LOS ANGELES (November 11, 2020) – Unbeaten featherweight prospect Eros Correa shared updates from his training camp as he prepares to take on fellow unbeaten Henry Arredondo in FS1 PBC Fight Night action and on FOX Deportes this Saturday, November 14 from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.

FS1 PBC Fight Night is headlined by undefeated middleweights Amilcar Vidal and Edward “The Hunter” Ortiz squaring-off in a 10-round showdown. The telecast begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and features unbeaten Nigerian cruiserweight Efetobor Apochi dueling Joe Jones in the 10-round co-main event.

The event will be promoted by TGB Promotions and will take place without fans in attendance at STAPLES Center in downtown Los Angeles.

Here is what Eros had to say about training camp, Arredondo and more:

On his recent training camp.

“I spent the first month of camp in Las Vegas with Bob Santos, training and sparring with the Barrientes Twins (Angel and Chavez) and a few others. When my fight got pushed back, I finished off camp in my hometown of San Jose and got good work with Victor Pasillas, as well as some other top fighters in the Bay Area. My coach Martin Nunez, who has been with me since I turned professional, is making sure I’m peaking on fight night. It’s been a long camp and I’m in the best shape of my life.”

On his matchup with Henry Arredondo.

“I know he’s a solid fighter with a lot of power. We’ve sparred before so I know what I need to do to be victorious. This by far will be the toughest fight of my career. We are both undefeated so fans can expect to see two warriors giving it their all. When the final scorecards are read, I believe my hands will be raised in victory.”

On making his PBC televised debut.

“This is the turning point in my career being that it’s my televised PBC debut on FS1. I’m in the prime of my career and I’ll be at my best. I’m going to make this fight a war by bringing a lot of pressure, making it a fan friendly fight.”

On what a win will do for his career.

“A victory against Arredondo will put me in position to climb up the rankings. In addition, a win will give me an opportunity to fight back on PBC. I know what is at stake and I’m not cutting any corners. I’m going to get this win and march toward my dream of becoming a world champion.”

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Viewers can live stream the PBC shows on the FOX Sports and FOX NOW apps or at FOXSports.com. In addition, all programs are available on FOX Sports on SiriusXM channel 83 on satellite radios and on the SiriusXM app.
For more information: visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/homepage and www.foxdeportes.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @PBConFOX, @FOXSports, @FOXDeportes and @TGBPromotions become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/foxsports & www.facebook.com/foxdeportes.

Livecoverage of Top Rank on ESPN continues this Saturday, Nov 14, when WBO welterweight champion and pound-for-pound king Terence “Bud” Crawford returns in an action packed main event against former welterweight world champion Kell Brook, live from the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Live coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with undercard action on ESPN+ in English and Spanish. The Crawford-Brook main event card airs on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 10 p.m. ET.

Crawford-Brook will feature a WBA super flyweight world title rematch between champion Joshua Franco and the man he defeated to win the title, Andrew Moloney. 

Calling the action for ESPN from site will be Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), former #1 pound-for-pound two-division world titleholder and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward (analyst), and former two-division world titleholder Tim Bradley (analyst). The on-location desk team will feature analysis from Bernardo Osuna and Mark Kriegel.

Fight week coverage includes:

• SportsCenter segments: segments for ESPN’s flagship news and information program from Las Vegas
• Crawford vs. Brook Final Press Conference (Wed at 3:10 p.m. ET, live ESPN’s YouTube Channel))
• Crawford vs. Brook Official Weigh-In: (Fri at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2): Joe Tessitore, Andre Ward, Tim Bradley, Mark Kriegel and Bernardo Osuna reporting live from site
• Max on Boxing Weigh in Special (Fri, Nov 13 at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2): ESPN’s boxing series hosted by Max Kellerman airing live following the weigh-in, which will include 1-1 interviews with Crawford and Brook

ESPN.com

• Brook confident of Crawford upset by using size, experience to his advantage
• Real or not: Can Terence Crawford get a unification fight? Where does Devin Haney stand at 135?
• Scouting report from Timothy Bradley on both fighters
• Friday: Expert Picks (streaming on ESPN+)
• Terence Crawford is the pound-for-pound boxing king of the world, but he has one soft spot – dogs (Thursday)
• Expert picks for Crawford-Brook (E+) (Friday)
• Ringside seat (Friday)

Social:@ESPNRingside Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

Schedule of Live Crawford vs. Brook Content on ESPN Platforms (All Times ET)

Philadelphia, PA (November 10, 2020) – This past Saturday night, boxing returned to Philadelphia after an eight-month shutdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic with a four-bout card promoted by RDR Promotions.

All Covid-19 protocols were followed as a limited, yet capacity crowd was on hand to witness the first card in the city since RDR Promotions staged a sold-out full capacity show eight months to the day.

In the main event, Mark Dawson Jr. remained undefeated with six-round unanimous decision over cross-town rival Vincent Floyd in a welterweight contest.

Dawson, who was making his 1st start in 20 months, showed no signs of ring-rust as he landed a some solid over hand lefts and right hooks against the tall southpaw Floyd.

Dawson, is managed by Split-T Management, won by scores of 60-54 twice and 59-55, to raise his mark to 7-0-1. Floyd falls to 4-10-1.

Daiyann Butt of Philadelphia remained perfect with a four-round unanimous decision over Dieumerci Nzau.

Butt of Philadelphia is now 6-0. Nzau of Silver Spring, MD is 11-13.

Dylan Price remained undefeated with a 3rd round stoppage over Jose Rodriguez in their scheduled four-round bantamweight bout.

Price registered three knockdowns and the Sicklerville, NJ native raised his record to 11-0 with eight-knockouts. Rodriguez of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin is 4-4.

In the opening bout, Nafear Charles needed just 85 seconds to take out David Vera Pena in a junior welterweight bout.

Charles of Philadelphia is 5-0 with five knockouts. Pena of Annapolis, MD is 0-3-1.

RDR Promotions will be announcing it’s next events in the coming week

QUEENSBERRY PROMOTIONS can confirm that three positive coronavirus tests have been returned after the most recent batch of testing carried out by Prenetics.

The positive tests have come from the camps of Michael Rambaletsa, Kaisy Khademi and Masood Abdulah.

Consequently, the scheduled bouts between Michael Ramabaletsa and Chris Bourke, Kaisy Khademi and Ijaz Ahmed and Masood Abdulah and Levi Dunn have now been cancelled in line with the protocols of the British Boxing Board of Control and the Promoter.

The rest of the show’s participants, who have been isolating at a London base this week, have tested negative and the show will continue as planned with Mark Heffron and Denzel Bentley still main eventing for a chance to claim the vacant British Middleweight title.

Promoter Frank Warren said: “These are unprecedented times, and it is a huge shame to lose three great fights. I’m obviously gutted for the boys who have worked had for this week but I am pleased to see the excellent safety measures implemented by my team and the board are working so effectively.

“I am thankful to our partners at BT for working with us to ensure the event can continue safely, and fans can look forward to a cracking main event between Mark and Denzel.

“We wish those affected a speedy recovery.”

LAS VEGAS (November 10, 2020) —The pound-for-pound king, Terence “Bud” Crawford, is set to return to his throne. Crawford will defend his WBO welterweight world title against former welterweight world champion Kell Brook on Saturday evening from the MGM Grand Las Vegas Bubble. In the co-feature, Joshua “El Profesor” Franco will defend his WBA super flyweight world title against the man he dethroned in the Bubble back in June, Andrew “The Monster” Moloney.

Crawford-Brook and Franco-Moloney 2 will air LIVE on ESPN & ESPN Deportes at 10 p.m. ET, with undercard action to stream live on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET. UK fans can watch all the action on Premier Sports 1 starting at 12 a.m. Sunday morning.

This is what Crawford, Brook, Franco and Moloney had to say during Monday’s Zoom press conference.

Terence Crawford

“He’s not the only opponent that went into the fight thinking they were going to stop me or knock me out, so that’s nothing new for me. He’s just going to have to live up to his words.”

“I actually can’t rate him because I’ve never been in the ring with him. Actually, he was never on my radar from the jump. This was a fight that he wanted, that he kept calling for. Once the Pacquiao fight fell through, he was the next option given the circumstances of COVID and whatnot. I must’ve been on his radar. He was never on my radar. He’s on my radar now, and we’re fighting this weekend. That’s what it is.”

“Me, I go about fights to get the win, no matter how they come. I’m not going out there to try and outdo previous performances or any other fighter. My thing is to go out there and make sure I get the win and secure that first and everything else can come second. If the knockout is there, of course I’m going to go out there and take it. But if it’s not, then like I said before, we’re prepared for 12 rounds.”

“Well, he’s never faced nobody like me. He can say I never faced nobody like him, and I can say he’s never faced nobody like me. I don’t know what he brings to the table because I haven’t been there. I haven’t been in the ring with him, so we shall see come this week.”

Kell Brook

“I stop him, or he quits on the stool. I’m fully focused. I’ve never been ready for a fight like this before. Looking forward to whatever Terence brings because I can match him. I’m ready for a war.”

“I’ve been here before. I’ve been on this stage. I’ve been in there with pound-for-pound top fighters like Golovkin and Errol Spence. I took the title away from Shawn Porter in America. I know what it takes to be champion.”

“He’s going to have a rude awakening, I’ll tell you that. He’s going to have a rude awakening Saturday night when he gets in there.”

“I hope he’s {overlooking me}. I hope he is because I’m coming with force. Trust me.”

“I’m in a great, great place in my mind, and my weight is fantastic for this fight. Forget the weight. The weight’s made.”

“I think {winning this fight} would rank above Shawn Porter given everything I’ve been through, everyone writing me off. I think you gotta put it up there because this is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. You’ve gotta put him as number one. Nobody has done that in history from Britain, and I’m glad that all the fans will be able to see it on Premier Sports. They’re going to stay up and enjoy me become two-time world champion.”

“My body clock has adjusted to the Vegas time now, so everything is on point. The sleeping, my body clock is there. Everything’s there that’s needed to win this fight.”

Joshua Franco

“I could slow down my work rate or I could pick it up whenever I want. I just feel like that’s going to be an advantage, for sure.”

“I feel confident because I’ve been in the ring with Andrew Moloney before. I know what he has. I’m always confident, of course. My training went well. I had a tough training camp, and that also brings my confidence up. I’m just ready for whatever.”

