ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – APRIL 8, 2019 – The ACBHOF is pleased to announce the opening of its Legends Café during their 3rd Annual Celebration and Induction Weekend. For the third year, the Claridge A Radisson Hotel will serve as ACBHOF’s partner and backdrop for this historic event to be held June 21 – 23, 2019.

On Friday, June 21st the ACBHOF VIP Cocktail Reception will kick-off the weekend with the opening of the Legends Café and a special screening of the movie “ME WHEE” – a 30-minute documentary of Muhammad Ali.

“It is with tremendous pride that The Claridge-A Radisson Hotel welcomes The Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame during this induction weekend. We are privileged to join in this partnership, a blending of the rich history that we both share here in Atlantic City. The Legends Café is an extraordinary, unique, and unforgettable opportunity for immersion into the legendary world of boxing that has evolved in this city over the years.” – A. Cem Erenler V.P. Operations & Development

On Saturday, June 22nd the ACBHOF will invite boxing enthusiasts to join us for conversation and coffee in the Legends Café where an engaging panel discussion will take place. The panel will be moderated and activated with a panel comprised of top boxing historians from New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The Café will host exciting exhibits and art on display by Patrick Killiam from Newport, Wales, and other talented artists and Exhibits that will be on display: Jack Johnson, Joe Frazier Legacy Exists, Deborah King, James O’Neal Sculptures, Boxing Apocalypse and the SparBar.

Also, on Saturday the ACBHOF will be inside the Orange Loop for good food and music at the Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall; where guests and fans alike will be interacting up close and personal with boxing legends on hand for autographs and photo opportunities.

“Our mission is to honor, preserve and celebrate the excellence of Atlantic City’s rich Boxing History and there’s no better place to highlight this tradition than at the historic Claridge-A Radisson Hotel. My team and I are excited about this collaboration.” – Ray McCline President of Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame

The weekend will culminate with the Induction Ceremony on Sunday, June 23rd where the ACBHOF Class of 2019 will be enshrined into the hall of fame history.

The Class of 2019 Participants: Bernard Hopkins, Tim Witherspoon, Iran Barkley, Roberto Duran, Micky Ward, Kevin Watts, John Brown, Virgil Hill, Butch Lewis, English Bouie Fisher, Ace Marotta, Jimmy Binns, Sr., Stan Hoffman, Nigel Collins, Henry Hascup, Tom Kaczmarek, Tony Orlando Jr., and Rhonda Utley-Herring.

For tickets, rooms and more information interested parties may visit www.acbhof.com.For discount room rate use promo code: ACBHO9

We are pleased to recognize and thank our sponsors:
The Claridge Hotel, City of Atlantic City, FantaSea Resorts, Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall, Adams Boxing, HARD Beverages, SparBar, WBC, IBF, and Expressions Web Graphic Specialist & Fight Night Apparel

FAIRFAX, VA. (April 9, 2019) – Undefeated rising featherweight Stephen Fulton will take on former world champion Paulus Ambunda in a 12-round showdown that headlines PBC FIGHT NIGHT – EXTRA on FS1 and FOX Deportes Saturday, May 11 at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia.

PBC FIGHT NIGHT – EXTRA begins at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT and will also see hard-hitting Ahmed Elbiali (18-1, 15 KOs)in a light heavyweight bout, plus exciting 19-year-old prospect and Baltimore-native Lorenzo Simpson (3-0, 2 KOs) in a four-round middleweight attraction that will be a TV swing bout.

The event is headlined by unified and undefeated IBF and WBA 154-pound champion “Swift” Jarrett Hurd defending against top contender Julian “J-Rock” Williams in PBC on FOX action beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased through Ticketmaster (ticketmaster.com).

Non-televised action features undefeated Romanian Alexandru Marin (17-0, 11 KOs) taking on former world champion Luis Concepcion (37-7, 26 KOs) in a 12-round super flyweight attraction, unbeaten super lightweight prospect Greg Outlaw (7-0, 2 KOs) in an eight-round fight and super middleweight contender Demond Nicholson (21-3-1, 20 KOs) in a 10-round contest.

Rounding out the card are bouts featuring once-beaten Dravontay Rawls battling Colombia’s Jonathan Perez in an eight-round lightweight showdown, unbeaten Aaron Anderson in a four-round super welterweight fight against Peru’s Carlos Galindo and Mark Duncan battling Kevin Womack for six-rounds of super welterweight action.

The 24-year-old Fulton (15-0, 7 KOs) fights out of Philadelphia and defeated previously unbeaten fighters in five of his last nine contests. He made his 2019 debut in January, stopping Marlon Olea in round five. He takes on Namibia’s Ambunda (27-2, 11 KOs), who previously captured a bantamweight world title by defeating William Prado by decision in 2012. He enters this bout on a three-fight winning streak, including 12-round decisions in his last two fights.

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ABOUT HURD VS. WILLIAMS
Hurd vs. Williams pits IBF and WBA 154-pound world champion Jarrett Hurd against top contender Julian Williams in the main event of Premier Boxing Champions on FOX and FOX Deportes Saturday, May 11 from EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia.

Unbeaten super lightweight contender Mario “El Azteca” Barrios battles Argentina’s Juan “The Pitbull” Jose Velasco in a 10-round fight and middleweight contender Matt Korobov clashes with Immanuwel Aleem in a 10-round bout as part of televised action beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Fans can live stream the fights on the FOX Sports app, available in English or Spanish through the FOX, FS1 or FOX Deportes feeds. The fights are available on desktop at FOXSports.com and through the app store, or connected devices including Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Xbox One and Roku.

For more information: visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/homepage and 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 and www.facebook.com/foxdeportes.

PHILADELPHIA – Junior middleweight boxer Paul Kroll, a 2016 Olympian, made a great start to his professional boxing career in 2018, and was voted by fans as the best rookie in Philadelphia. Paul will receive his Briscoe Award at a public event on Sunday, April 14, 2019 at Xfinity Live! in South Philly.

Kroll made his debut in Philadelphia last August, blasting out DeAngelo Alcorn in the first round. He followed that with another stoppage (TKO2), this time against Antonio Wattell in Oklahoma City. Now that his delayed pro career is on track, he appears poised to make his move in 2019. The next step for Kroll is the Briscoe Awards, before more highly anticipated pro fights.

“It’s an honor to win the Briscoe Award, and it feels good to be recognized by my city,” Kroll said.

The awards, named after Philly middleweight boxing legend Bennie Briscoe, have been recognizing the best achievements of the Philly boxing scene since 2007.
This year’s event will be held on Sunday, April 14, 2019, at Xfinity Live! in South Philadelphia (1100 Pattison Avenue), 1-4 PM. Tickets for the Briscoe Awards cost $10 each, and can be purchased in advance at BriscoeAwards.com, or by calling 609-377-6413.

The Briscoe Awards are presented by Philly Boxing History Inc., a 501c3 Non-Profit organization, dedicated to preserving and honoring the great legacy of boxing in and around the city of Philadelphia. For more information, call John DiSanto at 609-377-6413.

Ilford boxer Umar Sadiq will be stepping into the ring at The SSE Arena, Wembley on April 27th for fight number six of his professional career- but he could easily have stuck with counting numbers on a computer screen instead of lacing up the gloves if he hadn’t made a necessary sacrifice.

A short time ago, Umar’s full-time job was working as an accountant after graduating in accountancy at London Metropolitan University.

“It was the first time I had an office job and I kept it for a year and a half which I’m quite proud of actually!” joked Sadiq when speaking to TalkSPORT.

He continued; “But, I love boxing so much that I decided to pack in the day job to focus on doing what I really love, and now I live a blessed life doing what I love day by day.”

The decision to sacrifice financial security for chasing a dream would be a leap too far for many, and Umar admitted there were obstacles which needed to be overcome.

“I had a lot of people around me including my mum and she told me “You’re mad! How you going to survive and make money?!”- and I actually didn’t know! I just felt it in my gut that this is what I wanted to do.

“When everyone around you is doubting you, including family, and more importantly, people whose opinion you respect, you start questioning yourself.

“But if you want to do it enough and are brave enough, then ultimately at some point you will go ahead and do it. I see myself as a doer and I just thought ‘I’m just going to do it!’”

Umar goes into his six-round contest on April 27th coming off a stoppage victory against durable journeyman, Jevgenijs Andrejevs in early March.

The second-round demolition job on his Latvian opponent came after taking a first loss in his pro career against Fulham-fighter, Zak Chelli – who is also on the bill at The SSE Arena, Wembley.

Now back to winning ways, Sadiq will continue on his path towards what he set out to achieve in the sport and hopefully inspire other people in the same shoes as his own in the process.

“I’d like to be an example to others who wish to take the leap and tell them ‘look, I took the leap and I’ve done well, so maybe you can to.’”

Daniel Dubois v Richard Lartey tops the bill at the SSE Arena, Wembley on April 27 on a card that also includes the Commonwealth super middleweight title fight between Lerrone Richards and Tommy Langford, as well as the Southern Area super middleweight title clash between Zak Chelli and Jimmy Smith. WBO European super flyweight champion Sunny Edwards and WBO European super featherweight champion Archie Sharp also feature.

Rangy Super Welterweight talent Hamzah Sheeraz will be back out after his impressive win over Rod Douglas Jnr. Hard hitting middleweight and Peacock gym product Denzel Bentley (9-0) and Belfast amateur middleweight star Caoimhin Agyarko will also return to action. There are Queensberry debuts for unbeaten welterweight Chris Kongo (10-0) and Sheffield middleweight Shakiel Thompson (2-0) – with Thompson being tipped by sparring partner Billy Joe Saunders as a star for the future. Ilford Super Middleweight Umar Sadiq (4-1) also returns as he looks to rebuild after his first career loss. Tunde Ajayi trained lightweight Bilal Ali (1-0) will have his second professional fight after making a successful start to his pro career, with Hoddesdon super lightweight Alfie Price set for his fifth.

