Sampson Lewkowicz of Sampson Boxing proudly announces he has won today’s IBF purse bid for the right to promote Scottish IBF Junior Welterweight Champion Josh Taylor’s mandatory defense against Thailand’s Apinun Khongsong.

Held at the IBF’s office in Springfield, NJ, Lewkowicz submitted a winning bid of $1.32M, topping Top Rank’s submission of $1.26M.

Under IBF rules, the fight must take place within 90 days of the bid or by April 20, 2020. Champion Taylor (16-0, 12 KOs) will be entitled to 65% of the winning bid ($858,000) while Khongsong (16-0, 13 KOs) will receive 35% ($462,000).

While the exact date and site are, as of now, unknown, Lewkowicz says he will get to work immediately arranging the particulars and wishes to reassure Taylor’s UK fans they will not be deprived of seeing their hero in action.

“I am honored to be promoting this fight between these two warriors and I want to make it clear I would not cheat UK fans of seeing this fight live,” said Lewkowicz. “It will be in Great Britain or Scotland. Please be patient, I will announce the full details very soon.”
About Sampson Boxing

Sampson Boxing has promotional partners all over North and South America, Africa, Asia, New Zealand, Australia, Europe and Central America. Sampson Boxing events have been televised on such premiere networks as HBO, Showtime, ESPN, ESPN+, DAZN, VS., FOX, Fox Sports and several international networks. For more information, visit sampsonboxing.com.

Trenton, NJ (January 24, 2020) – Weights for Saturday’s boxing card at The Cure Insurance Arena in Trenton,New Jersey. Silver Bow will present ChampBox 1 with an exciting six bout card.

Mike Hilton 200 – Baldimir Hernandez 197
Shinard Bunch 147 – Fabian Lyimo 145
Chris Thomas 178 – Engleberto Valenzuela 176
Frederic Julan 176 – Fidel Munoz 173
LaQuan Evans 154 – Alberto Delgado 155
Mike Moore 200 – Jakub Sowirko 198

Promoter: Silver Bow
Venue: Cure Insurance Arena
1st Bell: 7:30 PM ET

Photo by Daniel Cork

Highlighting the amateur portion of the card will be locals, Zaire Gross, Kevin Alexander and Jabbar Abercrombie.

Tickets for this special evening of boxing are $25, $39, $59, $79 and the 1st two rows are $99. Tickets can be purchased at the following link:

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS:

The event is being sponsored by Flash Tech IT and CyberSecuirty since 1992. www.flashtech.com

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SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® – 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on SHOWTIME

WBC Welterweight Title Eliminator – 12-Rounds

Danny Garcia – 147 lbs.

Ivan Redkach – 146 ¾ lbs.

Referee: Benjy Esteves; Judges: Glenn Feldman (Connecticut), Tony Paolillo (New York), Don Trella (Connecticut)

Super Welterweight Bout – 10-Rounds

Jarrett Hurd – 154 ½ lbs.

Francisco Santana – 155 lbs.

Referee: Arthur Mercante; Judges: Larry Hazzard, Jr. (New Jersey), Julie Lederman (New York); Kevin Morgan (New York)

WBO Junior Featherweight Title Eliminator – 12-Rounds

Stephen Fulton, Jr. – 122 lbs.

Arnold Khegai – 121 ¾ lbs.

Referee: Steve Willis; Judges: Frank Lombardi (Connecticut), John McKaie (New York), Waleska Roldan (New York)

FLASH QUOTES:

DANNY GARCIA

“We’re going to go in there and fight the Danny Garcia fight. If he wants to brawl, he can do his thing, but just don’t get too excited because I’ve got two hammers waiting for him. Don’t try too hard because you might knock yourself out.

“I love the Barclays Center. Brooklyn, New York has always shown me a lot of love, all my fans from Philly, all my fans from all around the world show me love. The atmosphere is going to be crazy tomorrow, I can’t wait.”

IVAN REDKACH

“This training camp, I didn’t have to work at losing weight, I just had to work at beating Danny. I believe in my game plan, I believe in the training camp that we had, that’s why I’m going to knock him out. I’ve already visualized it.”

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING COUNTDOWN Live Streaming Online – 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT

Super Lightweight Bout – 8-Rounds

Patrick Harris – 140 ¾ lbs.

Clay Burns – 139 ½ lbs.

Welterweight Bout – 8-Rounds

Keeshawn Williams – 150 lbs.

Gaku Takahashi – 147 ¼ lbs.

Middleweight Bout – 6-Rounds

Lorenzo Simpson – 159 ½ lbs.

Antonio Hernandez – 159 lbs.

The digital offering will be streamed live on the SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and SHOWTIME Boxing Facebook page leading into the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast.

#

ABOUT GARCIA VS. REDKACH

Garcia vs. Redkach will see two-division world champion Danny “Swift” Garcia take on hard-hitting Ivan “El Terrible” Redkach in a WBC Welterweight Title Eliminator headlining action live on SHOWTIME Saturday, January 25 from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™, in a Premier Boxing Champions event.

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features unified champion “Swift” Jarrett Hurd battling Francisco “Chia” Santana in the 10-round co-feature, and unbeaten sensation Stephen Fulton facing fellow unbeaten Arnold Khegai in a Super Bantamweight Title eliminator. The Fulton vs. Khegai bout is promoted in association with Salita Promotions.

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

Philadelphia, PA (January 24, 2020) – Tough and battle tested veteran Samuel Teah will headline a big night of boxing that will take place on Saturday, March 7th at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia when he takes on Dieumerci Nzau in the six-round junior welterweight main event,

The show will be the 1st promoted by RDR Promotions.

Teah of Philadelphia has a record of 16-3-1 with seven knockouts. The 32 year-old is a seven year professional has scored some very high-profile wins on national television.

Teah has defeated world-ranked O’Shaquie Foster (8-0), David Gonzalez (8-0-2), Maynard Allison (9-2), Kenneth Sims Jr. (13-1-1) and in his last bout, Teah won the USBA Junior Welterweight title with a 10-round majority decision over Sonny Fredrickson (21-1) on November 14th in Washington, D.C.

Nzau of Silver Spring, Maryland, has a record of 11-11 with eight knockouts. Nzau, 31 years-old is an 11 year professional who is coming off a loss to Omar Bordoy on December 19th in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Seeing action in separate six-round bouts will be undefeated welterweight Mark Dawson (6-0-1, 3 KOs) of Philadelphia as well as popular super middleweight Brandon Robinson of King’s Promotions (14-2, 9 KOs) of Upper Darby, PA.

The undercard will feature some up and coming fighters from the Philadelphia area in four round bouts.

Ryan Umberger (3-0, 3 KOs) of Bensalem, PA fights Estevan Payan (1-8, 1 KO) of Glendale, AZ in a middleweight bout.

Naheem Parker of Philadelphia makes his pro debut against Anthony Carter (0-1) of Philadelphia in a lightweight bout.

Also seeing action against opponents to be named will be super bantamweight Victor Medina (1-0,1 KO) of Hartford, CT; super lightweight Nafear Charles (2-0, 2 KOs) of Philadelphia; super featherweight Nasir Mickens (1-0, 1 KO) of Philadelphia; pro debuting Rasheim Jefferson; middleweight Laquan Evans (2-1, 1 KO) of Philadelphia.

Opponents and more fights will be announced shortly.

Tickets are $125 VIP with a drink; $75 Ringside and $55 General Admission and can be purchased at 2300arena.com

LOS ANGELES (Jan. 24, 2020): Welterweight prospect Alexis “Lex” Rocha (15-0, 10 KOs) will take an important step up in competition as he defends his WBC Continental Americas Welterweight Title against Brad “King” Solomon (28-2, 16 KOs) in a 10-round bout on the undercard of Garcia vs. Fonseca. The event will take place Friday, Feb. 14 at Honda Center in Anaheim, California and will be streamed live exclusively on DAZN.

Rocha is a 22-year-old southpaw of Santa Ana, California who is widely considered as one of the best rising prospects of the welterweight division. Since making his debut in 2016, Rocha has steadily climbed the rankings by fighting some of the biggest cards that Southern California has hosted in recent years. After defending his regional title against the likes of Berlin Abreu and Roberto Valenzuela Jr., Rocha will look to pass the toughest test of his career when he takes on tough contender Solomon.

“I’m excited and looking forward to fighting in my backyard at the Honda center,” said Alexis Rocha. “Brad Solomon is a big step up and will present a challenge, but I am more than ready. I’m looking to make a statement on February 14, and hope I get the recognition I deserve as one of the best fighters in the welterweight division”

Solomon is a 36-year-old contender of Lafayette, Lousiana who was a standout amateur boxer before debuting as a professional in 2008. Aside from winning several Golden Gloves titles, Solomon also possess an amateur win over Javier Molina. As a professional, he as defeated tough fighters such as Freddy “The Rail” Hernandez
and Adrian “El Tigre” Granados. Solomon is coming off a loss against Vergil Ortiz Jr. in what was a valiant effort. He’ll now look to have better success against Rocha.

“I’m coming to make a statement in this fight,” said Brad Solomon. “I just fought on a Golden Boy card in December, but I’m coming right back to show what I’m made of. So, make sure you tune into my fight on Feb. 14 because I will demonstrate that I have a lot of unfinished business in the boxing game.”

As previously announced, Ryan Garcia (19-0, 16 KOs) of Victorville, Calif. will defend his WBC Silver Lightweight Title against Francisco Fonseca (25-2-2, 19 KOs) of Managua, Nicaragua in the 12-round main event.

In the co-main event, Jorge “El Niño de Oro” Linares (46-5, 28 KOs) will take on Carlos Morales (19-4-4, 8 KOs) of Los Angeles in a 10-round lightweight battle.

Blair “The Flair” Cobbs (15-0, 10 KOs) of Las Vegas will defend his NABF Welterweight Crown against Samuel Kotey (23-2, 16 KOs) of Baltimore in a 10-round bout.

Tenochtitlan “T-Dog” Nava (7-2, 1 KO) of Los Angeles will face Anthony Casillas
(8-1, 4 KOs) of Southgate, Calif. in a six-round featherweight fight.

Bektemir Melikuiziev (4-0, 3 KOs) of Shoimbek, Uzbekistan will defend his WBA Continental Americas Super Middleweight Championship against Marco Antonio Periban (25-5-1, 16 KOs) of Mexico City, Mexico in a 10-round clash.

Newly signed prospect Evan Sanchez (6-0, 5 KOs) of Parlier, Calif. will participate in a six-round welterweight bout.

Alejandro “PinPon” Reyes (2-0, 2 KOs) of Mexicali, Mexico will return in a four-round lightweight battle.

Garcia vs. Fonseca is a 12-round fight for the WBC Silver Lightweight Title presented by Golden Boy. The event is sponsored by Hennessy “Never Stop. Never Settle.” The event will take place Saturday, Feb. 14 at Honda Center in Anaheim, California and will be streamed live exclusively on DAZN.

Tickets for the event are on sale and are priced at $150, $100, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges. Tickets can be purchased at goldenboytickets.com, ticketmaster.com, and by phone at 800-943-4327 and at the Honda Center Box Office (Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. PT to 5 p.m. PT and Sat 10 a.m. PT to 4 p.m. PT).

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and
DAZN.com. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing and @DAZN_USA. Become a fan on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing/ and
https://www.facebook.com/DAZNUSA/. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoy and @DAZN_USA. Follow the conversation using #GarciaFonseca.

Photos and videos are available for download by clicking here or copying
and pasting the link https://bit.ly/GarciaFonseca into a browser. Credit must be provided to Golden Boy for any photo and/or video usage.

Terri Harper is targeting a life-changing win over Eva Wahlstrom at the FlyDSA Arena on Saturday February 8 when they clash in a huge unification battle for the IBO and WBC Super-Featherweight World Titles, live on Sky Sports in the UK and DAZN in the US.

Harper (9-0, 5 KOs) got off to a flying start under the Matchroom Boxing banner with a polished performance to outpoint tough Brazilian Viviane Obenauf in the first defence of her IBO crown on her 23rd birthday in November.

