Last night’s UFC Fight Night on ESPN+ debut, featuring 13 fights live from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, saw Henry Cejudo successfully defend his flyweight championship against bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw in a stunning 32-second finish, and led to a record-setting night with 568,000 new subscribers for ESPN+ on Friday and Saturday combined – over 525,000 Saturday alone. It marks the largest event and subscription catalyst for ESPN+ thus far.

The UFC Fight Night on ESPN+ Prelims card aired on ESPN (English) and ESPN Deportes (Spanish) from 8:15 -10 p.m. ET. The telecast averaged a 1.4 metered market rating, making it the highest-rated UFC Fight Night Prelims on cable since at least 2013.

ESPN+, the premium multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN, launched in April and surpassed one million paying subscribers in just five months. It 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.

“Our first UFC Fight Night on ESPN+ was a thrilling evening of action and a great success, with a record-setting night that continued the momentum for ESPN+, delivered strong ratings on ESPN and marks a great start to our new agreement with the UFC,” said Kevin Mayer, Chairman, Direct-To-Consumer and International, The Walt Disney Company. “It was a milestone evening, with the success driven by outstanding joint efforts from the teams at DTCI and ESPN.”

On Saturday, there were also more than 1.8 million unique visitors to MMA-related digital content across ESPN digital platforms (ESPN App, ESPN.com, etc.), which was the most-trafficked Saturday for MMA content on record.

ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro said, “All day, and across all ESPN platforms, we collectively demonstrated the promise of what we can do to fulfill our mission of serving a wider array of sports fans.”

On the Prelims portion of the card broadcast on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone thrilled the crowd with a second-round TKO of Alex Hernandez. After his win, Cerrone immediately challenged Conor McGregor. “I want Conor, if he’ll agree to it. I’m coming for a belt. Cowboy is back.” McGregor, the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion, quickly responded on Twitter, accepting the challenge: “For a fight like that Donald, I’ll fight you. Congratulations.”

This was the first fight card of the five-year media deal between UFC, The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-To-Consumer & International segment and ESPN, announced last year. ESPN+ will offer 20 exclusive UFC Fight Night on ESPN+ events per year and all preliminary fights for UFC on ESPN Fight Night programs. ESPN linear networks will broadcast 10 exclusive UFC on ESPN Fight Night events per year as well as Prelim fights for UFC pay-per-view events.

Dina Thorslund (13-0, 6 KOs) defended her WBO Female World Super Bantamweight title with a unanimous points decision against Alesia Graf (29-8, 13 KOs) last night at the Struer Energi Park in Denmark, despite suffering a cut above her left eye following an accidental clash of heads in the seventh round.

The Danish champion produced a dominant display to earn her thirteenth professional win and first World title defence. Starting on the front foot, Thorslund pushed the German challenger back, dictating the pace and scoring heavy shots to the head and body throughout the early rounds.

An accidental clash of heads caused a cut above Thorslnd’s left eye in the seventh round, which threatened to disrupt her rhythm, but with her corner managing to stem the bleeding, the Danish fan-favourite soon regained her composure and finished the fight in style.

Judges Ferenc Budai and Jan Christensen scored a shutout 100-90 win for Thorslund, while judge Grzegorz Molenda scored 99-91 in favour of the Dane.

“It’s been a hectic week, but it has also been a fantastic week,” said Thorslund, who completed a bachelor’s degree in Physiotherapy on Wednesday. “Two good experiences, two good results, which I’m glad I came through successfully. The build up to this week has been tough. It’s been a difficult period, but that just makes it even more worthwhile to get the victory today.

“I tried to keep a cool head. I was aggressive at the right times, and when I got cut, I didn’t risk opening up any more. I kept my distance, but still landed some good blows. I always want to stop my opponents, but that wasn’t necessary for me today. The important thing was that I won. I gave a good performance and gained some valuable experience, which I can take into bigger fights.

“I’ll start training again in the next couple of weeks, and I‘ll be ready to defend my WBO World title again when the time comes. It’s no secret that I would also like to collect the other belts in the division, and if Sarah Mahfoud decides she is ready to fight me, I would be more than happy to accept the challenge.”

“Dina is world class and she showed that again tonight by beating a very good opponent,” said promoter Nisse Sauerland. “It was a great performance. She can be really proud of herself. She is a true hero in Struer, and now, our aim is now to make her a true hero in Denmark and then in the rest of the world.

“What’s next for Dina? That’s the question. There’s been a lot of talk about her fighting Sarah Mahfoud. They say they want the fight, they use Dina’s name to promote their own events, but I’m not so sure. We will be making her promoter Mogens Palle a very good offer for Sarah to fight Dina, but I’m not expecting them to accept. I think it is quite clear that Dina is in a different class.”

On the undercard, Dennis Ceylan suffered a second stoppage defeat to Jesus Sachez for the EU Featherweight title, while Danish heavyweight hope Kem Ljungquist continued his unbeaten streak with a first-round knockout win over Boldizsar Balazs Czagler, and Abdul Khattab outpointed Swedish rival Oliver Flodin in an eight-round Scandinavian middleweight thriller.

Follow all the action LIVE AS IT HAPPENS when Manny Pacquiao defends the WBA Welterweight Title against Adrien Broner.  The action begins at 9 PM ET / 6 PM PT / 10 AM in The Philippines with Hugo Ruiz battling Alberto Guevara in a featherweight bout.  Rau’Shee Warren takes on Nordine Oubaali for the WBC Bantamweight title.  Badou Jack takes on Marcus Browne in a Light Heavyweight fight.

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Round 1: Pacquiao jumping in with the left..Straight left..Right uppercut from Broner…Right hook from Pacquiao..

Round 2 Right from Broner..Left from Pacquiao..Jab..Combination..Counter left..Counter right from Broner

Round 3 Straight left from Pacquiao..Right from Broner.Counter right..Left to body from Pacquiao..Left..Jab..Left..Right from Broner..Hard jab from Pacquiao..

Round 4 Sharp right and left from Broner..Counter right..Jab from Pacquiao..Counter right from Broner

Round 5 Combination from Pacquiao..Counter left hook from Broner..Jab from Pacquiao..Counter right from Broner..Jab..

Round 6 Pacquiao lands a left to body..another body shot..Good left from Broner at the end of the round

Round 7 Left from Pacquiao..Left rocks Broner on the ropes..Huge Barrage…Broner in trouble

Round 8 Counter right from Broner and another..Counter and jab from Pacquiao..Body…Jab

Round 9 Good left from Pacquiao..Counter right from Broner..Left hook to body..Hard left from Pacquiao…Hard combination..

Round 10 Pacquiao lands a left to body..Good right from Broner..1-2..Counter left

Round 11 Left from Pacquiao..