“Very tough preparation in the gym. Eight hard weeks of training. I’m more than ready.”

Andrew Moloney

“It’s not so much weaknesses in Franco’s game, I just believe all around I’m a better boxer than he is. And I know that I didn’t show that in the first fight. But I believe I will show that this Saturday night. Tune in because you are going to see a much better performance from me this time around.”

“It’s been public knowledge that both of my eardrums were perforated in that first fight. Look, I don’t want to make excuses, but it did affect my performance. My balance was affected quite a lot. it affected me from fighting at my best. But, look, he won the fight. There’s no excuses. I want to go into this fight and show that I’m much better than I was this first time around and win this rematch and put that behind me.”

“You’re going to see a much different performance from myself, a different game plan this time around, and I believe a much more dominant performance. I can’t give too much away, obviously, in terms of the tactics, but it will be a different fight this time around, and I believe a much more dominant performance from myself.”

Use the hashtags #CrawfordBrook and #FrancoMoloney2 to join the conversation on social media. For more information, visit www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing; twitter.com/ESPNRingside.

Big-punching Scot John Docherty says he will knockout Jack Cullen before the eighth round of their British Super-Middleweight Title Eliminator this Saturday November 14 at The SSE Arena, Wembley, shown live on Sky Sports and DAZN. 

Docherty’s gym mate Felix Cash stopped Cullen in eight rounds to retain his Commonwealth Middleweight crown in a Fight of the Year contender at Manchester Arena last year, but ‘The Doc’ wants to go one better than Cash to secure bragging rights at the Matchroom Elite Boxing Gym.

“On paper Jack Cullen is my biggest test to date,” said Docherty. “I’m going in there to do a proper job on him. I’ve got to put the Super-Middleweight division on notice on Saturday night and I’ll be doing that.

“I’ll definitely be looking for the knockout and I’ll be going for it early doors. My gym mate Felix cash knocked him out in the eighth round when they fought last year, and I’ll be doing it much quicker than Felix. 

“On Saturday night you’re going to see a big Super-Middleweight absolutely demolish Jack Cullen. I want to win the British Title and he’s in my way. You’re a sorry man if you’re in my way and he’s in for one hell of a night. 

“You can see the difference between Middleweights and Super-Middleweights. He still has the exact same frame as when he was a Middleweight. He hasn’t put any muscle on or anything, I don’t know what he’s playing at but he’s playing with danger against me.”

Cullen battled to a controversial split decision draw with Zak Chelli following a hard-fought encounter in Essex on the Matchroom Fight Camp finale earlier this year, but Docherty has no intention of leaving it to the judges as he looks to take a step closer to the British Title. 

“He doesn’t bring anything different to the table each time he fights. He takes too many shots and he leaves himself open. Zak Chelli made him look very basic. I knew he was basic anyway, but he looked very bad in his last fight. No way it was a draw, he got beat fair and square. 

“There won’t be any drama around the scorecards this time, I’ll be knocking him out. This isn’t going ten rounds. I’m ready to go now. I just want to get weighed in. I’ve had a good camp and I’m ready to unleash on Saturday night.”

Docherty vs. Cullen is part of a huge night of World Title action that sees Irish star KatieTaylor (16-0, 6 KOs) put her Lightweight crowns on the line once more against Mandatory Challenger MiriamGutierrez (13-0, 5 KOs), Denaby’s Terri Harper (10-0-1, 5 KOs) defends her WBC and IBO Super-Featherweight Titles against Katharina Thanderz (13-0, 2 KOs), Rachel Ball (6-1) faces Jorgelina Guanini (9-1-2, 1 KO) for the vacant WBA Bantamweight World Title, Liverpool Light-Heavyweight Thomas Whittaker-Hart (4-0, 2 KOs) looks to go 5-0 against Bradford’s Jermaine Springer (7-1, 1 KO)and Glasgow Bantamweight talent Kash Farooq (13-1, 6 KOs)makes his Matchroom debut against Angel Aviles (20-5-1, 6 KOs).

LOS ANGELES (Nov. 10, 2020) – The Garcia vs. Campbell boxing event presented by Golden Boy and DAZN at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino has been postponed following a positive COVID-19 test result from Luke Campbell.

Campbell is doing well, but the fight will need to be rescheduled. As we know, fans are really looking forward to this great fight. All parties involved are working to get a new date scheduled as soon as possible.

Details for the new date will be announced shortly.

The DAZN global platform will still launch on Dec. 1 as scheduled.

Knockout king Ortiz Jr (16-0, 16 KOs) becomes the first new signing following the partnership between MTK, as advisors, and Mirigian as manager, which will see the two parties working together with Ortiz Jr over the next five years in a manager and advisor role.

Ortiz is ranked number two with the WBO and number five with the WBC and has won all 16 of his fights by knockout, including wins over the likes of Samuel Vargas, Brad Solomon, Antonio Orozco and Mauricio Herrera.

It sees MTK Global continue their expansion into the US, after signing world champions Jamel Herring and JoJo Diaz, and rising stars Lorenzo Simpson and Jonathan Lopez earlier in the year.

Speaking on the announcement, Vergil Ortiz Jr said: “I’m very excited to sign with MTK as an advisement group with manager Rick Mirigan, who also happens to be the manager of my favourite boxer Jose Ramirez. I’ve heard great things about Rick and MTK and I’m looking forward to the future.”

MTK Global CEO Bob Yalen said: “We are proud to be partnering with Rick Mirigian to work with the incredible Vergil Ortiz Jr.

“Rick is one of the leading boxing figures in the US, and what he’s managed to achieve in the sport shows that he’s guaranteed to be a valued strategic partner for MTK Global.

“Ortiz has had a sensational career so far and he’s destined to become a world champion, so we’re extremely excited to now be working with this superstar.”

Manager Rick Mirigian said: “There are plans for Ortiz to be the face of the 147 pound and a superstar in the near future. We want to build Ortiz outside of the ring and bring in landmark endorsement deals, and look to help put on major fights around him at Cowboy Stadium.

“I’m blessed and grateful to him and his team for giving me the chance to help guide this next chapter of his career, I will give them my all.”

Further news on the ground-breaking partnership with Mirigian will be announced in the coming days.

Sky Sports has today announced that it will make this Saturday’s Fight Night boxing – including Undisputed Lightweight Champion Katie Taylor’s defence against Miriam Gutiérrez – available to all via multiple digital platforms.

Taylor’s Lightweight bout against Spaniard Gutiérrez – as well as Terri Harper’s WBC Super-Featherweight defence against Katharina Thanderz and Rachel Ball’s WBA Bantamweight Title fight with Jorgelina Guanini – will be available to Sky Sports customers and non-subscribers alike, this Saturday from 7pm on the broadcaster’s YouTube and Facebook channels as well as on www.skysports.com. 

As part of Sky Sports’ commitment to women’s sport – first announced back in March – the move comes with the aim of ensuring elite women’s sport is more easily accessible to the public through both increasing its existing coverage and by strengthening its digital output. 

Adam Smith,Sky Sports Head of Boxing Development said:“We’re delighted to be able to make Saturday’s triple-header of women’s World Title fights, a world first, available to a wider audience to showcase some of the brightest talents in the sport. We’ve been with Katie from the beginning of her journey and are proud to be a part of the boom we’re seeing in women’s boxing. Through live streaming the action, we are able to bring more boxing fans closer to the hard-hitting action than ever before with this world first.”

Eddie Hearn, Managing Director of Matchroom Sport said: “This is more ground-breaking news that helps us push women’s boxing to where it needs to be. The momentum of the last few years led by Katie Taylor has been special to watch but we have still got a long way to go. Nights like Saturday change the narrative of the sport, and as I have said before, it’s not men’s boxing and it’s not women’s boxing, it’s just boxing. Katie Taylor is a trailblazer and it is only right that she headlines this card on Saturday on a moment that we have all been working towards for a very long time. The key is to give these great fighters the platform to become stars and achieve their dreams. Without the support from Sky Sports this would not be possible and I’m so happy that so many people will be able to watch Saturday’s event.”

As always, Sky Sports will take fans to the heart of the sporting drama, follow @SkySportsBoxing or go to skysports.com/boxing.

To read more about Sky Sports’ commitment to women’s sport click here

END
For more information:
Sky Sports Press Office
0207 032 1445 
skypress@sky.uk

About Sky

With 24 million customers across seven countries, Sky is Europe’s leading media and entertainment company and is proud to be part of the Comcast group. Our 31,000 employees help connect our customers with the very best of Sports, News, the arts and to our own local, original content.

Following the success of Sky originals like Chernobyl, Patrick Melrose, Das Boot and Gommorah we launched Sky Studios and now plan to more than double our investment in original drama and comedy over the next five years.

Our technology allows customers to watch what they want, when they want, how they want, and as we connect millions of families to content they love, it is our responsibility to do it safely – that’s why we offer services like Sky Broadband Buddy and the Sky Kids app. And our online streaming service, NOW TV, brings viewers all the enjoyment of Sky with the flexibility of a contract-free service.

We also believe that a company of our scale has a responsibility that goes beyond our business, and into the community. Our Sky Ocean Rescue campaign has reached millions across Europe, we’re on track to be free of single-use plastic by 2020, we’re investing £25million over five years in ocean-saving tech and we’re a proud employer – recognised by The Times and Stonewall for our approach to inclusivity.

This past Friday night, Kali Reis won the WBA Super Lightweight world championship with a unanimous decision over Kandi Wyatt in an action packed fight in front of a sold out crowd in Saint Petersburg, Florida

The fight will air on Saturday, November 14 on Impact Network to 90 million homes. The start time is 10:30 PM ET.

Steven Marcano the programming partner to Impact Network stated “The Reis- Wyatt event was needed for us as we haven’t put a show since February 1st. That card saw Austin Trout headline to a sold out crowd in New Mexico. For this past weekend’s event, I wanted to showcase a championship bout with a crowd, and when this opportunity was presented, we decided to press re-start. We did the show in a smaller venue, and we had to downsize our production because because of the restrictions. We have to make sure that we are able to control the safety of fighters, fans and staff. That is our primary concern. We will be doing shows in 3,000-5000 seat venues as long it permits, and Impact Boxing will do an arena show Super Bowl weekend.. This is why we wanted to start off with a show at a smaller venue, yet still bring a championship fight.”

“We will put our fights in bigger venues and abide by all state and commission regulations. If we feel that the state or commission changes, we will abide.”

