ATLANTIC CITY (Feb. 20, 2016) – Adam “Mantequilla” Lopez (15-0, 7 KOs), of San Antonio, Texas, remained unbeaten and took another step toward becoming a full-fledged contender by winning a hard-fought unanimous 10-round decision over previously undefeated Mario “Yayo” Muñoz (16-1-1, 10 KOs), of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, in Friday’s main event on ShoBox: The New Generation live on SHOWTIME from the Adrian Phillips Ballroom in Historic Boardwalk Hall.

“Lopez punched harder and controlled the tempo,” ShoBox expert analyst Steve Farhood said. “He overcame the problem with his right eye and now he’s 3-0 with three undefeated fighters on ShoBox, so he’s indeed a prospect to watch.”

The highly regarded Lopez, making his third ShoBox appearance and main event debut, survived a nasty cut over his right eye to win by the scores of 98-92 twice and 97-93. There were no knockdowns.

“This was my toughest fight as a pro and I think I proved a lot,’’ said Lopez, who entered the ring as the WBA No. 8 contender at 122 pounds. “I showed I could fight through a lot of adversity. The cut in my eye was definitely a factor for my performance in a couple of rounds, but I put the pedal to the medal and got through it. I landed the more telling shots.

“This is the kind of fight I can learn from. Fighting through the cut and all the head butts, and still persevering. These are the kinds of fights that make fighters better. You don’t learn a thing by blowing guys out.

“Muñoz was a good fighter and landed some tight shots on me, but I was definitely the better fighter and there was no question I would get the decision. I thought I might stop him in the eighth or ninth, but it didn’t happen.’’

There was little known about Muñoz going into Friday, but the mystery man from Mexico who was making his United States debut and first start outside of Mexico performed well and showed solid skills and ability.

“I’m very disappointed in the decision,’’ Muñoz said. “I’m a better fighter than he is. I landed more combinations. My face is unmarked, look at his. He hurt me more from his low blows and head butts than he did with his punches. I’d love to fight him again.’’

With the defeat, Muñoz became the 142nd boxer on ShoBox to suffer his first defeat. Two fights earlier, Lavisas “Red Williams (8-1-1, 3 KOs), of Rochester, N.Y., became the 141st ShoBox boxer to suffer his initial setback when he lost by seventh round TKO to O’Shaquie “Ice Water” Foster (10-1, 7 KOs), of Orange, Texas.

Foster, a former amateur standout, rebounded from a poor outing in his ShoBox debut to register a seventh-round TKO over Williams. Foster dropped the outclassed southpaw four times. After the final knockdown in the seventh, the fight was stopped at 52 seconds into the round.

In the co-feature of a ShoBox quadrupleheader, undefeated super middleweight Ronald “Flatline” Ellis (12-0-1, 10 KOs), of Lynn, Mass., and Washington D.C.’s Jerry “The King’s Son” Odom (13-2-1, 12 KOs) fought to a hard-fought eight-round majority draw. A close, competitive contest throughout was scored 78-74 for Ellis and 76-76 apiece.

In the opening fight of the telecast, John “Madman” Magda (11-0-1, 7 KOs), of Rutherford, N.Y., and Philadelphia’s Christopher “Ice Cold” Brooker (7-1-1, 5 KOs) fought to a disputed eight-round split draw in a super middleweight matchup that most felt Brooker won. At the finish, one judge had it for Magda (77-74), one had it for Brooker (78-74) and one had it even at 76-all.

“I thought that was a terrible decision,’’ Farhood said. “The judges were all over the place. I think Brooker did enough to win. He was the more aggressive fighter and landed the bigger punches. I was very surprised by the result that it was a draw.”

Ellis, a five-year-pro who hurt his right hand at the end of the third, was pleased with his overall performance, not so much the result.

“I think I did a good job tonight,’’ said Ellis, the older brother of welterweight prospect Rashidi Ellis who’d won four straight by knockout, including a second-round TKO over Jas Phipps in his last start last Aug. 29. “I started strong and I showed that I belong here, in a nationally televised show. I’m happy with what I did.

“I showed tonight that I can counter a busy fighter. I can take a punch. I can also be a boxer-puncher. Odom tried to do his thing at the beginning, but he just couldn’t do it with me. I followed my trainer’s advice. I punched, I stood back. I used my left hook. I think I really hurt him a couple times.

“I won that fight. I’m sure. At first, I banged with him and then I showed my boxing. It was easy in there, I won that fight. He never hurt me. I’ll be back. You will be seeing a lot of me in the future.”

Odom, a top amateur and 2012 National Golden Gloves Champion at 178 pounds who was looking to turn it around after losing two of his last three, was content with the decision although he felt he’d won his first fight in seven months.
“I can’t be disappointed with the decision because I fought my heart out.’’ Odom said. “I know I hurt him. He hurt me a bit in the second, but I got back on my feet and I kept on going.
“I feel I pulled it out in the last rounds. I worked the body, I think I did some damage. Ellis looked hurt.
“I mean no disrespect, but I felt I definitely did enough to win, but the judges saw it differently.”
Said Farhood: “Ellis-Odom was a strange fight. At times it was a brawl, and at times it was a boxing match. At times, one fighter came forward and at times the other fighter came forward. I thought Odom did enough in the last couple of rounds to salvage a draw and it turns out that is what the judges scored, a draw. So, I think the judges got it right on that fight.”
Foster decked Williams in the second, third, fourth and seventh rounds. Three of the knockdowns appeared to result from a push, but Williams’ gloves touched the canvas each time so they went into the books as knockdowns.

“I think it was a great win for Foster, because he looked so bad when he fought on ShoBox last time outdoor in Las Vegas,’’ Farhood said. “And this kind he showed the kind of skills that enable him to be a good amateur. He showed the kind of skills that will make him a legitimate prospect as a pro. It was a very good win for him. He showed speed. He showed his movement, his boxing abilities and he scored four knockdowns, and you can’t ask for much better than that.”

“This is a huge relief for me,’’ Foster said. “I feel great. I think people saw a glimpse of the kind of fighter I can be tonight. That wasn’t me in my first ShoBox fight. I don’t know if I froze under the lights or if I lost because of the cold weather outside, but I wasn’t nearly as confident for that fight as I was tonight and it affected my performance.

“I had a tremendous training camp, my best camp ever, which played a big part in my confidence tonight. I thank God for the opportunity to fight on national television again and I’m already looking forward to the next time.’’
The previously undefeated Williams confessed he was unable to his rhythm. “For some reason, I just could not get loose. I had a cold, but I won’t take anything away from Foster. He knocked me down, but I actually thought he pushed me down most of those times.
“I learned something tonight. I can’t do what I did. I can’t wait on my opponent. I have to attack first. I’ll be will be back.”
There were no knockdowns in the Brooker-Magda battle. One judge scored it for southpaw and local favorite going in, Magda 77-74, one had it 78-74 for Brooker and one had it 76-76 even.

After a few rounds of solid back-and-forth exchanges, Brooker seemed to dominate in the eyes of everyone but the judges. The ShoBox announcers had Brooker a close but clear winner and the fans booed the decision. According to SHO STATS, Brooked outpunched and outlanded Magda by a significant margin. Brooker landed 152 of 481 punches (32 percent) while Magda connected on 78 f 268 (29 percent).

Brooker was visibly upset with the verdict.

“I don’t train eight hours a day, seven days a week to get this kind of decision. That was not a draw, I clearly won the fight,’’ he said. “I don’t want to take away from Magda. He’s strong fighter and he countered well, but I showed everybody that hard work beats talent any day.

“I won this fight. I was the aggressor. I threw some big punches. My right was key. In the beginning Magda was fast, but I placed my punches and I know I did enough to win the fight.’’

“I feel OK, but this was a tough fight,” said Magda. “He stayed on me and pressed forward, which we knew he would. But he was stronger than I thought. I’ll have to watch the tape again, but I thought I landed the more effective punches.’’

The ShoBox quadrupleheader will re-air this week as follows:

DAY CHANNEL
Monday, Feb. 22, 10:30 p.m. ET/PT SHOWTIME EXTREME®

Friday’s four-fight telecast will be available at SHOWTIME ON DEMAND beginning today, Saturday, Feb. 20.

Barry Tompkins called the ShoBox action from ringside with Farhood and former world champion Raul Marquez serving as expert analysts. The executive producer was Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.

# # #
About ShoBox: The New Generation
Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young talent matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to televise exciting, crowd-pleasing and competitive matches while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. Some of the growing list of the 65 fighters who have appeared on ShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes: Andre Ward, Deontay Wilder, Erislandy Lara, Shawn Porter, Gary Russell Jr., Lamont Peterson, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Omar Figueroa, Nonito Donaire, Devon Alexander, Carl Froch, Robert Guerrero, Timothy Bradley, Jessie Vargas, Juan Manuel Lopez, Chad Dawson, Paulie Malignaggi, Ricky Hatton, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Williams and more.

LOS ANGELES (Feb. 19, 2016) – In front of a sold out crowd, and the third consecutive sold out show for Golden Boy Promotions, Mexicali’s Diego De La Hoya (14-0, 8 KOs) scored a stellar victory over Arturo “Fuerte” Badillo (20-10, 18 KOs) showing his speed and power in a 4th round victory in the second installment of the popular Los Angeles staple, LA FIGHT CLUB broadcast live on Estrella TV.

Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, Oscar de la Hoya was joined ringside by former middleweight world champion Fernando “El Feroz” Vargas, KABC-TV personality Alysha del Valle, and YouTube sensations David Alvarez and Jorge Munoz.

Golden Boy fighters Abraham “Chamaco” Lopez, Oscar “El Jaguar” Negrete, Christian “Chimpa” Gonzalez, Pablo “The Shark” Rubio, Joet Gonzalez, Edgar Valerio, Jonathan “Thunder” Navarro, Ivan “Striker” Delgado, Julian “El Camaron” Ramirez, Jesus “Renuente” Soto Korass, “King” Gabriel Rosado, Roberto “Massa” Ortiz, Joseph “Diamente” Aguirre, and former world champion Randy “El Matador” Caballero caught up ringside to cheer on the action.

