It will be a battle of world champions on the Fox network on January 23, 2016 when Danny Garcia takes on Robert Guerrero on the first bout on the network in nearly 20 years, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“I’m excited to be fighting in prime time on Fox and to get back in the ring in such a big way,” Garcia said. “I know people are going to say this is a Puerto Rico versus Mexico matchup, but I fight for all Latinos and I have the fan-friendly style to back it up. Guerrero comes to fight, and he’s faced the best in the sport. This is a huge opportunity for me to show why I’m a star. There’s no better place to do that than in Los Angeles, where stars are born.”

“Garcia and Guerrero are two of the toughest guys in the sport today,” said Tom Brown, whose TGB Promotions is promoting the card on behalf of PBC. “They leave it all in the ring every time out and they’re going to give the great Los Angeles sports fans a memorable night of action. There’s no better way to start off the New Year and no more suited venue for it than Staples Center.”

“If there ever was a fight that defined the word ‘war,’ it’s this fight,” Guerrero said. “What a great way to kick off the return of prime-time boxing on Fox. I guarantee this is going to be a historic fight. A Mexican-American versus a Puerto Rican-American — it’s a bitter rivalry. Danny Garcia is a great champion, and I know we’re going to put on a tremendous show. Jan. 23, it’s going to be fireworks, and I can’t wait.”

“We’re thrilled to present the first professional boxing on Fox in almost 20 years with Premier Boxing Champions’ exciting prime-time Saturday shows,” said David Nathanson, the Fox Sports head of business operations. “With the success of the PBC’s Tuesday night boxing series on FS1 and Fox Deportes, we knew boxing would make a great addition to Fox alongside the Fox Sports portfolio.”

LOS ANGELES (Nov. 24) – Undefeated featherweight sensation Joseph “Jo Jo” Diaz Jr. (18-0, 10 KOs) will make his fifth appearance at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino on Friday, December 18, in a 10-round featherweight main event against Mexico City, Mexico’s Hugo “Olimpico” Partida (20-6-2, 15 KOs) for the vacant NABF featherweight title live on Boxeo Estelar on Estrella TV.

“Joseph ‘Jo Jo’ Diaz Jr. is on his way to stardom and this title shot on December 18 is a great way for him to close out a spectacular year of fights he had in 2015,” said Oscar De La Hoya, chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “Joseph is, without a doubt, a future star for the sport. This title shot is a big opportunity that can take him to the next level, something he has worked hard for and undoubtedly has deserved.”

Rene “Gemelo” Alvarado (22-5, 15 KOs) from Managua, Nicaragua will take on Andrew Cancio (15-3-2, 11 KOs) from Blythe, California, in the 10-round featherweight co-main event of the night.Opening up the Estrella TV broadcast, Chinese heavyweight sensation Taishan (5-0, 3KOs) will make his fourth appearance at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in a four-round heavyweight bout against an opponent Daniel Arambula (3-1 1 KO) of Guadalajara, Mexico.

Ticket holders will also have the opportunity to meet former two-time heavyweight world champion Earnie “The Black Destroyer” Shavers, who will host a special meet and greet ahead of the televised bouts at Special Events Arena from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The undercard fights featured on RingTV will be announced shortly and can be accessed via The RingTV’s Roku and Amazon Fire channels and www.ringtvlive.comat 5:30 p.m. PT through 7:00 p.m. PT.

Diaz Jr. vs. Partida is a 10-round featherweight bout for the NABF featherweight title presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona Extra and Carmelita Chorizo. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. The Boxeo Estelar broadcast will air live on Estrella TV at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT. The card will also stream live on EstrellaTV.com and on YouTube via Fenomeno Studios. The Ring TV live stream will begin at approximately 5:30 p.m. PT through 7:00 p.m.

Tickets for the event go on sale Friday, November 27 at 10:00 a.m. PT and are priced at $25, $35, and $45 at the Fantasy Springs Box Office, by calling (800) 827-2946 or online at www.fantasyspringsresort.com.

Making the move from prospect to contender, Joseph “JoJo” Diaz Jr. has been a steady performer who impresses every time he steps between the ropes. This year, the former member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic boxing team has taken his game to the next level with wins over Juan Luis Hernandez, Giovanni Delgado and Rene Alvarado, and if he is victorious on Dec. 18, the 22-year-old southpaw will claim his first title since turning pro almost three years ago.

Hailing out of Mexico City, Mexico, Hugo “Olímpico” Partida is seasoned fighter ready to add a victory to his record in his second scheduled fight of 2015. A professional since 2005, Partida has fought for the regional IBF Inter-Continental Super Bantamweight title, the WBC Continental Americans Super Bantamweight title, the WBC Youth World Featherweight Title and has retained and defended the WBC Fecarbox Super Bantamweight title. Partida was most recently seen in the ring going up against Julian “El Camaron” Ramirez on Oct. 3 and will be looking to redeem himself when he faces Daiz Jr. on Dec. 18.

Born and raised in Managua, Nicaragua, Rene “Gemelo” Alvarado has been fighting professionally since 2008 and is a former Nicaraguan super bantamweight titleholder. Since moving up to the featherweight division in 2013, he has continued to shine despite losing a notable decision to Joseph “JoJo” Diaz Jr. in July 2015. Coming off of a first round technical knockout victory in Nicaragua, Alvarado has his sights set on a world championship.

Blythe, CA native Andrew “Chango” Cancio made his professional debut in 2006, remaining undefeated for ten bouts before his first lost. Cancio’s power has brought him eleven of fifteen wins by way of knockout, a strength he hopes to bring into his matchup with Rene Alvarado. This matchup is Cancio’s first fight in 2015 since a unanimous decision loss to Ronny Rios. Cancio hopes to revive his career with a win and pursue his goal of becoming a featherweight world champion.

Hailing from Beijing, seven-foot heavyweight Taishan, has captured the imagination of boxing fans both in China and in his adopted home in California. After turning professional in 2014 and scoring two quick knockouts, the 26-year-old showed that he has what it takes to win over the distance, as he scored a near-shutout victory over Roy McCrary in February of 2015 and had a unanimous victory over Jamal Woods on May 9. The heavyweight is eager to continue his winning streak when he fights at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino for the fourth time on Dec. 18.

Tlaquepaque, Jalisco, Mexico heavyweight product Daniel Arambula started his career strong defeating three opponents before suffering his first loss via unanimous decision in his U.S debut. Looking to get back into the win column, Arambula is motivated to put his skills on display and redeem himself on American soil against

For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.estrellatv.com, follow on twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @EstrellaTV, and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, http://www.facebook.com/EstrellaTVNetwork, visit us on Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing and @EstrellaTV, follow the conversation using #BoxeoEstelar.

LAS VEGAS (Nov. 24, 2015) – World Series of Fighting announced today that it has added three new bouts to complete the main card for “WSOF26: Palmer vs. Almeida,” which will be headlined by a world championship showdown between reigning featherweight kingpin Lance Palmer and Alexandre Almeida, at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on Friday, Dec. 18, live on NBCSN, at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

Joining the previously announced main event and light heavyweight co-main event between Tyrone “King of the Ring” Spong and Jake Heun, will be a lightweight (155 pounds) contest between aggressive-minded, rising star Ozzy Dugulubgov and submission wizard Nic “Naptime” Herron-Webb; a bantamweight matchup between wrestling phenom Josh “Gentleman” Hill and undefeated sensation Bekbulat Magomedov; and a featherweight (145 pounds) tilt between devastating strikers Robbie “Problems” Peralta and Sheymon Moraes.

“We are looking forward to closing out a year of incredible growth for World Series of Fighting with an exceptional lineup of world-class bouts featuring some of our most established superstars as well as several new faces that we recently welcomed to our roster and that we expect to make an immediate impact in our decagon cage,” said World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo.

Priced from $29.99, tickets are available for purchase at www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com , www.WSOF.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

The complete WSOF26 preliminary bout card will be announced soon. The card is subject to change.

Ozzy Dugulubgov vs. Nic Herron-Webb

The 26-year-old Dugulubgov (7-2) of Hackensack, N.J. is looking to notch his third consecutive win and second of 2015, following a first round (3:39) TKO (arm injury) of Lucas Montoya on April 10. Prior to his latest conquest, Dugulubgov, a Renzo Gracie protégé that boasts a near-perfect record of 4-1 in World Series of Fighting competition, scored a highlight reel-worthy KO (punch) of Keon Caldwell in the third round (1:38) of their matchup on September 13, 2014.

Herron-Webb (18-6) of Anchorage, Alaska is a 25-year-old, former welterweight (170 pounds) who has been fire, winning all four of his last bouts by way of submission, to arrive at his debut with World Series of Fighting. To date, 14 of Herron-Webb’s 18 professional career wins have come by way of submission, 8 of which he produced inside the first round of battle.

Josh Hill vs. Bekbulat Magomedov

A former World Series of Fighting championship challenger, Hill (12-1) of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada went the distance with reigning bantamweight champion Marlon Moraes before finding himself on the losing end of a unanimous decision on February 12.

The 28-year-old has since re-grouped after what marked his first career defeat, and reeled off two consecutive wins outside of the World Series of Fighting decagon – a third round (2:01) submission (rear-naked choke) of Josh Rettinghouse on May 30, and a unanimous decision over Ion Vranceanu on August 31.

Magomedov (16-0) of Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia, will risk his perfect record in the U.S. for the first time ever, after a run that has distinguished the 24-year-old Sambo champion as the number two ranked featherweight in Ukraine and the number seven ranked featherweight in Russia.

Of Magomedov’s 16 professional career victories, 8 have come by way of (T)KO and 3 have come by way of submission.