Tickets will be priced as £40, £50, £75, £100 and £150 and are now ON SALE to purchase via Eventim, Ticketmaster, the SSE Arena website and AXS.com.

Las Vegas (April 9, 2019) – Boxing’s Mexican living legend Julio Cesar Chavez has confirmed that he will appear at the fifth annual Box Fan Expo on Saturday May 4, 2019 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Chavez will hold a meet and greet with his fans at the Box Fan Expo at the World of Sports Memorabilia booth. The Expo is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., during Cinco De Mayo weekend. The Boxing Expo will also coincide with the highly anticipated fight between Canelo Alvarez vs Danny Jacobs, that will take place later that evening at the T-Mobile Arena.

Tickets to the Box Fan Expo are available at Eventbrite –
http://boxfanexpo.eventbrite.com/

Chavez will make his first appearance at this years’ Expo and will be signing gloves, photos, personal items and also have merchandise for sale for fans to enjoy. Boxing Fans will have an opportunity to also take pictures with this Boxing Legend.

Chavez joins Riddick Bowe, Mikey Garcia, Errol Spence Jr., Marco Antonio Barrera, Mia St,John, Juan Manuel Marquez, Vinny Paz, Devin Haney, Earnie Shavers, Al Bernstein, Michael Spinks, WBC, Erik Morales, James Toney and Jessie Vargas as an early commitment to this year’s Box Fan Expo, with many more Top Boxing stars to be announced.

About Julio Cesar Chavez
Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 2005. A multiple-time world champion in three weight divisions, Chavez was listed by The Ring magazine as the world’s best boxer, pound for pound, from 1990 to 1993. During his career he held the WBC super featherweight title from 1984 to 1987, the WBA and WBC lightweight titles between 1987 and 1989, the WBC light welterweight title twice between 1989 and 1996, and the IBF light welterweight title from 1990 to 1991. He also held the Ring magazine and lineal lightweight titles from 1988 to 1989, and the lineal light welterweight title twice between 1990 and 1996. Chavez was named Fighter of the Year for 1987 and 1990 by the Boxing Writers Association of America and The Ring respectively.

Chavez holds records for the most total successful defenses of world titles (27, shared with Omar Narvaez), most title fight victories and fighters beaten for the title (both at 31), and most title fights (37); he has the second most title defenses won by knockout (21, after Joe Louis with 23). His fight record was 89 wins, 0 losses, and 1 draw before his first professional loss to Frankie Randall in 1994, before which he had an 87-fight win streak until his draw with Pernell Whitaker in 1993. Chavez’s 1993 win over Greg Haugen at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City set the record for a boxing match of 132,274 in attendance.

He is ranked as the 17th best boxer of all time, pound for pound, by BoxRec, #24 on ESPN’s list of “50 Greatest Boxers of All Time”, and 18th on The Ring’s “80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years”. Chavez is also ranked #1 greatest super lightweight boxer of all time and #13 greatest boxer of all time by Boxing Action Magazine. In 2010 he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame for the Class of 2011. He is the father of current boxers Omar Chavez and former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

About World of Sports Memorabilia
World Sports Memorabilia is a family owned and operated business specializing in sports, memorabilia, along with custom framing. As collectors of fine autographed pieces as well as being dealers, they are sensitive to the potential of forgeries in the marketplace; therefore, they have obtained most of their autographs either in person or from a promotional agent who has conducted a personal or private signing with a specific athlete or celebrity. They always provide a certificate of authenticity with every autograph and would be more than willing to provide additional information on how they obtained any particular piece. For more info go to: https://worldofsportsmem.com/

About Box Fan Expo
Box Fan Expo is the ultimate boxing fan experience event, which allows fans to meet-and-greet boxing superstars of today, current and former world champions, legends of the sport and other boxing celebrities. Fans can expect to experience various interactions such as autograph and photos sessions, FaceOff with your favorite boxers, pictures with the Ring Card Girls, Live DJ Music, chance to win prizes, purchase merchandise and memorabilia from different booths Exhibitors, “ALL UNDER ONE ROOF”. You won’t want to miss this must-attend Expo!

Box Fan Expo has been a huge success with fans and boxing industry people. Many boxing stars have attended the last four Expos such as Floyd Mayweather, Mike Tyson, Roberto Duran, Tommy Hearns, Marco Antonio Barrera, Roy Jones Jr., Andre Ward, Mikey Garcia, Marcos Maidana, Juan Manuel Marquez, Erik Morales, Errol Spence Jr., Sergio Martinez, Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia, Tim Bradley, Deontay Wilder, Amir Khan, Shawn Porter, Fernando Vargas, Zab Judah, James Toney, Jessie Vargas, Vinny Pazienza, Mia St.John, Leo Santa Cruz, Badou Jack, Terry Norris , Riddick Bowe , Earnie Shavers, Leon Spinks, Danny Jacobs, Abner Mares, Jorge Linares, Brandon Rios and many more…

Exhibitors include: boxing promoters, gear, apparel, equipment, energy drinks, supplement products, broadcasting media, sanctioning bodies, and other companies who wish to participate will once again have a chance to showcase their brand to fans and the boxing industry.

Tickets to the Box Fan Expo are available online at:
https://boxfanexpo.eventbrite.com

Throughout the next several weeks leading up to the event, there will be weekly updates on the many stars that will commit their appearance at the Boxing Expo. And for anyone in the Boxing industry or other Exhibitors (non-industry), who would like to be involved and reserve a Booth, contact Box Fan Expo:

Telephone number: (514) 572-7222 or Las Vegas Number (702) 997-1927

For any inquiries please email: boxfanexpo@gmail.com

For More information on Box Fan Expo visit: http://www.boxfanexpo.com

Follow Box Fan Expo on Twitter and Instagram: @BoxFanExpo

Follow Box Fan Expo on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/BoxFanExpo

INDIO, CALIF. (April 9, 2019): Future Hall of Famer James “Lights Out” Toney will be the special VIP guest for the April 25 edition of Golden Boy DAZN Thursday Night Fights, which headlined by the 10-round rematch between super lightweight contender Yves Ulysse Jr. (17-1, 9 KOs) of Montreal, Canada and Steve Claggett (27-5-2, 17 KOs) of Calgary, Canada. The event will take place at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif. Details for how to watch the fights will be announced shortly

Toney is a native of Ann Arbor, Michigan who captured world titles in the middleweight, super middleweight and cruiserweight divisions. He also fought for a world title in the heavyweight division. Toney was known for his defensive style and his incredible hand speed. He also fought the likes of Iran “The Blade” Barkley, Roy Jones Jr., Montell “Ice” Griffin, Mike “Bodysnatcher” McCallum, Vassiliy “The Tiger” Jirov, Evander “Real Deal” Holyfield, John “The Quiet Man” Ruiz, and Hasim “The Roch” Rahman in a career that spanned nearly 30 years.Toney will be in attendance for this event to meet fans, sign autographs and take pictures inside the Fantasy Springs Special Events Center. The meet-and-greet is open to the public with the purchase of a ticket to the event.

In the co-main event, Oscar “El Jaguar” Negrete (18-1-1, 7 KOs) of Tierralta, Colombia, will defend his NABF Bantamweight Title against Joshua “The Professor” Franco (14-1-1, 7 KOs) of San Antonio, Texas in a 10-round rematch between two Golden Boy contenders.

Alexis “Lex” Rocha (12-0, 8 KOs) of Santa Ana, Calif. will defend his WBC Continental Americas Welterweight Title in a 10-round fight against Shoki Sakai (23-9-2, 13 KOs) of Amagasaki, Japan.

Marlen Esparza (5-0, 1 KOs) of Houston, Texas will return to the ring after almost a year of inactivity in an eight-round battle against Jhosep Vizcaino (8-8, 3 KOs) of Quito, Ecuador for the vacant NABO Flyweight Title.

Mike “Yes Indeed” Reed (23-2, 12 KOs), a southpaw contender of Washington, D.C. who has not been in the ring for a year, will make his comeback in an eight-round super lightweight bout.

Kevin Ventura (10-0, 8 KOs) of Omaha, Nebraska will face Josh Hernandez (8-2, 7 KOs) of Chicago, Illinois in a six-round lightweight fight.

Raul “Cougar” Curiel (5-0-3 KOs) of Tamaulipas, Mexico will fight in a six-round welterweight clash against Andrew Rodgers (4-6-1, 2 KOs) of Elkhart, Indiana.

Anthony Reyes (4-0, 3 KOs), the hard-hitting native of Coachella, Calif. will return in a four-round super bantamweight battle.

Anthony Garnica (1-0,1 KO) of Oakland, Calif. will participate in the second fight of his career in a four-round featherweight bout.

Opponents for Reed, Ventura, Garnica, and Reyes will be announce shortly.

Ulysse Jr. vs. Claggett II is a 10-round fight for the WBA Gold Super Lightweight Title presented by Golden Boy and Eye of the Tiger Management. The event is sponsored by Tecate,”THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING.” The fights will take place Thursday, April 25, 2019 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif. Details for how to watch the fights will be announced shortly

Tickets for the event are on sale and start at $25. Tickets will be available at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino box office, by calling 1-800-827-2946, or by purchasing online at www.fantasyspringsresort.com.

Media interested covering Ulysse Jr. vs. Claggett II must be pre-approved for credentials. Credential applications are due Monday, April 22, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. PT. Click here to apply for a media credential. Submitting an application does not guarantee approval for a credential. You cannot transfer your credentials to someone else. Media will not be credentialed on-site, no exceptions.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and DAZN.com. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing and @DAZN_USA. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and https://www.facebook.com/DAZNUSA/. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing and @DAZN_USA. Follow the conversation using #UlysseClaggett2, #ThursdayNightFights and #TNF.

Photos and videos are available to download by clicking here or by copying and pasting link: http://bit.ly/UlysseClaggett2 into a browser. Credit must be given to Golden Boy for photos and videos used.

DANIEL DUBOIS SUSPECTS he would require one of his trademark KOs in order to secure victory over potential British title opponent Joe Joyce.

