ll see if Isaac Cruz is what they’re saying he is. I’ve trained very hard for this fight. It’s a dream to fight on this stage, a dream to fight in the United States and I’m taking it very seriously. Cruz is a great fighter but we’ll see if he’s one of the best in the division come Saturday night.

“Obviously, I have a lot of faith in my ability. Cruz is a knockout artist, that’s what he comes to do and that’s all he comes to do. I’m a boxer but I can punch also so come Saturday night the two styles are going to showcase each other and I will be the victor.

“We are prepared if Cruz tries to change up his game plan. We don’t see that happening, but we have a plan for anything he tries to do. But we believe he’s going to be the same fighter he’s always been. Being on the bigger stage now, we don’t see him changing his stripes.

“I want to make sure that I belong on this stage, that this wasn’t a fluke or a handpicked scenario. I left my hometown with my father who has been with me since I was a kid and we’ve had a great camp. I feel very confident about Saturday night. I’m going to show the world and get the victory. I will leave it all in the ring. If it’s life or death, I’m prepared 100%.”

TERRELL GAUSHA

“Training camp has been good, I put all the work in, and my weight is great.

“I never pay attention to the odds because I have been an underdog my whole life. This is a good fight, and I look forward to putting on a dominant performance Saturday.

“With the Erickson Lubin fight I feel like I learned a lot that I was able to correct in training camp. One of the main things I need to do is let my hands go more with a southpaw and be effective. I look forward to landing some good shots an getting it done earlier.

“It definitely makes this second time in the bubble so much easier now that I have experience doing it. My coach always says we either win or learn. So I am taking that and my experience as a fighter into the ring with me.”

“We have a lot of pride coming from Ohio, and we all want to be the top dog. So I am looking forward to showing I am the one.

“I like challenges, and I never say no to a fight. When I hear them say I have a problem with southpaws and I do not let my hands go, it gives me motivation to prove people wrong and impress the fans.”

JAMONTAY CLARK

“Everything has been going pretty smooth. I’m just ready to get it on and get it over with. My first time in the bubble; it’s different but everything has been going smooth so far. My weight is pretty down so I’m just ready to go, ready for Saturday.

“Gausha is a slow starter. I’m going to press the issue and give the boy the business. I’m going to come out and be the best me I can be. I’m going for the gusto but I’m not going in there looking for the knockout. If it comes, it comes but I’m definitely coming out on top.

“Gausha will be a nice name on my resume. Hopefully this puts me into title contention. I’m looking forward to big fights and big paydays. We’ll do it on SHOWTIME hopefully.”

For more information visit www.SHO.com/sports, www.PremierBoxingChampions.com, follow on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing and @TGBPromotions on Instagram @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing and @TGBPromotionss or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing.

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ABOUT BENAVIDEZ VS. ELLIS:

Undefeated two-time world champion David Benavidez will meet dangerous veteran Ronald Ellis in a 12-round WBC Super Middleweight Title Eliminator in the main event of a stacked tripleheader on Saturday, March 13 live on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. in a Premier Boxing Champions event. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast features a co-main event bout between two under-25 lightweight rising stars, Isaac Cruz and Matias Romero, when they meet in a 12-round WBA Lightweight Title Eliminator. The telecast opener features the return of 2012 Olympian Terrell Gausha against Jamontay Clark in a 10-round super welterweight affair. The event is promoted by TGB Promotions and Sampson Boxing.

Hiroto Kyoguchi says he wants to dominate the Light-Flyweight division as he defends his WBA and Ring Magazine World titles against Axel Vega on Saturday night at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, live worldwide on DAZN (except Latin America).

TICKETS FOR ESTRADA VS. CHOCOLATITO ARE ON SALE NOW FROM TICKETMASTER– TICKETS START AT $35 (PLUS FEES) 

Kyoguchi (14-0 9 KOs) makes his American debut in the Lone Star state in his first fight with Matchroom, and the Japanese tangles with Vega (14-3-1 8 KOs) with the desire to explode onto the worldwide scene.

The 27 year old plans to make a statement and then hunt down unification bouts with fellow champions Ken Shiro, Felix Alvarado and Elwin Soto, and is happy to be back in the ring after the COVID pandemic robbed him of the chance of fighting in 2020.

“As long as I can stay at 108 pounds, I want to show that I am the best in this division and to dominate it,” said Kyoguchi. “But eventually my goal is to move up the weights and win more belts.

“I became a World champion in Japan and after that, I always wanted to come to the US to fight. This is a very big moment for my career, and I want to make a big statement. The fans can expect a really entertaining fight with Vega.

“It’s an honor for me to fight for Matchroom as their first Japanese fighter. I am going to represent my country to show how great Japanese boxing is.

“The whole situation last year makes training very hard for me, it was hard to handle. This time, I have this big opportunity and I want to show a big performance for my fans. The Coronavirus has created a special situation for everyone, it’s hard to adjust to that but Matchroom have made it easy in the bubble, so thanks to them I can make weight well.

“I have seen some tape of Axel, he’s a very good fighter. I’m already a World champion so from now on I want to show everyone that I am one of the best fighters in the world, and that starts on Saturday against Vega.”

Kyoguchi’s clash with Vega is part of aa huge night of action in Dallas, with a mouth-watering triple-header of World title action at the top of the bill.

Juan Francisco Estrada (41-3 28 KOs) and Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez (50-2 41 KOs) meet in a mouthwatering rematch that’s over eight years in the making, with the WBC, WBA and Ring Magazine World Super-Flyweight titles on the line and there’s another case of repeat or revenge as Jessica McCaskill (9-2 3 KOs) defends the undisputed World Welterweight title against Cecilia Brækhus (36-1 9 KOs).

Austin ‘Ammo’Williams (7-0 6 KOs) is looking to build on his own stellar 2020 performances where he won all three of his fights via stoppage in Miami, Mexico City and Dallas, and ‘Ammo’ will look to continue that streak in his first eight round bout against the experienced ‘Momma’s Boy’ Denis Douglin (22-7 14 KOs) who has shared the ring World champions George Groves, Anthony Dirrel, David Benavidez and Jermell Charlo.

Raymond Ford (8-0 4 KOs) has been in hot form, closing 2020 out with impressive stoppage wins in Florida and Texas and the 21 year old takes on unbeaten New Mexico talent Aaron ‘Angel Baby’ Perez (10-0 6 KOs) over eight rounds.

Souleymane Cissokho (11-0 7 KOs) is back in action for the first time since September 2019 and the unbeaten Frenchman tangles with Daniel Echeverria (21-10 18 KOs) over eight rounds.

Brandun Lee continued to be impressive in his early career as he stopped Samuel Teah in round three of a scheduled 10-round junior welterweight bout at The Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

In round three, Lee dropped Teah with a hard right. Later in the round, Lee landed a booming right to the face that sent Teah plummeting on his back, and the fight was immediately stopped at 1:43.

Lee, 139 3/4 lbs of La Quinta, CA is 22-0 with 20 knockouts. Teah, 139 lbs of Philadelphia via Liberia is 17-4-1.

“Honestly, I don’t think I learned a whole lot tonight. I knew he couldn’t outbox me. I knew he couldn’t outpunch me. I knew the knockout was going to come and that one was definitely one of my top one or two favorites so far in my career.

