BROOKLYN, NY (DECEMBER 7, 2013)–TONIGHT!! at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Golden Boy Promotions presents a memorable night of boxing that will feature not only The Battle for Brooklyn, Zab Judah vs. Paulie Malignaggi but three world title bouts.

Featured on a stacked undercard will be WBA #13 ranked Super Bantamweight Juan “Baby Tito” Dominguez squaring off against tough Puerto Rican, Camilo Perez in a bout scheduled for 8 rounds.

Dominguez of Brooklyn, New York via the Dominican Republic knows that Perez will present the toughest test of his career.

The 27 year-old Dominguez is promoted by New Legend Boxing Promotions, Old World Boxing and WON Promotions and is just a few bouts away from competing for a world championship.

Dominguez has knocked out four straight opponents and will be making his second consecutive appearance at Barclays Center. In his last fight, he stopped Brad Patraw in just 96 seconds on June 22nd as part of the Malignaggi – Broner undercard.

Perez, 9-1 with 4 knockouts was a coveted amateur who is hungry as he lost his last bout to Tevin Farmer on October 25th in Philadelphia.

Perez has a career best win over Charlie Serrano (14-2) in 2012.

“This will be a good test for Juan to see where he is at and how many fights he made need before he will fight for a world title,”said New Legend Boxing’s Felipe Gomez.

“We feel that Juan is a special talent and has the skills to be a world champion and he needs to look good against Perez. Perez only loss was when he moved up in weight and fought a real good fighter in Tevin Farmer. We know he will be motivated but Juan is on the big stage and we want to thank Golden Boy Promotions for giving Juan the opportunity to showcase his ability on Saturday.”

December 6, 2013 – Tonight Gary Shaw Productions presented another edition of the popular series titled “Central Coast Championships” at the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, California.

In the main event, local fan favorite Francisco Santana scored a 10-round unanimous decision over Joachim Alcine. Santana dominated the bout from the opening round, throwing hard punches to the head and body that kept Alcine on the retreat. Scorecards read 99-90 twice and 100-89, all in favor for Santana who retained his “Central Coast Championship.”

“I wanted to come out here tonight and prove once again that I’m ready to step up in competition,” said Santana. “I felt great and I’m hoping I can work my way up the rankings in 2014, with the possibility to fight for a world title in the near future. I’m looking forward to what my promoter Gary Shaw has lined up for me next.”

In the co-feature, Russian born lightweight contender Rustam Nugaev (26-6-1, 16 KOs) destroyed late sup, Mario Hermosillo with a first round knockout. A vicious body blow ended the contest at the 2:02 mark. Rated # 6 by the WBC, Nugaev is seeking a big fight in 2014.

“I’m ready to fight for a world title,” stated Nugaev. “Next year I’m going to work hard and put myself in position to fight for a championship. I know Gary Shaw is working hard to get me my shot. I won’t let him down of I get my opportunity.”

Undercard results

4-round Heavyweight bout
Henry Calles Jr. (1-1) def. Zlatko Ledic (0-2) via unanimous decision.

6-round Flyweight bout
Maggie Suarez (7-0-1) def. Jolene Blackshear (8-4, 3 KOs) via unanimous decision.

4-round Welterweight bout
Eric Prado (3-4-1) def. Adriel Pebenito (2-8-1)

6-round Heavyweight bout
Lateef Kayode (19-0, 15 KOs) def. Travis Jon Fulton (21-34-1, 20 KOs) via first round KO.

MAIN EVENT: CageSport Middleweight Title
Brent Knopp: 184.5
Cory Devela: 184.5

UNDERCARD
Amy Cadwell: 121.5
Jessica Doerner: 124*
Contract weight: 122+1 Lbs.

Dex Montenegro: 135
Soloman Jones: 135.5
Contract Weight: 135+1

Steve Simpson: 174.5*
Nick Coughran: 171
Contract Weight: 170+1

Chaz Gurule**
Eduardo Torres: 135.5
Contract Weight: 135+1

Lee McCurry**
Tyson Cunningham: 170.5
Contract Weight: 170+1

Trevor Sojot: 136
Dylan Atkinson: 136
Contract Weight: 135+1

Trent Tyler: 170.5
Taki Uluilakepa: 169.5
Contract Weight: 170+1

J.J. Lopez: 145.5
Alex Eastman: 145.5
Contract Weight: 145+1

Robert Cann: 144
Lupe Hudgens: 144.5
Contract Weight: 145+1

*Steve Simpson and Jessica Doerner each came to a financial agreement to offset weighing in heavy.

** Lee McCurry and Chaz Gurule were unable to fulfill contractual obligations. Opponents for Eduardo Torres and Tyson Cunningham will be announced shortly.

“World Series of Fighting 7: Karakhanyan vs. Palmer” combatants tipped the scales today at Personas Tapas Restaurant Lounge inside the Grand Villa Casino. Main event fighters Georgi Karakhanyan and Lance Palmer both weighed in under the 145-pound limit at the official Weigh-In for the inaugural WSOF Featherweight World Championship title, which will take place on Saturday night at the PNE Agrodome in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

The live two-hour NBC Sports Network telecast will begin at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. Preliminary bouts stream live on World Series of Fighting’s official website at www.WSOF.com at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT and venue doors open at 2 p.m. PT. Fans living in Canada will be able to watch the fights Sunday, Dec. 8 on TSN2 at 7 p.m. ET.

Following are the weights and photos from Friday’s Weigh-In:

GEORGI KARAKHANYAN 144.7 lbs. VS. LANCE PALMER 144.6 lbs.

JESSE TAYLOR 185.7 lbs. VS. ELVIS MUTAPCIC 185.6 lbs.

NICK NEWELL 155.8 lbs. VS. SABAH FADAI 155 lbs.

KALIB STARNES 205 lbs. VS. DWAYNE LEWIS 205 lbs.

MICHAEL HILL 169.2 lbs. VS. RICHARD ARSENAULT 169.8 lbs.

DAVID PERRON 185.8 lbs. VS. MATT BAKER 185.8 lbs.

SHAWN ALBRECHT 155.6 lbs. VS. GABRIEL SOLORIO 154.8 lbs.

MYLES MEROLA 155.7 lbs. VS. DAN RING 155.5 lbs.

MICAH BRAKEFIELD 185.4 lbs. VS. BRENDAN KORNBERGER 184.5 lbs.

About World Series of Fighting
World Series of Fighting is a professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering an incredible, action-packed entertainment experience for fight fans by producing the best possible matchups between elite fighters from around the globe. For more information please visit WSOF.com. Follow World Series of Fighting on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries and World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo @SugarRaySefo.

About NBCSN
NBCSN part of the NBC Sports Group, is dedicated to serving passionate sports fans. Now in more than 80 million homes, the network is the cable television home of the Summer and Winter Olympics, National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Soccer (MLS), IZOD IndyCar Series, Tour de France and the 34th America’s Cup, and beginning in 2013, the Premier League and Formula One. In addition, NBC Sports Network features college football, college basketball, college hockey, outdoor programming, horse racing surrounding the Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup, Fight Night boxing, Ironman, the Dew Action Sports Tour and USA Sevens Rugby. The network is also home to original programs such as Costas Tonight, The Crossover, NFL Turning Point, Pro Football Talk and The Dan Patrick Show. NBC Sports Network is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States

LONDON (Dec. 6) – Five-time world champion Zab Judah is adamant he will be crowned ‘King of Brooklyn’ after knocking out Paulie Malignaggi.

The pair clash this Saturday night at the Barclays Center in New York, with the Brooklyn natives putting their pride on the line as they battle to be declared the best boxer from the famed borough.

The fight has been viewed in some quarters as a ‘friendly’ matchup, with the two fighters having been nothing but respectful to one another in the lead up. However, Judah has poured scorn on such claims declaring that there is nothing chummy about this weekend’s showdown.

“I’m the real Brooklyn, New York,” said Judah. “This is my office. They built this arena for me and on Saturday night I’m going to show the world why. We’re in a gladiator sport. We have to fight to the best of our abilities. People want to see tough fighters with skills. Even though my last fight was a setback, it still got me back here today,” he said.

“This isn’t a game for me. People keep saying this fight is friendly but at the end of the day these are the old Roman days. Only thing different is I can’t behead him, so I’m going to knock him out,” Judah vowed.

“I do the impossible. I’m the only one to put more hands on Floyd Mayweather than anyone ever has,” he added.

Judah looked confident as he weighed in, hitting the scales at 146lbs, with Malignaggi bang on the welterweight limit at 147lbs.

The 36-year-old also questioned Malignaggi’s right to claim that he is from Brooklyn, claiming he isn’t the real deal.

“Paulie wasn’t born here, he migrated from somewhere else,” he said. “To me, if we were comparing sneakers I’d be Jordans at Foot Locker and he’d be Canal Street, he’s not authentic. I’m authentic, I’m from here. I’m born and raised here,” Judah said.

“I feel great because I know we’re going to have a Brooklyn champion in myself. I’m going to make sure Paulie’s job [as a Showtime Sports analyst] is locked in stone. After this he’s going to be a full-time commentator.

“I know that this is a special opportunity for me, it’s the opportunity to crown yourself the King of your city. This is the old Roman days, there can only be one king and I’m taking it back to that. Saturday night, I’m back,” Judah fired.

This Saturday night’s fight card also features three world title fights, including Devon Alexander against undefeated Shawn Porter for the IBF welterweight title, Austin Trout versus Erislandy Lara for the WBA light-middleweight crown and Sakio Bika defending his WBC super-middleweight belt against the hard-hitting and unbeaten Anthony Dirrell.

Plus, earlier from the Echo Arena in Liverpool, BoxNation will bring you the highly touted prospect Paul Butler’s clash with Ruben Montoya for the WBO inter-continental super-flyweight belt, with Derry Matthews up against Stephen Ormond for the WBO European lightweight championship and Liam Smith defending his British light-middleweight title against Mark Thompson.

Malignaggi vs. Judah is live on BoxNation (Sky Ch. 437/Virgin Ch. 546) at 1am this Sunday, with Butler vs. Montoya earlier at 8pm on Saturday. Visit www.boxnation.com to subscribe.

-Ends-
About BoxNation
BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated subscription boxing channel. For £10* a month and no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

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

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

The channel is available on Sky (ch 437), Virgin (ch 546), online at Livesport.tv and via iPhone, iPad or Android.

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

For more information visit www.boxnation.com

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

ATLANTIC CITY – With tomorrow, December 7th, being the 72nd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor and America’s entry into the Second World War, US Navy veteran Steve “USS” Cunningham took time out from training camp to remember that historic day and to honor all those currently serving America in the United States military.

Cunningham spoke of honoring the troops, “Pearl harbor was 9/11 before 9/11… it shook our country to the core, but made us grow stronger. I have so much respect for the men and women who have in the past, and continue now, to serve our country.”

Cunningham served in the United Sates Navy between 1994 and 1998, and it was in the Navy that he began boxing and collecting amateur titles. During his service, Cunningham was stationed on two different aircraft carriers, the USS America and the USS Enterprise. His stint on the USS America included six months in Europe, which foreshadowed his European campaign as a professional boxer years later.

Cunningham, 25-6, 12 KOs, won both of his world cruiserweight championships in Europe, and between 2006 and 2012 fought a total of seven world title bouts overseas. These days, he’s been fighting closer to his hometown of Philadelphia, and will next see action on December 14th in Atlantic City. It will be the first time is his entire career that Cunningham has fought in the Jersey Shore boxing hub.

“It will be great to fight in Atlantic City, it’s so close to home and I know many of my fans from Philly will come to support me,” said Cunningham.

He added, “I am chomping at the bit to get back in the ring on December 14th and to let everyone know I am not going anywhere, I’m still here and still a threat in this division. My son Cruz turns 3 years old on that day and I plan to give him a victory for his birthday.”

That night, Cunningham faces Manuel Quezada, 29-7, 18 KOs, in an 8-round heavyweight bout at Resorts International Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. The fight is part of a big card that features Amir Mansour, 19-0, 14 KOs, against Kelvin Price, 14-1, 6 KOs, in a 10-round heavyweight bout, and light heavyweights Ryan Coyne and Lionell Thompson in another 10-rounder. The two 10-round fights will be nationally televised on Fight Night, the live boxing series on NBC Sports Network, beginning 10PM ET. The Cunningham – Quezada fight or highlights will be shown if time permits.

BROOKLYN, NY (DECEMBER 6, 2013)–THIS TUESDAY at Amore Cucina Restaurant in Wayne, New Jersey, Sal Musumeci’s Final Forum Promotions will host a press conference in advance of next Saturday Night’s professional boxing show at Pacplex in Brooklyn, NY.

Many of the fighters will be on hand such as main event fighter, Heavyweight Derric Rossy as well as Heavyweight Natu Vasinia and Cruiserweight Keith Tapia.

Also appearing at the press conference will be Rosie Pierri of the Real Housewives of New Jersey.

Rosie will be there as she supports: Fight to KO Malnutrition of Children

The Press Conference will begin at 6pm eastern.

