Oxnard, CA: As Arif “The Predator” Magomedov (18-1, 11 KOs) prepares to face his toughest opponent to date, Luis “Cuba” Arias (17-0, 8 KOs), on the Ward vs. Kovalev 2 HBO Pay Per View® telecast on June 17 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, he will have a new trainer in his corner, Marco Contreras, the long-time assistant to legendary trainer, Robert Garcia.

After he first arrived in the United States in 2015 from Russia, Magomedov trained with UFC star Ronda Rousey’s notorious trainer Edmond Tarverdyan. During their time together, Arif secured a 4-0 record with two knockouts and earned the NABO Middleweight Title. Tarverdyan’s training schedule with Rousey proved to be too difficult to maneuver around, so they parted ways amicably. Since then, Magomedov suffered his first career loss against to Andrew Hernandez in May of last year. He returned to Russia for the remainder of 2016 and stopped Chris Herrmann in the second round in his most recent fight.

Earlier this year, Arif returned to the US to prepare for his appearance on HBO Latino Boxing against Elias Espadas. While he was in Russia, Magomedov’s manager, 2016 BWAA Manager of the Year Egis Klimas, had arranged for Contreras to begin training Magomedov. The two men met for the first time at the airport, as soon as Arif arrived in Los Angeles. When asked about his initial impressions of Arif, Marco replied, “Arif is a tough guy. He’s got experience. He came back after that one loss in Vegas determined to make a change for his career. He’s been really adjusting well. He’s a good fighter, pressure fighter and he can take a punch. It’s always a pressure fight. So he’s gonna come, come and come and be in front of your face all night. He’s not gonna be dancing around, he’s just gonna be there and make it a fight. I don’t see any weaknesses right now. Mentally he’s good. He wants to prove a point.”

Magomedov and Contreras train at Klimas’ new gym, the Boxing Laboratory, in Oxnard, California where several of Klimas’ fighters, including Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev, train. The environment has been beneficial for Magomedov, who added, “I am very happy that I ended up in this gym. I really, really like to work with Marco. I am so happy that I ended up here in Oxnard.”

The fight with Espadas was scrapped at the last minute due to illness. Because he was already training with Marco for the Espadas fight, they felt he was in prime condition to accept the fight with Arias when it was offered to him shortly thereafter. Magomedov acknowledges that Arias will be a tough opponent for him, but is ready for the challenge. He said, “I watched all his fights. He’s a good boxer, he moves well, he’s fast but I made some notes that I need to make and know what I have to do.”

Furthermore, he feels he learned a lot from his loss against Hernandez and can apply those lessons to this fight. “I had enough time to think, to look back at everything, to see if I need to make adjustments and I did make certain adjustments. I learned something for myself, that I won’t let this happen again.”

Main Events CEO Kathy Duva visited Arif at the Boxing Laboratory last week and was happy to see a change in him: “Before the Hernandez fight, Arif just didn’t seem like himself. When I saw him at the gym last week, I saw the Arif who had been so impressive in the ring against Derrick Webster. Training in Oxnard and working with Marco has been great for him and I can’t wait to see the results in the ring at Mandalay Bay on June 17th.”

Ward vs. Kovalev 2: “The Rematch,” a 12-round mega-fight for the WBO/IBF/WBA Light Heavyweight World Championships, is presented by Roc Nation Sports, Main Events, Andre Ward Promotions, Krusher Promotions and Corona Extra, sponsored by Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Jetlux, Life10 Water, Zappos and Powered by Monster. The championship event takes place Saturday, June 17 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

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Sean McGoldrick says he can become a big star in Wales as he prepares for his second pro outing at the SSE Arena Belfast on Saturday night, live on Sky Sports.

The 25 year old made his pro debut in Manchester in March against the vastly experienced Brett Fidoe and impressed over the four round distance, and now wants to put everything he learnt that night into action in Belfast as he looks to build to a fight at home in the new season.

“I’ve been training hard since my first fight, making minor adjustments from what I’ve picked up since my debut so I’m looking forward to getting back in there and showing what I’ve learnt,” said McGoldrick.

“My debut was a bit of a blur to be honest, it was over so quick but looking back I was happy with my performance. With it being my debut, I was so excited and maybe a bit too eager. Maybe I could have made a few changes, but overall, I was happy with how it went.”

McGoldrick claimed gold for his country at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi and as the boxing season draws to a close, the Newport talent is eyeing a homecoming in the next season with hopes that he can bring a bill to his home nation along with stablemate and Team GB Rio Olympian Joe Cordina.

“When I boxed in Wales as an amateur it was amazing, but to do it as a professional on a bigger stage would be a dream come true,” said McGoldrick. “I’ve heard about a potential show in Cardiff for the new season so the motivation is for me to perform in Belfast first and foremost then I can hint to Eddie I want to be on that show.

“Welsh boxing has got a very rich history but it sort of died off for a couple of years but now it feels like it’s on the way to being massive again. The gyms are buzzing. Boxing is becoming one of our main sports again and it’s good to be a part of it moving forward, I really feel I can be a big star there.”

McGoldrick also has the inside track on Saturday night’s main event having worked with the IBF Bantamweight champion Lee Haskins in the build-up, and predicts a tight encounter with unbeaten hometown talent Ryan Burnett.

“I did some sparring with Lee and he’s looking good,” said McGoldrick. “It was good for my confidence, coming away knowing I’ve shared the ring with a World Champion in my weight category.

“If Haskins can frustrate Burnett, I think Ryan might play into his hands. But with Ryan so fresh and young and you can see how much he wants it – that will also be a big part. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a draw! It’s a genuine 50/50 fight. I can see how they can both win.”

McGoldrick is part of a huge night of action in Belfast topped by Haskins’ defence against Burnett.

Paul Hyland Jr faces Adam Dingsdale for his first pro title with the IBF European Lightweight strap on the line, James Tennyson tackles Ryan Doyle for the WBA International Super-Featherweight belt, Ian Tims and Luke Watkins meet for the Irish Cruiserweight title, there’s the Cruiserweight debut of Mike Perez, and local favourites Paddy Gallagher, Matthew Wilton, Feargal McCrory and Tyrone McCullagh.

Tickets are on general sale priced at £30, £40, £60 and £100 from the SSE Arena Belfast at http://www.ssearenabelfast.com/belfast-boy-burnett-v haskins

VIP tickets priced at £150 are exclusively available from http://www.matchroomboxing.com/

Face value tickets for June 10 are also be available from http://www.stubhub.co.uk/matchroom-boxing-tickets/ . StubHub is the official ticket partner and marketplace of Matchroom Boxing and Anthony Joshua.

LANCASTER, CA. (June 7, 2017) – Former world champion Brandon Rios hosted a large contingent of media at Ten Goose Boxing Gym in Van Nuys, California Wednesday as he prepares for his ring return this Sunday, June 11 against Mexico’s Aaron Herrera in the main event of a Special Edition of Premier Boxing Champions on FS1 and FOX Deportes live from The Pioneer Event Center in Lancaster, California.

Televised coverage begins at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT after the Mexico vs. USA World Cup qualifier on FS1 and FOX Deportes and will feature unbeaten Mario Barrios in a 10-round super lightweight contest against Mexico’s Jose Luis Rodriguez and undefeated prospect Jose Miguel Borrego squaring-off against once-beaten Kevin Watts in an eight-round super lightweight bout.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions, are priced at $30 and are on sale now. To purchase tickets visit the Pioneer Event Center’s website: www.uavpec.com

Here is what Rios and his trainer had to say Wednesday:

BRANDON RIOS

“I’m just ready to get back to the top. I know that I have to climb the ladder and that’s what I’m here for.

“When I said that I was done, I was done. Eventually though I started getting that urge again, to get on that stage and perform on TV. My wife told me that if I wanted to fight again, I had to come back dedicated.

“It’s really cool to be fighting right after the Mexico vs. USA match. I’m a Mexican-American but I live in the United States so it’ll be USA vs. Mexico in the ring as well when I face Herrera.

“I know that I have a very skilled, tough opponent. He’s working with Juan Manuel Marquez and he’s very experienced. He’s faced some really tough opponents. It’s going to be a good fight to get back in the ring with.

“I felt like I needed a new voice in my corner. There’s nothing against (former trainer) Robert Garcia, I respect him and he got me to where I am today, but I felt like I got too used to that situation.

“I told (Rios’ trainer) Ricky Funez that I wanted to come back and have him train me and thankfully he was excited to work with me. We started working really hard and we took some time to get to know each other more and more.

“I Googled ‘Southern California boxing trainers’ and Ten Goose Boxing and Ricky came up, and I decided to hit him up. So I direct messaged him on Instagram and the rest is history.

“I feel like I’m in really good shape after working with a nutritionist for the first time. My nutritionist is with me 12 hours a day and it’s had me feeling great heading into this fight.

“I’ve always been a brawler, but I’m capable of boxing, especially with my inside game. The way I can deflect punches is a strength.

“I’m just ready to get back to the top. I know that I have to climb the ladder and that’s what I’m here for.”

RICKY FUNEZ, Rios’ Trainer

“Training Brandon was a good challenge for me but he has been disciplined from the very start. I laid it all out for him from the beginning, I just wanted a good response from him and he said he’s going to work hard.

“A lot of people said that he was done, and that motivated me. I’ve seen Joe Goossen bring fighters back like Diego Corrales and he’s my mentor in this sport. I’m working hard to push Brandon and get him to that level.

“Brandon is a stubborn fighter but he really does listen. He has a lot of tools and I think you’ll see that he hasn’t lost anything in that ring on Sunday.”

# # #

Fans can live stream the fights on FOX Sports GO, available in English or Spanish through the FS1 or FOX Deportes feeds. The fights are available on desktop at FOXSportsGO.com and through the app store, or connected devices including Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Xbox One and Roku. In addition, all programs are also available on FOX Sports on SiriusXM channel 83 on satellite radios and on the SiriusXM app.