Owner of five wins in 2015, including a 10-round victory over Jesus “Estrella” Ruiz that earned him the WBC Youth World Super Bantamweight title, the 21-year-old phenom has passed all his tests thus far as a professional. Tonight’s face-off against Badillo was no exception as De La Hoya showed his quick hand speed that had his opponent cornered throughout the fight resulting in a shocking left hook body shot in this heavy hitting headliner knock out. By the 4th round, both fighters exchanged celebratory glove bumps in a great display of sportsmanship.

“At first, the excitement got the best of me and I was trying to look for a knockout but in the second round I realized I was going to play in to his game,” said de la Hoya of his big win. “I decided to change the pace and take my time and just play to safe. By the third round, I realized he was getting tired and that’s when I decided to take advantage and dedicate the third round to knocking him out.”

“I knew about Diego de la Hoya’s fighting style, and I was prepared to fight a very tough opponent,” said Badillo. “I felt comfortable in the ring in the first couple of rounds. I don’t feel hurt, but that shot in the liver really harmed me. Unfortunately, those things happen and all I can do is go back to the gym and train for my next fight.”

Los Angeles local Carlos “The Solution” Morales (13-1-3, 6 KOs) faced experienced fighter Omar “Heroe” Tienda (14-3, 8 KOs) of Nuevo Leon, Mexico in an exciting 10-round super featherweight bout. The heavy-hitting match, kept both fighters busy throughout the fight that went the scheduled 10-rounds. In the end it was Morales’ precise power-punches that secured him the victory by unanimous decision.

“I was hoping to knock him out in the 5th round but he proved to be a tough fighter and I had to outbox him,” said Carlos Morales. “Even though he cut me up, I knew I was being affected with my punches and was breaking him down slowly. I know 2016 will bring opportunities for me in the ring.”

“I first came here expecting a different outcome,” said Omar Tienda. “One thing I can say is that we were both warriors in the ring. He’s a strong fighter and I know that we will be able to develop a friendship outside the ring.”

With no signs of slowing down, local Los Angeles native and fan favorite Nick Arce (7-0, 6 KOs) brought his high energy in to the ring and defended his winning steak by staying light on his feet and blocking punches from opponent Luis “Lichito” Lizarraga Jr. (5-8-1, 2 KOs). Lizarraga Jr. held his own until the end when Arce’s swift punches proved too much to handle in their six-round bout, and Arce was declared the winner by unanimous decision.

“My opponent was well trained and came out to fight with his high endurance. I came for the KO but I’ll settle for the unanimous delicious. This is motivation to keep on training to win those big victories,” said Arce of his win. “My fans love coming to see me fight because they can tell in my style that I love life and think it is too beautiful and too short to waste.”

Oscar Duarte (4-0-1, 2 KOs) of Parral, Mexico was triumphant against Georgia’s Archie Weah (1-5) in their scheduled four round super featherweight face off. Duarte showed his power with a hard-hitting right that knocked down Weah in the first round. The fight went the distance as Duarte was claimed the winner by unanimous decision in his debut as a Golden Boy Promotions fighter.

“I was really excited to knock down my opponent in the first round, but I felt I needed keep my pace” said Duarte. “My strategy for the fight was to show my strength and keep my composure. I’m looking forward to getting back in to the gym and getting ready for my next fight.”

Las Vegas’ Francisco Esparza (3-0), Fernando Vargas’ protégé, defended his undefeated record with a bout against Antonio Martinez (3-6, 3 KOs) of Durango, MEX. Punches were flying as the fight went the scheduled four rounds with Esparza delivering the final winning blows to a unanimous decision victory.

“I’m feeling great now that I’ve got another big win,” said Esparza. “My strategy is all in staying low so my opponent can’t catch me. I’ll be back in the gym ASAP working hard and hopefully moving on up on 6 rounder’s.”

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

MOSCOW (February 20, 2016) – Veteran Russian fighters Alexander Shlemenklo and Alexander Volkov were the big winners in M-1 Challenge 64 action last night at Olympic Stadium in Moscow.

Shlemenko (52-9-0), a three-time Bellator champion, returned to M-1 Global in grand style, winning a close but unanimous decision over former 2-division M-1 Challenge division Vyacheslav Vasilevsky (28-3-0), of Russia, in their M-1 Global Grand Prix Middleweight Tournament match. Shlemenko advances to the championship final later this year to face the winner of the other semifinals fight (April 8) at M-1 Challenge 65 between reigning M-1 Challenge middleweight champion Ramazan Emeev (13-3-0) and Brazilian Maiquel “Big Rig” Falcao (35-8-0). Emeev was the 2015 M-1 Global Fighter of the Year.

M-1 Global’s newly signed Alexander “Drago” Volkov (25-6-0), of Russia, captured the vacant M-1 Challenge heavyweight championship, defeating Estonian strongman Denis Smoldarev (11-2-0) by way of a third-round submission via a triangle choke.

In the M-1 Challenge Bantamweight Semifinals Eliminator matches, Pavel Vitruk (13-2-0) and Ukrainian Vitaly Branchuk (21-5-0) both won unanimous decisions to advance to the championship final to determine the new M-1 Challenge bantamweight champion. Vitruk got past his previously undefeated Kazakh opponent Sergey Morozov (6-1-1), while Branchuk got the better of Antun “Killer” Racic (18-7-0), of Croatia.

Late replacement Vladimir Kathyhin (32-6-1), of Ukraine, won a decision over American middleweight Joe Ray (13-5-0) in the other main card fight.

On the preliminary card, Russian middleweight Magomed Mutaev (7-2-0), Russian welterweight Maksin Grabovich (3-2-0) and Ukrainian featherweight Andrey “Iron” Lezhnev (8-5-0) were all unanimous decision winners, respectively, against Ukrainian Vadim “Archie” Orischak (5-5-0), German Stefan Larisch (8-4-0) and Russian Timur Nagibin.

Russian heavyweight Kurban Ibragimov (4-1-0) knocked out Dmitriy Mikutsa (5-3-0), of Ukraine, in the opening round, while Russian middleweight Valery “The Russian Hammer” Myasnikov (9-1-1) locked in a rear naked choke on Ukrainian foe Vyacheslav “Bison” Bogomol (8-2-0) to win by second-round submission.

Complete results and picture gallery below (all winners listed first):

MAIN CARD

MAIN EVENT
M-1 GLOBAL GRAND PRIX MIDDLEWEIGHT TOURNAMENT – SEMIFINALS
Alexander Shlemenko (52-9-0, M-1: 3-0-0), Russia
WDEC5
Vyacheslav Vaselevsky (27-4-0, M-1: 10-2-0), Russia
(Shlemenko advances to M-1 Global Grand Prix middleweight final)

CO-FEATURE
VACANT M-1 CHALLENGE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Alexander Volkov (25-6-0, M-1: 9-3-0), Russia
WSUB3 (Triangle Choke – 0:32)
Denis Smoldaraev (11-2-0, M-1: 7-2-0), Estonia
(Volkov captures M-1 Challenge heavyweight title)

M-1 CHALLENGE BANTAMWEIGHT SEMIFINALS ELIMINATOR
Pavel Vitruk (13-2-0, M-1: 7-2-0), Russia
WDEC3
Sergey Morozov (6-1-0, M-1: 2-1-0), Kazakhstan

Vitaly Branchuk (21-5-0, M-1: 1-1-0), Ukraine
WDEC3
Antun Racic (18-7-0, M-1: 3-4-0), Croatia

(Vitruk & Branchuk advance to M-1 Challenge bantamweight title fight)

MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Vladimir Katyhin (32-6-1, M-1: 2-0-0), Ukraine
WDEC3
Joe Ray (13-5-0, M-1: 0-1-0, United States

PRELIMINARY CARD

HEAVYWEIGHTS
Kurban Ibragimov (4-1-0, M-1: 3-1-0, Russia
WKO1 (4:33)
Dmitriy Mikutsa (5-3-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Ukraine

MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Magomed Mutaev (7-2-0, M-1: 4-0-0), Russia
WDEC3
Vadim Orischak (5-5-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Russia

Valery Myasnikov (9-1-1, M-1: 1-1-1), Russia
WSUB2 (Rear Naked Choke – 2:37)
Vyacheslav Bogomol (5-2-0, M-1: 1-1-0), Russia

WELTERWEIGHTS
Maksin Grabovich (3-2-0, M-1: 3-0-0), Russia
WDEC3
Stefan Larisch (8-4-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Germany

FEATHERWEIGHTS
Andrey Lezhnev (8-5-0, M-1: 2-1-0), Ukraine
WDEC3
Timur Nagibin (5-2-0, M-1: 1-1-0), Russia

Information

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ABOUT M-1 GLOBAL:
Founded in 1997, M-1 Global has established itself in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as the premier entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With its office in St Petersburg, Russia, the M-1 brand has staged more than 170 events worldwide, including M-1 Selection, M-1 Challenge, M-1 Global and M-1 Global HWGP events, in addition to co-promoting Strikeforce events and M-1 Global on the U.S. network, Showtime. Captivating live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and match-ups, M-1 Global events have featured some of the sport’s top names, including legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Keith Jardine, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Sergei Kharitonov, Aleksander Emelianenko, Roman Zentsov, Yushin Okami, Mike Pyle, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, Amar Suloev, Chalid Arrab and Stephan Struve. 2016 promises to be another sensational year of world-class competition, featuring a full calendar of Challenge events, fueled by a talent-rich contention system to rank M-1 Global Champions among the greatest fighters in the sport.

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John Vera Jr. scored a fourth round stoppage over Ayi Bruce in a scheduled eight round junior middleweight bout at the Winnavegas Casino in Sloan, Iowa.

Vera dropped Bruce in round four from a solid right hook. Seconds later, it was another right hook to the body that sent Bruce down for a second time in the round. Vera continued to work the body and scored a third and final knockdown of the round and fight and the bout was stopped at 2:00.

Vera, 153 1/2 lbs of Fort Worth, TX is 13-0 with eight knockouts. Bruce, 150 1/2 lbs of Accra, GHA is 23-13.

