Sean ‘Masher’ Dodd came close to a dream British title win in November – and says he’s going to get it right in his rematch with Lightweight champion Scotty Cardle at the Echo Arena in Liverpool on Saturday night (April 2), live on Sky Sports.

Dodd was ahead on two of the judges’ scorecards heading into the final round of Cardle’s first defence in November, but the Lytham St Annes man piled on the pressure in a desperate attempt to hold onto his title, and a barrage of shots breached the Birkenhead man’s defences sufficiently for the referee to wave the fight off with a minute to go in the pulsating contest.

‘Masher’ came close to completing a fairy tale story last time out having landed the shot at Cardle after replacing him in a clash with Gary Buckland and defeating the Welshman in September, and casting the disappointment of the stoppage to one side, the 31 year old believes he’s learnt enough from their first encounter to get the job done on Saturday.

“The first fight was a great experience,” said Dodd. “I learnt a lot from it and enjoyed the limelight at British level boxing. I had a little taste, it tasted nice and now I have had a good 12-week camp to come in fresh and eat the whole table.

“I have been there, done it and felt it now. So I’m going back to doing the same ring walk, at the same venue, with a big smile on my face and I am looking forward to it. I feel a lot better, a lot fitter, and stronger, I am more experienced, I am fresh and I’m looking forward to it, I cannot wait to get in there.

“I thought that if I had stuck to the boxing then I would’ve taken the win, but excitement overtook me and once that had taken over I couldn’t get myself back out of that.

“When it was waved off it just drained me. When I look back, he waved it off before I had even got up, which I didn’t see at the time – he waved it off and that was it but that took it out of me. There is nothing I can say or do about it, there is no point in moaning about it, the referee did his job.

“Referees are in there to do a job and look after your health. Look at Nick Blackwell, I have nothing against the referee, it was just one of those things.

“I felt like I was able to tag him a lot easier than I had anticipated. I didn’t think I would be able to hit him as easily as I did and when I did I think I got a bit excited from doing that, so I need to be a bit cleverer and use my experience from the last fight to my advantage this time around.”

Dodd’s second crack at Cardle is part of a huge night of action in Merseyside as Callum Smit meets European Super-Middleweight champion Hadillah Mohoumadi in a final eliminator for the WBC World title.

Rocky Fielding aims to bounce back from his loss to Smith with a tough fight against Christopher Rebrasse, there another tasty rematch on the bill as Luke Keeler looks for revenge against Tom Doran with the WBC International Middleweight title up for grabs, two-time World Super-Middleweight title challenger Paul Smith begins his hunt for a third title tilt, there’s action for unbeaten quartet Tom Farrell, Reece Bellotti, Ryan Mulcahy and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Scott Fitzgerald while Gerard Carroll makes his professional debut.

Tickets go on sale now for April 2 from the Echo Arena at www.echoarena.com and on 0844 8000 400 – with priced at £40, £60, £80 and £100. VIP tickets priced at £200 are available exclusively from Matchroom Boxing at www.matchroomboxing.com and on 01277 359900.

Tickets for April 2 are available from http://www.stubhub.co.uk/matchroom-boxing-tickets/ – StubHub is the official ticket partner and marketplace of Matchroom Boxing and Anthony Joshua MBE.

Enrico Koelling (20-1, 6 KOs) is back in the title race on April 9 when he faces Oleksandr Cherviak (15-5-1, 5 KOs) for the vacant WBA Intercontinental Light Heavyweight Championship at the MBS Arena in Potsdam, Germany.

The Berlin boxer, who was last year diagnosed with diabetes, is eager to get his promising career back on track by reclaiming the WBA Intercontinental title he lost to Mirco Ricci in February 2015.

‘’That was the worst night of my career,’’ said Koelling, who has since recorded four consecutive victories. ‘’But I have learnt to turn this negative into a positive, and now, I’m ready to take back my title and continue my journey to the top of the light heavyweight division.’’

Koelling’s coach Karsten Roewer believes his boxer is ready to take up the challenge. ‘’Enrico has shown vast improvements since that night in Berlin. It is notable that Ricci lost his last fight to Serhiy Demchenko, a man Enrico beat in December. If Enrico boxes to the best of his ability, I’m confident he can defeat Cherviak and be crowned champion again.’’

‘’I have prepared long and hard for this fight,’’ adds Koelling. ‘’And after studying many hours of Cherviak’s fights, I know his fighting style by heart, and I know what I must do to win!’’

Tickets for the Team Sauerland show on April 9 at the MBS Arena in Potsdam are available online via www.tickethall.de and www.eventim.de or by calling the ticket hotline on (+49) 1806-570044.

Callum Smith has signed a sponsorship deal with elite car sales company AMC Prestige Cars.

AMC Prestige Cars have penned a one-year deal with the Liverpool ace ahead of his WBC World Super-Middleweight title eliminator and European title clash with Hadillah Mohoumadi at the Echo Arena on April 2, live on Sky Sports.

The 25 year old has received a brand new Mercedes GLE and the company are delighted to be associated with ‘Mundo’ ahead of a huge year for the unbeaten star.

“AMC Prestige Cars are proud to announce they will be teaming up with Matchroom boxing Super Middleweight star Callum Smith in a Sponsorship for the Forthcoming year and hopefully beyond,” said Adam Miller, founder and of AMC Prestige Cars

“We are massive boxing fans at AMC and this is an exciting partnership, especially at a time when British boxing is in the best shape it’s ever been!

“We have followed Callum’s career since he first turned pro and are looking forward to supporting his World title charge by providing him with a sponsored vehicle.

“Thank you to Callum for letting us be involved and also to Matchroom Boxing for working with us to create this partnership.”

Tickets go on sale now for April 2 from the Echo Arena at www.echoarena.com and on 0844 8000 400 – with priced at £40, £60, £80 and £100. VIP tickets priced at £200 are available exclusively from Matchroom Boxing at www.matchroomboxing.com and on 01277 359900.

Tickets for April 2 are available from http://www.stubhub.co.uk/matchroom-boxing-tickets/ – StubHub is the official ticket partner and marketplace of Matchroom Boxing and Anthony Joshua MBE.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 30, 2016) – Four-division world champion Adrien “The Problem” Broner and 140-pound contender Ashley “The Treasure” Theophane went face-to-face Wednesday for the first time since their heated press conference in February as they near their Premier Boxing Champions on Spike world title showdown taking place Friday, April 1 at the DC Armory in Washington, D.C.

Also in attendance Wednesday was unbeaten rising star Robert Easter Jr. and his opponent, former world champion Algenis Mendez, who meet in a 10-round lightweight battle, plus rising undefeated prospect Gervonta “The One” Davis and his opponent, Mexico’s Guillermo Avila, who discussed their 10-round super featherweight battle that opens PBC on Spike coverage at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT.

Additionally, local lightweight contender Anthony Peterson and 168-pound contender J’Leon Love were on hand ahead of their respective bouts taking place Friday night.

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

Here is what the fighters had to say Wednesday:

ADRIEN BRONER

“Anything is tough when you have a lot of things coming your way. I have tunnel vision. It’s fight time. I’m locked-in until I get the job done.

“Right now I have to focus on this fight. I’m keeping my mind in the right state. I’m not just doing this for me. It’s for my family. It’s bigger than just me.

“There’s no beef between me and Floyd. I do my thing. At the end of the day, I’m just being me. I do this in front of Floyd. Me up there saying ‘Hateweather Promotions,’ I’m just having fun. I hope no one takes it personally. At the end of the day, me and Floyd are close.

“The relationship that me and Floyd have, it is obvious that we wear our feelings on our sleeves, anything we say about each other, we don’t care who hears it. At the end of the day it doesn’t affect anything.

“I will be putting on a show on Friday night. And I’ll go again on Saturday night if you want to get up and do it again.

“Friday night is going to be a big night. I’m going to keep my promise. I will stop Ashley Theophane. I don’t care which round it is, but I will stop this man.

“I love DC. The crowd and the love on Friday night is going to be crazy. I took this camp to the max. I am going to exploit and showcase all of my talent.

“This is a big night for my little brother and protégé, Robert Easter Jr. He doesn things that amaze me. I know what he’s capable of. I’m happy for him to get this chance against a former world champion. It’s going to be a heated matchup. This whole card is stacked from the top to the bottom.

“I stepped up early in my career. I stepped up earlier than others. When I fought (Daniel) Ponce De Leon, I was 19 and I fought in front of a crowd of 12,500 against me.

“I just want to get home to Cincinnati and hold my baby daughter for the first time. I want to hold and hug my kids and be the family guy. Right now I’m at work. I have to do what I have to do, but after pain its pleasure.”

ASHLEY THEOPHANE

“It’s been a journey. But we’re here now. Just two days away. We’ve got two days and then the champ and me are going to go to war.

“I’m here to make this happen. Broner can play games, it’s all good. I’m here on a mission.

“I’m ready. We’re so close and I really just can’t wait to hear that bell.

“Adrien says he’s going to stop me. I don’t think he has the attributes to do that. But it does mean it’s going to be a great fight. I’m looking forward to it.

“The hard work is done. We’ve been training for months. My trainer Nate Jones has helped to get me into great shape. We have a great game plan and we’re ready to go.

“I want this man to live up to his words that he’s going to stop me before round four. Because that means he will be standing and fighting instead of running around the ring.

“A win means everything to me. It changes my life. This is my boyhood dream. This could lead me to all the other big names.

“I’ve trained for 12 hard rounds. We’re going to do this.”

ROBERT EASTER JR.

“Everyone should be ready for a lot of action. I’m going to keep this speech short, just like the fight will be.

“He’s a former world champion and a big test for me. I feel like I’m supposed to be here. He has a big head, so I’m not planning on missing at all. It’s going to be a short fight. I hope he’s prepared to go to sleep.

“I know it’s a big step up. I just hope he’s trained hard for this one. I’m aiming to stop him. Most of my fights are short and that’s what I’m looking for.

“I’m going to use all my skills, my ability and my brains to get this win. I’m not going for the knockout, but it’s going to happen. We trained so hard for this fight.

“I feel like this is where I should be. As the co-main event of a world champion, my big brother Adrien Broner. This is what I was born for. It’s only getting bigger from here.

“My whole team has pushed me so hard for this fight. This is going to be a quick fight. He’s going ‘night night.'”

ALGENIS MENDEZ

“Robert Easter has not faced the same kind of competition that I have. I’m very confident heading into this fight. I was very happy when I got the call about this fight.

“This is going to be the kind of fight that the fans will really enjoy. We wish Easter well and I hope everyone is ready for Friday night.”

GERVONTA DAVIS

“I’m happy to be fighting at home. I know I’ve got a strong opponent. He’s a great fighter who’s going to be ready to fight from the first bell.

“I don’t want to rush in there. That’s how you lose. We’re going to work out jab. Go in and out and execute a game plan.

“It means a lot to fight at the DC Armory because I had my first professional fight there. I’m looking forward to getting in the ring again.

“I’m ready to put on a show April 1. My team is strong and ready to great things in this sport.

“This has been a really good camp. We’ve been working very hard. I started in Washington, D.C. at HeadBangers and finished up at home in Baltimore. It’s another day out here in the lights.

“I know my opponent is strong and will be ready. This is another step on the way to a world title. April 1 will be an epic night.”

GUILLERMO AVILA

“This training camp has been very good and we did the best work that we could. I am a warrior in the ring. I’ve faced very tough fighters and I’m ready for this.

“I’ve been waiting for this fight for a very long time and I’m ready for a war.”

ANTHONY PETERSON

“I have phenomenal genetics. A lot of guys tend to move up in weight, but I’m a natural lightweight. I have big plans for this division.

“I had some injuries that really held me back from doing what I wanted to do. But now I’m completely healed and Friday night I’m going to show everyone that this the best Anthony Peterson ever.”

J’LEON LOVE

“This is a great card and I’m blessed to be on it. I’m looking to put on a good performance and make a splash in this great fight city.

“I feel like the way I’ve been training, my talent will take over and be the difference. I’m hungry to make a statement.

“I’m versatile. I can go forward and I can box. I won’t limit myself to one style. We have a great game plan and we’re focused on doing what we need to do to get the victory.”

# # #

For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com,www.mayweatherpromotions.com and www.spike.com/shows/premier-boxing-champions.
Follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @AdrienBroner, @AshleyTheophane, @SpikeTV, @SpikeSports,@MayweatherPromo, and @Swanson_Comm and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions and
www.facebook.com/MayweatherPromotions. Highlights available to embed at www.youtube.com/premierboxingchampions. PBC on Spike is sponsored by Corona Extra, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

New York, New York (MARCH 30, 2016)–TONIGHT from BB King’s in the heart of Times Square, the popular Broadway Boxing series returns to GFL.TV with two big title bouts.

In the main event, undefeated Chris Galeano when defend the New York State Middleweight title when he battles DeVaun Lee.

In the ten-round co-feature, streaking Tevin Farmer takes on former world champion Gamaliel Diaz for the NABF Super Featherweight title.

The action begins at 7 PM ET and can be seen LIVE for just $14.99 by CLICKING HERE

Galeano of Bronx, New York has a record of 10-0 with one knockout.

The 23 year-old turned professional in 2013 and has racked up some impressive victories over Villi Bello and his last bout when he won the New York State Middleweight title with a ten-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Shawn Cameron (10-0) on November 20, 2015 in Brooklyn, New York.

Lee of Queens, New York has a record of 6-2 with three knockouts is no stranger to fighting and defeating undefeated foes.

He has wins over Josue Valdez (5-0) and his last bout he won a majority decision over Ian Green (8-0) on January 27 at BB King’s.

Galeano will be the fifth undefeated opponent for Lee.

In the co-feature, Farmer of Philadelphia has a record of 20-4-1 with five knockouts.

The 25 year-old has won 13 straight bouts and has risen up the rankings with wins over Camilo Perez (9-0), Noel Echevarria (11-1), Emanauel Gonzalez (14-0), Viktor Chemous (15-1-1), Angel Luna (10-0-1). In his last bout, he put on a terrific performance when he stopped former world title challenger, Daulis Prescott (30-2) in eight rounds on August 8th in Indio, California. In the bout, which was televised live on HBO Latino, Farmer scored three knockdowns.

Diaz of Nezahualcoyotl, Mexico has a record of 39-13-3 with 18 knockouts and is the former WBC Super Featherweight world champion.

Diaz won the WBC Super Featherweight world title with a twelve round unanimous decision over Takahiro Ao on October 27, 2012 in Ao’s home country of Japan.

He holds wins over three-division world champion Robert Guerrero, future world champion Elio Rojas, former world champion Cesar Soto.

In his last bout, Diaz dropped a 12-round unanimous decision to Emiliano Marsili on August 1st in Italy.

There are four undercard bouts that will precede the title bouts.

Travis Peterkin (15-0-1, 7 KO’s) of Brooklyn, NY takes on Larry Pryor (9-12, 5 KO’s) of Frederick, Maryland in a eight-round Cruiserweight bout.

Artur Akavov (15-1, 6 KO’s) of Pskov, Russia battles Todd Manuel (11-10-1, 1 KO) of Rayne, Louisiana in an right-round middleweight bout.

Shemuel Pegan (7-0, 4 KO’s) of Brooklyn, NY battles Ryan Picou (2-7-1) of Las Vegas in a six-round junior middleweight bout.

Cindy Serrano (23-5-3, 10 KO’s) of Brooklyn, NY takes on Renata Domsodi (13-8, 6 KO’s) of Budapest, Hungary in a six-round ladies lightweight fight.

NEW YORK, NY (March 30, 2016) – Roc Nation Sports is pleased to announce that undefeated Dusty Hernandez-Harrison (29-0, 16 KOs) of Washington, D.C. will return to the ring on Friday, May 13 when he takes on Bakersfield, California’s Mike “The Silent Assassin” Dallas Jr. (21-3-1, 10 KOs) in a 10-round welterweight bout at the DC Armory in Washington, D.C. The fight will headline a throne boxing event that will be televised live on BET beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets priced at $75, $50 and $35, not including applicable service charges and taxes, go on sale Wednesday, March 30 at 3:00 p.m. ET and will be available at all Ticketmaster locations, online at Ticketmaster.com (http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/15005069CFC435E1) and charge by phone at (800) 745-3000.

