Reyes stops Garces; Silva batters Forero at “Night of Champions” in St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg, FL (October 11, 2018) – Welterweight Mark Reyes Jr. Captured the ABF Continental Americas title with a third round stoppage of Mexico’s Juan Garces Saturday, October 6.

“Night of Champions” was promoted by Fire Fist Boxing Promotions and the 11 bout card took place in front of a standing room only crowd at The Coliseum in St. Petersburg, FL.

The card was broadcast live on Fite.TV and featured ringside commentary from Fire Fist Boxing Promotions’ very own Connor “The Kid” Coyle.

With a large group of supporters on hand, Reyes got off to a fast start and buzzed Garces with a hard right cross in the opening stanza. The popular 22-year-old Tampa native had a clear speed advantage and was able to consistently beat Garces to the punch in the second, though Garces did land a few good shots.

At the beginning of round three, Reyes threw a body shot that accidentally landed on Garces’ inner thigh. Garces immediately crashed to the canvas and appeared to be in significant pain. After an extended delay, Graces couldn’t continue and Reyes was awarded a TKO victory.

“It was an accidental low blow but I hit him on the thigh,” Reyes said following the victory. “I hurt him to the body in the second and he tried to use this as an opportunity to quit because he didn’t want to fight.”

Reyes dedicated his victory to the Children’s Cancer Center of Tampa. Team Reyes raised funds for the Children’s Cancer Center by donating all proceeds from fight night merchandise sales.

Reyes is now 8-0 with 6 KO’s while Garces slips to 28-22 (18 KO’s).

Lightweight contender Willian “Babyface” Silva of Plant City, FL by way of Brazil became the ABF Continental Lightweight champion by dominating game Panamanian Jose Forero en-route to a 9th round stoppage. Silva displayed excellent boxing skills and was in complete control during the first eight rounds. In the 9th, Silva decked Forero hard and a follow up barrage forced the stoppage at 1:49.

Silva improves his professional ledger to 26-2 with 15 victories by KO. Forero is 13-8-1 (11 KO’s).

“I’m very pleased with the way Mark and Willian performed,” said Jody Caliguire of Fire Fist Boxing Promotions. “Mark was on his way to a stoppage victory and I truly believe his opponent was looking to pick up a disqualification win by adding some theatrics after being punched on the thigh. Willian put on an absolute clinic and is looking to get right back in with a top opponent in the very near future.”

Bantamweights Avril Mathie of Miami Beach, FL by way of Australia and Dallas, TX’s Samantha Salazar battled to a thrilling six round draw in a match up for the Women’s ABF Continental Americas 118 pound title. In what was without question the fight of the night, Mathie and Salazar fearlessly exchanged punches throughout the contest. After the final bell, both women were met with a round of applause.

Scores were 58-56 Mathie, 58-56 Salazar and 57-57.

Mathie is 2-0-1 with 2 KO’s and Salazar’s record is 5-5-1.

Junior middleweight Ozodbek Aripov of Fort Myers, FL earned a six round shutout victory over tough Miami, FL native Clifford Gray. Aripov, a physical fighter with a crowd friendly style, scored two knockdowns and never stopped moving forward.

All three judges scored the bout 60-52 for Aripov, who is now 4-0 (2 KO’s).

2016 Argentinean Olympian Alberto Palmetta, 9-1 (5 KO’s) stopped veteran Javier Garcia, 8-18-1 (3 KO’s), following the third third of a six round welterweight contest. The confident Palmetta displayed flashy skills and impressive ring generalship, pummeling Garcia from the opening bell.

Fire Fist Boxing Promotions returns to The Coliseum Saturday, February 16 and features the return of Connor Coyle. For more information and updates, please visit Firefistboxing.net, Facebook.com/firefistboxing or follow @Firefistboxing on Instagram.

OTHER RESULTS:

Super Flyweights: Crystal Hoy (6-8-4, 3 KO’s – Las Vegas, NV) TKO3 Noemi Bosques (11-12-3, 2 KO’s – St. Petersburg, FL)

Junior Welterweights: Joseph Fernandez (8-3-3, 1 KO – St. Petersburg, FL) UD6 Tobias Green (7-3, 2 KO’s – West Palm Beach, FL)

Heavyweights: Hector Hodge (2-3 – Miami, FL) DQ1 Jose Medina (4-1, 1 KO – Lake Wales, FL)

Welterweights: Ramon De La Paz (5-0, 2 KO’s – Tampa, FL) UD6 Larry Yanez (4-11-2 – Miami, FL)

Junior Lightweights: Antonio Moran (1-0, 1 KO – Tampa, FL) KO1 Benny Rodriguez Jr. (0-2, Miami, FL)

Light Heavyweights: Marcos Escudero (5-0, 4 KO’s – Buenos Aires, Argentina) TKO1 Brian Stevens (1-6, 1 KO – Marathon, FL)




HEATHER HARDY HEATED UP MENDEZ BOXING GYM AT AN OPEN MEDIA WORKOUT AS SHE PREPARES FOR HER WORLD TITLE SHOT AGAINST RIVAL SHELLY VINCENT


New York, NY (October 11, 2018) Featherweight contender Heather “The Heat” Hardy (21-0, 4 KOs), of Brooklyn, NY, held a media workout for the New York City press on Wednesday afternoon leading up to her highly anticipated 10-round rematch against rival Shelly “Shelito’s Way” Vincent (23-1, 1 KO), of Providence, RI, for the vacant WBO Women’s Featherweight World Title on Saturday, October 27.

Hardy vs. Vincent will open a sensational tripleheader televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT from the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden.

Below are Heather Hardy quotes from the media workout:

“Training for this fight has gone very well. I have never had so much time to prepare for a bout so it’s been a really fun, challenging camp.”

“There’s always a lot of hype going into a rematch, particularly when the first fight was so action-packed. I’ve transformed as a fighter in the past two years, grown out of a lot of bad habits and gotten much stronger after my crossover to mixed martial arts.”

“I’ve spent my entire career advocating for more opportunities for women in the sport, so to be given the opportunity to fight for a WBO world title at Madison Square Garden and on HBO is really a dream come true. It speaks volumes to how hard work, dedication and persistence pays off.”

“There’s been a significant growth in women’s boxing since 2016 when Claressa won her second gold medal at the Olympics. Outside of Lou DiBella who has always been an advocate for women in boxing, we’ve seen more promoters start to sign and showcase women and give them airtime on multiple platforms.”

“It’s hard to believe that it was 2012 before women were even allowed to box in the Olympics, so while its incredible to see the growth in the sport since then, we have to acknowledge that there’s still a long way to go. Women’s boxing is still in its infancy. Until the weight classes for women are expanded in the Olympics, with only three right now compared to 12 for men, the pay gap is closed. Until the airtime is distributed equally based on talent and not gender, we have to keep fighting. No freedom till we’re equal.”

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In a rematch of their epic 2016 “Fight of the Year”, Brooklyn’s Heather “The Heat” Hardy (21-0, 4 KOs) and Shelly “Shelito’s Way” Vincent (23-1, 1 KO) will clash once again on Saturday, October 27, at the Hulu Theater from Madison Square Garden. The scheduled 10-round bout, for the vacant WBO Women’s Featherweight World title, will open a sensational tripleheader televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Previously announced on the telecast, Daniel Jacobs (34-2, 29 KOs) and Sergiy Derevyanchenko (12-0, 10 KOs) will battle for the vacant IBF World Middleweight Title and Alberto Machado (20-0, 16 KOs) will defend his WBA Super Featherweight Title against Yuandale Evans (20-1, 14 KOs).

Tickets are on sale NOW from TicketMaster.com priced from $46, $66, $106, $206 and $356 (ringside). The Jacobs vs. Derevyanchenko event is promoted by Matchroom Boxing and DiBella Entertainment in association with Fight Promotions Inc., Golden Boy Promotions and Miguel Cotto Promotions

“Road to Jacobs/Derevyanchenko,” an invigorating special examining the highly anticipated 160-pound title showdown between Daniel Jacobs and Sergiy Derevyanchenko, debuts Saturday, Oct. 13 at 10:25 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.




Kenneth Sims, Jr. returns Saturday night against Andrew Rodgers in Gary, Indiana

CHICAGO, IL., (October 11, 2018) – Junior Welterweight Kenneth Sims, Jr. will be back in action this Saturday night when he takes on Andrew Rodgers in a six-round bout at The McBride Hall in Gary, Indiana.

Sims of nearby Chicago will be back in the ring for the first time since taking an eight-round split decision over previously undefeated Montana Love on July 20th in a bout that was nationally televised on ShoBox: The New Generation on SHOWTIME.

Sims (12-1-1, 4 KOs) has been working in Houston, Texas with some top-notch sparring partners, which will help him go forward in his career.

“My camp was great. It was a full camp with my strength and conditioning coach. I got great sparring with O’Shaquie Foster, Regis Prograis, and Taras Shelestyuk,” said Sims.

In Rodgers, Sims is taking on an unheralded opponent in what most a terming a “stay busy fight.”

“I really do not know much about him. I am taking this fight as it is close to home. I have been fighting in different places, so this is a good opportunity for my family and fans to see me fight.”

After being injured for the better part of the last year, Sims is looking to stay active at the end of the 2018 and into 2019.

“I hope to have another fight before the end of the year. It doesn’t matter if it another fight like this or something more significant. It all depends on the situation.”

Sims, who is promoted by GH3 Promotions can be followed on Twitter and Instagram at @KennethSimsJr




REGIS PROGRAIS HITS NEW ORLEANS FOR MEDIA WORKOUT AHEAD OF HIS WORLD BOXING SUPER SERIES DEBUT SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27, AT UNO LAKEFRONT ARENA


New Orleans, LA (October 11, 2018) New Orleans’ Favorite Son and #1 World Ranked Junior Welterweight Regis Prograis (22-0, 19 KOs), along with his renowned trainer Bobby Benton, took a break from their training camp in Houston to meet with the media in New Orleans on Wednesday, October 10. In addition to hosting a media roundtable, Prograis also went through a full workout at the New Orleans Boxing Club.

Prograis returns to the UNO Lakefront Arena on Saturday, October 27, in a 12-round showdown against former world champion Terry Flanagan (33-1, 13 KOs), of Manchester, United Kingdom, in the first round of the World Boxing Super Series Tournament, which will be broadcast by DAZN (DAZN.com) in the United States. Tickets, starting at $30, to this historic event can be purchased by clicking HERE. Doors on the night of the event will open at 6:00 p.m.

On July 14, Prograis made his triumphant fighting debut in his hometown of New Orleans with a
sensational eighth-round knockout victory against Juan Jose Velasco at the UNO Lakefront Arena to capture the WBC Diamond Super Lightweight title. Prograis is ranked the Number 1 Junior Welterweight in the World by ESPN and Ring Magazine. He is the #1 Seed in the World Boxing Super Series Tournament.

Below are Regis Prograis quotes from the media roundtable:

“It was very important to come back and fight here at home. I definitely want to keep pushing New Orleans as a great boxing town, not just for me but for all the local fighters.”

“Training camp has been very hard as you can see from my shiner.”

“For this fight, I started training about two weeks early. Right after my fight in New Orleans in July, I went to Moscow for the drawing of the World Boxing Super Series where I chose Terry Flanagan to fight me in the first round. He’s a former world champion and I wanted to fight the toughest among those available for me to choose.”

“After I came home from Moscow, I went with my family to Brazil for a month then went back to Los Angeles for two weeks of training. Now I’m in Houston for the hardest part of my training camp. It’s been a very busy time.”

“I wanted to pick the harder fight and that’s why I went with Flanagan. I wasn’t looking for an easy opponent.”

“My goal now is to be like a franchise in New Orleans, like the Pelicans or the Saints. I saw the reception that Drew Brees got after he broke the NFL career record for most passing yards. I would love for something like that to happen to me one day.”

“I was a little nervous when I fought at home in New Orleans for the first time in July, but I’ve experienced that already, so this time it will be all business with no nerves. This time it will be back to being more fun for me.”

“It’s great to be back here in New Orleans, people yelling at me while I was running this morning, it made me feel great.”




Andrey Fedosov battles Joey Dawejko this Saturday in Ekaterinburg, Russia


PHILADELPHIA, PENN / CHICAGO, ILL. (October 11, 2018)-This Saturday, 2015 Boxcino Heavyweight champion, Andrey Fedosov (30-3, 25 KOs) will take on tough Joey Dawejko in a 10-round bout in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

This will be Fedosov’s 2nd bout in the past four months after he defeated Francisco Mireles in the 1st round on June 30th in Phoenix, Arizona.

“I have been hearing that Joey has been talking a lot on social media that he was going to knock me out, but on Saturday, he will find out that he is barking up the wrong tree,” said Fedosov.

The 32 year-old Fedosov will return to his home country of Russia for the 1st time in 10 years when he steps into the ring at the Ekaterinburg Expo.

“I am very excited to be once-again fighting in Russia. It has been a while. I have a lot of family and friends who will be there and have not seen me fight in person for a long time, so I know that I can not fail them.”

With a win over the tough Dawejko, who was a former world amateur champion himself, Fedosov will once-again establish himself as one of the top heavyweights in the world, and will look for the biggest names in the division.

“I believe that I am one of the top heavyweights in the world right now. I just need that opportunity to fight one of the top guys to prove that I belong there. After this fight, I feel that I will get that opportunity.”

“This is a good step up for Andrey in his comeback, This is a big deal for him to be fighting in Russia on Match TV. After this fight, there will be big opportunities for Andrey,” said Matthew Rowland, Vice-President of Banner Promotions, who along with Hitz Boxing, co-promotes Fedosov.

“We look forward to seeing Andrey fight on Saturday,” Said Bobny Hitz, President of Hitz Boxing. “He is in there with a good opponent in Dawejko, who is battle tested, so when Andrey wins on Saturday, it will serve notice to the rest of the heavyweight division that he is a contender for big fights.”

“It’s a great fight for Andrey. Dawejko believes that he will win the fight. Andrey can’t wait to meet him in the center of the ring. It will be a real exciting fight,” said Fedosov’s manager, Andrew Zak.

The fight will be aired live in Russia on Match TV.

For regular updates on our fighters, events, and promotions, please check Banner Promotions Facebook Page , and follow us on Instagram and Twitter @BannerBoxing




CORCORAN PLANNING TO BE DOUBLE TROUBLE

GARY CORCORAN is planning to wreck gym-mates Johnny Garton and Bradley Skeete inside the next few months.

The former world title challenger attempts the first leg of the double when he challenges Garton for the vacant British welterweight title at the Brentwood Centre on Saturday October 20th.

Skeete relinquished the title allowing his iBox Gym mate, Garton (22-1-1) to challenge Wembley traveller Corcoran for the British title.