Dubois and the Olympic silver medallist have been mandated by the board to battle for the British heavyweight title, once the 21-year-old has hopefully attended to business against Richard Lartey at the SSE Arena, Wembley on April 27.

The 33-year-old Joyce has recorded eight stoppages from his eight fights in the professional ranks and possesses a style based on a relentless work rate.

“He looks to overpower people, out-punch you, out-work you sort of thing, so he is busy, non-stop,” considered the 10-0 Dubois, who has nine KOs to his name. “He is a challenge for anyone who faces him.”

A challenge that Dubois insists he would have no issues in overcoming.

“No, not at all. I’ll work even harder than I am now to beat these sort of guys. The better the guys I am facing, the better I will perform.”

Despite his perfect stoppage ratio, Joyce isn’t considered to be amongst the division’s most concussive punchers. Dubois, however, contends this view stems more from his accuracy than his punch potency.

“It depends who he is in with. I am sure he has got enough strength in his punches to drop some people, but he doesn’t seem to be the most accurate puncher.

“That is something I am pretty good at and you will see that from how the fight turns out, if it happens.”

So if a fight with Joyce is booked in, assuming Lartey is successfully accounted for, Dubois indicates that he would have to take a shortcut for the fight to fall in his favour.

“Yes, if I was to win the fight, I would definitely have to put him over or stop him.”

Daniel Dubois v Richard Lartey tops the bill at the SSE Arena, Wembley on April 27 on a card that also includes the Commonwealth super middleweight title fight between Lerrone Richards and Tommy Langford, as well as the Southern Area super middleweight title clash between Zak Chelli and Jimmy Smith. WBO European super flyweight champion Sunny Edwards and WBO European super featherweight champion Archie Sharp also feature.

Rangy Super Welterweight talent Hamzah Sheeraz will be back out after his impressive win over Rod Douglas Jnr. Hard hitting middleweight and Peacock gym product Denzel Bentley (9-0) and Belfast amateur middleweight star Caoimhin Agyarko will also return to action. There are Queensberry debuts for unbeaten welterweight Chris Kongo (10-0) and Sheffield middleweight Shakiel Thompson (2-0) – with Thompson being tipped by sparring partner Billy Joe Saunders as a star for the future. Ilford Super Middleweight Umar Sadiq (4-1) also returns as he looks to rebuild after his first career loss. Tunde Ajayi trained lightweight Bilal Ali (1-0) will have his second professional fight after making a successful start to his pro career, with Hoddesdon super lightweight Alfie Price set for his fifth.

Tickets will be priced as £40, £50, £75, £100 and £150 and are now ON SALE to purchase via Eventim, Ticketmaster, the SSE Arena website and AXS.com

9 April 2019 – Manila, Philippines: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), in collaboration with City of Dreams Manila, recently held the ONE: ROOTS OF HONOR Official Kick-Off Press Conference last Tuesday, 9 April at the City of Dreams in Manila.

In attendance were main event competitors, reigning ONE Featherweight World Champion Martin Nguyen and challenger Narantungalag Jadambaa, co-main event participants, reigning ONE Strawweight World Champion Yosuke Saruta and challenger Joshua Pacio, as well as Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, Chatri Sityodtong.

Ticket information for ONE: ROOTS OF HONOR is available at www.onefc.com.

Photo: https://drive.google.com/open?id=18ojr4tVE223jUks193ug21ImtCVTLX4L

Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “ONE Championship is back in Manila, and it’s always a pleasure to visit the Philippines. We’re here to celebrate Asia’s greatest cultural treasure — martial arts. We’re not here to sell fights, we’re here to build martial arts heroes who ignite the world with strength, hope, dreams, and inspiration. By telling their stories, we share the true values of martial arts with the world, which will always be our mission. See you all this Friday night for ONE: ROOTS OF HONOR. It’s going to be a fantastic show.”

Martin Nguyen, ONE Featherweight World Champion, stated: “It’s my fourth time competing here in Manila, and I’ve always felt at home here. It’s an honor to share my talent with you all. Thank you to all the fans for the support. Challenging the legend Jadambaa himself, it’s such an honor. I would like to thank ONE Championship for placing their trust in me. I’ll bring a hundred percent into the cage, and god willing, I’ll walk out of the arena still champion.”

Narantungalag Jadambaa, ONE World Title Challenger, stated: “First of all, I would like to thank ONE Championship for the opportunity to compete for the ONE World Title once again. This is not about age, this is about passion. Martial arts is my life and I hold the utmost respect for anyone who has the courage to step inside that cage. I will bring even more courage into the cage this Friday. I respect Martin Nguyen for what he has done for our sport and it is an honor to face him. I will do my best and the best man will walk out of the cage with the title.”

Yosuke Saruta, ONE Strawweight World Champion, stated: “Coming to the Philippines and representing Japan and the Japanese culture, it is such a huge honor for me. I know Joshua Pacio has a lot of fans here, and I respect him as a martial artist. All I can say is that we will both bring our best into the cage this Friday night. It’s going to be an exciting fight, and I plan on getting my hand raised in the end as the victor. Thank you all for having me.”

Joshua Pacio, ONE World Title Challenger, stated: “I would like to thank ONE Championship for giving me another chance to fight for the title. I know the magnitude of this matchup and how important this rematch with Yosuke Saruta is. I wasn’t at my best in that first fight, so I want to go out there and prove that I can do much better. He’s a great fighter, and I have so much respect for him. But I have the hopes and dreams of an entire country on my shoulders, and I can’t let the fans down. I’m coming to regain the belt. It’s going to be a war this Friday.”

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.

LAS VEGAS (April 8, 2019) — The biggest star in world heavyweight boxing — all 6 feet 9 inches of him — is coming to the fight capital of the world.

Unbeaten lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, the self-proclaimed “Gypsy King,” will defend his title against top contender Tom Schwarz Saturday, June 15 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The event will be promoted by Top Rank, in association with Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions and SES Boxing.

Fury-Schwarz will be available live in the United States exclusively on ESPN+ — the leading multi-sport streaming service – beginning at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST.

The fight marks the first in a multi-fight agreement announced in February, in which Fury’s fights are co-promoted by Top Rank and Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions and are a headline piece of the boxing lineup under the historic, long-term Top Rank on ESPN relationship.

Tickets priced at $600, $450, $300, $200, $100 and $50 (not including applicable charges) go on sale to the general public Thursday, April 25 at 10 a.m. PST. Tickets can be purchased online through axs.com, charge by phone at 866-740-7711 or in person at any MGM Resorts box office.

“It’s with great pride that Top Rank and Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions, together with ESPN+ and MTK Global, will be able to present the leading heavyweight in the world and a megastar in boxing,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “Tyson will be facing a tough, experienced and undefeated fighter in Tom Schwarz, who is coming to Las Vegas ready to shock the world.”

Fury said, “I’m absolutely delighted to be boxing in Las Vegas on ESPN+. I always said I will never go to Vegas until I box there and now I finally am. I can’t wait to put on a boxing master class for all my fans. The British and Irish fans will invade Vegas. I can’t wait!”

Schwarz said, “This is what I’ve been working for since I was a kid. A fight in Las Vegas against Tyson Fury is a dream come true. While I appreciate Tyson as a great fighter and a sportsman, I am young, ambitious and in the top of the world rankings. I‘ve won 24 fights, I’ve got nothing to lose, and my 25th victory will come against Fury.”

Warren said, “I’m very excited about starting the next chapter in the Tyson Fury story. With this new deal and co-promotion with Top Rank, it’s all about getting Tyson out there to a huge audience, and nobody can do that in America like ESPN. He’s the best heavyweight on the planet and the lineal champion. He’s a superstar, and there is nowhere better for a superstar to have his next fight than in the Mecca of boxing itself, Las Vegas. I would like to extend a special thanks to MTK Global for the role they have played in this exciting next step. BT will broadcast exclusively in the UK and an announcement will follow from them on how UK fans can watch Tyson’s return.”

“All the best fighters of the last decade-plus have fought in the MGM Grand Garden Arena, and on June 15, you can add Tyson Fury to that list,” said Bob Yalen, president, MTK Global. “The world’s premier promoter, the world’s premier boxing venue and the world’s premier heavyweight, backed by the world’s premier management team on the world’s premier sports network…It is going to be a can’t-miss night of boxing.”

“Tyson Fury is an incredible boxer with an incredible story, two things that are right at home on ESPN+,” said Russell Wolff, executive vice president and general manager, ESPN+. “Tom Schwarz is young, ambitious and unbeaten. This fight adds to an ESPN+ boxing lineup that has been packed with champions in its first year, making it a must-have for any fan of the sweet science. And we’re just getting started.”

Fury (27-0-1, 19 KOs) captured the lineal heavyweight title on November 28, 2015, with a unanimous decision over long-time champion Wladimir Klitschko. That win catapulted him to worldwide celebrity, but a host of personal demons threatened to end his career before he could defend his title. He blew up to 400-plus pounds, only to author a 2018 comeback that ranks among the greatest redemption stories in sporting history. In the third fight of his comeback, December 1, 2018 in Los Angeles, Fury fought WBC champion Deontay Wilder to a disputed draw. His recovery from a hellacious 12th-round knockdown became an instant viral video sensation and the stuff of boxing legend.

Schwarz (24-0, 16 KOs) is a 24-year-old native of Halle, Germany, a 6-foot-5 boxer-puncher who has not gone the distance in his past six fights. Ranked No. 2 by the WBO and No. 9 by the IBF, Schwarz has fought all but two of his bouts in Germany but has climbed the world heavyweight rankings with a string of dominant performances. He captured the WBO Intercontinental belt in April 2017 with a second-round stoppage of Adnan Redzovic (18-1 at the time) and has since defended that belt four times. In his last bout, March 2 in Magdeburg, Germany, he knocked down Kristijan Krstacic three times in the second round to score the stoppage.

To subscribe to ESPN+, visit www.espnplus.com.