‘Belter’ admits the pressure she felt to perform on her big Matchroom debut may have caused her to play it safe at Manchester Arena but the undefeated Denaby star, South Yorkshire’s first female professional boxer, has promised to take it to her opponent next month.

“Watching the Obenauf fight back I feel I held back a bit,” said Harper. “I had a lot of pressure on me to perform on my Matchroom debut and maybe played it a bit too safe. In this fight I feel I will be more adventurous, I know what Eva is going to bring and I will go out there and show my ability. I’m ready to show everyone what I can do.

“One of the main changes is that we have been sparring straight away, getting lots of rounds in with different girls and training twice a day alongside Anthony Tomlinson who is also on the bill. I have my feet through the door now and I am ready for February 8, a date I will hopefully come home as WBC World Champion.”

Wahlstrom (23-1-2, 3 KOs), a pro since 2010 and who has only lost to Irish sensation Katie Taylor, promises to be a career-defining fight for Harper. The Finnish 39-year-old has held the WBC title since 2015, making fives defences of the green and gold belt during her reign.

Guided by Stefy Bull from his gym in Doncaster, Harper has passed every test of her career with flying colours since turning professional in 2017 following a successful stint in the amateurs and the 23-year-old believes she has what it takes to overcome Wahlstrom in a clash of youth versus experience.

“Eva is a solid opponent who has shared the ring with some great female boxers over a long career. She has more experience than me but she is nearly 40 and I feel it is my time now, to take the baton and get the win. I feel like I have long range and won’t get dragged into a brawl. We have seen that she is open to that back hand so that is what we have been working with in the gym, I want to get back on my knockout streak!

“It’s a 50:50 fight but I feel like I have got youth on my side. I am so hungry to win this and have prepared for the best version of Eva Wahlstrom possible. I have put 110% into this camp because I know that if I prepare correctly that I can change my life on February 8. I have dreams of boxing in America and I see that as the next goal for me after winning this WBC title.

“All I see in this fight is me being dominant with my jab and then stopping her with my back hand, I just feel like it’s something she will not be able to deal with. I feel my fitness will come through and the fight will be over in the mid to late rounds.”

Harper vs. Wahlstrom is part of a huge night of action in Sheffield.

Kell Brook (38-2, 26 KOs) will be aiming to shake off the ring rust and fire his name back into the mix for a Word Title shot in 2020 when he meets the USA’s Mark DeLuca (24-1, 13 KOs), Kid Galahad (26-1, 15 KOs) takes on Claudio Marrero (24-3, 17 KOs) in a Final Eliminator for the IBF Featherweight crown, Anthony Tomlinson (11-0, 6 KOs) takes on Stewart Burt (13-1-1, 1 KO) in a Eliminator for the British and Commonwealth Welterweight titles, Dave Allen (17-5-2, 14 KOs) makes his long-awaited return after eight months out of the ring, Brentwood Super-Featherweight Martin Joseph Ward (23-1-2, 11 KOs) returns, Sheffield Super-Featherweight prospect Donte Dixon (2-0, 1 KO) returns, Super-Middleweight John Docherty (7-0, 5 KO) continues his march towards a first title, Leeds Featherweight Hopey Price (2-0, 1 KO) looks to go 3-0 and Sheffield Light-Heavyweight Callum Beardow (1-0) fights for the second time as a pro.

TIJUANA, MX (JANUARY 24, 2020) – Undefeated super bantamweight prospect, Eros Correa (8-0, 6 KOs), who is managed by Cali Boxing Management, returns to the ring on this Saturday January 25, 2010, at the Big Punch Arena, promoted by GM3 Boxing and Gonzalez Boxing Promotions. Correa will battle Genaro Rodriguez (6-7-1, 2 KOs), who hails from Baja California, Mexico. The fight will be an eight-round bout, the first of Eros Correa’s career.

“I am really focused right now, and I believe this will be a very big year for me starting with this fight,” said Eros Correa, who resided in San Jose, CA. “I am staying in the gym and constantly improving every single day. I am ready to put on a great performance to start the year.”

“Eros is very focused, he has an exciting crowd-pleasing style,” said Andrew Bocanegra, of Cali Boxing Management. “Eros is one of the most exciting fighters in the lower weight classes right now and January 25th people will see why.”

“I want to fight the big names in my division,” continued Correa. “Godinez has fought fighters who have fought for world titles, I want to show the world the fighter I am by making a statement and beating him by knockout.”

“Eros is focused right now,” said Jessie Sanchez, of Cali Boxing Management. “He’s been as active as ever and this fight will continue to show all of his progress.”

(Jan. 23, 2020) — Former WBA super featherweight world champion Andrew “El Chango” Cancio, the working man’s hero who reached the pinnacle of the sport, has signed a multi-fight promotional contract with Top Rank. Cancio, who still holds down a full-time job at Southern California Gas Company, is expected to make his Top Rank on ESPN debut in April.
 
“Andrew Cancio is one of the very best fighters at 130 pounds, a hard-working young man who deserves another opportunity to fight at the sport’s highest level,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “He was a free agent, miraculously, and we didn’t hesitate to make a deal with him and his team.”
 
“I’m very grateful to begin the next chapter of my career with Bob Arum and the entire Top Rank team in my corner,” Cancio said. “I look forward to returning to the ring in front of my army of supporters and am fully prepared to fight my way towards becoming a world champion again. Thanks very much to my team, particularly my manager, Ray Chaparro, who has always believed in me and has been incredibly supportive of my career and instrumental in the success I’ve achieved.”
 
Said Chaparro: “Andrew and I are honored to join Top Rank as we move forward towards the rest of his career. I’ve known for a long time that Andrew is a world-class fighter and am very happy to begin working with Bob Arum and his outstanding team on our march towards another world title. I’d specifically like to thank Top Rank matchmaker Brad Goodman, who has worked diligently to welcome us to Top Rank. We both look forward to working closely with him in the future.”
 
Cancio (21-5-2, 16 KOs), from Blythe, Calif., knocked out Alberto Machado last February in four rounds to win the WBA super featherweight world title. Four months later, he repeated the deed, this time stopping Machado in three rounds. Cancio’s title reign ended last November when Nicaraguan veteran Rene Alvarado knocked him out in seven rounds.
 
Cancio is one of the sport’s top regional ticket-sellers, as he routinely draws sold-out crowds to the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, Calif., a 90-minute drive from Blythe. After the Alvarado defeat, Cancio was released by his previous promoter, paving the way for him to sign with Top Rank. WBO world champion Jamel “Semper Fi” Herring, WBC world champion Miguel “El Alacran” Berchelt, former featherweight world champion Oscar Valdez, former two-weight world champion Carl “The Jackal” Frampton and former world champion Masayuki “The Judge” Ito are Top Rank-signed fighters who currently campaign at 130 pounds, leaving Cancio with a plethora of options as he resumes his career.

Eddie Hearn:

“Good afternoon everyone. Welcome. I think this is the first one of 2020. 2019 seems to have passed us by and a great great year of boxing in Britain, in America, of course finishing with that wonderful event in Saudi Arabia where Anthony Joshua reclaimed the unified World Heavyweight Championship, one in Dallas for Jacobs vs. Chavez Jr. Next week we kick everything off, live on Sky Sports and live on DAZN, in Miami with a huge card, Super Bowl week in Miami with Demetrius Andrade vs. Luke Keeler, Tevin Farmer against Jo Jo Diaz, Daniel Roman against Murodjon Akhmadaliev, Jake Paul against AnEsonGib – Adam’s particular favourite – we can’t wait to be in Miami next week ahead of the start for the UK. 

“Kell Brook returns to the ring on February 8th at Sheffield Arena against Mark DeLuca, but Manchester, we’re back here on March 7th with a great great great fight. So many great memories in this very room here, I see Anthony Crolla up the back, and of course I remember the great build-up to the fight between Scott Quigg and Carl Frampton at Manchester Arena – so many great press conferences in this room here – that was a feisty feisty build-up. We’re going to get exactly the same thing in this build-up between two great fighters in very similar positions. Both guys who have been a World Champion in Scott Quigg, a World Title challenger in Jono Carroll – a great fight against Tevin Farmer in Philadelphia. Of course Scott Quigg, former Super-Bantamweight World Champion attempted to unify that in one of the biggest fights that Manchester has seen in the Carl Frampton fight. This is an absolute must-win fight for both guys. 

“I was gutted when we lost this fight in Saudi Arabia, and when we put it to them for March 7 Scott accepted and of course Jono jumped at it straight away. This is a must-win for both guys, high stakes. There’s a big card coming for March 7, some of those guys are here today and some of them are in camp already abroad. We have the return of Hughie Fury, good to see him back, disappointed in Monte-Carlo when he fell ill during fight week, but he’s returning to the venue where he fought for the Heavyweight World Title against Joseph Parker. Scott Fitzgerald will be on the card as well, and also, late last night we awaited final confirmation that Zach Parker will be on this card fighting in an eliminator for the No.1 spot for the Super-Middleweight World Title, a very important fight to become mandatory challenger to Billy Joe Saunders, against Rohan Merdoch the Australian on this card as well. Ibrahim Nadim, a great young fighter, with Paul Speak and Ricky Hatton coming through. Jack Cullen returns on this card – what a fight with Felix Cash! It was probably one of my favourite fights of 2019. Dalton Smith as well, one of the top top GB talents coming through who had a wonderful start to his career last year.”

Adam Smith, Head of Sky Sports Boxing: 

“Thanks Eddie. It’s fantastic to be back in Manchester and I think this is the fight for Manchester. Like you I was gutted that it was called off in Saudi, which was an amazing night for Anthony Joshua and for the whole of British boxing. It gives us such a huge amount to look forward to in 2020, there’s some really fantastic shows coming up, Kell Brook in Sheffield, we’ve got a load of stuff coming from the States, obviously we’ve seen the likes of Dillian Whyte coming back and Derek Chisora, Anthony Joshua brought his titles back. There’s so much to look forward to ahead. Also, the women’s scene is one fire, I was talking to Peter Fury earlier and Savannah Marshall will be going great guns this year, Katie Taylor we’ll see maybe Stateside but it would be great to have her here too, it was fantastic in Manchester last time when she become a two-weight World Champion. 

“There’s some super stuff going on out there and we’re really please to be back, first of all in Manchester, I walked in with Anthony Crolla – he still loves it doesn’t he! He was working with us a little bit towards the end of last year doing a fantastic job on the safe side of the ropes. We loved watching him throughout his career. We followed Scott Quigg throughout his, he’s been a brilliant fighter, he’s always been so down to Earth, so easy to deal with and so wonderful in the ring. He’s had a fantastic career already, becoming a World Champion, Eddie mentioned that huge fight with Carl Frampton. He goes on, his dedication is incredible and I love that in Scott.

“I also love this guy, Jono Carroll, he’s brilliant. This fella has been in some fantastic fights. It was a terrific effort, we were there ringside when he pushed Tevin Farmer the whole way. He’s a colourful character, he’s fantastic. It’s a brilliant fight to make for the Manchester fight crowd – you guys know your stuff up here. The likes of Ricky Hatton, Anthony Farnell, Michael Gomez, Anthony Crolla through the years. Scott Quigg has got some life left in him the old dog, he looks fantastic doesn’t he – he always does. Jono Carroll will be pushing him all the way. It’s a tremendous bill with some terrific fighters on card. Jack Cullen – what a great fight that was with Felix Cash. It’s great to see Hughie Fury back and so many great youngsters coming through. I think it’s going to be a brilliant 2020 and we cannot wait to be here back in Manchester where they love their boxing, and you’re going to love this show. It’s a fantastic top of the bill Eddie.”

Scott Quigg: 

“It’s good to be back in Manchester in an exciting fight. I have been out the ring a long time and it has been frustrating but now I am back with Joe and really looking forward to March 7. 

“This is a fight that really excites me, he is going to come and try and have a go but he will get demolished. 2020 is going to be a very successful year for me. 

“I want to get in the ring and if he wants to have it then great but I think he will be on his bike! We will see if he backs up everything he is saying. 