Corcoran (18-2) is annoyed that Skeete gave up the title and swerved him, adding: “There must be some reason why Bradley doesn’t want to fight me, but after Johnny I say, ‘Bring on Bradley’.

“I have chased Bradley for a long time and it has never happened, and if it doesn’t take place early next year we will never fight.

“I will not be overlooking Johnny who has done so well in his career, but his ambition is to be British champion. Mine is to be a world champion.

“We all know that Johnny is a come forward fighter, but if he tries boxing me I will box his head off. Whatever happens, I will hunt him down and beat him up.

“I am going to be too big and strong for Johnny. I am a level above Johnny and I will show it on the night.”

Corcoran, 27, is desperate to leave domestic level behind him once again and get back among the welterweight division’s elite.

His defeats came on points against Liam Williams more than two years and in a WBO world title challenge against Jeff Horn in Brisbane last December when he was stopped in 11 rounds.

Sandwiched between those setback was a win over highly ranked Nigerian Larry Ekundayo.

He added: “I know that on my day I can mix it with the best welterweights and apart from maybe Bradley, I am levels above most of these kids in Britain.

“I have lost to world class fighters. Johnny hasn’t fought anybody like that.

“Bradley fought one world class opponent, Kerman Lejarraga and got stopped in two rounds. I’ve boxed and beaten someone at a higher level than Bradley in Ekundayo.

“I want to get back on the world scene. If I am going to lose I am going to go out on my shield against world class fighters.

“I have had 20 fights to learn and have another 20 fights to earn before I retire.”

Anthony Yarde will be headlining the Brentwood Centre on October 20th when he faces Argentinian Walter Gabriel Sequeira. World title challenger Gary Corcoran and ‘The Pexican’ Johnny Garton will contest the vacant British welterweight title. Zak Chelli and Umar Sadiq will both be putting their young, undefeated records on the line in a super-middleweight contest. Heavyweight Nathan Gorman will also feature on the show televised live on BT Sport.

Tickets are priced at £40, £100, £150 and are available to purchase from Ticketmaster.




SADIQ: CHELLI COULD NEVER OUTBOX ME

UMAR SADIQ only affords his next opponent, Zak Chelli, a puncher’s chance when the two unbeaten super middleweights come together in what should be a fascinating match-up at the Brentwood Centre next Saturday (October 20).

Sadiq suspects a heavy punch is the only weapon of note in the Chelli armoury and dealing with a puncher is something he is well equipped to withstand.

“He is very explosive and a good challenge but I had 45 amateur fights and 36 of those were at elite level,” reasoned the 30-year-old with three professional fights under his belt.

“So I am used to going in there with guys who are national champions, county champions or champions from other countries – and many of them could whack.

“So the fact that he can whack doesn’t intimidate me, especially because I am sparring cruiserweights and light heavyweights on a regular basis. I also believe I am much better than him.

“Although on paper it looks a 50-50 fight and a dangerous one, in reality I think taking away his power, it is actually just another learning fight for me.”

While each boxer will bring a completely contrasting style of fighting into the ring, live on BT Sport, Sadiq believes the clash could well provide compelling viewing.

“I don’t know, it could be awkward, but they could also gel really well. He is a brawler and I am a boxer-puncher and it can end up gelling well. Archie Sharp and Lyon Woodstock gelled really well last weekend and Archie is a boxer-puncher, while Lyon in that fight was seemingly a brawler.

“Hopefully we will get another great fight for the fans on BT Sport.

“The truth is I rate him as a puncher and that’s where it stops,” added the Ilford man, who goes along with the thought process that Chelli will stalk him with the aim of knocking his block off.

“I believe so. I saw an interview where he was saying he can box long and all that, but he could never ever try to outbox me. That is a fact and he knows that, regardless of who he is trying to fool.

“His only hope is going to try and brawl – and I am ready for that.”

Anthony Yarde will be headlining the Brentwood Centre on October 20th when he faces Argentinian Walter Gabriel Sequeira. World title challenger Gary Corcoran and ‘The Pexican’ Johnny Garton will contest the vacant British welterweight title. Zak Chelli and Umar Sadiq will both be putting their young, undefeated records on the line in a super-middleweight contest. Heavyweight Nathan Gorman will also feature on the show televised live on BT Sport.

Tickets are priced at £40, £100, £150 and are available to purchase from Ticketmaster.




KAUTONDOKWA: I CAN SHOCK THE WORLD AGAINST ANDRADE

Walter Kautondokwa says he will shock the world and KO Demetrius Andrade when they clash at the TD Garden in Boston on October 20, live on DAZN.

Kautondokwa (17-0 16KOs) has replaced Billy Joe Saunders in the bout with the unbeaten former Super-Welterweight World ruler, and ‘The Executioner’ is full of belief that he can add to his formidable knockout record in Massachusetts having already been in camp.

The Namibian has only been the full distance once, on his September 2103 debut, and the 33 year old has blasted six foes away in the opening session and 14 of his opponents before the halfway point of their contests.

‘Boo Boo’ Andrade (25-0 16KOs) must reset his radar from training for the tricky southpaw Saunders to the big-hitting African, and Kautondokwa has inspiration close to home in his camp for his first World title fight.

Kautondokwa’s stable-mate Julius Indongo landed a World title clash at late notice and starched Eduard Troyanovsky inside a round in Russia to win the IBF Super-Lightweight crown to crash into the elite, going on to face Terence Crawford for all the titles at 140lbs – and #2-rated WBO Middleweight Kautondokwa believes he can make the same impact at 160lbs.

“This is a huge opportunity for me and one I will take with both hands,” said Kautondokwa. “I’ve been in the gym and I am 100 per cent ready to get to Boston and add Demetrius to my KO record.

“I’ve earned my spot as the number two challenger in the division and I fear no man – Demetrius is a great fighter, but I know that I can KO any 160lber in the world, and that includes Andrade.

“He’s been preparing for Billy Joe, who is a technical guy that doesn’t have power – I am going to be a nightmare for him next Saturday night and I am ready to become a major player in the Middleweight division.”

Kautondokwa’s clash with Andrade is part of a huge bill in Boston with three World title bouts on the slate.

Philadelphia’s Tevin Farmer makes the first defence of his IBF World Super-Featherweight title against hard-hitting Belfast man James Tennyson and Irish sensation Katie Taylor puts her WBA and IBF World Lightweight straps on the line against Cindy Serrano.

Rhode Island’s Toka Kahn Cleary faces England’s Kid Galahad in a final eliminator for the IBF World Featherweight title, England’s all-action Tommy Coyle meets Quincy, Mass.’s Ryan Kielczweski over ten rounds, England’s Freddie Roach trained former World ruler Scott Quigg returns on the bill and Kazakhstan’s Olympic gold medal hero Daniyar Yeleussinov tastes action for the fourth time in the paid ranks.

Local favorite Mark DeLuca (Whitman, Mass.) is gunning for revenge when he meets Walter Wright in a rematch of their keenly fought clash in June that Wright edged via split decision, while there’s more Irish interest in Gorey Heavyweight Niall Kennedy and Tennyson’s fellow Belfast man Sean McComb.

Tickets for October 20 are on sale now from www.TDGarden.com




Media Workout: Terence Crawford Readies for Homecoming Bout Against Jose Benavidez Jr.


OMAHA, Neb. (Oct. 10, 2018) — Terence Crawford is excited to be back in Omaha, his beloved hometown and the site of many of his greatest fistic moments. The man nicknamed “Bud” will defend his WBO welterweight world title Saturday evening against Jose Benavidez Jr. at the CHI Health Center Omaha (formerly the CenturyLink Center), live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET. His four CHI Health Center outings have drawn nearly 45,000 fans, and another packed house is expected.

The long-simmering animosity between Crawford and Benavidez spilled over into Wednesday’s media day, with the pair and their respective teams exchanging verbal haymakers.

The ESPN broadcast will also include 2016 U.S. Olympic silver medalist and top featherweight prospect Shakur Stevenson (8-0, 4 KOs) in a 10-rounder against the battle-tested Viorel Simion (21-2, 9 KOs).

The action begins on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET and features female boxing sensation Mikaela Mayer (7-0, 4 KOs) versus Vanessa Bradford (4-0-2, 0 KOs) for the vacant NABF super featherweight title, former 140-pound world champion Mike Alvarado (39-4, 27 KOs) against Robbie Cannon (16-13-3, 7 KOs), Omaha-born light heavyweight prospect Steve Nelson (11-0, 9 KOs) taking on Oscar Riojas (17-10-1, 6 KOs), and Carlos Adames (14-0, 11 KOs) battling Joshua Conley (14-2-1, 9 KOs) for the vacant NABF super welterweight title.

Terence “Bud” Crawford

On the beef between him and Benavidez

“It’s been real since day one, since the fight has been announced. It ain’t been nothing but real.”

“I’m just going to go out there and shut him up. That’s it. That’s all.”

On whether Benavidez deserves the title shot

“No. Not at all. But that ain’t the point. The point is we’re here now, and we’re fighting on Saturday. Come Saturday, all the talking will be out the window.”

On people asking about future opponents and not Benavidez

“I’m just gonna keep doing what I’ve been doing, and that’s winning the fights and looking spectacular each and every fight. Everything else will fall into place.”

“It’s part of the game, but I’m not worried about that. They do their thing, and I’ll do mine on Saturday.”

“Once he feels them punches going upside his head, I don’t even know if he’s going to want to stand there next to me.”

Jose Benavidez Jr.

“It’s time to show the world what I can do. I’ve been waiting for this my whole life.”

“I am here. I am going to take over this city, and I am going to take his belt. I’m not scared.”

“I don’t see anything special in him. I don’t know why everyone hypes him up so much.”

Shakur Stevenson

On whether it’s a challenge to fight a late-notice opponent in Simion

“Honestly, no, because I come from the amateurs where I went into tournaments and didn’t know who I was fighting. I was fighting randoms, never seen them fight before, and then I get in the ring. I saw them across the ring, and I won. I don’t think it made a difference.”

On Simion as a fighter

“This is my toughest opponent as a pro. I never fought an opponent with this type of record. I’m coming here, as always, to put on a show.”

On fighting as ESPN co-feature

“I love fighting on ESPN. I love the fact that I get to fight on Bud’s undercard, and he’s the main event and I’m the co-main event. I’m ready to open the show.”

Mikaela Mayer

On moving down to 130 pounds

“I’m a lot stronger than ever while fighting at a lower weight. I’m coming into my own as an athlete.”

On adjusting to the pro game

“From my first fight to now, I see such a huge difference. There’s such a big difference between the amateurs and the pros. For each opponent, my team and I look at what they do best and how we can counter it.”

“I don’t feel any added pressure because this is what I wanted. I’m going to go in there and get the job done.”

Mike Alvarado

On returning after less than four months removed from his last fight

“Fighting {in Nebraska} the last time in 2017, I had a good knockout. I’m ready to do it again. From that point until now, I got a new trainer. I’ve been doing new things in training. For me to apply what I’ve been working on, I didn’t really have a chance before the last fight. It’s good. I needed some rounds. I had some inactivity.”

On fighting in front a raucous crowd Omaha

“It gives you more motivation, and I like the intensity. I’m happy to be on this stage again.”

Carlos Adames

“I am 100 percent recovered from my foot injury and ready to show the fans that I am the future of the 154-pound division. It’s a big honor to fight on this card, and I want to give the fans in Omaha and watching on ESPN+ an incredible show.”

“Conley is a tough guy, but I am 100 percent prepared. I feel comfortable at 154 pounds. My power is going to be too much for him.”

Crawford-Benavidez and Stevenson-Simion will air live and exclusively on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 10:30 p.m. ET with undercards streaming live in the United States at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+ — the new multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment in conjunction with ESPN.

Remaining tickets to this world championship event, priced at $178, $103, $63, and $38, not including applicable fees, can be purchased at the CHI Health Center Omaha box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 800-745-3000, or online at ticketmaster.com.

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




Cassius Chaney Re-Signs with Main Events Fights Again on November 3


(Baltimore, Maryland) – Undefeated heavyweight prospect Cassius Chaney has re-upped with his long-time promoter Main Events. Now 13-0 with 7 KOs, Chaney signed with the Totowa, New Jersey-based promoter before making his pro debut on April 17, 2015. His next bout, the first under his new promotional contract, will be streamed live as part of the November 3 edition of the Golden Boy Fight Night series on Facebook from The Aviator in Brooklyn, which will be headlined by Sullivan Barrera versus “Irish” Seanie Monaghan.

Chaney has scored two early stoppages in his last fights since returning to his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland to train with Kevin Cunningham: a first round TKO on June 30, and a second round knockout before that on March 3.

Will the 31-year-old heavyweight do it again in his next bout on Saturday, November 3 at the Aviation Sports & Events Center in Brooklyn, New York? Let’s just say it’s a good idea to be in your seat at the opening bell and stay there.

Chaney (13-0, 7 KOs) says training at home in Baltimore makes all the difference. “I’m not training for the knockout, really. I’m just in a better, more comfortable situation, where I’m training and learning for me. It’s just happens my punches are stinging guys early. There’s a difference when you’re training and you know ‘if it goes long, I’m good,’ or ‘if it ends early, that’s good.'”

Chaney still lives in Connecticut, and begins his training with strength and conditioning work there. But he spends a month in Baltimore to train with Cunningham, staying with his mother and easing into a healthy routine. “Like anything, when you’re back home not worrying about too many things, training comes easier. The benefits of being back with my mom, eating her food, the gym isn’t that far. I don’t know too many people, I train, and I go back home,” explains Cassius.

Cassius says training at home also helps him relax, and he can just step on the gas in the ring. It also loosens him up, in a good way. “I’m starting to understand it’s OK to have fun in there as well. Before, I had to go in and come out with a win, find a way to win. I was so uptight. Now because of the training, the environment, and now my new contract, I know what to do and not to do. I’m more relaxed and I’m getting better. I’ll be in shape and I’m always mentally going to be there,” said Chaney.

Although he loves training in Baltimore, Chaney appreciates his incredible fan base and support in Connecticut. “I get a lot of support and I’m very appreciative of it. It feels great.” Chaney is sponsored by several local restaurants and is a proud alumni of Old Saybrook High School and the University of New Haven, where he played NCAA basketball on a scholarship before pursuing a career in the ring.

Chaney says he’s always learning something new, just as he did when he was earning his college degree. “When I look at getting in the ring, there is something about me – I figure things out, even when I don’t have the right resources. Who knows, my ceiling could be so high. I’m still maturing as an athlete, as a person. When I look at the (heavyweight) division, it’s all about making the right fights that will help you improve your confidence. I’m in a great division and I’m only going to get better.”