Round 12 Little swelling under the right eye of Pacquiao..Pacquiao lands a combination…

117-111; 116-112 TWICE FOR MANNY PACQUIAO

Round 1 Left from Browne…Body..Straight left..Right hook..right hook..Counter right hook

Round 2 Left from Browne…short uppercut to body..

Round 3 3 punch combination from Browne..Right from Jack..Body shot and jab from Browne..Right from Jack..

Round 4 2 body shots from Browne…Jab..Straight left

Round 5 Combination from Browne…Right hook..Uppercut..Hard left..

Round 6 Hard left to body from Browne..Body..

Round 7 Right from Jack..Accidental clash of heads–Jack cut on his forehead..BROWNE DEDUCTED A POINT FOR HOLDING..1-2 From Browne

Round 8 Body shot from Browne..Hard uppercut from Browne,,Hard combination..Right hook..

Round 9 Browne jabbing..Jack going to the body..Right hook from Browne..

Round 10  Good right from Jack..Jab from Browne..Body shot..Left to body..Jab..Combination to head

Round 11 Uppercut opens a bad cut on Jack’s eye.. Tony Weeks asks Doctor to check cut…Right from Jack..Browne lands  a Jab..Straight left from Browne..Right from Jack..

Round 12  Right to body from Browne..Straight Left..Jack lands a right to the body

117-110; 116-111; 119-108 FOR MARCUS BROWNE

Round 1: Left from Oubaali..Left and combination from Warren..Jab..Jab to body..Body from Oubaali..

Round 2 Jab from Warren..Left from Oubaali..Hard right hook from Oubaali

Round 3 Counter left from Oubaali..Counter left and hard right from Warren

Round 4 Counter left from Oubaali

Round 5  Good right hook from Warren..Jab..Counter to the body

Round 6 Left to body from Warren..Right hook from Oubaali…Oubaali trying to press action

Round 7 Right hook from Oubaali..Good right hook from Warren..Right and left from Oubaali..Left….Straight left..2 right hooks from Warren..Hard left hurts Warren

Round 8 Double jab and left cross for Oubaali..Straight left..Short right..Right Hook..

Round 9  Straight left from Oubaali..Counter left from Warren..Lead left from Oubaali..

Round 10 Straight left from Warren..2 right hooks from Oubaali..Left..Jab from Warren..Right hook from Oubaali..right hook

Round 11 Left from Warren..left and right hook…Left from Oubaali..

Round 12 Left from Warren..Left from Oubaali..

115-113; 116-112; 117-111 FOR OUBAALI

Round 1 BIG LEFT AND DOWN GOES GUEVARA..Ruiz landing body shots

Round 2: Right  from Ruiz…left to body

Round 3 Ruiz lands a chopping right..2 left hooks

Round 4 Guevara lands a right…

Round 5 Counter from Guevara..Low blow from Ruiz..Left from Ruiz..Jab..

Round 6:  Right from Ruiz

Round 7: Right to body from Ruiz…Jab..Counter combination..Body..Guevara gets in a right to the head..Combination..Ruiz lands a left to the body

Round 8 Right to body from Ruiz…Counter right from Guevara…Counter right from Ruiz..Counter right from Guevara..Uppercut from Ruiz on the inside..

Round 9 Ruiz lands 3 hard left hooks to the body..

Round 10 Right from Ruiz

100-89; 99-90 TWICE FOR HUGO RUIZ

Cory Sandhagen stopped previously undefeated Mario Bautista in a bantamweight contest via Armbar.

The time was 3:31 for Sandhagen, 135 1/2 lbs of Aurora, CO and is now 10-1.  Bautista, 135 lbs of Phoenix is 6-1.

Dennis Bermudez won a unanimous decision over Te Edwards in a light bout.

Bermudez, 156 lbs of Lyndenhurst, NY won by scores of 30-26 on all cards and is now 18-9.  Edwards, 155 lbs of Phoenix is 6-3.

Geoff Neal won a unanimous decision over Belal Muhammad in a welterweight fight.

In round three, Muhammad was bleeding from the nose as a result as some heavy kicks by Neal.

Neal, 170 1/2 lbs of Dallas, TX won by scores of 30-27 on all cards, and is now 11-2.  Muhammad, 170 lbs of Chicago is 14-3.

Chance Rencountre stopped Kyle Stewart in the 1st round of their welterweight bout.

The stop came via Rear-Naked Choke at 2:25

Rencountre, 170 1/2 lbs of Pohawksa, OK is now 13-3.  Stewart, 170 1/2 lbs of Gilbert, AZ is 11-2.

NEW YORK (JANUARY 19, 2019)-Undefeated welterweight Janelson Figueroa Bocachica will make his 2019 debut when he takes on Victor Abreu in a six-round bout in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.

The 20 year-old Bocachica from Detroit, has an impressive mark of 12-0 with eight knockouts, will be making his 1st start of the new year after a solid 2018 where he racked up four wins, with three of them coming early.

Managed by Split-T Management, Bocachica has raced on several prospect lists, and 2019 figures to be a moving year for Bocachica as he will most likely look to enter the world ratings.

Abreu of The Dominican Republic has a record of 9-4 with five knockouts, with a win over previously undefeated Richard Solano (5-0).

Bocachica weighed 146 pounds at Friday’s weigh-in, while Abreu was 146.8

“I have family from everywhere coming to see me fight They are coming from Florida, Detroit and my family here in Puerto Rico. It is a real blessing coming true to be able to fight here,” said Bocachica. “The Puerto Rican fans are going to see a well trained boxer, who has a lot of skills and aggression. I can’t wait to put on a great performance for the fans.”

“Janelson is one of the most exciting prospects in boxing, and I expect him to turn it up in Puerto Rico. Look forward to an exploding performance because he is very excited to show his homeland that he is a future world champion,” said David McWater of Split-T Management

19 January 2019 – Jakarta, Indonesia: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), electrified the Istora Senayan once again last Saturday night, 19 January at ONE: ETERNAL GLORY. The first ONE Championship live event in 2019 kicked the year off in style, as the absolute best in local and international martial arts talent took center stage. In the main event, Japan’s Yosuke “Tobizaru” Saruta was crowned the new ONE Strawweight World Champion with a split decision victory over the Philippines’ Joshua “The Passion” Pacio.

Visit the official ONE: ETERNAL GLORY photo gallery by clicking: https://bit.ly/onephotos.

Japanese martial arts veteran Yosuke “Tobizaru” Saruta put together a tremendous performance, scoring a monumental upset of now former champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio of the Philippines to capture the ONE Strawweight World Championship. Saruta was relentless with his chain wrestling, taking Pacio down on numerous occasions while trading powerful combinations on the feet. Throughout five action-packed rounds, both Saruta and Pacio put forth their best effort. In the end, it was Saruta who was able to garner two of the three judges’ nods to win by split decision.

