LINCOLN, R.I. (March 13th, 2014) – Listed below are the final weights for all of the participants for “CES MMA XXII,” live mixed martial arts scheduled for Friday, March 14th, 2014 at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I. The first bout is scheduled for 7 p.m.

LUIS FELIX
Johnston, R.I.
10-7, 3 KOs
156

DREW FICKETT
Tucson, Ariz.
42-20, 3 KOs
155

JOHN JOHNSTON
Reading, Mass.
5-0, 5 KOs
258

JOSH HENDRICKS
Barberton, Ohio
19-9, 5 KOs
259

CHUCK O’NEIL
East Bridgewater, Mass.
12-6, 4 KOs
170

ROGER CARROLL
Dade City, Fla.
13-10
170

CHARLES ROSA
Del Ray Beach, Fla.
6-0, 2 KOs
170

THOMAS EGAN
Dorchester, Mass. (Kildare, Ireland)
7-4, 6 KOs
184

CHIP MORAZA-POLLARD
Plymouth, Mass.
7-6, 4 KOs
185

ANDRES JEUDI
Somerville, Mass.
5-2, 1 KO
155 ½

BRENDAN ROONEY
Shelton, Conn.
5-1
156

BRENDAN FLEMING
Marshfield, Mass.
3-2
141

ROBERT SULLIVAN
Baltimore, Md.
3-1
139 ½

JOSH LABERGE
Fall River, Mass.
8-4, 3 KOs
151

STEVE MCCABE
Philadelphia, Pa.
6-14, 5 KOs
150

KYLE BOCHNIAK
Winthrop, Mass.
1-0
150

MARIUS ENACHE
Philadelphia, Pa.
1-2
154

TOMMY VENTICINQUE
Warwick, R.I.
0-1
170

RICK RIVERA
Springfield, Mass.
Pro debut
169 ½

New York, NY (3/13/14) – Next Friday, DiBella Entertainment’s popular Broadway Boxing series returns to the Aviator Sports and Events Center in Brooklyn, NY, for an exciting eight-bout card. Headlining the card in separate eight-round bouts will be undefeated Brooklyn-native and popular female attraction Heather “The Heat” Hardy (8-0, 2KO’s), “The First Lady” of DBE, and middleweight contender Lamar Russ (14-1, 7KO’s). Hardy is set to square off against Bronx’s Nydia Feliciano (7-4-3) in their female junior featherweight matchup, while Russ takes on upset-minded Tony Hirsch (15-6-2, 6KO’s).

The bout on March 21 will be the first for Russ since suffering his first professional defeat at the hands of three-time world title challenger and top-rated middleweight contender Matthew Macklin. Though Russ took the bout on short notice, he was very competitive throughout. Ultimately, he dropped a 10-round unanimous decision to the much more experienced Macklin, in a bout shown live on HBO. The 27-year-old Russ proved that even with just 14 professional fights, he is able to compete with some of the top middleweights in the world and is looking to get his very promising career back on track with an impressive showing against Hirsch on the March 21. Hirsch is no slouch though, and has been in with a number of top fighters during his 23-fight career. Hirsch holds two victories over previously undefeated prospects and has been stopped only once in his career. He’s gone the distance with 2008 Olympians Shawn Estrada and Demetrius Andrade, who is the current WBO junior middleweight champion.

Hardy is coming off of her first scheduled eight-rounder in her most recent bout when she won an absolute war against Christina Fuentes on February 12, at Roseland Ballroom in NYC. Hardy fought four times in 2013, picking up the UBF international female bantamweight title in the process and is looking to be even busier in 2014 as she closes in on her first world title opportunity. In Feliciano, Hardy will face her toughest opponent to date. The Bronx-native Feliciano has been fighting professionally since 2009 and is a former NY State featherweight titlist and International Women’s Boxing Federation bantamweight champion. In 2012, she fought for the IBF bantamweight championship, dropping a 10-round unanimous decision. Feliciano is coming off back-to-back victories, and will be looking to make it three in a row when she takes on the undefeated Hardy.

Returning to action for the third time in just four months since signing with DBE will be hard-hitting light heavyweight Joe Smith (14-1, 11KO’s). The Long Island-native and NY Golden Gloves champion has won eight consecutive fights since his lone professional defeat back in 2010. In that fight, Smith suffered a broken jaw in the fourth-round of his scheduled six-rounder and was unable to continue. Now fighting under the DBE banner, the 24-year-old Smith is looking to steadily move up the ranks of the light heavyweight division. In his way will be battle-tested fellow former New York Golden Gloves champion Newton Kidd (8-8-2, 5KO’s). Despite his record, Kidd will be no pushover for Smith. Kidd has been on the wrong end of many bad decisions during his career, including a split decision loss to former WBA light heavyweight world champion Lou Del Valle. The bout between Smith and Kidd is scheduled for eight rounds in the light heavyweight division.

Another featured bout on the card will see highly regarded junior lightweight Joel Diaz Jr. (14-0, 12KO’s) put his undefeated record on the line against 67-fight veteran Jose Angel Beranza. The 21-year-old Diaz Jr. comes from a family rich in boxing history. His father is renowned boxing trainer and former contender Joel Diaz Sr. (trainer of Timothy Bradley), and he is the nephew of former titlists Antonio and Julio Diaz. A standout amateur before turning pro in 2010, Diaz Jr. has continued to impress with each outing. Eight of Diaz’ 12 career knockouts have come in two rounds or less, with six coming in the very first round.

Fighting in separate bouts on the card are DBE’s former #1-rated U.S. amateurs and now undefeated junior middleweight prospects Patrick Day (6-0-1, 3KO’s) and Christopher “Golden” Galeano (2-0). Both Day and Galeano won national, regional, and NY Golden Gloves championships and are now are two of the bright young stars on the DBE roster. Day is set to square off against Duane King (4-2, 2KO’s) in a six-round junior middleweight matchup, while Galeano, who is co-promoted by 50 Cent’s SMS Promotions, will take on Azamat Umarzade in a scheduled four-round contest.

Also seeing action on the card will be highly regarded former amateur standout Eduardo Alicea (5-0, 3KO’s) who takes on once-beaten knockout artist James Johnson (7-1, 7KO’s) in scheduled six-round middleweight attraction. The 23-year-old Alicea had an astounding amateur career, which saw him compile a 215-16 record on his way to becoming a six-time national champion and winning gold at the 2007 National Junior Olympics in which he was voted the most outstanding fighter by USA Boxing. Like Alicea, Johnson was a successful amateur, winning the 2004 US Amateur Championship before turning pro and reeling off seven consecutive knockout victories. Johnson then dropped a decision to Darnell Boone before stepping away from the ring. Johnson is now looking to throw his name right back into the mix of prospects to watch when he takes on the promising Alicea.

Rounding out the card will be 2011 US Olympic Team Trials silver medalist and the 2012 NY Golden Gloves heavyweight champion Joseph Williams (1-0, 1KO) squaring off against P.J. Cajigas (1-3, 1KO) in a four-round light heavyweight matchup. The Far Rockaway-native Williams got a late start to boxing, but has quickly progressed and just missed out on the opportunity to represent the US in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

Tickets are priced at $125, $85, $65 and $45, and can be purchased by calling the DiBella Entertainment office at (212) 947-2577. For more information, please visit www.dbe1.com
Doors open at 6 p.m. ET, with the first bout scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

Philadelphia (March 13, 2014)–This Monday night at the House of Blues in Boston, undefeated Jr. Middleweight, Julian “J Rock” Williams (14-0-1, 8 KO’s) will headline a card that will be televised live throughout the country on Fox Sports 1 when he takes on former world title challenger Freddy Hernandez in a 10-round bout.

Williams of Philadelphia has been on quite a roll since linking up with adviser Al Haymon and boxing fans outside of Philadelphia are beginning to take notice.

He is looking forward to the coveted national exposure this Monday night and to do it against Hernandez will be a good measuring stick for the 23-year old Williams.

“I know who exactly who Freddy Hernandez is,” Williams recently told www.fighthype.com. “He is a tough game fighter who has been in with the top guys, and even though he has come up short, he has always given a good account of himself. he held his own against Lara. Some say Lara is the best in the division and one judge had Lara winning by only 1 point. I thought he beat Delvin Rodriguez.”

Besides the aforementioned Lara and Rodriguez, Hernandez fought Andre Berto for the WBC Welterweight title and also has wins over former world champions DeMarcus Colrey and Mike Anchondo. Hernandez has also fought world champions Luis Collazo and Demetrius Andrade.

Williams has been coming into his own under the management of Haymon and the tutelage of trainer Stephen “Breadman” Edwards as the last three opponents combined record is 81-8 which includes an impressive three-knockdown performance decision over former WBA Super Welterweight champion Joachim Alcine. In his bout Williams stopped Orlando Lora (29-4) in three rounds on December 7, 2013 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Williams has also let it be known that he will pay special tribute to the people of Boston on his trunks and his walk-out music.

Hackensack, NJ (March 13, 2014) – Although he’s just two days away from his professional debut, junior middleweight Bobby Gunn Jr. has no pre-fight jitters.

Perhaps part of the reason is that those around sport recall him not only training alongside his father Bobby Sr, a former IBA cruiserweight champion that fought a number of top fighters, but also appearing at most of his pro fights.

“The environment is something that can’t be matched,” Gunn Jr said of being around professional fighters and big fights since he was a young boy. “I’m used to being around big and rowdy crowds. I remember mentally preparing like I was about to go in the ring when my father fought Tomasz Adamek in front of a big crowd. Being a part of big fights and training with pros like my father and Adamek is an advantage that I have over most other young fighters.”

Gunn, who is trained by his father and Roger Bloodworth, faces Delvin Gist Saturday evening at the ABC Sports Complex in Springfield, VA. Admittedly, Gunn doesn’t know much about his foe.

“I don’t have a lot of information on my opponent but I’m training extremely hard for this fight and will go for the win. I’d love to get a knockout but winning one way or another is the most important thing.”

LONDON (March 13) – Reigning light-welterweight king Danny Garcia believes Mauricio Herrera has no idea what he has gotten himself into when the pair clash this weekend.

The 25-year-old Philadelphia native puts his world titles on the line as he goes in against the tricky Herrera in Bayamon, Puerto Rico this Saturday night, live and exclusive on BoxNation.

Returning to the homeland of his parents, unbeaten Garcia has vowed to put on an impressive display in front of the locals and continue his winning streak after noticing a chink in the armour of Mexican-American ace Herrera.

“When I look at him he’s not sure,” said Garcia. “He’s not sure what he’s gotten himself into. I’m sure he trained hard. One thing about boxing is you never know what’s going to happen. I came so far to prove myself and I’m so hungry to get better and continue to keep winning. I’m only 25 years old and at the beginning of my career. Whatever he’s thinking it’s not going to stop me,” he said.

As the current top dog of the 140 pound division after capturing the WBC, WBA and Ring Magazine world titles, Garcia has gone from strength-to-strength after bursting to prominence with his stunning victory over Amir Khan in 2012.

That win followed subsequent triumphs as he re-matched Erik Morales, overcame Zab Judah and highly impressed against feared Argentine puncher Lucas Matthysse.

Since his win over Matthysse last September, Garcia has begun to be recognised as one of boxing’s best, something which is only beginning to register with the man himself.

“It’s just starting to sink in, my last couple of fights I showed a lot. In the Judah fight I showed that I could take a punch. In the Matthysse fight it just showed how much more experienced I am and how I can control the fight. I feel I’m growing into being a true champion and definitely one of the best pound-for-pound fighters,” said Garcia.

Over the last year a certain assurance and confidence in the ring has started to take over Garcia, who is enjoying his time in the limelight.

“I’m confident – it’s kind of like you’re on cruise control. You’re adjusting to the bumps in the road. I’m just flying and every time a problem comes I just find a way to get around it. That’s how it is when I’m against contenders. Being a champion is definitely everything,” he said.

Known for his outspoken and blunt nature, Garcia’s father and trainer Angel is expecting his son’s dominance to continue and has written of Herrera’s chances.

“March 15th, [Danny] will still be the undefeated champ of the world,” said Angel. “Herrera, you’ve got to give him hope. Hope that he doesn’t get knocked out. You’ve got to give the man hope. His family is here. I respect that. They love him. There is nothing wrong with that,” he said.

“But come March 15th [Danny] is still the undefeated champ of the world. This isn’t something that just happened. This was a dream, a dream that I had when Danny was a child. Danny is meant to be. Dreams aren’t meant to be broken – not this one anyway.

“On March 15th, he will still be the undefeated champ of the world – I will promise you that,” Angel stated.

The 33-year-old Herrera though, who was the last man to beat the WBO light-welterweight world champion, the formidable Ruslan Provodnikov, appears unaffected by the claims from the Garcia camp and knows this fight represents a once in a lifetime opportunity.

“I started boxing with my two brothers when I was 13 with no gear, bare hands. My father used to watch and get a good laugh out of it. My older brother got me my first punching bag but my mother was the first one that took me to the gym, to a gym at a church. I truly have the support of my family,” said Herrera.

“I trained well, very well. I don’t take this fight lightly; fighting Danny is not something to take lightly. But I’ve fought guys tougher than him for peanuts,” he said boldly.

“My biggest purse before this fight was $30,000. I’ve worked in construction and other handy jobs. This is my opportunity. This is my chance and I’m not about to let it pass me by,” Herrera said.

The stacked card from the Golden Boy Promotions show also sees exciting knockout artist Deontay Wilder continue his march towards a world title shot as he faces the highly respected Malik Scott in his toughest fight to date.

Plus, Puerto Rican favourite Juan Manuel Lopez is back in action as he returns to face Mexican hitman Daniel Ponce De Leon in a fight that guarantees fireworks.

Also, BoxNation Live HD, which screens all live fights in glorious high definition, will be switching from Sky channel 449 to its new permanent home at Sky channel 490 starting with this weekend’s bill. BoxNation subscribers on Sky have access to the HD channel at no extra cost providing they are HD enabled.

Garcia vs. Herrera is live on BoxNation (Sky Ch.437/490HD & Virgin Ch.546) this Sunday at 2am. Visit www.boxnation.com to subscribe.

-Ends-

About BoxNation
BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated subscription boxing channel. For £10* 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

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Ft. Lauderdale, FL: WBO Light Heavyweight Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev is truly under the microscope as he prepares to defend his title against Cedric “L.O.W.” Agnew on March 29th at the Ballroom at Boardwalk Hall live on HBO Boxing After Dark. For the past two days HBO cameras have filmed “Krusher” at his training camp in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Although this is the third time Sergey will appear on HBO Boxing After Dark, it is his first appearance in the main event. As a result, this is Kovalev’s first experience with a camera crew there to record his every move.

