Houston, TX, January 16, 2020 — Evan “Yung Holy” Holyfield’s (2-0, 2 KOs) next fight will take place on a Christy Martin Promotions card at Hard Rock Hotel Daytona on Saturday, February 8.

Boxing legend Christy Martin stopped by Holyfield’s Houston Training Camp to look in on Four-Time World Heavyweight Champion Evander Holyfield’s son and came away impressed.

“Most importantly he is a great young man,”said Christy. “He has great speed and power. His work ethic looks unbeatable.”

“It was really great that Christy came by and she gave me some psychological tips to use during my training,” Evan said. “Right now we are in the middle of camp – sparring just started and things are getting more intense, which I like. I enjoy when things are hard.”

This Daytona Beach is about a six hour drive from Atlanta, where Evan grew up. “I am excited to fight in Daytona – it’s a little closer than my two previous fights. Mom says she is coming with some of the fam. My amateur coach plans to make the drive down, and so are a few friends. I also have a couple of friends in the military that are based in Daytona that will also be there.”

Holyfield announced himself to the professional boxing world on the Canelo-Kovalev November 2 fight card at MGM Grand with a spectacular seventeen second stoppage (TKO 1), which you can watch HERE His second fight took place in Houston on November 23, stopping his opponent with a vicious body shot (KO 4). Watch the viral body shot KO HERE

The event will be live streamed via Facebook and YouTube on Payne Boxing Television channels. More information will become available as we get close to the event.

SLOAN, IOWA – January 16, 2019 – Three of the four undefeated prospects featured in this weekend’s (Friday, January 17) 250th edition of ShoBox: The New Generation from WinnaVegas Casino Resort in Sloan, Iowa (live on SHOWTIME 10 p.m. ET/PT) have done their training in the rapidly re-emerging boxing city of Detroit.

While opening televised bout combatant Ja’Rico “Great Lakes King” O’Quinn (13-0-1, 8 KOs), who faces Nevada’s Oscar Vasquez (15-2-1, 3 KOs) in an eight-round super flyweight contest, hails from Detroit, main event and co-main event fighters Vladimir Shishkin (9-0, 6 KOs) and Shohjahon Ergashev (17-0, 15 KOs) have both moved to Detroit to train at the legendary Kronk Gym with high-profile trainer Sugarhill Steward.

WBC #12 Shishkin will return for his second consecutive test on ShoBox against the unbeaten Ulises Sierra (15-0-2, 9 KOs) in the 10-round main event, while Ergashev, ranked No. 6 by both the WBA and IBF at 140 pounds, will face Adrian Estrella (29-4, 24 KOs) in the 10-round super lightweight co-feature.

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by Salita Promotions, start at $20 and are on sale now at www.WinnaVegas.com.

“I have done my preparations for this fight at the Kronk Gym in Detroit with Sugarhill and I can’t wait to showcase my improvements inside the ring,” said Vladimir Shishkin, who keeps an apartment in the city and recently got his American driver’s license. “There is so much history and such a competitive atmosphere at the gym. I have grown as a fighter quickly. This is where I belong on my quest for a world championship.”

For Fergana, Uzbekistan’s Ergashev, a superstar in his homeland with over 1 million Instagram followers, moving to Detroit was necessary for his continued development.

“I love my home in Uzbekistan, but if you want to be the best, you have to go where the best are,” said Ergashev. “Training at the Kronk Gym in Detroit has been the best thing for my career. I plan to showcase not only my power but the skills I have learned here that will put on an exciting KO performance this Friday night.”

For native Motowner O’Quinn, a popular former USA National Champion and the 2013 USA Boxing Youth National Champion, fighting out of Detroit means being part of a community.

“Training in Detroit is a blessing,” said O’Quinn. “Coming from a city so rough-and-tough, you have no choice but to have thick skin and be able to withstand whatever obstacles get in your way. Being from Detroit gives you a certain type of pride where we can’t let our people down who believes in us. You have to kill us for us to not succeed.”

O’Quinn trains with Chad Jacquillard at Dynamic Boxing Club in Westland, Michigan. Jacquillard, a former accomplished amateur boxer and nine-time Golden Gloves champion from nearby Toledo, Ohio, who has faced his share of Detroit fighters.

“Detroit fighters always have a lot of heart and soul,” said Jacquillard. “The guys that come out of Detroit are the real deal. Not only do they have the skills, but they have that killer instinct that comes out of here that I haven’t seen anywhere else.”

“Detroit is known as one of America’s greatest boxing cities with so many excellent fighters in its history,” said Dmitriy Salita, promoter of all three fighters. “This Friday night will showcase three of the best contenders in boxing, all prepared with Detroit toughness for career-defining fights. These fighters have 2020 vision with winning world titles and bringing glory to Detroit, America’s Greatest Comeback City!”

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

About ShoBox: The New Generation
Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young talent matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to televise exciting, crowd-pleasing and competitive matches while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. Some of the growing list of the 81 fighters who have appeared on ShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes: Errol Spence Jr., Andre Ward, Deontay Wilder, Erislandy Lara, Shawn Porter, Gary Russell Jr., Lamont Peterson, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Nonito Donaire, Devon Alexander, Carl Froch, Robert Guerrero, Timothy Bradley, Jessie Vargas, Juan Manuel Lopez, Chad Dawson, Paulie Malignaggi, Ricky Hatton, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Williams and more.

Luke Keeler has branded Demetrius Andrade ‘deluded’ and has predicted he’ll rip his WBO World Middleweight title away from him when they clash for the belt at the Meridian at Island Gardens in Miami on Thursday January 30, live on DAZN in the US and on Sky Sports in the UK.

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW STARTING AT $40 (PLUS FEES)

Keeler (17-2-1 5 KOs) heads into his first World title fight full of confidence with impressive wins over Luis Arias and Conrad Cummings in 2019 and a blossoming relationship with trainer Pete Taylor, father of Irish star Katie Taylor.

The Irishman is confident he will be the first man to inflict defeat on the two-weight king Andrade (28-0 17 KOs), and believes that the Rhode Island ace is looking past him to blockbuster bouts and unification fights – and that lack of focus on the job at hand can play into the challenger’s hands in Miami.

“He’s really talking himself up,” said Keeler. “I don’t know if he believes it or he’s a bit deluded, but he hasn’t produced it in the ring yet. He hasn’t really fought anyone elite, I think he is going to overlook me and I think he is that deluded that he believes he’s one of the greatest and he just has to turn up to win. That’s going to count against him and I am taking that belt with both hands.

“He’s already talking about the Charlo fight and that’s a dangerous mindset when I am coming in with my lottery ticket basically. I’m merely a hindrance to him. I don’t have a great record on paper, there’s a couple of losses on there that shouldn’t have been losses, so he can look past me.

“I think I am a banana skin to him, there’s no pressure on me, for me it’s easy. When you go in against guys you are expected to win it’s tough, this is easy mentally and it’s lifted me as I know it’s a life-changing chance for me. Win this fight and you are talking a contract with DAZN and massive pay days in huge fights.

“I want to win his World title and move on. Some of these guys go in and respecting him too much, fear him in there and I am going in there to rip it from him. He talks about being the best Middleweight out there, but he hasn’t proven it yet and I will prove him wrong on the night.”

Keeler and Andrade clash on a huge night of action in Super Bowl week with Tevin Farmer (30-4-1, 6 KOs) defending his IBF World Super Featherweight title against JoJo Diaz (30-1, 15 KOs), unified World Super Bantamweight champion Daniel Roman (27-2-1, 10 KOs) defending his titles against Murodjon Akhmadaliev (7-0, 6 KOs) and YouTube stars Jake Paul and AnEsonGib clashing on their pro debuts.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (January 15, 2020) – Undefeated IBF Super Middleweight World Champion Caleb “Sweethands” Plants previewed his homecoming world title defense at a press conference in Nashville Wednesday, as he prepares to take on mandatory challenger Vincent Feigenbutz Saturday, February 15 in the FOXPBC Fight Night main event and on FOX Deportes from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

The press conference also featured welterweight contender Bryant Perrella, who takes on Abel Ramos in the co-main event, plus lightweight contender and Nashville native Austin Dulay, who battles former title challenger Diego Magdaleno in the televised opener at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by Sweethands Promotion, TGB Promotions and Sauerland Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com.

Ashland, Tennessee’s Plant will bring world championship boxing back to Nashville and fight for the first time as a professional in his home state. Here is what the press conference participants had to say Wednesday at Bridgestone Arena:

CALEB PLANT

“It’s great to be back in my hometown and my home city. I’m even more excited to be bringing home a world title and to defend it February 15 at Bridgestone Arena. It’s been a dream of mine since as long as I could remember. Since I was a little kid.

“I’m working harder than ever to make sure that I have my hand raised on February 15. I’m looking to do it in spectacular fashion, before the 12th round. This fight is going to end in a knockout on my behalf. I want everyone who’s going to be in the building and tuned in to know that this world title is staying right here in Tennessee.

“My dad and I have been going at this for 18 years straight, non-stop. Having this fight has been a dream that I’ve sacrificed a lot for. It’s a dream that on February 15, it won’t be spoiled.

“It was a goal to become world champion, but it wasn’t the only goal. I think people tend to forget I only have 19 fights. I feel like I just made it to the base of the mountain. Some people when they become champion, they feel like they become the hunted, but that’s not the case with me. I’m still hungry. If you’re in my way, I suggest you get out of it. Because I won’t miss you.

“I’ve heard Feigenbutz is strong and physical and he thinks he’s going to come in and knock me out. Mike Lee thought he was going to knock me out and Jose Uzcategui said he was going to knock me out, but how’d that go for them?

“At the end of the day, boxing is hit and do not get hit. I have plenty of skills to spare. On February 15, I’m not playing with this guy.

“All of these guys think they’re going to walk me down and throw more punches than me. But I throw more and land more punches than them. If he thinks he’s going to come in here and spoil my plans, I promise you that he’s got another thing coming.”

BRYANT PERRELLA

“I’m grateful to be here today and blessed to have the opportunity to showcase who I am as a fighter. I’m a fighter who’s built on quality over quantity. Nothing has been given to me. I’ve faced nothing but excellent opposition to this point.

“I eat, sleep and breathe boxing. I’m ready for this. I’m a fast, strong and tall fighter, with a high boxing IQ. February 15 I’m coming to dominate. Operation Abel will be unable.

“I have Ramos outmatched at every category and I’m going to dominate. I’m starting hit my stride as a fighter. Everything is coming together mentally and I have an amazing team working with me now. We’re just grinding every day and putting it all together to work towards our ultimate goal.”

AUSTIN DULAY

“I’m really thankful to my whole team for making this fight happen and especially to Caleb for paving the way for a fight in Nashville. We’ve been training really hard and we’re training even harder for this fight to put on a show in my hometown.

I know my opponent is going to come ready, we know what he’s coming to do. I’m excited for it. I’m going to be ready for anything he brings.

“I can’t wait for this fight, put on a great performance and come back to Nashville again in the future for more big fights.”

JUSTIN GAMBER, Plant’s Co-Trainer

“We are thrilled to come back to Nashville for this fight. It’s going to be Caleb’s first pro fight in Nashville, and from the moment that we heard first about this, we’ve been really excited.

“He’s had an incredible training camp as always. He’s been looking really sharp. Expect an explosive, powerful and better version of ‘Sweethands’ than you’ve seen yet. Caleb is always improving and always getting better. He’s taking it to another level.

“I’ve seen Caleb fight as an amateur in Nashville, but to be a part of him doing it in the pros, it’s so special for me. Just know that he’s going to put on a show. Skills pay the bills and he’s got all the skills.”

