Prenice Brewer 147 vs. Justin Johnson 148
Roy Barringer 162 vs. Hakeem Atkinson 163
Dayjuan Roseberry 144.5 vs. Terrell Houston 145
Bradley Hamil 243 vs. Idris Wasi 205
Isaiah Steen 165 vs. Marjan Flowers 160
Fred Wilson Jr. 155 vs. Bobby Watson 151
Robert James Thomas 195 vs. Antwaun Taylor 194

Promoter: Bizzarro Promotions
Venue: Presque Isle Downs & Casino

LOS ANGELES (Sept. 9, 2016) – Golden Boy Promotions rolled out the red carpet in celebration of a year’s worth of action-packed fights in partnership with Estrella TV for the September 9 edition of LA FIGHT CLUB in downtown Los Angeles. Celebrities and fight fans piled into a sold-out Belasco Theatre to witness a night of stellar performances that only Golden Boy Promotions could put together. Celebrities in attendance included Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions Oscar De La Hoya, International Music Producer and Celeb Judge on Estrella TV’s “Tengo Talento Mucho Talento” Pepe Garza, stars from Estrella TV’s Smash Hit “Rica Famosa Latina”including Victoria del Rosal, Luzelba Mansour, Niurka Marcos, Sissy Fleitas, Sandra Vidal, Mayeli Rivera, and Andrea Garcia, Fenomeno Studios Celebrity Vlogger Elisa Beristain, and Golden Boy Promotions professional fighters: “King” Gabriel Rosado, Jesus “Renuente” Soto Karass , NABO Lightweight Champion Michael “The Artist” Perez, NABA Featherweight Champion Abraham “Chamaco” Lopez, Undefeated NABA Super Featherweight Champion Carlos “The Solution” Morales, Nick “La Calavera” Arce, Jonathan “Thunder” Navarro, Joshua “The Professor” Franco, Hector “Finito” Tanajara Jr, Genaro “El Conde” Gamez, Niko “Baby Face” Valdes, David Mijares, and Rafael “El Alikin” Gramajo.

In the main event of the night, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico native Antonio “La Joya” Gutierrez (20-2-1, 9 KOs) faced the tough Jorge “Destroyer” Melendez (28-6-1, 26 KOs) of Manati, Puerto Rico in a 10-round middleweight event. The classic Mexico vs. Puerto Rico battle kept all the fight fans at the edge of their seat as both fighters aggressively pressured each other in 10 intense rounds. In the first round Gutierrez, was shaken holding on to the ropes, while Melendez was visibly shaken in rounds seven and eight. After 10-rounds of intense continual action the judges ruled in favor of Gutierrez with scores of 97-92, 97-92, and 96-93, winning the bout via unanimous decision.

“These Mexico versus Puerto Rico fights are always a war,” said Gutierrez. “I came in knowing we were going to go the distance. He was a tough opponent, and he made me fight for this win. I came out with more Mexican pride in my heart, and I am glad that I was able to provide a good show for the fans.”

In the co-main event, Buena Park, California’s Christian “Chimpa” Gonzalez (15-0, 13 KOs) clashed against Phoenix, Arizona’s Jonathan “Johnny” Corrales (8-3-2, 3 KOs) in a scheduled eight-round lightweight bout. Corrales hit the mat after “Chimpa” launched a left hand uppercut and left hand hook in the first round; however Corrales got back up, and withstood the rest of the round. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough for the knock out artist, as Gonzalez stopped Corrales at the 1:57 mark in the second round, maintaining his undefeated status.

“It feels really special to fight at LA FIGHT CLUB,” said Gonzalez. “I was on the first edition when they first opened LA FIGHT CLUB, and I love fighting here. With every fight, the game plan is to go for the knock out, and I was glad I was able to get it with this fight.”

Opening up the televised portion of the night, Parral Mexico’s Oscar Duarte (7-0-1, 3 KOs) performed in a four round lightweight bout against Tamaulipas, Mexico’s Rafael Reyes (6-9, 5 KOs). Duarte landed some tough punches, causing Reyes to hit the mat in the second round after a frenzy of blows. Reyes, demonstrating his endurance and retaliated with combinations at Duarte. The fight went the distance, and with a score of 38-37, the judges all unanimously agreed that Duarte was the victor.

“He was a tough fighter, and I’ve learned a lot,” said Duarte. “I knew he was going to get back up after he hit the mat, and I was ready to finish all four rounds. I am excited to hit the gym and train hard to keep up my undefeated record.”

Tenochtitlan Nava (3-0, 1 KO) dazzled the crowd in a super featherweight match that only lasted three of the four scheduled rounds against Juan Byrand of Laredo, Texas(1-5-1). “T-Dog” was in clear control, as he led Byrand to the ropes various times throughout the bout releasing a storm of heavy hitting punches. It was at the 1:47 mark on the clock in the third round where the judges called the fight, giving Nava his first career technical knockout.

“I got my first knock out of my career tonight, which makes me feel great about how we have been training,” said Nava. “I don’t think the win is going to hit me, and I am so glad my fans came out to support me. They aren’t just my fans, they are lovers of boxing.”

Lamont Roach, Jr. (12-0, 4 KOs), of Washington D.C. represented the East Coast in a scheduled eight-round super featherweight fight against Mexico City’s Mario Macias (26-19, 14 KOs). Roach, Jr. landed some powerful punches, destabilizing Macias and causing the referee to start the count. In the second round. Roach, Jr’s one-two combinations hurt the fighter, with body punches that slowly broke down the fighter, causing him to drop to the mat. Macias valiantly rose back up, only to fall again at the beginning of the third round, leading for the referee to call the fight at the seven second mark.

“I spar with world champions, former world champions, and anything else in-between,” said Roach, Jr. “I knew Macias was tough since he had fought for world titles before in his career, making me enter the ring even more cautious and even more determined. I knew my punches were breaking him down at the beginning, and it was going to be a matter of time before I knocked him out.”

Edgar Valerio (8-0, 4 KOs) opened the nights action as he fought against Emmanuel Castro (2-3, 2 KOs) of Los Mochis, Valerio set the tone of the night, entering in calm and relaxed. It was in the second round that Castro turned up the heat, launching a series of hits to Valerio’s face resulting in a cut over his eye. The two fighters went the distance and engaged in a series of exchanges that had fans cheering them on. By the end of the fight it was clear that Valerio was the victor, and he was granted a unanimous decision victory by the judges.

“I’m glad we go the win tonight,” said Valerio. “However, I am disappointed in myself for not making it through all six rounds straight. I wanted to give the fans tonight a show worth watching, and this was a learning experience for me. My opponent sure could take a punch, and I can’t wait to hit the gym to improve for my next performance.”

LA FIGHT CLUB: Gutierrez vs. Melendez was presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by “Tecate, BORN BOLD,” Casa Mexico Tequila and Carmelita Coconut Water. Doors opened at 5:00 p.m. and the first bout began at 5:30 p.m. The Estrella TV Boxeo Estelar broadcast aired live on Friday, September 2 at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT and streamed live simultaneously on estrellaTV.com and on YouTube via LBI Media, Inc.’s multiplatform digital network Fenomeno Studios: youtube.com/FenomenoStudios. The Ring TV live stream began at approximately 5:30 p.m. PT through 7:00 p.m.

For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.belascous.com, www.estrellatv.com, follow on twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @EstrellaTV and become a fanon Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/TheBelascoLA, www.facebook.com/EstrellaTVNetwork, visit us on Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @belascola and @EstrellaTV, follow the conversation using #LAFIGHTCLUB and #BoxeoEstelar.

Kell Brook hit the scales five pounds heavier than Gennady Golovkin in their final WBC check-weigh ahead of their monster clash for the WBC, IBF and IBO World Middleweight titles at The O2 in London on Saturday September 10, live on Sky Sports Box Office.

Brook was weighed at the famous Wincobank Gym in Sheffield by the British Boxing Board of Control and weighed 167.8lbs, while Golovkin tipped the scales at 162.9lb at his Big Bear Training Camp in California.

Brook and Golovkin top a blockbuster night of action in London with two more mouth-watering World title clashes as Lee Haskins defending his IBF World Bantamweight title in a rematch with bitter rival Stuart Hall, who he met for the European strap in July 2012, and Charlie Edwards challenging for a World title in his ninth pro fight against two-weight IBF Flyweight champion Johnriel Casimero.

Callum Smith defends his WBC Silver title against tough Hungarian Norbert Nemesapati while his older brother Paul continues his hunt for a third World title shot, Martin J. Ward and Andy Townend meet for the vacant British Super-Featherweight title, WBC Silver Super-Bantamweight champion McDonnell is tracking down a World title shot of his own Sheffield Super-Bantamweight and Brook’s Ingle Gym mate Galahad continues his comeback, Conor Benn boxes for the fourth time in the paid ranks and unbeaten Middleweight Craig Richards tastes his fifth action in the pros.

Reece Bellotti will take on Ian Bailey in an eliminator for the English Featherweight title at York Hall, Bethnal Green on Thursday September 29.

Unbeaten Watford talent Bellotti has finished five of his six fights inside the distance and the ‘Bomber’ will be looking to make that six out of seven in his first ten round action in the paid ranks.

Bailey has challenged for the English title twice, taking Josh Warrington the distance in 2013 and doing the same with Ryan Doyle in January, and the former Southern Area champion from Slough will be looking to set up a third crack at the strap in his 34th pro outing.

A host of Matchroom Boxing’s young unbeaten talents are set for action on the bill with Surrey Light-Heavyweight Jake Ball, Wokingham Middleweight Felix Cash, Crystal Palace Middleweight Craig Richards and Birmingham Welterweight Ted Cheeseman, plus more to be added.

Tickets are on sale now at http://www.stubhub.co.uk/matchroom-boxing-tickets-matchroom-boxing-presents-a-night-of-championship-boxing-london-york-hall-29-9-2016/event/9656210/?gcid=chPrt-_-geoUK-_-genboxing-_-cpgyorkhallsept-_-partmatchroom priced at £40 (unreserved), £60 (floor) and £100 (ringside).

2 September 2016 – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), electrified the Stadium Negara once more with another spectacular showcase of world-class mixed martial arts action. ONE: UNBREAKABLE WARRIORS featured eight Malaysian MMA superstars defending their home turf in front of a packed crowd cheering them on. In the main event, Malaysian-Kiwi sensation Ev “E.T.” Ting emerged victorious over Australian stalwart “Ruthless” Rob Lisita to win by unanimous decision in an exhausting lightweight contest.

Visit the official ONE: UNBREAKABLE WARRIORS photo gallery by clicking: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/h8ehqrhlhdad0aq/AADe8r0Ua-dWv4FmAHM8mAo4a?dl=0

In an action-packed main event bout at ONE: UNBREAKABLE WARRIORS, Ev “E.T.” Ting of Malaysia and “Ruthless” Rob Lisita of Australia completely depleted each other’s resources in an exhausting three-round lightweight bout. In a display of pure willpower, the two warriors repeatedly tagged each other with devastating blows that would have dropped and finished lesser men. Each minute of action kept the crowd on the edge of their seats. In the end, Ting simply had more in the tank, earning the unanimous decision by outlasting Lisita who was thoroughly defeated but remained unbowed.

After the bout, Ting took the chance to thank the fans in attendance and called for a title shot.

“I want a title shot guys, let’s go! Rally for me! I want that strap! Peace out, title shot, warrior spirit. What more do you want?” said Ting in the post-fight interview.

In a tremendous show of pure heart and determination, top lightweight contender Shannon “One Shin” Wiratchai of Bangkok, Thailand went shot for shot with Malaysia’s Peter Davis in a highly entertaining clash of elite strikers. The two fighters gave everything they had and blasted each other every minute of the bout for the duration that it lasted, much to the delight of the packed Stadium Negara crowd. Past the midway point in round two however, a Wiratchai uppercut dropped Davis and an ensuing volley of punches effectively ended the bout.

22-year old April Osenio of Baguio City, Philippines delivered her most impressive performance yet, submitting top Malaysian female fighter Ann “Athena” Osman in the first round of a scheduled three round women’s strawweight bout. Osenio and Osman wasted no time striking and immediately went into the clinch as soon as the bell sounded. The two scrambled continuously on the mat, trading positions on numerous occasions until Osenio caught Osman in a Guillotine Choke to force the tap.

In a clash of veteran middleweights, Gilberto Galvao of Brazil made a successful ONE Championship debut with a unanimous decision victory over crafty Japanese MMA fighter Tatsuya Mizuno after three grueling rounds. Galvao owned a slight edge in damage inflicted and striking superiority, often landing powerful combinations that Mizuno took very well. Mizuno on the other hand scored repeatedly with highly accurate knees to the body. Towards the end of the bout, Galvao was able to land a couple of takedowns which the judges deemed enough to award him the victory.

Malaysian flyweight sensation Gianni Subba by way of Bali MMA in Bali, Indonesia overcame a spirited performance from enigmatic counterpuncher Yago Bryan of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The 23 year-old Subba employed a tactical gameplan, working with his long reach to keep Bryan at the end of his kicks all fight long. The biggest weapon for Bryan was the straight right hand which he threw behind a counter left jab but Subba came well-prepared for the fight and knew he had to stay away from Bryan’s deceptive power. All three judges scored the bout in favor of Subba who took home the unanimous decision victory after three rounds.

In the best shape of his career, Malaysian welterweight prospect Agilan “Alligator” Thani extended his win streak to six and kept his unblemished record intact with a methodical victory over the Philippines’ Trestle Tan. Thani dominated the fight from start to end, successfully taking Tan to the ground where he worked to finish with brilliant transitions. After taking Tan’s back, Thani slid his arm underneath the Filipino’s neck and squeezed until his opponent tapped out.

Malaysia’s Keanu Subba via Bali, Indonesia returned to his winning ways with a spectacular victory over Pakistan’s Waqar Umar. The 22-year old showcased his well-known striking prowess, bringing the fight to Umar who looked to take matters to the ground. After Umar caught a missed kick by Subba, he used the momentum to get the Malaysian prospect on the mat. Subba however executed a sweep shortly after and delivered his trademark elbows and fists from top control to force the Pakistani fighter to tap out.

Chinese featherweight warrior Nuerdebieke Bahetihan shocked the crowd in attendance at Stadium Negara with a scintillating eight second one-punch knockout of Evolve MMA’s Bruno Pucci. Pucci came out of the gates looking to throw a combination but a single right hook counter felled the proud Brazilian. The victory earns Bahetihan his third straight win as a professional mixed martial artist.

Female atomweight competitor Jenny Huang of Chinese Taipei clinched her third straight victory inside the ONE Championship cage and fourth straight victory overall with a first round submission of Delhi, India’s Jeet Toshi. Despite Toshi’s usual willingness to engage, Huang put her grappling skills on full display, submitting Toshi by Arm Triangle Choke just past the midway point of the first round.

In a clash of Malaysian MMA prospects, former MIMMA featherweight champion Muhammad Aiman scored his first victory inside the ONE Championship cage by routing former professional boxer Hisyam Samsudin to win by unanimous decision. After three rounds, Aiman used his superior striking and grappling to convince the judges to score in his favor.

Rene Catalan of Manila, Philippines dominated Chinese fighter Zhang You Liang to win by unanimous decision in a three-round strawweight contest to kick off ONE: UNBREAKABLE WARRIORS. Catalan utilized his world-class wushu skills to keep Zhang honest throughout the bout. In the end, Catalan’s work rate and accurate striking earned the judges’ nod.

Official results for ONE: UNBREAKABLE WARRIORS
Lightweight bout: Ev Ting defeats Rob Lisita by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
Lightweight bout: Shannon Wiratchai defeats Peter Davis by TKO (Strikes) at 3:32 minutes of round 2
Strawweight bout: April Osenio defeats Ann Osman by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 4:09 minutes of round 1
Middleweight bout: Gilberto Galvao defeats Tatsuya Mizuno by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
Flyweight bout: Gianni Subba defeats Yago Bryan by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
Middleweight bout: Agilan Thani defeats Trestle Tan by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:24 minutes of round 1
Featherweight bout: Keanu Subba defeats Waqar Umar by Submission (Strikes) at 4:31 minutes of round 1
Featherweight bout: Nuerdebieke Bahetihan defeats Bruno Pucci by Knockout at 0:08 minutes of round 1
Atomweight bout: Jenny Huang defeats Jeet Toshi by Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) at 3:21 minutes of round 1
Featherweight bout: Muhammad Aiman defeats Hisyam Samsudin by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
Strawweight bout: Rene Catalan defeats Zhang You Liang by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

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

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

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship is the largest 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.

LONDON (2 September) – BoxNation subscribers are set to enjoy a blockbuster next few weeks starting with pound-for-pound king Roman Gonzalez who moves up in weight to take on undefeated knockout artist and WBC super-flyweight world champion Carlos Cuadras.

The unbeaten three-time world champion Gonzalez, with a record of 45-0 with 38 KOs, is regarded by many as the finest boxer around and will test himself by going up to 115-pounds for the first time to challenge Cuadras, 35-0-1 with 27 KOs, for his WBC strap.

Taking place next Saturday night at The Forum in Inglewood, California, BoxNation will be the only place to see the 29-year-old Nicaraguan star in his toughest test yet as he looks to cement his status as boxing’s very best.

“I’m very happy to challenge Carlos Cuadras for a world title in my fourth weight class. It’s an honour to return to fight at The Forum in front of the great Los Angeles fight fans,” said Gonzalez.

Cuadras, said: “I am excited to fight in the United States for the first time and at the legendary Forum in front of the great boxing fans in California. Roman Gonzalez is a great champion and I have a lot of respect for him. I will prepare myself to be in the best condition of my boxing career to defend my WBC belt.”

“We’re very excited to bring Roman back to the fabulous Forum in his first main event at the famed venue,” said promoter Tom Loeffler. “Roman has proven with each fight why he is considered to be the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Challenging an undefeated champion in his fourth weight class will be a great test for Roman and this battle against Cuadras will provide the non-stop action fans have come to expect at his fights.”

“We’re delighted to have Roman Gonzalez’s exciting fight with Carlos Cuadras exclusively live on BoxNation,” said Jim McMunn, BoxNation Managing Director. “Gonzalez is regarded as one of the very best boxers around so it is great that BoxNation subscribers will be able to watch his biggest challenge to date on our platform.”

Gonzalez’s mouth-watering clash will kick off a great set of fights exclusively live on BoxNation including the eagerly anticipated showdown between Liverpool’s Liam Smith and Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez.

Smith puts his WBO light-middleweight world title on the line when he travels to the home of the Dallas Cowboys in Texas on 17th September as he faces the formidable Alvarez, whose only defeat has been at the hands of the legendary Floyd Mayweather.

However, Smith will be looking to show that he is up for the task and put a halt to Alvarez’s ambitions of winning another world title belt.

The following week on 24th September veteran cruiserweight Ovill McKenzie will be flying the flag when he goes to Germany to take on the much-respected and tough Marco Huck for the IBO world title.

