Brooklyn, N.Y. (Tuesday, April 14, 2015) – Uprising Promotions super featherweight Angel Luna (10-0-1, 6 KOs) will be making his television debut this Friday night, fighting Philadelphia’s Tevin Farmer (18-4-1, 4 KOs) on the opening bout of the TV portion of ESPN’s Friday Night Fights. The fight, which will be co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment, will go down at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.

“This is a tough match-up on short notice, but it is an opportunity that we could not pass up,” said Ronson Frank, President of Uprising Promotions. “Angel is a man who is dedicated to his craft, and he is always in the gym. I am expecting a big performance out of him and know that he will give a 100% effort. It is exciting to see him have the chance to fight in front of so many people, and this bout will definitely raise his profile. This opens the door for bigger fights, and I know that Angel is looking to capitalize on the opportunity in front of him.”

Luna returns to the ring on Friday night for the second time in 2015, with his last bout occurring on a February 13th Uprising Promotions card in Long Island City, Queens. In that contest, Luna dropped Jhovanny Collado twice in the opening round before cruising to landslide victory on the cards. Trained by Mateo De La Cruz, Luna fought his first nine professional bouts in his native country of the Dominican Republic before signing to Uprising Promotions. The Brooklyn transplant has since fought under the Uprising Promotions banner on three occasions.

Fighting out of Philadelphia, Farmer has won 11 consecutive bouts since beginning his professional career with a record of 7-4-1. The most significant victory of his career came three fights ago when he steadily out-worked the previously unbeaten Emmanuel Gonzalez to earn a unanimous decision on a FOX Sports 1 televised card in Boston.

The next Uprising Promotions show has been confirmed for Friday, May 15th, with the promotion returning to the Brooklyn Masonic Temple. The card will continue and focus more intently on the initiative of Uprising Promotions to KO Autism, with proceeds from the night getting donated to The School For Language and Communication Development (SLCD) in Glen Cove, New York. The card is being sponsored by Ronson Frank Fitness, Bill4Time, Belaire Rosé Champagne, Alma Restaurant, Resolution Sports and Charlie’s Auto Collision in Long Island City. For tickets or any additional information, call (516) 451-6773.

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

ARLINGTON, TX (April 14, 2015) — Undefeated World Boxing Organization (WBO) lightweight champion and the Boxing Writers Association of America’s (BWAA) Fighter of the Year TERENCE “Bud” CRAWFORD (25-0, 17 KOs), from Omaha, NE, Puerto Rican buzz saw THOMAS “Thunder” DULORME (22-1, 14 KOs), the No. 2 world-rated contender and Hall of Fame promoter BOB Arum hosted a media conference call on Monday to discuss their upcoming rumble for the vacant WBO junior welterweight title. The Crawford-Dulorme world title fight will take place This Saturday! April 18, at College Park Center, located on the campus of the University of Texas Arlington in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The world championship fight will be televised as part of a split site doubleheader live on HBO Boxing After Dark®, beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Promoted By Top Rank®, in association with Gary Shaw Productions and Tecate, remaining tickets to the Crawford-Dulorme world championship event priced at $200, $100, $60, $40 and $25, plus applicable fees, tickets can be purchased at College Park Center box office, online at www.utatickets.com/ or www.utacollegepark.com/ or by phone at (817) 272-9595.

BOB ARUM: We are very excited to bring this event to Arlington, Texas, We are familiar with the Dallas-Ft. Worth area and have put on shows at Cowboys Stadium and this facility at the University of Texas Arlington is beautiful which is fitting for Fighter of the Year Terence Crawford, who was the world champion of the lightweight division and is now moving up for a crack at a junior welterweight world title. He fights a difficult contender in Thomas Dulorme. But we at Top Rank are confident in the ability of Terrence Crawford.

TERRENCE CRAWFORD: Camp has been going great. You know it’s been a blessing to be where I’m at and at this point I am ready to just go in there and do what I’ve got to do on Saturday night.

Has your life changed much after the year you have had?

TERRENCE CRAWFORD: Not really. I’ve got a little more of the big time people noticing me but other than that everything has been the same.

We saw how hard of a time you had getting down to 135 for the Beltran fight – how difficult was it?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: For that fight I don’t know what it was but my weight wasn’t coming down like it normally does. Now for this fight my weight has been down for about a week. It would have been easier for me to make 135 for this fight than the Beltran fight.

So you could have stayed at 135?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: I could in a sense, but I don’t think that would have been the best move being that my body is growing and I’m filling out a little more. This is the right time to move up before I start having serious problems because I struggled hard to make weight for that fight.

Your thoughts on now moving to 140 and fighting for a title?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: I am pleased with it. I feel like I need to use my career momentum to my advantage and I feel like I’ve got the momentum right now. I don’t want to take any steps backward, I want to keep moving up.

What are your thoughts about what Dulorme brings to the ring.

TERENCE CRAWFORD: I think he is a good boxer. He’s got a sharp, nice jab, he’s got a nice right hand. He likes to throw the little right hook. He moves well. He switches like me. I don’t have anything bad to say about him. Come Saturday I feel like I’m going to make my adjustments in the ring and do what I’ve go to do to get the job done.

Do you make your adjustments during the rounds or discuss when you go back to the corner in between rounds?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: I go the way I see it. One minute I may do something and the next minute I may feel the need to do something different. That’s why I switch back and forth so frequently because I may see something that I can capitalize on.

Going back to Gamboa – how did you know when to make the adjustments?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: Well I saw that he just kept coming short with the right hand coming over the top. So I figured instead of catching him pulling out, I was going to catch him coming in. I felt like my right hook was going to be the key to catching him coming in because he was coming in so fast he wouldn’t see it coming and that’s what happened.

Do you see a long stay at junior welterweight or do you see yourself moving up?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: Well right now my focus is 140. I have no thoughts about moving up to 147, I just moved up to 140. Right now I am focusing on being the number one guy at 140.

What do you think your biggest challenge will be at 140?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: I don’t know. I really can’t say what my main challenge will be because even though I fought at this division before, I never fought for a title, but I feel like I’m ready for it. But I don’t know until I get in there.

Do you worry about the quality of the punch at 140?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: I don’t worry about those kinds of things. I need to worry about neutralizing their strength and getting the job done.

You had some great fights in Omaha last year and now you are back on the road – do you plan to go back to light up Omaha again?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: My fighting outside of Omaha is nothing new to me. I’ve been doing it all my life. In tournaments when nobody knew me. I am kind of used to fighting away from him. I do see myself fighting in Omaha again, in a different weight class. Bringing another championship title to Omaha. But that’s in the future and right now I am more focused on the present.

Who does Terence remind you of historically?

BOB ARUM: The guy who comes most to mind from the standpoint from the fact that he is a boxer / puncher – there is a guy that we promoted for a number of years named Donald Curry. Curry had at a certain point in his career, for a number of years was really a top flight fighter and they said he was going to be the next Sugar Ray Leonard but it didn’t work out that way, for various reasons. Be Terence has people around him, like Brian McIntyre, and Cameron Dunkin behind him, to keep him on the right patch, so that he will ultimately be able to achieve what Curry didn’t. Terence is a great fighter and Terence reminds me of Donald Curry.

You seem to fly under the radar because you are so soft-spoken. Do you think sometimes maybe you should talk a little more smack?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: I don’t feel like I need to do that. That’s not me. I don’t like to say anything about me around me. I like to feel like when I say something that’s what I mean. That’s what I’m about. I’m not about being a showman. I am a showman in the ring but those unnecessary things outside the ring that people do; I don’t feel like I need to do that because that’s not me.

You are fighting now in ’15 before you even get the award for Fighter of the Year for 2014. Do you feel you are beginning a new campaign for 2015?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: I couldn’t even imagine thinking about that right now because it is so far away. But if that was to happen again, I would be too happy.

Were you surprised to get it and what does it mean to you as you look back?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: It means a lot to me. I feel like I had a great year. Going over there to Scotland, where nobody wanted to go, then coming back and fighting Gamboa – tough, tough fight, tough fighter – undefeated and a lot of experience and a lot of backing. Then taking on Ray Beltran – I felt great about my performance and my year. I been telling my manager, Cameron Dunkin, for years I wanted to be pushed. ‘Cameron throw me in there. Throw me in there.’ But managers are supposed to protect fighters from themselves, because sometimes fighters might say they want to fight, but don’t need to fight and it’s not a good fight for them. They thing they want it but really it’s not a good fight for them. That’s why I hired Cameron, because he, working with Brian McIntyre – that’s their job – to get the best fights for me, not for me, but for myself. That’s why they are the managers and I am the fighter. So I just bought my time, waited for the moment, and look at me now.

Are you looking forward to fighting then going to New York and having a good time and getting your accolades?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: Of course, of course – that is the ultimate goal. It’s taking care of business Saturday, then resting up and enjoying my weekend. Then go get my award, then after that go to the Mayweather fight. I am just looking forward to everything this weekend.

How do you feel about the 6:1 odds in your favor?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: I don’t know. They may see one thing but I respect all fighters. I have never in my career underestimated any fighter. When I am in training camp I never think about going in there and knock this dude out or I’m going to do this. They can think something else but we are going to train as hard as we can for twelve rounds or even more. That way we don’t get any surprises.

How do you see yourself this year at 140?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: I see myself doing great things in this weight class. I feel like I am going to be stronger. I feel like I am going to be faster. I am getting the experience that I need to be smarter and wiser. I don’t go in the ring looking for any particular fighter, like ‘I want to fight him or I want to fight him.’ I just want to fight the best. My manager, my promoter, if they feel it is the best fight for me, then they will come to me and say this is the fight we want and I will believe in them like they believe in me and we will go forward with the fight.

Is this fight set up to take on the winner of Matthysse – Provodnikov?

BOB ARUM: Provodnikov and Matthysse are excellent fighters and certainly the winner of that fight would be considered against the winner, who we feel is going to be Crawford, would be a natural. But would there be a better fight to be made? Would the manager of the winner of Provodnikov-Matthysse want to fight the winner of this fight? Those things need to be decided. In other words, this is not a puppet show. You sit down with the management of the winner of the fight and then it will be decided. Let’s just enjoy what we are going to see on Saturday.

Team Crawford In closing

TERENCE CRAWFORD: Thanks for having me on.

BOB ARUM: For everyone that can get to Arlington, get there because it is going to be a great fight. You will see one of the great up and coming fighters of this era, Terence Crawford. I know a lot of people are focused on May 2, when Manny and Floyd go at it. But there are great fighters that will be fighting on Saturday, whether they are in Texas or elsewhere, I think Saturday is going to be a real good day for the junior welterweight division and hopefully a good day for Terence Crawford,

Thomas, Would it be a surprise for you to win the fight over Crawford?

THOMAS DULORME: It would not be a surprise for me. I know the way the boxing analysts feel but I am very comfortable with this fight and I will come out the winner of this fight.

What would winning this fight mean for your career?

THOMAS DULORME: This is another step forward in my career. It is a very important fight for me as I move along.

How do you feel about fighting the Fighter of the Year?

THOMAS DULORME: Those who make the decisions to choose who will be the fighter of the year are those involved in analyzing the fights. I am only concentrating on my career as a boxer in the gym and not outside of the ring.

The odds seem to be steeply in Crawford’s favor…

THOMAS DULORME: I am not surprised by the odds because everyone thinks this is a very comfortable fight for Crawford. I will say this – those who bet with me as the winner of the fight are going to take home a nice chunk of money.

There are some rumors making the rounds in social media – how do respond to them?

THOMAS DULORME: I have been concentrating for the past month and a half on my training and I have been away from the social media so I don’t really know what that has to do with. Everything in social media is being handled by my advisors’ office.

This is the biggest fight of your career and you have changed trainers…

THOMAS DULORME: Robert Garcia and I are great friends. I wanted to train in Puerto Rico where my boxing career began and Robert didn’t have the time to train me here in Puerto Rico.

Who is the head trainer for this fight?

THOMAS DULORME: I do not have a head trainer as such. What I have done is put together a great training team that brings to the table many years of training experience of old school in boxing. Jose “Kike” Rosa and Felix Pagan Pintor and Don Khan and Anthony Otero who have trained and been in title fights with other great boxers.

Who will be the person in charge that Thomas listens to between rounds?

THOMAS DULORME: It will be Kike Rosa

It seems that Terence is more of a boxer in this fight moving up in weight and since Thomas is coming down in weigh he will be the stronger fighter against the more slick Crawford. How do you feel about that?

THOMAS DULORME: As you know, I can switch from the guy who is a boxer in the ring and what I am going to do in this fight is switch from one side to the other but I am going to be constantly hurting Crawford with my power punches throughout the fight.

Did you know going into the fight with Lundy that your next fight would be for the title or did you think you just had to make a statement in that fight?

THOMAS DULORME: I never knew going into the Lundy fight, which was going to be my next fight. I never concentrate on, when I am going into a fight, who my next fight will be with. I concentrate on each fight individually.

How do you feel coming off two big wins against Karim Mayfield and Lundy?

THOMAS DULORME: My professional boxing career has been on a comfortable rise and I am very happy and very positive on this next step with a win over Crawford on the 18th.

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

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (April 14, 2015) – Bellator MMA officials are proud to announce the addition of exciting Brazilian featherweight prospect Gleristone “Toninho Furia” Santos (27-4), who has signed an exclusive, multi-fight deal.

Santos’s debut date and opponent will be announced in the near future.

Long considered one of Brazil’s top prospects, the 26-year-old Santos debuted in 2005, when he was just 16 years old and earned victories in his first nine professional bouts. Born in Campina Grande, Paraiba, Santos currently boasts a nine-fight winning streak and is an incredible 16-1 in his past 17 appearances. “

Toninho” joins several other talented Brazilian fighters on the Bellator roster including Featherweight World Champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, Welterweight World Champion Douglas Lima, Bantamweight World Champion Marcos Galvao, Eduardo “Dudu” Dantas, Patricky “Pitbull” Freire, Rafael Carvalho, Neiman Gracie, Goiti Yamauchi amongst others.

About Bellator MMA
Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 500 million homes worldwide in over 140 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike TV, the MMA television leader. Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Santa Monica, California and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.

About Spike:
Spike is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

CORK, Ireland (April 12, 2015) – Unified super bantamweight world champion Guillermo “The Jackal” Rigondeaux (15-0, 10 KOs), arguably the most avoided reigning world title holder in modern boxing history, will travel to London next month in order to publicly confront his mandatory challenger, Scott Quigg (30-0-2, 22 KOs), the World Boxing Association (WBA) “regular” 122-pound division titlist.

A month ago in an unusual move, Rigondeaux’ manager Gary Hyde formally petitioned the WBA to enforce a mandatory title fight between his WBA Super champion and Quigg. Hyde is awaiting the WBA’s decision. Rigondeaux is also the World Boxing Organization (WBO) and The Ring magazine’s super bantamweight champion.

A reigning world champion hasn’t been avoided by other world champions and top contenders like Rigondeux has for the past two years since, perhaps, junior middleweight Sergio Martinez, or possibly all the way back to middleweight Mike McCallum.

