WORCESTER, Mass. (January 5, 2017) – Auburn (MA) junior middleweight “Irish” Chuck Shearns will become the second-oldest professional fighter in Massachusetts boxing history on Thursday night, January 19, in his farewell performance at the Worcester Palladium, marking the first pro boxing event in Worcester, located in Central Mass., in more than five years.

The inaugural “New England’s Future” series event is being presented by Rivera Promotions Entertainment (RPE), which is owned and operated by one of Worcester’s all-time greatest boxers – 3-time, 2-division world champion Jose Antonio “El Gallo” Rivera – and his son, Anthonee “AJ” Rivera.

Rising junior lightweight prospect, 2015 New England Golden Gloves champion Irvin Gonzalez (4-0, 4 KOs), will be fighting at home in the 6-round main event against Mexican invader Oscar Eduardo Quezada (2-1, 1 KO), while Springfield (MA) light heavyweight Reinaldo “Bazooka” Graceski (4-0, 2 KOs) meets Worcester’s Ralph Johnson (2-9, 1 KO) in the six-round co-feature.

The 49-year-old Shearns (2-1, 1 KO), who is the general manager of Lundgren Honda in Auburn, will take on Shavonte Dixon (0-1), of Philadelphia, in a four-round bout. The state record, set in 2011 by then 53-year-old Joe Siciliano, is safe because Jan. 19th will definitely be Shearns’ last fight.

“I have a tremendous amount of respect for all boxers in terms of what they go through to be able to perform at their best in the ring,” promoter Jose Antonio Rivera said. “Chuck is doing it at 49 years old! That takes a lot of sacrifice and courage to put your body through that rugged training. I wish him the best and I am glad I can provide him with the opportunity to be able to say goodbye to boxing on his own terms.”

Shearns made his amateur debut at the age of 29, 10 years later he made his professional debut. “I grew up watching boxing with my father (John), who boxed in the Navy, and my grandfather (John),” Shearns explained. “My grandfather was a club fighter, so, boxing was in my blood. I only had four amateur fights and one day I met “Fitzy,” who is now one of my closest friends. (Sean Fitzgerald, one of Worcester’s all-time best boxers, who is Shearns’ head trainer.) I told him I wanted one pro fight and asked him to train me.”

Why, though, at the age of 49 does he still put himself through such extensive training, while working fulltime during the holiday season, to fight an opponent half his age?

“Boxing was the ultimate hobby for me and I just got carried away with it,” Shearns admitted. “I’m a novelty, not a real pro boxer. I’m fighting January 19th because I was given this opportunity and decided to accept it but, honestly, I’m sure that this it! Maybe I just wanted a chance to go out with a win because I lost my last one? I don’t know. Sometimes I wake up asking myself, ‘What am I doing?’ And ‘Fitzy’ is working me so hard for this fight – I don’t know if it’s my age or what – but I’ve hated every minute of it. I lost my father in March. He was always in my corner and this fight I’ll have RIP on my trunks in his honor.”

Lately, Shearns’ typical day has been, well, in a word, unordinary, to say the least. He reports to work at 5 a.m., exercises and runs on the treadmill for an hour in a small gym at work, catches up with “Fitzy” at Anytime Fitness to hit the heavy and speed bags, and after work “Fitzy” trains Shearns at Camp Get Right.

Shearns has the complete support of his family and co-workers, who will all be at the Worcester Palladium supporting him Jan. 19. “My wife (Karen) and two daughters (Kayla and Olivia) have always been there for me,” Shearns noted. “My wife supports me and has jokingly said, ‘We’re getting divorced if you lose this fight.’ I’ve worked at Lundgren Honda for about 20 years and most of the 100-plus employees there will be at my fight. I did want to fight one more time before I turn 50. When Jose asked me to fight, how could I pass up this final opportunity?”

Also fighting on the undercard in 4-round bouts are Worcester junior lightweight Ranse Andino in his pro debut vs. Lowell’s (MA) Jonathan Perez (2-0-1, 2 KOs), pro-debuting Worcester heavyweight Felix Martinez vs. Dorchester’s (MA) Brian Richardson (0-8), Hartford’s (CT) pro-debuting light heavyweight Richard “Popeye The Sailor Man” Rivera vs. Brockton’s (MA) Huston Crayton (1-8, 0 KOs), pro-debuting Southbridge (MA) boxer Wilfredo Pagan vs. Puerto Rican Alexander Picot (1-1-1, 0 KOs) at a 145-pound catchweight, pro-debuting Springfield (MA) junior featherweight Luis “Pancho” Santiago vs, Mexican Jonathan Ramos (1-2, 0 KOs), 2016 N.W. Golden Gloves champion Anthony Laureano (1-0), of East Haven (CT), vs. Boston junior welterweight Rafael Francis (0-8), Saugus (MA) light heavyweight Brandon Montella (5-0, 4 KOs) vs. Mexican veteran Roberto El Viejo” Valenzuela (69-73-2, 56 KOs) and unbeaten Lawrence (MA) heavyweight Jean Pierre Augstin (7-0-1, 3 KOs).

All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Tickets, priced at $65.00 (ringside), $45.00 (preferred seating) and $35.00 (general admission), are on sale and available to purchase at www.ThePalladium.net or the Palladium box office (general admission only), or by contacting Jose Rivera (elgallojar@gmail.com/508.864.6954), AJ Rivera (anthoneerivera@gmail.com/774.272.2269) of any of the fighters. A portion of the proceeds will go to Why Me & Sherry’s House.

Major event sponsors include Lundgren Honda, Atty. Michael H. Erlich, Atty. Maria M. Rivera-Cotto and USANA Health Services. Other sponsors are TKO Auto Repair and Atty. Stephen W. Debs.

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

Philadelphia, PA—The popular Philly Fight Night boxing series will move forward with its second season in 2017, promoter J Russell Peltz announced today.

“We have a minimum of four fight cards scheduled—one each quarter—with the first one set for Friday, March 10, at the 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia., “Peltz said. “Last year was a good one with four solid main events: Jesse Hart vs. Dashon Johnson; Johnson vs. DeCarlo Perez; Tyrone Brunson vs. Ismael Garcia; Tevin Farmer vs. Dardan Zenunaj.

“Our plans are to make 2017 even better, but if we cannot make the main events we want to make, then we will alter our strategy and present the best of the up-and-coming fighters in competitive matchups. We are not in the business of building fighters’ records at the expense of the paying customers. When you shell out anywhere from $40 to $75 for a ticket, you are entitled to watch competitive fights. That remains our business model.”

The March 10 card will be announced shortly.

ABOUT MARCH 10

The March 10 card will consist of a minimum of eight fights with the first one beginning at 7.30 pm, one half hour later than last year. The cards are promoted by Peltz Boxing, BAM Boxing and Joe Hand Promotions. Tickets priced at $40, $50 and $75 are on sale at Peltz Boxing (215-765-0922) and also online at www.2300Arena.com.

Belfast Light-Heavyweight talent Steven Ward will aim to improve his unbeaten record to 3-0 when he fights at the Belfast Waterfront Hall on Saturday 18th February, live and exclusive on BoxNation.

Ward made a perfect start to life in the paid code, outpointing the tricky Merdjidin Yuseinov on his pro debut at the Titanic Exhibition Centre in November before overcoming experienced journeyman Remigijus Ziausys four weeks later in Coventry.

Now the former Irish amateur standout is preparing himself for a busy 2017, starting off with a four round contest in his home city next month. The 26 year-old 2010 Commonwealth Games silver medallist is promising another strong performance for Belfast fight fans.

“The plans my team have in place are exciting and exactly what I need at this stage of my career,” said Ward. “My two fights at the end of 2016 were great learning fights and I can’t wait to go again in my own city in February. I’m improving with every fight and hopefully we’ll see some late stoppages as I progress.”

Tickets, booking information and further undercard additions will be announced shortly.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (January 5, 2017) – Hot welterweight prospect Sergey “Streetfighter” Romanov is training hard to ruin the comeback of Russian veteran Magomed “The White Wolf” Sultanakhmedov in an interesting match-up March 3 at M-1 Challenge 75 in Russia.

The M-1 Challenge 75 main event, featuring a battle of undefeated welterweights between defending champion Alexey Kunchenko (15-0-0, M-1: 7-0-0), of Russia, takes on Kazakhstan challenger Shavkat Rakhmonov (7-0-0, M-1: 4-0-0),was previously announced.

M-1 Challenge 75 will be streamed live from Moscow in high definition on www.M1Global.TV. Viewers will be able to watch the preliminary fights and main card by logging on to register at www.M1Global.TV. Fans may watch all the action on their computers, as well as on Android and Apple smart phones and tablets.

Due to a series of injuries, Sulktanakhmedov (18-5-0, M-1: 10-1-0) has been inactive for the past five years, since he knocked out Tyson Jeffries in the second round of their 2011 fight at M-1 Challenge 24.

A former M-1 Selection champion, Sultanakhmedov is dropping down one weight class from middleweight to fight Romanov. During his MMA career, feared striker Sultanakhmedov has knocked out the likes of Dmitri Samoilov, Victor Nemkov, Pavel Kusch and Pliinio Cruz, among the more notables.

His tremendous flair and style makes him a fan favorite, especially his “one-shoot, one-kill” attack. The 32-year-old has fought outside of his native Russia, in the United States and Japan, and during his fighting hiatus he served as referee.

Although he isn’t looking past Sultanakhmedov, fellow Russian fighter Romanov hopes that an impressive victory over Sultankhmedov will position him for his first M-1 Challenge title shot against the Kunchenkp-Rakhmonov winner.

Romanov has had impressive victories in M-1 Challenge competition, including a decision over against Brazilian foe Carlos Pereira last October at M-1 Challenge 71, as well as a first-round stoppage via punches of Andreas Birgels this past June at M-1 Challenge 68.

“I’ve been working on my strength,” Romanov said from his training camp, “because the champion in my weight class, Alexey Kunchenko, is physically strong. I need to catch up. Not that I’m looking forward to a title fight, but I always have grandiose plans, so, we’ll see how that goes. Right now, I’m focused on Sultanakhmedov, and I think my fight with him would be no harder than a possible fight with Kunchenko.

