DENVER (January 14, 2014) — Just 10 days before they write the final chapter of their epic trilogy, former world champions and co-stars of one this era’s most intense and exciting boxing rivalries, Denver’s “Mile High” MIKE ALVARADO and BRANDON “Bam Bam” RIOS of Oxnard, Calif., met with the media today at a media workout at Alvarado’s Denver-based gym. Alvarado (34-3, 23 KOs) and Rios (32-2-1, 22 KOs), of Oxnard, Calif., who each own a victory in the series — both of which were candidates for Fight of the Year in 2012 and 2013 — discussed the upcoming Alvarado-Rios 3, which is scheduled for 12 rounds with the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) International welterweight championship on the line. Taking place Saturday, January 24, at the 1STBANK Center, located in the Denver suburb of Broomfield, CO, Alvarado-Rios 3 will be televised live on HBO, beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT. The last boxing event hosted by 1STBANK Center was sold out in advance — the October 19, 2013 WBO junior welterweight world championship between Alvarado and Ruslan Provodnikov.

The telecast will open with undefeated No. 2-world-rated super middleweight contender GILBERTO “Zurdo” RAMIREZ of Mexico, facing the toughest challenge of his professional career, when he rumbles with once-beaten Top-10 contender MAXIM VLASOV from Russia, in a 10-round light heavyweight battle.

The four gladiators boast a combined record of 126-6-1 (84 KOS) — a winning percentage of 95% — with two-thirds of those victories coming by way of knockout.

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Zapari Boxing and Tecate, remaining tickets to the Alvarado-Rios welterweight championship, priced at $250, $200, $125, $65 and $40, tickets are available at www.AltitudeTickets.com, by phone at 866-461-6556.and at the Pepsi Center box office.

WORKOUT QUOTES

BRANDON RIOS

“This will be the best fight of the trilogy, as it should be.”

“I am ready for anything Mike Alvarado brings to the table. I know all his tricks. He can’t surprise me this time.

“No one should be surprised if this fight ends in a knockout. It’s happened once already. I’m not looking for the knockout but you can bet I won’t be avoiding it if the opportunity presents itself.

For both of us it’s do or die. If I lose this fight I may just call it a day as a fighter. I’ve been at this a long time.

“I’ve been training in Greeley for 30 days to get acclimated to the thin air. I have been staying at a friend’s house. He built a full gym for me in his garage. It’s been great.

“Manny Pacquiao and Mike Alvarado are the two best fighters I have ever faced.

“I am so ready for chapter three on January 24. This is the ending the fans have been waiting for and I promise you they will not be disappointed!”

MIKE ALVARADO

”I feel great. I know the kind of fight this will be. He’s going to try to cut off the ring and when he does, he’ll open himself up and when he does that I will be cracking him.

“I will not fight his fight. I am sticking to our plan. But you can bet I will shoot the works when I have him in my sights.

“Brandon is right about one thing, it IS do or die for us We are both the same person inside the ring and outside the ring.”

“I have not allowed anything to distract me from my training. I am focused and ready.

“Fighting Brandon Rios has and continues to be an honor. This is a trilogy fans will remember for a very long time. We are entertainers and our fight on January 24 will be the grand finale. I intend to start the fireworks early in the fight.”

The “Road to Alvarado-Rios 3” special will replay on Friday, January 16 (9:45 p.m.), 18 (1:15 p.m.), 20 (9:45 a.m. & 11:00 p.m.), 23 (6:00 p.m. & 1:30 a.m.) and 24 (11:45 a.m.). All times are ET/PT. The 15-minute special will also be available on the HBO On Demand® service, HBO GO® and at www.hbo.com/boxing.

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, or facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, or twitter.com/hboboxing. Use the Hashtag #AlvaradoRios to join the conversation on Twitter.

Continuing to empower fitness enthusiasts around the world through its tough fitness approach, Reebok announces today its partnership with UFC featherweight contender, Conor McGregor. The signing follows the recent announcement of Reebok’s groundbreaking partnership with the UFC, the world’s leading mixed martial arts organization, and builds upon the global fitness brand’s impressive roster of UFC athletes which includes UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, and former UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks amongst others.

Proving his potential truly is limitless, in two years Conor McGregor went from young up-and-comer to one of the most exciting athletes in the sport of MMA. “Conor’s hard work, determination and confidence have gotten him to where he is today,” said Reebok Brand President Matt O’Toole. “His passion and his commitment to continual self-improvement are a true reflection of the Reebok brand.”

According to UFC President Dana White, “Conor is without a doubt one of the most exciting fighters we have ever had in the UFC.”

Born in Dublin, Ireland, twenty –six year old McGregor represents Reebok’s first UFC athlete that originates from and trains in Europe. Officially ranked no.5 in the UFC featherweight division, McGregor is steadily growing in popularity as he rides a 12-fight win streak and builds on his impressive 16-2 record. McGregor continues his journey to the division title this Sunday at UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Siver in Boston, Mass., where he will wear his first-ever “Reebok Walkout T-Shirt” when he takes on 10th-ranked Dennis Siver.

McGregor will play an important role in launching Reebok’s new collection of footwear and apparel specifically created for the 35 million people around the world who train like fighters. “I believe my potential in the Octagon is limitless, but it all comes down to the training you put in pre-fight,” said McGregor. “With a top fitness brand like Reebok behind me, there’s no telling what I can do in the Octagon.”

“In addition to being one of the fastest growing sports in the world, MMA is also one of the most demanding in terms of conditioning and fitness. Reebok believes that by pushing ourselves to the brink and testing our limitations, we have the power to transform ourselves not only physically but also mentally and socially,” said O’Toole.

For further information and assets please visit the Reebok News Stream at news.reebok.com

For further information on UFC please visit www.ufc.com

END

About Reebok

Reebok International Ltd., headquartered in Canton, MA, USA, is a leading worldwide designer, marketer and distributor of fitness and lifestyle footwear, apparel and equipment. An American-inspired global brand, Reebok is a pioneer in the sporting goods industry with a rich and storied fitness heritage. Reebok develops products, technologies and programming which enable movement and is committed to accompanying people on their journey to fulfill their potential. Reebok connects with the fitness consumer wherever they are and however they choose to stay fit – whether it’s training, running, walking, dance, yoga or aerobics. Reebok Classics leverages the brand’s fitness heritage and represents the roots of the brand in the sports lifestyle market. A subsidiary of the adidas Group, Reebok operates under the multiple divisions of the Reebok brand, Reebok-CCM Hockey and the Sports Licensed Division. Reebok is the exclusive outfitter of CrossFit and the Reebok CrossFit Games, the official title sponsor of the Reebok Spartan Race and exclusive apparel provider for Les Mills. For more information, visit Reebok at www.reebok.com or, for the latest news at http://news.reebok.com/. Or, discover Reebok at the following locations: http://facebook.com/reebok; http://twitter.com/reebok; and http://youtube.com/reebok

About UFC®

Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, the 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 129 countries and territories to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide in 28 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.

New York, NY: Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (26-0-1, 23 KOs), the current WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion, and Jean Pascal (29-2-1, 17 KOs), the former WBC and Lineal Light Heavyweight Champion and Current holder of the WBC Diamond Belt, addressed the U.S. media in New York City in advance of their March 14 fight for the WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight Championships. Kovalev has been named The Fighter of the Year by the WBO, Sports Illustrated, BleacherRepor, New York Post, USA Today and many others and today received his WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Championship Ring from Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events.

Also in attendance were Vyacheslav “Czar” Glazkov (19-0-1, 12 KOs) and Steve “USS” Cunningham (28-6, 13 KOs) who were announced as the co-feature for the Kovalev-Pascal card. The two will fight for the #1 position in the IBF.
Below are the quotes from the press conference:

Glazkov, Kovalev, Pascal & Cunningham
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events
“Welcome to the press conference where everyone is invited! One of the joys of my life is to present an interesting and big event with two fighters where the outcome is doubt. On March 14 we will present two such fights. The Kovalev-Pascal fight is a throwback fight in the truest sense of the word. A reigning World Champion who is willing to fight a worthy challenger in the challenger’s hometown. And if that wasn’t enough, in the co-feature Czar Glazkov and Steve Cunningham will face off for the #1 position in the IBF and the winner will face Wladimir Klitschko or whomever is the IBF Heavyweight Champion at the end of the year.”

Jean Bedard
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Jean Bedard, President of Interbox
“It is a privilege for Interbox to work with Kathy and Main Events because we share the same vision – to bring the best fights to the fans. Saturday is usually hockey night in Canada but, on March 14, Kovalev and Pascal will replace the Canadiens. The Bell Centre is one of the busiest sporting venues in the world and we are so proud to bring this event there. Thank you also to HBO.”

Duva
“Main Events and HBO have worked together since the 1980s probably before Peter Nelson was even born, but he has brought so much to the sweet science in a short period of time. It is a pleasure to work with again to bring another great night of boxing to the fans.”

Peter Nelson, Vice President of Programming, HBO Sports
“I wrote that for Kathy (laughing). I want to thank the media for coming today. I want to thank Kathy Duva. She has done a great job with Sergey Kovalev’s career. We were privileged to be part of his win over Bernard Hopkins and this is just the next installment in an amazing career. This fight is a signature event, it is not another check-in-the-box. This is two elite fighters looking to establish their legacies. We are privileged to be associated with events that not only have great main events but great co-features. The co-feature has an amazing story as well. Start time is 9:45 and we look forward to a great event. Sergey Kovalev and Jean Pascal always look to fight the best and I would like to thank the press for rewarding them for doing so.”

Duva
“In the co-feature, all of you will watch while I cover my eyes. We wanted to bring the heavyweight division back to life. Who knew that last year we would be here with two of our own facing each other for the #1 position? Then Steve Cunningham defeated Amir Mansour and Czar Glazkov defeated Tomasz Adamek and those victories have brought us here to this moment. The fans are the ones who will win when this fight ends but I won’t be able to watch. Steve’s legendary trainer, Brother Naazim Richardson is one of the best in the business. He is a member of Steve’s family and they have been living together through all the joy and all the sorrows. It is much better to be working together with Naazim on the same side this time instead of against him like with the fight against Hopkins. Steve has faced some incredible challenges in the boxing ring but he has faced even bigger challenges outside the ring. When he faced Mansour he was told his daughter Kennedy, who was born with a congenital heart defect, was going to die. Last month she proved the doctors wrong when she received a successful heart transplant. Her father shares her same fighting spirit to defy the odds and he is looking to show that on March 14.”

