PROVIDENCE, R.I. (July 7th, 2014) – The post-fight mayhem might’ve taken more out of Rob Font than the fight itself.

Within moments of his breakthrough win Saturday over George Roop at UFC 175 in Las Vegas, Font went from little-known regional standout to the talk of mixed martial arts, an overnight social media celebrity born from the impact of the fateful, overhand right that sent two careers spiraling in different directions.

“Everything changed,” said Font, the reigning CES MMA featherweight champ from Boston who dominated his UFC debut this past weekend with a first-round knockout win.

“My phone was blowing up. I probably had a thousand messages. Then I’m getting pulled back and forth backstage doing interviews and press conferences. It was crazy. It was mentally tiring, but it was definitely worth it. I got in, got out clean, and got paid. I can’t complain about anything.”

Font’s knockout of Roop at the 2-minute, 19-second mark also earned Font (11-1, 4 KOs) a $50,000 bonus check as one of two Performance of the Night award winners (the other went to female bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey for her 16-second knockout win over Alexis Davis in the co-feature).

“I’m going to buy my girl something nice,” Font said.

Riding a career-best 10-fight win streak (six with CES MMA), Font will take a few days to let it all sink in following his week-long stay in Vegas and then get right back into the gym to prepare for his next fight, which could come as early as September when the UFC returns to Connecticut for the first time since 2005 with UFC Fight Night 50 on Sept. 5. Font even has his sights set on a potential opponent, calling out three-time UFC vet Sergio Pettis moments after beating Roop this past weekend.

The 20-year-old Pettis is the younger brother of UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis.

“I had his last fight recorded before we left for Vegas, and I remember watching it thinking, ‘Man, that would be a great fight for me,’” Font said. “He’s got a big name because of his brother, but he’s real talented, so it’d be a great fight for the fans and a great fight for me. I think I’d run through him, honestly.”

Until then, Font is still basking in Saturday’s win, a debut that all but guarantees he will get the opportunity to become a household name with the UFC, which has always been more important to him than just simply making it to the big stage.

“[UFC president] Dana White pulled me to the side afterward and said, ‘I loved the way you fought out there,’ and told [head trainer] Mark [DellaGrotte], ‘I want to keep this kid busy,’” Font said. “It was a great feeling.”

Knowing he had to drop from 145 pounds to 135 for Saturday’s fight, Font initially worried about adjusting to the speed of his opponent until he learned he was fighting the 6-foot-1 Roop, a taller fighter with a slower delivery.

The height differential didn’t bother the 5-foot-8 Font, who made his name on the northeast circuit dominating taller opponents such as Saul Almeida (6-foot-1) and Tristan Johnson (5-foot-11) while fighting for CES MMA.

“The taller guys are actually a little slower,” Font said. “With the shorter guys, that’s when speed becomes a factor.

“I just had to close the distance. If you watch it again, he kind of grazed me with a baby left hook, but it was real wide. He caught me that one time and I figured if he threw it again I was going to pounce on him. It was just something I picked up on during the fight. His biggest weapon was mainly his kicks because he’s so tall and long. Once I found my range, I just jumped on him.”

Font braced himself for the typical pre-fight jitters generally associated with fighting on the big stage for the first time, but they never came. In fact, Font was worried he might be too calm or too confident as he loosed up backstage.

“It felt like nothing, like another day in the gym,” Font said. “Nothing fazed me. Not the cameras, not [cage announcer] Bruce Buffer, [color commentator] Joe Rogan, the lights, nothing. Everything went smoothly.

“It’s complete chaos,” he added. “Everything is bigger. They have 5,000 people at their weigh-in, but it’s organized. It runs smoothly. We checked in, went to the cage, warmed up, and before I knew it I was out there ready to fight.”

Font, as always, looked cool, calm and collected. Just another day at the office for the UFC’s newest star.

For more information on Font and all of CES MMA’s upcoming events, visit www.cesmma.com, follow CES MMA on Twitter at @CESMMA and Instagram at CESMMA, or “like” CES MMA on Facebook by clicking the corresponding link.

BRISTOL, CT (July 7, 2014) — On the heels of his scintillating ninth-round knockout victory of undefeated Cuban icon Yuriorkis Gamboa to retain his world title, undefeated World Boxing Organization (WBO) lightweight champion TERENCE “Bud” CRAWFORD will be joining Doug Kezirian as the in-studio guest on this week’s edition of ESPN Friday Fights, which will air live, This Friday! July 11, beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT on ESPN2. Topics Crawford and Kezirian will be discussing will most certainly include a recap of Crawford-Gamboa, arguably the Fight of the Year at the midpoint of 2014 as well as making Crawford (24-0, 17 KOs), the Pride of Omaha, a serious consideration for Fighter of the Year.

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with SMS Promotions, PS4 and Tecate, Crawford-Gamboa attracted nearly 11,000 fans to the CenturyLink Center in the first world title fight to take place in Omaha, Neb. in 42 years, when Joe Frazier defended his heavyweight title against Ron Stander on May 25, 1972. According to Nielsen Media Research, Crawford-Gamboa, which was televised live on HBO®, was the second-most viewed fight of the year so far on U.S. television, attracting an average audience of 1.208 million viewers to the live, first-time airing.

When he realized that he had really done it again, former heavyweight champion Ruslan Chagaev went down to his knees on Sunday night at Ahmat Arena in Grozny, Russia. It was legendary Michael Buffer who announced Chagaev’s close but well deserved majority decision win (115:113, 115:113, 114:114) over Fres Oquendo which earned the 35-year-old Uzbek the WBA heavyweight championship for the second time in his career.

No other but Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov was the first to congratulate Chagaev in the ring. While the fight lasted Kadyrov even took charge as chief second coaching “his” champion in the corner. It was the leader of the Chechen Republic who brought this world title fight to Grozny along with promoter Timur Dugazaev (TEREK Box Event). Accordingly Chagaev thanked the President for all his help and support.

“Words cannot express my gratitude to Ramzan Kadyrov for giving me this opportunity. I also want to thank all people of Grozny, Chechnya, Russia, Uzbekisten, Germany and the whole world. This is one of the greatest moments of my life”, said Chagaev immediately after the fight in the ring.

To get to this moment the former world amateur champion had to work his way through twelve tough and close rounds. Chicago based Oquendo showed great stamina – especially given the fact that he arrived in Grozny only 36 hours before the big fight due to personal circumstances. Chagaev started strong and won the first rounds before a cut opened over his left eye and slowed him down.

Oquendo took advantage and managed to steal the middle rounds but Chagaev’s corner with Artur Grigorian and experienced champion coach Fritz Sdunek as cutman managed to stop the bleeding giving Chagaev the chance to bring home the close but clear victory.

In the co-feature “The Black Panther” Juan Carlos Gomez stopped previously unbeaten Goran Delic in the fifth to win the vacant WBA international cruiserweight championship. German heavyweight contender Edmund Gerber came back from a loss to Dereck Chisora with an impressive second-round annihilation of Mexico’s Vicente Sandez to claim the WBC Silver international heavyweight title.

30,000+ fans at sold out Ahmat Arena witnessed a state of the art show. “I have been all over the world and have seen many great shows – but this was the biggest and best event of them all”, said impressed hall-of-fame-referee Stanley Christodoulou. Michael Buffer added, “This show really set new standards. Everybody involved in the promotion did a great job.”

Greg Cohen of Greg Cohen Promotions wishes to congratulate the fighter he co-promotes (along with Adam Wilcock for FightCard Promotions), Dennis “Hurricane” Hogan for winning the WBA Oceania Light Middleweight Championship on Sunday night.

The popular Hogan (19-0-1, 7 KOs) scored a clear split decision over Australia’s Steve Moxon at the Grand Star Receptions in Altona North, Victoria, Australia.

A four-time national amateur champion with over 150 fights in his native Ireland, 29-year-old Hogan now lives and trains in Queensland, Australia. In addition to the WBA belt, in his three-year pro career, Hogan has already won the Queensland State Super Middleweight, Queensland State Middleweight and Australian Middleweight Championships.

He is currently rated #14 by the IBF and with the victory over Moxon, will almost surely crack the WBA’s rankings as well.

“Dennis showed his world-class skills while winning a regional title that will lead to bigger and better things,” said Greg Cohen. “Most ringside observers had him winning 10 out of 12 rounds, but one of the judges inexplicably had it a split decision. Regardless, he won and Adam and I are now planning to have him make his USA debut later this summer.”

Cohen says that because of his personality and exciting style, Hogan is one of those rare fighters that fans adore.

“Dennis is the type of Irish fighter that has that special connection with his fans, like a John Duddy,” continued Cohen. “He is a special kid and we are excited to bring him to the world stage. I send my sincere congratulations to Dennis and to the boxing world: get ready for a new star middleweight from Ireland/Australia. We will have an announcement about his arrival in the US very soon.”

BOLTON (7 July) – Amir Khan was arrested during the early hours of Friday 4th July on suspicion of common assault against two youths. Shortly thereafter he was released on police bail pending further enquiries.

This was a minor incident involving a misunderstanding between Amir Khan and two other youths.

On Monday 7th July Amir was notified by the police that the allegations against him had been withdrawn and the matter would not be pursued any further.

Popular Long Island junior welterweight prospect CLETUS “The Hebrew Hammer” SELDIN is deep in preparations for his ESPN Friday Night Fights debut against veteran BAYAN “The Mongolian Mongoose” JARGAL set for Friday, July 18 at The Paramount in Huntington, New York.

Presented by Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing, advance tickets for ESPN FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS/”ROCKIN FIGHTS 14″ starting at $50, are on sale through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com), the Star Boxing website (StarBoxing.com) and The Paramount Box Office, phone (631) 673-7300. Doors on the night of the event will open at 6:30 p.m. with the first bell at 7:00 p.m.

Sporting a record of 13-0-0 with ten knockouts, the 27-year-old Seldin is preparing for the toughest foe of his three-year career as Jargal enters the eight round clash with a record of 17-5-3 with 11 knockouts.

Speaking from his training camp in West Palm Beach, Florida, Seldin touched on a number of topics leading up to the fight.

“I’ve seen Jargal fight numerous times, I know he gave Algieri a good fight” said Seldin. “He’s going to want to push the pace which is just my style so fans are in for an all-action scrap. But he’s got a bit of an awkward offense, his punches come from different angles which is something I will have to deal with.”

“I’ve gotten terrific sparring down here in Florida visiting numerous gyms over the last few weeks. I’m based in West Palm Beach but I’ve been all over Florida getting the best sparring, six to ten rounds per day.”

Always moving forward in and out of the ring, Seldin is anxious to make his nationally televised debut. “I always want more, I’m never satisfied whether it’s headlining The Paramount or ESPN, I’ll always want it bigger and better.”

“I was inspired by Chris winning the world title, he had no amateur bouts, I only had about 30 so we’ve both heard the same things about what our limitations are but it just shows what courage, heart and discipline can do.”

Finally, remarking about fighting at The Paramount for the 9th time, Seldin stated, “I love it, my fans and friends pack the place and it feels like I’m hosting a party. There is no better venue in America for boxing than The Paramount.”

Headlining ESPN FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS/”ROCKIN FIGHTS 14″ is an outstanding ten round junior welterweight clash between top rated contenders EMANUEL “The Tranzformer” TAYLOR of Baltimore, Maryland and San Francisco’s KARIM “Hard Hitta” MAYFIELD.

As part of the sensational evening of world class professional boxing, Star Boxing will also pay tribute to “The Fighting Pride of Huntington”, new World Boxing Organization Junior Welterweight Champion CHRIS ALGIERI.

Additional undercard bouts for ESPN FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS/”ROCKIN FIGHTS 14″ will be announced shortly.

The Paramount is located at 370 New York Avenue in Huntington, New York, 11743.

ABOUT ESPN FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS
ESPN Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra will begin at 8 p.m. ET live on ESPN2,

Watch ESPN and broadband Spanish-language ESPN Deportes+.
ESPN Deportes will re-brand its coverage as Noche de Combates (formerly Viernes de Combates) with some telecasts on Saturdays.

ESPN2 Commentators/Studio:

Blow-by-blow commentator Joe Tessitore and ringside analyst Teddy Atlas will return to describe the action for ESPN2. Both are recipients of the prestigious Sam Taub Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism presented by the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA): Atlas (2001), Tessitore (2010). Studio host Todd Grisham (@GrishamESPN), will return for his second season providing all the latest boxing news and highlights. Bilingual reporter Bernardo Osuna (@osunaespn), who last year became the series’ first-ever on-site reporter, will contribute to Friday Night Fights in English, and Noche de Combates (Fight Night) in Spanish.

ESPN Deportes Commentators/Studio:

Delvin Rodríguez will call the fights with Pablo Viruega for Noche de Combateson both ESPN Deportes and ESPN Deportes+, while Leopoldo González and Claudia Trejos will anchor the studio. Hall of Fame referee Joe Cortez will join Trejos and González in studio throughout the season, with Osuna providing reports and interviews.

ABOUT STAR BOXING ®
Star Boxing Inc. celebrated its 20th Anniversary in 2012. The company has produced some of the most exciting and memorable boxing events in recent history. Star Boxing continues to work with and develop a number of very exciting world champions, world rated contenders and young prospects. Star Boxing is proud that is has consistently brought credibility, integrity, and exciting fights to the boxing industry. For more information on Star Boxing, visit their official website at www.StarBoxing.com and follow them on Twitter @ Star Boxing and Facebook at Star Boxing.

