Hyannis, Massachusetts [May 26, 2015] – Harwich, Massachusetts Light-Heavyweight Paul Gonsalves (7-7-1, 3 KO’s) will meet tough Mexican veteran Rafael Valenzuela (8-5, 1 KO) in an eight-round co-feature Saturday August 8th at the Hyannis Youth & Community Center (HYCC) in Hyannis, MA. This is in addition to the previously announced main event featuring Jesse Barboza (9-1-1) versus Jesse Oltmanns (10-5) in an eight-round fight for the Northeast Heavyweight Title.

“A lot of times folks can’t make the trip and see me fight”, said Gonsalves, who has recently fought in locations such as New York, Chicago & Connecticut, “but with the fight being in Hyannis, I know I’ll have tons of crowd support. I fought there once in the amateurs and the crowd was going crazy.”

Gonsalves, a 1999 graduate of Harwich High School, where he excelled on the basketball court scoring over 1200 points in a three-year career, is a two time former Southern New England Golden Gloves Champion.

As a pro, he’s been known as a guy willing to take on all comers, defeating local rivals Nick Lavin (2-2) and Richard Starnino (9-12-2) in the pro ranks as well as losing close decisions to highly-hyped prospects like Angel Camaho (13-0) and Mike Lee (14-0) in a fight televised on ESPN last year.

His adversary on August 8th will be Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico native Rafael Valenzuela. Valenzuela is a hard-nosed boxer in the tradition of other Mexican warriors like Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. – who was born in the same state in Mexico as Valenzuela.

“He’s a tough guy and has a better record than me”, Gonsalves said about his opponent, “He comes forward and I’ve got to watch out for his right hand based on the tape of him I’ve watched. But he’s an aggressive fighter and I like fighting aggressive fighters.”

Gonsalves joins his friend Jesse Barboza on this action packed card in Hyannis. In the past, Gonsalves and Barboza have worked each others corners in each others fights.

“Jesse and me are very close. We probably haven’t gone a day without talking in years. He’s a huge asset in the gym and a good friend”

The event will be presented by Boston Boxing Promotions. It will be the first professional boxing event held in Hyannis since 2006. General admission tickets are $40 and are on sale now at www.CapeCodBoxing.com. Fans are urged to purchase tickets early due to limited availability. Additional bouts to be announced in the weeks to come.

Boston Boxing Promotions is dedicated to the resurgence of professional boxing at the regional level, particularly in the New England area. To learn more about the promotion, you can follow them on Twitter @BostonProBoxing, join the promotion’s official Facebook page “Fight For Boston,” and visit the promotion’s website www.BostonBoxingPromotions.com.

Denmark’s top boxing talents are back in action on June 20 for an explosive Nordic Fight Night event at the Ballerup Super Arena in Copenhagen. It will be ‘Danish Dynamite’ when the country’s brightest stars Patrick Nielsen, Dennis Ceylan and Micki Nielsen test their skills against tough international opposition.

Patrick Nielsen (25-1, 12 KOs) returns following an impressive points victory over former world title challenger Ruben Eduardo Acosta. In his third super middleweight contest, the 24 year-old will defend his WBA International title against former Commonwealth Champion Charles Adamu (23-6, 17 KOs).

‘’I’m looking forward to getting back in the ring and making the first defence of my WBA International belt,’’ said Nielsen. ‘’This is what I live and breathe for. I’m more motivated then ever and on June 20, I’ll be ready to take Adamu out!’’

Nielsen is joined by featherweight star Dennis Ceylan (14-0-1, 7 KOs), who after a series of show stealing performances is on the cusp of his first title challenge. Before the Aarhus-boxer can claim his first strap, he must overcome former European king Sergio Prado (10-4-1, 4 KOs).

‘’This fight is another step forward for me,’’ said the 26 year-old. ‘’I feel like I’m moving closer and closer to the title fights I dream about. Now, I know it is just a matter of time.’’

Having entertained with a fast-paced points victory over former world champion Dmitry Kirillov in his last outing, Ceylan is promising even more excitement against Prado. ‘’It’s going to be another entertaining fight. I can guarantee that,’’ said London 2012 Olympian. ‘’I’ll be in top shape and ready to give the fans another great show!’’

The third Danish fighter in the ring will be Micki Nieslen (17-0, 12 KOs), who was recently named ‘Boxer of the Year’ by the Danish Professional Boxing Federation.

‘’That was a very proud moment for me,’’ said the 22 year-old. ‘’It felt great to receive the award as recognition for all my hard work. I want to continue to improve and continue to impress, and that starts again in Ballerup on June 20!’’

Nielsen, the current WBC International Cruiserweight Champion, can move to 18-0 when he faces an as yet unnamed opponent at the action-packed Nordic Fight Night event. ‘’Bring it on,’’ exclaimed the rising star. ‘’I’m ready for whoever is put in front of me!’’

‘’We’re looking forward to bringing the Nordic Fight Night back to the Ballerup Super Arena,’’ said promoter Nisse Sauerland. ‘’It is a fantastic venue and a fitting place to stage such a big night of boxing. Danish fans can look forward to an explosive show featuring the country’s three brightest boxing talents.’’

Team Sauerland presents the ‘Nordic Fight Night – Danish Dynamite’ on June 20 at the Ballerup Super Arena in Copenhagen. All the action will be broadcast live on Viasat channels across Scandinavia. Tickets are available via billetlugen.dk.

CARDIFF (26 MAY) By Nick Blackwell: For the last two months I’ve been based in Cardiff, training with Gary Lockett, and adding more and more strings to my bow ahead of my British title fight this Saturday (May 30) with John Ryder.

To begin with I was there sparring two times a week, and while there Gary would be pointing a few things out to me that were really working. So one morning I thought, you know what, I need to be there full-time. What Gary was telling me was helping me and I was learning from it.

In the end I spoke to Gary about it and he told me to speak to Mark (Kent, previous trainer) first. So I went and told Mark and he was a bit gutted – he didn’t take it too well – but he’s okay now.

Since then I’ve been learning a lot from Gary. I think it’s important that you keep learning in this sport and that you listen to other people and take on board other ideas. I’ve been with Mark from day one, and he was great for me, he really was, but Gary’s showed me a few different things I wasn’t really working on. It was a good move at this stage of my career.

I’ve been here in Cardiff for two months now and I’m enjoying it. Gary’s a great guy and he doesn’t accept any messing about. But, at the same time, if you’re feeling dead and you’re grinding out a session, he won’t let you destroy yourself if your body’s not capable. He listens to what you’ve got to say and he knows how a boxer feels during a training camp.

Technically, Gary obviously knows his boxing. He’s been there and done it himself. He’s also got some quality champions in the gym. In fact, every boxer he has at the gym is very good technically. They all do the basics well.

I remember watching Gary box in his prime and he was always very exciting, always the type of fighter who’d put on a good show. I recall him knocking out a lot of people with his left hook. He was a good entertaining fighter to watch and he ended most of his fights inside the distance.

Our styles aren’t too dissimilar when you think about it. Gary liked to have a tear-up, and so do I, and he could also do a bit of boxing behind a fast jab when he needed to.

I’ve always been fit. That’s never been an issue with me. He didn’t really have to work on that aspect with me. It’s just been a case of improving my boxing skills and technique really.

Also, I was doing quite a bit of conditioning with weights but I’ve come off that a bit now. My figure has changed a lot and my weight has come down a lot quicker than it normally does. I’m basically on weight already and am eating big meals. I feel strong, fit and this is the easiest weight cut I’ve had a long time. It wasn’t that long ago that people were saying I needed to move up to super-middleweight because I’m so big at middleweight. Now I’m making middleweight easy and I’m eating a lot of food.

In the past I was perhaps trying to work on my strength too much, but that didn’t make sense. My strength has always been there. I’ve always been able to use my strength in fights.

All in all, we’ve done a lot of work on different stuff for this fight – including doing more than just going forward. I can go forward, of course, that’s always in my game, but I’ve added a lot more to it this time around just to mix things up a little bit. Gary’s wanted me to be very hard to read in this fight and it’s been working well in training and in sparring. I’ve just got to bring it into the fight now…

*** Hennessy Sports’ Nick Blackwell fights John Ryder for the vacant British middleweight title on May 30 at the O2 Arena, LIVE on Sky Sports Box Office ***

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After a successful show on February 27th at the Fauldhouse Miners Welfare, Prospect boxing are making a return to the local venue with a four fight card on June 5th. The first card marked the first professional card in the West Lothian towns history, and sold out the popular venue.
Headlining the card is local fan favourite Sean Watson (4-2-1), who in the last fight in the venue picked up the British Masters title with a points shut out of Jonathan Fry, while Martin Taylor, who made his debut on the previous Fauldhouse Miners show in February also returns in his second professional start.
After picking up a injury earlier in the season, Wishaw based Lee Gallacher (4-0) returns to the ring in a four round fight in the Light middleweight division, while completing the line up is Dundee’s Commonwealth title challenger Jamie Wilson who fights in the Super flyweight division.
Speaking about the card, Fauldhouse born promoter Paul Graham looks forward to a return “It was always a ambition of mines to bring professional boxing to my home town of Fauldhouse. So to return with another card is really exciting.
“With this card we have a lot of good talent with a mix of local fighters and few from further afield. It is good to see Sean back in action after his last win. We will hopefully see Lee Gallacher pick up another win and move to five straight wins and continue his education in the paid ranks.
He adds “Martin has been hard at work in the gym and is promising big things. The return of Jamie Wilson excites me as well, his last fight was for the Commonwealth title, and while he came up short on the evening he showed real heart and will be looking to get back into winning ways with this fight.
Prospect Boxing present an evening of Boxing at the Fauldhouse Miners Welfare Club in Fauldhouse West Lothian, featuring 4 bouts and Entertainment on Friday June 5th.
Tickets are priced £40 and available by calling 01698 338 888 or the fighters. For More information are avail from www.facebook.com/prospectboxing and @prospectboxing

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (May 25, 2015) – On a holiday when Americans take a moment to remember those who gave their lives serving in the country’s armed forces, Bellator MMA officials are honored to announce a new partnership with the American Forces Network.