For more information: visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/homepage, www.foxdeportes.com and www.TGBPromotions.com. Follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @TGBPromotions, @FS1, @FOXDeportes and @Swanson_Comm and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/foxsports and www.facebook.com/foxdeportes. PBC on FS1 & FOX Deportes is sponsored by Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

LOS ANGELES (June 7, 2017): Undefeated NABF Super Bantamweight Champion Randy “El Matador” Caballero (24-0, 14 KOs) has sustained an injury to his right ankle in training camp and regretfully has been forced to withdraw from his upcoming 10-round, headlining bout and first title defense against Oscar ” El Jaguar” Negrete (16-0, 6 KOs) for the June 30 edition of Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN.

“I want to apologize to my opponent, Oscar Negrete, and to all my fans who really wanted to watch this fight,” said Randy Caballero. “With all that has happened in my career, I didn’t want to risk an ankle injury hurting my entire career. I am sure that once my ankle heals and with the support of all my fans, I will be back at 100 percent.”

The card will still take place on June 30 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino and Golden Boy Promotions will now feature Negrete versus experienced contender Jesus “Estrella” Ruiz (35-8-5, 24 KOs) for a 10-round bantamweight main event for the vacant NABF Bantamweight title. Ruiz was last seen in the ring going toe to toe against Caballero for the vacant NABF super bantamweight title, in a rugged battle that went the distance.

“I am a little sad that the fight against Caballero fell through because that was the fight that I really wanted, but I am excited that I still get to fight on June 30th for the NABF title in my weight division,” said Oscar Negrete. “Ruiz is a fierce warrior in the ring – I’ve seen him in the ring against notable opponents like Leo Santa Cruz, Diego De La Hoya, and most recently Caballero. He is an opponent that gives all he has, and we will both be ready to put on a great and exciting show.”

Additionally, former IBF and WBO Featherweight Champion, Mexican actor and circus performer Jorge “El Maromero” Paez (79-14-5, 51 KOs) will be the VIP guest for this June 30th Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN card. Paez will be on hand to meet fans; sign autographs and take pictures inside the Fantasy Springs Special Events Center before the ESPN broadcast begins. The meet-and-greet is open to the public with the purchase of a ticket to the event.

Negrete vs. Ruiz, a 10-round fight for the vacant NABF Bantamweight title, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions. The event is sponsored by Tecate, BORN BOLD and Hennessey, Never Stop, Never Settle. Doors open at 4:00 p.m. PT and the first fight begins at 4:15 p.m. PT. The ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes broadcast begins live from Fantasy Springs Resort Casino starting at 10:00 p.m. ET/7: 00 p.m. PT. ESPN3 live stream of the fight will begin at approximately 8:30 p.m. EST/5:30 p.m. PST.

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

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com; follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @OscarDeLaHoya; become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, and follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing and @OscarDeLaHoya. Follow the conversation using #GBPonESPN.

Oxnard, CA: Yesterday, former WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion, Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (30-1-1, 26 KOs) and his team hosted an international conference call to discuss his upcoming rematch with Andre “S.O.G.” Ward (31-0, 16 KOs) which will take place June 17 live on HBO Pay Per View®, and live from the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Below are some highlighted quotes from the call:

Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev, Former WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion

“This training camp we deleted all my last mistakes and like doing good. Like I think that right now is much better and right now is training camp is going right. Everything is good and we will see June 17.”

“You know, like, everything depends from my preparation how I get the best shape for the fight. And I’m trying to get now in best shape for June 17 and we can see what will happen June 17. I don’t know, like, how exactly the fight is going to be by decision or somebody stop each other. Let’s just see. I don’t have a prediction. I just have one goal to beat Andre Ward and beat all shit from him because he doesn’t deserve the belt and the status of a champion. He now is really high his nose and walking everywhere and don’t see the people around him. I want to put him back in his place.”

“Yes, I feel much better, you know, I am not any nervous about my shape right now because the last – before last fight I couldn’t say before the fight like I came to fight and say I don’t want to fight him because I am not ready. I gone to the fight and walked stairs into the ring, you know, and fought Andre Ward with empty strength. My energy strength was empty one month before the fight. And right now, I understand that I did very great fight in myself with empty strength against who I believed was the best American fighter. You know, and good fighters get in the ring there. But now I feel that this fight is going to be different and much better than last one.”

“I just felt like the most what they give me motivation is haters. When I lost, I used to take a lot of punishment that I lost. In Russia is more than in America, you know. But in America, even in America, boxing fans of Ward text me by Facebook, by Instagram, by social media that I won the fight. And they right now are going to support me in next fight. And right now is my most motivation is haters, haters yes. And I want to disappoint them and team Ward, team of Ward because they right now speaking a lot of bullshit to my side. They say that I this, I this, I this. I don’t care. They will pay inside the ring for everything for what they said. Trust me.”

Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events
“I’m really happy with the 24/7 that just came out. I was just watching it today and I was beginning to see it today online and I would urge anyone who hasn’t seen it to take a look. I think HBO’s work is always the very best; it is always brilliant. People are saying this is the best 24/7 in years and that’s quite a statement when you consider the quality of the work that they do. So, that seems to me to be a great selling tool and hopefully that’s going to have a big impact in the next few days.”

“I believed for a long time that Sergey does his best work when he doesn’t like his opponents, so Ward and his people have done a great deal to ensure that will be the case. So, I’m really happy about that.”

John David Jackson, Trainer of Sergey Kovalev

On the first fight:
“Yes, I watched it; I scored the fight. I had a 9-3 best for us and 8-4 worst for us, but he won the fight. He dominated the first half of the fight. The second half of the fight he didn’t dominate as much as he could have but, you know, what Ward did didn’t really justify him getting the decision outside that. Sergey won the fight hands down. You know, the judges, why they scored it only they know exactly. We can’t dwell on the past. But whatever Ward did to survive those rounds didn’t really merit a victory for him, but he got it and we have to move on with that and just prepare for the second fight. The one thing I will tell the fans is Sergey proved the first half of that fight that he can outbox Ward at Ward’s own game. And I always knew he could. So, he showed that he could so it just adds more to what we need to do for the second fight.”

“Let me answer something first. Honestly, if you look at it, Sergey is not going to have to do much more than what he did because he proved to the fans in the first half of the fight that he can win it at Ward’s own game. Now what he needs to do is be more aggressive and effective in the second half of the fight the way he did in the first half of the fight. But he proved he’s a better fighter, he’s a bigger puncher. You know, for all Ward’s team is claiming how great he was, if that’s his best, then guess what, he’s past his prime because all he did was survive. And in surviving he was given points and awarded I guess the decision that he survived.

On the possibility of Ward changing his game plan:
“They may. Listen, if you’re a fighter and you’re smart, you come in and make adjustments. What adjustments can Ward make? He can be more aggressive. If he does, that works in our favor. Is he going to run more? If he does, that works more in our favor. The best thing he can do, as champion, he needs to prove that he won that first fight outright. Which he didn’t. So, now he needs to be a little more aggressive. How much smarter in the ring can he be than what he would be, would he be a tremendous talent as far as boxing-wise in the ring? So, you can’t get much more brilliant than he is now. He has to be – if they’re going to change his game, he has to be more aggressive, he has to be willing to take more chances to prove that he did beat Sergey the first fight, which he did not. So, there’s not much more than he can do than they did for the first fight.

“He’s good at what he does and that’s surviving and making the fight ugly and win the way he wins. You can’t knock him for that. But can he improve? No, not really. He did the best he could that night and he survived and he was even given points for that. So, if you’re going to make any adjustments, they may be small adjustments, but they’re not going to be adjustments that make him a better, more aggressive, dominating fighter. Then guess what, they need to be playing Russian Roulette and he’s going to get clipped.”

“I never said Andre was a dirty fighter. I said the things that he does, they’re not fan-favorite because he does hold a lot. As far as the inside game, there is no real inside game for him. Look, a true inside fighter doesn’t grab and hold the whole fight. He makes his hands free, he blocks shot and he counters back. That’s not what Andre does, he does hold a lot. But those things work for him and you can’t knock it. If it works and you’re winning and he has fans for it, okay let it be that. Sergey held somewhat himself. Later in the fight, he got fatigued so he did hold a lot. But we’re working on that for the second fight. And this fighter, he can be the best fighter because you have to think about this. When you have the power that Sergey has, tremendous God-given talent, the power that he has, we don’t need him to hold on the inside. If Andre wants to fight on the inside this time, which they may try to fight more on the inside, then he has to do a gamble and the gamble is can he take the body shots that Sergey is going to hit him with?”

“Here is what Ward’s team is going to try to do: they tried to disrupt our team because, at this stage, they know that’s all they really can do. If they have – if they need – if they want to be honest about it, they can say we really didn’t win the first fight but we got the decision. Okay that’s part of boxing. We have to – and our side has to accept that. But now to try to play mind games and try to make different maneuvers to offset our camp, you can’t do that. Our camp is strong. Actually, what they did, and I’m glad they did it, it made us even stronger and become closer and we’re working a whole lot better. So, I need to thank them for doing the things that they thought were going to offset our camp. It made camp better for us. So, I appreciate it. And for them to say that I reached out to them personal, come on, seriously? If you want to say that, fine, I have no problem with that. Come June 17, all the things that Sergey wants and he does to have back his belts, he’s going to get that. He’s going to do what needs to be done and that’s fight inside the ring, not talk, to be the champion and to fight. If Ward really wants to prove that he is the better fighter, then fight. Fight a good, hard fight, not do what you do best and that’s to be – he takes guys and maneuvers them around the ring and wins fights strategically but not in an exciting fashion. For this fight, here, to prove that you deserved the first decision that you got and that you are the champion, fight. Stand in the ring and fight this man and prove that you’re the better fighter and show the fans that, you know, you deserve this fight, this title. So, we’ll see. We’ll see what happens come the 17th. But when all is said and done, Sergey Kovalev’s hand should be raised, he should be world champion once again.”

