QUEBEC CITY (March 19, 2015) – After dominating the amateur ranks during two entire Olympic cycles, Russian prospect Artur Beterbiev is now ready for pro boxing’s elite, even though he has only fought seven times as a professional. The Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM) jewel will continue his journey April 4 in Quebec City, airing live on CBS and TVA Sports, against former world champion Gabriel Campillo, of Spain.
“The journalists won’t be happy since I did not KO anybody today,” laughed Beterbiev after a public training session today in Quebec City, He demonstrated his skills with his sparring partners, Englishman Bob Ajisafe and Australian Blake Caparello.

“I really think it will be a short night for Campillo,” Caparello said after sparring Beterbiev. “This guy has some incredible brute force. He could even chase and hunt down a strong Sergey Kovalev in the ring,”

Beterbiev (7-0, 7 KOa) will face former WBA light heavyweight world champion Campillo (25-6-1, 11 KOa), a slick 6’2” southpaw who has fought 211 rounds as a professional, in a preliminary bout before the WBC and The Ring light heavyweight world title fight between defending champion Adonis “Superman” Stevenson and Sakio Bika.

Beterbiev-Campillo is for the IBF world second ranking in the light heavyweight division.

“It is a good fight against an excellent opponent; a resistant, experienced guy,” Beterbiev trainer Marc Ramsay analyzed. “Campillo will bring a lot of ring experience to Artur. My boxer continues to improve every day but, in fact, he is already ready for the best.”

“I will put on a good show and fight April 4th,” Beterbiev continued. “When I step in the ring, I don’t have a friend. I want to continue to get better until I face Sergey Kovalev again. And I will beat him again!”

Kevin Bizier vs. Stanislav Salmon

Canadian welterweight Kevin Bizier (23-2, 16 KOs) will have his chance to write history in the old Québec Coliseum, since he will fight the last boxing bout ever produced in the former Nordiques arena. April 4th, he will face former French and WBC Mediterranean welterweight champion Stanislav Salmon (24-3-2, 10 KOs).

In order to realize that dream, the Quebec City’s pride had to refuse an offer to appear in the semi-final bout of the Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and Andrzej Fonfara fight, April 18th in Carson, California.

“Kevin would have received a bigger purse than the one he had for his last fight against Jo Jo Dan, but he wanted to stay on the Quebec card,” promoter Yvon Michel added. “He did a great job in a really close brawl against Dan and Dan will fight in an IBF world welterweight fight, March 28 in England. Everything is still possible for Kevin and we believe in him.”

“To be the one that will close the Colisée is really something,” Bizier commented. “It is also a good preparation fight and I must do great. I would have liked to fight in California, but I will have another opportunity in June. And of course, I would have loved to be in Jo Jo Dan’s shoes to fight in a world championship…but one day, it will be my turn.”

Sébastien Bouchard vs. Denis Farias

Also on the card, Canadian fovorie Sébastien Bouchard (9-1, 3 KOs) will step up to face French tough guy Denis Farias (19-6-2, 1 KOs).

“Sébastien made us proud in his last fight when he stopped the last boxer to defeat icon Stéphane Ouellet, Belgian Cedric Spera,” GYM vice-president Bernard Barré mentioned. “He will be facing a durable fighter, who has only lost one time by K.O.”

Tickets are on sale at the Pepsi Coliseum box office in Quebec, by calling (418) 691-7211 or 1 (800) 900-7469, online at www.billetech.com, at GYM (514) 383-0666 and Champion Boxing Club (514) 376-0980. Ticket prices range from $25 to $250 on the floor.

(San Diego) – Always on the forefront of San Diego boxing, California boxing hall of fame promoter Bobby D. Presents showcases the first fight of 2015 with a five-bout fight card full of some of the most exciting prospects southern California has to offer. The “Road to Redemption” fight card will be held at the now legendary San Diego venue, the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, in the San Diego suburb of Kearny Mesa. In the main event, undefeated big man Scott Alexander (9-0-1, 5KO) will look to stay unbeaten when he takes on his most experienced to date in Sacramento, CA’s Rodney Hernandez (6-2-1, 1KO) in a heavyweight six rounder.

The hard-hitting Alexander of Los Angeles, CA, has been out for twelve months due to a light injury but now is back with abandon and looks to add to his KO streak. Hernandez last loss has come to former Olympian Michael Hunter which he went six rounds with and is coming a unanimous decision over Siala Siligia. Don’t expect for this fight to go the distance.

In the semi-main event, lightweight Leon “3rd Generation” Spinks III (10-1-1, 6KO) comes back to San Diego to take on the rugged Cesar “Mayu” Garcia (11-17-1, 5KO) of Ensenada, Mexico, in a four rounder. Spinks III is the grandson of great heavyweight champ “Neon” Leon Spinks, the great-nephew of former light heavyweight champion Michael Spinks and nephew of former undisputed super welterweight champion Cory Spinks. The southpaw Spinks III needs to be ready for the experience Garcia if he is to follow on his famous relative footsteps.

Rounding out the card will be San Diego favorite Ernesto “Chato” Martinez (10-8-1, 5KO) vs Jose Alvarez (3-3) in a super middleweight four, Ngoc Truong (0-1) facing Miguelito Marti (0-3) at super featherweight and pro first timers Isaac Freeman against Jeff Tabrizi.

The Four Points Sheraton is located at 8110 Aero Drive, San Diego. Food and drinks will be served with plenty of parking on the premises. For ticket and/or info please contact (619) 420-8866 or visit SanDiegoFights.com.

Mexico City – After a successful inaugural event sell-out in November 2014, the UFC® heads back to Mexico today to kickoff ticket sales for UFC® 188: VELASQUEZ vs. WERDUM. The highly anticipated rematich is slated for Saturday, June 13 at the Arena Ciudad de México in Mexico City and will finally determine the true heavyweight champion of the world.

Cain Velasquez, Fabricio Werdum, Gilbert Melendez, Eddie Alvarez, Augusto Montaño, Cathal Pendred, Yair Rodriguez, Charles Rosa, Tecia Torres and Angela Hill were present at the media day, which took place today at the Four Seasons in Mexico City.

Headlining the June card is the highly anticipated five-round main event featuring UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez (13-1, fighting out of San Jose, Calif.), and interim heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum (19-5-1, fighting out of Los Angeles, Calif. by way of Porto Alegre, Brazil). The heavyweight clash marks the culmination of a rivalry that developed as coaches opposite each other on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter® Latin America. Originally slated to clash at last year’s November event, Cain was removed from UFC® 180 in Mexico City due to injury.

In addition, fourth-ranked Gilbert “El Niño” Melendez (22-4, fighting out San Francisco, CA by way of Santa Ana, Calif.) goes up against no.10 Eddie Alvarez (25-4, fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla.) in a lightweight showdown. Melendez, a former Strikeforce and WEC lightweight champion, will bring his black belt jiu-jitsu skills to the Octagon® against the freestyle striker Alvarez.

Other bouts for UFC® 188 include:
– Augusto “Dodger” Montaño (14-1, fighting out of Mexico City, Mexico) and Cathal Pendred (16-3, fighting out of Dublin, Ireland) will collide in a welterweight battle
– The Ultimate Fighter® Latin America winner, Yair “Pantera” Rodriguez (5-1, fighting out of Chicago, Ill. by way of Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico) will meet Charles “Boston Strong” Rosa (10-1, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) in a featherweight bout
– The Ultimate Fighter® 20 participant Tecia “Tiny Tornado” Torres (5-1, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) with fight her reality star counterpart Angela “Overkill” Hill (2-0, fighting out of Asheville, N.C.) in a fight with serious implication for the women’s strawweight division

Tickets for UFC® 188: VELASQUEZ vs. WERDUM go on sale Friday, March 20 and are priced at $7,490 zone Cancha, $4,815 zone Retractil Platino, $3,157 zone Superpalco (Club), $3,157 zone Retractil Oro, $2,408 zone Platea Platino, $1,873 zone Platea Oro, $1,391 zone Barrera, $1,043 zone Butaca, $910 zone Butaca 2, $650 zone Balcon, $482 zone Balcon 2, $375 zone Balcon 3 (prices listed in Mexican pesos and include taxes). Tickets are available for purchase online at www.superboletos.com, by phone at +52 (55) 15154100. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.

UFC® 188: VELASQUEZ vs. WERDUM will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Vubiquity, and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $49.99 US/CAN for Standard Definition and $59.99 US/CAN for High -Definition.

Get your VIP package today! The UFC VIP Experience packages together your tickets with behind-the-scenes access to the official weigh-ins, backstage tours, meet and greet and autograph signings with top UFC stars, Q&A sessions, and photo opportunities, access to an in-arena VIP party room, a chance to hold the championship belt inside the Octagon® and more!

For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com. All bouts are live and subject to change.
Follow us on Twitter: @UFC and Facebook/UFC

###

About UFC®
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, UFC® is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in 129 countries to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide in 28 different languages. In 2013, the UFC and Televisa Networks announced an exclusive deal for UFC content distribution in 20 Latin American countries with the launch of UFC NETWORK, a 24 hour channel, 7 days a week, dedicated to the UFC. The UFC NETWORK is available in Total Play, Megacable, Cablemas, Gigacable Cablevision and SKY (México); TuVes (Chile, Bolivia, and Peru); Tevecable (Ecuador); Gigared (Argentina); Tigo Star (Paraguay and Bolivia); Claro and Tricom (Dominican Republic); Inter (Venezuela), Cotas (Bolivia) and TCC (Uruguay). Additionally, UFC programing is available in TDN in Mexico, including transmission of select live events and free-to-air television in: Televisa Channel 5 (México), Telefuturo (Paraguay) ABC Surinam (Surinam), Viva TV Nicaragua (Nicaragua) Next (Panamá), Red Uno (Bolivia), America TV (Peru), Via X (Chile), Teleprogreso (Honduras), Teleamazonas (Ecuador) and Meridiano Television (Venezuela). The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, UFC branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit UFCNetwork.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com, Twitter and Instagram: @UFCNetwork.