“This is probably my biggest accomplishment yet. It was a step up in competition and even the betting odds were way closer than usual. Most of the time, I’m a -5,000 favorite or something like that and this time it was only -1,000. I was getting a lot of DM’s on Instagram and Twitter of people telling me that Sam is going to be tough. Sam is going to beat you. But hopefully, the doctors check him out and everything is all good.

“We just got the IBO intercontinental belt so I would like to get my hands on the IBO world title next. But at the end of the day, it’s all up to my manager Cameron Dunkin.”

White stops Lopez in 6

Jordan White stopped Misael Lopez in round six of a scheduled eight-round junior lightweight bout.

In round six, White scored a knockdown with a hard right. Moments later, White landed a flush combination that sent Lopez down again, and the fight was stopped at 2:40.

White, 130 lbs of Waldorf, MD is 11-1 with nine knockouts. Lopez, 129 3/4 lbs of Denver CO is 10-1.

Steven Ortiz

“Honestly, I’d give myself a D. Only because I feel like I came out beautifully in the beginning and I stopped being consistent with the jab and stopped doing the things that were working. I hurt my right hand a little bit and he hit me in the back with a kidney shot that slowed me down a little bit, so I was upset at that. Besides that, we took on a guy that was 14-0 with 9 knockouts after a year-and-a-half layoff. Most guys would never do that.

“He was a good fighter. He was disciplined. If I didn’t have the long layoff, I would have stopped him. Guaranteed. I hurt him plenty of times. If I was just a little sharper and a little more consistent, I would have gotten him out of there.”

Ortiz Decisions Hill

Steven Ortiz won an eight-round unanimous decision over Jeremy Hill in a battle of undefeated lightweights.

Ortiz, 134 3/4 lbs of Philadelphia won by scores of 79-73 and 77-75 twice and is now 12-0. Hill, 134 3/4 lbs of New Orleans, LA is now 14-1.

Steven Ortiz

“Honestly, I’d give myself a D. Only because I feel like I came out beautifully in the beginning and I stopped being consistent with the jab and stopped doing the things that were working. I hurt my right hand a little bit and he hit me in the back with a kidney shot that slowed me down a little bit, so I was upset at that. Besides that, we took on a guy that was 14-0 with 9 knockouts after a year-and-a-half layoff. Most guys would never do that.

“He was a good fighter. He was disciplined. If I didn’t have the long layoff, I would have stopped him. Guaranteed. I hurt him plenty of times. If I was just a little sharper and a little more consistent, I would have gotten him out of there.”

Padilla Stops Velasquez in 5

Victor Padilla stopped Thomas Velasquez in round five of a scheduled eight-round bout of undefeated lightweights.

In round one, Velasquez landed a perfect counter right that sent Padilla down to the canvas.

In round five, Padilla rocked Velasquez with a right hook and and hurt Velasquez repeatedly until he fell on the canvas. With Velasquez hurt, Padilla rocked Velasquez several more times until the bout was stopped at 1:56.

Padilla, 134 lbs of Williamstown, NJ is 9-0 with eight knockouts. Velasquez, 135 lbs of Philadelphia is 10-1-1.

Victor Padilla

“You have to understand that I had a year off and there were a lot of emotions heading into this fight. My timing was a little off. I was trying to throw with a lot of power so that’s why I was missing so much. He wasn’t catching me but he was making me miss. By the start of the fourth round, I started to relax and I realized that when I started putting pressure on him he didn’t know what to do. I just needed to calm down and let the knockout come naturally.

“Next fight, you’re going to see a better me. That’s the plan. I’m growing. I’m just 22 years old. I’m growing in the sport and I’m growing as a man. I’m a lot wiser now. I’m happy for the opportunity and I thank SHOWTIME for the chance to show my talents. It wasn’t exactly the way we wanted, but we got the job done.

“Yes, he was making me miss a lot so I understand why I was behind on the scorecards. But I have power in both hands and that was always in my mind. I knew I was going to get him with one shot but there were just too many emotions. In the fifth round, I was completely calm and that’s when the knockout came.”

Thomas Velasquez

“I can’t say if the stoppage was early or not right away. I have to go back to the video and watch it. A fighter isn’t going to say that they should have called it.

“I was executing the game plan pretty well up until that point. It was just a real good punch that I didn’t see.”

Raymond Ford believes he’s the best prospect in boxing, and he wants to underline that with another stand-out performance as he steps up against Aaron Perez over eight rounds at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on Saturday night, live worldwide on DAZN.

TICKETS FOR ESTRADA VS. CHOCOLATITO ARE ON SALE NOW FROM TICKETMASTER– TICKETS START AT $35 (PLUS FEES) 

Ford (8-0 4 KOs) had a great finish to 2020 with impressive stoppage wins in Florida and San Antonio adding to the buzz around the Camden, NJ talent, and now in his second eight round fight, he takes on the unbeaten Perez (10-0 6 KOs).

Ford has ambitious plans for the rest of 2021 if he can see off the challenge of the 23 year old from New Mexico, and the 21 year old is in no doubt that he is the rising star that everyone should be watching.

“I feel I am the best prospect in all of boxing, not just at Matchroom, I’m talking everywhere,” said Ford. “I feel like I could be a contender by the end of the year, but I want to fight five more times after this fight and then going into 2022 I want to challenge myself and get a shot at the World title.

“This is what I have been waiting for, it’s time to show who I really am. I don’t want to be just beating guys that I am supposed to beat, he’s a young, unbeaten prospect, the same as me, and I feel that this is the perfect start to show who I am.

“I wasn’t sure what to expect coming into the pros, whether I would be moving fast or moving slow, I was just going along with it. I’ve recently been looking to make the decisions to move fast a few fights ago.

“Even with COVID I fought three times last year and the first card wasn’t until August, so Eddie Hearn is moving me along great, and they are starting to test me now. I wasn’t supposed to be back until April so being back in March is great for me.”

Ford faces Perez on a huge night of action in Dallas, with a mouth-watering triple-header of World title action at the top of the bill.

Juan Francisco Estrada (41-3 28 KOs) and Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez (50-2 41 KOs) meet in a mouthwatering rematch that’s over eight years in the making, with the WBC, WBA and Ring Magazine World Super-Flyweight titles on the line.  

There’s another case of repeat or revenge as Jessica McCaskill (9-2 3 KOs) defends the undisputed World Welterweight title against Cecilia Brækhus (36-1 9 KOs) and there’s a Matchroom debut on the card for Hiroto Kyoguchi (14-0 9 KOs) as he defends his WBA and Ring Magazine World Light-Flyweight titles against Axel Vega (14-3-1 8 KOs), and it’s a huge night for a clutch of rising talents on the bill.

Austin ‘Ammo’Williams (7-0 6 KOs) is looking to build on his own stellar 2020 performances where he won all three of his fights via stoppage in Miami, Mexico City and Dallas, and ‘Ammo’ will look to continue that streak in his first eight round bout against the experienced ‘Momma’s Boy’ Denis Douglin (22-7 14 KOs) who has shared the ring World champions George Groves, Anthony Dirrel, David Benavidez and Jermell Charlo.

Souleymane Cissokho (11-0 7 KOs) is back in action for the first time since September 2019 and the unbeaten Frenchman tangles with Daniel Echeverria (21-10 18 KOs) over eight rounds.

NEW YORK (March 10, 2021) -Heralded featherweight prospect David Navarro will be back in action on Wednesday night when he takes on veteran Diuhl Olguin in a six-round bout at The Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut (9 PM ET/PT)

Navarro is managed by Split-T Management under the guidance of Tim VanNewhouse.

