ORANGE, Calif. (May 22, 2017) – Thompson Boxing Promotions will replay its entire show from May 19 that includes Erick Ituarte’s (17-1-1, 2 KOs) dramatic, split decision win over the tough as nails Isaac Zarate (12-3-2, 2 KOs).

The replay is set for this Wednesday, May 24, at 5:30 p.m. PDT / 8:30 p.m. PDT on ThompsonBoxing.com and its YouTube channel – Thompson Boxing TV. Additionally, boxing fans may follow us on Twitter @ThompsonBoxing to access Wednesday’s replay.

Ituarte (76-75, 77-74) clinched the vacant Junior NABF Featherweight championship on Friday night by overcoming a third round knockdown to win the marquee fight in Thompson Boxing Promotions’ 17 year anniversary show titled “New Blood.”

“I opened up a little too much in the third round,” said Ituarte, referencing the knockdown. “I was a little more patient the rest of the way. Zarate is a terrific competitor. He never backed down. It’s a great win.”

Zarate, who had one judge see the fight in his favor (76-75), struck pay dirt in the third when he landed a counter left hook that dropped Ituarte. After that, Ituarte settled down and became more precise in his punching.

In addition to the featherweight title, Ituarte takes home area bragging rights as he and Zarate hail from neighboring cities in Southern California.

The “New Blood” co-feature showcased a thoroughly entertaining, back-and-forth struggle between junior bantamweights and hometown rivals Ricardo Espinoza (10-2, 8 KOs) and Christian Nieto-Ayala (10-1, 4 KOs).

The action began in the first round with Espinoza connecting on what appeared to be a flash knockdown. Ayala quickly brushed it off and began firing shots of his won. Both Ayala and Espinoza landed shots from a variety of angles with minimal holding or clinching.

Ayala, understanding that he needed to undo the deficit from the first round, went forward on Espinoza for most of the fight. The tactic proved to work as Ayala escaped with a narrow split decision win (76-75, 77-74). One judge had it for Espinoza (76-75).

“This was a tough fight,” said Ayala, who resides in Tijuana, Mex. “I knew going in that it was going to be a close one. Espinoza is a very talented fighter and I’m just happy that I was able to do enough to win.”

Top featherweight prospect Ruben Villa (6-0, 4 KOs) continues to impress early in his professional career. Villa, a southpaw fighting out of Salinas, Calif., picked apart Anthony de Jesus Ruiz (2-3, 2 KOs) to win by fifth round technical knockout.

Villa, who was naturally bigger than Ruiz, unloaded a serious of damaging shots in the fifth round. By that point, Ruiz had already absorbed a great deal of punishment and his corner wisely put an end to the onslaught at the 2:43 mark.

“My jab was working well all night,” said Villa, who is promoted by Thompson Boxing and Banner Promotions. “I worked off backing him up with the jab and then that opened up a lot of angles for me to land power shots.”

Exciting bantamweight prospect Mario Hernandez (2-0) routinely backed up May Garduño (0-1) to win by one-sided unanimous decision (40-36 x3). Hernandez displayed superior punching ability and appeared to grow stronger as the rounds progressed.

Garduño could not find an answer to Hernandez’s aggressive style, and consequently got shut out in his professional debut.

Junior welterweights Juan Garcia Mendez (19-2-2, 12 KOs) and Cesar Villarraga (9-3-1, 4 KOs) put on a show during their 6-round scrap that ended in a controversial split draw. One judge had Villarraga ahead by a wide margin (59-55), while the second observer scored it 58-56 for Mendez. The third judge had it even at 57-57.

Lightweight Brandon Trejo (1-0) of Napa, Calif. delivered a steady beating to Pablo Cupul (5-23, 3 KOs) of Lakeside, Calif. to win by unanimous decision, sweeping it 40-36 on the three scorecards.

Trejo looked confident from the outset, landing a stiff jab followed by strong power shots. It was Trejo’s first professional outing after amassing an impressive amateur career that saw him net two National PAL titles in addition to being a two-time California Silver Gloves champion.

Thompson Boxing Promotions returns with another action-packed card on Friday, June 23 from the Doubletree Ontario. A formal announcement will be coming soon.

“New Blood” was presented by Thompson Boxing Promotions and sponsored by Lucas Oil, in association with Everlast.

For more information, please visit ThompsonBoxing.com.

For regular updates on our fighters, events, and promotions, please check our Facebook Page, find us on YouTube and follow us on Instagram and Twitter @ThompsonBoxing.

ORANGE, Calif. (May 22, 2017) – Top featherweight prospect Ruben Villa (6-0, 4 KOs) continues to impress early in his professional career. Villa, a southpaw fighting out of Salinas, Calif., picked apart Anthony de Jesus Ruiz (2-3, 2 KOs) to win by fifth round technical knockout.

Villa, who was naturally bigger than Ruiz, unloaded a serious of damaging shots in the fifth round. By that point, Ruiz had already absorbed a great deal of punishment and his corner wisely put an end to the onslaught at the 2:43 mark.

“My jab was working well all night,” said Villa, who is promoted by Thompson Boxing and Banner Promotions. “I worked off backing him up with the jab and then that opened up a lot of angles for me to land power shots.”

“Ruben looked fantastic on Friday night,” said Ken Thompson, president of Thompson Boxing. “He looked really comfortable and was in firm control of the fight from start to finish. He managed to fight a patient, yet aggressive fight to secure another knockout win.”

“We have been very happy with Ruben’s development. He is shaping to be the fighter we believe he will be,” said Banner Promotions vice-president, Matthew Rowland. “He is going to have a big future.”

The fight can be viewed on Thompson Boxing Promotions Facebook page.

Connect with Ruben Villa on social media: Instagram: RubenV4 , Facebook: Ruben Villa IV , & Twitter: @Ruben_Villa4 .

Photo Credit: Carlos Baeza/Thompson Boxing

Promoter Sampson Lewkowicz wishes to congratulate his fighter, David “El Bandera Roja” Benavidez of Phoenix, Arizona, for his sensational eighth-round knockout over Mexico’s Rogelio “Porky” Medina on Saturday night at the Laredo Energy Arena in Laredo, Texas.

With the star-making victory, Benavidez (18-0, 17 KOs) becomes a mandatory challenger for the WBC Super Middleweight Championship. And, depending on when it happens, a win in that fight could make 20-year-old Benavidez the youngest super middleweight world champion in boxing history.

“We were hopeful David would win the fight,” said Lewkowicz, “but I am amazed at how he won. He was incredible. Have you ever seen a knockout like that? An eight-punch combination that almost put Medina out of the ring? David is the best super middleweight in the world. No one can take his punches.”

Lewkowicz, who is often credited for spotting the early talent in champions Manny Pacquiao and Sergio Martinez, has been predicting stardom for Benavidez since early in his career. He now says the sky is the limit for his young charge.

“David’s first fight with me was in November 2015. I said after that fight he was something special and he will be champion by the end of 2017. Medina is a very good fighter. He gave (IBF Super Middleweight Champion) James DeGale a very tough fight not long ago. And David beat him up to the head and body. He works very hard to be who he is and deserves everything he gets.”

Lewkowicz says Benavidez will take a short time off to rest and then get back in the gym to begin training for his championship challenge.

“It doesn’t make a difference who he fights for the title. David will roll over everybody he fights. He is the new boss at 168 lbs. I am very happy to be his promoter and my congratulations also go to his father, Jose, who does a great job getting him ready for his fights.”
About Sampson Boxing
After a very successful run as a matchmaker and adviser, Sampson Lewkowicz switched over to the promotional side of professional boxing in January 2008.

Sampson Boxing has grown into one of the world’s most prestigious promotional firms, representing many of the world’s best fighters and most promising young contenders.

Sampson Boxing has promotional partners all over North and South America, Africa, Asia, New Zealand, Australia, Europe and Central America and Sampson Boxing events have been televised on such premiere networks as HBO, Showtime, ESPN, VS. and several international networks.