About the Mexico City Arena
Zignia Live is part of Avalanz Group and is one of the main companies promoting shows in Mexico and Latin America, ranking in the “Top 20” as most active promoters in the world. Live Zignia is aprovider for venues in Mexico City, Puebla, Guadalajara, Torreon, Tampico, Monterrey and offers unique and memorable experiences through the presentation of live world-class performances.

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 19, 2015) – Gary Shaw Productions and Savarese Promotions’ undefeated Light-Heavyweight bomber, Medzhidm “B-52” Bektemirov (15-0, 12 KOs), is now ranked #10 by the WBA.

A fighter who has power in both hands, B-52 is eager to continue his climb up the WBA rankings with more explosive performances. His mission is to knock everyone out.

“I’m very thankful to my promoters Gary Shaw and Lou Savarese for getting me rated in the WBA,” said Bektemirov. “I’ve worked very hard to get to this position and I don’t plan on slowing down. I want to be known as the man who likes to drop bombs on my opponents. For these reasons I’m known as B-52. I’m ready wreck the Light-Heavyweight division and knock everyone out.”

“Gilberto Mendoza Sr. and Jr. and the rest of the WBA ratings committee are to be applauded for recognizing the talent of B-52,” said Gary Shaw. “He has all the talent, work ethic and desire to become the next great Russian champion. Lou and I are working diligently on his next fight and were hoping he’ll be back in the ring very soon.”

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, B-52 reminds me of Mike Tyson,” Lou Savarese stated. “Coming from a guy who fought Tyson, I know raw power when I see it, and Bektemirov can punch with both hands. His knockouts are brutal and everyone who’s seen him fight, knows he’s special. This is the begging of a great run and I couldn’t be happier that he’s ranked with the WBA.”

Toronto – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, today announced extensive live programming for UFC Fight Night™: Maia vs. LaFlare this Saturday, March 21 at Ginasio do Maracanazinho in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Fight Network will televise the live prelims exclusively in Canada from 8 to 10 p.m. ET. The main card is scheduled to air live on TSN1 at 10 p.m. ET.

The prelims are stacked with Brazilian prospects, as lightweight Francisco Trinaldo (15-4) takes on Mexican warrior Akbarh Arreola (23-8-1), featherweight Kevin Souza (15-3) battles unorthodox Japanese striker Katsunori Kikuno (23-6-2), Sao Paulo-born lightweight Leandro Silva (17-2-1) clashes with heavy-handed Nebraska native Drew Dober (15-6), plus welterweight Leonardo Mafra (11-2) meets Californian Cain Carrizosa (6-1).

Live pre-fight coverage will lead into the prelims on Saturday night with Fight Network’s UFC Pre-Show Live at 7 p.m. ET, featuring previews, predictions and analysis.

In addition to all the live pre and post-fight coverage, Fight Network is the destination for UFC library content, specials and series, including UFC Unleashed, UFC Now and UFC Ultimate Insider. All airings are listed at tv.fightnetwork.com.

Post-fight coverage airs on Monday’s edition of 5 Rounds on Fight Network, which debuts at 7 p.m. ET and features a comprehensive breakdown of Saturday’s event.

The full card for UFC Fight Night™: Maia vs. LaFlare includes:

Main Card (Live on TSN1, 10 p.m. ET):

-Demian Maia (19-6) vs. Ryan LaFlare (11-0)
-Erick Silva (17-5) vs. Josh Koscheck (17-9)
-Leonardo Santos (13-3-1) vs. Tony Martin (9-2)
-Amanda Nunes (9-4) vs. Shayna Baszler (15-9)
-Gilbert Burns (9-0) vs. Alex Oliveira (10-1-1)
-Godofredo Pepey (11-3) vs. Andre Fili (14-2)

Preliminary Card (Live on Fight Network, 8 p.m. ET):

-Francisco Trinaldo (15-4) vs. Akbarh Arreola (23-8-1)
-Kevin Souza (15-3) vs. Katsunori Kikuno (23-6-2)
-Leandro Silva (17-2-1) vs. Drew Dober (15-6)
-Leoanrdo Mafra (11-2) vs. Cain Carrizosa (6-1)

Preliminary Card (Live on UFC Fight Pass, 7 p.m. ET):

-Jorge de Oliveira (7-1) vs. Christos Giagos (10-3)
-Bentley Syler (5-0) vs. Freddy Serrano (1-0)

For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, please visit tv.fightnetwork.com and follow on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.

For More Information Contact:

Fight Network
Chad Midgley
VP Programming & Production
chad@fightnetwork.com
www.fightnetwork.com

Fight Network
Ariel Shnerer
Programming & Communications Manager
ariel@fightnetwork.com
www.fightnetwork.com

About Fight Network:

Fight Network (www.fightnetwork.com) is the world’s premier combat sports network dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, including fights, fighters, fight news and fight lifestyle. The channel is available on Cablevision’s Optimum TV and Texas-based Grande Communications in the U.S., all major carriers in Canada and over 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East, a programming block on Pursuit Channel (www.pursuitchannel.com), on TSN Radio in Canada via its program “Live Audio Wrestling,” and its programming on Sirius XM Channel 167. Fight Network’s parent company Anthem Media Group Inc. (www.anthemmediagroupinc.com) launched Fantasy (FNTSY) Sports Network (www.fantasysportsnetwork.com) across North America in March 2014 and also holds a significant ownership interest in Pursuit Channel.

LINCOLN, R.I. (March 19th, 2015) – The phone call couldn’t have come at a better time for Jean Pierre Augustin, even if he wasn’t quite sure it was real.

“I didn’t take it seriously at first,” said the Lawrence, Mass., cruiserweight boxer. “I thought it was a prank.”

But this was no joke. This was the opportunity of a lifetime, a chance for the 27-year-old fighter to play a role in Bleed For This, the upcoming Chad Verdi-produced film based on the career of five-time world champion Vinny Paz.

Augustin (4-0, 2 KOs) landed the role of former world champ Gilbert Dele, whom Paz beat in 1991, and made a lasting impression on the cast and crew, specifically Verdi and Paz, who are now guiding Augustin’s boxing career, which resumes Friday, April 3rd, 2015 at Twin River Casino on the undercard of “The Revival,” presented by CES Boxing in association with Verdi Productions.

Tickets for Augustin’s Twin River and CES debut are priced at $40.00, $100.00 and $125.00 and available for purchase online at www.cesboxing.com or www.twinriver.com, by phone at 401-724-2253/2254 or at the Twin River Players Club. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

“This is a blessing for me,” Augustin said. “There’s no other way for me to describe it.”

“Vinny is 100 percent committed to training JP and making him a world champion,” Verdi said. “This is the main reason I agreed to become JP’s manager, and working with Vinny again is an absolute joy. Both Vinny and I feel JP has what it takes to become a champion, but it’s up to him to put in all the hard work and dedication needed.”

That part is nothing new for Augustin, who, with few connections on the local boxing circuit, needed the help of a sponsor at the beginning of his pro career just to pay his way onto various cards in West Virginia and North Carolina, where he amassed a 4-0 record with two first-round knockouts in 2014.

But the money from fighting wasn’t enough to pay the bills, so the Haitian-born Augustin found other ways to earn a living, working as a plumber, security guard and even a part-time Uber driver.

“I really didn’t know where my career was going,” he said. “I was basically living out of a suitcase moving from camp to camp, hustling here and there to get a job done and get some cash.

“I was pursuing a dream, but the dream really wasn’t taking me anywhere.”

Raised in Boston before moving to Lawrence at the age of 10, Augustin’s first love was martial arts, but it wasn’t “physical enough,” so, on the recommendation of his sensei, he took up boxing at a local gym.

“I instantly fell in love with it,” he said.

After 55 amateur fights (49 wins among them), Augustin finally turned pro in February of 2014. The struggle to land a spot on a card in New England with other promoters – “I just couldn’t get a fair shake,” he said – forced Augustin to remain a boxing nomad until he linked up with Verdi and Paz on the set for Bleed For This.

The rest is history. With Verdi as his manager, Paz as his trainer, and CES president Jimmy Burchfield Sr. as his promoter, Augustin now has an opportunity to build a fan base in New England and take his career to new heights. The journey begins April 3rd in a four-round bout against New Haven, Conn., vet Solomon Maye (1-4).

“Things have been unfolding quickly,” said Augustin, who has been training and sparring at Balletto’s Gym in Providence while also working with Rhode Island-based coach Vic Fagnant. “It’s not overwhelming, but it’s a lot to process.

“I’m just thankful for this opportunity.”

“The Revival” features the 10-round main event between Universal Boxing Federation (UBF) female super bantamweight world champion Shelly Vincent (13-0, 1 KO) of Providence and three-time world-title challenger Christina Ruiz (7-7-3, 4 KOs) of San Antonio, Tex. Both Vincent’s UBF title and the vacant International Boxing Association (IBA) world title will be on the line.

Unbeaten Providence super middleweight Angel Camacho Jr. (13-0, 4 KOs) faces the dangerous Chris Chatman (12-4-1, 5 KOs) of Jersey City, N.J., in the six-round co-feature, while undefeated welterweight Nick DeLomba (6-0) of Cranston, R.I., battles Hartford, Conn., vet Joe Wilson Jr. (3-1) in a six-round special attraction.

Bleed For This is the inspirational true story of Rhode Island’s Paz, who defied the odds by winning the third of his five world titles just one year after a near-fatal car crash left him with a broken neck and an uncertain future.

Executive produced by Martin Scorsece, Michelle Verdi and Joshua Sason and produced by Verdi, Bruce Cohen, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Pam Thur and Noah Kraft, Bleed For This stars Miles Teller (The Spectacular Now, That Awkward Moment and Generation X) as Paz; Golden Globe nominee Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight, Olympus Has Fallen, I and Frankenstein) as trainer Kevin Rooney; Katey Sagal (Married … With Children, Sons Of Anarchy) as Louise Pazienza; and Ciaran Hinds (Frozen, Munich, The Road to Perdition and Harry Potter) as Angelo Pazienza.