McKenzie is well aware this will be his last shot at world glory following a decorated career which has seen him pick up British and Commonwealth titles along the way.

Exciting middleweight Chris Eubank Jr is also back live on BoxNation when he takes on Tommy Langford for the British title next month, with rising super-welterweight Liam Williams on the bill against fellow undefeated rival Ahmet Patterson.

Gonzalez v Cuadras is exclusively live on BoxNation (Sky/Freeview/Virgin/TalkTalk/Online & App) next Saturday night. Buy now at boxnation.com.

Anthony Joshua MBE will defend his IBF World Heavyweight title at the Manchester Arena on Saturday November 26.

Joshua landed the strap with a brutal second round KO win over former champion Charles Martin at The O2 in London in April and defended it with a seventh round stoppage win over Dominic Breazeale at his Greenwich fortress in June.

The 2012 Olympic hero puts the belt on the line for a second time in his second outing at the famous Manchester venue where he stopped Konstantin Airich in three rounds in September 2014 in his eighth pro outing.

“When I first started my professional career I travelled all round the country fighting, which I loved, this is taking me back to the grass roots,” said Joshua. “I can’t wait to get back up north and show the people of Manchester how much I have improved since the last time I was there. I have been inspired over the summer by the fighters in the Olympics, it has given me a new perspective and huge hunger to get back in ring.

“It has taken a bit of time to officially announce the fight, we want this to be a spectacular show, all the way up the card and it takes time to get these things right.”

An announcement on the opponent and ticket details will be released the week commencing September 26.

Callum Johnson will face Willbeforce Shihepo for the vacant Commonwealth Light-Heavyweight title at the Manchester Arena on September 24, live on Sky Sports.

Johnson is aiming to secure a dream Commonwealth double having landed Commonwealth Games gold in Delhi in 2010 before turning pro later that year. The unbeaten 31 year old Scot now faces his first title fight in the paid ranks in his 16th outing, doing so on a huge night in Manchester on the undercard of his Joe Gallagher gym-mate Anthony Crolla’s World Lightweight unification battle with Jorge Linares.

Shihepo brings vast experience to Manchester and presents a stern test to Johnson in his first title bout with the Namibian in his eighth title fight having won half of them and taken Arthur Abraham the distance in Germany, and with 17 KOs from 23 wins, the visitor provides a dangerous examination of Johnson’s title credentials.

“This is a huge step up for Callum but now is the time to see if he is going to become the force we believe he can in the division,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “You only have to look at the level that Shihepo has mixed with to see how tough a fight this will be but we are confident that Callum will add the Commonwealth title to his Games gold medal on September 24.”

Johnson’s clash with Shihepo is part of a huge night of action as Crolla and Linares clash in a blockbuster battle for the WBA, WBC Diamond and vacant Ring Magazine Lightweight straps.

John Ryder defends his WBA International Middleweight title against Jack Arnfield, Isaac Lowe defends his Commonwealth Featherweight title against Tshifhiwa Munyai, unbeaten Light-Heavyweight Hosea Burton will be in title action Conor Benn tastes his fifth night of action in the paid ranks with an appearance first at The O2 in London on September 10.

Tickets are on sale now priced at £40, £60, £80, £100 and £150 and available from the Manchester Arena at www.manchester-arena.com or by calling 0844 847 8000. VIPs tickets are exclusively available through www.matchroomboxing.com priced at £250.

Face value tickets for September 24 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.

ERIC GOMEZ, Senior Vice President of Golden Boy Promotions:

We’re very excited to be on this call. We’re just two weeks away from the show. This is the official international media conference call with WBO Junior Middleweight World Champion, Undefeated champion, Liam “Beefy” Smith. On September 17 over Mexican Independence weekend, Canelo returns to Texas for a big challenge, a dangerous challenge in WBO World Champion, Liam “Beefy” Smith.

Obviously it’s going to be at AT&T Stadium, home of America’s team, the Dallas Cowboys. Canelo’s going to be returning for the first time to Texas where he had a great fight against James Kirkland. So we’re very excited about that.

Liam, as you know is undefeated. He’s known as a heavy puncher. He’s coming off a streak of eight knockouts in a row. He’s probably the toughest task that Canelo’s ever had. So it’s going to be a great night of boxing and it’s going to be a great fight.

Just like we say, everything’s bigger in Texas. The stadium is doing very well with ticket sales. We’re already over 25,000 in ticket sales. There are still tickets available. You can buy tickets at Ticketmaster. You can go on the website at www.Ticketmaster.com or you can call by phone 1-800-745-3000. Tickets are as low as $40 and $750 for ringside.

So now I want to turn it over to our co-promoter for the fight and good friend, Frank Warren, to introduce the team. Frank?

FRANK WARREN, Chairman of Box Nation and Promoter to Liam Smith:

Thank you, Eric, very kind of you. It’s obviously a great privilege to be working on such a special show in Dallas on the 17th of September. Liam Smith I’ve promoted since he turned professional eight years ago. I’ve always thought that he was an exceptional fighter and an exceptional British fighter. He’s won all his fights to date. He’s on an eight-fight knockout roll, and I’ve never seen him up so much for a fight.

He begged me for this fight, and we made it happen between all of us, and I can assure you when he gets there on the 17th, there are going to be some serious fireworks. It’s going to be a real celebration for the Brits. It might be Mexican Independence Day, but it’s going to be the Brits are coming and the Brits are going to come away still holding that belt.

He’s so confident and all the time I’ve known him, I’ve never felt or doubted him or his ability. He’s one of those fighters, the bigger the occasion, the more you’ll get out of him.

He’s 28 years of age. He comes from Liverpool. He’s the first Liverpool champ or British world champ to come out of Liverpool in 22 years. He comes from a fighting family. His brothers are all professional boxers, all very successful, and I think he’s the best of the brothers. I’ve always said that and I’m sure that he is.

And I’m quite sure that we’re going to see something special in Dallas on the 17th. Liam’s on the line, and I know you’d like to speak to him. So Liam, over to you.

LIAM SMITH, WBO Junior Middleweight World Champion:

Yes, Frank. We’ve already done a lot of the hard work already. We’ve got a couple of hard weeks and it’s all about getting the timing right towards the 17th. Me and Joe, we’ll come prepared. And like Frank said, it’s a fight I’ve always asked for. I’ve been on Frank’s case for this fight and a number of fights of this magnitude for over 12 months now. They say no one can fight at Canelo’s level because they don’t know that I can perform at that level yet. This fight is going to tell you guys that I’m at that level myself. I know I’m at that level. So you’ll know who Liam Smith is come September 17th.

ERIC GOMEZ: Liam, thank you. And Frank, thank you for the kind words.

So a couple of notes before we open up for questions. Obviously, this is going to be brought to you by HBO pay-per-view, so if you can’t be there in person, make sure you get the pay-per-view. And last but not least I’d like to thank our sponsors involved in this fight, Tecate, Born Bold, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Hennesey: Never Stop, Never Settle, Adrianna’s Insurance, AT&T: Mobilizing Your World, and Casa Mexico Tequila. With that, thank you to the sponsors. We couldn’t put together a great show like this without you. So with that, we can open it up to questions.

Q. Hello Frank and Liam.

JOE GALLAGHER: This is Joe Gallagher. I’m here in the room as well, Joe Gallagher.

FRANK WARREN: Joe, I’m sorry. Joe Gallagher is on the line, Ring Trainer of the Year 2015, and he’s done a fantastic job with Liam working with him over the years. I can’t say enough of his ability. I do apologize.

Q. Joe, it’s good to have you on the call also. My first question, Liam, a lot of your British countrymen have talked a lot during their careers about how they wanted to come to the United States and fight. I remember hearing those comments from Ricky Hatton and Joe Calzaghe and people like that that really look forward at some point in their career making a name. They had made their name in Britain, but they wanted to have bigger fights in the United States. You have a big fight here with Canelo Alvarez and it’s going to be your first fight in the United States. But I wonder has one of your goals been what those guys talked about, that you really wanted to come to the states and make a big name for yourself, or was this just sort of the way it worked out for you? What are your feelings about having an opportunity to fight in the United States?

LIAM SMITH: This fight has got nothing to do really with any of those fights that you mentioned. It also doesn’t reflect on any of the fights that have challenged. This isn’t Canelo with Amir Khan. This has to do with me, and it’s a personal thing for me. I’ve always been told I think I’ve got a style that the American fight fans will like. There is no mixing out of my style, there’s no awkwardness. There’s no holds. There’s no negativity around me. What you see is what you get in terms of the fight.

Like I said last time on the phone mark my words, I’m coming to fight Canelo, and you’re going to be in a massive shock. This fight is me making a name for myself the world over and establishing myself to the world of boxing and not just for British fight fans.

Q. Was it a goal to fight in America like some of your past star countrymen? Was that on your bucket list?

LIAM SMITH: I don’t want to emulate nothing. I want to go there and beat Canelo on me own and have people talking about Liam Smith. There will be people talking about Liam Smith and not Ricky Hatton and Joe Calzaghe.

Q. No, no, Liam, I think you’re misunderstanding me. I understand what you’re saying. I’m saying in your mind when you became a professional fighter and making your way up the ranks, was fighting a major fight in the States something that was a big deal for you? Is that something that you aspired to do?

LIAM SMITH: Yeah, it is. If you ask anyone down the line, I go to the States twice, three times a year, training and sparring there. Training the amount of training over in the States. The Wild Card Gym, The Rock Gym, there and to sparring there for the Canelo fight. I’ve been in numerous gyms in the States, and probably if I didn’t have the bond with Joe and I didn’t have the relationship with Frank as a promotional company, I’d have probably moved to America a long time ago. But it’s bond and too much to basically jump ship and move there.

But I look to move there when I finish boxing. I love the States and making a name out there for myself is something I want to do.

Q. A lot of the conversation that’s been directed towards Canelo going into this fight is why he’s not fighting Gennady Golovkin who is coming to the country to fight Kell Brook, and the fight that many of the people in the United States that people hoped to see was Canelo versus Golovkin. So my question for you, how tired of that are you hearing about how people are disappointed that Canelo is not fighting Triple G, but he’s fighting a guy in Liam Smith who most people here have never heard of? Does it make a difference to you? Does it motivate you? What is your point to all the people that say they don’t know who Liam Smith is, and we’d rather see him fighting Triple G?

LIAM SMITH: I don’t knock the people saying they don’t know Liam Smith. All I say to them is be sure you come back on the same social media, to the same magazine you criticized and make sure you come back on September 18th and hold your hands up and say Liam won.

I don’t mind that. I know they don’t know me. I can’t blame them. I haven’t fought in the States just yet. I could have done some fights as you mentioned before. The way they’ve done it, (Indiscernible) could have fought Castillo and went there and fought (Indiscernible) before the other big fight against Castillo.

Now I was just going to ask you the same thing. Went there for one of the channels. It’s going to be a very, very good fight. But it’s just the fact I’m going there and I’m fighting the biggest name over there and they expect him to fight Triple G, so I’m getting the backlash of that.

The same, you’ve got to know me as a boxer, and personally, we can talk if you want about Triple G and Canelo, but after September 17 there won’t be no talk of Triple G anymore.

Q. Liam, both of your brothers Paul and Stephen have fought only one time in the United States and big step-up fights and neither one was competitive at all. I wanted to know if you feel pressure to end that streak? Have they given you any words of advice from their failures?

LIAM SMITH: No, I don’t feel any pressure of fighting in the States and lost the fourth quarter special fight around the awards, and Stephen fought a very good Jose Pedraza on the 9th. Stephen would have won that fight. Everyone thinks Stephen performed bad, but he just came up against a very good Pedraza.

And now, saying that they’re going to give me confidence. I’ve been in the States and fought before. When I’m in that changing room, I’ll feel as if I’ve been in that situation before. Obviously I’m going to have to deal on the biggest stage. This is the biggest stage — not the biggest stage in boxing by no means, but the Dallas Cowboys Stadium. But it doesn’t faze me and it’s one I’m looking forward to the finishing.

FRANK WARREN: That question you asked is a fair question you asked. However, Liam’s going there as a world champion. His brothers didn’t go there as a world champion. He’s the world champion. He’s the one that’s won the world title.

Q. I know. But I don’t think that means a whole lot in this day and age of four titles per weight class. Canelo’s the name here State side. Does that really make a big difference?

FRANK WARREN: It might not mean nothing to you, but I think it means something to Liam. He’s very proud of being a world champion, and he’s going there to defend his title. Obviously he has value as a world title, that’s why he’s fighting Canelo. But the bottom line, as he said earlier, as far as going to the States, if you ask anybody in all the gyms that he’s worked with out there or all the guys he’s sparred there, they’ll tell you how good he is. He’s a good fighter.

I’ve been involved with lots of fighters over the years. Lots of fighters out in the States. A lot of fighters I’ve been involved with considered no-hopers against great American fighters or were to be great American fighters at the time, and a lot of my guys have won those fights. And I feel confident in Liam that he can emulate what they’ve done, and we’ll be talking afterwards about when is Liam going to be fighting Golovkin because that’s what they’re going to be talking about after this fight.

Q. Can you give me an example of a fight this reminds of you then? A past fight of a guy who was considered not to have a shot?

FRANK WARREN: I think with Joe Calzhage with Showtime and everybody was building up Jeff Lacy to be the next big thing and he destroyed him. I mean absolutely destroyed him. I can think of Joe going out and fighting Bernard Hopkins. He was an underdog in that fight and he won that fight. Well won it with the scoring he well won that fight. When Frank Bruno was against Oliver McCall and knocked out Lennox Lewis, Frank Bruno was considered the interloper and he won that fight. There are quite a few.

Naseem Hamed winning fights over the years against American opponents who we brought over who were champions, won them all. He’s of that ilk. He can win them. We call Liam the scouse Mexican, scouse you might not know is a Liverpool nickname and that’s how he fights.

Q. Liam, can you speak to that point about how you are as a champion and your brothers and how that may change things? Can you maybe speak about how you think your mindset is going to be different than your brothers were because you’re the champion and they were the challengers? How does that help you?

LIAM SMITH: I can only hear the very end of your question. Sorry.

Q. How will your mindset be different going into this fight as an underdog, knowing that you’re the champion, whereas your brothers were the challengers?

LIAM SMITH: My mindset with that is I always know the arguments over the ring boards and stuff like that. I’m not stupid. I know on paper I’m the B-side of this fight. Canelo’s the big name. It’s always Canelo, and it’s Mexican Independence Day, so I know that. But I am the champion, and just looking back on that, that is one reason why I hope they’ll respect that I’m champion and be fair. If I win the fight, then make sure I get the decision. Give me the respect I deserve. I am the champion, even though I am the B-side in the fight. Canelo’s the big name, but I am the champion going in.

So this fight, I know I am the champion, but there doesn’t have to be a belt on the line for me. I took this fight. I’m not in a situation where I have nothing to lose in this fight. I’ve got a title to lose. So I’ve taken this fight because it’s an opportunity to make a name for myself and establish myself as one of the best fighters pound-for-pound in the world.

Q. Do you feel this is the kind of fight you’ve been training for your whole life? The kind of fight that turns you into a name and a star worldwide?

LIAM SMITH: Yes, I do. This is the fight that — if I could pick a style of a fighter, it would be similar of Canelo’s style. I always wanted a Canelo fight, a Cotto fight. A style like that is what I prefer to fight. This fight can only be a great fight. There’s no way the styles will make a bad fight. They gel well, and this is a fight, again, you’re going to see me smile in. Because even I smile when it’s not going my way. I’m not going to not smile because I’m not winning. I’ll smile because I enjoy every minute of this fight.

This is, I say to Joe as he’s got me in the gym, this fight is right up my street as they say in the news. Canelo and this fight is right up my street stylewise.

It’s going to be give and take. Canelo’s going to have his moments. I’m not saying he’s not. But I’m going to have my moments. It will come down to they can finish off their moments and finish the fight the best. So it’s one that I’m looking forward to every time I think about the fight it gets me excited. It just gets me excited. So it’s one that I can’t wait for. It’s going to be a great fight.

Q. Liam, the question is do you like your chances better than Brook against Triple G? Do you like your chances better against Canelo?

LIAM SMITH: Yes, 100% I like my chances because I’m 100% confident I’m going to win this fight, and Canelo’s the favorite to win the fight. And I’ll be rooting for Kell Brook, but I think it’s a step too far for him. But I don’t think it’s a step too far for myself. But, yes, I think I’ve got a chance.

FRANK WARREN: Liam’s a natural 154-pound fighter. He’s not going up a weight. This is his weight. This is the weight he fights at.

Q. HBO has been publicizing about your sister and autism. How important is this fight for you and this pay-per-view to get the word out around the world about autism and to make everybody aware of autism?

LIAM SMITH: Yeah, well, it’s important to our family. My sister is autistic. We try and publicize that as much as we can and raise awareness for autism. So it’s great for those American fight fans and the American fans and HBO can also relate to that and can see autism is a big thing. And my sister’s severely autistic, so she’s a massive inspiration to me and my brothers, and obviously to fans as well.

Q. Eric, Oscar has predicted a crowd in the vicinity of 80,000 people. The two other fight cards that have been held at the Cowboy Stadium, AT&T Stadium were involving Manny Pacquiao, one was 40,000, another 50,000. If Oscar’s projection is correct, you’d have to sell 55,000 seats in the next two weeks. How close to that do you think that this fight can realistically approach?

ERIC GOMEZ: I mean, look, there is a reason why Oscar’s been very successful at promoting. That’s obviously our wish that it can be a sell out. But I can say this, it’s going to be a successful night. Already — this is coming from the people with the Dallas Cowboys — already at this point, this far out from the fight we’ve already surpass Manny Pacquiao where he was at for both fights. So the tickets are moving, they’re moving steadily, and we feel it’s going to be a big crowd. It’s going to look great.

It’s a big, beautiful stadium. We’ll see. You never know. With the walk up, a lot of the Mexican fans, they cross the border and they’ll drive to Dallas for a lot of the Cowboy games. From what they’re telling us, they like to buy tickets from the box Office. So we’re expecting a big walk-up.

Tickets are moving well. We’ll see. We’ll see. We’ll cross our fingers and hopefully we get there. But nevertheless, already with over 25,000 people, it’s going to look great.

Q. Frank, England and Great Britain has always had an important role in the history of professional boxing. But per capita probably the most intense fight fans going now are in Germany and England. I think ring magazine, their list of champions and Top 10 rated fighters, there are actually more now from the UK than from the United States. What explains this huge spike, if it is indeed a huge spike, in popularity in boxing in the U.K.?

FRANK WARREN: It’s always been a very popular sport here. It’s one of our main sports. And I think the main thing about it is because we’re good at it. We worked, not just me, other promoters. We’ve invested our time and money over the years developing talent. The bottom line is we do have good, quality talent to come through, and Liam has been a pro now for eight years. It’s been a bit of a journey for him, and I don’t mean that disrespectfully.