Previously, the undefeated Russian has not been subjected to this level of media attention. While he remained fairly anonymous in his adopted country, signs of his increasing fame are everywhere. For example, a billboard for the event hangs near the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel. Numerous press appearances have already begun, including one on ESPN.com’s Making the Rounds on March 4th.

Billboard at Lincoln Tunnel Entrance
Photo Courtesy of HBO
And of course the press has been consumed with the possibility of a match-up between Kovalev and Adonis Stevenson down the road.

In the midst of so much unfamiliar attention in the run up to his second title defense, questions linger about whether or not “Krusher” can stay hungry and stay focused. According to Main Events’ CEO Kathy Duva, “Once a fighter becomes more comfortable with his status as a world champion, some can be tempted to lose focus and get distracted by all the attention. He can’t always walk down the street without being recognized anymore, but luckily Sergey has managed to stay focused on Agnew and winning on March 29th.”

According to Kovalev’s trainer, John David Jackson, “Sergey is on course. He is a really hard worker. He is definitely training hard for this fight. He is doing what he is supposed to do.” When asked whether or not the cameras were affecting Sergey’s ability to concentrate in camp, Jackson replied, “He probably loves it. They stay out of our way so it is just like any other training camp.” Kovalev also assured that he is not distracted by the cameras. “I am already used to them being there. They don’t bother me at all.”

“Krusher” Kovalev
Photo Credits:
Rich Graessle/Main Events
“Krusher” will face a tough challenger in the undefeated Agnew. As he heads into the fight of his life, Agnew has exhibited incredible confidence that he can stand toe-to-toe with the “Russian Wrecking Ball.” Jackson elaborated, “The key to this fight for Sergey is to be more strategic offensively. There isn’t much film on Agnew but we are approaching this fight like we do all the others. Sergey will do his thing.” According to Kovalev, “I feel good. Everything is normal. I feel no pressure and everything is going by the book.”

About March 29th:

March 29th features the WBO Light Heavyweight World Title showdown between Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (23-0-1, 21KOs) and Cedric Agnew (26-0-0, 13 KOs) from the Ballroom at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic, City, NJ. The broadcast will begin live on HBO Boxing After Dark at 10:00 PM ET/PT with the Thomas Dulorme vs. Karim Mayfield co-feature. The event is presented by Main Events in association with Caesars Atlantic City. Tickets are on sale now through TicketMaster online at www.ticketmaster.com or via phone (800) 736-1420. Fans can also contact Main Events for tickets at (973) 200-7050. Ticket prices are $26, $51, $77 and $152. Doors will open at 6:30 PM ET. Undercard bouts will be announced shortly.

For fight updates go to www.mainevents.com, www.CaesarsAC.com, www.BoardwalkHall.com or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MainEventsBoxing, www.facebook.com/CaesarsAtlanticCity, www.facebook.com/BoardwalkHall or www.facebook.com/HBOboxing and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Main_Events, https://twitter.com/CaesarsAC, https://twitter.com/BoardwalkHall and https://twitter.com/HBOboxing.

About Caesars Entertainment:

Caesars Entertainment Corporation is the world’s largest casino entertainment company. Since its beginning in Reno, Nevada, more than 70 years ago, Caesars has grown through development of new resorts, expansions and acquisitions, and now operates casinos on four continents. The company’s resorts operate primarily under the Harrah’s®, Caesars® and Horseshoe® brand names. Caesars also owns the World Series of Poker® and the London Clubs International family of casinos. Caesars Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its guests through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership. Caesars is committed to environmental sustainability and energy conservation and recognizes the importance of being a responsible steward of the environment. For more information, please visit www.caesars.com.

Nutley, NJ (March 13, 2014)–This Saturday night at the Springfield ABC in Springfield, Virginia, two of the brightest prospects in the country will be back in action as undefeated Middleweight Antoine “Action” Douglas and undefeated Super Middleweight Jerry “The Kings Son” Odom will be part of the card that is promoted by Gulfstream Promotions.

Both Douglas and Odom are promoted by Vito Mielnicki’s GH3 Promotions.

Douglas of Burke, Virginia has a record of 12-0 with 7 knockouts and will be facing veteran Jeremy Yelton in a 6 round bout while Odom will take on battle tested William Gill in a 6 round bout.

Douglas is coming off a 8 round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Marquis Davis on January 17th in a bout that was nationally televised on ShoBox. It was Douglas 2nd consecutive won over an undefeated fighter as he stopped Colby Courter in the 3rd round on December 4th.

Yelton of Forest City, North Carolina has a record of 17-15 with 8 knockouts and has faced world champions such as Paulie Malignaggi & Isaac Hlatshwayo; World title challengers Ricky Quiles, Eromesele Albert, Giovanni Lorenzo and Harry Joe Yorgey as well as undefeated fighters Americo Santos, Henry Crawford, Dominick Britsch and his most recent bout against Thomas LaManna.

“He is a last minute replacement and I don’t know much more than his record,” said Douglas. “I know in his last few fights he has been knocked out so I plan to make this quick. I am in shape, I am ready and feel strong”

Douglas will be fighting seven miles from his hometown and is eager to put on a good performance.

“I have lots of people from home that will be there so I want to be very impressive.”

Odom of Bowie, Maryland has a record of 8-0 with all wins coming by knockout. He is coming off a 3rd round stoppage over Demetrius Walker on January 17th in Memphis.

“I haven’t fought since January 17th and I am ready to do my thing as always and show my talent,” said Odom.

“I looked at Gill’s record and I know he has a lot of fights and some losses. I will not underestimate him. He is still a fighter.”

“I just want to thank my promoter Vito Mielnicki for working with me and I want to thank my team for their continued support.”, finished Odom.

Like Yelton, Gill is extremely battle tested and despite his record, he has some big wins on his ledger such as Bobby Rooney (3-0), Terrance Johnson (4-0), former U.S. Olympian Dante Craig (17-5-1), Richard Stewart (12-2-1) and currant world-ranked Light Heavyweight Anatoliy Dudchenko (3-0).

Gill has fought 20 undefeated fighters and is coming off a 3rd round stoppage to Henry Buchanan on December 14, 2013.

LOS ANGELES (March 12, 2014) – As Puerto Rico prepares for a stellar SHOWTIME® doubleheader featuring Danny “Swift” Garcia’s unified super lightweight world title defense against Mauricio “El Maestro” Herrera and the heavyweight clash between unbeaten Deontay Wilder and Malik Scott, fans at the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez in Bayamon can get ready for even more explosive action as the undercard will feature top contenders Daniel “The Golden Child” Jacobs, Jose “Chelo” Gonzalez and Ed “The Lion” Paredes, future stars of Puerto Rican boxing. Additionally, there’s the previously announced SHO EXTREME® headliner pitting former world champions Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez and Daniel Ponce de Leon against each other in a rematch for the WBO International Junior Lightweight Title. Also in action will be John Karl Sosa, Prichard Colon and Pedro Vicente.

In the 10-round SHO EXTREME co-feature, Jacobs will look to keep the momentum from his knockout win over Giovanni Lorenzo going when he battles Miami’s Milton “El Misil” Nunez.

After surviving a harrowing battle with cancer that not only threatened his promising career, but his life, Brooklyn’s Daniel “The Golden Child” Jacobs (26-1, 23 KOs) turned into boxing’s miracle man, returning after more than 19 months away to knock out Josh Luteran in 73 seconds on October 20, 2012. Two more stoppage wins over Chris Fitzpatrick and Keenan Collins followed before the 27-year-old made a statement to the world with his third round technical knockout over former world title challenger Giovanni Lorenzo. On Saturday, Jacobs is back to face Colombia native Milton “El Misil” Nunez (26-9-1, 24 KOs). A 26-year-old power puncher, Nunez’ last nine wins have come by way of knockout, all in four rounds or less, so expect fireworks from start to finish in this one.

Toa Baja’s Jose “Chelo” Gonzalez (22-1, 17 KOs) will be back in the ring for the first time since his gutsy WBO title fight against Ricky Burns last May, facing an opponent to be announced in an eight-round lightweight bout. Forced to withdraw from the fight after the ninth round against Burns due to injury, the 30-year-old contender, who has scored 12 of his last 13 wins by knockout, is eager to get back to another title fight as soon as possible.

In an eight-round welterweight bout, Hollywood, Florida’s Ed “The Lion” Paredes (34-3-1, 22 KOs) will continue his quest for a world title opportunity when he meets the Dominican Republic’s Yoryi Estrella (10-9-2, 7 KOs). Currently ranked sixth in the world by the WBC, and ninth by the WBA and IBF, the 28-year-old Paredes will bring a 14-fight winning streak into the ring with him against the hard-hitting and upset-minded Estrella.

Fans in Bayamon will witness an all-Puerto Rican clash in the junior welterweight division on Saturday when 21-year-old Caguas phenomenon John Karl Sosa (8-0, 6 KOs) attempts to keep his perfect record intact in a four-round matchup against Toa Baja’s Antonio Sanchez (5-2-2, 3 KOs), who is coming off back-to-back bouts against unbeatens Jamel Herring and Ivan Redkach.

Plus, 2012 Puerto Rican Olympic team member Prichard “Digget” Colon (7-0, 7 KOs) of Orocovis risks his unbeaten slate in a six-round super welterweight bout against an opponent to be determined. In the four-round featherweight opener, Mayaguez’ Pedro Vicente (4-0, 1 KO), who prepared for this fight in the Danny Garcia gym in Philadelphia, faces Bayamon’s own Karl Garcia (3-2, 1 KO).

“Garcia vs. Herrera,” a 12-round WBC Super Lightweight World Title on Saturday, March 15, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions, Swift Promotions in association with PR Best Boxing and sponsored by Corona and AT&T. The co-main event, Deontay Wilder vs. Malik Scott, is a 12-round WBC Final Heavyweight eliminator bout presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Goossen Tutor Promotions. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast will air live at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and can be heard in Spanish using secondary audio programming (SAP). In the main event on the SHO EXTREME 7 p.m. ET/PT, (Delayed on the West Coast) portion of the card, former world champions Juan Manuel Lopez and Daniel Ponce de Leon square off in a 10-round rematch for the WBO International Junior Lightweight Title.

Tickets priced at $25, $50, $75, $150, $200 and $400 plus applicable taxes and service charges are on sale now at www.tcpr.com and by calling 787-792-5000.

Glassboro, N.J. – Friday night marks the return of undefeated New Jersey native Derrick “Take it to the Bank” Webster (15-0, 8 KOs), who is already getting back into the ring after a TKO stoppage of a gritty Julio Garcia just five weeks ago. The opponent on Friday evening will be Cuban super middleweight Lester Gonzalez (12-11-4, 6 KOs) at the Pennsylvania Metal Sheet Workers Hall, located at 1301 South Columbus Boulevard in Philadelphia.

“This is something I couldn’t wait to see transpiring again,” Webster said of being active after he was out of the ring for most of 2013. “I’m staying healthy, maintaining my weight. I was trying to get back to fighting as a middleweight, but here I am fighting at super middleweight again. We’re just trying to keep the range from middleweight to super middleweight so all of these promoters can finally open their eyes and see how I function. Even some of the bigger name promoters who are interested in me are afraid to make a move because they feel that my skillset will be too difficult for them to match. Go figure, right?

“That says a lot about what I bring to the table, and I am just out here looking for my opportunity. We’re going to keep our range from 160 to 168 and stay active, keeping myself ready at all costs. Since my last fight, I have not taken a single day out of the gym, and we are making sure that I stay prepared for any opportunities that may happen to come our way.”

Staying busy was the most important initiative for Webster and his team as 2014 got underway, and getting an active start to the new year has unquestionably been inspiring for the undefeated Glassboro native.

“It keeps me hungry, man,” he confirmed. “It keeps me focused. It keeps me in the gym, away from all of the foolishness and foolish people. I just surround myself with people who keep me focused and keep me motivated. I don’t want anything except that kind of positivity in my life.”

The man standing across from Webster has a deceptive 12-11-4 record and is not someone whom he is taking likely. The Cuban boxer was unbeaten in his first 12 professional bouts, and Webster will be the 13th undefeated fighter that he has faced in his career. Of his last 17 bouts, Gonzalez has met eight unbeaten combatants to go along with five more fighters who had just a single defeat.

Despite those statistics, a confident Webster is more than ready to step into the ring on Friday night and show everyone exactly what he is capable of doing.

“I have to use my favorite word to describe how Friday night will be, and that’s explosive,” Webster predicted. “I bring a lot of character and style to the ring. The fans are definitely going to get what they want. The photographers are definitely going to get what they want. And that’s a big show. A knockout. I’m calling this fight the Southpaw Showdown. Anytime I fight a southpaw, it’s the Southpaw Showdown. I feel as though I’m the best southpaw in boxing. No one my height can come close to doing the things I can do.

“On Friday night, I’m going to take this boy to school, and he’s going to find out exactly who he has in front of him. Everybody keeps asking me ‘Do you know who you’re fighting?’ The real question is ‘Does he know who he’s fighting? Does he know what he’s about to stand in front of? Does he know what he’s getting ready to go against?’

“I think not.”

Tickets for Webster vs. Gonzalez this Friday night at the Pennsylvania Metal Sheet Workers Hall are available now by calling his team at (609) 680-7131.

BAYAMON, PUERTO RICO (March 12, 2014) – Danny Garcia, his father/trainer, Angel, and other participants for the big fight card this Saturday, March 15, on SHOWTIME and SHO EXTREME participated in the final press conference Wednesday at Braulio Castillo Theater, Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

In Saturday’s main event on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® live on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT), undefeated Unified Super Lightweight World ChampionGarcia (27-0, 16 KOs), of Philadelphia, will defend against Herrera(20-3, 7 KOs)of Riverside, Calif., from the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. In the co-feature, heavyweight knockout specialist Deontay Wilder (30-0, 30 KOs), of Tuscaloosa, Ala., meets Malik Scott (36-1-1, 13 KOs), of Philadelphia.