Former world title challenger Tony Luis won an eight-round unanimous decision over Samuel Amoako.

Luis, 135 1/4 lbs of Ontario, CAN won by scores of 80-72 on all cards and is now 21-3. Amoako, 135 1/4 lbs of Silver Spring, MD is 21-8.

Jose Silveria scored a six-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Kevin Lavalee in a Jr. Lightweight bout.

In round three, Silveria landed a right hand that put Lavalee down.

Silveria, 128 lbs of Cancun, MX won by scores of 58-55 and 57-56 and is now 19-18. Lavalee, 129 1/4 lbs of Montreal, CAN is 14-1.

Malik Hawkins scored a 1st round stoppage over Cody Peterson in a scheduled four round battle of Welterweights.

In round one, Hawkins landed a right hand that was followed by a left hook and Peterson dropped to a knee. Seconds later Hawkins scored a 2nd knockdown from a barrage of punches. The fight was stopped after a couple more left hooks that sent Peterson down for a third time and the bout was stopped at 2:03 of round one.

Hawkins, 146 3/4 lbs is 6-0 with five knockouts. Peterson, 146 lbs is 1-1.

New York (February 19, 2016) – TONIGHT, it will be a double dose of boxing for fans as two terrific cards on the East Coast will be streamed LIVE on GFL.TV.

From The Twin River Casino in Lincoln, Rhode Island, Jimmy Burchfield’s CES Boxing presents two title bouts that headline a seven bout card.

Beginning at 7 PM ET, Kali Reis takes on Victoria Cisneros for the UBF Female World Super Welterweight title. In the co-feature, undefeated Super Welterweight, Khiary Gray Pitts takes on veteran Eduardo Flores for the UBF International Super Welterweight title..

Also on the card will be four undefeated prospects taking part in separate bouts.

At 7:15 ET from Historic Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, GH3 Promotions presents the ShoBox: The New Generation Prelims.

Headlining the card will be a 6-round battle of Welterweights Anthony “Juice” Young of Atlantic City taking Skender Halili. Also seeing action will be promising welterweight prospect Hector Frometa (1-0) taking on Jordan Rosario. A heavyweight “Shore War” between Dan Pasciolla of Brick, NJ and undefeayed Brendan Barrett of Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey.

There is no love loss between Pasciolla and Barrett as one-time spar mates has turned into a social media war of words.

Full Card for CES Boxing: 7 PM ET for $14.99, CLICK HERE TO ORDER CARD

10-rounds UBF World Super Welterweight Title, Kali Reis (7-5-1, 3 KO’s) vs Victoria Cisneros (12-18-2, 5 KO’s).

8-rounds–UBF International Super Welterweight title, Khiary Gray Pitts (11-0, 9 KO’s) vs Eduardo Flores (23-19-3, 15 KO’s)

6 Rounds–Welterweights–Freddy Sanchez (7-0, 5 KO’s) vs Antonio Chaves Fernandez (7-25-3, 2 KO’s)

4-rounds Featherweights–Timmy Ramos (2-0-1, 2 KO’s) vs Tanner Dodd (PD)

4-Rounds Super Middleweights–Fatlum Zhuta (2-0-1, 2 KO’s) vs Greg McCoy (3-5-1, 1 KO)

4-Rounds–Super Lightweights–Julio Perez (3-0) vs Josh Parker (0-1-1).

4-Rounds–Super Welterweights–Mohammad Allam (1-1) vs Lionel Young (1-2, 1 KO)

GH3 Promotions–ShoBox Prelims Beginning at 7:15 PM ET–CLICK HERE TO ORDER FOR $14.99

6-Rounds–Jr. Middleweights–Arturo Trujillo (7-0, 4 KO’s) vs Jeffrey Wright (3-1-1, 3 KO’s).

6 Rounds–Welterweights–Anthony Young (11-1, 5 KO’s) vs Skender Halili (8-1, 8 KO’s)

4-Rounds–Welterweights–Hector Frometa (1-0) vs Jordan Rosario (0-2)

6- Rounds–Heavyweights–Brendan Barrett (3-0-1, 3 KO’s) vs Dan Pasciolla (6-1).

4- Rounds–Welterweights–Elijah Wise (PD) vs Alec Asbury (0-3)

NEW YORK CITY (February 19, 2016) Boxing Superstar and Undefeated, Unified Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, 34-0 (31KO’s) and Undefeated Mandatory Challenger Dominic “Lights Out” Wade, 18-0 (12KO’s), met for the first time in front of the New York City media at Madison Square Garden, “The Mecca of Boxing”, to formally announce UNDEFEATED, their April 23rd showdown at the Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles and televised Live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Golovkin vs. Wade headlines another great HBO World Championship double-header co-featured by Consensus #1 Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the World and WBC Flyweight World Champion, Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, 44-0, (38KO’s) and world ranked challenger McWilliams Arroyo, 16-2 (14KO’s) of Puerto Rico.

Tickets for the live event priced at $400, $300, $200, $100, $60 and $30, can be purchased through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000) and the Forum Box Office.

Here are the quotes from the participants.

Gennady “GGG” Golovkin
“This is a big opportunity for Dominic Wade, I remember what it was like before I became a champion, I’m sure he’s very hungry for this opportunity and will train hard.”

“Bernard Hopkins has a great record of title defenses, but my focus is not on his record but on my story.”

“This is my next step and I’m very excited to continue building my story. I have a great deal of respect for Dominic. I look forward to fighting at my second home, the Forum on April 23.”

“It’s a joke for Billy Jo Saunders to want to face me right after we announced this fight, he’s not serious.”

“I want to fight Canelo and many big fights, big shows, but it’s not frustrating for me to
face other fighters.”

Dominic Wade
“I’m ready for this, people ask if I’m nervous, not at all. I’ve been a fighter all my life, always wanted to be a world champion. When this opportunity came up I was so excited I could have run 30 miles.”

“I know how good Gennady is but I’ll be ready on April 23 to be victorious and show the world who the best middleweight is.”

“I see flaws in his game that I can take advantage of. He’s very strong but also very basic in
some ways.”

Tom Loeffler/K2 Promotions
“Our philosophy has always been to work with any manager or promoter for Gennady. We did this deal within a week working with Al Haymon and Tom Brown.”

“From a commercial standpoint, the fight is bigger if Gennady and Canelo both win their upcoming fights.”

“Gennady is the first non-Puerto Rican fighter to sell out Madison Square Garden in many years.”

“Building his commercial appeal internationally, Gennady’s becoming a much bigger star.”

“I have to continue to have multiple options when putting together fights for Gennady.”

“With Gennady’s commercial value we can make lucrative offers such as we did for
Billy Jo Saunders.”

“My commitment to Gennady is to work towards him becoming the undisputed middleweight champion.”

Jerry Vines/Manager of Wade
“Thanks to Al Haymon who brought us to this fight for which we had no hesitation. They could have fought someone else but they wanted the fight and we wanted the fight.

Much thanks to Dominic for taking the fight, he was very excited when offered this challenge.”
We got this done in a week which tells you how excited we were to make this fight.”

Abel Sanchez, Trainer of Golovkin
“I have to remind everyone as Gennady says, he wants all four middleweight belts, so It’s not hard to keep him focused. This keeps him motivated, he wants to be the undisputed middleweight champion. No way was he going to give up the IBF belt.”

Wade is not spectacular but he is undefeated, I’ve followed him since he was an amateur. We’ll prepare for the best middleweight in the world and we’ll be ready.”

“It’s a big part of history to break Bernard Hopkins’ record and will be great for Gennady’s record. Wade is the next step; we’re going to prepare for the utmost. “

Jay Stancil/Trainer of Wade
“We will be ready and prepared for this moment. We’ve already started training and we’re ready to pull the upset and shock the world. Dominic is hungry to win the world title and he will be ready to on April 23.”

————————————————

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.

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.

LOS ANGELES (Feb. 19, 2016) – T-Mobile Arena, the hottest new sports and entertainment venue located just west of the famed Las Vegas Strip, will host the showdown between two of the biggest stars in boxing – WBC, Ring Magazine and Lineal Middleweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez (46-1-1, 32 KOs) and former two-time world champion Amir “King” Khan (31-3, 19 KOs) – on Cinco de Mayo weekend. T-Mobile Arena will open Wednesday, April 6 and on Saturday, May 7 will host its first boxing event featuring Canelo vs. Khan.

Canelo Alvarez vs. Amir Khan will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. The mega-fight promises intense action between two of boxing’s most popular and powerful fighters. Information regarding ticket availability and a press tour for the fight will be announced shortly.

“The new T-Mobile Arena was clearly the perfect venue choice to host the battle that will be Canelo vs. Khan on May 7,” said Golden Boy Promotions Chairman and CEO, Oscar De La Hoya. “Boxing in Las Vegas is truly an exciting event, and the fans with tickets to the fight will be in for a treat watching the fight in this new, state-of-the-art venue.”

Richard Sturm, president of Entertainment and Sports for MGM Resorts International, said, “As the newest sports and entertainment venue in Las Vegas, T-Mobile Arena was designed to host major boxing events including the first-ever fight featuring Canelo vs. Khan. Fight fans will have the opportunity to experience pre-fight activations at Toshiba Plaza as well as the arena’s multiple food and beverage options. We are excited to welcome the two fighters back to Las Vegas and look forward to a great event in May.”

Located west of the Las Vegas Strip between New York-New York and Monte Carlo, T-Mobile Arena is expected to host more than 100 events annually including UFC, boxing, hockey, basketball and other sporting events, major headline entertainment, awards shows, family shows and special events. Las Vegas’ newest landmark will feature 50 luxury suites, more than two dozen private loge boxes, complete broadcast facilities, and other specially designed exclusive hospitality offerings and fan amenities destined to create a guest experience second to none.

Canelo vs. Khan is a 12-round fight for Canelo’s WBC, Ring Magazine and Lineal Middleweight World Championships taking place Saturday, May 7, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Canelo Promotions and is sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, BORN BOLD. The mega-event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, follow us on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @TMobileArena, @canelo, @amirkingkhan and @OscarDeLaHoya, become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.Facebook.com/tmobilearena,join us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @tmobilearena, @canelo, @amirkingkhan and @OscarDeLaHoya, and follow the conversation using #CaneloKhan.