Ward vs. Kovalev 2: “The Rematch,” a 12-round mega-fight for the WBO/IBF/WBA Light Heavyweight World Championships, is presented by Roc Nation Sports, Main Events, Andre Ward Promotions, Krusher Promotions and Corona Extra, sponsored by Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Jetlux, Life10 Electrolyte, Zappos and Powered by Monster. The championship event takes place Saturday, June 17 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

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VERONA, N.Y. (June 7, 2017) – Former unified world champion and current boxing promoter and mentor Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez, along with his protégé Jon “JonFer” Fernandez, an undefeated prospect at 130 pounds, discuss future plans ahead of Fernandez’s second appearance on ShoBox: The New Generation this Friday, June 9, live on SHOWTIME (10:30 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on West Coast) from Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, N.Y.

Martinez, known for his extensive career and impact inside the ring and now at the helm of Maravillabox Promotions, has worked with Fernandez since his pro debut at only 19 years old. Fernandez (12-0, 10 KOs), who is co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and MaravillaBox Promotions, has remained undefeated and undeterred, climbing up the prospect ranks with five fights in 2015, another five in 2016 and now getting ready for his third fight this year.

In addition to June 9’s ShoBox being Fernandez’s third fight this year, it will also be his third time fighting on American soil as he opens the SHOWTIME telecast facing tough opposition in Juan Reyes (14-3-3, 2 KOs) for what could be an important fight in his development as he tries to turn from prospect to contender.

The card, which takes place during the 2017 Hall of Fame Weekend where longtime ShoBox analysts Barry Tompkins and Steve Farhood will be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, features undefeated super lightweights Regis “Rougarou” Prograis (19-0, 16 KOs) and Joel Diaz Jr. (23-0, 19 KOs) in the 10-round main event. The co-feature will pit Steve Rolls (15-0, 9 KOs) against Demond Nicholson (17-1-1, 16 KOs) in an eight-round super middleweight bout.

Tickets for the event, co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment (DBE) and AASHA Record Breakers, are priced at $65 for ringside, $50, $40 and $30 (may be subject to additional fees) and are available at the Turning Stone Box Office, by calling 877-833-SHOW, or online at Ticketmaster.com. Doors will open at 7:00 p.m., with the first bout scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

This week Martinez and his protégé, “JonFer,” spoke to SHOWTIME Sports about what the future might hold for the 130-pound prospect.

SERGIO “MARAVILLA” MARTINEZ:
How would you describe Jon Fernandez’s style?
“I believe that JonFer is a very well-rounded, complete fighter. He can take advantage of his great wingspan and reach but has no problem fighting in close distance. Furthermore, he’s hitting really hard. I believe we’ll see him fighting with big names in the division soon.

“JonFer has a classic boxing style—a classic, orthodox style. He’s effective when he’s attacking as well as defending. He poses a vision and a combat insight that is truly amazing. Not only does he have speed and precision, but he also has potential in his fists. But, the best characteristic that JonFer possesses is his great professionalism in the sport and in his personal life.”

What would you say is different in Jon compared to other boxers in the division?
“His head, he is very mature for his age. In that sense, he reminds me of myself. He is very serious when he’s working and always looking to improve.

“He has a stupendous perception of the errors his rivals make. He knows how to read the battle and knows when and how to define a fight. I believe that the more fights and time go by, JonFer will establish himself at the top level alongside the top boxers in the world.”

As Jon develops, what plans do you have for him?
“To continue with the hard work like we have to this date. I respect every step in his career. I’d like for JonFer to continue training and preparing himself for what can be a bright and stupendous future.”

Who do you want him to fight – Jesus Cuellar, Orlando Salido, Gervonta Davis, Jose Pedraza, Carl Frampton?
“All of the names mentioned are already great champions. They are all owed their due respect and it would be an honor, not only for Jonfer but for Maravilabox to have the possibility of making fight with any of them.

“Jose Pedraza would be a great test. We’d really like to make that fight happen. JonFer has sparred with Frampton before his rematch with Santa Cruz and we know he was up to the challenge. And of course, we would love to go for the world title against Gervonta Davis and think it would be a great fight. A clash of styles.”

What belts do you want him to go for first?
“First, we’d like him to set a good base. The best for us is to continue building his career step by step and for him to continue learning and adapting himself bit by bit to the top level. As we continue making fights happen, there will be more opportunities for international and world titles. The goal is to get JonFer to become a WBC champion, the most important entity.

“We would be really excited to be able to win the European championship, but we’re ready to fight anyone. All of the belts are important and provide experience.”

What would you see as the ideal next step for JonFer in the next few years?
“Ideally we want to keep him at a weight in which he feels the most comfortable. As fights and time go by, if he needs to go up in weight, he’d do so without a problem. It’s possible for him to end up fighting in superior divisions, but for now we are focused on 130 and I think he can still battle at this weight for several years.”

Can you name who you think are the top five active boxers today?
“I really like Errol Spence Jr., he has a great style that I feel is like mine was. Canelo [Alvarez] and [Gennady] Golovkin are two of my favorites as well, they’ll put on a great fight. Andre Ward, Jorge Linares… There is a lot of talent in the sport at the moment.

What memories of Steve Farhood and Barry Tompkins stand out to you?
“Yes, of course, I have some great moments of my years in the United States and I remember Steve always in front of the SHOWTIME cameras. He is a great professional.

“He is one of the highest-regarded boxing writers in the world. He is a man with a young mentality who knows how to appreciate good boxing.

“Barry Tompkins is a prestigious commentator and what I remember the most about him is seeing him commentate on fights in the era of Tyson and J.C. Chavez. To be a commentator of that stature then, he had to be an excellent professional.”

What would you say is the best (and worst) part about being a promoter?
“To be a promoter is thrilling. I believe that taking the career of the boxers in your hands must be treated like it’s your own life. It’s a true adventure. I can’t find a negative thing to say about being a promoter.”

Do you miss being a boxer?
“To this day I can say that I do not have any desire to return to the ring. My last fights were torturous and I still have problems with my knee to the date as I try to go about my daily life. I continue to train an hour each day and continue to love boxing, but now I prefer watching the youngsters like Jon and help them with my experience.”

JON “JONFER” FERNANDEZ:
Can you tell us what it is like for you to work with someone like Sergio Martinez?
“It’s great, Sergio is always very attentive and a mirror to watch yourself in. Like an athlete, he was one of the greats, but as a person he is even better. Maravillabox Promotions is composed of thorough professionals and the way they treat me is excellent.”

How is your training going? Is your camp any different for this fight?
“I haven’t had too much time since my last fight, just about five weeks. It has been tough, but we were coming off of a much more difficult preparation in fighting for Spain’s world title. I think this will make for a great fight and the fans will have a lot of fun.”

What are your plans for the future? In your career, life, boxing, in the next five years…
“I just got married in April and it was a great experience, the happiest day of my life. I would love to have kids soon. As far as boxing goes, of course I’d like to be a world champion. But first I’d like to go for the European title. I’d like to fight against the best prospects in the division and continuing to make great fights. I will be a world champion one day, I know I can get there.”

Who would you say is your all-time favorite boxer?
“I can’t just say one, I have several. Sergio Martinez, obviously. I also really like Terrance Crawford and Juan Manuel Marquez. Out of the boxing legends, I’ll stick to Alexis Arguello.”

# # #

Tompkins will call the ShoBox action from ringside with Farhood and former world champion Raul Marquez serving as expert analysts. The executive producer is Hall with Rich Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.

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

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 69 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, Errol Spence Jr. and more.

Light-Heavyweight demolition man Anthony Yarde says he is ready to announce himself on the European stage.

The undefeated knockout king challenges WBO European Champion Richard Baranyi at the Copper Box Arena on July 8, live on BT Sport and BoxNation.

Yarde, 25, in unfazed by his Hungarian opponent’s superior 18-1 record and is planning on making a statement in front of his home crowd.

“I believe every fight from now should be a step-up,” said 11-0 Yarde. “My opponent has had more knockout wins than I’ve had fights! I don’t believe in rushing but I’m massively motivated to get another belt around my waist.

“Baranyi is the Champion and he is coming to my back yard to defend his belt. I respect him for that but this is a golden opportunity to add another belt to my collection and send a message to the rest of the division. I’m developing at the perfect rate.”

The hype continues to grown around ‘The Beast’ after he knocked down Chris Hobbs six times on his way to picking up the Southern Area title last month.

“There will be a lot of eyes on me and it’s an added pressure that I thrive off. It’s just another fight and I’m 100% confident that I’ll win. A lot of people will be tuning in to watch the manner in which I win and how impressive I look.”

Main event on the card sees undefeated WBO Middleweight World Champion Billy Joe Saunders take on mandatory challenger Avtandil Khurtsidze in his second defence; Gary Corcoran faces Larry Ekundayo in an intriguing battle for the Vacant WBO Intercontinental Welterweight strap; Darryll Williams and Jahmaine Smyle rematch of the English Super-Middleweight belt after their Fight of the Year contender in April; Sam McNess gets his first pro title shot against Southern Area Super-Welterweight Champion Asinia Byfield and teenage Heavyweight sensation Daniel Dubois looks to move to 4-0.

Tickets for Baranyi v Yarde priced £40, £50, £100, £150 and £250 are available from:
www.eventim.co.uk

www.seetickets.com

www.ticketmaster.co.uk

On Saturday, July 29, 2017, at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Warriors Boxing Promotions returns with a very special edition of their “Windy City Fight Night” professional boxing series, and for the first time in Illinois boxing history, a female boxer will headline.

In her toughest test to date, BoxRec #1 USA- and #2 World-ranked lightweight Jessica “CasKILLA” McCaskill (3-1, 2 KOs) returns to her fistic headquarters, the UIC Pavilion for an eight-round main event against Canada’s undefeated “Vicious” Vanessa Bradford (4-0-2). The two women will be fighting for the vacant ABO Intercontinental Lightweight Championship.