In a ONE Super Series Muay Thai contest, Thailand’s Mongkolpetch Petchyindee Academy and New Zealand’s Alexi Serepisos put together an inspiring battle between world-class strikers. Over the course of three back-and-forth rounds, it was Mongkolpetch who proved to be faster and stronger, constantly a step ahead of his opponent throughout the contest. In the end, all three judges scored the bout in favor of Mongkolpetch to win by unanimous decision.

Singapore’s Christian “The Warrior” Lee turned in a dominant performance over the Philippines’ Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly, finishing the Filipino Team Lakay veteran in the first round with punches. After a brief exchange on the feet, Lee took matters to the ground and worked himself into full mount. From top, Lee pounded Kelly with downward strikes until the referee called a halt to the contest.

In a spirited encounter between two talented atomweights, Indian wushu champion Puja “The Cyclone” Tomar scored an upset victory when she defeated hometown hero Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol of Indonesia. Tomar used her striking to tag Lumban Gaol repeatedly with counter right hands while showcasing solid grappling offense and defense across three rounds. In the end, two of three judges saw the bout in Tomar’s favor to win by split decision.

English Muay Thai champion Jonathan “The General” Haggerty was impressive in his ONE Super Series debut as he outstruck Italy’s Joseph “The Hurricane” Lasiri to earn a unanimous decision win in a Muay Thai contest. Haggerty was on point in the opening round, unloading a storm of thunderous kicks and pinpoint-accurate elbows on his Italian opponent. Lasiri rallied back in the second round, connecting on an early knee, but it was Haggerty who was accurate all throughout the bout. After three rounds of back-and-forth action, it was Haggerty who was declared the victor.

Filipino striker Robin “D’ Ilonggo” Catalan put on an all-around dominant performance, shutting down Indonesian grappler Stefer “The Lion” Rahardian en route to a unanimous decision victory. Catalan was a step ahead on all fronts, as he easily prevented Rahardian’s takedowns, while also picking the hometown favorite apart in the striking department and landing some takedowns of his own. After three rounds of action, it was Catalan who walked away with the win on all three of the judges’ scorecards.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion Bruno “Puccibull” Pucci of Brazil earned the biggest victory of his career thus far, submitting former ONE Lightweight World Champion Kotetsu “No Face” Boku of Japan in the first round of their featherweight clash. Pucci was relentless in his pursuit of the takedown, pushing Boku to the fence until finally putting the Japanese veteran on his back. Once on the ground, Pucci put on a grappling clinic, dominating Boku before sinking in a deep rear-naked choke to force the tap.

South Korea’s Kwon “Pretty Boy” Won Il kept his undefeated record intact after scoring a stunning first-round TKO victory over the streaking Anthony “The Archangel” Engelen of The Netherlands. The rangier Kwon pushed the action and utilized his reach advantage to land a well-timed right jab that stunned and dropped Engelen early in the opening round. Kwon pounced on the grounded Engelen and put on the finishing touches to end the bout after just 67 seconds.

Former ONE World Title challenger Koji “The Commander” Ando triumphed with a dominant performance against Rasul Yakhyaev. Ando showcased his pinpoint striking early on, setting up his jabs to land his stinging left straights. Yakhyaev gamely traded strikes with the Japanese veteran, but it didn’t deter Ando from consistently connecting on his combinations. After three grueling rounds, two of three judges saw the bout in favor of Ando, winning by way of hard-earned split decision.

China’s Niu Kang Kang left a lasting impression in his ONE Championship debut, knocking out hometown hero “The Terminator” Sunoto in the first round. Niu only needed 31 seconds to get the job done, shutting the lights off on Sunoto with a thunderous high kick.

Indonesia’s Aziz “The Krauser” Calim made quick work of compatriot Adi “Zenwalk” Paryanto in a strawweight contest. Calim effortlessly imposed his will on his opponent, scoring a takedown and latching himself on Paryanto’s back. With seconds remaining in the first round, Calim went for the finish, fastening a deep rear-naked choke to force Paryanto to tap.

Setting the tone for an action-packed evening was a featherweight bout between Indonesian martial artists Oscar Yaqut and Andreas “Yhayaz” Satyawan. Yaqut, a National Sanda Gold Medalist, did not disappoint in his promotional debut, rattling Satyawan with a combination of solid strikes from the start. In the second round, Yaqut completed the technical knockout victory with a series of powerful blows.

Official results for ONE: ETERNAL GLORY
ONE Strawweight World Championship bout: Yosuke Saruta defeats Joshua Pacio by Split Decision (SD) after 5 rounds
ONE Super Series Muay Thai Flyweight bout: Mongkolpetch Petchyindee Academy defeats Alexi Serepisos by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
Featherweight bout: Christian Lee defeats Edward Kelly by TKO (Strikes) at 2:53 minutes of round 1
Women’s Atomweight bout: Puja Tomar defeats Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol by Split Decision (SD) after 3 rounds
ONE Super Series Muay Thai Flyweight bout: Jonathan Haggerty defeats Joseph Lasiri by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
Strawweight bout: Robin Catalan defeats Stefer Rahardian by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
Featherweight bout: Bruno Pucci defeats Kotetsu Boku by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:32 minutes of round 1
Featherweight bout: Kwon Won Il defeats Anthony Engelen by TKO (Strikes) at 1:07 minutes of round 1
Lightweight bout: Koji Ando defeats Rasul Yakhyaev by Split Decision (SD) after 3 rounds
Catch Weight bout (68.0KG): Niu Kang Kang defeats Sunoto by Knockout (KO) at 0:31 minutes of round 1
Strawweight bout: Aziz Calim defeats Adi Paryanto by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:40 minutes of round 1
Featherweight bout: Oscar Yaqut defeats Andreas Satyawan by TKO (Strikes) at 2:36 minutes of round 2

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 1.7 billion potential viewers across 138 countries with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, Great Sports, Tencent, and more.

Kovalev was arrested on June 9 in connection with an incident in Big Bear Lake, California, in which he is accused of punching a woman in the face, according to San Bernardino County online court records. Kovalev was released on $50,000 bail, according to the court records.

He was charged with assault likely to cause great bodily injury and on Aug. 27 pleaded not guilty, according to court records.

On Friday, TMZ reported the incident in which Kovalev was said to have met a woman at a party and after she rejected his advances, allegedly punched her, which resulted in the woman suffering a broken nose, a concussion and a displaced disk in her neck.

Main Events promoter Kathy Duva, Kovalev’s longtime promoter, told ESPN on Friday night that the fight is still on.