LAS VEGAS (February 19, 2016) – Welterweight star “Showtime” Shawn Porter opened up his training camp to media Thursday at Porter Hy-Performance Center in Las Vegas as he prepares for his primetime showdown with welterweight world champion Keith “One Time” Thurman on Saturday, March 12 on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on CBS presented by Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) from Mohegan Sun Resort in Connecticut.

Televised action begins at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT with an all-action showdown between former multiple division world champions Abner Mares and Fernando Montiel.

Porter worked out for media along with his father and trainer, Ken Porter as he looks to become a welterweight world champion for the second time. Porter defeated multiple-division champion Adrien Broner in a primetime PBC main event last year and is looking to again find success under the bright lights.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, are priced at
$300, $150, $75 and $35 (plus applicable fees) and are on sale now through
Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster customers may log on to ticketmaster.com; call (800) 745
3000; or visit any Ticketmaster outlet. Tickets are also available at the Mohegan Sun
Box Office.

Here is what Porter and his father had to say Thursday:

SHAWN PORTER

On training camp…

“Training camp is going great. It’s been hard work as always and nothing really different specifically for this fight. Obviously it is always a different game plan for a different fighter but that’s about it.

“I’m not making too many adjustments from my previous fight, just taking what I learn from each fight and take those learning experiences with you. Going into this fight we will definitely have some of our past experiences show up.

“It is getting closer. I feel it every day. It’s approaching and the excitement is brewing. The closer it gets the more excited and more focused that I get.

On being perceived as the underdog…

“I do not feel like I am coming in as the underdog. In order to be the champion, you have to beat the champion. That is my outlook on this fight, not only to outpoint him but to make it very decisive and dominate the fight.

”My motivation is to prove the doubters wrong.

“I have faced a tougher opposition than Keith Thurman. I feel like that may work most to my advantage. I think that there will come points in this fight where I will put him up against things that he has never been up against. It is all about how he reacts to what I throw at him.

“My plan is to go in there and shake him up, make him uncomfortable and carry the fight just like that.

“I am ready and whatever Thurman has to bring. I’m ready for 12 rounds, I’m ready to knock him out. I’m ready to do whatever it takes to win. I’m ready.

On sparring with Thurman…

“We expect what we saw in sparring with him to show up in the fight. He moved around a lot when we sparred. There weren’t very many clean shots landed by either of us, but I know from sparring with him that I have to be aggressive and that I have to cutoff the ring.

“I would say that for the majority of this fight it is probably going to be me as the aggressor. He likes to bully guys at the beginning of the fight to wear them down to feel himself out.. We’re expecting him to move a lot more against me.

“We’re going to be aggressive, we’re going to be smart, we’re looking beyond this fight.

“In my last fight I didn’t get hit very much and I am taking that same mindset and defense into this fight.

On being the next Floyd Mayweather Jr…

“I am expecting to beat Keith and be the guy that everyone looks at.

“When you go up against someone at a high level like this, you go up and you show out.

“As far as Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, I think those faces are going away. The welterweight class is exciting and there’s going to be a new face on the top of that ranking. I’d like that face to be me.

“I don’t make any predictions; I just know I am going to win.

“I have been waiting for this fight since 2013. I had just gotten my title then and I could see the way his career was moving that there was a collision course. We didn’t know how long this fight would take to happen or when it would happen, but we knew it was coming.

“When I was told this fight was happening all I could think was ‘Ok, let’s do it’ and it took some time to make the fight happen but when we finally did our faceoff, it felt great to look him in the eyes and let him know ‘I’m coming after you.’

“For me to fight Keith it has always been something that was a part of my career, all business not personal. It was just something that I needed to do to get to where I want to be.

“Keith Thurman is a good fighter. Nothing really sticks out to me as something I should worry about. He’s a good athlete and a good boxer, but he is very beatable, he just hasn’t been beat yet.

“You’re only as good as you’re last competition. If you look at the Kell Brook fight, I was not as good as I should’ve been. Since then I am very good, but still I feel that you are only as good as your last fight until you prove otherwise.

“It is and isn’t personal. For Keith to be considered one of the top dogs in this weight class, it is personal to me to beat him and reign over him. Other than that, it is all business.”

KEN PORTER

On being his son’s trainer…

“Because I have the history of working with a lot of top-level amateurs who have moved on to the professional level, I think that Shawn sees that in me as an edge.”

On his history with Keith Thurman…

“I know him very well. I’ve had opportunities to work with him in the amateurs. I’ve had opportunities to work with him in the pros. I’ve worked in his corner in an amateur fight before, I’ve worked in his corner in a pro fight.

“Keith knows Shawn, they’ve sparred about 30 rounds. He knows speed and won’t come in the ring trying to land a significant shot from the beginning. If he’s throwing that punch, he’s probably running the other direction at the same time.

“I would challenge [Thurman] to come in the ring and fight, but I know he’s going to fight. I know he will try to outbox us and try to land a slick and unexpected punch. Anyone can land a shot on you, that happens, but it’s what you do after the punch that counts.

“We’re looking forward to trading punches, boxing with him, slugging with him. We’re looking for a fight.”

On what it will take to win this fight…

“At this point in time, there’s going to be a lot of adjustments that have to be made, and I can’t just determine what it’s going to take to do it, but I know it’s going to take everything – speed, quickness, power, aggressiveness, conditioning, making adjustments mentally – it’s an intellectual fight.”

# # #

For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports and www.premierboxingchampions.com, follow on Twitter @SHOSports, @PremierBoxing @KeithFThurmanJr, @ShowtimeShawnP, @AbnerMares, @LouDiBella and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports, www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions and www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment.

ATLANTIC CITY (Feb. 19 2016) – Tonight at the Adrian Phillips Ballroom inside of historic Boardwalk Hall, two undefeated super bantamweights will headline a terrific edition of ShoBox: The New Generation, live on SHOWTIME® (10 PM ET/PT Delayed on the west coast)

In the main event two undefeated prospects with exceedingly high expectations face their most dangerous opponent to date when Adam “Mantequilla” Lopez (14-0, 7 KOs), of San Antonio, Texas, by way Phoenix, Ariz., meets Mario “Yayo” Muñoz (16-0-1, 10 KOs), of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico in a 10-round super bantamweight matchup.

In other televised bouts, all scheduled for eight rounds, Ronald “Flatline” Ellis (12-0, 10 KOs), of Dorchester, Mass., takes on Washington D.C.’s Jerry “The King’s Son” Odom (13-2, 12 KOs) in a clash of hard-hitting super middleweights, southpaw Lavisas “Red” Williams (8-0-1, 3 KOs), of Rochester, N.Y. risks his undefeated record against O’Shaquie “Ice Water” Foster (9-1, 6 KOs), of Orange, Texas, in a lightweight match and, opening the telecast, John “Madman” Magda (11-0, 7 KOs), of Rutherford, N.J., faces Philadelphia’s Christopher “Ice Cold” Brooker (7-1, 5 KOs) in a super middleweight matchup.

Lopez, who will be making his third ShoBox appearance feels that a win on Friday night should warrant his name mentioned with the elite of the suddenly hot 122-pound division.

“2016 is the breakout year. This is where I stamp my mark and become an actual contender,” said Lopez. “I feel with a win, I feel I should be mentioned as one of the top contenders in the division. I feel a I am a couple fights away from a fight with one of the big champions.

He knows that facing the undefeated Munoz, that it would be a real good fight for the fans to see.

“Munoz brings a good boxing style. He has been in there with world champions (Moises Flores).

About ShoBox: The New Generation
Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young talent matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to televise exciting, crowd-pleasing and competitive matches while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. Some of the growing list of the 65 fighters who have appeared on ShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes: Andre Ward, Deontay Wilder, Erislandy Lara, Shawn Porter, Gary Russell Jr., Lamont Peterson, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Omar Figueroa, Nonito Donaire, Devon Alexander, Carl Froch, Robert Guerrero, Timothy Bradley, Jessie Vargas, Juan Manuel Lopez, Chad Dawson, Paulie Malignaggi, Ricky Hatton, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Williams and more.

GH3 Promotions features undefeated Middleweight Antoine Douglas, Super Middleweight’s Jerry Odom, undefeated Super Bantamweight Adam Lopez as well as Boxcino 2015 Jr. Middleweight Champion John Thompson, Jr., undefeated Welterweight’s Hector Frometa, Jerrell Harris & Keenan Smith & Jr. Lightweight O’Shaquie Foster to the GH3 Promotions stable.

Tickets for the IBF World Heavyweight title blockbuster between champion Charles Martin and Olympic gold medal sensation Anthony Joshua MBE sold-out in just 90 seconds on Friday ahead of their clash at The O2 in London on April 9, live on Sky Sports Box Office.

Martin travels to England for the first defence of the title that he landed in Brooklyn in January against Vyacheslav Glazkov, and the California-based St Louis powerhouse has told Joshua that he’ll knock him out to retain his title – and take his fans in the process.

“I’m strong and I’ll be ready to KO him and win over his fans,” said Martin. “The boxing scene here is booming and I want to be a part of it.

“It’s just business – and I’ll show on the night that I mean business. I will return to the UK in April in phenomenal shape, ready for battle. He’s a pretty specimen and those muscles are fine and dandy, but when he gets tired, I get stronger, when he starts to go downhill. There’s no fear in me. I’ve been walking this earth for 29 years now, I am afraid of no man. I want what he’s got – the praise, the attention and the fans – plain and simple.”

Martin brings 21 KOs from his 23 wins to the Greenwich venue that Joshua has turned into his hometown fortress. The London 2012 Super-Heavyweight king as recorded six of his 15 KO wins at the arena, with the latest in December against Dillian Whyte – but Martin says that fight, and his own win over Glazkov, has no bearing on April’s showdown.