Navarro of Los Angeles has a record of 2-0 with both wins coming via knockout.

Both of Navarro’s previous fights have also been at the Mohegan Sun, with his most recent outing being a 1st round stoppage over Jason Vera on December 12, 2020.

Olguin of Guadalajara, Mexico has a deceiving record of 14-16-4 with nine knockouts.

The 32 year-old Olguin has a quality wins on his ledger over Horacio Garcia (32-2-1); Kevin Rivers Jr. (14-1); Tenochtitlan Nava (7-1). He is coming off a unanimous decision loss to prospect Jalan Walker on December 18th in Hollywood, Florida.

Navarro, 20, began training in the sport at the age of five, and was a multi-time National Champion who competed in over 170 amateur bouts.

In December, 2019, Navarro was one of only eight boxers in his weight division to compete for a spot on Team USA’s Olympic squad. During the 10-day event, he made it all the way to the finals by upsetting top seed Duke Ragan and in January was named as an Olympic Alternate for the 2020 Olympics, now rescheduled to take place in 2021.

In addition to David’s deep amateur accolades, he comes from one of the great Mexican American boxing families. David is the younger brother of Golden Boy Promotions undefeated junior welterweight prospect Johnathan Navarro, and his cousins, Steven and Chantel, are widely regarded as two of the top young prospects in the USA amateur system.

David is also the nephew of former Olympian Jose Navarro, who competed at the 2000 Sydney Olympic games, and Carlos Navarro, one of America’s greatest amateurs in the 90’s, who is well-known for being the the last American to beat Floyd Mayweather Jr. by winning a box-off at the 1995 Pan-American Games.

Both Navarro and Olguin weighed 127 lbs. at Tuesday’s weigh-in

Photos from Navarro’s Instagram Page
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Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez says he is ‘proud to have represented Nicaragua with such dignity’ – but still has plenty more to add to his legacy as he prepares to face Juan Francisco Estrada in a unification rematch at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on Saturday night, live worldwide on DAZN.

TICKETS FOR ESTRADA VS. CHOCOLATITO ARE ON SALE NOW FROM TICKETMASTER– TICKETS START AT $35 (PLUS FEES)

WATCH VARGAS AND ALGIERI TALK TACTICS ON MATCHROOM’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL NOW!

Chocolatito (50-2 41 KOs) was victorious in the first fight with Estrada (41-3 28 KOs) in November 2012, and his final fight as a Light-Flyweight World ruler. Two years later in his 40^th pro fight he became a three-weight World ruler by beating Akira Yaegashi in Japan for the WBC and Ring Magazine World Flyweight titles and his September 2016 victory over Carlos Cuadras landed him World honors at a fourth weight with the WBC Super-Flyweight strap.

Chocolatito has always been honored to be part of the rich boxing history in his homeland, led by one of the all-time greats in the late Alexis Arguello, and the former pound-for-pound king fondly remembers looking up to and spending time with Arguello, as he looks back on a remarkable career that he believes still has many more chapters to be written.

“When I fought Yaegashi, the question that all of Nicaragua had was ‘Are you on the same level as Alexis Arguello?’” said Chocolatito. “I won that third title in Japan and then a fourth title came, where everybody was waiting expectantly to see if I’d win it. I trained a lot because it was one of my dreams. And then… boom! I won the title and Nicaragua welcomed me like never before.

“I’m so proud to have represented my country with such dignity. And well, I’m so happy for my parents, my family. And for Alexis, who was always there for me, teaching me the good things about this boxing world.

“I always respected all the orders Alexis gave me because he’s a three-time champion. It’s an honor. He was like my father. We were very close. Sometimes he invited me to his house, and I remember being at his house, eating and I got relaxed, and he dropped me off at my fight and that day was the first time that I got hit hard.

“I was scared, but I got up and I knocked the guy out. But those are life experiences that I had with him where I learned. Because I think, I could have not gotten up after that punch. But due to the conditions, it made me get up again. Alexis was a very demanding person in the gym. And even in the fight.

“I consider myself a man who’s done the best that I could. I had difficult times growing up but, in the end, it worked out well. Life has taught me a lot of things, and I learned. And I feel and think that I’ve already conquered many things in boxing. What comes now with this title is just extra.

“I never imagined myself getting to where I am now. But wow, it is still hard, it costs me. Because I train the right way. I do things the way they should be done. But I like it. And it’s what’s let me help my family. Help my kids. I don’t complain because I thank god for where I am now.

“Life has been hard and difficult with sacrifice. My family, my children, what makes me get up in the morning is to keep reaping victories in boxing. Not only that, but many young guys that want to be like the champ, like Chocolatito. But in the end, it’s what gives you your happiness in life. What you want to achieve in your life.

“When I retire, I will leave very satisfied and very happy to have been able to have so much success for my kids and my family, and also for the people of Nicaragua.”

Estrada and Chocolatito clash on a massive night of triple-header World title action. 

There’s another case of repeat or revenge as Jessica McCaskill (9-2 3 KOs) defends the undisputed World Welterweight title against Cecilia Brækhus (36-1 9 KOs) and there’s a Matchroom debut on the card for Hiroto Kyoguchi (14-0 9 KOs) as he defends his WBA and Ring Magazine World Light-Flyweight titles against Axel Vega (14-3-1 8 KOs), and it’s a huge night for a clutch of rising talents on the bill.

Ford (8-0 4 KOs) has been in hot form, closing 2020 out with impressive stoppage wins in Florida and Texas and the 21 year old takes on unbeaten New Mexico talent Aaron ‘Angel Baby’ Perez (10-0 6 KOs) over eight rounds.

Williams (7-0 6 KOs) is looking to build on his own stellar 2020 performances where he won all three of his fights via stoppage in Miami, Mexico City and Dallas, and ‘Ammo’ will look to continue that streak in his first eight round bout against the experienced ‘Momma’s Boy’ Denis Douglin (22-7 14 KOs) who has shared the ring World champions George Groves, Anthony Dirrel, David Benavidez and Jermell Charlo.

Jones III (5-0-1 2 KOs) battled to a split draw in Mexico City in his last outing in October, and the Ohio starlet will look to brush that off in his first eight round battle against dangerous Texas native Jorge David Castaneda (13-1 11 KOs).

Souleymane Cissokho (11-0 7 KOs) is back in action for the first time since September 2019 and the unbeaten Frenchman tangles with Daniel Echeverria (21-10 18 KOs) over eight rounds. 

(March 9, 2021) — Lindolfo Delgado, a 2016 Mexican Olympian who is 11-0 with 11 knockouts as a professional, has signed a multi-year contract with Top Rank. The junior welterweight sensation is managed by Rick Mirigian, advised by MTK Global, and trains with Robert Garcia in Riverside, Calif.

Delgado, who hails from Linares, Mexico, will make his Top Rank debut May 22 on the undercard of the undisputed junior welterweight world title showdown between WBC/WBO champion Jose Ramirez and IBF/WBA champion Josh Taylor.

“Lindolfo Delgado has only begun to scratch the surface of his boundless potential,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “I believe he is going to be Mexico’s next great champion, and I can’t wait to see him in action May 22.”

“I would like to thank Bob Arum, Rick Mirigian and MTK Global for working so hard to make this happen,” Delgado said. “It is a great honor to fight on a card like Ramirez-Taylor, and I can’t wait to put on a spectacular performance for the fans on May 22. I represent Mexico with great pride, and I want nothing more than to bring a world title home.”