Robbie Peralta vs. Sheymon Moraes

Making his World Series of Fighting debut, Peralta (18-6, 1 NC) of Escondido, Calif. has served up several memorable moments in the cage with his punching power, notching 13 of his 18 professional career wins to date by way of (T)KO. The 29-year-old made his first big mark in the sport on April 9, 2011 when he scored a major upset over then-DREAM champion Hiroyuki Takaya by way of split decision under the promotion of the now-defunct Strikeforce.

Moraes will look to rebound after suffering his first professional defeat at the hands of reigning World Series of Fighting champion Marlon Moraes on August 1. Prior to the title fight, the dangerous 25-year-old member of Team Nogueira had appeared to be unstoppable, scoring (T)KO wins over four of his first seven opponents.

ABOUT WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING
“World Series of Fighting” (WSOF) is a worldwide premier professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering the best action-packed fights for fight fans by producing the best possible match-ups between elite fighters from around the world. For more information please visit WSOF.com and follow “World Series of Fighting” on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries. WSOF and World Series of Fighting are registered trademarks of MMAWC, LLC.

ABOUT THE COSMOPOLITAN OF LAS VEGAS
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is a luxury resort offering a decidedly different perspective. Located at the heart of The Strip, the resort’s uniquely vertical multi-tower design offers spectacular views of the vibrant city. The new 2,959-room resort features oversized residential-style living spaces with expansive, one-of-a-kind private terraces. The Cosmopolitan’s luxurious resort amenities include a 100,000 square foot casino; Sahra Spa & Hammam and Violet Hour Hair Nails Beauty; three unique pool experiences; Marquee Nightclub & Dayclub, a multi-level integrated indoor/outdoor nightclub; 150,000 square feet of state-of-the-art convention and meeting space; 40,000-square foot performance and event space The Chelsea; and modern supper club Rose. Rabbit. Lie. An eclectic line-up of new-to-market retailers include: AllSaints Spitalfields, CRSVR Sneaker Boutique, DNA2050, Jason of Beverly Hills, Kidrobot, Molly Brown’s Swimwear, Rent the Runway, Retrospecs & Co, Skins 62 Cosmetics, Stitched and U*tique Shop. Signature restaurants include: Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill by restaurateurs Bruce and Eric Bromberg; Estiatorio Milos, by international restaurateur Costas Spiliadis; Holsteins from Block 16 Hospitality; Jaleo and China Poblano restaurants by acclaimed Chef José Andrés; Scarpetta and D.O.C.G. by award-winning Chef Scott Conant; and popular steakhouse STK from The ONE Group; bustling culinary food hall The Wicked Spoon; and The Henry, an all-day dining concept.

For more information visit: www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com
Follow us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/cosmopolitan_lv
Find us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/thecosmopolitan
Follow us on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/cosmopolitan_lv

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, longtime HBO executive Mark Taffet will leave the company at the end of the year.

“I recognized early on that boxing had a unique characteristic which would lead to success on pay-per-view,” Taffet told ESPN.com. “The opportunity to watch a big fight in the comfort of your living room was a significant improvement over the then-existing big-fight experience of having to drive to an arena or racetrack [to watch on closed circuit], where picture quality and sound were poor at best and the possibility of having food and beverage being tossed through the air was great.”

“My intention is to work with the fighters, promoters and entities that will be most directly involved in the formation of the next great era of boxing,” he said. “That also includes sites, sponsors and foreign broadcasters, all the key players necessary. Most likely I’m going to speak with people who HBO is already involved with, but I will be on the other side.

“I have the passion to want to be part of it. I feel the best way to do that at this point is not with HBO but with entities on the other side of the playing field. It will give me tremendous fulfillment. I have no intention of leaving boxing.”

“At this point in my life and career, as we begin the inevitable transition period to boxing’s next great era, I believe my greatest contribution to the sport going forward is not with HBO. … I was blessed to have one of the greatest runs in the history of HBO Sports.

“I came to work every one of my 11,576 days with passion, energy, a commitment to excellence and the desire to win. We dared to be great and, thanks to an incredible team of professionals at HBO Sports, we were.”

“I was fortunate to learn a very valuable lesson in just our first two pay-per-view fights,” Taffet said. “Holyfield-Foreman generated 1.4 million buys while a great fight the following month, James Toney versus Michael Nunn, generated just 19,000 buys. From that day forward, I never forgot that pay-per-view was a business of hits and misses, and asking people for their money rather than just their time was a very significant proposition.

“Of all the things I’ve done over the past 25 years, the most rewarding was being able to provide a television platform with significant earning capability for scores of incredibly talented fighters in lighter weight classes who were previously underappreciated in a heavyweight-dominated environment. It was the [Michael] Carbajal-[Chiquita] Gonzalez [junior flyweight title] fight in 1993, where each fighter earned $1 million, which opened the door for a future which included great fights of Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez.”

“My quarter-century at HBO Sports is bookended by Holyfield-Foreman and pay-per-view’s first great year in 1991 on one end, and Mayweather-Pacquiao and the biggest year in the history of the sport on the other,” Taffet wrote to his colleagues. “And in between, not only mega fights like De La Hoya-Mayweather, Lewis-Tyson, De La Hoya-Trinidad, Mayweather-Cotto and De La Hoya-Pacquiao; but also some of the biggest multi-fight matchups, including Pacquiao-Marquez I-IV, the Holyfield-[Riddick] Bowe trilogy, Barrera-Morales trilogy, Pacquiao-Morales trilogy, Holyfield-Lewis I and II, De La Hoya-Mosley I and II, and the middleweight world championship series culminating in Trinidad-Hopkins. The greatest events, staged at the greatest venues — Caesar’s Palace outdoor stadium, MGM Grand Garden Arena, Madison Square Garden, Staples Center, Mandalay Bay, Thomas & Mack Center and Cowboys Stadium.

“I had the incredible opportunity to learn this sport and business through days, nights and years with boxing’s legendary promoters Don King, Bob Arum and Dan Duva — larger-than-life figures who took me behind the curtain and inside the control center to collaborate on some of the most exciting and fulfilling experiences of my life.”

“I’ve been asked if my dreams came true during my era at HBO,” Taffet wrote. “The truth is, as a hardworking kid from humble beginnings in Jersey, I never even dreamed of anything as extraordinary as what I experienced.”

Glendale, CA: Top Mexican welterweights Pedro Campa and Aaron Herrera will collide on a Tripleheader of action on Saturday, December 12 at the Glendale Civic Auditorium and televised live on HBO Latino Boxing (10pm ET/PT). Top Rank, in association with Main Events and Zanfer Promotions made the announcement today.

“Anytime Mexican welterweights with these type of styles faceoff in the LA area, fireworks are bound to happen,” said Carl Moretti, VP, Top Rank.

Campa (18-0, 14 KOs) of Hermosillo, Mexico will battle Hererra (21-3-1, 12 KOs) of Yucatan, Mexico in a 10 round bout. Campa has knockout wins in seven of his last eight bouts. Herrera has been unbeaten for two years.

With the injury to Artur Beterbiev, Sullivan Barrera (16-0, 11 KOs) has regained his shot to fight for the mandatory position in the IBF and now the 33-year old from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba will face Karo Murat (27-2-1, 17 KOs). The winner will earn the right to challenge WBO, WBA, and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (28-0-1, 25 KOs) for his world titles in 2016.

Barrera has quietly risen through the ranks of the light heavyweight division since his defection from Cuba and his professional debut in 2009. He has an impressive 68% (11 of 16) knockout-to-win ratio and has stopped his last five opponents in eight rounds or less.

“I’m looking forward towards December 12, another step in my career to show I have what it takes to compete with the elite in my division,” said Barrera. He added, “I would like to thank the IBF for this opportunity and my whole team.”

He will have no easy bout with Murat. The 32-year old has nearly twice as many professional fights as Barrera. In 2013, he challenged Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins for the IBF Light Heavyweight World Championship and lost via unanimous decision to the legendary Hopkins. Since challenging Hopkins, Murat has stopped his last two opponents including Benjamin Simon earlier this year to take the vacant IBF International Light Heavyweight Title.

“I haven’t heard of Barrera before that he is such a world class fighter. I do have a Cuban friend who knows him from a time when Barrera was an amateur. I do have great respect that he wants to fight against me. I am hugely looking forward to fight in Glendale, California as there live 1.5 million Armenians, who of course will support me.”

Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events added, “Barrera has slowly climbed his way through the light heavyweight division and we are pleased that he is finally able to fight for the mandatory position in the IBF. His stablemate, Arif Magomedov defeated Derrick Webster in his last televised bout and we are so excited that he will also make his HBO Latino debut on Dec. 12.”

The opening bout of the HBO Latino telecast will feature southpaw Jonatan “Oso” Tavira (12-3, 9 KOs) of Distrito Federal, Mexico against undefeated phenom Arif “The Mayhem” Magomedov (16-0, 9 KOs) of Chekhov, Russia in an eight-round welterweight battle presented by Main Events in association with All Star Boxing.

Tavira suffered two straight losses so he looks to make a statement against the 23-year old Mayhem. According to Tavira, ” I took some time off to rethink my career, have been training for four months and decided to come back as a middleweight where I’m more comfortable and feel stronger, I would like to thank All Star Boxing, Inc. and Main Events for giving the opportunity to make my US debut.”

In his last fight, Magomedov handed veteran Derrick “Take it to the Bank” Webster his first career loss in a ten-round unanimous decision to secure the vacant WBO NABO Middleweight Title. Now in his HBO debut Magomedov looks to establish himself as a force to be reckoned with in the middleweight division. He said, “I am very excited and happy to be back in the ring. After my last fight I went back home to Russia and had a great little vacation. I returned to camp the beginning of September to start training, so I had a couple months of good preparation for this fight. I am looking forward to be back in the ring on December 12. This is also my first appearance on HBO network and it makes me more motivated.”