The undercard of “The Revival” also features several noteworthy regional showdowns, including a four-round junior welterweight bout between unbeaten Worcester, Mass., native Freddy Sanchez (3-0, 2 KOs) and Briam Granado (1-0, 1 KO) of New Bedford, Mass., and a four-round super middleweight bout between Zachary Christy (1-0-1) of Warwick, R.I. (St. Petersburg, Fla.), and former amateur champion Bobby Flynn of Sandwich, Mass., who is making his professional boxing debut. New Bedford junior middleweight Ray Oliveira Jr. (3-0, 2 KOs) returns to face Cambridge, Mass., newcomer Yves Thevenin while unbeaten middleweight prospect Khiary Gray-Pitts (5-0, 3 KOs) of Worcester battles New Haven vet Greg McCoy (3-4-1, 1 KO).

For more information on “The Revival” visit www.cesboxing.com, follow @CESBOXING on Twitter and Instagram and “like” the official CES Boxing Facebook fan page.

TORONTO | NEW YORK (Mar. 19, 2015) — Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents a live broadcast of Hard Knocks Fighting 42 from Calgary, Alberta, Canada’s Century Casino this Friday, March 20 at 11 p.m. ET.

Fight Network’s live broadcast will air on Cablevision’s Optimum TV, Grande Communications, Shentel Cable and Armstrong Cable in the U.S., nationwide in Canada, Roku devices across North America, and globally in over 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

The main event features a clash for the Hard Knocks lightweight title, as Ontario native Ryan Dickson (10-2) tangles with Michigan-born Bellator veteran Jason Fischer (7-3).

In other featured bouts, undefeated Saskatchewan native Miles Anstead (5-0) battles Alberta’s own Markhaile Wedderburn (11-13) in middleweight action, Calgary native Josh Griffin (3-3) takes on British Columbia native Micah Brakefield (4-5) in another middleweight contest, Alberta’s Chris Mattock (4-1) meets Washington’s Adam Smith (8-3) in a welterweight duel, Montreal-based Frenchman Christ Franck (5-5) throws down with Ontario’s Joel Powell (7-5) in a welterweight tilt, plus unbeaten Calgary native Anton Tokarchuk (3-0-1) looks to keep his unblemished record intact opposite highly touted Trinidad-born, Toronto-based prospect Todd Stoute (5-3) at 205 pounds.

For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, visit tv.fightnetwork.com, follow us on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.

LAS VEGAS (March 19, 2015) – A war hero versus a real-life superhero – both fast-rising stars in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Who do you root for?

That is the question that fans will be faced with when Emmanuel Walo (7-2-1) squares off with undefeated Ben Fodor (5-0-1), also known as costumed crime fighter “Phoenix Jones,” in a welterweight (170 pounds) contest at the much-anticipated WSOF 20: Branch vs. Markes event at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn. on Friday, April 10, live on NBCSN.

“This is a matchup between two of the most prolific prospects in our great sport, and a fabulous addition to our first-ever event in Conn. that is already stacked with a tremendous lineup of talent,” said WSOF President, six-time world champion and two-time Hall of Famer Ray Sefo.

Another new addition to the WSOF 20 fight card will see Steve Mocco (4-1) of Coconut Creek, Fla. battle Juliano Coutinho (6-1) of West Yarmouth, Mass. in a heavyweight tilt.

In the midst of his fourth year as a professional fighter, the 28-year-old Walo of Jersey City, N.J. is also a member of the National Guard who saw action in Iraq during the war there. It was while he was stationed in Iraq that Walo was introduced to MMA through a fellow U.S. military operative and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt who offered to teach Walo

After returning home from combat, Walo followed what had become his passion, reeling off a 2-0 record in amateur MMA competition in 2011, before making the jump to the professional ranks.

Walo received a rude awakening in his professional debut on Dec. 10, 2011, losing a unanimous decision to Michael Wilcox, but rebounded and went unbeaten in his next eight starts.

The 26-year-old Fodor of Seattle, Wash. signed a multi-fight contract last week with WSOF after being covered in a compelling feature segment on ESPN SportsCenter that profiled his strenuous lifestyle as both a prize fighter and a costumed crime fighter dedicated to curbing street crimes and assisting people in distress in Seattle’s streets.

Fodor is coming off a third round (3:06) technical submission (rear-naked choke) victory over Jason Novelli on Feb. 21, 2015.

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

In the main event, reigning WSOF World Middleweight (185 pounds) Champion David Branch (15-3) will move up to light heavyweight (205 pounds) and face off with fellow Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Ronny Markes (15-3) in what represents the second bout of the multi-event WSOF tournament that will crown its winner the promotion’s inaugural world light heavyweight champion.

In the lightweight (155 pounds) co-main event, Melvin “The Young” Assassin Guillard (32-14-2, 2 NC) of New Orleans, La. will collide with fellow hard-hitting, KO artist Ozzy Dugulubgov (6-2) of Hackensack, N.J.

Leading off the live NBCSN telecast that will begin at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT, is another lightweight matchup between Nick Newell (11-1) of Springfield, Mass. and Joe Condon (12-7) of Victorville, Calif.

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

The preliminary bout lineup for WSOF 20: Branch vs. Markes will be announced soon.

Prior to the April 10 event, live WSOF MMA action returns to NBCSN on Saturday, March 28, beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT, with WSOF 19: Gaethje vs. Palomino, headlined by a world lightweight championship showdown between undefeated reigning kingpin Justin Gaethje (13-0) of Safford, Ariz. and hard-hitting contender Luis “Baboon” Palomino (23-9) of Miami, Fla.

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.

Las Vegas – UFC® today announced it is cooperating with law enforcement officials from the City of London Police and its Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) regarding an investigation into the illegal distribution of UFC programming.

On March 18, the PIPCU executed a warrant to search and seize computers and property suspected of being used for criminal activity. A 55-year-old suspect, believed to be one of the internet’s biggest illegal uploaders of mixed martial arts and wrestling content, was arrested and remanded into police custody following the execution of the search warrant for his alleged involvement into the illegal distribution of protected content. Authorities estimate the suspect’s operation may have shared files that led to more than 2 million downloads. The suspect has been taken in for questioning as part of the ongoing investigation.

In the course of the search of the suspect’s residence in Coalville, Leicestershire, PIPCU uncovered computers, electronic equipment, and other evidence to assist in determining the extent of the unlawful activity and the potential damages incurred as a result of these crimes.

UFC has assisted local law enforcement authorities around the world in identifying potential infringers of intellectual property laws relating to the illegal distribution of copyrighted broadcasts. The UFC is committed to providing any assistance to PIPCU’s investigation into the illegal distribution of the company’s content and will make records and documents available to investigators.

“The UFC organization hopes this investigation and arrest by PIPCU will result in a significant decrease in the illegal online distribution of our intellectual property and broadcasts,” UFC Chief Legal Officer Kirk Hendrick said. “We take online piracy very seriously and will continue to work with law enforcement officials around the world to prevent illegal sharing of UFC content.”

About UFC®

UFC® is the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Sao Paulo, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in 129 countries and territories to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide in 28 different languages. The UFC has a multi-year broadcast agreement with FOX in the U.S., which annually includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network, as well as The Ultimate Fighter® reality television show and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. In 2014, UFC launched UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service with exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content. The UFC organization also licenses over 100 UFC GYM® locations, and owns UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT® (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC Magazine, and has a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, UFC branded apparel, DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

March 19, 2015 – In anticipation of one of the spring boxing season’s most intriguing events – the super welterweight battle between Canelo Alvarez and James Kirkland on May 9th – HBO Sports will air “24/7 Alvarez/Kirkland,” an exhilarating one episode, 30-minute special examining the upcoming showdown. In the highly-anticipated fight set for Minute Maid Park in Houston, Tex., Alvarez and Kirkland will collide in one of the year’s most important encounters. HBO will televise it live on the flagship World Championship Boxing series.

The “24/7 Alvarez/Kirkland” special will premiere Tuesday, May 5 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and air multiple times throughout fight week. It will preview the fast approaching and hotly anticipated meeting between two accomplished warriors who are on a collision course to confront each other. The special will provide all-new content including portraits of both fighters’ path to this significant spring showdown.

Canelo Alvarez, just 24-years-old and one of boxing’s biggest stars with a near perfect ring record of 44-1-1 (31 KOs), will make his 2015 debut after a successful 2014 campaign that featured signature wins over Erislandy Lara and Alfredo Angulo. Kirkland, 29, of Austin, Texas, returns to action in his home state boasting a 32-1 record with 28 knockouts which exemplifies the stunning knockout strength he will bring to the ring.

The 30-minute special narrated by Liev Schreiber and produced by HBO’s Emmy-Award®-winning “24/7” production team will also be available on the HBO On Demand® service, HBO GO® and at www.hbo.com/boxing as well as various other new media platforms that distribute the series.

Other HBO playdates: May 6 (7:00 a.m. & 2:30 p.m.), 7 (11:30 a.m.), 8 (1:00 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.) and 9 (11:00 a.m.).

HBO2 playdates: May 5 (2:50 a.m.), 7 (11:45 p.m.) and 8 (10:30 p.m.).

All times are ET/PT.

Anthony ‘Can You Dig It’ Yigit (12-0-1, 5 KOs) aims to prove he is ready to rule the European light welterweight scene by beating Timo Schwarzkopf (14-0, 8 KOs) on Saturday night at the StadtHalle in Rostock.

The Stockholm-fighter faces the undefeated German on the undercard of Juergen Braehmer’s WBA World Light Heavyweight title defence against Robin Krasniqi. Having already cleaned up the Scandinavian light welterweight division, with victories over Danish rivals Kim Poulsen and Kasper Bruun, the London 2012 Olympian has set his sights on Europe’s elite.

‘’Schwarzkopf is a capable fighter,’’ said Yigit. ‘’He’s strong and his record speaks for itself. But I’m a better fighter and I will show that in the ring. I’ve already proven I’m the best in Scandinavia and now I’m going to prove I’m the best in Europe.

‘’I believe in myself. I know what I’m capable of and what I can achieve. I’m always looking towards the future. I want to be the best, I want to win world titles and this fight is another step forward for me.

‘’I’m excited! By beating Schwarzkopf I will prove that I belong amongst the best in Europe. To get a chance to do it on such a big show gives me even more motivation. On Saturday night, I’m going to show the German fans what I’m all about, and I guarantee they’re going to ‘Dig It’.’’

The Moment of Truth: Braehmer vs. Krasniqi featuring the light welterweight showdown between Yigit and Schwarzkopf is available to watch live on TV10 in Sweden, SAT.1 in Germany and Sky Sports in the UK.