Mirigian said, “There is no doubt in my mind that Delgado is a future world champion at junior welterweight. With Top Rank to develop him through the next chapter of his career, the sky is the limit. He has movie-star looks and crossover appeal in both Mexico and the United States, and with Robert Garcia in his corner, he is in the best hands.”

Delgado, 26, went 139-15 as an amateur and turned pro soon after losing his opening bout at the 2016 Rio Olympics. His aggressive style proved more suited to the professional game, as he knocked out four of his first five opponents in three rounds or less. In March 2019, Delgado shined on the Errol Spence Jr.-Mikey Garcia undercard, knocking out James Roach with a left hook to the body in the opening round. He last fought in September 2019 on the Spence-Shawn Porter card, battering Jesus Zazueta Anaya en route to a sixth-round TKO.

New York City (March 9, 2021) International Boxing Hall of Famer Lou DiBella is proud to announce today, in light of Women’s History Month, a ground-breaking new women’s boxing series, “Broadway Boxing Presents: Ladies Fight” streamed live and exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS®, the world’s leading streaming service for combat sports.

With DiBella Entertainment’s Broadway Boxing celebrating its 18th year, its first all-women event will take place on Friday, April 23, 2021, at 9:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM PT, headlined by the return of former world champion and combat sports star Heather “The Heat” Hardy.

“This series on UFC FIGHT PASS® represents opportunity and hope for women in boxing. I’m thrilled that our first show will be headlined by Heather Hardy, who in 2013 became the first woman to be signed to a long-term deal by DiBella Entertainment,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “‘Broadway Boxing Presents Ladies Fight’ will provide a platform for veteran contenders like Melissa St. Vil and Carina Moreno to stay active and for rising stars like Mikiah Kreps, Alex Love and Stevie Jane Coleman to gain exposure and recognition. On the heels of the first-ever women’s boxing pay-per-view, I’m thrilled to be able to announce this quarterly series, the first regular platform for all-women’s boxing cards.”

Fighting out of her lifetime home of Brooklyn, NY, Hardy (22-1, 4 KOs), the former WBO featherweight world champion will clash with Montreal, Canada’s Jessica “The Cobra” Camara (7-2) in an eight-round lightweight contest.

“When I got the call from Lou, I knew I had to get back in the gym,” said an excited Hardy, who also sports a 2-2 record in mixed martial arts. “I could never leave this game on a loss. I’m a bit bigger, but also older and wiser. 2021 is the Year of the Comeback!”

“Heather Hardy is a tremendous warrior, mother and ambassador of the sport. It’s going to be an exciting event and being the main event on this all-women’s card is an honor,” said Camara. “On April 23, ‘The Cobra’ is going to strike.”

Competing at Madison Square Garden on October 27, 2018, Hardy fulfilled a lifelong dream, winning the WBO featherweight world title in front of thousands of her loyal supporters with a dominant victory in a rematch against Shelly Vincent.

Returning to “The Mecca” on September 13, 2019, Hardy battled Amanda Serrano in the “2019 Women’s Fight of the Year” that was broadcast internationally, losing a decision to the pound-for-pound world champion in front of a massive crowd.

Camara made her successful U.S. debut on November 1, 2018. In her last bout, she battled to a very close 10-round decision loss against two-time world title challenger Melissa St. Vil, on February 8, 2020. Before turning pro in 2017, Camara was a two-time Canadian National champion as an amateur.

Co-featured on “Ladies Fight”, the aforementioned Melissa St. Vil (13-4-4, 1 KO), known as “Little Miss Tyson”, will compete in an eight-round lightweight bout. A native of Haiti, fighting out of Brooklyn, NY, St. Vil has been a road warrior for her entire career, always willing to travel to her opponent’s backyard, while fighting abroad in Belgium, New Zealand, China, Haiti and Finland. The former WBC Silver female super featherweight titlist will look to stay in the win column following two straight victories after a world title challenge against champion Delfine Persoon in March 2019. Outside the ring, St. Vil has been a longtime champion for autism awareness who helps her friend’s autistic daughter daily through physical and educational exercises.

In an eight-round battle of undefeated bantamweight prospects and highly touted amateur standouts, Mikiah Kreps (1-0, 1 KO), of Niagara Falls, NY will make her DiBella Entertainment debut against Alex Love (3-0, 2 KOs), of Brighton, CO. The 24-year-old Kreps, co-managed by WBO lightweight world champion Jamel Herring and Jerry Casarez, was a bronze medalist at the 2019 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Ulan-Ude, Russia. She also was a gold medalist at the 2018 Elite National Championships, 2017 Eastern Elite Qualifier and 2014 National Golden Gloves. Kreps made her highly anticipated professional debut with a second-round stoppage on October 30, 2020.

A participant in the 2012 Olympic Trials, the 31-year-old Love was a two-time gold medalist at both the USA Boxing National Championships and the Colorado Golden Gloves tournament. She is currently a member of the Westminster, Colorado Police Department and was a sergeant in the U.S. Army, serving in the military for five years. Love is considered to be one of the most decorated soldier athletes to compete for the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program. A professional boxer since September 2018, Love is coming off of a second-round stoppage of Kanisca Ruiz.

In a special attraction eight-round minimumweight clash, former three-division world champion Carina “La Reina” Moreno (25-7, 6 KO’s), of Watsonville, CA, battles two-time New York Golden Gloves champion Natalie “The Barracuda” Gonzalez (6-1, 1 KO), of New Rochelle, NY.

Rounding out the card and making her professional debut, Stevie Jane Coleman of Columbia, CT, will fight in a four-round welterweight bout. Taking to boxing after knocking out a school bully in eighth grade, Coleman was taught how to box, along with her four brothers, by her father in a makeshift gym set up on the family farm. The 21-year-old is now trained by local Connecticut legend Paul Cichon. In her short amateur career, compiling a record of 7-3, Coleman has shown exceptional power, speed and an aggressive style.

To sign up for UFC FIGHT PASS®, please visit www.ufcfightpass.com, or download the UFC app.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – March 9, 2021 – Brandun Lee, one of boxing’s fastest-rising prospects, and his opponent Samuel Teah both made weight ahead of their ShoBox: The New Generation main event showdown tomorrow night, Wednesday, March 10, live on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/PT from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

The 21-year-old knockout artist Lee (21-0, 19 KOs), from La Quinta, Calif., returns to the “Fight Sphere” for the third time looking to extend his impressive KO streak to 13 against Philadelphia’s Teah (17-3-1, 7 KOs), a ShoBox veteran who poses the toughest challenge of Lee’s career. The co-main event will see undefeated super featherweight prospect Misael Lopez (11-0, 5 KOs) battle once-beaten Jordan White (10-1, 8 KOs) and two tough undefeated prospects will clash in the second fight of the evening as Philadelphia’s Steven Ortiz (11-0, 3 KOs) takes on Jeremy Hill (14-0, 9 KOs). The telecast opener features 22-year-old power-punching prospect Victor Padilla (8-0, 7 KOs) making his ShoBox debut against another unbeaten Philadelphia native, Thomas Velasquez (10-0-1, 6 KOs).

Barry Tompkins will call the action from ringside with boxing historian Steve Farhood and former world champion Raul Marquez serving as expert analysts. The executive producer is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.

The four-fight telecast is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and D&D Boxing.

FINAL WEIGHTS

Super Lightweight 10-Round Bout

Brandun Lee – 139 ¾ lbs.

