Bethlehem, PA (June 23 2015)–This Thursday at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, King’s Promotions will hold the final news conference in conjunction of Saturday night’s 10 bout card at the same venue.

The press conference will begin at 6 PM et and be held in the Berks meeting room.

The following evening the weigh in will take place at 5:30 PM in the Berks meeting room.

On Saturday night, King’s Boxing will present night of boxing at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem..

In the main event, undefeated Welterweight Jamal James (16-0, 9 KO’s) of Minneapolis, MN will take on Mike Balasi (10-6, 7 KO’s) of Honolulu, HA in a bout scheduled for 8-rounds.

In 6-round Bouts:

Alex Martin (8-0, 5 KO’s) of Harvey, Illinois will take on Pavel Miranda (19-10-1, 9 KO’s) of Tijuana, Mexico in a Welterweight bout.

Caleb Plant (7-0, 6 KO’s) of Ashland, TN will fight Oscar Rojas (8-1, 3 KO’s) of Laredo, Texas in a Super Middleweight bout.

Christian Molina (4-0, 3 KO’s) of Allentown, PA will take on Justin Johnson (6-8) of Pittsburgh, PA in a Jr. Welterweight bout.

Kyrone Davis (7-0, 3 KO’s) of Wilmington, DE will take on Jose Alberto Leal (9-7-1, 4 KO’s) of Guadalajara, Mexico Middleweight bout..

In 4-round Bouts:

Robert Ramos (1-3-1, 1 KO) of Allentown, PA will fight Ismael Serrano (2-1) of Bethlehem, PA in a Lightweight bout.

Desmond Moore of Bethlehem, PA will fight Mike Heffilfinger of Pennsylvania in a battle of Featherweight pro debuter’s.

Carlos Gongora (1-0, 1 KO) of Brooklyn, NY will box Alvaro Enriquez (12-14-2, 4 KO’s) of Tlaxcala, Mexico in a Light Heavyweight affair.

Chris Colbert (1-0, 1 KO) of Brooklyn, NY will fight Antwan Robertson (9-14-1, 6 KO’s) of Minneapolis, MN in a Super Bantamweight bout.

Antonio DuBose (7-0, 2 KO’s) of Philadelphia will fight Jesus Lule (7-12-1, 1 KO) of Fort Myers, FL in a Featherweight bout.

Tickets are priced at $100, $75 and $50 and can purchased at ticketmaster and www.ticketmaster.com

The 1st bout will start at 7:00 PM with the doors opening at 6 PM.

The show will be streamed live on www.gfl.tv

LOS ANGELES (June 23) – Undefeated star Vyacheslav “Lion Heart – Chingonsky” Shabranskyy (13-0, 11 KOs) of Los Angeles will return to the ring after a stellar performance on March 12, going up against the undefeated Paul Parker (7-0, 4 KOs)of Toledo, Ohio in the 10-round cruiserweight main event for Golden Boy Live! on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes on June 30. Live from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Shabranskyy will be looking to continue his winning streak alongside of some of the east coast’s undefeated fighters.

In the co-main event, undefeated rising star, D’Mitrius Ballard (8-0, 7 KOs) of Washington D.C. will take on Josue Obando (11-5, 9 KOs) of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico in a six-round light heavyweight fight; and fellow undefeated Washington D.C. boxer Lamont Roach Jr. (7-0, 3 KOs) will face San Antonio’s Christian Santibanez (3-4, 2 KOs) in a six-round lightweight televised bout. Fighting to make airtime, local fighter Damon Allen (6-0, 2 KOs) will go head-to-head against Luis “Yeye” Rodriguez (3-4, 2 KOs) of Carolina, Puerto Rico in a six-round super lightweight swing bout.

In non-televised undercard, super featherweight Kevin “K-Smoove” Rivers, Jr. (11-0, 8 KOs) of Cheverly, Maryland will face Luis “Lichito” Lizarraga Jr. (5-4-1, 2 KOs) in a six-round battle; and. Also hailing from Philadelphia, Victor Vasquez (18-9-1, 8 KOs) will go up against Puerto Rican fighter Edgardo Torres (2-4, 2 KOs) in a non-televised six-round lightweight bout. Opening up the night, South Korea native and Philadelphia transplant GangYong Kim (4-1) will fight new opponent Tyrone Luckey (5-4-2, 5 KOs) of Middletown, New Jersey in a four-round lightweight bout.

Tickets for the event are priced at $75 and $50 and are on sale now by calling (215) 568-2400, (215) 364-9000 or (215) 765-0922 and on online at www.wanatix.com or www.peltzboxing.com, and at the 2300 Arena, 2300 S. Swanson St., Philadelphia, PA 19148.

Coming off of an impressive technical knockout victory over Fabiano Pena to gain the USNBC Light Heavyweight title on March 12, Vyacheslav “Lion Heart – Chigonsky” Shabranskyy is looking to continue his winning streak in 2015. A native of Zhytomyr, Ukraine and now making his home in Los Angeles, Shabranskyy is a powerful puncher who put together an impressive 2014 campaign, facing and quickly defeating: Lamont Williams, Paul Vasquez, Michael Gbenga, Demetrius Walker, Emil Gonzalez and Garrett Wilson.

Fighting out of Toledo, Ohio, Paul Parker has made a name for himself in his hometown stopping every opponent since his professional debut in 2012. The relative newcomer most recently faced Brian Holstein in August of 2014, winning the fight by knockout in the first round. Previously, Parker fought four times in 2013 defeating Dwayne Williams, Darryl Johnson, James Shorter and Joshua Skipper along the way. Now, is his toughest fight to date, Parker will be looking to continue his winning streak when he faces Vyacheslav Shabranskyy on June 30.

A decorated amateur star, the professional run of D’Mitrius Ballard thus far has been nothing short of spectacular. Just 22 years old, Ballard has shown power, speed and ring generalship all while exciting fans from New York to Texas to his home of Washington, D.C. Coming off a 70- second knockout of Jason Zabokrtsky in March, Ballard is chasing after more spectacular finishes this year.
Making his U.S. debut, from Gudalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, Josue Obando, will be looking to impress critics in his first fight of 2015. Having last seen the ring in November of 2014 against Bruno Sandoval, Obando is a hungry fighter looking for redemption. The fighter was undefeated in 2013, winning his fights against Jorge Lujan and Felipe Macias via knockout. June 30, will be a test for Obando as he looks to start off 2015 with a victory when he faces D’mitrius Ballard.

Nineteen-year-old lightweight phenom Lamont Roach Jr. has been a dazzling force in the ring following an impressive amateur career and as he piles up the wins, boxing insiders see him as a young man with world championship potential. Looking to test himself once again in his return to the 2300 Arena where he stopped Herbert Quartey in January, Roach is ready for anyone placed in front of him in the ring.

After two hard losses at the beginning of his professional career in 2013, Christian Santibanez was triumphant in his only fight of 2014 against Daniel Arriaga in his hometown of San Antonio, Texas. Already in 2015, Santibanez has participated in in four fights, boasting two victories over Jose Dolores and Ivan Moreno in Coahuila de Zaragoza, Mexico. After a tough loss to Ruslan Madiev at Fantasy Springs Resort & Casino in Indio, Calif., Santibanez will look to defeat Lamont Roach Jr. this month at the 2300 Arena.

Damon Allen of Philadelphia is a relative newcomer to the sweet science. Allen last fought in 2014 respectively defeating Antony Linenfelser via technical knockout and Hector Marengo via unanimous decision. A professional boxer since 2012, the 20-year old will be making his 2015 debut after a year out of the ring.

With a strong professional debut in June 2012, Puerto Rican fighter Luis Rodriguez won his first three fights against Israel Muniz, Luis Oritz, and Luis Guzman, and was defeated by Jose Santiago. Rodriguez made his U.S. debut in 2015 against Mykal Fox in Washington D.C., and followed up with fights against Kenneth Sims. Jr. at Madison Square Gardens in New York and Keenan Smith in Atlantic City.

Undefeated since his professional debut in 2012, Kevin “K-Smoove” Rivers, Jr. of Cheverly, Maryland is eager to get back in the ring after an impressive technical knockout victory over Stephon McIntyre in January of this year. The fighter has been steadily moving up the ranks accumulating wins over other stand-out prospects, Xavier Montelongo and Karl Garcia in 2014. Now the 24-year-old fighter is ready to continue his winning streak in his second fight of 2015.

Hailing from Merida, Mexico, Luis “Lichito” Lizarraga Jr., the 21-year-old made his professional debut in February 2012 against Alfonso Millan in his hometown. Consistently fighting in Mexico since his debut, Lizarraga made his American debut in October 2014 when he faced tough opponent Diego De La Hoya at Fantasy Springs Resort and Casino in Indio, Calif. With a loss to De La Hoya and to Christopher Diaz in February 2015 at the Sun Dome in Tampa. Florida, Lizarraga is eager to face Kevin Rivers in one of the toughest fights of his career yet.

Philadelphia native Victor Vasquez is an experienced fighter looking to impress in his second fight of 2015. The lightweight fighter was last seen in the ring in March, defeating Jose L. Guzman via fourth-round technical knockout. The fighter is looking to keep the momentum going and add another win to his record when he fights Edgardo Torres on June 30.

Vineland, New Jersey’s Edgardo Torres made his professional debut in April 2011 against Korey Sloane at Caesars in Atlantic City. After a win against Anthony Cusumano in 2012, Torres fell victim to tough opponents: Scott Burrell in 2013, Evincii Dixon in 2014, and most recently GangYong Kim at the 2300 Arena in May 2015. On June 30, he will return to the venue looking for redemption as he takes on Philly native Victor Vasquez.