“While every woman deserves to be heard, Sergey deserves the right to clear his name in court,” Duva said. “And that is what he will do when this goes to trial.”

Oscar Rivas pulled off the biggest win of his career by stopping Bryant Jennings in the final round of their 12-round heavyweight at The Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.

Rivas was the more active fighter and in round 12, he turned up the heat and stepped on the gas with a hard combination on Jennings against the ropes until he put Jennings on the canvas. With Jennings hurt, Rivas jumped on Jennings as he landed some major power punches on the ropes that snapped the head of Jennings back, and the bout was stopped at 54 seconds.

Rivas, 234 lbs of Montreal is 26-0 with 18 knockouts. Jennings, 223 1/4 lbs of Philadelphia is 24-3.

“I worked hard for this fight, and this is the result we were looking for,” Rivas said. “Before the beginning of the last round, my coach reminded me how hard we had worked, and that motivated me to leave everything in the last round. I saw that the combination of a hook and straight right hand was landing, and I kept throwing it until I knocked him down.

“I demonstrated that I’m unbeaten for a reason. Now after this triumph, the boxing world will know my name. This victory puts me closer to being among the elites of the division. I want to write my name in the history of Colombian boxing.

Said Jennings: “It is what it is.”

Shakur Stevenson remained undefeated with a 4th round stoppage over Jessie Cris Rosales in a scheduled 10-round featherweight contest.

Stevenson dumped Rosales with a hard left, and Rosales was flat on his back, and the fight was called at 1:17 of round four.

Stevenson is now 10-0 with six knockouts. Rosales is 22-2-1.

“I want Warrington. I want to go England and fight in front of the fans over there. That would be a great fight,” Stevenson said. “I know that I’m ready for a title shot. At the same time, I am still growing and improving. I have a great team behind me.”

Robson Conceicao won an eight-round unanimous decision over Hector Ambriz in a super featherweight bout.

Conceicao, 130 1/2 lbs of Bahia, BRA won by shutout scores of 80-72 on all cards, and is now 11-0. Ambriz, 130 1/2 lbs of Ensenada, MEX is 12-9-2.

Jason Sosa survived an early to knockdown to comeback and take a 10-round unanimous decision over Moises Delgadillo in a junior lightweight contest.

In round one, Sosa was cut on the bridge of the nose. In round two, Delgadillo sent Sosa down with a clipping left hook. In round three, Delgadillo started to bleed around his left eye.

In round seven, Sosa turned the tide by knocking Delgadillo down with a body punch.

Sosa, 131 lbs of Camden, NJ won by scores of 97-91 twice and 96-92 to raise his mark to 22-3-4. Delagadillo, 133 lbs of Guadalajara, MEX is 17-19-2.

“I came from behind in this fight. He surprised me and knocked me down with a good punch, but I recovered and then I managed to knock him down and take control of the fight,” Sosa said. “I did not have any amateur fights, so I’m still learning a lot with each fight.”

I want {WBC super featherweight champion Miguel} Berchelt. I want that title that he has. It would be another great war between Mexico and Puerto Rico.

Two-time Indian Olympian Vikas Krishan made a successful pro debut with a 2nd round stoppage over Steven Andrade in a scheduled six-round junior middleweight bout.

Krishan pressured Andrade from the opening bell, and in round two, a hard flurry put Andrade on the canvas. A follow up flurry had referee Benjy Esteves to stop the bout.

Krishan, 152 lbs is 1-0 with one knockout. Andrade, 151 3/4 lbs of Cartersville, GA is 3-4.

“I want to thank my team for helping me have a successful professional debut,” Krishan said. “This is only the start of my professional journey. ‘The Indian Tank’ is coming.”

Fazliddin Gaibnazarov remained undefeated by stopping Ricardo Garcia after round four of their scheduled eight-round junior welterweight bout.

In round three, Gaibnazarov dropped Garcia with a right hook.

Gaibnazarov, 141 1/2 lbs of Berobod, UZB is 7-0 with four knockouts. Garcia, 142 lbs of Reading, PA is 14-5-1.

“I want to step up my level of competition now,” Gaibnazarov said. “I am ready for the top fighters at 140 pounds. My time is coming.”

Carlos Adames remained undefeated by stopping Juan Ruiz in round three in a schedueled eight-round junior middleweight bout.

Adames dropped Ruiz with a right to the body for the 10-count at 1:57.

Adames, 156 lbs of Santiago, DR is now 16-0 with 13 knockouts. Ruiz, 155 1/2 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 21-4.

“This is the new era of ‘El Caballo Bronco,'” Adames said. “I want to battle against the best. I already want to face a world champion. Anyone who does not want to face me, get out of the way because I’m coming for all the super welterweight world titles.”

WBA WELTERWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – 12 Rounds

Manny Pacquiao – 146 lbs.

Adrien Broner – 146 ½ lbs.

Referee: Russell Mora (Las Vegas); Judges: Tim Cheatham (Las Vegas), Dave Moretti (Las Vegas), Glenn Feldman (Connecticut)

WBA INTERIM LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – 12 Rounds

Badou Jack – 175 lbs.

Marcus Browne – 175 lbs.

Referee Tony Weeks (Las Vegas); Judges: Eric Cheek (Reno), Max DeLuca (Calif.), Don Trella (Connecticut)

WBC BANTAMWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – 12 Rounds

Rau’shee Warren – 116 ½ lbs.

Nordine Oubaali – 118 lbs.

Referee: Vic Drakulich (Reno); Judges: Ricardo Ocasio (Las Vegas), Julie Lederman (New York), Steven Weisfeld (New Jersey)

FEATHERWEIGHT BOUT – 10 Rounds

Hugo Ruiz – 125 lbs.

Alberto Guevara – 126 lbs.

Referee: Jay Nady (Las Vegas); Judges: Adalaide Byrd (Las Vegas), Robert Hoyle (Las Vegas), Glenn Trowbridge (Las Vegas)

Note: Alberto Guevara replaces Jhack Tepora, who failed to make weight

FLASH QUOTES

Manny Pacquiao

“Age is just a number. It doesn’t matter that I’m 40 years old. I still feel young. Tomorrow I have something to prove – that at the age of 40, I can still give my best. It’s my legacy to give a good fight and to accomplish all this and especially at the age of 40. I have to prove something that Manny Pacquiao is still there.”

“Having Freddie [Roach] back has helped a lot. I’m happy that the team is united. We’re so happy and satisfied with the results of this training camp.

Adrien Broner

“This is a hell of an opportunity. I’m not just doing this for me, I’m doing this for the hood. After I win tomorrow night, I’ll be a legend overnight. I just have to do me. You’ll see tomorrow night.”