“I started training camp with two workouts a day, but I felt sick and decided to cutback to only one workout a day until I soon return to full mode. I’ve been training at home (St. Petersburg) but will soon go to Ryazan to wrestling training camp. Then, I will go back to St. Petersburg to prepare at camp, and go to Borovaya for boxing. My opponent is left-handed, so I need appropriate sparring partners, but the guys in my camp are a great help.

“I know my opponent well having watched his fights as a youngster when he was champion. Now, we need to reevaluate him. He was a good fighter who trains at ‘Gorets’ where there is, in principle, guys there who are top level. It’s difficult to say what form he has now because he hasn’t fought in so long. Now, he is at the peak age for a fighter, 32, so we’ll see. I don’t think I’ll be favored in this fight, but I will go forward despite being the underdog.”

Romanov (R) is a solid all-around MMA fighter

INFORMATION:

www.M1Global.tv
www.mixfight.ru
www.wmmaa.org

Twitter & Instagram:

@M1GlobalNews
@VFinkelchtein
@M1Global

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/M-1-GlobalNews

M-1 CHALLENGE EVENT CALENDAR:

M-1 Challenge 74 – Feb. 18, 2017 – St. Petersburg, Russia
M-1 Challenge 75 – March 3, 2017 – Moscow, Russia
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 160 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!

Irish amateur legend Paddy Barnes will make his second professional appearance against an opponent to be confirmed at the Belfast Waterfront Hall on Saturday 18th February, live and exclusive on BoxNation.

Belfast’s two-time Olympic medallist received an incredible reception on his pro debut last time out at the Titanic Exhibition Centre and is delighted to be returning to the ring next month for what promises to be another top evening of boxing for the city.

His victory on November 5th came via an unusual ending after the outclassed Stefan Slavchev inexplicably lifted Barnes during the fourth round and was consequently disqualified.

After a short Christmas break, Paddy is back in the gym and preparing for a huge 2017. The ferocious Flyweight is promising another unforgettable night for his army of fans and is aiming to kick the New Year off in style.

“The atmosphere for my debut was unbelievable and I can’t wait to return,” said Barnes. “Irish boxing just keeps getting better and I’m delighted to be a part of it. We have some really exciting plans for the next twelve months and it all begins at the Belfast Waterfront on February 18th.”

Tickets, booking information and further undercard additions will be announced shortly.

BALTIMORE (Jan. 4, 2017) – Highly regarded Mayweather Promotions rising star Gervonta “Tank” Davis (16-0, 15 KOs) is wrapping up training for his challenge of super featherweight world champion Jose “The Sniper Pedraza (22-0, 12 KOs) in the opener of a SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING world championship doubleheader on Saturday, Jan. 14, from Barclays Center in Brooklyn live on SHOWTIME (9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT).

The 12-rounder between the unbeaten challenger (Davis) and world champion (Pedraza) will precede an eagerly awaited 168-pound world title unification showdown between WBC Super Middleweight World Champion Badou Jack (20-1-2, 12 KOs)andIBF Super Middleweight World Champion James DeGale (23-1, 14 KOs).
Tickets for the event promoted by Mayweather Promotions and DiBella Entertainment, start at $25. They can be purchased online (www.ticketmaster.com, www.barclayscenter.com) or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.

Davis, 22, overcame a childhood filled with hardships to become a prolific amateur and has been virtually unstoppable as a professional. As an amateur (between 2006-2012), he entered nine tournaments and came away with gold medals in all but one. He won gold in his last four tourneys, including the 2012 National Golden Gloves Championship at 123 pounds.

Since going pro in February 2013, the strong, aggressive-minded southpaw has played smash-mouth against mostly outclassed opponents, winning 13 of his 15 knockouts inside four rounds. To many, Davis resembles a young, smaller version of Mike Tyson in the way he walks down foes, gets on the inside and unloads lethal hooks and uppercuts. He’s gone into the ninth round once and into the sixth round twice. A winner of six straight by knockout, Davis’ lone fight to go the distance came in his ninth outing, a six-round nod over German Meraz, who went down twice, in October 2014. Davis is coming off a 0:41, first-round KO over Mario Macias last June 3.

Although powerful, very fast and determined, the talented Davis is taking a significant leap in class and he may enter the ring as a slight underdog to Puerto Rico’s Pedraza, 27, a solid switch-hitter with first-rate skills, movement and punching power. This will be Pedraza’s third defense of the IBF 130-pound title. He’s gone the 12-round distance four times in a row and five times since his pro debut in February 2011. At 5-feet-8½, he is two-and-a-half inches taller than Davis.

Davis, the IBF’s No. 8-ranked super featherweight, who was born and resides in Baltimore, shared thoughts on his upcoming fight from the Uptown Boxing Center in Baltimore:
You’ve been a professional for less than three years, yet you’re less than two weeks away from getting a crack at a world title. What are your thoughts about that?

“It’s been my goal to fight for a world title. I’m very confident. I’ve worked hard in the gym for over two months for this fight. I’ve put in the hours. I’ve had a great camp with great sparring. I’m not surprised the fight is almost here. This is perfect timing for me.”

Have you done anything differently in this camp?

“Maybe some little things, but not really. We take training seriously. We take all our opponents very seriously. But I have to treat it as just another fight, against another opponent. We know Pedraza is a world champion, a great fighter that comes to fight and we give him his respect as a world-class fighter. I know he’s going to be ready. He’s always ready when it’s time to get in there and do his job. But I’m prepared for him. He doesn’t know what we bring to the table.”

Are you surprised you’re not favored? When was the last time you were an underdog?

“I’m the underdog because he’s the world champion, that’s the reason. Other than that, I feel deep inside that he’s the underdog, but that’s just my assessment. He won’t be showing me anything I haven’t already seen before.

“I’ve never been the underdog in a fight, so this is a first for me.”

When’s the last time you lost a fight?

“I’m competitive all around and don’t like losing. I can’t remember exactly the last time I lost a fight, maybe it was three years ago. All I know for sure is that my mind entering this fight is all about winning.”

Critics talk of your level of competition, or lack of. What’s your opinion of the fighters Pedraza’s successfully defended against lately?

“I’m not taking anything away from Pedraza; he’s beat Stephen Smith and Edner Cherry but those guys don’t bring the power, speed, elusiveness and angles that I do. I’m not downgrading anybody, but they’re mostly average.”

Are you looking at this as an opportunity to showcase your overall skills, durability, etc.?

“A lot of people don’t realize the skills and talent that I have. They see me just going in there like a little Tyson or someone like that. But I have all the tools. I know how to box, how to move my feet. I have good hand speed. I work my angles and things like that. I’m an overall sound fighter, a boxer-puncher.

“I think this will be a wakeup call for boxing, a chance to show that I’m the one. But I’m not coming to be just the top guy. I want to be a superstar and bring joy and entertainment to the sport. Pedraza will bring out the best in me and I will steal the show.”

How do you manage to stay in the moment, and not look back, or can you?

“I’m so thankful that I am part of a strong team, and that I have such a great team. I believe we have the greatest team in boxing. They keep me grounded, focused. They keep me from getting distracted. We all know what the main goal is. I can’t do it all myself, my coach can’t do it all himself, my manager can’t do it all himself. We believe totally in each other as a team. I listen to everything they say.”

How much is your past a motivation, or is it? When you look back at your life do you have memories or nightmares?

“I believe I’ve accomplished a lot. Me just being alive today, me not being in jail or in trouble outside the ring, it’s hard from where I come from. But it’s all helped me handle situations well. I’m so used to dealing with situations. I’m older and know what’s right from wrong. There’s never any pressure when I fight. I’ve won so many fights already I know what to do when I get in the ring.”

How long have you known Floyd? When did you meet him and how would you describe your relationship? What does it mean for Floyd to be your promoter?

“The first time I talked to Floyd (at length) was at the Adrien Broner-Shawn Porter fight (June 20, 2015). Me and Adrien, we’re friends and he flew me out to Las Vegas for the fight. I worked out at the Mayweather gym and Floyd liked the way I fought, my heart. But the first time I actually met and talked to him came when one of Floyd’s press tours came to Washington, D.C.

“Floyd has always had a major impact on me and my career. I grew up around him. All of us wanted to be like him. Like Tyson and Ali were to the generations of boxers before me, Floyd was our superstar. For him to bring me under his wing, to fight for him, is unbelievably great.”

# # #

Barclays Center’s BROOKLYN BOXING™ programming platform is presented by AARP. For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports follow on Twitter @BadouJack, @JamesDegale1, @Sniper_Pedraza, @Gervontaa, @SHOSports, @MayweatherPromo, @LouDiBella, @BarclaysCenter, and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports, www.facebook.com/MayweatherPromotionswww.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment, www.Facebook.com/barclayscenter. This event is sponsored by Corona Extra, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

LAS VEGAS (January 4, 2016) – Several end-of-year praises, including two Fighter of the Year honors for featherweight world champion Carl Frampton, will add prestige and excitement for the highly anticipated rematch between the Northern Ireland-native and former three-division world champion Leo Santa Cruz, which will take placeSaturday, January 28 at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas live on SHOWTIME.

Frampton was named the 2016 Fighter of the Year by ESPN and Yahoo Sports, with both outlets highlighting his sensational victory over Santa Cruz in July, a ferocious battle that made Frampton the first Irishman to win world titles in two divisions. In February, Frampton bested junior featherweight world champion Scott Quigg to unify world titles in a UK mega-fight. Both the Frampton vs. Santa Cruz and Frampton vs. Quigg fights were shown on SHOWTIME. Frampton is also a nominee for the BWAA Sugar Ray Robinson Fighter of the Year award that will be announced in February.

“The biggest win for me was the Leo Santa Cruz fight,” Frampton told ESPN. “He was a three-weight world champion and most of the press and bookies picked him to win. You can see the difference in how I reacted at the end of both fights. I knew I was a better fighter than Quigg, but the Santa Cruz victory was the one I got more pleasure from.”

Frampton’s fight against Los Angeles power puncher Santa Cruz also earned honorable mention for Fight of the Year from ESPN and USA Today. ESPN ranked round 12 of their action-packed matchup as the third best Round of the Year. In addition, the Frampton vs. Santa Cruz clash is nominated for the BWAA’s Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier Fight of the Year.

Frampton’s recognition spanned across the globe, as he was awarded the BBBofC Fighter of the Year award, the most prestigious boxing award in the UK. He also was selected as the PBC Fighter of the Year, with Santa Cruz vs. Frampton being named a finalist for PBC Fight of the Year.

