New York, NY (1/24/14) – Next Friday, January 31st, on the eve of Super Bowl weekend, DiBella Entertainment, in association with GH3 Promotions and Greg Cohen Promotions, will host that week’s edition of ESPN Friday Night Fights from the Richard J. Codey Arena, in West Orange, NJ.

As previously announced, the special-edition Friday Night Fights triple-header will be headlined by highly regarded light heavyweight contender Blake Caparello (18-0-1, 6KO’s) making his much anticipated U.S. debut when he takes on the always-exciting Elvir Muriqi (40-5, 21KO’s) in a 10-round light heavyweight showdown. Junior featherweights Luis Rosa (15-0, 7KO’s) and Jorge Diaz (17-2, 10KO’s) meet in the eight-round co-feature, which is guaranteed to be a barnburner, and opening up the telecast will be 19-year-old sensation Dusty Hernandez-Harrison (19-0, 11KO’s) in his national T.V. debut when he squares off against Tim Witherspoon Jr. (10-3-1, 2KO’s) in an eight-round welterweight contest.

The triple-header is presented by Corona Extra ESPN will begin live coverage at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2, broadband Spanish-language ESPN Deportes+ and WatchESPN.

The remainder of the card features an array of up-and-coming talent and top prospects, with eight of the participants entering their bouts with undefeated records.

Looking to get his promising career back underway in 2014 will be former amateur standout Mikey Faragon (18-0, 8KO’s) taking on Joaquin Chavez in an six-round lightweight matchup. Faragon was forced to sit out all of 2013 due to some lingering injuries, but is now ready to pick up where he left off in 2012 and begin his climb up the lightweight world-ratings.

Fighting in separate bouts will be three of the brightest and most promising young stars on the DBE roster, when Junior Younan (2-0, 2KO’s), Patrick Day (5-0-1, 2KO’s) and Louis Cruz (5-0, 3KO’s) all see action on the card.

The 18-year-old phenom Younan, nicknamed Sugar Boy, had an astounding amateur career, which saw him first pick up a pair of gloves at just two years old and go on to win nine national titles, as well as a slew of other regional titles and championships. Rather than hold out for the 2016 Olympics, Younan opted to turn pro, and has thus far looked sensational in his two bouts. Younan has yet to see the two-minute mark of the first round, and needed just 0:23 to finish off his last opponent in December. His career, being guided by the same management team as top pound-for-pound boxer Andre Ward, Younan is set to take on Thomas Allen (1-3, 1KO) in four-round super middleweight matchup.

Former NY Golden Gloves champions Day and Cruz will both compete in six-round bouts, with Day taking on Guillermo Ibarra (10-4, 6KO’s) in their junior middleweight matchup and Cruz squaring off against Jose Santiago (3-4, 3KO’s) in their lightweight contest.

Jersey City’s fan-favorite Patrick “Paddy Boy” Farrell (8-2-1, 4KO’s) will also be seeing action on the card when he takes on an opponent TBA in a six-round cruiserweight matchup. A graduate of La Salle University, the Jersey City fireman has continuously excited crowds with his aggressive fan-friendly style since turning pro in 2009.

Joining the Jersey-native Farrell on the card will be local undefeated products Wanzell Ellison (9-0-1, 5KO’s) of Newark, NJ, and Rickey Edwards (3-0, 2KO’s), of Paterson, NJ. Ellison will put his undefeated record on the line when he takes on Dominick Coca (8-6, 2KO’s) in a six-round junior lightweight matchup, while Edwards squares off against Justin Robbins (2-4, 1KO) in a four-round junior welterweight contest.

Rounding out the card will be promising undefeated welterweight Cecil McCalla (16-0, 6KO’s), out of Randallstown, MD, taking on an opponent TBA in a six-round welterweight matchup, and Philly’s Samuel Teah (1-0, 1KO) competing against Jersey City’s Andrew Bentley (1-1).

Tickets are priced at $150, $100, $75 and $40, and can be
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LONDON (Jan. 24) – Arguably the two most rugged operators in the cruiserweight division renew acquaintance this Saturday when WBO king Marco ‘Kapt’n’ Huck and veteran nemesis Firat Arslan collide at the Hanns Martin Schleyer Halle in Stuttgart.

Their initial ‘bang up’ in November 2012 was a truly brutal affair and, though Huck retained by unanimous decision, several felt the 43 year old Turkish descendant was hard done by.

Both will be fired up to assert their supremacy beyond doubt this weekend in a slug out that won’t be for the faint of heart and British fans can savour the action live by tuning into BoxNation, the Channel of Champions (Sky Ch.437/Virgin Ch.546).

In search of some expert analysis of the 200lb showdown, boxing writer Glynn Evans called up Tony ‘The Conqueror’ Conquest – the Romford crowd pleaser who challenges Australia’s Daniel ‘The Doberman’ Ammann for the vacant Commonwealth strap at the York Hall next month.

Tony says: “I thought Huck was very lucky last time. I don’t think he was expecting the intensity of the fight that he got. After competing well in his heavyweight title challenge to (Alex) Povetkin, then coming through all those tough, tough battles with Ola Afolabi, it seemed as if he underestimated Arslan. I think he expected it to be easy. But Arslan really came to win.

I’ll definitely be tuning into BoxNation on Saturday to catch the rematch. I always love watching ‘Kapt’n’ Huck. You know exactly what you are going to get. Excitement. Even if the first four or five rounds are boring, you can guarantee that, once he warms up, it’s going to ‘kick off’ eventually. He just loads up and swings. His right hand is always cocked and he slings it from the opposite corner post.

In addition to the first Arslan fight, I’ve seen pretty much all his other title fights that have been screened in the UK – going back to his stoppage loss to Steve Cunningham (TKO12, December 2007) – so I’m pretty familiar with him.

He’s always game for a fight, always turns up in terrific shape and he’s very big and strong. His best attributes would definitely be his toughness and his fighting spirit.

Technically, he does nothing outstanding. He’s got that typical upright East European stance. He just loads up and he can look a bit ‘novicey’ at times. He’s very ploddy, and usually takes a few.

His jab can be a bit lazy. He drops the left which leaves him open to right hands over the top. Trouble is, they never seem to worry him. He’s such a rough old boy. You’d need an iron bar to repel him! When Cunningham stopped him it was more a case of exhaustion in his first world title fight, than any fragility.

For me, Huck is the number one cruiserweight operating right now. I’ve not seen a great amount of (WBC champion Krzysztof) Wlodarczyk though I know he’s a big strong southpaw. Guillermo Jones is super tough but failed a drugs test so you can’t respect him and, though I love (reigning WBA czar) Denis Lebedev, I’m not sure he’d be big enough or strong enough to hold Huck off.

The most appealing fight would be Huck against Yoan Hernandez (the IBF boss). The Cuban is fast and loose limbed and Huck seems to struggle more with the mobile types but Hernandez’s condition doesn’t appear the greatest. I’d back Huck to be too strong and to outlast him. Hernandez likes to bully opponents but he’d not bully Huck.

But Huck mustn’t overlook Arslan. Other than their first fight, I’ve not seen much of Arslan but I’ve read plenty.

For a small, short southpaw, he’s got high technical ability; a nice tidy style. Like Huck, he whips himself into terrific shape. Clearly he’s a diligent trainer who’s very sturdy and, against Huck last time, he really gave it everything. I was very impressed.

Given he’s 43, he can maintain a very high workrate. Last time, Huck was forced to give rounds away. It was Arslan who looked fresher. His one shortcoming appears that I don’t think he’s much of a hitter at the weight.

To give himself the best chance of springing an upset, Arslan needs to advance with his hands tight, like Felix Sturm does, and entice Huck to swing and miss. Then he must make sure Huck pays for every miss with sharp, fast counters. Huck is bolt upright.

Arslan needs to make sure that his workrate is high for every round so that he gets Huck to expend energy. Power isn’t crucial for Arslan but he needs to be super fast.

If Huck is to retain his title, he’d be advised to ensure his hands are tight and he keeps the fight long. He needs to feint with the jab, then whip in those uppercuts and that straight right hand down the pipe; the perfect shot against a southpaw.

Both know what each other brings so the ‘feeling out’ process should be short. Within a few rounds I expect it to kick off and for there to be plenty of wild exchanges.

Arslan has proven he can take Huck’s power while Huck will probably be eager to prove he’s definitely the better man; a worthy champion. A lot will depend on Huck’s mindset and what he’s got left. Though he’s 14 years younger, he’s a very old 29. He’s had a few too many wars and I’d not be surprised if Arslan did pull off a surprise or force a draw.

I definitely expect it to go the full distance and think that Huck is probably still a bit too young and too fresh now he’s had a good seven month rest to recharge his batteries. He’ll have had time to look over his mistakes, give Arslan due respect and this time get his tactics right. I’m going with the ‘Kapt’n’ to put his doubters to rest and nick it on points.”

-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.

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Monica Sears
Thank you very much. Thanks, everyone, for joining us today on this call. We have an exciting card to discuss today, headlining with Victor Ortiz and Luis Collazo, who will both be on the line.

Before we get to that, I’d like to turn it over now to Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. Richard?

Richard Schaefer
Thank you, Monica, and hello to all the media members. Thank you for being on today’s call to discuss this Super Bowl week fight, taking place on Thursday, January 30 from the Barclays Center between Victor Ortiz and Luis Collazo.

First of all, a big thank you to FOX Sports 1. We all know that the Super Bowl will be on FOX, and FOX Sports 1 is quickly becoming the leader in sports programming and is doing a terrific job. I want to thank them for their commitment to boxing and making the necessary funds available to bring a big showdown, a fight of this magnitude, to their viewers. So thank you very much to FOX and the entire FOX family.

The fight is sponsored by Corona and Casamigos Tequila. I want to thank our sponsors as well and of course our friends from the Barclays Center led by the CEO, Brett Yormark. The fight will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The Barclays Center doors open at 6 p.m. and the first fight of a loaded card begins at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are priced, as I think it’s a hallmark of Golden Boy events, very attractively, starting at $25; for $25 you can be at the great Barclays Center and witness a fantastic card. There’s a lot of local talent on there. We have Marcus Browne, Emmanuel Gonzalez, Zachary Ochoa and others from the New York area and from Brooklyn.

We have a great televised tripleheader. The opening bout is going to be Gary Russell, Jr. against Miguel Tamayo in an 8-round super featherweight bout. Gary Russell Jr. is continuing to chase the big fights, bigger world title fights. I know some of the media members have attacked him for the quality of opponents and things like that, but I just want to set the record straight here, he was ready, willing, and able to fight Jhonny Gonzalez, has called out Jhonny Gonzalez, we made a substantial offer to Jhonny Gonzalez’s people to get that fight, and Jhonny Gonzalez and his team turned it down. He is, as well, the mandatory for the winner of Salido and Lomachenko and has full intentions to go after the winner of that fight. So, I’m happy to have Gary back to make sure he stays sharp and showcase his immense talents at the Barclays Center against game Miguel Tamayo.

Then, we go to the co-main event, a fighter who is quickly becoming a fans’ favorite in and around New York. He has a very exciting style, a record of 15-0 with 10 KO’s, that is Eddie Gomez, Eddie Gomez from the Bronx. He is taking on another undefeated fighter, Daquan Arnett from Winter Park, Florida, who has a record of 11-0, so this is a battle of two undefeated fighters.

And all that is leading up to the great fight, I call it the Super Fight, between Victor Ortiz and Luis Collazo. For both fighters it’s an important fight, it’s sort of like a crossroad fight, they both know what’s at stake. There’s going to be tremendous exposure on that card on that week in New York, and Luis Collazo, the former WBA Welterweight World Champion who held the belt from 2005 to 2006, is a veteran, is considered to be a veteran, but you have to remember he’s actually only 32-years-young. He’s been coming off two back-to-back wins at the Barclays Center, lost a fight at the Barclays Center, and obviously has his recent victory in September of last year on FOX Sports 1, so he’s another newcomer to FOX Sports 1. He has been waiting, pushing for a big fight and here’s his opportunity to go in against of the marquee names in the sport, Victor Ortiz.

But before I’m going to talk about Victor and all his accomplishments, I’d like to introduce to you now Luis Collazo, with a record of 34 fights, 17 knockouts, of Brooklyn, New York. Luis, please make some opening comments.

Luis Collazo
How are you doing, guys?

Camp has been good. I’m very excited for this opportunity. Thank God I got it and I just can’t wait for that bell to ring January 30th. I’ve waited quite some time and it’s here, just seven days away. I can’t wait.

Schaefer
Great. Thank you, Luis. I mentioned we’re going to, obviously afterwards, make both fighters available to the media on the call for any questions you might have. I was talking about veterans, and you look at Victor Ortiz, who fought, Floyd Mayweather, Andre Berto, Marcus Maidana, Antonio Diaz and Josesito Lopez, you look at all these names I think the word “veteran” sort of comes to mind as well, but in fact he’s only 26-years-young, 26, even though he’s going to be turning 27 the day after the fight, he’s still 26. He has big plans for the 30th and he has big plans for the 31st as well.

He is, without any question, one of boxing’s most charismatic young stars, has made headlines in the ring with his exciting style. People like to see his fights. You just never know what happens, but you know that it’s going to be something exciting. The word “boring” and Victor Ortiz, just don’t go together. There’s always excitement in the air when Victor Ortiz starts that ring walk people are at the edge of their seats.

He has clearly crossed over into the bright lights of Hollywood. He had his controversial fight, there was his controversial fight with Mayweather, where a lot of people felt that it was sort of like a bit of a sucker punch, and obviously he wants to begin the road and hopefully it will lead him to another Mayweather fight. But he knows that he cannot look past Luis Collazo. He has been doing the Dancing with the Stars, has been one of the cast members there and has been as well the fighter, the boxer who has gone the furthest in that challenge, in that competition. Then, most recently he was with The Expendables 3 cast, where he had a significant role and was there with all these stars filming Expendables 3. And now as a fight fan I am happy to say that Victor is back, that the excitement in boxing is back, and it is a pleasure now for me to introduce to you a great guy in the ring, a great guy out of the ring, and that is “Vicious” Victor Ortiz. Victor?

Ortiz
Hey, how’s everybody doing today?

Schaefer
Very good. Do you have any comments on the training, on your coming back? Tell us what’s going on.

Ortiz
Training’s been rough. It’s been tough. My coaches haven’t let up on me, not one day. We’re ready; I’m ready for January 30th. I’ve been waiting for a little while now to get back in the ring, and you know what, what better than to fight a great fighter like Luis Collazo himself. I’m not taking anyone lightly. I’m here; I’ve been training my butt off, and waiting to hear the sound of that bell January 30th.

Schaefer
Great. Thank you, Victor. Operator, if we can open it now to the media, please, so that they can ask questions from Luis and from Victor.

Q
Hello, everybody. Hi, Victor, how are you?

Ortiz
I’m well, thank you. How are you?

Q
I’m good, thank you very much. Victor, it’s been about 18 months, 19 months, I guess, by the time you get into the ring with Luis next week. I know you had the injury that was a big part of your layoff and you did other things, like Richard mentioned, with the Dancing with the Stars appearances and the movie with The Expendables, but can you talk a little bit about your time off away from the ring and how you feel it was either a negative or a positive going forward in your career?

Ortiz
Everything happens for a reason, we never quite get an answer for what reason that happened. At the end of the day, you know what, I took my break and used it for what it was worth. I took my time, let my jaw heal just right, and that was it, but while I was doing that I had some more opportunities arise my way, and went out of my way and do some things that people in the sport of boxing and just in the world period. So, at this point in time I’m ready. I’m back.

Q
When you were away, and I’m sure enjoying those other activities, as you talked about, with the movie and the Dancing with the Stars stuff, while that was going on, though, did you miss boxing, or were you happy to just have probably really the first extended break you’ve had in a long, long time, since you’ve been a pro anyway.

Ortiz
It disgusted me to watch boxing, because a lot of these top contenders or top fighters that are there, they’re only there by mistake. So, I couldn’t bear to watch fighters that I know I can beat time and time again, so I tried to stay away from watching it, and now I’m back and I’m all in.

Q
What is your goal in this comeback?

Ortiz
Well, I never left. I don’t even consider it a comeback. Right after I broke my jaw, a few days later I was in the gym, the boxing gym, hitting a punching bag with my mouth wired shut, so the only difference is this time around we have cameras, we have a television set that’s going to be there watching and recording and broadcasting.

Q
What is your main goal now, is it to regain the title or some other aspect?

Ortiz
Oh, absolutely. I’m 26-years-old, I’ve been waiting for a long time.