Marcus Browne

“He’s acting like he’s tough, but he isn’t. It’s business. He knows what time it is.”

Badou Jack

“He’s a good fighter. I respect everybody that steps in the boxing ring, but I’m going to show him what level I’m on. He’s never been on this level. He’ll see tomorrow.”

# # #

For more information visit www.sho.com/sports and www.mgmgrand.com, follow on Twitter @MannyPacquiao, @AdrienBroner, @ShowtimeBoxing, @SHOSports, @MayweatherPromo, @TGBPromotions, @MGMGrand and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports, www.facebook.com/MayweatherPromotions and www.Facebook.com/MGMGrand.

Photos by Scott Hirano /SHOWTIME

Photos By Ryan Hafey / Premier Boxing Champions

Photos by Chris Farina / Mayweather Promotions

Hugo Ruiz will now fight former two-time world title challenger Alberto Guevara (27-3, 12 KOs) in a 10-round featherweight match in the opening bout of Saturday’s SHOWTIME PPV telecast. Guevara replaces Jhack Tepora, who missed weight during Friday’s official weigh-in from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The 28-year-old Guevara, of Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico, has won nine of his last 10 bouts and has recorded knockouts in each of his past three fights. Guevara weighed in at the featherweight limit of 126 pounds.

Dina Thorslund (12-0, 6 KOs) and Alesia Graf (29-7, 13 KOs) both made weight today ahead of their WBO Female World Super Bantamweight Championship clash tomorrow night at the Struer Energi Park in Denmark.

Thorslund, who claimed the WBO World title with a unanimous points win over Yessica Munoz in August 2018, returns to her hometown arena to meet the tough German challenger Alesia Graf for the WBO crown.

The undefeated Dane has predicted a KO victory and an all action affair against Graf, who believes she has what it takes to bring the belt home to Germany.

WBO Female World Super Bantamweight Championship:
Dina Thorslund: 55.1 kg
Alesia Graf: 55.3 kg

Former European Champion Dennis Ceylan rematches Jesus Sanchez for the EU Featherweight tile following last year’s shocking second round KO defeat.

EBU European Union Featherweight Championship:
Dennis Ceylan: 57.1 kg
Jesus Sanchez: 56.2 kg

The ‘Double Trouble’ event features an action-packed undercard showcasing top Danish talents Kem Ljungquist, Mikkel Nielsen and Adam Bashanov. Oliver Flodin faces Abdul Khattab in a Scandinavian middleweight thriller, while veteran Lolenga Mock continues his World title chase against Mateo Damian Veron, and German heavyweight Albon Pervizaj returns to action.

Heavyweight – 8 Rounds:
Kem Ljungquist: 103 kg
Boldizar Balazs Czagler: 111.3 kg

Heavyweight – 8 Rounds:
Albon Pervizaj: 111.2 kg
Alain Banongo: 119.2 kg

Middleweight – 8 Rounds:
Oliver Flodin: 71.9 kg
Abdul Khattab: 72.5 kg

Super Middleweight – 8 Rounds:
Lolenga Mock: 75.7 kg
Mateo Damian Veron: 75.5 kg

Super Welterweight – 6 Rounds:
Mikkel Nielsen: 69.7 kg
Angel Emilov: 69.9 kg

Light Heavyweight – 4 Rounds:
Adam Bashanov: 79.5 kg
Ivan Nikolov: 77.8 kg

Bantamweight – 4 Rounds (x2 mins):
Alicia Holzken: 51 kg
Ivanka Ivanova: 50.9 kg

Super Middleweight – 4 Rounds:
Haris Dzindo: 76.5 kg
Giorgi Gogebashvili: TBC

All the action will be available to watch live on Viaplay, TV3 Max and TV3+ in Denmark and Sport1 in Germany. Limited tickets are still available via www.ticketmaster.dk or by calling (+45) 70 15 65 65.

NEW YORK (JANUARY 18, 2019)–Two-Time Indian Olympian , Vikas Krishan is set to make his long awaited pro debut tonight as he competes in six-round junior middleweight bout against six-fight veteran Steven Andrade at The Turning Stone Resort Casino.

Krishan, who is a police officer in his home district of Bhiwani in Haryana, India, weighed 151 3/4 pounds while Andrade was 152 at Thursday’s weigh in.

The bout can be seen on ESPN+.

Krishan, an Olympian in 2012 and 2016 is the only Indian fighter in history to capture gold medals at both the Asian and Commonwealth Games as well as the AIBA Youth Boxing Championships.

In 2012, at the London Olympics, he defeated current IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. via 13-11 decision, only for the decision to be controversially overturned five hours later due to various fouls Krishan committed during the bout.

In the last the Olympics Krishan made it to the quarterfinals. Earlier this year, he became the first three-medal winner of the Asian Games as he won a Bronze Medal.

Krishan is managed by Split-T Management and is promoted by Top Rank.

Photos by Top Rank

Las Vegas – UFC®, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, today announced the unveiling of its new UFC Legacy Championship Belt to mark a new era for the company. The UFC Legacy Championship Belt, valued at three times more than its predecessor, replaces the UFC Classic Championship Belt, which had been used since 2001, when Zuffa, Inc. originally purchased the organization.

The UFC Legacy Championship Belt will be uniquely customized for each individual champion by the athlete’s country, weight class, and number of title defenses. Each belt will be assigned its own serial number and will feature UFC President Dana White’s engraved signature for authenticity.

The UFC Legacy Championship Belt will be awarded for the first time to the winner of the main event superfight between UFC flyweight champion Henry Cejudo and UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw at UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: CEJUDO vs. DILLASHAW, which takes place this Saturday, January 19, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

“This Saturday begins a new era for UFC, and it’s a perfect time to unveil our new UFC Legacy Championship Belt,” UFC President Dana White said. “The belt honors UFC’s past, while recognizing the amazing accomplishments of our current champions.”

The UFC Legacy Championship Belt, a design collaboration between UFC, belt designer Brad Flaherty, and Jae El Manufacturing, measures 50 inches in length and 12 inches in height, with an overall weight of 10.45 lbs. Made from genuine leather, the belt has a custom Octagon® pattern embossed on its trim with gold Octagon-shaped snaps that include UFC’s logo.

The belt’s main plate is highlighted by the UFC logo. Made from high-polished gold, the logo is centered on a pattern comprising squares and octagons. The octagon contains 25 lines that represent UFC’s silver anniversary, which it celebrated in 2018. Each square has eight lines that represent the eight sides of the Octagon.