RICHIE PLANT, Plant’s Father & Co-Trainer

“We’re so glad to be here in this position. As soon as we heard that this was going to be a reality, we were just overjoyed.

“We started here about 18 years ago in boxing. Over the years we’ve grown, and now we have this amazing boxing team, one that I feel is the best in boxing. We’re just getting started. We’re excited to put on a show for our hometown and we’ll see everyone here on February 15.”

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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, @TGBPromotions, and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/foxsports & www.facebook.com/foxdeportes.

INDIO, CALIF. (Jan. 15, 2020): Hard-hitting 115-pound prospect Ricard “El Niño” Sandoval (17-1, 12 KOs) of Riverside, Calif. will take on Filipino contender Raymond “Tornado” Tabugon (22-11-1, 11 KOs) in a 10-round main event of Thursday Night Fights on Feb. 6 at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, Calif. . The event will be streamed live on DAZN, RingTV.com and on Facebook Watch via the Golden Boy Fight Night Page beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT.

Sandoval is a 20-year-old prospect who possess a very exciting style. In July 2019, Sandoval fought on a Golden Boy card for the first time by scoring a dominant stoppage win against Marco Sustaita to defend his WBC Youth Intercontinental Flyweight Title. Then, he returned in October to stop Gilberto Gonzalez in the fifth round. Now, Sandoval will look develop into a full-fledge contender against his toughest opponent to date.

“2020 will be my year, and I will demonstrate why on February 6,” said Ricardo Sandoval. “I know that Raymond Tabugon is very strong, but I’m coming with a strong desire to win and get closer to a world title opportunity. I’m going to deliver a great show for all the fans, and I’ll work very hard to walk away with my hand in victory.”

Tabugon is a 28-year-old veteran who has faced former world champions Juan Francisco “El Gallo” Estrada, Luis “Pantera” Nery and Angel “Tito” Acosta. Now, he’ll look to use his experience to hand Sandoval the second loss of his career and position himself for more opportunities.

“I can’t wait to get back in the ring on February 6,” said Raymond Tabugon. “I had a small setback in my last fight, but I’m working hard to return better than ever. I want to thank Golden Boy and Sanman Promotions for the opportunity, and I promise to bring lots of action!”

Also, former heavyweight champion Michael “Double M” Moorer will be the special VIP guest for this event. Moorer will be in attendance for this event to meet fans, sign autographs and take pictures inside the Fantasy Springs Special Events Center. The meet-and-greet is open to the public with the purchase of a ticket to the event.

In the co-main event, Oscar “El Jaguar” Negrete (18-2-2, 7 KOs) of Tierralta, Colombia and Alberto “Impacto” Melian (6-1, 4 KOs) of Buenos Aires, Argentina will meet in a 10-round bout for the vacant WBA International Bantamweight Title. This matchup is sure to produce fireworks as it will feature two contenders who have unfinished business that started when Negrete defeated Melian at the 2010 South American Games.

Standout flyweight prospect Sulem Urbina (11-0, 2 KOs) of Phoenix, Arizona will fight in a six-round clash.

Leonardo “Leon” Baez (17-2, 9 KOs) of Mexicali, Mexico will return in a 10-round super bantamweight battle.

Anthony Reyes (7-0, 5 KOs) of Coachella, Calif. will participate in a six-round super bantamweight fight in front of a hometown crowd.

Oscar Acevedo (6-0) of Garden City, Kansas will return in a six-round lightweight clash.

Sandoval vs. Tabugon is a 10-round super flyweight fight presented by Golden Boy. The fight will take place on Thursday, February 6, 2020 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif. The event will be streamed live on DAZN, RingTV.com and on Facebook Watch via the Golden Boy Fight Night Page beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT.
The series will also be available on Pluto TV’s FIGHT Channel and regional sports networks around the nation. To see when and where the series is available in your area click here.

Tickets for the event are on sale and start at $25. Tickets will be available at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino box office, by calling 1-800-827-2946, or by purchasing online at www.fantasyspringsresort.com.

Media interested covering Sandoval vs. Tabugon must be pre-approved for credentials. Credentials applications are due Monday, Feb. 3 at 5:00 p.m. PT. Click here to apply for a media credential. Submitting an application does not guarantee approval for a credential on-site, no expectations.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and DAZN.com. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing and @DAZN_USA. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and https://www.facebook.com/DAZNUSA/. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing and @DAZN_USA. Follow the conversation using #SandovalTabugon, #ThursdayNightFights and #TNF.

Photos and videos are available to download by clicking here or by copying and pasting link: http://bit.ly/SandovalTabugon into a browser. Credit must be given to Golden Boy for photos and videos used.

PHILADELPHIA (January 15, 2020) – Two-division world champion Danny “Swift” Garcia is eager for another crack at returning to the championship ranks, but knows that he can’t look past the hard-hitting Ivan “El Terrible” Redkach when they face off in a WBC Welterweight Title Eliminator Saturday, January 25 live on SHOWTIME from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™, in a Premier Boxing Champions event.

“I’m just taking it one fight at a time,” said Garcia. “I’ve been that way my whole career. I know that you can’t overlook anyone. I’m totally locked in on Ivan, and that’s it.

“We’re just working hard and working smart. We’re making the necessary adjustments for Redkach specifically, but this is just another fighter in front of us. I noticed that he’s really hungry. He obviously wants to win, and he’s coming off of three solid victories. He has his confidence back now. I just have to be ready for whatever he brings to the table on January 25.”

Redkach is coming off a career-best victory in June, when he knocked out former two-division champion Devon Alexander in his first fight campaigning at welterweight. It was Redkach’s third straight victory since losing to John Molina Jr. in a memorable 2017 firefight that saw both men hit the canvas.

“I caught some highlights of his fight against Devon, but not the whole fight,” said Garcia. “I saw the full Molina fight though, and I know what I’m up against. Molina caught him, but before that, Ivan was doing well. He just got careless. So I just have to be on my A-game and make no mistakes.”

Garcia’s last outing was a victory in April over veteran contender Adrian Granados that was notable in that Garcia flashed impressive power in becoming the first person to ever knock out the durable Granados.

“I feel like my new conditioning coach has really been able to help me with different kinds of strength training,” said Garcia. “We’re hitting different muscle groups and it definitely showed against Granados.”

With his return to Barclays Center on January 25, Garcia makes his eighth headlining appearance at the venue, the most of any fighter. Garcia also holds the arena’s single event boxing attendance record, for his 2017 welterweight title unification showdown against Keith Thurman. The Philadelphia-native has made a boxing home just a couple of hours up I-95 from his hometown, starting with headlining the venue’s first boxing event in 2012.

“It’s just a great atmosphere in Brooklyn and at Barclays Center,” said Garcia. “The fans there have gotten to know me really well, and all my fans in Philly can make the quick drive up. They love to watch me fight there and they know when Danny Garcia comes to New York, it’s going to be a great night of boxing.”

With a win in this title eliminator, Garcia would put himself in line for the WBC welterweight title held by unified champion Errol Spence Jr. Garcia has also been rumored as a possible next opponent for WBA Welterweight Champion Manny Pacquiao. If one of those two opponents are next for Garcia, he is confident in his abilities to become world champion again.

“I feel like my style is dangerous for both Spence and Pacquiao,” said Garcia. “For Errol, I see he likes to stand in front of his opponents and he isn’t the hardest guy to hit. With Manny, I feel like my counter punching and style would also be hard for him. So, I like my chances against both of them.”

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and DSG Promotions, are on-sale now and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com and barclayscenter.com. Tickets also can be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.

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ABOUT GARCIA VS. REDKACH
Garcia vs. Redkach will see two-division world champion Danny “Swift” Garcia take on hard-hitting Ivan “El Terrible” Redkach in a WBC Welterweight Title Eliminator headlining action live on SHOWTIME Saturday, January 25 from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™, in a Premier Boxing Champions event.

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and featured unified champion “Swift” Jarrett Hurd battling Francisco “Chia” Santana in the 10-round co-feature, and unbeaten sensation Stephen Fulton facing fellow unbeaten Arnold Khegai in a WBC Super Bantamweight Title eliminator. The Fulton vs. Khegai bout is promoted in association with Salita Promotions.

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

NEW YORK (January 15, 2020) – , Split-T Management’s emerging heavyweight t prospect, Sonny Conto remained perfect with a 1st round stoppage over Curtis Head at the Etess Arena inside the Hard Rock Casino Hotel in Atlantic City.

The bout, which took place on Saturday night, served as the Atlantic City debut for Conto saw the Philadelphia native wisely target the ample body of Head, as he scored two knockdowns from body shots. The 2nd knocked down forced Head to take the 10-count at 2:08.

Conto of Philadelphia raised his mark to 6-0 with five knockouts. Conto has kept a busy schedule as he has been able to have hand raised those six times in an 11-month period.

Conto is promoted by Top Rank.

Bensalem,PA-Hot prospect Victor Padilla (7-0, 6 K0s) of Berlin, NJ, will face battle-tested Israel Suarez (4-7-3, 1 K0s) of Luquillo, Puerto Rico in a six-round lightweight bout Friday, Jan. 31, at Xcite Center inside Parx Casino®. The seven-fight card, presented by Joe Hand Promotions, begins at 7:30 p.m.

This event is only for adults age 21 and older. Tickets priced at $50, $75 and $100 are on sale at Joe Hand Promotions (215-364-9000). Tickets also can be purchased from the Hold My Ticket Call Center at (1-877-466-3404) and at www.parxcasino.com.

In the junior-middleweight semifinal, Isaiah Wise (7-2-2, 4 K0s), of North Philadelphia, who always brings out a great crowd, will face Enver Halili (10-2, 3 K0s), of The Bronx, NY in a six-round bout. The Wise and Halili fight is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

In an old school, all-Philly matchup, fans will see Sheldon Deverteuil (2-0-2) against Christopher Burgos (2-4-1) in a four-round super lightweight bout.

Light heavyweight Charles Brewer, Jr., the son of former IBF super-middleweight world champion Charles “The Hatchet” Brewer, will make his professional debut against Kyl Fritz, also in his first pro fight,of Arapahoe, NC.

Shahkzod Atoev, a native of Samarqand, Uzbekistan now residing in Philadelphia, will make his super-featherweight pro-debut against Juan Ibarra (0-2) of Willow Springs, NC.

Tyhler Williams (3-0, 2 K0s), a growing Philadelphia favorite, will make his fourth appearance against an opponent to be named.

As winter weather approaches in the Northeast and 2019 draws to a close, boxing insiders have taken notice that the activity out of Kings Promotions is heating up. The company closed out 2019 by promoting a pair of back-to-back shows in Philadelphia and Harrisburg, PA that featured some of its top talent, including world ranked contenders Mykal Fox (22-1, 5 KO’s) and Marcus Bates (11-1-1, 8 KO’s) along with recent acquisitions Alycia Baumgardner (9-1, 6 KO’s), Carlos Vidal (16-0, 15 KO’s) and Michael Coffie (8-0, 5 KO’s).

While the history and success of Kings Promotions can be attributed to its hard-charging founder and CEO Marshall Kauffman, it has caught a second wind in its new junior partner Andrew Foy, a medical doctor out of Hershey, PA. Foy officially merged his company, the Harrisburg-based Titans Boxing Promotions, with Kauffman’s in July of 2019 and settled under the KP banner. On the surface, the pair could not seem any more different.

Kauffman is a grizzled veteran of the sport whose reputation has been forged by years of making it the hard way in the industry; first as a fighter, then as a trainer and gym owner, followed by manager and lastly, as a promoter and matchmaker. His personality is gregarious, warm and welcoming but can change in an instant to intense and fiery – a trait that has generally served him well over the years. In a sport where the line between good and bad business is often blurred, standing up for one’s own interests is vital for success.