“People say you are only as good as your last fight, but that’s in the past,” said Martin. “When he’s in there with me I’m going to keep my eyes on him, stay sharp – it’s not him and Dillian Whyte, it’s him and Charles Martin, I’m going to study him in my camp and I’ll keep my eyes on him until the job is done.”

Tickets for April 9 are also available from http://www.stubhub.co.uk/matchroom-boxing-tickets/ – StubHub is the official ticket partner and marketplace of Matchroom Boxing.

Fight fans will get the chance to put their questions to the Sky Sports Boxing panel ahead of the World title unification blockbuster between Carl Frampton and Scott Quigg at the National Football Museum in Manchester on Thursday February 25, ahead of their clash at the sold-out Manchester Arena on Saturday February 27, live on Sky Sports Box Office.

The National Football Museum will host a fans forum, chaired by Sky Sports’ Head of Boxing Adam Smith and will feature a panel of Sky Boxing experts along with promoter Eddie Hearn.

The forum will begin at 7pm and after Smith introduces the panel and picks out the key points from Thursday’s press conference, before questions submitted to @SkySportsBoxing are read out and then the forum is opened to questions from the floor.

Entrance to the fans forum is free and on a first come, first served basis, with the doors opening at 6.30pm. The line-up of panel guests will be confirmed next week.

South African super-puncher Zolani Tete says he’d love to take on pound-for-pound megastar Guillermo Rigondeaux.

The former IBF World Super-Flyweight Champion from Mdanste in the Eastern Cape will feature on the same action-packed card as the unbeaten Cuban at the Liverpool Echo Arena on Saturday 12th March, live and exclusive on BoxNation.

Bantamweight Tete harbours dreams of becoming one of the greats of African boxing and is already making a name for himself as the most explosive puncher in his division with an incredible 18 knockouts in 22 wins.

The clinical southpaw says he could move up to super-bantamweight to face Rigondeaux after he takes on Mexican Jose Santos Gonzales.

He said: “You never know what the future holds but I won’t rule anything out. It’s one of those big fights you always dream of being involved in. Everyone wants to take on the very best and if the time is right it could happen. Rigondeaux is an amazing boxer and he is rated as one of the best for a reason so I have a lot of respect for him; he’s a true champion,”

“He’s a southpaw and I’m a southpaw, we’re both good boxers so it would be a great fight. It wouldn’t be easy but I believe I could beat him. I think it would be an entertaining fight for the fans that’s for sure.”

Touted as one of the best boxers to come out of Africa in recent years, Tete is determined to become a multi-weight world champion and plans on making the super-flyweight, bantamweight and super-bantamweight divisions his own.

He said: “It’s one of those big fights I’m looking for but Rigondeaux is two divisions higher than me and there are guys in this division and the next that I’m looking to beat first. When I decide to go up I’ll fight Rigondeaux or whoever is champion at the time,”

“When I’m changing weight division my trainers will make sure that I work on my power and strength so I’ll be more powerful than I am at super-featherweight. Moving up a weight won’t be a problem for me and I won’t lose my sting.”

Carl Frampton will defend his IBF super-bantamweight title against Scott Quigg on Saturday and the powerful Tete believes he has what it takes to beat the both of them.

He said: “I’d definitely fight one of them in the near future. With the skills and talent I have I believe I could conquer them. I am not taking anything away from them, yes they are true champions but I think I’ve got what it takes to put my name at the top of the pile.”

Flanagan v Mathews headlines an action packed card that also features one of the worlds greatest boxers, Guillermo Rigondeaux, taking on Merseyside hero Jazza Dickens; another star of world boxing, dynamite punching South African Zolani Tete challenges for the Vacant IBF International Bantamweight Championship against Jose Santos Gonzalez; Birmingham ace Tommy Langford defends his WBO Intercontinental Middleweight title against Lewis Taylor; hard-hitting Ellesmere Port’s star Paul Butler will challenge for a championship belt; Blackpool’s Matty Askin defends his English Cruiserweight title against Swindon’s Lawrence Bennett, plus Indian superstar Vijender Singh makes his Liverpool debut. The undercard features some of the best talent in Merseyside: undefeated leading world title contender Kevin Satchell; red-hot prospect Steven Lewis; European Champion Ryan Farrag; Manchester prospects Macaulay McGowan and Zelfa Barrett and Leicester ace Lyon Woodstock complete the card.

Ticket for ‘A Tale Of Two Cities’ are priced at £40, £60, £80, £100, £150* and are available from:

Eventim
0844 249 1000
www.eventim.co.uk

Liverpool Echo Arena
0844 8000 400
www.echoarena.com

Ticketmaster
0844 844 0444
www.ticketmaster.co.uk

A special V.I.P ticket priced at £250* that includes an inner ringside V.I.P seat, lanyard, complimentary beer, wine and soft drink (between a certain time period) and canapés are available to purchase through the Frank Warren Box Office office only on 01992 505 550.

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.

Matchroom Boxing are delighted to announce that the recently announced IBF World Heavyweight showdown between Charles ‘Prince’ Martin and Anthony Joshua MBE will be sponsored by the UK’s leading bookmaker William Hill.
The eagerly anticipated bout between the two unbeaten fighters will take place on the April 9 at The O2 in London. The fight, which is expected to be one of the biggest boxing bouts on British soil in recent times, can also be viewed on Sky Sports Box Office.

Martin will be making the first defence of the IBF title that he won by TKO against Vyacheslav Glazkov in January. The 29 year old has an unbeaten record of 23-1-0 with 21 wins by KO. The self-styled ‘Prince’ speaking on Sky Sports News this week said “I don’t talk, man. I let these talk,’ he said, holding up his clenched fists. ‘I let these talk for me. No doubts, see you April 9. I will win. I will knock him out. It won’t go12 rounds, heavyweights aren’t supposed to go 12 rounds.”
Joshua, the 2012 Olympic Champion, will be looking to extend his unblemished 15-0 record (15 KO’s) en-route to winning his first world title. Joshua, who is the 1/7 favourite to win the fight with the sponsors William Hill, is excited about the world title opportunity said “It’s so soon but when the opportunity presented itself it was something we had to look at, as Charles Martin called me out. When I go out to fight I go out to fight, I go out to knock people out and that’s the same with all my opponents, that’s why they’ve always been entertaining.”
Alex O’Shaughnessy, Chief Marketing Officer at William Hill said, “Martin v Joshua is going to be one of the biggest sporting events this spring and we’re thrilled to be associated with it.”
“We’ve made Anthony Joshua a firm favourite to claim the world title but we expect the odds to contract as we get closer to fight night.”
Eddie Hearn, Managing Director of Matchroom Sport, said “Martin v Joshua is going to be a mega Heavyweight title showdown and we’re delighted to have a real heavyweight global brand like William Hill on board. I think it’s 50/50 fight. I usually agree with the bookies odds – but I think it’ll be a lot closer than William Hill have it.”
** William Hill will be sponsoring an Anthony Joshua card for the second time following their association with the ‘Bad Intentions’ card at The O2 in December. The firm also announced last week they will be sponsoring next Saturday’s World Super-Bantamweight unification clash between Carl Frampton MBE and Scott Quigg which is co-promoted by Cyclone Promotions and Matchroom Boxing.
LATEST IBF WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT ODDS FROM WILLIAM HILL
Bout odds: (William Hill bet) 1/7 Anthony Joshua, 9/2 Charles Martin, 33/1 Draw
Round betting: Joshua: 8/1 Round 1, 7/1 Round 2, 7/1 Round 3, 7/1 Round 4, 8/1 Round 5, 10/1 Round 6, 12/1 Round 7, 14/1 Round 8, 20/1 Round 9, 22/1 Round 10, 28/1 Round 11, 40/1 Round 12,
Round betting: Martin: 33/1 Round 1, 28/1 Round 2, 28/1 Round 3, 28/1 Round 4, 33/1 Round 5, 40/1 Round 6, 40/1 Round 7, 40/1 Round 8, 50/1 Round 9, 66/1 Round 10, 80/1 Round 11, 100/1 Round 12,
On points: 4/1 Joshua, 14/1 Martin
2/7 Joshua by KO, TKO, DQ
13/2 Martin by KO, TKO, DQ
Attachments area
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Charles Martin and Anthony Joshua.jpg

Super-middleweight warlords Fedor Chudinov and Felix Sturm collide again in their highly-anticipated rematch at the Koenig Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany, exclusively live on BoxNation tomorrow night (Saturday 20th February) from 7pm.

Undefeated Russian star Chudinov returns to Germany to make the second defence of the WBA Super World Championship that he won on a split-decision against hometown hero Sturm last May and then smashed Britain’s Frank Buglioni over twelve rounds in the first title defence in September.

The hardman from Serpukhov near Moscow has forged a fearsome reputation as a fighting machine with his relentless pressure, non-stop punching and iron strength as he pounds opponent into submission as 10 of his 16 opponents have found out.

Chudinov, 28, will not be afraid of re-entering Sturm’s lion’s den again seeing as he’s fought and won away from home plenty of times previously with his passport also stamped in America, Dominican Republic and London.

A victory for Chudinov will certainly see him looking to unify the title against the hugely popular Armenian based German Arthur Abraham who holds the WBO crown, with also potential showdowns against WBC ruler Badou Jack and IBF Champion James DeGale.

Chudinov said, “I’m ready for Sturm a second time and I know that I can do the same again and emerge from Germany with my record and title still intact. I’m more confident than ever, but I haven’t taken Sturm for granted, he’ll be highly motivated to get his title back in front of his home fans and I won’t let that happen,”

“I thank my fans in the UK for their support and all the good luck messages they have sent me, I seem to have won a lot of new fans when I defeated Frank Buglioni there. Make sure you’re watching my fight against Sturm live on BoxNation tomorrow night and you will see something special.”

Sturm, from Cologne, hasn’t fought since the loss to Chudinov and for the German great it may be a final shot at world title glory in his illustrious 48-fight career that has seen him win four world titles.

The slick and stylish Sturm has operated at elite level since 2003 and has been involved in a staggering 22 world championship fights although he has rarely fought outside of his homeland.