Steve and Cruz Cunningham
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Steve “USS” Cunningham, USBA Heavyweight Champion
“Thanks Kathy for making me tear up. I would like to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Main Events and HBO. I am finally getting on HBO! I gave up that I would ever get here so I am excited and happy to be on HBO finally. I know everyone talks about the situation with my daughter and the strength it took for us to survive it, but we have done nothing more than what anyone else would have done in the same situation. I want to thank everyone who gave to her fund and helped us get here. I am fighting my fourth undefeated heavyweight. I am here to show. Boxing is the show business. I have to show every time I get in that ring. I want to be the heavyweight world champion. Czar is an Olympian and he is undefeated and whatever plan Naaz comes up with I am going to execute it. You have seen the heart and the skill and I am going to bring that on March 14.”

Duva
“I didn’t know that the day that I met Egis Klimas that it would be one of the luckiest days of my life. He convinced me to look at Sergey Kovalev and I am so glad he did. Egis handles three world champions and now he is looking to get his first heavyweight world champion.”

Nelson, Glazkov and Klimas
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Egis Klimas, Manager of Sergey Kovalev and Czar Glazkov
“For me March 14 is going to be a double pleasure night. Me and Czar started working together when I convinced a Russian promoter to bring him to the United States. He just moved from the Ukraine to the United States. For this fight he relocated to Oxnard, CA and he is working with a new trainer, Victor Petrochenko. He has already started camp. It is going to be a good night and hopefully he can win and be IBF champion in the heavyweight division.”

Duva
“While Czar Glazkov was here in the United States becoming the NABF heavyweight champion, his friends and family were suffering through the conflict in the Ukraine. He wants a shot at his fellow countryman Wladimir Klitschko and he is willing to take on any challenge to get there. When he was originally scheduled to fight Tomasz Adamek and Adamek had fallen out, he was so disappointed that we had to replace him with Garret Wilson. However, he only asked me one question – is he right handed or left handed? That is what makes him the type of competitor he is.”

Czar and Steve
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

“Czar” Glazkov, NABF Heavyweight Champion
“I am very sorry to speak Russian but I am still learning English. I want to thank Kathy Duva and Main Events, HBO and Peter Nelson for giving me this opportunity to fight on the biggest boxing network. Steve Cunningham is a good fighter and this is his last chance to show something in boxing but my goal is to show that I am better. Now I am training with my new trainer, Victor Petrochenko. He is showing me something new. We are getting good workout and I will show March 14. It is going to be a good show.”

Greg Leon, CEO of Jean Pascal Promotions
“I want to thank HBO, Main Events, and Interbox. Interbox is a first class organization across the board. This fight is about the best versus the best. They are the two best light heavyweights willing to fight each other. Jean Pascal has never seen anyone as strong as Sergey Kovalev and Sergey Kovalev has never seen anyone as athletic as Jean Pascal. Pascal was shocked the odds have him four to one but we welcome the challenge. We are looking forward to a great night of boxing.”

Marc Ramsay, Trainer of Jean Pascal
“Thank you everyone. I would like to thank HBO, Main Events and Interbox for giving us this opportunity. I am proud to be part of this fight. So many fighters like to escape the big challenge. Sergey Kovalev is not afraid to travel and Jean Pascal is not afraid of this challenge. The real training camp starts next Monday. There is always a way to beat every fighter and Jean Pascal has all the tools to achieve it.”

Pascal with Kovalev and Duva
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Jean Pascal, Former WBC, IBO and The Ring Light Heavyweight Champion
“I want to thank God for giving us this opportunity as well as Interbox and Main Events. This fight was an easy fight to make. Titles and money come and go but history doesn’t. We want to make history. HBO wants to make the best fight possible and that is why they made this fight. I don’t have Showtime no more. They show boring fights. Sergey Kovalev is a great champion; a solid champion. He can punch, he has good speed, he is good with his distance, he does everything well, he has good technique and I love to be the underdog. I loved watching when Balboa fought the crushing Russian in Rocky IV and now this is my real life and I am going to be the black Balboa.”

Duva
“I want to recognize the best training staff in the business John David Jackson and Derik Santos, Sergey’s training team. They could not be here but they prepared him for his stellar appearance against Bernard Hopkins and they will have him ready for Pascal.”

Klimas
“It is a pleasure to represent a fighter who is USA Today, Sports Illustrated, and New York Post Fighter of the Year (to name a few). I believe truly he has proved that. Everyone thought that he could only knock people out but he outboxed Bernard Hopkins. Jean Pascal is a good fighter. He is the best challenger in the division for Sergey Kovalev. The two good men are going to meet. In the end talk is cheap let’s bring these guys in the ring and let that speak for itself. Nobody believed me when I brought Sergey Kovalev through 18 fights with my own money without a promoter. Thank you Kathy for bringing us to this level.”

Duva
“So many recognize why Sergey Kovalev should be the Fighter of the Year is not because he defeats everyone he faces but the way he does it. He outboxed a legendary fighter. It takes more than talent to make a champion, add drive, ambition and a work ethic that is second to none. He is charming and one of the nicest people in the world. He is the most electrifying fighter I have ever worked with (and I have worked with some electrifying fighters!) and he is just beginning. Before I ask him to speak I have a little surprise for him. Main Events has a tradition of creating rings when our fighters win a world championship. Joel McFadden is the artist who created your WBO ring. The good news is they created a wonderful new ring, that bad news is because you won two belts at once there is only one ring. Everything was designed by hand.”

Klimas and Kovalev with World Championship Ring
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev, WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion
“Hello everybody. Thanks for this great ring, it is very complimentary from jewel masters. I always wear my WBO ring. I sleep with it and now I will have to sleep with both together. Next, I know I was named Fighter of the Year but I didn’t know how many media chose me. I am happy and this push me more to show what I am a real Fighter of the Year. This year will be more big fights. I am starting with a very big fight with Jean Pascal. Thank you for taking this fight. For me it doesn’t matter where I fight. If I am true champion, I am fighting anyone anywhere. I want to thank HBO and Peter Nelson personally for this opportunity to give me big chance in my life. Where I am it is because of my team: Kathy Duva and Main Events, Egis Klimas and HBO. That is my team I love you and bless you. Everybody say before the fight was made that I will win. I never say never; this is boxing. This isn’t sprinting or bicycling. I never say never. You can go to Big Bear and repeat my preparations but no one can repeat my style. It is my thinking in me that gave me all victories and will give more.”

Duva
“I want to thank Le Parker Meridien, HBO and Hortitsia vodka, our sponsor. We look forward to a great night of boxing on March 14. Thank you.”

About Kovalev vs. Pascal
Kovalev vs. Pascal is a 12-round fight for the WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Championship Titles. The fight will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing® on March 14, 2015 from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Tickets are on sale now at the Bell Centre ticket office, at www.evenko.ca, by telephone at 1-855-310-2525 or through Club de Boxe Champion (514-376-0980). This event is a co-promotion of Main Events and InterBox, presented by Vidéotron in association with Mise-O-Jeu.

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NBC and Haymon Boxing announced a new fight series on Wednesday according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

The series, titled “Premier Boxing Champions” — “PBC on NBC” as executives are calling it — will include five cards on NBC on Saturday nights, six on NBC on Saturday afternoons and the remaining nine in prime time on NBC Sports Network.

[+] EnlargeDanny Garcia
Rich Kane/Hoganphotos/Golden Boy
NBC is scheduled to broadcast a junior welterweight title unification match between Danny Garcia (pictured) and Lamont Peterson on April 11.
The first two cards are high-level fights on par with the best bouts put on by premium cable networks HBO and Showtime, where most of boxing’s most significant matches have taken place for decades.

The series will kick off March 7 (9 p.m. ET) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas with interim welterweight titlist Keith Thurman (24-0, 21 KOs) facing former two-division titleholder Robert Guerrero (32-2-1, 18 KOs) and former three-division titleholder Adrien Broner (29-1, 22 KOs) facing John Molina (27-5, 22 KOs) in the junior welterweight co-feature.

The second card, slated for April 11 at a site to be determined, is one of the most anticipated bouts in boxing — a junior welterweight title unification match between Danny Garcia and Lamont Peterson.

“I’m excited, man. It’s a dream come true for me,” Garcia said of fighting on network television. “Words can’t explain the feeling. I’m just so excited for the sport of boxing. I love it. Now it’s just finally getting the exposure it deserves.”

“We know the responsibility that comes with being in prime time on NBC,” PBC chief operations officer Ryan Caldwell said.

Said Lamont Jones, vice president of operations for the series: “When the customer goes to the grocery store and sees USDA on the steak and wants to buy it, we want it to be the same for fans seeing PBC on the telecast and knowing it’s high quality and competitive matchups.

“I think the guiding principle and guiding vision of this series is presenting compelling and high-quality matchups to the fans. … Al Haymon has more than 150 fighters, and we are just trying to make the best fights for the fans. And if that requires making matchups with fighters we don’t manage, then that is certainly possible.”

“We are looking forward to presenting the PBC on NBC to develop a new and exciting platform, which will be embraced by the millions of boxing fans across the country,” said Jon Miller, president of programming for NBC and NBCSN.

“It’s bringing the world back into boxing,” Broner said. “Right now, boxing only reaches out to certain people. That’s why certain people, when I walk around, don’t know me. They might know me from certain antics I do, but they don’t know me from boxing. With NBC coming back, it’s people that don’t follow boxing that can come back into boxing. This is definitely great for the sport, and they want me to be the LeBron of boxing.

“… This is what they needed. They needed me, and I needed NBC. It’s ‘AB’ on NBC. I’m definitely ready to put on a great show for NBC. It’s my time. Think about it, Showtime had [approximately] 21 million [subscribers] and NBC got 115 million. It’s the biggest outlet.”