“I know that I’ve still got it and can still do it. I am improving and on March 7 all the doubters will see that there is still plenty left in the tank. I will take Johno Carroll out, get my arm raised and move on. It’s a simple as that.”Jono Carroll:

“First of all I want to thank Eddie and and Adam for having me on such a big show and I’m finally topping a bill again. 

“After Saudi got cancelled I genuinely thought that Scott bottled it, I had no issues with him but I just remember thinking he better not have bottled that. 

“This is a career shift, I have always wanted to top bills and I remember being at Manchester Arena when Scott fought Kiko Martinez thinking I cannot wait until that is me and now I’m here. 

“I am delighted to be here and if you know me personally you will know this is just business. I was more than happy to go out to Philadelphia and help Tevin Farmer after our fight and I am actually have disappointed that I won’t be there. 

“I will be working my ass off in Spain to go and smash Scott Quigg up. I want to gain as much experience as possible in this game and I welcome failure. I like it when I fail because it means I am pushing myself hard enough. 

“My loss to Farmer woke me up and I want to be the best I can possibly be. Anything that will push me mentally and physically I am up for. It keeps me focused, disciplined and gives me guidance. This is going to be a fantastic fight. I am already fit so this is just about fine-tuning now. I know that I am that world level now. I go to war, I think it is the Irish blood in me.

“One thing I just have to question is why does he feel he has to change trainer? To me that’s weakness in the mind, that’s weakness in the head. You change trainer before such a big fight? I know he’s going back to Joe. Joe is an amazing trainer, but at the same time, that’s weakness, in my own opinion. That might be a bad mistake mate.”Hughie Fury:

“I was absolutely devastated not to be able to box in Monte-Caro after all of that hard work. It wasn’t meant to be, but it has given me that bit longer with the stuff I’ve been working on in the gym. It’s exciting to be back in Manchester where I fought for the World Title, it wasn’t my night, but it’s all about learning and all of these fights put me where I am today, they’ve made me a better fighter, and people are in for a shock the next time around. It’s going to be an exciting year. 

“People are going to see a major turn around. I want all of those fights again. I was basically fighting with one hand and they still couldn’t do no good with me. They’re the fights I want again. It was frustrating for myself to not let that right hand go against Povetkin. I kick myself all the time about it but it’s one of them, it happens and people are going to see a big difference next time.”

Jack Cullen:

“Yeah the Cash fight was a good experience. I’d just like to say thanks for getting me back out on these shows. 2020 is going to be my year. I’m not going to come up with any excuses for Felix Cash, it’s time to get back wining and hopefully we’ll get it again. I’m not looking past anybody, I’m looking forward to my next fight, I’ve just got to keep on going and keep on winning. To be honest I wasn’t myself, I’m not going to come up with any excuses, I wasn’t myself, if it happens again I will be wining that fight. Hopefully before the end of the year we’ll get it again.”

Dalton Smith:

“I enjoyed last year stepping into the professional ranks. I had four fights, settled in well, but the new year is here now and it’s time to step up the rounds and the opposition. I just want to stay active this year, stepping up the rounds and we’ll see how the year pans out. If it were up to me I’d jump into those big fights now but you’ve got to be realistic, it’s a tough game to be in and you’ve got to learn your trade.

“Sometimes it’s not just about your ability, you’ve got to become a 12 round fighter and get the experience. I just listen to my team. I just do what they say. Obviously I’ve got the best promotional team around me, one day I want to become a World Champion but I just need to listen to my team, I’ll fight whoever they put in front of me.”

Ibrahim Nadim:

“First of all I’d like to thank Eddie, Matchroom and Sky Sports Boxing for giving me this opportunity to fight on the undercard of a great main event. I’ll show you all what I’m about on March 7. I’m still getting used to the transition into the pro game, I need to learn to plant my feet a bit more and let some more power shots go.”

(Jan. 23, 2020) — Jose Ramirez’s WBC/WBO junior welterweight world title defense against former world champion Viktor “The Iceman” Postol — originally scheduled to be broadcast live on ESPN from Mission Hills Haikou in Hainan, China on Saturday, Feb. 1 — has been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak in China.
 
 The Ramirez-Postol bout will be contested at a date and venue to be determined.
 
 “The health and safety of our fighters and everyone working on the event is the most important thing,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “We hope the situation is brought under control soon. We look forward to staging events at Mission Hills Haikou in the very near future.”

WBA and IBF World Super-Bantamweight champion, Daniel Roman, held a workout for the media today at the City of Angles Boxing gym in Los Angeles. Roman defends his titles against unbeaten WBA mandatory challenger Murodjon Akhmadaliev on the stacked World championship triple header bill on Thursday January 30 at the Meridian at Island Gardens in Miami, live on DAZN in the US and on Sky Sports in the UK.
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW STARTING AT $40 (PLUS FEES)

CLICK HERE TO WATCH DANIEL ROMAN’S EPISODE OF ‘BORN FIGHTER’ ON MATCHROOM BOXING’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL
 Roman, who is the only unified champion in the super-bantamweight division, has remained unbeaten since 2013, becoming one of the most accomplished fighters in boxing. Here is what he and his team had to say about this sensational matchup. 

“Murodjon Akhmadaliev beat my teammate Isaac Zarate so I’m very familiar with him,” said Roman. “I know he’s a strong kid, an aggressive fighter, he’s hungry and he’s going to try to take me out as best he can.”

“He makes a few mistakes, he likes to fight with his hands down, not sure if that’s his style, but those are the flaws I see in him,” Roman continued. “Akhmadaliev might not have the experience as a pro, but he was a great Olympic amateur who won a bronze metal. At this level there are no easy fights. His style and my style are going to make for a great bout.”

“It was a great training camp like always,” concluded Roman. “We expect Akhmadaliev to come with his best and we are not taking him lightly. My shoulder injury is behind me and I’m feeling 100%. This is a world championship fight and we are ready to go.”

“Danny is a true professional, he’s discipline, he sacrifices, he works hard,” stated trainer and manager Eddie Gonzalez. “If I ask him to do something he goes beyond. I’m very confident his going to beat Murodjon Akhmadaliev.”

“I think Roman is one of the best fighters in boxing period,” said Ken Thompson, CEO of Thompson Boxing Promotions. “He’s fought all over the world and won world titles. He’s the best fighter we’ve ever had at Thompson Boxing. I’m expecting him to have a spectacular performance.”

“I can’t think of any fights the Danny Roman has been in that wasn’t action packed,” said Thompson Boxing matchmaker Alex Camponovo. “He hasn’t lost many rounds in his career and I expect him to dominate in this fight.”

Roman’s clash with Akhmadaliev is part of a huge night of World championship boxing as Demetrius Andrade (28-0, 17 KOs) defends his WBO World Middleweight title against contender Luke Keeler (17-2-1, 5 KOs) and Tevin Farmer (30-4-1, 6 KOs) defending his IBF World Super Featherweight title against JoJo Diaz (30-1, 15 KOs).

YouTube sensations Jake Paul and AnEsonGib make their pro debuts against each other, Super-Middleweight contender Anthony Sims Jr (20-0 18 KOs) fights for his first pro title against Roamer Alexis Angulo (25-1 22 KOs) and a host of young talents are in action in the form of Movladdin Biyarslanov (5-0 4 KOs), Austin Williams (4-0 3 KOs), Alexis Espino (4-0 3 KOs), Otha Jones III (4-0 1 KO) and Avril Mathie (4-0-1 2 KOs).

Jason Quigley stopped Fernando Marin in round thee of a scheduled 10-round super middleweight fight at the Hanger in Orange County, California.

In round three, Quigley landed a right hand to the face that had Marin stepping back and eventually falling to the canvas, and the fight was stopped at 1:47.

Quigley, 164.4 lbs of Woodland Hills, CA is 18-1 with 14 knockouts. Marin, 162.2 lbs of Aguascalientes, MX is 16-5-3.

“I was catching him with some good shots in the second round,” said Jason Quigley. “He’s got a hard head; I’ll tell you that. I knew he could take some heavy shots. I was happy to get him out of there in the third round. I think everyone knows me well. I like to get into a brawl. That was my downfall in the past. Tonight, working with Andy Lee was great. We’re maturing and progressing every time.”

Ferdinand Kerobyan stopped Azael Cosio in round two of a scheduled eight-round super welterweight bout.

In round one, Kerobyan dropped Cosio with a 1-2 combination. He send him down for a 2nd time in round with a left hook. Cosio seemed to be slipping all over the ring. In round two, Kerobyan pounded Cosio on the ropes and the fight was stopped as Cosio was dropped for a 3rd time at 2:07.

Kerobyan, 153.4 lbs of North Hollywood, CA is 14-1 with nine knockouts. Cosio, 152 lbs of Santa Marta, CA is 21-9-2.

“I think I did great. Fighting in my hometown is such a big deal,” said Ferdinand Keroyban. “It gave me more motivation to get the knockout win. I feel like this was a great way to start off the year. I’m going to keep going. For everyone who’s watching, keep tuning in. I’m going to keep putting on a show.”

Miahai Nistor stopped Jaime Solorio in the opening round of their scheduled eight-round heavyweight bout.

In round one, Nistor dropped Solorio with a body shot. Later in the round, Nistor started to bleed from his nose. Later in the round Nistor sent Solorio down with another body, and the fight was stopped at 2:24.

Nistor, 244.2 lbs of Bucharest, ROU is 2-0 with two knockouts. Solorio, 234.2 lbs of Ensenada, MEX is 12-4-2.

“I felt great,” said Mihai Nistor. “I trained a lot for this fight. Now I must wait for my next fight.”

Gregory Morales remained undefeated with a 4th round stoppage over Giovanni Delgado in a scheduled six-round featherweight bout.

In round three, Morales sent Delgado to the canvas with a right hand. Morales finished the fight with a hard knockdown with a combination in round four, and the bout was stopped at 58 seconds.

Morales, 123.4 lbs of Villa Union, MEX is 11-0 with seven knockouts. Delgado, 125 lbs of Tacubaya, MEX is 16-10.

“I felt amazing. I was calm and did what I had to do,” said Gregory Morales. “My opponent was tough. He had an awkward style. He knew how to cover my punches. Besides that, it was an easy fight. I’m going to stay active and build my record. I’m going to be even more active than last year.”

Eduardo Reyes won an four-round unanimous decision over Daniel Perales in a welterweight bout.

Reyes, 143.6 lbs of Tamaulipas, MEX won by scores of 40-36 twice and 39-37 and is now 10-17. Perales, 144.6 lbs of Nuevo Leon, MEX IS 11-20-2.

“This was a good fight,” said Eduardo Reyes. “We thought my opponent was going to be tougher. I dominated the fight. I felt strong. Once we saw my opponent couldn’t go forward anymore, I started to box him without taking too many risks.”

LOS ANGELES, CA (January 23, 2020) – Thompson Boxing Promotion’s WBA and IBF World Super-Bantamweight champion, Daniel Roman, held a workout for the media today at the City of Angles Boxing gym in Los Angeles. Roman defends his titles against unbeaten WBA mandatory challenger Murodjon Akhmadaliev on the stacked World championship triple header bill on Thursday January 30 at the Meridian at Island Gardens in Miami, live on DAZN in the US and on Sky Sports in the UK.

Roman, who is the only unified champion in the super-bantamweight division, has remained unbeaten since 2013, becoming one of the most accomplished fighters in boxing. Here is what he and his team had to say about this sensational matchup.

“Murodjon Akhmadaliev beat my teammate Isaac Zarate so I’m very familiar with him,” said Daniel Roman. “I know he’s a strong kid, an aggressive fighter, he’s hungry and he’s going to try to take me out as best he can.”

“He makes a few mistakes, he likes to fight with his hands down, not sure if that’s his style, but those are the flaws I see in him,” Roman continued. “Akhmadaliev might not have the experience as a pro, but he was a great Olympic amateur who won a bronze metal. At this level there are no easy fights. His style and my style are going to make for a great bout.”

“It was a great training camp like always,” concluded Roman. “We expect Akhmadaliev to come with his best and we are not taking him lightly. My shoulder injury is behind me and I’m feeling 100%. This is a world championship fight and we are ready to go.”