Known simply as ‘The Fighter’, Sturm will be looking to break his own record as Germany’s only four-time world champion by capturing a fifth title if he gets revenge over Chudinov.

An action-packed card on BoxNation opens with hot unbeaten German super-middleweight Alem Begic in a four round contest against Leo Tchoula; light-heavyweight Konni Konrad takes on Andrej Maurer over six rounds and Germany based Italian heavyweight Francesco Pianeta faces Hasan Olaki, also over six-rounds.

Live coverage will start on BoxNation at 7pm on Saturday night. To subscribe to BoxNation (Sky 437/490HD, Virgin 525, Freeview 255, TalkTalk 415, iPhone, iPad or Android and Amazon devices) for only £12 a month visit boxnation.com or to watch online subscribe at watch.boxnation.com

– Ends –

About BoxNation

BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated subscription boxing channel. For £12* a month and no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Khan vs Collazo and Mayweather vs Maidana.

The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Freeview (Ch.255), Virgin (Ch.546), TalkTalk (Ch.415), online at watch.boxnation.com and via apps (ios, Android, Amazon). BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.

BoxNation is also available to commercial premises (inc. pubs, clubs and casino’s) in the UK and Ireland, for more information on a commercial subscription please call 0844 842 7700.

For more information visit www.boxnation.com

*Plus £8 registration fee for Sky TV customers.

Toronto – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents a trio of exciting live mixed martial arts events this weekend, beginning on Friday, Feb. 19 at 10 p.m. ET with RFA 35: Moises vs. Castillo from Orem, Utah. The following night, Saturday, Feb. 20 at 9 p.m. ET, World Series of Fighting returns with WSOF 28: Moraes vs. Barajas from Garden Grove, Calif. Finally, Fight Network presents live coverage of UFC Fight Night™: Cowboy vs. Cowboy, including the live prelims, which take place Sunday, Feb. 21 from Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Penn.

Fight Network will air the live UFC Fight Night™: Cowboy vs. Cowboy prelims exclusively in Canada at 7 p.m. ET. The main card airs live on TSN2 at 9 p.m. ET.

In featured prelim action on Sunday night, Montreal-based “Dominican Nightmare” Alex Garcia (13-2) battles once-beaten American welterweight standout Sean “Tarzan” Strickland (16-1). Meanwhile, Brazil’s Daniel Sarafian (10-5) looks to make it two straight when he collides with Oluwale Bamgbose (5-1) in a middleweight matchup, Anthony “Lionheart” Smith (24-11) makes his Octagon return against newcomer Leonardo Augusto Leleco (11-1, 1NC) in a middleweight bout, plus Jonavin Webb (8-1) throws down with Nathan Coy (14-6) in the welterweight televised opener.

Fight Network’s original one-hour UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Cowboy Pre-Show, which premieres on Thursday, Feb. 18 at 6 p.m. ET, will serve as a lead-in to the live prelims on Sunday night. Check listings for additional airings.

Before they enter the Octagon, Fight Network is your destination for the official live UFC Fight Night™: Cowboy vs. Cowboy weigh-ins on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 4 p.m. ET, as headliners Donald Cerrone and Alex Oliveira tip the scales ahead of their anticipated welterweight showdown.

Immediately following Sunday’s main card, Fight Network will broadcast the official live UFC Fight Night™: Cowboy vs. Cowboy post-fight press conference in its entirety.

In addition to all the live events, Fight Network is the destination for UFC library content, specials and series, including The Ultimate Fighter, UFC Unleashed, UFC Now, UFC Ultimate Insider and classic UFC PPV events.

The full card for UFC Fight Night™: Cowboy vs. Cowboy includes:

Main Card (Live on TSN2, 9 p.m. ET):
-Donald Cerrone (28-6, 1NC) vs. Alex Oliveira (13-2-1, 1NC)
-Derek Brunson (14-3) vs. Roan Carneiro (20-9)
-Cody Garbrandt (7-0) vs. Augusto Mendes (5-0)
-Dennis Bermudez (15-5) vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri (35-8-2)
-Chris Camozzi (22-10) vs. Joe Riggs (41-16, 1NC)
-James Krause (22-7) vs. Shane Campbell (12-3)

Preliminary Card (Live on Fight Network, 7 p.m. ET):
-Alex Garcia (13-2) vs. Sean Strickland (16-1)
-Daniel Sarafian (10-5) vs. Oluwale Bamgbose (5-1)
-Anthony Smith (24-11) vs. Leonardo Augusto Leleco (11-1, 1NC)
-Jonavin Webb (8-1) vs. Nathan Coy (14-6)

Preliminary Card (Live on UFC Fight Pass, 5:30 p.m. ET):
-Marion Reneau (6-2) vs. Ashlee Evans-Smith (3-1)
-Lauren Murphy (8-2) vs. Kelly Faszholz (3-0)
-Anthony Hamilton (14-4) vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov (15-3)

WSOF 28 on Saturday night at 9 p.m. ET is headlined by reigning bantamweight champion Marlon Moraes (15-4-1) making the third defense of his coveted title against fast-rising star Joseph Barajas (12-1). In the bantamweight co-main event, Timur “Lucky” Valiev (10-1) will put his 10-fight winning streak on the line against fellow rising star Chris “El Guapo” Gutierrez (8-1-1), who is unbeaten in his last seven fights. Rounding out the card, Jamie “The Chosyn 1” Yager (6-4) battles Greg Parker (5-1), while Ozzie Alvarez (6-3) meets Andrew “The” Ramm (4-3) in a pair of welterweight matchups.

The live festivities get underway on Friday night at 10 p.m. ET, as RFA 35 features a clash for the RFA lightweight championship with late replacement Thiago Moises (6-1) challenging regional standout Dave Castillo (19-7). In other action, Thiago Alves (9-3) meets David Putvin (7-1) in a 160-pound affair, welterweight sensation James Nakashima (4-0) risks his perfect record against fellow unbeaten Brad Darrington (4-0), Dervin Lopez (7-3) takes on Joe Rodriguez (7-3) in a middleweight pairing, Ricky Steele (4-0) faces Lynn Schulz (5-2) in a bantamweight bout, plus Curtis Blaydes (4-0) looks to stay perfect in a heavyweight slugfest with Luis “The Hulk” Cortez (3-2).

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

19 February 2016 – Jakarta, Indonesia: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), announced today that the mixed martial artists competing at ONE: TRIBE OF WARRIORS have made weight and are ready for all the action which takes place tomorrow evening, 20 February at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia. All fighters have passed medicals, and are in the process of preliminary weight and hydration checks. All bouts are on track as scheduled.

Visit the official ONE: TRIBE OF WARRIORS weigh-in photo gallery by clicking: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6k384krsvdao0f3/AABoZfKfuYDUszYYrjf_77sta?dl=0.

CEO of ONE Championship, Victor Cui stated, “Our ONE Championship athletes are professionals through and through. Their dedication to proper weight management and being able to perform at their absolute best makes them true warriors of mixed martial arts. Jakarta is all set for action this Saturday night, and things are shaping up to be an amazing evening.”

Tickets for ONE: TRIBE OF WARRIORS, are available at http://www.kiostix.com/tuk_kiostixevt/one-championship-tribe-of-warriors-2/.

COMPLETE WEIGH-IN RESULTS
MAIN EVENT
Welterweight bout (77.2kg – 83.9kg): Luis Santos VS Rafael Silva

MAIN CARD
Indonesia Warrior Catchweight bout (70.3kg): Vincent Latoel VS Kotetsu Boku
Catchweight bout (64 kg): Koetsu Okazaki VS Andrew Leone
Heavyweight bout (102.2kg – 120.2kg): Marcin Prachnio VS Alexandre Machado
Featherweight bout (65.9kg – 70.3kg): Anthony Engelen VS Rocky Batolbatol
Featherweight bout (65.9kg – 70.3 kg): Yohan Mulia Legowo VS Mario Satya Wirawan
Bantamweight bout (61.3kg – 65.8kg): Jerome S. Paye VS Li Hao Jie

UNDERCARD
Welterweight bout (77.2kg – 83.9kg): Djatmiko Waluyo VS Trestle Tan
Catchweight bout (71.5 kg): Bashir Ahmad VS Jimmy Yabo
Catchweight bout (54.5 kg): Angela Lee VS Rebecca Heintzman

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 Facebookatwww.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. A final weigh-in will take place three (3) before the event to ensure athletes are on target and in great condition.

ATLANTIC CITY (Feb. 18, 2016) – All eight fighters hit their marks and are set to go for their fightstomorrow, Friday, Feb. 19 on ShoBox: The New Generation live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast). A quadrupleheader, presented by GH3 Promotions, will emanate from the Adrian Phillips Ballroom in the Historic Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic, City, N.J.

In the main event two undefeated prospects with exceedingly high expectations face their most dangerous opponent to date when Adam “Mantequilla” Lopez (14-0, 7 KOs), of San Antonio, Texas, by way Phoenix, Ariz., meets Mario “Yayo” Muñoz (16-0-1, 10 KOs), of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico in a 10-round super bantamweight matchup.

In other televised bouts, all scheduled for eight rounds, Ronald “Flatline” Ellis (12-0, 10 KOs), of Dorchester, Mass., takes on Washington D.C.’s Jerry “The King’s Son” Odom (13-2, 12 KOs) in a clash of hard-hitting super middleweights, southpaw Lavisas “Red” Williams (8-0-1, 3 KOs), of Rochester, N.Y. risks his undefeated record against O’Shaquie “Ice Water” Foster (9-1, 6 KOs), of Orange, Texas, in a lightweight match and, opening the telecast, John “Madman” Magda (11-0, 7 KOs), of Rutherford, N.J., faces Philadelphia’s Christopher “Ice Cold” Brooker (7-1, 5 KOs) in a super middleweight matchup.

The Weights: Lopez and Muñoz each weighed 121½ pounds; Ellis tipped scale at 166½ pounds, Odom 167½, Williams weighed 132 pounds, Foster 134; and Magda weighed 167½ pounds and Brooker 168½.

Tickets are priced at $25, $50, $75, $100 and $150 and are available for purchase online at www.Ticketmaster.com and over the phone at (800) 736-1420.