LAS VEGAS (April 8, 2019) – Welterweights Terrel Williams and Justin DeLoach will square-off in a 10-round attraction, while former world champion Jezzrel Corrales faces Richard Zamora in an eight-round lightweight showdown as part of non-televised undercard action Saturday, April 27 from The Chelsea inside of The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and presented by Premier Boxing Champions.

The event is headlined by former lightweight world champion Robert Easter Jr. and former two-division champion Rances Barthelemy meeting for the vacant WBA Lightweight Title live on SHOWTIME. Televised coverage begins at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT and will also feature former super lightweight champion Viktor Postol taking on France’s Mohamed Mimoune in a WBC Super Lightweight Title Eliminator, while rising heavyweight sensation Efe Ajagba looks to remain unbeaten against once-beaten German Michael Wallisch in a 10-round heavyweight attraction.

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and TGB Promotions in association with About Billions Promotions, can be purchased at www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com or through Ticketmaster.

Additional undercard attractions feature unbeaten featherweight prospect Javier Encarnacion (15-0, 11 KOs) facing Jose Bustos (14-9-3, 9 KOs) in an eight-round fight, Yovani Rodarte (10-1-1, 5 KOs) and Clay Burns (6-5-2, 4 KOs) squaring-off in a six-round lightweight bout and Los Angeles-native Flavio Rodriguez (8-1-1, 7 KOs) in a six-round super welterweight contest.

Rounding out the action is Los Angeles-native Daniel Guzman facing Mexico’s Hugo Rodriguez in a four-round bantamweight showdown and the second pro fight for Dallas-native Burley Brooks in a four-round light heavyweight attraction.

Fighting out of Los Angeles, Williams (17-0, 13 KOs) most recently dropped David Grayton on his way to a unanimous decision victory in September of last year. He will be opposed by the 25-year-old DeLoach (18-3, 9 KOs), who most recently defeated Michael Ogundo in his first fight at welterweight since 2013. The Augusta, Georgia-native owns victories over Domonique Dolton, Junior Castillo and Christopher Pearson while campaigning at super welterweight.

Representing his native Panama, Corrales (22-2, 8 KOs) won a 130-pound world title by knocking out Takashi Uchiyama in Japan in 2016, before defeating him by decision in the rematch. Corrales will make his lightweight debut in his first fight since losing to Alberto Machado in October 2017 when he battles Mexico’s Zamora (19-3, 12, KOs) on April 27.

# # #

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

Broner, 29, was supposed to go to trial on Monday on felony charges of gross sexual imposition and abduction, but he instead pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of assault and unlawful restraint. Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Common Pleas Court Judge Sherrie Miday sentenced Broner to six months in jail but suspended the sentence and placed the boxer on two years of probation, which he will serve in Broward County, Florida, where he lives and trains — as long as county officials there agree to supervise his probation.

The judge also fined Broner $1,000 and ordered him to reimburse the victim more than $4,200 in medical bills. Cleveland.com first reported the news, which was confirmed by the Cuyahoga County Court’s online records.

“While confident in a successful outcome at trial, Mr. Broner opted to accept the significantly reduced misdemeanor plea so that he could immediately return to focus on his professional career free from further distraction,” Ian Friedman, Broner’s attorney, said in a statement, according to Cleveland.com.

In the main event, former world title challenger Dominic Wade will take part in a super middleweight bout for IBO and WBC Regional titles.

Wade of Largo, Maryland has a record of 20-1 with 14 knockouts. Wade, 28, is a 10 year-professional who vaulted up the middleweight rankings with wins over Chris Davis (3-0), Michael Faulk (2-0), Grover Young (4-0), Nick Brinson (16-1-2) and former world champion Sam Soliman.

After challenging world middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin, Wade took two-plus years off and has comeback with two knockout wins, with the latest being a 5th round stoppage over Josue Obando on February 23rd in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Fighting in the co-feature in an IBF Regional Title fight will be undefeated super featherweight Tiara Brown.

Brown of Washington, D.C. was recently named Washington, D.C. Police Officer of the year.

Brown, who has been a fixture in the beltway area, has built up a great reputation, and is coming off a 4th round stoppage over Dahiana Santana on December 8th in Bowie, Maryland.

Also on the card will be local favorites, super lightweight Antonio Magruder (5-0-1, 4 KOs) of Washington, D.C.; undefeated cruiserweight Sam Crossed (8-0, 5 KOs) of Greenbelt, Maryland; welterweight David Grayton (15-3-1, 11 KO’s) of Washington, D.C.; super lightweight Patrick Harris (15-0, 8 KOs) of Hyattsville, Maryland; featherweight Jordan White (7-1, 6 KOs) of Washington, D.C. ad pro debuting lightweight and Taurean Venable of Washington, D.C.

More fighters and the full card will be announced shortly.

Tickets are priced at $150 for Platinum Ringside, $100 for Gold Floor Seats and $50 for General Admission, and are available beginning TODAY.

1st Responders will receive discounted tickets.

Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com

**More fights to be added!**
*Bouts may change. All Sales Final. No refunds*
Doors open at 5:30 pm
Fights start at 6:30 pm

For more information, call the hotline at 202.596.7692 or email trickyentertainment@gmail.com

One of the biggest boxing events of the year will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ on April 12 at 11 p.m. ET from the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. The reigning WBA/WBO lightweight – and widely regarded pound-for-pound –champion, Vasiliy Lomachenko (12-1, 9 KOs), is set to defend his unified lightweight world title against mandatory challenger Anthony Crolla (34-6-3, 13 KOs). The undercard bouts will also stream live on ESPN+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET. All the evening’s fights will be available in Spanish on ESPN+.

Friday’s Top Rank on ESPN card coincides with the one-year anniversary of the launch of ESPN+ – the leading direct-to-consumer sports streaming service.

Calling the action for ESPN will be Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), former two-division world titleholder Tim Bradley (analyst) and former pound-for-pound two-division world titleholder and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward (analyst). The on-location desk team will feature analysis from Mark Kriegel and Max Kellerman, and the ESPN+ Spanish coverage includes play-by-play from Jorge Eduardo Sánchez and former boxing champion Juan Manuel Márquez as analyst.”

ESPN’s official coverage of fight week kicked off Sunday, April 7, with Countdown to Lomachenko vs. Crolla, where viewers follow rival boxers Vasiliy Lomachenko and Anthony Crolla as they prepare for a must-see world title fight on April 12. See inside the training camp of pound-for-pound superstar Lomachenko as he trains at his home base in Oxnard, Calif., while former world champion Crolla trains to return the WBA title he once held to its rightful owner.

ESPN.com will have the fight covered throughout the week with a feature on Anthony Crolla from Nick Parkinson, a unique look at how the world’s best boxing trainers would prepare their fighters to face Vasiliy Lomachenko from Steve Kim and a complete guide to the fight from Dan Rafael. Rafael and Kim will be at the fight offering their unique insight as the action goes down.

Top Rank on ESPN (All times Eastern) 2018

Date
Time
Event
Platform
Sun, Apr 7
11:00 p.m.
Countdown to Lomachenko vs. Crolla
ESPN2
Tue, Apr 9
1:00 a.m.
Countdown to Lomachenko vs. Crolla (re-air)
ESPN2
Wed, Apr 10
1:00 a.m.
Top Rank on ESPN: Lomachenko vs. Pedraza (re-air)
ESPN2
5:00 a.m.
Countdown to Lomachenko vs. Crolla (re-air)
ESPN2
3:00 p.m.

Top Rank on ESPN: Lomachenko vs. Crolla Official Press Conference (live)
ESPN+
7:00 p.m.
Top Rank on ESPN: Lomachenko vs. Pedraza (re-air)
ESPNEWS
10:00 p.m.
Countdown to Lomachenko vs. Crolla (re-air)
ESPN2
Thu, Apr 11
4:00 p.m.
Top Rank on ESPN: Lomachenko vs. Crolla Weigh-in (live)
ESPN2
4:00 p.m.
Top Rank on ESPN: Lomachenko vs. Crolla Weigh-in (Entire card, live)
ESPN+
7:00 p.m.
Top Rank on ESPN: Lomachenko vs. Crolla Weigh-in (re-air)
ESPNEWS
8:00 p.m.
Countdown to Lomachenko vs. Crolla (re-air)
ESPNEWS
Fri., Apr 12
12:00 p.m.
Top Rank on ESPN: Lomachenko vs. Crolla Weigh-in (re-air)
ESPNEWS
7:30 p.m.
Countdown to Lomachenko vs. Crolla (re-air)
ESPN2
8 p.m.
Top Rank on ESPN: Lomachenko vs. Crolla Undercards
ESPN+
11 p.m.
Top Rank on ESPN: Lomachenko vs. Crolla Main Card
ESPN+
-30-

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. They are the industry-leading all-in-one digital sports platform, delivering a rich, personalized experience to tens of millions of fans every month.

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

PHILADELPHIA – Local bantamweight boxer Christian Carto won four straight bouts in 2018 and improved his record to 17-0, with 11 KOs. These four fights included two local main events, and two supporting spots on big nationally televised cards. This was a year of development for Carto, as he went the distance in all four fights, mixed it up a bit more than we’re used to seeing, and faced a tougher level of competition. Along the way, Carto also established himself as one of the biggest box office attractions of the local scene.

For these factors, as well as his exciting style and promising future, Carto earned the award as “The One to Watch”, and will take home his first-ever Briscoe Award on Sunday, April 14, 2019, at Xfinity Live! in South Philly.

In his first start of 2019, Carto suffered his first professional set back, but for many reasons, he remains the fighter that everyone continues to watch, perhaps even more so after his most recent outing.

The awards, named after Philly middleweight boxing legend Bennie Briscoe, have been recognizing the best achievements of the Philly boxing scene since 2007.

This year’s event will be held on Sunday, April 14, 2019, at Xfinity Live! in South Philadelphia (1100 Pattison Avenue), 1-4 PM. Tickets for the Briscoe Awards cost $10 each, and can be purchased in advance at BriscoeAwards.com, or by calling 609-377-6413.