GangYong Kim, a Philly transplant from South Korea, is a newcomer to the sport who was last seen in his USA debut at the 2300 Arena on May 8, defeating Edgardo Torres via unanimous decision. The 26-year-old fighter will be looking to impress the fans of his new hometown when he faces Tyrone Luckey in a four-round lightweight bout at the 2300 Arena.

Tyrone Luckey, the 30-year-old hailing from Middletown, New Jersey, made his professional debut in 2010 knocking out his first four opponents. In July 2011, Luckey was defeated by Bryne Green in a close six-round decision and followed up with a draw against Ramon Ellis, a loss against a Tevin Farmer, and a knock out against Bryan Acaba to round out 2012. After two tough losses to Wahid Raheem and Jason Sosa in 2013 and a draw against Jose Ortiz in 2015, Luckey will look to comeback against Gang Yong Kim this month in Philadelphia.

Vyacheslav Shabranskyy vs. Paul Parker is a 10-round cruiserweight bout promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Joe Hand Promotions and sponsored by Corona Extra, and Mexico – Live It To Believe It! Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and the first bell rings at 6:45 p.m. The FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes broadcast airs live at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.FOXSports.com/FOXSports1, www.FOXDeportes.com, follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @FOXSports, @FOXSports1, @FOXDeportes, @JoeHandPromo and, become a fan on Facebook at Golden Boy Facebook Page, www.facebook.com/FOXDeportes, www.facebook.com/JoeHandPromotionsand visit us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @JoeHandPromo

truTV and Top Rank will exclusively present the MetroPCS Friday Night Knockout on truTV, a live primetime boxing series on Friday, June 26, at 10 p.m. ET from the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas. The new boxing series, produced in association with Turner Sports and HBO Sports, will feature a 10-round bout for the WBO International Super Middleweight title between undefeated southpaw champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (31-0-0, 24 KOs) of Sinaloa, Mexico and Derek “The Black Lion” Edwards (27-4-1, 14 KOs) of Las Vegas. Additionally, southpaw Diego Magdaleno (27-1-0, 11 KOs) of Las Vegas will meet Puerto Rico’s Jose “Chelo” Gonzalez (24-1-0, 19 KOs) in a 12-round bout for the vacant WBO International Lightweight championship.

Commentators for the event will include Kevin Kugler providing play-by-play with analyst Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini and reporter Crystina Poncher. Kugler is a veteran announcer who has called college basketball and NFL coverage for Westwood One and college football for the Big Ten Network. Mancini is a 2015 International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee and former NABF and WBA lightweight champion. Poncher is a commentator and reporter for Top Rank, as well as a host, reporter and correspondent for NFL Network and NFL.com. Closed captioning in Spanish will be available for the truTV telecast.

The network’s presentation will feature the continued use of “Spidercam” technology, the first of its kind for a live domestic boxing telecast, providing dynamic coverage during the series. “Spidercam” operates on a four-point system of cables from designated points beyond the corners of the boxing ring. The suspended camera has the ability to provide compelling 360-degree angles of the action including the ability to move in three dimensions – left/right, forward/backward and up/down.

Follow Turner Sports on Twitter at @TurnerSportsPR.

The Heavyweight SuperFight rematch between Russian Sergei “The Paratrooper” Kharitonov (22-5-0) and American Kenny “Deuce” Garner (16-8-0) will headline the July 3rd M-1 Challenge 59: Battle of Nomads 5 in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Garner was a replacement for injured Satoshi Ishii this past November 25 against Kharitonov in Beijing. The game Garner dominated the opening round and Kharitonov took the second round. The fight was stopped in the third round an Kharitonov declared the winner due to safety concerns for the badly cut Garner.

M-1 Challenge 59 will be streamed live from Kazakhstan 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 Andriod and Apple smart phones and tablets.

Information:

www.mixfight.ru

www.wmmaa.org

www.M1Global.tv

Twitter & Instagram:

@M1GlobalNews
@VFinkelchtein
@M1Global

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/pages/M-1-Global/145250878842244
ABOUT M-1 GLOBAL: Founded in 1997, M-1 Global has established itself in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as the premier entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With its office in St Petersburg, Russia, the M-1 brand has staged more than 160 events worldwide, including M-1 Selection, M-1 Challenge, M-1 Global and M-1 Global HWGP events, in addition to co-promoting Strikeforce events and M-1 Global on the U.S. network, Showtime. Captivating live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and match-ups, M-1 Global events have featured some of the sport’s top names, including legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Keith Jardine, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Sergei Kharitonov, Aleksander Emelianenko, Roman Zentsov, Yushin Okami, Mike Pyle, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, Amar Suloev, Chalid Arrab and Stephan Struve. 2015 promises to be another sensational year of world-class competition with a full calendar of Challenge events fueled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global Champions among the greatest fighters in the sport.

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

Atlantic City, NJ (June 23 2015)–On Saturday night, August 15, Silverspoon Promotions will present a huge night of boxing that will feature as many as 10 professional bouts at the Playground (Formerly the Caesars Pier) in Atlantic City.

Confirmed for the 10-round main event will be Heavyweight contender Chazz “The Gentleman” Witherspoon.

Witherspoon (33-3, 25 KO’s) of nearby Paulsboro, New Jersey established himself as one of the top American Heavyweights as the St. Joseph’s University graduate won his first twenty-three bouts with wins over the likes of Michael Alexander (11-0), Talmadge Griffis (24-6-3), Jonathan Haggler (18-1) before suffering his 1st defeat to future two-time world title challenger Chris Arreola via controversial disqualification.

Witherspoon went on to win three win a row which was highlighted by an entertaining 8th round stoppage over Adam “The Swamp Donkey” Richards (21-1). That fight was voted Ring Magazine’s 2008 Heavyweight Fight of the Year. Witherspoon then dropped a fight to future two-time world title challenger Tony Thompson.

Witherspoon went on to score 4-consecutive knockouts which included a devastating 3rd-round destruction over Tyson Cobb (14-2).

Witherspoon then took on undefeated prospect Seth Mitchell on April 28, 2012 in a bout where Witherspoon had Mitchell badly hurt in several occasions before Mitchell came away with the victory.

In his last bout, Witherspoon scored a 5th round stoppage over Galen Brown on April 18 in Pennsauken, New Jersey.

Also slated to appear on the card will be Super Lightweight Malik Hawkins (4-0, 4 KO’s) of Baltimore, MD; Super Lightweight Courtney Blocker (6-0, 6 KO’s) of Pensacola, FL; Welterweight Parris Chisholm (2-0, 1 KO) of Washington, D.C.; Super Bantamweight Vidal Rivera (2-0, 2 KO’s) of Camden, NJ.; Lightweight Jerome Conquest (2-1) of Philadelphia, PA; Pro debuting Scott Kelleher; Welterweight Anthony Young (10-1, 5 KO’s) of Atlantic City, NJ; Erik Kitt (5-1, 2 KO’s) of Pensacola, FL plus more fighters to be announced.

To view the Playground in Atlantic City, Click the video:

The Playgorund Atlantic City
The Playgorund Atlantic City

The playground is a brand-new, state of the art entertainment complex where the shops at the Pier used to be. The facility is 500,000 square feet

Tickets for this great night of boxing will range from $45 – $100 and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com

Full details will be announced shortly

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Oscar De La Hoya is contemplating a return to the ring.

“It’s got to be worth my while but this is very serious,” De La Hoya told ESPN.com on Monday. “I have to make sure I am fighting the very best. I don’t have to come back for financial reasons or the lights or the glamour. The only reason I would come back is because I miss the competition of fighting the very best.”

“Right now I feel the best I have felt in my life physically, emotionally, mentally because I haven’t touched alcohol for I don’t know how long. I’m training. I feel great. But it has to be worth my while,” said De La Hoya, an admitted alcoholic and drug addict, who has done at least two stints in rehabilitation to deal with his addictions.

“Would I do it? I don’t know but I wake up every morning thinking that I can,” De La Hoya continued. “I think about Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvin Hagler. If [Leonard] could do it, why can’t I? We both come from similar situations. We are both hungry for the competition, we’re both ambitious. So you never know. At the same time, I wish time flies by so I don’t have to come back.”

“I want to fight one of them because they are the best and I always fought the best,” De La Hoya said. “That’s what boxing is all about – fighting the best.”

I’ve gotten everything taken care of — my rotator cuffs, my left hand, everything. I’m pain free,” De La Hoya said. “I just feel good and when I walk the streets, everyone tells me, ‘You have to fight Floyd again, you have to fight GGG. You can do it, you can do it.

“I just feel great physically. I’ve been taking care of myself. I’ve been doing the Bernard Hopkins lifestyle. You can turn the clock back to a certain time.”

“I’m not preparing for an actual fight, but I run 8 miles, I can hit the bag for 12 rounds, I can jump rope and do the speed bag. I do all that on a regular basis to stay in shape,” De La Hoya said. “I look great too. I’ve never seen myself look like this. Sometimes that little itch gets me in that certain spot, and when so many people tell me I can do it, it’s trying to convince me that you can.”

“So it will be one of those bittersweet moments,” De La Hoya said. “There will be people who will like it and those who won’t. I want everyone to like it.”

“I feel amazing,” De La Hoya said. “In my life right now, I have so much motivation. I am so hungry and so determined. My plan is long term with Golden Boy, with me personally, my family, my business. I am young, I am healthy and I feel great — 42 is the new 32.”

