Philadelphia, Penn. (January 22, 2018)–Popular and undefeated bantamweight Christian Carto will headline a packed night of boxing when he takes on James Smith in an eight-round bout on Friday, March 2nd at The SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia.

The card is promoted by King’s Promotions.

Carto of Philadelphia has a record of 13-0 with 11 knockouts. The 21 year-old has established himself as one of the top prospects in Philadelphia, and the popular Carto continues to draw large and enthusiastic crowds to his fights.

Carto, who had a very active 2017 as he mustered seven victories and has a signature win over Alonso Melendez (14-1). Carto is coming off an eight-round unanimous decision over Luis Fernando Saavedra on December 1st at The SugarHouse Casino.

This will be Carto’s 7th appearance at The SugarHouse Casino.

Smith of Detroit has a record of 12-1 with seven knockouts.

The 27 year-old is a seven-year professional, who won his first 11 bouts, which was highlighted by a win over Olimjon Nazarov (14-2).

After suffering his lone defeat, Smith won his last bout as he stopped Yaqub Kareem on August 4, 2017 in Detroit.

In an eight-round all-Philadelphia super middleweight bout, Christopher Brooker (12-5, 5 KOs) battle Jamaal Davis (16-12-1, 7 KOs).

In an eight-round bout, Tyrone Crawley, Jr. (7-0) of Philadelphia takes on Anthony Mercado (10-3, 9 KOs) of Arecibo, PR in a super lightweight bout.

David Gonzales (8-2-2, 2 KOs) of Philadelphia will fight Victor Vazquez (9-3, 3 KOs) of Yonkers, NY in a super lightweight contest.

Undefeated Marcus Bates (8-0-1, 6 KOs) of Washington, DC will take on an opponent to be named in a eight-round super bantamweight fight.

Carlos Rosario (7-3, 4 KOs) of Pennsauken, NJ will square off with Seifullah Wise (3-4, 1 KO) of Philadelphia in a super featherweight fight.

Darius Ervin (4-1) of Los Angeles tangles with Jesus Perez (3-0, 1 KO) of Reading, PA in a super lightweight fight.

Jerrod Miner (1-1, 1 KO) of Philadelphia fights Rondarrius Hunter (1-2, 1 KO) of Atlanta in a four-round super flyweight bout.

Tickets are on sale for $100, $75, $50, and can be purchased at SugarHouseBoxing.eventbrite.com.

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EDMONTON, Canada (January 22, 2018) – Super Channel, the No. 1 destination network for Canadian boxing fans, will air the upcoming semifinals of the popular World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) tournament, featuring world-class cruiserweight and super middleweight divisions action, live from various venues in Europe.

Super Channel acquired exclusive rights in Canada to air the entire WBSS tournament from MP & Silva, a leading international media company that provides media rights, digital, technology and sponsorship services.

“We are thrilled that the WBSS is returning to Super Channel for exclusive Canadian coverage of the highly anticipated semifinals,” said Troy Wassill, Director of Programming, Domestic Distributors and Sports. “I have no doubt that every single bout is going to deliver exciting, must-see action for boxing fans, as these world-class fighters compete to see who is going to go head-to-head for the coveted Muhammad Ali Trophy.”
WBSSis a revolutionary bracket-style elimination tournament featuring the world’s best boxers and a total of $50 million in prize money. The knockout format of the competition will see the best boxers ultimately compete for the Muhammad Ali Trophy, the greatest prize in boxing. The tournament is organized by newly-founded Comosa AG, a Swiss-registered company with principal owners Highlight Event & Entertainment, Modern Times Group and Team Sauerland. Comosa AG is working in partnership with boxers, promoters and managers around the world, and in alignment with the four major world boxing federations, to create a new global platform for the sport.
The first of its kind tournament, which is planned to take place on an annual basis, kicked off this past September with quarterfinals competition in two divisions, cruiserweight and super middleweight. An expert panel invited the world’s best boxers to compete, namely the top 15-ranked fighters of the four major federations: WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO. The winners of the two semifinals will advance to the championship round in both divisions this May.
Below find the WBSS semifinals schedule and a preview of the four matches and eight fighters who survived the quarterfinals:

WORLD BOXING SUPER SERIES SEMIFINALS SCHEDULE

CRUISERWEIGHTS

January 27, Riga Arena, Riga, Latvia – WBO/WBC Unification

Oleksandr “The Cat” Usyk (13-0, 11 KOs), WBO World Champion, Ukraine – Ring #1
vs.
Mairis Briedis (23-0, 18 KOs), WBC World Champion, Latvia – Ring #3

February 3, Bolshoy Ice Dome, Sochi, Russia – IBF/WBA Unificatiion
Murat “Iron” Gassiev (25-0, 18 KOs), IBF World Champion, Russia – Ring #2
vs.
Yunier “The KO Doctor” Dorticos (21-0, 20 KOs), WBA World Champion, Cuba – Ring #5

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS

February 17, Manchester, Arena, Manchester, UK – WBA/IBO Unification
“Saint” George Groves (27-3, 20 KOs), WBA World Champion, United Kingdom – Ring #2
vs.
Chris “Next Gen” Eubank Jr. (26-1, 20 KOs), IBO World Champion, United Kingdom – Ring #4

February 24, Arena Nurnberger Versicherung, Nuremburg, Germany
Juergen Braehmer (49-3 35 KOs), Germany – Ring #10
(Former WBO & WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion)
vs.
Callum “Mundo” Smith (23-0, 17 KOs), United Kingdom – Ring #3
(WBC Diamond Super Middleweight Champion)

New York, New York, January 22, 2018

2017 was certainly a memorable year for Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing.
2017 marked the continued dominance of former Jr. Middleweight world champion Demetrius Andrade. While Andrade captured a second World Championship in Germany over Jack Culcay (March 11, 2017, WBA Championship), October saw Andrade stepping up to the Middleweight division in a shutout performance on HBO (over Alantis Fox). Andrade hopes 2018 will see him in with the top fighters at 160 lbs.

2017 saw the emergence of “The Hebrew Hammer”, Cletus Seldin on the world stage. Seldin had 3 fights in 4 months including two in consecutive months (November and December) on HBO, a distinction held by only Mike Tyson, Roy Jones and now Cletus Seldin. Seldin looked sensational in his November appearance, destroying Roberto Ortiz (at the new Nassau Coliseum) and saw Seldin crowd pleasing style likened to Rocky Marciano and Jake Lamotta. December on HBO didn’t go so well and Seldin had his first schooling, losing a wide decision to Yves Ulysses Jr. in Canada. Seldin injured his elbow early in that bout and is undergoing ‘Tommy John’ surgery next week. Look for a speedy recovery and Seldin’s return late spring.

2017 saw one of America’s favorite warriors, Joe Smith Jr in his first bout after a spectacular 2016 where he was runner-up for fighter of year, upset of year and knockout of the year after his successive knockout victories over Andrzej Fonfara and legendary Bernard Hopkins. In 2017 Smith wasn’t as fortunate, as, in spite of dropping top rated light heavyweight contender Sullivan Barrera in the first round with Smith’s now famous punching power, Smith lost a decision. The always dangerous Joe Smith Jr. fought bravely for 10 rounds with a severely broken jaw – demonstrating his blue collar, union-made American grit.

2017 also saw the continuance of Star Boxing’s popular “Rockin Fights” series at the Paramount in Huntington, NY. CEO Joe DeGuardia showed his former boxer grit in keeping the series going despite the prohibitive insurance costs in the state of New York.

Star Boxing also continued its equally popular and long-standing “Slugfest at the Sun” series at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT. Many of the other fighters under the Star Boxing banner had a tremendous year including the success of undefeated prospects Tyrone “Pretty Boy” James, Wendy Toussaint, and “Action” Anthony Laureano. Veterans Constantin Bejenaru and Courtney Pennington had big years as well. Bejenaru won the WBC International and Continental Americas Cruiserweight title as he continued his climb up the world rankings and defended his titles as well in 2017. Courtney “King Pen” Pennington scored 3 straight upset wins over Boyd Melson, Khiary Pitts, and Delvin Rodriguez earning the UBF International Super Welterweight Title.

New additions to the Star roster also remained busy, including Belgium cruiserweight prospect Tambwe “Big Joe” Djeko, former two-time women’s middleweight world champion, Kali “KO” Reis (whose exciting performance at Mohegan Sun earned her a promotional agreement with Star Boxing) and Massachusetts fan favorite Danny O’Connor, who likewise earned a signing as a result of his performance on that same Mohegan Sun show.
Fellow Star Boxing stablemates Danny Gonzalez, Anthony Karperis, Johnny Hernandez, the Burrell brothers, Scott and Dean, all remained active and Light Heavyweight contender Yuniesky Gonzalez promises to make 2018 an even bigger year for Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing.