Tickets are $60 reserved, $40 general admission are available at www.glendalefightnight.com . The ticket hotline is 626 388 8888.

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WBO European Welterweight Champion Bradley Skeete defended his title by outpointing Stevie Williams last night at the Hilton Hotel, Park Lane, in the main event of the Nordoff Robbins charity fight night.

Skeete was punch perfect as he delivered a boxing lesson to “Wallasey Express” Williams who threatened to snatch the title from him in the build-up, but was totally outclassed by the Penge master boxer.

“Super” Skeete’s perfect jab kept Williams at bay all night and he peppered the Merseyside fighter with punishing combinations everytime he got in close. The 28-year-old, who was making the third defence of the title, won on all three judges’ cards.

He said afterwards, “He lived up to his nickname of the Wallasey Express because he kept coming and coming. Williams was tough as I expected and I went looking for the stoppage, but he was a hard guy. I thought that the referee was going to jump in when I started to land with clean shots and his face was starting to get smashed up, but he stuck in there. I’m pleased with the performance and ending the year undefeated with my title and now I can look towards a big 2016 and that British title.”

On the undercard, unbeaten cruiserweight Simon Barclay outpointed Hungarian Tamas Polster over six rounds with a good boxing display to win every round. The Corby prospect boxed well behind a tight guard and used his longer reach to keep off Polster with his straight punches.

Fast rising Welsh ace Jay Harris took his record to a perfect 7-0 with a third round stoppage of six-rounder against Hungarian David Koos. The hard-hitting super-flyweight ripped into Koos with fast combinations and focusing on the body with some powerful shots. In the third Harris stepped it up doubling up with hooks to the body and hurting Koos, with Harris beginning to offload on Koos, the referee called a halt.

Manchester super-welterweight Macaulay McGowan came through a tough and gruelling contest against Nuneaton’s Sullivan Mason to win 59-55 on the scorecards. It was a scrappy affair with McGowan trying to force the fight and get inside the taller Mason and land a clean punch, but often became tangled up and the referee having to separate them.

The glittering, star studded, night was in support of the national music charity Nordoff Robbins, to raise funds for the vital work Nordoff Robbins undertakes in transforming the lives of vulnerable children and adults. Nordoff Robbins works with people with a range of challenges such as autism, dementia, depression and physical and learning disabilities through the power of music.

Former British, Commonwealth, European and WBC World Light-Heavyweight Champion John Conteh was presented with the prestigious Nordoff Robbins Boxing Icon Award in recognition of his glittering

It has only been 60 days since Roy Jones scored an incredible one punch knockout at Foxwoods Resort and Casino to end season 2 of Knockout with a bang. The show is boxing biggest reality show and that was proved in the ratings with the show up 900 percent from season one.

It has now been confirmed that season three is a go with filming scheduled for late February. This will be the reality show’s biggest season with even bigger names and it’s biggest budget to date.

The second season of Knockout produced young stars like Keith Tapia, who has gone on to win numerous fights on the Premier Boxing Champions platform and Hylon Williams, who will be in action in December on HBO Latino.

This small reality television show that no one believed in has became the biggest platform for up and coming fighters and now it has become it’s own league.

With season three on tap, Knockout is set to compete with the PBC, UFC, etc. with live fights and a reality show. Knockout has taken a page out of the UFC and the WWE by becoming full service television and is the only film company to put boxers in Hollywood.

Dana White made a superstar out of Ronda Rousey and Vince McMahon did the same with Dwyane Johnson, aka The Rock. So far no one as done this in boxing and the creator of Knockout has been totally focused on getting to the next level and elevating the series.

Knockout is the biggest show on NUVO and has put them in uncharted territory with live events and major stars.

There will be a major announcement about the show in the coming weeks. For now all that can be said is that all promoters and networks will understand the marketing genius by year end. Knockout will be one of the top five most profitable boxing companies in 2016.

Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN (PBC on ESPN) presented by Corona Extra will feature live coverage on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and WatchESPN on Wednesday, Nov. 25 of Cuban sensation Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara (21-2-2, 12 KOs) defending his super welterweight world title against former world champion Jan Zayeck (35-3, 19 KOs), from Hialeah Park Racing and Casino in Miami, Fla.

The live PBC on ESPN telecast begins at 8:00 pm ET with the co-feature event featuring undefeated Batamweight prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez (13-0, 9 KOs) against Eliver Aquino (17-1-1, 11 KOs). ESPN Deportes will present Spanish-language coverage of the event as part of its Noche de Combates series.

Live coverage on WatchESPN will be available on computers, smartphones, tablets, Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One via an affiliated video provider. It will also air on ESPN International networks in Latin America, Brazil, the Caribbean and the Pacific Rim.

Host Marysol Castro, blow-by-blow commentator Joe Tessitore, and Reporters Todd Grisham and Bernardo Osuna comprise ESPN’s commentary team. In addition, Hall of Fame boxing writer and ESPN boxing contributor Nigel Collins will provide social media content, insight and analysis.

On ESPN Deportes, Pablo Viruega and Delvin Rodríguez will call the fights, while Leopoldo González and Claudia Trejos will host. In addition, UFC Champion Holly Holm will be on the show as special guest to talk about the future of women in combat sports.

Additional Highlights:
· ESPN3 will carry the undercard action between Daquan Arnett and Yudel Jhonson in a super welterweight contest live at 7 pm.

· Atlas’ Fight Plan: Atlas will demonstrate what each fighter needs to do to win in his “Fight Plan.”

· ESPN.com will provide comprehensive coverage, including pre- and post-fight features, videos and blogs from ESPN’s Dan Rafael, Brian Campbell, and Nigel Collins and ESPN.com’s boxing program “Making the Rounds.”

Fighter backgrounds:
Lara, 32, is from Guantanamo, Cuba. His many amateur titles include a national championship at welterweight, and he participated in the 2007 Pan-Am games. In addition to his recent victory over Delvin Rodriguez on a June 12 PBC card, he has career wins over Alfredo Angulo, Austin Trout, Ishe Smith and Freddy Hernandez.

Zaveck, 39, is a former welterweight world champion and seven-time national champion in his native Slovenia. He has won three straight fights, including his most-recent victory over Sasha Yengoyan in April 2015. His career highlights include a world title victory over Isaac Hlatshwayo, and he defended his title against Rodolfo Martinez, Rafal Jackiewicz and Paul Delgado.

At just 23-years-old, Rodriguez has been on a fast track towards a world title fight since turning pro in 2012. On November 25 he makes his U.S. debut after taking down Gabor Molnar, Luis Hinojosa and Alex Rangel in 2015. The Manati, Puerto Rico-born fighter will bring his exciting style into the ring against his toughest test to date when he fights on November 25.

Undefeated in his first 18 pro fights, Aquino looks to bounce back from a narrow majority decision loss to undefeated Adam Lopez in his last outing. The 28-year-old hadn’t gone the distance since 2012 before his last bout, having stopped seven of his previous eight opponents. Born in Higuey, Dominican Republic, he will be fighting in the U.S. for the second time as a professional.

The PBC series was created for television by Haymon Boxing and features top-level fights between many of boxing’s biggest names. This is the fifth PBC on ESPN event, which debuted on ESPN July 11.

HOUSTON, TX (November 23, 2015) – Undefeated light heavyweight contender, Medzhid “B-52” Bektemirov (16-0, 12 KOs), returns to the ring December 5, 2015 at the Osceola Heritage Center in Kissimmee, Florida. Medzhid will square off against Alexander Brand (24-1, 19 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round bout that will be shown live on HBO Latino beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Bektemierov, ranked WBA #12 and WBC #13, is co-promoted by Gary Shaw Productions and Savarese Promotions. Alexander Brand will be a major step up in class for Bektemierov, definitely his toughest fight as a professional. Training out of Houston, Texas, Bektemierov, gives his thoughts on fighting Brand on HBO, his first televised bout.

“Against Alexander Brand, I will have to be at my best,” said Medzhid “B-52” Bektemirov, who’s knocked out three of his last four opponents. “I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to show the world that I’m a real contender. Gary Shaw and Lou Savarese did their part on getting me this fight on HBO, now it’s time to do mine. They won’t be disappointed. Everyone watching on television can expect to see a lot of bombs being thrown from me. I’m always going to be gunning for the knockout early, but will be prepared to go the distance if I need to.”

“Bektemierov has been in the gym working on his craft since his last fight earlier this year,” said Gary Shaw. “He’s waited patiently for a chance to fight on television, and the fans watching on HBO are going to see B-52 drop some heavy artillery. This is a real fight with two top level contenders. Everyone should be tuning in, this is going to be a war.”

“Gary and I know this is a huge step up for Bektemierov, but we feel he’s got the talent and skills to become a world champion,” Lou Savarese said. “The fight will be shown to millions watching on HBO and we feel our B-52 can come out on top. These are the type of fights that build the character of a champion.”

Tickets are priced at $60, $35 and $20, not including applicable service charges and taxes, and are on sale now. Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com and www.ohpark.com. To charge by phone, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000.

Fight Network is a 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports. It airs programs focused on the entire scope of the combat sports genre, including live fights and up-to-the-minute news and analysis for boxing, mixed martial arts, kickboxing, professional wrestling, traditional martial arts, fight news, as well as fight-themed drama series, documentaries and feature films.