With the new deal in place, the American Forces Network will now broadcast Bellator MMA events on its global networks to American servicemen and women, as well as U.S. Navy ships at sea.

“We at Bellator are always looking for ways to give back to our troops,” said Bellator MMA President Scott Coker. “We’re all extremely grateful for all that they do abroad to keep us safe, and we hope that they will enjoy some Bellator fights during any downtime they may have.”

Multiple Bellator athletes including Bobby Lashley and Mike Richman have served in the American Military.

“I’m personally thrilled for this new partnership,” said Bobby Lashley, who fights James Thompson on June 19. “AFN is providing a platform for me to be fighting for my brothers and sisters who are away from home, fighting for us.”

The new partnership commences with June’s dual Bellator MMA events.

On June 19, Bellator MMA visits St. Louis’ Scottrade Center for “Bellator MMA: Unfinished Business,” featuring one of the most anticipated fights in the history of the sport with Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock. Also, several current Bellator fighters as well as some of the sport’s biggest legends will pay a visit to Scott Air Force Base on Wednesday, June 17.

On June 26, the promotion touches down at Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane, Kan., with “Bellator MMA: Kongo vs. Volkov,” which sees French striking specialist Cheick Kongo and Russian knockout artist and former Bellator MMA Heavyweight World Champion Alexander “Drago” Volkov stand toe-to-toe in the Bellator MMA cage.

Complete details of the new Bellator MMA-American Forces Network partnership will be available shortly.

About Bellator MMA
Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 500 million homes worldwide in over 140 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike TV, 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.

David Sanchez scored a 2nd round knockout over Walberto Ramos in a scheduled 10-round Bantamweight bout at the Polideportivo Centenario in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico.

Sanchez dropped Ramos in round one from a right hand. Sanchez scored another knockdown in round two from a hard flurry that was started by a right. Later in the round, dumped Ramos for a 3rd time for a right hand and the fight was stopped at 2:49 of round two.

Sanchez is 28-2-2 with 22 knockouts. Ramos of Colombia is 23-7-2.

Adrian Young scored a 10th round stoppage in the final scheduled round of his Super Featherweight bout with Marco Antonio Juarez.

Young battered Juarez around in the final frame until the bout was stopped at 2:45 of round 10.

Young is now 22-1 with 18 knockouts. Juarez is 13-4.

Yazmin Rivas defended her WBC Female Bantamweight title with a 6th round stoppage over Simone Da Silva Duarte.

Rivas dropped Duarte in round six. Then she pounded away with body shots and then a head combination forced the stoppage at 1:27 of round six.

Rivas is 33-8. Duarte is 14-9.

Las Vegas – The final 2015 inductee for the reinvigorated UFC® Hall of Fame will be legendary two-time, two-division UFC world champion BJ Penn. Known as “The Prodigy” throughout his amazing 13-year, 16-10-2 professional mixed martial arts career, Penn takes his place in the Modern Era category of the UFC Hall of Fame.

The Modern Era category recognizes great fighters who turned professional on or after November 17, 2000, when the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) were created and widely adopted. Penn turned professional on May 4, 2001, at UFC 31.

The announcement was made moments ago on the UFC 187 Prelims broadcast on FOX Sports 1. Penn’s formal induction will take place at a gala event on Saturday, July 11, at the UFC Fan Expo®, during the UFC’s annual International Fight Week™ in Las Vegas.

UFC President Dana White said: “It is our honor to induct BJ Penn into the UFC Hall of Fame. He was one of those stars who helped build the UFC. When we bought this company, we were told no-one cared about lightweights. BJ Penn not only made people care, he was one of the biggest draws in UFC history. And what he accomplished inside the Octagon speaks for itself – he is one of only two people to win two UFC titles in two different divisions and he beat a who’s who of his era. He is a legend and a no-brainer for the UFC Hall of Fame.”

Born Jay Dee Penn on December 13, 1978, “Baby Jay” is believed to have earned a legitimate Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt faster than any practitioner of the martial art. He was awarded the honor by André Pederneiras in 2000, aged 20, less than three years after taking his first lesson. Penn validated his black belt status just weeks later, when he became the first American to ever win the black belt division of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championships.

Because of the speed of Penn’s achievements in BJJ, he was dubbed “The Prodigy” – a moniker which he carried into his MMA – and UFC – debut vs Joey Gilbert at UFC 31 on May 4, 2001.

“Nothing personal, I just want the belt,” Penn said after scoring a first round knockout.

The first UFC championship came at welterweight, when he choked out the previously unstoppable Matt Hughes in the opening round of their UFC 46, January 2004, clash. However, Penn never defended the title, spending the next two years competing outside of the UFC organization.
A truly fearless competitor who’s self-belief knew few boarders, Penn defeated both Renzo Gracie and Rodrigo Gracie in middleweight bouts outside of the UFC; he even took a 225lbs Lyoto Machida the distance in a heavyweight fight.

Whether inside or outside the Octagon®, Penn fought the best of the best and his scalp list includes luminaries like Caol Uno, Matt Serra and Takanori Gomi.

But it was his achievements in the UFC lightweight classes that Penn cemented his legacy as one of the very best of all time.

Upon returning to the division in 2007, Penn embarked on a three year reign of terror. He swiftly avenged his first career loss to Jens Pulver before winning the vacant 155lbs title with a one-sided beatdown of Joe Stevenson at UFC 80. In winning the title, Penn became only the second man to hold two UFC titles in two weight divisions. He then defended the belt against former champion Sean Sherk, and surging contenders Kenny Florian and Diego Sanchez in impressive fashion before finally losing the title to Frankie Edgar in 2010.

Along the way Penn also attempted to win back the UFC welterweight title, in a rematch of a very close and controversial fight vs Georges St-Pierre. The UFC 94, January 2009, main event was a rare UFC champion vs UFC champion superfight and one of the biggest fights of the decade.

Penn’s final win came in November 2010, at UFC 123, when he knocked out his great rival turned friend Matt Hughes in 21-seconds, winning their trilogy 2-1. Penn last competed one year ago, losing a somber fight against nemesis Frankie Edgar at International Fight Week 2014.

Now, 12 months later, Penn will be given the send-off his legendary career deserves.

What made Penn a perpetual pound-for-pounder was his unique combination of high-level BJJ, takedown defense, remarkable balance plus his supreme boxing skills. Even the most experience fight commentators marveled at the Hawaiian’s skill set; UFC broadcaster Joe Rogan once opinioned that Penn had more flexibility and dexterity in his legs than most good fighters had in their arms and, in 2008, famed boxing trainer Freddie Roach said Penn was the best boxer in MMA “by far.”

According to FightMetric, the official statistics provider to the UFC, Penn spent a total of 5-hours, 18-minues and 7-seconds in the UFC Octagon, the second most of any UFC fighter. He landed 1,736 strikes in the UFC, the fourth most in organization history, with 1215 of them setting a lightweight division record. He landed with over half of his power shots and his takedown completion rate of 66.7% remains the most accurate in the UFC lightweight division.

Penn joins Pioneer Era inductee Bas Rutten, Fight inductee Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg II and Contributor Jeff Blatnick to complete to 2015 UFC Hall of Fame class.

The UFC Hall of Fame 2015 induction ceremony will take place on July 11 as part of the UFC Fan Expo in Las Vegas. Fans with tickets to the UFC Fan Expo will be able to attend the UFC Hall of Fame 2015 event for no additional cost. Tickets to the UFC Fan Expo are available at www.ufcfanexpo.com with two-day passes beginning at $60 online and $65 onsite. One-day passes begin at $35 online and $45 onsite.

To visit the UFC Hall of Fame fight library – which includes the induction speeches for the first 12 UFC Hall of Famers – go to www.ufc.tv/category/ufc-hall-of-fame-library.

For additional information please visit UFC.com, and follow UFC on Twitter @ufc.

###

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 134 countries and territories to over 700 million 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 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.

Las Vegas – Former UFC® heavyweight champion Bas Rutten will take his rightful place alongside other legendary innovators of the sport in the UFC Hall of Fame. Rutten, who also dominated the Japanese Pancrase organization’s championship landscape during his 33 fight career, will join icons including Royce Gracie, Dan Severn and Chuck Liddell in the Pioneer Era wing of the new-look UFC Hall of Fame.

The Pioneer Era category recognizes great fighters who turned professional before November 17, 2000, when the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts were created and widely adopted. All but one of Rutten’s 33 professional MMA bout were fought in the 1990s, with many of his greatest accomplishments taking place in Pancrase, which used hybrid rules, single-round fights and open-handed striking.

After dominating the competition in Japan, Rutten finally entered the UFC Octagon at UFC 18, on January 8, 1999. Hyped as the greatest MMA fighter in the world, he defeated Tsuyoshi Kohsaka by knockout and returned at UFC 20 four months later to defeat Kevin Randleman to win the vacant UFC heavyweight world title. Rutten was the fourth man to hold the UFC heavyweight championship and third former holder of that belt to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

UFC President Dana White surprised Rutten with the news during an interview on the Inside MMA Show, which Rutten co-hosts. Rutten was concluding an interview previewing tonight’s UFC 187 Pay-Per-View event when White informed the Dutchman that he would be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame on July 11.