NEW YORK (Jan. 14, 2015) – Fight Network USA will celebrate the 60th anniversary of Ralph “Tiger” Jones’ major upset of legendary “Sugar” Ray Robinson, arguably the greatest boxer of all-time, by airing their fight this Sunday night (Jan. 18) as part of its Ultimate Classic Boxing series from 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET.

Fight Network is the world’s premier combat sports network dedicated to 24/7 coverage, including fights, fighters, fight news and fight lifestyle. The channel is available in the U.S. on Cablevision in parts of New York, Connecticut and New Jersey, Texas-based Grande Communications, Armstrong Cable in Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, as well as on Shentel Cable in Virginia, West Virginia and portions of western Maryland. Fight Network is also on Roku set top boxes throughout America, and streaming live on website KlowdTV.com.

Robinson was a multiple world welterweight and middleweight champion, when there were only eight weight classes, during his illustrious 25-year professional boxing career (1940-1965) in which he compiled an eye-opening 173-19-6 (108 KOs) record. The flashy Hall of Famer had an incredible 132-3-2 record when he fought Jones (32-12-3) on Jan. 19, 1955 at Chicago Stadium.

Robinson retired in 1952 after being stopped for the first time in his career by world light heavyweight champion Joey Maxim, when “Sugar Ray” was unable to continue after 13 rounds due to heat prostration from fighting outdoors at Yankee Stadium in 104 degree heat (Robinson led 10-3, 9-3-1 and 7-3-3 in rounds scored). At 33, Robinson came out of retirement 2 ½ years later and the Jones fight was the second of his comeback.

Jones, known as a very aggressive fighter, upset Robinson in this fight by way of a one-sided 10-round decision (100-88, 99-94, 98-89). The New Yorker went on to upset two other Hall of Famers, Joey Giardello and Kid Gavilan.

Later that same year in 1955, Robinson defeated Carl “Bobo” Olson for the world middleweight title, something he did on two other occasions before he finally retired for good. Jones never got a world title shot. Robinson died in 1989 at the age of 67, Jones in 1994 at 66.

Also airing this Sunday evening on Fight Network, starting at 11:00 p.m. ET on Banner: Best of the Decade is undefeated WBA and WBO super featherweight champion Acelino “Popo” Freitas (32-0) successfully defending his world title belts March 15, 2003 against challenger Juan Carlos “El Ranchero” Ramirez (29-4) with a fourth-round technical knockout at UIC Pavilion in Chicago.

This Sunday night’s boxing on Fight Network starts at 7:30 p.m. ET with KOTV Boxing Weekly, which covers all the latest news in professional boxing, features full recent fights and highlights. Sandwiched between Robinson vs. Jones and Freitas vs. Ramirez from 9:00 p.m. ET-11:00 p.m. ET is a replay of the European super featherweight title fight between Devis “Boom Boom” Boschiero (32-1-1) and Samir Kasmi (15-9-1) from March 23, 2013 in Veneto, Italy.

Demand Fight Network if your cable or satellite provider doesn’t offer it!

Information:

www.FightNetwork.com

Twitter & Instagram @fightnet

www.Facebook.com/FightNetwork

in anticipation of this year’s Boxcino 2015 tournament, the January 16 edition of ESPN Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra and ESPN Deportes’ Noche de Combates presentado por Corona Extra will feature Boxcino 2014 middleweight champion Willie “El Mongoose” Monroe Jr. (18-1, 6 KOs) and Boxcino 2014 lightweight champion Petr “El Zar” Petrov (35-4-2, 16 KOs) in co-main events. Monroe will square off in a 10-round bout against veteran Bryan “The Warrior” Vera (23-8, 14 KOs), while Petrov will meet lightweight contender “Hammerin’” Hank Lundy (25-4-1, 12 KOs) in a 10-round match. Friday’s show from the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, N.Y., will air live at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2, broadband Spanish-language ESPN Deportes+ and WatchESPN. ESPN Deportes will air the fights on Saturday, January 17, at 8 p.m. The card is promoted by Banner Promotions.

Commentators:
Joe Tessitore will be ringside with analyst Teddy Atlas describing the action for ESPN2, while studio host Todd Grisham (@GrishamESPN) will provide the latest boxing news and information. Delvin Rodríguez and Pablo Viruega will call the fights for Noche de Combates (Fight Night) on ESPN Deportes, while Leopoldo González and Claudia Trejos will anchor the studio. Bilingual reporter Bernardo Osuna (@osunaespn) will present live interviews and reports for both shows.

Boxcino 2015 Fighters and Matchups to be Announced on Telecast:
Fighters and matchups for this year’s Boxcino 2015 tournament — featuring fighters in the heavyweight and junior middleweight divisions — will be announced during this week’s Friday Night Fights and Noche de Combates telecasts (boxers are paired and the brackets created by random drawing).

Co-Main Events:
Rochester, N.Y.’s Monroe Jr., the son of former middleweight contender Willie Monroe, has won his last eight fights, including his last—a 10-round unanimous decision win over Brandon Adams to win the Boxcino 2014 middleweight belt. Vera, who hails from Texas, enters Friday’s fight with wins over former junior middleweight titlists Sergio Mora and Sergey Dzinziruk.

Pertov, who scored an eighth-round TKO victory over Fernando Carcamo in his last fight to win the Boxcino 2014 lightweight belt, is looking to score another victory when he faces Philadelphia’s Lundy, who has wins over lightweight titlist Richar Abril and former lightweight titlist David Diaz.

Opening Fight:
Fridays show will open with a four-round matchup between Welterweights Greg Jackson (3-1-1, 1 KO) of N.J. and Maryland’s Cornelius Whitlock (3-1-2, 2 KOs).

Upcoming Schedule:

Date

Time (ET)

Main Event

Location

Networks

Fri, Jan 16

9 p.m.

Willie Monroe Jr. (18-1, 6 KOs) vs. Brian Vera (23-8, 14 KOs) — 10 rounds, Middleweights; Petr Petrov (35-4-2, 7 KOs) vs. Hank Lundy (25-4-1, 12 KOs) – 10 rounds, Lightweights

Turning Stone Resort and Casino, Verona N.Y.

ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN

Fri, Jan 30

9 p.m.

Karl Dargan (17-0, 9 KOs) vs. Tony Luis (18-2, 7 KOs) —10 rounds, Lightweights

Foxwoods Resort and Casino, Mashantucket, Conn.

ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN

Fri, Feb 6

9 p.m.

Jermain Taylor (33-4-1, 20 KOs) vs. Sergio Mora (27-3-2, 9 KOs) — 12 rounds, IBF World Middleweight Title

Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, Biloxi, Miss.

ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN

Fri, Feb 13

9 p.m.

Boxcino 2015 Quarterfinals- Junior Middleweight

Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Conn.

ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN

Fri, Feb 20

9 p.m.

Boxcino 2015 Quarterfinals- Heavyweight

Turning Stone Resort and Casino, Verona N.Y.

ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN

*Schedule subject to change

Friday Night Fights and Noche de Combates Social Media:

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· Score the fights round-by-round with the “Live Friday Night Fights Facebook Voting App,” an application on the ESPN FNF Facebook page that allows viewers to score the fight round-by-round.

· Follow ESPN Deportes’ Noche de Combates on Twitter @ESPNBoxeo.

· For the latest ESPN.com boxing news and analysis follow @ESPNBoxing.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the long awaited much anticipated mega battle between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather could be closer to happening as reportedly Pacquiao agreed to all terms of a proposed contract.

Pacquiao and Top Rank, his promoter, have agreed to terms for a May 2 bout, Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti told ESPN.com on Tuesday night, although Mayweather has not yet agreed to terms and it remains to be seen if he will.

“Top Rank and Manny have agreed to the terms on our side. I don’t know about the other side,” Moretti said.

According to a source involved in the negotiations, Pacquiao has agreed to a 40 percent cut of the revenue, leaving Mayweather with the remaining 60 percent of a fight most believe will shatter every boxing box office record, including the all-time pay-per-view buy record of 2.4 million (Mayweather-Oscar De La Hoya), the pay-per-view revenue record of $150 million (Mayweather-Canelo Alvarez) and the all-time gate record of $20 million (Mayweather-Alvarez).

If the fight is finalized, it would take place May 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Moretti said. Mayweather has had his past 10 fights there, and Pacquiao has had five of his past seven bouts there.

However, Moretti said Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs), 36, who has subjected himself (and his opponents) to random testing by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association for his recent bouts, has gone so far as to agree to use the United States Anti-Doping Agency, which has randomly tested Mayweather (and his opponents) for years.

“I think that Manny agreed to USADA testing shows you his eagerness to make this fight,” Moretti said.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (Jan. 13, 2015) – Former M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion Kenny “Deuce” Garner will take on powerful Chechen prospect Aslambek “Titan” Musaev in the initial fight announced by M-1 Global for its 2015 season-opening event, M-1 Challenge 55, on Saturday night, February 21, in Tbilisi, Georgia.

M-1 Challenge 55: Guram Gugenishvili Memorial Show will be streamed live in high definition on www.M1Global.TV. Viewers will be able to watch the preliminary fights and main card by logging on to register at www.M1Global.TV. Fans may watch all of the action on their computers, as well as on Andriod and Apple smart phones and tablets.

Garner (14-8-0, 7 KO/TKO, 4 SUB) fought an epic trilogy with Gugenishvili, the first M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion, with the American winning two of three fights. Garner holds the longest reign of the coveted M-1 Challenge heavyweight title, 1-½ years, from October 14, 2011 to April 9, 2013.

In his last fight this past November 25 at M-1 Challenge 53: Battle in the Celestial Empire in Beijing, China, as a late replacement for injured Satoshi Ishii, the hard-punching Floridian lost to the great Sergei Kharitonov (21-5-0), by way of a technical knockout when the doctor stopped the fight in the third round due to injury.

In 2013, Musaev (5-1-0, 1 KO/TKO, 2 SUB) won the WAMMA tournament final, defeating Rasul Islamov. The powerful Chechen also holds the Guinness Book world record for weight lifting with only one arm (right), making him a dual-threat as a dangerous striker as well as for applying strong holds.

