A prominent group of experts has been assembled to form the team behind undefeated boxer Justin “Jawbreaker” Jones and together, they are building a better heavyweight.

Louisiana-born and Houston-based heavyweight Justin Jones is still a relative unknown on the world boxing scene, but based on the support he receives in training, that may be about to change.

Heading up the team is Jones’ advisor, a man once known as the youngest promoter in Louisiana State history, Kerry Daigle.

Daigle, a long-time respected staple of the Southern boxing scene, as well as a top executive for Juice Plus personal health and safety products, brought in some medical heavy hitters to assist coaches Maurice “Termite” Watkins and Eleazar Renteria with the hidden side of training a fighter: nutrition.

Dr. Roy Vartabedian is a best-selling international author who has specialized in the field of health promotion and disease prevention for over 30 years. He also holds a Master of Public Health degree in Health Education and Nutrition.

Vartabedian’s book, Nutripoints, was a New York Times Best-Seller, and has been used in a total of 13 countries in 10 languages worldwide.

“The challenge is when these guys are working out so much, once or twice a day, they’re actually having a problem with losing muscle because it’s hard for them to eat enough calories to maintain their weight,” said Vartabedian, “or the way they do it is unhealthy which will decrease their stamina and endurance.”

The average person, says Vartabedian only needs 2000 to 2500 calories per day. Heavyweight fighters in training need somewhere in the neighborhood of 4000 to 4500.

“Justin is at 232 lbs right now. He’s at his best at 238. So, he wants to be on an alkaline diet, which supposedly creates alkalinity in the body which is healthier than acidity for peak performance. That’s means a plant-based and unprocessed food diet. The problem with that kind of diet is it’s very high in bulk and low on calories. What I’ve done is fine tune it for him. I’ve given him a list of high-calorie, good fat foods and added them to his diet so he’s getting more calories and good fats and more fibre. I’m recommending to increase calories in a healthy way with lots of almonds, cashews, sunflowers seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, macadamia nuts, all unsalted. This will add about 500 calories to a person’s diet in about three handfuls a day.”

Dr. Charles H. Campbell is a Board Certified Ophthalmologist, specializes in retinal disease. A world-renowned surgeon and the founder and Medical Director of South Texas Retina Consultants, Campbell has given his life to the treatment of macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, retinal detachments and tears, macular holes and puckers, floaters, retinal vein occlusions, complications of cataract surgery, vitritis/uveitis.

Campbell has also lent his talents and know-how to the management of fighters, including former heavyweight contender Skip Scott.

“We’re making sure he stays in shape by maintaining a clean lifestyle,” said Campbell. “We make sure he’s eating right. I feel like athletes think they can get all the protein they want, but most of us get 110 grams a day, which is way too much. So, we can regulate his water and protein intake. He probably needs 10-12 servings of fruit, so we give him Juice Plus which is proven to put about 6 ½ servings into your body.”

Campbell says a common mistake fighters make is in their fluid intake.

“Most of these athletes don’t drink enough water. For his size he probably needs a gallon and a half a day. But mostly, I hope to help him make sure he doesn’t get off track and eat bad foods.”

Daigle has big plans for Jones, who recently signed with Warriors Boxing and Leon Margules, one of the top promotional firms in the world. It was Warriors Vice-President Dominic Pesoli who first gave Jones the added moniker of “Triple J.”

“There is no heavyweight that has better foot movement and throws more combinations than Triple J,” said Daigle. “Once given the opportunity Justin will surprise the world. There are a lot of taller heavyweights that are rated in the top 10 in every sanctioning body. These guys are made-to-order for him. We are excited about his future in the NEW heavyweight division.”

The fighter himself says the help of his medical dream team has been immeasurable already.

“The difference has been incredible,” said Jones. “I don’t want this secret to get out to other fighters! They both got me on Juice Plus for all its healthy vegetables and fruits and they’ve really changed my diet and given me a world of information on how to be healthy. I’ve changed how I eat with their help and it’s really benefitting me. I feel better more energized. When I started training I was 264. My last fight I was 230. It’s just getting me fit. Like a machine that can just go and go and go. That’s what they’re doing for me. I’m eating the right things to stay big but be in perfect shape at this size. I’m eating to gain weight and turning it to athletic muscle. They’re awesome. They’ve made a believer out of me.”

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For more information on Juice Plus, visit www.kerrydaigle.com. For more information on Kerry Daigle and Keeppunching Entertainment, visit his Facebook Page. Look for a new www.keeppunching.com site coming soon!

The Boxing Writers Association of America is proud to announce its 91st Annual Awards Dinner will take place on Friday, May 20, 2016 at Capitale,130 Bowery, New York, NY. The event will start with cocktails at 6:00 PM and dinner and awards at 7:30 PM.

Deemed “The Academy Awards of Boxing,” the BWAA Awards Dinner will honor the 2015 BWAA winners, which include Floyd Mayweather Jr. (Fighter of the Year); Francisco Vargas and Takashi Miura (Fight of the Year); Abel Sanchez, (Trainer of the Year); Marc Payton and Mark Taffet, co-winners for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism; Lou DiBella, (Honesty and Integrity in Boxing); and author Joyce Carol Oates, (Outstanding Boxing Writing).

Other award winners to be honored include veteran boxing writer Bernard Fernandez, (Long and Meritorious Service); Showtime photographer Tom Casino (Courage in Overcoming Adversity); Don Chargin (Good Guy);Washington Post columnist William Gildea (Excellence in Boxing Journalism); and Al Haymon, who will receive a BWAA record fourth-straight Manager of the Year Award.

Tickets are available through the BWAA website, at www.bwaa.org, or by calling BWAA Board member Gina Andriolo at 917-312-6418 (ginaandcom@aol.com) or BWAA President Joseph Santoliquito at JSantoliquito@yahoo.com.

Tickets are $200/per person and $150 for BWAA members only. Payment may be made via credit card, check, money order, or through Pay Pal on the BWAA website. Payment must be received no later than May 11, 2016.

A limited number of VIP seats are available for $400 per person or $4,000 per table of ten, which includes premium seating at the dinner and a special VIP gift. Special Sponsorship packages, which include tables, ads, signage and more, are also available.

Here is a complete list of this year’s winners:

Sugar Ray Robinson Fighter of the Year: Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier Fight of the Year: Francisco Vargas-Takashi Miura
Eddie Futch Trainer of the Year: Abel Sanchez
Sam Taub Award Excellence in Broadcast Journalism co-winners: Marc Payton, Mark Taffet
James A. Farley Award For Honesty and Integrity: Lou DiBella
Bill Crawford Courage Award: Tom Casino
Barney Nagler Award Long and Meritorious Service: Bernard Fernandez
Marvin Kohn Good Guy Award: Don Chargin
Cus D’Amato Award Manager of the Year: Al Haymon
A.J. Liebling Award Outstanding Boxing Writing: Joyce Carol Oates
Nat Fleischer Award Excellence in Boxing Journalism: William Gildea

Micki Nielsen (20-0, 14 KOs) and Mirko Larghetti (24-1, 16 KOs) came face-to-face for the first time at today’s final pre-fight press conference ahead of their WBC International Cruiserweight title fight on Saturday night at the Albertslund Musikteatret in Copenhagen.

Nielsen puts his WBC belt on the line against the former World title challenger, who is ranked number three in the World by the WBA, and will pose a serious threat to the Danish southpaw’s undefeated record and World title aspirations.

‘’This is the biggest fight of my career,’’ said Nielsen. ‘’A victory will prove I’m ready to face the very best in division. There is a lot at stake for me and my desire to win is stronger than ever. Larghetti is a good fighter with an impressive record, but he does not scare me. I’ve trained hard and I’m confident I will win.’’

Larghetti believes he will be the man to inflict Nielsen’s first defeat and has vowed not to leave Denmark without the WBC International title.

‘’Nielsen is a young, strong fighter,’’ said Larghetti. ‘’It will be a good fight, but I have come here to win, and I will not be going home without the title. My dream has always been to become World Champion, and if I win this fight, I will move closer to another shot at the World title. That gives me all the motivation I need.’’

Promoter Nisse Sauerland admits he has taken a risk by matching his young star against the tough Italian, but believes Nielsen is ready to step up and prove himself at World level.

‘’This is going to be tough test for Micki,’’ said Sauerland. ‘’Larghetti is a quality opponent. He went the distance with Marco Huck and caused him a lot of problems. It’s a risky fight, but we believe Micki is ready. He has the potential to become one of the best fighters in the division, and on Saturday night, he has the chance to prove it.’’

Tickets for the Nordic Fight Night on March 19 at the Albertslund Musikteatret featuring Micki Nielsen’s WBC International Cruiserweight title defence against Mirko Larghetti are available online via www.billetlugen.dk or by calling (+45) 70 263 267.

LONDON (17 MARCH) In light of today’s news regarding Hughie Lewis Fury’s appearance on a BoxNation show on April 30, Hennessy Sports would like to clarify that Mick Hennessy remains Fury’s promoter and manager and will continue to guide the unbeaten heavyweight’s career alongside Hughie’s father and trainer, Peter Fury.

An opportunity for Hughie to box in the chief-support slot on April 30 at the Copper Box Arena was presented to both Mick Hennessy and Peter Fury (on the proviso Hughie isn’t cut or injured during his next fight on March 26) and they agreed it was one worth pursuing. Furthermore, they are receptive to other opportunities in the future.

“We have long considered Hughie Lewis Fury to be one of the hottest young talents in world boxing – a future superstar of the sport – and it’s encouraging to know other people in boxing are now realising what we have known and been saying since day one,” said Mick Hennessy.

“Hughie Lewis Fury is a special fighter and, like Tyson, his cousin, he’s going all the way to the top.”

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CARSON, CALIF. (March 17, 2016) – Former welterweight world champions “Vicious” Victor Ortiz (31-5-2, 24 KOs) and Andre “The Beast” Berto (30-4, 23 KOs) will meet again in a 12-round welterweight rematch in primetime on Saturday, April 30 as Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on FOX and FOX Deportes comes to StubHub Center in Carson, Calif.

Televised coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and features two exciting undercard attractions. Light heavyweight sluggers Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez (28-1, 19 KOs) and Thomas “Top Dog” Williams Jr. (19-1, 13 KOs) meet in a 10-round brawl plus former three-division world champion Fernando “Cochulito” Montiel (54-5-2, 39 KOs) faces unbeaten Mexican brawler Jorge Lara (27-0-2, 19 KOs) in a 10-round featherweight battle.

Ortiz and Berto first faced off in their 2011 welterweight world title barn burner that garnered significant Fight of the Year buzz. The bout saw both men hit the canvas twice, including a thrilling round six in which each fighter was knocked down. In the end, Ortiz walked away with a unanimous decision. A victory in the rematch will propel the winner to the forefront of the world title picture in this stacked with talent division.

“I know I’m in for another war,” said Ortiz. “I’ve always been open to a rematch because Berto has a big mouth and something to prove. After our fight, he went on a losing streak, because I gave his opponents a blueprint on how to beat him. My losses have been unfortunate, but I wouldn’t want to come up against me at this stage in the game. My name is Victor and that’s no coincidence.”

“This is the fight the people have been waiting for and it’s time to give it to them,” said Berto. “I am in a good place mentally, physically and spiritually. I’ve never wanted my story to be perfect, that’s boring. Life is filled with ups and downs and I’ve embraced them all in my career. Everything I’ve been through has turned me into a savage. It’s time to close this chapter once and for all. I want his head!”

The undercard bouts are sure to feature exciting two-way action as the experienced veterans Rodriguez and Montiel look to hold-off rising contenders in Williams Jr. and Lara.

“This is a very big fight for the light heavyweight division,” said Rodriguez. “Thomas brings it, but so do I. You can expect fireworks from the opening bell as we are both looking to put on a sensational performance. That being said, the light heavyweight championship is right around the corner, and there is nothing that is going to stop me from getting there.”

“I’m thrilled to be fighting on this card,” Williams said. “When they called me about this fight, I said, ‘I love it, let’s make it happen.’ I think that it’s going to be a really exciting and fan-friendly matchup. Edwin is a strong fighter who I know is going to be prepared to bring it on fight night, and I’ll make sure I’m ready to do the same.”

“It’s a pleasure to be on this fight card and I promise an exciting night for the fans,” said Montiel. “I came up short in my last fight, but I am determined to become a world champion in a new weight class. I always come to fight and I will be throwing punches non-stop until I’m victorious on April 30.”

“I’m blessed to be back in the ring as part of this great night of fights,” said Lara. “My dream is to be a world champion, and to do that I have to beat fighters like Montiel. I respect my opponent, but right now he is on my way and nothing is going to stop me.”

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions, are priced at $209, $105, $53, and $27, plus applicable taxes, fees and service charges, are on sale now and are available for purchase online at AXS.com.