The Briscoe Awards are presented by Philly Boxing History Inc., a 501c3 Non-Profit organization, dedicated to preserving and honoring the great legacy of boxing in and around the city of Philadelphia. For more information, call John DiSanto at 609-377-6413.

Watford Bantamweight prospect Shannon Courtenay says her professional debut on the Charlie Edwards vs. Angel Moreno WBC Flyweight World title bill at the Copper Box Arena last month was a valuable learning experience.

‘The Baby Face Assassin’, 25, made a wining start to life in the paid ranks with a unanimous decision over Romania’s Cristina Busuioc and the Adam Booth-managed fighter is excited to step through the ropes for the second time as a professional at The O2 in London on April 20, live on Sky Sports in the UK and DAZN in the US.

“I actually thought the ref was going to stop it in the first round,” said Courtenay. “Annoyingly, her groin guard came up so high that none of my body shots were getting through. It was protecting her the whole fight so I had to go upstairs and target the head. I was hitting her with some massive shots and her legs were gone but she stayed in there. She wasn’t very good technically but she was tough.

“I stayed calm instead of gassing out going for a big knockout. Obviously it would have been nice to get her out of there but I stayed slick throughout and got the win which was the main thing. I didn’t try and rush a knockout and make myself look bad in doing so. I feel like I put on a good performance and my team were happy with me.

“I really enjoyed the whole experience of making my debut on such a big show. I took everything in my stride, the public workout, the press conference and the weigh-in. To make my debut in front of thousands of people in the arena and even more people watching on TV around the world was special. It gave me a taste of what it’s like to operate at the top of the sport and I’m hungry for more.”

The former Finchley ABC star has been overwhelmed with the support she has received since making her debut and hopes to continue her incredible journey with another big win next week on a huge card that features her gym mate Josh Kelly making his long-awaited return to the ring.

“We’ve worked on a couple of new things that you’ll definitely see on April 20,” added Courtenay. “I’ve tweaked a few things and made them better. Training has gone really well, sparring has gone brilliantly as well so I’m really excited to put on a big performance.

“I’d like to have another three or four fights by the end of the year. I want to stay as active as possible and then see what happens at the end of the year. Maybe after seven or eight fights we can start looking at titles but right now I’m just looking at April 20, nothing else is coming into my head.

“Since my debut the support has been crazy. Every day I get hundreds of messages from people telling me that I’m an inspiration to them and it’s amazing to know that my story is making a difference to people.

“I just want to keep on pushing forward with that momentum. I wouldn’t say that I’m an inspirational person but people can obviously relate to my story. It’s never too late to make a change and improve your life.”

Courtenay makes her second outing on a huge night of boxing in the Capital.

At the top of the bill, Doncaster fan favourite Dave Allen (16-4-2, 13 KOs) faces the biggest night of his career against Australia’s former WBA Heavyweight World Champion Lucas Browne (28-1, 14 KOs) and Derek Chisora (29-9, 21 KOs) clashes with Senad Gashi (17-2, 17 KOs) in his first fight under new trainer Dave Coldwell.

Sunderland’s ‘Pretty Boy’ Josh Kelly (8-0, 6 KOs) takes on the toughest opponent of his career to date in the form of unbeaten 17-0 Pole Przemyslaw Runowski and Ilford Welterweight prospect Conor Benn (13-0, 9 KOs) makes his long-awaited return to the ring following a hand injury that has kept him out of action since his first title win over Cedrick Peynaud in July and Brooklyn Middleweight prospect Nikita Ababiy (3-0, 3 KOs) makes his UK debut.

There is an art to knocking out an opponent- and it seems that Battersea-boxer, Denzel Bentley has really got the knack of it.

The heavy-hitting middleweight searches for victory number ten on April 27th at The SSE Arena, Wembley and he will be hoping to add a ninth knockout to his professional resume.

There isn’t many boxers in the country that can boast a better knockout percentage than Bentley’s and loading up with your punches isn’t the way to approach landing the lethal blow.

“It’s more to do with timing and slowing down my work” explains the 24-year-old.

He continued; “Because, when I first came here [Peacock gym] I was an amateur and it was all about fast work and a high work rate because it’s only 3 rounds.

“So, when I came to the pro’s it was all about settling down, picking my shots more and timing just comes naturally better because you’re thinking about your work.”

Denzel will be in a six round contest when fighting on the undercard to stable-mate Daniel Dubois’ heavyweight bout against Richard Lartey and will be looking to take his undefeated record into double digits.

The Londoner will be hoping another victory on April 27th will be the gateway to fighting for the opportunity to claim a maiden title as a pro.

“The Southern Area title- I’ve been trying to chase that for a while now.

“The English title”- which is currently held by Reece Cartwright and will be defending the belt against Jack Cullen in May- “if the winner is free and I can jump in with one of them, I’d be more than happy to do that!

“In actual reality, I’ll fight for any title to be honest! 50/50 fights- I want them type of opponents.

“I don’t want to be hanging about fighting opponents I am meant to beat because I’m in here everyday training hard- sweating, putting my life into this, making sacrifices- so I don’t want to waste it on meaningless fights. I know you’ve got to build, but I want to get stuck in there.”

Daniel Dubois v Richard Lartey tops the bill at the SSE Arena, Wembley on April 27 on a card that also includes the Commonwealth super middleweight title fight between Lerrone Richards and Tommy Langford, as well as the Southern Area super middleweight title clash between Zak Chelli and Jimmy Smith. WBO European super flyweight champion Sunny Edwards and WBO European super featherweight champion Archie Sharp also feature.

Rangy Super Welterweight talent Hamzah Sheeraz will be back out after his impressive win over Rod Douglas Jnr. Hard hitting middleweight and Peacock gym product Denzel Bentley (9-0) and Belfast amateur middleweight star Caoimhin Agyarko will also return to action. There are Queensberry debuts for unbeaten welterweight Chris Kongo (10-0) and Sheffield middleweight Shakiel Thompson (2-0) – with Thompson being tipped by sparring partner Billy Joe Saunders as a star for the future. Ilford Super Middleweight Umar Sadiq (4-1) also returns as he looks to rebuild after his first career loss. Tunde Ajayi trained lightweight Bilal Ali (1-0) will have his second professional fight after making a successful start to his pro career, with Hoddesdon super lightweight Alfie Price set for his fifth.

Tickets will be priced as £40, £50, £75, £100 and £150 and are now ON SALE to purchase via Eventim, Ticketmaster, the SSE Arena website and AXS.com

Nutley, NJ (April 8, 2019) – On Sunday, some of the top amateur boxers on the East Coast left for Murcia, Spain to compete in the Youth and Junior International championships that will take place from April 8 – April 13th.

The 10-person team is made up of all top USA Boxing talent, and all ranked kids in the country from their respective clubs:

NJ LBC
ADIRONDACK LBC
POTOMAC VALLEY LBC
MIDDLE ATLANTIC LBC

Team members include Juniors : Ramier Walker 46kg, Dwyke Flemmings 63kg,Kasir Goldston 66kg & Zahir Abdus Salaam 70kg

The Youth roster includes: Shamar Canal 49kg, Keith Colon 52kg , Rasheim Jefferson 56kg, Breeon Carothers 60 kg, Keon Davis 64 kg & Vito Mielnicki 69 kg.

The team will be chaperoned by a terrific coaching staff that consists : Dywyke Flemmings , Muhammad Salaam, Keith Colon, Tyshuan Goldston, Rashiem Jefferson.

In order to make this trip, the team was able to be sponsored by GH3 Promotions, City of Newark, Marshall Wace Company , Duncan Ford , M&M Redevelopment , Sky Club Fitness of West Caldwell, All State Painting & New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame.

NEW YORK (April 8, 2019) – An IBF Female World Title is on the line and women’s boxing history will be made on Saturday, April 13, as FIGHTNIGHT LIVE Powered by Everlast once again works alongside SHOWTIME Sports to deliver a great night of action to fight fans everywhere. Beginning at 6 p.m. ET live from the hallowed Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., the interactive, FREE Facebook series sets the table for the Shields vs. Hammer undisputed middleweight championship showdown with five fights, including a world title contest and a main event preview featuring the undefeated champion Claressa Shields herself.

“We’re excited to have a role in what will be a historic night in women’s boxing, and it speaks to the strides our platform has made to exclusively air our first world championship matchup,” said Mark Fratto, Principal and Director of Business Development, Linacre Media. “The world title fight will be part of an outstanding evening of Facebook action with championship contenders and budding stars, and an exclusive interview with Claressa Shields, and of course we’re thrilled to be working alongside Showtime once again.”

The FIGHTNIGHT LIVE lineup is headlined by unbeaten Russian Elena Gradinar (9-0, 2 KOs), who vies for her first world title when she takes on two-time title challenger Brenda Karen Carabajal (15-4-1, 9 KOs) for the vacant IBF Featherweight World Championship – the first-ever world title fight for the popular Facebook series. In super flyweight action, 23 year-old Detroit-native Ja’Rico O’Quinn (11-0, 8 KOs) looks to remain unbeaten in an eight-round fight against Minnesota’s Vicente Alfaro Martinez (9-4, 3 KOs). The card will also include former heavyweight title challenger Samuel Peter (37-6, 30 KOs) in an eight-round matchup and Jesse Angel Hernandez (12-2, 7 KOs) of Fort Worth, Texas, stepping in for an eight round super bantamweight contest. Local standout Isiah Seldon (12-2, 4 KOs) opens the free show on Facebook three hours before Showtime Boxing hits the airwaves.

“April 13 is a fantastic fight card, top-to-bottom, from former heavyweight champion Samuel Peter to top American super flyweight prospect Jarico O’Quinn and the highly competitive IBF Featherweight World Title fight between No. 1-ranked Elena Gradinar from Russia and No. 2 contender Karen Carbajal from Argentina fighting for the vacant belt,” said boxing champion-turned-promoter Dmitriy Salita of Salita Promotions. “Some of the best boxers on the planet will be on display on the most popular social media platform in the world, Facebook FIGHTNIGHT LIVE, on April 13.”

