LOS ANGELES (July 25, 2016) – Following their epic 2016 “Fight of the Year” candidate fight this past April 15, at the Belasco Theater in Downtown Los Angeles, Yoshihiro “El Maestrito” Kamegai, (26-3-2, 23 KO’s) and Jesus “Renuente” Soto-Karass, (28-10-4, 18 KO’s), will meet in the ring once again on Saturday, September 10 for a highly anticipated re-match from the Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles. The bout will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

The rematch between Yoshihiro Kamegai and Jesus Soto- Karass is a super welterweight clash scheduled to go 10 rounds, presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Teiken Promotions, and will serve as the co-main televised event on HBO World Championship Boxing telecast prior to the world championship fight between undefeated fighters WBC Flyweight World Champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (45-0-0, 38 KO’s) and WBC Super Flyweight World Champion Carlos “Principe” Cuadras (35-0-1, 27 KO’s).

Tickets for this outstanding evening of professional boxing priced at $300, $200, $100, $50 and $25 are on sale through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000) and the Forum Box Office.

“I am very grateful to K2 Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions and Teiken Promotions in making this rematch and honored to be on the Roman Gonzalez- Carlos Cuadras undercard at the Fabulous Forum,” said Yoshihiro Kamegai. “Jesus Soto-Karass and I had a great fight in April. I have a lot of respect for Soto-Karass. He is a warrior. I hope to put on another exciting fight with him in front of the great Southern California Boxing Fans.”

“I am excited to come back to the ring against such a great warrior like Yoshihiro Kamegai,” said Jesus Soto-Karass. “We put on a great show in April and I am sure we will deliver another great show in September. We are both great warriors who come forward and are willing to leave it all in the ring. This re-match will serve for one of us to finally emerge victorious, as we give the fans of Los Angeles a fight of a lifetime.”

“If fans thought the first Kamegai and Soto-Karass fight was an epic Fight of the Year contender, let me just say this—on September 10th, both fighters will be coming back in the ring with a vengeance to prove who is the true winner in this rematch,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “Both of these fighters are fierce warriors and the fans can expect to witness what could be the beginning of the next big rivalry in the sport.”

“We’ve very excited to add this highly anticipated rematch between Yoshihiro Kamegai and Jesus Soto-Karass to this outstanding event, “said Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions. “With their first fight ending in a hotly contested draw and the huge demand from fans and media for a rematch, it’s a perfect fit for this card at the Fabulous Forum, home to decades of memorable battles. As we’ve always tried to do, adding a sensational co-feature to this event provides non-stop action for those in the arena. This will be the fourth consecutive time Roman and Gennady “GGG” Golovkin have fought on the same date televised by HBO and this ‘winning combination’ affirms this as the strongest international boxing day of the year.”

In their first bout which ended in a split decision draw (97-93, Kamegai, 96-94 Soto-Karass and 95-95), Kamegai and Soto-Karass delivered an all-out brawl which had fans packed into the Belasco Theater with a special viewing room opened to accommodate the demand. Given the history of both men, there were high expectations placed on the shoulders of Tokyo’s Kamegai and Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico’s Soto-Karass to put on a fight to remember and while such bouts usually fall short of those expectations, that wasn’t the case in April. Both warriors went head-to-head in ten thrilling rounds that had fans in an uproar. When the fight had ended and the judges’ scores were read, no one complained it was a draw because in a bout like that–no fighter deserved to lose. And despite the heated nature of the battle, both fighters have agreed to do it again, with the fans likely to be the biggest winners on September 10.

Mostly fighting in his native Japan, Kamegai burst on to the boxing scene in the United States with a 2014 “Fight of the Year” candidate against former world champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero, an epic 12-round battle that was awarded to the California native. Hailing from Tokyo, Japan, Kamegai may have only competed a handful of times in the United States, but with his exciting style and fighting spirit, the 33-year-old has built a sizable fan base, one that is expected to grow for his rematch with Soto-Karass. The former OPBF welterweight champion, Kamegai has been to battle with the likes of Johan Perez and Alfonso Gomez, and if he can defeat Soto Karass, it will be the biggest victory of his nearly 11-year career.

Fighting out of Los Angeles, California, Soto-Karass has faced numerous world champions and contenders over his 15-year career including Keith “One Time” Thurman, Andre Berto, Marcos Maidana, Devon “The Great” Alexander, Yuri Foreman, Alfonso Gomez, “King” Gabriel Rosado, Mike Jones Selcuk Aydin and David Estrada. He is a former NABF and WBC Continental Americas champion who has been thrilling boxing fans since his debut in 2001. Owner of wins over Vince Phillips, David Estrada, Selcuk Aydin and Andre Berto, Soto Karass is an aggressive puncher who can handle himself against any fighter willing to step in the ring to face him. A former world title challenger, Soto Karass knows that a win over Kamegai will keep him on the right track to continue fighting for years to come.

Kamegai vs. Soto-Karass II, is a ten round super welterweight clash presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Teiken Promotions, and will serve as the co-main event to the world championship fight between WBC Flyweight World Champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, (45-0-0, 38 KO’s) and undefeated WBC Super Flyweight World Champion Carlos “Principe” Cuadras (35-0-1, 27 KO’s). Both bouts will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

For more information, visit www.GoldenBoyPromotions.com, www.K2Promos.com, www.FabulousForum.com and www.HBO.com/boxing. Follow on Twitter for Golden Boy Promotions @GoldenBoyBoxing, Jesus Soto-Karass @SotoKarassTeam, Roman Gonzalez @ChocolatitoBox, Carlos Cuadras @CuadrasOficial, Tom Loeffler/K2 Promotions @TomLoeffler1, the Forum @theForum and HBO Boxing @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/ChocolatitoOfficial, www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook/CarlosCuadras, www.facebook.com/TheForum and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.

BROOKLYN (July 21, 2016) – The featherweight world championship clash between defending titlist Leo Santa Cruz and undefeated former unified super bantamweight champ Carl Frampton features an unpredictable and potentially explosive mix of styles between two of the world’s top fighters.

Santa Cruz (32-0-1, 18 KOs) will make the second defense of his WBA Featherweight Title against Irish superstar Frampton (22-0, 14 KOs), who relinquished two belts at 122 pounds, when they face off in the main event of a SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® tripleheader on Saturday, July 30, live on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) from Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Three-division world champion Santa Cruz ranks as one of the world’s top-three fighters in four key categories – Total Punches Thrown, Landed, Connect Percentage and Power Punches Landed (all per round, per CompuBox).

The numbers prove that Santa Cruz is one of the best punchers in the world, topping Gennady Golovkin, Manny Pacquiao and ranking only second by a small margin to pound-for-pound champ Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez in Power Punches Landed Per Round.

More impressively, Santa Cruz ranks as the world’s best in the Plus/Minus category that was dominated for years by pound-for-pound champ Floyd Mayweather. In that statistical measure, which is determined by subtracting opponents connect percentage from a fighter’s connect percentage, Santa Cruz stands tall at No. 1 (+15.8% per fight), followed by Andre Ward (+15.3), Golovkin (+15.2), Erislandy Lara (+14.5), Terence Crawford (+13.2), Roman Gonzalez (+12.5) and Canelo Alvarez (+12).

While Santa Cruz is a statistical leader in five key categories, defending Santa Cruz’s biggest strength – power punches – is one of Frampton’s greatest attributes. In his last six fights, Frampton’s opponents landed just 29.2 percent of their power punches. Comparatively, Santa Cruz landed an astonishing 46.9 percent of his power shots over his last eight fights. Can both fighters continue at this impressive rate when they faceoff on July 30?

Frampton ranks in the top 10 of Opponents Power Punches Connected, meaning he stops his opponents from landing power shots at a staggering rate. Frampton ranks No. 10 in a group that features Guillermo Rigondeaux, Lara, Wladimir Klitschko, Ward and Crawford.

Additionally, Frampton is the second best in the world in Average Number Of Jabs Thrown Per Round, behind leader Jesus Cuellar and well ahead of Rigondeaux (No. 5), Golovkin (No. 6), Crawford (No. 7) and Kell Brook (No. 8). Santa Cruz is also a statistical leader in this category, ranking No. 9 in the world.

Compressed GraphBelow is the list of categories where Santa Cruz and Frampton excel:

PLUS/MINUS (hit vs. get hit):

Santa Cruz ranks as the world’s best, followed by Andre Ward (No. 2), Gennady Golovkin (No. 3), Erislandy Lara (No. 4), Terence Crawford (No. 5), Roman Gonzalez (No. 6) and Canelo Alvarez (No. 7). The retired Floyd Mayweather had previously held the top spot.

TOTAL PUNCHES THROWN PER ROUND:

Leo Santa Cruz only trails Roman Gonzalez in terms of total punches thrown per round. Santa Cruz (No. 2) tops Jesus Ceullar (No. 3), Juan Francisco Estrada (No. 6), Orlando Salido (No. 7) and Gennady Golovkin (No. 9). Santa Cruz throws 84.6 total punches per round, compared to boxing’s overall average of 55.5.

AVERAGE TOTAL PUNCHES LANDED PER ROUND:

Santa Cruz trails Roman Gonzalez by less than two percent, connecting at a 33.1 percent clip compared to the overall average of 16.9. At No. 2, Santa Cruz tops pound-for-pound mainstays Gennady Golovkin (No. 3) and Juan Francisco Estrada (No. 4). Santa Cruz’s average more than doubles the CompuBox average punches landed per round of 16.9.

TOTAL CONNECT PERCENTAGE:

Santa Cruz ranks in the top three in this important category in which only a few percentage points separate the world’s best. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. ranks No. 1, followed by Golovkin, Santa Cruz, Roman Gonzalez, Adrien Broner and Andre Ward respectively. At 39.2 percent, Santa Cruz landed at a nearly 10 percent higher rate than the overall average.

AVERAGE POWER PUNCHES LANDED PER ROUND:

Santa Cruz is second in the world in this category, trailing only Roman Gonzalez by a slim margin and topping Juan Francisco Estrada (No. 3), Abner Mares (No. 5), Golovkin (No. 7) and Pacquiao (No. 8) among others.

AVERAGE JABS THROWN PER ROUND:

Santa Cruz and Frampton both rank in the top 10 in average number of jabs thrown per round.

Frampton, who is second in the world behind leader Jesus Cuellar, tops master jabbers Rigondeaux (No. 5), Golovkin (No. 6), Crawford (No. 7) and Brook (No. 8). Santa Cruz is ninth best in this category. Frampton, who trails Cuellar by just one percentage point, throws 13 more jabs per round than the overall average.

OPPONENTS POWER PUNCHES CONNECTED:

Frampton is amongst the world’s best at preventing his opponent from landing power shots. He ranks at No. 10 in a category that includes Rigondeaux (No. 1), Lara (No. 2), Wladimir Klitschko (No. 3), Ward (No. 4) and Crawford (No. 5). Frampton’s opponents landed just 29.2 percent of their power shots.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment in association with Cyclone Promotions and presented by Premier Boxing Champions, start at $38 and can be purchased online by visiting www.ticketmaster.com, www.barclayscenter.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.

For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports follow on Twitter @SHOSports, @LeoSantaCruz2, @RealCFrampton, @BarclaysCenter, and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports, www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment, www.Facebook.com/barclayscenter. PBC is sponsored by Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (July 22, 2016)-Welterweight Anthony “Juice” Young won a six-round unanimous decision over veteran Eduardo Flores in the featured bout of a nine-bout card this past Friday night at the Claridge in Atlantic City.

The bout headlined a sold out night of boxing that was promoted by Rising Promotions. It was the fourth consecutive sold out event in the last eight months that Rising Promotions has staged.

The co-feature saw welterweight Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna tuned up for a major bout in the fall with a first round destruction of Engleberto Valenzuela in a super welterweight bout.

Young, of Atlantic City systematically took apart Flores, despite Flores trying to frustrate Young by coming in with wild shots for which some strayed behind the head.

In the end, It was Young, who was not headlining for the first time, but being spurred on by his hometown fans and he was able to get the victory to the tune of 60-54 & 59-55 twice.

Young of Atlantic City is now 13-2. Flores of Ecuador is 23-22-5.

LaManna of Millville, New Jersey took apart his Mexican opponent with a hard combination that sent Valenzuela into the corner. The popular New Jersey Product wasted no time in getting Valenzuela out of the fight by landing a thunderous body punch that sent him to the canvas. The fight was halted at 2:17 of round one.

LaManna will take on a highly-regarded opponent (To be announced this week) on September 16th at Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.

This was “Cornflake’s” fifth consecutive win and second consecutive inside the distance to raise his record to 21-1 with ten knockouts. Valenzuela is 10-8.

Heavyweight Dan Pasciolla avenged his only pro defeat by winning a six-round unanimous decision over Dante Selby.

Pasciolla was credited a knockdown in round two as he landed a flurry in the corner and it was ruled that only the ropes stopped Selby from hitting the canvas.

Pasciolla of Brick, New Jersey won by scores of 60-53 twice and 59-54 and is now 8-1-1. Selby of Philadelphia, was coming off a two and a half year layoff is 2-2-1.

Exciting bantamweight prospect Christian Carto made it two consecutive stoppages by halting debuting Christopher Nelson in round three of their scheduled four-round bout.

Carto of Deptford, NJ floored the Indiana native in each of the three rounds and the bout was stopped fifty-one seconds into the third frame.

Carto is now 2-0 with two knockouts.

Marvin Johnson scored a third-round knockdown en route to a four round unanimous decision over Lamont White in a lightweight bout.

Scores were 40-35, 40-36 and 39-36 for Johnson of Atlantic City who is now 1-0-1. White of Washington, DC is 0-2.

Dallas Holden of Atlantic Cit won a four round unanimous decision over Kevin Asmat in a bantamweight bout featuring New Jersey based pro debuters.

It was a close fight with each fighter making a case for the victory.

In the end, all three cards read 39-37 in favor Holden of Atlantic City over the North Bergen native.

In a battle of pro debuters, Donald Smith of Philadelphia won his pro debut by winning a four-round unanimous decision over Cameron Cain of Indiana. in a junior lightweight bout.

Smith controlled the action and won by scores of 40-35 and 40-36 twice.

Chinese light heavyweight Fanlong Meng scored a knockdown and was ruled the winner via 5th round stoppage over former contender Daniel Judah in a scheduled eight round bout.

Meng sent Judah into the ropes with a left hand that was ruled a knockdown and Meng and the referee ruled that Judah could not continue at the bout was stopped at 2:08.

Meng is now 8-0 with 6 knockouts. Judah of Brooklyn, NY is 24-11-3.

Zhang Zhilei of China won a six round unanimous decision over Rodney Hernandez in a heavyweight bout.

Scores were 60-53 and 59-55 twice for Zhilei of China, who is now 11-0. Hernandez is 10-5-1.

GUADALAJARA, MX (July 26, 2016) – This past Saturday, newly crowned undefeated IBO super-bantamweight world champion, Moises “Chucky” Flores (25-0, 17 KOs), received his belt from co-manager Henry Rivalta of Pro Box Management. Last June, Flores scored an impressive unanimous decision victory over Paulus Ambunda (24-2, 10 KOs), in his home town of Windhoek, Namibia (Africa), to earn the world title strap.

Flores, who is also the WBA interim champion, is now the mandatory challenger to face WBA super-champion Guillermo Rigondeaux (17-0, 11 KOs). Both camps are in negotiations with the possibility of the fight happening in the next few months. If the fight comes to fruition, both the WBA and IBO world title belts will be on the line. After receiving his IBO world title belt, and a big fight looming with Rigondeaux, Flores speaks on his current situation.