PBC on FOX in primetime debuted on January 23 and featured a thrilling three-fight card that was topped by undefeated star Danny Garcia conquering former world champion Robert Guerrero to claim a welterweight world title in a back-and-forth brawl. Another exciting contest in the welterweight division is sure to thrill those watching at home and the Southern California boxing fans in attendance.

“We are proud to be bringing this long awaited rematch to the StubHub Center and the Los Angeles boxing fans,” said Tom Brown of TGB Promotions. “Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto battled back in 2011, and their meeting on April 30 will take care of unfinished business.”

“After the overwhelming success of the return to boxing on FOX in January, after an almost 20 year absence, FOX Sports and FOX Deportes are thrilled to present the second Premier Boxing Champions fight on April 30,” said David Nathanson, FOX Sports Head of Business Operations.

“StubHub Center is excited to host this welterweight bout on Saturday, April 30,” said Katie Pandolfo, General Manager of StubHub Center. “We look forward to an exciting rematch and an electric atmosphere at the premier outdoor boxing venue in the United States.”

An exciting fighter who never shies away from action, Ortiz returned to the ring in December 2015 one year after injuring his hand during a third round stoppage of Manuel Perez. The 29-year-old stopped Gilberto Sanchez Leon in his last bout for his second victory in a row. Ortiz was a 147-pound world champion when he defeated Berto in 2011 to set up a showdown with Floyd Mayweather. The Kansas-native has spent time in recent years to film roles in movies such as “Southpaw” and “The Expendables 3” but is now fully focused on a return to the pinnacle of the welterweight division.

Berto is a former amateur standout and Olympian for his native Haiti. He challenged now-retired pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather in September. The offensive-minded Berto always makes for sensational scraps as his 2012 slugfest with Robert Guerrero was another Fight of the Year candidate. The 32-year-old thrilled in his PBC debut last March when he stopped Josesito Lopez in the sixth round of their welterweight showdown.

An accomplished amateur who won a 2006 National Golden Gloves gold medal and a 2005 U.S. National Championship gold medal, the 30-year-old Rodriguez enters this fight a winner of his last four fights. Born in the Dominican Republic but fighting out of Worcester, Massachusetts, Rodriguez’s only loss came to the undefeated Andre Ward in 2013. He owns impressive victories over previously unbeaten fighters Will Rosinsky, Jason Escalera, Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna, Craig Baker and Michael Seals. Against Seals, in his most recent bout on November 13, Edwin rose from the canvas to score a devastating third-round TKO in what was a ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate.

Williams Jr., a 28-year-old from Fort Washington, Maryland, was introduced to boxing by his father, a former pro fighter. A dynamite puncher, Williams Jr. has registered seven of his 13 knockouts in the first round. However, the southpaw has also proven his endurance with unanimous decision victories over warriors like Michael Gbenga, Yusaf Mack and Otis Griffin. Most recently he earned two victories, including a second-round TKO over world-ranked contender Umberto Savigne last November.

The veteran Montiel won his first world title in 2000 over Isidro Garcia and went on to have title winning performances over Pedro Alzacar, Ivan Hernandez, Z Gorres, Ciso Morales and Hozumi Hasegawa. Born in Sinaloa, Mexico, Montiel rode an eight-fight win streak heading into his October world title shot against Lee Selby. Montiel’s aggressive style frustrated Selby but it was not enough for him to grab a title in his fourth weight class.

Undefeated out of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, Lara made his U.S. debut on March 7, 2015 with a first round stoppage of Mario Macias in Las Vegas. The 25-year-old has ended seven of his last nine opponents early including experienced contenders Jovanny Soto, Jairo Hernandez and Oscar Ibarra. He looks to rebound from a technical draw in his last outing after the fight was stopped in six rounds due to numerous cuts Lara had received from accidental headbutts.

For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.comwww.TGBPromotions.com, http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/homepage and foxdeportes.com follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @ViciousOrtiz, @AndreBerto, @LaBombaBoxing, @TopDoggJr, @FOXSports, @FOXDeportes and @Swanson_Comm and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxing, www.facebook.com/foxsports and www.facebook.com/foxdeportes. Follow the conversation using #PBConFOX. PBC on FOX is sponsored by Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

George Groves will face David Brophy in a Super-Middleweight battle of Britain at The O2 in London on April 9, live on Sky Sports Box Office.

Three-time World title challenger Groves meets the Scotsman over 12 rounds on the undercard of Anthony Joshua MBE’s World Heavyweight title clash with Charles Martin, as the Londoner aims to stay on track for a fourth shot at World honours.

Groves returned to the ring in style in January, stopping Andrea Di Luisa inside five rounds at the Copper Box Arena in east London in his first fight with new trainer Shane McGuigan, and ‘Saint’ George’s promoters Sauerland are in talks with Eddie Hearn for a summer showdown with St. Helens’ Martin Murray, but must get past the Scotsman first.

“It’s nice to be in a domestic dust-up!” said Groves. “David is an undefeated fighter so I’m sure he will be coming with a lot of confidence. It’s great to be back on Sky Sports and part of a great Box Office line-up. I’m looking forward to it.

“I had a good performance last time out against Di Luisa and I will be using that momentum going in this fight. Hopefully I’ll get a similar result and we can move on to the bigger fights in the summer.

“The work with Shane is going well. I think we will see even more improvements. The sparring has been better, the technical sessions have been better. I think that will come out more and more in this next fight.

“I’m sure it won’t be long until back in the World title mix. There’s plenty of big fights out there for me, and I’m willing to fight anyone, so we will see what routes open for me.”

Groves’ promoter Kalle Sauerland said: “George has never shied away from a challenge, and on April 9, he’s back in action against a young undefeated prospect. This will be another good test for George and a chance for him to showcase more of the improvements he has made since teaming up with Shane McGuigan. It’s an exciting time for the ‘Saint’ with a lot of big fights on the horizon.”

Unbeaten Brophy – 16-0 – will have other ideas though and the Caldercruix talent can gate-crash the upper-reaches of the 167lbs division if he can land a career-best win in Greenwich.

“This is a massive opportunity for me,” said Brophy. “I have done my apprenticeship and I have waited patiently for a chance, so this is a great chance for me to show what I can do on an outstanding show.

“I said yes to the fight straightaway. I didn’t even know how many rounds it was, or anything about the money, I just said yes. I haven’t been in the limelight, you never really are in Scotland, so opportunities don’t come too often and you miss 100 per cent of the opportunities you don’t take.

“I don’t mind being the underdog. I know people will say I am the underdog straight away and George is a good fighter and I know that. But I am more than prepared for this step up and I will give it everything I have got. I feel really confident and I would have taken the fight if I wasn’t. I’m not here to make up numbers and that’s the first mistake that anybody will make. I’m there to do a job.

“I expect George to be fast and to try and do a job on me. I feel as if he is going to have a big fight in the summer, and whatever that is I think they will be treating me as a stepping stone and that is even better for me because I don’t mind being the underdog and I don’t mind going into somebody’s back garden either.”

Groves’ clash with Brophy is part of a huge night of action in London topped by Joshua’s first World title fight, as Lee Selby defends his IBF World Featherweight title against Eric Hunter, while there’s a key Middleweight battle between former World title challengers Matthew Macklin and Brian Rose, plus more fights to be confirmed soon.

TODD duBOEF: We are weeks away from this highly anticipated match between two Hall of Fame fighters. Tim has shown an incredible rebirth, beginning with his November fight in his union with Teddy Atlas. He did what no one had ever done, stopping Brandon Rios. He is motivated and a classy person inside the ring and a classy, classy person outside the ring. We are really excited to hear what he has to say and how he is preparing for this fight. He just found out today that Everlast has signed Tim (http://goo.gl/utpZTx). As he is winding down his training camp days I think it’s a good time to talk to him and Teddy.

TIMOTHY BRADLEY: Thank you very much Todd. I would like to thank Team Bradley because without them I wouldn’t have this opportunity once again. I want to thank my wife and I want to thank Teddy for coming on board once again. I want to thank Top Rank and HBO and all of the media for putting the word out that there is a real fight happening on April 9. Training camp has gone very well and we are ahead of schedule. I am ready to go 12 rounds right now. Training camp goes on every day. There is never a down moment. Teddy is always on me. He’s a guy that cares. He’s a guy that loves. He’s a guy that knows what he’s doing. He’s a guy that believes in what he’s doing and he’s a guy that believes in me. We are a dynamic duo and everyone should check it out on April 9.

You were beaten handily the second fight and many thought you lost the first fight. What do you think you can do this time to beat Pacquiao?

TIMOTHY BRADLEY: Well, everyone has their own opinion regarding the first fight. However way you want to look at it, it was a very close fight. The second fight, Pacquiao definitely won that fight hands down. I had the injury in the second round, which I actually told my camp about. This time around I have a new guy — Teddy Atlas — a guy that analyzes fighters for a living. That’s what he does — he’s an analyst and a trainer. The approach this time is going to be a lot different and I will be looking to exploit Pacquiao’s weaknesses.

Do you think you are getting Manny at the right time as he may have one foot already out the door?

TIMOTHY BRADLEY: You may hope or think that but I am expecting the best Manny Pacquiao. I hear he is training hard. He is training six days a week and sparring ten rounds already. I hear he is highly motivated for this affair. He knows what is at stake. For me to depend on any thoughts of weakness of Pacquiao would be wrong. I have to count on me to prepare and be ready for the fight.

Are you tired of seeing him after 24 rounds and it being not so long ago?

TIMOTHY BRADLEY: I am not tired of fighting this guy. I just want to have the opportunity to definitely seal the deal, and that same opportunity for my family as well. It is an opportunity for my kids to talk about years from now with their classmates – that their father beat Manny Pacquiao.

What have you learned from Teddy in this camp that you may not have learned in the last camp?

TIMOTHY BRADLEY: I have learned a lot of things in this camp, but mainly the hardest thing for me is to remain focused at all times in the ring, in training. What I mean by that is no matter what is going on or no matter what is happening that day, I always have to be focused and I always have to be committed and concentrating through the whole training camp. That is there every single day that I show up to the gym – total concentration and total focus. Sometimes we fighters can have off days and lose concentration and get hit with a couple of shots – it could be a jab or not being in the right position at all times – you can’t have that with Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao is fast and he’s quick and he is always looking to take advantage of you.

What can you take from the first two fights?

TIMOTHY BRADLEY: I can take a lot from the first two fights. I could look at it a couple of ways – not even having a game plan in the first fight. I was fighting on my skills and experience. In the second fight I had the injury in the second round and after six rounds it was three rounds apiece. I think fundamentally I have a better chance to win this fight.

What do you think of the feud between Teddy and Freddie?

TIMOTHY BRADLEY: I don’t even pay any attention to that. The trainers train the fighters and the fighters get in the ring. I don’t pay any attention to that I just pay attention to my job. I have to prepare for a dangerous firecracker Filipino.

Are you learning about yourself a little bit more as you go through your second camp with Teddy? He is obviously forcing you to dig deep down – are you surprised in your ability to do so?

TIMOTHY BRADLEY: No I am not really surprised at my ability to do so. I am what you call a perfectionist. I take my training and my boxing seriously. Teddy is a very serious guy too. He puts his heart into it and I feel the same way. I wouldn’t be a five-time world champion if I didn’t feel that way. I think the difference this time around is I have a game plan – I really do have a game plan. My game plan before was to avoid the left hand. Avoid the left hand and hit him with the right hand. Now, the game plan is a little more in detail. There are things that Manny Pacquiao does that I can take advantage of that I didn’t see before in watching film and breaking film down that Teddy has brought to my attention. I feel like it’s going to be a completely different fight than the first two.

What was your takeaway of the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight?

TIMOTHY BRADLEY: Pacquiao fought to the best of his ability. Mayweather is known for taking the air out of the ball – that’s the reason why he is the best in the world. He doesn’t let you do what you want to do and he’s able to do what he wants to do. Mayweather always has a way to keep the ball on his side of the court and don’t let you play with the ball. He’s able to do what he wants to do and not let you do what you want to do. He didn’t allow Manny Pacquiao to do what he wanted to do and he came out successful.

Do you expect Pacquiao to be the same that he was?

TIMOTHY BRADLEY: I’m sure his right hook will be better. But Manny Pacquiao pretty much does the same thing. He’s going to come forward and be the same Pacquiao we are always used to seeing being explosive with speed and looking to take guys out. He’s going to be the same dangerous Pacquiao we have always seen. I’m expecting a tough fight and I’m expecting a smart fight. I am not expecting any weaknesses from Manny Pacquiao.

Is there anything Pacquiao could surprise you guys with that would be out of the ordinary?

TIMOTHY BRADLEY: No, he does pretty much the same thing – I don’t think there is anything out of the ordinary. I don’t think he’s going to do a new wrinkle right away. He’s been fighting the same way since I have seen him. He knows me but I think I’m going to be a little different this time.

Manny hasn’t knocked anyone out in a while do you think he has been fighting cautiously?