WHO: Derric Rossy (28-7, 14 KO’s)–Heavyweight Contender from Medford, NY
Natu Visinia (9-0, 8 KO’s)–Heavyweight prospect from Lakewood, CA
Keith Tapia (9-0, 6 KO’s)–Cruiserweight prospect from Puerto Rico
Sal Musumeci–CEO Final Forum Promotions
Rosie Pierri–Star of Real Housewives from New Jersey
Other fighters on the card

WHAT:Press Conference in advance of Boxing card that will take place on Saturday December 14th at Pacplex in Brooklyn.

WHEN: Tuesday, December 10 at 6pm

WHERE: Amore Cucina Restaurant
611 Ratzer Rd, Wayne, NJ 07470

FOOD & BEVERAGE WILL BE SERVED

Tickets for this outstanding evening of boxing cost $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.finalforumboxing.comand at Pacplex

Pacplex is located at 1500 Paerdegat Ave N, Brooklyn, NY 11236

NUTLEY, NJ (DECEMBER 6, 2013)–This past Wednesday night at BB KIng’s Kings in Times Square, New York City, two of the hottest prospects in America scored impressive knockout victories.

Undefeated Middleweight Antoine Douglas stopped previously undefeated Colby Courter in round three of their scheduled six round bout while undefeated Super Middleweight Jerry Odom remained perfect by scoring knockdowns in under a round and stooped Eric Moon.

Douglas and Odom are promoted by GH3 Promotions.

Douglas of Burke, Virginia systematically broke down Couter before dropping him in the 3rd round and the fight was stopped upon Courter getting to his feet at 1:12 of round three.

The 21 year-old Douglas is now 11-0 with 7 knockouts.

“I thought it was a good executed plan,”said Douglas.

“I feel I can always get better and I can learn from this fight. I was very active and landed effective punches and we have been working on that.”

“I think i will be by making my SHO BOX debut on January 17th and that will be more 4th television appearance and will have a lot of fans watching.”, finished Douglas.

Douglas is scheduled to fight Marquis Davis (8-0-2, 5 KO’s) on January 17th.

Odom of Bowie, Maryland was equally impressive and got his opponent hurt and then finished the job at 2:47 of round one to keep raise his perfect knockout record to 6-0 with kmockouts.

“It was a nice venue and it was good to perform in front of a different crowd,”said the 20 year-old Odom.

“I performed like i was supposed to and I want to thank my promoter Vito Mielnicki. Whatever he puts in front of me, I will take it.”

GH3 Promotions John Thompson will be back in action on Friday January 17th at the co-feature on SHO BOX on SHOWTIME

Looking back on another sold-out EFC event, last Saturday night (November 30), at the Parsippany PAL, co-promoter Hani Darwish wishes to congratulate and thank everyone involved with his blockbuster EFC GLADIATORS event.

“GLADIATORS” was a complete hit!” said Darwish. “Win, lose, or draw last night’s event was an awesome experience and we would like to thank all the fighters for their non-stop action, Nick Lembo, and the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board Officials, all the fight camps (Ardon MMA, Extreme Fight Club, Gold Hawk Ares, Lionheart MMA, Lloyd Irvin MMA, Pellegrino MMA, Pure MMA, and Spartan Fitness), all the trainers, sponsors (Al Basha, Dr. Yousef Zibdie, Everlast, La Ziza, Masri & Associates, Nayef Sweets, Wize Guys Pizzeria), all my staff, and supporters, the Go Fight Live crew for the broadcast work, the great people at the Parsippany PAL, a special thanks to Mike Markham for his superb announcing, Mike Straka, Dante Rivera, and Andy Main for their awesome commentating and last but not least, all of our EFC FIGHT FANS for their continued support. It would not have been possible without any of you. Thank you all so much.”

Darwish also sends a special congratulations to his newest EFC Champion, Robert Bodden, for his title-winning victory over Christopher Valarro and to his winner of Fight of the Night.

“A special congratulations to our new EFC Champion, Robert Bodden of Spartan Fitness. He becomes champion in an EFC division stacked with talent and we’re very happy to have him. And my thanks also to Christopher Valarro for being such a great champion and for being so gracious in defeat. He will be back. Our Fight of the Night was Will Dodd vs. Gabriel Fonseca, which was a terrific war, eventually won by Dodd. It was a fantastic event from beginning to end and I’m so proud to have been part of it. We will see you at the next EFC event on March 8!”

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (Dec. 6, 2013) – One of the biggest events of 2013 just got even bigger with the announcement of the full undercard that leads up to the SHOWTIME® televised quadrupleheader at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY on Saturday, Dec. 7, an event headlined by the “BATTLE OF BROOKLYN” between Zab “Super” Judah and Paulie “The Magic Man” Malignaggi for the NABF welterweight title, which will be televised live on SHOWTIME®.

Featured on this stacked card will be a 10-round super welterweight clash between unbeaten Philadelphian Julian “J-Rock” Williams and Mexico’s Orlando “Latigo” Lora, a 10-round welterweight bout pitting 2008 U.S. Olympian Sadam “World Kid” Ali of Brooklyn against Arizona prospect Jesus “Chino” Selig, an eight-round light heavyweight matchup between 2012 U.S. Olympian “Sir” Marcus Browne of Staten Island and St. Louis veteran Kevin “Hitman” Engel, and an eight-round battle of featherweight up and comers when Brooklyn’s Juan Dominguez takes on Puerto Rico’s Camilo Perez.

Despite having less than 20 professional fights, Philadelphia’s Julian Williams (13-0-1, 7 KO’s) appears to be on the verge of big thing, considering his consistent success against top-level competition. In 2013, Williams stopped unbeaten Jeremiah Wiggins and outpointed former world champion Joachim Alcine before a controversial no-contest against Hugo Centeno took place. On Saturday, the 23-year-old Williams wants to leave no doubts whatsoever.

Culiacan native Orlando Lora (29-4-2, 19 KO’s) is no stranger to tough competition, having recently squared off with the likes of Malignaggi, Keith Thurman and Jermall Charlo. Now he’ll look to push Williams further than he’s even been pushed before.

After a spectacular Barclays Center debut in September that saw him defeat Jay Krupp, Brooklyn’s own Sadam Ali (17-0, 10 KO’s) is back in the building in an effort to pick up his 18th professional win against Douglas, Arizona’s Jesus Selig (12-1-1, 6 KO’s). The 25-year-old Ali represented the United States in the 2008 Olympics, and now with a mix of speed and power, he’s on the road to a world championship. The 31-year-old Selig, a native of Sonora, Mexico, is unbeaten in all but one of his bouts and brings a two-fight winning streak with him into Brooklyn.

Twenty-three-year-old Marcus Browne (7-0, 6 KO’s) ripped through his first six professional opponents by knockout, but in his seventh bout in September, he showed the will and skill to go the distance in a hard-fought victory over Lamont Williams. On Saturday, the 2012 U.S. Olympian will make his fifth Barclays Center start against St. Louis’ Kevin Engel (20-8, 16 KO’s). Winner of two of his last four, including a 2012 win over 13-0 Anthony Smith, the 33-year-old Engel always shows up to fight, making it clear that his bout with Browne will be one to watch.

A native of the Dominican Republic, now making his home in Brooklyn, 27-year-old Juan Dominguez (15-0, 11 KO’s) is a rising star who made a huge impression on fans in his adopted hometown in June when he needed just 96 seconds to knock out Brad Patraw in his Barclays Center debut. This weekend, he meets Carolina, Puerto Rico’s Camilo Perez (9-1, 4 KO’s), a 22-year-old prospect eager to put on a show in his New York debut.

Tickets priced at $250, $125, $75, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes and service charges are available at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-745-3000 and at the American Express Box Office. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.

ABOUT “JUDAH VS. MALIGNAGGI”:
Judah vs. Malignaggi is a 12-round fight for the NABF Welterweight titles taking place on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Super Judah Promotions and sponsored by Corona, AT&T, Grudge Match and Casamigos Tequila. In the co-featured bout, Devon Alexander puts his IBF welterweight title on the line in a 12-round bout against Shawn Porter, Erislandy Lara defends his interim WBA Super Welterweight title in a 12-round fight against Austin Trout and Sakio Bika defends his WBC Super Middleweight title against Anthony Dirrell in a 12-round bout. The SHOWTIME telecast begins at 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT immediately following ALL ACCESS: Broner vs. Maidana which begins at 7:30 p.m. ET/ 4:30 p.m. PT. The telecast will be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP).

LONDON (Dec. 6) – Paulie Malignaggi has compared his weekend clash with Zab Judah to the classic Rome football derby, as he eyes a possible rematch with rising megastar Adrien Broner.

‘The Magic Man’ will be hoping to cast his spell in the ring on Saturday night, live on BoxNation, as he takes on Judah in a clash which pits the two Brooklyn natives against one another in front of their local followers at the Barclays Center in New York.

Pride is at stake for both men, who will be looking to take away bragging rights by being crowned Brooklyn’s top dog. And Malignaggi, who hails from Italian stock, has compared the contest to one of football’s fiercest rivalries – Rome’s famous ‘Derby della Capitale’.

“Hometown pride is at stake, so you definitely want to win. It’s a turf war – a battle – you want to have that pride of being the best in your region,” Malignaggi told BoxNation.

“It definitely has a derby feel to it, so to speak, like two teams who share the same stadium. If you’re familiar with football, it’s kind of like Roma and Lazio in Italy who share the same ground and when they play one another it’s a big rivalry – that’s how it feels with me and Judah,” he said.

“The fight has a different feel to it but it still has a big fight feel and I know how to approach big fights, so in that regard, it’s different but still similar – the approach remains the same,” Malignaggi added.

The 33-year-old has refused to overlook Judah and is expecting the five-time world champion to be at his very best when they go head-to-head after he impressed in his last outing against Danny Garcia.

“I expect that kind of Zab [that showed up against Danny Garcia]. I think if anything he can gain confidence out of the way he finished strong in that fight, so I think he’ll take that momentum and bring it to the early part of this fight – that’s what I anticipate,” he said.

“But I’m ready, I’m sharp and I’m focused. I expect that particular Zab Judah, the aggressive, explosive, confident Zab Judah, but I have a lot of the answers myself,” Malignaggi stated.

One thing that has been levelled at Judah in the past is his motivation going into fights, but Malignaggi feels that it is once he eats leather that truly disheartens his fellow New Yorker.

“I think Zab is always motivated, I think he always gets in the best shape that’s just excuses people want to make for him not living up to his talent,” said Malignaggi.

“I’ll tell you the problem with Zab is when you punch him in the mouth he tends to lose the belief that he can win the fight.

“It’s not a matter of him being out of shape or a matter of him not being focused – he loses focus when you punch him good in the mouth. So the trick is to make him respect you, make him realise that you are of a high calibre, high level, and from there you take away his self belief,” Malignaggi said.

“He starts every fight very confidently, very sharp, it’s up to the opponent to take that belief away from him,” he said.

The two-weight world champion is coming off a split decision loss to one of boxing’s rising pound-for-pound aces in Broner.

Malignaggi is keen to try and avenge his defeat after disputing the decision which saw him lose his WBA welterweight world title, with Broner now defending it against the sturdy Argentine Marcos Maidana.

“I want the rematch with Broner, or even Marcos Maidana, because it’s not a full gone conclusion that Broner beats Maidana,” said Malignaggi. I think it’s an interesting battle between the two of them. It’s a technically skilled fighter against a fighter who is raw, rugged, very strong and determined. It’s a clash of styles and also mentality,” he said.

“I think Maidana is a very dangerous opponent but if I could get the winner of that fight I would be very happy. But first things first, I have to focus on Zab Judah,” Malignaggi added.

Prior to the blockbuster Stateside, which also has three world title matchups on the bill, BoxNation will screen the cracking show taking place at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, featuring some mouth-watering clashes headlined by the much heralded Paul Butler.

‘The Baby Faced Assassin’, who is undefeated and currently holds the British Commonwealth and WBO inter-continental super-flyweight belts, goes in against Mexican Ruben Montoya as he looks to continue his march to the top.

“I’m feeling good and am raring to go,” said Butler. “I’ve done the hardwork in the gym and I’m going to show it against this kid. It’s not going to be easy because Mexicans are always tough but I know what I have in my locker and believe me there’s some very special things in it. Saturday night I’m going to put on a great performance and the fans are definitely going to be in for a treat,” he said.

Local Liverpool favourites Derry Matthews and Liam Smith are featured on a stacked card, with the all-action Matthews competing for the WBO European lightweight championship against Stephen Ormond, and Smith defending his British light-middleweight title against Mark Thompson.

Following the Liverpool show, Devon Alexander faces undefeated Shawn Porter for the IBF welterweight belt, Austin Trout and Erislandy Lara compete for the WBA light-middleweight title, with Sakio Bika putting his WBC super-middleweight crown on the line against the hard-hitting and unbeaten Anthony Dirrell, all before Malignaggi and Judah face off.

Malignaggi vs. Judah is live on BoxNation (Sky Ch. 437/Virgin Ch. 546) at 1am this Sunday, with Butler vs. Montoya earlier at 8pm on Saturday. Visit www.boxnation.com to subscribe.