Below find highlights of this week’s programming:

Monday, Nov. 23
7:30 p.m. & 11:30 p.m. ET- Fight New Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.
9:00 p.m. ET – Witherspoon vs. Beale – Featuring Chazz Witherspoon vs. Tyabb Beale from July 12, 2014 in West Deptford, NJ.

Tuesday, Nov. 24
12:00 p.m. ET – Witherspoon vs. Beale – Featuring Chazz Witherspoon vs. Tyabb Beale from July 12, 2014 in West Deptford, NJ.
4:00 p.m. — KOTV Boxing Classics – Reliving memorable boxing fights from the past two decades.
8:30 p.m. ET – Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.

Wednesday, Nov. 25
3:00 a.m., 6:30 a.m. & 10:00 p.m. ET – KOTV Boxing Classics – Reliving memorable boxing fights from the past two decades.
7:30 p.m. ET — Fight New Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.

Thursday, Nov. 26
1:00 a.m. & 11:30 p.m. ET – KOTV Weekly – Covering all the latest news in pro boxing, featuring full recent fights and highlights from the sweet science.
9:00 a.m. ET — KOTV Boxing Classics- Reliving memorable boxing fights from the past two decades.
8:30 p.m. ET – Fight New Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.

Friday, Nov. 27
12:00 p.m. & 4:30 p.m. ET — KOTV Weekly – Covering all the latest news in pro boxing, featuring full recent fights and highlights from the sweet science.
7:30 p.m. ET — Fight New Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.
8:00 p.m. ET – Toe 2 Toe with “Razor Ruddock – Sit-down interview with Canadian heavyweight boxing legend Donovan “Razor” Ruddock.

Saturday, Nov. 28
3:30 p.m. & 5:30 p.m. ET – KOTV Weekly – Covering all the latest news in pro boxing, featuring full recent fights and highlights from the sweet science.

Sunday, Nov. 29
7:00 p.m. ET — KOTV Boxing Classics – Reliving memorable boxing fights from the past two decades.
8:00 p.m. ET – Ultimate Classic Boxing: Cadilli vs. Berrios – Featuring Gil Cadilli vs. Miguel Berriors from Jan. 16, 1957 in Boston.

Information:

www.FightNetwork.com

Twitter & Instagram @fightnet

www.Facebook.com/FightNetwork

MIAMI (November 23, 2015) – Super welterweight world champion Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara (21-2-2, 12 KOs) and former world champion Jan Zaveck (35-3, 19 KOs) took part in a press conference Monday afternoon in Miami as they near their Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN showdown taking place Wednesday, November 25 from Hialeah Park Racing & Casino.

PBC on ESPN coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT with undefeated prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez (13-0, 9 KOs) taking on Elicer Aquino (17-1-1, 11 KOs) in bantamweight action.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Warriors Boxing, are priced at $100, $75, $50, $35 and $25, not including applicable fees, and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online at www.myticketforce.com, by phone at (877) 840-0457 or at the Hialeah Park casino cage.

Here is what the fighters had to say Monday:

ERISLANDY LARA

“I’ve worked very hard for this fight. I’ve concentrated very hard during training camp because I know how difficult this fight will be. There’s not much to say now, I’m just thinking about making weight and getting in the ring.

“I’m thrilled to be here in south Florida fighting in front of these great fans. I’m happy to fight for the Cubans and show that we have great boxing fans.

“Zaveck has fought some of the best boxers in the world and I have great respect for him. I’m totally concentrated on my opponent and I want to continue to prove that I am the best 154-pounder in the world.

“I’ve been together with my trainer Ronnie Shields for a long time and we’re ready to implement our gameplan in the ring on Wednesday night.”

JAN ZAVECK

“I’m excited to get in the ring and challenge a brilliant champion like Erislandy Lara. I very satisfied with the condition I’m in entering this fight.

“We’re going to show everything we have on Wednesday night and give a great performance. I like Lara as a person and a boxer. Outside of the ring we can be respectful because in the ring we will try to take everything from each other.

“I know that this will be a hard fight, but I’m going to leave it all in the ring and make sure this fight is memorable for everyone watching.”

# # #

For information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com and www.hialeahpark.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @LaraBoxing @WarriorsBoxingProm and @ESPNBoxing and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/premierboxingchampions
and www.Facebook.com/WarriorsBoxingPromo. Highlights available to embed at www.youtube.com/premierboxingchampions.

CHICAGO — November 23, 2015 — Chicago boxing fans are in for a sensational night of boxing to kick off the holiday weekend this Wednesday at the Horseshoe Hammond, when Hitz Boxing presents a special Thanksgiving Eve edition of its long-running series, Fight Night at the Horseshoe. The stacked card features the return of Mike “Hollywood” Jimenez (18-1, 12KO), who will face Thomas Awimbono (25-4-1, 21KO) in a ten round bout for the NABA Super Middleweight and WBC Continental Americas Super Middleweight titles. It is Jimenez’s first fight in his hometown of Chicago since facing Jesse Hart on the Mayweather-Pacquiao undercard, and going “down under” to defeat Francisco Benitez for the UBF All America Super Middleweight title in June.

On the undercard, undefeated Chicago native Nick Ramirez (6-0-1, 2KO) faces Agustin Cicero in a six-round welterweight bout. Also on the card, undefeated Irish Lightweight John Joe Nevin (6-0, 4KO) makes his first Chicago appearance since making his professional debut in August, 2014. The Olympic Silver Medalist is the latest in a string of Irish boxers to fight at a Hitz Boxing event, the most notable being World Champion Andy Lee.

Chicago favorite Sammy “The Russian Concussion” Horowitz makes his return in a four round bout versus Indiana’s Ronez McGrady. The light heavyweight is coming off of a four round unanimous decision win over Israel Echevarria in August. Ed Brown will face Gilbert Venegas in a six-round bout. Brown has gained notoriety for his busy schedule over the course of this year. Wednesday’s bout will be the twelfth since May of this year for the Cameron Dunkin-managed prospect.

Also on the card, hometown Chicago fighter Kevin Cruz takes on Zach Knox, and Ivan Gonzalez makes his professional debut at light heavyweight versus Brandon Johnson. Rounding out the card are Shawndell Winters, Jessica McCaskill, Nick Mazurek, Gorjan Slaveski and Tyrome Jones in separate bouts.

“This has truly been a hall of fame year for Hitz Boxing,” said promoter Bobby Hitz, who was inducted last week into the Illinois Boxing Hall of Fame, and was inducted earlier this year into the American Football Association Hall of Fame. “I’m grateful for the tremendous support we’ve gotten during 2015, and we’re closing out the year with a very solid card.”

Doors to The Venue at Horseshoe Hammond open at 6:00 Wednesday, November 25th, and first bell is at 6:30. Tickets are priced $90 and 40, and are available at all Ticketmaster outlets. Boxing fans must be 21 years and older to attend events at the Horseshoe Hammond.

AVENAL CALIF. (November 23, 2015) — Undefeated junior welterweight contender, 2012 U.S. Olympian and social activist, JOSE RAMIREZ, and Team Ramirez are taking time out from training camp to team up with County Supervisor Richard Valle for the annual “Operation Gobble,” where they will give away 230 turkeys and food baskets for the town Ramirez was born and raised in — Avenal, Calif. It will take place Tomorrow! Tuesday, November 24 at Avenal Veterans Hall (108 West King St.), beginning at 11:45 a.m. PT.

“Team Ramirez is proud and happy to give back to my home town,” said Ramirez.” Supervisor Valle has done a lot for my city and I hope we can make some families happy this Thanksgiving.”

In what has become an annual tradition for District 2, Supervisor Valle plans to give away turkeys to families throughout the district at events in Corcoran, Home Garden, Avenal, and Kettleman City. CrisCom Company, Waste Management, and Costless contributed to the effort.

“I want to extend my gratitude to former Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante and Jose Ramirez as well as the wonderful organizations that really came through for my constituents with their generous support this year,” said Supervisor Valle. “With their help, we were able to provide a healthy and happy Thanksgiving to many families in my district.”

Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum added, “Jose has always given back to his community. We are so proud of him.”

“From day one, Jose has always given back. It’s in his DNA. That’s why it has always been a priority for him and I am happy to be a part of it,” said promoter/agent Rick Mirigian.

Ramirez (15-0, 12 KOs) will battle Johnny Garcia (19-3-1, 11 KOs), from Holland, MI, for the vacant WBC Continental Americas super lightweight title on Saturday, December 5, at the Save Mart Center Arena in Fresno, Calif.. The fight headlines Fight For Water V,” and will be televised live nationally as the main event of Solo Boxeo Tecate on UniMás, beginning at 11 p.m. ET./PT.

Atlantic City, NJ (November 23, 2015)–On Saturday night, December 5th, Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna take on Ariel Vasquez in the main event of a card that will take place at the Claridge Hotel in Atlantic City.

The card is promoted by Rising Boxing Promotions in association with Vincent M Ponte’s Gulf Stream Promotions.

The fight card will also be in conjunction with Ray McCline of The Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame.

LaManna (18-1, 7 KO’s) of nearby Millville, New Jersey & Vasquez (12-10-2, 8 KO’s) of Managua, Nicaragua will take part in a 8-round welterweight bout.

The 24 year-old LaManna turned professional in 2011 and won his first sixteen bouts that were highlighted by wins over Ashandi Gibbs & Jamaal Davis.

Since suffering his only loss, LaManna has won two straight which includes a 6-round unanimous decision over rugged Ayi Bruce (23-10) on September 26th in Beach Haven, New Jersey.

That loss, which a nationally televised fight with Antoine Douglas, gave LaManna the realization that he should move down in weight and the former Middleweight contender will now campaign as a Welterweight.