New York, NY (5/22/17) – On Saturday, June 3, DiBella Entertainment will return to the Fox Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino, in Mashantucket, CT, for the latest exciting installment of its popular Broadway Boxing series, presented by Nissan of Queens, Azad Watches, OPTYX, and Christos Steak House. The card will feature a bevy of New England talent, including fan favorite Shelly “Shelito’s Way” Vincent in an eight-round special attraction featherweight bout, as well as lightweight Matt Remillard on the comeback and welterweight prospect Mykquan Williams on the rise.

“I am happy to bring another great card back to Foxwoods, which continues to be a terrific venue for Broadway Boxing,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “Fans will not want to miss the always-entertaining Shelly Vincent, who is a great ambassador for women’s boxing. The stacked undercard will include local New England favorites Matt Remillard, Mykquan Williams, Jonathan Figueroa, and Khiry Todd, as well as Russian future world champion Radzhab Butaev and a battle between unbeaten heavyweight prospects Ruslan Shamalov and George Arias.”

One of the most popular fighters out of the New England area, Shelly “Shelito’s Way” Vincent (19-1, 1 KO), born in New London, CT, but now residing in Providence, RI, will compete at Foxwoods for the seventh time, in an eight-round featherweight bout. Last August, Vincent entered enemy territory to challenge rival Heather Hardy in her adversary’s hometown of Brooklyn, NY. Their highly publicized grudge match was nationally televised by NBC Sports Net and was hailed by Ring Magazine as the “Female Fight of the Year” for 2016. Vincent was also honored by the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame as their “Fighter of the Year” for 2016, becoming the first female recipient of the award. She rebounded from her only defeat with a unanimous decision victory on December 2, back home in Rhode Island. Before turning pro in October 2011, Vincent was a Connecticut State, Connecticut Golden Gloves, and National Golden Gloves champion as an amateur. Managed by Mike Criscio and trained by Peter Manfredo Sr., Vincent signed with DiBella Entertainment in 2016.

Matt “Sharp Shooter” Remillard (24-1, 13 KOs), of Hartford, CT, will continue his comeback, following a six-year ring absence, in an eight-round lightweight bout. It will be his first fight in his home state since November 2010. A pro since 2005, Remillard is a former WBC Youth, WBC-USNBC, NABF and NABO featherweight champion. His only loss came in March 2011 to the unbeaten Mikey Garcia, now the WBC world lightweight champion. He is trained by Paul Cichon, a local legend and community leader, out of Manchester Ring of Champions Society boxing gym. As an amateur, Remillard accumulated a record of 115-25, and was a two-time Everlast Under-19 National amateur champion.

Highly touted East Hartford welterweight prospect Mykquan Williams (6-0, 4 KOs) has kept a busy pace since turning pro last April. Promoted by DiBella Entertainment and managed by Jackie Kallen, the 19-year-old Williams will return to Foxwoods, where he has built a strong following, for the sixth time, in his first scheduled six-rounder. Williams is also trained by Cichon, whom he’s known since he was a child and looks upon as a surrogate father. His biological father was murdered when Mykquan was just a week old. Williams was a decorated amateur with a 45-13 record, highlighted by three gold-medal performances at the Ringside World Championships, in addition to winning the PAL Tournament and Silver Gloves Championships.

Unbeaten New York-based heavyweights will collide in their toughest tests to date, when Russian Ruslan Shamalov (4-0, 3 KOs) meets Dominican George Arias (6-0, 3 KOs) in a six-round contest.

Born in Cherkessk, Russia, and now living in Brooklyn, the 6’5″ Shamalov was a two-time amateur MMA champion before switching to boxing and engaging in 30 amateur bouts while participating on the Russian National team. Shamalov turned pro in October 2016 and is trained by Eduard Kravtsov out of Wild Card Gym, in Los Angeles, CA. In his last bout on April 5, Shamalov returned home to Russia and registered a first-round knockout versus Oleksandr Nesterenko in 43 seconds.

Arias was born in San Francisco de Macoris, Dominican Republic, then moved to New York City in 1996, at four years old. However, it wasn’t until graduating high school that Arias learned to box at Morris Park Boxing Gym near his home in The Bronx. He won the New York Golden Gloves tournament in 2014 then turned pro that October. Arias recently returned from a 13-month ring hiatus with a four-round unanimous decision versus Jamal Woods in Lawrenceville, GA, on April 29.

Cuban cruiserweight Luis Garcia (14-0, 11 KOs), based out of Peekskill, NY, will see action in a six-round bout. After being denied a berth on the Cuban Olympic team, despite winning in the Cuban Olympic qualifiers preparing for the Games in Beijing, Garcia defected from his native land and settled in Cork, Ireland, where he turned pro in September 2008. Having built his record to a perfect 11-0 over the next 26 months, Garcia then relocated to the United States to resume his career. On December 5, 2015, Garcia made his New York debut at Barclays Center, in Brooklyn, earning a 63-second knockout versus Willie Williams. Anther first-round knockout followed in his last bout on June 25, 2016, at Buffalo Run Casino, in Miami, OK.

Russian amateur prodigy Radzhab Butaev (5-0, 4 KOs), co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Fight Promotions Inc. and managed by Vadim Kornilov, will make his second appearance at Foxwoods in an eight-round contest. On November 19, Butaev earned an eight-round shutout victory versus experienced Hungarian Gabor Gorbics to win the NABF junior middleweight title. In his last bout, on April 5, Butaev returned to Russia to stop Baxrom Payazov inside one round. The 22-year-old Butaev, born in Salsk, Russia, and now living in Los Angeles, was a highly accomplished amateur, having compiled an incredible 304-12 record, with 164 knockouts. He participated in the World Series of Boxing as well, finishing at 9-1.

A native of the boxing rich city of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, Jose Roman (3-0, 3 KOs) will make his US debut in a four-round welterweight contest. Roman began boxing at 13 years of age amassing a stellar 124-17 amateur record along the way. He joined the Puerto Rican National team in 2012, winning three consecutive National championships from 2013-2015.

Junior welterweight Jonathan Figueroa (2-1, 1 KO), of Hartford, CT, will fight in a four-round contest. Managed by Vinny Scolpino, Figueroa turned pro on a Broadway Boxing card held at Foxwoods on September 1 last year. Training out of Hartford PAL gym, Figueroa was a 2012 Golden Gloves champion as an amateur.

Welterweight Khiry Todd (3-0, 3 KOs), from Lynn, MA, will make his Connecticut debut in a four-round contest. The 25-year-old Todd had 40 amateur bouts and won the New England Golden Gloves tournament before turning pro last December with a 42-second demolition of Patrick Leal.

Tickets for the June 3 Broadway Boxing event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and presented by Nissan of Queens, Azad Watches, OPTYX, and Christos Steak House, are priced at $125, $75 and $45. Tickets can be purchased online at Foxwoods.com, Ticketmaster.com, by calling 800-200-2882, or visiting the Foxwoods box office. Doors open at 7:00pm, with the first fight scheduled for 7:30pm.

EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada (May 22, 2017) – Super Channel subscribers across Canada will be able to watch this Saturday’s mega-fight between International Boxing Federation (IBF) Welterweight World Champion Kell “The Special One” Brook and undefeated No. 1 mandatory contender Errol “The Truth” Spence, Jr., starting at 3 p.m. ET/ 12 p.m. PT, live from the outdoor Bramall Football Ground in Sheffield, Yorkshire, United Kingdom.

“Brook vs. Spence, Jr.” is a presentation of Matchroom Boxing. Super Channel will air four exciting fights from this card, headlined by one of the most anticipated fights of the year between two world-class prize fighters, exclusively in Canada.