Samuel Teah – 139 lbs.

Referee: Johnny Callas; Judges: Ken Ezzo (Conn.), Glenn Feldman (Conn.), Steve Weisfeld (N.J.)

Super Featherweight Eight-Round Bout

Misael Lopez – 129 ¾ lbs.

Jordan White – 130 lbs.

Referee: Arthur Mercante; Judges: Glenn Feldman (Conn.), John McKaie (N.Y.), Don Trella (Conn.)

Lightweight Eight-Round Bout

Steven Ortiz – 134 ¾ lbs.

Jeremy Hill – 134 ¾ lbs.

Referee: Danny Schiavone; Judges: Tom Carusone (Conn.), John McKaie (N.Y.), Don Trella (Conn.)

Lightweight Eight-Round Bout

Victor Padilla – 134 lbs.

Thomas Velasquez – 135 lbs.

Referee: Danny Schiavone; Judges: Tom Carusone (Conn.), Ken Ezzo (Conn.), Don Trella (Conn.)

FINAL QUOTES:

Brandun Lee

“People are saying this is my step-up fight. I know Teah is a veteran and has beaten some decent prospects. I’m looking forward to bringing the best out of him.

“I think Samuel Teah is going to be a pressure fighter. For sparring, I had an Argentinian and a few Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan fighters that put on good pressure. I got great work.

“March 10, I’m here to give the people what they want. People want to see knockouts so that’s what I’m here to do. Every time I get in the ring, I’m learning something new. By me knocking these guys out, of course my confidence is growing each fight but I can’t underestimate anyone.

“Definitely by the end of 2021 I would love to have my hands on some sort of world title. Whether it’s the IBO or WBA world title, Jaron Ennis won a world title and I think it’s almost time for me to go for mine.

“As far as my conditioning goes, I’m sparring for 13 rounds straight. I’m conditioned if I need to turn it on.

“Teah’s never been stopped before. I know he’s going to be aggressive and come forward. He’s a combination puncher and likes to hit the body. Whatever he brings to the table I’m ready to do what I do. The test would be if he took me to later rounds, since I’ve never been past four.”

Samuel Teah

“Since the fight came together, I’ve familiarized myself with Lee but prior to that I wasn’t too familiar with him. On paper, he would be the best prospect I’ve faced but skills-wise, you never know until you get in there with him. Plus, I’m in a different skill level in my career now than when I fought some of the other top prospects like Montana Love, so I kind of look at the opposition differently now.

“We’re not going to discredit the knockouts that he has, but at the end of the day pretty much all of those guys just came in the ring to survive. I’m not going in there just to survive. He hasn’t faced anybody like me and I’ve faced much higher quality opposition. He’ll realize the quality in me is far greater than everybody he has faced.

“I can show him a lot that he hasn’t seen before in the ring. The last fight that he had, he fought a guy that went in there with a mindset that he wasn’t going to give any respect to the fact that Brandun Lee has a great record with a bunch of KOs in a row. He came in there and in my opinion, he beat the breaks off him in the second round. The stop was premature and quite frankly I don’t think Lee has been in front of anybody who has a jab like mine.

“A win in this fight would mean everything. I feel like beating Sonny Fredrickson was great for my career, but because of the fact that it wasn’t televised and it happened at a charity event, it kind of flew under the radar and got swept under the rug. This caliber of win on national TV would catapult my career to a whole different level.”

Misael Lopez

“I know Jordan White is a good fighter and a good step up for me. I know a lot of guys here in Colorado saw him in the amateurs and he’s a good East Coast fighter. He’s got good speed and I respect his talent for sure. He’s a good counterpuncher. But I think I could take him out with my pressure – my pressure will break him.

“I don’t want to think about my layoff and use it as an excuse. I feel good and have been good sparring with Jamel Herring and Gabriel Flores. The training was there.

“I have two kids now and that’s my major motivation. I’m pretty locked in when I get in the ring so not having fans there won’t bother me.

“I’ve got a good team behind me and everything I can ask for. Now it’s just about taking care of business and I think by the end of the year I’ll be a contender. I have no doubt about it. I’m hungry and training full-time where I was doing construction before. Now I’m focused on my career 100 percent.”

Jordan White

“We’ve been working hard. I don’t think the layoff is going to affect me at all. We’ve been getting some good sparring and we recently built a gym in our backyard to help us with training and sparring. We have a ring and everything we need. Everything is going according to plan and I think March 10 is going to be a great show.

“When I fought Adam Lopez, I was 18 years old and I broke my left hand in the first round. That was the cause of the loss, but I fought my heart out and I think I showed a lot that night. It’s not the dog in the fight, it’s the fight in the dog. That’s what I learned that night.

“I watched a little bit of film on Misael Lopez. He’s a good opponent for me. He’s undefeated. It’s definitely going to be a good fight. I’m a versatile fighter so I look at it as what I’m going to do to him, rather than what he’s going to do to me. I have a game plan. He’s going to have to adjust to me, not the other way around.

“I’m a much better fighter than when I fought Adam Lopez four years ago. First off, my hand is healthy. But I’ve been training so much harder and I feel like I’ve developed as a fighter. Mentally and physically. When I fought Adam Lopez, I should have been fighting at 130. It was tough for me to make 126. I look forward to fighting him again. That’s definitely on my list.

“I think I have one of the best jabs in the game. I’m a very elusive fighter. I have a lot of styles and I can show them way better than I can describe them. I have great speed. Great power and definitely a great IQ. I may be ‘Short Dog’ but I’m always the big dog in the ring!”

Steven Ortiz

“I contracted the COVID virus maybe four or five months back. I beat it, though. I got by it. I had minor symptoms, but my wife, she was very ill and pregnant at the time. It affected her real bad, and it was a scary situation. But everything’s fine now and the baby came out fine.

“I don’t know much about Jeremy Hill. He’s six-foot tall, pretty long reach. I’ve seen a few videos, not too much. He’s pretty sharp, pretty competitive, so I’m looking for an entertaining fight.

“I see myself becoming a world champion, just like Tevin Farmer. We’ve worked together in camps in the past.

“I’m just anxious to break ice at the moment. I haven’t fought in a year and a half due to COVID. I had a few opportunities last year, but they all fell through. I will definitely be more consistent after this fight.”

Jeremy Hill

“This is a make-or-break opportunity for me. With all my years of hard work, this is what it comes down to. It’s a better life for me and my family. It’s that time for me to take the next step in my career and make my greatness be shown. It’s time to show why my manager Adam Glenn believes in me and why the city of New Orleans believes in me.

“I don’t feel like I’m playing catchup because I had a late start in boxing. I never thought of it like that. I tell myself that everybody has their own path that starts at a different time and I was blessed enough to be gifted at it and I excelled the way that I did through my hard work and my talents.

“The short notice won’t impact me at all. I’ve had enough time to prepare. I train year-round so I don’t have to get ready. We stay ready for opportunities that hopefully come along. And this opportunity came up and I’m ready for it.

“I’ve seen a little bit of tape on Ortiz. All I know is that he can’t beat me. I’m a versatile fighter. I can take it inside or stay outside if I need to. A lot of guys that I fight are shorter than me so they try to take it inside on me. I made sure that I did have that in my arsenal so that when I do have those pressure fighters who are good at getting on the inside, I know how to handle myself in tight quarters.”