TIMOTHY BRADLEY: I don’t know what it is. He hasn’t knocked anyone out in a long time. It could be the weight class – he has been fighting at 147 pounds – it could be that, but I’m not depending on any decline of Manny Pacquiao. If I beat Manny Pacquiao I already know what is going to be said – “Oh he was old” – but I know Pacquiao is still great and he still can fight. I’m not depending on Manny Pacquiao to be weak. I think he is going to be stronger than ever. He’s going to be motivated and he’s going to be looking to taking my head off.

You are going to have to move to make sure he doesn’t dictate the fight…

TIMOTHY BRADLEY: Yes, we have the game plan. I just have to go out there and execute the game plan. If I execute the game plan I will have no problem beating Manny Pacquiao just like I was able to beat Brandon Rios with the game plan. I trust everything that Teddy is telling me and teaching me. Teddy can instill everything that I need and I just go out and instill the game plan to win this fight. He has told me everything I need to know to win this fight and if I don’t go out there and do it I’m not going to win this fight.

Are you working together even more after the Rios fight?

TIMOTHY BRADLEY: Yes we are going off of what we started in the Rios fight. It’s funny you say that because after watching our sparring sessions or during sparring when I make mistakes I know exactly what I’m doing wrong before I am told. Teddy catches it and I do too at the same time and we correct it.

Is there anything you can to t help avoid the leg injuries you suffered in the last two fights?

TIMOTHY BRADLEY: I’m eating meat now so that’s a good thing. I’m back eating fish and chicken and a good steak every now and then and I think that has a lot to do with it. I just want to be able to fight this guy with a great game plan without being injured at all and see what happens.

Do you think this will be his last fight? Many are skeptical…

TIMOTHY BRADLEY: You know I don’t know and to be honest with you I really don’t care. If it is, so be it and if it isn’t then more power to him – whatever he wants to do. I don’t think about this being his last fight. I just know there is a fight on April 9. It’s a fight on April 9 that I want to win and I’m sure Teddy wants to win and we just have to do our job.

Can you evaluate Pacquiao before the Marquez KO and after?

TEDDY ATLAS: He has the same skill sets and the same dynamic abilities, speed, power – speed in his hands and speed in his legs. The same animal, maybe a touch more conservative and a touch more thoughtful since the last Marquez fight. That would be the only thing – he still has the same package of talent and the same moves.

What was your reaction to Pacquiao’s comments about gay people?

TIMOTHY BRADLEY: I don’t really want to get into any of that stuff. It’s pretty much irrelevant to boxing and what we are here to talk about – you can ask Pacquiao about that. But if you ask me a question about gay people – I love all people for what they are. I respect people for what they are. I judge people by their heart. If they just talk it and don’t show it then I don’t believe it – that’s what it’s all about. Show me. That’s the most important thing. I have a gay uncle that passed away and he had the biggest heart out of all of my uncles and I miss him to death and I still miss him today right now.

Is there some way you can avoid the leg injuries?

TIMOTHY BRADLEY: Overtraining – too much training on my legs. We don’t run like I did and we don’t do any of that stuff anymore. We’ve got it down to a science the way Teddy has this thing orchestrated. The way the workouts are spread out during the day and the proper rest, the rest at night, and the water intake – everything is all approved by Teddy – we are not making mistakes this time around.

Did the Vegan diet have any other affects on your body?

TIMOTHY BRADLEY: I need to fight a fight with two good legs so I said ‘darn it, I need to make a change.’ So I had to go back to eating meat. I feel the difference when I am in there fighting; I am recovering during my workouts. I think now I have all of the pieces to the puzzle. I have a great strength coach, I have a great nutritionist and I have a great trainer. I’ve got a great manager, which is my wife. I think I have all of my eggs in one basket – all the right pieces to the puzzle and it gives me the best opportunity to beat Manny Pacquiao.

How did the injuries limit you in the two fights?

TIMOTHY BRADLEY: Well, you are not only battling a dangerous guy and battling against yourself but you are battling against quitting. You think hitting is the easiest thing to do then it becomes the hardest thing to do. Quitting is not the easiest thing to do because quitting will stay with you for the rest of your life – you never get over it. It will always linger. That’s the hardest thing to do is to battle against quitting, letting go and fighting my fight and giving 110% no matter what is going on in that ring. That’s pretty much how I do it – never quit.

Did you see anything on film that you think led to Tim’s leg injuries?

TEDDY ATLAS: You never know going into a fight. Obviously if there was a slight injury going into the fight that was already leading into a problem with the leg. Obviously I wasn’t aware of that with Tim and with his camp if they had some prior problems going in maybe added to that situation. But when you are with a guy, I think Tim said it well, I think his diet and having more protein – the protein that comes from meat and fish – that very well may have been part of it, I’m sure it was part of it. Also you are dealing with a guy that if you do have a problem from a physical standpoint or the makings of a problem physically, maybe from the camp – you are dealing with a guy that gives you that kind of motion, that has the kind of wheels Manny has – it can put you out of position by adapting to him and staying with him and to adjust to him can put you in tenuous positions to defend yourself you are more prone to injury trying to stay with a guy like him.

Tim loves to train with a history of overtraining – how do you get the happy medium?

TEDDY ATLAS: First I understood that he had a 32nd birthday. I looked at the calendar and saw that he was 32 and it made sense to train a 32 year old – a five-time world champion – a little different than a 25-year old or 26 or 27. It is common sense just understanding with that kind of experience with those kinds of miles over the course of his career sometimes less is more. You do the same thing if you have a car – when it gets a little older you don’t take it on the highway 100 miles per hour – you don’t do that. You might bring it out fast on certain days but on other days you let it go at a more proper pace. It makes sense and I think sometimes in these fights there is tremendous pressure on everybody to be the most prepared. Sometimes you think the answer is to do more physical work and that’s where certain times you get comfortable – if I do more I’ll be OK. It’s like anything – there is a proper degree of everything. It’s a delicate balance – you have to pay attention to it and you have to understand it, be cognizant of it. You have to respect that. The human body is a very special machine and like any special machine it has to be worked properly. It has to be maintained properly. It has to be pushed properly and it has to be regulated properly. Too much of anything can be a negative. Like I said, you have to very aware of the right amount and what can be the wrong amount. I always say to him ‘we have an eight-week training camp, keep logs on the fire,’ we have to make sure that we will still have enough logs to burn at the end of training camp. That’s my philosophy.

When you heard what Manny said, did you think to yourself ‘this could be a distraction that we need?’

TIMOTHY BRADLEY: Teddy can answer that

TEDDY ATLAS: Thanks a lot Tim. To me, it was similar to use a fighter on how they deal with adversity or how they deal with distractions. The prime example would be Floyd Mayweather Jr. His whole career has been full of what you guys would always ask before almost every fight at some juncture ‘do you think it will be a distraction’ and then he got past the fight and the next thing would happen, the next situation – ‘do you think it’s going to be a distraction?’ He’s able to live in a world of distraction; he liked to live in a world that is chaos for someone else. Some people have that ability, that mental toughness, whatever you want to call it. Manny has exhibited the same thing. Manny, throughout his career there has been many things around him. Whether it was a singing career – even though I didn’t think he was a great singer, a religious conversion or stronger beliefs to his religion which he was going through or the personal situation which everyone has; politics which he is involved in. Everybody asks and people forget now – none of that ever affected him, influenced him or affected him in a negative way. When that happened I will tell you I was one person that didn’t think it was going to be a distraction or an advantage to us at all. It’s another thing that at the end of the day, Manny will handle. Manny will get in the ring, when it’s April 9, and be a southpaw standing across the ring from us who is very fast with his hands and his feet and is very explosive, and that will be it.

TIMOTHY BRADLEY: All I would say is ‘Dang, I hope he’s not messing up the promotion!’

Do you think your war of words with Freddie Roach is helping the promotion?

TEDDY ATLAS: No, I don’t think any of that stuff helps. It comes down to the professionalism of the fighters. They are the ones that the focus should be on. I didn’t ask for this to come about or to grow into the ways that it has. I made myself a promise and that was to be as restrained as I could be and with it when it was appropriate. When it was appropriate to respond, I responded but I did not fire the first shot across the bow and I waited awhile before I responded. If it helps the promotion, I’m not going out of my way – I’m never going to do things that I feel I am not comfortable with or embarrass my family or my fighter or put any of them in a poor light or position – I wouldn’t do that to promote a fight or help a fight but at the end of the day if some of those responses help the promotion that’s a good thing because without the promoters, I understood that since I started with Cus D’Amato always reminding me to help the promoters in any way you can because without that there is no place for your fighter to ply his trade. Again, it wasn’t in any thought that was I’m going to do this for this effect or to sell more pay-per-view buys – it was just a matter at some point my responding appropriately if I could under the circumstances. I could tell you now that I would have preferred that if it wasn’t initiated we wouldn’t have to talk about this at all and I try not to because the focus is the fighters. It’s the two fighters that get in the ring to take the risk. It’s the two fighters that have the most on the line and at the end of the day that should be understood.

You have been known for mostly training heavyweights – is there a difference training a welterweight?

TEDDY ATLAS: Yes, about 75 pounds (laughs). Other than that, sometimes heavyweights are a little bit more temperamental. I don’t know if that’s fair but it’s fair to me because I’ve been down that road and I find that they can be a little more temperamental sometimes – I don’t know if it’s proper to say privileged – but they are heavyweights. They don’t have to watch their weight, they get a lot of attention and the light’s been on them a lot and they’ve been brought up in a way where, I don’t want to say spoiled but all the things I just said you kind of get the idea. It makes sense – a guy that gets a lot of attention and everyone wants to see the heavyweights and to a certain extent when people think about the great sport of boxing they ask, ‘who’s the heavyweight champion? What happened with the heavyweight champs and how come they are all over in Europe? How come we don’t have more in America.’ So that question is asked, but it’s been the small guys like Timmy, like Mayweather and Sugar Ray Leonard back in the day too. There have been guys like Manny that have captured the attention of this sport to a great extent over the last few years that we haven’t done real well at the heavyweights at least on the America side. There’s always intrigue – there is always a curiosity in the big fights and they get that attention and coddled up to a little bit more where people pay a little bit more attention to them and that creates a certain temperamental balance that you have to deal with from an emotional side. Smaller guys haven’t had that coddling – they are just ready to go in and do what they’ve got to do. I think the way small guys are brought up with a little less of that attention sometimes they are a little less sensitive – put it that way. Although Timmy is a little sensitive (Bradley laughing), I will say that – but all in a great, great way. I guess at the end of the day, what I am trying to say, is that everyone pays their dues in this business, but the smaller guys may pay their debt to a larger amount. They may start paying it a little earlier.

How does it feel to be a full time trainer again?

TEDDY ATLAS: The timing is good that I don’t have an obligation to ESPN at this moment. I don’t have another ESPN fight until June it looks like so there was the gratuitous timing of that and I am appreciative that I don’t have to worry about that. I think, that aside, when you concentrate fully on the training you know it’s a worry business and concern business. When you have the trust of a fighter, something that is so difficult that can be so sudden and can be dangerous. When you have the trust and you have the responsibility of that, you don’t think about the relief of not having to do an ESPN show – when you are engrossed in the reality, that responsibility that you have of a person that puts his trus in your hands and you better not screw it up. At least for me, that’s on me every day – every morning and every night, ‘am I doing it right for this kid,’ and it’s a lot harder than doing broadcasting. I am very privileged and I’m blessed for the chance to do broadcasting, That they would let me do it, that ESPN would let me do it for 18 years now and the people out there would let me come into their living rooms – I’m blessed and I know that and that’s a responsibility too but it pales in the weight and the size of the responsibility and the burden of taking care of a fighter and caring about what’s going to happen with that fighter when he gets inside the ring and hope that for eight weeks you can get it right. You can have a football team and all of those coaches are great; and baseball and basketball but you could have four or five guys and things can go wrong and you still win the game. And if you don’t win the game, guess what? You go at it again the next day or the next week. We’ve got one shot at this – one person, one man – and that’s something to consider and it takes up your thoughts all day long when you are in camp. As much a responsibility that doing a broadcast is, it’s a lot heavier than that.

In Closing…

TODD duBOEF: It was terrific to hear from them. Obviously everybody can hear their voices and hear the enthusiasm that they’ve got something really good going on right now and you can talk to Monica and talk to Tim and hear it in their voice and see it in Teddy they are really getting prepared for this and they only have the last couple weeks to get ready. You are talking about a Hall of Fame fighter that is going to try and go out there and settle the score in the third fight. They are not taking anything for granted and I think we are going to see a terrific fight on April 9.

TEDDY ATLAS: We know what’s in front of us. We know the difficulty of what’s in front of us and we’ll be prepared for it

TIMOTHY BRADLEY: I just want to thank my team again and my kids and my brother in law and everyone that helps make this possible for me. I want to thank Teddy and I want to thank his family and his kids as well. I want to thank my father. I want to thank Top Rank once again for believing in me and for bringing me back once again – our business relationship and our family relationship – we are a family. I love being a part of Top Rank and I love being a part of this promotion – they are a great organization and promotional company. HBO, the best in boxing – I want to thank them for bringing me back and believing in me and giving me this opportunity. And Manny Pacquiao. And tune in April 9 and after the fight we come out victorious.