Former world champions Juan Manuel “JuanMa” Lopez (33-3, 30 KOs), 30, of Caguas, P.R., and Mexico’s Daniel “Ponce” de Leon (45-5, 35 KOs), 33, of Los Angeles, meet in a grudge rematch for the WBO International Junior Lightweight Title in the 10-round main event live on SHO EXTREME (7 p.m. ET/PT). In the opening bout on SHO EXTREME, promising Danny Jacobs (26-1, 23 KOs), of Brooklyn, N.Y., faces hard-hitting Milton Nunez (26-9-1, 24 KOs), of Barranquilla, Col., in a 10-round middleweight match.

What the fighters and executives said Wednesday:

DANNY “SWIFT” GARCIA, UNIFIED SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION
“I had a tremendous camp. This Saturday I’m going to win for my people in Puerto Rico and take my belt home with me.

“I love it here in Puerto Rico. I love the weather and the beautiful people. Everything about the culture is like where I grew up in Philadelphia. It’s just like Puerto Rico but it’s just the city life. But it’s the same thing. We eat the same food. We listen to the same music. Everything is the same but it’s just a little part of North Philadelphia. Everything is the same except for the snow.

“I trained in Philadelphia. I had a good training camp in Philadelphia. I did everything I was supposed to do. I didn’t take shortcuts. I came to Puerto Rico a week before the fight for my training. I’m 110 percent. I’m in the best shape. I am ready. I did what I always do and I’m ready.”

MAURICIO “EL MAESTRO” HERRERA, SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT CONTENDER
“I started boxing with my two brothers when I was 13 with no gear, bare hands. My father used to watch and get a good laugh out of it. My older brother got me my first punching bag but my mother was the first one that took me to the gym, to a gym at a church. I truly have the support of my family.

“I trained well, very well. I don’t take this fight lightly; fighting Danny is not something to take lightly. But I’ve fought guys tougher than him for peanuts.

“My biggest purse before this fight was $30,000. I’ve worked in construction and other handy jobs. This is my opportunity. This is my chance and I’m not about to let it pass me by.”

ANGEL GARCIA, DANNY GARCIA’S FATHER AND TRAINER
“March 15, [Danny] will still be the undefeated Champ of the world. Herrera, you’ve got to give him hope. Hope that he doesn’t get knocked out. You’ve got to give the man hope. His family is here. I respect that. They love him. There is nothing wrong with that. But come March 15 [Danny] is still the undefeated Champ of the world. This isn’t something that just happened. This was a dream, a dream that I had when Danny was a child. Danny is meant to be. Dreams aren’t meant to be broken not this one anyway.

“He [Herrera] has fought guys, opponents. You’re fighting in Puerto Rico now. Danny is 100 percent Puerto Rican. I don’t care what they say. He is my blood. I am Puerto Rican. He’s Puerto Rican. On March 15, he will still be the undefeated Champ of the world. And I will promise you that.

“I won’t put my head involved in this one because my daughters got nervous. They told me, ‘Dad, please don’t say that.’ People thought that it was a joke. I really meant that. Would Herrera’s coach do that? No, because that is the difference between his team and our team. My soul is in the ring with Danny. I would die for Danny and he would die for me.”

WILLIE SILVA, MAURICIO HERRERA’S TRAINER
“I’m pleased to be back in Puerto Rico. I want to thank Golden Boy for giving us this opportunity, an opportunity that we have been waiting for some time now and we are grateful for that.

“We are here to win this fight. We are not here to see if we can win, we are here because we know we CAN win.

“Danny Garcia’s parents claim he is Puerto Rican, but he is NOT a Puerto Rican, he’s from Philadelphia. He doesn’t even speak Spanish.

“We came to Puerto Rico, ready to fight. Mauricio is ready and watch, come Saturday night Mauricio is going to shock more than one. We are leaving Puerto Rico with Danny’s belts.”

DEONTAY WILDER, WBC CONTINENTAL AMERICAS HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION
[About fighting in Puerto Rico]”I feel great! Like Tony the Tiger! I have lots of fans out here, a lot more than I thought I did. They showed me love right when I arrived. When I found out I was fighting in Puerto Rico I was super excited! Puerto Rico is a beautiful island with beautiful people and beautiful weather!

[About Malik Scott’s style] “I haven’t seen Malik Scott personally fight but he’s been in my camp before. He was one of my sparring partners in my past camps. He was a lot of help and very competitive. He knows my style and what I bring to the table. We know each other’s style. Whoever gets first to the punch will win. The smarter and better looking person will win and that’s going to be me.”

MALIK SCOTT, TOP HEAVYWEIGHT CONTENDER
“I am extremely proud of Danny Garcia. This is my first time meeting him. Congratulations comrade. The thing that prides me the most about fighting on his undercard is that any good coach can take a fighter and smooth out his jagged edges, but Angel Garcia he took his son from scratch. That is the definition of a true and great trainer so I am proud of him for that.

“In my opinion, Deontay Wilder and I are the biggest fight in the heavyweight division right now. I am extremely excited and I am taking on a dangerous fighter with the magnitude of Deontay’s punching power and the aura that has been built around him. It will take that type of fighter for me to rise to the great level that I believe I am going to be at come Saturday night. I believe out of everyone that has fought Deontay I have the highest skill caliber. I am not coming to test him; I am coming to beat him. I am from Philly. I live in California. I’m happy for this opportunity and come Saturday night I am going to take full advantage of it. ”

JUAN MANUEL LOPEZ, WBO INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION
“I’m very grateful to God for having presented me with this opportunity. I’m grateful for the people from Puerto Rico for their continuous support.

“This is going to be a great fight. He’s going to try to get a knockout, I’m going to do my job as well and definitely the one that is better prepared will come out victorious, and that will be me.

“I came here to show Puerto Rico and the rest of the world that Juanma Lopez has still some game to show.

“It was not mere coincidence that I won the first fight against Ponce De Leon, I won because I’m a better fighter. On Saturday, March 15, Ponce better be ready, because I’m ready and I’m not about losing.”

DANIEL PONCE DE LEON, FORMER WBC FEATHERWEIGHT WOLRD CHAMPION
“I’ve been training hard and I’m ready. There’s not much left to do to prepare other than make weight on Thursday and give my best on Saturday.

“This is going to be a great fight. I feel very good because I prepared well. I’m ready. This is the comeback of my career. I’m ready.

“Juanma has a heavy punch. Most of his wins have been by way of knockout and that is something to watch out for, but I can also pack a punch and he better watch out because I might knock him out. ”

IVAN PADILLA, BAYAMON SPORTS DIRECTOR
“Bayamon is proud of hosting Danny Garcia vs. Mauricio Herrera. We welcome boxing because we love boxing. We are always ready to be boxing hosts.

“We are able to host events of this magnitude because we have great people that help us put them together.

“We cordially welcome Danny and his father. We know his mom is from here, from Bayamon and we are very proud.”

ERIC GOMEZ, VICE PRESIDENT OF GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS
“It’s always a great pleasure to be back in Puerto Rico. But this time is different because we are bringing a big card to the island with the help of one of the best, PR Best Boxing. They have a great team in Puerto Rico and this is the beginning of something big.

“We are presenting a main event with the fighter of the moment, one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world, Danny Garcia, and this is particularly special for me, because I saw him grow.

“I met Angel and Danny in the Olympic Trials and I saw something special in him. He was a champion in the making.

“I knew he was special the first time I saw him fight as an amateur at the Olympic Trials. His style was unique; he packed a combination of Tito Trinidad, Wilfredo Gomez, Miguel Cotto and Juanma [Juan Manuel Lopez]’s styles, truly impressive. So, to see him here today, being the great champion than he is, is truly special for me. ”

ABOUT “GARCIA VS. HERRERA”:
Garcia vs. Herrera, a 12-round WBC Super Lightweight World Title on Saturday, March 15, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions, Swift Promotions in association with PR Best Boxing and sponsored by Corona and AT&T. It will air as the main event of the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) and will be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP). In the co-main event, Deontay Wilder takes on Malik Scott, in a 12-round WBC Final Heavyweight eliminator bout presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Goossen Tutor Promotions. SHOWTIME Boxing on SHOWTIME EXTREME (7 p.m. ET/PT, Delayed on the West Coast) will feature Juan Manuel Lopez and Daniel Ponce de Leon in a 10-round rematch for the WBO International Junior Lightweight Title.

Tickets priced at $25, $50, $75, $150, $200 and $400 plus applicable taxes and service charges are on sale now at www.tcpr.com and by calling 787-792-5000.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.prbestboxing.net and www.sports.sho.com follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/shosports, www.twitter.com/dannyswift, www.twitter.com/elmaestro1,www.twitter.com/bronzebomber, www.twitter.com/malikkingscott, www.twitter.com/danielponcedel1 and www.twitter.com/Juanma_lopez, follow the conversation using #GarciaHerrera or become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/PRBestBoxing and www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing

NEW YORK (March 12, 2014) – SHOWTIME BOXING on SHO EXTREME® provides viewers across the country an opportunity to watch live undercard fights they would not otherwise be able to see. For the boxers, it provides oft-needed, national exposure.

Since the series began in February 2012, it has been a proverbial mixed bag of boxing match ups on SHO EXTREME, serving as a special lead-in to live SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® events on the network’s flagship channel, SHOWTIME®.

There have been familiar faces and household names, such as heavyweight Chris Arreola, to virtual unknowns, from Olympians and young prospects in six- and eight-round matches to established, well-known world-ranked contenders in 10-round scraps. Once on SHO EXTREME there was a world title fight — Light Heavyweight Champion Nathan Cleverly versus Shawn Hawk.

This Saturday, March 15 (7 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast), the featured matchup is one of the best, most important ever on SHO EXTREME, a career-crossroads rematch fight between proud, battle-tested southpaw warriors and former world champions, two-time Puerto Rican Fighter of the Year, Juan Manuel “JuanMa” Lopez (33-3, 30 KOs), 30, of Caguas, and Mexico’s revenge-minded Daniel “Ponce” de Leon (45-5, 35 KOs), 33, of Los Angeles.

What’s at stake? The winner in the WBO International Junior Lightweight Title fight remains relevant in the division. The loser takes a massive step back. In the opening bout on SHO EXTREME, cancer survivor-turned-world title challenger, the inspirational Danny Jacobs (26-1, 23 KOs), of Brooklyn, N.Y., faces Milton Nunez (26-9-1, 24 KOs), of Barranquilla, Col., in a middleweight tussle.
Both 10-rounders transpire from the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, where later that evening on SHOWTIME (live at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT), undefeated Unified Super Lightweight World Champion Danny “Swift” Garcia (27-0, 16 KOs), a Philadelphian of Puerto Rican descent, defends against Mauricio Herrera (20-3, 7 KOs)of Riverside, Calif., in the 12-round main event. Heavyweight knockout specialist Deontay Wilder (30-0, 30 KOs), of Tuscaloosa, Ala., takes on Malik Scott (36-1-1, 13 KOs), of Philadelphia, in the opener of the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING doubleheader.

The 5-foot-7 Lopez was an amateur standout in Puerto Rico; he was a five-time national champion and 2004 Olympian. After going pro in January 2004, JuanMa went on to become a WBO featherweight (two successful defenses) and junior featherweight (five successful defenses) world champion. He was Puerto Rican Fighter of the Year in 2008 and 2009. He embarrassed Ponce on June 7, 2008, winning his first world title by first-round (2:25) knockout.

JuanMa has fought the best in his weight classes. Besides Ponce, he’s been in with world champions Mikey Garcia, Orlando Salido two times, Rafael Marquez, Steven Luevano and Gerry Penalosa. For years he was one of boxing’s legitimate rising stars and a hero in Puerto Rico. But he’s in a different position now: he’s trying to regain his former status after three knockout losses in his last six outings.

Two of the KO defeats came at the hands of Salido, the other in his last start on a fourth-round TKO to defending WBO 126-pound titleholder Garcia on June 15, 2013. This will be the first skirmish at 130 pounds for JuanMa in his nine-year-career. Only three of his fights have gone the distance.

“This is the biggest fight of my career,” the aggressive-minded, crowd-pleasing JuanMa said. “We both need to win this fight. This is the last lap of my career. If I lose, that could be the end of my career, even though I don’t want my career to end in defeat. I win this fight, I can go on to bigger and better things.

“We are working hard. I feel great. I have a new trainer (Freddie Trinidad, second cousin of Felix). We are training intelligently. Ponce is a dangerous, strong fighter. I think he’s a better fighter now, so we are training for the best Ponce de Leon. I know this fight is not going to be the same as the first. We can’t look back to that fight. I am concentrating on winning this fight round by round.”

The 5-foot-5 Ponce represented Mexico in the 2000 Olympic Games before turning pro in March 2001. He’s a former WBC featherweight and WBO Junior Featherweight (six successful defenses) world champion. The current WBC No. 5-ranked contender at 130 pounds, he is 8-2 in world title fights.

A 13-year pro, the offensive-minded Ponce captured the WBC 126-pound world title in September 2012 and won the WBO 122-pound crown in October 2005.

Ponce is 4-3 in his last seven fights — four against top-level opponents, including an impressive victory over current WBC Featherweight Champion Jhonny Gonzalez (TW 8) in September 2012. The losses came to ex-world champions Abner Mares, Yuriorkis Gamboa and to the naturally bigger Adrien Broner on a close 10-round decision. Other former world champs he’s fought include Penalosa and Celestino Caballero.

In his last start and first at 130 pounds, Ponce won a lopsided 10-round decision over Joksan Hernandez on Nov. 16, 2013. Like JuanMa, Ponce expects the rematch to hardly resemble the first one.

“Fights are always different,” he said. “It (their initial encounter) was my eighth defense. I was too overconfident heading into the fight and he caught me cold in the first round. But that fight is in the past. I had a different team, manager and trainer, then later on I made some changes.

“I was different then. I never thought in the ring. Before, I used to always jump on top of my opponents, but now I have transformed into a different fighter. For this fight, I feel good and am 100 percent ready.

“I see Lopez the same way everyone else sees him. He hasn’t been the same. He has gone down and is a different fighter. I asked for the rematch a long time ago, and this is the perfect time to be fighting him. Now I look forward to going into the fight in top shape, very well-prepared. I want to win this fight.

“I have everything stacked against me fighting him in Puerto Rico. I don’t want to leave it in the hands of the judges. The knockout is important — it’s a must.”

Jacobs was an outstanding amateur who defeated, among others, fellow-standouts such as Mike Jones, Shawn Porter, Shawn Estrada and Austin Trout before making his pro debut in December 2007.