Musaev has displayed his physical strength at public events by lifting cars, heavy objects and even people. His only career loss as a professional MMA fighter was to former UFC champion Brett “The Grim” Rogers last October.

Additional fights will soon be announced. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Fight Network will air M-1 Challenge 55 on Cablevision’s Optimum TV, Grande Communications, Shentel Cable and Armstrong Cable in the U.S., as well as nationwide in Canada, on Roku devices across North America, and also globally in more 30 countries throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Information

www.M-1Global.com

www.mixfight.ru

www.WMMAA.org

www.M1Global.TV

Twitter & Instagram:

@M1Global

@VadimFinkelchteinM1

@M1GlobalNews

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/pages/M-1-Global/145250878842244
ABOUT M-1 GLOBAL: Founded in 1997, M-1 Global has established itself in the realm of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as the premiere entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With offices in St Petersburg, Amsterdam and Los Angeles and affiliates in Seoul, Tokyo and Paris, the M-1 brand has staged more than 150 events worldwide, including the M-1 Selection, M-1 Challenge and M-1 Global and M-1 Global HWGP events, in addition to co-promoting Strikeforce events and M-1 Global on the Showtime network in the United States. Captivating live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and matchups, M-1 Global events have featured some of the sport’s top names, including Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Aleksander Emelianenko, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Keith Jardine, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Roman Zentsov, Yushin Okami, Mike Pyle, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, Amar Suloev, Chalid Arrab and Stephan Struve. 2014 promises to be another sensational year of world-class competition with a full calendar of Challenge events fueled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global’s Champions amongst the greatest in the sport. M-1 Global’s greatest asset is renowned heavyweight fighter, Fedor Emelianenko.

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

Prospect Boxing today confirmed their first show in 2015 at the Fauldhouse Miners Welfare, where local fighter Sean Watson will return to action for the first time since August 2013,when he picked up a points win over James Ancliffe.

The card also marks the return for Edinburgh’s Lee Redpath, while Livingston’s Martin Taylor is also pencilled in to make his professional debut.

Speaking about his first card of the year, Promotor Paul Graham is excited to have secured the venue “Over the years, there has been a bit of talk about a professional show at the Fauldhouse Miners Welfare, but nothing has ever materialised. So I am glad to be given the town a chance to see professional boxing.

A local lad aswell, Graham goes on to add that the town has had its fair share of talent over the decades “Fauldhouse has produced some fine boxers over the years. We had Johnny Smillie who lost to Peter Keenan for the British Title aswell as John Fisher who was a top amateur, and more recently Colin McNeil and Sean Watson, so it will be good to finally give something back the local community.

“This will be the first time Sean Watson has fought in about 18 months, he didn’t get out last year due to work commitments and injury, it was frustrating for him as he is looking to really make waves in the Super Featherweight division, and if he can pick up the British Masters Belt that is on offer on the 27th February then that will be the best start possible for him this year.

“I am expecting a sell out at the venue, it has a cracking set up and has been used for amateur bouts in the past, so it will be good to see it packed. We have a buffet on the night, aswell as a licensed bar and a comedian, so there will be a lot on offer on the night to everyone.

Prospect Boxing prestent an evening of Championship Boxing at the Fauldhouse Miners Welfare Club in Fauldhouse on Friday 27th February 2015. Headlined by local fighter Sean Watson who fights for vacant British Masters Super Featherweight Title, the card also see Edinburgh Lee Redpath return to action while Livingstones Martin Taylor makes his pro debut.

Tickets are priced at £40, and include a Buffet and a comedian, are available from the fighters or by calling 01698 338888,

Juergen Braehmer (45-2, 33 KOs) will defend his WBA World Light Heavyweight title against Robin Krasniqi (43-3, 16 KOs) on March 21 in Rostock, Germany.

The 36 year-old southpaw returns, following the first-round knockout Pawel Glazewski in December, to face Krasniqi in a hotly anticipated domestic showdown. ‘’This is a fight people have been talking about for a long time.’’ said Braehmer. ‘’Now, the time has come to give the fans what they want. On March 21, I will defeat Krasniqi and retain my title.’’

In Rostock, Krasniqi will have the opportunity to achieve his ultimate ambition, when he makes his second world title attempt. ‘’My dream has always been to become world champion,’’ said the Munich-based boxer. ‘’I missed my first opportunity two years ago, but this time I will take my chance and dethrone Braehmer!’’

Said promoter Kalle Sauerland: “Braehmer vs. Krasniqi is a fight that has been on the wish list of German boxing fans for some time. We’re delighted that, on March 21, in cooperation with our new TV partner SAT.1, we can fulfil this wish.’’

Tickets for the WBA World Light Heavyweight Championship clash between Braehmer and Krasniqi are available via tickethall.de.

Damon Feldman will make you Famous , He is a undefeated professional Boxer 9-0 was injured in out of ring accident, he got into promoting and started with Toughman competitions from there to Professional Wrestling where I created the WWU World Wrestling Union , then to professional Boxing, from there after putting on several matches, Feldman felt the need for a change, he wanted to give the local guy a chance to be in spotlight and get 15 minutes of Fame and get Celebrities who are out of the spotlight the chance to make the comeback and get their 16th minute. so Damon reached out to Danny Bonaduce to see if he would do a Celebrity Boxing match in January 2008 , he agreed and the rest is history, some of the Celebrities who have stepped in the World Xtreme Entertainment Ring are Jose Canseco, Tonya Harding, Octomom, Tila Tequilla, Tank Abbott, Kimo Leopoldo, Amy Fisher, Joey Buttafucco, Coolio, Jeremy Jackson, Tareq Salahi, Willie Aames, James Buster Douglas, The Sandman and many more. Damon is in his 7th year and 77 matches of putting celebrity boxing all over the country and this is what I do for a living to to take care of my family, Feldman is looking for an Investing/Business Partner to help finance these events, create a Training facility for undercard matches and the building of future stars. The business is the 15 minutes of Fame for the regular guy and the 16th minute for the celebrity to earn a payday and keep their name out in the Spotlight to help get signed for endorsements events and deals, these events are a Boxing Meets Professional Wrestling Meets Reality TV, 1 Big Reality show in the Ring!!!

To get a chance at your 15 minutes of Fame and want more info –email Feldman at
thepromoterx@aol.com

LONDON (13 JAN) Rising heavyweight prospect Hughie Lewis Fury aims to make up for recent inactivity with an impressive performance against Ukrainian puncher Andriy Rudenko on February 21 in Monte Carlo.

Hughie, cousin of Tyson, has been sidelined since May due to illness, but is now back firing on all cylinders and ready for the biggest test of his 14-bout professional career.

“I’m just delighted to be back training and to have a big fight on the horizon,” the 20-year-old said.

“The last eight months have absolutely killed me really. I’ve spent my days doing nothing and just getting really bored. I was basically watching films all the time. I was out of the gym completely. All I could do was swim. I had to stick to the medication and do exactly as I was told.

“It’s been very frustrating for me and for everybody around me. I’ve had to sit and watch everyone else crack on and have fights, including members of my own family, and I’ve been able to do nothing with my own career. It’s been very hard. I can’t wait to get back in the ring and make a statement.

“I feel good and healthy now, though. I am 100% healthy.”

The heavyweight’s exasperation was shared by his father and trainer, Peter, who had lined up a number of fights for Hughie only to see them fall through.

“It was very frustrating,” he said. “One of the main reasons for pulling Hughie out of those fights is that he has such great boxing skills and is a world-class performer and I didn’t want to see him perform below par. He could have carried on at the same level, having the same kind of fights and just labouring through them. But what’s the point?

“We’re aiming for world-class boxing. I didn’t want him to be someone who stepped up and failed because of his health. The decision was obvious to pull him out and just get to the root of the problem. We think we’re almost there now. He’s had extensive checks over the last eight months and it has cost upwards of fifteen thousand pounds in health bills. We’ve taken him everywhere.

“But he’s feeling good now, he’s back in training and it’s all systems go. He’s been in training for three weeks and he’s responding well to the training. Everything is going very well. His strength is increasing and I’ve seen the results I would expect to see.”

A healthy Hughie is a dangerous Hughie and he’ll need to be at his very best to overcome the considerable threat of Rudenko in Monte Carlo. The Dnipropetrovsk-native is renowned for his punch power and durability and has won 24 of his 25 professional fights, 16 via knockout. The only black mark on his record is a controversial 12-round decision loss to top contender Lucas ‘Big Daddy’ Browne last August.

“This is an easy fight to get motivated for, but I’ve always been focused and motivated for my fights,” said Hughie, 14-0 (8 KOs). “I just want to show people what I can actually do. I know I can beat anyone in the heavyweight division and, now I’m 100% healthy, it’s up to me to prove myself. You’ll see on the night what I can do at this level.”

Peter Fury added: “Hughie’s now 20 years of age and he’s been in excellent camps and sparred with some elite-level heavyweights. He’s around Tyson Fury and Eddie Chambers all the time. He is used to mixing at that level now. So, although it’s a step up and sparring isn’t boxing, it’s not like he’s completely new to this level. Hughie is a skilled fighter. He’s on a different level.

“He’s also 14-0, let’s not forget. He’s done his schooling and he knows his way around the ring. He’s been eight rounds when he’s been under the weather. He’s managed to get his way through it.

“Hughie is now experienced enough for me to be confident in taking a risk like this. He’s also got the amateur credentials. In fact, when you really condense it down and look at it, this is no inexperienced and vulnerable kid. Hughie can handle himself and he’ll show that on February 21.”

*** Fury-Rudenko is part of the ‘Thunderbolt in Monaco’ show on February 21 in Monte Carlo. The event, televised on Channel 5, is headlined by the WBA Super world middleweight title fight between the destructive Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin and well-schooled Brit Martin Murray ***

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Micki Nielsen (16-0, 12 KOs) is on the ‘Road To Glory’. The young Dane can claim his first major title when he faces Julio Cesar Dos Santos (27-3, 24 KOs) for the WBC International Cruiserweight title on February 7 at the Arena Nord in Frederikshavn, Denmark.