# # #

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with MP Promotions and Tecate, the Manny Pacquiao – Tim Bradley championship event will take place on Saturday, April 9, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT. The pay-per-view undercard will feature World Boxing Organization (WBO) super middleweight world champion “King” ARTHUR ABRAHAM defending his title against undefeated No. 1 contender and mandatory challenger GILBERTO “Zurdo” RAMIREZ, undefeated No. 1 WBO featherweight contender and two-time Mexican Olympian ÓSCAR VALDEZ defending his NABO featherweight title against former International Boxing Federation (IBF) featherweight world champion EVGENY GRADOVICH and 2012 U.S. Olympian JOSE RAMÍREZ defending his World Boxing Council (WBC) Continental Americas super lightweight title against MANNY PEREZ. The Abraham vs. Ramirez world championship fight is co-promoted by Sauerland Event and Zapari Boxing Promotions.

Remaining Tickets to Pacquiao vs. Bradley are priced at $1,204, $804, $604, $404, $254 and $154, not including applicable service fees. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available for purchase at mgmgrand.com or ticketmaster.com.

Managua, Nicaragua (March 17, 2016) Consensus #1 Pound-for-Pound Fighter and World Boxing Council Flyweight Champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, 44-0 (38KO’s) has moved his training camp from Managua, Nicaragua to Costa Rica this week as he continues preparation for his world title defense against former world title challenger McWilliams Arroyo, 16-2 (14KO’s) at UNDEFEATED on Saturday, April 23 at the Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles, California.

The Gonzalez/Arroyo clash is the co-featured bout to the World Middleweight Championship between Boxing Superstar and Unified Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, 34-0 (31KO’s) and mandatory challenger Dominic Wade, 18-0 (12KO’s). Both bouts will be televised Live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Gonzalez’s camp includes his longtime trainer Arnulfo Obando, co-trainer Wilmer Hernandez and father Luis Gonzalez.

Roman Gonzalez

“This is a big opportunity for Arroyo. He feels like he should already be champion from his close, split decision loss to Amnat Ruenroeng and I know how strong and well prepared he will be for this fight. This is a big test and very important fight for me.”

“Moving camp to Costa Rica at this time makes sense, the sparring there is better and the location allows me to completely focus on the fight without any distractions.”

“It’s very exciting to return to the Forum and also to fight once again on HBO. I’m honored that my fans from all over can attend or watch my fights, it’s what I’ve always wanted for my career. Also fighting in the same venue where my idol Alexis Arguello was successful means a great deal to me.” Arguello won all four of his fights at the Forum.

“I get asked a great deal about the rematch with Estrada but for now I have a very tough fight in front of me against McWilliams Arroyo on April 23 and I’m fully focused on this.”

“The distinction of being #1 Pound-for-Pound Fighter is a great honor, I hope to continue to please the fans and media with my performances.”

Golovkin vs. Wade is promoted by K2 Promotions, GGG Promotions and in association with TGB Promotions. Gonzalez vs. McWilliams is presented by K2 Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions and PR Best Boxing Promotions.

Tickets for the April 23rd event, priced at $400, $300, $200, $100, $60 and $30, are now on sale through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000) and the Forum Box Office.

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

Follow on Twitter at Gennady Golovkin @GGGBoxing, Dominic Wade @_DomoWade,
Roman Gonzalez @chocolatitobox, Tom Loeffler/K2 Promotions @TomLoeffler1, TGB Promotions @TGBpromotions, the Forum @theForum and HBO Boxing @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/GGGBoxing, www.facebook.com/TheForum and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.

Use the hashtags #GolovkinWade and #GonzalezArroyo to join the conversations on social media.

KRAKOW, Poland (March 17, 2016) – Arguably the greatest Polish fighter of all-time, two-division world champion Tomasz “Goral” Adamek, will be in a crossroads fight April 2 vs. former world title challenger Eric “Drummer Boy” Molina, airing on pay per view in North America, live from Tauron Arena in Krakow, Poland.

The 39-year-old Adamek (50-4, 30 KOs) should be inserted into the new heavyweight title mix with an impressive victory over Molina (24-3, 18 KOs), who gave World Boxing Council (WBC) champion Deontay Wilder a scare last June in the world title fight, in their International Boxing Federation (IBF) Inter-Continental heavyweight showdown. Adamek, however, could possibly hang up his gloves for good if upset-minded Molina ruins the expected Polish celebration.

“I don’t want to just win,” Adamek said. “Along with my trainer, Roger Bloodworth, we want my fans to see a fighter who is in the ring to battle, not take a paycheck. My career is ending; no point of saving myself for the future. I will be in the ring to give people all I have. It’s a promise.”

North American residents will be able to purchase the fight for pay-per-view via iN Demand, DIRECTV, DISH Network, and Vubiquity in the United States, as well as Rogers TV, Bell TV and SaskTel in Canada, for a suggested retail price of only $29.95. Please contact your local cable or satellite provider for more information. In addition, the fight is available in North America for purchase on-line at www.Eversport.TV and via the FITE.TV app for both Android and iOS. This event is presented in Poland by Polsat, as part of the Polsat Boxing Night series, as well as Main Events and Don King Productions.

Adamek has been a fan favorite throughout the boxing world since turning pro in 1999, not only in Poland but in America as well, primarily in Chicago and New Jersey markets, because he’s never in a bad fight. Adamek always gives fans their money’s worth, whether he was fighting as a light heavyweight, cruiserweight or heavyweight.

“I understand that this fight is on pay per view,” Adamek said. “Boxing fans want and deserve a fight they can be excited about. Styles make fights and knowing the way Eric fights, we can be sure that no one will be disappointed.”

Known and admired for his aggressive style and solid chin – Adamek has been stopped only once in 54 pro fights by the great Vitali Klitschko – Adamek fully embodies Polish Power and his passionate fans firmly remain in his corner. Sporting a 6-2 (3 KOs) record in world title fights, Adamek captured his first world title in 2005, taking a 12-round decision from Paul Briggs (23-1) for the vacant WBC light heavyweight crown. Adamek successfully defended his WBC 175-pound division twice, versus Thomas Ulrich (28-1) and in a rematch with Briggs.

In 2008, Adamek won a 12-round decision against defending IBF cruiserweight champion Steve Cunningham (21-1), followed by back-to-back title defense victories against undefeated challenger Jonathon Banks (20-0) and Bobby Gunn (21-3-1), respectively, by 8th and 4th-round technical knockouts.

Adamek then decided to move up to fight as a heavyweight, originally stopping fellow Pole and four-time world heavyweight title challenger Andrew Golota (41-7-1) in the 5th round for the vacant IBF International championship. Adamek went on to defeat 2004 US Olympian Jason Estrada (16-2), world title challengers Chris Arreola (28-1) and Michael Grant (46-3), tough Vinny Maddalone (33-6) and 1992 Irish Olympian Kevin McBride (35-8-1). Adamek, who added the NABO title belt to his collection with his win over Arreola, earned his first world heavyweight title shot September 10, 2011 versus reigning WBC champion Klitschko (42-2), who finished the game Pole in the 11th round.

Adamek rebounded with wins over quality heavyweight opponents such as Nagy Aguilera (17-6), Eddie Chambers (36-2), Travis Walker (38-7-1), Cunningham (25-4) again and Dominick Guinn (34-9-1). Adamek’s last fight was Sept. 26, 2015, in which he forced Przemyslaw Saleta (44-7) to retire after five rounds.

The Apr. 2nd pay-per-view telecast will also include several key undercard bouts, including a 10-round cruiserweight fights between world top-10 ranked contender and former European titlist Mateusz “Master” Masternak (36-4, 26 KOs) vs. Eric “Danger” Fields (24-3, 16 KOs) and Michael Cieslak (11-0, 7 KOs) vs. former two-time world title challenger Francisco “The Wizard” Palacios (23-3, 14 KOs). Additional PPV bouts will soon be announced.

One of the world’s best young heavyweight prospects, Hughie Fury, has signed a promotional agreement with Hall of Fame Promoter Frank Warren.

The exciting and undefeated Manchester star will have his first fight under the new deal on the undercard of Billy Joe Saunders’ WBO World Middleweight title defence against “Mad” Max Bursak on Saturday 30th April at the Copper Box Arena, London, exclusively live on BoxNation.

The 21-year-old, who is the younger cousin of Unified World Heavyweight Champion Tyson, has a fight lined up first at Wembley Arena against Nagy Aguilera where he aims to take his perfect record to 19-0 and then it’s full steam ahead as he works towards a world title and join Tyson.

With the heavyweight division in a new era after the Klitschko brothers long dominance, Fury is in a perfect position to capitalise as he also eyes showdowns against British rivals David Haye and Anthony Joshua, who he believes he has the beating of.

Fury has ripped through the division with his devastating, all-action, style that has seen him halt 10 out of 18 opponents early with eight coming inside three rounds and is looking to make a big impact at the Copper Box Arena.

“I’m delighted to be featuring on Boxnation I boxed on their shows in the past and really enjoyed the experience. I am going to make a big impact over the next few years and join my cousin Tyson at the very top of the sport. Thank you Boxnation and look forward to the 30th April and future fights.” Enthused Hughie.

Warren said, “Hughie is one of the best and most exciting young heavyweight prospects in the world and I’m thrilled to sign him. He wants to fight regularly and for a heavyweight talent of his potential that’s essential as he closes in on a world title. The division is certainly opening up with plenty of opportunities and Hughie is going to figure dominantly in the next few years.”

Hughie’s father Peter, who trains him alongside Tyson, said, “We’re delighted at Team Fury for Hughie Lewis Fury to be fighting on the Frank Warren and Boxnation show on the 30th April on the Billy Joe Saunders bill. We look forward to future fights with Boxnation with Hughie who is without doubt a future superstar in the sport.”

WBO World Middleweight Champion Billy Joe Saunders makes the first defence of his title against “Mad” Max Bursak and headlines an action-packed card that also features: The Vacant European Cruiserweight title between Ovill McKenzie v Dmytro Kucher; Ryan Walsh defends his British Featherweight Championship against James Tennyson. The full undercard will released shortly.

Tickets priced at £30, £40, £60, £80, £100, £150, £200 are available from See Tickets 0871 230 7148 and www.seetickets.com, Eventim 0844 249 1000 and www.eventim.co.uk, Ticketmaster 0844 8440 444 and www.ticketmaster.co.uk

The Channel Of Champions, BoxNation, will televise live and exclusive on Sky 437/HD 490, Virgin 546, TalkTalk 415 and Freeview 255. Subscribe at www.boxnation.com or watch online at watch.boxnation.com and via iPhone, iPad or Android and Amazon devices.

Kevin Bizier says he will pile the pressure on Kell Brook when he challenges for the IBF World Welterweight title at the Sheffield Arena on March 26, live on Sky Sports.

Bizier is the second mandatory challenger that Brook has defended his title against, and like the first, Jo Jo Dan, 31 year old Bizier also hails from Canada.

Brook dismissed the test of Dan inside four rounds at his Sheffield fortress last March and one year on, Bizier says he will leave everything in the ring as he aims to rip the title from the champion.

“I’m going to give 100 per cent on March 26,” said Bizier. “I will give everything in the ring for this fight. I don’t want to regret anything, I don’t want to leave that ring knowing I didn’t give it all when fighting for a World title.

“To win rounds and spoil Brook’s party, I’ll have to apply constant pressure to him and get in his face. I’ve worked a lot on my inside work as I cannot stay at the end of his jab.

“Brook is a big hitter who manages distance well, I’ll have to get into the pocket. Boxing inside will give me a better chance to win.

“I know the fans are going to scream for him, but I will block that out. If Brook gets carried away by the emotion of the crowd, it could play into my hands – I intend to give value for money.”

Bizier’s clash with Brook is part of a huge night of action in Sheffield as Luke Campbell MBE returns to the ring, facing fellow Yorkshireman Gary Sykes for the vacant Commonwealth Lightweight title.

Adam Etches is straight back into title action on the card, Sheffield Heavyweights Dave Allen and Richard Towers clash in a British title eliminator and Andy Townend meets Craig Poxton for the English Super-Featherweight title.

Tickets priced at £40, £60, £80, £100 and £150 are on sale now from the Sheffield Arena on 0114 2565656 and at www.sheffieldarena.co.uk. VIP tickets priced at £250 are exclusively available from www.matchroomboxing.com.

Tickets for March 26 are also available from http://www.stubhub.co.uk/matchroom-boxing-tickets/ – StubHub is the official ticket partner and marketplace of Matchroom Boxing.

17 March 2016 – Yangon, Myanmar: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), announced today that the mixed martial artists competing at ONE: UNION OF WARRIORS are on track with their weights and are expected to be ready for all the action which takes place tomorrow evening, 18 March, at Thuwanna Indoor Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar. Main event fighters “The Burmese Python” Aung La N Sang of Myanmar and Egypt’s Mohamed Ali are all set for the headline bout.