“I am really excited that my 30th fight will take place in Southeast D.C., where I was born and raised,” said Hernandez-Harrison. “It will be great to be back in D.C. where I haven’t fought since 2014, and I can’t wait to put on a show for all the fans in attendance and watching across the nation on BET. Dallas presents an interesting challenge that I am ready to face. I will be getting world class sparring for this bout and will be more than ready for anything he brings to the table on May 13.”

“I’ve heard Dusty is pretty good, but I will be the biggest step up for him by far,” said Dallas Jr. “At 147 pounds, I feel very strong. I’m more mature and more focused. I’m back.”

“All of us at Roc Nation Sports look forward to bringing Dusty Hernandez-Harrison back to fight in front of his hometown fans against Mike Dallas Jr. in the midst of the professional boxing resurgence that is taking place in Washington, D.C.,” said David Itskowitch COO of Boxing for Roc Nation Sports. “Fans in attendance at the DC Armory and those watching across the country on BET have a great night of boxing and entertainment in store for them.”

“BET is excited to once again partner with Roc Nation Sports on our second throne boxing event, positioning BET Networks as a go-to destination for premier live boxing events,” said Stephen G. Hill, President of Programming, BET Networks. “Roc Nation Sports has proven to be an innovator in the entertainment space and as we continue to grow and expand our partnership, BET is thrilled to offer content as diverse as our audience.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Roc Nation Sports and BET to the historic DC Armory” said Erik A. Moses, Senior Vice President and Managing Director at Events DC. “It is certainly another capital moment in D.C., considering the rich history of professional boxing. The nation’s capital is still a fight town and to have the opportunity to showcase that again in the DC Armory is a prodigious honor.”

May 13 will also feature the professional debut of highly touted Philadelphia heavyweight prospect Darmani “Rock Solid” Rock against an opponent to be determined.

“I’m thrilled to be making my pro debut on May 13 at the DC Armory,” said Rock. “My team and I have worked hard and it has all been building up to this moment. I’m looking forward to my rise to the top of the heavyweight division which begins on May 13.”

Hailing from Washington, D.C., Dusty Hernandez-Harrison has been touted as the city’s “best boxing prospect since Sugar Ray Leonard” by the Washingtonian Magazine. He began fighting at the age of six at the boxing exhibition at the Ritz Nightclub in Northwest D.C. and became a sanctioned amateur at the age of 8. At the time of his first pro bout at the age of 17, Hernandez-Harrison compiled an amateur record of 167-30, winning several Ringside World Championships, National Silver Gloves Championships and three straight National Golden Gloves Championships from 2007-09. On June 11, 2011, as the youngest licensed professional fighter at the time, Hernandez-Harrison made his pro debut defeating Alphonso Alexander via a unanimous decision at the Desoto Civic Center in Southaven, Mississippi. Six months later in his third pro fight, Hernandez-Harrison made his hometown debut on the undercard of the HBO World Championship Boxing broadcast of Amir Khan vs. Lamont Peterson and dazzled with a first round technical knockout of Terrell Davis. On his way to being crowned WBC Youth Welterweight World Champion in November 2013, Hernandez-Harrison stopped former National Golden Gloves Champion Kelly Wright in the fourth round in February of that year and two weeks later defeated Aaron Anderson via a six-round unanimous decision. In April 2013 at Dover Downs Casino and Resort in Dover, Delaware, he won a unanimous decision against Puerto Rico’s Jonathan Garcia and on May 18 in front of a raucous hometown crowd of 3,000 at the University of the District of Colombia, he knocked out Eddie Soto with a right hand in the fifth round. Hernandez-Harrison proceeded to earn the “2013 Knockout of the Year” for the Soto fight and the “2013 Fighter of the Year” from Go Fight Live (GFL.TV). On November 2, 2013 at Madison Square Garden, Hernandez-Harrison became the WBC Youth World Champion, winning a ten-round, unanimous decision over Josh “Pit Bull” Torres. Two months later, in his first nationally televised fight on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights, Hernandez-Harrison outlasted Tim Witherspoon Jr. via an eighth round unanimous decision victory, after which actor and director Mark Wahlberg tweeted that Hernandez-Harrison is “the truth.” Featured again on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights on March 7, 2014, Hernandez-Harrison faced southpaw Mike Balasi and came back to drop Balasi to the canvas twice en route to a six-round unanimous decision victory. On January 9, 2015, soon after signing a promotional agreement with Roc Nation Sports, Hernandez-Harrison headlined the promoter’s inaugural event at The Theater at Madison Square in a fight televised by Fox Sports 1. In a battle for the vacant WBC Continental Americas Welterweight Championship against New Yorker Tommy “The Razor” Rainone, Hernandez-Harrison scored a dominant ten-round unanimous decision victory. In his most recent fight on January 29, 2016, Hernandez-Harrison scored a decisive win over Angel Hernandez via a third round technical knockout at The Belvedere in Elk Grove, Illinois. Hernandez-Harrison recently entered into agreements with FILA and GEICO to be a brand ambassador for both companies. He is the only professional boxer to represent each prestigious brand.

Mike Dallas Jr. was born into a boxing family and tabbed by experts during his teen years as a future professional star. At age 29, he’s in the midst of a comeback that lands him in Washington, D.C. against local unbeaten favorite Dusty Hernandez-Harrison that may be the most important fight of his life. As an amateur, Dallas shared a ring with current world champions Terence Crawford (whom Dallas claims he beat three times) and Danny Garcia as well as three-time U.S. Olympian Rau’shee Warren. He won multiple national amateur titles and qualified for the 2004 and 2008 Olympic trials. Dallas turned professional on March 20, 2008 against Alejandro Valladares in San Jose, California and won by unanimous decision. He would go unbeaten in his next 17 fights. When he faced Josesito Lopez for the vacant NABF super lightweight title on January 28, 2011 in his national television debut on ESPN at Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California, he was shockingly stopped in the seventh round. Five months later, Dallas met fellow rising contender Mauricio Herrera. In an excellent fight, again at Pechanga Resort and Casino, Dallas lost by a razor thin majority decision. Despite the setback, Dallas’ performance showed boxing experts he was back to contender status. In his next two fights, Dallas dominated former Miguel Angel Gonzales on February 17, 2012 and knocked out Javier Castro on June 22, 2012 to capture the WBO Latino light welterweight title. Those wins brought Dallas to his biggest opportunity to date, an WBC super lightweight interim world title fight against Lucas Matthysse, on January 26, 2013 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Just after negotiations for the fight were finalized, Dallas learned that his father, Mike Dallas Sr., who introduced his son to boxing at age six, passed away suddenly at just 45 years of age. Dallas Jr., however, did not pull out of the Matthysee fight. On fight night, Dallas Jr. was all there physically, but mentally a fight of that magnitude was too much under the circumstances and Matthysee, probably the hardest puncher in boxing, imposed his will on Dallas, scoring a first round knockout. He then took the break he should have taken before the Matthysee fight, spending two years away from the ring. When Dallas felt the urge to fight again, he contacted his trainer Ben Bautista and the pair ventured to Tijuana, Mexico, where Dallas picked up two quick wins against Alejandro Alonso on November 20, 2015 and most recently on December 19 against Odillon Rivera. He now returns to fight in the spotlight again on May 13 in a true crossroads fight against Hernandez-Harrison.

At the age of nineteen, Darmani Rock is already drawing comparisons to former heavyweight greats of the past. Rock has received high praise for his powerful jab and ambidexterity. Standing at 6’4”, he moves with an unparalleled lightness and speed for a fighter his size. Rock earned nation-wide accolades following a banner year in 2014 when he took home the USA Boxing Junior and Youth Open, Youth Continental and Youth World super heavyweight titles. During the 2014 Junior and Youth Open in Reno, Nevada, Rock shut out the 2013 National Youth Champion, John Luna, 3-0. This impressive performance was followed by another super heavyweight title at the Youth Continental Championships in March 2014 in Quito, Ecuador where he defeated Argentina’s Kervin Espinola 3-0. Rock then took home the gold medal at the prestigious World Youth Championships in Bulgaria in April 2014 by a 2-1 decision over Germany’s Peter Kadiru. Rock also took home the 2014 World Junior Amateur Championship and capped off 2014 by being named Philadelphia’s Amateur Boxer of the Year at the annual Briscoe Awards. His most noteworthy win, however, came in May 2015 when he beat Cam Awesome, a career amateur who has been called the next Chris Byrd, in Las Vegas for the National Golden Gloves title. Rock also captured the 2015 U.S. National Amateur super heavyweight championship. He ended his amateur career as the number one rated super heavyweight in the United States (and the number five rated super heavyweight in the world) going 19-5 in national tournaments. In February 2016, Rock signed an exclusive promotional agreement with Roc Nation Sports.

Hernandez-Harrison vs. Dallas, a 10-round welterweight fight which is presented by Roc Nation Sports takes place Friday, May 13, 2016 at the DC Armory in Washington, D.C. This fight headlines a throne boxing event presented by Corona Extra and will be televised live on BET beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

In addition to the great action inside the ring, the May 13 edition of throne boxing on BET will feature several notable Roc Nation Sports touches that offer a unique fan experience, including a live musical performance as well as a host and a name DJ to keep the energy at a high level throughout the event.

Follow the conversation using #throneboxing.

For more information, please visit www.rocnation.com. Follow Roc Nation on Twitter and Instagram @rocnation and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RocNation.

For more information, visit www.bet.com. Join the conversation on the following social media platforms: on Twitter by using hashtag #BET #throneboxing and follow at @BET; on Facebook by liking the fan page at www.facebook.com/BET; and on Instagram @betnetworks.

For more information on the DC Armory, visit www.eventsdc.com and follow on Twitter at @dcsportsent.

Nutley, NJ (March 30, 2016) – GH3 Promotions is pleased to announce the signing of undefeated junior middleweight Arturo Trujillo to an exclusive promotional contract.

Trujillo of Easton, PA has a record of 8-0 with five knockouts.

After an amateur career which consisted of 100 bouts, Trujillo won the 2011 National Golden Gloves tournament. Trujillo was also a three-time Pennsylvania state champion and a 2010 Ringside champion.

The 24 year-old turned professional on June 14, 2013 with a first round knockout over Anthony Watson. He has wins over three undefeated fighters, Yuri Polischuk, Terrell James and Pablo Sanchez.

In his last bout, Trujillo scored a second-round stoppage over Jeffrey Wright on February 19 in Atlantic City.

“I am excited to be with GH3 Promotions. It will keep my career consistent,”said Trujillo.

“I am hoping to get in six fights this year as I will be fighting April 9th and maybe again on April 19th in Bethlehem and hopefully June as well. With GH3, I am looking to get on ShoBox later this year. The company will give me good visibility and I expect this year to be a coming out year for me.”

“I am very happy to have signed Arturo. He is a fighter that I have been keeping tabs on and I have been very impressed with his development. I see him as a future contender in the junior middleweight division and he adds to our deep stable of young prospects,” said GH3 Promotions, Vito Mielnicki.

Trujillo is managed by Pete Festa (AR3 Management).

“The kid can fight. We are happy to have him with a good promoter,” said Festa. GH3 puts on a lot of shows, which will keep him busy and get him into television fights.”

GH3 Promotions features undefeated Middleweight Antoine Douglas, Super Middleweight’s Jerry Odom & Ronald Ellis, undefeated Super Bantamweight Adam Lopez as well as Boxcino 2015 Jr. Middleweight Champion John Thompson, Jr., undefeated Welterweight’s Hector Frometa, Jerrell Harris & Keenan Smith, , Jr. Lightweight O’Shaquie Foster, Bantamweight LeRoy Davilla & Super Middleweight Andrew Hernandez to the GH3 Promotions stable.

LAS VEGAS (March 30, 2016) –World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) announced today that it has finalized the lineup for the WSOF30: Branch vs. Starks, world championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) doubleheader event, with the addition of a sixth preliminary card bout – a middleweight (185 pounds) matchup between Clinton Williams (7-3, 1 NC) and Rex “T-Rex” Harris (8-2) – at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 2, live on NBCSN at 11:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. PT.

Additionally, a broken nose has forced Gil Guardado to withdraw from his scheduled lightweight (155 pounds) matchup with undefeated Steve Kozola (6-0), who will now face Matt “The Sleeper” Church (3-1) in a 160-pound catchweight affair, and Jeff Roman (1-2-1) will square off with Zach Bunnell (0-0) in a welterweight (170 pounds) preliminary card contest.

The 5-foot-11, 32-year-old Williams is looking to rebound from a narrow, split decision defeat at the hands of Jake “The Honey Bear” Heun at WSOF26 on December 18, 2015.

One fight prior to the loss, Williams submitted Jared Hatch with a shoulder choke in the third round (4:10) of their matchup on November 14, 2015.

The 6-foot, 33-year-old Harris of West Pittston, Pa. is riding a four-fight win streak. In his last start, Harris, who has earned 7 of his 8 career victories by way of (T)KO or submission, edged out a split decision over Justin Torrey at WSOF24 on October 17, 2015.

Church of Las Vegas will attempt to notch his fourth consecutive win, after three straight finishes, the last of which came on March 4 when he submitted Pat DeFranco with a leglock in the first round (2:55) of their matchup.

Tickets for WSOF30: Branch vs. Starks are available for purchase online at WSOF.com and AXS.com.

Doors at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino will open for the event at 4 p.m. PT, and the first preliminary bout will begin at 5 p.m.

In the main event, reigning World Series of Fighting middleweight champion David Branch (17-3), the league’s first-ever, two-division title holder, will put his coveted crown on the line against top contender Clifford Starks (13-2).

In the co-main event, superstar Jon Fitch (27-7-1, 1 NC) will battle recent World Series of Fighting one-night, eight-man tournament runner-up Joao “The Brazilian Samurai” Zeferino (20-7) with the vacant World Series of Fighting welterweight championship at stake.

Elsewhere on the four-fight, live NBCSN telecast, submission expert Vinny “Pezao” Magalhaes (13-7) will square off with Jake “The Honey Bear” Heun (9-4) in a light heavyweight (205 pounds) contest, while World Series of Fighting newcomer and knockout artist Abu “Gladiator” Azaitar (11-1-1) will lock horns with Danny “Dee1” Davis, Jr. (11-10-1) at welterweight.

MAIN CARD (Live on NBCSN)

World Series of Fighting Middleweight Championship Main Event:
David Branch (Champion) vs. Clifford Starks (Challenger)

World Series of Fighting Vacant Welterweight Championship Main Event:
Jon Fitch (Challenger) vs. Joao Zeferino (Challenger)

Light Heavyweight: Vinny Magalhaes vs. Jake Heun
Welterweight: Abu Azaitar vs. Danny Davis, Jr.

PRELIMINARY CARD (Live on WSOF.com)

Welterweight: Abubakar Nurmagomedov vs. Matt Frincu
Middleweight: Rex Harris vs. Clinton Williams
Catchweight (160 pounds): Steve Kozola vs. Matt Church
Flyweight: Carlos Garcia vs. Jason Pacheco
Bantamweight: Adam Acquaviva vs. Andres Ponce
Welterweight: Jeff Roman vs. Zach Bunnell

ABOUT WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING
“World Series of Fighting” (WSOF) is a worldwide premier professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering the best action-packed fights for fight fans by producing the best possible match-ups between elite fighters from around the world. For more information please visit WSOF.com and follow “World Series of Fighting” on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries. WSOF and World Series of Fighting are registered trademarks of MMAWC, LLC.

ABOUT NBCSN
NBCSN, part of the NBC Sports Group, is dedicated to serving passionate sports fans. Now in more than 85 million homes, the Emmy Award-winning network is the cable television home of the Summer and Winter Olympics, National Hockey League (NHL) – including two games of the Stanley Cup Final — Premier League, Formula One, IndyCar, Tour de France, the 34th America’s Cup, and beginning in 2015, NASCAR. In addition, NBCSN features college football, college basketball, college hockey, cycling, outdoor programming, horse racing surrounding the Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup, Fight Night boxing, Ironman, the Dew Tour and USA Sevens Rugby. The network is also home to original programs such as Costas Tonight, NFL Turning Point, Pro Football Talk, The Dan Patrick Show, and NASCAR America. NBCSN is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.

About Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is Las Vegas’ off-strip playground, just minutes and less than three miles from McCarran International Airport. The premier destination entertainment resort is owned by Brookfield Real Estate Finance Fund II and managed by WG-Harmon, LLC, a subsidiary of Warner Gaming, LLC. Built in 1995, the property completed a $700 million expansion in 2010. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino offers an energetic entertainment and gaming experience with the services and amenities associated with a boutique luxury resort hotel. The property is known for its innovative nightlife and music scene where acts such as The Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, Paul McCartney, Incubus, Foo Fighters, Carlos Santana, Mötley Crüe, Guns N’ Roses and KISS have all performed. Features of the property include an 11-story Casino Tower with 640 rooms and suites, 17-story Paradise Tower with 490 rooms and suites; the 15-story HRH All-Suite Tower with 359 suites, eight spa villas and seven penthouse suites; 60,000 square feet of casino space featuring Peacock High-Limit gaming and Asian gaming amenities; 80,000 square feet of flexible meeting and convention space; more than $4 million in rare music memorabilia; Reliquary Water Sanctuary, Spa & Salon; 4.8 acres of tropical pool paradise, which was voted as the No. 1 “Best Hotel Pool” in the 2015 USA Today 10Best Readers Choice contest; the world-famous pool party REHAB Beach Club; live music/entertainment venues The Joint and Vinyl; Hart & Huntington Tattoo Co.; restaurants Culinary Dropout, Nobu, The Ainsworth, 35 Steaks + Martinis, Pink Taco, Mr. Lucky’s Café and ?Fú; a fitness center; and trendsetting retailers John Varvatos, Affliction and Rocks The Jewelers. For room availability and additional information call 800.HRD.ROCK (800.473.7625) or visit hardrockhotel.com. Follow Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest news and updates.

READING, PA (March 30, 2016)–Marshall Kauffman’s King’s Promotions is proud to announce the signing of of undefeated featherweight prospect Marcus Bates to an exclusive promotional contract.

Bates of Washington, D.C. has a record of 3-0-1 with three knockouts and will be back in action this May after a two year layoff.

Bates, started boxing at the age of 15, had a fifteen fight amateur career that saw him compete in Golden Gloves tournaments.

“I feel good about signing with King’s Promotions,” said the 21 year-old.

Bates describes himself as a versatile fighter who can adapt to any style.

“I can do everything. I like to box or bang and even counter-punch when necessary.”

“I am looking to get in four fights this year. I have a good personality and I am focusing on boxing and I feel that I can do great things.”

Said King’s Promotions, Marshall Kuffman. “Marcus is a good prospect. I have seen him in action and he has a lot of ability. He is still very young and I look forward to see him develop over the next few years and I think he has a very high ceiling as a fighter.”

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (March 30th, 2016) — It takes a certain characteristic, an inherent, natural ability, to perform at your best when you know the whole world’s watching.

In mixed martial arts, some fighters wilt under the pressure of the sport’s biggest stage. Others excel. In its brief history with AXS TV, CES MMA has developed a rapidly-growing culture of fighters that have peaked when the cameras begin rolling.

Dinis Paiva, Kody Nordby, Luis Felix, Greg Rebello — they’re all part of a short list of regional standouts who’ve gained immeasurable popularity through their exposure on national television. They’ve performed at their best under the most intense scrutiny, similar to a basketball player who drains the game-winning shot or a baseball player who comes up with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth.

Ludlow, Mass., vet Leon Davis (7-3, 1 KO) thinks he has what it takes to earn the label of a clutch performer and hopes to once again succeed on the AXS TV platform Friday night when he faces lightweight Lorawnt-T Nelson (7-4, 5 KOs) of Arvada, Colo., on the main card of “CES MMA 34” at The Fox Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino.

“Fighting on national television doesn’t really change anything,” Davis insists. “I always go into every fight with the mindset and preparation to give 100 percent.”

Even so, it’s hard to deny Davis’ early appeal to the network television audience. He made his AXS TV debut in August on the main card of “CES MMA XXX,” defeating Andres Jeudi by unanimous decision. With another televised fight on deck this week, a second win could make him an AXS TV favorite, and it’s no secret what that kind of exposure can do.

Ohio welterweight Dominique Steele made only one appearance with CES MMA on the AXS TV format and parlayed his televised win over Chuck O’Neil in June of 2015 into a promotion to the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC), where he’s scheduled to fight again in April on the undercard of UFC 197 in Las Vegas.

“The TV platform has brought out the best in me,” Davis said. “I have always fought the toughest opponents that are out there and I’ve always been thankful to [CES MMA vice president] Jimmy Burchfield Jr. and [matchmaker] Pat Sullivan and the rest of the CES MMA staff for letting me make the most of my professional career and for the guidance to get where I ultimately want to be, which is the UFC.”

Davis has fought some of the best competition in the region, including Nate Andrews, Lewis Corapi and Jimmy Davidson, the latter whom he defeated at “CES MMA XXVI” in his most recent appearance with the promotion. Sandwiched in between was his lone appearance with the World Series of Fighting on NBC Sports, a knockout loss to Islam Mamedov, his only loss over the past two and a half years.

Nelson is no pushover either. A two-time Bellator vet, five of his seven wins have come by knockout and he’s only gone the distance twice in 11 pro fights. Only time well whether or not the AXS TV platform is right for Davis, but another win Friday would be a good start toward building some rapport with the network’s loyal fan base.

“I train my fucking ass off and I go out there leaving no regrets,” Davis said. “I always leave everything in the cage.”

Tickets for “CES MMA 34” are priced at $40.00, $60.00 and $100.00 (VIP) and can be purchased online at www.cesmma.com, www.ticketmaster.com or www.foxwoods.com, by phone at 401-724-2253/2254 or 800-200-2882, or at the Fox Theater Box Office. All bouts are subject to change. Showtime is 7 p.m. ET.

The five-round main event of “CES MMA 34” features the return of reigning CES MMA Welterweight Champion Chris Curtis (13-4, 5 KOs) of Cincinnati, who defends his title for the first time in a rematch against Philadelphia’s Nah-Shon Burrell (12-6, 8 KOs), one of five televised bouts on the AXS TV Fights main card.

Curtis and Burrell fought one another in October of 2010 with Curtis winning by unanimous decision, Burrell’s first loss in three pro fights. Burrell won his next six, including three in a row with Strikeforce before the promotion was bought out by the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC).

The main card of “CES MMA 34” also features a middleweight bout between Calvin Kattar (14-2, 6 KOs) of Methuen, Mass., and Cortland, N.Y., vet Kenny Foster (11-10, 1 KO), a seven-time Bellator vet. Kattar last fought in 2013, beating Gabriel Baino for his sixth consecutive win, and is also remembered for defeating Saul Almeida at CES MMA’s “Real Pain” pay per view event in Providence in 2012. The 5-foot-8 Foster boasts win over Lester Caslow and Eric Larkin and also went the distance against 30-fight vet Anthony Morrison at Bellator 108.

Heavyweight Steve Skrzat (8-7, 7 KOs) of Burrillville, R.I., faces Rollinsford, N.H., vet Kevin Haley (4-3, 1 KO). Also on the main card, Johnny Campbell (11-7, 5 KOs) of Boston battles Matt Lozano (5-3, 2 KO) of Red Lion, Pa., in a bantamweight bout.

The “CES MMA 34” preliminaries feature four exciting bouts, including a middleweight showdown between unbeatens Carlos Candelario (2-0) of New Britain, Conn., and Syracuse’s Luay Ashkar (2-0), plus the professional debuts of bantamweight Geoffrey Then and Michael Maldonado, both fighting out of Danbury, Conn. Then battles Merab Dvalishvili (1-2, 1 KO) of Long Island, N.Y., and Maldonado faces Stoughton, Mass., native George Nassar (1-0). The prelims also feature a light heavyweight bout between Cape Cod’s Matt Thompson (19-10, 7 KOs) and Anton Berzin (3-1) of Philadelphia. The 29-fight veteran Thompson appeared for CES MMA in 2014 and defeated Eric Bedard via submission.

Visit www.cesmma.com, www.twitter.com/cesmma or www.facebook.com/ces.mma for more information and use the hashtag #CES34 to join the conversation.

Conor Benn has signed a promotional deal with Matchroom Boxing and will make his professional debut on the undercard of Anthony Joshua MBE’s IBF World Heavyweight title clash with Charles Martin at The O2 in London on April 9, live on Sky Sports Box Office.

The 19 year old son of British boxing legend Nigel kicks off life in the paid ranks at Super-Lightweight under the guidance of trainer Tony Sims, and Conor says his goal is to outdo his iconic Dad’s incredible achievements as a two-weight World champion in the 90s.

“I’m Conor Benn, but I’ll always be known as Nigel’s son,” said Conor Benn. “Until I get inducted into the Hall of Fame, until I win World titles at three weights – not two, because that’s what my Dad did and I need to do more – until I’ve become the youngest World champion or won more belts, I’ll always be Nigel Benn’s son, and achieving more will be very hard.

“I’ve been boxing for about three years now, I didn’t know that fighting was made for me but I do now. I think I’ve progressed really quickly. People say it’s because of my surname – it’s because of that and that I can fight like my last name.

“My Dad didn’t really want me to fight, he thought that I would give it a try and have it as a hobby, but it escalated really quickly. He said there were a million other things to do, why do you need to fight? But I have no choice but to fight because it’s in me, it’s what I want to do, I want to be the best.

“I’m scared about my debut. I’ve come to England by myself and the pressure on my shoulders is intense. But the fans have embraced me already, I feel they are going to be behind me, but I thrive on fear. No-one understands the position I am in, to have a legend as a Dad and then move accross the world at 19, leave my family behind, walk into media pressure straight away. But once a day I have a feeling that no-one can touch me, because if anyone wants to have it with me, I’ll have it with them.

“I feel at home with Tony. I trust him 100 per cent. He looks out for my best interests and in the gym, in the space of three months he’s changed me from fighting like a boy to fighting like a man. I don’t know how, but he’s done it, and that’s why he’s one of the top trainers in boxing, he’s turned me into a fighter and an animal.”

Nigel Benn won World titles at Middleweight and Super-Middleweight in his glittering career that saw ‘The Dark Destroyer’ pack stadiums and arenas and thrill huge TV audiences with his all-action style and brutal power.

The 51 year old will be in London next week for a press conference and will attend Conor’s debut, but says he will allow Conor to forge his own path in the game under the guidance of Hearn and Sims.

“I’m really excited for Conor, he’s incredibly talented,” said Nigel Benn. “If I look at myself at 19 next to Conor, there’s no comparison, he’s so much better than I was. He has all the fighting instincts in him and he’s got so much ability, he’s going to be special and he’s going to go on and be better than me, I really believe that. He’s got the heart of a fighter.

“I’m so happy that he’s teaming up with Eddie and I just hope they can develop the sort of relationship that Barry Hearn did with Chris Eubank, and take Conor all the way as they are the new generation, being with Eddie is going to help him so much with Sky Sports backing him.

“Conor is his own man, he’s not following my footsteps, he’s making his own path and he’s completely different to me and I want him to have his own identity. Conor doesn’t need me, he’ll get to the top without me and surpass everything I achieved – I really believe that.

“I sparred with him recently and I tried to knock him out – seriously. He said ‘yeah?’ And I threw the kitchen sink at him and he threw it back at me. I was 20 kilos heavier than him and he said ‘I’ll have it with you’. He was Super-Lightweight and I’m at Cruiserweight, but I tried to bang him out and he wouldn’t budge. I’ve filmed that and when he becomes World champion I’ll show it to everyone. That’s how good he is.

“Conor works with Eddie and Tony, I’m not going to get involved. I just want Conor to know that if he needs advice, I’m on the other end of the phone whenever he needs me. We’re going to invest the money he makes from the sport so at the end of the day, he’s got a nice life and he’s comfortable when he hangs them up. I’ll be at his debut at The O2 and then afterwards, that’s it, I’ve got my own life to live in Australia, as much as I love my son, he’s going to make the decisions on his career with Eddie and Tony and he knows he can call me if he needs my help.”

Hearn added: “Sometimes you meet a young fighter that just gets you excited. Conor Benn has that look in his eye, that hunger and genes you just cannot buy.

“Watching him progress under Tony over the past few months has been a pleasure to watch, he had a style so similar to his father but is completely his own man. This is going to be a wonderful journey and fight fans need to be very excited about Conor Benn.”

Benn’s debut is part of a huge night of action in Greenwich, topped by Joshua’s World title clash with Martin. Lee Selby defends his IBF World Featherweight title against Eric Hunter, while there’s a key Middleweight battle between former World title challengers Matthew Macklin and Brian Rose, 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 another fight will be announced in the morning.

Columbia, Maryland (March 29, 2016) – Former world title challenger, Tony Jeter is upset about recent events surrounding a proposed fight with undefeated junior middleweight Dusty Harrison.

The fight was to take place on May 13 in Washington, DC which is where Harrison is billed from and not far from Jeter’s Columbia, Maryland residence.

It’s safe to say, the fight would have been a big local attraction.

“I received a contract and signed it immediately. That was on March 10th,” Said Jeter.

“As everyone knows, I am a promoter and had already announced, and then had to cancel my show that was to be on May 14 in Hanover, Pennsylvania. Then ten days later, I get the call that they were going in a different direction and the fight was off.”

Jeter does not lay blame on Harrison himself, but people in his inner-circle that may have put the kibosh on the fight.

“I believe it is the people around him who did not want this fight. His promotional team signed off on the fight, but it is those people who get in his ear on a daily basis are scared that Dusty could lose to me and their gravy train will end I guess,” continued Jeter.

Jeter knows the fight would be a tough fight, but it is a winnable fight and just as important, would be a terrific night for D.C. area boxing fans.

“This fight would be a great event for the D.C/Maryland area. It is a shame because they want to fight smaller guys. Blown up lightweight’s and junior welterweights. He has been fighting in the 150’s. I am 40 years-old and he is a 21 year-old undefeated kid who is talented. He has all the advantages. From what I was told, a member of his team hired an attorney and contacted his promotional company to stop this fight. I do not know what they are scared of. When will they cut the umbilical chord and let this kid fight someone.”

NEW YORK (March 29, 2016) – The SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL presentation of the IBF Heavyweight World Championship between undefeated American titlist Charles Martin and fellow unbeaten British Olympic Gold Medalist Anthony Joshua will air live on SHOWTIME at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT on Saturday, April 9 from The O2 in London.

An encore presentation will air later that evening on SHOWTIME EXTREME at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

The SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL telecast will be hosted by Brian Custer with analysis from Al Bernstein and Paulie Malignaggi. Coverage of the event will be provided by Sky Sports with the play-by-play call from Nick Halling, analysis from Jim Watt and Carl Froch and post-fight interviews from Andy Scott.

The SHOWTIME telecast will include extensive highlights and analysis of the IBF Featherweight World Championship between defending titlist Lee Selby and American challenger Eric Hunter.

(EDITORS NOTE: Due to a change in the bout order at The O2 in London, SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL is unable to provide live coverage of this bout.)

Martin vs. Joshua is the third of four heavyweight title bouts in five months on SHOWTIME (see details below). The scheduled 12-round matchup is the toughest test to date for both Martin (23-0-1, 21 KOs) and Joshua (15-0, 15 KOs), two bombers who boast a combined 94 percent knockout ratio.

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.

“The heavyweight division is experiencing an incredible resurgence, and the featherweight division is rife with compelling matchups,” said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President & General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports. “Martin vs. Joshua is a can’t-miss showdown between a newly minted American champion and one of the sport’s fastest-rising stars. And Selby vs. Hunter has major implications in the talent-rich division. We are proud to work with Matchroom Sport to deliver these pivotal matchups to the U.S. audience.”