Q
Luis, Victor is coming off that long, I guess, about 19-month layoff. I was just looking at your record, in the span of time in which Victor has had his layoff doing his other stuff and letting the jaw heal, you, although you had some long breaks in your career, have been quite busy compared to where Victor was, you’ve had three fights already in that 18 month span. Do you feel like -and three wins, by the way- do you feel like that activity level and the fact, frankly, that you’re fighting at home in Brooklyn is going to have a big impact, that you’ll be fresher than Victor and that having those rounds and that regular activity you’ll be sharp, that that’s going to be a big factor in this important fight for you?

Collazo
Probably. Like you said, I had three fights this last year alone. And eighteen/nineteen months is some time, maybe this break was not on his favor. I don’t know. Only time will tell. Come next week to the show and see for yourself.

Q
Do you think being at home is more comforting for you, or does it make a difference?

Collazo
To be honest, it doesn’t make a difference. At the end of the day, once that bell rings there isn’t anybody going to get into that ring, it’s just you and the opponent. So, you’ve got to go in there and take care of business and that’s it.

Q
All right. One other thing for you guys, the winner of this fight, I’m not sure if the next fight afterwards can be a world title fight, but, Richard, maybe you can address this, Golden Boy has all kinds of guys in the Welterweight Division and the winner of this fight I would think is going to fit right in there with one of those big events. Is that what you think about with what the outcome of this fight will be, that it will push either of you guys into one of those big fights, and maybe, Richard, when they’re done you can address that also. Thank you.

Collazo
Well, right now for me Victor Ortiz is everything, and a victory over him, my future moves on. Otherwise it’s not going to move on; those fights are not going to happen. So right now my main focus is Victor Ortiz, and that’s it, Victor’s in my radar and that’s the only one.

Q
How about you, Victor?

Ortiz
Luis is obviously focused on me and vice versa. That’s the only guy I’m looking forward to right now. You guys can talk and say about the next this and that, but really it’s Luis and I at the end of the day and that’s that.

Q
And Richard, you’re the one that doesn’t have to necessarily think just about the 30th, about the fight they’re having, you can think about what’s ahead.

Schaefer
Oh, my focus is on this fight because this is a big fight and I want to make sure that the exposure and so on. But, yes, I mean, obviously as a promoter I do sort of like look what could be in store and I think if you are Luis Collazo or Victor Ortiz, I mean these are two very recognized names in the sport of boxing, have been both fighters, have been involved in some big fights, and the person, the one who wins this fight is clearly in the mix for some of those bigger showdowns. I think clearly this is a door open to a world title shot and to other big showdowns, no question about it. And I’m not going to go as far as to say well the winner is going to fight Mayweather next, because I don’t think that’s really the statement, but I think the statement is that there is strings of big names out there in the Welterweight Division, I would say about 90% of them are promoted by Golden Boy, and that there is a certain path where the winner of that will eventually … title shot and maybe down the road maybe even a Mayweather shot.

Q
Do you feel more confortable outside or inside of the ring?

Ortiz
Well, pretty much I was forced to be out of the gym, out of boxing for a little while, but I took advantage of that. And now I’m ready for January 30th. Other than that, that’s that. That’s it. And that’s where I’m most comfortable at, boxing. The movies and all that stuff, it comes and goes, but at the end of the day the reality of it is I’m a boxer. That’s where I’m at home. That’s where I’m comfortable

Q
How’s camp going?

Ortiz
Camp is tough. Anybody who says that camp was good and easy is pretty much lying. All I said is Collazo’s a very tough person to fight against and obviously we’ve got to prepare to our full potential and our best because he’s not a guy that … . That’s all I pretty much said.

Q
How does it feel to fight at the Barclays Center?

Ortiz
It doesn’t really matter where a fight is. A fight is a fight, whether it’s here, California, Chicago. At the end of the day it comes down to two warriors. So I’m ready.

Q
How do you feel about fighting Victor Ortiz on January 30?

Collazo
I’m grateful and I’m thankful for fighting a big name as is Victor Ortiz and I’m very excited and I can’t wait for next week.

Q
Victor, are you approaching this as phase two of your career, or a continuation of your career in general, given you’ve had this time off to regroup and kind of reenergize?

Ortiz
You know what, at this point in time, I’m 26-years-old, I mean, I’m not going anywhere any time soon. So at this point in time it’s just a continuation of my career. I never left. I never retired. I never did any of that. I was just taking a break healing, so now I’m back.

Q
Mm-hmm. Have you had a chance to work on some things to maybe expand your arsenal in the ring during this time off? Are we going to see a little different type of fighter maybe than we’ve seen in the past?

Ortiz
I think you can judge that on the 30th.

Q
Mm-hmm, okay. By the way, how did that fragrance thing work out? When I saw you in Vegas you were getting ready to launch that, how did that business go for you?

Ortiz
Oh, it’s great. It’s great. Thankfully, it’s doing all right.

Q
This question is for Luis Collazo. Luis, Victor’s had some interesting finishes to some of his fights, and I wonder when you’re preparing to fight him, do you have to actually train or do you have to take into account the fact that something bizarre might happen in your place? How do you prepare for that?

Collazo
I’m going in for the long haul. Whatever happened in history or whatever happened in his fight, that’s on him, he’s got to deal with it mentally, not me. Come January 30th I’m going to go in there and just try to take him out. There’s no way around it. I’m going to go in there, take care of business, and come out victorious.

Q
Is there any concern that something bizarre might happen in the course of the fight, because they’ve happened in some of his previous fights?

Collazo
To be honest, I don’t know. I can’t tell what’s going to happen in the future. I’m just, when the day comes I’ll definitely be ready for it, and whatever happens, happens.

Q
All right, thanks. I had a question for Richard. Richard, how are you doing?

Schaefer
Yes, good, how are you as well?

Q
Yes, I’m good. Richard, having this fight just a couple of days away from the Super Bowl, just talk about the decision to have the fight so close to the big game.

Schaefer
Well, you know, last weekend I was watching the championship game on FOX and they were talking about the Victor Ortiz fight, and I have to say it was pretty cool. I liked it. It’s great for the sport of boxing to get exposure. It’s great for the sport of boxing to have somebody like FOX and FOX Sports 1 more and more involved in boxing. I think all that is great news for the sport, and it shows you the strength of boxing. To have the added exposure of Super Bowl Week and a lot of people, celebrities, athletes, and so on, are going to be in town and are going to be coming to the fight, I think all that just takes that fight and the exposure to fighters, most importantly to a totally different level. And so I’m happy for the fighters and I’m happy for the sport of boxing to have this big fight during Super Bowl Week.

Q
Is there any concern that maybe some of the attention from the big game will maybe, that the boxing card might get swallowed up because everyone is paying attention to the Super Bowl and they might not realize that there’s a boxing show also in town?

Schaefer
No, I think between the way the Barclays Center has marketed the event and what my team has done, our marketing staff, and what FOX has done, I think there is going to be plenty of attention to the fight. And there’s a time for everything and I think on Thursday night the place to be in New York is going to be the Barclays Center, and so I’m very excited about it.

Q
All right, thanks. And I have a question for Victor. Hey, Victor, how are you?

Ortiz
Good, good, thank you.

Q
Thanks. Victor, does it bother you at all that you have still the reputation of somebody who’s capable of doing something unpredictable in the ring and that whenever you fight there’s always, an anything can happen kind of quality? Does that bother you, or do you kind of just go with it?

Ortiz
Nice comment. The media have their perception. I have mine. They have their comments and concerns. I have mine. At the end of the day it comes down to me.

Q
Victor, I missed you while you were gone. Hey, Richard used the term “veteran” and I know what he means by that, you’re 26-years-old but you’ve been in with some pretty big fights, I mean, and all the guys that you’ve been in fights with have gone on to other big fights. When you hear the word “veteran” and you’re 26-years-old, what does that mean to you when you think about your experiences in the ring, the ups, the downs, having to come back, fighting the best fighter in the world, what does it mean?

Ortiz
I’ve learned a lot. As a young fighter, I learned a lot very quick, and I don’t trade it for anything. I mean, I consider myself a veteran just like Collazo, so I’m right there.

Q
You have told me in the past that you thought Collazo beat Andre Berto, and I wonder also, also being a Southpaw and I know you have different styles, did you take anything away from that fight, since you both fought him, that helped you against Berto and also that will help you in this fight against Luis Collazo?

Ortiz
Well, that’s a question that you’ll have to get an answer to January 30th.

Q
What did you think about his fight with Berto, and what kind of, I guess, respect did you gain about him as a fighter?

Ortiz
He was kind of short on people from that fight. I still think he beat Berto, and that’s that.

Q
Okay. Thanks a lot, Victor. And, Luis, are you there?

Collazo
I’m here.

Q
Yes, I know you said that being at home it doesn’t make a difference, but you told me this is going to be your fourth time fighting at Barclays and it’s also in your backyard and you do seem to have a lot of support there. Is it going to feel like home? Talk about that atmosphere when you walk in there for the fourth time.

Collazo
Well, it’s going to be electric. Any time you fight in New York, the fans alone are just tremendous. They show you tremendous support. And being a local guy is great, is an advantage and that’s going to show come Thursday night. I’m very excited. I’m stoked.

Q
Does it heighten the expectation for you to perform?

Collazo
My main thing is to go out there and stay with the game plan. I’m going to perform regardless. I’m the type of fighter who just wants to give the boxing fans what they want: excitement. That’s my main thing.

Q
Okay, my last question for you, Luis, and I guess, Victor, if you want to weigh in. This kind of has the boxer/puncher feel to it, like Victor being the puncher and you being the boxer, do you see it that way? If not, how do you see the fight developing strategically?

Collazo
Well, you could call it that. I’m not a big one-punch knockout artist, but I think the accumulation of my shots could hurt a fighter. Victor’s known for a big punch, but hey, he fought different people, I’m not those fighters, each his own. Maybe I might take those shots better than other fighters, who knows? Come January 30th we’ll find out.

Q
Thanks a lot. Victor, do you have a comment on that?

Ortiz
No.

Q
All right, thanks a lot, guys. Good luck next week.

Q
Has your break helped you mature as a fighter?

Ortiz
Look, outside of the ring, I’m pretty sure I may have grown a few inches, maybe. I was just being a smart aleck, though. And other than that, I pretty much I didn’t really do anything different. I just kept relevant and just stuck to boxing. I missed it, but I just couldn’t box with a broken jaw.

Q
Victor, where do you see yourself in the future?

Ortiz
There’s one person in front of me right now, that’s Luis Collazo. I don’t look past Luis Collazo. He’s a heck of a fighter, and that’s that.

Q
How does my jaw and spine feel?

Ortiz
They feel good. Thank you.

Q
Luis, do you feel you have advantage over Victor Ortiz?

Collazo
I don’t know, only time will tell. Come next week and find out. I know I’m ready.

Q
Richard, how strong is this site for the year for Golden Boy. Do you think that this is the right stuff for Golden Boy Promotions this year?

Schaefer
Well, you know, last year was a fantastic year. SHOWTIME and Golden Boy had a great year, and so did HBO. So, that’s what happens when you have many of the big names fighting in the last quarter of 2013, you get the year going with a bit of a delay. But I think there are some great fights coming up now, you see this weekend is a very interesting showdown on SHOWTIME between Lamont Peterson and Dierry Jean. Then, of course right after that, the following week we have this great showdown with Victor Ortiz and Luis Collazo. And the reason why I mention the Peterson fight as well and this fight here, they are both in that very hot 140 and 147 pound weight class. It’s sort of like the weight classes where we have, as a company, have focused on the most over the past couple of years, and I think the trend of great showdowns in and around these weight classes is continuing and is clearly carrying into 2014. And then, other than everybody’s waiting for Floyd Mayweather, who is he going to fight at the welterweight limit as well, so there’s a lot of showdowns we’re working on at the 140 and 147 pound weight class and this fight here fits right in, because, as I said before, these are two of the big names at the 147 pound weight class and it’s sort of like it’s a crossroad fight for both guys.

But let’s do one more question and then I want to give the guys enough time that they can go back to the gym and get ready.

Q
Victor, I just had a few quick questions for you, and one for Luis. Prior to you taking a long layoff, obviously you were coming up through the rankings and you became champion, so, there’s a lot of expectations. Do you feel there’s more pressure now that you’ve done the Dancing with the Stars, you’ve done the Expendables 3, and now you have a mainstream audience that doesn’t even usually pay attention to boxing and now knows your name, do you feel that there’s more pressure now after all that media attention, or before when you were rising up the ranks and there was a lot loftier expectations for you?

Ortiz
No, there’s no difference, thankfully. I just keep doing my thing. And I’m just blessed, and for January 30th.

Q
Thank you. Okay, earlier you also said that you were sitting back and you were watching certain fighters that you felt that they were at the top that didn’t deserve it. Who do you think is at the top that doesn’t deserve it?

Ortiz
If I told you, I’d have to kill you. I’m just joking. You know, time will tell. But at this point in time there’s one guy in my way, that’s Luis Collazo. Period.

Q
All right, cool. And I just have a quick question for Luis here if he’s still on.

Collazo
I’m here.

Q
All right, a lot of times obviously when you hear people are talking about your fight with Ortiz they keep talking about the layoff. Do you feel that if you do get past Ortiz that you might not get the credit because they’re going to bring up the fact that he was off for a year and a half?

Collazo
I don’t know. His name alone should just ring bells, I guess. He’s got a high key name in the boxing world, so a win over him, it doesn’t matter how he performs.

Schaefer
All right, thank you. Thank you t

A failed medical test has led to another change of opponent for David Price (15-2, 13 KOs). The British heavyweight will now face Istvan Ruzsinsky (12-9, 8 KOs) on Saturday night in Stuttgart.

‘’It is unfortunate but these things are part of the game,’’ said promoter Kalle Sauerland. ‘’We are happy to have found a suitable replacement who was due to be fighting already and will be in top fighting fit condition.’’

David Price’s first fight with his new promoters Team Sauerland is available to watch on Box Nation from 6pm. Alongside Price’s return, boxing fans can look forward to the rematch between WBO Cruiserweight Champion Marco Huck and Firat Arslan

Shelton, WA (January 23, 2014) All fighters were on weight today for the Goossen Tutor Promotions’ ESPN Friday Night Fights/Little Creek Brawl IV event set for Friday Night, JANUARY 24.

Among the special guests at the weigh-in were former middleweight world champion Frank Tate, legendary trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr., world ranked welterweight contender Josesito Lopez, hot junior welterweight prospect Javier Molina and former female sensation Mia St. John.

Weigh-In Results

Main Event-10 Rounds NABO Light Heavyweight Championship
Thomas Williams Jr., 174.8 vs. Cornelius White, 174.4

Co-Main Event-10 Rounds Featherweights
Rico Ramos, 125.8 vs. Jonathan Arellano, 125.8

Heavyweights-6 Rounds
Malik Scott, 254.6 vs. Grover Young, 240

Junior Welterweights—6 Rounds
Virgil Green, 139 vs. Guillermo Delgadillo, 139.8

Super Middleweights-6 Rounds
Ronald Hearns, 164 vs. Eddie Hunter, 166.4

Featherweights-4 Rounds
Juan Funez, 125.6 vs. Marcelo Gallardo, 126.2

Lightweights-4 Rounds
Sammy Perez, 133.2 vs. Lupe Hudgens, 132.4

Heavyweights-4 Rounds
Michael Hunter, 211 vs. Gary Tapusoa, 211

Heavyweights–4 Rounds
Stephan Shaw, 267 vs. Kyle McNutt, 216

Cruiserweights–4 Rounds
Omotundi Tabiti, 193 vs. Kenneth Gray, 192.8

Advance tickets priced at $30 can be purchased by calling (800) 667-7711 or online at www.little-creek.com Doors will open on the night of the event at 4:30 p.m. with the first bell at 5:00 p.m. For more information and directions to the Little Creek Casino Resort, please visit their website at www.little-creek.com

About Little Creek Casino Resort
Proudly owned and operated by the Squaxin Island Tribe, Little Creek Casino Resort is situated just minutes from Olympia in the heart of the Kamilche Valley. Home to the nationally acclaimed Salish Cliffs Golf Club, the luxurious Seven Inlets Spa, and the state-of-the-art Skookum Creek Event Center, Little Creek Casino Resort offers the latest in electronic and table gaming with one of the largest and newest smoke-free casinos in the region. This 190-room resort boasts the area’s best appointed amenities featuring the latest in concerts and entertainment with numerous casual and fine dining options, truly making it an unmatched destination for the Pacific Northwest

Saturday’s HBO Boxing After Dark doubleheader telecast airs at 9:45 p.m. (ET/PT).

The HBO telecast airs live from the Theater at Madison Square Garden when heavyweights Bryant Jennings and Artur Szpilka square off for 10 rounds.