Now in its second season, FIGHTNIGHT LIVE Powered by Everlast is the fan-friendly Facebook platform that – among other aspects – prides itself on the real-time conversations held between fight commentators and the viewing audience. FIGHTNIGHT LIVE has showcased more than 545 fighters and 16 promotions during 33 live event broadcasts from 19 different cities since May 2017, and in doing so, the interactive platform has generated the loyal interest of fight fans from across the United States and around the globe, including significant audiences in Mexico, the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe, and even fans in South America, Asia and Australia.

Since May 2017, the numbers on the 33-show FIGHTNIGHT LIVE series showed promise and potential for the new platform with an average of 171,589 views per event and more than 5.6 million total views for the franchise. Since Sept. 2018, sixteen FIGHTNIGHT LIVE Season II shows have reached 4.2 million fans and have averaged almost 265,000 views.

The Sept. 2018 “Kings Boxing Tuesday Night Fights” (594,447) from the Sands in Bethlehem, the Dec. 2018 “Queens and Kings of Queens Card” (379,758) in New York, the Nov. 2018 “Hard Hitting Showtime Collaboration” (372,662), the Dec. 2018 “Roy Jones Jr. Texas Throwdown” (318,886), the Oct. 2018 “Hard Hitting Philly Special” (297,545), the Oct. 2018 hour-long Bareknuckle “Freeview” (292,253), the Nov. 2018 “Titans In The Capital” (256,871), the March 2019 Murphys Boxing “St. Patrick’s Day Clash” (252,065), the Sept. 2017 “Real Deal Promotions: Empire State” from Resorts World Casino (225,000), the March 2019 Murphy’s Boxing “Melrose Mayhem” (218,409), the Feb. 2019 “Raging Babe Philly Special” (203,000) and the August 2017 CES “Super Saturday” from Foxwoods (203,000) all logged 200,000 or more views, and collectively the 33-show series has seen a total of more than 5,662,450 views across all devices.

In addition to the raw viewership numbers, the fully-interactive, fan-friendly productions have seen more than 430,000 collective live post engagements (more than 13,000 per show), including more than 330,000 “likes” or “loves,” more than 58,000 comments and more than 19,000 shares.

The Sept. 2018 “Kings Boxing Tuesday Night Fights” from the Sands in Bethlehem set a new bar with 594,447 views. The Sept. 2017 DiBella card saw more than 40,000 viewer interactions including almost 39,000 “likes” or “loves” and the March 17, 2018, Murphy’s “St. Patrick’s Day Clash” set a new high-water mark for shares with 2,182.

The FIGHTNIGHT LIVE page on Facebook has more than 87,000 fans and more than 95,000 followers.

Created and produced by Linacre Media out of New York City, the FIGHTNIGHT LIVE series features professional announcers, multiple camera angles, television graphics, replays and behind-the-scenes access and interviews. The streamed shows are available globally wherever Facebook is available. The initiative not only enables fans from around the world to tune in, but also gives up-and-coming fighters a global platform to showcase their abilities, gives promoters an accessible “broadcast” solution and gives sponsors the ability to reach a mass audience via branded content.

Additional FIGHTNIGHT LIVE Spring 2019 dates will be officially announced in the coming weeks.

FIGHTNIGHT LIVE is available online at: https://www.facebook.com/FaceFIGHTNIGHTLIVE/

FIGHTNIGHT LIVE is available online at: https://www.facebook.com/FaceFIGHTNIGHTLIVE/

Follow all the action via social media at FaceFIGHTNIGHTLIVE on Facebook, @FaceFIGHTNIGHTLIVE on Instagram and@FIGHTNIGHTLIVE_ on Twitter, or by using the hashtag #FIGHTNIGHTLIVE. For the latest Linacre Media events and broadcast schedule, follow @LinacreMedia across all social platforms or use the tags #LinacreMediaEvents or #LinacreMediaOnTV.

About Everlast Worldwide Inc.
The preeminent brand in boxing since 1910, Everlast is the world’s leading manufacturer, marketer and licensor of boxing, MMA and fitness equipment. From legendary champions Jack Dempsey and Sugar Ray Robinson to current superstars Deontay Wilder and Dustin Poirier, Everlast is the brand of choice for generations of world champion professional athletes. Built on a brand heritage of strength, dedication, individuality and authenticity, Everlast is a necessary part of the lives of countless champions. Based in Manhattan, Everlast’s products are sold across more than 75 countries and 6 continents. For more information, visitwww.everlast.com.

LERRONE RICHARDS HAS promised that fans will see a new version of him when he returns to the ring to fight for the Commonwealth title at the SSE Arena on April 27.

The strapping super middleweight fights the former WBO Interim world title challenger Tommy Langford for the vacant belt at Wembley, one that he hopes will be the beginning of a short road towards British honours later in the year.

The 26-year-old from New Malden has just three stoppages on his ledger from 11 fights so far and has sometimes been labelled as ‘one for the purists’, with him often being content to unpick his opponents over full distance rather than apply an early finish.

The stylish southpaw, however, is a devoted disciple of the sweet science, although he does acknowledge that his approach has resulted in prospective opponents being a bit thin on the ground.

“Do you know what, I’ve been very, very patient and there have been times when I thought I wasn’t going to get a fight,” admitted Richards, also known as ‘Sniper the Boss’.

“I am just glad I have got this fight and it is time for me to shine. No excuses now. Serious business.

“I am part of the ‘who wants him’ club! It is the sweet science style and people don’t want to fight.”

Richards pondered the question when asked if criticism of him not closing fights out from a dominant position is valid. Commentators have suggested that he tends to enjoy his own work a little too much whilst in the ring.

“It’s a good question,” he conceded. “I just feel that I’ve done what I had to do. I have enjoyed it a lot and people do criticise me for not finishing the show.

“You’ll see a new Lerrone Richards on the night, trust me,” he added, confirming that his own gym-mate Bradley Skeete has also encouraged him over the need to make statement performances in the ring.

“Absolutely, although I think people underrate my punching power because I can hit. I am just a purist and I love the sweet science of boxing. We’ll see what happens on the night.”

Daniel Dubois v Richard Lartey tops the bill at the SSE Arena, Wembley on April 27 on a card that also includes the Commonwealth super middleweight title fight between Lerrone Richards and Tommy Langford, as well as the Southern Area super middleweight title clash between Zak Chelli and Jimmy Smith. WBO European super flyweight champion Sunny Edwards and WBO European super featherweight champion Archie Sharp also feature.

Rangy Super Welterweight talent Hamzah Sheeraz will be back out after his impressive win over Rod Douglas Jnr. Hard hitting middleweight and Peacock gym product Denzel Bentley (9-0) and Belfast amateur middleweight star Caoimhin Agyarko will also return to action. There are Queensberry debuts for unbeaten welterweight Chris Kongo (10-0) and Sheffield middleweight Shakiel Thompson (2-0) – with Thompson being tipped by sparring partner Billy Joe Saunders as a star for the future. Ilford Super Middleweight Umar Sadiq (4-1) also returns as he looks to rebuild after his first career loss. Tunde Ajayi trained lightweight Bilal Ali (1-0) will have his second professional fight after making a successful start to his pro career, with Hoddesdon super lightweight Alfie Price set for his fifth.

Tickets will be priced as £40, £50, £75, £100 and £150 and are now ON SALE to purchase via Eventim, Ticketmaster, the SSE Arena website and AXS.com.

Gennady Golovkin is eyeing fights with former titlist Hassan N’Dam or undefeated Steve Rolls for his DAZN debut in June, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Patrick Wojcicki (13-0-1, 4 KOs) retained his IBF Intercontinental Middleweight title with a unanimous points win against the tough Argentine Marcelo Fabian Caceres (18-4, 13 KOs) last night at the CongressPark in Wolfsburg.

Wojcicki had promised to do everything in his power to keep the title in Wolfsburg before the fight, and the 27 year-old stayed true to his word, dropping Caceres twice, in rounds seven and nine, en route to claiming a one sided points victory, with the three judges scoring the fight 114-112, 117-109 and 115-111 in favour of the Wolfsburg native.

“It was a tough fight,” said an elated Wojcicki after securing his thirteenth professional win and a second successive defence of his IBF title. “Caceres boxed the way we thought he would. He did a good job, but this is my home, this is my city, and no one is going to take my title away from me.”

On the undercard, German middleweight Denis Radovan (12-0-1, 5 KOs) won the vacant IBF European Middleweight belt by beating Ronny Mittag (30-4-3, 15 KOs) via split decision (96-94, 96-94, 94-96).

Having fought to a draw in December, both boxers put it all on the line in another entertaining contest, with Radovan’s superior output earning him the victory.

When questioned about a potential showdown with Team Sauerland stablemate Patrick Wojcicki, who topped the bill in Wolfsburg, Radovan answered: “If the fight comes, I will be ready.”

17 year-old boxing sensation Sophie Alisch (2-0, 1 KO) recorded her second professional win with another stunning performance, showcasing her neat footwork and breath-taking hand speed to win all six rounds against her resilient opponent Alina Zaitseva (1-2), while rising super middleweight star Leon Bauer (16-0-1, 9 KOs) beat Mateo Damian Veron (28-22-3, 8 KOs) in a bloody ten-round battle.

Further down the card, Denmark’s Landry Kore (9-0-1, 5 KOs) drew with Switzerland’s Faton Vukshinaj (9-0-2, 6 KOs), Limi Tairi (5-0, 4 KOs) defeated Tamas Kozma (6-9-3, 3 KOs) via a third-round knockout, and debutant Nico Piekarski (1-0) claimed a unanimous points win against Michal Vosyka (7-42-1, 4 KOs).

PHILADELPHIA – The Briscoe Awards return to Xfinity Live! in South Philadelphia for their 12th annual event, Sunday, April 14, 2019, at 1:00 PM. Every year, the Briscoe Awards honor and celebrate the biggest achievements of the Philadelphia-area boxing scene, presenting awards in a variety of categories like “Fighter of the Year”, “Fight of the Year”, “Amateur of the Year”, “KO of the Year”, and many others.