“I’m the Heavyweight Champion of the World, and that’s why I have no problem traveling to England for my first title defense,” Martin said. “I only want to fight the best, and I plan on knocking Anthony Joshua out and taking his fans and the belt back with me.”

“The O2 is going to be rocking on April 9 and the U.S. fans are in for a treat when they see Charles and I clash,” Joshua said. “Credit to him for coming over after calling me out, but he doesn’t know what he’s getting himself in for. I am going to show all my power, all my speed and all my accuracy to put on the best display of my life and become the Heavyweight Champion of the World by knocking him out. I’m delighted that fans in the U.S. will be able to witness it.”

“After a great experience in my first defense in Arizona against Fernando Montiel, it’s nice to be back in front of my home fans at The O2 in London,” Selby said. “It’s going to be a crazy atmosphere with a 20,000 person sold-out arena. Hunter has talked a lot of trash and I’m looking forward to showing him what it’s like at the world championship level. He’s in for a shock.”

“He’s got a belt I want, and that’s all I know about him,” Hunter said. “My team knows more about him than I do. It’s their job to come up with a game plan. My job is train and get ready to perform my best. I can adjust to anything in the ring. I’m just here at the gym working my butt off to get the job done. I’m going to be more focused than I ever have been for this fight.”

The 6-foot-5 Martin won the IBF championship on Jan. 16 when Vyacheslav Glazkov suffered a knee injury in the third round of their vacant world title fight. In capturing the IBF belt, Martin, of St. Louis, Mo., became just the sixth southpaw heavyweight champion in boxing history and the second current American heavyweight titlist.

While Martin has stopped his last 13 opponents and was the aggressor against Glazkov, the undefeated champ remains virtually untested. His first title defense and initial start outside the U.S., will take place at what is expected to be a pro-Joshua arena in London that sold out in just 90 seconds. The 29-year-old Martin, who is trained by U.S. Olympian Henry Tillman in Big Bear, Calif., will be Joshua’s first professional southpaw opponent.

Joshua had a standout amateur career that culminated with an Olympic Gold Medal at super heavyweight in the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Since turning professional in July 2013, the 6-foot-6 Joshua has steadily climbed through the ranks.

One of boxing’s most promising prospects, Joshua is coming off consecutive victories over previously undefeated opponents. In his last bout, the 26-year-old was pushed past the third round for the first time in his career. Joshua defeated Dillian Whyte via seventh-round knockout on Dec. 12. Now, Joshua returns to The O2, the site of his professional debut and five of his 15 professional bouts, in a bid to join Tyson Fury as the second current reigning British heavyweight champion.

Joshua is also looking to become the sixth super heavyweight Olympic Gold Medalist to win a heavyweight world title. If successful, he will join an impressive group that includes George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Lennox Lewis and Wladimir Klitschko.

Born in Barry, Wales, Selby won his world title with a dominant technical decision over previously undefeated Evgeny Gradovich in May 2015. The slick boxer made his first title defense in his U.S. debut last October, capturing a unanimous decision over former three-division champ Fernando Montiel.

The 29-year-old owns a slew of victories over previously unblemished fighters including Joel Brunker, Ryan Walsh, Viorel Simon, Corey McConnell and Stephen Smith. He has won 18 straight since the lone blemish of his career, and six of his last eight victories came over previously undefeated opponents.

Hunter, who will take a four-fight win streak into his initial start outside the U.S., has always possessed an abundance of talent. Before turning pro, the Philadelphia native was an outstanding amateur and an alternate on the U.S. Olympic team.

The fast-handed 29-year-old has scored some solid victories as a pro, and his biggest enemy in a nine-year career has been himself – the switch-hitter doesn’t always keep his composure in check and allows his emotions get the best of him. Two of Hunter’s three losses came by disqualification, the last coming via DQ in 2013 against Mike Oliver for hitting at the break. The other came against Luis Franco in 2010, when he had a point deducted in the second and was DQ’d in the eighth after repeated low blows.

If Hunter can keep his hot head from getting him in trouble, he’s confident he can upset Selby and join Leo Santa Cruz and Gary Russell Jr. as U.S.-born world champion at 126 pounds.

2016 Heavyweight Title Bouts (NOTE: all on SHOWTIME))

· Jan. 16 WBC Heavyweight World Championship Deontay Wilder vs. Artur Szpilka

· Jan. 16 IBF Heavyweight World Championship Charles Martin vs. Vyacheslav Glazkov

· April 9 IBF Heavyweight World Championship Charles Martin vs. Anthony Joshua

· May 21 WBC Heavyweight World Championship Deontay Wilder vs. Alexander Povetkin

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

· 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

LONDON (March 29, 2016) – IBF Super Middleweight World Champion James DeGale held an open media workout on Tuesday in London as he prepares to make the second defense of his title against mandatory challenger Rogelio Medina on Saturday, April 30, live on SHOWTIME from the DC Armory in Washington, D.C.

In the main event of the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING doubleheader (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT), WBC 168-pound champion Badou Jack defends his title against former longtime titlist Lucian Bute. The winners will meet in a super middleweight world-title unification fight later this year.

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.

See below for quotes from DeGale as he prepares to face Medina:

“I’ve never disrespected an opponent yet in the ring and I’m not going to start now. Medina has a very good record and that means he is as dangerous and the next man. This is boxing and unless you prepare properly you get found out. I’m not going down that avenue. I’m a winner and what I do is get in the ring and win. That’s what Medina is up against – a world champion and a winner.

“I’m too good for him, too fast, too strong, too quick. I’ll beat him and it is just a question of how. I don’t care how it comes as long as I look good and I give the fans what they want, another winning performance and a reminder that I am the best super middleweight out there operating today.

“I respect Medina, but I belong in a different level and I will show that on April 30.

“I’m looking forward to it because this is another chance to show what I can do in America and it is also a mini-tournament. The winner of my fight faces the winner of Badou Jack and Lucian Bute and that means a world unification clash. I want to clean up the division and I have the opportunity to do that.

“I think Jack will win, but I’ve been in the ring with Bute and I know how strong he is. He is a proper fighter and I would always give him a chance against anyone. I think Jack will be too good for him, but who knows? I hope it is Jack as I’ve already taken care of business against Bute, but I want to unify the titles and that means I will fight whoever is put in front of me.

“I’ve no trouble fighting in the U.S. and never will. I would love to win again and take on the winner of Jack and Bute in London, but that is down the line. What I am concentrating on right now is the next person who is standing in my way and that is Medina.

“I can’t wait to get back in action because I live for fighting. It is in my blood and I know that a win over Medina means a very lucrative fight with Jack or Bute. I’m in this to make me financially comfortable for the rest of my life but above all, I’m in it for the glory.

“The day I became world champion was the best of my life, along with winning Olympic Gold, and I don’t want to be a world champion for a few months. I want to be recognized as one of the greats in the super middleweight division. That means win a title and defend it against all-comers, anywhere and everywhere.”

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 at www.facebook.com/MayweatherPromotions and www.facebook.com/SHOsports.

LAS VEGAS (March 29, 2016) –World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) announced today that it will return to Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn. with a stacked lineup of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fights led by a world heavyweight championship showdown between reigning kingpin Blagoy Ivanov (13-1) and Josh “Cuddly Bear” Copeland (13-1), live on NBCSN at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Friday, June 17.

In the lightweight (155 pounds) co-main event, superstars Jason “The Kansas City Bandit” High (19-5) and Mike “The Martian” Ricci (11-4) will square off with the number one contender ranking at stake.

Priced from $39.99, tickets for WSOF31: Ivanov vs. Copeland, go on sale on Friday, April 1 at 10 a.m. ET, at WSOF.com and Foxwoods.com.

“We are looking forward to returning to the great state of Connecticut, and putting on another phenomenal world championship event featuring some of our top superstars, for fans at Foxwoods Resort Casino,” said World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo.

Blagoy Ivanov vs. Josh Copeland

Ivanov of Sulfia, Bulgaria is a 5-foot-11, 29-year-old Judo black belt and Sambo master who has earned 11 of his 13 career MMA wins by way of (T)KO or submission. At the 2008 World Sambo Championships, he made his first big mark in combat sports, defeating all-time great Fedor Emelianenko.

Ivanov made his way to World Series of Fighting after a near-flawless, 8-fight run under the promotion of Bellator, posting an overall, 7-1 record there. He seized the World Series of Fighting heavyweight championship from Smealinho Rama, forcing Rama to tap out from a guillotine choke in the third round (1:17) of their matchup on June 5, 2015, and successfully defended the title for the first time on October 17, scoring a second round (4:33) TKO on Derrick Mehman with a barrage of punches.

Copeland of Denver, Colo. is coming off his World Series of Fighting debut victory, a unanimous decision over Mike “300” Hayes, at WSOF29 on March 12. The 6-foot-1, 33-year-old teammate of undefeated World Series of Fighting lightweight champion Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje has notched 8 of his 13 career wins, to date, via (T)KO or submission.

Jason High vs. Mike Ricci

Following his near 18-month absence from competition, High of Kansas City, Miss. made his long-awaited return to the cage on November 20 at WSOF25, after signing an exclusive, multi-fight contract with World Series of Fighting, and scored a thunderous, second round (:47) KO on Estevan Payan with a head kick-punches combination.

The 5-foot-9, 34-year-old High, a veteran of the UFC and Strikeforce, initially caught the attention of the MMA world while fighting at an elite level in Japan under the promotion of K-1 and Dream where he faced and defeated the likes of Andre Galvao and Hayato “Mach” Sakurai. High also holds a victory over retired phenom Jordan Mein.

Ricci of Montreal, Quebec, Canada reached the final round on the 16th season of the hit competition reality show The Ultimate Fighter.

The 6-foot, 30-year-old member of famed trainer Firas Zahabi’s Tristar Gym fight team is looking for his fourth consecutive win, after defeating the likes of Jorge Gurgel, George Sotiropoulos and Joe Condon, whom Ricci conquered by way of first round (2:41) KO with a head kick at WSOF25.

Doors at The Grand Theatre at Foxwoods Resort Casino will open for WSOF31: Ivanov vs. Copeland, at 5 p.m. ET, and the first preliminary card bout will begin at 6 p.m.

Additional bouts will be announced soon.

ABOUT WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING
“World Series of Fighting” (WSOF) is a worldwide premier professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering the best action-packed fights for fight fans by producing the best possible match-ups between elite fighters from around the world. For more information please visit WSOF.com and follow “World Series of Fighting” on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries. WSOF and World Series of Fighting are registered trademarks of MMAWC, LLC.

ABOUT NBCSN
NBCSN, part of the NBC Sports Group, is dedicated to serving passionate sports fans. Now in more than 85 million homes, the Emmy Award-winning network is the cable television home of the Summer and Winter Olympics, National Hockey League (NHL) – including two games of the Stanley Cup Final — Premier League, Formula One, IndyCar, Tour de France, the 34th America’s Cup, and beginning in 2015, NASCAR. In addition, NBCSN features college football, college basketball, college hockey, cycling, outdoor programming, horse racing surrounding the Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup, Fight Night boxing, Ironman, the Dew Tour and USA Sevens Rugby. The network is also home to original programs such as Costas Tonight, NFL Turning Point, Pro Football Talk, The Dan Patrick Show, and NASCAR America. NBCSN is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.

About Foxwoods® Resort Casino
Foxwoods Resort Casino is the premier resort destination in the Northeast. As the largest resort casino in North America, Foxwoods offers a vast array of gaming in six casinos; AAA Four-Diamond hotels, restaurants from gourmet to quick service, world-renowned spas, award-winning golf, state-of-the-art theaters, and exclusive retailers. Perfect for both recreation and business, Foxwoods provides modern and versatile convention and meeting space to infuse new life into any meeting or event. Foxwoods Resort Casino is owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. For a comprehensive look at Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation visit Foxwoods.com.

BROOKLYN (March 29, 2016) – Undefeated prospect Mario Barrios (14-0, 8 KOs) and top super lightweight contender Luca “Black Mamba” Giacon (27-1, 23 KOs) compete in separate bouts that highlight undercard action on Saturday, April 16 from Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The April 16 event features a Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on NBC tripleheader headlined by undefeated rising star Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. taking on former world champion Chris Algieri. Televised coverage begins at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT and will see cruiserweight world champion Krzysztof Glowacki defending his title against former cruiserweight champion Steve “U.S.S. Cunningham and undefeated 2012 U.S. Olympian “Sir” Marcus Browne battling fellow unbeaten Radivoje “Hot Rod” Kalajdzic.

Barrios makes his east coast debut in an eight-round super featherweight bout while Giacon looks to put the 140-pound division on notice when he competes in an eight-round affair.

A trio of exciting fighters representing Brooklyn will enter the ring as undefeated star Heather “The Heat” Hardy (15-0, 3 KOs) competes in an eight-round junior featherweight bout while Golden Gloves champions Chris Colbert (4-0, 2 KOs) and Earl Newman (8-0, 6 KOs) compete in a four-round featherweight bout and an eight-round cruiserweight bout respectively.

International action will heat up the ring at Barclays Center as 26-year-old Polish contender Lukasz Maciec (22-3-1, 5 KOs) fights in an eight-round super welterweight bout, 28-year-old Belgian Dardan Zenunaj (11-1, 9 KOs) fights in an eight-round junior lightweight affair and 22-year-old Russian Radzhab Butaev (1-0, 1 KO), fighting out of Brooklyn, in a six-round super welterweight fight against South Carolina’s TyKeem Sadler (6-1, 4 KOs)

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment in association with Star Boxing, start at $25, not including applicable fees, and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting www.ticketmaster.com, www.barclayscenter.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.

A tall featherweight at more than six feet, the 20-year-old Barrios picked up seven victories in a jam-packed 2015 in which he stopped five opponents inside the distance, including an uppercut left hook combo that ended the night of Manuel Vides in December. The San Antonio-native turned pro in 2013 and is on the fast track towards a world title shot as he makes his 2016 debut.

A winner of six-straight fights, Giacon is coming off of a unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Steve Jamoye in October 2015 that put him in the top contender status in the division. The 27-year-old has fought in Spain, Panama and Italy throughout a pro career that dates back to 2007 and will be making his U.S. debut on April 16.

A popular Brooklyn fighter who competed in Barclays Center’s first-ever professional female boxing match, Hardy has become a staple at the arena since. On April 16, she will be making her sixth appearance at Barclays Center. A little over two years after her pro debut, Hardy won an international title belt in the super bantamweight division in October 2014 and followed it up in 2015 with a victory over Renata Domsodi and two over Noemi Bosques.

Fighting out of Lublin, Poland, Maciec will be making his second start in the U.S. and his first in the Polish-heavy borough of Brooklyn. The 26-year-old owns victories over veteran contenders Lanardo Tyner, Laszlo Fazekas and previously unbeaten Sasun Karapetyan.

Originally from Kosovo but fighting out of Belgium, Zenunaj made his U.S. debut in December 2015 and stopped Bryant Cruz in the seventh round to announce his presence stateside. The 28-year-old has won 10 fights in a row including eight in a row by knockout.
Barclays Center’s BROOKLYN BOXING™ programming platform is presented by AARP. PBC on NBC is sponsored by Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina.
For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com and www.nbcsports.com/boxing, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing,@ErrolSpenceJr, @ChrisAlgieri, @USSCunningham, @Marcus_Browne, @LouDiBella, @StarBoxing,@NBCSports, @BarclaysCenter and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/NBCSports, www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment and www.Facebook.com/barclayscenter. Highlights available at www.youtube.com/premierboxingchampions.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (March 29th, 2016) — You’d think a last-minute change of opponent would unnerve a fighter, or, at the very least, provide a minor annoyance when it occurs so close to showtime.

Johnny Campbell doesn’t seem to mind. Rodrigo Almeida, Matt Lozano — they’re just roadblocks on his path to stardom.

“Opponents are only a minor detail,” said the Boston-based flyweight, who stars on the AXS TV main card of “CES MMA 34” Friday night at Foxwoods Resort Casino’s Fox Theater.