The main event of the evening showcases a title matchup of super featherweights as undefeated star Mikey Garcia meets Juan Carlos Burgos for 12 rounds.

Official Weights from New York:

Mikey Garcia: 129.2 lbs.
Juan Carlos Burgos: 129 lbs.

Bryant Jennings: 225 lbs.
Artur Szpilka: 223.6 lbs.

Join the conversation on Twitter: #GarciaBurgos

BETHLEHEM, PA (JANUARY 24, 2014)– Tomorrow night at the Sands in Bethlehem, PA, undefeated Bantamweight Miguel “No Fear” Cartagena will make his 2014 debut when he takes on battle tested veteran Felipe Rivas as part of a championship night of boxing promoted by King’s Promotions and XFE Boxing.

Cartagena of Philadelphia, PA has a perfect record of 10-0 with three knockouts and the 21-year old knows that 2014 is a moving year towards a world title shot.

During the camp, he received a good education from another grizzled veteran when he frequently sparred with former world title challenger Rogers Mtagwa.

“I had a great camp and I had good sparring with Rogers,” said Cartagena. “It as a good experience. He is a guy anyone can learn a lot from.”

When asked about Rivas, Cartagena is going in the ring relying on his ability.

“The only thing I know that Rivas is that he is Mexican. Other than that, i really do not know much.”

A three solid wins in 2013, Cartagena believes that 2014 is a year that will put him in position to fight for a world title.

“I feel I have been moved really well. By the end of the year, I feel I should be knocking on the door of a world title shot. I think I will be 16-0 or 17-0 and at my weight there aren’t as many fighters in the division so I feel I can be in position a lot quicker than the other weight divisions.”

“I am glad to be working with my manager Mark Cipparone. 2014 will be another year of dedication and focus. I am ready to start this year with a win.”

Said manager Mark Cipparone of Club 1957 Management, “This is a big fight for Miguel. He is coming along very nicely and He is gaining the interest of a lot of big promoters who have interest in him now. With a good performance, we expect to be signing with one of them in the near future.”

The Cartagena – Rivas 8 round bout is part of a big seven bout card at the Sands in Bethlehem that will be highlighted by a 10 round WBA Fedlatin title bout between Travis Kauffman and Vincent Thompson.

Tickets for this outstanding evening are priced at $200, $125, $75 and $50 (tickets will be $5 more at the door) and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com and www.kingsboxing.com

1st bout is 7:15 with the doors opening at 6:15.

LINCOLN, R.I. (Jan. 23rd, 2014) – Listed below are the final weights for all of the participants for “CES MMA XXI,” live mixed martial arts scheduled for Friday, Jan. 24th, 2014 at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I. The first bout is scheduled for 7 p.m.

As an added bonus, Bellator Season 9 Middleweight Tournament Champion Brennan Ward of Waterford, Conn., and former CES MMA middleweight champion and current Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) contender John “Doomsday” Howard will be available for a meet-and-greet beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Twin River Event Center pre-function area.

TODD CHATTELLE
Pawtucket, R.I.
12-9, 9 KOs
185

SHEDRICK GOODRIDGE
Rahway, N.J.
4-6, 2 KOs
187

ROB FONT
Reading, Mass.
8-1, 2 KOs
145

AHSAN ABDULLAH
Binghamton, N.Y.
5-4, 2 KOs
145

ANDRE SOUKHAMTHATH
Woonsocket, R.I.
7-1, 4 KOs
135

KIN MOY
Cambridge, Mass.
4-0, 1 KO
135

BEKZOD ABDURAKMONOV
Boston, Mass.
4-0, 2 KOs
159

ANDREW OSBORNE
Philadelphia, Pa.
7-7, 2 KOs
161

JOHN JOHNSTON
Melrose, Mass.
4-0, 4 KOs
257

WILLIAM BAPTISTE
Goldsboro, S.C.
2-0, 1 KO
254

DINIS PAIVA JR.
East Providence, R.I.
3-5, 1 KO
140

FRANKLIN ISABEL
Chelsea, Mass.
4-6
144

SHAUN MARMAS
Coventry, R.I.
5-5, 1 KO
135

MATT DOHERTY
Salem, Mass.
2-0, 2 KOs

KYLE BOCHNIAK
Winthrop, Mass.
Pro debut
150

PETER BERTUCCI
Hyannis, Mass.
0-0
149

ADAM QUITT
Framingham, Mass.
1-3
179

TUNDE ODUMUSO
Johnston, R.I.
1-2
192

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Jan. 23, 2014) — Just a couple of days away from the first night of the initial SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING event in 2014, below please find what for Peterson vs. Jean trainers, fighters and promoters had to say at the final press conference at Hamilton Live in Washington, D.C. on Thursday:

Lamont Peterson, IBF Junior Welterweight World Champion
“We’re going to give everyone a great show; make sure you come out and support. Once you’re inside you should be warm and kept plenty entertained by the fighters.

“It should be an entertaining fight, but at end of the day I’m going to come out victorious.

“I’ve seen Jean fight on film. He’s tough. He’s got good speed and power, basically everything that you look for in a fighter. It’s going to be a good challenge.

“I can show you how I come back from a knockout better than I can tell you; you’ll see Saturday night. You just have to forget it, it can happen to the best of us. Even basketball players shoot air ball free throws; sometimes that’s just what happens. I didn’t have a hard time dealing with it, just seemed like the media did.

“We train hard, we go into the fight and we are there to win, but of course there’s a chance you can lose. That’s what happened [with his fight against Lucas Matthysse], but you just have to pick yourself up and move on.

“I have always been someone who thinks you can only be distracted if you allow it. If you don’t allow distractions, then, they won’t happen. I could train every day in this room with all these people in it and I won’t have any distractions. But when you want distractions you’ll have them. I always like to say that I’m here, but I’m not here, my family knows I take this very seriously and they know not to bother me.

“I don’t feel like I have any pressure on me. I don’t feel like I have to prove anything. At the end of the day, I love boxing. That’s why I’m going to fight Saturday night. If I feel like I have to prove you wrong, I’ll stress myself out, so, I just don’t.

“If it was up to me, I would have fought three or four months after my last fight. Jean was the No. 1 contender and we had to negotiate and that stretched it out. Hopefully, next time it doesn’t take so long and I can get back in the ring as soon as possible.”

Dierry Jean, No. 1-Rated IBF Junior Welterweight Contender
“It’s a pleasure to share the ring with Lamont Peterson. He’s a good fighter.

“On Saturday, I’ll show everybody that I’m the best fighter pound-for-pound.”

Camille Estephan, Dierry Jean’s promoter
“I consider Dierry Jean the top pound-for-pound fighter in Canada, and there are some very good fighters in Canada.

“We are here, not as tourists, but for the show and for the belt, and we are going to get that belt.

“It is our turn to shine, it is Dierry Jean’s time to shine.

“People have said that Dierry has not fought the level of opposition that Lamont has, but he has fought very good opposition. Everyone needs a chance and this is ours.
We’re going to grab it, and run with it.”

Jermell Charlo, USBA Junior Middleweight Champion
“Saturday I’m coming here with the mentality of ‘lets get it,’ ‘got to get it,’ ‘lets go.’ I’m not playing games, I live like this and I was brought up for this.

“I started when I was eight-years-old and I’m extremely grateful I have a competitor as a twin brother. We struggled together, we worked hard together, we grew up together and now we’re at a stage in our lives and careers where we have to put up or shut up. We’ve got to stand strong for family.

“I have to win with a KO, it’s a must. The way I grind, I know I push myself to the limit. My standards are high right now, I want titles and I want to be recognized as one of the top 154-pounders.

“Saturday night, expect something crazy. If his face holds up, we’ll go 12 rounds. If not, we’re knocking him out early.”

Gabriel Rosado, Top Junior Middleweight Contender
“I’ve come up short and unfortunately the last fight was a title fight where I suffered a cut late in the fight. I felt that it was a premature stoppage, I felt like momentum was on my side. It was the game plan in the fight, to get Quillin late. He’s a strong fighter and you don’t want to make mistakes with him early. That’s why it’s a 12-round fight for a reason.

“I’m excited because this is a new year and I’m now going back down to super welterweight where I have unfinished business. Last time I fought at 154 was 2012, when I had a great year knocking out Soto Karass, knocking out Powell, and clinching the No. 1 spot in the IBF knocking out Whittaker.

“There’s no secret to my game plan, I’m going to go out and apply smart pressure. I’m not trying to let this go in the hands of the judges. I’m going for the knockout. I’ve already experienced that with J’Leon Love and Peter Quillin, so I want to put my destiny in my own hands. That doesn’t mean I’m going to be reckless, I’m a young veteran. I know how to set a guy up and that’s the plan.

“I think my experience will show against Charlo, I respect Charlo for taking this fight because it’s a really tough fight. I commend him for that. I think he believes in himself, but I believe in myself too. This is about experience and I’m only 28 and I’m reaching my prime. The fans haven’t seen the best of me yet.

“I just want to thank the fans, they spoke up for me. They booed when my last two fights went to decisions and they put their opinions on Twitter and Facebook and they backed me up. When you have that, the network sees that and responds to what the fans want. So I just personally want to thank the fans for supporting team Rosado.”

Bernard Hopkins, Future Hall of Famer and Golden Boy Promotions Partner
“I’m glad to be here in DC, where I have a personal history, but right now it’s about these guys up here. They’re trying to establish themselves as up and coming.

“We believe Gabe received the shot because of the effort that he put together in 2013 on the cuts with Quillin in New Jersey and the Love fight. We don’t know what the outcome would have been.

“I want to say to all of the fighters here today that even if you come up short, when you put that sincere effort forward to stand out amongst your peers, we are going to support you.

“Jermell is a former amateur star, making a name for himself in the junior middleweight division. He will be risking his undefeated record against Rosado this Saturday night. Charlo, I believe, is the next champion in boxing. I really believe he has what it takes to become a star in boxing.”

Chris DeBlasio, Vice President of Sports Communications, SHOWTIME Networks
“I’m proud to be up here and represent SHOWTIME and to be able to definitively say that our network is the No. 1 destination for sports programming in premium television. We have been able to do that over the last two years on the strength of shows like Inside the NFL and 60 MINUTES SPORTS, but boxing for nearly 30 years has been the flagship of sports programming on the network and it will remain as such.

“In the last two years we have risen our SHOWTIME boxing back to prominence by televising the biggest events featuring the brightest stars in the sport and in the most significant fights of their careers. Over the last two years we have been able to exponentially increase our ratings and our viewership has risen a remarkable 60 percent over those two years.

“We intend to continue that success in 2014 and that all begins at the DC Armory this Saturday night, with our first SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING event of the year. The fighters on this card, especially Lamont Peterson and Gabriel Rosado, they have faced the toughest challenges in their divisions over the past two years and they’re doing so again Saturday night.

# # #

Peterson vs. Jean, a 12-round fight for Peterson’s IBF Junior Welterweight World Championship, will take place Saturday, Jan. 25, at the DC Armory in Washington, D.C. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona and AT&T. The live SHOWTIME telecast begins at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) and will be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP). In the co-featured bout, Junior Middleweights Jermell Charlo and Gabriel Rosado square off in a 10-round fight for the WBC Continental Americas Super Welterweight Title. Preliminary bouts will air on SHOWTIME EXTREME® at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Tickets priced at $25, $50, $75, $150 and $250, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, are on sale and available online at www.ticketmaster.com and all Ticketmaster locations, or by calling (800) 745-3000.

Curtis Stevens – Patrick Majewski
Photo credits to Rich Graessle/Main Events

THABISO MCHUNU – OLANREWAJU DURODOLA

Thabiso Mchunu – Olanrewaju Durodola
Photo credits to Rich Graessle/Main Events
FRIDAY, JANUARY 24th NBC SPORTS NETWORK FIGHT NIGHT

RESORTS INTERNATIONAL CASINO AND HOTEL ATLANTIC CITY

Sherifi – July
Photo credits to Rich Graessle/Main Events
6 Rounds – Cruiserweight
Sevdail Sherifi, Albania, 9-2-3, 8 KO’s, 198 lbs.
vs.
Venroy July, St. Catherine, Jamaica, 15-1-2, 6 KO’s, 198 lbs.

Perez – Campfort
Photo credits to Rich Graessle/Main Events
8 Rounds – Junior Middleweight
DeCarlo Perez, Atlantic City, 11-2-1, 4 KO’s, 156.5 lbs.
vs.
Wilky Campfort, Haiti, 15-1, 9 KO’s, 156.5 lbs.

Khusnulgation – Acevedo
Photo credits to Rich Graessle/Main Events
8 Rounds – Light Heavyweight
Ilshat “The Sheriff” Khusnulgatin, Ft Lauderdale, FL, 10-0, 6 KO’s, 173.5 lbs.
vs.
Roberto Acevedo, Bayamon, Puerto Rico, 7-1-4 KO’s, 175.5 lbs.

Romero – Serrano
Photo credits to Rich Graessle/Main Events
4 Rounds – Light Welterweight
Wellingtn Romero, Newburgh, NY 1-0, 136 lbs.
vs.
Ismael Serrano, Bethlehem,PA, 1-0, 136 lbs.

Young – Johnson
Photo credits to Rich Graessle/Main Events
6 Rounds – Light Welterweight
Hassan Young, Philadelphia, PA 4-1-1, 2 KO’s, 141 lbs.
vs.
Justin Johnson, Pittsburgh, PA, 5-5-4, 141.5 lbs.

Rideout – Latham
Photo credits to Rich Graessle/Main Events
6 Rounds – Heavyweight
Mark Rideout, Philadelphia, PA, 4-0-1, 1 KO, 241 lbs.
vs.
Fred Latham, Pittsburgh, PA, 4-0, 2 KO’s, 257.5 lbs.

Thabiso Mchunu
Photo credits to Rich Graessle/Main Events

Olanrewaju Durodola
Photo credits to Rich Graessle/Main Events
10 Rounds – NABF Cruiserweight
Thabiso Mchunu, Natal, South Africa, 13-1, 9 KO’s, 198.5 lbs.
vs.
Olanrewaju Durodola, Lagos, Nigeria, 15-1, 14 KO’s, 199.5 lbs.

Curtis Stevens
Photo credits to Rich Graessle/Main Events

Patrick Majewski
Photo credits to Rich Graessle/Main Events
10 Rounds – Middleweight
Curtis Stevens, Brooklyn, NY, 25-4, 18 KO’s, 160.5 lbs.
vs.
Patrick Majewski, Radom, Poland, 21-2, 12 KO’s, 161.5 lbs.

# # #

MEDIA CREDENTIAL PICK UP: Friday, 1/24 – beginning 5:45PM ET at Resorts Casino Box Office

FIRST FIGHT: 7:00PM ET – Subject to change.

ABOUT FRIDAY, JANUARY 24TH
Friday, January 24th at Resorts International Casino and Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ features a ten-round middleweight battle between Curtis “Showtime” Stevens and Patrick “The Machine” Majewski in the main event.

The ten-round Cruiserweight co-feature between Thabiso “The Rock” Mchunu and Olanrewaju “God’s Power” Durodola, will be for the vacant NABF Cruiserweight Title. Six additional fights are planned for the undercard, all fights subject to change.

Doors are scheduled to open at 6:45 PM ET, First Fight at 7:00 PM ET. The main event and co-feature will be broadcast 10:00 PM ET on NBC Fight Night on NBCSN. The card is presented by Main Events, Peltz Boxing, Dibella Entertainment and Showpony Promotions.

Tickets are priced at $75 and $50. They can be purchased at the Resorts International Casino and Hotel Box Office, 800-736-1420; at TicketMaster 800-745-3000 or online (key word: Main Events); and at Peltz Boxing 215-765-0922.

FIGHT NIGHT ON NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA
NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets – will live stream Fight Night on Friday, Jan. 24 at 10 p.m. ET.

Coverage will be streamed via “TV Everywhere,” the media industry’s effort to make quality content available to authenticated 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.

Coverage airing on NBCSN will 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.

FOLLOW US:
www.mainevents.com
Twitter: @main_events or twitter.com/main_events
Twitter: #FightNight
Facebook:facebook.com/MainEventsBoxing
facebook.com/NBCSports

Home New – Updated Feb 2024

Twitter: @ResortsCasino or https://twitter.com/resortscasino

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (JANUARY 23, 2014)–This Saturday night at the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City, former world amateur champion Joey Dawejko will look for his biggest win of his career when he takes on Derric Rossy (24-7, 14 KO’s) in the eight round main event of a card promoted by Sal Musumeci’s Final Forum Boxing.