The top three super bantamweights in the world outside of Rigondeaux – International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Council (WBC) champions, Carl Frampton and Leo Santa Cruz, respectively, plus Quigg – have avoided the Cuban great like the plaque. Once Santa Cruz’ promoter at the time, Oscar de la Hoya, announced that a Rigondeaux-Santa Cruz had to happen, Santa Cruz’ powerful adviser, Al Haymon, exercised a contract option and bought him out to avoid a fight with ‘Rigo.’ Frampton’s promoter, Barry McGuigan, has proclaimed his fighter, not Rigondeaux, as the No. 1 super featherweight in the world. McGuigan, though, is interested in Frampton fighting Quigg in a U.K. showdown, rather than a world mega-fight for three of the four major sanctioning world titles. As the “regular” WBA champion, Quigg is Rigondeaux’ mandatory challenger, yet, he apparently wants no part of the two-time Olympic gold medalist because his promoter, Barry Hearn, not only hasn’t pushed the issue, he’s in negotiations with McGuigan for Frampton to fight Quigg.

Former world super bantamweight champions Nonito Doniare, after he lost a unification fight to Rigondeaux two years ago, and Abner Mares chose to move up one division to fight as featherweights. And now Donaire reports that his manager was contacted by a Quigg representative to discuss a Donaire-Quigg fight in England.

Another two-time Olympic gold medalist, WBO 126-pound champion Vasyl Lomachenko, continually insists that “Rigo” has to move up in weight for a fight to happen despite him having no problems making 126.

“Quigg, Santa Cruz and Frampton have showed no desire to challenge Rigondeaux,” Hyde said. “These three fighters are trying to fool the public into believing that fight the No. 1 guy in the world is not important. While they are lining their pockets with ridiculous amounts of cash for fighting below par opponents, Rigondeaux is forced to wait around until some Asian opponent steps up. This is a sport in which we are accustomed to seeing the best fighting the best but, in the super bantamweight division, it’s the best versus the rest.

“Rigondeaux will travel to Manchester to fight Quigg, Belfast to fight Frampton, or Las Vegas to fight Santa Cruz. None of these so-called world champions, though, will consider fighting the acknowledged world super bantamweight champion. They’re all much more content to hold onto their belts than beating The Man in their weight class.”

Next month, Hyde reports, Rigondeaux will travel to the United Kingdom in a bold attempt to embarrass Quigg into fighting him. “I don’t like traveling overseas unless I have a fight lined up,” Rigondeaux explained, “but I will travel to England in May to publicly call out Scott Quigg. If he turns down the chance to fight our WBA mandatory, he will be remembered for that instead of being known as a great fighter. While I’m in the UK, I will also go to Belfast to checkout Carl Frampton to ask if he wants to prove himself against the best in his division.”

Understanding that the top super bantamweight action is currently in Europe, noting a record purse ($2.2 million USD) offered for a Frampton vs. Quigg fight, Rigondeaux is considering a major change in the not too distant future, moving his base from Miami to the UK, if that’s what it takes for him to get in on the action.

Hyde also manages former WBO middleweight champion and current International Boxing Federation (IBF) No. 1 mandatory contender Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (31-1, 18 KOs), former WBA Interim cruiserweight champion Youri “El Toro” Kalenga (21-2, 14 KOs) and Georgian super lightweight Levan “The Wolf” Ghvamichava (14-1-1, 11 KOs) , as well as top prospects such as Cuban super bantamweight Marcos Forestal (2-0, 2 KOs), Irish heavyweight Con Sheehan and Bulgarian light heavyweight Blagoy Naydenov.

Follow Hyde on Twitter at @NoWhere2Hyde and friend him at www.facebook.com/gary.hyde.50?fref=ts.

NEW YORK/UNCASVILLE, Conn. (April 13, 2015) – A loaded undercard featuring a cast of unbeaten prospects has been announced for the non-televised segment of the April 17th ESPN Friday Night Fights card, airing live from beautiful Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

The scheduled nine-fight card is presented by DiBella Entertainment in association with Fight Promotions Inc. and New Legend Boxing.

Live coverage will begin at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and will also be available through WatchESPN on computers, smartphones, tablets, Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One via an affiliated video provider. ESPN Deportes’ Noche de Combates will also carry the three fights live on broadband Spanish-language ESPN Deportes+.

Undefeated WBC #12 junior middleweight contender Tony Harrison (20-0, 17 KOs), fighting out of Detroit, takes on former Interim WBO Latino/Mexican welterweight champion Pablo “Sepulturero” Munguia (20-6, 11 KOs) in the 10-round main event.

In an eight-round featherweight battle for New England bragging rights, flashy Ryan “The Polish Prince” Kielczweski (22-0, 6 KOs), from Quincy, Massachusetts, puts his unbeaten record on the line against upset-minded Danny Aquino (16-2, 10 KOs), a Mexican-born fighter who lives in nearby Meriden, CT in the co-feature bout of the evening.

In the opening bout of the ESPN Friday Night Fights triple-header, Philadelphia junior lightweight Tevin “American Idol” Farmer (18-4-1, 4 KOs), USBA #4/NABF #10, faces Angel Luna (10-0-1, 6 KOs), fighting out of Brooklyn, NY, by way of the Dominican Republic, in an eight-round match.

Fighting off television is unbeaten New York City super middleweight Lennox “2 Sharpe” Allen (18-0-1, 11 KOs), who returns to the ring for an eight-round bout against battle-tested Paul Gonsalves (7-5-1, 3 KOs), of Harwich, MA. Allen is a former WBC CABOFE, New York State and Guyanese champion.

Maryland junior middleweight Alantez “SlyAza” Fox (14-0-1, 4 KOs) meets Dominican challenger Franklin Gonzalez (16-13, 10 KOs) in an eight-rounder. The 6’5″ Fox was a standout amateur boxer who compiled a 164-35 record, highlighted by his gold-medal performances at the Ringside National and Under-19 tournaments.

In a six-round welterweight matchup, Regis “Rougarou” Prograis (13-0, 11 KOs) squares off against Mexican invader Abraham “The Swift” Alvarez (19-7-1, 9 KOs). An amateur star out of Houston, Prograis had an impressive 87-7 amateur record and won several prestigious championships including the Ringside World Tournament.

Amos “2 Smooth” Cowart (12-0-1, 8 KOs), fighting out of Groveland, Florida, and Philadelphia’s Anthony Burgin (8-0, 1 KO) throw down in an interesting six-round fight between unbeaten junior welterweight prospects. Cowart, fighting for the first time since officially signing a long-term promotional agreement with DBE, will be looking to impress when he takes on the fellow undefeated prospect Burgin.

Former U. of New Haven basketball star Cassius Chaney makes his long-awaited professional debut in a four-round heavyweight match against Excell Holmes (2-5-1, 1 KO), of Buffalo. The 27-year-old Chaney, fighting out of New London, CT, stands 6’6″ and weighs in the 230-235 pound range. A 2010 graduate from U. of New Haven with a degree in sports management, Chaney is co-managed by former NBA all-star Vin Baker and trained by veteran Peter Manfredo Sr.

All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Tickets are currently on sale and are priced at $100, $70 and $30 (subject to additional fees). Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.mohegansun.com or by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000. Tickets may also be purchased by visiting the Mohegan Sun Box Office. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. ET with the first bout scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.

VAN NUYS, Calif. (April 13, 2015) – Former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. held a media workout on Friday in front of a packed house at Ten Goose Boxing Gym in Van Nuys, Calif., as the Mexican superstar prepares to make his SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® debut on Saturday, April 18, at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif., live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT).

In the main event of the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING doubleheader, Mexican superstar Chavez, Jr. (48-1-1, 32 KOs) meets dangerous brawler Andrzej Fonfara (26-3, 15 KOs) in a 12-round light heavyweight bout.

In the 10-round co-feature, top 10 ranked junior welterweight contender Amir Imam (16-0, 14 KOs) will aim to move one step closer to a world title opportunity when he makes his second start of 2015 against fellow power-puncher Walter Castillo (25-2, 18 KOs).

Julio Cesar Chavez, arguably the greatest Mexican fighter of all time, made an appearance during his son’s workout to show his support and offer words of encouragement.

Here’s what Chavez Jr., Julio Cesar Chavez and Joe Goossen (trainer) had to say Friday at the Los Angeles-area gym:

JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ JR., Former World Champion
“I am very focused going into this fight. I have changed a lot mentally this past year.

“I am fighting [Andrzej] Fonfara now because I like big opponents. I like the challenge of fighting good, hungry fighters. Just because Fonfara doesn’t have the name recognition of other fighters, it doesn’t make him an easy fighter. He’s tough.

“I feel comfortable at light heavyweight. Any time that you can add a couple pounds, you feel better. Although I will be fighting at 175, I feel most comfortable at 168 as a boxer. Since I have had one year off, it was a better choice to fight at this weight so that I could see how my body feels.

“Since I have added a few pounds, I have become a more physical and stronger boxer. The light heavyweight division has very big and physical contenders.

“Joe [Goossen] is a great trainer. He is a great motivator to his fighters and makes them better. I have worked very hard with him for the 35 days we spent together in Lake Tahoe.

“When I was training with Freddie Roach, it was very different. I think Freddie is a great trainer, but Joe also has a lot of experience and we have made a connection together.

“I really liked training in Lake Tahoe. The altitude, the ring, everything I needed was there. I felt very comfortable up there and I would like to come back there to train for a fight again.

“I promise a great fight, this is a very exciting fight. Fonfara isn’t an easy opponent, but he has never seen an opponent like me.”

JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ SR.
“I am here to support and be with my son. I try to give him good advice. I tell him to train and prepare hard, and fortunately he is doing that well.

“I think Joe [Goossen] is doing a great job, we are on the same page. We are all focused on him [Chavez Jr.] getting to the fight well prepared. This fight requires great preparation because he is going into the fight at a weight that’s higher than his normal weight and he is facing a very tough opponent.

“He must go in 100 percent to win this fight.

“I think there has been a 180 degree turn in his career. I see this as a positive because he can really develop his ability and looks very well prepared.

“I would’ve liked to have seen him take a tune up fight instead because of his long layoff; I particularly didn’t want this fight.

“Julio [Chavez Jr.] wants credibility in this sport and that’s why he made the decision to take this fight, even though it’s a dangerous decision. He must be very prepared for this fight.”

JOE GOOSSEN, Chavez Jr.s’ Trainer
“I’ve been asked over the years who the one fighter was that I would like to work and my answer was always Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

“I’ve always really admired his style. I had known him as a kid, his father is a legend. It had always seemed like a dream job for me, and out of nowhere I got it.

“Lake Tahoe was tremendous for training camp. You are isolated and it’s not an easy thing. When you aren’t training you are sitting in a hotel room. You are deprived the comforts of home, but it really gives you that concentration and dedication factor and I think that will interpret into some positive results.

“I matured over my years, once I had a kid and a family and I think the same has happened with Julio. Life becomes clearer when you put away the immaturity. You realize that you have a future and if you really want to access what’s available to you, then you are going to have to work hard and dedicate yourself to it.

“Going to Lake Tahoe and really working hard is a sign of maturity and I think that’s what Julio is going through right now. He really showed it by leaving his home and spending an extended period of time up there. To me that is a great indicator that he is mature, dedicated and taking this fight very seriously.

“Of course I believe Julio is ready to fight Fonfara. The fight was made before I even came on board, but that’s the challenge that I am presented with. You must figure out a good game plan and figure out what you’re up against.

“Just because Julio has been out a year doesn’t mean that it’s going to be a cake walk for Fonfara. We went up to Lake Tahoe with one thing in mind, and that’s winning this fight and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”

# # #
“Chavez Jr. vs. Fonfara”, a 12-round light heavyweight bout co-promoted by Goossen Promotions and Chavez Promotions that takes place at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. and will air on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT). In the co-main event, Amir Imam faces Walter Castillo in a 10-round jr. welterweight showdown. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast will also be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP).

Tickets for the event are priced at $200, $150, $100, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes, fees and service charges, are available for purchase online at AXS.com.

For more information visit www.sports.sho.com, follow on Twitter at @SHOSports, @jcchavezjr1, @andrzej_fonfara, @StubHubCenter and @Swanson_Comm, follow the conversation using #ChavezFonfara, become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing or visit the SHOWTIME Boxing Blog at http://theboxingblog.sho.com.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (April 13, 2015) – The most-watched MMA fight of all time was between Kimbo Slice and James Thompson, and on June 19, both men will be competing against different opponents at “Bellator: Unfinished Business” at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.

Former WWE superstar Bobby “The Dominator” Lashley looks to avenge a 2012 split decision loss to James “The Colossus” Thompson (20-14). The unfinished business between the two giant heavyweights was originally scheduled to be settled at “Bellator: The British Invasion,” but an injury sustained by Lashley caused the fight to be rescheduled to June 19.

Thompson, a 6-foot-5 striking specialist, hails from England and has been fighting professionally since 2003. A former rugby player and bodybuilder, Thompson found his true calling in MMA and has been competing around the globe ever since. Fighting some of the best heavyweights in the sport, including Slice, Alexander Emelianenko, Don Frye, Alistair Overeem, Mariusz Pudzianowki, Brett Rogers, Bob Sapp, Dan Severn and Hidehiko Yoshida, among others, “The Colossus” has racked up 11 wins by knockout and seven by submission.

A 6-foot-3 wrestling standout, Bobby “The Dominator” Lashley (12-2) started training in the grappling arts at age 12 and would go on to win several titles including three National Championships at Missouri Valley College, an NAIA National Championship, a CISM World Championship Silver Medal and two Armed Forces Wrestling Championships during his time in the U.S. Army. In addition to a professional wrestling career with stints in the WWE, ECW and TNA, Lashley began his MMA career in 2008, and he’s built an impressive career mark that includes Bellator MMA submission wins over Karl Etherington and Josh Burns.

“Bellator: Unfinished Business” – Friday, June 19, Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Mo.

Main Card (9 p.m. ET)

Bellator Heavyweight Main Event: Kimbo Slice (4-2) vs. Ken Shamrock (28-15)
Bellator Featherweight Championship: Patricio Pitbull (23-2) vs. Georgi Karakhanyan (24-4)
Bellator Heavyweight Feature Fight: Bobby Lashley (12-2) vs. James Thompson (20-14)
Bellator Lightweight Feature Fight: Michael Chandler (12-3) vs. Derek Campos (15-4)

About Bellator MMA
Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 500 million homes worldwide in over 140 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike TV, the MMA television leader. Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Santa Monica, California and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.

About Spike:
Spike is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

About Scottrade Center:
Celebrating its 20th Anniversary this season, Scottrade Center is a contemporary, 12-story glass and concrete structure located in the heart of downtown St. Louis. The home of the St. Louis Blues Hockey Club, Scottrade Center also features a full range of arena programming, including concerts, ice shows, family shows and other sporting events. Scottrade Center is consistently ranked by Pollstar Magazine as one of the top grossing arenas in the country.

RUSSELLVILLE, ARKANSAS (April 13, 2015) – Six-Time and Four-Division World Champion, Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero, will join Arkansas Tech University and BeTheMatch.org in an effort to break the world record for bone marrow registries in a 24-hour period. In addition, the group will attempt to break the 1-hour world record for registries as well. Arkansas Tech’s Be The Match bone marrow registry event will begin at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14, and continue through 9 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15, on the university’s campus.

Joining “The Ghost” will be his wife, Casey Guerrero, who is a cancer survivor and a recipient of a bone marrow transplant from the BeTheMatch.org registry (National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP). Together they will inspire everyone on campus and help students register while relaying the important message of being a donor.