The multitude of year-end honors has continued to build excitement around what will undoubtedly be another action-packed display of grit, skill and action later this month in Las Vegas. Frampton will look to cement his status as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, while Santa Cruz will look to take back his featherweight world title and regain his position at the top of the division.

The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING doubleheader will be televised beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT and features unbeaten lightweight world champion Dejan Zlaticanin taking on undefeated former two-division world champion Mikey Garcia.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Ringstar Sports in association with Cyclone Promotions and TGB Promotions, are priced at $504, $404, $304, $204, $104 and $54, and are on sale now. Tickets are available at www.AXS.com.

For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports, www.premierboxingchampions.com and www.mgmgrand.com, follow on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @SHOSports, @PremierBoxing @LeoSantaCruz2, @RealCFrampton, @MikeyGarcia, @DinamitDejan1 and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports and www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions.PBC is sponsored by Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

Corpus Chrusti, Texas (January 4, 2017) –Former Lightweight world title contender, Jerry ‘Corpus Christi Kid’ Belmontes, 21-10(6kos) has decided to hang up his gloves and cross over to the business side of boxing.

The fighting pride of Corpus Christi, Belmontes began fighting at age 10. He learned to use his great footwork and slippery style to build himself into a decorated amateur; winning 117 of his bouts. Jerry began his professional career under the Top Rank promotional arm. After a split with the company in 2010, Jerry later inked a deal with Main Events which was also short lived. His final pact with a promotional company came from Golden Boy which presented big opportunities against big names. In his 6 fights working with Golden Boy Promotions, Belmontes defeated former IBO champion Will Tomlinson (21-0-1). During his career, Belmontes had quality wins over undefeated Valentin Golovko (21-0), Daniel Diaz (19-4-1) and Joselito Collado (13-1), and earned a world title shot of his own versus amateur rival, Omar Figueroa. In controversial fashion, Belmontes was handed a split decision loss in which many thought he had beaten Figueroa.

The second half of Belmontes career was a downward spiral, losing 6 of his final 8 fights. He was stopped for the first time in his career by current WBA Lightweight champion Jason Sosa. In his final bout, Belmontes was defeated by Julian Rodriguez in Florida.

Belmontes faced 5 world champions, and had wins over 4 undefeated foes.

“It is weird retiring at 28 {years old} but I had a great career. I fought on TV, represented my city {Corpus Christi} and family name. I got to make a little money and was able to provide a different life for my wife and kids. Most importantly, I walk away in one piece and not in bad health.”

Jerry believes his career was indeed an education for him to guide fighters and help them on the business side of the sport.

“I learned a lot about the business of boxing in my 9 years. Although my time retired will be mostly spent with my wife and kids, I will be announcing the start of a new company with my manager {Adrian Clark} that will help educate and protect fighters.”

Belmontes is holding a press conference at the American Bank Center on January 11, 2017 in Corpus Christi, Texas to officially announce his retirement.

Crolla and Linares met in the same venue for the belts in September with the Venezuelan coming out on top in an enthralling contest, ending the brilliant winning run of ‘Million Dollar’ who claimed the title with a stoppage win over Darleys Perez in November 2015 before destroying dangerous Ismael Barroso in May.

The 30 year old is delighted to get a second crack at the classy Linares, and believes he’s better placed to regain his title following their first meeting.

“There had been lots of talk on the rematch since the first fight with Jorge so I’m delighted to finally get this announced,” said Crolla. “I’ve been in the gym right the way up to Christmas even though the fight is a little bit of a while off. I’m working hard and making improvements, I will have to show improvements in the rematch if I am to win. I came up short on the night against the better man – with those improvements I believe I can change the result this time around.

“I see Jorge as the best Lightweight in the world and I want to be the best Lightweight in the world. It is always up for discussion that label of course, he is seen as the man at the moment and I want to test myself against the very best, even though I have already been in with him. These are the fights that I want to be involved in.

“No excuses from me from the first fight, I had a great camp – I came up short against a great fighter. I thought the fight itself was going well, I felt like I was in control up until the sixth round, he caught me with a great shot and buzzed me. I felt that in the next round it took a bit of zap out of my punches and legs. Fair play to Linares he used his experience and won the last few rounds, which is usually what I do!

“I’ve got to be in these big fights now. The last four fights have been the biggest fights of my career, all tough opponents. I’m up for this big nights and people start expecting them. The motivation is always there for me, walking out at that arena with that crowd – it’s the level I feel I’m at now.

“The better the opponent, the better I will perform. I’m approving still as a fighter and athlete despite turning 30 recently. I want to be remembered as being someone who took on the best around and being mentioned in the same breath as them.”

“I am really excited to be going back to Manchester,” said Linares. “I was treated very well by everyone and gained a lot of new British fans. Crolla is a tremendous fighter with a lot of heart so I know I must train twice as hard for another tough fight. I want to thank Eddie Hearn at Matchroom, my promoters at Golden Boy Promotions and Teiken. I promise another great performance and assure that the belts are returning home with me”

“I’m delighted Anthony will get a chance to win his WBA title back along with the WBC Diamond and Ring magazine belts,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “The last fight was a Fight of the Year contender and Linares boxed out of his skin but one thing we know about Anthony is his ability to bounce back and he is so determined to win this fight. He has created some wonderful atmospheres at the Manchester Arena over the last few years and I believe March 25 will be the best yet.”

Betting giants Betfred backed the brilliant first clash between the Lightweight stars, and Betfred boss Fred Done is delighted to be backing the rematch.

“Following the fantastic first fight I had no hesitation in sponsoring the rematch of Anthony Crolla versus Jorge Linares,” said Done. “As a proud Mancunian I hope and believe I will be celebrating with Anthony this time.”

Tickets go on sale at midday on Monday January 9 to Matchroom Fight Pass members at insert link and on general sale at midday on Tuesday January 10 from www.manchesterarena.com or by calling 0844 847 8000.

Tickets are priced at £40, £60, £80, £100 and £150 while VIPs tickets are exclusively available through www.matchroomboxing.com priced at £250.

Face value tickets for March 25 will 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.

04 January 2017 – Bangkok, Thailand: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced its return to Bangkok on 11 March for another exciting evening of world-class mixed martial arts action. ONE: WARRIOR KINGDOM is set to electrify the Impact Arena once again with the absolute best in local and international mixed martial arts talent. Headlining the fight card is ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela Lee who is set to defend her title against rising star Jenny Huang.

Ticket information for ONE: WARRIOR KINGDOM is available at www.onefc.com

Victor Cui, CEO of ONE Championship stated: “Our last event in Bangkok was absolutely epic and we can’t wait to tell our fans that we are going to do it all over again next March. We have an amazing main event planned for you guys as Angela Lee is set to defend her ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship against rising star Jenny Huang.”

“Unstoppable” Angela Lee of Waipahu, Hawaii is one of the promotion’s most promising young prospects regardless of division and weight class. Lee, who is of mixed Canadian and Korean descent, has roots in Singapore and trains at Asia’s premiere mixed martial arts gym, Evolve-MMA. Lee’s beautiful combination of solid striking and grappling skills has proven to be a potent formula for success as she remains unbeaten in her MMA career. In her last bout, Lee captured the inaugural ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship with an awe-inspiring victory over Mei Yamaguchi. Lee will now make the first defense of her title against Jenny Huang.

Angela Lee, ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion, stated: “I am so excited for my first title defense! I had back to back fights leading up to the title fight, and after I won the belt I took some time off. The goal for 2017 is to be an active champion and to stay busy. I’m really looking forward to headlining the card in Bangkok, Thailand!

“I absolutely love the people and their culture. I know that the crowd is gonna go crazy on fight night! Since my last fight, I’ve been training extremely hard, improving my skill set and I can’t wait to show everyone, come March 11th.

“I’ve been watching Jenny and have seen her last few fights. I think that this is going to be a great fight and it will be exciting for the fans to see how our styles match up.”

25-year-old Jenny Huang is female mixed martial artist who hails from Taiwan. Unbeaten with a professional MMA record of five wins and no losses, Huang also owns three highly-impressive submission victories. In her most recent bout, Huang electrified the arena by executing an extremely rare submission via gogoplata, overcoming a spirited performance from Filipino fighter April Osenio. In her next bout, Huang will challenge ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela Lee.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia featuring the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in
Asia. ONE Championship is broadcast to over 1 billion viewers across 118+ countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including FOX Sports, Setanta, MNC, Astro, Thairath TV, ABS-CBN, TV5, MYTV, HTV, Esporte Interativo and more.

BROOKLYN (January 3, 2017) — IBF Super Middleweight World Champion James DeGale has already made his name as a road warrior and will look to put on another great performance away from his London home when he takes on fellow super middleweight world champion Badou Jack in their 168-pound unification showdown on Saturday, January 14 from Barclays Center in Brooklyn and live on SHOWTIME.

DeGale arrived in the U.S. on Friday, December 30 and will finish up his training at the famous 5th Street Gym in Miami ahead of the matchup in Brooklyn.

“It’s great to be back in America again for the biggest fight of my life,” said DeGale. “Everything has gone fantastically in my training camp in England and now we’ll spend these last 10 days down here in Miami before heading up to New York for fight week.

“Now I’m focused on getting in the zone for Jack and priming my mind to win. I won my world title in the U.S., I’ve defended it here and now I’m going to unify it here. To do what no other British super middleweight has done — and there have been numerous greats at 168-pounds — fills me with pride and will cement my legacy in the division.”

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and DiBella Entertainment, start at $25. Tickets are available now and can be purchased online by visiting www.ticketmaster.com, www.barclayscenter.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.

Take a look below at some interesting facts that have led DeGale to his January 14 showdown:

1. DeGale was born in London to an English mother and British-
born black father whose parents originate from Grenada. He has three siblings, all older than him — two brothers and a sister. He also has a nephew and niece.

2. DeGale was a mischievous child and would get into all kinds of
trouble especially at school. His grandfather suggested to his parents to let him take up boxing to channel his energy.

3. At the age of nine, DeGale walked into his first boxing club (Trojan in
Harlesden), took up boxing and he has never looked back.