Chaney is looking forward to adding his name to boxing history in the heavyweight division. “I’m excited to go. Main Events has given me the opportunity to appear in different venues in different places. I’m thankful. I’ll be ready to go, and put on a show.”

Main Events CEO Kathy Duva said of Chaney, “Cassius has so much potential. It was a pleasure to work with him from his pro debut to get him to this point in his career and now, with his re-signing, to be able to take him to the next level. The heavyweight division better be ready for him!”

About Barrera-Monaghan: The Saturday, November 3 card, headlined by Sullivan Barrera versus “Irish” Seanie Monaghan as part of the Golden Boy Fight Night series on Facebook, will take place at The Aviator Sports & Events Center in Brooklyn, NY. The event is promoted by Main Events. The action will be streamed live globally on Facebook Watch via the Golden Boy Fight Night Page beginning at 6:00 p.m. PT/9:00 p.m. ET.

Tickets, priced from $125 to $50 are on sale and available through Eventbrite or by calling or emailing Main Events: 973-200-7050; boxing@mainevents.com.

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UFC® RETURNS TO TORONTO WITH PAIR OF BLOCKBUSTER WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHTS

Toronto, Canada – UFC® hits Toronto with a pair of thrilling world title fights, headlined by featherweight champion Max Holloway going for his second defense against undefeated No.1 contender Brian Ortega. Also, in a bout for the vacant women’s flyweight championship, former strawweight titleholder Joanna Jedrzejczyk battles No.1-ranked contender Valentina Shevchenko. UFC® 231: HOLLOWAY vs. ORTEGA takes place Saturday, Dec. 8 from Scotiabank Arena and will air live on Pay-Per-View.

Currently riding one of the most impressive win streaks in UFC history, Holloway (19-3, fighting out of Waianae, Hawaii) secured his first successful title defense with a spectacular TKO win over former titleholder Jose Aldo in December. During his run, he’s earned victories against former lightweight champ Anthony Pettis, Ricardo Lamas, Jeremy Stephens and Cub Swanson. Holloway aims to continue his dominant ways by dispatching an undefeated title threat.

Ortega (14-0 1NC, fighting out of Los Angeles, Calif.) has been on a tear since joining the UFC in 2014. In his last three outings, he’s taken home four Fight Night bonuses, and in March, he became the first fighter to finish former lightweight champ Frankie Edgar. Known for his incredible grappling and evolving striking, he’s also finished Cub Swanson, Renato Moicano, Clay Guida and Thiago Tavares. With a UFC title in his sights, Ortega plans to hand Holloway his first loss in more than five years.

In the co-main event, former kickboxing rivals throw down for UFC gold.

The most dominant strawweight champ in UFC history, Jedrzejczyk (15-2, fighting out of Olsztyn, Poland) focuses her attention on the burgeoning 125-pound division. An aggressive and devastating Muay Thai striker, she’s delivered crowd-pleasing victories against Tecia Torres, Jessica Andrade, Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Claudia Gadelha (twice). She’s now on the cusp of becoming the first female two-division champion in UFC history.

A former bantamweight title challenger, Shevchenko (15-3, fighting out of Lima, Peru by way of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan) put the flyweight division on notice with a vicious submission win over Priscila Cachoeira in February. The 17-time world Muay Thai champion also holds spectacular victories against former women’s bantamweight champ Holly Holm, Julianna Pena and Sarah Kaufman. She now looks to make good on her second UFC championship opportunity.

Additional bouts on the card include:

No.5-ranked light heavyweight contender Jimi Manuwa (17-4, fighting out of London, England)battles fellow KO artist Thiago Santos (19-6, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Strawweight contenders collide when No.3-ranked Claudia Gadelha (16-3, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) takes on No.11 Nina Ansaroff (9-5, fighting out of Weston, Fla., USA)
No.13-ranked Elias Theodorou (16-2, fighting out of Toronto, Canada) battles hard-hitting Eryk Anders (11-2, fighting out of Birmingham, Ala., USA)
In an exciting lightweight bout, Olivier Aubin-Mercier (12-3, fighting out of Montreal, Canada) meets Gilbert Burns (14-3, fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla., USA by way of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER: UNDEFEATED® winner Brad Katona (8-0, fighting out of Winnipeg, Canada) locks horns with Matthew Lopez (10-4, fighting out of Denver, Colo., USA)
Chad Laprise (14-3, fighting out of Chatham, Ont., Canada) faces Dhiego Lima (14-7, fighting out of Atlanta, Ga., USA) in a clash of welterweight strikers
John Makdessi (16-6, fighting out of Montreal, Canada) goes for his third straight victory when he takes on Diego Ferreira (13-2, fighting out of Pharr, Texas, USA by way of Amazonas, Brazil)
Hakeem Dawodu (8-1-1, fighting out of Calgary, Canada) aims to keeps momentum rolling against gritty Kyle Bochniak (8-3, fighting out of Boston, Mass., USA)
Devin Clark (9-2, fighting out of Sioux Falls, S.D., USA) looks to turn back surging Aleksandar Rakic (9-1, fighting out of Vienna, Austria)

For the latest information on additional bouts for this event, please visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change. Holloway is currently pending medical examination by the Ontario Athletics Commission.

Visit the UFC® Press Portal for information and content to support your UFC coverage. Please click here to apply for the event.

UFC® 231: HOLLOWAY vs. ORTEGA will air live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Saturday, Dec. 8, with the prelims kicking off the evening on FS1 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 6:15 p.m. ET/3:15 p.m. PT. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. ET/2:15 p.m. PT.

Tickets for UFC® 231: HOLLOWAY vs. ORTEGA go on sale Friday, Oct. 12 at 10 a.m. ET and are priced at $378.50, $288.50, $193.50, $153.50, $133.50, $98.50, $83.50 CAD (does not include fees). Tickets are available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.ca. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.

UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets Wednesday, Oct. 10 at 10 a.m. ET via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, Oct. 11 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

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About UFC®

UFC® is a premium global sports brand and the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world. Celebrating its 25th Anniversary in 2018, UFC boasts more than 284 million fans worldwide and has produced over 440 events in 22 countries since its inception in 1993. Acquired in 2016 by global sports, entertainment and fashion leader Endeavor (formerly WME | IMG), together with strategic partners Silver Lake Partners and KKR, UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas with a network of employees around the world. UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell-out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe, while programming is broadcast in over 160 countries and territories to 1.1 billion TV households worldwide in 40 different languages. UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service, delivers exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content to fans around the world. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram: @UFC.

About Scotiabank Arena

Scotiabank Arena is Canada’s premier sports and entertainment venue and home to the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs, NBA’s Toronto Raptors and the NLL’s Toronto Rock. Owned and operated by MLSE, Scotiabank Arena opened its doors in February 1999 and has been recognized with more than 40 industry awards highlighting the venue’s security, accessibility, fan service, environmental commitment, sales and box office service. It has also hosted over 39 million fans at over 2,600 events including multiple NHL and NBA playoff runs, the 2016 NHL World Cup of Hockey, 2016 NBA All-Star Weekend, 2015 IIHF World U20 Championship, 2003 Liberal Party Convention and 2000 NHL All-Star Game. Scotiabank Arena’s external space has also become a Toronto entertainment destination with the installation of the Leafs Legends Row, bronzed statues honouring the hockey club’s greatest players, the gathering of thousands of Raptors fans in ‘Jurassic Park’ for each of the team’s post season games and other significant international events.




Rising Star Promotions signs Flyweight Miguel Cartagena


Atlantic City, NJ (October 10, 2018) – Rising Star Promotions is pleased to announce the signing of Flyweight contender Miguel Cartagena.

Cartagena of Philadelphia has a record of 15-5-1 with six knockouts.

After a stellar amateur, Cartagena turned professional in 2011, and won his first 12 bouts with signature victories over Angel Carvajal (2-0) and Miguel Robles (12-3-2). Cartagena also has an impressive 1st round knockout over Jobert Alvarez (15-1-1).

Cartagena won the IBO International Super Bantamweight championship with a win over Javier Franco.

Cartagena has also fought current undefeated bantamweight world champion Emmanuel Rodriguez as well as former two-division world champion Brian Viloria.

“We are very happy to have signed Miguel Cartagena,” said Rising Star Promotions President, Debbie LaManna.

“He is a terrific boxer who at still age 26, his best fights are ahead of him. We look forward to having him fight on our shows, and eventually a world championship.”

“I am excited for the opportunity to sign with Thomas LaManna and his promotional company. I feel confident because it is someone I can trust,” said Cartagena

“My biggest downfall has been inactivity. I would win a fight, and look great, and then be off for like eight months. So signing with Rising Star will keep me active. If everything goes as planned, I see myself back in the big fights within the next year. I can see myself fighting any and all of the significant fighters in the flyweight or light flyweight divisions

“Look for me back on November 16th”




ZAK CHELLI: “LET ME BE YOUR NUMBER ONE, FRANK!”

ZAK CHELLI SAYS it was his desire to be considered Frank Warren’s super middleweight priority that prompted his wish to take on fellow prospect Umar Sadiq at the Brentwood Centre on October 20.

The pair get it on in a battle of the unbeatens, live on BT Sport, on a card headed by Anthony Yarde taking on Walter Gabriel Sequeira, while Gary Corcoran and Johnny Garton compete for the vacant British welterweight title.

Chelli, just 20, is a young man on a mission and in no mood to take the slow lane towards major title contention. Just four fights in, he is ready to take on a 6ft 3″ stylist who is ten years his senior. Not only that, he asked for the fight as soon as he got wind of a divisional rival from Ilford.

“Basically, I’ve always wanted to step up and I’ve actually wanted to fight him from when I first heard about him,” revealed the Fulham banger. “I knew Frank Warren had another super middleweight and I wanted to be the only one in the category when I started off.

“I thought he was taking my fights!

“I called the matchmaker and said I was crying out to prove I am better than him, but he said it was too early and he was not ready for this fight, bla, bla.

“Then, a couple of months later, I got the call to say he wants to fight and I was like ‘ok, I accept it’.

“So hopefully after this fight I will be the priority and the only super middleweight Frank Warren has.”

Chelli added that the age difference doesn’t matter in this fight because, as far as he is concerned, age doesn’t equate to experience for Sadiq, who he believes still retains amateur habits.

“I was surprised to find he is 30 years old and just starting his career now. I think his prime was when he was in the amateurs, so maybe he has got a bit worse now.

“Style-wise he is pretty basic and very amateur – tall, long, flicks the jab in and out, nothing special…

“I’ve sparred many amateurs and I know how to go under a jab and duck a lot, so I know what to do.”

Anthony Yarde will be headlining the Brentwood Centre on October 20th when he faces Argentinian Walter Gabriel Sequeira. World title challenger Gary Corcoran and ‘The Pexican’ Johnny Garton will contest the vacant British welterweight title. Zak Chelli and Umar Sadiq will both be putting their young, undefeated records on the line in a super-middleweight contest. Heavyweight Nathan Gorman will also feature on the show televised live on BT Sport.

Tickets are priced at £40, £100, £150 and are available to purchase from Ticketmaster.




Camp Life W/Terence Crawford Premieres TODAY on ESPN+


(Oct. 9, 2018) — As Terence “Bud” Crawford readies to defend his WBO welterweight world title this Saturday, Oct. 13 against Jose Benavidez Jr. at the CHI Health Center Omaha (ESPN, 10:30 p.m. ET), the latest four-part edition of “Camp Life” will take fans behind the curtain of the pound-for-pound kingpin.

A new episode will be posted daily starting Tuesday, Oct. 9 through Friday, Oct 12 on ESPN+ — the new multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment in conjunction with ESPN.

Each episode will feature ESPN boxing analyst Mark Kriegel discussing a wide array of topics with Crawford and his trainer/manager, Brian McIntyre.

Episode 1 (Tuesday): “Defending The Belt”

Crawford and McIntyre discuss the fight with Benavidez, the simmering animosity between Crawford and Benavidez, and what Crawford needs to do to win.

Episode 2 (Wednesday): “Switch Stance Bud”

Crawford and McIntyre break down Crawford’s unique fighting style, especially how he alternates between fighting orthodox and southpaw.

Episode 3 (Thursday): “Game of Rivals”

Crawford and McIntyre analyze the strengths and weaknesses of four of his rivals in the welterweight division: Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter, Errol Spence Jr., and Danny Garcia.

Episode 4 (Friday): “Long Road”

Crawford and McIntyre discuss Crawford’s early years in boxing, meeting coach Carl Washington, and discovering his talent at a young age.

About ESPN+

ESPN+, which surpassed one million paying subscribers in just five months, is the premium multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. It offers fans thousands of additional live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, along with premium editorial content.

Programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of MLB and NHL games, thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and multiple other sports), domestic and international soccer (Serie A, MLS, FA Cup, UEFA Nations League, EFL Championship, EFL Carabao Cup, Eredivisie and more), exclusive Top Rank boxing, UFC (beginning in 2019), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, new and exclusive documentary films and series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and cancel at any time.

ESPN+ is an integrated part of the ESPN App, the leading sports app and the premier all-in-one digital sports platform for fans. The ESPN App is a showcase of the company’s culture of innovation, delivering a rich, personalized experience that curates all of ESPN’s content around each fan’s individual tastes. ESPN+ is also available through ESPN.co




Danny Roman Eyes Unification Fight for 2019


ORANGE, Calif. (Oct. 9, 2018) – After three successful world title defenses on the year, WBA champion Danny Roman (26-2-1, 10 KOs) is entitled to a well deserved break. The Los Angeles native, however, was already thinking unification after his tenth round stoppage of Gavin McDonnell on Saturday night.

“It has been my intention to unify ever since I became world champion last year in September,” said Roman after his win against fellow 122-pounder McDonnell. “I don’t care who steps up to the challenge. I’ll fight any of them.”

Roman, 28, is at the peak of his physical prime, and smartly, wishes to capitalize on the momentum he’s built since entering the world champion ranks when he stoped Shun Kubo in the ninth in his home country of Japan. Successful title defenses followed in February against Ryo Matsumoto in Japan, and Moises Flores in June outside of Dallas, Tex.

His scrap against McDonnell on Saturday from Chicago capped off a banner year for the “Baby Face Assassin.”

“He’s going to get some rest and start fresh early next year,” said Alex Camponovo, matchmaker and general manager of Thompson Boxing. “Obviously there is a lot of work to do on his next fight. We are looking at the other champions in the division and possibly bringing Danny back home to fight in his hometown of Los Angeles.”

Roman is in the first year of a multi-fight agreement with streaming outfit DAZN USA and new partner Matchroom Boxing.

For more information, please visit ThompsonBoxing.com.

For regular updates on our fighters, events, and promotions, please check our Facebook Page, watch our YouTube channel on Thompson Boxing TV, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter @ThompsonBoxing.




