FRANK WARREN has compared rising heavyweight sensation Daniel Dubois with all time great Larry Holmes.

The Hall of Fame promoter admits he has burdened Dubois by describing him as, ‘The best young heavyweight in the world.’

Now he has jabbed even more praise towards the young star whose career he is masterminding.

Holmes held a world heavyweight championship from 1978 to 1985 making 20 world title defences a record only bettered by Joe Louis and Wladimir Klitschko.

Dubois has to live up to his promoter’s high praise when he challenges Ghanaian Ebenezer Tetteh (19-0, 16KOs) for the vacant Commonwealth heavyweight crown at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Friday (September 27), live on BT Sport.

Warren said: “Daniel is a special young man.

“As my boxing mentor, the late Ernie Fossey said, ‘If you can’t jab, you can’t fight.’

“Good fighters have great jabs and Daniel has a great jab. It is a big comparison to make at this stage of his career, but Daniel has that Larry Holmes jab. I love seeing fighters who can jab.”

If Dubois overcomes Tetteh it will be his seventh professional championship in just 13 fights.

He has already won WBC Youth, Southern Area, English, WBO European, WBO Global and British titles since turning professional in April 2017.

Last week he was voted Young Boxer of the Year by the Boxing Writer’s Club and picks up that award at a gala dinner next month.

Dubois is also ranked 15 by the IBF and seven in the WBO rankings for the belts owned by Andy Ruiz Jr.

He hammered Nathan Gorman to become British champion in his most recent fight and Warren added: “He has had a fantastic year and gone from strength to strength.”

Daniel Dubois headlines the bill when he meets Ghana’s Ebenezer Tetteh for the vacant Commonwealth heavyweight crown and WBO flyweight champion Nicola Adams defends her title for the first time against experienced Mexican Maria Salinas, live on BT Sport.

The card will also feature WBO European super-featherweight champion Archie Sharp who makes his second title defence against Dublin’s Declan Geraghty.

Middleweight banger Denzel Bentley, heavyweight Jonathan Palata, lightweight Mohammad Bilal Ali and precocious bantamweight talent Dennis McCann are also in action.

Exciting prospects Lewis Edmondson, Eithan James and Sam Noakes all make their professional debuts.

Tickets for the September 27 bill at the Royal Albert Hall are available to purchase from www.ticketmaster.co.uk and www.royalalberthall.com. Prices £40, £50, £75, £100, £150 Ringside.

LOS ANGELES (September 24, 2019) – Unbeaten IBF Welterweight Champion Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. and WBC Champion “Showtime” Shawn Porter made their grand arrivals Tuesday as they near their title unification showdown that headlines a FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View this Saturday, September 28 from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.

Tuesday’s open to the public event featured live musical performances from Casey Veggies, Young Miller Tha Don, Ohana Bam, Mariachi Espuelas de Jalisco and was hosted by Jason Lee of Hollywood Unlocked at Xbox Plaza at L.A. Live.

Fighters competing in pay-per-view undercard action were also in attendance Tuesday including WBC Super Middleweight World Champion Anthony “The Dog” Dirrell and David “El Bandera Roja” Benavidez, who meet in the co-main event, unbeaten Mario “El Azteca” Barrios, who battles Batyr Akhmedov for the vacant WBA Super Lightweight title, and all-action veterans Josesito Lopez and John Molina Jr., who compete in a 10-round welterweight fight.

Plus, former three-time world champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero and top 154-pound prospect Joey Spencer were also in attendance ahead of their FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View Prelims on FS1 and FOX Deportes attractions.

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by Man Down Promotions, TGB Promotions and Shawn Porter Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased at AXS.com.

Here is what the main and co-main event fighters had to say Tuesday:

ERROL SPENCE JR.

“This is going to be a tough fight because of Shawn’s style. He has a come-forward style and he likes to throw a lot of punches. He has a lot of will and he’s going to help make this a great fight.

“I’m confident in my abilities and confident that I will perform to the best of my abilities. I believe that no matter what Shawn brings to the ring, I’ll have an answer for it.

“I think this fight is coming at the perfect time. I’m going in the right direction in my career and I’m just going to keep achieving more and more from here.”

SHAWN PORTER

“Spence is a tactical fighter. I know they’ll have a good game plan but I’m confident in my abilities and in my corner.

“Errol and I are likeable and respectable guys, but we give it all in the ring. Fights like this are going to help the sport of boxing.

“I don’t just want to challenge Errol Spence Jr. I took on this fight because I want to be the guy who beats him and takes his 0. I think Kell Brook challenged him, but I’m here to have my hand raised at the end of the night.”

ANTHONY DIRRELL

“I don’t see this fight going the distance. I don’t work nine to five and I don’t get paid for overtime. You’re going to see on Saturday night.

“He’s still green. He’s done what he’s supposed to do. He’s knocked out fighters who he was supposed to knock out. I’m ready for anything he brings. I’ve seen it before and I’ve done it before.

“Experience is going to matter a lot on Saturday night. I think my mental game is going to outweigh his and he’s not going to know what hit him.”

DAVID BENAVIDEZ

“We have a good game plan, but our job is to go out there and read what he’s doing and adjust. A lot of times fighters bring new wrinkles to the ring, so we have to be ready to make the right moves to counter it.

“Dirrell has talked about his experience, but I don’t think any of that is going to play a factor in the fight. I prepared myself very well and I’m ready for anything.

“I’ve been around a lot of great fighters and I’ve learned a lot. It’s not his job to know everything about me, but on Saturday night he’s going to find out who I really am.”

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ABOUT SPENCE VS. PORTER
Spence vs. Porter pits unbeaten IBF Welterweight Champion Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. against WBC Welterweight Champion “Showtime” Shawn Porter in a 147-pound title unification that headlines a FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View event on Saturday, September 28 from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.

The pay-per-view event begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features WBC Super Middleweight World Champion Anthony “The Dog” Dirrell facing unbeaten former champion David “El Bandera Roja” Benavidez in the co-main event, unbeaten contenders Mario “El Azteca” Barrios and Batyr Akhmedov battling for the WBA Super Lightweight title, and rugged veteran Josesito “The Riverside Rocky” Lopez and brawler John Molina Jr. competing in a 10-round welterweight fight.

LAS VEGAS (Sept. 24, 2019) — Jared “Big Baby” Anderson, Team USA’s top-ranked heavyweight, signed a multi-year professional contract Tuesday afternoon with Top Rank.

Anderson, from the storied fight city of Toledo, Ohio, will make his professional debut October 26 on the Shakur Stevenson-Joet Gonzalez undercard in Reno, Nevada. Managed by James Prince and co-promoted by Antonio Leonard, the 19-year-old Anderson joins fellow Toledo natives Albert Bell and Tyler McCreary on the Top Rank roster.

Anderson is trained by Darrie Riley, the Toledo-based trainer who has helped develop a host of the city’s top young fighters, including Bell, DeAndre Ware, Angelo Snow and Wesley Tucker.

“Jared Anderson is a big, strong kid who proved himself to be a heavyweight destroyer while competing for Team USA,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “He can fight, he is a charismatic young man, and he has the desire to be one of the greats.”

“This means the world to me. I feel like I can start my career and build something so that I can support my family,” Anderson said. “I want to represent my city and become a role model for kids who have dreams. My dream is to become the heavyweight champion of the world. I want to become an ambassador for my city and use my platform for good. Toledo means so much to me and for me to give back would mean everything.”

Said Riley: “He is a good kid who has the work ethic needed to become a champion. By the time he was 15 years old, I knew he had what it took to become a great fighter. Toledo has a long history of great fighters, and Jared is the next one to represent his city.”

Anderson emerged as one of the nation’s most highly regarded talents when he upset the field to win a 2017 USA National Championship. He repeated as national champion in 2018 and decided to turn pro rather than pursue a spot on the 2020 Olympic team. As an amateur, Anderson sparred former world champion Joseph Parker, promotional stablemate Sonny Conto and 2016 Olympic super heavyweight gold medalist Tony Yoka.

MIAMI BEACH (September 24, 2019) – Undisputed Middleweight World Champion Claressa Shields participated in a media workout in Miami on Tuesday in preparation for her upcoming showdown with Ivana Habazin next Saturday, October 5 live on SHOWTIME from Dort Federal Credit Union Event Center in Flint, Michigan.

Shields will look to become the fastest fighter in history, male or female, to win world titles in three divisions when she faces Habazin for the WBO Junior Middleweight World Title in the main event of SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION in her hometown of Flint.

Also participating in Tuesday’s workout was IBO Super Welterweight Champion Hannah Rankin, who competes in a non-televised undercard attraction next Saturday.

Shields vs. Habazin is promoted by Salita Promotions. Tickets for the live event can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com and at the Dort Center box office.

In the televised co-feature on October 5, undefeated welterweight sensation Jaron Ennis will return to national television against once-beaten Demian Daniel Fernandez in a 10-round bout. In the SHOWTIME opener, undefeated heavyweight prospect Jermaine Franklin will face once-beaten Pavel Šour less than an hour from his hometown of Saginaw, Mich.

Here’s what the fighters had to say on Tuesday from the famed 5th Street Gym in Miami Beach:

CLARESSA SHIELDS, Undisputed Middleweight World Champion

“I love boxing and I love that I’m one of the women who is carrying the sport, making it bigger and more well known. We’re getting more respect.

“There are fighters out there who believe that they can beat me and that really motivates me. That’s why I train and put in the time that I do.

“I want to show everybody that I’m a truly great fighter. I can beat Vasiliy Lomachenko’s record of winning titles in three divisions in 10 fights instead of 12. Plus, I’m going backwards, not going up in weight, where there are better challenges for me.

“My performances will lead to bigger fights and bigger purses for me and my opponents. I’m just going to keep building my name and building my brand.

“With this fight against Habazin, I’m definitely going in looking for the knockout. If I get it in spectacular fashion, that will go viral and help push my career forward.

“It means everything to have this fight back in my hometown. I want to be the good news for Flint and make people smile. I’m happy to be bringing a fight back home while I’m still on top. I feel like Flint will be uplifted by that.

“Everyone back home is really excited for this event. It’s going to be a huge homecoming for me on October 5.

“Muhammad Ali has trained here at 5th Street Gym and every time I train here I feel like I’m in his presence. It makes me want to be even greater. He’s the GOAT and I’m going to be the GWOAT.

“Being here in Florida is great for the weight cut. I’ve been down here for nine weeks and it’s hot every day. I’m sweating and working hard and the pounds are just coming off.”

HANNAH RANKIN, IBO Super Welterweight Champion

“It’s fantastic to be in Florida training for this fight. Everything has been perfect and I’m feeling great.

“I’m really looking forward to October 5. Me and my opponent are going to put on a great show for fans for six rounds or as long as it lasts. I want to show them what women’s boxing is about.

“There are lots of exciting things in the cards for me after this fight. I’m ready to take on the top fighters and pursue world titles at 154-pounds. I can’t wait to show everyone what I can do.”

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ABOUT SHIELDS VS. HABAZIN

Undisputed Middleweight World Champion Claressa Shields will aim to make history by becoming the fastest fighter in boxing, male or female, to become a three-division world champion when she takes on former world champion Ivana Habazin Saturday, October 5 live on SHOWTIME.

The showdown for the vacant WBO Junior Middleweight Title headlines a SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION telecast at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT from Dort Federal Event Center in Shields’ hometown of Flint, Mich. The vacant WBC Women’s Diamond Super Welterweight Championship will also be on the line in Shields’ first professional fight in her hometown.

LOS ANGELES (Sept. 24, 2019): Ahead of his first world title opportunity, Joet Gonzalez (23-0, 14 KOs) has re-signed with Golden Boy as he begins to conquer the featherweight division.

“Joet Gonzalez is one of the most talented and toughest fighters to come out of Southern California in recent years,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy. “When we first signed him, he was an undefeated prospect who showed lots of promise, especially because of his amateur background. During the past years he has become the best featherweight contender in the world, and I’m proud to continue promoting him as enters the next level of his career. Joet Gonzalez will become champion on October 26, and I’m confident he will conquer the division.”

Gonzalez is an undefeated contender of Glendora, California who possess an impressive amateur resume. After several fights as a professional, the 25-year-old pugilist made his Golden Boy debut in April 2015 when he stopped Ali Gonzalez on an LA FIGHT CLUB card, where many young talents from the company developed into today’s contenders. Gonzalez then climbed the featherweight rankings by defeating fighters such as Deivi Julio Bassa, Rafael “Big Bang” Rivera, and Manuel “Tino” Avila. Now, Gonzalez will take on Shakur Stevenson (12-0, 7 KOs) of Newark, New Jersey for the vacant WBO Featherweight World Title in a bout promoted by Top Rank, in association with Golden Boy, Let’s Get It On Promotions and Atlantis Casino Resort Spa. The fight will be streamed live on ESPN+.

“The relationship between a boxer, a manager and a promoter is a partnership,” said Joet Gonzalez. “I built and developed my career with Golden Boy, and now that I am fighting for a world title, I want to show everyone that we are in this together as I take the next step in my career. I want to thank my manager, Frank Espinoza, along with everyone at Golden Boy. This October 26 I will bring a world title back home.”

About Golden Boy
Los Angeles-based Golden Boy was established in 2002 by Oscar De La Hoya, the first Hispanic to own a national boxing promotional company. Golden Boy is a media and entertainment brand committed to making fighting entertainment more accessible and affordable. The company’s in-house production team develops creative original programming for RingTV.com and international channels across the globe. The company holds the exclusive rights to top boxers and has promoted some of the biggest and highest grossing events in the history of the sport. Now, Golden Boy is one of the most successful boxing entertainment companies in the world and shapes the future of boxing for fighters and fans alike through its 2019 partnership with streaming platform, DAZN.

PHILADELPHIA (Sept. 24, 2019) — A high-stakes welterweight co-feature will set the stage for the can’t-miss light heavyweight unification bout between IBF champion Artur Beterbiev and WBC champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk Friday, October 18 at the Liacouras Center.

Former world champion Luis Collazo will take on IBF No. 1 contender Kudratillo “The Punisher” Abdukakhorov in a 10-rounder with potential world title implications.

Collazo-Abdukakhorov will be televised live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes immediately preceding Beterbiev-Gvozdyk at 10 p.m. ET, while the undercard will stream on ESPN+, the leading multi-sport streaming service, beginning at 7 p.m. ET.

“This is a fight that will deliver action and a top contender in the talent-rich welterweight division,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “Collazo-Abdukakhorov is a great complement to Beterbiev-Gvozdyk, and it’s only fitting that a card like this is coming to the great fighting city of Philadelphia.”

“I’m just ready to go. The Jose Benavidez Jr. fight didn’t happen because he was hurt or whatever, but trust me, you are going to see an incredible performance that will steal the show on October 18,” Collazo said. “I’m coming for everything. It’s now or never. I can’t wait to show out in the great city of Philadelphia.”