4. He was given his nickname “Chunky” from day one when one of the
trainers looked at him (as he was a bit overweight) and said “alright Chunky” and the name has stuck ever since. Everyone in amateur boxing only knew him as “Chunky.” If someone asked about James DeGale, people would look strangely as everyone in amateur boxing only knew him as “Chunky.”

5. DeGale was a student at the renowned Barbara Speake Stage School
in London and showed promise in singing and dancing, but his bad behavior got him expelled.

6. DeGale had a tough stretch at about the age of 13-14 when he went off the
rails and did not go to the gym for months. This all changed when his parents had enough of his wayward behavior and told him if he didn’t change his ways and go back to boxing he would go to Social Services.

7. Since that day he has gone from strength to strength. He was chosen for
Young England at 14-years-old, won major amateur tournaments and after the NABCs DeGale was chosen from the England Podium Squad. He traveled the world competing in major competitions winning bronze in the 2006 Commonwealth Games and in 2006 was chosen for GB Podium squad to represent his country at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

8. He was the sole member of the 2008 boxing team to return with a gold
medal and was awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) by Her Majesty The Queen for his remarkable achievement.

9. DeGale turned professional in 2009 and quickly captured the British,
European, WBA International, WBO Intercontinental and WBC Silver titles.

10. DeGale then made British history by becoming the first British Olympic
gold medalist to win a professional world title.

# # #

The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® doubleheader begins at 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT with junior lightweight world champion Jose Pedraza taking on undefeated contender Gervonta Davis.

Additional action is featured on SHOWTIME EXTREME®and headlined by junior featherweight world champion and Brooklyn-native Amanda Serrano battling former two-division world champion Yazmin Rivas. The telecast begins at 7 p.m. ET/PT and features Ievgen Khytrov battling Immanuwel Aleem in a 10-round matchup of undefeated rising contenders.

Barclays Center’s BROOKLYN BOXING™ programming platform is presented by AARP. For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports follow on Twitter @BadouJack, @JamesDegale1, @Sniper_Pedraza, @Gervontaa, @ShowtimeBoxing, @SSports, @MayweatherPromo, @LouDiBella, @BarclaysCenter, and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports, www.facebook.com/MayweatherPromotionswww.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment, www.Facebook.com/barclayscenter. This event is sponsored by Corona Extra, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

On December 16, 2016, VADA notified the WBC that Alexander Povetkin’s anti-doping test taken from his December 6, 2016, “A” Sample pursuant to the WBC Clean Boxing Program (“CBP”) yielded an adverse analytical finding for the banned substance Ostarine. The WBC Rules & Regulations provide that Mr. Povetkin can request that: (1) the “B” Sample be tested; and (2) he or his designated representative(s) witness the opening of the “B” sample container.

Mr. Povetkin made the requests set forth above. The opening of the “B” Sample container is scheduled to take place at the University of California Los Angeles laboratory on January 5, 2017.

The WBC is still investigating the circumstances of Mr. Povetkin’s positive test. The WBC will issue a final ruling on the matter after it completes its investigation and it receives the “B” Sample anti-doping tests results.

NEW YORK – January 3, 2017 – Combate Americas today announced four spectacular Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) bouts, including a bantamweight (135) main event between rising stars Steve Swanson (14-2) and Gustavo Lopez (6-2) – for the league’s much-anticipated, historic debut in Mexico on Thursday, Jan. 19, live on Azteca America (10 p.m. ET/PT) and UFC FIGHT PASS® (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT).

The event, which will take place at El Plaza Condesa in Mexico City, will also air via tape delay in Mexico the following night, Friday, Jan. 20 at 11 p.m. CT., on TV Azteca, S.A.B. de C.V. (BMV: AZTECA; Latibex: XTZA), one of the two largest producers of Spanish-language television programming in the world.

In the atomweight (105 pounds) co-main event, former world championship challenger Nicdali “The Night Queen” Rivera-Calanoc (9-9) will make her long-awaited return to La Jaula, the Combate Americas cage, and face red-hot Lisbeth Lopez Silva (3-3).

“We are excited to be assembling a phenomenal fight card, and to have the opportunity to be at the forefront of MMA’s growth in Mexico with our unique and fast-growing sports franchise,” said Combate Americas CEO Campbell McLaren.

In other main card action, two hard-hitting, Mexico City rivals, Rodrigo “Kazula” Vargas (9-5) and Marco Antonio “La Rocka” Elpidio (4-1-1) will collide at lightweight (155 pounds).

Fellow upstarts Jose “The Ghost” Ceja (4-3) and Joey “El Cazador” Ruquet (3-1) will square off at bantamweight.

Additional bouts for the Combate Americas event will be announced soon.

The 5-foot-5, 36-year-old younger brother of UFC star Cub Swanson, Steve of Indio, Calif. is a 36-year-old prolific knockout artist whose family originally hails from Chihuahua, Mexico.

Swanson is a winner of his last four fights, all by way of (T)KO. He is coming off an explosive, 38-second stoppage of Christian Rios on October 22.

Fighting out MMA legend Randy “The Natural” Couture’s Xtreme Couture camp in Las Vegas, Nev. Lopez is a 5-foot-5, 27-year-old finisher originally from Yakima, Wash.

Lopez emerged unbeaten, with a record of 3-0, during the Combate Americas “Road To The Championship” fight series that spanned from September 2015 to May 2016. He has notched five of his six professional career victories via (T)KO or submission.

Rivera-Calanoc is a 5-foot-3, 31-year-old resident of Las Vegas, Nev. and native of Tulsa, Okla., as well as a battle-tested veteran of the sport who has faced a handful of top rivals in the women’s field, including Jessica Penne.

Rivera-Calanoc, whose ancestral roots are in Chihuahua, took a split decision in her last start on March 12, from Ronni Nanney.

Lopez Silva of Mexico City is aiming for her fourth straight win on the heels of a unanimous decision over Marcel Yineris Nieto on December 2 in Panama City, Panama.

A former welterweight (170 pounds), Vargas of Mexico City is a 5-foot-8, 31-year-old powerhouse who will put a three-fight win streak on the line.

To date, the Mexican Pride team member has claimed all of his wins by way of (T)KO or submission.

Elpidio, whose nickname translates to “The Rock,” is also a former welterweight standout who will look to secure his third consecutive win.

In his last effort on March 19, Elpidio, a member of the Renzo Gracie affiliate team in Mexico City, scored a second round (3:16) TKO on Francisco Vargas with an onslaught of punches.

The 5-foot-7, 31-year-old Ceja of Port Arthur, Texas will make his second start under the promotion of Combate Americas.

In his debut for the league on October 14, Ceja avenged a previous loss in dynamic fashion, scoring a first round (4:22) knockout on Irwin “The Beast” Rivera in the first live televised, professional MMA event since UFC 7 in September 1995.

Ruquet of Las Vegas, Nev. via Venice, Fla. is a 5-foot-8, 24-year-old upstart and seasoned striker who will make his second appearance in La Jaula after submitting Luke Faultersack with an anaconda choke in the second round (4:28) of action on April 25.

UFC FIGHT PASS is a digital subscription service which gives fans access to exclusive live UFC events and fights, exclusive live MMA and combat sports events from around the world, exclusive original and behind the scenes content and unprecedented 24-7 access to the world’s largest fight library.

Download the UFC App now.

# # #

ABOUT COMBATE AMERICAS
Combate Americas, LLC. is the first U.S. Hispanic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sports franchise in history, designed to build Latino fighting champions and serve Hispanic fans, one of the world’s most avid groups of prize fighting enthusiasts. The Combate Americas franchise includes reality TV programming, live events and mobile programming. The company’s CEO, Campbell McLaren, is universally recognized as the co-founder/co-creator of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). New York Magazine described McLaren as “the marketing genius behind the UFC” and Yahoo! Sports proclaimed that he “knows more about the sport than just about anyone in it today.” With an unprecedented product and a blue-chip ownership and management team, Combate Americas is poised to break new ground and bring about a new era in world championship level MMA competition.

ABOUT TV AZTECA
TV Azteca is one of the two largest producers of Spanish-language television programming in the world, operating two national television networks in Mexico, El trece and Azteca 7, through more than 300 owned and operated stations across the country. TV Azteca affiliates include Azteca US, a broadcast television network focused on the rapidly growing U.S. Hispanic market, and Azteca Web, an Internet company for North American Spanish speakers.

ABOUT AZTECA AMERICA’S NETWORK
Azteca America engages Spanish-language viewers by creating unique, passionate and enlightening content that is relevant to the daily lives of our audience. Wholly owned by Mexican broadcaster TV Azteca, S.A.B. de C.V. one of the two largest producers of Spanish-language content in the world, Azteca America complements its Mexican programs with an innovative lineup of shows from third-party producers and distributors to ensure the finest programming for its audience. The company provides tailored, multi-platform advertising solutions for clients seeking to reach the most dynamic consumer group in the country.

About UFC®

UFC® is a premium global sports brand and the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Sao Paulo and Singapore, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell-out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in over 156 countries and territories to more than 1.1 billion TV households worldwide in 29 different languages. UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service, delivers exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content to fans around the world. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram: @UFC.

Gavin McDonnell can create British boxing history when he takes on Rey Vargas for the vacant WBC World Super-Bantamweight title at the Hull Ice Arena on February 25, live on Sky Sports.

Victory for McDonnell in his first World title fight would see him join twin brother and WBA Bantamweight champion Jamie as World champions – making them the first British twins to achieve such a remarkable feat.

The unbeaten Doncaster man has enjoyed a fine run of wins to become the number two rated fighter with the WBC after beating former World title challenger Vusi Malinga in October 2014, picking up the vacant European title against Alexander Egorov in March 2015 and defending it against Jeremy Parodi in October, then landing the WBC Silver strap in February against Jorge Sanchez.

McDonnell faces a tough task to etch the McDonnell name into the history books with Vargas bringing a formidable record to Yorkshire. The 26 year old ranked at number one with the WBC has 28 wins to his name with 22 of them inside the distance – but McDonnell believes he has what it takes to land the belt left vacant following the retirement of Hozumi Hasegawa.

“I have to pinch myself that it’s finally here,” said McDonnell. “All the hard work I’ve put in over the years, it feels like it’s meant to be this moment.