Star Boxing found much success in 2017 from many different avenues including the sold out “Rockin’ Fights” series, the Mohegan Sun series “Slugfest at the Sun,” that is now being televised by NESN, the appearance of Star Boxing fighters on the likes of HBO and Showtime and Star’s excellent and continuing successful relationships with many promoters in the industry such as Golden Boy, Top Rank, Matchroom Boxing, and others. With the success of veteran fighters, and the signing of new and exciting talent, 2018 will prove to be yet another successful year for Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing.

GET YOUR TICKETS TO ROCKIN’ FIGHTS 29 TODAY!
FIGHT: FRIDAY, JANUARY 26TH, 2018
$50, $60, $100, $150, $200
BUY TICKETS HERE!

INFO:
ANTHONY “SHOWTIME” KARPERIS makes his return to The Paramount, in Huntington, Long Island for his fourth consecutive main event in the popular Star Boxing Rockin’ Fights series against the tough veteran NELSON LARA, hailing from Nicaragua by way of Costa Rica. The main event bout is a scheduled 10-round jr. welterweight showdown.

For more information visit www.StarBoxing.com, follow along on Facebook at www.facebook.com/starboxing, follow along on Instagram at @StarBoxing, @Showtime_AK, @TheParamountNY or on Twitter @StarBoxing, @Showtime_AK or @TheParamountNY.
BOUT SHEET:
View the complete Rockin’ Fights 29 Bout Sheet HERE.

PAST RELEASES:
http://conta.cc/2FXQhEy – Media Credential application
http://conta.cc/2FYeIC1 – Fight announcement
http://conta.cc/2FVo7do – Main Event Announcement (opponent has since changed)
FACTS:
Karperis vs. Lara is a 10-round jr. welterweight bout presented by Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing. “Rockin Fights” is sponsored by Modell’s Sporting Goods, Montauk Iced Tea, The Inn at Fox Hollow, Camelot Limousine and 102.3 WBAB.

*If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please email us at TonyPalmieri@StarBoxing.com
TICKETS:
Tickets are on sale now at The Paramount Box Office (631) 673-7300 or Ticketmaster by clicking HERE, or by calling 1 (800) 745-3000 or Star Boxing (718) 823-2000 or www.starboxing.com. Tickets prices are $50, $60, $100, $150, $200.

The undercard for the Ali Trophy semi-final in Riga on January 27 between Aleksandr Usyk and Mairis Briedis features both established and rising stars.

Switzerland’s Yoann Kongolo (10-0, 4 KOs) will defend his WBC International Silver title against hometown hero Andrejs Pokumeiko (16-12-1, 12 KOs), over ten rounds in the Light Heavyweight division.

The former WBC International Cruiserweight champion, Micki Nielsen (24-1, 15 KOs) from Denmark will take on Latvia’s Ricards Bolotniks (10-3-1, 4 KOs) in an 8-round contest. Nielsen has been sparring with Mairis Briedis in preparation for this bout, and the Danish star hopes to upset the hometown fans and make it three wins in a row.

Undefeated Swedish heavyweight Otto Wallin (18-0, 12 KOs) faces the man-mountain Srdan Govederica (6-5, 5 KOs) from Bosnia.

Undefeated Latvian, Jevgenijs Aleksejevs (7-0, 6 KOs), has made a very impressive start to his professional career so far. But there is no doubt that he faces his toughest test so far in Maurice Possiti (17-12, 7 KOs) from France.

Latvia’s Nikolajs Grisunins (6-0-1, 3 KOs) will aim to return to winning ways when he faces the dangerous big punching Jozsef Darmos (8-1-2, 7 KOs) from Hungary.

In a mouth-watering 8-round Heavyweight contest, 2016 Olympic games Bronze medallist Filip Hrgovic (2-0, 2 KOs) from Croatia meets United Kingdom’s Tom Little (10-4, 3 KOs). Hrgovic has made a very impressive start to his professional career with two sensational first-round KO victories. However, in Little he faces a very confident challenger.

Araik Marutjan (1-0), who represented Germany in the 2016 Olympics takes on the very tough Hungarian Richard Hegyi (4-2, 3 KOs) in a Middleweight contest.

The undercard also features the talented cruiserweight Mikael Lawal (4-0, 3 KOs) from London, United Kingdom, who has been sparring Aleksandr Usyk in preparation for this bout. He takes on the experienced southpaw Istvan Orsos (16-43-2, 5 KOs) from Hungary.

Tickets for the Usyk vs. Briedis, a semi-final in the cruiserweight division of the World Boxing Super Series, are on sale via bilesuserviss.lv.

SAN ANTONIO, TX (January 20, 2018) – Tonight TMB & PRB Entertainment presented “Fight Nite at the Scottish Rite”, an eight-bout event that took place at the Scottish Rite Theatre in San Antonio, TX. In the four-round main event, Daniel “Da Beast” Biaz (11-1, 5 KOs) scored a unanimous decision over, Ray “The Warrior” Trujillo (3-4-1, 2 KOs).

Biaz, a southpaw who is managed by Prince Ranch Boxing, wobbled Trujillo in every round, with hard shots to the head. Trujillo was trying to force his way into the chest of Biaz throughout the fight, but was unsuccessful as he was countered with by accurate punches. Trujillo, who was a last-minute replacement, showed a lot of heart but was outgunned by Biaz, who landed the cleaner blows. Scorecards read 40-36 across the board, all in favor of Biaz.

In the six round co-main event, female bantamweights, Brianna “Queen Bee” Gonzalez (3-1, 1 KO) and Brittny “Mi Vida Loca” Ordonez (2-2, 1 KO) went toe-to-toe for six hard fought rounds. Both fighters were going for the knockout from the opening bell. Gonzalez was edging out Ordonez in every round as she landed more power shots. Ordonez was giving it her all, but it was Gonzalez who pulled out the unanimous victory. Scorecards read 58-56, 60-54, 59-55 all in favor of Gonzalez.

UNDERCARD RESULTS

6-round bantamweight bout
“Vicious” Vic Pasillas (12-0, 5 KOs) vs. Alejandro Moreno (24-39-3, 11 KOs)
After a two-year layoff, Prince Ranch Boxing’s Victor Pasillas, shook of the rust with a spectacular performance. Pasillas used his superior boxing skills to land his shots. Moreno was backing up the whole fight as Pasillas was on the attack. A left uppercut to the body sent Moreno to the canvas in round two. Pasillas continued to apply pressure as he forced Moreno to take a knee in round four. Moreno got up but did not come out for the fifth round. Pasillas scores a TKO.

4-round middleweight bout
“Ferocious” Luis Villarreal (2-0, 1 KO) vs. Adam “Ghost” Castillo (1-6-1)
Local fighter Luis Villarreal, went the distance with Adam Castillo in a four-round bout. Both fighters were feeling each other out in the early rounds, but it was Villarreal who was the more active fighter. Villarreal came on strong in the final round landing hard body shots, forcing Castillo into survival mode. Villarreal won by unanimous decision.
Scorecards read across the board 40-36.

4-round featherweight bout
Ignacio “El Alacran” Holgiun (5-0, 5 KOs) vs. Santiago Bayardo (0-1)
Bayardo, who was making pro debut, was out gunned by the more experienced Holgiun. Bayardo came out throwing wild punches, while Holgiun stayed composed. Holgiun landed a couple of hard right hooks before dropping Bayardo with a devastating uppercut. Bayardo got up but did not want to continue. The bout was stopped at the 1:45 mark of round one.

4-round heavyweight bout
Tyrell “Too Real” Herndon (7-2, 5 KOs) vs. Armando Herrera (2-6, 1 KO)
Local native Tyrell “Too Real” Herndon went to war with fellow statesman Armando Herrera. Herndon used good footwork to set up his power shots. Herndon landed two powerful body shots followed by a right hook that sent Herrera to the canvas at the end of round one. In round two, Herrera showed a lot of heart as he kept coming forward trying to land some power shots of his own, but was not successful. In the beginning of round three, Herndon landed a counter right cross flush on the face of Herrera, putting him down. Herndon then landed a plethora of punches to the head and body of Herrera after he got up. Finally, Herndon ended the fight with another flurry of blows at the 1:06 mark of round three.