The 6-foot-1 Jacobs is currently ranked fifth in the WBC and IBF, sixth in the WBO and seventh in the WBA at 160 pounds. A winner of six in a row by knockout, the 27-year-old is coming off a career-best third-round TKO over Yovanny Lorenzo on Aug. 19, 2013. It was Jacobs’ fourth fight since returning to the ring after courageously winning a 19-month battle against cancer and partial paralysis.

“I’ve had a marvelous camp,” said the talented boxer-puncher, whose only loss came on a fifth-round TKO to then-WBO middleweight titleholder Dmitry Pirog on July 31, 2010. “I’ve been getting ready for this fight for about three months. I trained in Australia for about a month in Sydney. I got a lot done and learned a lot. The weather was great, it was a good change of environment. I’m feeling great.

“I’m truly, truly excited about this fight. Being that it’s in Puerto Rico, that’s going to be exciting for me. My girlfriend is Puerto Rican, and this will be her first time having a chance to go there.”

Nunez, 26, has an awkward, aggressive style and possesses good punching power. No stranger to fighting up-and-coming contenders, the six-footer will be looking to regain his winning ways after losing his last fight to Sergio Mora on Nov. 16, 2013.

SHO EXTREME is also the home of boxing replays and “Classic” SHOWTIME fights, which air every Monday-Friday at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The live “SHOWTIME BOXING On SHO EXTREME” fights are replayed on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. following the live presentation the previous Saturday.

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

Queens, NY (March 12, 2014)–On Saturday night, April 5th at the Resorts World Casino New York City, New Legend Boxing will present a big night of boxing that will feature two world ranked fighters plus another coming off the biggest win of his career.

In the 10 round main event, WBA number-12 ranked Super Bantamweight Juan “Baby Tito” Dominguez will see action against Veteran German Meraz (46-30, 25 KO’s).

Dominguez of Brooklyn, New York has a record of 16-0 with 11 knockouts.

Dominguez has wins over Gabriel Gomez (4-0), Arturo Santiago (7-2-1) for the New York State Bantamweight title, Geyci Lorenzo for the WBA Feicaribe Super Bantamweight title and in his last bout he scored an 8 round unanimous decision over Camilo Perez (9-1) on December 7, 2013 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Meraz of Agua Prieta, Mexico is a veteran of 76 fight. he has fought the likes of world champions Hernan Marquez, Gerry Penalosa, Martin Castillo, Cruz Carbajal, Hugo Ruiz, Tomoki Kameda, Juan Francisco Estrada as well as world title Challenger Zsolt Bedak. He has faced a plethora of undefeated fighters which includes going the distance in his last two bouts with three-time U.S. Olympian Rau’she Warren and his last bout with Juan Carlos Payano on February 22nd in Bethlehem, PA.

In one of the 8-round co-feature, WBA Number-14 ranked Super Bantamweight Rafael Vazquez will be in action.

Vazquez of Brooklyn New York has a record of 10-1 with 8 knockouts and has wins over Benjamin Morales (1-0) as well as a stunning come from behind 9th round stoppage over Leon Moore (30-2) last September 21st to win the WBA Fedlatin Super Bantamweight title.

In his last bout, Vazquez stopped Brad Patraw in the 1st round on January 30th at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Undefeated Jr. Middleweight Frank Galarza will take part in an 8-round bout against Franklin Gonzalez (16-12, 10 KO’s).

Galarza of Brooklyn has a record of 12-0-2 and is coming off a career best win when he stopped fellow undefeated John Thompson (14-0) in the 2nd round on January 17th in a bout that was nationally televised on ShoBox.

He won the New York State Jr. Middleweight title with a 4th round stoppage over Rich Neves (6-0-1) on September 21st.

Gonzalez of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic has a signiture victory over Eddie Hyland (16-1) and has faced top competition such as former world champion Luis Collazo; undefeated Pablo Vasquez (14-0), Julio Reyes (13-0), Danny O’Connor (10-0), Sadam Ali (14-0) & Glen Tapia (14-0) as well as former world title challenger Dmitry Salita and contenders Jo Jo Dan, Antwone Smith and David Estrada.

Gonzalez is coming off a 4-round unanimous decision over Franklin Frias on February 2, 2013.

In six Round Bouts:

Rich Neves (6-1-1, 3 KO’s) of New York will fight in a Welterweight bout against Antonio Chaves Fernandez (4-15-2) from Brockton, MA.

Undefeated Welterweight Rajiv Bhattacharya (9-0, 6 KO’s) of Stamford, CT will take on Maurice Chalmers (11-11-1, 6 KO’s) of Lynchburg, VA as well as Super Featherweight Allan Phelan (3-2, 3 KO’s) of New York will be in action.

Scheduled for four round bouts:

Jr. Middleweight Gary Beriguette (3-0, 2 KO’s) of Brooklyn, NY; Cruiserweight Jay Rodriguez (2-0-1, 2 KO’s) of Queens, NY vs. Jose Torres (2-2, 2 KO;s) of Springfield, MA.; Super Middleweight Devaun Lee (1-0) of Queens, NY will take on Josue Valdez (5-0, 3 KO’s) of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic ; Pro debuting Middleweight Timothy McDermott of Yonkers, NY as well as Super Bantamweight Claude Staten Jr. (1-0-1) of New York.

Tickets on sale now….

General Admission $50/ Ringside $125*/ VIP Ringside (1st row) $150*

*VIP Ringside will be sold on a first come/first serve basis…

Maybe purchased online at www.newlegendboxing.com or by calling 718-487-4474.

Doors open at 6pm with the 1st bell at 7pm. All bouts subject to change.

110-00 Rockaway Blvd. Jamaica, NY 11420.

Corporate Advertising Sponsorship packages also available.

NEW YORK (March 12, 2014) – IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Bernard Hopkins and WBA Super World Champion Beibut Shumenov continued their media tour on Wednesday at Lucille’s Bar & Grill inside B.B. King’s Blues Club in New York to formally announce their world championship unification on Saturday, April 19, live on SHOWTIME® from the DC Armory in Washington, D.C.

At 49-years-old, “The Alien” Hopkins (54-6-2, 32 KOs), of Philadelphia, is looking to become the oldest fighter in boxing history to unify world titles, while Shumenov (14-1, 9 KOs), of Shymkent, Kazakhstan, is aiming to become the fastest fighter to unify the light heavyweight division with only 15 professional fights under his belt.

In the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® co-main event, undefeated WBO Middleweight World Champion Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin (30-0, 22 KOs), of New York, will defend his title for the third time when he meets former interim WBO Junior Middleweight Champion Lukas Konecny (50-4, 23 KOs) of the Czech Republic.

Tickets priced at $25, $50, $75, $200 and $300, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, went on sale today at 10 a.m. ET and are available online at http://www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations or by calling (800) 745-3000. The DC Armory Box Office will be open on fight night only from 3:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. ET.

Below is what the participants had to say at Wednesday’s presser:

BERNARD HOPKINS, IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion:
“Look at your age and look at mine. You want to risk this being done again, that you’ll be living to witness it? That’s like waiting for another black president. I wish you luck. I’m not risking that.

“You talk boxing. I live boxing. One thing that’s important to live in boxing is the lifestyle. So there’s noting that I’m doing that you haven’t written, because most of you have been writing about me for 10 years or more.

“I could have come out here with a walker, taken my teeth out, and then have him help me up to the seat there and play right into the old man syndrome. But I’m not going to play games with you.

“This is something that you’re going to remember, tell your grandkids, someone younger, someone in the boxing game, someone not in the boxing game. This is not only my personal achievement in history, but this is something that you can pass down to your kids. You can pass down to anyone you care to pass it down to. I can tell my son who’s two years old, Bernard III,that this is the legacy he inherits from me.

“Let’s talk about Father Time. He’s a son of a bitch. He is. Father Time is undefeated because time is undefeated. That’s the fight that I can’t win and nobody on this earth can win. I’m not fighting Father Time. That’s why me and Father Time really have no problem. There’s no war going on.

“So at the end of the day, Father Time says to me, “Have fun, you’ve got time.” Everyone asks me about my age because their stomach is out this big. Because they’re eating bagels. Because they’re drinking wine. Enjoy yourself. That’s what you want to do. But when you see me, don’t be envious, be motivated. Be energized, woman or man. And say to yourself: how can I start to be like him? How can I take a page out of his book and have a long life and play with my grandkids?

“When you see me April 19 in D.C. on SHOWTIME, be inspired. Be inspired that if you’re near 40, if you’re over 40, if you’re over 50, over 60, that it’s never too late to change your lifestyle. It’s only too late when you’re dead.”

BEIBUT SHUMENOV, WBA Super and IBA Light Heavyweight World Champion:
“I’m very excited that I’m fighting one of the greatest fighters ever. That’s the way for me to show the world that I am the best in the world. Don’t miss out on April 19. It will be a history-making event.

“Bernard has his legacy, but I am looking to build my own legacy. But don’t forget that I am here to make history, too.

“This is a great opportunity to show the world that I am one of the greatest champions in boxing. He’s considered the best light heavyweight champion but this is my opportunity to show the world that I am the best light heavyweight.

“My main goal is to unify all the titles, but right now I’m 100 percent focused on my fight with Bernard Hopkins. It’s the most important fight in my life and it will be the hardest fight in my life.

“Bernard is a boxing genius. He is a legend. He has the highest boxing IQ and skills ever.”

PETER QUILLIN, WBO Middleweight World Champion:
“Preparation for this fight has been awesome. I believe in being in the best shape.

“Some people say that I shouldn’t be on undercards, but I’m on Bernard’s undercard and I am working to be a legend like him.

“B-Hop is a legend. Every time he steps into the ring he creates a legacy and history. I’m working toward that.

“I do this to be the best I can be. My father came from Cuba in 1980 and came here for opportunity and now he is able to see his son live out his dreams and be the middleweight champion.

“I do this every day to be an inspiration.

“A lot of people need an inspiration. I’m going to go out there and try my best no matter what.

“If I need to take a loss to learn about myself then I’m willing to do so. Until then, I’m just going to keep on winning. We’re going to keep on putting on awesome fights and keep on fighting on SHOWTIME.

“I want to be the best fighter, the best father, the best husband and the best son I can be and I hope you all keep on supporting me.”

NAZIM RICHARDSON, Hopkins’ Trainer:
“I agree that this is a historic fight. Everything Bernard does now is historic. Every interview, every walk out is history. Every move he makes is history, not just inside the ring, but outside of the ring.

“He could walk out tomorrow, beat Beibut Shumenov and say I’m done. He owes us nothing and gives us everything.

“I have a lot of respect for Mr. Shumenov. Shumenov is a young 30. He did everything with such a fast learning curve. He’s not someone who is worn down.

“He is already a champion and a guy who is moving that fast and has that kind of enormous focus to be in the front and be the best. But now, not throwing the word around, you’re dealing with a legend.

“Come out to the fight because you’re going to see two men on two different paths that are going to collide on April 19.”

TEAM SHUMENOV:
“Training camp is great, Beibut is incredible. Beibut is ready because of his intelligence. He’s an attorney. He’s highly intelligent and he studies more than anyone ever. His fight IQ is through the roof.

“You will see how prepared Beibut is. He’s ready to do it.

“B-Hop is great; he has tremendous longevity in the sport. He’s a wizard. But everything comes to an end and that duration will be April 19.”

BRUCE BINKOW, COO & CMO of Golden Boy Promotions:
“Any time Bernard Hopkins steps into the ring it’s a historic event.

“I think this is a great opportunity for a young champion like Beibut to make his mark on history as well by attempting to take down a legend.”

STEPHEN ESPINOZA, Executive Vice President & General Manager, SHOWTIME SPORTS:
“We’re very proud to be hosting and televising another Bernard Hopkins fight. The word icon is used quite a bit — thrown about very casually — within sports, within entertainment and music. Bernard is one of the few personalities, the few athletes where the term accurately applies.

“He is a legend in the sport. His accomplishments speak for themselves. Any time Bernard fights it is an event, it’s an occasion, and ‘History at the Capitol’ is a very accurate term.

“Having said all of that, Beibut is a young, hungry, strong challenger – a champion in his own right. Those of you who saw him on SHOWTIME in San Antonio had to be impressed. He’s a very intelligent young man, a very intelligent fighter, a very strong fighter. I would dare to say that he’s going to be one of the toughest challengers that Bernard has faced in quite a while. So I’m looking forward to a very strong main event on April 19.

“I’m also excited to have Peter Quillin back on the network again fighting Lukas Konecny. I think it’s particularly appropriate that we have Quillin on the undercard here, in that Peter is attempting to follow in the rather large footsteps that Bernard Hopkins has started. That is, to start and campaign as a middleweight, where Bernard spent so many years and defended his title for a world-record number of times.”

GREGORY A. O’DELL, President & CEO of Events DC
“On behalf of fight fans in Washington, D.C., we are honored to have a championship experience come back to the District. This fight validates the quality of Washington, D.C. as a fight capital.

“This is the third championship fight we’ve had in 14 months. Thank you for recognizing that D.C. is a fight town.

“Over 20 years ago, a slightly younger fighter fought on the RFK campus. We are thrilled that he will be returning on April 19 and we hope to see more fights in Washington, D.C.” [On Bernard Hopkins]

Sherman Oaks, CA (March 12, 2014) – World ranked contender Anthony Peterson will return to action against hard-hitting Dominican Marcos “EL Tigre” Jimenez on Friday, MARCH 21 in the 10-round co-featured bout at “HOMEWARD BOUND” on ESPN Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra from the Morongo Casino Resort Spa in Cabazon, California, it was announced today by Goossen Tutor Promotion. The Peterson bout will be promoted in association with Headbangers Promotions.

“HOMEWARD BOUND” is headlined by Glendale’s former world title challenger Vanes “The Nightmare” Martirosyan against tough Mexican veteran, Mario “Aguila” Lozano in a 10-round junior middleweight bout for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental Championship.

The 28-year-old Peterson, 32-1-0 (21 KO’s), brother of IBF Junior Welterweight Champion Lamont, will be making his 2014 debut in the lightweight division. Fighting only once in 2013, Peterson stopped Dominic Salcido in the second round on May 18th in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

In 2011, Peterson challenged Brandon Rios in a WBA Lightweight Title Eliminator, suffering the only setback of his nine-year professional career.

Sporting a record of 20-4-0 (13 KO’s), the 30-year-old upset minded Jimenez will be entering this fight following a successful year with two big victories.

On February 23, 2013, Jimenez stopped local favorite Mario Santiago in the ninth round in Ponce, Puerto Rico winning the vacant WBA Fedecentro Junior Lightweight Title.