2012 U.S. OLYMPIC ALTERNATE EROS CORREA RETURNS TO THE RING THIS SATURDAY IN SALINAS, CA

SAN JOSE, CA (October 9, 2018) – 2012 U.S. Olympic alternate and bantamweight prospect, Eros Correa (1-0, 1 KO), who is managed by Cali Boxing Management, makes his return to the ring this Saturday, October 13, 2018, in Salinas, CA, at the Storm House on a Thompson Boxing card headlined by featherweight prospect Ruben Villa (13-0, 5 KOs).

Correa, a highly decorated amateur who made the U.S. Olympic team as an alternate in 2012, is eager to get his professional career going. The Cali Boxing fighter is ready to make noise in the professional realm of boxing.

“I have waited a long time to get back in the ring,” said Eros Correa. “I’ve had a lot of obstacles to overcome in my career, but that will make for a better story once I am a world champion. Now that I have a great management team behind me that can help guide me to a world title shot, I can focus on training full time. Winning world title has been my dream since I first started boxing. I’m ready to take my career to the next level and it starts this Saturday.”

“We are excited to add Eros to our growing portfolio of elite fighters,” says Andrew Bocanegra and Jessie Sanchez of Cali Boxing Management. “Eros has the talent to go far in boxing and we are happy he is part of our team.”

The Salinas Storm House is located at 185 Maryal Drive in Salinas, CA 93907.

Doors open at 4:30 p.m. local time with the first bout at approximately 6 p.m.

All fights will be live streamed on TB Presents: New Blood via their Facebook page, YouTube channel, and ThompsonBoxing.com.

The livestream starts at 6:00 p.m. PT / 9:00 p.m. ET with Beto Duran as the blow-by-blow announcer and Steve Kim providing expert, color commentary.

“New Blood” is presented by Thompson Boxing Promotions and Banner Promotions and sponsored by Everlast.

For more information, please visit ThompsonBoxing.com. To follow the conversation on social media, please use #NewBlood #TBPresents, and #ThompsonBoxing.




MIDDLEWEIGHT CONTENDER STEVE ROLLS SIGNS MULTI-YEAR EXTENSION WITH DIBELLA ENTERTAINMENT

New York, NY (October 9, 2018) Undefeated middleweight contender Steve “Mister” Rolls (18-0, 10 KOs), of Toronto, Canada, has signed a multi-year extension to his promotional agreement with DiBella Entertainment (DBE), it was announced today.

Rolls is currently rated in the top-15 by the International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Council. Since originally singing with DBE in 2015, Rolls has been featured twice on ShoBox defeating previously unbeaten Steed Woodall in 2015 and current WBC-USNBC super middleweight champion Demond Nicholson in 2017.

Said Rolls, “I’m happy to renew my agreement with DiBella Entertainment, so we can continue working together to put me in position for what I’ve always wanted: a shot at the middleweight championship of the world.”

Added Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment, “Steve is a gentleman outside the ring, but a terror inside. He has accepted and passed every challenge put in front of him, including two nationally televised appearances against tough competition. With this extension in place, we have a mandate from Steve and his manager, Todd Christie, to begin an aggressive push toward a world title and all middleweight contenders should be on notice that ‘Mister’ Rolls is coming.”

Most recently, Rolls won an eight-round decision over Damian Ezequiel Bonelli on April 18, in his hometown of Toronto.

Rolls plans to return to the ring before the end of the year and details for his next bout will be announced soon.




BRANDON ADAMS ADVANCES TO 2ND ROUND OF THE CONTENDER


PHILADELPHIA / LOS ANGELES – October 9, 2018 – Brandon Adams advanced to the 2nd round of The Contender as he stopped Tyrone Brunson in the 4th round of their bout that aired this past Friday night on EPIX.®

Adams (18-2, 13 KOs) dropped Brunson with a left hook to the head in round two, and then finished the fight by knocking Brunson to the canvas with a combination that was followed up by an uppercut that sent Brunson down for the count.

With the win, Adams of Los Angles advances to the round of eight, where he will meet Ievgen Kkhytov.

The original Contender series ran for four seasons (2005-2009) and launched multiple fighters into contention for world titles, including title winners Sergio Mora, Cornelius Bundrage, Sakio Bika, and Sam Soliman.

Eric Van Wagenen serves as executive producer and showrunner of the revived franchise alongside Mark Burnett. The format is owned by MGM Television and Paramount Television.

EPIX is available nationwide through cable, satellite, telco and streaming TV providers including Charter Spectrum, Cox, Verizon FiOS, AT&T U-verse, Dish Network, Sling, PlayStation Vue and, as of June 13, Comcast.

About MGM Television
MGM Television is a leading producer and global distributor of premium content for television and digital platforms, with distribution rights to original productions and a robust catalog of television episodes and feature film titles including such premiere entertainment franchises as James Bond, Rocky, Stargate and The Hobbit trilogy. Current scripted and unscripted projects include Fargo (FX); Vikings (HISTORY); The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu); Get Shorty (EPIX); The Voice (NBC); Survivor (CBS); Shark Tank (ABC); Teen Wolf (MTV); Steve Harvey’s FUNDERDOME (ABC); Beat Shazam (FOX); Signed (VH1); Lucha Underground (The El Rey Network); and through its distribution entity, Orion TV Productions, the syndicated daytime courtroom series Lauren Lake’s Paternity Court and Couples Court with The Cutlers. In addition, MGM owns Evolution Media, the innovative unscripted television producers of The Real Housewives of Orange County, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Vanderpump Rules, Vanderpump Rules: Jax and Brittany Take Kentucky, and Sweet Home Oklahoma (Bravo); Botched (E!); Bug Juice (Disney Channel) and Growing Up Supermodel (Lifetime).MGM’s television programming regularly airs in more than 100 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.mgm.com.

About EPIX
EPIX, an MGM company, is a premium pay television network, delivering the latest movie releases and biggest classic film franchises, plus original programming including series, documentaries, and comedy specials – all available on TV, on demand, online and across devices. Launched in October 2009, EPIX became profitable in its first year of existence and is now available nationwide to 70 million homes through cable, telco, satellite and emerging digital distribution platforms. A pioneer in the development and proliferation of “TV Everywhere,” EPIX was the first premium network to provide multi-platform access to its content online at EPIX.com and to launch on Xbox, PlayStation®, Android phones and tablets, and Roku® players. EPIX is also available across hundreds of consumer devices including Apple TV, iPhone and iPad, Amazon Fire TV, TiVo, Chromecast, and Android TV, delivering more movies than any other network with thousands of titles available for streaming. For more information about EPIX, go to www.EPIX.com. Follow EPIX on Twitter @EpixHd (http://www.twitter.com/EpixHD) and on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/EPIX), YouTube (http://youtube.com/EPIX), Instagram (http://instagram.com/EPIX) and Snapchat @EPIXTV.

About Paramount Television
Paramount Television is a leading studio, developing and financing a wide range of cutting-edge and entertaining television content across all media platforms for distribution worldwide. The studio’s robust slate includes Tom Clancy’s “Jack Ryan” (Amazon), “13 Reasons Why” (Netflix), “Maniac” (Netflix), “Shooter” (USA), “Berlin Station” (EPIX), “The Alienist” (TNT), “The Haunting of Hill House” (Netflix), “Catch-22” (Hulu), “First Wives Club” (Paramount Network), “Looking for Alaska” (Hulu), “Briarpatch” (USA), “Boomerang” (BET), “Shantaram” (Apple), “Dream Team” (BET), “The Contender” (EPIX) and “Snow Crash” (Amazon), among others. Paramount Television is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. PPC is a subsidiary of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a global content company with premier television, film and digital entertainment brands.

Press Contacts:
Maureen Granados / EPIX
mgranados@epix.com / 646.933.9280

Kristin Cotich / MGM
kcotich@mgm.com / 310.449.3606

Jessica Rovins / Paramount Television
Jessica_rovins@paramount.com / 323.956.8265

Dianna Bonvino / Beck Media for EPIX
dianna.bonvino@beckmedia.com / 646.593.3042

Joe Favorito for EPIX
joefavorito2@gmail.com

For regular updates on our fighters, events, and promotions, please like the Banner Promotions Facebook Page, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter @BannerBoxing




WBO JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION JAIME MUNGUIA TO BE SPECIAL VIP GUEST FOR OCT. 18 GOLDEN BOY BOXING ON ESPN


INDIO, CALIF. (Oct. 9, 2018): WBO Junior Middleweight World Champion Jaime Munguia will be the special VIP guest for the Oct. 18 edition of Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif. The event will be headlined by the 10-round middleweight fight between Donegal, Ireland’s Jason Quigley (14-0, 11 KOs) and Freddy “El Riel” Hernandez (34-9, 22 KOs) of Mexico City, Mexico for Quigley’s NABF title.ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes will air the fights beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT, and stream live on ESPN3 starting at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT.

Munguia is a 22-year-old puncher who has ended 26 of his fights by stunning knockout. The native of Tijuana, Mexico rose to fame in the world of boxing by stopping Sadam “World Kid” Ali to capture the WBO Junior Middleweight Title. Munguia has defended his title two times, against Liam “Beefy” Smith and Brandon “Bad Boy” Cook, in what has been an exciting year for the young star. Munguia 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 Eddie “E-Boy” Gomez (21-3, 12 KOs) of the Bronx, N.Y. will face Amagasaki, Japan’s Shoki “El PV” Sakai (23-8-2, 13 KOs) in an eight-round welterweight bout. Gomez, who has Honduran roots, will return to Fantasy Springs after scoring a knockout victory against fellow Golden Boy Promotions stablemate Keandre Gibson earlier this year in that same arena.

Rommel Caballero (2-0-1,1 KO) will open the Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN show in a six-round super featherweight bout against Agua Prieta, Mex.’s Hugo “Dandy” Padron (3-2, 3 KOs).

Los Angeles fan-favorite Christian “Chimpa” Gonzalez (19-2, 15 KOs) of Buena Park, Calif. will face a former foe in a scheduled eight-round lightweight rematch against Sindangan, Philippines’s Rey “The Flash” Perez (23-10, 7 KOs). Perez had given Gonzalez his first ever unanimous decision loss, which Gonzalez will be out to avenge when the two meet in the ring again.

Recky “The Terror” Dulay (11-3, 8 KOs) of Samar, Philippines will face Edgar Ortega (9-1-2, 5 KOs) of Mexicali, Mexico in a six-round featherweight bout.

Angel “Relampago” Ruiz (12-0, 8 KOs) of Tijuana, Mexico will open the night of action in an eight-round super lightweight fight against Jonathan Fortuna (8-2, 5 KOs) of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Quigley vs. Hernandez is a 10-round fight for the NABF Middleweight Title presented by Golden Boy Promotions. The event is sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING” and Hennessy, “Never Stop, Never Settle.” The fights will take place on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino. ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes will air the fights beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT, and stream live on ESPN3 starting at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT.

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 in attending Golden Boy Boxing: Quigley vs. Hernandez must request credentials by emailing clavoie@fantasysprings.net by 5:00 p.m. PT on Friday, October 12.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and http://www.espn.com/boxing/; follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @ESPN, and @ESPNBoxeo; become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing; and follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing and @OscarDeLaHoya. Follow the conversation using #GBPonESPN.

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




Undefeated Bantamweight sensation Christian Casrto headlines on Friday, November 9th at The SugarHouse Casino


Philadelphia, Penn. (October 9, 2018)–Undefeated bantamweight Christian Carto will once again look to thrill the fans at SugarHouse Casino when he takes on an opponent to be announced in a ten-round bout that will headline a big night of boxing on Friday night, November 9th.

The card is promoted by King’s Promotions.

Carto of Philadelphia has a record of 16-0 with 11 knockouts, and is widely regarded as the most popular fighter in Philadelphia.

The 21 year-old Carto has been a professional since 2016, and is one of the top prospects in the bantamweight division.

Carto has signature victories over Alonso Melendez (14-1) and James Smith (12-1). Carto is coming off a eight-round unanimous decision over Javier Gallo on August 18th in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Carto, who will be making his 4th start of 2018, will be entering a SugarHouse Casino ring for the eighth time.

Seeing action in the six-round co-feature will be 2017 National Golden Gloves champion, Poindexter Knight, Jr.

Knight of Philadelphia has a record of 5-0 with two knockouts.

Knight is coming off a six-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Gregory Averil Young (4-0) on August 10th at SugarHouse Casino.

Knight will be making his 3rd appearance at SugarHouse Casino.

Knight’s opponent will be announced shortly.

In an intriguing six-round junior welterweight bout, Ricardo Garcia (14-3-1, 9 KOs) of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic will take on Tyrone Crawley, Jr. (7-1-1) of Philadelphia.

Rasheed Johnson (4-2, 1 KO) of Philadelphia will face Vincent Floyd (3-5-1, 2 KOs) of Philadelphia in a six-round welterweight clash.

In four-round bouts, undefeated fighters James Martin (2-0) of Philadelphia squares and Denis Okoth (2-0-1, 1 KO) of Siaya, Kenya square off in a middleweight contest.

Pro debuter’s will get it on as Maurice Burke of Philadelphia fights Brandon Bey of Bronx, NY in a junior welterweight affair.

Frankie Trader (10-2-1, 2 KOs) of Philadelphia will see action against an opponent to be named in a lightweight fight.

Tickets are on sale for $100, $75, $50, and can be purchased at SugarHousecasino.com

ABOUT SUGARHOUSE CASINO

SugarHouse, which opened in September 2010 as Philly’s casino, features 1,891 slots, 103 table games, a 28-table poker room, fun and unique dining options, riverfront views and free on-site parking. The casino employs approximately 1,700 people, and for six consecutive years has been voted a “Best Place to Work” by the Philadelphia Business Journal and for five straight years a “Top Workplace” by Philly.com. For more information, visit www.sugarhousecasino.com.




COMPLETE CARD ANNOUNCED FOR ONE: PURSUIT OF GREATNESS IN YANGON, MYANMAR ON 26 OCTOBER

XX October 2018 – Yangon, Myanmar: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced the complete card for ONE: PURSUIT OF GREATNESS, set for Friday, 26 October, at the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar. In the main event, reigning ONE Middleweight World Champion “The Burmese Python” Aung La N Sang of Myanmar will defend his title against Mohammad Karaki of Lebanon.

Ticket information for ONE: PURSUIT OF GREATNESS is available at www.onefc.com.