LaManna will be taking part in his 3rd fight in 4 months.

“I’m excited for this opportunity to headline for the first time in Atlantic City. We are having camp in Teaneck, NJ and I have been training extremely hard. This will be my first official fight at Welterweight limit 147 and I feel really good. I want to thank Vincent M. Ponte of Gulf Stream, everyone at Rising Promotions, the Claridge Hotel, my parents and all the fans for all the help and support for making this event happen.,” said LaManna

“I also like to thank my sponsors MHP, RPM Auto Sales and HARD Beverages.”

Vasquez, 28 years old turned professional in 2005 and fought his first 11 fights in his native Nicaragua. He twice fought Juan Antonio Rodriguez for the WBC Youth Featherweight title and held undefeated Eliezer Landas (10-0) to a draw in a bout for the WBA Fedecentro Super Bantamweight title.

He has faced four undefeated fighters including his last two. In his last outing, Vasquez was stopped in 6-rounds by Louis Cruz (10-0) on October 7th in New York.

In the 6-round co-feature, Welterweight Anthony “Juice” Young (11-1, 5 KO’s) of Atlantic City will take on Cherry Hill’s Anthony Prescott (5-7-2, 2 KO’s) in a battle for New Jersey bragging rights.

The 27 year-old native of Atlantic City has a record of 11-1 with five knockouts, will be making his 5th appearance in his hometown. He is coming off a 6-round unanimous decision over Jonathan Garcia on August 15th in Atlantic City.

Prescott has wins over undefeated Anthony Miller (1-0) and Anthony Abbruzzese (3-0). He is coming off a 6-round unanimous decision defeat to Kareem Martin on August 28th in Washington, D.C.

In a 6-round bout

John Lennox (13-3, 5 KO’s) of Carteret, NJ will take on Willis Lockett of Takoma Park, MD.

In 4-round Bouts:

Alvin Vermall (6-0-1, 6 KO’s) of Lake Place, LA will fight Brian Donahue of Philadelphia in a Cruiserweight bout

Julio Acero of Philadelphia will make his pro debut against Quian Davis (1-0-1) of Philadelphia in a Cruiserweight bout.

Edgar Cortes (2-1) of Vineland, NJ will see action in a Bantamweight bout.

More bouts and opponents will be announced shortly.

Tickets are $50 GA, $75 Ringside, $75 Stage & $125 VIP (Booths of 5 available for $500) and are available at RisingBoxingPromotions.com

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

Facebook.com/risingstarboxing
Instagram: @risingpromo

NEW YORK (Nov. 23, 2015) – SHOWTIME Sports® will televise the 10-round welterweight matchup between former world champion and Long Island-native Chris Algieri (20-2, 8 KOs) and Ecuador’s Erick Bone (16-2, 8 KOs) on SHOWTIME BOXING ON SHO EXTREME, Saturday, Dec. 5, live at 7 p.m. ET/PT from Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

In the opening bout on SHO EXTREME, undefeated rising star and 2012 U.S. Olympian Marcus Browne (16-0, 12 KOs), of Staten Island, will take on experienced veteran Francisco Sierra (27-9-1, 24 KOs).

The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT live on SHOWTIME with WBA Featherweight World Champion Jesus Cuellar (27-1, 21 KOs) defending his belt against exciting Puerto Rican contender Jonathan Oquendo (26-4, 16 KOs).

It all leads to the #BattleForBrooklyn when WBA Middleweight World Champion Daniel Jacobs (30-1, 27 KOs) defends his belt against undefeated former champion Peter Quillin (32-0-1, 23 KOs). Winner takes the belt and Brooklyn.

Tickets for the live event start at $50, not including applicable fees, and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting www.ticketmaster.com, www.barclayscenter.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. The event is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and sponsored by Corona. The Algieri vs. Bone and Rosinksy vs. Smith Jr. fights are promoted in association with Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing.

Barclays Center’s BROOKLYN BOXING™ programming platform is presented by AARP. For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports follow on Twitter @SHOSports, @DanielJacobsTKO, @KidChocolate, @JesusCuellarBOX , @jonathanoquen; @ChrisAlgieri, @LouDiBella, @BarclaysCenter and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports, www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment and www.Facebook.com/barclayscenter

Las Vegas, Nevada – UFC® announces tryouts for the upcoming season of its long-running successful reality series, The Ultimate Fighter®, at Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas, Nev. on Monday, December 14. This season’s tryouts are currently open to both 115- and 135-pound women, as well as 205-pound men, with winning professional records.

This season of The Ultimate Fighter will begin filming in January and is scheduled to premiere on FS1 in April 2016.

Candidates must be between the ages of 21 and 34 years of age, have the legal ability to live and work in the United States, and have professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight experience – holding a winning record with a minimum of three professional fights (with verifiable records). Applications, which should be completed and brought to the tryouts, can be found online at http://www.ufc.com/TUF23. Tryout details are provided below:

Where:
Red Rock Casino
11011 W. Charleston Blvd.
Las Vegas, Nevada 89135

When:
Monday, December 14, 2015
Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. PT

Fighters will be required to grapple & hit pads. Please bring appropriate gear.

*Applicants will be notified at the end of the day if they have been selected to move on in the casting process. If selected, applicants must be prepared to stay in Las Vegas until Saturday, December 19, 2015.

Questions can be directed to: TUFcasting@ufc.com

The Ultimate Fighter®, which debuted in 2005, has launched the careers of some of the UFC’s most recognizable names and successful athletes. The series has produced champions such as Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, TJ Dillashaw, Carla Esparza and Matt Serra, as well as season winners Michael Bisping, Ryan Bader, Nate Diaz and John Dodson.

For more show information, bios, videos and photos, visit ultimatefighter.com and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @UltimateFighter or on Facebook.com/TUF.

###

About UFC®
UFC® is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in 158 countries and territories to over one billion TV households worldwide in 21 different languages. The UFC has a multi-year broadcast agreement with FOX in the U.S., which annually includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network, as well as The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service that is available throughout the world with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content. The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT® (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, UFC branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

Quebec City, Quebec, Canada: This Saturday, Isaac “Golden Boy” Chilemba (24-2-2, 10 KOs) will take on Eleider “Storm” Alvarez (18-0, 10 KOs) for the mandatory position in the WBC at Centre Videotron in Quebec City, Quebec; the winner will challenge Adonis “Superman” Stevenson for the WBC Light Heavyweight World Title in 2016.

Chilemba, 28, was born in Blantyre, Malawi one of the poorest regions in the world. He moved to Johannesburg, South Africa in 2004 to pursue a professional boxing career. Over the last ten years since his professional debut, Isaac has very quietly climbed the ranks of the light heavyweight division. Earlier this year, he defeated fellow Main Events’ stablemate Vasily “The Professor” Lepikhin in the opening bout of the Kovalev-Pascal telecast on HBO World Championship Boxing to become the WBC’s #1 ranked light heavyweight.

Lepikhin and Chilemba
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Now, after more than a decade as a professional, Isaac is one fight away from achieving his dream fighting for a world championship belt. The only thing standing in his way is undefeated contender Eleider “Storm” Alvarez. Alvarez, 31, is originally from Apartado, Colombia but now resides in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Chilemba knows he is marching into enemy territory, fighting in his opponent’s hometown, but he remains unfazed. He said, “It really doesn’t matter where I fight. I don’t mind having no fans in the crowd but, hopefully by the end of the fight, there will be fans that cheer for me. I am just there to do my job. I hope everybody here in the US and Canada watching live and back at home in Malawi and South Africa will get to see a good fight.”

Chilemba admittedly knows little about his opponent and his trainer, former welterweight world champion James “Buddy” McGirt, warns against focusing too hard on the other guy. He said, “I have watched him. I study guys but I try not to watch too much. Sometimes you have a tendency to study a guy too much and you realize he does something but then he doesn’t do that one thing and you are thrown. So I watched him but we are going to be prepared for anything and everything.”

McGirt and Chilemba In the Corner
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Isaac and Buddy acknowledge that this fight is part of a much bigger picture, which is to challenge Stevenson for the WBC Light Heavyweight World Title. However, for now, their focus is on the task at hand – Alvarez. Chilemba explained, “As much as the goal is to get to Stevenson, right now the truth is my mind is on Alvarez. I have to get through this but after that we will be talking about Stevenson. I am just concentrating on one target for now but as soon as that is over then we are talking about the next target, Stevenson.”

McGirt continued, “The way I see it, Alvarez is the only thing getting in our way of the championship. Our job is to do what we have to do to get him out of the way.” Isaac’s manager, Jodi Solomon, added, “Isaac has worked very hard to get this opportunity. He is in excellent hands with Buddy McGirt and I believe he will do what needs to be done and we can move on to the next step.”

Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events, Chilemba’s promoter, said, “Isaac has worked so hard for this opportunity. We know this fight will be a tough battle and it’s no easy task to defeat your opponent in his backyard, but I believe in Isaac and his team. He’s been a road warrior for most of his career and I think all of that hard won experience will pay off in Quebec City on November 28th.”

FOLLOW US:
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George Groves will begin his assault on a fourth World title shot at the top of a stacked Matchroom Boxing and Team Sauerland card at the Copper Box in London on Saturday, January 30, live on Sky Sports.

The Hammersmith man lost out in a split decision to Badou Jack for the WBC Super Middleweight title in Las Vegas in September but has ambitions to land his dream World title in 2016.

‘’It’s great to be back,’’ said Groves. ‘’I’m looking forward to boxing in London again. This is a chance for me start the New Year on the front foot. I want to get as many fights as possible and start building momentum as I work my way back into World title contention.’’