4-round bantamweight bout
Gregory “Goyo” Morales (3-0, 3 KOs) vs. Ben Guerrero (0-1)
Ben Guerrero, who was making his pro debut at age 51, was no match for the young lion, Gregory “Goyo” Morales. Guerrero came out guns blazing at the opening bell, but ran into a buzz saw, as Morales landed some viscous counter blows. A double left hook-straight right combo blasted Guerrero who was out on his feet, forcing the referee to stop the bout at the .46 second mark of round one.

4-round lightweight bout
Frank “Bloodhound” Brown (2-1-1, 1 KO) vs. Daniel Sanchez
In a battle of local lightweights, Frank “Bloodhound” Brown dominated Daniel Sanchez from the opening bell. Brown displayed a vicious body attack while landing at will to the head of Sanchez. A left hook to the head put Sanchez on the deck in the early part of round two before the referee stopped the bout after a barrage of punches. Fight was stopped at the 2:22 mark of round two.

Follow all the action as Errol Spence, Jr. makes the 1st defense of his IBF Welterweight title when he takes on former two-division champion Lamont Peterson.  The action kicks off at 9 PM ET as Robert Easter, Jr defends the IBF Lightweight title against former junior lightweight champion Javier Fortuna.

NO BROWSER REFRESH NEEDED.  THE PAGE WILL UPDATE AUTOMATICALLY

Round 1: Spence working the body…Jab

Round 2 Spence lands a left to the body..Counter right and left hook to the body from Peterson..Right..Right from Spence..Jab and uppercut..uppercut and right to the body..Peterson lands a left hook..Straight left to body from Spence..Jab

Round 3 Spence lands a left to the body..1-2..Flurry..Chopping left..Digging body shot

Round 4 Left from Spence..Left uppercut..Good left..Counter right from Peterson..Spence lands a left uppercut..Short right..2 lefts from Spence..

Round 5 Left hook to body from Peterson..1-2 From Spence..STRAIGHT LEFT AND DOWN GOES PETERSON….2 big lefts..Hard right from Peterson..Left upper and straight left from Peterson..Left from Peterson..Great Round

Round 6  Double jab and straight right from Peterson..Crisp combination from Spence..Left hook from Peterson..left to the body..

Round 7 Doctor checking swelling over Peterson left eye..FIGHT IS STOPPED IN THE CORNER..WINNER ERROL SPENCE JR

Round 1 Right hook from Fortuna..Combination..Body

Round 2 Fortuna coming out fast..Warned for holding Easter’s head..FORTUNA GETS A POINT DEDUCTED FOR HITTING BEHIND THE HEAD..Good Exchange..left hook from Easter..Combination from Fortuna..

Round 3 Straight right from Easter..Left hand and right hook from Fortuna..right to Face from Easter..Counter left from Fortuna..

Round 4

Round 5 Easter working the body..Left hook to the body..Left uppercut by Fortuna

Round 6 Big right from Easter..Counter left from Fortuna hurts Easter

Round 7

Round 8 Straight right from Easter..

Round 9 Combination from Easter

Round 10 Good left from Fortuna..Good body work..Left..Fortuna tagging Easter

Round 11 Good body work from Fortuna..Body work and left hook from Easter..Left hook..Left from Fortuna and another..Right from Easter..Body work from Fortuna

Round 12 Counter right from Fortuna..Both guys landing wild punches..Right from Fortuna..Left..Left from Easter..

Easter landed 130-567…..Fortuna  120-487

114-113 for Easter…114-113 Fortuna….115-112 Easter…Easter win via Split Decision

20 January 2018 – Jakarta, Indonesia: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), electrified the Jakarta Convention Center once again last Saturday night at ONE: KINGS OF COURAGE. The first ONE Championship live event in 2018 kicked the year off in style, as the absolute best in local and international martial arts talent took to the ONE Championship cage. In the main event, “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan of China was crowned the inaugural ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion with a technical knockout victory over Singapore’s Tiffany Teo.

Visit the official ONE: KINGS OF COURAGE photo gallery by clicking: http://bit.ly/onephotos

In the main event of the evening, a riveting striking battle took place between two outstanding female martial artists. “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan etched her name in the pages of history as the first ever ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion, defeating Singaporean martial arts ace Tiffany Teo by referee stoppage in the fourth round. Relying on her accurate striking, Xiong tagged Teo repeatedly with her patented overhand rights and stinging left hooks that presented a difficult problem to solve for the tough Singaporean. Through sheer power and determination, Xiong overwhelmed her opponent and secured the finish by dropping Teo with a volley of crisp punches, prompting veteran referee Olivier Coste to call a halt to the contest.

Xiong Jing Nan, newly-crowned ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion, stated: “I want to thank ONE Championship for this chance to show what China, and what women can do. I am happy to represent China and take a lot of pride in that. I feel great and I’m overwhelmed. This is a message to all the women across the world, you can achieve anything. This win is dedicated to my grandmother and grandfather who passed away recently.”

In the co-main event of the evening, Indonesian flyweight prodigy Stefer Rahardian drew the loudest cheers from the hometown crowd at the packed Jakarta Convention Center as he turned in another stellar performance, dominating Pakistan’s Muhammad Imran over three rounds to keep his unblemished professional record intact. Rahardian fully utilized his grinding ground-and-pound to pummel Imran repeatedly while threatening to end matters with various submission attempts. All three judges scored the bout in favor of Rahardian, who had his arm raised via unanimous decision.

In an entertaining display of grappling mastery between two submission wizards, former ONE Lightweight World Champion Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki emerged triumphant against former ONE Featherweight World Champion Marat “Cobra Gafurov in the card’s highly-anticipated Grappling Super-Match. Tearing a page out of his opponent’s playbook, Aoki took Gafurov’s back and submitted the Russian with a tight rear-naked choke to earn a much-needed victory.

Indonesian martial arts standout “The Terminator” Sunoto returned to action, needing only two rounds to pull off a crafty submission finish against Cambodia’s Rin Saroth. Facing an opponent who has extensive experience in the striking discipline of khun khmer, Sunoto turned the bout to his advantage by taking Saroth down to the canvas and wearing him out with stifling ground strikes. On the mat, Sunoto caught his Cambodian counterpart with a deep americana to force the tap, claiming the third submission win of his professional career.

32-year-old Russian bantamweight standout Yusup “Maestro” Saadulaev spoiled the ONE Championship return of Japanese veteran martial artist Masakazu Imanari, stifling his opponent with his high-level grappling game. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt kept the action focused primarily on the mat, where he controlled the pace in various dominant positions while constantly threatening with submission attempts. All three judges scored in favor of Saadulaev to win by unanimous decision.

36-year-old Indonesian martial arts proponent Victorio Senduk made a successful return to the ONE Championship cage after a four-year break to defeat countryman Yohan Mulia Legowo via thrilling technical knockout. After overcoming Legowo’s offensive advances early in the bout, Senduk came back with a dramatic display of willpower to turn the tables on Legowo, blasting him with a devastating combination against the fence just moments into the second round.

Filipino martial arts veteran Rene Catalan of Manila, Philippines turned in one of his most dominant performances to date against China’s Peng Xue Wen, winning by technical knockout to score his fourth straight victory inside the ONE Championship cage. Catalan, 18 years Peng’s senior, dominated the striking exchanges and matched Peng, a Greco Roman wrestling champion, in the grappling department. In the second round, Catalan dropped Peng with a liver shot and swarmed him on the ground.

Local female martial artist Priscilla Hertati Lumbangaol made easy work of Malaysia’s Audreylaura Boniface with a spectacular showcase of offense. A wushu and sanda practitioner, Lumbangaol peppered Boniface with strikes for the duration of the bout, ending matters against the cage with a torrent of impactful combinations.

In a rousing one-round striking affair to kick off ONE: KINGS OF COURAGE, Riska Umar of Indonesia overcame a spirited effort from countryman Egi Rozten to win via technical knockout. Rozten came out of the gates looking to end matters early with a relentless barrage of strikes, but Umar kept his composure and weathered the storm to win with ground-and-pound at the 4:20 mark of round one.