“Danny is a true professional, he’s discipline, he sacrifices, he works hard,” stated trainer and manager Eddie Gonzalez. “If I ask him to do something he goes beyond. I’m very confident his going to beat Murodjon Akhmadaliev.”

“I think Roman is one of the best fighters in boxing period,” said Ken Thompson, CEO of Thompson Boxing Promotions, Roman’s promoter. “He’s fought all over the world and won world titles. He’s the best fighter we’ve ever had at Thompson Boxing. I’m expecting him to have a spectacular performance.”

“I can’t think of any fights the Danny Roman has been in that wasn’t action packed,” said Thompson Boxing matchmaker Alex Camponovo. “He hasn’t lost many rounds in his career and I expect him to dominate in this fight.”

LAS VEGAS – Today, FOX Sports and ESPN announce an extensive preview programming lineup in advance of the highly anticipated rematch between undefeated heavyweight champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder and unbeaten lineal champion Tyson “The Gypsy King” Fury taking place on Saturday, February 22 in a historic, joint presentation by FOX Sports PPV & ESPN+ PPV live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Their first meeting took place on Dec. 1, 2018 and saw Wilder retain his title via split draw after Fury miraculously rose from a 12th-round knockdown to finish the fight. Now, as the two prepare for the rematch, preview programming coming to both networks include the in-depth four-part INSIDE WILDER VS FURY II series, the one-hour COUNTDOWN: DEONTAY WILDER VS. TYSON FURY II special, as well as a live PRESS CONFERENCE.

With a first look into the fighter’s preparation for their upcoming battle, INSIDE WILDER VS FURY II (Part 1) premieres on Saturday, Jan. 25 (3:30 PM ET) on FOX and on ESPN2 on Thursday, Jan. 30 (8:30 PM ET).

Then, both Wilder and Fury escalate their war of words in the one-hour PRESS CONFERENCE: DEONTAY WILDER VS. TYSON FURY II simulcast live on FOX and the ESPN App, Saturday, Jan. 25 (4:00 PM ET). The press conference will also be broadcast in Spanish on FOX Deportes and ESPN Deportes.

The hour-long COUNTDOWN: DEONTAY WILDER VS. TYSON FURY II, premieres on FOX on Saturday, Feb. 1 (5:00 PM ET), and on ESPN, Sunday, Feb. 2 (7:00 PM ET), going behind the scenes and inside the lives of both fighters as they prepare for their long-awaited rematch.

The INSIDE WILDER VS FURY II series continues to build anticipation for the heavyweight showdown throughout February: Part 2 premieres on FOX, Saturday, Feb. 1 (4:30 PM ET) and on ESPN, Sunday, Feb. 2 (8:30 PM ET). Part 3 airs on FOX, Saturday, Feb. 8 (11:30 PM ET/PT) and on ESPN2 on Sunday, Feb. 9 (12:30 AM ET), while Part 4 wraps on FOX on Sunday, Feb. 16 (12:30 PM ET) and on ESPN on Sunday, Feb. 16 (7:00 PM ET).

The COUNTDOWN and INSIDE WILDER VS FURY II series are produced by Five Films, the multi-Emmy Award winning production company founded by Scott Boggins and Craig Jenest that established the popular “athlete-follow” and “team-follow” formats in sports television.

Below is the program premiere time and date for each network. Shows will re-air numerous times across FOX Sports and ESPN networks:

INSIDE WILDER VS FURY II (Part 1)

FOX, Saturday, Jan. 25 (3:30 PM ET)
FOX Deportes, Sunday, Jan. 26 (8:00 PM ET)
ESPN2, Thursday, Jan. 30 (8:30 PM ET); ESPN Deportes (8:00 PM ET)

PRESS CONFERENCE: DEONTAY WILDER VS. TYSON FURY II
FOX, FOX Deportes, Saturday, Jan. 25 (4:00 PM ET)
ESPN Deportes, Saturday, Jan. 25 (4:00 PM ET)

INSIDE WILDER VS FURY II (Part 2)
FOX, Saturday, Feb. 1 (4:30 PM ET)
FOX Deportes, Monday, Feb. 3 (9:30 PM ET)
ESPN, Sunday, Feb. 2 (8:30 PM ET)
ESPN Deportes, Saturday, Feb 8 (4:00 PM ET)

COUNTDOWN: DEONTAY WILDER VS. TYSON FURY II
FOX, Saturday, Feb. 1 (5:00 PM ET)
FOX Deportes, Sunday, Feb. 2 (11:00 PM ET)
ESPN, Sunday, Feb. 2 (7:00 PM ET)
ESPN Deportes, Thursday, Feb. 6 (9:00 AM ET)

INSIDE WILDER VS FURY II (Part 3)
FOX, Saturday, Feb. 8 (11:30 PM ET/PT)
FOX Deportes, Monday, Feb. 10 (9:30 PM ET)
ESPN2, Sunday, Feb. 9 (12:30 AM ET)
ESPN Deportes, Thursday, Feb. 13 (8:00 PM ET)

INSIDE WILDER VS FURY II (Part 4)
FOX, Sunday, Feb. 16 (12:30 PM ET)
FOX Deportes, Monday, Feb. 17 (10:30 PM ET)
ESPN Sunday, Feb. 16 (7:00 PM ET)
ESPN Deportes, Thursday, Feb. 20 (10:30 PM ET)

Viewers can live stream the shows on the respective FOX Sports and FOX NOW apps or at FOXSports.com or on the ESPN App or at ESPN.com.

For more information, visit FOX Sports Press Pass, FiveFilmsInc or ESPNPressRoom.

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About FOX Sports
FOX Sports is the umbrella entity representing FOX Corporation’s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets. Built with brands capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, the business has ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing relationships. FOX Sports includes the sports television arm of the FOX Network; FS1, FS2, FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Deportes. FOX Sports’ digital properties include FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports App, which provides live streaming video of FOX Sports content, instant scores, stats and alerts to iOS and Android devices. Additionally, FOX Sports and social broadcasting platform Caffeine jointly own Caffeine Studios, which creates exclusive eSports, sports and live entertainment content. Also included in FOX Sports’ portfolio are FOX’s interests in joint-venture businesses Big Ten Network and BTN 2Go, as well as a licensing agreement that established the FOX Sports Radio Network.

About ESPN
ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment enterprise, features more than 50 assets – nine U.S. television networks, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, endeavors on every continent around the world, and more. ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.

BROOKLYN (January 23, 2020) – Two-division world champion Danny “Swift” García and hard-hitting Ivan “El Terrible” Redkach went face-to-face at the final press conference Thursday before they battle in a WBC Welterweight Title Eliminator that headlines action this Saturday, January 25 live on SHOWTIME from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™, in a Premier Boxing Champions event.

The press conference also featured former unified champion “Swift” Jarrett Hurd and Francisco “Chia” Santana squaring off before they compete in the 10-round super welterweight co-feature, plus unbeaten sensation “Cool Boy Steph” Stephen Fulton Jr. and fellow unbeaten Arnold Khegai previewed their super bantamweight title eliminator that opens SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and DSG Promotions, are on-sale now and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com and barclayscenter.com. Tickets also can be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.

Here is what the fighters had to say Thursday from the Tillary Hotel in Brooklyn:

DANNY GARCIA

“It’s been a long, 10-week training camp putting in the hard work. We did everything we were supposed to do. We covered everything we needed and we’re ready to go. I’m glad I had a safe camp with no injuries, because you should see the best Danny Garcia on Saturday night.

“It feels great to be back at Barclays Center. This feels like my home away from home. My fans from all over will be here and I’m excited to show my skills for them. I feel like I have unfinished business in Brooklyn. On Saturday, we’re going to get the job done.

“Every fight from now on is a fight for my legacy. I’m a young veteran now. I feel great and I know that I’m one of the best fighters in the world. I’m here by popular demand. The rankings are what they are, so I just go in and do the fighting. I’m focused on showing the world that I’m a force to be reckoned with.

“I’m not Devon Alexander and I’m not any of the people that Redkach has knocked out. Don’t try too hard in there because you might knock yourself out.

“There’s no pressure on me. I just have to go in there and get this victory. Whatever the future brings I’m ready, whether it’s Errol Spence Jr. or Manny Pacquiao. None of it happens without a win on Saturday.

“My mind is fully focused on Saturday night. I trained 10 weeks for this fight and I can’t overlook him. He wants to have a breakout fight, but I’m prepared for what he brings to the table. After that, I’m ready for whoever wants to fight me.

“I think fighting Zab Judah in Brooklyn was my favorite at Barclays Center. He was from Brooklyn and we had a lot of bad blood, it was a crazy atmosphere. Every fight at Barclays Center has been a great experience though.

“I just have to stay locked in mentally, while also enjoying every minute of the buildup. You have to embrace every minute and make the most of it.

“It doesn’t matter who I beat or who I lost to, come Saturday night, Redkach is going down. I’ve worked too hard not to leave Saturday with this win.”

IVAN REDKACH

“I want to thank my team and everyone who was with me during training. This Saturday night I’m going to give everyone a great fight. Thank you to Danny for taking this fight, we’re going to put on a great show. You don’t want to miss it.

I had a very long camp for this fight. It was a really good camp. We had a routine that we worked on and we’re going to use it in the ring on Saturday night.

“Danny García is a good fighter, but I have a game plan. That game plan is going to end with me knocking him out. You’re all going to see it on January 25.

“I respect Danny García and what he’s done, but what I’m bringing to the ring will be the best performance of my career.

“It’s going to be a very exciting fight for the fans. Danny García has lost in the arena before and I’m going to make it happen again. This is going to be a very interesting fight.

“Fighting at welterweight lets me work on my skills and my strategy even more during training. I have more power and I feel like a smarter and more prepared fighter at this weight.

“I know that he picked me because I’m a southpaw, but I’m ready to give Danny a rude wake up. If he’s not 100% and focused mentally, he’s going to be in trouble when the bell rings.”

JARRETT HURD

“This is the second time I’m on a card with Danny García. We have two ‘Swifts’ on same card. I like to call it ‘Swift’ squared. We’re both bringing excitement and I’m sure it’ll be a great turnout. There’s definitely going to be a storm coming on Saturday, because I always bring it.

“I always come ready to fight. I know that Francisco Santana is going to bring his A-game and I can’t wait to get in there and compete.

“Julian Williams losing didn’t affect my motivation. I still have that same motivation no matter what. I’m focused on this fight and I wasn’t worrying about Julian’s fight. I’m sure he’ll bounce back again. We still have this task on Saturday and we haven’t thought about anything past it.

“I definitely want to get hit less, that’s first and foremost. I’m in a lot of Fight of the Year candidates, but I don’t want more of those back and forth fights. I want to control the fight and give a dominant performance Saturday and for the rest of my career.

“I’ve been working on using my height and reach in a different way. I usually use my size to pressure and walk guys down. I think now I can be the taller and rangier fighter in the ring. But at the same time I still have that pressure style in my back pocket.

“We still don’t know who’s the best at 154 pounds. I know in my heart that I’m number one and just had a bad night. I still want to stake my claim to that title.

“Even if I say I will be more defensive, I’m always going to bring the storm. I just have it in my heart to be an action packed exciting fighter.”

FRANCISCO SANTANA

“I want to thank Jarrett Hurd for giving me this opportunity. It’s going to be an honor to step foot in the ring with an elite fighter and a former unified champion.

“I said at the last press conference that no one gives me a shot to win. I was checking the betting spread and I’m a big underdog. They think I should just stay home, but everybody knows I come to fight. Regardless of whether I’m the underdog or not, I’m going to bring it.

“I love to fight. That’s what I come to do. I’m excited to be in a position to perform again on Saturday night. I’m going to give everyone a great fight when that bell rings.

“This is the biggest fight of my career. Like he said before, just because he lost, doesn’t mean that he’s out. He’s still an elite fighter in this division. Once you’re in the elite division, you have to have respect for every single person that steps foot in that ring. It just takes one punch to end the fight.