“We have International Fight Week in Las Vegas in July,” White began. “And on July 11, at the UFC Fan Expo, you will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.”

The footage of the exchange can be view here: https://youtu.be/JiIgQe9y-vQ

“I never expected to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame,” Rutten said afterwards. “I won the UFC heavyweight title, but injuries cut my UFC run short. Most of my big wins were in Japan. I saw the new UFC Hall of Fame format and I thought maybe I could get in eventually as a Contributor because of my years of commentating. But I’m so honored that the UFC recognized what I did as a fighter.”

Asked about the biggest wins of his career, Rutten said: “My pro debut against Ryushi Yanagisawa, he outweighed me by 45lbs but I knocked him out. Then the two wins over Frank Shamrock, winning the Pancrase title from Minoru Suzuki, my two wins in the UFC, of course, meant a lot to me and beating Masakatsu Funaki in the rematch. He was the first person to beat me, he talked a lot of crap, and in the rematch for the title I slaughtered him.”

All those fights available now on UFCFIGHTPASS.com here: http://www.ufc.tv/category/ufc-hall-of-fame-bas-rutten

Born in Tilburg, Netherlands Rutten is the first European to join the UFC Hall of Fame. Now aged 50 and living in Los Angles, California, Rutten originally took up the martial arts as a child to fend off school bullies, who perhaps saw an easy victim in the asthmatic Rutten. Discovering a natural talent for striking, Rutten quickly moved on from school bully-level competition and, by age 20, was an established international kickboxer.
In September1993, he accepted an invitation to compete at the inaugural Pancrase event in Urayasu, Japan. The event – which took place two months before UFC 1 – featured submission wrestling mixed with striking, although no close fist strikes were permitted to the head.

Rutten’s first Pancrase opponent, Japanese kickboxer Ryushi Yanagisawa, spent two days in the hospital after the Dutchman dispatched him with palm-strikes and knees. On that night, the Dutchman’s career-long reputation as a terrifying striker was forged.

He defeated early MMA icons like Vernon White, Guy Mezger and future UFC champions Maurice Smith and Frank Shamrock twice each during this period. In 1995, Rutten won the King of Pancrase title from legend Minoru Suzuki. His finest hour in Japan came at the Pancrase 1996 Anniversary Show where the Dutchman avenged his first pro defeat, knocked out Masakatsu Funaki to win a classic encounter.

In 1999, Rutten signed with the UFC and immediate set his sights on the UFC heavyweight title, eventually beating Randleman on points. His plan was to immediately drop down to light heavyweight and become the first ever two-division UFC champion; however a series of injuries cut short his career.

He returned for a farewell fight – vs unheralded Ruben Villareal – seven years later in a WFA event in July, 2006.

UFCFIGHTPASS.com subscribers can watch Rutten’s greatest fight – including five newly-uploaded Pancrase battles – here: LINKLINKLINKLINKLINK. In time, Rutten’s entire career, from pro debut to retirement match, will be available on FIGHT PASS.

FightMetric, the official statistics provider for the UFC, ran the numbers on Rutten’s career. They back up the Dutchman’s inclusion into the UFC Hall of Fame and then some. In the 4-hours, 27-minutes and 8-seconds he spent as a pro fighter, Rutten scored 13 knockdowns without getting dropped himself, his significant strike accuracy was 70.6% – the highest FightMetric has ever recorded, attempted a record 53 submissions and successfully swept his opponents a record 46 times.

And, incredibly for a fighter who had 15 wins via submission, Rutten never attempted a single takedown in his entire career. Clearly, “El Guapo” had a unique and extremely effective style.

He finished his career on a 22-fight unbeaten streak. Rutten’s overall MMA record stands at 28 wins, 4 losses, and one draw.

Rutten joins Contributor Jeff Blatnick and Fight Hughes vs Trigg II in the UFC Hall of Fame’s class of 2015. The final inductee – the Modern Era representative – will be announced tonight during the UFC 187 Prelims on FOX Sports 1.

NEW YORK, NY (May 22, 2015) – Square Ring Promotions and Hitz Boxing announced today that District Court Judge Ronnie Abrams for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a 41-page final opinion and order in Oquendo vs. Terek Box Event (Case no. 14-cv-9835) awarding Oquendo damages and interest in excess of $800,000 against Chagaev’s promoter, Terek Box Event, and a permanent injunction enjoining Terek from, among other things, “promoting or managing Ruslan Chagaev in any bout for the World Boxing Association (“WBA”) World Heavyweight Championship or in any bout at which his WBA championship would be at stake, other than such a bout between Fres Oquendo and Mr. Chagaev.”

On May 12, 2015, Chagaev participated in a press conference with Rafael Pianeta to announce a bout on July 11, 2015 at the GETEC Arena in Magdeburg, Germany for the WBA World Championship. On May 14, 2015, the Court issued an order for Terek to show cause why it should not be held in contempt of court for violating the Court’s preliminary injunction prohibiting Terek from promoting or managing Chagaev in a WBA title bout other than a rematch with Oquendo. The contempt of court proceedings are scheduled to be heard on June 4, 2015.

“We have provided a copy of the Court’s final decision to the WBA and its counsel and are awaiting the WBA’s public announcement on this matter,” said John Wirt, CEO of Square Ring Promotions. “The U.S. Federal Court has unambiguously spoken and issued a well-reasoned opinion in upholding Oquendo’s contract for a $1 million purse and his right to a rematch with Chagaev, and we are confident that the WBA will do the right thing and respect the Court’s decision on this matter.”

“I’m very happy that we now have a final court decision that shows what we have been telling the world for months,” said Bobby Hitz, President of Hitz Boxing. “Oquendo made sacrifices and went to Grozny when his wife and newborn baby were sick. He performed his end of the deal; now it is time for Chagaev and his promoter to honor the agreement and pay Oquendo his purse and give him the rematch he was promised. The WBA can no longer turn a blind eye and must now step in and bar the Chagaev vs. Pianeta fight.”

“First and foremost, I want to thank God for this great victory in my career through the courts and for finally getting justice,” said Fres Oquendo. “I’ve been hard at work training and getting ready for my rematch for the WBA title. Thanks to everyone and all my fans who have been so supportive of me and my family during all of this. And a very big thank you to my attorneys, Judd Burstein and Peter Schalk for believing in me and winning this case.”

“It’s been 10 years since Fres and I embarked on a journey to win the heavyweight championship of the world,” said Tom Tsatas, Oquendo’s long-time advisor. “We have been laughed at. Cheated. Ripped off. Knocked down. And we are still standing. We finally have people who believed in us, fought for us, and like us, are not quitters but rather champions of what’s right. This is a win for Fres, for the underdog, for the U.S., for the little guy, and for boxing. Never give up no matter who you’re up against. If God is with you, who can be against you?”

James DeGale won the IBF Super Middleweight championship with a 12-round unanimous decision over Andre Dirrell in Boston.

In round two, DeGale was cut over his right eye. Later in the round, DeGale landed a hard left that sent Dirrell to the canvas. Dirrell got to his feet but a follow uo flurry sent Dirrell to the canvas for a 2nd time.

DeGale, 167.2 lbs of Hammersmith, UK won by scores of 117-109 and 114-112 twice and is now 21-1. Dirrell, 167.8 lbs of Flint, MI is now 24-2.

Edwin Rodriguez scored a 3rd round stoppage over previously undefeated Craig Baker in a scheduled 10-round Light Heavyweight bout.

Rodriguez landed a plethora of hard right hands and the fight was stopped.

Rodriguez, 176 lbs of Worcester, MA is now 27-1 with 18 knockouts. Baker, 175.6 lbs of Baytown, TX is now 16-1.

Danny O’Connor scored five knockdowns en route to a fifth round stoppage over Chris Gilbert in a Welterweight bout scheduled for eight rounds.

In round one, Gilbert’s face began to redden. The next round saw O’Çonnor work the body and score a knockdown from a left to the body. Seconds later a punch on the belt line dropped Gilbert for a 2nd time. O’Connor scored a knockdown in round three from another straight left to the body. Later in round three, Gilbert was cut over the right eye.

In round five, O’Connor dropped Gilbert again from a straight left. Seconds later, O’Connor ended things with another left that sent Gilbert for the 5th and final time at 1:04 of round five.

O’Connor, 147.4 lbs of Framingham, MA is 26-2 with 10 knockouts. Gilbert, 146 lbs of Windsor, VT is 13-2.

Jonathan Guzman kept his perfect knockout streak alive by stopping Christian Esquivel in a scheduled 8-round Featherweight bout.

Guzman cut Esquivel in round five over the right eye and the fight was stopped in between rounds.

Guzman, 124.6 lbs of Dominican Republic is 19-0 with 19 knockouts. Esquivel, 123.2 lbs of Mexico is now 27-7.

Richard Commey remained perfect by scoring an 8th round stoppage over Baha Mamadjonov in a scheduled 10-round Lightweight bout at the D in Las Vegas.

It was a good fight with both guys landing some significant shots during the fight. In round eight, Commey dropped Mamadjonov with a right hand. Commey jumped on Mamadjonov and landed a hard barrage of punches on the ropes and referee Robert Byrd stopped the bout at 1:14 of round eight.

Commeym 135 lbs of Accra, Ghana is now 22-0 with 20 knockouts. Mamadjonov, 134 1/2 lbs of Houston, TX is now 17-2.

Arif Magomedov scored a 1st round stoppage over upset specialist Darnell Boone in a scheduled 8-round Middleweight bout.

Magomedov dropped Boone in round one from a short right hand. Magomedov then landed a flurry on the inside and the fight was stopped at 2:37 of round one.

Magomedov, 161 lbs of Glendale, CA is now 15-0 with 9 knockouts. Boone, 157 lbs of St. Petersburg, FL is 21-25-4.