Tickets for Windy City Fight Night are on sale today and priced at $101, $76, $51 and $36 and are available at Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster.com; by calling 1-800-745-3000, or the Warriors Offices: 312-226-5800 or the UIC Pavilion Box Office: 312-413-5740 or by visiting the UIC Box Office (Thursday or Friday 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM). Or they can be purchased the night of the event.

A special VIP Lounge experience is available to select sponsors. Please call 312.622.7668 for more information.

32-year-old power puncher McCaskill hails from St. Louis, but now lives in Chicago and trains under Rick Ramos. The first woman to ever sign a promotional agreement with Warriors Boxing, the popular slugger has earned her fan-favorite status with a series of UIC Pavilion barn burners.

She was last seen in April at the previous Windy City Fight Night, scoring an exciting unanimous decision over then 4-1 Brenda Gonzales.

“Jessica McCaskill has earned her place in our promotional stable and deserves to be making history as the first woman to headline a boxing event in Illinois,” said Warriors Boxing President Leon Margules. “She is a crowd-pleasing slugger who loves to mix it up. We’ve got her in a tough test against Bradford and I know it’ll be exciting to watch.”

The exciting undercard will be announced shortly.

Windy City Fight Night doors open at 7:00 pm CT and the action starts at 8:00 pm. The UIC Pavilion is located at 525 S. Racine Avenue in Chicago. The entire bout card is subject to change.
About Warriors Boxing
Launched in 2003, Warriors Boxing operates under a simple philosophy-bring the best boxers in the world to fight fans, match them in competitive bouts, and in doing so help re-establish the sport of boxing for a new generation.

With a series of successful Pay-Per-View shows and packed houses to its credit, the Warriors business model is working wonders in a sport that was sorely in need of the innovation and energy that the company brings to the table.

When it comes down to it though, a promotional company is only as good as the fighters and fights it promotes. Warriors Boxing has delivered on all fronts, with outstanding bouts such as Lara-Molina, Cayo-Peterson, Abraham-Miranda I and II, Miranda-Pavlik, Miranda-Green, Ibragimov-Briggs, Ibragimov-Klitschko, Urango-Hatton, Urango-Bailey, Cayo-Maidana and Ibragimov-Holyfield.

For more information on Warriors Boxing, visit their website at www.WarriorsBoxing.com.

WHAT: “New England’s Future 3” professional boxing event

WHEN: Saturday, June 10, 2017

WHO:
MAIN EVENT – VACANT UBF ALL-AMERICAN SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP (8)
Irvin Gonzalez (6-0, 6 KOs), Worcester, MA
Raul Lopez (10-2-1, 5 KOs), Bronx, NY

CO-FEATURE – VACANT UBF HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (8)
Sonya “The Scholar” Lamonakis (10-2-2 (1 KO), New York, NY by way of Greece
Laura “Lady Ram” Ramsey (10-7 (5 KOs), Winter Haven, FL

SPECIAL CRUISWEWEIGHT ATTRACTION (8)
Vinnie “American Nightmare” Carita (16-1-1 (15 KOs), Pembroke, MA
Marcelo Leandro “Queizada” Da Silva (22-4, 17 KOs), Osasco, Sao Paulo, Brazil

CATCHWEIGHT 205 lbs. (4)
Bryan Daniels (4-0, 2 KOs), Worcester, MA
Christopher “The Archbishop” Boykins (1-8, 0 KOs), Orlando, FL

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS (4)
Richie “Popeye The Sailor Man” Rivera (1-0, 1 KO), Hartford, CT
Nathan Schulte (0-2), Catrina, Brazil

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS (4)
Bobby Harris III ((pro debut), Worcester, MA
Rodrigo Almeida (1-6, 0 KOs), Woburn, MA

Neal Sullivan (pro debut), Worcester, MA
Saul Almeida (0-8), Framingham, MA

WELTERWEIGHTS (4)
Andy Gonzalez (6-1, 5 KOs), Worcester, MA
Antonio Chaves Fernandez (7-32-4, 2 KOs), Brockton, MA

Derrick “Double Impact” Whitley (1-0, 0 KOs), Springfield, MA
Shaka Moore (12-22-3, 2 KOs), Norwalk, CT

Wilfredo “El Sucaro” Pagan (1-0, 0 KOs), Worcester, MA
Anthony Everett (1-5, 0 KOs), Lawrence, MA

JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHTS (6)
Adrian Sosa (2-0, 2 KOs), Lawrence, MA
Zach Johnson (0-1), New York, NY

WHERE: DCU Center, Exhibition Hall, Worcester, MA

PROMOTER: Rivera Promotions Entertainment

TICKETS: Tickets, priced at $75.00 (ringside) and $45.00 (general admission), are on
sale and available to purchase at the DCU Center box office,
www.dcu.centerworcester.com, by contacting Jose Rivera
(elgallojar@gmail.com/508.864.6954), AJ Rivera
(anthoneerivera@gmail.com/774.272.2269) or any of the fighters.

DOORS OPEN: 6:00 P.M. ET

FIRST BOUT: 7:00 p.m. ET

RING ANNOUNCER: John Vena

WEIGH IN: Friday, June 9, 2017 (5:30 p.m. ET start) Whiskey On Water, 97 Water St., Worcester – OPEN TO PUBLIC

INFORMATION:
Facebook.com/RiveraPromotionsEntertainment
Twitter: @RiveraPromoEnt @joseriverachamp, KingRivera_

Former world champion Arthur Abraham will meet former world title challenger Chris Eubank, Jr on July 15 in London, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“I’m very happy to be fighting here in England,” Abraham said. “I’m looking forward to it, and I think it will be a good fight.”

“I respect every fighter. Anyone who enters the ring has my respect, but it’s my time now,” Eubank said. “I’m the next generation.”

Former welterweight champion Kell Brook is scheduled to have surgery on his left orbital bone, following the bone bring broke in his May 27 loss to Errol Spence, Jr., according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Brook told ESPN on Wednesday that he will have surgery to repair the injury on June 16.

“That’s all I’m saying for now,” Brook said. “I’m having a rest for a while.”

“I got caught on the left eye in the seventh, and it felt really bad,” Brook said after the Spence fight. “It was the one the worst feelings I ever had — kind of like when GGG hit me and fractured my orbital bone. It was devastating. I just couldn’t see.

“It was a competitive fight. He got some rounds. I won some rounds, too. I felt I was winning, but my eye didn’t allow me to continue. I just couldn’t see. You can’t fight if you can’t see. I got put down, and I got up because I’m a warrior. I got up and kept on fighting, but in the 11th, I just couldn’t see. I had to take the knee.”

Spence (22-0, 19 KOs), a 27-year-old southpaw, could make his first title defense in September to headline a Premier Boxing Champions card on Fox in Dallas, just 22 miles from his hometown of DeSoto, Texas.

“Hopefully I can have a homecoming in Dallas, maybe in September sometime,” Spence told reporters at a recent lunch in New York. “I’ve got to talk to my manager [Al Haymon]. Fighting at home in front of my fans, family and friends, that’s a dream come true, especially me having the title and bringing it back to Dallas, which hasn’t happened in a long time. That would mean a lot to me. That would be a dream of mine, too. Hopefully I can make that happen.”

World Heavyweight chamoion ANthony Joshua got an exception that would clear his path for a rematch with Wladimir Klitschko, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

The International Boxing Federation on Tuesday evening approved Joshua’s request for an exception to his mandatory defense against Kubrat Pulev in order to face Klitschko again with the organization’s title on the line, and it notified both camps.

Joshua-Klitschko II taking place by Dec. 2 should not be an issue, because the working date, although not set in stone, is Oct. 28. There is no set site for the rematch.

Atlantic City, NJ (June 6, 2017)–Popular native son, welterweight Anthony “Juice” Young will look for his 6th consecutive win when he battles hard-hitting George Sosa in the eight-round co-feature this Saturday night at The Claridge Hotel in Atlantic City.

The show is promoted by Rising Promotions.

In the main event, Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna (22-2, 9 KO’s) takes on Carlos Winston Velasquez (24-28-2, 15 KO’s) in an eight-round welterweight contest

Young of Atlantic City has a record of 16-2 with six knockouts has won five in a row was given the task of fighting Sosa on two weeks notice. Young was training for an all-New Jersey showdown with Juan “The Beast” Rodriguez, Jr. but Rodriguez had to pull out due to an injury.

“My camp has been great. Sosa is a late-replacement, but that really does not matter, because I was preparing for whoever,”said the 29 year-old Young.

Young knows that Sosa is a big puncher, but feels he is a different fighter outside of his home-country of the Dominican Republic.

“Sosa has 15 wins, and I know he has all of his victories by knockout. But he was matched lightly when he fought in the Dominican Republic. It doesn’t matter what he will bring, because I have been preparing for him like he is Floyd Mayweather.”

Young has been preparing in New Jersey under the tutelage of trainer, Raul “Chino” Rivas. Young is in a camp that includes recent world champion Jason Sosa, top contender Tevin Farmer and lightweight contender Michael Perez among others, and Young feels that the switch of trainers, which mirrors this win streak is no coincidence.

“Chino has fixed a lot of my bad habits. He has me working on the jab, pivoting, and working the body. Since moving to Chino, I have improved with every fight.”

This will be the 10th appearance on the Boardwalk for Young, and he will look to his mark to 9-1 in Atlantic City (Young is 2-0 at The Claridge).

“I am privileged to fight where I was born. I always look forward to fighting in Atlantic City, and I look forward to putting on a great show on Saturday night.”

Sosa of New Jersey has a record of 15-8 with all 15 wins coming via knockout.

The 30 year-old Sosa is a six-year professional, who began his career in the Dominican Republic with six consecutive knockouts.

Sosa’s losses have come to fighters who had a combined record of 87-7-1 and they included Three undefeated fighters plus contenders Ray Robinson and Ed Peredes.