Visit the official ONE: UNION OF WARRIORS face-off gallery by clicking: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/92amxnc7jtxm8z5/AAAyRdwpf7rQaZK6UaDrGTNDa?dl=0

CEO of ONE Championship, Victor Cui stated: “Just like true professionals, our ONE Championship athletes are on track with their weight management. Their dedication to perform at their best is truly remarkable. Yangon, get ready for an evening of world-class mixed martial arts action as we rock the Thuwanna Indoor Stadium with an awesome night of fights!”

Aung La N Sang stated: “Walking into the Thuwanna Indoor Stadium in front of my people is going to be an amazing feeling. I can just imagine all the loud cheering. It’s going to be the best feeling, and I’m going to use that to my advantage. All my family that’s still in Myanmar will be there, all my high school friends, and all my schoolmates. It’s going to be pretty crazy.”

Mohamed Ali stated: “Fighting in ONE Championship is a great opportunity for me and I dream of one day becoming champion, but my story has just begun. I will do my absolute best in the cage on fight night, and I hope to get the victory. I know it won’t be easy, but I’m well prepared and ready.”

COMPLETE WEIGH-IN RESULTS

MAIN EVENT
Middleweight bout (84.0kg – 93.0kg): Aung La N Sang VS Mohamed Ali

MAIN CARD
Flyweight bout (56.8kg – 61.2kg): Adriano Moraes VS Eugene Toquero
Bantamweight bout (61.3kg – 65.8kg): Tha Pyay Nyo VS Kyal Sin Phyo
Catchweight bout (73kg): Christian Lee VS Anthony Engelen
Lightweight bout (70.4kg – 77.1kg): Thway Thit Aung VS Kyal Linn Aung
Strawweight bout (52.3kg – 56.7kg): Alex Silva VS Robin Catalan
Featherweight bout (65.9kg – 70.3kg): Saw L Lay VS Phoe Thaw

FACEBOOK LIVESTREAM
Featherweight bout (65.9kg – 70.3kg): Jordan Lucas VS Edward Kelly
Bantamweight bout (61.3kg – 65.8kg): Nay Ruby VS Thar A Thel Ta Puin
Lightweight bout (70.4kg – 77.1kg): Ye Yint Aung VS Yan Naing Aung

Fans from around the world can witness the action online via live streaming at http://www.onefc.com/livestream. The event will be available for purchase at just US$9.99.

For more updates on ONE Championship™, please visit www.onefc.com and follow Twitter and Instagram @ONEFCMMA and Facebook at www.facebook.com/ONEFCMMA.

*A final weigh-in will take place three (3) hours before the event to ensure athletes are on target and properly hydrated.

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 best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Championship™ has partnered with FOX and STAR Sports for an unprecedented 10-year cable television deal with a coverage that spans 70+ countries across the world.

LONDON (17 MARCH) Nick ‘Bang Bang’ Blackwell has hit back at Chris Eubank for labelling him ‘bland’ and pouring scorn on his reign as British middleweight champion.

Earlier this week Eubank Jr. claimed Blackwell’s tenure as British champion didn’t do the famous Lonsdale belt justice, but Blackwell, who defends his belt for the third time against Eubank Jr. on March 26 at The SSE Arena, Wembley, finds this laughable.

“He’s talking nonsense as always,” said Blackwell. “I don’t play much attention to him. He just wants people talking about him and, to do that, he’ll say the most stupid stuff possible.

“If we’re talking about doing the British title a disservice, how could anybody possibly look up to Chris Eubank Jr? He’s the furthest thing from a role model you can get. People talk about him in boxing but not for the right reasons. They never have anything good to say about him. You never hear someone say, ‘Oh, yeah, he’s a decent guy.’

“If some young kid was getting into boxing and the first boxer they came across was Chris Eubank Jr., they’d be put off the sport for life. They’d think every boxer was as arrogant, big-headed and unlikeable as him.

“If he was to ever get lucky enough to win a British title – and I don’t think he ever will – it will be a sad day.”

Though both middleweights insist they hold nothing against the other – that it’s not personal – tensions are clearly running high and Blackwell’s main issue with Eubank Jr. stems from a belief he’s putting on an act.

“He’s always trying to be someone he’s not,” said Blackwell. “He could actually be a nice kid if he cut the apron strings and was himself a bit more. But he’s told what to say by his father and he’s always in performance mode. There’s nothing real about him.

“He’s taking bad advice from people. They all think they’ve got the game sussed but the facts don’t back it up. He’s not popular, he can’t sell tickets and people only ever talk about him negatively. That’s okay if you’re going to be Floyd Mayweather, but he’s not. He comfortably lost to Billy Joe Saunders.

“He still thinks he beat Billy Joe Saunders, too. He’s deluded. Billy Joe boxed his head off for the first six or seven rounds, won every one of them, and then his fitness let him down. If he’d been fitter, he’d have won every round.

“You’d think a defeat like that would make Eubank Jr. a bit more humble and realise he’s nothing special, but it doesn’t seem to have worked.”

The British champion added: “I never take a fight personally. I don’t particularly like Eubank Jr. or his attitude, but I don’t take any of his nonsense personally. He doesn’t offend me or hurt me in any way. I just don’t agree with the way he goes about things.

“Hate is a strong word and I don’t know enough about the real Chris Eubank Jr. to say I hate him. All I have to go on is a persona he and his father have created. He’s a fake.

“When we fight we’ll find out who the real Chris Eubank Jr. is. He won’t have his father doing the talking for him, and he won’t have him doing the fighting for him, either. It will just be me and him in there.

“He might say I’m a bland fighter and say this is going to be an easy fight – and I’m sure he’s looking past me – but deep down he knows this is going to be the toughest fight of his life. We’ll see what sort of fighter and man he really is on March 26.”

*** Tickets for the British middleweight title blockbuster between Nick ‘Bang Bang’ Blackwell and Chris Eubank Jr. are priced at £35, £50, £75, £175, £200 and £250 for ringside and can be purchased online at ssearena.co.uk and axs.com or by phoning the SSE Arena, Wembley Box Office on 0844 815 0815 ***

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Big time boxing returns to Stockholm on April 23 when the Nordic Fight Night hits the Hovet! IBF Intercontinental Champion Erik Skoglund (24-0, 11 KOs) takes on the tough South African Ryno Liebenberg (17-2, 12 KOs).

Skoglund has been at the forefront of the revival in Swedish professional boxing. Last September, the 24 year-old from Nyköping made history when defending his IBF title against Oleksandr Cherviak – the first fight over championship distance on Swedish soil since the ban on professional boxing in 1969.

Three months later, the ‘Swedish Sensation’ returned with a one-sided points victory over the American knockout specialist Derek Edwards – the only man to have beaten current Swedish World Champion Badou Jack.

Now, Skoglund must prepare for his next challenge, a twelve-round battle with the 31 year-old South African Ryno Liebenberg, who is coming to Stockholm full of confidence, believing he has the beating of the IBF Intercontinental Champion.

‘’Erik can run, but he can’t hide. I’m coming for him,’’ says Liebenberg, who has been vocal about his desire to face the Swedish star.

‘’The South African fans know me: I come to fight from the beginning to the end, and will do everything it takes to get the decision. Erik is well-schooled, well-rounded boxer, but I’m confident I can beat him!

‘’I’ll prepare for this fight the same way I always do, with lots of hard work. The only change is I’m doing more running because I think Skoglund will be doing lots of running in the ring trying to keep out of range from my punches.’’

Skoglund, who is already four weeks into his training camp, expects his South African opponent to provide a stern test, but plans to prove he is ready for a World title challenge with his first victory of 2016.

‘’Ryno is a tough opponent,’’ says Skoglund. ‘’He’s more of a brawler than a boxer, but he is a dangerous fighter. He’s strong and he can punch. It will be a good test for me.

‘’He’s been up against some of the best. He did a really good job against Tommy Oosthuizen, which ended in a split decision, and I think if I put in a good performance and get a clear decision, it will show that I’m ready for a World title challenge.

‘’We brought professional boxing back to Sweden last year, but now, we need big shows like this in the capital city to build more interest. I’m looking forward to fighting in Stockholm at the Hovet.

‘’I’m sure lots of my fans from Nyköping will travel to support me, and I hope people from Stockholm and all over Sweden will get behind me as well, as this is going to be another great night for Swedish boxing!’’

Promoter Nisse Sauerland is pleased to be hosting his first show in Stockholm and is promising fans an action-packed night of boxing at the Hovet.

‘’We’re delighted to be bringing the Nordic Fight Night to Stockholm,’’ said Sauerland. ‘’The Hovet is a fantastic venue and will provide the perfect setting for an evening of World-class boxing action.

‘’Erik Skoglund faces another tough test against Ryno Liebenberg, who is a serious opponent and will be coming to Stockholm to win. He will need to bring his A-game or could find himself in trouble, but a win for Erik would be a big statement and bring him closer to the big fights he craves.

‘’Alongside our main event, we will be bringing fans another championship contest and a full undercard showcasing the very best of Swedish boxing. This is out first show in the capital and we plan to make it one to remember.’’

Further information about the big Team Sauerland show in Stockholm on April 23 at the Hovet including ticket details and undercard announcements will be released shortly.

BETHLEHEM, PA. (March 16, 2016) – Lightweight contender Ivan Redkach (19-1, 15 KOs) will face-off against Puerto Rico’s Luis Cruz (22-4, 16 KOs) in a 10-round headlining event on Tuesday, April 19 on Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) TOE-TO-TOE TUESDAYS on FS1 and BOXEO DE CAMPEONES on FOX Deportes from Sands Bethlehem Events Center in Bethlehem, Pa.

Televised coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features a pair of exciting eight-round middleweight showdowns pitting top rising prospects and contenders. Brawling 160-pound prospect Immanuwel Aleem (15-0, 9 KOs) takes on Jonathan Cepeda (17-1, 15 KOs) while Delaware’s Kyrone Davis (10-0, 4 KOs) will face Dominican Olympian Junior Castillo (9-0, 9 KOs).

“I am really looking forward to headlining this event on April 19,” said Redkach. “I know that I have a strong opponent, but I am determined to impress the fans and show that I am ready to challenge the elite in my division. I’ve trained very hard and I’m ready to fight.”

“I plan on rejuvenating my career with this fight,” said Cruz. “This is an interesting fight and I’ve been training really hard. Redkach is a tough fighter, but it is nothing that I haven’t seen before. I want to get this big win. It’s now or never for me.”

“This is a terrific card and we are once again happy to be working with FS1, FOX Deportes and the Sands Bethlehem on a great event,” said Marshall Kauffman of King’s Promotions. “There are three great televised fights with Redkach-Cruz, Aleem-Cepeda and two undefeated guys in Davis and Castillo in what should be an explosive fight. Those three guys have a combined record of 92-6 with 68 knockouts, so expect three competitive and entertaining fights.”

“This is Ivan’s second fight since his tough loss to Dejan Zlaticanin,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “He’ll be facing a tough kid in Luis Cruz, but these are the kinds of opponents that will help Redkach get his career back on track. I am confident that he will emerge victorious and will seek the best fights for him as he rises up the rankings toward a world title opportunity.”

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by King’s Promotions in association with DiBella Entertainment, are priced at $108, $83 and $58, not including applicable service charges and taxes and are on sale now. Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com. To charge by phone call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000.

Born in Ukraine but fighting out of Los Angeles, Redkach began boxing at the age of six and has put together an impressive career since turning pro in 2009. The 30-year-old owns victories over Tony Luis, Sergey Gulyakevich, Yakubu Amidu and most recently knocked out Erick Daniel Martinez in October.

Fighting out of Las Piedras, Puerto Rico, Cruz is coming off of a decision victory over Roberto Acevedo in November. He owns victories over Martin Honorio, Hevinson Herrera and Yogli Herrera in a career that dates back to 2007.

Born in East Meadow, New Jersey but fighting out of Richmond, Virginia, Aleem was introduced to boxing from a young age by his parents. Since turning pro in 2012 at age 18, the 22-year-old has wiped out all of the competition in front of him. In 2015, he dominated Emmanuel Sanchez, David Toribio and Oscar Riojas before winning a hard fought decision over Carlos Galvan in December.

Originally from New Jersey, Cepeda relocated to West Palm Beach, Florida at 16-years-old and had a brief but successful 22-3 amateur record, with all three of his loses coming to middleweight champion Daniel Jacobs. He won two Florida Golden Gloves titles and reached a National Golden Gloves semifinal. Cepeda has won five fights in a row including two stoppage victories in 2015.

The first Delaware-native to win multiple national amateur championships, Davis was a National PAL winner along with his victory at the national Adidas tournament. A fighter since he was eight-years-old, Davis turned pro in 2014 and has dominated his competition including five victories in 2015.