-Ends-
About BoxNation
BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated subscription boxing channel. For £10* a month and no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

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

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

The channel is available on Sky (ch 437), Virgin (ch 546), online at Livesport.tv and via iPhone, iPad or Android.

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

For more information visit www.boxnation.com

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

Baby Faced Butler and the Battle of Brooklyn!

Ormond v Mathews and Butler v Montoya at 8pm; and Malignaggi v Judah from 1am LIVE this Saturday night

This Saturday night, we’re bringing you the best of world boxing. Firstly, from Liverpool, “Dirty” Derry Mathews returns to BoxNation to challenge WBO European champion Stephen Ormond; a fighter with 3 wins already under his belt this year. Also topping the bill, Ellesmere Port super-flyweight Paul Butler looks to defend his WBO Intercontinental Super-Flyweight title for the first time against Ruben Montoya, as he aims to cement his position as one of the division’s hottest prospects.

Derry_Mathews
Then, from 1am we head stateside for a Brooklyn brawl between two former world champions Paulie Malignaggi and Zab Judah. Both fighters will be hungry for the win after each suffering defeats in their previous outings against Adrien Broner and Danny Garcia respectively. Both experienced boxers, and both fighting in front of a home crowd, it could come down simply to who can better handle the pressure. Featuring on the world class undercard is Devon Alexander v Shawn Porter for The IBF World Welterweight Championship; Erislandy Lara v Austin Trout for The Vacant WBA World Light-Middleweight Championship; and Sakio Bika defends his WBC super-middleweight belt against the unbeaten and big-hitting Anthony Dirrell, to wrap up an unmissable night of boxing.

Join us from 8pm for Stephen Ormond v Derry Mathews, and then 1am for Paulie Malignaggi v Zab Judah! Subscribe now!

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Main Event: WBC Cruiserweight Championship
Krzysztof Wlodarczyk 199 vs. Giacobbe Fragomeni 198

Andrzej Fonfara 176 vs. Samuel Miller 176
Adrian Granados 143 vs. Carlos Velasquez 140
Jonathan Gonzalez 165 vs. Jaison Palomeque 170
Henry Coyle 163 vs. Skyler Thompson 167
Junior Wright 193 vs. Harley Kilfian 195
Trinidad Garcia 164 vs. Ramiro Bueno Jr. 164
Jose Romero 134 vs. Fred Bowen 134

Date: Friday, December 6, 2013

Venue: UIC Pavilion, Chicago

Promoters: Andrew Wasilewski and Piotr Werner of Ulrich Knockout Promotions, Leon Margules of Warriors Boxing and Dominic Pesoli of 8 Count Promotions

TV: ESPN3, International

Tickets: Priced at VIP $201, VIP Ringside $151, Ringside $101, Box Mezzanine $76, Reserved Mezzanine $51, and General Admission $31 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000), the 8 Count Productions Offices: 312-226-5800 or the UIC Pavilion Box Office: 312-413-5740.

ABOUT 8 COUNT PRODUCTIONS

8 Count Productions, Home Of The Best In Chicago Boxing, was started by Dominic Pesoli in 1998 and has consistently presented the highest quality professional boxing events in Chicagoland.

Fighters currently under the 8 Count Productions banner include; IBO Light Heavyweight World Champion Andrzej Fonfara, middleweight contender Donovan George, world-class junior welterweight prospect Adrian Granados, super middleweight prospect Paul Littleton, middleweight prospect Viktor Polyakov and welterweight prospect Jaime Herrera.

For more information on 8 Count Productions please visit their new website, www.8countproductions.com.

ABOUT WARRIORS BOXING

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

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

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

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

LINCOLN, R.I. (Dec. 6th, 2013) – New England’s hottest fighter added another big win to his resume Friday night at Twin River Casino in the finale of Classic Entertainment & Sports’ 2013 mixed martial arts Fight Series.

Reading, Mass., featherweight Rob Font (8-1) won his seventh consecutive bout, smothering Canadian challenger Matt DiMarcantonio (4-4) in the main event of “CES MMA XX,” beating DiMarcantonio by unanimous decision, 30-27, on all three scorecards.

Font’s ground-and-pound was too much for the lanky DiMarcantonio to overcome. Font started each of the final two rounds with loud takedowns and kept DiMarcantonio on the defensive throughout, using short elbows in the half-guard position to prevent his opponent from climbing back to his feet.

As he and his family prepare to move to Florida, Woonsocket, R.I., bantamweight Andre Soukhamthath (7-1) ended 2013 in equally impressive fashion and become the winningest fighter in CES MMA history, stopping tough veteran Corey Simmons (5-6) of Defiance, Ohio at the bell in the opening round of Friday’s co-feature.

Soukhamthath finished the round strong, stunning Simmons with a series of short right elbows, opening a cut near Simmons’ right eye. The ringside physician examined the cut and allowed Simmons to continue, but Simmons began dry-heaving in the corner before the start of the second round and eventually fell flat on his back, forcing referee Kevin MacDonald to stop the bout. Soukhamthath, who has now won seven consecutive to break a tie with Todd Chattelle as CES’ winningest fighter, will begin training with the famed Blackzilians in Boca Raton and continue fighting in the northeast in 2014.

Fighting for a chance to compete for the vacant CES MMA lightweight title in 2014, Providence’s own Luis Felix (10-7) once again stepped up on the big stage, defeating the tough Lucas Cruz (6-2) of Somerville, Mass., by split decision, 29-28, 28-29, 29-28 in a special lightweight title eliminator bout.

Felix, who also owns wins over Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) took control of the fight in the second round, striking Cruz with a series of leg kicks to the head and overhand rights, causing tremendous swelling and bleeding under Cruz’s left eye. The action slowed to a crawl in the third round, but Felix had already done enough to win the fight by a slim margin, eliminating Cruz from title contention.

Showcasing his incredible strength and poise, Dedham, Mass., welterweight Brett Oteri (12-5) earned a stunning submission win over the dangerous Dennis Olson (13-8) at the 2:16 mark of the second round. With his back to the cage midway through the round, Oteri began to lock in the kimora. Olson tried to counter with a slam, but Oteri kept it locked in and eventually forced Olson to tap out, ending Oteri’s two-fight losing streak in dramatic fashion. Olson, who previously submitted Chattelle in April, lost for the fourth time in six fights.

In what might have been the knockout of the night – and perhaps the most exciting knockout of 2013 – East Providence, R.I., lightweight Nate “The Snake” Andrews (6-0, 3 KOs) made quick work of Franklin Isabel (4-6) knocking out the Chelsea, Mass., native with a left rear leg kick to the back of the neck at the 51-second mark of the opening round. Isabel tried to catch Andrews off guard at the opening bell, rushing out of his corner toward his opponent, but Andrews got back on his feet, kept his poise and then ended the bout seconds later with a perfectly-executed rear leg kick, sending Isabel face-first to the canvas. Andrews finished 2013 with a perfect 4-0 record.

Making his comeback to mixed martial arts following a short-lived retirement, Providence’s Greg Rebello (17-5, 9 KOs) returned in spectacular fashion, stopping fellow heavyweight John Doyle (10-21) of Newark, N.J., in a rematch of their 2010 bout at the 3:10 mark of the second round. Rebello earned the win with unanswered strikes, taking Doyle to the canvas and peppering his opponent with a flurry of right hooks before MacDonald stopped the fight. Rebello also beat Doyle three years ago by unanimous decision.

Also returning to Rhode Island, former Johnson & Wales University wrestling star Charles Rosa (6-0), now fighting and training out of Boynton Beach, Fla., ended 2013 with a bang, submitting the game Ralph Johnson (6-8) of Worcester, Mass., via the anaconda choke at the 3:03 mark of the opening round. Rosa won for the third time in as many bouts at Twin River.

East Providence, R.I., welterweight Eric Spicely (3-0) kept his perfect record intact Friday in the opening bout with a win over Tyler Rose (1-1) of North Branford, Conn., who was forced to withdraw when the ringside physician stopped the bout due to a left shoulder injury sustained by Rose in the opening round. The bout was scored a technical knockout win for Spicely at the 5-minute mark of the first round.

Making his northeast debut, former collegiate wrestling champion TJ Hepburn (2-0) of East Ledyard, Conn. (Kearney, Neb.), won for the second time in as many bouts, submitting the game Tundee Odumuso (1-2) of nearby Johnston, R.I., via rear-naked choke at the 2:27 mark of the third round. Hepburn scored takedowns toward the end of the first and second rounds and then caught Odumuso early in the third before submitted midway through.

Making his professional debut, West Roxbury, Mass., featherweight Ruso Khubejashvili (1-0) showed the poise of a veteran, outworking Thomas Evans (2-3) of Central Falls, R.I., over the course of three rounds to secure a 30-27 unanimous decision win on all three scorecards. Evans, who was looking to snap a two-fight losing streak, failed to use his height and length to his advantage and instead found himself on the defensive for most of the fight while Khubejashvili executed effective ground-and-pound.

SHELTON, Wash. (Dec. 5, 2013) – The eight fighters featured in tomorrow night’s ShoBox: The New Generation live telecast on SHOWTIME® (11:50 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) made weight Thursday at Little Creek Casino Resort.

In one of three televised 10-rounders on the Mayweather Promotions-promoted card, undefeated J’Leon Love (15-0, 1 NC, 8 KO’s), of Las Vegas, will face Philadelphia’s LaJuan Simon (23-4-2, 1 ND, 12 KO’s) in the main event. Unbeaten Badou Jack (15-0-1, 10 KO’s), of Las Vegas, meets Rogelio Moreno (31-4, 25 KO’s), of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, and Mickey Bey (18-1-1, 1 ND, 9 KO’s) faces Carlos Cardenas (20-6-1, 13 KO’s) of Barinas, Barinas, Venezuela, in the other 10-round bouts. Chris Pearson (12-0, 9 KO’s), of Dayton, Ohio, faces fellow unbeaten Asacio Ferreira (14-0-1, 12 KO’s), of Las Vegas in the eight-round bout that will open the telecast.

Tickets priced at $100, $50 and $30, plus applicable taxes, fees and service, are available by calling 1-800-667-7711 or online at www.little-creek.com.

WEIGHTS: Love weighed 167 pounds, Simon tipped scale 168 pounds; Jack weighed 167½ pounds, Medina 167¾ pounds; Bey weighed 135 pounds, Cardenas weighed 133½ pounds; and Pearson tipped scale at 156 pounds, Ferreira weighed 152½ pounds.

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

Below are the final thoughts from the fighters competing on SHOWTIME:

J’LEON LOVE

“I am fighting at 168 but I can still make 160. Making 160 has never been a problem. I could make 160 today. I just want to see where I’m at, if I can get a title fight at 168 or 160. I just know I feel strong and comfortable.

“Working with Eddie (former world champion Eddie Mustafa) has been great. He brings out the best in me. He’s an old-school fighter, a great champion who’s been in there and knows what I go through. Taking nothing away from Roger Mayweather, but Eddie has really been helpful in correcting my mistakes, which is just what I needed.

“I’ve gone through other trainers, but I’m just comfortable with Eddie. Rather than change me all around, he wants to enhance on what I already do. We’ve been working very hard.

“I expect to be very elusive and quick tomorrow night. I’m facing a veteran. I don’t want to mess around with this guy. I’m gonna let my hands go. He makes a lot of mistakes, and I want to take advantage.

“I’m not trying to sound too confident, but I’m just gonna do what I do best and utilize my ability and skills. I’m not worried about a thing. This is it for me. I have to make a statement. I just want to impress. I always want to impress whether I’m on TV or not. I want fans to want to see me.

“I lost a brother earlier this year. He had nine kids. I treat them like my kids now. The oldest is 13, the youngest is 6 months I don’t hesitate to do anything for any of them. I love them to death. They keep me going. That’s why I do this, to take care of them, my family, my mother and my sister.’’

LAJUAN SIMON

“This is my most important fight. It’s do or die for me. I came here to win, not just to get a paycheck. I feel great. I haven’t fought in a long time, but I’ve always been in the gym and I’ve had plenty of notice (five-six weeks).

“I’ve had really good sparring [sessions] and I’m ready. I’ve sparred for many years with Bernard Hopkins. I’ve learned so much, especially about being patient. The thing is, when you spar with Bernard, he treats it like a fight. You make a mistake, he makes your pay. If you get tired, he makes you pay. So I am ready.

“They picked me for this fight. I don’t know what they’re expecting, but I’m coming to take what he’s got, to get myself where I can be to position myself for a world title fight.

“I plan to go to him, take it to him, like I always do. He’s gonna come out and do what he’s gonna do, and I’m gonna do the same. I expect he’ll move a lot and want to jab, but if he jabs with me, I’ll jab with him. I have a good jab myself. I’ll adapt to whatever he does. But I know I have to pressure him. I don’t think he can do what some of my other opponents did to me.

“I want to throw a lot of punches. I’m not going to try and unload or be crazy in there, but I want him to do things he does not want to do. I want to make sure this fight goes my way, not his.’’

BADOU JACK

“I felt that I should have thrown more punches in my last fight against (Marco Antonio) Periban, but I still felt I won. I landed more punches than him in every round but the sixth and I landed the harder shots. There’s nothing I can do about the decision except chalk it up as a learning experience.