“What an honor to be invited to this great event put on by Arkansas Tech University and BeTheMatch.org,” said Robert Guerrero. “Casey and I are going to do our part to help register as many people as possible. I really believe we are going to break the records. Many lives will be saved and that brings me great pleasure. I’m super motivated and can’t wait to get on campus and go to work.”

Dr. Jason Warnick, associate professor of psychology, and Dr. Julie Mikles-Schluterman, associate professor of sociology, are spearheading the drive at Arkansas Tech.

“Registering with Be The Match is a quick and painless experience,” said Dr. Jason Warnick. “There is a small amount of paperwork to complete, a cheek swab and then you are done. In all, the process takes about 10 minutes. It is amazing to think that such a small investment of time and effort on our part could lead to saving the life of another human being.”

The first 3,000 individuals who register with Be The Match during the 24-hour drive at Arkansas Tech will receive a free T-shirt courtesy of the Arkansas Tech Student Government Association.

Be The Match registry drives focus on individuals age 18-44 due to medical research that indicates that age group is most likely to provide a successful bone marrow transplant. Be The Match registration is free for individuals age 18-44.

Individuals age 45-60 may register with Be The Match at www.bethematch.org with a donation of $100.

For more information about the Be The Match bone marrow registry drive at Arkansas Tech, send e-mail to jwarnick@atu.edu or jmiklesschluterman@atu.edu.

About Be The Match
For the thousands of people diagnosed every year with life-threatening blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, a cure exists. Over the past 25 years Be The Match®, operated by the National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP), has managed the largest and most diverse marrow registry in the world. We work every day to save lives through transplant.

Tuesday, April 14
9 p.m. – Kickoff Celebration, Baswell Techionery
10 p.m.-Midnight – Black Light Party, Young Ballroom

Wednesday, April 15
Midnight-2 a.m. – Midnight Pancakes, Baswell Techionery
2 a.m. – Movie Under the Stars, Crabaugh Lawn
3 a.m. – Donuts With Mayor Randy Horton, Young Ballroom
4-6 a.m. – Game Show Hosted by Thomas Pennington, Young Ballroom
6 a.m. – Bootcamp With Cora of Forca Martial Arts, Hindsman Tower
7 a.m. – Yoga / Breakfast To Go, Hindsman Tower (please bring your mat if you have one)
8 a.m. – Veterans Appreciation / Breakfast To Go, Baswell Techionery Patio
9 a.m.-Noon – Ag Department “Hump Day” Camel Photos, Hindsman Tower
9 a.m. – Boxer Robert Guerrero Speaks About Be The Match, Baswell Techionery
10 a.m. – Presidential Selfies With Dr. Robin E. Bowen, Baswell Techionery Patio
11 a.m. – Robert Guerrero Autographs and Photos, Baswell Techionery Patio
Noon – Inferfaith Lunch, Hindsman Tower
Noon – Roundtable Discussion with Casey and Robert Guerrero, Hindsman Tower
1-3 p.m. – Alumni Hours / Acoustic Music, Baswell Techionery Patio
3 p.m. – Pie A Professor / Resident Director, Hindsman Tower
4 p.m. – Photos With Jerry the Bulldog, Baswell Techionery Patio
5-7 p.m. – BBQ Feast, Hindsman Tower
7 p.m. – Concert with Some Guy Named Robb, Baswell Techionery
8 p.m. – Countdown Party With D.J., Young Ballroom
9 p.m. – Drive Completion Celebration, Young Ballroom

SOCIAL MEDIA:
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/GHOSTBOXING
Instagram: https://instagram.com/ghostboxing

Bethlehem, PA (April 13, 2015)
—
Brandon Adams and John Thompson won semifinal bouts in the Boxcino 2015 Jr. Middleweight Tournament while Andrey Fedosov and Donovan Dennis scored impressive stoppage victories in the Heavyweight tournament, as all four punched their tickets to the finals in bouts that took place this past Friday at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem.

The bouts were televised live on ESPN Friday Night Fights.

The show was promoted by Banner Promotions, Inc.

The finals of both weight classes will take place on Friday, May 22 at the Omega Products International Outdoor Arena in Corona, California and will be aired live on ESPN Friday Night Fights.

Brandon Adams lands the uppercut
Adams took out longtime friend Vito Gasparyan in round seven of their scheduled 8-round bout.

Adams worked very well on the inside as he landed some solid shots to the head and landed to the body nicely. Gasparyan hung tough against his one-time sparring partner but the amount of solid punches began to show on Gasparyan and the bout was stopped 35 seconds into round seven with a badly swollen left ear.

Adams, 155 1/2 lbs of Los Angeles moves onto the finals with a record of 17-1 with 12 knockouts. Gasparyan, 154 lbs of Burbank, CA is now 15-4-5. Adams will not meet John Thompson.

John Thompson won an 8-round split decision over previously undefeated Stanyslav Skorokhod.

Thompson lands the right hand

Thompson boxed well early as he used his jab to set up three and four punch combinations, while Skorokhod landed some good power shots. Skorokhod was cut around his right eye in round two while Thompson suffered a cut in the same area in round four.

Thompson did well when the fight was in the center of the ring. Skorokhod landed several flush punches but it wasn’t enough as the judges preferred the boxing of Thompson to the tune of 78-74 and 77-75 while Skorokhod won a card 78-74.

Thompson, 154 3/4 lbs of Newark, NJ is now 16-1. Skorokhod, 153 3/4 lbs of Los Angeles via Ukraine is now 9-1.

“I had to box him as he was swinging wild. I outboxed him. He was just swinging and not throwing any straight shots,” said Thompson.

Dennis lands the knockout blow
Donovan Dennis
scored a highlight reel 2nd round stoppage over 6’7″ Razvan Cojnau.

Dennis landed a thudding straight left that landed flush on the chin of Cojanu and the big man fell flat on the canvas and the bout was stopped 59 seconds into round two.

“I used my speed, quick feet and combinations,” said Dennis. “I saw an opening in the first round and then in the second I came with an overhand left that landed right on the button and he crumbled to the canvas.”

The punch was so devastating that it was ESPN Sports Center top play of the night.

On fighting Andrey Fedosov in the finals, “It is going to be a tough fight and I will have to work harder.”

Dennis, 224 1/4 lbs of Davenport, IA is now 12-1 with 10 knockouts. Cojanu, 255 1/2 lbs of Los Angeles via Romania is now 13-2.

Andrey Fedosov shook off a first round knockdown to comeback and register a third round stoppage over Lenroy Thomas.

Fedosov works the body

Just seconds into the bout, Thomas landed a straight left and sent Fedosov to the canvas. Fedosov came back in round three and landed a ripping combination that led to Thomas to a knee and and he did not beat referee Gary Rosado’s count at 1:01 of round three.

Fedosov, 220 1/4 lbs of Hollywood, CA via Russia is now 27-3 with 22 knockouts. Thomas, 236 lbs of St. Petersburg, FL is now 19-4

“He was a good opponent. He was fast. I look forward to fighting in the finals,”said Fedosov

Eric Newell won a four-round unanimous decision over Brandon Spencer in a Heavyweight bout.

Newell of Bethlehem, PA won by scores of 40-36 and 39-37 twice

Jon Bolden outworked Ed “Tex” Fountain and scored a six-round unanimous decision in a Heavyweight bout.

Bolden of New York won by scores of 59-55 twice and 58-56 and is now 7-10-1. Fountain of St. Joseph, MO is now 10-2.

In the opening bout, Curtis Morton upset Greg Jackson via a 6-round unanimous decision in a Welterweight bout.

Morton dropped Jackson in round five and won by scores of 60-53 twice and 58-55.

Morton, 146 lbs of Myrtle Beach, SC is now 3-4-2. Jackson, 147 lbs of Philadelphia falls to 5-2-1.

Ricky Nuno made a successful pro debut with a 4-round unanimous decision over Pat Kehoe (1-2) in a jr. middleweight bout.

Mike Liberto won his pro debut with a 4th round stoppage over Darnell Hayes (1-2) in a cruiserweight bout.

Photos by Emily Harney / Banner Promotions

Follow Banner Promotions on social media for all the latest Banner and #Boxcino2015 updates:
@BannerBoxing #TeamBanner ; @Boxcino2015 #Boxcino
Facebook.com/BannerPromotions; instagram.com/BannerBoxing

IRVINE, Calif. (April 10, 2015) – An energetic Southern Californian crowd was on hand tonight at the Bren Event Center enjoying a spectacular night of fights at Bellator 136.

With celebrities and MMA legends the likes of Tommy Lasorda, Charlie Hough, Jermaine Dye, Tito Ortiz, Ken Shamrock, Don Frye and Frank Shamrock cageside, the Scott Coker-led promotion emphatically returned to the arena for the first time since its debut on Spike at Bellator 85.

In addition to a lightweight title fight in the main event, 12 other exciting contests helped continue the trend of exciting cards on Spike TV thus far in 2015.

It took the full five rounds, but Will Brooks (16-1) made the first defense of his Bellator Lightweight strap, defeating Dave Jansen (20-3) via unanimous decision [49-46, 49-46, 49-46]. After a clear cut opening frame that saw “The Fugitive” surprise “Ill Will” with his explosive kicking and punching, Brooks slowly turned the tide in his favor, slowing the pace and using his world renown grappling to remain the 155-pound kingpin.

“Dave Jansen is exactly what people consider him to be,” said Brooks. “He’s got that warrior spirit and he’s really intelligent. He fought hard, I just fought harder. I’m still young in this sport, and there were definitely a lot of things that I wanted to do in the fight that he neutralized. I’m looking to stay busy and get back to putting on exciting fights for the fans.”

After 15 minutes of co-main event action, Rafael Carvalho improved to 11-1, earning a split decision win [28-29, 30-27, 29-28] against Joe Schilling (2-4). The young Brazilian slowed the fight down throughout, nullifying the striking of “Stitch Em’ Up.” One judge did see the fight in favor of the world champion kickboxer, but it wasn’t enough as Schilling drops to .500 inside the Bellator cage.

In a battle of submission specialists, Marcin Held (21-3) finished Tiger Sarnavskiy (30-3) via verbal submission caused by a knee bar at 1:11 of round three. With the win, Held has now won 12 of his 21 professional fights via submission.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/gMfGxLS3LD-8iHI7JEB8v2mGCBdxcxvx9lhKOoKnwcYi22DkMqXBTGWfKH7KfPTKAy5XBG4b_I_CUOD4c3h0c47dYX31GC5Jgd2GpO5Q__oscynC3wWETRxPZn3ZeWmuGCxpklI
The first televised scrap of the evening featured heavyweights Tony Johnson (8-2) and Alexander Volkov (6-1). After three grueling rounds, “The Hulk” remained undefeated in the Bellator cage. Johnson was awarded a [29-28, 28-29, 29-28] split decision. Overall it was the wrestling of Johnson that earned him the victory. Now, Johnson returns home to his two daughters and fiancée, where he doubles as a self-proclaimed “Mr. Mom.”

Joey Beltran (16-11) bounced back from a lackluster opening round to take rounds two and three, ultimately defeating Brian Rogers (11-8) via majority decision [28-28, 29-28, 29-27]. “The Mexicutioner” impressed in his Bellator MMA middleweight debut, while “The Predator” has dropped four of five scraps.
Saad Awad (18-6) handed Rob Sinclair (12-3) the third loss of his career, earning a unanimous decision [30-27, 30-27, 30-37]. With the win, Awad moves even closer to a trilogy fight with lightweight champion Will Brooks.

In the opening bout of the evening, John Teixeira (18-1-2) defeated Fabricio Guerreiro (20-4) via split decision [29-28, 28-29, 29-28]. Guerreiro has now dropped two of his last three bouts, while “Macapa” has won three straight.

AJ McKee (1-0) made a successful professional debut on Friday night, finishing Marcos Bonilla (1-2) with a deep rear-naked choke at 2:08 round one. The contingent that remained after the main card was heavily in favor of the Long Beach, Calif., native.

Chad George (16-8) finished Mark Vorgeas (5-3-1) with a head and arm choke at 3:37 of the first round. There was no tap or verbal submission, as George had to inform the referee that his opponent had gone unconscious. The Los Angeles native now has nine submission wins in his young career.

Laguna Hills, Calif., Justin Governale (4-2) submitted hometown boy Jay Bogan (6-5) via rear-naked choke at 2:09 of round two. It was an exciting end to a fight that was nearly finished by Governale with strikes.

Steve Ramirez (1-1) finished Jon Santa Maria (3-1) with a toehold at 3:29 of round one.

Cleber Luciano (11-5) finished Aaron Miller (14-10) with an arm bar at 4:36 of round two.

About Bellator MMA
Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 400 million homes worldwide in over 120 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike TV, the MMA television leader. Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Santa Monica, California and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.

About Spike TV:
Spike TV is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

MOSCOW (April 11, 2015) – Former M-1 Challenge middleweight champion Ramasan Emeev (12-3-0) recaptured the coveted title from defending champion Vyacheslav Vasilevsky (26-3-0) in last night’s M-1 Challenge 56 main event in Moscow, Russia.

Emeev used a perfectly executed rear-naked choke to defeat Vasilevsky by submission at the 1:47 mark of the first round.

Vasilevsky had taken title belt from Emeev this past September 7 in St. Petersburg at M-1 Challenge 51: Fightspirit with a fourth-round stoppage from punches in the first showdown between the two Russian fighters. A Vasilevsky-Emeev rematch was a natural from the moment their first fight ended and now there is a potential trilogy match.

The 27-year-old Emeev, who lives and trains in Makhachkala, Russia, originally won the vacant M-1 Challenge middleweight title April 9, 2012, recording a knockout (strikes) of Mario Miranda (14-4-0) in the third round at M-1 Challenge 38. Emeev successfully defended his title five months later with a five-round decision over Miranda in a rematch and he hadn’t fought since losing to Vasilevsky.

The 26-year-old Vasilevsky had his 10 fight win streaks snapped by Emeev. He had won 16 of his last 17 fights and was making his first M-1 Challenge middleweight title defense against Emeev. The loss also was Vyacheslav’s first in nine M-1 Global-promoted shows, including four M-1 Challenge events.

M-1 Challenge featherweight champion Ivan “Buki” Buchinger (29-4-0) knocked out Aliyar “Tiger” Sarkerov (12-5-0), who was a late replacement Tural Ragimov (9-2-0) with a punch in the second round of their non-title fight.

Croatian light heavyweight Kristian “Klitschko” Perak (8-1-1) and former M-1 Challenge champion Valery “The Russian Hammer” Myasnikov (8-1-1) battled to a three-round draw.

Croatian heavyweight Ante “Walking Trouble” Delija (13-2-0) won a hard fought three-round decision over Latvian veteran Konstantin “Lacplesis” Gluhov (28-16-0).

Spanish lightweight Javier Fuentes (6-0-0) kept his perfect record intact, winning a second-round technical submission of Nikolay “Cat” Kaushansky (6-2-0), of Russia, by way of a triangle choke.