ABOUT THE PARAMOUNT:
Opened September 30, 2011 this 1,555-capacity live entertainment venue, located in downtown Huntington, Long Island, New York, features; concerts, comedy, boxing, community and other special events in a club/theater setting. With over 30,000 Facebook fans, The Paramount was recently ranked by Pollstar Magazine as the #24 highest attended club-venue worldwide (January-June 2013). A Ticketmaster venue, booked by Live Nation, TheParamount hosts nearly 200 events per year and in less than two years since its inception, has quickly established itself as the premier music venue onLong Island, NY. Some artists who have recently taken the Paramount stage include; Billy Joel, Pitbull, Don Henley, Willie Nelson, B.B. King, ZZ Top, Counting Crows, Primus, Matchbox 20, The Blues Brothers, Limp Bizkit, & many, many, more.

ABOUT THE FOX HOLLOW:
Nestled upon 8 private acres of Long Island’s north shore is the Fox Hollow, which features a state of the art event venue, fine dining restaurant and an all-suite luxury boutique hotel. Owned & operated by the Scotto Brothers, their Above & Beyond philosophy in providing each & every guest with superior services and amenities is paramount. Visit the Fox Hollow online atwww.TheFoxHollow.com & www.TheInnAtFoxHollow.com

ABOUT CAMELOT LIMOUSINE:
Official Sponsor of the Paramount Boxing Series, Camelot Limos is a family owned and operated business located in Nassau County, with over 25 years of professional experience; serving satisfied clientele since 1984. The owners of Camelot Specialty Limos are very active in the business and play a major role in the company’s day-to-day operations. Camelot Specialty Limos, Inc. is an Accredited Member of the Better Business Bureau. www.camelotlimo.com

ABOUT WBAB 102.3:
WBAB 102.3 is the home of Long Island’s Classic Rock anchored by their Long Island Rock ‘N’ Roll Morning Show with Roger and JP. For more information or to listen online, visit their website at
www.wbab.com and follow them on Facebook.com/1023wbab and on Twitter @1023wbab.

Fres Oquendo finally made his eagerly anticipated arrival to Grozny, Chechnya (Russia) today just in time for the official weigh-in. Due to health issues of his family back at home in Chicago, the Puerto Rican veteran had missed two flights to Russia over the last week causing countless rumors of possible replacements for his WBA world heavyweight championship against local fan favorite Ruslan Chagaev scheduled for tomorrow (Sunday, July 6th).

In the end Oquendo decided not to let down promoter Timur Dugazaev and Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov who put a lot of personal effort in bringing this big fight to Grozny and take the last possible flight from Chicago via Warsaw to the capital of Chechnya in order to save the fight. Oquendo and his team were welcomed very warmly by many fans, journalists and political leaders who followed them to the official weigh-in ceremony shortly after their arrival.

“The Big O” brought 101.9 kg (224.5 lbs) to the scale while Chagaev weighed in a lot heavier at 111.7 kg (246 lbs). Both men were in the range of their average weight for the last couple of fights. In the co-feature Juan Carlos Gomez (89.3 kg / 197 lbs) will take on unbeaten Goran Delic (89.1 kg / 196.5 lbs) for the vacant WBA international cruiserweight championship.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., (July 5, 2014) — World Series of Fighting 155-pound champion Justin Gaethje (12-0) kept his perfect career record intact by stopping previously undefeated and inspirational lightweight Nick Newell (11-1).

That bout served as the headlining bout of Saturday’s “World Series of Fighting 11: Gaethje vs. Newell” event, which took place at Ocean Center. The four-fight main card aired on NBC, a first for the Las Vegas-based promotion.

“All I’ve been asking for is a war, and that’s exactly what Nick gave me today,” Gaethje told WSOF announcer Joey Varner in front of the nationally televised audience. “So I appreciate him, and I thank him.”

Gaethje defended his WSOF Lightweight title and kept his belt by earning the TKO stoppage at 3:09 of the second round of a scheduled five-round fight.

Gaethje and Newell attacked from the opening bell, engaging in a ferocious firefight that entertained the enthusiastic Florida fight fans from the start. Both had moments of success on the feet, but it was Gaethje who began to gain steam as the frame wore on.

As the second round started, it was obvious the pace of the opening round had taken its toll on Newell. Meanwhile, Gaethje seemed to be getting stronger, and his pinpoint striking opened up a cut over his opponent’s left eye. The attending physician came in to view the wound, but a gutsy Newell insisted he was capable of continuing.

“There was a lot of blood,” Gaethje said. “I think it was satisfying to hear him say he was going to take me down, and he wasn’t able to. Because I knew that where he needed to get it and he knew that.”

Unfortunately for him, the courage was only rewarded with more strikes from Gaethje, who used a flashy high kick and a series of straight punches to send Newell to the canvas and seal his own successful title defense.

In the night’s co-main event, veteran fighters Jon Fitch (26-6-1) and Dennis Hallman (53-14-2) battled in a middleweight attraction with Fitch dominating throughout and earning the unanimous decision win, 30-27 on all three cards.

A powerful Fitch low kick swept Hallman to the floor in the early going, and he avoided a few submission attempts from the bottom as he rained down ground-and-pound blows from the top. In the second round, Fitch didn’t bother with the standup game, quickly slamming Hallman to the floor and pounding away with more punches from a dominant position. Hallman briefly threatened with a heel hook, but Fitch rolled through it and continued his assault from the top.

“During the first exchange I got a deep thumb in the eye so I was a little unsteady and didn’t know which way it was going to go,” Fitch said. “That changed the face of the fight because I could only see half of him.”

Bantamweight Cody Bollinger (16-2) picked up his second World Series of Fighting victory with an impressive first-round stoppage of Pablo Alfonso (9-6).

Bollinger was relentless from the start, and when the fight hit the floor, he shifted tirelessly from submission attempt to submission attempt. The non-stop attacks paid off in the form of a rear-naked choke, and Bollinger earned the tap from Alfonso at the 2:37 mark of the first round.

“”My strategy was to stay on my feet and hit him as hard as I could,” Bollinger said after the win. “I think I respected his jiu-jitsu too much, but I should because he’s great at that. I came in here with a lot of hype, and tonight I knew I had to put on a show.”

In the card’s first main-card matchup, lightweights Melvin Guillard (32-13-2) and Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante (18-8-1) engaged in an absolute shootout, just as both promised, but it was “The Young Assassin” who proved victorious in the battle of former training partners.

With punches, kicks and knees flying from the opening bell, the fighters marked an impressive launch of World Series of Fighting’s first live broadcast on NBC. Cavalcante tried to take the fight to the floor in the second frame, but Guillard climbed immediately back to his feet and began to unleash fury on the feet. Two straight punches wobbled Cavalcante, and Guillard pounced on his wounded foe with a barrage of punches and elbows that forced referee Telis Assimenios to stop the fight at the 2:36 mark of the second round.

“I went out there and had a hell of a debut,” Guillard said after the win. “He even got me on the ground, and I got back up and handled business.

“I’m going to take that strap and become the face of this organization. I’m here to make noise.”

In the night’s final preliminary bout, Jake Heun (6-3) returned from a year-long layoff to earn a hard-fought decision win over Kendrick Miree (5-2).

While Miree was successful with a few takedown attempts, he wasn’t able to ever truly capitalize on the position. Meanwhile, Heun peppered his opponent with powerful punches on the feet and racked up enough points to take home a decision win, 29-28 on all three judges’ cards.

Submission specialist Neiman Gracie (2-0) kept his professional record unblemished, but it certainly didn’t come easy. Dustin Holyko (2-1) floored Gracie with a big left hand in the opening round, but he wasn’t able to finish his opponent, and it would come back to cost him in the second frame.

Gracie recovered from the onslaught and brought the fight to the floor in the second round, where he was able to work to the back and scores a tapout by rear-naked choke at 2:21 mark of the frame.

In a 175-pound catchweight contest, Jose Caceres (8-5) outpointed Walber Brito de Barros (6-6) over the course of 15 minutes. While de Barros was a game competitor, Caceres was simply the busier fighters in all aspects of the contest and was justly awarded the win with scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.

In the night’s first fight, light heavyweight Muhammed DeReese (2-0) outgrappled Rashaun Spencer (4-7) en route to picking a unanimous decision win with scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.

JON FITCH (RIGHT) DEF. DENNIS HALLMAN MELVIN GUILLARD (WHITE SHORTS) DEF. JZ CAVALCANTE

CODY BOLLINGER DEF. PABLO ALFONSO

MICHELLE ULIBARRI, RAY SEFO, JUSTIN GAETHJE, ALI ABDELAZIZ AND KAT KELLEY

About “WorldSeries of Fighting” (WSOF)
“World Series of Fighting” (WSOF) is a world wide premier profesional 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 NBC SPORTS GROUP
When the Comcast-NBCUniversal transaction was completed in January 2011, the sports assets of the two companies combined to form NBC Sports Group, which serves sports fans 24/7 with premier live events, insightful studio shows, and compelling original programming. The sports media company consists of a unique array of broadcast television, cable television, radio and digital sports assets, including NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, NBCSN (NBC Sports Network), Golf Channel, 12 NBC Sports Regional Networks, NBC Sports Radio and all of their respective digital properties. NBC Sports Group possesses an unparalleled collection of television rights agreements, partnering with some of the most prestigious sports properties in the world: the International Olympic Committee and United States Olympic Committee, the NFL, NHL, NASCAR, PGA TOUR, PGA of America, USGA, Churchill Downs, Premier League, MLS, World Series of Fighting, Tour de France, French Open, Formula One, IndyCar and many more.

About Ocean Center
The Ocean Center aims to be recognized as the premier convention facility in the Southeast. The Ocean Center offers competitive rates and excellent customer service and is conveniently located in east Central Florida. A service of Volusia County Government, the Ocean Center can accommodate meetings of 10 to 10,000 and offers more than 205,000 square feet of interior exhibit, meeting and convention space. Learn more at www.oceancenter.com.

There has been lots of confusion over the last couple of days regarding this Sunday’s (July 6th) WBA world heavyweight championship bout between Ruslan Chagaev and Fres Oquendo in Grozny. Rumors said that the fight was off after Oquendo failing to board his plane to Russia twice due to family issues. Possible replacements such as former world champion Shannon Briggs, WBA #9 rated contender Alexander Ustinov and former WBA international champion Alexander Petkovic were waiting in line to jump in as last-minute replacements to get a title shot.

But now they all know that they will have to wait for their opportunity. Because Oquendo and his team finally boarded the plane to leave Chicago today to make it to Grozny in time for the weigh-in. “The fight has never been officially off”, says promoter Timur Dugazaev. “We were always hoping that Fres Oquendo would be able to make it. We understand that he was facing some serious problems over the last week with close family members getting sick and having to go to hospital. But still he will keep his word, fulfill his contract and take his chance to become heavyweight champion of the world.”

Oquendo repeatedly asked for another postponement of the fight which war originally scheduled for June 7th and had already been pushed back for four weeks because of contractual issues between Oquendo and his former promoters. “All those problems haven been solved”, adds Dugazaev. “The last days have been a true war of nerves. We had to cancel TV and photo shootings, the press conference and a public workout. But the most important thing is that the big show can still go on. We could not postpone the event because we have prepared everything in 30,000 seat Ahmat Arena. And we have all the celebrities here who actually arrived before our main event fighter. Now I am just happy that we’re good to go.”

Dugazaev also emphasized that he was never to keen to replace Oquendo with another co-challenger. “You have to understand that the whole city of Grozny is full of 50 feet high posters and banners with Oquendo’s face and name on it”, states Dugazaev. “How should I have explained to people that the guy in the ring is not the guy on all the advertisement? I’m glad that I don’t have to worry about that anymore. Although it also made us proud that so many good fighters would have accepted the bout on short notice. That shows that we cannot have done everything wrong.”

Chagaev vs. Oquendo is the main event of a show that also features German heavyweight contender Edmund Gerber taking on Vicente Sandez from Mexico for the WBC Silver international heavyweight championship and former world champion Juan Carlos Gomez facing unbeaten Goran Delic for the WBA international cruiserweight title. The show will be broadcasted live in over 100 countries worldwide with Michael Buffer being the ring announcer for the main event.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., (July 4, 2014) – World Series of Fighting Lightweight champion Justin Gaethje stepped off the scales weighing in at 154.8 pounds, looking rested and relaxed a day before he’s set to face fellow undefeated fighter Nick Newell in the main event of World Series of Fighting 11: “Gaethje vs. Newell” Saturday at Ocean Center.

“I’m feeling great,” Gaethje said. “I got in on Wednesday and I’ve had crab legs, steak, pasta. I played golf yesterday. All the hard work has been done in the gym. I didn’t want to get here and have to stress about making weight.”

Newell said he is friendly with Gaethje and hasn’t been bothered by all his pre-fight knockout talk. “Of course he’s going to say he’s going to knock me out,” Newell said. “He’d be a weirdo to say, ‘I think I’m going to get the decision.’ The fight is going to end before a decision, it’s just going to end with me as the winner.”