In the early days I’ve just felt some of the fights we were making, like making time fights. You see a fighter fighting and you think to yourself, he needs to be stepped up and stepped up, and that’s what we’ve tried to do with him. And I think what has happened, he’s one of those special group of fighters. We’ve got a lot of guys who have held title. But there’s only three or four of them who are really quality, world champions and he’s one of them.

As I say, we’ve been very successful in what we do in boxing, and I think looking at the Olympic Games we’ve had a great, great run there. You look at the heavyweight division over the last four or five Olympic games. We’ve won medals where the U.S. hasn’t won medals at that point. I just think that with our guys we’ve got great followings in their hometowns. We build them in their hometowns. We don’t build four-wall deals. What we do is try to build a following in their home city, and I think that’s what we’re successfully doing. And that translates into interest in the fighters and the fact that the fighters want to box.

There are guys out there in our amateur clubs, there are a huge amount of amateur boxing clubs in the U.K., and they’re very, very well supported and very well funded. And as so, we’ve got a good system that’s working, and you see they’re all translating now into what you see in the amount of British boxers that are in the ratings or are world champions.

But I think for Liam, because obviously that’s what this call is all about today, I think with Liam, you’ve got to see something special. He has got something to lose. You know, people say, what have I got to lose? I’m going to go out there and get a payday and that’s it. But he’s got something to lose. And I know that’s something that’s very special to him, and that’s his pride. He’s going there to defend his title and come back with all the accolades that he’s going to deserve in doing so.

And I’m not coming out there with him to sit there and go home as a loser. I’m coming out there because I’ve got tremendous belief in him and tremendous belief in his preparation and what Joe Gallagher’s doing with him. But he can come away winning this fight. It’s not going to be easy. He’s fighting a very good fighter. But you know what? He’s got the tools to do it.

Q. Liam and Frank, human nature being what it is, since so many people are pointing or looking forward to a mega fight between Triple G and Canelo, would Triple G fighting Kell Brook over in England and this fight here, some people are going to say, well, they’re going to take the safe approach because they want to protect that. Human nature being this, how much of a motivating factor is that like a slap to a guy’s pride that most people think this is just going to be a walk through the park because we’ve got to protect the big fight? How motivating is that for Liam?

FRANK WARREN: Liam, do you want to go first or me? Okay. As I’ve just said, he’s a very proud fighter and he’s a very confident fighter. What they may feel are safe fights. But let me tell you something, the fighters they’re fighting though are not coming to make up the numbers. They’re coming to fight.

I used to promote Kell Brook, I got him up to the number one position. He had 20 fights with me. He’s a capable fighter. I think he’s got a very, very tough fight. He’s coming up two weight divisions to fight one of the best fighters if not the best fighter in the world. And you’ve got Liam going to the guy who is also considered to be one of the best, if not the best, American fighters or Mexican fighters.

However, they are not trying to step up to the plate. You can’t be what people may be assuming and what they’re saying about Canelo and Triple G cannot be said about five other British boxers. They are stepping up. They’re fearless. They’re coming to fight.

My man, Liam, is coming to the other guy’s backyard. He’s coming to the back yard, not to make up the numbers, but to defend his title and come back as a winner and hopefully Liam Smith’s name will be on everybody’s lips. If he wins this fight, and I really do feel he can. It’s not going to be easy, but I do feel he has the capabilities to win it. It will be in my opinion one of the biggest upsets as far as Brits going abroad. It will be the biggest thing of a British boxer in modern times to go out there and do that. That’s how significant this fight will be.

That’s why we’re in there. That’s why we’ve taken this fight because we believe in our man. We believe in Liam Smith.

Q. Frank and Liam, if you guys could explain why you guys withdrew from the drug testing and why that was important for you to do that?

ERIC GOMEZ: I can talk to that, Frank, if you don’t mind. They didn’t withdraw. What we decided was we weren’t going to do voluntary testing with VADA. But Liam is still undergoing testing with the British Boxing Control Board, and Canelo’s still undergoing testing by Texas and the WBO. So nobody withdrew. There is testing.

Q. So there is a misconception out there that he withdrew.

FRANK WARREN: The British Boxing Board controls drug testing, and you may think I’m biased, but it’s probably the most stringent of any governing body in the world, I can assure you. So from our end, we’re happy with all the arrangements.

Q. Liam, this is your first fight outside of the U.K. I just wanted to know what kind of changes have you guys made in the training camp, if any? And you know there’s been video circulating out there of you sparring with Kell Brook. Have you guys made any changes to this particular training camp or has this been kind of the same that you’ve been doing the last few years?

LIAM SMITH: It’s kind of the same. We’ve changed a bit in every camp. We’ve changed obviously sparring partners. We’ve changed hardware with Joe, we’ve changed the combination offensively and defensively. We work on what we think Canelo does well. So we’ve just changed the little adjustments.

We always have conditioned well. We’ll be ready for the fight, there is no question about that. So we’ve just made the little adjustments, like I said, to get ready towards Canelo.

Q. Do you guys feel that coming up after this fight, if you guys come out victorious, are you guys looking at possibly unifying the division? Or do you feel like after you beat Canelo a possible step up to middleweight is something you’d be looking at in your future?

LIAM SMITH: No, I’m not a middleweight, and until my body is ready to go to middleweight, I’ll announce it. But I’m not going to sound like Canelo and sound like all the other people now and say I want to beat Canelo, I want to fight Charlo or I want to fight Triple G, because that’s what people are following Canelo for.

Now, obviously, my mind is just set on Canelo. And when I beat Canelo, my next fight will be Canelo again, because I know they will throw everything back. They overlooked me, and I know after September 17, the excuses are going to come. So I know they’re going to do what they can to get the rematch again. So my mind will be focused on Canelo, and it will be on Canelo again. Because I can see what’s going to happen.

Q. Frank, what’s going on with Billy Joe Saunders? I know there was a possibility that he was going to be on the undercard.

FRANK WARREN: We’re announcing his fight on Monday, next Monday.

Q. Again, there was talk about possibly in December with Billy Jo fighting Canelo if Canelo’s successful? I know you have to get by Liam Smith, but is that still a possibility?

FRANK WARREN: No, it’s not a possibility because Liam Smith is going to win this fight.

ERIC GOMEZ: That’s a great answer, Frank (laughing).

LIAM SMITH: It’s the truth.

FRANK WARREN: That’s what we’re here for. We’re not here to lose.

Q. Frank, in the event that some miracle happens and Liam does not win, would that be still in play between Canelo and Saunders?

FRANK WARREN: If he doesn’t win, if he doesn’t, and I’m very positive on this, but if he doesn’t win, all I know is everybody will be demanding a rematch because this is going to be a great fight. Whatever happens, if he loses, which I don’t think he will, then you’ll want to see the rematch.

Q. Frank, do you want to reveal who Saunders is fighting next?

FRANK WARREN: No, we’ll talk about it on Monday. Let’s deal with my champion here, Liam Smith. That’s what we’re at the moment focused on. All will be revealed with Billy Joe on Monday. If the press want to be on the call, speak with Dan in the Office, and we’ll give you a head’s up just before.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you so much. I think we’re all ready for final comments. Frank, do you have any final comments?

FRANK WARREN: All I would say is I hope that we do sell the stadium out, because the Mexican people are great, great boxing fans and I want them to be there to see what I believe is one of our great British boxers. They’re going to love him. They’re going to love what he does, they’re going to love what they see. Don’t miss this. This is a fight to be there and see. It will be a history-making fight for a British fighter.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you so much, Frank. Joe Gallagher, are you still on the line?

JOE GALLAGHER: Yeah, I’m here, yes. Just Liam Smith’s coming over, very well-prepared, ready to defend his title. On Sunday, the 18th, that’s what they’ll be talking about, the three judges, and let’s talk about a good world champion in Liam Smith. That’s my only fear for this fight. These are two honest fighters putting their careers and their lives on the line, and we need three honest men sitting around the ringside to score the fight correctly. What we don’t want is to have a bad decision.

We’ve seen the corruption with the Olympics of late. The bad judging, the bad scoring and this can’t happen on Mexican Independence week. Liam Smith is going out there. He’s putting his title on the line, his life on the line, and we need three honest men to go on that night and go out there thinking I did the right thing. And by doing the right thing, they’ll score Liam Smith the winner.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you so much. Liam, go ahead and say your final comments.

LIAM SMITH: Yes, just thanks to everyone, obviously for all of the questions. And like Joe and Frank said, we’re coming September 17th. We’re ready. We’ll have no excuses, and I’ll speak to all the same people on September 18th and just say I told you so, and I’m still champion.

I’d also like to say thanks to Eric and Frank and all the Golden Boy staff for making this fight and now the fight’s only two weeks away, so I hope we’ll have a great show.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you so much. Eric, we’re ready for your final comments.

ERIC GOMEZ: Great, thank you, guys. Thank you once again Frank Warren, Frank’s been a great partner with us and by far the best promoter in the U.K.

You know, Joe Gallagher, obviously, a top trainer. Liam is an undefeated fighter. This is a great fight, a dangerous fight. Styles make fights, and this is going to be an explosive fight. We’re very excited for this fight. Don’t miss it. HBO pay-per-view, or you can go in person and see it at beautiful AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys.

Again, tickets are still available. You can get tickets at Ticketmaster, www.Ticketmaster.com. Again, I want to thank the sponsors, everybody involved, thank you very much. And thank you for being on the call, media.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

Tickets are priced at $750, $500, $300, $200, $100, $85, $50 and $40, not including applicable service charges with a total ticket limit of 8 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com. Additionally, walk up purchases are available at the AT&T Stadium Box Office (Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. CT to 5:00 p.m. CT).

Canelo vs. Smith, a 12-round fight for the WBO Junior Middleweight World Championship, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Frank Warren and Canelo Promotions. Gabriel Rosado vs. Willie Monroe, Jr. is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Banner Promotions and Diego De La Hoya vs. Luis Orlando Del Valle is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Roc Nation Sports. The event is sponsored by “Tecate, BORN BOLD,” O’Reilly Auto Parts, Hennessey, Adriana’s Insurance, AT&T, and Casa Mexico Tequila and will take place on Saturday, September 17 at AT&T Stadium. Doors open at 2:00 p.m. CT, first fight and the RingTvLive.com live stream begins at 3:20 p.m. ET/2:20 p.m. CT/12:20 p.m. PT; the preliminary live stream begins at 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT/3:30 p.m. PT; with the main show produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. CT/6:00 p.m. PT.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.frankwarren.com, www.attstadium.com or www.hbo.com/boxing, follow us on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @LiamBeefySmith, @KingGabRosado, @WillieMonroeJr, @JosephDiazJr, @AndrewCancio, @DiegoDeLaHoya, @OscarDeLaHoya, @FrankWarren_tv, @ATTStadium and @HBOboxing, become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.Facebook.com/frankwarrenpromotions, www.Facebook.com/ATTStadium or www.Facebook.com/HBOboxing, join us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @LiamBeefySmith, @KingGabRosado, @Willie_elmongoose_monroejr, @JosephDiazJr, @Aa_Cancio, @DiegoDeLaHoya94 @ATTStadium, @OscarDeLaHoya and @HBOboxing, and follow the conversation using #CaneloSmith.

The HBO Sports special ROAD TO CANELO/SMITH debuts SATURDAY, SEPT. 10 at 12:45 a.m. (ET/PT) immediately following HBO World Championship Boxing.

B-roll and images of the fighters are available for use and download HERE or by copying and pasting: bit.ly/CaneloSmith. Video and photo credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions.

Greg Cohen Promotions proudly announces the signing of South African bantamweight Mzuvukile “Old Bones” Magwaca.

Magwaca (17-0-2, 10 KOs) from Duncan Village, East London, South Africa, is the current WBA International Bantamweight Champion and the former WBF Africa Junior Flyweight Champion and IBO Inter-Continental Flyweight Champion.

A seven-year professional, Magwaca trains at the “All Winners Boxing Club” in Mdanstane, East London, South Africa, with the guidance of Zolani “Last Born” Tete, a world rated bantamweight and former IBF World Super Flyweight Champion, as well as GCP stablemate and current IBO World Featherweight Champion Lusanda “Mexican” Komanisi.

“Since I was eight years old, when I first wore a pair of old gloves from my elder brother who was a professional boxer himself, I dreamed of becoming a world champion one day,” said Magwaca. “Now that dream is going to be a reality through Greg Cohen Promotions. The Young African Lion is about to pounce!”

“We are proud to sign undefeated WBA International Bantamweight Champion Mzuvukile Magwaca, our second fighter from the All Winners Boxing Club in East London, South Africa,” said Clifford Mass, GCP Vice President of Business Development. “He trains alongside two of the best fighters in South Africa, Lusanda Komanisi and Zolani Tete, and he is ready to take his career to the next level. We have big plans for Bones.”

Magwaca’s manager, Mlandeli Tengimfene, says his fighter just needed to find the right contacts to guide him to a world championship. “‘Old Bones’ will take America and the world by storm. He is a gem and a marvel to watch. He is also tall for his division and a maestro in the ring behind his educated jab. This boy is the future at bantamweight and with Greg Cohen Promotions behind him, the sky is the limit.”
About Greg Cohen Promotions
One of boxing’s premier promotional outfits, Greg Cohen Promotions (GCP) is a well-respected name for staging world-class professional boxing events and promoting elite professional fighters throughout the world.

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

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

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

Cohen currently promotes WBA Interim World Lightweight Champion Ismael Barroso, Undefeated WBA NABA Heavyweight Champion and world-rated contender Jarrell Miller, undefeated WBA NABA Middleweight Champion and world-rated contender Robert Brant, former world champion Kendall Holt, as well as current world-rated contenders including long-time elite middleweight “Mean” Joe Greene, top super featherweight Arash Usmanee, Canadian lightweight and TV action hero Tony Luis; WBA and five-time Irish National Amateur Champion, Dennis Hogan; and Australian lightweight prospect Josh King.

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

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

UK fight fans will get their first up-close and personal look at pound-for-pound KO king Golovkin as he prepares to box in Britain for the first time, with Sheffield star Brook looking to dethrone the Kazakh power-puncher and become a two-weight World champion.

There’s a hat-trick of World title bouts on the bill in Greenwich as Lee Haskins defends his IBF World Bantamweight title against bitter rival Stuart Hall and Charlie Edwards challenges Johnriel Casimero for the IBF World Flyweight crown, while young gun Conor Benn completes the line-up for the work-out.

Media-only press conferences for the undercard on Wednesday and main event on Thursday follow the work out before the weigh-in takes place at the Indigo at The O2 from 1pm, with doors open at midday.

Ohara Davies will face Willie Limond on the undercard of Ricky Burns’ WBA World Super-Lightweight title defence against Kiryl Relikh at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow on Friday October 7, live on Sky Sports.

Unbeaten Hackney talent Davies landed the English belt in April with a KO win over Andy Keates at The O2 in London and the 24 year old known as ‘Two Tanks’ made it 10 KOs from a dozen pro outings in June.

Davies faces a real step-up in class on his first trip north of the border as he meets the decorated champion Limond, with the popular Glasgow man entering the ring in his 45th pro outing and 15th title action. The 37 year old put in a spirited challenge for the British Super-Lightweight title against Tyrone Nurse at the SSE Arena in May and will provide Davies with his sternest test yet having shared the ring with World champions Amir Khan, Anthony Crolla and Alex Arthur.

“This is a huge step up for Ohara and a real 50-50 fight,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “Willie is looking to bounce back and Ohara hasn’t operated anywhere near this level. The card is shaping up nicely for a huge night in Glasgow on October 7.”

Davies’ clash with Limond is part of a huge night of action in Glasgow as three-weight World champion Ricky Burns defends his WBA World Super-Lightweight title against unbeaten mandatory challenger Kiryl Relikh.

Scotty Cardle defending his British Lightweight title against Kevin Hooper, Commonwealth Games gold medal favourite Charlie Flynn tackling Manchester’s Kofi Yates, outings for Flynn’s Commonwealth Games teammate Joe Ham and Brixton’s Heavyweight star Dillian Whyte, plus more to be added.

Tickets are on sale now to Matchroom Fight Pass members via the following link: http://www.stubhub.co.uk/event/9652689/?gcid=chPrt-_-geoUK-_-genboxing-_-cpgglasgowoctfightpass-_-partmatchroom&mbox=1&rS=0&abbyo=false&sliderpos=false&qtyq=false&dUpg=false&sort=price+asc with tickets priced at £40, £60 and £100, with VIP tickets priced at £200.

Tickets go on general sale at midday today (Friday September 2), with tickets in the £40-£100 bracket available from the SSE Hydro website http://www.thessehydro.com/ and on 0844 395 4000 and 0800 952 0110 (accessible). VIP tickets at £200 are exclusively available at www.matchroomboxing.com

MASHANTUCKET, CT (September 2, 2016) – New England boxers dominated last night’s Broadway Boxing, presented by DiBella Entertainment and sponsored by Nissan of Queens, Optyx, Azad Watches and Christos Steak House, held in the Fox Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

Rhode Island lightweight “Nice” Nick DeLomba (11-1, 2 KOs) outboxed and outpunched former Florida State Golden Gloves champion Amos “2 Smooth” Cowart (11-2-1, 9 KOs) for an upset victory by way of an eight-round unanimous decision.

DeLomba, who was one of five winning New Englanders without a loss, took the fight to Cowart, beating him to the punch and effectively counterpunching. Cowart was unable to contain DeLomba’s side-to-side movement or his flurries of punches in the main event.

“Everybody looks at me and thinks they’re going to attack my body,” an ecstatic DeLomba said after the fight. “Nobody moves as smooth as me and I’m going to keep doing it.”

Nick DeLomba (R) outworked Cowart

In the co-feature, New Mexico super featherweight Jose “Shorty” Salinas (10-2-1, 5 KOs) stood tall, stunning Albania native Dardan Zenunaj (12-2, 9 KOs), who is trained by Robert Garcia. Now fighting out of Belgium, Zenunaj couldn’t put Salinas away early and he paid for that in the later rounds. Bloodied and bruised, Salinas refused to stop throwing punches, and his huge heart resulted in an eight-round unanimous decision victory.

Jose Salinas pulled off a stunner

Undefeated Spaniard Jon “Jonfer” Fernandez (9-0, 7 KOs) used a tremendous height and reach advantage to pound his tough Mexican opponent Naciff “Chata” Castillo (17-9-2, 5 KOs) until referee Joey Lupino halted the action midway through the fifth round. Fernandez recently signed a promotional contract with DiBella Entertainment and legendary boxer Sergio Martinez.

Jon Fernandez (R) unloaded on Naciff Castillo

Brooklyn lightweight Wesley Ferrer (12-0, 6 KOs), a 2013 New York City Golden Gloves champion, kept his undefeated record intact by outclassing a game Angel Figueroa (4-4-1). Referee Arthur Mercante stopped the fight 20 seconds into the seventh round.