Foy, on the other hand, is reserved and soft spoken but carries a quiet confidence. At only 38 years of age, he is regarded as a thought leader in the world of academic medicine. With over 50 peer-reviewed publications, several appearing in the world’s leading journals, he has challenged the status quo on the overuse of medical tests and treatments, particularly in his field of cardiology, and has penned highly influential papers that call for a sea-change in how the medical profession approaches patient care. He is also a featured speaker in the Penn State College of Medicine whose lectures and seminars involve medical decision making, critical thinking, evidence appraisal and scientific skepticism. He is the recent recipient of a “New Innovator Award” grant from the Penn State Department of Medicine for an ambitious project that looks to apply novel approaches to determine whether results from landmark clinical trials in cardiovascular medicine apply to patients with multiple medical conditions.

If you think that Foy should stay in his Ivory Tower and out of the seedy underworld of the boxing business, you would be like most others who have heard his story – a contradiction he revels in. In fact, his first real conversation with Kauffman over 3 years ago involved Kauffman advising him to stay out of boxing. While Foy partially resented it, he understood Kauffman’s perspective that a doctor shouldn’t get involved in the sport to make money because that is highly unlikely to occur at first, if ever, and there are far better ways to turn a buck. But making money was never Foy’s primary intention and Kauffman, along with many others, have come to appreciate that.

Interestingly, Foy doesn’t view himself as that different from Kauffman. He recognizes the stark difference in personalities between them but otherwise, thinks they are a lot alike especially in terms of their resiliency and work ethic. In fact, he thinks he might have gone down a similar road had his family not detested his participation in the sport and strongly encouraged him to attend a liberal arts college that would take him away from his hometown gym and the boxing culture he grew accustomed to during his high school years.

But since returning to boxing as a promoter in 2017 he’s been one of the busiest in the area, promoting 8 solo events and participating in several other co-promotions, all the while continuing to excel in his full-time gig. When asked why he began promoting, Foy just smiled before saying, “It just kind of happened. One chance occurrence lead to a series of events and 6 months later I found myself agreeing to promote a boxing event.”

At first he knew nothing about how to do it but learned quickly. The hardest part for him, he admits, was being tough about the business-side of the sport. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand it but he found it challenging to separate his desire to help fighters advance their careers and put on great events with being able to say “no” to things that he knew were bad business.

Reflecting on his run with Titans Boxing, Foy believes that most people who paid attention probably thought he was more successful than he really was, particularly from a financial standpoint. He acknowledges that “perception is reality” and he staged the events in such a way that they really came across as something special in places like the Pennsylvania State Farm Show Complex and the Zembo Shrine Arena but the cost of the venues and the staging that went into them, along with the small population size of Harrisburg, was ultimately prohibitive to financial success.

Foy says he lost a lot of money, which is not something he regrets and his income from medicine allowed him to continue on without a hitch. He viewed it as a personal investment on a grand experiment that he was determined to succeed at and if not succeed, at least learn. And he enjoyed it too.

His greatest satisfaction came from working with Jamaal Davis (18-16-1), a rugged journeyman from Philadelphia who moved to Harrisburg and looked to rekindle his boxing career around the same time Foy promoted his first event. Davis would go on to have success fighting as the main event on Titans shows, winning two regional titles, and more-or-less becoming the face of professional boxing in Harrisburg. Foy not only promoted Davis but participated heavily in training him and the two developed a tremendous friendship.

But after Davis’s one-sided loss to Tyrone Brunson in March of this past year in Philadelphia on an event that was co-promoted by Kings and Titans, in a show that saw 3 other Harrisburg fighters suffer devastating defeats, Foy thought long and hard about his own future in the sport. He wanted to be involved outside of Harrisburg, but knew he couldn’t handle the work of promoting events by himself outside the immediate area where he lived and worked full-time.

He first decided to try his hand at management, a role he was already serving in unofficially for several of the fighters he promoted. But after making an unsuccessful run at a top-flight Philadelphia prospect, the opportunity to officially pair with Kauffman presented itself and Foy took it.

Despite the tension of their first conversation, Foy and Kauffman went on to develop a close working relationship over the time Foy led Titans Promotions, often exchanging fighters for each other’s shows. The two regarded each other as honest and reliable figures in the sport and were impressed with the other’s events as well as ideas for how to improve. Prior to officially merging companies, they had even started a podcast as a way to speak directly to fans and fighters and promote upcoming events.

Merging companies made a lot of sense to Foy, who immediately recognized the value of collaboration based on his work in medical research. According to Foy, “I’ve found that I’m much more successful when I collaborate with other investigators. There’s always ways to improve what you’re doing or how you’re thinking about a problem and hearing the perspective of another voice that you trust and respect is often what is needed to nudge you in a better direction or to even change course altogether. I don’t see why it should be any different for running a boxing promotion company. Marshall and I each have separate strengths that we bring to the table and so far, the collaboration has been a success. Plus, I’m finding that I personally enjoy doing this more with a partner than on my own.”

Since officially joining forces the pair have promoted more events than any other company on the East Coast. They have made major investments in acquiring new talent including the likes of Alycia Baumgardner, Carlos Vidal and Michael Coffie. They are also making strong attempts to boost their social media imprint, engage new forms of advertising, and find creative ways to present themselves as the face of boxing in Pennsylvania and a major player on the national scene. They even officially re-branded and launched their podcast “In the Ring with Kings”, which is viewable live on Facebook and welcomes audience interaction and participation. And the pair believes they are only just getting started.

2020 will see Kings Promotions open strong with being part of a major event on January 18th as Julian Williams defends his WBA/IBF Junior Middleweight world titles against Jeison Rosario at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia and live on FOX.

Then on February 8th, King’s Promotions will be a co-promoter on a SHOWTIME Championship Boxing show that will feature WBC Featherweight champion Gary Russell.

Just six-days later, King’s will be a co-promoter on a ShoBox: The New Generation card at The 2300 Arena in Philadelphia that will showcase the national television debut of undefeated super bantamweight Raeese Aleem.

King’s Promotions has been the most active promotional company in the United States by promoting a staggering 89 cards since 2014.

LOS ANGELES (January 13, 2020) – Unbeaten WBC Heavyweight World Champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder and undefeated lineal champion Tyson “The Gypsy King” Fury continued their war of words and previewed their much anticipated rematch at a Los Angeles press conference on Monday before they square off Saturday, February 22 in a historic, joint FOX Sports PPV & ESPN+ PPV from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Wilder vs. Fury II will come 14 months after their thrilling first fight that saw Wilder retain the title via split draw, after Fury miraculously rose from a 12th round knockdown to finish the fight. It is one of the most memorable moments in recent heavyweight history, and on February 22 the two undefeated titans will take their war of words back into the ring to stake their claim as the best heavyweight in the world.

Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at www.mgmgrand.com or www.axs.com. The event is promoted by BombZquad Promotions, TGB Promotions, Top Rank and Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions. A Premier Boxing Champions presentation.

The charismatic stars put their magnetic personalities on display at the press conference, each laying claim to a rightful victory in their first contest, while also declaring their intent on finishing the rematch with an emphatic knockout victory. Here is what the press conference participants had to say Monday from The Novo by Microsoft at L.A. Live:

DEONTAY WILDER

“It’s great to be back for another big event. This is the biggest title fight of this era for sure and I can’t wait. I’m always in my element. I’m always in the zone. Right now I just can’t wait for February 22.

“My body feels like its walking into the sixth week of camp instead of the third week. It’s been amazing to have the quick turnaround after the Ortiz fight in November. I’m coming in shape. I put shape on top of shape and it’s allowed me to prepare even harder for Fury.

“We all know in rematches I’m always sharp because I’ve been in there before and I know what my opponent is capable of doing and what they plan on doing. I’m prepared more than ever for this fight.

“I knocked him out the first time we fought. I told him two years ago I was going to baptize him. Rising up is part of the baptism. But this a different story. This is unfinished business. Because he’s in WWE I’m going to make sure he gets knocked out of the ring, I might even come down with a flying elbow from the top rope.

“Fury not wanting the rematch me immediately definitely made this fight bigger. We had two warmups. I had a lot more dangerous road than he had though. He played it safe, while I went to the mountain top and climbed it. I’m building for my legacy.

“If he beat me, then why all the new trainers? Every day it changes. Firing and hiring. He wants to talk about being out of shape the first time, but he was in great shape. He spent 100,000 pounds on all those camps. I still to this day have the same people with me and I don’t need to change it.

“When you’re facing power there’s no way around it. You can’t prepare for that. You just have to hope that when it lands, it doesn’t do that much damage. He doesn’t even know how he got on the ground or how he got up in the first fight. He’s been dealing with feeling ever since the end of the first fight.

“I’m going to do exactly what I said I would do. I’m going to knock him out. I’m the lion. I’m the king of the jungle. I’m going to rip his head off his body. Everyone sit tight and buckle up. It’s going to be a fun ride on the way to giving everyone the best fight you’ve seen in your lives.

“This is a major fight for the public and everyone should be excited. It doesn’t’ get any better than this. Two giants and two champions, putting it all on the line for everyone’s entertainment. We’re leaving it all in the ring to see who is the king.

“There’s so many things that go through my head as I take my time to adjust and time my opponent’s movements. I’m building the data I need to set him up for that perfect punch. There’s a lot of things that come with skills. Not just the average fundamentals. There are a lot of different things and that’s what makes boxing what it is. My ring IQ is very high and that’s how I set them up. I know everything he wants to do. He gave me 100% of him already.

“He believes in his heart that he’ll knock me out. I always teach people to speak it, believe it and receive it. The magic of it all is in the belief. Though he’s saying those things, I don’t feel in his energy that he believes that. I feel like he’s nervous because of what happened the first time.

“I just learned from the first fight that I need to be calmer. I’m going to be a lot more patient in this fight, just like in the second Luis Ortiz fight. The object of boxing is to win, not just to win rounds. And I win in devastating fashion.”

TYSON FURY

“The consensus is either he knocks me out, or I win on points. Usually when people have that opinion, it goes the opposite way around. Expect him to box and me to be looking for the knockout.

“He thinks I’m going to come out herky-jerky with my famous style, but I want him to meet me in the center of the ring and have a slugfest, best man wins. I didn’t have the gas to finish him in the last fight, but this time I can turn that screwdriver until he’s gone. Let’s make it a Marvin Hagler vs. Tommy Hearns type of fight. I’ll meet you Inthe middle of the ring on February 22. Just watch out for the right hand, because you’re going to sleep in two rounds.

“We finally have the rematch and I can’t remember a bigger heavyweight fight in a long time. Maybe Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson was the last big one like this and that was another U.S. vs. U.K. showdown.

“Deontay Wilder hasn’t been returning my calls or messages since I beat him last time. He’s trying to keep his distance. He didn’t want to be around me so I can get in his head. But I don’t think you can really get in anyone’s head. At the end of the end of the day, it’s just talk. It doesn’t really matter what we say. It matters what happens on February 22.

“What’s going to happen in this fight is that I’m going to get what I rightfully won last time. I’m going to get the green belt and keep my lineal title. And if he wants to rematch me after, I’ll beat him again. I’ve already beat him once, and I know I can beat him three times in a row.

“I’m going to win, that’s what I do. Deontay Wilder can make all the excuses he wants to make. Everyone on his team can tell him he won that fight, but as a fighting man, you know when you win and lose a fight. I’m going to go out there give him a boxing lesson and knock him out.

“You’re never a finished article, you can always improve. I like to keep freshening things up every now and again. I don’t make excuses. I won fair and square and we get to do it again. I’m ready for a fight today.