Official results for ONE: KINGS OF COURAGE

ONE Women’s Strawweight World Championship bout: Xiong Jing Nan defeats Tiffany Teo by TKO (Strikes) at 2:17 minutes of round 4

Flyweight bout: Stefer Rahardian defeats Muhammad Imran by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Grappling Super-Match: Shinya Aoki defeats Marat Gafurov by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 12:22 minutes

Bantamweight bout: Sunoto defeats Rin Saroth by Submission (Americana) at 2:07 minutes of round 2

Bantamweight bout: Yusup Saadulaev defeats Masakazu Imanari by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Catchweight bout: Victorio Senduk defeats Yohan Mulia Legowo by TKO (Strikes) at 0:57 minutes of round 2

Strawweight bout: Rene Catalan defeats Peng Xue Wen by TKO (Strikes) at 4:22 minutes of round 2

Atomweight bout: Priscilla Hertati Lumbangaol defeats Audreylaura Boniface by TKO (Strikes) at 3:23 minutes of round 1

Flyweight bout: Riski Umar defeats Egi Rozten by TKO (Strikes) at 4:20 minutes of round 1

In case you missed the action log on to www.onefc.com/livestream for the full replay of the fights at only US $9.99.

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 is the largest global sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE Championship is the home of martial arts. The world’s most exciting martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world’s best martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1.7-billion potential viewers across 128+ countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, and more.

MONTREAL (January 20, 2018) – popular fighter Steve “The Boss” Bossé will make his professional boxing debut as part of the third installment of the 2017-2018 “CHRONO AVIATION Boxing Series 2017-2018”, February 15th at the Cabaret du Casino de Montréal.

A former pugilist on skates, as well as an ex-Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) MMA fighter, Bossé will face tough Bolivian heavyweight Julio “Conceali” Cuellar Cabrera (12-6-0, 11 KOs), in a six-round bout.

“CHRONO AVIATION Boxing Series” is presented by Mise-O-Jeu, in association with Videotron, at the Cabaret du Casino de Montréal.

Bossé will attempt the Tour de force in terms of achieving popularity and success in his third contact sport. He was a great senior hockey star in Quebec, known as “The King of Fight on Ice”, followed by an MMA career that peaked when he was signed by UFC in 2014.

Cabrera, who started his career in 2009, has power in both hands with 11 knockouts in his 12 victories to date.

A native of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu in Quebec, Bossé clearly needs boxing experience before he steps up to face elite opponents in 10 or 12-round fights, but Michel Hamelin and the R.A.C.J. demanded that the former UFC star make his boxing debut in a six-round match, rather than the more traditional four-rounder for a debut fight.

“Don’t look for finesse, she won’t be at the rendezvous! ‘The Boss’ wants and must quickly face a brawler. said the vice president of operations and recruiting at Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM), Bernard Barré.

The 36-year-old, Bossé had 14 pro MMA fights, compiling an impressive 12-2-0 (9 KOs) record, including 2-1-0 (1 KO) in the UFC.

His violent knockout of Australian James Te Huna (16-8-0) on March 19, 2016 in Brisbane, Australia before 9552 fans, as well as his victory in a spectacular clash against the American Sean O’Connell (17-7-0), on June 18, 2016 in Ottawa, in front of 10,490 fans, earned him performance bonuses.

He also won the Ringside MMA light heavyweight (205 lbs.) title belt, needing only 2:45 to stop Ontario’s Craig Brown (6-1-0), September 19, 2009, at the Claude-Robillard sports Complex.

Prior to his MMA fighting, Bossé was recognized as the “champion skater” in the North American Hockey League (LNAH), when he was a fan favorite who has more than 300 entertaining fights.

He got his nickname, “The Boss” after a brief career in amateur boxing as a heavyweight, in which he faced the tournament champion of the Battle of the Hockey Enforcers, Dean “The Machine” Mayrand, pro MMA fighter Jacques Dubé, in addition to officers on skates, Justin Leinhos and Louis Bédard.

Marie Eve-Dicaire in NABF title fight

In the co-featured event, charismatic Marie Eve Dicaire (10-0) continues her march towards a world title Katia “La Leona” Alvarino (8-4-1, 3 KOs), of Uruguay, for the vacant North American Boxing Federation (NABF) junior middleweight title. The winner will be better positioned for a future world title fight.

“Marie-Eve can climb one step closer to the heights of women’s boxing. This fight represents a rendezvous with glory,” Barré added.

DiCaire, a former karate world champion, is undefeated in pro boxing, coming off a unanimous eight-round decision over Mexican invader Patty Ramirez (11-4) this past December 7 at the Cabaret du Casino de Montréal.

Alvarino’s last two appearances were in world title fights. In her last outing, back on October 21 in Montevideo, she lost as hard fought 10-round unanimous decision to International Boxing Federation Junior Middleweight World Champion Chris Namus (24-4, 8 KOs).

Mikael Zewski also fighting on loaded Feb. 15th card

World-class junior middleweight/welterweight Mikael Zewski (29-1, 22 KOs) will also be in action Feb 15 versus battle-tested Mexican Jose “El Changuito” de Jesus Macias (23-7-2, 12 KOs) in a potentially explosive eight-round fight. The latter notably lost a 10-round unanimous decision to American hopeful Erickson Lubin (13-0-0, 9 KOs) a year ago in Florida.

Zewski, who will be on his third outing under the GYM banner, won his last confrontation by knockout of Argentinian Enrique Martin Escobar (17-3, 14 KOs) last December 7 at the Casino de Montréal. With an impressive win over Macias, Zewski will be in line a North American championship title shot.

A protégé of former world champion Lucian Bute, welterweight Bruno Bredicean (9-0, 3 KOs), as well as the spectacular welterweight prospect Jessica “The Cobra” Camara (3-0) will also see action.

Bredicean will face an opponent to be determined, while Camara will be opposed by Guadalupe “Pantera” Lincer Ortiz (2-5-0, 1 KO), of Mexico.

The beginning for “Wild Thing” Pellerin

In the evening’s opening fight, Steve Bossé’s training partner and experienced mixed martial arts fighter, Yan “Wild Thing” Pellerin de Granby, will also make his pro boxing debut. He’s had 24 MMA fights (11-13-0) and will be facing an opponent to be determined.

Pellerin, who never feared adversity, has faced the best pugilists of his time, including former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin, in addition to UFC veterans from Quebec, Jonathan Goulet and Patrick Côté, as well as his current training partner, Bossé.

Tickets can be purchased via by going on line to https://www.admission.com/event/gala-de-boxe-gym-billets/893715.

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Groupeyvonmichel
@groupeyvonmichel
@yvonmichelGYM

#GYMchrono
#GroupeYM
ABOUT GROUPE YVON MICHEL (GYM):
Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM) was founded in 2004 by Yvon Michel and his associates. The organization’s mission is the development of high-level boxers by a support to the coaching and especially by the management in competition. In order to achieve its objectives, GYM is active in recruiting talent and organizing events, has developed major partnerships with bet-O-game, Videotron, Chrono Aviation, TVA Sports, the Centre Videotron, Loto-Québec, the Casinos of Montreal and Lac Leamy, RNC Media and the 91.9 Sports, & CO, Bel Printing and Dental center Lapointe, beauty and beef, Rival in addition to cooperating closely with Rixa Promotions. The entire GYM team is actively collaborating with the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation. GYM President Yvon Michel was inducted into the Canada Boxing Hall of Fame in April 20

WBO World Champion Aleksandr Usyk (13-0, 11 KOs) talks about his upcoming semi-final against WBC World Champion Mairis Briedis (23-0, 18 KOs) at the Arena Riga on January 27.

The Ukrainian superstar went to Berlin in September last year and opened the first season of the World Boxing Super Series by producing a spectacular display at the Max-Schmeling-Arena to stop former world champion Marco Huck in the 10th round.

Usyk’s training camp before the biggest unification fight in years in the cruiserweight division took place in Bukovel, on the ridge-lines of the Carpathian Mountains under the guidance of his trainer Sergey Vatamanyuk.

Now the 2012 Olympic gold medallist is traveling to Riga – to the backyard of the Latvian hero Mairis Briedis.

How are you looking forward to fighting in Riga?
“Let Briedis think about that, not me. All I know is that there will be a lot of my countrymen coming to Riga to support me.”

How big is the fight against Briedis when you look at your career?
“It is a big fight and it is going to be a big day in my career. It’s a unification fight. The fight for the Muhammad Ali Trophy is about the best fighting the best. I have the WBO belt and he has WBC – I like the colour green and the WBC belt is green so I can’t wait to get that belt.”

What do you think of your opponent?
“I have nothing bad to say about Briedis. His style is a bit boring, but I respect him. Briedis is a world champion so he has to be good.”

Why do you respect him?
“In principle, I respect all of my opponents. I even respect Marco Huck who spoke bad about me and pushed me at a press conference. I know what fighters are going through in order to be able to enter the ring. It takes a lot of training, a lot of work and I will always respect that.”