Angel Hernandez and Jesus Chuy Gutierrez battle to an 8-round draw in a Lightweight bout.

Gutierrez was cut over the right eye in round six from an accidental headbutt.

Scores were 77-75 for Gutierrez and 76-76 twice.

Gutierrez, 138 lbs of McAllen, TX is now 13-0-1. Hernandez, 133 lbs of Culican, MX is 9-4-1.

Kimmdo Boykin scored a 1st round stoppage over Keith Barr in a scheduled 6-round Heavywight bout

Boykin dropped Barr in round one after a flurry of about 20 punches. Barr got to his feet only to receive another short flurry and he took a knee. That prompted referee Robert Byrd to stop the bout at 2:02.

Boykin, 225 lbs is now 9-1-1 with 7 knockouts. Barr, 215 lbs is 15-7-1.

Eric Hunter scored an impressive first round stoppage over Antonio Escalante in a scheduled 10-round Featherweight bout at the Fantasy Springs Resort in Indio, California.

In the first frame, Hunter landed a right that sent Escalante to the canvas. Hunter scored a 2nd knockdown when he landed body shots with both hands. Hunter was over Escalante and landed a barrage of punches and the fight was stopped just as the referee stopped the bout at 2:45 of round one.

Hunter of Philadelphia is now 21-3 with 11 knockouts. Escalante is now 29-8.

Abraham Lopez scored a 5th round stoppage over Alfred Tetteh in a scheduled 10-round Featherweight bout.

Lopez dropped Tetteh with a perfect left to the body and the fight was over at 2:49 of round five.

Lopez is 18-0-1. Tetteh is 23-4-1.

Taishon scored a 1st round stoppage over Lance Gauch in a scheduled 4-round Heavyweight bout.

Taishon landed a perfect right that sent Gauch down and out and the fight was stopped at 2:32 of round one.

Taishon is 5-0 with 3 knockouts. Gauch is 5-9-2.

Paul Valenzuela won a 6-round majority decision over Antonio Gutierrez in a rematch of Middleweights.

Valenzuela won by scores of 60-54, 58-56 and 57-57 and is now 8-1. Gutierrez is 18-1-1.

Oscar De La Hoya:

Thank you very much, everyone. To all the media who is participating, we are extremely, extremely excited to announce today, an upcoming fight on June 20th live from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada: Lemieux vs. N’Dam. They will be fighting for the IBF vacant Middleweight World Title, and we are extremely proud to announce that this event is being presented by Eye of the Tiger Management and Golden Boy Promotions in association with Evenko.

We strongly feel that in Canada-obviously they love their hockey-but that’s not the only sport that they follow. Canadians also love their boxing with passion, and we anticipate a full house at the Bell Centre on June 20th in Montreal. So, that’s a fight that everybody in Canada will be looking forward to.

Lemieux vs. N’Dam is a terrific fight and they are in probably one of the most dangerous and one of the most exciting weight classes that boxing has today.

When you talk about the middleweight division, you think about the greats in boxing history. And on June 20th, Lemieux and N’Dam will have the opportunity to cement and to start creating their own history, eventually getting to the top and being mentioned with the greats of this division, the middleweight division.

As you know, Lemieux has been taking the world by storm. He, not only generates huge ratings on HBO, but he’s being looked upon as the emerging next star in the middleweight division, and N’Dam, his record speaks for itself. His style speaks for itself. There’s nothing that anyone can say negatively about N’Dam because he always comes to fight. He’s in the fight of his life and probably the most important fight of his career, and he knows that. We anticipate a tremendous fight on June 20th.

Let me at this moment introduce to you the director of boxing for King Sports who will make some comments and introduce Hassan N’Dam, that is Paul King.

Paul King:

Hey, Oscar. Thanks a lot, my man. First of all, we’re excited and we’re proud to be doing our first event with you. So Oscar and Eric and everybody at Golden Boy, we want to thank you for that.

At this point, I just want to move forward and I would like to put Hassan on for his interview. Hassan, are you there?

Hassan N’Dam:

I feel good. It’s the fight that I’ve been waiting for for a very long time, since I beat Curtis Stevens and I’m the official challenger. For me, it’s just a logic continuity after the Curtis Stevens fight. I’m happy that this fight is taking place because I was sick of waiting for this. For me, the opponent is not important.

Before David Lemieux, two other boxers refused to fight me. The fact that David Lemieux accepted to fight me was a relief. I’m just waiting with impatience for June 20th, because I’ll be able to show to the world what I have in my head, in my legs and in my arms.

Thank you.

Oscar De La Hoya:

Thank you very much, Hassan, and just to remind everyone, Hassan N’Dam has a record of 31-1 with 18 knockouts. So with Lemieux’s style and Hassan’s style, it calls for again one of those terrific fights that can’t be missed.

Also, thank you very much, Hassan, for your comments. We can now open it up to the media for a couple of questions for Hassan.

Question:

The question for Hassan is: how does David Lemieux save up against some of your previous fighters? You fought Curtis Stevens. You fought Peter Quillin. What is Lemieux’s quality? Is he better than Stevens? Do you see him as better than Quillin or a notch below?

Hassan N’Dam:

Every boxer has his style and every boxer has his own strategy. Stevens’s strategy will not be the same as David Lemieux’s strategy. Boxing is a difficult sport. I respect each and every opponent that I have. Every opponent that will face me will be taken very seriously. Each fighter, the better ones and the lesser ones, are all considered equal for me when I’m going into a fight.

Question:

Yes. With the current resurgence of the middleweight division-when you talk about the middleweight division the names that come to mind are: Cotto, GGG, Lee, Quillin, Geale and now Pennello in the mix. They tend to forget two names, which are Lemieux and N’Dam. After Saturday, one of y’all’s names will be mixed with those guys. How do you all feel about that and what does it mean to you?

Hassan N’Dam:

I always look at these things the right side. I’ve always been considered as an outsider. And, I’ve always proven my skills with each and every one of my opponents. I’ve proved to everyone that I have the [indiscernible] to be where I am at that given moment after each fight.

From the moment when I started competing in world championship fights-I fought only undefeated, tough opponents and I beat them. Except for [indiscernible] and that’s the only one, but everyone knows . Today, everyone is talking about the hard-hitter facing me. But people tend to forget what I’ve done before when I’ve faced other hard-hitting boxers. One day my skills, my talent and my efforts will be recognized and acknowledged and then I’ll be in that midst.

Question:

Yes, Paul, are you still on the line?

Paul King:

Yes.

Question:

Okay, I have a question with Hassan. I know this fight was being negotiated and there was some issue-I don’t know if there were issues or just rumors of issues of the financial terms, which led to the purse. I was just wondering if you could briefly speak to that.

Paul King:

Whatever went on before, everything got sorted out. Hassan is here. He’s in camp. Golden Boy is along with us, and we’ll be in Montreal on the 20th ready to fight.

Question:

Thanks. Well, I appreciate that. I have one question for Hassan. Just how he feels about having to go to David Lemieux’s backyard. Like he said, he goes on the outside looking in. So does he just see this as one more chance to upset the odds?

Hassan N’Dam:

Everywhere I fight, I feel like it’s my backyard. I feel like I’m at home. I was born in Cameroon, but I made a name for myself in France. Today, I fight in LA like I’m at home. On June 20th, I’ll be in my room in Canada.

Question:

Okay, great. Thanks. I appreciate that. Then Oscar, I just have one question for you.I know this fight is going to be shown on Canada pay-per-view. I was just wondering if efforts are still being made to try and secure US TV for this fight.

Oscar De La Hoya:

Yes. We are talking to various networks here in the US and that’ll be sorted out. We’ll have an announcement very soon.

Question:

Okay. I know you can’t speak to any network. Are you optimistic it will be on US TV though?

Oscar De La Hoya:

It will be on US TV. Absolutely, yes.

Question:

Yes. Thank you. I’ll ask my question in French, if you don’t mind. Sorry for those who don’t understand my French. Hassan. [speaking foreign language.]

Moderator (Question):

I’ll just translate the question for everyone. So, he’s asking, he says your only defeat in your career happened against Peter Quillin. So can you go over that and tell us what have you learned from that defeat, and can you use anything against David Lemieux?

Hassan N’Dam:

I’ve explained this many times to people and this is, I hope, the last time I’ll have to explain it, because my career is moving forward and not looking backwards. I fought Peter Quillin without being prepared. I had only a three-week notice and I didn’t even do any sparring.

The only reason I took this fight with a three-week notice is because they threatened to strip me from my belt, and since I am a man, if I was to lose my title, I thought I might as well lose it in the ring.

I had no strategy to beat Peter Quillin. I just had to improvise to do-to do my own style. And fight with my heart. Which I think I did very well.

Today, this situation is very different. My team changed. My training camp is much better. I am steady in my head to do a brilliant fight.

Question:

Merci. If I could just have a second question. [Speaking foreign language.]

Moderator (Question):

He says why did he not show up at the press conference at the last minute?

Hassan N’Dam:

I was told very, very late. I had a very short notice for this press conference. My preparation was already completely scheduled. When I was told about this press conference, I was in the French Alps because I do a high altitude free training camp, and I was just about to depart for Los Angeles to continue my training camp. I didn’t want to travel a lot and get tired.

I’m preparing this fight on June 20th. That’s my main focus, is to travel to Montreal, win the title and go home with my title.

Question:

This is for Hassan. You mentioned impatience following the fight versus Curtis Stevens. How does that motivate you? Does it give you motivation going into this fight against N’Dam seeing that it’s been a while since you got back into the ring?

Basically, I just wanted-cause he said-he mentioned impatience following the fight against Stevens. Does that give him added motivation going into the fight against Lemieux?