“I have seen my brother become World champion, I have seen my gym-mate Tony Bellew become World champion and I believe now I’m ready and to be let off the leash. I’m ready to become world champion. Two twin brothers on the scene, both World champions standing side by side – the Klitschko brothers of Doncaster!

“We were in the same boat me and my brother, fighting an unbeaten Mexican banger. Having home advantage is key and I’ve wanted that.

“I like being written off, I love proving people wrong and this will be no different. I really want to make a name for myself, I’ve always felt like I’ve been in my brother’s shadow but I’m 18 fights unbeaten and I’m on the verge of a World title fight.

“Vargas’ record says that he’s big puncher but we won’t know how good he is until we get in there. How much does he want it? Not more than me. He will have to knock me out cold to win it as he can’t beat me.”

A packed undercard sees hometown Olympic hero Luke Campbell MBE look to move closer to a summer World title shot as he defends his WBC Silver Lightweight title against Vargas’ stablemate Jairo Lopez after a huge win against Derry Mathews in Liverpool in October.

Campbell’s fellow Hull favourite and old foe Tommy Coyle returns to action following his epic British title encounter with Tyrone Nurse, taking on Manchester talent Kofi Yates.

Hull’s Samir Mouneimne is back on the British Featherweight title trail following his slender loss in February, Doncaster Heavyweight Dave Allen kicks off 2017 having taken on Luis Ortiz in his last outing and Scunthorpe’s unbeaten Light-Heavyweight prospect Dec Spelman looks to add to his 10-0 record.

Promoter Eddie Heard said: “This is a huge opportunity for Gavin McDonnell to win the first World title of 2017 and also create some special history for British boxing. Vargas is an excellent fighter but I believe we can create an electric atmosphere in the Hull Arena that can raise his levels to win this.

“It’s great to see Luke Campbell back fighting in Hull again. We plan to bring his World title fight there in the summer and he faces a tough test in Lopez, who is stablemates with Vargas and many other top Mexican fighters. You can, as always, expect an absolute war between Tommy Coyle and Manchester’s Kofi Yates and you can also expect an array of Matchroom talent on a packed card in Hull.”

Tickets for February 25 go on Matchroom Fight Pass Pre-Sale at midday on Thursday January 5, priced £40, £60, £100 and £150 VIP via this link: https://www.stubhub.co.uk/event/9777796/?gcid=chPrt-_-geoUK-_-genboxing-_-cpghullfpjan17-_-partmatchroom

Tickets go on general sale at midday on Friday January 6, with tickets priced £40, £60, £100 and £150 VIP via www.matchroomboxing.com

ENDS

03 January 2017 – Jakarta, Indonesia: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced that middleweight contender Marcin Prachnio has suffered an injury and is out of ONE: QUEST FOR POWER. The blockbuster fight card will, however, proceed as scheduled for 14 January at the Jakarta Convention Center. In the main event, ONE Middleweight World Champion Vitaly Bigdash will defend his title against Prachnio’s replacement, “The Burmese Python” Aung La N Sang of Myanmar.

In addition, two bouts have been added to complete an amazing fight card. Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev is set to take on Georgi Stoyanov, while light heavyweight contenders Igor Subora and Sherif Mohamed do battle inside the ONE Championship cage.

Ticket information for ONE: QUEST FOR POWER is available at onefc.com.

Victor Cui, CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “While it is unfortunate that Marcin Prachnio has fallen to injury, fans of ‘The Burmese Python’ have every reason to be excited, as Yangon’s own martial arts hero Aung La N Sang has been tapped for the main event against ONE Middleweight World Champion Vitaly Bigdash. He has definitely earned a shot at ONE Championship gold with his spectacular performances as of late. We’re ready to blow the roof off the Jakarta Convention Center. You will not want to miss this!”

ONE Middleweight World Champion Vitaly Bigdash of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, will be making the first defense of his title since winning the belt back in October of 2015. With a resounding technical knockout victory over former champion Igor Svirid, Bigdash displayed true grit and determination in one of the most action-packed fights in ONE Championship history. Bigdash showcased tremendous heart and resolve, overcoming a devastating attack by Svirid to score the upset. Now, he takes on his first challenger as champion in Aung La N Sang.

31-year-old middleweight standout Aung La N Sang is arguably one of the world’s most renowned fighters from Myanmar, whose constricting style of fighting has earned him the moniker of ”The Burmese Python”. Born in Myitkyina in the mountainous Kachin State, Aung La N Sang belongs to an ethnic minority known as the Kachin. A veteran of 29 professional bouts with a record of 19-9-0 and 1 NC, he is on a four-fight win streak in ONE Championship, including three victories by highlight-reel finish. The Myanmar national hero is set to challenge ONE Middleweight World Champion Vitaly Bigdash next.

Undefeated Turkish lightweight contender by way of Dagestan, Russia, Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev is rapidly making a name for himself as an unstoppable force inside the ONE Championship cage. He has just four victories so far in his young mixed martial arts career, but they are four of the fastest finishes in the promotion, resulting in an average cage time of just under a minute. Three of Saygid’s wins have come by technical knockout and one by submission, with all coming in the very first round. The 22-year-old’s next challenge comes against Georgi Stoyanov.

Georgi Stoyanov is a mixed martial arts veteran with a professional record of 19 wins and 11 losses. He is a submissions grappler who began his career largely competing in his home country of Bulgaria as well as in Russia. 11 of his 19 total victories have come impressively by submission. Stoyanov is set to make his first appearance inside the ONE Championship cage when he takes on one of the fastest rising stars in the promotion in Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev.

36-year-old Igor Subora of the Ukraine is a former URCC Heavyweight Champion who lives and trains out of Manila, Philippines. Subora made his ONE Championship promotional debut against none other than reigning ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon Vera in December of 2014, but has recently made the transition to the light heavyweight division. Subora, who owns a 5-3 professional record comprising of four big knockouts and a submission, is set to face Egypt’s Sherif Mohamed next.

Sherif “The Shark” Mohamed of Cairo, Egypt, owns a 8-1 professional mixed martial arts record. The Evolution Light Heavyweight Champion, Mohamed is a well-versed kickboxer and wrestler with all eight of his wins coming by finish. Of his total victories, Mohamed owns four submissions and four knockouts, proving his versatility and well-rounded fight game. The Egyptian Top Team standout will make his ONE Championship debut against Igor Subora.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia featuring the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Championship is broadcast to over 1 billion viewers across 118+ countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including FOX Sports, Setanta, MNC, Astro, Thairath TV, ABS-CBN, TV5, MYTV, HTV, Esporte Interativo and more.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (January 2, 2017) – M-1 Global has announced a battle of undefeated fighters to headline M-1 Challenge 75 as M-1 Challenge welterweight champion Alexey Kunchenko takes on top challenger Shavkat Rakhmonov, March 3, in Moscow, Russia.

M-1 Challenge 75 will be streamed live from Moscow in high definition on www.M1Global.TV. Viewers will be able to watch the preliminary fights and main card by logging on to register at www.M1Global.TV. Fans may watch all of the action on their computers, as well as on Android and Apple smart phones and tablets.

Kunchenko (15-0-0, M-1: 7-0), fighting out of Tyumen, Russia, used his tremendous Muay Thai skills to capture the coveted M-1 Challenge welterweight title belt last April at M-1 Challenge 65, when defending titlist Murad Abdulaev retired during the fourth round.

In a non-title fight, Kunchenko won a 3-round unanimous decision over Eduardo Ramon at M-1 Challenge at M-1 Challenge 70 last September. His first title defense was December 5 at M-1 Challenge 72, in which Kunchenko (pictured below) won a 5-round unanimous decision over Abdulaev in a rematch.

Fighting out of Karaganda, Kazakhstan, Rakhmonov (7-0-0, M-1: 4-0-0) is a former MMA amateur star who captured gold medals at the World Mixed Martial Arts Association (WMMAA) world and Asia Championships. The prodigy has continued his dominance as a professional, consistently displaying his world-class Combat Sambo talent.

Rakhmonov (pictured below) received the M-1 Challenge 59 Submission of the Night on July 3, 2015, as he choked out Michal Wiencek only 49-seconds into the opening round. In his most recent M-1 Challenge fight, Rakhmonov knocked out Marcelo Brito in the first-round last June at M-1 Challenge 67.

INFORMATION:

www.M1Global.tv
www.mixfight.ru
www.wmmaa.org

Twitter & Instagram:

@M1GlobalNews
@VFinkelchtein
@M1Global

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/M-1-GlobalNews

M-1 CHALLENGE EVENT CALENDAR:

M-1 Challenge 74 – Feb. 18, 2017 – St. Petersburg, Russia
M-1 Challenge 75 – March 3, 2017 – Moscow, Russia
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 160 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!

New York, NY (12/30/16) – Following a successful 2016, stablemates Ivan “The Beast” Baranchyk and Ivan “The Volk” Golub were included on Dan Rafael’s ESPN list of “Top 20 Prospects of the Year”. Both Ivans finished the year winning four fights apiece to bring their records to an identical 13-0, with 10 knockouts for Baranchyk and 11 for Golub. It was a year that increased their visibility on the national stage with two appearances each on SHOWTIME’s “ShoBox: The New Generation” series.

IVAN BARANCHYK
(Photo Credit: Ed Diller/DiBella Entertainment)

All four of Baranchyk’s victories took place at Buffalo Run Casino, in Miami, OK, where he has built a strong local following. Born in Russia, raised in Belarus and now living and training in Brooklyn, NY, the 23-year-old Baranchyk began the year with a 21-second demolition of 16-0-1 prospect Nicholas Givhan, decking him for a full count with one dynamite left hook, to seize the WBC USNBC 140lb. title. The bout was televised by “ShoBox” on March 25. Back in the ring three months later, on June 25, Baranchyk took on his third straight undefeated opponent in the 9-0-1 Eliseo Cruz Sesma, dropping him with an overhand left in the second and finishing him off with a barrage in the third frame. Making his third “ShoBox” appearance on September 23, Baranchyk was taken the 10-round distance for the first time, putting his technical skills, stamina and patience on display as he earned a unanimous decision over 7-0 Chinese amateur standout Wang Zhimin to pick up the USBA junior welterweight title. Another 10-round unanimous decision victory over Wilberth Lopez on December 10 ended the year for Baranchyk.

