NEW YORK (April 7, 2016) – The boxers who will be fighting Saturday, April 16 on a SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® world title doubleheader are deep into their respective training camps as they continue preparation for their bouts at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, CT.

In the main event, live on SHOWTIME® (11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT), the talented and speedy southpaw Gary Russell Jr. (26-1, 15 KOs) makes the first defense of his WBC Featherweight World Title against Irish contender Patrick Hyland (31-1, 15 KOs). In the SHOWTIME co-feature, unbeaten sniper Jose Pedraza (21-0, 12 KOs) risks his IBF 130-pound world title as he defends his title for the second time against a mandatory challenger, Stephen Smith (23-1, 13 KOs).

Russell, who won the 126-pound title with a fourth-round knockout over defending champion Jhonny Gonzalez on March 28, 2015, trains in Washington, D.C.

Hyland, whose only loss suffered was to WBA Super Featherweight World Champion Javier Fortuna, has been training at a gym in Dublin, Ireland, owned and operated by his trainer, Paschal Collins, whose older brother Steve was a former two-time WBO world champion. Paschal Collins also boxed as a pro but is best known for being Irish heavyweight Kevin McBride’s head trainer during his shocking knockout of Mike Tyson.

The switch-hitting Pedraza, a 2012 Puerto Rican Olympian, has been working out in his native Puerto Rico. Smith, of Liverpool, England, has been training in the UK.

Below is what the confident boxers had to say with less than two weeks to go before their major fights:

GARY RUSSELL JR., WBC Featherweight World Champion
(On Training Camp)
“I’ve been in camp in Washington, D.C. for about eight weeks. I suffered the head butt before my November fight but I have been able to train this whole time and returned to sparring eight weeks ago. It’s been a really long training camp but I’m ready to go. This is the hardest part. Fighting is easy, but the preparation before the fight is where the hard work comes in. Being out of the ring so long is difficult, but it’s part of the business. Everything happens for a reason and I’m just really keyed in mentally.”

(On fighting Patrick Hyland)
“Hyland is going to come in there to win. You have to have that confidence to get in the ring. He’s preparing himself, but the question is, will it be good enough? I highly doubt it. We don’t take anyone lightly and we prepare to the best of our abilities. Everyone in the ring can pull off the upset. That’s why I have to be prepared to the fullest.”

“He’s not really a pressure fighter so I might have to take the fight to him. He’s long and rangy and he tries to keep his distance. He’s not a big puncher but he definitely has the ability to steal a fight.”

(On the fighting Russell family)
“My brother Antuanne made the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team in the 141-pound division and he has a chance soon to qualify for the games with a tournament in Azerbaijan. My other brother Antonio is going to be on my undercard as well. Within my family we’re actually the first set of four brothers to all win the National Golden Gloves. That just goes to show the level of coaching we get from our dad, to have a world champion, two Olympians and four National Golden Gloves winners. We’re trying to leave a legacy in this sport. We’re all very similar in temperament and attitude. We all want to be world champions.”

(On dealing with injuries)
“I’ve never had a fight where I was 100 percent. There’s always been something going on. I have had hand injuries since the beginning of my career but we have creative ways to handle that and preserve my hands. Right now, I feel great. I just have to pick my shots more, but that’s where the speed becomes a factor.”

(On possible future opponents)
“If I can get by Hyland, I want to fight the winner of the Lee Selby vs. Eric Hunter fight and unify titles. After that I’d like to see Leo Santa Cruz and take care of that. Then I want another crack at Vasyl Lomachenko. I don’t care what weight Lomachenko is at, I’ll follow him. He has to see me.”

PATRICK HYLAND, Featherweight Contender

(On Training Camp)
“I’ve been training at Celtic Warriors Gym in Dublin since before Christmas because I had a fight here (Ireland) on Feb. 6 but pulled out when I got word that I was fighting on March 12 (at Mohegan Sun). When that fight was postponed, I took it easy for two weeks until the April 16 show was announced. That’s when I started picking up training again. I’ve been training really hard and putting everything on the line to become WBC champ. We plan to arrive in the U.S. a week prior to the fight.”

(On fighting Gary Russell Jr.)
“To challenge a great champion, Gary Russell, Jr., is an honor for me. I think Gary is an awesome fighter with great hand speed and boxing ability. I’ve been working with Jono Carroll, an unbeaten Irish southpaw with good hand speed and good movement, who is ideal for what I have to work on to beat Russell.”

(On fighting again in the U.S.)
“I love fighting in the U.S. because there’s always a great atmosphere at the fights and it’s the real home of boxing. I’ve met friends for life who I consider family from the Marlboro area (Hyland lived in Marlboro, N.Y., for a couple of years). They’ll be at this fight, as always.”

(On the fighting Hyland brothers)
“My brothers are no longer fighting. Their last fights were on the same show, Jan. 28, 2012 in Atlantic City, which I headlined in (against Emmanuel Lucero). My older brother, Edward (“Pride of Tallaght”) fought at super featherweight. He runs his own Boxing Club in Dublin. My other brother, Paulie, was a former European and Irish super bantamweight champion. He is back doing a bit of training. No other members of our Hyland family were in professional boxing. I’m hoping we’re not the last, though, as I’ve got a few nephews and my own son now. One day they might lace up the gloves.”

JOSE PEDRAZA, IBF Super Featherweight World Champion

(On Training Camp)
“I am currently training in the Municipal gym in Cidra, P.R., where I took my first steps in boxing. I decided to train here because it feels like home and I can feel the warmth of my people and I am able to set an example for those who are starting out in boxing as well.”

“My training started in December and it is divided into two sections (morning and evening). During the morning portion we work on all of the specifics of boxing, including gloving up in addition to physical training lasting about three and a half hours. For the evening portion of the training I run. Two days a week it is track training and four days of the week it is distance running for about two hours in the evening, making it a total of about five and a half to six hours of work daily.’’

(On his diet)
“Actually, thank God, I do not have a strict diet and can eat all varieties of foods. I am doing really well with weight and I just reduce portions in the evenings during the final stages of the camp to meet the required 130 pounds. That’s why I do not miss any foods. My favorite foods are steak and other grilled foods. After the weigh-in I prefer the pastas my mom makes. She always prepares three different kinds for me.’’

(On his team)
“My team is composed of Mr. Luis Espada (trainer-manager), Francisco Flores (conditioning and track trainer), Andres Melendez (strength and conditioning) and Dr. Hector Santos (cutman and spiritual director). I’ve been with my trainer, who is my father, for 14 years ever since I threw my first punch. I haven’t made any major changes since I became champion. I’ve remained the same humble young man from a small town. I just push myself more to reach the bigger fights in the five categories from 130 to 154.”

(On his challenger Stephen Smith)
“I have seen some videos with my team of his fights and I can see that he is a boxer with a lot of resources who utilizes hooks to the body just as much as to the head. He is strong but something that works in my favor is that he is a come-forward fighter. He can handle 12 rounds comfortably. I hope on fight night I can neutralize all of his abilities and get the victory. I wouldn’t doubt if the win came by a KO anywhere from the sixth through the eighth round.’’

(Plans for his future in boxing)
“There are conversations about going up to 135. I’ve been at this weight since 2007; my body is demanding for me to go up to 135. Eventually my aspirations as a boxer are to be able to make boxing history not just in Puerto Rico but in the world. I want to go up and be the champion in five categories.”

“First and foremost I would like to face Francisco Vargas; he’s a seasoned boxer and is strong with a lot of rage. He went to the Olympics like I did in 2008 and he became a champion in what could be considered the fight of the year for 2015, very dramatic. It would be the Mexico vs. Puerto Rico rivalry. Another fighter who I would like to face is the champion Javier Fortuna. He is simply just a loud mouth with a poor memory (or selective memory) but I’ll send him a note to look up what happened in boxing history during the Roman Cup 2006 in the Dominican Republic. I’ll leave it to him as an assignment.’’

(On his inspiration and role models)
“My biggest inspiration is my family. It is they who always, day after day, are there supporting me as my No. 1 fan. I am a pro-family man and my family is my engine with God as my strength. Together they inspire me to carry the responsibility on my shoulders of doing my best in and out of the ring.’’

“Floyd Mayweather. He is an intelligent boxer and his abilities distinguish himself. He also works and trains very hard and puts in the gym time. He’s a man of his word and he invests 100 percent to each in his training camps and knows how to manage his fans as well. So many fans would like to see him win and just as many like to see him lose, but people just want to see him.’’

STEPHEN SMITH, IBF No. 1 Super Featherweight Contender

(On the significance of this matchup)
“All fights are important but this one is especially very important for me to win so that I can get back to where I was in the division.’’

(On finally getting a crack at the world title)
“I’ve waited a long time for this opportunity, but the timing couldn’t be better. I’m excited to get the opportunity to win the world title live on Sky Sports in the UK and on SHOWTIME in America.’’

(His views of the defending champion)
“Pedraza is a good fighter with a good amateur background and he’s not a world champion for nothing. He can box from either stance but I am confident of winning. I wouldn’t expect it to be an easy fight. It’s a world title fight, it’s meant to be tough. I’m preparing for the best of him; I don’t think he was at his best last time out against (Edner) Cherry.

“He could have lost that fight, but he got the win and he’s going to look to show he’s better than that. We’ve covered all bases as far as sparring for whatever way he comes out, and I think I have the game plan to beat him.

“It’s not like he’s looked at me and thought ‘he’s an easy fight’ – he has no choice if he wants to keep his title. I think this fight has happened at the right time for me. It’s dragged out a bit but I’ve got a good head on my shoulders and I think that everything happens for a reason. My last outing was a career-best performance and I think that this has come at the right time.’’

(On his strategy)
“(Trainer) Joe Gallagher is as meticulous as anyone when it comes to preparing to face someone. Pedraza’s a lot more aggressive from the orthodox stance, but we’ve studied everything and we’re really confident. The gym is still going strong; we were gutted for Scott Quigg as we know how much he gives in the gym for each fight. Spirits were down for a bit but big fights keep coming round, and now I have my fight.”

(On answering the critics who said he’d never fight for a title after his 2011 defeat to Selby)
“Because I had such a successful amateur career, I think that big things were expected of me. I had a bit of bad luck with injury, the loss to Selby set me back, but that was more from people writing me off. Lee is world champion now so there’s no disgrace in that, but people were saying after that fight that I wouldn’t fight for a world title. It can be a fickle sport at times but I’ve come back stronger and I think I will prove a lot of people wrong in America.’’

(On his fighting brothers, Paul, Liam and Callum)
“The family is doing great things, but it’s just something that we all set out to do when we started boxing so it’s not really come as a surprise to us. We work hard every day and we’ve hit the goals we’ve set ourselves; Liam is world champion, Paul has boxed for the world title twice, Callum is on the verge and I box for a world title soon. Four brothers fighting for world titles is a massive achievement but for us, it’s not enough — we want to win them. I think it’s very achievable for us, Paul is back tonight and he’s looking for another shot, so it’s realistic to say that three of us will box for world titles this year.’’

(On making his U.S. debut)
“The training is the same but there’s more pressure and more media attention on this one as it’s the big one. I’ve never boxed in the states myself but I’ve been over there with Paul and Callum, and anyone who has brothers that box will tell you it is worse when they are fighting than when it’s your own fight. I know what to expect over there and I’m going to embrace it and soak it all up.”

For more information, visit www.SHO.com/Sports, follow on Twitter @SHOSports, @MrGaryRussellJr, @PajPunisher, @Sniper_Pedraza, @SwiftySmith, @LouDiBella, @FoxwoodsCT and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports, and www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment.

The event is promoted by DiBella Entertainment. The bout featuring Pedraza and Smith is promoted in association with Gary Shaw Productions, Universal Promotions and Matchroom Boxing.

Brooklyn, N.Y. (Thursday, April 7, 2016) – Ronson Frank’s Uprising Promotions returns to the Five Star Banquet Hall this Saturday night, as stablemate Samuel “Main Event” Clarkson (17-3, 11 KOs) meets Hungarian veteran Istvan Zeller (30-10, 9 KOs) for the NABF Jr. Light Heavyweight Championship in the main event.

“We are very excited about this lineup, especially with us being able to put together this championship opportunity for the leading man on our roster, Samuel Clarkson,” said Ronson Frank, President of Uprising Promotions. “Samuel did a lot of great things last year, and now we are looking to step things up in 2016, get him some hardware and put him into a position to fight for a world title. He has really found his stride since settling in as a light heavyweight, and he belongs in the conversation with all of the guys at the top of the division.”

A Texas native, Clarkson won five fights in 2015 to extend his current winning streak to seven bouts. Among those victories included a decision over former world title challenger Cedric Agnew and knockouts of highly touted prospects Jerry Odom and Lavarn Harvell on ShoBox: The New Generation. The 25-year-old has been continually improving and showing significant growth since signing with Uprising Promotions last year, and Saturday marks the first time that he has officially fought on a card hosted by the promotion.

Ultra-popular New Yorker Alicia “The Empress” Napoleon (5-0, 4 KOs) will also be featured on the Saturday night docket, her second consecutive bout on the Uprising Promotions platform, when she meets Louisiana tough Latashia Burton. In her last outing, the Long Island native won in dominant fashion against gritty Hungarian veteran Szilvia Szabados to claim the WBC Women’s Silver Middleweight Championship. The hard-hitting and crafty Napoleon always brings a great crowd to each and every one of her bouts, and Saturday night will be no different.

“Alicia Napoleon always puts on great fights, and she brings a madhouse crowd every time she steps into the ring,” Frank continued. “She is matched tough on Saturday night, but we expect another great performance from her.”

Supporting those two feature bouts will be an incredible undercard that will showcase some promising young prospects.

Undefeated welterweight Peter Dobson (6-0, 5 KOs) will be among those returning to action when he fights battle-tested Malik Jackson, a 14-bout veteran who is facing his 11th unbeaten opponent as a professional. Dobson enters this contest on a five-fight knockout streak, stopping every adversary since a unanimous decision in his pro debut.

Two additional bouts scheduled to occur on the program include a super welterweight pairing between Matthew Armstrong (1-0) and Malik Joe (0-1), as well as a women’s flyweight scrap between two-time New York Golden Gloves champion Natalie Gonzalez (1-0) and pro debuting Rachel Sazoff.

Additional combatants on the show include Brooklyn lightweight Jude Franklin (1-0, 1 KO), Queens middleweight Villi Bello (3-1-1, 1 KO), hard-hitting Brooklyn heavyweight Romarick Ngoula (4-0, 4 KOs) and New York featherweight Jose Gonzalez (1-0). Franklin will face Texas native Rex Jackson, Bello squares off against Texan Mike Lemelle (3-1-1), Ngoula meets Glenn Thomas of Philadelphia, while Gonzalez looks to continue his winning ways against Puerto Rican pugilist Jaxell Marrero.

“On the undercard, fans will get a chance to look at a very good up-and-coming prospect in Peter Dobson. He is another guy who we are looking to help groom and put into a position for a TV fight in the near future,” Frank stated. “We are truly loaded with an entertaining show from top to bottom on Saturday night. It will be another great night of boxing overall, and I am very proud of the product that we were able to put together.

Originally slated for action on Saturday night was 2012 USA and PAL national champion Patrick Day (11-2-1, 6 KOs), who won the New York Golden Gloves at 152 pounds in 2012. The former USA Olympic alternate was undefeated in his first 10 professional bouts as a welterweight before falling to unbeaten Alantez Fox on ShoBox: The New Generation in 2015. Look for Day to take part on an upcoming show by Uprising Promotions.

The first bell on Saturday night is scheduled for 7:00 PM sharp, with doors opening at 6:30 PM. The Five Star Banquet Hall is located at 13-05 43rd Avenue in Long Island City, and its intimate setting ensures that there is not a bad seat in the house. Tickets are priced at $60 for general admission and $100 for ringside seating, and there is also a table option with dinner. For pricing on those tables, call (516) 451-6773.

This Uprising Promotions card will continue its 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. This show is being sponsored by Brooklyn Brothers, Sleep Inn, Alma Restaurant and Charlie’s Auto Collision in Long Island City.

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

MONTREAL, April 7th 2016 – A press conference to discuss the WBC super-middleweight world championship bout between Lucian Bute and Badou Jack was held Wednesday at the Bell Centre La Cage – Brasserie sportive restaurant In Montreal. Here is what the participants had to say.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PICTURES.
Credit: Vincent Ethier / InterBox

Lucian Bute
Former IBF super middleweight world champion
“This chance at another world championship fight is a great opportunity for me. Taking part in two world championship bouts in a row is not easy, but it makes me quite proud. I’m in good health and I’ve been in th gym since February. When the phone rang, I said yes without hesitation. When you are given the opportunity to fight for a world title, at this level, you cannot refuse. I haven’t been injured in a long time. Although I had some small doubts before going up against DeGale, after the performance I came up with against him, my confidence level is now at 100%. I can see it in the gym and everyone can see it, including my trainers and my sparring partners! I’m hungry for another championship title, like I was when I was younger, at age 26 and 27. I want to take away the belt from Badou Jack. I respect him, he has a good background at the amateur level, he went to the Olympic Games and he showed that he was part of the boxing elite when he beat Anthony Dirrell and George Groves. But on April 30, the province of Quebec will have a new champion!”

Badou Jack
WBC Super Middleweight World Champion
“I’m excited to face a great champion like Lucian Bute who I know will bring the best out of me. I’m looking forward to showing off all of my skills,” said Jack. “I want to be considered the best in the division. Undisputed. I have to beat great fighters like Bute to get there and I look forward to the challenge.”

Howard Grant
Lucian Bute’s trainer
“We will go to the American capital and bring back the belt! When the phone call came, we sat down in the office, Lucian and I. I asked him what were his thoughts about such a matchup and he anwered : ‘Howard, I would go up against him for free. I will win!’ That’s all I needed to hear. Training Lucian is easy; he is a student of the sport. He watches a lot of video. He makes me a better trainer.”

Jean Bédard
President – InterBox
“This is good for boxing in Quebec. Lucian’s performance against James DeGale put him back where he belongs: at the top! I told him after that fight that the phone would soon start to ring. And I am convinced that he will be even better this time, because he has found his confidence back. It has also been 13 years since Éric Lucas had his WBC belt stolen away from him in Germany. When we signed Lucian, we said that we would get Éric’s old title back, but I never thought that such an opportunity would come 13 years later! Lucian’s performance will give a big boost to boxing in Quebec.”

Éric Lucas
Former WBC super-middleweight world champion and InterBox representative
“I’m very proud that Lucian now has the opportunity to bring back the belt that was stolen away from me in Germany. I am convinced he can bring back the title here in Quebec. It will not be easy against Jack : he has a long reach, he punches hard and h relies on a good right hand, but Lucian has the tools to win. I predict, in fact, that he will bring back the belt in Quebec and I will then be proud to say that this belt used to be mine! This will put me back on the map!”

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and InterBox in association with Matchroom Boxing, are priced at $200, $100, $50 and $25, and are on sale now. To purchase tickets visit www.ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster locations, or call (800) 745-3000.

For further information, visit www.interbox.ca, www.mayweatherpromotions.com and www.SHO.com/Sports and follow on Twitter at: @BadouJack, @ButeLucian, @JamesDeGale1, @PorkyMedina @MayweatherPromo, @SHOSports, @Interboxca and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MayweatherPromotions and www.facebook.com/SHOsports.

LONDON (April 7, 2016) – IBF Heavyweight World Champion Charles Martin and unbeaten British Olympic Gold Medalist Anthony Joshua faced off at the final press conference on Thursday at Four Seasons Hotel in London as they near Saturday’s heavyweight showdown, live on SHOWTIME from The O2.

The SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL® telecast begins live at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT on SHOWTIME. An encore presentation will air on SHOWTIME EXTREME® at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Here’s what Martin and Joshua had to say at Thursday’s final press conference.