In 2021, Impact Boxing will start on January 9th, and following up on February 5th, with a show from an arena in Tampa, Florida that will be a big event that will coincide with the Super Bowl Impact Boxing is committed to airing only premium events.

“We have a great Impact Boxing team, and we have solidified a terrific commentary staff with Antonio Tarver, BJ Flores, Ryan Burton, Marc Abrams and Zach Hirsch. This show came to us quickly, and we aired it because it was a terrific opportunity to put on a great world title bout. In 2021, Impact Boxing’s 36-date calendar is filling up quickly. Stay tuned for high quality events from great venues all over the country. Impact’s sole goal is to compete with the highest level and give the best opportunity for promoters, fighters and all people in the boxing community.”

Look for the return of Stars and Champions hosted by Dan Rafael on January 8th at 10:30 PM ET. Also the Stars and Champions reality series to return that will document the careers of the Impact Boxing team Fighters, Promoters, Commentators and Executives.

On February 5th, Impact Network will launch it’s Super Saturday original programming lineup. On Super Bowl Weekend, which will feature all original programs from 4 PM ET until 7 PM ET, and will return at 10:30 PM that evening with the aforementioned championship fight card.

Katharina Thanderz says she has seen weaknesses in Terri Harper’s game that she will exploit when they clash for the WBC and IBO Super-Featherweight World Titles at The SSE Arena, Wembley on Saturday November 14, live on Sky Sports and DAZN. 

Unbeaten in thirteen professional contests, the former European and WBC International Champion got her first taste of World Title action last time out in November 2019 when she battled past Danila Ramos to claim the interim WBC Super-Featherweight crown.

Thanderz aims to follow in the footsteps of compatriot Cecilia Brækhus, the former long-reigning Undisputed 147lbs champion, who is considered one of the greatest female boxers of all time, and the 32-year-old plans on kicking off her road to Undisputed by dethroning rising star Harper in London. 

“This is my moment, my fight, the night my whole career has lined up for,” said Thanderz. “To fight against such a competitor for a World Title unification, it’s the fight every fighter dreams of!

“My last fight was a hard one where I had to bite down on the gum shield, but this fight will be an even greater test. I came through in my last fight and had my hand raised, I’m confident that will happen again against Terri.

“After that fight, I called for Terri Harper, I’ve been studying her for a long time but I know she will have been studying for me. I’ve seen weaknesses in her game that I have been working on in training, I’ve put in extra hours to work on a specific game plan and now I just can’t wait to get in there with Terri and put into practice what we’ve worked on. 

“Everything for this fight has been right. My training camp, my preparation could not have gone better. From diet and nutrition, physical training, sparring – my team has left no stone unturned; I am determined not to waste this opportunity. “We will entertain in this fight, we are two fighters that love to fight and have trained hard and prepared well. I can’t wait.”

Women’s boxing has never been in a stronger position, with World Title fights regularly featuring on some of the biggest shows around the globe, and Thanderz is pleased to be sharing a card with Ireland’s Undisputed Lightweight queen Katie Taylor, who has been instrumental in building the sport in recent years. 

“This card is a great one to be a part of. What is happening for sport here is amazing, it shows the evolution of the sport of boxing and coming away from this fight night with the World Title around my waist will make it the biggest and most special night in my career.

“Fighting this year is important. After everything that has happened with the pandemic, we’ve seen how much we need sport, the fans need it, the fighters, sports stars we all need it. Something to deliver excitement, passion and something that gives fans a reason to cheer and shout!”

Harper vs. Thanderz is part of an historical night of women’s World Title action that sees Irish star KatieTaylor (16-0, 6 KOs) put her Lightweight World Titles on the line once more against Mandatory Challenger MiriamGutierrez (13-0, 5 KOs), Rachel Ball (6-1) faces Jorgelina Guanini (9-1-2, 1 KO) for the vacant WBA Bantamweight World Title, big-punching John Docherty (9-0, 7 KOs) steps up against Little Lever’s Meat Cleaver’ Jack Cullen (18-2-1, 9 KOs), Liverpool Light-Heavyweight Thomas Whittaker-Hart (4-0, 2 KOs) looks to go 5-0 against Bradford’s Jermaine Springer (7-1, 1 KO)and Glasgow Bantamweight talent Kash Farooq (13-1, 6 KOs)makes his Matchroom debut against Angel Aviles (20-5-1, 6 KOs).

(November 9, 2020) — Kazakh prodigy Tursynbay Kulakhmet looks to make another statement Wednesday when he faces fellow unbeaten Macaulay McGowan in a 10-round junior middleweight showdown from Production Park Studios in Wakefield, England.
 
Kulakhmet-McGowan headlines a special edition of #MTKFightNight, which will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ starting at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT.
 
Kulakhmet (1-0, 1 KO), a 2019 World Championships bronze medalist, made his professional debut Aug. 23 and knocked out former amateur standout Sagadat Rakhmankul in four rounds. At 26 years old, he is taking the express lane to title contention, as the McGowan bout will be contested for the vacant WBC International title. McGowan (14-0-1, 3 KOs), from Manchester, England, has won four straight fights since a 2016 draw.
 
In other action on ESPN+:

• Top Rank-signed Irish welterweight phenom Paddy Donovan (4-0, 3 KOs), who is trained and managed by former middleweight world champion Andy Lee, will fight Jumaane Camero (10-6, 3 KOs) in a six-rounder. Camero, who has won three consecutive fights, has never been stopped as a professional.
   
• In an eight-round junior middleweight tilt, Jack “Demolition Man” Rafferty (12-0, 7 KOs) will put his unblemished record on the line against Tom Hill (9-1, 2 KOs). Rafferty and Hill were supposed to fight last month, but Hill’s positive COVID-19 diagnosis postponed the bout.
   
• MTK Global signee Hassan Azim, a one-time British amateur star, will make his professional debut against 60-fight veteran MJ Hall in a four-rounder at welterweight.
   
• In a six-round battle of unbeaten junior middleweights, Inder Bassi (2-0) will fight Jack Martin (3-0).
   

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NEW YORK (November 9, 2020)– This past weekend, Split-T Management fighters were perfect by winning four bouts, which included adding another world champion to boxing’s premier management company.

Friday night in Saint Petersburg, Florida, Kali Reis captured the WBA Super Lightweight World Championship with a 10-round unanimous decision over Kandi Wyatt.

Reis was brilliant throughout the fight as she showed terrific boxing skills and the Providence, Rhode Island native was dominant with a piston-like jab and pinpoint left hooks. Reis moved around the ring with great footwork that set up her shots against the hard charging Wyatt.

Reis took the title by winning by scores of 97-93, 97-92 and 96-94 to become a two-weight division world champion as she had previously won the WBC Middleweight championship.

On the same card, super middleweight Isaiah Steen remained perfect by taking out veteran Juan De Angel in round five of their scheduled six-round bout.

Steen scored two knockdowns which included the final hook that sent De Angel down, and the fight was stopped at 23 seconds of the 5th round. De Angel had previously lasted the distance with world champions Caleb Plan and Austin Trout.

Steen of Cleveland is now 15-0 with 12 knockouts.

The wins by Reis and Steen were seen on Impact Network, and will be replayed on November 14th at 10:30 PM ET

Saturday night in Philadelphia, Mark Dawson shook off a 20-month layoff with a six-round unanimous decision over crosstown rival Vincent Floyd.

Dawson worked well as he was proficient with his overhand left and right hooks from the southpaw stance.

Dawson won by scores of 60-54 twice and 59-55 to raise his mark to 7-0-1.

Also on Saturday night, prized amateur standout Tika Hemingway made her long-awaited professional debut with a four round unanimous decision over Miranda Barber in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

Scores were 40-36 on all cards.

Hemingway, who was amateur rivals with Clarissa Shields, and has three wins over WBC and WBO World Champion, Franchon Crews Dezurn.

Providence, RI (November 9, 2020) – CES Boxing is stepping into the producer’s booth for its latest endeavor, embarking on a new journey and teaming with global venture creation group Eros Innovations in the production of the upcoming “Iron”Mike Tyson–Roy Jones Jr. megabout later this month to provide the opportunity of a lifetime for three of its top fighters.

Under the guidance of CES Boxing president and CEO Jimmy Burchfield Sr., reigning WBC World Youth Champion and NABF No. 10-ranked lightweight Jamaine Ortiz (13-0, 7 KOs), current WBC World Youth Featherweight Champion Irvin Gonzalez Jr. (14-2, 11 KOs), and hard-hitting heavyweight contender Juiseppe Cusumano (18-3, 16 KOs) will compete in separate 8-round championship bouts Saturday, November 28 on the preliminary card of the Tyson-Jones Jr. showdown in Los Angeles, presented by Tyson’s Legends Only League in association with entertainment platform Triller.

The event will take place at the Staples Center two days after Thanksgiving with boxing legends Tyson and Jones headlining a star-studded fight card beginning live at 9 pm ET on pay per view via FITE TV, or on the newly-launched Triller app, available both on Apple or Android devices. Visit tysonontriller.com for more information.

Tyson, the youngest heavyweight world champion in boxing history and a dynamic box-office draw during his prime, returns to the ring for the first time since 2005 to face Jones, a pound-for-pound all-time great who boasts multiple world titles in four different weight classes.

Through CES Boxing’s collaboration with Eros, three of boxing’s top rising prospects will showcase their talents to a worldwide audience November 28. Ortiz, a Worcester, MA, native and 2015 National Golden Gloves silver medalist, battles 24-year-old Philadelphia native Nahir Albright (8-1, 2 KOs) for the WBC USNBC Silver Title.

The undefeated Ortiz captured the vacant WBC Youth title in 2019 and recently defended the belt in his 2020 debut at The Palladium in Worcester with a second-round knockout win over Mexican challenger Luis Ronaldo Castillo in February.

Ranked No. 9 among lightweights in the NABF, Ortiz enjoyed a stellar amateur career before making his professional debut in 2016, winning more than 100 fights and advancing to the semifinals of the U.S. Olympic Trials in Nevada. The 24-year-old right-hander is also an apprentice carpenter and member of the Local 107 carpenter’s union. In his third year as a pro, he won the Youth title with a dominant win over unbeaten California native Ricardo Quiroz, then blasted 15-4 Vitor Jones before piecing together another dominant against French challenger Romain Couture in August of 2019.