“Winning the IBO world championship is a testament to my hard work and the great team around me,” said Mexico’s Moises “Chucky” Flores. “Together we worked really hard to get this world title. I’m now the mandatory to challenge Guillermo Rigondeaux, a fight I’m looking forward to. He’s very skilled but I feel I have all the tools to defeat him. My management team is working hard to get this fight finalized. It’s time to see who the best super-bantamweight is. I going to bring that world title home to Mexico.”

LOS ANGELES (July 25, 2016) – Boxing fans are gearing up for a full card of action set to take place on Saturday, July 30 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino featuring number one rated contender by the WBC, “Relentless” Antonio Orozco (24-0, 16 KOs) taking on Abner “Jaeger” Lopez (25-5, 19 KOs), of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico in a 10-round super lightweight main event on HBO Latino® Boxing beginning at 11:30 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT). Tickets are moving fast for this event, with just a limited number of tickets left available for purchase.

In the televised co-main event of the night, undefeated featherweight sensation and NABF Featherweight Champion Joseph “Jojo” Diaz, Jr. (20-0, 11 KOs) will put his title on the line in a 10-round fight against Victor “Pitufo” Proa (28-1-2, 21 KOs) of Monterey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.

Additionally, fans attending the event will get a chance to meet Golden Boy Promotions Chairman and CEO, Oscar De La Hoya. “The Golden Boy,” who is a 10-time world champion in six weight divisions and 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist, will greet fans before the televised main event from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino’s Special Events Center to sign autographs and take photos.

“I love my fans and I’m looking forward to seeing many of them at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino on July 30,” said Oscar De La Hoya. “Plus, this card on July 30 topped by Antonio Orozco and Joseph Diaz, Jr. promises to be thrilling with non-stop action. Orozco and Diaz, Jr. are among the best fighters in the Golden Boy stable right now, and they are both headed towards becoming world champions in the not-too-distant future.”

Rounding out the undercard on the non-televised portion of the evening, Roy “Pitbull” Tapia (11-1-2, 6 KOs) of East Los Angeles will take on Jairo “Roca” Hernandez (17-9, 9 KOs) of Torreon, Coahulia, Mexico in a scheduled eight-round super bantamweight fight. Los Angeles’ fan favorite Nick “La Calavera” Arce (8-0, 6 KOs) will fight in a six-round super featherweight event against Jesus Aguinaga (4-4-1) of Phoenix. Additionally, newly signed Golden Boy Promotions fighter Virgil Ortiz of Dallas will make his professional debut in a four-round super lightweight fight against Julio Rodas (0-2) of Flagstaff, Ariz. Palmdale, California’s Cesar Diaz (1-0, 1 KOs) will open up the night in a four round featherweight fight against Nicholas Rodriguez (1-4-1) of Somerset, Ky.

All floor seats are sold out and a limited number of tickets at the $25 level are still available for purchase at the Fantasy Springs Box Office, by calling (800) 827-2946 or online at www.fantasyspringsresort.com.

Antonio Orozco vs. Abner Lopez is a 10-round welterweight bout, presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by “Tecate, BORN BOLD,” Casa Mexico Tequila and Carmelita Coconut Water. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. PT and the first fight begins at 5:10 p.m. PT. The HBO Latino® Boxing telecast begins at 11:30 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT).

For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.hbo.com/boxing, follow on twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @HBOLatino, and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/hbolatino, visit us on Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing.

Virginia Beach, VA – Dee Lee Promotions, LLC. brings “HEROES ON THE SAND” at the Coastal Edge – ECSC – Presented by Vans for a special Tribute to our Military, Thursday, August 25th, 2016 on the beach at the 54th Annual Coastal Edge East Coast Surfing Championship, Virginia Beach, VA. Super middleweight Frank “THE FREIGHT TRAIN” Filippone (21-5-1/7 ko’s) of Virginia Beach, VA will headline this exciting card of knockout artists. Filippone, a Virginia Beach Police officer and former WBA-NABA Light Heavyweight Champion is coming off four straight knockout victories including a March 5th, 2016 first round KO of Kevin Engel.

The Exciting Co-Main features another local favorite, Portsmouth, VA lightweight Dorin Spivey (46-7-0/33 ko’s). Spivey has fought 7 times for carious portions of the lightweight belts and has actually fought for, captured, defended and relinquished the WBA-NABA Lightweight Championship Crown 5 different times!! Virginia fight fans know that Spivey has sand in his shoes and lightening in his fists so mark this bout down as a DON’T MISS.

Also featured on the Professional portion of this fight card is Newport News, Virginia’s Jerry “SLUGGER” Forrest (13-2-0/12 ko’s). This hard-hitting south paw is a finisher as his 12 knockout wins speak volumes for his power. Fight fans better not blink during his bout as his big left hand usually spells “LIGHTS OUT!”.

First Class Petty Officer Carlos Moore (2-1-1/2 ko’s) and Defense Department Diver Roger Belch III (6-0-0/6 ko’s) round out the professional end of this mixed Pro/Am fight card. Moore, a former Navy welterweight and two time Golden Glove Champion has plenty of experience and both of his professional wins were KO’s. Belch, another hard hitting welterweight on this POWER PACKED card, is the perfect 4-0 with nothing but knock out victories!

Headlining the Amateur portion of this very exciting five bout amateur fight card are local heroes Cass Hickman currently on active duty at the Norfolk Navy Station and Miss Rikki Salazar a disabled veteran from Virginia Beach, VA. Both opponents look forward to putting on a great show for the hometown fight fans so Virginia Beach better get ready to “ROCK!!!”

Attachments area

LONDON (July 25) – Pound-for-pound star Andre Ward will face power-punching Columbian Alexander Brand exclusively live on BoxNation on Saturday August 6th.

The fight, taking place in Ward’s hometown of Oakland, California at the Oracle Arena comes hot on the heels of rival Sergey Kovalev’s unanimous points victory over Isaac Chilemba, which was also screened exclusively live on ‘The Channel of Champions’.

Should Ward overcome the tricky and tough Brand then he is all set to take on Russian assassin Kovalev later this year in a super-fight for the WBA, IBF and WBO light-heavyweight world titles.

However, to look past Brand would be foolish, with the Bogota banger having an impressive record of 25 wins, 19 by knockout, and just a sole split decision loss to world champion Badou Jack.

Former world champion Ward is recognised as one of the finest boxers of his generation and the undefeated star will be looking to make his mark on the 175-pound division after dominating at super-middleweight.

The 32-year-old, with a record of 29 fights and 29 wins, 15 by knockout, and having beaten the likes of Carl Froch, Mikkel Kessler and Arthur Abraham knows he cannot takes his eyes of Brand who will be looking to cause a major upset.

“I have to focus on one guy and that’s Alexander Brand on August 6. I will not take him lightly,” said Ward. “If I’m not successful August 6, there is no fight down the road with me and Sergey Kovalev and I’m very clear about that, it’s not just a fight for me. It’s very important for me to look good in the fight, to my standard and to my team’s standard. I have a certain amount of pressure on myself to go out there, perform and hopefully, look good doing it.”

“It will be a great honour to face Andre Ward and better yet in his own backyard,” said Brand. “Fighting somebody with such an illustrious career, facing a guy that perhaps hasn’t lost a round in his entire life, is even more thrilling. We were set to face each other last November, but he was forced to pull out of the fight with an injury. Now the time has come to fight him and I can’t wait to derail his future plans. I’ll work hard to spoil them.”

Jim McMunn, BoxNation Managing Director, said: “Andre Ward is one of the very best pure boxers in the sport today. It is fantastic that we will once again be able to showcase his talents exclusively live on BoxNation. He is well aware of the big opportunities he has down the road but shocks can happen in this sport if you lose focus even for the briefest of moments. This is a very intriguing fight and one we are pleased to bring to our subscribers.”

Ward v Brand is another scintillating addition to the upcoming BoxNation schedule which includes Carl Frampton v Leo Santa Cruz and Canelo Alvarez v Liam Smith.

Ward v Brand is exclusively live on BoxNation (Sky/Freeview/Virgin/TalkTalk/Online & App) on August 6th. Buy now at boxnation.com.
– ENDS –

About BoxNation

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Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Mayweather vs Maidana, Saunders vs Eubank Jr and Khan vs Canelo.

The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Freeview (Ch.255), Virgin (Ch.546), TalkTalk (Ch.415), online at watch.boxnation.com and via apps (ios, Android, Amazon). BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.

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LOS ANGELES (July 25, 2016) – The lion will roar loudly on August 19 at the historic Belasco Theater in downtown Los Angeles when Vyacheslav “Lion Heart-Chigonsky” Shabranskyy (16-0, 13 KOs) makes his return to the ring to take on Laredo, Texas fighter Oscar “El Monstruo” Riojas (10-5-1, 3 KOs) for an eight-round light heavyweight bout as the new main event for LA FIGHT CLUB, airing live nationally on Estrella TV’s Boxeo Estelar and live streamed by the Ring TV.

“Vyacheslav Shabranskyy’s alias is ‘Lion Heart-Chigonsky’ for good reason – he is a fearless warrior whose inner strength matches his physical strength and skill,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “Slava, as we call him, is a future star of the sport headed toward a world championship, and I’ve been pleased with his continued ascent as he rises to the challenge every time he steps in that ring. I’m proud to call him a Golden Boy fighter.”

Also just added to the Aug. 19 card, San Diego, Calif.’s Genaro “El Conde” Gamez (2-0, 2 KOs) will make the third appearance of his professional career in a four-round lightweight bout against local fighter Tyshawn Sherman (0-2) of Adelanto, Calif. while stable mate Oscar Duarte (6-0-1, 3 KOs) of Parral, Mexico will engage in an six-round lightweight fight against Omar Garcia (5-3, 1 KO) of Monterrey, Mexico. Additionally, Golden Boy Promotions fighter David Mijares (2-0, 1 KO) of Santa Monica, Calif. who will take on Jorrell Sparenberg (0-1) from Houston, Texas in a four-round super lightweight bout.

As previously announced, the August 19 card will feature undefeated super featherweight prospect Ivan “Striker” Delgado (9-0-1, 2 KOs) taking on the tough Alejandro Ochoa (7-11-2, 1 KO) of Santa Ana, Calif. in an eight-round co-main event. Also on the card, rising star Alexis Rocha (3-0, 2 KOs) also of Santa Ana, Calif. will face Israel “Isra” Villela (4-2, 1 KO) in a four-round welterweight bout hoping to make airtime on Estrella TV.

A Los Angles transplant by way of Ukraine, Vyacheslav “Lion Heart-Chigonsky” Shabranskyy was last seen in the ring defeating Chicagoan Derrick Findley in the co-main event for the exciting Soto-Karass vs. Kamegai card at LA FIGHT CLUB on April 15. One of the most exciting fighters to emerge from the West Coast fight scene in recent years, Shabranskyy is thrilling fans in his adopted hometown of Los Angeles with his strength, power and skill. He stayed active in 2015, fighting and defeating all four opponents he faced that year. He ended 2015 on a high note with a victory over “El Monstro” Yunieski Gonzalez last December, earning himself a spot on the pound-for-pound list in the light heavyweight division. On August 19, Shabranskyy will look to shine in the first headlining fight of his career with yet another win over Oscar Riojas.

Oscar “El Monstruo” Riojas is ready to prove that he is still a worthy prospect in the boxing world. Hailing from Nuevo Leon, Monterrey Mexico, Riojas is coming off a draw against Jesus Angel Nerio (13-5-1, 6 KOs), a match up that was fought to the nail for the vacant WBC FECOMBOX super middleweight title. Riojas, undeterred by two previous losses, demonstrated his agility in the ring, however was not enough to get the victory. His last victory via unanimous decision against Josue Castaneda Perez was a controversial one, with Perez head-butting him twice throughout the fight. His next scheduled fight against Vyacheslav Shabranskyy is an opportunity for him to solidify his presence in the boxing world, and vindicate himself as a worthy prospect.

After leaving behind a highly decorated amateur career, including being ranked as the number one lightweight in the United States, Genaro “El Conde” Gamez has quickly become of boxing’s top prospects. A 2014 USA Boxing National Champion, San Diego’s Gamez is currently coached by renowned former world champion Robert Garcia. Genaro turned professional earlier this year when he was signed by Golden Boy Promotions in February and since then as impressed with two wins by way of knockout over Archie Weah and Juan Bryand. Gamez is sure to do the same to Tyshawn Sherman in their scheduled four-round lightweight bout on August 19 when he makes his second appearance at LA FIGHT CLUB.

Tyshawn Sherman (0-2-0) is planning to turn around his professional boxing career, empowered by his difficult past match ups. Having nothing to lose in his next upcoming bout, his last fights have been a ground breaking to develop his boxing skills. The Altadena native trains in his father’s gym, and is fighting for another chance to be taken seriously by boxing aficionados.

Oscar Duarte of Parral, Mexico is eager to become a big name in the sport of boxing. In his U.S. debut, Duarte defeated Alejandro Salinas in August 2015, landing himself a promotional contract with Golden Boy Promotions. Currently co-managed by Latin star Gabriel Soto and Guillermo Roacha, Duarte fought earlier this year at LA FIGHT CLUB in February defeating Archie Weah via unanimous decision. He was last seen in the ring on the ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate Vargas vs. Salido undercard at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. where he defeated Luis Lizarraga, Jr. by unanimous decision. On August 19, Duarte will make his third appearance at LA FIGHT CLUB when he aims to defeat Omar Garcia.

Omar “Mr. Power” Garcia (5-3-0, 1 KO) is not one to be intimidated in the ring. Born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico, he has fought throughout his home state, and has a goal to break more ground here in the US. Having jumped into the ring with fighters such as Luis Olivares (12-0-0, 8 KOs) and Geronimo Hernandez (16-29-4, 7 KOs), he is not the type of fighter to shy away from a difficult fight. Jumping into the ring after a loss via unanimous decision, he will be put on a performance that will dazzle the crowd in his next upcoming bout.

Some fighters are made in the gym. The 20-year old David Mijares was seemingly born into the sport. As Mijares’ father worked with legendary musician Bob Dylan, his pregnant mother visited the boxing gym and her water broke. David wasn’t delivered in the gym, but as he grew up, it was his second home and he would even put on gloves and do drills as a toddler. By the age of 12, he began competing, going on to compile a 57-12 record as an amateur. Among his accomplishments were three National PAL Championships, a 2015 Golden Gloves title, and a Bronze medal in the 2015 USA National Championships. Even more impressively, he did it all while excelling in his studies and even playing the Euphonium for the nationally-ranked orchestra at Santa Monica High School. Mijares made his professional debut with a spectacular win on the Canelo-Khan undercard on May 7 defeating Omar Reyes via unanimous decision. He second professional career appearance on June 11 defeating Cory Vom Baur with a technical knockout on the undercard of the Charity Vision Fight Night event headlined by Oscar De La Hoya and Mario Lopez. On August 19, Mijares will fight before a hometown crowd for the first time professionally when he steps into the ring at LA FIGHT CLUB.

Despite only having one fight on his record, Jorrell Sparenberg (0-1-0) is representing Hobbs, New Mexico as a potential new talent in the boxing world. Stepping up to the plate despite his loss via unanimous decision against Saul Gomez in his pro-debut, boxing fans were impressed by his effective jab and endurance. Sparenberg is looking to develop these skills and more for his next upcoming bout.

Vyacheslav Shabranskyy vs. Oscar Riojas is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, BORN BOLD, Casa Mexico Tequila and Carmelita Chorizo. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. and the first bout begins at 5:30 p.m. The Estrella TV Boxeo Estelar broadcast will air live on Friday, Aug. 19 at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT and will stream live simultaneously on estrellaTV.com and on YouTube via Fenomeno Studios: youtube.com/FenomenoStudios. The Ring TV live stream will begin at approximately 5:30 p.m. PT through 7:00 p.m.