Non-Televised Fights (to be streamed Live on GFL.TV beginning at 7:15 PM ET)

Anthony Young 149 – Skender Halili 149.5
Brendan Barrett 245 – Dan Pasciolla 243.5
Arturo Trujillo 154 – Jeffrey Wright 153
Elijah Vines 156 – Alec Asbury 156
Hector Frometa 146 – Jordan Rosario 151

Here’s what the fighters said Thursday:

ADAM LOPEZ

“This is my third time on ShoBox and my third fight against an undefeated fighter. They like to match me tough but I must confess, I’m really looking forward to it.

“I know I only had 14 fights, but I truly feel I feel I’m ready for a major fight or a title shot at the end of year. I have a strong amateur background, so I have experience. There are a lot of good fights right now at 122 pounds. The division is hot.

“I fought at 118 last time so I can make that weight if the right opportunity comes, but I am strong at 122. I thought I clearly won my last fight. I don’t think it was as close as the judges said it was.

“I’m fighting a guy, Munoz, who is sort of a mystery to me. I’ve seen one tape of him, but it was from 2012. So I don’t really know how he’s fought recently.

“He seems to want to box and slug. He’s had some good performances in the past and fought some good ones so I won’t take nothing away from him and I do respect him.

“But I’m prepared to make the fight and be aggressor if necessary, and to win it any way that I have to. My trainer [former two-time world champion Carlos “Famous” Hernandez] continues to work on all the little things, and trains me for anything that might come my way..

“I feel that I’ve moved from prospect to contender, but a victory tomorrow night should prove that to everybody.”

MARIO MUÑOZ

“This is my first fight in nine months and first in America, which is very exciting. You have to fight in the United States eventually; this is where you become known.

“I know that I’m in top shape. I’ve fought some good guys in my division, and I’m at the level I need to be. I had a really hard training camp; I know what I’m supposed to do.

“I’m grateful for this opportunity. I know a lot of people haven’t heard of me, but I promise you a good fight.

“I’m more of a boxer than a puncher, but I love to exchange and switch stance to southpaw, although my trainer doesn’t like it.

“Lopez is very fast, smart and has a great left hand. But I’m ready for all that. I’ll look at what he has to offer and counter with my best.

“I’m a little nervous. Things are moving fast now. But I couldn’t be more ready.”

RONALD ELLIS

“I’ve been working for this sort of opportunity since I was 13, so, yes, I am very excited. I want to win and look good doing it so promoters and television will want to see me again.

“I’ve had problems in the past getting opponents, so I’ve taken a few ‘stay busy’ fights. But this fight is a totally different story.

“Everyone says I’m a boxer-puncher, and I do feel I am versatile. I’ll decide how I want to go the night of the fight. We know how Jerry’s gonna fight so I need to fight him smart. We’ll see how Odom’s chin is because it’s going get tested tomorrow night.

“I only had 24 amateur fights, but I am dedicated and continuing to improve with each fight. It will be a great night for me. I’m looking forward to putting on a good show.”

JERRY ODOM

“Everybody has to make changes so I have a new trainer, Kennie Johnson, for this fight. He has been trying to stress finesse, movement and utilizing my overall skills more, with less emphasis on just trying to load up and knock the guy out.

“We’re working on me picking shots, breaking down opponents and setting up the power shots rather than just show it. Defensively, he’s had me working on my overall movement, head movement in particular.

“I’m looking to shine on Friday, especially after my last ShoBox fight that I lost. I should have never taken the fight once he came in so overweight. It was a bad business decision on my part, but I learned – no more thinking with my heart.

“I got over my last fight right away and I’m anxious to do my job and show how much I gained and learned from it. I certainly feel ready. My only focus is to win.

“Ellis should be a good opponent for me. Obviously he has power, a good jab and punches. There are some good things about him, but I’m better. I’ll go out and execute, he won’t be able to stop me.”’

LAVISAS WILLIAMS

“I’m naturally lefty … I’ve sparred against ambidextrous boxers, so I like to say I’m ready for anything that comes my way.

“I’m excited to be debuting on national television. That’s a pretty big deal for me so I need to put a great show. Especially for my fan base back home, they are all going to be watching.

“I take boxing seriously. I like to say I’m very dedicated. I take advantage of any opportunity I see. I trained at Mayweather Boxing Gym in Las Vegas for a bit last year. It was a good experience.

“My job is to frustrate him and trust me, I will. He will fight my fight. If he freezes again, I’m sure taking advantage of that, but I’m not counting on it.

“I’m going in knowing I’m the better boxer, but not overconfident. You can’t overlook anybody, but I know I’m the one that’s coming out victorious.”

O’SHAQUIE FORSTER

“I don’t know what happened in my last fight. I thought everything was OK but I just couldn’t find my fight rhythm. I couldn’t get off for some reason. But I am done thinking about that night.

“I’m definitely more focused this time around and in better shape. I need a win – and I’m fighting a guy who beat the guy that beat me, Samuel Teah. So, I have to be smart. He’s a southpaw but I can deal with that.

“I’ve never worked so hard in camp. I left Texas to go to Washington D.C. to train for this. I’m 100 percent set to go.

“I need a challenge and this is it. I’m ready to step up and I’m ready for him.”

JOHN MAGDA

“I’m excited and ready to go. Right now I’m looking at this as just another fight, but it’s definitely a big, big deal. I’m hoping to win and put on an exciting show.

“I’ve been in the gym training since November but a series of unfortunate events took place and I didn’t fight that month, or in December, or in January. So, I’ve been training for a while. I’m ready to fight.

‘I’m in with a rough, tough guy. I can’t let him bully or push me around; I just can’t let him stand and throw.

“I need to box, move, do a lot of things I know I can do. I have to see how it plays. It’s all just a matter of me doing what I am supposed to do, whether it is to box or slug. I’m ready for it.”

CHRISTOPHER BROOKER

“I love being the underdog; I’m accustomed to it. That’s why I work so hard, remain dedicated and will not ever quit.

“Magda throws a lot of punches, so you can’t expect him to stay on the outside. But I run 15 miles a day, three days a week after sparring, to get into the kind of shape I need to be in and am for this fight.

“This is my first fight against a southpaw, but I’ve had southpaw sparring, including some recently with [former world champion] Andre Dirrell. I learned so much from him.

“I’m a Philly fighter through and through: I may not be a favorite to win, but I come to war and will never give up. That’s a lot like the way I grew up when living in foster homes — and later, homeless, for some time. I just not give up, I keep on fighting.

“There’s a lot on the line for me this Friday and I am ready to show what I can do.”

About ShoBox: The New Generation
Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young talent matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to televise exciting, crowd-pleasing and competitive matches while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. Some of the growing list of the 65 fighters who have appeared on ShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes: Andre Ward, Deontay Wilder, Erislandy Lara, Shawn Porter, Gary Russell Jr., Lamont Peterson, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Omar Figueroa, Nonito Donaire, Devon Alexander, Carl Froch, Robert Guerrero, Timothy Bradley, Jessie Vargas, Juan Manuel Lopez, Chad Dawson, Paulie Malignaggi, Ricky Hatton, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Williams and more.

GH3 Promotions features undefeated Middleweight Antoine Douglas, Super Middleweight’s Jerry Odom, undefeated Super Bantamweight Adam Lopez as well as Boxcino 2015 Jr. Middleweight Champion John Thompson, Jr., undefeated Welterweight’s Hector Frometa, Jerrell Harris & Keenan Smith & Jr. Lightweight O’Shaquie Foster to the GH3 Promotions stable.

John Vera 153.5 lbs. vs. Ayi Bruce 150.5 lbs.
Tony Luis 135.25 lbs. vs. Samuel Amoako 135.25 lbs.
Kevin Lavallee 129.75 lbs. vs. Jose Silveria 128 lbs.
Malik Hawkins 146.7 lbs. vs. Cody Peterson 146 lbs.
Travis Fulton NA vs. Richard Carmack NA
Junior Wright 197.75 lbs. vs. Jimmie Franklin 198.75 lbs.

Promoters: Greg Cohen Promotions, Roy Jones Jr. Boxing Promotion
Television: CBS Sports Network

ANAHEIM, CALIF. (February 18, 2016) – Undefeated featherweight world champion Leo “El Terremoto” Santa Cruz held an open media workout Thursday at Who’s Next Boxing Academy in La Puente, Calif., as he prepares for his first title defense against Kiko “Sensación” Martinez Saturday, February 27 live on SHOWTIME from Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Santa Cruz vs. Martinez headlines a SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® tripleheader that features Mexican warriors Julio Ceja and Hugo Ruiz meeting in an awaited super bantamweight world title rematch plus heavyweights Gerald “El Gallo Negro” Washington and Oscar “Kaboom” Rivas will put their unblemished records on the line in a 10-round matchup. The action begins at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions, are priced at $27, $54, $104 and $199 and are on sale now via ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster retail locations or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the Honda Center Box Office.

Santa Cruz worked out alongside his father and trainer, Jose Santa Cruz, for the media in attendance and spoke about his upcoming bout and more. The workout also featured a surprise performance from Martin Castillo and a five-piece band that included a tuba and an accordion. Santa Cruz jumped rope and went through drills while traditional Mexican folk music called Corrido filled the Southern California gym.

Here is what Santa Cruz and his father had to say Thursday:

LEO SANTA CRUZ

“I always train to make a statement. I want to go out there and show everyone that I’m really good and I deserve to be considered one of the best.

“I fight for my family. Since I was small, this is what I’ve wanted to do to help my family. I wanted to work hard and give my family a better future.

“Martinez is a strong fighter who comes forward and always puts pressure on you. He never backs down and always comes to fight. That’s what we like about this matchup — it makes for a more intense fight.

“We’re going to give the fans an entertaining show. The fans are the ones who are going to win at the end of the night. I’m going to go out there and try to knock him out by the end of the third round.

“I think he’s going to be the aggressor because he’s shorter and has to fight that way. But I’m going to go forward and be the aggressor too. If that’s not working, I’ll box him. We’re going to do what we need to do to win the fight.