“We are thrilled to be bringing back world-class caliber boxing to our viewers,” said Troy Wassil, Director of Programming, Domestic Distributors & Sports. “This is the type of high-quality, exclusive sports content that subscribers can look forward to seeing as part of the Super Channel Sports sub-brand.”

Brook (36-1, 25 KOs), fighting at home in Sheffield, captured the IBF 147-pound division title August 16, 2014, with a signature victory, by way of a 12-round decision, over Shawn Porter in Carson, California. The 31-year-old Brook has successfully defended his championship belt three times, including a pair of challengers from Canada, Jo Jo Dan and Kevin Bizier.

In his most recent fight this past September, unified world middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (35-0) ruined Brook’s perfect record, stopping the game Brit who had moved up two weight classes in five rounds.

Brock is 4-1 (3 KOs) in world title fights, 3-1 (1 KO) in fights against former or current world champions, defeating Porter, Lovemore Ndou and Vyacheslav Senchenko.

Kell Brook (R)
(photo courtesy of Matchroom Boxing)

Spence, Jr., 27, has been hyped by some as the possible successor to retired Floyd Mayweather, Jr. as the new face of boxing. Fighting out of Texas, Spence, Jr. was a 2012 US Olympian who fought in the London Games.

Spence Jr. has defeated the likes of former world champion Chris Algieri, as well as Leonard Bundu, Alejandro Barrera and Chris van Heerden, among the more notables during his 4 ½ year professional career.

Errol Spence, Jr.
(photo courtesy of PBC)

The 12-round co-feature for the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) Super Middleweight World Championship pits three-time World title challenger “Saint” George Groves (25-3-0, 18 KOs) against former WBA Super Middleweight World Champion Fedor Chudinov (14-1, 10 KOs).

Groves, fighting out of London, has defeated fellow countryman and current IBF Super Middleweight World Champion James DeGale and former World light heavyweight titlist Glen Johnson.

Last February, Chudinov lost his WBA strap to Felix Sturm in a rematch of a title fight the Russian had won. Chudinov has also defeated Frank Buglioni and Ben McCullough.

Kicking-off the three-hour, action-packed Super Channel broadcast is 12-round heavyweight clash between David “White Rhino” Allen (11-2-1, 8 KOs) and Lenroy “TNT” Thomas (20-4, 10 KOs) for the vacant Commonwealth Championship, followed by the professional debut of 2012 British Olympian Anthony Fowler versus Arturs Geikins (3-7-1, 2 KOs) in a four-round middleweight match.

INFORMATION:
www.SuperChannel.CA
Twitter: @SuperChannel
Instagram: @SuperChannelTV
About Super Channel:

Super Channel is a national premium pay television network, consisting of four HD channels, four SD channels, and Super Channel On Demand.

Super Channel’s mission is to entertain and engage Canadian audiences by providing a unique and exclusive entertainment experience. With a core foundation of integrity and accountability, we dedicate ourselves to implementing innovative programming strategies and unparalleled team work that provides viewers with exceptional value and variety.

Super Channel is owned by Allarco Entertainment 2008 Inc., an Edmonton-based media company.

Super Channel is currently available on Bell TV, Shaw Direct, Rogers Anyplace TV, Shaw Cable, Cogeco Cable, Access Communications, Bell Aliant TV, Source Cable, SaskTel, MTS, Novus, EastLink, TELUS, Videotron, Westman Communications and other regional providers.
www.superchannel.ca

Tommy McCarthy and Mike Perez will meet in a crunch Cruiserweight clash at the SSE Arena Belfast on June 10, live on Sky Sports.

It’s a must-win night for both men as McCarthy is looking to bounce back from missing out on the mandatory spot for the British title when he faced Matty Askin in November. Askin fights for the vacant title this weekend and Belfast man McCarthy will be desperate to land a big win to get back in the frame to fight for the Lord Lonsdale belt later in the year.

Perez has made the move down to Cruiserweight to reignite his career as the talented Cuban-born Cork-based banger returns to action – with today marking two years to the day since his last contest, a WBC World Heavyweight title eliminator against Alexander Povetkin in Russia.

“I’m shocked this fight is up and running but its great news for fight fans,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “Mick Conlan tweeted me and asked that Tommy be on the card and at the same time I had a request from Mike Perez to be on the show.

“I contacted both teams and they instantly accepted the fight. It’s a career defining clash for both. Lose and it’s all over – win and it kick-starts a whole new career at championship-level. It’s going to be a big night of boxing on June 10 in Belfast.”

McCarthy and Perez clash on a huge night of boxing in Belfast as unbeaten local talent Ryan Burnett challenges IBF World Bantamweight champion Lee Haskins.

An exciting undercard features Ian Tims vs. Luke Watkins for the Irish Cruiserweight title and local favourites James Tennyson, Paul Hyland Jnr, Paddy Gallagher, Matthew Wilton, Feargal McCrory and Tyrone McCullagh.

Tickets are on general sale at midday today 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.

Today Steed Tailors have announced that former Two-Weight World Champion and Award-Winning Showtime Sports Boxing Analyst, Paulie Malignaggi has become their first official Ambassador. As Steed’s Ambassador, Paulie will exclusively be dressed in the finest Savile Row Bespoke Clothing, both sides of the Atlantic, whenever he is working as an Expert Boxing Analyst for both Showtime Sports & Sky Sports UK.

Since 2015, Malignaggi has commissioned many handcrafted Bespoke pieces from Steed, most recently, a Steed Bespoke Sport Coat worn during the weigh-in to the Blockbuster Heavyweight Showdown between Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley Stadium, London.

Malignaggi’s next appearance will feature a newly commissioned Steed Bespoke Suit on May 27th, when he will be working as a ringside announcer at the Kell Brook vs Errol Spence Jnr World Title Fight in Sheffield, England.

For fans of Malignaggi that can’t make it across the Atlantic, Steed makes 5 trips per year to New York City and 3 trips per year to 7 other U.S. cities to ensure their American clients have access to the finest suits Savile Row has to offer.

Quotes From Paulie Malignaggi:
“I’ve always prided myself on my appearance – and I know there’s no other suit out there that compares to my bespoke suit made for me, personally by Matthew & Edwin at Steed Tailors. They’re world class experts in tailoring, and I know I won’t have my suits made anywhere else. The fact they come out to the U.S. so often is an added bonus!”

On his relationship with Matthew DeBoise:
“I think we’ve developed a friendship while working together and to me, that’s meant a lot.”

Quotes From Matthew DeBoise, Managing Partner of Steed:
“It’s an honour to announce Paulie as Steed’s first ever brand Ambassador. To have started as an admiring fan during his illustrious Boxing to career, beginning with his fight against Miguel Cotto in 2006 when I was just 17 years old. Culminating with meeting and subsequently, building a strong friendship, alongside a key working relationship over the past 18 months is amazing if not a little surreal!
I’m excited to get working on the new Bespoke commissions we are lining up for the various Boxing Events that you’ll see him in the future.”

Special Thanks to Anthony Catanzaro & Mark Dunsford:
Both Edwin & Matthew DeBoise would like to say a special thank you to Paulie’s Long-Time Manager and close friend, Anthony Catanzaro who facilitated the agreement, swiftly and has been a pleasure to work alongside from day one.

Thanks also go to Mark Dunsford, owner of Harrison’s of Edinburgh who will be working with Steed to provide the world’s finest fabrics for all of Paulie’s Bespoke clothing.

About Steed Tailors

Established in January 1995, Steed has gained a reputation as one of Savile Row’s finest Bespoke Tailors, offering clients a soft, understated elegance. Founded by Edwin DeBoise, Savile Row, Master Tailor and his son, Matthew DeBoise, who is now both a Managing Partner and Chief Stylist. The last few years has seen Steed’s client list gain other well-known Sportsmen such as Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal & Wales International Footballer), Darren Barker (World Champion Boxer) and Darren Clarke (2016 European Ryder Cup Captain & Former Open Champion).