The show can be seen LIVE all over the world on www.pandafeed.tv for just $9.99 by clicking: http://pandafeed.tv/#!/watch/52961bea2b83679220004154

Making a special appearance at the show will be star of the Real Housewives of New Jersey, Rosie Pierri.

Rosie will be there to support KO Children’s Malnutrition.

A portion of the proceeds from the Pandafeed.tv stream will go to KO Children’s Malnutrition.

For more information on KO Children’s Malnutrition, click http://www.komalnutrition.com/

Dawejko of Philadelphia has a record of 8-3-2 with 3 knockouts and he knows that a win over Rossy could catapult himself back to being considered one of the best young Heavyweight prospects in the United States.

“Rossy had his time,”said Dawejko “He could have been a top contender but now it is my time.”

This is by far the most experienced foe that the 23-year old Dawejko has faced.

“I know he has a lot of experience, but I am a different fight from anybody he has faced.

Dawejko is not fazed by his three losses and two draws as he knows what a win over Rossy could do for his career.

“Right now I am in the best shape of my whole professional career. I will use my many skills and abilities. I am ready for anything that he brings to the table. I feel this will be the highlight of my career so far. I have been training extra hard and I feel the way I have been working for this can not beat me.”

The fight is less than one hour from Dawejko’s hometown of Philadelphia and he feels a hometown advantage could be a key to winning the fight.

“I love Atlantic City. I prefer this over anyplace including Las Vegas. I am comfortable here and a lot of my friends and family will be at the fight.”

In the new six round co-feature, Doorset Barnwell (11-0, 5 KO’s) has stepped in to face Jon Bolden (6-7, 5 KO’s) of New York in a Heavyweight bout.

In four round bouts:

Ytalo Perea (5-1, 3 KO’s) of Howard Beach, NY battles David Williams (7-7, 2 KO’s) of Philadelphia.

In a fight of to pro debuting Super Bantamweights, Anthony Carramano of Staten Island, NY takes on Michael Varela of Bethlehem, PA.

In a Cruiserweight rematch, Dave Valykeo (3-0) of Neptune, NJ will fight Brian Donahue (2-6-2) of Philadelphia.

Omar Brito (1-1) of Pleasantville, NJ will fight Korey Sloane (2-7-2) of Philadelphia (2-7-2) in a Jr. Welterweight battle.

Gabriel Pham (5-0, 2 KO’s) of Atlantic City, NJ boxes Michael Mitchell (2-2-2) of Paterson, NJ in a Super Middleweight clash.

Tickets for this outstanding evening of boxing are on sale now and are $125 for Ringside, $75 for reserved and $50 for general admission. VIP Tables are available and all tickets can be purchased by going to www.ticketmaster.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND PRESS CREDENTIALS, CONTACT:

Marc Abrams at 856 287 7611 or phillyboxing@gmail.com

ABOUT GOLDEN NUGGET ATLANTIC CITY

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Hotel reservations and additional information are available by calling 800-777-8477 or by visiting www.goldennugget.com.

LAS VEGAS (January 23, 2014) — One of Mike Tyson’s “Young Gunz” is promising featherweight prospect Dennis Galarza (2-0, 1 KO), who is making a smooth transition from amateur to professional ranks as he continues his journey.

Born in Brooklyn, Galarza grew-up in Orlando, Florida, where he learned how to box when he was nine. Last October, he and his “brother,” 18-year-old Erickson “Hammer” Lubin (2-0, 2 KOs), signed a managerial contact with Henry Rivalta (Rivalta Mangement), who brought Galarza and Lubin to their promoter, Iron Mike Productions. This dynamic, young duo made successful pro debuts last November in Sunrise, Florida, both improved to 2-0 fighting on the same card earlier this month in Minneapolis, and they are now scheduled to fight again February 7 in Chicago.

“My uncle took me to a gym for the first time when I was nine,” 21-year-old Galarza remembered his introduction into boxing. “All kids think they can fight but I fell in love with boxing that first day and I’ve been in a gym ever since. I like team sports but I didn’t want to lose and because of somebody else. There’s nobody to blame in boxing and, hey, you get to hit people, too.

“I’ve known Erickson for more than 12 years. He was training at Dynamic Boxing, which was five blocks from my house, but I was training at another gym in Orlando. He’s always been a helluva fighter. We met fighting at different shows in Florida and then he started training at our gym. He has lived with my family for the past four or five years and is as close to me as a blood brother. He’s a great fighter who is very humble. We started a friendship and now we’re on this journey together. We have a long run ahead of us.”

Galarza had an outstanding 133-22 amateur record, highlighted by five Ringside World Championship gold medal performances to go along with top honors at the Junior Golden Gloves and National PAL tournaments. Rather than remain an amateur and take a shot at qualifying for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Boxing Team, Galarza and Lubin decided to become prizefighters.

“The decision was not that difficult,” the well-spoken Galarza explained. “It was something we always wanted to do and all we needed was an appropriate contact. We spoke with promoters from the West Coast and North but not many in Florida. When Mike, Garry (Jonas) and Henry (Rivalta) called us, we had been in camp for three weeks in Colorado Springs. We flew to Orlando, drove four hours to Deerfield Beach, and worked out and sparred (at Iron Mike Gym). My dad (and their trainer, Jason Galarza) negotiated our contracts. Everything has been perfect. We wanted to fight a lot in Florida, at least on the East Coast, where our family and friends live to build our fan-bases. We also made a lot of friends from fighting in tournaments all over the world.”

Standing 6′ 0″ with a 75″ reach, Galarza is a freakishly-built 126-pounder who uses his height and length to great advantage, using a piston-like jab to set-up all of his other punches. “I’ve always been told that I’d be a better pro than amateur because of my style,” Galarza noted. “I’m a really composed fighter (like his favorite fighter, ‘Tito’ Trinidad) and I’ve enjoyed the transition to the pros from amateurs. Fighting without headgear didn’t bother me at all and smaller gloves lets me know when I’ve really landed a hard punch. I stay on the outside and use my favorite punch – jab – to dominate fights. I’ve never fought a taller fighter. I once fought a guy who was as tall as me and it was shocking. Not for long, though, because he only last 30 seconds with me. It’s been exciting and, so far, a lot of fun being a pro boxer.

“I’d like to fight another nine or 10 times this year and with an 11 or 12-0 record, I should have a regional title. What I really want is that (WBC) green belt. I hope by the time I’m 15-0 to 18-0, I will be on the verge of a world title fight.”

“Watching Dennis Galarza and Erickson Lubin working their way up the professional circuit is a highlight as a lover of the sport and as a promoter,” Tyson remarked. “I am looking forward to being in Chicago on February 7th at the UIC Pavilion to watch them in exciting fights.”

“Dennis has great skills and great mindset,” his manager Henry Rivalta (on left) added. “I love this kid. Iron Mike Productions is doing a great job with its boxers and that’s why I brought Dennis and Erickson there. I’m very happy that my young fighters are promoted by IMP.”

Go online to www.IronMikeProductions.com for more information about Galarza or follow him on Twitter @DGTheChamp.
ABOUT IRON MIKE PRODUCTIONS (IMP): Founded in 2013 by CEO Garry Jonas and Hall of Famer Mike Tyson, Iron Mike Productions is a full-service boxing promotional company with offices located in Deerfield Beach, Florida and Las Vegas, Nevada. IMP is committed to changing traditional boxing promotion by advocating for its fighters’ successes, inside the ring and out, throughout their professional careers and into retirement.

For additional information go online at www.IronMikeProductions.com, friend on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/IronMike Productions, or follow on Twitter @IronMikeProd.

Tacoma, WA (January 23rd, 2014) – The Northwest’s premier mixed martial arts promotion, CageSport MMA, is once again returning to the Emerald Queen Casino on Saturday, February 8th, showcasing an all pro ten bout card including a stellar main event with Drew “The Eternal Fire” Brokenshire putting his featherweight title on the line against Oregon’s Talon Hofman. Also being featured on the action packed card is five time world Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion, Miriam Cardoso, who will make her professional MMA debut.

Tickets for CageSport XXIX, scheduled for Saturday, February 8th, at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, WA are available and can be purchased at the EQC box office and online through Ticketmaster. Prices start at $35.

After defeating Julian Erosa for the CageSport featherweight title in 2012, Brokenshire (8-1) had an even bigger 2013, successfully defending his title against two of the region’s top featherweights, Enoch Wilson and Shorty Weikel. Following his victory over Weikel at CageSport XXV, Brokenshire was then set to defend his title against Lee Morrison (11-3) in what could have been the most highly anticipated fight of the year for Northwest MMA fans. However, shortly after the fight was announced, Morrison signed with M-1 Global, a popular MMA promotion based in Amsterdam, effectively ending the possibility of a Brokenshire vs. Morrison title fight.

Brokenshire’s next opponent, Talon Hofman (9-6), stands to be a tough challenge for Drew as Hofman is one of the best wrestlers in the Northwest. Graduating from Burns High School in Oregon, Hofman is a four time high school wrestling state champion, the 2003 Sierra Nevada Classic 152 pound champion, and a 2004 All American High School wrestler. Much like all of Brokenshire’s fights, the main event of CageSport XXIX figures to be a high energy bout with two fighters who will have a lot at stake when they step into the cage in front of an anticipated sold out 1900 seat EQC showroom.

Fans in attendance will also be treated to two women’s MMA bouts which will be a first for CageSport MMA. Five time world Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion, Miriam Cardoso, will take on Oregon’s Katie Howard in what will be the professional debut for both fighters. Also on the card is Seattle’s Reagan Benedetti who will also make her professional debut against British Columbia’s Cheryl Chan (0-1). With the recent surge of women’s MMA, it’s become more feasible to consistently put on women fights and with the growing talent of NW female MMA fighters, fans can count on CageSport to continue supporting women’s MMA.

Notable fighter on the undercard is Yakima MMA’s and former CageSport featherweight champion, Julian Erosa (10-2), who is looking to gain momentum once again after a disappointing defeat to Lee Morrison at CageSport XXV. Erosa is highly thought of around the Northwest MMA community and will have a few things to prove when he steps into the cage against Mike Joy (9-6) at CageSport XXIX.

Doors for CageSport XXIX open at 6 PM with the first fight scheduled for 7 PM. For more information about CageSport XXIX and all other Halquist Production events please visit www.halquistproductions.com and the official Facebook and Twitter of CageSport MMA and Battle at the Boat boxing.

About CageSport MMA
Halquist productions’ CageSport MMA continues to be the longest running and leading all professional MMA promotion in the Northwest. The promotion has drawn fighters from all over the region such as: Miesha Tate, Bryan Caraway, Sam Sicilia, and Michael Chiesa, who have all fought on former CageSport cards and have become UFC superstars. Now partnered with the United Fight Alliance (UFA), CageSport has been televised throughout November on ROOT SPORTS all over the United States.

Toronto – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, kicks off the live schedule for Golden Boy Promotions in 2014 with a live broadcast of Golden Boy Live! this Friday, January 24, at 10 p.m. ET from Fantasy Sprigs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif., featuring San Diego’s undefeated Antonio “Relentless” Orozco against fellow power-puncher Miguel Angel “El Anestesista” Huerta of Ecatepec de Morelos, Mexico in a 10-round junior welterweight fight.

Also featured on the night of boxing will be a 10-round IBF Super Welterweight Final Elimination bout between former World Champion Cornelius “K9” Bundrage and Miami’s Joey “Twinkle Fingers” Hernandez.

In other televised action, featherweight phenomenon Julian “El Camaron” Ramirez faces the always tough Derrick Wilson in an 8-round fight, as well as undefeated heavyweight prospects Dominic “Trouble” Breazeale in the televised opener against Homer Fonseca and in non-televised action, the popular and exciting Gerald Washington will also be featured on the undercard.

Rapidly becoming one of the most intimidating fighters in the junior welterweight division, Antonio “Relentless” Orozco (18-0, 14 KO’s) stopped his last six opponents by way of knockout, including veterans Ivan Hernandez and Jose Reynoso and fellow prospect Danny Escobar. On Jan. 24, the 26-year-old from San Diego returns for his third appearance at Fantasy Springs when he faces a rugged veteran in Huerta.

Hard-hitting southpaw “El Anestesista” (27-11-1, 18 KO’s) has tested several top-notch fighters over the years, with big wins over Daniel Alicea, Efren Hinojosa and Darling Jimenez proving that when the bell rings, the Mexico City product is always ready for battle. The always-tough Huerta is looking forward to upsetting Orozco.

Eager to prove his boxing life begins at 40, Detroit’s former World Champion Cornelius “K9” Bundrage (32-5, 19 KO’s) is eager to defeat Joey Hernandez on Jan. 24 and put himself back in line for a shot at becoming a world champion again. The former IBF 154-pound world champion from 2010, when he knocked out Cory Spinks, to 2013 when he lost a controversial majority decision to Ishe Smith, Bundrage plans on letting his heavy hands go and adding another knockout to his record.

Miami southpaw Joey “Twinkle Fingers” Hernandez (23-1-1, 13 KO’s) has long been one of South Florida’s best-kept secrets. The winner of eight straight bouts, five by knockout, and owner of the USBO and the WBC USNBC titles at 154 pounds, Hernandez is on the brink of a shot at a world title. The 29-year-old is back in action after a victory over James Winchester in November of last year and ready to take on Bundrage of Jan. 24.

Julian Ramirez (9-0, 6 KO’s) is a 20-year-old sensation who has already drawn rave reviews for his talent in the ring and charisma outside of it. Fresh from a knockout over unbeaten Abraham Rubio, Ramirez will meet Florida veteran Derrick Wilson (10-5-2, 3 KO’s) in an eight-round featherweight bout. Owner of wins over hot prospects Braulio Santos and Charles Huerta, the 25-year-old Wilson has the talent and determination necessary to shock Ramirez on Jan. 24.

Also featured on the televised portion of the card will be Alhambra, Calif. prospect and 2012 U.S. Olympian Dominic “Trouble” Breazeale (8-0, 8 KO’s), a talented and powerful heavyweight who has knocked out all eight of his opponents since turning pro after representing the United States in the 2012 Olympic Games. The 28-year-old Breazeale faces Peirsaw, Texas’ Homer Fonseca (10-6-3, 3 KO’s) in an eight-round bout.

Hailing from Los Angeles, 31-year-old Gerald Washington (11-0, 8 KO’s) is a promising talent in the wide open heavyweight division and following five wins in 2013 that included a victory over veteran Sherman Williams in June, he’s ready for an even bigger year in 2014 beginning with his eight-round matchup against Jackson, Mississippi’s Arron Lyons (12-14-1, 9 KO’s).

In a six-round featherweight swing bout, Los Angeles’ Manny Robles Jr. (4-0, 2 KO’s) risks his unbeaten record against tough Oxnard competitor Ricky Lopez (10-2, 4 KO’s). Also in action in separate four-round bouts are Los Angeles junior lightweight Santiago Guevara (5-0, 3 KO’s), who meets an opponent to be named, Palmdale welterweight Kevin Watts (3-0, 2 KO’s), who faces Acapulco’s Julian Cruz (1-3), Watts’ twin brother , junior middleweight Tevin Watts (1-0) who takes on King City’s Gustavo Lopez (0-1) and debuting Las Vegas welterweight Kirk Bills who battles Orlando’s Jacinto Quintana (2-1, 2 KO’s).

Orozco vs. Huerta is a 10-round junior welterweight bout presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona and O’Reilly Auto Parts. The live broadcast on Fight Network airs Friday at 10:00 p.m. ET.

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

Bethlehem, PA – Bragging rights across Southeastern Pennsylvania will be up for grabs when welterweights Ronald Cruz, of Bethlehem, and nearby rival Kermit Cintron, of Reading, PA, meet in a much-anticipated regional showdown Saturday evening, March 15, in the Events Center at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem.

A world heavyweight elimination fight tops between Tomasz Adamek, of Zywiec, Poland, and Vyascheslav “Czar” Glazkov, of Lugansk, Ukraine, square off in a 12-round contest. NBC Sports Network will televise the card on its popular Fight Night Series. The first TV fight is 9pm (EST).

Ronald Cruz
“The Adamek-Glazkov fight may generate more interest on an international scale, but in Southeastern Pennsylvania there is no bigger fight to be made than Cruz against Cintron,” said Hall-of-Fame promoter J Russell Peltz, who is co-promoting the March 15 card with Main Events. “From the early calls, I expect the March 15 card not only to sell out, but we should have people banging on the doors outside trying to get in the night of the fight. This one (Cruz-Cintron) has been brewing for some time, ever since Cruz developed into a local attraction in Bethlehem, less than 50 miles from Cintron’s hometown.”