The fight is headlined by the lightweight championship bout with the exciting Gaethje (11-0) putting his belt on the line against the extremely tough and talented Newell (11-0). Also on the card, a highly anticipated welterweight matchup pitting Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Jon Fitch (25-6-1, 1 NC) against MMA veteran Dennis Hallman (53-14-2. Additionally, newly signed lightweight Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard (31-13-2) debuts against Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante (18-7-1) and Cody “Bam Bam” Bollinger (15-2, 1 NC) faces a dangerous 14-year veteran in Pablo Alfonso (9-5) in an intriguing bantamweight contest.

Tickets for the event start at just $29 and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or WSOF.com. Doors at the Ocean Center will open to fans at 1 p.m. ET local time, with an WSOF.com-streamed undercard beginning at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT. The live, NBC-broadcast four-fight main card begins at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.

The following are the weights from Friday’s weigh-in.

JUSTIN GAETHJE 154.8 lbs. VS. NICK NEWELL 155 lbs.

JON FITCH 183 lbs . VS. DENNIS HALLMAN 181.2 lbs.

JZ CAVALCANTE 155.6 lbs. VS. MELVIN GUILLARD 157.2 lbs.

CODY BOLLINGER 138.4 lbs. VS. PABLO ALFONSO 136 lbs.

KENDRICK MIREE 204.8 lbs. VS. JAKE HEUN 205 lbs.

NEIMAN GRACIE 176 lbs. VS. DUSTIN HOLYKO 175.8 lbs.

JOSE CACERES 173.6 lbs. VS. WALBER BRITO DE BARROS 174.8 lbs.

MUHAMMED DEREESE 206.2 lbs. VS. RASHAUN SPENCER 200.8 lbs.

WSOF ring girls Kat Kelley and Michelle Ulibarri

About “WorldSeries of Fighting” (WSOF)
“World Series of Fighting” (WSOF) is a world wide premier profesional 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 i nformation please visit WSOF.com. Follow “World Series of Fighting” on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries and “World Series of Fighting” President Ray Sefo @SugarRaySefo.

About NBC SPORTS GROUP
When the Comcast-NBCUniversal transaction was completed in January 2011, the sports assets of the two companies combined to form NBC Sports Group, which serves sports fans 24/7 with premier live events, insightful studio shows, and compelling original programming. The sports media company consists of a unique array of broadcast television, cable television, radio and digital sports assets, including NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, NBCSN (NBC Sports Network), Golf Channel, 12 NBC Sports Regional Networks, NBC Sports Radio and all of their respective digital properties. NBC Sports Group possesses an unparalleled collection of television rights agreements, partnering with some of the most prestigious sports properties in the world: the International Olympic Committee and United States Olympic Committee, the NFL, NHL, NASCAR, PGA TOUR, PGA of America, USGA, Churchill Downs, Premier League, MLS, World Series of Fighting, Tour de France, French Open, Formula One, IndyCar and many more.

About Ocean Center

The Ocean Center aims to be recognized as the premier convention facility in the Southeast. The Ocean Center offers competitive rates and excellent customer service and is conveniently located in east Central Florida. A service of Volusia County Government, the Ocean Center can accommodate meetings of 10 to 10,000 and offers more than 205,000 square feet of interior exhibit, meeting and convention space. Learn more at www.oceancenter.com.

LAS VEGAS (July 4, 2014) – On independence day in the USA, Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara, is grateful to be an American as he celebrates “Fourth of July” in Las Vegas in anticipation of his showdown with Canelo Alvarez. The opportunities that Lara has experienced since arriving in the United States of America have been unbelievable. Having come from a communist country, Erislandy knows firsthand how important freedom is.

“When you’ve lived in a communist country, you really don’t understand how important your freedom is until you lived it,” said Erislandy Lara. “In America if you work hard the opportunities to prosper are endless, that’s why I’m so grateful to be living in the States. To the people who have sacrificed to make this country great, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. America is the best country on earth and I’m proud being an American…I’m living the American Dream!”

Unbeaten in 21 fights with thirteen knockout victories to his credit – Mirko Larghetti will be facing Marco Huck (37-2-1, 26 KOs) for “The Captain’s” WBO Cruiserweight World Championship on August 30. The Gerry Weber Stadium in Halle/Westphalia, Germany will play host to Huck’s 13th defense of the title he acquired back in August of 2009. If successful, the protégé of coach Ulli Wegner will equal Johnny Nelson’s record for the most title defenses in the cruiserweight division.

However, Larghetti has other plans. The Italian is still fuming over the cancellation of his title bid on March 29, which saw Huck injuring the thumb of his right hand in preparation of their fight. “I was ready back then and I am even more ready now,” said the 31-year-old, adding: “Hopefully, Huck is more careful with his hands this time. I want to show him and the boxing fans that I am a better fighter and the man to put an end to his title reign.”

Nevertheless, Huck is not intimidated by the challenger’s taunts, countering: “This will be Larghetti’s first and last world title fight. When I am done with him he will wish not ever having shared the ring with me.” “The Captain” has a motto for this fight: “I will make Spaghetti out of Larghetti!”

Huck was last seen defending his WBO Belt against compatriot Firat Arslan via TKO6 on January 25.

Tickets for the WBO Cruiserweight World Championship on August 30 will go on sale by Monday, July 7, via www.gerryweber-world.de and www.eventim.de.

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA., (July 3, 2014) – World Series of Fighting’s President Ray Sefo (above, at right) and WSOF welterweight star Jon Fitch (at left) brightened the day of children, patients and staff members during a visit to the Halifax Health Medical Center Pediatrics and Orthopedic wards on Thursday.

“It’s the least we could do to take a few minutes out of our schedule and spend some time with others who are going through a rough time,” Sefo said. “We met some amazing kids today and wish them the best in their recovery.”

The World Series of Fighting promotion’s inaugural NBC-broadcast event, “World Series of Fighting 11: Gaethje vs. Newell,” will take place on Saturday at Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Fla., The undercard will start at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT. The live, NBC-broadcast four-fight main card begins at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.

On Friday at 11 a.m. the public is invited to attend the official weigh-in at the Daytona Beach Hilton.

One-year-old Eli Velazquez (above) took a liking to Sefo, who held the baby while his parents Ty and Lacey looked on. Ty is part of the Armed Forces and recently served a six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan. Fitch thanked him for his service and handed the family tickets to Saturday’s fights.

Eight-year-old Daytona Beach resident Kamar Vernon (above) said he was a huge Washington Redskins fan, but also enjoys watching MMA. Vernon is in the hospital because he suffers from sickle cell anemia.

“You guys made this the best hospital visit a guy could possibly have,” said Jesse Manis, 24 (above), who suffered an injury after falling off a ladder. Manis said he’s hoping to get out of the hospital Friday and planned to make it to the fights.

World Series of Fighting 11 is headlined by a lightweight championship bout with the exciting Justin Gaethje (11-0) putting his belt on the line against the extremely tough and talented “Notorious” Nick Newell (11-0). Also on the card, a highly anticipated welterweight matchup pitting Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Jon Fitch (25-6-1, 1 NC) against MMA veteran Dennis Hallman (53-14-2. Additionally, newly signed lightweight Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard (31-13-2) debuts against Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante (18-7-1) and Cody “Bam Bam” Bollinger (15-2, 1 NC) faces a dangerous 14-year veteran in Pablo Alfonso (9-5) in an intriguing bantamweight contest.

Tickets for the event start at just $29 and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or WSOF.com. Doors at the Ocean Center will open to fans at 1 p.m. ET local time, with an NBCSports.com-streamed undercard beginning at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT. The live, NBC-broadcast four-fight main card begins at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.

About WSOF
World Series of Fighting is a professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering an incredible, action-packed entertainment experience for fight fans by producing the best possible matchups between elite fighters from around the globe. 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 NBC SPORTS GROUP
When the Comcast-NBCUniversal transaction was completed in January 2011, the sports assets of the two companies combined to form NBC Sports Group, which serves sports fans 24/7 with premier live events, insightful studio shows, and compelling original programming. The sports media company consists of a unique array of broadcast television, cable television, radio and digital sports assets, including NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, NBCSN (NBC Sports Network), Golf Channel, 12 NBC Sports Regional Networks, NBC Sports Radio and all of their respective digital properties. NBC Sports Group possesses an unparalleled collection of television rights agreements, partnering with some of the most prestigious sports properties in the world: the International Olympic Committee and United States Olympic Committee, the NFL, NHL, NASCAR, PGA TOUR, PGA of America, USGA, Churchill Downs, Premier League, MLS, World Series of Fighting, Tour de France, French Open, Formula One, IndyCar and many more.

About Ocean Center
The Ocean Center aims to be recognized as the premier convention
facility in the Southeast. The Ocean Center offers competitive rates and
excellent customer service and is conveniently located in east Central
Florida. A service of Volusia County Government, the Ocean Center can
accommodate meetings of 10 to 10,000 and offers more than 205,000 square
feet of interior exhibit, meeting and convention space. Learn more at
www.oceancenter.com.

NEW YORK (July 3, 2014) – As part of a robust block of programming in advance of the SHOWTIME PPV presentation of “Honor & Glory: Canelo vs. Lara,” on Saturday, July 12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, SHOWTIME will televise undefeated WBO Bantamweight World Champion Tomoki “El Mexicanito” Kameda defending his title against No. 1-ranked contender Pungluang Sor Singyu during “Canelo vs. Lara: COUNTDOWN LIVE” (7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT, immediately preceding the live PPV event).

Nearly a week’s worth of live and taped programming will be available on SHOWTIME, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, on mobile devices via SHOWTIME ANYTIME®, and on the premium network’s website at SHO.com/Sports.

The blitz of programming will feature classic fights, the premiere of ALL ACCESS: Canelo vs. Lara Episode 2 on Wednesday, July 9 on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/PT), the event’s final press conference on Thursday, July 10 (live at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT) and the Official Weigh-In on Friday, July 11 (live at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT). Both the press conference and weigh-in will be streamed live via SHO.com/Sports with the weigh-in also being televised live on CBS Sports Network.

Fight Day coverage begins with a SHOWTIME EXTREME roadblock–five continuous hours of programming beginning at 10 a.m. ET/PT.

Kameda (29-0, 18 KOs), of Tokyo, Japan, will make his second title defense against Sor Singyu (46-2, 31 KOs), of Bangkok, Thailand. Sor Singyu formerly held the same championship belt until losing it to Paulus Ambunda in March 2013. Ambunda lost his belt to Kameda last August in a unanimous decision in the Philippines.

Kameda, who turns 23 on the night of the fight, will face his most experienced opposition yet in Sor Singyu, 26, who has produced three wins in a row since losing the WBO title. Both fighters will be making their U.S. debuts.

Kameda and his two brothers, Koki, 27, and Daiki, 25, are among the most famous boxers in the history of Japanese boxing as all three recently held world titles at the same time. While Tomoki held the WBO Bantamweight Championship, Koki was the WBA Bantamweight Champion until he voluntarily relinquished the title in December in order to move down to flyweight, and Daiki was the IBF Junior Bantamweight Champion until he lost by decision last December.

Below is the list of encore presentations of Classic Fights that will air on SHOWTIME EXTREME beginning Monday, July 7. Note: these programs are currently available on SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and on mobile devices via SHOWTIME ANYTIME® Monday, July 7
Ø Canelo’s action-packed and controversial showdown with Alfredo Angulo (10 p.m. ET/PT)
Ø Lara’s brutal slugfest with Mexican brawler Alfredo Angulo (11:15 p.m. ET/PT)
Tuesday, July 8
Ø Canelo’s memorable win over Austin Trout in front of nearly 40,000 fans at San Antonio’s Alamodome (10:30 p.m. ET/PT)
Ø Lara’s impressive performance against former world champion Austin Trout (11:30 p.m. ET/PT)
Wednesday, July 9
Ø Canelo’s SHOWTIME debut against upset-minded Josesito Lopez (10 p.m. ET/PT)
Ø Lara’s SHOWTIME debut against Ronald Hearns, where he showed why he is one of the most talented and dangerous fighters in the world (11:00 p.m. ET/PT on ShoBox
Ø Abner Mares’ controversial showdown versus Daniel Ponce de Leon (11:10 p.m. ET/PT)
Thursday, July 10
Ø Action-packed showdown between Juan Manuel Lopez and Daniel Ponce de Leon (10:30 p.m. ET/PT)
Ø Showdown of undefeated contenders Francisco Vargas and Brandon Bennett (10:45 p.m. ET/PT)
Ø Mauricio Herrera’s thrilling slugfest with unified super lightweight champion Danny Garcia (11:30 p.m. ET/PT)

# # #

“Honor & Glory: Canelo vs. Lara,” a 12-round junior middleweight fight taking place Saturday, July
12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Canelo
Promotions and sponsored by Corona and AT&T. In the co-main event, Abner Mares returns to the ring
to face Puerto Rico’s Jonathan Oquendo in a 10-round featherweight bout. In the SHOWTIME PPV
opening bout, Johan Perez defends his interim WBA Junior Welterweight World Title against Mauricio
Herrera in a 12-round matchup. Also, Juan Manuel Lopez meets Francisco Vargas in a 10-round bout for
the WBO International Super Featherweight Title. The event will be produced and distributed live by
SHOWTIME PPV beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The event can be heard in Spanish using secondary
audio programming (SAP). For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports. Canelo vs. Lara will be shown onthe big screen in movie theaters across the country via Fathom Events. Information will be available at www.fathomevents.com

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (July 3rd, 2014) – When Rob Font received a phone call one morning from his head trainer, Mark DellaGrotte, asking if he happened to be sitting down at the moment, Font wasn’t sure what to expect.