The Belfast banger made a sensational start to his career when he dazzled in front of a sold-out partisan crowd at Madison Square Garden on St Patrick’s Day, stopping American Tim Ibarra in round three.

‘The Channel of Champions’ BoxNation will once again be the place to see the 25-year-old in LIVE action when he takes on Alfredo Chanez from the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois.

Mexican Chanez will be aiming to give the Irishman a rough introduction into the paid ranks when they square off in their six-round featherweight fight.

For his debut, Conlan was led into the ring by UFC superstar Conor McGregor, before doing his thing in the ring by out-boxing Ibarra and claiming his first win.

He will be looking to do much of the same this time around and can’t wait to impress the Chicago crowd.

“I’m delighted to be boxing in Chicago,” said Conlan. “Chicago being heavily populated with Irish, I’ve already had a huge amount of people contacting me about the fight. And for Top Rank to have me as a main event again with a fantastic undercard is great. I’m looking forward to going there and putting on a great show for the fans!”

“Michael is looking better and looking sharper in the gym. You will definitely see an even greater fighter in the ring in Chicago,” said Manny Robles, Conlan’s trainer. “Michael is eager to grow and learn each day. He understands his responsibility not only to his management and promoter but to his people and entire country. He wants to become a world champion and make his country proud. It is my job to help get him there.”

“I’m really looking forward to Michael’s next fight in Chicago. His debut was a huge success and I’m sure he will be receiving a similar reception from the Irish community in Chicago and from the Chicago fight fans,” said Matthew Macklin, a former three-time world champion challenger and Conlan’s manager. “Michael took a week off and was back in the gym sparring Jessie Magdaleno and working on all aspects of his game. He’s very much a work in progress but he has all the talent in the world and is very dedicated. I expect him to settle down more in this fight and put on a great performance.”

Jim McMunn, BoxNation Managing Director, said: “BoxNation are delighted to once again feature Michael Conlan live on the channel. He is undoubtedly one of the sport’s most popular young fighters and has the world at his feet. We are pleased that BoxNation subscribers will be able to watch his journey as he looks to make it right to the very top, continuing with Alfredo Chanez this Friday night.”

The card will also feature former world champion “Mile High” Mike Alvarado and undefeated Top-10 welterweight contender Alex “El Cholo” Saucedo in separate 10 and eight-round bouts, respectively.

Conlan v Chanez is live on BoxNation this Friday night. Buy now at www.boxnation.com for only £12 per month with free registration (Sky customers use offer code: MAYBOXING)

-Ends-
About BoxNation
BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated boxing channel. From £12* per month with no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.
Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Mayweather vs Maidana, Saunders vs Eubank Jr and Khan vs Canelo.
The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Freeview (Ch.255), Virgin (Ch.546), TalkTalk (Ch.415), online at watch.boxnation.com and via apps (ios, Android, Amazon, Apple TV). BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.
Available on selected internet-connected Freeview products only, subject to coverage. Visit freeview.co.uk/availability.
BoxNation is also available to commercial premises (inc. pubs, clubs and casino’s) in the UK and Ireland, for more information on a commercial subscription please call 0844 842 7700.
For more information visit www.boxnation.com
*Plus £8 registration fee for Sky TV customers

SOCHI, Russia (May 21, 2017) – Two-time M-1 Challenge Light Heavyweight Champion Viktor Nemkov has positioned himself for another title shot, defeating Brazilian challenger Ronny Markes, last Friday night in the M-1 Challenger 77 main event at Sochi, Russia.

Eleven exciting fights were held with athletes representing 10 different countries in true International competition: Russia, Brazil, USA, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, and Azerbajjan.

Nemkov (25-6-0, M-1: 18-5-0), fighting out of Russia, took care of Markes (16-4-0, M-1: 0-1-0) early, by submission in the opening round by way of a guillotine choke. “I waited for the right moment,” Nemkov said after the fight, “concentrating on the guillotine-choke to finish the fight.”

Rising Russian middleweight prospect Artem Frolov (9-0-0, M-1: 6-0-0) needed only 1:14 to knockout Talekh “The Azerbaijan Terminator” Taleh. “It’s hard to tell if the fight could have gone a little longer,” Frolov commented, “but I think it’s a big deal to hurt your opponent like I did. I hope to get a title fight soon.”

In a fascinating battle between unbeaten American lightweight “Motown” Moses Murrieta and Russian Andrey Seledtsov (6-4-0, M-1: 0-3-0), Murietta (5-0-0, M-1: 1-0-) won a hard-fought three-round unanimous decision in his M-1 Global debut. “My opponent never gave up, he’s a strong opponent, Murietta remarked. “I always work on physical training. I wanted to finish the fight early, but maybe next time. I signed a six-fight contract with M-1 Global. The atmosphere here in Sochi and the fans are excellent.”

Georgian lightweight Raul Tutarauli (10-3-0, M-1: 5-1-0) won a three-round unanimous decision against Artur Lemos (8-3-0, M-1: 0-1-0), of Portugal, while Russian Viktor Kolesnik (10-2-1, M-1: 1-0-1) did the same versus Philip Rego (10-4-0, M-1: 0-2-0), of Brazil.

On the preliminary card, Russian lightweight Alexey Bruss (2-1-0) submitted Spaniard Daniel Palomo Diaz (3-2-0) by second-round submission (choke), Russian middleweight Sergey Klyuev (1-0-0) punched out Ukrainian Sergey Voloshin (3-1-1) a mere 22 seconds into round one, Russian light heavyweight Nikolay Savilov (5-2-0) stopped German Frank Kortz (4-3-0), Russian lightweight Lom-Ali Nalgiev (13-5-0) won a three-round unanimous decision from Belarusian Sergey Faley (20-10-0), Ukrainian featherweight Andrey “Iron” Lezhnev (16-7-0) knocked out Russian Kurbanali Abdusalmov (6-4-0) in round one, and Russian lightweight prospect Paul Gordeeva (7-1-0) won a three-round unanimous decision against Tinn Kinne (4-2-0), of Germany.

Photos are available at: https://yadi.sk/d/_QfsW-NE3JLsPd

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M-1 CHALLENGE EVENT CALENDAR:

M-1 Challenge 78: Divnich vs. Ismagulov – May 26, 2017 in Orenburg, Russia
M-1 Challenge 79: Shlemenko vs. Halsey – June 1, 2017 in St. Petersburg, Russia
M-1 Challenge 80: Kharitonov vs. Lopes – June 15, 2017 in Harbin, China
ABOUT M-1 GLOBAL: Founded in 1997, M-1 Global has established itself in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as the premier entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With its office in St Petersburg, Russia, the M-1 brand has staged more than 200 events worldwide, including M-1 Selection, M-1 Challenge, M-1 Global and M-1 Global HWGP events, in addition to co-promoting Strikeforce events and M-1 Global on the U.S. network, Showtime. Captivating live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and match-ups, M-1 Global events have featured some of the sport’s top names, including legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Keith Jardine, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Sergei Kharitonov, Aleksander Emelianenko, Roman Zentsov, Yushin Okami, Mike Pyle, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, Amar Suloev, Chalid Arrab and Stephan Struve. 2017 promises to be another sensational year of world-class competition, featuring a full calendar of Challenge events, fueled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global Champions among the greatest fighters in the sport.

ABOUT M-1GLOBAL.TV: Enjoy MMA action now in high definition brought to you by M-1Global.tv, offering only the best fights from M-1 Global and other MMA organizations. M-1Global.tv is a great platform developed specifically to bring together the most exhaustive fight video database. It also provides an easy and intuitive interface, helping everyone to start using the platform in no time while avoiding any spoilers. Besides watching the past fights on demand at any time convenient to the customer, viewers are able to enjoy the action LIVE, all available to M-1Global.tv users through a low-priced month to month digital subscription. Your world of action. Anytime!