John Wayne Hibbert defends his Commonwealth Super Lightweight title against WBA Continental champion Tommy Martin in a tasty looking chief support bout, with John Ryder also on the bill.

Hibbert climbed off the canvas to stop Dave Ryan in the tenth round of a barnstorming third encounter for the Commonwealth title at The O2 in September, while Martin stopped Michael Devine on the same bill to land the vacant WBA Continental strap.

Brentwood’s Kris Agyei-Dua defends his Southern Area Super Welterweight title against unbeaten Chadwell Heath man Ben Hall in an Essex derby while Wiltshire’s Kelvin Young faces unbeaten Croydon southpaw Leon McKenzie in an eliminator for the English Super Middleweight title.

Plus there’s action for undefeated stars Ohara Davies, Reece Bellotti, Ted Cheeseman, Lucien Reid and Craig Richards. Ticket and full card details will be announced shortly.

Vincent Feigenbutz (21-1, 19 KOs) will defend his interim WBA World Super Middleweight title on January 9 in a rematch with Giovanni De Carolis (23-6, 11 KOs) at the Baden Arena in Offenburg, Germany.

Feigenbutz won a closely contested points decision against De Carolis in their first fight on October 17 in Karlsruhe, but this time, the 20 year-old has promised an improved performance as he intends to leave the decision in no doubt.

‘’I wasn’t happy with my performance in our first fight,’’ said Feigenbutz. ‘’Things went wrong and I did not give a full account of myself. I offered Giovanni a direct rematch immediately after the fight and I have stayed true to my word. This time, I will prove once and for all that I’m the better boxer, and there will be no question over the result!’’

Promoter Kalle Sauerland has expressed his delight at making the World Championship rematch following the super middleweight’s action-packed clash in October.

‘’Their first fight was 12 rounds of pure action,’’ said Sauerland. ‘’It was one of the most exciting fights we have seen in Germany for many years. On January 9, we go again, and I’m sure we are in for another explosive encounter.’’

Tickets for the interim WBA World Super Middleweight Championship contest between Vincent Feigenbutz and Giovanni De Carolis are available online via www.tickethall.de and www.eventim.de.

Anthony Crolla says it will take a long time for his incredible WBA World Lightweight title win over Darleys Perez at the Manchester Arena on Saturday night to sink in.

Crolla delivered a stunning body shot in the fifth round to KO the Colombian champion in their rematch in front of a vociferous hometown crowd to rip the title from Perez and complete his fairy tale comeback

The Manchester favourite was roared to the ring by the fans and absorbed that energy for his second crack at the title after a controversial draw with Perez in July – and set about the champion with gusto. Crolla, who turned 29 during fight week, said ahead of the fight that he felt confident he could both hurt Perez and take the champs’ power.

Crolla enjoyed success early in the piece and most pertinently hurting Perez at the end of the fourth round to the body, and with 42 seconds of the fifth round to go, ‘Million Dollar’ sunk home a lethal left hook to the body that poleaxed the visitor and saw a crazy year in the life of Anthony Crolla come full circle.

Just before Christmas in 2014 as he was in camp for a January World title battle with Richar Abril, Crolla was recovering from a brutal attack in a hospital bed after confronting intruders at his neighbours house, and he didn’t know whether he’d box again.

A successful rehabilitation led to a shot at Perez at the Manchester Arena in July only for the fight to end in a controversial draw – but Crolla’s brilliant performance ensured that he’s ready to write a sparkling new chapter in his life.

“This is what I have dreamt about since I was a kid,” said Crolla. “To achieve it, well, it is going to take a long time to sink in – I’m absolutely made up. I couldn’t have picked a better setting to have achieved my dream, all my family and friends were in the arena and the fans were incredible.

“The people who have been with me from day one were all there and I am so happy to have done it for them too. It’s a tough time of the year for people to dip into their pockets and pay for tickets so I am grateful to them and I hope they had a great night.

“It’s just under a year since the attack and all that has been well-documented, I promised myself when I was laying on that hospital bed that I would come back stronger than ever and that’s what I have done.

“I knew after a few rounds that he was feeling the pace and he made a few noises when I hit him with some shots, he was sharp though and he was hitting harder than he did last time, I took a few stupid shots early on but I thought I would get to him and it paid off. I felt confident before the fight that I could get him out of there.

“That’s the best body shot I’ve thrown in my career. I was touching him up top and I knew as soon as he went down that he was going to struggle to bet the count. He was sat down for a few minutes after the decision so it caught him perfectly, I’ll look forward to watching it back again and again.

“I am capable of more than that – it was a good finish but it wasn’t a great performance.”

Crolla’s trainer Joe Gallagher was pleased with his charges’ performance though, and now has three World champions in his Bolton gym, with the promise of more to come in 2016.

“It was a good fight while it lasted,” said Gallagher. “It was nip and tuck, Anthony caught him early in the fight with a body shot and I told him not to get carried away to the head, look to the body and take the legs away from him. I thought Perez was beginning to come apart a little bit but what a beautiful shot that was.

“I thought to myself at times, if you can’t win when you have a two-point deduction in the fight like we did in the first one, you are not going to win. When you have seen some iffy decisions in the past, I’ve told the boys, you have to look to win World titles by KO, and Anthony has set that example.

“I wanted a nasty Anthony Crolla, that has always been in him and he pulled it out tonight. He knew he could hurt Perez and he did it.

“I’m so proud of all the boys in the gym, they have all had their setbacks but they’ve worked very hard to get the rewards that they are enjoying now.”

Promoter Eddie Hearn added: “Perez started well and looked fit and sharp, but in the fourth round Anthony started having success to the body and Perez looked uncomfortable. Very rarely at World-level do fighters not get up from body shots, when the count was at five I shouted to Anthony ‘stay calm’ but then I looked over and you could tell he was not going to recovered. It was a beautiful shot.

“I always say that he’s the nicest guy there is, and it’s true. I was worried that with the first fight being close, that was his chance gone, and he was so relaxed in the dressing room that I was a little concerned too, he was laughing and smiling, but that was just how relaxed and composed he was.

“Kevin Mitchell has a really tough fight with Ismael Barroso but Crolla vs. Mitchell is a massive fight, Jorge Linares and Crolla is a really big fight, there’s Luke Campbell and Ricky Burns, Terry Flanagan could be a stadium fight in the summer – there’s some huge fights ahead for Anthony and he completely deserves it.”

Over in Germany, Martin Murray came agonisingly close to making it a double-celebration for north-west fighters in World title bouts, only to come up on the wrong side of a split-decision in a tense clash with WBO World Super-Middleweight belt holder Arthur Abraham.

Abraham now joins Gennady Golovkin, Sergio Martinez and Felix Sturm as champions who retained their crowns despite being pushed all the way by Murray.

Murray tried to finish it off but Abraham held on and made it safely to the bell. In the ninth he came again. Murray’s counters were good but the champion seemed to have regained all his wits quickly enough.

The challenger tried to impose himself upon Abraham in the latter rounds after that success, but crucially in the 11th round, the referee took a point from the St Helens’ man for holding.

Murray pushed the Armenia-born German all the way but scores of 115-112, 112-115 and 116-111 saw him come away from the bout in Hanover empty-handed, and his first reaction was to think about his future.

“Obviously I’m gutted,” said Murray. “I really thought it was my night and when the final bell went – even though we were in Germany – I still thought I had it. I still thought I had done enough. When they said it was a split decision even then I still thought I’d got it.

“I know I’m too good to retire but the way I am feeling now, what can I do? It was my fifth shot. I just can’t keep doing this. I just can’t keep doing it to my family.”

Hearn believes that Murray still has plenty to offer though, and has urged the 33 year old to return strong and aim for a fifth shot at glory next summer.

“There are so many big fights at Super-Middleweight for Martin and I want him to have a little rest, come back in the New Year and go again in a big fight at World-level in the summer,” said Hearn. “Abraham is so underrated. People say he’s one-dimensional, but he has a wonderful defensive guard, he hits hard, he’s strong and fit, and he’s very hard to beat. I hope he keeps his head up as he put in a great performance and he should be proud of himself.”

23 November 2015 – Manila, Philippines: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE) has announced the complete fight card for ONE: SPIRIT OF CHAMPIONS which takes place at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena in the Philippines on 11 December. The card is headlined by a spectacular showdown between Brandon “The Truth” Vera and Chi Lewis “Chopper” Parry for the inaugural ONE Heavyweight World Championship.

In addition to the main event, five exciting new bouts featuring local and international MMA athletes have also been announced. These bouts will include the Lee siblings from Singapore, Angela Lee, with her younger brother, Christian Lee making his professional MMA debut. Angela will face Lena Tkhorevska from Poland while Christian meets Australia’s David Meak. Filipino fighters Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio and Eugene Toquero are also on the card and will face Yang Jian Bing and Wu Ze respectively. Bruno Pucci returns to the ONE cage to battle Indonesia-based Dutch fighter, Anthony Engelen.

CEO of ONE Championship, Victor Cui stated, “Manila has always been one of our favourite cities because the support for ONE Championship and MMA is tremendous! We have prepared an amazing lineup of fights for our passionate Filipino fans who are eager to witness our unique brand of world-class MMA. These five additional bouts are guaranteed to satisfy fans hungry for action as we hold nothing back in our spectacular return to the heart of the Philippines.”

Tickets for ONE: SPIRIT OF CHAMPIONS are available now at www.smtickets.com.

MMA darling Angela “Unstoppable” Lee was victorious in her last fight, executing a rare Twister submission on her opponent at the recently concluded ONE: PRIDE OF LIONS show in Singapore. The win established Lee as the queen of submissions in ONE Championship. Known for being a sweetheart who transforms into a formidable contender in the cage, Angela ends her fights fast, with her first three bouts ending by first round submission. Angela looks to keep the streak alive when she meets her next opponent, Polish fighter, Lena Tkhorevska.