 “I would like to thank Top Rank for giving me this opportunity to fight a great former champion,” Abdukakhorov said. “I am looking forward to showcasing my talent to the world. This will be a great fight, as Luis Collazo is someone who comes and gives 100 percent every fight and his aggressive style is adored by many fans. He has the heart of a true warrior. I do believe his age will be a factor, and I will try to capitalize on it. I am coming to this fight with every intention of beating him to cement my status as the mandatory for the IBF world title.” 

Collazo (39-7, 20 KOs), the 38-year-old Brooklyn native who held a piece of the welterweight title from 2005-2006, is seeking one last crack at the brass ring. He has won three in a row since a 2015 KO loss to Keith Thurman, whom he hurt with a body shot and nearly knocked down. He is closing in on two decades as a pro and holds victories over the likes of Jose Antonio Rivera and Victor Ortiz. Most recently, he earned a split decision verdict over Samuel Vargas. Abdukakhorov (16-0, 9 KOs) earned the IBF No 1 ranking with a unanimous decision over Keita Obara March 30 in Philadelphia. A road warrior who was born in Uzbekistan, Abdukakhorov has fought in Uzbekistan, Singapore, Malaysia, Russia and the U.S.

In other undercard action:

• Light heavyweight contender Michael Seals (23-2, 17 KOs), fresh off his one-punch Knockout of the Year contender over Christopher Brooker on June 8, will lock horns with Elio “La Maquina” Trosch (14-8-2, 7 KOs) in a 10-rounder.
   
• Undefeated knockout artist Joseph “Blessed Hands” Adorno (13-0, 11 KOs) will take on Argentinean veteran Damian “El Pana” Sosa (9-2, 7 KOs) in an eight-round lightweight contest. Sosa has never been knocked out as a pro, while Adorno has nine stoppages within the first two rounds.
   
• South Philadelphia-born heavyweight sensation Sonny “The Bronco” Conto (4-0, 3 KOs) will make his fourth pro appearance in his home city against Steven Lyons (5-5, 2 KOs) in a four-rounder. Conto has sparred the likes of lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and top contender Kubrat Pulev. He last fought August 10 at the Liacouras Center, winning a decision over Guillermo Del Rio.
   
• Josue “The Prodigy” Vargas (14-1, 9 KOs) will look to make it nine consecutive wins versus Denver native Johnny Rodriguez (9-4-1, 6 KOs) in an eight-rounder at super lightweight.
   
• John” El Terrible” Bauza (13-0, 5 KOs), a 21-year-old Puerto Rican super lightweight prospect, will fight the upset-minded veteran Donald “Bulldog” Ward (11-11-1, 5 KOs) in an eight-rounder.
   
• Super bantamweight prospect Jeremy “Magic Hands” Adorno (2-0, 1 KO), Joseph Adorno’s younger brother, will face Misael Reyes (1-2, 0 KOs) in a four-rounder.
   
• Julian “Hammer Hands” Rodriguez (17-0, 11 KOs), who returned from a nearly two-year layoff with a first-round knockout on July 13, will face Leonardo Doronio (17-16-3, 11 KOs) in an eight-round super lightweight bout. 

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Peltz Boxing, tickets priced at $150, $90, $75 and $50 (not including applicable fees) are on sale now and can be purchased at the Liacouras Center Box Office, www.liacourascenter.com or charge by phone at 800-298-4200.

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

Use the hashtag #BeterbievNail to join the conversation on social media.

LOS ANGELES (September 24, 2019) – With fight week here and anticipation reaching a fever pitch, top fighters, legends and trainers shared their thoughts and predictions on this Saturday’s welterweight title unification between IBF Champion Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. and WBC Champion “Showtime” Shawn Porter that headlines a FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.

Tickets for the September 28th event, which is promoted by Man Down Promotions, TGB Promotions and Shawn Porter Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased at AXS.com.

Amongst the fighters, legends and trainers surveyed, 15 picked the unbeaten Spence to walk away victorious, while 11 favor Porter to end the night as a unified champion. Here is what the fighters and trainers had to say about this blockbuster showdown:

Manny Pacquiao, WBA Welterweight World Champion
Spence W 12: It’s going to be a good fight, a close fight, but I think Spence will win. It’s not gonna be one-sided fight, it’s gonna be a competitive fight. The fans will be treated to a once-in-a-lifetime experience in this fight.

Deontay Wilder, WBC Heavyweight World Champion
Spence UD 12: Errol Spence and Shawn Porter is a clash of styles that makes for an exciting, high-profile unification fight. Errol’s trying to be ruler of the division with a statement win, so I expect him to come out and perform.

Shawn’s going to come for the full 12 rounds, no matter what. Errol’s never fought anyone like that, which makes this so intriguing. But I see Errol as being the best in the division, hands down, and I’m picking him by unanimous decision. I don’t see him knocking Shawn out.

Andy Ruiz Jr., Unified Heavyweight World Champion
Porter SD 12: I’ve trained-practically grown up-with Shawn Porter, who has a difficult style. Errol Spence is a great fighter and Shawn’s the underdog, but I was the underdog against Anthony Joshua and we all know what happened there.

Shawn’s probably gonna have to be rough in there and stay on the inside, but I expect him to do it and win a decision.

Gary Russell Jr., WBC Featherweight World Champion
Porter SD 12: This is a tossup. If Shawn stays in Errol’s chest and remains in an aggressive manner, there’s a great chance that he takes this fight.

If Errol’s allowed to box and dictate the pace, then Errol has the best opportunity to win. If I have to pick, I’m going with Shawn Porter simply because I’ve known Shawn longer and our great relationship going back to the amateurs, not because anyone’s skill set is better than the other.

Thomas Hearns, Hall of Famer
Spence MD 12: Errol Spence and Shawn Porter are both excellent fighters, but I think Spence has the better skills and he’s undefeated, so I’m leaning toward him.

Porter can bring it, but Spence is the smarter, more accurate puncher. I see Spence landing more combinations and beating Porter by a majority decision.

Abner Mares, former three-division champion
Porter SD 12: A high percentage of the boxing community is going to pick Errol Spence to beat Shawn Porter, if not by knockout. But keep in mind that Shawn has faced better fighters.

In Shawn’s unique, awkward style, I believe he’s a better fighter than Spence, who has that relaxed, fundamental approach that looks beautiful, don’t get me wrong. I don’t think Spence has faced anyone with this relentless, in-your-face style which doesn’t allow you to sit back and think. Porter won’t let Spence get comfortable in there. Shawn’s always got a plan A, B, C and D, so I’m going for the underdog, Porter, to win a close, upset split-decision.

Mikey Garcia, former four-division champion
Spence W 12: I don’t believe Errol Spence will win by a knockout. I believe that it goes 12 rounds, but I do have Errol Spence beating Shawn Porter.

Keith Thurman, former unified world welterweight champion
Spence W 12 / TKO: This is two world champion warriors going at it in a great fight. They have a common opponent in Kell Brook, who beat Shawn Porter and was knocked out by Errol Spence.

That’s why my pick is Spence. Styles make fights, and Shawn’s aggression could be difficult for Spence to handle since Spence has never faced an opponent like Shawn.

Shawn’s gonna come hungry but Brook and I handled that pressure, and I believe that Spence – being a tall southpaw with power and a great jab – will be able to deal with it as well. Spence has the power to stop Shawn, and if he does, I believe that would happen in the later rounds, like he did Brook.

Angel Garcia, trainer of two-division world champion Danny Garcia
Porter W 12: Shawn Porter’s gonna come out applying pressure like he always does, and I’ve never seen Errol Spence deal with pressure like he’ll get in this one. Spence is used to backing people up and knocking ’em out.

But I’ve never seen him have to fight while backing up when he’s been hit with flush punches. If this fight goes the distance, I see Porter winning.

Julian Williams, Unified Super Welterweight World Champion
Spence W 12: Errol Spence-Shawn Porter is a 60-40 fight in Spence’s favor. Porter has trouble with guys who are physically strong and can hold him off, like Kell Brook, Danny Garcia and Yordenis Ugas.

Spence is that type of guy who can hold off Porter and stand his ground in the center of the ring. Spence won’t run right through Porter, but I favor Spence in a really tight, entertaining, very competitive decision.

Spence is the cleaner puncher, so Porter’s rough tactics won’t work on him. I see Spence winning a clear-cut decision, 8-to-4, or, 7-to-5 in rounds.

Yordenis Ugas, top welterweight contender
Porter W 12: It is a great confrontation of two world champions. I think Errol Spence is a favorite because of the great fighter he has proven to be. But Shawn Porter is a tough fighter with a great resume and will fight hard until the final bell. I have no favorite in this 50-50 fight, but I lean toward Porter to win.

Evander Holyfield, Hall of Famer
Spence MD 12: First of all, both fighters are good and each will be great one day. Styles make the difference, and it will be a great battle if both fighters perform like they usually do. But I’ve got Spence by majority decision.

Robert Guerrero, former three-time world champion
Porter SD 12: This is a very difficult fight to call, but I’ve gotta go with Shawn Porter to beat Errol Spence. With Spence being as tall as he is, Porter can’t try to box like he did against Yordenis Ugas or Spence will pick him apart.

Porter’s got that relentless pressure and stays busy with combination punching. One thing about Spence is he’s never had anybody in front of him like that.

Erickson Lubin, super welterweight contender
Spence UD 12: Errol Spence is younger, stronger, fresher, bigger and punches harder than Shawn Porter, and all of that is gonna play a role in Spence winning by a unanimous decision.
Porter will have some success if he can make it a rough, dirty fight, but I still see Spence winning comfortably on the cards on September 28.

Tony Harrison, WBC Super Welterweight World Champion
Spence W 12: Errol Spence will have it tough making adjustments in the beginning but pull away after round six. Shawn Porter has gotta start strong and try to establish himself as dominant from round one, but he will be worn down. If it is stopped, that will come from Porters’ father in the corner.

Jose Benavidez Sr., trainer of former world super middleweight champion David Benavidez
Porter SD 12: Shawn Porter has the style, talent and aggression to make Errol Spence uncomfortable in the fight. It’s a 50-50 fight, but I believe that’s what he’s gonna do from the first round on, winning a decision. I’m going with Porter.

Paulie Malignaggi, former two-division world champion
Spence Late-TKO: Shawn Porter relies on a physical presence but Errol Spence is a very big welterweight and that can nullify Porters’ physicality. Spence’s body punching is key.

Robert Easter Jr., former lightweight champion
Spence W 12: I’ve been rolling with Errol Spence for a long time and I see no reason to stop now. I’ve got Spence beating Shawn Porter.

Ruben Guerrero, trainer of former two-division world champion Robert Guerrero
Porter W 12: Errol Spence and Shawn Porter want this really badly, and it’s gonna be a close fight. I believe the one who is more aggressive wins the fight, so I’m picking Porter.

Sergey Lipinets, former world super lightweight champion
Spence W 12: Both guys are A-plus fighters, but given the fact that Shawn struggled with Yordenis Ugas, it’s obvious that he has a problem with tall and rangy fighters. Being a southpaw, Errol Spence will give Porter all he can handle and will most likely win.

Robert Garcia, trainer of former four-division world champion Mikey Garcia
Spence W 12: Shawn Porter is a very tough fighter who will come out pressuring as he always does, but I’ve really gotta go with Errol Spence by decision.

Austin Trout, former super welterweight world champion
Porter SD 12: Errol Spence’s style plays right into Shawn Porter’s, and I don’t think it’s going to be as easy for Spence as some people are thinking.

We know Spence is very strong and has power, but Shawn got through the power of Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia, so if he’s doing everything he’s supposed to, training-wise, I see Shawn eking out a decision.

Caleb Truax, former super middleweight world champion
Spence UD 12: Errol Spence against Shawn Porter is a rough, tough fight for the first five or six rounds, but I think Spence’s talent and skill level will be too much for Porter.

Spence may not dominate or knock Porter out, but I do see him controlling the fight and winning a clear unanimous decision for the victory.

Sergio Mora, former super welterweight world champion
Porter W 12: I really like this fight. Errol Spence’s pure power boxing versus Shawn Porter’s raw aggression and grit. Any fight with Porter will be punishing. This is type of fight that can get out of control for the cleaner boxer.

Expect Porter to maul Spence, not letting him get comfortable with cleaner punches. If Spence can’t control the tempo and hurt Porter coming in, I’m picking Porter for the upset decision. The referee will play a big role in the outcome of this one.

Andre Berto, former two-time welterweight world champion
Spence W 12: I see Errol Spence beating Shawn Porter by decision. Shawn can’t try to box with Errol, who is a long, rangy southpaw. Shawn needs to go in there and do what he knows how to do, but I don’t think it will be enough

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ABOUT SPENCE VS. PORTER
Spence vs. Porter pits unbeaten IBF Welterweight Champion Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. against WBC Welterweight Champion “Showtime” Shawn Porter in a 147-pound title unification that headlines a FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View event on Saturday, September 28 from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.

The pay-per-view event begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features WBC Super Middleweight World Champion Anthony “The Dog” Dirrell facing unbeaten former champion David “El Bandera Roja” Benavidez in the co-main event, unbeaten contenders Mario “El Azteca” Barrios and Batyr Akhmedov battling for the WBA Super Lightweight title, and rugged veteran Josesito “The Riverside Rocky” Lopez and brawler John Molina Jr. competing in a 10-round welterweight fight.

For more information: visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/homepageand www.foxdeportes.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @PBConFOX, @FOXSports, @FOXDeportes, @TGBPromotions and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/foxsports & www.facebook.com/foxdeportes.

Oleksandr Usyk is closing in on a Heavyweight debut that he’s been preparing for since his amateur days as he faces Tyrone Spong at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago on Saturday October 12, live on DAZN in the US and on Sky Sports in the UK.
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW FROM $40 HEREWATCH USYK’S INTERVIEW FROM HIS LOS ANGELES TRAINING CAMP HERE
Usyk (16-0 12 KOs) has made the move to Heavyweight after dominating at Cruiserweight, ending his spell at 200lbs as the undisputed king with a phenomenal run of victories in his opponents’ backyard against Marco Huck, Mairis Breidis, Murat Gassiev and Tony Bellew.

The Ukrainian pound-for-pound star begins his bid to become a two-weight World ruler against Spong (14-0 13 KOs) in the Windy City, but Usyk says his rise to Heavyweight began back in his amateur days, so moving to join the big guns holds no fear for the 32 year old.

“There have been no problems in order to move to the Heavyweight division,” said Usyk. “At least to me there have been no problems. I simply moved to the Heavyweight division, and that was it. Virtually nothing has changed in my training, we’ve simply started doing even more work. Different, and hard work, which is practicing with big guys who pose a great threat.