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs tested positive for a banned substance in the lead up to his June 3rd WBA title fight with Fres Oquendo and now the fight is cancelled.
On Saturday, Dr. Margaret Goodman, president of the Las Vegas-based Voluntary Anti-Doping Association, which was overseeing drug testing for the bout as part of the WBA’s Fair Boxing Program, sent those involved a letter disclosing that Briggs’ urine sample collected in Hollywood, Florida, on May 14 — and analyzed on May 16 at the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory in Los Angeles — had come back with elevated levels of testosterone.

According to Goodman’s letter, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN, Briggs’ A sample was “analyzed for anabolic agents, diuretics, beta-2 agonists, metabolic modulators, GHRP, hormones and related substances” and that there was an “atypical” finding: his testosterone to epitestosterone ratio was 7.89 to 1. That far exceeds the allowable threshold of 4 to 1 under World Anti-Doping Agency standards.
The Oquendo camp pushed for VADA testing when the fight was being negotiated, but according to a source with knowledge of the testing situation, the Briggs camp balked at first before finally agreeing.

David Benavidez remained perfect with am eighth round stoppage over Rogelio Medina at the Laredo Energy Center in Laredo, Texas.

In round six, Benavidez battered Medina into the ropes, which was ruled a knockdown.

In round seven, Benavidez put down Medina with a hard right hand. In round eight, Benavidez continues to batter and floored Medina for a 3rd and final time with a blistering 10-punch combination, and referee John Shorle immediately stopped the bout.

Benavidez, 167 3/4 lbs of Phoenix, AZ is now 18-0 with 17 knockouts. Medina, 166 3/4 lbs of Mexico is 37-8.

Jorge Lara remained perfect by stopping Mario Briones in round three of a scheduled ten-round featherweight bout.

In round two, Lara dropped Briones with a straight left hand. At the end of the round, it was a right hook that sent Briones down for a 2nd time. Lara finished off Briones in the next round when he landed a vicious combinatiom that had the referee stopping the bout on the ropes at 58 seconds.

Lara of Guadalajara, MX is now 29-0-2 with 21 knockouts. Briones of Aguas Calliente, MX is 28-6-2.

Austin Dulay dropped Antonio Esquivel three times en-route to a six-round unanimous decision in a junior welterweight bout.

Dulay dropped Esquivel twice in round one and once in round two, and was never threatened throughout the bout.

Dulay won by scores of 59-52 on all cards and is now 10-0. Esquivel is 10-6.

In a battle of undefeated featherweights, Adam Lopez won a six-round unanimous decision over Jordan White.

White began to bleed from his nose in round three, and over his right eye in round six.

Lopez won by scores of 60-54, and 59-55 twice and is now 7-0. White is 4-1.

Follow all the action as Terence Crawford defends the WBC / WBO Super Lightweight world titles against former Olympic Gold Medal winner Felix Diaz from New York’s Madison Square Garden.  The action starts at 10:15 PM ET  with a Lightweight elimination bout between Ray Beltran and Jonathan Maicelo.

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Round 1: Body shot from Crawford..Right hook from Diaz..Left from Crawford..

Round 2 Right hook from Crawford..Counter right..uppercut..Big right hook from Diaz..

Round 3 Straight left from Diaz..Hard 1-2 from Crawford…Right hook..Left to body..uppercut..

Round 4 Right hook from Diaz..Straight left from Crawford…Crawford lands an uppercut..Straight left from Diaz..

Round 5 Good uppercut from Crawford..Combination..Straight left..Jab from Diaz..Jab from Crawford,,

Round 6 Jab from Crawford..Big right from Crawford..Hard uppercut.

Round 7 Crawford lands a hard right but Diaz lands a hard right hook..Hard combo from Crawford..2 good shots from Diaz…Crawford lands a hard right..Big right from Diaz..They are smiling at each other.

Round 8 3 punch combination from Crawford..2 right hooks..2 shots drive Diaz back…Jab..2 hard lefts..Big right hook at end of round

Round 9 Jab from Crawford..Good counter uppercut..left in corner..Right hook inside

Round 10 Doctors looking hard in the corner at Diaz right eye….Jab from Crawford..Hard combination…Crawford clowning Diaz..Left around the guard..2 big counter uppercuts and a right hook..THE FIGHT IS STOPPED IN THE CORNER–CRAWFORD WINS VIA TKO AFTER ROUND 10 

Round 1 Body work from Maicelo and straight right..jab..RIGHT TO BODY AND DOWN GOES BELTRAN…Maicelo cut on his forehead…(Headbutt)..Beltran cut over the left eye..Left from Beltran..

Round 2 Right from Maicelo…2 lefts and a right back Beltran on the ropes..HUGE LEFT AND DOES MAICELO…HE IS COMPLETELY KNOCKED OUT,,,THE STRETCHER IS COMING IN 

Gary Russell, jr retained the WBC featherweight title with a 7th round stoppage over mandatory challenger Oscar Escandon at the MGM National Harbor in National Harbor, Maryland.

Russell dropped Escandon in round three from a swift combination that was punctuated with a left to the head.

Rusell finished off his challenger in round seven when he landed a hard combination that knocked Escandon down and referee Harvey Dock stopped the bout at 59 seconds.

Russell, 125 1/2 lbs of Capitol Heights, MD is now 28-1 with knockouts. Escandon, 125 3/4 lbs of Gilroy, CA is 25-3.

In a bout that was overshadowed by an incident that happened the fight, Andre Dirrell won the vacant IBF Interim Super Middleweight title when Jose Uzcategui was disqualified for hitting after the 8th round bell.

Uzcategui landed a left hook that landed on Dirrell’s chin that sent Direll to the canvas and the fight was ruled a disqualification.

After the bout, Dirrell’s uncle, Leon Lawson, Jr. cold-cocked Uzcategui and a melee ensued in the ring.

Dirrell, 167 1/2 lbs of Flint, MI is now 26-2. Uzcategui, 166 1/2 lbs of Tijuana, MX is 26-2.

Rances Barthelemy won a debated unanimous decision over Kiryl Relikh in a super lightweight bout.

In round five, Relikh landed a hard overhand right that buckled Barthelemy. Then a left hand clipped Barthelemy which was ruled a knockdown.

Barthelemy, 139 1/2 lbs of Las Vegas was able to win on cards 117-109, 116-110 and 115-111 despite being outlanded by a 240-137 margin.

Barthelemy is now 26-0-1. Relikh, 139 1/2 lbs of Minsk, BEL is 21-2.

Gervonta Davis retained the IBF Junior Lightweight title with an emphatic 3rd round stoppage over Liam Walsh in a battle of previously undefeated fighters at The Copper Box Arena in London, England.

In round two, Davis hurt Walsh with a hard left. Davis followed up with a barrage of hard power shots, and then dropped Walsh with hard left to the side of the head. It was just seconds after, when Davis jumped on Walsh, and after five more thudding the blows the fight was stopped at 2:11.

Davis of Baltimore, Maryland is now 18-0 with 17 knockouts. Walsh, 130 lbs of England is now 21-1.

German cruiserweight Noel Gevor (22-10, KOs) says he is confident of causing an upset when he meets former IBF and WBC World Champion Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (52- 3-1, 37 KOs) tomorrow at the Hala Arena in Poznan, Poland.

In what promises be his toughest career test, Gevor takes on the former two-time division ruler in a final eliminator for the IBF World title, which is currently held by Russian Murat Gassiev following his victory over countryman Denis Lebedev.

Wlodarczyk will look to use his considerable experience and home advantage to inflict the 26 year-old’s first defeat, but despite entering the fight as the underdog, Gevor believes he is ready to secure his first World title challenge.

‘’Yes, Wlodarczyk is the favourite. He is fighting at home in front of his fans and he has more experience than me, but I’m the younger, hungrier boxer. I believe the time is right for me now, and I think that will show in the ring,’’ says Gevor.