Las Vegas (June 22, 2015) – Former WBO world champion Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin has confirmed that he will appear at the Las Vegas Convention Center for the second annual Box Fan Expo that will take place Saturday Sept. 12. The Box Fan Expo will coincide with Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s last fight and Mexican Independence weekend.

Quillin is an undefeated Cuban-American Middleweight with a 31-0 record. On Oct. 20, 2012, he captured the coveted WBO 160-pound division championship. Quillin got his nicknamea from the original “Kid Chocolate,” Eligio Sardinias-Montalbo, a Cuban fighter and eventual Internationl Boxing Hall-of-Fame inductee.

Quillin will also have on hand his unique clothing collection and merchandise for his fans to purchase.

Quillin joins Ruslan “Siberian Rocky” Provodnikov, Terrible” Terry Norris, Joel “El Cepillo” Casamayor and “El Feroz” Fernando Vargas among early commitments to this year’s Box Fan Expo.

This unique fan experience event, which allowed fans to meet and greet boxing legends, past and current champions and other celebrities of the sport, debuted last September to large, enthusiastic crowds. This year the Expo will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and once again, allow fans a chance to collect autographs, take photos and purchase merchandise and memorabilia.

Exhibitors such as boxing gear, apparel, broadcasting media and other brand companies who wish to participate will have a chance to showcase their products to fans and the whole boxing industry.

Last year’s inaugural Box Fan Expo featured some of the most popular fighters and boxing celebrities in recent history. Fans were treated to visits with Mike Tyson, Roy Jones Jr, Sergio Martinez, Amir Khan, Zab Judah, Mikey Garcia, James Toney, Riddick Bowe, Leon Spinks Terry Norris, Shawn Porter, Chris Byrd, Jesse James Leija, Lamon Brewster, Ray Mercer, Earnie Shavers, Mia St-John, Erislandy Lara, Peter Quillin, Jean Pascal and Austin Trout. Also appearing were current WBC Champion Deontay Wilder, the charismatic Vinny Pazienza, Paul Williams, noted commentator Al Bernstein and top trainer Roger Mayweather of Mayweather Promotions.

The roster of attendees for this year’s Box Fan Expo will be announced throughout the next several months and weeks leading up to the event.

Tickets to the Box Fan Expo are available online at: http://www.boxfanexpo.eventbrite.com

View the official promo video of Box Fan Expo here: http://www.boxfanexpo.com/video-2/

View Promo Flyer here: http://www.boxfanexpo.com/promo-flyer/

View Photos Gallery 2014 here: http://www.boxfanexpo.com/photos/

For anyone in the boxing industry or brand companies who wish to be involved and reserve a booth as an exhibitor or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Box Fan Expo at:

U.S.A telephone number: (702) 997-1927 or (514) 572-7222

For any inquiries please email: boxfanexpo@gmail.com

More information on the Box Fan Expo is available at: http://www.boxfanexpo.com

You can follow Box Fan Expo on Twitter at: https://www.twitter.com/BoxFanExpo and on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/BoxFanExpo

After a successful turn as a televised boxing commentator, Cornwall, Ontario, Canada’s Tony “Lightning” Luis is set to return to the ring in the co-featured bout of “Championship Boxing on CBS Sports Network”, scheduled for Friday, June 26, 2015, from the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino in Niagara Falls, New York.

In his first fight since his highly controversial “loss” to England’s Derry Matthews for the WBA World Championship last April, WBA #14-rated Luis will face New York (via Dominican Republic) veteran Edward Valdez (13-10-2, 3 KOs) in a 10-rounder.

Tickets for “Championship Boxing on CBS Sports Network” are priced at $35 and $45, and ringside seating is $75 and can be purchased with a major credit card by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000, online at Ticketmaster.com or through the Seneca Niagara Casino Box Office: 716-501-2444.

Presented by Greg Cohen Promotions in association with Adam Wilcock’s Fight Card Promotions, Vito Mielnicki’s GH3 Promotions, Dmitriy Salita’s Star Of David Promotions and produced by David Schuster’s Winner Take All Productions, the night’s 10-round main event will feature WBA #11- and IBF #6-rated Dennis “Hurricane” Hogan (21-0-1, 7 KOs) of Queensland, Australia (via Kildare, Ireland) making the first defense of his WBA-NABA US Super Welterweight Championship against local favorite Kenny Abril (14-7-1, 7 KOs) of Rochester, New York.

“Training is going great!” said an upbeat-sounding Luis. “Edward Valdez is a tough, seasoned veteran who can surprise anyone if you sleep on him. He gave Ivan Redkach eight hard rounds and that’s the Valdez I’m preparing for.”

Luis did a nice job in his first assignment as color commentator. He worked the Kayode vs. Kisner broadcast from Beale Street last month. “The commentating gig in Memphis was a great experience. I always wanted that job as a kid and it felt like I had been doing it all my life. I learned a lot and enjoyed myself and look forward to doing it again in the future.”

A popular figure in his hometown and throughout his native Canada, Luis also adds that he’s looking forward to a strong showing from his countrymen, as Niagara Falls is a very short distance from Canada.

“Fighting so close to the Canadian border I’m hoping for a good turnout from my fellow Canadian supporters! I plan on putting on a great show for them and the national television viewers. I hope the strength of this performance will propel me into another world title fight and this time I plan on taking the belt home.”

And in two very special added features, American heavyweight knockout artist Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller (13-0-1, 10 KOs) will return to the ring just 22 days after his main-event TKO 2 over Damon McCreary to take on local slugger Excell Holmes of Buffalo in a six-rounder; and long-time top middleweight contender “Mean” Joe Greene (25-1, 16 KOs) will return to the ring for the first time in over two years to face Michigan’s Guy Packer in a six-rounder.

On the undercard, two local prospects will make their pro debuts, as Rochester, New York super featherweight Hashuan Sambolin will go his first four against Cincinnati’s Micah Branch; and Buffalo lightweight Daniel DeJesus will make his debut against TBA. And rounding the action, Kazakhstan’s undefeated Bakhtiyer Eubov will look to keep his perfect 5-0, 5 KOs record intact against New York welterweight Jason Thompson (5-10-4, 4 KOs).

###

The Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel is located at 310 4th Street in Niagara Falls, New York. For more information, call 716.299.1100, or visit www.senecaniagaracasino.com. The casino box office is open from 12pm- 8pm Sun-Thurs. & 12pm – 12 am Friday & Saturday and is located in the Seasons Gift Shop located in the north wing of the casino. For more information on Greg Cohen Promotions, visit www.gcpboxing.com or check us out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GCPBoxing.Twitter: @GCPBoxing

About Greg Cohen Promotions

One of boxing’s premier promotional outfits, Greg Cohen Promotions (GCP) is a well-respected name for staging world-class professional boxing events and promoting elite professional fighters throughout the world.

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

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

In addition to Trout, Greg Cohen Promotions has worked with established names such as former unified and two-time heavyweight champion Hasim “The Rock” Rahman (50-8-2, 41 KOs); and all-time-great multiple-weight class world champion James “Lights Out” Toney (74-7-3, 45 KOs).

Current world-rated contenders in the GCP roster include Arash Usmanee, universally recognized as a top-10 super featherweight; former WBA International Middleweight Champion and world-rated middleweight contender Jarrod Fletcher; top-rated featherweight Joel Brunker; cruiserweight Lateef Kayode; Canadian lightweight and TV action hero Tony Luis, and WBA and five-time Irish National Amateur Champion, Dennis Hogan; and Rising Welterweight sensation Cecil McCalla.

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

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

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (June 22, 2015) – Four fresh preliminary bouts will support the welterweight main card showcase of “Bellator MMA: Lima vs. Koreshkov.” Veteran striker Josh “The Dentist” Neer (36-14) faces submission artist Matt Secor (6-2) at welterweight, Blair “The Bull Shark” Tugman (7-5) battles Rodrigo “The Young Lion” Almeida (12-2) at 135 lbs., Ilya Kotau makes his professional debut opposite Nicolas Sergiacom (1-0) at 170 lbs., and Parker Porter (5-4) faces Eric “Lucky Strikes” Bedard (6-5) in the heavyweight division.

Bellator 140 features five world-class welterweight bouts including World Champion Douglas Lima (26-5) and Andrey Koreshkov (17-1), Chris Honeycutt (6-0) vs. Paul Bradley (22-6), Michael “Venom” Page (7-0) taking on Rudy Bears (16-13), Brennan “The Irish Bad Boy” Ward (10-3) scrapping with Gavin “War Horse” Sterritt (6-1), and knockout artist Paul “Semtex” Daley (36-13-2) challenging Dennis Olson (14-8).

The main card airs live and free on July 17th on Spike at 9 P.M. EST while the announced preliminary bouts stream on Spike.com at 7 P.M. EST.

Tickets for “Bellator MMA: Lima vs. Koreshkov,” which start at just $25, are on sale now and can be purchased at the Mohegan Sun Arena Box Office or Ticketmaster.com.

Veteran striker Josh Neer returns to Bellator MMA after going 3-1 in his last four fights. Neer has over 50 fights of experience to his credit and a combined 32 wins by knockout and submission. Neer dropped a unanimous decision loss to Paul Bradley at Bellator 129 and seeks to come back from the loss with a commanding victory over Secor.

Matt Secor challenges Neer riding a two-fight winning streak. Secor is a talented grappler who has earned six wins by submission ahead of Bellator 140. He will need to display his best ground game tactics to submit the established MMA veteran and to impress in his Bellator debut.