Sosa has won two consecutive bouts by knockout as in his most recent effort he stopped Jesus Pascual in three rounds on October 29, 2016 in the Domincan Republic.

In six-round bouts:

Gabriel Pham (8-1, 4 KO’s) of Pleasantville, NJ will take on Edgar Perez (7-20, 3 KO’s) of Chicago, IL super middleweight bout.

Frederick Julian (4-0, 2 KO’s) of Cambaul, France will take on an opponent to be named in a light heavyweight bout.

Dan Pasciolla (9-2-2) of Brick, NJ will battle Lemarcus Tucker (4-2, 2 KO’s) of Batesville, AR in a rematch of heavyweights. Pasciolla took the first bout this past March via six-round split decision.

In four-round bouts:

Donald Smith (4-0, 3 KO’s) of Philadelphia will take on Sidell Blocker (1-7-1) of Pleasantville, NJ in a super featherweight bout.

Chris Thomas (6-0, 3 KO’s) of Toms River, NJ will take on Oscar Valdez (1-2, 1 KO) of Batesville, AR in a middleweight bout

Elijah Vines (3-0, 3 KO’ts) of Philadelphia will take on Henry Tyrone Paige (0-4) of Batesville, ARK in a junior middleweight tilt.

Tomas Romain (2-1) of Brooklyn, NY will fight Lamont White (1-7, 1 KO) of Washington, DC in a lightweight bout.

THE WEIGH IN WILL BE STREAMED LIVE THIS FRIDAY AT 3 PM ET ON THE RISING PROMOTIONS FACEBOOK PAGE

Tickets for this great evening of boxing are priced at $150, $125, $100, $80 and $55 and can be purchased at www.rspboxing.com

SAN DIEGO (JUNE 6, 2017) James Tennyson feels he’s above domestic level – and says he’ll prove that on Saturday when he faces Ryan Doyle for the WBA International Super-Featherweight title at the SSE Arena Belfast, live on AWE- A Wealth of Entertainment at 3 PM ET / 12 PM PT.

Tennyson’s clash with Doyle is part of a huge night of action in Belfast as Ryan Burnett challenges Lee Haskins for the IBF World Bantamweight title.

Tennyson has won Celtic Featherweight and Irish Super-Featherweight titles but fell short when he met Ryan Walsh for the British Featherweight crown last April.

The 23 year old believes he’s better prepared for more title assaults now, and wants to show that in what he believes will be a cracking fight against the English Featherweight champion from Manchester.

“I’m very excited, said Tennyson. “I’m pleased to be a part of the show and hopefully Ryan Burnett becomes Ireland’s next World Champion and these big nights can continue to come back to Belfast.

“I believe I’m beyond Irish title level. I’m not going to gain or learn much more at that level or by boxing journeyman. I’ve gone through that now. This is a fight that I needed and help bring my career to the next level.

“I’ve watched Ryan and this is going to be a really entertaining match up. With the WBA International title on the line, it gives it a little more spice.

“Usually I don’t look too much into my opponents, I get in there and take it as it comes. I’m confident in my own ability to get the job done. My team already know a bit about the boy so they are telling me the plans which we’ll adopt on the night.

“I’ve prepared for a tough fight no matter what so the late change of opponent doesn’t really change all that much for my planning.

“It’s all work in progress. I want to get to World level. This is a great stepping stone to help get where I want to be.

“I don’t really go in thinking ‘I’m going to knock this guy out’, I like to box. It’s going to be a good fight for the fans to watch. I’m an aggressive, come forward fighter.

“Camp has gone well. I’m pretty happy going into the last few days. Now it’s all about getting the weight right, all the hard work has been done now. I’m just looking to get this show on the road now.”

Paul Hyland Jr faces Adam Dingsdale for his first pro title with the IBF European Lightweight strap on the line, Ian Tims and Luke Watkins meet for the Irish Cruiserweight title, there’s the Cruiserweight debut of Mike Perez, and local favourites Paddy Gallagher, Matthew Wilton, Feargal McCrory and Tyrone McCullagh.

About AWE LIVE BOXING

AWE LIVE Boxing features live world title championship and elimination bouts showcasing today’s most exciting fighters. Since the inception of AWE’s live boxing events in 2011, AWE has featured over 50 world title fights.

AWE has brought boxing fans some of the most exciting and controversial bouts, including the matchup of Ricky Burns against Ray Beltran for the world title. AWE featured live and exclusively the crowning of American Terence Crawford over Ricky Burns. AWE fans have witnessed the explosive power of undefeated heavyweight Tyson Fury multiple times on the network, including Fury’s victory over Kevin Johnson. In 2017, AWE was the exclusive United States television provider of the historic matchup between legendary British heavyweight David Haye and Tony Bellew.

About AWE – A Wealth of Entertainment

A Wealth of Entertainment (“AWE”) features a wide range of lifestyles and entertainment programming from exotic travel and outrageous homes to live world championship boxing. AWE is available on over a hundred cable systems, including AT&T U-Verse, ch 147 and 1147 in HD, Verizon FiOS TV, ch 169 and 669 in HD. and DirecTV, ch 387.

For more information, please visit www.awetv.com.

LONG ISLAND, NY (June 6, 2017) – Unbeaten light heavyweight contenders Marcus Browne and Seanie Monaghan went face-to-face Tuesday at a press conference to discuss their all-New York showdown taking place Saturday, July 15 in Premier Boxing Champions on FOX and FOX Deportes action live from the newly-renovated NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the first live boxing card on Long Island since 1986.

Televised coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and is headlined by a matchup between exciting former world champions Omar “Panterita” Figueroa and Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero plus Artur Szpilka meets Adam Kownacki in an all-Polish heavyweight showdown that promises fireworks.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, start at $50 (not including applicable fees) and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting www.ticketmaster.com, www.nycblive.com, or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the Ticketmaster Box Office at NYCB LIVE. Group discounts are available by calling 516-231-4848.

Also in attendance at Tuesday’s press conference were local Long Island favorites Tommy Rainone (26-7-1, 6 KOs), Alicia Napoleon (7-1, 5 KOs), Patrick Day (13-2-1, 6 KOs) and Vincenzo D’Angelo (2-0).

Here is what the participants had to say Tuesday from the JetBlue Overlook the Coliseum:

MARCUS BROWNE

“Everyone knows that we know each other. But the buddy-buddy talk is out of the window. This is a fight. We both have kids to feed. I have a destiny that is already written, and Seanie is in the way of that.

“Come July 15, my feelings about Seanie won’t mean a thing. I’m going to have to win. I know this guy trains like a dog and he’s no pushover. All that sparring and stuff you’ve heard about doesn’t’ mean a thing, it’s just going to be me and him and I have to win.

“I can’t wait to go to work. I’ve fought my friends before and at the end of the day it’s business. I’m going to become a world champion and no one is stopping me.

“I was raised defense-first by Gary Stark Sr. We are defensive specialist. I’m going to show everything that I have in my arsenal.

“Seanie and I came up in the amateurs and won Golden Gloves on the same night. We have history but it means nothing as of today and on July 15. This isn’t sparring, there are no do-overs.

“July 15 is going to be fireworks. These undercard fighters are amazing and it’s a fantastic card for Long Island. I’m just blessed to be able to show my talents in this building. I wish I could wake up tomorrow and it would be fight day. We aren’t friends on July 15. Staten Island is coming out on top over Long Island.”

SEANIE MONAGHAN

“I’ve been chipping away at a title fight for a long time. When they asked me about Marcus, I first was thinking that it wasn’t the fight I wanted. At this point in the game, it’s may the best man win.

“Training has been going great. We might have to pull back a little bit because we already did a five-week training camp when I thought I was fighting Adonis Stevenson, which turned out to be a good thing. He’s a southpaw just like Marcus so we were already sparring with a lot of really good southpaws.

“Marcus does everything well. He’s fast, he’s slick and he punches pretty hard. I like to fight and come forward and make it that kind of rough style on fight night.

“I’ve mastered the ability to control my emotions on fight night. I’m a professional in my 29th fight so it’s not my first time at the rodeo. This is strictly business, it’s my time.

“I definitely want Adonis Stevenson if I can get by Marcus. That’s the fight everybody wants. I want to be a world champion and I will be a world champion one day.

“This is a dream come true to fight at this venue. This is going to be the biggest night of my life. It’s do-or-die for me.”

TOMMY RAINONE

“I’m very thankful to Lou for giving me the opportunity. I’ve fought on a lot of great cards at a lot of great venues. But being a Long Island boy who has come to this venue my entire life and to be a part of brining this kind of event back to long island is a dream come true.

“Being on this card and having this venue here is all the motivation I need. I’m going to be in great shape on July 15 and do my part and handle business.”

ALICIA NAPOLEON

“I am so glad to be here, especially being from Long Island. It’s a wonderful feeling to be on this great card. We’re going to make Long Island proud.

“The last time they had boxing here was the year I was born. It’s almost destined that I was going to be first woman to fight at this venue for a world title.

“I’m thankful that I have an opportunity to showcase women’s boxing, because we’re not just fighters, we’re athletes. We sacrifice just as much and I’m excited for this fight.”

PATRICK DAY

“I live 15 minutes away and the fact that there is an arena of this magnitude in my hometown, it really means a lot. It feels like it’s meant to be and I’m going to enjoy it.

“The Long Island boxing scene is on the rise. With this Coliseum being renovated, it’s like a Long Island Barclays Center. The scene here will become even more competitive as time goes on.

“I like to box. I’m a pure boxer. I stick and move hit and don’t get hit. I’m not going to fight down to anyone’s level, I’m going to fight at my level.”

VINCENZO D’ANGELO

“I’m just excited to be here and back in the ring. I have a lot of friends fighting on this show and I can’t wait for all of us to show our skills. There are a lot of great boxers on this show.

“I’m preparing to put on a great performance for the fans and get another win under my belt on July 15. I’m going to make it a memorable debut in my hometown.”