Cusumano, a winner of 16 of his last 18 bouts, faces Mississippi’s Nick Jones (9-3, 6 KOs), who has won his last two. The bout will be contested for the vacant WBC USNBC Heavyweight Title.

A native of Carini, Sicily fighting out of Danville, VA, the 6-foot-4 Cusumano won 13 consecutive bouts during an impressive stretch between 2012 and 2018, which included 11 knockouts – five in the first round. He joined CES Boxing in 2017 and made his promotional debut with a knockout win over Dan Biddle. Cusumano also notched impressive wins over 9-1-2 Fred Latham, whom he stopped in just under three minutes, and 8-3-1 southpaw Bernardo Marquez via fourth-round knockout. Since October, the heavy-handed Cusumano has lived and trained in Rhode Island under the tutelage of noted trainer Roland Estrada; and his son, former Olympian Jason “Big Six” Estrada.

Gonzalez, also from Worcester, battles undefeated Forth Worth, TX, prospect Edward Vazquez (8-0, 1 KO) for the vacant WBC USNBC Featherweight Title. The 24-year-old prospect signed a promotional agreement with CES Boxing in November and has since won back-to-back bouts, including a thrilling, sixth-round knockout victory over Yeuri Andujar to capture the WBC Youth title in February. Gonzalez amassed an amateur record of 90-15 and joined his CES Boxing stablemate, Ortiz, at the 2016 Olympic Trials in Nevada.

Vazquez earned his eighth win as a pro in September, recovering from an early knockdown to defeat Adan Ochoa by unanimous decision at the MGM Grand “Bubble” in Las Vegas live on ESPN. Nicknamed “Kid,” Vazquez began boxing at 8 years old, amassed an amateur record of 82-8 and advanced to the Junior Olympic semifinals before launching his pro career in 2016 under the guidance of Roy Jones Jr. Promotions.

In addition to the highly-anticipated Tyson-Jones exhibition bout, the main card November 28 features a cruiserweight showdown between unbeaten British prospect and internet personality Viddal Riley and former UFC mixed martial arts pro Rashad Coulter. YouTube sensation and unbeaten pro Jake Paul faces former NBA star and three-time Slam Dunk Contest winner Nate Robinson and former two-time world champion Badou Jack battles unbeaten California native Blake McKernan in an 8-round bout.

Visit CESBoxing.com for more information, or follow CES Boxing on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter at @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.

Mike Tyson’s Legends Only League is a sports league created and owned by Mike Tyson and Eros Innovations. The Legends Only League is a next-generation sports venture that provides full support and infrastructure to the world’s greatest athletes, bringing the best of the best back to the ring, onto the court, and back on the field. The league will span live sporting events including tennis, basketball, boxing, and more in addition to creating consumer products, live events, premium content, and full-service management for the greatest sports stars the globe has ever known.

Eros Innovations is a global venture creation group led by Sophie Watts that invests in and creates globally recognized businesses for celebrities across premium content, consumer products and live experiences.Owners of Eros Innovations include Eros Investments, a media and tech investment holding company whose affiliate companies include Eros Now, India’s leading OOT platform with 186 million registered users.

Triller is an entertainment platform built for creators. The app allows users to create music videos, skits, and lip-syncing videos containing background music. Launched in 2015 by co-founders David Leiberman and Sammy Rubin, Triller uses an AI-based video editing tool that automatically adds effects like overlays, fast or slow motion, and basic text to videos. Triller has more than 65 million active users and has been downloaded over 250 million times worldwide. It also boasts some big names among its users, like Cardi B, Chance the Rapper, DJ Khaled, Alicia Keys, and others. Triller is owned by Proxima Media, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and Universal Music Group with other investors like Snoop Dog, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, and The Weeknd.

Los Angeles – November 9, 2020 – Ring City USA, the new sports media startup that debuts its Thursday night boxing series Nov. 19  on NBC Sports Network, announced the main events for its second and third fight nights, to take place on Dec. 3 and Dec. 17 respectively. Undefeated blue-chip super welterweight prospect Serhii Bohachuck (18-0, 18 KO’s) meets former middleweight Interim Title Challenger Brandon Adams (21-3, 13 KO’s) in a 10-round main event on Dec.3, while the undefeated 2016 Olympian Charles Conwell (13-0, 10 KO’s) faces Madiyar Ashkeyev (14-0, 7 KO’s) in a 10-round super welterweight matchup.

All three of Ring City’s events in 2020 will be broadcast live from Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Boxing Gym in Los Angeles.

In Dec. 3 undercard action, rising welterweight prospect Brian Ceballo (11-0, 6 KO’s) will clash with once-beaten Larry Gomez (10-1, 8 KO’s) in the 10-round co-main event. In heavyweight female action, 2019 World Championships Gold Medalist Danielle Perkins (1-0, 1 KO) will fight the undefeated Princess Hairston (1-0, 1 KO) in a six-round matchup.

“We are excited about the quality of the fights Ring City is delivering to fight fans,” said Head of Boxing Evan Rutkowski. “As a developmental platform, our mission is to put together the most competitive matches that challenge our fighters and entertain viewers. Bohachuck-Adams and Conwell-Ashkeyev are two matchups that we are confident will meet those goals.”

The hard-hitting Bohachuck has steamrolled through opposition on his way to an 18-0 record, all of which have come via knockout. Bohachuk, who trains with Manny Robles out of Legends Boxing Academy, proved himself with a knock-out win over Tyrone Brunson in October of 2019. Most recently, he put on an electric performance in September when he knocked out Alejandro Davila in six rounds out of Mexico. The Ukrainian-born Bohachuck, who is promoted by Tom Loeffler at 360 Promotions and Ural Boxing, continues to take the Southern California boxing world by storm with his dominant performances in the ring and magnetic personality out of the ring.

“I’m looking forward to fighting Brandon Adams; He’s an experienced challenger who has already fought for the world title and I am up for this challenge,” Bohachuk said. “I appreciate Ring City giving me this opportunity to fight on NBCSN from the legendary Wild Card Gym.”

The battle-tested Adams, who hails from Watts, C.A. and works with accomplished trainer Dub Huntley, challenged WBC Middleweight Titleholder Jermall Charlo for the title in 2019 after defeating Shane Mosley Jr. to win the Epix Television Series “The Contender.” Adams boasts a formidable group of sparring partners, including Shawn Porter and Gennadiy Golovkin. Adams, who went professional inside of two years, is known for his fast rise within boxing. He started competitively training at age 19, fought his first amateur fight at age 20 and turned professional at age 21. Adams’ return to the ring Dec. 3 will be his first fight since his June 2019 matchup with Charlo. He is promoted by Banner Promotions and Tournament of Contenders.

“I appreciate this challenge,” Adams said. “Bohachuck’s team thinks he is ready to fight at the top level and my team is confident that I am already fighting at that level with the top fighters in the sport.”

Cleveland native Conwell, who competed in the men’s 2016 Summer Olympics middleweight event as an amateur, returned to the ring for the first time this year in February when he scored a fifth-round stoppage against Ramses Agaton. Known for his decisive punching power, Conwell recently capped off an impressive performance in the Oct. 7 main event of ShoBox: The New Generation with an eruptive knockout of Wendy Toussaint. A swift uppercut in the ninth round ended the contest and broke Toussaint’s nose in a fight that Conwell was comfortably winning. The highly touted super welterweight contender who is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, also reached a pivotal moment this year when he welcomed a daughter earlier this fall to become a first-time father.

“I’m happy to be getting right back in the ring to show my skill, class and dominance on NBC Sports Network,” Conwell said.

Ashkeyev, who fights out of boxing hotbed Oxnard by way of his native Kazakhstan, returns to face Conwell a year after his last fight in which he stopped Rodolfo Martinez at the end of the fifth round. Ashkeyev was an excellent amateur who participated in the World Series of Boxing. The undefeated Ashkeyev is promoted by Main Events and managed by Egis Klimas.

“I am very happy to have the chance to fight on NBCSN,” Ashkayev said. “I will be ready to make a big statement in my first televised main event in the United States and have waited a long time to show everyone what I can do.”

In Dec. 3 undercard action, former Olympic hopeful Ceballo, who is promoted by 360 Promotions, faces off against Gomez in a clash of welterweights. Perkins, who is the most recent U.S. Amateur World Champion boxer since Claressa Shields in 2016, is a formidable fighter who played Division I basketball at George Mason University and St. John’s University followed by a stint playing basketball professionally in Europe. Her basketball career came to an end when she suffered debilitating injuries after being hit by a car in 2008. The 6-foot southpaw made her professional boxing debut in 2014 after an impressive amateur career. She is managed by longtime boxing executive Mark Taffet, who has also guided Shields throughout her career. Perkins faces Hairston, who will fight just her second professional fight after winning her debut via knockout in July of 2019.

Ring City fights will air live on NBC Sports Network on Thursday nights at 9pm EST/6pm PST.

About Ring City USA

Ring City is boxing’s newest sports media platform. Working in tandem with a variety of promoters and talent, its new boxing series places an emphasis on competitive matchups that genuinely test the fighters and excite the fight fans. Ring City provides great fights in the ring and compelling shoulder programming outside of the ring. Ring City is the proving ground where up-and-coming talent can earn their stripes and launch themselves into the upper echelon of boxing stardom.

NEW YORK (November 6, 2020)– Tonight, two members under the Split-T Management banner will be in action at the St. Petersburg Marriott Clearwater in Saint Petersburg, Florida.

Kali Reis will take on Kandi Wyatt for the WBA Super Lightweight title; And undefeated super middleweight Isaiah Steen battles Juan De Angel in a bout scheduled for six-rounds.

Reis of Providence, Rhode Island has a record of 16-7-1 with five knockouts, and will look to become a two-division world champion, Reis is the former WBC Middleweight champion. She won that title with a 10-round split decision over Maricelo Cornejo on April 16, 2016 in Auckland, New Zealand. Reis has won three in a row, which includes a unanimous decision over Patricia Juarez on August 29, 2019.

Wyatt of Calgary, Alberta, Canada has a record of 10-1 with three knockouts. Wyatt has won two straight and this will be her 2nd attempt at a world title.

Steen, 24 of Cleveland has a record of 14-0 with 11 knockouts. The four-year professional has wins over Carlos Ruiz (8-2) and Gorjan Slaveski (5-0). Steen is coming off a 1st round stoppage over Kenneth Council on February 8th.