Blair Tugman will be competing in his home state of Connecticut and will aim to string together his third consecutive Bellator victory. The bantamweight fighter last competed in February’s “British Invasion” event and earned a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over Marvin Maldonado. Tugman’s bantamweight competitor, Rodrigo Almeida makes his promotional debut on the heels of seven straight victories. Almeida demonstrated dominating striking power in his most recent fight and earned a 15-second technical knockout win.

Ilya Kotau makes his professional debut at 170 lbs. opposite Nicolas Sergiacomi in a showcase of prospective East Coast talent.

Hartford’s Parker Porter takes his second heavyweight fight in Bellator MMA and will be looking to redeem himself from a Bellator 98 debut loss. Standing opposite Porter is Eric Bedard, who has finished all six of his professional victories and seeks to continue the streak in his promotional debut.

Main Card (9 P.M. EST)

Bellator Welterweight Title Fight: Douglas Lima (26-5) vs. Andrey Koreshkov (17-1)
Bellator Welterweight Feature Fight: Chris Honeycutt (6-0) vs. Paul Bradley (22-6)
Bellator Welterweight Feature Fight: Michael Page (7-0) vs. Rudy Bears (16-13)
Bellator Welterweight Feature Fight: Brennan Ward (10-3) vs. Gavin Sterritt (6-1)
Bellator Welterweight Feature Fight: Paul Daley (36-13-2) vs. Dennis Olson (14-8)

Preliminary Card (7 P.M. EST)

Bellator Welterweight Prelim Fight: Josh Neer (36-14) vs. Matt Secor (6-2)
Bellator Bantamweight Prelim Fight: Blair Tugman (7-5) vs. Rodrigo Almeida (12-2)
Bellator Welterweight Prelim Fight: Ilya Kotau (debut) vs. Nicolas Sergiacomi (1-0)
Bellator Heavyweight Prelim Fight: Parker Porter (5-4) vs. Eric Bedard (6-5)

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 400 million homes worldwide in over 120 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.

New York, NY (6/22/15) – This past Saturday, undefeated Antonio “Carita” Nieves (12-0-1, 6 KO’s) of Cleveland, OH traveled to Oakland, CA to take on fellow undefeated prospect, Stephon “The Show Stopper” Young (13-0-2, 5 KO’s) of St. Louis, MO in the opening fight of the Andre Ward-Paul Smith televised card promoted by Roc Nation Sports on BET.

For the majority of the 8 round contest, Nieves pressed the action and landed combinations to both the body and head. Nieves was the busier and more effective of the two combatants as CompuBox proved by showing Nieves throwing more (499-329) and landing significantly more amount of punches (143-64) than Young.
“From the opening bell, I put the pressure on and was working his body and then would go upstairs,” said Nieves. “I set the tempo of the bout in the first round when I hurt him in the last 30 seconds. I felt he only won the 3rd round when he caught me off guard and the last round when I suffered a cut from a head butt and caught a cramp in my back preventing me to finish strong. Other than that, I thought I outfought him and showed the judges I deserved this fight.”
After the 8th and final round, it appeared that Nieves had won the battle of the undefeated fighters but, two of the judges thought otherwise. One of the judges had Nieves winning 77-75. However, the other two judges scored the bout 78-72 in favor of Young and the other had it even at 76-76.
Nieves’ manager, David McWater was equally disappointed as he felt that Nieves pulled out the victory. “I had Antonio winning 5-3,” said McWater. “I guess I could live with the even score. How the judge had it 6-2 for Young is absolutely mind boggling because Antonio out busied and out landed Young with more punches.”
With the draw, neither Nieves nor Young took a step back in their careers and should be lauded for agreeing to face each other at this stage of their careers.
“Both fighters should be commended for taking this bout because a loss would have set them back a bit but both wanted to prove their mettle on national television,” said McWater. “I’m sure these two will meet down the line when there is more at stake because both are extremely talented.”
“Hopefully we will get looks and other opportunities because of this fight and with the proper amount of time to prepare, you will see the Antonio Nieves that is among the top up and coming prospects in the country. Remember, we only had a week and a half notice to prepare so we had to cram a lot of southpaw sparring to get ready for the highly skilled Young. Taking that into consideration, I think Antonio did a great job but I know he is much better than what he showed.”
“I can’t wait to get back in the gym and get ready for my next bout,” said Nieves. “This draw just made me hungrier to take my boxing career to the next level.
“This fight was only a glimpse of what I can do.”

Valley Forge, PA (June 22 2015)–This past Saturday night at the Valley Forge Casino Resort, Garrett Wilson scored a sensational 3rd round stoppage over Anthony Caputo Smith to capture the Pennsylvania State Cruiserweight title.

The show was promoted by King’s Promotions and was streamed live by www.gfl.tv

Wilson of Philadelphia landed a vicious right uppercut that sent Caputo Smith flat on his back with his head bouncing off the canvas. Caputo Smith tried to get to his feet but the fight was called off at 1:41.

Wilson of Philadelphia is now 14-9-1 with 8 knockouts. Caputo Smith of Kennett Square, PA. is now 15-5.

Erik Spring worked hard to win a 6-round unanimous decision over Robert Sweeney in a Jr. Middleweight bout.

the two traded punches and provided great action as neither took a backwards step. The fight was fought at close quarters and there was great two-way action throughout the fight.

Spring of Reading, PA. won by scores of 60-54, 59-55 and 58-56 to raise his mark to 6-0. Sweeney of Hampton, Virginia is 3-3.

Milton Santiago Jr. suffered a flash knockdown but was very consistent throughout his 6-round unanimous decision over Jose Miguel Castro in a Jr. Welterweight bout.

Santiago was briefly sent to the canvas when he was leaning back and was more of a balance knockdown. He clearly was not hurt and from that point on used his hand speed and landed plenty of combinations and came home with the victory by scores of 59-55 on all cards.

Santiago is now 11-0. Castro of Puerto Rico is 4-5.

Earl Newman (6-0, 5 KO’s) of Brooklyn, NY. remained perfect by stopping Lamont Capers (5-7) in round five of their scheduled six-round Light Heavyweight bout. The time of the stoppage was 2:56

John Magda (11-0) was workmanlike and pounding put a 6-round unanimous decision over veteran Dionisio Miranda (22-12-2) in a Super Middleweight fight. Scores were 60-54 twice and 59-55.

Stephen Fulton remained undefeated as he scored a stoppage after round three of his 6-round Featherweight bout. The bout was stopped after Fulton (6-0, 3 KO’s) of Philadelphia opened up a cut over the right eye of Capul (8-18).

Samuel Quinones Jr. scored a 3rd round stoppage over Shiwone Gortman in a scheduled 6-round Welterweight bout. Quinones dropped Gortman with a hard overhand right in round three and finished him shortly after at 38 seconds of round three. Quinones of York, PA is now 9-0 with 4 knockouts. Gortman of Grand Prairie, Texas is now 4-8-1.

Hafiz Montgomery of Atlantic City made a successful pro debut by winning a 4-round unanimous decision over veteran Brian Donahue in a Heavyweight bout.

Montgomery won by scores of 40-36 on all cards. Donahue is now 3-13-2.

Kevin Garcia (1-1-1) of Pheonixville, PA. and Jack Grady (0-1-1) of Buffalo, NY fought to a majority draw in a Jr. Welterweight bout. Scores were 39-37 for Garcia while two judges scored 38-38.

King’s Promotions returns this Saturday with a packed 10-bout card from the Sands Casino Bethlehem that will feature undefeated Jamal James taking on Mike Balasi

We can confirm that a minor incident took place during George Grove’s training camp with the Royal Marines on Monday afternoon as part of his preparation for his forthcoming WBC Super Middleweight World Championship fight with Badou Jack scheduled to take place in the United States in late August or early September.

George was taken to hospital for precautionary checks but immediately released following the incident that took place while taking part in a boat activity with the Marines. The injury will not affect his preparations for the Jack fight and he will continue his training camp as planned.

George Groves and Team Sauerland hope to make an announcement in the coming days with regards to the date and location of the fight as negotiations continue.

New York, NY (6/22/15) – On Wednesday, July 8th, DiBella Entertainment’s Broadway Boxing series will return to the famed B.B. King Blues Club and Grill in midtown Manhattan. The exciting 10-bout card will be the latest installment of the popular and long-running series.

Headlining the card will be popular junior lightweight prospect Bryant “Peewee” Cruz (14-0, 7KO’s) as he puts his undefeated record on the line against the heavy-handed Martin Cardona (19-5, 14KO’s) in their junior lightweight matchup scheduled for eight rounds.

Cruz, a native of Portchester, NY, has steadily become one of the more popular fighters throughout the entire New York City area since turning pro in December of 2012, following a second-place finish at the 2012 National Golden Gloves. Cruz kicked off a successful 2015 with an impressive and gutsy performance in February, where he got off the canvas early against Jorge Pazos to win a convincing eight-round unanimous decision. Cruz was sidelined for a couple months after the bout, as he allowed a nagging elbow injury to heel. Recently relocating his training camp to Houston, TX, Cruz has linked up with world-renowned trainer Ronnie Shields. The 25-year-old Cruz is looking to break into the national spotlight this year, but to do so, he must first get by the dangerous Cardona.

Also set to see action on the card in separate eight-round bouts will be exciting junior middleweight prospect and former #1 US amateur Patrick Day (10-1-1, 6KO’s) as he squares off against Lenwood Dozier and Brooklyn’s own undefeated Shawn Cameron (9-0, 4KO’s) as he takes on Francisco Javier Reza in their eight-round junior middleweight matchup.

A complete bout card will be announced soon.