CHARLES MARTIN:
“I don’t consider this a risk. The O2 Arena, that’s my arena. I’m comfortable everywhere I go. When eyes are on me, I’m going to perform.

“I know how to move my head and be evasive. Real true analysts see the things I do. They can tell.

“I’m always here to prove the doubters wrong. When you doubt me, that just fuels my fire.

“We’re going to keep the tide rolling. We’re rolling.”

ANTHONY JOSHUA:
“They know when it comes to these big heavy-hitters we don’t play games. We’re here to go to war. We’ve just got two generals in the ring and the best army wins.

“You know what I’m like, I’m a fighter. I’m not going to go in there and dance around and try to evade punches. I’m going to walk through two to give him five. That’s just how it goes, I’m coming for him.

“I’m here to box, but at the same time I know I’m ready to swim through deep waters to get it. It’s not going to be easy, I know that for a fact, no fight is easy. That’s why I said to you I will box and hopefully it will be an easy night.

“It most definitely is a risk, but at the same time let’s scrap all this 15-fight, 16-fight nonsense and let’s put men in the ring together who want it. Whoever wants it comes out on top and it’s simple as that.”

When asked if he can control his emotions: “Probably not. I’ll probably go out and try to take his head off.”

Additional Fight Week Quotes (free to use):

CHARLES MARTIN:

“I don’t know how the fans will react to me knocking him out, but that’s what is going to happen. I don’t know how the fans in London will react, but I can only be myself.

“I’m world champion, but a lot of people don’t know me. After I knock him out we’ll see where that goes.

“I’m not going to go in there respecting anybody’s power. He’s going to have to respect me and my power and deal with me and my tools. I don’t care what he’s bringing to the table.

“This is my livelihood and I get real emotional with this. If you don’t take emotion into it then how are you even going to win? I’ve got to walk my own path. When I get emotional ahead of a big fight like this, I feel that I cannot be stopped. Even if I have doubt, I always have that.

“I don’t think about where he’s been. All I care about is where he’s going. I don’t care if he’s been in deep water before, or how many rounds he’s been. I want him to remember the word ‘timber’ because I’m going to make his ass hit that canvas real hard.

“This belt is mine. He’s trying to take what’s mine, take something from me. He’s trying to steal food out of my mouth, out of my kids’ mouth, out of my family’s mouth. This is my livelihood.

“I don’t want to let this go: this is never going to end. I want to be known as the greatest southpaw heavyweight that ever put on a set of gloves.

“When I get to this point now, I can’t be stopped. I’m like Lamon Brewster versus Wladimir Klitschko when he unloaded all those shots until he couldn’t throw anymore punches. And then what did Lamon Brewster do? Knock him the (expletive) out. Just that will to win, man. You can throw whatever you want, but I’ll walk through fire to get you.

“It’s controlled aggression, though, because if it’s not, you’ll run into everything they throw at you. I go in there with my antennas to the ceiling and I won’t take my eyes off him until the job is done.

“Everything is just cooking in the kitchen like I am a master chef, and all of the ingredients put together make it perfect.

“Life is all about taking risks but I don’t consider this a risk because I’m confident in what I do. It’s all about just taking that first step. You’ve got to walk out on your own and you’ve got to believe in yourself. If I didn’t believe in myself I wouldn’t have made it this far. If I didn’t believe in myself I wouldn’t be Prince Charles Martin.

“The belt is absolutely in the right hands. I didn’t want to win it the way I did – that was just crazy – I don’t even really like talking about it because it wasn’t my fault. Afterwards, he walked out of the venue – he didn’t limp or get carried out, he walked. If that was me I’d have fought on and gone out on my shield. You’d have to knock me out no matter what. I don’t care if I break my hand, if I break my jaw, I am not stopping.”

ANTHONY JOSHUA:
“I believe I am ready to win the world title. A lot of people have said that this might be too soon for me, that I’ve bitten off more than I can chew, but right now my knuckles are itchy and I just want to get in there and show the world what I can do.

“When my promoter Eddie Hearn called me up and said ‘do you want to fight Charles Martin for the world heavyweight title?’ I just said: ‘Let’s roll’.

“Opportunity knocks and you have to open the door. I have trained and prepared correctly and am ready for this. There’s no turning back. I just embrace it.

“We saw the opportunity when Martin called me out. I was like, ‘OK Mr. IBF calling me out.’ The IBF champ calling out the British champ. I’ve got the heavyweight champion of the world calling me out saying he wants to fight me. I say cool. Let’s rock and roll.

“At the end of the day, let’s strip away the heavyweight title and let’s look at the opponent I’m facing. Charles Martin is a southpaw who can box and who can punch a bit.

“Facing a southpaw always comes with different angles and different tricks. I can’t go in recklessly because you can easily get counter punched. That’s why sparring is important and having a successful camp is important. I know I’ve done all I can to prepare myself for him.

“Let’s welcome Charles into the Lion’s den. He’s coming to The O2 – this is my stomping ground. When I fight here it’s electric and it’s going to be an amazing atmosphere, the best yet. It’s going to be interesting to see how he handles it. What a night it will be if I can lift that belt above my head.

“Sometimes you got to put talent to one side and dig deep. This is the fight game; you got to prove to yourself that when tactics aren’t working, you’ve got to dig a bit deeper, go to war and find a way to win. That’s what I thought when I fought Dillian (Whyte). Certain things weren’t working, I was rushing a bit, I wasn’t in my comfort zone, but I dug deep I found a way to win and I ended the night in a spectacular knockout.

“After I do the business with Martin, a fight with (Tyson) Fury is 10 or 12 months away — providing he handles his business in (Wladimir) Klitschko rematch.

“I find Fury a bit irritating to be honest. All his antics work for him, I suppose, but I can’t wait to fight him. He’s had plenty to say about me, and it’s coming from the same guy that was singing my praises when I sparred with him when I was a complete novice.

“As time goes on, it’s going to get worse for the others because my confidence will grow, I’ll train, learn and take it into the ring.

“David Haye? Bring it on. My heart tells me I am ready. I am at championship level now. After I get Martin out of the way, David is a massive name and when we’re ready to get it on it will be a huge fight.”

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DENVER – April 7, 2016 – On Cinco De Mayo weekend, Golden Boy Promotions, Fathom Events and O’Reilly Auto Parts will present a match-up between two of boxing’s biggest stars with Canelo Alvarez vs. Amir Khan, broadcast live from Las Vegas’ new T-Mobile Arena to select movie theaters across the U.S. This mega-fight promises high-intensity action between two of boxing’s most powerful athletes competing in the prime of their careers; WBC, Ring Magazine and Lineal Middleweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez makes his first title defense of 2016 against former two-time world champion and resurgent contender Amir “King” Khan. The event will be presented live on Saturday, May 7 at 9:00 p.m. ET / 8:00 p.m. CT / 7:00 p.m. MT / 6:00 p.m. PT / 5:00 p.m. AK / 3:00 p.m. HI.

Additionally, three exciting fights have been confirmed leading up to the Canelo vs. Khan mega-fight. In the co-main event of the evening, Canada’s biggest boxing star and former IBF Middleweight World Champion David Lemieux (34-3, 31 KOs) will be looking to make an impression and use his power against the swift contender from Passaic, New Jersey, Glen “Jersey Boy” Tapia (23-2, 15 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round middleweight fight. Top rated contender and former WBA Interim Super Lightweight World Champion Mauricio “El Maestro” Herrera (22-5) will move up to welterweight to square off against East L.A.’s undefeated Frankie “Pitbull” Gomez (20-0, 13 KOs) in a ten-round welterweight fight. Opening up the televised undercard, Patrick Teixeira (26-0, 22 KOs) will face Curtis Stevens (27-5, 20 KOs) in a ten-round career-defining middleweight bout.

Tickets for Canelo Alvarez vs. Amir Khan can be purchased online by visiting www.FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices. Fans throughout the U.S. will be able to enjoy the event in nearly 200 movie theaters through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network. For a complete list of theater locations visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).

At the age of 25, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico’s Canelo Alvarez (46-1-1, 32 KOs), the current WBC, Ring Magazine and Lineal Middleweight World Champion, has conquered the boxing world, captivating fans both at home and around the globe with his action-packed fighting style, charisma and willingness to take on the toughest challenges. The 2015 Fighter of the Year candidate’s road to stardom began in 2011 with a win over Matthew “Magic” Hatton for the vacant WBC Super Welterweight World title. On November 21, 2015, Canelo defeated future Hall-of-Famer Miguel Cotto for the WBC, RING Magazine and Lineal Middleweight Championship in front of a packed arena at the Mandalay Events Center in Las Vegas and more than 900,000 homes across the country. The unanimous decision victory cemented Canelo’s status as boxing’s biggest draw and among the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

“This fight, against Amir Khan on May 7, is one of the biggest fights of my career, and I am glad that all my loyal fans will have the opportunity to support me not only at the new T-Mobile in Las Vegas, but also in theaters across the country. That makes me even more motivated to defeat Amir Khan and offer fans a fight full of high intensity,” said Canelo Alvarez

Bolton, Lancashire, England native, Amir “King” Khan (31-3, 19 KOs) catapulted into the media spotlight after winning the silver medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Khan turned professional on July 16, 2005 with a first round technical knockout victory over Phil Edwards. Since then, Khan’s highlights include giving Carlos Molina his first professional loss in December 2012 and defeating former IBF Lightweight World Champion Julio “The Kidd” Diaz in April 2013, securing the WBC Silver Welterweight title. In May 2014 Khan secured the WBA International Welterweight title against Luis Collazo, and went on to defend his titles in spectacular fashion against former three-time world champion Devon “The Great” Alexander in December 2014 and former WBO Super Lightweight World Champion Chris Algieri in May 2015. Now, “King” Khan will be looking to become a world champion again when he faces Canelo.

“Saturday May 7 is going to witness a special moment in my career,” said Amir Khan. “I’m facing a great champion in Canelo Alvarez and know I will need to be at my very best. I’m ready to give everything to win this fight and I’m delighted that boxing fans will be able to watch this fantastic event live on the big screen.”

Fathom Events Vice President of Programming Kymberli Frueh said, “This event is set to be a ‘must-see’ fight. Boxing fans nationwide will enjoy thrilling views of this classic speed vs. power bout, up on the big screen and bigger-than-life.”

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (April 7th, 2016) — They say it’s sometimes better to be lucky than good, but Pedro Gonzalez hasn’t even had enough good fortune lately to show he good he might be.

How many fighters have had to withdraw from a fight due to a poison ivy outbreak? The list — if there is one — is probably short, yet it actually happened to Gonzalez not too long ago, canceling what would’ve been a must-see bout against Chris Foster.

A series of strange mishaps have kept Gonzalez (10-5) on the shelf for far too long. Other than Muay Thai fights, Gonzalez hasn’t competed since June of 2014, but still carries a three-fight win streak into his long-awaited return Saturday, April 16th, 2016 in the main event of “CES MMA 35” at the historic North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, Mass.

The talent and the foundation are there. The Gloucester, Mass., native now needs the consistency and activity to put his name back in the mix among the best bantamweights in the northeast.

“I want to go somewhere,” said Gonzalez, who fights Boston’s Andres Jeudi (7-5, 3 KOs) in next Saturday’s main event. “I need someone who can sign me so I can perform like I know I can.”

A win next weekend would be a step in the right direction. The experienced Jeudi, who has faced regional standouts Saul Almeida, Matt Bessette, Leon Davis and Lucas Cruz, among others, makes his seventh CES MMA appearance on the 16th, so he knows what to expect at this level. He’s also the more effective striker of the two, whereas Gonzalez is a noted submission specialist with nine of his 10 wins coming by submission.

“I feel like if I overwhelm him with my striking, he’ll try to take me down,” Jeudi said. “I’ve always had those guys who want to strike or say they want to strike until I hit them once.

“He can try to make the attempt to submit me, but I’ve fought some pretty good grapplers, brown belts, and even they couldn’t submit,” continued Jeudi, who’s never been stopped in 12 pro fights. “He can make all the attempts he wants, but I don’t think he’s going to submit me.”

Though not considered a striker, Gonzalez competed at Lion Fights 26 in November, a Muay Thai event, and stood toe-to-toe with Sean Fagan, winning by unanimous decision. Jeudi promises to bring a different look into next weekend’s fight, perhaps more well-rounded than in the past.

“I’m going to go into this fight as an MMA fighter and not a Thai boxer,” he said. “Pedro has fought for Lion Fights a bunch of times, but this is MMA, not Muay Thai.”

Gonzalez doesn’t care how he wins as long as he leaves Beverly with his streak intact. Coming from a region where so many fighters have carved their path to the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) through CES MMA — Rob Font, Tateki Matsuda, Kyle Bochniak, to name a few — it’s hard for Gonzalez to not feel as though his long layoff might’ve prevented him from getting the call instead.

“This is probably one of my greatest opportunities,” Gonzalez said. “It’s not televised, but just to fight close to home and headline for CES, I can’t thank them enough for this opportunity. I just want to shine now.

“If things go well, I’d love to be on one of those televised cards and go from there. A lot of guys who come from CES have gone onto the UFC. I’ve been here a long time, eight years in the game. I just feel like it’s my time. It’s now. I need to put in the work and I need to get there. I have two kids I need to support. Money right now isn’t where it needs to be. I need big bucks and I need the right fights. I want to get there.

“Those other guys that got there, they were busy. The UFC wants guys that are busy. They were busy, they looked good and they got the call.”

Whatever prevented Gonzalez from staying as active as he needed to be, he’s put that in the rearview mirror and is instead focused on the present. Three days away from his anticipated return, his weight is on point and — “fingers crossed,” as he says — there’s nothing standing in his way of stepping back inside that cage.

“I had some injuries in camp and I was still fighting injuries from my last fight in November, but, luckily, I’m healthy and I feel good,” Gonzalez said. “I feel good about this one.”

Tickets for “CES MMA 35” are priced at $35.00, $50.00 and $100.00 (VIP) and can also be purchased online at www.nsmt.org, by phone at 978-232-7200 or at the North Shore Music Theatre Box Office. Doors open at 6 p.m. ET and the first bout begins at 7. All bouts are subject to change.

Sparks will fly in the heavyweight division when Tyler King (9-4, 3 KOs) of North Attleboro, Mass., faces Providence’s Eric Bedard (6-6, 4 KOs) for the third time in four years with each fighter having won once by first-round knockout. King beat Bedard in February 2012, only to have Bedard avenge the loss nearly two years to the date in 2014.

There’s even more at stake in the rubber match as each fighter looks to snap a two-fight losing streak. King last fought in October, losing to Patrick Walsh at World Series of Fighting 24, while Bedard suffered a submission loss to Parker Porter at Bellator 140.

Also on the pro portion of the card, Quincy, Mass., middleweight Mike Rodriguez (2-0, 2 KOs) puts his perfect record on the line against Buck Pineau (1-2) of Ashland, Maine in a rematch of their amateur bout in which Pineau won by third-round submission. Pineau returns to CES MMA for the first time since October when an arm injury cut short his match against Pat McCrohan at “CES MMA XXXI.”

Rounding out the main card of “CES MMA 35,” Medford, Mass., lightweight Lewis Corapi (6-2, 3 KOs) faces Keenan Raymond (3-2, 1 KO) of Providence, R.I., who scored his first career knockout win in January at “CES MMA XXXII,” and Boston’s Devin Carrier (0-1) searches for his first win as a pro in a lightweight bout against Meriden, N.H., native Wayne Ahlquist (1-2, 1 KO). Corapi looks to rebound from a stunning second-round knockout loss to Jay Bakanowski at “CES MMA XXVIII.”

Rico DiSciullo (5-0, 2 KOs), an undefeated Peabody, Mass., native with three appearances each for Bellator and CES MMA, will face Ohio’s Jake Constant (6-9, 2 KOs) in a rematch. The two went toe-to-toe at “CES MMA XXX” with Constant forced to tap out in the opening round due to a shoulder injury.

On the amateur side, Mark Bordieri of Foxborough, Mass., faces Nick O’Connell of Cranston, R.I., in a bantamweight bout; welterweight Jamie Collins of Woonsocket, R.I., battles Boston’s Jon Ciampa; and Aaron Reverdes of Pawtucket, R.I., faces Joao Ramos of Framingham, Mass., in a featherweight bout.

Also on the amateur portion of the card, Providence’s Marquis Brewster faces Billy Keenan of Salem, Mass., and Boston’s Sean Murrin (1-0, 1 KO) battles featherweight John Douma (2-1) of Providence. All amateurs are competing for a promotional contract with CES MMA.

Visit www.cesmma.com, www.twitter.com/cesmma or www.facebook.com/ces.mma for more information and use the hashtag #CES35 to join the conversation.

New York, April 6-Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing will feature non stop action during a three-week period from April 15 through April 30, including three main events and a pair of nationally televised affairs which will have fight fans on the edge of their seats. The April calendar is a full and impressive one for the quartet of world class fighters promoted by the president and founder of the Bronx-based promotion.

The flurry of activity starts with the back-to-back televised events on major networks on consecutive nights. The Star Boxing battles begin on Friday night, April 15, when DeGuardia’s undefeated prospect Constantin Bejenaru (10-0, 4 KOs) squares off against fellow unbeaten Alexey Zubov (10-0, 6 KOs) in a 10-round cruiserweight contest, a co-featured bout on the popular SHOWTIME series ShoBox: The New Generation at 10 p.m. ET/PT from the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York. Undefeated Russian Nikolay Potapov (14-0, 6 KOs) takes on Stephon Young (14-0-2, 6 KOs) in the main event.

Twenty-four hours later, On Saturday night, April 16, DeGuardia heads back down state when his former world champion and Pride of Huntington, Long Island, Chris Algieri (21-2, 8 KOs) returns to Barclays Center in Brooklyn, squaring off against the undefeated former U.S. Olympian Errol Spence, Jr., (19-0, 16 KOs) in the Premier Boxing Champions main event televised in primetime nationally by NBC.

Algieri, the former WBO World super lightweight titlist, is coming off a thrilling unanimous decision victory over Erik Bone on December 5 at Barclays. Airtime is at 8:30 p.m. Barclays was the scene of the Algieri’s greatest triumph to date when he rose to prominence in June 2014, upsetting Ruslan Provodnikov for the super lightweight world title, which earned him a title chance at Manny Pacquiao in November, 2014.

“It’s great to be doing another event in Brooklyn at Barclays Center with Chris Algieri headlining on NBC,” says DeGuardia. “This marks the fourth appearance by Chris at the Barclays Center and I expect another exciting performance as he takes on the very dangerous and undefeated former U.S. Olympian, Errol Spence, on April 16.”

Next up is Joe Smith, Jr. (20-1, 16 KOs) headlining on Saturday night, April 23, in the 23rd renewal of DeGuardia’s intensely-popular Rockin’ Fights series at The Paramount in Huntington, NY. The “Irish Bomber” will look to make a statement for world title contention to the home crowd against Brazilian bomber Fabiano Pena (16-4-1, 12 KOs), a winner of two straight, in a 10-round light heavyweight affair. Smith has traveled a similar course as Algieri, a Long Island product emerging out of Rockin’ Fights as a top contender in his weight class. Smith was a big winner at Barclays on December 5, notching a 10-round unanimous decision over Will Rosinsky in alight heavyweight contest. Fighting out of Mastic, Smith is a Union 66 laborer (concrete) in between fights.

The April showers wrap up for Star Boxing when unbeaten Aussie standout Zac Dunn (20-0, 16 KOs) puts his untarnished record and WBC International Silver Super Middleweight title on the line on his home turf in Australia at The Melbourne Pavilion, taking on always-dangerous veteran Les Sherrington (35-8, 19 KOs) on Saturday, April 30. The “Dynamo” from Down Under won his U.S. debut last October under the Star Boxing banner, and now makes his second straight appearance on Australian soil in quest of his 21st straight victory.