The belt’s flag iconography is highlighted throughout the design as a way to honor the first eight countries to have a UFC champion:

· Belarus (Andrei Arlovski)

· Brazil (Murilo Bustamante)

· Canada (Carlos Newton)

· Ireland (Conor McGregor)

· Netherlands (Bas Rutten)

· Poland (Joanna Jedrzejczyk)

· United Kingdom (Michael Bisping)

· United States (Mark Coleman)

The belt’s left-side plate will recognize the titleholder’s name and weight class, with their native country showcased with flag iconography. Eight stones border the plate, and for each victory in a championship bout, one of the stones will be replaced with a red ruby. The date and location of the win will be engraved adjacent to the stone. If an athlete successfully defends their belt more than eight times, red stones will be added to the right-side plate to continually acknowledge the accomplishment. The belt’s right-side plate is adorned by a gold UFC World Champion logo and bordered by eight stones. UFC’s jewelry partner, Bixler, will donate all stones and engravings.

The women’s championship belt will be identical in every detail, except for size and weight. Athletes who win titles across multiple weight classes will be awarded one belt per division.

About UFC®

UFC® is a premium global sports brand and the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world. UFC boasts more than 284 million fans worldwide and has produced over 460 events in 24 countries since its inception in 1993. Acquired in 2016 by global sports, entertainment and fashion leader Endeavor (formerly WME | IMG), together with strategic partners Silver Lake Partners and KKR, UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas with a network of employees around the world. UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe, while programming is broadcast in over 165 countries and territories to 1.1 billion TV households worldwide in 40 different languages. UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service, delivers exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content to fans around the world. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram: @UFC.

SAM BOWEN has taunted arch local rival Lyon Woodstock telling him: “Fighting you would be going back to area level”.

British super-featherweight champion Bowen (14-0) makes the first defence of his British crown against Dundee’s Ronnie Clark (21-4-2) at Leicester’s Morningside Arena on Saturday February 23, live on BT Sport.

Woodstock (11-1) fights on the same bill in his first contest since losing his unbeaten record against Archie Sharp in October.

The all Leicestershire clash is natural for East Midlands fans, but speaking to Steve Lillis on the latest episode of ‘The Boxing Podcast’, Bowen teased Woodstock, saying: “Unless he can beat a world champion, I’m not that interested in fighting him.

“I was before because it would have been a good fight, but that is Midlands area. I’m out of that.

“A fight against Woodstock would have been a natural in the past, but he has been beaten by Archie Sharp.

“To be fair I am looking beyond these fights. To me, that would be a step down. I want to be stepping up.

“We have offered him the fight in the past. At a press conference my manager Carl Greaves asked him; ‘Do you want to fight, Bowen?’ He wasn’t really giving an answer.

“Now he has been beaten, I suppose he will want to fight me more because he hasn’t got many more options.

“He has got to build himself back again and get into the mandatory position to fight me, but by the time he has done that I want to be way, way above.”

Bowen, 26, won the British championship last April stopping Maxi Hughes in eight rounds.

On his debut for promoter Frank Warren in October he knocked out Argentinian Horacio Alfredo Cabral to four rounds to claim the WBO Inter-Continental belt.

Bowen is now ranked at number ten in the WBO rankings for Masayuki Ito’s world title and he is in a hurry to get among the 130lb division’s elite.

He added: “I don’t want stay at this level for too long. It took us such a long time to get the British title shot because of withdrawals that I don’t want to hang around.

“World champions like Miguel Berchelt, Tevin Farmer, Gervonta Davis and Masayuki Ito are pure quality and fights like that can help secure my future.

“I am in this to provide for my family. I don’t want to be boxing for smaller amounts. I have a job where I earn okay.

“The idea is to get some big fights financially. To do as well as I can and make as much money as I can.”

Bowen v Clark shares top billing along with unbeaten Anthony Yarde defending his WBO Intercontinental Light Heavyweight title against tough Frenchman Mehdi Amar. Local fighters CJ Challenger and Kyle Haywood do battle for the vacant Midlands Area super welterweight title, with Lyon Woodstock, Ryan Garner, Tommy Fury, Ryan Hatton and Mark Chamberlain also featuring on the card.

Tickets are available from £40 are on sale NOW via Eventbrite

2016 Olympic Bronze Medallist, and fighting hometown hero, Nico Hernandez will return to the professional boxing ring on Friday, February 15, at the Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane, Kansas.

The undefeated Hernandez (6-0, 4 KOs) will face Mexico’s Victor Trejo Garcia (16-9-1, 8 KOs) in an eight-round flyweight special attraction in the featured live bout immediately preceding the SHOWTIME tripleheader telecast of “ShoBox Live at the Kansas Star Casino.”

The Hernandez vs Garcia bout is presented by Salita Promotions and John Anderson’s KO Night Boxing.

Tickets for the live event will go on sale on Friday, January 18, at 10 a.m. CT and are priced at $110, $75, $60, $45 and $25. They can be purchased at www.KansasStarCasino.com, www.Ticketmaster.com and at the Lucky Star Players Club at Kansas Star Casino.

Hernandez, who won the first Olympic men’s boxing medal since the 2008 Beijing Olympics by taking bronze at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was 94-5 as an amateur. He also captured six national titles, scored eight wins in the Ringside World Championship (an annual Kansas City-area event billed as “the largest amateur boxing tournament in the world”), along with six consecutive Silver Gloves National Championship wins, and a 2014 National Golden Gloves gold medal.

The 23-year-old turned professional in March 2017 and has dominated all his fights. He was last seen scoring a unanimous eight-round decision over Texas veteran Josue Morales. This will be his third consecutive fight at the Kansas Star Casino, where he enjoys tremendous popularity.

“I’m excited to be fighting on February 15 in front of my hometown fans at the Kansas Star Arena,” said Hernandez. “I’ll be in great shape and plan on putting on a great show. I want to be very active in 2019 and win a world title before the end of the year. It’s my time to shine.”

Presented by Salita Promotions, “ShoBox Live at the Kansas Star Casino” will feature top prospect Shohjahon Ergashev (15-0, 14 KOs) of Detroit via Fergana, Uzbekistan, taking on also undefeated Mykal Fox (19-0, 5 KOs) of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, in a 10-round welterweight main event.

In the other two televised bouts, Fort Worth’s rugged Jesse Angel Hernandez (12-1, 7 KOs) will take on Britain’s Thomas Patrick Ward (25-0, 4 KOs) in a 10-round super bantamweight battle for the WBA-NABA Championship and Grozny, Russia’s undefeated Aslambek Idigov (15-0, 7 KOs) will face once-beaten Travis Hanshaw (14-1-1, 7 KOs) of Ashland, Kentucky, in an eight-round super middleweight contest.

On fight night, the doors open at 5:30 pm (CST) and the action starts at 6:00 pm. Bouts subject to change. The Kansas Star Casino is located at 777 Kansas Star Drive in Mulvane, Kansas.