In preliminary fight action, Russian lightweight Ali Abdulkhalikov (3-0-0) needed only 34-seconds to knockout Spain’s Joel Alvarez Gonzalez (4-1-0) with a spinning heel kick in a battle of previously unbeaten fighters, Alexey “Ataman” Makhno (9-3-0) stopped fellow Russian lightweight Rakhman Makhazhiev (3-2-0) with a punch in the third round, Abukar Yandiev (3-0-0) locked in a rear naked choke hold to submit fellow Russian middleweight Gevorg Charchyan (1-1-0) midway through the opening round. Russian featherweight Zalimek Omarov (4-1-1) punched out countryman Artiom Lobanov (2-2-0) in the second round, and Polish welterweight Michal Wiencek (5-2-0) defeated Russian opponent Rustam Gadzhiev (4-3-0) by way of a third-round submission resulting from a rear naked choke.

Complete results and picture gallery below:

MAIN CARD

MAIN EVENT – MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Ramasan Emeev (12-3-0), Russia WSUB1 (Rear-Naked Choke – 1:48) Vyacheslav Vasilevsky (26-3-0), Russia
(Emeev won M-1 Challenge middleweight title)

CO-FEATURE – FEATHERWEIGHTS
Ivan Buchinger (29-4-0), Slovakia WTKO2 (Punch – 1:54) Aliyar Sarkerov (12-5-0), Russia

HEAVYWEIGHTS
Ante Deliha (13-2-0), Croatia WDEC3 Konstantin Gluhov (28-16-0), Latvia

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
Valery Myashikov (8-1-1), Russia Draw3 Kristijan Perak (8-1-2), Croatia

LIGHTWEIGHTS
Javier Fuentas (6-0-0), Spain WSUB2 (Triangle Choke – 1:33) Niko Kaushansky (6-2-0), Russia

PRELIMINARY CARD

M-1 MEDIEVAL WELTERWEIGHT KNIGHT FIGHT
Evgeniy Bedenko (6-1-0), Russia Ivan Vasiliev (11-2-0), Russia

MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Abukar Yandiev (3-0-0), Russia WSUB1 (Rear Naked Choke – 2:30) Gevorg Charchyan (1-1-0), Russia
Gadzhi Gadzhiev (5-2-0), Russia WSUB2 (Armbar – 2:11) Yuri Yurchenko (1-2-0), Russia

WELTERWEIGHTS
Michal Wiencek, Poland (5-2-0) WSUB3 (Rear Naked Choke – 4:30) Rustam Gadzhiev (4-3-0), Russia

LIGHTWEIGHTS
Ali Andulkhalikov (3-0-0), Russia WKO1 (Spinning Heel Kick – 0:34) Joel Alvarez Gonzalez (4-0-0), Spain
Alexey Makhno (9-3-0), Russia WKO/TKO3 (Punch – 0:39) Rakhman Malhazhiev (3-2-0), Russia
FEATHERWEIGHTS
Zalimbek Omarov (4-1-1), Russia WKO/TKO2 (Punch – 2:51) Artiom Lobanov (2-2-0), Russia

LOS ANGELES (April 10) – Marvin “Cachorro” Quintero (26-5, 22 KOs) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico takes on Jose “Chelo” Gonzalez (23-1, 18 KOs) of Toa Baja, Puerto Rico in a 10-round, co-main event part of Martinez vs. Salido Pay-Per-View quadruple header on April 11 from the Coliseum of Puerto Rico in San Juan. Co-promoted by PR Best Boxing Promotions, Inc. and Golden Boy Promotions, the heavy handed contenders, combined they have an 80 percent knockout ratio, will battle it out in hopes of becoming the next WBO Latino Lightweight Champion.

In the main event of the night, Ramon Martinez (28-2-2, 17 KOs) will face Orlando Salido (42-12-2, 29 KOs) in a 12-round match up for the WBO Super Featherweight Title. Also, Victor Ruiz (13-6-1, 5 KOs) of Mexico City will face McWilliams Arroyo (15-2, 13 KOs) of Fajardo, Puerto Rico in a 10-round flyweight bout for the WBO Latino Flyweight Title. Opening up the telecast, Yoandris “El Nino” Salinas (20-1-2, 13 KOs) of Miami, Florida, will face Ricardo “Alacran” Alvarado (7-4, 6 KOs) of McAllen, Texas in a 10-round featherweight bout.

Undefeated fighters John Karl Sosa (12-0, 6 KOs) of Caguas, Puerto Rico and Zachary “Zungry” Ochoa (10-0, 5KOs) of Brooklyn, New York will be featured in respective bouts in the non-televised undercard. Sosa is scheduled to fight Joaquin “Chico” Chavez (9-14-3, 2 KOs) of Los Angeles in an eight-round welterweight bout, while Ochoa will face the heavy-handed Moises Rios (5-2, 4 KOs) of Aarcibo, Puerto Rico in a junior welterweight six-round brawl.

Marvin “Cachorro” Quintero of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico has had a long and impressive career as a professional boxer. The knockout artist has faced tough veterans Walter Estrada and Miguel Vazquez and had a shot at the IBF World Lightweight title when he faced Vasquez in 2012. Quintero is coming off of a win last September when he faced Carlos Mario Sanchez via second round knockout. Now he is looking at a chance to capture the WBO Lightweight Title when he faces Jose Gonzalez on April 11.

Fighting out of Tao Baja, Puerto Rico, Jose “Chelo” Gonzalez has kept busy year after year since his professional debut in 2008. The rising Puerto Rican star is known to be a hard puncher having won most of his bout via knockout. In his last professional bout, Gonzales faced Antonio Joao Bento in December winning the fight via second round knockout. Now the contender is ready for his first title bout when he goes up against Marvin Quintero at the Coliseum of Puerto Rico.

Yoandris “El Nino” Salinas of Miami, Florida has been very successful fighter who has stayed busy since his professional debut in 2009. He has faced Scott Quigg, Jhon Alberto Molina and Nehomar Cermeno and along the way has acquired the WBC Latino Super Bantamweight Title, WBA-Fedebol Super Bantamweight Title and the WBA-NABA Super Bantamweight Title.

Durango, Mexico’s, Ricardo “Alacran” Alvarado, who is now fighting out of McAllen, Texas is a relative newcomer looking to make an impression in the featherweight division. Having fought twice in 2014 and recently faced Luis Castor in February of this year, Alvarado is determined to add a victory to his record when he goes up against Yoandris on April 11.

Puerto Rico native John Karl Sosa is a highly regarded welterweight Caguas prospect that won four fights against solid competition in 2014 beating Antonio Sanchez, Victor Perez, and Luis Bello. Most recently, Sosa faced Brooklyn’s Jason Thompson in December in an eight-round matchup, winning the bout via unanimous decision.

Joaquin “Chico” Chavez from Los Angeles is an experienced fighter with more than 25 fights under his belt in his short career. A professional since 2011, the 27-year-old has kept busy fighting six bouts in 2014 with impressive victories against Luis Cruz and Jessie Roman in August. Now, Chavez is looking to keep up his winning streak in his first bout of 2015.

Brooklyn native Zachary “Zungry” Ochoa is a promising 22-year-old talent who has gone undefeated since his professional debut in 2011. Most recently, Ochoa took on near-shutout wins in 2014 over Luis Cervantes in August and Jose Miguel Castro in December. In his first fight of 2015, the impressive Ochoa maintained his record intact after he defeated Engelberto Valenzuela via first-round knockout. In his first fight in the land of his heritage, Puerto Rico, Ochoa will look to impress fans as he faces Moises Rios in his second fight of 2015.

Fighting out of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, Moises Rios began his professional career in 2009 against Humbero Ayoroa winning the bout via knock out. The fighter last fought William Lorenzo in 2012 winning the bout. Now in his first bout in almost three years, the Puerto Rican brawler is looking to reignite his career when he faces off against one boxing’s most exciting prospects, Zachary Ochoa.

“The War” Martinez vs. Salido is 12-round super featherweight bout for the WBO Super Featherweight Championship presented by PR Best Boxing Promotions, Inc and Golden Boy Promotions. The Pay-Per-View event broadcast begins at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.prbestboxing.net follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing and visit on Facebook at Golden Boy Facebook Page, www.facebook.com/PRBestBoxing and visit us on Instagram on @GoldenBoyBoxing.

Baltimore, MD (April 10, 2015) – Jake Smith’s Baltimore Boxing Promotions returns to Ocean City, MD for “Beatdown at the Beach” Saturday, May 9 at the Ocean City Convention Center.

Tickets for “Beatdown at the Beach” from $25 are available on Ticketmaster.com and at the Convention Center Box Office.

“Ocean City is a great market and one I’ve enjoyed coming to every year,” said Smith. “There are a lot of great events taking place from May until August there and I’m glad that Baltimore Boxing is a part of it. We had a great turnout for our last few shows and am excited to see everybody on the 9th.”

In the main event of the evening, popular heavyweight Sam “Vanilla Gorilla” Crossed defends his East Coast Heavyweight title against an opponent to be named. The world record holder for fastest knockout, Crossed has shown steady improvement and looks to have a bright future.

Rising star Joey “Bazooka Joe” Veazey will put his East Coast Junior Middleweight crown on the line when he squares off against an opponent TBA. With great fan support and a plethora of skills, Veazey’s won numerous tournaments while achieving national and international rankings from various organizations.

Welterweight Allen Burris is scheduled to risk his East Coast belt against an opponent to be announced and other bouts will be announced shortly.

In association with the fight card, Baltimore Boxing will assist the Worcester County Humane Society with their efforts in helping shelter animals find new homes. During the evening, there will be a 50/50 raffle with the proceeds going to the society and Baltimore Boxing is also donating tickets.

“There are so many great organizations out there that need help,” said Smith, who has provided funding through raffles and auctions for various charities in association with Baltimore Boxing’s fight cards. “Animal shelters receive little or no funding even though they literally save lives of animals and connect them with loving families. It’s my pleasure to be assisting them and hopefully the money raised can go a long way.”

For more information on the Worcester County Humane Society, please visit http://worcestercountyhumanesociety.org. To get more information on Baltimore Boxing Promotions, go to Baltimoreboxing.com

CARSON, CALIF. (April 10, 2015) — Interim WBA Super Bantamweight World Champion Oscar Escandon (24-1, 16 KOs), of Tolima, Colombia, will make the first defense of his 122-pound title when he faces undefeated Moises “El Chucky” Flores (22-0, 1 NC, 16 KOs), of Guadalajara, Mexico, in the 12-round main event live on SHOWTIME BOXING on SHOWTIME EXTREME (8 p.m. ET/PT) on Saturday, April 18 at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif.
Headlining the card, popular Mexican superstar and former middleweight world champion Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. (48-1-1, 32 KOs) will make his SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING debut when he meets dangerous brawler Andrzej Fonfara (26-3, 15 KOs) live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT).

In the 10-round co-feature of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, Top 10 ranked junior welterweight contender Amir Imam (16-0, 14 KOs) will aim to move one step closer to a world title opportunity when he makes his second start of 2015 against fellow power-puncher Walter Castillo (25-2, 18 KOs).
Opening the SHOWTIME EXTREME telecast, Omar “El Businessman” Chavez (32-3-1, 22 KOs), younger brother of Chavez, Jr. and son of legendary Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., will face Richard Gutierrez (28-15-1, 17 KOs) in an eight-round super welterweight fight. Time permitting, unbeaten Argentine welterweight Fabian “TNT” Maidana (5-0, 4 KOs), brother of former world champion Marcos Maidana will also be featured in the featured in the telecast against an opponent to be named.
The action continues featuring a clash of middleweight contenders when Fernando Guerrero (26-3, 19 KOs) meets Abraham Han (23-2, 14 KOs) in a 10-round middleweight match. Plus, young undefeated prospects face tough challenges when Wes Nofire (16-0, 12 KOs) takes on Joell Godfrey (17-13-1, 6 KOs) in six-round heavyweight action, Jordan Shimmell (18-0, 15 KOs) faces Carlos Reyes (7-6-1, 5 KOs) in an eight-round cruiserweight bout and Anthony Flores (6-0, 5 KOs) battles William Hughes (4-2, 3 KOs) in a six-round welterweight contest.
Also featured, Jessie Roman (17-2, 9 KOs) and 2012 Olympic Silver medalist from Mongolia Tugstogt Nyambayar (1-0, 1 KO) in separate bouts.
Tickets for the event co-promoted by Goossen Promotions and Chavez Promotions are priced at $200, $150, $100, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes, fees and service charges, and are on sale online at AXS.com.

The aggressive-minded, 30-year-old Escandon captured the crown in his last start via a 12-round split decision over Canadian southpaw Tyson Cave last Dec. 11. Escandon was making his United States debut and triumphed in a tight fight by the scores of 117-111, 115-113 and 113-115.

Escandon was a top amateur –he represented Colombia in the 2004 Olympic Games– before turning professional in June 2006. Twenty of his initial 21 fights took place in his native Colombia while he’s also fought in Argentina and Panama. His lone defeat came in his first attempt at the interim WBA title on a split 12-round decision to Nehomar Cermeno on Aug. 10, 2013, in Panama. .

Flores, 28, is making his 2015 debut and third start in a row in the United States. A pro since August 2008, Flores’ first 20 fights took place in Mexico. He’s never gone more than seven full rounds although three of his fights have been scheduled for 10.

Known in Mexico for his show stopping-knockouts, the heavy-handed Flores registered three devastating knockouts in 2013, the biggest of which was a brutal second-round stoppage of longtime Mexican contender Rodolfo Hernandez in February of that year.
Flores recorded a seventh-round TKO in his last start over Mario Macias last Nov. 21 in Tulsa.

Omar Chavez, 25, the youngest son of Julio Sr. and three years younger than Julio Jr., will be making his U.S. and 2015 debut. All his fights have been in Mexico, where he turned pro at the tender age of 16 in December 2006. He was victorious in his first 28 bouts before losing a 10-round split decision to Jorge Paez Jr., the son of popular former world champion, Jorge “Maromero” Paez, in December 2011. Paez also outpointed Chavez across 10 rounds in July 2012, this time unanimously.

After the rematch with Paez, the 5-foot-8 Chavez won four consecutive times, including a 10-round decision over Daniel Sandoval in May 2014 to win the NABO 154-pound crown. But Chavez lost his last fight on a shocking 10-round decision to Ramon Alvarez, brother of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, on Sept. 27, 2014.

The 36-year-old Gutierrez is hoping to bounce back after suffering consecutive defeats. Fighting out of Miami by way of Colombia, Gutierrez has been battle-tested over the years having faced the likes of Joshua Clottey, Vanes Martirosyan and Luis Carlos Abregu.

Maidana, 22, is nine years younger than Marcos. A pro since June 21, 2014, he has won his last four fights by knockout, all within two rounds.

An exciting, come-forward crowd-pleaser (like his big brother), Maidana will be making his third start at StubHub. He won a decision his first time out and by a first-round knockout over Phillip Soriano the second time around.

A terrific amateur, Maidana was the Pan American Youth Championships Bronze Medalist and World Youth Championships Silver Medalist in 2010.

A former world title contender, Guerrero is looking to bounce back from losing to David Lemieux in 2014. With victories over Ishe Smith, Gabriel Rosado and Derrick Findley, the 28-year-old from the Dominican Republic but fighting out of Salisbury, Md. is eager to redeem himself and get back into the hunt for another world title opportunity.