“I feel I’m right there with all the top guys in my division. I have the skills and I work hard. I’ve seen two or three rounds of Medina’s fights on YouTube. He’s a typical Mexican fighter who comes forward. I know I won’t have to look for him.

“I plan to work smart, work behind the jab but go for the kill, too. I want to break him down.

“It’s important for me to win impressively and make a statement. I’m hungry and looking to fight the winner of Sakio Bika and Anthony Dirrell (Saturday on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING). I’ll be there live at ringside watching their fight at Barclays Center.’’

ROGELIO MEDINA

“This is my first fight in America and I’m very excited and happy about this opportunity. This is the kind of fight I’ve always wanted, a chance to prove that I am first class and that I belong at this level.

“I’ve have two months to prepare. I’ve done a lot of strength training and feel comfortable fighting at 168. I saw Jack’s fight against Periban. I know he’s a strong fighter and likes to work the body. But I can punch or box and I’m ready for anything. I think Periban had Jack hurt a couple of times but didn’t capitalize. I’m going to try and pressure him. I won’t let him back off and won’t give him time to come back.

“This fight is obviously very important. He’s a highly ranked guy. But he’s not the greatest and I’m not scared. I’m confident I can close the year out with a victory. That’s why I am here – to win.’’

MICKEY BEY

“I’ve always overcome adversity. Things get thrown at you in life, but you’ve got to overcome them. I continue to work very hard and remain confident in my skills. I have a strong spirit, a strong character. With the management team I have behind me, there’s no doubt I can still go all the way to the top.

“John Molina hit the lottery in my last fight. He didn’t beat me, I beat myself. If he wanted to fight me again, he’d be here. Until getting caught in the last round, it was one of the easiest fights of my career. I blame myself for what happened. I could have just run around that last round and still won easily, but I kind of showboated. I thought the final bell was near. I was looking at the crowd.

“It’s the kind of thing that never should have happened. I usually stick to my game plan, but I got overly relaxed, had the fight totally won. To win all the rounds and lose was definitely a very humbling experience.

“I’m really looking forward to winning tomorrow so I can start looking ahead. I’m excited to be back in the ring again. Cardenas is a good fighter, but I feel I can out-skill anybody.’’

CARLOS CARDENAS

“I’m 100 percent ready condition-wise. I’ve had hard, great sparring. I’ve been working on defense, trying to use a little more strategy and not just brawl.

“This is my first fight in a while but I’m coming to win. This is the kind of fight that will position me in the future for bigger and better things against other ranked fighters. Bey is a good, strong fighter but he’s coming off of a KO loss.

“I’m coming to fight. I’m confident in my power. I want to attack and finish him. I’m not going to waste time. This is definitely a tremendous opportunity for me.’’

CHRIS PEARSON

“I’m looking to take care of business and get ready for next one. I feel I’ve fought good opposition and have more experience than my record shows. I’m fighting smarter and listening to my corner better. I think and feel like you’re supposed to — that becoming a world champion is just a matter of time. That’s always been my goal. I’ve always wanted to be the best, whether it was fighting pro or amateur.

“I go in feeling I can beat anybody. I’m confident in my punches. I’m showing more patience. I’m not just trying to make things happen like I once did. If I continue to do the kinds of things I’m supposed to do, there’s no doubt I’ll be a champion.

“I’m really excited to be fighting on ShoBox. I’ve fought on a lot of SHOWTIME cards, but this is my first time on television. I don’t know a lot about my opponent except for his record. I’m just excited for this opportunity. I want to get the knockout.’’

ACACIO FERREIRA

“I’m very excited to be fighting in the United States. This is a great opportunity. My sparring has been good. My training has been good. I’ve been working with two or three southpaws.

“I think this is a good fight for both of us. I’m a puncher. He hasn’t fought a lot of name fighters, but he’s a good, young fighter. This was the kind of fight I wanted and I jumped at the chance to fight him.’’

For more information, visit www.mayweatherpromotions.com and follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MayweatherPromo, www.twitter.com/jleonlove, www.twitter.com/badoujack, www.twitter.com/MickeyBeyTMT, www.twitter.com/SHOsports, and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MayweatherPromo and www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing.

New York, NY (December 5, 2013) – Boyd “Rainmaker” Melson hit durable Alabaman Gundrick “Sho Gun” King with everything but the kitchen sink during their eight round all-southpaw main event Wednesday evening at BB King Blues Club in New York City.

Melson, who had the support of a standing room only crowd at a place he’s accustomed to helping sell out, was in total control from the opening bell. The beloved 2003 West Point grad found a home early and often for right hooks, straight left hands and hard body punches, making King visibly uncomfortable. The 5’5 King, a former D1 college football player, was wobbled on a few occasions but displayed excellent toughness and made it obvious he wasn’t going away. Ultimately, Melson’s consistent offensive attack and his ability to step outside of the pocket after firing shots at King powered him to an impressive victory.

All three judges scored the middleweight bout 80-72 in favor of Melson.

“I haven’t fought a southpaw since my second pro fight and he was very short so I had to work hard to hit him with combinations,” said Melson, who improved to 13-1-1 with 4 knockouts. “I wasn’t discouraged (that a knockout probably wasn’t coming) and I kept trying to get him out of there but he was very tough physically. My rhythm was good especially during the last few rounds since I was connecting then moving out of the way.”

His next bout will likely take place at BB King against fellow fan favorite Mike Ruiz, with information to follow shortly.

Following the victory, Melson contined his pledge to help cure chronic Spinal Cord Injuries by donating 100% of his purse to Justadollarplease.org in support of America’s first trial of its kind.

It was recently released in the nationwide media that this clinical trial we are raising funds for to bring here to the U.S. has resulted in 15 out of 20 patients walking enrolled in the study in China who were paralyzed an average of 7 years. Unfortunately, there still is not enough money to carry the trial out in the US but it is estimated that it could start sometime in 2014.

In association with the 501 (C) 3 nonprofit Justadollarplease.org, Melson and his best friend Christan Zaccagnino created Team Fight to Walk, whose mission is to raise awareness within the boxing community as well as the entire nation about the importance of bringing Clinical Trials to the United States to help cure Spinal Cord Injuries. Team Fight to Walk is comprised of Melson, Zaccagnino, former Rutgers football player/ESPY honoree Eric LeGrand, two-time cruiserweight champion Steve “USS” Cunningham, Austin “No Doubt” Trout, title contender DeAndre “The Bull” Latimore, Edgar “El Chamaco” Santana, Sonya Lamonakis, Hector “Machito” Camacho Jr., WBO Junior Middleweight titlist/2008 US Olympian Demetrius “Boo” Andrade and fellow 08’ Olympian Shawn Estrada along with prospects Sid “The Messenger” El Harrak, Jeff “TNT” Spencer, Denis “Da Momma’s Boy” Douglin, Will “Power” Rosinsky, Floriano “Italiano” Pagliara, Danny “Little Mac” McDermott, Vinny “The Lion” O’Brien, Ahmed “Prince of Egypt” Samir and Delen “Sniper” Parsley.

For more information or to make a donation, go to teamfighttowalk.com or Justadollarplease.org. All specific questions about the nature of the Clinical Trial to cure Spinal Cord Injury can be sent to boydmelson@yahoo.com.

SAN DIEGO (DECEMBER 5, 2013)–TOMORROW!!, AWE & www.awetv.com is pleased to announce the encore presentation of the most controversial bout of the year that saw Carl Froch retain his IBF/WBA Super Middleweight title with a 9th round stoppage over George Groves.

The fight will be replayed in entirety on the special hour-long broadcast this Friday night at 11pm est / 8 pm Pac.

The fight that took place on November 23rd in Manchester, England saw Groves brutally knock down Froch in the 1st round and continue to dominate the fight until the 9th round when Froch had Groves slightly hurt when referee Howard Foster jumped in and dubiously stopped the fight.

At the time, the sold out crowd in Manchester plus the worldwide audience was shocked to see the great fight stopped so quick.

The boxing world has not stopped talking about the ending of the bout and now fans can judge for themselves debate if the stoppage was just or not.

“People are still talking about this bout almost two weeks later,”said AWE President Charles Herring.

“The match was a terrific fight before the all the controversy and we are excited to bringing the boxing fans the encore presentation of this highly controversial world title bout.”

About AWE
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 most controversial bout which saw Ricky Burns keep his Lightweight title against Ray Beltran. Plus Dierry Jean was featured on AWE as he will be fighting for the Jr. Welterweight title.

The network is currently 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. The new website for AWE iswww.AWEtv.com.

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

LINCOLN, R.I. (Dec. 5th, 2013) – Listed below are the final weights for all of the participants for “CES MMA XX,” live professional mixed martial arts scheduled for Friday, Dec. 6th, 2013 at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I., and presented by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports.

ROB FONT
Boston, Mass.
7-1, 2 KOs
144

MATT DIMARCANTONIO
Welland, Ontario
4-3, 2 submissions
144

ANDRE SOUKHAMTHATH
Woonsocket, R.I.
6-1, 3 KOs
140

COREY SIMMONS
Defiance, Ohio
5-5, 1 KO
140 ½

LUIS FELIX
Providence, R.I.
9-7, 3 KOs
155 ½

LUCAS CRUZ
Somerville, Mass.
6-1, 2 KOs
154 ½

CHARLES ROSA
Peabody, Mass. (Boynton Beach, Fla.)
5-0, 3 KOs
169

RALPH JOHNSON
Worcester, Mass.
6-7, 6 KOs
171

DENNIS OLSON
Amherst, N.H.
13-7, 1 KO
175

BRETT OTERI
Dedham, Mass.
11-5, 1 KO
175

GREG REBELLO
Providence, R.I.
15-5, 8 KOs
223

JOHN DOYLE
Newark, N.J.
10-20, 2 KOs
238

NATE ANDREWS
East Providence, R.I.
5-0, 3 KOs
158 ½

FRANKLIN ISABEL
Chelsea, Mass.
4-5, 4 submissions
156

THOMAS EVANS
Central Falls, R.I.
2-2, 1 KO
144

RUSO KHUBEJASHVILI
West Roxbury, Mass.
Pro debut
144

TUNDEE ODUMUSO
Johnston, R.I.
1-1
172

TJ HEPBURN
New London, Conn.
1-0, 1 KO
165

ERIC SPICELY
East Providence, R.I.
2-0, 1 submission
170

TYLER ROSE
North Branford, Conn.
1-0, 1 submission
169

Las Vegas, Nevada – Coming this January, the spotlight will shine on a new class of hungry, talented and determined fighters as The Ultimate Fighter® Nations: Canada vs. Australia showcases the newest crop of fighters on the Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) organization’s storied reality series. Series veterans Patrick Côté (20-8) and Kyle Noke (20-6-1) lead a cast of welterweight (170lbs) and middleweight (185lbs) fighters, as Canada and Australia go head-to-head in the fifth international edition of the show.

Eight Aussies made their way to the Great White North to live and train together with eight Canadians in the most challenging sports tournament on television. Filmed just north of Montreal, the fighters spend six grueling weeks competing and fine-tuning their Mixed Martial Arts skills for a shot at a six-figure contract with the UFC®.

Watch here to meet the newest cast of Ultimate Fighters: http://www.ufc.com/media/TUF-Nations–Meet-the-Fighters

“If guys thought fighting in the toughest tournament on television was hard, imagine how they feel doing it with a whole country on their shoulders,” said UFC President Dana White. “These country vs. country seasons of The Ultimate Fighter are awesome because not only do these guys deal with living in a house with other fighters, training twice a day and putting everything on the line for their dream opportunity, but now it’s even more personal – it’s patriotic. Next season, we lined up one of the deepest talent pools with some of the toughest up and coming fighters and put national bragging rights on the line along with the UFC contract, as Canada and Australia go head-to-head to kick off 2014.”

Below is a full list of competitors by country and in alphabetical order (name, professional MMA record, age, fighting out of):
Canada
Australia
Coached by Patrick Côté
Coached by Kyle Noke
Welterweights
Welterweights
Olivier Aubin-Mercier, 4-0, 24, Montreal
Chris Indich, 6-1, 26, Perth, WA
Matthew Desroches, 4-0, 21, Fredericton
Jake Matthews, 6-0, 19, Melbourne
Kajan Johnson, 19-10-1, 29, Montreal
Brendan O’Reilly, 5-0, 26, Brisbane, QLD
Chad Laprise, 7-0, 27, London, Ont.
Richard Walsh, 7-1, 24, Sydney
Middleweights
Middleweights
Luke Harris, 10-2, 36, St. Albert, Alb.
Vik Grujic, 6-2, 36, Melbourne
Nordine Taleb, 8-2, 32, Montreal
Daniel Kelly, 6-0, 36, Melbourne
Elias Theodorou, 8-0, 25, Toronto
Tyler Manawaroa, 10-0, 19, Brisbane, QLD
Sheldon Westcott, 8-1, 29, St. Albert, Alb.
Zein Saliba, 4-0, 25, Sydney

A nine-year veteran of the UFC, Côté appeared on the reality series in 2006 when he joined a cast of UFC alumni in The Ultimate Fighter: The Comeback. Originally from Rimouski, Quebec, the bilingual fighter was the first Canadian to reach the series final, and remains only one of two Canadian fighters’ to have done so. Côté then went on a five-fight win streak in the UFC, earned a shot at then-UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

Noke, a native of Dubbo, New South Wales, joined the reality series ranks when he fought his way onto season 11, The Ultimate Fighter®: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz. He was Hall of Famer Liddell’s No.1 pick, and reached the quarterfinals. He has since gone 4-2 in the UFC, including an impressive Submission of the Night win over Chris Camozzi and a devastating KO last time out over Charlie Brenneman.