Lena Tkhorevska is one of Poland’s fastest rising female MMA stars. She makes her ONE Championship debut in Manila and can be described as a versatile fighter, complete with a formidable stand-up and ground game. Tkhorevska owns a knockout and a pair of submission victories as a professional and is set to give her opponent Angela Lee a tough fight in Manila.

Singaporean featherweight prospect by way of Hawaii, USA, Christian Lee will be following in his sister’s footsteps by turning professional inside the ONE Cage. Coming from a family of impressive martial artists, Christian was crowned multiple-time Junior Pankration World Champion with a Purple Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and was voted ‘Most Outstanding Athlete’ at the 2013 FILA World Championships after winning five world titles across the disciplines of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Pankration, MMA, and Submission Grappling. The younger brother of Angela Lee will make his debut against Australian fighter, David Meak.

David Meak is an Australian featherweight mixed martial artist looking for a new beginning inside the ONE Cage. With five professional bouts on his record, Meak is equipped with the experience required to be successful at this level of the sport. He’ll have his hands full though, as he takes on rising young star, Christian Lee of Evolve-MMA.

Team Lakay’s Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio will face Chinese fighter Yang Jian Bing in a surefire fast-paced flyweight bout. After two losses, one against Anatpong Bunrad and the other against Adriano Moraes, Eustaquio is eager to come back better and stronger, and showcase just how much he has improved since. Eustaquio, known for his well-rounded striking game, will need to outwork his opponent to emerge victorious in his home turf and return to his winning ways.

Yang Jian Bing is one of the most promising young flyweights to come out of China. With five victories on his professional record, including three submissions, Yang is a nightmare matchup for anyone in his division. Despite the remarkable success he’s had in grappling, Yang considers striking to be his forte and will look to take the fight straight to Geje Eustaquio of the Philippines.

Eugene Toquero is one of the most exciting fighters to come out of Manila. His time inside the ONE Cage has been memorable, as he’s delighted fans with impeccable striking and flashy combinations. The former celebrity MMA trainer recently fell short of victory at ONE: TIGERS OF ASIA when he lost to Riku Shibuya via unanimous decision. Toquero is set to do battle with Wu Ze, who represents a chance for him to get back on track for a title shot in the future.

Chinese flyweight Wu Ze has seven years of mixed martial arts training, with a strong background in Sanda and Wrestling. He became the winner of the ONE Guangzhou Flyweight Tournament Finals when he defeated Yang Jian Bing via split decision. Wu, who is also a parkour and extreme sports enthusiast has proven to be an exciting fighter just like his next opponent, Eugene Toquero of the Philippines. This bout between two flyweights is definitely one to watch out for.

Bruno “Pucci Bull” Pucci from Brazil makes his much awaited return to the ONE Cage after a year-long break. A first degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and world champion in No Gi, Pucci is famous for finishing all his fights via his favourite submission move, the Rear Naked Choke. Pucci’s winning streak came to a devastating halt when he lost to Major Overall last year at ONE: HONOR & GLORY. He is determined to get back on the right track, this time against Anthony Engelen.

Anthony Engelen is a Dutch fighter who trains full-time in Indonesia. Just like his next opponent, Engelen’s strength lies in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, making his match a potential war of attrition on the ground. Engelen is undefeated in his first three professional fights and his debut with ONE Championship gives him the chance to advance his position in a stacked division. Standing in his way is Evolve-MMA

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

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.

Wednesday night, November 25th at the Bayfront Convention Center in Erie, PA, Ernie Bizzaro’s Bizarro Promotions has put together another highly anticipated fight card titled “Rumble on the Bay” featuring two of the regions hottest prospects in separate bouts. Bantamweight sensation, Antonio “Carita” Nieves (13- 0-1. 6KO’s) will risk his undefeated record against dangerous veteran and former WBC world minimum weight title challenger Lorenzo “Explosivo” Trejo (35-30-1, 22KO’s) in the six round main event of the evening. Unbeaten welterweight sensation Wilkins “The Hispanic Hurricane” Santiago (12-0-2, 2KO’s) is set for the six round co-feature as he faces thirty-three fight veteran gatekeeper Wilfredo “El Zurdo” Acuna (15-18, 12KO’s). Also, Former Minnesota Viking and Atlanta Falcon, Ray “The Cincinnati Kid” Edwards (10-0, 6KO’s) will tangle with Wiley veteran Grover Young (12-17-2, 8KO’s) in a four round special heavyweight attraction.

Antonio “Carita” Nieves, the former 2011 National Golden Gloves runner up and five time Metro Golden Gloves champion, knows a win over the experienced Lorenzo Trejo will continue him on his path toward his world title aspirations. In his last bout back in August, Nieves of Cleveland, Ohio, dominated the game, but outgunned Tae Woong Jun (3-2-2) over six rounds. It won’t be easy though, as he faces former WBC Continental Americas Minimum weight title holder Lorenzo Trejo (35-30-1, 22KO’s). Trejo has faced a who’s who of contenders, including former WBC world flyweight champion Rodel Mayol (21-0, 19KO’s, former WBO World minimum champion Ivan Calderon and Edgar Sosa (28-6, 13KO’s). Trejo has beaten Erik Ramirez (20-3-1, 16KO’s) and Mario Montiel (25-3, 13KO’s).

In the co-feature of the evening, undefeated super welterweight Wilkins “The Hispanic Hurricane” Santiago (12-0-2, 2KOs) of Lorain Ohio is set for an six round contest against dangerous Nicaraguan Gatekeeper Wilfredo “El Zurdo” Acuna (15-18, 12KO’s. Wilkins had a record of 81-6 and ranked #2 in the nation as an amateur.

Football fans all over are in for a treat as former Minnesota Viking and Atlanta Falcon defensive end Ray “The Cincinnati Kid” Edwards (10-0, 6KO’s) is set to appear in a special four round heavyweight contest against Wiley veteran Grover Young (12-17-2, 8KO’s) of Memphis, Tennessee. Young should provide a good test since he has fought some of the top prospects including Eugene Hill (31-1, 21KO’s), Malik Scott 35-1-1, 12KO’s) and owns victories over Tim Williamson (17-2, 12KO’s) and David Long (12-4-2, 8KO’s)

In other four round bouts:

Lightweight prospect Thomas Mattice (4-0, 3KO’s) of Cleveland, OH looks to keeps his perfect knockout record intact, when he swaps punches with Merida, Yucatan, Mexico’s Jose “Cacho” Silveria (16-18, 6KO’s).

Welterweight New Yorker, Wilfredo Flores (2-0) looks to win his third straight in Erie, PA when he tangles with Youngstown, Ohio’s Lavell Hadley (2-1, 2KO’s).

Alexander Dedovets (1-0, 1KO) of Buffalo, New York will try for his second knockout as a professional when he squares off against cruiserweight Antuan Taylor (1-3) of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Cleveland, Ohio’s Ryan Forbes (pro debut) swaps punches with hard luck Philadelphian, Vince Burkhalter (0-6-1).

Rounding out the card, is a four round welterweight contest featuring Cleveland Ohio’s Brett Simmons (pro debut) against Lee Kreisher (3-9-1, 2KO’s).

The Bayfront Convention Center is located at:

1 Sassafras Pier

Erie, PA 16507

Doors open: 6PM

Bell Time: 7PM

For tickets and more information, please call 814-881-3750

Tickets are also available online at WWW.ERIEEVENTS.COM

Tickets for this big night of action are priced as follows:

$43.25 –General Admission

$79.25-Ringside

$535-VIP tables

WBO European Welterweight Champion Bradley Skeete weighed 146.9lbs and his challenger Stevie Williams was 147lbs at today’s official weigh-in ahead of their fight tomorrow night at the Hilton Hotel, Park Lane, in support of the national music charity Nordoff Robbins.

‘Super’ Skeete, from Penge, South London, makes the third defence of the belt as he aims to to make Merseyside’s Williams his fourth stoppage in a row in his pursuit of a second shot at the British title.

He said, “Roll on tomorrow night and I can’t wait now. Williams is going to bring it in the ring, I can sense at the weigh-in today that he’s really up for it and wants to take my title from me. I ain’t going to let that just happen. I’m back on track towards a second crack at the British title and Williams isn’t going get in my way. I’ll be looking to end this one in conclusive style.”

While the ‘Wallasey Express’ says he’ll steam through Skeete in the capital as he has big fight ambitions of his own and needs his rival’s title.

“This is my big chance to get back into the title picture and into the buzzing domestic scene. Skeete’s good, but he’s beatable and I’m looking to bring the title back to Liverpool with me tomorrow night. You’ll see the best of me, plenty of aggression, plenty of high work-rate and set a pace that Skeete can’t match.” Said Williams.

The card will also feature three undefeated talents under the Queensberry Promotions banner who all feature in six-round contests: Corby Cruiserweight Simon Barclay takes on Tamas Polster, Manchester Super-Welterweight Macaulay McGowan faces Sullivan Mason and Swansea Super-Flyweight Jay Harris faces David Koos.

Money raised on the night will go towards the vital work that Nordoff Robbins undertakes in transforming the lives of vulnerable children and adults. The national charity works with people with a range of challenges such as autism, dementia, depression and physical and learning disabilities through the power of music.