Baltimore, MD (March 18, 2015) – Boxing legend Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson, undefeated Dusty Harrison and former welterweight champion Vincent Pettway will attend Baltimore Boxing’s “Snap, Crackle and Pop” Saturday, March 27.

The card takes place at Michael’s Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie with doors opening at 6:30 pm and the first bell scheduled for 8. Tickets are on sale now by calling 410-375-9175 or going to Baltimoreboxing.com. Individual tickets start at $25 and VIP tables of 10 are available for $500. All VIP ticketholders can enjoy free hors d’oeurves from 7-8 pm and the best seats in the house.

One of the greatest little men in boxing history, Johnson captured the IBF flyweight title in 1996 by knocking out Francisco Trejedor in the first round. The Washington, DC native went on to defend his championship seven times before moving up and winning the IBF super flyweight crown. After a pair of setbacks to future hall of famer Rafael Marquez, Johnson became the first man to beat future star Fernando Montiel in 2003 before retiring three years later with an outstanding 44-5 record. With a legendary career in the books, Johnson was inducted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2012.

A well-known rising star, Harrison turned pro at the ripe age of 16. Having been in the limelight from day one, Harrison’s in-ring success has supported the hype and he continues to improve every time he enters the squared circle. In his most recent bout, the DC based Harrison improved to 25-0 and captured the WBC Continental Americas Welterweight crown by besting Tommy Rainone over ten rounds at Madison Square Garden.

Fighting out of the Baltimore, Pettway became a world champion in 1994, stopping underrated Gianfranco Rossi to win the IBF super welterweight belt. In his next match, Pettway scored one of the most memorable knockouts in boxing history, viciously putting away Simon Brown in the sixth round to retain his title. After Brown hit the canvas, he literally threw punches at the air. The replay has been shown countless times and is a favorite of boxing fans.

Pettway retired in 2001 with a record of 43-7-1 with 32 wins by knockout. Last August, he received the Murray Smith “School of Hard Knocks” award for his lifelong commitment to the City of Baltimore.

“Any time you can have two boxing greats and one of the best young fighters in one place at one time is something special,” said Jake Smith of Baltimore Boxing Promotions. “Vincent has been a great friend and supporter of Baltimore Boxing as is Mark. I’ve known Dusty since he’s a kid and I have no doubt that he’ll be a world champion in the near future.”

Johnson, Harrison, and Pettway will be available to chat with VIP ticketholders, sign autographs and take photos. Five time champion Vinny Paz is also attending and will be discussing his upcoming movie, wine company and spending time with VIP ticketholders.

This exciting evening of boxing will have four title fights including junior middleweight Joey “Bazooka Joe” Veazey and heavyweight Sam “Vanilla Gorilla” Crossed in matches for their division’s East Coast crown. The undercard will feature Allen “The Hampton Hammer” Burris, Courtney Hartlove, 2015 Golden Gloves Champion Tommy Coe Jr. and former college basketball star Stefon McCray in separate bouts.

In association with this solid evening of fights, Baltimore Boxing is hosting a special 50/50 raffle for the Brooke and Nathan Fenush Scholarship Fund. The fund was created to assist Baltimore County Fire Department Lieutenant Paul Fenush, whose wife recently passed away.

Los Angeles, CA (March 18, 2015) Boxing Superstar GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN is Once Again is a Hit at the Box Office in Los Angeles with first day sales of over 2,500 tickets for his upcoming world title defense against #2 rated challenger WILLIE MONROE JR. set for Saturday, May 16 at the Forum.

“It’s very similar to GGG’s last fight at the StubHub! Center in October which sold out three weeks before the fight” said TOM LOEFFLER of K2 Promotions. “We had a tremendous response from the media at the press conference yesterday and the fans are thrilled that he is fighting once again in his new hometown of Los Angeles.”

Priced at $300, $200, $100, $60 and $30, tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, phone 1-800-745-3000) and the Forum Box Office.
Actual Ticket Link — http://www.ticketmaster.com/Gennady-Golovkin-tickets/artist/1916580

Loeffler continued, “May 16th will be a memorable night in the long history of boxing at the Forum and I strongly encourage fans to purchase their tickets well in advance.”

—————-

Presented by K2 Promotions and GGG Promotions in association with Banner Promotions and the Forum, the event will be televised Live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

World Boxing Association (‘WBA’), International Boxing Organization (‘IBO’) and World Boxing Council (‘WBC’) ‘Interim’ Middleweight World Champion GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN, 32-0-0 (29KO’s) of Los Angeles, California via Karaganda, Kazakhstan will make the 14th defense of his title against top rated challenger WILLIE MONROE JR., 19-1-0 (6KO’s), of Ithaca, New York on Saturday, May 16 at the Forum in Inglewood.

On February 21 in Monte-Carlo, Golovkin stopped Martin Murray for his 19th consecutive win by knockout, the most in the history of the middleweight division. This will be Golovkin’s second fight in Los Angeles, having stopped former world title challenger Marco Antonio Rubio on October 18, 2014 before a record setting crowd of 9,323 at the StubHub! Center in Carson, CA.

Monroe Jr. won the acclaimed 2014 ESPN Boxcino Tournament defeating fellow contenders Donatas Bondorovas, Vitaliy Kopylenko and Brandon Adams towards the title.

Most recently Monroe Jr. won a 10-round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Bryan Vera on January 16 in a bout telecast on ESPN Friday Night Fights.

Additionally Monroe Jr. comes from a great boxing pedigree, his uncle Willie “The Worm” Monroe defeated legendary middleweight Marvin Hagler in 1976.

Monroe is currently ranked #2 by the WBA, #5 by the WBO and #9 by the WBC.

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

Follow on Twitter at Gennady Golovkin @GGGBoxing, Willie Monroe Jr. @WillieMonroeJr, Tom Loeffler/K2 Promotions @TomLoeffler1, Banner Promotions @BannerBoxing, the Forum @theForum and HBO Boxing @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/GGGBoxing, www.facebook.com/WilieMonroeJrFanPage,
www.facebook/BannerPromotions, www.facebook.com/TheForum and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.

Use the hashtag #GolovkinMonroe to join the conversation on Twitter.

HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. (March 18, 2015) – So what’s cooking at FLOYD “Money” MAYWEATHER’S training camp?

“Whatever it is it sure sounds expensive,” said Hall of Fame trainer World-Famous FREDDIE ROACH.

Roach is training Fighter of the Decade and boxing superhero MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO (57-5-2, 38 KOs) for his welterweight world championship unification battle against the undefeated Mayweather (47-0, 26 KOs) which will take place Saturday May 2, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Roach, recently named Trainer of the Year for a record seventh time by the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) was responding to reports that Mayweather had hired renowned Las Vegas-based Chef Q to provide training camp regal repasts – at $1,000.00 per meal.

“I hope she knows how to make crow and soft foods palatable because after he faces Manny that is all Mayweather will be eating,” continued Roach. “I’ve read that Chef Q will be preparing meals high in protein which is perfect because Floyd is going to be eating a lot of ‘Leather a la Manny’ and it will be served piping hot. Thousand dollar meals, give me a break. Floyd is getting his just desserts on May 2.”

Promoted by Mayweather Promotions and Top Rank Inc., the Mayweather-Pacquiao live pay-per-view telecast will be co-produced and co-distributed by SHOWTIME PPV® and HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/ 6:00 p.m. PT.

# # #

For more information visit: www.mayweatherpromotions.com, www.toprank.com, www.hbo.com/boxing, www.SHO.com/Sports, and www.mgmgrand.com and follow on Twitter at @floydmayweather, @MannyPacquiao, @mayweatherpromo, @TRBoxing, @HBOboxing, @SHOSports, and @Swanson_Comm, and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FloydMayweather, www.facebook.com/TopRankMannyPacquiao www.facebook.com/MayweatherPromotions, www.facebook.com/TRBoxing, www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing and www.facebook.com/SHOsports.

ASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A. – On Saturday night, March 14, 2015, Top Rank light welterweight professional boxer, Mike “Yes Indeed” Reed (Waldorf, MD/Washington, D.C.) dominated in his return to the D.C. area, defeating Eddie Soto (Pawtucket, RI) by second round TKO. Reed-Soto, originally scheduled as an 8 round fight, headlined Keystone Boxing’s fight card at The Sphinx Club, located in Washington, D.C. In the fight, Reed dropped Soto twice in round one, and twice in round 2. Soto wasn’t able to continue, forcing the referee to stop the contest at 2:10 of Round 2. Reed’s record improved to 13-0, with 7 KOs, while Soto’s record dropped to 12-9, with 4 KOs. Since signing with Top Rank last year, Reed has traveled outside of the Washington, D.C. area for his fights, having fought in Atlantic City, New Jersey, twice, and Omaha, Nebraska, once.
Reed, who is just twenty-two years old, talked about his first homecoming performance under Top Rank. He said, “We had an excellent training camp. I stayed close to my fight weight for the entire camp. Top Rank called, and said that they wanted me to fight Soto at 147 lbs. I’m used to making 140 lbs, so making 147 was easy. My team had an aggressive game plan for this fight and it worked. My hand speed created problems for Soto, and he wasn’t able to adjust. I was very accurate with my punches in this fight. I hit him with some big shots, and it ended shortly after that.
This was my first fight in 2015, so I’m trying to get back in the ring several more times this year. There are some big boxing cards in the coming weeks, and I’m looking forward to being a part of them. Thank you Top Rank, Nike Boxing/Athlete Performance Solutions, Ross Molovinsky, and Keystone Boxing for your continued support of Team Reed. Thank you to all the fans of Team Reed who bought tickets to my fight and thanks to all the media that came out to watch me on Saturday night.”
Michael “Buck” Pinson, Reed’s father, trainer, and manager (Dream Team Boxing Gym/Clinton, MD), said, “Overall, I was pleased with Michael’s performance. We had a great camp, my son did what was asked of him, and it showed. We still have a lot of work to do, but we are on our way. Top Rank has some big plans ahead for this team and we should be back in the ring very soon.”