The series will have 12 episodes, Wednesday’s on FOX Sports 1, with each episode’s winner advancing in the single-elimination tournament, and culminating in a three-hour finale.

Many of today’s most recognizable names in the UFC have emerged from The Ultimate Fighter series, which produced champions such as Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans and Matt Serra and season winners Michael Bisping, Ryan Bader and Nate Diaz. This will be Australia’s second participation in the series, having taken part in the second international edition battling the U.K. in The Ultimate Fighter The Smashes: U.K. vs. Australia.

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

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About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®
Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto, Beijing and Sao Paulo, UFC produces more than 35 live events annually. The UFC is the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. In 2012, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group for live events and thousands of hours of programming including the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, moving to FOX Sports 1 in September 2013.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries, to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide, in 28 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and Australia via Main Event and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with nearly 2.5 million followers on Twitter. UFC businesses also include over 90 UFC GYM® locations in 28 US states, UFC FIT™, an in-home fitness and nutrition program, UFC 360, the internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, a new videogame franchise in development with EA, best-selling DVDs, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, branded apparel and trading cards.

About FOX Sports 1
FOX Sports 1 is America’s new national multi-sport channel that launched on August 17 in approximately 90 million homes and boasts nearly 5,000 hours of live event, news and original programming annually. The channel has several pillar sports: UFC, college basketball and football, MLB (in 2014), NASCAR, NFL (ancillary programs), USGA events including the U.S. Open (2015) and soccer. College football is highlighted by regular season coverage of Big 12, Pac-12 and Conference USA games, while the college basketball spotlight shines on the Big East, Big 12, Pac-12 and Conference USA and the Big East men’s basketball tournament. Starting in 2014, select MLB League Championship Series and Division Series games as well as regular season games are coming to the channel. FOX Sports 1 also carries select NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events beginning in 2015; NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races; the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race; and all Speedweeks coverage, including Daytona 500 Qualifying, Sprint Unlimited at Daytona, (2014, 2017-22) the Budweiser Duel, and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NCWTS Practice and Qualifying sessions. Additionally, FOX Sports 1 carries NASCAR RACEDAY, NASCAR VICTORY LANE and RACE HUB shows. The channel also carries the world’s most prolific club soccer competitions, like UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and CONCACAF Champions League, along with the world’s oldest soccer competition, the FA Cup; plus CONCACAF Gold Cup; CONCACAF Qualifiers, EURO 2016 Qualifiers; 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers; FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2015 and 2019; FIFA Men’s World Cup in 2018 and 2022. In addition to Saturday pay-per-view preliminary cards, Wednesday nights are home to the UFC with UFC TONIGHT, live events and THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER. In Feb. 2014, FOX Sports 1 partners with The Jockey Club for newly created package of nationally televised races featuring the leading horses in the country. FOX SPORTS LIVE is FOX Sports 1’s flagship 24/7 news, opinion and highlights program, providing around the clock coverage through regularly scheduled programs, hourly updates and an information rich ticker. Original programs include: FOX FOOTBALL DAILY, CROWD GOES WILD, a new live sports entertainment talk show hosted by Regis Philbin; and the groundbreaking BEING: documentary franchise. FOX Sports GO, a groundbreaking authenticated mobile sports experience for iPhone, iPad, Android devices and the web, serves as the channel’s digital extension. The app offers more than 1,100 live games and events from cross FOX Sports, FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Sports’ 22 regional sports networks, as well as scores, highlights, news, stats and analysis. For more information visit www.FOXSports.com/FOXSports1.

Zab Judah, Former Five-Time and Two-Division World Champion
“I’m the real Brooklyn, New York.

“This is my office. They built this arena for me and on Saturday night I’m going to show the world why.

“We’re in a gladiator sport. We have to fight to the best of our abilities. People want to see tough fighters with skills. Even though my last fight was a setback, it still got me back here today.

“Paulie wasn’t born here, he migrated from somewhere else. To me if we were comparing sneakers I’d be Jordans at Foot Locker and he’d be Canal Street, he’s not authentic.

“I’m authentic, I’m from here. I’m born and raised here.”

“I feel great because I know we’re going to have a Brooklyn champion in myself.

“I’m going to make sure Paulie’s job [as SHOWTIME announcer] is locked in stone. After this he’s going to be a full-time commentator.

“I came up doing this, I probably have more street fights than I have gym sparring sessions. You can ask anyone in my neighborhood, I was fighting anybody. I’m 36-years-old. I’ve never done anything but box.

“This isn’t a game for me. People keep saying this fight is friendly but at the end of the day these are the old Roman days. Only thing different is I can’t behead him, so I’m going to knock him out.

“I do the impossible. I’m the only one to put more hands on Floyd Mayweather than anyone ever has.

“I don’t like to talk too much, but I’m ready.

“I love this, I’m good at this, we’re the headliners.

“I know that this is a special opportunity for me, it’s the opportunity to crown yourself the King of your city.”

“This is the old Roman days, there can only be one king and I’m taking it back to that. Saturday night, I’m back.”

Paulie Malignaggi, Former Two-Time, Two-Division World Champion
“Team Malignaggi worked really hard this camp and we’re ready.

“I was blown away to be in the main event of such an incredible card. When I saw the co-features I said ‘Wow.’

“Seeing everyone come up here [to the podium] one-by-one really lets me know how amazing this card is.

“It humbles me and blows me away that I’m still fighting with these top-level athletes.

“Me and Zab have had a lot of longevity across these years. The fact that we’re still at this level speaks volumes about our skills, determination and ring savvy.

“Camp has been hard. I was very motivated, even without a world championship on the line. Zab is right, there can only be one king.

“Beating a Zab Judah leads to a world title fight. I have no doubt about it.”

“The rewards of winning a fight like this are motivating in and of itself.”

“This is like working in those gladiator days. You didn’t get to pick who you fought. It could’ve been your friend, but it’s either him or you.

“Somebody has to win and somebody has to lose on Saturday night. I’ve prepared very well.

“One thing we say in Brooklyn, is ‘Brooklyn, stand up!’ and Saturday I know Brooklyn will stand up.”

Devon Alexander, IBF Welterweight World Champion
“[To Shawn Porter] I already beat you. So it isn’t going be any different Saturday night.

“I’m ready. I’m 120 percent ready. I’m focused. Shawn is a solid fighter. He stepped to the plate like some people didn’t. You guys know I was supposed to fight somebody else but Shawn Porter stepped up to the plate and now I’ve got to take care of him.

“I’m going to continue to win, continue to prove to people that I’m an elite fighter, that I deserve to be at the top, and that’s what I’m going to do.

“Come Saturday night my winning ways are going to continue.”

Shawn Porter, Undefeated Welterweight Contender
“I’m here, Showtime Shawn Porter is in the building.

“We had camp in Las Vegas. It was beautiful. It’s been beautiful being here in Brooklyn and I’m ready to do it.

“This was my hardest camp training for my hardest fight.

“Not to take anything from Alexander, except his belt, but I know what he’s got to bring and I’m ready to handle it.”

Erislandy Lara, WBA Super Welterweight Interim World Champion
“I just want to thank my whole team for all the hard work we’ve put in this camp”

“On Saturday night, I’m going to be ready for Trout and we’ll see who’s got the balls to win this fight”

Austin Trout, Former Light Middleweight World Champion
“I’m happy to be here, I’m happy to bring it back to Brooklyn. New York runs in my blood. A lot of people don’t know my mother, my grandmother, were both born and raised here. New York is in my blood.

“Over a year ago I came back to New York and I retained my title going against Cotto and I’m looking to have a repeat to regain my title back because I feel like that’s my belt.

“Earlier this year I may have lost it, but I learned a lot from it and it’s made me the better, stronger fighter, a stronger man.
“You all are going to see the reinvention of Austin Trout Saturday night.”

Sakio Bika, WBC Super Middleweight World Champion
“I feel so very blessed and so very happy. On Saturday, Anthony Dirrell says he is going to take the belt off of me. I am not so sure it will happen. I don’t know if he can do it. I don’t know if he has the balls to do it.

“On Saturday it will just be Anthony Dirrell in the ring. On Saturday Anthony will step in the ring and feel the power.”

Anthony Dirrell, Super Middleweight Contender
“Come Saturday, it’s destiny. I’ve been through a lot – cancer in 2006. I overcame that. Motorcycle accident that broke my legs and hands. I overcame that. So Sakio Bika can’t hold me back. This is meant to be and come December 7 it’s over. It’s going to be trouble for him.

“He looks for the knockout, but doesn’t get it every time. I’m going to be looking for the knockout so that’s what’s going to happen.

“So everyone come out and support December 7. It’s a hell of a card.”

Sadam Ali, Undefeated Welterweight and 2008 U.S. Olympian
“I’m very excited for this fight. Second time fighting at the Barclays Center, my home, in front of my hometown of course. And look at the card we have going on, it’s going to be so exciting top to bottom and I’m just ready to go out there and show what I can do.”

Marcus Browne, Rising Light Heavyweight Star and 2012 U.S. Olympian
“I’m grateful to be on this card. You’ve got guys like Paulie that watched me coming up in the amateurs.
You’ve got guys like Zab that I watched coming up as a kid. So this is a beautiful thing with all of these other guys on this card. I mean it’s a great card.”

“I’m a fan first, but at the end of the day I’ve got to take care of business.

“I’m ready to go on Saturday night and I know these guys are. So God bless you guys and enjoy the show.”

Bernard Hopkins, IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion and Golden Boy Promotions Partner
“First, there’s a lot of history here in Brooklyn. It’s becoming a major hotbed for boxing. At the Barclays Center, we’re making history and I’m happy to be part of that and also part of the promotion.

“The four televised fights could be a main event on any day on any card. So to me, it’s an early Christmas present to those who tune in and also come to the fight.

“To see four championship fights in December, closing out the year with a bang, are something special. But to see Paulie Malignaggi and Zab Judah, two Brooklyn legends that have basically the same fans, collide will be an extra treat for fight fans.

“This year has been a great, record-breaking year for ratings and of course the highest grossing pay-per-view of all time.

“The main event is going to be one of those fights where don’t know who is going to win. It is going to be a barnburner. Its impossible to say that one guy has a landslide chance of winning. It is just that close.”

Brett Yormark, CEO of Barclays Center
“Welcome back to the Barclays Center. We appreciate everyone being here today. We are thrilled to host another outstanding night of boxing at Barclays Center this Saturday night. The ‘Battle of Brooklyn’ between Paulie Malignaggi and Zab Judah has great significance because the two represent the strength and the resilience of this great borough. As Paulie has said ‘It’s exciting to win a world title but it doesn’t compare to winning the world championship of Brooklyn.’

“This is the culmination of our first year of boxing in Brooklyn, so it’s fitting to have two of the greatest fighters from here taking the ring in this building on Saturday night. More than just a feature bout, Golden Boy Promotions has delivered an exciting fight card from top to bottom and we look forward to giving boxing fans another great at Barclays Center.

“Thanks to fighters like Paulie and Zab, Bernard Hopkins, Peter Quillin, Danny Jacobs, Danny Garcia, Louis Collazo, Eddie Gomez and up-and-comers like Marcus Browne, Sadam Ali and many others, Barclays Center has become the heart of boxing on the East Coast. It has also become a place for local boxers to become inspired to become future champs.”

Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports
“This is a special card. There’s really no other way to describe it. When we, Golden Boy, Barclays Center and SHOWTIME first began putting this card together, we wanted it to be something special, something memorable to cap off the year.

“We quickly decided that we wanted not just one or two good fights, or even, three good fights, but four high-quality, competitive, evenly matched fights. Three world title fights capped off by the ‘Battle of Brooklyn’ between Paulie and Zab, the two most well-known and accomplished fighters from Brooklyn in the sport today.

“As Bernard pointed out, it’s no exaggeration to say that these are four main-event quality fights. Sakio Bika and Anthony Dirrell have been main event fighters. Erislandy Lara and Austin Trout have both been main event fighters. Devon has been in numerous main event fights and of course, we all are familiar with Paulie and Zab’s great history.

“This is the type of card that SHOWTIME has become known for. High quality and competitive fights top to bottom. No mismatches, no one or two fight cards.

“Most of all I’d like to thank the fighters, acknowledge that it takes the commitment of the fighters to fight tough fights. It’s something that often goes unrecognized, but every fighter on this card has agreed to, has made the commitment, to fight in a tough fight. And that’s what makes this card so special.”