“The man looking in the mirror is my only real opponent. I’m ready for war of all kinds.”

Campbell (11-7, 5 KOs) was originally supposed to face fellow Massachusetts native Almeida, but was forced to switch gears two weeks out when Almeida suffered an ankle injury. Some minor chest-bumping ensued between the two via social media, but Campbell quickly put it behind him and instead began focusing on his new opponent, Lozano (5-3, 1 KO), a 27-year-old Reading, Pa., native with amazing big-fight experience.

Five of Lozano’s eight pro fights have occurred with either Bellator, Legacy or the World Series of Fighting, three of the most recognized promotions in mixed martial arts.

Campbell insists there aren’t many differences between Rodrigo and his new opponent, therefore consolidating his training leading up to the fight, but that might not even be the biggest hurdle he needs to overcome by Friday. This will be Campbell’s first fight on national television. He appeared at WSOF 20, but starred on the prelims, not the main card.

Cambell acknowledges his opponent is “hungry” — “hungry enough to jump on a tough fight on short notice,” he said — but doesn’t expect any of that to be a factor once the bell rings.

“Hunger isn’t the key here, necessarily,” Campbell said. “I’m going to be cool, calm and calculated. This is my time. I was born for these moments. He will crumble.”

The tough-talking Campbell has never been one to back away from a tough fight. After losing to Matt Doherty in his first appearance with CES MMA back in 2013, he won his next six fights, including victories over regional standouts Kody Nordby, who recently challenged for the CES MMA Bantamweight Title, and Billy Giovanella.

Up next was his WSOF debut in April of 2015, which ended in a unanimous decision loss to New Yorker Darren Mima, who recently appeared at “CES MMA XXXI.” Campbell jumped right back in later that year against two-time Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) vet Tateki Matsuda. Friday’s fight against Lozano is not only a chance to end a minor two-fight skid, but a major opportunity to showcase his ability on a network synonymous with helping fighters get the exposure they need.

“The mindset for this one is 100 percent I’m blessed to be doing what I love in front of a huge audience on the biggest stage of my career,” he said. “I’m going in with the focused intention of winning, not because I have to, but because I deserve this.

“I’ve sacrificed and given back and now I’m taking what’s mine. My notoriety. My money. My fame.”

Getting to the next level is sometimes all about being in the right place at the right time. Campbell, if need be, could look directly at his most recent opponent, Matsuda, who made the jump to the UFC at a modest 10-5 when Dustin Kimura suffered an injury in advance of UFC Fight Night 50.

Anyone on Friday’s card could be next, including Campbell or Lozano, making this a big, but perhaps short, night, especially with Campbell predicting major fireworks.

“Knockout finish, second round,” Campbell said matter-of-factly. “I will land big shots and he will wilt.”

Tickets for “CES MMA 34” are priced at $40.00, $60.00 and $100.00 (VIP) and can be purchased online at www.cesmma.com, www.ticketmaster.com or www.foxwoods.com, by phone at 401-724-2253/2254 or 800-200-2882, or at the Fox Theater Box Office. All bouts are subject to change. Showtime is 7 p.m. ET.

The five-round main event of “CES MMA 34” features the return of reigning CES MMA Welterweight Champion Chris Curtis (13-4, 5 KOs) of Cincinnati, who defends his title for the first time in a rematch against Philadelphia’s Nah-Shon Burrell (12-6, 8 KOs), one of five televised bouts on the AXS TV Fights main card.

Curtis and Burrell fought one another in October of 2010 with Curtis winning by unanimous decision, Burrell’s first loss in three pro fights. Burrell won his next six, including three in a row with Strikeforce before the promotion was bought out by the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC).

The main card of “CES MMA 34” also features a middleweight bout between Calvin Kattar (14-2, 6 KOs) of Methuen, Mass., and Cortland, N.Y., vet Kenny Foster (11-10, 1 KO), a seven-time Bellator vet. Kattar last fought in 2013, beating Gabriel Baino for his sixth consecutive win, and is also remembered for defeating Saul Almeida at CES MMA’s “Real Pain” pay per view event in Providence in 2012. The 5-foot-8 Foster boasts win over Lester Caslow and Eric Larkin and also went the distance against 30-fight vet Anthony Morrison at Bellator 108.

Heavyweight Steve Skrzat (8-7, 7 KOs) of Burrillville, R.I., faces Rollinsford, N.H., vet Kevin Haley (4-3, 1 KO). Also on the main card, Ludlow, Mass., lightweight Leon Davis (7-3, 1 KO) faces Lorawnt-T Nelson (7-4, 5 KOs) of Arvada, Colo.

Skrzat returns to CES MMA for the first time since 2011 having resurrected his career with wins in three of his last four bouts while Davis aims for his fifth win with CES MMA following recent victories over Jimmy Davidson and Andres Jeudi.

The “CES MMA 34” preliminaries feature four exciting bouts, including a middleweight showdown between unbeatens Carlos Candelario (2-0) of New Britain, Conn., and Syracuse’s Luay Ashkar (2-0), plus the professional debuts of bantamweight Geoffrey Then and Michael Maldonado, both fighting out of Danbury, Conn. Then battles Merab Dvalishvili (1-2, 1 KO) of Long Island, N.Y., and Maldonado faces Stoughton, Mass., native George Nassar (1-0). The prelims also feature a light heavyweight bout between Cape Cod’s Matt Thompson (19-10, 7 KOs) and Anton Berzin (3-1) of Philadelphia. The 29-fight veteran Thompson appeared for CES MMA in 2014 and defeated Eric Bedard via submission.

Visit www.cesmma.com, www.twitter.com/cesmma or www.facebook.com/ces.mma for more information and use the hashtag #CES34 to join the conversation.

HBO Sports, widely acclaimed for its innovative and provocative boxing programming, examines the upcoming HBO Pay-Per-View® showdown between battle-tested rivals Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley when UNDER THE LIGHTS: PACQUIAO-BRADLEY debuts SATURDAY, APRIL 2 (11:05-11:20 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO.

Other HBO playdates: April 3 (9:00 a.m., 5:00 p.m.), 4 (5:50 a.m.), 5 (1:15 p.m.), 6 (noon, 11:15 p.m.), 7 (3:45 a.m.), 8 (7:45 p.m.) and 9 (5:30 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates: April 2 (1:25 a.m.), 4 (4:45 p.m.), 7 (3:00 p.m., 8:45 p.m.), 8 (12:15 a.m.) and 9 (11:00 a.m.)

The special will also be available on HBO NOW, HBO GO and HBO On Demand, and at hbo.com/boxing, as well as other new media platforms.

Hosted by HBO Boxing commentator Max Kellerman, UNDER THE LIGHTS: PACQUIAO-BRADLEY will feature a panel that includes two future Hall of Fame fighters and HBO Boxing analysts who have experience on the sport’s biggest stage: Roy Jones Jr., a four-division world champion, and Bernard Hopkins, who has held titles in two weight classes and became the oldest champion in the sport’s history in 2013. Also participating in the roundtable conversation will be Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s Hall of Fame trainer, who will weigh in on how the eight-division champ is preparing for the rubber match in this heated rivalry.

For more information, visit hbo.com/boxing; become a fan on Facebook at facebook.com/HBOBoxing; and follow on Twitter and Instagram at @HBOBoxing. Follow the conversation using #PacBradley.

“Pacquiao vs. Bradley” takes place Saturday, April 9 at the MGM Grand Garden 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).

Almost two weeks later, and people still can’t stop talking about it.

Jesse Hart’s homecoming fight against Dashon Johnson before a sold-out 2300 Arena on March 18 was an instant classic.

Hart, the NABO and USBA super-middleweight champion, wasn’t content to wait for a decision after dominating the early rounds. Hart and a game Johnson traded major blows for the rest of the fight, which wasn’t decided until the final bell.

If you missed the legendary night, or just want to relive it once more, the entire Hart of the City card is available to watch on Go Fight Live! Don’t miss the action that thrilled the likes of Bernard Hopkins, Bryant Jennings, Julian Williams, Iran Barkley, Charles Brewer, Robert Hines and Stanley Hayward.

“Great card, sensational main event, a tenth round for the books,” said HBO analyst Harold Lederman, who was seated ringside. “It was just like the old days in Philly, for sure. Need more.”

The undercard certainly didn’t lack for fireworks, either. Four of the first five fights ended by stoppage, and there were tightly contested two split decisions on the card. Vineland’s Ismael “Tito” Garcia and Washington D.C.’s Mike Reed both remained unbeaten, and Northeast Philly’s Scott Kelleher scored an impressive knockout.

To see all the action called by Mike Mittman and Mark Abrams, WATCH NOW ON GO FIGHT LIVE!

Liam Williams’ British and Commonwealth Super-Welterweight title defence on Saturday 2nd April at the Harrow Leisure Centre has been postponed.

The Welshman was scheduled to headline the show with a defence of the titles against Nav Mansouri, but the Rotherham challenger withdrew late last week following an injury to his achilles heel.

With contenders reluctant to face the undefeated and thunderous punching Williams at short notice, a suitable challenger has not been secured and therefore the decision has been taken to reschedule the show with a new date to be announced.

The undercard will remain the same with top talents: Southampton super-welterweight Joe Pigford, Welsh middleweight Alex Hughes, Harrow welterweight Jez Smith, West Ham super-lightweight Ben Smith, Acton flyweight Prince Patel, and the professional debuts of Hornchurch super-lightweight Sanjeev Sahota and Staines-upon-Thames welterweight Tony Bange.

Tickets purchased will be valid for the new date or a refund will be available by going to the original point of purchase.

TOKYO – March 29, 2016– RIZIN FF, the combat sports promotion led by former PRIDE FC head Nobuyuki Sakakibara, announced that famed 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 at the “Top Presents RIZIN Fighting Federation I” extravaganza at Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya, Japan on Sunday, April 17.

The 5-foot-1, 22-year-old Murata of Ehime, Japan will compete under MMA rules for the first time after amassing a collection of accolades as an amateur wrestler, including three junior Olympic medals.

Murata’s most impressive achievement came in 2011 when she nearly defeated three-time Olympic gold medalist Saori Yoshida during the All-Japan championships.

An MMA student since 2015, Murata has been training under the command of DEEP Featherweight Champion Kazunori Yokota and former DREAM competitor Takeshi Yamazaki, and has been sparring predominantly with male fighters.

Denisova of Cheboksary, Russia will seek her third consecutive win in what will mark her first appearance under the RIZIN FF banner. In her last start on September 26, she utilized her sharp, aggressive striking arsenal to finish Marina Lvova in the second round (:32) of battle with a barrage of punches.

The 25-year-old Denisova gained worldwide recognition for the first time four years ago after video surfaced of her defeating a male opponent in an MMA bout.

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 the main event, former PRIDE FC middleweight champion and prolific superstar Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva (35-12-1, 1 NC) will team up with a fighter to be announced soon, in a special grappling “tag match,” and battle a duo consisting of fellow legend, Kazushi Sakuraba, (26-17-1, 2 NC) and Hideo Tokoro (33-28-2).

Prolific striker and 13-fight UFC veteran Daron Cruickshank (16-8, 1 NC) will collide with submission expert Shinji “Torao Supernova” Sasaki (16-8-3) in a lightweight (155 pounds) matchup.

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

In women’s open weight action, 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).

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).

Follow RIZIN FF:

Website – http://www.rizinff.com/en/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/rizinfightingfederation/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/rizin_PR

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – March 28, 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, sees heavyweight Jason Bergman (25-12-2, 16KO) versus Jesse Barboza (11-1-1, 7KO) in the North American championship main event bout. Fan-friendly, and popular in his home town of Pittsburgh, Bergman isn’t in for an easy fight with Barboza, who is currently in the midst of a 7-fight win streak. Bergman isn’t deterred, and plans to make a statement in front of his hometown crowd. The veteran is determined to move closer to world title contention with a win over an impressive prospect in Barboza.

In the co-main event, Tommy Karpency (25-5-1, 14KO) faces Paul Gonsalves (9-7-1, 4KO) in an 8-round light-heavyweight contest. 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.

LAS VEGAS (March 28, 2016) – the D Las Vegasand Downtown Las Vegas Events Center (DLVEC), along with Neon Star Media, announced today that Roy Jones Jr. (RJJ) Boxing Promotions is the licensed promoter of record for the 2016 “Knockout Night at the D” boxing series to be held at the DLVEC.

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 the DLVEC outdoor venue in the fight capital of the world, Las Vegas.

RJJ promises fans in attendance and those watching live on CBS Sports Network will feel the heat of the 10-round main event as “The Dragon,” Steve Claggett, battles “The Heat,” Chris Van Heerden, in a fan-friendly welterweight showdown.

“We are truly passionate about bringing outdoor boxing back to Las Vegas and are excited to work with Roy Jones Jr. to showcase local fighters and give them an amazing platform at Downtown Las Vegas Events Center,” said Derek Stevens, Owner and CEO of the D Las Vegas and DLVEC. “We feel this fight series will become a major event in the city’s boxing scene, as it will bring together world-class athletes, local businesses and fans from near and far.”

“Anytime I have the opportunity to showcase my fighters in Las Vegas and put on a show is a win-win for me and Roy Jones Jr. Boxing Promotions,” commented Roy Jones Jr., Co-Founder of RJJ. “Las Vegas has helped make my career what it is today; it feels like home to me. ‘Knockout Night at the D’ is going to be a spectacular night for boxing and the fans. Downtown Las Vegas Event Center is an outstanding venue for boxing fans… there isn’t a bad seat in the house!”

“I’m honored to work with such a reputable venue such as the Downtown Las Vegas Center,” remarked Keith Veltre, CEO / Co-Founder of Roy Jones Jr. Promotions. “This venue is exactly what the boxing community needs to spark the excitement of boxing that ‘Knockout Night at the D’ will deliver. The team has been very accommodating to RJJ and it is a pleasure to work with a class act. We are happy to call the Downtown Las Vegas Event Center home to RJJ.”

Claggett (23-3-1, 16 KOs), 26, is the reigning Canadian Professional Boxing Council and Canadian welterweight champion. As an amateur in Calgary, he captured four Alberta Championships and three Golden Gloves titles, all prior to his 18th birthday.

South African-native 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 pictured to the left.)

The 8-round co-feature matches undefeated Lancaster, California Neeco “Rooster” Macias (11-0, 4 KOs) against Limberth Ponce, Jr. (10-2, 8 KOs), of Rock Island, Illinois. Unbeaten Baltimore welterweight prospect Malik Hawkins (6-0, 5 KOs) is scheduled to fight an opponent to be determined in a 4-round bout.

The remainder of the undercard features promising Las Vegas-based prospects in four-round bouts: welterweight Jeremy “J Flash” Nichols (2-0, 2 KOs), junior featherweight Sal Perez (2-0) and bantamweight Sergio Lopez (2-3, 1 KO). Nichols (pictured to the left) gained invaluable experience as a sparring partner for Floyd Mayweather, Jr. for his mega-fight versus Manny Pacquiao.

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 6:30 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

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

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

NEW YORK (March 28, 2016) – A three-fight series to crown a unified divisional champion will begin on Saturday, April 30, when WBC 168-pound champion Badou Jack defends his title against former longtime titlist Lucian Bute, and IBF Champion James DeGale risks his belt against mandated challenger Rogelio Medina in a SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING doubleheader live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT) from the DC Armory in Washington D.C.

The winners will meet in a super middleweight world-title unification fight later this year.

Jack (20-1-1, 12 KOs) will make his second title defense after a breakthrough 2015 campaign in which he won the WBC belt from Anthony Dirrell and successfully defended against George Groves. The southpaw Bute (32-3, 25 KOs), a former IBF champion with nine defenses between 2007 and 2012, revived his career last November with a gutsy and inspired performance against DeGale.

“I’ve been training really hard for this fight and I’m excited to get in the ring,” said Jack. “I can’t wait to defend my title once again on April 30. The fans can expect to see an explosive and skillful performance from me come fight night. I believe I’m the best super middleweight in the world and that I have the skills to beat anyone I get in the ring with. I’m fully focused on Lucian Bute, but I know that a win can set up a massive fight against James DeGale and I’m going to deliver.”