Follow Reed on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MikeYesIndeedReed
Follow Reed on Instagram: @YesIndeed_Reed or http://instagram.com/yesindeed_reed
Follow Reed on Twitter: @YesIndeed_Reed or https://twitter.com/YesIndeed_Reed
Social Media Hashtag: #YesIndeedReed

Narrated by Academy Award Nominee Liam Nelson, MSG Network’s “The Garden’s Defining Moments” is a special 20-part television event presented by SAP, celebrating some of the greatest moments at Madison Square Garden spanning the legendary venue’s more than 135-year history. The Garden’s four Arena complexes have played host to many of the greatest moments in the history of sports, music, entertainment and politics and MSG Network will dedicate a half-hour episode to honor 20 of these “Defining Moments,” which are showcased in the Arena with photos, memorabilia and artifacts.

Premiering Friday, March 20 at 10:00 p.m.

The “Fight of the Century” – March 8, 1971

Featuring interviews with Jerry Perenchio, Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Larry Holmes, Chuck Wepner, Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, Larry Merchant

In one of the most anticipated sports events of all time, an unbeaten Muhammad Ali faced off against an unbeaten Joe Frazier in what would later be known as the “Fight of the Century.” It was a star-studded night at The Garden, with Frank Sinatra shooting for LIFE magazine, Burt Lancaster serving as a broadcaster, Sammy Davis, Jr., and many others spotted in the stands. After his customary slow start, Frazier took control, and early in the 15th round hit Ali with his signature left hook that floored the former champ. Ali sprung up immediately and resumed the fight, but it was too late – the unanimous decision went to Frazier, and Ali suffered his first loss. Ali avenged the loss nearly three years later at The Garden in “Ali-Frazier II” on January 28, 1974, and later earned a dramatic TKO victory over Frazier when the two met for a third and final time in the Philippines on October 1, 1975 for the “The Thrilla in Manila.”

MSG Network is premiering the first 10 episodes of “The Garden’s Defining Moments,” narrated by Academy Award Nominee Liam Neeson, over 10 consecutive nights beginning March 17.

Mike Tyson – “This was one of the most brutalist heavyweight championship fights in the history of boxing. These are two guys who gave everything they had. That was the yard stick of which every great fight, especially heavyweight fights would be judged by.”

Sugar Ray Leonard – “The fighters of today owe Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier everything. It’s because of those two fighters, those two warriors, those two individuals who left it in the ring for themselves but now it is for us – without question.”

Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini – “It’s the one fight they built up and lived up to the expectations.” …. “ Who could root for that, someone (Ali) who brags like that, who says these types of things. As a
kid growing up in Youngstown, Ohio, I couldn’t stand for that. Joe Frazier is going to beat him, Joe Frazier is my guy. “
Ceatta Collins (Joe Frazier’s daughter) – “He couldn’t understand why he was calling him hard names. An ‘Uncle Tom’ a ‘Gorilla’. He thought that was very offensive and unnecessary. We are here to fight, we’re here to box.”

‘Mission Impossible’ or ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’, these are the two opposing views shared at today’s final press conference ahead of Saturday night’s WBA World Light Heavyweight Championship fight between Juergen Braehmer (45-2, 33 KOs) and Robin Krasniqi (43-3, 16 KOs) at the StadtHalle in Rostock, Germany.

Kicking-off proceedings at the Fischland Hotel, promoter Kalle Sauerland expressed his excitement at the all-German duel. ‘’On Saturday night we have the champion versus the number one ranked challenger,’’ said Sauerland. ‘’This is what boxing is all about – the best fighting the best!’’

Despite his high expectations, the promoter made clear his prediction for the outcome of the fight. ‘’I’ve seen that Krasniqi’s team has the slogan ‘Mission World Champion’ on their cars. I regret to inform them that it is ‘Mission Impossible’. Juergen is going to win!’’

Braehmer, who will be making a fourth defence of his WBA strap, shares his promoter’s confidence. ‘’Krasniqi is a young ambitious fighter who wants to take my title away from me. But that’s not going to happen,’’ said the 36 year-old southpaw. ‘’As always, I will defeat my opponent and retain my title.’’

The champion’s last defence lasted just 55 seconds, with a vicious body shot ending Pawel Glazewski’s world title ambitions in record time. As the Schwerin-fighter prepares for his next challenge, he refuses to rule out the possibility of another early stoppage. ‘’Sometimes a single punch is all it takes,’’ reflects Braehmer. ‘’Whether this comes in the first round or twelfth round, it’s impossible to predict at this level. But when the opportunity does comes, I will take it!’’

However, the challenger Krasniqi has not come to Rostock to lie down. The 27 year-old believes he is ready to dethrone his German compatriot and take his place at the top of the light heavyweight division. ‘’This is the most important fight of my life. A win on Saturday would change everything for me,’’ said Krasniqi, who enters his second world championship fight following an unsuccessful attempt at Nathan Cleverly’s WBO belt in 2013. ‘’That opportunity may have come to soon for me,’’ admits the Munich-fighter. ‘’But now, I’m ready!’’

Krasniqi’s manager Ulf Steinforth is backing his man to cause an upset on Saturday night. ‘’As a manager it is my job to get my boxers in a position to challenge for world titles – everything else is up to them,’’ said Steinforth. ‘’I am convinced that Robin will rock Rostock and bring the world title home.’’

The Moment of Truth: Braehmer vs. Krasniqi is available to watch live on SAT.1 in Germany and Sky Sports in the UK.

Los Angeles, CA (March 17, 2015) Boxing Superstar GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN will defend his WBA/IBO and ‘Interim’ WBC Middleweight World Titles against Top-Rated Challenger WILLIE MONROE JR. on Sat., May 16 emanating from the Forum in Inglewood, CA. The championship event will be televised Live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

“I’m very excited to fight again in Los Angeles where I now live” said Golovkin. “Monroe is a skilled southpaw and I look forward to the test he will provide. I promise my fans another ‘Big Drama Show’.”

Said Monroe, “Its going to be one of those fights; speed vs. power, slickness vs. aggressiveness and the bull vs. the matador. I am ready. I’ve been in training already for three weeks before we even got this fight. We will be more than ready on May 16.”

“With the extraordinary success and record crowd of Gennady’s last fight in Southern California at the Stub Hub! Center, we’re very excited to bring him back to Los Angeles on May 16th at the Forum which has such a long and legendary history of boxing,” said Tom Loffler of K2 Promotions.

“We commend Willie Monroe Jr. for accepting the challenge of fighting Gennady, which many other contenders and even title holders are unwilling to even consider.”

“The old adage is that styles make fights and we believe that Willie has the style that will make this a great fight. Willie showed that by winning the 2014 Boxing Middleweight tournament and his win over Bryan Vera proves that he is one of the best middleweights in the world. On May 16 he will prove that he deserved to fight Gennady Golovkin for the Middleweight championship of the World.” said Banner Promotions’ president, ARTIE PELLULO.

“Watching many fighters, fans can only hope to be entertained, but with Gennady Golovkin they can expect to be,” said Peter Nelson, Vice President, Programming, HBO Sports. “Since challenging for his first world title, Golovkin has knocked out all 13 opponents he has faced, a longer streak and higher knockout percentage than any present world champion. On May 16, he looks to build on those accomplishments against Willie Monroe Jr., who himself seeks to enlist among the ranks of storied underdogs who have upended expectations at the legendary venue of the LA Forum.

DANA DUFINE, SVP West Coast, Madison Square Garden Co. said, “The ‘Fabulous’ Forum has a rich boxing history dating back to 1968. This building has hosted over 400 fights and welcomed over 2 million boxing fans through its doors. We are proud to add to its history with the World Middleweight Championship matchup of Gennady Golovkin vs. Willie Monroe Jr.”
—————-

World Boxing Association (‘WBA’), International Boxing Organization (‘IBO’) and World Boxing Council (‘WBC’) ‘Interim’ Middleweight World Champion GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN, 32-0-0 (29KO’s) of Los Angeles, California via Karaganda, Kazakhstan will make the 14th defense of his title against top rated challenger WILLIE MONROE JR.,
19-1-0 (6KO’s), of Ithaca, New York on Saturday, May 16 at The Forum in Inglewood.

On February 21 in Monte-Carlo, Golovkin stopped Martin Murray for his 19th consecutive win by knockout, the most in the history of the middleweight division. This will be Golovkin’s second fight in Los Angeles, having stopped former world title challenger Marco Antonio Rubio on October 18, 2014 before a record setting crowd of 9,323 at the StubHub! Center in Carson, CA.

Monroe Jr. won the acclaimed 2014 ESPN Boxcino Tournament defeating fellow contenders Donatas Bondorovas, Vitaliy Kopylenko and Brandon Adams towards the title.

Most recently Monroe Jr. won a 10-round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Bryan Vera on January 16 in a bout telecast on ESPN Friday Night Fights.

Monroe is currently ranked #2 by the WBA, #5 by the WBO and #9 by the WBC.

GOLOVKIN vs. MONROE JR. is presented by K2 Promotions and GGG Promotions in association with Banner Promotions and the Forum.

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

Follow on Twitter at Gennady Golovkin @GGGBoxing, Willie Monroe Jr. @WillieMonroeJr, Tom Loeffler/K2 Promotions @TomLoeffler1, Banner Promotions @BannerBoxing, the Forum @theForum and HBO Boxing @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/GGGBoxing, www.facebook.com/WilieMonroeJrFanPage,
www.facebook/BannerPromotions, www.facebook.com/TheForum and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.

Use the hashtag #GolovkinMonroe to join the conversation on Twitter.

Micki Nielsen (17-0, 12 KOs) can continue his charge towards world glory on May 2 when he makes the first defence of his WBC International Cruiserweight title against Felix Cora Jr. (25-6-2, 14 KOs) at the Frederiksberg-Hallerne in Copenhagen.

The Danish talent claimed the WBC International belt with an impressive points victory over Julio Cesar Dos Santos (27-4, 24 KOs) last month at the Arena Nord in Frederikshavn. ‘’That was an important fight for me,’’ said Nielsen. ‘’Dos Santos was a tough opponent but I proved that I’m a level above.

‘’Now, I’m ready for the next challenge. I want to keep improving and keep developing as a boxer. To do that, I must fight the best guys in the division. I believe I have the ability to become a world champion. I’m ready to take another step forward on May 2.’’