Aung La N Sang is Myanmar’s most successful athlete in history, whose impressive submission skills has earned him the moniker of ”The Burmese Python.” Born in Myitkyina in the mountainous Kachin State, he belongs to an ethnic minority known as the Kachin. Aung La N Sang captured the ONE Middleweight World Championship with a unanimous decision victory over Vitaly Bigdash in June 2017. In February 2018, he defeated Brazil’s Alexandre Machado to be crowned the ONE Light Heavyweight World Champion. Next up, the 33-year-old is set to defend his middleweight title against Mohammad Karaki.

Undefeated Lebanese mixed martial arts star Mohammad “O Lutador” Karaki is a 27-year-old athlete with an unblemished professional record of 9-0. The Phoenix Middleweight Champion, Karaki is considered one of the greatest mixed martial artists from the Middle East. He also formerly held the Desert Force Light Heavyweight and Middleweight titles. Of his nine victories, only one bout reached the final bell. With five submissions and three captivating knockouts to his name, Karaki is a feared finisher who is expected to bring the firepower when he meets “The Burmese Python” Aung La N Sang for the ONE Middleweight World Championship.

30-year-old Rafael “Indio” Nunes is a mixed martial artist from Sao Paulo, Brazil with a record of 11-2. He is the former Premier FC Lightweight Champion and has steamrolled through the competition in his home country with a knack for winning by exciting finish. All but one of Nunes’ wins have ended within the distance. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt, Nunes is equally comfortable finishing his opponents by submission or by strikes. He looks to showcase his multifaceted skill set in his next bout, as he is scheduled to face Movlid Khaibulaev.

28-year-old Movlid “Killer” Khaibulaev is a mixed martial artist who hails from Moscow, Russia and is currently undefeated with an immaculate 13-0 professional record. A combat sambo specialist, Khaibulaev combines both striking and grappling skills very well, giving his opponents different looks both on offense and on defense. Having spent the majority of his career competing in his home country, Khaibulaev is determined to find success in Asia. He will be putting his unblemished win-loss slate on the line against Rafael Nunes.

An unbeaten 33-year-old mixed martial artist from Yangon, Phoe Thaw is one of the fastest rising stars in Myanmar. Combining multiple expertise in lethwei, aikido, and kyokushin karate, Phoe Thaw currently competes professionally both in lethwei and in mixed martial arts. He sports a 3-0-2 record in lethwei, and a perfect 6-0 record in ONE Championship. So far in his career, the Yangon native has showcased a penchant for scoring highlight-reel stoppages, winning five of his six bouts by knockout. He will return to action in front of his hometown crowd against Keanu Subba.

Former MIMMA Featherweight Champion Keanu Subba is the younger brother of Gianni Subba, who is one of ONE Championship’s top flyweights. Following in his older brother’s footsteps, Keanu became interested in mixed martial arts in 2005, after watching a reality TV show which centered around the sport. Today, he is one of the most highly-regarded featherweight prospects in ONE Championship. Since making his promotional debut in October 2015, Subba has stopped several opponents, all in the first round. Next up, he faces local hero Phoe Thaw in Myanmar.

Ibrahim El Bouni is of Moroccan-Dutch descent, and was born and raised in Haarlem, a part of the Amsterdam metropolitan area. Known as “Mr. Cool,” El Bouni has developed into a true knockout artist with almost all of his wins coming by way of spectacular stoppage. He has put that overwhelming power to good use, even winning a one-night, eight-man tournament to become the A1WCC World Champion. A young man still just at the beginning of his career, a confident El Bouni says his biggest wins are yet to come, and is intent to rule over the heavier weight classes in ONE Super Series. He returns to action against Tarik Khbabez.

Tarik Khbabez is a professional kickboxer from the Netherlands, and he is one of the most popular martial artists in his home country. Training out of Arj Trainingen gym, and with a professional kickboxing record of 43-5-1, Khbabez is the former two-time Heavyweight Superkombat World Champion. Making his way back to action after a successful ONE Super Series debut, the 26-year-old will now take on Ibrahim El Bouni.

Former SFC Bantamweight Champion Emilio “The Honey Badger” Urrutia is originally from Miami, Florida, where he earned his purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and embarked on a successful amateur martial arts career. In 2013, Urrutia decided to travel to Thailand to prepare for his professional debut, but ended up falling in love with Asia and making the move permanent. In just four years, he has competed in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines, accumulating an impressive amount of experience in such a short amount of time. Currently, the 31-year-old is one of the top featherweight talents in ONE Championship, and he will face Kazuki Tokudome in his next contest.

Former Pancrase Lightweight Champion Kazuki Tokudome is a martial artist from Tokyo, Japan. Training out of Paraestra Hachioji, Tokudome owns a professional mixed martial arts record of 18-9-1, and is considered one of Japan’s most highly-touted featherweight talents. With a background in multiple martial arts disciplines including judo, jiu-jitsu, and kickboxing, Tokudome earned nine wins by knockout and three by submission. The 31-year-old is set to return to ONE Championship looking for victory against Emilio Urrutia.

Top King Muay Thai World Champion Han Zi Hao of China is a Muay Thai practitioner who is based out of Bangkok, Thailand. The 23-year-old already owns an impressive professional Muay Thai record of 58-15 early in his career. A representative of Mad Muay Thai Gym, Han now finds himself looking to display his incredible striking skills on the global stage of martial arts competition, joining elite athletes in the world of stand-up martial arts as part of ONE Super Series. Han’s next appearance for the promotion will be a difficult one, however, as the Chinese stalwart is set to face Ryan Jakiri in a ONE Super Series Kickboxing contest.

Ryan “The Filipino Assassin” Jakiri of Zamboanga City, Philippines is 26-year-old kickboxer with a professional record of 9-3. A representative of the Muay Thai Association of the Philippines, Jakiri is known for his calculated but aggressive offense, which has excited fans all throughout his home country. A six-time National Muay Thai Champion, Jakiri now joins the prestigious ONE Super Series and aims to make a name for himself among the world’s best strikers. He makes his promotional debut against Han Zi Hao.

Former ONE Strawweight World Champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke is a three-time Lumpinee Stadium World Champion with a Muay Thai record of 282-65-3 and an 8-4 professional mixed martial arts record. He is known as a technical striker with lightning-quick hands and feet, and he employs some of the most unique and creative offensive combinations. As a martial artist with over 25 years of competitive experience, Dejdamrong is a seasoned veteran. Next, the Thai warrior goes up against Himanshu Kaushik.

Indian bantamweight contender Himanshu Kaushik, who hails from Delhi, is a mixed martial artist with a professional record of 4-2. The 26-year-old Delhi Wushu Academy representative joined ONE Championship in February 2017, looking to prove himself on the global stage of martial arts competition. Although Kaushik has competed mostly in his native India, the former Indian National Wushu Champion believes that this is his chance to strike gold. With a wushu record of 71-7, Kaushik will put his quick strikes to the test against Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke in his next contest.

Now a veteran of over 70 professional bouts, Luis Santos made his mixed martial arts debut in 2000, entering an eight-man open weight tournament. Some of the athletes weighed in at over 100kg, but “Sapo” still triumphed, as he stopped all three of his opponents in the opening round to claim the first title of his incredible career. Though Santos holds a black belt in judo, as well as a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the veteran warrior is best known for his fearsome striking prowess. More than half of Santos’ victories have come by knockout, owing to the otherworldly power in his strikes. With the ability to finish opponents in a myriad of ways, the 38-year-old is one of the top contenders in ONE Championship’s welterweight division. He takes on Daichi Abe next.

Daichi Abe is a professional mixed martial artist hailing from Tokyo, Japan. A professional kickboxer with a kickboxing record of 10-1, Abe is known for his rapid strikes and the ability to attack from multiple angles. The former Pancrase Welterweight Champion, Abe brings a mixed martial arts record of 6-2 into ONE Championship, joining a stacked welterweight division. The 26-year-old makes his promotional debut against the very dangerous Luis Santos.

Veteran Lethwei star and martial artist Ye Thway Ne of Myanmar made his ONE Championship debut in 2016, and has since gone 3-1 in his professional cage career. He also owns a stellar professional Lethwei record of 42-1-33 and is a two-time Lethwei Gold Belt Champion. Known as a solid stand-up technician and an aggressive striker, Ye Thway Ne is as good a striker as he is a mixed martial artist, and he is out to prove that point when he makes his highly-anticipated return to action. The 21-year-old will take on countryman Mite Yine next in what should be an exciting toe-to-toe battle.

28-year-old Mite Yine from Kayin State, Myanmar is a professional mixed martial artist with a 1-0 record. He is a former two-time Lethwei Gold Belt Champion who sports a professional lethwei record of 35-8-15. After a successful career in Myanmar’s national martial art, Mite Yine made his mixed martial arts debut at ONE: SPIRIT OF A WARRIOR last June, impressing with a first-round technical knockout. Up next, he faces fellow countryman Ye Thway Ne at home in Yangon.

“Tank” Ma Xu Dong is a 27-year-old professional mixed martial artist from Xi’an, China. He is a sanda specialist known for his smooth combination of striking and grappling. With a professional mixed martial arts record of 5-2, Ma is a bantamweight prospect looking to make waves in one of ONE Championship’s deepest divisions. In his most recent outing, Ma fell short of victory against Zhao Zhi Kang, and is looking to redeem himself against Ahmad Qais Jasoor.

29-year-old “Lycan” Ahmad Qais Jasoor is a mixed martial artist from Kabul, Afghanistan who sports a professional record of 4-1. The former HFC Bantamweight Champion, Jasoor mixed together multiple disciplines including combat sambo and boxing, among others. He joined ONE Championship last June, falling just short of victory against China’s Chen Lei. Now he is set to face Ma Xu Dong and will look to claim his first victory in ONE.

A product of the flourishing Muay Thai scene in Milan, Italy, 27-year-old Joseph “The Hurricane” Lasiri has become one of Europe’s most well-respected kickboxing competitors. Under the tutelage of Diego Calzolari, the first Italian to ever win at the world-famous Rajadamnern Stadium in Bangkok, Lasiri has captured the WBA Super Bantamweight and interim WBC Super Bantamweight Muay Thai World Championships over his career. Lasiri made his first ONE Super Series appearance last January in a historic bout against Sam-A Gaiyanghadao, the first-ever Muay Thai bout inside the ONE Championship cage. In his next outing, Lasiri seeks victory as he takes on Josh Tonna.

30-year-old Muay Thai practitioner and professional kickboxer Josh “Timebomb” Tonna is set for his second ONE Super Series appearance. Representing Stockade Training Centre in Canberra, Australia, Tonna is the former WMC International Muay Thai Champion with a professional Muay Thai record of 31-16-0. Tonna makes his way to the prestigious global stage of martial arts competition in ONE Championship. He will meet Joseph Lasiri in a flyweight battle.

Rudy “The Golden Boy” Agustian is a professional mixed martial artist with a record of 4-2. Hailing from Tangerang, Indonesia, Agustian is a Muay Thai specialist and former Indonesian Flyweight Champion. The 33-year-old joins ONE Championship’s stacked flyweight division, and gets his first assignment in the form of Bangladesh’s Asraful Islam.

Asraful “Warrior” Islam of Dhaka, Bangladesh is a professional mixed martial artist with a 2-1 record. A practitioner of the Bruce Lee-developed martial art of Jeet Kune Do, Islam is also a professional boxer with a record of 11-3. Representing Warriors Academy of MMA, Islam is a former National Boxing and Wushu Champion. The 22-year-old is also the former UFI Bantamweight Champion. Specializing in multiple disciplines, Islam is incredibly well-rounded and ready to put his skills on full display when he takes on Rudy Agustian next.

ONE: PURSUIT OF GREATNESS
Friday, 26 October
Thuwunna Indoor Stadium, Yangon, Myanmar

Main Event
ONE Middleweight World Championship
Aung La N Sang (C) vs Mohmmad Karaki
Mixed Martial Arts: 93.0kg

Rafael Nunes vs Movlid Khaibulaev
Mixed Martial Arts: 70.3kg

Phoe Thaw vs Keanu Subba
Mixed Martial Arts: 70.3kg

Ibrahim El Bouni vs Tarik Khbabez
ONE Super Series Kickboxing: 102.1kg

Emilio Urrutia vs Kazuki Tokudome
Mixed Martial Arts: 70.3kg

Han Zi Hao vs Ryan Jakiri
ONE Super Series Kickboxing: 65.8kg

Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke vs Himanshu Kaushik
Mixed Martial Arts: 56.7kg

Luis Santos vs Daichi Abe
Mixed Martial Arts: 83.9kg

Ye Thway Ne vs Mite Yine
Mixed Martial Arts: 56.7kg

Ma Xu Dong vs Ahmad Qais Jasoor
Mixed Martial Arts: 65.8kg

Joseph Lasiri vs Josh Tonna
ONE Super Series Kickboxing: 61.2kg

Rudy Agustian vs Asraful Islam
Mixed Martial Arts: 61.2kg

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship is the largest global sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE Championship is the home of martial arts and is the world’s largest martial arts organization, hosting bouts across all styles of martial arts such as Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Karate, Kung Fu, Silat, Sanda, Lethwei, Mixed Martial Arts, Tae Kwon Do, Submission Grappling, and more. The world’s most exciting martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world’s best martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1.7 billion potential viewers across 138 countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, and more.




Garden Showdown: Lomachenko-Pedraza Tickets Go On Sale October 10


NEW YORK CITY (Oct. 9, 2018) — WBA lightweight world champion Vasiliy Lomachenko has made his second home in New York City.

The man considered by many boxing experts to be the world’s best fighter will top the bill at a Madison Square Garden venue for the fourth time as a pro when he takes on WBO champion Jose Pedraza in a unification bout Dec. 8 at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Madison Square Garden, tickets for Lomachenko-Pedraza go on sale Wednesday, Oct. 10 at 12 p.m. ET. Priced at $506, $356, $206, $106, and $56, tickets can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008), and online at ticketmaster.com and MSG.com.

Lomachenko-Pedraza will headline a special edition of Top Rank on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET, which will follow the 84th Annual Heisman Memorial Trophy Presentation.

This will be Lomachenko’s third consecutive bout at a Madison Square Garden venue. He last fought May 12 at Madison Square Garden, knocking out Jorge Linares in the 10th round in front of 10,429 fans.

For more information visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/espndeportes; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing,@ESPN, @ESPNBoxeo, @ESPNDeportes.

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




NESN TO AIR STAR BOXING’S, SEPTEMBER 21ST “ROCKIN’ FIGHTS” 32, THIS TUESDAY OCTOBER 9TH at 8:00 PM EST

New York, October 8th, 2018

JOE DEGUARDIA’S STAR BOXING is pleased to announce that if you were unable to attend the September 21st, SOLD-OUT, “Rockin’ Fights” 32, live at The Paramount, you will be able to watch it, via tape-delay, airing on NESN (New England Sports Network) this TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9TH at 8:00 PM ET.