A 30-year-old former kickboxing champion, Han, of El Paso, Texas, turned pro in 2007 and quickly adapted his skills to the boxing ring. He won his first 19 pro fights before losing a hard-fought bout with Glen Tapia in 2013. He rebounded to win four straight bouts before suffering a split-decision defeat to Sergio Mora his last time out.

An undefeated heavyweight prospect fighting out of Miami by way of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, Nofire makes his debut in California when he looks for win number 17. The 28-year-old will battle the 34-year-old Godfrey out of East Saint Louis, Ill.

A former amateur standout who became the first heavyweight to win four Michigan Golden Gloves titles, Shimmell will attempt to remain undefeated and entertain the crowd with his seventh straight knockout against Reyes, 37, of Phoenix, Ariz. Most recently, the 26-year-old stopped Phil Williams in the fifth round in Dec. 2014.

A young prospect fighting out of Santa Ana, Calif., Roman will look to bounce back from losses in two of his last three fights after starting his career with 16 consecutive victories. The 23-year-old will be fighting at StubHub for the first time.

A hot welterweight prospect, the 24-year-old Flores will look to represent his hometown of Los Angeles when he takes on the 37-year-old Hughes out of Tacoma, Wash. Opening the card is the 22-year-old 2012 Olympic Silver medalist out of Mongolia, Nyambayar who battles an opponent to be determined.

Brian Custer will call the SHOWTIME EXTREME action from ringside with boxing historian Steve Farhood serving as expert analyst.

Chavez Jr. vs. Fonfara is a 12-round bout that takes place at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. and will air on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT). The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast will also be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP).

For more information visit www.sports.sho.com, follow on Twitter at @SHOSports, @jcchavezjr1, @andrzej_fonfara, @StubHubCenter and @Swanson_Comm, follow the conversation using #ChavezFonfara, become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing or visit the SHOWTIME Boxing Blog at http://theboxingblog.sho.com.

LOS ANGELES (April 10) – TV Azteca, known as one of the powerhouses of boxing in Mexico and around the world due to their intensive dedication to spreading the sport to its millions of viewers, has signed an exclusive agreement with Golden Boy Promotions to broadcast Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez’ fights in Mexico.

The historic agreement between Golden Boy Promotions and TV Azteca will begin with the broadcast of the 12-round super welterweight mega-fight between Canelo Alvarez and knockout-artist James “The Mandingo Warrior” Kirkland on May 9, from Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.

“TV Azteca broadcasted my first televised national fight against Victor “El Negro” Márquez, and I am happy to return to this prestigious home and have it be the platform that displays my professional career at this stage,” said Canelo Alvarez. “TV Azteca has stood-out for their dedication to bringing boxing to the masses and I am very happy and grateful that all my fans will have the chance to see my fights on TV Azteca.”

“This is a great moment for Golden Boy Promotions, Canelo Alvarez and the sport of boxing in general,” said Oscar de la Hoya, President and Founder of Golden Boy Promotions. “To reach an exclusive agreement in Mexico, with a partner as respected as TV Azteca is an honor for us and together we will provide the best fights for all of Canelo’s fans.”

“We proudly welcome our friend and now partner, Golden Boy Promotions to our family,” said Rodrigo Fernández, General Programming Director of Azteca. “The strength of ‘The Home of Boxing’ is clear; those who write the history of boxing in Mexico are with Box Azteca. We are very proud to see that the family of ‘The Home of Boxing’ continues to grow, and we welcome Canelo Alvarez to his new home. We will continue to make boxing history with the great battles Canelo will give in the ring, bringing honor to his home country of Mexico. Wherever Canelo goes Box Azteca will be by his side.”

The all-star announcing team of Box Team Azteca is led by legendary Mexican fighters Julio Cesar “JC” Chavez, Erik “El Terrible” Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez as well as Carlos Aguilar, Eduardo Lamazón and Rodolfo Vargas.

For more information please visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and www.aztecadeportes.com, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing @Canelo, @AztecaDeportes, visit us on Facebook www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.Facebook.com/AztecaDeportesand on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelopower.

LONDON (10 April) – Irish ace Andy Lee says the ‘monkey is off his back’ now he is world champion, claiming his opponent Peter Quillin will be the one under the cosh this Saturday night.

The middleweight star, who won the WBO crown last December with a sensational sixth round stoppage of formidable Russian Matt Korobov, makes the first defence of his world title at the Barclays Center in New York, live and exclusive on BoxNation.

Taking on the former champion Quillin, who vacated the belt, 30-year-old Lee claims he goes into the fight under no pressure having finally fulfilled a lifelong ambition by becoming world champion, with him now putting it on the line in his opponents backyard.

“There’s been a huge weight lifted off my shoulders since winning the world title. It’s what I always wanted to do and I’ve been touted as a champion for years and if I never got it I would have been disappointed. Now the monkey is off my back and I can just box and show people who I am,” said Lee.

“Fighting at home like Quillin is on Saturday, brings a different kind of pressure to the table, it’s the pressure of expectations and people you know coming to the fights. That’s also pressure and I know all about that,” he said.

Lee, a former protégé of the late and great trainer Emmanuel Steward, has linked up with the respected Adam Booth, who will be looking to mastermind another upset against the undefeated Quillin.

Both men are renowned for their punching prowess, with Lee scoring 24 knockouts from his 34 wins and 31-year-old Quillin 22 from 31 wins, but Limerick’s Lee will be looking to both box and bang when the bell sounds this weekend.

“I think this could be a technical fight or it could be a bit of a fire fight. It’s going to be a little of both at times. There will be moments where we’re looking at each other, figuring each other out, but once we exchange it could be explosive,” said Lee.

“We’ve made unbelievable progress in the last year on my skills and everything has really just clicked for me and my team and now we’re seeing the results in the ring. “There have been physical and tactical improvements in the gym since the last fight and hopefully they’ll show up in the ring on Saturday,” Lee said.

‘Kid Chocolate’, as the charismatic Quillin is known, has gone through a rollercoaster year with the birth of his first son Joaquin Enriquez before the death of his uncle to pancreatic cancer.

Now though, Quillin is ready to move on and for the challenge which awaits him in the ring.

“My whole life has been struggles and I’ve had to overcome every single one of those struggles. This is going to be no different from that.

“Being a father of course made me more inspired and watching my uncle pass has made me more motivated than ever to accomplish everything I want,” said Quillin.

“A lot of people had Lee as the underdog in his last fight but he came out and did great. That’s the thing about boxing; one punch can change the fight.

“It’s a big fight for him and a big fight for me. He’s a smart fighter when he’s in trouble so I have to watch out for that. Most importantly I just need to be true to myself,” he said.

Also featuring on the card this Saturday night will be the mouth-watering showdown between light-welterweight champions Danny Garcia and Lamont Peterson in a 12-round contest.

Lee and Quillin are expected in the ring at 1.45am UK, kick starting a fantastic night of live boxing action on BoxNation.

Lee v Quillin is live and exclusive on BoxNation (Sky 437/490HD, Virgin 546 and TalkTalk 525) this Saturday night. Visit boxnation.com to subscribe.

-Ends-
About BoxNation
BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated subscription boxing channel. For £12* a month and no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

BoxNation is proud to support Fight for Peace, a charity that uses boxing and martial arts combined with education and personal development to realise the potential of young people in communities that suffer from crime and violence. Buy LUTA (www.luta.co.uk) clothing and support Fight for Peace.

Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Khan vs Collazo and Mayweather vs Maidana.

The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Virgin (Ch.546), TalkTalk (Ch.525), online at Livesport.tv and via iPhone, iPad or Android. BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.

BoxNation is also available to commercial premises (inc. pubs, clubs and casino’s) in the UK and Ireland, for more information on a commercial subscription please call 0844 842 7700.

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Abdul Khattab (11-0, 3 KOs) promises another convincing performance when he faces Howard Cospolite (11-4-1, 5 KOs) May 2 at Frederiksberg-Hallerne, Copenhagen.

“Cospolite looks like a guy who wants to get into a brawl, but I will outsmart him and teach him a boxing lesson,” said Khattab oozing self-confidence.

“My two fights this year have gone from one of my worst performances, to one of my best. In the last fight people saw the real Khattab and that’s what you will see again at Frederiksberg.

Perhaps I will knock Cospolite out, but winning is the most important to me. It’s about my continuous development. I must stay calm and be patient. I know it’s a cliché, but it’s important that I don’t use the same force I did against Alexey Ribchev in February.”

Against experienced Ribchev, Khattab surprisingly ran out of steam in the last rounds. However, only weeks later Khattab outboxed Khutsishvili with a career topping performance according to his coach and mentor, former five-time world champion Mikkel Kessler.

“Patience is key, but it is also important to show good and varied boxing skills with many combinations, like I displayed against Mikheil Khutsishvili. The demons from the Ribchev-fight are now gone and I can’t wait to impress again. The real Khattab is back and here to stay!”

Promotor Nisse Sauerland continues to highlight Khattab’s impressive form by stating:

“Abdul looked back to his best in his last fight against Khutsishvili. On May 2, I expect an even better performance. He has the potential to make it all the way to the top. Now, he must put that into practice.”

Micki Nielsen (17-0, 12 KOs) headlines the show in Copenhagen in his first title defence against the undefeated Junior Anthony Wright (13-0-1, 11 KOs) for the WBC International Cruiserweight Title. On the same night the ‘Swedish Princess’ Klara Svensson (15-0, 5 KOs) challenges Erica Anabella Farias (21-1, 10 KOs) for the WBC Female World Light Welterweight crown.

Team Sauerland present the ‘Nordic Fight Night – Going For Gold’ on May 2 at the Frederiksberg-Hallerne in Copenhagen. All the action will be broadcast live on Viasat channels across Scandinavia (TV3/ TV3+/ TV3 Sport channels in Denmark, TV10 in Sweden and Viasat 4/ Viasat Sport in Norway). Tickets are available via billetlugen.dk.

10 April 2015 – Singapore: Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization with a 90% market share, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has added five additional bouts to ONE: WARRIOR’S QUEST, the blockbuster event set to take place on 22 May at the state-of-the-art Singapore Indoor Stadium. After notching one of the best knockouts of 2014 in his ONE Championship debut, Timofey Nastyukhin will now drop down to featherweight to take on top contender Rob Lisita. Streaking featherweights Ev Ting and Marat Gafurov are also set to clash in a showdown of featherweight contenders. Lightweight Eddie Ng will return to action to take on Brazil’s Rafael Nunes. Singapore’s Benedict Ang will make his debut against Pakistan’s Waqar Umar while Angela Lee faces Aya Saber in a women’s strawweight bout.

Tickets for ONE: WARRIOR’S QUEST are on sale now at http://www.sportshub.com.sg/. Ticket categories begin with the full VIP experience at S$1,488. Tickets priced at $158, $58 and $38 are also available. Early bird promotions are available until 17 April. Prices exclude ticketing fee.

CEO of ONE Championship™, Victor Cui, stated, “ONE Championship returns to Singapore on 22 May with a blockbuster main event. In the main event, the two best lightweights in the world will clash when ONE Lightweight World Champion Shinya Aoki put his title on the line against the number one contender, Koji Ando. Four of the best featherweights are in action as Ev Ting meets Marat Gafurov and Rob Lisita and Timofey Nastyukhin go head-to-head. The featherweight division is stacked with world-class athletes and these contenders have an opportunity to make their case for a ONE Featherweight World Championship title shot! Get ready for a night of jaw-dropping, world-class mixed martial arts action as ONE Championship goes live around the world.”

Ev Ting is a featherweight of Malaysian descent currently based in New Zealand. Ting has won all three of his bouts since making his ONE Championship debut. He has demonstrated his striking and grappling prowess, finishing Yohan Mulia Legowo, Edward Kelly and Cary Bullos all in impressive fashion. Ting is set to make his case for the ONE Featherweight World Championship belt currently held by Jadambaa Narantungalag, but he would first need to overcome Marat Gafurov.

Marat Gafurov hails from Novokuznetsk in Russia. He is currently undefeated in ten professional mixed martial arts bouts. He made a statement in his ONE Championship debut, convincingly defeating perennial contender Rob Lisita with a kick and rear-naked choke sequence. The victory propelled Gafurov to the top of the list of contenders, and he now has an opportunity to solidify his status by adding another victory to his win column.

Rob Lisita is an Australian mixed martial artist and one of the top strikers in the ONE Championship featherweight division. Lisita has built up a solid fan following thanks to the impressive striking displays throughout his career, including knockout wins over Yusuke Kawanago and Rodolfo Marques. Lisita has faced the best of the best in his class, and will now welcome Nastyukhin into the ultra-talented featherweight division.

Timofey Nastyukhin announced his arrival on the global stage with a devastating knockout of Eduard Folayang at ONE: WARRIOR’S WAY last December. After a series of ferocious striking exchanges, Nastyukhin landed a perfectly timed flying knee on Folayang, effectively ending the bout in just one round. The knockout is considered by most as one of the best knockouts of 2014. He now returns to action against a fellow striker. Nastyukhin will move down to his preferred featherweight division to take on Australian knockout artist Rob Lisita.

Eddie Ng is a Hong Kong lightweight who has dazzled in his multiple appearances in the ONE Championship cage. Ng has won four of his five bouts in ONE and returns to action after a one-year layoff determined to continue his ascent. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu purple belt, Ng has never gone to a decision in his professional mixed martial arts career thanks to his exciting style.

Rafael Nunes is one of the top lightweights to emerge from Brazil in recent history. He has steamrolled through the competition in Brazil, with all but one of his 10 wins coming by stoppage. Nunes is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt and is equally adept in finishing his opponents by strikes or by submission.

Benedict Ang is one of the top prospects to emerge from Singapore. Ang is undefeated in amateur mixed martial arts competition. At just 19 years old, Ang will become one of the youngest mixed martial artists to step into the ONE Championship cage. Ang trains at Evolve MMA alongside top stars such as ONE Welterweight World Champion Ben Askren and ONE Lightweight World Champion Shinya Aoki. Possessing dynamic striking skills and solid grappling, he will get the opportunity to test himself against the best in the world as he makes his promotional debut.

Waqar Umar is a Pakistani mixed martial arts standout. Umar impressed in local competition and has received the opportunity to compete at Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization. A student of Pakistani MMA pioneer Bashir Ahmad, Umar is an aggressive brawler and also combines his striking skills with diverse submission skills. He will be looking to notch his first win inside the ONE cage when he locks horns with Singapore’s Benedict Ang.

Angela Lee is currently living in Hawaii and is of Singapore and Korean descent. The eldest child of two Taekwondo instructor parents, Angela grew up practicing various forms of martial arts, and quickly built an impressive resume. Her list of accolades includes being state wrestling champion and World Athlima Pangration Federation champion. She is also a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu purple belt, and an amateur strawweight champion in mixed martial arts. Lee now makes her much-awaited professional debut as she takes Aya Saber.

Aya Saber is an Egyptian kickboxing champion who has transitioned into mixed martial arts. After falling short in her last first two ONE Championship bouts, Saber will look for a victory against one of the most promising young prospects in Angela Lee. A distinguished striker, Saber now gets a shot at redemption as she makes her return to the ONE cage.

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

About ONE Championship™
With a 90%+ market share in Asia, ONE Championship is Asia’s largest Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organization. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization hosts the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Championship™ has partnered with FOX and STAR Sports for an unprecedented 10-year cable television deal with a coverage that spans 70+ countries across the world.