“We’re working hard, smiling, going crazy during the training camp, and doing our job. Everyone who is in my camp does their job 100 per cent meaning that they give everything so that I feel comfortable. Everything is as comfortable as possible; the food, rehab, resting, massage, training. My team is looking after all of it and we are working hard together.

“Before the Olympics, and even before the World Championships, when I was boxing at 91 kilos, we were experimentally boxing in the Heavyweight class specifically so that it would be more dangerous. I weighed in at a competition, for example, not 91 kilos but 91.5, and was boxing against the guys weighing 100-102-105, which was our objective. And it was not only I who was boxing one class up, Vasiliy Lomachenko was, Oleksandr Gvozdyk and all of those who were part of that golden Ukrainian team.

“I’m really looking forward to boxing on October 12. I very much missed the boxing. I love boxing, and really there is a lot of talk about it, but I’m not paying attention to it. My objective is to do my job in the gym in order to show all the enthusiasts and fans great boxing in the ring.”

Usyk’s Heavyweight bow against Spong is part of a huge night of action in Chicago as unified Super-Lightweight champion Jessica McCaskill defends her WBA and WBC titles against old foe Erica Farias, unbeaten Super-Middleweight talent Anthony Sims Jr returns to action against Morgan Fitch, Charles Conwell defends his USBA Super-Welterweight title against Patrick Day, an all-Chicago Super-Featherweight clash between Josh Hernandez and Giovanni Mioletti and a fourth pro outing for rising starlet Otha Jones III.

Tickets are on sale now for Usyk vs. Spong starting at just $40 plus booking fees at: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/070057139FF02C5D.

DANIEL DUBOIS and Nicola Adams will be lighting up London on Friday (September 27th) when both are in big fight action at the Royal Albert Hall, live on BT Sport.

The vacant Commonwealth heavyweight championship will be on the line when Dubois (12-0, 11KOs) faces Ghanaian Ebenezer Tetteh (19-0, 16KOs).

Adams (5-0, 3KOs) makes the first defence of her WBO flyweight title against Mexican challenger Maria Salinas (21-7-3, 7KOs)

WBO European super-featherweight champion Archie Sharp (16-0, 8KOs) is also in action and defends his title against Dublin’s Declan Geraghty (19-4, 4KOs).

Today, Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren hosted the final press conference ahead of the big night of action at the historic venue.

Media are welcome to download face off videos from today’s press conference here:

Dubois v Tetteh

Adams v Salinas

Sharp v Geraghty

Here are a selection of quotes from the event:

FRANK WARREN

“Daniel has had a fantastic year and gone from strength to strength. He is the best young heavyweight in the world in my opinion, and that is a burden I have put on him.

“We know he has power, but Daniel can box. He is not just a cumbersome clubber. He is the best young heavyweight I’ve been involved in. He is a special young man.

“As my boxing mentor, the late Ernie Fossey said, ‘If you can’t jab, you can’t fight.’

“Good fighters have great jabs and Daniel has a great jab. It is a big comparison to make at this stage of his career, but Daniel has that Larry Holmes jab. I love seeing fighters who can jab.

“Nicola is our golden girl and I can’t wait for her first fight as a world champion, but this is a hard fight and I hope she comes through.

“Nicola is a legend with two Olympic gold medals. I want to see her come through this and be an active fighter.

“Archie is in title winning habits, an ambitious young man, but he has a tough challenge. It is going to be fireworks and great for the fans.”

DANIEL DUBOIS

“It is my job to come through in style. I haven’t really studied Tetteh. I just want to fight and win again.

“Every challenge brings something different and I get better each time I fight.

“I believe I am world class and it is only a matter of time before I am up there with the big names.

“I am a man on a mission and not going to be stopped. It will be fireworks on Friday and a devastating performance is coming.

“The Larry Holmes compliment is great to have especially from Frank. He has been in the business a long time and knows what he’s talking about.”

EBENEZER TETTEH

“I have watched Daniel v Lartey and Gorman and know what I have to do to beat him on Friday.

“I gave Lartey sparring and I am better than him. I can move and punch.

“I expect to beat Daniel. Lartey gave him a good fight but I will finish Dubois.

“I want to take the title home and be the first Ghanaian Commonwealth heavyweight champion.”

NICOLA ADAMS

“I will be nervous on fight night, but it is good to be back. If I wasn’t nervous it would mean I am underestimating my opponent.

“I have been sparring with Kid Galahad who is really difficult to hit. If I can land on him I can land on anybody.

“Maria will stand in front of me and they are the best to face because they’re there to get hit.

“I have a lot of goals. I want to unify the flyweight division and this is the first step in the right direction.

“It means a lot to box at the Royal Albert Hall where my hero Muhammad Ali did. It is special.”

ARCHIE SHARP

“Declan is a very good fighter and we all know he can box. I will adapt to anyone’s style and whatever he brings I will match.

“I believe I’m a great fighter and they adapt to any style. I have done tests and I am bigger, stronger and quicker than 12 months ago.

“The fight will be how I want to fight and I have an answer to it all.

“He has been chinned and that must play on any man’s head. The WBO champion Jamel Herring has been mentioned as a future opponent, but I am not overlooking Declan.”

DECLAN GERAGHTY

“I’m here to spoil the party. I am gonna come forward and put the pressure on him.

“Archie is a good boxer, rangy, switches and moves well. I’m not really worried about him because he hasn’t been tested. He beat Lyon Woodstock and Jordan McCorry who I don’t rate at all.

“No ifs or buts, I am becoming WBO European super-featherweight. I’m a crazy Irishman and here to fight.

“If he has overlooked me he is silly.  I think it’s down to who has the best boxing IQ.”

 
Daniel Dubois headlines the bill when he meets Ghana’s Ebenezer Tetteh for the vacant Commonwealth heavyweight crown and WBO flyweight champion Nicola Adams defends her title for the first time against experienced Mexican Maria Salinas, live on BT Sport.

The card will also feature WBO European super-featherweight champion Archie Sharp who makes his second title defence against Dublin’s Declan Geraghty.

Middleweight banger Denzel Bentley, heavyweight Jonathan Palata, lightweight Mohammad Bilal Ali and precocious bantamweight talent Dennis McCann are also in action.

Exciting prospects Lewis Edmondson, Eithan James and Sam Noakes all make their professional debuts.

Tickets for the September 27 bill at the Royal Albert Hall are available to purchase from www.ticketmaster.co.uk and www.royalalberthall.com. Prices £40, £50, £75, £100, £150 Ringside.

New York, September 24, 2019

Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing is excited to announce the return of the critically acclaimed “Rockin’ Fights” series on NOVEMBER 23, live, from
The Paramount, in Huntington Long Island. The intimate venue makes it feel as if you are in the ring no matter where your seats are located. The “Rockin’ Fights” series has a history of bringing extremely action packed fights to Long Island, and the 37th edition of the fantastic fight series will be no different.

As a loyal fan of Star Boxing, and the Rockin’ Fights series, you will have access to tickets before anyone else. Get your tickets, on pre-sale Wednesday, September 25 at 10AM until Thursday, September 26th at 10PM, by using code ‘STAR’ to gain early access before tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, September 27th, at 10AM. Purchase your tickets HERE.

TICKET SCHEDULE:
Pre-Sale: Wed, 09/25, 10AM – Thurs, 09/26, 10PM by using code ‘STAR’
Public On-Sale: Fri, 09/27 at 10 AM

ABOUT ROCKIN’ FIGHTS:
Star Boxing’s series at The Paramount has developed some of Long Island and Star Boxing’s biggest stars, like former world champion Chris Algieri, light heavyweight star Joe Smith Jr. and jr. welterweight knockout artist Cletus “The Hebrew Hammer” Seldin.

Star Boxing has also brought in talent from all over the world to the Paramount including two-time world champion Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade (Rhode Island), and former world champion, Joshua Clottey (Ghana, Africa).

Rockin’ Fights at The Paramount has continuously sold out (this is Star Boxing’s 33rd show there) with a Long Island crowd that fills the venue with unrivaled energy. The series has even brought out the likes of celebrities such as actor Burt Young, famously known for his role in Rocky and hip-hop artist and actor LL Cool J, amongst many others.

The Rockin’ Fights series at The Paramount offers an affordable and extremely entertaining night out, that is guaranteed to see action packed professional fighting from the opening bout, through the main event.

On November 23rd, Star Boxing plans to make the 37th edition of “Rockin’ Fights” yet another thrilling night of entertainment.

Get your tickets early, before they sell out! This night of fights is something you will not want to miss. Get your tickets HERE.
FACTS:
ROCKIN’ FIGHTS 37 is presented by Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing. “Rockin Fights” is sponsored by Modell’s Sporting Goods, The Tudor Advisory Group, WBAB, The Best Western and The Inn at Fox Hollow.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Follow all the action via social media at Star Boxing on Facebook, @StarBoxing on Instagram and @StarBoxing on Twitter, or by using the hashtag #RockinFights. For the latest Star Boxing events and news, follow @StarBoxing across all social platforms. Sign-up for our mailing list HERE.

The Allianz Cloud in Milan will host another evening of Championship Boxing when Matchroom Boxing Italy and OPI Since 82 return on Friday October 25 for a stacked card full of title action to be shown live on DAZN.

Previously known as the PalaLido, the historic venue played host to an electric night of boxing in June as rising star Daniele Scardina outpointed Alessandro Goddi and European Lightweight Champion Francesco Patera stopped Paul Hyland Jnr in six rounds.

Scardina (17-0, 14 KOs) retained his IBF International Super-Middleweight title with a classy unanimous decision over Goddi earlier this summer and ‘King Toretto’ puts his ranking title on the line once more as he looks to secure a World title shot.

Patera (22-3, 8 KOs) returns to make the third defence of his European title against Campania’s Domenico Valentino (8-0, 1 KO), a former amateur World Champion, three-time Olympian and current Italian Lightweight Champion.

Ukraine’s rising Welterweight talent Maxim Prodan (17-0-1, 14 KOs) was last seen decisioning Nika Nakashidze and now gets the opportunity to fight for his second pro title when he meets Welshman Tony Dixon (12-2, 3 KOs) for the full IBF International Welterweight Championship.

Verbania Super-Middleweight Ivan Zucco (9-0, 8 KOs), Milan Super-Middleweight Luca Capuano (10-0, 2 KOs), Milan Middleweight Riccardo Merafino (6-0, 3 KOs), Bonemerse Super-Welterweight Nicholas Esposito (10-0, 5 KOs) and Navora Super-Welterweight Samuel Nmomah (11-0, 3 KOs) all feature on the undercard.

“Daniele Scardina is quickly establishing himself as one of the stars of the resurgence in Italian boxing and this year we have seen him score impressive back-to-back wins in Milan,” said Eddie Hearn. “We’re building something exciting in Milan after two successful shows and Daniele is at the forefront of that success. It’s another show full of title action as Francesco Patera defends his European title in an all-Italian clash with plenty more action further down the card.”

Salvatore Cherchi of OPI Since 82 said: “It’s always a pleasure to return to this historic boxing venue in Milan. Once again, we have three title fights topping the card with the popular Daniele Scardina back in action. The European Lightweight title is an all Italian affair between Franceso Patera and Domenico Valentino and knockout artist Maxim Prodan is looking for another big win.”

Veronica Diquattro, EVP Southern Europe DAZN, affirmed: “With this event in Milan, it will be a pleasure to conclude the first year of our collaboration with Matchroom Boxing Italy and OPI Since 82, which saw the return of Italian boxing to the spotlight with eight great nights, after years in which it had lost interest. We have guaranteed great visibility for Italian boxers and boxing not only on a national level but, also internationally within the other eight countries where DAZN is present. We are looking forward to continuing our adventure in the next season.”

Tickets will be available to purchase next week via www.ticketone.it

Undefeated Denaby Super-Featherweight talent Terri Harper has signed a promotional deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing and will make the first defence of her IBO World title against Vivian Obenauf on the Taylor vs. Linardatou undercard at Manchester Arena on November 2, live on Sky Sports in the UK and DAZN in the US. 

Harper, South Yorkshire’s first female professional boxer, joined the paid code in November 2017 after a successful stint in the amateurs that saw her win three national titles and take home a silver medal for England from the European youth championships in Poland in 2012.

The 22-year-old has won all eight of her pro contests to date and picked up the WBC International Lightweight title with a sensational stoppage of Nina Bradley in March earlier this year before taking out Nozipho Bell in eight rounds to earn the IBO Super-Feather World title in July. 

Obenauf (14-5, 7 KOs), a two-time World title challenger from Brazil, is no stranger to fighting on these shores. She took Irish star Taylor the distance in Manchester back in 2016 and returned to the UK a year later to challenge Chantelle Cameron for the IBO Lightweight World title in Leicester.

In her next fight she stopped Liverpool’s Natasha Jonas in four rounds to earn the WBA International Super-Featherweight title in Cardiff before challenging Maiva Hamadouche for the IBF Super-Featherweight World title in Paris. 

“I was in disbelief when I found out that I’d be signing a promotional deal with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing,” said Harper. “I got the news shortly after I won my IBO World title in July and I was delighted. It’s crazy how much has happened in the short space of two years.

“I always expected to go quite far with my boxing but not as quickly as I have done. Everyone dreams of signing with Matchroom and I believe I’m in the perfect place to fulfil my potential. We originally planned on having around ten fights before pushing on towards titles but opportunities came up and we knew we were ready.

“Katie Taylor has paved the way for women’s boxing in recent years and to be defending my World title on her undercard on my Matchroom debut is absolutely massive and I can’t wait to get out there in front of the TV cameras again. 

“I’ve been in the gym for a solid two months waiting for my fight date to be confirmed. They’re all going to be tough fights from now but that’s what I’m in this sport to do, prove myself against the best names out there.”

Stefy Bull, Manager of Terri Harper, said: “It’s a pleasure to be working with Matchroom Boxing again. I’ve had a long relationship with them through Gavin McDonnell and I believe they are the best promotional outfit out there. Terri is a special talent and I know that Eddie will deliver World title opportunities for her on the biggest stage. Terri will grab those opportunities with both hands.”

Harper vs. Obenauf is part of a huge night of action in Manchester.

Main event sees Katie Taylor (14-0, 6 KOs) attempt to become a two-weight World Champion when she meets Christina Linardatou (12-1, 6 KOs) for the WBO Super-Lightweight World title, Manchester favourite Anthony Crolla (34-7-3, 13 KOs) bids farewell at the venue he was crowned World Champion, rising Light-Heavyweight star Joshua Buatsi (12-0, 10 KOs) steps up again to take on another former World title challenger in Blake Caparello (30-3-1, 13 KOs), Felix Cash (11-0, 7 KOs) defends his Commonwealth Middleweight title against English Champion Jack Cullen (17-1, 8 KOs) and Gamal Yafai (16-1, 9 KOs) and Qais Ashfaq (7-0, 3 KOs) continue their march towards titles. 