A pro since 2009, the 27-year-old Cruz is 20-2, 15 K0s. He spent some time in the Top 15 of two world governing bodies, but back-to-back losses in 2012 to Antwone Smith, of Miami, FL, and in 2013 to Ray Narh, of Accra, Ghana, stalled his climb.

Cruz has since rebounded, scoring three consecutive knockouts over Rodolfo Armenta, of Rio Rico, AZ; Alberto Morales, of Miami, FL; Hector Munoz, of Albuquerque, NM. All three K0s were at the Sands Events Center, the site of Cruz’ last six fights.

Cruz said, “Kermit Cintron is a name that many people know around the world and he’s a guy that’s had alot of good moments in his career. You have to respect what he’s done for the sport of boxing, but this is my time.” He added, “I’m looking forward to making a statement with Kermit and erasing some doubts people have about me. I know he will try to come at his best and I hope he does because at the end of the day, I want no excuses.”

The 34-year-old Cintron turned pro in 2000 and won the vacant IBF world welterweight title in 2006 when he knocked out Mark Suarez, of Riverside, CA. After successful defenses against Walter Matthysse, of Santa Fe, Argentina, and Jesse Feliciano, of Las Vegas, NV, Cintron lost the title to Antonio Margarito, of Tijuana, Mexico, in 2008.

Kermit Cintron
“I’ve been training for a knockout. I’m feeling back to my old self. Having my good friend Joe Pastore back in my team who is also my strength and conditioning coach as well as my manager,” said Cintron. “Physically and mentally I feel strong. Looking forward to this fight not because I’m getting back in the ring but because I will be fighting close to home.”

In his last fight Aug. 2 in Miami, OK, Cintron earned a 10-round decision over Jonathan Batista, of the Dominican Republic.

Overall, Cintron is 34-5-2, 28 K0s.

ABOUT MARCH 15
The Adamek-Glazkov fight headlines a seven-bout card including the Cruz-Cintron fight at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem. Tickets priced at $55. $80 and $105 can be purchased through the offices of Peltz Boxing (215-765-0922) and at all Ticketmaster outlets (800-745-3000). Tickets also are on sale at www.peltzboxing.com, www.SandsEventCenter.com, and www.Ticketmaster.com. In Bethlehem, tickets are available at Deja Brew, Inc., 101 West 4th Street (610-865-2739) and at Pronto Insurance Notary, 232 East 3rd Street (610-419-6790). The card is being promoted by Main Events, Peltz Boxing Promotions, Inc., Ziggy Promotions and Pushka in association with BAM Boxing and Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem.

Kelly Swanson
Thank you, for joining us this morning and this afternoon here on the east coast, very snowy east coast, but we are so excited to be able to announce a fantastic SHOWTIME Pay-Per-View card coming up. On the line joining us today is Canelo Alvarez, former Super Welterweight World Champion and Alfredo Angulo, former WBO Interim Junior Middleweight World Champion.

To make the formal introductions and to get the call going I’d like to introduce Richard Schaefer, Chief Executive Officer of Golden Boy Promotions.

Richard Schaefer
Thank you, Kelly, and hello to everyone back east and here, I guess, on the west as well, and I saw that there were a number of people from Texas calling in as well to this great conference call for this fantastic card. A couple of months ago when I was at home I couldn’t sleep and I found myself zapping and I’d stop on this infomercial channel, and it was amazing. You’re ready to order it and then, “But wait, there is more,” and there seems more and more coming, so I thought, wouldn’t it be great to have a boxing card where people are just going to say I can’t believe that there’s more and more, and then there’s another one, then there’s another one, and that’s exactly what we did here.

With this card, “TOE TO TOE,” interesting toe-to-toe in Spanish, in Mexico they don’t call it toe-to-toe, they call it “MANO A MANO,” or hand to hand, whether it’s toe-to-toe or hand-to-hand one thing I can say, it’s going to be all action. On March the 8, we have put together one of the most action packed cards I can remember here at Golden Boy. Of course the main event, Canelo and Alfredo, we’re going to talk about in a few minutes and you’re going to have the chance to ask both fighters questions, but the whole card really is totally loaded with the free view opening up for everyone with a TV set at home Jorge Linares vs. Nihito Arakawa, a 10-round lightweight bout, and then we’re going to move into the Pay-Per-View which is going to be distributed by SHOWTIME Pay-Per-View beginning at 9 p.m. Eastern/6 p.m. Pacific, with the first of three world title fights.

It’s going to be Carlos Molina against a young Jermall Charlo fighting for Molina’s IBF Junior Middleweight World Championship. From there we are going to be moving into the 12-round WBC Interim Lightweight World Championship, which is going to be a contest between Champion Omar Figueroa, and challenger Ricardo Alvarez, who is the brother of Canelo and is getting his world title fight opportunity here. It would be historic in Mexico since it would be the first time that one family, the Alvarez family, has produced three world champions. As you know, Canelo’s other brother, Rigoberto, was the 154-pound champion, and then of course Canelo as the World Champion, and now Ricardo is going to try to accomplish his dream to become the WBC Lightweight World Champion.

From there we’re going to go into the co-main event with one of the most exciting fighters in the sport, irrespective of weight class, Leo Santa Cruz vs. Cristian Mijares, a 12-round WBC Super Bantamweight World Championship. Mijares, well known former World Champion, is going to be an exciting showdown, all action packed there.

But wait, there is more, there’s the one we’ve been waiting for and that of course is Canelo vs. Angulo. Both guys really don’t need much introduction. These are two all action fighters coming forward. They love to trade and slug it out in the middle of the ring, and I think March 8th for those fight fans and sports fans and the general public, which likes to be entertained, this is what they’re going to watch this is what they want to watch.

The fight will be broadcasted live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Tickets went on sale last Friday. They’re priced very attractively, starting at $25, $50, $100, $200, $400 and $600. As of yesterday close to 6,000 tickets have been sold already, so I do anticipate a sellout on March the 8 at the MGM. The fight is sponsored by Corona and AT&T. Molina and Jermall Charlo is presented as well in association with Warriors Boxing.

Now, let’s go to the fighters. First up is Alfredo. I’m going to introduce him, he’s going to make some opening comments and then I’m going to be introducing Canelo. He’s going to make some opening comments and then we’re going to open up the lines for you guys to ask questions.

Alfredo Angulo from Mexicali, Baja California, certainly one of the most entertaining fighters with devastating punching power, he always comes to fight. His 2011 battle with James Kirkland is legendary and was a candidate for Fight of the Year. In 2012, he came back and garnered wins over Raul Casarez and Jorge Silva and in 2013 he appeared on his way to get his first world championship when he knocked down Erislandy Lara twice for the Interim WBA Junior Middleweight fight, and then obviously the fight had to be stopped due to an eye injury which Alfredo suffered. Here he is, it’s a fight he wanted for a long time. He has asked me repeatedly “I’d like to fight Canelo” and I’m happy that we were able to make his dream come true, that he has an opportunity to fight on March the 8 against Canelo Alvarez.

Before I turn it over to Alfredo, now I want to inform all of you as well that Alfredo Angulo will, right before the press conference starts here in Los Angeles, at 12:40 he has made himself available for the Locks of Love, meaning he’s going to get his hair cut for a charitable cause, Locks of Love, and I very much want to support Alfredo and thank him for that and thank him for bringing attention to this very worthwhile cause.

It’s a pleasure for me now to introduce to you Alfredo “El Perro” Angulo.

Alfredo Angulo
I’m very happy for this opportunity, for this fight. I want to especially thank Richard Schaefer for helping me get this fight. I want to thank all the media that’s present and on this call, and thank you for supporting this fight.

Schaefer
All right, we’re going to have a chance to ask Alfredo questions in just a moment, but first, I want to introduce to you now one of the true superstars of the sport. He has a record of 42-1-1, with 30 KO’s, comes out of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. He’s the former Super Welterweight World Champion, has been a pro since 2005, when he was just 15-years-old, and is without any question today Mexico’s biggest boxing superstar. He’s 23 years young. He has earned the respect of the Mexican people because of the way he fights, the excitement he brings to the ring, and he has of course a huge female following as well because of his looks and his charisma and the way he carries himself outside of the ring as well.

Last year was an important year for Canelo, first, of course when he fought Austin Trout in front of nearly 40,000 fans in San Antonio and if not for the capacity, we would have been able to add more seats we would have had 60,000, 70,000 people there at the Alamodome when he defeated Austin Trout. Then, came the big fight against Floyd Mayweather, which broke all revenue records, and certainly Canelo had a lot to do with that as well, given his growing popularity as a big Mexican star.

That September date against Mayweather I think served Canelo, as it will be a lesson for him and I’m sure he’s walking away from this fight having learned a lot and that’s what it is, you know, when you’re a young fighter you challenge yourself against the best and you learn from that, and I’m sure that is exactly what Canelo is taking away from the September showdown against Mayweather. He could have gone against an easy opponent, go back to Texas or do it from Mexico and so on, but, no, he wanted to challenge himself against one of the best at 154, and with Alfredo Angulo he’s getting exactly that.

It is a pleasure now for me to introduce to you Saul “El Canelo” Alvarez.

Canelo Alvarez
I’m very grateful for all the support I’ve had throughout my career, and I’m very happy to be returning into the ring for this fight. Thank you.

Schaefer
Excellent, thank you. Gracias, Canelo. And now we have questions from the media. Operator, if you could please open up the lines.

Q
What was your decision making process to select Angulo as your opponent as opposed to the other guys that we had heard were possible, such as Carlos Molina, who holds a world title, Lara, who holds an interim title and also has a TKO victory against Angulo? How did you go about deciding that Angulo was the guy for you?

Canelo
Basically, the reason why we chose him is because we made a decision that he was the best style for me. He’s a very strong fighter. He comes forward. He makes good fights, and I feel that this was the best fight for the fight fans style-wise.

Q
Now that this fight is on Pay-Per-View, so they’re asking the consumers to spend about $50, $60 to buy the card, it’s a good card, but my question is, do you feel like coming off of the loss to Floyd, which by most estimations was extremely one-sided in Floyd’s favor, do you feel as though your fans, particularly the Mexican-American fans, will support you on Pay-Per-View by buying this fight?

Canelo
I’m sure they will. I’m sure they will. I have loyal fans. I have loyal fans and I’m very grateful for that and they’re always going to be with me and I feel that they’re going to support me through thick and thin and they’re going to follow me in this Pay-Per-View.

Q
This was a fight that you have wanted for a long time, I guess Richard said you’ve been asking him to try to get this fight. Other than, I suppose the financial rewards that come along with an opportunity against Canelo, what were the particular reasons that you wanted this fight so much as opposed to maybe fighting for one of the world titles or some other opponent in your weight class?

Angulo
Well, obviously, I mean, Saul’s a good fighter, he’s a good fighter and it’s a fight that I wanted and I think that on March 8 everybody’s going to find out who’s going to remain as the top guy in Mexico, representing Mexico, the number one fighter at this weight class.

Q
Alfredo were you bothered by the fact that you weren’t Canelo’s first choice?

Angulo
No, it doesn’t bother me. It doesn’t really bother me. I mean, my job is to get up and fight, be ready to fight and fight. It’s my promoter who decides who I fight against, so that doesn’t bother me. I’m ready to fight.

Q
Everybody understands that your style is to come forward, what makes you believe that you can win a fight against a great defensive fighter like Canelo fighting this style, or are you going to have to somehow adjust the way you fight in order to beat Canelo?

Angulo
I have a very good game plan with my trainer, Virgil Hunter. We’ve already started camp, we’ve been working hard and I feel that a lot of people are going to be very surprised, they’re going to be very, very surprised come fight time of what I’m capable of and what Virgil’s game plan has been.

Q
Why is it so important for you to fight your first fight back in Las Vegas in the same ring where you lost in September? Is there any connection to that, or did it just happen to be the best place to hold this fight?

Canelo
No, it’s very simple, it’s the best place. It was the best venue to do a fight and there’s no connection. I’ve fought there many times and I’ve won as well, so there’s no connection to that. It was just basically the best place.

Q
Canelo, how tough was it, if at all, to get over your first defeat?

Canelo
Obviously, it’s very hard, it’s very hard, and it hurt my honor. It’s very tough. Nobody ever wants to lose. Nobody ever wants to be on the losing side of a fight, but I don’t see it as a loss. I see it as a learning experience, and I’m just going to take the best out of it.

Q
Do you think that if Alfredo Angulo goes in there with his same style and doesn’t try and improve upon his defense by at least moving his head a little bit, that Alfredo is going to be out of this fight early?

Canelo
No, no, no, no. I don’t think that at all. I think it’s going to be a hard fight. It’s going to be a very, very tough fight, a hard fight. He’s a strong fighter. He’s a very, very strong fighter and I’m going to have to prepare very well for this fight. He’s going to have to do what’s convenient for him to win and I’m going to have to do what’s convenient for me to win. So I’m not taking this lightly at all, and I’m going to have to prepare well.

Q
Alfredo you say that Canelo knows that in both size and in weight and in power that you’re a real 154 pounder and that you believe that he is the first one in this weight class with that combination of experiences. Can you assess that statement?

Angulo
Well, it’s going to be an interesting fight because, look, everybody knows my style, everybody knows how I fight, my pro record proves that, you can see my fights, and I’m always in very, very good fights. I always give great fights. I always give 100% of me. So it’s going to be a very interesting fight because he’s trying to come back from his first loss, and I just feel that it’s the right time for this fight.

Q
Canelo, what is your assessment of this fight and your opponent?

Canelo
Without a doubt this is going to be a tough fight, without a doubt. Yes, you’re right, some of the things that Alfredo possesses, size, weight, power, yes, that’s correct, but I also have power and it’s going to be a tough fight. It’s going to be a tough fight. But it’s also going to be a very attractive fight, and that’s what the fans want. I think the fans deserve these kinds of fights. The fans don’t want to see a fight where one guy is just running the whole night. They want to see these kinds of battles.

Q
Can you assess what you saw out of Angulo in his last fight, knocking Lara down twice, bringing the action to him, and is that what sold you on choosing Angulo as your next opponent, as an appealing opponent to the fans?

Canelo
I haven’t really studied the fight. I haven’t really watched it. I watched it that night because I was also getting ready for a fight, and that’s what I do, we watch boxing, so I saw the fight that night, but I haven’t really analyzed it or studied it at all, but throughout camp I will.

Q
Saul, how do you have to adapt for fighting an Angulo? Obviously it’s a very different style than what you prepared for fighting Floyd, so how do you have to adapt?

Canelo
Yes, you’re correct, it’s a totally different style. It’s a very, very different style. So the whole camp has to be different, the sparring partners have to be different. But it’s a style that’s going to be attractive and it’s going to make for a good fight.

Q
Saul, how have you coped with the first loss, how are you doing? Did you have to get psychological help? Did you have somebody, a coach, maybe a mental coach help you out? How have you been coping with the loss?

Canelo
No, not at all. I didn’t have to get any of that, thank God. I’m mentally strong. I’ve always been mentally strong and more than anything I think that that’s a fight that’s going to help me, it’s going to help me and it’s just going to make me better.

Q
Alfredo, do you think this is perfect timing for this fight, or do you think that maybe this is a fight that should have happened maybe five years ago?

Angulo
I think this is the right time. I think this is the perfect time. I think it’s good for me. He decided to give me the opportunity now in 2014 and it’s a great gift for my career at this time, for 2014.

Q
Carlos Molina, who’s the IBF Champion, made some comments that you chose to fight against Alfredo Angulo because it’s the easiest fight, it’s the easiest fight and you don’t want to risk getting another loss in your career. Can you respond to that, Saul?

Canelo
No, not at all. The people know, the fans know, and the way they’ve been reacting to this fight, this is the toughest fight, this is the most attractive fight out there, so that comment is uncalled for.

Q
Saul, what are your thoughts on Carlos Molina? What do you think of him as a fighter? Do you think maybe in the near future there can be a fight with him?

Canelo
Of course, that’s someone in my future, that’s someone that I would see. You need rivals, and that’s someone that I can possibly face in the future, of course.

Q
The question is for both fighters, what memories do you have of Jose Sulaiman now that he’s passed? Alfredo?

Angulo
Yes, the best memory I have of Mr. Sulaiman was a talk that we had, it was a very lengthy conversation in Guadalajara that we had together and it must have been back in 2008 or 2009.

Canelo
I was fortunate enough to have many talks with him, met with him many times, great times, and I just feel that it was tragic and may he rest in peace.

Q
Canelo, now that you’ve been alone, you’ve had some time to think about it, about the fight with Mayweather, what have you thought about, training camp, and what do you think about that fight?

Canelo
I learned a lot from that fight. I learned a lot from the Mayweather fight. He’s got a style that’s very complicated. He’s got a style that’s very intelligent and he fights intelligently. I think that his whole purpose is just to win, but I learned a lot. I learned a lot about the fight itself inside the ring and outside the ring as well.