Tickets for the Usyk vs. Briedis, a semi-final in the cruiserweight division of the World Boxing Super Series, are on sale via bilesuserviss.lv.

Daniel Biaz 153.5 vs. Ray Trujillo TBA
Briana Gonzales 121.5 vs. Brittany Ordonez 120.5
Victor Pasillas 123.5 vs. Alejandro Moreno 122.5
Tyrell Herndon 229.5 vs. Armando Herrera 247
Ignacio Holgiun 127 vs. Santiago Bayardo TBA
Luis Villareal 170.5 vs. Adam Castillo 171.5
Frank Brown 139.5 vs. Daniel Sanchez 135.5
Gregory Morales 123.5 vs. Ben Guerrero 123.5
Faith Morones 126.5 vs. Nina Gallegos 144.5

Tickets priced $25 General Admission $30 at the door, $60 Lower Level, $75 Ringside, are on sale now, and can be purchased by calling (210) 449-5599 or (210) 322-9974. The Scottish Rite Theatre is located at 308 Ave E, San Antonio, TX 78205. Doors open at 6:00 PM, first bell at 7:30 PM. Promoter TMB & PRB Entertainment

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The Boxing Writers Association of America is proud to announce that its Sugar Ray Robinson 2017 Fighter of the Year is Vasily “Hi-Tech” Lomachenko, who made history in becoming the first Ukrainian to earn that distinction in the 80-year history of the award.

Lomachenko (10-1, 8 knockouts) earned the BWAA’s coveted prize by beating solid contenders Jason Sosa and Miguel Marriaga in 2017, then closing the year by making two-time Olympic gold medalist Guillermo Rigondeaux quit after six rounds.

“Hi-Tech” won out over Terence Crawford, Anthony Joshua, Mikey Garcia and Thailand star Srisaket Sor Rungvisai.

Lomachenko’s selection is the crowning moment for Team Lomachenko, which won a rare BWAA triple crown by winning the BWAA’s fighter, trainer and manager of the year awards for 2017. The last trio to complete the BWAA’s triple crown was in 1992, when Riddick Bowe was the BWAA FOY, the late renowned Eddie Futch was Trainer of the Year and Rock Newman was Manager of the Year.

For the first time ever, the BWAA announced its first 2017 Christy Martin Female Fighter of the Year, Cecilia Braekhus, who won over a worthy class that included Jessica Chavez, Naoko Fujioka, Mariana Juarez, Amanda Serrano, Claressa Shields and Katie Taylor.

The 2017 Muhammad Ali – Joe Frazier Fight of the Year was an obvious choice, with the epic Showtime heavyweight championship fight between Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko in April 2017 before 90,000 at Wembley Stadium. That choice outdistanced David Benavidez-Ronald Gavril, James DeGale-Badou Jack, Miguel Roman-Orlando Salido and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai-Roman Gonzalez I.

The second winner of Team Lomachenko’s BWAA triple crown is Loma’s father, Anatoly Lomachenko, who was voted the BWAA’s 2017 Eddie Futch Trainer of the Year. The finalists in that category included Derrick James, Brian McIntyre, Andre Rozier and Abel Sanchez.

For the second-straight year and completing Team Lomachenko trifecta is the BWAA’s 2017 Cus D’Amato Manager of the Year Egis Klimas, in a category that included Keith Connolly and Frank Espinoza.

For the second time in three years, Lou DiBella is a BWAA award winner—but this year DiBella finally breaks a spell receiving his first voted-on award by taking the 2017 Sam Taub trophy for outstanding achievement in broadcast journalism. The finalists there included Brian Custer, Stephen Espinoza, Roy Jones and Mauro Ranallo.

Daniel Franco’s saga in 2017 has been well documented. The California featherweight recovered from a serious brain injury after a fight in June and continues to make great progress. The BWAA is honored to name Franco as the 2017 Bill Crawford Courage Award winner. The other distinguished candidates in this category were Kathy Duva, Jose Santa Cruz, Claressa Shields and Samuel Teah.

The BWAA is also proud to announce Dr. Margaret Goodman as the 2017 Barney Nagler Long & Meritorious Award. This is the second BWAA award for Dr. Goodman, who received the Honesty and Integrity Award in 2005. The honorable mentions in this category included the BWAA’s indispensable Gina Andriolo, punchstat guru Bob Canobbio, boxing journalist Randy Gordon and BoxRec creator John Sheppard.

Long-time publicist Ed Keenan is the co-winner of the 2017 Marvin Kohn Good Guy Award, sharing it with future Hall of Famer Wladimir Klitschko. The team of Keenan-and-Klitschko was selected among a group of worthwhile contenders like Matt Donovan, Jose Ramirez, Bruce Silverglade and Tim Smith.

The awards will be presented at the annual BWAA gala, which will take place in April on a specific date and venue yet to be determined.

SAN ANTONIO, TX (January 19, 2018) – The highly anticipated showdown between undefeated three-division world champion Mikey Garcia and IBF 140-pound champion Sergey Lipinets has been rescheduled for Saturday, March 10th. The Premier Boxing Champions event was set to take place on February 10th, but Garcia’s quest for a fourth world title had to be rescheduled following a training injury to Lipinets’ hand. The fight will be live on SHOWTIME and will remain in San Antonio but move to the Freeman Coliseum.

Ticket information will be released early next week. Those holding tickets for the original date at the Alamodome will receive priority on seat exchange for the new venue. Tickets are priced at $250, $150, $75, $50 and $20 and will be available at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 210 556-6390. The event is promoted by Ringstar Sports and TGB Promotions, in association with Leija-Battah Promotions.

The remainder of the card will remain the same including the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING co-feature, which will see two-division world champion Rances Barthelemy taking on Kiryl Relikh in a rematch of their thrilling fight last May, this time for the vacant WBA 140-pound world title. The doubleheader of title bouts in the wide-open 140-pound division sets the stage for a potential unification match.

The 29-year-old Garcia (37-0, 30 KOs), emphatically returned to pound-for-pound lists in 2017 by scoring a highlight reel knockout of Dejan Zlaticanin to win the WBC Lightweight World Championship in January and then dominating four-division champion Adrien Broner on his way to a unanimous decision in July. Garcia is a member of a renowned boxing family, and is noted for his sportsmanship and his commanding presence in the ring, honed by his brother and acclaimed trainer Robert Garcia.

Garcia, of Moreno Valley by way of Oxnard, Calif., returned to the ring after a two-and-half-year layoff in July 2016 without missing a beat by stopping former champion Elio Rojas. Garcia, who has held world titles at 126, 130 and 135 pounds, has stopped 19 of his last 22 opponents including Roman “Rocky” Martinez, Juan Manuel Lopez and Orlando Salido.

With a win, Garcia would become only the third fighter in modern history to become champion at 126, 130, 135 and 140-pounds, joining future Hall of Famers Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao*.

The unbeaten Lipinets (13-0, 10 KOs) captured a super lightweight world title in just his 13th pro fight by defeating Akihiro Kondo via a unanimous decision on November 4 on SHOWTIME. He is originally from Kazakhstan but moved to Russia when he was six years old. He currently lives in Beverly Hills, California, Lipinets and is trained by Buddy McGirt.

The 28-year-old moved up the 140-pound rankings with victories over then unbeaten Haskell Rhodes, Levan Ghvamichava and Walter Castillo before knocking out Leonardo Zappavigna in a world title eliminator last December. Lipinets will look to stamp his place as an elite fighter when he takes on the accomplished and dangerous Garcia on March 10.

*Pacquiao won lineal championships at 126 and 140-pounds, although he did not win alphabet titles.

# # #

For more information visit www.sho.com/sports , www.premierboxingchampions.com,
follow us on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing, @Ringstar @TGBPromotions, and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing and www.Facebook.com/RingstarSports. PBC is sponsored by Corona Extra, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

ORANGE, Calif. (Jan. 19, 2018) – Thompson Boxing Promotions – already a sound fixture in the Southern California boxing scene – is expanding its promotional footprint in the new year.

The company’s confirmed dates for 2018 feature two new locations in Northern California – Sacramento and Salinas.

Alex Camponovo, longtime matchmaker and general manager for Thompson Boxing, says the company is still considering other locations in the United States.

“We’re still in the process of finalizing a few other venues in various cities, which we will announce soon,” Camponovo said. “In terms of expanding our reach in our home state, we held an event last summer in Sacramento that exceeded expectations. We felt it was the right time to revisit the area this year in June, in addition to adding Salinas to the calendar.”