Wesley Ferrer (L) was simply too much for Angel Figueroa

Sensational high school senior “Marvelous” Mykey Williams (4-0, 2 KOs) unloaded a three-punch combination that knocked out David Nelson (3-6, 1 KO) just 24 seconds into the first round. The 18-year-old Williams, fighting out of East Hartford, is rapidly developing into a rising star.

Mykey Williams ended the show early

Worcester, MA featherweight Irvin Gonzalez (2-0, 2 KOs) needed only two minutes to knock out Juan Muniz (0-5). The 20-year-old Gonzalez, whose pro debut also ended spectacularly in the opening round, exploded with a barrage of punches until referee Mercante stepped in to save the Texan from additional damage.

Irvin Gonzalez (R) is a promising prospect

In an action-packed match between a pair of pro debut fighters, East Hartford welterweight Anthony Laureano (1-0) emerged with a hard-fought win by four-round majority decision over Philadelphia’s Nahir Albright (0-1). The 21-year-old Laureano was a 2016 New England Golden Gloves champion.

Anthony Laureano (R) and Nahir Albright went to war

Fan favorite Jonathan “Smooth” Figueroa (1-0, 1 KO), fighting out of nearby Hartford, turned in an impressive performance in his professional debut, finishing off Philadelphia welterweight Demetris Williams (0-2) in the fourth round. Figueroa, a 2012 Southern New England Golden Gloves champion, wore down Williams and ended things with a powerful right hand.

Jonathan Figueroa celebrating his pro debut victory

Full results below:

OFFICIAL RESULTS
(all winners listed first)

WELTERWEIGHTS
Anthony Laureano (1-0, 0 KOs), East Hartford, CT
WDEC4 (39-37, 39-37, 38-38)
Nahir Albright (0-1, 0 KOs), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Jonathan Figueroa (1-0, 1 KOs), Hartford, CT
WKO4 (1:58)
Demetris Williams (0-2), Philadelphia, PA

JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHTS
Mykey Williams (4-0, 3 KOs), East Hartford, CT
WKO1 (0:24)
David Nelson (3-6, 1 KO), Lawton, OK

LIGHTWEIGHTS
Nick DeLomba (11-1, 2 KOs), Cranston, RI
WDEC8 (80-72, 80-72, 78-74)
Amos Cowart (11-1-1, 9 KOs), Groveland, FL

Jon Fernandez (10-0, 8 KOs), Bilbao, Pais Vasco, Spain
WKO5 (1:45)
Naciff Castillo (17-10-2, 5 KOs), Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Wesley Ferrer (12-0, 7 KOs), Brooklyn, NY
WTKO7 (0:20)
Angel Figueroa (4-4-1, 0 KOs), Loran, OH

SUPER FEATHERWEIGHTS
Jose Salinas (10-2-1, 5 KOs), Albuquerque, NM
WDEC8 (78-74, 78-74, 77-75)
Dardan Zenunaj (12-2, 9 KOs), Braine le Comte, Belgium

FEATHERWEIGHTS
Irvin Gonzalez (2-0, 2 KOs), Worcester, MA
WTKO1 (2:00)
Juan Muniz (0-5), Tyler, TX

For more information, visit www.DBE1.com and www.Foxwoods.com, follow on Twitter @LouDiBella, @DiBellaEnt, @FoxwoodsCT, and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment and www.facebook.com/foxwoods/.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Top Rank has signed 2016 Gold Medal winner Robson Canceicao.

Conceicao, who won the gold medal at 132 will make his pro debut on the Noveber 5th Manny Pacquiao – Jessie Vargas card in Las Vegas.

“The most important thing to me was the incredible connection he has to those fans in Brazil,” said Top Rank’s Todd duBoef. “That was A, No. 1. The fighting style, his speed, his power, what he does with his right hand or his left hand — I will leave that to my matchmakers. But his marketability is sensational, absolutely over the top.”

DuBoef said that Top Rank matchmaker Brad “Abdul” Goodman, who attended the Olympics, was blown away by the reaction he saw from the Brazilian fans when Conceicao boxed.

“He said he had never seen anything across the board in terms of enthusiasm in the arena as Conceicao progressed in the Olympics, and especially when he won the gold medal,” duBoef said. “Obviously, his skills at that level speak for themselves, but the marketability and coming from Brazil, which is a massive country that supports its sports stars, make this the perfect combination for us.”

DuBoef said because of Conceicao’s considerable amateur background and age that he will forgo four-round bouts and make his pro debut in a scheduled six-rounder.

“He’s mature, and he’s going to jump right into six-rounders and maybe into eight-rounders after two fights,” duBoef said. “We may see quicker transitions to the pros than we have after previous Olympics because of the new rules in Rio.”

“His trainer [Luiz Dorea, who has worked with MMA star Anderson Silva] feels the development into a professional will be very smooth and quick,” duBoef said.

“This is step No. 2 of our long-term investment into Brazil and the boxing category,” duBoef said. “They’re huge fans of MMA, but it’s also a fertile place for boxing.”

LOS ANGELES (September 2, 2016) Consensus #1 Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the World and WBC Flyweight World Champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, (45-0-0, 38KO’s) and undefeated WBC Super Flyweight World Champion Carlos “Principe” Cuadras (35-0-1, 27KO’s) both weighed in within the World Boxing Council (‘WBC”) required 7-day limits ahead of their highly anticipated battle on Saturday, September 10 at the Fabulous Forum and telecast live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

From his training camp in Big Bear Lake, California, “Chocolatito” tipped the scale at 117.9 while Cuadras reported 120.2 from his base in Los Angeles.

For super flyweight world title fights, the WBC mandates that fighters must be no more than 120.75lbs. seven days prior to the fight.

Co-featured on September 10 and also telecast live on HBO World Championship Boxing along with Gonzalez vs. Cuadras is a 10-round junior middleweight rematch of the epic 2016 “Fight of the Year” candidate between Yoshihiro Kamegai, (26-3-2, (23KO’s), and Jesus “Renuente” Soto-Karass, (28-10-4, 18KO’s). The first bout scored a draw, took place on April 15 in downtown Los Angeles.

Tickets for this outstanding evening of professional boxing priced at $300, $200, $100, $50 and $25 are now on sale through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000) and the Forum Box Office.

Gonzalez vs. Cuadras is presented by K2 Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions. Kamegai vs. Soto-Karass 2 is presented by K2 Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions.

SOCIAL MEDIA: For more information, visit www.K2Promos.com, www.GoldenBoyPromotions.com www.FabulousForum.com and www.HBO.com/boxing.

Follow on Twitter for Roman Gonzalez @ChocolatitoBox, Carlos Cuadras @CuadrasOficial,
@ Tom Loeffler/K2 Promotions @TomLoeffler1, Golden Boy Promotions @GoldenBoyBoxing, the Forum @theForum and HBO Boxing @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/ChocolatitoOfficial, www.facebook/CarlosCuadras,
www. facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/TheForum and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.

Use the hashtags #GonzalezCuadras and #KamegaiSotoKarass, #KSK2 to join the conversation on social media.

NEW YORK (Sept. 1, 2016) – The most popular and prolific prizefighters in British Boxing history will be highlighted when SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING’s 30th anniversary year-long celebration continues in September with “Britain’s Best’’ on SHOWTIME EXTREME®.

The featured fighters –Naseem Hamed, Ricky Hatton, Joe Calzaghe, Carl Froch, Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn– were longtime world champions. Each had a distinctive personality inside and outside the ring, and all helped usher in an era of boxers from Great Britain that currently features a record 14 world champions, including Carl Frampton, James DeGale, Lee Selby and Anthony Joshua.

Of the eight fighters, all but Eubank and Hatton reached dizzying heights by scoring significant victories against distinguished American fighters. Benn blasted out Iran Barkley in 2:57. In his premium network television debut, Hamed dominated Tom “Boom Boom” Johnson and, 10 months later, stopped Kevin Kelly. Calzaghe destroyed Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy. Froch rallied from the brink of defeat to stop Jermain Taylor, and Hatton crushed perennial 140-pound world champion Kostya Tszyu of Australia.

The rivalry between longtime WBO Middleweight and Super Middleweight champion, Eubank, and Benn, a longtime WBC Super Middleweight boss, may have been the most celebrated in U.K. history. Eubank took their savage first fight on a ninth-round TKO; the rematch ended in a draw.

Hamed (2015) and Calzaghe (2014) are members of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Below is the schedule of SHOWTIME EXTREME premieres for the month of September:

· Thursday, Sept. 1: Chris Eubank-Nigel Benn II

· Thursday, Sept. 8: Naseem Hamed-Tom “Boom Boom” Johnson

· Thursday, Sept. 15: Ricky Hatton-Kostya Tszyu

· Thursday, Sept. 22: Joe Calzaghe-Jeff Lacy

· Thursday, Sept. 29: Carl Froch-Jermain Taylor

All fights will air on “Throwback Thursdays” on SHOWTIME EXTREME (10 p.m. ET/PT) throughout the month of September and will be available on SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, SHOWTIME ANYTIME® and via the network’s online streaming service.

(Throwback Thursdays/ Fight Synopsis)

Eubank vs. Benn II – Oct. 9, 1993, Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester, Lancashire, England

Three years after Eubank rallied to stop defending champion Benn in an intense, fiercely contested battle for the WBO Middleweight Crown that marked the beginning of a great era for British middleweights and super middleweights, the rivals fought to a controversial 12-round draw in a 168-pound unification bout for Eubanks’ WBO and Benn’s WBC titles.

With more than 42,000 fans in attendance roaring their approval, the two legends went at it again from start to finish. There were lots of close rounds with frenzied flourishes at the end of each. The thrilling 12th round is considered a classic as both boxers were told they needed it to win. At the finish, one judge scoring it for Eubank, 115-113, one judge gave it to Benn by the identical score while the third judge had it 114-114.

Hamed vs. Johnson – Feb. 8, 1997, New London Arena, London, England

The undefeated WBO Champion Hamed unified the featherweight division with an eighth-round TKO over respected longtime IBF titlist, Tom “Boom Boom” Johnson. Hamed dominated Johnson, who was making his 12th defense, from the third round on, scoring the bout’s lone knockdown with a huge uppercut in the eighth. Hamed was ahead by 69-63, 69-64 and 69-65 when it was stopped at 2:27 of the round.

Four starts later, Hamed won his United States debut with a wild fourth-round knockout over Kelly, a former WBC Champion, at Madison Square Garden.

Hatton vs. Tszyu – June 4, 2005, M.E.N. Arena, Manchester, England
The largely unproven but hungry Hatton scored one of the most sizeable stunners in British history and announced his entry to the upper echelons of the world boxing scene by recording an 11th-round TKO over Tszyu for the unified IBF, Ring and lineal light-welterweight titles.

This is regarded as the signature performance in Hatton’s career; the stamina, aggression and heart he displayed is now legendary. A massive underdog against a dominant, feared champion and one of the world’s top pound-for-pound boxers, Hatton won when Tszyu failed to answer the bell for the 12th round. After 11, Hatton was ahead by 107-102, 106-103 and 105-104.

Calzaghe vs. Lacy – March 4, 2006, M.E.N. Arena, Manchester, England
In the most important and anticipated super middleweight match since Roy Jones defeated James Toney in 1994, Calzaghe produced a masterpiece and the performance of his career, thoroughly overwhelming the previously unbeaten IBF kingpin Lacy. It was a Brit Beatdown at its brutal best, a wipeout from the outset. Calzaghe cut Lacy over both eyes and caused blood to flow from Lacy’s nose midway through a fight that could have been stopped several times, and floored him in the 12th.

By impressively prevailing over Lacy, Calzaghe also earned the The Ring Championship, becoming the first super middleweight to be recognized as world champion by The Ring.

Froch vs. Taylor – April 25, 2009, Foxwoods Resort Casino in Foxwoods, Conn.
Froch registered one of the most dramatic finishes to a world title fight since Julio Cesar Chavez, behind on points, stopped Meldrick Taylor two seconds from the end of the 12th round in 1990.

Froch, making his second U.S. start and initial defense of the WBC title, survived a third-round knockdown – the first of his career, amateur and pro – to finish Taylor with 14 seconds left.

Froch hurt and staggered Taylor with a cracking right hand just over a minute into the 12th. Desperate to get the knockout, he continued to belt Taylor all over the ring. With about 90 seconds left, Taylor went down from a barrage of head shots. He barely arose at nine with 0:29 remaining but had no defense for an ensuing barrage of damaging blows.

(The British Invasion/Boxer Capsules)

Chris Eubank (45-5-2, 23 KOs), of Brighton, England, was one of the top British super middles of all-time; he was responsible for helping British boxing ride a peak of popularity in the 1990s. After winning the WBO 160-pound title by stopping Benn and making three subsequent defenses , Eubank moved up to 168, captured the WBO crown and retained it 14 times (12-0-2) over a five-year-period. One of the draws came against WBC champion Benn in world title unification in their rematch in October 1993.

Nigel “Dark Destroyer” Benn (42-5-1, 35 KOs), of West Ham, England, went pro in January 1997 and won his first 22 fights by knockout. He took the WBO 160-pound belt with an eighth-round TKO over Doug DeWitt on April 29, 1990, in Atlantic City. In his first defense, he stunned the boxing world by scoring a devastating TKO 1 over former middleweight world champion Barkley on Aug. 18, 1990. In his next outing, Benn fought Eubank the first time. He captured the WBC 168-belt in October 1992 and made nine successful defenses.

Naseem Hamed (36-1, 31 KOs), of Sheffield, England, was a global superstar. He was known, loved, despised and acclaimed as one of the greatest British pound for pound boxers of all time. He was known for his marvelous movement and entertaining, albeit unconventional antics. He held multiple world championships at featherweight and made 16 consecutive featherweight world title defenses. He was considered the linear world champ at 126 pounds for five years (1995-2000) and was The Ring Magazine’s No. 1 Featherweight Fighter from 1997?2000.

Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton (45-3, 32 KOs) of Manchester, England, is viewed by many as the No. 1 British 140-pounder of all time. He was the 2005 Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year, the first British boxer to receive the award since its inception in 1928. He was also the 2005 ESPN and Boxing Writers Association of America Fighter of the Year. During his15-year career (1997-2012), he held various world titles at junior welterweight and one at welterweight. He reached the pinnacle of his profession in June 2005 when he upset Tszyu to seize the unified IBF, Ring and lineal 140-pound titles.

Joe Calzaghe (46-0, 32 KOs) is the longest-reigning super middleweight world champion in history, having held the WBO title for more than 10 years and making 21 successful defenses before relinquishing it to move up to light heavyweight. As his reins at 168 and 175 pounds overlapped, he retired with the longest continual time as world champion of any active fighter. Calzaghe annihilated IBF Super Middleweight Champion Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy to become world super middleweight champion on March 4, 2006. He held the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, Ring magazine and lineal super middleweight titles, as well as The Ring light heavyweight title.

Carl “The Cobra” Froch (33-2, 24 KOs), of Nottingham, England, was a four-time super middleweight world champion who possessed an aggressive, style, toughness and granite chin. Froch won the WBC crown twice and was the WBA titleholder from 2013-2015 and the IBF champion from 2012-2015. In 2013, the BBC listed him as the best British pound-for-pound boxer.

One outing after Froch captured the WBC belt with a triumph over Jean Pascal in May 2008, he rattled the boxing world by producing one of the most remarkable comebacks in history. Rallying from an early knockdown and a four-point deficit on two of the scorecards entering the final round, Froch came on to batter former undisputed middleweight champion Jermain Taylor senseless and knock him out at 2:46 of the 12th on April 25, 2009. A few months later, Froch entered the Super Six World Boxing Classic on SHOWTIME, where he got the only two defeats of his career, losing decisions to Mikkel Kessler, and to Andre Ward in the finals.

# # #

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Marc Abrams
Okay. Welcome to the Daniel Jacobs/Sergio Mora conference call. The rematch will take place Friday night, September 9th, at the Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania, and live on Spike TV. It’s a championship double header, a great show that will also feature the IBF lightweight championship of the world between undefeated Robert Easter and undefeated Richard Commey of Accra, Ghana. The show is promoted by Kings Boxing. And to make some opening statements, the President of Kings Boxing Mr. Marshall Kauffman. Marshall?

Marshall Kauffman
Hello, everybody. It’s a pleasure to be able to host such an exciting fight come September 9th. I’m looking forward to fireworks between both these–with both of these bouts. You have–with Richard Commey and Robert Easter, Jr., and of course, Daniel Jacobs and Sergio Mora, it’s going to be an exciting night. I’m really looking forward to it. And the [unintelligible] town of Reading as well is really excited about such a big event coming to our town.

Abrams
Well, we’ll start with Robert Easter–would like to make an opening comment.

Robert Easter
Yeah, I’ll all very excited to come to Reading, PA, and fight for the IBF world title. Hopefully, Richard Commey will bring his A game to the table because I’m definitely bringing my A-plus game to the table.

Abrams
And, Richard, would you like to make an opening statement?

Richard Commey
Oh, yeah, I’m very excited to have this opportunity to fight for the IBF lightweight world title. I’ve worked so hard to get this opportunity. And I know Robert Easter, Jr., has also. So, it’s going to be a great fight.

Q
Robert, basically, he hasn’t faced anyone with your height, reach, power, and speed. Is that accurate? Can you give an assessment of your thoughts on that?

Easter
Yes, no, he hasn’t faced anyone like me and my agility, my power, my length, my reach. He hasn’t faced a guy like me. So, that’s where I come in and take over this fight.

Q
On the other hand, who would you say that you have faced that is either comparable or better than him in ways that you think he need–he would need to be able to compete against you?

Easter
It was–Mendez, he was a speedy, speedy guy, fast, and could move a lot. But, what I’m hearing, Commey brings pressure I guess. That’s probably the only thing Mendez didn’t have. He came–he definitely came to fight, though, but he was a speedy guy, a slick guy, to move his hands.

Q
I guess the last question, is there anything that is different or unique about Richard that you haven’t seen in an actual fight? I know you’ve been in sparring with guys like [Lamont Peterson] and Anthony Peterson, Adrian Broner, guys like that. But, in an actual fight, is there anything about him that you respect to the level that you’re really going to have to be on your P’s and Q’s about?

Easter
Every opponent you step in the ring with you have to respect. But, it’s nothing unique I see coming from him. It’s nothing I haven’t seen or faced. So, like I said, this should be a walk in the park for me, and I say that with confidence.

Q
Okay. Richard, I wonder what tradition you know when you talk about Azumah Nelson Have you talked to any of those guys or heard from any of those guys ?

Commey
Yes. And I’m going to use the advice Azumah gave me over the last few weeks here in Ghana.

Q
Richard, how does Robert stack up to left hander went the distance with both those guys. Have you seen anything like what you’re going to see out of Robert in terms of reach and–?

Commey
I’ve inspired a lot of people with a lot of heart. I need this opportunity. His height really won’t matter. I’m coming there to win and that’s what I’m coming to do.

Q
The last question, what do you think you’ve–that he hasn’t fought anyone like? What do you think is unique about you that he hasn’t seen before?

Commey
Well, I’m a tall guy. And no matter what he does, I can win. I’m strong. And I can take punches and I can punch as well. I can do all that. If he can’t–he will lose. I respect the height and his reach and his skills as a boxer.

Q
I’ll start with you, Easter. Welcome to the fight, and good luck to you. You mentioned that you’re ready, and Commey has not fought anybody of your caliber. But, if you look at both records, you guys are both undefeated with a nice double figure of knockouts. And he’s already a champion is his country and all that. Now, and you are an ex-Olympian. Are you telling me, or as I understand, that you’re minimizing what he has, taking in consideration that he is undefeated, just like you, and somebody’s always got to go? So, what do you–how do you assess that?

Easter
Seeing the few rounds I did watch is the skills, and I wouldn’t say they were that good, but he–like I said, he’s just very strong. They say he’s strong. But, you’re only strong to somebody you can hit.

When you got to–boxing out there, like me, I’m using my rank, my length, and what I’m throwing [can be] hard as well, how you going to be able to get past that? So, like I said, the skills are not much there. But, I don’t like to get hit that much. I won’t get hit that much. So, I’m going to take all that away, and then whatever he’s bringing and adjust to have him adjust to me. Once I get him in my game plan, the fight is going to go my way the whole few rounds it’s going to last.

Q
Do you feel that your Olympic experience is an advantage over him because, after all, when you get to the high heights of Olympic experience and international amateur fighting, you’re almost like a pro? It’s almost like stepping into the living room when you turn pro. So, that has–you have an edge on that?

Easter
I wouldn’t pretty much focus on the amateur side because the transition from the amateur to pro is way different. You know patience.So, I’ll transition pretty quickly like Lamont Peterson, Anthony Peterson, Adrien Broner, guys like that..

Q
Are you hoping to–just to name two guys to follow the tradition of African champions, like Ike Quartey and the great Azumah Nelson, to bring another title back to Africa? Is this what–not only to win, of course, but is–this is your direction, your crusade, when you were saying that, “Finally, I got a chance at a world title,” and your heart of hearts, this is what you want to do, to bring another title to Africa?

Commey
Yes, that’s exactly what I want to do. Like you said, the likes of Ike Quartey, Azumah Nelson, to bring a championship back to my country.

Q
Knowing that this is for the vacant IBF world title, of course, what have you–without giving out trade secrets, what have you done in camp to–different or with a high acceleration to make sure that your hand is raised in victory over Easter?

Commey
Well, of course, I spar a lot of big guys like Joshua Clottey, and I have the kind of power to excel in the gym and on fight night. I want to follow the tradition of Ghanaian boxing. So, I’m coming there to make sure, once I get my game plan underway, then I’ll victorious.

Q
Do you run at all the risk of being a little overconfident against another opponent who is also undefeated and has traveled all over, fought a lot of different type of fighters in all different countries and certainly has no fear of coming here? Are you a little overconfident in those remarks?

Easter
No, not at all. Not at all. I believe in my skill. And I know what I’ll come and do, just like my last fight and fight before that and a few fights before that. Once I got my game plan, when I come in the ring, I know how to make the fighter try to adjust to me. Once I get a fighter try and adjust to me, then the fight is already won.

The skills, you can see the skills, mine and his. He’s a straight coming-forth fighter, try to hard punch and all that. But, when got boxing and you can punch as well and you can move, don’t matter. It speaks for itself.

Q
So, how surprised were you that Barthelemy did give up the title and that you ended up getting this title shot? Seems to me probably about maybe around a year or so or at least in the IBF 9 or 10 months sooner than maybe you had expected.

Easter
I knew after the Mendez fight I was going to have a big fight coming up. So, either way, I was going to train like it was a championship fight, like I do always. So, it is surprising that it came up this soon.

Q
Do you think, when you face him, you’re going to have to use your height and length and box him because you mentioned how aggressive he is, or is this going to be similar to Argenis Mendez, where you can drop that big shot at any moment and knock the guy out?

Easter
Yeah, I’m going to and I will have to box. That’s the plan for every opponent I fight. I box and use my length. So, as long as I do that and see a weakness–wherever I see a weakness, that’s when I go for it.

Q
I count six different countries that you’ve fought in between your home country, United States, throughout Europe. Can you talk about what that experience has done in terms of giving you confidence to come again to the United States and take on an American fighter in a pretty significant fight for a world title?

Commey
Like you said, I’ve been fighting all over the world. I’m very comfortable fighting in the U.S. I don’t really think about where I’m going to fight, just do my best, and whatever happens, I take it because, as a boxer, I need to prepare. I need to be ready to go wherever to fight. I’m ready to go anywhere to fight to so wherever I go as a boxer. So, I’m all good

Q
Richard, can you just give me your opinion about the kind of fighter and what you think about the style of Robert Easter, if you’ve seen him fight?

Commey
What I’ve seen of him, I know he’s a great boxer, a skilled boxer, and he tries to move a lot. But, likewise, I can box. I can come forward. So, on the night of the fight, definitely, I know what I’m going to do.

Q
Did you have a preference of fighting Barthelemy, who was the reigning champion, or taking on another undefeated fighter for the vacant title, or did it not make a difference to you?

Commey
Well, at the end of the day, that’s you want. Once you got a chance to fight for it, whatever comes, it doesn’t really matter who you’re supposed to fight. It’s the title I want. So, for me, I don’t really feel much disappointed. I’m there to fight for the title. That’s what I want. So, I’m not disappointed. It’s all good as I’m really looking forward for the title. And once I’m fighting for the title, I don’t mind.

Abrams
Okay. We’re going to wrap up this part of the call. I know we’ve got–Sergio is on the line. And I think Daniel will be on the line in a second. Just a quick final comment from both, we’ll start with Robert.

Easter
Just be ready September 9th. I’ll come bring a lot of fireworks and a lot of action and another short bout, September 9th, and will be the IBF champion.

Commey
Come on the 9th of September. I’m coming to put my life on the line. And I’m going to be the world champion, IBF lightweight world champion.

Abrams
Thank you, guys. We’ll see you in Reading September 9th. And, Danielle, I think we’re ready now with the–I believe Sergio is on the line. I know Daniel going to be in, in a second. I guess, while we wait for Daniel, Marshall, I don’t know if you want to introduce Sergio?

Kauffman
Sergio Mora, a very exciting fighter. His last fight was fireworks. And I’m looking forward to fireworks once again. Danny Jacobs dropped him first, and Sergio came back and took advantage of Danny’s mistakes. And then the third knockdown was something that’s still a question mark, whether it was from a knockdown or a twisted ankle. So, there are question marks–there are questions that are left to be spoken for. And I believe Sergio is in shape. And we’ll see, come September 9th. How about it, Sergio?

Sergio Mora
It was no knockdown. I always–I’m the one getting punched, by the way. So, I didn’t feel the punch, and it was definitely just me twisting my ankle. It was Jacobs pushing me down as well. Yeah, the referee kept warning Jacobs also that he was pushing me down with his elbow. I normally go down low like that. So, it’s not the first time it happened. So, it’s a mix of a lot of things. But, it wasn’t a punch to knock me down. It was all my ankle. And if was a punch, then why didn’t I stay down? I was up at the count of two or three on one foot. So, it definitely wasn’t a punch.

Abrams
And I believe the WBA middleweight champion Daniel Jacob on the line. Daniel, you want opening statements and maybe a response to that?

Daniel Jacobs
Well, I came in briefly. And from what I hear, he’s saying that that last shot wasn’t a punch that put him down. I don’t know what my eyes were seeing, or I don’t know what my fists felt, but in my opinion, and I think, if you clearly go to the video, the replay, it was a punch that put him down. It was the uppercut that started–which had him back–withdraw and back up. And then it was the overhand right that put him down. So–.

Mora
The overhand right grazed the back of my head. Yeah, the overhand right grazed the back of my head, but my ankle was already twisted. It was a tricky shot.

Jacobs
It could be a graze. It could be whatever you want to say it could be, but it put you down. Listen, let me give my opening statement, please. I just got on the line.

Mora
But, it didn’t keep me down. If I was hurt, –I wouldn’t have gotten up.

Jacobs
Okay. Allow me to have my opening statement, Sergio, please. I just got on the line, brother. Show some respect. I just got on the line. So, my opening statement, ladies and gentlemen, it is the honor to be back into the ring. I’ve been out for quite some time. The reason we’ve actually been out for so long was because we were trying to get a better opportunity at fighting B.J. Saunders. Obviously, that fight took a little longer than anticipated. And this is the reason why this fight is happening. It isn’t because I’ve been avoiding Sergio Mora. I just understand that this fight for my career at this particular point isn’t really going to do anything for me. It’s more going to do anything–more for Sergio than it would do for me. But, me and him have the same management in Al Haymon. So, I can understand why this fight is being made.

But, the reasons why he’s saying this fight is being made as far as me ducking him and not wanting to fight him, I mean, that’s absurd. That’s absurd. But, I’m just excited nevertheless to be back into the ring. It’s a good time for me to be able to get back in there and have some fun again. I look forward to a very good matchup again I hope. But, one question that I do have for Sergio is, in previous interviews, he said that he was going to have a more exciting style and he was tired of being the born fighter he used to be that wasn’t appealing to fans, and he wasn’t going to do much running, this other stuff, stuff that he’s been getting criticized before, he wasn’t going to do that. And now that he says he’s felt the power of myself, he says he’s going to completely switch the game plan. So, my question is, what–why the sudden change? I mean, what’s the difference now? Why are you not going to be more exciting and more appealing now, like you said before?

Mora
I said I was going to be exciting and more aggressive. I didn’t say I was going to be stupid.

Jacobs
Oh, yeah, that is stupid to come and–that will be stupid to come and actually go toe to toe and bang with me. You’re absolutely right. So it’ll be interesting to see the game plan that you have for this coming fight because I just hope it’s not a stinker, man. You’re getting a second opportunity at a world–at my world title shot. Please let’s not make it a snoozer. It’s bad enough we’re both receiving a lot of criticism for this fight, but dude, please let’s just make it exciting.

Mora
Hey, listen, I’m the king of criticism. If you can’t take criticism, you don’t belong to be a champion. You don’t belong in the top like that. That’s part of being a world champion is taking all the bullshit from critics and media and everyone else. And if you’re thin-skinned, then you’re not going to hang very much as the world champion.

Jacobs
Okay. Yes, sir. Ready for some questions.

Q
Sergio, after that first fight, you said that you felt that, because it was so early in the fight, it was going to be called-be a no contest. Turns out it ultimately ended up being a loss on your record. Do you feel like the fact that it’s been so–that the fight ended in that way, do you feel like an extra layer of motivation to try to win this second fight?

Mora
No, that blemish on my career is–it’s already there. I tried to contest it with the New York Commission. But, it got me nowhere. The New York Commission is a mess as we’re all finding out when it comes to the fights and boxing and MMA and everything else. So, I went that route. It didn’t go anywhere. So, I’m going to have that TKO on my record for the rest of my career and the rest of my life. And it’s sad because I don’t want it to be on a technicality. So, does it irk me? Absolutely. But, am I past it? Yes. I just want an opportunity to clear whatever happened. Jacobs said that he dropped me twice. I only fell once. I dropped him once. Round of the year, Sports Illustrated. Second round, I feel I was in control and winning. With 5 or 10 seconds left, the injury happens, and I bust my ankle. So, there’s a lot of unanswered questions. And for whatever reason this fight is happening again, I’m going to–I’m fully prepared for whatever comes. And I just want to–I just want my opportunity. And I’m thankful that I got it.

Q
Daniel, in that–in the first round, Sergio did knock you down. You said after the fight ended that you were a little bit careless in that first round. Are you taking a more conservative approach, or are you being a little more careful knowing that Sergio has the capabilities of knocking you down?

Jacobs
Listen, there’s always opportunities to learn and grow in the sport of boxing. Even with a light-punching guy like Sergio Mora, I learned a valuable lesson that, after I knocked him down and I was going in for the kill, that you still have to be defensive minded, even when you have a guy hurt because I was on the verge of stopping this man. There’s no way around that. I was definitely on the verge of stopping him. But, in my mind, I got a little careless. And the way I had my feet spread, I mean, I just got caught with a real clean shot. It’s nothing I can take away from him. He definitely earned that. But, it was a valuable lesson to me and a lesson that I’m sure I won’t make again.

Q
Sergio, how was the rehab in trying to get back and healthy? Was there anything that, during that time, you looked at yourself as a fighter and wanted to improve upon for this rematch?

Mora
No, not as a fighter. The only thing I had in mind was to heal up 100 percent. I did everything in my power, in my capability to heal up properly. I did all the–I got the best treatment. I tried to go with the best physical therapist and with ice and do all the remedies, all the Mexican remedies that my mom would tell me to do. And I tried to do everything possible to do it. So, finally, I–after 6 to 7 months, I started–little by little started putting pressure on it. And I started feeling good and taking it–taking Aleve. And sometimes, I have to take cortisone shots in order for me to go harder and faster. So, I just did everything in my ability, plus prayer. And thank God I’m back.

Q
I don’t know who’s best fit to answer this question, but is there a rubber match clause in the event that Sergio pulls the upset?

Mora
I’m the king of rematches. So, I’ll answer that. I’ve had four rematches. This is going to be my fifth. And I’ve never had a rubber match. I probably deserved a rubber match with Brian Vera. But, Texas is just too big and strong for me to beat. So, rubber matches, I don’t know. We’ll see. I got to get the win first.

Q
Are you confident, Sergio, in your ability to plant on your ankle?

Mora
Absolutely. Now, I am. There were times within the year that I’ve been off that I questioned it. And I’m 35 years old now. So, everything heals up slower. I can’t fool myself. So, sometimes, I question it. But, now, I’m not anymore. I did everything. I put all the pressure, sprinting uphill, sprinting downhill, stopping on a dime, pivoting, twisting. And I feel an ache here and there. But, as far as me doing, I’ve done it. So, mentally, I’m there. I’m ready.

Q
Daniel, do you feel this fight is a backwards step?

Jacobs
I absolutely do. I mean, I think it’s just–to me, this is kind of like a just-stay-busy fight because we weren’t able to get the fight that we actually wanted, for whatever reason. But, to me, I don’t think this does anything for my career. Like I said before, we’ve always wanted to move up to bigger and better opposition each time out. This is kind of a step back. And I understand that it left a bitter taste in certain people’s mouths because of the way Sergio Mora lost. But, in my opinion, he was on the verge anyway. So, that’s how I look at it. But, this is for me an opportunity to kind of quiet the critics and just make the final statement once and for all that I am the better fighter, better boxer.

Hell, I’m better in general inside that square ring. Sergio Mora has nothing in there to stop me, especially come September 9th. I’m in the best shape that I’ve ever been in my life. And he said before that I don’t like to go 12 rounds. I mean, I’ve never said that. I mean, just because I’ve knocked guys out doesn’t mean I don’t like to go 12 rounds. With the Caleb Truax fight, I wanted to go 12 rounds, and I did, and then I stopped him in the 12th round. So, it’s not like I’d just like to go out there and have this false identity like I’m this super big knockout artist. I’m a superb boxer. I learned the fundamentals from the amateur USA boxing. I’ve gone internationally and performed on an international level. I know how to box. Sergio Mora is extremely awkward. That’s what allowed him to get where he is now. Take nothing away from him being a world champion. Yeah, I have to give him credit for that. But, as a–.

Mora
About time you give me some credit. And guess what? I–and hey, listen, man. Sorry to interrupt you, but that’s the first time you’ve ever given me credit.

Jacobs
Oh, I’m sorry. I thought I was answering the question. Okay. I’m going to let you go ahead.

Mora
That’s the first time you’ve ever given me credit, man. Thank you very much. Thank you, Danny. Thank you.

Jacobs
Oh, okay. You’re very welcome. But, as I was saying, yes, this is definitely a setback.

Q
It didn’t take long for you to get acquainted the first time around. What are your mindsets? Are you looking to pick up where you left off, or you taking a completely different approach this time around?

Mora
I’m still in shock that he gave me credit. Look, the first time around, he downplayed and downgraded me as a former world champion. And he said that he wanted to move onto bigger and better things. I just want to touch on something. I’m the best name on Daniel Jacobs–no, let me take that back. I’m the most accomplished name on Daniel Jacobs’s record.

So, how is he down–how is he going backwards? How is he regressing by fighting me? I’m the best–I’m the most accomplished on his resume. He’s not even top three on mine. I’ve got hall of famers on my resume. I had to beat a world champion, a five-time world champion to become champion. He had to beat a guy Jarrod Fletcher Jacob–I don’t even know what the hell his name is, Fletcher Jones or whatever it is. So, the bottom line is you’ve got to give me my credit, man. So, thank you for giving me that credit. Now, what was your question, again? I’m sorry.

Q
Are you looking to pick up where you left off, or are you coming in with a totally different mindset?

Mora
Well, look, I know that I got dropped. I’ve been dropped before. I can get up, and I’m pretty resilient that way. Jacobs took a little longer to get the cobwebs off. So, he–now, he knows that I can punch. I don’t think he’s going to come in as aggressive as he was the first time. If he does, maybe we’ll leave off. That’s going to be up to the champ. The champ wants to start if off, I’m good. If not, if I see him–fighting behind a jab, then I’m going to have to go and put the pressure on a little bit.

Q
And, Daniel?

Jacobs
So, I just–I totally feel like he’s just full of it right now. I don’t think he’s going to come forward. He’s even said it in the interview. Now, he understands and he knows how much power I possess. He’s going to change the game plan. And he’s going to try to take me into what he quotes are deep waters. So, he’s going to try to take me in later rounds, which in my opinion, he has to box, and he has to be on the back foot to do so.

So, in my opinion, I think he’s going to try to make it a snoozer. He’s not going to try to make it exciting and come forward. And it’s just my–it’s just up to me to make it an exciting. And I’m going to do what I’ve always done. I’m going to come forward, and I’m going to adjust if I need to make adjustments. And that’s simple. I want to hurt this man. There’s no way around it. I want him to feel and eat his words, clearly. So, I’m going to come in there, and I’m going to try and punch you in your face. It’s plain and simple, Sergio. That’s my game approach. But, if you want to box–.

Mora
That’s all good. You try to reach my–.

Jacobs
If you want to go on the back foot–.

Mora
I’m going to be touching that body.

Jacobs
Hold on, sir. Hold on, baby. Hold on, baby. I’ll let you answer your question. Hold on now. Be respectful. If you wanted to be on the back foot, that’s the game that I can play, too. I have an extreme amateur and professional boxing resume, brother. Like, we can do this. But, the game plan for me, to answer your question, is to go in there and hurt this man, period.

Q
Sergio, given the fact that Danny has said that this is a backwards step for him, he looks at it as a tune-up fight, didn’t really want to have the rematch, why–what do you think it was that actually got you this rematch and I know you wanted very badly?

Mora
Al Haymon, plain and simple, Al Haymon. I think no one was campaigning for this rematch, Dan. And I think a lot of people were surprised that it happened. I certainly was surprised that I got the phone call because, even though I was promised by Al a big fight my first fight back, I didn’t expect it to be for world title versus Daniel Jacobs in a rematch. So, I’m very, very thankful to Al Haymon. And honestly, just to–I mean, not to be funny or anything, but if I really have to thank another person, another thing, it’s Twitter because it gives me a voice when I was injured. And I never had that before. I just wish I would’ve started it earlier and had more of a following. So, yeah, I’ve got to thank Twitter, too.

Q
Do you think–I mean, you’ve had your ups and downs. You fought a lot of good names. But, you mentioned a little earlier 35 years old. Do you think this maybe this could be your last chance at a world title?

Mora
Yeah, probably. I mean, I can’t be foolish and say that I can move–I can beat Bernard Hopkins. I can’t. I’m not Bernard Hopkins. There’s only special people that could fight in their mid-30s and so on and still be fighting the best. So, even though, if my body hasn’t taken a beating, I’ve been in the game a long time. And the wear and tear from sparring and from running and from the dieting and from all the other stuff, all that takes effect.

But, even though I am well preserved, I’m still the age that I am. And the hunger’s still there. So, number one, if the hunger’s still there, everything else falls into place. So, we’re going to find out in two weeks exactly if the hunger and my body is at the same level.

Q
Were you anxious to just go right back in with Danny in a second fight if you could get the fight, or did you consider a tune-up?

Mora
No, no. Great question, Dan. Me and my team did have that discussion. And we did think about fighting someone else. And I think Alfredo Angulo was a name they offered and were considering. But, we know Angulo very well. And we just didn’t feel right taking that fight, especially watching the fight–his last fight. But, the ankle feels good. And we decided to go straight into this title fight because we weren’t sure we were going to get it again. I think the stars lined up perfectly for it to happen. And Jacobs admits that, too, that he didn’t want to fight me for whatever reasons, and I got this fight thanks to Al Haymon. And that’s it.

Q
What was it that made you decide that, ultimately, you would in fact give him the rematch, even though it’s clear that it’s not a fight that you want?

Jacobs
It’s just I understand how it left a bad taste in people’s mouths. So, with the options that we were given, with talking to Al and talking with my team, I guess it just kind of made–not sense, but it just was the right thing to do at the very–at that moment. And I won’t say we looked at it as, like, hey, this is an easy win or this is an opportunity to make easy money.

Like, we don’t look at it like that. But, we kind of just–and we definitely wasn’t forced into the fight. So, that’s another thing that I want to make clear. Al Haymon didn’t say, “Hey, this is going to be what you’re going to do.” So, me and my team came together. And for whatever reasons, we allowed this fight to happen, but we definitely wasn’t forced into it.

Q
So, you mentioned you had some other options that were brought to your attention. What were those other options?

Jacobs
They just wasn’t–like, it wasn’t guys in my opinion at that level that were bigger and better. Like I said before, we looked at the whole scene of the middleweight division, and Andy Lee and a couple other guys that names were thrown out there. We were trying to make that fight happen with Lee. I think that fight kind of fell through maybe once or twice. So, we were just like, “Hey, let’s just go with Sergio Mora.” The way we–the way it looked and the way we won kind of left a little bit bad taste in people’s mouths. So, it just makes sense to do it.

Q
What is the big fight out there? You are–as the WBA’s regular champion, you are the mandatory for Gennady Golovkin. I want to know if that’s a fight that you’ll consider after this?

Jacobs
Absolutely. That’s the fight that I want. I want the best out there. We tried to make the fight with B.J. Saunders. We tried to make the fight with a couple other guys. But, it just didn’t work. Chris Eubank, Jr., was another opportunity for us to fight. But, he didn’t want no part. So, even after winning the–forgot what title he won because I know I was his mandatory at some point, and he declined. And so, we want to fight the best, point blank, period. Triple G is the best, and that’s the guy that we want.

Q
What kind of particular stylistic problems you think you’d give Golovkin that he hasn’t seen yet?

Jacobs
I definitely believe I would be the toughest test because I believe I would be the victor in that fight. I definitely believe in my skills and my ability. At one point in my career, the only reason why I said I wanted to wait was so I could get 12 rounds so we can go the full distance and know how we can actually feel in a tough fight for 12 rounds. I’ve accomplished that. And then the only thing that was kind of keeping me from making this fight happen earlier was the finance. So, people saying I was ducking or I was doing a whole bunch of this and a whole bunch of that, that’s far from the truth. I just wanted to be compensated accordingly. And that was it. If we can make these fights happen sooner than later, I’m all for it. But, in the same token, I still would like to be compensated accordingly.

Q
Are you confident that you could get a deal done that would be good for the finances?

Jacobs
I don’t really know too much about that. I mean, I have a great team. And I leave all those things up to my team. My thing is to stay ready, to be ready, and to perform at my best when I’m inside the ring. So, whatever the logistics is outside the ring, all I have to do is say, “Yes, I’m comfortable with that. And let’s make the fight.”

Q
Now, I know you’re a pretty even-keeled guy, but has Sergio got under your skin with all the trash talk?

Jacobs
Oh, hell yeah. I mean, not under my skin to where it would affect my game plan or it’ll affect me inside the ring. No, it’s just some of the things that he’s said or from the pictures that he’s posted, and that’s what he’s supposed to do. And he’s landed an opportunity at fighting me again. But, this is an opportunity that I’m looking forward to. And this is probably for me the first personal fight that I’m entering in with mean intention.

Q –
And a question for Sergio. You’ve been around for a long time. You’ve fought a lot of top guys, like Sugar Shane and so forth. Where–how would you compare Danny to those guys? And how do you think you’ll–a guy like you who has such a high boxing IQ, how do you think a rematch would help you?

Mora
Sugar Shane and so forth, and Vernon Forrest, two great fighters. Look, Danny has his amateur pedigree. And he can fight behind the jab, like he says. And he could be–and he can fight on his back foot, as he claims. He says he’s gone 12 tough rounds. I only seen him go 12 one-sided rounds against a guy named Caleb Truax. Those weren’t tough. He doesn’t know what tough is yet. And he isn’t really–he hasn’t experienced what it is to be in there with an all-around championship caliber fighter for 12 rounds. I have. That’s the difference. That’s the difference.

And I feel that, until he experiences that, he still doesn’t know what it is to be an all-around champion, a champion that’s had to deal with getting knocked down, getting up, bad cuts, being down behind them cards, losing on cards going through the final championship round. These are the experiences you can only dream of and hope of. So, until you experience that, you can’t really say he’s done that. Right now, he still needs to learn.

Q
Sergio, do you relish having the kind of opportunity to, as you said, teach somebody to be a fighter?

Mora
Absolutely. I relish the opportunity to do great things, man. And I think that, if you look back at my career, every time I get a big opportunity, I conquer it, or something like the Shane Mosley thing happens where, actually, I won, and it was a draw. But, the big opportunities, I shine, man. And this is just something that always needs to happen, always have to take the hard route. That’s been my career, man. I’ve never been the A side. I’ve always been the B side that could compete with the A side.

And this is just another example of that. Danny, the young champion looking down on me, subordinating me, making me feel like I’m lucky to get this opportunity, I’ve dealt with that my entire career, man. It’s nothing new. I know I’m here over and over, time after time for a reason because I’m that fucking good. And so, people recognize and realize that. I’ll never get the credit for it. And that’s fine, as long as I keep getting the opportunities and as long as I become a three-time two-division champ.

Q
Tell us about that, how you approach the fight, what you expect to take place, especially in light of the last two fights ending quickly.

Jacobs
Well, I don’t really anticipate or expect anything. Boxing is one of those things where anything can happen at any given moment. My thing is I just want to be ready. And when I prepare inside the gym and I’m in tip-top shape, I’m prepared and ready for anything that will come my way inside that ring, whether it’s the first round or whether it’s the last round. It just so happens that these last couple of fights I’ve had been very exciting first rounders. So, my thing is, as long as I’m able to adjust, I can come and be prepared for anything that comes my way.

Q
What was key in those two fights–to both of those fights starting off with so much activity and so much action?

Jacobs
I think just getting warmed up properly and the backstage, making sure that the flow was going and that you don’t have to kind of warm up in those first couple rounds. Me and my team do a great job–and shout out to my team, by the way, who do such a great job with making sure that we’re prepared and ready for each round from the very first to the very end.

Q
And is that going to affect at all your game plan because people have seen those two previous fights, and they’re talking about it. They say, “Maybe this is a guy who is just going to destroy people in the beginning.” Is that weighing on your approach at all for this rematch?

Jacobs
Absolutely not. My MO as a fighter is to be a fluent boxer first. It just so happened that the speed and the power that I possess as well kind of hurt guys, and I’m a really great finisher, where actually, my mentality is to go in there and show my skills. That’s what I love about the [sweet science]. I actually love to get behind my jab and put my combinations together and start to get good movements and good angles. Like, I love that stuff.

But, it just so happens that, when I’m in there with guys and I’m starting to land good shots, and they get hurt, we just have rounds of the year and first round stoppages and early stoppages, so on and so forth. So, I’m just happy I’m able to get the victory and finish strong.

Q
And, Sergio, what do you expect? Do you expect this rematch to have this same type of electric start, or how do you prepare for this?

Mora
Well, we’re going to go back to Danny’s power. He does have power. And you’re born with power. You can’t teach power. You can’t go in the gym and work on power, or else I would’ve done that 20 years. So, he’s blessed with an ability to punch hard with both hands. And he’s always going to make for exciting fights. Now, he’s also vulnerable because he’s been dropped before. And that’s also on the exciting side. So, whenever it comes to a guy like Danny Jacobs, you never know what you’re going to get. It’s kind of like fighting a guy like Victor Ortiz, even though I think he’s better all around than Victor. Victor’s exciting. He’s a former champion. He’s a power puncher. But, you never know what Victor you’re going to get.

So, I think that’s the same thing with Danny, only Victor’s fought better opposition than Danny. So, that’s the difference. I think, for this fight, I don’t know, man. I really don’t know what I’m going to expect. I didn’t expect to go down in the first round. I was surprised by the punch. It was an awkward punch in from a southpaw angle. I believe his right foot was in front. I took a picture a little too long and held the position, expecting a left hook to come, and instead a right uppercut came, which is awkward. And he calls me awkward. That was an awkward punch. So, yeah, you know what? He stunned me. I got up. I shook it off. And he came for the kill, like I knew he would. And I was able to catch him. I think we both learned that we can hurt each other, and we both learned that we both can be sneaky from certain sneaky positions. So, I don’t think it’s going to start off with fireworks, like it did the first time. But, I think it’s going to end up fireworks. I don’t know if it’s the second, third, or further down the fight. But, that’s what I’m expecting.

Q
And would anybody like to make a prediction for this fight, Danny?

Jacobs
I don’t make predictions. I don’t like to go in there and have any type of thing going in my head where I have to live up to it. I just like to win. And however I win, however it comes, I’m grateful for it.

Mora
If I’m ready, I go in there to win. And I’m ready for this fight. I’m confident. I expect a great performance from both of us. And I expect to become a world champion, a two-time world division champion by the end of this fight. So, I’m expecting to win. I don’t know. But, I’m going to win.

Marc Abrams – Okay. Well, that’s going to wrap it up. I just want to get every–Daniel and Sergio, just a quick final comment. And after that, we’ll see you on fight week. Daniel?

Jacobs
I just have a lot of people to thank that I would take this time to thank. First off, I would like to thank my team and everyone involved for allowing me to have such a great camp. They’ve put in the necessary work, everyone, team Jacobs, the necessary work that we need to be 100 percent prepared for this fight come September 9th. I will be proudly representing my Brooklyn Boxing apparel as I’m sporting my trunks and finessing my moves inside the ring.

I want to give a big shout out to Brooklyn Boxing, have been supportive of my whole career. And me being an ambassador, I definitely have to big them up. And Al Haymon, most importantly, Al has been taking care of me. I’ve been the first guy that Al has had directly out of the amateurs to a world championship. So, I have to give my hat–take my hat off to Al and everyone in our team Haymon. And that’s pretty much it, all the promotors and managers involved with this as well, everyone who has made this possible, and thanks for all the fans for all the continued support. Thank you very much.

Abrams
And, Sergio?

Mora
I got to start with Al Haymon because he’s given me not only a second opportunity, third, I’ve already had four opportunities to come back and reinvent myself. And Al Haymon gave me that opportunity. So, I thank Al Haymon. I’ve got to thank my loyal team, my trainer Dean Campos, who’s been with me since the amateurs, [John Montillado], the rest of my team, my cut man Carlos, and [Panda Martinez]. And I want to thank my sponsors, [Snac]. Victor Conte’s onboard for this fight. And I’ve never been a fighter that takes supplement. I’m a guy that just tries to eat right and hydrate. And I notice a difference with supplements. And I do it the scientific way. So, I want to thank the Snac System and Victor Conte. And I want to thank my sponsor Spy Optics. And that’s about it. I want to thank the fans as well for–my day-one fans and even my critics, they keep me alive, so thank them, too.

Jacobs
Yeah, you forgot one more person, brother. You forgot one more person, Sergio.

Mora
I want thank, what, Danny Jacobs?

Jacobs
That’s it. That’s my man. That’s my man.

Mora
Go fuck yourself. I see you in two weeks, old boy.

Jacobs
Well, let’s do it on September 9th. You already know, Sergio, I’m coming for you, brother. I’m coming for you.

TICKETS: Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by King’s Promotions,
start at $20 and are on sale now via Ticketmaster.

Philadelphia, PA – Welterweight prospect Thomas ” Cornflake” LaManna took time out from training to discuss his much-anticipated Sept. 15 showdown with Dusty Hernandez-Harrison at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia and live on CBS Sports Network

What are your thoughts on Dusty Hernandez-Harrison?

I think he is better than what people are given him credit for. He is 29-0-1 for a reason. He has defeated everyone that they have put in front of him
(except the one draw).

How important is this fight for your career?

This is a career-defining fight. The winner gets a world ranking. It is for the USBA title and a spot in the Top 15 (in the world). This is a big opportunity for both of us. I am zoned in and I will do what I have to do to get the win. It is a huge opportunity. I have a loss and I don’t like that feeling.

You just mentioned that you have a loss. What did you learn from that defeat that will help prepare you for this upcoming fight with Dusty?

The Douglas loss has prepared me for this. Being a headline fighter on television. We will be seen by more people being on CBS Sports Network. I am five fights more mature since my loss. I have been fighting solid competition and I have been more active.

What in those five fights has helped you prepare for this fight?

None of those guys are comparable to Dusty, but I fought guys with different styles and went some rounds with them when people may have questioned my stamina. I fought a rugged guy in Ayi Bruce and a crafty southpaw in Ariel Vasquez. Those guys aren’t killers, but I was getting work in.

What things have you fixed since the loss to Douglas? Did you feel you were overmatched in the fight?

It opened my eyes and it showed me that I needed to fix stuff. My diet and daily living. I was overmatched in maybe size, but I really felt going into that fight that I would beat him.

What are you doing different?

My diet and other things I do when I am not training. I was a middleweight because I was too lazy to drop down in weight. I have made a lot of adjustments.

You started out at middleweight, but you have eased your way down to welterweight. How difficult has that been and what type of advantage does this play into the September 15 fight?

I was always a big middleweight, but strength-wise I wasn’t. Now at welterweight, I am more explosive, faster, more experienced and now I can dictate the action. This is the first time he (Harrison) is fighting someone bigger than him. He has been fighting smaller guys. He now will have to face punches from a grown man.

The fight was originally scheduled for Atlantic City, where you would have been involved in the promotional aspects of the show. That would have entailed doing a lot of work behind the scenes, which would have taken some time away from training. Are you relieved that the fight is in Philadelphia?

I am thankful for that. I know I would have had to get involved in the promotional aspect and some of the stuff leading up to the fight. To me it doesn’t matter where the fight is. Philadelphia is a neutral ground. As long as there is a ring, it doesn’t matter where it takes place

Why this fight right now?

It’s time. He has fought one tough guy and if you saw the fight, he lost it (officially a draw with Mike Dallas). I have no doubt in my mind that I will win the fight and maybe even stop him. But it is a great opportunity to get showcased on national television for the USBA title.

# # #

ABOUT SEPT. 15

Welterweights Thomas LaManna and Dusty Hernandez-Harrison will collide in a scheduled 10-round bout for the vacant USBA Welterweight title on Thursday, Sept. 15, at the 2300 Arena. The card is promoted by Final Forum Boxing, Peltz Boxing Promotions & GH3 Promotions and will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network, beginning at 10pm.

Tickets for the nine-fight card, which begins at 7pm, are priced at $75, $50 and $40 They are available at Peltz Boxing (215-765-0922), at the 2300 Arena (267-273-0945) and Bam Boxing (215-280-6709).

LAS VEGAS (Sept. 1, 2016) – World Series of Fighting (www.WSOF.com) has announced a stellar and complete, seven-fight preliminary bout card, headlined by a much-anticipated rematch between rival bantamweight (135 pounds) stars Chris “El Guapo” Gutierrez (9-1-1) and Timur “Lucky” Valiev (10-2), for the star-studded, WSOF33: Gaethje vs. Dugulubgov world championship doubleheader extravaganza at Kansas City Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. on Friday, Oct. 7, live on NBCSN at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT.

The preliminary bout card will stream live, in its entirety, on an embeddable video player on WSOF.com, beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, immediately before the unprecedented, three-hour telecast of the six-fight main card that will be headlined by a world lightweight (155 pounds) title fight between reigning, undefeated champion Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje (16-0) of Safford, Ariz. and number one contender Ozzy Dugulubgov (8-2) of New York, N.Y.

Priced from $20, tickets for WSOF33: Gaethje vs. Dugulubgov go on sale tomorrow, Friday, Sept 2 at the Kansas City Municipal Auditorium box office as well as online at Ticketmaster.com and WSOF.com.

The rematch between the 5-foot-9, 25-year-old Gutierrez of Greenville, Texas and the 5-foot-6, 26-year-old Valiev of Albuquerque, N.M. via Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia will unfold less than eight months after the two went to war in a see-saw battle for three full rounds in Garden Grove, Calif. on February 20.

After the closing bell, Gutierrez, walked away with a controversial, split decision, leaving unfinished business between the two prolific athletes.

Leading off the undercard, undefeated submission ace Bryce “Thug Nasty” Mitchell (6-0) will face off with fellow rising star and knockout artist Brandon Phillips (6-1) in a featherweight (145 pounds) matchup.

One of MMA’s hottest prospects, the ferocious, 5-foot-9, 21-year-old Mitchell of Searcy, Ark. has notched all six of his professional wins to date via submission in the first round of action. He made his promotional debut at WSOF27 in Memphis, Tenn. on January 23, finishing Jorge Medina with a rear-naked choke at the 1:02 mark of the opening round.