“I’m the best of my era and I took that title from Wladimir Klitschko. Nobody disputed he was the best and I took that from him, until someone beats me, that’s my title.

“He’s going to try to and the right hand. If I’m stupid enough to get hit with it, I deserve to lose. I hit the floor twice in the first fight, but it’s all about how you respond, I’m a fighting man. If he can’t finish me, I’m going to eat him up.

“I’m looking for a knockout. That’s why I hired Sugarhill. He gets you to sit down on that big right hand. That’s what I’m looking for. There’s the game plan. If I wasn’t looking for a knockout, I would have sharpened up what I did in the last fight. I’m not coming for that. I’m looking for my 21st knockout.

“When I get him in there again, I’m going to make him feel the fury. I’ve never been as sure of anything in my whole life. As sure as I was this morning putting this suit on. 100 percent he can’t win He’s got a puncher’s chance like anyone else. I’m much sharper and more fit now. I’m ready to rumble right now. I hope he train hard and goes to bed sleeping thinking about me.”

TOM BROWN, President of TGB Promotions

“On February 22, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, it’s going to be bombs away. We have two superstars here. The best two heavyweights in the world. Both fighters are going to show a lot of passion at this press conference and all the way leading up to this fight because there is so much at stake.

“These are the best in boxing. There is nothing like a big heavyweight championship fight. We have the undefeated hardest punching, the most feared heavyweight in the world and I believe one of the all-time great heavyweights in Deontay Wilder.

“There is a reason Fury and his team didn’t want the immediate rematch right after the first fight. He’s taken a couple of tune-up fights instead because he felt that power on December 1. That’s not going to change this time, he can just ask Luis Ortiz.

I was lucky enough to promote the first fight and I believe we have something special in this rematch. I look forward to a fantastic fight on February 22 and we’ll see everyone there.”

TODD DUBOEF, President of Top Rank

“We talk about boxing having a renaissance, but it’s really about the heavyweight division. That’s what is going to create that renaissance more than anything right now.

“Tyson is so true, so gritty and he backs it up with everything he does. When you combine it with Deontay Wilder, you have two great personalities. This is really the beginning of the next super heavyweight run for the sport of boxing.”

SUGARHILL STEWARD, Fury’s Trainer

“This fight here is one of those fights that you don’t want to miss. The first one was one not to miss as well and I’m sure you all watched the replay. You have two great champions here going at each other. Both fighters left the ring still undefeated last time and still wanting to settle the store. On February 22, the score will be settled.

“The heavyweight division is still the biggest and most powerful division in boxing. It always will be. Everyone wants to see the fighters throwing the big blows. Wilder is one of the hardest hitters in history and Tyson is one of the best boxers. I’m happy to be training. with Tyson Fury. It’s been about 10 years since we trained together. He trained with me and Emanuel Steward and I’m here to complete what Emmanuel started.”

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Both of Salita Promotions undefeated Detroit-based welterweights, twin brothers Joseph and Jacob Bonas, and Russian heavyweight destroyer Apti Davtaev, remained undefeated with impressive victories last Friday night.

Fighting on the untelevised undercard of the Claressa Shields vs. Ivana Habazin showdown at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J., Joseph “Detroit Bad Boy” Bonas moved his record to 7-0, 6 KOs by stopping Steubenville, Ohio’s Glenn Mitchell (3-5, 3 KOs) via TKO 2. Meanwhile, brother Jacob Bonas (now 5-0-1, 2 KOs) had to work a bit harder to gain a unanimous four-round decision over Highwood, Illinois’ Christian Rivera (1-1-1).

Showing marked improvement from his work in Detroit with SugarHill Steward, heavyweight crusher Apti Davtaev (19-0-1, 18 KOs) from Kurchaloi, Russia, overpowered Glenville, West Virginia’s Keith Barr (20-13-1, 8 KOs) in three brutal rounds.

Joseph Bonas showed some newfound patience in waiting for the right moment to pounce on the long-limbed Mitchell. And when the opening finally presented itself, he lowered the boom with a three-punch combination that brought things to a decisive end at 1:55 of round two.

Jacob Bonas survived a momentary scare when a surprise right hand from opponent Rivera got his attention quickly in round one. Showing his extensive amateur pedigree, however, Bonas made adjustments and eventually cruised to a comfortable four-round decision (scores 39-37 x 3).

Early on, Barr looked ready to rumble with his big Russian foe until a few punches from the Eastern Bloc strongman had him in full survival mode. 38 seconds into round three, the super naturally powerful Davtaev had his most impressive victory to date.

“All our fighters had terrific nights on Friday,” said Dmitriy Salita. “The Bonas brothers look to be turning into excellent professional fighters. They did what they are supposed to do with their early opponents by dominating. And Apti Davtaev is clearly getting stronger and stronger as his career advances. He is ready for a step-up fight against another up-and-coming heavyweight. His power is something the boxing world should have a look at soon.”

ABOUT SALITA PROMOTIONS

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

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (January 13, 2020) – Lightweight contender and Nashville native Austin Dulay will fight in front of his hometown crowd when he takes on former title challenger Diego Magdaleno in a 10-round fight that opens FOX PBC Fight Night action and on FOX Deportes Saturday, February 15 from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

FOX PBC Fight Night begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and is headlined by IBF Super Middleweight Champion Caleb “Sweethands” Plant defending his title in a homecoming bout against mandatory challenger Vincent Feigenbutz. Plus, welterweight contenders Bryant “Goodfella” Perrella and Abel Ramos battle in the 10-round co-feature.

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by Sweethands Promotion, TGB Promotions and Sauerland Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com.

Nashville’s Dulay (13-1, 10 KOs) has won back-to-back fights by stoppage since his lone pro defeat to top contender Chris Colbert in April 2018. The 24-year-old has fought professionally since 2015 and won his first 11 fights. He most recently scored a TKO victory over Yardley Armenta Cruz in February of last year, and his last time in the ring saw him stop Justin Pauldo in a fight that was later changed to a no contest. He will return to fight in Nashville for the first time since a 2017 victory.

The 33-year-old Magdaleno (31-3, 13 KOs) has twice challenged for a world title and will look for a signature victory on February 15 to get closer to another chance at the belt. The Las Vegas native previously dropped title fights against Roman Martinez and Terry Flanagan. Magdaleno won three straight fights between 2016 and 2018, including a triumph over Art Hovhannisyan, and most recently lost to lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez in February 2019.

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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, @TGBPromotions, and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/foxsports & www.facebook.com/foxdeportes.

LAS VEGAS (January 13, 2020) – Undefeated Mexican welterweight Santiago “Somer” Dominguez will be going for his 21st pro victory and 17th knockout on Thursday, January 30, when he defends his World Boxing Council (WBC) United States Silver title on the first 2020 installment of RJJ Boxing on UFC FIGHT PASS®.

Promoted by Roy Jones Jr. (RJJ) Boxing Promotions, in association with Sanman Boxing, RJJ Boxing on UFC FIGHT PASS will be streamed live and exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS®, the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports, starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT, from Legends Casino and Hotel in Toppenish, Washington.

Headlined by a sensational 10-round main event, in which unbeaten Ernesto Delgadillo (11-0-2, 2 KOs) will tangle with undefeated, world-rated Jade “Hurricane” Bornea (14-0, 10 KOs) for the vacant North American Boxing Federation (NABF) super flyweight title, RJJ Boxing’s first show of 2020 has the full potential to be the best its ever promoted on UFC FIGHT PASS.

Dominguez (20-0, 16 KOs), fighting out of Fort Worth, Texas, takes on former Brazilian champion Vitor “La Amenaza” Jones Freitas (16-5, 10 KOs) in the 8-round, co-featured event. The exciting Dominguez, 28, has increased the level of opposition since fighting on RJJ Boxing cards in two of his three four fights. The big puncher stopped 17-2 Ravshan Hudaynazarov in the first round, 23-9-2 Fabian Lyimo in the second.

Riding an 8-fight KO streak, Dominguez faces an experienced challenger who has been in tough against International Boxing Federation (IBF) lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez, WBC World Youth lightweight titlist Jamaine Ortiz, Georgian prospect Enriko Gogokhia and Canadian favorite Sebastian Bouchard.

“I feel that either hand has knockout power,” Dominguez said, “but I could damage all my opponents during the early part of my career with precise left hook to the body. Now, my physical training continues to improve power ion both my hands.

“UFC FIGHT PASS has really motivated me since I am finally getting more exposure. The RJJ Boxing guys are super nice and make me feel welcome. They make me feel welcome and that I belong with them. I will not disappoint my manager, Terry Hollan, Roy Jones Jr. Boxing and UFC FIGHT PASS.”

Dominguez had a sterling 62-4 amateur record with 36 knockouts. His strict father kept Santiago sway from bad influences in their native Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico. He turned pro in 2014, immediately displaying power in both hands.

“My opponent has smaller but quicker hands,” Dominguez added. “I assume he will try to move rather than stand in front of me. I am working with some faster guys right now to prepare. He is really open to an over-hand right.

“In 2020, I plan to fight often and train hard in the USA. There are many great fighters in the division, but I am preparing and ready to win a championship if given the opportunity”

Delgadillo, fighting out of Dallas, is a former World Boxing Council (WBC) United States super flyweight and Texas State flyweight titlist, who will be fighting for the first time since the summer of 2018.

Filipino prospect Bornea, rated No. 10 by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and No. 15 by the World Boxing Association (WBA), is a former IBF Youth World champion who will be fighting in the United States for the first time.

Undefeated middleweight Connor “The Kid” Coyle (11-0, 4 KOs), representing Northern Ireland, returns against Miguel Dumas (11-2, 9 KOs), of Mexico, in an 8-round bout. Coyle has become a UFC FIGH PASS regular having already fought on the streaming giant three times.

Two undefeated Northwest light heavyweight prospects, Seattle’s popular Richard Van Sicien (7-0, 3 KOs) and Oregonian Abraham Martin (5-0, 5 KOs), open the UFC FIGHT PASS stream in a 6-round match.

*Card subject to change.

Ticket prices range from $15.00 to $50.00 and are available for purchase by going HERE
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. PT, first fight at 6:00 p.m. PT, and FIGHT PASS starts at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT).

To sign up for UFC FIGHT PASS, please visit www.ufcfightpass.com

INFORMATION:

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Reading, PA (January 13, 2020)–King’s Promotions is pleased to announce the re-signing of world ranked welterweight Mykal “The Professor” Fox to a multi-year promotional agreement.

Fox of Forrestville, Maryland has a record of 22-1 with five knockouts, and is currently ranked number-14 by the IBF and number-15 by the WBA.

The 24 year-old Fox had a busy 2019 as he competed four times against top-level opposition. After suffering his only professional setback to undefeated Shohjahon Ergashev on ShoBox: The New Generation, Fox rebounded in terrific fashion by defeating 2016 Olympic Gold Medal winner Fazliddin Gaibnazarov (7-0), Eudy Bernardo (25-4), and John Arellano (10-1) to earn his ranking.

Fox, who turned professional in 2014 also has wins over Ricardo Garcia (14-1), former world champion DeMarcus Corley and Gonzalo Dallera (5-0).

“We are ecstatic to have Mykal in the fold with us. It’s been a pleasure to watch him grow and King’s Promotions will continue to move Mykal into big fights and ultimately a world title opportunity,” said King’s Promotions CEO Marshall Kauffman.

“King’s Promotions has been great to me since signing in 2015. I look forward to continuing on with them and putting myself in position to become a world champion,” said Fox.