Hassan N’Dam:

Yes, it adds up to the motivation because I finally have a name. I know the face of my opponent so I’ve been just waiting all this time.

Question:
[Speaking foreign language.]

Moderator (Question):

She says: you’re talking of yourself like a boxer that’s underestimated and what’s your strategy to beat David Lemieux?

Hassan N’Dam:

My strategy is very simple. I’m a complete boxer. David Lemieux says that he’s different than what he used to be. But I am a very complete boxer and I’m going to use all of the tools I have to beat him. That’s it.

Moderator:

At this time, we have no further questions. I’d like to turn it over to Hassan for final comments.

Hassan N’Dam:

The final comment is, you know, I know everyone is talking about the fact that I am unhappy of the purse that I am getting for the fight. Of course, I am not very happy because I’ve heard several comments coming from my opponent’s camp saying that he’s going to have the largest purse in his career. I would like the idea, rules for the purse to be respected, and that is the purse must be split at 50/50, and there’s no additional money. I don’t want to talk about that anymore, but I just hope that the rules are going to be respected.

I just have a message for David Lemieux if he is on the line. Man, you better get ready because the spot you’re in, the challenger spot you’re in, you didn’t earn it. You got it by chance, by luck. I’m going to prove to you and to the entire world that you do not have the level of [indiscernible]. When you had the chance to become mandatory challenger, you always blew your chances. That’s all I have.

Oscar De La Hoya:

Thank you very much. Paul, thank you very much, N’Dam.

And now to introduce to you Team Lemieux. I would like to say it has been a great pleasure to work with this nice young man I’ll be introducing to you. He is president of Eye of the Tiger management. That is Camille Estephan. Camille.

Camille Estephan:

Hello, everybody. Thank you, Oscar, for the wonderful work and team N’Dam for being here today, unlike the Montreal visit that didn’t happen. I’d like to thank the press for the attention they’re giving to this fight. The fight that is majorly important in a very, very hard division that’s now the middleweight division. We believe that there will be a statement made on June 20th in Montreal at the Bell Centre.

The Bell Centre will be hosting an event that will be historical. It’s historical because it will mark a great name coming up. We believe in David Lemieux to do right at making a statement. But as well, it’s a celebration of a 35-year date in 1980. June 20th, Roberto Duran fought Sugar Ray Leonard at the Olympic Stadium and won a great historical fight. So, we’re pleased and thrilled to be making history again in Montreal for the wonderful boxing fans that supported us throughout the years and I’ve been there for David. So, it’s wonderful. Thank you, Eric and Oscar, to give the opportunity to David to give back to his fans on a wonderful June 20th coming up.

I’d like to introduce you to, as well, David and bring him to say a few words. I’m very proud of the work that he’s putting in, as always, for the last few years we’ve been working together and very, very looking forward to his performance on June 20th. David.

David Lemieux:

Hello. I’m here. Very excited for this fight. I’ve been waiting for a long time to be able to face the world champion in our division and to be able to become a world champion. It is my time, and I’ve been working since I was a young kid at this to be where I am today. I’m working extremely hard. This is to-date the best camp I’ve ever had. My physical strength is much better than it ever has been.

Everything is kind of coming into perfection for this fight. I’m extremely confident in this fight and what I am to expect with Hassan N’Dam, for I understand his boxing abilities. I understand everything about him. I’ve watched him. We studied him very well. I know his strengths, and I know his weaknesses. And I know my strength, and I know my weaknesses or whatever it is. There’s nothing I am concerned about in this fight with what I am doing today and everyday.

It’s going to be a great event. It’s going to be very explosive, and hopefully, it’s going to mark a historical event in Montreal and a great fight for 2015, to give to the fans all what they want, what they need. They’ve got two top athletes in the ring, and it’s going to be great. Two hungry guys; one much hungrier than the other. But, talk is cheap. We’ll keep everything cool for the fight on June 20th.

I’m very excited and very confident. I’m looking very forward to this fight. I’m very, very happy, and to fight N’Dam when other fighters turned him down. I would never turn down any fighter if the skills are right, good or great or whatever they are. With all my abilities, I’m in total confidence with myself, with my group, with my people, and with my surroundings, and every world we’re going to take, we’re going to be together. We’re going to be strong, and we’re going to have a big army around me. I’m willing to do all the damage, and on June 20th, I’m going to open a lot of eyes. It’s going to be very exciting.

Oscar De La Hoya:

Thank you very much, David. Before we open it up to questions for the media-just want to point out that David Lemieux, you take a look at his record, which is 33-2 with 31 knockouts. He has one of the top tail percentages of any fighter today. He has an explosive style. He’s hungry. He’s determined. He’s ready to go.

This is a very important and historical at the Bell Centre. Canada will be behind this event 100%. Golden Boy Promotions is really proud to be working with Eye of the Tiger and David. This will be our first fight since signing a deal with David, so we are just thrilled, excited, and happy, to be going out there for the whole week promoting this great event in Canada.

Now we can open it up to the media for questions for David. Thank you.

Question:

Hello, everybody. Thank you. Hello, David.

David Lemieux:

Hello.

Question:

David, my question for you is related to the loss that N’Dam took against Peter Quillin. He said on his part of the call that he had only three weeks to prepare for that fight and did not spar, but the results of the fight was he got knocked down, I believe it was five times, and obviously lost the decision. The question is: you are known for your very good punching power. He was on the deck five times against the best opponent that he has faced in his career. When you think about that, or do you think about that, do you think that this is looking like another knockout for David Lemieux?

David Lemieux:

He’s a great fighter. I’m not underestimating him, and I would never compare myself to any other fighters, especially not to Peter Quillin. He’s a good fighter but my abilities are very different, and I’m sure that any athlete can get knocked down but I think when Hassan will put the glove to his knee and that bell will ring in the first round, he will never [indiscernible] with me in his entire career. But we’ll see on June 20th.

Question:

Well, when you know that he got knocked down five times, and you know the kind of power that you possess, does it make you lick your chops a little bit?

David Lemieux:

No because anybody I’m willing to go in the ring with, I’m going to hurt them regardless if it is an undefeated title who has never been knocked down or some guy who has been knocked down. To me, it makes no difference because I have one goal in my mind. It’s to destroy and to be able to do it the best way I can throughout the whole fight. If it doesn’t happen in the first round, or the fifth, or the sixth, I’ll still try to the twelfth. There’s always going to be patience from my side.

Question:

I want to ask you, I don’t know if you had a chance to see it. Did you watch the Gennady Golovkin fight on Saturday night and his performance against Willie Monroe?

David Lemieux:

No. I’m just concentrating on this fight right now. I’m not paying attention to any other boxing. Just concentrating on my fight and on my [indiscernible], and that’s it.

Question:

How big of a deal is it for you, David, that this fight is going to take place in Montreal where you, obviously, that’s your hometown? By all accounts, you’re developing a very nice fan base up there. How significant is it for you to be able to fight for one of the world titles in front of those people in Montreal?

David Lemieux:

I’m very, very happy with it. It’s a dream come true. I’m working extremely hard. My fans always supported me here from my downsides, to my upsides and to my greater side. But now I’m a different person and I’m ready to bring this title home and to be sure, for all the fans to enjoy this great night of boxing at home in our backyard and just from a walk away from home. So, it’s good for me.

Question:

Alright. Very good. David, I wish you good luck. Thank you very much.

David Lemieux:

Thank you.

Question:

Hi, David. My question is this. On N’Dam’s side of the call, he said that you didn’t earn this spot, that you were lucky. Why do you think he would say something like that and does that bother you that he said you didn’t earn, regardless of what you’ve done in your career. He says you got this by luck?

David Lemieux:

Well, that’s only going to make him look foolish when I beat him on the 20th, that’s all. There’s no luck in boxing. It’s a hard man’s work. It’s life or death in the ring. It’s not a game, and there’s no such thing as luck in boxing. I’ve earned my right to be where I am, and I will be where I want to be. So, whatever his comment is, I disregard it and I don’t concern myself with his opinion.

Question:

Yes. This question is for David. You’re one of the names that kind of get forgotton in the middleweight division and if you win on Saturday, it’s going to change dramatically. You’re going to get thrown right up there with the upper echelon of this division. What does that mean to you? What does this fight mean to you?

David Lemieux:

It’s something I’ve known, I’ve understood and I’m ready for it. My name has been in people’s ears, but it hasn’t been out there to expose potential yet. So June 20th will signify earning the right to have my name out there with the top of the world. It’s extremely important. Of course every fight is extremely important, but especially this one. It’s another degree of importance. I’m training extremely hard, and I’m not going to miss my shot.

Question:

Good answer. Is unifying the titles, is that in your future? Do you see you trying that?

David Lemieux:

Yes. Sure. I’ll fight whoever there is to fight. I’m always up for challenges, and this is what I do as a champion. This is my duty. I’ll defend whatever there is to defend. I’m always going to be fighting the best. So, I’ll be all set for that [indiscernible].

Question:

Hi, David. How are you doing today?

David Lemieux:

I’m doing great. How are you?

Question:

Good. Thank you. My question comes from Hassan’s comments at the end of his conference. Do you think he is underestimating you as a fighter or do you think it was just a comment out of disrespect for you and how does that motivate you for the fight?

David Lemieux:

I think he has no clue of whom he’s going to face on June 20th and that’s going to be to my advantage. I don’t concern myself with his opinion or what he has to say about who he has faced and the challenges I’ve had in my life and my career, whatever it is. That’s my personal issues, and I aim to prove otherwise and June 20th will be the day when I will prove that. So, I don’t concern myself with anything. I’m very focused, and I’m ready. I’m ready for anything.