LOU DIBELLA, President of DiBella Entertainment

“It’s thrilling to me to be able to promote the first show at Nassau Coliseum in 31 years. The last event featured Mike Tyson and we have a terrific card on July 15 that represents the best fighters from Long Island, plus three fights that can stand on their own featuring fighters that deserve to be there.

“The undercard will be very representative of Long Island. It will be consistent with what we’ve always done as far as promoting cards that are exciting from the minute the doors open through the final bell.

“I’m thrilled that this is on FOX and FOX Deportes and that everyone will be able to see this building rock on July 15. I’m also thrilled with the kind of show they’re getting. What you have is a consistent few hours of unbelievable action. All three of these fights are wars.

“Seanie has been working his way up and just winning fight after fight. He’s been looking for a title shot for a long time. Marcus came into the pros with a lot of noise, but he’s kept winning at every step. This is going to be a really good fight and I don’t think it’s going the distance. You can bank on the fact that the winner of this fight will get a shot at the light heavyweight championship of the world.”

BRETT YORMARK, CEO of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment

“When we envisioned recreating the Coliseum, the goal was to fuel it with world class programming and I think we’ve done that. We’ve had world class artists, the end of a great run of the circus and in the month of July we will host Brooklyn Boxing on Long Island.

“We’ve had the opportunity to host incredible boxing events in Brooklyn and now we can do it in Long Island. It’s about being able to be somewhat aspirational. The fight community can grow up dreaming of fighting here in the Coliseum. I’m thrilled we can do that for Seanie and the other fighters on the undercard.

“It’s been 31 years since we last had a fight here at the Coliseum and it’s a thrill to bring it back with some great people. The building is for the community and this will be the first of many boxing events that we host here.”

# # #

Fans can live stream the fights on FOX Sports GO, available in English or Spanish through the FS1 or FOX Deportes feeds. The fights are available on desktop at FOXSportsGO.com and through the app store, or connected devices including Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Xbox One and Roku. In addition, all programs are also available on FOX Sports on SiriusXM channel 83 on satellite radios and on the SiriusXM app.

For more information: visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/homepage, www.foxdeportes.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @FS1, @FOXDeportes @LouDiBella, @NYCBLive and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/foxsports and www.facebook.com/foxdeportes.www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment, www.Facebook.com/NYCBLive. PBC is sponsored by Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina. BROOKLYN BOXING on Long Island is an extension of BSE’s BROOKLYN BOXING™ brand. For more information, visit brooklynboxingshop.com.

RALEIGH, N.C. (June 6, 2017) – The momentum continues to build for FIGHTNIGHT LIVE on Facebook, as the series announces its second new date this week, and this time hardware will be on the line. Strap season arrives on Saturday, July 29, in Raleigh, N.C., as the Tar Heel State’s hardwood prowess gives way to hard-hitting action in the squared circle, at least for one hot Mid-Summer evening.

In the main event, undefeated super flyweight Dewayne Beamon (11-0, 8 KOs) will take on Jose “Torito” Rodriguez (32-5, 19 KOs) for the IBO Inter-Continental and UBF World Junior Bantamweight titles.

Beamon, of Goldsboro, N.C., has a perfect record of 11-0 with eight knockouts. The 31 year-old has a win over former world title challenger William Gonzalez (30-6) as well as winning the UBF All-America Bantamweight title with a ninth-round stoppage over Rudolph Hedge (10-2-3). Beamon won the IBO International Super Flyweight and UBF World Junior Bantamweight titles with a ninth-round stoppage over Christian Esquival. In his last bout, Beamon stopped Jonathan Aguilar in two rounds to win the IBO Inter-Continental Super Flyweight title on May 20th in Raleigh.

“This is my shot! Throughout my career I’ve been challenged and I have conquered every opportunity placed before me,” said Dewayne Beamon. “Now I hope to achieve national recognition with a crowd-pleasing KO victory on Facebook FIGHTNIGHT LIVE. It’s body-puncher vs. body-puncher on July 29 in Raleigh, and when the smoke clears this will be just another opportunity I conquered.”

Rodriguez, of Mazatlan, Mexico has a record of 32-5 with 19 knockouts, and is a former WBA Interim Flyweight world champion. The 27 year-old won that crown with a 12-round split decision over Nethra Sasiprapa (27-1) on November 19, 2011. He is a former WBC Youth Intercontinental Flyweight champion and UBF All America Junior Bantamweight champion. Rodriguez has dropped his two opportunities at a world title when he lost to Kazuto Ioka for the WBA Light Flyweight title, and in his last bout he was stopped in seven rounds by Jerwin Ancajas on January 29 in China.

The show is promoted by Cynation Sports, Free Agent Boxing and Stop Running Promotions.

On Saturday night, live from the Abundant Life Center in Raleigh, fans can expect a high-impact, multi-camera streaming experience complete with graphics, animations, replays, interviews and a professional announce team. To provide spectators with a fully-interactive ringside experience, commentators will ask and respond to questions from the Facebook audience throughout the broadcast.

The numbers on the May 11 FIGHTNIGHT LIVE pilot from Mohegan Sun Resort showed a great deal of promise and potential for the new platform. With only two days of promotion, the premiere broadcast amassed 43,000 total video views by 38,000 unique viewers. A total of 1.4 thousand hours of LIVE video was consumed by Facebook users during the first show alone. Reaching beyond the raw numbers, the fully-interactive, fan-friendly production saw 9,021 live post engagements for the show, which included 5,000 “likes” or “loves,” 2,989 comments and 628 shares.

“Our FIGHTNIGHT LIVE series takes to Tobacco Road in late July, yet another geographic area where we’ll be able to plant the Facebook flag. Dewayne Beamon is a proud Carolinian excited to continue to put the Tar Heel State’s boxing scene back on the map, and we’re extremely pleased to do our part as well,” said Mark Fratto, Principal of Linacre Media. “We’re looking forward to all of the action in the heart of ACC Basketball Country.”

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

On June 23, the Facebook fight series heads to Rosemont, Ill., for a Windy City showdown with Hitz Boxing Promotions and Round 3 Productions. A July 15 date in Phoenix, Ariz., with Roy Jones Jr. Boxing Promotions has already been released on the FIGHTNIGHT LIVE calendar. More FIGHTNIGHT LIVE dates will be officially announced in the coming weeks.

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

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

Los Angeles, CA (June 6, 2017) Undefeated and World Ranked Featherweight Contender JOSEPH “JO JO” DIAZ, (24-0-0, 13 KO’s), has signed a five-year extension to his managerial agreement with brothers RALPH and MOSES HEREDIA.

The Southern California native Diaz represented the United States in the 2012 Olympics in London and he is currently ranked #1 by the WBO, #2 by the WBC, #4 by the IBF and #9 by the WBA in the talent rich division.

Said the 24-year-old Diaz, “I’m happy to announce that I’ve resigned with Ralph and Moses Heredia. Honesty, loyalty, and faithfulness is what they’ve shown me throughout my professional career. I’m honored to be working with them for another five years.”

Stated Ralph and Moses Heredia “We are proud to announce that “Jo Jo” has renewed his managerial contract with the Heredia brothers. We are excited to move forward with ‘Jo Jo’ and very enthusiastic about the future with our promotional partners, Golden Boy Promotions.”

“’Jo Jo’ is very dedicated and has proven with each test as a professional that he has the talent and will to become a world champion and we look forward to him fulfilling the promise he’s shown since turning professional in 2012.”

Most recently Diaz kicked off his 2017 campaign with a dominant 10-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Manuel Avila on May 6 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The victory was telecast on HBO Pay-Per-View on the undercard of the Canelo Alvarez-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. clash.

LOS ANGELES, CA (June 6, 2017) Top featherweight prospect DANIEL “TWITCH” FRANCO, (16-1-3, 11 KO’s), is wrapping up training at his home gym, Warzone Boxing Club in Rancho Cucamonga, California as he heads into this Saturday’s USBA-IBF Featherweight Title showdown against arch-rival JOSE HARO, (13-1-1, 7 KO’s) telecast live on CBS Sports Network, (10 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. PT) for Franco’s previously held belt at the WinnaVegas Casino and Resort in Sloan, Iowa.

“I’m ready, camp has been terrific, all I’ve thought about since losing my title to Martin was getting my it back. Once Haro was mentioned my Dad and I went right to work,” said the 25-year-old Franco. “I know what’s at stake and can’t wait to get back in the ring on Saturday night.”

Franco suffered the first loss of his career to Christopher Martin on March 23 in Los Angeles which he followed up with a first round knockout of Francisco Augustin on May 12 in Ensenada, Mexico.

Said father/trainer AL FRANCO, “Daniel has been completely focused since the loss. We’ve travelled all over Southern California the last few weeks to get the best sparring. He’s looked sharper for this camp than for any previous fight.”

“We’re going to Iowa and we’re going to get our title back on Saturday night.”

Franco vs. Haro is the main event at “KO Night Boxing: WAR In WinnaVegas”, presented by KO Night Boxing LLC, in association with Roc Nation Sports, Ringside Ticket Inc. and WinnaVegas Resort Casino. TITLE Boxing is the official gloves provider for KO Night Boxing.

Tickets are on sale at the WinnaVegas box office and online at www.tickets.winnavegas.biz. Advance ticket prices are $35.00 ringside (rows 1 & 2), $35.00 VIP Reserved Seating (rows 3 & 4), $20.00 General Admission Reserved Seating (rows 3 & 4) and $15.00 General Admission Standing Room Only.

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Bergen, Norway (June 6, 2017) This afternoon the Final Press Conference for the “The Battle of Bergen” was held as “The First Lady of Boxing”, CECILIA BRAEKHUS, (30-0-0, 8 KO’s), defends her Welterweight World Titles (WBC/WBA, WBO/IBF/IBO) against current WBC Junior Welterweight World Champion ERICA ‘La Pantera” FARIAS, (24-1-0, 10 KO’s) this Friday night, June 9 at the Bergenhus Fortress – Koengen in Bergen, Norway.