Phillips of Oklahoma City, Okla. is a hard-hitting striker who has earned four of his six professional career wins, thus far, by way of (T)KO. The 5-foot-6, 26-year-old is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Chuka Willis at Bellator 159 on July 22.

Elsewhere on the WSOF33 preliminary card, world-ranked Jesse Brock (22-8) will make his World Series of Fighting debut opposite dangerous finisher Bekbulat Magomedov (16-1) in a bantamweight (135 pounds) scrap.

In his last start, the 5-foot-4, 34-year-old Brock of Boise, Idaho notched his sixth consecutive victory, forcing Olly Bradstreet to tap out from a rear-naked choke in the third round (3:57) of their bout at Bellator 155 on May 20.

The 5-foot-8, 25-year-old Magomedov of Makhachkala, Dagestan will look to rebound from his sole loss to date, a split decision to Josh Hill, at WSOF26 on December 18. Prior to the fight, Magomedov had gone unbeaten since his professional debut in 2011.

Abu “Gladiator” Azaitar (12-1-1, 1 NC) of Cologne, Germany will square off with “Mad” Mike Arrant (15-11) of Las Vegas in a welterweight (170 pounds) tilt.

In a second welterweight matchup, Magomed Magomedkerimov (17-5) of Makhachkala, Dagestan will lock horns with Bobby “Super Duper” Cooper (12-6) of Knob Noster, Mo.

Streaking finisher Islam Mamedov (13-1) of Jersey City, N.J. via Derbent, Dagestan will face battle-tested veteran Alonzo “Zo Diddy” Martinez (40-19) of Papillion, Neb. at lightweight.

In middleweight (185 pounds) action, three-time UFC veteran Bruno “Carioca” Santos (14-2) of Macae, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil will make his World Series of Fighting debut against Xtreme Couture team member Clinton Williams (11-4) of Las Vegas.

WSOF33: GAETHJE VS. DUGULUBGOV

MAIN CARD (Live on NBCSN)

World Series of Fighting Lightweight Championship Main Event:
Justin Gaethje (Champion) vs. Ozzy Dugulubgov (Challenger)

World Series of Fighting Light Heavyweight Championship Co-Main Event:
David Branch (Champion) vs. Vinny Magalhaes (Challenger)

Lightweight: Jason High vs. Joao Zeferino
Lightweight: Brian Foster vs. Luiz Firmino
Welterweight: Abubakar Nurmagomedov vs. John Howard
Heavyweight: Shawn Jordan vs. Ashley Gooch

PRELIMINARY CARD (Live on WSOF.com)

Bantamweight: Chris Gutierrez vs. Timur Valiev
Bantamweight: Jesse Brock vs. Bekbulat Magomedov
Welterweight: Abu Azaitar vs. Mike Arrant
Lightweight: Islam Mamedov vs. Alonzo Martinez
Welterweight: Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. Bobby Cooper
Featherweight: Bryce Mitchell vs. Brandon Phillips
Middleweight: Bruno Santos vs. Clinton Williams

ABOUT WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING

“World Series of Fighting” (WSOF) is a worldwide premier, professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion partnered with NBC, NBCSN and international media distribution giant, IMG. Established in 2012 and headquartered in Las Vegas with satellite offices in New York City and Boston, the company is dedicated to delivering an incredible experience for sports fans by producing action-packed, live fights between elite athletes from around the world. With 32 events under its belt, the company will have produced 10 live events in 8 different U.S. markets in 2016, including 4 live dates between October 7 and December 31, when it heads to The Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City for the first time in history. For more information please visit WSOF.com and follow “World Series of Fighting” on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries. WSOF and World Series of Fighting are registered trademarks of MMAWC, LLC.

September 1, 2016 – Leading up to the junior middleweight title bout between Canelo Alvarez and Liam Smith – set for Saturday, September 17 and presented live by HBO Pay-Per-View® – fans can enjoy an enlightening look at two of Canelo’s dazzling ring performances when HBO Sports presents classic back-to-back bouts of the 154-pound superstar.

On Friday, September 9 at 12:00 a.m. (ET/PT) and Saturday, September 10 at 9:15 a.m. (ET/PT), HBO2 will replay Cotto vs. Canelo 2015 and Canelo vs. Khan 2016 back-to-back.

In the bright spotlight of Las Vegas on November 21, 2015, Canelo put on a dominating performance over sure fire future Hall of Famer Miguel Cotto to win the lineal middleweight championship.

Canelo’s reputation as slugger was solidified on May 7, 2016 with a resounding 6th round KO triumph over Amir Khan at the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Both fights will also be available 24 hours a day to HBO NOW, HBO On Demand® and HBO GO® subscribers beginning Monday, September 5.

Canelo Alvarez challenges Britain’s Liam Smith for his junior middleweight crown when Canelo vs. Smith takes place Saturday, September 17 from AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, live on pay-per-view beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT.

Los Angeles, CA (August 31, 2016) Top Undefeated Lightweight Prospect Ryan “Blue Chip” Martin, (15-0, 9KO’s) will make his triumphant return to The Fabulous Forum on Saturday, September 10 to battle Mexico City’s Fermin “El Seda” De Los Santos, (28-15-2, 18KO’s), in an eight round clash on the non-televised undercard of the WBC Super Flyweight World Championship between Consensus #1 Pound-For-Pound Fighter in the World, Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, (45-0-0, 38KO’s) and defending undefeated world champion Carlos “Principe” Cuadras, (35-0-0, 27KO’s).

Tickets for this outstanding evening of professional boxing, priced at $300, $200, $100, $50 and $25 can be purchased through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000) and the Forum Box Office.

Martin vs. De Los Santos, contested for the vacant World Boxing Council Continental Americas title, will be telecast live on the international broadcast on the evening of the event.

Speaking from his training camp in Cleveland, Ohio, the 23-year-old Martin stated, “I feel blessed to be back at The Fabulous Forum. This is another unique opportunity to perform in front of HBO Sports and be featured on the international telecast. I’m looking forward to showcasing all of my skills and having an explosive performance.”

Said Tom Loeffler, Managing Director of K2 Promotions, “We’re happy to welcome Ryan back to The Fabulous Forum. His knockout performance on our last show at on April 23rd thrilled the crowd and we’re excited to have his all-action style featured on this event as part of our outstanding undercard.”

Martin is managed by Tim Van Newhouse who said, “Ryan has all the tools to become a world champion. The WBC Continental Americas title is another step towards that process. September 10th will bring more proof why Ryan is considered by many as one of America’s fastest rising prospects.”

Fighting on the undercard of the World Middleweight Championship between Unified Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin and mandatory challenger Dominic Wade on April 23, Martin shined in front of the sold-out arena with a fifth round knockout of Rosbel Montoya.
Most recently the native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, won a six round unanimous decision over Samuel Amoako on July 16.

The 32-year-old battle-tested De Los Santos was on a five bout winning streak including three by knockout, prior to losing to Jairo Lopez on May 16, 2015 in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

Co-featured on September 10 and also telecast live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. along with Gonzalez vs. Cuadras is a 10-round junior middleweight rematch of the epic 2016 “Fight of the Year” candidate between Yoshihiro Kamegai, (26-3-2, (23KO’s), and Jesus “Renuente” Soto-Karass, (28-10-4, 18KO’s). The first bout scored a draw took place on April 15 in Downtown Los Angeles.

Gonzalez vs. Cuadras is presented by K2 Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions. Kamegai vs. Soto-Karass 2 is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions.

SOCIAL MEDIA: For more information, visit www.K2Promos.com, www.GoldenBoyPromotions.com www.FabulousForum.com and www.HBO.com/boxing.

Follow on Twitter for Roman Gonzalez @ChocolatitoBox, Carlos Cuadras @CuadrasOficial,
@ Tom Loeffler/K2 Promotions @TomLoeffler1, Golden Boy Promotions @GoldenBoyBoxing, the Forum @theForum and HBO Boxing @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/ChocolatitoOfficial, www.facebook/CarlosCuadras,
www. facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/TheForum and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.

Use the hashtags #ChocolatitoCuadras and #KamegaiSotoKarass, #KSK2 to join the conversation on social media.

SAN DIEGO (Aug. 31, 2016) – Former two-division world champion Canelo Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs) today hosted a media workout at the House of Boxing in San Diego ahead of his clash with WBO Junior Middleweight World Champion Liam “Beefy” Smith (23-0-1, 13 KOs) on Mexican Independence Day Weekend on September 17 at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington, Texas.

Below is what Team Canelo had to say at today’s media workout in San Diego:

CANELO ALVAREZ, Former Two-Division World Champion:

“I love San Diego because it’s really calm here, which is something I require when I am in camp. I feel comfortable and at home which makes me feel great while training, and allows me to train at 100 percent.

“Getting to fight at the AT&T Stadium in Texas is a huge privilege for me and my career. Fighting on this weekend is powerful because it tells the story of Mexicans all over, making a win even more important. This fight is going to be historic; from the venue, the title, to the fans who are going to show up – I take all of this into consideration as I train hard for this match.”

“In our training we have taken a huge focus on the opponents fighting style – no matter what size or weight. Analyzing, and breaking down the fighter’s approach is what we go after in the ring. Just because Smith isn’t very well known in the U.S. doesn’t diminish how tough he is as an opponent. We expect him to be very powerful, and we are training for that.”

EDDY REYNOSO, Head Trainer for Canelo Alvarez:

“People can have their opinions on the fight. We are training for a world title fight, which is worth respecting. We are doing the work and training hard. Winning this fight is the focus and everything else will come.

“We are working especially hard on defense. We are going to be working the counterpunches, and being able to counteract anything that Smith brings to the ring.”

JOSE “CHEPO” REYNOSO, Manager and Trainer for Canelo Alvarez:

“The climate here in San Diego is perfect for training. They have a great training environment here at the gym – we have the privacy and the space to run the distance and that makes us very happy. We are enthusiastic with our training efforts, and are working hard to get another title. We are content with the way training is going, and we are looking forward to showing the fans what we have been working on.

“Liam Smith offers us the opportunity to be at the top. His last eight fights have all been won via knock out. He is a dangerous fighter, and just because he isn’t known here doesn’t take away his potential. Smith has to be doing something right to be able to have such powerful victories under his belt, and that has given us an indicator that he is dangerous, and we have to be careful to not enter the ring too confident. We are working our defense specifically for this fight, because we don’t want one of his punches to catch us off guard.”

Tickets are priced at $750, $500, $300, $200, $100, $85, $50 and $40, not including applicable service charges with a total ticket limit of 8 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com. Additionally, walk up purchases are available at the AT&T Stadium Box Office (Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. CT to 5:00 p.m. CT).

Canelo vs. Smith, a 12-round fight for the WBO Junior Middleweight World Championship, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Frank Warren and Canelo Promotions. Gabriel Rosado vs. Willie Monroe, Jr. is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Banner Promotions and Diego De La Hoya vs. Luis Orlando Del Valle is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Roc Nation Sports. The event is sponsored by “Tecate, BORN BOLD,” O’Reilly Auto Parts, “Hennessy. Never Stop. Never Settle,” Adriana’s Insurance, “AT&T, mobilizing your world,”and Casa Mexico Tequila and will take place on Saturday, September 17 at AT&T Stadium. Doors open at 2:00 p.m. CT, first fight and the RingTvLive.com live stream begins at 3:20 p.m. ET/2:20 p.m. CT/12:20 p.m. PT; the preliminary live stream begins at 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT/3:30 p.m. PT; with the main show produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. CT/6:00 p.m. PT.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.frankwarren.com, www.attstadium.com or www.hbo.com/boxing, follow us on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @LiamBeefySmith, @KingGabRosado, @WillieMonroeJr, @JosephDiazJr, @AndrewCancio, @DiegoDeLaHoya, @OscarDeLaHoya, @FrankWarren_tv, @ATTStadium and @HBOboxing, become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.Facebook.com/frankwarrenpromotions, www.Facebook.com/ATTStadium or www.Facebook.com/HBOboxing, join us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @LiamBeefySmith, @KingGabRosado, @Willie_elmongoose_monroejr, @JosephDiazJr, @Aa_Cancio, @DiegoDeLaHoya94 @ATTStadium, @OscarDeLaHoya and @HBOboxing, and follow the conversation using #CaneloSmith.

The HBO Sports special ROAD TO CANELO/SMITH debuts SATURDAY, SEPT. 10 at 12:45 a.m. (ET/PT) immediately following HBO World Championship Boxing.

B-roll and images of the fighters are available for use and download HERE or by copying and pasting: bit.ly/CaneloSmith. Video and photo credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions.

WEIGHTS FROM FOXWOODS
(all pictures by Ed Diller/DiBella Entertainment)

MAIN EVENT – LIGHTWEIGHTS – (8)
Amos “2 Smooth” Cowart (11-1-1, 9 KOs), Groveland, FL 137 lbs.
“Nice” Nick DeLomba (10-1, 2 KOs), Cranston, RI 137 lbs.

CO-FEATURE – SUPER FEATHERWEIGHTS (8)
Dardan Zenunaj (12-1, 9 KOs), Braine le Comte, Belgium 130 lbs.
Jose “Shorty” Salinas (9-2-1, 5 KOs), Las Cruces, NM 131 lbs.

WELTERWEIGHTS (4)
“Marvelous” Mykey Williams (3-0, 2 KOs), East Hartford, CT 142 lbs.
David Nelson (3-5, 1 KO), Lawton, OK lbs. 140 lbs.

FEATHERWEIGHTS (8)
Irvin Gonzalez (1-0, 1 KO), Worcester, MA 126 lbs.
Juan Muniz (0-4), Tyler, TX 129 lbs.

WELTERWEIGHTS (4)
Anthony Laureano (pro debut), East Hartford, CT 146 lbs.
Nahir Albright (pro debut), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 144 lbs.

WELTERWEIGHTS (4)
Jonathan “Smooth” Figueroa (pro debut), Hartford, CT 144 lbs.
Demetris Williams (0-1), Philadelphia, PA 144 lbs.

LIGHTWEIGHTS (8)
Jon “Jonfer” Fernandez (8-0, 6 KOs), Bilbao, Pais Vasco, Spain 132 lbs.
Naciff “Chata” Castillo (17-8-2, 5 KOs), Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico 132 lbs.

LIGHTWEIGHTS (4)
Wesley Ferrer (11-0, 6 KOs), Brooklyn, NY 139 lbs.
Angel Figueroa (4-3-1, 0 KOs), Lorain, Ohio 139 lbs.

WHAT: “Broadway Boxing”

WHEN: Thursday, September 1, 2016

WHERE: Fox Theater, Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, CT

PROMOTER: DiBella Entertainment

DOORS OPEN: 5:00 p.m. ET

FIRST BOUT: 7:00 p.m. ET

TICKETS: $125, $75 and $45, not including applicable service charges and taxes. Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com and www.foxwoods.com or by visiting the Foxwoods’ Box Office. To charge by phone, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000.

For more information, visit www.DBE1.com and www.Foxwoods.com, follow on Twitter @LouDiBella, @DiBellaEnt, @FoxwoodsCT and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment and www.facebook.com/foxwoods/

Charlotte, NC (August 31, 2016) – Former world champion, Nevada Boxing Hall of Famer, Bare Knuckle and Women’s Boxing Hall of Famer, Christy Martin embarks on a new career as she introduces Pink Promotions along with Pretty Girl Promotions will present a special night of boxing on Wednesday, October 19 at Grady Cole Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

In the main event, light heavyweight Quinton Rankin (11-3-1, 8 KO’s) of Charlotte will compete in an eight-round bout against an opponent to be named.

Rankin, 29 years old is a five year pro is a known commodity in the area as he has fought half of his fights in the greater Charlotte area.

He has been active in 2016 as this will be his fifth fight of the year. He will be looking to get back in the win column after going eight rounds with prospect Medzhid Bektemirov (16-1) on August 13.

In the co-feature, it will be a battle for the NABF Flyweight title as undefeated Rosalinda Rodriguez (4-0, 1 KO) of Miami, Florida battles Naomi Bosque (10-7-2, 2 KO’s) of St. Petersburg, Florida.

Rodriguez has two wins over undefeated foes which include Federica Bianco and her last bout when she won a four-round unanimous decision over Samantha Salazar on July 16th in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Bosque has wins over Monica Flores (3-0) and Yolaine Lin De Lauf (6-1).

Also scheduled to appear will be super featherweight, Christian Camacho (2-1) of Las Vegas.

Camacho is the son of Hall of Famer Hector “Macho” Camacho.

Taking part in an eight-round bout will be Renan Ruiz (7-2-1, 3 KO’s) of Brooklyn, New York.

Opponents for Rankin, Camacho and Ruiz plus more bouts will be announced shortly.

“My company Pink Promotions will be working with Mercedes Vazquez Simmons of Pretty Girl Promotions to put on a spectacular show,” said Hall of fame champion, Christy Martin. “The Championship fight between Rosalinda Rodriguez and Noemi Bosque is going to be a show stealer and will give the crowd its money worth. Neither is a classic boxer. They`re brawlers who are tough, durable, hard hitting and strong.”

“Another exciting bonus on this spectacular card, is promising 24 year old Christian Camacho- son of the famous, late great Hector “Macho” Camacho.”

“All along I knew I would be a promoter. There`s so much to be done and I`m here with my feet on the ground in Charlotte, North Carolina. The issue is to sell tickets, convince people to attend to see some great boxing and to build on that success. These two women are going to give us a REAL FIGHT!”

“We’re thrilled at the opportunity to partner with Christy Martin’s Pink Promotions on her inaugural event in which we plan on making a series of fights card in city of Charlotte , NC.,”Said co-promoter, Mercedes Simmons of Pretty Girl Promotions.

“Christy Martin and I share the same philosophy, which is to provide quality fight cards that will allow regional and under exposed fighters a platform for them to display their talents. Our commitment to Charlotte, NC is long term ”

Tickets go on sales September 1st on line at www.christy-Martin.com and at

Fast Fit Boxing Gym
2130 Wilkenson Blvd
Charlotte NC

For More information , Contact:

For additional information visit www.christy-Martin.com

LOS ANGELES (August 31, 2016) – Golden Boy Promotions will be celebrating its one year partnership with Estrellla TV’s Boxeo Estelar on the September 2 installment of LA FIGHT CLUBfrom the historic Belasco Theater in Downtown Los Angeles featuring a classic Mexico vs. Puerto Rico fight between middleweight contenders Antonio “La

Joya” Gutierrez (20-2-1, 9 KOs) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico and Manati, Puerto Rico’s Jorge Melendez (28-6-1, 26 KOs). As LA’s boxing aficionados come together for the upcoming boxing event to kickoff Labor Day weekend, Golden Boy
Promotions has taken a look back to at some top fight moments held on Boxeo Estelar, a pl
ace where fans can expect the best action-packed battles and where the next generation of boxing stars are born. To celebrate the milestone, Golden Boy Promotions put together a video highlighting the best moments of the partnership with Estrella TV’s Boxeo Estelar. Click HERE to download and repost the video, video credit: Golden Boy Promotions.