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ABOUT “JUDAH VS. MALIGNAGGI”:
Judah vs. Malignaggi is a 12-round fight for the NABF Welterweight title taking place on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Super Judah Promotions and sponsored by Corona, AT&T, Grudge Match and Casamigos Tequila. In the co-featured bout, Devon Alexander puts his IBF welterweight title on the line in a 12-round bout against Shawn Porter, Erislandy Lara defends his interim WBA Super Welterweight title in a 12-round fight against Austin Trout and Sakio Bika defends his WBC Super Middleweight title against Anthony Dirrell in a 12-round bout. The SHOWTIME telecast begins at 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT immediately following ALL ACCESS: Broner vs. Maidana which begins at 7:30 p.m. ET/ 4:30 p.m. PT. The telecast will be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP).

Tickets priced at $250, $125, $75, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes and service charges, available at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-745-3000 and at the American Express Box Office. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.

ATLANTIC CITY – The popular nationally televised live boxing series, Fight Night, begins the new year with a bang on Friday, January 24th with an explosive double header from Resorts International Hotel Casino in Atlantic City. Topping the card, which will be telecast on NBC Sports Network Fight Night beginning at 10PM ET, is a 10-round middleweight contest between hard-hitting contender Curtis Stevens, 25-4, 18 KOs, and the iron-jawed Patrick Majewski, 21-2, 13 KOs.

“Showtime” Stevens, Brooklyn, NY, is coming off a gallant challenge of 160-pound champ Gennady Golovkin, and is eager to battle his way back to another title try. Stevens is known for his devastating punching power, and has scored quickies against seasoned Saul Roman, warrior Elvin Ayala, then-undefeated Piotr Wilczewski and many others. This time out, Stevens will learn if his fists can crack the granite in Majewski’s chin.

Stevens said “I am back. I will show everyone the Curtis Stevens that they know and love.”

Polish born Patrick “The Machine” Majewski now calls Atlantic City home, and will look to use his hometown advantage to surprise the highly-regarded Stevens. The Machine holds wins over world title challenger Antwun Echols, hot prospect Chris Fitzpatrick, as well as tough Philly fighters Jamaal Davis and Latif Mundy. Majewski is big and strong, and has only been off his feet once in his seven-year career. In Stevens, Majewski will face his toughest and most powerful foe to date.

“This is a great fight and it’s a great opportunity. It’s a big test,” said Majewski, “I can’t wait to get it on!”

The 10-round co-feature bout is another exciting matchup. South African cruiserweight, Thabiso Mchunu, 14-1, 10 KOs, takes on Philadelphia crowd-pleaser Garrett Wilson, 13-7-1, 7 KOs, in what figures to be an interesting clash of styles.

In his last bout, also on NBC Sports Network, Mchunu, spoiled the cruiserweight debut of Philly’s Eddie Chambers with a dominant points win over the former heavyweight title challenger. The mysterious Mchunu, nicknamed “The Rock”, displayed a tricky southpaw style against Chambers. With the upset, Thabiso sent a message to all cruiserweight contenders that he is ready for a run at the title. But first he must topple a dangerous opponent.

Mchunu is confident he will best Wilson. “Last time my win was clinical – This time it’s gonna be catastrophic!”

Garrett Wilson won many fans last month when he stepped up to the heavyweight division on three days’ notice to give undefeated prospect Czar Glazkov a load of trouble in their 10-round fight on NBC broadcast TV. The outing was typical fare for the “Ultimate Warrior”, as Wilson showed fans outside of Philly why he is so popular within the City of Brotherly Love. He put on a breakthrough performance that was full of heart, attitude, toughness, and a hail of hard punches. Against Mchunu, Wilson gets another chance to make his mark on national TV.

Wilson anticipates giving his fans another great show,”I’m a cruiser weight who went the distance with a undefeated top ten rated heavy weight with an exceptionally high KO parentage on three days notice. Imagine what I will do with two months to train!”

“Curtis Stevens, Thabiso Mchunu and Garrett Wilson each made a big statement in their last fight and won over many fans. We’ve been fielding calls, emails and tweets asking when they’ll be fighting again. We are so pleased that we can bring them back to NBCSN Fight Night for this Friday evening edition of the show. The addition of Patrick Majewski fits perfectly into that mix,” said promoter Kathy Duva of Main Events. “All of these boxers have interesting stories, contrasting styles, throw lots of big punches and will put it all on the line to entertain the fans and advance their careers. This is the formula that has carried us successfully through our first two years on Fight Night. We look forward to another exciting year in 2014.”

This exciting boxing double header, filled with top boxers in important fights, fits the proven Fight Night pattern perfectly, and kicks off the third season of the popular series at 10PM ET on NBC Sports Network. In addition, the Friday night show gets the 2014 boxing year started with a real bang.

Hackensack, NJ (December 5, 2013) – Hard hitting contender Bobby “The Celtic Warrior” Gunn and 2004 Fighter of the Year Glen “The Road Warrior” Johnson confirmed they’ll meet Wednesday, December 18 at the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, PA.

Tickets for the XFE promoted “Celtic Warrior vs Road Warrior” are available by going to http://sandseventcenter.com/event/details/world-championship-boxing/ or calling the Sands box office at 610-297-7400. The card is also available on IPPV for just $14.99 and can be ordered by going to http://www.gfl.tv/Events/Fight/Boxing/Glen_Johnson_V_Bobby_Gunn/2139

A former IBA, WBC-USNBC and WBA-NABA cruiserweight champion, Gunn’s 21-5-1 as a professional with 18 wins coming by way of knockout. Born and raised in Canada but based in Hackensack, NJ, the bare-knuckle boxing legend was slated to face eight-time world champion Roy Jones Jr. Unfortunately, Team Gunn received word that he would not be going through with the fight, opening the door for Johnson in what has the potential to be the most exciting cruiserweight fight of 2013.

“I know he’s a former champion with a great record and I respect him,” Johnson said of Gunn. “He’s a natural cruiserweight and has fought some big names. This is my first fight at cruiserweight and there’s definitely some risk with doing that but I’m looking forward to the challenge. I’ve been working on some new stuff (in the gym) and I feel energized again. I needed a break from boxing and now I feel like a new fighter. I’m looking forward to the 18th and am excited about getting in the ring to show what I still have.”

Globally recognized as one of the toughest fighters in boxing history and for his willingness to fight in his opponents’ backyards, Johnson’s professional record is a solid 52-18-2 with 36 knockouts. The Miami based Jamaican took the boxing world by storm in 2004, viciously knocking out the aforementioned Jones Jr. while topping world champions Clinton Woods and Antonio Tarver. Since turning pro back in 1993, Johnson has one of the most impressive resume’s in history, facing Bernard Hopkins, Jones Jr., Tarver (twice), Chad Dawson (twice), Carl Froch, Sven Ottke, Tavoris Cloud, Lucian Bute and Silvio Branco amongst others. In 72 professional fights spanning 500 rounds, Johnson’s only stoppage defeat came while he was still on his feet against the legendary Hopkins.

“To be honest with you, this is a way tougher fight,” said Gunn, who battled Enzo Maccarinelli, Tomasz Adamek and James Toney. “It’s been a dream of mine to Roy Jones Jr as long as I can remember but he backed out only a few weeks before fight night. I’m very thankful that Glen Johnson accepted the bout on short notice. He’s fought everybody you can think of and was on the wrong end of a lot of bad decisions. This is a very dangerous fight for me but I’m a fighter and what fighters do is fight. I know he’s never been knocked out before and was only stopped on his feet once but he’s also never faced a solid cruiserweight. My goal is to end the fight early and take my frustrations (over the Jones situation) out on Johnson.”

NEW YORK CITY (December 5, 2013) – Unbeaten junior lightweight prospects Joel Diaz, Jr. (13-0, 11 KOs) and Wanzell Ellison (9-0-1, 5 KOs) headline “Big Apple Boxing,” presented by 50 Cent’s SMS Promotions, on Friday night, December 20 at Resorts World Casino NYC in Jamaica, Queens, New York.

“This is going to be an exciting night in boxing,” promoter Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson said. “The fighters on this card are highly motivated and I’m looking forward to watching their talent unfold in the ring. We’ll also have special performances from Prodigy of Mobb Deep, Tory Ave and Tony Yayo. You won’t want to miss this one.”

The 21-year-old Diaz, fighting out of Palmdale, California, will be fighting in his third scheduled 10-round bout having stopped Guillermo Sanchez and Emmanuel Lucero, respectively, in the second and fifth rounds. Diaz has defeated one other unbeaten opponent, Guy Robb (7-0), who Diaz finished-off in the seventh round of their 2012 fight on ShoBox.

The lone blemish on 24-year-old Ellison’s professional record is a draw in 2011 with Carlos Vinan. Fighting out of Newark (NJ), Ellison will be fighting in his first scheduled 10-rounder.

Arizona junior welterweight “Magic Man” Luis Olivares (6-0, 4 KOs) puts his undefeated record on the line against Tony “Sugar Boy” Walker (5-3-1, 3 KOs) in the six-round co-feature.

Undefeated Puerto Rican junior middleweight Emmanuel “Pirata” De Jesus (8-0, 5 KOs) will be showcased in a six-round match versus an opponent to be determined. Also slated to fight on the undercard in six-round bouts are Maryland super bantamweight Thomas “KO” Snow (16-1, 10 KOs) vs. Hartford’s Nate Green (4-0, 1 KO), Cincinnati welterweight Donte Strayhorn (3-1) vs. Virginia’s Christian Steele (3-7-2, 1 KO) and undefeated welterweight prospect Felix Diaz (14-0, 8 KOs), a 2008 Olympic gold medalist from the Dominican Republic, vs. TBA; former U.S. amateur star, Tennessean Ryan “Blue-Chip” Martin (1-0, 1 KO) vs. Las Vegas lightweight Eric Jamar Goodall (1-2), and pro-debuting Brooklyn bantamweight Mafato Kamogawa vs. New Yorker Michelle Cook (0-0-1), in a pair of scheduled four-round fights.

All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Tickets, priced at $350.00, $125.00, $85.00 and $35.00, are available to purchase by calling Resorts World Casino NYC at (718) 215-2828, or visiting www.etix.com/ticket/online/venueSearch.jsp?venue_id=9244. The $350.00 ticket holders will also receive a pair of autographed SMS Street by 50 Cent on ear headphones.

Doors open at 6 p.m. ET, first bout scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

ATLANTIC CITY – After being away from the ring for two years, undefeated heavyweight David “Nino” Rodriguez, 36-0, 34 KOs, gets his chance to finally return to his promising boxing career, on December 14th at Resorts International Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. His 6-round bout against Darnell Wilson, 24-17-3, 20 KOs, is one of the main supporting attractions on a packed fight card that features a dynamite double header, with heavyweights Amir Mansour and Kelvin Price in the 10-round main event and Ryan Coyne vs. Lionell Thompson as the 10-round light heavyweight co-feature. The two feature bouts will be nationally televised on the NBC Sports Network Fight Night series. The Rodriguez-Wilson bout takes place off-TV.

For Rodriguez, just getting back to business after a hellish 24 months represents a personal redemption for the El Paso, TX native. However, Rodriguez won’t just settle for the moral victory of coming back from the mountain of adversity that nearly ended both his life and his boxing career. Against Wilson, Rodriguez seeks a win that will reboot a career that was so filled with potential before the layoff began.

Rodriguez has topped every opponent he’s faced, and is riding a nine-bout knockout streak, including a pair of showy stoppages against Owen Beck and Byron Polley in 2011. After those victories, Rodriguez seemed poised for a climb up the heavyweight rankings. However, a series of devastating setbacks stopped the 6′ 4″, 250-pound fighter in his tracks.

Shortly after his win over Polley in December 2011, Rodriguez was the victim of a knife attack. The assault left his face scarred, but miraculously, he was still alive and able to fight. However, after surgery and a lengthy rehab, Rodriguez returned to the gym, only to badly injure his knee. The injury required surgery, as well as another long recovery. Such adversity may have discouraged a weaker person, but Rodriguez proved he was a fighter by battling back.

On December 14th, Rodriguez steps back into the ring to get on with his dream of becoming heavyweight champion of the world. His challenge that night will be seasoned pro Darnell “Ding-A-Ling Man” Wilson. It’s a tough assignment, especially given the extended time off, but Rodriguez has shown the ability to bounce back like few others ever have.

When the bell rings, Rodriguez will be ready for redemption, and plans to send a message to the rest of the heavyweight division that he is finally back to boxing for good.

FIGHT INFO:

Tickets are priced $75 and $50. They can be purchased at the Resorts International Hotel and Casino Box Office, 800-736-1420 and at TicketMaster. Click here to connect to TicketMaster or cut and paste: http://www.ticketmaster.com/Main-Events-Boxing-tickets/artist/1940738

Doors open at 5PM. The main event and co-feature will be televised on NBC Sports Network’s Fight Night, December 14th, 8 – 10PM ET.

Six additional bouts are planned for the card which is promoted by Main Events and Peltz Boxing in association with DiBella Entertainment.