“I figured it was either going to be really good or really bad,” Font recalled.

It was the best news of the his life, the call all aspiring mixed martial arts fighters wait for, an invitation to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC).

“Why be in this sport if you’re not trying to get to the UFC? It’s not something you play with,” said Font, the Tampa, Fla., native who now lives and trains out of Boston.

Now that Font (10-1, 3 KOs) has had to time to let it all sink in, make his rounds within the local media circuit and shed the extra 15 or so pounds to move from featherweight to bantamweight, the reigning CES MMA champ is finally in Las Vegas decompressing before he makes his UFC debut Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on the undercard of UFC 175 against George Roop (15-10-1, 4 KOs).

Prior to getting the call from the UFC, Font dominated the northeast at 145 pounds, winning nine consecutive fights, six under the promotional guidance of CES MMA. Now he’ll fight at 130 against the 32-year-old Roop, an eight-time UFC vet with a 4-4 record on the big stage and victories in three of his last four fights.

Roop earned his stripes on the eighth season of the popular reality television series, The Ultimate Fighter, and parlayed his success into undercard bouts at UFC 137, UFC 158 and UFC 160. He also competed for the now-defunct World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), where he beat future UFC title contender Chan Sung Jung, and also defeated former WEC bantamweight champion Brian Bowles at UFC 160.

At this stage, every fight is difficult, so Font is making sure he’s equally prepared mentally, specifically trying to avoid the pre-fight jitters that tend to plague UFC rookies the first time they step inside the octagon. Regional standout Tom Egan, a native of Ireland, admitted the butterflies affected him when he made his UFC debut at UFC 93 in Ireland as the only Irish fighter on the card.

“Honestly, I’m trying not to expect anything,” Font said. “People always talk about the UFC jitters, but I hope it’s not true. I’m expecting it to be another day in the gym, but you never know. The lights are brighter, there are tons of cameras, you see [UFC color commentator] Joe Rogan. It can be overwhelming, but it’s just another fight.”

Having DellaGrotte in his corner is a huge advantage. A former professional Muay Thai kickboxer, DellaGrotte owns the Boston branch of Sityodtong, where Font honed his skills, and has trained several UFC standouts, including Frank Mir, Jorge Rivera, Kenny Florian, Stephan Bonnar and Marcus Davis.

“This is nothing new to him,” Font said. “He’s always kept me level-headed. He knew I put the work in and that it was just a matter of time. He would always pull me to the side and tell me I have what it takes and that I just had do it, so I’ve always trusted him.

“We did everything we had to do. Hard work pays off, and now we’re here.”

Roop’s experience won’t be the only intangible Font has to be wary of. Speed will be a factor, too. Fighting at a lighter weight than usual, Font fully expects Roop to be faster than some of the opponents he’s faced in recent years. The weight-cut itself was a breeze thanks in large part to DellaGrotte’s guidance.

“Right after my last fight, my managers told me to enjoy it, but not party too hard because you never know when you’ll get that call,” Font said. “We did it right. We got a nutritionist on board. I’m finally eating like an adult. Lots of spinach, kale. I’m as light as I’ve ever been. I can handle everything as far as the wrestling and scrambling is concerned, but the big thing is dealing with the speed.”

There’s also the pressure of making sure he not only wins, but also looks sharp in the process. UFC fighters tend to be expendable. Even those who win might end up one-and-done if they don’t do enough inside the cage to pique the viewers’ interest. Font’s made it clear his goal isn’t just to get to the big stage, but to be a fixture for years to come.

“Your job is pretty much on the line every time you fight,” Font said. “You not only have to win, but you have to perform. You’ve got to be exciting. You have to be someone everyone else is talking about the next day. If you’re not that guy, what do they need you for?

“It definitely plays into your nerves, but I’ve always done well with that. I just need to go in there and do what I need to do. It’s great getting a lot of attention now, but I know I have to stay in there and get the job done. It’s one thing to get there, but it’s a whole different animal to stay there and be a household name. That’s my next goal.”

Font is now the second fighter from the northeast to jump directly from CES MMA to the UFC. Boston’s John “Doomsday” Howard, who spent two years with the UFC before the company released him in 2011, bounced back with five consecutive wins under CES MMA’s guidance to earn a return trip to the octagon. CES MMA will continue to break new ground in August when it’s “CES MMA XXV” event airs live on AXS TV, the home of Inside MMA.

“Going back to 2010, before I was even fighting as an amateur, I went to a CES show with [teammate] Tyson [Chartier] and said to him, ‘Hey, man, I would love to fight for this promotion,’” Font recalled. “It was always in the back of my mind that I wanted to fight for CES, especially with how they helped ‘Doomsday.’

“When they finally got me on a card, I knew I didn’t want to fight for anyone else. They have all the top fighters, and it’s an all-pro card, 10 to 11 solid fights, not two pro fights and then a thousand amateur fights. Now with AXS TV, it’s a huge platform. If you’re an up-and-coming amateur, you should definitely consider fighting for CES.”

UFC 175 features the middleweight main event between reigning champion Chris Weidman and former light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida. The preliminary card, featuring Font’s bout against Roop, will air live on FOX Sports 1 beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Early prelims are available beginning at 7 through UFC Fight Pass on www.ufc.com while the main card begins live at 10 on Pay Per View.

For more information on Font and all of CES MMA’s upcoming events, visit www.cesmma.com, follow CES MMA on Twitter at @CESMMA and Instagram at CESMMA, or “like” CES MMA on Facebook by clicking the corresponding link.

Baltimore, MD (July 3, 2014) – Welterweight star Tori “Sho Nuff” Nelson retained her WIBA title with a hard fought ten round decision over iron-chinned veteran Nicole Woods last Saturday evening at the Du Burns Arena in Baltimore.

Headlining Ponytail Promotions’ “World Championship Boxing”, Nelson was in a tough fight from the opening bell.

Woods, an Atlanta native who fought virtually every top fighter in or near her weight class, used rough antics with the hope Nelson would become frustrated. Nelson, a two division champion from Virginia, fought aggressively in attempt to keep Woods off and landed the more telling blows en route to a competitive victory.

Scores were 98-92 twice and 99-91.

Nelson, a fixture on the pound for pound list, improves to 10-0-3 with 1 knockout.

“I’m proud of the way Tori fought,” said promoter James Hogan of Ponytail Promotions. “Nicole Woods was a very tough opponent and she definitely showed the kind of experience you’d expect of somebody that fought the caliber of opponents she did. This wasn’t an easy fight at all but Tori showed what champions are made of.”

Delaware light heavyweight Frankie “Freight Train” Filippone lived up to his nickname, steamrolling Baltimorean Willie “For Real” Williams in less than a round. In a rematch of a 2010 bout which he won by a close decision, the southpaw Filippone decked Williams with a perfectly timed straight left. Williams showed tremendous heart in getting back to his feet before Filippone swarmed him, scoring a second knockdown and forcing a stoppage at 2:47.

With the victory Filippone improves to 16-4-1 with 3 knockouts while capturing the USBU crown in the process. Williams slips to 13-8-2 (4 KO’s).

Blue chip prospect Tyriesha “Lady Tyga” Douglas of Baltimore by way of Washington, DC passed her toughest test to date, outpointing ultra-tough Texan Cristina Fuentes over six rounds. Douglas, who came close to making the 2012 Olympic Team, displayed fantastic boxing skills and landed good shots, but Fuentes’ chin proved to be made of granite. Douglas was clearly the better boxer, but had to work from bell to bell as Fuentes didn’t give an inch.

Two of the three judges scored the bout 60-54 while a third tally read 58-56 for Douglas. With the win, Douglas improves to 5-0 with 1 knockout and is expected to fight for a world title in the near future.

Middleweight sensation Demond “Dbestatit” Nicholson showed yet again why he’s one of boxing’s most dynamic young fighters, stopping normally durable Cuban veteran Lester Gonzalez in two minutes and fourteen seconds. The Laurel, MD resident ended Gonzalez’ night with a devastating left hook and scored his sixth first round knockout in seven victories.

In other bouts, junior welterweight up and comer Seth Billups scored a hard fought decision over Benjamin Olinga and Travis Reeves topped Lamont Capers, while Jeremy Trussell battled to a disappointing draw against David Rohn.

“Overall this was an excellent card for the fans,” said Hogan. “I’m happy with the way everything turned out and there were a number of competitive matches. Frankie looked the best I’ve ever seen him, Tyriesha once again showed why she’s on the fast track to a world title, Demond is simply incredible and Seth showed a lot of poise. Saturday was definitely a success and Ponytail Promotions will be back to Baltimore shortly.”

For more information, go to Ponytailpromotions.com

Founded in 2014 by respected Baltimore-based boxing businessman James Hogan, Ponytail Promotions envisions becoming one of the top promotional firms in the United States. With a keen interest in both male and female fighters, Ponytail Promotions will run a total of 10-12 shows per year in Maryland, Virginia, Washington DC and North Carolina.

Miami, FL (July 3, 2014) Next Thursday night, July 10, top rated light heavyweight contender HUMBERTO SAVIGNE will battle former world champion JEFF “Left Hook” LACY from the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida and LIVE on FOX Sports 1.

Presented by Iron Mike Productions, the Savigne/Lacy scheduled ten rounder at “JUDGMENT DAY” for the World Boxing Council (‘WBC’) Latino Light Heavyweight Title is the co-featured attraction to the highly anticipated IBF Super Featherweight Title Rematch between ARGENIS “La Tormenta” MENDEZ and RANCES “Kid Blast” BARTHELEMY.

Savigne is currently ranked # 3 by the WBC.

Boxing legend MIKE TYSON is adamant that Savigne is the future undisputed king of the light heavyweight division.

“Savigne can beat both Sergev Kovalev and Adonis Stevenson, he’s got as much power as they do but he’s also a very skilled and intelligent fighter. Boxing fans deserve the chance to see those two fight against someone who has a chance to beat them.”

Sporting a record of 12-1-0 with 9 knockouts, Savigne is on a ten bout-winning streak, having turned professional in 2009 following an illustrious amateur career for the Cuban National Team. Now based in Miami, Florida, the Tyson led charge is looking to repeat the recent success of fellow amateur standouts.

Continued Tyson, “ In just the last couple of weeks, two brilliant amateur stars have fought for world titles, Vasyl Lomachenko schooled the game but overmatched Gary Russell Jr. while Yuriorkis Gamboa stepped up in weight and was knocked out by the former United States National Amateur Champion, WBO champ Terence Crawford.”

“Savigne’s stellar amateur career was just as dominant as Lomachenko’s and Gamboa’s as well as Erislandy Lara’s and Guillermo Rigondeaux’s. His rise has been slower as he struggled for eight years to come to the United States and start a professional career. But now is clearly his time. The question is when will he get his shot at the current light heavyweight world champions who seem to prefer hand picked matchups based upon the criteria that the opponents don’t have knockout power.”

With 450 amateur fights, and recent wins over former world champion Richard Hall and undefeated contender Jackson Junior, Savigne hopes that a win over former world champion Lacy will seal the deal with the major networks and show them that he is ready to battle either Kovalev or Stevenson.

Lacy, 26-4-0 (18KO’s) has been chomping at the bit to get an opportunity to fight a top light heavyweight and is ready to try to return to the top of the rankings, fighting injury free for the first time since his loss to the long running world champion Joe Calzaghe.

“Savigne vs. Lacy promises action from the opening bell and with the card we’ve put together, boxing fans in Miami will see a card that will be talked about for years”, said Tyson.

Opening the FOX Sports 1 telecast will be the nationally televised debut of heralded and undefeated 18-year-old welterweight prospect ERICKSON “The Hammer” LUBIN clashing with Mexican veteran NOE “Platanito” BOLANOS in a scheduled eight round bout.

A sensational off-TV undercard for “JUDGMENT DAY” will be announced shortly.

For more information on “JUDGMENT DAY” please visit the website, www.IMPMIAMI.com. Advance tickets, starting at $49 may be purchased through www.Ticketmaster.com with V.I.P Ringside Table Packages also available.

The American Airlines Arena is located at 601 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, Florida, 33132. For more information, please visit their website at www.aaarena.com. Doors will open on the evening of the event at 6:30 p.m. with the first bell at 8:00 p.m.

For additional information on Iron Mike Productions visit www.IronMikeProductions, follow on Twitter at @IronMikeProd and on Facebook at IronMikeProductionsOfficial.

Las Vegas, Nev. – For the first time in history, the new season of The Ultimate Fighter® will feature an all-female cast and will have a UFC® championship title on the line. The storied reality series will feature a women’s 115-pound tournament to determine the first ever UFC® women’s strawweight champion. UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis and No. 2-ranked lightweight contender, Gilbert Melendez, will serve as coaches and meet in a championship showdown of their own at the conclusion of the season.

The Ultimate Fighter®: A Champion Will Be Crowned kicks off with a two-hour premiere Wednesday, September 10, at 10 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.

The top 115-pound females on the planet will compete over the course of the season for the honor of being the UFC’s second female champion, alongside bantamweight (135 pound) champion Ronda Rousey. Amongst the cast are two former Invicta FC champions, a former International Kickboxing Federation women’s bantamweight, a United States kickboxing champion, an astrophysicist and a former professional ice hockey player.