The next step for the Albertslund-boxer is a title defence against Felix ‘Bad News’ Cora Jr. The American southpaw is a former USBA and NABF Champion who rose to fame with his appearance in the Sylvester Stallone fronted reality television series ‘The Contender’.

‘’Cora Jr. is in for a shock if he thinks he is going to beat me,’’ said the 22 year-old. ‘’He had better be ready for the toughest fight of his life because no one is taking this title away from me. I’m undefeated, I’m the champion and the belt is staying in Copenhagen.’’

Promoter Nisse Sauerland has warned Nielsen to keep his cool as the young southpaw prepares for his first major title defence. ‘’Micki is the hometown fighter, he is the champion and he has it all to lose,’’ said Sauerland.

‘’He will need to stay focused and not let the occasion go to his head. Cora Jr. is an experienced fighter, a tricky southpaw, who will look to unsettle Micki and exploit any weaknesses. This is a big test for Micki and one he must pass to prove he’s ready to challenge for world honours.’’

Nielsen vs. Cora Jr. is the second championship fight confirmed for the Nordic Fight Night on May 2 at the Frederiksberg-Hallerne in Copenhagen. Klara Svensson (15-0, 5 KOs) challenges Erica Annabella Farias (21-1, 10 KOs) for the WBC Female World Light Welterweight title. All the action will be shown live on TV3 and TV3 Sport channels in Denmark. Tickets are available via billetlugen.dk.

HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. (March 17, 2015) – Fighter of the Decade and boxing superhero MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO (57-5-2, 38 KOs) commemorated St. Patrick’s Day with his first day of sparring as he prepares for his May 2 welterweight world championship unification battle against undefeated FLOYD “Money” MAYWEATHER JR. (47-0, 26 KOs), at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Pacquiao, the two-term Congressman representing the Sarangani province in the Philippines, went five hard rounds against two different sparring partners.

Promoted by Mayweather Promotions and Top Rank Inc., the Mayweather-Pacquiao live pay-per-view telecast will be co-produced and co-distributed by SHOWTIME PPV® and HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/ 6:00 p.m. PT.

“When Manny threw out the first punch it felt like opening day of Irish Spring Training,” joked Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach. “Manny looked so fresh today. I’m very happy with what he showed me. You couldn’t tell he had been away from the ring since the Algieri fight in November. Manny is on fire in the gym. I am confident May 2 will be celebrated for years to come as St. Manny’s Day – the day he drove Mayweather out of boxing!”

“After 13 days of strength and conditioning and boxing drills at Wild Card plus weeks more of working out in the Philippines in February, it was great to finally put on the headgear and spar,” said Pacquiao. “My sparring partners gave me good work today. They were perfect for testing the strategy Freddie and I have developed to beat Floyd Mayweather . I was very happy with my stamina and speed today.”

# # #

For more information visit: www.mayweatherpromotions.com, www.toprank.com, www.hbo.com/boxing, www.SHO.com/Sports, and www.mgmgrand.com and follow on Twitter at @floydmayweather, @MannyPacquiao, @mayweatherpromo, @TRBoxing, @HBOboxing, @SHOSports, and @Swanson_Comm, and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FloydMayweather, www.facebook.com/TopRankMannyPacquiao www.facebook.com/MayweatherPromotions, www.facebook.com/TRBoxing, www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing and www.facebook.com/SHOsports.

New York, NY (March 17, 2015) – While we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day today, perhaps enjoying a beer or two, middleweight champion “Irish” Andy Lee (34-2, 24 KOs) is hard at work at his training camp in Monte Carlo with trainer Adam Booth as he prepares to defend his world title against former champion Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin, at Barclays Center, in Brooklyn, NY, on Saturday, April 11. Promoted by DiBella Entertainment, Lee vs. Quillin will air live on NBC at 8:30 p.m. ET, along with the eagerly anticipated contest between Danny “Swift” Garcia and Lamont Peterson, as part of the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) series.

Below are a few quotes from Andy and promoter Lou DiBella:

ANDY LEE:

“I love St. Patrick’s Day. It’s a day for all Irish men and women to be proud and celebrate our history and culture. Unfortunately, for me this year there’ll be no Guinness as I’ll be in the gym, but I look forward to celebrating with all the Irish people after I win on April 11!

“Training is all going according to plan. My coach Adam Booth is putting me through my paces and we’re working hard together to ensure that I beat Quillin and retain my title. I’m feeling very strong and sharp. I’ve been sparring with three undefeated fighters, Miles Shinkwin, Rocky Fielding and Deion Jumah. I’m looking forward to coming to Brooklyn and defending my title in front of everyone in attendance and those watching on NBC.”

LOU DIBELLA, President of DiBella Entertainment:

“Andy Lee has always been the pride of Limerick. His success has made him one of Ireland’s great champions. The quality of person that he is makes him one of the most liked and respected athletes in boxing. As he prepares to defend his title against Peter Quillin on April 11, he’s getting ready for the biggest fight of his career on the biggest stage possible as part of Premier Boxing Champions on NBC at Barclays Center. As they train and prepare to travel to Brooklyn, New York, both Andy and trainer Adam Booth know how high the stakes are and will be ready for primetime. Happy St. Patrick’s Day to everyone; today we’re all Irish. Andy plans on making it feel like St. Patrick’s Day again on April 11.”

Tickets are currently on sale for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, and are priced at $300, $200, $100 and $50, not including applicable service charges and taxes. 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.

NBC and NBCSN will present 20 live “PBC on NBC” boxing events in 2015. Within the 20 live shows, NBC Sports Group will present more than 50 hours of PBC coverage, including NBCSN pre- and post-fight programming for NBC telecasts. The Premier Boxing Champions series is created for television by Haymon Boxing. The PBC on NBC will feature many of today’s brightest stars, in their most compelling matches.

All PBC on NBC shows will be streamed live on NBC Sports Live Extra via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. NBC Sports Live Extrais available for desktops at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app is available at the App Store for iPad and iPod touch, on select devices within Google Play, and on windows phones and tablets.

Photo credit Sumio Yamada/DiBella Entertainment

# # #

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, @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.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (Mar. 17, 2015) – Former M-1 Challenge middleweight champion Ramazan Emeev is training for his rematch with reigning titlist Vyacheslav Vasilevsky, April 10 headlining M-1 Challenge 56 in Moscow, Russia.

Another much anticipated title fight rematch between M-1 Challenge featherweight champion Ivan “Buki” Buchinger (26-2-0, 10 KO/TKO, 7 SUB) and challenger Tural Ragimov (11-3-0, 2 KO/TKO)will be theM-1 Challenge 56 co-feature.

In their original title fight last September 7, Vasilevsky (26-2-0, 10 KO/TKO, 7 SUB), took the coveted title belt from Emeev (11-3-0, 2 KO/TKO, 5 SUB) by way of a fourth-round stoppage from punches at M-1 Challenge 51: Fightspirit in St. Petersburg.

Vasilevsky vs. Emeev 2, M-1 Challenge 56 Official Promo
Vasilevsky vs. Emeev 2, M-1 Challenge 56 Official Promo

Below read an interesting Q & A with Emeev:

How do you spend your spare time and what is your daily routine?

RE: “Well, if I know that I have an upcoming fight, there’s nothing else I can think about. I adhere to a strict schedule: running in the morning, training, then I have my lunch and sleep a little. In the evening, I have my training again, eat and go to sleep at certain times. I visit different gyms, each for a different type of training.

“If I don’t have a fight in the immediate future, then, I live my casual life. I go for walks, meet with friends and parents, and spend time with my wife going to the cinema and cafes.”

How did you feel when you lost the title belt to Vasilevsky?

RE: “To tell you the truth, I still don’t have any relief from that feeling. When you lose the fight, that’s okay, but it’s another story when you lose the belt. I had a terrible bruise after the fight, so I had to go to my wedding with it on my face (see his wedding picture below). I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. I felt extremely bad for myself. Everyone came to me and said something, offering pieces of advice. Everyone told me how wrong I performed and what I should have done instead. So, I was pissed off by all of this. I wanted to tell them, ‘Go and fight yourself if you’re so smart!’ It was clear they wanted to help and support me but, actually, that didn’t work then. It was an awful time.”

What were the reasons for that loss?

RE: “I made a mistake when preparing for the fight. I didn’t have a proper mind frame. Our fight was postponed a couple of times. I trained hard and then and the fight was postponed, again and again. I was like a zombie, already thinking that it wouldn’t happen again. Another thing, it was after Uraza (the month-long Muslim fasting), in which you need to adhere to a diet. You lose power. Maybe I didn’t have enough time for my mind to be in the proper mood? I just didn’t have it. I thought that the fight would be postponed again, but suddenly I found myself in Kolpino (site of his first fight with Vasilevsky in Russia).”

What did you do right after the fight?

RE: “The next day I left for home with my body full of bruises. I started healing myself and that was tough. I had to get through medical examinations, checking my head. I was okay, excluding a small concussion. Still, I took too many hits to my head. I wanted to be okay at my wedding. We started the recovery process and after seven days I was alright. Only my red eyes could help you guess that I had been in a fight.”

What have you change in your training process?

RE: “I understand that I need solid conditioning and endurance to fight Vasilevsky. I had to be ready, not only for five rounds, but for seven. Other than that everything was the same. I don’t have a game plan, yet, but we’ll discuss it when it’s closer to the fight. Now, I do only routine training.”

What happened with “Gorets” gym after the tragedy with Musail Alaudinov? Did they find the murderers?

RE: “This person, he was like an elder brother for all of us. He led the way for his fighters. I could have been offered a fight with only one-week notice and I knew that he’d have me 100-percent prepared. His glance alone was enough for you to start action. Musail Alaudinov was more than a solid support for all of us.

“They still haven’t found the murderer. There was one guy under investigation but he was cleared. I’m glad, by the way, because I wouldn’t want him to become a real murderer. I don’t even know why police took him. This story is full of dark secrets.”

Is your gym, “Gorets,” all right for now? Do you have any problems?

RE: “We are okay, no problems. Everything is becoming better and better. We have our small cozy gym, nobody gives us any troubles. Nobody tries to get rid of us. This is our place, where any of us can train, anytime. Our head coach, Shamil Alibatyrov, and others do everything. They work a lot. Day after day it becomes as it has to be. I’m happy with that.”