“We are happy to to continue the relationship with Marshall Kauffman and Kings Promotions. KP will allow Myke to keep busy until his inevitable world title opportunity,” said Fox’s agent and attorney, Mike Borao

NEW YORK (January 11, 2020) – Tonight, Split-T Management’s undefeated heavyweight prospect Sonny Conto will look to remain perfect when he takes on Curtis Head in a four round bout at the Etess Arena in the Hard Rock Hotel Casino in Atlantic City.

Conto will look to start his 2nd professional year and carry the momentum of excellent rookie campaign that saw Conto go 5-0 with four big knockouts.

The 23 year-old native of Philadelphia will be making his debut in the famed boardwalk fight town, as he fought four-times in his hometown and once in Las Vegas.

Conto is coming off a 1st round stoppage over Steve Lyons on October 18th in Philadelphia.

Head of Inkster, Michigan, has a record of 5-4 with three knockouts.

Head has a victory over previously undefeated Armonte Summers and is coming off a decision loss to undefeated Hasim Rahman Jr. (7-0) on June 22nd.

Conto weighed 218 lbs. at Friday’s weigh-in. Head checked in at 271.6.

The fight will be streamed live on ESPN+ beginning at 6:30 PM ET.

Conto is promoted by Top Rank.

NEW YORK – January 10, 2020 – Undefeated featherweight prospect Ruben Villa will make his fourth ShoBox: The New Generation appearance in just over a year as the former two-time Junior Olympic National Champion takes on hard-hitting Alexei Collado in a 10-round main event of a three-fight telecast on Friday, January 31 live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT) from Hirsch Memorial Coliseum in Shreveport, La.

Undefeated Ukrainian and 2012 Olympic Bronze medalist Taras Shelestyuk (17-0, 10 KOs) meets Mexico’s Alejandro Davila (19-1-2, 7 KOs) in a 10-round welterweight matchup in the co-featured bout. The televised opener features an eight-round lightweight bout pitting Southern California native Jerry Pérez (12-0, 9 KOs) against ShoBox veteran Zhora Hamazaryan (9-1-1, 6 KOs) from Armenia.

The event is promoted by Banner Promotions, Thompson Boxing and Bishop Promotions LLC. Tickets can be purchased at www.Bishoppromotions.com and prices are $20-$100.

“On January 31 we have three prospects at different points in their careers with Ruben Villa developing into a must-see prospect with high expectations,” said Gordon Hall, Executive Producer of ShoBox: The New Generation. “Taras Shelestuyk is still undefeated and working on rebuilding a once-promising career in a must-win fight and Jerry Pérez is young and relatively unknown, but in a big step-up fight looking to be noticed. Each of these three are in meaningful fights that should be action-packed.”

The 22-year-old Salinas, Calif., native Villa (17-0, 5 KOs) was also the 2014 and 2016 National Golden Gloves Champion and is currently ranked No. 5 at 126 pounds by the WBO and No. 13 by the WBC. Villa was a 2016 U.S. Olympic Team alternate, and had an impressive amateur record of 166-17 with wins against Devin Haney, Shakur Stevenson, and Gary Antonio Russell.

The southpaw Villa has looked impressive in each of his three previous ShoBox appearances, including his debut last January when he outclassed then-unbeaten Ruben Cervera. In May, Villa stepped up to 10-round status for the first time and won a unanimous decision against Luis Alberto Lopez and in September, Villa scored a second-round knockdown against Enrique Vivas en route to a comfortable shutout unanimous decision.

“I know my opponent has a good record at 26-2 and he has heavy hands, but he is wild,” Villa said. “I feel that I am close to a title eliminator, but the middle or at the very latest at the end of 2020. ShoBox has helped me with my recognition and showcasing my talent. I am just thankful to be headlining once again on ShoBox. I know I’m close to making that next step up to contender so I have to look impressive on January 31.”

In Collado (26-2, 23 KOs), Villa will face a tough, 31-year-old Cuban currently living and training in Miami. Collado is on a seven-bout winning streak with six KOs and was active in 2019 winning four times, including his last victory via first-round KO against Facundo Eduardo Ased four days before Christmas. Collado won the 2006 Junior World Title in the flyweight division.

“I participated on a ShoBox event in the past and I couldn’t close the show,” said Collado, who made his ShoBox debut in April of 2014 in a 10-round lightweight unanimous decision loss to Rod Salka. “This time the story will be different and I am more than ready for Ruben Villa. Ruben is a young talented boxer but he will not be able to do with me what he was able to do to other guys. I’m far more experienced, much stronger and way smarter than all the guys put together that he has faced so far. This is an opportunity that I will not take for granted, Villa better be ready to get shocked.”

Management issues have kept the 34-year-old Shelestyuk mostly inactive and he has fought just once in two and a half years. Currently living and training in Southern California, Shelestyuk has trained with Freddie Roach and his stable of fighters at the famed Wild Card Gym in Hollywood. Shelestyuk’s last fight came in March, a unanimous decision against Martin Angel Martinez in Southern California. His best win came in 2015 on ShoBox over once-beaten Aslanbek Kozaev.

“Training camp is going great and a lot of the hard work is already done, but we have three more weeks to rock it and finish strong,” said Shelestyuk, who has previously fought twice on ShoBox, recording unanimous decisions in November of 2015 and 2016. “We always have a great atmosphere with the team during the training camp. It’s exciting to be back on SHOWTIME. The fans like my style and I’m ready to give them a show. My opponent is tough and a big guy, He has more fights than me in the professional ring, and it will be clash of different styles.”

Davila has campaigned almost exclusively in Mexico since turning professional in 2014. He was undefeated over his first 20 bouts, including two draws, before suffering his first loss in his last fight in November against once-beaten Mikael Zewski in Canada. Davila notched his last victory via unanimous decision over Luciano Chaparro Araujo in July in Mexico.

“I know Taras has a tremendous amateur and professional career but I also got what it takes to beat anybody at this level,” Davila said. “I am coming to win this fight and hand Taras his first defeat. I will do my best to win this fight.”

The 26-year-old Pérez had 45 amateur fights with some international experience and currently trains with four-division world champion Leo Santa Cruz, whom he met through a family friend in 2016. Perez made his pro debut on the Santa Cruz-Carl Frampton undercard at MGM Grand in Las Vegas as Perez recorded a knockout against Javier Cepeda in January 2017. In his young career, Perez has also fought at Staples Center in Los Angeles on the Mikey Garcia-Robert Easter undercard scoring a second-round KO against Aaron Jamel Hollis. Perez started boxing at age 9 learning his craft at the High Desert Boxing Club in Victorville, Calif., in San Bernardino County.

“We have been knocking on doors for a while and finally that door has opened up to us,” Perez said. “It’s now time to show I belong in the ring with a guy like Zhora whom I respect but have the certainty I can beat. I’m coming to make a statement in my TV debut and show that I’m a force at lightweight.”

The 23-year-old Hamazaryan resides in Los Angeles and has fought on ShoBox twice, both memorable and exciting bouts against lightweight prospect Thomas Mattice. Hamazaryan lost the first matchup by split decision in July of 2018 after out-landing and out-powering Mattice in a fight many observers thought Hamazaryan clearly won. Hamazaryan earned a draw against Mattice in an immediate rematch two months later.

“I have had a tremendous camp and am excited to get back on ShoBox,” Hamazaryan said. “I feel I am still undefeated and the fans now know what I bring and that is a fighter who fights hard for the whole fight. I do not know much about my opponent except his record. I just fight my fight and I will bring home the victory.”

Barry Tompkins will call the action from ringside with boxing historian Steve Farhood and former world champion Raul Marquez serving as expert analysts. The executive producer is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.

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

About ShoBox: The New Generation
Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young talent matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to televise exciting, crowd-pleasing and competitive matches while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. Some of the growing list of the 81 fighters who have appeared on ShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes: Errol Spence Jr., Andre Ward, Deontay Wilder, Erislandy Lara, Shawn Porter, Gary Russell Jr., Lamont Peterson, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Nonito Donaire, Devon Alexander, Carl Froch, Robert Guerrero, Timothy Bradley, Jessie Vargas, Juan Manuel Lopez, Chad Dawson, Paulie Malignaggi, Ricky Hatton, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Williams and more.

The cruiserweight final of the World Boxing Super Series between Yunier Dorticos and Mairis Briedis has finally been scheduled for March 21st in Latvia, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“The conclusion of Season 2 of the WBSS is going to be nothing but spectacular,” said Kalle Sauerland, the WBSS chief boxing officer. “After two epic Ali Trophy finals — Regis Prograis versus Josh Taylor and Naoya Inoue versus Nonito Donaire — it’s time to crown the cruiserweight champion of the WBSS. As we have become accustomed, whoever raises the Muhammad Ali Trophy at the end will become the man to beat in the division.”

“I’m really looking forward to the final,” said Briedis, the tournament No. 1 seed. “It is fantastic for Latvia to be able to host an event of such magnitude. Millions and millions of eyes worldwide will be watching what’s happening at the Arena Riga on fight night. It is going to be a thrilling fight as I’m facing one of the very best cruiserweights on the planet. The stake is so high and both of us are only looking for one thing — to win it all.”

“Briedis, you better prepare yourself for war,” said Dorticos, the No. 2 seed. “Let’s give all the fans around the world a spectacular all time classic. Come fight night you will know why I’m called the ‘KO Doctor.’ The Muhammad Ali Trophy has my name engraved already.”

Jesse Hart 175 lbs vs. Joe Smith Jr. 174.6 lbs
(vacant NABO light heavyweight title — 10 Rounds)

       Steven Nelson 167.8 lbs vs. Cem Kilic 167.6 lbs
(vacant NABO super middleweight title — 10 Rounds)

ESPN+ (6:30 p.m. ET)

    Joseph Adorno 136 lbs vs. Hector Garcia 135 lbs
(Lightweight — 8 Rounds

               Chris Thomas 170.6 lbs vs. Samir Barbosa 168.2 lbs
(Super Middleweight — 6 Rounds

       Shinard Bunch 147.2 lbs vs. Dennis Okoth 145.6 lbs
(Welterweight — 6 Rounds)

          Sonny Conto 218 lbs vs. Curtis Head 271.6 lbs
(Heavyweight — 4 Rounds)

    Jeremy Adorno 121.6 lbs vs. Fernando Ibarra 121.4 lbs
(Super Bantamweight — 4 Rounds)

 Xander Zayas 147.2 lbs vs. Corey Champion 146.8 lbs
(Welterweight — 4 Rounds) 
For more information, visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Star Boxing, tickets priced at $100, $60, $40 and $25 (not including applicable fees) are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting www.ticketmaster.com and www.hardrockhotelatlanticcity.com.  

Louisville, Ky. (Jan. 10, 2020) – Ronson Frank’s Uprising Promotions will be back in action next Saturday, January 18, as WBC Youth World Super Featherweight champion Carlos Dixon (10-1, 8 KOs) defends that title in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. Dixon will make his homecoming as the main event of a loaded fight card that will take place at the Louisville Memorial Auditorium.

“We are excited to be a part of the first world title defense in Louisville. The entire city is behind Carlos Dixon, and we expect this to be a remarkable event,” said Ronson Frank, President of Uprising Promotions. “This card has some really great matches lined up, and we look forward to putting on an entertaining show for the people of Louisville.”

In his most recent bout, Dixon picked up his fourth victory of 2019 with a sixth round finish of Edinson Torres, Jr. That match took place in Jamaica this past November, with the Louisville native claiming the WBC Youth World Super Featherweight Title as a result. Dixon fought a total of five times last year, including back-to-back outings in Jamaica. For his career, he is undefeated in seven pro fights that have been staged in his hometown of Louisville.