Five months later, Jimenez won a unanimous decision over Jose Hernandez in Saratoga Springs, New York on July 26.

The stacked undercard for “HOMEWARD BOUND” will be headlined by a six round junior welterweight clash between undefeated and highly regarded 22-year-old prospect Abel Ramos of Phoenix, Arizona and cross-state veteran Rodolfo “Bam Bam” Armenta of Rio Rico, Arizona.

Making his nationally televised debut on January 17, Ramos, 8-0-1 (4 KO’s), looked very impressive going toe-to-toe with heavily favored and undefeated prospect Maurice Hooker, eventually settling for a hard fought majority draw.

The Mexican born and heavy-handed Armenta brings a record of 13-12-1 (10 KO’s) into battle, having faced a long list of boxing’s toughest prospects.

In a four round welterweight bout, Vanes Martirosyan will watch his younger brother Vatch Martirosyan, 2-0-0 (1 KO) clash with King City, California’s Gustavo Lopez, 0-1-1. Considered a “can’t miss prospect,” this will be the first time the brothers have fought on the same card.

Promising Romanian heavyweight Razvan Cojanu, 8-1-0 (4 KO’s) will look to continue his winning ways challenging fellow big man, Avery Gibson, 3-2-2 (1 KO). Based in Las Vegas, the massive (6’7″) Cojanu started his 2014 campaign with a third round stoppage of Tobias Rice on February 7.

Twin prospects Kevin and Tevin Watts of Los Angeles will look to stay undefeated in separate four round bouts.

Fighting in the welterweight division, Kevin Watts, 4-0-0 (2 KO’s), will challenge Gloferson Ortizo, 1-0-0.

Also in the welterweight division, Tevin, 1-0-1, will face Upland, California’s Vicente Guzman, 0-3-1.

Rounding out the show, heralded and undefeated Los Angeles based featherweight prospect Manny de Jesus Robles Jr., 5-0-0 (2 KO’s), will be featured in a scheduled four round bout and try to continue his hot streak, having won a unanimous decision over Ricky Lopez on January 24.

“Homeward Bound” is presented by Goossen Tutor Promotions.

Advance tickets for “HOMEWARD BOUND” are priced at $55 and $35 with a $1.50 service fee if purchased from the Morongo Casino Resort Spa Box Office (Phone 951-755-5391). Regular fees apply through Ticketmaster, (Ticketmaster). Hotel reservations can be made by calling the Morongo Resort Casino Spa (888-Morongo).

Doors will open on the night of the event at 3:30pm PT with the first bell at 4:30pm PT. ESPN Friday Night Fights will start their LIVE telecast at 6:00 p.m. PT.

About Morongo Casino Resort Spa:

Morongo (morongocasinoresort.com) is the premier gaming resort in California. Located in Cabazon, California, in the scenic Coachella Valley, Morongo is a prime getaway for residents of Orange County, Ontario, Palm Springs, Palm Desert and Los Angeles. Earning the prestigious AAA Four Diamond Award for nine consecutive years, Morongo offers 310 well-appointed rooms and suites, a 150,000 sq. ft. casino floor, ten restaurants and lounges and continuous world-class entertainment offerings. One of the largest tribal gaming facilities in the country Morongo Casino Resort & Spa is owned and operated by the Morongo Band of Mission Indians.

For more information, follow Dan Goossen/Goossen Tutor on Twitter @DanGoossen, @GoossenTutor and Vanes Martirosyan @VanesBoxing.

(San Diego, CA) – California Boxing Hall of Fame promoter Bobby D. Presents is ready to announce the second edition of his very successful live boxing series set for Friday, April 4th, at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in the Kearny Mesa suburb of San Diego. Slated for the main event of a very special “San Diego Fights: Border War”, Tijuana’s own undefeated Kenia Enriquez (10-0, 5KOs) puts her perfect record on the line as she takes on the experienced Jolene Blackshear (8-4, 3KOs) of San Diego for the vacant NABF junior flyweight title in an eight round championship bout.

“Our last two shows have been some of the best I’ve done in over thirty years of boxing, I am sure this next one will not disappoint,” Bobby DePhilippis said regarding his next fight card. “Kenia has all the makings of a world champion and this will be her first shot at a junior title, we are really looking forward to it.”

Enriquez is coming off her first U.S. debut last month where she defeated the previously undefeated Noemi Bosques of St. Petersburg, Florida. Enriquez sent Bosques down in the first with a counter left hook and then went on to control the majority of the action with quick right hands and power punches to the body. Bosques had her moments but only to win one round on one of the official cards which came in at 60-53 twice and 59-54.

Tijuana’s Kenia Enriquez made her US debut a successful one by pitching a shutout against previously undefeated Noemi Bosques Photo: Paul Gallegos

For more info please click HERE.

Next Bobby D. Presents card is scheduled for April 4th at the Four Points Hotel by Sheraton in Kearny Mesa.

For more info, please visit SanDiegoFights.com

Bethlehem, PA: On March 15th in front of a sold out house at Sands Casino and Hotel, Isaac “Golden Boy” Chilemba will take on Denis “The Pirate/Drago’s Son” Grachev in the light heavyweight co-feature on NBCSN Fight Night. The light heavyweight division is one of the hottest divisions right now with world class fighters like Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev, Adonis Stevenson and Bernard Hopkins and the winner of this fight could be poised to face any one of them. Currently, Chilemba is ranked #2 in the WBC and Grachev is ranked #7 in the WBC.

Isaac Chilemba
Photo Credits:
Rich Graessle/Main Events
Chilemba’s trainer, former IBF Light Middleweight and WBC Welterweight Champion Buddy McGirt, wouldn’t make a prediction but said, “If Isaac does what I know he can do he can do, which is frustrate the hell out of this guy and out box him, this fight should be a walk in the park. It is all up to him come fight night.”

Denis Grachev
Photo Courtesy of DiBella Entertainment
Grachev’s manager/trainer, Baruch Ferreira, said, “We have had our best training camp so far. Denis is looking sharp and he is in amazing shape. He is ready to make an exciting fight against Chilemba on Fight Night.”

Category
Isaac Chilemba
Denis Grachev
Age
26
31
Record
21-2-2, 9 KOs
13-2-1, 8 KOs
Strength
Chilemba is very poised in the ring and maintains his composure, even when he’s behind. He also has a solid defense.
Grachev has good power and the will to win. According to Main Events’ matchmaker Jolene Mizzone, “He can starch an opponent with one punch.”
Weakness
Chilemba has mediocre punching power and his accuracy is average.
Grachev has poor footwork and lacks amateur experience.
Experience
Despite being five years younger, Chilemba has nine more professional fights (25 vs. 16) than Grachev. Chilemba boxed 183 rounds compared to 80 rounds for Grachev.
Grachev’s last four opponents had a combined record of 103-1 and all were either contenders or former or current champions. Grachev’s endurance has not been tested yet.
Chin
Chilemba has a pretty good chin; he has been down and gotten back up. According to Mizzone, “Chilemba fights better when his back is up against the wall.”
Grachev was only down once against Sillakh and came back to win but later was knocked out by Edwin Rodriguez in the first round.
Style
Chilemba is more of a boxer and is better defensively.
Grachev is more of a defensive fighter and has one-punch power.
Intangibles
Chilemba agreed to fight a game underdog and that cannot be overlooked.
Grachev did not think twice before taking the fight – confident.
The Match-Up
Will Chilemba be able to stand up to Grachev’s power?
Is Grachev the same fighter after his TKO loss to Edwin Rodriguez?
Will Chilemba fold under the bright lights?
Can Grachev redeem himself?

After getting blown away by Rodriguez, Grachev needs to prove it was just a fluke and that he has what it takes to compete at this level. If Chilemba loses to Grachev, he’ll lose his #2 spot. Bottom line: neither fighter can afford to lose.

About March 15th:

The March 15th edition of NBCSN Fight Night at Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem features the twelve-round heavyweight match-up between Tomasz “Goral” Adamek and Vyacheslav “Czar” Glazkov for the IBF North American Heavyweight Title and IBF #2 Position Eliminator. The co-feature is a ten round light heavyweight match-up between Isaac “Golden Boy” Chilemba and Denis “The Pirate/Drago’s Son” Grachev. Doors open at 6:00 PM ET. The co-feature and main event will be broadcast live on NBCSN Fight Night at 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT. Tickets are no longer available. The card is presented by Main Events, Peltz Boxing, Ziggy Promotions, and Pushka Promotions in association with BAM Boxing and Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem.

NBC Sports Live Extra:

NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets – will live stream Fight Night at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT on March 15th.

Coverage will be streamed via “TV Everywhere,” the media industry’s effort to make quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.

For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app for mobile devices and tablets is available at the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and on select Android handset and tablet devices within Google Play.

All NBC Sports Network live events live stream to PCs, mobile devices and tablets through NBC Sports Live Extra, and to the digital platforms of participating cable, satellite, and telco services, via “TV Everywhere,” which is available on an authenticated basis to subscribers of participating MVPDs.

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Sherman Oaks, CA (March 12, 2014) – Former world title challenger Vanes “The Nightmare” Martirosyan opened the doors to his training camp to the Los Angeles media on Tuesday afternoon, just ten days prior to his return to battle at “HOMEWARD BOUND” on Friday, MARCH 21 against Mario “Aguila” Lozano at the Morongo Casino Resort Spa in Cabazon, California and televised LIVE on ESPN Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra.

Joining Vanes at the Ten Goose Boxing Gym in Van Nuys, California were promoter Dan Goossen of Goossen Tutor Promotions and new trainer Joe Goossen. Below are quotes from all three participants.

Vanes Martirosyan:

“This is the first time in my career I feel like a professional. Even though I’ve had a lot of fights, 33-1-1, I have a good team, with a new promoter, working with Joe Goossen, I feel like I’m finally home and it makes me feel like I’m a professional and I plan on showing everyone with my performance on March 21.”

Dan Goossen, President of Goossen Tutor Promotions:

“Right now it’s not about only winning, it’s making a statement in victory. And on March 21st, I believe Vanes is going to do just that. I’ve been following his career for a long time, I believe it was a great signing for the company and what he’s done in the past is nothing to what we expect to see from him in the future. On the 21st we are going to see a rejuvenated world-class fighter in the ring at Morongo on ESPN.”

Joe Goossen, Trainer of Vanes Martirosyan:

“I’ve had the opportunity to work with world champions and world contenders. The work Vanes is putting in right now is exceptional and he is on his way to becoming a world champion. He has great foot movement, quick hand speed and a dynamite right hand…all the elements of a future world champion.”

Martirosyan vs. Lozano, a 10-round junior middleweight bout is presented by Goossen Tutor Promotions.

Advance tickets for “HOMEWARD BOUND” are priced at $55 (sold out) and $35 (less than 100 left) with a $1.50 service fee if purchased from the Morongo Casino Resort Spa Box Office (Phone 951-755-5391). Regular fees apply through (Ticketmaster). Hotel reservations can be made by calling the Morongo Casino Resort Spa (888-Morongo).

Doors on the night of the event will open at 3:30 p.m. with the first bell at 4:30 p.m.

Pictures Courtesy Goossen Tutor Promotions

About Morongo Casino Resort Spa:

Morongo (morongocasinoresort.com) is the premier gaming resort in California. Located in Cabazon, California, in the scenic Coachella Valley, Morongo is a prime getaway for residents of Orange County, Ontario, Palm Springs, Palm Desert and Los Angeles. Earning the prestigious AAA Four Diamond Award for nine consecutive years, Morongo offers 310 well-appointed rooms and suites, a 150,000 sq. ft. casino floor, ten restaurants and lounges and continuous world-class entertainment offerings. One of the largest tribal gaming facilities in the country Morongo Casino Resort & Spa is owned and operated by the Morongo Band of Mission Indians.

For more information, follow Dan Goossen/Goossen Tutor on Twitter @DanGoossen, @GoossenTutor and Vanes Martirosyan @VanesBoxing.

LONDON (March 12) – Unified light-welterweight world champion Danny Garcia is unfazed at being overlooked as Floyd Mayweather’s next opponent.

The undefeated 25-year-old knows that victory this Saturday night against Mauricio Herrera, live and exclusive on BoxNation, will herald further calls for him to be the next man to face pound-for-pound king Mayweather.

Having blitzed his way past a host of top names in the 140-pound division, Garcia has emerged as one of boxing’s leading lights and returns to action in Puerto Rico this weekend following his momentous victory over Lucas Matthysse last September.

That time he was fighting on the undercard of Mayweather’s record breaking showdown with Canelo Alvarez, with his highly impressive victory over the feared Argentine Matthysse leading to calls for him to be next to challenge the man headlining the bill.

However, Garcia was overlooked as Mayweather’s May opponent at the expense of the hard-hitting Marcos Maidana, though he is unperturbed by this, despite many believing he should have been in the big money sweepstakes.

“I’m a boxer, at the end of the day I like to fight the best, so you know that’s what my manager wanted, and that’s what my team wanted, and that’s what I want,” Garcia said, speaking on fighting Mayweather.

“Destiny is destiny. I’m okay with whatever happens. I don’t question my manager’s job, I never did, and I think that’s why we’re in the position today where people think I should be fighting him [Mayweather] and people think I deserve to fight because my manager and my promoter did a great job so far.

“We weren’t really pressing for the fight, we just let Golden Boy do their job and I let Al Haymon [manager] do his job. So, I think they’re doing a great job and I’m doing my job, and hopefully the fight might happen one day,” said Garcia.

The WBC, WBA and Ring Magazine light-welterweight world champion is well aware that should he continue to impress up against the skilled Mexican-American Herrera he will be one of the leading candidates to fight Mayweather in the near future.

Philadelphia born Garcia goes in against Herrera in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, where he will be returning to the birth place of his parents and fulfilling a lifetime ambition of fighting on the mountainous island which has produced a host of world champions including Felix Trinidad and Miguel Cotto.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to fight in Puerto Rico, just to reach out to my fans in Puerto Rico, because I am Puerto Rican and they don’t have a champion right now. So I think this gave me the perfect time for me to go over there and show the Puerto Rican fans that they have a true champion,” he said.

“It’s very exciting, because this is where my family’s from, this is where my roots are and it’s something I always asked Richard [Schaefer].

“I think this is very special to me because this is one of my dreams that I always dreamed of, and to go over there and fight in front of all the Puerto Rican fans that are going to be there is amazing. I’ve never fought in an arena where every single fan was mine, and it’s going to be very special to me and I’m going to deliver,” said Garcia.

Despite going in as the favourite to win the fight, and with apparent big fish to fry, Garcia is adamant that he won’t be underestimating Herrera, the last man to beat the highly touted WBO light welterweight world champion Ruslan Provodnikov.

“He’s a good, tough fighter. I know he wants to be world champion and I know he’s going to come to fight, but I fought many amateur fights, I fought the best pros in the world, and I don’t think there’s anything he can show me differently than I already do,” Garcia said.

“So, I’m going to go in there and do what I do best, and that’s go in there, make adjustments, and get the crowd excited,” he added.

The 33-year-old Herrera is used to going against the grain having turned professional fairly late at 27, beating the tough Provodnikov and taking Mike Alvarado the distance in a closely contested decision.

Herrera is under no illusions that he will enter the ring as the underdog when he steps in against Garcia, though, this is nothing new to the man they call ‘El Maestro’.

“I’m feeling like I’m being overlooked,” said Herrera. “And maybe part of that is because I’m not really known, nobody really knows me. I mean, the same way with Provodnikov when he went up against [Tim] Bradley, I mean, I’ve seen comments and hear people say, who’s this guy? Who’s this ESPN guy? He isn’t going to do anything. What is Bradley fighting this guy for? And as you see what happened, you know, it was a different story,” he said.

“But I feel the same way, I mean, when people don’t know who you are and they see you have some losses, they don’t know your whole story and your whole background, and they see a knockout percentage and they go by that too.

“But all that doesn’t matter, with boxing anything can happen. And they’re going to see that I’m at that level, and that I will rise to the occasion,” Herrera said.

Garcia vs. Herrera is live on BoxNation (Sky Ch.437/490HD & Virgin Ch.546) this Sunday at 2am. Visit www.boxnation.com to subscribe.

-Ends-

About BoxNation
BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated subscription boxing channel. For £10* 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

*Plus £10 one off registration fee for Sky TV and new Livesport.tv customers.

Toronto – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents a live broadcast of ONE Fighting Championship 14: War of Nations mixed martial arts action from Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysiathis Friday, March 14, at 7 a.m. ET.

Fight Network’s live broadcast will be re-aired on Saturday night, March 15, at 9 p.m. ET.

The main event will crown ONE FC’s first welterweight champion when Nobutatsu Suzuki and Brock Larson clash inside the ONE FC cage.

Two of the top bantamweights in Asia, Kevin Belingon and Dae Hwan Kim, will meet in the co-main event, while Adriano Moraes battles Yasuhiro Urushitani and Shinichi Kojima throws down with Andrew Leone in a pair of pivotal flyweight bouts.

ONE FC: War of Nations will also see the heavily anticipated rematch of Asia’s top female mixed marital artists as Sherilyn Lim takes on Ann Osman.

Two-time BJJ world champion Ariel Sexton takes on UFC veteran Kamal Shalorus in lightweight action with former ONE FC champion KotetsuBoku facing Frenchman Arnaud Lepont in another 155-pound clash.

Rounding out the card, Malaysian MMA star Peter Davis battles Pakistan’s Waqar Umar, Filipino featherweight champion Harris Sarmiento tangles with No-Gi BJJ world champion Herbert Burns and Malaysian Muay Thai specialist SaifulMerican takes on Cambodian standout KhimDima.

CEO of ONE Fighting Championship Victor Cui stated, “Following the resounding success of ONE FC’s jam-packed events in Malaysia in 2013, we are returning to Kuala Lumpur with one of the best cards in the organization’s history. Fans around the world have been eagerly awaiting the next ONE FC World Championship title belt to be introduced, and now, the wait is over. The ONE FC Welterweight division is filled with the most talented mixed martial artists in the world and we will crown the best of the best when Nobutatsu Suzuki meets Brock Larson. Our passionate fans in Malaysia will be treated to a night of unforgettable mixed martial arts action!”

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

Springfield, VA. (March 12, 2014)–This Saturday night at the Springfield ABC in Springfield, Virginia, Gulfstream Promotions presents a big night of boxing featuring top prospects and undefeated boxers.

In the main event, Brandon Quarles of Alexandria, Virginia will face Travis Davidson in the six round Middleweight bout.

Quarles has a record of 11-2-1 with 4 knockouts and is coming off a 1st round stoppage over Zain Shah on November 9, 2013 in Springfield, Virginia.

Davidson of Vinton, VA is coming off a 1st round stoppage over Jamil Ramseur (1-0) on March 1st in Lynchburg, VA.

In an eight round co-feature, undefeated Welterweight Anthony “Juice” Young (9-0, 4 KO’s) of Atlantic City, NJ takes on veteran Reggie Nash (10-36-1, 2 KO’s) of Grand Rapids, MI.

Young has a win over Jose Javier Calderon (4-1) and is coming off a 4 round unanimous decision over James Harrison on September 13, 2013 in Newark, NJ.

Nash is a 12-year pro who has victories over Chad Wright (8-2), Omar Ballard (1-0), Angel Hernandez (5-0), Ivan Robinson (31-8-2) and also battled undefeated Frank O’Neil (7-0-1) to a draw. Nash and has faced 10 undefeated fighters. He is coming off a 3rd round stoppage defeat to Ahmad Cheiko on November 2, 2013 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

In six round bouts:

Jerry Odom (8-0, 8 KO’s) of Bowie, MD will take on William Gill (9-31, 7 KO’s) of Toms River, NJ in a Super Middleweight bout.

Antoine Douglas (12-0, 7 KO’s) of Burke, VA will fight Jeremy Yelton (17-15, 8 KO’s) from Forest City, NC in a Middleweight bout.

In four round bouts:

Edgar Torres (4-0-1, 3 KO’s) of Springfield, VA will tangle with Aloric Carson (0-7) of Indianapolis, IN in a Welterweight bout.

Isiah Seldon (7-1, 3 KO’s) of Atlantic City, NJ will fight an opponent to be named.

Mike Sawyer (4-3, 2 KO’s) of Winter, Park, FL will fight Montrail Speight (0-1) of Wilson, NC

John Magda (4-0, 3 KO’s) of Rutherford, NJ will fight Chorles Parker (1-2, 1 KO) of Wilson, NC in a Super Middleweight affair.

Angel Concepcion (5-0) of Newark, NJ will battle Brandon Johnson (PD) of Indianapolis, IN in a Light Heavyweight fight.

Stephon McDonald (1-0, 1 KO) of Baltimore, MD will battle Anthony Ganaway (0-1) of Wilson, NC in a Welterweight bout.

Seth Billups will make his pro debut against Darrell Martin (4-16, 1 KO) of Baltimore, MD in a Lightweight bout.

Bobby Gunn Jr. of Hackensack, NJ will make his pro debut against Delvin Gist (0-3) of Spartenburg, NC in a Middleweight bout.

Tickets are $50 & $40.

1st bell is 7pm.

Bethlehem, PA: With tickets sold out for the much-anticipated heavyweight battle between Tomasz “Goral” Adamek (49-2-0, 29 KOs) and Vyacheslav “Czar” Glazkov (16-0-1, 11 KOs) at Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem, PA, the only place to catch the fight for the IBF North American Heavyweight Title and IBF #2 Eliminator is on NBCSN Fight Night at 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT on March 15th. The fight, billed “The Crossroads”, is a must-win for both fighters, with each having something to prove.

Adamek, a top five heavyweight, is headed towards the twilight of a stellar career. He was a world champion as a light heavyweight and a cruiserweight but the title of world heavyweight champion has eluded him. The 37 year old has lost only twice in over fifty career fights; one of them at the hands of Vitali Klitschko in his first shot at the heavyweight crown, a tenth round TKO for the WBC World Heavyweight Championship. The winner of his fight with Glazkov will hold the IBF North American Heavyweight Title and will be rated #2 in the IBF heavyweight ratings. Adamek hopes to earn another chance at the world title by handing the young prospect his first defeat. Tomasz knows what’s at stake with this fight, “I want to win this fight and be #2. I want to be #1 and fight Wladimir Klitschko. I lose to his brother and this would be my chance for a rematch. I want to show that two years ago with his brother was my mistake. I want to be mandatory.”

Tomasz “Goral” Adamek
Photo Credits:
Rich Graessle/Main Events
Glazkov, 29, needs to prove he belongs among the elite in the heavyweight division. With this fight, the 2008 Olympic Bronze medalist will look to take on his first top-ranked opponent and keep his undefeated record intact. Despite Glazkov’s excellent amateur record, he knows Adamek has experience on his side and that age is sometimes just a number when he said, “In the heavyweight division anything under 40 is still considered to be of fighting age. That is why I am not going to discount his age or his experience.” He promises to be ready on March 15th, “I have prepared myself the most for this fight and we will see what happens after that.”

Vyacheslav “Czar” Glazkov
Photo Credits: Rich Graessle/Main Events
The crossroads showdown was originally scheduled for the special afternoon edition of Fight Night on NBC on November 16, 2013. When Adamek fell ill with the flu just days before the fight, Garrett “The Ultimate Warrior” Wilson stepped in at the last minute and put on a game performance against Glazkov, entertaining close to one million viewers. Czar defeated Wilson in ten rounds via unanimous decision. Now the showdown between Glazkov and Adamek is finally going to take place on March 15th and NBCSN Fight Night is the only place to catch it live.

“We are excited to showcase a title bout featuring top-tier competitors that our Fight Night audience has become familiar with over the past few years,” said Gary Quinn, vice president of programming & planning for NBC and NBCSN.

Kathy Duva, the promoter of both fighters and CEO of Main Events, said, “When Adamek fell ill in November, we were all devastated. Everyone was excited for the fight. It’s wonderful that we’ve been able to reschedule it and give Fight Night fans the fight they really want to see.”

About March 15th:

The March 15th edition of NBCSN Fight Night at Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem features the twelve-round heavyweight match-up between Tomasz “Goral” Adamek and Vyacheslav “Czar” Glazkov for the IBF North American Heavyweight Title and IBF #2 Position Eliminator. The co-feature is a ten round light heavyweight match-up between Isaac “Golden Boy” Chilemba and Denis “The Pirate/Drago’s Son” Grachev. Doors open at 6:00 PM ET. The co-feature and main event will be broadcast live on NBCSN Fight Night at 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT. Tickets are no longer available. The card is presented by Main Events, Peltz Boxing, Ziggy Promotions, and Pushka Promotions in association with BAM Boxing and Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem.

NBC Sports Live Extra:

NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets – will live stream Fight Night at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT on March 15th.
Coverage will be streamed via “TV Everywhere,” the media industry’s effort to make quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.

For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app for mobile devices and tablets is available at the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and on select Android handset and tablet devices within Google Play.

All NBC Sports Network live events live stream to PCs, mobile devices and tablets through NBC Sports Live Extra, and to the digital platforms of participating cable, satellite, and telco services, via “TV Everywhere,” which is available on an authenticated basis to subscribers of participating MVPDs.

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (March 12th, 2014) — When heavyweight John Johnston made his professional mixed martial arts debut three years ago at the age of 40 with only a few Muay Thai fights under his belt, competing for a title was the last thing on this mind.

“It was one of those things I always thought about,” he said, “but never imagined it could happen.”

As if often the case in a sport as unpredictable as MMA, dreams sometimes come true, and Johnston’s dream of fighting for a title will, in fact, become a reality Friday, March 14th, 2014 when the unbeaten Reading, Mass., heavyweight faces Josh Hendricks for the vacant CES MMA championship at “CES MMA XXII” at Twin River Casino.

Hendricks (19-9, 5 KOs), a 37-year-old Mansfield, Ohio veteran, will have experience on his side, which includes a brief stint with the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC), but Johnston (5-0, 5 KOs) has launched his young career with five knockout wins in five fights, making this a must-see five-rounder on a stacked undercard that also includes seven-time UFC vet Drew Fickett.

“I respect Josh,” Johnston said. “He’s had his run. He’s had some great fights, but every fight is different. I’m expecting the fight of my life.”

In addition to his appearance on UFC 91 in 2008, which ended in a knockout loss to Boston-based heavyweight Gabriel Gonzaga, Hendricks has other ties to New England. He beat Connecticut’s Josh Diekmann at Twin River in 2012 and recently fought West Yarmouth, Mass., prospect Juliano Coutinho, who happens to be Johnston’s jiu-jitsu coach. Johnston actually worked Coutinho’s corner in that fight and has also sparred with Gonzaga, but won’t rely too heavily on the input of others when it’s his turn to face Hendricks.

“Everyone is different,” Johnston said. “When Juliano fought Josh it was a totally different fight because Juliano is real comfortable on the ground and there wasn’t much standup.

“We watch a lot of tapes on the people we’re fighting and figure out what we have to do and what the game plan will be. Going into a fight, we’re always well-prepared and ready to take the fight wherever it goes.”

If Hendricks takes it to the ground, so be it, Johnston says, but the 6-foot-4, 257-pound heavyweight would prefer to trade hands with Hendricks given the fact he’s won all five of his fights by knockout — four in the first round. That doesn’t mean he’s one-dimensional, even if some opponents believe that’s the case.

“My ground game gets overlooked because people never see it,” Johnston said.

Johnston has worked with Division I wrestlers, most notably former Iowa State Hawkeye Quinn Boyce, and fellow MMA vet Pat Walsh to improve his ground game, which has come a long way since his pro debut three years ago.

One of the rare instances where Johnston had to use his wrestling and jiu-jitsu occurred in his second pro fight in 2011 against Shaun Durfee when he slipped on the canvas on the way into the cage and broke his ankle. In the opening round, Johnston thought he saw an opening for a head kick and tried to execute, but his support foot — the one with the broken ankle — gave way and he fell against the cage. Durfee immediately took him to the ground and tried his best to earn a submission, but Johnston held his ground and survived the round.

The fight didn’t last much longer with Johnston earning the stoppage 38 seconds into the second round.

“I was fighting on a broken ankle and he couldn’t submit me or finish me,” Johnston said. “I’m mostly a standup fighter, which is fine with me. I’d rather people see that.”

As far as conditioning goes, particularly for a 43-year-old fighter who has never fought past the second round, Johnston isn’t concerned, not with all the training he’s done since the end of 2013.

“I haven’t had any breaks for a while,” he said. “My last fight was in January and I trained nine weeks for that, and when that was over I got right back into the gym. I’m not worried at all about my conditioning. Our coaches put us through the wringer here. I’ll be ready to go all five rounds.”