Victor Padilla

“I used to be a wild, wild kid and that created the power in my punch. As the years went by I would punch the bag hard. I actually watched a lot of Roberto Duran, and he hits the bag hard. So that made me hit the bag hard to create more power. Duran, Mike Tyson and Sugar Ray (Leonard). Those are my favorite fighters.

“We aren’t looking for any knockouts. I’m trying to change my ways. I’m trying to show my abilities and do what I do. If I can get the knockout, great. But I’ll just try to punish. I hit hard in both hands. I’ve got eight rounds and I’m not in any rush. I’ll just take it round by round.

“I’ve been waiting 13 years for this. I’ve been training for a whole year straight, going hard. No gimmicks or any funny stuff. No days off. Every Sunday I go and bike 26 miles. I actually had two fights lined up, but the COVID pandemic messed those opportunities up. I believed the big opportunity was going to come, so I just stayed ready and focused. And here I am.

“I’ve never been knocked out in sparring or been rocked in a fight. I want to just go out there and have fun. I like to fight, but you’re going to see a new me. Now I’m boxing. I have power and the ability to outbox anybody. I’m now taking it page by page. I’m slowing it down, taking guys apart.”

Thomas Velasquez

“I would describe my boxing style as an offensive fighter. I use my jab well. All I know about Padilla is that he’s left-handed and he likes to throw power punches. So I just need to box him. We prepared in camp for his style. I sparred with southpaws and I’m very comfortable with it.

“Since I’ve started working with Hamza Muhammad, I’ve been becoming a better boxer. My last fight compared to the fight before that – I definitely think I’ve upped my game. This fight on March 10, you’re going to see even more of that.

“It doesn’t matter that he’s a local guy close to where I’m from in Philly. Being in any fight is motivation enough because I love boxing. I love being in the ring so anything that has me back in the ring has me excited and motivated, regardless of who it is.

“I now have twin girls and they are my motivation. I don’t want my girls to grow up the way I did in poverty. So I need to push harder. I need to do that extra round, that extra mile. I need to spar with better people. People that are going to whoop on me because I need that push and I need to do more so they don’t have to go through the same struggles I did growing up.”

# # #

For more information visit www.sho.com/sports follow on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @SHOSports, #ShoBox, or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports  

About ShoBox: The New Generation

This year, the critically acclaimed prospect developmental series, ShoBox: The New Generation, celebrates its 20^th anniversary on the air as it continues to match top young talent tough. Since its inception in July 2001, the ShoBox philosophy is to televise exciting, crowd-pleasing and competitive matches while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. Some of the growing list of the 84 fighters who have appeared on ShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes: Errol Spence Jr., Andre Ward, Deontay Wilder, Erislandy Lara, Shawn Porter, Gary Russell Jr., Lamont Peterson, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Nonito Donaire, Devon Alexander, Carl Froch, Robert Guerrero, Timothy Bradley, Jessie Vargas, Juan Manuel Lopez, Chad Dawson, Paulie Malignaggi, Ricky Hatton, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Williams and more. 

(March 9, 2021) — One of Europe’s top welterweights returns this Friday, March 12, as #MTKFightNight is back with Lewis “The Croc” Crocker making the first defense of his WBO European belt in a 10-rounder against German contender Deniz Ilbay at University of Bolton Stadium in Bolton, England.
 
In the co-feature, Irish fan-favorite Gary Cully will battle Kazakhstan’s Viktor Kotochigov in a 10-rounder for the vacant WBO European lightweight title.
 
Crocker-Ilbay, Cully-Kotochigov and undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively in the United States on ESPN+ starting at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT.
 
Crocker (12-0, 7 KOs) captured the WBO European belt last August with a dominating seventh-round stoppage over Louis Greene, a former British Southern Area champion. The Belfast native takes another step up against Ilbay (22-2, 10 KOs), who is 7-1 in his last eight bouts. He last fought in December 2019 and notched a first-round stoppage over Milos Janjanin.
 
Cully (11-0, 5 KOs), from Naas, Ireland, went 2-0 in 2020, including a first-round stoppage over Joe Fitzpatrick to capture the Irish lightweight title. He returned last August and survived a fifth-round knockdown to edge Craig Woodruff via decision. Kotochigov (12-1, 5 KOs), a former WBC International lightweight champion, seeks to rebound from last October’s upset loss to Maxi Hughes.
 
In other streaming action:

• Former Commonwealth featherweight champion Isaac Lowe (20-0-3, 6 KOs) makes his first ring appearance since the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury II undercard and will face Ed Harrison (2-5) in a six-round junior lightweight bout. Lowe is ranked as a top-10 featherweight by two of the major sanctioning organizations.
   
• Former British amateur star Jordan Reynolds will make his highly anticipated professional debut in a six-round middleweight bout versus the durable Robbie Chapman (6-6).
   
• In an eight-round welterweight tilt, Bolton native Sahir Iqbal (8-0, 1 KO) will fight an opponent to be named.
   
• The ESPN+ stream is scheduled to begin with the pro debut of Carl Fail, who will clash with the unbeaten Jordan Dujon (4-0) in a six-rounder at junior middleweight.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 12.1 million subscribers.
  
Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $59.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $12.99/month (Hulu w/ads) or $18.99/month (Hulu w/o ads).

MONTREAL (March 9, 2021) – Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM) will organize its first event in 16 months – “The Homecoming: Rivas vs. Louis 2” — Tuesday night, March 16 at Hotel Plaza Quebec in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.

“The Homecoming,” presented in co-promotion with New Era Fighting & Promotion and in collaboration of Lee Baxter Promotions is headlined by a rematch featuring Oscar “Kaboom” Rivas (26-1, 18 KOs) and Sylvera “Sly” Louis (8-5, 4 KOs) in the 8-round main event. Rivas defeated Louis by 4-round majority decision back in 2012.

A representative of his native Colombia at the 2008 Olympics, Rivas is coming off a controversial loss July 20, 2019, by way of a 12-round decision to Dillian Whyte (25-1) in the United Kingdom for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) Interim heavyweight title.

A maximum of 120 fans for a total of 250 peoples will be allowed to attend “The Homecoming.” Boxers and trainers had to have quarantined for 14 days prior to the event, and they must carefully check any Covid potential symptoms during 10 days after the fights.

Rivas is rated No. 1 in the WBC’s new weight class, Bridgerweight (200 to 224 lbs.), and he and Louis will participate in the Bridgerweight’s inaugural fight.

“It was not easy to put all the parts in place, to have our sanitary protocol accepted and to obtain all the required authorizations while Quebec City was in the worst of the Covid pandemic time and
declared a red zone,” GYM president Yvon Michel said. “It has been tireless teamwork for several months and full collaboration from the participants. It is an expensive but important adventure for the relaunch of our activities and the restarting of the careers of our boxers. This gala will allow several boxers to regain hope and WBC # 1 aspirant Oscar Rivas to restart the machine for whom we have very ambitious plans this year.”

“The Homecoming” will be streamed live by FITE worldwide on the FITE mobile apps, all major OTT apps and website (www.FITE.tv), starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, for $29.99 USD (available in English or French). It will also be available in Canada via Canal Indigo, Bell TV, Shaw TV and YOOP.

In the co-featured event, Canadian favorite Sebastian Bouchard (18-2, 8 KOs) takes on welterweight Mario Perez (20-7-5, 12 KOs) in a 6-tound bout. It will be the first fight for Bouchard since he was injured in the ring in November 2019.