Who is helping you prepare for Vasilevsky rematch?

RE: “We have many guys from the same weight class as Vasilvesky – 89-92 kilograms (196 to 202 1’2 pounds). I have good sparring-partners. I work with Gadzhimurad Antigulov, Magomed Ankalaev, Rashid Yusupov, Rashid Magomedov, and Mutsalkhan Umakhanov. The last one, by the way, is a really gifted athlete. I hope he’ll become a top MMA fighter in near future. I cross-fit and have many sparring sessions. I also train in freestyle-wrestling and grappling. I run on the seashore in the morning and sometimes I run in the mountains.”

Can you say that your fight with Vasilevsky is more than just a sport? Has it become personal business between you two?

RE: “No. There’s nothing personal between us. This is sport and our job. We see each other at different competitions and always talk to each other. We congratulated each other when we both got married. Our relationship is good. Of course, not like close friends, but I can say that we are comrades. Fighting is just a job and it’s left in the ring. I don’t have any bad feelings for Vyacheslav. I hope this is a mutual feeling.”

So what do you think about Vasilevsky as a fighter and person?

RE: “He is kind and an open person. As a fighter, he is very strong. He has good endurance, both in his body and mind. He already has everything he needs for success. He is my most difficult opponent, for now. To tell you the truth, I’m a little bit tired of fighting this guy (laughs).”

Name three things that will help you defeat him this time?

RE: “I have a powerful motivation – to take back my belt and retrieve what was taken from me. I have plenty of time for preparation and that is really good. And the last thing is my knowledge. Now, I know him very well, all of his pros and cons.”

Who would you like to fight next?

RE: “I don’t think about anyone in particular. Now, I’m thinking about my upcoming fight and that’s all. Then, we will see. I’ll take any fight; this is my job. I need to fight at least two or three times a year. There’re a lot of gifted guys. I think someone will be glad to fight me.”

Do you think Alexander Shlemenko will take his Bellator title back?
RE: “I hope so. I’d like to see more Russian fighters at the top of MMA. It’s sad that he lost two fights in a row. A loss is always a hard thing to live with but then he got on a two-win streak. I wish that he takes the belt back.”

Could you beat Shlemenko if you fought?

RE: “I never thought about that. Well, anything can happen. Shlemenko is a decent striker with very good takedown defense. I can work in stand-up and I’m also a good wrestler. He has effective strikes that can help him win a fight. Still, I’ve never thought about fighting in Bellator.

“Plus, I’ve thought about going to another division. My weight is a just bit more than 84 kilograms (185 pounds) after lunch and middleweights are used to cutting 15 kilograms (33 pounds) before their fight. I performed as a welterweight a couple of times and I felt okay. Though, it’s just what I think, we will see.”

What do you think about the fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Donald Cerrone on May 23? Who will win?

RE: “I know Khabib and his father was very good. We have a good, friendly relationship. I hope he’ll defeat Cerrone and then take the UFC lightweight title. Russia needs that belt. We need to prove that we have powerful fighters who can successfully compete at the same level with Western opponents. Cerrone is a tough opponent, but I think Khabib’s excellent wrestling will help him win this fight.”

Do you like soccer? What team do you root for?

RE: “No, I don’t like soccer and I can’t even play it. Well, maybe on PlayStation, a little. Still I root for ‘Anji’ (laughs). I used to wear their T-shirts. I hope ‘Anji’ wins.”

What do fans expect from your fight with Vasilevsky on April 10?

RE: “I think we’ll have a five-round war. Of course, fans should expect an amazing fight, as we showed last time. I need that belt. I need to take it and Vasilevsky needs to retain it. So, I think it’ll be a tough fight for both of us. I’m preparing myself very well, working on mistakes. Come see our fight on April 10 and you’ll never be sorry about it.”

M-1 Challenge 56 will be streamed live in high definition on www.M1Global.TV. Viewers will be able to watch the preliminary fights and main card by logging on to register at www.M1Global.TV. Fans may watch all of the action on their computers, as well as on Andriod and Apple smart phones and tablets.

All fights and fighters are subject to change. Additional fights to soon be announced

Fight Network will air M-1 Challenge 56 live on Cablevision’s Optimum TV, Grande Communications, Shentel Cable and Armstrong Cable in the U.S., as well as nationwide in Canada, Roku devices across North America, and globally in more than 30 countries throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

UPCOMING EVENTS: M-1 Challenge 57, May 2, 2015 in Orenburg, Russia.

Information

www.mixfight.ru
www.wmmaa.org
www.M1Global.tv

Twitter & Instagram:

@M1Global
@VFinkelchtein
@M1GlobalNews

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/pages/M-1-Global/145250878842244
ABOUT M-1 GLOBAL: Founded in 1997, M-1 Global has established itself in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as the premier entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With its office in St Petersburg, Russia, the M-1 brand has staged more than 160 events worldwide, including M-1 Selection, M-1 Challenge, M-1 Global and M-1 Global HWGP events, in addition to co-promoting Strikeforce events and M-1 Global on the U.S. network, Showtime. Captivating live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and match-ups, M-1 Global events have featured some of the sport’s top names, including legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Keith Jardine, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Sergei Kharitonov, Aleksander Emelianenko, Roman Zentsov, Yushin Okami, Mike Pyle, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, Amar Suloev, Chalid Arrab and Stephan Struve. 2015 promises to be another sensational year of world-class competition with a full calendar of Challenge events fueled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global Champions among the greatest fighters in the sport.

ABOUT M-1GLOBAL.TV: Enjoy MMA action now in high definition brought to you by M-1Global.tv, offering only the best fights from M-1 Global and other MMA organizations. M-1Global.tv is a great platform developed specifically to bring together the most exhaustive fight video database. It also provides an easy and intuitive interface, helping everyone to start using the platform in no time while avoiding any spoilers. Besides watching the past fights on demand at any time convenient to the customer, viewers are able to enjoy the action LIVE, all available to M-1Global.tv users through a low-priced month to month digital subscription.
Your world of action. Anytime!

Philadelphia (March 17, 2015)–In the aftermath of his IBF elimination bout this past Saturday at the Bell Centre in Montreal, former two-time cruiserweight world champion and current heavyweight contender Steve “USS” Cunningham wants to state his case to what the boxing world saw, and that is the wrong man had his hand raised.

The viewing public saw that Cunningham controlled the bout and out landed Vyacheslav Glazkov in eight of the twelve rounds with jabs being virtually even and Cunningham landing more power shots to the tune of 123-84.

In total, Cunningham out threw Glazkov by 208 punches and out landed him 180-144 over the twelve round battle.

“The numbers, the perception, the video, none of it lies,” said Cunningham.

“Look at the stats. Look at his face. The man spit out his mouthpiece three times because he really had no answer for what I was doing to him. I was hurting him to the body. His corner even pleaded with him that he needed a knockout in the final round to beat me. Somehow two judges gave him eight rounds and another gave him seven. Why bother fighting if this stuff is going to happen. I outworked him, out landed him and beat him every which way possible. He was considered the puncher coming into the fight but as the fight progressed it was me walking him down trying to make him fight.”

“When will the fans get tired of all these bad decisions? What can the fighters do about that? It has to be the fans that pay the money. Look at my rematch with Tomasz Adamek and now this fight. Right now, I should be a mandatory challenger to fight for the Heavyweight championship of the world but because of these terrible judges, I have to ponder my next move.”

In response to all of the post-fight matchmaking everyone seems to be doing since Sergey Kovalev’s victory over Jean Pascal last Saturday night, I’d like to be a painful reminder as to what is reality, and not fantasy.

Since becoming the IBF’s #1 contender last June, Nadjib Mohammedi has had one trajectory….the unified light heavyweight championship of the world. At the time, the division’s belt holders were Bernard Hopkins, Adonis Stevenson & Sergey Kovalev. Mr. Mohammedi had every opportunity to press the issue with the IBF to get then-champ Hopkins in the ring last July. Under my advisement with my partner, Jon Ali, we told Nadjib to wait, as we all believed Sergey Kovalev had the skillset to collect all three titles within a fiscal calendar year. And minus the WBC strap, he has done just that.

Nadjib has always maintained his confidence in knowing he could defeat The Krusher if given the opportunity. We signed with Main Events, enlisted the great boxing mind that is Abel Sanchez, and mapped out a plan to get Sergey Kovalev in the ring, by Summer 2015, with as many major titles on the line as possible. That plan has now materialized, barring any set backs in negotiations.
We have made it no secret our desire and willingness to take on the tremendous task of facing the most dangerous fighter in the sport today. We didn’t hide behind a promoter….we ran to his, signed, and said “Bring him on”.

Nadjib Mohammedi has survived every hardship life could throw at someone, and it is precisely that adversity that will lift him to victory when the task is at hand. He wants to define his legacy before lining his wallet. So, to Yvon Michel and his charge Adonis Stevenson….I’m sorry. You had umpteenth opportunities to face Sergey Kovalev. For whatever reasons you may have come up with (and there have been many), bottom line is you balked. Real fighters find a way to fight, not find a way not to. Now, you want to put the pedal to the floor and speed up the urgency for a unification with Mr. Kovalev. Again, I apologize to have to correct you, but come July, if we have our way, you won’t be negotiating with Ms. Duva for a showdown with Sergey Kovalev. It will be The IronDjib Mohammedi. The new unified light heavyweight champion of the world.

This is a plan that has almost been a year in the making. And now, with Abel Sanchez at the helm, and Jon Ali and I providing guidance, Nadjib Mohammedi will show the entire boxing world that THE ONE TRAJECTORY IS THE VICTORY!

We are here and we are ready to not just rain on your parade, but be a flash flood that alters the entire landscape of the light heavyweight division.

HE FIGHT GAME WITH JIM LAMPLEY returns for its season premiere TONIGHT (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: March 19 (4:15 p.m., 3:50 a.m.), 21 (9:45 a.m.), 25 (1:30 p.m.), 29 (noon), 30 (10:30 a.m., 11:00 p.m.) and 31 (9:30 p.m.), and April 3 (7:30 p.m.) 6 (5:05 a.m.) and 7 (11:45 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates: March 20 (11:45 p.m., 8:30 p.m.), 26 (7:30 p.m.), 28 (9:00 a.m.) and 31 (12:35 a.m.), and April 2 (1:00 a.m.), 4 (2:10 p.m.) and 6 (12:50 p.m.)