New York, NY (April 10, 2015) – Already a marquee event featuring Murat “Iron” Gassiev (20-0, 13 KO’s) defending his IBF Intercontinental Cruiserweight Championship vs. Felix “Bad News” Cora Jr. (25-6-2, 14 KO’s) in a 12-round main event along with a musical performance by a name artist, the April 17 edition of throne boxing from The Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino just got even bigger. In an intriguing televised co-featured bout, Philadelphia southpaw Ray “The New” Robinson (19-2, 9 KO’s) and Sherzodbek “The Lion” Alimjanov (22-2, 12 KO’s) of Uzbekistan will battle it out over 10 rounds for Robinson’s NABO Welterweight Championship. Fans can catch the action live on FOX Sports 1 in the United States and internationally on TIDAL.com, the newly launched music streaming service that combines the best high fidelity sound quality, high definition music videos and expertly curated editorial.

Since his professional debut in 2006, Robinson has had an impressive career as NABO Welterweight Champion and the USBA Welterweight Champion. Robinson dominated opponents during his first three years on the professional circuit, compiling a record of 11-0 before losing a majority decision to still-undefeated Brad Solomon in a hotly contested eight-round bout in December 2009. In his next fight, Robinson again went the distance, this time losing a 10-round unanimous decision against heralded now former World Champion Shawn Porter. That would be the last fight Robinson would lose as he rebounded in impressive fashion with a new undefeated streak of eight consecutive victories including his last fight, a win over Daniel Sostre in November of 2014. Alimjanov will look to end that streak as he makes his American debut on April 17 and challenges Robinson for his NABO Welterweight Title. A dominating force on the Eastern European circuit, Alimjanov enters the ring with only two losses coming at the hands of then 21-1 Viktor Plotnykov via majority decision in 2009 and still-undefeated Dmitry Mikhaylenko by unanimous decision in a WBO European Championship bout in 2012. In his most recent bout on March 14 of this year, he scored a victory over Felipe De La Paz Teniente when his opponent was unable to answer the bell for the sixth round.

In undercard action, Washington, DC’s Dusty Hernandez-Harrison (25-0, 13 KO’s) will face Henry “Mamba” Auraad (16-9-1, 13 KO’s) of Cartagena, Colombia in an eight-round welterweight bout. Hernandez-Harrison made his professional debut as the youngest licensed professional fighter in the United States on June 11, 2011, less than a month following his 17th birthday. Most recently, Hernandez-Harrison headlined Roc Nation Sports’ inaugural throne boxing event at The Theater at Madison Square in a fight televised by FOX Sorts 1 on January 9, 2015, capturing the vacant WBC Continental Americas Welterweight Championship with a dominant ten-round unanimous decision victory over Tommy “The Razor” Rainone. Auraad will look to tarnish Hernandez-Harrison’s undefeated record when they clash on the 17th.

Wellington “W.A.R.” Romero (5-0-1, 3 KO’s) represented his native Dominican Republic at the 2012 Olympics in London. Now fighting out of Newburgh, New York, the undefeated junior welterweight most recently maintained his unbeaten run against Lee Kreisher on January 9, 2015 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden when a viscous right hook lead to a knockout less than two minutes into round one. Soon after the fight, Roc Nation Sports announced that it had signed Romero to an exclusive promotional agreement. He will now look to continue his professional rise when he takes on James Hope (7-12-1, 4 KO’s) of Rock Hill, South Carolina in a six-round junior welterweight bout on April 17.

Local unbeaten favorite Khiary Gary-Pitts (6-0, 4 KO’s) joins the undercard after scoring a first-round technical knockout victory against Greg McCoy at the Twin River Event Center in Lincoln, Rhode Island on April 3. Born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts, Gary-Pitts will look to extend his undefeated streak to seven fights on April 17 when he takes on an opponent to be named in a six-round middleweight fight.

Standing 6’2’’ with power in both hands, Toledo, Ohio’s Sonny “Pretty Boi” Fredrickson (7-0, 5 KO’s) compiled an outstanding amateur record of 120-8 (60 KO’s) along with numerous accolades, including the 2013 National PAL Bronze Medal, the 2013 National Golden Gloves Final Eight, five Toledo Golden Glove Championships and two Ohio State Junior Olympics Championships, before making his professional debut in February 2014. A year later, in February 2015, Roc Nation Sports announced that it had signed Fredrickson to an exclusive promotional agreement. In his most recent fight on March 7, Fredrickson knocked Eric Palmer down twice en route to a six-round shutout unanimous decision victory. He will look to improve on his record on April 17 when he takes on Juan Rodriquez (6-2-1, 5 KO’s) of Haymarket, Virginia in a four-round junior welterweight clash.

Hailing from Central City in Toledo, Ohio, undefeated featherweight Tyler “The Golden Child” McCreary (4-0, 4 KO’s) won the Title National Championship in 2009 and 2010, captured a bronze medal at the Under-19 National Championships, was a two-time Toledo Golden Glove Champion and won the Ohio State Junior Olympics Championship before making his professional debut on August 15, 2014. In February 2015, Roc Nation Sports announced that it had signed 21-year-old McCrary to an exclusive promotional agreement shortly before he scored a first round knockout win over Anthony Crowder. On April 17, he faces Rigoberto Miranda (0-4) of Albany, New York in a four-round bout.

Undefeated New Haven, Connecticut native Jimmy Williams (9-0-1, 5 KO’s) is excited to again fight in front of a home crowd on April 17. Once a standout cornerback for the Southern Connecticut State football team, Williams next turned his sights to boxing and continues to build on a promising career. Coming off of a fourth-round technical knockout win over Eddie Caminero on February 13, 2015, Williams hopes to keep the momentum in his favor when he takes on Rahman Yusubov (11-20, 9 KO’s) of Dallas in a four-round junior middleweight fight.

Roc Nation Sports presents the second edition throne boxing on Friday, April 17, 2015 at The Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut, televised live on FOX Sports 1 at 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT. Headlining the event will be undefeated Russian cruiserweight sensation Murat “Iron” Gassiev defending his IBF Intercontinental Cruiserweight Championship against veteran Felix “Bad News” Cora Jr. of Galveston, Texas in a 12-round main event. In addition to the great action inside the ring, the April 17 edition of throne boxing, sponsored by Jaybird, TapouT Muscle, Tequila CAZADORES®, Sparkling Ice, Techno Home and Casa de Campo, will feature several notable Roc Nation touches that offer an unprecedented fan experience, including a live musical performance and a name DJ to keep the energy at a high level throughout the event. On fight night, doors open at 6:30 PM with the first bout to take place at 7:00 PM.

Tickets priced at $90, $60 and $30, plus any Ticketmaster charges, are on sale now and are available for purchase at ticketmaster.com, foxwoods.com or by calling (800) 200-2882. One dollar from each ticket sold will be donated to the Muhammad Ali Center.

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

About Roc Nation Sports
Roc Nation Sports, a sub-division of Roc Nation, launched in spring 2013. Founder Shawn “JAY Z” Carter’s love of sports lead to the natural formation of Roc Nations Sports, helping athletes in the same way Roc Nation has been helping artists in the music industry for years. Roc Nation Sports focuses on elevating athletes’ career on a global scale both on and off the field. Roc Nation Sports conceptualizes and executes marketing and endorsement deals, community outreach, charitable tie-ins, media relations and brand strategy. Roc Nation Sports launched its boxing division, a full service promotional company which represents world champions Miguel Cotto and Andre Ward, in August 2014. Roc Nation Sports’ roster includes premiere athletes such as Robinson Cano, Skylar Diggins, Kevin Durant, Geno Smith, Victor Cruz, CC Sabathia, James Young, Dez Bryant, Ndamukong Suh, Rusney Castillo, Yoenis Cespedes, Jaelen Strong, Todd Gurley, Wilson Chandler, Erick Aybar and Frances Tiafoe.

About FOX Sports 1
FOX Sports 1 is the fastest growing sports cable network in television, reaching over 85 million subscribers. Premiering in August 2013, the national sports network puts fans first with 24/7 coverage of the most compelling sporting events in the world – MLB, NASCAR, UFC, college football and basketball, world-class soccer and more. FOX Sports 1 is proud to be the home for The Ultimate Fighter in addition to covering LIVE main card fights; college football including Big 12, Pac-12 and Conference USA games; and Big East, Big 12, Pac-12 and Conference USA college basketball including the Big East men’s basketball tournament. FOX Sports 1 features consistent coverage from the world’s most prestigious soccer competitions like the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and CONCACAF Champions League, as well as coverage of FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2015 and 2019 and FIFA Men’s World Cup in 2018 and 2022. For more information, visit www.foxsports1.com.

About Foxwoods Resort Casino
Foxwoods Resort Casino is one of the premier entertainment destinations 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.

LAS VEGAS (April 9, 2015) – A case of dehydration has rendered Ronny Markes ineligible to compete in the WSOF 20 light heavyweight main event against fellow superstar David Branch tomorrow, Friday, April 10.

Jesse McElligott (5-1), originally slated for action on the WSOF 20 preliminary card, will step up to face Branch (15-3) in the main event. The 24-year-old McElligott of West Roxbury, Mass., is looking for his third straight win.

“Ronny’s condition is an unfortunate situation, but we are glad that his health has improved since the episode he experienced earlier today,” said WSOF President Ray Sefo.

“WSOF is committed to the safety of its athletes,” continued Sefo, “and, therefore, there is no way that we could allow Ronny to go on and compete despite the turnaround in his condition.”

WSOF will compensate McElligott’s original opponent, Steve Skrzat, will his full fight purse.

The live NBCSN telecast of WSOF 20 will begin at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. MMA legend Renzo Gracie will call the action alongside veteran WSOF play-by-play announcer Todd Harris.

In the lightweight (155 pounds) co-main event, rising star Nick Newell (11-1) of Springfield, Mass. will face off with battle-tested Joe Condon (12-7) of Victorville, Calif.

Making their respective WSOF debuts, undefeated Ben Fodor (5-0-1), also known as costumed crime fighter “Phoenix Jones” of Seattle, Wash., and fellow rising star and Iraq war veteran Emmanuel Walo (7-2-1) of Jersey City, N.J. will throw down in a 175 pounds catch weight contest.

In other live NBCSN televised main card action at WSOF 20, aggressive finishers Ozzy Dugulubgov (6-2) of Hackensack, N.J. and Lucas Montoya (8-3) of Layton, Utah will square off at lightweight, and up-and-coming talents Steve Mocco (4-1) of Coconut Creek, Fla. and Juliano Coutinho (6-1) of West Yarmouth, Mass. will battle at heavyweight.

Tickets for the WSOF 20, priced from $39.99, are on sale at Ticketmaster.com.

Doors at the Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino open at 5:00 p.m. ET, and the first of four preliminary bouts begins at 6:00 p.m.

About “World Series of Fighting” (WSOF)
“World Series of Fighting” (WSOF) is a world wide 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. Follow “World Series of Fighting” on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries and “World Series of Fighting” President Ray Sefo @SugarRaySefo.

About Foxwoods ® Resort Casino
Foxwoods Resort Casino is one of the premier entertainment destinations 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.

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.

Vito Gasparyan 153.9 – Brandon Adams 155.5
(Boxcino 2015 Jr. Middleweight semifinals)

Stanyslav Skorokhod 153.8 – John Thompson 154.8
(Boxcino 2015 Jr. Middleweight semifinals)

Razvan Cojanu 255.7 – Donovan Dennis 224.2
(Boxcino 2015 Heavyweight semifinals)

Lenroy Thomas 235.9 – Andrey Fedosov 220.3
(Boxcino 2015 Heavyweight semifinals)

Greg Jackson 147.4 – Curtis Morton 145.9
Ed “Tex” Fountain 239.4 – Jon Bolden 230
Eric Newell 266 – Brandon Spencer 298.8
Ricky Nuno 155 – Pat Kehoe 154.2
Mike Liberto 200.4 – Darnell Hayes 198.6

Promoter: Banner Promotions
Venue: Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem
1st Bell: 7 PM ET
Television: ESPN 2 9 PM ET

Photos: Emily Harney / Banner Promotions

This event starts at 7pm. Ticket prices are $100, $75, $50. Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000 and at the box office at the Sands Bethlehem Event Center.

HOUSTON, TX (April 9, 2015) – Gary Shaw Productions undefeated heavyweight contender, Bryant “By-By” Jennings (19-0, 10 KOs), is entering the final weeks of training camp in preparation for his upcoming battle with Wladimir Klitschko (63-3, 53 KOs). Jennings, who hails from Philadelphia, is looking to end Klitschko’s reign on the heavyweight division.

Klitschko vs. Jennings, a 12-round bout for Wladimir’s WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO World heavyweight titles, will take place at “The World’s Most Famous Arena”, Madison Square Garden, on April 25, 2015. The event will be televised Live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT in the United States and RTL in Germany.

On training in Houston, Texas…
“It’s really nice to get away from home and all the distractions that come with training in Philly. I’m able to focus on nothing but boxing out here in Houston. I got my whole team out here and were grinding away.”

On his upcoming matchup with Wladimir Klitschko…
“This is the top of the mountain when it comes to heavyweight boxing. You can’t get any higher then fighting Klitschko. With that being said, I’m ready to end Klitschko’s reign as heavyweight champion. He’s been defeated before and he can be defeated again. I’m confident I have the athleticism and skills to come out on top and bring those belts back home to America.”

On fighting at Madison Square Garden….
“Everyone knows The Garden is filled with deep roots in boxing history. I’m looking to make my own history with a victory on April 25th. This will be my third consecutive fight there and I feel my fan base has grown with each outing. I’m know Philly will be representing and I’m excited about that. I’m counting down the days and I’m very grateful to my promoters, Gary Shaw, Antonio Leonard, as well as my manager James Prince for making this fight a reality.”

On the possibility of becoming the next great American heavyweight champion…
“A victory against Klitschko will certainly bring back glory to the American heavyweight. Klitschko has reigned supreme for so many years, so it will be a huge accomplishment to bring home the titles. Dethroning Klitschko will open up many doors for my career and I see myself relishing in the moment.”

Presented by K2 Promotions and Klitschko Management Group in association with Gary Shaw Productions, tickets priced at $1000, $600, $300, $200 and $100 can be purchased through the Madison Square Garden Box Office, www.TheGarden.com and www.Ticketmaster.com.

NEW YORK (April 9, 2015) – Brooklyn-native, unbeaten Frank “Notorious” Galarza weighed-in at 154 pounds and Belgium’s Sheldon “The Closer” Moore measured 153 ¼ pounds during Thursday’s official weigh-in for the main event of this Friday’s ShoBox: The New Generation, live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).

Galarza (16-0-2, 10 KOs), regarded by many as “The Brooklyn Rocky,” and Moore (13-2-1, 9 KOs) will square off in the eight-round super welterweight headliner of the televised tripleheader from the Aviator Sports and Events Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Undefeated power-punching middleweight Ievgen “The Ukrainian Lion” Khytrov (9-0, 9 KOs) tipped the scales at 161 ½ pounds and fellow unbeaten Aaron “Heavy Metal” Coley (9-0-1, 6 KOs), of Hayward, Calif., measured 160 ½ pounds for their eight-round middleweight bout.