The September 21ST, Star Boxing’s “Rockin’ Fights”, from The Paramount, will also re-air on NESN on:
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9th at 8:00PM (first-airing)
MONDAY, OCTOBER 15TH at 12:00AM
MONDAY, OCTOBER 15TH at 8:00PM
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17TH at 3:00PM
** A full list of all air dates and time can be found below**

“Rockin’ Fights” 32 was a fantastic night of fights, in front of a sell-out crowd at The Paramount, that reflected the energy of the fighters in the ring. From the opening bell, every bout contained dramatic back and forth action; a quintessential New York style, “Rockin’ Fights.”

The broadcast will feature three action packed bouts.

The broadcast will open with a 4-round welterweight brawl, that kicked off the action packed night in the first of many entertaining fights, between Bellport’s ALEX “EL TORO” VARGAS making his pro-debut, as he took on Philadelphia’s, DERRON LAWSON. If you did not know otherwise, you would think these two warriors went a full 12-rounds. This 4-rounder was a candidate for undercard fight of the night. Tune in early as you wont want to miss this one.

In the second bout of the broadcast, “ACTION” ANTHONY LAUREANO makes his return to both NESN and The Paramount. Laureano was last seen on NESN during Star Boxing’s “SLUGFEST at the SUN” at Mohegan Sun, in June, when he earned a dominate unanimous decision victory. Now, Laureano returns to The Paramount, almost exactly a year from his last appearance at the venue, to take on tough Texan, MARQUIS “THE HAWK” HAWTHORNE in a 6-round jr. welterweight tilt. Hawthorne looked to control the pace, using his taller frame and long reach, while Laureano stuck to his game plan of working his way inside, behind his jab to score on the inside.

In the main event, two of The Paramount’s finest, put on a fantastic fight, bringing you back to the glory days of club show boxing when DANNY “EL GALLO” GONZALEZ took on JOHNNY “HITMAN” HERNANDEZ for the ABO INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE, in a bout that lived up to its hype. Gonzalez stayed true to his enormous work rate, while Hernandez attempted to stifle Danny’s production, using quick combinations and stellar footwork. The crowd was on its feet for the entire 10-rounds, with alternating chants of “Danny” and “Johnny”, that will be sure to have you on the edge of your seat, while watching from home.

On the NESN broadcast, you will hear top notch analysis from commentator, and in-ring analyst, Jahmai Webster as well as former middleweight champion, and Massachusetts native, Dana Rosenblatt.

Be sure to tune in THIS TUESDAY at 8:00 PM. Click HERE to find the NESN channel number in your area.

RE-AIR DATES:
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9th at 8:00PM (first-airing)
MONDAY, OCTOBER 15TH at 12:00AM (midnight)
MONDAY, OCTOBER 15TH at 3:00PM
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17TH, 3:00PM
MONDAY, OCTOBER 22ND 12:00AM (midnight)
MONDAY, OCTOBER 22ND, 8:00PM
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31ST, 6:00PM

GONZALEZ vs BLUE
MAIN EVENT PROMO

PAST RELEASE:
Rockin Fights 32 Announcement
Main Event Announcement – Gonzalez vs Hernandez
Undercard Announcement
Anthony Laureano Announcement
Media Credential Application
Official Fight Week Media Schedule
Weigh-In & Webex Login Information
“Rockin Fights” 32 Results

ALEX VARGAS CONNECTS WITH A LEFT HAND ON DERRON LAWSON

ANTHONY LAUREANO SCORES WITH A FLUSH STRAIGHT LEFT HAND ON MARQUIS HAWTHORNE

MAIN EVENT FIGHTERS DANNY GONZALEZ AND JOHNNY HERNANDEZ LEAVING IT ALL IN THE RING FOR THE ABO INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE

CREDIT: STAR BOXING/NICK SIDERIS
FACTS:
“Rockin’ Fights” 32 on September 21st pits two local warriors in,
DANNY “EL GALLO” GONZALEZ (16-1-1 7KO’s) fighting at The Paramount for the ninth time, against, JOHNNY “HITMAN” HERNANDEZ (9-3 1KO) who will be in his first main event and eleventh bout at The Paramount, for the ABO Intercontinental Title.

THE UNDERCARD:
Returning to The Paramount almost one year to the date of his last bout at the venue, “ACTION” ANTHONY LAUREANO (East Hartford, CT 8-0 3KO’s) will take on tough Texan, MARQUIS HAWTHORNE (5-8-1 1KO). Hawthorne poses a great test for Laureano as the taller fighter, with great reach, thus Laureano will look to close the distance, by scoring on the inside.

In a battle of the pro-debut’s, NY Golden Gloves finalist, JARED BONILLA (Belmore, NY Pro-Debut) will take on Western New England Golden Gloves champion, JOSE MAYSONET (Hartford, CT Pro-Debut) in a 4-round, super lightweight bout.

23 year old, NY Golden Gloves champion, ALEX VARGAS (Bellport, NY Pro-Debut) will make his pro-debut at “Rockin’ Fights 32”. Vargas will step in with DERON LAWSON (Philadelphia, PA 0-1) who returns to The Paramount coming off a majority decision loss at “Rockin’ Fights”. Vargas vs Lawson will be a 4-round welterweight bout.

SHAUN KENNEDY (Huntington, NY 0-0 1 NC), a top executive at Four Seasons Sunrooms & Windows, returns to his backyard at The Paramount to take on PEREZ AUGHTRY (Buffalo, NY Pro Debut) in a 4-round, cruiserweight scrap

*If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please email us at TonyPalmieri@StarBoxing.com
SOCIAL MEDIA:
For more information visit www.StarBoxing.com, follow along on Facebook at www.facebook.com/starboxing, follow along on Instagram at @StarBoxing, @TheParamountNY, or on Twitter @StarBoxing, or @TheParamountNY.




THE FACE OF BOXING IS HEADED TO THE BIG APPLE! CANELO ALVAREZ TO MAKE NEW YORK CITY DEBUT AGAINST WBA SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION ROCKY FIELDING


NEW YORK (Oct. 8, 2018) – Canelo Alvarez (50-1-2, 34 KOs), the universally recognized middleweight champion of the world and the veritable face of boxing, will make his New York City debut as he faces WBA Super Middleweight World Champion Rocky Fielding (27-1, 15 KOs) in a special 12-round super middleweight attraction on Saturday, Dec. 15 at Madison Square Garden.

Additional details for the event, including ticket information, will be announced shortly.

Canelo, the 28-year-old native of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, is without a doubt boxing’s biggest star. After capturing two world titles and the lineal championship in the super welterweight division, Canelo moved up to middleweight to capture the WBC, Lineal and
Ring Magazine World Titles with a unanimous decision victory against Miguel Cotto in November 2015. Canelo has maintained his status as the lineal champion ever since. But after his historic win against Gennady “GGG” Golovkin in their highly anticipated rematch in September, Canelo captured the WBC, WBA and Ring Magazine Middleweight World Titles and established himself as the very best in the division. Canelo will look to capture a world title in a third division against Fielding.

“It has always been a desire of mine to fight in New York, and where better than at the Mecca of Boxing, Madison Square Garden?” said Canelo Alvarez. “I look forward to exploring this 160-pound division against current WBA World Champion Rocky Fielding. I will be representing the WBC as its current middleweight world champion as I continue demonstrating to the world that I am the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.”

Fielding is a 31-year-old native of Liverpool, England who climbed the 168-pound rankings by fighting the toughest fighters in his native country. Fielding has only suffered one loss in his career, against who would eventually be a world champion in Callum Smith. Since then, he has scored six victories in a row, including his career-best win against Tyron Zeuge to capture the WBA Super Middleweight World Title in July. Fielding will defend his title in what will be his United States debut.

“This is everything that I’ve ever dreamed of – fighting a pound-for-pound star at Madison Square Garden for my world title,” said Rocky Fielding. “I can really punch. Everyone knows that. Let’s see what happens on the night when I catch him clean. He’s [Canelo] stepping up in weight, and he’s not going to be a big super middleweight. I know how good he is, but we will come up with a plan to beat him. I know I can catch him and put him to sleep.”

“It was about time that the biggest star in boxing headed to Madison Square Garden,” said Oscar De La Hoya, CEO and Chairman of Golden Boy Promotions. “Nearly every great fighter has fought at this historic arena. Canelo is establishing a historic legacy, and I’m excited that fans in New York will be able to see this great talent in such a famed place for boxing.”

“This will be a huge night for Rocky Fielding, and one he couldn’t turn down – the chance to fight one of the biggest names of the sport in an iconic and historic venue in Madison Square Garden,” said Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing. “Although Rocky is the champion, we thank Golden Boy Promotions, Oscar De La Hoya and Eric Gomez for this wonderful opportunity. New York can expect a Liverpool invasion on December 15 and a great atmosphere in the Big Apple.”

Canelo vs. Fielding is a 12-round fight for WBA Super Middleweight World Title presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Matchroom Boxing. The event is sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING,” and Hennessy “Never Stop. Never Settle.” The event will take place Saturday, December 15 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and
http://www.matchroomboxing.com. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @Rocky87Fielding, and @MatchRoomBoxing. Become a fan on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/SaulCaneloAlvarez, and
www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing,
@Canelo, @Rocky_Fielding and @MatchroomBoxing. Follow the conversation using #CaneloFielding.

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




Terence Crawford: Conference Call Transcript


Evan Korn: Live from Omaha at the CHI Health Center on Oct. 13, Terence “Bud” Crawford (33-0, 24 KOs) will make the first defense of his WBO welterweight world title against Jose Benavidez Jr. (27-0, 18 KOs).

Crawford vs. Benavidez will air live and exclusively on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 10:30 p.m. ET with the entire undercard streaming live in the United States at 7:00 p.m. ET. The weigh-in will be broadcast Oct. 12, live on ESPN2 at 5:30 p.m. ET.

To kick things off, I would like to welcome the President of Top Rank, Todd duBoef.

Todd duBoef: It’s great to get everybody on the call, and obviously, to see the return of Terence coming back after dominating Jeff Horn. Benavidez also performed very well that night against Frank Rojas, so I think everything is really dialed in for a terrific show.

These guys have had some public words. Obviously, you saw the 30-second spot where these guys were talking smack to each other, and I think this thing is very much a personal battle. Benavidez has been, from when we took him out of the amateurs, very highly skilled and has had a nice career. And this is his defining moment.

At this point, with Terence Crawford, this is the gold standard in boxing. He has just electrified everybody with both boxing skill and power, taken all challengers. And just anecdotally, when Terence Crawford gets in the ring, it’s like Alabama in football. He is that dominant, and he’s going to have his hands full with a guy that is not going to back down.

Q: It’s a little bit of maybe a grudge match here. I’d like you to just give me your point of view about that confrontation that you guys had in Corpus Christi, where he was on the undercard and he accused you of ducking him. You got a little heated. Calmer heads prevailed, but can you explain that situation a little bit and what happened?

Terence Crawford: Pretty much nothing. He just came up to me, told me that I was ducking him, and I never wanted to sign a fight, I never signed a contract, and I was scared of him, and he was going to knock me out. So I told him, I said, ‘Man, don’t you got a fight? You need to focus on your fight before you focus on me right now. You need to be focused on your fight.’ Then just a little heated discussion.

Q: Did you find it a little bit unusual that a fighter like Benavidez who, as Todd said was a good fighter, was a tremendous amateur but has not the sort of serious fight in terms of a name opponent as a professional so far would go up to a guy like yourself whose had high profile fights and accuse you of ducking him when he hadn’t done anything yet to be mentioned alongside you?

Terence Crawford: That comes with the territory when you’ve got people that, you know, want your spot. They want to get the opportunity or the chance to prove their worthiness, to make a name for themselves. So that’s how I take it. He’s trying to piggyback off of my name to make himself bigger.

Q: What was it that made you decide to give him the opportunity?

Terence Crawford: Oh, why not? Why not? You know, talk is cheap. We’re in the same division, same promoter. It’s an interesting fight. He’s always saying that I’m fighting smaller guys, so this is a chance to see what you are made of.

Q: Anything special that you’ve seen? He did have a very good first-round knockout on your last undercard when you fought Jeff Horn and beat him in June.

Terence Crawford: Come on now, we all know who he fought.

Q: I’m just asking. I’m not talking about that fight, just in general.

Terence Crawford: Well, what about it? I had a spectacular knockout, too.

Q: No, I was asking if you see any particular special qualities about Benavidez, not just about his fight with Rojas, but just in any fights of his you may have seen over the years?

Todd duBoef: Terence, you’d say he has a good mouth, right?

Terence Crawford: Yes, that’s about it.

Q: All right, Todd, that was pretty good.

Todd duBoef: If he’s not going to give him any flattering qualities, I’ve got to tell him the most obvious one.

Q: Obviously this pound-for-pound thing is pretty important to you, Terence, and you say that hands down, you are number one. How important is that to you, you know, to be recognized as number one and not number two by any other people that try to rank such things?

Terence Crawford: Well, it depends on who you ask. Some people rate me number one, some people rate me two. I can’t complain. I’m in the top two and almost everybody is rating me, so I’m just blessed to be in the top two.

Q: Another thing I wanted to ask you about is the welterweight division, which is extremely deep right now. Because Top Rank is with ESPN and your fights are on ESPN, a lot of those other guys are PBC fighters and there’s a divide in terms of trying to make some of those fights. How frustrating is that, a talent-rich division, and there’s obstacles to making some of the fights you’d like?

Todd duBoef: Can I answer this for him? I just want to make this crystal clear. We have said this following our recent announcement of re-signing Terence. Regardless of your affiliation, we will take on all comers. That’s it. We don’t care where you are, what you do. We will go and take on all comers, right? Terence is an elite fighter. He is at that class. In fact, when there was a big welterweight fight, a nice welterweight fight in early September, all they did was talk about Terence Crawford. We thank them for that.

We’ve done the biggest fights with the biggest complications of all time. He wants to take on the biggest. We want to provide the biggest. So, Terence, now you can chime in if you want. Sorry.

Terence Crawford: Well, you took everything out of my mouth. So, there’s nothing more for me to say. There you have it.

Q: How do you feel physically coming out of that Jeff Horn fight compared to when you fought at 135 and 140 pounds?

Terence Crawford: I feel stronger. I feel like my body is growing into the weight division. This is only my second fight at the welterweight division, so I feel like I’ve got a little more growing to do, but as far as strength-wise and how I feel, I feel great and I feel strong.

Q: When you’re looking at the welterweight division, and of course, one of the things that when you signed this new deal with Top Rank is that there’s the possibility that you could fight some of the other champions at 147 pounds. Between guys like Errol Spence, Shawn Porter, and Keith Thurman, who of the other champions would you like to fight next if you had your pick?