‘’There is no denying that Wlodarczyk is a great fighter. I have a lot of respect for him and what he has achieved in the sport, but he is just a man, and he has strengths and weaknesses just like every other fighter.

‘’This is a big opportunity for me, and one I will not give up. I have been training hard for over three months, and now, I can’t wait to get in the ring. Tomorrow, I will prove I’m ready for the World title.’’

Both fighters weighed in today in Poznan ahead of their IBF final eliminator with Gevor tipping the scales at 90.2kg and Wlodarczyk coming in marginally heavier at 90.3kg.

Fight # 1 16.30
6 X 3 Minute Rounds International Super-Middleweight Contest
LERRONE RICHARDS 171lbs V ANTHONY FOX 174lbs

Fight # 2
6 X 3 Minute Rounds Featherweight Contest
LUCIEN REID V MICHAEL MOONEY

Fight # 3
4 X 3 Minute Rounds Super-Lightweight Contest
BEN SMITH V YOUSEF AL HAMIDI

Fight # 4
6 X 3 Minute Rounds International Super-Featherweight Contest
BOY JONES JNR 132lbs V NORBERT KALUCSA 130lbs

Fight # 5
6 X 3 Minute Rounds Lightweight Contest
MITCHELL SMITH 139lbs V LEE CONNELLY 138lbs

Fight # 6
6 X 3 Minute Rounds International Super-Featherweight Contest
ARCHIE SHARP 131lbs V TAMAS LASKA 131lbs

Fight # 7
THE BRITISH FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
12 X 3 Minute Rounds
RYAN WALSH 126lbs V MARCO McCULLOUGH 126lbs

Fight # 8
8 X 3 Minute Rounds Super-Welterweight Contest
JOE PIGFORD 155lbs V AARON MORGAN 154lbs

Fight # 9
4 X 3 Minute Rounds Heavyweight Contest
DANIEL DUBOIS 234lbs V DAVE HOWE 256lbs

Fight # 10
THE SOUTHERN AREA LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
10 X 3 Minute Rounds
CHRIS HOBBS 175lbs V ANTHONY YARDE 175lbs

Fight # 11 LIVE SWING
6 X 3 Minute Rounds International Super-Welterweight Contest
SAM McNESS 155lbs V ZAURS SADIHOVS 154lbs

Fight # 12
THE IBF WORLD JUNIOR LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
12 X 3 Minute Rounds
GERVONTA DAVIS 130lbs V LIAM WALSH 130lbs

Fight # 13 TV FLOATER 1
4 X 3 Minute Rounds Flyweight Contest
SUNNY EDWARDS 115lbs V GYULA DODU 113lbs

Fight # 14 FLOTER 2
6 X 3 Minute Rounds Super-Lightweight Contest
SANJEEV SAHOTA 142lbs V STEVE BACKHOUSE 143lbs

All floor seating at the Copper Box Arena has SOLD OUT.

Remaining tickets priced £40 and £50 are available from www.seetickets.com and www.ticketmaster.co.uk

LAS VEGAS, NV (May 19, 2017) – At 25 years old, Savannah “Silent Assassin” Marshall,is the third female boxer to join the Mayweather Promotions stable, joining former 4-time world champion Layla McCarter, and junior middleweight undefeated prospect, LaTondria Jones.The Hartlepool-based fighter who garnered attention in the amateur boxing ranks has closed that chapter, and is ready to build a name for herself amongst the greatest women in professional boxing.

Marshall began boxing at 12 years old after joining a local Hartlepool Headland club. The young boxing star earned her ring name due to her innate shyness, but inside the ring she possesses the complete package accompanied with a long list of honors representing her home country of Great Britain.

With women’s boxing on the rise, Savannah Marshallwill join her stable mates in Las Vegas, NV to begin her journey to becoming a top prospect in the sport of boxing. Marshall holds an impressive amateur resume, as she was a two-time Olympianand Britain’s first women’s boxing world champion. Marshall won gold at the 2012 World Championships, 2014 Commonwealth Games, and participated in the Summer RioOlympics this past summer, advancing to the middleweight quarterfinals. The “Silent Assassin” touts a win, many have failed to accomplish, being the only fighter to defeat the American star and Olympic gold medalist, Claressa Shields.

“When I left GB, I had nothing lined up, I just wanted to train and look at what options were out there. Then this opportunity came up and I could not have been happier,” said Marshall. “It does not come any better than signing with Floyd Mayweather, does it?”

“We have been diligent in our strategy when it comes to signing new fighters, we scout top talent across the world and Savannah Marshall is the perfect addition to our stable,” says Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe.

Follow us on Twitter at: @MayweatherPromo, @SMarshall1991 and Instagram @mayweatherpromotions, @SMarshall1991 become a fan on Facebook at: www.mayweatherpromotions.com/MayweatherPromotions, www.facebook.com/smarshall1991/ for news and updates.

May 19, 2017 – In advance of the highly anticipated light heavyweight championship rematch between world-class prizefighters Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev, HBO Sports will air “24/7 Ward/Kovalev 2,” an exhilarating 30-minute special examining the upcoming encounter. The intriguing pay-per-view event featuring the two pound-for-pound aces takes place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

The “24/7 Ward/Kovalev 2” special will premiere Friday, June 2 at 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The special will look back at their first fight and will preview the hotly anticipated rematch between two accomplished and tenacious ring warriors who first met last November under the red-hot Las Vegas spotlight. Ward, who has not lost a fight since his teen-age years, scored a razor-thin decision over Kovalev and collected all the title belts that the Russian knockout specialist had accumulated. The special will provide all-new content including portraits of both fighters’ path to this impactful showdown. Each has set up training camp on the west coast; Ward in his hometown of Oakland, CA and Kovalev farther south in both Big Bear and Oxnard, CA.

The 30-minute special narrated by Liev Schreiber and produced by HBO’s Emmy-Award-winning “24/7” production team will also be available on HBO On Demand®, HBO GO®, HBO NOW and affiliate portals as well as at www.hbo.com/boxing and various other new media platforms that distribute the show.

Philadelphia, PA (May 19, 2017) – King’s Promotions is pleased to announce that Tonight’s big card will air LIVE on Eleven Sports

The two-hour broadcast will air this TONIGHT from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia as Carlos Rosario (7-1, 4 KO’s) of Pennsauken, Nee Jersey battles Josh Davis (10-1, 4 KO’s) of Washington, D.C. in a lightweight bout scheduled for eight-rounds.

The live broadcast will begin at 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT

“We are very excited to be able to bring this great event to the fans around the country,” said Kings Promotions CEO Marshall Kauffman.

“This should be a terrific card, and great fighters in very competitive fights will be featured on this broadcast. Fights from Philadelphia always deliver excitement, and we are looking forward to showcasing these fights to the great boxing fans all over the country.”
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In the six-round co-feature, it will be a battle of light heavyweight’s as Amir Shabazz (4-0, 1 KO) of Philadelphia will take on Antowyan Aikens (10-3-1, 1 KO) of Atlantic City.

About ELEVEN SPORTS:

Founded in 2015, ELEVEN SPORTS is an award winning global sports provider dedicated to delivering world-class international and domestic sports and lifestyle entertainment. Initial launches include multiple channels across select domestic markets with each country receiving up to 4,000 hours of live coverage of premium sporting events annually, along with news, comprehensive analysis, digital content and local programming. The channels are 24/7, multiscreen, full HD and locally produced to the highest international production standards, with local language commentary.

Among the many providers, Eleven Sports is available on DirecTV channel 623, Verizon Fios Channel 597, Cablevison channel 1159

Like us on Facebook: Eleven Sports
Follow us on Twitter: @ElevenSportsHQ
Follow us on LinkedIn: Eleven Sports HQ

A jam packed undercard as been assembled, and in six-round bouts:

Tyrone Crawley, Jr (6-0) of Philadelphia will take on Juan Rodriguez (7-6, 5 KO’s) of Haymarket, Virginia in a lightweight fight.