Tickets for LA FIGHT CLUB starting at only $20 with Flex Passes for multiple fight packages, Group Tickets and Knockout Experience upgrade are available for purchase now at www.goldenboypromotions.com, the Golden Boy Promotions Facebook page, by calling 213-233-2957 or by emailing LAFightClub@goldenboypromotions.com. Mark your calendars and purchase tickets in advance before they sell out for the remaining summer dates taking place August 5, August 19, September 2 and October 7.

Media interested in attending the August 19 installment of LA FIGHT CLUB must be pre-approved for credentials. Credential applications are available here. The deadline to submit a credential application is 5:00 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 12. Media will not be credentialed on-site, no exceptions.

For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.belascous.com, www.estrellatv.com, follow on twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @EstrellaTV and become a fanon Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/TheBelascoLA, www.facebook.com/EstrellaTVNetwork, visit us on Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @belascola and @EstrellaTV, follow the conversation using #LAFIGHTCLUB and #BoxeoEstelar.

Dillian Whyte has sent a chilling message to Dave Allen ahead of their clash on Saturday July 30 – ‘I’m going to punish and hurt you bad’ – as they clash for the vacant WBC International Heavyweight title at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, live on Sky Sports.

Whyte and Allen have crossed swords on social media as Allen looked to get the bout made with the Brixton banger, and now that they finally meet in Yorkshire this weekend, Whyte says he plans to make Allen regret taking the fight.

“He has always been shouting for the fight and now he has got it,” said Whyte. “I am more experienced than him, I am a better boxer than him and I am a better fighter than him. If I box him I am going to beat him, if I brawl with him I am going to beat him, if we go toe-to-toe, I am going to knock him out.

“His whole thing is to try and plough forward and keep in the pocket and think I will get tired and gas.

“They are thinking I will come out, go mad and shoot my load and in his words he has ‘a spectacular chin’ and this amazing pace he is going to set which he has never done before. They reckon if he gets past the first few rounds he will beat me because he thinks I can’t go the distance. If that is their game plan going into the fight, I feel sorry for him.

“I am not even thinking about knocking this guy out – this is the first time in my career I have gone into a fight thinking I don’t need to knock this guy out in the first round. If I knock him out in round one, two, six, seven or eight, it doesn’t matter – I just want to punish and hurt him bad. I want him to sit in his corner across the ring and look at me and think, ‘I have bitten off more than I can chew here’.”

Whyte and Allen clash on a huge night of action in Leeds as hometown favourite Josh Warrington defends his WBC International Featherweight title against Patrick Hyland.

Luke Campbell MBE faces his toughest test in the paid ranks to date in the shape of former World champion Argenis Mendez, Huddersfield man Tyrone Nurse defends his British Super Lightweight title in an all-Yorkshire affair with Hull’s Tommy Coyle, Barnsley’s Josh Wale gets a shot at the Commonwealth Super-Bantamweight title against Birmingham’s unbeaten starlet Gamal Yafai and classy Belfast man Ryan Burnett defends his WBC International Bantamweight title.

Tickets are on sale now priced at £30, £40, £60 and £100 available from the First Direct Arena at www.firstdirectarena.com and on 0844 248 1585. VIP tickets priced at £150 are available exclusively from Matchroom Boxing at www.matchroomboxing.com.

Tickets for July 30 are also available from http://www.stubhub.co.uk/matchroom-boxing-tickets/ – StubHub is the official ticket partner and marketplace of Matchroom Boxing.

By Bart Barry-

Saturday at a half-full MGM Grand Garden Arena undefeated American junior welterweight Terence “Bud” Crawford dully decisioned Ukrainian Viktor “The Iceman” Postol on pay-per-view to become the lineal and HBO and non-PBC 140-pound champion of the world. A half-full arena was about right and Crawford is almost certainly the world’s best junior welterweight but this thing had no worldly business being on pay-per-view.

If Bud thinks there’s any appetite remaining for a talented American boxer who safely decisions limited opponents Saturday’s pay-per-view receipts should disabuse him and his promoter and their distributor of it. No good whatever came of Mayweather-Pacquiao 1 including the likelihood of fooling consumers with handspeed and defense in lieu of knockouts for another decade. If you are able to dominate a man in the boxing ring you should snatch his consciousness in a half-hour of trying or you’re not trying hard enough for today’s chastened pay-per-viewer. To box Postol the way Crawford did and satisfy disgruntled consumers Postol would need to be big as Golovkin and feared as Kovalev.

Instead Postol was a rangy counterpuncher with a single speed and dimension who last year caught a once-feared Argentine at the end of a witheringly violent career then bounced enthusiastically round the ring with Crawford for 36 deeply unsatisfying minutes. Postol was a C student Saturday who hoped to score a B- by being early to class and trying real hard. Making Postol look ordinary was not a function of Crawford’s greatness so much as making Postol look remarkable was a function of Lucas Matthysse’s October bankruptcy.

Crawford switches stances often in every match and switched early from orthodox to southpaw Saturday and th’t it seemed to unravel every facet of Postol’s training camp at Coach Freddie Academy does not speak well of preparations done by The Iceman or his trainer. Crawford’s choice to screw with Postol’s lead hand for most of the match was tactically sound but hardly ingenious. One imagines the first three or four times Crawford successfully slapped Postol’s left knuckles with his right palm then rolled his fist forward into a jab Crawford thought: “Sweet! Didn’t think that’d work but let’s do it a few more times until this guy adjusts.” If Crawford wasn’t surprised Postol had no cure all night for such a rudimentary poison he certainly ought to have been.

Rounds 6, 7 and 8 were nigh unwatchable and Crawford deserves the blame for it. He learned everything there was to know about Postol in the fifth round and instead of walking him down and putting the Ukrainian’s lights out Crawford decided to show us a defensive prowess not 50,000 people in a world of 7 billion still wish to see. Crawford was able to keep Postol out of position by changing directions and angles continually and if that was genuinely compelling for a full minute that minute passed in the match’s opening rounds and was no longer welcomed. If Postol was still dangerous – even after Bud clipped him and despite Postol’s negligible KO record – all the better: In history aficionados have been willing to spend more than $50 to see only one man remain undefeated forever and Crawford will not be the second.

Not one financially disinterested person is clamoring for Floyd Mayweather’s return to boxing anyway; whatever one feels about watching a skilled practitioner master a lesser man can be felt in a minute or at most a round of boxing; no one needs to see it done 12 times over. It’s not suspenseful like a tightrope walk unless the lesser man is frighteningly larger or at least frightening in some way. Viktor Postol had 12 knockouts in 28 prizefights.

This was a tryout of sorts, we’ll soon learn, for a chance to welcome Senator Manny Pacquiao back from a retirement he didn’t dignify even with skipping a fight. Is Crawford-Pacquiao a compelling match? Actually yes. But decisioning Viktor Postol anticipates the outcome of Crawford’s match with Pacquiao like a clever Facebook post anticipates a Man Booker Prize. Friday night we didn’t know how Crawford might fare in a match with Pacquiao and Sunday morning we still didn’t know.

What plagues boxing now and will do so for at least a generation is its lack of depth. Chris Algieri decisioned a puncher? Put him in with Pacquiao! Viktor Postol attritioned a puncher? Get him to Crawford! It’s not merely that men with Algieri’s and Postol’s records were prematurely fed to far superior practitioners but worse than that there were few opponents with which to build them properly before cashing them out; Postol and Algieri were sacrificed early because they were not going to become more than sacrifices and at least were marketable.

Empty gyms round the country will not remedy this and neither will USA Boxing’s inevitably poor showing next month in Brazil. We can stop the search for our sport’s next savior, in other words, because even if he crash-landed on the Vegas Strip in a spaceship we wouldn’t know what to do with him – though PBC would offer him an advisory contract and shot at “Son of the Legend” Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Once more: Order leads to increasing returns which bring chaos that leads to decreasing returns which bring order and so on forever and ever. We’re in the decreasing-returns part of the cycle now and it behooves none of us to deny it. Paying $60 for Crawford-Postol is denying it worse than charging $60 for Crawford-Postol.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing put on a terrific 5 bout card last night as former 2 time world championship challenger Delvin Rodriguez (29-8-4 16KO Danbury, CT) had all he could handle from Iraqi War veteran Shawn Cameron (10-2 5KO Brooklyn, NY) as the two warriors fought at a fever pace over the 10 round distance in a Jr. Middleweight battle in the main event at “Slugfest at the Sun” at The Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT last night.

The action was fast and furious right from the start with both fighters landing hard punches on each other. Rodriguez tried to use his vast edge in experience landing several clean counterpunches but the ever so tough Cameron kept coming forward, throwing bombs throughout the fight.

There was plenty of ebb and flow in this battle of attrition as the action was heated in every round. As the bell sounded for the 10th and final round ringside observers thought the fight was up for grabs and the two combatants fought as if they felt the same way. The final thirty seconds had the crowd of 2,600 plus in a frenzy as Rodriguez and Cameron stood toe to toe trading shots. As the final bell sounded, both fighters were given a well deserved standing ovation by the fans as Rodriguez came away with the close unanimous win 96-94 on two cards and 97-93 on the third.

The semi final bout saw a minor upset as previously undefeated Light Heavyweight Joel De La Paz (7-1 4KO Atlantic City, NJ) was hammered midway through the first round by Naim Terbunja (9-1 1KO E. Moriches, NY) in a bout scheduled for 6 rounds. Terbunja landed a crushing overhand right to the chin of De La Paz sending the New Jersey fighter flat on his face as the referee correctly called off the fight immediately.

The reminder of the undercard saw Michael McLaughlin (12-1-1 5KO Boston, MA) capture the vacant New England Welterweight title with a unanimous 8 round victory over veteran Shakha Moore (12-22-3 2KO Norwalk, CT), Brooklyn’s Scott “Bang Bang” Burrell (12-2 8KO) had too much firepower for a game Joseph “Chip” Perez (12-4-2 3KO Hartford, CT) winning a 6 round decision in the Jr. Welterweight division, and Jose “Rated R” Rivera (1-01KO Hartford, CT) made his pro debut a successful one as he stopped winless Saul Almeida (0-8 Boston, MA) in the 3rd round of a schedule 4 round Middleweight fight.

The show opened with 2 Amateur bouts provided by USA Boxing of CT.

Promoter Joe DeGuardia had this to say about the evening’s fights “Every one of these kids fought their heart out tonight and the main event was spectacular as Delvin Rodriguez turned back the clock and waged war as we are accustomed to seeing him do so many times in the past. His opponent Shawn Cameron should hold his head up high as he stood in there with a guy who had much more experience than he did and almost pulled off a stunning upset. I’m very proud to have had all these fighters fight the way they did tonight and the crowd at The Sun was so supportive of each and every one of them”.

The night’s action was aired live on Go Fight Live.

From MGM Las Vegas:
Star Boxing also had action the same night in Las Vegas as George “Comanche Boy” Tahdooahnippah fought Ryota Murata on the undercard of the Crawford Postol junior welterweight unification on HBO PPV. Murata was victorious with a first round stoppage.

www.StarBoxing.com
Twitter @Star Boxing, Instagram at StarBoxing and
Facebook.com/StarBoxing.

MONTRÉAL (July 23, 2016) – Undefeated No. 1 light heavyweight contender Eleider “Storm” Alvarez (19-0, 10 KOs) has found a solid boxer to face him on the July 29 card, featuring the WBC and lineal world light heavyweight title fight between defending champion Adonis “Superman” Stevenson (27-1, 22 KOs) and challenger Thomas Williams Jr. (20-1, 14 KOs), at the Videotron Centre. WBC Silver light heavyweight champion Alvarez will face New Zealand southpaw slugger Robert “The Butcher” Berridge (27-4-1, 21 KOs).

The Alvarez-Berridge co-feature, scheduled for 10 rounds at a 180-pound catch-weight, will air on Spike TV in the United States. Named “The Butcher” because of his aggressive style and power, the 31-year-old Australian sputhpaw has won the several regional titles during his pro career including New Zealand (2013 and 2015), WBC Asia (2013), PABA (2013-2014) and WBO Oriental (2013-2014).

“I prepared to face a southpaw in Chad Dawson and Berridge is also left-handed, so adapting will be easier,” Alvarez said. “I tip my hat to him for accepted this challenge with only a 10-day notice

“For sure, I am really disappointed in Dawson’s withdrawal, but these things happen that you cannot control. I’m still happy to get in the ring of the Vidéotron Centre in Quebec City.”

“Berridge is an aggressive, powerful and fierce fighter,” Groupe Yvon Michel president (GYM) Yvon Michel added. “We are pleased to have found an opponent of this quality to face Alvarez in front of the Spike TV cameras.”

A new rival for Bouchard
Popular Sébastien Bouchard (13-1, 4 KOs), of Baie-Saint-Paul, Canada, has a new opponent, Alejandro Herrera (14-3-2, 5 KOs), in a six-round bout.

Stevenson-Williams referee and judges announced
Names of the officials for the Stevenson vs. Williams main event fight have also been disclosed. The referee will be Michael Griffin (Quebec), the three ringside judges Richard DeCarufel (Quebec), Massimo Barrovecchio (Italy) and Juergen Langos (Germany), plus supervisor
Bob Logist (Belgium).

Two public training sessions were planned this weekend on Grande Allée Boulevard in Quebec City. The first, featuring Stevenson, took place today (Saturday) and tomorrow several undercard boxers will workout starting at 1 p.m. ET.

Tickets for the “SHOOTOUT” event, jointly promoted by GYM and Gestev and presented by Vidéotron, in collaboration with Mise-O-Jeu, start at $50.00 and are on sale and available to purchase at www.ticketmaster.ca, the Videotron Centre Box Office, calling GYM at (514) 383-0666 andthe Champion Boxing club (514) 376-0980, or by dialing 1-855-790-1245

MASHANTUCKET, Conn. (July 23, 2016) – With a potential title shot on the line, Adam Lopez and Roman Reynoso fought to a 10-round draw in the main event of the 15-year anniversary telecast of ShoBox: The New Generation Friday on SHOWTIME® from Foxwoods Resort Casino.

In attendance ringside before the fight, newly crowned IBF Junior Featherweight World Champion Jonathan Guzman (22-0, 22 KOs) announced that he’d like fight the winner of Lopez-Reynoso, raising the stakes for this matchup of 122-pound prospects. While the fight was close and entertaining, analyst Steve Farhood, who has called all 219 ShoBox telecasts, didn’t believe either fighter did enough to earn an immediate title shot against Guzman.

The fight looked like a toss-up heading into the 10th – with Lopez leading by just one connect after nine rounds – and the Ronnie Shields pupil came up with a huge final round rally. The undefeated prospect hurt Reynoso (18-1-2, 7 KOs) in the final seconds with a flurry of shots, forcing the Argentine spit out his mouthpiece to buy himself nearly 30 seconds of rest. Seemingly out on his feet, Reynoso somehow survived the onslaught without falling to the canvas before the final bell. Lopez (15-0-1, 7 KOs) out-landed Reynoso 34-21 overall and 34-20 in power shots in the final round, but it wasn’t enough to earn him the victory.

Judge Don Ackerman saw Lopez a 96-94 winner, while Bill Morande had it 97-93 Reynoso, and Peter Hary cast the deciding ballot at 95-95. All three judges scored the last round 10-9 for Lopez. Had Reynoso fell to the canvas in the final seconds, the 10-8 round would have given Lopez the win.