ABOUT RESORTS CASINO HOTEL
The resort that brought gaming to Atlantic City in 1978, Resorts Casino Hotel is at the top of its game today, offering world-class casino action in a relaxed environment that keeps the focus on fun. Resorts Casino Hotel made history as the first American casino outside of Nevada and will celebrate its 35th anniversary in May 2013 with a new milestone: the opening of a $35-million Margaritaville casino and entertainment complex that will include, among other attractions, the only beach bar on the Atlantic City sand.

Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority assumed management of Resorts Casino Hotel in Fall 2012 – a move that has set the stage for its return as the most exciting gaming destination in Atlantic City. Boasting a prime location spanning 11 acres at the northern end of the famed Atlantic City Boardwalk, the resort features 942 guest rooms and suites in two hotel towers, a 99,951-square-foot casino, two theaters, six restaurants, two VIP slot and table player lounges, a casino bar, indoor-outdoor swimming pool, health club and spa, salon, and retail shops. Its 39,000 square feet of sophisticated meeting space includes seven meeting rooms and a 13,000-square-foot ballroom. For more information, visit http://www.resortsac.com.

Resorts Casino Hotel
1133 Boardwalk
Atlantic City, NJ 08401
1-800-772-9000

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 5, 2013) – Last week’s much-anticipated professional debut of blue-chip welterweight prospect Erickson “Hammer” Lubin (1-0, 1 KO) launched what promises to be a special boxing career for the multi-talented 18-year-old southpaw.

Lubin registered a spectacular knockout of Eric De Jesus (1-1, 1 KO), unloading an explosive barrage of punches, leading to a stoppage only 35-seconds into the opening round. The combination of Erickson’s speed, power and accuracy simply overwhelmed his opponent.

“We are all excited about Erickson’s impressive pro debut,” Iron Mike Productions (IMP) president and Hall of Famer Mike Tyson said. “Not only does he have all the tools to become world champion for many years, we believe Erickson Lubin represents the future of boxing.”

Erickson’s IMP stable-mates, featherweight Dennis Galarza and lightweight Albert Bell, were also victorious fighting on the same card in Sunrise, Florida. Galarza won his pro debut, stopping Torres (0-4) in the opening round, while Bell improved to 3-0 with a unanimous decision over Angel Hernandez (1-3).

“It was a lot of fun,” Lubin spoke about his first fight as a professional. “I knew my opponent would feel everything I touched him with. It was everything I hoped it would be. My manager, Henry Rivalta, told me this was going to be a special day and to stay calm, focused and just be me. My second dad, Jason Galarza, was pumping me up in the locker room. It was truly great. I told everyone my opponent wasn’t getting out of the first round. I just wanted to smash him and get my first one out of the way.”

A native Floridian who is now fighting out of Miami, Lubin ended his heralded amateur boxing career riding a 30+ win streak. Lubin captured a gold medal at the prestigious 2012 National Golden Gloves Tournament and ended his amateur career on a high note, defeating 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Yasniel Toledo Lopes, of Cuba, in the semifinals en route to capturing top honors at the Independence Cup in the Dominican Republic.

Lubin was considered Team USA’s No. 1 overall prospect for the 2016 Olympics prior to his signing promotional and managerial contracts with Iron Mike Productions and Rivalta Management on his 18th birthday this past October 1.

“My manager negotiated a contract for me that my family felt very comfortable with,” Lubin added. “IMP has great people. Garry Jonas and Mike Tyson are going to take me to the big dance one day and I will not disappoint. I will be ready at all times. IMP has set-up a great fight plan for my future. I felt the love, man, and I knew this was the right place for me. Unfortunately, the amateur system is going downhill but I truly wish them the best.

“It’s great having Mike Tyson as my promoter. Mike is one of the biggest names in boxing and a legend in my book. I know he will help make my name great, especially as these knockouts start piling up. I trust Mike, Garry and my entire team. I can’t wait to learn in the ring from Mike himself when he’s here later this month.”

Lubin is scheduled to fight next January 3 in Minneapolis on an ESPN Friday Night Fights card headlined by his IMP stable-mate, International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior lightweight champion Argenis Mendez.

For additional information about Lubin or any of his IMP stable-mates go online at www.IronMikeProductions.com, www.facebook.com/IronMikeProductions or follow on Twitter
@EricksonHammerL or @IronMikeProd.

About Iron Mike Productions (IMP): Previously known as Acquinity Sports, Iron Mike Productions is a full-service boxing promotion company co-founded and led by CEO Garry Jonas. In partnership with Hall of Famer Mike Tyson, 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.

The WBC has announced the officials for “World Championship Boxing: Wlodarczyk vs. Fragomeni 3” this Friday night (December 6) at UIC Pavilion in Chicago.

Referee Rocky Burke and Judges Nathan Palmer, Mauro DiFiore and Bill Lerch will be in charge during the 12-round main event when WBC World Cruiserweight Champion Krzysztof “Diablo” Wlodarczyk (48-2-1, 34 KOs) of Warsaw, Poland, attempts to make the sixth defense of his title and complete an epic trilogy of fights with Milan, Italy’s former WBC Cruiserweight Champion Giacobbe “Gabibbo” Fragomeni (31-3-2, 12 KOs).

“World Championship Boxing: Wlodarczyk vs. Fragomeni 3” is being presented by promoters Andrew Wasilewski and Piotr Werner of Ulrich Knockout Promotions, Leon Margules of Warriors Boxing and Dominic Pesoli of 8 Count Promotions.

In the very special featured bout, IBF #1 Light Heavyweight contender Andrzej Fonfara (25-2, 14 KOs) has agreed to a very dangerous test against La Habra, California, via Colombia KO artist Samuel Miller (26-7, 23 KOs).

Tickets for “World Championship Boxing: Wlodarczyk vs. Fragomeni 3” are priced at VIP $201, VIP Ringside $151, Ringside $101, Box Mezzanine $76, Reserved Mezzanine $51, and General Admission $31 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000), the 8 Count Productions Offices: 312-226-5800 or the UIC Pavilion Box Office: 312-413-5740.

UNDERCARD

In support of the two main events will be an eight-round light welterweight match-up between Adrian “El Tigre” Granados (12-2-2, 8 KOs) of Cicero, Illinois via Mexico, and Carlos Winston “El Guerrero” Velasquez (21-17-1, 11 KOs) from Managua, Nicaragua;

An eight-round light middleweight bout between Jonathan “Mantequilla” Gonzalez (16-0-1, 13 KOs) of Puerto Rico and Jaison Palomeque (14-7-1, 9 KOs) Arpartado, Colombia;

A six-round middleweight battle involving Henry “The Western Warrior” Coyle (18-2, 12 KOs) of Chicago, via Geesala, Ireland and Skyler Thompson (12-9, 10 KOs) of Rockford, Illinois;

A six-round cruiserweight bout pitting “Hurricane” Junior Wright (8-0, 7 KOs) of Evanston, Illinois against Harley Kilfian (10-13, 8 KOs) of Kenton, Ohio;

A five-round middleweight rematch between Trinidad Garcia (5-3-3) of Chicago and Ramiro Bueno Jr. (2-3-1 1 KO) of South Bend, Indiana;

And a four-round lightweight opener between Jose Romero (1-0) of Whiting, Indiana, and Fred Bowen (1-1-1) of Jackson, Tennessee.

ABOUT 8 COUNT PRODUCTIONS

8 Count Productions, Home Of The Best In Chicago Boxing, was started by Dominic Pesoli in 1998 and has consistently presented the highest quality professional boxing events in Chicagoland.

Fighters currently under the 8 Count Productions banner include; IBO Light Heavyweight World Champion Andrzej Fonfara, middleweight contender Donovan George, world-class junior welterweight prospect Adrian Granados, super middleweight prospect Paul Littleton, middleweight prospect Viktor Polyakov and welterweight prospect Jaime Herrera.

For more information on 8 Count Productions please visit their new website, www.8countproductions.com.

ABOUT WARRIORS BOXING

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

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

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

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

LINCOLN, R.I. (Dec. 5th, 2013) – With roots already planted in three separate states, former national championship wrestler T.J. Hepburn is looking to plant one more in the competitive world of mixed martial arts.

Hepburn, a New Jersey native who grew up in Connecticut and wrestled collegiately in Nebraska, will return to the cage for the first time in more than a year on Friday, Dec. 6th, 2013 at Twin River Casino when he faces Rhode Islander Tundee Odumoso (1-1) on the undercard of “CES MMA XX” presented by Classic Entertainment & Sports.

Whether MMA is a legitimate career move or just a passing fancy for Hepburn (1-0, 1 KO) remains to be seen, but the scrappy, 5-foot-7 lightweight hopes to have an answer by the end of 2014, making Friday’s fight against Odumoso an important barometer as he moves forward with his career.

“I have a wife and two kids,” Hepburn said, “so if it doesn’t work for me this year, it’s the end of the road.

“Because I was a national championship wrestler, people automatically assume my goal is to get to the [Ultimate Fighting Championships], but the most important thing for me is to make sure my children have clothes on their back.

“I’ll see where this takes me.”

The 24-year-old Hepburn already has a backup plan; he’s a manager at the Grappler’s Lair in Kearney, Neb., where he currently trains, plus he has a bachelor’s degree in sports administration and physically education from the University of Nebraska-Kearney and plans on becoming a certified personal trainer in 2014.

A career in MMA may or may not be the right move, but, given Hepburn’s impressive wrestling background, it would’ve been a shame if he didn’t test the waters at some point. After moving to East Ledyard, Conn., in 2003, Hepburn became a four-time state finalist and three-time state champion at East Ledyard High, finishing with a near-perfect record of 200-4.

At UNK, he exceled in the 157-pound weight class, earning NCAA Division II All-American honors three times before ending his career as the D-II national champion in 2012. The decision to step into the cage later that year wasn’t exactly spur of the moment; Hepburn fought two amateur MMA bouts in 2007 and 2008 as an 18-year-old up-and-comer and one more in March of 2012 before making his professional debut three months later.

Ironically, the highly-decorated wrestler won that fight by first-round knockout, using a flurry of punches to stop Jeremy Mier with one second remaining.

“People have the wrong perspective about wrestlers not being able to throw hands,” Hepburn said. “Wrestling is such a hard sport to learn. If anything, we pick things up a lot faster than most fighters.”

Since his debut more than a year ago, fights have been hard to come by for Hepburn. On three separate occasions, a potential fight fell through when the opponent pulled out at the last minute. Then a promoter asked him to drop to 145 pounds, which Hepburn – who walks around at 170 – refused to do. As the disappointments added up, Hepburn began questioning his future in MMA.

“Starting your training camp, cutting weight and preparing for a fight is a big sacrifice,” he said. “To do that three times with a wife and two kids and not have a fight in the end is tough.”

Even Friday’s fight almost fell through a few weeks ago, but CES matchmaker Pat Sullivan promised Hepburn he’d make sure he’d have an opponent, so Hepburn stayed up north with family and friends until he got the phone call.

In addition to the uncertainty surrounding his next fight, Hepburn also dealt with the death of his 33-year-old sister, who passed away recently following a 29-year, on-and-off battle with cancer.

“She was a fighter, that’s for sure,” Hepburn said. “Losing her was tough to handle, but the show must go on.”

What happens beyond Friday is anyone’s guess. Hepburn would prefer to fight in New England “two or three times a year,” but admits he still considers MMA a “hobby” until he figures out whether or not it can evolve into a legitimate career.

“I train, I work hard, and I have two kids,” he said, “so I definitely need to make money.”

Tickets for “CES MMA XX” are priced at $40.00, $55.00, $100.00 and $125.00 (VIP) and can be purchased by calling 401-724-2253/2254, online at www.cesmma.com or www.ticketmaster.com, or at Players Club at Twin River.

Headlining the event, Boston, Mass., native Rob Font (7-1, 2 KOs), the reigning CES MMA featherweight champion, will put his record on the line in the main event against Canadian challenger Matt DiMarcantonio (4-3), while Providence, R.I., veteran Luis Felix (9-7, 3 KOs) and Boston’s Lucas Cruz (6-1, 2 KOs) will battle for lightweight supremacy in the highly-anticipated co-feature.

Also on the undercard, Woonsocket, R.I., featherweight Andre Soukhamthath (6-1, 3 KOs) will aim for his fourth win of the year and seventh consecutive overall, the latter which would make him the winningest fighter in CES MMA history, breaking a tie with the aforementioned Chattelle. Soukhamthath will face 5-foot-7 challenger Corey Simmons (5-5) of Defiance, Ohio.

In another battle between two of the region’s top fighters in the welterweight division, fifth-ranked Brett Oteri (11-5, 1 KO) of Dedham, Mass., will face Dennis Olson (13-7, 1 KO) of Amherst, N.H., formerly ranked No. 1 in the 185-pound weight class. Olson last fought at Twin River in April when he submitted Todd Chattelle in the opening round of their main-event rematch.

Not to be outdone, Providence light heavyweight Greg Rebello (15-5, 8 KOs) will end his short-lived retirement and return to the cage Friday following a loss in his last bout in June. Once considered the top fighter in his weight class in New England, Rebello won 11 consecutive fights between 2006 and 2010 before a tough loss to Dan Cramer at the Bellator Fighting Championships. After losing a split decision to Lewis Rumsey in June – his third loss in six fights – Rebello announced his retirement, but has decided to resume his career Friday in CES MMA’s 20th celebration show.