Tickets are currently on sale and are priced at $125, $100, $75 and $55. Tables are also available for purchase for this event, with VIP tables going for $1,000 per table (5 seats at $200 per seat), Ringside tables for $500 (5 seats at $100), and $375 tables (5 seats at $75). Tickets are available for purchase by calling the DiBella Entertainment office at (212) 947-2577. Doors open at 6:30pm with the first bout scheduled for 7:00pm.

On Monday Ruslan Chagaev and Francesco Pianeta, their respective trainers Pedro Diaz and Dirk Dzemski as well as promoter Timur Dugazaev and co-promoter Ulf Steinforth met for a press conference at Casino Esplanade in Hamburg, Germany. And the regular WBA World HeavyweighT Champion and his challenger perfectly adjusted to the location. Chagaev and Pianeta made the impression of rather sitting at a poker table than in front of the media. Instead of going all in or laying their cards on the table for a showdown, the fighters showed their best poker faces.
“I am happy to be back in Germany as the World Champion and I am looking forward to defending my title in front of my German fans”, said Chagaev.

“After putting together a great show in Grozny last year we want to establish ourselves in Germany, too”, added promoter Timur Dugazaev (Akhmat Promotion). “It is important for us to present Ruslan on the German market. We want to thank our TV partner Sat.1 for this chance. Sat.1 is the ‘Home of the Champions’. So this is like a homecoming for Ruslan Chagaev.”
Co-promoter Ulf Steinforth is excited about bringing this big fight to his hometown Magdeburg: “We have promoted and co-promoted lots of great events over the years but this is probably the biggest show we have done so far. The heavyweight division will always be special. To co-promote a World Heavyweight Championship with two great fighters like these two where it is really hard to say what will happen in the ring is as big as it gets. On top of that we are presenting an all-heavyweight show with lots of great talent. I don’t think that there has ever been anything like this in Germany. We are looking forward to a great night on July 11th at GETEC Arena in Magdeburg!”
By winning the World Heavyweight Title for Germany, Francesco Pianeta wants to make history: “Of course, I know that I could become the first German World Heavyweight Champion 83 years after the great Max Schmeling. This is my second shot at the title. When I challenged Wladimir Klitschko I couldn’t get the job done. But now I am ready for the big one. The name Max Schmeling is no burden to me but an extra motivation. I will win this title for Germany.”
Chagaev’s head coach Pedro Diaz didn’t want to say anything at the press conference – according to his motto: “Actions speak louder than words”. The former Cuban national coach who has had huge success at the pro stages as well has joined Team Chagaev three months ago. “Pedro is a great Coach and has become a friend, too”, says Ruslan Chagaev. “With him and Artur Grigorian in my corner I have the perfect team and I will be more than ready come July 11th.”
Pianeta’s trainer Dirk Dzemski is convinced that his protegee will be victorious. “Just like Ruslan and Pedro we have started training camp two months ago so we are sure that Francesco will show up at his best. I am looking forward to this fight – especially because I have known Ruslan and Artur for a very long time. This will be a great fight on a top level.”
Tickets for the “Heavy Night” on July 11th at GETEC Arena in Magdeburg are still available online on www.eventim.de or www.tickethall.de starting at 26,- Euros. Sat.1 will broadcast the WBA World Heavyweight Championship live on July 11th starting at 10.45pm German time.

Bethlehem, PA (June 22 2015)–On Saturday night, King’s Boxing will present night of boxing at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem..

In the main event, undefeated Welterweight Jamal James will take on Mike Balasi in a bout scheduled for 8-rounds.

James of Minneapolis, Minnesota has a record of 16-0 with 9 knockouts.

The 26 year-old James has some quality wins over Patrick Boozer (5-1), Mohammed Kayongo (17-2-1) to win the Minnesota State Welterweight Title, Colby Courter (4-1) and Wayne Martell (25-4-1).

James is coming off a 2nd round stoppage over Daniel Sostre on April 18 in Valley Forge, PA.

Balasi of Honolulum Hawaii has a record of 10-6 with 7 knockouts and has fought top opposition.

He has a win over previously undefeated Van Oscar Penovaroff (6-0-1). The southpaw, Balasi is looking to get back in the win column following defeats to a rough schedule of fighters that includes Alex Theran (10-0), Giovanni Santillan (10-0), Dusty Hernandez Harrison (20-0), Jonathan Garcia (14-0) and his last bout when he lost an 8-round unanimous decision to Karim Mayfield (18-2) on November 8, 2014 in San Francisco

In 6-round Bouts:

Alex Martin (8-0, 5 KO’s) of Harvey, Illinois will take on Pavel Miranda (19-10-1, 9 KO’s) of Tijuana, Mexico in a Welterweight bout.

Caleb Plant (7-0, 6 KO’s) of Ashland, TN will fight Oscar Rojas (8-1, 3 KO’s) of Laredo, Texas in a Super Middleweight bout.

Christian Molina (4-0, 3 KO’s) of Allentown, PA will take on Justin Johnson (6-8) of Pittsburgh, PA in a Jr. Welterweight bout.

Kyrone Davis (7-0, 3 KO’s) of Wilmington, DE will take on Jose Alberto Leal (9-7-1, 4 KO’s) of Guadalajara, Mexico Middleweight bout..

In 4-round Bouts:

Robert Ramos (1-3-1, 1 KO) of Allentown, PA will fight Ismael Serrano (2-1) of Bethlehem, PA in a Lightweight bout.

Desmond Moore of Bethlehem, PA will fight Mike Heffilfinger of Pennsylvania in a battle of Featherweight pro debuter’s.

Carlos Gongora (1-0, 1 KO) of Brooklyn, NY will box Alvaro Enriquez (12-14-2, 4 KO’s) of Tlaxcala, Mexico in a Light Heavyweight affair.

Chris Colbert (1-0, 1 KO) of Brooklyn, NY will fight Antwan Robertson (9-14-1, 6 KO’s) of Minneapolis, MN in a Super Bantamweight bout.

Antonio DuBose (7-0, 2 KO’s) of Philadelphia will fight Jesus Lule (7-12-1, 1 KO) of Fort Myers, FL in a Featherweight bout.

Tickets are priced at $100, $75 and $50 and can purchased at ticketmaster and www.ticketmaster.com

The 1st bout will start at 6:45 PM with the doors opening at 6 PM.

The show will be streamed live on www.gfl.tv

‘’Everything is going according to plan,’’ says Ulli Wegner, the man charged with getting Arthur Abraham (42-4, 28 KOs) in optimum condition for his fourth WBO World Championship fight with super middleweight rival Robert Stieglitz (47-4-1, 27 KOs) on July 18 at the Gerry Weber Stadium in Halle.

Wegner has spent the last two weeks on the beach with Abraham, but far from holidaymaking, the legendary trainer and his star pupil have been undergoing an intensive training camp on the German island of Usedom.

After fourteen days of sun, sea and serious training, the 73 year-old coach believes Abraham is on course to defend his WBO World title. ‘’Everything is going according to plan,’’ reveals Wegner. ‘’After his last fight, Arthur put his feet up and had too much of a good time, but since being back in training he has worked his butt off.

‘’I’ve been pleased with his progress in Usedom and now we travel to the Olympic Centre in Kienbaum to complete our preparations. Arthur knows what is at stake, he knows this fight demands his full attention and on July 18 he will be ready!”

In between training sessions in Usedom, Abraham had been keeping his mind occupied by following Roger Federer’s progress at the Gerry Weber Open. Here the defending champion successfully retained his title in the same arena Abraham will frequent on July 18. ‘’I had been watching and supporting Federer in the breaks between our morning and afternoon session,’’ said ‘King Arthur’. ‘’For me it is a good omen that he won as I intend to the exact same thing against Stieglitz!’’

Tickets for Abraham vs. Stieglitz IV are available by calling the Gerry Weber Ticket Centre on (+49) 5201 81 80 or online via gerryweber-world.de and tickethall.de. All the action will be shown live on SAT.1 in Germany and Sky Sports in the UK.

Patrick Nielsen (26-1, 12 KOs) successfully defended his WBA International Super Middleweight title with a convincing points victory over Charles Adamu (23-7, 17 KOs) at the Ballerup Super Arena in Copenhagen.

The Danish fighter was aggressive from the outset as he looked to force a premature stoppage, but the wily veteran Adamu was able to withstand an early onslaught to take the fight to the judges’ scorecards.

All three judges scored the fight 120-108 in favour of Nielsen to earn the 24 year-old his twenty-sixth professional victory and a first defence of his WBA International title.

‘’I wanted the knockout, but he made it difficult for me’’ said Nielsen. ‘’I started strongly and shook him in the first round, but after that, he just wanted to survive. I worked my jab and looked for openings but it wasn’t to be. The most important thing is the result, and I’m pleased I beat him and defended my title. Now I look to the future and the big fights that are out there for me!’’

Swedish light welterweight Anthony Yigit (14-0-1, 6 KOs) threatened to steal the show with a sensational seventh-round technical knockout win over the brave Tony Owen (16-4, 3 KOs). Yigit was relentless in his attacks, throwing multiple combinations and eventually forcing the referee to call a halt to the action.

‘’I promised an exciting fight and that’s exactly what I delivered,’’ said the Stockholm-fighter. ‘’Tony was tough, but I was better. I pushed the pace and didn’t give him a chance to get into the fight.’’

On the undercard, Micki Nielsen (18-0, 12 KOs) cruised to a unanimous points win over Ismail Abdoul (56-35-2, 20 KOs), while featherweight talent Dennis Ceylan (15-0-1, 7 KOs) continued his climb to the top of the division with a one-sided points victory over former European Champion Sergio Prado (11-5-1 4 KOs), and Norwegian talent Tim-Robin Lihaug (13-1, 8 KOs) cemented his position as the country’s premier super middleweight with a devastating fourth-round knockout of domestic rival Arne Ernsten (7-1, 3 KOs).