Question:

Great. Another question I have for you is he has more experience in championship fights. He’s gone, I think four or five more twelve-round fights than you have. Do you think his experience or your lack of experience in the later rounds will be a disadvantage for you?

David Lemieux:

Not at all. Nothing’s going to change the scenario of the fight. My experience has been great, and I’m ready to fight anybody in the middleweight division. Whatever style they have, it’s not going to be an issue.

Question:

Hello. This is a question for Oscar. Golden Boy and you have really been delivering. Your last two fights were Matthysse, Provodnikov, and then Canelo, Kirkland. This is another great matchup between N’Dam and Lemieux. I was just wondering, I read that HBO had a pass on this fight, and I was wondering why they would pass on a great fight like this.

Cecilia Zuniga:

Hey, Karl, this is Cecilia. Oscar had to step off the call to do a quick meeting in regards to TV rights to this particular fight. So, he’s no longer on the call, unfortunately. Sorry.

Karl Freitag:

Okay. Alright. That’s all I’ve got. Thank you.

Cecilia Zuniga:

Okay. Thank you.

Question:

Yes. I’m going to ask my question in French. [Speaking foreign language.]

Moderator: [Speaking foreign language.]

David Lemieux: [Speaking foreign language.]

Moderator: [Speaking foreign language.]

Moderator:

And I would not like to turn it over to David for final comments.

David Lemieux:

June 20th is going to be a great night of boxing. For all the fans around the world, don’t miss this fight. If you blink, you might miss it. It’s going to be a great night and very explosive. I’m actually very excited and very happy to be fighting Hassan N’Dam. Thank you.

Moderator:

And I’d like to turn it over to Camille for final comments.

Camille Estephan:

Well, the stage is set, and the chips are down, and like David said, don’t blink. It’s going to be an explosive fight that is made for the fans. Golden Boy has, like you guys mentioned, been putting on great fights that are extremely competitive, and this is one that is very promising. We’re working very hard on making sure that it will be a wonderful event for the Montreal fans with great explosive fireworks in the ring. So don’t miss it. Thank you very much.

###

David Lemieux vs. Hassan N’Dam is a 12-round fight for the vacant IBF
Middleweight World Championship presented by Eye of the Tiger Management and Golden Boy Promotions in association with Evenko. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. ET and the first bell rings at 6:45 p.m. ET. The live Canadian PPV telecast airs at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT.

Tickets start at $70 (CAD), taxes and service charges included, are on sale now at www.evenko.ca and at the Bell Centre box office. For further information, please visit us at and www.eottm.com, www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.evenko.ca or call 1-855-310-2525. Follow us on Twitter @Lemieuxboxing, @EOTMVD, @GoldenBoyBoxing and @evenko.

LOS ANGELES (May 22) – Golden Boy Live! on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes returns to Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, on Tuesday, June 30 for a special night of boxing from the 2300Arena. In the main event, current USNBC Light Heavyweight Champion Vyacheslav “Lion Heart – Chingonskyy” Shabranskyy (13-0, 11 KOs) of Los Angeles is scheduled for a 10-round light heavyweight bout. In the co-main event, east coast undefeated rising star, D’Mitrius Ballard (9-0, 8 KOs) of Washington D.C., will fight in an eight-round light heavyweight matchup. Opening up the telecast Lamont Roach Jr. (7-0, 3 KOs) will face Christian Santibanez (3-4, 2 KOs) of San Antonio, Texas in a six-round lightweight event.

In the non-televised undercard, in a trio of respective six-round bouts, super featherweight Kevin “K-Smoove” Rivers, Jr. (11-0, 8 KOs) of Cheverly, Maryland, super lightweight Damon Allen (6-0, 2 KOs) of Philadelphia, and lightweight Victor Vasquez (18-9-1, 8 KOs) also of Philadelphia. Opening up the night, South Korea native Gang Yong Kim (4-1) fights in his adopted hometown of Philly in a four-round lightweight bout. Opponents for all fights will be announced shortly.

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

“Golden Boy Promotions is happy to return to Philadelphia for this exciting night of fights on June 30,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Founder and President of Golden Boy Promotions. “Philadelphia is a fight fan’s town, with a rich boxing history, so I’m thrilled to return to the city for this event for Golden Boy Live!”

“I am excited to be fighting as the main event for Golden Boy Live! on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes,” said Vyacheslav Shabranskyy. “This will be my first headlining event and I am ready to entertain and prove to all the fans in Philadelphia that I am worthy of my title and am a serious contender in the light heavyweight division.”

Coming off of an impressive technical knockout victory over Fabiano Pena to gain the USNBC Light Heavyweight title on March 12, Vyacheslav “Lion Heart – Chigonskyy” 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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 on June 30.

Gang Yong 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 a new foe in a four-round lightweight bout at the 2300 Arena.

The June 30 event featuring Vyacheslav Shabranskyy is a 10-round light heavyweight 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 7:00 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

Las Vegas ? UFC® is pleased to announce the renewal of a multi-year partnership with DISH Network L.L.C. to continue providing all of the biggest and most anticipated UFC Pay-Per-View (PPV) events of the year to DISH’s approximately 14 million customers. The agreement will provide UFC fans the opportunity to tune in, this Saturday, May 23 for an epic night of fights, featuring two championship bouts on UFC® 187: JOHNSON vs. CORMIER at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

Terms of the deal were not made public.

The new agreement was announced by Marshall Zelaznik, UFC Chief Content Officer: “We are thrilled that DISH will continue to carry UFC PPV events and featured content. Together with DISH we will continue to deliver all of our premium content for years to come.”

For the upcoming schedule, go to: http://www.mydish.com/pay-per-view/sports-and-events/mma

Tickets for UFC® 187: JOHNSON vs. CORMIER are on sale online at www.ticketmaster.com and by phone at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available at MGM Resorts International box office. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.

###

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 134 countries and territories to over 700 million 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 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.

About DISH

DISH Network Corp. (NASDAQ: DISH), through its subsidiaries, provides approximately 13.978 million pay-TV subscribers, as of Dec. 31, 2014, with the highest-quality programming and technology with the most choices at the best value. Subscribers enjoy a high definition line-up with more than 200 national HD channels, the most international channels, and award-winning HD and DVR technology. DISH Network Corporation is a Fortune 250 company. Visit www.dish.com.

Farewell, Friday Night Fights: Boxing Series Airs Finale Tonight

What was it like condensing 17 years of FNF into a video essay?
Joe Tessitore: “It’s always harder to write shorter than longer, add in the fact that this production, and this crew, and many in the boxing business attached to this show have been like family to me and it was nearly impossible to cross the line of knowingly not mentioning, thanking or any other necessary litany that could be created. I wanted to simply identify the DNA of the series and I hope we did that. Our senior coordinating producer Matt Sandulli was very helpful in giving me the freedom to express what I wanted to.”

For the past 17 years, ESPN Friday Night Fights, which will celebrate its final show tonight with the highly anticipated finals of Boxcino 2015 (10 p.m. ET, ESPN2), showcased some of the best bouts in the boxing industry and introduced fans to future stars and champions.

ESPN began televising boxing April 10, 1980, making the sport a weekly television staple again for the first time since 1964. Beginning this summer, Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN (PBC on ESPN), will bring boxing to a new level never seen before on the network when the series debuts July 11 (ESPN, 9 p.m.)

Tonight’s telecast will include a special video essay written and voiced by longtime blow-by-blow commentator Joe Tessitore in which he summarizes what Friday Night Fights has meant to the fan and boxing community over the last 17 years. ESPN.com and Friday Night Fights contributor Nigel Collins also looks back at the series.

ESPNFrontRow.com caught up with ESPN senior coordinating producer Matt Sandulli, who has overseen ESPN’s boxing production for the last nine years, for more insight. Read full Q&A

— 30 —

Corona, California (May 22, 2015)–Tonight at the Omega Products Outdoor Arena, John Thompson (16-1, 5 KO’s) looks to win the Boxcino Jr. Middlweight championship when he takes on Brandon Adams in the finale of ESPN Friday Night Fights.

Thompson weighed in at a ready 153.2 at Thursday’s weigh in and he looks in prime shape to not only win the title but enter the world rankings.

“John has been really working hard in Virginia. This is his 2nd training camp down there and after his layoff we have really seen the improvement and his confidence,”said Thompson’s promoter Vito Mielnicki of GH3 Promotions.

Thompson, who literally entered the tournament at the last second when Cleotis Pendarvis failed to make weight for his opening round bout with Ricardo Pinnel. Thompson went out and boxed very soundly to win the unanimous decision.

In his semifinal bout with previously undefeated Stanyslav Skorokhod, Thompson peppered the undefeated Ukrainian fr.om the outside and mixed it up on the iniside en route to winning the split decision on April 10 in Bethlehem, PA.

Now Thompson will take on the Boxcino veteran Adams with the eye on becoming a major player in the crowded Jr. Middleweight division

“I have believed in John since day one. A lot of people jumped off the bandwagon since his loss to Frank Galarza. But I always knew he had the ability to compete at the highest level and tonight he will prove that I am excited for not only tonight but the future of John. He is just 26 and is best boxing is ahead of him,” finished Mielnicki

Photo By Emily Harney / Banner Promotions

GH3 Promotions features undefeated Middleweight Antoine Douglas, Super Middleweight’s Jerry Odom & Derrick Webster, undefeated Super Bantamweight Adam Lopez as well as Jr. Middleweight John Thompson, Jr., undefeated Welterweight Jerrell Harris,undefeated Super Bantamweight Qa’id Muhammad, undefeated lightweight Oscar Bonilla, Heavyweight Natu Visinia and Light Heavyweight Lavarn Harvell to the GH3 Promotions stable.