Nielsen impressed in his last outing, dominating former world title challenger Gusmyr Perdomo to score a unanimous points victory. Now, the 21 year-old southpaw can take the next step on his journey to become world champion, when he challenges Dos Santos for the vacant WBC International crown.

‘’This will be a tough test, but one I‘m ready for,’’ said Nielsen. ‘’Winning the WBC International title would be the perfect start to the New Year. I want to be the best and challenge for world titles. This is the next step for me!

‘’I can’t afford to take anything for granted. Dos Santos is a strong opponent, with a good record, but I’m confident that I have what it takes to win. I will work hard in the gym, and I know my coach Joey Gamache will come up with the perfect game plan.

‘’I have some great memories of fighting in Frederikshavn, and I’m going to make sure that February 7 is another night to remember. I want to prove to everyone that I’m the real deal, and continue my climb to the top of the cruiserweight division.’’

To realise his ambition Nielsen must get past the former Brazilian and WBO Latino Champion, Dos Santos, which may prove no easy task. Having stopped twenty-four of his previous thirty opponents inside the distance, the Sao Paulo-boxer boasts a fearsome 80% knockout ratio.

While promoter Nisse Sauerland acknowledges the danger Dos Santos possesses, he is confident his fighter is up to the challenge. ‘’This will undoubtedly be Micki’s toughest test to date,’’ said Sauerland. ‘’But we know what he is capable of, and it’s time he showed his true potential.

‘’This is a massive opportunity, and a chance for Micki to announce himself onto the world scene. Outside of a world title, the WBC International belt is one of the most prestigious titles a boxer can hold, and a convincing victory could put Micki in line for a world title fight later this year.’’

Nielsen’s WBC International title challenge tops an action-packed show at the Arena Nord in Frederikshavn, which also features the Scandinavian showdown between Anthony Yigit (11-0-1, 4 KOs) and Kim Poulsen (26-1, 7 KOs), Dennis Ceylan’s (12-0-1, 6 KOs) rematch with Cristian Montilla (6-3-1, 3 KOs), rising Danish stars Abdul Khattab (9-0, 3 KOs) and Rashid Kassem (6-0, 3 KOs), and Norwegian talents Tim-Robin Lihaug (9-1, 5 KOs), Simen Smaadal (8-1, 3 KOs), Alexander Hagen (5-1, 1 KO) and Kai Robin Havnaa (1-0). Tickets for the Nordic Fight Night are available via arenanord.dk.

LAS VEGAS (Jan. 13, 2015) – “RETURN TO GLORY: Stiverne vs. Wilder” fight week is officially here as WBC Heavyweight World Champion Bermane “B. Ware” Stiverne, undefeated No. 1 challenger Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder, Hall of Fame promoter Don King, WBC Super Bantamweight Champion Leo “Terremoto” Santa Cruz and all the fighters on the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® tripleheader live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT) this Saturday, Jan. 17, made their grand arrivals at MGM Grand this afternoon.

Here is what the fighters had to say upon their arrivals in Las Vegas Tuesday:

BERMANE STIVERNE , WBC Heavyweight World Champion

“I really don’t feel any emotions towards Deontay Wilder. The most important thing is for me to defend my world title.

“All the trash talking that he does doesn’t worry me. He doesn’t have anything that I want. I am the champ. This is fighting, this is boxing, this is for real. I keep my concentration on the fight.

“We trained like he was the champion. We didn’t talk about his past experience. We trained like he has gone 12 rounds before.

“I’m here to fight for the people. I fight to inspire people anywhere in the world, that’s my responsibility since I am the world champion.”

DEONTAY WILDER, Undefeated No.1 WBC Heavyweight Contender

“I need to let this beast inside of me out. I am so ready for this fight. We are bringing back the heavyweight division.

“Once I knock this guy out it will be on to the next guy for me. He will definitely go down, I’m going to hurt him bad.

“He has never faced someone with my athletic skills. My athleticism alone is going to hurt him.

“There is no better place to have a fight of this magnitude than in Las Vegas. The fight will be explosive, exciting and I will be bringing this heavyweight belt back to America.

“When you have so much animosity towards someone it makes for a great fight. Everything that I’ve said about him and all he has said about me will be settled on Saturday.”

LEO SANTA CRUZ, WBC Super Bantamweight World Champion

“I am always prepared going into every fight. I never underestimate any fighter because those are the ones that can hurt you.

“When you give them the opportunity they come prepared and hungry because they want to take the title away from you.

“Any fighter is dangerous in the ring; one punch could change a fight. Ruiz is a good fighter.

“I trained really hard for this fight as I always do. I am mentally and physically strong, and I’ve been working much more on my power heading into this fight.”

JESUS RUIZ, Super Bantamweight Contender

“I am very excited to be here. I promise you, come Saturday you will have a new world champion.

“I am motivated and looking forward to this fight. It’s an honor for me to be here and I am grateful for the opportunity.

“He’s [Santa Cruz] a fighter that we’re well aware of. I know his style and the way he fights but we’re ready and prepared to win.

“He is an explosive fighter and so am I. I don’t think either fighter has an advantage over the other. I think you’re going to see two strong Mexican fighters going at it, it’s going to be an exciting fight.”

AMIR IMAM, Super Lightweight Contender

“I’m really excited to be on the undercard of a big American heavyweight title fight. I’m coming here to take care of business and get out of there. I’m coming here to do what I do best.

“Boxing is what I do and we’re ready. All that matters is that I get the victory, but I definitely want to win impressively.

“I have big things lined up for 2015, but I need to first take care of business on Saturday.

“[Maldonado Jr.] is no pushover. I don’t look over any fighter. I take everybody seriously.”

FIDEL MALDONADO JR., Super Lightweight Contender

“I am very confident going into this fight. This has been my best training camp that I have had in my professional career, I’m ready.”

“This is the biggest fight I have ever been in and my best opportunity to prove that I belong and get exposure.

“I know that [Imam] was an Olympic alternate, he’s a good fighter. People are underestimating me, so I’m going to go in there and knock him out.”

DON KING, Hall of Fame Promoter

“This is the heavyweight title fight. We are bringing Las Vegas back again.

“We are happy to be back at the world capital of boxing. The current Mike Tyson, Bermane Stiverne, will be defending his world title here at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. If Bermane wins, we’re going to bring Tyson back out of retirement to fight him. This fight is the ‘Return to Glory.’ Boxing goes as the heavyweights go, and the heavyweight division is back. This is one of the biggest fights we have had in years.”

# # #

“RETURN TO GLORY”: STIVERNE VS. WILDER, a 12-round fight for Stiverne’s WBC Heavyweight Championship taking place Saturday, Jan. 17 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, is co-promoted by Don King Productions and Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona and Mexico – Live It To Believe It!. In the 12-round co-feature, unbeaten WBC Super Bantamweight World Champion Leo Santa Cruz defends against Jesus Ruiz and undefeated Amir Imam meets Fidel Maldonado Jr. in a 10-round super lightweight bout for the WBC Continental Americas Super Lightweight Title. The event will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., and will air live on SHOWTIME® (10:00 p.m. ET/ 7:00 p.m. PT). The telecast will also be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP). Preliminary bouts will be televised live on SHOWTIME EXTREME (8:00 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).

Tickets for the event are on sale and priced at $500, $350, $250, $125 and $50, not including applicable service charges and taxes. Tickets are limited to eight (8) per person with a limit of four (4) at the $50 price range. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

For more information visit www.donking.com, www.goldenboypromotions.com and www.sports.sho.com, follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @BStiverne, @BronzeBomber, @SHOSports and @MGMGrand and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing, or visit SHOWTIME Boxing Blog at http://theboxingblog.sho.com/.

Brooklyn, NY (January 13, 2015)– Dmitry Salita announced today that the WBU Americas Featherweight Title will be up for grabs as an added co feature to his popular Brooklyn Brawl Boxing Series.

Floriano Pagliara, The popular Italian from Cecine Italy and now residing in Williamsburgh Brooklyn will take on slick moving Antwan Robertson from Minnesota USA

Pagliara has held title belts as the IBF Mederteranian Champion and Italian Federation in the Jr. Lightweight Division.

“Floriano loves America. He has become very popular with the local Italian communities in the tri state area. He is very honored to fight for an American title in front of his American fan base. People respond to Flori. Dmitry and his promotional team will be very happy with the fan support that Floriano brings” quoted Rich Komissar, the American promoter for Pagliara. “His fans support him” added Komissar

The move to featherweight is something that the Italian has been thinking of since his move to America a few years back.

“I always try to think of making the featherweight limit but in Italy my training and diet did not allow for this. But in America I have the best training for this and now I am never more than 132 lbs when I am regular time and not training” said the affable Italian with his operatic dialect.

“Star of David Promotions is happy to add this bout as a co feature” said Dmitry Salita of Star of David Promotions. “I have seen Floriano fight a few times here in New York Area. He is far and away one of the New York Area’s most popular fighters. He always brings a good crowd and he gives a great show. I believe the matchup we are giving you here (Pagliara / Robertson) will produce an all out action packed fight that the fans will like. Antwan Robertson is never in a dull fight. He reminds me a little bit of Junior Jones… This fight will be a war”.

The Brooklyn Brawl Series will hop over the river to Manhattan for this show on January 22nd. The card will be held at the world famous Webster Hall 125 East 11th Street NYC New York 10003.

There will be a press conference this Thursday at Capizzi Restaurant at 2 PM. Capizzi is located at West 41st street and 9th ave.

Below is a video of Pagliara, who has been coined “The Brooklyn Rocky”

Ontario, Canada: When Tony “The Lightning” Luis (18-2, 7 KOs) steps into the ring on Jan. 30 at Foxwoods Resort Casino to face undefeated Philadelphian Karl “Dynamite” Dargan (17-0, 9 KOs) many will consider him the opponent in their battle for the WBC Continental Americas Lightweight Championship but Luis feels he has already proved he has the perseverance and resilience to give Dynamite a run for his money.