De Angel of Barranquilla, Colombia has a record of 22-12-1 with 20 knockouts. He has a win over Jose Pinzon (25-6), and he has also faced world champions Gilberto Ramirez, Austin Trout and Caleb Plant.

Both bouts can be seen Saturday on Impact Network (10:30 PM ET)

At Thursday’s weigh-in, both Reis and Wyatt weighed 139.2 lbs.

Steen weighed 166.6, while De Angel was 167.

Reis is promoted by DiBella Entertainment. Steen is co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Holden Productions.

The show is being promoted locally by T&K Promotions.

Live on DAZN from 8pm ET
 
6 x 3 mins Featherweight contest
 
Raymond Ford (125.8lbs)      vs.     Rafael Reyes (123lbs)
Camden, New Jersey                        Clovis, Mexico
6-0 (2 KOs)                                        18-10 (14 KOs)
 
Followed by
 
6 x 3 mins Welterweight contest
 
Reshat Mati (146lbs)             vs.     Marcos Mojica (146.4lbs)
Staten Island, New York                   West Palm Beach, Florida
7-0 (5 KOs)                                       17-5-2 (13 KOs)
 
Followed by
 
10 x 3 mins Heavyweight contest
 
Zhilei Zhang (259.6lbs)         vs.     Devin Vargas (22-6 9 KOs)
Las Vegas, Nevada                          Sylvania, Ohio
21-0 (16 KOs)                                   22-6 (9 KOs)        
 
Followed by
 
10 x 3 mins Vacant IBF International Heavyweight title
 
Filip Hrgovic (242.6lbs).      vs.     Rydell Booker (248lbs)
Zagreb, Croatia                               Detroit, Michigan
10-0 (8 KOs)                                    26-2 (13 KOs)
 
Followed by
 
12 x 3 mins WBC World Lightweight title
 
Devin Haney (135lbs)            vs.     Yuriorkis Gamboa (135lbs)
Las Vegas, Nevada                           Miami, Florida
24-0 (15 KOs)                                   30-3 (18 KOs)
 
Floats
 
6 x 3 mins Super-Lightweight contest
 
Arthur Biyarslanov (141lbs)  vs.     Juan Jose Martinez (141.8lbs)
Toronto, Canada                                Mexico City, Mexico
6-0 (5 KOs)                                        28-9 (20 KO’s)
 
8 x 3 mins Super-Bantamweight contest
 
Darren Cunningham (122.6lbs)      vs.     Juan Gabriel Medina (121.4lbs)
Las Vegas, Nevada                                     La Romana, Dominican Republic
11-0 (6 KOs)                                                11-4 (10 KOs)               

Devin Haney (24-0 15 KOs) – defending his WBC World Lightweight title against Yuriorkis Gamboa 

What kind of fighter do you think Gamboa will be on Saturday night, after watching his previous fight against Gervonta Davis?

“He’s the type of fighter that will bring his all. Every fight he goes in there, no matter if he’s hurt, and lays it all on the line.”

What do you have to do on Saturday to beat him?

“I have a lot of things that I have to do to get the win on Saturday. The main thing is to go into the ring and dominate, I don’t want to just get the win, I want to make a statement. This will be a statement victory. I want to go in the ring and show Gamboa I’m the best fighter he’s been in the ring with.” 

You’re been labelled amongst Ryan Garcia, Gervonta Davis and Teofimo Lopez, do you feel like you have to knock out Gamboa to get to the big fights you want?

“Honestly I feel I have to look bad to get these guys in the ring with me. The better that I look it seems the more they run. I’m going to put on a statement performance, get the job done and beat him worst than he’s ever been beaten before.” 

What can fans expect on Saturday night?

“Tune in on Saturday night, it’s going to be fireworks. Gamboa is a tough competitor, he comes to fight every single time and doesn’t lay down for anybody. I’m going to bring the pressure, bring the excitement so tune in it’s going to be one hell of a night.”

Yuriorkis Gamboa (30-3 18 KOs) – former unified Featherweight king and challenger for Haney’s crown

How are you feeling about facing Haney?

“I’m expected a great fight and I’ve got a great rival in front of me.”

After facing Gervonta Davis in your last fight, who’s a better fight Davis or Haney? 

“It doesn’t matter who’s the best fighter is. What matters is what happens in the ring on Saturday.”

How do you stop Devin Haney?

“Haney can say whatever he wants, once we’re in the ring the only person in charge is God and I’ll be there to fight.”

What’s your message to your fans and Devin Haney?

“God gave me this opportunity, I’m here to fight and god will have his say on Saturday night.”

Filip Hrgovic (11-0 9 KOs) – unbeaten Croatian Heavyweight threat 

What do you remember about sparring with Rydell Booker in Miami?
“He’s a skilful fighter, he has good technique and is slick. However, that was sparring partner, and this is a real fight.”

How important is it to you not just to win, but to finish Booker?

“We are friends, but on Saturday we are not friends anymore. I would like to finish him. He performed great against Kubrat Pulev, but I want to make a statement and stop him.”

Give us your prediction for Saturday night: 

“I can’t predict what is going to happen, what round he will go down, but I know for sure I will win on Saturday night.” 

Rydell Booker (26-3 13 KOs) – Detroit Heavyweight taking on Hrgovic

You’ve never been stopped, what’s your response to Hrgovic saying he’ll be the first: 

“Everybody says it until they get in the ring. I know I’ll come to fight, I know Filip and I look forward to Saturday.”

Are you going to approach the fight defensive first on Saturday night? 

“No, I’ve changed my whole team, staff and my preparations for this fight. My last coach was a straight defensive fighter, but that’s who I was, so I found someone who fit my style better.”

When you know a guy is coming to knock you out, how do you take advantage of that: 

“Naturally I’m a world class boxer, so I use my boxing ability. I have a very high boxing IQ, after doing this for 32 years. I know how to make adjustments; he has a good trainer, but I know what to expect.”

Zhilei Zhang (21-0 16 KOs) – unbeaten Chinese Heavyweight 

Zhang on his Olympics medal, loss to AJ and obsession with fighting him again:

“My dream is to become heavyweight champion and Joshua is holding most of the belts. I believe that this dream is going to come true very soon.”

What’s your message to Anthony Joshua?

“Wait for me. We have unfinished business, hope to see you soon.” 

Zhang’s thoughts on Vargas:

“Vargas is a veteran; he’s been in the ring with some of the toughest boxers and I give him a lot of respect. It’s a pleasure to keep him and on Saturday we’ll see each other in the ring.”

Devin Vargas (22-6 9 KOs) – Ohio Heavyweight facing Zhang

How do you beat a guy as big as Zhang? 

“You work his body. Big guys can’t take pressure and a high work rate. I’m going to box him and throw a lot of punches – I like to average 60-80 punches a round.”

Vargas on being in the ring with Breazeale, Ruiz Jr and Fa and where Zhang ranks among these:

“All those opponents I’ve faced have gone on to do great things. I was always there at the doorstop of being great, but I think I can capitalize on this fight.”

Reshat Mati (7-0 5 KOs) – New York Welterweight talent

What’s life been like trying to stay active during inactive period of fighting: 

“It’s tough in New York with everything staying closed but you’ve got to find places to go to the gym and do your workouts. I’ve kept myself busy, I’m in shape and now I’m ready to go.”

In Mojica’s last five losses he’s been knocked out four times, do you have to knock him out on Saturday to feel like you got the job done:

“I’m here to do my thing, it’s never right to look for a knockout. He has a lot of wins to his name, but I’ve been training hard to do what’s right to get this win. I’ve worked really hard and I’m not coming here to lose.”

Who’s your dream match-up / name you’d like to fight?

“Anyone with a belt, I want them. I want to build my legacy, put Albania, New York and Staten Island on the map.”

Marcos Mojica (17-5-2 13 KOs) – Nicaraguan facing Mati 

On being 13 years older than Mati:

“It’s not going to play much of a difference in the fight, it’s going to be a great fight on Saturday and Mati is going to be a great opponent – we’ll see what happens.”

Raymond Ford (6-0 2 KOs) – New Jersey Featherweight prospect

What are going to do to neutralise Reyes and his game plan?

“I love his game plan, that’s the style I like to fight against – if he brings his heat, I’ll bring mine. I hope he’s well prepared well so he can last a few rounds. I’m not coming to play around but I’m getting him out of there.”

Is it knockout or bust?

“Most definitely, I don’t care about his experience or how many fights he’s had. I’m coming to make an example out him, come Saturday you’re going to see the best of me and I’m punching with bad intentions.”

Rafael Reyes (18-10 14 KOs) – Mexican facing Ford

There’s a lot of hype surround Raymond Ford, what do you make of him?

“I think he is a great prospect and I’m happy to be here in the United States fighting him. However, I have a lot of experience fighting in Mexico and I’ll use that to neutralise him in this fight.”

Do you see any weaknesses in Ford’s game? 

“No not too many, I’m going to use my training tactics – stand in front of Raymond using my short punches. I’m going to get the job done, I have a warrior style and that’s how I’m going to win.”

How do you feel with Ford saying he’s going to make an example out of you?

“I’m going to bring the best of me to the ring, I’ve been through many rounds and I’m going to give the people a really good show.”

Arthur Biyarslanov (6-0 5 KOs) – Rising Canadian Super-Lightweight  

How did your upbringing shape into the fighter you are today?

“It made me a lot stronger, where I came from makes me a lot hungrier. I’m very thankful to be here, to Matchroom, Eddie Hearn and DAZN.”

“You’re going to see beautiful boxing. I’ll be keeping my composure and box but if the knockout comes then it’ll come.” 

“We’re ready for anything, we had a great camp. All Mexican’s are tough, and they come to fight. I’m very happy that Juan took the fight and let’s put on a great show for the fans.” 

Juan Jose Martinez (28-9 20 KOs) – Mexican facing Biyarslanov

“I know that my opponent is a very strong warrior and that he is going to be a difficult fight but like all Mexican fighters I’m going to come out with the win.”

“In order to get the win on Saturday I have to utilise all the experience I have in the ring against my opponent.”

Darren Cunningham (11-0 6 KOs) – Super-Bantamweight with Devin Haney Promotions

David on being close and training with Devin Haney: 

“Devin Haney has been my brother for six years now. Training with him is great because I get to experience that Championship pedigree which I’ll show Saturday night.”  

What do you know about Juan Gabriel Medina? 