In line with previous seasons, the women will be divided into two teams, coached by Pettis and Melendez. The series will follow the teams as they live and train together in preparation for their fights. The culmination of the season will see the two semifinalists meet at The Ultimate Fighter Finale in late 2014, where the inaugural champion will be crowned.

The list of competitors includes fighters hailing from Australia, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, United States and Tasmania. The competitors are listed in alphabetical order (Name, Professional MMA record, Age, Hometown):

Joanne Calderwood (8-0), 27, Glasgow, Scotland
Alex Chambers (4-1), 35, Sydney, Australia
Heather Jo Clark (6-4), 34, Los Angeles, Calif.
Aisling Daly (14-3), 26, Dublin, Ireland
Lisa Ellis (15-8), 31, Olympia, Wash.
Carla Esparza (9-2), 26, Redondo Beach, Calif.
Felice Herrig (9-5), 29, Crystal Lake, Ill.
Angela Hill (1-0), 29, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Emily Peters Kagan (3-1), 32, Bangor, Maine
Justine Kish (4-0), 26, Cramerton, N.C.
Angela Magana (11-6), 30, Farmington, N.M.
Randa Markos (4-1), 28, Windsor, Canada
Rose Namajunas (2-1), 22, Milwaukee, Wis.
Jessica Penne (11-2), 31, Huntington Beach, Calif.
Bec Rawlings (5-3), 25, Launceston, Tasmania
Tecia Torres (4-0), 24, Fall River, Mass.

UFC Champions Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Matt Serra and TJ Dillashaw have all emerged from The Ultimate Fighter series, which has also produced many of today’s top athletes including, season winners Michael Bisping, Ryan Bader and John Dodson.

For more show information, bios, videos and photos, visit ultimatefighter.com and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @TUFonFS1 or on Facebook.com/TUF.

###

About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®

Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (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, Beijing, Singapore and Sao Paulo, the UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries to 800+ million TV households worldwide in 28 different languages. The UFC has a multi-year broadcast agreement with FOX in the U.S. which includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, 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. UFC also owns over 100 UFC GYM® locations, UFC.TV® (offering live event broadcasts and video on-demand around the world), UFC FIT™ (an in-home fitness and nutrition program), UFC 360 (the internationally distributed magazine), a videogame franchise with EA SPORTS, best-selling DVDs and Blu-rays, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, Octagon™ branded apparel and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit www.UFC.com and follow UFC at www.Facebook.com/UFC and Twitter: @UFC.

About FOX Sports 1
FOX Sports 1 is America’s new national multi-sport channel that launched on August 17 in approximately 90 million homes and boasts nearly 5,000 hours of live event, news and original programming annually. The channel has several pillar sports: UFC, MLB, NASCAR, college basketball and football, NFL (ancillary programs), international soccer and Golden Boy boxing, and adds USGA events, including the U.S. Open, and FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2015. FOX SPORTS LIVE is FOX Sports 1’s flagship 24/7 news, opinion and highlights program, providing around the clock coverage through regularly scheduled programs, hourly updates and an information rich ticker. Original programs include: UFC TONIGHT, AMERICA’S PREGAME; NASCAR RACE HUB; MLB WHIPAROUND and the groundbreaking BEING: documentary franchise. FOX Sports GO, a new authenticated mobile sports experience for iPhone, iPad, Android devices and the web, serves as the channel’s digital extension. The app offers more than 1,100 live games and events from cross FOX Sports, FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Sports’ 22 regional sports networks, as well as scores, highlights, news, stats and analysis. For more information visit http://foxsports.com/watch/foxsports1.

INDIO, CALIF. (July 3) – Unbeaten Frankie “Pitbull” Gomez is considered to be the most dangerous prospect in the junior welterweight division and on Friday, July 25, he will face his toughest challenge yet when he meets Florida’s Vernon Paris in the 10-round main event of FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes’ Golden Boy Live! at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif. The co-main event is expected to be just as heated when rising bantamweight star Ivan Morales is featured in a 10-round battle against an opponent to be determined.

As a special treat for fans in attendance, the legendary Erik “El Terrible” Morales won’t just be at Fantasy Springs to cheer on his brother Ivan, the Mexican great will also meet and greet fans throughout the evening, making this a fight night that aficionados won’t want to miss.

“We are so proud of the success of the Golden Boy Live! series to date and July 25th will be no exception,” said Oscar De La Hoya, president and founder of Golden Boy Promotions. “We are thrilled to provide a national television platform for rising stars such as Frankie Gomez and Vernon Paris to continue their mark on the sweet science.”

Gomez vs. Paris, a 10-round junior welterweight bout, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona, O’Reilly Auto Parts and Golden Ram. The FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes broadcast airs live at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT.

Tickets, priced at $45, $35 and $25, will go on sale Friday, July 4 at 10:00 a.m. PT and will be available for purchase at the Fantasy Springs Box Office, by calling (800) 827-2946 or online at www.fantasyspringsresort.com.

After a stellar amateur career, East Los Angeles’ Frankie “Pitbull” Gomez (17-0, 13 KOs) has made a steady rise in the ranks of the 140-pound weight class since turning professional in 2010. At just 22 years of age, sweet science insiders already expect him to make his move into the title picture within the next 12 months. To do that, he has to follow up his last four victories over Pavel Miranda (KO1), Lanard Lane (W10), Prince Doku Jr. (TKO1) and Orlando Vazquez (KO2) with another impressive showing against Paris, his toughest test to date on July 25.

A native of the boxing-rich city of Detroit, 26-year-old Vernon Paris (28-1, 16 KOs) has one thing on his mind heading into his July 25 bout with Frankie Gomez – handing the Californian his first professional defeat. And if anyone has the talent and desire to do it, it’s Paris, a former USBA champion whose only loss came against multi-division former World Champion Zab Judah in 2012. Since then, Paris has won two fights straight and he’s looking for three at Fantasy Springs.

Twenty-two-year-old Tijuana native Ivan “Nino Maravilla” Morales (25-0, 14 KOs) is a top Mexican prospect that hopes to add to his nation’s rich boxing history by becoming a world champion in the coming years. While he’s still young, his efforts thus far have shown him to be a mature fighter with a seemingly endless list of positive attributes. Coming off of a 10-round win over 40-fight veteran Jose Alfredo Tirado in April, Morales heads to Southern California later this month for his third fight in the United States against an opponent to be determined.

A full undercard will be announced shortly.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.FOXSports.com/FOXSports1, www.FOXDeportes.com, follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @FOXSports1 @FOXDeportesand follow the conversation using #GoldenBoyLive, become a fan on Facebook at Golden Boy Facebook Page and visit us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing. For more information on FOX Sports 1 visit www.FOXSports.com/watch/FOXSports1 and become a follower on @FOXSports.

LONDON (3 July) – BoxNation’s stacked summer schedule is set to get even hotter this July with heavyweight hitters Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora’s world title eliminator headlining a sizzling set of fights, live and exclusive on ‘The Channel of Champions’.

The mammoth showdown between two of the world’s best heavyweights, taking place at the Phones4U Arena in Manchester on July 26th, will see the victor go on to challenge the reigning WBA Super, IBF and WBO world champion Wladimir Klitschko next up.

First, however, they must cross paths once again, with Chisora looking to avenge his 2011 points loss to Fury, as both men put their careers on the line in their bid for world title glory.

BoxNation will be bringing viewers unprecedented access ahead of their mouth-watering meeting, with the channel set to air – ‘Before the Bell: Chisora v Fury’ – a fly on the wall documentary series, starting this coming Monday at 7.30pm, delving into the lives of both fighters as they gear up for the biggest bout of their careers.

Episode two airs on Monday 14th July at 7.30pm, with the final show on Monday 21st July at 7.30pm.

The world’s best boxing channel will get their enthralling July schedule off to a bang this weekend, though, with further heavyweight action when Uzbekistan’s Ruslan Chageav challenges hard-hitter Fres Oquendo for the vacant WBA title.

The following week on July 12th, one of boxing’s very best, Canelo Alvarez, is back in action when he takes on the slick and slippery Cuban Erislandy Lara in a matchup that continues to divide opinion amongst fight aficionados.

Mexican superstar, Alvarez, will be looking to continue his route back to the very top, following his loss to Floyd Mayweather last September.

He has already shown that he is ready to challenge the best around again after his convincing victory over Alfredo Angulo earlier this year, but, Lara is a different prospect altogether, having racked up 19 wins in 22 fights and with world title ambitions of his own.

The card at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas will also witness the revitalised Juan Manuel Lopez up against Francisco Vargas following his stunning win over Daniel Ponce De Leon in March, with the man who ran Danny Garcia extremely close – Mauricio Herrera – returning against Johan Perez.

There is domestic action on July 16th when talented super-middleweight prospect Frank Buglioni looks to bounce back in style following his shock defeat to Sergey Khomitsky.

The power puncher, known as ‘The Wise Guy’, goes up against Sam Couzens at the York Hall, with 21-year-old super-featherweight ace Mitchell Smith battling Peter Cope, and highly-touted welterweight Bradley Skeete taking on Steven Pearce.

BoxNation then returns back to Macao, China when the supremely gifted Guillermo Rigondeaux puts his WBA Super and WBO super-bantamweight world titles on the line against the experienced Sod Kokietgym on July 19th.

The end of BoxNation’s packed July schedule, with back-to-back fights each weekend, featuring the very best boxing action from around the world, culminates in the mega-clash between Fury and Chisora as they ‘fight for the right’.

To subscribe to BoxNation (Sky 437/490HD & Virgin 546) an unmissable July for only £12 a month, please visit www.boxnation.com.

-Ends-

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

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

Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Khan vs Diaz and Mayweather vs Alvarez.

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

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

For more information visit www.boxnation.com

Popular Chicago native and Notre Dame graduate Mike Lee’s opponent has been announced for his Friday, July 25, 2014, ring return to the Windy City’s UIC Pavilion.

Scheduled to open the night’s worldwide, live broadcast of ESPN Friday Night Fights in a light heavyweight six-rounder, Lee (12-0, 7 KOs) will face Paul Gonsalves (7-3, 3 KOs) of Hyannis, Massachusetts.

Presented by Warriors Boxing, 8 Count Productions, Seconds Out Promotions and Marines Promotions, the night of world-class professional boxing, entitled “Conquerors”, will also feature rejuvenated welterweight contender Roberto “La Amenaza” Garcia (35-3, 23 KOs) of Weslaco, Texas, taking on hard-hitting and dangerous Breidis “Khanqueror” Prescott (27-5, 20 KOs) of Miami, via Barranquilla, Colombia in the night’s 10-round main event; as well as a 10-round middleweight co-feature between USBA Middleweight Champion and WBA #15, IBF #13, and WBO #11-rated Caleb “Golden” Truax (23-1-2, 14 KOs) of Osseo, Minnesota, and Sonora, Mexico’s Rogelio “Porky” Medina (32-6, 26 KOs).

32-year-old Gonsalves has won three straight fights, and five of his last six. A quick combination puncher with good strength, Gonsalves should be a decent test for Lee and give the huge crowd of Lee-supporting “Domers” something to cheer about.

Lee graduated at the top of his class with a Finance degree from The University of Notre Dame, and is also a Subway spokesperson and philanthropist. This fight will be his first in Chicago since his pro debut in 2010.

Tickets for “Conquerors” are priced at VIP $151, VIP Ringside $101, Mezzanine $51 and General Admission $31 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000), the 8 Count Productions Offices: 312-622-7668 or the UIC Pavilion Box Office: 312-413-5740.More information will be available shortly at 8CountProductions.com.

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About Warriors Boxing

Launched in 2003, Warriors Boxing operates under a simple philosophy-bring the best boxers in the world to fight fans, match them in competitive bouts, and in doing so help re-establish the sport of boxing for a new generation.

With a series of successful Pay-Per-View shows and packed houses to its credit, the Warriors business model is working wonders in a sport that was sorely in need of the innovation and energy that the company brings to the table.

When it comes down to it though, a promotional company is only as good as the fighters and fights it promotes. Warriors Boxing has delivered on all fronts, with outstanding bouts such as Lara-Molina, Cayo-Peterson, Abraham-Miranda I and II, Miranda-Pavlik, Miranda-Green, Ibragimov-Briggs, Ibragimov-Klitschko, Urango-Hatton, Urango-Bailey, Cayo-Maidana and Ibragimov-Holyfield.

For more information on Warriors Boxing, visit their website at www.WarriorsBoxing.com.

About 8 Count Productions

Founded in 1997 by Dominic Pesoli, 8 Count Productions is the Home Of The Best In Chicago Boxing. 8 Count Productions has consistently presented the highest-quality professional boxing events in greater Chicago and is the home of top-10, world-rated light heavyweight Andrzej Fonfara.

For more information on 8 Count Productions, please visit 8CountProductions.com, Facebook.com/8CountWarriors,
Twitter.com/8CountBoxing and Instagram.com/8CountBoxing.

About Seconds Out Promotions

When retired professional boxer Tony Grygelko found himself unable to stay out of the gym, he realized that his passion for the sport was something he couldn’t deny. At age 29, Grygelko formed Seconds Out Promotions.

By utilizing the vast boxing knowledge of world-class trainer Ron Lyke, Grygelko and Seconds Out Promotions found instant success.