Before they battle it out in Brooklyn, click here or below to watch Amir Khan and Chris Algieri face off on the Lip Sync Battle stage featuring host LL COOL J and Colorful Commentator Chrissy Teigen.

The highly anticipated Amir Khan vs. Chris Algieri fight takes place Friday, May 29th at 9:00pm ET/6:00pm PT LIVE on Spike.

Amir Khan vs. Chris Algieri – “Mama Said Knock You Out”

Friday, May 29th – 9 ET/ 6PT
PREMIER BOXING CHAMPIONS
at Barclays Center LIVE ON SPIKE
Amir Khan vs. Chris Algieri
Javier Fortuna vs. Bryan Vasquez

Las Vegas – One of the most intense rivalries in the history of The Ultimate Fighter® will be settled once and for all as powerhouse gyms American Top Team (ATT) and the Blackzilians battle it out for South Florida bragging rights. The Ultimate Fighter: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians finale will take place Sunday, July 12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas to close out the 2015 International Fight Week activities.

The main event will feature two of the welterweight division’s top strikers as ninth-ranked Jake Ellenberger (30-9, fighting out of Lake Forest, Calif.) clashes with standup sensation Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson (10-1, fighting out of Simpsonville, S.C.). Ellenberger has 20 knockouts including 13 first-round finishes on his resume, in addition to a stellar wrestling pedigree to help in countering Thompson’s 52-0 professional kickboxing record.

Additionally, hard-hitting No. 15 lightweight contender Jorge Masvidal (28-9, fighting out of Miami, Fla.) will move up to welterweight and welcome The Ultimate Fighter Brazil season 1 winner, Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira (9-4, fighting out of Belo Horizonte, Brazil) to the 170-pound division.

Also, former Invicta FC atomweight champion Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson (12-4, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) will make her promotional debut against The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned competitor Angela Magana (11-7, fighting out of Phuket, Thailand).

Also scheduled for the card:
· Looking to make it five consecutive wins, Caio Magalhaes (9-1, fighting out of Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil) takes on Josh Samman (11-3, fighting out of Tallahassee, Fla.), a winner of back-to-back second-round knockout victories.

· Plus, submission specialist Trevor “Hot Sauce” Smith (12-6, fighting out of Tukwila, Wash.) meets Dan Miller (14-7, 1NC, fighting out of Whippany, N.J.) as he makes a return to the Octagon for the first time since 2013.

For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

Tickets for THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER® FINALE: AMERICAN TOP TEAM vs. BLACKZILIANS go on sale Friday, May 29 at 10 a.m. PT and are priced at $178, $128, $93, and $78. Tickets are available for purchase at www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call (888) 929-7849. Tickets also are available at the MGM Grand Garden Arena box office. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.

UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, May 27 at 10 a.m. PT via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, May 28 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER® FINALE: AMERICAN TOP TEAM vs. BLACKZILIANS will air live on FOX Sports 1 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Sunday, July 12, with the prelims kicking off the evening on FOX Sports 1 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

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 134 countries and territories to over 700 million 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 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.

About MGM Grand Hotel & Casino
MGM Grand Hotel & Casino is “The Entertainment Authority,” creating the ultimate Las Vegas experience. The hotel features the astonishing KÀ by Cirque du Soleil; Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club; master illusionist David Copperfield and world-class entertainment at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. MGM Grand offers signature restaurants by celebrity chefs including Tom Colicchio’s Craftsteak, Michael Mina’s PUB 1842, Emeril Lagasse’s New Orleans Fish House, Wolfgang Puck’s Bar & Grill and Michelin three star and Forbes Five-Star restaurant, Joël Robuchon. The resort recently remodeled all rooms and suites in its main tower and launched the industry’s first-ever STAY WELL Collection. MGM Grand is home to many of today’s hottest DJs including Tiësto, Calvin Harris and Steve Aoki who share residencies between Hakkasan Las Vegas Restaurant and Nightclub and WET REPUBLIC, The Strip’s hottest day life destination. The hotel also features a state-of-the-art, non-smoking Five Green Key conference center, the Grand Spa, Cristophe Salon and an inviting six-acre pool complex. Upscale accommodations include SKYLOFTS at MGM Grand, an exclusive boutique luxury hotel within the hotel and The Signature at MGM Grand, a luxury all-suite, non-gaming hotel located adjacent to the main resort. MGM Grand is a wholly owned subsidiary of MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM). For more information and reservations, visit mgmgrand.com, call toll free at (877) 880-0880 or find us on Facebook and Twitter.

22 May 2015 – Singapore: Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization with a 90% market share, ONE Championship™ (ONE), made a triumphant return to Singapore with another spectacular evening of world-class mixed martial arts. ONE: WARRIOR’S QUEST delighted fans to a night of heart-thumping action, as the best fighters from all across Asia and the entire world went to battle inside the ONE cage. In the main event, Shinya Aoki defeated Koji Ando to remain the ONE Lightweight World Champion. Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichok became the ONE Strawweight World Champion after beating Roy Doliguez of the Philippines.

Visit the official ONE: WARRIOR’S QUEST photo gallery by clicking:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ogw4tb66e3467d5/AABAVUM5CDb9aMVF3VZN7O0Da?dl=0

Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki retained his ONE Lightweight World Championship with a victory over Japanese compatriot Koji “The Commander” Ando. It was a calculated start from both fighters in the first two rounds, but action picked up in the third when Aoki shot for a takedown and a near-submission. The fourth round was all Aoki as the seasoned grappler spent five minutes smothering Ando on the ground. The fifth round saw much of the same action as Aoki cruised to a unanimous decision.

In a contest for the inaugural ONE Strawweight World Championship, Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichok overcame his toughest challenge yet, in the form of Filipino Boxing champion Roy Doliguez. For the entire fight, both Dejdamrong and Doliguez blasted each other with powerful strikes. Dejdamrong found consistent success with his Muay Thai while Doliguez opted to shoot for takedowns while countering with his world-class Boxing. By the end of the fourth, both fighters were completely exhausted but somehow found a way to fight on. In the fifth, the heated exchanges proved too much for Doliguez as he was deemed unable to continue. Dejdamrong was crowned champion after the fight went to a decision.

A highly-anticipated matchup between featherweights Ev Ting and Marat Gafurov ended in spectacular fashion, with Gafurov continuing his unbeaten streak with another tremendous submission victory over a high-level opponent. Gafurov made quick work of Ting, completely dominating the Malaysian fighter with his incredible skills on the ground. Towards the end of the first round, Gafurov was able to lock in a very deep rear naked choke that sealed the deal.

Hawaii’s Lowen Tynanes dominated Kuat Khamitov for three rounds in a gruelling lightweight bout. A fairly timid first round saw Tynanes stalk an overly defensive Khamitov. Action picked up in the second as Tynanes was able to close the gap on Khamitov with a few successful takedowns. In the third, Tynanes banked on his superior wrestling ability to smother Khamitov on the mat with vicious ground and pound. All three judges were in favor of Tynanes via unanimous decision.

In a close-quarters battle, elite mixed martial artists Eddie Ng and Ariel Sexton went to war inside the ONE cage in an absolute epic. The end result was an impeccable submission victory by the tenacious Sexton, who put his entire offensive arsenal on display against his toughest opponent yet. In the first round, Sexton pressed Ng against the cage as Ng remained dangerous, countering with quick punches and kicks. As the tension built up in the second, Sexton turned to his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and after taking Ng to the mat, secured a rear naked choke to force Ng to tap out.

In an intense featherweight encounter, Shannon Wiratchai and Amir Khan took to the cage to go shot for shot, bringing the crowd to the edge of their seats in excitement. In the end, Wiratchai did just enough to defeat Khan, earning a hard-fought split decision. All three rounds were immensely heated as Khan and Wiratchai traded devastating blows, with each fighter having their moments. Although Khan scored on a couple of takedowns, Wiratchai showcased a tremendous variety of strikes and did just enough to claim victory.

Angela Lee made a successful ONE Championship debut with an electrifying submission finish over Aya Saeid Saber. The highly-regarded fighter from Hawaii showcased her powerful striking to the delight of the hometown crowd. It also didn’t take long for Lee to prove her mettle on the ground, as she took Saber down with a Koshi Guruma and transitioned into an armbar that caused Saber to tap out.

In an impressive display of striking and wrestling, A La Teng Hei Li defeated Singapore’s Stephen Langdown by referee stoppage, using multiple takedowns to dominate the first round while doing damage on the ground. In the second, Li increased his aggression with his striking, leaving the referee with no choice but to stop the bout as Langdown could not defend against the onslaught. Li was awarded with the TKO victory.

Making his professional MMA debut, 19-year old Benedict Ang figured in a tough scrap against opponent Waqar Umar, putting in three solid rounds en-route to a unanimous decision victory. Ang took the fight straight to Umar, scoring on various takedowns and near submissions. Umar played defense most of the fight while Ang used his superior wrestling to control the action and earn the judges’ nod.

Two energetic flyweights kicked off the action at ONE: WARRIOR’S QUEST. Yang Jian Bing defeated Ali Yaakub in the second round, after using his mat skills for the majority of the fight to secure an armbar submission.