“I know that he has fought a lot of former world champions, and one current world champion, but I’m the future and I’ll show him why I’m nothing like those guys.”  

Juan Gabriel Medina (11-4 10 KOs) – Dominican facing Cunningham 

What do you expect to see from Darren Cunningham this Saturday? 

“I can’t expect anything because I know nothing about David. I’ve been training and I will show you everything I’ve been training for on Saturday.”

Devin Haney wants to show Team Gamboa that he’s an elite fighter as he defends his WBC World Lightweight crown against Yuriorkis Gamboa tomorrow night (November 7) at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Florida, live on DAZN.
 
Haney (24-0 15 KOs) returns to action following an injury layoff after shoulder surgery sustained in the first defense of his strap against Alfredo Santiago in Los Angeles last November, and ‘The Dream’ puts the crown on the line for the second time against Gamboa (33-3 18 KOs) – a fighter he looked up to, but has history with his trainer, Pedro Roque.
 
A picture of Haney as a kid meeting Gamboa has been all over social media as ‘idols become rivals’, but Haney revealed that Roque shunned his talents as a teenager – and the WBC king wants to prove him wrong in the Sunshine State.
 
“Gamboa’s coach trained me at the Olympic training center,” said Haney. “He didn’t give me that much attention or think I was going to be the next superstar, that’s why I don’t just want to show Gamboa, I want to show his coach as well.
 
“Gamboa is a very dangerous opponent because he has the experience, he has speed, he has power, he’s been in with the best of them and he didn’t only old his own, he made it competitive. 
 
“This is by far the toughest test of my career so far. Gamboa is someone that I watched growing up, I remember being star-struck meeting him when he came to the gym and letting me stay after the gym had closed and watch him train, even though I had to do  homework, my Grandma let me stay to watch him, that’s why this fight means so much to me.” 
 
Haney’s clash with Gamboa is part of a huge night of action in Florida.
 
Croatian Heavyweight talent Filip Hrgovic (11-0, 9 KOs) facing American Rydell Booker (26-3, 13 KOs) and Chinese star Zhilei Zhang (21-0, 18 KOs) meeting another American in Devin Vargas (22-6, 9 KOs) and three young stars continue their pro journeys on the bill as Reshat Mati (7-0, 5 KOs), Raymond Ford (6-0, 2 KOs) and Arthur Biyarslanov (6-0, 5 KOs) are in action on the show.

Las Vegas – UFC^® continues its run of events in Las Vegas with a pivotal lightweight main event as surging No. 12 ranked Islam Makhachev welcomes No. 12 ranked welterweight Rafael Dos Anjos back to the weight class he once ruled as champion. In the co-main event, explosive welterweight strikers clash as Abdul Razak Al-Hassan meets Khaos Williams.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT ON ESPN+^®: MAKHACHEV vs. DOS ANJOS will take place Saturday, November 14 from UFC APEX in Las Vegas. All bouts will stream exclusively on ESPN+ in English and Spanish, starting with the prelims at 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT, followed by the main card beginning at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT.

Khabib Nurmagomedov prodigy Makhachev (18-1, fighting out of Makhachkala, Russia) intends to make the most of his first UFC main event and insert himself into the title conversation. Considered by many to be the dark horse of the lightweight division, Makhachev is currently riding an impressive six-fight win streak that includes victories over Davi Ramos, Arman Tsarukyan and Gleison Tibau. He now seeks to secure the biggest victory of his career by taking out his first former world champion with a vintage performance.

Dos Anjos (29-13, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) returns to lightweight for the first time since 2016 and looks to make a statement to the rest of the division. He first captured the title following a dominant win streak that included victories over Donald Cerrone, Benson Henderson and Nate Diaz. After moving up to welterweight, he continued to prove himself with wins over Robbie Lawler and Neil Magny. Dos Anjos now aims to show he can still compete with the best in the world and make another run at the championship.

Knockout artist Al-Hassan (10-2, fighting out of Fort Worth, Texas) has captured the attention of the welterweight division and MMA fans alike with his impressive 100 percent, first-round finishing rate. Despite holding a black belt in Judo, Al-Hassan prefers to let his hands do the talking, as seen with his remarkable stoppages over Niko Price, Sabah Homasi and Charlie Ward. He now looks to reclaim his momentum with another statement victory over Williams.

Williams (10-1, fighting out of Jackson, Mich.) intends to follow up his emphatic UFC debut with another dominant performance. An undefeated pro boxer, he announced himself to fans with a 27-second knockout of veteran Alex Morono earlier this year. Williams now plans to stay undefeated in the UFC by becoming the first person to finish Al-Hassan.

Additional bouts on the card include:

• In a middleweight bout guaranteed to deliver action, Julian Marquez (7-2, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) locks horns with Saparbeg Safarov (9-3, fighting out of Makhachkala, Russia)
• Heavyweights Don’Tale Mayes (7-4, fighting out of Louisville, Ky.) and Roque Martinez (15-6-2, fighting out of Tamuning, Guam) seek to secure their first UFC wins
• Daniel Rodriguez (13-1, fighting out of San Gabriel, Calif.) intends to stay undefeated in the UFC when he takes on veteran Bryan Barberena (15-7, fighting out of Gastonia, N.C.)
• Eryk Anders (13-5, fighting out of Birmingham, Ala.) and Antonio Arroyo (8-3, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M. by way of Nazare, Para, Brazil) meet in a clash of middleweight finishers
• Rising strawweight prospects face off as Kay Hansen (7-3, fighting out of La Mirada, Calif.) takes on Dana White’s Contender Series signee Cory McKenna (5-1, fighting out of Wales, United Kingdom)
• Brazilian Jiu Jitsu specialist Ashley Yoder (7-6, fighting out of Temecula, Calif.) intends to bounce back into the win column against Miranda Granger (7-1, fighting out of Arlington, Wash.) at strawweight
• Alex Morono (17-6 1 NC, fighting out of Houston, Texas) and Rhys McKee (10-3-1, fighting out of Northern Ireland, United Kingdom) plan on delivering statement performances at welterweight
• Jose Quinonez (9-4, fighting out of San Diego, Calif.) takes on Louis Smolka (16-7, fighting out of Kapolei, Hawaii) in an exciting bantamweight matchup
• Women’s strawweight veteran Randa Markos (10-10-1, fighting out of Windsor, Ontario, Canada) intends to spoil the UFC debut of Invicta FC champion Kanako Murata (11-1, fighting out of Tokyo, Japan)
• Geraldo de Freitas (12-5, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) looks to stop Dana White’s Contender Series veteran Tony Gravely (19-6, fighting out of Pompano Beach, Fla.) from getting his first UFC win at bantamweight

Visit the UFC.com for information and content to support your UFC coverage.

###

About UFC^®

UFC^® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 318 million fans and 126 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to nearly one billion TV households across more than 171 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 72 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS^®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC was acquired in 2016 by global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor, along with strategic investors Silver Lake Partners and KKR. UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram: @UFC.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service from Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to 8.5 million subscribers, offering fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, as well as premium editorial content. 

Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) at ESPNplus.com, ESPN.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu (ad-supported) — all for just $12.99/month.

About ESPN

ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment brand, features nine U.S. television networks, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, endeavors on every continent around the world, and more.  ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.

Filip Hrgovi? (11-0-9 KOs) weighed in at 110kg (242.6lbs) on Friday, ahead of his clash with Rydell Booker (26-3-13 KOs) in Hollywood, Florida this Saturday, as the Croatian seeks a fifth straight knockout victory. His opponent Booker weighed 112.4kg (248lbs).

‘El Animal’ has declared he “will not be friends” with Rydell Booker and that he aims “to finish him” when they meet in the ring this Saturday, insinuating he’ll be seeking another highlight reel finish against the man who went the distance with Kubrat Pulev last time out.

Coming face to face with Booker for the final time before fight night, Hrgovic said “I’m feeling very well, I want to thank my coach Pedro Diaz for preparing me very well and to the organizations Eddie Hearn and Team Sauerland and my manager.  I’m feeling very good and happy to be here.”

“You’re going to see a great performance (tomorrow night), before the knockout I need to out box him, I will not just knock him out, I will out box first, and show my boxing ability.”

When asked who he would like next, ‘El Animal’ said “I want to come out on top, I want to become champion. Which way we’re going to go, no one knows, it is up to my management and promoter to match me up with the best in the division and I feel ready for everyone”. 

Promoter Nisse Sauerland has previously described his fighter as “the best in the heavyweight division”, and stood by him again after the weigh in.

“He’s sensational” said Sauerland, who predicts a big 2021 for the Croatian powerhouse, “he’s light on his feet, heavy in his hands and when you combine his heart and his boxing intelligence you have a champion in the making. We believe he will impress again on Saturday night and it is only a matter of time before he is going for major honours.”

(November 6, 2020) — In anticipation of the Nov. 14 showdown between WBO welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford and former welterweight world champion Kell Brook, ESPN will debut Relentless: Terence Crawford, an in-depth interview with Crawford leading up to his return to the ring. Conducted by Andre Ward, ESPN boxing analyst, former two-division world champion and 2004 U.S. Olympic gold medalist, the special airs Sunday, Nov. 8 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.

During the interview, Crawford discusses his desire to fight the other welterweight world champions, his win-at-all-costs mentality, and his legacy as a three-weight world champion and the fighter many experts regard as the pound-for-pound king.

Crawford said, “I always ask people, ‘What’s your why? Why do you do the things you do?’ Because I know mine. I’ve gotta feed my family. You’re not gonna take food off my family’s table. That’s my why. It’s my family. 

“There’s nothing in this world that I can do or participate in that I don’t want to win in. If I’m gonna do it, I want to do it to win. People doubting you, everybody looking at you like you’re gonna be another nothing, so it just made me hungry.”

Relentless: Terence Crawford will be preceded by ESPN, Updating the Welterweight Division, an in-depth look at one of boxing’s most talent-rich divisions, airing at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Crawford-Brook headlines a packed card that will feature the WBA super flyweight world title rematch between champion Joshua Franco and the man he defeated to win the title, Andrew Moloney. Crawford-Brook and Franco-Moloney 2 and the return of junior welterweight knockout sensation Elvis Rodriguez will be broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. ET, with undercard action to stream live on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

Use the hashtags #CrawfordBrook and #FrancoMoloney2 to join the conversation on social media. For more information, visit www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing;twitter.com/ESPNRingside.