Through determination, integrity and hard work, Seconds Out Promotions strives to become a leading fight promotional company in the world, by giving young fighters the ability to showcase their talents to a worldwide audience, along with offering our fans the highest quality programming available.

Seconds Out Promotions was created to bring the very best fights to all fans and participants worldwide. Seconds Out Promotions is committed to the recruitment and development of the best and brightest young fighters to help achieve our mission. Seconds Out Promotions continues to expand its web and television presence, and is establishing itself as one of the fastest-rising fight promotions in the world.

For more information on Seconds Out Promotions, visit their website at: www.SoBoxing.comor their Twitter: @soboxing.

DANNY GARCIA, Unified Super Lightweight World Champion

“Come August 9th it’s going to be another great performance by me. I feel like I’ve got a lot to prove. I’ve got to show the world why I’m the unified super lightweight champion of the world.

“I’m already training hard in the gym every day and running the hills. If the fight was next week I’d be ready, I’ve just got to lose a few more pounds.

“I can’t wait until August 9th. Its going to be a stacked card, and August 9th is going to be my night.”

“Danny Garcia has a lot to prove. August 9th, I have to go in there and show him [Rod Salka] that I’m the best fighter in the world.

“August 9th is going to be a classy performance, but ugly for my opponent.”

ANGEL GARCIA, Danny Garcia’s Father & Trainer

“Danny is training hard right now, there’s a great camp going on. He’s going to come in, destroy and conquer.

“Salka can try to come in. He can work hard, but don’t look at the Herrera tape because you’ll get confused. Danny Garcia is a chameleon.

“Just because Danny had an awkward night doesn’t mean it’s going to happen again. He’s going to come in to destroy and conquer.”

ROD SALKA, Super Lightweight Contender

“I’m coming to work. I’ve been working really hard, and my whole boxing career I’ve worked to put myself in position to fight for a championship or a title.

“In this country, thank God, if you’re willing to work hard and bust your butt then the opportunities will present themselves. Opportunities always look a lot like hard work in my opinion.

“So I plan on busting my ass, working hard in the gym. I’m living there now, and I’m going back there tonight. We’re going to give Danny Garcia all that he can handle on August 9th.”

LAMONT PETERSON, IBF Junior Welterweight World Champion

“I just want to say that I’m happy to be fighting in New York. It’s my first time fighting here, so I’m excited. I’m training hard, and we’re going to put on a good fight.

“I’m expecting for him to have a big crowd since this is his hometown. But I’m pretty sure D.C. is going to show up and show out that night. I’m just looking forward to the fight and you all should expect a good one.

“This is my first time fighting in New York City and just knowing that all the greats fought here and it’s a big honor for me and go in and maybe give half of what those old guys used to do.

“I know he [Edgar Santana] will come in prepared. I know Edgar Santana can fight. He can hold his ground against anyone.”

EDGAR SANTANA, Junior Welterweight Contender

“First of all, I’d like to thank Lamont for giving me the chance to fight for the world title. I’m grateful to be here. If you follow my career, you know I’ve had some fallbacks. I’ve been chewed up, swallowed and spit back out by the streets, but I’m here.

“I’m very happy and they say that I’m an underdog, but I’m definitely not training like an underdog. I’m training like I’m a champion.

DANIEL JACOBS, Middleweight Contender

“Finally, the “Miracle Man” has come back to Barclays Center! It feels great to be back in my hometown where I was born and raised and to have an opportunity to fight for a world championship here.

“It’s just mind blowing, the opportunity of a lifetime, and I look forward to taking full advantage of the opportunity.

“I want to thank my opponent for accepting this fight because he’s coming from Australia to Brooklyn to fight in my back yard. It says a lot about that fighter and the man that he is, and I applaud that.

“I remember being on my death bed, and I found our in the newspaper that the Barclays Center was opening and that they were going to have fights here. And me not knowing if I would ever be able to box again, let alone perform here…to be standing here in front of you guys and say that I’m fighting for the WBA championship of the world is awesome!

“I also want to say that I represent more than just the sport of boxing. I’m a true gentleman of the sport, and it takes guys like myself, Oscar and other guys who represent the sport well to continue to take this sport to another level.

“I just want to say thank you guys for all of your support that you’ve given me. It will definitely be the start of something epic. I appreciate you guys and God bless you all.

“This means the world to me, to have the opportunity to fight for a world championship and to win it in my backyard with my fans and my family here. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime.”

“I’m training like a champion and come August 9th I will be a champion.”

GREG COHEN, Jarrod Fletcher’s Manager

“SHOWTIME has an unbelievable commitment to airing incredible boxing and the August 9show is no different and we’re very happy to be a part of it.

“I’ve been lucky enough to come to quite a few events at Barclays Center and I’m excited to be a part of this event.

“I’d like to thank Golden Boy, dealing with Eric Gomez to make this fight could not have been better and making this fight could not have gone smoother.

“Daniel Jacobs is a great sportsman and a terrific guy, unfortunately I happen to be representing the guy going against him.

“You probably don’t know Jarrod Fletcher, he’s a kid from Australia who had a very similar upbringing in amateur boxing to Oscar De La Hoya. He’s a two-time Olympian, he beat current superstars Adonis Stevenson and James DeGale.

“I could stand here for an hour and talk about his credentials. He could not be happier about this opportunity to fight in New York in Daniel Jacobs’ hometown, but that’s what you have to do if you want to be a champion.

“I’m looking forward to August 9and as Oscar said, the real winners are going to be the fans.

SADAM ALI, Undefeated Welterweight Prospect

“I’m very excited about the card. We have a lot of great fighters. I want to thank Golden Boy, SHOWTIME and Barclays Center for making the fight in my hometown.

“I’m excited, I’ve been working very hard and I’m ready for the elite level.”

OSCAR DE LA HOYA, President & Founder of Golden Boy Promotions

“It is a pleasure to be back at the Barclays Center where we have seen that boxing is alive and thriving in Brooklyn. August 9th we have three world title fights with three of the most talented and beloved fighters today.

“Danny Garcia has beaten some of the biggest and best names in boxing and plans to remain unbeaten on August 9.

“Most fighters say they come from the streets, for Lamont Peterson it is the literal sense. Him and his brother were left homeless on the streets of DC at the age of 10. Now Lamont has climbed all the way to becoming a world champion.

“For Daniel Jacobs this fight will have significance few could ever dream of. Danny has had a battle for life itself with cancer in order to get here.

“All three of these world champions will be put to the test August 9th as they face the most dangerous opponents in boxing…the underdogs.

“Rod Salka, Edgar Santana and Jarrod Fletcher, each of these fighters will have the chance to showcase their heart and desire and to prove the doubters wrong.

“All we need to do is look at recent Golden Boy boxing history. We know that some of the best fights of the past year starred underdogs in the fight of their lives.

“In boxing you are dealing with the theater of the unexpected. At Golden Boy we are focused on giving the fans exciting matchups that wont disappoint.

“Not too long ago, every one of these world champions Garcia, Peterson and Jacobs were in make or break fights where they were the underdogs. They know what it’s like to go into a fight and pull off an upset.

“In boxing, it’s the punch you don’t see that will knock you out and it’s the opponent you don’t expect that will beat you.

“Every fighter who makes it to that squared circle is a superstar. I remember when I fought Felix Sturm and everyone said it would be a walk in the park. And we all know what happened. It was a very difficult fight.

“Believe me when I tell you from personal experience. On Saturday August 9th these fighters will be ready to lay it all on the line. I already know who the winner will be, the fans.

“Don’t wait until the last minute, get your tickets now for what will be another great card at Barclays Center.”

CHRIS DEBLASIO, Executive Vice President of Sports Communication for SHOWTIME

“August 9th we are going to feature live on SHOWTIME three world championship fights including three young dynamic and great American stars of the sport today.

“These three fighters, Daniel Jacobs, Danny Garcia and Lamont Peterson have been a part of an incredible run on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING events over the last two and a half years, helped us bring about the best fights we can deliver to our audience and helped us see record ratings increases across the board over those last two and a half years.

“These guys [Rod Salka, Edgar Santana and Jarrod Fletcher] are hungry, they’re on the cusp of winning their first world championship fights and we expect that they will come on August 9th and deliver to the standard that we’ve set on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING with some of the amazing fights that we’ve had just this year alone.

“I don’t think anyone gave Mauricio Herrera enough credit and a big chance to give Danny Garcia a challenge back in March; we saw what happened there. I don’t think Yoshihiro Kamegai got a lot of credit when he was coming into this fight with Robert Guerrero, knowing John Molina, Jr. get Lucas Matthysse, this list goes on and on, Andrzej Fonfara against Stevenson, we saw an incredible fight there and an incredible challenge.

“August 9th we expect there to be fireworks in the ring, we expect some of these opponents to come in and bring their all for an opportunity of a lifetime and for our stars of the sport to match that challenge.”

SEAN SADDEH, VP of Programming at Barclays Center

“We look forward to another great night of Golden Boy boxing. It’s exciting to bring Danny Garcia back to Barclays Center, where his last two fights have brought the crowd to its feet.

“We’re also excited to bring back Brooklyn’s own, Daniel Jacobs for his third fight in our arena. Daniel has served as an inspiration to the up and coming fighters in this borough and I know he will have a lot of fans cheering for him August 9.

“I’d also like to welcome back our Brooklynites Sadam Ali and Zachary Ochoa each of whom are fighting at Barclays Center for the third time.

“For the rest of the fighters, welcome to Brooklyn, we hope you enjoy fighting at Barclays Center. This is our eighth fight with Golden Boy at Barclays Center and we want to thank the entire team there.

“We are looking forward to seeing all of you next month at Barclays Center and for many future fights.”

# # #

Garcia vs. Salka is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and is sponsored by Corona and AT&T. Tickets priced at $250, $125, $75, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes and service charges go on sale Friday, June 27 at noon ET and are available at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-745-3000 and at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.

READING, PA (JULY 2, 2014)–This past Saturday night at the Santander Arena, Super Featherweight Frank De Alba scored a 5th round stoppage over tough Mexican Pablo Patres for the UBF All America title that highlighted an 6 professional, 11 amateur bout card.

The show was promoted by King’s Boxing and XFE.

De Alba dominated the bout by using his height and boxing ability. Batres tried to get inside but was never able to sustain much of a rhythm.

In round five, De Alba landed a hard hook to the body that sent Batres to the canvas. Batres complained of a low blow but was not able to beat referee Gary Rosado’s count at the 1:54 mark of round five.

Batres continued to complain about the punch. Fans can be the judge when the fight is replayed on Comcast Sportsnet in the next couple weeks. (check your local listings.)

De Alba of reading, PA is now 13-1-2 with five knockouts. Batres of Nogales, Mexico is 7-10-1.

In the co-feature, Danny Lugo scored a mild upset by scoring a 4-round majority decision over Pat Kehoe in a Jr. Middleweight bout.

Lugo outboxed the hard charging Kehoe and won by scores of 40-36, 39-37 and 38-38.

Lugo of Harrisburg, PA is now 3-7. Kehoe of Reading is 1-1.

Good looking Lightweight prospect Rolando Chinea scored three knockdowns en route to a 2nd round stoppage over Robert Ramos in a scheduled four round bout.

Chinea scored two knockdowns in round one and one more in round two and the fight was stopped at 2:04.

Chinea of Lancaster is now 8-0-1 with 5 knockouts. Ramos of Allentown, PA is 1-3-1.

Alex Sanchez of Camden, New Jersey boxed his way to a four round unanimous decision over Miguel Martinez in a Jr. Middleweight bout.

Scores were 40-36 on all cards for Sanchez who is now 4-4. Martinez of Reading, PA is 1-1.

Christian Molina dropped Jordan Morales twice in round one which led to a stoppage victory in the same round of their scheduled 4-round Jr. Welterweight bout.

The time of the stoppage was 2:42 for Molina of Allentown, PA and is now 2-0 with 1 knockout. Morales was making his pro debut.

Antonio DuBose scored a 4-round unanimous decision over Benjamin Burgos in a Featherweight bout.

DuBose of Philadelphia won by scores of 40-36 twice and 39-37 to raise his perfect mark to 6-0. Burgos of Mount Pocono, PA is 1-8-1.

Las Vegas, Nevada – For the first time ever, the UFC’s digital streaming service UFC® FIGHT PASS™ will broadcast UFC’s Ultimate Media Day live from Las Vegas ahead of the star-studded weekend of fights at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Hosted by Karyn Bryant, with UFC analysts Daniel Cormier and Dominick Cruz, the exclusive coverage begins tomorrow at 9 a.m. PT. Click HERE for the link to the broadcast (subscription required).

In hour one, the entire cast of The Ultimate Fighter® season 20 will be made available to the media just days after arriving into Las Vegas to begin filming. This season’s coaches, UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis and No. 2 contender Gilbert Melendez, will also participate.

In hour two, the stars of UFC 175 and THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER® FINALE: TEAM EDGAR vs. TEAM PENN will be on hand to take questions from media.

The exclusive broadcast of Ultimate Media Day on UFCFIGHTPASS.com will also feature live interviews with Pettis, Melendez, UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman, and UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, as well as a variety of other UFC competitors.

The event will close with UFC President Dana White’s scrum with media in attendance.