“It was a tough fight. He didn’t want to engage,” said Lopez, who out-landed Reynoso 158-144 overall and 131-125 in power shots. “He’s slick and experienced and a good fighter. I feel that this was my best performance on ShoBox. I have been working on new things with Ronnie Shields and it showed in there. I know I hurt him in the last round.

“The decision was bullshit. He could not hit me.”

“It was a close fight, but I feel I won,” Reynoso said. “He never hurt me. The only thing that surprised me is that he was more aggressive than in other fights. I hurt my hand from hitting him.”

Late replacement Jerry Odom knocked out previously once-beaten Julius Jackson with a vicious third round knockout (1:57) in the ShoBox co-feature.

Jackson (19-2, 15 KOs), the son of former two-division world champion Julian “The Hawk” Jackson, was outworking Odom through two rounds, who took the fight 10-days notice after Ronaldo Ellis suffered a hand injury. That was until Washington, D.C.’s Odom (14-2-1, 13 KOs) clocked Jackson with a flush right counter shot with one minute left in the third, spelling the end for Jackson, who couldn’t beat the count and suffered his second consecutive knockout loss.

“I saw the right hand. I was throwing combinations and I saw the opening and landed a good shot,” Odom said. “As opposed to the last couple fights, I am in a great place physically, mentally and spiritually. I have a great team around me. We are unbreakable.”

“He threw the punch at the right time and caught me,” Jackson said. “I was OK, but the referee stopped the fight. I felt up until that point, I was boxing well and winning every round.”

Rolando Chinea won a close, eight-round split decision victory over O’Shaquie Foster (10-2, 7 KOs) in a matchup of lightweights, scored 79-73 (Chinea), 77-75 (Foster) and 78-74 (Chinea).

Chinea (13-1-1, 6 KOs) was the aggressor, dictating the tempo of the fight from the outset. And while most rounds were extremely close – closer than the relatively wide scorecards – Chinea’s activity was the difference. Chinea threw 733 total punches, compared to 641 for Foster, and he edged Foster by nearly 150 power punches (592-449).

“He is a hell of a fighter and it was fun to fight him,” said Chinea, who was largely able to minimize the jab, Foster’s best weapon. “Like I said before the fight, he could not take pressure. I brought the pressure. I blocked and slipped a lot of his punches. My will and desire to win outweighed his will to punch.

“He did not take my pressure well. I worked my shots well inside and that was a difference in the fight.”

Foster, who’s record fell to 10-2 with 7 KOs, complained that he “had distractions and couldn’t focus.”

In the opening bout of the telecast, Ian Green handed previously undefeated super welterweight prospect Khiary Gray the first loss of his career with a stunning second round TKO (2:50).

With former world champion and fellow Paterson, N.J., Kendall Holt in his corner, Green (10-1, 8 KOs) came from behind to floor Gray with a big right cross to the chin that sent him tumbling face-forward into the canvas. Gray, a local favorite from nearby Worchester, Mass., tried to hold on with just 30 seconds left in the round, but he couldn’t make it to the break and was falling backward into the ropes when the referee halted the contest.

“I got him good, and I got him out of there,” said Green, who out-landed Gray 14-0 in the final minute. “He got me good one time, but I kept my left hand up and hung in there. We’re going all the way up. This is just the start.”

Gray (13-1, 10 KOs), who was seemingly in control of the fight and rocking Green with ease, became the 151st fighter to suffer his initial defeat on the prospect developmental series.

“He just caught me,” Gray said. “I don’t even know what punch it was. I didn’t even see it. I tried to hold on and waste some time, but I got caught again. I just need to get back to the gym and fix my mistakes. I’ll bounce back.”

Friday’s four-fight telecast will re-air this Monday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME.

Barry Tompkins called the ShoBox action from ringside with Steve Farhood and former world champion Raul Marquez serving as expert analysts. The executive producer was Gordon Hall with Rich Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.

The event was promoted by GH3 Promotions in association with Classic Entertainment & Sports Inc. (CES) and Sampson Boxing.

Long Island City, N.Y. – Ronson Frank’s Uprising Promotions put on another thrilling night of action-packed fights at the Five Star Banquet Hall in Long Island City on Fridaynight, with a series of extremely well-matched and compelling fights on the docket.

Alicia “The Empress” Napoleon (7-0, 5 KOs) was in tough with gritty veteran Kita Watkins (7-14, 1 KO) in the main event, but the Long Islander displayed nice ring generalship and controlled the action for the majority of the six-round encounter. Watkins looked to make it a dog fight and draw Napoleon inside, but she was more than happy to oblige. Not allowing her work to remain smothered, Napoleon also fought Watkins on the edge of her range and threw hard power shots while maintaining great balance and movement.

While it took a calculated effort on her end, Napoleon got the better of Watkins over the course of the bout, eventually securing a unanimous decision (60-54, 59-55×2) to remain undefeated.

In the co-feature, Brooklyn featherweight Ariel Lopez (2-0, 2 KOs) put his fast hands on display to score a TKO stoppage over Wuesi Johnson (1-2, 0 KOs). The two quick featherweights exchanged throughout a rapid first frame before Lopez began to really bang up the body of Johnson in the second stanza. The work caused Johnson to initially slump over in the corner after that second round, and the ringside physician then advised to halt the bout before the bell rang to start the third frame.

In a back-and-forth middleweight scrap, Anthony Jones (5-0-1, 1 KO) was able to remain unbeaten after outpointing Villi Bello (4-2-1, 1 KO) in an entertaining six-round affair. Immediately from the opening, both men stepped into a phone booth and kept the action there for the entirety of the fight. Jones was an awkward and rangy boxer who was filled with aggression, which meant Bello had to smother a lot of his work on the inside. There was quite a bit of give and take throughout the bout, but the judges eventually saw the highly competitive fight in favor of Jones by tallies of 60-54 and 58-56 twice.

The lone knockout of the evening was a booming one from the left hand of New York welterweight Maxito Sainvil (4-0-1, 2 KOs), who was matched with gritty veteran Ray Velez (3-9-1, 1 KO) of Brooklyn. Sainvil went headhunting at the onset of this contest, using a sweeping left hook that repeatedly found the head of Velez. He also switched his stances with regularity to confuse his opposition, which paid dividends for him. In the second stanza, Sainvil fired at Velez with heavy numbers to cause the Brooklynite to take a knee for the first knockdown of the fight. However, Sainvil got off a late body punch once he went down, which caused referee Steve Smoger to deduct a point.

That subtraction would prove to be irrelevant, as Sainvil continued to batter Velez for another two frames before the bell rang to get the fifth round underway. Just 26 seconds into the stanza, Sainvil let off a thunderous left hook that shut the lights out and flattened Velez. Smoger knew a count was unnecessary and immediately waved off the bout, giving Sainvil an incredible stoppage victory.

Staten Island lightweight (2-1, 0 KOs) Grashino Yancy spoiled the pro debut of Romain Thomas (0-1), but every fan in attendance was treated to four rounds of an all-action scrap. Yancy knew he would need to pull Thomas out of his comfort area and make it dirty, and Thomas erroneously obliged him rather than box from the outside. Both men were giving and taking throughout the four frames, and neither fighter backed down at any point. Unfortunately for Thomas, that played into the hands of Yancy, who secured the unanimous decision victory by counts of 40-36 and 39-37 twice.

Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin represented junior lightweight Shawn Simpson (2-0, 1 KO) impressed in a four-round encounter, displaying good overall speed and an effective counter left hand that broke down a game Juan Muniz (0-4). Simpson was also able to slip well and show effective aggressiveness to never relinquish control throughout the bout, earning a shutout victory after all three judges gave him a 40-36 scorecard.

In the opening contest of the night, cruiserweight Frederic Julan (1-0) was successful in his pro debut against Damien Lewis (0-2), although a very game Lewis made him earn it. Julan operated quite smoothly and swarmed with heavy numbers, rarely throwing singular punches. He threw some impressive combination work that oftentimes included a lead uppercut, and the outcome of this one was never in doubt. Julan picked up his first professional victory after the final bell with straight 40-36 tallies from the ringside judges.

This Uprising Promotions card continued the initiative to KO Autism, with proceeds from the night getting donated to The School For Language and Communication Development (SLCD) in Glen Cove, New York.

For more information on Uprising Promotions and to keep up with all of our latest news, make sure to check out UprisingPromotions.com and follow us on social media: @UprisingNYC

Toronto, Ontario, Canada (July 23, 2016) – Lee Baxter Promotions announced that hard-hitting Juan Orozco will face Steven Wilcox Thursday, July 28 in the eight round main event of the first ever “Next Generation” card at Danforth Music Hall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The “Next Generation” fight series by Lee Baxter Promotions provides a platform for boxers with championship aspirations. Most of the boxers fight out of Canada but some will trek from across the world to display their talents.

Living and fighting out of Zamora, Michoacan de Ocambo, Mexico, Orozco is 12-3-2 with 10 victories by knockout. A winner in four of his last five bouts with three of those wins by KO, Orozco stopped Camilo Fuentes July 16 in Mexico. He’ll also enter the ring as the naturally bigger man, fighting as heavy as 151 lbs.

One of Canada’s rising stars,Wilcox owns an outstanding 13-1-1 record and has 5 KO’s. Fighting out of Hamilton Ontario, Wilcox shutout Pedro Navarrete in March. Prior to his pro career, the 26-year-old had approximately 180 amateur fights and was a two-time Canadian lightweight champion.

“Both fighters deserve props for making this happen” said Lee Baxter. “Orozco is filling in on short notice for Jesus Singwancha, who withdrew after injuring his hand in training. On top of that, he just fought a few days ago. Wilcox also deserves credit for dealing with multiple opponent changes and going forward with no questions asked. On top of that, Orozco is a tough fighter and I’m expecting a very competitive fight.”

Tim “The Irish” Cronin, a cruiserweight from Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada looks to run his unbeaten streak to 9 fights when he challenges Kristof Demendei of Slovakia in a six round contest. Cronin, 7-1-1 (2 KO’s), has primarily fought in Ontario and hasn’t been defeated since his pro debut. Demendei, 10-1-2 (6 KO’s), fought all but one of his bouts in Slovakia and looks to rebound from a decision loss in June.

In undercard action, super middleweights newcomers Augistino D’Aluisio and Mike Miller will swap leather. Junior middleweight Mayron Zeferino will have his first fight versus Quebec’s Danyk Croteau. Monster heavyweight Mladen Mijas of Ontario makes his pro debut against 5-1 Slovakian David Vyletel. Each bout is scheduled for four rounds.

Sponsored by Everlast, Vonbets, Hardknocks Boxing Club & Labatts Brewery, tickets to the “Next Generation” are on sale now for $45, $55 and $65 by logging onto Ticketmaster.Ca. Doors open at 6:30 pm and the first fight is scheduled for 7:30.

LAS VEGAS (July 22, 2016) – It has been more than a month since World Boxing Association (WBA) world cruiserweight champion Beibut Shumenov (16-2, 10 KOs), based on the much publicized WBA Cruiserweight Tournament rules and regulations, petitioned the WBA to either declare a purse bid for a title fight between WBA Super cruiserweight champion Denis Lebedev, or strip Lebedev of his title belt for being non-compliant.

Last July, Shumenov defeated B.J. Flores by way of a 12-round unanimous decision to become the WBA mandatory challenger for Lebedev, who hasn’t fought a mandatory defense since April 10, 2015.

The WBA issued a resolution this past April that Lebedev, who defeated Victor Emelio Ramirez in May to also become International Boxing Federation cruiserweight champion, must fight Shumenov within 120 days of the latter’s May 21, 2016 knockout victory over Junior Wright.

On record for making changes to insure only one world champion in each division, incredibly, the WBA presently has 38 different world title belt holders in only 17 different weight classes. Only three WBA divisions have one world champion – super lightweight, lightweight and light flyweight – and eight have three world titlists, including its cruiserweight division, which presently has world champions in Lebedev, Shumenov and Interim champion Yunier Dorticos, who is the WBA second mandatory challenger.

In an apparent public relations move, the WBA has suddenly declared this month a rash of mandatory defenses, however, declaring and actually making these title fights are two different things, as Shumenov has unfortunately learned. The WBA should have ordered a Lebedev vs. Shumenov purse bid on June 21, 2016, when the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement, but the WBA failed to do so. When Shumenov repeated his request for a purse bid in June, the WBA failed once again to act.

WBA Rule D: Purse Bids

1. Call For Purse Bid. Bout participants shall reach an agreement on holding the bout no later than ninety (90) days before the expiration of the mandatory period. To confirm an agreement has been reached, the WBA must receive acceptable bout contracts signed by the boxers certifying they have reached terms for the bout. If no agreement has been reached, the Championships Committee, with the approval of the President, can call for Purse bid. A boxer may also request a purse bid at any time.

Lebedev’s promoter, Andrei Ryabinsky, has been quoted in stories about having a deal in place for his fighter to defend his IBF title first. In effect, the WBA is allowing Lebedev to hold the WBA Super cruiserweight title belt hostage, leveraging it against his IBF crown. Shumenov, who is a former WBA Super light heavyweight champion, has now proudly worn the WBA belt around his waist for a total of nearly five years.

“I was looking forward to fighting Lebedev and I don’t understand his unwillingness and refusal to step in the ring with me,” Shumenov said.

Team Shumenov is extremely disappointed in the WBA’s failure to act on making the fight with Lebedev that it mandated, in addition to being discouraged by the WBA’s failure, after several requests had been made, to either set a purse bid date or strip Lebedev of his world title belt. Not knowing if or when the WBA is finally going to rule has left Shumenov unable to book any fights. The WBA’s failure to enforce its own purse bid rule, or strip Lebedev, has unfairly prevented Shumenov from earning a living while at the peak of his pro boxing career.

Shumenov is the only native Kazakh to be a two-division world champion. Now a resident of Las Vegas, he also represented his native Kazakhstan at the 2004 Olympics in Greece.

Fans may friend Beibut Shumenov on his Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/BeibutShumenov.

Uncasville, CT — The weigh-in for Saturday’s Slugfest at The Sun, Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing fight card headlined by the return of former USBA Welterweight Champion and world title challenger Delvin Rodriguez 153.25 lbs. (28-8-4 16 KOs/Danbury, CT) vs. Iraqi war veteran Shawn Cameron 153.5 lbs. (10-1 5 KOs/Brooklyn, NY) took place this afternoon (Friday, July 22) at The Cabaret Theatre in the Sky Casino at Mohegan Sun.

All of the boxers stepped on the scale for their showdowns on the action-packed card set for tomorrow night (Saturday night, July 23) at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Rodriguez last fought in June 2015 when he challenged Erislandy Lara for the WBA World Jr. Middleweight title. Danbury’s favorite son dropped a 12-round decision to the champion, but continues his career.

Rodriguez has fought a who’s who over the course of his long career including such elite boxers as Miguel Cotto, the aforementioned Lara, and Austin Trout, but may be best remembered for his scintillating battle with Pawel Wolak on July 15, 2011, which garnered “Fight of the Year” award.

Rodriguez has challenged for the world championship on three different occasions and feels he still has something left to prove taking on the hungry and tough, Shawn Cameron.

Cameron, who has just 11 fights under his belt, sees this as the opportunity he has been waiting for. Cameron served two tours of duty in Iraq and knows a win over a well-known contender like Delvin Rodriguez will do wonders for his career.

Along with the 10-round middleweight main event featuring the return to the ring of Rodriguez after a year-long hiatus, matchmaker Ron Katz has finalized Boston’s Michael McLaughlin 147.5 lbs. (11-1-1, 5 KOs) to do battle with Shaka Moore 147.5 lbs. (12-21-3, 2 KOs) of Norwalk, CT. in an eight-round affair for the vacant New England Welterweight title and home turf bragging rights as the Slugfest at The Sun co-feature.

New Jersey meets New York in a six-round battle of light heavyweights when Atlantic City’s Joel De La Paz (175 lbs, 7-0, 4 KOs) puts his unblemished record on the line against Naim Terbunja 175 lbs. (8-1) of Medford.

Super Lightweights clash in a six-round contest when Scott Burrell 137.75 lbs. (11-2, 8 KO’s) of Brooklyn squares off against Hartford’s Chip Perez 137.75 lbs. (12-3-2, 4 KOs).

In a four-round battle, Hartford’s Jose Rivera 163 lbs makes his professional debut against Saul Almeida 162.5 lbs of Boston in a Super Welterweight bout.

Tickets are priced at $150.00, $95.00 & $45.00 and $30.00 and are on sale now at the Mohegan Sun Box Office and through Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster customers may log on to ticketmaster.com or call Ticketmaster’s national toll free Charge By Phone number 1.800.745.3000.

WHAT: Replay of June 4th “Cancun Boxing” professional boxing show

WHEN: Friday, July 22 at 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT
Encore presentations on Saturday, July 23 at 11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT and Saturday, July 30 at 2 a.m. ET / 11 p.m. PT

WHO: Main Event (12) – WBC Silver Featherweight Championship
3-time world champion Cristian “El Diamante” Mijares (53-8-2, 26 KOs)
vs.
Andres “Jaguarito” Gutierrez (34-0-1, 24 KOs)

Co-Feature (8) — Bantamweights
Ivan “Zurdo” Alvarez (23-5, 16 KOs)
vs.
Jose “Piston” Lopez (25-4-2, 15 KOs)

Super Lightweights (8)
Edgar “Power” Jimenez (21-11-2, 15 KOs)
vs.
Jovylito “J-Flash” Aligarbes (12-3, 6 KOs)

PROMOTER: Pepe Gomez Boxing, presented in association with Neon Star Media

TELEVISION: CBS Sports Network

CBS Sports Network is available across the country through local cable, video and telco providers and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 221 and Dish Network Channel 158. For more information, including a full programming schedule and how to get CBS Sports Network, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com

ANNOUNCERS: Hall-of-Famers Jim “JR” Ross & Al Bernstein

OTHER: The event, which took place June 4, 2016, is the first in the
“Cancun Boxing” series that will air on CBS Sports Network in
2016. Grand Oasis Cancun and Hotel Complex, Cancun’s ONLY
Ultimate All-Inclusive Entertainment Resort, will play host to all
events in the series.

INFORMATION

Twitter: @pepegomezcancun, @cancun_boxing, @Neonstarmedia

Instagram: @pepegomez1

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/pepigomezquiqui, www.facebook.com/Neon-Star-Media-378687919005532/

Lou DiBella
Welcome, everybody, to the Santa Cruz-Frampton telephone call. The event is Saturday, July 30, 2016, on SHOWTIME. The action begins on SHOWTIME at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time; that’s 6:00 p.m, Pacific time from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

The main event is Leo Santa Cruz versus Carl Frampton for the WBA World Featherweight Championship. The co-featured SHOWTIME bout features Mikey Garcia versus former champion, Elio Rojas. Both men are former champions. It’s a junior welterweight 10-round bout.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by my company in association with Cyclone Promotions and presented by Premier Boxing Champions start at $38 and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, BarclayCenter.com, or by calling 1-800-745-3000. They are also available at the box office at the Barclay Center, and group discounts are available.

This is a sensational card that will actually begin on SHOWTIME EXTREME at 7:00 pm Eastern time and Pacific time. And the SHOWTIME EXTREME bouts feature an opening bout: a terrific matchup between Ivan Redkach and Tevin Farmer. And the main event that features SHOWTIME’s own announcer, Paulie Malignaggi in a battle for Brooklyn against Brooklyn’s own Gabriel Bracero.

The opening bout on the SHOWTIME telecast features two junior middleweights, two of the best in the world, in Tony Harrison versus Sergey Rabchenko. So it’s a tripleheader on SHOWTIME.

On this call, we’re going to begin with Mikey Garcia and Elio Rojas. Elio Rojas will be challenging Mikey Garcia; Mikey’s end of his 2-1/2-year layoff.

Elio Rojas from San Francisco de Macorís, the Dominican Republic, has a record of 24 and 2 with 14 KOs. He’s the former WBC Featherweight Champion. He’s returning from a near-two-year layoff.

He’s fighting Mikey, who’s ending a 2½–year layoff himself, trained by his brother, Robert, former WBO Featherweight and WBO Super Featherweight World Champion, and who holds a number of big wins over Orlando Salido, Juan Manuel Lopez, Romàn Martínez and Juan Carlos Burgos.

Before I introduce the fighters though, I want to introduce the man that made this entire card possible, the Executive VP and General Manger of SHOWTIME Sports, Stephen Espinoza.

Stephen Espinoza
Thanks very much, Lou. We are all getting ready and are very excited for another outstanding card top to bottom at Barclays Center – to continue the momentum of our outstanding June 25 fight, we’ve got a really interesting set of matchups.

The first women’s championship title fight at Barclays Center with Amanda Serrano defending her title, to Paulie Malignaggi, SHOWTIME’s own on-air talent, returning to the ring against fellow-Brooklynite, Gabriel Bracero, the super welterweight eliminator, Harrison versus Rabchenko.

And of course, the two fights that we are here to talk about today, our two feature bouts, starting with the much-anticipated return of Mikey Garcia to the ring who was one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport before his layoff.

It is a very positive thing in the sport for someone of Mikey’s caliber to be returning. We’re excited to see what he has planned for a new division. And as is typical for Mikey’s career, he never takes the easy way out.

In Elio Rojas, he has a former world champion, also coming off a layoff of his own, but with 2½ years out of the ring, Mikey certainly could have taken a much easier fight. And no one would have criticized him whatsoever. But that’s not Mikey’s style. And he found someone who’s a very worthy challenger, a tough fighter, former world champion in Elio Rojas at 24 and 2, 14 KOs, so this is a good, good test for both guys.

In terms of our main event, of course, this is really one of the most anticipated fights of the second half of the year, and we are proud to be bringing it to you right on the heels of the fantastic Thurman-Porter fight last June 25 in this very same venue.

If you have been watching SHOWTIME at all, you’ve seen Leo Santa Cruz been featured many times as one of the most fan-friendly and popular young fighters in this sport. Carl Frampton is on a mission to launch his brand and generate the kind of fan base here in the U.S. that he has across the Atlantic.

We started that process with him on CBS almost exactly a year ago and he is also an exciting fighter, and this is as close to guaranteed action as you’re going to get. So top to bottom, we’re thrilled to be bringing this card. We’re very proud to be there, and we will see you all on July 30.

L DiBella
Thank you, Stephen. So without further ado, I’m going to get to the co-featured bout. I’m going to introduce, first, the former WBC Featherweight champion of the world, returning from a near two-year layoff. From San Francisco de Macorís, Dominican Republic, his trainer, will translate for him. The former world champion, Elio Rojas. Elio, will you say a few words?

Elio Rojas
I would like to thank you all. I’m so very happy to be. I’m really glad that this fight is going to take place. I put it in the work and will be going in there strong. I had a great camp.

L. DiBella
All right. Thank you, Elio. I’m going to turn it over now to former WBO Featherweight and WBO Super Featherweight world champion, two-division world champion. Undefeated with a record of 34 and 0 with 28 KOs. The Pride of Oxnard, California, Mikey Garcia.

Mikey Garcia
Thank you, Lou. I’m here. I’m ready. Finally getting to show people my boxing skills in front of the world, and I couldn’t be more excited. I’m well-prepared for the fight. I’m looking forward to a very good fight.

I want Elio to come at his very best and perform, because that’s what I will bring, the best out of me. I think this is a wonderful fight. We’re both former world champions. Because we are coming out from lengthy layoffs, we should be very hungry to get down at this challenge and move forward our careers.

So I really, really want to have a good fight. I think the fans are going to be very surprised with my performance on July 30.

Q
Mikey, during your layoff, how much time did you train, and how did you manage your training without having a fight on the horizon? Was it difficult for you to train without a fight? And how much sparring did you do? Did you make sure to get in the ring every once in a while and spar?

M. Garcia
I was saying, even though it’s been 2½ years, I stayed in the gym almost the entire time. I probably took maybe two to three weeks off throughout the entire two-year period. I was always active, always in the gym, and I was doing a lot of sparring, actually.

I helped out a lot of the guys in my brother’s gym, starting with Marcos Maidana when he fought Mayweather. I was his primary sparring partner, and we worked a lot of rounds with him.

And then the fights that my other gym members like Saul Rodriguez – I was helping him, I was helping Max Perez, and the new guys that my brother has, they’re fighting frequently. Very, very frequently.

So I kept helping them in the gym. And that allows me to stay in shape, because even though it’s been 2½ years, really honestly, it seems like it was six, nine months for me, because I stayed in the gym. I stayed active. I stayed in shape. And I never really took too much time out of the gym.

Q
Why did Elio Rojas choose Mikey Garcia and why Mikey Garcia choose Elio Rojas?

M. Garcia
I could have chosen another opponent – a much easier opponent, being that I’ve been gone for over two years, but that’s not what I want. I don’t want criticism. I don’t want the fans to criticize me or my opponent. We had a few names that we mentioned, but they were not available, either for timing, or they already had another fight scheduled, or other opponents just clearly said no.

And Elio was available. We looked at him. He’s a former world champion. I remember him from when he was champion at the featherweight limit. And he’s a very good fighter. He’s got excellent skills. He’s also coming out of almost two-year inactivity period, so I’m assuming he’s hungry. I’m assuming he’s excited to be back and wants to take his career to the next level.

It’s a great opportunity for both of us to showcase our skills and the winner will go on to bigger and better things. And that’s what I want. I want him to come in and perform to the best of his abilities, because that will also bring the best out of me.

E. Rojas
I’m taking this fight because I mean to show the world I’m an elite fighter, and the only way to show it is to beat the elite fighter, which is Garcia. That’s why I need to show the world that I’m able to be on top with the big names. I deserve this opportunity because the public never gave me the respect that I deserves. That’s why I’m taking this fight with a top fighter.

Q
Mikey, can you talk about what New York has meant to you in your success there?

M. Garcia
Well, New York has always been very good to me. I’ve already fought in New York several times. I think, if I’m not mistaken, this is my fourth fight in New York, and New York has always shown a lot of love.

I love New York. I actually think it’s a great place for boxing. A lot of boxing history in New York. And the fans — I see a difference. Fans are real boxing fans. They’re not just fans of the show itself, let’s go to a fight because it’s the thing to do on a Saturday night. There’s some boxing fans.

No, these fans actually follow the sport. They support the fighters, and they’re there, early on. They’re there to watch the show, not just the main event. So you can see the boxing history. They support everybody there. They show me a lot of love, lot of respect, and it’s all good in New York.

Q
What did it feel like being in that crowd on June 25, and do you expect a similar atmosphere when you fight there again on the 30th?

M. Garcia
Well, I hope it’s very similar because it was great. It was an awesome experience. I mean, Barclays Center is great. It’s huge, and the fans, like I said, you can just feel the atmosphere. You can feel the electricity in the fans, and when we were there and all the fans, storm us and me, and take photos, and pictures, and sign items, it’s great.

It’s wonderful to get that love and that appreciation from the fans, being that I’m out here from Southern California, and we’re all the way on the other coast, and you still get all that support from the fans. It’s wonderful, so I hope that we get the same feeling, and that the fans show up and give us their love and support.

Q
Can you talk about Rojas, in terms of his style? Is he similar to any opponent that you’ve faced, and if so, is there an opponent you feel brought out the best in you and hopefully he will too?

M. Garcia
Every opponent is a little bit different. I think Rojas is a very good, wonderful boxer. He’s experienced, definitely. He’s a former world champion. I’m just getting ready for whatever Rojas decides to show up. If he wants to box, and use his reach, and straight punches to keep me at a distance, then I’m going to have to find ways to get inside or counter him from the outside.

If he decides to come forward and try to bring the fight to me, then I’m ready for that too. I’ve been sparring wonderful guys here at the gym to be ready, and prepared for any kind of Rojas that shows up. I make the right adjustments in the ring. If we see something not working so well, we’ll make the adjustments, and we’ll always try to make sure that we’re on top of everything.

M. Garcia
I just want to say thank you for the opportunity, everybody. Stephen and DiBella for putting this show together and allowing me to perform. I expect a great fight. I expect a great performance, and let’s just go out there and do our thing. Rojas is going to be ready. I’m sure he’ll be ready and excited, just like I am. I wish him the best of luck, and let’s put on a great show for the fans.

E. Rojas
We’d like to thank you, everybody, for the fight. SHOWTIME, we’d like to thank you. We’d like to thank Garcia for taking the fight. I’m coming ready on July 30. I’m going to be a different Elio Rojas from before. I’m going to gain the respect that I never got. I’m taking home the victory.

L. DiBella
Thank you, both of you guys, and we’re going to move on to the main event now. Thank you both.

The main event on Saturday, July 30, again, SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXINGS beginning 9:00 p.m. Eastern time, 6:00 p.m. Pacific time, is one of the most anticipated matchups in the featherweight division, but really one of the most anticipated matchups in all of boxing and certainly all of the lower weight classes.

Leo Santa Cruz with a record of 32-0-1 with 18 KOs. One of the most exciting featherweights in the world. The same can be said of Carl Frampton, undefeated at 22-0 with 14 KOs from Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Leo Santa Cruz became WBA Super World’s Featherweight Champion on Aug. 29, 2015, when he beat Abner Mares by decision in a Fight of the Year candidate. He’s currently 11-0 in world title fights.

And he thus far has the distinction of having defeated seven current or former world champions, which is pretty amazing. He’s going to try to make that eight on July 30 when he takes on undefeated Carl Frampton. So from Rosemead, Calif., born in Mexico, Leo Santa Cruz.

Leo Santa Cruz
First of all, I want you thank everybody for having me here, and I’m just excited to come over to New York to be fighting for the fans, and hopefully getting new fans over there. I want to make new fans and and I will do that in New York.

Q
Does it matter to you that you’re going to be in your own country and probably not be the fan favorite? They’ll be rooting for him. What’s your thoughts about that?

L. Santa Cruz
It won’t really matter because once fight day comes, it’s only going to be me and Carl in the ring. The fans are the people, they’re not the ones fighting in the ring with us. It’s going to be a great fight. You have to go over there and make new fans, and you go make a great fight.

Q
What are your thoughts about his style of fighting and the way it seems you guys match up in a fight that is going to be very fan-friendly kind of fight?

L. Santa Cruz
Truly, I only have watched very few fights of him, but I’d say the little I have watched, he’s a great fighter. He has everything. He has great skills. He has good footwork great punches, and he has great power. His style is kind of like Mexican style.

He comes forward, a sign of a great fighter. And his style and my style are going to make for an interesting fight. We are going to go toe-to-toe. We’re going to go out there and give you a great fight for all the fans.

Q
Do you think he’s maybe going to be the best fighter you’ve faced so far?

L. Santa Cruz
Yes, I think so. He is undefeated, he has unified and he is a great fighter, like you said. He’s really a super star. So I think, yes, getting that victory, I can get to the next level, and get me one the biggest fight I can win.

Q
Can you talk about your preparation for this fight as you watch your father deal with his own illness and how it’s been in your camp, and if it is going to distract you at all? How is your dad doing?

L. Santa Cruz
Thank God, my dad, he’s doing much better now. At the beginning, it was really difficult. It was hard. My dad was taught, he told us that, these are God’s side; you can live that.

At the beginning, it was difficult and everything but the last couple of weeks, he was there in the camp. He was there each day doing what he had to do, so I think this chance, it’s been great. He’d promised that he’d come to the fight and not to give up.

Q
Will he be in the ring with you, in the corner with you on July 30?

L. Santa Cruz
Yes, hopefully, dad, yes, he is. I know he’s trying and I know he’s been great, and so I think he’s there in my corner on fight night.

Q
Leo, do you think about the style of Frampton is more like Abner Mares or is totally different?

L. Santa Cruz
It’s going to be a great fight. Because Frampton is strong, he is almost the same size as Mares. He comes forward when he wants to. He could box; he could do whatever he wants to. But he’s going to also do the same thing.

So I think he’s going to be a very interesting fight and it’s going to come down to whoever wants it the most is going to take it.

Q
Leo, do you want to just really take the fight to him. No boxing. Is that accurate, or are you going to do something like that with some adjustments here and there?

L. Santa Cruz
Yes. I’m going to do that. I’m going to go out there and take the fight to him and then stay on top of him, trying to get him tired, break him down, working the body and trying to hit him. And if that’s not working for us, we could make an adjustment. We could box smart from the outside and not let him come in.

We train in the gym for both sides of the match — from the inside or to be on the outside. Whatever works, that’s what we’re going to do.

Q
Leo, you and Carl both fought on the same night, back in February. Was he on your radar that night?

L Santa Cruz
My plan was that if I won the fight and if Carl won the fight I wanted to fight him next. I didn’t know it was going to happen but yes I was hoping they’d make the fight happen. I guess me and Carl Frampton, if we both won. And then I heard that he called me out so I did the same thing. I said if he wants to fight me, bring it over here. I’m ready to fight him too.

Q
Do you think it’s important that you draw him in a firefight or do you make him fight your fight for all 12 rounds, in order to win this fight?

L. Santa Cruz
I’m going to make the fight and I’m not going to be like Scott Quigg. Scott Quigg wasn’t trained as much to come forward and he was more careful. He was more on the outside. I think none of them were going to risk it. They didn’t want to take chances and none of them wanted to get caught. But not me.

I’m going to go out there and I’m going to make it a fight. I’m going to make him fight me. I’m going to go out there, pressure him and pressure him so that he’ll have no other choice but to stop and fight with me.

Q
Have you thought when this happened, of canceling the fight until your father was well? Or did he encourage you to say no, this is a business you’ve got to continue going?

Leo Santa Cruz
Yes, me and my brother reached out about maybe canceling the fight because we didn’t know how my dad was going to be, or if he would be in my corner or if he was going to be able to beat cancer. We didn’t know what was going to go on. So yes, we thought about it.

But then, you know, when we went to talk to my dad and told him about it he told us that no, that this is a job that even if he can’t be there then we still have to go out there and do what we do. I knew he was going to be happier if I went out there and fought. My dad would get strong and he said oh, no, no, no. This cancer is not going to beat me. I’m going to fight it. I’m going to fight it. I’m going to beat it and you’re going to go out there and do the same thing.

So that’s what his words were. It was a big help and then it made us come out here and work harder.

Q
Do you then have the ability to go from plan A to plan B or plan C or whatever, to offset what they bring to the table which you may not have been prepared for?

L. Santa Cruz
Yes. Of course. I could adjust to like whatever the fighter brings, to modify. With Frampton we’re going to do the same thing. We’re going to go out there and we’re going to stay in there, we’re going to try to make it a war. Because that’s what our fans love. They love to see a great fight.

Q
Is it more difficult to face an undefeated fighter?

L. Santa Cruz
Yes, it is more difficult and we know that he’s undefeated. He hasn’t tasted defeat. I know he’s going to come with everything because he’s not going to want to let that all go. But at the same time that’s also more motivation for me, because I know he hasn’t lost and I want to be the first one to give him his first loss.

I want to go out there and beat him and that way I’ll be considered one of the best.

Q
Are you going to try to make this an exciting fight like your previous bouts?

L. Santa Cruz
Yes this fight it could be a fight of the year or a great fight like against Abner Mares and Kiko
Martinez.

Carl Frampton is a great fighter. He has everything. He has great skills, footwork, great puncher,
he has great power. So that being said, it’s a big fight, it’s going to be entertaining and what
we’re going to do is we’re going to go out there and make it a great fight for them.

L. DiBella
Thank you Leo. And, Leo — I just want you to know that all of us in the entire boxing
world are praying for your dad and thank you for your dad. And we look forward to seeing you
next week, in Brooklyn.

L. Santa Cruz
Yes, thank you guys for your prayers and yes, my dad right now he’s doing great. Thank
God. And hopefully he continues to beat cancer.

L. DiBella
Thank you. Carl, if you could say a few words and then we’ll open it up to questions for you.

Carl Frampton
Yes. I’m just excited about this fight. It’s a huge fight. I’ve been involved in some pretty big
fights back home in the UK which haven’t really caught the public’s imagination in the States.
But I think that this fight will. I think that this is going to be the first time really in my career.
It’s a world-class opponent who’s coming to win and he really believes that he’s going to win
this fight.

I believe the exact same thing so I think that is only going to mean one thing and that’s going to be a great fight. So I’m looking forward to it. I’m really excited.

Q
Did you know after your last fight that it was definitely going to be in the next weight class and to get a big fight up there against somebody like Leo or whoever?

C. Frampton
Yes. That was the plan was to move up. But I spoke with my team and we agreed that I would only move up for a big fight, the likes of a Santa Cruz, someone who is a big name fighter. So I wouldn’t have moved up – I didn’t want to move up to fight anyone. I wanted to go straight into the deep end and be involved in a big fight.

So I probably could have stayed at 122 but it was hurting me, making that weight. It’s just at this point now, I’m 29-years-old. It’s not getting easier to lose weight. And 122 pounds was just taking something away from me. I feel much stronger now at 126. I’m enjoying boxing. These last couple of weeks, before you weigh in, I usually hate boxing. It’s just not a nice feeling.

I’m eating well and I’m training well. I’m full of energy. So I think it was the right decision to move up and that’s me. I’m a featherweight now. I’ll never see 122 again.

Q
How do you go about trying to deal with somebody that has those two factors working to his advantage? He’s extremely active with his punches and he’s going to be a taller, longer fighter than you. How in the world do you deal with that?

C. Frampton
Well it’s not going to be easy, but I think I can punch very hard and I don’t think that Leo, he’s been in with some good opposition, but I don’t think he’s been hit by anyone that can punch as hard as me, yet. I think that when I was making 122 it was taking something away from my power and I was hurting opponents sparring partners in the gym when I was sitting around 130, 132.

But on fight night with the smaller gloves on, I wasn’t having the same effect and actually got down to making the weight. So I think that I can judge distance very well. I’ve got good distance control. I can see things coming. And that combined with my punching power, it’s not going to be easy. Leo is going to come forward better, but when he’s getting hit hard he may have to think twice about coming forward so much.

Q
So what’s the reaction been to your presence in New York? And do you feel like you’ll be the favorite inside the arena on fight night because of that?

C. Frampton
Yes. It has been good. We went to see the Irish consulate yesterday in New York, right in Manhattan. It was a great turnout. I’ve had a great reception since I came here. The 12th of July 2016 will now be known as Carl Frampton Appreciation Day in Westchester County apparently, as well. So that was pretty nice. That was nice.

We’ve had a good reaction. The Irish community have kind of rallied and gathered around us and they’re all here supporting us. We’re training in a gym called Champs Gym with a guy called Ron O’Leary, of Irish descent. So they’re really supporting us. And I’m expecting to bring probably 1,500 people from back home, from the UK and Ireland as well, which will probably sound more like about 5,000. So we’re all excited.

I think it’s going to be a good night. I think it doesn’t really matter. At the end of the day it’s two guys fighting in the ring and it doesn’t matter who’s making all the noise. Not too much anyway. But I feel that I could have equally as much support as Santa Cruz, maybe even slightly more.

Q
What would it mean to you to win the title in a second weight class, which is something that Barry McGuigan did not do during his Hall of Fame career?

C. Frampton
Yes. It would be huge. There’s been one other Irishman that’s won world titles in two weight divisions and that was Steve Collins. But there has never been another Irishman that’s done it. I’d be making a better history for myself. It’s going to be nice to win back the title that Barry owned 30 years ago, that WBA title as featherweight. That would be nice. It just feels like everything’s lined up and destined to happen.

And I feel like it might be time for me to make history. I’m ready for this fight. I have been for a long time. But up at 126 I feel that this suits me more than fighting Leo Santa Cruz at 122. I think it would have been a harder fight for me at 122 simply because of making the weight. At 126, I’m much better. And I think that everything’s falling into place and I’m ready to take the title off him.

Q
Barry, could you address that about him getting another title and something that you didn’t do? And also, if he does win, getting the belt that you used to have 30 years ago?

Barry McGuigan:
Yes. Absolutely. It’s wonderful that Carl is getting the chance to fight for the 126-pound title. We don’t really go into the sentimental stuff very much. It’s just a job of work and what condition he is. At 126, he’s so much stronger and camp has been fantastic. He’s looked great. And yes, it’d be nice if he won my old title but that’s about it. It didn’t really matter. For him to win and to be impressed at his performance is what’s important

And I believe Leo Santa Cruz will bring the very best out of him because he’s such a great fighter. But I believe 100 percent that Frampton will beat him on the 30th of July.

Q
You were knocked down in the Gonzalez fight. Did any of that have to do with weight loss, do you think?

C. Frampton
Yes. Of course it did. I’ve mentioned that I struggled to make the weight and I’m much stronger at this weight division. But I don’t think it was a close fight to be honest. I think I won pretty comfortably after the first round. The first round was a terrible round, a disastrous round. But after that I won the fight pretty convincingly.

But to be honest, the Gonzalez fight has been a blessing in disguise. This fight with Santa Cruz I don’t think would happen unless that happened, the Gonzalez fight. The fight with Scott Quigg wouldn’t have happened unless the Gonzalez fight wouldn’t have happened. I’ve been chasing these guys for a long time. I’ve wanted to fight them.

I’ve made myself available to Santa Cruz in 2013 I think, and the fight never happened, when he was at 122. But suddenly now all the guys that I’ve been chasing they want to come and fight me. So that was a blessing in disguise and I’m glad it happened all the fights are happening. This is exactly what I want.

Q
He expects you to put on a lot of weight. Does that size translate into power? And will you be more strong – stronger than he thinks you’re going to be?

C. Frampton
I don’t know what Leo is thinking, to be honest. And that isn’t me having a dig at him, saying that, he’s going to think twice about coming forward when he’s getting hit. That’s any fighter in the world, are going to think twice about coming forward too much when I’m fighting back. And I just feel much stronger, fitter, sharper, everything really, at this weight class.

If I’m being honest, I probably outgrew 122 a year and a half ago but I was the champion, I was defending my title, I was making it because I had to. But I’m going to be much better at featherweight.

Q
If you back him up — have you ever seen him fight in reverse? Do you think the fight’s over?

C. Frampton
No. I don’t think the fight’s over. I think that there are different ways that this fight can be won. But we have a game plan and going into this fight I’m hoping that game plan A can work. If not, I’ll resort to plan B or plan C. But, Leo can actually box a bit on the back foot. There’s been on occasions, you know, where I’ve seen that, where he can counter well. He blocks shots well and comes back with his own. He’s a very, very high intelligence fighter.

So he prefers to be a front foot better and coming forward. But I think if push comes to shove then he can actually fight a bit on the back foot. So look, he’s a world-class fighter. He’s not a one trick pony. I’m expecting a very tough fight. But there are a few different plans we have in place and we believe they’re going to work on the night.

Q
So are you saying that when Gonzalez knocked you down that was the green light to tell you, hey, I’d better get out of this lighter weight class because my strength is zapped trying to make this weight?

C. Frampton
Well I said to my team that I wanted to move up for a big name and we got a big name. So if it hadn’t had been a big name like Santa Cruz, I probably would have stayed at super bantamweight, which would have hurt me. I was outgrowing the weight. It wasn’t easy for me to make. And I wasn’t enjoying boxing making 122. But this is a business and you do what you have to do. So if it wasn’t a big name fight, I probably would have stayed. But me at 122, you’re only seeing 70-80 percent. I’m much more comfortable at 126. I think you’re going to see the best performance of my career and I’m glad that I’m up here.

Q
Do you find the size advantage as an obstacle?

C. Frampton
Well most opponents I have faced have been taller than me. So I’m used to fighting guys that are taller than me. You know, I had probably about 180 amateur fights. I don’t know exactly how many. And I came up against all different fighters. My sparring partners are always taller than me. I like to spar big guys. So, I’ll be used to it. And what people haven’t really brought up and mentioned yet, is Leo Santa Cruz started his pro career at bantamweight.

I finished my amateur career at featherweight. So I feel like on the night I’m going to be the bigger man, although he’s taller than me and he’s got a longer reach. I’m going to be physically stronger. I’m going to be stronger, I’m going to be punching harder I feel. And I’m going to be in front of him. And I will be able to push him back if I want to do that.

So this is something that I don’t think Leo has come up against yet. I hope that he’s expecting a tough fight, because I’ve prepared very, very hard for this. I’m willing to put everything on the line and do anything really, to get the win.

Q
What does Barry McGuigan bring to you and your team?

C. Frampton
Well he brings a lot. He brings a lot of wisdom. Obviously he’s been there and he’s done it. Barry’s my manager now and I think we have a great team. It’s his son Shane McGuigan who actually trains me. Shane is the one I listen to and comes up with a plan and the tactics. But everyone has a bit of an input. And obviously it would be silly for us not to take the advice of Barry considering he’s been there and he’s done it. So it’s great that we got people like this on our team who have taken punches in the head, who know what it’s like at the very top level of the sport. Of course you’re just going to soak it all in. And when someone like that gives you advice you listen.

L. DiBella
Thank you Carl and thank you all for joining us for the Santa Cruz vs. Frampton conference call. One more time, it’s Saturday, July 30, SHOWTIME CHAMPIOSHIP BOXING at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time, 6:00 p.m. Pacific at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Tickets for the live event promoted by DBE in association with Cyclone Promotions, presented by PBC, start at $38.00. You can get them online at Ticketmaster.com, BarclaysCenter.com or by calling Ticketmaster. And they’re also available at the box office.

# # #

For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports follow on Twitter @SHOSports, @LeoSantaCruz2, @RealCFrampton, @BarclaysCenter, and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports, www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment, www.Facebook.com/barclayscenter. PBC is sponsored by Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

BOUT SHEET
Alicia Napoleon (6-0, 5 KOs) 155.4 lbs. vs. Kita Watkins (7-13, 1 KO) 153.8 lbs.
Ariel Lopez (1-0, 1 KO) 125.6 lbs. vs. Weusi Johnson ((0-1) 122.8 lbs.
Villi Bello (4-1-1, 1 KO) 157.6 lbs. vs. Anthony Jones (4-0-1, 1 KO) 156.2 lbs.
Maxito Sainvil (3-0-1, 1 KO) 146.8 lbs. vs. Ray Velez (3-8-1, 1 KO) 144.8 lbs.
Romain Thomas (PD) 133 lbs. vs. Grashino Yancy (1-1, 0 KOs) 134.8 lbs.
Shawn Simpson (1-0, 1 KO) 124 lbs. vs. Juan Muniz (0-3) 126.4 lbs.
Bertha Aracil (2-0, 2 KOs) 149.8 lbs. vs. Gabrielle Holloway (0-1) 153.2 lbs.
Frederic Julan (PD) 177 lbs. vs. Damien Lewis (0-1) 174.6 lbs.