Standing opposite of Dixon next Saturday night will be the hard-hitting Luis Ronaldo Castillo (22-5, 17 KOs), who has scored consecutive knockouts in his two most recent bouts. Castillo was victorious over the first 16 fights of his professional campaign, stopping 15 of those opponents inside of the distance.

Undefeated super bantamweight Ariel Lopez (13-0-1, 8 KOs) will also be back in action on this card, facing Jonathan Lecona Ramos. Originally from Puebla, Mexico, Lopez now lives and fights out of New York. This contest marks the sixth overall appearance on an Uprising Promotions show for Lopez, who most recently fought Victor Trejo Garcia this past October in Brooklyn.

Unbeaten Chicago bantamweight Shawn Simpson (11-0, 3 KOs) will make his first start of 2020 when he meets battle-tested Felipe Rivas, who is a veteran of 49 professional bouts. As an amateur boxer, Simpson was a three-time junior national Golden Gloves champion, four-time National PAL champion, two-time U.S. Championship silver medalist and 2012 Olympic alternate. He turned professional in 2015, with his second professional fight occurring on an Uprising Promotions card in Long Island City. Most recently, he defeated 47-bout veteran Samuel Gutierrez in Minneapolis last August.

Featherweight Angel Luna (12-6-1, 7 KOs) will look to pick up his second consecutive win when he takes on Louisville native Christopher Nelson. Luna has proven time and time again that he will take on all comers, with a resume that holds a seven bout stretch against opponents with a combined record of 85-7-2. The most notable win for Luna came over Jose Lopez, who was previously undefeated in 16 fights before the two met at Barclays Center in 2015. In that bout, Luna floored Lopez twice as he cruised to a six-round unanimous decision.

Recent Uprising Promotions signee Daniil Platonovschi will make his pro debut next Saturday night when he battles Raymond Locker in a four-frame featherweight scrap. A native of Tiraspol, Moldova, Platonovschi had a successful amateur career and now looks to test himself among the professional ranks.

Filling out the card will be a six-round lightweight encounter that pits Donte Strayhorn (10-3, 3 KOs) against Elliott Brown of Pennsylvania, as well as a four-frame welterweight affair that features Brooklyn native Raymond Wilburg (1-0, 1 KO) and Wendell McGee.

Reserved seating for this show is sold out. To purchase general admission tickets, fans are encouraged to purchase them online now to ensure that they have a seat for this event.

Uprising Promotions would like to thank The New Mexican Promotion and former WBO middleweight champion Peter Quillin for their contributions to this card. Stay tuned for further updates about the show as next Saturday approaches.

Keep it locked to UprisingPromotions.com and @UprisingNYC for all of the latest information from Uprising Promotions.

VERONA, N.Y. (Jan. 10, 2020) — Puerto Rican superstar Felix “El Diamante” Verdejo, inching closer to a lightweight world title shot, will see action on a special Top Rank on ESPN show Saturday, Jan. 18 from Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, N.Y.
 
In the 10-round co-feature to the light heavyweight main event featuring former world champion Eleider “Storm” Alvarez and Michael “Cannon Handz” Seals (ESPN and ESPN App (in Spanish), 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT), Verdejo will fight Manuel Rey Rojas, his first bout since linking up with new trainer Ismael Salas.
 
“This is a great opportunity for Felix Verdejo to show everyone that he is ready for a world title opportunity in 2020,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “He has a great new trainer and a chance to reclaim his position as one of the sport’s best young fighters.”
 
“I know a lot of fighters say this, but without a doubt, this has been the best training camp of my life,” Verdejo said. “I have really connected with Salas. I’m definitely more motivated than ever, and I’m coming to prove that I belong at the top of the lightweight division. I’m sure that all the sacrifices I’m making will pay dividends. I will be victorious on Jan. 18, and I promise that Puerto Rico will have another world champion very soon.”  
  
Verdejo (25-1, 16 KOs), at only 26 years old, is looking for a fresh start in 2020 with a new team. Once touted as the next Hall of Fame talent from Puerto Rico, a 2016 motorcycle accident and a 2018 TKO defeat to Antonio Lozada Jr. derailed the hype train. Verdejo has won two in a row since the Lozada loss, most recently outclassing Bryan Vasquez last April over 10 rounds. He officially joined forces with Salas in November and moved his training base to Las Vegas to find better sparring. Salas has trained a host of world champions in recent years, including Yuriorkis Gamboa, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Erislandy Lara and Jorge Linares. Rojas (18-3, 5 KOs) has won six in a row since a 2015 KO defeat.
  
In action on the ESPN+ undercard stream (7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT):

• Former junior lightweight world title challenger Christopher “Pitufo” Diaz (24-2, 16 KOs) will fight former junior featherweight world title challenger Adeilson “Dell” Dos Santos (19-7, 15 KOs) in an eight-rounder at featherweight. This is Diaz’s first fight since he lost a unanimous decision to Shakur Stevenson last April on the Terence Crawford-Amir Khan televised pay-per-view undercard.

  “In 2020, I’ll keep leaving it all in the ring,” Diaz said. “I know that I have what it takes to become a world champion. I promised my late father and my family that I will become a world champion, and deep down I can feel that I will accomplish my dream in 2020. My family and my fans give me all the motivation that I need to keep going. I will not rest until I accomplish my dream.”
   

• 2004 Puerto Rican Olympian Victor Bisbal (23-4, 17 KOs) will clash with 2004 U.S. Olympian Devin Vargas (21-6, 9 KOs) in an eight-round heavyweight battle.
   
• In his second bout since losing his world title, former IBF junior featherweight world champion Jonathan “Salomon King” Guzman (23-1, 22 KOs) will face Rodolfo Hernandez (30-8-1, 28 KOs) in an eight-rounder.
   
• Top Rank’s newly signed super featherweight contender Abraham “El Super” Nova (17-0, 13 KOs) will fight Pedro Navarrete (30-24-3, 19 KOs) in a bout scheduled for eight rounds at a 133-pound catchweight.
   
• Heavyweight phenom Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson (2-0, 2 KOs) will face Andrew Satterfield (5-3, 3 KOs) in a four-rounder. 

For more information, visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing;Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing andtwitter.com/ESPNRingside. IG: Instagram.com/ESPNRingside.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Groupe Yvon Michel, tickets priced at $89, $75, $69, $62, $59 and $40 are on sale now and can be purchased at the Turning Stone Resort Box Office, charge by phone by calling 800.771.7711 or online at Ticketmaster.
 
For more information, visit www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.
 
Use the hashtags #AlvarezSeals and #VerdejoRojas to join the conversation on social media.
 
About ESPN
ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment enterprise features more than 50 assets – nine U.S. television networks, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN International, ESPN The Magazine and more.  ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.
 
About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the leading direct-to-consumer sports streaming service from Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. Launched in April, 2018, ESPN+ has grown quickly to 3.5 million subscribers in 18 months, offering fans thousands of live events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, as well as premium editorial content.
 
Programming on ESPN+ includes exclusive UFC and Top Rank boxing events, thousands of college sports events (including football and basketball) from more than a dozen sports at 20 conferences, hundreds of MLB and NHL games, top domestic and international soccer (Serie A, MLS, FA Cup, Bundesliga – beginning in 2020, EFL Championship and Carabao Cup, Eredivisie), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, exclusive ESPN+ Original series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films. 
 
Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) through the ESPN App, (on mobile and connected devices), ESPN.com or ESPNplus.com.  It is also available as part of a bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, Hulu (ad-supported), and ESPN+ ­— all for just $12.99/month.
 
About Turning Stone Resort Casino 
Host of the January 18^th event, Turning Stone Resort Casino is a Forbes Four-Star Award-winning destination resort, which continues to distinguish itself as a premier venue for fight-of-the-year caliber boxing. Turning Stone features world-class amenities including The Lounge with Caesars Sports, its new sports book in partnership with Caesars Entertainment, four hotels, more than 20 signature dining options, two spas, a 125,000 square foot Las Vegas style gaming floor, multiple entertainment venues, five golf courses, and several bars and lounges offering live entertainment every weekend.  Additionally, Turning Stone and the International Boxing Hall of Fame announced a multifaceted partnership to spotlight boxing throughout the entire region. The program includes a series of boxing events at Turning Stone, culminating every year in June with an elaborate and bigger-than-ever International Boxing Hall of Fame Weekend celebration. International Boxing Hall of Fame Weekend will be held June 11-14, 2020.

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS. (Jan. 9, 2020): Jaime Munguia (34-0, 27 KOs) and Gary O’Sullivan (30-3, 21 KOs) hosted their final press conference today at The Alamodome ahead of their 12-round fight for the WBO International Middleweight Title. The event will take place Saturday, Jan. 11 at The Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas and will be streamed live on DAZN.

Below is what today’s participants had to say at the press conference:

JAIME MUNGUIA, Middleweight Contender:
“Thank you all for joining us. Thank you, Golden Boy, Zanfer, DAZN and my entire team. I want to tell you all I’m happy and motivated and at this new division. This is something new for me and my team. It is a great division with a lot of great fighters like Gary O’Sullivan. I’m excited for that’s because at 160 we will have big challenges, we will have big fights and we will deliver great fights to all the people.”

“I want to tell all that we had a great preparation. We prep at 100% keeping in mind that we want to give a great fight and a great show. And I want to tell you all to join us on this great fight.”

“God willing after this, we will look for world titles at 160 pounds for the people that follow me. Thank you.”

GARY ‘SPIKE’ O’SULLIVAN, Middleweight Contender:
“Thank you everyone at the Alamodome stadium. It is fantastic to be here again, I want to take thank Golden Boy, Murphy’s Boxing, Zanfer Boxing, Team Munguia, and everyone for being here today.”

“I look forward to coming here Saturday night. I’m not under no illusion that Jaime is a great fighter, but he should be under no illusion that I’ve prepared really hard for this fight. I made a lot of sacrifices. I recently bought my first home for my family, and I was looking forward to spending Christmas with my family at my new home, but I made a lot of sacrifices and I remained in training camp for the holidays.”

“Is nothing personal, I really like Jaime, he is a very good guy, very pleasant guy. I wish him good health and good luck in his life, but on Saturday night I’m coming for war, I’m coming to win. And I look forward to putting a great show.”

ERIK “EL TERRIBLE” MORALES, Hall of Famer and Trainer of Jaime Munguia:
“I’m convinced that Jaime Munguia at 160 pounds will be a great fighter. He has come to this fight after a great training with a lot of strength and speed. No doubt it would a good fight and I’m sure that Jaime has the energy and the strength to fight at the highest levels in a style that is pleasing to the fans because he has the talent and the heart. Jaime has grown a lot as a boxer. It’s going to be a big fight and I want to invite everyone to be part of this big night of boxing.”

PASCHAL ‘PACKY’ COLLINS, Trainer of Gary O’Sullivan:
“Hello everybody here in San Antonio. I want to thank Golden Boy, Oscar De La Hoya, Bernard Hopkins, Eric Gomez, DAZN, and the people from San Antonio for giving us the opportunity to be part of this event.”

“I’ve been managing Spike throughout his whole career and I know of what he’s capable of doing. This is the one fight we’ve been looking for; against Jaime Munguia. Spike literally moved to middleweight to try to get this fight.”

“No disrespect to Munguia. He’s a great fighter as many Mexican fighters. Munguia has had his world title for a couple of defenses now and Spike still doesn’t have that kind of title, that’s something that he has been training his whole life for. Spike is a hungry fighter, he is a hard-hitting fighter. Jaime is a young guy, he makes mistakes as a young fighter and we are going to capitalize on that. When the opportunity arrives, he will land his shots and we will find out then how great of a fighter Jaime is. I believe is Spike’s destiny to win Saturday night.”