General sale tickets priced £40, £60, £100 and £250 (VIP) are available NOW via Manchester Arena (www.manchester-arena.com), StubHub (www.stubhub.co.uk) and Matchroom Boxing (www.matchroomboxing.com). 

Bolton, UK (24 September 2019) Nicaragua’s iron-fisted Francisco Fonseca believes Alex Dilmaghani has bitten off far more than he can chew by agreeing to face-off against the formidable former Two-Time World title challenger at the Premier Suite, University of Bolton, on Saturday 28th September.

Presented by Hennessy Sports and VIP Promotions, in association with Infinitum and Voltarol, Dilmaghani v Foneseca is exclusively live on free-to-air Channel 5 this Saturday from 9pm.

The WBA International Super-Featherweight Championship – and a lofty world top-ten rating – are at stake in this high-grade collision and the mix of styles should mesh to produce a potential classic.

‘Dilma’ might be four years Fonseca’s senior, profiting from home advantage and undefeated in over eight years but that certainly doesn’t daunt the destroyer from the land that delivered ring legends such as Alexis Arguello and ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez.

Coached by his older brother Jose Fonseca and two weight WBA World Champion champion Rosendo Alvarez – the ONLY boxer to put a stain on Mexican great Ricardo Lopez’s brilliant 52 fight unbeaten career (TD8, 1998) – the lethal Latino arrived in Bolton last night boasting seven more pro starts, 41 more pro rounds and a record that lists as many stoppages (19) as Dilmaghani has wins.

Eight of the explosive-hitting Nicaraguan’s quick wins have come by clean count out. Make no mistake, the dangerous Fonseca brings serious firepower with a capital F and poses a significant threat to Dilmaghani’s ambitions.

Life began in El Rama, central Nicaragua in March 1994, although the family migrated south to seek a better life in Costa Rica, when feisty Francisco was just six.

‘We are 6 children in total, The three boys of us all boxed. I was introduced to the sport, aged 14, by my older brother Jose, a pro, who has already retired. My other brother is Freddy Fonseca (a 27-3-1 world ranked ex WBA 130lb challenger), who has just lost in Japan last weekend. Twice the three of us fought in the same show as pro,’ disclosed Francisco through an interpreter.

‘As an amateur boxer, I had 70 fights, only 6 losses. Several times I was the national champion.

I like both styles, countering but also exchanging punches.’

Restricted to a four-round draw during his debut as a teenager back in December 2013, the Managua based banger then blitzed 19 successive opponents, with 13 of the vanquished failing to finish.

The only other blemishes on his stellar 25-2-1 slate were a brace of IBF world title reverses over in the USA to two of the world’s elite, firstly to Gervonta Davis (LKO8, August 2018) and then Tevin Farmer (LPTS12, December 2018). Still only 25, fiery Frankie certainly hasn’t surrendered his dream of securing a World title crown.

In addition to starring in Costa Rica, the Nicaraguan nightmare has previously wreaked havoc in Panama, El Salvador and the USA as a pro so certainly won’t be fazed by his maiden European venture and sent a .

‘I am really looking forward to fighting in the UK, as it’s such a big place for boxing,’ states the 5ft 7 ½ in boxer-banger who has already racked up a hat-trick of stoppage wins in 2019.

‘I know I must win this fight to get a new shot at the world title again. It could be either points or stoppage but I will win.

‘Though I was unsuccessful in those two previous chances at world level, I fought solid champions. Both fights left me great experiences and I know my experience in world title fights will be the key to winning this fight.

‘I’ve watched Dilmaghani and I can see he has good boxing skills. That’s why I am sure it will be a very good fight.

‘My message to him is, ‘Make sure you train hard because I am 100% ready and motivated.’

Chief support on the talent stacked card sees undefeated starlets Jack ‘The Giant Killer’ Flatley and Harry ‘Hammer Time’ Scarff fight it out over 10 rounds for the former’s English Super-Welterweight Championship. Bolton wonder Flatley, a former national amateur finalist at both junior and senior level, is yet to be beaten in 16 but the ex-England international can expect to be stretched right to the limit by 7-0 Derby six footer Scarff in a mouthwatering match-up.

Promoter Hennessy’s son, Michael Hennessy Jr, an all action middleweight who is undefeated in two, is set to feature in a six rounder.

A full undercard featuring several of Steve Wood’s rising talents is set to garnish an unmissable night of entertainment.

Passions are sure to run high when Darwen’s robust Mickey Ellison (9-2) locks horns with Manchester technician Charlie Schofield (unbeaten in 16) in a seriously spicy looking Eliminator for the English Super-Middleweight Championship.

Popular Wigan welterweight James Moorcroft and Oldham’s turbo charged Andy Kremner will be banking to triumph in separate six rounders before clashing against each other back at the Bolton Whites in December. The former goes up against Manchester circuit fighter Sam Omidi whilst the returning Kremner seeks to become the first to stop Cannock tough man Lee Gunter.

Prestwich pressure fighter Sean Ben Mulligan, beaten just once in 11, endeavours to edge yet further up the domestic super-welter rankings by prevailing in a Roses rumble with 71 fight Driffield warmonger Danny ‘Lethal’ Little.

Wigan lightweight Rhiannon Dixon makes her exciting debut over four rounds against nine fight Lithuanian Vaida Maseokaite, a regular visitor to these shores.

Stretford’s Bradley Rea, Wigan’s Andrew Fleming and Stockport’s Jack Booth are three local lads who’ll be seeking to extend their perfect slates. Middleweight Rea, described as ‘a serious talent’ by promoter Wood, will be hoping to go seven-up in an Anglo-Scottish affair with Stranraer’s significantly more seasoned Paul Allison. Also over six, Fleming, a strong super-lightweight southpaw, intends to stretch his streak to eight against an opponent still to be announced while Matthew Hatton’s all-action super-middle starlet Booth will be looking to defuse ‘Baltic Bomber’ Genadij Krejevskij from Lithuania in an intriguing international four-rounder.

24 September 2019 – Tokyo, Japan: Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series, a subsidiary of  ONE Championship™ (ONE), the largest global sports media property in Asian history, has announced the complete card for ONE WARRIOR SERIES 8: JAPAN VS THE WORLD, set to take place during the ONE Martial Arts Fan Fest at the Bellesalle Shibuya Garden in Tokyo on Saturday, 5 October. The marquee attraction at the two-day esports and martial arts event will see the industry’s fastest rising stars and athletes from across the globe compete for a chance to earn a six-figure contract with ONE Championship. ONE WARRIOR SERIES 8: JAPAN VS THE WORLD features Japan’s fastest rising stars taking on the best prospects in the world in mixed martial arts, kickboxing, and Muay Thai. Japan’s two largest mixed martial arts promotions, Shooto and Pancrase will be well-represented featuring a number of athletes. In the main event, De’von “Bam Bam” Morris of the United States will take on Emmanuel “The Biafran Warrior” Onyedikachi of Nigeria. Morris and Onyedikachi first met last February, when the American took home an impressive second round knockout victory, dealing Onyedikachi his first loss as a professional. Now the two martial artists look to run it back in a highly-anticipated rematch. In the co-main event, Tribe Tokyo MMA representative Ryoji Kudo of Japan will make his ONE Warrior Series debut against unbeaten Philippine prospect Jerry “Bokodian Warrior” Olsim. Olsim has four victories under the ONE Warrior Series banner and has delighted with his fan-friendly style. Rich Franklin, CEO of ONE Warrior Series, stated: “We are excited to take the ONE Warrior Series event to Japan and test their history of mixed martial arts against athletes from other countries around the world. There are 14 countries represented on this card, as well as several athletes from both Pancrase and Shooto, the two largest promotions in Japan. The card is stacked from top to bottom, with a main event rematch I personally cannot wait to see between De’von Morris and Emmanuel Onyedikachi.” Jonathan Fong, Director of ONE Warrior Series, stated: “ONE: CENTURY is putting on a massive double-header with the biggest World Champions and stars globally. ONE Esports is making its highly-anticipated debut. Japan is widely-considered the birthplace of martial arts with disciplines like karate, aikido, and sumo deeply rooted into the fabric of society. Why wouldn’t we want ONE Warrior Series to be part of such a historic event?” ONE WARRIOR SERIES 8: JAPAN VS THE WORLD will set the stage for the historic ONE: CENTURY ??, ONE Championship’s landmark 100th live event, which takes place at the Ryogoku Kokugikan on Sunday, 13 October. ONE: CENTURY ?? is the single biggest world championship martial arts event in history with 28 World Champions featured across various martial arts. The entire day of martial arts action is divided into two full-scale world championship events – a feat no other organization in history has ever attempted or accomplished. It is the single greatest martial arts event in the last 100 years. Part 1 of ONE: CENTURY ?? (from 9:00 a.m. JST) will be broadcast live in the United States on TNT. Part 2 (from 5:00 p.m. JST) will be broadcast live across more than 140 countries worldwide and streamed to 2.6 billion potential viewers through the world’s largest television networks. ONE: CENTURY ?? features World Championship title bouts, World Grand Prix Championships, and World Champion versus World Champion matchups.ONE WARRIOR SERIES 8: JAPAN VS THE WORLD Saturday, 5 October Bellesalle Shibuya Garden, Shibuya City, Tokyo, Japan Main Event De’von Morris vs Emmanuel Onyedikachi Mixed Martial Arts: 83.9kg Co-Main Event Ryoji Kudo vs Jerry Olsim Mixed Martial Arts: 70.3kg Ayaka Miyauchi vs Sandra Godvik Muay Thai (4oz. gloves): 52.2kg Kodai Murata vs Min Jong Song Mixed Martial Arts: 65.8kg Koki Naito vs Alex Schild Mixed Martial Arts: 61.2kg Kazumasa Sugawara vs Ali Motamed Mixed Martial Arts: 70.3kg Hikaru Yoshino vs Chan Samart Mixed Martial Arts: 65.8kg Satomi Takano vs So Yul Kim Mixed Martial Arts: 52.2kg Takuya Nagata vs Otgonbaatar Nergui Mixed Martial Arts: 77.1kg Asuka Tsubaki vs Long La Mixed Martial Arts: 70.3kg Ryuichi Yamashita vs Ahmed Faez Anuar Mixed Martial Arts: 77.1kg Koki Shimokawa vs Sean Rush Kickboxing (4oz. gloves): 77.1kg Yuko Suzuki vs Edilah Johany Mixed Martial Arts: 52.2kg Hiroyasu Sakurai vs Shimamura Naoki Mixed Martial Arts: 74kg Shoa Arii vs Lehe Kickboxing (8oz. gloves): 55kg Kanta Motoyama vs Cep Holick Kickboxing (8oz. gloves): 56.7kgEpisodes of Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series can be found on ONE Championship’s official YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/OneFCMMA. For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™ ONE Championship (ONE) is the largest global sports media property in Asian history, and the largest producer of millennial live sports content in Asia. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE is the Home of Martial Arts, and is the world’s largest martial arts organization, hosting bouts across all styles of martial arts such as Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Karate, Kung Fu, Silat, Sanda, Lethwei, Mixed Martial Arts, Tae Kwon Do, Submission Grappling, and more. ONE hosts the biggest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world’s best martial artists and world champions on the largest global media broadcast in Asia. ONE Esports, a subsidiary of ONE Championship, runs Asia’s largest global esports Championship Series with some of the biggest blockbuster game titles in the world. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 2.6 billion potential viewers across 140+ countries with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Startimes, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, Great Sports, Tencent, Star TV, Mediaset Italia, ProSiebenSat.1, Dubai Sports, Turner Sports, and more.

RENO, Nev. (Sept. 23, 2019) — Tickets for the highly anticipated vacant WBO featherweight world title fight between unbeaten stars Shakur Stevenson and Joet Gonzalez — Saturday, October 26 at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center — go on sale TODAY, September 23, at 10 a.m. PT.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Golden Boy, Let’s Get It On Promotions and Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, tickets for this world championship event priced at $110, $70 and $40 (not including applicable fees) can be purchased via Ticketmaster.com or in person at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa gift shop.

A pair of undefeated Northern Nevada-based prospects, JJ Mariano and Diego Elizondo, are slated to appear on the undercard.

Stevenson (12-0, 7 KOs), the WBO No. 1 contender, is no stranger to Reno fight fans. He won multiple national tournaments there as an amateur, including the U.S. Olympic Boxing Trials in late 2015. Stevenson went on to capture a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The 22-year-old last fought July 13 in his hometown of Newark, New Jersey, knocking out Alberto Guevara in the third round.

The 25-year-old Gonzalez (23-0, 14 KOs), the WBO No. 2 contender, is a seven-year pro who has scored three consecutive knockouts. A Los Angeles native, Gonzalez is coming off a sixth-round stoppage over Manuel Avila.

Stevenson-Gonzalez and a co-feature will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+, the leading multi-sport streaming service, beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. The entire undercard will stream on ESPN+ starting at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

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

Use the hashtag #StevensonGonzalez to join the conversation on social media.

About ESPN+

ESPN+ is the multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. It reached 2 million subscribers in less than a year and offers fans thousands of live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, along with premium editorial content.

Programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of MLB and NHL games, exclusive UFC, Top Rank boxing and PFL fights and events, top domestic and international soccer (Serie A, MLS, FA Cup, UEFA Nations League, EFL Championship, EFL Carabao Cup, Eredivisie, and more), thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and other sports), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, new and exclusive 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) and can cancel at any time.

ESPN+ is available as an integrated part of the ESPN App (on mobile and connected devices) and ESPN.com.

Last Thursday night, September 19, at the Uvais Akhtaev Sports Palace in Grozny, Russia, WBO #4-, IBF #6- and WBA #10-rated light heavyweight Umar Salamov successfully defended his WBO International Championship with an impressive TKO 3 over Ghana’s Emmanuel Danso.

Fighting in front of his hometown fans, Salamov (24-1, 18 KOs) was too much for the shorter Danso (now 31-5, 28 KOs) and dropped him three times with perfectly timed right hands in round three. The fight was waved off at 2:44.

Two other Salita Promotions’ Russian fighters were victorious on the undercard as well.

Another hometown hero, WBO #8-rated super middleweight Aslambek Idigov (17-0, 7 KOs) overcame a strong start from Slovakian challenger Robert Racz (21-2, 19 KOs) to pull out a unanimous 10-round decision and successfully defend his WBO and IBF European Championships.

Racz had some moments early on, but the world-class conditioning and superior skills of Idigov allowed him to take over as the rounds went by, eventually winning by scores of 98-94, 97-93, and 98-92.