DeGuardia’s Star Boxing contingent, along with the previously mentioned quartet, includes: former champion Demetrius Andrade, and ring standouts Cletus Seldin, Joshua Clottey, and Yuniesky Gonzalez.

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

07 April 2016 – Bangkok, Thailand: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE) will hold its historic inaugural Thailand event in the ancient city of Bangkok. On 27 May, the Impact Arena will play host to ONE: KINGDOM OF CHAMPIONS, marking ONE Championship’s first foray into Thailand. The event features hometown hero ONE Strawweight World Champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke in the card’s headline bout against undefeated Japanese champion Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito.

Tickets for ONE: KINGDOM OF CHAMPIONS will be available from Friday, 8 April at https://www.thaiticketmajor.com/

President of ONE Championship Thailand, Kamol ‘Sukie’ Sukosol Clapp stated: “This is monumental progress for the sport of mixed martial arts in the world and in Thailand, and also one giant step forward for ONE Championship as we bring martial arts back home to the ancient city of Bangkok. There is nothing like the atmosphere of a live ONE Championship event, and we want to show fans exactly what is in store. With the country’s top rock bands electrifying the stadium, ONE: KINGDOM OF CHAMPIONS is poised for an incredible evening of adrenaline-pumping action.”

ONE Strawweight World Champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke is a three-time Lumpinee stadium Muay Thai world champion and is also undefeated as a professional mixed martial artist. He is known as a technical fighter with quick hands and lightning feet, employing some of the most unique and creative striking combinations as a martial artist with over 25 years of competitive experience. He now defends his title against Japanese fighter Yoshitaka Naito in the headline bout at ONE: KINGDOM OF CHAMPIONS.

Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito of Chiba, Japan, is an unbeaten mixed martial artist with a perfect 10-0 record. He has four wins by submission and one knockout under his belt. The 32-year-old, who made a name for himself at Japan’s world-famous Korakuen Hall competing as the Shooto featherweight champion, will be fighting outside of his native Japan for the first time, and it will be in a contest for the ONE Strawweight World Championship against Thai titlist Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke.

Marat “Cobra” Gafurov of Russia is the reigning ONE Featherweight World Champion, and is undefeated with 13 wins. A former M-1 featherweight champion, Gafurov defeated the top-ranked fighters in his weight class with relative ease in his first four bouts with ONE Championship. Out of his 13 victories, 9 have come by submission, proving that Gafurov is an absolute force to be reckoned with on the ground. He will defend his belt against Kazunori Yokota.

38-year-old Kazunori Yokota of Chiba, Japan, is a mixed martial arts fixture with over 12 years of professional fight experience under his belt. The current Deep featherweight champion, Yokota is one of the toughest fighters in the division. He sports a stellar record of 25 wins and just five defeats, and will be making his ONE Championship debut in a title bout against reigning ONE Featherweight World Champion Marat Gafurov.

Russia’s Timofey Nastyukhin has notched a series of ferocious finishes since joining ONE Championship, including stoppage wins over top fighters Eduard Folayang and Yusuke Kawanago. Although he fell short of victory in his last bout against Herbert Burns, Nastyukhin now returns to action against one of the biggest names in Asian MMA when he takes on striking specialist Rob Lisita.

33-year-old “Ruthless” Rob Lisita of Campbelltown, Australia, is making his highly-anticipated return to the ONE Cage. Lisita last featured in a submission loss to reigning ONE Featherweight World Champion Marat “Cobra” Gafurov in 2014, and took some time off from competition shortly after. At 14-7, the ruthless striker Lisita is back, and promises an overall improved mixed martial arts game. He’ll do battle against Timofey Nastyukhin in what promises to be an instant classic.

29-year-old Leandro Ataides of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will return to the ONE Cage following a harrowing knockout loss to Aleksei Butorin in 2015. Ataides, 29, strung together eight straight victories before encountering his first setback, but still remains a force to be reckoned with at middleweight. With an enormous chip on his shoulder, Ataides looks to get back on track by defeating his next opponent, Marcin Prachnio.

Marcin Prachnio is a Polish mixed martial artist with an impressive 10-2 professional record. He’s won his last five bouts, four of which by devastating technical knockouts. The attacking machine was victorious in his first appearance inside the ONE Cage, ousting Alexandre Machado just last February, and is making a quick turnaround to face the returning Leandro Ataides.

Thailand’s Anatpong “Mak Mak” Bunrad is one of the fiercest competitors at flyweight. He has a standout 5-2 professional mixed martial arts record and has defeated top fighters the likes of Geje Eustaquio and Marc Marcellinus. Bunrad likes to pepper opponents with heavy-handed strikes and powerful kicks, utilizing his world-class Muay Thai to earn hard-fought victories. Bunrad’s next assignment is against Filipino contender Eugene Toquero.

Flyweight standout Eugene Toquero is a former celebrity mixed martial arts and fitness coach in his native Manila, Philippines. The Filipino stalwart has a knack for highlight-reel striking techniques and operates at a pace which opponents find hard to keep up with. In his last bout, Toquero narrowly missed out on a spectacular finish of former ONE Flyweight World Champion Adriano Moraes, losing by submission in a tough contest. Now he faces Thailand’s Anatpong Bunrad next.

41-year-old Muay Thai veteran Yodsanan “Little Tyson” Sityodtong of Thailand is making his return to professional mixed martial arts competition following a brief stint in ONE Championship back in 2012. With the opportunity to compete in Bangkok, Sityodtong just simply could not pass up the chance to perform in front of his hometown crowd. He’ll take on fellow striking specialist Chrech Kosal.

Cambodian bantamweight prospect Chrech Kosal has two wins and only one loss as a professional mixed martial artist. A Khun Khmer specialist, Kosal is fast, quick on his feet, and powerful with his strikes. Thailand and Cambodia are set to rekindle their rivalry when Kosal meets Muay Thai specialist Yodsanan Sityodtong.

10 Live ONE events will officially be broadcasted throughout this year, aired every Saturday night at 10:00pm on Thairath TV.

For more updates on ONE Championship™, please visit www.onefc.com and follow Twitter and Instagram @ONEFCMMA and Facebook at www.facebook.com/ONEFCMMA

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization hosts the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Championship™ has partnered with FOX and STAR Sports for an unprecedented 10-year cable television deal with a coverage that spans 70+ countries across the world.
About Thairath TV

A household name familiar to all Thai news readers, Thairath is the most powerful daily newspaper in Thailand. With more than a million copies of consistent daily circulation since 1962, Thairath has established a strong foothold as a leader in Thai society for more than 60 years and counting. Dedicated, experienced, and skilled in delivering human-centric news and a variety of content relevant to the daily lives of Thais, Thairath reaches out to its massive reader base through both classic and cutting-edge channels. This includes print, websites, smartphone and tablet applications, SMS subscriptions, and social networks. Adding to its array of platforms, Thairath has also ventured into the broadcast business by officially joining the digital TV industry, creating and adding fresh perspectives to the Thai television industry through news and entertainment programs under the name “Thairath TV.” Since its launch in April 2014, Thairath TV has lifted the industry standard with innovative news presentation techniques including immersive graphics to help report compelling stories to the mass audience. Additionally, those cutting edge technologies are the main driving forces which put Thairath TV on top in live sport broadcasting. With these establishments and the eagerness to continue to grow, Thairath aims to eventually become a content provider on a global scale.

LAS VEGAS (April 6, 2016) — This week, someone’s life will change forever as AMERICAN IDOL, the cultural phenomenon that changed the face of television and created some of today’s biggest music stars, will crown its 15th and final AMERICAN IDOL. That newly-crowned winner – in his/her post-IDOL debut — will be whisked to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to sing The National Anthem before Fighter of the Decade MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO, and five-time world champion TIMOTHY “Desert Storm” BRADLEY, battle it out in a 12-round high stakes welterweight showdown. Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with MP Promotions and Tecate, Pacquiao vs. Bradley will take place on Saturday, April 9 and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM PT.

America’s most crucial – and last-ever – vote will take place when the remaining finalists battle it out live from Dolby Theatre Tonight! Wednesday, April 6 (8:00-9:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed). AMERICAN IDOL’s two-part Grand Finale will be filled with surprise appearances and star-studded performances, including winners Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, along with Jennifer Hudson, who return to the IDOL stage one last time to perform on Thursday, April 7 (8:00-10:06 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed). The farewell celebration will continue, as IDOL pays tribute to the past 15 seasons, the amazingly talented contestants and the millions of fans who called, tweeted, texted and championed their IDOLS, before the 15th AMERICAN IDOL is crowned.

In addition to superstars Clarkson and Underwood, Thursday’s final episode will have all-star performances by former IDOLs, including Ruben Studdard, Fantasia, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze, Scotty McCreery, Phillip Phillips, Candice Glover, Caleb Johnson, Nick Fradiani, Ace Young, Allison Iraheta, Amber Holcomb, Blake Lewis, Bo Bice, Brandon Rogers, Bucky Covington, Carly Smithson, Casey James, Chris Daughtry, Clark Beckham, Clay Aiken, Colton Dixon, Constantine Maroulis, Danny Gokey, Diana DeGarmo, Elliott Yamin, George Huff, James Durbin, Jennifer Hudson, Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet, Justin Guarini, Katharine McPhee, Kellie Pickler, Kimberley Locke, Kree Harrison, LaToya London, Lauren Alaina, Melinda Doolittle, Pia Toscano, Sanjaya, Skylar Laine, Tamyra Gray and more, before host Ryan Seacrest announces the results of America’s votes and the final IDOL is crowned.

Here are the three finalists:

Trent Harmon Age: 25 Hometown: Amory, MS
Keep up with Trent at:
TWITTER: @TrentWHarmon
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TrentHarmonMusic
INSTAGRAM: @trent.harmon.music

Dalton Rapattoni Age: 19 Hometown: Dallas, TX
Keep up with Dalton at:
TWITTER: @DaltonRapattoni
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/DaltonRapattoni
INSTAGRAM: @daltonrapattoni

La’Porsha Renae Age: 22 Hometown: McComb, MS
Keep up with La’Porsha at:
TWITTER: @laporsharenae
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/LaPorshaRenae
INSTAGRAM: @laporsharenae

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Remaining Tickets to Pacquiao vs. Bradley are priced at $1,204, $804, $604, $404, $254 and $154, not including applicable service fees. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available for purchase at mgmgrand.com or ticketmaster.com.

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, www.hbo.com/boxing or www.mgmgrand.com on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, or twitter.com/hboboxing. Use the Hashtag #PacBradley to join the conversation on Twitter.

LONDON (April 6, 2016) – IBF Featherweight World Champion Lee Selby and American challenger Eric Hunter participated in a final undercard press conference on Wednesday at Trinity House as they prepare to faceoff this Saturday at The O2 in London.

Highlight coverage of Selby vs. Hunter will air on this Saturday’s SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL® telecast, preceding the live presentation of the IBF Heavyweight World Championship between unbeaten American titlist Charles Martin and fellow unbeaten British Olympic Gold Medalist Anthony Joshua. Martin vs. Joshua air live on SHOWTIME® at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT.

Selby (22-1, 8 KOs) vs. Hunter (21-3, 11 KOs) is the second of five scheduled featherweight title bouts in 2016 (details below), a lineup showcasing many of the world’s best 126-pounders aiming to unifying one of boxing’s deepest divisions.

Here’s what Selby and Hunter had to say during fight week:

LEE SELBY:

“I will put on a devastating and clinical performance. I am going to take the fight to him. You are going to see spiteful punches and hurtful shots, so Hunter better be ready.

“I will show why I am the IBF World Champion and show people what I can do. If he wants to stand and fight, we can fight. If he wants to box, we’ll box. I haven’t needed to show how tough I am yet and that I can grit it out, because I’ve out-boxed everyone I’ve faced. However, he wants it I don’t mind. If you see me sparring every day in the gym, I just want to have a tear-up.

“You don’t win fights like that – or at least, I’m instructed not to. I’m told to box all the time but when it comes down to it, I’d love to have a tear-up.

“I’ve never had the trash talking and at weigh-ins I’ve never had anyone in my face, but it won’t affect me at all. It doesn’t change my mindset one bit.

“I’ve had a little look at him, seen his style. He’s a good fighter, he’s awkward, switch hits, has power, so it’s going to be a tough fight.

“Eric is my No. 1 challenger and he’s there for a reason. He’s going to give me a real test but that’s what I need.

“Fighting in front of British fans is the best atmosphere in boxing. It was a dream to go out to America to defend a World title, but it’s a dream to defend it on home soil in front of 20,000.

“There have been some great fighters calling me out. Carl Frampton was talking about me after his last fight, Josh Warrington has called me out a lot of times and Leo Santa Cruz has mentioned me, too. There are plenty of options but I’ve got to come through this one.

“Warrington will never get to my level. He’s done everything asked of him and won all the titles I vacated, and it’s a fight that could be made straight away if he comes through his next fight and I come through mine. Warrington talks about me a lot, and it’s a fight I would definitely be interested in and if we both win our next fights. Maybe it will happen, and it would be a big fight.”

ERIC HUNTER:

“Selby is a runner, we know he’s a runner, he boxes and runs away. He hasn’t really fought anyone yet. He beat Evgeny Gradovich, who has not really been the same since he fought Billy Dib. He just walked forward with his hands up.

“I was rated by the IBF for the longest time. I was rated higher than Lee Selby when he fought Fernando Montiel and when he got Gradovich.

“Not to be smart or cocky, but I’d never seen him fight. I never heard of him until the Gradovich fight. And with that fight, I think Gradovich was winning but Selby got the hometown decision. He boxed well. He runs pretty well too.

“I can adjust. I can fight. I can box. I got better footwork. I can bang. I can do a few things that he probably can’t.

“I’m excited about fighting in front of all these people. It gives me the chance to show off my skills. They are going to see a new IBF champion.

“I don’t need to win a war of words, I’m going to show what I can do on the night. I love the London fans, I’m looking forward to coming over there and showing them what I can do.”

2016 Featherweight Title Bouts (All on SHOWTIME with the exception of June 25 “SHOWTIME BOXING on CBS”)
Feb. 27 WBA (Super) Featherweight World Championship Leo Santa Cruz vs. Kiko Martinez
April 9 IBF Featherweight World Championship Lee Selby vs. Eric Hunter (Highlights)
April 16 WBC Featherweight World Championship Gary Russell Jr. vs. Patrick Hyland
June 25 WBA (Regular) Featherweight World Championship Jesus Cuellar vs. Abner Mares
Summer 2016 WBA (Super) Featherweight World Championship Leo Santa Cruz vs. Carl Frampton

# # #

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, and also offers SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND and FLIX ON DEMAND®, and the network’s authentication service SHOWTIME ANYTIME®. Showtime Digital Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of SNI, operates the stand-alone streaming service SHOWTIME®. SHOWTIME is currently available to subscribers via cable, DBS and telco providers, and as a stand-alone streaming service through Apple®, Roku®, Amazon and Google. Consumers can also subscribe to SHOWTIME via Hulu, Sony PlayStation® Vue and Amazon Prime Video. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks™, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution, which offers Smithsonian Channel™, and offers Smithsonian Earth™ through SN Digital LLC. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV. For more information, go to www.SHO.com.

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVNIA – April 6, 2016 – World Fighting Championships marks its 50th event milestone with a new beginning. The growing boxing and mixed martial arts crossover promotion makes its Pennsylvania debut when it presents WFC 50, live professional boxing, on Saturday, April 9th at The Meadows Racetrack and Casino.

WFC 50, currently slated for six bouts, pits Tommy Karpency (25-5-1, 14KO) versus Paul Gonsalves (9-7-1, 4KO) in an 8round light-heavyweight contest for the WBA NABA US Light Heavyweight Championship. Karpency made waves with a win over “Bad” Chad Dawson in 2014, and is seeking redemption after his loss to Canadian Light Heavyweight Adonis Stevenson in September, when he challenged the polarizing fighter for the WBC Light Heavyweight title. Karpency brings a wealth of experience to ring with him, having fought top competition since his debut in 2006, while Massachusetts-based Gonsalves will be in his first title fight on April 9th.
WFC 50 is a family affair for Karpency, who joins brothers Jeremiah Karpency and Dan Karpency on the card. Heavyweight Jeremiah (12-0, 4KO) looks to remain undefeated when he faces the more experienced Mike Sheppard (24-19-1, 10KO) for the WBA NABA US Heavyweight Championship. Younger brother Dan Karpency (5-0, 1KO) will be facing Eric Bledsoe (1-1, 1KO) in a four round bout at Middleweight.
“We couldn’t be happier that our milestone 50th event happens to be our debut in
Pennsylvania,” said WFC Promoter Matt McGovern. The young promoter inked a multi-event deal with The Meadows Racetrack and Casino in late 2015. “We are going to give boxing fans and casino guests a high-quality, action packed night of fights, just as we’ve done in our previous 49 events. We are bringing three titles to Pittsburgh. We want to show the fans and local boxing community that we are here to stay.”

Tickets are priced at $100, $50, and $25, and are available along with VIP tables via the WFC website at www.worldfightingchampionships.com.

Doors open at 6:00 p.m. on fight night. First bell is at 7:00 p.m.

Oklahoma City, OK (April 6, 2016) – Bo “Hands of War” Gibbs Jr. looks to take another step in the right direction when he defends his Oklahoma State middleweight championship against experienced Abel “Truth Serum” Perry Saturday, May 21 at the Firelake Arena in Shawnee, OK.

The card is promoted by HD Boxing and tickets can be purchased on Firelakearena.com and HDBoxing.net or by calling 405-273-1637.

Living and fighting out of Carney, OK, Gibbs Jr. is 15-0 with 7 victories by knockout. As an amateur, he excelled locally en route to competing in the US National Championships and National Golden Gloves tournament. On January 9, he outpointed veteran Delray Raines over ten rounds at the Firelake Arena to capture the Oklahoma State title. At 24 years old, Gibbs Jr. is progressing nicely in the paid ranks and is aiming to become a player at 160 pounds in the near future.

A pro for more than ten years, Perry is one of Gibbs’ craftiest foes to date. He’s faced the likes of Jonathan Gonzalez, James De La Rosa, Grady Brewer and Cecil McCalla. In 2007 he scored a career best win, shutting out previously unbeaten Skylar Thompson (11-0) in Washington State. Perry also owns a victory over Kevin Rooney protégé Jay Krupp. Born in Alaska and based in Arkansas, Perry has a solid 18-8 record and is well regarded in the Sooner State.

“Abel’s fought ten times in Oklahoma and the fans here know that he can really fight,” said Bobby Dobbs of HD Boxing. “He is definitely better than his record indicates since he’s not one to turn down opportunities against quality opposition. Bo told me that he wants to continue facing better opponents every time out but Abel believes Bo’s bit off more than he can chew here. I’m really looking forward to this one!”

Shawnee junior middleweight Dennis Knifechief meets fellow Oklahoman Jesse Comer of Norman in a six round rematch. In August 2015, Knifechief and Comer put on one of the most exciting bouts in recent memory, which Knifechief taking a split decision. Both fighters are confident there will be no doubt as to who the victor is this time around.

Welterweight Martin Morales, 3-1 (2 KO’s), goes for his fourth straight win when he faces an opponent to be named in a four round contest.

Additional bouts will be announced shortly.

For more information and updates, please visit HDBoxing.net

Baltimore, MD (April 6, 2016) – Jake Smith’s Baltimore Boxing Promotions will once again take over Michael’s Eighth Avenue Thursday, May 5 in Glen Burnie, MD.

The card will serve as a tribute to Murray “Bushwacker” Smith Sr., the father of Baltimore Boxing’s Jake Smith. Smith Sr., a well-known figure in the Baltimore area for decades, was a longtime event promoter who lost his battle with Melanoma in 2013.