FRANCHON CREWS-DEZURN, WBC & WBO Super Middleweight World Champion:
“Excuse my French, but you aren’t taking shit from me. I’m blessed to be in this position. I feel like Cinderella. Golden Boy gave me the opportunity to fight for a world title in 2018 and I was victorious, and as you can see my story keeps unraveling in front of you.”

“Boxing isn’t about weight lose and shout out to my opponent. That’s an amazing feat to lose that amount of weight to compete for her goals, but unfortunately, that road is going to stop here with me because I’ve had to fight my whole life. Before I got signed with Golden Boy, I was sleeping at a Casino just trying to get a meeting to get signed with Golden Boy.”

“After my opponent tried to bullet me at the WBC Cancun Convention by my blowing me a kiss and being disrespectful to my team, there is definitely some unfinished business that needs to be settled. I just want to make sure that when I step on the ring, I represent not only myself and my team, but I represent women’s boxing as it continues to grow.”

“I’m very blessed to be one of the new age pioneers of the sport and being able to be showcased in networks like DAZN. I have a great opening for you because I’m an entertainer. I know you see the shades, I know you see the glam, but when you take all of that away, you see a warrior, you see a woman that wakes up at 6 a.m. and doesn’t sleep until 11 p.m. to get the job done. I worked 3 jobs, competed on elite levels, took care of a sick mom for 12 years to go for my dream. So, this is nothing but a pitstop to being undisputed.”

ALEJANDRA JIMENEZ, Super Middleweight Contender:
“Good afternoon everybody, you don’t know what it means to me to be here with you all. Not only because of boxing but to demonstrate the world that everything that you set up your mind on, you can accomplish with hard work and commitment.”

“When I started as a fighter, they told me I couldn’t be a boxer because there were few opponents on the heavyweight division, however, I decided to initiate my professional career. And in my fifth fight, I became a world champion on that division by becoming the first Mexican female fighter to win a heavy world title. Today, 66 kilos less, I’m going to fight for a world title at super middleweight.”

“I’ve always wanted to come down from my division and fight the champion on the super middleweight division. I know Franchon is going to be a tough opponent. She’s the number 1 in her division, but after this fight, I’m going to be number 1.”

“Thank you, Oscar De La Hoya, Golden Boy, DAZN, my team, my family, Pepe Gomez, my trainer, my nutritionist for the support throughout this whole experience. Remember everything is possible if you really work hard for it. This Saturday, Mexico is going to take back a world champion and we’re always going to come back here and fight for those world titles on behalf of Mexico.”

HECTOR TANAJARA JR., USNBC Lightweight Champion:
“Thank you for coming out. I remember been in the same building since I started boxing. I’d like to thank Golden Boy and DAZN for letting me be part of this opportunity.”

“I’m excited to fight. I know this is going to be a tough opponent, but I’ll try to give it all for my family and fans.”

JOSHUA FRANCO, Flyweight Contender:
“Thank you, Golden Boy, for giving me the opportunity to put up a show in front of all my fans, supporters and my family. You don’t want to miss it; I’m feeling hungry. I’m feeling strong and it’s going to be an exciting fight for as long as it lasts.”

OSCAR DE LA HOYA, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy:
“It gives me great joy to be back here in this beautiful place and in this beautiful arena. This beautiful city brings back a lot of memories that over the years we have accumulated. We have been able to present to you some amazing fights that made us proud to put together. This is not an exception. Mexican star, Jaime Munguia, who is one of the best and top raising stars from Mexico. Then you have the Irish contender Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan who is a fighter that has no quit in him, a fighter who is a people’s champion. When you see this fighter fight, you will see why.”

“Golden Boy is kicking off the new year with a great night of actions. We are very proud to be putting this whole card together for well-educated Texas’ fans, who know their boxing, who know their fight game, and who expect the very best.”

“I’m very proud to be announcing that this fight here is promoted in association with Zanfer Promotions, and Murphy’s Boxing. Jaime Munguia is becoming one of the biggest fighters, not only in Mexico but in the world. He has a great record, he is jumping up to the middleweight division, which as you know you have the biggest star in boxing today, Canelo Alvarez. There is a lot of opportunity for the winners on Saturday night. The winner takes all, the winner not only takes the prize home of becoming the best that night, but the winner is going to take that prize and get in line to fight fighters like Canelo Alvarez, fighters like the Charlo twins. It is a very important night, not only for Texas boxing, not only for Golden Boy boxing, not only for the fighters but for their legacy. We strongly feel that when you put Mexico versus Ireland is going to be a war. We are thrilled that we can put this together for all you here in Texas.”

“We are proud to have a partner who will be streaming this fight live all over the world. The fighting destination in boxing is DAZN, where you can watch the best fights, the biggest stars like Canelo, like Joshua who just fought against Andy Ruiz. You can watch Jaime Munguia fight against Gary O’Sullivan only on DAZN. The great thing about DAZN is that you don’t have to pay the pay per view price tag. For a fraction of the cost, you can watch more than 100 fights a year on DAZN.”

BERNARD HOPKINS, Hall of Famer and Golden Boy Business Partner:
“It is a great place for boxing because of history. I’m excited not only for the main event, but also for the co-main event. We have two women who are representing boxing, which has been known for years, decades, as a man’s sport. We all agree that has changed.

“The co-main wants to be the undisputed. I know a little bit about being undisputed; it’s very beautiful for anybody that has been in that situation. To all the fighters, this is the best opportunity to start 2020. Make it a good one; people want to see you again.”

JUAN CARLOS TORRES, Zanfer Promotions:
“Happy New Year to everybody, I’m very excited about this fight. Thanks to Oscar De La Hoya, Eric Gomez, Golden Boy, Tecate and the people from San Antonio for all of their attention during all these years.”

“Both fighters, Munguia and Spike, are made to fight each other. Every time we see fighters that like each other and respect their fighting styles, we know there will be war. We know that Sullivan is a great fighter; a very focused and committed one.”

“Jaime always brings his 100% to the ring. We’re very proud of him. We hope to have the success Bernard had in this weight class. We have seen Jaime progress every time. His last fight was his first fight with Eric Morales as his trainer and he has definitely made some defensive adjustments for Jaime, but now almost a year after that fight, we are confident that Jaime is prepared and will be showing a lot of different skills particularly defensive skills.”

“For all the people that are going to be there, we hope that you can subscribe to DAZN because you don’t want to miss any fight. Good luck and happy to see you all there on Saturday.”

PEPE GOMEZ, CEO of Cancun Boxing:
“Thank you, Golden Boy, Oscar De La Hoya, Zanfer Promotions and DAZN. In Cancun Boxing we do not come to play boxing, in Cancun Boxing we come to get the world titles; the titles from the World Boxing Council who right now have the champion Franchon and take them to Cancun.”

Munguia vs. O’Sullivan is a 12-round fight for the WBO International Middleweight Title presented by Golden Boy in association with Zanfer Promotions and Murphy’s Boxing. The event is sponsored by Tecate “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING” and Hennessy “Never Stop. Never Settle.” The event will take place Saturday, Jan. 11 at The Alamodome in San Antonio, TX and will be streamed live exclusively on DAZN.

Tickets for Munguia vs. O’Sullivan are on sale and are priced at $25, $40, $65, $100, and $200, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges. Tickets can be purchased online at ticketsmaster.com and by phone at 1-800-745-3000. Tickets will also be available at The Alamodome box office, which is open Monday – Friday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm C.T. and Saturdays and Sundays when events are taking place at The Alamodome.

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

Photos and videos are available for download by clicking here or copying and pasting
the link: http://bit.ly/MunguiaOSullivan into a browser. Credit must be provided to Golden Boy for any photo and/or video usage.

Promoter Sampson Lewkowicz proudly announces he has signed Bangkok, Thailand, slugger Apinun Khongsong to a co-promotional contract, along with Jimmy Chaichotchuang of Kiat Kreerin Promotions.

23-year-old Khongsong (16-0, 13 KOs) is the mandatory challenger to WBA and IBF Super Lightweight World Champion Josh Taylor of Scotland. Khongsong became the IBF’s mandatory by scoring a fifth-round knockout over Akihiro Kondo this past February.

Co-promoter Chaichotchuang says he and Khongsong were in attendance for Taylor’s World Boxing Super Series unanimous decision victory over Ivan Baranchyk last May and the pair say they see holes in the Scotsman’s game.

“We are very confident,” said Chaichotchuang of Taylor. “We know we can beat him. My fighter is a very, very hard puncher and he will beat Josh. And when he does he will go on to become the ‘Pacquiao of Thailand.’”

Chaichotchuang says he’s happy to be working with his old partner Lewkowicz on the promising Thai’s career.

“I’ve known Sampson for almost 20 years and he’s a good man. I feel very good about this deal and for my fighter’s future.”

Lewkowicz, who says he will begin negotiations almost immediately for the Taylor vs. Khongsong match-up, says he’s also happy to have inked this co-promotional.

“I’ve known Jimmy for many years, and we’ve done a lot of good business together,” said Lewkowicz. “Jimmy is very loyal and honest and I’m very proud to be helping him represent the best fighter from Thailand in all of boxing. Khongsong is a very hard puncher and not many fighters will be able to take his punches, especially at 140 lbs.”

About Sampson Boxing

Sampson Boxing has promotional partners all over North and South America, Africa, Asia, New Zealand, Australia, Europe and Central America. Sampson Boxing events have been televised on such premiere networks as HBO, Showtime, ESPN, ESPN+, DAZN, VS., FOX, Fox Sports and several international networks. For more information, visit sampsonboxing.com.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (Jan. 9, 2020) — Jesse Hart and Joe Smith Jr. faced off two days before their highly anticipated 10-round light heavyweight showdown Saturday from Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena in Atlantic City (ESPN, 10 p.m. ET). Hart is attempting to gain a measure of revenge, as Smith knocked out his mentor and close friend Bernard Hopkins back in December 2016.

Hart (26-2, 21 KOs), who twice challenged for a super middleweight world title, will be making his second appearance at light heavyweight. Smith (24-3, 20 KOs) is making his second attempt at a world title, as he fell short in a spirited effort against WBA world champion Dmitry Bivol last March.

The ESPN co-feature, a 10-round battle of super middleweight unbeatens, will feature Terence Crawford stablemate Steven Nelson against Cem Kilic.

ESPN, 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT

Jesse Hart vs. Joe Smith Jr., 10 rounds, light heavyweight

Steven Nelson vs. Cem Kilic, 10 rounds, super middleweight

ESPN+, 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT

Joseph Adorno vs. Hector Garcia, 8 rounds, lightweight

Chris Thomas vs. Samir Barbosa, 6 rounds, super middleweight

Shinard Bunch vs. Dennis Okoth, 6 rounds, welterweight

Sonny Conto vs. Curtis Head, 4 rounds, heavyweight

Jeremy Adorno vs. Fernando Ibarra, 4 rounds, super bantamweight

Xander Zayas vs. Corey Champion, 4 rounds, welterweight

For more information, visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Star Boxing, tickets priced at $100, $60, $40 and $25 (not including applicable fees) are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting www.ticketmaster.com and www.hardrockhotelatlanticcity.com.

Unified 154-Pound World Championship

Claressa Shields – 153 ½ lbs.

Ivana Habazin – 152 ½ lbs.

Referee: Sparkle Lee; Judges: Debra Barnes (New Jersey), Lynne Carter (Pennsylvania), Robin Taylor (New York)

10-Rd Welterweight Bout

Jaron Ennis – 145 ¾ lbs.

Bakhtiyar Eyubov – 146 ¼ lbs.