The 29-year-old Castillo made his U.S. debut in December 2015 with a first round knockout of Rolando Nagy and followed it up later that month by stopping Eduardo Flores. Fighting out of Higuey, Dominican Republic, he represented his home country in the 2012 Olympics.

For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com www.sandseventcenter.com, http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/homepage and www.foxdeportes.com.

Follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @IRedkach, @FS1, @TheSBEC, @FoxDeportes and @Swanson_Comm and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/foxdeportes and www.Facebook.com/the SBEC. Highlights available at www.youtube.com/premierboxingchampions.

SAN DIEGO (March 16, 2016) – “Relentless” Antonio Orozco (23-0, 15 KOs), one of the top contenders in the sport, hosted a media workout today in San Diego’s House of Boxing ahead of his match-up against former WBA Super Lightweight World Champion Miguel “Aguacerito” Acosta (29-8-2, 23 KOs) on March 25. The 10-round welterweight fight will be broadcasted live nationally on Boxeo Estelar on Estrella TV, from Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif.

Orozco was last seen in the ring when he defeated former three-division world champion Humberto “La Zorrita” Soto on the undercard of Matthysse vs. Postol on Oct. 3, 2015. This victory elevated Orozco to on the top 10 of his division by the WBC, WBO, WBA and IBF and also landed him on the pound-for-pound lists of ESPN, Sports Illustrated, The Ring Magazine and USA Today’ Boxing Junkie in his division. Orozco is back and ready to step back in the ring to gain a shot at a world title in 2016. Below is what the fighter and his trainer Carlos Barragan had to say about his upcoming fight:

“RELENTLESS” ANTONIO OROZCO, Welterweight Contender:

“I am ready to give all the fans a great fight on March 25. Since my fight with Humberto Soto I have excited to get into the ring and show the fans a great night of boxing.

“I know this is my opportunity to show I am ready for the world title shot in 2016 and I promise I will not disappoint. I have been training to make sure I am victorious.

“We know that Acosta is a former champion and is going to come prepared. At this point of my career every opponent has to be taken seriously and we know he will be dangerous. Our job is to make sure we are more prepared and more dangerous.

CARLOS BARRAGAN, Trainer to Antonio Orozco:

“Antonio is very excited to retun to the ring after his victory against Humberto “La Zorritta” Soto. We are prepared and trust our team, Frank Espinoza and Golden Boy Promotions. They understand the sport and are very successful in the sport. We know that big things are coming for Antonio this year.

“This has been a great training camp. We learned a lot from fighting an elite champion like Humberto Soto and we have made a few adjustments to make sure Antonio is prepared for any fight. We have been working on speed and movement, making sure that his sparring partners are challenging him to work on his defense.

“Acosta is a tough fighter who has a lot of power. We are training to beat the best Miguel Acosta the one that beat Urbano Antillo and claimed the world championship.

Tickets for the event are on sale now and are priced at $45, $35, $25 and can be purchased at the Fantasy Springs Box Office, by calling (800) 827-2946 or online at www.fantasyspringsresort.com.

Antonio Orozco vs. Miguel Acosta is a 10-round super bantamweight boutpresented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, BORN BOLD. 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, March 25 at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT., and will stream live simultaneously on estrellaTV.com and on YouTube via Fenomeno Studios: youtube.com/FenomenoStudios. The Ring TV live stream will begin at approximately 5:30 p.m. PT through 7:00 p.m.

Brooklyn, NY (March 16, 2016) – Even the very best in the business experience setbacks and get faced with choice time. Can I learn from my mistake and turn a negative into a positive?

Alex Miskirtchian found himself enjoying his momentum up the featherweight ladder before he hit a pothole in the road last summer. The Georgia-born fighter with a 26-4-1 mark got caught by vet Cornelius Lock and had to assess himself.

He did so, and licked his wounds and got back to work. The Belgium resident, who has mostly fought in his home-land, rebounded with a win in December and is being rewarded for his perseverance with an IBF intercontinental championship opportunity.

Miskirtchian, promoted by Brooklyn’s Dmitriy Salita, will fight Vireol Simion on March 18, for a crack at that crown.

“Alex is fighting for a title but more importantly for a chance to come back to the top of the division,” Salita said.

“He learned from his US experience, against Lock, took a break and came back with extra motivation to again make a world title run. I believe Alex will put on one of his best performances in this upcoming fight. He has a great team with manager Alain Vanackère and I believe the result will be a positive one on March 18th.”

The fight against the 19-1 Romanian Viorel will unfold in Bucharest, the capital of Romania, so Miskirtchian will need to fight his best brand of boxing that evening. His promoter, Salita, has faith in him.

“Salita Promotions boxers are making more and more noise, around the world,” the promoter said. “I am proud of our growth and of the efforts of the fine athletes like Miskirtchian who fight for Salita Promotions!”

TOKYO – March 16, 2016– RIZIN FF, the combat sports promotion led by former PRIDE FC head Nobuyuki Sakakibara, announced during a press conference today, the return of all-time fan favorite Kazuyuki “Ol’ Ironhead” Fujita (15-10), who will take on recent RIZIN FF Grand Prix tournament runner-up and dangerous knockout artist Jiri “Denisa” Prochazka (16-3-1), in a heavyweight Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) contest at the 10,000 capacity Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya, Japan on Sunday, April 17.

Also announced today for the “Top Presents RIZIN Fighting Federation I” extravaganza next month, was a flyweight (125 pounds) matchup between submission ace Allan “Puro Osso” Nascimento (14-3) and red-hot champion Yuki Motoya (15-4, 1 NC).

Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Jiri Prochazka

During his memorable 16-year career in the fight game, the 6-foot, 45-year-old Fujita of Funabashi, Chiba, Japan has collected two major, professional wrestling championships and faced off with nearly every rival force of his era in MMA’s heavyweight division, including former pound-for-pound king Fedor Emelianenko, Mirko Cro Cop, Wanderlei Silva and Mark Coleman, while competing under the elite promotional banners of PRIDE FC, K-1 and Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye.

Fujita’s notable victories include a first round (6:46) TKO (corner stoppage) of “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” Ken Shamrock, a first round (8:25) KO (punch) of James Thompson and unanimous decisions over Gilbert Yvel and two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) tournament winner and NCAA Division I National Wrestling Champion Mark Kerr.

The 6-foot-4, 23-year-old Prochazka of Hosteradice, Czech Republic is coming off a breakthrough performance in which he scored a first round (1:36) TKO (head kick and knee strikes) of Olympic Judo Gold Medalist Satoshi Ishii in the quarterfinal stage of the RIZIN FF eight-man Grand Prix elimination tournament on December 29, 2015.

Two days later, Prochazka returned to the ring and earned a first round (10:00) TKO (retirement) win over Vadim Nemkov before suffering a first round (5:09) KO (punch) at the hands of superstar “King Mo” Lawal in the championship stage round. Of Prochazka’s 16 career wins, 13 have come by way of (T)KO and 2 by way of submission.

Allan Nascimento vs.Yuki Motoya

Touted as a miniature version of all-time great Anderson Silva, the 24-year-old Nascimento of Sao Paulo, Brazil boasts an astounding 86 percent submission rate, having forced 12 of the 14 opponents he has conquered, to tap out.

At 5-foot-9, Nascimento towers over the majority of his competition in the 125-pound division, and is known for effectively using his reach advantage and high-level Muay Thai skills to frustrate and inflict damage on opponents from a distance, and set up slick submissions.

The 5-foot-7, 26-year-old Motoya of Nagoya is the reigning DEEP flyweight champion and the number one ranked 125-pound fighter in Japan. Motoya is riding a seven-fight win streak, with four of the victories coming by way of TKO or submission.

In his last start on December 29, Motoya faced off with Felipe Efrain at the inaugural RIZIN FF event, outworking Efrain early in the bout before suddenly being floored by a left hand that Efrain followed up on with a series of strikes, prompting the referee to stop the contest. Because Efrain had not made weight for the fight, however, the result was overturned from TKO to no contest.

Priced from 100,000 yen, tickets for “Top Presents RIZIN Fighting Federation I” are on sale and can be purchased online at Ticketbis.com.

In the main event, former PRIDE FC middleweight champion and all-time great Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva (35-12-1, 1 NC) will team up with a fighter to be announced soon, in a special grappling “tag match,” and battle a duo consisting of fellow legend, Kazushi Sakuraba, (26-17-1, 2 NC) and Hideo Tokoro (33-28-2).

In a 180 pound MMA rules contest, devastating power puncher Hisaki Kato (5-2) will take on fellow prolific finisher Yuta “Andre” Watanabe (19-6-4).

Additional bouts for “Top Presents RIZIN Fighting Federation I” will be announced soon.

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (March 16, 2016)–This Saturday night at The Claridge Hotel in Atlantic City,Heavyweight Quian Davis will look to stay undefeated when he takes on Corey Morley as part of an 11-bout card that is promoted by Rising Promotions and Vincent M. Ponte’s Gulfstream Promotions.

In the main event, Thomas LaManna takes on Kendal Mena in a eight round welterweight bout.

Davis of nearby Mays Landing, New Jersey is not the typical fighter who has dreams of winning a world heavyweight title, but he has bigger plans to help mold the youth of the Jersey Shore area as being a role model.

To say Davis is an all-around athlete is an understatement.

The Buena High School all-time leading rusher in football, was a 48th round draft pick of the Florida Marlins and spent three years in their minor league system.

When getting the itch to play football again, Davis bagged baseball and began playing football at Hudson Valley College in upstate New York.

After a few years of figuring out his next move, Davis took up boxing.

At 6’3″and 250 lbs, Davis took up the sweet science at the age of 34.

After eight amateur fights (record of 5-3), Davis turned professional by fighting a four round draw with Willie Harvey on August 15, 2015.

Davis got into the win column with a 26 second knockout over Santario Holdbrooks on December 5th at The Claridge.

“Right now, I am getting by with my natural athletic ability. I do not know all of the ins and outs of boxing, but I have toughness and have been learning on the job,” said Davis.

“There has been a lot of improvement since I have started”

In Morley, he is facing a durable guy, that has gone the distance in his first two outings.

“I just know he is shorter and heavier then me. He is from Philadelphia, so that alone, I know he is a tough guy.”

Davis is even more honest when it comes to his ceiling as a fighter.

“My goal is to fight as long as the sport wants me. I want to have fights that will build my resume and give me the credibility to become a trainer for all athletes. I would like to instill what I know and my experiences with baseball, football and now boxing and become an all-around trainer and role model. There are people needed in the community that should be mentoring kids coming up and I feel that I can be that guy around here.”

“I want to thank my supporters. I am humbled that they spend their hard earned money to come see fight, and I am so appreciative of that.”

In an eight-round bout, Tommy Rainone (24-7-1, 5 KO’s) of Long Island, NY will fight Maurice Chalmers (14-12-1, 8 KO’s) of Danville, VA in a welterweight clash.

In six-round bouts:

Lamont Capers (5-7-2) of Hawley, PA will fight Willis Lockett (14-16-5, 5 KO’s) of Takoma Park, MD in a cruiserweight bout.

Isiah Seldon (7-1, 3 KO’s) of Atlantic City, NJ will fight Michael Mitchell (3-6-2, 1 KO) of Paterson, NJ in a fight for the Garden State Super Middleweight title.

Former cruiserweight world champion Imamu Mayfield (25-9-2, 18 KO’s) of Perth Amboy, NJ returns to the ring after an eight year absence when he takes on Dan Pasciolla (6-1-1) of Brick, NJ in a heavyweight bout.

In four round bouts:

Omar Brito (2-2, 1 KO) of Pleasantville, NJ will fight Bienvenido Diaz (2-1, 2 KO’s) of Prospect Park, NJ in a super featherweight fight.

Alvin Vermall (7-0-1, 7 KO’s) of La Place, LA will take on D’Quan Morgan (3-2-1, 3 KO’s) of Hamlet, NC in a cruiserweight tilt.

Undefeated middleweight Hakim Bryant (5-0, 4 KO’s) of Asbury Park, NJ will fight Rick Graham (3-11-2, 1 KO) of Detroit, MI.

Darryl Bunting (0-0-1) of Asbury Park, NJ will tussle with Darryl Watkins (0-2) of Temple Hills, MD. in a super middleweight fight.

Ubdefeated lightweight Steven Ortiz (2-0) of Philadelphia, PA will box Jose Miguel Castro (5-7, 3 KO’s) of Carolina, Puerto Rico.

Tickets for the March 19th fight card are $50 GA, $75 Stage (very few remaining) & $125 VIP (SOLD OUT) (Booths of 5 available for $500—SOLD OUT) and are available at RisingBoxingPromotions.com or 609-487-4444.

The Claridge Hotel is located at 123 S. Indiana Ave. Atlantic City NJ

Facebook.com/risingstarboxing
Instagram: @risingpromo

Totowa, NJ: Main Events added another middleweight to their stable, which already includes former WBA World Champion Challenger Curtis “Showtime” Stevens (27-5, 20 KOs) and current top five prospect Arif “The Predator” Magomedov (17-0, 10 KOs), with the signing of “The Terminator” Virgilijus Stapulionis (17-3-1, 13 KOs*).