Kurchaloi, Russia’s heavyweight crusher Apti Davtaev (18-0-1, 17 KOs) successfully defended his WBC Asian Boxing Council Continental title for the first time by demolishing American opponent Daniel Martz (18-8-1, 15 KOs) in just 69 seconds of the first round.

Showing the size and power that make him a force to be reckoned with on the heavyweight landscape, Davtaev went straight at Martz who could only turn his head to avoid the double sledgehammers flying his way.

Martz was down three times in the brief but brutal affair.

“All three fighters are closing in on world championship fights,” said their promoter, Dmitriy Salita. “They are all clearly a step above domestic-level competition and have developed into serious threats to any world champion they will all eventually face. Tireless hard work and total dedication make the difference in tough tests like these and all three passed with flying colors.”

LAS VEGAS – UFC FIGHT PASS^®, the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports, today announced that it will exclusively live stream Canadian super welterweight boxing champion Cody “The Crippler” Crowley’s upcoming fight on Saturday, October 19. UFC FIGHT PASS will feature the entire card live from the Peterborough Memorial Centre in Peterborough, Ontario; starting at 9 pm E.T. / 6 pm P.T.

Crowley (17-0, 9 KOs), an undefeated Canadian prospect, will take on “Super” Mian Hussain (16-1, 6 KOs) in the main event of “Homecoming V: Going Global” presented by CCC Promotions.

Crowley will be defending his Canadian, North American, and International Canada Professional Boxing Council (CPBC) titles.

“I feel like it’s a great accomplishment to make my UFC FIGHT PASS debut,” said Cody Crowley, co-founding partner of CCC Promotions. “I left the town of Peterborough with nothing but a strong work ethic, hope, and a dream. On October 19^th, my hard work and love for this sport will be broadcast worldwide to the hardcore fight fans.”

This will be Crowley’s second title defense after winning his previous fight in February against Stuart McLellan via a 12-round unanimous decision.

The 26-year-old southpaw holds a professional record of 17-0 and is the reigning CPBC super welterweight champion. Crowley is ranked No. 8 in the world by the World Boxing Association.

To sign up for UFC FIGHT PASS, please visit www.ufcfightpass.com

About UFC FIGHT PASS^®

UFC FIGHT PASS^® is the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports. Since launching in 2013, FIGHT PASS is now available in more than 200 countries and territories. FIGHT PASS provides its members with unlimited access to exclusive, live UFC FIGHT PASS Prelims; live mixed martial arts and combat sports from around the world; original series and historical programming; special features, in-depth interviews, behind-the-scenes content, and up-to-the minute reports on the world of combat sports. FIGHT PASS subscribers also have 24/7 access to the world’s largest fight library, featuring more than 17,000 bouts from dozens of combat sports organizations, as well as every fight in UFC history. Fight fans can access FIGHT PASS on personal computers, iOS and Android mobile devices, Apple TV, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, LG Smart TVs, and Sony TVs with Android TV. For more information, please visit https://www.ufcfightpass.com.

DANIEL DUBOIS INSISTS he has no intention of aborting his mission to collect every belt available to him on his route to the top of the heavyweight division.

Dynamite Dubois has exploded onto the scene since making his professional debut in April 2017 and since that time has gathered an incredible six titles in just 12 fights in the pro game.

The WBC Youth, Southern Area, English, WBO European and Global, along with the British have returned to the Dubois household following his successful ring exploits so far and he will bid for a seventh when he challenges for the vacant Commonwealth title at the Royal Albert Hall on Friday September 27.

“It is a nice little array of belts there!” proclaimed Dubois, who takes on the unbeaten Ghanaian Ebenezer Tetteh for the Commonwealth crown. “I have been collecting them up.”

Dubois, with 11 KOs to his name, is happy to travel the traditional journey towards heavyweight stardom and he believes the Commonwealth represents a natural sequence of events along his career path.

“It definitely is and the Commonwealth belt is a big one as well and a step up. It is a good challenge and I am sure he will bring everything he has got to the table.

“I’ve got to be focused, not overlook this guy, and make sure I am 100 per cent ready.”

The title of the show at the Royal Albert Hall is ‘Every Belt’ and Dubois is warming to the theme, especially as it appears that no Englishman has ever collected the full set of Area, English, British, Commonwealth, European and world titles, with English honours only having been in existence for around 16 years.

“Frank (promoter, Warren) is guiding me in that direction to pick up every belt along the way and it is looking like it is going to be that way.

“My path is set out, these belts are flying towards me and good fights can be put together. I can defend and win these titles.

“Carrying on doing what I am doing is most important but if I can pick up these good titles and put them on my CV, I am definitely going to go for it.”

Daniel Dubois headlines the bill when he meets Ghana’s Ebenezer Tetteh for the vacant Commonwealth heavyweight crown and WBO flyweight champion Nicola Adams defends her title for the first time against experienced Mexican Maria Salinas, live on BT Sport.

The card will also feature WBO European super-featherweight champion Archie Sharp who makes his second title defence against Dublin’s Declan Geraghty.

Middleweight banger Denzel Bentley, heavyweight Jonathan Palata, lightweight Mohammad Bilal Ali and precocious bantamweight talent Dennis McCann are also in action.

Exciting prospects Lewis Edmondson, Eithan James and Sam Noakes all make their professional debuts.

Tickets for the September 27 bill at the Royal Albert Hall are available to purchase from www.ticketmaster.co.uk and www.royalalberthall.com. Prices £40, £50, £75, £100, £150 Ringside.

London, UK (23 September 2019) After boldly introducing himself to the British boxing public with a sizzling stoppage of Slovakia’s Martin Parligi, who had never been stopped, in late May, classy Crayford super-featherweight Alex Dilmaghani aims to gatecrash the top end of the world rankings when he squares off with dynamite-punching and two-time World Challenger Francesco Fonseca in a world grade shootout at the Premier Suite, University of Bolton, on Saturday 28th September. 

Presented by Hennessy Sports and VIP Promotions, in association with Infinitum and Voltarol, Dilmaghani v Foneseca is exclusively live on free-to-air Channel 5 this Saturday from 9pm.

The 130lb rivals challenge for the Vacant WBA International Super-Featherweight title and, more poignantly, a top five position in the governing body’s world rankings.

Nicarguan Fonseca, a former two-time IBF title challenger, has sent 19 of his 25 victims for an early shower and is sure to harbour world title aspirations of his own. He promises to present the litmus test that the much avoided Dilmaghani has long coveted.

‘Plenty of others collect high world rankings by picking up meaningless paper titles without actually fighting anyone of note. But that’s certainly not what I’m about,’ declared dazzling ‘Dilma’, 28, who destroyed hardman Parligi in eight in a sensational homecoming at Manchester’s Victoria Warehouse, having served a blue-chip five year ring apprenticeship in North America. 

That sizzling showing cornered critical acclaim from the cognoscenti and now the 29 year old Anglo-Iranian is salivating to go again, against even stiffer competition.

‘I don’t view Fonseca as a big threat. It’ll be just another day to me,’ states super confident Dilmaghani.

‘Last time, I dominated a good guy who had a very undervalued amateur pedigree – Martin once beat Andrew Selby – and he’d only lost twice, both by marginal decision, in 28 pro fights. And I didn’t just beat him up, I stopped him in first gear. He quit on me before I could hit second gear! Parligi was supposed to be a huge step up for me but it proved an easy night.’ 

That stellar showing not only revealed Dilmaghani as one of Britain’s best kept ring secrets but also alerted fans of his intriguing background story that saw him raised by his mum, combat racial prejudices, graduate in law at Southampton University, then master his craft in the sweat shop gyms and fight clubs of Mexico and Canada.

He says: ’The fight was shown live on network tv and I’ve had a lot of great feedback since. 

‘A lot more people are keen to communicate with me now. I’m a humble guy who knows what comes with success but I prefer to keep my circle small.’

Whilst his silky southpaw skills are significant, the Redhill born rumbler believes it’s his agile mind that distinguishes him.

‘I’m a relatively educated, meticulous person and, if I set my mind to something, it gets done. I’m very, very serious about boxing. It isn’t a game to me. I don’t just seek to win, I look to dominate, be impressive….and that’s a mentality every great fighter should have. 

A few may work as hard in the gym but they don’t study the game as intensely as I do. I live and breathe boxing. I’m OCD with it.  

‘Going from my spars and fights thus far, I have supreme confidence in what I can do. Apart from sparring the great Juan Manuel Marquez at his Romanza Gym in Mexico City years ago, when I was a young apprentice, I’ve never been inside a ring with anybody who I felt was comfortably better than me. I’ve sparred against some big names and let me tell you they found it difficult to handle the intense pressure when I put on them.  I just take one fight at a time but I know I’m on the right path to becoming a world champion. “

Mastered just once in 21 and presently undefeated in well over eight years, the smooth but spiteful southpaw – five stoppages in his last seven – knows that victory over the formidable Fonseca will catapult him to the cusp of the major world title fight he craves. 

He concludes: ‘The beautiful thing about this fight is, after years of being overlooked, when I crash the ratings after taking care of Francisco, one of the world champions could be stupid enough to choose me for a voluntary!’

An unusual feel-good story is coming out of Dominican lightweight Michel “La Zarza” Rivera’s fifth-round stoppage of California veteran Jose Luis Gallegos on PBC On Fox last Saturday night at the Rabobank Theater in Bakersfield.

At the pre-fight weigh-in the day before the fight, Rivera (17-0, 11 KO) made weight, but Gallegos (16-8, 12 KO) came in slightly over the contracted weight of 136. Under California rules, he had two hours to make weight. He was not able to and faced a total fine of $1600 from his purse, half of which went to the commission and half to Rivera.

Well aware of the torture fighters go through to make weight and seeing Gallegos’ honest effort to lose the extra pound, Rivera vowed not to accept the money, but was told by the state it was already added to his check.

The fight went ahead with Rivera dominating all five rounds and landing over 50% of his punches to the ultra-tough Gallegos’ head and body. While the courageous Gallegos was never down or visibly in trouble from the onslaught, referee Marcos Rosales stopped the one-sided bout before round six to prevent further damage.

True to his word after the bout, the 21-year-old prospect Rivera personally visited Gallegos’ dressing room and handed him back the $800 he had gained from the State’s fines.

Battered and swollen from a hematoma on his forehead from a clash of heads, the grateful Gallegos happily accepted the uncommon gesture of sportsmanship.

“I’ve never heard of a fighter doing something like this,” said Rivera’s promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz. “In all my years of boxing. This just goes to show what a special talent and outstanding young man Michel Rivera is. This really said something about his character and I’m happy to be part of his very promising career.”
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.

Dmitriy Salita
Thank you. I’d like to welcome all the media. We have a great night of action coming up on Saturday, October 5 live on SHOWTIME from the Dort Federal Event Center, Flint, Michigan, beginning at 9:00 pm ET/6:00 pm PT, Claressa Shields versus Ivana Habazin will headline a SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION

The main event fighters will be joining us for today’s call to preview their clash for the vacant WBO Junior Middleweight World title. The undisputed middleweight world champion Claressa Shields will look to make history once again by becoming the fastest fighter in boxing, male or female, to become a three-division world champion. She’s already a unified world champion at middleweight and super middleweight, just nine fights into her pro career.

She will have a tough challenge in the former world champion Ivana Habazin who is from Zagreb, Croatia, and she’s taking this fight very seriously and we’ll talk about her preparations in a little bit.

Tickets to the live event which is promoted by Salita Promotions can be purchased at Ticketmaster and the Dort Event Center box office.

I would now like to introduce Mr. Chris DeBlasio from SHOWTIME. The reason why we’re experiencing such a big growth on other platforms for women’s boxing and obviously on SHOWTIME is because SHOWTIME believes in Claressa and believes in women’s boxing.

It’s Claressa’s sixth fight on SHOWTIME and we are very blessed and honored to have this fight on this premium network. I’d like to introduce Mr. Chris DeBlasio to talk about the event.

Chris DeBlasio
Thank you, Dmitry. I appreciate that. So on behalf of Stephen Espinoza who is the man behind our support of the sport and of the women’s division in particular; and Gordon Hall, our executive producer who is the co-founder of ShoBox, our popular prospect-oriented series, and he’ll executive produce this SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION as well, I just want to say how proud we are to be part of the event. We know it’s going to be a special one, a homecoming in Flint, Michigan.

As you alluded to, SHOWTIME has a long history of featuring the best in women’s combat sports, from Laila Ali and Christy Martin in boxing from years ago to Gina Carano, Cris Cyborg and Ronda Rousey in mixed martial arts more recently.

Since 2017, with Claressa Shields leading the way, we have these elite women boxers; Shields, Christina Hammer, Katie Taylor has appeared on the network and Amanda Serrano in several fights. Shields versus Habazin will be our eleventh women’s boxing bout since 2017 on the network. Shields led the way. In 2017, we presented the first women’s main event in premium television history when Claressa fought against Szilvia Szabados on ShoBox.

This event, October 5, we will support with a raft of digital content, short-form content to introduce and to advance the fighters that are going to be featured in the live event. That has become a signature for our network. A series being prepared right now is called THE RISE. It’s three parts and it is on various champions and fighters coming up. This one will be about Claressa Shields and her rise to the level that she’s at today and what the future holds.

RING RESUME is a detailed analysis and highlights of Shields’ biggest bouts to date; and another very in-depth and intimate feature called THE APPROACH, an in-depth look at the mindset of the fighters. These are found on YouTube and across all SHOWTIME Boxing social platforms. It’s something we’re really proud of and we think advances the appreciation and the fandom of these fighters to the casual and hardcore boxing fans.

We’re proud. We’re honored to be in business with Claressa Shields. As you said, Dmitry, this is her seventh appearance on SHOWTIME, each a seemingly more important bout. This is another potential history-making event, but she’s fighting a very tough competitor, someone who’s looking to make a statement here on SHOWTIME.

So we’re looking forward to a terrific contest and a great main event along with some terrific co-feature bouts. Jaron Ennis and Jermaine Franklin are going to try to showcase themselves and make important statements on the network also in tough competition.

So with that, I’ll turn it back over to you. I appreciate the time and the opportunity to be part of it. Thank you.

D. Salita
Thank you, Chris. Claressa has a star team inside and outside the right. She is managed by one of the best in the boxing business, Mr. Mark Taffet who I’d like to invite to make a few comments.

Mark Taffet
Thanks, Dmitry, and thanks, Chris, for joining us today. We started a few years ago with Claressa Shields and it’s on her broad shoulders that women’s boxing is receiving the recognition, the accolades and the growth that it’s experienced over the past few years.

Every time Claressa fights, we look to make history, and October 5 will be perhaps the greatest night of her professional career to date as she attempts to win the title in her third weight division faster than any man or woman in the history of sports. And the incredible thing is that in Claressa’s case, she’s doing it upside down. She’s going down in weight from 168 to 160 and now to 154. It’s going to be a very, very special night. It’s a very, very special and memorable for women’s boxing.