In the opening fight of the telecast, blue-chip super middleweight prospect Sergiy “The Technician” Derevyanchenko (4-0, 3 KOs/World Series of Boxing: 23-1, 7 KOs) will take on once-beaten Alan “Amenaza/Threat” Campa (13-1, 1 NC, 9 KOs) in an eight-round super middleweight match. Derevyanchenko, of Ukraine and now training in Brooklyn with Khytrov, measured 163 ¼ pounds while Mexico’s Campa weighed-in at 165 pounds.

Tickets for the event, promoted by DiBella Entertainment in association with Fight Promotions Inc. and New Legend Boxing are on sale and priced at $100, $70 and $35. Tickets can be purchased by calling DiBella Entertainment at (212) 947-2577. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. ET, with the first bout scheduled for 6:45 p.m. ET.

Here’s what the fighters had to say prior to Thursday’s weigh-in:

GALARZA:
“We had some great sparring with guys like Daniel Jacobs, Sadam Ali, Khytrov. They always give me top tough work. That’s top competition right there. Fighting guys like that builds my confidence. If I can hang in there with them then I can hang with anyone. They’re going to help to bring me to another level. I feed off their energy.

“Moore is an aggressive fighter, but I’m a come-forward guy, too. I can be aggressive, but smart aggressive. Not just aggressive to punch and throw punches wildly. It’s more being smart, using my defense, my offense and countering when he makes mistakes.

“I try not to think about fighting in the main event in Brooklyn, but it helps and it definitely motivates me. I mean, it doesn’t get any better than that – fighting in my home in the main event.

“It’s my backyard, so I have to put on a show. It doesn’t give me jitters because I’ve fought in my home before, but the main event is different. I just need to do my job.

“For me, it’s will and skill. I bring my skill level to the next level. How bad do I want it? Am I going to perform well enough to move to the next level and face those top contenders?

“I want to face the top prospects so I can earn a spot as a contender. But I need to get through this guy first.”

MOORE:
“The main reason why I came all the way to the United States is because here is where boxing is at its best. I’m really excited about this opportunity. Being on SHOWTIME as a main event is huge for me.

“It’s not going to be easy, I’m fighting a guy from Brooklyn in Brooklyn in his back yard. But I’ve been in this situation before, I’ve fought abroad many times before and I’m not intimidated. It’s another day at the office for me.

“This is it for me, there’s no turning back. I have to win. I just don’t see myself losing tomorrow.

“I’ve seen a couple Galarza videos on YouTube. He was more of a brawler at the beginning of his career. Now, he’s a more disciplined boxer. That can backfire sometimes, something to watch out.

“You’ll see fireworks and excitement. I’m not going to look for the knockout. I think it’s a bad strategy to do that. If it comes, it comes. I’ll be looking to win, no matter what. This is a very big fight for me, so it’ll be all about winning, impressing and being at my best.”

KHYTROV
“The atmosphere training in Big Bear was amazing. It was one of the best training camps I’ve had. I’ve never been through a camp in the amateurs like that.

“I had a chance to meet Gennady (Golovkin) in Big Bear and we spoke and actually became pretty close. We talked about training regime, stuff athletes talk about. I loved it there.

“The adjustment from amateurs to pros has been fine. The only difference is handling the different rounds and realizing that you have to pace yourself for these eight, 10, 12 round fights.

“The best time to knock a guy out is in the first two rounds when they aren’t warmed up yet. I tried against (Jorge) Melendez but I couldn’t get him out. I just realized I needed to pace myself for the other six rounds and work the body. It was nice to get those rounds and experience against a tough fighter.

“I know he (Coley) is a pretty hard-hitting southpaw. I assume that he won’t come forward, but maybe he’ll surprise me. He has a few knockouts, but I’m going to watch him, learn and adapt.

“I faced southpaws in the amateurs. His style won’t give me any issues. I could even switch to a southpaw stance if I need to.

“Personally, health allowing, I think I should be a contender by the end of 2015. But I put all my trust into my team. They know best. My job is just to train and prepare for everything they put in front of me.

“Yes, 100 percent I’d like to face Gennady. To be the best you have to fight the best. And right now I consider him to be the best 160 pound fighter in the world.”

COLEY:
“Fighting on TV for me is a big deal. When I was little, my father used to throw fight parties to watch big fights and tomorrow he’s throwing one for me. That alone makes me so proud. I’ll have my own viewing party. I’m fighting on national television, on SHOWTIME. That’s such of big deal for me. This is my breakout. This is the sign I’m made it.

“I stay in shape all year round, but for the past two months I’ve been taking it to the extreme. Training hard, sparring even harder.

“I’ve been working very hard. I’ve sparred with world champions and I’ve been doing well. I think this is my time to step up and show everybody how good I am.

“I’m predicting there will be a stoppage in the later rounds.”

DEREVYANCHENKO:
“The competition I faced in the WSB was, for the most part, the best fighters in the world. So far, the guys I’ve faced in the pros don’t have that resume, that skill level. So I think I’ve fought in more than just four pro fights.

“I’m working hard in the gym to make the transition from amateur to pro. I’m taking it step-by-step. I don’t want to jump the gun or make a mistake too fast. I’m looking forward to increasing my level of opposition gradually.

“I’ve seen some of his (Campa) fights. In some fights he boxes different than in other fights. We’ll see what he does in the ring and adjust accordingly. But I don’t think he can bring anything that I haven’t seen before. But he’s a Mexican fighter so we know he won’t give up.

“I’m going to show what I’m worth. I’ve been preparing for this my whole life. Now is my chance to build my fan base and show what I can do in the ring.”

CAMPA:
“This is my first fight in the U.S., and I’m planning to take full advantage of this opportunity.

“My training was intense, a lot of running, especially in the mountains. I worked on my conditioning and my speed. I’m at the best shape I’ve ever been.

“When I found out about my opponent, I watched video on him and I know I’m better than him. I think my main advantages are age and speed. My opponent is 29, I’m 23. I’m younger and quicker and I’m not about to make it easy for him.

“I’m going to read him in the early rounds and, if I feel he’s not hurting me, I’ll go the distance.

“This fight is a huge step-up for me. I see it as key fight. I feel it might be a make or break for me. We’ll see, I might get a chance to deliver a knockout and that might spark some attention in the boxing world.”

# # #

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

About ShoBox: The New Generation
Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young talent matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to televise exciting, crowd-pleasing and competitive matches while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. Some of the growing list of the 59 fighters who have appeared on ShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes: Andre Ward, Deontay Wilder, Erislandy Lara, Shawn Porter, Gary Russell Jr., Lamont Peterson, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Omar Figueroa, Nonito Donaire, Devon Alexander, Carl Froch, Robert Guerrero, Timothy Bradley, Jessie Vargas, Juan Manuel Lopez, Chad Dawson, Paulie Malignaggi, Ricky Hatton, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Williams and more.

BROOKLYN (April 9, 2015) – As Saturday’s fight night rapidly approaches, fighters competing on Saturday’s Premier Boxing Champions on NBC night of fights held a final press conference Thursday at the Edison Ballroom in New York City.

PBC on NBC main event bouts at Barclays Center feature undefeated superstar Danny “Swift” Garcia (29-0, 17 KOs) facing Lamont Peterson (33-2-1, 17 KOs) and the middleweight championship bout between “Irish” Andy Lee (34-2, 24 KOs) and undefeated Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin (31-0, 22 KOs). The second installment of PBC on NBC begins at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, are priced at $300, $200, $150, $100, $80 and $50, not including applicable service charges and taxes, and are on sale now.Tickets are available at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com and at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. To charge by phone, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.

Here are what the fighters had to say at Thursday’s press conference:

DANNY GARCIA

“I’ve been working on fighting hard, but also smart. I’m going to go in there and dictate the pace and I’m always looking for the knockout. If I can’t knock him out then I’ll be ready to go 12 rounds.

“It’s always hard making weight, but I’m on weight now. Right now I’m growing into my prime and my body is getting bigger and it’ll be time soon for me to go up in weight.

“I’m looking at this as a very big fight. So I’m going in there mentally and physically ready. He’s coming to fight and I’m coming to fight. Saturday is going to be about who can make the right adjustments.

“I love Brooklyn. This is my fourth fight here and I’ve heard that the tickets for this fight are selling faster than any other fight they’ve held here. So I must be doing something right in Brooklyn. The atmosphere is great at Barclays Center.

“I’ve always felt that I’m one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. I’ve won a lot of big fights with a lot of great fighters, and my goal is just continue winning one fight at a time.”

LAMONT PETERSON

“Danny’s talk makes no difference to me. I think I’m even more confident than him and I’ll get the victory Saturday night and that will be that.

“The stakes are high. This can definitely push me to the next level in this boxing game. I’ve been at the top for a while but there’s a difference between being at the top and being an elite fighter. I think this will solidify me as an elite fighter.

“I looked at a few of Danny’s fights but nothing really stood out to me. I know Danny is a counterpuncher, that’s what he does. We’ve come up with a game plan to stop that.

“I’m a different person than the other guys Danny has fought. I’m a different person with a different style. I trust myself to make adjustments in the ring.

“This fight will be different than either of our fights with Matthysse. It’s two different fights and styles make fights. There will be different results. I had to prepare for Danny Garcia and Danny Garcia had to prepare for me.

“There’s no pressure fighting on this big card, but I know what it brings. This brings more exposure and I want to use that exposure in the right way. I know I’m looked up to as a role model and I just want to use this exposure.

“This will put a big spotlight on boxing and I’m happy to be a part of it.

“I’m ready to fight, I’ve prepared well and I’m ready to put on a show.”

ANDY LEE

“I’m eager to fight and ready to go. I’m feeling very dangerous right now.

“My ring generalship is one thing, but overall I feel like I have a good idea of what I want to do in the ring. Peter has an idea too, but it’s more moment to moment for him, which can be good as well, when you improvise. I’m more of a guy who will set you up and work to a plan.

“Coming back and winning a fight really strengthens your resolve. You know in your mind that at any time, you have a chance of winning. I never plan to be behind but it happens. This time I plan to lead from the front.

“Peter is offensive, which leaves openings. He might be cautious for a while because both of us know that we might pay the price of being offensive. Eventually we’ll exchange and it will be explosive one way of the other.

“I’m a southpaw puncher who can box and I’ve never been in a dull fight. I have a ‘never say die’ attitude and I’m not someone who is just going to go out there and play it safe. I’ll risk it all to win.

“My confidence is very high. I’m the champion of the world and there’s no higher station than that in boxing. I’m the champion and he’ll have to come and take my title.”

PETER QUILLIN

“Everyone tune in on April 11 because we’re going to do more than just try to take that belt, we’re going to take that belt because that’s what we do.

“Andy is the champion of the world but this is the second time I’ve been the challenger to a world champion. I’ve been here before. I know he’s a newly crowned champion so I have nothing bad to say about him.

“Andy’s greatest strength is that he lost twice and was able to come back and make himself look very good.

“This is a totally different caliber fight than either of us has had. I’m not any of those fighters that he’s faced. I can’t go in there and try to fight like a Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

“I’m only concerned about working hard, which I’ve done every day leading up to this fight. So I have no concerns at all.

“I’m motivated period. My heart is built on motivation in all things. Talking to media, being on NBC, fighting for the belt and being a positive person. I’m thankful that every day I can put out a positive story about myself.”

LOU DIBELLA, President of DiBella Entertainment

“We have a great night of boxing from beginning to end, you will be hearing a lot more from these young fighters.

“If you want to see everything, get there to Barclays Center at 5 p.m.

“We’re very thrilled that this is going to be televised in primetime on NBC. PBC on NBC. It has a nice ring to it.

“The first main event of the evening features Andy Lee, middleweight champion and the fighting pride of Limerick. He is a warrior, he’s at the most confident point of his career and he’s going to need to be because he’s fighting an undefeated champion.

“Peter Quillin makes Brooklyn his home. It’s his third fight at Barclays Center and he has a perfect record of 31-0. He’s going to try to take Andy’s belt, but it won’t be easy.

“The bout that will close the show is one of the most eagerly anticipated bouts in all of boxing. Lamont Peterson is noted for being one of the most technically sound boxers in the game and he has an outstanding record to a back it up.

“Danny Garcia really embodies what it means to be a Philadelphia fighter. He’s a tough guy with an undefeated record. He’s going to look to keep that record perfect against Lamont Peterson.”

JON MILLER, President, Programming, NBC Sports & NBCSN

“On behalf of NBC Sports we’re thrilled to be a part of this and to be in our own backyard. We couldn’t pick a better venue than Barclays Center. The card put together is spectacular. There are great fights once again and we’re excited about the progress that this new property has taken for us.

“I think one of the most unique things about this Saturday night is that it’s going to make history in television because three of the most venerable and outstanding sports television personalities will be working together for the first time as Al Michaels will be our host, Marv Albert will be doing play-by-play and for the first time ever they will be joined by Bob Costas.

“These three iconic figures have worked Olympics and Super Bowls but it’s the first time they’ve ever worked together on one event and that is a tribute to what the entire has put together in delivering this great card.”

BRETT YORMARK, CEO of Barclays Center

“This Saturday marks a historic moment for Barclays Center as we host our 11th professional boxing event and our first Premier Boxing Champions event.

“When you combine the talent in the ring, the production of the show and the iconic broadcasting team of Al Michael, Bob Costas and Marv Albert plus boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard this will be one of the best fight nights that New York has hosted in decades.

“Signifying the magnitude of the event, tickets have sold faster than at any other boxing show Barclays Center has hosted.

“At Barclays Center, we have not only served as a launch pad for many local boxers’ careers, but have relished in the role of becoming the home for Champions.”

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For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com www.nbcsports.com/boxing,www.BarclaysCenter.com and www.dbe1.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @LouDiBella, @DannySwift, @KingPete26, @KidChocolate, @AndyLeeBoxing, @RealLuisCollazo, @NBCSports and @BarclaysCenter and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions,www.facebook.com/NBCSports and www.facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment. Follow the conversation using #PremierBoxingChampions and #BKBoxing.

THE FIGHT GAME WITH JIM LAMPLEY returns with a new edition TUESDAY, APRIL 14 (11:00-11:30 pm. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. Hosted by the four-time Sports Emmy® winner, who has been the host of HBO Boxing since joining the network in 1988, the show is a provocative, engaging and informative experience that delves into intriguing storylines, newsmakers and issues that are top-of-mind in boxing.

Other HBO playdates: April 14 (5:30 a.m.), 18 (12:45 a.m.), 19 (12:45 p.m.), 21 (10:15 a.m.), 22 (9:45 p.m.), 23 (11:00 a.m., 3:35 a.m.), 25 (10:15 a.m.) and 29 (4:00 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates: April 16 (8:30 p.m.), 20 (4:30 p.m.), 24 (3:30 p.m.), 26 (3:00 p.m.), 27 (1:45 a.m.), and 29 (11:30 p.m.), and May 1 (10:15 a.m.) and 3 (9:30 a.m.)

HBO On Demand® availability begins April 16. The show will also be available on HBO GO®.