# # #

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

About ShoBox: The New Generation
Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young talent matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to televise exciting, crowd-pleasing and competitive matches while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. Some of the growing list of the 79 fighters who have appeared on ShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes: Errol Spence Jr., Andre Ward, Deontay Wilder, Erislandy Lara, Shawn Porter, Gary Russell Jr., Lamont Peterson, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Nonito Donaire, Devon Alexander, Carl Froch, Robert Guerrero, Timothy Bradley, Jessie Vargas, Juan Manuel Lopez, Chad Dawson, Paulie Malignaggi, Ricky Hatton, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Williams and more.

About Kansas Star Arena
The Kansas Star Arena, a Boyd Gaming facility, is located just off Exit 33 on the Kansas Turnpike and is adjacent to the Kansas Star Casino. The 42,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Kansas Star Arena is south-central Kansas’ home for big-name national acts such as Journey, Pat Benatar, Championship Rodeo, mixed martial arts events and more. The Arena accommodates up to 6,500 guests for headliner events. In 2014, Midwest Gaming and Travel awarded the Kansas Star more than 25 honors in its annual Reader’s Choice Awards, including “Best Concert Venue” in the state of Kansas. For more information, visit kansasstarcasino.com. Connect with Kansas Star Arena at facebook.com/kansasstararena and www.kansasstarcasino.com/entertain/arena. Kansas Star Casino is a property of Boyd Gaming. Founded in 1975, Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE: BYD) is a leading geographically diversified operator of 29 gaming entertainment properties in 10 states. With one of the most experienced leadership teams in the casino industry, Boyd Gaming prides itself on offering its guests an outstanding entertainment experience, delivered with unwavering attention to customer service. For additional Company information and press releases, visit www.boydgaming.com.

Tickets have today gone on sale for only the second boxing event to be held at the London’s iconic Royal Albert Hall in 20 years.

Rising heavyweight star Daniel Dubois will have his tenth professional fight and double Olympic gold medallist Nicola Adams will challenge for a first world title on Friday March 8 when Frank Warren proudly returns boxing to the historic surroundings of the Royal Albert Hall. BT Sport will televise live.

Liam Williams will also make the first defence of his newly won British Middleweight title against Brentwood bruiser and former English Champion, Joe Mullender.

The iconic venue has previously staged some of the best fights in British boxing history. Only one professional boxing show has been staged at the Albert Hall in the last nearly 20 years, the occasion being when Billy Joe Saunders fought Tony Hill for the vacant Commonwealth title in April 2012.

Sharing top billing will be star in the making, Dubois, who faces his toughest test to date in the shape of Romanian giant Razvan Cojanu.

The 31-year-old former world title challenger extended Dubois’ domestic rival Nathan Gorman to the full 12 round distance in December, having originally been scheduled to fight the young Londoner a week previously before Dubois succumbed to illness.

The 16-5 Cojanu has operated at the highest level and in 2017 he challenged Joseph Parker for the WBO world heavyweight title and faced Luis Ortiz in July of last year.

“The chance to fight at the Royal Albert Hall is a huge thrill for me and I really hope it is the first of many opportunities to perform there,” said the 21-year-old. “I am fully aware that many of the British heavyweight greats of the past fought at this historic venue and it will be an honour to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Henry Cooper, Frank Bruno and Lennox Lewis.

“I know the Albert Hall was the favourite place to watch boxing for many older fans so it is brilliant that a new generation will now get the chance to sample the experience too.”

It is fitting that British sporting royalty in Nicola Adams will bid for her crowning moment at the South Kensington concert hall that was opened by Queen Victoria in 1871 and first staged a boxing competition in 1918.

Adams will challenge the WBO world flyweight champion Arely Mucino, having won the Interim world title in October with a clear cut points victory over Isabel Millan in her fifth professional fight.

“Winning a world title is what I got into professional boxing for and I believe it is my destiny to do so and ultimately unify the flyweight division,” stated the two-time Olympic gold medallist. “To get this opportunity after just five professional fights is an achievement in itself and I am so thankful to my promotional team for making it happen.

“To fight for the WBO world title at the Royal Albert Hall is a dream come true when you consider the great names that have performed there and I want to make this another memorable occasion.”

The 29-year-old Mexican Mucino holds a record of 27-3-2 and is a three-time world champion, winning the IBF title in 2011 and successfully defending three times before losing a challenge for the WBC belt in 2012.

Mucino won the WBO title in February of last year with a majority decision over Monserrat Alarcon before overcoming Maria Salinas via a split decision in September.

Also on the bill, in what is surely guaranteed to be an all-action encounter, Liam Williams will make a first defence of his British middleweight title against former English champion Joe Mullender.

Williams was hugely impressive in stepping up to middleweight to stop the previously unbeaten Mark Heffron in December to become a two-weight British champion and he now defends the belt against the 11-2 Mullender, who recorded a brutal stoppage victory over Ben Capps last time out in October.

“I think this has got all the makings of an exciting fight and you can see from his style that he always brings it and comes to have a good tear up, so I am looking forward to it,” commented the 19-2-1 Welshman.

“I do believe I am a class or two above him to be quite honest, but I also think he will give anyone a decent fight because of his style. He would give most fighters in the world a good fight, however long it lasts, because of the way he approaches fights.”

The Brentwood man, known as ‘Smokin Joe’ won the English title in an epic sequel against Lee Markham in June 2017.

“For me it is all about the British title and I will fight anyone,” insisted the hugely popular 32-year-old. I respect Liam as a fighter, he has done what he’s done and is levels above me on paper, but I don’t really care who I fight, to be honest.

“It is for the British title and the odds are stacked against me, but that is what I like.”

Johnny Garton, who won the British welterweight title in a thriller against Gary Corcoran in October features on the card, along with Archie Sharp (14-0) making a first defence of his WBO European super featherweight title against the also unbeaten Lucas Ballingall (11-0).

Tickets are priced from £40 and are available to buy via RoyalAlbertHall.com

TICKETS START FROM £40
GRAND TIER: £100
LOGGIA: £100
SECOND TIER: £75

Artur Mann (15-0, 8 KOs) challenges Kevin Lerena (21-1, 9 KOs) for the IBO World Cruiserweight title on March 16 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Mann, undefeated in fifteen professional contest, lands this dream World title shot following a unanimous points win over Alexey Zubov in Chicago, and is full of confidence as he travels to South Africa in search of World glory.

“This is the moment I’ve been working my whole life for,” says Mann. “Who would have thought a year ago that today we would be preparing for an IBO World title fight in Johannesburg. I can’t thank my promoter Team Sauerland and the Sauerland family enough that this dream could be realized so quickly. Thanks also to my management Daniel Todorovic and Marius Schulze.