The event in Salinas, scheduled for Saturday, April 14, is a nod to unbeaten blue-chip prospect Ruben Villa (9-0, 4 KOs), who hails from the area. A venue will be announced at a later date. The show in Sacramento is set for Saturday, June 30 from the Omega Products International.

The 10 remaining event dates are scattered throughout Southern California. Eight will originate from the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, Calif., a Saturday showcase is scheduled for March 17 in Orange County, and on Aug. 24, Thompson Boxing heads to the city of Corona in Riverside County.

For brand partnership opportunities, please contact Richard Hiskey at RHiskey@thompsonboxing.com.

Please see enclosed date list at the bottom of the press release for a full rundown of the 12 confirmed events.

For more information, please visit ThompsonBoxing.com.

For regular updates on our fighters, events, and promotions, please check our Facebook Page, watch our YouTube channel on Thompson Boxing TV, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter @ThompsonBoxing.

Kendo “Tremendo” Castaneda carries the skill, talent and now with a name like Roy Jones Jr. Promotions in his corner, continues to raise his glove in victory. Last week, Roy Jones Jr. Promotions CEO / Co-Founder, Keith Veltre and Faith Hope Gloves Manager, Casey Gutierrez took pen to paper and locked in Kendo Castaneda.

“Signing Kendo was a great start to RJJ’s 2018,” stated Keith Veltre. “When Casey Guiterrez presented us with Kendo, Guy Taylor (official Match Maker for RJJ), we both said this kid is special and enhances our RJJ’s stable.”

Kendo is no stranger to the ring nor being a champion. Ringside National Champion in 2011, Nationals Runner up in 2010 and 2x Texas State Champion, and a combined 120 amateur career, his pedigree in and out of the ring suits the RJJ status. Kendo trains out of the Champion Fit Gym with former WBC World Champion Jesse James Leija and Joe Rodriguez.
“To be signed with Roy Jones Jr. Promotions means the world to me! I know I am in good hands and can get the fights a hot prospect like myself deserves.” stated Kendo “I feel boxing can use more fighters interested in making legendary fights. I want to fight the best. It has been hard to land good opponents, but now with the support of Roy Jones Jr. and Keith Veltre, I look forward to staying busy, getting great exposure, and bringing a positive and flexible attitude to encourage legendary fights.”

Kendo “Tremendo” Castaneda has roared his young career to an impressive 13-0 start by putting half of his opposition to sleep. Kendo ranks among the best current boxers of San Antonio alongside Mario Barrios (16-0) and Adam Lopez (16-0-1) but plans on having more titles than his hometown Spurs before he’s done. In a 3 fight span Kendo went to combat with veterans of over 115 fights combined but the vast experience proved no match to Tremendo’s speed and power as he knocked them all out. Currently Kendo is riding a three bout stoppage streak and the recently signed Roy Jones Jr. Prospect shows no signs of stopping the “Tornado of Tremendo.”

“For having turned pro at the young age of 18, Kendo truly has done an outstanding job of reaching 12-0 as a free agent. It took less than a minute to realize his boxing talent is accompanied by charisma. He truly is a happy-go-lucky type of guy. I’m excited because of his charisma, talent, fearless attitude, and high level work ethic. Truly a boxing manger’s ideal scenario. I cannot wait to hopefully have Kendo as an RJJ main event in the near future. He has a huge fan base in beautiful San Antonio, TX.” stated Casey Gutierrez, CEO of FHG

Follow Kendo on his journey to success with Roy Jones Jr. Boxing and Casey Gutierrez at the following:
Instagram: http://@kendotremendo, http://@royjonesjrboxing, http://@keithveltre, http://@fhgboxing
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kendotremendocastaneda, https://www.facebook.com/RJJBoxing

Hall of Fame Promoter Frank Warren will stage a double World Title card on Saturday 14th April featuring Billy Joe Saunders’ defence of his WBO World Middleweight Championship against domestic rival Martin Murray, alongside Terry Flanagan’s challenge for the vacant WBO World Super Lightweight title against unbeaten American Maurice Hooker. The card will be broadcast live in the UK on BT Sport and BoxNation.

Saunders, fresh from a 12 round masterclass against David Lemieux in the Canadian’s home town, returns to the UK to face long-time rival Martin Murray. Saunders’ career best performance in Canada has seen him risen to be considered by many the top active boxer in the UK and the Hatfield man is looking for 2018 to be the biggest year of his career.

Murray is the final hurdle for Saunders in obtaining a complete domestic whitewash of British and Irish Middleweights that already includes Andy Lee, Chris Eubank Jr, Spike O’Sullivan, John Ryder and Nick Blackwell. Should Saunders overcome Murray on the 14th April it is likely to clear the path for a blockbuster showdown for all the World Middleweight Titles against the winner of the highly anticipated rematch between Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez.

Saunders said: ‘ Martin Murray is a good fighter and I have got the greatest of respect for him. But he’s in the way of what I’m aiming for this year and that is to become Undisputed Middleweight World Champion. He’s coming try and win my world title and I’m sure it’s going to be a good fight!’

Murray who many felt did enough to become a Middleweight World Champion against both Sergio Martinez and Felix Sturm, only to be undone by the judges’ scorecards, is coming off a big win against Gabriel Rosado and will be out looking to scupper Saunders’ plans of facing Golovkin or Canelo and grab that blockbuster undisputed World title showdown for himself.

The St. Helen’s man said, ‘ I rate Billy Joe as a fighter, he’s one of slickest out there and he is coming off of a great win and will be very confident. But I’m very confident, this is my time to become World Champion, as it’s the only thing I have left to do.

I’ve fought everyone and in my opinion at Middleweight I have only one genuine loss which is against Gennady Golovkin who is the best out there.

I don’t count Martinez or Sturm as genuine losses because of the scorecards. But this time around, in my first World Title fight at home, as we are both British fighters fighting on home soil, I know the best man on the night will get the win and leave the arena as World Champion.’

In the other World Title clash on the card, unbeaten former WBO World Lightweight Champion Terry Flanagan faces unbeaten American Maurice Hooker for the WBO World Super Lightweight Championship, in his first contest at the weight. Flanagan had defended his 135 lb World Title 5 times before relinquishing the belt to move to Super Lightweight, a more comfortable weight class for his stature.

Flanagan said: ‘Hooker is a very good unbeaten fighter, he fights on the back foot and looks to catch you from distance. However I’m very confident I’ll be able to deal with anything he throws at me to become a two-weight World Champion. Winning this fight will prove I’m a legitimate 140lb fighter I’ll be looking to unify the belts later in the year.’

Whilst undefeated American Maurice Hooker said: ‘I’m looking forward to coming to the UK to fight Flanagan and to become World Champion. We are both undefeated fighters and I’m sure it’s going to be a fantastic fight!’

Details of the venue that will stage the event, the full announcement press conference and ticket information will all follow next week.

Croatian heavyweight sensation Filip Hrgovic (2-0, 2 KOs) returns to Riga and to the World Boxing Super Series with an eight-round contest against Britain’s Tom Little (10-4, 3 KOs) on the undercard of The Ali Trophy semi-final clash between Aleksandr Usyk and Mairis Briedis on January 27 at the Riga Arena in Latvia.

The 2016 Olympic bronze medallist returns to happy hunting ground having started his professional career with the first-round KO of Raphael Zumbano Love at the Riga Arena. The 27-year-old followed this up with a second win in Schwerin stopping the previously undefeated Pavel Sour inside the first stanza.

“I’m looking forward to fighting in Riga again,” says Hrgovic. “It’s a great city and a great event. I’m happy to come back here after a successful pro debut in Riga.”

“I’ve been preparing for this fight like it is a World title. I’ve been training and sparring very hard, and I’ll be 100% ready on fight night. My opponent Tom Little seems to be very confident. But whatever he brings, I’m ready for it.”

“I think it will be another 1st round stoppage victory, but I’ll be ready to go the 8-round distance if I need to. If I perform like I know I can, he doesn’t have a chance.”

Little, from Hatfield, England, is on a three-fight win streak, and confident of upsetting the odds and handing Hrgovic his first professional defeat.

“I’ve been waiting years for a chance like this, and I’m over the moon that I’ve finally been given an opportunity on such a massive show,” said Little. “Filip is a big strong boy, but this fight is way too early for him and I’ve seen a few things I can take advantage of. The fight won’t see the 8th round. I’ll bash his face in!”

Tickets for the Usyk vs. Briedis, a semi-final in the cruiserweight division of the World Boxing Super Series, are on sale via bilesuserviss.lv.