Terence Crawford: Those are the only champions. So, there are no other champions but them. So, I don’t know what champions you’re talking about.

Q: Well, I mean there’s still Manny Pacquiao. I don’t know if that’s…

Terence Crawford: He’s not a champion in my eyes. He don’t have the super belt. That’s the champion in my eyes. I look at the number one champion in the division. I don’t look at the WBC Silver and the interim belts and all that. I look at the super and the actual champion of the division.

Q: Benavidez, he won an interim title at 140. And he used a controversial tactic at that time. He hung on the ropes. Do you anticipate him trying to do that again and how would you counter something like that?

Terence Crawford: I don’t know. I don’t know if he’ll try that against me. I believe he’s going to come out, try to make it a fight being that it’s in my hometown. He don’t want to take any risks, and if he does do it, we’ve got a game plan for that as well.

Q: I wanted to actually ask a question to Brian and to Todd because I know that Terence is not going to want to talk about the future because he’s got the fight coming up on the 13th. But Brian and Todd, if you guys could talk to me, what do you view as sort of the rough outline, so to speak, game plan let’s say, for Terence’s next couple of fights? I know Todd, you said you guys are willing to make a fight with any of the other guys across the street however it may shake out. But what’s realistic in your mind, Todd and Brian?

Brian McIntyre (Crawford’s Trainer/Manager): Realistically, we’re going after the champions, man. You know, I don’t see any reason to be fighting the number six dude or number seven dude. We want the best fighters out there at 147 so, you know, I’m glad Todd is on this call because we’ll put the heat on him. He wants to make those fights happen. He can go to ESPN and make those fights happen. Terence wants those fights to happen. Let’s go!

Q: But because of the complications of you’re not going to want to leave ESPN to go to Showtime and/or Fox. They’re not going to want to leave their home base to come to ESPN. And so, therefore, it would seem as though those fights would have to be done in conjunction with each other as a pay-per-view.

So, if you had your choice in guiding Terence as a manager, as a trainer, who would you like to match him up with, the big name that you think would be the best and biggest fight to get Crawford sort of the major, major fight that I know he wants very much?

Brian McIntyre: Right now, the biggest name in the welterweight division is Errol Spence. So, what we would do is, and I’m glad Todd on this call, they just put the pressure on ESPN as a leader in sports. They want to be the leader in boxing. If they want to be a leader in boxing, they’re going to go out and make those fights happen. And so that’s what Terence wants. They want Terence to be the number one fighter in the world.

Q: And I mean, look, Spence would be a great fight. I think every boxing fan would love to see it, but what do you think is an actual realistic goal for the immediate future or beyond the Benavidez fight?

Todd duBoef: I think we’re asking everybody to look into a crystal ball, right, and project out what somebody else’s needs are and what somebody else wants to do. We’ve established what we want to do, all right. We’re not going to come up to a press conference and I mean I don’t want to get – this conference call is about Terence Crawford. I’m not going to divert it like they did about – they were giving us all the attention.

We’re going to go after all those guys. We’re not allowing anything, no politics, no nothing, to get in the way. They want to do it. We want to do it. Let’s just get it done. We’ll figure out a solution.

Q: Would you agree then that it would be pay-per-view then because of the network situations?

Todd duBoef: I’m not going to make a judgment today right now on a phone call without having a conversation with everybody involved, including them on the one side and us. We are open to anything. We are open to anything to make those big fights happen for Terence and BoMac. That’s what we’re up for, too. We are not going to be siloed into a formulaic way of doing things. We are open to everything.

Q: How are you making sure you’re not distracted by all this other talk about other fighters, and networks, and all that stuff?

Terence Crawford: I don’t pay attention to it. My main focus is on Benavidez. As you can see, he’s been doing a lot of talking, but while he’s talking, I’m working. So, I’m not worried about nothing that he’s saying or that he’s trying to hype up. I’m focused and I’m ready to go next week.

Q: Other guys who have annoyed you in the past or gotten under your skin a little bit have paid a price for it. Are you surprised that Benavidez has taken this approach based on that?

Terence Crawford: No. He’s confident in himself and his abilities, and on top of that, I feel as if he’s trying to boost his confidence up even more by telling himself these thoughts in his head that he’s one of the best. But come fight night, all that is going to be out the window and we’re going to have to fight. And then it’s going to be put up or shut up.

Q: How do you view it when an opponent talks trash to you, Terence? Do you like it? Does it motivate you more? How do you approach that?

Terence Crawford: Of course it motivates me more because, as you know, I’m cool, calm, collected. I never said anything to the guy. He approached me, so now it makes the victory more enjoyable to go in there and hit him in his mouth and shut him up.

Q: Terence, I know in the past you’ve said that you want to fight all over the world. But how much do you appreciate what you’ve built in Omaha where the people have turned out for all of your fights?

Terence Crawford: I appreciate it a lot. Omaha has given me tremendous support since my amateur days. It’s actually a blessing to have your own city turn out the way that they do for me to make it seem as if I only fight in Omaha. That’s how big the turnouts are. Everybody thinks that all I ever do is fight in Omaha because of the turnout. So that shows a lot right there.

Q: Could Todd and Brian speak on that too, what Terence, all of you guys have built together here for Terence in Omaha.

Brian McIntyre: It’s tremendous. It’s tremendous, man. When an opponent fights here in Omaha, you’ve got to fight against the crowd, too, because the crowd is so pro-Crawford, pro-Terence Crawford, and that’s a good thing I like about fighting in Omaha. It’s an extra push for Terence. It’s an extra push for the coaches. It’s just an extra push for even the promoters to put on a good show because, you know, it’s going to be a show-off to the world. And people enjoy it and they want to come back. They want to see Terence Crawford. They want to see the next Terence Crawford.

I’m excited with what Top Rank and Terence has done for the city. I just say let’s keep doing it.

Todd duBoef: Yes, I mean one of the things I would say to BoMac and to Terence is this is really is a credit to all the work that they do, too. They are really focused on creating his brand and not depriving his fan base and we started that from the beginning together. And I’m going to say this about Terence. A lot of fighters can talk about their hometowns, but he’s got a home state. I mean, we went to Lincoln and we kicked ass there, too.

So, it’s not necessarily Omaha. He is an icon for the state and a wonderful representative for all of Nebraska and the Midwest, and he’s fast becoming a major global star. And to take the energy that he creates and the connection to all of his fans at his home and transmit that throughout the world just perpetuates it even further. But it’s really a credit to BoMac, his team, and Terence for being that persistent and helpful in creating the brand there.

Q: Terence, can you comment on your relationship with Top Rank?

Terence Crawford: I have a great relationship with Top Rank. Since they picked me up from TKO Promotions, we’ve been partners and we built a lot of great memories together, and they got me to where I am right now. And all I can do is thank them.

Q: Obviously, you’ve done really well, Terence. With ESPN as a platform, what do you feel like can happen now that you’ve established yourself as one of the premier fighters with the new deal with Top Rank and ESPN, and where can this fight in particular take you as far as your exposure nationally and internationally?

Terence Crawford: It can take me wherever I want it to go. All I’ve got to do is keep doing what I’m doing, and everything will follow.

Q: Terence, for this fight in particular, obviously you and Benavidez have known each other for quite a while. Can you talk about the relationship and/or non-relationship that the two of you have had and what’s kind of led to this bout taking place?

Terence Crawford: I really don’t know the guy too much. But just from Top Rank, we don’t have no history but arguing with each other. So, we’re going to get it in come next week.

Q: I guess I was more referring to the fact that from his mind, he’s been calling for this fight for the last few years, even when the both of you were at 140. In your mind, I guess how does this now take place that you are at 147 after I guess it seemingly being brought up for at least a couple of years, at least from his team?

Terence Crawford: Like I said, talk is cheap. Come next week, all the talking and all the answers that everybody want to ask about the fight will be answered. I really don’t have nothing to say about the guy. Come fight night, you know I’ll be ready.

Crawford-Benavidez will air live and exclusively on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 10:30 p.m. ET with undercards streaming live in the United States at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+ – the new multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment in conjunction with ESPN.

Remaining tickets to this world championship event priced at $178, $103, $63, and $38, not including applicable fees, tickets can be purchased at the CHI Health Center Omaha box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 800-745-3000, or online at ticketmaster.com.

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




Rock knockout Rodriguez in four


Philadelphia, PA (October 8, 2018) – This past Saturday night, Darmani Rock remained perfect by stopping Pedro Julio Rodriguez in round four of a scheduled eight-round heavyweight fight that headlined a seven-bout card at The 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.

The action-packed card was promoted by Hard Hitting Promotions.

The card was seen by a world wide audience on Facebook Fight Night Live, and can be viewed in demand BY CLICKING HERE

Rock focused on the body early-on. In round four, Rock landed a hard right to the body, and left hook that sent Rodriguez to the canvas. Rodriguez got to his knees, and that was it as he took the ten-count at 27 seconds.

Rock, 275.5 lbs of Philadelphia is now 13-0 with eight knockouts. Rodriguez of Miami falls to 23-6.

Good looking prospect Jeremy Cuevas won a six-round unanimous decision over Jerome Rodriguez in a lightweight bout.

Cuevas was cut from around his left eye in the third round from an accidental headbutt. In was the right eye of Rodriguez that started leaking blood in the same round. Cuevas started putting his dazzling combinations together, but Rodriguez showed a good chin.

This was a solid learning experience for the 22 year-old Cuevas, as he fought an experienced foe and worked through adversity by having the cut.

In the end, Cuevas won by scores of 60-54 and 59-55 twice to raise his perfect mark to 11-0. Rodriguez of Trenton, New Jersey falls to 7-10-3.

Branden Pizarro stopped veteran Justin Johnson in round two of their scheduled six-round junior welterweight bout.

Pizarro dropped Johnson three times in round two, and the bout was stopped at 2:21.

Pizarro, 141.2 lbs of Philadelphia, PA is now 12-1 with six knockouts. Johnson, 141.5 lbs of Pittsburgh is 6-19-6.

Gadwin Rosa needed just 41 seconds to destroy Aldimar Silva in a scheduled six-round super featherweight bout.

Rosa scored two knockdowns, and the bout was stopped.

Rosa, 130.5 lbs of Ocala, FL is 8-0 with seven knockouts. Silva, 128.1 lbs of Sao Paulo, BRA is 21-14.

Christian Tapia stopped Hector Marengo in round two of their scheduled four-round lightweight bout.

Tapia dropped Marengo in round two with a right hand. Marengo did not beat the count at 2:02.

Tapia, 133.3 lbs of Coamo, PR is 6-0 with five knockouts. Marengo, 134.5 lbs of Arecibo, PR is 7-14-4.

Benny Sinakin won a four-round unanimous decision over Alex Lara in a light heavyweight bout.

At the end of round three, Sinakin dropped Lara with a left hook.

Sinakin, 172.8 lbs of Philadelphia, PA won by scores of 40-35 on all cards and is now 1-0. Lara, 173.6 lbs of Manhattan, NY is 1-1.

Marcos Suarez and Israel Suarez battled to a four-round majority draw in a lightweight clash.

In round one, Marcos Suarez suffered a cut on his forehead.

Marcos Suarez took a card 40-36 while that was overruled by two even cards at 38-38.

Marcos Suarez, 133.3 lbs of Bronx, NY is 5-0-2. Israel Suarez, 134.5 lbs of Luquillo, PR is 4-6-3.

HARD HITTING PROMOTIONS WILL RETURN TO THE 2300 ARENA ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16TH. DETAILS TO BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY




Three of Split-T Management’s finest in action on Saturday night

NEW YORK (October 6, 2018) –Three elite fighters from the Split-T Management stable will be in action on Saturday night.

At The Davis Arena in Louisville, Kentucky, Welterweight Janelson Bocachica (11-0, 8 KOs) of Detroit takes on 19-fight veteran Juan Rodriguez of Haymarket, Virginia in a six-round bout

The 19 year-old Bocachica is showing power in the early stages of his career, as he is coming in off of four consecutive knockout victories.

Also on the card, Joshua Temple (7-0, 6 KOs) of Saint Louis, Missouri fights fellow undefeated fighter Khetag Pliev (4-0, 2 KOs) of Cincinnati via Russia in a six-round cruiserweight fight.

Temple, who was a former U.S. Amateur champion is looking to defeat his 3rd undefeated foe in his last four fights.

At Friday’s weigh-in Bocachica weighed 148.4 lbs, while Rodriguez 148.6; Temple 199.8 and Pliev was 200.2

At the Farm Bureau Building in Indianapolis, Indiana, former U.S. amateur champion, Chris Pearson (15-2, 11 KOs) of Trotwood, Ohio takes on 32 fight veteran Lenwood Dozier.

Pearson checked in at 162.5 lbs and Dozier was 158 lbs at Friday’s weigh in.




SRISAKET SOR RUNGVISAI RETAINS WBC SUPER FLYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WITH UNANIMOUS DECISION OVER IRAN DIAZ


6 October 2018 – Bangkok, Thailand: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), hosted the biggest martial arts spectacle in the history of Thailand as the best and the brightest from boxing, mixed martial arts, Muay Thai and kickboxing gathered under one banner to celebrate Asia’s greatest cultural treasure. ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES left an indelible legacy with 14 heart-pumping martial arts contests, punctuated by ONE Championship’s first-ever world-class boxing match that pitted two of the best super flyweight boxers in the world today. In the main event, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai of Thailand dominated Mexico’s Iran Diaz over the course of 12 rounds to retain the WBC Super Flyweight World Championship. Meanwhile, hometown favorite Stamp Fairtex defeated Kai Ting Chuang of Chinese Taipei to capture the ONE Kickboxing Atomweight World Championship in front of her hometown crowd.

Visit the official ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES photo gallery by clicking: https://bit.ly/onephotos

In the main event of ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES, Thai boxing superstar Srisaket Sor Rungvisai sent the crowd into a rapturous chorus of cheers by clinching a unanimous decision win over Mexican challenger Iran “MagnifiKO” Diaz to retain the WBC Super Flyweight World Championship. Banking on his heavy hands and southpaw stance, Srisaket persistently hammered the taller Diaz with hard body shots from the opening bell. The consistent attack to the midsection paid dividends for Srisaket in the later rounds as Diaz dropped his defensive guard, prompting the Thai boxer to increase his offense that had his opponent reeling inside the ring. In the championship rounds, Srisaket unleashed a series of power shots, but Diaz amazingly withstood the blitz of punches from the hometown hero. In the end, the three judges unanimously awarded the victory in favor of Srisaket with the scores of 119-109, 120-108 and 119-109.