The night also saw Otto Wallin (12-0, 10 KOs) improve to 12-0 with the second-round knockout of Oleksiy Mazikin (14-12-2, 4 KOs), Rashid Kassem (9-0, 6 KOs) beat Reynaldo Mora (7-2-1, 4 KOs) (TKO6), Landry Kore (4-0, 1 KO) outpoint Norbert Szekeres (16-43-3, 9 KOs) and Deion Jumah (5-0. 3 KOs) trump Karel Horejsek (3-3-1, 2 KOs) (TKO4).

Rances Barthelemy remained undefeated with a 10-round unanimous decision over former Lightweight champion Antonio DeMarco in a Super Lightweight bout at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.

Barthlemey scored a knockdown in round four from a flurry of punches.

Barthelemy, 139 1/2 lbs of Las Vegas is won by scores of 99-89 on all cards and is now 23-0-1. Demarco, 139 1/2 lbs of Mexico is 31-5-1.

Sammy Vasquez Jr, remained undefeated by scoring a 10-round unanimous decision over Wale Omotos in a Welterweight bout.

In round five, Vasquez was cut over the left eye when the follow through of an Omotoso right hand made his elbow scrape across Vasquez’s face.

Vasquez Jr., 146 1/4 lbs of Monessen, PA won by scores of 98-92 on all cards and is now 19-0. Omotoso, 149 1/4 lbs of Lagos, NIG is 25-2-1.

Vasquez landed 162-594 punches while Omotoso was 134-440.

David Lemieux won the IBF Middleweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada.

In round two, Lemieux landed a huge left that dropped N’Dam. In round five, Lemieux sent N’Da, to the canvas with a thudding left to to body/left to the head combination. Moments later, it was another crunching left hook that dropped N’Dam for a 3rd time.

N’Dam hit the deck again late in round seven from a right hand.

Lemieux, 160 lbs of Montreal won by scores of 115-109 twice and 114-110 and is now 34-2. N’Dam of France is now 31-2.

In a battle of former world title challengers, Dierry Jean won a 10-round unanimous decision over Jerry Belmontes in a Lightweight bout.

In round two, Jean landed an overhand right that made Belmontes glove hit the canvas for a knockdown.

Jean of Montreal won by scores of 99-90, 99-89 and 98-91 and is now 29-1. Belmontes, 134.4 lbs of Corpus Christie, Texas is now 19-7.

Heavyweight Luis Ortiz remained undefeated with a 1st round blowout over Byron Polley in a scheduled 8-round bout.

Ortiz dropped Polley with an left uppercut to the body in round one. Ortiz scored a 2nd knockdown when he pushed Polley down but it was a ruled a knockdown. Ortiz finished the fight with a perfect left hand that dropped Polley and the fight was stopped at 2:38 of round one.

Ortiz, 230 lbs of Miami, FL is 22-0 with 19 knockouts. Polley, 272 lbs of St. Joseph, MO is 27-19-1.

Shawn Porter won a 12-round unanimous decision over Adrien Broner in a Welterweight bout between former world champions that are based in Ohio at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas

In round eleven, Broner was deducted a point for holding. In round twelve, Broner sent Porter to the deck with a hard left hook.

Porter, 146.7 lbs of Akron, OH won by scores of 115-111, 114-112 and 118-108 and is now 26-1-1. Broner is 30-2.

Terrell Gausha remained undfeated by scoring an 8-round unanimous decision over Luis Grajada in a Jr. Middleweight bout.

In round three, Gausha dropped Garjeda with a right hand

Gausha, 154 lbs won by scores of 79-72 twice and 78-73 and is now 15-0. Grajada, 156 lbs of Mexico is 18-5-2.

Michael Hunter scored five knockdowns en route to a fourth round stoppage over Deon Elam in a scheduled 6-round Heavyweight bout.

Hunter scored a knockdown in round two, two in round three and two more in round four and the bout was stopped.

Hunter, 201 lbs is now 8-0 with 5 knockouts. Elam, 197 lbs of Los Angeles is 14-3.

Andre ward came back after a 19-month layoff to batter Paul Smith and score a 9th round stoppage at the Oracle Arena in Oakland.

Smith was cut above his right eye in round eight. In round nine, Ward started batter Smith to the point where his face was a bloody mess and the fight was stopped at 1:46 of round nine.

Ward, 171 3/4 lbs of Oakland, CA is now 28-0 with 15 knockouts. Smith, who came in 4 1/2 lbs over the 172 pound weight limit at 176 1/2 lbs is no 35-6.

Ward outlanded Smith 231-47.

Undefeated Jr. Featherweights Antonio Nieves and Stephon Young battled to an 8-round split draw.

Nieves won a card 77-75. Young took a card 78-74 and a thired card read even at 76-76.

Young, 122 3/4 lbs of St. Louis is 13-0-2. Nieves, 120 1/2 lbs of Cleveland is 12-0-1.

New York, June 20-Star Boxing ‘s powerhouse Cletus Seldin (17-0, 14 KOs) kept his unblemished record in tact much to the delight of the home crowd Friday night. “The Hebrew Hammer” lived up to his pre-fight prediction to score a TKO victory over veteran Ranee Ganoy (38-13-2, 32 KO’s) in the 4th round of the scheduled 10-round junior welterweight clash at The Paramount in Huntington in the main event before a packed house.

Seldin defended his WBC International Silver junior welterweight title.

The Patchoque native, now fighting out of Shirley, put on a show for his Long Island fan base, dropping Ganoy to the canvas in the second round; a second knockdown at 1:15 into the fourth stanza put an end to the contest with his 14th thunderous KO victory fighting under the guidance of promoter Joe DeGuardia.

“Once I got his timing down, I was able to land the hard punches,” said Seldin following another impressive performance. “That’s when I was able to drop him in the second round, and again in the fourth.”

“The Paramount has become one of America’s most distinctive boxing venues,” said DeGuardia. “Another spectacular performance by Cletus, his ninth in a row at The Paramount, another exciting night of boxing, and another capacity crowd.”

Seldin has showcased his considerable talents almost exclusively at The Paramount, where he has scored 13 of his victories, including nine in a row. That’s the same path used by Star Boxing’s Chris Algieri, where The Paramount became the launching pad for his success before graduating to Barclays Center and Macao.

Before the fight, Seldin had predicted “He’s a tough guy, and with 32 KOs, he will probably come in for the knockout. If he does that, you know what happens, you get the hammer!”

In the undercard bouts: New Hyde Park’s Rich Neves (9-2-2, 4 KOs) out-pointed Alex Mancera (8-7-1, 5 KOs) of Queens, going the distance in a six-round battle of junior middleweights; Woodhaven’s Daniel Gonzales (9-0-1, 3 KOs) won by decision over Carl McNickles (8-9, 6 KOs) of Chicago in a junior welterweight six-rounder;Puerto Rico’s Angel Suarez (3-2) put an end to the unbeaten record of Huntington’s Johnny Hernandez (4-1, 1 KO) with a decision victory in their six round featherweight contest. In the opening fight, Terrell Bostic (1-0, 1KO) was impressive in his pro debut, a TKO triumph over Makashi Aida, when the referee called a hault to the bout at 1:36 of the second round.

For more information visit official website at www.StarBoxing.com and follow on Twitter @ Star Boxing and Facebook.com/StarBoxing.

Valley Forge, PA (June 20 2015)–Most professional fighters try to make their fight week as uneventful as possible. With the exception of sweating out the final few pounds to make weight and media obligations, boxers tend to stay in their hotel rooms and focus for their upcoming battle.

This week was a little different for undefeated Jr. Welterweight Milton Santiago Jr.

Santiago (10-0, 3 KO’s) who fights Jose Miguel Castro (4-4, 2 KO’s) tonight at the Valley Forge Casino Resort finished his final exams and graduated from William Tennant High School on Thursday.

The card is promoted by King’s Promotions.

“It has been a busy week for sure. Not the average fight week but I focused on the fight,” said Santiago.

Santiago wasn’t able to celebrate like most of his classmates but his core group of friends stuck by him and kept it low key so Santiago can put himself in the best position to put on a great performance on Saturday night.

“Yes we went out but we all just had some salad. No big meals. Training went well and I am ready for Saturday.”

While Santiago had the material to do well in school, there was not much information for his Saturday test in Castro.

“I know he is 4-4 and from Puerto Rico. I searched for video of him but there is none out there. I am just going to go in there and handle my business.”

Santiago is coming off a 6-round unanimous decision over Ray Velez in April 18 in the same venue that he will be fighting on Saturday. In that bout, the soft spoken Santiago was more aggressive as he threw a lot more combinations then he had showed in previous fights.

“Velez was more of a boxer. So I brought the fight to him and I will do that with boxers. I can do a lot of things. I can counter well against aggressive guys as well.”

This will be the 2nd fight with trainer Bozy Ennis. Ennis has continued the evolution of Santiago’s boxing skills.

“Bozy has been teaching me a lot. We been working on my defense and I feel been slipping a lot more punches and also we have been working on sitting down more on my punches.”

With school completed, Santiago can now focus 100% of the time on becoming a world champion. But he says his days of hitting the books aren’t complete by any stretch.

“The extra time that I have now will definitely help my career. I want to focus completely on boxing at least for the next year then I want to start taking some college classes after that. I like business so I want to take some courses in that. For the time being, I am looking forward to fighting every other month and I am getting used to the training schedule.”

“I want to thank everyone on my team, fans and friends and I know the next year will be a great one,” finished Santiago

In the main event, Garrett Wilson (13-9-1, 7 KO’s) of Philadelphia will take on Anthony Caputo Smith (15-4, 10 KO’s) of Kennett Square, PA in a 10-round fight for the Pennsylvania State Cruiserweight title.

The show is a stacked show with 9 big bouts.

In 6 Round bouts:

Eric Spring (5-0, 1 KO) of Reading, PA will take on Robert Sweeney (3-2) of Hampton, VA in a Jr. Middleweight bout.

John Magda (10-0, 7 KO’s) of Rutherford, NJ will battle Dionisio Miranda (22-11-2, 19 KO’s) of Miami in a Super Middleweight bout.

Earl Newman (5-0, 4 KO’s) of Brooklyn, NY will take on Lamont Capers (5-6) of Hawley, PA in a Light Heavyweight tilt.

Stephen Fulton (5-0, 2 KO’s) of Philadelphia will fight Pablo Cupul (8-17, 5 KO’s) of San Diego, in a Bantamweight bout.

In 4-round Bouts:

Kevin Garcia (1-1) of Phoenixville, PA will fight Jack Grady (0-1) of Buffalo in a Lightweight bout.

Hafiz Montgomery of Atlantic City, NJ will make his pro debut against Brian Donahue (3-12-2) of Philadelphia in a Cruiserweight bout.

Samuel Quinones (8-3, 3 KO’s) of York, PA battles Shiwone Gortman (4-7-1, 2 KO’s) of Grand Prairie, MI in a Welterweight bout.

The show will be shown live on www.gfl.tv

Tickets are priced at $100, $75 and $50 and can purchased at ticketmaster and www.ticketmaster.com

Valley Forge, PA (June 20, 2015)-Weights for Saturday Night’s King’s Promotions card at the Valley Forge Casino Resort that will feature the Pennsylvania State Cruiserweight title fight between Garrett Wilson and Anthony Caputo Smith.

Garrett Wilson 195 – Anthony Caputo Smith 197.2
(Pennsylvania State Cruiserweight Title)
Milton Santiago 140 – Jose Miguel Castro 138
Earl Newman 177.2 – Lamont Capers 177
Kevin Garcia 135.4 – Jack Grady TBA
Stephen Fulton 123.3 – Pablo Cupul 120.1
Erik Spring 153.4 – Robert Sweeney 153.4
Hafiz Montgomery 207 – Brian Donahue 203
Shiwon Gortman 147.3- Samuel Quinones 148.7
John Magda 167.5 – Dionisio Miranda 169.7

Promoter: King’s Promotions
Venue: Valley Forge Casino Resort
1st Bell: 7 PM ET
Telecast: www.gfl.tv

Tickets are priced at $100, $75 and $50 and can purchased at ticketmaster and www.ticketmaster.com

The 1st bout will start at 6:45 PM with the doors opening at 6 PM.

Former three-time world champion Cristian Mijares scored a 10-round unanimous decision over Vergel Nebran in a Featherweight bout at Salon Sindicato Secc. 47 de Pemex in Ciudad, Mexico

Mijares was shockingly dropped in round two and began to bleed from nostrils in round five.

In round nine, Mijares landed a hard right hook that sent Nebran to the canvas. Mijares landed a furious barrage that made Nebran’s nose begin to bleed very badly.

Mijares, 128 lbs of Durango, MX won by scores of 97-91, 98-90 twice and is now 52-8-2. Nebran, 128 lbs of Manila, PHL is 13-9-1.

Pedro Tut won a 6-round unanimous decision over Angel Chan in a Featherweight bout.

Tut of Cancun, MX is now 7-1. Chan of Campeche, MX is 0-1.

Irma Garcia won a 8-round unanimous decision over Marisa Portillo in a female Super Bantamweight bout.

Garica won by scores of 80-72 on all cards and is now 12-1-1. Portillo is 16-10-2.

isa Milner
Thank you, everybody, for joining us today. We are discussing the exciting June 21st PBC on CBS card that will be live from the MGM Grand, part of a huge weekend of boxing in Las Vegas, and to tell you more about that, I’m going to first turn it over to Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions, and he will be introducing the co-main event before we get to our main event later. Leonard, please take it from here. Thank you.

Leonard Ellerbe
Thank you, Lisa. I’d like to thank everyone for joining us on the call today. Premier Boxing Champions on CBS returns to network television this Sunday, June the 21st. The telecast will begin at 4:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT, and will be coming to you live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Our event is sponsored by Corona. Our main event features a 10-round super lightweight bout between Rances Barthelemy and Antonio DeMarco. The co-main event features a 10-round welterweight bout between Sammy Vasquez and Wale Omotoso.

The tickets for this event will be promoted by Mayweather Promotions in association with TGB Promotions, and are on sale now. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster and MGMGrand.com.

Also featured on this exciting card will be Mayweather Promotions’ own J’Leon Love. He’ll be fighting in a very tough fight against Jason Escalera. Also one of our up-and-coming rising stars, he’s considered a knockout artist, will be Andrew Tabiti, along with a host of other Mayweather Promotions rising stars who will also be featured on the card on this Sunday on CBS Sports.

Next I would like to introduce a very, very exciting young fighter. He’s originally born in Nigeria, but he fights out of Southern California with an excellent trainer named Eric Brown. Wale made his stateside debut in 2011 and has won seven straight fights. He’ll be looking to make it his eighth on June 21st. He comes to us with a 25-1 record with 21 big KOs. Wale, would you like to say a few words?

Wale Omotoso
Yeah, I just want to say thank you for putting me on your show. I’m so happy to be part of this call. I’m looking forward to Sunday. It’s going to be fun. Just to go there, show everything I got and put a show on.

L. Ellerbe
Next up we have the very exciting Sammy Vasquez. He comes to us from Pennsylvania with an 18-0 record with 13 big KOs. Sammy has done two tours of duty in Iraq as a member of the National Guard. He’s been a professional since 2012 and has not lost. Sammy, would you like to say a few words?

Sammy Vasquez
Yeah, thank you very much. I just want to say thank you for allowing me to be a part of the show here. It’s really an honor to be able to fight on CBS, let alone boxing in Vegas at the MGM Grand, where the all-time best fight in the same arena. I’m just honored to be able to fight and be a part of that, and come the 21st, we’re going to be showing hands, and we’re going to be going to war. It’s going to be a great fight, so definitely be tuned in.

Q
What was the experience of fighting at Hard Rock in Vegas like compared to what it’s going to be like to fight at a mega monster venue in Vegas?

S. Vasquez
When I fought before in Vegas at the Hard Rock, the crowd was a little different than what I’m used to, but it was just a privilege to be able to fight in Vegas. I think the difference between fighting at the MGM, is there’s so much history that goes on at the MGM, and so even to be on the card for the fight at the MGM, I think it’s going to be a whole different atmosphere. Hopefully similar to back home when I fought back in Pittsburgh when we had 8,000 people come.

Q
How does it feel for you to be fighting away from home?

S. Vasquez
It feels good. You have to move. If you don’t move, then you stay stagnant. I wanted to bring boxing back to Pittsburgh as much as I can until eventually I got to a point where I needed to be on a bigger venue or where the world watches boxing, which is in Vegas.
It’s an honor for me even fighting at the MGM. I’m just excited for it. It doesn’t change the fact what my game plan is or regardless of whether the fight is back home in Pittsburgh or it’s in Vegas; you still want the same results and the same outcome.

Q
How satisfying was it for you to go 10 rounds in your last fight and then how disappointing was it not to get the knockout that you always crave?

S. Vasquez
I wanted to go 10 rounds in that fight. If you watch the fight, in the eighth round, he was going to quit. I pressed the action more and more in the ninth round, and I knew I could have got him out of there. But I wanted to be smart, I just wanted to box him, and I wanted to go the 10 rounds just to let it be known that I can go 10 rounds and it wouldn’t affect me or slow me down.

Q
What does it mean to you to be fighting on Father’s Day?

S. Vasquez
Obviously my Dad has got to go to work on Father’s Day. I’ve got three daughters, so I’m going to be fighting with all the heart that I have for them. They definitely support me and they’re going to be watching on TV and rooting for Dad.

I might not be there on Father’s Day, but Daddy is going to come home with a nice present.

Q
Wale, I just wanted to know, I know when you fought Jesse Vargas that in your heart you believe you won that fight. That said, have you made any changes in your style to make sure you’re not put back in that position again?

W. Omotoso
When I fought Jesse, it was a close fight, but I believe I won this fight. But that was almost two years ago. I don’t like that I lost to him, but it makes me go to the gym and get more experience and stop showing my body when I’m fighting. So all that, all stuff like that. This time will be a good fight.

Q
Was there any motivation in you taking on a fighter like Sammy Vasquez? Did you feel like this is a fight you needed to get back into the welterweight mix?

W. Omotoso
Yeah because I know his game. I go to the gym every day and just stick to the gym. I need to fight someone who was going to put me out there. This boxing world, it’s kind of crazy. You’ve got to fight again to move on and go from there.

Q
Sammy, is it really important to see you impress on Sunday rather than just get the win?

S. Vasquez
Absolutely. You always want to go into the fight to be exciting and you want to look good against every opponent. Wale is a tough opponent from what his record says. I hear he’s a knockout artist and stuff like that. So I think it’s going to be a great fight.
You know, I just think I bring a little bit different aspect to the table. I’ve got power in both hands, I’m quick, I’m fast, I move a lot, and I throw a bunch of punches, and he’s kind of like the same in a sense.