Steven Ortiz (5-0, 1 KO) of Philadelphia takes on Hector Rivera (3-1, 2 KO’s) of San Juan, Puerto Rico in a lightweight bout.

Thomas Velasquez (8-0, 5 KO’s) of Philadelphia will battle Brandon Sanudo (5-3, 2 KO’s) of Baja California, Mexico in a lightweight bout.

In four-round Bouts:

Vincent Floyd (2-2-1, 1 KO) of Philadelphia will square off with Rafael Montalvo (3-3, 3 KO’s) of St. Clair, PA.

Antonio Allen (0-5) will take on Demetrius Williams (0-2) in a battle of Philadelphia based junior welterweights looking for their first win.

Rounding out the card will be a four round junior welterweight bout between Titos Gosalves of Philadelphia (0-1) and pro debuting Gerardo Martinez of Phoenixville, PA.

Tickets for this great night of boxing can be purchased at www.2300arena.com for $100, $75 and $50

TORONTO – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 multi-platform channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents an action-packed weekend of live combat sports, beginning this afternoon, Friday, May 19, at 12 p.m. ET with M-1 Selection and M-1 Challenge 77: Nemkov vs. Marques from Sochi, Russia. Later tonight, at 9 p.m. ET, Legacy Fighting Alliance returns to Prior Lake, Minn. for a live broadcast of LFA 12: Krantz vs. Neumann. And on Saturday, May 20, GLORY, the world’s premier kickboxing league, returns to Holland for a live doubleheader, beginning with GLORY 41 Holland at 1 p.m. ET, followed by GLORY 41 SuperFight Series at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Airing live on Fight Network in Canada, the U.S. and globally in over 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East, today’s M-1 Selection undercard at 12 p.m. ET will feature a bantamweight showdown between Sergey Voloshin and Sergey Klyuev, lightweight matchups pitting Daniel Palomo Diaz against Alexey Bruss and Sergey Faley against Lom-Ali Nalgiev, a welterweight contest between Andrey Lezhnev and Kurbanali Abdusalamov, plus Russian prospect Pavel Gordeev throws down with Germany’s Till Kinne in the featured M-1 Selection preliminary bout.

Airing live exclusively in Canada at 2:30 p.m. ET, M-1 Challenge 77: Nemkov vs. Marques is headlined by an explosive light heavyweight clash, as Russia’s Viktor Nemkov (24-6) battles Brazilian veteran Ronny Marques (16-4). In other featured bouts, middleweights Talekh Nadzhafadze (5-1-1) and Moses Murrietta (4-0) enter enemy territory against Russian stars Artem Frolov (8-0) and Andrey Seledtsov (6-3), respectively, Portuguese lightweight Artur Lemos (8-2) meets Georgia’s Raul Tutarauli (9-4), plus Brazilian Felipe Rego (9-3) takes on rising Russian featherweight Viktor Kolesnik (9-2-1).

Airing live tonight at 9 p.m. ET in Canada and globally in over 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East, LFA 12: Krantz vs. Neumann will feature a welterweight championship bout between American up-and-comers Derrick Krantz (19-9) and Ben Neumann (12-4). In other action, Chase Waldon (10-2) takes on Cully Butterfield (14-5) in a middleweight matchup, undefeated Bobby Lee (6-0) risks his perfect record in a lightweight clash against Jeff Peterson (4-3), Cameron Olson (7-2) faces Julian Marquez (4-1) in a light heavyweight tilt, Dan Moret (11-3) and Brandon Jenkins (10-4) square off in lightweight action, featherweight Nate Jennerman (8-2) meets Damion Hill (12-7), plus Chad Curry (8-1) seeks his second straight triumph opposite fellow welterweight Kyle Kurtz (7-4).

This Saturday, all eyes shift to the kickboxing world, as GLORY presents a star-studded live doubleheader across Canada and Turkey.

First, at 1 p.m. ET, GLORY 41 Holland will be co-headlined by No. 6 ranked Egyptian slugger Hesdy “Fighterheart” Gerges (49-18-1, 23 KO) and 6’9″ behemoth “Chopper” Chi Lewis-Parry (8-1, 4 KO), ranked No 8. Gerges and Lewis-Parry were initially booked to do battle at GLORY 39 SuperFight Series last month, but the bout was ultimately called off on fight night, leaving no love lost between the heavyweight competitors set to square off again.

GLORY 41 Holland will feature three additional heavyweight tilts, pitting the roster’s hardest hitters against each other in a one-night, four-man heavyweight contender tournament.

German prospect Mohamed Abdallah (12-1, 5 KO) competes in the first of two heavyweight tournament semifinal match-ups, taking on Curaçaoan-Dutch striker D’Angelo Marshall (14-2, 8 KO), while Greek standout Giannis “Hercules” Stoforidis (19-5, 11 KO) draws a tough opponent for his GLORY debut, competing against No. 9 ranked Brazilian veteran Anderson “Braddock” Silva (40-16-1, 25 KO) in the tournament opening round.

Also featured on the GLORY 41 Holland card is a featherweight tilt between two debuting prospects in China’s 19-year-old Chenglong Zhang (38-5, 11 KO) and 23-year-old Dutchman Wilson Sanches Mendes (5-2-1).

The complete five-fight card for GLORY 41 Holland can be found below:

-Heavyweight Tournament Final Bout: Winner of Bout A vs. Winner of Bout B
-Heavyweight Co-Headline Bout: Hesdy Gerges vs. Chi Lewis-Parry
-Featherweight Bout: Chenglong Zhang vs. Wilson Sanches Mendes
-Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal Bout B: D’Angelo Marshall vs. Mohamed Abdallah
-Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal Bout A: Anderson Silva vs. Giannis Stoforidis

At 3:30 p.m. ET, GLORY 41 SuperFight Series will feature heavyweight world champion Rico Verhoeven (50-10, 14 KO) welcoming former Enfusion heavyweight champion and current Enfusion No. 1 heavyweight contender Ismael “The Star” Lazaar (30-2-2, 15 KO) to the GLORY ring for a five-round, non-title superfight.

Plus, former lightweight and featherweight world champion Robin “Pokerface” van Roosmalen (37-7, 21 KO) will battle 21-year-old prospect “The Professor” Petchpanomrung Kiatmookao (156-35-2, 25 KO) to determine the featherweight division’s next champion, as the vacant GLORY featherweight world title is on the line.

The complete six-fight card for GLORY 41 SuperFight Series can be found below:

-Heavyweight Superfight Headline Bout: Rico Verhoeven vs. Ismael Lazaar
-Featherweight World Title Bout: Robin van Roosmalen vs. Petchpanomrung Kiatmookao
-Welterweight Bout: Murthel Groenhart vs. Alan Scheinson
-Light Heavyweight Bout: Michael Duut vs. Mourad Bouzidi
-Lightweight Bout: Tyjani Beztati vs. Youssef Assouik
-Featherweight Bout: Zakaria Zouggary vs. Yetkin Ozkul

For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, please visit www.fightnetwork.com, follow us on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.

No one is watching tomorrow night’s fight for the vacant WBA World middleweight title between Japan’s Ryota Murata #2-rated and France’s #1-rated Hassan N’Dam, at the Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo, Japan, more closely than WBA #3 contender Rob “Bravo” Brant and his promoter, Greg Cohen.

Brant (22-0, 15 KOs), of Saint Paul, Minnesota, is mandated by the WBA to face the winner within 120 days.

The fight, which will be Brant’s first for a world championship, will be the culmination of a fantastic 2016-2017, that saw him win the WBA-NABA Middleweight Championship via spectacular knockout over Decarlo Perez in January of last year and then go on to defend it successfully twice more.

Cohen, whose expert guidance has led Brant to fighting on national television numerous times while gaining a large following of fans, especially in his home state, says he’s probably more excited for Brant than he is.