Co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment, Fight Promotions Inc., and Holden Productions’ Four State Franchise, Baranchyk is currently ranked no. 7 by the IBF. Before turning pro in June 2014, Baranchyk culminated his amateur career with a 120-18 record. He won gold at the 2010 Class A Vilnuse tournament, 2011 and 2013 Match Event tournament, 2011 Kostukovichi International tournament, 2011 and 2012 Soligorsk Open International tournament, 2012 Class A Liventsev tournament, 2013 Active Military tournament, 2013 Republic of Belarus Open Cup, 2014 Vitebsk University tournament in Belarus, and was an amateur champion of Belarus from 2009-2014.

IVAN GOLUB

The 27-year-old Ukrainian southpaw Golub’s four knockouts this year extended his streak to seven in a row. Golub began 2016 on the undercard of Deontay Wilder’s heavyweight championship defense on January 16, at Barclays Center, in Brooklyn, needing less than a round to halt Juan Rodriguez. An overhand left dropped Rodriguez and prompted the referee to stop the fight at the 2:41 mark. On March 25, at Buffalo Run Casino, Golub made his national television debut on “ShoBox” against the 9-0 Marlon Aguas. Demonstrating an ability to overcome adversity, Golub traded knockdowns with Aguas in round two then regained control to fell his foe again in the sixth, sending him through the ropes. Aguas retired in his corner before the start of round seven. At Foxwoods Resort Casino, in Mashantucket, CT, on July 21, Golub’s powerful straight lefts badly hurt Ernesto Ortiz in the second to force a stoppage at 2:49 of the frame. Golub’s next outing on September 23 was his most impressive performance to date, winning the Junior NABF welterweight title with a third-round stoppage over 23-2 James Stevenson on “ShoBox” at Buffalo Run. Golub set a fast pace early on then landed a right hook upstairs to knock Stevenson down in the third. Stevenson arose but was met with a barrage of more than 20 power punches before the referee intervened to end matters at 2:51 of the stanza.

Co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Fight Promotions Inc., Golub was a sensational amateur, becoming a five-time Ukrainian National champion, winning bronze medals at the Junior World Championships in 2006 and the World Championships in 2009, amassing a record of 270-32 in the process. Golub was a perfect 5-0 in the World Series of Boxing before officially turning pro in June 2014.

CINCINNATI (Dec. 30th, 2016) — Eight months removed from major knee surgery, world-rated title challenger “Hammerin'” Hank Lundy returns to the ring tonight to begin his journey toward taking conquering boxing’s competitive 135-pound division.

The 32-year-old Lundy (26-6-1, 13 KOs), born and raised in the fighting city of Philadelphia, faces California native John Delperdang (10-1, 9 KOs) for the vacant Universal Boxing Federation (UBF) World Lightweight Title in a 12-round bout at the B.O.O.M. Fitness Center in Cincinnati, presented by B.O.O.M. Promotions in association with CES Boxing.

Tonight’s fight is Lundy’s first since challenging pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) World Super Lightweight Title in New York in February. Shortly after the bout, Lundy underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL and began the long road to recovery just three weeks later – against doctor’s orders – by returning to the gym to wage war on the heavy bag.

Lundy’s remarkable perseverance and determination has led him to tonight’s latest challenge against the 24-year-old Delperdang, who has stopped nine of 11 opponents with his only loss coming by a narrow majority decision to lightweight contender Rickey Edwards.

Lundy’s promoter, Jimmy Burchfield Sr., has echoed his fighter’s sentiment in regard to campaigning strictly at 135 pounds after moving up to 140 several times in the past for the opportunity to chase world titles and / or major paydays. The Philadelphia native is a threat in the lightweight division, so much so that other fighters in his weight class have spent years avoiding the inevitable, part of the reason Lundy has been forced to jump to the junior welterweight division.

Not anymore. The quest for dominance at 135 begins tonight and few fighters in the crowded lightweight talent pool boast Lundy’s impressive resume, which includes bouts against junior welterweight stars Crawford, Thomas Dulorme and Viktor Postol, plus 135-pound contenders Richar Abril, Raymundo Beltran and John Molina.

The outspoken Lundy rose to prominence as a reoccurring star on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights before graduating to network television, where he’s been featured on HBO and Showtime four times since 2014, including a dominant win over Angelo Santana on Showtime in two years ago.

After missing weight in 2015 prior to a scheduled bout against Petr Petrov, a bout Lundy agreed to on short notice, Lundy fought two of his next three bouts at 140 pounds, raising doubts as to whether or not he would – or physically could – return to the lightweight division, but he silenced the critics Thursday by tipping the scales at 134 pounds.

“I’m ready to make a statement at 135,” Lundy said last week. “I’ve been chasing a title down there, but had to jump to 140 because no one will fight me at 135. They know I’m a monster there.

“This year, I will be a world champion at 135, no ifs, ands or buts about it.”

“Starting Dec. 30th and going into 2017, we will fight at 135 pounds and fight for a world title. Hank deserves it,” Burchfield Sr. said. “He hasn’t backed down from anybody.

Tickets for the Dec. 30th Lundy-Delperdang bout are priced at $30.00, $50.00, $100.00 and $250.00 and are available by phone at (513) 409-2663 or online at www.eventbrite.com. For more information, visit www.boomfitnesscenter.com, www.cesboxing.com, www.twitter.com/cesboxing or www.facebook.com/cesboxing or follow CES Boxing on Instagram at @CESBOXING.

Carl Frampton already was a world champion at the start of this year, but his accomplishments in 2016 placed him at the top of the entire boxing universe.

The 29-year-old native of Belfast, Northern Ireland, reached a level of success this year that most boxers could only dream about, traveling to two countries to win world titles in two weight divisions against a pair of undefeated champions-with the second victory coming in a Fight of the Year contender.

Reaching such heights made Carl Frampton (23-0, 14 KOs) an overwhelming unanimous decision by the staff of Premier Boxing Champions as PBC’s Fighter of the Year.

“I’m in this game to win fights and to win titles,” Frampton said, “but when you’re picking up awards like Fighter of the Year when there are so many good fighters around, obviously it’s a huge achievement, and I’m very, very grateful.”

Other fighters considered for the award were Jermall Charlo, Robert Easter Jr. and Keith Thurman. All three world champions had tremendous years of their own, but none achieved more in the squared circle in 2016 than Frampton.

“The Jackal” opened the year on February 27 by taking on fellow 122-pound world champion Scott Quigg in a title unification bout on the Englishman’s home turf at Manchester Arena.

Although the bout took several rounds to heat up, the 5-foot-5 Frampton initiated most of the action as he worked effectively behind his jab and landed the cleaner punches throughout the fight.

Even though the highly anticipated contest took place just 15 miles from Quigg’s hometown of Bury, Lancashire, much of the sellout crowd of 21,000 voiced their support for Frampton, who broke Quigg’s jaw on his way to gaining a split decision just six days after his 29th birthday.

“I’m absolutely delighted to have won. Over the moon,” Frampton said after two of the judges gave him a 116-112 edge and the third scored it 115-113 for Quigg. “The fight went very much to plan, and I thought I had won it by quite a distance. I’m really surprised one judge gave it to him.”

Rather than defend his 122-pound titles, Frampton elected to relinquish them and move up in weight. Not only that, he immediately went after one of the best 126-pound fighters in the world, traveling to Brooklyn, New York, on July 30, when he challenged unbeaten 126-pound world champion Leo Santa Cruz for his title at Barclays Center.

The bout was electrifying almost from the opening bell as both fighters attempted to press the action. In the second round, Frampton sent Santa Cruz staggering backward into the ropes with a short left hook to the temple to gain the early edge.

Although he never did knock down the champion, Frampton continually beat Santa Cruz to the punch, landing perfectly placed counter shots as he fired from all angles to thwart the Mexican-American’s high-volume attack.

Frampton, who was competing for just the second time in the United States, won the Fight of the Year candidate by majority decision, earning winning scores of 117-111 and 116-112, while the third judge surprisingly had it even at 114-114.

The victory made Frampton just the second Irishman after Steve Collins to win world titles in two weight divisions, and the first from Northern Ireland.

Frampton now has a chance to get an early jump on 2017 Fighter of the Year honors with a rematch against Santa Cruz set for January 28 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

“I never ever thought I would win a world title in two different weight divisions when I turned professional,” Frampton said.

“The goal was to become world champion-and to win a second world title, it’s a bonus really. … 2016 couldn’t have went any better if I’m being honest.”

Sampson Lewkowicz of Sampson Boxing is proud to announce he has secured the rights to broadcast a special early-morning Woz Promotions tripleheader of world-class boxing, on TyC Sports, on Saturday, December 31, 2016 (4:30 am ET/6:30 pm JST), from the Shimazu Arena in Kyoto, Japan, and featuring boxing’s next superstar, Jonathan “Salomon King” Guzman.

In the United States, TyC Sports can be found on DirecTV channel 469.

One of boxing’s most feared punchers, the undefeated KO artist Guzman (22-0, 22 KOs) of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, will be making the first defense of his IBF World Super Bantamweight Championship against Yukinori Oguni (18-1-1, 7 KOs) of Tokyo, Japan.

In the co-main event, multiple-time world champion and current WBA World Flyweight Champion Kazuto Ioka (20-1, 12 KOs) of Osaka, Japan will defend against Yutthana Kaensa (15-0, 6 KOs) of Bangkok, Thailand.

In the eight-round super bantamweight opener, hometown product Shohei Omori (17-1, 12 KOs) of Kyoto will face a stern test against solid veteran Rocky “The Road Warrior” Fuentes (35-8-2, 20 KOs) of Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines.

A regular source of top-quality professional boxing with its weekly Saturday “Boxeo de Primera” series, TyC Sports is a Buenos Aires, Argentina-based sports network that currently operate the domestic pay TV channel TyC Sports, TyC Sports 2, TyC Sports 3, as well as two international pay TV channels, TyC Sports Latin America and TyC Sports USA.

“On the last day of the year, boxing fans around the world can watch the next superstar of boxing in action,” said Sampson Lewkowicz. “Jonathan Guzman is the hardest puncher and the most exciting fighter in boxing. I am happy to be able to bring this fight to the world outside Japan.”

For more information on TyC Sports, please visit www.tycsports.com.
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.