On this edition of THE FIGHT GAME, commentators Max Kellerman and Michelle Beadle join Lampley for a look at the biggest news stories and personalities in the sport. This month, Beadle reports from Las Vegas on the big business generated by the May 2 Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao mega-fight; the show marks the 30th anniversary of Hagler-Hearns, one of the sport’s most spectacular battles; Lampley looks at how the history of American heavyweight champions shapes the April 25 Wladimir Klitschko-Bryant Jennings bout; and he presents an all-new edition of the Gatti list.

Immediately following the program, fight fans can log on to hbo.com for an exclusive overtime segment hosted by Lampley.

Greg Cohen of Greg Cohen Promotions, in association with David Schuster’s Winner Take All Productions, proudly announces the signing of Brooklyn via Puerto Rico’s fighting Serrano sisters, Amanda and Cindy to exclusive promotional contracts.

The heavily decorated family duo made boxing history in 2013 when both sisters held Universal Boxing Federation titles in the same super featherweight division.

26-year-old southpaw Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano (23-1-1, 18 KOs) is a former Staten Island amateur champion, New York City Golden Gloves amateur champion, and Empire State amateur champion. She turned professional in 2009 and has already won the NABF Featherweight, Universal Boxing Federation World Featherweight, Women’s International Boxing Association World Featherweight, IBF World Super Featherweight, Universal Boxing Federation Inter­Continental Super Featherweight, and WBO World Lightweight Championships.

Older sister, Cindy “Checkmate” Serrano (22-5-3, 10 KOs), fought to a draw for the Women’s International Boxing Association World Featherweight Championship in 2005 and has gone on to win the Women’s International Boxing Association International Lightweight, Universal Boxing Federation Super Featherweight International and Universal Boxing Federation Super Featherweight World Championships. The 32-year-old orthodox fighter turned professional in 2003 after winning the 2003 Empire State Games Tournament as an amateur. Cindy Serrano was unbeaten in her first 16 bouts as a professional.

Both Serrano sisters are currently ranked in world’s top ten at super featherweight: Amanda is #1 and Cindy is #8 and both work with dedicated, no nonsense trainer Jordan Maldonado, who has been a key catalyst to their success.

“These are two of the best female fighters to ever lace up the gloves,” said a happy Greg Cohen. “I am honored to be working with them and we’ve got big plans for them. They are a history-making fighting family and both sisters still have plenty of fight left in them. This is a huge acquisition for my company.”

“I’ve been working with Jordan and the girls for years. These are two of the toughest women in pro boxing today. I am very excited to see them involved with GCP!” said David Schuster.

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About Greg Cohen Promotions

One of boxing’s premier promotional outfits, Greg Cohen Promotions (GCP) is a well-respected name for staging world-class professional boxing events and promoting elite professional fighters throughout the world.

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

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

In addition to Trout, Greg Cohen Promotions has worked with established names such as former unified and two-time heavyweight champion Hasim “The Rock” Rahman (50-8-2, 41 KOs); and all-time-great multiple-weight class world champion James “Lights Out” Toney (74-7-3, 45 KOs).

Current world-rated contenders in the GCP roster include Arash Usmanee, universally recognized as a top-10 super featherweight; former WBA International Middleweight Champion and world-rated middleweight contender Jarrod Fletcher; top-rated featherweight Joel Brunker; cruiserweight Lateef Kayode; Canadian lightweight and TV action hero Tony Luis, and WBA and five-time Irish National Amateur Champion, Dennis Hogan; and Rising Welterweight sensation Cecil McCalla.

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

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (April 9, 2015) – A talent-laden preliminary card for May’s “Bellator MMA: Halsey vs. Grove” event is starting to take shape with the addition of welterweights Jesse Juarez (22-9) vs. Ricky “The Sniper” Rainey (10-3), bantamweights Joe “The Juggernaut” Taimanglo (20-6-1) vs. Antonio “Tigre” Duarte (18-5) and featherweight Jordan “Pretty Boy” Parsons (10-1) vs. Julio Cesar “Morceguinho” Neves Jr. (30-0).

The new additions complement the four-bout main card for “Bellator MMA: Halsey vs. Grove,” which includes undefeated Bellator MMA World Middleweight Champion Brandon “Bull” Halsey (8-0) against towering Hawaiian scrapper Kendall “Da Spyder” Grove (21-14), former Bellator MMA World Champion Eduardo “Dudu” Dantas (16-4) vs. Mike “The Marine” Richman (18-5), light heavyweights Virgil “Rezdog” Zwicker (13-4-1) vs. “Razor” Razak Al-Hassan (12-4) and welterweights Fernando “The Menifee Maniac” Gonzalez (23-13) vs. “Curtious” Curtis Millander (7-1).

“Bellator: Halsey vs. Grove” takes place on Friday, May 15, at Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Calif. The night’s main card airs live on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT local time), while preliminary bouts stream on Spike.com.

Tickets for “Bellator: Halsey vs. Grove,” which start at just $50, are currently on sale at Pechanga.com and the Pechanga Resort & Casino box office.

Doors for “Bellator: Halsey vs. Grove” open at 3:30 p.m. PT local time, and the first contest takes place 30 minutes later. Additional bouts will be announced shortly.

Juarez, of Torrance, Calif., is a seven-time Bellator MMA veteran whose days with the company date back to the promotion’s second show. The 33-year-old has been fighting professionally since 2006 but is currently enjoying one of the best runs of his career at 5-1 in his past six appearances, a run that includes Bellator MMA wins over Ron Keslar, Joe Williams and Jordan Smith.

Rainey, of Gastonia, N.C., fights for the fourth time under the Bellator MMA banner. All three of Rainey’s Bellator MMA fights have ended in the first round, as he’s bracketed TKO wins over Johnny Cisneros and Andy Murad around a loss to top contender Michael “Venom” Page. Seven of Rainey’s 10 career wins have come by finish, including six by knockout.

A five-time Bellator MMA veteran, Taimanglo has quickly established himself as one of Guam’s top fighting exports. A scrappy 30-year-old, Taimanglo never fails to entertain. He fought most recently in September, scoring a decision win over Michael Parker.

Fighting professionally since 2006, Duarte hails from Tijuana, Mexico. He makes his Bellator MMA debut on the strength of back-to-back submission wins over Marco Beristain and Ed West. Fifteen of Duarte’s 18 career wins come by way of stoppage, including 11 by tapout.

The 24-year-old Parsons, of Fargo, N.D., is a member of California’s famed Alliance MMA. Fighting professionally, Parsons has established himself as one of the top prospects in the world after winning 10 of his first 11 professional fights, including three by knockout and two by submission. Parsons made his Bellator MMA debut in April 2014, scoring a knockout win over Tim Bazer just four seconds into the second round.

Brazil’s Neves Jr. has compiled an incredible career mark of 30-0 despite being just 20 years old. Competing professionally since 2011, when he was just 17 years old, Neves Jr. already owns a pair of Bellator MMA victories by TKO, as he downed Poppies Martinez in the first round of a September 2014 matchup and finished Josh Arocho in the second round of an April 2014 contest.

“Bellator: Halsey vs. Grove” – Friday, May 15, Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula, Calif.

Main Card (9 p.m. ET)

Bellator Middleweight Title Fight: Champ Brandon Halsey (8-0) vs. Kendall Grove (21-14)
Bellator Featured Bantamweight Fight: Eduardo Dantas (16-4) vs. Mike Richman (18-5)
Bellator Featured Light Heavyweight Fight: Virgil Zwicker (13-4-1) vs. Razak Al-Hassan (12-4)
Bellator Featured Welterweight Fight: Fernando Gonzalez (23-13) vs. Curtis Millender (7-1)

Preliminary Card (7 p.m. ET)

Bellator Welterweight Prelim Fight: Jesse Juarez (22-9) vs. Ricky Rainey (10-3)
Bellator Bantamweight Prelim Fight: Joe Taimanglo (20-6-1) vs. Antonio Duarte (18-5)
Bellator Featherweight Prelim Fight: Jordan Parsons (10-1) vs. Julio Cesar Neves Jr. (30-0)

About Bellator MMA
Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 400 million homes worldwide in over 120 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike TV, the MMA television leader. Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Santa Monica, California and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.

About Spike TV:
Spike TV is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

On April 15, 1985, when Marvelous Marvin Hagler battled Tommy Hearns in their epic match, Al Bernstein was there to announce the fight. Thirty years later, on May 2, 2015, Al Bernstein will, again be ringside to announce the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquaio mega fight. In between those two great events Al has fashioned an announcing career that earned him a long list of accolades and landed him in The International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Bernstein is the bridge to these two major events in boxing history. He said: “As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Hagler-Hearns and look back at what those two great athletes created, it’s also exciting to look forward to another milestone in the sport’s rich history. To be a part of both those events is and honor and responsibility that I don’t take lightly. In 1985 I was in the first part of my career filled with excitement to have such an important assignment—now 30 years later, with all the big fights I’ve done, I am just as excited to be ringside. The atmosphere at the Caesar’s Palace outdoor arena 30 years ago was electric. It was a night I will never forget.That same intensity will be felt at the MGM Grand Garden Arena when Floyd and Manny do battle. I can’t wait to be ringside and help chronicle that event.”

In his book, “30 Years, 30 Undeniable Truths About Boxing, Sports and TV”, Al details many of the colorful events and personalities surrounding the Hagler-Hearns mega fight.

The 10-round main event for the debut of “Championship Boxing on CBS Sports Network” between Ireland’s WBA #12- and IBF #11-rated “Hurricane” Dennis Hogan and Tyrone “Young Gun” Brunson, has been upgraded to a contest for the World Boxing Association’s NABA-US Super Welterweight Championship.

Presented by Greg Cohen Promotions in association with Adam Wilcock’s Fight Card Promotions and produced by David Schuster’s Winner Take All Productions, Hogan vs. Brunson will top a night of world-class boxing broadcast live on CBS Sports Network from the Grand Casino Hinckley in Hinckley, Minnesota.

In the 10-round televised co-feature, Canada’s world rated and fast-rising lightweight star Tony “Lightning” Luis (19-2, 7 KOs) will have his first fight since winning the WBC Continental Americas Championship. He will face Memphis, Tennessee, veteran Ira Terry (26-13, 16 KOs).

In the eight-round televised opener, undefeated Saint Paul, Minnesota, middleweight Rob “Bravo” Brant (14-0, 8 KOs) will face Miami via Colombia’s Dionisio “Mister Nocaut” Miranda (22-10-2, 19 KOs).

Tickets for “Championship Boxing on CBS Sports Network” start at $35 and can be purchased at the Grand Casino Hinckley Box Office from 8 am to 10 pm (1-800-GRAND21) or at all Ticketmaster outlets, or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

The live broadcast of “Championship Boxing on CBS Sports Network” will begin at 10:00 PM, ET. On fight night, the doors will open at 6 pm and the action starts at 7 pm. The Grand Casino Hinckley is located at 777 Lady Luck Drive in Hinckley, Minnesota. For more information, visit www.grandcasinomn.com or call 800-472-6321.

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About Greg Cohen Promotions

One of boxing’s premier promotional outfits, Greg Cohen Promotions (GCP) is a well-respected name for staging world-class professional boxing events and promoting elite professional fighters throughout the world.

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

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

In addition to Trout, Greg Cohen Promotions has worked with established names such as former unified and two-time heavyweight champion Hasim “The Rock” Rahman (50-8-2, 41 KOs); and all-time-great multiple-weight class world champion James “Lights Out” Toney (74-7-3, 45 KOs).

Current world-rated contenders in the GCP roster include Arash Usmanee, universally recognized as a top-10 super featherweight; former WBA International Middleweight Champion and world-rated middleweight contender Jarrod Fletcher; top-rated featherweight Joel Brunker; cruiserweight Lateef Kayode; Canadian lightweight and TV action hero Tony Luis, and WBA and five-time Irish National Amateur Champion, Dennis Hogan; and Rising Welterweight sensation Cecil McCalla.

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

Pennsauken, NJ (April 9, 2015)–On Saturday night, April 18 at the GPG Event Center (Formerly the Woodbine Inn) in Pennsauken, New Jersey. In the main event, heavyweight contender Chazz Witherpsoon will be in action when he takes on Galen Brown in a bout scheduled for 10-rounds.

The show is promoted by Witherspoon’s Silver Spoon Promotions.

Witherspoon (32-3, 24 KO’s) of nearby Paulsboro, New Jersey established himself as one of the top American Heavyweights as the St. Joseph’s University graduate won his first twenty-three bouts with wins over the likes of Michael Alexander (11-0), Talmadge Griffis (24-6-3), Jonathan Haggler (18-1) before suffering his 1st defeat to future two-time world title challenger Chris Arreola via controversial disqualification.

Witherspoon went on to win three win a row which was highlighted by an entertaining 8th round stoppage over Adam “The Swamp Donkey” Richards (21-1). That fight was voted Ring Magazine’s 2008 Heavyweight Fight of the Year. Witherspoon then dropped a fight to future two-time world title challenger Tony Thompson.

Witherspoon went on to score 4-consecutive knockouts which included a devastating 3rd-round destruction over Tyson Cobb (14-2).

Witherspoon then took on undefeated prospect Seth Mitchell on April 28, 2012 in a bout where Witherspoon had Mitchell badly hurt in several occasions before Mitchell came away with the victory.

In has last bout, Witherspoon stopped Cory Phelps in two rounds at the GPG Event on January 24.

Brown (43-29-1, 25 KO’s) of St. Joseph, Missouri has been in with many of the top fighters from the Super Middleweight through the Heavyweight divisions.

He has wins over Richard Carmack (12-1), Dominique Alexander (13-2-1), Craig Schrimpf (8-1), Rick Camlin (33-4), Luis Pena (8-2) & Maurice Brantley (23-5).

The 33 year-old turned professional in 2001 and has faced world champion Robert Steiglitz & Hasim Rahman as well as world title challengers Brian Minto, Mariusz Wach & Fres Oquendo.

Brown is coming off of a 4-round unanimous decision over John Turlington on March 28 in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Appearing on the undercard in 4-round bouts will be:

Vidal Rivera (1-0, 1 KO) of Camden, NJ takes on Tyron Stewart (0-1) in a super bantamweight clash.

Obafemi Bakari (2-0) of Staten Island, NY will fight pro debuting Andrew Osborne in a jr. middleweight fight.

Matthew Gonzalez (2-0) of Vineland,NJ will take on Joseph McDonald (0-1) of Concord, NC in a jr. middleweight fight.

Courtney Blocker (4-0, 4 KO’s) of Pensacola, FL will take on pro debuting Jamal Saunders in a jr. welterweight bout.

Erick Kitt (5-0, 2 KO’s) of Pensacola, FL will see action in a jr. middleweight bout against Rick Graham (2-5-2, 1 KO) of Detroit, MI.

Malik Hawkins (2-0, 2 KO’s) of Baltimore, MD will take part in a jr. welterweight bout against pro debuting Darius Jackson.

Andrew Puerifoy (0-1) of Sicklerville, NJ will fight in a cruiserweight against Antuwan Taylor (0-2) of Cincinnati, OH.

Rocco Salimbene of Pennsauken, NJ will make his pro debut in a lightweight fight

Tickets for the great evening of championship boxing $80 for Ringside, $60 for select and $40 for General Admission and can be purchased by calling 856 472 0443 or 609 938 1755 or by email at info@silverspoonpromotions.com

There will be an after party at the GPG Event Center.

The GPG Event Center is located at 1443 Route 73 in Pennsauken.