Johnston’s improbable run began more than a decade ago when he began training under Mark DellaGrotte at Siyodtong in Boston. Johnston was one of the school’s head Muay Thai trainers, but soon began working — and sparring — with established veterans Jorge Rivera, Stephan Bonnar and Marcus Davis.

“I got the itch to fight,” Johnston said.

After a long talk with DellaGrotte, who has hesitant at first to let Johnston turn pro at the risk of losing one of his best trainers, Johnston made his debut in 2011. Three years later at 43, he’s fighting for a title against a former UFC vet. It’s an improbable story, but not an impossible one, further prove that dreams do come true.

“This is what I do full-time now,” Johnston said. “I’m looking at this one fight at a time. CES is a real good organization and has taken care of me. I’d love to continue with them, but if Bellator or someone like that gets in touch with me, hopefully I can get to a big show before I get to the point where I have to retire. I’m 43 now. I’m not getting any younger, but I’ll keep going until my body tells me I can’t.”

Tickets for “CES MMA XXII” are on sale now at $40.00, $55.00, $100.00 and $125.00 (VIP) and can be purchased online at www.cesmma.com or www.twinriver.com or by phone at 401-724-2253/2254. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

The main event of “CES MMA XXII” features Fickett (42-20, 3 KOs) battling Providence’s Luis Felix (10-7, 3 KOs) in a lightweight bout. Several undercard bouts could steal the show, including the highly-anticipated middleweight bout between UFC vet Thomas Egan (7-4, 6 KOs) of Dorchester, Mass., and Plymouth, Mass., veteran Chip Moraza-Pollard (7-6, 4 KOs) a former Reality Fighting and Bellator contender. Egan, born and raised in Kildare, Ireland, starred on UFC 93 in Ireland.

Looking to keep the momentum going from his win over Chris Woodall in November, former TUF vet Chuck O’Neill (12-6, 4 KOs) of East Bridgwater, Mass., will battle Dade City, Fla., welterweight Roger Carroll (13-10) in a three-round bout. Caroll has won 11 bouts by submission. Lightweight contender Andres Jeudi (5-2, 1 KO) of Somerville, Mass., will face Brendan Rooney (5-1) of Shelton, Conn.

Also on the undercard, rising featherweight star and Johnson & Wales alum Charles Rosa (6-0, 3 KOs) of Boynton Beach, Fla., will return to Twin River for the fourth time in a three-round bout against Philadelphia veteran Brylan Van Artsdalen (9-9, 1 KO), an eight-time Bellator veteran.

Marshfield, Mass., featherweight Brendan Fleming (3-2) will take on Baltimore’s Robert Sullivan (3-1); fellow featherweight Josh LaBerge (8-4, 3 KOs) of Fall River, Mass., will battle Philadelphia’s Steve McCabe (6-14, 5 KOs); Tommy Venticinque (0-1) of Warwick, R.I., will face Rick Rivera of Springfield, Mass., in a welterweight bout; and Winthrop, Mass, featherweight Kyle Bochniak (1-0) will aim for his second win of the year when he faces Marius Enache (1-2) of Philadelphia.

London (12 March) Lenny Daws is “hungrier” than ever as he prepares for his fight at Rivermead, Reading on March 15.

Daws, who lost a controversial decision for the European light welterweight title in June, is out to show his fans a classy performance on the undercard to the first set of MaxiNutrition Knockout quarter-finals, live on Channel 5.

“I’m really looking forward to it, training has gone really good – I’m feeling great, sharp,” Lenny said.

“The fans can expect, hopefully, an outstanding performance, look class, razor sharp and a good show to set me up for something bigger later on in the year.”

The Morden light welterweight, Daws, is a former British light welterweight champion and in June faced Michele Di Rocco for the coveted European title in Italy.

That night ended in controversy for Daws, as he lost a tight points decision, but felt that Di Rocco’s team had used an illegal substance to heal a cut during the fight.

Now, with 26 wins and 10 knockouts to his name, Daws still thinks about that night, but is ready to move forward with his career.

“It plays on my mind a little bit, because I feel that the European title should have been mine and leading to bigger things,” Daws said.

“But, it never went our way out there, so it’s made me hungrier to push on and on Saturday I’m looking to do a job, look good and who knows what’s down the road for me.

“I want to be fighting for a title again, the sooner the better really – I’m just going to focus on what we’ve been doing in the gym and putting it all into the game plan, get the win and we’re a step closer to where we need to go.”

Daws competes on the undercard to English light heavyweight champion, Bob Ajisafe and former British, Commonwealth and European champion, Dean Francis, as they clash for the British light heavyweight title and a place in the next round of the MaxiNutrition Knockout.

Also scheduled to fight on the show is Leon Senior, as he faces former Commonwealth title challenger Tony Hill over 10 rounds, in the second quarter-final of the MaxiNutrition Knockout for the Southern Area light heavyweight belt.

Former Irish lightweight champion Peter McDonagh takes on John Hutchinson for the vacant Irish light middleweight title and also in action are Reading’s own Tamuka Mucha, Thomas Jarvis, Ricky O’Brien and Slough’s John Brennan.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 11, 2014) – IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Bernard Hopkins and WBA Super World Champion Beibut Shumenov held a press conference on Tuesday at The W Hotel in Washington, D.C., to formally announce their world championship unification on Saturday, April 19, live on SHOWTIME® from the DC Armory.

At 49-years-old, “The Alien” Hopkins (54-6-2, 32 KOs), of Philadelphia, is looking to become the oldest fighter in boxing history to unify world titles, while Shumenov (14-1, 9 KOs), of Shymkent, Kazakhstan, is aiming to become the fastest fighter to unify the light heavyweight division with only 15 professional fights under his belt.

In the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® co-main event, undefeated WBO Middleweight World Champion Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin (30-0, 22 KOs), of New York, will defend his title for the third time when he meets former interim WBO Junior Middleweight Champion Lukas Konecny (50-4, 23 KOs) of the Czech Republic.

Tickets priced at $25, $50, $75, $200 and $300, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, went on sale today at 10 a.m. ET and are available online at http://www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations or by calling (800) 745-3000. The DC Armory Box Office will be open on fight night only from 3:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. ET.

Below is what the participants had to say at Tuesday’s presser:

BERNARD HOPKINS, IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion:

“I’m looking to put on something special. Because my thing is, you’re only as good as your last fight. Here in D.C. you’re only as good as your last vote. At the end of the day, I’ve realized that you can be a champion yesterday, but if you dwell on yesterday you will never go forward.

“I’m pretty sure that a lot of people don’t know who Shumenov is. And I tell them he’s a fast guy who is rising in the sport of boxing quickly. He comes to fight and he comes to win.

“You haven’t seen guys rise this quickly in boxing for many years. You usually see 30 or so fights before a guy gets a world title. But I’m not reading into all that stuff. All I know is that the guy signed up to fight a world champion. And he has something that I need to be the undisputed light heavyweight champion of the world. He’s in the way of that.

“Not only is he in the way, I have to use a lot of other things that motivate me even more to be successful on April 19. This fight is about my legacy. I unified the middleweight division and now my goal is to unify the light heavyweight division.

“I am blessed to be here through hard work and disciplinee. Shumenov will learn from this fight because he’s still young and he still has some experience to gain after this fight. But I’m not playing him cheap and I’m not playing him short because anyone who steps in the ring with Bernard Hopkins has the skill to be a world champion.

“I believe I’m the most feared fighter in the world or maybe the last 15-20 years in spite of my age. Love me or hate me, people understand how dangerous I can be to a fighters’ career moving forward.”

BEIBUT SHUMENOV, WBA Super and IBA Light Heavyweight World Champion:
“I’m very excited that I’m going to fight one of the greatest fighters ever. I know that I’ve never faced anyone on his level and I know it’s going to be the hardest fight of my life. But I will do whatever it takes to win this fight. And I’ll do anything possible and impossible to get the victory.

“People will find out on April 19 that I belong in the elite level. That I am the best light heavyweight champion in the world. I’m looking to make a statement to the world.

“I’m confident, he’s confident. You have to be prepared for all styles. I never faced anybody at Bernard’s level. I consider him the best light heavyweight champion. And he is in my way to prove that I am the best light heavyweight champ.

“It’s a dream of mine to have this kind of opportunity. I’ve been ready to fight at this type of level for several years and now I have this platform to show off all my skills.

“I was honored to see the ambassador of our country [Kazakhstan] here. I have a lot of fans here in the U.S. and Las Vegas and all over the country.”

NAZIM RICHARDSON, Hopkins’ Trainer:
“When you’ve been in the game so long that you outlive your nickname … well, this guy has been in boxing longer than the ‘Executioner.’ Now he’s ‘The Alien.’

“It’s been an honor and a pleasure to actually watch him culminate into the type of athlete that he is today.

“A lot of people don’t understand our sport and they don’t understand that 30 in boxing is old. This guy is ancient. You have to sit back and realize how impressive this is.

“Beibut is just an exceptional athlete. If you look at this fast pace he’s been on you have to respect it and the success he’s had.

“But no one can ever tell you what you see when you climb into those ropes and you look across the ring and it’s not a fighter, it’s not a fighter that fights well, it’s not a champion, it’s not an elite-lever fighter. When you look across that ring and you see an absolute legend, no one can tell you what that’s like.

“I hope that we can appreciate this guy [Hopkins] while he’s here. Every single thing this guy does in this sport is history. Every press conference he has, every mouthpiece he puts in his mouth. Everything he does in this sport now is absolute history.”

BRUCE BINKOW, COO & CMO of Golden Boy Promotions:
“D.C. is becoming a hotbed for big fights and we’re excited to bring this world championship unification to our nation’s capital.

“Every time Bernard Hopkins fights it’s a historical event and we also have a world champion who is looking to make his mark and history by taking Bernard’s belt.

“Shumenov has successfully defended his title five times, and this April he gets an opportunity to add his name to the history books if he can do what very few people have done and beat Bernard Hopkins.

“I could remind you that Bernard won his middleweight title in 1995 and successfully defended it 20 times. But what’s really amazing is that Bernard has had a spectacular last couple of years. He’s already twice become the oldest man to win a major world championship and in 2013 he had one of his greatest years ever.

“I believe that if a baseball, football or basketball player was performing anywhere near the level that he is performing at his age he would be in a lab being studied by science. It’s absolutely unbelievable. “

SCOTTIE IRVING, Chairman of D.C. Boxing Commission:
“We’re very happy to have this world title fight here in Washington D.C. When we had the Peterson fight back in January we talked to Bernard and Golden Boy Promotions about having another fight back here in D.C., but what we didn’t know was that Bernard was going to fight here himself.

“What I think that came from was as he walked around the DC Armory, he saw he had a lot of fans enchanted with his boxing career that wanted to see him fight in D.C. So we’re happy to bring this world championship event to D.C. and we’re looking forward to a great fight.”

# # #

Hopkins vs. Shumenov, a 12-round fight for the IBF, IBA and WBA Light Heavyweight World Championship, will take place Saturday, April 19, at the DC Armory in Washington, D.C. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona,AT&T and Casamigos Tequila. The live SHOWTIME telecast will begin at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) and will be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP).

Tickets priced at $25, $50, $75, $200 and $300, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges are on sale now and are available online at http://www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations or by calling (800) 745-3000. The DC Armory Box Office will be open on fight night only from 3:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. ET.

BAYAMON, PUERTO RICO (March 11, 2014) – The media and fans eagerly received Unified Super Lightweight World Champion Danny Garcia and his father and trainer Angel Garcia when they arrived today at San Juan International Airport in Puerto Rico.

In what’s expected to be a highly competitive match up in the main event this Saturday, March 15, on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® live on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT), Garcia (27-0, 16 KOs) will defend his unified super lightweight world title for the fourth consecutive time, this time against Mauricio Herrera (20-3, 7 KOs) in a 12-round bout.

The father and son team were enthusiastically welcomed by media who surrounded them for interviews. Here is what they had to say:

DANNY GARCIA:

“I am not coming here to lose my title. I am going to come and defend like always. It’s not going to be easy. It’s going to be a tough fight but I have prepared like I always prepare. I am ready to defend my title and win.

“I love being in Puerto Rico. I am so excited that they embrace me and I feel that I am giving back to my fans. I want to give them a good show.

“[On what we can expect to see from him on Saturday night] You can expect to see that same fast, powerful Danny. All excitement and they are going to leave knowing that they got their money’s worth.”

ANGEL GARCIA:

“It’s a great honor for me to bring my son, the world champion, in front of our own people where I was born and grew up. I am back at home with my son performing.

“Training went great. It has been the same as the last 26 fights. We trained hard and we didn’t change anything. Everything was the same. The same winning combination and we don’t expect any different results. It’s going to be a win.”

ABOUT “GARCIA VS. HERRERA”:
Garcia vs. Herrera, a 12-round WBC Super Lightweight World Title on Saturday, March 15, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions, Swift Promotions in association with PR Best Boxing and sponsored by Corona and AT&T. It will air as the main event of the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) and will be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP). In the co-main event, Deontay Wilder takes on Malik Scott, in a 12-round WBC Final Heavyweight eliminator bout presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Goossen Tutor Promotions. SHOWTIME Boxing on SHOWTIME EXTREME (7 p.m. ET/PT) will feature Juan Manuel Lopez and Daniel Ponce de Leon in a 10-round rematch for the WBO International Junior Lightweight Title.

Tickets priced at $25, $50, $75, $150, $200 and $400 plus applicable taxes and service charges are on sale now at www.tcpr.com and by calling 787-792-5000.

Historic Hialeah Park, “the world’s most beautiful race course,” will enter into a new and exciting era of sports entertainment when Warriors Boxing presents “Noche de Combates,” a special edition of the popular ESPN Thursday Night Fights, on May 1, 2014 at this iconic South Florida venue.

According to promoter Leon Margules of Warriors Boxing, the ten-round welterweight main event that evening, matching accomplished veterans Roberto “La Amenaza” Garcia (34-3, 22 KOs) of Weslaco, TX and Victor “Mermelada” Cayo (32-4, 23 KOs) of Santo Domingo, DR, should be an action-packed affair.

“Garcia is on the comeback trail and he’s won three straight fights dating back to last August,” commented Margules. “He fought for the WBC International Light Middleweight title against Antonio Margarita in 2010. He lost a unanimous decision, but that’s the only defeat on his record dating back to 2004.”

“Cayo is also trying to work his way back into title contention as well,” Margules said. “He lost a tough fight last year against a real good fighter named Emmanuel Taylor. But in his most recent bout, he knocked out his opponent in the first round!”