Tickets purchased in advance start at $25, reserved seats are $35, reserved tables for ten are $350, $50 VIP seats and $500 VIP tables of 10 can be purchased by calling 410-375-9175. Doors open at 6:30 pm and the fights begin at 8.

Topping the card will be a showdown between local star Joey “Bazooka Joe” Veazy and Andre Harris of Pasadena, MD. Fighting out of the Baltimore Boxing Club, Veazy won numerous titles since his earliest days in the sport and is one of the top prospects in the talent-rich DC-Maryland-Virginia area. A big ticket seller, a legion of “Bazooka Joe” supporters come out every time he fights.

Veazy and Harris meet for the East Coast 154 pound championship in what will be Veazy’s final amateur bout.

Tyrell Boyd of the Upton Boxing Club meets Genc Pllana for the East Coast middleweight title. Boyd is a former champion and looks to recapture the crown while Pllana is fresh off an upset win over well regarded Donald Wallace.

Popular Clayton Frazier and former Stevenson University basketball standout Stefon McCray are slated to appear on the card against opponents to be announced. Additional bouts will be added shortly.

“Joey’s been representing the Baltimore Boxing Club and training there for a while now,” said Smith, who is also the owner and head trainer at Baltimore Boxing Gym. “We’ve had great success during his amateur career but I’m looking forward to turning him pro in the immediate future. On the 5th, fans will not only get to see Veazy fight for a title in his last amateur match but also a middleweight championship fight between Tyrell Boy and Genc Pllana. Pllana surprised all of us by beating Donald Wallace last time out and Boyd wants his title back. We’ve also got Clayton Frazier and Stefon McCray competing plus additional fan friendly bouts to be added.”

The main event drew 1,141,000 viewers (10:36pm-11:21pm) peaking with an impressive 1.3 million viewers at 11:11pm
(with +3 DVR playback). This is the most watched PBC fight ever on Spike.

The entire card delivered 955,000 viewers, also a record for the PBC on Spike.

Also of note, 48 minutes of the broadcast were seen by 1 million or more viewers.

Middleweight’s Matthew Macklin and Brian Rose admit that their careers are on the line as they clash at The O2 in London on Saturday night (April 9) live on Sky Sports Box Office.

The vacant IBF Inter-Continental title is on the line between the pair and the winner can look to crash into the rankings and move towards a World title fight down the line.

Both men have fought for the major prize, with Macklin having three cracks at a World Middleweight title and Rose challenging for a Super-Welterweight strap, and that remains the ultimate goal for both men.

Defeat though could spell the end of the road for both men, and that they say is what could turn Saturday’s contest into a fight of the year contender.

“I am very much fighting for my career,” said Macklin. “I want to get the win and move on to bigger and better things, World title opportunities, but if I didn’t get the win then that would be it. There is a lots on the line.

“If Brian loses it might not be the end for him. He can probably come back, rebuild, but for me I certainly couldn’t stand the loss to Brian at this stage of my career.

“I have fought for a World title three times and all three of those were on American TV. I’m an established name in America and have had some wins since the Jorge Sebastian Heiland loss, nothing to set the world on fire, but they are wins.

“For me to win this fight it opens opportunities out there; Daniel Jacobs, I’m not sure if he has an opponent yet for his next defence yet, Billy Joe Saunders is World champion, and they are kind of fights I’ll be looking for.

“It could go a lot of ways. I think I could go out there and do a number on Brian, but I have to give him the respect that his career deserves. He has had losses and come back and avenged them and that shows you something about his character. He has a good defence and the times he has been knocked out he’s been caught cold, he has never really been broken down.

“He is a good fighter, but I don’t think he is World class. He fought for a World title against Demetrius Andrade, who is a really good fighter, and he did okay, but I don’t think he is somebody who would consistently perform at World level.”

“This is very, very important,” said Rose. “Everything is on the line. There is so much at stake and that is why the fight is so interesting. We both want to fight for World titles again.

“It has the makings of Fight of the Year because of what is at stake; we are both talking about retiring if either of us lose. I believe I have more fight left in me, but I am not going to know until Saturday.

“Macklin is a big name. A lot of people are saying he is past it but if he can perform like he used to perform, then I am in for a tough night.

“In terms of our careers and where we are at, we are very similar, but he has achieved that little bit more previously and he is a big name on my record when I pull off the win.

“Matthew lived in my trainer Bobby Rimmer’s flat like I did and over the years I took a lot of advice from Matthew. The friendship will always be there but we haven’t been friends for the last eight weeks because we have to fight each other.

“It was a strange one when it was first announced but I am sure we have both got our heads around it now and we both know we need to do a job.

“I would be looking to fight a final eliminator and then a World title, but this time I want to perform. I am a realist and I know people question whether I can win a World title, but I want to get there and perform and have no regrets when I retire.”

Macklin and Rose clash on a blockbuster night of action in Greenwich as Anthony Joshua MBE challenges Charles Martin for the IBF World Heavyweight title.

Lee Selby defends his IBF World Featherweight title against Eric Hunter, Jamie McDonnell defends his WBA World Bantamweight title against Fernando Vargas, three-time World Super-Middleweight title challenger George Groves meets unbeaten Scotsman David Brophy, Ohara Davies faces Andy Keates for the vacant English Lightweight title and Nigel Benn’s son Conor makes his professional debut.

Red-hot Belfast featherweight contender James Tennyson is dreaming of a blockbuster future showdown with fellow Northern Irishman and unified World Super-Bantamweight champion Carl Frampton.

Hard-hitting Tennyson challenges Cromer star Ryan Walsh for the British Featherweight title at the Copper Box Arena on Saturday 30 April, exclusively live on BoxNation.

Known as the ‘Assassin’, Tennyson has amassed an impressive record of 16-1 with 13 knockouts since turning professional in September 2012. Under the guidance of manager Mark Dunlop, Tennyson has quickly established himself as one of Northern Ireland’s hottest properties; capturing the Irish title at super-featherweight in just his sixth fight.

Tennyson, 22, was Frampton’s final sparring partner before he went on to outpoint Scott Quigg at the Manchester Arena in February. It was a fight that nearly never happened after Tennyson cut Frampton’s eye with a big left uppercut in the dying seconds of their final spar.

The man who recently signed with top promoter Frank Warren knows if he is to reach the very top of the fight game he may have to take on his close friend somewhere down the line.

“That would be a massive fight but I would need to get the right fights and experience to bring my career onto that level,” said Tennyson.

He added: “If Frampton took the title at featherweight and I came on at the right time in my career it could happen in the future. Carl is a great guy and a good friend of mine. In the future if I had the right experience under my belt it’s a fight that could be made.”

As well as Frampton, Tennyson has been getting in valuable sparring with WBC International featherweight champion Josh Warrington and Max Hughes in the run-up to his showdown with Walsh. With only one loss on his record, Tennyson is confident he’s got the skills to overcome Walsh.

“I sparred with Carl for a full week in the lead up to the Scott Quigg fight. It was a great experience for me. He’s kind of similar to Ryan Walsh, he’s small and strong and he’s a good boxer so it was good sparring to kick-start my training camp. I believe I’ve got the upper hand. I’m the bigger guy and I know I can get the job done.”

Dunlop added, “In boxing anything is possible and it would be an unbelievable fight between James and Carl, especially in Belfast. Our faith and trust is in Frank Warren to make the fights at the right time. Right now we’re focussed on Ryan Walsh on April 30th at the Copper Box Arena and that’s a tough, hard, fight that we must win.”

WBO World Middleweight Champion Billy Joe Saunders makes the first defence of his title against “Mad” Max Bursak and headlines an action-packed card that also features: The Vacant European Cruiserweight title between Ovill McKenzie and Dmytro Kucher; Ryan Walsh defends his British Featherweight Championship against James Tennyson; Anthony Nelson defends his Commonwealth Super-Flyweight Championship against Jamie Conlon. On the undercard fast rising undefeated heavyweight sensation Hughie Fury, Erith super-bantamweight Lewis Pettitt; Chingford super-featherweight Boy Jones Jnr; Indian middleweight sensation Vijender Singh; Chelmsford super-middleweight Billy Long, West Ham super-welterweight Sammy McNess; Sidcup super-featherweight D.P Carr; West Ham super-lightweight Ben Smith; Hornchurch super-lightweight Sanjeev Sahota; Nantwich heavyweight Nathan Gorman and Enfield super-middleweight Barney Joe Jones, all feature.

Tickets priced at £30, £40, £60, £80, £100, £150, £200 are available from See Tickets 0871 230 7148 and www.seetickets.com, Eventim 0844 249 1000 and www.eventim.co.uk, Ticketmaster 0844 8440 444 and www.ticketmaster.co.uk

The Channel Of Champions, BoxNation, will televise live and exclusive on Sky 437/HD 490, Virgin 546, TalkTalk 415 and Freeview 255. Subscribe at www.boxnation.com or watch online at watch.boxnation.com and via iPhone, iPad or Android and Amazon devices.

NEW YORK (April 6, 2016) – SHOWTIME Sports® presents its latest installment of a year-long salute commemorating 30 years of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® with “Fights of the Year” in April on SHO EXTREME®.

The fourth round of a 12-month tribute will be highlighted by four of the most rousing and unforgettable fights in boxing history:
Jorge Castro vs. John David Jackson I – 1994 Ring Magazine Fight of the Year (Round 9 earned Round of the Year honors)
Paulie Ayala vs. Johnny Tapia I – 1999 Ring Magazine Fight of the Year (Ayala earned Fighter of the Year honors)
Diego Corrales vs. Jose Luis Castillo I – 2005 Consensus Fight of the Year (Round 10 earned Round of the Year honors)
Lucas Matthysse vs. John Molina Jr. – 2014 Boxing Writers Association of America Fight of the Year.

The four celebrated battles will air on “Throwback Thursdays” all month at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHO EXTREME and are available on SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, SHOWTIME ANYTIME® and via the network’s online streaming service. Each fight will be wrapped with brief context and commentary from SHOWTIME Sports ring announcer and International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee Jimmy Lennon Jr.

Below is the schedule of SHOWTIME EXTREME premieres for the month of April:
Thursday, April 7: Jorge Castro vs. John David Jackson I
Thursday, April 14: Lucas Matthysse vs. John Molina Jr.
Thursday, April 21: Diego Corrales vs. Jose Luis Castillo I
Thursday, April 28: Paulie Ayala vs. Johnny Tapia I

Castro-Jackson I (Dec. 10, 1994, Castro KO 9) –Castro, thoroughly battered, bloodied and losing by a wide margin, rallies from the absolute brink of defeat to score three knockdowns in the ninth round to overcome Jackson in one of the most dramatic turnarounds ever.

Ayala-Tapia I (June 26, 1999, Ayala W 12) – In some of the fiercest two-way action in the history of Las Vegas boxing, southpaw Ayala hands Tapia his first professional loss in 49 fights and captures the WBA bantamweight title by the scores of 115-114 and 116-113 twice. Game On: As the boxers were being announced, Tapia walked across the ring and shoved Ayala causing a momentary skirmish.

Diego Corrales-Jose Luis Castillo I (May 7, 2005, Corrales TKO 10) — After nine intense, back-and-forth rounds, Corrales accomplishes the unthinkable, miraculously regrouping from two knockdowns in the 10th to stop Castillo in the same round (2:06) and etch his spot in boxing lore. After managing to beat the count (and lose a point for excessive spitting out of the mouthpiece), Corrales got Castillo on the ropes and connected with a huge right hand. He continued to unload and Castillo got nailed with a bundle of vicious punches. Moments later, the ref stopped it.

Lucas Matthysse-John Molina Jr. (April 26, 2014, Matthysse KO 11) — A bloody slugfest, in which both fighters were knocked down multiple times, became an instant classic. Matthysse who went down in the second and fifth rounds, came back with a late-fight onslaught to wear down and drop Molina in the eighth, 10th and 11th rounds. The tremendous brawl was as brutal as it was exciting and more compelling to witness than anyone could have imagined.

# # #

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, and also offers SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND and FLIX ON DEMAND®, and the network’s authentication service SHOWTIME ANYTIME®. Showtime Digital Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of SNI, operates the stand-alone streaming service SHOWTIME®. SHOWTIME is currently available to subscribers via cable, DBS and telco providers, and as a stand-alone streaming service through Apple®, Roku®, Amazon and Google. Consumers can also subscribe to SHOWTIME via Hulu, Sony PlayStation® Vue and Amazon Prime Video. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks™, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution, which offers Smithsonian Channel™, and offers Smithsonian Earth™ through SN Digital LLC. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV. For more information, go to www.SHO.com.

LONDON (6 April) – Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach is sceptical about Manny Pacquiao hanging up his gloves following his rubber match with Timothy Bradley this weekend.

The Filipino superstar is tipped to call it a day and bring to an end a glittering fight career after his decisive showdown with American rival Bradley, live and exclusive on Premier Sports.

The eight-division world champion has political ambitions in his home country, as he runs for a seat in the Philippines senate, however, Roach believes his star pupil still has more to give to boxing but expects him to put on a great display if his journey is to end on Saturday night.

“I personally don’t know if this will be Manny’s last fight but he is training like it’s going to be his last fight. Manny has achieved so much in his boxing career and if this is going to be his swan song I know he wants to go out blazing with a spectacular performance,” said Roach.

“If the opportunity for a knockout presents itself during the fight, he’s going to go for it. He knows how to close the show and he wants this show closed with fireworks. He wants to finish the book on his boxing career with a spectacular ending.

“I do think Manny has more quality fights in him. His power, speed, work ethic are still superior to most others,” he said.

56-year-old Roach, who has worked with numerous world champions including the likes of Mike Tyson, Miguel Cotto and Oscar De la Hoya, ranks Pacquiao as the greatest he has trained.

“Manny is the greatest fighter I have ever worked with,” said Roach. “I have never seen another fighter accomplish so much. Forget the raw talent and drive to win, Manny was a great student who never rested on his laurels.

“He was a sponge who was always willing to learn new things. He challenged me to teach him new things. He made me a better trainer.

“For me, it’s been an experience unique to Manny. I wish I had a million fighters with as much drive and a willingness to learn new things,” he said.

Five-time world champion Bradley has been praised for his recent performances since switching trainers to Teddy Atlas and many expect the Californian to give Pacquiao the toughest test of what will be their trilogy this time around.

Roach, though, does not think there has been much change in Bradley’s style and expects him to revert to his old ways once he feels Pacquiao’s power.

“I don’t feel Bradley has changed that much. Sure, we will make some adjustments for the changes his new trainer implemented in the last fight, but as soon as Manny lands some meaningful punches, Bradley will revert back to his old style and that’s what we have to be prepared for. The log in the ocean is going to end up being a log in the buzz saw.”

To watch Pacquiao v Bradley 3 live and exclusive on Premier Sports for only £9.99 visit premiersports.com or call 0871 663 9000.

Chris DeBlasio
Good evening, good afternoon, and good morning to everyone joining us from two countries across the world. I want to thank you for taking the time to be on. On today’s conference call, we have Eddie Hearn and Anthony Joshua. We’ll have Leon Margules and Charles Martin a little bit later. We want to kick off the exciting heavyweight fight that we’re going to present this Saturday. SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL presents the IBF Heavyweight World Championship fight live on SHOWTIME at 5 p.m. ET/ 2 p.m. PT from The O2 Arena in London. As you all know, we will also offer an encore presentation of this telecast later that night on SHOWTIME EXTREME® at 8 p.m. The SHOWTIME telecast will include highlights of the IBF Featherweight World Title Fight between defending champion Lee Selby and Philadelphia’s Eric Hunter, which will take place early on the undercard at The O2. Our presentation of the event will be hosted by Brian Custer with analysis from Boxing Hall of Fame Sportscaster, Al Bernstein, and Two Division World Champion Paul Malignaggi from our studios in New York. The live fight coverage will be provided by Sky Sports. I’d like to begin with a few words from the man who’s assembled a terrific schedule for live boxing events on SHOWTIME over the next several weeks. He is Executive Vice President and General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports, Stephen Espinoza.

Stephen Espinoza
Thanks, Chris. And thanks to everyone on the call for joining. Saturday begins our incredibly strong line up, really the strongest line up of any network this year. Seven live boxing telecasts, featuring at least nine world championship fights, soon to be more than that as we fill up the under cards, over a 12 week span. And among them, of course, we’re highlighting some of the most important fights in the most exciting and talent rich divisions. And case in point is Saturday’s heavyweight match-up, which, of course, is highlighting a division that has suddenly become very, very interesting. A new era of heavyweight boxing has really emerged. The landscape is changing fight-to-fight, sometimes punch-to-punch. We’ve got recently crowned champions and challengers, all looking to really establish themselves as the future of the division. And I can’t think of a better fight to kick off this strong slate that we’ve got this spring and summer than this title fight of undefeated Charles Martin, making his first title defense against the also undefeated rising star Anthony Joshua in what I’m sure will be a sold out O2 Arena. We’re also very proud to be hosting the U.S. TV debut of Anthony Joshua, so those of us here in the States can see what all the excitement over in the UK is all about. Between the two of them, they’ve got a combined record of 38-0-1 with 36 knockouts. That’s a 94 percent knockout ratio. So, of course, we are expecting a lot of excitement this Saturday night. With that, I’ll turn it back over to you, Chris.

Chris DeBlasio
I’d like to introduce from Matchroom Sport, Eddie Hearn. Eddie, you and your team have been busy selling out arenas across England this year, a couple of sellouts already. Thank you for taking the time to be with us and making time for the U.S. press. Maybe a few words and an introduction for team Joshua, please.

Eddie Hearn
Thank you, Chris. Yeah, we’ve already had some huge events this year, and the UK is absolutely thriving at the moment, but this event is on another level. Anthony Joshua has broken box office records, viewing figure records consistently since his début a couple of years ago at the same arena. On Saturday night, he looks to become the first British Heavyweight Olympic Gold Medalist to go on and win a world title. It’s a wonderful fight between two very talented, young, big punching heavyweights, and it’s the fastest selling event ever at the O2 Arena, selling 17,000 tickets in just 90 seconds. The anticipation here is on another level. You can’t walk down the street without someone asking if AJ’s going to do it. On Saturday night, as Stephen pointed out, the knockout ratio is second to none. Expect fireworks; expect anticipation, drama, absolutely everything in a wonderful O2 Arena. And, of course, our thanks always to our host, broadcaster in the UK, Sky Sports, but also to Stephen Espinoza and SHOWTIME. I’ve been telling Stephen Espinoza for a long time about Anthony Joshua, and I’m so pleased that the U.S. public will get a chance to see him in action on Saturday night, when I believe he will become the Heavyweight Champion of the World. I’m going to pass over to Anthony Joshua.

Anthony Joshua
Many thanks for you guys taking the time to join the call. Eddie mentioned some great figures and great achievements that we have accomplished from the time I turned professional, and also the fact that the excitement of the heavyweight division is back and it’s an honor to be involved in it, especially here in the UK. And sometimes in heavyweight boxing the UK’s been overlooked, but I think right now people are looking at us and starting to respect the division a lot more. Moving forward with the fight against Charles Martin, as you said, it’s a 96 percent –or 94 percent knockout ratio between us both, but the end of the game for both of us is, obviously, hit without getting hit, but someone will go and someone though has to be removed, and I’m very confident on Saturday night that won’t be me. And I think the rewards of that becoming IBF Heavyweight Champion of the World. And why I’m so content is that God willing I win this championship, I then want to go on to unify the division. So, that’s why I keep my head in the game and stay focused and just look at it as another task on my checklist.

Question
It seems that this is coming a little bit quicker than maybe you or Eddie or anybody on your team anticipated, the opportunity to fight Martin. Can you address how soon this has come in your career compared to when maybe you thought it would arrive, the opportunity to fight for one of these titles?