“I have much respect for Karl Dargan,” said Tony. “He is slick and quick. In short he is good. To be the best you have to beat the best. I am coming to fight and to win. We both have our work cut out for us. I will be prepared for anything. I know I am the ‘B’ side fighter and he has had the investment and protection I have not had in my career and it will slant in his favor. I have to fight harder and do more. I have been here before. The pressure is on him to stay undefeated. I have been there in his shoes. I will see Karl Dargan in the ring on Friday, Jan. 30 and may the best man win. To the victor go the spoils.”

Lightning Luis did not take the typical road to professional boxing that so many other fighters have. Instead he received a degree from St. Lawrence College in Cornwall, Ontario in Police Foundations. He had planned to become a police officer but then found that his true calling was working with children. Luis decided to pursue a career in social work and became a drug and alcohol rehabilitation counselor at a boys’ group home on an Indian reservation in his native Canada. This position, which he still holds today, allows him to work with kids both inside and outside of the boxing ring. His job also allows him to pursue his other passion which is his professional boxing career.

Lightning Luis
Photo Courtesy of:
Greg Cohen Promotions

Luis turned pro in 2008 after a rather impressive amateur career. He decided he wanted to make his professional debut instead of waiting for the next Olympic qualifiers. Although he won his first 15 professional bouts, his early career was not without heartbreak. A week and half before his third professional fight Tony’s mother died suddenly from an unexpected aneurism. Despite pleas from his father/trainer, Jorge Luis, to withdraw from the fight, Tony proceeded. He defeated Mario Andrade via a fourth round unanimous decision.

He suffered his first professional loss, and only career knockout loss, on ESPN to Jose Hernandez. Despite the loss, Jorge believes it was the best thing that could have happened to Tony at the time. He said, “In retrospect it was a good loss because Tony was at a point where he felt he was invincible. Sometimes, when these young guys get to a certain point, they think they are invincible. They think that they got it down pat. He had scored a few stoppages there. He felt they were all going to go the same way. He got a harsh lesson that night from Hernandez who was just a better man that night.”

Tony won his next two fights before suffering a controversial unanimous decision loss to Ivan Redkach for the USBA Lightweight Title. This loss still leaves a bad taste in his father’s mouth who said, “I have never digested that loss. I still get comments everywhere I go that the fight should have been at least a draw or we should have been on the winning end of a split decision.” However, just like the other hurdles Tony has had to overcome in his career, this loss instilled in him a sense of perseverance and resilience.

Luis’s promoter, Greg Cohen, of Greg Cohen Promotions added, “As always, it’s terrific working with Main Events and I’m really pleased to be part of this wonderful event. This is exactly the type of fight Tony needs to win to get to the world championship level. He is one of the most intelligent, professional fighters I have ever worked with and I know he is going to perform on Jan. 30 and have the career defining performance he needs. Karl Dargan is an excellent fighter as well and I expect a terrific fight that will have the fans entertained from the opening bell on. I’m really looking forward to this one!”

About January 30
Presented by Main Events in association with Greg Cohen Promotions, the Jan. 30 edition of Friday Night Fights on ESPN2 and will take place at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, CT. It features a ten-round lightweight battle between undefeated contender Karl “Dynamite” Dargan (17-0, 9 KOs) against Tony “The Lightning” Luis (18-2, 7 KOs) for the WBC Continental Americas Lightweight Championship in the main event. The co-feature is an eight-round middleweight bout between Thomas Falowo (12-3, 8 KOs) against Russell Lamour (11-0, 5 KOs). The remaining undercard bouts will be announced shortly. Tickets are $40, $60 and $75 and available now through Foxwoods.com and the Foxwoods box office. The doors will open at 5:00 PM ET and the Friday Night Fights telecast will begin at 9:00 PM ET on ESPN2.

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NEW YORK/TORONTO (Jan. 13, 2015) – Ring 8 was a proud sponsor of the recent 28th annual Ring 8 Holiday Events and Awards Ceremony, held at Russo’s On The Bay in Howard Beach, New York.

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

Ring 8, formed in 1954 by ex-prizefighter Jack Grebelsky, became the eighth subsidiary of what was then known as the National Veteran Boxers Association – hence, Ring 8 – and today the organization’s motto is still the same: Boxers Helping Boxers. With its 350+ plus members, Ring 8 is the largest group of its kind in the United States. It remains fully committed to supporting less fortunate people in the boxing community who may require assistance in terms of paying rent, medical expenses, or whatever justifiable need.

Below find a photo gallery from the aforementioned event:

Former world welterweight champion Tony DeMarco

(L-R) – Ring 8 president Bob Duffy & Ring 8 2014
Fighter of the Year Chris Algieiri

Ring 8 2014 Comeback of the Year – Daniel Jacobs

Ring 8 2014 Contender of the Year – Frank Galarza

Ring 8 2014 Prospect of the Year – Julian Williams

Information:

www.FightNetwork.com

Twitter & Instagram @fightnet

www.Facebook.com/FightNetwork

ABOUT FIGHT NETWORK: Fight Network is the world’s premier combat sports network dedicated to 24/7 coverage, including fights, fighters, fight news and fight lifestyle. The channel is available in the U.S. on Cablevision in parts of New York, Connecticut and New Jersey, Texas-based Grande Communications, Armstrong Cable in Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, as well as on Shentel Cable in Virginia, West Virginia and portions of western Maryland. Fight Network is also on Roku set top boxes throughout North America, available on all major carriers in Canada, streaming live on website KlowdTV.com, and in more than 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Interim WBA Heavyweight champion Luis Ortiz was suspended for 8-months and fined $8.000 for failing a post fight drug test following his September 11 first round stoppage over Lateef Kayode in Las Vegas.

In addition, Ortiz, a Cuban defector living in Miami, will be required to perform 15 hours of community service aimed toward children with an anti-bullying message.

He will also be requited to produce a clean test before his next fight and the commission reserved the right to randomly drug test him for the remainder of the year at his expense.

Gilberto Mendoza Jr. of the WBA, which sanctions Ortiz’s interim title, told ESPN.com on Monday evening that once it receives the paperwork from Nevada, Ortiz will be stripped of the belt, a move that likely will cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions.

“There is no reason why he tested positive for Nandrolone. He apologizes, he is remorseful and he is embarrassed. He has never used drugs,” Bonds told the commission before he blamed the positive test on Ortiz’s consumption of horse meat, which he said often is contaminated with Nandrolone and not uncommon for Cubans to eat.

“I came to America five years ago to accomplish my dream of becoming a world champion,” Ortiz said. “I don’t even know what this substance is. I’ve always trained very hard to accomplish my dream. I leave it all in your hands. I have faith and trust in you (the commission).”

“The only thing I know how to do is fight,” Ortiz said.

“It’s a positive test and it deserves our attention with a punishment similar to others who have some credible, and some not credible, explanations for their positive test,” commissioner Raymond “Skip” Avansino Jr. said.

Promoter Dmitriy Salita is pleased to announce a compelling main event for the January 22nd card at Webster Hall in New York, which pits cruiserweight contender Junior Wright, a Chicago-based pugilist, against tough Texan Rayford Johnson in a 10-round bout. “Junior was in camp with Adonis Stevenson for Adonis’ fight on Dec. 19, and Junior is ready to challenge the best in world,” Salita said. “He’s looking to make a statement.” Johnson is still buzzed from beating 16-1 Vincent Miranda last September so Wright will need to be on message.

Salita is pumped for a “fight of the year potential” clash pitting lightweight Dimash Niyazov against former NYS lightweight champion Ariel Duran in a bout scheduled for 6-rounds.. “That will be Dimash’s toughest test,” Salita said.

Rising prospect Gary Beriguette of Brooklyn is looking to impress in a junior welter clash; he meets NYC fan favorite Raphael Luna of Albany in a six round bout, someone who has never engaged in a dull fight, and Salita expects him to continue that trend onJan. 22.

A KO is a distinct possibility when fight fans see the SODP debut of heavyweight bomber Ytalo Perea, an Ecuador native, looking to leave his mark on Emilio Salas in a 4-round bout. The Pan Am Games champ seeks to bring a heavyweight belt back to his native land to show off proudly.

Salita looks to be cornering the market on heavy hitting prospects at cruiser and heavy; another one in that category, looking to show off his stuff in NYC, is Russian Alexey Zubov, a 28-year-old hitter who craves KO climaxes. He will face Eric George in a 4-round bout.

Welterweight prospect Treysean Wiggins, out of Newburgh, NY, is another KO-craver under the Salita banner who wants to lay the smack down at Webster Hall when he takes on Llyas Aksbaev.

Fan favorite Floriano Pagliara draws hordes of fans who love his high-volume punching, pleasant personality and attractive visage; he will be in action on Jan. 22 as well in an 8 round bout against Antwun Robertsonin a 8-round bout.

Rising middleweight Akil Auguste is looking to score another KO, extending his perfect streak of wins-by-KO to six when he takes on Eddie Edmond in a six-round bout.

National and NY Golden Gloves champion Marcos Suarez, a possible future star in Salita’s eyes, wants to steal the show at Webster Hall. He takes on undefeated Usiel Hernandez of Geneva, New York in a 4-round Jr. Welterweight bout.

Damien Yero of the Bronx will look to make his pro debut a successful one as he takes on Brooklyn slugger Mack Babb in a 4-round Welterweight bout.

The Star of David team clapped hands for their heavyweight hopeful Jarrell Miller, who rose to 11-0 on Friday night, with a decision win over Aaron Kinch in California. It was high-profile outing, featured on ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights.”

LAS VEGAS (January 12, 2015) – Although he has lived in Las Vegas for the past decade, Bermane “B. Ware” Stiverne (24-1, 21 KOs) is extremely proud to be the first world heavyweight champion from his native Haiti, as well as the first from the Province of Quebec to hold that coveted title.

Today, Stiverne is a role model in his native Haiti, as well as in his second home, Quebec, where he trained for many years as an amateur and professional, in addition to fighting in Montreal twice as a pro.

Stiverne makes the first defense of his World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight title, which he captured last May with an impressive sixth-round technical knockout of dangerous Chris Arreola (35-4), this Saturday night (Jan. 17) against undefeated, mandatory challenger Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder (32-0, 32 KOs), airing live on Showtime Championship Boxing (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT) from MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Stiverne-Wilder is also airing live in Canada on TVA Sports.