LOS ANGELES (November 5, 2020) – Unbeaten heavyweight Michael Coffie gave insight into his training camp, his past in the Marine Corps and more as he prepares to take on hard-hitting Joey Abell in FOX PBC Fight Night action and on FOX Deportes this Saturday, November 7 from Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

“Training camp has been going really well,” said Coffie. “My head coach Josue Aguilar has been getting me ready to show off all my skills. We’re at the Orange Avenue Gym in Orlando, Florida just making sure that we haven’t left any stone unturned. We’ve had to adjust some ways because of the pandemic, but it’s nothing that everyone else hasn’t also had to deal with.”

A Marine Corps veteran, Coffie picked up the sport less than five years ago after returning from overseas. After a brief amateur career that saw him put on standout performances at the New York Golden Gloves and Metro Championships, Coffie has helped bridge the experience gap through sparring top heavyweights.

“I think my unorthodox career path has helped me,” said Coffie. “I didn’t spend a lot of time in the amateurs, but I learned a lot sparring top fighters such as Deontay Wilder, Tomasz Adamek and Jarrell Miller. I got so many rounds in during those sessions that it more than makes up for my limited amateur career.”

In addition, Coffie believes that the values and training gained in the Marines has helped him both physically and mentally in pro boxing.

“I’ve already learned how to deal with stress from the Marines,” said Coffie. “Boxing can present continuously stressful situations during the fight. The Marine Corps puts you through stressful situations during basic training and that helps you for when the time comes that you need to adapt.”

Coffie impressed in his last outing, dropping the previously unbeaten Luis Pena multiple times before ending their fight in the fifth round of action that was featured on FS1.

“I got to show off my punch angles and my old school craftiness against Pena,” said Coffie. “I showed that I can fight with either hand, from any stance, low to high or high to low, and all of that is inside of a 280-pound frame.”

On Saturday night, Coffie will go up against the extremely experienced Abell, who has faced the likes of Tyson Fury, Tomasz Adamek, Oscar Rivas and Chris Arreola throughout his career. Despite that, Coffie believes his performance will leave no doubt that he can navigate any experience gap he comes up against.

“I know that he’s got a lot of experience,” said Coffie. “He’s been in there with a lot of notable guys. He is a veteran, but what I lack in experience, I make up for with maturity and poise. You’re going to see a smart fighter who hits hard. You won’t be able to tell who the more experienced fighter is.”

#

ABOUT ORTIZ VS. FLORES
Ortiz vs. Flores will see top heavyweight contender Luis “King Kong” Ortiz and Alexander “The Great” Flores meet in a 10-round battle that headlines FOX PBC Fight Night and on FOX Deportes on Saturday, November 7 from Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

The broadcast begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and will see rising unbeaten heavyweight contender Frank “The Cuban Flash” Sánchez battle Brian Howard in the 10-round co-main event. Plus, undefeated Michael Coffie steps in to face hard-hitting Joey Abell in an eight-round heavyweight duel.

The event will be promoted by TGB Promotions and will take place without fans in attendance at the Microsoft Theater, an AEG venue, in downtown Los Angeles.

Viewers can live stream the PBC shows on the FOX Sports and FOX NOW apps or at FOXSports.com. In addition, all programs are available on FOX Sports on SiriusXM channel 83 on satellite radios and on the SiriusXM app.
For more information: visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/homepage and www.foxdeportes.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @PBConFOX, @FOXSports, @FOXDeportes and @TGBPromotions become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/foxsports & www.facebook.com/foxdeportes.

CONTACTS: Tim Smith, Premier Boxing Champions: timothy@haymonboxing.com
Andrew Fegyveresi, FOX Sports: Andrew.Fegyveresi@FOX.com
Vernon Cheek, FOX Sports: Vernon.Cheek@FOX.com
Swanson Communications: (202) 783-5500, contact@swansonpr.com
TGB Promotions: (818) 817-8001

LAS VEGAS (November 5, 2020) — The knockout king of the MGM Grand Las Vegas Bubble, junior welterweight southpaw Elvis “The Dominican Kid” Rodriguez, hopes to put an exclamation point on his 2020 Prospect of the Year campaign.

Rodriguez will fight an opponent to be named in an eight-rounder Saturday, Nov. 14 on the world title doubleheader undercard featuring WBO welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford against former welterweight world champion Kell Brook. The co-main event will showcase the WBA super flyweight world title rematch between champion Joshua “El Profesor” Franco and the man he defeated to win the title, Andrew “The Monster” Moloney.

Crawford-Brook, Franco-Moloney 2 and the return of Rodriguez will be broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. ET, with undercard action to stream live on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

“No prospect in boxing has shown more this year than Elvis Rodriguez, who keeps knocking out opponents in devastating fashion. It’s getting harder and harder to find people who will fight this kid,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “With two world title fights, plus a bunch of our top young fighters in action, Nov. 14 is a stacked card from top to bottom.”

Rodriguez (10-0-1, 10 KOs) has won all five of his 2020 bouts by stoppage, including four knockouts in three rounds or less inside the MGM Grand Bubble since July 2. He last fought Oct. 9 and knocked out veteran Cameron Krael in three rounds, only the second time Krael had been knocked out in 37 pro bouts. The Freddie Roach-trained Rodriguez has won eight in a row since an accidental headbutt-induced technical draw in his third pro bout.

“This is going to be my fifth fight in ‘The Bubble’ and my sixth of the year. I feel grateful for the opportunities Top Rank has given me and the great effort of my team to keep me fit and ready,” Rodriguez said. “I would like to be recognized as Prospect of the Year. It would be a great recognition of my talent, effort, sacrifice, and discipline that I have dedicated to this sport for the last 12 years of my life. It would be a great recognition for my team and my country because I believe that I would be the first Dominican boxer named Prospect of the Year. Representing the Dominican flag is a source of pride for me. I am committed to bringing a world title to my country.”

In undercard action on ESPN+:

Joshua Greer Jr. (22-2-1, 12 KOs) vs. Edwin Rodriguez (11-5-1, 5 KOs) 
8 Rounds, Bantamweight

Greer saw his 19-bout winning streak come to end on June 16, when he was knocked down twice en route to a 10-round majority decision defeat to “Magic” Mike Plania. The Chicago native, who is still ranked in the top 10 by two of the major sanctioning organizations, hopes to return to form in his second Bubble appearance. Rodriguez’s record belies his talent, as he is 3-1-1 in his last five bouts, all against previously undefeated foes. He last fought in August 2019, upsetting the then-unbeaten Saul Sanchez via 10-round split decision.

Tyler Howard (18-0, 11 KOs) vs. KeAndrae Leatherwood (22-7-1, 13 KOs)
8 Rounds, Middleweight

“Hercules” Howard, from Crossville, Tenn., returns after more than a year away from the ring. He is 4-0 with two knockouts since inking a promotional deal with Top Rank and is seeking his first stoppage since a one-round demolition of Isiah Seldon in November 2018. Leatherwood is a 12-year pro who has fought the likes of former world champions Andy Lee and Caleb Truax. He last boxed in December 2019 and was stopped by top prospect Christian Mbilli in eight rounds.

Raymond Muratalla (10-0, 8 KOs) vs. TBA
8/6 Rounds, Lightweight

Muratalla, from Fontana, Calif., aims for his sixth consecutive knockout win and second inside The Bubble. The younger brother of unbeaten bantamweight prospect Gabriel Muratalla, he last fought Aug. 29 and knocked out Cesar Valenzuela in the seventh round.

Duke Ragan (2-0, 1 KO) vs. TBA
4 Rounds, Featherweight

Ragan, a former U.S. amateur star from Cincinnati, Ohio, made his professional debut Aug. 22 with a first-round knockout and followed that up with a decision victory over former UFC title challenger John Moraga on Oct. 3. 

Vegas Larfield (1-0, 1 KO) vs. Juan Alberto Flores (2-0-1)
4 Rounds, Bantamweight

Larfield, from Brisbane, Australia, trained with Andrew and Jason Moloney for this bout and is coming off a first-round stoppage Aug. 26 in his professional debut. Flores has won two consecutive bouts since a four-round draw in his professional debut.

Use the hashtags #CrawfordBrook and #FrancoMoloney2 to join the conversation on social media. For more information, visit www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing;twitter.com/ESPNRingside.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service from Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to 8.5 million subscribers, offering fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, as well as premium editorial content. 

Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) at ESPNplus.com,ESPN.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu (ad-supported) — all for just $12.99/month. 

Terri Harper says she has made a number of improvements following her thrilling split decision draw with Liverpool’s Natasha Jonas at the top of the bill on Fight Camp Week 2 back in August.

Harper retained her WBC and IBO Super-Featherweight World Titles after ten rounds of all out action in Essex, but the Denaby star was left disappointed with her performance.

‘Belter’ (10-0-1, 5 KOs) puts her titles on the line against WBC Mandatory Challenger Katharina Thanderz (13-0, 2 KOs) at The SSE Arena, Wembley on Saturday November 14, live on Sky Sports and DAZN. 

The 24-year-old is open to a rematch with former Team GB standout Jonas but insists that all of her attention is on the job at hand against undefeated Spanish-Norwegian Thanderz next week. 

“I just fight who I’m told to fight,” said Harper. “Thanderz was called as mandatory so that’s it. I’ve had my eye on her a good few months, maybe a year as a potential opponent so it’s not like she’s just popped out of nowhere. 

“I learnt a lot after my last fight in many ways and I do want that rematch with Tasha down the line and also unifications, but I have a proven and deserving mandatory challenger to contend with first before we even look at those options – this is a proper fight and one I’m not overlooking.

“Previously I used to take it to heart when people called me out, but it shows I’m doing something right and have something they all want – the green and gold belt, but it’s one fight at a time. 

“We’ve made changes from the last camp, including bringing a new S&C coach onboard. It’s really opened my eyes to a few areas I was perhaps missing before, the improvements we’ve made since the summer are already starting to show.

“You’ll see my boxing skills shine through, I’ll set the pace, be disciplined in there and retain my titles.”