HBO Sports serves up the exclusive replay of the world middleweight super fight MIGUEL COTTO VS. CANELO ALVAREZ, SATURDAY, NOV. 28 on HBO. The HBO Sports team, which was ringside for the live coverage at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, called all the action. Available in HDTV, the hard-hitting ring action will be presented along with the encore replay of the “HBO World Championship Boxing®” event featuring Wladimir Klitschko vs. Tyson Fury from Dusseldorf, Germany, beginning at 10:15 p.m. (ET/PT).

Other HBO playdates for both bouts: Nov. 29 (9:00 a.m.) and 30 (11:15 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates for both bouts: Nov. 29 (5:00 p.m.) and Dec. 1(11:00 p.m.)
The highly anticipated super fight took place Saturday, Nov. 21, live on HBO Pay-Per-View®, with 160-pound attractions Cotto and Canelo colliding in the ring.

Follow all the action as Middleweight champion Miguel Cotto battles Canelo Alvarez in a Mouth watering Middleweight title bout.  The card begins with at 9 pm ET / 6 PM ET with a 3 fight undercard featuring a world title bout between Takashi Miura and Francisco Vargas

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Round 1 Body shot from Canelo..right from Cotto..Jab from Canelo..Jab from Cotto..Hook from Cotto..Hook from Canelo..Hard right to body..Body shots from Cotto..quick left hook…Right and left hook from canelo..Left to the body..

Round 2 Right from Cotto..Jab…Jab..Good counter and jab and left hook by Canelo…Sneaky right from Cotto

Round 3 Canelo lands a body shot..straight right..Good right…Straight right..Right from Cotto…Counter left and jab from ALvarez..Good jab from Cotto and another…Hard right from canelo…

Round 4 Right from Canelo…1-2..Cook lands 1 left hook to body and 2 to the head..Left hook from Canelo…trading body shots..

Round 5 Good right from Canelo..Hard left..Flurry from Cotto..Over hand right from Canelo..Hard left uppercut by Canelo..Hard right..

Round 6 Sharp right from Canelo..Good combination..Good body shot from Cotto..Good body shot..

Round 7 Hard body shot from Canelo…Good hook from Cotto..Great counter uppercut from Canelo..Cotto lands a left inside..

Round 8 Left uppercut from Canelo..Good body from Cotto..they are trading..Hard shots..Uppercut from Canelo..Hard right..Good hook from Cotto..Big right to the body from Alvarez..right to body from Cotto..Left…

Round 9 Straight right from Cotto..Trading rights..Trading left to body…3 jabs from Cotto..Hard left from Canelo..Cotto lands a uppercut..Cotto lands jabs..Quick left hooks from Canelo…and another..

Round 10 Body shot from Cotto…Good body shots from Canelo..Hard right from Cotto..3 punch combination from Canelo

Round 11 Combination from Cotto..Right from Canelo…Good left..Cotto lands a jab..

Round 12 2 big shots from Canelo and a body shot..Right hand..good body shots..Cotto lands a jab..Cotto cut around his left eye..2 more rights from canelo..left hook from Cotto..Hard shots hurt Cotto..Combination from Cotto…

 

117-111. 119-109, 118-110 for CANELO ALVAREZ

Punch stats:  Cotto 129-629       Canelo 155-484

 

Round 1 Hard right from Vargas…Miura in big trouble..Miura lands a left..Good body shot from Vargas..Another body shot..

Round 2  Vargas cut under right eye…Vargas lands 5 power punches..Good body shot from Vargas..Good body shot from Miura..Good right from Vargas..Good body shot..

Round 3 Miura lands to the body and head..Hard right hook..

Round 4 Straight left…Hard right from Vargas…Body shots from Miura…sTRAIGHT LEFT AND DOWN GOES VARGAS..

Round 5 Miura outworking Vargas…body shot…Right from Vargas…Body shot from Miura…Good combination from Vargas…Thudding right hook from Miura..

Round 6 Vargas coming out firing…Body shot..Good body shot from Miura…Straight from Vargas..2 lefts from Miura..Right from Vargas..

Round 7 Good left from Miura

Round 8 Left from Miura…Good body shot..and another..Right from Vargas…Hard left buckles Vargas..Punishing combo at the bell

Round 9 HUGE RIHJY AMD DOWN GOES MIURA..Vargas rocking him all over the ring..Big Body shot..BIG RIGHT ROCKS MIURA’S HEAD BACK AND THE FIGHT IS STOPPED

 

Round 1 Hard left from Rigondeaux..Hard body shot

Round 2 Body shot from Francisco..Quick left from Rigondeaux

Round 3

Round 4 Fans beginning to boo..Straight left from Rigondeaux

Round 5 Francisco lands a left hook

Round 6

Round 7 Rigondeaux lands a left

Round 8 Rigondeaux controlling the action

Round 9

Round 10 Hard right from Francisco

97-93, 100-90 twice for Rigondeaux

Punch stats:   Rigo 72-347    Francisco 42-228

 

Round 1 Rios working the body..straight right..body shot..Velez lands a left to the head..

Round 2 Hard right from Rios followed by 2 body shots..Velez lands a body shot

Round 3 Good right from Rios..Counter from Velez..Good left hook..Right from Rios..Good jab

Round 4 Rios warned for Low blows..Another warning..

Round 5 Another low blow and Rios docked a point…Good left and right from Rios..

Round 6 4 left hooks to head from Rios…Hard left hook..Good hook from Velez..Hard right..

Round 7 Hard left from Rios

Round 8 Rios lands a right to the body…Big left…

Round 9 Big right from Rios...

Round 10 Good uppercut from Rios and another..Good left hook

97-92, 95-94 and 96-93 for Ronny Rios

 

 

EDDY REYNOSO: “We are very proud of Canelo today. As we all know, he started from the bottom and now he is the champion. I was never worried about him from the first round through to the 12th round. He has great defense strategy, but I was hoping that he would have finished Cotto sooner. I know that he was looking for the knock out and as a result didn’t throw as much as he should have to put Miguel on the canvas. We have a lot of respect for Miguel, he is a great fighter, and we have tremendous respect for Freddie Roach as a trainer.

CHEPO REYNOSO: “I knew he was winning. He went into this fight with a clear head and a full heart and that is what he needed to be successful tonight. I am proud of him, proud of his simplicity to admit that we were once no one and now he is the middleweight champion. I wish he would have put more pressure on Cotto from the beginning, but I knew he was enjoying himself. He showed how beautiful the sport can be when you fight in an intelligent way.”

“I have a lot of respect for Miguel. He is a great champion and a great fighter. We knew going into this fight that it would be a difficult journey, but I feel that I was the faster and stronger fighter tonight. I wasn’t hurt by his punches. I want to thank my trainers, they are like my family and the best people I know and I couldn’t have done this without them.”

I’m not afraid of any fighter. GGG is a great fighter, and he is my friend. I have respect for him, but if we do fight it’s going to be at my weight class. I’m the champion, I don’t have to do what he wants.”

“I was fully prepared for what Cotto was going to do in the ring, whether that was take a defense stance or be the aggressor.”

“Im very disappointed and upset I got caught in the first round, then I recovered and after that I thought I was winning the fight,” said Takashi Miura. “I think if I could have clenched better…I would definitely like a rematch.”

“I’m the champ, I’m the champ!” said Francisco “El Bandido” Vargas. “This is a dream come true for me, something I have been fighting for my whole life. I knew Takashi was going to be a tough opponent, that’s why he is the champion, so I had to make sure I was prepared to face a fighter like him. I feel that my preparation paid off for this fight. I knew I had to be very aggressive, and I showed that in the first round so he knew that I would not be bullied. When I was knocked down in the fourth round, I felt even more motivated to win this fight. I made sure to fight the way I wanted, how I wanted and my style and now I’m the champion of the world! I hope all the fans enjoyed themselves tonight with my performance.”

“I feel terrific after the fight,” said Guillermo Rigondeaux. “He threw heavy but his style has nothing on mine. My style outmatched his. It’s been 11 months since I’ve been in the ring and I definitely felt some cobwebs but I d like to see some other fighters be out 11 months and come back with a win. I definitely wanted to give the fans a better fight so I need to get back in to the gym, get more active to give a better performance. I promise that with the tools I have now after signing with Roc Nation that next time I’ll be explosive. Thank you to my team for helping me get this win.”

“Rigondeaux is not a fighter, he is a runner,” said Drian Francisco. “He is afraid of getting hurt and doesn’t want to fight. I felt pressured into being the aggressor during this fight because he wasn’t fighting, he was running away. He is not a power puncher and won by points. I trained really hard for this fight and I feel like it was a waste of time because I didn’t encounter a fighter tonight.”

“I was expecting that to be a tough fight, but I did my job,” said Jayson “Star” Velez. “He had some good rounds, I had some good rounds. I think the deduction is what really got me. I did my job tonight but he was better at his job tonight.”

“I felt like I dictated the pace of the fight, and I felt like I was landing more power punches than him,” said Ronny Rios. “He did throw a few body shots at me that hurt but they weren’t significant enough for me to stop pressuring him and doing what I needed to do to secure this victory. He actually surprised me; I thought he was going to use the jab all night but he was definitely getting in the inside. This is a really big victory for me. I have a belt now, and I know that bigger things will come my way because of it.”

“This was a great opportunity for me on the biggest stage,” said Alberto Machado. “We did great; this is what we worked for in the gym. I like to consider myself a diamond on the rope, but this was only a 6.5 out of 10 performance. I have to keep working and learning, and I am working toward a world championship. I am so happy for my team.”

“I’m proud of my team and myself,” said Jose “Chiquiro” Martinez. “I want to thank God and my family. This was a very tough fight, but I am just going to keep working to achieve more wins.”

“I feel very good that I am still undefeated,” said Zhang “Big Bang” Zhilei. “I was careless during that knock down. I am going to keep finghting until I am a world champion.”