HBO On Demand® availability begins March 18. 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. Featured will be: a review of the Kovalev-Pascal light heavyweight title fight; a look at the controversial ending of the dramatic Julio Cesar Chavez-Meldrick Taylor showdown 25 years ago; Beadle’s visit to the Wild Card gym in Hollywood for a one-on-one with welterweight superstar Manny Pacquiao; and an all-new Gatti list and FIGHT GAME pound-for-pound compilation.

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

On Saturday night, Juergen Braehmer (45-2, 33 KOs) defends his WBA World Light Heavyweight title against Robin Krasniqi (43-3, 16 KOs) at the StadtHalle in Rostock, Germany. Ahead of their sell-out world championship clash, both fighters took part in public workout today at the Ostsee-Park.

In his last championship defence, Braehmer set a record for the fastest knock out in a light heavyweight title fight since the formation of the major alphabet organisations, with his opponent Pawel Glazewski lasting just fifty-five seconds in the ring.

Today in Rostock, Krasniqi may have set a record for the shortest public workout in history. Having greeted the crowd and laced his gloves, the Munich fighter lasted only ten seconds before making his excuses and leaving the ring.

Thankfully for the fans in attendance, the reigning and defending champion showed significantly more in the ring. Displaying textbook combinations to the delight of a raucous crowd, who cheered every punch the local hero threw into the mitts of his coach Karsten Roewer. ‘’It’s great to be here in Rostock,’’ exclaimed Braehmer. ‘’On Saturday night, I will give you even more to cheer about. I will defeat Krasniqi and retain my world title!’’

The WBA World Light Heavyweight Championship fight between Juergen Braehmer and Robin Krasniqi is available to watch live on SAT.1 in Germany and Sky Sports in the UK.

LOS ANGELES (March 17) – Golden Boy Promotions’ Irish fighters Jamie Kavanagh (17-1-1, 8 KOs), a native of Dublin, and Jason Quigley (4-0, 4 KOs), a native of Donegal, Ireland, are in camp, training hard to prepare for the Friday, March 20 fight on the undercard for Kamegai vs. Gomez at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino. Kavanagh, a former Irish national championship fighter, is set for an eight-round televised lightweight match against power puncher Miguel Zamudio (29-6-1, 17 KOs) of Los Mochis, Mexico airing live on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes on March 20. The same night, Irish and European championship fighter Quigley (4-0, 4 KOs), fresh off his March 6 victory at LA FIGHT CLUB, will face an opponent yet to be named in a six-round middleweight television swing bout.

We asked them what it’s like to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in America as Irishmen living abroad in the U.S. pursuing professional boxing careers and their plans for March 17.

What does St. Patrick’s Day mean for an Irishman living in the US?

JAMIE KAVANAGH: “People always ask that question around St. Patrick’s Day here in the U.S. but they don’t realize that actually the holiday in, say, Boston and New York, which has a rich Irish heritage, is a bigger day than back in Dublin, Ireland. It is great be at home with family and friends and celebrate the festive event. There is a lot of buzz around the city and a lot happening, but for me this year, I’m here in the desert in Indio. There isn’t much going on here for the holiday.”

JASON QUIGLEY: “This is going to be my first experience in the U.S. on St. Patrick’s Day. I’m interested to see the difference in how it’s celebrated in both countries. It’s exciting, and I’m looking forward to it!”

How do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day or do you have any plans to celebrate this year?

JAMIE KAVANAGH: “Yes, I have some friends coming into town for St. Patrick’s Day, especially because my fight on March 20 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino falls in the same week. I’ll be dieting and sheading the pounds, and I will try my best to keep in St. Patrick’s Day spirit around my friends. We’re going to go to an Irish restaurant to have a traditional meal of corned beef and cabbage.”

JASON QUIGLEY: “This past weekend I went to Long Beach to attend the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and met up with some other Irish friends that are living in the U.S., too. But, on St. Patrick’s Day itself, I’ll be in the gym, preparing for my upcoming fight on March 20.”

What will a win on the March 20card mean for you and any family you have back in Ireland?

JAMIE KAVANAGH: “We will all be delighted to have the win on March 20. Since I fight the same week as the holiday, my family will keep the festivities going through fight night and will be tuning into FOX Sports1 to watch me take the win.”

JASON QUIGLEY: “As always I’ll be very proud and so will my family and friends back home. This is what I’m here in the U.S. for and every fight means just as much to me. They are all stepping stones to becoming a world champion.”

How does your family back home celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

JAMIE KAVANAGH: “My family gathers to watch the St. Patrick’s Day parade and fireworks, it’s a family tradition. It’s really about the kids and helping them celebrate the day. There’s so much for them to do, there is also a fair and everyone will be dressed in green and flying the flag on that day. I will be deep in training, but I’ll make up for it when I return home after my fight.”

JASON QUIGLEY: “Everybody goes to the parades. There’s one in every town and there is huge turnout for them. I led the St. Patrick’s Day parade through my hometown last year. Everybody wears green, and the pubs are filled with people and the sound of Irish music; it’s a great “craic” (crack)! I hear there may be snow back home, so it’s going to be a cold one.”

Kamegai vs. Gomez is a 10-round super welterweight bout promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona Extra and Mexico – Live It To Believe It!. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the ?rst bell rings at 6 p.m. The FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes broadcast airs live at 11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT.

Tickets for the event, priced at $25, $35, and $45, are on sale now and available for purchase from the Fantasy Springs Box Office, by calling (800) 827-2946 or online at www.fantasyspringsresort.com.

# # #

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.FOXSports.com/FOXSports1, www.FOXDeportes.com, follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing,@FOXSports, @FOXSports1, @FOXDeportes and, become a fan on Facebook at Golden Boy Facebook Page, www.facebook.com/FOXDeportes and visit us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing.

Brooklyn, N.Y. (Tuesday, March 17, 2015) – Ronson Frank’s Uprising Promotions has confirmed the date and venue for its second show of 2015, returning to the Brooklyn Masonic Temple on Friday, May 15th. This show 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.

“We are really excited about coming back to Brooklyn,” said Ronson Frank, President of Uprising Promotions. “For every card, we do fundraising for autism awareness, but we really want to make a bigger contribution from this show in particular to draw more attention to the great work they do in Long Island. We are seeking the support of some local businesses for the cause, and we know that we can always count on the fighters to get behind it. Overall, we are looking to have a nice turnout and be able to give more back to the school. We always hype our boxers and have great match-ups, but we really want to make the focus of this show on the kids. We hope to raise more revenue so our donation to the school is something that can really make a difference.”

September marks the last time that Uprising Promotions held a show at the Masonic Temple, which is located at 317 Clermont Ave #4 in Brooklyn. The intimate setting ensures that there is not a bad seat in the house, and anyone who frequents Uprising Promotions shows already knows that there will be top-notch fights on the card.

“We always put together exciting bouts with young up-and-coming guys, and this show will not be any different,” Frank confirmed. “Stay tuned for the lineup.”

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

Los Angeles, CA (March 17, 2015) Tickets will go on sale TODAY!!, March 17 at 12:00 p.m. PDT for the World Middleweight Championship showdown between Boxing Superstar GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN and #2 Rated Challenger WILLIE MONROE JR. set for Saturday, May 16 at the Forum.

Priced at $300, $200, $100, $60 and $30, tickets will be available through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000) and at the Forum Box Office.

“Starting at $30, we’ve priced the tickets very reasonably to give as many fight fans as possible the opportunity to see “The GGG Big Drama Show,” said Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions. “As his last fight in Los Angeles was sold out, we encourage fans to purchase their tickets early.”

The first 100 fans purchasing tickets at the Forum Box Office this Tuesday starting at 12:00 p.m. will have an opportunity to have a photograph taken with “GGG” on the press conference stage starting at 1:00 p.m. at the famed venue.

The Forum is located at 3900 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood, CA 90305. The Box Officecislocated on the West Side of the building, parking can be accessed through the S. Prairie Ave. entrance.

—————-

Presented by K2 Promotions and GGG Promotions in association with Banner Promotions and the Forum, the event will be televised Live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

World Boxing Association (‘WBA’), International Boxing Organization (‘IBO’) and World Boxing Council (‘WBC’) ‘Interim’ Middleweight World Champion GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN, 32-0-0 (29KO’s) of Los Angeles, California via Karaganda, Kazakhstan will make the 14th defense of his title against top rated challenger WILLIE MONROE JR.,19-10 (6KO’s), of Ithaca, New York on Saturday, May 16 at The Forum in Inglewood.

On February 21 in Monte-Carlo, Golovkin stopped Martin Murray for his 19th consecutive win by knockout, the most in the history of the middleweight division. This will be Golovkin’s second fight in Los Angeles, having stopped former world title challenger Marco Antonio Rubio on October 18, 2014 before a record setting crowd of 9,323 at the StubHub! Center in Carson, CA.

Monroe Jr. won the acclaimed 2014 ESPN Boxcino Tournament defeating fellow contenders Donatas Bondorovas, Vitaliy Kopylenko and Brandon Adams towards the title.

Most recently Monroe Jr. won a 10-round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Bryan Vera on January 16 in a bout telecast on ESPN Friday Night Fights.

Additionally Monroe Jr. comes from a great boxing pedigree, his uncle Willie “The Worm” Monroe defeated legendary middleweight Marvin Hagler in 1976.

Monroe is currently ranked #2 by the WBA, #5 by the WBO and #9 by the WBC.

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

Follow on Twitter at Gennady Golovkin @GGGBoxing, Willie Monroe Jr. @WillieMonroeJr, Tom Loeffler/K2 Promotions @TomLoeffler1, Banner Promotions @BannerBoxing, the Forum @theForum and HBO Boxing @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/GGGBoxing, www.facebook.com/WilieMonroeJrFanPage,
www.facebook/BannerPromotions, www.facebook.com/TheForum and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.

Use the hashtag #GolovkinMonroe to join the conversation on Twitter.