Press Conference Notes: Michael Conlan Set for Belfast Homecoming Versus Miguel Marriaga

BELFAST (Aug. 4 2022) — You can always come home. Michael “Mick” Conlan, a two-time Irish Olympian and the fighting pride of Belfast, returns to the ring Saturday in the 10-round featherweight main event against three-time title challenger Miguel Marriaga at The SSE Arena.

Conlan (16-1, 8 KOs) is back following his Fight of the Year in March against WBA featherweight world champion Leigh Wood. Wood, who was behind on all three scorecards, knocked out Conlan in a dramatic 12th round to retain his belt. Conlan hopes to rebound in his hometown, where he has headlined in front of sold-out crowds three times before.

Marriaga (30-5, 26 KOs), from Colombia, is an iron-fisted contender who has shared the ring with Vasiliy Lomachenko, Oscar Valdez and Nicholas Walters. He is 1-2 in his last three bouts, and at 35, a victory over Conlan would propel him back into title contention.

A loaded fight card, headlined by Conlan-Marriaga, will stream live on ESPN+ at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT. Irish welterweight sensation Paddy “Real Deal” Donovan (8-0, 6 KOs), rising featherweight Kurt Walker (2-0, 1 KO), and junior middleweight standout Kieran Molloy (1-0, 1 KO) will see action in separate bouts.

UK and Irish fans can catch the card on FITE TV.

At Thursday’s press conference, this is what the fighters had to say. Michael Conlan

“I want to get back in the world title mix as soon as I possibly can, and I thought Miguel Marriaga would be the perfect kind of guy, perfect statement to make that. Thank you to Miguel for coming. I think he’s a fantastic fighter, a very tough opponent, a very tough pick for a comeback fight. But in my opinion, the perfect one because I want to show my level. I obviously was 90 seconds away, whatever it was {against Leigh Wood}, but I know how good I can be. I know what I have left to give. I believe for me to get back {to title contention}, I didn’t need anybody easy. I wanted someone hard and an opponent who’s going to push me. And I believe Miguel is.”

“If you watch any of his fights, the only person to take him out is Lomachenko, and that was more his corner stopping the fight, not so much himself. I know he’s a tough dude. He will be there for the full 10 rounds. If there’s an opportunity to take him out, I will do that, but I know that he’s a tough guy. He’s high tempo, fast pace, and he will be there for the full distance punching and trying to take your head off. So, I’ve got to be ready. I’ve got to be prepared. I have many different game plans, which flutter about in my head, and I’ll decide in the ring which one I’ll pick.”

Miguel Marriaga

“Thank you to Belfast and Ireland for giving me the opportunity for this fight. I know it’s going to be a very good fight. Michael Conlan is an excellent boxer. I’ve also come well-prepared to make an excellent fight.”

“Obviously, the idea is to come here and win the fight, which is the most important thing.”

Paddy Donovan

“It’s going to be a great fight. Tom {Hill} is a good opponent for me at this stage of my career. I’m ready to put on a great show. I’ve prepared well. I’m in the best shape of my life, so I’m ready to get out there and do a great job on him. I’m very excited to be back here in Belfast. This will be my third time, first time fighting at The SSE Arena. Last year at the Feile {an Phobail} was absolutely brilliant, and the crowd was brilliant. And my debut at Ulster Hall as well. I’m really excited to be back here and really excited to do a great job come Saturday night.”

Kieran Molloy

“I’m just really looking forward to getting out there Saturday. I was lucky enough to be here last year at the Feile. The atmosphere was unbelievable. I’m really excited and proud to be part of it this year. I had a couple of fights fall through pretty recently, but we just regrouped, got back to training, and I’m looking forward to a really good performance come Saturday.”

Kurt Walker

“I think the last time I boxed in Belfast was maybe 2014 in the Ulster Seniors, so to get back here, it’s a great day for me.”

Saturday, August 6

 ESPN+ (2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT)

 
Michael Conlan vs. Miguel Marriaga, 10 rounds, featherweight

Tyrone McKenna vs. Chris Jenkins, 10 rounds, welterweight

Kieran Molloy vs. Evgenii Vazem, 6 rounds, junior middleweight

Padraig McCrory vs. Marco Antonio Periban, 10 rounds, McCrory’s WBC International Silver Super Middleweight Title

Kurt Walker vs. Marcos Gabriel Martinez, 6 rounds, featherweight

Paddy Donovan vs. Tom Hill, 8 rounds, welterweight




SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT PROSPECT SHINARD BUNCH TAKES ON UNDEFEATED HUGO ALBERTO ROLDAN ON NEXT EDITION OF SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION® FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 LIVE ON SHOWTIME®

NEW YORK – August 4, 2022 – Shinard Bunch, a super lightweight prospect with over 400 amateur fights, returns to SHOBOX: The New Generation in his toughest challenge to date against undefeated Argentine Hugo Alberto Roldan on Friday, September 9 in the main event of a stacked tripleheader live on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The developmental series features six prospects with a combined record of 110-3-3 and returns to Bally’s Atlantic City Hotel & Casino, site of the first SHOBOX® 21 years ago.

After going 7-0-1 in 2021, Bunch(19-1-1, 15 KOs) and the Freddy Fundora-trainedRoldan(21-0-1, 7 KOs) will square off in a 10-round super lightweight bout. The co-feature matches undefeated Filipino prospect Bernard Angelo Torres (16-0, 7 KOs) against once-beaten Dominican Frency Fortunato Saya (13-1, 10 KOs) in an eight-round featherweight attraction. The telecast opens with SHOBOX returnee Janelson Bocachica (17-0-1, 11 KOs), who fought main event headliner Bunch to a split draw in July 2021, taking on once-beaten KO artist Roiman Villa (24-1, 24 KOs) in an eight-round welterweight battle.

The event is promoted by Sampson Boxing and features four fighters new to SHOBOX.

“SHOBOX continues its tradition of presenting evenly matched fights between determined prospects, giving fans what they have long come to expect from us — a glimpse of tomorrow’s stars today,” said Gordon Hall, executive producer for SHOBOX: The New Generation. “Shinard Bunch certainly fits the bill as a champion-in-waiting with his extensive amateur background and willingness to take on all comers. In Hugo Alberto Roldan he’s facing his most difficult test, given Roldan’s experience and relentless style. The co-feature between Bernard Angelo Torres and Frency Fortunato Saya is a can’t-miss action fight, and the telecast opener with Janelson Bocachica and Roiman Villa is a battle of power-punchers that should be thrilling for as long as it lasts.”

Here is a closer look at the matchups:

Bunch vs. Roldan – 10-Round Super Lightweight Main Event Bout

Managed by Hall of Famer J. Russell Peltz, the 23-year-old Bunch has been extremely active since turning pro in 2019, fighting five times in 2020, eight times in 2021, and twice so far this year. Since his controversial split draw with Bocachica in his SHOBOX debut, Bunch has won four fights in a row, including three by way of stoppage. Bunch’s only pro loss came in 2019 in just his third fight, a unanimous decision loss to SHOBOX alum and amateur standout Paul Kroll (9-0-1, 6 KOs). Bunch had more than 400 amateur fights and started boxing at age 7, earning a No. 3 national ranking from the 2016 Nationals and a spot on the USA Boxing national team. A native of Queens, N.Y., Bunch currently lives and trains in Trenton, N.J.

“Fighting on SHOBOX in a co-main event was a step-up for me in 2021,” said Bunch. “But now, I’m the main event. Growing up with the name Showtime, this is literally something I have dreamed about since I was five years old. Being able to do this in front of my friends and family is unbelievable. I’m blessed to be a main event on SHOBOX and I’m definitely ready to show the world why I’m at this level.”

Promoted by Sampson Lewkowicz, Roldan, 29, recently relocated to Coachella, Calif. where he began training under the guidance of Freddy Fundora, father of WBC Interim Super Welterweight Champion Sebastian Fundora. A native of La Banda, Santiago del Estero, Argentina, Roldan will be making his SHOBOX and United States debut on September 9 and has fought 20 of his 22 professional bouts in his country. A clever boxer who moves in and out of range using his footspeed and switches from orthodox to southpaw, Roldan owns wins over German del Castillo, Lucas Bastilla and Emiliano Dominguez twice and has never faced an opponent with a losing record.

“I am ready to show my boxing skills to the world,” said Roldan, who had a 56-1 amateur record. “I can’t wait to fight in the United States. I am so thankful for this opportunity and can’t wait to take a big leap forward with this fight in my journey to a world championship.”

Torres vs. Saya – 8-Round Featherweight Bout

The twenty-six-year-old Filipino Torres had a long, storied amateur career in both his native Philippines and Norway that included three amateur wins over childhood friend Mark Magsayo, former WBC Featherweight World Champion. A talented southpaw, Torres made his pro debut in Norway in 2017 and is coming off a career-best win over then 13-4-1 Mauro Perouene in Madrid in January. When he was 14, he moved to Norway where he met his trainer and mentor Kjell Soerum and became a seven-time national champion as part of an amateur career that totaled 160 bouts.

“This is a great opportunity for me that I plan to take full advantage of on September 9,” said Torres. “Sampson discovered Manny Pacquiao so the fact that he has noticed me is something that motivates me to be a world champion and succeed in America. I know that my style will be popular there. It’s going to be a great fight. I hope to fight in a world championship in 2023.”

Born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and currently residing in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Saya has fought just once in the U.S, stopping Julio Buitrago in two rounds in Daytona Beach in August 2020. Prior to that win, he had beaten two consecutive undefeated opponents in then 14-0 Marcos Muniz and then 6-0 Misael Vasquez. Saya’s lone blemish came at the hands of Argentine Alberto Ezequiel Melian in a 10-round unanimous decision loss in Argentina in which Saya sent Melian to the canvas four times. Saya fought four times in 2021 but has yet to step into the ring in 2022. Most recently, he won a 10-round unanimous decision over Alejandro Jair Gonzalez in his hometown of Santo Domingo last December.

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to fight on SHOBOX and to showcase my skills to the world,” said Saya, 24. “I promise to put on a great show for the fans and show everyone that I am one of the top featherweight boxing prospects in the world.  Bernard Torres is a very skilled boxer with a lot of experience in the ring.  I know he will come ready to fight.  However, this fight and this opportunity are so important to me, my family, my team and my country. I will fight for all of them, leave everything in the ring and come out victorious.”

Bocachica vs. Villa – Eight-Round Welterweight Bout

Fighting out of Detroit, Mich., Bocachica is just 23 and already has six years of pro experience, including three appearances on SHOBOX. Last July, he fought Bunch to a 10-round split-draw in the co-main event. Prior to that, he earned his best win to date, a majority decision win over previously unbeaten Mark Reyes, Jr. An aggressive, come-forward fighter, Bocachica began boxing at age eight and boasts an amateur record of 60-5, including a victory against Brandun Lee in the finals to win the 2014 U.S. Junior National Olympics. He is trained by his father, Nelson Figueroa.

“I’m excited to be back on SHOWTIME and I’m looking forward to putting on my best performance so far,” said Bocachica. “I feel good and I’m ready to take over the sport of boxing and end careers, humbly.”

All 24 of Venezuelan sharpshooter Villa’s victories are by way of stoppage. Since a 12-round split-decision loss to Marcos Villasana in April 2019, Torres has stopped all five of his opponents in five rounds or less. He owns a fourth-round KO over then 20-1-1 Mexican Miguel Parra Ramirez in Mexico and most recently stopped Andres Garcia in Uruguay on July 29. Born in Rosario, Venezuela, Villa had a long amateur career, finishing with a record of 138-9 before turning pro in 2015.

“This is a great opportunity, and I am very honored to make my U.S. debut on SHOBOX,” said the 29-year-old Villa. “SHOBOX is known to be the starting place of great champions and I am ready to show my talent and show how strong I am.”

Hall of Famer Barry Tompkins calls the action from ringside with veteran combat sports reporter and MORNING KOMBAT host Brian Campbell and former world champion Raul Marquez serving as expert analysts with Hall of Famer Steve Farhood remotely performing unofficial scoring duties.

The executive producer of SHOBOX: The New Generation is Gordon Hall with Chuck McKean producing and Rick Phillips directing.

# # #

For more information visit www.sho.com/sports follow on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @SHOSports, #ShoBox, or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports

About ShoBox: The New Generation

Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, SHOBOX: The New Generation has featured young talent matched tough. The SHOBOX philosophy is to televise exciting, crowd-pleasing and competitive matches while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. Some of the growing list of the 86 fighters who have appeared on SHOBOX and advanced to garner world titles includes: Errol Spence Jr., Andre Ward, Deontay Wilder, Erislandy Lara, Shawn Porter, Gary Russell Jr., Lamont Peterson, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Nonito Donaire, Devon Alexander, Carl Froch, Robert Guerrero, Timothy Bradley, Jessie Vargas, Juan Manuel Lopez, Chad Dawson, Paulie Malignaggi, Ricky Hatton, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Williams and more. 




‘NOWHERE TO RUN’ – JOYCE VS PARKER – MANCHESTER, 24 SEPTEMBER

THE BIG JUGGERNAUT, Joe Joyce, will take on former world champion Joseph Parker on 24 September at the AO Arena in Manchester exclusively live on BT Sport Box Office, promoted by Frank Warren for Queensberry Promotions in association with BOXXER.

The heavyweight collision between No.1 and No.2 in the WBO rankings, as well as being rated at No.2 and No.3 by the WBC, will represent a shootout to determine who will be made mandatory challenger for the winner of the forthcoming rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua.

Joyce, 14-0 (13 KOs), is the holder of the WBO International, WBC Silver and Commonwealth heavyweight titles, having recently relinquished the British. The 36-year-old was last in action at the OVO Arena, Wembley in July, emphatically defeating Christian Hammer via a fourth-round stoppage.

A wrist injury kept the Putney man out of action for the first part of this year.

Former WBO world champion Parker, 30-2 (21 KOs), won the title in 2016 with a points victory over Andy Ruiz in Auckland. He successfully defended against Razvan Cojanu and Hughie Fury before suffering defeat in a unification battle with Anthony Joshua in Cardiff in March 2018.

The 30-year-old is currently on a six-fight winning streak, following points loss to Dillian Whyte in July 2018, with the run including successive victories over Dereck Chisora, both in Manchester.

Fans can look forward to an array of established and up-and-coming Queensberry talent on display on the ‘Nowhere to Run’ undercard that will be announced in the coming weeks.

Tickets for ‘Nowhere to Run’ – the heavyweight clash between Joe Joyce and Joe Parker – are priced from £40 and will go on sale at 12pm on Tuesday, 9 August exclusively from Ticketmaster.co.uk.

The fighters will come face-to-face today at the kick-off press conference which will be streamed across BT Sport and Queensberry social channels from 2pm.

WATCH the press conference LIVE via the Queensberry YouTube channel here.

FIGHTER/PROMOTER QUOTES:

“This is a fantastic fight that really keeps the heavyweight ball rolling,” added promoter Frank Warren. “It has proved to be a little while in the making, but this is a match between two in-form and quality heavyweights fighting to be first in the queue for a world title shot.

“It is one the fans want to see so I am delighted to be taking this blockbuster fight to Manchester, the biggest indoor arena in the country, which we want to see packed to the rafters.

“Joseph Parker is obviously a well-known and highly respected fight figure over here in the UK, both for his exploits in the ring and him working alongside Tyson Fury up in Morecambe. He also looks a greatly improved heavyweight since teaming up with Andy Lee and his defeat of Dereck Chisora last time out was a comprehensive one.

“This is the perfect test of big Joe’s world championship credentials and victory over Parker would propel him into the top echelons of the division and right in the mix with the likes of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.”

“This fight has been a long time in the making,” said Joe Joyce. “Parker realised he had nowhere else to go and eventually had to take this fight. No. 1 Vs No. 2. The winner goes on to fight for the World Title! It’s going to be a cracking fight and you will see why he tried so hard to avoid me!”

Joseph Parker said: “On Saturday, September 24th, the fans in Manchester will see the very best of me. Joe Joyce will see exactly why I will become the heavyweight champion of the world again with BOXXER. I am working hard with my trainer Andy Lee, everything is going smoothly and I truly feel great. I have waited patiently to get this fight on and let me tell you now, the Juggernaut’s journey ends right here. He has nowhere to run.”

BOXXER CEO and Founder Ben Shalom said: “The fans have waited for this one and so has Joseph. It provides him with the perfect opportunity to realise his world title ambitions.

“He has rightly earned a reputation as one of the most respected heavyweight fighters on the planet. And I am confident he will soon become a world champion again. He is looking in great shape, thanks to the hard work and dedication he is putting in at the gym. Joe Joyce might be ranked No.1 by the WBO but he is seriously in for the toughest night of his career.”

Tickets for ‘Nowhere to Run’ – the heavyweight clash between Joe Joyce and Joe Parker – are priced from £40 and will go on sale at 12pm on Tuesday, 9 August exclusively from Ticketmaster.co.uk.

Images are free to use, please credit: Queensberry Promotions




Sims Jr.-Mino headlines Entrobox Championship Boxing August 21 in Orlando, FL

Orlando, FL (August 3, 2022) – Junior welterweight rising star Kenneth “Bossman” Sims Jr. will face Christian “Piedrita” Mino in the main event of a Bally Sports Presents: Entrobox Championship Boxing card Sunday, August 21 at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, FL.

The card is promoted by Boxlab Promotions in association with American Dream Presents. Tickets from $45 are on sale at Ticketmaster.com. Doors open at 4 pm and the first bout begins at 5.

Born and raised in Chicago, IL, Sims Jr.’s outstanding professional record is 17-2-1 with 5 wins coming by knockout. Promoted by GH3 Promotions, Sims Jr. is coming off consecutive victories against unbeaten opponents, handing Elvis Rodriguez (11-0-1) and Keeshawn Williams (8-0-1) their first professional defeats. He also battled top rated contender Montana Love to a draw in 2018.

Representing the fighting city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Mino is 22-5-2 with 17 KO’s. The heavy-handed 25-year-old battled various world class foes including Alfredo Santiago, Juan Manuel Lopez, Nestor Bravo and Ruben Torres among others.

Sims Jr.-Mino is scheduled for 10 rounds and is for the WBA Continental junior welterweight championship.

In the co-featured bout of the evening, junior welterweight phenom Orestes “El Tsunami” Velazquez challenges Emiliano Martin Garcia in a ten round contest.

Born and raised in Cuba but now residing in Miami, FL, Velazquez is 4-0 with all of his victories coming by knockout. On May 7, Velazquez stopped former world champion Juan Carlos Salgado in less than two rounds.

Known as “Pac Man,” Garcia is 17-7 as a pro and 13 of his wins came via knockout. Hailing from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Garcia’s battled many quality fighters including, Harold Calderon, Nestor Bravo, Otar Eranosyan, Denys Berinchyk and Reynaldo Ojeda.

Blue chip welterweight prospect Kevin Hayler Brown makes his highly anticipated pro debut against former world champion Jose Alfaro in an eight round welterweight matchup.

One of the world’s top amateur boxers, Brown won the Cuban National Championship in 2019 and defeated legendary Roniel Iglesais in the finals. Brown defected Cuba in early 2022 for the opportunity to begin his pro career in the United States.

Hailing from Nagarote, Nicaragua, Alfaro’s fought all over the world against some of boxing’s best. In 2007, Alfaro won the WBA lightweight championship by outpointing Pantan Narongwet in Germany but lost his first title defense against Yusuke Korobi in his native Japan. He’s faced Erik Morales and Humberto Soto in Mexico, Jason Pagara in the Philippines, and Cesar Cuneca in Argentina.

“This is a unique televised boxing card,” said Ron Johnson, CEO of American Dream Presents. “Kenneth Sims Jr. is on a roll and earned his way into contention at 140 pounds. Orestes Velazquez appears to be on the fast track to a world title and seeing an exceptional talent in Kevin Brown not only make his pro debut in an eight rounder but doing so against a former world champion is unheard of!”

The Sims Jr.-Mino, Velazquez-Garcia and Brown-Alfaro bouts will be televised on Bally Sports Network and the Bally Sports app live at 7 PM ET.

Derrick “Diesel” Jackson of Orlando takes on his toughest foe to date when he meets Damian Bonelli of Buenos Aires, Argentina in a six round junior middleweight matchup.

Jackson, 8-0 (4 KO’s), is coming off a second round knockout of Jesus Silva on May 21 at the Caribe Royale and is only 20-years-old.

Bonelli, 24-11 (20 KO’s), most recently dropped a ten round unanimous decision to Yamaguchi Falcao in an entertaining fight seen on Bally Sports Network.

The talent-rich undercard features former US Olympian Antonio Vargas, unbeaten cruiserweight knockout artist Adrian Pinheiro, junior middleweight Jeovanny Estela, super featherweight Malik Warren, super featherweight Dorian Mark Khan Jr. and junior welterweight David Lopez in separate bouts.

Lopez, Khan Jr. and Warren are promoted by Mayweather Promotions.

“On Behalf of the Caribe Royale Hotel and Boxlab Promotions, we’re excited to once again bring championship boxing to Central Florida” said Amaury Piedra, of Boxlab Promotions “The goal is always to provide the best fight night atmosphere and quality bouts for the fans in attendance and those watching on the Bally Sports Network. We’re proud of our association with Entrobox and Bally Sports. We look forward to continuing to growing stars of the present and future.”

A four diamond resort, the Caribe Royale is a 1,388 room resort that provides a luxurious and relaxing experience for guests of all ages. Amenities include a spa, five restaurants, kid’s splashpad and playground, a two-story fitness center and a large outdoor pool featuring a 75 foot waterside. Fully re-imagined and renovated with over $127m in improvements and expansion Caribe Royale is the premier all suite hotel in Orlando.




VERGIL ORTIZ, JR. VS. MICHAEL MCKINSON FIGHTER WORKOUT QUOTES

IRVING, TX (August 3, 2022): The pride of Grand Prairie, Texas, Vergil Ortiz, Jr. (18-0, 18 KOs), and top 10 ranked, undefeated welterweight contender Michael “The Problem” McKinson (22-0, 2 KOs) of Portsmouth, Great Britain hosted a media workout to promote their upcoming fight on Saturday, August 6 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas that will stream live worldwide, exclusively on DAZN. Their 12-round fight will be for Ortiz’s WBO International Welterweight Title.

In addition to the main event fighters, combatants from the stacked card also participated in the workout including newly crowned WBC, WBA, and Ring Magazine Flyweight World Champion Marlen Esparza (12-1, 1 KOs), Maurice “Mighty Mo” Hooker (27-2-3, 18 KOs), and Blair “The Flair” Cobbs (15-1-1, 10 KOs).

VERGIL ORTIZ, JR., WBO INTERNATIONAL WELTERWEIGHT TITLE HOLDER:

“I feel very good. I am excited to get back into the ring. It’s been a year – a really long layoff. I wish we could have been a little bit more active, but we’re here now and ready to make the most out of it.”

“I’m expecting a very tactical fight – almost like a chess match in there. I think fans will get to see how smart I am in the ring.”

“It’s exciting and motivating to be on the threshold to bigger opportunities. It makes me want to work harder.”

“It’s a hometown crowd and I hope we get to pack the house.”

MICHAEL MCKINSON, UNDEFEATED WELTERWEIGHT CONTENDER:

“It feels good to be here. Obviously, back in March, unfortunate circumstances happened and Ortiz had to withdraw. But we got the opportunity again, so a big shout out and thank you to Team Golden Boy because they didn’t need to offer it to me again, but they did.”

“It feels good to be in Texas. For me and where I’m from, fighting in the States is big – I get to do it twice and I get to headline both. I’m happy.”

“I’m not going to have to be looking for Ortiz this time around. He’s a young lion, he hasn’t really put a foot wrong, and I’m really here just trying to tame the lion. I’ll win U.S. fans like I did last time.”

“A win over Ortiz changes my life; it changes my city of Portsmouth, my team, my daughter and everyone around me.”

MARLEN ESPARZA , WBC, WBA, AND RING MAGAZINE FLYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION:

“I’m feeling great about my first ring defense. We had a great camp; we’ve been focusing on this since the last time I was in the ring. We knew we didn’t want to stop any of the momentum, we asked for a quick turnaround, and Golden Boy also wanted a quick turnaround and so far, so good. I’m looking forward to get in there and get it done.”

“It’s going to be an exciting fight, it’s not an easy opponent. We’ve been working hard. It’s going to be somewhat a little different from my end – it’s going to be entertaining.”

“There’s going to be a lot of fireworks for sure. I’ve been practicing a lot of different styles. The fans haven’t seen everything that I can do yet!”

MAURICE HOOKER, FORMER LIGHT WELTERWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION:

“I’m confident, and I’m ready to do my job.”

“I’m going to do the same thing that you saw last fight: I’m coming to fight and I’m not cowering down to anybody.”

“Since my last fight, I’ve stayed in camp, stayed training so that I could be ready for anything to come my way. I expect a big crowd and everyone to be there for me.”

“I’m not really worried about what my opponent says. I’m from the hood. They hype me up. My fans can expect a good fight. I’m coming for it all, and I am putting it all out for Ms. Stacey.”

BLAIR COBBS, WELTERWEIGHT CONTENDER:

“I’m just focused, locked in, and ready for my opponent.”

“My last fight was a circumstantial lost. It’s not a big deal to me. I am the most exciting man in boxing, and I put on a show no matter if it’s a win or a loss – Blair “The Flair” puts on a great show.”

“I’m more focused and driven. I have a solid team that is better than ever. Blair “The Flair” is looking to be the best fighter he can possibly be every single fight. I made a lot of changes within my camp to make sure that fans get the best entertainment.”

“The guy I am fighting is tall, he’s strong, and lanky. He’s better than the last fighter I fought.”

“There’s no ‘stay busy’ fights, there’s no ‘easy’ fights. This is a hard fight, a big fight, and could easily become the pound-for-pound main event.”

Tickets for Ortiz Jr. vs. McKinson are on sale and are priced at $275, $137.50, $82.50 and $44 not including applicable service charges. Tickets will be available for purchase online at Ticketmaster.com, DickiesArena.com and GoldenBoyPromotions.com.

Ortiz Jr. vs. McKinson is a 12-round welterweight fight presented by Golden Boy in association with Matchroom Boxing. The event is sponsored by Hennessy “Never Stop. Never Settle” and “BetOnline – Your Online Sportsbook Experts.” The fight will take place on Saturday, August 6 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TX, and will be streamed live worldwide on DAZN.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and DAZN.com. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing and @DAZNBoxing. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoy and https://www.facebook.com/DAZN. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoy and @DAZNBoxing. Follow the conversation using #OrtizMcKinson




World’s Greatest Promoter Don King Has Never NOT Paid a Fighter & This Is Certainly Not the Case with Daniel Dubois

DEERFIELD BEACH, FL (August 3, 2022)—Don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story.

That’s certainly the case for WBA Heavyweight Champion, Daniel Dubois, after winning the title on a Don King promoted show on June 11, 2022 in Miami.

DuBois and his promoter and manager, Frank Warren, who was not allowed to enter the United States, need to get together and renew acquaintances.

Promoter King has requested banking and wire information from Warren for two months with no reply.

So King’s lawyer, Tony Gonzalez, put the funds in escrow waiting for Warren to respond.  DuBois’ lawyer Leon Margules finally sent the wire instructions after Warren and Queensberry Promotions failed to reply to Don King Promotions multiple requests for wire instructions.

Warren and his promotional company, Queensberry Promotions, had the television rights payment for BT Sports deducted from the purse, per the agreement.

King has already paid DuBois’ foreign taxes to the IRS of $420,660.12.

“I have talked with DuBois and his father about the matter,” said King.  “I’ve told them the money was in escrow and waiting for DuBois’ promoter and manager, Frank Warren, the wiring instructions.

Did Frank lose my number?  He knows where to reach me.”

“I love Frank Warren.  His word, honor and integrity have been above and beyond any contract or agreement with me.  His word has been his bond…Impeccable!  I am deeply hurt and terribly disappointed in what is happening now. 

“I’ve never not paid a fighter and this is certainly not the case here.”

King’s lawyer Gonzalez stated, ““DKP has made all requisite payments towards Mr. Dubois’ purse.

“Pursuant to Florida State Athletic Commission Director Patrick Cunningham’s instructions, proof of payment in the form of the payment for the 30% IRS backup withholding was provided along with $475,000 setoff towards Mr. Dubois’ purse at the instruction of Mr. Dubois’ promoter, Queensbury.”

“Additionally, and at the instruction of Mr. Cunningham, an escrow deposit was made in the amount of $134,000.00 representing a final balance due Mr. Dubois after applying a setoff of $319,000 for outstanding monies owed DKP by Mr. Warren. Also, all sanction fees owed by Mr. Dubois were paid in full to the WBA.”




360 PROMOTIONS / HOLLYWOOD FIGHT NIGHTS WEIGHTS

Thursday August 4, 2022

360 Promotions / Hollywood Fight Nights

Quiet Cannon – Montebello Country Club

901 Via San Clemente

Montebello, CA 90640

Doors: 5:00 p.m.

Approved Media Credentials Available Starting at 5:00 p.m. at Will Call

Broadcast on UFC Fight Pass

UFC Fight Pass Subscription sign-up >>https://bit.ly/3uJOnTE

Callum Walsh, 154lb. vs. Benjamin Whitaker, 154lb. – Six Rounds

Omar Cande Trinidad, 126 vs. Javier Padilla, 123.6 – Six Rounds

Cem Kilic, 163.8 vs. Marco Delgado, 165 – Eight Rounds

Chelsey Anderson, 134.8 vs. Aida Satybaldinova, 135 – Eight Rounds

Vacant WBC International Women’s Lightweight Title

Eric Priest, 161.4 vs. Cory Conner, 162.8 – Six Rounds

Jesus Gonzalez, 152.4 vs. Eduardo Diaz, 152.4 – Four Rounds

Jordan Panthen, 167.4 vs. Arturo Perez, 167.2 – Four Rounds

Jose Rodriguez, 142.2 vs. Armando Vasquez, 144.8 – Four Rounds

Jessica Juarez, TBA vs. Elvina White, TBA – Six Rounds

                                                ————————————————–

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Website

www.360Promotions.us




BLAIR COBBS TRAINING CAMP NOTES 

OXNARD, CA (July 28, 2022) – Welterweight, Blair “The Flair” Cobbs (15-1-1, 10 KOs), who battles Maurice “Mighty Mo” Hooker (27-2-3, 18 KOs), this Saturday, August 6th on the undercard of Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Michael McKinson, has a new team in place. Cobbs is now training in Oxnard, CA with Roger Romo and his core team. Hooker vs. Cobbs, a 10-round bout, will take place at The Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, broadcasted worldwide on DAZN.

Cobbs, who is managed by Greg Hannely, CEO of Prince Ranch Boxing, has his mind set on vengeance after suffering his first loss as a professional.  Here is what Cobbs had to say about his massive fight against former world champion Maurice “Mighty Mo” Hooker, his recent training camp, and more.

On his recent training camp:

“This was a very humbling camp. I had to think about things from different perspectives and come up with new ways to get great results. My last fight didn’t go how I wanted, but I’m ready to get back on top. I’ve wrapped up training in Oxnard, CA, with a new team in place as Roger Romo is my new head coach, along with coach Adam and Cecilio. I’m feeling good going into the fight and I’m going to give the fans a great show.”

On his matchup against Maurice Hooker:

“Hooker is a tougher opponent then Alexis. A win in this fight puts me in the top 10 rankings. The Rocha fight passed, I’m already on to bigger and better fights. While he continue fighting easy set ups. Blair “The Flair” remains the peoples champion, with odds stacked against him. Each fight will be an inspiration to people around the world.”

On dealing with the first loss of his career:

“It was hard. I didn’t like the stoppage, as people could see I was still fighting back, but it doesn’t matter now, I must win this fight. The result is the result, and now I must earn my spot back. I know I have a new mindset, and I am ready to fight my heart out.”

On fighting on the Vergil Ortiz vs Michael McKinson card:

“Look, Blair “The Flair” has looked at Vergil Ortiz as a future opponent for a long-time, so after I have another spectacular performance, it will only be a matter of time before I face Vergil Ortiz, who I think will win this fight. I think the fans will embrace it, and I want it as well.”




Teofimo Lopez: “The Takeover is Back!”

RINGOES, N.J.  (Aug. 3, 2022) — The Takeover 2.0 is 10 days away. Teofimo Lopez (16-1, 12 KOs), the former unified and lineal lightweight champion, will make his junior welterweight debut against Mexican veteran Pedro Campa (34-1-1, 23 KOs) on Saturday, Aug. 13, at the Resorts World Event Center at Resorts World Las Vegas.

Lopez is back following last November’s split decision shocker to George Kambosos Jr., which knocked him from the top of the lightweight heap. The Brooklyn native is training in New Jersey for Campa, a 30-year-old puncher who is unbeaten in eight fights dating back to 2017. 

Following a recent training session, this is what Lopez had to say about his ESPN-televised return.

“The Takeover is back! I took over the lightweight division, and I plan on doing the same at junior welterweight. Pedro Campa is a tough opponent with an aggressive Mexican style, and I can’t wait to put on a show for the fans.”

“Every person goes through challenges, but I’ve put the past behind me and am thrilled to be back fighting on ESPN and in Las Vegas. I am calling this fight the ‘Take Back’ because I am coming to regain what I’ve lost. One defeat does not define a fighter, and it won’t define me.”

“I had been fighting at lightweight since I was a teenager, and it was time to move up. I am going to be an even better, more explosive fighter. You will see that on August 13.”

“I am only 25 years old. My best years are in front of me. Pedro Campa is the start of a new chapter in my career. I will be a two-weight world champion very soon. Every contender and champion at junior welterweight better watch out because I am coming to clean out the division.”

Promoted by Top Rank, tickets starting at $40 are on sale now and can be purchased at Etix.com.
 # # #
About Resorts World Las Vegas
Resorts World Las Vegas was developed by Genting Berhad, a publicly traded Malaysian corporation registered with the Nevada Gaming Commission. The company has affiliated operations in the Americas, Malaysia, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the Bahamas. In partnership with Hilton, Resorts World Las Vegas integrates three of Hilton’s premium brands into its resort campus, including Las Vegas Hilton, the resort’s full-service brand; Conrad Las Vegas, Hilton’s lifestyle luxury brand; and LXR, Hilton’s network of independent luxury properties, which operates as Crockfords Las Vegas, Genting’s internationally renowned ultra-luxury brand. Resorts World Las Vegas features 3,506 guest rooms and suites, an innovative, next-generation gaming floor, world-class food and beverage options, a 5,000-capacity theatre, distinct nightlife venues, a curated retail collection of designer and boutique shops and more. The integrated resort weaves time-honored traditions of the international Resorts World brand into the fabric of Las Vegas, introducing a bold, fresh take on hospitality to the city with stunning design, progressive technology and world-class guest service. Resorts World Las Vegas is?Sharecare Health Security VERIFIED™?with?Forbes Travel Guide,?a verification that ensures the resort has appropriate health safety procedures in place.?For?more information, visit?rwlasvegas.com?or find us on?Facebook,?LinkedIn,?Twitter?and?Instagram.

About Genting Group 
Genting Group comprises Genting Berhad (KLSE: GENTING), the holding company, and its listed companies Genting Malaysia Berhad (KLSE: GENM), Genting Plantations Berhad (KLSE: GENP) and Genting Singapore Limited (SGX: G13). Genting Group is involved in leisure and hospitality, power generation, oil and gas, property development, life sciences and biotechnology activities, with operations spanning across the globe, including in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, India, China, the United States of America, Bahamas and the United Kingdom. Genting Group is a leader in the global gaming and hospitality industry. Founded in 1965, Genting Group has more than 50 years of experience in developing and operating destination resorts in the Americas, Malaysia, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the Bahamas, offering an unparalleled resort experience and iconic entertainment attractions to over 50 million visitors a year. For more information, visit?www.genting.com. 




STACKED LINEUP OF PBC ACTION HITS FOX SPORTS PLATFORMS ON SEPTEMBER 4 WITH HIGH-STAKES SHOWDOWNS ON FOX & FS1 LEADING UP TO FOX SPORTS PBC PAY-PER-VIEW

LOS ANGELES – August 3, 2022 – Rising unbeaten super welterweight Joey Spencer will battle Mexican contender Kevin Salgado in a 10-round showdown highlighting PBC action live on FOX and FOX Deportes beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on September 4 during Labor Day Weekend from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Prior to the FOX broadcast, undefeated top super bantamweight contender Ra’eese Aleem takes on Mike Plania in a 10-round attraction live on FS1 and FOX Deportes beginning at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

These two exciting matchups will lead up to a stacked FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View event at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT which is headlined by the highly-anticipated heavyweight clash between former unified heavyweight world champion Andy “The Destroyer” Ruiz Jr. and hard-hitting top contender Luis “King Kong” Ortiz meeting in a WBC Heavyweight Title Eliminator.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased online at AXS.com.

The 22-year-old Spencer (15-0, 10 KOs) turned pro in February 2017 and immediately caught the eye of fans and pundits with his combination of speed, power and athleticism. Following an impressive 2020 campaign, the Linden, Michigan native added three more victories to his ledger in 2021, including his first eight-round fight as he earned a unanimous decision over James Martin in July. Most recently, Spencer kicked off his 2022 with another unanimous decision victory, this time besting Ravshan Hudaynazaro in March. 

“I can’t wait to get back in the ring on September 4,” said Spencer. “I’m training extremely hard and I’m in amazing shape. This is a great opportunity for me to shine on a big stage and really show what I’m capable of. I’m looking forward to bringing the fans lots of excitement!”

A native of Mexico City, Salgado (14-0-1, 9 KOs) is the younger brother of former super featherweight champion Juan Carlos Salgado and now fights out of San Antonio, Texas. The 24-year-old turned pro in late 2016 and delivered knockouts in six of his first nine outings. After scoring three-straight knockouts between September 2019 and February 2021, Salgado returned to the ring in October 2021 to defeat Ricardo Banuelos Cernas by unanimous decision before most recently fighting Bryant Perrella to a split-draw in his U.S. debut in April.

“Training camp has been great and I’m way ahead of schedule heading into this fight,” said Salgado. “I know I’m facing a solid fighter who’s a good counter puncher, but I’m preparing to counter that style. This is going to be a very interesting fight, because I’m training to deliver a knockout and win in tremendous fashion.”

Owning a top-10 ranking at 122-pounds from multiple sanctioning bodies, Aleem (19-0, 12 KOs) put on the most impressive performance of his career in January 2021 to capture the interim WBA title. Aleem dominated in a battle of unbeatens, dropping Victor Pasillas four times before eventually stopping him in round 11. Raised in Michigan and training out of Las Vegas, the 31-year-old Aleem had stopped his past seven opponents inside the distance before most recently earning a decision victory over Eduardo Baez in November 2021.

“The time is now to take that next step in my career toward a world title shot and I know that a win in this fight will put me on the right path,” said Aleem. “I’ve been waiting for the chance to show everyone why I’m the best super bantamweight in the world. I’m never in a boring fight and you can expect fireworks once again on September 4. I’m going to let my hands send a message to the rest of the division.”

The 25-year-old Plania (26-1, 13 KOs) dropped Joshua Greer twice in their June 2020 clash on his way to a career-best decision victory, which he followed up in April 2021 by defeating Emmanuel Mogawa, before stopping Ricardo Nunez in November. A native of General Santos City in the Philippines, Plania has put together an 11-fight winning streak since a 2018 decision loss against former champion Juan Carlos Payano. Plania has fought professionally since 2014, with five of his last six outings taking place stateside.

“Ever since I beat Joshua Greer to put myself in the world rankings, I have been looking for an opportunity to fight the best at 122 pounds and to secure a world title shot,” said Plania. “On September 4, I will show everyone I deserve to fight for the title. I want to thank my whole team for putting me in this position and I can’t wait to get in there and show what I can do.”

#         #         #

Viewers can live stream the PBC shows on the FOX Sports and FOX NOW apps or at FOXSports.com. In addition, all programs are available on FOX Sports on SiriusXM channel 83 on satellite radios and on the SiriusXM app.

For more information: visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/homepage and www.foxdeportes.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @PBConFOX, @FOXSports, @FOXDeportes, @TGBPromotions and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/foxsports & www.facebook.com/foxdeportes.




 “The Last Chapter” FACT SHEET

WHAT: The Next Chapter”

WHO:  The Lineup                                             

MAIN EVENT – JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHTS (6)

Mike “Bad Man” Ohan, Jr. (15-1, 9 KO), Holbrook, MA

vs.

Jonathan “Yoni” Ariel Sosa (7-13-2, 4 KOs), San Martin, Buenos Aires, Argentina

CO-FEATURE – VACANT MASSACHUSETTS MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP (6)

Julien “Black Dragon” Baptiste (4-2, 2 KOs), Woburn, MA

vs.

Anthony “The Gentle Savage” Andreozzi (3-2, 1 KO), Swansea, MA

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS (6)

Larry “Slo Mo” Smith (13-50-2, 9 KOs), Dallas, TX

vs.

Edet “Papito” Mkpanam (7-0, 6 KOs), New Bedford, MA

VACANT MASSACHUSETTS CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP (6)

Raphael Torres (2-0, 2 KOs), Framingham, MA

vs.

Jon Gruber (3-1, 2 KOs), Fall River, MA

JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHTS (4)

Rynell Griffin (8-53-2, 2 KOs), Las Vegas, MV

vs.

Luke Iannuccilli (2-0, 2 KOs), Methuen, MA

WELTERWEIGHTS (4)

David Ribeiro (1-0, 1 KO), Brockton, MA

vs.

Alfred “Keenan” Raymond (1-3, 0 KOs), Warwick, RI

JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHTS (4)

Rodrigo DaRocha (0-4), Boston, MA by way of Brazil

vs.

Kirk Wilmart (pro debut), Brockton, MA

(card subject to change)

__________________________________________________________________________

WHERE:        Bridgewater Veterans Club in Bridgewater, MA

WHEN:           Saturday, August 6, 2022

PROMOTER: Granite Chin Promotions

RING ANNOUNCER: John Vena

TICKETS: Tickets are available for purchase at GRANITE-CHIN-PROMOTIONS.TICKETLEAP.COM or www.ticketriver.com (Search: The Next Chapter) for $45.00 (standing room), $60.00 (floor seats), $80.00 (VIP stage seats) and $40.00 for a table of 4. Tickets also available for purchase fight night at the venue.

OTHER: Doors open at 7 p.m. ET, first bout at 7:30 p.m. ET.

WEIGH IN: Friday, August 5, starting at 5 p.m. ET at Bridgewater Veterans Club (Public Welcome)

INFORMATION:  

Facebook.com/GraniteChin

Twitter: @Granite_Chin




ERGASHEV FEELING REBORN IN BOXING AHEAD OF DANGEROUS MAIN EVENT BATTLE AGAINST ANGEL MARTINEZ AT NEXT DETROIT BRAWL

Closing in on a world-title shot, Detroit via Rakhmon, Uzbekistan’s IBF #6-, WBA #12-, WBO #8- and RING #8-ranked Shohjahon Ergashev (22-0, 19 KOs) says he’s aware of the danger and knows what’s on the line when he takes on his next foe, fellow knockout artist Angel “El Furioso” Martinez Hernandez (14-1-2, 14 KOs) from Baja California, Mexico.

The two knockout punchers will meet in a 10-round super lightweight shootout as one of two main events for Salita Promotions’ next Detroit Brawl event, on Wednesday, August 10, 2022, at the historic Garden Theater in Midtown Detroit. Unbeaten WBO #12-, IBF #11-, WBC #7-ranked light heavyweight Ali Izmailov (8-0, 6 KOs) and also undefeated Eric Murguia (14-0, 12 KOs) will be fighting for the USBA Light Heavyweight Championship in the other 10-round main event.

Tickets for “Detroit Brawl” start at $40 and can be purchased by clicking HERE. PLEASE NOTE: Tickets ordered online will be placed in will call at the box office for pick-up. A limited quantity of VIP tickets is also available by calling 313.529.7604.

Living and training in Detroit at the Kronk Gym under world-famous trainer SugarHill Steward, Ergashev says taking on such a dangerous foe so close to a world-title fight will benefit his career in the long run.

“I’m close to a title fight and I think this fight has a role for my experience,” said Ergashev during a break in training. “My father once told me to never underestimate the strength of any opponent. I am sure this is a worthy opponent, but that doesn’t mean he’s stronger than me.”

Ergashev says facing another puncher meant switching up in training at Kronk for this match.

“This time in training, we paid a little more attention to strength and physical preparation, rather than just boxing technique,” admitted Ergashev, “and I’m delighted with the result. To be back in an American boxing ring, I feel a surge of strength and thirst for battle. This is my second fight this year and I feel like I’m reborn in boxing. I am ready to put on a spectacular show.”

Ergashev, who says he loves his adopted home of Detroit and has a special feeling for the people, is a hero of national proportions in his native Uzbekistan with over two million Instagram followers alone. “Having so many followers, I can feel the power of my fans’ support,” he said. “But, at the same time, I am aware of the social significance of the content on my page, so I try to share my opinion and outlook on life with my subscribers. I like to motivate people.”

Also featured that night will be an eight-round super bantamweight battle between Accra, Ghana’s Prince Dzanie (22-0, 18 KOs) and Juan Gabriel Medina (14-11, 12 KOs) of La Romana, DOM, as well as undefeated Icelandic heavyweight Kolbeinn “The Ice Bear” Kristinsson taking on unpredictable Houstonian Rodney Moore (20-22-2, 9 KOs) in a six-round battle of big men.

Undefeated Grand Rapids, Michigan-based former amateur champions Joseph Hicks Jr. and Joshua Pagan will also see action that night, as Hicks (2-0, 2 KOs) will face experienced Dominican scrapper Jonathan Batista (19-16, 12 KOs) in a six-round middleweight struggle, while Pagan will take on Brazilian scrapper Maycon Oller Da Silva (1-5) over four super lightweight rounds. One of Detroit’s own, undefeated middleweight Da’Velle Smith (3-0, 3 KOs), already the winner of the WBC’s Big Belt Championship Tournament, will go four rounds or less with Wenatchee, Washington’s Devontae McDonald (2-1, 1 KO).

Rounding out the action will be undefeated Houston-based light heavyweight Darius “DFG” Fulghum (2-0, 2 KOs), who will take on Delaware’s David Murray (10-3-1, 6 KOs) in a lightweight six and lastly, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada’s Spencer Wilcox (3-0, 2 KOs) will face an opponent that is still TBA in a lightweight six-rounder.

About The Garden Theater
The historic Garden Theater, built by C. Howard Crane on the northern corner of the 3900 block of Woodward, originally opened in 1912 as one of the largest theatres built in Midtown Detroit. The original theater closed in 1949 and reopened under several owners. Now, the Garden Theater is back, and better than ever, with state-of-the-art amenities including a full-service bar in the main theater and a VIP balcony with incredible architectural integrity and charm that stays true to the historic Cass Corridor structures. The revitalized performance and entertainment venue offers unique spaces for wedding ceremonies & receptions, bar mitzvahs, corporate events, concerts, conferences and meetings. The historic Garden Theater is located at 3929 Woodward Avenue in Detroit, MI. For more information, please call 313.832.0888 or visit us on the web at thegardendetroit.com, or check out our social media: FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM.
ABOUT SALITA PROMOTIONS:

Salita Promotions was founded in 2010 by Dmitriy Salita, a professional boxer and world-title challenger who saw the need for a promotional entity to feature boxing’s best young prospects and established contenders in North America and around the world. Viewers watching fighters on worldwide television networks including Showtime, HBO, ESPN, Spike TV, Universal Sports Network, UFC Fight Pass, DAZN, ESPN+ and MSG have enjoyed Salita Promotions fight action in recent years. We pride ourselves on offering our fighters opportunities inside and outside the ring. Salita Promotions looks forward to continuing to grow and serve the needs of fight fans around the globe.

Check the Salita Promotions YOUTUBE CHANNEL for regular updates of the modern world’s greatest fighters, contenders and prospects in action.




Undefeated Shawn McCalman Boxing’s best kept secret outside of Rocky Mountains

BOSTON (August 3, 2022) – Undefeated Colorado super middleweight “The Amazing” Shawn McCalman (11-0, 6 KOs), arguably boxing’s best kept secret outside of the Rocky Mountain, returns this Saturday night outdoors at Century Casino in Central City, Colorado, in the 6-round, co-featured event against Mexican Ulisses “El Cerillo” Jimenez (24-30-1).

Co-trained by former world champion Vernon Phillips and residing in Aurora, Colorado, McCalman was a standout amateur who compiled a 65-7 record, including top honors in three Colorado State Golden Gloves tournaments.

The 28-year-old McCalman turned pro back in September of 2018, and, despite COVID-19 restrictions, he’s remained busy with four fights in each of the last two years, and Saturday’s fight will mark his third in 2022.

During the summer of 2021, McCalman won a 6-round decision against Vaughn “The Animal” Alexander (15-5) to capture the American Boxing Federation (ABF) West Super Middleweight Championship.

In his most recent fight this past March in Cheyenne, Wyoming, McCalman defeated previously undefeated Marquis Moore (10-0) by way of an 8-round unanimous decision (80-72, 78-74, 77-75).

“Shawn has flown under the radar and sneaking into the rankings,” McCalman’s manager Ryan Roach (Fighter Locker) said. “We have positioned him perfectly in 10 fights. He will be a scary fighter for a lot of the top guys in his division, Shawn has speed, power and he is a big man who been in with some good opponents including undefeated fighters.

“He had a very good camp. I never like looking ahead during fight week, but if we take care of business, I I think it makes sense to challenge someone in the top 10. We will see after this fight. We’ll see after this fight.”

Fighter Locker’s growing stable of gifted boxers also includes New York’s ABF American West super lightweight Ray Jay “The Destroyer” Bermudez (16-0, 11 KOs), Colorado’s ABF American West super middleweight champion “The Amazing” Shawn McCalman (11-0, 6 KOs), Massachusetts super lightweight Adrian “Tonka” Sosa (12-0, 9 KOs), Florida super bantamweight Daniel “The Dedication” Bailey, Jr. (10-1, 5 KOs), Massachusetts featherweight Troy Anderson, Jr. (5-0, 3 KOs), Dominican Republic super welterweight Juan Solano Santos (1-0, 1 KO) and 2-time Olympian, lightweight “El Tsunami” Leonel de los Santos (7-0, 5 KOs), 2-time Colombian Olympian and 2016 silver medalist Yuberjen “Tremdndo” Mrtinez (1-0, 1 KO), Florida light heavyweight Robert Daniels, Jr. (6-0, 5 KOs), Irish light heavyweight Tommy “The Kid” O’Toole (4-0, 3 KOs), Texas lightweight Miranda “ La Alacrana” Reyes (6-1-1, 3 KOs), Kansas brothers, welterweight Marcus Davidson (4-0, 4 KOs) and super lightweight Marcell Davidson (2-0, 1 KO), and Utah brothers, ABF American West lightweight champion Ignacio Chairez (8-1-1, 5 KOs) and lightweight Gabriel Chairez (4-0-1, 2 KOs).

INFORMATION:

WEBSITE: fighterlocker.com, punch4parkinsons.com

FACEBOOK: /fighterlocker

TWITTER: @RoachRyan

INSTAGRAM: @RyanRoach82

ABOUT FIGHTER LOCKER: Established in 2019, Fighter Locker is a comprehensive sports agency that manages professional boxers. Fighter Locker also helps to brand boxers by finding their voice with a 100-percent customized service. Fighter Locker does not really believe in working models. It believes in partnership optimization models in motion.

Fighter Locker uses four creative steps because it believes in “the foundation is everything”: 1. wisely conceived, 2. creatively restrained, 3. Proudly judged, 4. sharply targeted.




VERGIL ORTIZ, JR. AND MICHAEL MCKINSON MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL QUOTES

LOS ANGELES, CA (August 3, 2022): The pride of Grand Prairie, Texas, Vergil Ortiz Jr. (18-0, 18 KOs), and top 10 ranked, undefeated welterweight contender Michael “The Problem” McKinson (22-0, 2 KOs) of Portsmouth, Great Britain hosted a media conference call to promote their upcoming fight on Saturday, August 6. Their 12-round fight will be for Ortiz’s WBO International Welterweight Title at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, and will stream live worldwide, exclusively on DAZN.

Please click HERE to Download the Video and Audio Files from the call. Below are some notable quotes from the media call:

VERGIL ORTIZ, JR., WBO INTERNATIONAL WELTERWEIGHT TITLE HOLDER

“It feels great to be back at home. It’s really hot, but that’s just what I’m used to. It feels great. I’m just ready to fight. It’s been like a year. It sucks that a lot of things happened within that year, and it’s taken a full year to come back around, but hopefully, after this fight, everything’s back on schedule.”

“Well, first off, I saw his fight, and I saw two southpaws with the same style. So it was a bit of a clash of styles. So not only is the opponent that he fought on that day a completely different style from mine, it’s just that there’s nothing that I could take away from that fight because he didn’t fight someone that fought like me. That was a different version of him fighting someone else, so there’s really not a whole lot for me to go off.”

“We were supposed to fight in January, so I was getting ready before that. We were basically in full camp mode right before that. When I train, I’m like 110%. My body was going as hard as I could possibly go. Unfortunately, we didn’t find January; we set a new date in March. And I think with just all those months of just back-to-back with non-stop training, my body just couldn’t take it anymore. This time we had no fall-throughs with the schedule, and this time my body feels great, and we’re ready to go.”

“Fortunately, time is on my side. I’m only 24 years old, and at the same time, I don’t want to be wasting time. You know what that’s like. I should have fought three or four times already, and that’s time we won’t get back. So I try my best to remain optimistic about any scenario, no matter how negative it is. But overall I feel very happy. I’m very excited to be back in the ring and ready to put on a great show for the fans all across the world.”

MICHAEL MCKINSON, UNDEFEATED WELTERWEIGHT CONTENDER:

“Over in the UK, I’m known as a tricky southpaw. I don’t think I get enough credit as I’m a very smart southpaw. I’m actually a right-handed lefty; people don’t really know that. You don’t get to 22-0, winning four international titles along the way for not being a good fighter. I believe I’m a very good fighter, but I haven’t had the opportunity to prove that I’m world-class. Along the way, I’ve never had the luxury of picking and choosing whom I get to fight next. I’ve had to take risks from early on and be on the B side from early on to get to where I am right now.” 

“I believe that my rise has been a lot sweeter than most other [fighters]. Somebody tweeted us that this week actually, in my second professional fight, I fought at a cricket ground in Northern Ireland in front of 500 people compared to Vergil’s second fight; he fought on a Canelo undercard. So my rise has been from the very bottom to get where I am. But what people don’t realize is I’m here on merit. Because of everything that’s happened along the way, I deserve my opportunity to fight Ortiz. I’ve earned it the hard way.”

“I’m excited to be in Texas. I’m excited to show more of my ability than I’ve been able to show in my previous fights because in my previous fights, I’ve coasted. Points win against good fighters, but I’ve not been in any trouble. I have not had to dig deep. I’ve not had to go somewhere that I’ve never been before and I know I’m going to have to in this fight. So I’m looking forward to it. I’m excited for Saturday and I can’t wait.”

“I’ll pick one thing out that I’ve got different than everyone he has ever faced. He’s never faced an undefeated fighter like me. He’s never been in the ring with someone that’s never tasted defeat. I’ve never tasted defeat. I don’t know what it’s like to lose. I’m a very proud Englishman coming to the other side of the world, coming to the lion’s den in an attempt to tame the young lion. He’s looked vulnerable in certain fights, but he’s not put a foot wrong, and he’s a great young fighter. But I have a different style than most people, a style that can expose most things in certain fighters. So I know I’ve got a hard fight ahead of me. I’ve got a big task ahead of me, but I know I’m very mentally capable of pulling it off.”

ERIC GOMEZ, PRESIDENT, GOLDEN BOY: 

“At Golden Boy, we emphasize what the fighters have done and what they have learned to get to this point. For me, as a promoter/matchmaker, it’s beautiful to watch a young kid like Vergil develop into a world-class fighter. That’s the part of the job that I enjoy, just watching the progression. Obviously, it was apparent when I saw him as an amateur; he had a lot of power, and he was knocking guys out in the amateur ranks with the bigger gloves. But now, he’s become so much more of a complete fighter. He works off the jab well; he does a good job of setting up the body shots and the counter punches. He’s a complete fighter.”

“Probably if we didn’t have the layoff, he probably would have been fighting for a title now. But obviously, we know we had a little bit of a setback, but now he’s 100%. I was able to go see him at the gym last week. I was very impressed with the combinations he was throwing and what he was working on.”

“Michael McKinson is a world-class fighter as well. This is going to be a very tough fight. It’s not an easy fight for him. It’s a different style, and he hasn’t faced a style like this in a while, but it’s part of the job if you’re going to get to that promised land and get to a world title fight. To have a fighting chance to win, you have to fight the top fighters in the world, and that’s what you have here two top, highly-rated fighters fighting each other. Both undefeated, both young, both hungry. This is what it’s all about. This is what makes our job fun, being able to see these types of fights.”

“Of course, Vergil is a dangerous fighter; you have to respect his power. But he’s also very young, and Vergil needs the experience and fights like these. He needs to be facing the top fighters in the world like Michael McKinson, who’s highly rated in the world. He needs the experience of fighting different styles. If he’s victorious on Saturday night, then he’s ready. He’s ready for any of the top fighters in the world.” 

Tickets for Ortiz Jr. vs. McKinson are on sale and are priced at $275, $137.50, $82.50 and $44 not including applicable service charges. Tickets will be available for purchase online at Ticketmaster.com, DickiesArena.com and GoldenBoyPromotions.com.

Ortiz Jr. vs. McKinson is a 12-round welterweight fight presented by Golden Boy in association with Matchroom Boxing. The event is sponsored by Hennessy “Never Stop. Never Settle” and “BetOnline – Your Online Sportsbook Experts.” The fight will take place on Saturday, August 6 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TX, and will be streamed live worldwide on DAZN.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and DAZN.com. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing and @DAZNBoxing. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoy and https://www.facebook.com/DAZN. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoy and @DAZNBoxing. Follow the conversation using #OrtizMcKinson




REGIS PROGRAIS HAS CLIMBED ‘OUT OF A PIT’ TO LAND WBC TITLE SHOT

LOS ANGELES, AUGUST 2 – Regis Prograis says he has ‘clawed his way out of a pit’ to secure another shot at the world super lightweight title.

The WBC have ordered for Prograis to face Jose Zepeda in a clash for the vacant crown at 140lbs after Jose Ramirez pulled out of the fight.

Prograis was the WBA champion in 2019 but says losing his crown to Josh Taylor, and the subsequent near three-year wait to secure another world title tilt, has made him realise he did not “cherish” what he had.

But a rebooted ‘Rougarou’, who is on a three fight TKO winning streak, is determined to seize his chance against Zepeda.

“I’m ecstatic,” Prograis told Probellum.com.

“I’ve waited for this opportunity for a long time. When I was a world champion, and I lost my belt, it was like I fell to the bottom of the pit, and I just clawed my way up and, clawed my way out.

“And now I am back fighting for another title again to become a world champion. I don’t do this just to become a world champ, I want to be known as the best in my division.

“I was a world champion and the number one in the world so for me, it’s about getting back to that same spot that I feel like I deserve. This is a chance to achieve that.”

Zepeda, who holds a 35-2 record, has Prograis’ respect but the Probellum fighter says he will pose problems his fellow American fighter has never had to contend with.

“Both of us have tremendous power in each hand,” Prograis, 27-1, said.

“Zepeda has a bunch of crazy knockouts on his record, and I’ve been knocking people out too, so I’ve got to be wary of him and his power.

“But I have supreme confidence in myself. Maybe this is a flaw of mine, maybe it’s not, but when you tell me I am going to fight somebody, I think I’m going to destroy them, and there is no way this person can beat me.

“Zepeda is a good fighter, but he has never seen anything like me before.”

To keep up to date with the latest news on Prograis vs Zepeda, sign up to our newsletter?or follow Probellum on?Instagram,?Twitter?and?Facebook.??? 

You can also follow our official news, results, and information account, Probellum News, on Twitter.??

About Probellum???
Launched in September 2021, Probellum is a global boxing promoter, and the fastest-growing brand in the sport.

Following the success of the opening two shows in December 2021, Probellum held back-to-back world championship nights in Dubai, as well as a packed card in Newcastle.

The world title action then headed to Liverpool last month where Paul Butler won the WBO bantamweight crown.

Probellum’s elite stable of fighters also includes Nonito Donaire, Regis Prograis, Estelle Mossely, Sunny Edwards, Eimantas Stanionis, Donnie Nietes and Dina Thorslund.

But the company has also recruited the next generation of stars with Peter McGrail, Mark Dickinson and Pat and Luke McCormack, Shabaz Masoud and Spencer Wilcox among the young talents under the Probellum umbrella.

Since launching, Probellum has signed co-promotional partnerships with some of the biggest promoters globally, including DiBella Entertainment (US), Wasserman (Germany), Universum (Germany), GYM (Canada), Maravilla Box (Spain), Team Ellis (Australia), Titov Boxing Promotions (Russia), Volcano Boxing (El Salvador), BXSTRS Promotions (Mexico), PR Best (Puerto Rico) Glozier Boxing (New Zealand), Box Office Sports (Ghana) and LNK Boxing (Latvia).???? ? 




PROBOX TV’S LAST CHANCE TOURNAMENT SEMI-FINALS THIS FRIDAY, AUGUST 5 & STREAMED LIVE GLOBALLY ON PROBOX TV and the PROBOX TV APP LOSERS GO HOME

PLANT CITY, Florida (August 2, 2022): ProBox TV’s “Last Chance Tournament” 140 lb. semi-finals will take place on Friday, August 5, beginning at 7 pm ET at the ProBox Events Center in Plant City, Florida and will be streamed live at PROBOXTV.com or the ProBox TV app (available here).  

A ProBox TV monthly subscription is $1.99.

ProBox TV was founded by Roy Jones Jr., Juan Manuel Marquez, Antonio Tarver, Paulie Malignaggi and Garry Jonas. Miguel Cotto recently joined the team.  As always, the ‘Big 4’ will be calling the action from ringside. 

The Last Chance Tournament kicked off on May 20, with the eight boxers chosen based on having a top amateur trajectory, where fate had not been on the side of their once promising professional careers. The winner of the tournament will get another, or Last Chance, at achieving their dreams of becoming a world champion. 

The 140-pound semi-final bouts are scheduled for ten-rounds, and the combatants are:

  • Kendo Castañeda (18-5, 8 KOs) of San Antonio, Texas vs. 
  • Joseph Fernandez (15-4-3, 5 KOs), Saint Petersburg, FL. 
  • Antonio “Toño” Moran (27-5-1, 19 KOs) of Mexico City, Mexico vs
  • Michael Dutchover (16-2, 10 KOs) of Midland, Texas

CASTANEDA: “I think Fernandez is a solid fighter. Stand up man. I plan to attack the fight on simply doing what I know best and that’s fight toe to toe until one of us goes night-night. If he can’t trade punches with me until one of us goes to sleep, then he is the one that will go to sleep. Period. Demon Time.”

FERNANDEZ: “Just be smart and fight my fight. I don’t get into details on the plan, but adjustments will be made during the fight to make it easier fight. I’m about taking advantages, not giving them.”

JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ Breaks down Castañeda vs Fernandez

“Kendo is a fighter with a lot of heart. He won the quarter finals by first round KO. He carries San Antonio, Texas on his shoulders. However, Joseph Fernandez has the hometown advantage. He proved in the quarter final he deserved a Last Chance. Winner goes to the final and unfortunately, the other one goes home. Match-ups of Mexico vs Puerto Rico never disappoint.”

MORAN:  ” Pues ya estoy preparado para llevarme la victoria en la pelea, solo es ajustar el peso y listo, creo que Dutchover es un boxeador que se mueve mucho arriba del urna y hay qe atracarlo a la distancia”

DUTCHOVER: “I think Moran is a good fighter and our styles will make for a great fight the fans will love, I plan to break him down mentally round by round, first bell to last.”

ROY JONES JR Breaks Down MORAN vs DUTCHOVER

“To me, this is the most intriguing matchup in the semifinals. They’re both very credible fighters and both showed real good qualities in their quarterfinal matches. So, I’m eager to see who can outwit who.”

In the May 20 quarter finals, former WBO Latino and WBA Fedecentro Welterweight Champion Moran beat Jeffrey Torres (now 10-2, 6 KOs) via unanimous decision, while “West Texas Warrior” Dutchover defeated Clarence Booth (now 21-5, 13 KOs) by split decision.

In the other pair of quarters, Castañeda scored a first-round knockout victory over Sonny Frederickson (now 21-6, 14 KOs), while Fernandez upset Zhiming Wang (now 11-4, 3 KOs) via unanimous decision.

Tickets, starting at $50, are available for purchase at EventBrite.com HERE

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/last-chance-tournament-semi-finals-august-5-2022-tickets-375355005927?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

For more info on this tournament, click here https://proboxtv.com/140-lbs-tournament/en

The 2022 remaining live boxing on ProBox TV:  August 5, August 19, September 9, September 23, October 7, October 26, November 4, November 18, December 2, December 9. There is also weekly original content produced by the founders including, podcasts, talk shows and in the gym content, plus monthly documentaries and behind the scenes content. All for the nominal fee of $1.99 per month

In 2023 there will be one live boxing event per month from USA, Puerto Rico and Mexico – that’s three live boxing events per month for those keeping score at home.

For more ProBox TV info click here https://proboxtv.com/what-is-probox-tv/en

ProBox TV stream is available at https://proboxtv.com or ProBox TV on the App Store HERE. All live boxing and all content are accessible for the nominal fee of $1.99 per month!

Follow ProBox TV at https://twitter.com/ProBox_TV and https://www.youtube.com/c/ProBoxTV




Boxing Star “Rolly” Rolando Romero Confirmed for Sixth Annual Box Fan Expo, During Mexican Independence Day Weekend, Saturday September 17, in Las Vegas

Las Vegas (August 2, 2022) – Boxing Star “Rolly” Rolando Romero has confirmed that he will appear at the Sixth Annual Box Fan Expo on Saturday, September 17, 2022, at the Las Vegas Convention Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Expo will also coincide with the mega trilogy fight between Canelo Alvarez vs Gennady Golovkin, that will take place later that evening at the T-Mobile Arena. 

Romero will hold a Meet & Greet with his fans at his booth during the fan event held over the Mexican Independence Day weekend.

The Box Fan Expo is an annual fan event that coincides with some of the sports’ legendary, classic fights in Las Vegas, including Mayweather vs. Maidana II, Mayweather vs. Berto, Canelo vs. Chavez Jr., Canelo vs. GGG II, and Canelo vs. Jacobs. Centered in boxing’s longtime home – Las Vegas – this year’s Expo is a must-do for fight fans coming in for this legendary weekend, with dozens of professional fighters, promoters, and companies involved in the boxing industry. The Expo is the largest and only Boxing Fan Expo held in the United States. http://boxfanexpo.com – @BoxFanExpo

Tickets to the Box Fan Expo are available at Eventbrite –https://bit.ly/BOXFANEXPO2022

Romero will make his second appearance at this years’ Expo and will be signing gloves, photos, personal items and also have merchandise for sale for fans to enjoy. Boxing enthusiasts will have an opportunity to also take pictures with this unique Boxing Star also known as “Rolly”.

Romero joins Jose Ramírez, David Benavidez, Shawn Porter, Jessie Vargas and Erik Morales as an early commitment to this year’s Box Fan Expo, with more Boxing stars to be announced.

Rolando Romero

Romero is an American professional boxer from Cuban descent who captured the vacant WBA interim title by defeating top contender Dominican Jackson Marinez on August 15, 2020. Romero known for his aggressive knockout style inside the ring and his outspoken charismatic personality outside the ring, has made Romero one of the Top stars in the boxing world. On May 28, 2022, Romero would face his biggest challenge to date against another Top Star Gervonta “Tank” Davis for the WBA “Regular” Title. This mega fight event was headlined on Showtime PPV, at the Barclays Center in New York city. The event was a huge success and although Romero did not win the title, his exciting and solid performance in this fight has made Rolando Romero a household name. 

About Box Fan Expo

Box Fan Expo is the ultimate boxing fan experience event, which allows fans to meet the stars of boxing that represent the past, present and future of the sport. With hosted autograph signings, meet-and-greets with current and former boxing world champions, limited edition merchandise for sale, giveaways and more, this is the ultimate event for fans of the sport.

Past boxing stars that have participated include: Floyd Mayweather, Mike Tyson, Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, Julio Cesar Chavez, Juan Manuel Marquez, Tommy Hearns, Roy Jones Jr, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Andre Ward, Mikey Garcia, Marcos Maidana, Devin Haney, David Benavidez, Errol Spence Jr, Sergio Martinez, Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia, Tim Bradley, Deontay Wilder, Amir Khan, Shawn Porter, Fernando Vargas, Abner Mares, James Toney, Jessie Vargas, Vinny Paz, Mia St.John, Leo Santa Cruz, Badou Jack, Terry Norris, Riddick Bowe, Earnie Shavers, Michael & Leon Spinks, Danny Jacobs, Claressa Shields, Teofimo Lopez, Brandon Rios, Jorge Linares, and many more.

Exhibitors include boxing promoters, gear, apparel, equipment, energy drinks, supplement products, broadcasting media, sanctioning bodies, and other companies who showcase their brand to fans and the boxing industry as a whole.

Throughout the next several weeks leading up to the Event, there will be weekly updates on the many stars that will commit their appearance at the Boxing Expo

.

Tickets to the Box Fan Expo are available at Eventbrite –

https://bit.ly/BOXFANEXPO2022

To request information on exhibiting and sponsorship at the Expo:




ANDY RUIZ JR. VS. LUIS ORTIZ PAY-PER-VIEW UNDERCARD VIRTUAL PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES

LOS ANGELES – August 2, 2022 – Fighters competing on the FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View undercard headlined by the heavyweight showdown between Andy “The Destroyer” Ruiz Jr. and Luis “King Kong” Ortiz previewed their upcoming matchups during a virtual press conference on Tuesday as they near their Labor Day Weekend matchups on September 4 from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Tuesday’s virtual event featured top lightweight Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz and veteran contender Eduardo Ramirez, who meet in a WBC Lightweight Title Eliminator in the co-main event, former three-division world champion and L.A. fan-favorite Abner Mares and Miguel Flores, who duel in a super featherweight attraction, and unbeaten rising lightweight Jose Valenzuela and former world champion Jezreel Corrales, who battle in the pay-per-view opener at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased online at AXS.com.

Here is what the fighters had to say Tuesday:

ISAAC CRUZ

“I’m thrilled about this fight because the fans are going to be the true winners. I can’t wait to get in the ring and compete.

“We’re not going to take anything away from anybody, because we know what he’s capable of. Eduardo Ramirez is a very tough and complicated rival for me. 

“I’m planning to welcome Eduardo Ramirez to the division in the harshest of ways. We’ll be ready for whatever he brings into the ring.

“The fight against Gervonta Davis motivated me and gave me the goal of wanting to face him again. All I have to do is take down every single opponent who they put in front of me. I have a serious opponent in front of me now, but I know I have what it takes to bring the title back to Mexico City.

“I am a more mature and experienced fighter than I’ve been in the past. I can guarantee that the experience that I’m going to acquire going forward will make me more aware of everything surrounding me and make me even better in that rematch against Gervonta Davis.

“I’m ready for any of the top fighters at lightweight. When the time comes, I hope they step up to the plate and take on the challenge.”

EDUARDO RAMIREZ

“I’m so excited for this challenge on September 4. It’s going to be a great fight and I’m counting down the days until it’s fight night.

“I’ve fought a lot of high-quality opponents. I respect Isaac and I know that we’re both on winning streaks. I fully believe that I’m up to the challenge and that I have to defeat Isaac to achieve everything I have in mind for my career.

“I never think about a particular fight in a way that adds pressure. Boxing is what I do. Isaac is a quality opponent for sure. But I know that I can do whatever I set my mind to, because I crave the challenges that come my way. I want to face the best and I’ll be ready to do so on September 4.

“I try to live in the moment and not make too many plans. That can be counter-productive. I’m expecting a positive result from this fight. I’ll see what doors open after this and then make the best decision for my career.

“I’m not going to close any doors on what division I’ll fight in. I’m going to go where the biggest fights are. It’s about what me and my team believe fits me best.

“I don’t care who I’m fighting. Give me short guys or tall guys, I’m going to fight and I’m going to do everything I can to beat my opponent. No matter what they bring.”

ABNER MARES

“I’m happy to be on this card and happy to be back, period. I’m overjoyed with gratitude more than anything. I can’t wait for September 4 because it’s a comeback that I’ve asked for and it’s more meaningful because it’s happening here in L.A.

“Once you get to a certain point of your life, you have to train differently. I train smarter, not harder. I can’t do the same things I used to do. I’m sparring younger fighters, but I have to be smart, while still getting great conditioning in.

“What I’m doing this camp, that I haven’t done a lot in the past, is enjoy it. I’m enjoying myself and enjoying my progress. My family and friends are coming to see me spar, because I know this could be my last fight. It’s one of those opportunities that you hardly ever get.

“I’m not putting pressure on myself about what comes next. I’m not here to call anyone out. I’m going to take it fight-by-fight. It’s Miguel Flores in front of me and we’ll see what happens after that.

“Stamina is everything for a fighter. But for me, as the fighter who’s been out, it’s more about the timing. I’m going to be well-conditioned. It’s more the timing and reflexes and finding your distance. It’s a matter of sparring a lot and getting that back. The conditioning is no concern.

“When my fight got pulled because of my injury, I had unfinished business with Gervonta Davis. There were some fights that could have gotten done in that time, so maybe that is in the back of my mind. But my focus is really on this fight and what’s in front of me.

“I still have the drive and the fire in me. When you still have that, why not come back and show that you’re still capable of reaching great heights?”

MIGUEL FLORES

“I just want to make the most of this opportunity against Abner Mares. This is a great card full of Mexican warriors and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.

“Even though he’s been out, the name Abner Mares brings a lot to the table. I know that I have to get past him in order to get bigger fights. Abner has been out four years, but rest does you good. He might come out feeling fresh. I’m expecting the best version of Abner Mares.

“I’ve competed at the world class level. I know what it takes and we’re excited to give the fans a great show.

“To me, Abner is the target. I’m not just focused on one weak point. I want to target his body. He’s been out, so I want to see how he reacts to the body shots.

“I’m fighting a living legend. He won titles at three weights and that tells you a lot about Abner. I hope he’s not thinking I’m an easy fight.

“I’m always grateful for these opportunities. This is my third pay-per-view event. I’ve beaten good solid opponents and I know what I can do. You just want to have that perfect night and I’m hoping that’s September 4. I hate to ruin Abner’s plans, but we’re looking to go in there and possibly knock him out.”

JOSE VALENZUELA

“It’s great to be back on such a great card in Los Angeles. I have a tough opponent and I’m planning to put on another great show.

“I’m feeling great about the position I’m in. I always knew that I would be here. I’m just taking it step by step and I’m very motivated to face a highly-ranked fighter with a lot of experience.

“I think a win in this fight will open doors and give me leverage to get the big fights. People are going to have to take me seriously as a top fighter at lightweight.

“I don’t think I can just win a close fight, I have to win in impressive fashion or knock him out. I’m confident that I can do that. I’ve seen some of his film and I sparred with Alberto Machado, who beat Corrales, so I’m confident in what I can do.

“I think a fight against Isaac Cruz would be a great matchup. I’ve been asking to fight him since before he fought Gervonta Davis. I know me and my team are down to do it, so I hope he and his team are too.

“I knew I was going to beat Francisco Vargas and I knew that I’d eventually hurt him. I didn’t see it coming so early, but I was happy with the result and I hope to do that again on September 4.”

JEZREEL CORRALES

“I’m really excited for this fight. I feel strong and I can’t wait for this opportunity to compete on a great card. I’ve had a fantastic training camp and I’m excited for the challenge coming up.

“I feel comfortable at 135 pounds. This is a competitive division and I look forward to being a part of it. There are a lot of exciting challenges ahead of me and I’m ready for all of them.

“With my experience and the amount of fights I’ve had, I believe that I can win this fight. Every fight is different though. I’m only focused on the present. I can’t rely on what I’ve accomplished in the past.

“I’m not about to underestimate Valenzuela. That’s asking for trouble. I’ve faced opponents with more accolades, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to underestimate his abilities.

“I’m not intimidated by the bright lights. He’s the one who has to rise up to the challenge. I’m going to do my own thing and show up like I always do.

“Everyone is rushing Valenzuela a little bit and they’re overlooking who I am and what I’ve accomplished. I do respect what Valenzuela has done, but you can’t put the cart before the horse. I can still accomplish a lot of great things in the ring.”

#         #         #

ABOUT RUIZ VS. ORTIZ

Ruiz vs. Ortiz will see former unified heavyweight champion Andy “The Destroyer” Ruiz Jr. and top contender Luis “King Kong” Ortiz meet in a 12-round WBC Heavyweight Title Eliminator headlining a FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View on September 4 in a Labor Day Weekend clash from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

The pay-per-view telecast will begin at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and feature a stacked lineup of rising and accomplished stars in high-stakes matchups. In the co-main event, hard-hitting Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz will step in to take on fellow Mexican and veteran contender Eduardo Ramírez in a 12-round WBC Lightweight Title Eliminator in the co-main event. 

The action will also see the return of popular three-division champion Abner Mares in his first action in three years as he battles former title challenger Miguel Flores in a 10-round super featherweight attraction, plus exciting rising star José Valenzuela duels former world champion Jezreel Corrales in the 10-round lightweight pay-per-view opener.

Viewers can live stream the PBC shows on the FOX Sports and FOX NOW apps or at FOXSports.com. In addition, all programs are available on FOX Sports on SiriusXM channel 83 on satellite radios and on the SiriusXM app.

For more information: visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/homepage and www.foxdeportes.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @PBConFOX, @FOXSports, @FOXDeportes, @TGBPromotions and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/foxsports & www.facebook.com/foxdeportes.




DAIYAAN BUTT WILL BE RETURNING TO PARX CASINO® ON THURSDAY SEPTEMBER, 1st LOOKING TO SILENCE THE DOUBTERS AFTER HIS RECENT LOSS

Daiyaan Butt (10-2, 5 KOs) out of Philadelphia, PA will be competing in a six-round super lightweight bout at Parx Casino® on Thursday, September 1st. Butt has experienced a lot of success at Parx Casino®, as he has gotten his hand raised every time. His last fight was a razor-thin decision loss against a tough opponent in Bryce Mills, where Butt, his team, and some observers thought he won the fight on February 24th at Live! Casino and Hotel in South Philly. I had the pleasure to speak with Daiyaan Butt and get his thoughts on the outcome of his last fight and some of the frustrations he has with the sport of boxing.  

DAIYAAN BUTT Q&A

What are your thoughts on the outcome of your last fight and how do you feel?

“I thought I won, and I think 95% of the people I spoke to, even people I don’t know, thought I won. If I dwell on the past, it will wear on me for my next fight, and I can’t do that. I thought I put on a good performance, and the judges’ scoring card had me completely shocked. Body language tells you a lot. My whole corner thought I won, and when they read the score cards, I had my hands up because I thought I won. Then when they read his name, you could tell by his body language that he was surprised. I feel like they know the truth themselves. I thought I was being biased at first. I was asking my friends and people I know, and I had messages on Instagram and Facebook, etc. They were saying it was a really good fight. Some rounds were close, but they definitely thought I won, and there was no way I lost every single round. The judges said I lost every single round, which I thought was a joke. But it is what it is. You’ve just got to keep moving forward, and I feel I gained more from this loss than I thought. I literally got back in the gym the next day, my eye is all healed now, and I’m just ready to go into the next one.”

What have you learned about yourself as a person and a boxer in the last few weeks?

“I didn’t learn much. He was a tough kid, so I would give that to him. But I wouldn’t say I learned much. I know I’m a dog, and I definitely put on a good fight. And I’m not scared – I’ll tell you that. I already believed I was a dog, but it kind of showed me a little bit of the bad side of boxing, where sometimes it can’t always go your way when it should go your way, if that makes sense. So the judging system in boxing is what is making boxing a failing sport. You don’t see these types of judge score cards in a sport like MMA. There is nothing you could do about it but move on. You can’t fight the judges every fight. What made me feel better was 99% of the people I talked to thought I won, even some of the boxing writers and the guys who commentated. I’m not crazy. The promoter apologized too, and Brittany wants me back, so we are going on to the next one on September 1st.”

Is there something that you focused on improving coming into this fight?

“Just everything in general. There is always room for improvement, and you can’t ever be satisfied. I want to improve my overall game speed, power, and fundamentals and just become a better fighter.”

Are you looking forward to being able to focus on just boxing on fight week now that your school semester will be over when you fight?

“School doesn’t really play a part. I am really good at balancing my school and boxing, where at the end of the day, it’s life. You can’t have everything easy, and you have to be able to balance everything. That’s how life goes. A fight week without any homework or school is better. I can just relax or go get another workout in.”

If you have one message for the fans, what would it be?

“I appreciate all the love and support from everyone who comes out to the fight. Not everything is going to go your way, but my job is to make sure I go out and put on a good performance, fight to the best of my ability, and put on a show for everybody who comes out to watch and show support.”

Veteran heavyweight fighter Joey Dawejko (21-10-4, 12 KOs), of Philadelphia, PA, will make a triumphant return to the ring Thursday, September 1st at 7 p.m. when he steps through the ropes at Parx Casino® in an eight-round bout against Mike Marshall (6-3-1, 4 KOs) out of Danbury, CT. Dawejko, for training purposes, has been a sparring partner for former WBO/WBA/IBF world heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua.

In a four-round middleweight bout, Soslan Alborov (0-1) out of Philadelphia, PA will take on Brendan O’Callaghan (2-1, 1 KO), also from Philadelphia, PA.

Bryce Mills (8-1, 4 KOs) out of Liverpool, NY will be competing against Larry Fryers (11-5-1, 4 KOs) out of Yonkers, NY in a six-round super lightweight bout.

Highlighted in separate bouts on Joe Hand Promotions’ Labor Day weekend fight card:

2014 Pennsylvania Golden Gloves Champion Karl Wylie (1-0) out of Coatesville, PA will be returning to the ring in a four-round lightweight contest.

Juan Davila (1-0, 1 KO) out of Philadelphia, PA will be competing in a four-round super lightweight bout.




Mike “Bad Man” Ohan, Jr. Headlining near home for position on higher platform

QUINCY, Mass. (Aug. 1, 2022) – Former New England Welterweight Champion Mike “Bad Man” Ohan, Jr., (15-1, 9 KOs), now campaigning as a junior welterweight, headlines this Saturday night’s “The Last Chapter,” presented by Granite Chin Promotions, at Bridgewater Veterans Club in Bridgewater, Massachusetts.

Fighting out of nearby Holbrook (MA), Ohan takes on Argentinian Jonathan “Yoni” Ariel Sosa (7-13-2, 4 KOs) in the 6-round main event, which has future career implications for the fast-rising Ohan.

The popular Ohan has a new team – head trainer Matt Ryan, assistants Mark Deluca and Mike Ferragamo – and they’re heading to a higher-level platform in the not-too-distant future.

“I figured I needed a change,” Ohan explained the reason for his new team. “I’m working with a bunch of pros who I’m learning new things from. I’ve been with them around 10 months, my last fight was our first working together. I’m very happy with the change because I’m learning so much.

“I’ve had three fights in a row, plus one other fight in my career, at 140 pounds. I was always light fighting at 147 and felt I never should have fought in that weight class. I just did it to get the ball rolling. I feel like I have more power. I’m still training and sparring with the same sized guys that I was before I stepped down to junior welterweight. I belong at 140!”

Ohan and his promoter, Granite Chin Promotions, are on the same wavelength in terms of Ohan ascending to a higher-level platform and more significant fights.

“We’re looking at bigger fights and better opponents,” Ohan concluded. “I’m in shape and ready for the next step.”

“This is Mike’s second fight with his new team, and I am excited to see the progress continue,” Granite Chin Promotions president Chris Traietti commented. “The goal for the first rt of the year was to keep Mike busy and get him on a national stage by year’s end. As much as we love giving Mike a chance to fight locally in front of his local fans, the goal has always bee to maximize his potential and put him in big money fights.”

Julien “Black Dragon” Baptiste (4-2, 2 KOs), of Woburn (MA), and Swansea’s Anthony “The Gentle Savage” Andreozzi (3-2, 1 KO) will battle in the 8-round co-featured event for the vacant Massachusetts cruiserweight title.

Two converted mixed-martial-arts fighters, Raphael Torres (2-0, 2 KOs), of Framingham (MA), and Fall River’s (MA) Jonathan Gruber (3-1, 2 KOs), are matched in a 6-round bout for the vacant Massachusetts Cruiserweight Championship.

New Bedford (MA) light heavyweight prospect Edet “Papito” Mkpanam (7-0, 6 KOs), the 2018 New England Golden Gloves runner-up, fights veteran Texan Larry “Slo Mo” Smith (13-50-2, 9 KOs) a 6-rounder.

Promising Brockton (MA) welterweight David “The Blessed One” Ribeiro (1-0, 1 KO) meets Rhode Island’s Alfred “Keenan” Raymond (1-3, 0 KOs) in a 4-round match. The 25-year-old Ribeiro was a decorated amateur who captured a gold medal at the 2020 New England Golden Gloves Championships.

Also scheduled to fight in 4-round bouts is Methuen (MA) junior middleweight Luke Iannuccilli (2-0, 2 KOs) vs. 63-fight veteran Rynell Griffin, Brockton’s pro-debuting junior middleweight Kirk Wilmart vs. Rodrigo DaRocha (0-4).

Card subject to change.

Tickets are available for purchase at GRANITE-CHIN-PROMOTIONS.TICKETLEAP.COM or www.ticketriver.com (Search: The Next Chapter) for $45.00 (standing room), $60.00 (floor seats), $80.00 (VIP stage seats) and $40.00 for a table of 4.

Doors open at 7 p.m. ET, first bout at 7:30 p.m. ET.




With CES Boxing in his corner, world-rated heavyweight Chaney prepares to make a big splash August 20 at Summer Heat live from Mohegan Sun

Uncasville, CT – Like any professional fighter, heavyweight Cassius Chaney would love to retire with enough money to secure a comfortable future for himself and his family.

Money, however, isn’t the only motivating factor whenever the hulking, 6-foot-6 slugger from New London, CT, steps through the ropes.

As the newest acquisition to the CES Boxing roster, Chaney still dreams of making it to the top of the mountain in professional boxing, and he’s awfully close; at 21-1 with 14 knockouts, the 35-year-old Chaney finds himself ranked among the top 15 heavyweights in the United States, right on the precipice of a major opportunity before the end of 2022.

With a new team in his corner, Chaney is confident the best is yet to come, and the new journey – perhaps the second half of his career, if you will – begins Saturday, August 20 when he headlines CES’ Summer Heat event at Mohegan Sun Arena in a 10-round showdown against Troy, NY, veteran Shawn Miller.

“Winning a world title is the only reason I stay in this,” said Chaney, who recently inked a long-term promotional deal with promoter Jimmy Burchfield Sr. after previously spending his entire career with Main Events.

“One of the things I can honestly do in life and be completely happy with is to go work with and help kids who are less fortunate – kids who need guidance and mentorship. That makes me just as happy as winning a fight. For me to continue boxing and to want to strive to be better each day, I have to have a team I’m comfortable with. That’s what’s most important.

“What I’ve always noticed about Jimmy is he is really into promoting his fighter. He will get out there and promote like other guys who are half his age. That’s something I’ve always respected, and I saw it as something I needed at this point in my career.”

Summer Heat kicks off at 7 pm ET. Tickets are available online at CESFights.com, MoheganSun.com, or through the Mohegan Sun box office. August 20 marks CES’ first show at Mohegan Sun Arena since October of 2015, renewing a long-standing partnership between the region’s top combat sports promotion and one of the world’s foremost entertainment venues.

Today, CES also announces the following main card bouts: Undefeated Irish super middleweight Francis Hogan of Weymouth, MA, battling Cleotis Pendarvis of Lancaster, CA, in six-round bout; female welterweight Stevie Jane Coleman (2-1) of Columbia, CT, facing Jesenia Rivas of Denver in a four-round bout; Stoughton, MA, heavyweight Sean Bey putting his perfect record and knockout streak on the line against Dallas’ John Shipman in a four-round bout; and lightweight Jonathan de Pina of Boston batting New York’s Christian Otero in a six-round bout.

Another item on Chaney’s bucket list was headlining at Mohegan, which he’ll finally be able to do on August 20. A gifted athlete his entire life, Chaney moved from his hometown of Baltimore to nearby Old Saybrook as a teenager to live with his grandmother. Growing up with three brothers, life at home was always competitive, and Chaney eventually went on to play Division II basketball for the University of New Haven, where he earned the East Coast Conference (ECC) Rookie of the Year Award in 2007 in addition to All-Conference honors each of his final three seasons.

A late bloomer by boxing standards, Chaney never envisioned himself stepping into the ring until watching re-runs of old fights on ESPN, particularly heavyweight Lennox Lewis. Chaney thought to himself, “I can do this.” His basketball coaches believed, too, and helped him transition from the hardwood to the squared circle.

At 28, Chaney made his professional debut and eventually won his first 21 fights. 28 fights. In 2019, he made headlines on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights with a sensational win over Joel Caudle, knocking his opponent out of the ring in the first round of their scheduled eight-round showdown. Later that year, he captured the vacant WBC USNBC Silver heavyweight title with a knockout win over Nick Jones. The only blemish on Chaney’s record is a close, split-decision loss to undefeated George Arias, an opportunity Chaney remains thankful for.

“I had to take that chance. I had to take that risk,” Chaney said. “I honestly believed going in that there was no way he could hurt me. I didn’t get the outcome I wanted, but a lot of positives came from it and I’m moving forward with my career.”

One of those positives is the opportunity fight under the guidance of CES and headline a fight card in his neck of the woods, which might not have happened had he won the Arias fight. While a victory that night could’ve taken his career to new heights, Chaney reiterates that he doesn’t do this solely for money. With money comes a lot of new faces in his inner circle, and Chaney is careful about who lets on the inside. That’s part of the reason why after launching an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball clinic for area youth over the summer, he felt the need to step back a bit as the demand for “access” increased.

“You can make a lot of money in this sport, but do the people creating those opportunities for you have your best interests in mind? I don’t want to be out there fighting my ass off for people who aren’t looking out for me,” Chaney said. “If my team has my back and no matter the outcome we’re still a team at the end of the day, I’ll fight anybody. Boxing can’t just be about making money.

“I need the right team behind me, a team that will look at what you need to succeed and make sure you have it so you can go into any fight with all the confidence in the world. I feel I have that now. Jimmy has always been good to me, even when I wasn’t with CES, and that alone is different.”

The August 20 event also features a special book signing by Hall of Famer promoter and author J Russell Peltz, who is selling and signing copies of his recently-published memoir Thirty Dollars and a Cut Eye, which was named the 2021 Book of the Year by the West Coast Boxing Hall of Fame.

Additional details for Summer Heat are available online. For more information, follow CES Boxing on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @CESBOXING.

INFORMATION

CES Boxingis one of the top promotions in the northeast and one of the few to successfully promote both mixed martial arts and professional boxing. Launched in 1992 by longtime boxing judge Jimmy Burchfield Sr., the promotion is the only in professional boxing to boast two reigning WBC Youth world champions in lightweight Jamaine Ortiz and featherweight Irvin Gonzalez. CES Boxing recently teamed with UFC FIGHT PASS, the world’s No. 1 streaming platform for combat sports, to showcase its events to a worldwide audience, and worked as a promotional consultant for the Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. pay-per-view event in November of 2020.

Mohegan Sun Arena is one of the busiest Arenas in the United States and is ranked consistently among the top venues in the world according to Billboard Magazine, Pollstar and VenuesNow. Mohegan Sun Arena finished 2021 with its first “#1 Indoor Arena” ranking for its capacity in the world according to Pollstar and VenuesNow, ranked among the top 10 venues in the United States regardless of size based on ticket sales, and was named “2021 Innovator of the Year” by Celebrity Access for its ViacomCBS residency.  In recent years, the award-winning venue has also been the “#1 Casino Venue in the World,” “#1 Social Media Venue in the World” and a seven-time national award winner for “Casino of the Year – Arena” by the Academy of Country Music. For more information on concerts and other great events, visit MoheganSun.com. For information on this week’s schedule, call the Entertainment and Special Events hotline at 1.888.226.7711.




R&B Promotions Presents its Maiden Voyage with Battleship Pro Boxing on Friday, August 12th on The Battleship New Jersey in Camden, New Jersey

Camden, New Jersey (August 1, 2022)–R&B Promotions is pleased to announce a unique and new professional boxing series that will take place on The Battleship New Jersey in Camden, New Jersey on Friday, August 12th.

R&B Promotions is headed by former bantamweight fighter and current owner of the highly regarded TKO Fitness, Alex Barbosa.

“We are very excited to jump into pro boxing promotion. We have done several successful amateur shows, and having fights on the Battleship New Jersey is a different experience that the fans will really enjoy. We are featuring young and hungry fighters, and I could not be happier about the show on August 12th,” said Barbosa.

Heading up the event will be undefeated welterweight Tahmir Smalls taking on Andres Viera in a six-round bout.

Smalls of Philadelphia is 8-0 with five knockouts. Just 23 years-old, Smalls is coming off a first-round stoppage over Roque Agustin Junco on June 24th in Philadelphia.

Smalls is a frequent sparring partner of top ranked welterweight Jaron “Boots” Ennis

Viera of Montevideo, Uruguay is 11-5 with eight-knockouts.

Viera, 38 years-old, is a six-year professional.

In a six-round co-feature bout, Danny Murray (5-6, 4 KOs) of Lanoka Harbor, NJ takes on Michael Gibbons of Atlanta (0-0-1) in a junior welterweight contest.

IN FOUR-ROUND BOUTS:

Leonidas Soprandis (1-1, 1 KO) of Kilkis, Greece takes on Eliezer Olmeida (1-1) of Camden, NJ in a junior welterweight bout.

Terrick Maven (0-1) of Vineland, NJ takes on debuting Brandon Trollinger of North Charleston, South Carolina in a heavyweight fight.

Tyrone Arzeno (0-1) of Philadelphia takes on an opponent to be named in a super bantamweight bout

Anthony Dill of King of Prussia, PA fights Ramses Brown of Bellmawr, NJ in a battle of pro debuting junior middleweights

Timothy Tyler (0-1) of Camden, NJ will take on Tyrone Lewis (0-2) of Philadelphia in a welterweight contest.

Tickets are $50 and $100 and Can be Purchased at https://randbpromo.ticketleap.com/pro/dates/Aug-12-2022_at_0530PM




Manuel Gallegos vs. Jesus Moroyoqui Headline “Canela Box Nights”

LOS ANGELES (August 1, 2022) – Only 10 days after the launching of the “Canela Box Nights” series, CANELA BOX and World Cup Boxing Series (WCBS), led by CEO Terry Hollan and promoter/matchmaker Guy Taylor, have announced boxing’s newest series will return August 19th to one of boxing’s true hotbeds, Los Mochis, Sonora, Mexico.

“Canela Box Nights” will be held and streamed live for free the third Friday evening every month in Mexico.

Los Mochis, Sonora is synonymous with elite boxing, producing stars such as 5-time World Champion Fernando Montiel 54-6 (39 KOs) and 4-division World Champion Jorge Arce (64-8, 49 KOs).

The most recent WCBS signing, super-middleweight Manuel Gallegos (19-1, 16 KOs), has a legitimate shot at developing into the next star from Los Mochis. Gallegos appears to have the size, strength, skills, and chin to go deep in the loaded 168-pound division. Two fights ago. Gallegos defeated former Showtime and TMT fighter, Kevin Newman II (13-3-1, 8 KOs), of Las Vegas, by way of a close 10-round unanimous decision a year ago.

Gallegos’ opponent in the Aug. 19th 8-round main event is light heavyweight Jesus “Mazo” Moroyoqui (10-1, 7 KOs), of Navojoa, Sonora, the home of Mexican boxing legend and former International Boxing Federation (IBF) World Champion Luis “Yory Boy” Campas (107-17-3. 82 KOs).

“I’ve had the privilege to sit ringside and watch both men fight on separate nights and when the opportunity came to make this fight happen it was something we couldn’t pass up,” explained Taylor. “Now, if you are a boxing purest and love the whole ‘hit and not get hit’ style, this main event match-up may not be for your favorite, but if want to see a fight with no pretense of defense then you better tune in on August 19th to CANELA.TV”.”

Moroyoqui had a good amateur career with more than 100 fights and as a pro he has already defeated two previously undefeated fighters. Moroyoqui’s last fight resulted in his first pro loss to current world-ranked, undefeated Diego Pacheco (15-0) on DAZN.

The 8-round co-featured event will serve as a great “table setter” as one of the top prospects in all of Mexico and member of the Mexico’s famous Montiel boxing family, super lightweight prospect Jorge Lugo Cota (7-0, 5 KOs), also from Los Mochis.. An outstanding amateur who had a record of 155-10, coupled with numerous state and national championship performances, Cota takes a huge leap up in class versus former world title challenger Jesus Antonio Rubio (13-5-2, (7 KOs).

Rubio defeated former world-ranked challenger and United States Boxing Association (USBA) Champion Sonny Fredrickson (21-3) back in the spring of 2021. Defeating Fredrickson earned Rubio an opportunity to fight for the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) Interim Junior Welterweight World Championship against undefeated Alberto Puello (20-0) a year ago albeit dropping a 12-round decision. In Rubio’s last action, he fought to an 8-round split draw with Angel Martinez (14-1, 14KOs).

“I have always been known as an aggressive matchmaker in my 20 years of doing, but this is overly aggressive even for me,” Taylor noted. “We have the utmost confidence in our fighter (Lugo) and for him to make his first eight-round fight against a past world title challenger should tell you all about the confidence he has in himself.”

“Canela Box Nights” – LIVE, EXCLUSIVE and FREE stream on CANELA.TV, presented by World Cup Boxing Series, on Friday, August 19th from the Centennial Sports Center in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, starting 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT throughout the United States, Mexico, and Latin America.

Canela.TV is available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, as well as through linear channels on Samsung TV Plus, LG, Vizio, Plex, Distro TV and available through iTunes and Google Play. Users can find a wide variety of content, including soap operas, news, movies, television series, cooking shows, among others, through the Hispanic lens. For additional information on Canela.TV please visit: https://www.canela.tv/

“Canela Fight Nights” was created by CANELA MEDIA, a leading, minority-owned technology driven company committed to redefining digital media experiences for the Hispanic Community, and World Cup Boxing Series (WCBS), led by its creators CEO Terry Holland and promoter/matchmaker Guy Taylor.

ABOUT CANELA MEDIA: Canela Media is the leading, minority-owned technology driven company offering brands a complete ecosystem to connect with multicultural audiences starting with its free streaming platform service, Canela.TV which enriches the new generation of U.S. Latinos with free access to unique, culturally relevant content. In addition to TV content, Canela Music features a unique blend of Latin music programming , featuring various genres from Latin Pop, Regional Mexican, Classics, Romantic, and more.

Canela Media reaches more than 50 million unique Hispanics across its 180+ premium Spanish-language sites. Combined with the company’s proprietary data, Canela Media possesses in-depth knowledge and understanding of how to establish meaningful and culturally relevant connections with the new mainstream- U.S. and Latin America Hispanics.

Headquartered in New York, Canela Media is ranked as the third largest Hispanic ad-focused company and the only female-and minority-owned certified digital company. For more information please visit: https://canelamedia.com/

ABOUT WORLD CUP BOXING SERIES (WCBS): World Cup Boxing Series is your passport to the best online fights you’ll ever see. WCBS is the only active tournament and team fight series in professional boxing. For years, its creator Guy Taylor has been tasked with creating tough, competitive matches for promoters eager to test their rising prospects and contenders. That same mindset has now been applied to his own latest creation, World Cup Boxing Series. For more information, please visit https://www.worldcupboxingseries.com/

INFORMATION:

Website: www.worldcupboxingseries.com, www.canela.tv

Facebook: /WorldCupBoxingSeries

Instagram: @World_Cup_Boxing_Series




KELLY GRINDS DOWN BASTIDA TO BE CROWNED WBO INTERNATIONAL CHAMPION

Josh Kelly overcame a tough Lucas Bastida to enter the world rankings and claim the WBO International Super Welterweight Championship. It was a fiery encounter before the bell had even sounded, and after yesterdays weigh-in antics that saw the two main event fighters exchanging words, Bastida walked to the ring in a Newcastle United football shirt to antagonise Sunderland’s Kelly even further.

With his name upon the banners, Kelly did not disappoint the Channel 5 audience and all those in attendance at the Vertu Motors Arena on a fantastic Wasserman Boxing fight night. ‘PBK’ had a job to do as he continued his climb up the rankings, but had clearly been working on all the physical and technical aspects of his game to grind down his Argentine opponent.

“I’ve said i only want to be in big fights, and that kid tonight has only lost once, and that was due to a cut. It wasn’t even a legitimate loss,” said Kelly, live on Channel 5 post-fight. 

“He’s a strong Argentine who wanted to push forward, with a marauding style where he tried swinging shots from everywhere. I needed to keep my discipline in there tonight, and that’s exactly what i did.” 

The eyes were on the North East fighter fighter even more so when British champion, and potential opponent, Troy Williamson entered the arena with his Newcastle shirt on. Asked about this being the next move for Team Kelly, there was no denying if they did, or didn’t, want this fight.

“We absolutely want that fight. I’m here for all the big fights and that includes Troy,” he said. “I’ve told Adam (Booth) and the rest of the team that it’s a fight we all definitely want to see.”

The post-fight interview between Channel 5, Kalle Sauerland and Josh Kelly was to be quickly interrupted by Williamson, as he gave his opinion on the future encounter. 

“It’s a fight that represents the future of British boxing, and i’m up for it 100%,” he said.

“Lets get it on.”

Results

Josh Kelly def.  Lucas Bastida via points – 98-92, 99-92, 96-85

Harlem Eubank def. Eliot Chavez due to Chavez DQ

Pat McCormack def. Dimitri Trenel via first-round stoppage

Ben Marksby def. Rustem Fatkhullin via points, 60-55

Steve Robinson def. Phil Williams via points – 39-37

Jordan Barker-Porter def. Bec Connolly via fifth-round stoppage

Hose Stewart vs. Franklin Ignatius was declared a draw

Lisa Whiteside def. Jasmina Nad via points – 60-54

Kai Richmond def. Taka Bembere via third-round stoppage




BRITISH BOXING’S BOUT OF THE YEAR? BILLAM-SMITH BATTERS HIS WAY TO VICTORY DURING BLISTERING BATTLE IN BOURNEMOUTH

Bournemouth, England – 30th July 2022 – An electrified Bournemouth crowd cheered their hometown hero Chris Billam-Smith to victory in a brutal twelve-round war with Isaac Chamberlain for European and Commonwealth Cruiserweight Championships. 

All three judges scored the contest 117-111 in favour of Chris Billam-Smith, giving him the unanimous decision victory in one of the most intense contests fought on British soil in recent years.

Both men threw hell for leather from the first bell to the last, with the second round especially action packed, both men inflicting visible damage on the other across the three minutes. Alternating between long-range bombs and close-range firefights, neither man willingly took a backwards step from start to finish.

The fight looked likely to end at any given moment, with advantage passing back and forth and one fighter dominating only to see the other come surging back. Isaac Chamberlain also managed to consistently find openings in Billam-Smith’s defense and looked the more energetic fighter of the pair in the Championship rounds.

Chris Billam-Smith has now more than earned his place at the top of the domestic Cruiserweight division and put himself into world title contention. He looks set for even greater glory in the years to come, and he can now confidently claim to have the whole of Bournemouth behind him.

Results

Joe Pigford bt Raphael King TKO Rd 3 – 1:49

Knockout artist Joe Pigford claimed another ferocious stoppage victory after overwhelming a skilled and powerful opponent in Raphael King.

Pigford landed a crunching bodyshot that forced his opponent to seize up, and then bullied him into the corner of the ring, and continued to batter his body while also mixing in some shots to the head, forcing the referee to end the fight and giving Pigford the 19th stoppage victory of his flawless 20 fight career.

This fight was an eliminator for the Commonwealth Championship and should stand Pigford in good stead to get the big fights he’s been craving for years.

Ben Whittaker bt Greg O’Neill KO Rd 2 – 0:21

‘The Surgeon’ Ben Whittaker delivered a stunning performance in one of the most highly anticipated professional debuts in British boxing history.

The Olympic Silver Medalist landed a perfect right hook to the temple in the second round that left O’Neill out cold on the ring floor. The first round was fiery as both men had moments of frustration in the clinch, while Whittaker sprinkled in some showboating as well.

Whittaker looked set for superstardom as a professional before this fight, and this scintillating knockout has only made this seem even more certain.

Frazer Clarke bt Ariel Esteban Bracamonte KO Rd 2 – 2:57

A brutal left hook sent Bracamonte tumbling to the canvas and granted Frazer Clarke victory, maintaining his 100% finish rate, right at the death of the second round of their fight.

Clarke was landing forceful punches throughout the two rounds of the fight, but Bracamonte took them well, and did fire back with jabs and straight rights towards Clarke at times.

Clarke showed impressive intelligence to set up the fight-ending left hook by throwing them to the body throughout the fight, then suddenly switching to the head, and landing perfectly as a result. Clarke came into this fight after some time out of the ring for surgery to his right hand, and will be keen to keep active from now.

Hassan Azim bt Jacob Quinn PTS – 59-55

The Hitman Adam Azim won every round but one on the referee’s scorecard in an impressive victory that took him to 4-0 in his young professional career. Azim came out at a blistering pace and scored a knockdown 14 seconds into the first round before throwing everything he had at Quinn, who somehow survived the first round’s onslaught.

The fight slowed into a more methodical pace from then on, with Azim handling Quinn’s evasive style effectively and peppering his body from short and long range across the five remaining rounds. Hassan Azim remains one of the most exciting prospects in British boxing and will have learned a huge amount from these six rounds.

Caroline Dubois bt Happy Daudi TKO Rd 3 – 0:46

Young Olympian Caroline Dubois took her record to 3-0 with a savage performance over an experienced opponent in Happy Daudi. Dubois was landing with barrages of shots from both hands across the three rounds of the fight, with Daudi showing great heart not to be stopped, despite being knocked down in the second round.

Dubois finally overwhelmed Daudi’s defenses in the third round and forced the referee to step in and end the fight. Caroline Dubois looks set to become one of the biggest stars in women’s boxing at only 21 years old.

Lee Cutler bt Meshack Mwankemwa PTS 6/6 – 58-56

Lee Cutler took a solid decision victory on the referee’s scorecard in an exciting fight in front of a vocal hometown crowd. Cutler boxed smartly in the first round, picking his opportunities to throw powerful hooks and do damage to his opponent well, and range-finding with his jab smartly.

The Bournemouth native picked up the pace in the second round, consistently landing powerful shots to the head and body. Cutler continued to find success in the third and fourth rounds, despite Mwankemwa showing tremendous heart and tenacity to keep coming forward and battle with Cutler.

The final two rounds of fight continued in a similar fashion, with both men landing shots, and Mwankemwa advancing, but Cutler consistently doing more damage, and being more successful on his way to victory.

Mikael Lawal bt Crispulo Javier Andino KO Rd 2 – 1:25

Mikael Lawal walked away with another stoppage victory on his undefeated record tonight after a deadly left hook to the body caused Javier Andino to slowly crumple to his knees and not stand up again until after the referee’s 10-count.

This came after a measured round and a half of jabbing and range finding from Lawal where he showed strong boxing intelligence. Lawal is now keen to take on Deion Jumah in a fight that’s been ordered to be for the British title.

Stevie McKenna bt Facundo Alberto Rojas KO Rd 2 – 2:59

Exciting welterweight Stevie ‘Hitman’ McKenna made a huge statement with a devastating 2nd round stoppage of a tough opponent that had never been stopped in his career before this fight. McKenna scored a knockdown in the 1st round after a thudding left hook to the body, and wore Rojas down across the second round, forcing the referee to wave the fight off after the Argentinian was able to return to his feet from another knockdown late in the round.




‘KING ARTHUR’ JOINS THE WASSERMAN BOXING FAMILY

Wasserman Boxing are delighted to have secured the signing of Lyndon Arthur (19-1, 13 KOs) to add to its already elite stable. The promotion looks forward to getting the hungry light heavyweight out there and starting what is destined to be a very successful journey together.

“I went a little quiet after my last fight, and we just spent time fishing around for who could provide the best platform for me, someone who will get behind me and give me the best opportunities,” said Arthur.

“Wasserman Boxing did that; I instantly had a good feeling about what they could do for me and they sounded as happy to work with me as I was with them. You don’t want to get that feeling that you’re the B-side when you’re working with a promotion, I understand it’s business, but Wasserman have been welcoming and shown they want to put work into me.”

“They seem happy to work and to push my brand and my platform to get me back into the right fights for title contention. I feel like they’ll help direct my career in the right way. I’m excited to see what’s about to happen.”

With excitement already building regarding this tremendous addition to the Wasserman Boxing family, the work Arthur has been putting in outside of the ring showcases his intentions. Training with some of the worlds best, he’s ready to show everyone why he’s right at home competing at the top.

“I’ve been out in Canada sparring with Artur Beterbiev for his last fight, and I’ve been out in San Francisco training with Josh Buatsi.  I’ve been making sure that I’m putting the work in and sharpening my skillset by staying busy in the gym.”

“Beterbiev is an animal, a monster, and he is what you see. Away from boxing, he’s a lovely person, but he’s very very good at what he does. I didn’t feel out of my depth, but he is talented.”

“Buatsi is also very good at what he does,” continued Arthur. “We boxed back in 2014 and I’ve been on the Team GB squad with him, we don’t speak every day but I only have good words to say about him. Again, he’s an animal in the boxing ring, and it’s all great experiences.”

It is a rejuvenated Arthur, ready to capitalise on plenty of lessons learnt to make use of the prime years he now begins to enter. Suffering a hiccup last time out, he’s admittedly a little wiser and ready to get in the ring and show the fire is roaring within his belly.

“It’s good to be in the company of all the talented fighters at Wasserman, and it gives me more ambition to push on and be up there with the best. I feel my name is solid within the British scene, and a few might have forgotten about me recently, but I’ll be reminding people when I fight again soon and they will talk again.”

“Channel 5 is a great platform, it’ll be watched all over, and with it being free-to-air it’ll continue to have good viewing numbers. I think this platform will help my fanbase to keep growing.”

“I’m excited for the future.”

Wasserman’s Head of Global Boxing, Kalle Sauerland, expressed his delight for being the ones to get Arthur to sign on the dotted line.

“Lyndon needs no introduction, but equally deserves a fantastic welcome into Wasserman Boxing,” he said.

“Adding someone of his ambition, quality, and firepower not only says statements about what we want to do, but about him wanting to join us and use our platform as soon as he possibly can.”

“I’ve been doing this long enough to have a cool approach to business, but I cannot deny how excited I am to showcase this mans talents. Boxing royalty, ‘King Arthur’ is here!”




2-time Olympians Yuberjen Martinez & Leonel de los Santos Dominant winners last night in Colombia

BARRANQUILLA, Colombia (July 30, 2022) – The future of Fighter Locker, a Boston-based boxing management company, was on display last night in Colombia as 2-time Olympians Yuberjen “Tremendo” Martinez and “El Tsunami” Leonel de los Santos were dominant in their ESPN Deportes fights at Elias Chegwin Coliseum in Barranquilla.

The 30-year-old Martinez, who represented Colombia in the last two summer Olympic Games, capturing a silver medal in 2016, made his long-awaited pro debut much to the delight of his fellow Colombians, knocking out Argentinian flyweight Yeison “El Chino” Hernandez (6-4, 2 KOs) in the fourth round.

In addition to his Olympics experience, Martinez was a highly decorated amateur who won gold medals at the 2014 & 2018 Central American & Caribbean Games and the 2018 South American Games. He also took bronze at the prestigious 2017 World Championships, bronze at the 2019 Pan American Games.

Santos (7-0, 5 KOs), fighting out of the Dominican Republic, thoroughly outboxed veteran Colombian lightweight Luis Diaz Marmol (18-16, 11 KOs) enroute to a shutout decision, winning all six rounds on each of the three judges’ scorecards. Santos, a southpaw, won a silver medal at the 2019 Pan-American Games.

“’Tremendo’ faced a tough opponent in a rare 6-round debut, knocking out his opponent in the third round,” Fighter Locker president Ryan Roach said. “He has all the tools and intangibles of a world champion. I can see him winning a major title in less than 10 fights.

“Leonel dominated for six rounds. He had great output in terms of punches over six rounds against a rough, veteran opponent. Leonel also had to overcome a head butt. He also used his defense to limit his opponent to landing 5-6 punches. That’s what we had worked on during camp, landing his shots and moving, so I’m very happy with his performance.” 

Fighter Locker’s growing stable of gifted boxers also includes New York’s ABF American West super lightweight Ray Jay “The Destroyer” Bermudez (16-0, 11 KOs), Colorado’s ABF American West super middleweight champion “The Amazing” Shawn McCalman (11-0, 6 KOs), Massachusetts super lightweight Adrian “Tonka” Sosa (12-0, 9 KOs), Florida super bantamweight Daniel “The Dedication” Bailey, Jr. (10-1, 5 KOs), Massachusetts featherweight Troy Anderson, Jr. (5-0, 3 KOs), Dominican super welterweight Juan Solano Santos (1-0, 1 KO), Florida light heavyweight Robert Daniels, Jr. (6-0, 5 KOs), Irish light heavyweight Tommy “The Kid” O’Toole (4-0, 3 KOs), Texas lightweight Miranda “ La Alacrana” Reyes (6-1-1, 3 KOs), Kansas brothers, welterweight Marcus Davidson (4-0, 4 KOs) and super lightweight Marcell Davidson (2-0, 1 KO), and Utah brothers, ABF American West lightweight champion Ignacio Chairez (8-1-1, 5 KOs) and lightweight Gabriel Chairez (4-0-1, 2 KOs).

INFORMATION:

WEBSITE: fighterlocker.com, punch4parkinsons.com

FACEBOOK: /fighterlocker

TWITTER: @RoachRyan

INSTAGRAM: @RyanRoach82

ABOUT FIGHTER LOCKER: Established in 2019, Fighter Locker is a comprehensive sports agency that manages professional boxers. Fighter Locker also helps to brand boxers by finding their voice with a 100-percent customized service. Fighter Locker does not really believe in working models. It believes in partnership optimization models in motion.

Fighter Locker uses four creative steps because it believes in “the foundation is everything”: 1. wisely conceived, 2. creatively restrained, 3. Proudly judged, 4. sharply targeted.




CASTRO, APONTE AND HERRERA COMPLETE CANELO-GGG III CARD

Marc Castro, Aaron Aponte and Anthony Herrera will all take the latest steps in their pro journeys on the biggest stage of all as they complete the undercard to the trilogy clash between Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Gennadiy ‘GGG’ Golovkin. The event, presented by Matchroom, Canelo Promotions and GGG Promotions, will broadcast live on DAZN Pay-Per-View in the U.S. and Canada as well as around the world on DAZN (excluding Mexico, Latin America, and Kazakhstan). 

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW VIA AXS.COM
Castro (7-0 5 KOs) appears on his fifth Canelo undercard since making his debut in December 2020, and the former amateur standout will meet Kevin Montiel Mendoza in his first bout over eight rounds. Castro steps through the ropes for the third time this year with a pair of points wins over six rounds already in the bag and will be tested by Mexican Mendoza (6-1-2 3 KOs) whose CV includes a split-draw with Otha Jones III.

Aponte (6-0 2 KOs) is also lacing them up for the third time in 2022, and ‘The Alien King’ is ready to mix it up against Canelo Promotions’ unbeaten prospect Fernando Molina. Aponte, who penned a promotional deal with Eddie Hearn in January, will look to add a seventh win in the paid ranks in his first eight round round clash with Molina (8-0 3 KOs), the 20 year old Mexican who also has a pair of wins over six this year.

Herrera (2-0-1 2 KOs) gets the chance to bounce back to winning ways on the biggest stage as he takes on Delvin McKinley. Herrera was held to a draw in his last outing in Mexico against the spirited Kennyn Valenzuela, and the Manny Robles trained talent is eager to get back on track in Sin City. McKinley (4-3-1 4 KOs) will have other ideas though, and the 26 year old comes into the bout having taken Olympic bronze medal man Nico Hernandez the distance earlier this month.

The trio of talent completes a stacked undercard on September 17, led by a co-main fight starring Super-Flyweight sensation Jesse Rodriguez defending his WBC World title against Israel Gonzalez.

Fireworks are promised as Ali Akhmedov and Gabriel Rosado will clash for the IBF North American Super-Middleweight title, Diego Pacheco fights for his first pro belt when he meets Enrique Collazo for the WBC USNBC Silver Super-Middleweight title and Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams taking on Kieron Conway for the vacant WBA International Middleweight title, all leading into the third installment of the classic modern rivalry between Canelo and Golovkin, with the Mexican king putting his undisputed Super-Middleweight crown on the line against Kazakhstan’s reigning WBA and IBF Middleweight ruler in the most anticipated match up of 2022.

“This is a great opportunity for three talented young men to strut their stuff on the biggest stage of all,” said Hearn. “Marc, Aaron and Anthony will be soaking up the packed build-up and buzzing fight week in Las Vegas before putting their skills on display as part of a brilliant card on September 17 that is full of great fighters and clashes that promise drama, before we hit a main event that the world will stand still for.”




GARCIA VS. BENAVIDEZ JR. OFFICIAL WEIGHTS

Super Welterweight Bout – 12 Rounds

Danny Garcia – 152 ¾ lbs.

Jose Benavidez Jr. – 153 ¾ lbs.

Referee: Steve Willis; Judges: Glenn Feldman (Conn.), Anthony Paolillo (N.Y.), (Waleska Roldan (N.Y.)

Heavyweight Bout – 10 Rounds

Adam Kownacki – 251 ¼ bs.

Ali Eren Demirezen – 262 ¾ lbs.

Referee: Eric Dali; Judges: Mark Consentino (N.J.), Martha Tremblay (Mass.), Steve Weisfeld (N.J.)

Super Lightweight Bout – 10 Rounds

Gary Antuanne Russell – 137 ¾ lbs.

Rances Barthelemy – 139 ½ lbs.

Referee: Shada Murdaugh; Judges: John McKaie (N.Y.), Kevin Morgan (N.Y.), Robin Taylor (N.Y.)

SHOWTIME BOXING COUNTDOWN

Stream Live at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on the SHOWTIME SPORTS® YouTube Channel and SHOWTIME Boxing Facebook page.

Middleweight Bout – 10 Rounds

Sergiy Derevyanchenko – 159 ½ lbs.

Joshua Conley – 160 lbs.

Super Welterweight Bout – Eight Rounds

Vito Mielnicki Jr. – 153 ¾ lbs.

Jimmy Williams – 153 lbs.

Veteran sportscaster Brian Custer will host the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast while versatile combat sports voice Mauro Ranallo will handle blow-by-blow action alongside Hall of Fame analyst Al Bernstein and three-division world champion Abner Mares. Three Hall of Famers round out the telecast team – Emmy® award winning reporter Jim Gray, world-renowned ring announcer Jimmy Lennon, Jr. and boxing historian Steve Farhood as unofficial scorer. The executive producer is four-time Emmy award winner David Dinkins, Jr. with Ray Smaltz III producing and Bob Dunphy directing. Former junior middleweight world champion and SHOBOX: The New Generation commentator Raúl “El Diamante” Marquez and sportscaster Alejandro Luna serve as expert analysts in Spanish on Secondary Audio Programming (SAP). Veteran combat sports reporter Luke Thomas of MORNING KOMBAT, Marquez and star Philadelphia natives Jaron “Boots” Ennis and unified 122-pound world champion Stephen Fulton Jr. will call the live streamed bouts.

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ABOUT GARCIA VS. BENAVIDEZ

Garcia vs. Benavidez will see two-division world champion and Brooklyn fan-favorite Danny “Swift” Garcia making his super welterweight debut against exciting contender Jose Benavidez Jr. in a 12-round showdown that headlines a stacked tripleheader Saturday, July 30 live on SHOWTIME from Barclays Center in Brooklyn in an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions.

The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and will also see Polish star and Brooklyn’s all-action Adam Kownacki returning to the ring to take on Turkish Olympian Ali Eren Demirezen in a 10-round heavyweight attraction, while unbeaten rising star Gary Antuanne Russell faces former two-division champion Rances Barthelemy in a 10-round showdown to kick off the telecast.

For more information visit www.SHO.com/sports, www.PremierBoxingChampions.com, follow #GarciaBenavidez, follow on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing, @BrooklynBoxing, and @TGBPromotions, on Instagram @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing, and @TGBPromotionss or become a fan on Facebook   at            www.Facebook.com/ShowtimeBoxing.




UNBEATEN LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS IZMAILOV & MURGUIA TO VIE FOR USBA CHAMPIONSHIP IN ONE OF TWO EXPLOSIVE MAIN EVENTS AT NEXT DETROIT BRAWL

Unbeaten WBO #12-, IBF #11-, WBC #7-ranked light heavyweight Ali Izmailov (8-0, 6 KOs) and also undefeated Eric Murguia (14-0, 12 KOs) will be fighting for the USBA Light Heavyweight Championship when the pair meet in one of two stereo 10-round main events at Salita Promotions’ next Detroit Brawl, on Wednesday, August 10, 2022, at the historic Garden Theater in Midtown Detroit.

In the other main event, Detroit via Rakhmon, Uzbekistan’s Shohjahon Ergashev (22-0, 19 KOs) will face fellow knockout artist Angel “El Furioso” Martinez Hernandez (14-1-2, 14 KOs) from Baja California, Mexico, in a 10-round shootout between sleep-inducing super lightweight punchers.

Tickets for “Detroit Brawl” start at $40 and can be purchased by clicking HERE. PLEASE NOTE: Tickets ordered online will be placed in will call at the box office for pick-up. A limited quantity of VIP tickets is also available by calling 313.529.7604.

Originally from Malgobek, 29-year-old Izmailov works and resides with all-star trainer John David Jackson in Florida. A former amateur standout, Izmailov is a thudding and aggressive puncher, showing continued improvement under Jackson’s tutelage. Izmailov was last seen demolishing formerly undefeated Chilean Abraham Tebes in three brutal rounds last April.

Currently deep into training camp with super trainer John David Jackson, says preparations for the high-stakes fight are going well.

“I am excited for my title fight against Eric Murguia who is undefeated and accomplished professional,” said Izmailov. “I’m having a great training camp with John David Jackson and working every day to be a world champion.”

Murguia, of Mission Hills, California, started amateur boxing in 2011 and went on to win the 2013 Junior World Team Open and become part of the Junior National Team. Blessed with excellent power and movement, the 24-year-old southpaw Murguia stands 6’ and was last seen winning the WBA Fedelatin Light Heavyweight Championship with a second-round knockout over Mexico’s 11-3 Hector Coronado.

“It’s an honour to be fighting for a belt like this,” said Murguia during a break in training, “and a great opportunity to fight a top contender like Ali. Winning this will put my career in a whole new position and a step closer to a world title shot. I’ve been working hard towards an opportunity like this and, come August 10, I will make sure I come out victorious and make my name known in the boxing world.”

“Izmailov vs Murguia is a fantastic fight of significance for the title between two undefeated light heavyweight contenders,” said eager event promoter Dmitriy Salita. “Both hungry, both wanting the victory badly… somebody’s ‘O’ has got to go. I am grateful to bring this fantastic fight to our Detroit audience. Detroit is on its way to being one of the hubs of professional boxing in the United States and it is fights like this that move the needle in a positive direction.”

Also featured that night will be an eight-round super bantamweight battle between Accra, Ghana’s Prince Dzanie (22-0, 18 KOs) and Memphis-based veteran Ira “Mr. Showtime” Terry (27-21, 16 KOs), as well as undefeated Icelandic heavyweight Kolbeinn “The Ice Bear” Kristinsson taking on unpredictable Houstonian Rodney Moore (20-22-2, 9 KOs) in a six-round battle of big men.

Undefeated Grand Rapids, Michigan-based former amateur champions Joseph Hicks Jr. and Joshua Pagan will also see action that night, as Hicks (2-0, 2 KOs) will face experienced Dominican scrapper Jonathan Batista (19-16, 12 KOs) in a six-round middleweight struggle, while Pagan will take on Brazilian scrapper Maycon Oller Da Silva (1-5) over four super lightweight rounds. One of Detroit’s own, undefeated middleweight Da’Velle Smith (3-0, 3 KOs), already the winner of the WBC’s Big Belt Championship Tournament, will go four rounds or less with Wenatchee, Washington’s Devontae McDonald (2-1, 1 KO).

Rounding out the action will be undefeated Houston-based light heavyweight Darius “DFG” Fulghum (2-0, 2 KOs), who will take on Delaware’s David Murray (10-3-1, 6 KOs) in a lightweight six and lastly, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada’s Spencer Wilcox (3-0, 2 KOs) will face an opponent that is still TBA in a lightweight six-rounder.

About The Garden Theater
The historic Garden Theater, built by C. Howard Crane on the northern corner of the 3900 block of Woodward, originally opened in 1912 as one of the largest theatres built in Midtown Detroit. The original theater closed in 1949 and reopened under several owners. Now, the Garden Theater is back, and better than ever, with state-of-the-art amenities including a full-service bar in the main theater and a VIP balcony with incredible architectural integrity and charm that stays true to the historic Cass Corridor structures. The revitalized performance and entertainment venue offers unique spaces for wedding ceremonies & receptions, bar mitzvahs, corporate events, concerts, conferences and meetings. The historic Garden Theater is located at 3929 Woodward Avenue in Detroit, MI. For more information, please call 313.832.0888 or visit us on the web at thegardendetroit.com, or check out our social media: FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM.
ABOUT SALITA PROMOTIONS:

Salita Promotions was founded in 2010 by Dmitriy Salita, a professional boxer and world-title challenger who saw the need for a promotional entity to feature boxing’s best young prospects and established contenders in North America and around the world. Viewers watching fighters on worldwide television networks including Showtime, HBO, ESPN, Spike TV, Universal Sports Network, UFC Fight Pass, DAZN, ESPN+ and MSG have enjoyed Salita Promotions fight action in recent years. We pride ourselves on offering our fighters opportunities inside and outside the ring. Salita Promotions looks forward to continuing to grow and serve the needs of fight fans around the globe.

Check the Salita Promotions YOUTUBE CHANNEL for regular updates of the modern world’s greatest fighters, contenders and prospects in action.