The 29-year old from Pasvalys, Lithuania started his career in 2005 a perfect 6-0 (3 KOs) before suffering his first defeat against the then-undefeated Thomas Troelenberg, who came into the fight with 17 wins. The Terminator would go on to redeem himself by winning his next four bouts, including a win over former ranked contender Richard Williams.

Shortly after that bout, Virgilijus would experience the first of two controversial losses in his career, against previously unbeaten and current ranked super welterweight Predrag Radosevic. The bout took place in his opponent’s backyard of Montenegro and was halted in the ninth round after a cut above the eye of Virgilijus became a factor. The bout went to the scorecards, which awarded Radosevic the win in what many believed to be the wrong decision.

Virgilijus would face controversy again when he traveled to the backyard of Patrick Mendy of the United Kingdom. Stapulionis did what he had to do throughout the fight in order to secure the decision win. However, Mendy, the hometown favorite, would pick up the decision in a bout that many observers believe should have gone the other way.

Fazekas and Stapulionis
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

The Terminator made his US debut in December of last year at The Hangar in Costa Mesa, California with a second round stoppage against Cesar Vila. Earlier this year he appeared on the Kovalev-Pascal II undercard in Montreal, Quebec, Canada where he earned a second round stoppage against Hungarian Laszlo Fazekas.

Stapulionis said, “I am so excited to be signed with Main Events. I want to be a champion and this is the next step to help me achieve that goal. I want to thank my team and my manager, Egis Klimas.”

Virgilijus is managed by Egis Klimas who also manages WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev. Egis said, “I am so happy to bring The Terminator to the United States and to work with Main Events to make him a star. We hope to make him a force in the middleweight division.”

Main Events’ CEO, Kathy Duva, added, “We are very excited to work with Virgilijus. He is more than willing to fight in his opponents’ backyards. He has suffered some controversial losses, but also had his bigger wins in enemy territory. A fighter who has faced that level of adversity and is still willing to be a road warrior is exactly the kind of fighter I want to promote.”

*There are discrepancies between Stapulionis’ BoxRec.com record (26-3-1, 19 KOs) and his Fight Fax record. The record referenced here is his official Fight Fax record, a copy of which is attached.

Micki Nielsen (20-0, 14 KOs) has taken inspiration from Sylvester Stallone’s iconic boxing movie ‘Rocky’ ahead of his WBC International title defence against Mirko Larghetti (24-1, 16 KOs) on Saturday night at the Albertslund Musikteatret in Copenhagen.

Nielsen faces his toughest career test to date against the former World title challenger Larghetti, who is ranked number-three in the World by the WBA.

To ensure he is ready for the challenge, the 23 year-old southpaw has visited his local slaughterhouse accompanied by coach Joey Gamache to complete some ‘Rocky’ style training, turning the cold meat carcasses into makeshift punching bags.

‘’Every kid dreams of being like Rocky Balboa, so it was a lot of fun to come to the slaughterhouse and recreate this scene,’’ said Nielsen.

‘’The Rocky films have always been a big inspiration for me. Rocky was the underdog fighter that made it to the top. I think most boxers can relate to that.’’

Nielsen will now be hoping to emulate Rocky’s success in the ring as he prepares for the first defence of his WBC International Cruiserweight title.

‘’This is my toughest fight, but I believe I’m ready,’’ he said. ‘’If this training helped Rocky against Apollo Creed, I’m sure it can help me beat Larghetti!’’

END

Please find below links to share and embed video footage and free-to-use images (Photo Credit: Kristian Brasen) of Micki Nielsen recreating the ‘Rocky’ scene.

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LONDON (16 MARCH) Super-middleweight star ‘Saint’ George Groves has revealed his admiration for British middleweight champion Nick Blackwell and predicted an explosive, back-and-forth encounter when ‘Bang Bang’ meets Chris Eubank Jr. on March 26 at The SSE Arena, Wembley, live on Channel 5.

Groves and Blackwell have sparred many rounds together in the last three weeks and the world-class super-middleweight came away from those sessions with nothing but the utmost respect for the warrior from Trowbridge.

“I’ve always been impressed by Blackwell when watching him fight,” Groves said. “He’s a fighter who doesn’t seem afraid of anything; a lot of fighters say they’ll fight anyone, but he really means it. He loves a challenge.

“He boxed on one of my undercards against Billy Joe Saunders, pushed him really close, and I’ve kept an eye on him ever since. But it was nice to finally do some sparring with him because I’d heard a lot about his sparring sessions over the years – he’s got quite the reputation.

“Obviously he’s a fit lad with a great work-rate. He throws loads of punches. And, over the course of three sparring sessions, he showed he was a very good fighter. He punches well inside, he finds angles that don’t seem to be there, and he is happy to put it on you from the word ‘go’. He’s a real physical presence in the ring.”

In addition to rounds spent in the company of Blackwell, 27-year-old Groves has also sparred many times with Eubank Jr., which puts him in an ideal position to analyse their highly-anticipated March 26 showdown.

“Eubank Jr. hadn’t had many pro fights when we sparred, so he’s probably a lot better now than he was back then, but he always gave me great work,” said Groves. “He has a great engine, throws punches in bunches and he’s physically and mentally very tough. He takes some breaking. He has sparred everyone, he has sparred bigger guys and he always gives a good account of himself.

“This fight between Blackwell and Eubank Jr. can only be a great fight. It’s fascinating and it’s hard to call.

“You say before every fight that you want to stamp your authority on the fight and go from there, but there could be some real swings and momentum changes throughout the twelve rounds these two share. I don’t see a scenario where one guy gets out in front and then just stays there and dominates. I think both will have their moments.

“They’ve both got enough power to hurt each other and they both possess a work-rate that can break hearts. They’re very fit and athletic lads. It should be an all-action affair for as long as it lasts.”

*** Tickets for the British middleweight title blockbuster between Nick ‘Bang Bang’ Blackwell and Chris Eubank Jr. are priced at £35, £50, £75, £175, £200 and £250 for ringside and can be purchased online at ssearena.co.uk and axs.com or by phoning the SSE Arena, Wembley Box Office on 0844 815 0815 ***

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Richard Commey (23-0, 21 KOs) is back in action on Saturday night against Anzor Gamgebeli (27-13-3, 12 KOs) in an eight-round contest at the Albertslund Musikteatret in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The Ghanaian lightweight star, who is mandatory challenger for the IBF World title, has opted to take a tune up bout ahead of his soon-to-be-scheduled fight with the reigning IBF Champion Rances Barthelemy.

‘’I’m really looking forward to coming back to Copenhagen and putting on a show for the Danish fans,’’ said Commey.

‘’This is an important fight for me as I need to stay active. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to challenge for the World title, and I want to make sure I have no ring rust and I’m in the best possible shape, both physically and mentally.’’

Despite having a World title fight on the horizon, the 29 year-old from Accra says there will be no complacency in his performance.

‘’I will treat Gamgebeli no different from my previous opponents,’’ he said. ‘’I respect him and I will be doing utmost to win in fine fashion. I will not be complacent and I will not be taking him for granted, for Team RC, it’s business as usual!’’

Commey fights on the undercard of Micki Nielsen’s WBC International Cruiserweight title defence against former World title challenger Mirko Larghetti. Tickets are available online via www.billetlugen.dk or by calling (+45) 70 263 267.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (March 16, 2016) – M-1 Challenge welterweight champion Murad “Hunter” Abdulaev will make his first title defense, April 8 in M-1 Challenge 65,against undefeated challenger Alexey Kunchenko at Ice Palace Sports Center in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Abdulaev vs. Kunchenko replaces the rescheduled M-1 Challenge lightweight championship bout between defending champion Mansour “Tarzan” Barnaoui and challenger Artem Damkovsky due to injuries suffered by both fighters during training camp.

M-1 Global has also announced an M-1 Challenge 65 match between former M-1 Challenge lightweight champion Maxim Divnich and M-1 Global debuting Robert Turnquest.

Ramazan Emeev (13-3-0, M-1: 7-1-0), reigning M-1 Challenge middleweight champion, takes on Brazilian challenger Maiquel “Big Rig” Falcao (35-8-0, M-1: 0-0-0) in the M-1 Challenge 65 main event. Emeev vs. Falcao is an M-1 Grand Prix middleweight semifinals match with the winner advancing to the final later this year against the other M-1 Grand Prix middleweight semifinals winner, former three-time Bellator champion Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko (52-9-0, M-1: 3-0-0).

Abdulaev (13-1-0, M-1: 4-1-0) captured the vacant M-1 Challenge lightweight title last June at M-1 Challenge 58, taking a five-round decision from Marcelo Brito. A powerful striker always with knockout intentions, Abdulaev (shown above in action) has been out of action since then due to a variety of reasons.

Also a KO specialist like his fellow-Russian opponent, Kunchenko (12-0-0, M-1: 4-0-0) has stopped 10 of his 12 victims inside the distance. The Russian (shown above kicking) was M-1 Global’s 2015 Prospect of the Year.

Divnich (11-1-0, M-1: 5-1-0) captured the vacant M-1 Challenge lightweight crown December 19, 2014, registering a third-round technical knockout (punches) of Dzhambulat Kurbanov (shown above getting hit by Divnich on right) at M-1 Challenge 54.

Fighting out of Pensacola, Florida, American, US Navy veteran Turnquest (5-1-0, M-1: 0-0-0) will be making his M-1 Global debut against Kunchenko. Turnquest (pictured to right) is the Atlas Fights welterweight champion who has a strong Judo background. He competed in the 2013 World Games for military competitors.

M-1 Challenge 65 will be streamed live from Russia in high definition on www.M1Global.TV. Viewers will be able to watch the preliminary fights and main card by logging on to register at www.M1Global.TV. Fans may watch all of the action on their computers, as well as on Android and Apple smart phones and tablets.

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Child prodigy Archie Sharp went unbeaten in his first 25 amateur bouts en route to multiple national titles as a schoolboy and now intends replicating that achievement among the paid brigade, writes Glynn Evans.

The frighteningly talented 20 year old lightweight from Welling has already romped to a hat-trick of victories since shedding his singlet last July.

‘I had my first bout -against a kid unbeaten in three – when I was just 11 years old and I won all of my first 25. In fact, my first defeat came in the final of the European Schoolboys on a double ‘countback’ against a Russian in Russia. That was my only defeat in 22 international contests,’ says the silver quick kid they call ‘The Sharpshooter.’

The fight game has featured as an integral part of affable Archie’s life since he attended infant school.

‘I’m from a boxing family,’ explains the Richard Clark-managed rising star.

‘My Dad and all my uncles boxed amateur and my four younger brothers have all had a go. Taylor, who’s 18, once got to a national semi final.

‘Dad had me working on the pads indoors even before I first went into the Eltham ABC gym – where dad had once boxed himself – at the age of just seven. He wanted us to be able to look after ourselves and stay fit. I was always a ‘livewire’, a fiery kid. Boxing disciplined me, slowed me down.

‘From the off, I was coached by Richard Sawyer who now trains me as a pro. There was some class talent at Eltham at the time, guys like Bill Saunders and Nathan Weiss. Watching the sparring was unbelievable.’

By the time razor Sharp was eligible for formal competition, aged 11, he was already a formidable force.

‘As well as that European silver, I won three English Schools titles, the Junior ABAs, two CYPs and three Junior Tri Nations gold medals. I beat (Team GB’s) Luke McCormack twice, his twin brother Pat once and also beat Romeo Romaeo twice in the amateurs,’ recalls Archie, who completed his unpaid career at the Lynn ABC with a slate showing just five defeats in 56 bouts.

‘My dream was always to follow the Olympic route but I continually got knock backs from the GB set-up in Sheffield. Despite my wins over the McCormacks, they were continually selected over me.

‘I did go in the senior ABAs twice but it just never worked out. One year I lost at bantam to Lucien Reid from West Ham and another time I conceded a bad split decision in the national quarters at The Echo Arena.

‘But I’d been sparring top quality pros like (IBF super-bantam king) Carl Frampton, Choi (Tseveenpurev) the Mongolian, Ashley Sexton, Iain Weaver and the Walsh brothers (British champions Liam and Ryan) since I was 15, 16 so, with nothing happening on the GB front, I decided to have a go in the pros.’

Archie Sharp powering home left hooks to the body
Archie Sharp powering home left hooks to the body
After committing to Queenberry Promotions, the Sidcup-born ‘Sharpshooter’ has ripped through the opposition placed before him thus far; hammering a hapless Hungarian in just 130 seconds on his debut, then inflicting a brace of four round shutouts over regarded domestic circuit fighters Dan Carr and Qasim Hussain. All performances earned exemplary reviews.