LONDON (30 December 2016) Promoter Mick Hennessy has confirmed that the rescheduled date for Lenny Daws’ challenge for the European Super-Lightweight title will be Saturday 11th February 2017 at the Westcroft Leisure Centre, Carshalton.

The Morden hitter had his third bid for the European crown postponed when he suffered a reoccurrence of a back injury and it was recommended by his chiropractor that he take 2 weeks total rest and treatment before resuming training.

In the meantime, Hennessy has moved forward to confirm the new date for the highly anticipated showdown between Daws and the undefeated Swedish fighter, with details of an action-packed undercard to be released shortly.

Members of the public who have purchased tickets that have the original date of Saturday 17th December printed on them are advised that they will REMAIN VALID for the new date and can be handed in for entry to the venue on the day.

Tickets will go on sale with TicketMaster next week, with an announcement to follow.

Doors will open at 5.30pm, first fight is at 6pm. The last entry time for the public is 8pm.

FOLLOW US ON ON TWITTER @HENNESSYSPORTS

FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS VISIT WWW.HENNESSYSPORTS.COM

LONDON (30 December) – One of the most eagerly anticipated fights of 2017 will air exclusively live on BoxNation when undefeated welterweight hotshots Danny Garcia and Keith Thurman meet in a world title unification clash on March 4th.

Taking place in New York, the pair will do battle in a matchup which already has fights fans licking their lips in excitement as the 147-pounders finally meet following a build up of bad blood over the past year.

Regarded as two of the division’s very best fighters, a victory for either one will see them propelled right to the very top of the weight-class.

Current WBC world champion Garcia, with an unbeaten record of 33 wins and 19 KOs, and WBA world title holder Thurman, also with an unblemished past of 27 wins with 22 KOs, will put their belts on the line when the two the big hitters go toe-to-toe.

“I just had to tell Keith that he’s next,” said Garcia. “I’m going to beat him down. There’s not much more to say. Keith is going to get what he asked for and now he’s going to face a big dog.”

“You have two big punchers meeting on March 4,” said Thurman. “I don’t see how the fight can go 12 rounds. I see myself as the best competition that Danny has ever faced.”

“The Channel of Champions” BoxNation will also be the only place to see the brash and flashy Adrien Broner (32-2, 24 KOs) make his ring return when he goes up against light-welterweight contender Adrian Granados (18-4-2, 12 KOs) on February 18th.

Former four-division world champion Broner will be out to enjoy a more fruitful time in the New Year as he looks to pave the way to another world title shot in 2017.

27-year-old Granados, however, has aspirations of his own and is currently ranked in the top five of both the WBA and WBC.

Despite undergoing a tumultuous couple of years, both in and out the ring, Broner remains one of the most eye-catching fighters around and his bout with Granados, and that of Garcia v Thurman are two premier additions to the early BoxNation schedule for 2017.

Jim McMunn, BoxNation Managing Director, said: “We are delighted to announce the additions of Danny Garcia v Keith Thurman and Adrien Broner v Adrian Granados to the 2017 BoxNation schedule. These are two highly anticipated world class fights and we are very pleased to be able to air these exclusively live on the channel. Garcia v Thurman without doubt has the potential to be ‘Fight of the Year’ and will have BoxNation subscribers on the edge of their seats for however long it lasts. Adrien Broner too always produces excitement – win, lose or draw – he is a fighter you have to watch and his clash with the tough Granados will be more of the same.”

BoxNation is available on Sky/Freeview/Virgin/TalkTalk/EE/Apple TV/ online at watch.boxnation.com and via apps (iOS, Android, Amazon) for just £12 a month. Buy now at boxnation.com.

– 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

Amanda Nunes solidified herself as a star and turned out the lights on the career of Ronda Rousey as she annihilated Rousey in just 48 seconds at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The writing was on the wall from the 1st punch as Nunes landed a right hand that rocked Rousey backwards.  Nunes was patient and continued to pummel the face of Rousey as she took clean, hard shots until referee Herb Dean mercifully stopped it at 48 seconds.

Nunes , 135 lbs of Brazil is now 14-4.  Rousey, 135 lbs of Vemice, CA is 12-2.

In a highly anticipated grudge match, Cody Garbrandt won the UFC Bantamweight title with a unanimous deicison over long time champion Dominick Cruz

The two exchanged heavy blows throughout the affair.  In round three, Cruz was cut over his left eye from a headbutt.  Garbrandt took control of the fight in that round as he landed some bug shots, but champion tried to mount offense.  In round three, Garbrandt dumped Cruz on his back on three separate occasions from hard punches.

Garbrandt, 135 lbs of Sacramento, California coasted down the stretch and won by scores of 48-46 twice and 48-47 and is now 11-0.  Cruz, 135 lbs of San Diego is 22-2.

Former Bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw battered John Lineker over three rounds en route to a unanimous decision.

Dillashaw dominated with hammer punches and in round two was close to stopping Lineker.

Scores were 30-26 on all cards for Dillashaw, 136 lbs of Denver, CO and is now 15-3.  Lineker, 135 lbs of Brazil is 29-8/

Dong Hyun Kim took a split decision over Tarec Saffiedine

It was a lackluster affair, but Kim got the victory as he took two cards 29-28 while Saffiedine took a card 30-27.

Kim is now 22-3-1-1.  Saffiedine is 16-6.

Ray Borg won a unanimous decision over Louis Smolka in a flyweight bout.

In round one, Smolka was bleeding from his right eye, and dominated with takedowns.

Borg won by scores of 30-27 and 30-26 twice and is now 10-2.  Smolka, 125.5 lbs of Hawaii is now 11-3.

Neil Magny won a unanimous decision over former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks.

Magny, 171 lbs of Denver, CO won on all cards by 29-28 scores and is now 19-6.  Hendricks, 173.5 (2.5 over the weight limit) is now 17-6.

Antonio Carlos Junior won a unanimous decision over Marvin Venntori in a middleweight bout.

Junior, 186 lbs of Coconut Creek, FL won by scores of  29-28 on all cards  and is now 8-2-1.  Venntori, 186 lbs of Italy is 11-3.

Alex Garcia knocked out Mike Pyle in the 1st round of their welterweight bout.

Garcia landed a crushing overhand right that sent Pyle down and out at 3:34.

Garcia, 170 1/2 lbs of Montreal is 14-3.  Pyle is 27-13-1.

Niko Price choked out Brandon Thatch in the 1st round of their welterweight bout.

After an early choke attempt by Thatch, Price turned the tables and made Thatch tap out at 4:30 from an arm triangle.

Price, 170 lbs of Cape Coral, FL is 9-0.  Thatch, 170 lbs of Denver, CO is 11-5.

Follow all the action as Amanda Nunes defends the UFC Bantamweight title against the come-backing Ronda Rousey.  The action kicks off at 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT that will feature another world title bout when Dominick Cruz defends his Bantamweight title against Cody Garbrandt in a grudge match.

NO BROWSER REFRESH NEEDED..PAGE WILL UPDATE AUTOMATICALLY 

Round 1 Nunes destroying Rousey with punches ALL OVER THE CAGE..ROUSEY IN SERIOUS TROUBLE ASND SHE IS HURT…FIGHT OVER IN 48 SECONDS

Round 1 Cruz gets in a right..Garbrandt lands 2 more rights..and another..Good leg kick from Cruz..Garbrandt gets in a kick to the body and a leg kick..Good right…right and left from Cruz..Takedown from Garbrandt..

Round 2 Good right from Cruz..Combination from Garbrandt..Right stuns Garbrandt..Counter right from Garbrandt..Kick to the body..left hook..Kick to the body and good combination..kick to body and counter right

Round 3 Garbrandt scores with a right and left..Cruz cut over left eye (Headbutt)  ..Right from Garbrandt..Hard left..Good right from Cruz..Big right from Garbrandt..Inside leg kick from Cruz..Big knee hurts Cruz…Jab from Garbrandt..Left and right uppercut from Cruz..Right from Garbrandt..Kick from Cruz..Granrandt counters..Good left from Cruz

Round 4 Good kick from Cruz…Garbrandt counters..Big right drops at Cruz…he points at Cruz and Cruz gets up..Big left from Cruz..Straight from Garbrandt..Big right drops Cruz again.. and again from a right hand…

Round 5 Kick from Garbrandt…right..Right from Cruz..

48-46 Twice and 48-47 for THE NEW CHAMPION–CODY GARBRANDT

Round 1 Lineker catches a head kick..Good takedown by Dillashaw…Step in right hand..Inside kick

Round 2 Good takedown from Dillashaw…Dillashaw  has Lineker on the ground..Dillashaw landing hammer strikes on the ground..Continuing to hammer Lineker..Dillashaw lands 9 elbows and punches..Lineker taking a lot of punishment

Round 3 Front kick to the chest by Dillashaw..Takedown..Landing punches from behind..Dillashaw has Lineker in a calf crank..Body shot from Lineker..Overhand left..body

30-26 on all cards for Dillashaw

Round 1: Early exchange..Saffiedine has Kim’s back standing.Knee to the head by Saffiedine..Good right..Good right..Kick to the head..Knee…trip..

Round 2 Saffiedine lands a knee..Body kick..Good right from Kim..Nice kick and knee from Saffiedine..

Round 3  Big uppercut from Kim, kick from Saffiedine..Elbow..Good body kick..and a knee..knee.

30-27 SAFFIEDINE…29-28 KIM. TWICE…SPLIT DECISION

Round 1: Smolka jabbing..Borg gets a takedown..Borg dropping elbows…Smolka bleeding from his right eye..Takedown from Borg..Full mount…Borg has the left arm..2 hard shots with Smolka on the ground

Round 2 Borg lands a strong leg kick and a right hand..Takedown from Borg..Borg lands a big punch while Smolka on the ground…

Round 3 Borg gets the back of Smolka..Borg has a front choke on Smolka..Spinning elbow

30-27 and 30-26 twice for Ray Borg

Round 1:Left from Hendricks..Hendricks has Magny on his back,,Magny has Hendricks in a sitting triangle..Magny striking in the triangle

Round 2 Hendricks takes down Magny.

Round 3 Hendricks gets another takedown…Knee by Magny..Hendicks lifts Magny up and gets a takedown..Magny has a triangle from his back

29-28 on all cards for Magny

Round 1: Venttori gets poked in the eye…Nenttori pokes Junior in the eye..Junior lands a kick..take down

Round 2 Venttori has Junior down and in a Guillotine..Ground and pound

Round 3 Junior gets a takedown..Kick to the head…Takedown..left hand and a knee

29-28 on all 3 cards for Junior

Round 1: Good kick from Garcia..Exchanging jabs...HUGE OVER HAND RIGHT KNOCKS PYLE OUT

Round 1 Good inside leg kick for Thatch..Thatch has Price in a choke..Price ecscapes..Price has a arm triangle..Price has Thatch in a rear naked choke…THATCH TAPS FROM AN ARM TRIANGLE

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA (December 29, 2016) World ranked cruiserweight KEVIN “THE KO KID” LERENA, (16-1-0, 8 KO’s) kicks off his 2017 campaign towards a world title in style on Saturday, February 4 with his triumphant return to South Africa’s premier boxing venue, Emperors Palace against VIKAPITA “BEAST MASTER” MERORO, (28-5-0, 14 KO’s) of Windhoek, Namibia.

Presented by Rodney Berman’s Golden Gloves of South Africa, advance tickets for THUNDER AND LIGHTNING, may be purchased by calling 078-457-3030.

Sporting movie-star looks, the 24-year-old Lerena will be making his fourth straight appearance at Emperors Palace having thrilled the boxing crowd in his three victories in 2016.

“I can’t wait for the New Year, the path to a world title is in front of me, my promoter Rodney Berman is getting me the right fights and my world rankings will support a title shot in the future,” said Lerena following a sparring session under the watchful eye of trainer Peter Smith.

Said Berman, “Kevin has stardom written all over him, we’ve got big plans in 2017 for him. Putting him in the right fights, securing his position in the world rankings of the sanctioning bodies and working with Banner Promotions in the US to secure him a major stateside fight in the coming year.”

“We are excited to be co-promoting Kevin with Rodney Berman and Golden Gloves. Rodney has only brought us the cream of the crop, “said Artie Pelullo, President and CEO of Banner Promotions. “Kevin is a quality fighter, who has shown he has championship ability. We look forward to him getting closer to a world title opportunity with a big win on February 4.”

“I’m as excited about Kevin’s future as I’ve ever been of all the fighters I’ve worked with, cruiserweight is a very exciting division in boxing currently.”

Lerena is currently world ranked #5 by the World Boxing Organization and #11 by the World Boxing Council.

Most recently, Lerena, performing brilliantly from start to finish, winning a hard-fought ten round decision over the undefeated Micki Nielsen on October 22, 2016, earning the critically lauded Super 4 Tournament Championship.

In the first round of the Super 4 Tournament Championship, Lerena won a ten round unanimous decision over Roberto Bolonti on June 11, 2016.

Kicking off his 2016 campaign on April 24, 2016, the southpaw won the South African Cruiserweight Title with a tenth round knockout of Johnny Muller. The stoppage avenged a ten round decision loss in 2014 to Muller.

WORCESTER, Mass. (December 29, 2016) — Rivera Promotions Entertainment (RPE) held a press conference yesterday to formally announce its inaugural show, “New England’s Future,” Thursday night, January 19, at the Worcester Palladium. It will mark the first professional boxing event in Worcester, located in Central Mass., in five years.

Rivera Promotions Entertainment is owned and operated by one of Worcester’s all-time greatest boxers – 3-time, 2-division world champion Jose Antonio “El Gallo” Rivera – along with his son, Anthonee “AJ” Rivera, whose collective goal is to bring boxing back to Worcester on a consistent basis, providing boxers a platform and fans a full entertainment experience.

“It’s all about the fighters,” RPE CEO Jose Antonio Rivera said. “I’m in a unique position as a promoter because of my boxing background. I hard it is for local fighters to get fights, which is why we have so many with less than six pro fights and five pro debuts fighters on this card. They are why we’re here today. I never had a press conference until I was much more established in my career. This is about them showcasing their skills.

“After my son graduated from Johnson Wales University with a degree in Sports Management, he told me he was ready to form Rivera Promotions Entertainment, as we had discussed, and promote shows. I lost a lot of money promoting a show in 2008, so I told him to put a plan together first and within a week he did. He had gotten his feet wet in the business as an intern for a boxing promoter. We went over the plan ad decided that we can do this. We’re not signing fighters, right now, we’re helping them build their careers. We do a lot of hard work behind the scenes that the public doesn’t see; the fighters work in the gym. I’m really excited about January 19th. Irvin Gonzalez is a future world champion.”

Tickets, priced at $65.00 (ringside), $45.00 (preferred seating) and $35.00 (general admission), are on sale and available to purchase at www.ThePalladium.net or the Palladium box office (general admission only), or by contacting Jose Rivera (elgallojar@gmail.com/508.864.6954), AJ Rivera (anthoneerivera@gmail.com/774.272.2269) of any of the fighters. A portion of the proceeds will go to Why Me & Sherry’s House.

“We appreciate the support being given to us and the fighters who give their blood, sweat and tears for you,” RPE president A.J. Rivera added. “I got into the business side of boxing as an intern working for CES. In Worcester, we have 11 active fighters, all on the rise, and to bring boxing back to Worcester is special, Teamwork makes dreams work. I also want to note that none of these fighters turned down a single opponent we offered.”

Promising junior lightweight prospect, 2015 New England Golden Gloves champion Irvin Gonzalez (4-0, 4 KOs), fighting out of Worcester, will be showcased in the 6-round main event against Mexican invader Oscar Eduardo Quezada (2-1, 1 KO).

“I’m very excited to be fighting in my hometown for the first time as a pro,” Gonzalez commented. “I fought here as an amateur but that’s not the same as fighting in the main event and my first 6-rounder. Don’t take your eyes off the ring when I fight. I’m going to be 5-0 with five knockouts on January 19th.”

In the 6-round co-feature, light heavyweight Reinaldo “Bazooka” Graceski (4-0, 2 KOs), of nearby Springfield (MA), faces Worcester’s Ralph Johnson (2-9, 1 KO).

Fighting on the undercard in 4-round bouts are Worcester junior lightweight Ranse Andino in his pro debut vs. Lowell’s (MA) Jonathan Perez (2-0-1, 2 KOs), 49-year-old Auburn (MA) junior middleweight “Irish” Chuck Shearns (2-1, 1 KO) in his retirement fight vs. Philadelphian Shavonte Dixon (0-1), pro-debuting Worcester heavyweight Felix Martinez vs. Dorchester’s (MA) Brian Richardson (0-8), Hartford’s (CT) pro-debuting light heavyweight Richard “Popeye The Sailor Man” Rivera vs. Brockton’s (MA) Huston Crayton (1-8, 0 KOs), pro-debuting Southbridge (MA) boxer Wilfredo Pagan vs. Puerto Rican Alexander Picot (1-1-1, 0 KOs) at a 145-pound catchweight, pro-debuting Springfield (MA) junior featherweight Luis “Pancho” Santiago vs, Mexican Jonathan Ramos (1-2, 0 KOs), 2016 N.W. Golden Gloves champion Anthony Laureano (1-0), of East Haven (CT), vs. Boston junior welterweight Rafael Francis (0-8), Saugus (MA) light heavyweight Brandon Montella (5-0, 4 KOs) vs. Mexican veteran Roberto El Viejo” Valenzuela (69-73-2, 56 KOs) and unbeaten Lawrence (MA) heavyweight Jean Pierre Augstin (7-0-1, 3 KOs) vs. TBA.

All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Major event sponsors include Lundgren Honda, Atty. Michael H. Erlich, Atty. Maria M. Rivera-Cotto and USANA Health Services. Other sponsors are TKO Auto Repair and Atty. Stephen W. Debs.

INFORMATION:
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It was a fight that was as competitive as it was engaging, a championship bout in which both participants put it all on the line until the final bell sounded. In the end, there would be only one winner in the world title fight between Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter, but there certainly was no loser.

Keith Thurman defeated Shawn Porter by unanimous decision to retain his 147-pound world championship at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on June 25 in a back-and-forth battle between two fighters in the prime of their careers.

Considering the importance and the competitive quality of the bout, Thurman vs Porter was selected by the staff of Premier Boxing Champions as PBC’s Fight of the Year for 2016.

The Thurman-Porter showdown edged out a thrilling cast of contenders that included Leo Santa Cruz vs Carl Frampton, Adonis Stevenson vs Thomas Williams Jr. and Robert Easter Jr. vs Richard Commey.

Although Thurman won by identical scores of 115-113 from all three ringside judges, the discrepancy in arriving at the final result showed just how even the fight truly was. The judges were in complete agreement on just six of the 12 rounds (giving four to Thurman), and the six disputed rounds were split down the middle for each fighter.
Also underscoring the competitiveness of those 12 rounds is the fact Porter landed just one more total punch (236-235) than Thurman, although the champ connected with more of his power shots (203-177).

Thurman-Porter was the first prime-time fight on CBS since Leon Spinks defeated Muhammad Ali in February 1978, and it proved worthy of the big stage as it gained a peak audience of nearly 4 million viewers.

The fight didn’t take long to heat up as Porter bulled his way inside in the early rounds against Thurman, who relied on his footwork and counterpunching in his attempts to neutralize the former world champion.

Thurman finally broke through with some big shots in the closing seconds of Round 3, landing with both hands while backed against the ropes. He rocked Porter again late in the fourth with a pair of left hooks to gain the early advantage.

Porter roared back and controlled the next three rounds as he used his physical approach to work effectively inside. Then he tagged Thurman in Round 8 with a potent left hook to the body that caused the champ to retreat so he could recover.

The bout reached a crescendo in the ninth and 10th as the longtime friends engaged in consecutive Round of the Year candidates in which they stood toe-to-toe and exchanged leather with unrelenting ferocity.

Although there were no knockdowns, the intense competitiveness and ebb and flow of the fight made it an instant classic.

While there is no guarantee of a rematch since Thurman is now scheduled for a March 4 title unification bout against unbeaten Danny Garcia, the prospect of a Thurman-Porter II is certainly a welcome one.

“I would give him a rematch,” Thurman said. “It was a great fight. He was a great opponent.”

Said Porter: “We need that rematch. I know the fans want that rematch. … If he gives me another chance, I’m going to work hard and [this time] leave with his title.”

Coming Friday: the PBC Fighter of the Year. For all of our year-end honors, follow our Best of PBC 2016 entries.