My motivation has always been there, because of who I’m facing in this fight. This is the biggest opportunity of my life. I get my motivation from my family and from my kids. It’s been a long sacrifice, but there are always great rewards after the sacrifice.

“You have to tune-in Saturday. The people have only seen a small portion of what I can do. I’m known as a guy who just comes forward. But I’ve been doing this for a long time and I think my experience will speak for itself on fight night. It’s going to be a hard task, but I’m prepared and ready.”

STEPHEN FULTON JR.

“I’m ready. There’s no secret why I’m here. They know everything about me. They know my style. So I know their game plan. Opponents always think they’re going to come in there and rough me up. But I can take care of everything he brings and I’m going to show it again on Saturday.

“It’s going to be the same as every other undefeated fighter I fought before. They lack the knowledge of fighting me and what that’s really like. They all try to fight me the same way, but no matter how they fight me, I find a way to win.

“I plan on being myself. I’m going to put on a great performance against another good fighter. When I’m cool, calm and collected, I cannot be stopped. It just naturally happens.

“Like he’s said, we’ll see it all in the ring on Saturday. We’re just talking now, but I can’t wait to get in there on this big stage and continue to make a name for myself.”

ARNOLD KHEGAI

“I’m very thankful for this opportunity and for everyone who helped to make this fight happen. You guys will get a great fight on Saturday night. I came here for the belt and we’ll decide it all in the ring on Saturday night.

“We will see what happens Saturday night. He can talk about his style and his competition, but none of it matters when we’re standing across from each other.

“This is a big opportunity for me. This is a step in my career to where I want to go. I’m going to give everything in the ring against a very good opponent.

“I will be the first fighter to defeat Stephen Fulton. It’s what we’ve worked on during training camp. I know that I have exactly what I need to take care of business in the ring.”

CHRIS DEBLASIO, Senior Vice President of Communications, SHOWTIME Sports

“SHOWTIME is in the midst of an excellent run, with eight live boxing shows across 10 weeks, featuring the biggest names in the sport. It began with Gervonta Davis, Jean Pascal and Badou Jack. It also includes Gary Russell Jr. and Guillermo Rigondeaux coming up, plus the men seated up here today.

“On Saturday we have a great mix of bouts. There’s three young prospect on our SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING COUNTDOWN show, featured globally on Facebook and YouTube. Then at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, we have three high stakes bouts. For different reasons each of these men up here today are in a must-win situation.

“For Fulton and Khegai, this is more than a chance to shine under the bright lights. This is a chance to earn a fight for a world title next. For Danny Garcia and Jarrett Hurd, these are two men in the top-five of the two deepest divisions in boxing. They need strong performances on Saturday night to maintain their status and regain their titles.

“Ivan and Francisco have the chance to break into the ranks of the elite on Saturday, and with a strong performance, win, lose or draw, they too can stay into the hunt for a world title. We have high stakes, intriguing fights up and down the card and we look forward to a great night on Saturday.”

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ABOUT GARCIA VS. REDKACH
Garcia vs. Redkach will see two-division world champion Danny “Swift” Garcia take on hard-hitting Ivan “El Terrible” Redkach in a WBC Welterweight Title Eliminator headlining action live on SHOWTIME Saturday, January 25 from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™, in a Premier Boxing Champions event.

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and featured unified champion “Swift” Jarrett Hurd battling Francisco “Chia” Santana in the 10-round co-feature, and unbeaten sensation Stephen Fulton facing fellow unbeaten Arnold Khegai in a Super Bantamweight Title eliminator. The Fulton vs. Khegai bout is promoted in association with Salita Promotions.

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

Demetrius Andrade has signed a four-fight extension to his contract with Matchroom Boxing USA.

Andrade (28-0 17 KOs) defends his WBO World Middleweight crown for the third time against Luke Keeler in Miami on January 30 live on DAZN in the US and on Sky Sports in the UK.

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW STARTING AT $40 (PLUS FEES)

‘Boo Boo’ landed the vacant title in Boston in October 2018 with a win over teak-tough African Walter Kautondokwa and followed that win by stopping Artur Akavov in the final round of his first defense in New York in January 2019.

The Rhode Island ace went home for his second defense and thrilled his hometown fans at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence in June by putting Maciej Sulecki on the deck in the opening round en-route to a shut-out win over the Pole.

Irishman Keeler (17-2-1 5 KOs) travels to Miami in a bid to shock the world in his first World title fight, but Andrade wants to hold onto his title in style before attacking the big guns and fellow World rulers at 160lbs.

“I’m delighted to have signed an extension to my deal with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing USA,” said Andrade. “We have had a great 18 months and we’ve got plans to have an even bigger 2020 and 2021.

“I’ve matured in the ring as I’ve been more active and sometimes I think, if these guys had fought me before they might have had a better chance against me, but now they are giving me the time to sign with Eddie and DAZN, get active and fight four times, sharpen the tools and get the ring rust off. So, when it comes their time, it’s going to be hell for them!

“As long as I am building my legacy, performing the way I need to perform and people are loving my style and the things I am doing, I am not worried about anything else as the fans are going to start demanding that these guys fight me.”

The two-weight World ruler was one of the first fighters to team up with promoter Eddie Hearn in July 2018 as he expanded the Matchroom Boxing empire to America with a billion-dollar deal with DAZN, and Hearn expects the Rhode Island ace to have a big year in 2020.

“I am thrilled to have signed an extension to Demetrius’ deal with Matchroom Boxing USA,” said Hearn. “Demetrius is one of the best 160lb fighters in the world and now is the time to deliver him the fights against the other elite Middleweights in the division, live on DAZN.”

Abass Baraou (8-0, 5 KOs) went head to head with Mexico’s Abraham ‘Pitbull’ Juarez (16-4, 6 KOs) for the first time at today’s press conference ahead of their show topping fight on Saturday January 25th at the Work Your Champ Arena in Hamburg, Germany.

Following a successful 2019 that saw Baraou claim four wins, including a victory over former World Champion Carlos Molina for the WBC International Super Welterweight strap, the undefeated 24-year-old is hoping 2020 will be the year that elevates him closer to a World title shot.

Baraou, who has fond memories of Hamburg having won a bronze medal at the 2017 World Amateur Championships in the city, is hoping to create more history on Saturday night as he aims to triumph over the dangerous Juarez.

“It is very special to fight in Hamburg, since I had one of my biggest successes here a few years ago, when I won the bronze medal at the Amateur World Championships,” said Baraou. “It is an honour for me to fight on this historic event having Germany’s oldest and most historic stables promoting a show together!”

Juarez returns to the ring following a second round KO victory over Arturo Herrera in November, and the 23-year-old is confident of claiming his seventeenth professional victory on Saturday night.

“I came here for the win,” said Juarez. “I have watched a lot of video and I know where Abass’ weaknesses are. I’m ready to go and I can’t wait to return to Mexico as the winner!”

The monumental event will see Germany’s oldest promoters Team Sauerland and Universum co-promote a show for the first time in history and feature stars from both stables.

Team Sauerland’s unbeaten heavyweight prospect Kem Ljungquist (9-0, 5 KOs) features on the bill against Ukraine’s German Skobenko (5-4-2, 2 KOs) alongside IBO International Super Lightweight Champion Artem Harutyunyan (8-0, 5 KOs) who takes on Argentinian Miguel Cesario Antin (19-4, 8 KOs).

All the action from the Work Your Champ Arena will be broadcast live on SPORT1 in Germany and Viaplay in Denmark.

NEW YORK – Jan. 23, 2019 – DAZN Originals will present the latest edition of its training camp series, 40 DAYS: JAKE PAUL VS. GIB, an in-depth look at YouTube stars Jake “The Problem Child” Paul and “7-Figure Gibber” AnEsonGib ahead of their Jan. 30 professional boxing debuts, which will serve as the co-main event to a special Thursday night edition of world class boxing, exclusively on DAZN.

40 DAYS: JAKE PAUL VS. GIB will debut on each fighter’s YouTube channel today, Jan. 23, one week before the two settle the score in Miami prior to the big game. The 25-minute episode will also be available on the DAZN platform in addition to DAZN and Matchroom Boxing’s YouTube channels.

This edition of 40 DAYS provides a revealing look at each fighter and their road to the Jan. 30 grudge match. DAZN takes viewers from Jake Paul’s rise to stardom via Vine and YouTube through to his training camp at California’s Big Bear Mountain where he is escaping his fame to prepare with three-division world champion “Sugar” Shane Mosley. Meanwhile, Gib’s high-energy antics and his path to overcoming obesity are detailed as he trains in Las Vegas with professional fighter and KSI’s head trainer Viddal Riley.

“Big Bear is high altitude and no distractions, you can’t escape thinking about boxing there,” said Jake Paul. “Training with Shane Mosley, just everything clicked, and everything felt right. Gib is definitely a stepping stone but you have to step on that stone to get to the next one. I don’t think Gib has ever been punched in the face by someone who is pissed off and has been locked away in the mountains when I could be in LA doing fun shit.”

“You lot won’t be seeing this Jake Paul vs. KSI fight,” said Gib. “Jake is getting peppered. He does not know what he is in for on Jan. 30.”

Jake Paul has made his intentions clear in the promotion of his fight against Gib: If he emerges victorious in his pro debut on Jan. 30, he wants to avenge Logan Paul’s 2019 loss against KSI later this year.

“I don’t like Jake and I think the whole world doesn’t like Jake,” said KSI. “If he does manage to get past the Big Gibber then yes, I will fight Jake. 100%. But that’s not going to happen, I don’t think he’s ready for Gib at all and that’s going to show on Jan. 30. I think Gib wins this hands down and that will be the end of the Paul brothers.”

“Losing to KSI wasn’t easy but in many ways, it has given Jake an opportunity to no longer be the little brother,” said Logan Paul. “Jake took my loss harder than I did. It hurt because seeing my younger brother more affected than I am by something that wasn’t even his ordeal. I think it says a lot about Jake’s character.”

“Even the most public figures have a story to be told,” said Deirdre Fenton, DAZN Director, Original Programming. “The world may think they know all there is to know about Jake Paul and Gib but we have tried to peel back the layers to deliver a comprehensive look at both fighters before they settle their differences on Jan. 30.”

DAZN presents Miami Fight Night, brought to you by Matchroom Boxing USA will be held at Meridian at Island Gardens. Meridian is a 65,000 square-foot custom built multi-level premier live event and entertainment experience that will play host to additional VIP events. The special night of boxing on DAZN, the world’s largest sports streaming service, will feature three world championship fights ahead of the big game in Miami.

For more information, fans can follow DAZN’s U.S. social channels: @DAZNUSA on Facebook, @DAZN_USA for Twitter, and DAZN_USA for Instagram.

About DAZN:
DAZN is the largest global sports streaming service. Since launching in 2016, DAZN has expanded to nine countries across four continents with its app available for download in the United States, Canada, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Japan and Brazil. In the U.S., DAZN has made its mark as an attractive alternative to pay-per-view within the combat sports industry. The service features big fights from Matchroom Boxing, Golden Boy Promotions, GGG Promotions, Bellator MMA, and the World Boxing Super Series, all for one affordable price, on any device – including smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, games consoles and PCs. DAZN also features The Pat McAfee Show, live MLB action each day of the season with its daily show ChangeUp and a growing number of projects from DAZN Originals.

Daniel Roman revealed in the latest episode of ‘Born Fighter’ that faith and meditation are key to his success as he prepares to defend his WBA and IBF World Super-Bantamweight titles against Murodjon Akhmadaliev at the Meridian at Island Gardens in Miami on Thursday January 30, live on DAZN in the US and on Sky Sports in the UK.
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW STARTING AT $40 (PLUS FEES)

CLICK HERE TO WATCH DANIEL ROMAN’S EPISODE OF ‘BORN FIGHTER’ ON MATCHROOM BOXING’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL
 Roman (27-2-1 10 KOs) defends his titles for the first time having added the IBF crown to his WBA strap in a fight of the year contender on his Los Angeles home turf in April against Irishman TJ Doheny. 