Q
Obviously when you’re talking about styles Alfredo Angulo as an opponent has a great style, and it’s a very attractive style. Was that very important to you?

Canelo
Of course that was very important. What the fans want to see is attractive fights, very good fights, and that was a big reason for doing this fight.

Q
Alfredo, you’ve been through a lot in your life, inside the ring and outside the ring, obviously, is this probably the biggest fight of your career, the most important fight of your career?

Angulo
When you’re born you’re born fighting. Everybody’s born fighting and they’re fighting for a better life, for a better future. So, yes, this is the most important fight of my career. It’s very, very important to me. Not only that, it’s also going to be a very attractive fight for the fans. On March 8, I’m sure that Saul is going to do his part to make this a special fight, an attractive fight, because when you put two Mexicans in the ring we know how to give good fights, and that’s what we’re going to give the fans, a good fight.

Q
Alfredo, this is obviously going to be a tough fight, this and that, but do you think that if you land the right combination you can possibly knock Saul out?

Angulo
Realistically, I don’t see myself as a knockout puncher. I’m a fighter that likes to work and I break down my opponents. A knockout puncher is the type of fighter that he’ll throw a punch and he’ll knock the guy out, he’ll knock him out and they won’t get up and they’re knocked out. My style is more of a hard working fighter. I put my punches together and I break down the opponents.

Q
Canelo, how did the fight with Mayweather change you as a fighter, and what did you learn from that fight specifically that you could use against Alfredo Angulo, who obviously has a very different style from Mayweather?

Canelo
I learned a lot. I learned a lot from that fight. Whenever you suffer a defeat you never want to feel that again, you never want to go through that again, so that’s something that’s very, very important to me. Another thing is that it motivated me a lot; it motivated me to move forward. I’ve learned a lot.

Q
Will you change your style at all in this fight? Again, obviously Alfredo has a very different style than Mayweather, but will you make improvements and add things to what you do?

Canelo
Every camp is different, and I prepare differently for every fight, depending on who I’m fighting. So we’re going to put together a good game plan for Alfredo Angulo and I’m going to prepare for him.

Q
Alfredo, could you tell us why do you think you have the advantage, obviously you’re older, but what do you think is your advantage that could get you to win this fight?

Angulo
I think that the advantages come from the preparation, and I’m preparing excellently for this fight. I’ve already started my preparation and it’s going very, very well. I think you’re going to have to wait and see March 8th how I come out.

Schaefer
I want to thank both fighters for making themselves available and I also want to thank you all, members of the media. I can’t wait for “TOE to TOE”, “MANO A MANO”, which will be an infomercial for the sport of boxing, a great card. Our media team will have any of the other fighters available as well. If you want to talk to them over the coming days please reach out to Marylyn Aceves or to Ramiro Gonzalez. Again, March 8th I’ll see you all at the MGM Grand for “TOE to TOE”. Thank you very much.

# # #

“TOE TO TOE: Canelo vs. Angulo,” a 12-round super welterweight fight taking place Saturday, March 8 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Canelo Promotions and sponsored by Corona and AT&T. Carlos Molina vs. Jermall Charlo is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Warriors Boxing. This event will be produced and distributed live by SHOWTIME PPV beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. The event can be heard in Spanish using secondary audio programming (SAP).

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.sports.sho.com and www.mgmgrand.com, follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @CaneloOficial, @elperro82, @leosantacruz2, @diamantemijares, @OmarFigueroaJr, @DinamitaAB, @JorgeLinares, @FutureOfBoxing, @mgmgrand and @SHOSports, follow the conversation using #CaneloAngulo and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing.

Tickets are on sale now and are priced at $600, $400, $200, $100, $50 and $25, not including applicable service charges and taxes, with a total ticket limit of 10 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

LONDON (Jan. 23) – David Price believes his work with a sports psychologist can help propel him back into the mix for heavyweight glory.

The Liverpudlian banger makes his ring return against Konstantin Airich, live this Saturday on BoxNation, where he will enter the squared circle for the first time since his emphatic back-to-back defeats against American hitman Tony Thompson.

The losses to Thompson last year came at a time when Price’s name was being touted as one of the genuine contenders to take over the throne of the dominant Klitschko brothers.

So crushing were the defeats for the British heavyweight that many speculated they could well have signalled the end for the rising pugilist.

Yet, Price is out to prove he is made of sterner stuff and believes the assistance of sports psychologist Terry McElhinny will help him bounce back big in 2014.

“I’ve now started working with a mind coach, a sports psychologist type of person not long after the second Tony Thompson fight,” said Price.

“Primarily, he helped pick me up off the floor and helped me lift myself up. Beyond that, we’ve been doing a lot of other stuff, which I wish I had known and I wish I had been taking seriously from my amateur days because it really helps your performance,” he said.

“I was of the opinion that you only needed a sports psychologist if you weren’t mentally strong but everyone could benefit from using that type of thing and it’s definitely working for me,” Price stated.

The 30-year-old Olympic bronze medallist fights in Stuttgart, Germany on the undercard of the WBO world title cruiserweight clash between Marco Huck and Firat Arslan.

He may not be headlining the show, as he has done in the past, but that is something which he openly welcomes.

“I’ve been working hard on getting the mental side of things right and the whole situation for this next fight is different. I want to be fighting on an event where I’m not the main event and it’s not my hometown, although I do love fighting in Liverpool. It’s just a little bit less of an occasion this Saturday,” he said.

“The fight is still as important as any other fight, if not more important. I’m just looking forward to getting into the ring and exchanging punches again with another fighter, with them 10 ounce gloves on, and getting my arm raised again at the end of the fight because it feels like forever since I’ve won a fight,” Price said.

A lot of changes have taken place in the former British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion’s camp since his last outing.

Long time manager Frank Maloney retired; there has been a change in promoters with Price teaming up with Sauerland Promotion, and a change in trainer with Adam Booth coming in for a short period before being replaced with respected trainer Tommy Brooks.

Price is sure, however, the drastic changes will be rewarding as he looks to put the past behind him and cement his place at the top of the heavyweight division, starting this weekend.

“I’m not doing this half-heartedly. I’m not like dipping my toe back in and saying ‘let’s see how it goes’ – I’m doing it properly. I’ve got a top trainer on the team. I’ve got a top promotional outfit dealing with me. I’m not doing it by halves, I’m doing it properly because I’ve got every faith that I can still achieve what I’ve set out to achieve in the first place,” said Price.

“Last year was a right off and that’s gone and now it’s about looking forward and building. After Saturday night a lot of things will feel a lot different for me. They already do anyway because I’m really calm and relaxed about Saturday and am looking to performing and showing people that there is a lot of talent there.

“The last two performances, they don’t reflect me as a fighter and that’s what I’m hoping to show on Saturday night,” he said.

Price vs. Airich is live on BoxNation (Sky Ch. 437/Virgin Ch. 546) this Saturday at 6pm. Visit www.boxnation.com to subscribe.

Monte Carlo (January 23, 2014) – Jarrod Fletcher is taking next weekend’s WBA Continental middleweight title bout against Max Bursak so seriously that he has already set up fight camp in Nice, France – the first fighter to do so ahead of the Monte Carlo Boxing Bonanza on February 1.

Rated number four by the WBA, Fletcher (17-1, 10 KOs) was in line to fight highly-regarded Martin Murray, but the Briton withdrew, a development that doesn’t faze the Australian.

“It’s disappointing, I was focused on him,” he said from his training base in Nice. “Murray has his own agenda and is doing what he must do. It’s no good being sulky about it. This is the world stage and I’ll fight whoever I must.”

Fletcher said he travelled early to France to prepare for what he calls the biggest fight of his career. “My preparation has been faultless, it’s all on track after seven weeks of hard work in Australia. I’m the fittest I’ve ever been. Everything is going really good; I’m more than ready.”

In Bursak (29-1-1, 12 KOs), he meets an experienced boxer who has fought almost exclusively out of his hometown of Kiev in the Ukraine. In one of his rare ventures abroad, last year he beat the UK’s Prince Arron in another Golden Gloves tournament in Monte Carlo, impressing with his strength and ringcraft.

“I’ve seen his tapes and he’s very, very experienced,” said Fletcher. “He has a big amateur background. He’s a pressure fighter and will be there the whole 12 rounds. It’s a very tough fight, but I’ve got a solid gameplan.”

In his only overseas fight to date, in 2012, Fletcher suffered his lone professional defeat – an inside-the-distance loss to Billy Joe Saunders. But Fletcher says he has no qualms stepping out of his backyard for this assignment.

“Definitely not. I had 180 amateur bouts and fought all over the world. The Billy Joe fight was stopped way too early. Not much went right, I got caught good. No excuses. But the result made me stronger and more determined.”

Fletcher, who grew up admiring Oscar De La Hoya, describes himself as “fast, and a good mover”, saying he can box too if circumstances demand it.

He has rebounded well since his 2012 reverse, reeling off five wins, the best of them against former WBA world title challenger Randy Suico of the Philippines.

“I plan to leave it all in the ring,” says the man known as “Left Jab”. “This is my biggest opportunity to date. I have a young family at home and I hope this sets up big things and bigger paydays. This is my time.”

The Monte Carlo Boxing Bonanza takes place at the beautiful Salle des Etoiles venue on the peninsula of Monte Carlo.
This world class event is exclusively distributed internationally by leading boxing rights distributor and sports marketing firm, Octapixx LIVE.

Situated on the Mediterranean Sea, Monaco is one of the most exclusive vacation destinations in the world and attracts millions of visitors each year. The Casino de Monte-Carlo, owned and operated by the Monte-Carlo SBM Group, is the premier casino destination in Europe. It continues to attract gamblers among the wealthiest and most well-known celebrities. For further information please visit their website at www.MonteCarloSBM.com

A country rich in sports history, Monaco is home of the world famous Formula 1 Grand Prix motor race and many major international events such as the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.

WORCESTER, Mass. (January 23, 2014) – Newly crowned United States Boxing Association (USBA) lightweight champion Ivan “The Terrible” Redkach (16-0, 13 KOs, 1 NC) picked up more than hardware last week headlining ShoBox: The New Generation. The ferocious southpaw firmly established himself in Memphis as an exciting “television fighter” for the future with tremendous upside.

Redkach may not have made the quantum leap from prospect to legitimate world title contender, yet, but he gained invaluable experience going 10 rounds for the first time against a game and somewhat awkward Tony “The Lightning” Luis (17-2-1, 7 KOs), who is rated No. 9 by the World Boxing Association (WBA) and has been chief sparring partner for world champion Guillermo Rigondeaux.

Redkach won a unanimous decision (99-90, 97-93, 97-93), dropping a game Luis once in an action-packed fight from start to finish.

“I was pleased with my performance and I’m very happy and proud to be the USBA champion,” Redkach said from his home in Los Angeles. “We both showed a lot of heart and I think we gave TV fans a show. I want to thank Showtime, my promoter Lou DiBella and manager Larry Army for that great opportunity. I went 10 hard rounds against my toughest opponent and learned a lot that will help make me an even better fighter. I know I could have made it a lot easier on myself if I had fought in the middle of the ring and stayed away from the ropes. But boxing is all about learning and improving and fans will see that in my next fight. I’ll take a week or so off and go right back into the gym to get ready for my next fight.”

Redkach, rated No. 13 by the World Boxing Council (WBC), fell short of achieving his goal of making the quantum leap from top prospect to legitimate world title contender in only his 17th professional fight.

“A world champion in the making like Ivan needs to be taken into deep waters under stressful conditions,” Redkach’s manager Larry Army explained. “Fighting in his first ShoBox main event certainly was stressful but he went the full distance and won a real war. We had never seen Ivan go deep, so in that respect, it was a perfect fight for us. We learned that he’s three or four more fights away from a world title shot, but we believe in him even more than ever as a future world champion. He now realizes that he can’t knockout every opponent but he can still win fights. Ivan needs some fine tuning and more big-fight experience as he continues to chase his dream of winning a world title.”

The 27-year-old Redkach is going through a normal maturation process in the ring, developing as he tests himself against more talented opponents, in order to eventually reach his full potential.

His Ukrainian star is still rising. It just may not reach its zenith as quickly as initially anticipated. Someday he will get to where he ultimately wants to be, standing in the middle of the ring with his arms raised, and a coveted world title belt wrapped around his waist.

ABOUT ELITE MANAGEMENT: Founded in 2008 by Atty. Larry Army in Massachusetts, Elite Management is a full-service boxing management firm focused on branding professional boxers. Elite Management is a proven expert in responsibly reviewing contracts, developing talent through effective matchmaking, gaining positive press, and attracting sponsorship and endorsement opportunities for athletes. Mr. Army is highly respected for successfully building a fighter’s team: researching, interviewing and securing the right trainer, strength-and-nutrition coach, nutritionist and cut-man. He is also known for organizing training camps for high-profile fights, as well as obtaining paid sparring partners.

LONDON (23 January) Hennessy Sports are delighted to announce that we have won the purse bid to hold Kid Galahad’s fight for the vacant European super bantamweight title against former Spanish champion Sergio Prado.

Kid Galahad (real name Abdul Barry Awad), 23, claimed the mandatory challenger position for the European title by defeating Jazza Dickens for the British title in September.

“Barry is a superb fighter, he is undefeated, the former WBC International super bantamweight champion, a British champion and I am proud and excited to deliver this fight for him,” Mick Hennessy said.

“I truly believe Barry is a great talent and destined for big things and this is the next step for who I consider to be the future of the division.”

After champion Carl Frampton’s decision to relinquish the title rather than face Galahad, Prado, the EBU-EU champion was selected as the opponent for the belt and it subsequently went to purse bids.

Following today’s bids, the European Boxing Union (EBU) announced the news of our successful bid and we will be looking to announce a date for the contest to be held in the UK in March.

Galahad responded to the news through Twitter (@KidGalahad90):

“Pleased to hear my promoter @HennessySports won the bid for my European title challenge, onwards and upwards.”

FOLLOW US ON ON TWITTER @HENNESSYSPORTS

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (Jan. 22) – With just over a week until their super welterweight bout at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY which will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes, undefeated rising stars Eddie “E-Boy” Gomez and Daquan “King” Arnett took time out of training to discuss their upcoming matchup, their Super Bowl predictions and much more.

As the co-main event of the evening on Thursday, Jan. 30, Gomez and Arnett will meet immediately preceding the WBA International Welterweight title bout between former world champions “Vicious” Victor Ortiz and Luis Collazo. Gomez and Arnett will meet for a second time, the first being an amateur bout when the two were nearly 12-years-old. Now as professionals, Gomez will showcase his talents for the fourth time at Barclays Center while Arnett prepares for what he calls the biggest fight of his career.

EDDIE GOMEZ, Undefeated Super Welterweight Rising Star

“I beat him in the amateurs and now we are just going back at it again. When we fought in the amateurs, I knocked him down three times. We were just young guys then and now we are grown men and someone’s ‘0’ has to go on January 30. I can tell you it won’t be mine.

[On fighting a 10-round fight] “We always train to push it. We train to go 15 rounds, but we are always working hard and pushing extra hard like we always do.

“We were all over during this training camp. We were in Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx, basically on a tour of New York City.

“The best man is going to win on January 30 and I feel like I’m the best man.

“I think I have more experience in the professional game than him. I have fifteen fights with better opposition.

“I have a lot of people that have come out and supported me. I have gained more fans. My family has come to Barclays Center and people come to support me. There’s no added pressure fighting so close to home.

“I see the fight going four or five rounds. My opponent is a good fighter, but I’m not worried about him. I hope he’s ready because I know I am.

[On his Super Bowl prediction] “Denver should win because of Peyton Manning, he’s had an outstanding season. He’s also a future Hall of Famer and he has the experience of being to the Super Bowl before.”

DAQUAN ARNETT, Undefeated Super Welterweight Rising Star

“This is the biggest fight of my career thus far. Being at Barclays Center for the Malignaggi vs. Judah fight got me excited to fight there. I have fought on big stages in the past and it hasn’t rattled me. I don’t expect this to be any different.

“Fighting in his [Eddie Gomez] backyard doesn’t bother me. When it comes down to it we are in the same ring, no one in the crowd or around the ring can help you. Fighting in his hometown doesn’t make a difference.

“I expect to win a good entertaining fight, something the fans would love to see. I definitely see myself coming out with the win.

“I prepare for every fight as the toughest fight of my career. This fight is no different, just another day, another fight.

[On his goals for 2014] “I want to stay active in the sport and keep winning. I also want to keep getting bigger and better fights for the fans.