BROOKLYN (January 18, 2018) – Undefeated welterweight world champion Errol Spence Jr. and two-division world champion Lamont Peterson faced off Thursday at the final press conference before they enter the ring Saturday, January 20 in the main event live on SHOWTIME from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING®, and presented by Premier Boxing Champions.

The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features unbeaten lightweight world champion Robert Easter and former world champion Javier Fortuna, who met face to face for the first time on Thursday.

Competing in SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING PRELIMS on Saturday will be unbeaten light heavyweight Marcus Browne and once-beaten Francy Ntetu, who meet in a 10-round bout, plus undefeated heavyweight Adam Kownacki and once-beaten Iago Kiladze, who step into the ring for a 10-round affair.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and TGB Promotions, are priced starting at $50, and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com, at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center or by calling 800-745-3000. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.

Here is what the participants had to say Thursday from the Dream Hotel Downtown:

ERROL SPENCE JR.

“This fight means everything to me. I still have a chip on my shoulder. I want to be the last man standing. I want to beat the top fighters in my division. Lamont is the one standing in front of me, so it’s fight time.

“I think it’s going to turn into a war. A lot of people have thought this would be an easy fight for me. But if you follow Lamont Peterson, you know this will be tough. He’s always in great shape and has a lot of skills. IT might be a dog fight and that’s what I wanted. He’s the guy who wanted to fight and I said of course. It’s going to be a rugged fight. Later on in the fights, he always gets rough and stands toe-to-toe.

“There might not be a lot of talking and bad blood between us, but you know that the two of us always give a great fight for the fans.

“I had to wait for my title defense and then I had a lot of guys not answer the call for this fight. I have a belt and I still have to call these other guys out. Lamont Peterson answered the call like a real fighter.

“In a perfect world I’d be unifying with Keith Thurman this year. I’m going to fight three times this year though. You don’t get time back. I’m ready to strike now.

“I’m just excited to fight. I like to fight. I can’t wait to be in front of those bright lights in front of the fans. Brooklyn is a great place to fight and my family from the area can come see me live. I can’t wait to display my skills.

“A true champion can’t fight everybody who calls them out, it’s still a business. But a true champion fights other champions, especially when they’re available. You can’t avoid questions and try to delay a fight. You fight the next champion that’s available, that’s what a true champion does.”

LAMONT PETERSON

“When I got into boxing, I had goals. First I wanted to be a National Champion, then a world champion as a professional, but the ultimate goal is to be in the Hall of Fame. With that being my goal, I wouldn’t put myself in that conversation yet. With wins over a guy like Errol Spence and the other top welterweights, I think I’m right there in it. That’s my goal and I’ll give it my all to get there.

“If you left it to me I’d fight every month. That’s how much I love the sport. I know a victory would help me get in the ring even more often. Sometimes if you lose at the top level, other top guys don’t want to take a chance against you. I can fix all of that this weekend

“I don’t worry about any negativity. My resume is written in the history books. All I can do is respect the opinion of others and work hard to get this win.

“I’m excited and looking forward to the skill level that’s going to be displayed this weekend. It’s going to be a rough fight for sure. But I look forward to the technique and skill level. Defense, offense and transitioning between the two. That’s the part of boxing that I love.

“Errol even taking the Kell Brook fight was impressive to me. Most guys in his position take their time leading up to the first title shot, but he ended up fighting someone in his prime in his country. To will himself to that win was very impressive.

“When you get to the big stages and those big fights, you have to win more than you lose. I think if I can win some big fights these next few years my career will be in a good place.”

ROBERT EASTER

“I have no concerns fighting a southpaw. I made my last fight hard, but this time I’m going to use my reach, my feet and my speed to dominate.

“I’m looking for a great performance. This is going to be the best Robert Easter the fans have ever seen. We prepared to dominate this fight.

“Javier Fortuna is an accomplished fighter but I don’t know too much about him. I know what I came to do. I’m a world champion and everyone knows what I bring to the fight game. I won’t leave without my strap.

“I’m ready to fight the best in this sport. I want to become the man at this weight and I know I have to beat the other champions to do that.

“Boxing is all about showing you’re the best and fighting the best. I just want to fight these other champions in my weight class. I’m looking to stay healthy in 2018 and remain on top.”

JAVIER FORTUNA

“I have no excuses on January 20. I hope he doesn’t either. I will be taking that title to the Dominican Republic for my fans. I’ve been dreaming about it and I will take it.

“I have the style and the skills to beat Robert Easter. I know how to make sure his height does not affect me at all. Everyone will see it on fight night.

“I’ve prepared myself very well. I have a plan to win every round. If he’s able to stand there, I’m going to break him down round by round.

“I am fighting for more than just myself and that is why I’ll be successful. I am going to prove that I’m truly one of the top fighters in the sport.

“Robert Easter is a fighter I respect, but I believe I can defeat anyone in front of me. If he takes me lightly, it will go even worse for him. I’ve been training hard to make sure I’m at my absolute best on fight night.

“A win would be great for my country, my fans and my family. Winning this title is everything for me. That’s why I’m here and I will not be stopped.”

DERRICK JAMES, Spence’s Trainer

“I started training Errol about nine years ago but I never really knew just how special he was until about a year or so into our training. I thought Olympics were definitely possible, because I didn’t want to look too far ahead. Now that we’re here, I think he can beat any of the top guys. I want him to be undisputed welterweight champion just like he wants to be.

“I never worry about comparing Errol to other guys in the sport. He’s a hard puncher who breaks ribs and breaks faces. The longer the fight goes, the more pain he inflicts. I’ve never seen anybody who punches that hard.

“I think Lamont knew when he moved up to welterweight that this fight would be a possibility. It’s time for us to go to work because I know Lamont and Barry Hunter are working on a game plan. They have a great team and I know Lamont will be ready for what we bring.”

BARRY HUNTER, Peterson’s Trainer

“We stay in the gym all the time. We didn’t have to deal with the weight monster this camp. Weight issue can really derail a camp leading up to a fight of this magnitude. We didn’t have to deal with any of that.

“There are several different things in Errol’s arsenal that I think we can exploit. Errol will make adjustments though, so I think strategy will be a key in this fight.

“Lamont has always been a coach’s dream. He’s the type of athlete that you would love to coach. He does everything a coach asks of him. He will train until he passes out. All he wants is to work hard and compete.”

LOU DIBELLA, President of DiBella Entertainment

“This is a great night for boxing. The first January date of the year drums up a lot of excitement and we expect a great turnout on Saturday night at Barclays Center. It’s going to be a great crowd and an exciting night from top to bottom

“Errol Spence Jr. is one of the best young fighters in the world testing himself against another great fighter in Lamont Peterson It’s the best fighting the best. Lamont Peterson is a guy with a tremendous resume. If anybody thinks Errol is going to take Lamont lightly, they’re mistaken and he would be too.

“Both of these main event fighters are lucky to have trainers who are real teachers. They are old school and two of the best. Derrick James and Barry Hunter know the game inside and out.

“Robert Easter is a beast, he’s got reach, power and boxing ability. He’s facing a guy in Javier Fortuna who is a confident former world champion. Javier has been talking a big game. He’s talking about knockouts. You want to see a guy come into a fight like this with that kind of confidence.

“This year in boxing is starting out just like last year started, at Barclays Center with a great, even matchup like Badou Jack vs. James DeGale last year.”

STEPHEN ESPINOZA, Executive Vice President & General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports

“In terms of representing the sport, you don’t get any better than Errol Spence Jr. and Lamont Peterson. The professionalism of these guys is unmatched and they represent the best of the sport. I’m proud to have them on the network.

“You can’t play boxing. You have to be dedicated and passionate. Those values are going to be reflected in the ring on Saturday.

“This is a special fight. These are the best in the sport. They’re both top 10 guys. Errol Spence Jr. has grown up on SHOWTIME. He made his pro debut on ShoBox and won his first world title on SHOWTIME. This is Lamont’s eighth appearance on SHOWTIME and he has one of the strongest resumes in the sport.

“Robert Easter and Javier Fortuna is another matchup of top 10 guys. What we’re doing here is special. This isn’t just another network doing boxing, this is the cream of the crop.”

BRETT YORMARK, CEO of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment

“I’m really excited about Saturday night. We’ve been very fortunate to host the first big event of the year. There’s an appetite to get back into the game and we’re happy to be hosting it.