The 2016 Fight of the Year contender, Soto Karass vs. Kamegai left boxing fans thirsty for more on April 15th, as both fighters put on an impeccable show in front of a sold-out crowd at the Belasco Theater, live nationally on Estrella TV’s Boxeo Estelar.Wasting no time, Jesus Soto “Reunente” Karass and Yoshihiro “El Maestrito” Kamegai began thrashing
each other five seconds after the opening bell and continued the non-stop action until after 10 exhilarating rounds. Kamegai received a cut under the eye during round two by an accidental head butt, however was able to pull through with the fight resulting in a split decision draw, 97-93 for Kamegai, 96-94 for Soto Karass and 95-95 even. The event broke attendance records for the venue and generated major interest for a re-match immediately after the fight concluded. The event launched Soto Karass and

Jesus Soto Karass vs. Yoshihiro Kamegai – Photo Credit Tom Hogan-HoganPhotos_Golden Boy Promotions
Kamegai back into stardom and served as a launching pad for the fighters reinvigorated careers. Luckily for fight fans, the rematch will take place on September 10 as at the co-main event to of Roman Gonzalez vs. Carlos Cuadras on HBO World Championship Boxing from the Fabulous Forum in Inglewood, Calif.

One of the most memorable fights hosted at the Belasco Theater, Gilberto Gonzalez vs. Luis Arceo of the April 1st, 2015 fight card was a complete blood bath. Gonzalez was able to get the technical knock-out inthesixth round against Arceo in an eight-round junior welterweight bout. By the fifth round, Gonzalez began to break down Arceo with his impactful punches. In the sixth round, Gonzalez landed subsequent body bunches, sending Arceo to the mat leaving Gonzalez as the victor.

Rene Alvarado vs. Andrew Cancio was the highly anticipated comeback of Andrew “El Chango” Cancio, after not being in the ring for 20 months. The fight was exciting from the moment the first bell rang to an eight-round technical knock-out of the Nicaraguan Alvarado. The impressive Cancio, was able to stop the Nicaraguan warrior– something that had not been accomplished in the past. This victory secured Cancio a promotional contract with Golden Boy Promotions and now Cancio will be featured on the pay-per-view undercard of Canelo-Smith this September 10 as he takes on Joseph “JoJo” Diaz for the NABF Featherweight title.

Serving as the first fight on Estrella TV’s Boxeo Estelar on September 4, 2015, Diego De La Hoya vs. Jesus Ruiz headlined an event that created a star in Diego De La Hoya as he went on to win his first title fight, the WBC Youth Super Bantamweight Championship. Going up against one of the toughest opponents of his career in former world title challenger Jesus “Estrella” Ruiz, who was previously in the ring in January 2015 against then WBC Super Bantamweight World Champion Leo Santa Cruz; Diego showed he had what it took to take on the elite of the division as he systematically took apart Ruiz in 10 rounds. Since then, De La Hoya has headlined numerous events and will not be fighting on the pay-per-view undercard of Canelo vs. Smith on September 17 from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Frankie Gomez vs. Jorge Silva was a part of October 23, 2015 will go down as one of Fantasy Springs’ bloodiest fights. The heavy hitters launched their powerful punches, wrecking each other throughout the battle. By mid-fight, Silva had a gaping cut at the top of his head with a bloody nose, while the “Pitbull” had two cuts under his eyes due to head butts. The fighters lasted all of the schedule ten rounds despite the blood, and displayed the night’s top exchange of punches. The judges all awarded Gomez the unanimous decision, with the judges scoring it 100-90.

Eddie Gomez vs. John Karl Sosa_ Photo Credit_ Fantasy Springs Resort Casino
Eddie Gomez vs. John Karl Sosa featured on the May 20, 2016 spectacle held at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, Gomez was able to secure an impressive victory which lead him to his first title, the IBF North American Welterweight Title. Sosa did well initiating exchanges by landing repeatedly with lead right hands to the head. Sosa was able to score in the last rounds, however was not able to set his dominance in the last two rounds as he had done during the middle rounds. All three judges scored the bout in favor of Gomez with scores of 98-92, 96-94, and 96-94 respectively.

Fighting for the first time as a featherweight, Manuel “Tino” Avila took on one of the most recognized featherweights in boxing in Nicaraguan warrior Rene “Gemelo” Alvarado on the April 1 edition of Boxeo Estelar. Alvarado gave Avila a hard time in ten rounds that saw both fighters lead the action throughout the fight. By the fifth round, Avila switched the game plan, and began to box Alvarado, keeping his distance, landing effectively and counter-punching. The active bout went all ten rounds with scores of 97-93, 100-90 and 97-93 to give Avila the victory via unanimous decision and a big victory for him in a new weight division.

Headlining his first event, Christian “Chimpa” Gonzalez took on an experienced fighter known for his stamina in the ring, Alejandro Ochoa, on December 4, 2015. Gonzalez, dazzled the crowed and cemented himself as a hard puncher as he cut Ochoa across the nose during the first round and sent him to the mat in the second round. Known for his heavy hands, the talented fighter continued to overwhelm Ochoa as the referee called the fight at 2:13 within the second round. Gonzalez, proved to all fight fans watching that he had the drive to move up to the next level and as he stopped Ochoa in the second round, something that had not been possible in the last 12 fights for Ochoa.

Joseph “Jojo” Diaz Jr. vs. Ruben Tamayo a part of the October 23 2015 edition of the Fantasy Springs Boxeo Estelar showed off Diaz’s Olympic boxing skill that dominated every round in their ten round featherweight bout. All three judges scored the fight 100-90 for Diaz, Jr. “Jojo”, who has gone on to win the NABF Featherweight title, and is slated to face of Andrew Cancio in his second defense of the belt under the Canelo-Smith fight card.

One of the most exciting fighters to watch, Julian “El Camaron” Ramirez faced San Diego’s Chris Martin and in a main event that kicked off the 2016 LA FIGHT CLUB year on January 29. In front of a sold-out crowd, “El Camaron” forced Martin to go the distance in a ten round featherweight bout, dominating the ring with his speed, releasing a thrashing upon Martin with nasty uppercuts that broke him down. The judges all unanimously decided that Ramirez was the clear winner, two of the judges scoring it at 99-91 and the remaining judge scoring it at 100-90. This performance is what launched Ramirez to fight against fellow stablemate and another Boxeo Estelar regular, Abraham “Chamaco” Lopez on June 4 as the co-main event to Vargas vs. Salido on HBO Boxing After Dark, in a competitive match where the NABF Featherweight Title was on the line.

Joet Gonzalez vs. Sergio Lopez Gonzalez, Photo Credit: Golden Boy Promotions
A Boxeo Estelar regular, Joet Gonzalez took on Sergio Lopez Gonzalez on August 5,2016 and displayed an impressive offense by showcasing a tough left hook throughout the fight, using it to slowly break down Lopez round by round. Gonzlez was challenged by Lopez’ experience as he received shots to the face and body and at times pinning Gonzalez on the ropes. The ninth round was a frenzy as Gonzalez landed massive jabs to the face, stunning Lopez. After ten solid rounds Gonzalez walked away with a unanimous decision victory and proved that he had what it took to move on to the next level of his career by defeating a more experienced fighter.

Antonio Orozco vs. Miguel Acosta demonstrated the “Relentless” efforts of Orozco as he headlined the March 25, 2016 edition of Boxeo Estelar at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino. Orozco only needed 1:54 of the first round after releasing his two left hooks that caused serious damage to Acosta, causing the referee to stop the fight. Orozco went on to headline the HBO Latino Boxing event held at the Fantasy Springs Resort, where he won the hard-fought unanimous decision over Abner “Jaeger” Lopez.

Oscar Negrete vs. Neftail Campos featured a pair of fighters who entered the ring on the August 5 bout sheet as undefeated. The competitive fight saw Negrete rise to the occasion as his precise boxing style gave him the upper hand as he entered the ring with clear shots to the head and body. It was in the sixth round of the eight round featherweight fight that Negrete hurt Campos with a potent left hook, however despite being hurt, Campos powered through the rest of the three rounds. Negrete’s dominant presence in the ring was clear to the judges, with the unanimous decision in favor of Negrete with all judges scoring 80-72, maintaining his undefeated status.

Zachary Ochoa vs. Luis Joel Gonzalez was the televised co-main event featured on the June 3, 2016 series of LA Fight Club, in an eight-round super lightweight fight. Regardless of Ochoa utilizing his impressive reach, Gonzalez was able to knock Ochoa down in the third round for a brief second, first in his career. However, that wasn’t enough to stop Ochoa striking his rival with a right chin jab in the seventh round in the most devastating knockout of the night-concrete proof that his swiftness and strength were too much for Gonzalez to handle.

LA FIGHT CLUB on Estrella TV’s Boxeo Estelar has been the birthplace of Southern California’s hottest talent pool, with fighters that include but are not limited to Genaro “El Conde” Gamez, Hector “El Finito” Tanajara, Jr., Jonathan “Thunder” Navarro, Joshua “El Professor” Franco, Niko “Baby Face” Valdes, and Oscar Duarte. In true fight club fashion, these rising contenders have caught the eye of boxing fanatics and critics Southern California.

Genaro “El Conde” Gamez, Super Featherweight Prospect:

After leaving behind a highly decorated amateur career, including being ranked as the number one lightweight in the United States, Genaro “El Conde” Gamez has quickly become of boxing’s top prospects. A 2014 USA Boxing National Champion, San Diego’s Gamez is currently coached by renowned former world champion Robert Garcia. Since breaking into his professional career with a catastrophic first round knockout over Archie Weah, Gamez is sure and was most recently seen in the ring defeating Juan Bryand on June 4.

Hector “El Finito” Tanajara, Jr., Lightweight Prospect:

San Antonio’s “El Finito,” Hector Tanajara, Jr. is another Texas star on the rise, and at 19 years old, he hasn’t even started to scratch the surface of his enormous potential. Unbeaten in six bouts, Tanajara has ended four of those bouts in a single round, most recently

Jonathan “Thunder” Navarro, Photo Credit: Golden Boy Promotions
stopping Francisco “El Mono” Medel on May 25. Tanajara will jumped back in the action
on May 25, 2016 stopping Francisco Medel in the first round.

Jonathan “Thunder” Navarro, Welterweight Prospect:

Jonathan “Thunder” Navarro representing East Los Angeles has lived up to his nickname thus far, as the 19-year-old has ended three of his four wins by knockout. Loyal to LA FIGHT CLUB and having fought all professional bouts at The Belasco Theater, this fan favorite is hungry to make a name for himself in the East L.A. boxing scene by fighting on the Vargas vs. Salido undercard at The StubHub Center. As the nephew of former boxing Olympian Jose Navarro, “Thunder” has boxing his in his blood and hopes to keep up the family tradition of big victories and sensational knockouts on June 4 Navarrio defeated Marc Torres via second round knockout.

Joshua “El Professor” Franco, Bantamweight Prospect:

San Antonio, Texas’s Joshua “The Professor” Franco, who made his debut less than a year ago as a new Golden Boy fighter on the August 6 edition of the popular LA FIGHT CLUB series in Los Angeles, defeating Temoatzin Landeros via split decision, and quickly followed up with a victory over Saul “Bebe” Hernandez at the October installment. He ended 2015 on a high note, with a first round knockout victory over Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico’s Leonard Reyes in December. Franco has stayed active in 2016, having fought three times previously this year and obtained victories once by knockout and twice via unanimous decision.

Niko “Baby Face” Valdes, Light Heavyweight Prospect:

Miami’s Niko “Baby Face” Valdes will fight his second professional bout at LA FIGHT CLUB against a soon to-be-announced opponent. Once ranked the third best light heavyweight amateur fighter in the U.S, this southpaw superstar leaves behind a highly decorated amateur career that saw him take home bronze at the 2014 USA Amateur Boxing National Championships, four Florida Golden Gloves state championship, and the bronze from the National Golden Gloves. In his professional debut, Valdes scored a first round

Oscar Duarte, Photo Credit: Golden Boy Promotions
knockout of Roberto Ramirez in April. The light heavyweight prospect was last seen at the
Belasco Theater on July 1, 2016 stopping Michael Andrews in the third round.

Oscar Duarte, Lightwight Prospect:

Oscar Duarte of Parral, Mexico is eager to become a big name in the sport of boxing. In his U.S. debut, Duarte defeated Alejandro Salinas in August 2015, landing himself a promotional contract with Golden Boy Promotions. Currently co-managed by Latin star Gabriel Soto and Guillermo Roacha, Duarte fought earlier this year at LA FIGHT CLUB in February defeating Archie Weah via unanimous decision. He was last seen in the ring on the ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate Vargas vs. Salido undercard at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. where he defeated Luis Lizarraga, Jr. by unanimous decision. On August 19, Duarte made his third appearance at LA FIGHT CLUB when he defeated Omar Garcia via first round knockout.

LA FIGHT CLUB: Gutierrez vs. Melendez, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by “Tecate, BORN BOLD,” Casa Mexico Tequila and Carmelita Coconut Water. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. and the first bout begins at 5:30 p.m. The Estrella TV Boxeo Estelar broadcast will air live on Friday, September 2 at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT and will stream live simultaneously on estrellaTV.com and on YouTube via LBI Media, Inc.’s multiplatform digital network Fenomeno Studios: youtube.com/FenomenoStudios. The Ring TV live stream will begin at approximately 5:30 p.m. PT through 7:00 p.m.

For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.belascous.com, www.estrellatv.com, follow on twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @EstrellaTV and become a fanon Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/TheBelascoLA, www.facebook.com/EstrellaTVNetwork, visit us on Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @belascola and @EstrellaTV, follow the conversation using #LAFIGHTCLUB and #BoxeoEstelar.

Tickets for Ricky Burns’ WBA World Super-Lightweight title defence against mandatory challenger Kiryl Relikh at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow on Friday October 7 will go on sale to Matchroom Fight Pass members at midday tomorrow (September 1).

Burns became a three-weight World champion in stunning fashion in the same arena in May, clinically dispatching Michele Di Rocco to add the vacant strap to World titles he secured at Super-Featherweight and Lightweight.

Relikh provides a stern test for Burns and the dangerous unbeaten Belarussian, who boasts a daunting record of 19 KOs from 21 fights, has plenty of World title experience in his corner in the form of his trainer and Manchester fighting hero Ricky Hatton.

A stacked undercard will support Burns’ clash with Relikh, with Scotty Cardle defending his British Lightweight title against Kevin Hooper, Commonwealth Games gold medal favourite Charlie Flynn tackling Manchester’s Kofi Yates, outings for Flynn’s Commonwealth Games teammate Joe Ham and Brixton’s Heavyweight star Dillian Whyte, plus more to be added.

Tickets go on sale on Thursday September 1 at midday Matchroom Fight Pass members via the following link: http://www.stubhub.co.uk/event/9652689/?gcid=chPrt-_-geoUK-_-genboxing-_-cpgglasgowoctfightpass-_-partmatchroom&mbox=1&rS=0&abbyo=false&sliderpos=false&qtyq=false&dUpg=false&sort=price+asc with tickets priced at £40, £60 and £100, with VIP tickets priced at £200.

Tickets go on general sale at midday on Friday September 2, with tickets in the £40-£100 bracket available from the SSE Hydro website http://www.thessehydro.com/ and on 0844 395 4000 and 0800 952 0110 (accessible). VIP tickets at £200 are exclusively available at www.matchroomboxing.com

Other HBO playdates: Sept. 11 (11:30 a.m., 3:15 a.m.), 12 (1:25 p.m., 1:45 a.m.), 13 (6:00 p.m., 11:30 p.m.), 14 (10:00 a.m., 10:30 p.m.), 15 (4:00 p.m.), 16 (1:10 a.m.) and 17 (5:45 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates: Sept. 15 (8:45 p.m.), 16 (6:30 p.m.) and 17 (11:45 a.m.)

The special will also be available on HBO NOW, HBO GO and HBO On Demand, and at hbo.com/boxing, as well as other new media platforms.

Canelo Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs), 26, has fashioned a brilliant career, capturing junior middleweight and middleweight world titles. After knocking out challenger Amir Khan last May, Canelo fulfills his commitment to fight on Mexican Independence Day weekend by challenging England’s Liam Smith (23-0-1, 13 KOs) for his 154-pound crown. A native of Liverpool, England, Smith, 28, is one of four brothers who box professionally. The fight will take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tex., home of the Dallas Cowboys.

The special visits Canelo and Smith as they train for their Sept. 17 junior middleweight title showdown.

ROAD TO CANELO/SMITH is narrated by Liev Schreiber.

“Canelo vs. Smith” takes place Saturday, Sept. 17 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. (ET)/ 6:00 p.m. (PT).

For more information, visit hbo.com/boxing; become a fan on Facebook at facebook.com/HBOBoxing; and follow on Twitter and Instagram at @HBOBoxing. Follow the conversation using #CaneloSmith.

Paul and Callum Smith, Gavin McDonnell and Kid Galahad complete the line-up on the undercard of the blockbuster showdown between pound-for-pound sensation Gennady Golovkin and Sheffield star Kell Brook at The O2 in London on Saturday September 10, live on Sky Sports Box Office.

Liverpool Super-Middleweight brothers Callum and Paul are in action in the sold-out arena, with unbeaten star Callum defending his WBC Silver title against tough Hungarian Norbert Nemesapati while the eldest of the Smith quartet Paul continues his hunt for a third World title shot.

WBC Silver Super-Bantamweight champion McDonnell is tracking down a World title shot of his own and the unbeaten Doncaster man fights for the first time since landing that title in February while Sheffield Super-Bantamweight and Brook’s Ingle Gym mate Galahad continues his comeback.

The Smiths, McDonnell and Galahad join a stacked card of great fights with Lee Haskins defending his IBF World Bantamweight title in a rematch with bitter rival Stuart Hall, who he met for the European strap in July 2012, and Charlie Edwards challenging for a World title in his ninth pro fight against two-weight IBF Flyweight champion Johnriel Casimero.

Martin J. Ward and Andy Townend meet for the vacant British Super-Featherweight title, Conor Benn boxes for the fourth time in the paid ranks and unbeaten Middleweight Craig Richards tastes his fifth action in the pros.

“The card is now set for the biggest night of boxing in 2016,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “Callum Smith has one more hurdle before the mandatory against WBC champ Badou Jack is called on September 13 and we are looking for him to make a statement on this huge platform.

“Gavin McDonnell is sitting pretty for a shot at the World title later this year and Paul Smith is also in the hunt with one eye on the winner of the rematch between Giovanni De Carolis and Tyron Zeuge winner for the WBA strap.

“With the three World title fights and Lonsdale belt clash, this night is packed with action as we count down to the moment of truth between unbeaten divisional number ones Gennady Golovkin and Kell Brook.”