The undercard of “CES MMA XX” will also feature the return of fan-favorite Charles Rosa (5-0, 2 KOs), a rising star in the lightweight division who wrestled collegiately at Providence’s Johnson & Wales University before returning home to Boynton Beach, Fla., but still maintains a strong fan base in Rhode Island. Rosa made his CES debut in October with an impressive submission win over Steve McCabe and will now face the dangerous Ralph Johnson (6-8, 6 KOs) of Worcester, Mass., who is coming off an impressive, first-round knockout win over Jason Ward in November, making that six first-round knockout wins for the 6-foot-5 slugger in his career.

Looking to keep his perfect record intact, East Providence, R.I., lightweight Nate Andrews (5-0, 2 KOs) will step up face seasoned Miamisburg, Ohio, veteran Tyler Combs (13-11, 8 KOs), while another unbeaten prospect, Providence welterweight Eric Spicely (2-0) will return for his third and final fight of 2013 when he faces Connecticut native Tyler Rose (1-0) in a three-round bout. Providence featherweight Tom Evans (2-2, 1 KO) will look to snap a two-fight losing streak when he faces Ruso Khubejashvili (3-2) of Massachusetts. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (Dec. 5, 2013) – The ninth annual Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame (CBHOF) Gala Induction Dinner, held November 9 at the Uncas Ballroom in Mohegan Sun, was a major success. Below find a list of the Class of 2013, as well as individual award winners, in addition to a photo gallery.

CBHOF Class of 2013 inductees

Former world title challenger Luigi “Kid Dynamite” Campurato
Former world title challenger and Israel “Pito” Cardona
Broadcaster Al Bernstein
Promoter Joe DeGuardia
Referee/amateur coach Johnny Callas
USA Boxing administrator Roland Roy

2013 CBHOF award winners

Professional Boxer of the Year: “Machine Gun” Mike Oliver
Amateur Boxer of the Year: Mykquan “Mad Mike” Williams
State Amateur Official of the Year, Lou Pontacoloni
William Hutt State Professional Official of the Year, timekeeper Bill Maxeiner
Contribution to Boxing, former Hartford Courant sportswriter George Smith

Photo gallery of inductees courtesy of Richard A. Esposito
(L-R) – CBHOF President Glenn Feldman, 2013 CBHOF inductee Al Bernstein, HBO judge Harold Lederman and ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap

2013 CBHOF inductee Johnny Callas

(L-R) CBHOF President Glenn Feldman, and 2013 CBHOF inductee
Luigi “Kid Dynamite” Campurato

(L-R) HBO judge Harold Lederman, 2013 CBHOF inductee Israel “Pito” Cardona and CBHOF President Glenn Feldman

Go online to www.ctboxinghof.org for additional information about the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame, its 9th annual Gala Inductee Dinner, or CBHOF inductees.

LONDON (5 Dec) – Boxing star Amir Khan believes the clash between Paulie Malignaggi and Zab Judah will come down to who can handle the pressure best when the Brooklyn natives battle for local bragging rights live on BoxNation.

The hometown heroes both descend from the famed borough in New York and will share the ring this Saturday night at the Barclays Center, which lies in the heart of the Brooklyn area.

After having fought, and beat, both men, Khan is well placed to assess the fight and believes that handling the unique pressure that this fight presents will be crucial for the two world class veterans.

“I think it could all come down to who handles the pressure and expectation the best,” said Khan, speaking exclusively to BoxNation. “Even though both guys are very experienced in the sport this is new to both of them. It’s rare to see, but they’re two top fighters from the same neck of the woods going at it in their own backyard. That alone gives the fight that extra edge; it adds that little bit of pressure because neither will want to lose,” he said.

“It could change, or have an impact, on their approach during the fight because if one of them gets tagged they’ll be desperate to try and get the other back because they won’t want to lose face in front of their home crowd and will always want to be on top,” he said.

“It’s a really exciting and intriguing matchup because it’s so hard to call. The atmosphere is going to be electric and both guys are going to leave it all in the ring,” said Khan.

The former unified light-welterweight world champion was quick to acknowledge the abilities of both fighters and thinks their recent outings could also play a part.

“Paulie tends to be a little underrated,” Khan said. “He’s a fantastic fighter that brings a lot to the table such as his speed and his boxing skills. I think he surprised a lot of fans in his fight with Adrien Broner because a lot felt he won that fight. That could certainly act as extra motivation for him going into this one,” he said.

“Paulie’s not the biggest puncher but he’s got many assets that mean he doesn’t really need to be. He can make you miss and counter you and because of his speed and quick thinking he’s able to do that. Over the distance he’s hard to beat because he picks up rounds that way,” Khan explained.

“One key advantage that Zab has though is he can bang a bit more and also carries speed with him. Add in his awkward southpaw style and you have a fighter that can cause anybody major problems – like his last fight with Danny Garcia showed,” Khan stated.

The 26-year-old will be ringside on the night and is expected to join both men by making his move up to the welterweight division in his next outing.

Khan, however, thinks this weekend’s showdown is going to be a close one, giving the edge ever so slightly to two-weight world champion Malignaggi.

“It will be a very close fight with some really high class boxing on display and I think it will go the distance. I’m leaning towards Paulie in the fight simply because I think he’s the fresher of both fighters and will be really keen to bounce back from the Broner defeat,” Khan said.

“But it’s a really hard fight to call because Zab is going to be equally motivated, he’s awkward and his southpaw style could cause problems. It’s great fights like this that fans want to see, where it’s hard to pick a winner – it’s a really interesting matchup,” he added.

The bill also features a stacked undercard with three world title fights taking place.

Devon Alexander faces undefeated Shawn Porter for his IBF welterweight title, Erislandy Lara goes up against Austin Trout for the WBA light-middleweight crown and Sakio Bika defends his WBC super-middleweight belt against the unbeaten and big-hitting Anthony Dirrell.

Malignaggi vs. Judah is live and exclusive on BoxNation (Sky Ch. 437/Virgin Ch. 546) this Sunday at 2am. Visit www.boxnation.com to subscribe.

-Ends-
About BoxNation
BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated subscription boxing channel. For £10* a month and no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

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

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

The channel is available on Sky (ch 437), Virgin (ch 546), online at Livesport.tv and via iPhone, iPad or Android.

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

For more information visit www.boxnation.com

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

The final press conference for “World Championship Boxing: Wlodarczyk vs. Fragomeni 3” was held on Wednesday (December 4), night at Output Lounge Sports Bar in Chicago and all the combatants were respectful and confident ahead of their respective showdowns this Friday night at UIC Pavilion in Chicago.

WBC World Cruiserweight Champion Krzysztof “Diablo” Wlodarczyk and challenger Giacobbe Fragomeni, plus “Chicago’s Polish Prince” Andrzej Fonfara and his opponent, Colombian KO artist Samuel Miller were joined on the dais by promoters and undercard fighters in a well-attended final word from all involved.

“World Championship Boxing: Wlodarczyk vs. Fragomeni 3” is being presented by promoters Andrew Wasilewski and Piotr Werner of Ulrich Knockout Promotions, Leon Margules of Warriors Boxing and Dominic Pesoli of 8 Count Promotions.
Tickets for “World Championship Boxing: Wlodarczyk vs. Fragomeni 3” are priced at VIP $201, VIP Ringside $151, Ringside $101, Box Mezzanine $76, Reserved Mezzanine $51, and General Admission $31 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000), the 8 Count Productions Offices: 312-226-5800 or the UIC Pavilion Box Office: 312-413-5740.

Leon Margules (Warriors Boxing)
This is going to be a great show for a number of reasons. First of all, we’ve got Poland’s only current world champion defending his title in a great fight. He and his challenger are here to lay it on the line. I’ve been working with Wlodarczyk for years and that’s what he always does in every fight.

Plus, we’ve got the world’s #1 light heavyweight Andrzej Fonfara in action.

Assuming Andrzej gets by Samuel Miller, I predict a big year next year for him. He will be world champion next year, doesn’t matter who he ends up fighting for it. And he will make his HBO debut. I see all great things for Fonfara.

Krzysztof “Diablo” Wlodarczyk
I’m here to show the world and the fans in Chicago how good I am. I’m here to prove I’m the best, like I did in Moscow in my last fight. Thanks everyone for coming. This is a great city and I’ll see you all on Friday night.

Giacobbe Fragomeni
I respect Krzysztof Wlodarczyk. He is a great champion. I am honored to fight in this great city and hope it will be an exciting fight for the fans.

Luis DeCubas (Warriors Boxing)
This is going to be a great night of fights. Both main events feature big punchers on both sides.

We’ve got Poland’s only world champ, plus Andrzej Fonfara, Poland’s next champ. He’s in against a strong guy in Samuel Miller, who has fought a number of tough opponents.

Our main goal right now is trying to get Bernard Hopkins to come here to fight Fonfara. That’s what we’re working on.

Christian Cherchi (OPI 2000)
The first fight was a great one and I’m hoping it’ll be just like that one on Friday. Very exciting for the fans especially.

I had a great camp and thanks to all who helped put the show here. “El Diablo” and Fonfara are both here on one show. Very exciting.

Andrzej Fonfara
I had a great training camp. I spent part of the time in Big Bear, California and part of the time here. I am ready for my fight with Miller. He is a good fighter and a strong puncher and a tough guy, but I’m going to win. I will be world champion one day.

Samuel Miller
I know what my job is. I am here to one thing and that is to take away Andrzej Fonfara’s #1 ranking and take his place. That’s the only thing I’m here to do.

Adrian Granados
As far as my fight against Carlos Winston Velasquez, he’s a durable guy and another tough test for me, but I am sure I will get the W on Friday night.

EVENT INFORMATION

On Friday, December 6, at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, promoters Andrew Wasilewski and Piotr Werner of Ulrich Knockout Promotions, Leon Margules of Warriors Boxing and Dominic Pesoli of 8 Count Promotions will once again bring world-class professional boxing back to the Windy City with their latest blockbuster event, this one entitled “World Championship Boxing: Wlodarczyk vs. Fragomeni 3”.

In the night’s 12-round main event, WBC Cruiserweight Champion Krzysztof “Diablo” Wlodarczyk (48-2-1, 34 KOs) of Warsaw, Poland, will attempt to make the sixth defense of his title and complete an epic trilogy of fights with Milan, Italy’s former WBC Cruiserweight Champion Giacobbe “Gabibbo” Fragomeni (31-3-2, 12 KOs).

And in the very special featured bout, IBF #1 Light Heavyweight contender Andrzej Fonfara (25-2, 14 KOs) has agreed to a very dangerous test against La Habra, California, via Colombia KO artist Samuel Miller (26-7, 23 KOs).

Tickets for “World Championship Boxing: Wlodarczyk vs. Fragomeni 3” are priced at VIP $201, VIP Ringside $151, Ringside $101, Box Mezzanine $76, Reserved Mezzanine $51, and General Admission $31 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000), the 8 Count Productions Offices: 312-226-5800 or the UIC Pavilion Box Office: 312-413-5740.

In support of the two main events will be an eight-round light welterweight match-up between Adrian “El Tigre” Granados (12-2-2, 8 KOs) of Cicero, Illinois via Mexico, and Carlos Winston “El Guerrero” Velasquez (21-17-1, 11 KOs) from Managua, Nicaragua;

An eight-round light middleweight bout between Jonathan “Mantequilla” Gonzalez (16-0-1, 13 KOs) of Puerto Rico and Jaison Palomeque (14-7-1, 9 KOs) Arpartado, Colombia;

A six-round middleweight battle involving Henry “The Western Warrior” Coyle (18-2, 12 KOs) of Chicago, via Geesala, Ireland and Skyler Thompson (12-9, 10 KOs) of Rockford, Illinois;

A six-round middleweight bout between Paul “The Punisher” Littleton (8-0-1, 4 KOs) of Chicago and Troy White (5-2 -1, 1 KO) of Saint Louis, Missouri;

A six-round cruiserweight bout pitting “Hurricane” Junior Wright (8-0, 7 KOs) of Evanston, Illinois against Harley Kilfian (10-13, 8 KOs) of Kenton, Ohio;

A five-round middleweight rematch between Trinidad Garcia (5-3-3) of Chicago and Ramiro Bueno Jr. (2-3-1 1 KO) of South Bend, Indiana;

And a four-round lightweight opener between Jose Romero (1-0) of Whiting, Indiana, and Fred Bowen (1-1-1) of Jackson, Tennessee.

ABOUT 8 COUNT PRODUCTIONS

8 Count Productions, Home Of The Best In Chicago Boxing, was started by Dominic Pesoli in 1998 and has consistently presented the highest quality professional boxing events in Chicagoland.

Fighters currently under the 8 Count Productions banner include; IBO Light Heavyweight World Champion Andrzej Fonfara, middleweight contender Donovan George, world-class junior welterweight prospect Adrian Granados, super middleweight prospect Paul Littleton, middleweight prospect Viktor Polyakov and welterweight prospect Jaime Herrera.

For more information on 8 Count Productions please visit their new website, www.8countproductions.com.

ABOUT WARRIORS BOXING

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

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

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

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