“Rob is a special fighter and an outstanding person and I’m so happy for him,” said Cohen. “He has worked so hard to get here and after tomorrow night, he’ll know who he’s facing for his first world title. I have always believed in Rob Brant and I know he’ll be victorious when the day comes. He’s a winner. That’s what he does.”
About Greg Cohen Promotions
One of boxing’s premier promotional outfits, Greg Cohen Promotions (GCP) is a well-respected name for staging world-class professional boxing events and promoting elite professional fighters throughout the world.

Founder and CEO Greg Cohen has been involved with professional boxing in various capacities since the late 1980s, honing his craft and establishing himself as a shrewd international boxing businessman.

Distinguished by his ability to spot and develop raw talent, Cohen first made promotional headlines for his expert guidance of, among many others, former WBA Junior Middleweight Champion Austin “No Doubt” Trout, who Cohen helped guide from unknown New Mexico prospect to elite pay-per-view level superstar.

In addition to Trout, Greg Cohen Promotions has worked with established names such as former unified and two-time heavyweight champion Hasim “The Rock” Rahman and all-time-great multiple-weight class world champion James “Lights Out” Toney.

Cohen currently promotes Undefeated WBO NABO Heavyweight Champion and top 10 world-rated contender Jarrell Miller, Undefeated WBA NABA Middleweight Champion and top 5 world-rated contender Robert Brant, WBO NABO Lightweight Champion and top 5 world-rated contender Mason Menard, former WBA Interim World Lightweight Champion and top 10 world-rated contender Ismael Barroso, top 10 world-rated contender Rico Mueller, undefeated WBA International Bantamweight Champion and world-rated contender Mzuvukile Magwaca, WBO Oriental Super Welterweight Champion and world-rated contender Dennis Hogan, IBO World Featherweight Champion Lusanda Komanisi, former WBO Super Lightweight World Champion Kendall Holt, as well as current top 10 world-rated contenders cruiserweight Olanrewaju Durodola, Filipino Jr. Lightweight star Harmonito Dela Torre, Filipino Super Lightweight Czar Amonsot, and top 15 world-rated contenders featherweight world title challenger Eric Hunter and Guyanese bantamweight Elton Dharry.

Greg Cohen Promotions has hosted world-class boxing events in the finest venues throughout the United States and the world and has also proudly provided talent and/or content for several television networks including CBS Sports Network, HBO, Showtime, ESPN, NBC Sports Network, CBS Sports Network, MSG and FOX Sports Net.

For more information, visit gcpboxing.com. Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GCPBoxing. Twitter: @GCPBoxing.

LAS VEGAS (May 19, 2017) – Unified welterweight champion Keith Thurman is recovering from surgery on his right elbow and expects to be out of action until the end of 2017.

Thurman, who held the WBA 147-pound title, defeated WBC 147-pound champion Danny Garcia at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on March 4 to become the unified 147-pound champion. Thurman fought through severe pain in his right elbow to secure the 12-round unanimous decision victory.

A few weeks later, he traveled back to New York to have surgery to remove calcium deposits in his right elbow. The surgery was performed by Dr. Riley Williams at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan on April 19. The surgery was successful and Thurman is currently undergoing rehabilitation on his arm. The doctors have told him he will need six months to recover.

“I had loose bodies in the elbow, similar to what baseball pitchers have. They had to go in and take out the loose bodies and calcium deposits,” Thurman said. “It was getting in the way of the hinging of the elbow and when I threw a punch. It was causing pain and inflammation. I noticed it before the Danny Garcia fight. There was no way to get rid of it without the surgery. I’m healing and getting the function back so that I can be pain free.”

The healing process is slow and frustrating for Thurman.

“One thing for sure, the doctor doesn’t want me to rush back into action,” he said. “You can’t jump back into the race too soon. It might start to feel good after a month or two, but you don’t want to rush it. My right elbow’s job is to launch punches like a missile. It might feel good, but it might not be able to sustain that. It might cause inflammation to develop, and then you have to wait to let it calm down and feel better. I figure a 4-month recovery will be quick. The doctor recommended 6 months of no action, before training. I won’t rush it.”

Thurman has a special message to his fans who want to see him back in the ring as soon as possible.
“I worked hard to be where I am. We’re excited to move forward. This is just the real struggle of an athlete,” he said. “It’s not always picture perfect. It happens in every sport and that’s because we demand a lot from our bodies and ourselves. It has repercussions. Cars break down. We get them fixed and put them back on the road. We’re looking forward to getting back into the ring and giving you another fight before the year is out.”

In the meantime, Thurman will be closely watching the title match between Errol Spence, Jr. and Kell Brook from Sheffield, England on Saturday, May 27.

“I’ll be tuning in and looking forward to the belt coming back to America and looking forward to seeing what Kell Brook has to offer at 147 pounds. I want to see if he wants to make his stand at 147. I like the idea of Spence showing everybody he’s the “Truth” and Kell trying to show everybody how “Special” he is.”

LOS ANGELES (May 18, 2017) – The Canelo Alvarez vs. Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. fight on Cinco De Mayo weekend will generate more than one million buys on HBO Pay-Per-View, locking in Canelo’s status as the brightest light in boxing, Golden Boy Promotions announced today.

“Everything I do is for the fans, and I want to express my gratitude for everyone who watches my fights and shows their support,” Canelo said. “My fans are the greatest in the world and this year in September on Mexican Independence weekend, everyone can look forward to another incredible performance.”

Some facts about Canelo’s PPV performance:

Canelo will be the youngest A-side fighter in history to generate a seven-figure pay-per-view audience;
This will be the largest Pay-Per-View audience to watch in a boxing match in two years;
Canelo will be the first A-side fighter in 15 years not named De La Hoya, Mayweather or Pacquiao, to draw a million buys.

“These numbers solidify Canelo as the undisputed biggest name in the sport of boxing-simple as that,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “At 26 years old, there is no limit to Canelo’s star power as he continues to cross over to mainstream audiences. Canelo only wants to take on the best and the biggest, and we’re confident he will continue to shatter records as boxing’s new pay-per-view king.

GB Olympian Josh Kelly will top the bill against Tom Whitfield in the latest JD NXTGEN show at the Walker Activity Dome in Newcastle on Friday June 23, live on Sky Sports and on Sky Sports Facebook.

Kelly has impressed in his opening bouts in the paid ranks, landing his first stoppage win in Birmingham with a clinical display against Jony Vina to add to his debut win over Jay Byrne.

Adam Booth’s 23 year old charge represented Team GB in Rio at Welterweight and will face Birtley’s Tom Whitfield, the 30 year old that challenged for the Northern Area strap in his last outing in October.

‘Pretty Boy’ has expressed his desire to move quickly as a pro and the Sunderland man is looking for another stand out performance to put both his style and boxing in the North East into the spotlight.

“This is going to be brilliant and I’m so happy to be fighting in the North East,” said Kelly. “It’s going to be a great night for the fans and I’m buzzing to be topping the bill with some great fighters from up there.

“Boxing in the North East is buzzing right now, there’s so much talent and we need the platform to showcase that.

“I had a couple of days off following Birmingham and was then straight back in the gym. That’s what I want to do, I want to stay busy and keep learning, go from strength to strength with the great team behind me and move forwards as quickly as I can. I know that by the end of next year I can be in big fights.”

A host of local stars appear on the bill as former World champion Stuart Hall as he looks to build to another World title shot, Bradley Saunders returns to the ring, unbeaten Super-Middleweight Jordan King looks to build on his 8-0 start, Cruiserweight pair Simon Vallily and Warren Baister continue their assault on the division, while Preston’s Super-Welterweight Scott Fitzgerald is also in action.

Tickets are on sale now priced £30 unreserved balcony, £40 unreserved tier, £60 reserved floor seats and £100 reserved VIP seats – tickets are available from www.matchroomboxing.com.