Anthony Joshua
Yeah, I think we were looking at 12 months’ time. And at the same time it is about my development, because you’re only as good as your last fight. So, when the opportunity came, what I was doing, I was looking at various opponents, the majority of them American opponents as well, who are some in the top 10 and some who (fought) at a world level or contending at world level. And they’re very tough opponents as well, but moving forward April 9, I wanted to get a good contender and to show that my progression from the Dillian Whyte fight. I fought a fight that I didn’t need to, but I still swam the waters, and I came out on top. So, I wanted to show I could go in with, you know, good contenders and defeat them with ease. And when Charles Martin came around, as I said, and I’ll say it again, I took away the fact that he’s IBF Heavyweight Champion of the World. And when I look at Charles Martin as an individual it’s not that I see weaknesses, but I feel that I’m the better man, and they always say the better man will win on the night, and I feel confident of winning, and I feel the fact that the IBF Championship comes with it gives it that much more kudos and why there is a lot more attention around it. But, I’ll leave the attention and, you know, all the hype and the building of the fight that’s down to Eddie, the team, but when I look at the fight itself it’s no problem. I’ll take this fight with both hands, and that’s how I kind of managed to secure my confidence moving forward with this heavyweight championship fight.

Question
Anthony, when you look at the landscape, the British boxing scene is thriving. You’ll have a heavyweight title if you win. Tyson Fury, no disrespect, is clearly the recognized champion in the weight class with two titles and the victory against Klitschko. And there’s other, big names in the heavyweight division that fight out of the UK. Would it be good for you to match up with some of these other guys over there, Fury and Haye in particular?

Anthony Joshua
It has to happen. It is a big deal, because I look at it like when you go back in history, Foreman fought Ali. Ali fought Frazier. Then you have Tyson fighting Holyfield. Holyfield and Lewis. And then, you’ve just got the UK heavyweight: so Haye, Price, Fury, myself. Every division has to mix it up. So, if moving forward I get the victory, it just adds a bit of fuel to that fire, and these fights are going to happen sooner than later. So, I can’t shy away from it. I’ve got to prepare myself. And how I look at Charles Martin is I train for Charles Martin, but I’ve got to train for 10 fights ahead of Charles Martin because it’s only going to get tougher, and that’s why I have to have the confidence. My mind says, ‘I can beat Charles Martin because I want to go to that level above as well.’

Question
Eddie, could you address that?

Eddie Hearn
Anthony Joshua against David Haye is probably the bigger of the two fights, but Joshua against Tyson Fury and a unification fight between two Brits, I mean, you know, it’s (huge).

Question
A fight between British boxers for the heavyweight championship has never happened, right?

Eddie Hearn
No, no, no, no it hasn’t. And, you know, it might never happen again. So, absolutely huge. As Anthony said, 100 percent of our eyes are on Saturday night, but at the same time we know the rewards, and the rewards come through a huge fight. And Tyson Fury is a character that would take the Anthony Joshua fight at the drop of hat, and we feel exactly the same way.

Question
How nervous are you, Eddie, about Saturday given that you brought up Anthony from day one in the pros? And I know this is a little sooner than you expected. You know, the fighter will do his job. But is it difficult for you to sit there with the nerves watching what’s unfolding in the ring?

Eddie Hearn
Yeah, I’m nervous, but I’m so excited. I mean, this is what boxing is — this is what the sport is all about. You know, we’re rolling the dice, and we’re doing it quicker than many would do it, but we’re doing it because Anthony Joshua makes the ultimate call. The team — he will get his opinions from myself and the training team, who all feel he can beat Charles Martin, but the man who has the ultimate say is Anthony Joshua, and, luckily, he’s a very bright individual who believes he can beat Charles Martin. It doesn’t matter if it’s Saturday night or 12 months’ time, when you get the opportunity to fight for the World Heavyweight title in your backyard, you have to take it and especially when you’re a favorite going into the fight. I mean, the odds are ludicrous. You know, this is a close fight. This is a close fight where anything can happen, but we believe Anthony Joshua is a special talent. It’s certainly quicker than we expected, but look at the rainbow at the end. Anthony Joshua becomes the Heavyweight Champion of the World, in my opinion, becomes the biggest star in world boxing, and you will see when it happens. You might say, “Well, that’s a bit of an exaggeration.” Trust me, it’s not. This boy has got it all. But, we know how dangerous the fight is. We know how dangerous heavyweight boxing is. And the beauty of it is that these guys are fearless. They’ve not been around long enough to know about defeats, etc. You know, Charles Martin’s never been hit on the chin. Anthony Joshua has. And the Dillian Whyte fight will end up being a blessing for Anthony Joshua. So you’ve got two 6-foot-5 guys, one big, awkward southpaw with a huge backhand. Another guy with the fastest hands I’ve seen in the heavyweight division for a long time and a total disregard for what’s coming back at him. Actually so much so, I’ve never seen a man unload in front of another man like this since Mike Tyson. But, we got to be smart because this time there’s going to be something coming back.

Question
For Stephen Espinoza: From a coaching programmer’s perspective, how exciting is it that you have a heavyweight division as vibrant as it is right now? How refreshing is it to be able to say to them, “Well, hey, we have a division that is exciting; we have these fights now.”

Stephen Espinoza
It’s really the icing on the cake, so to speak, of the current boxing market. There certainly is a certain mystique about the heavyweight division, particularly for the casual fan. No matter what is going on in any of the other divisions, heavyweight boxing holds just a special attraction. There’s a magnetism and excitement about the division and it’s been a relatively dormant division for much of the last decade. I don’t mean that in a derogatory way. It’s just we have one dominant champion or a set of brothers as dominant champions and each fight was really a foregone conclusion. What we’ve seen in the last eight months is essentially an entire reinvigoration and renewal of the heavyweight division. And to see young guys, like Anthony Joshua, a newcomer on the scene who has made the kind of splash and has the kind of promise that Anthony has is something that really if the division wasn’t already rejuvenated, it certainly would have taken notice of him. But, you throw Anthony in there and some other good, young heavyweight prospects such as Joseph Parker and others, there’s a lot of excitement from the up and coming ranks all the way through the contenders and champions. It’s really an exciting time, not just for that division but for many others that are being remade in sort of a new generation of talent.

Question
Do you see the winner of this fight as being a guy that can perhaps help carry the flag for the network?

Stephen Espinoza
We’d love that to be the case. You know, as Eddie mentioned, he and I have been talking about Anthony for several fights now, and we’re thrilled that we were able to get a deal done and host this TV début. And we’d like to be his TV home for the remainder of his career, and that’s for two reasons, one because he’s obviously a very skilled and entertaining fighter, but, two, there is a wealth of good fights that can be made. That’s really the recipe for a TV programmers dream and not just to have charismatic skilled fighters, but actually have a wealth of opponents. There are a number of them, here in the U.S., starting with Deontay Wilder or other UK fighters – Tyson or David Haye, as well as internationally. There’s really fertile ground in the heavyweight division right now.

Question
Anthony, leading up to this fight, one line you keep using is that everything about your career is about development. You said that kind of in reference to your development in the ring but also personal development as a human being. What do you expect to learn in this fight with Charles Martin both about yourself and as a fighter?

Anthony Joshua
Well, as about myself, dealing with pressures, right? It’s just how to deal with fighting for the Heavyweight Championship of the World. That’s a pressure in life that you could put on any-thing and there’s a certain amount of respect that you’ll get. So, there’s pressures of life that I’m going to deal with outside of the ring. And regarding the fight, I’m looking towards the fight, in my last 10, 12 weeks in training, it’s been a great camp. We’ve been sparring like 13 rounds, 14 rounds. It’s been — that mental toughness, you know, day after day. Pushing myself has been great. And then moving into the fight is when I’ve been a watching a lot of champions and some of the champions. One thing I’ve learned from them is just composure. That’s what I’m going to take into this fight. So, not only experience and then how to deal with things, but that’s outside of the ring. But, when I am in the ring and just deal with what I’ve got to face within the ring and just stay composed, I should show people that basically anything’s possible. You know, they can say what they want, but I’m an underdog. I’m a challenger that can come in and annihilate a champion. Kind of like when Tyson fought Douglas. Just don’t give Charles Martin a chance and just outclass him, and that’s what I want to show and display on Saturday to be honest with you.

Question
Anthony, can you talk about the fact that you’re coming in–even though you got knockouts in all of your fights, you only have, I believe, a total of 32 pro rounds, and you’re fighting for world titles. Can you talk about the experience factor in this fight and how you want to overcome it? Obviously, everybody knows your Olympic and amateur record, but tell us about the experience factor as a pro fighting for a title this soon?

Anthony Joshua
I think that when the red carpet’s been laid out for you, you can only walk down it with the amount of experience that I have. I haven’t got, you know, as you said, like 200 rounds under my belt and 50 fights. I’m just the man I am. And with the cards I’ve got, I’m going to make the most of it. And that’s how I have to attack this fight. It would have been great to have 50 fights and x amount of rounds, but I feel great with having 32 rounds and 15 fights as well. So, that’s why I think it’s all a mindset. It’s how one person looks at it and how another does. And I’m confident that my rounds won’t–there won’t be another 12 rounds added onto this fight. It’s still going to stay in limited numbers, and that’s not being cocky. It’s just more of a confidence thing. It’s that the way we train in the gym, you know — and they say the fight’s a long time before the fight. And the way we train the gym that’s why I’m so confident moving forward, because I’m hungry. I’m determined. And I just want to go in there and just put on a great show. And I know they’ll crumble. I just know I’m confident in making people crumble after a few rounds.

Question
You’ve fought a number of experienced fighters before. Do you consider Charles Martin to be your toughest opponent as a pro?

Anthony Joshua
No, I don’t. Not really, no. No, not yet. Not yet. He’s not my toughest opponent yet. But, then it might be a different story come April 9. Right now looking at Charles, he’s a very (good) counter puncher. He’s laid back. He doesn’t work the full round. So, it should be a nice controlled fight. So, I don’t think it’ll be like the Dillian Whyte fight. That was a tough fight. We work. We’re both hungry. The guy was very strong to the head. That was a tough fight for sure. So, I don’t think Charles will impose those kind of threats that Dillian did.

Question
Do you want to make a prediction for the fight?

Anthony Joshua
Let me think. Six rounds, maybe six rounds.

Question
You and Eddie have both referenced the fight against Dillian Whyte. And the second round, what you think you’ve learned from that and how it can help you?

Anthony Joshua
I was thinking that he threw a haymaker of a left hook, and it kind of — it just dazzles you a little bit. And then, you just basically hold yourself together, and it just shows composure. Stay, as I said, composed, man. Just stay composed. And that’s what I’m saying over the time when I’ve been watching many fighters. It happens. It’s boxing. It does happen, but it’s how you deal with it, which is important. And I always say that it happened to me in round two. It happened to Dillian in round seven. One dealt with it better than the other, and I came out victorious. And that’s just how I dealt with it really.

Chris DeBlasio
Before we move on to Prince Charles Martin, a few words from Stephen Espinoza. Stephen?

Stephen Espinoza
Thanks, Chris. We were fortunate enough to host Charles Martin when he won the title a few short months ago. I know Charles and his team were disappointed, not withstanding the win, because they didn’t get a chance to show what Charles Martin is all about. I’ve seen him in the gym. I know him as a fighter. I know his team. He’s an exciting fighter, an aggressive all-action fighter. And I’m sure that he is intent on showing what he didn’t get the opportunity to show the first time out. So, without further ado, Chris, I’ll turn it over to you to introduce the IBF Heavyweight Champion Charles Martin.

Chris DeBlasio
So, Leon Margules, Warriors Boxing, you’re taking the champion over to the UK for a monster fight. A couple of words on the event.

Leon Margules
Well, first of all, I want to thank Stephen Espinoza and SHOWTIME. Chris, thank you very much. I want to thank Eddie Hearn and Anthony Joshua for accepting to agree to challenge us for our title over here. We’re very excited about this opportunity. We believe Charles is the real deal. We believe Charles may be more than Anthony Joshua bargained for. A special thanks to Mike Borao, Charles’ manager, who’s had Charles since the amateurs and who brought him up through the ranks of professional ranks, believes in him and believes he can fight the best, and be the best. So, if it wasn’t for Mike, Charles and him they wanted to seek out the best and most exciting fight and Anthony Joshua’s the guy. That’s why the fight was made. So, I’d like to thank them. And I’d like to let the champion talk to you. So, ladies and gentlemen, the IBF Heavyweight Champion of the World with the record of 23-and-0, the undefeated Prince Charles Martin.

Chris DeBlasio
Hello, Charles. How you doing? A couple of words about your journey to the UK and the impending title defense, please.

Charles Martin
My stay in the UK so far has been very good. You know, the people are very nice to me. And we’re just finishing up with the workouts and just staying sharp now, winding down, getting stronger again. And basically we’re ready to (go).

Question
Charles, when the fight came up between yourself and Anthony, what was it that made you decide to immediately, well, throw caution to the wind and go to his hometown and fight the guy that many people think is the next superstar in the heavyweight division?

Charles Martin
Yeah, because just for that reason that everybody thinks that he’s a superstar, and, you know, I know that he’s great. I know that he’s not ready. You know, I’m going to get him right now while he’s great. You know what I mean?

Question
Do you feel like when fans look at this fight they’re seeing two heavyweights that both have outstanding potential or both, good physical specimens that can punch and that have good personalities, all that, but nobody really knows that much yet about how good you or Joshua could be and maybe that this is the fight that you can begin to prove that to people?

Charles Martin
Yeah, that’s pretty good to say, but like I said, I’ve got more fights than him. So, this far in the amateurs and the pros I got more fights than him. So, I just overall got more experience and that’s what I’m basing this off of. It don’t matter about who you got in the ring with as a professional and fought because, you know, the experience and getting comfortable is what it’s all about, you know, and I don’t feel that he’s comfortable enough in the ring and especially not with me being in there. When I get in there and start doing the things that I do in there, you know, he’s gone. It’s going to be a different story. It’s going to be a whole different look.

Question
He says he’s going to knock you out inside six rounds. Your response?

Charles Martin
He’s not ready. He’s not ready, man. He’s not ready. He going to get tired like he always does. Like he normally gets tired thinking he’s going to go five rounds. He’s going to get tired, and that’s when I’m going to jump on (him), period.

Question
So, you’re predicting you’ll knock him out?

Charles Martin
Yeah, I know I’m going to knock him out.

Question
Did you watched any tapes of Anthony’s fights, or any of the other fights that he’s had recently, to give you the opinion that you think that he’s green and he gets tired?

Charles Martin
Yeah, he just — he did get tired. In the Dillian Whyte fight he got real tired and he doesn’t have any footwork. He can’t box. You know, he can’t move. The only thing he’s relying on is his power, and I got more tools than that. I’m more than just a powerful puncher. You know, I can do it all. So, that’s what I’m taking into the fight. I got more in my arsenal. If he thinks he’s going to be able to land hard punches on me and stuff like that, he’s got another thing coming. I’m very elusive. So, we’ll see when it’s time to take care of business.

Question
Do you think because of the way the fight with Glazkov ended that you’re not getting the credit that you think you deserve coming into this fight?

Charles Martin
No, not at all. You know, it is what it is. I’m the World Champion. So, you know, I’m getting respect. You know, I get credit and respect. You know, so, I’m just over here fighting him on his territory, you know, and the UK fans that’s their guy. So, I mean, of course, they’re going to be rooting for him.

Question
How do you think the crowd might affect the fight with the officials and the fact that he’ll be the fan favorite and the local hero? Do you think that’ll have any effect on the way the fight goes on?

Charles Martin
No, because I don’t plan on taking it to the judges’ hands. My judge is my left and my right.

Question
You could probably have fought anybody after winning the title. What prompted you or what was behind the decision to go to England to defend your title? Not a lot of champions in any division will do that on their first offense. What was behind your reasoning?

Charles Martin
Because probably they’re scared. I ain’t scared, man. I’m here for a reason. I’m here for a reason. And, you know, over here he’s a superstar, man. You know what I’m saying? And we want to take on all these big names. He was the biggest name that we could see this far, you know, besides Tyson Fury. Tyson Fury was already in with Klitschko, and Deontay Wilder was (busy). You know what I’m saying? All the other big names were taken. You know, I’m saying at the time he was the only one that was open, available. So, we figure why not do that? We want to make a name and make a mark on the sport. You know what I mean? That’s what I want to do. You know, I want people to know that he’s down for whatever, whenever, however. If I got to come all the way over here to do it, I’m down for whatever. I’m down for whatever, man.

Question
A lot of people are asking, you know, why did you choose Anthony Joshua? You know, why are you picking this site? Were there other names offered to you, and did you kind of specifically point out and tell your people, ‘Hey, I want to go and fight Anthony Joshua.’

Charles Martin
Yeah, you know, (there was a) small name like Chris Arreola. I don’t want to fight Chris Arreola. Why would I fight Chris Arreola? I can beat Chris Arreola. I know that’s just an easy fighter to beat. You know what I mean? I want somebody, I want the superstars. I want these guys. You know, I’m going to take his space. You know what I mean? Take everything that he thought he was (getting) and it’s going to come this way. I know exactly what I’m doing with this.

Question
Could you tell us some of the things that you’ve added to your camp for this fight?

Charles Martin
Oh, you’d have to take that up with my condition coach. Man, you know, he’s got it down to a science. He went to school for it. He knows what he’s doing. And I just feel overall stronger, you know, faster, stronger, more balanced, core strength. You know, I’m just a different person than I was. So, I’m happy that, you know, the stars were in line once again. You know, the chemistry was right from the start. We hit it off. And he just pushed me to different levels.

Question
Joshua was quite critical of your style of boxing. He said you’re a counter puncher who doesn’t work the full round. Your reaction?

Charles Martin
Yeah, see, that’s all he’s seeing is that I’m a counter puncher, but I’m a lot more than just a counter puncher. So, I’m going to let him keep thinking that that’s all that’s to my game. So, that’s fine by me. Keep on thinking that I’m just a counter puncher, if you want to.

Question
If victorious, do you ultimately want to unify the division?

Charles Martin
Yeah, absolutely. That’s what our ultimate goal is, to unify. To get all the belts that’s the ultimate goal.

Question
When Joshua was on the call, he was asked if he thought you would be his toughest opponent. He said, ‘No,’ and that he would finish you inside of six rounds. How do you respond to that?

Charles Martin
That’s fine by me. Words are words. You know, they’re nothing more than what they are. He’s saying that I ain’t his toughest opponent, fine. I’m going to — I’m not even going to say nothing about it. That’s cool, but I like that. I like that, you know? Be confident. Be very confident in what you do.

Question
What’s your prediction for this fight, Charles?

Charles Martin
Oh, I don’t have any prediction. Man, I’m not the one to predict. I’m a realist. You know, you come out talking that crap, it don’t mean nothing, you know? Predictions, I’m not a prophet. You know what I mean? I’m going to go in there and see what’s in front of me, and who knows how it goes down. You know, if I see (an opportunity), then I’m going to take the initiative. You know, hey, I’m just a technician in there, man. That’s all I can say, I’m a technician, a lot of tools.

# # #

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Boxing event of four championship title bouts on 6th May 2015 at DIVS arena in Yekaterinburg city, Russia with the main fight of the evening for a vacant WBC Silver Championship in welterweight division.