Doors: 6:30 PM
First Bell: 7:00 P.M

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (July 22, 2016)–Tonight at The Claridge in Atlantic City, Kevin Asmat of North Bergen, New Jersey is set to make his pro debut against Dallas Holden of Atlantic City in a super bantamweight bout scheduled for four rounds.

Asmat was a former amateur standout as he compiled a record of 96-14 and he made made it to the semifinal round of the 2016 Olympic qualifying tournament.

“I am feeling great and I am ready for Friday,” said Asmat after Friday’s weigh in where he checked in at 120 pounds.

“All I know about my opponent is that he is from Atlantic City,” Asmat said of Holden, who will also be making his pro debut.

The 21 year-old Asmat is grateful for the opportunity that Rising Promotions offered him so he could make his pro debut in his home state.

“It feels good that Thomas LaManna and his mom Debbie gave me an opportunity to debut on their card.”

When asked what fans should expect, Asmat said, “My style depends on how the fight is going. I can box, I can fight when I have to and also be a boxer-puncher. I adapt to what I need to do to win the fight.”

Asmat intends to stay very busy and he predicts and long and prosperous professional career.

“I will be happy to get in three or four fights this year and hopefully fight about seven times in 2017. That should get me on my way and I can’t for tonight and people can see that they saw the beginning of my legacy.”

ABOUT JULY 22ND

On Friday night, July 22nd, welterweight, Anthony “Juice” Young will headline a great night of boxing against Eduardo Flores in a scheduled 6-round welterweight bout at The Claridge Hotel in Atlantic City.

Welterweight Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna (20-1, 8 KO’s) will take part in a six-round co-feature bout against Engleberto Valenzuela (10-7, 3 KO’s) of Sonoroa, MX

In an eight round bout light heavyweight bout, Fenlong Meng (7-0, 5 KO’s) of Chifeng, China battles Daniel Judah (24-10-3, 11 KOs) of Brooklyn, NY

In an eight-round heavyweight bout, Zhang Zhilei (10-0, 7 KO’s) of Zhoukou, China takes on Rodney Hernandez (10-4-1, 3 KO’s) of Modesto, California.

In a six round heavyweight bout, Tri-State Heavyweight champion Dan Pasciolla (7-1-1) of Brick, NJ will battle Dante Selby (2-1-1) of Philadelphia, PA in a rematch.

Marvin Johnson (0-0-1) of Millville, NJ will take on Lamont White (0-1) of Washington, DC in a lightweight bout scheduled for four-rounds.

Pro debuting bantamweight’s Kevin Asmat of North Bergen, NJ and Dallas Holden of Atlantic City will collide in a four round bout.

Appearing in a four-round bout will be pro debuting super featherweight Donald Smith of Philadelphia, taking on Cameron Cain of Indiana.

Bantamweight Christian Carto (1-0, 1 KO) of Philadelphia, PA takes on pro debuting Christopher Nelson of Indiana

Tickets are $125 for premium, $77 Ringside stage and $52 reserved and are available at www.risingboxingpromotions.com or 609-487-4444

Juergen Braehmer (48-2, 35 KOs) will defend his WBA World Light Heavyweight title against Nathan Cleverly (29-3, 15 KOs) on October 1 at the Jahnsportforum in Neubrandenburg, Germany, live on Sky Sports.

The fight has been a long time coming with the pair originally slated to meet in 2011 at the O2 in London before an eye injury forced Braehmer to withdraw. Four years later, the fighters were again close to sharing a ring but talks broke down with Cleverly opting to fight in America instead.

Braehmer, who returns following a one-sided points victory over domestic foe Eduard Gutknecht, will now be aiming for a seventh successive defence of his WBA World title against Welsh rival Cleverly, the former WBO World Champion, who announced his return to the light heavyweight division with a 2015 ‘Fight of the Year’ contender versus Andrzej Fonfara.

“In boxing you can never say never,” said the defending champion. “This is a fight the fans have wanted to see for a long time and I’m happy it’s finally happening. I look forward to meeting Nathan Cleverly in the ring at the Jahnsportforum and proving once and for all who is the better boxer.

“Cleverly is a good fighter. He is a former World Champion and I believe he is still one of the best light heavyweights in the world. He has a very exciting offensive style, which I’m sure will make for a great match-up. I will be expecting a tough fight, but with the support of the fans in Neubrandenburg, I’m confident I will win.”

“This fight has been destined to happen and I can’t wait now,” said Cleverly. “It’s finally here – Juergen and I will finally go to battle and I’m looking forward to the challenge.
“I’ve had a good recovery period and rest since the Fonfara fight and I feel fantastic. I’ve had a few niggles and injuries over the last couple of fights but I’ve recovered from them. I’m invigorated and I’m ready to strike again on the World scene and become a two-time World champion.

“Juergen is a great champion and an underrated one. He’s a puncher that has pedigree in the pros and all the way back to the amateurs, he’s a proper professional and a credit to the game. It’s like the old dog fighting the young dog, experience versus youth, but I’m 29 and I have a bagful of experience of my own and I know what I have to do – I am going into the champions backyard and I need to rip the title off him, and that’s what I intend to do.”

“We’re delighted to have finally made this fight between the WBA World Champion Juergen Braehmer and former WBO World Champion Nathan Cleverly,” said promoter Kalle Sauerland. “This is a fight people have been talking about for the last five years, and I’m sure it will live up to everybody’s expectations. Fans should prepare for an explosive fight and a great night of action in Neubrandenburg.”

“I’m delighted to deliver a World title shot for Nathan in a fight that has been many years in the making,” said Cleverly’s promoter Eddie Hearn. “After his fight of the year contender with Fonfara we have been looking at the big fights only and Braehmer was always the target, it’s a fight that Nathan fancies and has wanted for a long time – I believe that on October 1, Britain will have ANOTHER World champion.”

Tickets for the WBA World Light Heavyweight Championship contest between Juergen Braehmer and Nathan Cleverly will be available online via www.tickethall.de and www.eventim.de or by calling +49 (0)1806-570044.

Ovill McKenzie will challenge Germany’s Marco Huck for the IBO Cuiserweight World Title in Frankfurt exclusively live on BoxNation on Saturday 24th September.

31 year-old Huck, who holds the record for the most WBO World Title defences alongside Johnny Nelson, came face-to-face with ‘The Upsetter’ at a press conference in Frankfurt yesterday.

“Obviously, I was really excited once I was able to get back to the top of the division, which is where I belong,” Huck told World Boxing News.

“My fans kept asking me when the next fight was, so I actually feel like it’s a great honor that they want to see me back in the ring. I will thank them by putting on a great performance. It gives me an extra rush of adrenaline when I hear the crowd shouting “Huck, Huck, Huck! – You cannot put a price tag on that feeling. I am 31-years-old now, the prime age for a boxer and I will leave the ring just the way I entered it, as the champion.

“McKenzie did really well during his last fights and should have won the IBF-Title against Ramirez, so I have to be careful and wont underestimate him. But I just pay attention to whether he is a orthodox or southpaw and the rest will present itself on the night.”

It is a big return for hard-hitting Derby based Jamaican McKenzie, who was forced to withdraw from his challenge for the vacant European Cruiserweight Championship against Ukraine’s Dymtro Kucher last month through injury.

McKenzie, 25-12-1 13 KO’s, narrowly missed out on claiming a world title when he pushed former IBF ruler Emilio Ramirez to a controversial draw in Argentina last October. Now the former British and Commonwealth Cruiserweight title holder is looking to propel himself back on to the world stage with a career best performance.

“I am travelling to Frankfurt to give a great performance. I don’t want the people to look at my record and write me off immediately or that it will be a walk in the park for Huck. I am in great shape. I will take Marco’s belt off him and bring it back to England.

“I will give the performance of my life. I am a real fighter, a warrior. I am 36 now, but I honestly feel like I’m 20. I am in amazing shape.”

BoxNation, the Channel of Champions, will televise this fight live and exclusive on Sky 437/HD 490, Virgin 546, TalkTalk 415, Freeview 255 and also on smart connected devices via multiple platforms. Go to www.boxnation.com to see how you can watch this fight and more live!

Anthony Young 149 – Eduardo Flores 152.4

Thomas LaManna 155 – Engleberto Valenzuela 153.2

Fanlong Meng 178,2 – Daniel Judah 177
Donald Smith 125 – Cameron Cain 125.4
Dan Pasciolla 246 – Dante Selby 223.2
Christian Carto 117.9 – Christopher Nelson 117.4
Marvin Johnson 139.7 – Lamont White 144
Zhang Zhilel 255.5 – Rodney Hernandez 248.7
Kevin Asmat 120 – Dallas Holden 119.3

Promoter: Rising Promotions
Venue: The Claridge Hotel
1st Bell: 7 PM ET

Tickets are $125 for premium, $77 Ringside stage and $52 reserved and are available at www.risingboxingpromotions.com or 609-487-4444

Adam Lopez 121 – Roman Ruben Reynoso 121

Jerry Odom 168 – Julius Jackson 168

O’Shaquie Foster 134 – Rolando Chinea 134

Khiary Gray 155 – Ian Green 157

Off-TV Bouts:
Jimmy Williams 145 – Antonio Fernandes 148
Leroy Davila 118 – Edgar Cortes 121
Brent Venegas 119 – Christian Foster 123
David Wilson 161 – Kendrick Ball Jr. 162
Divante Jones 135 – Anthony Burgin 136

Doors open 6:30 PM ET
1st Bout: 7 PM
Television: SHOWTIME at 10 PM ET / PT

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by GH3 Promotions in association with Classic Entertainment & Sports Inc. (CES) and Sampson Boxing, are priced at $45, $75 and $150 and can be purchased by phone from the Foxwoods Resort Casino at 800.200.2882 or online at www.foxwoods.com

FINAL QUOTES:

ADAM LOPEZ:
“I’ve experienced and grown a lot over my last few fights. I’ve learned a lot about myself and overcame adversity. All my fights on ShoBox have been tough, but I’m hoping for a breakthrough victory on Friday to prove I’m ready to face a contender.

“Reynoso is a tough fighter. We know he swings for the fences. Because he’s from Argentina, a lot of people call him a little Marcos Maidana. He’s probably the toughest opponent so far, but we’re ready for whatever he brings.

“I’m back to training with Ronnie Shields. I was with Ronnie for my first five fights and it’s good to be back. Ronnie is working on my jab and helping improve my basic fundamentals.

“I want to win and look good doing it. If I get the KO, that’s great, but I’m not going to look for it. I don’t want to be on the canvas looking for it.

“We want to show that we’re ready for bigger and better fights. But we know we can’t look past this guy.”

ROMAN REYNOSO:
“This is the biggest fight of my career. Everything is motivating for me. I want the best for my family, and winning a fight like this can help me get there.

“We moved up to Montreal for training camp and we’ve improved a lot. We’ve developed defense and a better boxing style. We used to be about just coming forward and punching, but we’re working on our movement, our boxing skills.

“We are coming here to exploit Adam Lopez. We’re here to upset him.

“I know he has a big left hook, but we’re going to take that away. We know he has a height and reach advantage, but we like to fight wars. If he wants a war, we’re prepared. If he wants to run, we’re prepared. We’ll see if he will be able to figure out how to beat me.

“I’m used to being the shorter fighter. It doesn’t bother me.

“I look up to (Marcos) Maidana, but he has his own style. I don’t try to mimic that.

“This is my first time moving down to 122 pounds. In Argentina, it was hard to get fights at 122 – most of my fights were at 126 – but fighting at 122 is more natural for me. This is what we were looking for.

On Matias Carlos Adrian Rueda, who fights Oscar Valdez for the WBO Featherweight Championship on Saturday:
“That’s the only boxer who has beaten me. We wish him the best. We were looking for the rematch, but it didn’t happen. In the future, it needs to happen.”

JERRY ODOM:
“I’ve been training all summer. Opportunities come and go. I was taught that when a window opens you have to jump in. That’s why we took this fight.

“We’re not thinking about his (Jackson’s) last fight. That isn’t going to dictate our game plan. We know the opportunities to knock him out are there, but we need to worry about our game plan.

“I’ve watched tape on him. He still has the same posture, he has no finesse. He’s a straight up type of fighter. Nothing we can’t handle.

“Records don’t mean anything. You look at my record and see I have two losses. That doesn’t mean anything, doesn’t define me. He better not be overlooking me because I have two losses. That would be a big mistake.”

JULIUS JACKSON:
“The loss made me hungrier. I just got hurt. He hit me and I just couldn’t recover.

“My team is confident I’m still a high-level fighter. We don’t just want opponents. We want guys that will test us.

“The change in opponents doesn’t affect us. We’re just trying to perfect ‘The Chef.’ We want to get in there and do what it takes to win.

“There’s definitely pressure. We know if I lose tomorrow it will set me back even more. But we’re not thinking about that. We’re coming to win. This is an opportunity to erase my loss.

“Odom comes to fight. That’s what makes this an exciting fight. We’re both coming to fight.”

O’SHAQUIE FOSTER:
“Chinea is a one-punch puncher. He’s suitable to my style. We like the pressure he brings. We can break him down, break his will.

“I’m supposed to be here. The loss in my first fight on ShoBox was a fluke. I showed in my last ShoBox fight that I belong here.

“I don’t see anyone at lightweight that can beat me. I’m only 22, but at this point next year we want to be considered a contender for a title shot.”

ROLANDO CHINEA:
“I’ve studied tape on him. He’s an accomplished fighter. But I know he doesn’t like pressure, and my style revolves around pressure. So he’s a tailor-made fighter for me.

“We’re going to do what we do best: apply pressure.

“This is my TV debut and I’m ready to make a statement. This is an opportunity that I need to take advantage of.

“We’ve done everything we can in the gym. We’re been sparring with top fighters in Philadelphia. We’re ready to go.”

KHIARY GRAY:
“I’m more of a boxer than a KO guy. I have a lot of knockouts, but that’s not what I’m always looking for. I consider myself more of a boxer.

“I’ve always had late replacements in my fights, so that doesn’t give us a problem. I’ve seen clips of him, and we’re ready for him.

“Going 10 rounds was a good experience for me. It taught me that my conditioning was there. That I can go the distance if I need to.

“I switch to lefty when I have to. I can fight the whole fight lefty if I need to.

“I sparred with Edwin (Rodriguez) recently, sparred with Demetrius Andrade. It’s good work with those guys. I can hold my own in the gym with them.

“There’s pressure fighting on TV, but I feel comfortable. People are going to know me after this. They’ll know that I’m ready to be a contender in the 154-pound division.”

IAN GREEN:
“I’ve been in the gym since April. I was supposed to fight on July 30, but this was a better opportunity and I jumped on it.

“We have Kendall Holt in our corner, and we hope to be the next fighter from Paterson to win a title.

“Gray is an aggressive guy, but my range and height is an advantage. I don’t think he’s faced anyone like me. He’s been touched a few times.

“Once you see me tomorrow, you’ll see the real Ian Green.”

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

BROOKLYN (July 21, 2016) – The featherweight world championship clash between defending titlist Leo Santa Cruz and undefeated former unified super bantamweight champ Carl Frampton features an unpredictable and potentially explosive mix of styles between two of the world’s top fighters.

Santa Cruz (32-0-1, 18 KOs) will make the second defense of his WBA Featherweight Title against Irish superstar Frampton (22-0, 14 KOs), who relinquished two belts at 122 pounds, when they face off in the main event of a SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® tripleheader on Saturday, July 30, live on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) from Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Three-division world champion Santa Cruz ranks as one of the world’s top-three fighters in four key categories – Total Punches Thrown, Landed, Connect Percentage and Power Punches Landed (all per round, per CompuBox).

The numbers prove that Santa Cruz is one of the best punchers in the world, topping Gennady Golovkin, Manny Pacquiao and ranking only second by a small margin to pound-for-pound champ Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez in Power Punches Landed Per Round.

More impressively, Santa Cruz ranks as the world’s best in the Plus/Minus category that was dominated for years by pound-for-pound champ Floyd Mayweather. In that statistical measure, which is determined by subtracting opponents connect percentage from a fighter’s connect percentage, Santa Cruz stands tall at No. 1 (+15.8% per fight), followed by Andre Ward (+15.3), Golovkin (+15.2), Erislandy Lara (+14.5), Terence Crawford (+13.2), Roman Gonzalez (+12.5) and Canelo Alvarez (+12).

While Santa Cruz is a statistical leader in five key categories, defending Santa Cruz’s biggest strength – power punches – is one of Frampton’s greatest attributes. In his last six fights, Frampton’s opponents landed just 29.2 percent of their power punches. Comparatively, Santa Cruz landed an astonishing 46.9 percent of his power shots over his last eight fights. Can both fighters continue at this impressive rate when they faceoff on July 30?

Frampton ranks in the top 10 of Opponents Power Punches Connected, meaning he stops his opponents from landing power shots at a staggering rate. Frampton ranks No. 10 in a group that features Guillermo Rigondeaux, Lara, Wladimir Klitschko, Ward and Crawford.

Additionally, Frampton is the second best in the world in Average Number Of Jabs Thrown Per Round, behind leader Jesus Cuellar and well ahead of Rigondeaux (No. 5), Golovkin (No. 6), Crawford (No. 7) and Kell Brook (No. 8). Santa Cruz is also a statistical leader in this category, ranking No. 9 in the world.

Below is the list of categories where Santa Cruz and Frampton excel:

PLUS/MINUS (hit vs. get hit):
Santa Cruz ranks as the world’s best, followed by Andre Ward (No. 2), Gennady Golovkin (No. 3), Erislandy Lara (No. 4), Terence Crawford (No. 5), Roman Gonzalez (No. 6) and Canelo Alvarez (No. 7). The retired Floyd Mayweather had previously held the top spot.

TOTAL PUNCHES THROWN PER ROUND:
Leo Santa Cruz only trails Roman Gonzalez in terms of total punches thrown per round. Santa Cruz (No. 2) tops Jesus Ceullar (No. 3), Juan Francisco Estrada (No. 6), Orlando Salido (No. 7) and Gennady Golovkin (No. 9). Santa Cruz throws 84.6 total punches per round, compared to boxing’s overall average of 55.5.

AVERAGE TOTAL PUNCHES LANDED PER ROUND:
Santa Cruz trails Roman Gonzalez by less than two percent, connecting at a 33.1 percent clip compared to the overall average of 16.9. At No. 2, Santa Cruz tops pound-for-pound mainstays Gennady Golovkin (No. 3) and Juan Francisco Estrada (No. 4). Santa Cruz’s average more than doubles the CompuBox average punches landed per round of 16.9.

TOTAL CONNECT PERCENTAGE:
Santa Cruz ranks in the top three in this important category in which only a few percentage points separate the world’s best. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. ranks No. 1, followed by Golovkin, Santa Cruz, Roman Gonzalez, Adrien Broner and Andre Ward respectively. At 39.2 percent, Santa Cruz landed at a nearly 10 percent higher rate than the overall average.

AVERAGE POWER PUNCHES LANDED PER ROUND:
Santa Cruz is second in the world in this category, trailing only Roman Gonzalez by a slim margin and topping Juan Francisco Estrada (No. 3), Abner Mares (No. 5), Golovkin (No. 7) and Pacquiao (No. 8) among others.

AVERAGE JABS THROWN PER ROUND:
Santa Cruz and Frampton both rank in the top 10 in average number of jabs thrown per round.
Frampton, who is second in the world behind leader Jesus Cuellar, tops master jabbers Rigondeaux (No. 5), Golovkin (No. 6), Crawford (No. 7) and Brook (No. 8). Santa Cruz is ninth best in this category. Frampton, who trails Cuellar by just one percentage point, throws 13 more jabs per round than the overall average.

OPPONENTS POWER PUNCHES CONNECTED:
Frampton is amongst the world’s best at preventing his opponent from landing power shots. He ranks at No. 10 in a category that includes Rigondeaux (No. 1), Lara (No. 2), Wladimir Klitschko (No. 3), Ward (No. 4) and Crawford (No. 5). Frampton’s opponents landed just 29.2 percent of their power shots.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment in association with Cyclone Promotions and presented by Premier Boxing Champions, start at $38 and can be purchased online by visiting www.ticketmaster.com, www.barclayscenter.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.

For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports follow on Twitter @SHOSports, @LeoSantaCruz2, @RealCFrampton, @BarclaysCenter, and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports, www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment, www.Facebook.com/barclayscenter. PBC is sponsored by Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

New York (July 21, 2016) – Star Boxing is pleased to announce the signing of undefeated, highly touted prospect, Joel De La Paz to an exclusive multi-year promotional contract.

“I feel really great to be working with Star Boxing”, said De La Paz. “Joe DeGuardia has many championship fighters. I look forward to working hard and in a few years I want to fight for a world title.”

Star Boxing’s President, Joe DeGuardia said “I’m delighted to have Joel sign with us. Joel is an exciting fighter who is ready to step his game up in a big way. His fan friendly, aggressive style will shake things up in the already stacked 168 lbs. division. We are all looking forward to a bright future together.”

De La Paz of Atlantic City, NJ has a record of 7-0 with 4 knockouts. Impressively, the super middleweight has not lost a single round as a professional. The proud Puerto Rican looks to continue his country’s tradition of producing dominant world champions. Joel will take the first step in his long awaited return to action when he takes on the rugged Naim Terbunja (8-1) on the undercard of the Delvin Rodriguez vs. Shawn Cameron headliner at “Slugfest at the Sun” at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT on Saturday July 23, 2016. Terbunja is also promoted by Star Boxing.

The additions of De La Paz to the Star Boxing roster mark four promising prospects signed in the last couple of months. Tyrone James, Terrell Bostic and Michael Stoute joined the promotional powerhouse earlier this year and have all competed at the Paramount in Huntington, NY in their first fights under the Star Boxing banner.

Tickets for “Slugfest at the Sun” are $150.00, $95.00 & $45.00 and $30.00 and are on sale now at the Mohegan Sun Box Office and through Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster customers may log on to ticketmaster.com or call Ticketmaster’s national toll free Charge By Phone number 1.800.745.3000.

LOS ANGELES (July 21, 2016) – Tickets for the mega event between former two-division world champion and Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs) and WBO Junior Middleweight World Champion
Liam “Beefy” Smith (23-0-1, 13 KOs) are on sale now.

The 12-round world championship clash will take place on Mexican Independence weekend, Saturday, September 17 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys. The fight promises a night of non-stop action, as both fighters put it all on the line to battle for the WBO Junior Middleweight World Championship. The event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Tickets are priced at $750, $500, $300, $200, $100, $85, $50 and $40, not including applicable service charges with a total ticket limit of 8 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also will be available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com. Additionally, walk up purchases are available at the AT&T Stadium Box Office (Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. CT to 5:00 p.m. CT).

Canelo vs. Smith, a 12-round fight for the WBO Junior Middleweight World Championship, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Frank Warren and Canelo Promotions, sponsored by “Tecate, BORN BOLD” and Casa Mexico Tequila. The event will take place on Saturday, September 17 and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.frankwarren.com, www.attstadium.com or www.hbo.com/boxing, follow us on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @LiamBeefySmith, @OscarDeLaHoya, @FrankWarren_tv, @ATTStadium and @HBOboxing, become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.Facebook.com/frankwarrenpromotions, www.Facebook.com/ATTStadium or www.Facebook.com/HBOboxing, join us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @LiamBeefySmith, @ATTStadium, @OscarDeLaHoya and @HBOboxing, and follow the conversation using #CaneloSmith.

B-roll and images of the fighters are available for use and download HERE or by copying and pasting: bit.ly/CaneloSmith. Video and photo credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions.

Red-hot Welterweight prospect Mason Cartwright is delighted to have signed a three year promotional deal with Frank Warren.

The 23 year-old former English schoolboy finalist possesses fire in his fists and, after a successful amateur career, has made an impressive start to life in the paid code, outpointing all five of his opponents.

“I’m delighted to have signed a promotional deal with Frank Warren. He is the best promoter in the country and has a reputation for developing young British fighters into stars! All boxers want to be singed up to a top promoter and I believe Frank can take me all the way; it’s a great feeling,” said Cartwright.

Trained by Danny Witho and boxing out of the No Limits Gym in Liverpool, flame-haired Cartwright is determined to mirror his boxing idol Canelo Alvarez’s all-out war brand of fighting.

“Fans can expect fireworks! I am a come forward fighter and I like putting the pressure on which is always exciting to watch. I’m probably a stronger boxer than I am a fighter but I’ll not run from a good tear-up.
“I’ve got a good, hard, straight jab and pretty good head movement. I stopped a few in the amateurs. They tended to wince from every shot I landed, a bit like my idol Canelo!”

Managed by Queensberry Promotions matchmaker Jason McColry, Cartwright has his eyes set on a British title. Undefeated Cartwright, a former repair fitter, believes he has the temperament and natural ability to take him to the top of the domestic scene.

“Obviously every boxer wants to win the British title and that is definitely my aim at the moment. I know I’m good enough to get to that level and its all about putting the effort in during training and taking what I have learnt in the gym into the ring. As long as I do that I have no doubts I will reach British level.”

LOS ANGELES (July 21, 2016) – Following their epic 2016 “Fight of the Year” candidate fight this past April 15, at the Belasco Theater in Downtown Los Angeles, Yoshihiro “El Maestrito” Kamegai, (26-3-2, 23 KO’s)and Jesus “Renuente” Soto-Karass, (28-10-4, 18 KO’s), will meet in the ring once again on Saturday, September 10 for a highly anticipated re-match from the Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles. The bout will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

The rematch between Yoshihiro Kamegai and Jesus Soto- Karass is a super welterweight clash scheduled to go 10 rounds, presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Teiken Promotions, and will serve as the co-main televised event on HBO World Championship Boxing telecast prior to the world championship fight between undefeated fighters WBC Flyweight World Champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (45-0-0, 38 KO’s) and WBC Super Flyweight World Champion Carlos “Principe” Cuadras (35-0-1, 27 KO’s).

Tickets for this outstanding evening of professional boxing priced at $300, $200, $100, $50 and $25 will go on sale Friday, July 22 at 12:00 p.m. PT through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com,
1-800-745-3000) and the Forum Box Office.

“I am very grateful to K2 Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions and Teiken Promotions in making this rematch and honored to be on the Roman Gonzalez- Carlos Cuadras undercard at the Fabulous Forum,” said Yoshihiro Kamegai. “Jesus Soto-Karass and I had a great fight in April. I have a lot of respect for Soto-Karass. He is a warrior. I hope to put on another exciting fight with him in front of the great Southern California Boxing Fans.”

“I am excited to come back to the ring against such a great warrior like Yoshihiro Kamegai,” said Jesus Soto-Karass. “We put on a great show in April and I am sure we will deliver another great show in September. We are both great warriors who come forward and are willing to leave it all in the ring. This re-match will serve for one of us to finally emerge victorious, as we give the fans of Los Angeles a fight of a lifetime.”

“If fans thought the first Kamegai and Soto-Karass fight was an epic Fight of the Year contender, let me just say this-on September 10th, both fighters will be coming back in the ring with a vengeance to prove who is the true winner in this rematch,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “Both of these fighters are fierce warriors and the fans can expect to witness what could be the beginning of the next big rivalry in the sport.”

“We’ve very excited to add this highly anticipated rematch between Yoshihiro Kamegai and Jesus Soto-Karass to this outstanding event, “said Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions. “With their first fight ending in a hotly contested draw and the huge demand from fans and media for a rematch, it’s a perfect fit for this card at the Fabulous Forum, home to decades of memorable battles. As we’ve always tried to do, adding a sensational co-feature to this event provides non-stop action for those in the arena. This will be the fourth consecutive time Roman and Gennady “GGG” Golovkin have fought on the same date televised by HBO and this ‘winning combination’ affirms this as the strongest international boxing day of the year.”

In their first bout which ended in a split decision draw (97-93, Kamegai, 96-94 Soto-Karass and 95-95), Kamegai and Soto-Karass delivered an all-out brawl which had fans packed into the Belasco Theater with a special viewing room opened to accommodate the demand. Given the history of both men, there were high expectations placed on the shoulders of Tokyo’s Kamegai and Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico’s Soto-Karass to put on a fight to remember and while such bouts usually fall short of those expectations, that wasn’t the case in April. Both warriors went head-to-head in ten thrilling rounds that had fans in an uproar. When the fight had ended and the judges’ scores were read, no one complained it was a draw because in a bout like that–no fighter deserved to lose. And despite the heated nature of the battle, both fighters have agreed to do it again, with the fans likely to be the biggest winners on September 10.

Mostly fighting in his native Japan, Kamegai burst on to the boxing scene in the United States with a 2014 “Fight of the Year” candidate against former world champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero, an epic 12-round battle that was awarded to the California native. Hailing from Tokyo, Japan, Kamegai may have only competed a handful of times in the United States, but with his exciting style and fighting spirit, the 33-year-old has built a sizable fan base, one that is expected to grow for his rematch with Soto-Karass. The former OPBF welterweight champion, Kamegai has been to battle with the likes of Johan Perez and Alfonso Gomez, and if he can defeat Soto Karass, it will be the biggest victory of his nearly 11-year career.

Fighting out of Los Angeles, California, Soto-Karass has faced numerous world champions and contenders over his 15-year career including Keith “One Time” Thurman, Andre Berto, Marcos Maidana, Devon “The Great” Alexander, Yuri Foreman, Alfonso Gomez, “King” Gabriel Rosado, Mike Jones Selcuk Aydin and David Estrada. He is a former NABF and WBC Continental Americas champion who has been thrilling boxing fans since his debut in 2001. Owner of wins over Vince Phillips, David Estrada, Selcuk Aydin and Andre Berto, Soto Karass is an aggressive puncher who can handle himself against any fighter willing to step in the ring to face him. A former world title challenger, Soto Karass knows that a win over Kamegai will keep him on the right track to continue fighting for years to come.

Kamegai vs. Soto-Karass II, is a ten round super welterweight clash presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Teiken Promotions, and will serve as the co-main event to the world championship fight between WBC Flyweight World Champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, (45-0-0, 38 KO’s) and undefeated WBC Super Flyweight World Champion Carlos “Principe” Cuadras (35-0-1, 27 KO’s). Both bouts will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

For more information, visit www.GoldenBoyPromotions.com, www.K2Promos.com, www.FabulousForum.com and www.HBO.com/boxing. Follow on Twitter for Golden Boy Promotions @GoldenBoyBoxing, Jesus Soto-Karass @SotoKarassTeam, Roman Gonzalez @ChocolatitoBox, Carlos Cuadras @CuadrasOficial, Tom Loeffler/K2 Promotions @TomLoeffler1, the Forum @theForum and HBO Boxing @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/ChocolatitoOfficial, www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook/CarlosCuadras, www.facebook.com/TheForum and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.
Use the hashtags #KamegaiSotoKarass2 #KSK2 and #GonzalezCuadras to join the conversation on social media.