The ‘Baby Faced Assassin’ was due to meet his WBA mandatory Akhmadaliev (7-0 6 KOs) in September in New York but Roman was forced out of the fight with a shoulder issue, the first time an injury has disrupted his near ten year stint as a pro. Roman had been accused of ducking the challenge of the impressive Uzbek Olympic bronze medal man, but the champion has poured scorn on those claims, instead declaring he’ll be back stronger following his layoff and will target the remaining belts after victory in Miami. 

“I read the Bible a lot and I try to be in church most days when there is service,” said Roman. “If it’s not boxing or family, I am in church. 

“I try to apply the Bible to everything in my life and I meditate on what I read. It helped with the cancellation of the last fight. It hurt my pride because I wanted to fight but you cannot fight when you are injured, you cannot let all the hard work go to waste. I meditated and the right decision was made. I have good people around me that look out for me, and everything happens for a reason.

“It was my first time having to cancel a fight through injury, it’s never happened to me before so it was really tough. My mind was set to fight in September but it had to be cancelled, so I just had to try to recover although only boxing was in my mind at the time – I feel great now and I’m ready for the challenge.

“Everyone that gets in the ring is brave but you cannot fight at 60 or 70 per cent. There’s no running here, he’s the mandatory for my WBA title and I am ready to defend the belts. We’re not giving them up easy, we’re here to stay and we’re ready to conquer the rest of the belts. 

“Hopefully everything works out great and we beat Akhmadaliev. I have been calling out Rey Vargas and he’s challenged me too, if it doesn’t happen with him, we can fight Emanuel Navarette. Hopefully Rey and I both win and we can get it on. I am not the type of fighter to disrespect anyone.

“I’m not boxing to get rich or to become famous, I do it because it’s something that I love. I want kids to see me and see that there’s nothing to hold you back from doing what you want, to achieve your dreams.” 

Roman’s clash with Akhmadaliev is part of a huge night of World championship boxing as Demetrius Andrade (28-0, 17 KOs) defends his WBO World Middleweight title against contender Luke Keeler (17-2-1, 5 KOs) and Tevin Farmer (30-4-1, 6 KOs) defending his IBF World Super Featherweight title against JoJo Diaz (30-1, 15 KOs).

YouTube sensations Jake Paul and AnEsonGib make their pro debuts against each other, Super-Middleweight contender Anthony Sims Jr (20-0 18 KOs) fights for his first pro title against Roamer Alexis Angulo (25-1 22 KOs) and a host of young talents are in action in the form of Movladdin Biyarslanov (5-0 4 KOs), Austin Williams (4-0 3 KOs), Alexis Espino (4-0 3 KOs), Otha Jones III (4-0 1 KO) and Avril Mathie(4-0-1 2 KOs).

Roman is the latest fighter featured on season two of ‘Born Fighter’ following the likes of Daniel Jacobs, Devin Haney, Billy Joe Saunders and Michael Hunter as the second series focuses on the stable at Matchroom Boxing USA after 11 episodes from the British and Irish stable featuring Katie Taylor, Luke Campbell, Dillian Whyte, Joshua Buatsi and more.

The series will be presented by Lauren Gardner, a familiar face to sports fans in America as the host of DAZN’s nightly live baseball program “ChangeUp” as well as a contributing reporter for DAZN’s boxing coverage. The Colorado native has worked with CBS Sports, AT&T SportsNet, Fox Sports Ohio, MTV2, MLB/NHL Network and ESPN, where she covered NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, College Football, College Basketball and two Super Bowls. The American series of ‘Born Fighter’ will also appear on DAZN 24 hours after premiering on Matchroom Boxing’s YouTube channel.

Trenton, NJ (January 21, 2020) – This Saturday night at The Cure Insurance Arena in Trenton, Silver Bow will present ChampBox 1 with an exciting seven bout card.

In the main event, former National Golden Gloves champion and undefeated cruiserweight Mike Hilton will take on Baldimir Hernandez in an six-round bout.

Hilton of Trenton, has a record of 9-0 with seven knockouts. The 33 year-old Hilton is a four year-professional, who will be fighting in his hometown for the 3rd time.

Hilton is coming off a technical decision over Hector Perez on March 10, 2018 in Atlantic City.

Hernandez of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico is a veteran who has a record of 20-14 with 18 knockouts.

The 34 year-old Hernandez is a 14 year-professional who won his 1st 14 fights. He has a win over Jose Luis Cruz (37-4-2), Carlos Lira (1-0) and is coming off a loss to Siarhei Novlkau on August 31, 2018 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

In the co-feature, Trenton’s own rising welterweight Shinard Bunch will fight Fabian Lyimo in a six-round welterweight contest.

Bunch of Trenton has a record of 6-1 with five knockouts. The 20 year-old Bunch has won three straight bouts and is jumping right back in the ring after his 6th round stoppage over Dennis Okoth on January 11th in Atlantic City.

Lyimo of Tanzania has a record of 23-11-2 with 15 knockouts. The 37 year-old Lyimo is a 13 year-professional who has wins over Makali Wawe (3-0), Edmund Ntalentale (1-0), Fadhili Awadh (1-0), Omar Minyagi (3-0). Lyimo is coming off a loss to undefeated Jose Roman on October 24th in Brooklyn.

Also in six-round bouts:

Frederic Julan (11-0, 9 KOs) of Brooklyn takes on Fidel Munoz (39-21-1, 31 KOs) of Barranquilla, Colombia in a light heavyweight bout.

Chris Thomas of Beachwood, NJ (14-1-1, 9 KOs) battles Engleberto Valenzuela (12=16, 3 KOs) of Sonora, Mexico in a light heavyweight bout.

In four-round bouts:

LaQuan Evans (2-1, 1 KO) of Philadelphia fights Alberto Delgado (1-9-4, 1 KO) of Roanoke, VA in a middleweight bout.

Mike Moore (1-1) of nearby Bristol, PA takes on Jakub Sowirko (1-0) of Trenton in a cruiserweight bout.

Quaseem Carter (2-0, 2 KOs) of Orange, NJ takes on an opponent to be announced.

Highlighting the amateur portion of the card will be locals, Zaire Gross, Kevin Alexander and Jabbar Abercrombie.

Tickets for this special evening of boxing are $25, $39, $59, $79 and the 1st two rows are $99. Tickets can be purchased at the following link:

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The event is being sponsored by Flash Tech IT and CyberSecuirty since 1992. www.flashtech.com

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BROOKLYN (January 22, 2020) – Two-division world champion Danny “Swift” Garcia and hard-hitting Ivan “El Terrible” Redkach showed off their skills at a media workout Wednesday before they battle in a WBC Welterweight Title Eliminator headlining action this Saturday, January 25 live on SHOWTIME from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™, in a Premier Boxing Champions event.

The workout also featured former unified champion “Swift” Jarrett Hurd and Francisco “Chia” Santana, who battle in the 10-round super welterweight co-feature, plus unbeaten sensation Stephen Fulton and fellow unbeaten Arnold Khegai, who compete in a super bantamweight title eliminator to open SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and DSG Promotions, are on-sale now and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com and barclayscenter.com. Tickets also can be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.

Here is what the fighters had to say Wednesday from world famous Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn:

DANNY GARCIA

“Everything in training camp has been very smooth. Sparring, the diet and running, it’s all gone perfectly. We’re on weight and ready to put on a great performance Saturday.

“As a veteran, you learn during every fight that you have. I’ve been the underdog and won, I’ve been the top dog and won, and I’ve been in the biggest magnitude of fights. You have to fight every fight like it’s your last, because it could be. You never know what’s going to happen. You have to be 100% physically and mentally.

“This is a very important fight for me and my future. My future starts on Saturday night. I’ve already been in a lot of big fights in my career, so it’s nothing new to me. I know Redkach is hungry, but I know what it takes to win on this level and I’m hungry.

“I feel like I have unfinished business here in Brooklyn. This is my house and I plan on making a statement in front of my fans on Saturday.

“I’ve been boxing for 21 years. All of the big fights and all of the pressure, sometimes you get tired of it. Sometimes it takes something happening to wake you back up. I’ve fallen in love with the sport of boxing again. Sometimes you forget what made you love the sport in the first place. Fighting is what makes me happy though.

“My last camp before the Adrian Granados fight, I felt really good. I was happy again in this training camp. At this point in my career, I’ve been through it all already. I have to count my blessings and give my fans a great fight.

“My mind was set on a southpaw so after we couldn’t have the Errol Spence Jr. fight, I wanted the next tough southpaw. We’re not looking past Redkach at all, but we wanted the southpaw work for that fight or a Pacquiao fight. We’ll be all ready when those fights come up.”

IVAN REDKACH

“The biggest weakness I see in Danny is that he’s not taking this seriously. He’s counting on this as a tune-up fight, and that’s a big mistake. This is not going to be a tune-up fight for him.

“Like a lot of fighters, I’m usually in training camp focusing on cutting weight. Fighting at welterweight, I don’t have to do that. I feel strong and I’m going to put on a strong performance.

“Danny is already looking ahead to a fight with Errol Spence Jr. or Manny Pacquiao, but before he gets to them, he picked me. I know it’s because I’m a southpaw. But he’s going to get a rude wake up on fight night.

“This win will change my life and I’ve already worked my whole life to get to this moment. I want to win this fight and then the biggest fights at welterweight will be open to me. Right now I’m only focused on my fight Saturday night.

“I’m going to knock him out. That’s how I see this fight going. We’re going to leave it all in the ring and I’m going to come out victorious.”

JARRETT HURD

“I’m so focused on taking care of Francisco Santana. I can’t look past him. He’s a guy who comes forward. This is a fight where I want to see how things work out with my new trainer Kay Koroma, but Santana comes to fight just like Jeison Rosario did. I have to be on my toes.

“People say this is the new Jarrett, but I feel like it’s the old me and I’m just getting back to it. I used my defense and my height against Frank Galarza and other earlier fights. But when I was training for Erislandy Lara, I was developing this pressure style and we didn’t have enough of the fundamentals set behind it.

“I look back at my fights and it kind of scares me all the hits I was taking. I had back to back Fight of the Year battles. Those were back and forth fights. I don’t want those each and every year. I want to win in one-sided fashion.

“I was close to becoming undisputed champion at 154-pounds and that’s still a goal of mine. I want to accomplish that feat in this division before we move up. I know I had a bad night against Julian Williams, but it was just a small hiccup. I’m coming back for my number one spot.

“I’m not worried about the Julian Williams fight last weekend. I have to focus on January 25 or the same thing can happen to me. It just wasn’t his night that night. But he’s bounced back before and I’d count on him bouncing back again.

“There’s not too much of a difference for my training, other than being away from home. We’ve worked a lot on fundamentals with my new trainer. It’s not that we didn’t have them before, but we’ve focused on them much more. It’s not all about heart and will in a fight. Sometimes you have to get back to the basics.”

FRANCISCO SANTANA

“I always rise to the occasion before any training camp and we’ve had a great camp because we know what we’re up against. I’m about as big of an underdog for this one as I was before I beat Felix Diaz, so I have that same mentality. It’s not my first rodeo.

“You can never count out the underdog. You saw what happened last week in the Julian Williams vs. Jeison Rosario fight. I have the utmost respect for Julian, but if you have two good hands, anything is possible.

“When the opportunity presented itself to fight someone like Jarrett Hurd, I couldn’t turn it down. I’ve faced a lot of elite fighters, but I know they chose me for a reason. But I also picked him for a reason. I’m trying to display a side that no one has ever seen from me before.

“I think Julian Williams was just the better man when he got in there against Hurd. I’ve seen some stuff on film about Hurd that I can take advantage of, but he also has a lot of strengths. You’ll just have to tune-in on Saturday.

“I’m fighting the biggest 154-pounder out there, but we prepared with intense sparring. That’s the key because it’s the closest thing to a fight. I sparred with tall fighters and big guys who could push me around. I needed to get comfortable with that.”

STEPHEN FULTON

“A win on Saturday means everything to me. This is another undefeated fighter that I’m going up against. This is going to be the start of my stardom and this is going to boost my level all the way up.

“I’m going to end his winning streak on Saturday. I’m going to get the win for Philadelphia on Saturday. You’re going to see a little bit of everything Saturday. I’m going to put on a show and perform.