We’re thrilled that the big events are happening and Claressa loves the role that she plays in the continued ascension of the sport and to all of her goals going forward. Thanks for joining us and I’ll turn it back to Dmitry.

D. Salita
Thank you, Mark. Now, I’d like to introduce Ivana Habazin who is not really known in the United States, but in the official press conference announced the fight she came here and she has made a great appearance and was very confident. She’s definitely putting that confidence into her work.

She’s 20 and 3. She’s the former Welterweight World Champion. She’s from Zagreb, Croatia, but she’s been in camp in Colombia and now in Detroit. She’s gotten the best possible training expert for this fight and she has boxed with the world champions and fighters who are the best in their regions.

So I’d like to invite Ivana to talk about her preparations and what we can expect from her. Ivana?

Ivana Habazin
Hello, everyone. Thank you for having me. So my training camp this time was really long, like four months. I’m always in training, always ready and prepared, but this training camp was the hardest ever. I feel great, I feel in shape, I’m healthy. Sparring was good.

I have Raquel Miller in the camp. I have Chris Namus and Tnaja Ovsenik, and I will have Kali Reis next week too, plus I have two teammates from Colombia, one was like five times Colombia national champion. So they really pushed me and that was really, really hard.

I’ve never sparred hard before like this and I feel ready. I’m really confident and I’m coming to win. This preparation makes me much more confident that October 5 is going to be my night.

Q
How does Claressa compare to Cecilia Braekhus?

I. Habazin
I actually can’t compare Claressa and Cecilia because they are totally different fighters and I’m a totally different fighter. And I think that Claressa is definitely a tougher fighter than Cecilia and so physically she’s stronger than Cecilia. So she’s more aggressive and I think this fight is going to be tough. But like I said, I was never prepared like I am prepared now.

So I think maybe this fight for me – I will not tell you it’s going to be easier than the fight with Cecilia, but today I am a more complete boxer than I was before. And I have James Ali Bashir as my coach and we all know that he is definitely the best coach and I learned some new stuff and I’m ready to show that.

Q
How do you expect the weight drop for Claressa to affect her?

I. Habazin
This is really hard to say for me because I never in my life lost so much weight. So that depends on the fighter, how she’s going to prepare or what she eats. She has nutrition and all this stuff. But I really hope that it’s not going to be so effective on her, but maybe it will be because that was a lot of weight to lose. So we’re going to see. I don’t think about that because she’s young, she’s hungry. She likes to fight and she likes to win, which is the most important. She has the mind of a champion. So I think even though she needs to lose the weight, I’m not going to be a problem for her.

Q
What are your thoughts on fighting Claressa in her hometown? If the fight is close and it goes to the scorecards, what are your thoughts on that?

I. Habazin
I really don’t think about that the fight is in Flint. It’s not something important for me, where the fight is. For me, the only important thing is to win, and she’s the biggest name right now in women’s boxing and I want to beat her, that’s all, because I have 10 years in boxing and it wasn’t easy. My world was really tough and right now maybe it’s the last opportunity to do something big and I take it seriously and I’m 100% ready. So I’m not a person who’s going to let other stuff affect me. I have my goals and that’s all.

Q
What’s the difference between the fighter that you are now and the fighter that you were when you fought Cecilia Braekhus?

I. Habazin
Actually, it would be stupid to say what I changed because then I will say what’s my plan, you know, so I will say you’re going to see that. I worked on totally different stuff with my coach and we’re going to show that.

Q
Where does the confidence come from in saying that you’re going to knock Claressa out when she has never even been beaten before?

I. Habazin
I think I can punch, you know, and the difference before was in some parts, I wasn’t finishing people. That was my problem. Right now it’s a different story and like I said, I made the best preparation ever. Never, ever before in my life did I do a preparation like this and I feel strong. I really feel strong and I think I have power to knock people out.

So for this fight, this is my goal. I don’t believe in the scorecards. So when you knock somebody out and especially in that big of a fight, that’s the only way how you can win. And I was really prepared for that all the time.

Q
What was your first reaction when you heard that the fight was going to be delayed for a couple of months?

I. Habazin
My first reaction was, ‘damn, I will not see my dogs for two more months.’ That’s boxing. Everything is possible. Maybe in some way, I maybe expect something like that, but you never know – everything is possible. Everybody can injure and all this stuff. So I prepared myself to stay in the camp, training more. Maybe with this, actually, she helped me because I feel I’m much better right now.

Q
When you go through a loss, what are some of the things you learned from it, and how does that strengthen you mentally having a loss on your record?

I. Habazin
Yes, that’s actually a good question. When I lost the first time, I didn’t think that I lost that fight, but it’s okay. And that was the most painful stuff ever in boxing for me because I give always a lot in boxing and when I suffered this first loss, it was like, ‘oh, my god, everything is done.’

But at that time, I was young still and I was only like three years in boxing but when I came back to train after this, I was ashamed. I came in the gym and everybody was watching me and said, ‘Oh, you lose’ and all this stuff. Nobody was supportive. So every day, almost for one month, every day I am telling myself, ‘You will come back. You will come back. You will come back.’

Even if I didn’t know when I will come back, if I even have a chance or no, but I trained more than ever. And that was actually the first time when I figured out what is professional boxing, because before that I didn’t realize all this stuff and I was focused more on my university.

And after that, I changed everything and then like a year after, I got the chance to fight for the IBF title in Belgium and I said, ‘okay, I’m going to Belgium,’ and that was the hometown of Sabrina Giuliani. So, I came. I won.

After, the fight with Cecilia actually came too early because we didn’t have a chance to make a defense. My sponsor wasn’t supportive for me, so I have two options, to fight with Cecilia for a unification fight — it was the first unification fight in the history — or I can leave the title because I didn’t have logistics for defending my title.

So when I accept that fight, in some way, I knew that I can’t beat her because I didn’t have experience. And like one and a half months before the fight, I had one surgery too, so actually I wasn’t in my best shape and I wasn’t good. So maybe that fight I didn’t take very painful like the fight against Eva Bajic when she beat me.

And the fight against Mikaela Lauren, it was like two years after Cecilia. That was my first offer for the fight after three years and this actually was very, very tough for me because I was without fights. I was without money. I was in the gym actually in the underground when there was like one room without windows and I got the offer and I said, ‘Okay, I want to fight.’ But all preparation, I was so, so bad.

When we made pad work, I couldn’t be one minute on the pad because I would get tired. My heart would start beating so fast and I was thinking, ‘okay, maybe it’s because I start training too much too early.’ But actually, it was that I was so, so sick. And when I came to the fight, I knew before I needed to step in the ring, I had a feeling that it wasn’t going to be good because I knew it – I don’t have power. My body didn’t have power, nothing, and I just said, ‘Okay, god, please save me, I want to be healthy when this fight is finished.’

But after that, I took a break from boxing for like six months and I said I will never box again. So after six months, I wake up one night and it was like 2 a.m. and I go back, I don’t know why, I hear some voice that told me, ‘Go and see the BoxRec.’ And I go to BoxRec and I saw Eva Bajic and I said, ‘Who is Eva Bajic? I never fought with her.’ And then I go and I saw that Eva came back after two years or two and a half.

And I said, ‘okay, you need to go back in the gym. You need to come back.’ And when I come back in the gym, I start training and the old symptoms – what I had in preparation for Mikaela Lauren – started again. It was very bad because I had like some cardiac – you know, my heart starts beating so fast. I was sweating all the time and I didn’t have power.

When I met medical, they said, ‘You have a thyroid problem and if you want to box again, you need to go in surgery immediately.’ I didn’t think about that, I said, ‘okay, let’s go,’ because I want to come back. And in 2017, I made two easy fights then came the offer for the IBO title. I said I want to fight. Even in that fight, I wasn’t 100% healthy because it was like one, one and half year to get healthy, but I made it.

And now, I can say that right now I am really, really 100% healthy. I am prepared and I am motivated more than ever because when I come back, I said I need to be not 100%, but I need to be 500% and I want to change something. I want to change my life. So right now, I think this is the right chance.

Q
You mentioned this was maybe your last big chance. Many people will say that a fighter with nothing to lose is the most dangerous opponent and perhaps we saw that with Otto Wallin. Do you feel you’re in this position that makes you dangerous?

I. Habazin
Yes, definitely, and I said that before the fight. I don’t have nothing to lose right now. I only can change everything and if not now, then when? So I’m ready, I’m 100% ready. I’m really focused on that. Four months I was training only for that fight, so we’re going to see what’s going to happen.

Like I said, this is boxing. One punch can change everything. You can be good all fight, but you can finish on the floor in the last second. So everything is possible. Claressa is a great fighter, but I believe in myself and that’s it.

D. Salita
Thank you. This is also a time when we have two superstar trainers in both of the fighter’s corners. I think it’s the first time in women’s boxing with Ali Bashir training Ivana Habazin and John David Jackson training Claressa Shields. So that’s going to be a very interesting test of stars as well.

Ivana, would you like to finish up with any closing statements?

I. Habazin
Yes, I just want to say thank you for this opportunity. I’m really happy because of that and at the end, actually, I really want for people to enjoy a good fight. So the better [fighter] is going to win and that’s all. I hope that’s going to be me. But I wish good luck to Claressa.

D. Salita
Thank you, Ivana. Now, I’d like to introduce Claressa Shields. Claressa, in her last fight headlined the biggest fight in women’s boxing history and put on a tremendous performance.

She really could have fought anywhere she wanted. We had offers from some big venues in Las Vegas, New York, Atlantic City, elsewhere throughout the country, but Claressa made her point to come back to Flint to give this fight back to the fans and the community she grew up in.

I want to list some of her accomplishments even though I know that most of you know them. She is 9-0 with 2 KOs since turning pro three years ago and will represent her town of Flint, Michigan on October 5.

She’s the first American boxer male or female in the history of the sport to win two Olympic gold medals. She became the sixth fighter in history, male or female, to unify all four major world titles in one weight class. She defeated Christina Hammer in the previous fight in April to earn that honor.

Claressa Shields has accomplished a lot in her life in boxing and as a humanitarian, as a role model, but she will be achieving her first on October 5 because it will be the first time that she’s going to be fighting as a professional in her hometown in Flint, Michigan. So Claressa, talk about your training camp, getting down in weight and how you’re preparing for this fight?

Claressa Shields
Yes, yes. Well, weight is not a conversation that I want to have. I don’t have a problem with my weight. If I did, I wouldn’t want to go down to 154 and accept this challenge. So weight is not a problem.

This camp and every camp, we just want to be a better version of myself. So, me and Coach John David Jackson said with the Hammer fight, we just want to fix a lot of mistakes. Now I know people on here are like, “How many mistakes did you make during the Hammer fight?” A lot, even though it was a unanimous decision, I beat her almost every round, it was still that me and my team having the mentality that we want to fix everything going into the fight with Ivana.

She has faster hands than Hammer. She’s coming from a lower weight class. She’s more comfortable with 154 and of course I’m losing weight. We want to get a knock out.

So the combinations are good. The jab was good against Hammer. We’ve just been working a lot of punches, making sure that we’re throwing our straights over, making sure that we’ll be pacing with our straight and make sure that we just have more precisions for this camp.

So it’s one hard camp. My body is kind of torn apart right now two weeks from the fight, but one more hard week of training and then the last week I get to wind down. So right now I feel really great.

Q
You’ve obviously shown a tremendous chin during your career and she said she’s going to knock you out, I just wonder what you think of that?

C. Shields
She’s going to say a whole lot. I think she called me fat. Many girls in boxing say they can knock me out and I do have a healthy chin and I like to go in and test every girl’s chin and everything like that.

So I respect that she’s coming with that kind of attitude, but, no, it’s not even possible to knock me out. I may have been dropped by Hanna Gabriels, but that was a shot with me off balance. It wasn’t something that hit my chin then I went down and I was woozy or like that. I’ve never been stung by a woman nor man. So Ivana is just talking.

Q
Did you happen to see her fight with Cecilia Braekhus?

C. Shields
There was a whole bunch of bouncing around. They both were off balance throwing their shot.

Ivana likes to put her head down and just throw punches. Whenever she feels like she’s in danger, she just goes in to a straight bull mode and puts her head down and start pulling in. So you have to use a really good jab against her.

I kind of feel like towards the end of the round, Ivana kind of tries to stay in and do a whole lot of holding, and dancing and pulling itself like that. But early on she tried to stand her ground and used her combinations, but it’s nothing that I haven’t seen before. I know for a fact I’m a lot stronger than Cecilia Braekhus so Ivana is going to have a lot of problem on her hands come October 5.

Q
How satisfying would it be to get this knockout in your hometown and have another history-making performance for you?

C. Shields
I just kind of feel like it’s not so much about the knockout, it’s about improvement to me. A knockout is great, but at the same time, I want to go in there and I want to look phenomenal. I want to be sharp. I want to work on everything that I worked on in camp and be able to execute it in the fight.

So I’m not going out there looking for the knockout, but I know that it’s going to come just because of how training has been going. I’ve been hurting my sparring partners with body shots and head shots. I’m doing this coming down in weight and my body is sore too.

It’s sore too, I’m breaking my body down and it’s getting stronger as I break you down, and I can feel going there and boxing in the eighth round and be strong and safe, and be able to do everything that I want to do and let my combinations go and let my hard body shots, the hard head shots still be explosive towards the end of the round.

So just knowing that, I feel like the knockout is going to come. But I’m not going to go out there trying to rush it, I just want it come. So I want to go out there and do everything that I’ve been working on in camp, and I believe everything is going to come together.

Q
Based on what you said earlier in the call, Claressa, were you happy with your performance against Christina Hammer?

C. Shields
I’m my biggest critic. That fight I was happy I became undisputed champion. But when I went back and watched the fight, to me, I made so many mistakes. I was like, “Oh, cut it off,” like I’m just like, “I’m over it,” you know what I mean? Like, I did really well, but I was just like, “Why didn’t you get the knock-out? Why were you not sending out all your shots when you should have sent out all your shots?” and just stuff like that.

For me, it’s just I’ve always been super hard on myself. So I give myself maybe a B minus for that fight, but I want to get an A. I want to do everything right in a fight and even get a knockout, or have it so I was just destroying her in every round, destroying her, destroying her and I’ll take her confidence away from her and I’ll hurt her.

I made some mistakes and she caught me with not even a whole lot of shots, but just the fact that she caught me with a shot that I shouldn’t have gotten hit with. It feels like that. But that is just me, my biggest critic, and me wanting to get better.

So everybody else tells you like “That was the best fight that we’ve ever seen and your defense is on point.” But I’ve known how to do all that stuff. I’ve known that I had defense. I’ve known that I could jab. I know what I could do. I just want to do it the best way that I know I can.