“I’m thrilled to have this tremendous opportunity,” said Bute. “I was ringside for Badou Jack’s last two fights — well deserved world title wins. He is a great champion. I plan to train hard and be in the best shape of my career on April 30. It’s my chance to win the WBC belt and become two-time world champion. I will win and give boxing fans a spectacular fight.”

DeGale (22-1, 14 KOs) will make his second title defense after an impressive 2015 in which he defeated Andre Dirrell to win the vacant IBF belt and topped Bute in a Fight of the Year candidate. The hard-hitting Medina (35-6, 29 KOs), the IBF’s mandatory challenger, has knocked out three consecutive opponents.

“I am delighted to be defending my world title on another great show in the United States,” said DeGale. “I won my belt in style in Boston and I’m looking forward to moving down the East Coast to the great city of Washington, D.C. It’s going to be a defining night in the super middleweight division as Badou Jack and myself look to set up a huge fight later in the year. I’m fully focused on Rogelio Medina. He’s a tough Mexican who earned his title shot. But trust me, no one is getting my world title.”

“This is such a great opportunity for me and I can’t wait to get in the ring,” said Medina. “I’ve worked so hard for this and I am going to make the most of it. Everyone who has seen me fight knows I leave it all in the ring and you can expect to see an all-out battle on April 30. I will be the new world champion.”

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.

“Mayweather Promotions is proud to bring another exciting night of boxing to the great boxing fans in my hometown of Washington, D.C.,” said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions. “I’m really excited about the Badou Jack vs. Lucian Bute fight. It’s going to be a great fight. We know Bute is tough as nails and he’s coming to take the title away from Badou. Badou is going to have to be at his best to be able to beat Bute that night. The winner of that fight will set up a spectacular unification fight with the winner of the fight between British champion James DeGale and Mexican brawler ‘Porky’ Medina. DeGale can’t take Medina lightly if he wants the unification bout. It’s going to be a thrilling night of action at the DC Armory and on SHOWTIME.”

Badou Jack “The Ripper”, of Las Vegas by way of Stockholm, Sweden, captured the WBC 168-pound crown with a 12-round majority decision over previously unbeaten defending champion Anthony Dirrell last April 24. A former amateur standout who represented Gambia in the 2008 Olympics, Jack retained his belt against former world title challenger George Groves last Sept. 12 on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather’s final fight. Jack, who fights under the Mayweather Promotions banner, was an underdog against both Dirrell and Groves. The 6-foot-1, 32-year-old has won four in a row since a shocking first-round knockout loss to Derek Edwards in February 2014.

Bute, of Montreal, Canada by way of Romania, has been a super middleweight mainstay for the last decade. He has competed in 12 title fights since 2007, scoring seven knockouts in nine consecutive defenses of the IBF belt he won in 2007 in his adopted hometown of Montreal. During his title reign, the 36-year-old defeated the likes of Glen Johnson, Librado Andrade and Jean-Paul Mendy, but he lost the belt to Carl Froch in 2012 and a string of injuries kept him largely inactive over the next three years. Bute returned from a 19-month absence in August 2015 under new trainer Howard Grant, knocking out Andrea Di Luisa to set up the title shot against DeGale for the crown he once held. Bute stalked the switch-hitting DeGale with a relentless attack, turning in his most impressive performance in years in a close decision loss.

James “Chunky” DeGale, of London, England, won the vacant IBF belt in his U.S. debut last May by dropping Andre Dirrell twice on his way to a unanimous decision. The 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist then successfully defended it last November in a thrilling shootout with hometown favorite and former titlist Lucian Bute. The 30-year-old, who’s only blemish came in a majority decision in his 11th bout against then-unbeaten George Groves, will make his third consecutive start outside his native England as he looks to become a global power at 168 pounds.

Rogelio “Porky” Medina is a hard-hitting veteran with 30 knockouts in his 36 career wins. He’s knocked out three consecutive opponents, including a shocking third-round knockout of then-undefeated J’Leon Love in August, 2014. Medina, 27, has suffered six losses in 42 fights, although those defeats came against opponents with a combined record of 187-16-3, including four previously undefeated fighters.

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 at www.facebook.com/MayweatherPromotions and www.facebook.com/SHOsports.

READING, PA (March 28, 2016)–Marshall Kauffman’s King’s Promotions is proud to announce the signing of of former IBF Welterweight champion Kermit Cintron.

Cintron of Reading, PA has a record of 35-5-2 with 28 knockouts.

Cintron won his first twenty-four bout and established himself as one of the most feared welterweight’s in the world.

Of those twenty-four wins were stoppages over Said Ouali (7-0), Omar Davila (12-2), Ian Mackilop (14-1), Elio Ortiz (25-6) and Teddy Reid (22-5-1).

After coming up short against WBO world champion Antonio Margarito, Cintron stopped David Estrada (18-2), which set up a title opportunity against Mark Suarez.

On October 28, 2006, Cintron stopped Suarez in five founds ton win the title in Palm Beach, Florida.

Cintron made two defenses of his crown with stoppages over Walter Matthysse (26-1) and Jesse Feliciano, before losing to Margarito for a second time.

Since then, Cintron has posted many quality wins over the likes of Lovemore N’dou (46-10-1), Juliano Ramos (15-2), Antwone Smith (20-2-1), Jonathan Batista (14-1) and his last bout, which took place on March 15, 2014,when won a ten round unanimous decision over Ronald Cruz (20-2).

“I am very happy to add Kermit to the King’s Promotions stable,” said Marshall Kauffman of King’s Promotions. “Kermit and I have a long history together and we did some special things when I trained him. I am glad Kermit has come back home and now as a promoter, we feel we can get Kermit back into some big opportunities and get him in position to become world champion again.”

“I am excited to finally sign with a promoter,” said Cintron. ” I have had some offers but this is more exciting. This is the best thing for me in my career because Marshall trained and managed me. He knows me personally and he knows what I need in my career and I think its a great match. I am focusing on staying busy and getting another crack at a title, and I know Marshall will do the job in getting me the right fights and I will get that title shot.”

NEW YORK – March 28, 2015 – Combate Americas, the first-ever U.S. Hispanic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sports franchise founded by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) co-creator Campbell McLaren, today announced the return of its epic, action-packed “Road To the Championship” fight series to NBC UNIVERSO, the modern entertainment and sports cable channel for Latinos, with a weekly, one-hour program, beginning Monday, April 18, at 12 a.m. ET/9 p.m. PT, from Los Angeles, Calif.

A total of 30 bouts featuring the most fearsome, emerging Hispanic MMA fighters, including Imagen Award-winning Combate Americas reality series contestant and professional boxer Ricky “El Gallero” Palacios (5-1 MMA, 2-0-1 boxing), Urijah Faber protégé Erick Sanchez (6-2), John “Sexy Mexy” Castaneda (9-2) and women’s atomweight standout and Eddie Bravo pupil Kyra “Mogwai” Batara (4-3), will unfold over the course of a 30-day period.

“We are thrilled to be featured in a new, weekly slot that will allow us to continuously showcase the best and most exciting young Hispanic fighters and future world champions” said McLaren.

“Since we launched our franchise,” continued McLaren, “NBC Universo has played an instrumental part in helping Combate Americas engage a national Hispanic audience, so we look forward to returning to their incredible platform, and entertaining and inspiring new and existing MMA fans throughout the U.S.

“Combate Americas is a great place for fighters of Latin backgrounds to shine in front of martial arts fans”, said Bilai Joa Silar, Senior Vice President of Programming and Production at NBC Universo. “It’s very exciting to have another season of Combate Americas on NBC Universo. We’re sure our audience will be thrilled with each fight scheduled since they will all feature top notch fighters.”

Additional participating fighters and matchups will be announced soon, as will the Los Angeles location for the kick-off event and host venues for subsequent events.

The first weekly show on April 18 will mark the third event in the “Road To The Championship” series. Following the sixth event in the series, which kicked off on September 17, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nev., the most successful competitors in each weight class will be placed in the first Combate Americas world championship bouts in history.

Lou DiBella
Thanks for joining us on this call. We wanted to give all the press an opportunity to speak to all six fighters that will be televised on NBC on Saturday night April 16. The TV fights will begin at 8:30 pm ET/5:30 pm PT This event’s taking place at the beautiful Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment in association with Star Boxing and sponsored by Corona, start at $25, and they can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. And they’re also available at the American Express Box Office at the Barclays Center.

Thanks all for joining us. We’re going to get started with the co-feature of the evening, which is the WBO Cruiserweight Championship between champion Krzysztof G?owacki and Steve “U.S.S.” Cunningham. G?owacki made a big splash with his fight of the year performance against Marco Huck when he spectacularly knocking Huck out in the 11th round to capture the world title after having been knocked down himself and rising like the Undertaker does in WWE promotions. It was really one of the more remarkable turnarounds I’ve seen in a world title fight.

You can expect the 29-year-old G?owacki to receive heavy support on April 16 from the large Polish population in Brooklyn as he fights in the U.S. for the second time. He had a sensational record of 103-9 as an amateur before turning pro in 2008. Polish Peter is on the line and he’ll function as Krzysztof’s translator. I’m going to let the champion Krzysztof G?owacki say a few words first.

Krzysztof G?owacki
First of all I am so happy I’m able to fight again in the United States. I am expecting to deliver another great fight. I hope both Polish and American fans are going to be watching me and supporting me, because I want to deliver a great fight. I have more than 110 sparring rounds already behind me, with very tough fighters. I’m perfectly healthy and absolutely ready to come to the United States and defend my title.

L. DiBella
Thank you Krzysztof. Steve “U.S.S.” Cunningham, I’m not going to say a lot about him this time. Enough has been said. He’s one of the most known commodities in boxing. Two-time World Cruiserweight Champion, 39-years-old but with a lot left in the tank. Trained by brother Naazim Richardson, a veteran of the Navy. This is absolutely a very, very strong challenge to G?owacki’s title and a fight that I expect to be extremely entertaining.

Steve Cunningham
I’m very excited to have another opportunity and world title. Coming back down to cruiserweight wasn’t difficult at all. I was a cruiserweight who was fighting heavyweight and I’m just ready. I’m always ready, I’m always prepared, I’m always in gym. We are preparing for G?owacki. He’s a formidable foe. He made, like everybody’s seen, he made a big splash in his American debut and people are going to want to see him live up to that.

We want to get together, we want to make some fireworks, and my goal is to be three-time world champion and please the fans and television. So there we have it. I’m going back in, and this is not new territory for me but it’s a new opponent, so we take him very seriously and we don’t look past anything.

Q
I was just wondering what you thought of G?owacki’s performance in his last fight. What did you think about what he did against Huck in that fight?

S. Cunningham
It was impressive. You got a guy who went down early in the fight against Marco Huck as a champion that he was working on breaking a record that fight. So he had a lot of steam behind him. Marco Huck is a formidable champion. He will be remembered as a great cruiserweight champion. But G?owacki stepped up. He got up off the canvas and he just stayed the course. And he stopped the champion. That’s how you beat the champion. A lot of people want to see champions beat like that, and G?owacki gave everybody what they wanted.

So like I said, he’s nothing to look down on because we hadn’t seen him fight in America before. We always take every opponent seriously. So we’re going to come prepared.

Q
Steve, how much respect do you have for a guy like that who got off the deck against a guy he wasn’t supposed to beat? You’ve been in that position yourself and done that. So what do you think of that?

S. Cunningham
I think he’s awesome. I’ve been in that position myself so I know the motivation and drive he had behind him in order to go through and fight a guy like Marco Huck in front of so many fans from him home country here in America. So he was driven. That fan base drives him. I know he’ll be driven on the 16th, but I’m driven also.

Like I said, this isn’t new territory to me. I’ve been there. I fought in Poland twice. I fought in Germany numerous times, South Africa too. So I’m really not used to fighting at home, but when I fight at Barclays Center I will be closer to home but it’s going to still feel like Poland because those fans, his fans are going to engulf that place and then frame it with cheers for their guy.

Like I said, it’s not new to us, it’s not new territory but a new opponent, little things we tweak up in camp, and come April 16 it’s time to get in there and show it off.

Q
Steve, when you were fighting at heavyweight, did you always think that you would give cruiserweight another try and go back down?

S. Cunningham
No I didn’t. I never thought I’d be heavyweight. My initial goal was to stay cruiserweight and do my best and do my part to put the cruiserweight division on the map here in America. Because, as you guys know, when I was a cruiserweight champion, there was no attention, no wealth, no television, no anything for cruiserweight.

So my goal was to try to help this cruiserweight division on the theme, be the best cruiserweight and make good fights, but it’s like I got elbowed out of the cruiserweight division. Even with a belt I couldn’t unify it. Then I lost my belt and these guys wouldn’t fight me even then. They still knew how I lost my belt wasn’t right. So the only way I could go was up. I couldn’t make light heavyweight so heavyweight was it.

But after heavyweight, after I was there and I was able to compete and these guys became national USBA champion and I felt I got robbed a few times from stopping me from getting that number one spot, I felt I was going to stay heavyweight. But then we realized that hey these judges, they’re not understanding what you’re doing to these big guys. They like their heavyweights to knock guys out, to throw a couple punches and somebody’s on the ground.

You’ve got Steve Cunningham in there running punches. I’m throwing 700, 800 punches a fight, moving, flipping, countering and that’s not a heavyweight to them. So the team, my wife, my manager, we all sat down and just like, “Hey let’s just go, let’s do the cruiserweight thing now and make it happen from there.”

Q
Do you feel you’re done with heavyweight at this point?

S. Cunningham
No I’m not. I still think there’s a possibility, because you guys know I can go back and compete with those big guys. I floored the heavyweight world champion right now with one punch. That’s Tyson Fury. So I can compete. Even though he won that fight, I can compete with these guys. I beat some big guys, some good, some heavier guys, some good heavyweight fighters.

When we win this fight and we beat this man, which could give me a quick shoot right to some titles, right to a title fight at heavyweight. But, that’s always a possibility but the major thing is beating G?owacki April 16.

Q
Krzysztof, after the fight with Marco Huck, the great comeback against him, were you at all disappointed that you had to stay out as long as he did because my understanding is you had some injuries that you suffered in that fight?

K. G?owacki
It was very frustrating. I wanted to be back sooner than later but my doctors were telling me that this was a 7-millimeter break in my hand so I couldn’t do anything. I was trying to do everything. I was running, I was spending some time in the gym, but obviously not boxing. But maybe there was a silver lining in disguise because it makes me so unbelievably hungry to actually be back right now. So this is my time and this time away made me even more hungry than usual. I want to thank everyone for getting me the opportunity to fight again in the states.

Q
I would like to know from Krzysztof which hand did he break and was it only his hand? I also had thought maybe there was an elbow injury involved. Was it just the hand and which hand was it?

K. G?owacki
So this injury actually was a left wrist injury. It actually happened last week of sparring before Marco Huck. Part of the bone was missing, 7-millimeters of bone, which has to be transplanted again into his left wrist after the fight. So this was the extent of the injury, and this was – it looked very bad for a long time but now everything is perfectly well. So it actually happened before Marco Huck fight.

Q
How big of a deal was it back in Poland? How well received were you when you went home? Are you a big national hero now?

K. G?owacki
Yes the difference was unbelievable. When I arrived in Poland in the airport there were people with flowers. There was a police escort to my hometown. Everybody was so happy. It’s an unbelievable feeling to be a world champion. I want to have this feeling again coming back after this fight. I want to say that before, I was relatively unknown but it happened and it changes everything unbelievably right now. People are smiling at me. On the streets, they approach me. They want to talk boxing. It’s unbelievable and a great feeling to have.

L. DiBella
The Marcus Brown vs. “Hot Rod” Kalajdzic fight will be a 10-round light heavyweight fight. Radivoje Kalajdzic is 21-0 with 14 KOs, fights out of St. Petersburg, Florida, originally from Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Turned pro in 2011. He’s fighting in New York for the first time. He has wins over Donta Woods, Otis Griffin, Lionel Thompson, Rayco Saunders, Gilberto Domingos, and Fabio Garrido. He had a good amateur career and he’s an accomplished young light heavyweight.