CECILIA BRAEKHUS
“This is the real homecoming. That is also the reason why I chose the absolutely toughest opponent out there. This is the only fight this event deserves. Erica is the toughest opponent of my career, but I’m ready for Friday night to defend my titles.”
“I’m so excited to be fighting in Bergen, my home since I was a very small child, it means a great deal to me to fight here on Friday night.”

ERICA FARIAS
“This is the biggest fight of my career, I have so much respect for Cecilia and all that she has accomplished in women’s boxing. She has truly been an inspiration to me.”

“I’ve trained very hard in Argentina for this fight and plan on being victorious on Friday night.”
BRAEKHUS vs. FARIAS is the third professional boxing event to take place in Norway following the decades long ban on professional boxing. Braekhus is the only undisputed world champion in boxing A crowd of over 15,000 is expected at the concert venue typically used for the biggest musical acts touring Europe.

WBO Lightweight Champion of the World Terry Flanagan is set to receive an exclusive Diamond Ring from the organisation’s President Francisco ‘Paco’ Valcarcel.

The prestigious Diamond Ring is reserved for ‘elite boxers’ who have made five successful defences of their World Titles.

All action ‘Turbo’ (33-0 13KOs) currently holds the longest undefeated record in British boxing and is hoping to secure a blockbuster unification fight against Jorge Linares or Mikey Garcia later this year.

Flanagan won his WBO crown against Jose Zepeda at the Manchester Velodrome back in July 2015 and has gone on to make successful defences against Diego Magdaleno, Derry Mathews, Mzonke Fana, Orlando Cruz and Petr Petrov.

At the age of just 27, Flanagan has already joined the line-up of accomplished former WBO Champions such as Oscar De La Hoya, Joe Calzaghe and Wladimir Klitschko, who all made at least five successful defences of their WBO belts.

“I am delighted to receive this award in recognition of my accomplishments in the ring” said Flanagan. “I have so much more to give to the sport of boxing. My best years are still ahead of me and I believe my best performances are yet to come. I would like to thank President Francisco ‘Paco’ Valcarcel for this special gift.”

President Franciso ‘Paco’ Valcarcel said: “Terry is a great ambassador for the WBO. We are delighted to honour Terry’s accomplishments inside the ring. He is a great Champion and he deserves to wear the special WBO Diamond Ring. Boxing needs Champions like him.”

Promoter Frank Warren added: “I am pleased to see my man and WBO Champion Terry Flanagan recognised for his brilliant achievements in the ring. The Lightweight division is currently one of the best weight classes in boxing and Terry will not fear going up against any of the other Champions. He has already fit a lot into his career and at the age of 27 the best is yet to come.”

LAS VEGAS: When WBA Light Heavyweight Interim Champion Dmitry Bivol (10-0, 8 KOs) faces Cedric “L.O.W.” Agnew (29-2, 15 KOs) in a ten-round battle on Saturday, June 17 on the televised undercard of Ward vs. Kovalev 2: “The Rematch,” it may be the first time many fans watching on television or live at the Mandalay Bay Events Center catch a glimpse of the up-and-coming light heavyweight prospect from Kyrgyzstan. Boxing fans are certain to remember Bivol after they witness his exciting style and aggressive power. The event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay Per View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Bivol is originally from Tokmak, Kyrgyzstan and now resides in Saint Petersburg, Russia. In his short two and a half-year pro career, he has quickly made a name for himself in the light heavyweight division. In his first ten fights, he amassed eight knockouts for an 80% knockout-to-win ratio. In only his seventh professional bout, he secured the WBA Light Heavyweight Interim Title when he knocked down Felix Valera twice on his way to a unanimous decision victory. Since then, he is 3-0 with two knockouts over Robert Berridge and Samuel Clarkson, despite only being 26 years old.

Despite his impressive and lightning-fast rise through the light heavyweight rankings, Bivol stays grounded in his approach to his next fight against Agnew. He said, “I look at my fights a bit differently; I don’t assume that one is more important than the other. A boxing career is like a staircase and when you successful with each win, you move up the staircase and this fight, of course, is another step up the staircase for me.”

He isn’t letting the added pressure of an international pay per view telecast affect his concentration and drive. “In reality, when you are inside the ring, mentally there is no difference whether you are at home or in the US or somewhere else,” said Bivol. “You have your opponent in front of you and that’s all I think about. I enjoy fighting in the US because the fans are very supportive and they will support the fighter they like, no matter what country or nationality he is. It’s all about being fan-friendly; anybody can create a big fan base for themselves in the US! We have our preparation system, our technique which we adhere to. It works well for me so we don’t change it much and just make adjustments to the different opponents we are facing.”

When asked about Agnew he added, “Agnew is an experienced boxer. He fought for the world title before against Sergey Kovalev. I have not faced opponents of his experience yet. I think he will stick to the same tactics that he usually does. He has been victorious in many fights using his counterpunching technique. I expect him to do the same with me. We will see what happens in the ring on fight night.”

Bivol’s trainer, Gennadii Mashyanov, said “Preparation to the fight goes in regular mode, I don’t like to give any predictions, so I can only tell that we are getting ready for the battle that fans and boxing experts will like.”

Ward vs. Kovalev 2: “The Rematch,” a 12-round mega-fight for the WBO/IBF/WBA Light Heavyweight World Championships, is presented by Roc Nation Sports, Main Events, Andre Ward Promotions, Krusher Promotions and Corona Extra, sponsored by Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Jetlux, Life10 Water, Zappos and Powered by Monster. The championship event takes place Saturday, June 17 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Tickets for Ward-Kovalev 2: “The Rematch” are available on axs.com and at the Mandalay Bay Events Center box office.

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Darryll Williams claims he should never have defeated bitter rival Jahmaine Smyle in their first fight.

He beat the Leicester man on points in April to capture the English Super-Middleweight title and they clash again at London’s Copper Box Arena on July 8, live on BT Sport and BoxNation.

Despite serving up a Fight of the Year contender, Williams insists he shouldn’t have been in the ring that night let alone being victorious after ten action packed rounds,

Williams, 27, said: “I’m not taking anything away from Jahmaine, but to be honest the camp I had was probably the worst I’ve had as a boxer.

“I was feeling really rough the week of the fight, and sometimes I think, ’How did Jahmaine lose?’

“I am quiet surprised it went the way it did, but I’m a guy who cannot pull out. I would rather go out on my shield.

“I never told anyone, but I was in a terrible way before. I had an ear infection and I was in a bad, bad way.”

Unbeaten Williams insists that Smyle is in for an even tougher time next month, warning: “He hasn’t seen anything.

“If I did that in that condition he hasn’t got as clue what is coming to him in July.

“I don’t mind the immediate rematch because I won’t be ill like I was. Let’s see what he’s really made of.”

Williams who is in Manchester training under Ricky Hatton added: “Ricky is very in-depth with what he says and we’ve gelled.

“He is more technical than he looks. He and Blain Younis are very good on the pads.

“To me it doesn’t matter who I fight. I am just happy to go back in there again.”

Tickets for Williams v Smyle 2 priced £40, £50, £100, £150 and £250 are available from:
www.eventim.co.uk

www.seetickets.com

www.ticketmaster.co.uk

CHICAGO (June 5, 2017) – After a successful pilot that was viewed by more than 40,000 boxing fans live on Facebook, FIGHTNIGHT LIVE hits the Chicago area on Friday, June 23, from Rosemont, Ill., with a stacked card filled with Windy City warriors.

“It’s a tremendous honor to take our Facebook FIGHTNIGHT LIVE platform to the Windy City area. It’s becoming a national platform already during its infancy – with East Coast and West Coast dates on the calendar and now this opportunity in the No. 3 media market in America – and we’ve been thrilled with the response from fight fans and promoters so far,” said Mark Fratto, Principal of Linacre Media. “We’re looking forward to working with the Village of Rosemont, as well as legendary promoters like Bobby Hitz and Frank Mugnolo on this card.”

Finalized matchups and fight card details will be unveiled later in the week. Legendary Chicago-based National Anthem singer Jim Cornelison will once again honor our country prior to the start of the main event – fans can catch that highly-anticipated performance along with all of the action in the ring live on Facebook.

The numbers on the May 11 FIGHTNIGHT LIVE pilot from Mohegan Sun Resort showed a great deal of promise and potential for the new platform. With only two days of promotion, the premiere broadcast amassed 43,000 total video views by 38,000 unique viewers. A total of 1.4 thousand hours of LIVE video was consumed by Facebook users during the first show alone. Reaching beyond the raw numbers, the fully-interactive, fan-friendly production saw 9,021 live post engagements for the show, which included 5,000 “likes” or “loves,” 2,989 comments and 628 shares.

On Friday night, June 23, live from The Dome at The Ballpark in Rosemont, fans can expect a high-impact, multi-camera streaming experience complete with graphics, animations, replays, interviews and an announce team anchored by blow-by-blow announcer Ray Flores of Premier Boxing Champions, Showtime Boxing, HBO Boxing and CBS Sports Network boxing fame. To provide spectators with a fully-interactive ringside experience, commentators will ask and respond to questions from the Facebook audience throughout the broadcast.

Television host Danielle Robay of WCIU-Chicago and Entertainment Tonight, NBC-4 Los Angeles and HLN-fame will bring fans exclusive pre-and post-fight interviews from ringside.

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

A July 15 date in Phoenix, Ariz., with Roy Jones Jr. Boxing Promotions has already been released on the FIGHTNIGHT LIVE calendar. More FIGHTNIGHT LIVE dates will be officially announced in the coming weeks.

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

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

SAN DIEGO- (June 5, 2017)-Ryan Burnett believes he has the perfect man in his corner in Adam Booth to get the gameplan right to take the IBF World Bantamweight title from Lee Haskins when they clash at the SSE Arena Belfast on Saturday June 10, live on AWE–A Wealth of Entertainment at 3 PM ET / 12 PM ET

Burnett faces the Bristol ace in his first World title shot and it’s a welcome return to his hometown after over three and a half years on the road.