Former NBA and NABO middleweight champion Patrice Volny (25-1, 18 KOs) squares off against former Canada middleweight titlist Janko Trotter (10-5-2) in a super middleweight clash of Canadians. This is a very important fight for IBF #6 ranked Volny who has been appointed to box Polish Patrick Wojcicki, IBF #3, for the mandatory position to challenge world champion Gennady Golovkin in May.

Former Canadian amateur champion and member of the Canadian National Team, Alexis Barrière, will make is long awaited pro debut when he meets Colin Sangster (2-0, 2 KOs) in a 4-round fight between Canadian heavyweight prospects.

There matches showcasing cruiserweights are also on tap on the undercard: Popular Yan “Wild Thing” Pellerin (10-1, 4 KOs) vs. Marco Parente (1-4-3) in a 6-rounder, plus a pair of 4-round fights between Francis Charbonneau (2-1, 2 KOs) vs. Alexandre Roberge (1-0, 0 KOs), and Alexander Beaule (1-0l 1 KO) vs. Nick “Big Mac” Naccarato (0-0-1).

Card subject to change.

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Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams believes he would KO Anthony Fowler if they meet – and he wants to prove he’s ready for that fight and more as he steps up against Denis Douglin over eight rounds on Saturday night (March 13) at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas live worldwide on DAZN.

TICKETS FOR ESTRADA VS. CHOCOLATITO ARE ON SALE NOW FROM TICKETMASTER– TICKETS START AT $35 (PLUS FEES)

Williams (7-0 6 KOs) was in ferocious form in December in San Antonio, destroying Isiah Jones inside the opening round of their scheduled six on the Canelo Alvarez-Callum Smith undercard.

That was KO number six from seven pro-outings for the dangerous Houston talent to end 2020 in style, and now ‘Ammo’ wants to step things up in 2021, starting this weekend.

Douglin (22-7 14 KOs) has a wealth of experience at the top level that Williams wants to reach next year, with ‘Momma’s Boy’ having tangled with World champions George Groves, Anthony Dirrell, David Benavidez and Jermell Charlo in the past, and Williams is hoping he gets the test he desires before hunting down big names and titles, with Briton Anthony Fowler at the top of his hitlist.

“Douglin is the sort of step-up I need right now, someone that’s had experience at the high level that is going to test me,” said Williams.

“I always tell Eddie Hearn and Matchroom that I want more. I’m not working in the gym for regular guys, I think I have still got to prove myself and come up the ranks like everyone else, but I am showing that I am different.

“This year I need a title shot, something like a USBA title, to get me ready for a World title in 2022. This is going to be a great development year for me. Anthony Fowler? I will stop him. I don’t like Anthony as a person.

“I came into this sport late, but I progressed fast, and I feel like I cannot be stopped right now. I’m in the gym every day, no layoffs, not blowing hot or cold, I come to perform every single time.

“My coach, my team and my family make all the difference. Everybody tells me I’m the greatest in their eyes no matter what happens, and that enables me to take whatever risks I need to take, because I know that they are with me no matter what.

“That’s why I will go around the world and spar anyone, get off a plane and spar a World champion straight away, because I know I am going to be OK whatever happens.”

Williams’ clash with Douglin is part of a stellar night of action in Dallas, led by a sensational World title triple-header. 
Juan Francisco Estrada (41-3 28 KOs) and Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez (50-2 41 KOs) meet in a mouthwatering rematch that’s over eight years in the making, with the WBC, WBA and Ring Magazine World Super-Flyweight titles on the line.  

There’s another case of repeat or revenge as Jessica McCaskill (9-2 3 KOs) defends the undisputed World Welterweight title against Cecilia Brækhus (36-1 9 KOs) and there’s a Matchroom debut on the card for Hiroto Kyoguchi (14-0 9 KOs) as he defends his WBA and Ring Magazine World Light-Flyweight titles against Axel Vega (14-3-1 8 KOs), and it’s a huge night for a clutch of rising talents on the bill.

Ford (8-0 4 KOs) has been in hot form, closing 2020 out with impressive stoppage wins in Florida and Texas and the 21 year old takes on unbeaten New Mexico talent Aaron ‘Angel Baby’ Perez (10-0 6 KOs) over eight rounds.

Jones III (5-0-1 2 KOs) battled to a split draw in Mexico City in his last outing in October, and the Ohio starlet will look to brush that off in his first eight round battle against dangerous Texas native Jorge David Castaneda (13-1 11 KOs).

Souleymane Cissokho (11-0 7 KOs) is back in action for the first time since September 2019 and the unbeaten Frenchman tangles with Daniel Echeverria (21-10 18 KOs) over eight rounds.

(Monday, March 8, 2021) Though final numbers are still coming in, the sometimes beleaguered sport of women’s boxing has reason for optimism today, International Women’s Day, as the historic “SUPERWOMEN: SHIELDS VS. DICAIRE” all-female pay-per-view event last Friday night (March 5), featuring two-time Olympic gold medalist and boxing superstar Claressa Shields, has already surpassed all projected sales expectations.

Held at the Dort Financial Center in Shields’ hometown of Flint, Michigan, and broadcast live globally, SUPERWOMEN: SHIELDS VS. DICAIRE saw Shields cap off a night of entertaining female fights by cementing herself in sports history as the first boxer in the four-belt era to be crowned an undisputed world champion in two separate weight divisions. By virtue of her shutout 10-round victory over previous IBF Champion Dicaire, Shields now also reigns supreme as the unified WBC, WBO, IBF and WBA Super Junior Middleweight World Champion.

The night’s two primary organizers, Shields promoter, Dmitriy Salita, President of Salita Promotions and Mark Taffet, President of Mark Taffet Media LLC and Manager of Shields, say they hope the reassuring sales numbers are a sign of changing times for women’s sports that will help encourage other promoters to buy into the possibility of more female-centric boxing events in the future.

“On the weekend of International Women’s Day, Claressa Shields accomplished another first for any man or woman in the long history of boxing. That coupled with her two Olympic Gold Medals and status as a three-division world champion, prove Claressa is a real-life Superwoman! From a young girl growing up in Flint to a woman winning her second undisputed world championship with the whole world watching, Claressa has showed what is possible for female athletes and for women’s boxing. I am honored to be involved in her Herstoric career and I want to wish women around the world a happy and meaningful International Women’s Day.”

“I am proud to be associated with women’s rights trailblazer Claressa Shields,” added Taffet. “Just 25 years young and already accomplishing, in the Olympics and in the professional boxing ranks, what no man has ever done. Claressa continually uses her platform and broad shoulders to stand tall for all women and demand equality across the board. On this International Women’s Day, I am thankful that Claressa Shields is championing the cause and continuing to make measurable and demonstrable progress in her advocacy of women’s boxing. Today and every day, men and women everywhere should stand beside Claressa as she transcends boxing and makes true societal change.”

SUPERWOMEN: SHIELDS VS. DICAIRE was presented by Salita Promotions in association with Groupe Yvon Michel, dedicated to this year’s International Women’s Day and proudly sponsored by online gambling titans Betonline.net and plant-based online marketplace Vejii.

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About International Women’s Day
The first National Women’s Day was observed in the United States on February 28, 1909. In 1910, Europe established a Women’s Day to honour the movement for women’s rights and to build support for achieving universal suffrage for women. After World War II, March 8 started to be celebrated in a number of countries. In 1975, during the International Women’s Year, the United Nations began celebrating March 8 as International Women’s Day. In 1995 the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a historic roadmap signed by 189 governments, focused on 12 critical areas of concern; and the inclusion of Goal 5: “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This year’s theme of #ChooseToChallenge looks to call out gender bias and inequity and celebrate women’s achievements.