This is also going to be the most difficult fight and the biggest fight of “Hot Rod’s” career, because he’s taking on a terrific fighter in 25-year-old southpaw, 2012 U.S. Olympian and three-time Golden Glove champion Marcus Browne. Marcus is 17-0 with 13 KOs. Turned pro in 2012. Eight of his thirteen knockouts have come in the first round and he’ll be fighting at Barclays Center for I think a record 11th time. He had four impressive wins in 2015 over Aaron Pryor Jr, Cornelius White, former world champion Gabriel Campillo, and Francisco Sierra.

I’ll start with “Hot Rod”. Despite his very difficult to pronounce name, Radivoje Kalajdzic speaks beautiful English and has been here for a while and he doesn’t need any kind of translation at all, as you will hear. So Hot Rod, say a few words, please.

Radivoje Kalajdzic
Hello. I’m just happy to be fighting at Barclays Center. It’s a big show. I don’t really have much to say. I’m just ready to fight and I hope Marcus Browne is. I’m just here to answer any other questions that they got.

Marcus Browne
Yes. I’m happy to fight at the Barclays. I’m ready. This is another step on the road to becoming a world champion and everyone wants to make it seem like he’s the best fighter I’ve faced. I will say, “come the 16th, we’ll see.”

Q
Marcus, I just wanted to ask, you seem to be aggravated with what you’ve been hearing in the media in terms of Hot Rod being your best opponent. If you could just elaborate a little bit as to why you don’t feel he’s not your best opponent to date.

M. Browne
I’m not aggravated at all actually. Best opponent in a professional fight? Yes. But I’m talking about the best guy I’ve been in the ring with, no, not at all. Come April 16, like I said, I’m going to do the talking with my hands because that’s how we conversate in boxing.

Q
Hot Rod I just wanted to ask since you’re from St. Petersburg, are you familiar with Keith Thurman? Have you been to the gym there with Dan Birmingham and what kind of sparring have you gotten in that St. Petersburg area?

R. Kalajdzic
Yes I was there with them for one fight, with Keith Thurman training, about a six to eight-week camp. I got in the ring with him for about four rounds. It was a good work because he’s a hard hitter. That’s about it. A hard-worker. I’ve been in there with him eight weeks for one camp. A great humble guy.

Q
Now for preparation for this fight, who have you brought in for sparring?

R. Kalajdzic
Lennox Allen, a super-middleweight.

L. DiBella
For those who don’t know, Lennox Allen is an undefeated super middleweight who campaigns out of New York City.

Q
Marcus, I’d like your scouting report on Hot Rod. If I haven’t seen him fight before, tell me about how he fights.

M. Browne
I see what I see, and come April 16 I’m going to exploit it, and that’s about it. I’m not about to sit here and get detailed on what I see as a fighter. He’s talented, he’s young, he’s undefeated. He doesn’t want to lose his 0, just like I don’t want to lose my 0. At the end of the day, that calls for fireworks in a fight, and that’s about it for me. As far as me seeing anything or any little details, why would I tell you and tell him at the same time?

Q
Hot Rod, back to you. What’s your scouting report on Marcus Browne? What’s your assessment of him, strengths and weaknesses?

R. Kalajdzic
Well I’ve seen him fight on YouTube also. So, he’s got speed, he’s got power, he’s stopped a lot of guys in the first round. But the weaknesses, I’m not going to tell you that either. Just wait till fight night and I’ll show you.

Q
When they brought this fight to you and your trainer Gary Stark and they said you were fighting Hot Rod, was Hot Rod even on your radar at that time?

M. Browne
They threw his name at us like a couple months ago and we said yes. They threw his name at us again and we said yes again. So. I mean at the end of the day, this is a fight that for both of us in our career, it’s essential. You have to fight guys like this on the road to become the champion. As far as him being on my radar, I don’t know him, you know what I’m saying, I never really heard of him. But, he’s young, undefeated and he’s strong. I got a lot of power too, so come April 16 we’re going to be on both of each other’s radar for sure.

Q
Marcus does your confidence and your boxing ability also stems from your Olympic experience?

M. Browne
Not really. The Olympics are the Olympics, the amateurs are the amateurs, the pros are a totally different game. So you cannot go in there thinking like, “Oh I was an amateur starm I’m going to be a great pro.”

Two totally different games. All it takes is one punch. At the end of the day, I’ve been in there with, , a lot of good guys at a young age. There’s a lot of strong guys, a lot of champions.

I’ve been around guys, you know, for as long as I can remember. Growing up as a kid, being in the gym with all these guys. So I mean that’s just the type of pedigree and the type of confidence that you’ve got to have being around those kinds of guys.

But for the most part, no, the amateurs are totally different from the pros, and I’m not even looking at what I did in the amateurs as like that’s going to help me in the pros, because it really doesn’t. It all comes down to who really wants it more at the end of the day.

Do you guys both follow the philosophy of not studying styles but picking up the weaknesses, having seen each other fight on film?

R. Kalajdzic
I’ve seen a couple fights on YouTube and I know weakness, so we’re not really focusing on that, we’re just focusing on what I’m going to do and focus on my game plan and how do you exploit his. I’ve seen a couple weaknesses, so we’re mostly we’re working on the mitts with my coach on his weaknesses and stuff like that.

M. Browne
One of my Olympic coaches, he always told me that a guy always is going to make the same mistake. So you just let him make his mistake and worry about what you’re going to do.

I really don’t get real study guides like that because at the end of the day, it’s all about what we’re going to do. I’ve taken a look and I see what I see and that’s about it for me personally. I’m not going to stand and go on a limb and say like I come home after the gym and put him in my laptop and watch him. That’s not what I do.

Q
Just curious if you had heard of Marcus Browne coming up and what were your thoughts about him and just what were you hearing about Marcus as he was coming up as a prospect?

R. Kalajdzic
I hadn’t really heard about him until a couple of months ago. They offered me the fight and I didn’t take it a couple months ago. I have my reasons but, they offered the same fight again this time and I took it. But that was the first time I heard of him, a couple months ago. I didn’t really hear about him before.

Q
When they offered you the fight the first time, how come you didn’t take it?

R. Kalajdzic
I wasn’t with my right coach. I was with Pete Finese. I’m with my original coach from the amateurs that taught everything and I feel like he’s the best in the world. So when they asked me about the same fight I felt confident and took it.

Q
Is there any fear from fighting in Marcus’ hometown?

R. Kalajdzic
No, I’m actually excited. I fight a lot of my flights in my hometown and I want to get away, , have the crowd against me, see how that feels. So I’m excited because there’s only going to be him and me in the ring at the end of the night, so I’m actually excited.

Q
Marcus do you take it as kind of a slight that everyone is calling this your toughest fight and everyone is making a big deal about the fact that you’re facing another undefeated guy?

M. Browne
No, not at all. I don’t take it personally. This is boxing. This is what this sport calls for. At the end of the day, like I said, he is basically my toughest opponent as a professional.

He’s young, undefeated. He’s strong. He’s hungry. He’s coming from where he’s coming from. He’s got a family to feed and so do I. We’re both undefeated and that calls for fireworks in the fight, plain and simple.

Q
Have you given any thought to the fact that you could be in a good position to maybe become the first member of your Olympic team to become a professional world champion?

M. Browne
Yes, definitely, definitely, definitely. Definitely, definitely, but becoming a world champion has been my dream since I was a kid coming up in the sport of boxing.

You want to be the first out of your team to become a world champion. That’s always something that the guys and me would whisper about here and there.

But most importantly, our focus is April 16th and that fight and that fight only. Whatever happens after that is all part of God’s plan. I can’t look past this guy.

I’m not going to let any little competition between me and my teammates make me look past this guy because he’s live and he’s coming. He’s coming to Brooklyn, he’s excited and so am I. It’s going to be a great fight honestly. That’s how I feel personally.
L. DiBella
Chris Algieri is promoted by Star Boxing, Joe DeGuardia at Star Boxing. I’ll let Joe just say a few words, if he’d like, about the main event.

Joe DeGuardia
Thank you. I’m just pleased to be back at Barclays Center in Brooklyn where Chris has had so many exciting fights and back on PBC and on NBC. We’re looking forward to this fight.

It’s ironic that it’s been less than two years that Chris burst upon the scene and within those two years, he’s become a real veteran. And now he’s fighting a guy like Errol Spence. So we’re interested and looking forward to the fight and thank you everybody.

L. DiBella
Thank you, Joe. Chris Algieri has had a terrific career. He’s beaten the odds in a number of occasions. He rose to fame in June 2014 at the Barclay Center, defeating Ruslan Provodnikov for a super lightweight world title. After being battered around for a round, he showed his heart in overcoming those two first round knockdowns and a swollen right eye to thoroughly outbox Provodnikov and win a world title.

He just beat Erik Bone via a unanimous decision in December and before that, what former champion, Amir Khan, in a close competitive bout last May that was controversial in the eyes of some people. In 2014, he traveled to China to challenge Manny Pacquiao but lost the decision. You know, this is obviously a big step up for the young lion, Errol Spence, Jr. and, you know, it’s a weird situation for Chris who’s been a big name in the sport for a long time.

But here, due to the great talent of his young opponent and the many people that have made him an underdog in this fight, Chris is in an interesting crossroads situation. So I’m going to let Chris Algieri, the pride of Huntington, New York, 21-2 with eight KOs, former world champion, say a few words.

Chris Algieri
Thank you Lou. Thank you everyone. I appreciate you all coming out today and paying attention closely to this big fight that we’ve got an April 16th. It’s an honor to be back at Barclays Center and looking forward to putting on another great performance.

I had some of my best performance is there at Barclays Center. I believe April 16th will be just another one of those and training is going fantastic so far. I’m actually getting more and more excited as we get closer to fight night which is generally the case during training camp as game plans come together and fitness levels reach optimal. So again, thank you all and looking forward to April 16th.

L. DiBella
Thank you very much, Chris. And now this young man, he hails out of Texas. He was named Prospect of the Year for 2015 by ESPN and Sports Illustrated. He’s a 26-year-old former 2012 US Olympian turned pro in 2012, 19-0 with 16 KOs.

This guy’s a tough customer for anyone to face. And despite his relative youth, and professional inexperience, he’s widely considered one of the great young talents and boxing, Errol Spence, Jr.

Errol Spence, Jr.
Thanks. I’m very happy to be fighting April 16th at Barclays Center. It’s a great opportunity for me and just another, you know, stepping stone for my career. I really want to be infighting in the world title.

It is going great. I’m already on weight. I’m just waiting until April 16th to put on a great performance.

Q
Do you believe that you are at the top among all the young talents right now or do something still have to be proven, that includes, against Chris, on April 16th?

E. Spence, Jr.
Well, it’s always something to prove. You’ve always got to prove yourself you know. I do think I’m one of the top talents of all the young guys. But I’ve I got to prove myself on April 16th. Everybody wants to see what I’ve got.

They’ve got a lot of questions that aren’t answered. And they want to see who answer those questions, so April 16th. I’ve got to prove myself. That’s my stepping stone. So I’m ready for it.

Q
Chris, question for you. I mean, it’s yet to be played out. We can say what we say on paper but are you able to say, going into this, how good you think Spence is amongst that crop of young talent or really do have to step in there yourself on April 16th?

C. Algieri
Listen, there’s no question the guy is good. At this stage of the game, everybody are going to fight is going to be good. You know, the kid wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t a damn good fighter.

So, we’re taking that into account and preparing the best way possible. But we’ve got a lot of pressure on it. A lot of people are looking to see how he’s going to perform with a guy like me. And, it’s a very difficult task to go from prospect to contender. You know, making those jumps is not easy for anyone in their career. And it’s just – you’ve got to be careful taking big leaps and I do believe that myself and my team believe that this is a huge leap for the Spence camp.

Q
Chris, with your background and kickboxing and obviously, you know, about the MMA building path here in New York, you know, lifting the ban, could you ever see yourself at some point fighting in an MMA fight in New York? I do obviously it’s not on your radar now but I’m saying, like, down the road at some point?

C. Algieri
No, no. That is a resounding no. No, I am living my dream right now. I am a professional boxer. That’s what I saw myself when I was a child, being a champion boxer. I realized that. When I was a child, there was not a UFC.

I wasn’t watching Randy Couture when I was five years old thinking that I wanted to be like him because he wasn’t there yet. So for me, it’s just – boxing for me is a passion and if the past is not there, then there’s no sense for me to compete in dangerous sports like this. So MMA is out of the question for me.

Q
Do think that might have been different, Chris, if, you know, the UFC was bigger when you’re coming up and if MMA was legal in New York, that maybe you would have been involved in MMA earlier on instead of boxing?

C. Algieri
Yes, that could have been – that could be possible. I can’t say that, I can’t say definitely not. If I grew up a different way and was watching different guys and had different heroes, you never know. So it is what it is now and I’m a boxer.

Q
Thanks, Chris. I appreciate the answer. One question for Errol. Errol, Chris made the point saying how jumping from prospect to contender is a really big leap. I’m just curious what your reaction to that is.

E. Spence, Jr.
It’s the truth. It is. Prospect to contender that’s a big leap but you’ve got to go through it., I’m a highly rated prospect.

So, the least I have to do. That’s what I have to do to give at the top level. That’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to go through any door that I can open and I’m going to open it.

Q
Do think too much is being made of the jump from prospect to contender when it comes to you that for you it’s not going to be as difficult as maybe other people believe it is?

E. Spence, Jr.
I’m not going to say it’s not going to be as difficult but it’s not a big deal to me. I mean, it’s just the fight, so. This is boxing. You’ve got to get in the ring and fight another opponent. Of course he has a better pedigree than my recent opponent but it’s just another fight.

L. DiBella
To just interject for a second. The thing about this card and what makes it such a compelling card and the reason that people should be out there and supporting it and buying tickets for it and tuning into it is that every story – every fight on here has a legitimate storyline.

Every fight on here is compelling as an individual matchup. Marcus and Hot Rod, two undefeated young guys. The winner takes a huge step up. The loser takes a step back but it’s that effort to prove that you’ve already eclipsed being a prospect and you’re moving into contender status and that the the other young guys are no longer enough to challenge you.

So that’s what both guys are trying to prove. Glowacki had that great win against Huck, but no one knew who he was going into that. Now he’s got to get in there with a two-time world champion who is going to try to take his hat off and regain what he thinks is his. Cunningham is a respected guy, a real veteran and one of the toughest guys in the business to fight. That’s a great story line. And then Chris isn’t an opponent. He’s a former world champion and he’s a guy that’s been fighting on, really, the highest level of his career over the last couple of years and probably, right now, at the top of his game and in his prime.

Errol is so good that that type of challenge is one that he is seeking right now because he wants to prove right now that there’s no welterweight in the world that he’s not capable of beating.

Those are three compelling boxing storylines. This is a great boxing show. It’s not about anyone guy’s particular name. It’s about three bouts on NBC, in prime time, at Barclays Center that are all compelling fights.

Q
Errol, obviously much has been made about you stepping up the competition. However, this is the first fighter you faced with other real combat sports experience with Chris’s kickboxing experience. Do you think or are you worried of his inner will and tenacity to win due to his accomplishments in other combat sports?

E. Spence, Jr.
This is boxing – I’ve played other sports – football, basketball, soccer, but I mean it’s boxing. Chris, he has a lot of heart. He has a lot of grit too, and he always comes to fight. So, it’s going to be a good fight.

Q
Absolutely. And Chris, my next question for you, how was camp this go round? I know you jumped around from New York to Vegas to South Florida. Where were you? Who are the players on the team?

C. Algieri
Actually currently training in Boca Raton, Florida right now with John David Jackson. I started off camp actually in New York with Pete Trimble and it’s been going great so far.

I’ve put in a lot of great work. Florida has been kind of my second home for training camps for the past year or so and it’s been working out really well. It’s an easy trip between here and New York. It’s just a few hours. Jump on a flight. Same time zone, so it makes, coming back to Barclays to go to work that much easier.