The awards, named after Philly middleweight boxing legend Bennie Briscoe, have been recognizing the best achievements of the Philly boxing scene since 2007.

This year’s event will be held on Sunday, April 14, 2019, at Xfinity Live! in South Philadelphia (1100 Pattison Avenue), 1-4 PM. Tickets for the Briscoe Awards cost $10 each, and can be purchased in advance at BriscoeAwards.com, or by calling 609-377-6413.

The Briscoe Awards are presented by Philly Boxing History Inc., a 501c3 Non-Profit organization, dedicated to preserving and honoring the great legacy of boxing in and around the city of Philadelphia. For more information, call John DiSanto at 609-377-6413

LAS VEGAS, NV (April 5, 2019) – Tonight at the Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall, in Las Vegas, NV, welterweight prospect, Keith “The Bounty” Hunter, who is managed by Greg Hannley of Prince Ranch Boxing, won a thrilling split decision victory over Sanjarbek Rakhmanov (11-2-1, 5 KOs), improving his record to (10-0, 6 KOs). The 8-round bout was promoted by Mayweather Promotions.

In the early rounds, Hunter controlled the action with his jab and lateral movement. Rakhmanov had no answer for Hunters one-two combination. In round two, Hunter dropped Rakhmanov with a counter straight right cross, sending him to the canvas. Rakhmanov recovered and survived the round. As the fight was entering the final rounds, Hunter had mounted a huge lead. In the final two rounds, Rakhmanov started to gain some momentum as he landed some heavy power shots. Hunter got his second wind and closed out the show, winning by split decision. Scorecards read 77-74, 76-75 and 75-76.

“I knew I had this fight because I felt I won a majority of the rounds,” said Keith Hunter. “When I dropped him, I almost got him out of there. I give Rakhmanov a lot of props for surviving that round. He came on toward the end, but I closed it out in the twelfth round.”

Hunter, who is trained by Bones Adams, Kevin Henry and Brandon Woods, feels he has the perfect corner guiding his fights.

“I want to thank my team for all their support, this was a tough training camp, but it paid off.” Hunter continued. “We work hard at the Prince Ranch Boxing gym. I feel I have the best trainers in the world.”

“This was a big win for Keith and I’m looking to get him a big fight,” said manager Greg Hannley. “Hunter is definitely a TV fighter, and all his bouts should be televised. I’m very proud of his accomplishments tonight. He was amazing.”

“I’ve been telling everyone to keep an eye out for this kid,” stated Prince Ranch Boxing adviser Hasim Rahman, “He showed tonight that he;s one of the top prospects in the welterweight division.”

Angelo Leo won a 10-round unanimous decision over Neil Tabanao in a super bantamweight bout at Sams Town in Las Vegas.

Leo, 123 lbs of Las Vegas won by scores of 100-89 and 100-90 twice and is now 17-0. Tabanao, 122 1/4 lbs of Philippines is 17-5.

“It felt good to make my SHOWTIME debut tonight, to show my fans and the rest of the world my skills and now it’s just up from here,” Leo said. “He was a tough fighter. I’d give my performance an eight. He had a punch. I had to stay cautious in the beginning and take my time and get on the inside.”

“Leo is a good fighter,” Tabanao said. “I know I lost the fight. I did what I could but he was really good. I started strong but on the second half he took over. He fought very well on the inside. He’s really good at short range. He deserved the win.”

Leo said he needs to work on his defense. “I need to keep it a little tighter and not leave any room for opportunities for my opponent,” he said. “I’m ready for whatever my team brings to me for my next fight. I know [Mayweather Promotions CEO] Leonard Ellerbe has my back and my best interests.”

Xavier Martinez stopped John Moralde in a round three of a scheduled eight-round junior lightweight fight

After battering Moralde for two rounds, Martinez dropped Moralde with a hard left hook. Referee Tony Weeks let the fight continue, only to stop seconds after the knockdown at 1:11.

Martinez, 131 3/4 lbs of Sacramento, CA is 14-0 with 10 knockouts. Moralde, 131 1/2 lbs of General Santos City, PHL is 21-3.

“I came into this fight wanting to make a statement,” Martinez said. “It’s SHOWTIME and that means it’s go time. I wanted to show everybody who I am and I feel like I did that tonight. I wanted take him out early, I had that in my head and I did it.”

“He kept smirking at me when we first started so I wanted to wipe that smirk off his face real quick,” Martinez said. “So it went from him smirking to him getting serious really fast. I was looking to get the knockout, but in my head I was thinking if it doesn’t happen, just keep working him. But I didn’t have to. I took him out on the third.”
Andres Cortes won an eight-round unanimous decision over Jahmal Dyer in a junior lightweight bout.

In round three, Cortes wobbled Dyer at the end of the round with a right. Dyer came back to drop Cortes with a little right on the inside. Cortes was able to right himself and stun Dyer a couple of times.

Cortes, 132 1/4 lbs of Las Vegas, NV won by scores of 79-73, 78-73 and 78-74 and is now 11-0. Dyer, 130 1/2 lbs of Baltimore is 9-2.

“The knockdown didn’t affect my performance at all,” said Cortes, who was fighting for the sixth time at Sam’s Town Live. “I was off balance but as you saw, I was able to come back and almost knocked him out. I got too greedy and felt like I was coming off too strong. He was a good opponent, so it was my mistake. I give my performance tonight a 6, I didn’t like it at all. I feel like I could’ve done a lot better but it’s okay.”

Dyer, who had a seven and a half-inch reach advantage, said he didn’t feel like he won the fight. “He just outperformed me,” he said. “I could have thrown more punches. IN the fourth, we were both exchanging and I just happened to catch him with a good shot.”

Cortes said he was looking for the knockout the entire fight and his defense could have been better. “I should have kept my distance a little more and that would have made the fight a little easier. I’ll be back soon and do a lot better,” he added.

Pound-for-pound star Oleksandr Usyk will make his Heavyweight debut against Carlos Takam at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland on Saturday May 25, live on DAZN in the US and on Sky Sports in the UK.

Usyk (16-0 12KOs) was the dominant force in the Cruiserweight division over the last 18 months, culminating with his commanding win over Murat Gassiev in July to become the undisputed World ruler and the winner of the inaugural World Boxing Super Series tournament in Gassiev’s Moscow home.

The unbeaten ruler waved goodbye to the division in style in November in Manchester where he KO’d Tony Bellew in the eighth round of their clash – a seventh straight World title triumph on the road for the 2012 Olympic gold medal hero.

The 32 year old’s bid to win World titles at Heavyweight will begin with a stern test against French-Cameroonian Takam (36-5-1 28KOs). Takam challenged Anthony Joshua for the IBF, WBA and IBO World titles in Cardiff, Wales in October 2017, taking the Briton ten rounds, and recently starred in a fight of the year contender with Dereck Chisora at The O2 in London, England in July 2018 – returning to that venue in December to register the 36th win of his career and 28th inside the distance.

“May 25 marks a major moment in my career when I move to the Heavyweight division,” said Usyk. “At Cruiserweight I did it all and became the undisputed champion and that is my goal now in the Heavyweights.

“This is the ultimate challenge and it begins on May 25 against Carlos Takam. It’s a tough first fight but I need to test myself against World class opposition on my new road to undisputed.”

“Usyk has achieved everything in the Cruiserweight division – I am ready to welcome him to the new world of Heavyweight boxing,” said Takam. “I can promise that this will be a great fight and I will provide Usyk with a huge test on his Heavyweight debut. I have huge ambitions of my own in the division and this fight will provide me with the chance to prove that.”

“The time has come for the ultimate challenge for Oleksandr Usyk,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “This pound-for-pound star had dominated the Cruiserweight division becoming undisputed champion after just 15 fights. Now he takes the daring leap to the land of the giants as he attempt to repeat his achievements in the Heavyweight division.

“Takam is the perfect test for the Heavyweight debut. A big strong, all action fighter who will welcome Usyk into the fold with a heavy arsenal – be ready for fireworks on May 25! I’m delighted to promote this outstanding fighter in America as DAZN start a magical period of Canelo vs. Jacobs, Usyk vs. Takam, Joshua vs. Miller and the return of GGG all in the space of two months – don’t miss it!”

“Usyk brings to Heavyweight his skills of the Olympic champion as well as his experience of the undisputed Cruiserweight champion,” said Alexander Krassyuk, general director of K2 Promotions. “He has got all he needs to pick up the heritage of the great brothers Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, to unify the belts and to reign the division for many years. This journey starts on May 25 with Carlos Takam. Let us witness his story becoming the history.”

An announcement on the undercard will be made next week.

Tickets go on pre-sale on Wednesday and on general sale on Thursday – full ticket details will be released early next week.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (April 5, 2019) – Before she arrived in New York Thursday for the final part of her training camp, WBO Middleweight World Champion Christina Hammer shared her thoughts on her showdown for the Undisputed Middleweight Championship against WBA, WBC and IBF Middleweight Champion Claressa Shields Saturday April 13 live on SHOWTIME from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.

Germany’s Hammer has held a middleweight world title since 2010, defending it numerous times including in her U.S. debut last June on SHOWTIME in which she defeated Tori Nelson. Now she looks to stamp her name in the history books in this matchup against Shields that many are calling the most significant fight in women’s boxing history.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Salita Promotions, are priced at $150, $100, $55 and $35 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster and at boardwalkhall.com.

Here are highlights of what Hammer had to say as we head into fight week for this historic event:

How excited are you about fighting in the U.S.?

Christina Hammer: “I’m really excited about it because this is a very big fight. I can’t wait to get there, step into the ring and put on a great performance.”

What does this fight mean to you?

CH: “This is going to be the biggest women’s fight in history. We’re both champions, she has Olympic gold medals and other accolades, so with all of that combined, it’s going to be a game changer for our sport.”

What do you need to do to win?

CH: “I’m a long time champion and I know what to do in the ring. I know I have the skills to beat her. I have great foot work and my goal is to beat her badly.”