I watched it 40, 50 times. But each time I watch it, I’m seeing a different mistake and it wasn’t something huge, but it’s still just like, “This shouldn’t happen because we worked on it at camp.” It wasn’t a whole bunch, but it was just like just stuff that I see that maybe you guys don’t see.

Q
Do you feel that maybe if they change the rounds from two minutes to three minutes, you would have about three or four knockouts?

C. Shields
Yes, absolutely. Also the refs are super hard on me and It feels like they will not call the fight when I’m hurting these girls.

I can roll back and look at the fight where I fought against Sydney LeBlanc. I put her through eight rounds of hell and they just let her take that and maybe destroyed her as a fighter. She doesn’t want to fight since I beat her. And she came into the fight – me and her, she came down from light heavyweight to fight at 168 and I mean, I destroyed her from the first bell of the first round to the last bell of the eighth.

She never even landed more than 10 punches on me the whole fight and they didn’t even call it. So it’s like with three minutes, I will have a lot more time to break the girls down and be able to get them out there because I’ve hurt every girl that I fought. So as soon as those two minutes ring and it’s the end of the round, and they get that one minute rest, they come back in recuperated and ready to go in the next round. So you have to kind of start all over again.

But would it be in two minutes, I just got to I guess pick up the pace until they actually see that women boxing needs to be the same as the men, or at least give us three minutes a round so we can have the same amount of work time.

Q
Would that be a goal of yours to possibly push to three-minute rounds for one of your future fights?

C. Shields
Yes, absolutely. Me and my team have been going over, we’re just trying to figure out what’s the best way to go to the organizations about it. We don’t know if we want to go over and tell them, “Hey, maybe we could start off with 10 three-minute rounds, or maybe we can start off with 12 two-minute rounds.”

We’re just still going to try to figure it out and try to go with the best way to where it’s safe for the other world champions and also see what they agree with. I’m going to have a talk with all the girls who are world champions to kind of like have a vote on what they want to do because this is not just about me, I want it to about the other women too what they’re comfortable with.

I think the thing to understand is that women will always get paid less than the men unless we fight the same amount of time. So with that, one of the change that got to be made is either 12 two-minute rounds or 10 three-minute rounds.

I think that one of those has to change within this year to get us on the road to equal pay and equal opportunity as far as getting the big knockouts that we can get.

Q
Have you thought someone that you thought might be using PED’s when you fought them as a pro?

C. Shields
Yes, I’m not going to do that. Honestly, I don’t know. I wanted a VADA testing for Hammer. For some reason, we didn’t have it for that fight. But I wanted VADA testing for that fight, but we didn’t get it.

I’m happy that there’s VADA testing for this fight. But I think every world champion should be doing VADA testing especially after Mia St. John came out talking about she was on PEDs her whole career and all this craziness. I think that every world champion, male and female, should be open to do VADA testing because it’s just safer for the boxers and I think that they should be clean.

I’ve always been a clean athlete and I’m not going to say who I think do PEDs, I really don’t know. I hate to have to feel it’s been out there because I don’t know. People think “I just need this,” but I’m just strong because I work my ass off.

Q
What do you think you need to accomplish in order to be deemed the best female boxer of all time?

C. Shields
I think I’ve already accomplished everything to be the best female boxer of all time. But I think that some of the fans or media people may feel like you have to have 25 and 30 fights to be compared to Laila Ali. So I’m just taking my time, I’m racking up the belts and racking up the divisions and making history.

I’ll always be the world’s best and nobody is ever going to make me feel different about that unless somebody comes and beat me, and that’s not going to happen. So I’m going to keep breaking records and doing what no other woman has done.

If I feel great on 154, maybe we’ll stay on 154 and try to become undisputed there. Then if not, maybe I’ll just be looking to that160. I’m always going to go where the best fighter is and the toughest fighters are at, and try to make the most money.

Q
Do you think the nine fights that you’ve had is a better resume than o all the other female boxers in the sport?

C. Shields
Definitely, and that’s talking about the female of boxers, but the male boxers too. Male boxers have people their record is literally padded up so that you are about 20-0, right? 20 or 15-0 and they got padded records against easy opponents.

I haven’t fought against a person who’s had a losing record ever in my pro career, I think someone did the math and it was like 125 wins and seven losses all my opponents together so they’d be able to say that is a nice fight. Well, other boxers, male or female, say fought fighters like that. I haven’t fought against a fighter who has a losing record yet.

Q
Would you like to fight a male fighter in the future if you have opportunities?

C. Shields
I feel like right now I’m just going to fight in women’s boxing right now, trying to get an equal pay. I don’t feel like I should have to fight a man in order for us to be taken as serious athletes.

I’ve gotten in the ring with plenty of men. I fought 16 rounds this week with men, four different sparring partners. I can get in there with guys and I’m going to hold my own, and I know when it comes down to handling my business, I’ve never been knocked out by someone, or dropped, or anything like that.

So I don’t think there’s a difference between women and male fighters. That feels like it’s all about preparation. If you feel like if you have to get ready to fight again, if I have to be ready to fight against the male, I would change my whole training. I think I’m training hard until now.

But to get ready for a man, I would definitely upgrade and I think I have a great team who makes sure that I’m at my strongest, that I’m explosive, that my legs are strong and my muscles are strong. I feel like men have better body endurance than women and I say that because they’ve been fighting so long for so many more rounds in men than women just throughout my whole career.

Like even in amateurs, we’ve got four two-minute rounds; and the men, they have three three-minute rounds. And now in a pro, I’ve only fought 10 two-minute rounds; and men who are world champions have fought 12 three-minute rounds, so I don’t know how long. So when you have that, they just have a better body endurance than I think women do. But I think it’s all about the preparation.

Q
What does fighting in front of your home town friends mean to you especially with all that you’ve accomplished? And did you think that you would get this homecoming fight sooner in your career or later in your career?

C. Shields
No, I feel like that the fight came at the right time. I wanted to be super accomplished when I went back home to Flint and that’s just because I want the kids to see that like I’m from Flint, Michigan and I have accomplished all this. I’m not waiting for the end of my career to come back to Flint, I’m coming back and I’m going back to Flint in the peak of my career.

I’m going back while I’m the world champion, while I’m the undisputed champion, while I’m breaking records. I’m bringing the fight back to Flint and I feel like me becoming a three- time division world champion, the best time to do so is now. I feel like that was the perfect fight to bring back to Flint while we have all these other fights that are going on. I just feel like right now is the right time to just inspire the city and inspire the kids.

Q
In this fight being your first fight at 154 pounds or really your first world title fight at that weight class, is this sort of the start of a journey to maybe try to do the same thing as you did at 160 and unified the entire division, or is this sort of a one-time deal at 154 and then move back up to middleweight?

C. Shields
I don’t really know yet. I feel like it really depends on how I feel doing the fight. I feel great right now. I’ve been doing great in camp. I’ve been eating healthy and dropping the weight the way that I’m supposed to. I’m dehydrated.

So it’s all about going into the fight, actually catching 154, getting on the scale and getting in the ring. So what I’m going to do there is going to fight.
.
Q
How does that impact your performance in the sport also having another really big visible job as a role model?

C. Shields
I’m only 24 years old and I think that women’s boxing has been quiet long enough. I feel like we haven’t got our due just because we haven’t spoken up enough about it.

I feel like there are women who did speak about it, but they’ve spoken about it in the wrong way like they just came up at people the wrong way and it’s more of like a “I’ve got the skills to pay the bill. I’ve got the power to knock people over.” And I’m not just talking to impress like I would go in there and try to do it. I’ll really just try to go in there and do whatever I say, and I feel like I’ve been putting on performances that even men aren’t putting on.

So I don’t really feel the need to have to be quiet and has to be whatever they call lady-like. Like I’m a lady and I spoke a lady, and I’m going to do what I want to do and that makes me feel good at night. The day that you can hear me not talking, something is wrong. So I’m going to do what I want to do.

As far as me being a role model, I feel like I’m a great role model like you don’t see me in the newspaper talking about like killing nobody or going to jail. I hadn’t been arrested. You don’t see me drinking so I feel like I’m a great role model and I just want to tell everybody to be who they are, and don’t try to pretend to be somebody you’re not for social media or for cameras.

You’ll never have to keep lying about who you’re not. So it’s about me being comfortable with myself and just being who I am and doing what I’m most comfortable doing. And I feel like I’m being a great role model if I’m doing that because a lot of girls look up to me and they say, “You being so confident makes me confident,” so why would I stop being confident.

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ABOUT SHIELDS VS. HABAZIN
Undisputed Middleweight World Champion Claressa Shields will aim to make history by becoming the fastest fighter in boxing, male or female, to become a three-division world champion when she takes on former world champion Ivana Habazin Saturday, October 5 live on SHOWTIME.

The showdown for the vacant WBO Junior Middleweight Title headlines a SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION telecast at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT from Dort Federal Event Center in Shields’ hometown of Flint, Mich. The vacant WBC Women’s Diamond Super Welterweight Championship will also be on the line in Shields’ first professional fight in her hometown.

READING, PA. (September 23, 2019) – Top super welterweight contender Erickson “Hammer” Lubin returns to take on former world title challenger and U.S. Olympian Terrell Gausha in a 12-round WBC title eliminator on Saturday, October 26 live on SHOWTIME from Santander Arena in Reading, Pa., in an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions.

SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features former lightweight world champion Robert Easter Jr. making his super lightweight debut against battle-tested veteran Adrian “El Tigre” Granados in the 10-round co-featured attraction. The televised opener will see former world champions collide as Rau’shee Warren takes on Emmanuel Rodriguez in a 12-round WBC bantamweight title eliminator.

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and King’s Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased through Ticketmaster.com or at the Santander box office (Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.).

“Top to bottom this is a card that guarantees action featuring fighters highly motivated to make statement victories,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “Erickson Lubin is fast on the track to another world title opportunity, but he’ll have to get through a veteran with a tremendous pedigree in Terrell Gausha. With exciting former champion Robert Easter making his 140-pound debut against all-action Adrian Granados, and a bantamweight duel between former world champions Rau’shee Warren and Emmanuel Rodriguez, the fans in Reading and watching in SHOWTIME are going to get their money’s worth Saturday, October 26.”

Orlando, Florida’s Lubin (21-1, 16 KOs) was one of the fastest rising contenders in boxing as he quickly raced to the top of the ladder to challenge Jermell Charlo for the WBC 154-pound championship in 2017. Since the setback against Charlo, the 23-year-old has scored three straight stoppage victories to regain his momentum toward a championship run. In February, Lubin became the first boxer to stop former champion Ishe Smith and is coming off a TKO victory over Zaharia Attou in his last fight on June 29 on SHOWTIME

“I’m extremely excited for the opportunity to showcase my talents once again on SHOWTIME,” said Lubin. “I’m focused on the task at hand, and that’s beating a world class opponent in Terrell Gausha. My plan is to put all of the belt holders in my division on notice with a victory. I’ve been in camp for five weeks with five weeks to go. I’ll be supremely conditioned and fundamentally sound on October 26. You’re definitely not going to want to miss it.”

The 31-year-old Gausha (21-1-1, 10 KOs) is a brilliant ring tactician with an impressive boxing pedigree that included representing the United States at the 2012 Olympics. Born in Cleveland and now living in Encino, Calif., Gausha suffered the only loss on his record when he dropped a unanimous decision to long-reigning WBA Super Welterweight Champion Erislandy Lara in 2017. He most recently fought to a disputed split draw against former super welterweight champion Austin Trout on May 25.

“This is going to be an action-packed fight with me and a strong young fighter like Lubin,” said Gausha. “He’s a good test for me. Lubin will be the fourth southpaw in a row that I’ve faced and I’m ready to go again. I’m just at a point where I want to fight the best and most challenging fights possible. He called me out and I’m definitely going to be ready for him on October 26. The fans won’t want to miss it.”

A former IBF Lightweight World Champion, Easter (21-1-1, 14 KOs) won the belt with a split decision victory over current champion Richard Commey in 2016 at Santander Arena in Reading. The 28-year-old from Toledo, Ohio successfully defended the title three times before losing it to four-division world champion Mikey Garcia in a 2018 unification clash on SHOWTIME. He is coming off a split draw against Rances Barthelemy in his last fight on April 27 and will be making his super lightweight debut when he steps in against Granados at the site of his first world championship fight.

“I’m moving up to 140 pounds and I’ve been preparing really hard for this fight,” said Easter. “Expect me to come out and be very explosive on October 26. I anticipate Granados coming to fight like he always does. He’s a fighter who always comes prepared and puts his heart into it, but I’m going to do the same thing and show that I’m ready to make a statement in this division.”

The 30-year-old Granados (20-7-2, 14 KOs) has battled a slew of accomplished junior welterweights and welterweights over the course of his career including Shawn Porter, Adrien Broner and most recently Danny Garcia in April. The 30-year-old from Chicago will return to 140-pounds where he’s had most of the success in his career, including his 2015 stoppage of a then-unbeaten Amir Imam.

“I’m expecting a tough fight against Robert Easter Jr. on October 26,” said Granados. “Our styles mesh well. Easter is a sharp fighter and that’s why I’m giving it everything I have in training camp. I’m looking to bounce back from my last fight and show everyone that I still have a lot to give the sport of boxing. Easter is a technician in the ring but I’m a warrior and I’m going to come with everything that I have.”

Fighting out of his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, Warren (16-3, 4 KOs) is looking to climb back into the championship ranks, having won the WBA bantamweight title with a majority decision over Juan Carlos Payano in 2016. The 32-year-old lost the title to Zhanat Zhakiyanov by majority decision in 2017 and is coming off a decision loss to Nordine Oubaali in a January title clash. Warren won his first 13 pro fights after an amateur career that saw him represent the U.S. at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics.

“I’m ready to bounce back and prove I’m still one of the best bantamweights in the world,” said Warren. “This is a great fight for me to do that. After this fight I’m ready to get that belt back again because I miss it. I know these fighters can’t beat me when I’m at my best.”

The 27-year-old Rodriguez (19-1, 12 KOs) will also look to put himself back in position to reclaim a 118-pound belt with a win on October 26. Fighting out of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, Rodriguez won the IBF Bantamweight World Title with a unanimous decision victory over Paul Butler in 2018 and defended it successfully against then-unbeaten Jason Moloney. He most recently was stopped by unbeaten champion Naoya Inoue in their May title bout.

“I’m super excited to return in a great fight like this,” said Rodriguez. “Warren is a very good fighter and a victory over him will put me where I want to be. I’m thankful for the opportunity to get closer to reaching my goal of becoming a world champion again in 2020. I have learned from the mistakes of my loss and I’m confident everyone is going to be talking about my performance on October 26.”