“My father got me into boxing at an early age. I was two-years-old when he began training me as an amateur. My dad was a fighter back in his day. Boxing has really been my entire life. From the moment I was walking, I was punching.

[On fighting Eddie Gomez as amateurs] “It was an entertaining fight. He came out early and jumped on me in the second and third round. It was a really good and entertaining fight. It was in the back of my mind, I thought that we would fight again.

“I have a younger brother that’s getting ready to turn pro. I have a younger sister, an older sister and an older brother. My older brother and my older sister live in New York City. I know people all over so I’m sure I’ll have fans cheering for me at Barclays Center.

[On his Super Bowl prediction] “I’m picking the Broncos by a touchdown. You can’t beat Peyton Manning. He is the best and that’s the bottom line. He controls the game from the sideline and on the field.”

# # #

Ortiz vs. Collazo is a 12-round fight for the WBA International Welterweight title presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona and Casamigos Tequila. Barclays Center doors open at 6:00 p.m. ET with the first bell sounding at 6:30 p.m. ET. The FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes broadcast airs live at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Tickets priced at $25, $43, $80 and $160 plus applicable taxes and service charges are available for purchase at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-745-3000 and at Barclays Center American Express Box Office. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK. A limited number of suites are available for the event. For more information on how to reserve one, please call 718-BK-SUITE (718-257-8483).

Chicago, IL. (January 22, 2014) Former national amateur standout, Semajay Thomas heads to the nation’s capital, Washington D.C. to continue his professional boxing career this Saturday night, JANUARY 25, making his second start in the paid ranks.

Following his highly anticipated professional debut this past AUGUST 30 at Cicero Stadium, Thomas, 1-0-0, will return to battle against Kevin Womack Jr. in a four round welterweight clash at the DC Armory on the undercard of a SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING card presented by Golden Boy Promotions.

A native of Baltimore, Maryland, the 25-year-old Womack brings a record of 4-2-1 (2KO’s) into the battle against Thomas.

“I’m very excited to return to the ring,” said the 20-year-old Chicago native. “Working with my new trainer Ronnie Shields in Houston, Texas for the last couple of months has been a tremendous experience.”

“This is my first fight back in five months but I’d like to stay as busy as possible. I’ve got a lot to learn but I’m very enthusiastic about my training and taking care of business in the ring” said Thomas.

Thomas was a highly decorated amateur earning numerous accolades including being ranked #1 in the nation in the 141lb. weight class after winning the 2011 U.S. National Championships.

“Semajay has all the pieces in place now for success” said his manager Fletcher N. Smith III of Blueprint Management Group, L.L.C. “By leaving Chicago to train with Ronnie and Danny Arnold at PLEX in Houston, he’s showing a true commitment to
the sport.”

Thomas has also teamed up with boxing’s most powerful advisor, Al Haymon who works with the sports’ biggest names including undefeated world champion and pay-per-view king Floyd Mayweather.

“Working together with Al, we’ve mapped out a plan for Semajay’s future and the first step for him is this Saturday night” said Smith.

To keep up with Semajay Thomas, follow him on Twitter @SemajayThomas.

FACTS: Peterson vs. Jean, a 12-round fight for Peterson’s IBF Junior Welterweight World Championship, will take place Saturday, Jan. 25, at the DC Armory in Washington, D.C. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona and AT&T. The live SHOWTIME telecast begins at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) and will be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP). In the co-featured bout, Junior Middleweights Jermell Charlo and Gabriel Rosado square off in a 10-round fight for the WBC Continental Americas Super Welterweight Title. Preliminary bouts will air on SHOWTIME EXTREME® at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

TICKETS: Tickets priced at $25, $50, $75, $150 and $250, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, are on sale and available online at www.ticketmaster.com and all Ticketmaster locations, or by calling (800) 745-3000

Chicago, IL (January 22, 2014) Highly decorated Chicago amateur boxer Jose Felix Quezada will make his much anticipated professional debut on Friday, FEBRUARY 7 at the UIC Pavilion.

In preparation for his pro debut, the nineteen year old Quezada, advised by local entrepreneur Rick Ramos will hold a Public Media Workout on Saturday, FEBRUARY 1 at 11:00 a.m. CT at the Body Shot Boxing Club, 600 W. Cermak, Chicago, IL, 60606.

“This a dream come true for me, I’ve been going to the professional bouts in Chicago for a few years and I’m very excited to fight on FEBRUARY 7” said the May 2013 graduate of Shepard High School in Palos Heights. “I’m ready to put on a great performance for all of my supporters and fans.”

‘It’s a little uncommon for a kid making his pro debut to hold a public media workout but Jose’s not your average young fighter” said Ramos. “I’ve watched him as an amateur for a number of years and he has all the talent to be a world champion combined with the looks and charisma to be a star in the sport.”

“Jose, his father and I have mapped out a plan for his future and I’m honored to work with such an outstanding fighter and terrific young man.”

Among the accolades Jose received as an amateur were; Three –Time State Silver Gloves Champion, Three-Time Chicago City-Wide Champion, Two-Time Regional Silver Gloves Champion and the 2009 National Junior Golden Gloves Champion.

Follow Jose on Twitter at @QuezadaTeam and like his Facebook Fan Page at “Official Team Quezada.” Follow Rick Ramos on Twitter at @ChiliRamos.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Jan. 22, 2014) – It may be freezing in our Nation’s Capitol, but the four fighters competing in this Saturday night’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING doubleheader (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) braved the cold to sit down with SHOWTIME® cameras at the DCB Fit Boxing Gym to discuss their upcoming bouts.

In Saturday’s main event at DC ARMORY, local favorite Lamont Peterson (31-2-1, 16 KO’s) will defend his IBF Junior Welterweight World Championship against unbeaten No. 1-ranked Dierry Jean (25-0, 17 KO’s), of Montreal by way of Haiti. USBA Junior Middleweight Champion Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo (22-0, 11 KO’s), of Houston, riskshis 154-pound belt and unbeaten record against Two-Time World Title Challenger Gabriel “King” Rosado (21-7, 13 KO’s), of Philadelphia, in the co-feature.

Tickets priced at $27, $52, $77, $152 and $252, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, are on sale online at www.ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster locations, or calling (800) 745-3000. The DC Armory Box Office will be open Saturday only from 3:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. ET.

Below please find what the boxers said Wednesday:

LAMONT PETERSON, IBF Junior Welterweight World Champion
“I feel great. I feel like I had a good training camp and I am just ready to go Saturday night.
“This weather is typical winter. Sometimes it’s going to snow. Sometimes it’s going to be cold, but we get through it. We show up still so I don’t expect it to affect the crowd or take anything away from the fight.

“It was pretty cool to meet Dierry Jean for the first time today at the SHOWTIME shoot. We didn’t say anything to each other. No words. We did a face-off, but that was it. I came in when he was here [at the boxing gym], we did our faceoff and then he left. I wasn’t expecting to say anything to him and it’s going to be that way. He is small, but kind of the size I thought he would be. Size doesn’t mean anything.

“This was a better camp overall for me. My body is in better condition.”

DIERRY JEAN, No. 1-Rated IBF Junior Welterweight Contender
“We have over 100 people that have bought ringside tickets. We have made sure that all arrangements have been made for everyone.

“We are doing everything the way we should be as if we are home. We are not here as tourists. We are here to get the job done, to take that belt and go back home with it. But we love Washington, D.C. It is a nice city. People here are very hospitable.

“Look, I am here on a mission to bring that belt back. And having met Lamont, nothing changes.

“I am honored to fight the main event on SHOWTIME. When I started boxing, I was dreaming of this day. I have done all my work to come out victorious and in a very impressive fashion.”

JERMELL CHARLO, USBA Junior Middleweight Champion
“Fighting in D.C. is an awesome feeling because I feel like I am fighting in front of President Obama in our Nation’s Capitol. It’s a great experience and I am enjoying every little bit so far. I am happy to be welcomed to this city and the weather is not affecting me. I am here to put on a show and be victorious on Saturday.

“It’s exciting to be fighting on this SHOWTIME card, the first on of the year. Last year I was the first fight on SHOWTIME EXTREME and this year I am the first fight on SHOWTIME. It is a great feeling.

“I know Gabriel Rosado is a tough fighter. I just need to be ready to fight. Training camp was excellent. I am just ready for Saturday to get this over with and move on with the rest of my career.

“Doing these shoots, is part of making boxing a career. I’ve been here before.. At the end of the day we might be able to make even more of a professional career of being in front of the lights and on TV.”

GABRIEL ROSADO, Top Junior Middleweight Contender
“It was 90 degrees in Puerto Rico, but I am used to this weather. I left Philly a few weeks ago during a blizzard because it was interfering with my training. I couldn’t put my roadwork in so I went to Puerto Rico for the last couple weeks of camp.

“I think DC is a great town for boxing. A couple legendary fighters are from here. It’s not too far from Philly so I know I have a crowd coming to see me on Saturday night.

“It is great to be back on television. It is rejuvenating. This is a fresh start for the New Year and it is the first big fight on SHOWTIME. I’m excited to go back to super welterweight. I just think it’s going to be a great night for me.

“We were training in Puerto Rico and my trainer kept saying ‘Its Operation Chop down Charlo.’ Now everyone is tweeting that. We even made shirts and we’re running with it.

“I didn’t get a win technically in 2013, but I think I won fans. I think it is because they like that I come to fight. The fight against J’Leon Love was controversial and during the Peter Quillin fight I had great momentum. Unfortunately it got stopped prematurely. I think the fans are behind me and they’re rooting for me. I’m really eager to get into the ring on Saturday night.”

# # #

Peterson vs. Jean, a 12-round fight for Peterson’s IBF Junior Welterweight World Championship, will take place Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014 at the DC Armory in Washington, D.C. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and supported by Golden Boy Promotions’ sponsors Corona and AT&T. The live SHOWTIME telecast begins at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) and will be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP). In the co-featured bout, Jermell Charlo defends his USBA Junior Middleweight Championship in a 12-round fight against Gabriel Rosado. Preliminary bouts will air on SHOWTIME EXTREME® at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and www.sports.sho.com and follow on Twitter at @KingPete26 @DierryJean @KingGabRosado, @TwinCharlo and @SHOSports, follow the conversation using #PetersonDierry and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing.

SAN DIEGO (JANUARY 22, 2014)–On Saturday afternoon, March 1st, Ricky Burns will make his 4th defense of the WBO Lightweight title when he takes on highly regarded and undefeated Terence Crawford in a 12-round bout from the Scottish Exhibition Centre in Glasgow, Scotland.

The fight can be viewed live and exclusively across the United States on AWE, A Wealth of Entertainment.

“This world title fight showdown has the makings of a ‘fight of the year’. Crawford is undefeated and coming off some big wins. Burns is a proven champ. We’re ecstatic to be bringing this world-class title fight to boxing fans across the United States”, said Charles Herring, president of AWE.

Burns of Coatbridge, Scotland has a record of 36-2-1 with 11 knockouts and has not lost a fight in over seven years which spans 22 fights. He won the WBO Super Featherweight title with a thrilling 12 round unanimous decision over Roman Martinez. He made three defenses of his crown which includes wins over Andreas Evensen and Joseph Laryea. Burns then stopped former WBO Super featherweight champion Nicky Cook in one round.

Burns moved up to Lightweight and in his first fight at the higher weight class, he scored a 12 round unanimous decision over former champion Michael Katsidis to win the WBO Interim title.

Burns won the full title with a 12 round unanimous decision over former WBA champion Paulus Moses. Burns looked great in taking out fellow United Kingdom fighter Kevin Mitchell in four rounds. He then was able to outlast undefeated Jose Gonzalez when Gonzalez was forced to retire on the stool after the 9th round.

In his last bout, Burns fought through a broken jaw to salvage a controversial draw with Ray Beltran on September 7, 2013.

In the bout, Burns started off fast, but Beltran responded. By the end of the fight, many US boxing fans felt that Beltran should have walked away with the title belt.

Burns is 8-0-1 in world title fights.

Crawford of Omaha, Nebraska will be making his 1st attempt at a world title and brings in a perfect ledger at 22-0 with 16 knockouts.

The 26-year old is widely regarded as one of the top fighters in the division and has been performing at a high level.

He started to open eyes when he scored a shutout victory over hard-hitting power puncher Breidis Prescott on March 30, 2013.

Crawford followed that up with a 6-round beat down of Alejandro Sanabria (34-1-1) on June 15, 2013.

In his last bout, Crawford showed his terrific boxing ability by winning via shutout on all three judges’ score cards against previously undefeated Andrey Klimov (16-0) on October 5, 2013 in Orlando, Florida.

There will be a full undercard which will include a world title bout featuring WBA Super Bantamweight champion Scott Quigg announced shortly.

About AWE Live Boxing

For 2012, AWE earned 2 of the 6 Boxing Writers Association of America nominations for “Fight of the Year” candidates, beating out all other networks except HBO which earned three. AWE also showcased live all 2012 David Price fights. In 2013 AWE has featured the stunning upsets of Tony Thompson over Price, bouts with Adonis Stevenson and Tony Bellew, who just fought each other for the Light Heavyweight championship; 2008 Olympic Gold Medal winner James DeGale and possibly the two most controversial bouts which saw Ricky Burns keep his Lightweight title against Ray Beltran as well as the debatable stoppage that saw Carl Froch retain his title against George Groves.

The network is available nationally on Verizon FiOS TV channel 169 and 669 in HD, AT&T U-Verse TV channels 470 and 1470 in HD, along with over 100 cable systems across the country and worldwide.

AWE is the premier lifestyle and entertainment network -the destination for exclusive and original programming, simultaneously transmitted in high definition and standard definition. AWE delivers informative shows to its viewers, providing invaluable insights on what every American dreams of – from travel secrets to fast cars, from outrageous homes to live boxing events, and much more. The network fills a television vacuum by delivering intellectually stimulating, thought-provoking entertainment and always-unbiased news from an insider’s perspective.

For more information, please visit www.awetv.com

tlantic City, NJ: This afternoon five fighters joined Main Events CEO Kathy Duva center stage to discuss Friday night’s fight on NBCSN Fight Night live from Resorts Casino and Hotel. Main event fighters Curtis “Showtime” Stevens and Patrick “The Machine” Majewski were joined by co-feature combatant Thabiso “The Rock” Mchunu. Mchunu’s opponent Olanrewaju “God’s Power” Durodola was not present because weather complications delayed his flight. Undercard fighters Ilshat “The Sheriff” Khusnulgatin and Robert Acevedo also participated live via Ustream to discuss Friday night’s big event.

You can view the press conference online at http://www.ustream.tv/mainevents.

The top quotes and press conference Q&A are highlighted below.

Patrick Majewski: “This is my shot in the middleweight division, to start existing in the middleweight division. Curtis Stevens is a known fighter. I’m not yet. To be known I have to pass through him. I am ready to get it on.”

Patrick Majewski
Photo credits to Rich Graessle/Main Events

Kathy Duva, Main Events CEO: “Curtis . . . proved in (the Gennady Golovkin) fight that he belongs in . . .the elite of the middleweight division. And he made it clear to us that he wanted to get back in the middleweight title picture as soon as possible. This one really should be a brawl.”

Curtis Stevens: “Come Friday it is my road to redemption. I just have to go in there and not think so much and let my hands go. Friday starts my way back to the top of the elite in the middleweight division.”

Curtis Stevens
Photo credits to Rich Graessle/Main Events

Kathy Duva, Main Events CEO, speaking of Mchunu – Durodola fight:
“This is the kind of fight that I am really proud of. We are going to be able to introduce this division to the boxing world and to the casual fans. I think everyone is going to be richer for it.”

“I think that the winner of this fight in particular, and maybe even the loser, are going to be factors in the cruiserweight division for a long time.”

Kathy Duva
Photo credits to Rich Graessle/Main Events

Thabiso Mchunu: “I am ready to go. . .My opponent has quite a good record and I hope he is ready for what I am going to bring for him. I hope to put on a good show . . . on Friday night.”

PRESS CONFERENCE Q&A
Question for Patrick Majewski: Do you think that you are prepared for Curtis Stevens’ power?

Patrick: “I don’t think, I know! When I agreed to this fight I knew what he is capable of. I better be ready and I am feeling ready.”

Question for Curtis Stevens: Sometimes people historically have letdowns in a comeback fight. You just lost a big fight to Gennady Golovkin do you feel prepared to win this fight?

Curtis: “Well if I wasn’t prepared I wouldn’t have taken the fight. I just came off a loss so why would I want to lose again? I trained very hard. Like I said before I thought a little too much in my first title match. I overthought and not reacted so my job is no thinking just reacting.”