Q
Good afternoon, Errol and Chris. Errol, my first question is for you. Obviously everyone is stating the whole prospect of contender, but your trainer went a step above and maybe put a little more pressure on the shoulders of yours by saying that this win over Chris Algieri will come in better fashion than Manny Pacquiao. He feels that you’re a bigger, stronger and more technical fighter than Manny Pacquiao. Can you give me your thoughts on your trainer and what he said?

E. Spence, Jr.
I don’t really know too much aboug what he said. The only thing I know that he said was what you just told me. But I am a bigger, stronger fighter than Manny Pacquiao.

I am more technically sound and I think, smarter fighter than Manny Pacquiao. But, there’s no pressure now. I don’t have any pressure on my shoulders. I don’t put pressure on myself. I’m just coming in just like it’s another fight, training harder than ever, and just looking to put on a great show.

Q
And your knockouts, normally when you hit guys, they go down, you’re a killer to the body obviously, but Algieri has shown that he can get up. He’s been knocked down by Manny Pacquiao six times and has gotten up. Does that play in the back of your mind that this may have to go the 12 rounds?

E. Spence, Jr.
I’m training for a 12 round fight. I’m not trying for a knock them out or hoping to get a stoppage. I mean, it’s great if I do stop them, but I’m training for a 12-round fight.

Q
Chris for you, same thing, when I spoke to Derek James he says, “Well, Chris Algieri, he faced Manny Pacquiao, but Manny Pacquiao was moving up in weight. Chris Algieri was moving up in weight.” Errol Spence is a natural welterweight. Errol Spence is bigger, stronger, more technically sound than anyone that Algieri has faced. I want to know your thoughts to that.

C. Algieri
Yes, the thing about Manny Pacquiao, it’s tough to compare him to other guys. He’s not like other guys. He can’t stay there and go, “Yes, well, his style isn’t technically perfect.” He doesn’t do what you’re supposed to do. His technique is not that great.

It doesn’t matter. He’s made it work for him over how many years and how many weight classes? You can’t do any kind of comparison when it comes to Manny Pacquiao and styles and preparation and being in the ring with a guy like that.

Listen, I’ve been in a ring with guys who are bigger than Manny and they hit harder than Manny but, you know, Manny is a different kind of guy. He’s a different kind of style, you know, so trying to compare Errol Spence and many Manny Pacquiao stylistically or size is apples and oranges to say the least.

So I really don’t take anything from that statement and then trying to compare guys and styles anyway, I mean, styles make fights and it’s all about matchups. Boxing is a rhythm sport. You can watch rhythm on a tape. You can figure it out and see it too.

You’ve got to be in with somebody and the way those styles mesh is what makes boxing what boxing is. So trying to compare styles is relevant for this conversation.

Q
So it was more about the size, the fact that Manny and Ruslan and other guys have been 140-pounders where Errol is a natural 147-pounds.

C. Algieri
My kickboxing record, a lot of my fights were actually at 154 and 147. So it’s not my first time being in a ring with a true welterweight or a true 154 pounder.

I’ve been in the ring with guys, with big punchers, with guys who were bigger, had big bodies. I worked with over the years even inspiring and training sessions with much larger men. I’ve never had a problem with punches, never had a problem with bigger guys. So I don’t foresee that being a problem.

Q
How do you guys feel of what’s going on with the pros being able to fight in the Olympics? What is your feeling on that and if you could explain it?

C. Algieri
I like the idea, because the headgear and the point system can kind of change the sport a little bit, making the amateurs and the pros almost as if there were two different sports, changing the whole style of the game.

What worries me about that is that without the headgear, is an increased risk for clashes of heads and facial cuts and lacerations which can affect a pro in his career leader.

So you could have guys who are coming out of the amateurs with a great pedigree but they have a bunch of scar tissue around their eyes which can affect them in the pros down the line.

E. Spence, Jr.
I don’t agree with it. They’re fighting grown man. You’ve got kids, like Shakur Stevenson. He’s 18 years old and now he’s got to go fight a Russian or Cuban who’s 35 years old.

These are grown men. These guys can punch. If fighting our kids, our teenagers that are 18, 19 year old teenagers then no, I don’t agree with it.

Q
Errol, can we expect to see you more than twice a year? How many times you think you’ll fight this year?

E. Spence, Jr.
Hopefully I’ll fight three times this year. I want to stay active as long as I’m healthy and everything is going well. I want to stay active. I don’t want to sit around and wait on different opponents and wait for this opportunity. I want to stay in the ring. I want to stay winning. So I’ll be active this year.

Q
God willing, you get past Chris Algieri, who’s on the hit list? Is it big names from here on out? Can we expect to see that?

E. Spence, Jr.
Definitely. I’m not looking past Chris Algieri. That’s the main focus right now is Chris Algieri. After April 16th, I’ll call out whomever, but my goal is always to fight the big names.

Even when I was, you know, 15, 14, when I was fighting on a Keith Thurman card, I said I would beat anybody on the card.

That was basically calling out those guys. So I’ve been calling out the bigger names for the longest and I’m going to keep doing it. But April 16th, the main goal is Chris Algieri.
Barclays Center’s BROOKLYN BOXING™ programming platform is presented by AARP. For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com and www.nbcsports.com/boxing, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing,@ErrolSpenceJr, @ChrisAlgieri, @USSCunningham, @Marcus_Browne, @LouDiBella, @StarBoxing,@NBCSports, @BarclaysCenter and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/NBCSports, www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment and www.Facebook.com/barclayscenter. Highlights available at www.youtube.com/premierboxingchampions. PBC on NBC is sponsored by Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

St. Petersburg, FL (March 28, 2016) – Joey Orduna of Mad Integrity Fight Sports is proud to announce that unbeaten junior welterweight knockout artist Yordan “Cuba” Frometa and middleweight prospect Steed “The Stallion” Woodall have been added to the “Bombs Away 5” Fight Card Saturday, April 2 at the Bayfront Hilton in St. Petersburg.

A limited number tickets are still available by calling 813-507-5110. Doors open at 6:30 and the opening bell will sound at 7 pm.

Hailing from Pinar del Rio, Cuba and currently based in Miami, FL, Frometa puts his 7-0 record on the line against fellow Florida transplant Farkhad “Crazy Russian” Sharipov of Kissimmee in a six round contest. Frometa, who has six wins by knockout, captured the U-17 and junior world championships as part of Cuba’s globally renowned amateur program. The hard-hitting Frometa however faces his toughest opponent to date on the 2nd.

At 4-7 with one knockout, Sharipov doesn’t have a glossy record but has already proven he’s willing to fight anybody, anytime, anywhere. The 31-year-old has faced seven unbeaten foes including 2008 US Olympian Raynell Williams, well-regarded Semajay Thomas and Kevin Watts. The iron-chinned Sharipov has never been stopped and is a standout mixed martial artist who has a solid 15-6 professional ledger.

Born in the United Kingdom and residing in Miami, Woodall started his career 9-0-1 with six of those wins coming by knockout. In his last fight, Woodall fought on ShoBox: The New Generation for the NABF title but was stopped in the fourth round by Steve Rolls. To get back on track, Woodall’s been working hard in Houston, TX under top trainer Ronnie Shields.

Opposing Woodall will be Juan Fernando Raya of Bolivia. Raya, 2-4 (1 KO), is fighting for the third time in Florida and most recently dropped a decision to undefeated Omar Albanil in Tampa.

“I’m glad we were able to add two more quality fighters to the card,” said Orduna. “The locals were already raving about other fights on the card and now there’s even more to be excited about. Tickets are close to being sold out and there will be no better place to be than the Bayfront Hilton on April 2.

With the additions of Frometa-Sharipov and Woodall-Raya, Mad Integrity Fight Sports will have a total of ten fights. Headlining is popular Ali Tareh, 13-11-5 (6 KO’s) of Tampa against Juan Aguirre, 6-16-1, of Jacksonville in an eight round welterweight matchup as well as the much discussed featherweight fight between St. Petersburg’s Jose “Lil’ Pacquiao” Resendez, 4-0 (2 KO’s), and Miami’s Raul Chirino, 7-1 (3 KO’s), over six rounds.

Other match ups include welterweight Armando “The Gentleman” Alvarez (8-0) of Miami against Tampa’s Lee “Holliwood” Dawson (2-2-3) junior lightweight Michael Guillen (1-0) of Port Orange versus Tampa’s Rafael Rivera (1-1) and St. Petersburg welterweight Viktor Kulakovski (4-2) challenging Paulie Simpson (2-1) of Tampa. Light heavyweight “King” Kenmon Evans (2-0) of New Smyrna Beach, St. Petersburg middleweight Raynard Hill (5-10) and heavyweight Jose Medina (1-0) of Winter Haven will also appear in separate bouts.

For more information and updates, please visit Facebook.com/Madintegrityfightsports.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (March 28th, 2016) — CES MMA invades Foxwoods Resort Casino for the first time in more than two years Friday, April 1st, 2016 with “CES MMA 34,” airing live on AXS TV.

The event, held at The Fox Theater, features the return of reigning CES MMA Welterweight Champion Chris Curtis (13-4, 5 KOs) of Cincinnati, who defends his title for the first time in a rematch against Philadelphia’s Nah-Shon Burrell (12-6, 8 KOs), one of five televised bouts on the AXS TV Fights main card.

Tickets for “CES MMA 34” are priced at $40.00, $60.00 and $100.00 (VIP) and can be purchased online at www.cesmma.com, www.ticketmaster.com or www.foxwoods.com, by phone at 401-724-2253/2254 or 800-200-2882, or at the Fox Theater Box Office. All bouts are subject to change. Showtime is 7 p.m. ET.

Curtis and Burrell fought one another in October of 2010 with Curtis winning by unanimous decision, Burrell’s first loss in three pro fights. Burrell won his next six, including three in a row with Strikeforce before the promotion was bought out by the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC).

The 26-year-old Burrell went on to fight twice under the UFC banner, defeating Brazilian Yuri Villefort, the younger brother of former UFC standout and current World Series of Fighting contender Danillo Villefort, and made three additional appearances with Bellator, competing in the promotion’s welterweight tournament in 2014.

A self-described reformed “headcase” who once lamented his inability to capitalize on major opportunities, Curtis finally got his big break in January, defeating champion Gil de Freitas at “CES MMA XXXII” to capture the CES MMA Welterweight Title.

Curtis’ climb to the top of the welterweight food chain ironically began with a loss in his professional debut in 2009, but the Ohio native battled through injuries and other missteps over the next seven years to land a well-deserved title bout with Freitas, once considered an unstoppable force on the regional circuit.

The win over Freitas came at the right time, just two years after Curtis participated on Bellator’s Fight Master reality television series, losing in his opening bout after tearing a knee ligament during training camp, a setback Curtis described as “the story of my life.”

Since his breakthrough victory in January, Curtis is now ready for the next chapter. A win Friday would be his fourth in a row and seventh in his last eight bouts dating back to 2013. Following his most recent appearance with Bellator, Burrell has returned to the northeast, facing fellow Bellator stable mate Lyman Good in Atlantic City in May and stopping WSOF vet Ryan Dickson in November.

The main card of “CES MMA 34” also features a middleweight bout between Calvin Kattar (14-2, 6 KOs) of Methuen, Mass., and Cortland, N.Y., vet Kenny Foster (11-10, 1 KO), a seven-time Bellator vet. Kattar last fought in 2013, beating Gabriel Baino for his sixth consecutive win, and is also remembered for defeating Saul Almeida at CES MMA’s “Real Pain” pay per view event in Providence in 2012. The 5-foot-8 Foster boasts win over Lester Caslow and Eric Larkin and also went the distance against 30-fight vet Anthony Morrison at Bellator 108.

Johnny Campbell (11-7, 5 KOs) of Boston battles Matt Lozano (5-3, 2 KO) of Red Lion, Pa., in a bantamweight bout and heavyweight Steve Skrzat (8-7, 7 KOs) of Burrillville, R.I., faces Rollinsford, N.H., vet Kevin Haley (4-3, 1 KO). Also on the main card, Ludlow, Mass., lightweight Leon Davis (7-3, 1 KO) faces Lorawnt-T Nelson (7-4, 5 KOs) of Arvada, Colo.

Lozano steps up to replace Rodrigo Almeida, who was forced to withdraw due to injury. Lozano appeared on two Bellator undercards in 2012 and later starred for the WSOF in 2014. Skrzat returns to CES MMA for the first time since 2011 having resurrected his career with wins in three of his last four bouts while Davis aims for his fifth win with CES MMA following recent victories over Jimmy Davidson and Andres Jeudi.

The “CES MMA 34” preliminaries feature four exciting bouts, including a middleweight showdown between unbeatens Carlos Candelario (2-0) of New Britain, Conn., and Syracuse’s Luay Ashkar (2-0), plus the professional debuts of bantamweight Geoffrey Then and Michael Maldonado, both fighting out of Danbury, Conn. Then battles Merab Dvalishvili (1-2, 1 KO) of Long Island, N.Y., and Maldonado faces Stoughton, Mass., native George Nassar (1-0). The prelims also feature a light heavyweight bout between Cape Cod’s Matt Thompson (19-10, 7 KOs) and Anton Berzin (3-1) of Philadelphia. The 29-fight veteran Thompson appeared for CES MMA in 2014 and defeated Eric Bedard via submission.

Visit www.cesmma.com, www.twitter.com/cesmma or www.facebook.com/ces.mma for more information and use the hashtag #CES34 to join the conversation.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (March 28, 2016) – The main card is set for the April 9th M-1 Challenge 65 event, streaming for FREE on www.M-1Global.tv, live from CSC Sibur Arena in St. Petersburg, Russia

Ramazan Emeev (13-3-0, M-1: 7-1-0), reigning M-1 Challenge middleweight champion, takes on Brazilian challenger Maiquel “Big Rig” Falcao (35-8-0, M-1: 0-0-0) in the M-1 Challenge 65 main event. Emeev vs. Falcao is an M-1 Grand Prix middleweight semifinals match with the winner advancing to the final later this year against the other M-1 Grand Prix middleweight semifinals winner, former three-time Bellator champion Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko (52-9-0, M-1: 3-0-0).

M-1 Challenge welterweight champion Murad “Hunter” Abdulaev (13-1-0, M-1: 4-1-0) will make his first title defenseagainst undefeated challenger Alexey Kunchenko
(12-0-0, M-1: 4-0-0).

Former M-1 Challenge lightweight champion Maxim Divnich (11-1-0, M-1: 5-1-0) and M-1 Global debuting Robert Turnquest (5-1-0, M-1: 0-0-0), who is fighting out of Pensacola, Florida, USA.

Rounding out a strong main card is a middleweight match between Kristijan “Klitschko” Perak (13-8-0, M-1: 0-1-1), of Croatia, and undefeated Russian prospect Artem Frolov (5-0-0, M-1: 2-0-0); American heavyweight Jeremy “The BAMF” May (13-8-0, M-1: 1-0-0), fighting out of Vero Beach, Florida, USA, squares off against Evgeni Myakinkin (13-7-0, M-1: 1-1-0), of Russia

The preliminary card has four fights scheduled this far with Brazilian welterweight Sergio “Serginho” de Fatima (12-2-1 (M-1: 0-0-0) vs. Sergei Romanov (7-1-0, M-1: 0-0-0), of Russia; Ukrainian lightweight Alexander “Iron Capture” Butenko (39-11-0, M-1: 6-1-0) vs. Sascha Sharma (8-2-0, M-1: 0-0-0), of Germany; Ukrainian lightweight Yyacheslav Ten (12-7-2, M-1: 0-1-0) vs. Damir Ismagulov (4-2-0, M-1: 2-1-0); Russian lightweight Salman Magomedov (2-0-0, M-1: 0-0-0) vs. pro-debuting Zurab Jojua, of Georgia.

WATCH FOR FREE: M-1 Challenge 65 will be streamed live from Russia in high definition on www.M1Global.TV. Viewers will be able to watch the preliminary fights and main card for FREE by simply logging on to register at www.M1Global.TV. Fans may watch all of the action on their computers, as well as on Android and Apple smart phones and tablets.

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