Bouts:
Junior World Championship bout:
Mark Urvanov (Russia) vs. Rimar Metuda (Philippines)
Mikhail Alexeev (Russia) vs. Romero Duno (Philippines)

WBO European Super-featherweight Champion title defense
Evgeny Chuprakov (Russia) vs. Sebastian Tlatlik (Germany)

WBC Silver Welterweight Championship bout
Dmitry Mikhaylenko (Russia) vs. Charles Manyuchi (Zimbabwe)

Venue: Yekaterinburg, Russia, “DIVS” arena
Date/time
: 6th May 2016, 18:00 (GMT+5)

Organizers:
German Titov Boxing Promotion, Russia
Main Events, USA
Russian Copper Company

Contact tel.: +7 343 271 71 60

About main event of the evening:
Dmitry Mikhaylenko and Charles Manyuchi will be fighting for the now vacant title of WBC Silver Champion in welterweight division. The title was previously held by Amir Khan.
Mikhaylenko, 29, from Gelendzhik, Russia, is co-promoted by Main Events and German Titov Promotions. “The Mechanic” is undefeated and stopped his last four opponents, including former interim super lightweight titleholder Johan Perez. For Mikhaylenko this fight with Manyuchi is a direct path towards a bout with WBC welterweight champion Danny Garcia.
Charles Manyuchi, promoted by Quarries Boxing Promotion (Zambia), is a Zimbabwean star boxer who is the WBC international welterweight champion since March 2014. Coming from a tough background, he devoted his whole life to boxing and it has paid off well. Having been named the Sportsperson of the year in 2014 and honored by the President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, he is truly the pride not only of Zambia and Zimbabwe, but of the whole African continent. “Charles is more than ready to meet Mikhaylenko. He defended his WBC International title multiple times, so Mikhaylenko has to be really technically ready to even stand a chance.” – Manyuchi’s promoter, Christopher Malunga, said. Having backing and support from both Zambian and Zimbabwean governments, Manyuchi feels both confident and concentrated. “He is not coming to play or for fun – he is coming to win. Being at the top of WBC is his goal. He is serious.” – Malunga adds.
The Mikhaylenko-Manyuchi bout is yet one of many in a series of spectacular title fights planned by Titov Boxing Promotion in cooperation with Russian Copper Company. “This is not even the half of it!” – German Titov said and added: “The cooperation with our American partners Main Events has been very productive and we thank

Washington, D.C. (April 5, 2016) From his training camp at the Sugar Ray Leonard Boxing Gym in Clinton, Maryland, undefeated mandatory challenger Dominic Wade is preparing to face unified middleweight world champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin on Saturday, April 23 at the Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles, California.

In his most recent outing, Wade was victorious against former world champion Sam Soliman in June 2015, thus earning his mandatory challenger position with the IBF.

“I learned a great deal from that fight,” said the 26-year-old Wade under the current tutelage of trainer Jay Stancil. “Fighting Soliman it was very difficult to keep my composure but I kept my focus throughout and persevered. He was holding and trying to throw me down, it was definitely a learning experience and I’m better off for it.”

Soliman had previously twice defeated former world champion Felix Sturm, both times traveling to Germany for the fights.

“I’ve increased the tempo and the training for this fight. I know how good Gennady is and for me to win I have to give myself the best chance. We’ve done a lot more strength and conditioning, mixing up 5-6 miles runs with sprints in the morning.”

“I didn’t want to take any baby steps towards facing Gennady, there’s no reason for that. Other fighters try to delay or get around fighting him, my time is now. When the fight was mentioned I told my manager to make the fight and let’s go to work. I may never get this shot again.”

“Of course I’ve followed him and watched most of his recent fights, he’s a very good fighter, very strong but I’m also very confident in my abilities. This is my chance to be the middleweight champion of the world, my goal since I was a kid fighting in the amateurs.”

Photo Credit/Team Wade

———————————————

Boxing Superstar and Undefeated, Unified World Middleweight Champion Gennady, “GGG” Golovkin, 34-0 (31KO’s) will defend his titles (WBA, IBF, IBO and WBC “Interim’) against Undefeated Mandatory Challenger Dominic Wade, 18-0 (12KO’s) on Saturday, April 23 at the Fabulous Forum in the main event at UNDEFEATED.

Co-featured will be Consensus #1 Pound-For-Pound Fighter and WBC Flyweight World Champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, 44-0 (38KO’s) battling World Ranked Contender McWilliams Arroyo, 16-2 (14KO’s) of Puerto Rico.

Both bouts will be televised Live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets for UNDEFEATED, priced at $400, $300, $200, $100, $60 and $30, are now on sale through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000) and the Forum Box Office.

Golovkin vs. Wade is promoted by K2 Promotions, GGG Promotions and in association with TGB Promotions. Gonzalez vs. McWilliams is presented by K2 Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions and PR Best Boxing Promotions.

SOCIAL MEDIA: For more information, visit www.K2Promos.com, www.GGGBoxing.com, www.TGBPromotions.com, www.FabulousForum.com and www.HBO.com/boxing.

Follow on Twitter at Gennady Golovkin @GGGBoxing, Dominic Wade @_DomoWade,
Roman Gonzalez @chocolatitobox, Tom Loeffler/K2 Promotions @TomLoeffler1, TGB Promotions @TGBpromotions, the Forum @theForum and HBO Boxing @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/GGGBoxing, www.facebook.com/TheForum and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.

Use the hashtags #GolovkinWade and #GonzalezArroyo to join the conversations on social media.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions:
Thanks so much to Frankie for joining us today on this international conference call with Mauricio Herrera versus Frankie Gomez (Indiscernible). Televised on May 7th at the new T?Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and live on HBO Pay Per View.

This is the second of our series of media conference calls with our fighters. So on Cinco de Mayo weekend as part of the televised undercard, top rated contender Mauricio Herrera will be squaring off against East L.A.’s very own Frankie Gomez. Additionally, we have opening up the pay?per?view telecast Patrick Teixeira with a record of 26?0 and 22 knockouts taking on Curtis “Showtime” Stevens. He has a record of 27?5 with 20 knockouts, and that will be a ten?round career defining middleweight bout.

These bouts in addition to the co?main events between David Lemieux and Glen Tapia will surely be thrilling and action?packed, thus giving the fight fans what they want to see and that’s action. Tickets are still available, but they are going extremely, extremely fast.

Lastly, I just want to thank our sponsors; all the national activations for Cerveza Tecate, Born Bold will start in the next few days, and you will be seeing a huge campaign like never before in English and Spanish featuring Canelo Alvarez and the fight on May 7 with Amir Khan.
Also, O’Reilly Auto Parts the activations that they’ll be doing on a national scale will be like no other. Also I want to thank Casa Mexico Tequila as the official sponsor of Golden Boy Promotions and Canelo Alvarez versus Amir Khan. And “Doom”,- Fight Like Hell on May 13th out in theaters nationally.

Let me take this opportunity to say a few words. It always is a pleasure to work with such a professional and great promoter that we’ve had for many years in this sport to introduce the first participant, and that is my friend, Kathy Duva.

NICOLE DUVA, Vice President of Marketing and General Counsel for Main Events:
We have a slight change of plans. Kathy had to step out, this is Nicole Duva, I’m the vice president of marketing and general counsel for Main Events, and I’m here with Jolene Mizzone who is our matchmaker. So if anybody has questions for Main Events, we should be able to handle it.

We’d like to thank Oscar and Eric for including Curtis on this card. We’re really looking forward to this fight. We think it’s going to be great. We think Curtis is going to perform really well. That sums it up. Okay, and with that, I’ll introduce Curtis.

CURTIS STEVENS, Former World Title Challenger: Good afternoon, everyone.

NICOLE DUVA: Curtis, can you say a few words before we get into the question portion of the call?

CURTIS STEVENS: Excellent card to be on Canelo versus Khan. My camp and I are getting ready, and it should be an explosive night come May 7th.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Thank you. I’m happy to introduce to you for the first time on this card, this fighter who hails from Brazil, he’s very impressive. He’s ready to make his mark as a fighter who is ready to make a huge statement on May 7th. This fight is surely going to be an exciting one for the fans.

Let me introduce to you with a record of it 26?0 and 22 knockouts, Patrick Teixeira.

PATRICK TEIXEIRA, Undefeated Middleweight Contender: First thing, I’d like to say is I’m very happy this fight is in Las Vegas. This is my first time there. I’m working very hard for this fight. I’m looking to have a great fight that day.

CECILIA ZUNIGA, Golden Boy Promotions: Thank you, Patrick. I think we’re ready to start the Q & A portion with Curtis Stevens and Patrick.

Q. Patrick, your two fights this last year in the United States have been fairly spectacular knockout TKO victories. Was that important for you to put on a good show to get this kind of opportunity you have now against Stevens?

PATRICK TEIXEIRA: Those two fights were very important. They were two fights in the United States. They were two by knockouts and as a result of that I’m fighting here in Las Vegas.

Q. Will you be pressing for the same kind of result in Las Vegas, not just a win, but a show?

PATRICK TEIXEIRA: I’m preparing for a good, long fight. If a knockout comes, it comes, but that’s the consequences of all my training. I’m not looking for it specifically.

Q. Curtis, the inevitable question is I’m sure the question of ring rust since you’ve been out of the ring for a little bit. How are you working on that and do you have any concerns about that layoff time?

CURTIS STEVENS: Well, we know I haven’t fought within about a year has already passed. But I’ve been training in general just in case something did come up spontaneously, so I’ve always been working. But I’m a fighter. You’ve got to be ready at all times, so I just plan to go in there and do what I do.

Q. Curtis, you have been out the ring for a while, but you’re coming in against a guy who is a big puncher, young guy, hasn’t fought at the level that you’ve competed at. Have you seen Teixeira fight? And if you have seen him fight, is there anything that concerns you about him?

CURTIS STEVENS: Well I’ve seen the footage that they have shown. He punches in numbers is what I can see. He has a very high work rate. But what I’ve seen actually, the opponents that he faced were on last?minute notice, two weeks, one week. But he did what he had to do. But taking nothing away from him, he has great output.

But I’ve just got to be ready. Sometimes I wasn’t mentally in the game. I was always physically ready for it, but I wasn’t mentally there for the past two years, but now I’m mentally back focused again. So this should be a heck of a Saturday night come May 7th.

Q. You’ve been a contender for a while and you’ve been in with some good names in the sport. If you lose to Teixeira, are you willing to take that step back and become an opponent, gatekeeper type opponent, or do you view this as a do or die fight?

CURTIS STEVENS: To tell you the truth, I don’t have that on my mind of me losing, so I can’t even answer that question, to tell you the truth. I’m going in there to win. So whatever happens after May 7th, we’ll get to that point. I’m coming in there to win. I’m not thinking about losing or coming with the opponent or anything like that. I’m coming to win. I’m not coming to lose.

Q. Curtis, in your career, it’s never been a question about talent. It’s always been activity in the ring and letting your hands go. What are you working on in camp just to make sure you’re going to be active enough and letting your hands go in this fight?

CURTIS STEVENS: Not looking for the power so much. You know, we all know I have the equalizer going. Back in the day I just used to rely on one shot just to take you out, but just being more relaxed and not looking for the one shot. When it comes, it comes. Just getting back to being more relaxed and just having fun.

Q. Has that been tough for you to do, just because again, your identity has been to just knock people out with one punch and now to look at that, has that been a transition to make?

CURTIS STEVENS: No, no, not really. For the past couple years I’ve been going through a little something family?wise, so my mind wasn’t really in the game. I always was physically ready coming to fight, but mentally I wasn’t all the way there. So I thank God that everything’s been hashed out, and so I’m back in the game mentally and physically. I’m going to be well?prepared come May 7th.

Q. Do you want to explain whatever you were going through or is it just personal stuff?

CURTIS STEVENS: Oh, no, no. My son’s mother she ran off with my son and I couldn’t find her for about a year and a half, but that’s all out the window now. I have him back now, so I’m ready to go in there and put in the work.

Q. Lastly, Curtis, do you still have the same team behind you? Are you still being trained by Andre?

CURTIS STEVENS: No, no, me and my uncle took a little break. We went our separate ways. He still makes my hours though. That’s my uncle, but we went our separate ways.

Q. Who’s training you now?

CURTIS STEVENS: John David Jackson.

Q. And how is that going working with John?

CURTIS STEVENS: Everything’s good. Camp is going great. I’m in the gym right now as we speak. Chemistry’s there. Just putting our puzzle pieces all together so the puzzle can be complete for May 7th.

Q. How did you and John hook up?

CURTIS STEVENS: Well, we always knew of each other. I live in Florida now, so I came down to see him one day. We worked together. We’ve been working the whole of March getting everything together, and we make a good match?up. We just took it from there.

Q. Do you feel John complements your style just the way that he trains you?

CURTIS STEVENS: I’m not going to say he complements my style, but you know, he’s been a fighter. So a fighter that fought back in the day, he’s turned coach now, he see things that other people can’t see. So he’s making me more relaxed instead of making me more so much just going in there and kill, you know.

Q. Curtis, we’re sort of overlooking the fact that even though we haven’t seen you in the boxing ring that you were in the BKB pits not that long ago. Was that a weird transition for you and has it been strange for you after kind of becoming acclimated with fighting that kind of style and then coming back full circle?

CURTIS STEVENS: Yeah, like I said before, you’re a fighter. Whether it’s in a square, circle, triangle, you’re in there to fight. But the pit was a little different because you had no ropes to lay?up on. But that was a good thing for me, because sometimes I like to take a little rest on the ropes, but being that there was no rope you had to fight and figure your way around the ring or around the little pit so call it.

Q. This is obviously not the first time you’ve come off a layoff. Actually the last time you had a two?year layoff you went on probably the best run of your career. Did you learn anything about how to deal with the ring rust that we’ve been talking about that you’ve kind of implemented this time around?

CURTIS STEVENS: Staying active. Staying active because I remember before I used to just train when I had a fight coming up. But as you get older, you feel like you have to stay active. You have to stay active. So I’ve been in the gym all the time. I’ve been running. I’ve been sparring. I was with Canelo not too long ago getting ready for Cotto so I was down there with him for two months.

So I’ve been active still. I’ve been sparring a lot. Like me physically not being inside the ring without the head gear and 10?ounce gloves, yeah that’s true, but I’ve been in the ring sparring specifically since I haven’t been fighting.

Q. Do you think that the new environment with John David Jackson being down in Florida, do you think that’s helped you at all coming from where you were before to now being in the gym with John where he has other top level fighters, guys like Chris Algieri who is getting ready for a fight right now?

CURTIS STEVENS: When you’re in the gym with top fighters, the only thing that can happen is it betters you. You’re looking at what they’re doing. You’re taking a little bit from them and putting it and moving it into your own person. So when we’re in here all together, we’re working, we all watch what each other does and just take a little bit and we help each other out. When you’re a team, everybody’s got to help each other so everybody can be better.

Q. Patrick, Curtis is an experienced fighter who brings a lot to the ring, and this is a different level, something that you’ve never encountered yet in your boxing career. What can people expect in the ring on May 7th?

PATRICK TEIXEIRA: I clearly understand that it’s going to be a difficult fight, so I’m going to put all my resources together. I’m going to use the ring. I’m going to box. I’m going to throw hard punches and do whatever it takes to win this fight.

Q. Curtis, do you have any final words you want to address to the press?

CURTIS STEVENS: On May 7th, it’s on. It’s going down. This year I wasn’t going to talk too much about what I was going to do. I’m just going to get in the ring and show it. Just getting ready. I’m coming back. I’m not going by Showtime no more. Showtime is a thing of the past. So they don’t have to introduce me by Curtis “Showtime” Stevens no more, either. Okay, thank you, Curtis.

PATRICK TEIXEIRA: I want to thank everyone for the opportunity of this interview. Thank you very much.

CECILIA ZUNIGA: Thank you, we are ready to turn it over to Mauricio Herrera and Frankie Gomez.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Thank you. Now we’ll turn it over to Mauricio Herrera and Frankie Gomez. Frankie “Pitbull” Gomez is a fighter who is fighting undefeated (Indiscernible) 13 knockouts in the first three rounds or less. He has wins over Vernon Paris. He’s fought the likes of (Indiscernible) he’s fought the likes of Jorge (Indiscernible) in 2015. He is a decorated amateur (Indiscernible) in the U.S. In 2009 he won the silver medal in the World Championships.

He’s going in against a fighter who is experienced. Who is the true champion at 140 pounds with controversial decisions with the likes of Danny Garcia, Benavidez. Going up against the fighter they call the “People’s Champion.”

So let me have the pleasure to introduce to you first off Mauricio “El Maestro” Herrera to say a few words.

MAURICIO “EL MAESTRO” HERRERA, Former WBA Interim and
current NABF Super Lightweight Champion : Hey, what’s up, guys. How’s everybody doing.

Q. Mauricio, can you let the press know any special opening remarks if you’d like to?

MAURICIO HERRERA: Just want to say thank you to Golden Boy and everybody that put this together because, man, I’m so excited and happy to be opening at the T?Mobile Arena and training harder than ever, because I can’t lose this fight. I’ve got to stay in this fight and keep proving myself. I can’t wait to put on an amazing performance.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Next, Frankie Gomez to say a few words.

FRANKIE “PITBULL” GOMEZ, Undefeated Welterweight Contender: Hey, I’m Frankie “Pitbull” Gomez, 24 years old. I’m ready for May 7th.

Q. Frankie, I know in the past you’ve had some issues with weight and just staying in the best shape that you can for a fight. What do you think is different about this camp and what have you done to make sure that weight is not going to be an issue going forward?

FRANKIE GOMEZ: Well, I didn’t blow up as much as my other fights. I stayed in shape. I didn’t go up in weight, and I’m training hard and just focused 100% on the fight.

Q. Have you had to make any big changes to your diet and just your habits in general just to keep your weight under control?

FRANKIE GOMEZ: Yeah, the diet and stuff, but the most important thing was just that I didn’t blow up too high. I didn’t go over like 10 or 15 pounds. Because before I would go up more than 25 pounds, 20 pounds, so that was one of the main things.

Q. One of the things that Golden Boy was having you do was actually going to their offices and weighing in. Are you still doing that or is that something you did in the past?

FRANKIE GOMEZ: Yeah, I did that for the last fight and it kind of helped me out. I don’t know that they wanted me to go in this fight. But even if they do, I’m ready. I’m like 9 pounds, 8 pounds away now, so just training hard for this fight and focused.

Q. Lastly, how excited are you for this opportunity again to be fighting on a major pay?per?view card against a good veteran in Herrera?

FRANKIE GOMEZ: I feel blessed and I feel excited. I’m anxious to go in the ring. I would like to thank Golden Boy for giving me the opportunity once again.

Q. Mauricio, you’re kind of the every?man in boxing. You’re the hard?luck guy. Many of the boxing media believe you won against Garcia and Benavidez. If you lose a hard?luck decision against Frankie Gomez, is that going to be it for you or do you continue fighting?

MAURICIO HERRERA: By hard luck you mean if I get robbed again?

Q. If you were to lose a close contested decision to Frankie Gomez, would that be it for you or would you still fight?

MAURICIO HERRERA: Oh, no, definitely not. First I’m not thinking that at all. I always think positive. No, I mean, I can go back in my career where I know many fighters would have hung up the gloves or given up or been discouraged. Getting robbed would discourage a fighter and even twice in one year.

So nothing negative has entered my mind. Since I started, I took lumps, I kept going, kept training hard. I love boxing and always kept doing it and thought I would get there once again. Nothing’s going to stop me, close fights, robbery fights, I’m headed to keep on fighting until I can’t anymore.

Q. Frankie’s a young guy. He’s never seen a guy with the type of craft that you have. You’re not just a good fighter, but you’re a crafty fighter. Do you think that he’ll be able to deal with what you’re going to bring and what are you preparing for against him?

MAURICIO HERRERA: I trained to throw guys like Frankie Gomez off, and a lot of the guys with big, amateur backgrounds kind of all have that basic style. I think that was one of the reasons I gave Danny a hard time is I don’t have a big amateur background, and I said at the time that’s what gives me an edge on these fighters that have the basic, one?two left hook. And the thing with me is not that I’m an awkward fighter, I think I’m at that age where I’m not the fastest guy, so I work everything on timing.

I think timing throws a lot of these guys off, and you can’t train for that. In sparring you can’t find guys like the way I fight. So I’ve always trained on timing. That’s been working for me to this day. That’s going to be a big part of this fight.