“I see Carl Frampton vs. Scott Quigg as a 50-50 fight. It’s a tough fight for both of them. I think whoever catches the other guy first will get the victory. They both can hit and they both have great skills. It could go either way.

“It’s a very interesting fight between Frampton and Quigg. They’ve both been possible opponents for me and I hope that I do well that night and face the winner of that fight. I don’t care who it is, I want to fight them.

“I’m willing to fight whoever. I want the winner of Frampton-Quigg. If not then Lee Selby, Gary Russell Jr., Jesus Cuellar or anyone in the division. Hopefully next it will be one of those fighters.

“My fighting style is to always go forward and throw a lot of punches. I just want to entertain the fans. I fight for them and I try to send them home happy. I want to go in there and fight in a war.

“I’m going to fight all of the top guys. I’m still young and I know if I keep working hard and taking care of the guy in front of me, I’ll get all of those fights.

“We’re working on our distance and learning new things every day in camp. I don’t want to change too much, since I’m undefeated. I’m going to be prepared mentally and physically to get the win.

“We’re working hard all the time. We know what we have to do in the ring to win the fight. My last fight our strategy was to brawl but we adjusted it and moved more and we were able to get the victory.

On his recent foray into boxing promotion: “Being a promoter is difficult. It’s very hard. You’re always busy, so right now I’m focused on my boxing career. I’m letting my brothers and my family take care of it now. I’m not there 100 percent yet but I like to give my opinion. It’s something I’d like to do after I retire.”

JOSE SANTA CRUZ

“Leo is very well prepared as he always is. We always train 100 percent and we are ready.

“The team is ready to fight. We have one week left to rest and put some finishing touches on this camp.

“We’re going to fight Martinez with our style. We’re going to do whatever we need to do to win the fight. Leo is going to take the fight to him and try to counteract whatever style Martinez brings.

“It’s going to be a good fight. Whichever style Martinez brings, we’re going to out-maneuver him and make it a good fight. I see Leo winning a decision at least if not a knockout.”

For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports follow on Twitter @SHOSports, @LeoSantaCruz2, @MartinezKiko, @TGBPromotions, @HondaCenter and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports

Atlantic City, NJ (February 18, 2016)–Anthony “Juice” Young, a young promising Welterweight has reunited with his original manager, Rich Masini.

The two had forged a great team and along with trainer Bill Johnson have rekindled their relationship and this Friday night at Historic Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Young (11-1, 5 KO’s) of Atlantic City takes on Skander Halili (8-1, 8 KO’s) on the featured non-televised bout that will precede a terrific ShoBox: The New Generation card that will be televised live on SHOWTIME®

This will be the first fight back together as Young is on a quest to win championships.

“I am excited to be back with Anthony,” said Masini.

“I have always have had a great deal of respect for for him and admiration for his family. It works with with us. We have the same goals and plans, “Juice” has always been hard working and trains very hard. I greatly look forward to Friday night and his future. He is a great fighter and a better person. I am excited that team , which also includes his dad Teany, is back together.”

“We have worked through some ups and downs but now I could not be more happier with Rich as manager now,”said Young

I am expecting a tough fight. I trained for a tough fight. I trained eight hard weeks and I am looking to go out there and get the win.”

“It’s great to have the team working together. Bill Johnson, Arnold Robbins, Aaron Green plus his father is a co-manager. Everyone has worked together to help him get this win and push his career forward,” said adviser, Ray McCline.

1st bout is 7:15 PM ET ; ShoBox: The New Generation telecast begins at 10 PM ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast)

Houston, TX, (February 18, 2016) – Scott Coker, President of Bellator MMA and one of combat sport’s most accomplished promoters, will launch “Bellator Kickboxing” this April with his partners at Spike. The announcement was made today at a press conference ahead of “Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie,” which airs tomorrow night on Spike at 9e/8c.

Bellator Kickboxing will feature many of the world’s best kickboxers including Joe Schilling, Raymond Daniels, Kevin Ross, Keri Melendez and Anastasia Yankova, who were in attendance at today’s press conference. The current Bellator MMA team based out of Santa Monica, CA will run the new league.

Coker has over 30 years of experience promoting combat sports, overseeing both K-1 and Strikeforce Kickboxing leagues during his illustrious career. “Kickboxing is a thrilling, non-stop action-packed sport that I believe will resonate with MMA fans,” said Coker. “Our first goal is to develop stars and showcase these incredible athletes on the #1 home for combat sports, Spike TV.”

The first event for Bellator Kickboxing will be a co-promoted show with Bellator MMA and Oktagon Kickboxing on April 16 at the Pala Alpitour in Torino, Italy.

The Bellator Kickboxing event’s headliner will feature Melvin Manhoef vs. Alexandru Negrea as well as a 5-round title fight when current ISKA 72kg champion Mustapha Haida will move up in weight to challenge Karim Ghajii for his ISKA 75 KG belt. Other participants competing at the inaugural Bellator Kickboxing extravaganza include Ross, Daniels and Denise Kielholtz. Opponents for these participants will be announced in the near future.

The event will also include “Bellator 152,” a mixed martial arts card will feature Alessio Sakara vs. Brian Rogers, and also features Bellator MMA stars Patricky “Pitbull” Freire, Brent Primus, Anastasia Yankova and A.J. McKee.

Bellator Kickboxing’s debut event will air on Spike Saturday, April 16 at 9:00pm ET/PT on brief tape delay. Earlier that day, Spike will broadcast Bellator MMA’s first international show, “Bellator 152,” LIVE at 3:00pm ET.

Details on future events will be announced in the near future.

About Bellator MMA:
Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 500 million homes worldwide in over 140 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike, the MMA television leader. Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Santa Monica, California and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.

About Spike:
Spike is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

M-1 GLOBAL GRAND PRIX MIDDLEWEIGHT TOURNAMENT – SEMIFINALS – 5 X 5
Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko (51-9-0, M-1: 2-0-0), Russia 184 ½ lbs. (83.8 kg)
vs.
Vyacheslav Vaselevsky (27-3-0, M-1: 10-1-0), Russia 184 ½ lbs. (83.8 kg)

CO-FEATURE
VACANT M-1 CHALLENGE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP – 5 X 5
Alexander “Drago” Volkov (24-6-0, M-1: 8-3-0), Russia 236 ½ lbs. (107.5 kg)
vs.
Denis Smoldaraev (11-1-0, M-1: 7-1-0), Estonia 269 ½ lbs. (122.4 kg)

M-1 CHALLENGE BANTAMWEIGHT SEMIFINALS ELIMINATOR – 3 X 5
Pavel Vitruk (12-2-0, M-1: 6-2-0), Russia 135 lbs. (61.3 kg)
vs.
Sergey Morozov (6-0-0, M-1: 2-0-0), Kazakhstan 134 lbs. (60.9 kg)

Antun “Killer” Racic (18-6-0, M-1: 3-3-0), Croatia 134 lbs. (61.0 kg)
vs.
Vitaly Branchuk (20-5-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Ukraine 134 ½ lbs. (61.1 kg)

MIDDLEWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
Joe Ray (13-4-0, M-1: 0-0-0, United States 184 lbs. (83.6 kg)
vs.
Vladimir Katyhin (31-6-1, M-1: 1-0-0), Ukraine 183 ½ lbs. (83.4 kg)

PRELIMINARY CARD

HEAVYWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
Kurban Ibragimov (3-1-0, M-1: 2-1-0, Russia 230 lbs. (104.5 kg)
vs.
Dmitriy Mikutsa (5-2-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Ukraine 239 ½ lbs. (108.8 kg)

MIDDLEWEIGHTS- 3 X 5
Magomed Mutaev (6-2-0, M-1: 3-0-0),Russia 185 lbs. (84.0 kg)
vs.
Vadim “Archie” Orischak (5-4-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Russia 184 lbs. (83.6 kg)

Valery “The Russian Hammer” Myasnikov (8-1-1, M-1: 0-1-1), Russia 185 lbs. (84.0 kg)
vs.
Vyacheslav “Bison” Bogomol (5-1-0, M-1: 1-0-0) 183 lbs. (83.3 kg)

WELTERWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
Stefan Larisch (8-3-0, M-1: 0-0-0), Germany 168 ½ lbs. (76.6 kg)
vs.
Maksin Grabovich (2-2-0, M-1: 2-0-0), Russia 168 lbs. (76.3 kg)

FEATHERWEIGHTS – 3 X 5
Andrey “Iron” Lezhnev (7-5-0, M-1: 1-1-0) 145 lbs. (65.8 kg)
vs.
Timur Nagibin (5-1-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Russia 145 lbs. (65.8 kg)

WHAT: M-1 Challenge 64

WHEN: Friday, February 19, 2016

WHERE: Olympic Stadium, Moscow, Russia

PROMOTER: M-1 Global

M-1 Challenge 64 will be streamed live from Moscow in high definition on www.M1Global.TV. Viewers will be able to watch the preliminary fights and main card by logging on to register at www.M1Global.TV. Fans may watch all of the action on their computers, as well as on Android and Apple smart phones and tablets.

Information:

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

Twitter & Instagram:

@M1GlobalNews
@VFinkelchtein
@M1Global

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/M-1-GlobalNews

ABOUT M-1 GLOBAL: Founded in 1997, M-1 Global has established itself in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as the premier entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With its office in St Petersburg, Russia, the M-1 brand has staged more than 170 events worldwide, including M-1 Selection, M-1 Challenge, M-1 Global and M-1 Global HWGP events, in addition to co-promoting Strikeforce events and M-1 Global on the U.S. network, Showtime. Captivating live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and match-ups, M-1 Global events have featured some of the sport’s top names, including legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Keith Jardine, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Sergei Kharitonov, Aleksander Emelianenko, Roman Zentsov, Yushin Okami, Mike Pyle, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, Amar Suloev, Chalid Arrab and Stephan Struve. 2016 promises to be another sensational year of world-class competition, featuring a full calendar of Challenge events, fueled by a talent-rich contention system to rank M-1 Global Champions among the greatest fighters in the sport.

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