“This is a huge opportunity, and one I will not miss. Kevin Lerena will certainly have a home advantage as the reigning champion and local hero, but I like a challenge, and I’m convinced I will bring the IBO belt home to Germany.”

Lerena claimed the IBO strap with a split decision win over Youri Kayembre Kalenga on September 9, 2017, and has since recorded two successful defences against Ukraine’s Dmytro Kucher and Roman Golovashchenko.

“I’m excited to be back in the square jungle against such a formidable opponent as Artur Mann,” he said. “The public can look forward to a fan friendly fight with no quarter asked or given. Whilst I respect Mann’s record, only one hand will be raised in victory – AND STILL – This is the year of Kevin Lerena !”

“Kevin Lerena vs. Artur Mann for the IBO Cruiserweight title at the Emperors Palace – an evenly matched and mouth watering fight between two outstanding boxers,” said Rodney Berman, for Golden Gloves. “Both can ill afford a loss at this stage of their careers with the cruiserweight division enjoying such popularity, which is in no small measure due to the World Boxing Super Series.

“We look forward to staging this main event in association with Team Sauerland with whom we have always enjoyed an excellent relationship.”

“We’re delighted to be working with Rodney Berman and Golden Gloves to deliver this spectacular cruiserweight Wold title showdown,” said Nisse Sauerland, for Team Sauerland. “This is a fantastic opportunity for Artur and one he must seize with both hands. I’m expecting a fan friendly contest, with both men leaving it all on the line. Germany is due a World Champion, and now Artur has the chance to write his name in the history books.

Felix Cash believes winning the Commonwealth Middleweight crown will earn him a shot at the Lonsdale belt currently held by Welshman Liam Williams.

The unbeaten Wokingham talent, 10-0, is keen to make up for lost time as he takes on Nigeria’s Rasheed Abolaji for the vacant Commonwealth title at The O2 on February 2, live on Sky Sports in the UK and DAZN in the US.

Cash picked up the first title of his professional career after cruising to victory against Stephen Danyo at the Copper Box Arena in October. He dominated his Manchester-based Dutch opponent throughout before receiving a unanimous verdict to claim the WBC International Silver belt.

And the former Team GB amateur standout is aiming to add a second belt to his collection when he takes on Abolaji next month before targeting a shot a two-weight British Champ Liam Williams in 2019.

“A shot at a good domestic belt has been a long time coming,” said Cash. “The Commonwealth title is right up there and hopefully once I get my hands on it more fighters will be tempted to get in the ring with me. We’ve been trying to make big fights for a while now, but opponents have always priced themselves out or messed us around.

“I’ve flown under the radar a little bit for the past couple of years but my last fight was a title fight and this is for the Commonwealth. When I get the win on February 2 I can start targeting some big names in the domestic Middleweight division and show everyone what I’m really about when I step up.

“I’m looking forward to going in there and putting on a performance. The plan is to get the Commonwealth and then I want to go for the British. I’m taking things one fight at a time, but I’ve got full confidence in my abilities. Liam Williams holds the British and that’s a fight that could happen this year.

“I’ve sparred Liam before and he’s a good fighter. He boxed very well in his last fight – he looked class. You’d be lying if you said he didn’t, but I’m very confident in my abilities. I’ve sparred multiple World Champions and I know what I’ve been doing to them, and they know too. Sparring is sparring but it’s the closest thing to fighting. I know how good I am and it’s my time to show everyone.”

‘Afonja Warrior’, 27, has won six of his eleven career wins by KO and has previously fought in the UK when he took Sam Sheedy the distance in a challenge for the Commonwealth Middleweight title in 2017. Cash is expecting a hard night’s work.

“He’s quite dangerous early on so I’ll have to stick to my boxing, break him down and then go to work on him. He’s a bit of a hooker and doesn’t throw many straights. Tony says he’s very tough, so I’ll have to go down and work the body. He’ll be the best opponent I’ve faced to date, but I fully expect to come away with the win.”

Cash vs. Abolaji is part of a huge night of action in London.

Bermondsey star Ted Cheeseman steps up again when he challenges undefeated Spaniard Sergio Garcia for the European Super-Welterweight crown.

Unbeaten British Cruiserweight Champion Lawrence Okolie returns to action after his win over Matty Askin at Wembley Stadium in September.

Light-Heavyweight rivals Jake Ball and Craig Richards finally face-off in a highly-anticipated grudge match for the WBA Continental title.

Scotland’s fast-rising Super-Middleweight talent John Docherty aims to make it three KO’s from three fights, Ipswich Heavyweight Fabio Wardley looks to go 6-0, decorated amateur Charles Frankham makes his debut at Super-Featherweight and Hammersmith Light-Heavyweight Dana Zaxo takes part in his fourth professional contest.

Tickets for February 2 priced at £30, £50, £80 and £150 are (VIP) available to purchase from StubHub (www.stubhub.co.uk), The O2 (www.theo2.co.uk) and Matchroom Boxing (www.matchroomboxing.com)

18 January 2019, Manila, Philippines – Honorio “The Rock” Banario is gearing up for what could be the toughest outing in his career when he takes on Lowen Tynanes of the United States in the opening round of the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix.

They will be locking horns at ONE: HERO’S ASCENT, which takes places at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines on 25 January.

Banario, a former ONE Featherweight World Champion, wanted to test his improvement against some of the best lightweight athletes in the world.

“The Rock” will certainly get his wish when he takes on the 28-year-old Hawaiian State Wrestling Champion.

“This will be a good fight because this will test if I have really improved my wrestling. Lowen Tynanes is something else, he has good wrestling and a high-level athlete. He’s a very well-rounded martial artist,” Banario conceded.

“It’s a big challenge for me to get in the cage with him. My team was surprised when we found out that he will be my first opponent for the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix. But we have a lot of time for training so we came up with a game plan to beat him.”

Hailing from Ewa Beach, Hawaii, Tynanes is an unbeaten lightweight mixed martial artist who holds an unblemished record of 9-0 with four wins by submission and two by knockout.

His most notable win came back in 2012 when he scored a stoppage victory over current ONE Lightweight World Title Eduard “Landslide” Folayang.

“I have huge respect for him as a mixed martial artist,” Banario stated. “I think Tynanes will attempt to take me down, so I have to defend his takedowns and do my best to keep it standing.”

The Team Lakay representative knows that this will be far from an easy far as he is up against a young, hungry athlete in Tynanes.

Banario has nothing but praise for his upcoming foe, but he firmly believes that a properly-executed game plan will get his hand raised at ONE: HERO’S ASCENT.

“If it goes to the late rounds, I’m certain that he will try to go to the ground,” he declared. “I am hoping for a favorable outcome in this bout.”