Official results for ONE: WARRIOR’S QUEST
ONE Lightweight World Championship bout: Shinya Aoki defeats Koji Ando by Unanimous Decision
ONE Strawweight World Championship bout: Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichok defeats Roy Doliguez by Unanimous Decision
Featherweight bout: Marat Gafurov defeats Ev Ting by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:30 minutes of round 1
Lightweight bout: Lowen Tynanes defeats Kuat Khamitov by Unanimous Decision
Lightweight bout: Ariel Sexton defeats Eddie Ng by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:10 minutes of round 2
Featherweight bout: Shannon Wiratchai defeats Amir Khan by Split Decision
Women’s Strawweight bout: Angela Lee defeats Aya Saeid Saber by Submission (Armbar) at 1:43 minutes of round 1
Bantamweight bout: A La Teng Hei Li defeats Stephen Langdown by TKO (Strikes) at 0:51 minutes of round 2
Featherweight bout: Benedict Ang defeats Waqar Umar by Unanimous Decision
Flyweight bout: Yang Jian Bing defeats Ali Yaakub by Submission (Armbar) at 0:49 minutes of round 2

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

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

About ONE Championship™
With a 90%+ market share in Asia, ONE Championship™ is Asia’s largest Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organization. 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.

22
June 6: Miguel Cotto vs. Daniel Geale – Live on HBO at 10:30 p.m.

June 13: Nicholas Walters vs. Miguel Marriaga & Felix Verdejo vs. Ivan Najera – Live on HBO at 10 p.m.

June 27: Timothy Bradley Jr. vs. Jessie Vargas – Live on HBO at 9:45 p.m.

July 25: Sergey Kovalev vs. Nadjib Mohammedi – Live on HBO at 10 p.m.

All times are ET/PT.

LONDON (22 May) – Boxing has enjoyed an incredible year in 2015 with BoxNation at the forefront having screened the biggest and best fights around.

In the past few weeks alone ‘The Channel of Champions’ has shown some of the highest viewed fights in years live and exclusive including the thrilling toe-to-toe war between Lucas Matthysse and Ruslan Provodnikov, heavyweight legend Wladimir Klitschko’s defence of his world titles against Bryant Jennings, Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez’s brutal knockout of James Kirkland and Kazakh ace Gennady Golovkin’s stunning win over Willie Monroe Jr.

Those eye-catching battles will undoubtedly go down among the top highlights of a remarkable year with BoxNation set to keep delivering with an unbelievable value-for-money lineup over the summer.

The non-stop live boxing action starts tonight when Russian kingpin Alexander Povetkin takes on the Cork based Cuban Mike Perez as both slug it out to see who will compete for the charismatic Deontay Wilder’s WBC heavyweight world title next up.

Then, next Friday night, live from the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, one of boxing’s most exciting fighters is back when British welterweight star Amir Khan takes on Chris Algieri as he looks to get his name into the Floyd Mayweather sweepstakes for September.

28-year-old Khan is coming-off a dazzling display against the tricky Devon Alexander in his last matchup but will have to be at his best against former champion Algieri who is fighting in his hometown under respected new head trainer John David Jackson.

A host of top fights keep coming on BoxNation when Puerto Rican idol Miguel Cotto takes on former two-time world champion Daniel Geale in a bout that could lead to a superfight for the victor.

Four-weight world champion Cotto has enjoyed a revival under Hall of Fame coach Freddie Roach and is looking more dangerous than ever as he eyes a showdown with Canelo Alvarez should he prevail on June 6th.

Featherweight assassin and reigning WBA Super champion Nicholas Walters will be out a week later on June 13th as he puts his title on the line against knockout king Miguel Marriaga.

The Columbian holds a win over the unbeaten Walters in the amateurs, with the Jamaican hitter out for revenge and looking to continue his fine form that has seen him destroy 2012 Fighter of the Year Nonito Donaire last October.

Top welterweight Tim Bradley is hoping to cement his name at the pinnacle of the 147 pound division but will have his work cut out against rising American Jessie Vargas who goes up against the experienced 31-year-old in his breakout fight.

Vargas is mentored by fight legend Roy Jones Jr, having once trained under the Mayweather banner, and is well aware that a win over Bradley will catapult him to the top of the division.

Plus, on July 11th from the Manchester Velodrome, lightweight Terry Flanagan will have home advantage as he challenges for the vacant WBO world title against Jose Zepeda.

Both men are undefeated but Manchester born Flanagan, with a record of 27-0, will look to capitalise on fighting in front of his home crowd against 25-year-old big-hitting Zepeda, who has knocked out 20 opponents in his 23 wins.

There is even more big-hitting to come on BoxNation when one of the world’s most feared knockout artists Sergey Kovalev defends his prized WBA, WBO and IBF light-heavyweight titles against Frenchman Nadjib Mohammedi.

The 175-pound hitman has made light work of his previous 27 opponents, putting 24 of them to sleep along the way, and will be out to do much of the same against Mohammedi as he eyes a megafight with rival Adonis Stevenson in the near future.

Jim McMunn, Managing Director of BoxNation, said: “BoxNation is enjoying an amazing year with a host of record breaking fights having been screened live and exclusive on the channel. 2015 has already witnessed some unbelievable matchups and things just get better on BoxNation with a jam-packed summer schedule featuring the biggest and best names around. BoxNation continuously looks to deliver the best fights from around the world at a genuinely affordable and value-for-money price for our subscribers. The next few weeks on BoxNation is truly a fight fan’s dream.”

To subscribe to BoxNation (on Sky/Virgin/TalkTalk/ Livesport.tv/Apps) for just £12 a month please visit boxnation.com.

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

BoxNation is proud to support Fight for Peace, a charity that uses boxing and martial arts combined with education and personal development to realise the potential of young people in communities that suffer from crime and violence. Buy LUTA (www.luta.co.uk) clothing and support Fight for Peace.

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

The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Virgin (Ch.546), TalkTalk (Ch.525), online at Livesport.tv and via apps (ios, Android). BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.

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

For more information visit www.boxnation.com

*Plus £8 registration fee for Sky TV and new Livesport.tv customers.

CORONA, CA–Andrey Fedosov and John Thompson were crowned Boxcino 2015 champions in the Heavyweight and Jr. Middleweight divisions with stoppage wins over Donovan Dennis and Brandon Adams at the Omega Products Outdoor Arena.

Fedosov scored an 8th round stoppage while Thompson got off the canvas to score a 2nd round stoppage.

Fedosov landed some hard power shots in round two that Dennis was able to withstand. Fedosov dropped Dennis in round three from a left hook to the head. Dennis started being effective the jab in round four and he started mixing the straight left behind it.

In round six, Fedosov hurt Dennis again as he ripped two hard rights off the face of the southpaw. In round seve, it was more power shots that hurt Dennis and made him take a knee.

In round eight, Fedosov landed a perfectly timed right hand that sent Dennis hard to the canvas. Dennis got to his feet but the fight was waved off 54 seconds into round eight.

John Thompson got off the deck to come back and score an explosive 2nd round stoppage over Brandon Adams to win the Boxcino Jr. Middleweight title.

Adams dropped Thompson in the opening seconds from a left hook. In round two, Thompson landed a huge shot that sent Adams to the canvas. Thompson then pounded on Adams and a right hand wobbled Adams into the ropes and a knockdown was ruled. Thompson finished off a visibly hurt Adams with a heavy combination and the fight was stopped at 2:18 of round two.

Thompson, 153.2 lbs of Newark, NJ is now 17-1 with six knockouts. Adams, 154.8 lbs of Los Angeles, CA is now 17-2.

Isaac Zarate won a 6-round unanimous decision over Fernando Fuentes in a Super Bantamweight bout.

Zarate, 122 lbs won by scores of 58-56 on all cards and is now 11-1-1. Fuentes, 122 lbs is now 5-5.

Angel Martinez scored a

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former world champions Ray Beltran and Humberto Soto will meet on June 27 as part of the Timothy Bradley – Jessie Vargas undercard at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.

“Adding this slugfest to the much anticipated slugfest between Bradley and Vargas just ensures another memorable night of prizefighting at the highest level at the StubHub Center,” Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti told ESPN.com. “Those in attendance and watching at home on HBO are in for a special night with major implications for those combatants.”

“We’re excited about the fight. It should be a fun fight. Both guys are exciting fighters,” said Golden Boy vice president Eric Gomez, who negotiated the bout with Moretti. “Peter Nelson took it upon himself to tell Soto they would have him back on after what happened with Frankie. We really appreciate it. He kept his word. He is doing the right thing here. Peter stepped up and said he’d get him back on the network, and he did it with what we think is going to be a great fight. Humberto Soto is going to make a war.”

Juan Dominguez 122.5 – Mario Antonio Macias 124
Antuwyan Aikens 175 – Edgar Perez 183
Gervonta Davis 132 – Alberto Mora 130
Keenan Smith ??? – Luis Rodriguez 142
John Magda 168 – Miguel Angel Munguia 166
Bryant Perella 152 – German Perez 157
Kareem Martin 150 – Donald Sanchez 150
Jermonta Clark 150 – Jonathan Garcia 152
Carlos Gongora 170 – Efigenio Perez 174

Promoters: King’s Promotions and DeeLee Promotions
Venue: The Claridge
1st Bell: 6:45 / Doors at 6:00 PM ET

Tickets can be purchased for $100, $75 and $50 by clicking www.claridge.eventbrite.com or by calling call 610 587 5950 or 609 868 4243

Andrey Fedosov 220.5 – Donovan Dennis 219
(Boxcino Heavyweight championship)
John Thompson 153.2 – Brandon Adams 154.7
(Boxcino Jr. Middleweight championship)
Fernando Fuentes 122 – Isaac Zarate 122
Angel Martinez 131.8 – Andres Fabian Figueroa 132.2
Richard Tallmadge 118.4 – Humberto Rubalcava 120.7
Isaac Freeman 146.5 – Danny Leon 146.1
Adam Lopez 122.9 – Miguel Tamayo 121

Promoters: Banner Promotions & Thompson Boxing
Venue: Omega Products International Outdoor Arena
TV: ESPN 2 (10 PM ET/7 PM PT)
1st bell: 6:15 PT