Burnett’s last outing in Belfast in November 2014 was his first fight with Booth and the pair have moved seamlessly to 16-0 and on the brink of World glory as their partnership has blossomed in Booth’s Surrey gym.

Booth has been in the corner for many World title fights with David Haye and Burnett feels that having those expertise behind him can be the difference.

“Adam believes I am ready for it and he’s a man who has been there and done it,” said Burnett. “Adam knows how to put a game plan together to beat a southpaw, and I have every faith in Adam. If I am calm, relaxed and I deliver what Adam tells me to do on the night, I’ll win that belt.

“I’m always learning with every fight and every day in the gym with Adam. People were saying a year ago that I was ready for a World title shot so that must mean I am even better placed for it now. Adam makes the decisions of what the right move is for me.

“Adam has given me intelligence on what I actually have to do. All the skills are there, but he’s teaching me how to control it. That’s what we work on every day – understanding what you have to do and how you have to do it.

“I needed to sit back, peel away the layers and understand what I am doing. Adam’s work speaks for itself. He’s been in the sport for a long time and he’s a well-respected coach. I’ve come to the gym willing to listen and learn because I know that Adam has so much knowledge to give, so if Adam says jump, I say how high.”

Burnett challenges Haskins on a huge night of action in Belfast where Paul Hyland Jr faces Adam Dingsdale for his first pro title, with the IBF European Lightweight strap on the line.

An exciting undercard features a the Cruiserweight debut of Mike Perez, Ian Tims and Luke Watkins meeting for the Irish Cruiserweight title and local favourites James Tennyson, Paddy Gallagher, Matthew Wilton, Feargal McCrory and Tyrone McCullagh.

About AWE LIVE BOXING

AWE LIVE Boxing features live world title championship and elimination bouts showcasing today’s most exciting fighters. Since the inception of AWE’s live boxing events in 2011, AWE has featured over 50 world title fights.

AWE has brought boxing fans some of the most exciting and controversial bouts, including the matchup of Ricky Burns against Ray Beltran for the world title. AWE featured live and exclusively the crowning of American Terence Crawford over Ricky Burns. AWE fans have witnessed the explosive power of undefeated heavyweight Tyson Fury multiple times on the network, including Fury’s victory over Kevin Johnson. In 2017, AWE was the exclusive United States television provider of the historic matchup between legendary British heavyweight David Haye and Tony Bellew.

About AWE – A Wealth of Entertainment

A Wealth of Entertainment (“AWE”) features a wide range of lifestyles and entertainment programming from exotic travel and outrageous homes to live world championship boxing. AWE is available on over a hundred cable systems, including AT&T U-Verse, ch 147 and 1147 in HD, Verizon FiOS TV, ch 169 and 669 in HD. and DirecTV, ch 387.

For more information, please visit www.awetv.com.

LOS ANGELES (June 5, 2017) The biggest fight in boxing today will come to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, Sept. 16 when two-division world champion Canelo Alvarez (49-1-1, 34 KOs) squares off against IBF/WBA/WBC Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (37-0, 33 KOs) over 12 rounds during Mexican Independence Day weekend. The event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View.

“I am thrilled to return to T-Mobile Arena, and to give the fans the best fight that can be made in our sport today,” Canelo said. “I have repeatedly said that I fear no man, and I am now going to prove it by stepping into the ring against GGG. When the final bell rings, everyone will know that this is indeed the Canelo era, and that I am the best fighter in all of boxing.”

“This is the type of fight I have dreamed of since I became a professional boxer,”
Golovkin said. “This fight will be at a true championship level and we will give the fans an exciting fight.”

The fight, to be contested at a maximum of 160 pounds will feature two of the most explosive, heavy-handed fighters in any division in the sport today. In their combined 88 fights, 67 have ended before the final bell.

“For the best fight on the best date in boxing, there is no better venue than the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “Fans won’t only be treated to a classic battle between the two best boxers in the sport, they will also be able to enjoy an incredible week of activities marking Mexican Independence Day. This will be a can’t-miss event for hardcore and casual fans, alike.”

“This is the result of many years of hard work for Gennady, travelling around the world fighting world champions and top contenders to become an undefeated unified middleweight world champion,” said Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions. “Gennady’s reward, and the fans’ reward, will be battling in the biggest and best match-up in the sport of boxing. Gennady is ready for his date with destiny.”

“On September 16 there will be fireworks in Las Vegas when the biggest fight in boxing decides the middleweight championship of the world,” said Tony Walker, Vice President HBO Pay-Per-View. “We are thrilled to be producing and distributing this power-house event from the bright lights of Las Vegas.”

The last time Canelo stepped into the ring at T-Mobile Arena, he and Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. drew the largest number of fans – more than 20,000 – to ever attend an indoor boxing event in Las Vegas.

Richard Sturm, President of Sports and Entertainment for MGM Resorts International, said, “There is no doubt this will be one of the biggest fights in boxing history. T-Mobile Arena has quickly become one of the leading venues to host championship boxing of this magnitude. We look forward to celebrating Mexican Independence Day Weekend in Las Vegas with our event partners and boxing fans worldwide.”

A press tour for the fight and on-sale ticket release will be announced in the coming days.

Canelo vs. Golovkin is a 12-round fight for the middleweight championship of the world presented by Golden Boy Promotions and GGG Promotions and sponsored by Tecate, BORN BOLD, Hennessy, Never Stop, Never Settle and O’Reilly Auto Parts. The event will take place on Saturday, Sept. 16 at T-Mobile Arena and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and www.hbo.com/boxing; follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @canelo, @gggboxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @hboboxing and @TomLoeffler1; become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, https://www.Facebook.com/gggboxing/and www.Facebook.com/HBOboxing; follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @canelo, @gggboxing, @HBOboxing and @OscarDeLaHoya; and follow the conversation using #CaneloGGG.

Team GB Olympic medallist Joshua Buatsi has signed a promotional deal with Matchroom Boxing and will make his professional debut at The O2 in London on July 1, live on Sky Sports.

Buatsi picked up bronze in Rio last summer in the Light Heavyweight division and has joined Brazil teammates Lawrence Okolie, Joe Cordina, Josh Kelly and Anthony Fowler in teaming up with Hearn. The Croydon ace, who also picked up bronze in the 2015 European Championships, will be managed by Anthony Joshua’s management team AJ Boxing.

The 24 year old went back to St. Mary’s University after returning from Rio to complete his degree in Business Management and Sports Science, and now turns his attentions to the paid ranks and cannot wait to get his pro journey underway.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said Buatsi. “I got the medal ten months ago but I didn’t just disappear. After coming back from Rio I needed to finish my degree and the get back into the gym. I’ve been in the gym for a few months now, my head is clear, I know what is next. I’ve made the right decision to team up with Eddie Hearn, Matchroom Boxing and Sky Sports and I’m so excited for the journey.

“My Mum and Dad wanted me to finish my education, I came back from Rio and had a year left, I didn’t want to turn my back on university. Boxing has always been my plan A and university wasn’t a plan, it was something that I was able to do while boxing – but everything about me is boxing.

“It seems a long time ago that I was an amateur. This is the next stage and there’s competition out there, everyone wants to be number one, we’re all hungry. The pro game is so different from the amateurs, you have to entertain, and it’s not a bed of roses. It’s a brutal sport but I’ve prepared myself physically and mentally for it.

“It’s more of a fight in the pros. Two men fighting with smaller gloves and I think it will suit me, let your hands go, keep your hands up and don’t blink. I know I only have to concentrate on one guy in the pros, not the guy the following day – six rounds to get rid of someone and I know that I will get to them in that time.

“There’s a lot for me to learn but I’m eager and hungry to do just that. I feel I have to prove myself and go and grab everything with both hands, that’s my mentality so let the show begin.”
Hearn plans to box Buatsi all over Britain with eight fights pencilled in for his first year as a pro, and the promoter was delighted to add Buatsi to his stacked roster of Britain’s biggest boxing talents.

“I’m delighted to be promoting Joshua,” said Hearn. “Three and a half years ago we were in the same room on the start of Anthony Joshua’s journey and I feel that we’re at the start of the road for another outstanding talent in Joshua Buatsi. Everyone in boxing knows the talent and ability he has and now it’s time to show that to a wider audience.”

Buatsi’s debut is part of a big night of boxing at The O2, topped by Frank Buglioni defending his British Light-Heavyweight title against Ricky Summers.

A packed bill includes Ted Cheeseman challenging Matthew Ryan for the English Super-Welterweight title in an eliminator for the British title, Reece Bellotti looks to build on his impressive British Featherweight title
eliminator win over Dai Davies in March, Team GB Rio Olympian Lawrence Okolie on the hunt for a fourth straight first round KO in the paid ranks and features on the bill with his potential Cruiserweight local rival Isaac Chamberlain.

Conor Benn makes a welcome return from injury and there’s action for Southern Area Super-Middleweight champion Craig ‘Spider’ Richards, Super-Middleweight Danny Dignum and Light-Heavyweight Jake Ball.

Tickets are on sale now priced £40 – £100 via www.theo2.co.uk. £150 VIP tickets are available exclusively from www.matchroomboxing.com

Face value tickets for July 1 are also be available from http://www.stubhub.co.uk/matchroom-boxing-tickets/ . StubHub is the official ticket partner and marketplace of Matchroom Boxing and Anthony Joshua.

DiBella Entertainment has won the purse bid to stage the IBF Middleweight elimination bout, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

DiBella Entertainment, which co-promotes Sergiy Derevyanchenko, won a purse bid for the eliminator between 160-pound contenders Derevyanchenko and Tureano Johnson. Alex Dombroff, promoter Lou DiBella’s attorney, bid $121,100.02 at the purse bid at IBF headquarters in Springfield, New Jersey, to gain promotional control of the bout.

Golden Boy Promotions, which represents Johnson, was the only other bidder and offered $62,000.