What do you think of Claressa inside and outside of the ring?

CH: “Claressa has obviously accomplished a lot going back to the Olympics. This is a big step for her and I think it’s going to be a challenge for her. As a person, she’s just my opponent, that’s all.”

Can you describe your style of fighting and what fans can expect on April 13?

CH: “I’m tall for my division so I use my reach. I have great footwork and technique and power and I want to show off all those skills. I’m going to show that Christina Hammer is a great champion. I like to play with my opponent, and when the moment is right, I beat her down.”

Can you talk about your experiences as a fashion model and why that’s important to you?

CH: “I like modeling because it’s a different part of me. You can be more feminine and athletic. I did my first shoot three years ago and I had never done anything like that. I’ve worked on my skills there too.

“To be a model is an easy job, it just gives me confidence. Being a fighter is hard. You have to give everything, because in the ring you can’t run away. You have to fight and defeat someone.”

Would you ever want to compete in another sport?

CH: “I don’t know. Boxing is the best sport to me. It’s my passion. I give everything to the sport and my dream now is to be successful in America.”

Is there anyone in boxing history you’d have loved to fight?

CH: “Laila Ali was a great champion and If I fought her that would be a great fight.”

Do you see women’s boxing as a sport on the rise?

CH: “Yes, it’s really grown in recent years. There are more fights on big platforms for us and I think this is just the start.”

Would you recommend for other women to go into boxing?

CH: “Boxing is a great sport. You need technique, intelligence and it makes you feel more confident. If something happens, you can take care of yourself. It’s the best workout and I suggest it to everyone.”

# # #

ABOUT SHIELDS vs. HAMMER
Shields vs. Hammer will pit undefeated middleweight world champions Claressa Shields and Christina Hammer against each other in a battle to crown the undisputed 160-pound world champion, in what is arguably the most significant women’s boxing event in history. The co-feature will pit Jermaine Franklin taking on Rydell Booker in a thrilling 10-round heavyweight bout and in the telecast opener, heavyweights Otto Wallin and Nick Kisner will battle in 10-round clash. The SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION tripleheader will air live on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/PT from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.

PHILADELPHIA – J Russell Peltz will celebrate his 50th anniversary as a boxing promoter later this year. To celebrate this important career milestone, Peltz will receive a special honorary Briscoe Award for Lifetime Achievement, on April 14, 2019, at Xfinity Live! in
South Philly.

Peltz began his career as a 22 year old boy wonder in 1969, staging his first boxing show at the Blue Horizon, with Bennie Briscoe in the main event. Legends Cyclone Hart and Boogaloo Watts also fought on his first card.

Peltz went on to promote numerous shows at the Blue Horizon and Arena, before becoming the promoter at the Spectrum, where he arranged one of the greatest series of fights in the City’s history. As Spectrum boxing gave way to the era of casino fights, Peltz remained at the forefront, promoting shows in Atlantic City.

Peltz developed world champions, including Jeff Chandler and Matthew Saad Muhammad, as well as many contenders and fan favorites like Bennie Briscoe, Cyclone Hart, Willie “the worm” Monroe, Curtis Parker, Charles Brewer, and countless others. In his 50 years in the business, he has become known as a first class matchmaker who always gives the fans their money’s worth.

His efforts have earned him a spot in the International Boxing Hall of Fame, the PA Boxing Hall of Fame, the NJ Boxing Hall of Fame, the World Boxing Hall of Fame, the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, and just about every other place where the standouts of boxing are recognized. On April 14, 2019, he’ll earn a Briscoe Award for his many accomplishments and important contributions to Philly boxing history.

The awards, named after Philly middleweight boxing legend Bennie Briscoe, have been recognizing the best achievements of the Philly boxing scene since 2007.

This year’s event will be held on Sunday, April 14, 2019, at Xfinity Live! in South Philadelphia (1100 Pattison Avenue), 1-4 PM. Tickets for the Briscoe Awards cost $10 each, and can be purchased in advance at BriscoeAwards.com, or by calling 609-377-6413.

The Briscoe Awards are presented by Philly Boxing History Inc., a 501c3 Non-Profit organization, dedicated to preserving and honoring the great legacy of boxing in and around the city of Philadelphia. For more information, call John DiSanto at 609-377-6413.

Patrick Wojcicki (12-0-1, 4 KOs) and Marcelo Fabian Caceres (18-3, 13 KOs) both made weight today ahead of their IBF Intercontinental Middleweight title clash tomorrow night at the CongressPark in Wolfsburg.

Wojcicki returns to headline his hometown arena following a unanimous points win over countryman Sven Elbir in October, and will be aiming for a second successive defence of his IBF strap against the tough Argentinian Caceres.

Denis Radovan’s (11-0-1, 5 KOs) rematch with Ronny Mittag (30-3-3, 15 KOs) for the IBF European title tops an action-packed undercard at the Congress Park, which also features 17 year-old female boxing sensation Sophie Alisch (1-0, 1 KO) and rising super middleweight star Leon Bauer (15-0-1, 9 KOs).

IBF Intercontinental Middleweight Championship:
Patrick Wojcicki: 72.3 kg
Marcelo Fabian Caceres: 72.4 kg

IBF European Middleweight Championship:
Denis Radovan: 72.3 kg
Ronny Mittag: 72.6 kg

Featherweight – 6 Rounds:
Sophie Alisch: 56.6 kg
Alina Zaitseva: 55.8 kg

Super Middleweight – 8 Rounds:
Leon Bauer: 76.6 kg
Mateo Damian Veron: 76.6 kg

Cruiserweight – 8 Rounds:
Limi Tairi: 90.4 kg
Tamas Kozma: 85.0kg

Middleweight – 8 Rounds:
Faton Vukshinaj: 72.3 kg
Landry Kore: 72.0 kg

Middleweight – 4 Rounds:
Nicola Piekarski: 73.1 kg
Michal Vosyka: 72.5 kg

All the action from Wolfsburg is available to watch live on Sport1 in Germany and Box Nation in the UK. Limited tickets are still available via www.eventim.de.

PHILADELPHIA (April 5, 2019)–Undefeated welterweight Malik Hawkins will headline the 2nd Met Philadelphia Boxing Series, when he takes on battle-tested Fabian Lyimo the eight-round main event on Friday, April 26th at The Met Philadelphia.

The massive show is promoted by Hard Hitting Promotions and Live Nation.

Hawkins of Baltimore, Maryland has a record of 14-0 with nine knockouts.

The 23 year-old has been a professional for five years, and has amassed wins over Cody Peterson (1-0), Errol Sidney (6-1-2), Carlos Soto (13-0-2), Raymond Serrano (24-4) and his last bout when he won a eight-round unanimous decision over Gledwin Ortiz on February 23rd at The Met Philadelphia.

Lyimo of Tanzania has a record of 23-9-2 with 15 knockouts. The 36 year-old is a 12 year-professional, has wins over three undefeated opponents. In his last bout, Lyimo went eight-rounds before dropping a unanimous decision to Ismael Garcia on March 30th in Hockessin, Delaware.

In the previously announced eight-round co-feature, -An intriguing eight-round junior welterweight contest between Branden Pizarro and Tre’Sean Wiggins.

Two titles will be on the line as Pizarro will defend his NBA Intercontinental title, while Wiggins will defend his newly-won Pennsylvania State Title.

Pizarro of Philadelphia has a record of 14-1 with seven knockouts. The 19 year-old, is a three-year professional, and is riding a six fight winning streak. Pizarro win the NBA Intercontinental title on November 16, 2018 with a unanimous decision over Jerome Rodriguez. Pizarro is coming off a 1st round stoppage over Zack Ramsey on February 23rd at The Met.

Wiggins of Newbergh, New York has a record of 11-4-1 with six knockouts. The 28 year-old Wiggins is a nine-year professional, and is not afraid to take on top competition.

Wiggins has a 1st round knockout of former world champion Jason Sosa. Wiggins has a win over Naim Nelson. In his last bout, Wiggins won the Pennsylvania State title with an eight-round unanimous decision over Samuel Teah (15-2) on February 23rd at The MET.

Also in an eight-round bout, Gadwin Rosa (10-0, 8 KOs) will fight Sulaiman Segawa in a super featherweight bout.(11-2, 4 KOs).

Rosa of Ocala, Florida is 25 years-old and has a win over Jonathan Irizarry (3-0). In his last outing, Rosa took care of Jorge Luis Santos Guzman in two rounds on February 23rd at The Met.

Segwa of Silver Spring, Maryland has a record of 11-2 with four knockouts. The 27 year-old has a knack of defeating undefeated foes as he has already defeated Ali Kasango (3-0), Djiby Diagne (3-0), Brian Gallegos (6-0), and Hector Lopez Jr. (10-0-1). Segwa also defeated Alejandro Salinas (9-1).

Two other eight-round bouts are on the bill.

Undefeated heavyweight Darmani Rock (14-0, 9 KOs) of Philadelphia fights Mike Bissett (15-11-1, 9 KOs) of Tampa, Florida.

In six-round bouts:

Christian Tapia (8-0, 7 KOs) of Coamo, PR fights Raul Chirino (13-10-1, 8 KOs) of Miami, Florida in a lightweight contest.

Miguel Cartagena (15-5-1, 6 KOs) of Philadelphia will take on an opponent to be named in a flyweight bout.

In four-round bouts:

Benny Sinakin (3-0, 2 KOs) of Philadelphia battles Patrick Pierre (3-6, 1 KO) of New Orleans in a light heavyweight clash.

Josue Rosa (1-0, 1 KO) of Philadelphia fights Lucky Holt (0-3) of Hannibal, Missouri in a bantamweight bout.

Thyler Williams of Philadelphia (1-0, 1 KO) will take on an opponent to be named in a welterweight contest.

Malik Warren of Philadelphia will make his pro debut against an opponent to be named in a lightweight fight.

TICKETS are $100, $75, $50 & $25 and can be purchased at TheMetPhilly.com or Please call 1-800-745-3000 to order your tickets by phone.