Born in Haiti as the youngest boy and 11th of 13 children, “B. Ware” moved with his family at the age of 10 to Miami, where, ironically, he was bullied at school. He resettled in Montreal, Quebec, often going back and forth between there and Miami, before moving to Las Vegas in 2004.

“I’ve lived here in the United States since 1988,” Stiverne said. “My parents moved to Miami and then back and forth between Miami and Montreal. After school, when I was older, I moved to Las Vegas to pursue my boxing career.

“I represent the country I was born in, Haiti, and then Quebec, but I also love the United States. But, first, I’m from Haiti and I want to give hope to those Haitians who don’t have a lot. I want to inspire people there by letting them know it doesn’t matter where you are born, that dreams can come true like it has for me. There aren’t a lot of opportunities there and I hope Haitians pursue their dreams like I did.”

(L) WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne and his manager Camille Estephan
“I know how proud Bermane is to be the first Haitian and first guy from Quebec to be heavyweight champion of the world,” Stiverne’s manager Camille Estephan added. “It really means the world to him. Quebec is a hotbed for boxing and the heavyweight division is the flagship of boxing. We’ve proven that and silenced those who say boxing is dying. The record number of media credentials request for this fight at an international level is crazy.”

“B. Ware” of Stiverne!

For further information visit www.eottm.com, or follow on Twitter @eotmvd and @BStiverne.

Undefeated Heavyweight sensation Anthony Joshua was diganosed with a stress fracture in his back which will postpone his January 31 bout with former world title challenger Kevin Johnson, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“I trained so hard over Christmas and the press conference with Johnson was so lively that I was really looking forward to putting in a great performance,” Joshua said. “It’s bad news for myself and for the fans that have bought tickets. I hope to be able to put on a fan zone at the weigh-in and the fight itself to meet the fans. I will be competing many times this year, but this injury is something that I need to get sorted as soon as possible.”

“It’s disappointing to lose Anthony from this great card, but after receiving news from the [MRI] scan, he was left with no option but to rest his back,” Hearn said. “He picked up a niggle in the Sprott camp and had a good month rest after, but it hasn’t been 100 percent in camp and the results gave him no option. He hopes to resume punching in early February and come back with a bang in Newcastle on April 4.”

Thomas Hoover has replaced Melvina Lathan as chairperson of the New York State Athletic Commission, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Hoover, who will turn 74 later this month, is a former professional basketball player, having played in the NBA for the New York Knicks and the St. Louis Hawks from 1963 to 1967 as well as for the Denver Rockets, Houston Mavericks, Minnesota Pipers and New York Nets in the now-defunct ABA.

Lathan’s seven years at the helm have not been without controversies. Lathan, a former boxing judge who worked dozens of world title bouts and is known as a supporter of legalizing mixed martial arts in New York, was in charge when heavyweight Magomed Abdusalamov suffered a serious brain injury as a result of a fight at the Theater at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 2, 2013.

LAS VEGAS (Jan. 12, 2015) – The fight this Saturday, Jan. 17, between undefeated super lightweight Amir “Young Master” Imam (15-0, 13 KOs) and hard-hitting Fidel “The Atrisco Kid” Maldonado Jr. (19-2, 16 KOs) will now be for the WBC Continental Americas Super Lightweight Championship, it was announced today.

The 10-rounder, which will open the live SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® tripleheader on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, will precede two world title bouts on a fight card at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas co-promoted by Don King Productions and Golden Boy Promotions

In Saturday’s highly anticipated main event, hard-hitting WBC Heavyweight World Champion Bermane “B.Ware” Stiverne (24-1-1, 21 KOs), of Las Vegas, will defend against unbeaten knockout specialist and mandatory challenger Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder (32-0, 32 KOs), of Tuscaloosa, Ala. Crowd-pleasing unbeaten WBC Super Bantamweight World Champion Leo “Terremoto” Santa Cruz (28-0-1, 16 KOs), of Los Angeles, will risk his belt against Jesus “Estrella” Ruiz (32-5-5, 22 KOs) in the co-feature.

Tickets for the event are on sale and priced at $500, $350, $250, $125 and $50, not including applicable service charges and taxes. Tickets are limited to eight (8) per person with a limit of four (4) at the $50 price range. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com. The first non-televised preliminary bout will begin at 3 p.m. PT.

Imam (pronounced “EE-mom”), of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., by way of Albany, N.Y., was an amateur standout and silver medalist at the 2011 U.S. Olympic Trials. As a professional, the talented Imam, 24, has mostly had his way; 11 of his fights have ended in the first or second round.

The always-willing Maldonado Jr., 23, had won six straight bouts, five by knockout, before his last outing ended in a third round no contest on Dec. 20, 2014, in Cancun, Mexico.
***

“RETURN TO GLORY”: STIVERNE VS. WILDER, a 12-round fight for Stiverne’s WBC Heavyweight Championship taking place Saturday, Jan. 17 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, is co-promoted by Don King Productions and Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona and Mexico – Live It To Believe It!. In the 12-round co-feature, unbeaten WBC Super Bantamweight World Champion Leo Santa Cruz defends against Jesus Ruiz and undefeated Amir Imam meets Fidel Maldonado Jr. in a 10-round super lightweight bout for the WBC Continental Americas Super Lightweight Title. The event will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., and will air live on SHOWTIME® (10:00 p.m. ET/ 7:00 p.m. PT). The telecast will also be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP). Preliminary bouts will be televised live on SHOWTIME EXTREME (8:00 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).

For more information visit www.donking.com, www.goldenboypromotions.com and www.sports.sho.com, follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @BStiverne, @BronzeBomber, @SHOSports and @MGMGrand and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing, or visit SHOWTIME Boxing Blog at http://theboxingblog.sho.com/.

NEW YORK, NY (January 12, 2015) – GoFight Live (www.gfl.tv), the world’s premier online destination for live combat sports, announced today that it has partnered with legendary world champion Lou Neglia’s Ring of Combat, which has sent over 90 professional fighters to the UFC, to bring the promotion’s historic, 50th Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event featuring seven championship bouts, to live pay-per-view television as well as to a live global audience on GFL.tv, on Fri., Jan. 23, from the Tropicana Resort & Casino in Atlantic City, N.J.

At a suggested retail price of $17.99, the live cable television pay-per-view broadcast and the live GFL.tv online stream of Ring of Combat 50 begins at 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST on Jan. 23. Additionally, a live, free-of-charge preview show featuring two preliminary card bouts from the event begins exclusively on GFL.tv at 8:30 p.m. EST/5:30 p.m. PST.

“We are thrilled to team up with GoFight Live, which gives us the opportunity to showcase this event – a major milestone for Ring of Combat – to fight fans all over the globe,” said Neglia, whose organization has been touted by MixedMartialArts.com as “The American Idol of MMA” because of its unmatched track record of discovering future superstars of the sport.

To date, Ring of Combat is responsible for jumpstarting the careers of reigning UFC middleweight kingpin Chris Weidman, retired, former UFC champion Matt Serra; and UFC superstars Frankie Edgar; Al Iaquinta; Uriah Hall; Ryan LaFlare; Costas Philippou and Edson Barboza, among others.

Frankie Perez, a nine-time Ring of Combat veteran who was originally slated to compete on the upcoming 50th event, withdrew from his scheduled title fight after being called up to make his UFC debut on Jan. 18.

Amongst the crop of rising stars that are slated for action at Ring of Combat 50 and that have been touted as potential, future UFC competitors are undefeated Ring of Combat national bantamweight (135 pounds) champion Julio Arce (6-0) of Queens, N.Y., who will put his title on the line in the co-main event against battle-tested Thomas Vasquez (7-2) of Horn Lake, Miss., and undefeated, former NCAA Division I wrestling champion and four-time All- American for Edinboro University Gregor Gillespie (3-0) of Wantagh, N.Y., who will square off with Justin Stewart (0=0) of Greene, N.Y. in one of the pay-per-view pre-show matchups on GFL.tv.

Unbeaten KO artist Oluwale “Holy War Angel” Bamgbose (3-0) of New York, N.Y. will battle Devon “Bam Bam” Morris (1-3) Niles, Mich. for the vacant Ring of Combat national middleweight (185 pounds) title.

Since making his professional debut at Ring of Combat 45 on June 14, 2013 with a blistering first round (2:45) TKO (punches) of Fikret Darzanoff, the 27-year-old Bamgbose has been unstoppable, continuing his dominant success with two more first round stoppages – a TKO (punches) of Michael Elshamy on Jan. 24, 2014, and a TKO (doctor stoppage) of Steve Nichols on Sept. 19, 2014 – both in Ring of Combat action.

In the main event, 25-year-old Jeff Lentz (9-4-1) of Mays Landing, N.J. will square off with fellow up-and-coming finisher, 26-year-old George “Lights Out” Sheppard (15-9) of Newport News, Va., for the promotion’s vacant, national lightweight (155 pounds) championship.

Lentz has earned 6 of his 9 career victories by way of (T)KO (4) or submission (2), while Sheppard has notched 11 of his 15 career wins to date via (T)KO (9) or submission (2).

Unbeaten Randy “Rude Boy” Brown (2-0) of Queens will lock horns with Mike Winters (7-4) of Cortland, N.Y. for the vacant Ring of Combat national welterweight (170 pounds) strap.

A Jamaican import, the 24-year-old Brown made his professional debut under the Ring of Combat banner on May 16, 2014, submitting Steve Tyrrell with an armbar in the first round (1:53) of their meeting. On Sept. 19, 2014, Brown turned in another powerful performance, finishing Leonard Simpson by way of second round (:52) TKO with a barrage of punches.

Brown will face his toughest test to date in Winters, a veteran of more than five times as many fights than Brown. Winters has yet to be finished by an opponent since making his professional debut in 2010, and reeling off wins in his first four starts – three by way of TKO.

Ring of Combat flyweight (125 pounds) champion, Matt “Razor Sharp” Rizzo (7-2) of Levittown, Penn. will risk his title against Corey Simmons (5-6) Defiance, Ohio.

Rizzo is coming off a brilliant first round (3:40) submission (rear-naked choke) of Jimmy Grant at Ring of Combat 49 on Sept. 19, 2014, avenging a KO (punch) defeat at the hands of Grant, just one fight before that, on May 16, 2014. Prior to the loss, Rizzo had collected four straight wins – three via first round submission.

Phillipe “The Filipino Assassin” Nover (8-5) of Brooklyn, N.Y. will square off against Dan Cion (4-1) of Farmingdale, N.Y. for the Ring of Combat East Coast lightweight title.

Nover, 30, is aiming for his third consecutive win, after earning back-to-back unanimous decisions over Darrell Horcher and Mike Santiago on April 4, 2013 and June 14, 2013, respectively. The victory over Horcher represented Nover’s final start of a 2-1 stint fighting for Bellator.

Cion, also 30 years of age, is looking for his second straight win in what will be his first appearance since June 1, 2012 when he decimated Casey Milliken in just 18 seconds with an onslaught of punches.

Kenny Foster (11-8) of Selden, N.Y. will battle Mike Santiago (12-9) of Wood Dale, Ill. for the Ring of Combat East Coast featherweight (145 pounds) belt.

Tickets for Ring of Combat 50, priced from $55 to $135, can be purchased online at RingofCombat.com, the Tropicana Resort & Casino box office and Ticketmaster.com.

Doors at the Tropicana Resort & Casino showroom open at 8:00 p.m. EST.

###

About GFL:

GFL (www.gfl.tv) is a fast-growing media and sports entertainment company that utilizes a proprietary technology to deliver the most exciting LIVE combat sports events worldwide and an incredible viewing experience to a global audience. With a diverse mix of combat sports properties, GFL is the premier online destination for live boxing, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Muay Thai, kickboxing, Jiu-Jitsu and more. Since its inception in 2007, GFL has streamed more than 2,500 live events with over 10,000 hours of combat sports content. In addition to its web platform, GFL is available on Roku, IPhone, IPad, as well as other internet ready devices, and broadcasts a weekly, two-hour, syndicated fight TV show on CSN, TCN and SNY, as well as live pay-per-view events directly to iN DEMAND.

About Ring of Combat:

Ring of Combat is one of the longest running and most successful MMA promotions in the country. More than 80 ROC fighters have moved on to the UFC and other top promotions, including former UFC champions Frankie Edgar and Matt Serra and current UFC Middleweight Champion, Chris Weidman. It is because of this success, finding great but unknown talent and preparing them for the world stage, that Ring of Combat has earned the reputation of being called the “American Idol” of MMA. Lou firmly believes that great fights make great fighters!

For more information about Ring of Combat, please visit their website at: www.ringofcombat.com

About Lou Neglia:

Louis Neglia is a three-time World Kickboxing Champion, a former U.S. Kickboxiing Champion, a Florida Karate Champion, New York State Champion, and an Eastern American Karate Champion. No opponent has lasted more than three rounds against Louis Neglia since he won his first World Championship in 1980. Lou is an eight-degree Black Belt, and retired from competition in 1985 with a career record of 34 wins and only 2 losses. He was named Fighter Of the Year in 1984 and was inducted into the Karate Hall of Fame. He starred in four motion pictures(“A Hard Way to Die”,”Super Weapon”,”Fist of Fear”,and “One Down”, “Two To Go”). Featured articles have been written about him in the top American and International magazines and newspapers.

For more information about Lou Neglia’s, please visit his website at: www.louneglia.com

Nutley, NJ(January 12, 2015)–This past Friday night at the Madison Square Garden Theater, previously undefeated Super Middleweight Jerry Odom suffered his first professional defeat when he was controversially disqualified when he was ruled to have hit Andrew Hernandez while he was down following a knockdown.

“Jerry dropped the kid and the referee was way out of position. The referee was in the opposite corner,””said GH3 Promotions CEO Vito Mielnicki.

“We signed Hernandez before the fight so I am looking to do an immediate rematch as soon as mid February. As everyone saw, Jerry was well on his way to stopping him. Hernandez is a good prospect but Jerry got the best of him. I think Andrew knew that Jerry was breaking him down.”

“The referee was way out of position to make a call like that They could have given him five minutes to recover. Stuff like this is a black eye for the sport. All that being said, Andrew knows that if he wants to become something, he has to take the rematch. I am going to talk to the commission on Monday and see what my options are in terms of an appeal but making the rematch is the first order of business for us.”

“We know that Jerry is still the top Super Middleweight prospect out there and we will not let this terrible ruling effect our plans for Jerry going forward.

GH3 Promotions features undefeated Middleweight Antoine Douglas, Super Middleweight’s Jerry Odom & Derrick Webster, undefeated Featherweight Glenn Dezurn Jr., undefeated Super Bantamweight Adam Lopez as well as Jr. Middleweight John Thompson, Jr. Lightweight Wanzell Ellison, Featherweight Jorge Diaz, undefeated Super Bantamweight Qa’id Muhammad and Light Heavyweight Lavarn Harvell to the GH3 Promotions stable.

Celebrity boxing promoter Damon Feldman is in talks with Justin Bieber’s camp for Justin to possibly step in the ring in a showdown with internet star Antoine Dodson on April 25th in Los Angeles, Dodson is 1-0 in Celebrity Boxing and Dodson has signed contract now the wait is on Bieber to make this reality, Bieber has been training with Floyd Mayweather jr more info coming you could check Feldman’s events out at Wxent.com
Feldman pictured with VH1,mob wives star Natalie DiDonato also pictures is Antoine Dodson and Justin Bieber and Floyd Mayweather jr.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Golden Boy Promotions settled their lawsuit with former CEO Richard Schaefer.

As part of the settlement, Schaefer, whom Golden Boy claimed was still under an employment contract through March 2018, will be barred from promoting for an unspecified length of time, according to one of the sources. It is between one and two years, according to the source.

The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to speak publicly due to the terms of the settlement.

Schaefer also owns about 8 percent of Golden Boy stock and it would be likely that he would have to give that up as part of any settlement.

In addition to settling with Schaefer, the sources also said that De La Hoya severed ties with most of the Haymon fighters that Golden Boy had been promoting on a fight-by-fight basis in return for what one of the sources said was “substantial financial compensation” from Haymon.

“Oscar is still looking forward to the fight next week,” one of the sources said. “Yes, Golden Boy is losing some top fighters as part of this, no doubt about it. That is hard, but this is a long-term plan. Oscar is happy and comfortable with the decision, and this is the next step. He could have continued to go on like this and continued to work with Haymon but that doesn’t benefit anyone if there is no long-term plan.

“With this decision, there is a very good feeling around the office. Golden Boy still has some horses and will just do what it has proven it can do, which is to develop the younger guys it promotes.”

The sources said Golden Boy will continue to promote a handful of fighters aligned with Haymon, who still have promotional contracts with the company, including Amir Khan, Leo Santa Cruz, Lucas Matthysse and Paulie Malignaggi.

“Oscar has deals with a number of Haymon’s fighters and those will continue,” one of the sources said. “The idea is they finish their contracts and then they go somewhere else.”

“It’s no way to do business. We were totally hamstrung,” one of the sources said. “Every time there was a fight Oscar wanted to make the question was would Haymon’s guy fight him? That’s how you end up with Rod Salka [as the opponent for Garcia in one of 2014’s most egregious mismatches] and the weak guys Leo Santa Cruz has fought. We couldn’t make the fights we wanted to. What’s the point of having fighters in the stable if they don’t fight anyone?

“Oscar has been clear as a bell with what he wants to do. He wants to make the best fights possible for the fans. He has said it time and again and he means it. Oscar came to the conclusion that he couldn’t make the fights he wanted to make by continuing to do business like this. There was so much drama surrounding everything. Everyone at Golden Boy had to operate in a box. Now everyone is free.”

Tacoma, WA (January 10, 2015) A special Friday night edition of Battle at the Boat started off the 2015 fight calendar with a bang. A packed house at the Emerald Queen Casino was treated to a fantastic night of fights, featuring the northwest’s best up and coming boxing talent.

In the main event of the evening, Tacoma’s own Mike “Imagine Me” Gavronski (16-1-1 10KO’s) took on Dashon Johnson (15-18-3 5KO’s) of Escondido, California. Despite taking the fight on only a week’s notice, Johnson gave Gavronski all he could handle, landing vicious right hands to the head and body in the early rounds. Gavronski was up for the challenge however, picking his opponent apart with crisp jabs and excellent footwork. Even with a 7th round point deduction for pushing, Gavronski proved too much for the more experienced Johnson, winning a Unanimous Decision victory in front of his hometown fans.

The semi-main event saw Vancouver, Washington native Virgil “The Black Mamba” Green (10-3 3KO’s) take on another Tacoma fighter and former Tacoma Golden Gloves Champ, Will Hughes (4-2 3KO’s). Green dominated from the opening bell, using his height and reach advantage to open a nasty cut over the right eye of Hughes. Green went on to win a lopsided Unanimous Decision, picking up the 10th win of his career in the process.

Also featured on the card was undefeated local sensation Jeremy McCleary (6-0) of Buckley, Washington. McCleary used his impressive hand speed to win a close Unanimous Decision over a tough opponent in Portland, Oregon’s Damen Wood (0-2). Another local star, Marquice Weston (4-0-1 2KO’s), fought California’s Lamont Williams (6-6-1 3KO’s) to a majority draw. McCleary and Weston are fighters on the rise, and two of the top names to watch in 2015.

This thrilling night of action was rounded out with two other incredible undercard fights. Those results are as follows:

Antonio Neal (3-1 3KO’s) def. Ron Pryce (0-1) via 1st round TKO
Andres Reyes (2-0) def. Benny Vinson (1-2 1KO) via Unanimous Decision

Battle at the Boat 99 is presented by Brian Halquist Productions. Next up in the series, Battle at the Boat 100, live from the Emerald Queen Casino on Saturday, March 28th 2015. Tickets for this very special evening, celebrating the northwest’s premier fight promotion’s 100th show; will be available through the Emerald Queen Casino Box Office, as well as all Ticketmaster locations. For more information, please visit www.halquistproductions.com and the Battle at the Boat Facebook page.