“I want to welcome back Errol and Lamont to Barclays Center. Both have been there before and we’re thrilled to have you back. We’re pleased that Robert has finally decided to take his show to Barclays Center and give the fans a performance. Last time Javier won at Barclays Center he won his world title and we’re happy to have him back.

“We’re going to create something great here in Brooklyn and it continues on Saturday night at Barclays Center.”

# # #

For more information visit www.sho.com/sports , www.premierboxingchampions.com,

follow us on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing, @LouDiBella, @TGBPromotions, @BarclaysCenter and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing, www.Facebook.com/barclayscenter,
and www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment. PBC is sponsored by Corona Extra, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

Los Angeles, CA (January 18, 2018) With the extraordinary fan and media interest from the previously announced fights for SUPERFLY 2, another excellent world title bout has been added which will open the HBO Boxing After Dark® telecast. Fighting Pride of the Philippines and four-time world champion DONNIE NIETES, (40-1-4, 22 KO’s) will make the first defense of his IBF Flyweight World Title over 12-rounds against three-time former world champion JUAN CARLOS REVECO, (39-3-0, 19 KO’s) from Las Heras, Argentina. The triple header takes place Saturday, February 24 from The Forum in Los Angeles and will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT.

“Fighting in Los Angeles for the third time in front of the great Filipino fans along with fighting on HBO is a great honor for me, said Nietes. “I know how tough Reveco is but I’ll be well prepared to defend my title on Saturday, February 24.”

“This is a tremendous opportunity for me to finally fight in the United States and against a great champion in Donnie Nietes,” said Reveco. “I know there will be a huge amount of Argentinian fans at the Forum for the fight and I look forward to winning the IBF Flyweight World Title in front of them.”

“We’re very proud to add one of the Philippines’ longest standing warriors and four-time world champion Donnie Nietes to this tremendous event as he defends his world title against three-time world champion Juan Carlos Reveco at the Forum on Saturday, February 24 and live on HBO,” said TOM LOEFFLER of 360 Boxing Promotions.

“In the last couple of years Nietes has looked very impressive headlining events in Los Angeles and we look forward to a huge turnout of local Filipino boxing fans for this world title defense against the upset minded Reveco who is seeking his fourth world title.”

“With the four outstanding fights now announced for SUPERFLY 2, three of them being world title fights, this clearly sets the standard for boxing events providing quality to fans in 2018. All eight of these fighters are in the top ten in their respective weight classes.”

Most recently Nietes won the vacant IBF Flyweight World Title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Komgrich Nantapech on April 29, 2017, in Cebu City, Philippines.

Prior to that, Nietes won the WBO Junior Flyweight World Title against Juan Alejo on October 17, 2015 at the Stubhub Center in Carson, California and followed up at the same venue by defeating Edgar Sosa on September 24, 2016, winning both bouts by dominant unanimous decision.

Nietes is undefeated dating back to September 2004.

Reveco’s most recent victory also came against Komgrich Nantapech on September 8, 2017, winning by 12-round unanimous decision in Argentina.

In two of his most recent and memorable bouts, Reveco traveled to Osaka, Japan, coming up just short both times against WBA Flyweight World Champion Kazuto Ioka in 2015.

Currently on a three-fight winning streak, Reveco who has fought mostly in Argentina and Japan throughout his illustrious career, will be fighting in the United States for the first time.

Tickets for SUPERFLY 2, priced at $250, $150, $100, $60 and $30 are now on sale and can be purchased through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000) and the Forum Box Office. The Forum is located at 3900 W. Manchester Blvd, Inglewood CA 90305.

SUPERFLY 2 is headlined by WBC Super Flyweight World Champion SRISAKET SOR RUNGVISAI, (43-4-1, 39 KO’s), of Si Sa Ket, Thailand, defending his title over 12-rounds for the second time against former world champion and #1 ranked mandatory challenger JUAN FRANCISCO “El Gallo” ESTRADA, (36-2, 25 KO’s), of Sonora, Mexico.

Co-featured on the HBO Boxing After Dark telecast, former WBC Super Flyweight World Champion, CARLOS “Principe” CUADRAS, (36-2-1, 27 KO’s), of Mexico City, MX facing hard-hitting, two-time world title challenger MC WILLIAMS ARROYO, (16-3, 14 KO’s), of Fajardo, Puerto Rico in an outstanding ten round super flyweight clash.

Featured on the international telecast portion of SUPERFLY 2, four-time world champion in two divisions and #2 ranked BRIAN “The Hawaiian Punch” VILORIA, (38-5, 22 KO’s) of Los Angeles, CA via Waipahu, Hawaii will challenge undefeated and #1 ranked ARTEM DALAKIAN, (15-0, 11 KO’s), of Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine for the vacant WBA Flyweight World Title

SUPERFLY 2 is presented by Tom Loeffler’s 360 Promotions in association with Nakornluong Promotions and Zanfer Promotions. Cuadras vs. Arroyo is presented in association with Promociones del Pueblo and PR Best Boxing. Viloria vs. Dalakian is presented in association with Teiken Promotions. Nietes vs. Reveco is presented in association with ALA Promotions and OR Promotions.

Additional information on this tremendous night of world class professional boxing will be announced shortly.

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The hate between Dillian Whyte and Lucas Browne is real – but both men say that there’s more than pride on the line when they clash for Whyte’s WBC Silver Heavyweight title at The O2 in London on March 24, live on Sky Sports.

The Heavyweight rivals came face-to-face at a press conference in central London today and left the media in no doubt that there is plenty of true venom behind their fierce social media spats are as they traded barbs before a face-off that ended in a frosty handshake.

That tense show of respect reflected the high stakes in the fight, with Whyte ranked number one in the WBC and former WBA champion Browne hunting a route to becoming a two-time champion – the pair will renew hostilities in two months’ time knowing the winner is in a prime spot to fight for a World crown this year.

“I hope I can fight for a World title this year,” said Whyte. “Sky Sports and Matchroom are behind me and now it’s my time to shine. If I can put on a good show in front of a good crowd at The O2 then they can’t deny me.

“I’m highly ranked in all the governing bodies and I think I could become mandatory in two of them, so this is a fight with a top contender against an undefeated former World champion – so you have to say that win this, I deserve a World title shot.

“He’s a solid fighter and he’s got KO power. Any big guy can chin anyone at any time, but he’s just got power. A lot of people are in boxing because they are big men – not because they have skill or heart – they’re just physically big and over-powering smaller fighters.

“The guy is a bully and calls himself ‘an enforcer’ so you have to deal with that in a head-on way. Robert Helenius wasn’t like that, he was cool, so I was cool, but Lucas has stepped to me in a demeaning way that I don’t like, I take that personally and I’m not going to let it slide. He’s giving it the big one because he’s got insecurities. This is my city, he’s in my backyard, and I’m not going to let him take liberties with me.

“You can’t intimidate me. I’ve been right at the bottom and I’ve risen up, so nothing fazes me and I’m not scared of anything, especially not Lucas Browne. I’m more scared of my Mum than him.

“Of course, I want the rematch with Anthony Joshua, but the fight with Deontay Wilder would make the AJ fight even bigger if I had the WBC belt. I’m always going to want the Joshua fight because we have history and we keep winning then the fight is inevitable, but there’s more to this sport for just fighting for pride, it’s business, and the fights have to fit my strategy. If you win a World title, you go down in history as a Heavyweight World Champion, it’s the biggest accolade in sport and that can never be taken from you.”

“The build-up will be spicy and fun, but I think it’s going to a great fight and all that matters is winning on March 24,” said Browne. “He calls me a ‘bully’ – well I’m going to show him what a ‘bully’ can do. I made my points today, I’m coming to fight, not for a payday or to roll over, I want his belt and I want to be a World champion again.

“I asked him if he was going to shake my hand and he did – I’m a gentleman. I still hate the guy and want to smash his face in at The O2, but man to man, this is a sport and we should respect each other for fighting.

“I don’t like judges’ decisions – it’s not good for me to have my life and my career in the hands of three people outside the ring. If I KO someone – there’s no argument, that’s what I like.

“We’re both at the point in our careers where we need to put in a big performance to stake a claim to fight for a World title, that’s going to make me put it all on the line, and I think it’ll do the same for him.”

Tickets for Whyte vs. Browne at The O2 in London are on sale now priced £40, £60 and £100 from www.theO2.co.uk. VIP tickets priced £200 are exclusively available from www.matchroomboxing.com

Face value tickets for March 24 are available from http://www.stubhub.co.uk/matchroom-boxing-tickets/ . StubHub is the official ticket partner and marketplace of Matchroom Boxing and Anthony Joshua.