“People think they can pressure me and take me out of the fight. But I’m a mentally strong fighter first. I know that my opponent will bring a lot of aggression, but that alone will not beat me. He needs to show more if he wants to beat me.

“I’m knocking on everyone’s door. The whole super bantamweight division can come out and play. I’m putting them all in time out.

“This is the first time I really brought my weight down well ahead of a fight. I feel great and I have a lot of energy left to do everything I need. That aspect of my camp has been great.

“Philadelphia boxing is coming in full effect. I feel like we’re all working together in our own ways to lift each other up. We’re always in the gym and Saturday is another great opportunity to display our talents.”

ARNOLD KHEGAI

“I believe that I can land my power shots against Fulton. I can land the punch that will change the fight and I can do it in any moment. We’ll find out if he can stand up to the power on Saturday night.

“Fulton is a good fighter, but so am I. We’re both undefeated and very hungry. I think it should make this a great fight for the fans.

“I might be considered the underdog, but this is boxing. Anything can happen. We’re going to fight. It’s just the two of us in the ring, man vs. man. No one’s opinion matters.

“I trained for the first time in California with Marvin Somodio ahead of this fight. It was a great training camp and I learned a lot. I’ve been following all of his instructions and learned about the strategy it takes to win a 12 round fight.”

#

ABOUT GARCIA VS. REDKACH
Garcia vs. Redkach will see two-division world champion Danny “Swift” Garcia take on hard-hitting Ivan “El Terrible” Redkach in a WBC Welterweight Title Eliminator headlining action live on SHOWTIME Saturday, January 25 from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™, in a Premier Boxing Champions event.

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and featured unified champion “Swift” Jarrett Hurd battling Francisco “Chia” Santana in the 10-round co-feature, and unbeaten sensation Stephen Fulton facing fellow unbeaten Arnold Khegai in a Super Bantamweight Title eliminator. The Fulton vs. Khegai bout is promoted in association with Salita Promotions.

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

HAINAN, China (Jan. 22, 2020) — Undefeated Brazilian middleweight contender Esquiva “La Pantera” Falcao will look to turn back Chinese contender Ainiwaer Yilixiati in a 10-round middleweight fight Saturday, Feb. 1 at Mission Hills Haikou in Haikou, Hainan, China. Falcao-Yilixiati will serve as the co-feature to the highly anticipated bout between WBC/WBO junior welterweight world champion Jose Ramirez and former world champion Viktor “The Iceman” Postol (ESPN, 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT).

The undercard will stream on ESPN+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

“We’ve promoted Falcao since the beginning of his career, and this is his opportunity to showcase his tremendous ability in front of a large audience on ESPN,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum.

“2020 is the year I challenge for a world title, but my journey continues in China against a very tough opponent,” Falcao said. “This is a chance to show I can compete with all the middleweights, and at 30 years of age, I am in the prime of my career. My amateur career took me all over the world, and I can’t wait to travel to Haikou to put on a show for the Chinese people, my fans back home in Brazil and everyone watching on ESPN.”

Falcao (25-0, 17 KOs), a 2012 Olympic silver medalist, turned pro following a stellar 215-15 amateur run that also included a bronze medal at the 2011 World Championships and a gold medal in 2012 at the prestigious Cheo Aponte Tournament. He turned pro under the Top Rank banner in 2014 and is now ranked in the top 15 by three of the four major sanctioning organizations. A southpaw boxer-puncher, Falcao went 3-0 in 2019 with knockout wins over Manny Woods and Jesus Antonio Gutierrez, in addition to a decision win in Brazil against Jorge Daniel Miranda. Yilixiati (17-1, 12 KOs) has won seven in a row, including a pair of victories since moving down to the middleweight ranks.

In live action on the ESPN+ undercard stream:

• Unbeaten Chinese prospect Yongqiang Yang (13-0, 10 KOs) will face Filipino veteran Jhon “The Disaster” Gemino (21-12-1, 11 KOs) in a 12-rounder for the WBO International 130-pound belt. In July 2018, Yang knocked out the big-punching Harmonito Dela Torre in two rounds on the Manny Pacquiao-Lucas Matthysse undercard, and he most recently stopped JR Magboo in two rounds to win the WBO Global lightweight title.
   
• Rising Chinese lightweight Jianhao Diao (2-0, 2 KOs) will take on Eduardo “The Nightmare” Mancito (18-10-2, 9 KOs) in a six-rounder.
   
• Korean super middleweight prospect Sung Jae Jo (11-0, 8 KOs) will fight Zulipikaer Maimaitiali (12-2-1, 8 KOs) in a 10-rounder for the vacant WBO Asia Pacific title.

For more information, visit www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.

Use the hashtags #RamirezPostol and #FalcaoYilixiati to join the conversation on social media.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the leading direct-to-consumer sports streaming service from Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. Launched in April, 2018, ESPN+ has grown quickly to 3.5 million subscribers in 18 months, offering fans thousands of live events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, as well as premium editorial content.

Programming on ESPN+ includes exclusive UFC and Top Rank boxing events, thousands of college sports events (including football and basketball) from more than a dozen sports at 20 conferences, hundreds of MLB and NHL games, top domestic and international soccer (Serie A, MLS, FA Cup, Bundesliga – beginning in 2020, EFL Championship and Carabao Cup, Eredivisie), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, exclusive ESPN+ Original series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films. 

Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) through the ESPN App, (on mobile and connected devices), ESPN.com or ESPNplus.com.  It is also available as part of a bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, Hulu (ad-supported), and ESPN+ ­— all for just $12.99/month.

Las Vegas – UFC^® returns to T-Mobile Arena with two thrilling world championship bouts. Undefeated middleweight champion Israel Adesanya goes for another show-stealing performance against No. 3 ranked contender Yoel Romero. Strawweight champion Zhang Weili will take on the toughest test of her career when she meets former titleholder and No. 4 ranked contender Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

UFC^® 248: ADESANYA vs. ROMERO will take place Saturday, March 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will stream live on Pay-Per-View, exclusively through ESPN+ in the U.S. at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT in both English and Spanish.

ESPN+ is the exclusive provider of all UFC Pay-Per-View events to fans in the U.S. as part of an agreement announced in March.

Fans will be able to purchase UFC^® 248: ADESANYA vs. ROMERO online at ESPNPlus.com/PPV or on the ESPN App on mobile and connected-TV devices. ESPN+ is available as an integrated part of the ESPN App on all major mobile and connected TV devices and platforms, including Amazon Fire, Apple, Android, Chromecast, PS4, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, X Box One and more.

Preliminary fights will air nationally in English on ESPN and on ESPN Deportes (in Spanish) starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT with the early prelims simulcast on UFC Fight Pass and ESPN+ at 6:15 p.m. ET/3:15 p.m. PT.

Among the standout fighters of 2019, Adesanya (18-0, fighting out of Auckland, New Zealand by way of Lagos, Nigeria) capped off the year by dethroning middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in front of the largest-ever UFC live audience. The former kickboxer has also earned spectacular victories against Kelvin Gastelum, Anderson Silva and Derek Brunson. Adesanya now looks to kick off his 2020 with another highlight-reel finish to secure his first successful title defense.

A perennial contender at 185 pounds, Romero (13-4, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla. by way of Pinar Del Rio, Cuba) is considered one of the most dangerous competitors in the entire sport. The 2000 Olympic silver medalist wrestler has delivered sensational knockout wins over former UFC champions Luke Rockhold, Chris Weidman and Lyoto Machida. Romero now aims to achieve his destiny by capturing UFC gold and handing Adesanya his first MMA loss.

The first Chinese UFC champion, Zhang (20-1, fighting out of Beijing, China) made history when she delivered a spectacular 42-second knockout against Jessica Andrade in August to capture the title. Riding a 20-fight win streak, Zhang has also netted impressive victories over Tecia Torres, Jessica Aguilar and Danielle Taylor since joining the UFC roster in 2018. Zhang now aims to secure her first successful title defense against the former strawweight queen.

The most dominant champion in UFC strawweight history, Jedrzejczyk (16-3, fighting out of Olsztyn, Poland) successfully defended her title five times during a reign that lasted more than two years. Throughout her career, she has delivered thrilling victories against Michelle Waterson, Claudia Gadelha (twice), Jessica Penne and Carla Esparza. Jedrzejczyk now aims to further add to her legacy by becoming the first fighter to reclaim the UFC’s 115-pound championship.

Additional bouts on the card include:

• In a pivotal middleweight bout, No. 8 ranked contender Derek Brunson (20-7, fighting out of Wilmington, N.C.) takes on undefeated No. 9 Edmen Shahbazyan (11-0, fighting out of Glendale, Calif.)
• Fan favorite Alex Oliveira (19-8-1 2NC, fighting out of Tres Rios, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) faces Max Griffin (15-7, fighting out of Sacramento, Calif.) in an exciting welterweight bout
• Unbeaten grappling ace Rodolfo Vieira (6-0, fighting out of Orlando, Fla. by way of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) takes on Saparbek Safarov (9-2, fighting out of Makhachkala, Russia)
• No. 15 ranked welterweight contender Neil Magny (21-8, fighting out of Denver, Colo.) meets surging Li Jingliang (16-5, fighting out of Beijing, China)
• In an exciting lightweight bout, Beneil Dariush (17-4-1, fighting out of Yorba Linda, Calif.) squares off with Drakkar Klose (11-1-1, fighting out of Glendale, Calif.)
• Emily Whitmire (4-3, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) takes on Polyana Viana (10-4, fighting out of São Geraldo do Araguaia, Para, Brazil) in a strawweight bout
• Danaa Batgerel (6-2, fighting out of Erdenetsagaan, Sukhbaatar, Mongolia) faces Guido Cannetti (8-4, fighting out of San Antonio de Padua, Buenos Aires, Argentina) in a bantamweight bout

For the latest information on additional bouts for this event, please visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

Visit UFC.com for information and content to support your UFC coverage. Please click here to apply for the event.

Tickets for UFC^® 248: ADESANYA vs. ROMERO go on sale Friday, Jan. 24 at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets are available for purchase online at www.axs.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.

UFC Fight Club^® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 10 a.m. PT via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, Jan. 23 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

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About UFC^®

UFC^® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 318 million fans and 80 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to nearly one billion TV households across more than 170 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 65 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS^®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC was acquired in 2016 by global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor, along with strategic investors Silver Lake Partners and KKR. UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram: @UFC.

About T-Mobile Arena

T-Mobile Arena, the 20,000-seat venue located on the Las Vegas Strip between Park MGM and New York-New York, opened April 6, 2016. The arena hosts more than 100 events annually including major headline entertainment, awards shows, UFC, boxing, basketball and other sporting events, family shows and special events. T-Mobile Arena also is the home of the Vegas Golden Knights, a National Hockey League expansion team and the city’s first professional sports team. The city’s newest landmark, recently named the No. 1 venue on Billboard Magazine’s 2018 Arena Power List as well as the “Best New Major Concert Venue” by Pollstar Magazine, features 50 luxury suites, more than two dozen private loge boxes, complete broadcast facilities, and other specially designed exclusive hospitality offerings and fan amenities destined to create a guest experience second to none. Toshiba Plaza, an adjacent two-acre outdoor entertainment space, features performance stages, a variety of video screens and other interactive content and display areas. Industry-leading architect Populous designed T-Mobile Arena to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s standards for LEED® Gold Certification. T-Mobile Arena is a privately funded joint venture between AEG and MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM). For more information, visit T-MobileArena.com or follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About ESPN+

ESPN+ is the leading direct-to-consumer sports streaming service from Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ grew quickly to 3.5 million subscribers in 18 months, offering fans thousands of live events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, as well as premium editorial content.

Programming on ESPN+ includes exclusive UFC and Top Rank boxing events, thousands of college sports events (including football and basketball) from more than a dozen sports at 20 conferences, hundreds of MLB and NHL games, top domestic and international soccer (Serie A, MLS, FA Cup, Bundesliga – beginning in 2020, EFL Championship and Carabao Cup, Eredivisie), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, exclusive ESPN+ Original series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films.

Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) through the ESPN App, (on mobile and connected devices), ESPN.com or ESPNplus.com.  It is also available as part of a bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, Hulu (ad-supported), and ESPN+ ¬— all for just $12.99/month.

About ESPN

ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment enterprise features more than 50 assets – nine U.S. television networks, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN International, ESPN The Magazine and more.  ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.

NEW YORK – January 22, 2020 – Rising lightweight prospect Thomas Mattice will face hard-hitting Isaac Cruz Gonzalez in the 10-round main event of ShoBox: The New Generation on Friday, February 14 live on SHOWTIME from 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.

The four-fight telecast is the third of four ShoBox presentations over six weeks showcasing some of boxing’s brightest young prospects in their toughest tests to date, including super lightweight prospect Shohjahon Ergashev and super middleweight Vladimir Shishkin, who were victorious on January 17. On January 31, featherweight Ruben Villa and welterweight Taras Shelestyuk will be tested and on February 28, super lightweight Malik Hawkins and welterweight Richardson Hitchins face tough opposition.

In the co-featured bout on February 14, undefeated super bantamweight Raeese Aleem (15-0, 9 KOs), of Las Vegas, will take on ShoBox veteran and San Antonio native Adam Lopez (19-3-2, 9 KOs) in an eight-round 122-pound bout. In a matchup of undefeated junior welterweights, Cleveland’s Montana Love (12-0-1, 6 KOs) returns to ShoBox in an eight-round showdown with New Orleans’ Jerrico Walton (16-0, 7 KOs). In the opening bout of the telecast, undefeated junior middleweights Derrick Colemon Jr. (11-0, 8 KOs), of Detroit, and Joseph Jackson (15-0, 12 KOs), of North Carolina, will square off in an eight-round 154-pound bout.

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by GH3 Promotions and King’s Promotions are $100, $75 and $50 and be purchased at www.2300arena.com

Cleveland’s Mattice (15-1-1, 11 KOs) is coming off his most significant win to date, an eight-round TKO of previously undefeated Michael Dutchover last September on ShoBox. The fight was stopped due to a deep gash on Dutchover caused by a clean right hand from Mattice. The judges’ scorecards were split at the time of the stoppage. Mattice will be making his sixth start on the prospect developmental series, including a close loss to Will Madera in 2019, a split decision win and a split draw with Zhora Hamazaryan in 2018, and a knockout of Rolando Chinea. The 29-year-old hopes a convincing win over the top-10 ranked Gonzalez will move him closer to a world title shot.

“A win would be huge for my career and put me in a great position,” Mattice said. “It would put me in the conversation with the top dogs of the division. I have to put on a great performance and let all those top fighters know that I’m here and ready to fight anyone. It’s a must-win for me, but it’s a big fight for both of us. He is ranked No. 7 by the IBF so this has the feel of a big fight. I think a win would put me in the top-10.”

Gonzalez (18-1-1, 14 KOs), of Mexico City, has scored knockouts in 11 of his last 14 fights since suffering only loss of his career in just his sixth professional fight. The 22-year-old owns a career-best knockout of former interim world title challenger Jose Felix Jr. in 2018. Currently ranked No. 7 by the IBF at 135 pounds, Gonzalez made his U.S. debut in December on the non-televised undercard of the Jermall Charlo vs. Dennis Hogan event at Barclays Center in Brooklyn last December.

“I am excited to be fighting in the United States and I am thrilled for my fight to be shown on SHOWTIME,” said Gonzalea. “So many fighters started their career on ShoBox and have become World Champions.”

Aleem compiled a 65-10 record as an amateur and was a five-time Golden Gloves State Champion in Michigan. He finished third at the National Golden Gloves in 2010 and 2011 before turning professional in 2011. The 29-year-old recently relocated his training camp to Las Vegas, where he has sparred with Jessie Magdaleno, Nonito Donaire and Jhack Tepora. Aleem, who is trained by Terry Markowski, will face the toughest test of his career in the veteran Lopez.

“All my hard work is paying off and now I get to show it on the big stage,” Aleem said. “I am looking forward to earning new fans and staying on a roll. I know Lopez is a really tough fighter with something to prove. He’s been here before so I know he’s ready for the challenge. This is a steppingstone to ultimately get where I want to be, and that’s fighting for a world title, bigger paydays and more exposure. Ultimately, I don’t just want to win, I want to dominate. Winning isn’t good enough – I also have to look good while doing it.”

Lopez was an accomplished amateur who won six national titles and held a No. 1 ranking, but he has had an up and down career as a pro. The 29-year-old started his career with 15 straight victories yet he has suffered a few setbacks as his level of opposition has dramatically increased. Lopez was undefeated and one win away from challenging for a world championship before losing to current unified 122-pound champion Daniel Roman in a title eliminator in 2017 on SHOWTIME. Lopez, who will break his own record of ShoBox appearances when he steps into the ring for the eighth time, will face his sixth undefeated opponent on the series as he looks to get his career back on track.

“Aleem is a pretty good fighter, but I think my experience is going to be a factor,” Lopez said. “He hasn’t fought top-tier guys with the exception of Marcus Bates. I have been in the big fights and this is his first time doing this. I am on a three-fight winning streak and I have rededicated myself to the sport. I have a new trainer, Chato Martinez, and a whole new camp. I can’t wait to show that I am back.”

The flashy Love was an accomplished amateur who compiled a 174-13 record. The 25-year-old southpaw will return for his third test on ShoBox as he seeks a convincing victory. In his first bout on the series, he won a majority decision over Samuel Teah in 2018 and followed that up with a split draw a few months later against Kenneth Sims Jr. Love, who has sparred with Adrien Broner and Robert Easter Jr., will face what should be his most dangerous opponent in the fellow-undefeated Walton.

“Walton is a decent fighter, but I feel he is still green and he doesn’t have that much experience,” Love said. “I know he is tough, but I am taking this to the next level. He’s just a stepping stone. It’s exciting to fight under the bright lights. Some guys fold, but I was made for this. I am not looking past him, but this will take my career to the next level. We are both undefeated and not many guys take risks like this, but this shows I am a true fighter. My name is Montana “Too Pretty Love” and I am fighting on Valentine’s Day, so I will be giving a lot of love out on February 14.”

The 29-year-old Walton was born and raised in New Orleans, where he rescued his mother and sister from the flood waters of Hurricane Katrina when he was just 13 years old. Left homeless, the family relocated to Houston, where Walton competed as an amateur. Walton turned professional in 2014 and has been perfect through his first 16 fights, including a career-best win over former super bantamweight world champion Victor Terrazas in 2019. The boxer-puncher, who is trained by Bobby Benton and fought six times last year, will face the first undefeated opponent of his career in Love.

“I have seen Montana fight before. I know he is flashy in the Adrien Broner mode, but other than that I do not know too much about him,” Walton said. “This opportunity is a blessing. The world is going to get to see me and hear my story. I’m from New Orleans and it was a struggle for me growing up, so this is a great opportunity. I never in a million years thought that I would be in this position. I just need to seize the moment and get the victory.”

Just 20 years old, Colemon started boxing at the age of 4 and honed his craft at the original Kronk Gym under Emanuel Steward until his passing in 2012. Colemon had a 135-fight amateur career and was a four-time national amateur champion in the junior division. He turned professional when he was 18 years old and has eight knockouts in his first 11 professional fights. Colemon, who is trained by Marlon Thomas, will face by far the toughest test of his career in Jackson, a fellow undefeated yet untested prospect.

“I am physically and mentally prepared more than I ever have been,” Colemon said. “I know Jackson is undefeated and tough, so I know I’m in for a big test. This is the next step in my career, and I feel that I will be not only the next great champion that has fought on ShoBox, but the next great fighter out of Detroit. I am ready to show the world my talents. February 14 will put my name in the minds of boxing fans all over the world.”

The 31-year-old Jackson got a late start as a professional yet has been active, including three fights in 2019 and three in 2018. He has 12 KOs in 15 fights, including knockouts in seven of his last eight bouts. The Greensboro native will fight outside of North Carolina for the first time in his career when he takes on the undefeated Colemon.

“I know Colemon is tough, and he had a long amateur career,” Jackson said. “He will come to fight, but I prepare for anything. That is what this sport is all about. I am looking forward to showcasing my talent to the world.”

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.

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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
Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young talent matched tough. 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 81 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.

NEW YORK (January 22, 2020) – SHOWTIME Sports will live stream three undercard bouts featuring a trio of undefeated up-and-coming prospects as part of exciting undercard action on Saturday, January 25, from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™, in a Premier Boxing Champions event headlined by two-division world champion Danny “Swift” García.

Prior to the SHOWTIME telecast, undefeated super lightweight prospect Patrick Harris (18-0, 9 KOs), of Washington, D.C., will take on Clay Burns (8-6-2, 4 KOs) of Alexandria, La., in the live stream offering on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING COUNTDOWN at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. In another eight-round attraction, Keeshawn Williams (6-0-1, 2 KOs) of District Heights, Md., will face Gaku Takahashi (16-10-1, 8 KOs) of Yuburi, Japan. In a six-round opening bout of the streaming coverage, Baltimore native and Calvin Ford-trained undefeated middleweight prospect Lorenzo “Truck” Simpson will take on Kansas City’s Antonio Louis Hernandez.

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING COUNTDOWN streams live online on the SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and SHOWTIME Boxing Facebook page leading into the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on SHOWTIME.

The event is headlined by two-division world champion Garcia as he returns to the ring to take on hard-hitting slugger Ivan “El Terrible” Redkach in a 12-round WBC welterweight title eliminator. In the co-feature, former unified 154-pound champion “Swift” Jarrett Hurd returns against all-action Francisco “Chia” Santana in a 10-round super welterweight contest, plus sensational super bantamweight Stephen “Cool Boy Steph” Fulton will face undefeated Arnold Khegai in a 12-round WBO Super Bantamweight title eliminator to open the telecast.

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING COUNTDOWN is hosted by Brian Campbell and Luke Thomas providing preview and analysis of that evening’s SHOWTIME telecast. Ray Flores will call the live undercard play-by-play action from ringside alongside Hall of Fame analyst Steve Farhood.

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and DSG Promotions, are on-sale now and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com and barclayscenter.com. Tickets also can be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP. The Fulton vs. Khegai bout is promoted in association with Salita Promotions.

The 25-year-old Harris turned professional after a highly-successfully amateur career in 2014 and has steadily increased his level of opposition while building his undefeated resume. The nephew of former two-division world champion Lamont Peterson and his brother Anthony, Harris comes from a boxing family. His father, Patrice “Boogie” Harris., is a well-known trainer at Headbangers Gym in Washington, D.C. The slick southpaw was active in 2019, fighting four times. He is coming off a TKO victory over Joaquim Carneiro in November and in March, he won via shutout decision in an event that was headlined by his uncles.

Williams, a 22-year-old rising prospect out of Maryland, has won five consecutive bouts since a split draw in just his second pro fight. Williams will return to Barclays Center for his second straight fight, after he dismantled Mario Alberto Perez Navarro in a first-round TKO on the undercard of Adam Kownacki vs. Chris Arreola in August.

The 19-year-old southpaw Simpson has been an active young pro since his debut in December of 2018 as he picked up five victories in 2019. A stablemate of undefeated two-time super featherweight and current WBA Lightweight Title holder Gervonta Davis, Simpson was a 12-time National Champion and six-time Silver Glove Champion as an amateur. He honed his skills at the Upton Boxing Center in West Baltimore under the watchful eye of his trainer Ford.

Rounding out the undercard attractions are Staten Island’s Kenny Robles (7-1, 3 KOs) in an eight-round super lightweight fight against Patterson, New Jersey’s Rickey Edwards (12-4, 3 KOs), heavyweight prospect Steven Torres (1-0, 1 KO) from Reading, Pennsylvania taking on Williamsville, New York’s Dakota Witkopf (1-1, 1 KO) in a four-round bout and the pro debut of East Orange, New Jersey’s Rajon Chance in a four-round super bantamweight duel versus Rockville, Maryland’s Akihiro Nakamura (1-0).

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