For more information on UFC 175 and THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER® FINALE: TEAM EDGAR vs. TEAM PENN, visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, the Ultimate Fighting Championship® (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, Beijing, 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 over 145 countries to 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®, Octagon™ branded apparel, best-selling DVDs and Blu-rays and Topps Trading Cards. For more information, visit www.UFC.com and follow UFC at www.Facebook.com/UFC and on Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.

SAN DIEGO (July 2, 2014) – Five days before he heads to Las Vegas, popular Mexican superstar and former WBC and WBA Super Welterweight World Champion
Canelo Alvarez participated in a media workout Tuesday before dozens of TV cameras, print and internet reporters, bloggers and boxing videographers at the
House of Boxing Training Center.

“I’ve had a great training camp here in San Diego and I’m ready to go,” said Canelo (43-1-1, 31 KOs) of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, who faces former Cuban national amateur standout and current WBA Super Welterweight World Champion Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara (19-1-2, 12 KOs)in the 12-round main event of “HONOR & GLORY: Canelo vs. Lara,” a highly anticipated four-fight SHOWTIME PPV telecast
Saturday, July 12, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

“Every camp is different because we’re always training for a different opponent. And, as always, I’ve worked very hard in this one. But Lara has said so many things behind my back and on social media for such a long time now that, yes, this fight is and has become personal.

“He’s a good fighter but he talks a lot. He’s offended me. I’m going to have an answer for everything he has said. I’m going to shut him up once and for all.”

Tuesday, Canelo spent more than two hours at the House of Boxing. He worked up a heavy sweat during a spirited, 75-minute-plus workout that consisted of jumping rope, shadow-boxing, smacking the heavy bag, hitting the double-ended bag and working the speed bag. Before and after, he did interviews, signed autographs, posed for photos and mingled with his many fans.

Canelo Continued…

(On whether winning is enough)

“I always want to win in spectacular fashion. That is my goal every time I step into the ring. I want to win spectacularly on July 12. But the most important thing is for me to win. I can’t promise a knockout but if it comes, it comes.”

(On why he’s not fighting for southpaw Lara’s 154-pound title)

“Titles are always nice, but for me this fight is bigger than a title fight. This fight is for my honor and glory to bring to the Mexican people. It is a fight for honor and it is a fight that people wanted to see. My fans are the best and I want to thank them for all of their support.”

(On pressure)

“There is no extra pressure on me for this fight. I’m as confident and relaxed as I always am. I’m prepared for whatever Lara has to offer. At this level you have to be able to adapt and make the necessary adjustments. I know I’m coming to fight and I know he’s coming to fight. After that, whatever happens, happens.”

(On Mexico’s performance in the World Cup)

“Even though they didn’t win, I thought they did a good job.”

(On future opponents, weight classes, etc.)

“My focus is solely on this fight. I can start thinking about future opponents after July 12. But I have no intentions of moving up to middleweight. I feel really comfortable fighting at 154 pounds and probably will stay in this weight class my whole career.”

Tickets are still available at the $750, $500, $250, $150, $75 and $50 price ranges, not including applicable service charges. Tickets are limited to eighteen (18) per person with a limit of eight (8) at the $75 and $50 price ranges. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Below is what Chepo and Eddie Reynoso, Canelo’s trainer and co-trainer, respectively, and Oscar De La Hoya, president and founder of Golden Boy Promotions, said Tuesday:

JOSE “CHEPO” REYNOSO, Canelo’s Trainer
“Canelo has a much different mindset going into this fight, his attitude is much better. His pride was hurt because of all of the smack Lara has been talking. He is totally focused on July 12, and wants to punish Lara thoroughly. Canelo looks at Lara as an obnoxious little child that needs to be put into his place.

“We train every day of the week except Sunday. He spars Monday, Wednesday and Friday. San Diego has been much more peaceful and tranquil compared to past training camp locations (Santa Monica, Big Bear). His gym is in the same place where he lives so everything is very convenient. The only time he leaves his house is in the morning when he goes on his run. Besides that he is very focused and able to train in the comforts of his own home.”

EDDIE REYNOSO, Canelo’s Co-Trainer
“After the last fight we only took 15 days off and then we went right back into training. We have had a great training camp that I believe will work in our favor.

“The biggest difference from this training camp compared to others is that the fighter we are opposing has completely different styles. One is a righty and one is a lefty, so we must train for our opponent specifically. One is more courageous and goes to the front and the other retracts and pushes back.

“Going into the Lara fight we have seen that Lara defends a lot and gives up his offensive moves. He is always on the defensive and we must attach him. Canelo has his combinations and strength that will work in his favor. Canelo just needs to win a decision; he doesn’t necessarily need a knockout to show the world what he is capable of. This is Canelo’s most important fight and all he is focusing on.”

OSCAR DE LA HOYA
“It’s going to be a great fight, I don’t want to predict anything. Lara has been doing a lot of trash talking that has been fueling Canelo. I see him at an entirely different level and it’s exactly where he should be. He’s at a level of determination where he really wants to get this guy. It’s personal.

“Canelo is a young fighter who is improving at a rapid pace as every fight goes on. The fact that Lara has made this fight personal, it gives you extra motivation that you need to train harder, run faster and do everything almost perfect so that you can go into the ring and destroy your opponent.

“The fact this fight is personal, it is the first time that I have seen Canelo with that extra determination. He has looked perfect in training camp. He wants to destroy Lara. This is exactly where he needs to be. I can see it in his eyes, his focus says it all.

“The presence of social media has taken this fight to an entirely new level. When you have a fighter like Canelo who a lot of people follow, then social media is a key component to make sure that this PPV fight will be a guaranteed success. There is much anticipation leading up to the fight, I expect the MGM Grand Garden Arena to be completely sold out.

“Every fighter in the ring has a chance. With fighting, one punch can change the entire dynamic of a fight. I’m expecting a great fight from top to bottom, but obviously I’m with Canelo 100 percent.”

# # #

“Honor & Glory: Canelo vs. Lara,” a 12-round junior middleweight fight taking place Saturday, July12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Canelo

Promotions and sponsored by Corona and AT&T. In the co-main event, Abner Mares returns to the ring to face Puerto Rico’s Jonathan Oquendo in a 10-round featherweight bout. In the SHOWTIME PPV opening bout, Johan Perez defends his interim WBA Junior Welterweight World Title against Mauricio Herrera in a 12-round matchup. Also, Juan Manuel Lopez meets Francisco Vargas in a 10-round bout for the WBO International Super Featherweight Title. The event will be produced and distributed live by SHOWTIME PPV beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The event can be heard in Spanish using secondary audio programming (SAP). For information visit www.SHO.com/Sports. Canelo vs. Lara will be shown on the big screen in movie theaters across the country via Fathom Events. Information will be available at www.fathomevents.com.

CES’ own Jimmy Williams and Shelito Vincent will star on the undercard of tonight’s special Wednesday edition of ESPN Friday Night Fights at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn., promoted by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s SMS Promotions and billed as 50 Cent’s 2nd Annual Birthday Bash.

The undefeated Vincent (11-0, 1 KO), a New London, Conn., native, will face Bronx super bantamweight Nydia Feliciano (7-5-3) in a rematch of their 2013 bout, which Vincent won by unanimous decision, while New Haven’s Williams (6-0-1, 3 KOs) faces another tough test against veteran welterweight Stephen Owusu (8-6, 4 KOs), also from the Bronx.

The televised portion of the card includes two junior lightweight bouts, starting with the 10-round co-feature between ESPN favorite Billy Dib and former world champion Alberto Galarza – Dibs’ first fight at 130 pounds – and concluding with the 12-round main event between unbeaten Mark Davis and southpaw Michael Farenas, an eliminator bout for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) world title.

Fresh off her win against Lakeysha Williams in May, Vincent hopes a change in her inner circle, along with a more important change in her workout regimen, will lead to another win over the always-dangerous Feliciano as she continues to press for a mega bout against fellow unbeaten bantamweight Heather Hardy.

Vincent endured her easiest weight cut yet while following a stricter, cleaner diet, relieving most of the pressures generally associated with fight week.

“I feel great,” said Vincent, who’s currently ranked No. 5 among super bantamweights in the World Boxing Council (WBC). “I changed up everything. My body looks amazing. This is the strongest I’ve ever been in my life. I didn’t have to do anything crazy to lose the weight. I feel strong.

“I just changed up my diet,” she continued. “[My coaches] gave me the food I was supposed to eat and told me when to eat it. I haven’t cheated at all. My arms look great, my waist is small. You can see my muscles popping. It’s crazy how much your diet plays into everything. I didn’t realize that until now.”

If Feliciano is expecting the same Vincent she faced in January of 2013, she might be in for a rude awakening. Feliciano has evolved, too. Ranked No. 16 among bantamweights in the WBC, Feliciano beat Elizabeth Sherman and Crystal Hoy following her loss to Vincent and then fought eight hard rounds against Hardy four months ago in Brooklyn. Hardy won by unanimous decision, 79-73 and 78-74 on two scorecards.

“I didn’t see the fight with Hardy, but I heard two different stories,” Vincent said. “On one hand, I heard [Feliciano] got tired and tapered out toward the end, and then I heard the fight was close.

“I don’t really care who [Feliciano] expects to see [tonight]. I busted my ass in the gym.”

The payoff for beating Feliciano could be the long-awaited showdown against Hardy, a potential battle of unbeatens hyped vigorously on social media, mostly by Vincent, who’s been scrambling to fight the undefeated Brooklyn native since 2012. Hardy faced her toughest test in June at the Barclays Center against Jackie Trivilino, a fight stopped after seven rounds due to a cut on Hardy’s scalp. Hardy won on the scorecards, 68-65, 67-66, 66-67.

“I’m definitely just focusing on this fight for now,” Vincent said of tonight’s rematch with Feliciano. “We all know Heather Hardy won’t take a fight with me anyway. That’s out there now. It’ll happen when it’s forced, so I guess I’ll just sit back and wait for that. I didn’t watch the fight [against Trivilino]. I was training. Everyone knows she’s all hype by now. Even she knows she’s all hype.”

Williams is making his own steady climb to the top after scoring his most impressive win in May. Fighting for state bragging rights against Meriden’s Christian Lao, Williams won by first-round knockout, stunning Lao with a left hook at the 1-minute, 57-second mark. This, coincidentally, is Williams’ third appearance on a nationally-televised card. His professional debut in 2013 aired on NBC Sports as a swing bout, while his second pro fight two months later against Raynard Younger aired on FNF, also as a swing bout.

There’s no guarantee he’ll get more TV time tonight. Either way, the 27-year-old Williams is clearly unfazed by the bright lights, as evident not only by his performance in his two televised bouts, but also by his quick win over Lao.

“That’s what a real champion, a real fighter, is supposed to do,” Williams said. “When an opportunity like that presents itself, you have to take advantage. I’ve been blessed.”

The 36-year-old Owusu has had some time off in between fights, returning to the ring in 2011 following an 11-year layoff and ending a shorter, three-year layoff tonight against Williams, but he’s still coming off back-to-back wins and has only been stopped twice in 14 bouts.

“He’s tough. Hungry. He’s from the Bronx, so I know he’ll come to fight,” Williams said. “I’m coming to fight, too.”

A former college football player at Southern Connecticut State, Williams is fighting for the second time in five weeks and has won back-to-back fights since the lone blemish on his record, a draw against Atlantic City’s Greg Jackson in August of 2013.

“I’m glad I’m staying active,” Williams said. “That’s what I train hard for, so I can fight back-to-back fights. I’m ready to just keep fighting and keep building my record. Remain humble and train hard. That’s what I continue to do.”

Tickets for tonight’s even start are priced at $45.00, $75.00 and $100.00 and are available online at www.foxwoods.com. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the first fight begins at 7:30.

Bronx, NY (July 1, 2014) Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing has announced an action packed co-feature for the ESPN FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS/ROCKIN FIGHTS 14″ event set for FRIDAY, JULY 18th at The Paramount in Huntington, New York as Long Island fan favorite CLETUS “The Hebrew Hammer” SELDIN faces tough veteran BAYAN “The Mongolian Mongoose” JARGAL in an eight round junior welterweight battle.

Advance tickets for ESPN FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS/”ROCKIN FIGHTS 14″ starting at $50, are on sale through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com), the Star Boxing website (StarBoxing.com) and The Paramount Box Office, phone (631) 673-7300. Doors on the night of the event will open at 6:30 p.m. with the first bell at 7:00 p.m. The LIVE telecast will commence at 8:00 p.m.

“Seldin is undefeated and thrilled to be fighting for the first time on ESPN Friday Night Fights but Jargal is a very tough veteran and their styles will mesh well for an action packed fight”, said DeGuardia.

“This is Cletus’ ninth time fighting at The Paramount where he has performed in front of standing room only crowds each time therefore I would strongly encourage fans to purchase their tickets in advance.”

Known for his stunning knockout power in each hand the 27-year-old Seldin has become one of the most popular fighters in the New York City area while building an undefeated record of 13-0-0 with ten knockouts.

Most recently, Seldin thrilled the packed house at The Paramount on April 24th with a devastating seventh round stoppage of Wilfredo Acuna.

Sporting a battle tested record of 17-5-3 with 11KO’s; Mongolian born Jargal has faced numerous world champions and ranked contenders including Chris Algieri, Zahir Raheem, Breidis Prescott and Eric Aiken.