In the co-main event of the evening, Thailand’s own Stamp Fairtex turned in a debut to remember as she dethroned “Killer Bee” Kai Ting Chuang via unanimous decision to become the new ONE Kickboxing Atomweight World Champion. Beaming with confidence, Stamp used her range and movement to outstrike her counterpart throughout the fast-paced five-round contest. A flurry of strikes in the fifth round sealed the victory for Stamp, who takes home the prestigious title belt in only her first appearance on the ONE Super Series stage.

Japanese legend Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki made his case for a shot at the coveted ONE Lightweight World Championship with resounding clarity, submitting New Zealand-based Malaysian sensation Ev “E.T.” Ting in a title eliminator. From the get-go, Aoki immediately looked for a takedown and managed to effortlessly execute one against Ting’s will. On the canvas, Aoki smoothly passed Ting’s guard and locked in a deep arm triangle to put the Malaysian to sleep, clinching the victory in just 57 seconds.

Muay Thai legend Nong-O Gaiyanghadao put on a striking clinic in front of his home crowd as he punished ISKA and WBC World Champion Mehdi Zatout of France to earn a unanimous decision victory over three rounds in their ONE Super Series Muay Thai showdown. Nong-O weathered a spirited opening round from Zatout to impose his will and dominate the Frenchman with powerful kicks and precise elbows. After three rounds of action, Nong-O was declared the winner before the jubilant Thai fans inside the Impact Arena.

Nigeria’s Anthony “The Assassin” Njokuani scored the biggest win of his kickboxing career, defeating Dutch kickboxing legend Andy “The Destroyer” Souwer via split decision in a ONE Super Series Kickboxing contest. Njokuani and Souwer figured in a thrilling three-round affair as the two highly-experienced strikers went toe-to-toe, exchanging impactful blows and blistering combinations. After nine minutes of action, it was Njokuani who won on two of the three judges’ scorecards, emerging victorious in his ONE Super Series debut.

Tajikistan martial arts phenom Muin Gafurov made an astounding return to the most prestigious stage of global martial arts competition with a statement victory, knocking out top contender Leandro “Brodinho” Issa of Brazil in the first round. Gafurov turned the lights out on Issa with a thunderous right hand to keep his remarkable 100-percent finishing rate intact. His impressive performance earned him the GoDaddy Knockout of the Night.

In a ONE Super Series Kickboxing bout, Hong Kong-based Alain “The Panther” Ngalani of Cameroon and Andre “The Giant” Meunier of Australia battled to a No-Contest (NC) ruling after an inadvertent low blow rendered Ngalani unable to continue. Merely seconds into round two, Meunier threw a knee that accidentally landed low on Ngalani, forcing a pause in the action. Moments later, it was revealed that Ngalani could no longer continue, bringing the contest to an abrupt and unfortunate end.

Three-time IFMA Champion Alaverdi Ramazanov of Russia stunned the partisan Thai crowd after edging out hometown favorite Petchmorrakot Wor. Sangprapai via unanimous decision in their ONE Super Series Muay Thai contest. From the opening bell, Ramazanov applied relentless pressure on Petchmorrakot as he outstruck and outworked the former Lumpinee Stadium World Champion with fiery combinations. Petchmorrakot effectively utilized his patented elbow strikes to fend off his opponent’s advances, but it was not enough to sway the attention of the three judges at ringside as Ramazanov emerged triumphant on their scorecards after three rounds of back-and-forth action.

Japanese grappling wizard Hayato Suzuki established his first winning streak in ONE Championship, pulling off a second-round submission victory over Robin Catalan of the Philippines. Right off the bat, Suzuki took matters to the mat and grinded out his Filipino opponent with his elite wrestling. Suzuki eventually sealed the deal in the second round as he fastened a wrenching rear naked choke to force the tap.

In a ONE Super Series Kickboxing contest, Muay Thai legend Singtongnoi Por Telakun of the Evolve Fight Team turned in a tremendous striking performance to defeat promotional newcomer Masahide Kudo of Japan. Behind pinpoint combinations and powerful kicks, Singtongnoi was confident of victory in the face of an aggressive opponent. A gruelling three round affair would end with all three judges scoring in favor of the 38-year-old former Lumpinee Stadium and WMC Muay Thai World Champion Singtongnoi.

Hometown favorite Rika “Tiny Doll” Ishige of Thailand is back in the winner’s circle, following an impressive technical knockout victory over Bozhena “Toto” Antoniyar of Myanmar in the first round. Ishige had to overcome a fierce offensive from Antoniyar to start off, but once she was able to take the action to the ground, Ishige quickly took the back. From back mount position, Ishige began to unload elbows and punches until the referee called a halt to the contest.

In a ONE Super Series Muay Thai contest, Muay Thai superstar Petchdam Kaiyanghadao of Thailand made quick work of Kenny “The Pitbull” Tse of China, putting together a devastating showcase of his piston-like left roundhouse kick for fans in attendance. After a brief feeling out period, Petchdam began to unload his strongest weapon at will, and turned the lights out on Tse after he connected on one just over a minute into the bout.

China’s Fu Chang Xin turned in an impressive grappling performance, defeating Cambodia’s Rin Saroth in just two rounds. The Kun Khmer stylist Saroth tried to make it a standup contest early, but Fu used his grappling skills and took the action to the mat where he sunk in a deep rear naked choke to finish Saroth in the second round.

Setting the tone for an action-packed evening was a flyweight encounter between Ramon “The Bicolano” Gonzales of the Philippines and Dodi “Maung” Mardian of Indonesia. Driven to claim his second-straight victory on the ONE Championship stage, Gonzales put Mardian to sleep with a rear naked choke in the first round.

Official results for ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES

WBC Super Flyweight World Championship Bout bout: Srisaket Sor Rungvisai defeats Iran Diaz by Unanimous Decision (119-109, 120-108, 119-109) after 12 rounds

ONE Kickboxing Atomweight World Championship bout: Stamp Fairtex defeats Kai Ting Chuang by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 5 rounds

Lightweight bout: Shinya Aoki defeats Ev Ting by Submission (Arm Triangle) at 0:57 minutes of round 1

ONE Super Series Kickboxing Lightweight bout: Anthony Njokuani defeats Andy Souwer by Split Decision (SD) after 3 rounds

Catch Weight bout (67.4kgs): Muin Gafurov defeats Leandro Issa by Knockout (KO) at 2:24 minutes of round 1

ONE Super Series Kickboxing Heavyweight bout: Alain Ngalani vs. Andre Meunier ends in a No Contest (NC)

ONE Super Series Muay Thai Bantamweight bout: Alaverdi Ramazanov defeats Petchmorrakot Wor. Sangprapai by Unanimous Decision (UD)

Strawweight bout: Hayato Suzuki defeats Robin Catalan by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:42 minutes of round 2

ONE Super Series Kickboxing Flyweight bout: Singtongnoi Por Telakun defeats Masahide Kudo by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Women’s Atomweight bout: Rika Ishige defeats Bozhena Antoniyar by Technical Knockout (TKO) at 2:48 minutes of round 1

ONE Super Series Muay Thai Flyweight bout: Petchdam Kaiyanghadao defeats Kenny Tse by Knockout (KO) at 1:26 minutes of round 1

Bantamweight bout: Fu Chang Xin defeats Rin Saroth by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:04 minutes of round 2

Flyweight bout: Ramon Gonzales defeats Dodi Mardian by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:33 minutes of round 1

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™

ONE Championship is the largest global sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE Championship is the home of martial arts and is the world’s largest martial arts organization, hosting bouts across all styles of martial arts such as Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Karate, Kung Fu, Silat, Sanda, Lethwei, Mixed Martial Arts, Tae Kwon Do, Submission Grappling, and more. The world’s most exciting martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world’s best martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1.7 billion potential viewers across 138 countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, and more.




TOM LOEFFLER’S 360 PROMOTIONS HOLLYWOOD FIGHT NIGHTS RETURNS TUESDAY, OCT. 30 IN SPECIAL HALLOWEEN EVE SHOW AT THE AVALON!

Los Angeles, CA (October 6, 2018) Tom Loeffler’s 360 Promotions sensational ‘Hollywood Fight Nights’ series returns for its highly anticipated fourth event of The VIP Boxing Experience on Tuesday, October 30 at the AVALON in Hollywood, CA.

Advance tickets for the ‘Special Halloween Eve Show’ priced at $150 for VIP Seats on the Ring Apron, $125 for VIP Ringside Front Row, $100, $75 and $60 are now on sale online at www.360Promotions.us and through the interactive seating chart by clicking HERE. VIP Booths are also available by inquiring at Info@360Promotions.US

“Our Hollywood Fight Nights events continue to grow in popularity and we’re very excited to announce our fourth event on Tuesday, October 30 at the Avalon,” said Loeffler. “This event marks the return of Serhii ‘El Flaco’ Bohachuk, one of the most exciting young prospects in boxing. We’re putting together an action-packed undercard and will also be hosting a ‘Best Costume’ contest as we encourage boxing fans to partake in all of the Hollywood Halloween festivities.”

The 23-year-old Bohachuk, a native of Ukraine now calling Los Angeles, CA home, has compiled a record of 10-0-0 with all the victories coming by knockout since turning professional in February 2017. Making his third appearance on the Hollywood Fight Nights series, Bohachuk returns to battle after a fifth-round stoppage of Nikolozi Gviniashvili on July 21, 2018 in Moscow on the undercard of the World Boxing Super Series Cruiserweight Final. He is trained by the world renowned Abel Sanchez in Big Bear Lake, CA.

On October 30, Bohachuk will face St. Petersburg, FL native Manny ‘Shake Em Up’ Woods, (16-7-1, 6 KO’s) in the eight-round junior middleweight main event. Woods has faced numerous top contenders over his nine years as a professional including Kermit Cintron, Tyrone Brunson, Jimmy Williams, Travis Scott and Wilky Campfort.

In the six-round co-featured bout, featherweight Humberto Rubalcava, (8-0-0, 6 KO’s) of Orange, CA will clash with Robert ‘Escorpion’ Pucheta, (10-14-1, 6 KO’s), of Jalisco, Mexico.

Making his Hollywood Fight Nights debut, the 23-year-old Rubalcava returns to the ring following the biggest win of his young career; a third-round knockout of Ricardo Cuellar on February 15, 2018 in Costa Mesa, CA.

The 28-year-old, upset-minded Pucheta has clashed with numerous, undefeated prospects including Diego De La Hoya, Shawn Simpson and Marcus Bates. Most recently Pucheta lost a hard-fought six round decision to Luis Rosales on the June 6 Hollywood Fights Nights event.

In the middleweight division, top prospect Jonathan ‘Diamante’ Esquivel, (7-0-0, 7 KO’s), of Anaheim, CA will face Brahmavigi ‘Rowdy’ Montgomery, (5-1-1, 4 KO’s), of Hesperia, CA. The 23-year-old Esquivel makes his triumphant return to the Avalon following a first-round knockout of Joan Jose Valenzuela on September 8, 2018. In his first bout at Hollywood Fight Nights, Esquivel stopped Sergio Lucio Gonzalez in the third stanza on June 6, 2017. Montgomery is currently riding a four-bout winning streak, all by knockout and will be making his Hollywood Fight Nights debut.

Also featured on October 30 in the junior welterweight division in a scheduled four rounder, Devon ‘The Great’ Lee, (5-0-0, 5 KO’s), of Sacramento, CA clashes with Kevin Alfonso Luna, (1-1-0, 1 KO), of Downey, CA. The 23-year-old Lee is off to a very impressive start as a professional with his last four fights ending in first round knockouts. Luna looks to bounce back into the win column following his first loss in June 2017.

In the junior lightweight division over four rounds, Jaime Miranda, (2-2-0, 2 KO’s), of Kalispell, MT clashes with Teodoro Alonso, (0-2-0), of Los Angeles, CA.

Also featured in separate four-round bouts and returning to Hollywood Fight Nights are unbeaten prospects; featherweight Adrian Corona, (1-0-0), of Rialto, CA and cruiserweight Marco Deckman, (1-0-0, 1 KO), of Germany, now based in Los Angeles, CA. Deckman is trained by Hall of Famer, Freddie Roach.

‘Hollywood Fight Nights’ will once again be streamed live on the 360 Promotions website, (www.360promotions.us) and by visiting their Facebook page HERE. Commentating on the fights will be the ‘dynamic duo’ of Doug Fischer and Steve Kim with on-site hosting duties handled once again handled by the beautiful Cynthia Conte.

The historic AVALON is located at 1735 Vine Street in Hollywood, CA adjacent to the iconic intersection of Hollywood Blvd. and Vine St. Doors will open at 5:00 p.m. on the night of the event with the first bell scheduled at 6:15 p.m. For more details on the AVALON, please visit their website, www.AvalonHollywood.com

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Tom Loeffler was recognized by ESPN in 2017 as being involved in the promotion of the three biggest events of the year including the Anthony Joshua/Wladimir Klitschko World Heavyweight Championship at Wembley Stadium in London, the Gennady Golovkin/Daniel Jacobs World Middleweight Championship at Madison Square Garden and the massive Canelo Alvarez –Gennady Golovkin event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. These three events totaled over 130,000 tickets sold in addition to their extraordinary numbers in pay-per-view sales and network viewership worldwide.

Loeffler also co-promoted the World Middleweight Championship rematch between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin on September 15, 2018.




Danny Roman Makes Weight: Defends WBA Crown Saturday on DAZN USA Streaming Service


ORANGE, Calif. (Oct. 5, 2018) – WBA super bantamweight champion Danny Roman (25-2-1, 9 KOs) weighed in at 121.6 lbs., while the challenging Gavin McDonnell (20-1-2, 5 KOs) weighed 121.8 lbs. during Friday’s weigh in. The pair square off this Saturday, Oct. 6, from Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

The 12-round world title clash will be available for viewing via DAZN USA, a live and on-demand streaming service that made its U.S. debut in September. To subscribe and activate your free, one-month trial, please click here ($9.99 per month after, cancel anytime).

Roman, 28, has been an active world champion since winning the title in a ninth round stoppage of Shun Kubo last September. His clash against England’s McDonnell will be his third since entering the world champion ranks last year.

“I want to fight the best,” said Roman, who makes his DAZN USA streaming debut on Saturday. “Gavin fits the mold of boxers I want to face. He’s highly ranked, talented, and hungry. I can’t wait to get in the ring and show the world what I’m about.”

Roman is promoted by Thompson Boxing and Matchroom Boxing.

Tickets for “Worlds Collide” are priced at $40, $60, $100, & $200 and are on sale now through Ticketmaster.com.

For more information, please visit ThompsonBoxing.com.

For regular updates on our fighters, events, and promotions, please check our Facebook Page, watch our YouTube channel on Thompson Boxing TV, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter @ThompsonBoxing.