I’m prepared. I’m ready. This has probably been the best camp that I’ve been in. We’ve been at this for a while now, for this camp, probably about seven weeks. We’re definitely in shape, and I’m just ready to show everybody that tunes in on CBS Sports and the whole world what I’m about.

Q
When you got the call and found out you were fighting on Father’s Day, what were your initial thoughts? Did you think about being away from home? Was there any apprehension of taking the fight or did you know it was going to be full speed ahead the day you got it announced?

S. Vasquez
Not so much apprehension or anything like that. My daughters are very supportive of me boxing, and they like to watch me fight. So it actually motivates me more, and they know that normally after my fights, we do some things as a family, and they know that when Daddy wins that they win, too, because they get maybe a new bike or something like that.

It’s just fun. I’ve just got to let them know that I’m going to be gone for Father’s Day, but Daddy will be back on Monday, and we’ll go to the park and we’ll have fun and go do our thing. We always have like a ritual of always doing something different. That way they know boxing comes with better things.

Q
Wale, talk about this fight a little bit because we asked Sammy about the fight being exciting. How important is it to have an exciting fight that the fans can appreciate?

W. Omotoso
Yeah, you know, boxing in America is a job, so you have to go — it might be night or morning or Sunday, any day they fight, you know, so me, leaving my kids at home for Father’s Day to fight, or any day I go, sometimes I go to get there, I go for a week or go for two weeks, go anywhere. Now, they do know. They’re used to it.

My kids, I have two boys here in America, so they know when I’m gone, I will tell them, Daddy is going to be back on Monday. They’re already prepared, that Daddy is going to go for his fighting, he’s going to come home, and we’re going to have a happy Father’s Day when I get back. It doesn’t matter whether it’s Father’s Day or not. I’m going to go there and show up and show what I got.

Q
Wale, how important is it for you to put on a show for the fans that they can appreciate with a lot of excitement?

W. Omotoso
Sammy is a tough kid. I respect him for his heart. Minus that, he’s an ordinary fighter like me. He doesn’t have two heads. He has two hands, I have two hands. He doesn’t want to lose. I’ve been there. I know what he says, and I’m going to come out with victory.

L. Milner
We also do have Mr. Barthelemy and Mr. DeMarco on the line. I’m going to turn it back over to Leonard to introduce them, but we have Luis DeCubas on to translate for Rances Barthelemy, and Isaac Aldrete, who is Mr. DeMarco’s manager, on to translate for him. Leonard, if you want to introduce those guys, we can keep going.

L. Ellerbe
Next up I’d like to introduce the main event. It’s a 10-round super lightweight bout. First up will be Antonio DeMarco, coming to us with a 31-4 record with 23 KOs. He’s coming from Los Mochis, México, and he owns big victories over John Molina and Jorge Linares. One thing I can say about DeMarco, he’s willing to get in there with anyone. He’s had a very exciting career. He’s a very, very tough fighter.

Next up is the very exciting Rances Barthelemy. He’s coming to us with a 22-0 record with 13 KOs. He’s originally from Cuba. He’s fighting out of Las Vegas. He’s undefeated as a professional. He won the super featherweight world title in July of last year and delivered a big second round TKO against Angino Perez in March. Rances, would you like to say a few words?

R. Barthelemy
Thank you, everybody. Don’t miss Sunday my fight. I’m very excited. Sunday
is going to be an exciting fight, and I’m ready to get in there.

Q
Rances, moving up in weight, how did that feel, and is that why you were able to knock out Perez, that you just feel stronger at a higher weight?

R. Barthelemy
Absolutely. I feel much stronger at 140 pounds. I used to cut a lot of weight to get down all the way to 130 pounds. I feel much stronger. You saw it in my last fight and you’ll see it this fight, and the way I just jumped 135 because I wanted to go straight to where the big fights were. There was no reason for 135 I’m going straight to 140 pounds.

Q
What challenges does DeMarco present?

R. Barthelemy
I respect DeMarco a lot. He’s a fighter who always brings it all to the ring. He’s an exciting guy. You can’t take his merits away; he was a world champion, but with respect to that, he’s never fought anybody like me, and when the bell rings he’s going to find that out. I just feel very confident in my preparation and in my camp and in the game plan I put together with my trainer Ismael Salas, and we look forward to Sunday.

Q
Leonard, I know you don’t have direct ties to the fighters in either fight, but being the promoter of record for the event, I just want to know from your perspective what you envision for the winners.

L. Ellerbe
I see the winners in both fights moving on to bigger and better things. Both fights are very competitive. I expect big things from the winner of each fight, that they’ll move on and be able to put themselves in a position with the top names in the sport.

Q
My question is for Antonio. I just wanted to know if you feel like 140 is the division that you want to compete at, at least for the foreseeable future, or if it’s just the weight you agreed to for the sake of the fight?

Antonio DeMarco
This is a weight class that my body right now is comfortable. I feel great. I feel stronger. This is where I should be now, at 140 pounds. This is my weight.

Q
Also if you can talk about just how Rances compares to some of the opponents you’ve faced over the course of your lengthy career.

A. DeMarco
He’s a fighter that moves a lot, a hard fighter, of course he’s Cuban, so he’s got skills. I’ll come out with a victory though.

Q
What does it means to you to be fighting on Father’s Day?

Antonio DeMarco
First of all, I’m very happy that CBS is showing our fighting here. To fight on Father’s Day is truly a motivation for me, me with my family.

Q
Can you talk about the opportunityfighting in Las Vegas on this huge card against a top tier opponent?

A. DeMarco
It’s a great opportunity to be here. We know he’s a difficult fighter, and it’s a key point in my career to come up with a victory/I feel very comfortable now. I’m very happy with my camp, and it’s time to show my family and my fans that I’m ready.

Q
Could you both talk about this huge opportunity to fight on free network TV?

R. Barthelemy
It’s a huge opportunity. I understand what a big opportunity this is to fight on CBS in front of so many homes, not only in the U.S. but all over the world. I know that I have to put on a great performance and come out victorious, just not to be known here but known internationally and become the next star coming up in boxing, and I know on Sunday on Father’s Day on CBS, this is it. This is the opportunity I’ve always wanted my whole career. So come Sunday, Rances Barthelemy’s name is going to be on the face of boxing as one of the new superstars.

A. DeMarco
It’s a great motivation to me. It’s a great opportunity, and I’m very thankful. I am thankful towards the network and the promoter. This is what we were looking for, to come back here and show my name one more time.

L. Milner
Great, that concludes the call. Leonard, do you want to make any closing comments just about promoting both these huge shows as we head into fight week?

L. Ellerbe
I would just like to thank everyone for joining us on the call today. We have a very exciting card. It’s going to be on CBS, and both fighters are prepared and are looking forward to it on Sunday, on this special Father’s Day. This fight card will also feature J’Leon Love. He’ll be fighting Jason Escalera in a very competitive fight. Also featured is one of our top rising stars and a knockout sensation, Andrew Tabiti, I’d like to thank everyone for joining us today.

Las Vegas – Due to an issue affecting the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs visa system and a technical problem with the Consular Consolidated Database, UFC® is unable to secure entry into the country for 12 of its athletes slated to compete at UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACHIDA vs. ROMERO on Saturday, June 27, at the Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. After reviewing every available option, UFC has committed to moving forward with the fight card in Florida, adding several new bouts to round out the nine-fight card.

The previously announced main event, featuring former UFC light heavyweight champion and current fourth-ranked middleweight contender Lyoto Machida versus No. 6 Yoel Romero, will remain atop the fight card in Florida, broadcast on FOX Sports 1. The new co-main event will feature Lorenz Larkin (15-4, 1 NC; Riverside, Calif.) taking on Santiago Ponzinibbio (19-2; La Plata, Argentina) in a welterweight contest.

The bantamweight and lightweight finals of The Ultimate Fighter® Brazil will now be featured at UFC 190: ROUSEY vs. CORREIA on Saturday, August 1 in Rio de Janeiro. The original co-main event for the Hollywood, Fla. card, Erick Silva vs. Rick Story, will no longer take place on June 27. UFC officials are discussing options for those fighters at this time.

Additionally, the bantamweight fight between Rani Yahya and Masanori Kanehara, originally slated for Hollywood, Fla., will now take place on July 15 in San Diego.

Bouts scheduled for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACHIDA vs. ROMERO:
· A middleweight bout that features TUF Brazil 3 champion Antonio Carlos Junior (5-1; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) versus fellow TUF winner Eddie “Truck” Gordon (8-3; Uniondale, N.Y.)

· Middleweight Steve Bosse (10-1; St-Jean Sur Richelieu, Quebec, Canada) vs. Thiago Santos (10-3; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

· Featherweights Hacran Dias (22-3-1; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) vs. Levan Makashvili (10-1; Oceanside, NY)

· Hard-hitting welterweight Alex Oliveira (11-2-1, 1 NC; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), who most recently defeated KJ Noons, vs. UFC newcomer Joe Merritt (6-0; Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.).

· Welterweights Leandro “Buscape” Silva (17-2-1, 1 NC; Sao Paulo, Brazil) vs. Lewis Gonzalez (10-1; Turlock, Calif.), also making his UFC debut

· A battle between hungry UFC newcomers and welterweights Steve Montgomery (8-2; Boca Raton, Fla.) vs. Tony Sims (11-2; Denver, Colo.)

· *An additional fight will be added in the days to come

Fans seeking ticket refunds for the Hollywood, Fla. card can do so at the point of sale.

For the latest information on additional bouts for this event, please visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

###

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 1 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.