“Jargal gave (world champion) Algieri a very tough fight here at The Paramount in 2011, this is his first time back and I’m sure he’ll be well prepared and looking to upset Seldin” said DeGuardia.

ESPN FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS/”ROCKIN FIGHTS 14″ is headlined by a ten round junior welterweight battle between EMANUEL “The Tranzformer” TAYLOR of Baltimore, Maryland and San Francisco based KARIM “Hard Hitta” MAYFIELD.

As part of the sensational evening of world class professional boxing, Star Boxing will also pay tribute to “The Fighting Pride of Huntington”, new World Boxing Organization Junior Welterweight Champion CHRIS ALGIERI.

Additional undercard bouts for ESPN FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS/”ROCKIN FIGHTS 14″ will be announced shortly.

The Paramount is located at 370 New York Avenue in Huntington, New York, 11743.

ABOUT ESPN FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS
ESPN Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra will begin at 8 p.m. ET live on ESPN2,

Watch ESPN and broadband Spanish-language ESPN Deportes+.
ESPN Deportes will re-brand its coverage as Noche de Combates (formerly Viernes de Combates) with some telecasts on Saturdays.

ESPN2 Commentators/Studio:

Blow-by-blow commentator Joe Tessitore and ringside analyst Teddy Atlas will return to describe the action for ESPN2. Both are recipients of the prestigious Sam Taub Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism presented by the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA): Atlas (2001), Tessitore (2010). Studio host Todd Grisham (@GrishamESPN), will return for his second season providing all the latest boxing news and highlights. Bilingual reporter Bernardo Osuna (@osunaespn), who last year became the series’ first-ever on-site reporter, will contribute to Friday Night Fights in English, and Noche de Combates (Fight Night) in Spanish.

ESPN Deportes Commentators/Studio:

Delvin Rodríguez will call the fights with Pablo Viruega for Noche de Combateson both ESPN Deportes and ESPN Deportes+, while Leopoldo González and Claudia Trejos will anchor the studio. Hall of Fame referee Joe Cortez will join Trejos and González in studio throughout the season, with Osuna providing reports and interviews.

ABOUT STAR BOXING ®
Star Boxing Inc. celebrated its 20th Anniversary in 2012. The company has produced some of the most exciting and memorable boxing events in recent history. Star Boxing continues to work with and develop a number of very exciting world champions, world rated contenders and young prospects. Star Boxing is proud that is has consistently brought credibility, integrity, and exciting fights to the boxing industry. For more information on Star Boxing, visit their official website at www.StarBoxing.com and follow them on Twitter @ Star Boxing and Facebook at Star Boxing.

ABOUT THE PARAMOUNT:
Opened September 30, 2011 this 1,555-capacity live entertainment venue, located in downtown Huntington, Long Island, New York, features; concerts, comedy, boxing, community and other special events in a club/theater setting. With over 30,000 Facebook fans, The Paramount was recently ranked by Pollstar Magazine as the #24 highest attended club-venue worldwide (January-June 2013). A Ticketmaster venue, booked by Live Nation, TheParamount hosts nearly 200 events per year and in less than two years since its inception, has quickly established itself as the premier music venue onLong Island, NY. Some artists who have recently taken the Paramount stage include; Billy Joel, Pitbull, Don Henley, Willie Nelson, B.B. King, ZZ Top, Counting Crows, Primus, Matchbox 20, The Blues Brothers, Limp Bizkit, & many, many, more.

ABOUT THE FOX HOLLOW:
Nestled upon 8 private acres of Long Island’s north shore is the Fox Hollow, which features a state of the art event venue, fine dining restaurant and an all-suite luxury boutique hotel. Owned & operated by the Scotto Brothers, their Above & Beyond philosophy in providing each & every guest with superior services and amenities is paramount. Visit the Fox Hollow online atwww.TheFoxHollow.com & www.TheInnAtFoxHollow.com

ABOUT CAMELOT LIMOUSINE:
Official Sponsor of the Paramount Boxing Series, Camelot Limos is a family owned and operated business located in Nassau County, with over 25 years of professional experience; serving satisfied clientele since 1984. The owners of Camelot Specialty Limos are very active in the business and play a major role in the company’s day-to-day operations. Camelot Specialty Limos, Inc. is an Accredited Member of the Better Business Bureau. www.camelotlimo.com

ABOUT WBAB 102.3:
WBAB 102.3 is the home of Long Island’s Classic Rock anchored by their Long Island Rock ‘N’ Roll Morning Show with Roger and JP. For more information or to listen online, visit their website at
www.wbab.com and follow them on Facebook.com/1023wbab and on Twitter @1023wbab.

Miami, FL (July 2, 2014) With the most highly anticipated rematch in years taking place next week, legendary former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson gave his thoughts on the Thursday, July 10 International Boxing Federation (IBF) Super Featherweight showdown between his fighter, champion ARGENIS “La Tormenta” MENDEZ, 20-2-1 (11KO’s) and top rated challenger RANCES “Kid Blast” BARTHELEMY, 19-0-0 (12KO’s).

Presented by Iron Mike Productions, the Mendez-Barthelemy rematch headlines “JUDGMENT DAY” from the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida and LIVE on FOX Sports 1.

The first bout which took place on January 3, 2014 in Minneapolis, Minnesota was initially and wrongly ruled a second round stoppage for Barthelemy. However, the decision was reversed and ruled a “No Decision” by the Minnesota State Boxing Commission as a video replay clearly showed Mendez being hit after the bell sounded to end the second round.

Head of Iron Mike Productions, Tyson spoke about his charge and the events of January 3rd.

“Argenis was definitely not himself that night. Styles make fights and Mendez was definitely caught off guard by Barthelemy’s height and length. He did not fight the way he usually does. We have been working with him for the last few months. His approach will be very different this time. He’s much better prepared for the height, reach and power of Barthelemy.”

“Argenis has normally faced fighters who come forward. Barthelemy didn’t and he forced Mendez to come to him and go first. If Mendez had let the fight develop and made Barthelemy come to him, there might have been a very different result. All I’m saying is Barthelemy didn’t become King Kong overnight and Argenis did not become a bum overnight. Like Sergio Martinez against Miguel Cotto, he got caught early and didn’t recover. Argenis will make the adjustments and we’re confident you will see a very different result.”

Since January 3rd, the controversy and fighting has continued outside the ring with Tyson and Iron Mike Productions winning every battle. First they won on appeal and got the decision changed to a no contest. Then they won another appeal for the purse to remain a 75-25 split for Mendez as directed by the IBF guidelines. Iron Mike then stepped in and won the purse bid $260,000. to $251.000, shocking the Barthelemy camp who had recently added the all-powerful, uber manager/advisor Al Haymon to their team.

Finally they won another appeal filed in May by the Barthelemy camp, which clearly prefers to do their fighting in the courts rather then in the ring. Now all Mendez has to do is follow his promoters lead and complete this interesting saga of the last seven months with a win between the ropes.

Continued Tyson, “Barthelemy is an awkward fighter and if Mendez can make the adjustments then he will successfully defend his title. This is going to be a great matchup and I am excited for our fans that will be watching it in person and watching it on Fox Sports 1. I am anxious to see how it turns out. What is nice about being Mike Tyson, the promoter, is that, no matter what, as long as the fans get excited and are entertained, then IMP has succeeded. Mendez winning will be icing on the cake. Don’t miss July 10th!”

Co-featured on the FOX Sports 1 telecast will be a 10-round light heavyweight clash between world ranked contender HUMBERTO “EL Don” SAVIGNE and former world champion JEFF “Left Hook” LACY.

Opening the FOX Sports 1 telecast will be the nationally televised debut of heralded and undefeated 18-year-old welterweight prospect ERICKSON “The Hammer” LUBIN clashing with Mexican veteran NOE “Platanito” BOLANOS in a scheduled eight round bout.

A sensational off-TV undercard for “JUDGMENT DAY” will be announced shortly.

For more information on “JUDGMENT DAY” please visit the website, www.IMPMIAMI.com. Advance tickets, starting at $49 may be purchased through www.Ticketmaster.com with V.I.P Ringside Table Packages also available.

The American Airlines Arena is located at 601 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, Florida, 33132. For more information, please visit their website at www.aaarena.com. Doors will open on the evening of the event at 6:30 p.m. with the first bell at 8:00 p.m.

For additional information on Iron Mike Productions visit www.IronMikeProductions, follow on Twitter at @IronMikeProd and on Facebook at IronMikeProductionsOfficial.

World Series of Fighting will make history this Saturday, and you can celebrate the occasion by bringing home a custom-made “OPERATOR” Ducati Monster 696 motorcycle.

Shout, the Utah-based leader in real-time fan engagement, will once again partner with World Series of Fighting and the promotion’s charity partner, the Green Beret Foundation, to offer up the popular “Champions Challenge” game.

During Saturday’s “World Series of Fighting 11: Gaethje vs. Newell” event, fans can download the Shout app and then play “Champions Challenge” to intellectually spar against each other during the live NBC broadcast by trying to predict, for instance, “Which fighter will land the most leg kicks? or “Which fighter will win?”

“We’re extremely excited about our first-ever NBC-broadcast event, but we’re equally happy about the opportunity we have to reward some of our fans,” World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo said. “Shout is a great way to follow along with our card, and whether you’re attending the event in Florida or watching on TV at home, you can win cash, prizes or even a beautiful, specially modified “OPERATOR” military version of a Ducati Monster 696.”

“World Series of Fighting 11: Gaethje vs. Newell” takes place Saturday, July 5, at Ocean Center in Daytona, Fla. The event’s four-fight main card, including undefeated lightweight champion Justin Gaethje (11-0) and inspirational contender Nick Newell (11-0), airs on NBC.

Shout is a real-time fan engagement application for smart phones and mobile devices. Players compete head-to-head for valuable prizes ranging from gift cards to iPads to motorcycles and cars.

Shout TV’s real-time challenges have engaged and entertained fans competing against each other during the Super Bowl, soccer, NFL, NBA and MLB games, as well as the Daytona 500, Oscars, Grammys and reality shows like “The Bachelor.”

Signing up and competing in the Shout fan competitions is free and fast. Shout can be downloaded by visiting the Apple, iPhone or Android stores (using search word “Shout”) or directly downloaded at http://www.shout2win.com.

About WSOF
World Series of Fighting is a professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering an incredible, action-packed entertainment experience for fight fans by producing the best possible matchups between elite fighters from around the globe. 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 NBC SPORTS GROUP
When the Comcast-NBCUniversal transaction was completed in January 2011, the sports assets of the two companies combined to form NBC Sports Group, which serves sports fans 24/7 with premier live events, insightful studio shows, and compelling original programming. The sports media company consists of a unique array of broadcast television, cable television, radio and digital sports assets, including NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, NBCSN (NBC Sports Network), Golf Channel, 12 NBC Sports Regional Networks, NBC Sports Radio and all of their respective digital properties. NBC Sports Group possesses an unparalleled collection of television rights agreements, partnering with some of the most prestigious sports properties in the world: the International Olympic Committee and United States Olympic Committee, the NFL, NHL, NASCAR, PGA TOUR, PGA of America, USGA, Churchill Downs, Premier League, MLS, World Series of Fighting, Tour de France, French Open, Formula One, IndyCar and many more.

About Ocean Center
The Ocean Center aims to be recognized as the premier convention
facility in the Southeast. The Ocean Center offers competitive rates and
excellent customer service and is conveniently located in east Central
Florida. A service of Volusia County Government, the Ocean Center can
accommodate meetings of 10 to 10,000 and offers more than 205,000 square
feet of interior exhibit, meeting and convention space. Learn more at
www.oceancenter.com.

Newark, NJ (July 2, 2014) – Welterweight up and comer Michael “Slick” Anderson of Newark returns to the ring Saturday, July 19 at the Parsippany Police Athletic League when he battles an opponent to be named in an eight round contest.

The card is promoted by All Out Promotions and Edmonds Promotions. Tickets starting at $40 are available by calling 862-766-0145. The opening bell is scheduled for 7 pm with doors opening an hour prior.

A former New Jersey Golden Gloves Champion, Anderson’s 13-2 with 10 wins by knockout. The President of the “Show Off Riders” Motorcycle Club, Anderson has sensational hand speed and is backed by a strong local following in the Garden State. Last November, Anderson, who spoke at multiple schools in Newark as part of the “Fight for Attendance” initiative, scored a spirited split decision against hard-hitting George Sosa.

In the chief supporting bout, popular unbeaten super middleweight John Magda puts his 8-0 record on the line in a six round contest. Magda, who is one of power broker Al Haymon’s newest signees, is fresh off a dramatic fourth round stoppage of Taneal Goyco on June 27. The East Rutherford, NJ native will face an opponent to be named.

Knockout artist Bobby Gunn Jr, popular cruiserweight Dave Valykeo, lightweight Sonny Frederickson and Bienvenido Diaz are all scheduled to appear in separate matches. More information on opponents and additional bouts will be announced shortly.

“This is our first time doing a card at the PAL and I’m expecting a sellout,” said Michael Daugherty, CEO of All Out Promotions. “We’ve got an excellent mix of talent from different neighborhoods and backgrounds to maximize fan interest. The venue is perfect for a fight card since there isn’t a bad seat in the house. Ticket sales have been strong and we’re already looking into adding extra seating.”

The Parsippany PAL is located at 33 Baldwin Road Parsippany, NJ 07054.