In the televised ten-round middleweight co-feature, undefeated Jonathan “Mantequilla” González (17-0-1, 14 KOs) of San Juan, PR will put his near-perfect record on the line against an opponent to be determined.

The undercard will include a ten-round light heavyweight bout featuring knockout artist Yunieski Gonzalez (13-0, 13 KOs) of Havana, Cuba, who will put his perfect record on the line; a six-round middleweight bout in which James McGirt, Jr. (22-3-1, 11 KOs) of Vero Beach, FL, will return for the first time since 2010; a six-round middleweight scrap between Inocente “El Lucero Spirituano” Fiz (16-0, 10 KOs) of Havana, Cuba, and Devon Moncrieffe (9-2, 4 KOs) of Kingston, Jamaica; and a six-round cruiserweight affair featuring undefeated Cuban Vilier Quinonez (7-0, 4 KOs) of Havana.

“I am honored to be working with Leon Margules and Warriors Boxing on this event at historical and beautiful Hialeah Park,” said Warriors Boxing COO, Luis DeCubas. “I would like to thank ESPN’s Senior Director of Programming and Acquisitions Brian Kweder, as well as John J. Brunetti, Sr., John J. Brunetti, Jr., and Frank Fiore from Hialeah Park for helping to make this great event a reality.”

Tickets for “Noche de Combates,” which will be on sale starting Monday March 17, can be purchased at www.ticketforce.com, as well as www.hialeahpark.com, and also at the Hialeah Park Racing & Casino box office. For more information, call the special boxing hotline at 786-483-7444.

Hialeah Park & Casino is located at 2200 E 4th Avenue in Hialeah, FL. On fight night, Thursday May 1, 2014, gates will open at 6:30 PM ET and the first fight will be at 7:00 PM ET. All bouts are subject to change.
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 it’s 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.

Nedal Promotions is set to bring another pulse pounding night of professional boxing back to the Hamilton Manor in Hamilton, Township, New Jersey on Friday March 14th featuring an eight round light heavyweight crossroad battle between Roland Bryant (16-3, 11Ko’s) and William “The Iceman” Santiago (6-8-1, 2Ko’s). Both fighters look to bounce back from two consecutive losses and know a win is essential for the careers in the ring. Rowland knows a win could move him back one step closer to contender status. It will not be easy though as standing in his way will be the upset minded William “The Iceman” Santiago, who has taken on some of the best and recently handed light heavyweight Vincent Miranda (16-1, 9Ko’s) the only loss of his professional career. A win for Santiago would put a signature victory in his cap and in line for more lucrative fights. In the co-feature of the evening, Philly middleweight prospect Fred Jenkins Jr., (6-1, 2Ko’s) will be tested by Camden, New Jersey’s Gilbert Alex Sanchez (2-3, 2Ko’s) in a six round scrap.

The undercard looks to be loaded with local and regional talent ready to test their metal at the regal Hamilton Manor.

There will also be a special four round women’s flyweight contest featuring Las Vegas Nevada’s Mikayla “MK Ultra” Nebel (0-5) against Christina Fuentes (2-5-3) of Laredo, Texas.

Local crowd favorite Rami Ibrahim (4-8-1, 1Ko) of Philadelphia, PA should continue to thrill his raucous fan base with an entertaining four round junior welterweight contest against hard luck Jason Sia (0-5) of Ewing, New Jersey.

If heavyweights are your bag of choice, then you won’t want to miss debuting Patrick O’Connor as he squares off against Aaron Leonard 1-1-1, 1Ko) in a four round scuffle.

Two hungry cruiserweights are ready to lay it on the line in their professional debuts as Newark, New Jersey’s Hector Perez tangles with Atlantic City’s Terrance Forbes in a four round clash.

Undefeated welterweight Jeff Lentz (2-0, 1Ko) of Lanoka Harbor, New Jersey looks for his third victory as a pro when he swaps punches with the dangerous Shakir Aquel Dunn (1-1, 1Ko) in a four round contest.

Junior middleweight Glenwood “Bo” Latimer (1-0) looks to shake off almost two years of ring rust when he faces debuting Rafael Pingion in a four round scuffle.

Undefeated lightweight Samuel Teah (2-0, 1Ko) will swap punches over four rounds with Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s Deshawn Debose (0-1).

Tickets for this exciting night of action packed fights are priced at $50 for general admission,
$75 VIP and $100 for special VIP seating with dinner included. Tickets can be purchased by calling (609) 209-5642.

Bethlehem, PA: On March 15th Tomasz “Goral” Adamek and Vyacheslav “Czar” Glazkov will finally meet in the ring live on NBCSN Fight Night from Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem. The fight was supposed to take place last November but Adamek had to postpone at the last minute when he came down with the flu. Now the match-up that everyone has been waiting for will happen in front of a packed house at Sands (less than forty tickets remain).

“Czar” Glazkov
Photo Credits: Mike Gladysz/Main Events
This “Crossroads” fight has everyone wondering whether experience or youth will prevail. According to Hall of Fame Matchmaker J Russell Peltz, “When you add all the positives and negatives about each guy, you realize that no one is betting the bank on either man and that’s why it’s a good matchup, an intriguing matchup. Will Adamek’s experience, mobility and will to win overcome Glazkov’s youth and strength?” Those positives and negatives are highlighted below in the Adamek-Glazkov Scouting Report:

Category
Tomasz “Goral Adamek
Vyacheslav “Czar” Glazkov
Age
37
29
Record
49-2-0, 29 KOs
16-0-1, 11 KOs
Weight
222
220
Strengths
Adamek is an experienced fighter. He has fought 339 rounds and he has an uncanny ability to find a way to win.

Glazkov has remained active. He has boxed 17 times since turning pro in 2009. Glazkov is in the prime of his career. He competed in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and won a Bronze Medal.
Weaknesses
In the twilight of his career, Adamek has been less active. He boxed just once in 2013. He sometimes likes to brawl too much.
Glazkov has not fought many experienced opponents and he can be a slow starter.
Experience
Adamek has faced top-notch opponents: Vitali Klitschko, Chris Arreola, Chad Dawson and Steve Cunningham. He won world titles at cruiserweight and at light-heavyweight. In 51 fights, he has lost just twice, by unanimous decision to Dawson in 2007 and by TKO to Klitschko in 2011.
An extensive and impressive amateur career and his Olympic experience has prepared Glazkov to compete on the big stage but he is far less experienced as a pro. He defeated Garrett Wilson on two days’ notice when he was set to fight Adamek and was willing to fight anyone. Glazkov fought the cagey Malik Scott in his 15th pro fight.
Power
Adamek has been a heavyweight for four-and-a-half years. He has grown into his power, though it is average for a world-class heavyweight.
Glazkov does not have one-punch power, but can break someone down. His power also is average.
Speed
A smaller heavyweight, Adamek possesses more speed than some of the bigger men in the division. He is relatively quick for a heavyweight.
A natural heavyweight, Glazkov did not grow into the division like Adamek. He still is a smaller heavyweight so he, too, is relatively quick.
Endurance
Adamek has proven that his endurance is one of his biggest assets. He finished strong against Dawson and stronger than his opponents in most of his close fights. He lasted 10 rounds with Klitschko, who out-weighed him by 37 pounds. Adamek has gone 12 rounds nine times.
Glazkov has shown he can go 10 rounds, but has never has gone 12; this will be his first scheduled 12-rounder. Still untested, Glazkov finished strong in his 10-round draw with Malik Scott. He has gone 10 rounds three times.

Accuracy
Adamek throws a lot of punches, but his connect rate is less than scintillating. Adamek connected on 167 of the 705 punches (24%) he threw in his 10-round unanimous decision win over Dominick Guinn on Aug. 3, 2013.
Glazkov is more accurate with his punches and does not throw as many as Adamek, so his connect rate is higher. In his 10-round draw with Malik Scott on Feb. 23, 2013, he threw 463 punches and landed 127 of them (27%).
Agility
Adamek moves like a smaller man.
Glazkov also moves like a smaller man. He can also walk around the ring on his hands which takes tremendous balance and agility to do.
Defense
Defense is not in Adamek’s vocabulary; his offense is his best defense. He doesn’t move his head enough and he gets hit too much, though he often makes his opponent pay for it.
Defense is Glazkov’s best quality; it is tricky and solid.He deflects punches off of his gloves, elbows and arms. This was especially true against Malik Scott.
Chin
Adamek has been knocked down, but he gets back up and gets stronger. He has a world-class chin.
Glazkov has never been down. However, after only 17 pro fights his chin is still unproven.
Style
Adamek is a straight-forward, pressure fighter.
Glazkov is a slow starter, but picks it up. He is more defensive-minded than Adamek, but tends to get more aggressive as the fight goes on.
Intangibles
With years of professional experience as a world champion and as a world-class heavyweight, Adamek knows his craft and is comfortable in the ring. His will is as strong as his chin.
Glazkov has youth on his side. His Olympic bronze medal indicates that he is an elite heavyweight. He will not be intimidated.
Crowd Support
Adamek will bring his vocal legion of Polish supporters to Sands.
Though he is making inroads among Ukrainian-Americans, Czar hasn’t been around long enough to develop a large following in the US and his countrymen are likely distracted by the unrest in Ukraine.
The Match-Up
This is a 50/50 fight and these are the lingering questions:
Will Adamek’s age be a factor?
Will Glazkov’s be able to overcome his inexperience?
Has Adamek’s inactivity helped him to recover better from past wars in the ring or will he be burdened by ring rust?
Will Glazkov’s chin and will hold up to Adamek’s straight-forward punches?
Who learned more from their sparring sessions?

Heavyweight Steve “USS” Cunningham, who is scheduled to square off against Amir Mansour on the April 4th edition of Fight Night and has fought against Adamek twice in his career, also thinks this is a wild card fight, “This will be a good fight. It’s two Europeans fighting each other but Adamek has meshed his European style with an American style so it makes for an interesting match-up. I’m going with Adamek for experience on this one, but it would not surprise me if Glazkov really steps up.” One thing is for sure, this fight brings more questions than answers to the table but the wait will be over soon.

About March 15th:

The March 15th edition of NBCSN Fight Night at Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem features the twelve-round heavyweight match-up between Tomasz “Goral” Adamek and Vyacheslav “Czar” Glazkov for the IBF North American Heavyweight Title and IBF #2 Position Eliminator. The co-feature is a ten round light heavyweight match-up between Isaac “Golden Boy” Chilemba and Denis “The Pirate/Drago’s Son” Grachev. Doors open at 6:00 PM ET. The co-feature and main event will be broadcast live on NBCSN Fight Night at 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT. Tickets start at $55 and are available through TicketMaster.com (key word: Peltz Boxing). The card is presented by Main Events, Peltz Boxing, Ziggy Promotions, and Pushka Promotions in association with BAM Boxing and Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem.

NBC Sports Live Extra:

NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets – will live stream Fight Night at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT on March 15th.

Coverage will be streamed via “TV Everywhere,” the media industry’s effort to make quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.

For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app for mobile devices and tablets is available at the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and on select Android handset and tablet devices within Google Play.

All NBC Sports Network live events live stream to PCs, mobile devices and tablets through NBC Sports Live Extra, and to the digital platforms of participating cable, satellite, and telco services, via “TV Everywhere,” which is available on an authenticated basis to subscribers of participating MVPDs.

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Bad news for boxing fans. The Sauerland Event show on March 29th at the Velodrom in Berlin, Germany has been cancelled.

WBO Cruiserweight Champion Marco Huck, who was aiming to defend his title for a record thirteenth time against Mirko Larghetti, has suffered a fractured thumb in sparring and is now unable to compete.

Huck’s injury is the latest in a series of unfortunate events that has led to the cancellation. The WBO Champion was himself a late addition to the show, stepping in for stable mate Yoan Pablo Hernandez, who was originally set to top the bill but had to withdraw due to a viral infection.

“I cannot remember having this much bad luck with a single event,’’ said promoter Kalle Sauerland. ‘’First, we had to postpone the show due to Hernandez suffering from a lengthy illness and now it’s more bad news with Huck breaking his thumb. In the end it’s all about the health of our fighters. I am sorry for all the fans who were looking forward to this show.”

Note: All money for tickets will be refunded to the respective box offices. Please contact your point of purchase for further information.

REDWOOD CITY, CA (March 11, 2014) – IBA Super Flyweight Champion, Bruno Escalante (12-1-1, 6 KOs), will defend his title against Victor Ruiz (12-2, 9 KOs) Saturday April 5, 2014, at the Cache Creek Casino Resort in Brooks, California. The 10-round bout will be the main event attraction of the evening.

After making his 2014 debut a few weeks ago, a non title bout where de destroyed Lorenzo Trejo in one round, Escalante now faces his most dangerous opponent to date in Ruiz. A focused Escalante, who resides in Redwood City California by way of Cebu, Philippines, knows he’s in a tough fight, but feels confident he’ll come out victorious.

“Ruiz has a lot of power so I will have to be very alert with every punch he throws, said Escalante.”These are the type of fights that bring out the best in me. I’ve worked really hard to get to this point and I’m not going to fail. I’m going to dictate the tone of this fight and show Ruiz that I mean business.”

Ruiz, of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, has won nine of his last ten bouts. His most recent win came against Jaime Diaz, back in September of 2013. Although he hasn’t faced the level of competition that Escalante has, Ruiz promises to bring the fight to Bruno.

“Escalante has never been in the ring with a fighter like me.” said Victor Ruiz. “I’m going to go right at him and bring a lot of pressure. I’m always going for the knockout and if I have Escalante hurt I’m going for the kill. I’m going to make it a war!”

Escalante is riding a 7-fight winning streak. His confidence is at an all time high as he looks to continue on his path to a major payday. A win against Ruiz will get him closer to a big-time fight.

“I have dreams of making it to the top,” Escalante continued. “A victory against a tough opponent like Ruiz will get me one step closer to that big fight. My trainers Brian Schwartz and Mike Bazzel have a nice game plan that I will execute. I’ll be ready for anything Ruiz brings. The time is now to step up my game and take my career to the next level.”

This bout is being promoted by Don Chargin Productions & Paco Presents. Tickets priced at $65, $95 and $125, are on sale now and can be purchased at cachecreek.com, tickets.com, and pacopresentsboxing.com. The weigh-in will take place at Cache Creek Casino Resort on Friday April 4 starting at 3 p.m.

The Cache Creek Casino Resort is located at 14455 Highway 16 (at the corner of Wintun Road) in Brooks, California 95606. Doors open at 5:00 pm PT, first fight at 6:00 pm P