Harper vs. Thanderz is part of an historical night of women’s World Title action that sees Irish star KatieTaylor (16-0, 6 KOs) put her Lightweight World Titles on the line once more against Mandatory Challenger MiriamGutierrez (13-0, 5 KOs), Rachel Ball (6-1) faces Jorgelina Guanini (9-1-2, 1 KO) for the vacant WBA Bantamweight World Title, big-punching John Docherty (9-0, 7 KOs) steps up against Little Lever’s Meat Cleaver’ Jack Cullen (18-2-1, 9 KOs) and Liverpool Light-Heavyweight Thomas Whittaker-Hart (4-0, 2 KOs) looks to go 5-0 against Bradford’s Jermaine Springer (7-1, 1 KO).

LOS ANGELES (November 5, 2020) – Unbeaten rising contender Frank “The Cuban Flash” Sanchez is determined to send a message to rest of the heavyweight division when he takes on Brian Howard in the co-main event of FOX PBC Fight Night and on FOX Deportes this Saturday, November 7 from Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

“I want to show that I’m the best heavyweight in the world,” said Sanchez. “I’m happy with the way that my career is moving along. I have great power, great speed and the division will have to take notice after this fight. My foot and hand speed is unlike any other heavyweight, and I have much better technique than anyone else in the division.”

The 28-year-old Sanchez has continued to work with renowned coach Eddy Reynoso in San Diego, California as he seeks another win to help his ascension up the heavyweight rankings. Despite the pandemic, Sanchez hasn’t felt any hindrance to his training camp regimen.

“Training with Eddy Reynoso in San Diego has been perfect,” said Sanchez. “There really hasn’t been any difference with the pandemic. It’s a very normal training camp and we’ve been getting a lot of sparring in with a number of different fighters. I’ve even sparred with Canelo Alvarez, who hits like a heavyweight. So, it’s been really strong preparation for this fight.”

A highly decorated amateur originally from Guantanamo, Cuba, Sanchez believes that he has the skillset and dedication to become the first heavyweight world champion from his home country.

“That’s the dream that I am working toward,” said Sanchez. “It would be extremely important for Cuba and for me personally. That’s why I’m working so hard. Because I want to the be the first heavyweight champion that Cuba’s ever had. I have none of the vices outside of the ring that have held back other fighters. All I do is train, train, train and fight. This sport is my whole life.”

On November 7, Sanchez’s latest obstacle will come in the form of the Georgia native Howard. Howard has spent most of his career fighting in the cruiserweight division, before making his heavyweight debut with a first round knockout of Puerto Rican Olympian Carlos Negron last year. Although Howard’s past at a lower weight class could help his ability to create an agile target for Sanchez, it is nothing the unbeaten fighter isn’t confident he will overcome.

“I’ve watched a number of Howard’s fights,” said Sanchez. “He has good power, but I don’t think he’ll be able to handle my power. I think I’ll win inside the distance. I’m a solid, full-fledged heavyweight. My skill level is too high for Howard. His movement won’t matter because I do everything better than him.”

Premier Sports and BoxNation have announced live and exclusive coverage from Russia this Saturday afternoon as Scotsman John McCallum takes on the biggest fight of his career as he attempts to win the vacant WBO European Cruiserweight title against Evgeny Tishchenko.

The 32 year old from Edinburgh is a former international and British Masters champions and last fought in February 2019 beating Casey Blair in a points win. This weekend will be a huge test for the Scotsman as McCallum travels to Ekaterinburg, Russia taking on the undefeated Tishchenko for the vacant title.

Russian Evgeny Tishchenko began his professional boxing career in August 2018 and has since recorded seven wins in his career including five knockout. Tishchenko last fought just eight months ago beating Marcos Antonio Aumada in a third round KO.

Live and exclusive coverage on BoxNation will begin at 2.30pm from Ekaterinburg and customers wishing to watch can easily sign up via the Premier Sports website – www.premiersports.com.

Prices for the Premier Sports bundle including Premier Sports 1, 2, LaLigaTV and BoxNation start from just £9.99 on Sky, Virgin and the Premier Player. BT Sport customers also get access to BoxNation as part of their subscription via BT TV, Sky and the BT App. New customers to the  remier Sports bundle will get access to Scottish knockout football this month and the highly anticipated Welterweight World Title showdown between Terence Crawford and Kell Brook next Saturday Night, November 14^th.

ENDS

ABOUT PREMIER SPORTS

Premier Sports was founded in 2009 and three sports TV channels in the UK. Premier Sports 1 is on Sky channel 412 and Virgin channel 551. Premier Sports 2 is on Sky channel 435 and Virgin Channel 552. FreeSports is available free on Sky Channel 422, Virgin Media Channel 553, on Channel 64 on Freeview and BT and on Freesat Channel 252. LaLigaTV is also available to Premier Sports customers via the Premier Player and on Sky from January.

Premier Sports 1, 2, LaLigaTV and BoxNation are available on a subscription basis for just £9.99 per month on Sky, Virgin TV and on the Premier Sports player.  BT Sport customers also get access to BoxNation as part of their subscription via BT TV, Sky and the BT App. The channels are also available to pubs, clubs and other commercial premises throughout the UK.

Premier Sports also broadcast LaLiga, Serie A, Scottish Cup football, 152 games from the Guinness PRO14, 15 games a week from the NHL, GAA and the home of NASCAR in the UK.

ABOUT BOXNATION

BoxNation began broadcasting in 2011 and has featured some of the best fights from home and abroad in the 8 years it has been on air. BoxNation is currently available on Sky channel 427, Virgin TV channel 546, BT TV and Talk Talk channel 415.

Premier Sports: www.premiersports.com                                            FreeSports: www.freesports.tv

Over the past few years, the top of sport of boxing has become segmented into de-facto leagues, with three big distributions platforms controlling the all of the high-end fights and fighters.

That is all about to change with the upstart Impact Network entering the proverbial ring of bringing world championship and high-quality fights to the boxing fans.

This Saturday (10:30 PM ET), Impact Network’s 2nd fight night will feature the WBA Super Lightweight fight between Kali Reis and Kandi Wyatt. The card will also feature some highly regarded undefeated prospects such as super middleweight Isaiah Steen as well as heavyweight’s Elvis Garcia and Jeremiah Milton.

Impact Network will automatically become a player in the world of boxing with a reach of over 90 million households in the United States. The outlet will also provide an opportunity for some of the biggest and best promoters in the world to not only be able to build their talent, but also to give a home for their fighters instead on having to compete on another promoter’s affiliated platform.

The fight on Saturday is no exception as Hall of Fame promoter Lou DiBella will stage the world title card.

“This is a great opportunity for the many high-quality fighters and promoters that have been shut out of dates because they aren’t signed to a particular promoter or outlet. Many of these companies can’t survive without any type of output deal, site revenue and sponsorships to showcase their fighters. There are not enough dates to go around for the other promoters, who themselves have great fighters. I’m grateful to have a Hall of Famer like Lou DiBella be involved with this show, and the support we are receiving from the entire boxing industry. Lou’s track record goes without saying, and he has a great roster of fighter’s that will appear on Impact. Impact was scheduled to put on 12 shows in 2020, unfortunately they were knocked out the Covid-10 Pandemic. We are committed to 24 shows in the next year, so that will provide a great opportunity for these promoters to be able to not only survive, but to thrive in promoting their fighters in competitive bouts,” said Steven Marcano, of the SMH Group, the programming partner with Impact Media Group

“Any outlet that is willing to put on great shows and is cost effective is good for the business. There is a scarcity of platforms for fighters. Impact can provide those opportunities. Saturday’s main event is a world title bout featuring Kali Reis, who fought on HBO and most people thought beat Cecilia Braekhus. Isaiah Steen is one of the top prospects and can generate interest from the urban market. Elvis Garcia was a Mexican Olympian who was the main sparring partner for Anthony Joshua and the opener will have Jeremiah Milton, who was a major United States amateur in his own right. This is a show with a lot of talent that is headlined by a female world title bout. These are great shows. Even better is that Impact is on free cable. It is on most cable and satellite providers, and it is a tremendous opportunity for these fighters to get great exposure,” said Hall of Fame Promoter, Lou DiBella of DiBella Entertainment.

Bishop Wayne T. Jackson, Founder of Impact Network stated:

“I am extremely happy to give the opportunity for young men and women to showcase on Impact also giving the opportunity for athletes who usually would not get this opportunity to be visible to over 90 million homes and be able to secure financial freedom through hard work.”

Last Saturday’s blockbuster pay-per-view event featuring Gervonta Davis vs. Leo Santa Cruz along with the event’s co-feature, Mario Barrios vs. Ryan Karl, will air on SHOWTIME this Saturday, November 7 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Below are some stats, accolades and notable tweets coming out of the event.

To view the promo, please click HERE. Attached is a photo of Davis’ Knockout Of The Year candidate. Photo credit: Esther Lin/SHOWTIME.

Best,

SHOWTIME Sports Communications

Stats

• Gervonta Davis vs. Leo Santa Cruz hit No. 1 on Google Trend on Saturday, October 31.
• Gervonta Davis’ KO highlight has generated over 9M views, over 1M engagements and over 5M impressions across social platforms including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram.
• Gervonta Davis KO highlight trended at No. 1 on YouTube worldwide Sunday-Monday and trended No. 2 and No. 3 on Twitter on fight night.

Quotes

“Thousands of punches landed during a memorable weekend of boxing from all over the world—but there was only one people will be talking about for years to come.” – Bleacher Report

“Each fighter needs that notable performance to make the casual fan pay attention and catapult them to mainstream popularity. This was the moment for Tank.” – Jalen Rose of ESPN’s Jalen and Jacoby

“Exactly the sort of fight that can bring boxing to a larger base…” – ESPN

Gervonta “Tank” Davis lived up to his billing — and then some …” – CBS Sports

“… an emphatic victory over Leo Santa Cruz that is likely to garner knockout of the year honors.” – The Athletic

Notable Tweets

LeBron James: https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1322771114158817280

Magic Johnson: https://twitter.com/MagicJohnson/status/1322747188527554561

LL Cool J: https://twitter.com/llcoolj/status/1322787410095218691

Saquon Barkley: https://twitter.com/saquon/status/1322745062283902977

Conor McGregor: https://twitter.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/1322746892720234501

Damian Lillard:https://twitter.com/Dame_Lillard/status/1322747296094715904

Casanova: https://twitter.com/CASANOVA_2X/status/1322743039404761088

DeAndre Hopkins: https://twitter.com/DeAndreHopkins/status/1322746358491566081

Dez Bryant: https://twitter.com/DezBryant/status/1322749747313233920

Jalen Rose: https://twitter.com/JalenRose/status/1322751761875173376