Referee: Earl Brown; Judges: Jackie Atkins (New Jersey), Albert Bennett (New Jersey); James Kinney (New Jersey)

WBA and IBF Super Middleweight World Championship Unification

Alicia Napoleon Espinosa – 164 lbs.

Elin Cederroos – 166 ½ lbs.

Referee: Benjy Esteves; Judges: Mark Consentino (New Jersey), Lawrence Layton (New Jersey), John McKaie (New York)

FLASH QUOTES:

CLARESSA SHIELDS

“It wasn’t difficult [to make weight]. In Flint I was 154.0. Now I’m 153.4. I could go down to 147 if I wanted to. I don’t fight off emotion. That’s why I’m a champion. There are plenty of girls who have done way worse things than what she’s doing trying to throw me off my square. I don’t really think what she’s doing, or her new coach, is supposed to bother me.”

IVANA HABAZIN

“I’m taking this fight more seriously than before and I gave everything into training, and I’m ready. She can talk saying she’s going to knock me out. Whatever. She doesn’t have that power and she will not knock me out. I have good defense and I know I have power so I’m going to knock her out.”

JARON ENNIS

“Most definitely I view this as a coming out party. Tomorrow night you’re going to see me real sharp. Speed and great defense, and we’re going to make easy work tomorrow night.”

Atlantic City, NJ, January 9, 2020

JOE “THE BEAST” SMITH JR. (24-3 20KO’S) made his pro-debut in 2009 and spent much of his early years in boxing developing in the New York boxing scene, most notably at Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing praised “Rockin’ Fight” series at The Paramount. Fast forward to 2016 and the year of “THE BEAST” was truly upon us.

Starting in June of ’16, Smith Jr. traveled to Chicago, the hometown of then #2 world rated light heavyweight, ANDREZJ FONFARA. In a stunning upset, Smith Jr. unleashed a furious double-handed attack, delivering a perfectly placed right to the temple of the home-town 16-1 favorite, dropping Fonfara just 64-seconds into the fight. Fonfara wearily rose to his feet, but it wasn’t long until Smith Jr. resumed his onslaught, planting Fonfara on the canvas for good, at the 2:32 mark of the first round. Smith Jr. earned the WBC International Light Heavyweight Title as well as upset of the year honors.

With momentum on his side, Smith Jr. was hand-picked by boxing legend, BERNARD HOPKINS as the opponent for his farewell fight on HBO at The Forum in California. However, come fight night, Smith Jr. was the one bidding farewell, as he landed a devasting multi-punch combination in the eight-round, sending Hopkins clear out of the ring, and into retirement. Smith Jr. would be the first, and only, fighter to knockout the legend, Hopkins. With this TKO victory, Smith Jr. defended his WBC International light heavyweight title and became the #2 rated light heavyweight in the world.

Turning to 2017, Smith Jr. found himself going toe to toe with Cuban veteran, SULLIVAN BARRERA, back at The Forum on HBO. Once again showing his immense power, a one punch overhand right landed flush on the top of Barrera’s head, putting the Cuban on the floor. To the vet’s credit, Barrera would stand inside the 10-count and continue the fight. In the second-round, Smith Jr. would break his jaw, but incredibly continued to fight for the remaining eight-rounds of the bout. Smith Jr. would fall short by decision, but received praise for his insane toughness, and fortitude.

Finally recovered from his injury, Smith Jr. made his triumphant return to the ring at Mohegan Sun Arena in 2018, taking on tough southerner, MELVIN RUSSELL. Wasting no time returning to his power punching ways, Smith Jr. devoured the overmatched Russell by a devastating upper cut, causing referee Steve Willis to stop the action just 2:40 into the first round.

2019 saw Smith Jr. get his first crack at a world title against Russian technician, DMITRY BIVOL at Turning Stone Resort Casino for the WBA World Light Heavyweight Championship. Smith Jr. would take the champion the full 12-rounds, highlighted by a massive right hand that landed at the end of the tenth-round leaving Bivol on unsteady legs, however, without enough time left on the clock to capitalize. Smith Jr. would fall short by unanimous decision to Bivol in the championship fight.

With the start of 2020, Smith Jr. returns to familiar territory, fighting his way into world championship contention. The “Common Man” as he is affectionately known by his fellow union members, must first take on former two-time world title challenger, JESSE “HOLLYWOOD” HART (Philadelphia, PA 26-2 21KO’s) in a top light heavyweight battle. Hart, mentored by Bernard Hopkins, believes this is his chance to get revenge for the way Hopkins was defeated by Smith in 2016. Smith Jr. knows a spectacular victory over the likes of Hart, puts another world title challenge at arms-length. One thing is for sure, fireworks are bound to be set off, and a great main event lies ahead this Saturday night.

HartSmithJr is the talk of the boardwalk and boxing leading up to this Saturday’s fight night, that is sure to bring heat to the new year. Tickets are available now at ticketmaster.com. If you cannot be in attendence, tune in starting at 10PM ET on ESPN.

Use the hashtag #HartSmith to join the conversation on social media.

Las Vegas (January 9th, 2020)- Great News for Boxing fans and the Boxing industry with the announcement of the sixth annual Box Fan Expo, which will be returning to Las Vegas during Cinco De Mayo weekend. The hugely popular Boxing Expo will take place at the Cox Pavilion on Saturday May 2, 2020 from 10am to 5pm.

The Box Fan Expo is thrilled to open its doors to boxing fans from all over the world, as well to all major boxing companies, promoters and industry people during this Mexican holiday weekend. Traditionally a major fight will take place in Las Vegas on Cinco de Mayo Weekend.

Tickets to the Box Fan Expo are available online at:
https://bitly.com/BoxingExpo2020

Last year’s Box Fan Expo was another huge success. Over 3500 enthusiastic boxing fans from all over the globe had a chance to meet and greet some of their favorite fighters, including current and former world champions, top fighters of today, and many of the boxing celebrities such as Julio Cesar Chavez, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roy Jones Jr., Juan Manuel Marquez, Thomas Hearns, Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, Errol Spence Jr., Mikey Garcia, Shawn Porter, Abner Mares, James Toney, Floyd Mayweather Sr., Devin Haney, Claressa Shields, Jessie Vargas, Michael Spinks, Riddick Bowe, Vinny Paz, Anthony Dirrell, Demetrius Andrade, Tevin Farmer.

Those fighters plus more boxing celebrities took pictures, signed autographs for their fans who attended the Box Fan Expo

Fans also had an opportunity to purchase merchandise and memorabilia from fighters and companies.

The Box Fan Expo also played host to the 2nd annual “Box Fan Expo Invitational 2019”. This was an incredible amateur show which showcased several highly ranked and top USA amateur boxers who competed against the best in their division and more importantly in front of thousands of boxing fans that attended the Expo. Those invited to compete had a chance to get huge exposure and get noticed by top boxing companies as well as industry people that were present during the event.

HELPING A GREAT CAUSE
The Box Fan Expo Invitational amateur show had an opportunity to collaborate and help Center Ring Boxing Club. Center Ring Boxing is a non-profit organization that was established in 1994 in the Las Vegas area, with the Mission of facilitating programs for youth, ages 8 to 18 and their families. They promote and improve image of boxing as a sport and to provide positive interactions that facilitate educational, physical, mentoring programs which is a great positive influence and mental growth for those young kids looking to improve their self-esteem and personal lives.

For the 2nd straight year, the Invitational amateur competition was sponsored by Mayweather Promotions.

ABOUT BOX FAN EXPO
Box Fan Expo is the ultimate boxing fan experience event, which allows fans to meet-and-greet boxing superstars of today, current and former world champions, legends of the sport and other boxing celebrities. Fans can expect to experience various interactions such as autograph and photos sessions, FaceOff with your favorite boxers, pictures with the Ring Card Girls, Live DJ Music, chance to win prizes, purchase merchandise and memorabilia from different exhibitor’s booths, “ALL UNDER ONE ROOF”. You won’t want to miss this must-attend Expo!

Box Fan Expo has been a huge success with fans and boxing industry people. Many boxing stars have attended the last five Expos such as Floyd Mayweather, Mike Tyson, Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, Julio Cesar Chavez, Juan Manuel Marquez, Tommy Hearns, Roy Jones Jr, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Andre Ward, Mikey Garcia, Marcos Maidana, Devin Haney, David Benavidez, Errol Spence Jr, Sergio Martinez, Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia, Tim Bradley, Deontay Wilder, Amir Khan, Shawn Porter, Fernando Vargas, Abner Mares, James Toney, Jessie Vargas, Vinny Paz, Mia St.John, Leo Santa Cruz, Badou Jack, Terry Norris, Riddick Bowe, Earnie Shavers, Michael & Leon Spinks, Danny Jacobs, Claressa Shields, Teofimo Lopez, Brandon Rios, Jorge Linares and many more top boxing celebrities in attendance …

Exhibitors such as; boxing promoters, gear, apparel, equipment, energy drinks, supplement products, broadcasting media, sanctioning bodies, and other companies who wish to participate will once again have a chance to showcase their brand to fans and the whole boxing industry.

Throughout the next several months leading up to the Event, there will be updates on the many stars that will commit their appearance at the Boxing Expo. And for anyone in the Boxing industry or other Exhibitors (non-industry), who would like to reserve a booth or be involved as a sponsor, please contact Box Fan Expo at;

(Jan. 9, 2020) — The 2020 forecast is in, and “The Tartan Tornado” is coming to Top Rank and ESPN.

WBA/IBF junior welterweight world champion Josh Taylor, fresh off his tour de force in the World Boxing Super Series, has signed a multi-year promotional agreement with Top Rank. Taylor, from Edinburgh, Scotland, will make his Top Rank on ESPN debut in 2020 as he continues his quest to become the undisputed junior welterweight king.

“Josh Taylor is one of the world’s best fighters, and he is a fight fan’s fighter, a tough guy willing to fight anyone we put in front of him,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “Whether it’s Jose Ramirez in a fight for the undisputed junior welterweight title or any of the welterweights out there, he’s ready for the biggest challenges. I want to thank Josh’s advisors at MTK Global, who have the same goal as us, which is to make him an international star.”

“A new year, a new decade with lots of new beginnings, and I’m starting this new decade with a big bang,” Taylor said. “2019 was a huge year for me, but 2020 looks set to be even bigger and I’m delighted to have signed a deal with Top Rank and ESPN and an advisory contract with MTK Global. I believe I am with the best team to take my career to the next level. I couldn’t ask for a better partnership, and I know the future looks bright with this team lighting the way.”

Said Jamie Conlan, MTK Global’s Professional Development Coordinator: “Josh Taylor was the 2019 Fighter of the Year, winning the World Boxing Super Series in fantastic fashion with his win over Regis Prograis. Now linking up with Top Rank and MTK Global, his sights are solely set on unifying the division and becoming a global star.”

ESPN’s Max on Boxing will feature an exclusive Max Kellerman interview with Taylor this Friday, January 10 at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Taylor (16-0, 12 KOs), who turned pro in July 2015, soon established himself as one of Great Britain’s pugilistic prodigies, winning Commonwealth honors in October 2016 in only his seventh bout. In 2017, he knocked off fellow unbeaten prospect Ohara Davies via seventh-round stoppage and knocked out former world champion Miguel Vazquez in nine rounds.

In late 2018, following a decision win over former world champion Viktor Postol, he entered the World Boxing Super Series tournament. Taylor knocked out then-unbeaten Ryan Martin in the quarterfinals and scored a convincing decision over Ivan Baranchyk in the semifinals to win the IBF world title. Taylor authored his career-best win last October in the World Boxing Super Series championship, grinding out a majority decision over Prograis to unify titles and establish himself as a pound-for-pound player.