Question for Curtis Stevens: Do you think you should have picked an easier fight for your comeback fight?

Curtis: “Nothing is easy. Waking up in the morning isn’t easy. Walking out of my building isn’t easy. I didn’t sign up for nothing easy. I am a top elite middleweight and once again if I am going to be middleweight champion of the world so why not take an elite fighter on like Majewski. I am sure ready to be back where I am supposed to be.”

Question for Thabiso Mchunu: They say Durodola’s name is “God’s Power” how will you combat this power?

Thabiso: “Well I can also punch myself. Believe me I can punch harder than he can. I am a smart boxer and I believe in my boxing ability more than my power but I can also punch.”

Thabiso Mchunu at Final Presser
Photo credits to Rich Graessle/Main Events

REMINDER
WEIGH-IN: Thursday, 1/23 – Fighter report time 2:30PM ET, On scale 3:00PM ET. Resorts Casino and Hotel Starlight Room

Weigh-in will be streamed live beginning 3:00PM ET
http://www.ustream.tv/mainevents

ABOUT FRIDAY, JANUARY 24TH
Friday, January 24th at Resorts International Casino and Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ features a ten-round middleweight battle between Curtis “Showtime” Stevens and Patrick “The Machine” Majewski in the main event.

The ten-round Cruiserweight co-feature between Thabiso “The Rock” Mchunu and Olanrewaju “God’s Power” Durodola, will be for the vacant NABF Cruiserweight Title. Six additional fights are planned for the undercard, all fights subject to change.

Doors are scheduled to open at 6:45 PM ET, First Fight at 7:00 PM ET. The main event and co-feature will be broadcast 10:00 PM ET on NBC Fight Night on NBCSN. The card is presented by Main Events, Peltz Boxing, Dibella Entertainment and Showpony Promotions.

Tickets are priced at $75 and $50. They can be purchased at the Resorts International Casino and Hotel Box Office, 800-736-1420; at TicketMaster 800-745-3000 or online (key word: Main Events); and at Peltz Boxing 215-765-0922.

FIGHT NIGHT ON NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA
NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets – will live stream Fight Night on Friday, Jan. 24 at 10 p.m. ET.

Coverage will be streamed via “TV Everywhere,” the media industry’s effort to make quality content available to authenticated 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.

Coverage airing on NBCSN will 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.

FOLLOW US:
www.mainevents.com
Twitter: @main_events or twitter.com/main_events
Twitter: #FightNight
Facebook:facebook.com/MainEventsBoxing
facebook.com/NBCSports

Home New – Updated Feb 2024

Twitter: @ResortsCasino or https://twitter.com/resortscasino

Fight Venue:
Resorts Casino Hotel – Superstar Theatre
1133 Boardwalk
Atlantic City, NJ 08401
1-800-772-9000

Home 2026

BETHLEHEM, PA (JANUARY 22, 2014)–This Saturday night at the Sands in Bethlehem, PA one of the hottest 130-pound prospects in the United States will be back in action as Frankie De Alba takes on Chazz McDowell in the 8 round co-feature bout.

The show is promoted by King’s Promotions and XFE.

De Alba of Reading, PA via Bayamon, Puerto Rico has a record of 10-1-2 with 4 knockouts and is unbeaten in his last bouts and has won 8 straight.

De Alba’s results have gotten better as the competition has improved. He also is more confident and he has seen the difference in training.

“My training camp was great,”said De Alba. “I have had a great 6 week camp and I feel it was the best camp top date.”

He knows that McDowell, 6-3-1 with 1 knockout will bring some skills to the ring on Satirday night.

“I have seen that Chazz likes to box. I am going to put pressure on him and little by little I am going to break him down.”

In his bout, De Alba thrilled more than 5,000 fans in Reading as he scored four knockdowns en route to a 4th round stoppage over the durable Osnel Charles on November 30th.

“I am not surprised by my punching power. Styles make fights and I have not been in with many guys who want to engage so that’s why I don’t have more knockouts. I haven’t had the opportunity to exchange with many opponents.”

De Alba noticed that the crowd was on their feet for most of the fight with Charles as he was in fan friendly brawl.

“My job is to entertain the boxing fans. They pay their hard earned money so I just want to entertain everybody.”

The 26-year old feels he is coming into his own and is just now hitting his stride,

“I only had 9 amateur fights. I am learning on the job and I have been getting in better shape. I have more experience and i am smarter and getting better everyday.”

“I am ready for Saturday. I am going to put on a good show and entertain all the boxing fans.”

Said the event’s promoter Marshall Kauffman, “Frankie is very hungry. He is young and aggressive & getting better with each fight. He has a lot of potential.”

In the main event, WBA number-nine ranked Heavyweight, Travis Kauffman (27-1, 20 KO’s) of Reading, PA takes on Vincent Thompson (13-1, 2 KO’s) of Federal Way, Washington in a 10 round bout for the WBA Fedlatin title.

In an eight round bout, Miguel Cartagena (10-0, 3 KO’s) of Philadelphia will fight Felipe Rivas (15-15-2, 9 KO’s) of Nogales, Mexico in a Bantamweight bout.

In Four Round Bouts:

Sammy Quinones (4-2, 1 KO) of York, PA will fight Benjamin Burgos (1-5) of Mount Pocono, PA.

Khalib “Big Foot” Whitmore (4-0, 3 KO’s) of Philadelphia, PA will square off with Antonio Liles (1-4, 1 KO) of North Carolina in a Light Heavyweight bout.

Jr. Welterweight Christian Molina of Allentown, PA will make his pro debut against Dominic Goode (0-1) of New Jersey.

Lonnie Jackson Jr. (3-1-1, 1 KO) of Philadelphia will fight Robert Ramos (1-1, 1 KO) of Palm Bay, Florida in a Lightweight bout.

Tickets for this outstanding evening are priced at $200, $125, $75 and $50 (tickets will be $5 more at the door) and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com and www.kingsboxing.com

1st bout is 7:15 with the doors opening at 6:15

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, Canada (January 22, 2014) – Undefeated North American Boxing Association (NABA) cruiserweight champion “Dangerous” Denton Daley (11-0, 6 KOs) is set to make his second title defense Saturday night, February 15 against veteran Andres Taylor (21-5-2, 8 KOs) at Hershey Centre in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

Denton is a 31-year-old Brampton native, who trains in Kitchener, Ontario, and is rated No. 7 by the World Boxing Association (WBA) and No. 14 by the World Boxing Council (WBC). Taylor is a former World Boxing Foundation (WBF) All-Americas cruiserweight champion from Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

Denton vs. Taylor is the 12-round main event on “Doomsday,” promoted by United Boxing Promotions (UBP) in association with Title Fight Promotions. Denton’s promoter, Don MacDonald, believes this is a crossroads fight for both boxers.

“Denton has to beat a tough veteran like Taylor to prove that he’s a legitimate world class cruiserweight and future world title challenger,” UBP president Don MacDonald said. “Taylor needs to pull off an upset to get back into the cruiserweight picture and beating Denton will likely position him in the world ratings.”

Daley’s most significant victory to date is a win by 10-round decision over former world champion Richard Hall last March for the vacant North American Boxing Federation (NABF) cruiserweight championship. In his last fight, Daley won a unanimous 10-round decision this past September versus Jean Marc Monrose (26-6).

A gatekeeper of the cruiserweight division, Taylor has been stopped only once in 28 professional fights. He was supposed to challenge WBA World Cruiserweight Champion Guillermo Jones in the fall of 2012, but Jones’ hand injury postponed the fight and Taylor never got his world title shot. Jones has since fought only once and has been designated as the WBA Cruiserweight Champion in Recess.

Denton was a standout basketball player for Canadian hoop powerhouse Sheridan College, from where he graduated in 2004 with a degree in business administration. Three years later, he took a friend up on his offer to go to a boxing gym and he hasn’t looked back.

Denton Daley vs Andres Taylor February 15th at the Hershey Centre
Denton Daley vs Andres Taylor February 15th at the Hershey Centre
His athleticism helped him make a smooth transition from basketball to boxing in a relative short time. “I was told by my amateur coach, Dwight Frazier, I was lucky to have played basketball because, in the ring, I had natural foot movement and good hand-and-eye coordination,” Denton said. “The transition from one sport to another was easy. I’ve never really thought about getting hurt in boxing. I understand you can get hurt but I have concentrated on minimizing the possibility by training hard and being in top condition. I’ve always been fearless.”

Denton is fortunate to have two-time world title challenger Syd “The Jewel” Vanderpool (35-4, 23 KOs) as his head trainer. “Syd has been a blessing in disguise,” Denton explained. “He is a very technical coach, explaining why every move is made. He immediately got my attention and I’ve fully trusted him since we met.”

“Denton came to me with lots of athletic ability and uncanny ring awareness,” Vanderpool noted. “He studies a lot and is a real student of the game. He’s working on basic fundamentals and balance that he’ll need once we get to the highest level of competition. He’s learning how to systemically break down opponents instead of just launching punches. I told him he has 12 rounds to breakdown an opponent; take away their jab and movement, and then go for the kill.”

“Doomsday” tickets, starting at $35.00, are on sale at all Ticketmaster outlets and the Hershey Centre Box Office. Doors open at 7 p.m. ET with the first fight scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Go online for additional information at www.unitedpromotions.ca and www.Facebook.com/UnitedBoxingPromotions. Follow UBP on twitter at @UnitedPromotions and Daley @DentonDaley.

2013 was an exceptional year for Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing. It was a year that saw Star Boxing fighters appear on every major network: HBO, Showtime, ESPN, and NBC Sports Network. 2013 also saw the emergence of many of Star Boxing’s up and coming fighters.

The year was highlighted by the crowning of 2006 Olympian Demetrius Andrade as WBO Jr. Middleweight champion. Andrade won the title by defeating previously unbeaten Vanes Martyrosian on November 9th, in a bout televised live on HBO from Corpus Christi, TX. Co-promoted by Banner Promotions, Andrade had a great year as he remained undefeated, and continued to display all the makings of a future superstar.

Jr. Welterweight Emanuel Taylor announced his arrival as a top rated contender by scoring back to back nationally televised wins, knocking out fellow prospect Raymond Serrano in a fight seen live on Showtime, and then coming right back to KO highly rated contender Victor Cayo on ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights” series. Emanuel is currently ranked 4th by the IBF, and has set his sights on a world title in 2014 in the Jr. Welterweight division.

This year also saw the continued success of Star Boxing’s unbeaten prospects, including Jr. Welterweights Chris Algieri and Cletus Seldin, as well as Lightweight Alan Gotay. Each boxer stayed very busy fighting at their hometown arena, The Paramount, in Huntington, NY, going a combined 11-0 in the process. Algieri’s year was highlighted by a sensational, nationally televised victory over touted prospect Jose Alejo, as part of NBCSports Fight Night series. Algieri capped off his year by defeating former World Championship challenger Mike Arnaoutis in a spirited affair, and scoring a TKO victory over Wilfredo Acuna.

Seldin continued to impress as well, steamrolling his opponents in scoring two knockouts in three fights, and showing no ill effects from shoulder surgery; Cletus continues to fulfill his expectations in being one of Boxing’s most exciting prospects. And Gotay continues a successful start to his promising career, staying busy in scoring five wins in 2013, and improving with each fight.

One of Star Boxing’s staple fighters, Delvin Rodriguez, was again in the limelight as he scored two impressive TKO victories on ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights”. Delvin began the year by knocking out another Star Boxing fighter, previously unbeaten George Tahdooahnippah. He then followed up the win by scoring a hard fought victory over perennial contender Freddy Hernandez, which propelled him into the ring with future Hall of Famer Miguel Cotto in a bout televised live on HBO’s Championship Boxing series. Rodriguez was stopped by Cotto, but has promised to bounce back in 2014 as he has done many times before.

2013 saw the signings of new fighters to Star’s ever growing stable, including former IBF Welterweight champion Joshua Clottey; undefeated Puerto Rican Jr. Middleweight prospect Eliezer Gonzalez; exciting Lightweight Chris Howard; hard punching, undefeated Heavyweight Constantin Bejenaru, who is trained by the legendary trainer of Mike Tyson, Kevin Rooney; and former World Championship challenger from Belarus, Lightweight Sergey Gulyakevich.

Clottey returned to action after a 22 month layoff with a points win over Deshaun Johnson at The Paramount in September, and will be looking for another shot at the Jr. Middleweight title in 2014.

Howard shocked everybody with two upset wins on ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights” series, the first a sensational KO victory over Bayan Jargal, and then a hard fought, close points victory over fellow Star Boxing fighter, a previously undefeated Issouf Kinda. Howard received the decision after the fight ended prematurely, due to a cut over Howard’s left eye from an accidental headbutt.

Gonzalez will be looking to make his mainland debut in 2014, as he continues to knock out opponents in his native Puerto Rico.

Bejenaru has become a fan favorite with his all action style, reminiscent to Mike Tyson, and has displayed tremendous power in his fights.

And Gulyakevich will be looking to make his US debut in 2014.

Star Boxing fighters also fought globally in 2013, as Heavyweight Joe Hanks ventured to China in July to battle fellow undefeated prospect Andy Ruiz. Both fighters put it all on the line, but Hanks came up short in his effort to knock off Ruiz. Star Boxing’s head honcho, Joe DeGuardia, also made the historic trip to China.

Along with his roster of fighters, Star Boxing’s CEO Joe DeGuardia also had a big year, highlighted by his induction into the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame. DeGuardia was able to celebrate his achievement that night with his fighters, as longtime Star Boxing fighter Delvin Rodriguez accepted the honor on his behalf, while Joe was attending Demetrius Andrade’s title winning match in Corpus Christi, TX. Joe (& Star Boxing) was also named Ring 10’s “Promoter of the Year” for 2013, and received a Suffolk County, New York Proclamation for Outstanding Achievements for significantly improving the quality of life of Suffolk residents.

Star Boxing has established what is quickly becoming the hottest fight venue in the country, The Paramount in Huntington, NY, which hosted six sold out events in 2013. Star Boxing brought in major networks, Showtime and NBC Sports, to The Paramount in 2013, and will be looking to bring in every major network, as The Paramount offers uniqueness not seen since the days of the legendary Blue Horizon in Philadelphia.

All in all, it was a terrific year for Star Boxing and its fighters, as once again, Star Boxing consistently put on exciting, competitive fights for their fans. The company’s tradition of showcasing compelling fights continues in 2014 with its “Valentine’s Day Massacre” event on February 14 at The Paramount. Televising live on ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights”, the card will include the return of Issouf Kinda, who looks to bounce back from his first loss against Jeremy Bryan. Also, two of Star Boxing’s Jr. Welterweights will clash in the main event, as undefeated prospect Chris Algieri will try to keep his record intact against top ranked Emanuel Taylor.

Star Boxing’s and its fighters had great success in 2013, and 2014 is shaping up to be the biggest year yet for Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing.

HBO’s hit late-night boxing franchise begins 2014 with an all-action doubleheader featuring an intriguing junior lightweight title showdown when HBO BOXING AFTER DARK: MIKEY GARCIA VS. JUAN CARLOS BURGOS AND BRYANT JENNINGS VS. ARTUR SZPILKA is seen from the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York on SATURDAY, JAN. 25 at 9:45 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT), exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports team will be ringside for the event, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates: Jan. 26 (9:30 a.m.) and 28 (midnight)
HBO2 playdates: Jan. 26 (4:45 p.m.) and 27 (11:00 p.m.)
The main event pits Mikey Garcia (33-0, 28 KOs) of Oxnard, Cal. against Juan Carlos Burgos (30-1-2, 20 KOs), from Tijuana, Mexico, in a scheduled 12-round, 130-pound title bout. Garcia comes from a talented boxing family: The 26-year-old is trained and co-managed by his father, Eduardo, and his brother, Robert, the Boxing Writers Association of America’s 2012 Trainer of the Year. Garcia has been on the fast track to superstar status, steamrolling the competition and emerging as one of the sport’s elite fighters. His three wins in 2013 were convincing triumphs over former champions Orlando Salido, Juan Manuel Lopez and Rocky Martinez. The 26-year-old Burgos is a seasoned veteran who will be making his third bid for a world title.
In the co-feature bout, rising heavyweight Bryant Jennings (17-0, 9 KOs) makes his HBO debut. The 29-year-old Philadelphia native has attracted the attention from boxing observers as the sport searches for the next big American heavyweight star. His formidable foe, 24-year-old Artur Szpilka (16-0, 12 KOs) of Krakow, Poland, has generated a following in the U.S. this year with two televised victories over Mike Mollo, both of them all-action affairs.
Follow HBO boxing news at hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/hboboxing.
All HBO boxing events are presented in HDTV. HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.
® HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.