He says: ‘If I need to stand and trade I can but I’m more a slick moving counterpuncher who likes to slip and roll. Hit, don’t get hit is my philosophy. I’m also very accurate. I don’t waste much. Throughout my career, I’ve put lots over so there’s definitely power there.

‘I train alone with Richard (Sawyer) at a little gym called Omega in Sidcup but sometimes I go to Jason Rowland’s gym in Essex. Presently, we’re working on me not admiring my work, being aware of what’s coming back at me.

‘We travel everywhere for sparring. Lately, I’ve had good spars with Mitchell Smith and I’ve even done stuff with (unbeaten light-middle prospect) Ahmet Patterson so I know my capabilities.’

Away from the ring, young Archie is in a stable relationship and confesses to being a man of modest pleasures.

‘I’ve got a missus who has a little girl – my step daughter – and most of my time away from the gym is spent with them,’ he says.

‘I follow Chelsea and I love rugby. I played full back for five or six seasons before the boxing got serious. I loved being the last man, getting stuck in.

‘Apart from that, I spend a bit of time at the driving range but I ain’t very good and I take my younger brothers out with the guns, ferreting.’

But the old fight game never drifts too far from the mind of this prodigiously gifted south London prospect.

‘Boxing is my life, a life I’ve been living since the age of seven,’ he concludes.

‘From day one, it’s been my dream to be world champion and I believe that with hard work and by staying focussed, I’m 100% capable of winning all the big titles.’

Anthony Crolla says he is taking on the most dangerous Lightweight on the planet when he defends his WBA World title against Ismael Barroso at the Manchester Arena on May 7.

The Manchester hero makes the first defence of the title he won in stunning fashion with a fifth round KO win over Darleys Perez in their rematch in November, and takes on the power-punching Barroso in a chilling test of his credentials as a World ruler.

The unbeaten Venezuelan made it 18 KO wins from 19 fights in the paid ranks with a brutal win over Kevin Mitchell at The O2 in December, a win that landed him the Interim tile and a shot at Crolla.

The champion and challenger met at a press conference in Manchester yesterday and Crolla was quick to pour scorn over both suggestions that he would swerve the dangerous visitor and that he should vacate the title to meet WBO champion Terry Flanagan, with the immediate clash with the mandatory part of the deal to land the rematch with Perez after their controversial first meeting.

“When you work for something so hard and so long, the last thing you want to do is give it up,” said Crolla. “I’d be a fraud if I’d done that when my mandatory is in front of me. It’s the most dangerous fight of my career, I saw him take Kevin out in London and he did it in impressive fashion. They were confident of winning the fight and they did the job, but I saw things in him that I could capitalise on.

“The suggestion that I would duck him got my back up a bit. When you are champion you fight the best challengers out there and that’s what I see in Barroso. I am looking forward to us both putting on a fantastic fight. We know he can bang and that is why everyone avoids him, but I believe I have got the tools to beat him and he’s not taking my belt.”

Barroso is no stranger to packing his gloves and traveling to fights, with his 11 year career taking him to eight countries, and the 33 year old has told Crolla his reign as champion will be short lived.

“My fight with Kevin was good but this will be better,” said Barroso. “You will see two great fighters, and I know Anthony is an excellent champion, but I will take the belt to Venezuela.”

Promoter Eddie Hearn today announced the early details of the undercard, with the return to the ring of two-weight World title challenger Martin Murray as he hunts a showdown with Londoner George Groves, Hull’s Lightweight favourite Tommy Coyle returns to action after injury, Hosea Burton will defend his British Light-Heavyweight title and Manchester Light-Middleweight Marcus Morrison.

“This is going to be a wonderful night in Manchester,” said Hearn. “Anthony’s fight with Ismael is a fantastic one. Ismael is without doubt the most dangerous man in the 135lbs division, but Anthony is not scared of anyone, and he believes that he’s got the goods to beat him and go on to unify the division.

“There’s a stacked undercard which we will be adding to ahead of the night, but it’s great to have Martin Murray back as we close in on securing a great fight with George Groves. Tommy always brings great action and his return to the Lightweight mix is a welcome one. Hosea achieved a dream by landing the Lord Lonsdale belt last time out, but now he’s looking to own it outright and move onto bigger things, and his Joe Gallagher-trained pal Marcus has such an exciting future.”

Tickets are on general sale £40, £60, £80 and £100 www.manchester-arena.com or by calling 0844 847 8000. VIPs are available exclusively through www.matchroomboxing.com priced at £200.

Tickets for May 7 are also available from http://www.stubhub.co.uk/matchroom-boxing-tickets/ – StubHub is the official ticket partner and marketplace of Matchroom Boxing and Anthony Joshua MBE.

In a battle of former world title challengers, Kubrat Pulev will meet Dereck Chisora in a Heavyweight title elimination bout in Hamburg, Germany on May 7th, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“We’re delighted to deliver fans this mouthwatering contest between two of the biggest names in the heavyweight division,” promoter Kalle Sauerland said. “Not only is the prestigious European belt on the line, but also a chance to challenge for the IBF world title. It’s all or nothing. Winner takes it all. This is a fight that guarantees excitement.”

“This is a very important fight for me,” Pulev said. “I learned a lot from the Klitschko fight, but now I’m back and stronger than ever. Dereck is a good boxer, but I’m better, and I know I can beat him. I’m looking forward to the challenge and the chance to win back the European title. I’m sure the arena in Hamburg will be full of Bulgarians cheering me to victory.

“I know I have what it takes to be world champion, and next time I will be successful. But for now, all my focus is on May 7 and Chisora. This is a fight I can’t afford to lose.”

“Pulev has been on my radar for a while now,” Chisora said. “He’s a great athlete and he has my respect, but come fight night, I’m not messing around. I’m coming to mess this guy up. I’m going to outwork him and out-strength him. I’ll be all over him from the first bell.

“I’m excited for the opportunity. This is a chance for me to prove myself against one of the top fighters in the division and get back into a position to challenge for the world title. I’m in great shape. I’m training harder than ever and I’m ready to go. This is going to be one my best fights ever.”

Sergei Lipinets scored a 5th round stoppage over Levan Ghvamichava in a scheduled 10-round Jr. Welterweight bout in Nice, California.

In round five, Lipinets landed a body shot and a right hand that dropped Ghvamichava for the 10-count at 1:40

Lipinets, 141 lbs of Moscow, RUS is 9-0 with 7 knockouts. Ghvamichava, 140 lbs is 16-2-1.

Sergey Deryvanchenko got a last round stoppage over Mike Guy in a the eighth round of their super middleweight bout.

In round eight, Deryvanchenko landed a hard right that sent Guy to the canvas. Seconds later, a body shot drove Guy to the corner and Deryvanchenko landed a combination that sent Guy to the floor for a second time, and the fight was stopped after that at 2:24.

Deryvanchenko, 167 lbs of Fedrosa, UKR is now 8-0 with six knockouts. Guy, 166 lbs of Inglewood, CA is 8-2-1.

Kevin Watts remained undefeated by scoring a 5th round stoppage over Michal Chudecki in a scheduled 8-round Jr. Welterweight bout.

In round five, Watts landed a big left and Chudecki was floored. Watts jumped on Chudecki and landed several flush shots and the bout was stopped at 2:01 of round five.

Watts, 139 3/4 lbs of Los Angeles, CA is 11-0 with 4 knockouts. Chudecki, 140 lbs of Poland is 11-2-1.

NICE, CA (March 15, 2016) – Due to his opponent Erick Martinez failing to make weight, undefeated super-featherweight contender, Mario Barrios (14-0, 8 KOs) will not fight in tonight’s scheduled co-main event showdown on Premier Boxing Champions Toe-to-Toe Tuesdays PBC on FS1. Martinez was four and a half pounds over the contracted weight of 132 pounds. Stay tuned for an announcement on Mario Barrios’ next fight.

MASHANTUCKET, CT (March 15, 2016) – Gary Russell Jr. will return to the ring to defend his WBC Featherweight World Title against Irish contender Patrick Hyland on Saturday, April 16, live on SHOWTIME® (11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT) from Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, CT.

In the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING co-feature, undefeated IBF Super Featherweight World Champion Jose Pedraza will defend against mandatory challenger Stephen Smith.

Russell Jr. (26-1, 15 KOs) will be making the first defense of his featherweight world title that he earned after stopping defending champion Jhonny Gonzalez in the fourth-round last March. He was set to defend last November, but was forced to withdraw due to a training injury. If he can get by the extremely motivated Hyland (31-1, 15 KOs), Russell Jr. is in line for big fights with fellow champions and top contenders such as Leo Santa Cruz, Lee Selby, Abner Mares and Carl Frampton.

“I’m excited about being back in the ring,” said Russell. “It’s been a year because of an injury, but I’m feeling great and more ready than ever. I’ll be prepared for anything. I’m looking forward to meeting Mr. Hyland on the 16th and I’m ready to prove I’m the best featherweight in the world.”

“This is a fantastic opportunity to fight for the WBC title, one of the belts that I’ve always wanted to hold,” said Hyland. “It means the world to me to be fighting for this title against a real champion like Gary Russell Jr. I think he’s a great fighter who does everything well so I have to be at my best on fight night. But I know I can beat him and take that belt home to Ireland. I’m just a lad from Jobstown in Tallaght who works hard and loves the fight game. I’ve been trained all my life by my father, may God rest him, and to win a world title will make all of his hard work and effort worthwhile.”

Pedraza (21-0, 12 KOs) won his 130-pound world title last June when he dominated Andrey Klimov to capture the vacant belt, and he successfully defended it last October in an exciting battle against Edner Cherry. Both bouts aired on SHOWTIME. Now he faces the mandatory challenger in Smith (23-1, 13 KOs), who has won 11 straight bouts and may present the toughest challenge of Pedraza’s burgeoning career.

“I am in excellent condition, had an extraordinary training camp and am anxious to demonstrate my skills in the ring on April 16,” said Pedraza. “I am truly looking forward to entertaining the fans in attendance and remaining undefeated as I defense my crown against Smith. I am determined to become the next big star out of Puerto Rico.”

“I’ve waited a long time for this opportunity, but the timing couldn’t be better,” said Smith. “I’m excited to get the opportunity to win the world title live on Sky Sports in the UK and on SHOWTIME in America. Pedraza is a quality fighter but I know I will do whatever is needed to become world champion on April 16 and I can’t wait.”

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, are priced at $150, $90 and $45 not including applicable service charges and taxes and are on sale now. 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. The Pedraza vs. Smith bout is promoted in association with Gary Shaw Productions, Universal Promotions and Matchroom Boxing.

“This SHOWTIME doubleheader is a can’t-miss event,” said Lou DiBella, Presidentof DiBella Entertainment. “In Russell-Hyland, you have one of the most gifted fighters in all of boxing defending his title against a hungry and tough-as-nails Irishman in the biggest fight of his career. Pedraza is looking to make a statement against Smith, Britain’s number one contender, and to follow in the footsteps of past Puerto Rican superstars.”

A speedy and supremely talented boxer, Russell Jr., was impressive in his fourth-round stoppage of the battle-tested Gonzalez last March. The 2008 U.S. Olympian had scored important victories over Vyacheslav Gusev, Juan Ruiz, and Miguel Tamayo before losing a majority decision to Vasyl Lomachenko for the WBO 126-pound title in June 2014. The southpaw, of Capitol Heights, Md., was able to return to his winning ways with a unanimous decision over Christopher Martin that December prior to his coronation against Gonzalez, whom he dropped three times en route to capturing the title.

Leading into his last fight on Oct. 10, in Lowell, Mass., Ireland’s Hyland was dealing with heavy emotions following the death of his beloved father and longtime trainer, and the birth of his first son. The 32-year-old remained steadfast, fighting in memory of his father to stop David Martinez in the eighth round. It was his fourth consecutive victory since suffering his lone defeat, a close and competitive loss to the unbeaten Javier Fortuna for the interim WBA World Featherweight Title in December 2012. Now, presented with another world title opportunity, Hyland seeks to honor his father’s legacy by bringing the championship back home.

The switch-hitting former Puerto Rican Olympian Pedraza backed up his “The Sniper” moniker against Klimov as he picked apart the Russian with superior speed and accuracy on his way to a world title. Pedraza earned a shot at the title in his previous bout with a career-best win over former world title challenger Michael Farenas. The 26-year-old will have title unification on his mind if he can conquer his mandatory opponent on April 16.

Part of a fighting family, Smith’s brothers Callum, Liam and Paul all fight professionally at a high level and he hopes to join Liam as a fellow world champion on April 16. The 30-year-old has fought professionally since 2008 and his only blemish came against featherweight world champion Lee Selby in 2011. Smith earned his title shot with a sixth-round stoppage of Devis Boschiero in September 2015 and will be making his U.S. debut at Foxwoods.

For more information, visit www.SHO.com/Sports, follow on Twitter @SHOSports, @MrGaryRussellJr, @PajPunisher, @Sniper_Pedraza, @SwiftySmith, @LouDiBella, @FoxwoodsCT and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports, and www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment.