QUINCY, Mass. (March 28, 2022) – Last Saturday in Rhode Island, undefeated Pittsfield (MA) Quintin Sumpter heavyweight pulled off an upset that better positions him for a significant fight this year.

Sumpter went into the lion’s den to face undefeated Providence heavyweight Timothy Hatfield (3-1, 3 KOs), a decorated New England amateur boxer, without any reservations. Like a throwback fighter, Sumpter never turns down a fight offer from his promoter, Chris Traietti.

Against Hatfield, Sumpter came out throwing big overhand rights that obviously made a deep impression on his opponent, who was never in the fight despite one judge scoring the fight a draw, while the two others had Sumpter winning all four rounds.

“We only had 2-3 weeks to prepare, so we reached out to a few world-class fighters for sparring. I must have sparred 50-55 rounds with Cassius Chaney in two weeks. Chad Dawson (3-time world light heavyweight champion) and Mike Marshall (reigning New England heavyweight titlist holder) helped me, too. They all gave me pointers. I knew I was fighting a guy in his backyard and went into the ring to knock him out. Once I got into it, I boxed. Mentally, he couldn’t handle my power; once he felt my right, he was timid the rest of the fight.

“I was confident that I had won, but when the scores were announced and one of the judges had it 38-38, I had a look on my face like, what? I’m not saying I’m the best, but I want to continue showcasing my talent, and prove that I can fight with anybody.”

“This was a huge win for Quintin,” Traietti commented. “He basically sent from an unknown talent to a prospect that have eyes on him. Hatfield had an extensive amateur background. Quintin showed up to fight and took it to Hatfield. Don’t be surprised if his next fight is on a mega-stage.”

“Chris has always taken care of me,” Sumpter added. “I’m the first heavyweight he calls. We had a fight on the Fury-Wilder (3) card (last Oct. to in Last Vegas) that fell through. I’m grateful for Granite Chin and proud Chris is promoting me.”

Quintin’s younger brother, undefeated super middleweight prospect Steven (5-0, 5 KOs) is also promoted by Granite Chin.

The Sumpter brothers are Granite Chin stablemates along with Mass. super lightweight Mike Ohan, Jr., Mass. middleweights Anthony Andreozzi and Julien Baptiste, Mass. super welterweight and Carlo Castillo, Mass. light heavyweights Edet Mkpanam, and Leondro Silva, Mass. super featherweight Ryan Kielczweski, Mass. welterweights Denzel Whitley and Dave Ribeiro, Mass. super middleweight Laurent Humes, New York light heavyweight Scott Lampert, New Jersey super lightweight Tyrone Luckey, Conn. heavyweight Mike Marshall (New England champion), Maine heavyweight Justin Rolfe (former New England champion), Texas middleweight Larry Smith, and Georgia middleweight Antonio Todd.

INFORMATION:

Facebook.com/GraniteChin, /DavidJRibeiro

Twitter: @Granite_Chin

Instagram: @chinchekker_qt

Los Angeles, CA (March 28, 2022) Tom Loeffler’s 360 Promotions returns on Thursday, May 12 as part  of its acclaimed Hollywood Fight Nights series at the Quiet Cannon – Montebello Country Club.

Headlined by Top, Undefeated Irish Prospect Callum Walsh and Broadcast, Live Internationally on UFC Fight Pass, Advance Tickets are Now-On-Sale starting at $150 (VIP Ringside), $100 (Preferred Seating) and $80 (Reserved Seating), online at Hollywood Fight Nights / Seating. The Quiet Cannon – Montebello Country Club is located at 901 via San Clemente, Montebello, CA 90640. Doors will open on the night of the event at 5:30 p.m. PT. For more information on the venue please visit www.QuietCannon.com.

“With our most recent event on St. Patrick’s Day selling out in advance, I strongly encourage local fans to purchase their tickets long before May 12 to ensure entry on the night of the event,” said Loeffler. “We’re thrilled to bring Callum Walsh back and to partner with UFC FIGHT PASS to broadcast the event live internationally.”

The 21-year-old Walsh, fighting out of Cork, Ireland, improved to 2-0 with the heavy-handed and highly touted southpaw stopping Gael Ibarra in the first round on the St. Patrick’s Day card.

More information on this event will be announced shortly.

About Tom Loeffler

Loeffler holds the record for having promoted the most heavyweight world title fights this century while promoting all the championship fights of Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko for K2 Promotions, a company he founded with the brothers. Tom also brought the Spotlight to the Flyweight division launching the Superfly Series on HBO that highlighted stars including Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, Juan Francisco Estrada, Kazuto Ioka, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and Carlos Cuadras. Tom is best known for his work with Gennadiy “GGG” Golovkin building him into an international superstar as the reigning middleweight world champion for the last 10 years. He strategically secured global sponsorship deals with Jordan Brand, Hublot, Tecate, Chivas, and Bijan. Tom has also worked with Hall of Fame fighters Shane Mosley, James Toney and Kevin Kelley as well as hosting the US debut of Naoya Inoue. 

About 360 Promotions:

During 2017, Tom Loeffler founded 360 Promotions to provide rising boxers additional opportunities to develop their talents. 360 Promotions produced the acclaimed ‘Superfly’ series giving exposure to tremendous talents in the lighter divisions including world champions; Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez, Juan Francisco Estrada, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Naoya Inoue and Kazuto Ioka. In 2018, 360 Promotions launched the Hollywood Fight Nights series at the Avalon Nightclub in Hollywood, CA. Hollywood Fight Nights is billed as the VIP boxing experience which provides a platform for rising boxers to develop their talents as future champions.

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Website

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Rosie Perez believes Amanda Serrano is going to ‘rock The Garden’ when she faces the undisputed Lightweight champion Katie Taylor on Saturday April 30 at Madison Square Garden in New York, live worldwide on DAZN.

TICKETS FOR TAYLOR VS. SERRANO ARE ON SALE NOW FROM TICKETMASTER.COM
Popular actor Perez has been a long-time supporter of Serrano, her fellow Brooklynite and proud Puerto Rican, and the ‘Do The Right Thing’ star is thrilled that the seven-weight World champion will be one half of the first ever all-female headline fight at the vaunted Manhattan boxing Mecca.

Ahead of the bout, Serrano opened her training camp and welcomed young people from the Garden of Dreams Foundation and SCO Family Services. Amanda, along with Perez, welcomed the group before Serrano displayed her training routine and welcomed 12-year-old Jamiyah Lee from Bed-Stuy into the ring for one-on-one instruction. Radio City Rockette, Taylor Shimko was also in attendance to learn boxing techniques from the 33 year old – and Perez is proud to see Serrano getting the big night her hard work has been leading towards. 

“When I see Amanda Serrano step into the ring April 30 at Madison Square Garden, I think I’m going to be in tears,” said Perez. “I’m going to be screaming “Boricua” and I think half of The Garden will be screaming the same.

“When someone says Amanda Serrano, I think of a champion. I think of a young woman who is dedicated to her sport.  Who’s been knocked around outside the ring in regard to lesser pay, who’s going to have her moment of her career come April 30 at Madison Square Garden.

“It’s just so exciting. I’m so happy for her. She’s going to rock The Garden.”

“Rosie has been in my corner from the very beginning,” said Serrano. “She’s a proud Boricua, Latina and she is just a great supporter for any female athlete. She is a huge boxing fan, and she has always encouraged me to be the best person I can be and the best athlete. When I found out where we were fighting and how much we were making I knew she was smiling and rooting for us and supporting us.”

Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano are set to make history in an epic battle for Taylor’s undisputed Lightweight title at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, April 30 live on DAZN.

Years in the making, the biggest fight ever in women’s boxing between the pound-for-pound #1 and #2 fighters of the world is one that will not only make boxing history, but women’s sports history. MSG has hosted thousands of fights through its illustrious years, beginning more than a century ago on July 17, 1882; now, 140 years later, this matchup finally marks the very first time two female fighters are headlining a boxing event at the iconic venue.

Taylor and Serrano’s historic fight tops a huge night of action, with former World champions Jessie Vargas and Liam Smith meeting in a crossroads Super-Welterweight battle and there will be an undisputed champion crowned at Super-Middleweight when Franchón Crews-Dezurn and Elin Cederroos clash.

Warwick, RI (March 26) – A wild night at the Crowne Plaza Hotel ended with an unexpected finish in the main event.

Cartagena, Colombia veteran Yeison Vargas (19-9, 14 KOs) spoiled Rhode Island native Ricky Delossantos’ homecoming and handed the previously unbeaten featherweight his first loss as a pro Saturday at Rhode Wars 2 via third-round knockout.

After falling behind in the first two rounds, the hard-hitting Vargas cracked Delossantos (10-1) with a right hand that buckled his legs and sent him crashing to the canvas midway through the third. Delossantos got back to his feet and appeared poised to survive the round, but Vargas landed two more hard rights, the second which sent Delossantos to the canvas again and prompted referee Danny Schiavone to stop the fight with nine seconds remaining.

For Vargas, it’s his second consecutive win and second in three weeks after scoring a knockout win March 25 in his native Colombia. Prior to Saturday, Delossantos hadn’t fought since July and had only fought once since August of 2019.

In the co-main event, New Bedford, MA, super lightweight Wilson Mascarenhas (6-1) continued his winning ways, beating previously undefeated Mexican challenger Abraham Perez (3-1) by unanimous decision, 60-54 across the board. Fresh off a knockout win in February, Mascarenhas looked even sharper Saturday, out-boxing and out-working the hard-charging challenger, who continued to come forward despite Mascarenhas’ superior speed and footwork. Mascarenhas has now won six in a row.

The much-hyped bout between unbeaten New London, CT, lightweight Alejandro Paulino (9-0) and Indiana native Andrew Rodgers (6-10-2) was as good as advertised with Paulino surviving a scare midway through the fight to earn the unanimous decision win, 58-55 on all three scorecards. Paulino looked sharp through three rounds, but Rodgers caught him with an overhand right to score a knockdown early in the fourth. Paulino wisely tied up his opponent as best he could through the remainder and survived the bell before rebounding in the fifth and sixth. The fight remained competitive to the final bell as Paulino snapped Rodgers’ two-fight win streak.

In the heavyweight division, Pittsfield, MA, native Quintin Sumpter (3-0) remained unbeaten by handing Providence’s Timothy Hatfield (3-1) his first loss via majority decision, 38-38, 40-36, 40-36. Sumpter set the tone early with a series of overhand rights in the opening round, and Hatfield subsequently spent the rest of the fight tentative and unable to generate any offense. Sumpter, despite being much shorter than Hatfield, continued to land the overhand right and circled the ring to keep Hatfield at bay. Judge Eddie Scunzio scored it a draw, but Peter Hary and Joe Apice had it in favor of Sumpter.

In the opening bout of the event, Italy’s Nicola Quarneti (6-2-1) scored his first win on United States soil, defeating Rhode Island’s Keenan Raymond (1-2) by split decision, 37-39, 40-36, 40-36. Ken Ezzo scored it in favor of Raymond while Scunzio and Hary gave the nod to Quarneti. The Rimini, Italy native debuted in Rhode Island in February, but lost by technical decision when his opponent suffered a cut in the third round.

Visit CESFights.com for more information. Updates on CES Boxing can also be found on Facebook in addition to Instagram and Twitter by following @CESBoxing.

INFORMATION

CES Boxing is 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.

The Crowne Plaza Hotel Providence-Warwick is the first choice of those seeking the best in accommodations, convenience, service and sophistication in Rhode Island. A nine-time winner of the Intercontinental Hotel Group’s Torchbearer Award, one of the most prestigious accolades in the hotel industry, the Crowne Plaza Hotel has 266 guestrooms and 45,000 square feet of meeting space. Whether you’re a business traveler seeking respite from a long flight, a family on vacation visiting nearby Newport, a trade association holding its annual convention, or a young couple planning a wedding, the Crowne Plaza is ready to satisfy your every need. Located 10 minutes from downtown Providence and two miles from T.F. Green Airport on a spacious landscaped 17-acre site featuring abundant, free parking, the Crowne Plaza Hotel is prepared to treat you like royalty.

London, England – Saturday 26 March 2022 – Full steam ahead for Richard ‘The Midnight Train’ Riakporhe (14-0, 10 KOs) following an eighth-round stoppage win over Deion Jumah (14-1, 7 KOs) to prove his worth as a world title opportunity.

Headlining Saturday night’s BOXXER card live on Sky Sports, Riakporhe dropped Jumah with a counter right hand in the fourth round then sealed the deal in the eighth, demonstrating his ferocious one-punch knockout power yet again with a wicked body shot that left Jumah on all fours in agony and forced the referee to wave the fight off.

Jumah did prove to be the busier man in the first few rounds, he managed to close the distance against the much taller Riakporhe and landed some well-timed combinations that had Riakporhe questioning at times.

The fight took its time to live to its potential and after four slow rounds Riakporhe came to life with a beautiful overhand right that sent Jumah flying to the canvas, however, Jumah managed to rise to his feet and survive until the bell.

Deion ‘The Ghost’ Jumah replied to the knockdown in the best fashion as he got back to his boxing and landed more combinations inside the distance. The midway point of the fight saw the two equally matched with much cagey atmosphere present.

For the time that it lasted, respects must be paid to Jumah who fought the much bigger man and gave it his all. Riakporhe proved that he is ready to take the next step in his career towards a cruiserweight world title.

With Riakporhe originally to fight Fabio Turchi and Jumah to fight Mikael Lawal, all can applaud both fighters for taking this high-stakes fight. Both have sparred in the past with Jumah claiming to have gotten the better of Riakporhe. Riakporhe was sure to put the facts straight on the night and did with an impressive performance.

Riakporhe entered the fight ranked number seven by the World Bouncing Council with many opportunities awaiting ‘The Midnight Train’ next.

In chief support and following on from his British title victory last time out, Dan Azeez (16-0, 11 KOs) continued his hot streak in the BOXXER limelight with a convincing eighth round stoppage over late opponent Reece Cartwright (23-3, 14 KOs).

In a fight that took its time to catch fire, Azeez earned his victory over Cartwright with his constant pressure and excellent endurance. With the corner of Cartwright throwing the towel in there is an argument that the referee should have stopped the fight a lot earlier.

Although the fight was made on short notice, its storyline was one to watch as the two men met in the amateurs with Cartwright getting the better of Azeez.

Azeez managed to get his revenge but applauds go out to Cartwright and his team for taking the fight on just two weeks’ notice, the fighter from Leeds showed true heart. Azeez will be hoping to get back in the ring promptly to take his first defence of his BBBCofC British light heavyweight title.

One of Britain’s finest rising stars Adam Azim (4-0, 3 KOs) put on a ferocious performance in his fourth professional fight which saw him obliterate Connor Marsden (6-2, 5 KOs) in just 30 seconds of the very first round.

Azim slipped a two-punch combination from Marsden at the very start of the fight and landed a powerful jab right on the button which dropped Marsden in just 12 seconds. When Marsden eventually made it back to his feet, Azim launched out of his corner to make sure he wouldn’t get up again.

In what was meant to be a step-up fight against the Southern Area champion, Azim left all in attendance in complete awe at his explosive speed and power. The 20-year-old from Slough has all the potential to be the next biggest star in British boxing.

The vacant English welterweight title was on the line at the OVO Arena as Louis Greene (13-3, 7 KOs) and Harry Scarff (11-2, 3 KOs) faced off in a competitive ten round fight that saw Scarff fight hard for a unanimous victory, the judges in attendance scored the bout 98-93, 100-91, 100-90.

Scarff became a two-division English champion with his victory over Greene which saw him show well developed boxing skills with the jab working effectively throughout the whole fight.

Caroline Dubois (2-0, 1 KOs) marked her second professional outing in spiteful fashion as she pinned her opponent Martina Horgasz (5-19, 4 KOs) on the ropes in the first round and landed a variety of body punches before the referee stepped in front of the wounded Hungarian.

The 21-year-old lightweight prospect trained by Shane McGuigan has a big 2022 ahead of her as she has plenty of time on her side to improve in the professional ranks.

The explosive and exciting Joe Pigford (19-0, 18 KOs) was back in action on the night with a brutal fourth round knockout over David Romero (12-15, 5 KOs). A monster of a right hand sent the Argentines mouthpiece flying out of his mouth.

The super-welterweight boasts one of the most impressive professional records in the division and possesses all the attributes to go far in the sport.

The Southampton born fighter will be looking to get back in the ring as soon as possible as he remains hungrier than ever for a well-deserved title fight.

Ben Davison trained heavyweight Jeamie TKV (1-0) was taken the distance on his professional debut by the Spaniard Alvaro Terrero (5-16-2, 3 KOs) as he won by unanimous shutout, 40-36.

The 28-year-old from Tottenham landed a lot of hurtful punches but struggled to detonate the finishing blow.

Amateur sensation Jimmy Lee (1-0, 0 KOs) impressed all on his professional debut as he defeated Jose Hernandez (4-41-1, 3 KOs) on a 40-35 points unanimous points decision.

The 18-year-old rangy southpaw demonstrated brilliant boxing skills that dropped his Nicaraguan opponent towards the end of the first round.

Hassan ‘The Hitman’ Azim (3-0, 2 KOs) continued his young career in brutal form with a first-round knockout over Yoncho Markov (4-4, 2 KOs). The right hand from Azim swooped over the guard of Markov that dropped the Bulgarian, convincing the referee to step in.

Former Team GB kickboxer Shannon Ryan (1-0, 0 KOs) started her professional boxing career with an easy 40-36 unanimous victory over Claudia Ferenczi (20-90-8, 10 KOs) from Slovakia.

In the evening’s swing bout, Chris ‘2Slick’ Kongo (13-1, 7 KO’s) made his promotional debut for BOXXER with a shutout points win over Spanish veteran Kelvin Dotel (14-7, 7 KO’s) over eight rounds in the evening’s swing bout.

ENDS

Full fight results

Richard Riakporhe (14-0, 10 KOs) def. Deion Jumah (14-1, 7 KOs) – KO, R8

12×3 cruiserweight

Dan Azeez (16-0, 11 KOs) def. Reece Cartwright (23-3, 14 KOs) – TKO R8

10×3 light-heavyweight

Adam Azim (4-0, 3 KOs) def. Connor Marsden (6-2, 5 KOs) – TKO R1

8×3 lightweight

Harry Scarff (11-2, 3 KOs) def. Louis Greene (13-3, 7 KOs) – UD (98-93, 100-91, 100-90)

10×3, Vacant English Welterweight Title

Caroline Dubois (2-0, 1 KOs) def. Martina Horgasz (5-9, 4 KOs) – KO R1

6×2 lightweight

Joe Pigford (19-0, 18 KOs) def. David Romero (12-15, 5 KOs) – KO R4

6×3 super welterweight

Jeamie TKV (1-0, 0 KOs) def. Alvaro Terrero (5-16-2, 3 KOs) – UD (40-36)

4×3 heavyweight

Jimmy Lee (1-0, 0 KOs) def. Jose Hernandez (4-41, 3 KOs) – UD (40-35)

4×3 super featherweight

Hassan Azim (3-0, 2 KOs) def. Yoncho Markov (4-4, 2 KOs) – TKO, R1

4×3 welterweight

Shannon Ryan (1-0, 0 KOs) def. Claudia Ferenczi (20-90-8, 10 KOs) – UD (40-36)

4×2 super flyweight

New York, NY (March 25, 2022)–A landmark Saturday looms for six-members of the Split-T Management stable as the fighters, and will be featured in world title and, and high profile bouts on major platforms.

In Leeds, England, Popular Ebanie “The Blonde Bomber” Bridges makes her second attempt at a world title when she takes on IBF Bantamweight champion Maria Cecilia Roman.

Bridges of New South Wales, Australia, has a record of 7-1 with three knockouts. The 35 year-old Bridges has won two straight since her heroic effort against then WBA champion Shannon Courtenay on April 10, 2021. Bridges is coming off a points win over Mailys Gangloff on September 4, 2021 in Leeds.

Roman of San Juan Argentina is 16-5-1. The 39 year-old is a longtime and distinguished champion as she has defended her eight times. An eleven year professional, Roman defeated Carolina Duer (19-3-1) to win the IBF title on August 4, 2017 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Some of her bigger defenses came over Duer in a rematch, Julieta Cardozzo (12-3) and her last bout when she defeated Daniela Rivero on November 26th in San Juan, Argentina

Bridges, who is managed by Brian Cohen’s Empire Boxing. checked in at 117.3 lbs. Roman was 116.4 lbs.

The fight will be streamed live on DAZN at 3 PM ET

Bridges / Roman Photos by Marc Robinson of Matchroom Boxing.

Photo by Esther Lin / SHOWTIME

In Minneapolis, lightweight Joseph Adorno faces off with Michel Rivera in the co-feature of a SHOWTIME® Championship Boxing card ( 9 PM ET)

Adorno of Allentown, Pennsylvania is undefeated at 14-0-2 with 12 knockouts, is 22 years-old, has a win over previously undefeated Kevin Cruz (8-0) and is coming off a draw with Jamaine Ortiz on April 24, 2021 in Kissimmee, Florida.

Rivera of Miami, Florida via the Dominican Republic is 22-0 with 14 knockouts.

Considered a big-prospect, Rivera has wins over Marco Acevedo (10-0), Manuel Botis (23-1-1), Jampier Osis (12-1-1), Yankiel Leon (12-0), Rene Telez Giron (13-0), Fidel Maldonado (27-4-1), Ladarius Miller (21-1), Jon Fernandez (21-1) and his last bout when Rivera took a 10-round unanimous decision over Jose Matias Romero (24-1) on October 30, 2021 in Las Vegas.

Adorno was 136 3/4 lbs; Rivera was 136 1/2 lbs

Adorno is promoted by GH3 Promotions.

In Las Vegas, three of Split-T Management’s undefeated prospects will see action as part of an ESPN+ stream.

2021 United States Olympian Tiger Johnson looks for win number-three without a loss when he takes on Sebastian Gabriel Chaves in a six-round welterweight contest.

Johnson, 23, had a highly decorated amateur career finishing with a record of 188-17, and saw him win a Gold Medal in the 2016 Youth World Championships; a Bronze Medal at the 2019 Pan Am Games; a 2019 Last Chance Qualifier Championship; Four 2017 Elite National Championships; a 2016 Elite National Championship; a 2015 Youth National Championship; and a 2014 National Junior Olympic Championship.

Johnson made it to the quarterfinals of the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo before losing to the eventual Gold Medal winner, Cuban Roniel Iglesias.

In his last bout, Johnson won a four-round unanimous decision over Xavier Madrid on January 29th in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Chaves of Buenos Aires, Argentina is 5-3 with two knockouts. The 27 year-old sports first-round stoppage over Dorian Maidana (5-0). Chaves is coming off a loss to undefeated Alex Vargas on November 11, 2021 in Huntington, New York.

Undefeated featherweight Haven Brady Jr. will take on Jose Angel in a six-round bout.

Brady of Albany, Georgia is 5-0 with three knockouts. The 20 year-old Brady has been a professional for two years.

Brady’s amateur career saw him go 65-10 with 30 knockouts, and won the 2018 Jr. Nationals. Brady won the 2019 Eastern Qualifiers and 2019 Jr. National PAL.

Brady has a win over Roberto Negrete (3-0) and in his last bout, Brady won a six-round unanimous decision over Diuhl Olguin on January 29th in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Angel of Carolina is 8-2 with two knockouts. The 27 year-old Angel is coming off a loss to undefeated Jaywon Garrett on June 19, 2021 in Miami.

Light Heavyweight Dante Benjamin is primed to make his 2nd start when he takes on Kevin Johnson in a battle of undefeated fighters.

Benjamin, 19 years-old of Cleveland, Ohio amassed over 100 wins as an amateur, and was a seven-time national champion as he was a 2016 and 2017 Junior National Champion, 2017 Eastern Regional Champion, and a 2018 Youth National champion. He also took first place in the Emil Jechev International tournament in Botevgrad, Bulgaria.

In 2017, he was named the Under Armour Fighter of the Year.

Benjamin won his pro debut via opening round stoppage over Herman Rendon on January 29th in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Johnson, Brady and Benjamin are promoted by Top Rank. Photo Credit: Mikey Williams/Top Rank via Getty Images

In Montreal, undefeated junior welterweight Mary Spencer will take on Beatriz Aguilar.

Spencer of Montreal, has a record of 3-0 with two knockouts. This will be Spencer’s fourth fight in seven months and she is coming off a unanimous decision over Milagros Diaz Perez on January 29th in Tijuana, Mexico.

Aguilar of Mexico is 7-6-1 with one knockout. Aguilar has wins over two undefeated opponents in Karla Ramos Zamora (2-0) and Estefina Zapiain (1-0). Aguilar is coming off a loss to former world champion Delfine Persoon on November 1, 2021 in Belgium

Spencer, who is managed by Brian Cohen of Empire Boxing, weighed 141 3/4 lbs. Aguilar was 141 1/4 lbs.

PLANT CITY, Florida (March 25, 2022): Panamanian contender Cesar Francis (10-0, 6 KOs) scored a 10-round unanimous decision win against Mohamed Mimoune (22-5, 3 KOs) of Toulouse, France in the main event of a ProBox Promotions show on Friday night in Plant City, Florida.

Francis, who lives in Brooklyn, New York, won with scores of 94-93, 95-92 and 95-92. The event took place at the ProBox Events Center.

“We fought against a veteran,” said Cesar Francis. “I barely had nine fights, but I still won the fight. This is what I wanted. I want challenges. I want big fights. I’m happy I took and overcame the challenge.”

In the co-main event, Christian Thun (8-0, 6 KOs) of Schwelm, Germany defeated Amron Sands (11-2, 9 KOs) of Orlando, Florida in a heavyweight fight. Thun ended matters at 2:22 of the first round.

Najee Lopez (4-0, 4 KOs) of Ellenwood, Georgia delivered a vicious beating on Anthony Stewart (6-2-2, 4 KOs) of Tuscaloosa, Alabama before winning by TKO at 2:29 of the fourth round of a cruiserweight battle.

Jusiyah Shirley (4-0, 4 KOs) of Orlando, Florida scored a fourth-round stoppage win over Javonni Bennett (1-0) of Chicago, Illinois in a super lightweight clash. The fight was stopped at 2:31 of the round just mentioned.

Darrelle Valsaint (3-0, 2 KO) of Orlando, Florida scored a first-round knockout win against Geronimo Nahuel Sacco (9-4-1, 1 KO) of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The fight was stopped at 2:04 of the aforementioned round.

Jaycob Gomez (3-0, 3 KOs) of Caguas, Puerto Rico defeated fellow countryman Pedro Hernandez (7-11-1, 2 KOs) at 2:03 of the third round of a super featherweight bout.

Super middleweight prospect Daniel Blancas (1-0, 1 KO) of Milwuakee, Wisconsin scored a brutal knockout victory against Andre Graham (0-1) of Arvada, Colorado in his pro debut. The official time of the stoppage was 2:02 of the second round.

Eric Abraham (7-13, 3 KOs) of Schenectady, New York defeated Marsellos Wilder (5-3, 2 KOs) of Tuscaloosa, Alabama via four-round split decision in a cruiserweight bout. Abraham won with two scorecards of 58-56, while one judge had it the same for Wilder.

#

Mimoune vs. Francis was a 10-round super lightweight fight presented by ProBox Promotions. The event took place on Friday, March 25 at the ProBox Events Center in Plant City, Florida.

About ProBox Promotions
ProBox Promotions is a Florida-based company founded by entrepreneur Garry Jonas out of a desire to combine his love of boxing with business marketing to develop a revolutionary way to promote the sport. The company boasts an impressive stable of fighters that includes Erickson Lubin, Najee Lopez, Casey Dixon, Julio Solis, the Valle Brothers Marques and Dominic, and more.

Orlando, FL (March 25, 2022) – Yamaguchi Falcao made weight for his 168 pound showdown with Argentina’s Damian Bonelli.

Falcao, 20-1-1 (9 KO’s), meets Bonelli in a ten round contest for the NABA Super Middleweight title tomorrow evening at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, FL.

“I’m confident Yamaguchi will impress Saturday night,” said Falcao’s promoter Jody Caliguire of Fire Fist Boxing Promotions. “Yama’s coming off a great training camp and (head trainer) Jim McLaughlin’s done an excellent job helping him a craft a more aggressive style.”

The Falcao-Bonelli matchup will be televised on Bally Sports, the Bally Sports app and Display TV at 8 PM ET.

The card is promoted by American Dream Presents in association with Box Lab Promotions. The first fight is scheduled for 6 PM and tickets are on sale now at cariberoyale.com/boxing.

TEPIC, Nayarit, Mexico (March 25, 2022) – In an action-packed main event that didn’t figure to go the distance, Salvatore “Chango” Tapia won an 8-round split decision over Emiliano “Letal” Cruz, headlining last night’s RJJ Boxing on UFC FIGHT PASS® show in Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico.

Five fights were streamed live and exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS®, the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports. To sign up for UFC FIGHT PASS, please visit www.ufcfightpass.com.

The pro boxing event was one of the highlights of the 40th Nayarit Festival, which is celebrated between March 10 and 27, displaying the cultural identity of Nayarit like the Indigenous community, and also providing entertainment by offering regional artists at national and international events. It attracts between 20,000 and 30,000 people each day of the festival.

The boxing event was presented by Roy Jones Jr. (RJJ) Boxing Promotions in association with De La O Promotions, World Cup Boxing Series and Team Cruz Promotions.

Tapia (13-3-1, 10 KOs), the former WBC FECOMBOX super lightweight champion, and lightweight Cruz (13-4, 12 KOs) combined for 22 knockouts in their 25 victories (88-percent win percentage).

The battled toe-to-toe from the opening bell, pounding each other around the ring, en route to an entertaining split-decision victory for Tapia by judges’ scores of 77-75 twice and 78-75 in favor of Cruz. The 24-year-old Tapia won his fourth in a row, sixth of his last seventh. Cruz went into the fight having won six of his last eight fights.

In the co-featured event, reigning WBO Latino Super Middleweight Champion Lester Martinez (11-0, 10 KOs) stopped light heavyweight Jaime “El Huizi” Hernandez (9-6, 4 KOs), the former Mexican Pacific Coast super lightweight titlist. In a non-title fight, the WBO #14 rated Martinez, fighting out of Guatemala, was simply too much for Hernandez to handle. The bell for the fifth round sounded, but Hernandez was unable to continue.

Making his RJJ Boxing on UFC FIGHT PASS appearance, Martinez has potentially positioned himself for a major fight later this year versus a top 15 ranked opponent. In his 2019 pro debut, he knocked out former world champion Ricardo Mayorga in the opening round, and he has since beaten notable opponents such as Michi Munoz and Uriel Gonzalez.

Arnando “El Chica” Ramirez (6-0-1, 2 KOs) remained unbeaten, taking an 8-round unanimous decision from fellow Mexican super featherweight Edgar “Diablo” Espinosa Vargas (7-2, 6 KOs).

Hector “Tigre” Perez Cruz (7-0, 5 KOs) and Victor “Tyson” Tadeo Rodriguez (3-1, 3 KOs) squared off in a battle between Tepic featherweights. Cruz pitched a shutout, winning all six rounds for a convincing triumph.

In the UFC FIGHT PASS opener, 19-year-old lightweight Marco Cota Moreno improved to 6-0 (4 KOs), comfortably winning a 4-round unanimous decision over Jonathan “Lagartijo” Perez Zuniga (6-4, 6 KOs). Moreno was a celebrated Mexican amateur boxer who compiled a sterling 155-15), including five-Sonora State championship titles

Official results below:

OFFICIAL RESULTS

MAIN EVENT – SUPER LIGHTWEIGHTS

Salvatore Tapia (13-3-1, 10 KOs), Tepic, Nayarit, México

WDEC8 (77-75, 77-75, 75-78)

Emiliano Cruz (13-4, 12 KOs), Tijuana, Baja California, México.

CO-FEATURE – LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS

Lester Martinez (11-0, 10 KOs), Guatemala City, Guatemala

WTKO5 (0:10).

Jaime Hernandez (9-6, 4 KOs), Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico

LIGHTWEIGHTS

Marco Cota Moreno (6-0, 4 KOs), Empalme, Sonora, México

WDEC4 (40-36, 40-36, 40-26)

Jonathan Perez Zuniga (6-4, 6 KOs), Morelia, Michoacán, México

SUPER FEATHERWEIGHTS

Armando Ramirez (6-0-1, 2 KOs), Celaya, Guanajuato, México

WDEC8 (78-76, 78-76, 78-76)

Edgar Espinosa Vargas (7-2, 6 KOs), Guadalajara, Jalisco, México

FEATHERWEIGHTS

Héctor Pérez Cruz (7-0, 5 KOs), Tepic, Nayarit, México

WDEC6 (60-54, 60-54, 60-54

Víctor Tadeo Rodríguez (3-1, 3 KO), Tepic, Nayarit, México

INFORMATION:

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Facebook: /UFCFightPass, /WorldCupBoxingSeries

Twitter: @UFCFightPass, @RoyjonesJRfa @RoyJonesJrOfficial

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ABOUT ROY JONES JR, BOXING PROMOTIONS: Co-founded in 2013 by 10-time world champion Roy Jones, Jr. and Keith Veltre, Roy Jones, Jr. (RJJ) Boxing Promotions is on its way to reinventing boxing. RJJ has already made a huge impact in the boxing community in a few short years. Creating exhilarating content for UFC Fight Pass, CBS Sports, Showtime, ESPN and beIN Sports in some of the finest venues across the country, RJJ has proven it is conquering the sweet science of the sport.

ABOUT UFC FIGHT PASS®: UFC FIGHT PASS® is the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports. Since launching in 2013, UFC FIGHT PASS is now available in more than 200 countries and territories. UFC FIGHT PASS provides its members with unlimited access to live UFC FIGHT PASS Prelims; live mixed martial arts and combat sports from around the world; original series and historical programming; special features; behind-the-scenes content; in-depth interviews; and up-to-the minute reports on the world of combat sports. UFC FIGHT PASS subscribers also have 24/7 access to the world’s largest fight library, featuring more than 20,000 bouts from dozens of combat sports organizations, as well as every fight in UFC history. Fight fans can access UFC FIGHT PASS on personal computers, iOS and Android mobile devices, Apple TV, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, LG Smart TVs, and Sony TVs with Android TV. For more information, please visit www.ufcfightpass.com.

Atlantic City, NJ (March 25, 2022)–Four fighters under the DKO Management banner will see action on two cards this weekend in Philadelphia and Atlantic City.

Tonight at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, middleweight Isaiah Wise will take on tough veteran Cameron Krael in a bout scheduled for six-rounds.

Wise of Philadelphia has a record of 10-2-2 with six knockouts. The 29 year-old Wise is a six-year veteran and has wins over previously undefeated Mike Daniels Jr. (3-0) and Enver Halili (10-2). Wise has won three in a row and his latest outing he stopped Dewayne Williams in the opening round on October 9, 2021 at The 2300 Arena.

Krael of Las Vegas is a deceiving 18-21-3 with five knockouts. The 28 year-old Krael has faced a who’s-who of boxing in his 11 year run. He has wins over Luis Adrian Bello (5-0), Manuel Lopez (5-0), Demond Brock (8-2), Josh Torres (14-3-2), Maurice Lee (7-0), Jose Miguel Borego (14-1) and Razvan Hudaynzarov (17-3). Krael has also faced former world champions Maurice Hooker and Jamal James; contenders Alex Martin, Erick Bone, Keith Hunter, Elvis Rodriguez, Shinard Bunch, Montana Love and Custio Clayton; Former world title challenger Egidijus Kavaiauskas.

On the same card, Isiah Seldon fights Temirlan Raimkulov in a six-round middleweight bout.

Seldon of Atlantic City, is the son of former WBA Heavyweight champion Bruce Seldon is 14-4-1 with five knockouts. The 33 year-old Seldon is 12 year-professional who won his first seven bouts. He is coming off a loss to undefeated Joey Spencer on January 30, 2021 in Los Angeles.

Raimkulov of Philadelphia is 4-1-2. Originally from Kazakhstan, Raimkulov turned professional in his native country in 2016, and has wins over two undefeated foes in Jiayidaer Bieerilike (2-0) and Jahdon Ervin (1-0). In his last bout, Raimkulov won a four-round unanimous decision over Kareem Gladney on November 27th in Philadelphia.