For more information, please visit internationalwomensday.com.

About Salita Promotions
Salita Promotions was founded in 2010 by Dmitriy Salita, a professional boxer and world-title challenger who saw the need for a promotional entity to feature boxing’s best young prospects and established contenders in North America and around the world. Viewers watching fighters on worldwide television networks including Showtime, HBO, ESPN, Spike TV, Universal Sports Network, UFC Fight Pass, DAZN, ESPN+ and MSG have enjoyed Salita Promotions fight action in recent years. We pride ourselves on offering our fighters opportunities inside and outside the ring. Salita Promotions looks forward to continuing to grow and serve the needs of fight fans around the globe.

Check the Salita Promotions YouTube Channel for regular video updates of boxing’s greatest legends, its best fighters, toughest contenders and brightest prospects in action.

WORCESTER, Mass. (March 8, 2021) – Undefeated lightweight prospect Jamaine “The Technician” Ortiz (14-0, 8 KOs) has started to make waves in arguably boxing’s best and deepest division.

The Worcester, Massachusetts fighter is ranked No. 5 by the North American Boxing Federation (NABF), No. 14 by the United States Boxing Association (USBA) and North American Boxing Association (NABA), and he recently cracked the World Boxing Council’s (WBC) top 40 world rankings at 31.

“The lightweight division is the one everybody wants to watch,” Ortiz said. “They want to see the best fighters and in the lightweight division it doesn’t just mean No. 1 versus No. 2. Any of the top lightweights fighting each other is what fans want to see the most. This is the best division right now and it should remain this way for a while because so many of the top fighters are young.”

The 24-year-old Ortiz, the reigning WBC USNBC (U.S.) Silver lightweight champion, in addition to being a former WBC World Youth lightweight titlist, recently evaluated the elite lightweights in the world today.

Teofimo “The Takeover” Lopez (16-0, 12 KOs), reigning IBF, WBA, WBO and WBC Franchise world champion). Ortiz lost to Lopez in the final of the 2015 National Golden Gloves Championships on points, 3-0. “He’s got all the belts and has to be No. 1. He’s The Champ! Confident and explosive.”

Vasily “Loma” Lomachenko (14-2, 10 KOs), former 5-time, 3-division world champion. “He’s good but too small at 135 pounds. I like his style.”

Ryan “KingRy” Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs), reigning WBC Interim world champion. “He’s showing a lot of development.”

Devin “The Dream” Haney (25-0, 15 KOs), reigning WBC world champion) “Looks like he has the goods, but he hasn’t fought anybody. He definitely has the goods, so I can’t put him at the top yet, and he isn’t the real WBC champion (Lopez is.).”

Richard “RC” Commey (30-3, 25 KOs), former IBF world lightweight champion. “Tough! Definitely a tough fighter who is very strong.”

Luke Campbell
(20-4, 16 KOs): “I’ve only watched two of his fights. He’s a former (UK) Olympian with good amateur pedigree, but he’s 33 and that’s old for this weight class.”

Javier “El Abejon” Fortuna (36-2-1, 25 KOs), former WBA super featherweight world champion. “I sparred with him. He’s a top contender who was world champion.”

Jorge “El Nino de oro Golden Boy” Linares (47-5, 29 KOs), former 4-time, 3 division world champion. “I like him. He’s pretty sharp, but old guys like him (35) don’t have a chance in this division.”

George “Ferocious” Kambosos, Jr. (19-0, 10 KOs), “He was my old high school teacher’s nephew. He’s from Australia and I know he sparred Manny Pacquiao. Fast and seems explosive, but at the end of the day, in the ring, it comes down to outsmarting your opponent.”

Lopez (23), Garcia (22), Haney (22) and Ortiz (24) are 24 or younger, as well as the only U.S.- natives in this group; Lomachenko (33), Commey (33), Campbell (33), Fortuna (31) and Linares (35) are all in their thirties.

“I think I’ll be fighting for a world title by the end of next year,” Ortiz added. “I want to fight whoever has the belts. Some of these guys may move up in weight, the older guys may not be contenders next year.

“Lopez has stood out and he’s still young. He’s earned his way to the top with his fight credentials. He’s young and doing a fantastic job knocking guys out in entertaining fashion.”

Team Ortiz is expected to soon make a big, exciting announcement about his next fight, which promises to be a major step up in terms of quality of opponent and interest, as well as provide added exposure on a national platform.

Today on the ESPN Daily podcast – hosted by Pablo Torre and downloaded nearly a half million times per month – ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap looks back 50 years at the build-up, historical context and legacy of Ali-Frazier I.

Episode Summary: Fifty years ago today, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier met in their first iconic boxing match, known as “The Fight of the Century.” It was 1971, with the civil rights movement in full swing and the nation divided over the war in Vietnam. Jeremy Schaap, boxing historian and host of E60 and Outside the Lines, shares how political and cultural views were projected onto Ali and Frazier, with their different personalities, history and fighting styles. The night itself was a grand celebrity spectacle (Frank Sinatra took a gig as a photographer, just to get in the building). And while Frazier won unanimously, the fight has a more complex and nuanced legacy. Half a century later, it remains one of sports’ biggest moments.

ESPN Podcasts can be found wherever you download your podcasts, and on ESPN.com: https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/27852002/the-espn-daily-podcast-how-listen-episode-guide-more

SAN ANTONIO, TX (March 7, 2021) – Last night, Prince Ranch Boxing’s featherweight prospect, Ricky “El Castigo” Medina of San Antonio, TX, continued his winning ways by picking up a dominant unanimous decision in Reynosa, Mexico. Medina defeated Jose Alfredo Cobos (7-4-2, 2 KOs) by way of unanimous decision, improving his unbeaten record to (9-0, 6 KOs). Scorecards read 60-54 across the board.

In the opening round, Medina landed a couple of powerful check left hooks that rocked Cobos, forcing him to get on his bike, and run for the remainder of the fight. Medina showed multiple facets to his game, as after rocking his opponent, he was able to stay patient, and stick to the game plan.

“I hurt him early, but he was tricky and knew how to survive,” said Medina after the fight. “This was a great learning experience and now I know I am ready for the next level. I’m hoping to get right back in the ring as soon as possible.”

“Medina is maturing nicely with these tough fights in Mexico,” stated Greg Hannley, CEO of Prince Ranch Boxing. “Medina has developed great and is getting the rounds needed to get better. Medina has proven that he is poised and able to stick to a strategy, showing signs of a high-level fighter, with a great boxing IQ.”

“Medina has a great fan-friendly style and he is now ready for a nice step-up fight,” said Rick Morones, President of TMB Promotions, who promotes Medina. “Because he’s only 20-years old, we have plenty of time to build him up. It is a true privilege to be a part of this journey with Medina. We started from the ground up, and now with hard work, we’re going to the top.”

Medina, who is building on his winning momentum, is now setting his sights on his home state of Texas, hoping to be a part of a card during the state’s reopening period.

“I am really excited about the state’s reopening in Texas, and I would love to get on a card when the fans are in-attendance,” Medina concluded. “I love entertaining the fans and that is my goal for this rest of this year. If a big fight comes to San Antonio, or any part of Texas, I’ll be ready to go.”