Q. Frankie, I’m going to flip that question around and Pose it to you. Mauricio’s a crafty guy. How do you prepare for a guy like that that doesn’t have a conventional style that most fighters walk into the gym with?

FRANKIE GOMEZ: Well, I just train hard and I do what I do best. I don’t think I’m a basic fighter who just wants to hook. I come from different angles, and May 7th he’s going to find out.

Q. Now you’re coming in obviously your biggest fight that you’ve had so far in your career. You’ve had problems making weight. You’ve had problems in the past. Do you feel like if you come in and you don’t perform at a high level or get a win or at least look good in a loss, do you feel it’s going to be time for Golden Boy to cut its losses with you?

FRANKIE GOMEZ: I don’t think so. My mindset is not that. My mindset is going in there and win and give everybody a great show.

Q. Mauricio, how do you prepare for a guy like Frankie Gomez? What kind of sparring do you get?

MAURICIO HERRERA: We just like to mix it up with different fighters. We don’t know how Frankie’s going to come that night. We know he’s a strong guy. We don’t take anything away from him. I watch his fights and all the fights with fighters that I’ve had were tough fights. Even when he was going through round for Provodnikov (Indiscernible) we trained hard for that fight. We got some sparring for that fight. Even the sparring wasn’t as tough as the fight. The sparring ?? we thought we sparred two amateurs that hadn’t even had any fights yet.

So we don’t have to look for the toughest sparring for Frankie, but we do got to mix it up and find different styles in there. We always have to try to be ready for anything. We know that Frankie’s hungry. He’s a tough guy. I’m not saying he’s just a jab, right?hook guy. We know what he brings. He’s a tough, hungry guy, undefeated, so it’s hard. Those guys are the toughest ones to fight, so we come well prepared and we train for everything.

Q. I heard that you were sparring with Tim Bradley? Is that true?

MAURICIO HERRERA: No, no, I’m not sparring with Tim Bradley. I haven’t sparred with him in a while.

Q. Oh, okay. I was mistaken, sorry about that?

MAURICIO HERRERA: That’s all right.

Q. Mauricio, when you were offered this fight to fight Frankie, what was your initial reaction? Obviously he’s kind of a young, up?and?coming guy. Golden Boy has high hopes for him. Did you take any offense to the match?up and maybe the idea that you’re being matched against him to kind of help him take that next step?

MAURICIO HERRERA: No, because before the Matthysse fight got offered I was hearing around that they were wanting me to fight Orozco or Frankie Gomez. At the time I was kind of disappointed and angry thinking, hey, do I not deserve a more established name on a big stage? And kind of was angered about that. But when the whole Amir Khan vs. Canelo on T?Mobile in Vegas pay?per?view card came up and then they offered me Matthysse and it didn’t happen, I was disappointed because I was like that’s my luck. That’s the way my career has been going, it’s up?and?down.

So I didn’t know what they were going to do at that time or who they were going to find. When he mentioned ?? I gave them some time and they called me back and mentioned Frankie Gomez, I knew exactly who that was. And I said I didn’t even think about that. Frankie Gomez, he’s a tough guy, and that lifted me right up. I got real excited because I knew he’s a real boxer. I know he who he is. It’s not a cherry picking fight. It’s a tough fight. So I was like back in the thing on a big stage, so I was really excited and happy.

Q. Is it motivation also for you that you can kind of spoil what’s being looked at as a big opportunity for him?

MAURICIO HERRERA: Oh, yeah. I know undefeated guys the same as Mazion and Daniel, I’ve fought a couple undefeated guys. They come to fight. They don’t want to leave that. So I know Frankie’s going to be training hard and he’s going to be on a big stage with all the lights on so I know he’s going to want to perform his best.

I love when they come in 100% in shape; that brings the best out of me. That gives me a thrill that I’m going to fight an undefeated guy, and I’m going to fight my very best.

Q. Is there a fighter out there that you want to fight again? You want the match?up with Garcia, is there a fight you’re really looking forward to having?

MAURICIO HERRERA: Yeah, definitely. I’m moving up a little in weight, so I know a lot of guys who are 140 are moving up in weight to 147. So the match with Danny would be a possibility. That would be nice to fight him again. He is a world champion, so you always want one of those.

There is Jessie Vargas, another world champion. So I think those are fights that could be made. The fight with Jessie Vargas, that would be nice too.

Q. Mauricio, all the fans have seen frankly you get robbed several fights. I think many of the boxing media on this call would agree about those fights. I’m sure you feel that way. What’s been the fan reaction to you and what do they say to you after having seen Garcia and Benavidez? You just seem like the hardest luck guy in the world. Have they embraced you? Are they supportive of you? What do they say to you?

MAURICIO HERRERA: Yeah, definitely. Going through those kind of fights can bring a fighter down. Of course you get online and read what the fans are saying. They keep your spirits up, and I think that’s what’s been going on in my career. That’s what’s keeping me level and not think about those fights in a negative way. Not what could have happened or what could have been a different dream I would have had if they would have given me those decisions.

The fans embraced me and feel that I am a true champion and that I should be the 140?pound champion. So I roll with that and almost put it in my head like I am. I think that’s what motivates me and makes me feel like I am that guy. I don’t think negative, so I’m in the gym training, thinking about all that and thinking positive. Of course all the feather reacted positive with me. So I’m in good spirits and I feel like that’s what takes me through my whole training camp. But I think that that’s even with the Frankie Gomez, they know that I’m there to fight the best, and I think I get all the credit with true boxing fans.

Q. I wanted to ask if you could talk to us a little about your decision and moving up in weight and why you chose to do it?

MAURICIO HERRERA: Really I wasn’t really thinking about it too much. I’ve always lost a lot of weight to make 140. I could have easily gone to 147 a while back in my career. But I felt work hard and keep making the weight, there were a lot of good names at 140, so I stuck around for that reason. A lot of fighters are moving up and a lot of names are moving up to 147, and it so happens the Matthysse fight was going to be at 147. So it got me thinking at that weight class. When that fight fell through my mind was still on the 147. So I said let me just go on that weight.

I was already thinking about it and training for it so when Frankie Gomez came to me, I said let’s keep it at 147. So now that’s the weight we’re going in, and we’ll see how I feel.

Q. Frankie, were you in the Philippines with Roach and Pacquiao during his training camp there?

FRANKIE GOMEZ: No, I couldn’t make it. I couldn’t get a passport.

Q. Well, I was going to ask you how was it training with Pacquiao. But were you able to get any chance to train with him at all when he was in L.A.?

FRANKIE GOMEZ: Yeah, well I sparred with the guys he sparred with yesterday. It was good. It was a good experience.

Q. Has it helped you to stay disciplined in making your weight?

FRANKIE GOMEZ: Well, the guys I’m sparring with are pretty fast, so you have to be in shape and you have to be ready.

Q. Frankie, you have a great amateur career and you won World Championships as an amateur. But the transition, has it been difficult to make a change from the amateurs to the pros or was it the same as usual?

FRANKIE GOMEZ: No, I think it’s the same, just smaller gloves. More head gear, weight, the weight, I’ve been at 140 since 16, 17, so it’s getting a little harder for me. But I can still make the 140s. I know this fight is going to be at 146 and I’m ready. I’m ready. The weight is good and I’m focused and anxious to go in the ring.

Q. What are some of the recommendations that Freddie has made for you? I know you trained with Abel Sanchez and different trainers. What’s the difference training with Freddie Roach and has he recommend for you?

FRANKIE GOMEZ: Just to work hard, stay disciplined. Stay in the gym, stay active, yeah.

Q. I know that you have a lot of friends that are all watching you from East L.A. You seem to have those fans go to all your fights. Has that always been the way it was for you even as an amateur?

FRANKIE GOMEZ: Well, actually as a pro they get a little bit more involved than in the amateurs. We have a lot more stuff at the pro events. Yeah, I think at the same time my fans, they always show up and they motivate me.

Q. Do they give you tips because I know some of them are fighters too?

FRANKIE GOMEZ: Yeah, they give me tips, but they mostly just tell me stay in the gym, stay off the streets, stay out of trouble and stuff like that.

Q. Mauricio, this is kind of a follow?up question to what Mitch had been talking about. I heard that you would like to fight Garcia again. You didn’t mention Benavidez. If that rematch came up, that possibility, would you be interested? And has there been any discussion about it before now?

MAURICIO HERRERA: No, what I heard at the site is HBO didn’t want it, so I don’t know if maybe they were disgusted of the way the outcome was (Indiscernible).

Q. Yeah, because he’s moving up in weight too. So maybe at some point that one comes back up on the horizon. And I guess if HBO or some other network is interested in it, you’d be interested in it?

MAURICIO HERRERA: Oh, yeah, definitely. I’d be interested. At the time I didn’t care about it. I was disgusted with the decision. But I’m at the point in my career now that I’m just a little more loose. I should be really an angry person with all the stuff going on. But my life is together and I’m just like whatever. I’m going to do what I do, and people are going to see. They’re the true judges, so I’m happy with that. As long as they keep giving me opportunities, I’m going to keep training.

Q. I remember after the fight you were really angry and I asked you if you would be interested in a rematch? And you made it sound like let’s do it right now. So I thought it might happen in a few months, but it seemed to fall off the table.
MAURICIO HERRERA: Yeah. After the fight too it was kind of irritating me, and I didn’t even want to hear anything, you know. (Indiscernible) so the plan went off. But if he gets some more known names on his record and people start to know him a little more, I think it would make sense more. So that’s all I’m trying to work now.

Q. Mauricio, I know you’ve gotten angry after a couple of your fights. You’ve said robbed or lost close decisions. I’m wondering, do you get just as angry that people seem to only refer to you as a hard?luck fighter or the guy on the short end of six or the guy that got robbed? I’m asking you that because you were also the guy that beat Ruslan Provodnikov. How about we remember you as a fighter that’s beaten a guy who is still a huge attraction? I mean, does that upset you that people don’t remember that?

MAURICIO HERRERA: Yeah, yeah, it kind of does because it seems like my career and my timing was off. I didn’t have the best management at the time, and at the time when I began my career I had no trainer. I was training myself. So I’ve had to fight a lot of these fights on my own. I finally got a trainer for the name of Lee Torres for when I fought Ruslan, and it helped me a lot. And I got to that fight, and I knew what Ruslan had. And the thing was at the timing of the fight, I didn’t get no credit.

When I saw Ruslan and beat him, I knew that guy was pretty special, you know, and it wasn’t until he fought Bradley when I knew that people were going to know about him, and he did what he did, as you seen. But to this day a lot of people don’t know that I fought Ruslan and beat Ruslan, an undefeated and tough and intense Ruslan. I feel at that time he was more hungry. His style has changed a little bit, but they seem to forget, and it does get frustrating that I’ve only been known for the robberies, you know.

But there are other tough fights like Michael Alvarado who I fought and thought that was a close fight as well. There are plenty of fights that I had that people just don’t even remember me from the Danny fight. I started making new fans, and the true boxing fans did the research and they’ve seen my background. But the newer fans tend to forget some things.

But, yeah, I tend not to let it bother me.

Q. At the end of the day you know you beat that guy and these other guys. So I hope that gives you some comfort.

CECILIA ZUNIGA: Frankie, do you have any final comments for the press still on the call?

FRANKIE GOMEZ: No, just make sure you tune in May 7th for an exciting fight night, and thank you everybody.

CECILIA ZUNIGA: Thank you, Frankie. Mauricio, any final thoughts?

MAURICIO HERRERA: Yeah, I just want to say one thing. There are a lot of fighters out there that are fooled by my resume and my losses and my age. I think that’s the thing that’s going to be a problem when I go in that ring, because that’s really ?? they find out quick that I’m a guy who can handle myself.

I just want to thank Frankie for taking the fight. You’re a tough fighter, and I know you’re going to be in great shape and let’s give the people a show. Thank Golden Boy for putting it together. We shut down the L.A. Sports Arena and now we’re opening a new one, T?Mobile Arena, so let’s make this special.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: We are looking forward to May 7th. Thank you for being on the call, all the press. We’ll talk to you next week leading up to May 7th, and finishing off our weekly calls with Canelo and Amir Khan. So, like I said, tickets are going extremely fast. Marketing starts kicking in in the next few days. It will not be one single soul who will not hear about the fight or know about the fight. So we expect a big turnout live in Las Vegas. So thank you very much.

FastScripts by ASAP Sports

Canelo vs. Khan, a 12-round fight for Canelo’s WBC, Ring Magazine and Lineal Middleweight World Championships, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Canelo Promotions and sponsored by “Cerveza Tecate, Born Bold,” O’Reilly Auto Parts, Casa Mexico Tequila and DOOM® — Fight Like Hell on May 13. David Lemieux vs. Glen Tapia is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye of the Tiger Management and Patrick Teixeira vs. Curtis Stevens is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Main Events. The mega-event will take place Saturday, May 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Tickets priced at $1,500, $1,000, $800, $600, $400, $250 and $150, not including applicable service charges and taxes, with a total ticket limit of 12 per person (a limit of 10 per person at the $1,500, $1,000, $800, $600 and $400 price levels and a limit of two [2] per person at the $250 and $150 price level) are on sale now. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849). Tickets also will be available for purchase at www.t-mobilearena.com or www.axs.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com or www.hbo.com/boxing, follow us on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @canelo, @amirkingkhan, @OscarDeLaHoya and @HBOboxing, become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing or www.Facebook.com/HBOboxing, join us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @canelo, @amirkingkhan, @OscarDeLaHoya and @HBOboxing, and follow the conversation using #CaneloKhan.

Upcoming world title challenger Eric “The Outlaw’ Hunter is in London and feeling more motivated now than ever to take the title away from Welsh champion Lee Selby.

A proud Philadelphia fighter, Hunter (21-3, 11 KOs) will face Selby (22-1, 8 KOs) in a 12-round battle this Saturday, April 9, for Selby’s IBF World Featherweight Championship at The O2 in London. The bout will serve as the featured fight before undefeated IBF Heavyweight World Champion Charles Martin defends his belt against fellow unbeaten Anthony Joshua. Extensive highlights of Hunter vs. Selby will be shown on SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL®, prior to live coverage of Martin-Joshua (LIVE on SHOWTIME® at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT).

“I wasn’t invited to the open workout yesterday,” said Hunter. “They had an open workout for Selby and didn’t have one for me. I’m kind of irritated about that. It’s not even fair to the fans, you know? I’m sure that a lot of fans wanted to see who their man is fighting. I have no choice but to use it as fuel for even more motivation.”

The 29-year-old Hunter, in Europe for the first time, says he doesn’t mind travelling to win this championship. In fact, despite being an underdog via the odds makers, Hunter says his victory won’t be an upset. “I won’t call it an upset when I win. I’m the better fighter. And it doesn’t bother me to come here. All the great ones had to do it. I want to be great, so I have to do this. As long as they don’t cheat me with the judges, I’m ok.”

Hunter says his victory will be the culmination of his lifelong dream. “It would mean everything. It would right my wrongs. All those who doubted me. All my failures and letdowns on the way here. It will turn all my negatives into positives.”
About Greg Cohen Promotions
One of boxing’s premier promotional outfits, Greg Cohen Promotions (GCP) is a well-respected name for staging world-class professional boxing events and promoting elite professional fighters throughout the world.

Founder and CEO Greg Cohen has been involved with professional boxing in various capacities since the late 1980s, honing his craft and establishing himself as a shrewd international boxing businessman.

Distinguished by his ability to spot and develop raw talent, Cohen first made promotional headlines for his expert guidance of, among many others, former WBA Junior Middleweight Champion Austin “No Doubt” Trout, who Cohen helped guide from unknown New Mexico prospect to elite pay-per-view level superstar.

In addition to Trout, Greg Cohen Promotions has worked with established names such as former unified and two-time heavyweight champion Hasim “The Rock” Rahman and all-time-great multiple-weight class world champion James “Lights Out” Toney.

Cohen currently promotes WBA Interim World Lightweight Champion Ismael Barroso, Undefeated WBA NABA Heavyweight Champion and world-rated contender Jarrell Miller, undefeated WBA NABA Middleweight Champion and world-rated contender Robert Brant, former world champion Kendall Holt, as well as current world-rated contenders including long-time elite middleweight “Mean” Joe Greene, top super featherweight Arash Usmanee, Canadian lightweight and TV action hero Tony Luis; WBA and five-time Irish National Amateur Champion, Dennis Hogan; and Australian lightweight prospect Josh King.

Greg Cohen Promotions has hosted world-class boxing events in the finest venues throughout the United States and the world and has also proudly provided talent and/or content for several television networks including CBS Sports Network, HBO, Showtime, ESPN, NBC Sports Network, CBS Sports Network, MSG and FOX Sports Net.

For more information, visit gcpboxing.com. Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GCPBoxing. Twitter: @GCPBoxing.

LAS VEGAS (April 5, 2016) – The April 16th 10-round main event between Canadian welterweight Steve “The Dragon” Claggett and South Africa-native Chris “The Heat” Van Heerden embodies the “Knockout Night at the D” philosophy in terms of featuring action fighters in evenly matched, entertaining bouts.

The “Knockout Night at the D” series, presented by the D Las Vegas and Downtown Las Vegas Events Center (DLVEC), is promoted by Roy Jones Jr. (RJJ) Boxing Promotions.

The Apr. 16th “Knockout Night at the D” event will air Saturday night, April 16 (8 p.m. PT / 11 p.m. ET), live on CBS Sports Network from under the neon lights at the DLVEC outdoor venue.

The broadcast team includes Jim “JR” Ross, Sean Wheelock and former world champion Kevin “The Flushing Flash” Kelley. Joe Martinez is the ring announcer.

Claggett vs. Van Heerden is a crossroads fight for both boxers with critical consequences, especially for the winner who will use it as an invaluable springboard for his boxing career.

The 26-year-old Claggett (23-3-1, 16 KOs), who is the reigning Canadian Professional Boxing Council and Canadian welterweight champion, is thrilled to be fighting in Las Vegas for the first time. “It’s a dream come true,” he explained. “I’ve trained in Las Vegas often but now it’s time to show what I can do there in a fight. A win will open many doors for me and could potentially lead to a path that will set up the rest of my boxing life. Needless to say, I am focused and prepared for the opportunity.”

VIDEO PROMO LINK:
https://vimeo.com/161629900

Claggett, as well as Van Heerden, are known as high-action fighters, throwing punches in bunches, and something eventually has to give. Van Heerden (23-1-1, 12 KOs), fighting out of Santa Monica (CA), is a former International Boxing Organization (IBO) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) welterweight champion.

“Van Heerden is a rangy, quick and active fighter,” Claggett said. “I have an action style but, for many years, I was strictly a pressure fighter with a good body shot. Nowadays, though, I have a couple of more tricks up my sleeve. His heart and durability have been shown and is to be respected. This match-up is sure to produce some good exchanges. I expect this to be a high-action fight between two hungry fighters with him coming off a loss (to unbeaten rising star Errol Spence Jr. last September) and me coming off more than one fight falling through. This is a great match up. He is similar to the style of (Konstantin) Ponomarev (who Claggett lost an 8-round decision to last year) with range and movement. And that motivates me!”

Undefeated Lancaster, California welterweight Neeco “Rooster” Macias (11-0, 4 KOs) meets Limberth “Lightning” Ponce, Jr. (10-2, 8 KOs), of Rock Island, Illinois, in the 8-round co-feature. Unbeaten Baltimore welterweight prospect Malik “Iceman” Hawkins (6-0, 5 KOs) faces Errol Sidney (6-1-2, 2 KOs), of New Orleans, in a 6-round bout to open the television broadcast.

The undercard also features promising Las Vegas-based prospects in four-round bouts: welterweight Jeremy “J Flash” Nichols (2-0, 2 KOs), featherweight Sal Lopez (2-0) and junior featherweight Randy Moreno (1-0, 1 KO).