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

(Sept. 23, 2019) — Great Britain’s unbeaten heavyweight destroyer, Daniel “Dynamite” Dubois, will take the next step in his career when he faces off against fellow unbeaten Ebenezer Tetteh in a 12-round showdown for the vacant Commonwealth title Friday at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
 
Promoted by Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions, Dubois-Tetteh and select undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively in the United States beginning at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT on ESPN+, the leading multi-sport streaming service.
 
Dubois (12-0, 11 KOs) is a familiar face to American fight fans, as his last five bouts have streamed live on ESPN+. He has won three in a row by knockout, including a second-round stoppage over former world title challenger Razvan Cojanu in March. The following month, he survived a brutal slugfest to knock out Richard Lartey in four rounds. Dubois authored the signature win of his career July 13, knocking out fellow unbeaten Nathan Gorman in five one-sided rounds to win the British heavyweight title.

Tetteh (19-0, 16 KOs), from the fighting city of Accra, Ghana, is unbeaten but largely untested. He has won six in a row by knockout and is seeking revenge for his countryman Lartey, who provided Dubois with arguably his toughest fight.

In other action streaming on ESPN+:

• Nicola Adams (5-0, 3 KOs), a two-time Olympic gold medalist for Great Britain, will make the first defense of her WBO flyweight world title against Maria Salinas (21-7-3, 7 KOs).
   
• Archie Sharp (16-0, 8 KOs) will make the second defense of his WBO European 130-pound belt in a 10-rounder against Dublin’s Declan Geraghty (19-4, 4 KOs).

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

About ESPN+
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Programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of MLB and NHL games, exclusive UFC, Top Rank boxing and PFL fights and events, top domestic and international soccer (Serie A, MLS, FA Cup, UEFA Nations League, EFL Championship, EFL Carabao Cup, Eredivisie, and more), thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and other sports), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, new and exclusive 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) and can cancel at any time.

ESPN+ is available as an integrated part of the ESPN App (on mobile and connected devices) and ESPN.com.

PHILADELPHIA – September 23, 2019 – This past Friday night, three members of the Banner Promotions stable were in action and had impressive performances.

In Midland, Texas lightweight Michael Ducthover (13-1, 10 KOs) took on Thomas Mattice in the main event of ShoBox: The New Generation that was televised Live on SHOWTIME.

Dutchover took the fight to Mattice and was up on two of the three judges scorecards as the bout entered the eighth round.

In that round, Dutchover was cut over the left eye. The cut was ruled from a punch, but instant replays were inconclusive on how the cut occurred, and Mattice was ruled the winner of the bout.

Dutchover was ahead 69-64, 68-65 while Mattice was ahead on one card 67-66.

“It was a great fight. Mattice is a warrior, but the fight was going my way,” said Dutchover. “My body punches and uppercuts were working well, and I stunned him in the 6th round. It was a good performance and I had the fight won.”

On the punch the allegedly stopped the fight, Dutchover did not know how the cut was opened. “They said I got with a punch, and I guess that’s boxing. I don’t know if it was a punch and I don’t know if it was a headbutt. I just know that I started bleeding. I was good, but the doctor stopped the fight. The thing that disappointed me was that they did not let my cutman Andrew Rodriguez work on it between rounds. In fact, after the fight was over, he worked on it for about 20 seconds, and the cut was under control.”

Dutchover showed great sportsmanship in defeat.

“I take my losses the same way I take my wins, but now I just can’t wait to get back in there. It says that I have a loss on paper, but with my performance, I feel that I won. I would take a rematch with him without hesitation. But as soon as I heal up, I would take that as the 1st fight back.”

The fight took place in front of a sold out crowd in Dutchover’s hometown for which SHOWTIME analyst’s said it was the loudest they heard a venue in many years.

“Midland supported this event, and I helped bring a major event here. It exceeded all expectations, the fans loved the fight, and they are already talking about bringing another event here.”

In the co-feature, world-ranked featherweight, Ruben Villa (17-0, 5 KOs) was very impressive in shutting out previously undefeated Enrique Vivas to retain the WBO International title.

Villa used a variety of punches throughout the fight which included a perfect two punch combination that dropped Vivas in round two, and Villa cruised to the victory by matching 100-89 scores on all cards.

“It was a pretty good performance. He was confident, but we had a good game-plan which we stuck to the whole fight, and I was smart about it what I wanted to do in there,” said Villa.

“We planned that he would be more aggressive. We know that feints and jabs would be key and they worked great. Once I landed the jab that was followed by a left hand in round that that dropped him, I saw him begin to lose his confidence.”

Villa was very satisfied with his performance in his 3rd appearance on ShoBox.

“If you consider the tough opponent, who came in undefeated and combine it that I scored a knockdown and won all the rounds, I would say it was my best performance to date.”

Villa is very confident that major opportunities are on the horizon.

“I am going to take a couple of weeks off, and then get right back in the gym. I am hopeful that by middle of next year I will get my world title opportunity.”

In Ontario, California, two-time world title challenger Petr Petrov registered his 3rd stoppage victory of the year as he stopped Dedrick Bell in the 2nd round of their main event at The Doubletree Hotel.
Petrov dominated the action, and stopped Bell with a body shot at 2:48.

With the win, Petrov (41-6-2, 22 KOs) will look for a major opportunity, which could include a world title shot with a particular interest in fighting newly crowned WBC Interim lightweight champion Devin Haney.

“I am very proud of Michael, Ruben and Petr,” said Artie Pelullo, President of Banner Promotions. “Michael was ahead in the fight that ended because of a situation where no one has clearly seen a punch. If the referee would have declared it a headbutt, Michael would have won the fight as he was ahead on two the cards. It’s just bad luck. Michael is 21 years-old and he is terrific young fighter. It is just a bump in the road. Ruben was outstanding, and he keeps showing us he is on his way to a world title. He took on an undefeated fighter who was promoted by Mikey Garcia’s company. Mikey knows talent. Ruben won every round, and he is proving why he is one of the best at 126 pounds in the world. Once again Petr showed that he is a true professional as he has been active, and has three straight knockouts. A big fight is in his near future.”

Dutchover and Villa are co-promoted by Thompson Boxing.

Atlanta, GA – September 23, 2019 — On Saturday, September 26 at Buckhead Theater in Atlanta, World Boxing Association Fedalatin Champion Carlos Monroe, in his biggest fight to date, defends his title against former world title challenger Javier Francisco Maciel. In the co-feature, Eric Moon will fight Mike Guy for the American Boxing Federation (ABF) title, as there will be eight bouts in all.

Proceeds from the event will go to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta.

Carlos Monroe (16-0, 13 KOs) was born in Chicago and moved to Atlanta age 3. As an amateur he won NINE consecutive Georgia State Golden Gloves tournaments. He also was two-time Florida State Golden Gloves champion. “Every year I competed n the state Golden Gloves, I won,” stated Carlos. In the 2015 Olympic trials, even though Carlos won his final bout, he was unable to fight further due to a major cut from an accidental head butt.

Monroe, coached by trainer of world champions Stacie McKinley, made his professional debut on December 16, 2017 and had ten fights in 2018, and this will be his sixth this year. “This is my biggest fight, to date,” said Carlos. “ I have been training in Pompano Beach, Florida, with a lot of sparring partners with different styles, so I am good about making adjustments on the fly. I don’t feel any threats in the ring. Javier is a game opponent and fought a few big names. He comes forward and is a pressure fighter, and I like that.” Monroe likes to work the body and “most of my stoppages have come from body shots.” Carlos lives about twenty minutes outside of Atlanta and will have many family and friends at the fight.

“Carlos is very smart, listens well and is a hard worker,” said McKinley, who has trained Mike Tyson and numerous middleweight world champions. “He has unusual hand speed, and power at the same time. This fight is a step up for him and after that, there will be another step up. I have big plans for him. He leaves home and comes here for to train, has a fight, goes home for week then comes back for another six to eight weeks. He is not just training boxing, he is living boxing and that’s what you need to do to become great. He has a young daughter now and a wonderful promoter, Judy Starkey, who has invested a lot in Carlos to provide for him what he needs to be successful.”

Javier Francisco Maciel (33-8, 23 KOs) from Buenos Aires, Argentina, has fought for the World Boxing Association world middleweight championship and has won numerous regional titles. Maciel has fought world champion Dmitry Pirog and world title challengers Willie Monroe Jr., Francisco Antonio Mora.

“We are so thankful to partners like this that support the nearly 3,000 kids that attend our Clubs each day and help them reach their full potential,” said Missy Dugan, CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta. “Through sports, youth build skills that will serve them now and throughout their lives including self-confidence, good sportsmanship, discipline, and an appreciation of healthy living and exercise.” Kids from several local Clubs will attend. Event organizers are Judy Starkey, an accomplished Atlanta businesswoman and Harry Barnett, who has been involved in boxing for over sixty years as a boxer, manager and promoter.

LAS VEGAS, NV (September 23, 2019) – Prince Ranch Boxing’s undefeated super lightweight, Keith “The Bounty” Hunter (11-0, 7 KOs), now ranked WBA #12, is ready to face anyone in the top ten of the 140-pound division as he enters contender status.

Hunter who recently out boxed Cameron Kreal (16-14-3, 4 KOs) by a wide decision, a fighter who despite his record not looking the best, was a heavily avoided fighter. In his previous fight before that, Hunter defeated, Sanjarbek Rakhmanov (11-2-1, 5 KOs) by split decision. Both wins come on his opponents home turf. Hunter has continuously looked to fight the best and is creating momentum organically through each performance.

“I have faced tough opposition in my last two bouts beating Cameron Kreal and Sanjarbek Rakhmanov, both who were fighting on the “A” side with their promoter, Mayweather Promotions,” said Keith Hunter, who is promoted by Greg Cohen Promotions. “I feel I am ready to face the best and this world ranking just puts me closer to getting those fights.”

Keith Hunter, who is the younger brother of Heavyweight contender, Michael Hunter (18-1, 12 KOs), comes from a boxing family. His father Michael Hunter Sr. (26-7-2, 8 KOs), had a successful career in the 80’s.

“I am fighting mostly as professional since people don’t put enough respect on my father’s name, and I feel that continuing his legacy is very important to me,” Hunter continued. “I am excited for what the future holds and like I said, I’m ready for anyone.”

“Hunter is a special fighter, he is talented, but also is a courageous fighter, who fights with tremendous heart,” said Prince Ranch Boxing’s CEO Greg Hannley. “It is exciting to see that he is now ranked in the top fifteen of the WBA as this can lead to some great fights in the future.”

Hunter is currently ranked #12 by the WBA and is awaiting a fight date as he looks to fight for a top ten opponent.

New York, September 21, 2019

Star Boxing’s “Rockin’ Fights” has been a staple in the New York boxing scene since its inception in 2011. Eight years later, the acclaimed fight series is continuing to thrive, proven by last night’s electric atmosphere, and thrilling fights.

In the main event, TYRONE “PRETTY BOY” JAMES (Elmont, NY now 11-0 8KO’s) brought the fight to the Oklahoma native, DENNIS “THE PAWNEE EXPRESS” KNIFECHIEF (Shawnee, OK now 12-11-1 5KO’s) in the scheduled 8-round super welterweight bout. James wasted no time in taking control of the fought, as just five punches into the first round, he dropped Knifechief with a three-punch combination. To Knifechief’s credit, he got off the canvas, and continued to fight. However, the next four rounds would be more of the same, as James lived up to his promise of showing flash, speed and power. Finally, 28 seconds into the fifth round, referee Tony Chiarantano had seen enough and stopped the action.

James had this to say about his first main event victory, “It was a great fight. The opponent [Knifechief] was tough as nails. I’m happy I was able to get rounds in and I hope I made the crowd proud with my 5th KO in the row. “

In the co-feature bout, Dominican Republic rising star, and #24 world rated bantamweight, JUNIOR “BOMBITA” ALMONTE (Dominican Republic, now 13-0 9KO’s) defended his WBC FECARBOX Bantamweight title against amateur standout, ERNESTO GARZA III (Saginaw, MI now 10-3 6KO’s). If you missed this fight, we highly suggest you catch up by watching it, HERE. This fight had fight of the year excitement, written all over it and it lived up to expectations. Almonte and Garza traded absolute bombs for eight straight rounds. Both men were sharp and in excellent condition, and took turns demonstrating their power and speed. Almonte scored a knockdown in the 4th round, but Garza, would not allow it to faze him, jumping right back into the action-packed fight. Both fighters left every ounce of themselves in the ring. After the eight heated and crowd-pleasing rounds, the undefeated Almonte retained his title, winning a unanimous decision. (78-73 (x2), 77-74)

Almonte had this to say about his US debut, “I knew it was going to be a tough. Mexicans are warriors, plus I had never fought a southpaw before. I’m just glad that I was able to showcase my skill in the USA. People are going to remember the name ‘Bombita’ for a long time”

If you thought that you were in a soccer stadium, during the ALEX “EL TORO” VARGAS (Bellport, NY now 4-0 1KO) vs DEO KIZITO (Silver Springs, MD by way of Uganda, now 3-4 2KO’s), we understand why. Chants, songs and cheers broke out from the masses at The Paramount, rooting on Long Island favorite, and New York Golden Glove champion, Alex Vargas. Vargas displayed great speed in his combinations throughout the four-round fight and Kizito exhibited a great ability to give and take. At the end of the four rounds, Vargas earned the unanimous decision victory. (40-36 (x3))

Alex Vargas said this about his fourth consecutive win, “It felt great to be back in the ring again after 7 months. It was exciting to be fighting in my hometown of Long Island and getting a win”

In the opening bout of the evening, New York Police Department (32nd Precinct) officer, EMMAUNEL ETIENNE (Uniondale, NY now 1-0 1KO) took on CHARLES JOHNSON (Upper Marlboro, MD now 1-4 1KO) in his pro-debut over a four-round cruiserweight bout. Etienne controlled the action for much of the fight showing impressive speed and movement for a Cruiserweight. Attacking both the head and body, Etienne left Johnson on unsteady legs more than one time during the fight. In the third-round, Etienne closed in on Johnson, bearing down with flush body to head combinations, causing the referee to stop the action, 35 seconds into the third round, earning the TKO victory in his pro-debut.

Emmanuel said this about his epic night, “It was a surreal experience, jumping on the ropes after the win is something you see in the movies are in your dream but to actually experience it is crazy. Your hard work will pay off”

Star Boxing, CEO JOE DEGUARDIA said this about last night’s fights, “What a thrilling night of fights at The Paramount. This fight series has truly brought fight fans some of the best fights and fighters in New York, and last night, Junior Almonte and Ernesto Garza may have brought the fight of the year. Tyrone James once again showed his skill, and why he is on the path to becoming the newest bright star of the Paramount. Be sure to get your tickets now for our next Paramount event (November 23) “