Saturday at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, Christopher Brooker takes on Omar Kabary Salem in a scheduled six-round super middleweight bout.

Brooker of Philadelphia has a record of 16-9 with six knockouts. The 30 year-old Brooker is a seven-year professional who has big wins over Leo Hall (8-0), John Magda (11-0), Antowyan Aikens (10-1-1), Gabriel Pham (6-0), former world title challenger Elvin Ayala (28-7-1) and Lanell Bellows (18-2). In his bout, Brooker lost a decision to Steve Rolls on December 27, 2021 in Montreal.

Salem, 24 years-old is 10-1 with four knockouts. The Brooklyn native is a five-year pro, and is coming off a unanimous decision over Dustin Luff (2-0) on December 3, 2021 in Springdale, Arkansas.

Also on the card, which will take place at Historic Boardwalk Hall, will be undefeated featherweight Felix Parilla taking on Jenn Gonzalez in a featherweight bout.

Parilla of New Haven Connecticut is 4-0 with four knockouts. The 22 year-old Parilla will be making his fifth start in six months and is coming off a first-round stoppage over Ronny Arana on February 26th in Framingham, Massachusetts.

Gonzalez of Santa Tereza, Nicaragua is 9-12-1 with five knockouts. The 24 year-old Gonzales is a seven-year veteran and has a win over Alberto Rivero (1-0) and Ernesto Iris (14-2-1). Gonzalez is coming off a draw with undefeated Danny Suarez (3-0) on February 26th in Orlando, Florida.

Parrilla is co-managed by Marilyn Rosa and is promoted by KO Night Boxing.

London, England – March 25, 2022 – The seminal showdown between top cruiserweight prospects is now official as both Richard ‘The Midnight Train’ Riakporhe (13-0, 9 KO’s) and Deion Jumah (14-0, 7 KO’s) made weight today for the main event fight atop tomorrow night’s BOXXER London: Riakporhe vs Jumah card.

Taking place at London’s OVO Arena Wembley and airing live and exclusively on Sky Sports, the headline clash brings to the boil a rivalry which has simmered between the former sparring partners for several years.

Two undefeated records are on the line when the capital’s undefeated cruiserweights collide and, with Riakporhe is on track for world title contention in 2022, a win for Jumah would be a career-breakout moment and open the door to big opportunities. 

“He’s been talking a good game and he’s undefeated, but once I start letting my hands go I don’t think he’s got the condition to withstand the punishment,” said Riakporhe at yesterday’s press conference.

“I’m the superior boxer for sure and if he wants to offload [power shots] the way he has done in the past, then I’ve got something for him,” Jumah retorted.

Also on weight are light-heavyweights Dan Azeez (15-0, 10 KO’s) and Reece Cartwright (23-2, 14 KO’s), with Azeez putting his undefeated record on the line against the former WBC International Light-Heavyweight Championship challenger in the chief support slot.

With Cartwright – also the former British Middleweight Champion – stepping in to replace Matthew Tinker, who was forced to withdraw yesterday for medical reasons, Azeez sees the fight as an opportunity to prove he can handle anyone at any time.

“It’s a late change of opponent but to me it makes no difference. I’m the best light-heavyweight in the country and I’m ready to prove that against anyone on a moment’s notice. Reece Cartwright is tough and game but he’s taking nothing from me on Saturday night except a loss,” he said.

Cartwright had been due to compete elsewhere in the UK next weekend and so is fully fit and ready to seize an opportunity which could not only place a championship belt around his waist but also open the door to future big career opportunities.

“I’m fit and ready to fight. I was boxing on my promoter Dennis Hobson’s show next week but when this opportunity came up we jumped at it,” said Cartwright, who holds four stoppage victories from his last five wins.

“I rate Dan Azeez, he’s a quality fighter and he’s the British champion. I saw what he did to Hosea Burton, but I believe I’m more experienced than him and I’ve got it in me to beat him.

“Don’t think that I’m coming in to make up the numbers. I don’t do that – I’m coming to win tomorrow night.”

“Rhys Cartwright was due to box next week and now looks to take advantage of a massive opportunity on a big stage. He’s got great pedigree, great record and he’s coming to win. We’re delighted he has taken this opportunity on short notice,” said Ben Shalom, BOXXER Founder and CEO.

Having successfully entered the pro ranks with an emphatic win in Cardiff last month, Olympian Caroline Dubois (1-0) – who went 37-3 as an amateur – returns for her second professional contest, facing Hungarian veteran Martina Horgasz.

Lightning-fast lightweight Adam Azim (3-0, 2 KO’s) – one of the top prospects in British boxing today – faces Conor Marsden (5-1, 2 KO’s), while his brother Hassan Azim (2-0, 1 KO) – equally highly regarded – has a four-round contest in the welterweight division against Bulgaria’s Yoncho Markov (4-3, 2 KO’s).

Trained by renowned coach Ben Davison, who counts Undisputed World Super-Lightweight Champion Josh Taylor among his stable, Former WBO Global Welterweight Champion Chris ‘2 Slick’ Kongo (12-1, 7 KO’s) kicks off his world title campaign with tomorrow night’s fight against experienced Spaniard Kelvin Dotel (14-6, 7 KO’s).

A second Spanish opponent will be opposite one of Davison’s fighters when his heavyweight prospect Jeamie TKV makes his professional debut against Alvaro Terrero (5-15, 3 KO’s). TKV’s highly-decorated amateur career included tenure as the Southern Area Heavyweight Champion and English Heavyweight Champion plus a silver medal at the 2019 African Games.

Southampton’s Joe Pigford (18-0, 17 KO’s) – owner of some of the heaviest hands in British boxing – seeks to add yet another stoppage win to his unbelievable record when he faces Argentina’s David Romero (12-14, 5 KO’s). Pigford presently has 94% of his victories by way of KO or TKO. 

The 18-year-old Team England amateur standout Jimmy Lee – winner of eight national titles and a European gold medal – makes his professional debut in a lightweight contest against Jose Hernandez after ending his amateur career with a 94% win ratio (47-3).

The vacant English welterweight championship is on the line in what promises to be a hard-fought, all-action encounter between proven battlers Louis Greene (13-2, 7 KO’s) and Harry Scarff (10-2, 3 KO’s).

Opening the card will be Anthony Joshua’s female prospect Shannon Ryan, making her professional debut. Joshua signed the super-flyweight to his 258 MGMT agency recently and intends to guide her to world champion status in the coming years. She faces Slovakia’s Claudia Ferenczi (20-89, 10 KO’s).

Tickets for this event are on sale at BOXXER.com

SKY SPORTS BOXING FACEBOOK STREAM: 17.00 approx 

FIGHT #1

4×2 Mins Super-Flyweight Contest

SHANNON RYAN 8st (112lb)  v CLAUDIA FERENCZI 8st 7lb (119lb)

FIGHT #2

4×3 Mins Welterweight Contest

HASSAN AZIM 10st 9lb (149lb) v YONCHO MARKOV 11st 1lb (155lb)

FIGHT #3

6×3 Mins Super-Welterweight Contest

JOE PIGFORD 11st 1lb (155lb) v DAVID ROMERO 11st 2lb (156lb)

FIGHT #4

8×3 Mins Welterweight Contest

CHRIS KONGO 10st 12lb (152lb) v KELVIN DOTEL 10st 7lb (147lb)

FIGHT #5

4×3 Mins Super-Featherweight Contest

JIMMY LEE 9st 2lb (128lb) v JOSE HERNANDEZ 9st (126lb)

19:30 LIVE ON SKY SPORTS MAIN EVENT 

FIGHT #6

6×2 Mins Lightweight Contest

CAROLINE DUBOIS 9st 10lb (136lb) v MARTINA HORGASZ 9st 8lb (134lb)

FIGHT #7

10×3 Mins English Welterweight Title Contest

LOUIS GREENE 10st 6lbs (146lb) v HARRY SCARFF 10st 6lb (146lb)

FIGHT #8

8×3 Mins Lightweight Contest

ADAM AZIM 9st 12lb (138lb) v CONOR MARSDEN 9st 10lb (136lb)

FIGHT #9

10×3 Mins Light-Heavyweight Contest

DAN AZEEZ 12st 8½lb (176½lb)  v REECE CARTWRIGHT 12st 9lb (177lb)

FIGHT #10

12×3 Mins Cruiserweight Contest

RICHARD RIAKPORHE 14st 4lb (200lb) v DEION JUMAH 14st 5lbs (187lb)

TV SWING

FIGHT #11

4×3 Mins Welterweight Contest

JEAMIE TKV 17st (238lb) v ALVARO TERRERO 17st 1lb (239lb)

 •  Miguel Berchelt 135 vs. Jeremiah Nakathila 133.6
(Lightweight — 10 Rounds)

•   Jose Enrique Vivas 125.8 lbs vs. Eduardo Baez 126.6 lbs 
(Vacant WBC-USNBC Featherweight Title— 10 Rounds)
* Baez not eligible to win title with a victory

(ESPN+, 6:45 p.m. ET/3:45 p.m. PT)

   •    Carlos Caraballo 120 lbs vs. Luis Fernando Saavedra 120 lbs
 (Junior Featherweight— 8 Rounds)

   •   Tiger Johnson 142 lbs vs. Sebastian Gabriel Chaves 143.2 lbs
 (Welterweight— 6 Rounds)

   •    Josue Vargas 142 lbs vs. Nicolas Pablo Demario 141.6 lbs
 (Junior Welterweight — 8 Rounds)

   •   Haven Brady Jr. 127 lbs vs. Jose Argel 126.6 lbs
 (Featherweight — 6 Rounds)

   •   Dante Benjamin Jr. 173.6 lbs vs. Kevin Johnson 174.4 lbs
 (Light Heavyweight — 4 Rounds)

   •   Arturo Cardenas 122.4 lbs vs. Juan Hernandez Martinez 123.6 lbs
 (Junior Featherweight — 4 Rounds)

   •   Adrian Serrano 134.4 lbs vs. Estevan Partida 133.6 lbs
 (Lightweight — 4 Rounds)

Isaiah Wise 166.2 – Cameron Kreal 160.2
VeShawn Champion 148.2 – Jorge Rodrigo Sosa 148
Nimal Farmer 148 – Anthony Curtiss 143
Isaiah Seldon 159.2 – Temirlan Raimkulov 159.4
Romuel Cruz 122.6 – Fred Boston 121.4
Raekwon Butler 144.4 – Leonidas Fowlkes 143.6

Promoter RDR Promotions
Venue: 2300 Arena
1st Bell 7 PM ET
Stream: BXNGTV.com

Tickets are $55, $75 and $100 and can be purchased at

Kiko Martinez:

“I’m confident because as I said last time, I was going to become World Champion and I did it. I said I was going to beat Kid Galahad within the distance, and I did. The same will happen on Saturday, I will beat Josh Warrington within the distance. Maybe he’s too confident and doesn’t understand he’s facing Kiko Martinez.

“Josh is a great boxer, he’s won some fantastic fights in his career, beating Frampton, Selby, Galahad and many more. He’s still a big name in boxing, I think he was doing well in the Lara fight until the accidental clash of heads. He’s still got credibility in the world of boxing, and I want to go on and beat him, knowing last time it wasn’t just luck when I won the world title against Kid Galahad.

“I’m confident because I’ve visualised this in training, I’ve visualised knocking Josh Warrington out. When I say something, I’ll do it, so you can’t just believe it and not follow through and do it. When I say things, I’m going to do it and I’m going to do it on Saturday night.”

Josh Warrington:

“I’m very excited, I’ve had a few sunbeds and my hair is looking on point, suit on. It’s a good occasion, the sun’s out, it kind of reminds me of four years ago when I first become World Champion – same kind of energy. I feel like the city is excited for Saturday night because they know what’s to come, World Championship will be staying in Leeds. I’m very grateful to Kiko for giving me this opportunity but the belt is staying here on Saturday night.

“I must have upset him in some way because he’s demanded this fight. I’ve said it in many interviews, it’s how this sport work, it goes in circles. We were meant to be sparring partners for the Lara rematch, it’s funny he’s gone on to win a World Title and his first defence is against me. He’s confident and I’m sure he would have trained hard, but I’ll be ready for everything he brings on Saturday night.

“I’ve trained for a hard twelve round fight, 5 years ago we shared some hard rounds but those five years ago my stock has risen since then. I’ve only gotten better and better, I’ve had some slip-ups in the last year but it’s time to get back on top.

“I only focus on winning; I know Kiko’s mentioned himself win or retire and putting himself under that pressure. I’m just focused on winning and having that hand raised, that’s how I see myself, being in that arena. And the new.

“My book has gone from potentially being in the bargain aisle of Asda to a best-seller, what a chapter this is. It’s all in my hands, I’ve got to do the business, it’s funny how this sport works. I’ve got to make sure my stars have aligned for a reason and go out there on Saturday night and do what I’ve done all camp. I’m trained hard, I’ve worked hard and I’m ready for anything.”

Maria Cecilia Roman:

“First and foremost, thank you to all the people who have made this possible. It’s a big night for me on Saturday, in my boxing career I’ve always set myself objectives and I’ve always managed to achieve those objectives – it comes from working hard. Now my ambition is to be the best in my division and Saturday will be another step to go on, my plan is going on and win other titles. This is going to be another objective I’m going to achieve on Saturday.

“It’s going to be a total war on Saturday, I think it’ll be great for all boxing fans and in particular female boxing fans. It’s going to be another successful defence for me on Saturday night.”

Ebanie Bridges:

“It’s absolutely unreal, to be a co-main event fighting in Leeds for a World Title, I just feel so grateful. Cecilia coming over here to fight me, I’m just so excited about this fight, I’ve been excited about having this for before it was even happening.

“I wanted this fight because I knew it was going to be a great fight, as in a fan-favourite kind of fight. Having the World Title on the line just makes everything even more exciting for me.

“Moving over here and doing my camp here with Mark [Tibbs] has been amazing, we’ve definitely gelled well, and I think I’ve definitely changed his opinion – how women train and our mindsets. I’m really excited to be Mark Tibbs and the whole families first female World Champion.

“This fight and becoming a champion is the exclamation mark on this part of my story, having the belt around my waist and proving you can really do things if you set your mind to it. Everything that I stand for, having that belt, for me is the final point of it.

“Without being a World Champion it’s a great story but being a World Champion means everything to me, it means a lot for the women out there. Being a World Champion would change my life and I’m really excited for that.

“I’m always ready, I’ve come through a lot of adversity in all of my fights, I don’t see me losing this fight. I’m literally going for it all and I believe it’s my time to win this fight.”

Maxi Hughes:

“We wanted this and not someone to come in and lay down, the last fight I was a massive underdog, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. In my mind it’s the same again, I like that he’s here talking, it takes words like that for the bookies to think he’s the favourite.

“I’m glad he’s up for it because I’ve had this fire in my belly for a while, but this fight in particular gives me this bit between my teeth. I’m glad it’s like this.

“One thing of how I approach every fight, I haven’t got that mindset or that chip on my shoulder. I’m the champion and he’s got to come and take my belt, although I’m the owner of this belt it can just be vacant, I’ve got to go and prove I’m worthy and that I deserve it. I’ve got to show I’m worthy to be the owner of that belt, it’s great being full-time but I haven’t taken it for granted because it’s taken me such a long time to be full-time.

“I know what it’s like going to work, getting up in the morning in shit weather and having to squeeze training in, a run here and there. I’m doing it properly now and I appreciate it, I’m not taking it for granted. I know how much it means and I’m not letting it slip. I’m not here enjoying it as a fan to enjoy the fight, this is how the rest of my career is going.

“Ryan’s cast his net out there but I’m not taking the bait. It doesn’t matter however the fight goes, I’ll do what necessary to win, however it comes. I’m fully prepared for whatever it is, just expect me to win.”  

Ryan Walsh:

“I’m really enjoying not being hungry, thirsty, and just the usual stuff I think all my counterparts are feeling. It’s very alien to me.

“I do call to Maxi, you showed it when you caught Saffron that you’ve got that in you. It’s not a natural thing for you, you’re a southpaw. I’m calling that upon you, I’m beckoning you, I’ll stand in the middle of the ring, let’s adhere to the warrior god.

“No one’s fought me yet and not for a sustained period, even the two that beat me, that haven’t fought me. You want to fight Maxi, you want to inspire everyone else, I was inspired by Conlan and Wood.

“I haven’t had a fight of the year; I haven’t even been close and you [Maxi] have just been nominated for one of the boxers of the year. Let’s do it, why not, we’ve got twelve rounds which is a long time, and a fight will break out. When it does, I don’t want you to run away, let’s entertain the people.

“It’s a good story but let’s have it right, Liam won that fight against Maxi. As far as ending Liam’s career, he was sparring me at the start of this. I think Maxi should have a lot to thank Liam for because without COVID, he can’t be British Champion, he can’t IBO Champion because he was there. It’s my duty to step it, Maxi’s story doesn’t happen if Liam doesn’t get it.

“I haven’t even thought about defeat, I’ve never gone into a fight ever believing that the man can beat me. I’ve been told and I’ve got really honest brothers, when I fought Lee Selby, my brother didn’t want that fight. When we fought, I wasn’t good enough and was beat by experience, beat by the better man but he understood that I did have the style to beat that man, but I wasn’t good enough that night. I’ve made mistakes in the sport, but I won’t be making those mistakes against Maxi.”

Dalton Smith:

“My last couple of fights now have been step ups and these are the fights we have been asking for for the more titles. The fight that was originally scheduled got removed so we looked to Ray Moylette and thought he was the perfect opponent for my next fight. 

“I know what Ray’s about and he knows what I’m about. 

“We [Ray and Dalton] haven’t achieved what we have achieved by just playing around. 

“There’s obviously going to be pressure on the ones who are coming up but I am confident in my abilities. I know the level where I am going to get at and this is just a stepping stone for me. 

“Ray is no easy opponent. It’s a tough challenge, what I’ve got on Saturday night. I’ve got to bring something more than what I have in my previous 9 fights as a professional. And you’re going to see that.”

Ray Moylette:

“I’ve been reaching out to Matchroom for a long time because Matchroom is the benchmark for boxing especially in England and Ireland. I’m just grateful to have the opportunity and I’m excited to take it, so I’m ready for it. 

“We all started boxing years ago and it’s always the dream to fight on the big shows and the big cards and thankfully now I have the opportunity to do that. I’ve been on the count for the last three years and then I can was sidelined for other boxers. I didn’t have the backend. But thankfully I kept myself in shape, ready, and in the position that when the opportunity came – I knew you’d come calling at some stage, but I didn’t think it would take three years to get on a card. – thankfully it did and I’m ready for it. 

“I’m here as an opponent for Dalton on paper but in reality when I heard I got the opportunity to fight him, I was expecting a much harder fight on one of your shows.

“I’m coming off the couch and I’m ready to fight. I’d be daft not to take this fight that I know I can win.”

Skye Nicolson:

“I’m very excited. I promised the fans that I was going to be active and I’m definitely living up to that 3 weeks out and I’m back in. 

“I have confidence in my ability, and I know what I’m capable of. I want to test myself against the best so I’m going to keep putting my hand up to fight the best girls. 

“I’m expecting a tough fight and I know that Bec comes fighting. She’s no pushover so I’m just focusing on having a good performance and showing everyone a side of me that they haven’t seen yet.”

Bec Connolly:

“There wasn’t a role for me, as far as I know, I went out and got what I wanted and created my own role for myself because I was never going to be a walkover. I’m not the elite but we know if you want to get to the top, you’ve got to get through the gatekeeper. 

“I’ve trained anyway, even if I wasn’t boxing, I love training. I have taken quite a few fights on a day’s notice because I do stay ready, and I do love what I do. Some things have gotten in the way and I’ve made some mistakes with opportunities that I’ve had but I’m not going to let that stop me. I’ll keep the smile on my face and keep trying until the day that I retire.”

Cory O’Regan:

“Obviously, this stage is a big stage so I want to put on a big performance in front of my home crowd. 

“The preparation for this one has been ideal really. 

“Looking forward to watching some really good boxing from not just Josh but everyone on this card.”

Mali Wright:

“Yeah 100%, I’m ready for this one. 

“I’m going to put on a spectacular performance. Not sure how many rounds we are doing this time, 4 or 6, doesn’t make much of a difference. 

“No slip-ups. You’ll see what I am about this time around. 

“I’ve been traveling, sparring, getting in more rounds and I’m putting in the right work with the team in the gym.”

Calum French:

“Thank you, Eddie, Matchroom and DAZN for getting me on a massive card. These are the cards you dream of being on when coming through the amateurs. 

“It was a good debut. I was pretty good with it. … I’m looking to be as active as possible this year. I want to push on a get as much as experience as I can. 

“I honestly don’t know why I need to be held back at all at the moment. I’m taking it one day at a time. I’m looking past the old ones especially on Saturday night. 

“Matchroom need a few North East stars especially up in Newcastle and I believe I am the one for the job.”

Super Welterweight Bout – 12 Rounds

Tim Tsyzu – 153 ½ lbs.

Terrell Gausha – 153 ¼ lbs.

Referee: Mark Nelson; Judges: Robert Hecko (Ill.), Bill Lerch (Ill.), Patrick Morley (Ill.)

Lightweight Bout – 10 Rounds

Michel Rivera – 136 ½ lbs.

Jospeh Adorno – 136 ¾ lbs.

Referee: Mark Calo-Oy; Judges: Gary Ritter (Okla.), Patrick Morley (Ill.), Tim Taggart, Sr. (Minn.)

Note: Contracted weight is 137 pounds

Super Lightweight Bout – 10 Rounds

Elvis Rodriguez – 141 ¼ lbs.

Juan Velasco – 141 ½ lbs.

Referee: Gary Ritter; Judges: Scott Erickson (Minn.), Robert Hecko (Ill.), John Mariano (Minn.)

Note: Contracted weight is 142 pounds

Veteran sportscaster Brian Custer will host the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast while International Boxing Hall of Famer Barry Tompkins steps in to handle blow-by-blow duties alongside fellow Hall of Fame analyst Al Bernstein and three-division world champion Abner Mares. Two more Hall of Famers are part of the most decorated telecast team in all of boxing: Emmy-Award winning event announcer Jim Gray as ringside reporter and boxing historian Steve Farhood as unofficial scorer. The versatile Michael C. Williams is the in-ring announcer. The executive producer is four-time Emmy^® award winner David Dinkins, Jr. The director is Bob Dunphy, son of legendary Hall of Famer Don Dunphy. Former junior middleweight world champion Raúl “El Diamante” Marquez and sportscaster Alejandro Luna serve as expert analysts in Spanish on Secondary Audio Programming (SAP). 

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions, No Limit Boxing and Warriors Boxing, are on sale now and can be purchased at the Armory at http://ArmoryMN.com/ and through Ticketmaster.

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

WARWICK, RI (March 25) – Listed below are official weights for the participants in Rhode Wars 2, promoted by CES Boxing and scheduled for Saturday, March 26 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Headlining Rhode Wars 2 is unbeaten featherweight Ricky Delossantos (10-0, 2 KOs) of Pawtucket, RI, in a six-round bout against power-punching Columbian veteran Yeison Vargas(18-9, 13 KOs) while super lightweight Wilson Mascarenhas (5-1, 2 KOs) stars in the co-main event in a six-round bout against undefeated Mexican challenger Abraham Perez (3-0, 2 KOs).

March 26 also features the Jimmy Burchfield Classic Invitational VI, an all-ages, separate-admission amateur boxing event beginning at 2 pm. Rhode Wars 2 follows immediately at 7 pm. Tickets for both events are available online at CESFights.com.

Ricky Delossantos
Pawtucket, RI
10-0, 2 KOs
125

Yeison Vargas
Cartagena, Colombia
18-9, 13 KOs
125

Wilson Mascarenhas
New Bedford, MA
5-1, 2 KOs
142

Abraham Perez
Cancun, Mexico
3-0, 2 KOs
140

Alejandro Paulino
New London, CT
8-0, 8 KOs
135

Andrew Rodgers
Elkhart, IN
6-9-2, 2 KOs
137

Timothy Hatfield
Providence, RI
3-0, 3 KOs
237

Quintin Sumpter
Pittsfield, MA
2-0, 2 KOs
222

Nicola Quarneti
Rimini, Italy
5-2-1
153

Keenan Raymond
Providence, RI
1-1
155

INFORMATION

CES Boxing is 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.

The Crowne Plaza Hotel Providence-Warwick is the first choice of those seeking the best in accommodations, convenience, service and sophistication in Rhode Island. A nine-time winner of the Intercontinental Hotel Group’s Torchbearer Award, one of the most prestigious accolades in the hotel industry, the Crowne Plaza Hotel has 266 guestrooms and 45,000 square feet of meeting space. Whether you’re a business traveler seeking respite from a long flight, a family on vacation visiting nearby Newport, a trade association holding its annual convention, or a young couple planning a wedding, the Crowne Plaza is ready to satisfy your every need. Located 10 minutes from downtown Providence and two miles from T.F. Green Airport on a spacious landscaped 17-acre site featuring abundant, free parking, the Crowne Plaza Hotel is prepared to treat you like royalty.

6 x 3 mins International Super-Lightweight contest
CALUM FRENCH 137lbs 8oz v ANGELO TURCO 140lbs 2oz
(Gateshead, England)                (Quaregnon, Belgium)

followed by

4 x 3 mins Light-Heavyweight contest
MALI WRIGHT 186lbs 4oz v LUIS PALMER 186lbs
(Leeds, England)                   (Huddersfield, England)

followed by

6 x 3 mins International Lightweight contest
CORY O’REGAN 137lbs 7oz v JAKUB LASKOWSKI 137lbs 6oz
(Heckmondwike, England)        (Siemianowice, Poland)

followed by

19:00 GMT LIVE ON DAZN

6 x 2 mins International Featherweight contest
SKYE NICOLSON 127lbs 3oz v BEC CONNOLLY 127lbs
(Queensland, Australia)             (Swindon, England)

followed by

10 x 3 mins vacant WBC International Silver Super-Lightweight Title
DALTON SMITH 139lbs 4oz v RAY MOYLETTE 139lbs 3oz
(Sheffield, England)                (Islandeady, Ireland)

followed by

12 x 3 mins IBO Lightweight World Title
MAXI HUGHES 133lbs 8oz v Ryan Walsh 134lbs 6oz
(Rossington, England)           (Cromer, England)

followed by

10 x 2 mins IBF Bantamweight World Title
MARIA CECILIA ROMAN 116lbs 7oz v EBANIE BRIDGES 117lbs 5oz
(San Juan, Argentina)                            (New South Wales, Australia)

followed by

12 x 3 mins IBF Featherweight World Title
KIKO MARTINEZ 125lbs 4oz v JOSH WARRINGTON 125lbs 7oz
(Alicante, Spain)                         (Leeds, England)

LOS ANGELES, CA (March 25, 2022) – Golden Boy returns to its home in the Coachella Valley, Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, CA, on April 21 for an exciting matchup between Palmdale’s Joel Diaz, Jr. (26-2, 22 KOs) and San Diego’s Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta (32-3-3, 17 KOs). The 10-round super lightweight event will also feature Southern California’s bright star Jousce “Tito” Gonzalez (11-0-1, 10 KOs) from Glendora, CA, in an 8-round co-main lightweight bout against the experienced Jairo Lopez (27-14, 17 KOs) of Apodaca, Mexico. Also on the card, San Diego’s top prospect Jorge Chavez (1-0, 1 KOs) is scheduled for a 4-round super featherweight fight; undefeated prospect Manuel Flores (11-0, 8 KOs) of Coachella, CA, will participate in an 8-round super bantamweight fight; and Los Cabos, Mexico’s Jan Salvatierra (7-1, 3 KOs) will face an opponent to be announced in a 6-round flyweight event. The event will be streamed live on DAZN worldwide.

More information regarding opponents will be announced shortly.

“We are so excited to return to Fantasy Springs Resort Casino for this event,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman, and CEO of Golden Boy. “It has been Golden Boy’s home in the Coachella Valley, and we are excited to bring a DAZN fight night that they will enjoy for the first time in 2022.”

“We are passionate about building fighters at DAZN, and we are incredibly excited about this event,” said Ed Breeze, EVP Rights at DAZN. “This show will feature the brightest talents in boxing and so tune in to catch a first glimpse of the stars of tomorrow, live and worldwide on DAZN.”

Tickets for Diaz Jr. vs. Gesta are on sale now, Friday, March 25, 2022 at 11 a.m. PT. Tickets are priced at $45, $35 and $25 plus applicable facility fees and service charges. Tickets are available at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino box office, by calling 1-800-827-2946, or by purchasing online at www.fantasyspringsresort.com.

Diaz, Jr. vs. Gesta is a 10-round super lightweight fight presented by Golden Boy. The fight will take place on Thursday, April 21 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, CA, 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 #DiazJrGesta #GBFightNight

London, England – (March 24, 2022) – London cruiserweight rivals Richard Riakporhe and Deion Jumah faced off today after a press conference which featured the elite crop of today’s top rising talents in British boxing, including light-heavyweight champion Dan Azeez, Caroline Dubois and the Azim brothers Hassan and Adam.

Here’s what the main event fighters had to say:

RICHARD RIAKPORHE

Absolutely. I think it’s my time. We lost a bit of momentum with inactivity and now we’re back on the midnight train. We’re moving swiftly, so my next opponent is just another opponent that I need to deal with in good fashion.

Looking into Deion, it’s interesting. He’s been pro for a very long time, only had 14 fights, never had any significant wins. It makes you wonder what is going on with him. He calls himself ‘The Ghost’ – he has been a ghost. It just shows there’s different levels, you know? 

I don’t know, I think there’s something about it. Maybe it’s bad luck [on his part], I don’t know. But we’re going to put our finger on it on Saturday night.

He’s been talking a good game and he’s undefeated as well. I understand how undefeated fighters are quite stubborn but once I start letting my hands go, I don’t think he’s got the condition to withstand the punishment.

DEION JUMAH

I think Richard is still very early in his learning curve. He’s shown a bit more boxing skills over the last two, three fights. But he will have to revert back to his power-punching and offloading heavy shots, going for knockout early in this fight when he finds out I’m the superior boxer. So this is what we expect from him and this is what we know is going to happen.

I’m the superior boxer for sure and if he wants to offload [power] the way he has done in the past, then I’ve got something for him.

BEN SHALOM, PROMOTER

Yeah, it’s exciting. Richard was the first fighter we signed [after the Sky deal] and we had dreams of him headlining and winning world titles. That will happen. Unfortunately Fabio Turchi pulled out and it just shows Richard’s character to take this on. 

Richard will deal with Deion on Saturday night – he’s got a lot of power, he’s dealt with everyone else [domestically] – and then we’ll be on to world titles, but credit for Deion Jumah. Don’t overlook him he’s a he’s a top operator as well. It’s gonna be a crackling atmosphere. I can’t wait.

MINNEAPOLIS (March 24, 2022) – Top super welterweight contender and rising star Tim Tszyu went face-to-face with U.S. Olympian Terrell Gausha at the final press conference Thursday before they meet in the main event live on SHOWTIME this Saturday, March 26 in a Premier Boxing Champions event from The Armory in Minneapolis.

The press conference also featured rising lightweight contender Michel Rivera and fellow unbeaten Joseph “Blessed Hands” Adorno, who duel in the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING co-main event, plus hard-hitting super lightweight Elvis Rodriguez and Juan José Velasco, who square off in the telecast opener at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions, No Limit Boxing and Warriors Boxing, are on sale now and can be purchased at the Armory at http://ArmoryMN.com/ and through Ticketmaster.

The son of Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu, Tim Tszyu makes his stateside debut after establishing himself in his native Australia as one of the most dangerous contenders in the stacked 154-pound division. He’ll look to move closer to a world title opportunity with a win over the 2012 U.S. Olympian Gausha, who represents the toughest test of Tszyu’s career and most recently knocked out Jamontay Clark in two rounds on SHOWTIME in March 2021.

Here is what the fighters had to say Thursday from the W Foshay Minneapolis:

TIM TSZYU

“Gausha has the credentials. He’s fought the best in the division. Having to fight someone like that gives me the chance to prove to everyone who I really am.

“Terrell’s name popped up before my last fight and we happily accepted straight away. At this level, there’s no such thing as easy fights. You have to fight anyone and everyone.

“This is a buzz for me. I’m super excited. We’ve done great things in Australia and sold out arenas in one day. But I needed to come over to America because this is what I’ve always watched throughout my life growing up. To finally experience it is incredible. This is what I live for.

“I’m taking it one step at a time, but I’m here to really take over. I believe in what I can do. That’s what’s in my heart and in my destiny.

“I’m going to do what I always do. The game plan is quite simple. I’m going to make as few mistakes as possible and capitalize on his mistakes.

“Everything feels different about this situation but the work is the same and the ring is the same. I’m here to show everything in the ring. Actions speak louder than words.

“This has been a long time in the making. I’m pumped. I’m out of my skin. My father gave me advice about the fight, like what to do and what not to do.

“I don’t know what to expect from fighting in front of a U.S. crowd. At the end of the day, I’m focused on my opponent.

“Me and Terrell are going to produce nonstop action until the final bell rings or before the bell rings. I’m coming with everything. I’ve had a great camp and I’m grateful for this opportunity.”

TERRELL GAUSHA

“I’m just ready. I’m feeling dangerous. I like this fight. Tim is a good fighter who brings the pressure. It’s going to bring the best out of me to face a fighter like that.

“When I watch Tszyu’s fights, I see that he brings the pressure. That’s just what he does. It’s not something I haven’t seen before. I’m going to go out there and do some things that he hasn’t seen before.

“I’m sure he’s been watching my fights, but I think what he’s been watching is the wrong thing. I don’t think he’s going to be ready for what I’m going to show him Saturday.

“This fight can cement my spot in line for that world title. Tszyu has a lot of backing behind him, he’s young and he’s got a great record. That’s exactly what I want to be up against.

“I feel like I’m just a different kind of opponent than anything he’s ever faced. I’ve trained for a live guy who’s bringing the pressure. But we’ll see how it works out for him on Saturday.

“I just feel like I’m a true super welterweight. I’m not coming up in weight. I feel like I’m strong and I’m not here to be bullied.

“This is a good fight and I’m glad that he took it. I respect Tim for taking a fight like this. We’re going to put on a show for the fans and give them a great fight.

“I prepared great for this fight. We had an injury free camp. I’m in shape and I’m going in there to dominate and deliver action.

“There’s no other way around it. The winner of this fight should get the winner of the Jermell Charlo vs. Brian Castaño rematch.”

MICHEL RIVERA

“I’m so focused on this fight. I’ve been in camp for four months and flew to Las Vegas to get more sparring with Mario Barrios. So I’m one million percent ready.

“He’s a good fighter with a good record. Everyone knows I have experience fighting guys I know. My last opponent had the same trainer as me. That’s just boxing. Everyone is going to see that this is the fight of the night.

“I feel great heading into this fight and I’m thankful for the opportunity. I’m here to win. Everyone who has watched me knows that I bring a lot of different skills to the ring.

“I want to fight Gervonta Davis. I’m number two for his WBA title and I’m ready for my opportunity. My goal is to face all the champions in the division and be the last man standing.

“Adorno and I support each other when we fight, but it doesn’t matter to me. That’s just boxing. He’s a good guy with a good record and he’s the kind of fighter I want on my record. I have to take advantage of the fights that are presented to me.

“I don’t know if it’s going to go the distance, but I’m ready to go 14 rounds.”

JOSEPH ADORNO

“This is a new Joseph Adorno that you’re going to see. I’m not just relying on my power. We’re putting in the work. This takes whoever wins from prospect to contender. I know what’s on the line.

“I just have to be focused and relaxed in the ring. We both bring spectacular power. I think of the three fights on T.V., we’re going to steal the show.

“Whoever lands the first good punch is going to end this fight. Someone is going to sleep.

“I knew about Michel through us talking online. We initially agreed not to fight. Then my promoter said Rivera is telling people I’m scared to fight. So they gave me his contract signed, and I signed mine right away.

“I’m not going to look like I’m scared. Of course this is a great fight. We’re friendly, but it’s just business.”

ELVIS RODRIGUEZ

“The loss that I suffered motivated me to get back in the gym and work even harder. I was able to come back with a big victory in my last fight and show that the hard work was worth it.

“I plan to put on a great performance again against a tough opponent. My hard work is going to pay off and the fans are going to see a great fight come Saturday.

“You can count on seeing me strumming my air guitar on Saturday night. I’m confident in my training and the foundation that I’ve laid in the gym. You’re going to see my hand raised on Saturday night and music for everybody.”

JUAN JOSE VELASCO

“My defeats are in my past. I learned lessons from them, but I’m focused on the present. I’m ready for this challenge and I’m ready to take things up another level.

“I’m very confident in the weapons that I’ve prepared for this Saturday night. I’ve had a great training camp from start to finish. It’s exactly what I needed heading into this fight.

“I absolutely believe that when I win this fight, I will get a world title shot. I’m glad that Rodriguez is confident, because I’m confident as well. We’re going to provide the fans with a tremendous bout from both of us.”

#

ABOUT TSZYU VS. GAUSHA
Tszyu vs. Gausha will see top super welterweight contender and rising star Tim Tszyu make his long-awaited U.S. debut when he takes on U.S. Olympian Terrell Gausha in a 12-round showdown that headlines action live on SHOWTIME Saturday, March 26 from The Armory in Minneapolis in a Premier Boxing Champions event.

The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and will feature rising undefeated lightweight contender Michel Rivera dueling fellow unbeaten Joseph “Blessed Hands” Adorno in the 10-round co-main event, plus hard-hitting super lightweight contender Elvis Rodríguez facing Juan José Velasco in the 10-round telecast opener.

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

TROIS-RIVIÈRES, Canada (March 24, 2022) – The official weigh in was held today for tomorrow night’s inaugural pro boxing event card at Vidéotron Coliseum in Trois-Rivières, Canada, starting at 7 p.m. ET, presented by Mise-O-Jeu, co-promoted by Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM) and Probellum, and in collaboration with Deacon Sports and Entertainment Ltd.

Fighters’ official weights below:

OFFICIAL WEIGHTS

MAIN EVENT (10)

VACANT WBC CONTINENTAL AMERICAS SUPER WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

Michael Zewski (35-2, 23 KOs), Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada 153.8 lbs.

Arlos Ocampo Manríquez (32-1, 20 KOs), Ensenada, Baja California, México 153.6 lbs.

CO-FEATURE – WELTERWEIGHTS (10)

Arthur Byarslanov (9-0, 7 KOs), Toronto, Ontario, Canada by way of Russia 148.8 lbs.

Roberto Verdugo (10-3-1, 4 KOs), Los Mochis, Sinaloa, México 148.8 lbs.

WELTERWIGHTS (10)

Steve Bouchard (19-2, 8 KOs), Quebec City, Quebec, Canada 148.8 lbs.

Ricardo Lara (22-9, 10 KOs), El Grullo, Jalisco, México 148.8 lbs.

FEMALE WELTERWEIGHTS (6)

Marie-Pier Houle (5-0-1, 2 KOs), Cap de la Madeleine, Québec, Canada 143.8 lbs.

Valentina Keri (5-5, 0 KOs), Santa, Siberia 145 lbs.

HEAVYWEIGHTS (6)

Alexis Barriere (4-0, 3 KOs), Saint Jean sur Richelieu, Québec, Canada 222 lbs.

Marco Antonio Candeo (4-1, 2 KOs), Guadalajara, Jalisco, México 220.4 lbs.

SUPER LIGHTWEIGHTS (6)

Spencer Wilcox (pro debut), Hamilton, Quebec, Canada 134.6 lbs.

Armando Lizárraga Osuna (1-2, 0 KOs), Costa Rica, Sinaloa, México 137.2 lbs.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS (4)

Petar Gavrilovic (1-0, 0 KOs), Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada 171.4 lbs.

Greg Weeks (3-1, 3 KOs), Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada 171 lbs.

Tickets, starting at $25.00, are on sale and available for purchase on ticketmaster.ca. Prestigious seat reservations can also be made by calling (819) 519-1634.

GroupeYM #Probellum #ZewskiManriiquez

Source : Groupe Yvon Michel

ABOUT THE YVON MICHEL GROUP (GYM): Groupe Yvon Michel is a professional boxing promotion organization, founded in 2004 by Yvon Michel, Alexandra Croft and Bernard Barré, all still active within the company, which is the most prolific organization in the history of professional boxing in Canada. Since its founding GYM has organized 160 events in Quebec, participated in 37 international galas outside of Quebec. Seven boxers became world champions: Joachim Alcine, Jean Pascal, Adonis Stevenson, Artur Beterbiev, Eleider Alvarez, Marie-Eve Dicaire and Oscar Rivas. Seventeen of the organization’s boxers have fought in 50 world championship bouts with an excellent record of 25 wins, 22 losses and 2 draws. During this period major American television networks were more active than ever in coming to Quebec to broadcast GYM’s most important events. On 36 occasions major American networks presented a GYM event, an exceptional showcase of Quebec knowledge including HBO (8), Showtime (7), ESPN2 (10), Wealth TV (4), Spike TV (2), ESPN (3), CBS (1) and NBC Sports (1).

LOS ANGELES – BELLATOR MMA has announced additional information on its return to the Hawaiian island of Oahu, where Honolulu’s Neal S. Blaisdell Arena will play home to a pair of events on back-to-back nights Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23. BELLATOR 278 is headlined by a Women’s Flyweight World Championship main event pitting undefeated Juliana Velasquez (12-0) against former U.S. Marine and No. 2-ranked flyweight Liz Carmouche (16-7).

Friday night’s BELLATOR 278 card is being held in honor of America’s Military, Veterans, First-Responders, and Medical Personnel all of whom are eligible to attend the event with a guest for free entry the day of with valid proof of ID. Free admission is based on a limited capacity and available on first come-first serve basis.

In addition, a pair of “Wild Card” matchups will be held, with the winner of each 135-pound contest officially punching their ticket into the one-million-dollar BELLATOR Bantamweight World Grand Prix. The first “Wild Card” fight features No. 8-ranked Josh Hill (21-4) facing Enrique Barzola (17-5-2) with the winner moving on to meet Magomed Magomedov in the quarterfinals. The second “Wild Card” contest will see #9-Jornel Lugo (8-0) take on Danny Sabatello (11-1) with the victor going on to face Leandro Higo. Dates for both pending quarterfinal matchups will be announced shortly.

The main card of Friday’s BELLATOR 278 event also features two additional marquee main card bouts, a light heavyweight pairing pitting Christian Edwards (5-1) versus Grant Neal (6-1), as well as a 160-pound contract weight scrap between Manny Muro (12-7) and Nate Andrews (16-4).

In the United States SHOWTIME will televise Friday night’s BELLATOR 278: Velasquez vs. Carmouche main card at 4 p.m. HST local time, 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while the preliminary fights will stream live on the BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel, SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV beginning at 2 p.m. HST local time, 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The complete bout listing for the event can be found below.

Saturday night’s BELLATOR 279 will feature a women’s featherweight world championship rematch pitting Cris Cyborg (25-2, 1 NC) against Australia’s No. 1-ranked Arlene Blencowe (15-8), who will look to claim gold in her third attempt at a world title and the launch of the highly anticipated one-million-dollar BELLATOR Bantamweight World Grand Prix. Former champion, No. 1-ranked Juan Archuleta (25-3) will challenge No. 3-ranked Raufeon Stots (17-1) for the interim bantamweight title, following the news that incumbent champion Sergio Pettis is on the shelf with an injury.

Also, at BELLATOR 279 on Saturday, No. 2-ranked Patchy Mix (15-1) takes on No. 5-ranked Kyoji Horiguchi (29-4) in a five-round BELLATOR World Grand Prix contest and Oahu’s own No. 1-ranked Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (11-1) returns home to fight Justine Kish (7-5) at flyweight.

In the United States SHOWTIME will televise Saturday night’s BELLATOR 279: Cyborg vs. Blencowe 2/Archuleta vs. Stots main card at 4:30 p.m. HST local time, 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT, while the preliminary fights will stream live on the BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel, SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV beginning at 2 p.m. HST local time, 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The most up-to-date bout listing for the event can be found below.

BELLATOR MMA 278: Velasquez vs. Carmouche Main Card:

Friday, April 22 – live on SHOWTIME

10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT/4 p.m. HST (local) 

Flyweight?World Title Bout: C-Juliana Velasquez?(22-5) vs. #2-Liz Carmouche (16-7)

Bantamweight World Grand Prix Wild Card Bout: #8-Josh Hill (21-4)vs. Enrique Barzola (17-5-2) 

Bantamweight World Grand Prix Wild Card Bout: #9-Jornel Lugo (8-0) vs. Danny Sabatello (11-1)

Light Heavyweight Bout: Christian Edwards (5-1)vs. Grant Neal (6-1)

160-Pound Contract Weight Bout: Manny Muro (12-7) vs. Nate Andrews (16-4)

BELLATOR MMA 278: Velasquez vs. Carmouche Preliminary Card:

BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel | SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel | Pluto TV

8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT/2 p.m. HST (local) 

Featherweight Bout: Weber Almeida (5-1) vs. Fabricio Franco (8-4, 1 NC)

Bantamweight Bout: Jared Scoggins (10-2) vs. Cee Jay Hamilton (15-9)

Welterweight Bout: Makoa Cooper (1-0)vs. Blake Perry (pro debut)

BELLATOR MMA 279: Cyborg vs. Blencowe 2 / Archuleta vs. Stots Main Card:

Saturday, April 23 – live on SHOWTIME

10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT/4:30 p.m. HST (local)

Featherweight World Title Bout: C-Cris “Cyborg” (25-2, 1 NC) vs. #1-Arlene Blencowe (15-8)

Interim Bantamweight World Title Bout: #1-Juan Archuleta (25-3) vs. #3-Raufeon Stots (17-1)

Flyweight Bout: #1-Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (11-1) vs. Justine Kish (7-5)

Bantamweight World Grand Prix Opening Round Bout: #2-Patchy Mix (15-1) vs. #5-Kyoji Horiguchi (29-4)

BELLATOR MMA 279: Cyborg vs. Blencowe 2 / Archuleta vs. Stots Preliminary Card:

BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel | SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel | Pluto TV

8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT/2 p.m. HST (local) 

Lightweight Bout: Lance Gibson Jr. (5-0) vs. Nainoa Dung (4-2)

Featherweight Bout: #9-Justin Gonzalez (12-1) vs. Kai Kamaka III (9-4-1)

Welterweight Bout: Goiti Yamauchi (26-5) vs. Levan Chokheli (11-1)

Lightweight Bout: #6-Emmanuel Sanchez (20-7) vs. Yancy Medeiros (15-8, 1 NC)

Lightweight Bout: Keoni Diggs (9-1) vs. Bobby King (11-4)

120-Pound Contract Weight Bout: Randi Field (2-1) vs. Maraya Miller (1-1)

*Card subject to change.

Please visit Bellator.com for additional information.

****

Updated schedule of BELLATOR MMA events

Fri. Apr. 15 // BELLATOR 277: McKee vs. Pitbull 2/Nemkov vs. Anderson // SAP Center // San Jose, Calif.

Fri. April 22 // BELLATOR MMA 278: Velasquez vs. Carmouche // Neal S. Blaisdell Arena // Honolulu

Sat. April 23 // BELLATOR MMA 279: Pettis vs. Stots / Cyborg vs. Blencowe 2 // Neal S. Blaisdell Arena // Honolulu

Fri. May 6 // BELLATOR MMA 280: Bader vs. Kongo 2 // Accor Arena // Paris

Fri. May 13 // BELLATOR MMA 281: Amosov vs. MVP // The OVO Arena Wembley // London

Fri. Sep 23 // BELLATOR DUBLIN // The 3Arena // Dublin

About BELLATOR

BELLATOR MMA is a leading global mixed martial arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, BELLATOR events take place in major cities worldwide and can be seen on television in over 160 countries to an available audience of over one billion people. In the United States, BELLATOR can be seen on SHOWTIME. BELLATOR is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity, and commission relations. BELLATOR is based in Hollywood, Calif. and owned by entertainment giant Paramount, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.

About SHOWTIME

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Paramount, owns and operates the premium service SHOWTIME^®, which features critically acclaimed original series, provocative documentaries, box-office hit films, comedy and music specials and hard-hitting sports. SHOWTIME is available as a stand-alone streaming service across all major streaming devices and Showtime.com, as well as via cable, DBS, telco and streaming video providers. SNI also operates the premium services THE MOVIE CHANNEL^™ and FLIX^®, as well as on demand versions of all three brands. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV^®. For more information, go to www.SHO.com.

NEWCASTLE, MARCH 23 – Lewis Ritson was roared on by his supporters when he came face-to-face with Dejan Zlaticanin at the weigh-in ahead of Probellum Throwdown in Newcastle tomorrow night.
Ritson headlines the big night of boxing at the Utilita Arena, which also sees stand-out amateur Pat McCormack make his highly anticipated professional debut, and the atmosphere as the local hero hit the scales was a taste of what is to come on Friday.

McCormack, who faces a late change of opponent, features as the co-main event with Troy Williamson defending his British super-welterweight title on a packed card.

UK fight fans can watch the action live on Eurosport’s linear channels, discovery+ and Eurosport App, with the fights also being shown around the world.

The broadcast is due to start at 9pm local time.

MAIN EVENT

2300

10 Rounds Super-lightweight contest

Lewis Ritson (22-2) 10st

Dejan Zlaticanin (24-3) 9st 13lbs

CO-MAIN EVENT

2230

6 Rounds Welterweight contest

Pat McCormack (debut) (weighs in tomorrow)

Justin Menzie (5-5-1) (weighs in tomorrow)

2130

BRITISH SUPER-WELTERWEIGHT TITLE – 12 Rounds

Troy Williamson (17-0-1) 11st

Mason Cartwright (17-2-1) 10st 13lbs 12oz

2100

6 Rounds Super-middleweight contest

Mark Dickinson (2-0) 11st 8lbs

Peter Kramer (11-4-3) 11st 6lbs

2000

10 Rounds Featherweight contest

Thomas Patrick Ward (31-0-1) 9st 3lbs

Alexis Boureima Kabore (28-5) 8st 13lbs

1940

6 Rounds Light-heavyweight contest

Ben Rees (debut) (weighs in tomorrow)

Greg O’Neill (6-6) (weighs in tomorrow)

1910

6 Rounds Welterweight contest

Joe Laws (12-1) 11st 11lbs

Alexey Tukhtarov (4-27-6) 10st 13lbs

1840

6 Rounds Cruisweight contest

Robert Ismay (10-0) (weighs in tomorrow)

Christian Adjoufack (0-7) (weighs in tomorrow)

1810

6 Rounds Super-flyweight contest

Joe Maphosa (11-1) 8st 5lbs

Santiago el Eusibio (3-3-2) 8st 4lbs

1750

4 Rounds Cruiserweight

Stephen Sayer (debut) 13st 8lbs

Daryl Sharp (6-85-1) 13st 12lbs

1730

4 Rounds Super-welterweight contest

Alex Farrell (6-0) (weighs in tomorrow)

Konstantin Alexandrov (10-53-4) (weighs in tomorrow)

FLOAT

4 Rounds Lightweight contest

Adam Cope (3-0) (weighs in tomorrow)

Jonny Phillips (5-9) (weighs in tomorrow)

For all of the latest on Probellum Throwdown, as well all ticket information and future announcements, sign up to the Probellum newsletter or follow Probellum on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.??

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

Probellum’s elite stable of international fighters includes Nonito Donaire, Regis Prograis, Estelle Mossely, Lee McGregor, Donnie Nietes, Dina Thorslund and Muhammad Waseem.

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

Since launching, Probellum has also 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).?

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA (March 24, 2022) — Eumir Felix Marcial, the Philippines’ 2021 middleweight Olympic Bronze medalist, will return to the professional ranks, in his Las Vegas debut, Saturday, April 9.  Marcial (1-0), from Zamboanga City, Philippines, will rumble with power-punching Isiah Hart (6-2-1, 4 KOs), who fights out of the PAL in Atlantic City, in a six-round middleweight bout — an undercard feature attraction headlined by the Erickson Lubin vs. Sebastian Fundora WBC super welterweight interim title fight.  Presented by TGB Promotions, the Lubin – Fundora championship event will take place at The Theatre at Virgin Hotels, Las Vegas and televised live on SHOWTIME beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.   

“I am so excited to return to my professional career, and to be fighting in Viva Las Vegas, where I now live and train, is a great way to get things going again.” said Marcial.  “I am very comfortable training under the guidance of my boxing coach Jorge Capetillo and my strength and conditioning coach Angel “Memo” Heredia.  I would like to thank Senator Manny Pacquiao, MP Promotions, and Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) for all their support.” 

“I am really excited to have Eumir back in the professional ranks after a tremendous showing in Tokyo at the Olympics and winning the Bronze medal for the Philippines,” said Sean Gibbons, president of MP Promotions.  “I have worked with a lot of top fighters over the years, but Eumir is the best I have been with comuing out of the amateur ranks, and the sky is the limit.”

After winning his pro debut — a four-round unanimous decision over Andrew Whitfield in Los Angeles on Dec. 16, 2020 — Marcial turned his attention to getting prepared for the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo.  In one of the most exciting bouts of the 2021 summer games, Marcial and top-seeded Oleksandr Khyzhniak, of Ukraine, battled tooth and nail in their semifinal battle.  Khyzhniak, who would move on to win the Silver medal, pulled it out in the third and final round by the narrowest of margins.  Marcial won the Bronze.  Other highlights of Marcial’s amateur career include a gold medal at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games and a silver medal at the 2019 World Boxing Championships.

Josh Kelly (10-1-1, 6 KOs), Harlem Eubank (13-0, 5 KOs) and the hotly anticipated British Middleweight Title clash between Linus Udofia (17-0, 9 KOs) and Denzel Bentley (15-1-1, 13 KOs) will top a stacked card in the capital as Wasserman Boxing launch their first free-to-air event live on Channel 5 on Friday May 13 at the Indigo at the O2, in association with William Hill, Numan and Infinitum Entertainment.

Sunderland’s ‘Pretty Boy’ Kelly will make his long-awaited ring return after a twelve-month absence as the former GB Olympian begins a new chapter in his career with Wasserman Boxing on Channel 5. Having suffered his sole career defeat last time out when challenging David Avanesyan for the European Welterweight Title in February 2021, the Adam Booth trained 28-year-old is itching to get back under the lights and back to the form that saw him heralded as one of British boxing’s most exciting prospects. With World Titles still in his sights, the former Commonwealth and WBA International Welterweight Champion is eager to put on a show and secure a statement win in London.

“I’m excited to get back into the ring and to start this new chapter in my career,” said Kelly. “This is where I belong, and I can’t wait to get back out there and put on a show. I took some time out to sort some personal issues out after my last fight but now I’m ready to get back to what I do best. The next bit of my career is going to be huge. I’m after World Titles. I’m not in the game for anything less. I know I will have to dig deep to get there but I’m ready to do whatever it takes to get a World Title whether that be at Welterweight or Super Welterweight.”

Luton’s ‘Lightning’ Udofia announced himself on the domestic scene with a points win over Tyler Denny to claim the English Middleweight Title in November 2019. The 28-year-old followed this up with a convincing stoppage win over John Harding Jr to defend the belt behind closed doors in Milton Keynes before blasting out Xhuljo Vrenozi in three-rounds at the OVO Arena Wembley. Udofia will now attempt to add the British Title to his collection as he faces his toughest career test against the former champion Bentley.

World ranked Bentley from Battersea returns to the ring following an emphatic third-round technical knockout win over Sam Evans as he looks to recapture the Lonsdale strap he won when stopping Mark Heffron inside four rounds in November 2020, before losing the belt in his first defence to Felix Cash.

“This is a massive fight for me. I’ve always wanted to box for the British Title and to get the opportunity to do it headlining a big show on Channel 5 is a dream come true,” said Udofia. “I want to thank my promoters the Sauerland brothers at Wasserman and my manager Steve Goodwin for getting me into this position. Now, it’s time to show everyone what I can do. I’ve seen a lot of Denzel Bentley. He’s a good operator, he’s very slick and I think our styles are going to gel really well. This is going to be a good fight for the public.”

“I’m excited for this opportunity to box for the British Title again,” said Bentley. “I know my opponent Linus Udofia is a good boxer and it’s going to be a real 50-50 fight. I’m expecting a full-blooded, fan-friendly affair. I can’t wait till fight night. I’m itching to prove that I am still one of the best fighters in the division.”

Rising star Harlem Eubank will take on former Commonwealth Champion and two-time British Title challenger Sean ‘Masher’ Dodd (17-6-1, 3 KOs) in an exciting ten-round Super Lightweight showdown.

Fresh from a fifth-round stoppage win against former IBF Intercontinental Champion Viorel Simion on the undercard of cousin Chris Eubank Jr’s blockbuster clash with Liam Williams, Eubank can continue his upward career trajectory with a victory over the experienced Birkenhead-boxer Dodd.

“I remember watching my cousin Chris on Channel 5 back in the day,” said Eubank. “It feels great to now have the chance to build my career on a big free-to-air platform. It’s going to be the first of many fights on Channel 5, working with the Sauerlands at Wasserman, and it’s a good fight to get started with.

“Sean Dodd is an experienced boxer. He’s been around the game for a long time. He’s tall and rangy and he likes to fight so I think it’s going to be interesting, but I’m going to be more than prepared for what’s in front of me.”

“This is the sort of opportunity I’ve been looking for,” said Dodd. “I felt I was unfairly done by in my last fight, but this is going to be a proper ten round fight and I’m going to make a big statement.”

In another thrilling domestic scrap, ‘The Newquay Bomb’ Brad Pauls (15-0, 9 KOs) will face Birmingham’s Ryan Kelly (16-3, 8 KOs) in an eliminator for the British Middleweight Title. The unbeaten Pauls will be fighting for the right to challenge for the Lonsdale belt training partner and friend Udofia is contesting on the same night but the Cornish fighter can expect stiff competition from the battle hardened Brummie Kelly, whose only losses have come against top domestic opposition.

“I’m glad I’ve finally got my chance on the big stage in a proper fight against someone ranked higher than me,” said Pauls. “There is everything to gain for me with a shot at the British Title on the line. Ryan Kelly is in the way of me getting my dream belt and I’m taking this fight very seriously. I’m happy to get this fight on such a big platform. This is an opportunity for me to put Cornwall on the boxing map.”

“I am really happy to be on such a big show in a live fight against an undefeated fighter in Brad Pauls,” said Kelly. “I have been working away for this fight since before Christmas and I’m over the moon to finally get the date. People are yet to see the best of Ryan Kelly but for this fight I get full preparation and I’m in the best place for it. It’s my time.”

“We’re delighted to kick start our partnership with Channel 5 with this fantastic free-to-air event,” said Wasserman’s Head of Global Boxing, Kalle Sauerland. “When we signed the deal with Channel 5, we said we wanted to revolutionise free-to-air boxing in the UK by bringing the biggest and best fights possible to the masses. The revolution starts now. We have three sensational domestic matchups, including a mouth-watering British Middleweight Title clash between Linus Udofia and Denzel Bentley, which promises to be a real 50-50 tear up; Harlem Eubank against fan favourite Sean Dodd; and ‘The Newquay Bomb’ Brad Pauls in British Title eliminator versus Ryan Kelly. Not to mention the return of one of British boxing’s most exciting fighters, Josh ‘Pretty Boy’ Kelly. This is an event you do not want to miss!”

“We’re excited to be working with Wasserman Boxing to bring this first-class fight night to our audience on Channel 5,” said Caj Sohal, Head of Sport at Channel 5. “Josh Kelly is back and ready to realise his star potential; Linus Udofia versus Denzel Bentley for the British Title promises to be a fight of the year contender; and having previously showcased Chris Eubank Jr on the channel, we look forward to welcoming Harlem Eubank to Channel 5 as he emerges as the latest boxing talent from this famous fighting family.”

“This is a big opportunity for Denzel Bentley to get his British title back,” said Francis Warren for Queensbury Promotions. “He’s a top, top talent, and he gets the chance to showcase what he’s all about on May 13 against a very good opponent in Linus Udofia in his hometown. Denzel is up for this big time. The chance to become a two time British champion is there for the taking, and I fully expect him to grab it with both hands.”

For more information and to sign up for exclusive pre-sale tickets, please visit the Wasserman Boxing website: www.wassermanboxing.com