All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Tickets, priced at $149.99 VIP ringside, $119.00 ringside, $74.99 seated and $29.99 rear seated, are on sale at www.Ticketmaster.com or www.DLVEC.com. Taxes and fees apply to all sold tickets.

Doors open at 5:00 p.m. PT with the opening bout scheduled at 6:00 p.m. PT.

The “Knockout Night at the D” series was developed in partnership with DLVEC and Neon Star Media.

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.

TITLE Boxing is the official apparel and gloves partner for the “Knockout Night at the D” series.

INFORMATION:

Website: www.dlvec.com, www.thed.com, www.royjonesjrboxing.com

Twitter: @thedlasvegas, @dlvec, @DerekJStevens, @BoxingatheDLV, @RoyJonesJRFA

Instagram: @dlvec, @thedlasvegas, @RoyJonesJRFA

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/dlvec, www.Facebook.com/thedlasvegas

Follow these fighters on Twitter: @SDragonClaggett, @TheHeat001 (Van Heerden), @Limbo_1991 (Ponce), @mhawk0_6 (Hawkins)

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (April 5th, 2016) — CES MMA’s loaded spring schedule continues Saturday, April 16th, 2016 with the promotion’s Massachusetts debut, a star-studded Bay State spectacular featuring rising stars in the professional and amateur ranks.

“CES MMA 35,” sponsored by Foxwoods Resort Casino at the historic North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, Mass., comes just two weeks after a successful nationally televised event at The Fox Theater in Connecticut, the third and final installment of CES MMA’s whirlwind New England tour of three dates in a month-long span.

In addition to six pro bouts on the main card, including the final leg of an epic regional trilogy, next weekend’s event features an added bonus with 10 amateurs competing for a contract with the fastest-growing promotion in mixed martial arts.

Tickets for “CES MMA 35” are priced at $35.00, $50.00 and $100.00 (VIP) and can also be purchased online at www.nsmt.org, by phone at 978-232-7200 or at the North Shore Music Theatre Box Office. Doors open at 6 p.m. ET and the first bout begins at 7. All bouts are subject to change.

Headlining “CES MMA 35” is the return of Gloucester, Mass., bantamweight Pedro Gonzalez (10-5, 9 KOs), who faces Boston’s Andres Jeudi (7-5, 3 KOs) in the main event.

Having battled injuries and setbacks for more than a year and a half, Gonzalez steps back into the cage for the first time since 2014 against the seasoned Jeudi, who has squared off against regional standouts Saul Almeida, Matt Bessette, Leon Davis, Chris Foster and Lucas Cruz.

Sparks will fly in the heavyweight division when Tyler King (9-4, 3 KOs) of North Attleboro, Mass., faces Providence’s Eric Bedard (6-6, 4 KOs) for the third time in four years with each fighter having won once by first-round knockout. King beat Bedard in February 2012, only to have Bedard avenge the loss nearly two years to the date in 2014.

There’s even more at stake in the rubber match as each fighter looks to snap a two-fight losing streak. King last fought in October, losing to Patrick Walsh at World Series of Fighting 24, while Bedard suffered a submission loss to Parker Porter at Bellator 140.

Also on the pro portion of the card, Quincy, Mass., middleweight Mike Rodriguez (2-0, 2 KOs) puts his perfect record on the line against Buck Pineau (1-2) of Ashland, Maine in a rematch of their amateur bout in which Pineau won by third-round submission. Pineau returns to CES MMA for the first time since October when an arm injury cut short his match against Pat McCrohan at “CES MMA XXXI.”

Rounding out the main card of “CES MMA 35,” Medford, Mass., lightweight Lewis Corapi (6-2, 3 KOs) faces Keenan Raymond (3-2, 1 KO) of Providence, R.I., who scored his first career knockout win in January at “CES MMA XXXII,” and Boston’s Devin Carrier (0-1) searches for his first win as a pro in a lightweight bout against Meriden, N.H., native Wayne Ahlquist (1-2, 1 KO). Corapi looks to rebound from a stunning second-round knockout loss to Jay Bakanowski at “CES MMA XXVIII.”

Rico DiSciullo (5-0, 2 KOs), an undefeated Peabody, Mass., native with three appearances each for Bellator and CES MMA, will be featured in a separate bantamweight bout. DiSciullo last appeared in August on the main card of “CES MMA XXX,” defeating Ohio’s Jake Constant, who tapped out in the opening round due to a shoulder injury.

On the amateur side, Mark Bordieri of Foxborough, Mass., faces Nick O’Connell of Cranston, R.I., in a bantamweight bout; welterweight Jamie Collins of Woonsocket, R.I., battles Boston’s Jon Ciampa; and Aaron Reverdes of Pawtucket, R.I., faces Joao Ramos of Framingham, Mass., in a featherweight bout.

Also on the amateur portion of the card, Providence’s Marquis Brewster faces Billy Keenan of Salem, Mass., and Boston’s Sean Murrin (1-0, 1 KO) battles featherweight John Douma (2-1) of Providence. All amateurs are competing for a promotional contract with CES MMA.

Visit www.cesmma.com, www.twitter.com/cesmma or www.facebook.com/ces.mma for more information and use the hashtag #CES35 to join the conversation.

WBO World Middleweight Champion Billy Joe Saunders has condemned England prop Joe Marler for calling Wales prop Samson Lee ‘gypsy boy’ after an altercation during their recent Six Nations match at Twickenham.

The Joe Marler–Samson Lee ‘gypsy boy’ saga could finally be resolved today after becoming one of rugby’s most high-profile disciplinary issues of modern times. Ten minutes into the England vs. Wales game Marler and Lee were involved in a scuffle after the hosts were award a penalty.

The words ‘hey gypsy boy’ were picked up on a microphone and provoked an initial public outcry on social media. Saunders, 26, hopes the media attention surrounding the incident will make people think twice before using the term in an offensive way.

Saunders, who is preparing for his big world title defence against Max Bursak on Saturday 30th April at the Copper Box Arena, told Victoria Derbyshire during an interview on BBC 2 today: “In our culture we’ve had this most of our lives. It’s not been so bad in the last few years. When you receive abuse on social media from Twitter and Facebook trolls it’s not so bad but when you receive it in sport it’s not acceptable.”

Undefeated Saunders dethroned Andy Lee last December at the Manchester Arena in the first all-gypsy world title showdown. Gypsy and traveller communities have long been a feature in the British boxing scene but Saunders says Marler’s comments may harm English rugby’s image.

“I’ve had it all my life but I’ve never had it in my sport from another sportsman. I was a fan of rugby and now I probably won’t watch England play rugby anymore,” said Saunders.

He added: “Now other people might think twice about using the term in an offensive way. There is no room for any racism is sport; especially at the standard that he is playing. I was talking about it on the phone to my friend Tyson Fury last night and we are both disgusted by it.”

England’s Marler, 25, says he is not a racist and has publicly apologised for using the term. The Harlequins prop faces a World Rugby disciplinary hearing today and says he will accept any punishment handed to him.

Hatfield man Saunders is all too familiar with the public scrutiny that comes with being a global sports star and believes those in the spotlight should always endeavour to set a shining example for young fans.

He said: “I think some people say things in the moment. Just because of the colour of your skin or your background it doesn’t mean you’re different to anyone else. We’re all human beings. Everybody makes mistakes but to do it on TV is a big game like that isn’t acceptable.”

LAS VEGAS, NV (April 4, 2016) – Fight Week is here!

Boxing’s only eight-division world champion and the reigning Fighter of the Decade, Congressman MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO, and five-time world champion TIMOTHY “Desert Storm” BRADLEY return to Las Vegas. Before they collide in their 12-round high-stakes welterweight showdown of pound for pound titans, they will make their Grand Arrivals, Tomorrow! Tuesday, April 5, in the front lobby of the MGM Grand. Bradley will arrive at 12:30 p.m. PT followed by Pacquiao at 1:00 p.m. PT. Fans are invited to give these two gladiators a championship welcome.

Pacquiao vs. Bradley will take place Saturday, April 9, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. This will also mark the first time former Trainers of the Year Freddie Roach and Teddy Atlas have faced each other from opposite corners. Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with MP Promotions and Tecate, the Pacquiao vs. Bradley championship event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT.

The NoTrump pay-per-view undercard will feature World Boxing Organization (WBO) super middleweight world champion “King” ARTHUR ABRAHAM defending his title against undefeated No. 1 contender and mandatory challenger GILBERTO “Zurdo” RAMIREZ, undefeated No. 1 WBO featherweight contender and two-time Mexican Olympian ÓSCAR VALDEZ defending his NABO featherweight title against former International Boxing Federation (IBF) featherweight world champion EVGENY GRADOVICH and 2012 U.S. Olympian JOSE RAMÍREZ defending his World Boxing Council (WBC) Continental Americas super lightweight title against MANNY PEREZ. The Abraham vs. Ramirez world championship fight is co-promoted by Sauerland Event and Zapari Boxing Promotions

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Remaining Tickets to Pacquiao vs. Bradley are priced at $1,204, $804, $604, $404, $254 and $154, not including applicable service fees. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available for purchase at mgmgrand.com or ticketmaster.com.

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, www.hbo.com/boxing or www.mgmgrand.com on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, or twitter.com/hboboxing. Use the Hashtag #PacBradley to join the conversation on Twitter.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 4, 2016) – WBC Super Middleweight World Champion Badou Jack and former world champion Lucian Bute hosted a media roundtable on Friday night to discuss their championship showdown taking place Saturday, April 30 from the DC Armory in Washington, D.C. and live on SHOWTIME.

The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast begins at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT with IBF Super Middleweight World Champion James DeGale defending his title against top contender and Mexican brawler Rogelio Medina.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and Interbox in association with Matchroom Boxing, are priced at $200, $100, $50 and $25, and are on sale now. To purchase tickets visit www.ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster locations, or call (800) 745-3000.

The fighters were joined by Mayweather Promotions’ Floyd Mayweather and Leonard Ellerbe, Interbox’s Pierre Duc and SHOWTIME’s Stephen Espinoza as they spoke to the media about the exciting doubleheader taking place in the nation’s capital.

Here is what the participants had to say Friday:

BADOU JACK

“I’ll be ready for this fight. Bute is a very tough opponent. I have to bring my ‘A’ game to win. Much respect to him, but he’s not leaving with my belt. Absolutely not. You can expect a very tough fight.

“Bute is a much, much tougher opponent that Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., but I’m ready for him.

“Bute’s fight against DeGale was one of the best fights last year. That’s the only reason he got this shot. He lost, but he looked good. It was a great fight. April 30 will be another great fight. And another loss for Bute.”

LUCIAN BUTE

“This is a great opportunity for me to fight again for a title. I feel good, I started camp six weeks ago. Most importantly, I’m very healthy. Psychologically, I’m looking forward to becoming a world champion on April 30.

“I respect Badou Jack. He is a great champion, a great fighter, but on April 30, I will become a world champion again. I’m looking forward to it.

“I will be the new champion. I am very confident. I expect it to be a very tough fight, but I am coming here to win.

“I have a new team. They are changing some things in my work. My confidence is 100 percent. I’m working every day very tough and I am confident that everything will be great for April 30.”

FLOYD MAYWEATHER, President of Mayweather Promotions

“This fight is about the best facing the best. I’ve seen Bute fight numerous times and he’s a very exciting and explosive fighter. Every time he goes out there and performs he gives 100 percent.

“Mayweather Promotions is about giving people the best and most exciting fights.

“I commend Badou Jack for the way that he carries himself. He is a true gentlemen and that is what this sport is all about. He’s going to continue to make a name for himself in this sport.”

PIERRE DUC, VP of Interbox

“We’re very thrilled about this fight. For those of you who have not been exposed to Lucian Bute before, he’s a great fighter. He’s been working extremely hard over the course of the last 6-12 months getting ready for a moment like this.

“Bute has a very long history of fighting great fights and championship wars. Lucian will be ready for this.

“Training camp is going astonishingly well. Lucian is usually more of a gentleman, so he will say he wants to do the best that he can, but I’m telling you that Lucian is going to be walking away with this belt. It’s going to be a fantastic and very exciting evening. Lucian will pull the upset on April 30.”

STEPHEN ESPINOZA, Executive VP & General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports

“The one comment I will make about this event, other than to point out it features four of the best fighters in the division, is that it was quite possibly the easiest event to make out of all the events we made this spring and summer. That’s a credit to the promoters and especially a credit to all four fighters.

“We didn’t just make two fights here. We’ve got the winners of these fights fighting later in the year in a unification match. To be able to make two fights very quickly and to get everyone on board with fighting the winners in a unification match with no mess, no politics, no arguments and no hesitation is an accomplishment.

“These are four real fighters here and they were not afraid of a challenge, they didn’t hesitate at all. This is what the sport of boxing is all about. I personally can’t wait for April 30th and for a unification later in the year.”

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For more information visit www.mayweatherpromotions.com and www.SHO.com/Sports and follow on Twitter at: @BadouJack, @ButeLucian, @JamesDeGale1, @PorkyMedina @MayweatherPromo, @SHOSports and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/MayweatherPromotions and www.facebook.com/SHOsports.

TOKYO – April 4, 2016– RIZIN FF, the combat sports promotion led by former PRIDE FC head Nobuyuki Sakakibara, announced today that legendary Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) pioneer and former professional wrestling standout Kiyoshi Tamura (32-13-3), will join forces with fellow decorated icon Wanderlei Silva (35-12-1, 1 NC) in the special grappling tag team matchup that will headline the highly-anticipated, star-studded extravaganza in Nagoya Japan, on Sunday, April 17.

Tamura and Silva will tussle with another all-time great Kazushi Sakuraba, (26-17-1, 2 NC) and Hideo Tokoro (33-28-2) in the unique, one-of-a-kind bout.

The affair marks the first time since December 31, 2008 that the 5-foot-11, 46-year-old Tamura, recognized for his elite level catch wrestling skills and quick, fluid movements, will see action in combat.

In his last start under MMA rules on the K-1 – Dynamite!! New Year’s Eve mega-card in Saitama, Japan, Tamura earned his third consecutive win, a unanimous decision over Sakuraba.

While competing for the likes of PRIDE, K-1, Rings, DREAM and UWF International, Tamura compiled an extensive resume of conquests, including those over eventual UFC champions Pat Miletich, Maurice Smith and Dave Menne, as well as superstars Renzo Gracie and Jeremy Horn.

Tamura was groomed by famed pro wrestling trainers Billy Robinson, Nobuhiko Takada and Akira Maeda, to eventually become a force in the sport’s middleweight division. In his final bout before retirement, Tamura notched a victory over fellow hybrid MMA star and professional wrestler Josh Barnett, on November 23, 2005.

Priced from 100,000 yen, tickets for “Top Presents RIZIN Fighting Federation I” are on sale and can be purchased online at Ticketbis.com.

In other action on the star-studded fight card, 13-fight UFC veteran and action fighter Daron Cruickshank (16-8, 1 NC) will collide with submission expert Shinji “Torao Supernova” Sasaki (16-8-3) in a lightweight (155 pounds) matchup.

In a women’s open weight bout, decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion and women’s MMA heavyweight prospect Gabi Garcia (1-0) will collide with two-time Pankration champion Anna Malyukova (1-0).

Hard-hitting knockout artists Chris “Huggy Bear” Barnett (14-2) and Kirill Sidelnikov (8-4) will go to war in a heavyweight battle.

Recent RIZIN FF Grand Prix tournament semifinalist Teodoras Aukstuolis (8-3) will square off with former K-1 champion Jaideep “Heart” Singh (2-1 MMA; 40-10, 13 KO’s kickboxing) in a 216- pound catchweight fight.

Sambo world champion Vadim Nemkov (5-1) will take on undefeated, aggressive-minded striker and top Nordic prospect “King” Karl Albrektsson (4-0) in a light heavyweight (205 pounds) tilt.

In a 180-pound MMA rules catchweight contest, devastating power puncher Hisaki Kato (5-2) will take on fellow finisher Yuta “Andre” Watanabe (19-6-4).

Returning to action for the first time in five years, beloved heavyweight Kazuyuki “Ol’ Ironhead” Fujita (15-10), will face recent RIZIN FF Grand Prix tournament runner-up and dangerous knockout artist Jiri “Denisa” Prochazka (16-3-1).

In flyweight (125 pounds) action, submission ace Allan “Puro Osso” Nascimento (14-3) will lock horns with red-hot champion Yuki Motoya (15-4, 1 NC).

Women’s amateur wrestling champion Kanako Murata (0-0) will make her highly-anticipated, professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) debut against rising star Natalya Denisova (2-1) in a 116-pound catchweight affair.

MASHANTUCKET, Conn. (April 4, 2016) – Always tough Patrick “Punisher” Hyland (31-1, 15 KOs) will be fighting for Irish boxing history Saturday, April 16 as he challenges WBC Featherweight World Champion Gary Russell Jr. (26-1, 15 KOs) in the 12-round main event, airing live on SHOWTIME from Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, CT.
The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast kicks off at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT with undefeated IBF Super Lightweight World Champion Jose “Sniper” Pedraza (21-0, 12 KOs), of Cidra, Puerto Rico, defending against mandatory challenger Stephen “Swifty” Smith (23-1, 13 KOs), fighting out of the United Kingdom.

Hyland is on the verge of joining a pair of exclusive Irish boxing clubs. The 32-year-old from Dublin is attempting to become the first Irishman to be world featherweight champion in 30 years, since Hall-of-Famer Barry “The Clones Cyclone” McGuigan, in addition to being only the second Irishman – Wayne “The Pocket Rocket” McCullough stands alone right now– to ever wear the coveted green WBC world title belt.

McGuigan (32-3, 28 KOs), fighting out of Clones, captured the WBA Featherweight Title in 1985, taking a 12-round decision from Eusebio Pedroza, and he successfully defended his crown twice against Bernard Taylor and Danilio Cabrera before losing by decision to Steve Cruz in 1986.

The only other Ireland-born world featherweight titlist was Dave Sullivan (27-12-7, 18 KOs), who was born in Knocknanaff, County Cork, Ireland, but fought professionally out of Boston, Mass. In 1898, Sullivan stopped Solly Smith in the fifth round to become world featherweight champion.

Belfast, Northern Ireland-product McCullough (27-7, 18 KOs), who was the WBC Bantamweight Champion in 1995-97, is the lone Irishman to ever be WBC World Champion in any weight class.

“Just to be fighting for this title is an honor for me and to challenge a great champion in Gary Russell, Jr. is also an honor,” Hyland said from his training camp at Celtic Warrior Gym in Dublin. “To join great Irish boxing names is a dream come true for me. It will also mean the world to me to win this belt for my and family and, most importantly, for my (late) dad, for all the hard work he put into me and my two brothers since I was eight years old. To look up and say, ‘Dad, we did it,’ will be the best feeling in the world.”

Hyland has fought 10 times in the United States, including a 12-round loss to interim WBA featherweight champion Javier Fortuna in 2012. Hyland lived in Marlboro, New York for a few years when he was promoted by a company headed by thenreality television star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi.

“I love fighting in the United States,” Hyland added. “There’s always a great atmosphere at fights there and the US is the real home of boxing. Snooki Boxing didn’t work out as planned, but they did a great job getting me the WBA title shot which was a great achievement in their first year in boxing. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out after that fight, but I do have great respect for them. I met friends for life from Marlboro who I consider family and they’ll be at my fight as always.”

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, are priced at $150, $90 and $45, not including applicable service charges and taxes and are on sale now. Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com and www.foxwoods.com or by visiting the Foxwoods’ Box Office. To charge by phone, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. The Pedraza vs. Smith bout is promoted in association with Gary Shaw Productions, Universal Promotions and Matchroom Boxing.

For more information, visit www.SHO.com/Sports, follow on Twitter @SHOSports, @MrGaryRussellJr, @PajPunisher, @Sniper_Pedraza, @SwiftySmith, @LouDiBella, @FoxwoodsCT and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports, and www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment.