DENVER – Among boxing’s myriad of adages is the one that says you must beat the champ – meaning beat the champ down – to take his belt. Russian Ruslan “Siberian Rocky” Provodnikov did exactly that to American light welterweight champ “Mile High” Mike Alvarado, stomping into Alvarado’s hometown and breaking his spirit.

Saturday at 1stBank Center, Provodnikov (23-2, 16 KOs) did the previously unthinkable before a soldout crowd of more than 7,000 Coloradoans, all on hand to cheer Alvarado (34-2, 23 KOs), punching the Coloradoan to a point of submission, dropping him twice and making him thrice refuse referee Tony Weeks’ inquiries about fitness to continue after round 10.

“I asked Mike two or three times, ‘Do you want to continue?’” Weeks said afterwards. “And Mike answered each time, ‘No.’”

“That’s how you become a world champion!” an elated Provodnikov said through his translator. “I went to his hometown. It was a tough fight, I knew it was a tough fight. That is now you become a world champion.”

From the very first round, one man’s punches told more than the other’s. Alvarado, who began tight, hands too high, skips too skittish, was moved sideways by Provodnikov’s hooks, even when Alvarado blocked them. Right hands from the Russian appeared to make Alvarado’s face wince before the first 90 seconds were complete.

“He’s the hardest puncher I’ve ever faced,” Alvarado said after being beaten.

Alvarado collected himself and made rounds 2 through 7 considerably more competitive than the first, switching styles almost constantly, from orthodox to southpaw, from uppercut specialist to defensive specialist, dropping his lead hand at times, leaping in with lead uppercuts at others. The boxing approach ultimately did not serve Alvarado.

“It just wasn’t Mike’s night,” said his trainer, Shann Vilhauer. “He was too defensive. He’s been reading his own clips since the (Brandon) Rios fight, thinking he’s this great boxer. This guy was tailor-made for him, but he was too defensive.”

In round 8, what appeared to that point a competitive scrap became a destruction, as Provodnikov’s fully committed punches cracked the façade of Alvarado’s poise. Twice Alvarado went down, waited for Tony Weeks’ count to near 10, touched his own chest then rose to fight on.

But by the 10th round, Alvarado, a large egg-shape swelling his right eye shut, was a broken man, walking at the round’s completion to the wrong corner, having to be fished from across the blue mat by trainer Shann Vilhauer. Referee Weeks went to the corner behind them and confirmed Alvarado had neither the will nor the ability to continue.

“I made him not want to fight me anymore, and that is the best outcome I could think of,” said Provodnikov. “After the eighth round, I just needed to stay calm.

“Mike Alvarado. He’s a real man, a real world champion.”

JUAN DIAZ VS. JUAN SANTIAGO
When Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz is at his best, every round bears a close resemblance to its predecessor. In Saturday’s co-main event, Diaz was at his best.

Making the second appearance in a nascent comeback, Diaz (38-4, 19 KOs) decisioned local lightweight Juan Santiago (14-11-1, 8 KOs) by lopsided unanimous scores of 97-93, 99-91 and 100-90.

“It felt great,” Diaz said of his victory afterwards. “I needed the rounds. It was a good fight.”

Diaz fought in his typical, self-possessed way, never overcommitting to any advantage, never fretting at an eaten punch, focusing on his opponent’s chest, measuring the patterns of his torso, relentlessly punching, regardless of effect. Saturday, though, he did a bit more jabbing than has been his custom.

“I believe that I have one of the best jabs in boxing,” Diaz said. “It’s undiscovered, but I believe tonight it showed.”

Diaz spun his shoulders, every left hook to the body opening the possibility of a right to the head, until Santiago, like so many men before him, lost his effect. For a beaten man, though, Santiago did not fight with reservation – often finishing rounds with a flurry and greeting his local fans with a raised left glove. Nothing Santiago did was enough; he was outclassed from the beginning but did his job, giving Diaz’s continuing comeback, and new jab, a firm chin to slam against.

“When I fight the best guys in boxing, (the jab) will come in handy,” Diaz said.

UNDERCARD
The final non-swing portion of the undercard saw two local welterweights do battle, as Denver’s Daniel Calzada and Longmont’s Carlos Marquez made the sort of entertainingly violent match that can happen when limited local fighters, guys who’ve seen one another round the gyms for years, fight for bragging rights, not titles. Each guy fought without regard for personal safety for all six rounds of a match Calzada won by majority decision: 57-57, 59-55, 58-56.

Accompanied to the ring by his famous uncle Acelino “Popo” Freitas, undefeated Brazilian super featherweight Vitor Jones de Oliveira (1-0-0-1, 1 KO) – and man whom Banner Promotions publicist Marc Abrams says “will transform boxing” – brought early and merciless ruin to local fighter Martin Quezada (2-8, 2 KOs) in Saturday’s fourth fight.

Possibly the best four-round fight in recent Colorado history happened before that, when local super featherweight David Escamilla (3-0, 1 KO) matched up with Mexican Jair Quintero (2-1-1), in a back-and-forth affair that saw each man rocked and winded at various moments of their 12 minutes of combat. Ultimately, the local prizefighter prevailed by three unanimous-decision scores of 39-36, but the match was closer than its scorecards would indicate.

The evening’s second match saw undefeated Puerto Rican super featherweight Starling Cordero (7-0, 3 KOs) race out his corner and race directly through overmatched Mexican Abraham Rubio (3-2-1, 1 KO), stopping him at 1:39 of round 1, after dropping him once and striking him with a large number of uncontested blows.

Saturday began with a heavyweight mismatch between Iowan Donovan Dennis (9-1-0-1, 7 KOs) and Hugo Arceo (3-1-1, 3 KOs), of nearby Boulder, and ended with one too many felled mouthpieces for Arceo, giving Dennis the win by knockout at 2:33 of round 3. Despite being staggered once in the second round, Dennis generally clobbered Arceo, dropping the face-bloodied Coloradoan, and his mouthpiece, numerous times.

Opening bell rang on a sparsely occupied 1stBank Center at 5:28 PM local time.

BROOMFIELD, COLORADO (OCTOBER 19, 2013)–Tonight at the 1stBank Arena, One of the most anticipated bouts of the year will take place when WBO Jr. Welterweight champion Mike Alvarado defends his title against Ruslan Provodnikov.

The fight, promoted by Top Rank and Banner Promotions will be seen live on HBO Championship Boxing beginning at 9:45 pm eastern / Pacific time.

Before the cameras roll, two members of the Banner Promotions stable will be in action. Heavyweight Donovan Dennis and super featherweight Vitor Jones De Olivera will take part in six and four round fights respectively.

Heavyweight Donovan Dennis will take on Hugo Arceo of Boulder (3-0-1, 3 KO’s) Colorado.

Dennis of Davenport, Iowa has a record of 8-1, 1 No Contest with six knockouts and will be making his 6th appearance of 2013. He is coming off 2nd round stoppage over Kevin Tiller on July 27th.

At Friday’s weigh in Dennis weighed 221 pounds while Arceo checked in at 245 pounds.

De Olivera of Brasilia, Brazil will take on Martin Quesada.

De Olivera is the nephew of former four-time, two-division world champion Acelino “Popo” Freitas.

De Olivera (0-0, 1 No-Contest) weighed in at 130 ¾ pounds while Quesada of Denver, Colorado checked in at 128 ½ pounds.

DENVER (October 19, 2013) — Denver’s very own homegrown world champion “Mile High” MIKE ALVARADO and No. 1 contender the “Siberian Rocky” RUSLAN PROVODNIKOV of Russia — both coming off nationally-televised Fight of the Year performances — will go mano a mano in their world championship rumble tonight in front of a sold out 1STBANK Center audience.

The last tickets were sold on Friday at 9:15 p.m.

Alvarado (34-1, 23 KOs) will make the first defense of his World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior welterweight title a “home game,” when he battles Provodnikov (22-2, 15 KOs), of Russia, tonight at the 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, Colo. This marks the area’s first world championship fight featuring a local fighter since September 15, 2000 when former World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight champion Stevie Johnston unsuccessfully challenged defending WBC lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo, via majority draw, at Pepsi Center. Alvarado vs. Provodnikov will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing®, beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT. It will be the first time HBO has ever televised a fight live from Colorado.

Doors open at 4:30 p.m. with the first bout starting at 5:30 p.m. local time.

Promoted by Top Rank® and Banner Promotions, in association with Tecate, Alvarado and Provodnikov enter this world title tilt fresh from Fight of the Year performances that took place in March, just two weeks apart from each other, and were televised on HBO. They boast a combined record of 56-3 (38 KOs) — a winning percentage of 95% and a victory by knockout ratio of 68%.

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, www.banner-promotions.com or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, facebook.com/banner-promotions or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, twitter.com/bannerboxing or twitter.com/hboboxing.

DENVER – The crowd was over capacity at the weighin, and so was light welterweight “Mile High” Mike Alvarado, the hometown favorite. A little bit of vigilance got the crowd back under capacity, and it worked for Alvarado’s weight too.

Friday at Diego’s Mexican Food & Cantina, a medium-sized eatery in the center of this city, Alvarado (34-1, 23 KOs) and Russian challenger Ruslan Provodnikov (22-2, 15 KOs) each made weight, eventually, for their Saturday title fight at 140 pounds. Provodnikov needed only one try to weigh 139.8. But Alvarado marked 141.1 on his first try, a pound over the contracted weight for their title match, left the restaurant, returned two hours later and marked 139.8.

Vulnerability is an odd thing to express in the leadup to a match considered by those who should know a certain candidate for 2013 fight of the year, one that pits Alvarado, whose match a year ago this week with Brandon Rios led 2012 fight-of-the-year polling till December, and Ruslan Provodnikov, whose March match with welterweight champion Timothy Bradley leads this year’s polling, but vulnerability is the very element both men showed in a recent episode of “Face Off with Max Kellerman” – admitting to fear and consciousness of how much their profession imperils them.

Odder still, this profession of fear, as neither man fights like he is aware there are consequences for collecting another man’s punches to the body and head. Alvarado is athletically gifted as any prizefighter, capable, that is, of employing reflex and coordination to offset other men’s offenses, serving thrice the abuse he collects, but he eschews prudence at most turns, planting instead and trading with men who haven’t another recourse. He did not do this at the beginning of his career, when he was on a short list of his promoter’s favorite prospects, but he does today because he is now 33 years-old, no longer fleet of foot as before, and watching what appear to be few grains of sand in an hourglass before his fighting- and lifestyles do him in.

Provodnikov understands the science of prizefighting, too, and understands them well enough not to employ them when to do so might surely benefit an opponent. Provodnikov figures to be the larger man in Saturday’s match, coming, as he is, down from 147 pounds to contest Alvarado’s light welterweight title.

But Alvarado struggled more mightily to make weight, needing almost exactly the allotted two hours after Friday’s official weighin to come in below 140. It is unlikely weight will affect either fighter; both men looked healthy and good from Friday’s cantina, a venue that was warm with bodies and entirely overstuffed with them as well, causing employees to begin citing fire marshals and capacity restrictions 15 minutes before the first fighters took the scale. Diego’s was long, not wide, and with barely a full door from which celebrities might escape, those unable to maneuver their ways inside had the consolation of HBO’s broadcasting crew and former champions like Juan Diaz and Acelino Freitas forced to pass within arms’ reach, availing themselves to many more photos than likely planned.

Boxing comprises many fights that should entertain but might not, last week’s match between Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez was a timely example, but Saturday’s fight is not one of those. Rather Alvarado-Provodnikov is a rarest spectacle: A fight that cannot help but be excellent before a partisan and boxing-starved crowd.

Doors open at 5:00 PM local time. 15rounds will have full ringside coverage.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBA Heavyweight champion Beubut Shumenov will defend his title against Tamas Kovacs on December 14th in Las Vegas as part of the Adrien Broner – Marcos Maidana card.

“Beibut is a very talented and exciting fighter in one of the best divisions of the sport,” said Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer. “We have big plans for him and are excited to be working with him and his team.”

Philadelphia (October 18, 2013)—On April 28, 2007 Ruslan Provodnikov scored a 1st round stoppage over Antwon Barrett in his American debut.

The result maybe was just a blip on the radar that night because it was a four round bout on the undercard of a highly publicized Lightweight unification bout between Juan Diaz and Acelino Freitas.

Fast forward six and a half years, Provodnikov, Diaz and Freitas will be featured in different capacities when Provodnikov fights WBO Jr. Welterweight champion at the 1stBank Arena in Broomfield, Colorado.

The bout which is promoted by Top Rank and Banner Promotions will be televised live on HBO Championship Boxing.
In what most experts are calling a Fight of the Year candidate, Provodnkov (22-2, 15 KO’s)will vie for a world title for the second consecutive when he takes on Mike Alvarado (34-1, 23 KO’s) in the highly anticipated bout.

Diaz (37-4, 19 KO’s) will continue his comeback when he takes on Juan Santiago (14-10-1, 8 KO’s) in a ten round bout.

Freitas will be in the corner of his nephew Vitor Jones De Olivera when the Featherweight participates in a four round bout against Martin Quezada.

“I am very bless to be the main event on Saturday”, said Provodnikov.

“To be the main event is a big accomplishment.“

“Those types seem so long ago and the time has passed and now I am the main event and I am very glad things have gone the so well for me.

“Said Acelino Freitas, “I only remember Provodnikov as being a nice kid at the time. The events of Saturday night proves that god’s destiny was for us to reunite this Saturday.”

Jack Culcay (14-1, 10 KOs) is more than ready to win back the WBA Intercontinental Championship, which he lost back in April. When the 28-year-old meets former conqueror Guido Nicolas Pitto (18-1, 7 KOs) on October 26 in Oldenburg, Germany, the Amateur World Champion of 2009 aims for an impressive performance.

“If there is one thing I learned from fighting Pitto, it’s to keep up the pressure over the whole distance of a bout,” said Culcay. “Only if you are dominating your opposition you can feel certain that you won the fight.” The prodigy of coach Fritz Sdunek still believes that he was already the better man and has a simple plan to convince especially the judges at the EWE ARENA. “I will not step off the gas until the fight is over.”

However, Pitto thinks that he can do even better in the rematch with Culcay. “Since I made the transition to train in Spain under the guidance of Ricardo Sanchez Atocha I progressed tremendously from fight to fight. Therefore I am confident of having improved again,” the 26-year-old super-welterweight feels certain. “Culcay’s best won’t be enough to beat me.”

Tickets for the big fight night at the EWE ARENA Oldenburg, which also sees Arthur Abraham, Robert Woge and Marcos Nader defending their respective titles, can be purchased at www.eventim.de and www.boxen.com.

Carl Frampton comes alive on BoxNation this Saturday night as he faces experienced Frenchman Jeremy Parodi in an IBF World Super-Bantamweight title eliminator.

Hometown hero Frampton will be roared on by a sold out Odyssey Arena crowd in Belfast as he looks to line up a hotly anticipated rematch with his February 2012 victim and reigning IBF World champion Kiko Martinez.

A star-studded undercard features Irish prospects Ryan Burnett and Daniel McShane, Marco McCullough v Willie Casey in an Irish Featherweight title bout and Eamonn O’Kane fights Kerry Hope in a Vacant IBF Intercontinental Middleweight title fight.

Tune in to BoxNation from 7pm for an action-packed show LIVE from Belfast. Click here now to see the full running order.

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BoxNation is bringing fantastic value once again as earlier this week we announced a long term deal to bring you the hit US series Golden Boy on Fox. The series, brainchild of Golden Boy Promotions’ six weight world champion Oscar De La Hoya and future hall of famer Bernard Hopkins, sees up and coming US prospects do battle and provide us with fantastic weeknight entertainment exclusively in the UK on BoxNation!

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Alejandro Luna 135 vs. Daniel Attah 134.5

Roy Tapia 121.5 vs. Sergio Najera 123

Arnold Barboza Jr. 145.5 vs. Douglas Rosales 144

Edelma Jeffrey 130 vs. Myra Manzo 135

Jose Garcia 134.5 vs. Alejandro Ochoa 138

LONDON (19 Oct) – British boxing’s most decorated fighter of the modern era, Ricky Hatton, has tipped rising star Carl Frampton for greatness after admitting he sees himself in the Irish ace.

The super-bantamweight faces off against Frenchman Jeremy Parodi this weekend in Belfast, in a fight which will see the victor get a shot at world title glory in their next bout.

Frampton’s star appeal was made even more apparent after the Ulsterman sold out Northern Ireland’s biggest indoor venue, the Odyssey Arena, with 8,500 tickets snapped up, in what will be only his 17th professional bout.

Hatton has now added his name to the long list of admirers, believing that the man dubbed, ‘The Jackal’, has all the attributes to not only win a world title but cement his place amongst the greatest Irish fighters ever.

“Frampton hasn’t won the world title yet but he’s on the door knocking. You never think it’s going to happen but [starting off] I wanted to emulate my heroes like Barry McGuigan, Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank and Naseem Hamed, whose undercards I was boxing on at the time, said Hatton.

“I think Carl is a world champion in waiting, with the ability he has and the improvements he keeps making. He has the potential to be up there with some of the greatest boxers Ireland has ever had,” he said.

The former two-weight world champion enjoyed an illustrious career having tested himself against the very best, including superfights against pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather and Filipino bulldozer Manny Pacquiao.

The Mancunian’s ability as a ticket seller was legendary but with Frampton’s ever growing fanbase, coupled with his desire to challenge the very best around, Hatton believes that they are two boxers cut from the same cloth.

“The thing I like about Carl is that I see very much of myself in him because of his ambition,” said Hatton.

“I didn’t just want to be a world champion I wanted to be the best in the division. Then when I became the best in the division I wanted to become the best in another weight division and then the best pound-for-pound.

“You can see that Carl has that same fearless hunger. As long as you have that fearless hunger you have half a chance, but Carl has more than just half a chance – he will most definitely become a world champion,” he said.

The 35-year-old has called on Frampton to be extra cautious when he gets in the ring on Saturday night warning that nothing will come easy.

However, should he gets past Parodi, then a host of opportunities await.

“He’s got a tough opponent but it’s an opponent he should beat”, said Hatton.

“It’s about opening the door for a world title shot, taking no chances, doing the job and impressing. There’s no easy fight at this level but he’s ready now.

“Every promoters going to want to deal with him when you see the crowds he pulls in everytime he fights in Belfast now,” he said.

“He’s got an exciting style so every world championship organisation and governing body will want Carl fighting for their title because he brings excitement, he brings the fanbase and so much to the table, and, most of all, he’s proved he’s ready now,” said Hatton.

Frampton vs. Parodi is live and exclusive on BoxNation (Sky Ch.437/Virgin Ch.546) from 7pm tonight this Saturday 19th Oct. Subscribe online at www.boxnation.com.

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SAN ANTONIO (Oct. 18, 2013) – SHOWTIME Sports® will present a world championship doubleheader on Saturday, Nov. 30, as Devon Alexander “The Great” defends his IBF Welterweight World Championship against Shawn “Showtime” Porter in a 12-round bout at Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Texas. In the co-main event, also scheduled for 12-rounds, the WBC Super Bantamweight Championship is on the line as Leo “Teremoto” Santa Cruz defends his title against Cesar Seda.

In a preliminary bout junior welterweight contender Ricardo “Dinamita” Alvarez will face an opponent to be named in a 10-round matchup.

“I’ve heard great things about the fans in Texas and I’m looking forward to defending my title in San Antonio,” said Alexander. “I promise I won’t disappoint the fight fans and they’re going to see a show on November 30.”

“It’s been a long road to get here and ever since I first stepped into the gym, I wanted to become a world champion,” said Porter. “Now my chance is here and I’m ready to step into that ring and take the title from Alexander.”

“I’m looking forward to getting back in the ring and making my debut in Texas against Cesar Seda,” said Santa Cruz. “Seda is a quality fighter and a top contender, but I’m not ready to give up my belt to him or anyone.”

“I admire Santa Cruz for his talent and his accomplishments,” said Seda. “But styles make fights and I have the style to beat him and bring the world championship back to Puerto Rico,”

“The fans in San Antonio are among the best in the sport and when they come out to see Devon Alexander defend his title against Shawn Porter, they’re going to be in for a treat, as this is a great stylistic matchup that will produce compelling action from start to finish,” said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “And when you add a championship fight between an all-action champion in Leo Santa Cruz and challenger Cesar Seda this may end up being one of the best nights of boxing we’ve seen in 2013.”

“It’s an honor and pleasure to bring SHOWTIME back to the greatest boxing fans in the world here in San Antonio,” said Mike Battah, President of Leija*Battah Promotions. “Alexander is facing a young, hungry challenger in Porter so this fight will definitely be one of the most exciting fights of the year. Santa Cruz vs Seda is a battle of the countries, Mexico vs. Puerto Rico battling it out will round out the night as a great night of boxing.”

Alexander vs. Porter, a 12-round fight for Alexander’s IBF Welterweight World Championship, will take place Saturday, Nov. 30, 2013 at Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Texas. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Leija*Battah Promotions and The Great Promotions and supported by Golden Boy Promotions’ sponsors Corona and AT&T. The fight will air live on SHOWTIME and will be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP).

Tickets priced at $175, $150, $45, $25 and $15, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, go on sale on Monday, Oct. 21 at 10 a.m.CT and are available for purchase at the AT&T Center box office (walk up sales only), or through Leija*Battah Promotions by calling (210) 979-3302 or emailing m@leijabattahpromo.com or online at www.ticketmaster.com and all Ticketmaster locations, by calling (800) 745-3000.

Twenty-six-year-old southpaw Devon Alexander “The Great” (25-1, 14 KO’s) has done his native St. Louis proud, soaring to the top of two weight classes throughout the course of his professional career. A gifted boxer with top-notch punching accuracy and defense, Alexander first wore championship gold after his 2009 technical knockout of Junior Witter earned him the WBC Junior Welterweight title. Alexander unified the belts in his next fight with a stoppage of Juan Urango and defended them against Andriy Kotelnik before suffering the lone loss of his career against Timothy Bradley in 2011. Alexander got right back into the title picture though, defeating Lucas Matthysse five months later and after a move to welterweight, a win over Marcos Maidana earned him a title fight against Randall Bailey last October at Barclays Center. There, he defeated Bailey over 12-rounds to become a two-division champion. In his most recent bout, on May 18, 2013, Alexander stopped Lee Purdy in seven rounds.

A longtime amateur standout who was an alternate for the 2008 U.S. Olympic team, Shawn “Showtime” Porter (22-0-1, 14 KO’s) found out quickly that his action-packed style was better suited for the professional game and he has the unbeaten record to prove it. A victor over the likes of Hector Munoz, Alfonso Gomez and Phil Lo Greco, this NABF and NABO champion excited fight fans with his recent two-fight series against former world titlist Julio Diaz. After a draw in their first meeting, Porter pounded out a clear-cut 10-round decision in their September rematch, opening the door for the 25-year-old from Akron, Ohio to challenge for his first world championship.

Boxing’s breakout star Leo “Teremoto” Santa Cruz (25-0-1, 15 KO’s) has already won world championships in two weight classes, despite being just 25-years-old. A native of Huetamo, Mexico now living in Los Angeles, Santa Cruz’s fan-friendly attack in the ring has garnered him followers from around the world. After his 2013 knockouts of Alexander Munoz and Victor Terrazas, the latter victory earning him the WBC Super Bantamweight Championship, he shows no signs of slowing down in his quest for boxing greatness.

San Juan, Puerto Rico southpaw Cesar Seda (25-1, 17 KO’s) first made his name in the fight game with a successful run at 115 pounds. He won the WBA Fedecaribe and NABO titles before losing for the only time in his career against WBO Champion Omar Narvaez in April of 2011. Since that bout, the 27-year-old Seda has gone up in weight and won five bouts straight, two by knockout, earning him a fight with Santa Cruz on Nov. 30.

After a fifth-round technical knockout over Humberto Martinez on Oct., WBC Continental Americas Super Lightweight Champion Ricardo “Dinamita” Alvarez (22-2-3, 14 KO’s) is experiencing a four-fight hot stretch that he hopes will propel him into a world title fight. Currently ranked in the Top 20 by the WBC, the 31-year-old brother of former world champions Canelo and Rigoberto Alvarez, hopes to add a third crown to the family trophy case in 2014.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com or www.sports.sho.com, follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/leijabattahpr,
www.facebook.com/leija.battah.promotion.models, www.twitter.com/showtimeshawnp, www.twitter.com/TheRealDevonA, www.twitter.com/LeoSantaCruz2, www.twitter.com/dinamitaAB, www.twitter.com/canelopromotion.com, www.twitter.com/cesarseda, www.twitter.com/freemancoliseum and www.twitter.com/SHOSports, follow the conversation using #AlexanderPorter become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing www.facebook.com/LeijaBattah
http://www.facebook.com/CaneloPromotion and www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing.

This Saturday (Oct. 19th) in Leipzig, Germany, Manuel Charr tries to add another WBC belt to his collection when the “Diamond Boy” collides with Russian powerhouse Denis Bakhtov in a clash for Charr’s WBC Silver international, WBC Baltic and WBC Mediterranean plus the vacant WBC CISBB championship.

“It is my goal to win all WBC titles so Vitali Klitschko will have no other chance but to give me my rematch”, says Charr. “When I hold all the regional belts I will finally make my dream come true and take that big gold and green belt from Vitali.”
To achieve this ambitious goal, Charr has to beat Bakhtov first who has a history of destroying dreams of up and coming German heavyweight. In 2009 and 2010 the hard hitting Russian stopped Steffen Kretschmann who at that time was seen by many as “German hope” in the heavyweight division. The second fight between Kretschmann and Bakhtov was broadcasted live on Sat.1 – the same network which will air Charr vs. Bakhtov this Saturday.
“I know that I am the underdog on Saturday. But many thought I was the underdog against Kretschmann, too”, says Bakhtov. “I don’t mind what the people think. It is my job to fight and knock out my opponents. And that’s what I will do Saturday night in Leipzig. I’m sorry for Manuel Charr. But his way stops right here.”
Charr vs. Bakhtov will be broadcasted live on Sat.1 starting at 22.00h / 10pm Central European time.

It’s probably just a scheduling coincidence, but the suggestion is there Saturday night in HBO’s decision to air its beautifully-done Legendary Nights: The Tale Of Gatti-Ward after the Mike Alvarado-Ruslan Provodnikov fight in Denver.

Arturo Gatti-Micky Ward stands alone. Their three-fight rivalry is called a classic because it can’t be duplicated. But that doesn’t mean we can’t hope.

Alvarado (34-1, 23 KOs) is smart enough not to promise one in junior-welterweight bout he knows will be challenging enough against Provodnikov (22-2, 15 KOs), who is already on the ballot for a Fight of the Year contender with his dramatic loss to Timothy Bradley in March. Classics are good for history. But they aren’t easy on careers.

“When I sit here and think about it, it’s kind of scary,’’ Alvarado said when asked about the Gatti-Ward parallel during a conference call. “Those dudes about killed each other. That’s a big step. Those are some big names to categorize ourselves with. It’s an honor to be in that kind of fight. We’ll see what happens. I am ready to perform and show greatness.’’

HBO’s documentary of Gatti and Ward, also junior-welterweights, is a poignant portrayal of two fighters who will be forever tied together by the violence they shared. They were Blood Brothers in the truest sense of the term.

“We could see in front of our eyes this bond starting to form,’’ ringside analyst and philosopher Larry Merchant says during the film. “It was a bond of pain and respect, and it couldn’t be written in a script. It had to be seen live; seen happening in front of our eyes.’’

Alvarado-Provonikov is scheduled to begin at 9:45 p.m., ET/PT. The Ward-Gatti documentary will follow the bout, scheduled for 12 rounds. Other HBO dates for Ward-Gatti film are Oct. 21, Oct. 24, Oct. 26. Oct. 30 and Nov. 3.

NOTES
· One of the best lines in Ward-Gatti came from Kathy Duva, who promoted the late Gatti. “At one point, somebody said he was sort of boxing’s answer to The Grateful Dead,’’ she said. “You had this same group of people that kept coming over and over and over.’’

· Here’s a new guide for the pound-for-pound ratings: If Floyd Mayweather Jr. won’t fight them, they should be ranked. That means Manny Pacquiao stays in this corner’s top five. Also, it probably means Bradley belongs there. After his victory over Juan Manuel Marquez, Bradley said he should be No. 3. He also said he wanted Mayweather. Don’t see that happening. Bradley’s tactical mastery makes him a problematic opponent, even for Mayweather, who probably wouldn’t fight a Top Rank boxer anyway.

· Marquez trainer Nacho Beristain’s sour grapes about Bradley’s split-decision at Las Vegas’ Thomas & Mack Center were insulting and more. They didn’t ring true. When Marquez agreed to the fight, Beristain told Mexican media that he didn’t like the bout. He said Bradley had the kind of style that always gave Marquez trouble. Beristain was right. Yet, he whined anyway. Give me a break.

· During an informal session with media members before Bradley-Marquez on Oct. 14, Gennady Golovkin said he would still like to fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., despite Chavez’ messy performance and inability to make the contracted weight, 168 pounds, in a controversial decision over Brian Vera. The weight question is ballooning into issue that could knock Chavez off Golovkin’s list of possibilities. Golovkin says he’ll fight anybody between junior-middleweight (154) and super-middle (168). But he doesn’t want to fight a cruiserweight (200).

· And Top Rank has scheduled onetime Phoenix prospect Jose Benavidez Jr.,17-0 as a junior-welterweight, for a comeback on Nov. 16 in Laughlin, Nev. An opponent has yet to be determined. Benavidez hasn’t fought since he was rocked in a victory by unanimous decision over Pavel Miranda a year ago in Carson, Calif. It’ll be his first fight since undergoing further surgery on a troublesome right hand.

Bruce Binkow
Good morning, everybody. I wanted to welcome you all to this call. We are obviously very excited and enthusiastic for what promises to be a fantastic card next weekend in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Obviously we’re here to talk to the participants in the main event, Bernard Hopkins and Karo Murat, but just for the record, the rest of the card for the evening will feature Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin fighting Gabriel Rosado in a 12-round WBO middleweight championship bout, and also heavyweights Deontay Wilder and Nicolai Firtha in a 10-round WBC Continental Americas championship bought.

It’s Saturday, October 26 at Boardwalk Hall brought to you by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Caesars Atlantic City. The sponsors, as usual for Golden Boy events, are Corona and AT&T. The fight will be seen on Showtime Championship Boxing at 9 p.m. Eastern and Pacific. We’ll also have a secondary audio program in Spanish for those that want to watch in Spanish.

There are still some tickets available. The prices are $300, $150, $75, $50 and starting at $25. They’re available at Boardwalk Hall Box Office and all Ticket Master locations as well.

I think that anytime Bernard fights is an event, I think we’ve collectively maybe taken for granted that Bernard’s been around for a long time and possibly will be around forever, but I can assure you, I’m almost 100% sure that won’t be true. So we’re really excited to see Bernard defend his light heavyweight belt, his IBF light heavyweight belt.

So I wanted to start off this call by introducing the promoter for Karo Murat, who’s going to be the man that’s going to attempt to derail Bernard’s plans of defending his title. That would be Kalle Sauerland. Kalle will introduce you to Murat and take questions after that. Kalle?

Kalle Sauerland
Good afternoon or good evening as it would be for me, but wherever you are, good morning or good afternoon. Karo Murat is, to a lot of you guys, probably not so well known yet, but he has been with us since 2006. He comes from a very tough background. He’s a fighter who’s earned his chance back two years ago and has long waited for this moment.

It’s a fight for him where there’s not much to lose but of course the world to gain. We know we go in as the underdogs. We have a lot of respect for Bernard Hopkins and of course his achievements, but the respect of the court will go out the window as soon as the first bell goes. That’s something that Karo has promised me.

To coin an English phrase, he’s the underdog, but every dog has its day, and that’s something that we, of course, hope that will happen on October 26. We believe in our man Karo Murat and would like to pass the microphone over to Mr. Murat.

K. Murat
Hi, this is Karo Murat. As my promoter says, I want to derail Hopkins’ attempt of defending the world title belt. I’m really enthusiastic to finally get a crack at a world title after such a long time. It’s going to be a good, intense fight in the U.S. This is my first time fighting in the U.S., and I like my chances against Hopkins.

Q
I’m wondering when you’ve watched any of Bernard’s recent fights does he look like a 48-year-old fighter to you and what do you think of the amazing legacy that Bernard has carved out by still being at or near the top of his game at age 48 years old?

K. Murat
I’ve always followed his career up to when I was like 12 or 13 years old. I appreciate his accomplishments. He was the undisputed world champion at middleweight. He’s now the world champion at light heavyweight. I have all the respect in the world for him. And I have to say that he has sometimes-tremendous fights. Sometimes when given the chance that he will go as the winner but still winning his fights. I respect him for winning the world title at age 48.
But I have to say one thing; you see the mileage on him. So to me he looks like a 48 year old. He doesn’t have the speed anymore he may have had at 30 years old. He tries to clinch a lot and to win the fight through his experience and that’s it. I respect him, but I will try to beat him.

Q
Hey, Karo. Thanks for taking our call. I wanted to ask you, you talk about the mileage that you see on Hopkins but no one ever-there have been few fights where we’ve seen it. My question to you is this is your first time, as I understand it, in the U.S. You’re fighting a legend and it’s close to his hometown where you’re fighting. What do you tell your detractors about your chances? How do you convince them that you really have a shot?

K. Murat
I’m in real good shape. I’m happy to get this chance. I’m 30 years old now, and I’m physically and mentally on top of my game. You know, the time is now to beat Hopkins. When Hopkins fought Cloud, a lot of people already said that the time had come, that he’s going to lose and going to retire, but he schooled him and showed the world that he’s still ready and a good 48-year-old boxer.

But I’m going to surprise a lot of people, and as I see it, he had his first pro fight in 1998 in Atlantic City. And so he has to see that the time has come. We are fighting again in Atlantic City. So it will be a good closing out for him to finally retire by the hands of mine.

Q
Okay, and then one specifically, you said what pretty much what every opponent has said about him. Tavoris Cloud was undefeated. He thought he was going to beat Hopkins. What specifically, when you say you see mileage, what specifically are you talking about, in terms of the evidence of mileage in Bernard Hopkins, because he didn’t look like he was old when he fought Tavoris Cloud?

K. Murat
I saw a down fighter when I saw Cloud boxing Hopkins. That’s why he allowed Hopkins to beat a 48-year-old man. As a person, you see that he’s growing old because of his gray hair and his gray beard.

I saw in the fight versus Cloud that Bernard has pretty much the experience that none other boxer has, but you see that he’s just trying to get one punch or a one-two combination of it and then clinch. Clinching is the state of his game.

In the years before when he was a middleweight, when he was the middleweight champion he didn’t show all that much clinching. You saw him beating people with ease, but nowadays you see, with the clinching and just the one-two punch, you see that he’s growing old. He may say that it’s just conditioning, but I don’t think so. I think it will go over it.

L. Satterfield
Yes, he clinches and yes, he’s done all of those things, but how do you stop him from doing those things, because that’s how he wins?

K. Murat
I cant say how I will do it, but I guarantee you that I will do it.

L. Satterfield Thank you very much.

Q
Just two questions for Karo, one, I know this fight has been scheduled several times, and you also had only had one fight in the past two years. I just want to know what you’ve done to prevent from over training, and also what you’ve done to prevent from just going crazy these past two years?

K. Murat
No problem at all, I just prepared for the first meeting with Bernard. When the problem with the visa came up I just took a break. After we got the confirmation, I think it was two or three days later, I just started training again. So I have that mental edge at the moment that nothing can break me out of my groove, I would say.

So when I took the break I just relaxed and saw it as if I already had a fight, just getting down to it, and afterwards, when I started training, it was like as if I got up to a new fight, starting all over again. I wouldn’t say that it made me crazy to wait that long to get my change for a world title. But it was a little bit disappointing to not have a fight in such a long time.

K. Sauerland
One thing, that you should also take into account is that he’s part of Team Sauerland, and our guys train pretty much all under the same center. So whether it’s Arthur Abraham, Jürgen Brähmer, Mikkel Kessler, Robert Woge, Eddie Gutknect, all these guys, in Germany we don’t have many of the smaller classes at all. There they’re about around that weight and he’s, of course, been kept very active.

Q
Okay, I appreciate that clarification. And then I just have one more question; one of the fights that were on the table during these two years was a title shot against Cloud. Was it frustrating for you to watch someone else beat Tavoris Cloud knowing that you can do it yourself, or do you see more satisfaction in beating a legend, or having the chance to beat a legend like Bernard Hopkins?

K. Murat
To be honest, I would say that looking back I’m really happy that Hopkins beat Cloud and fought Cloud, because now I get the chance to fight the legend in Bernard Hopkins. It’s much more than if I would have gotten in the fight versus Cloud, if he had beaten Hopkins. I see myself as a boxer, as well as a fighter, to go up when it gets tough. I would say that’s my chances, as well as my ring intelligence, better off ring intelligence. Hopkins is one of the best light heavyweights. I want to box the best, and that’s why I’m enjoying this fight. That’s a statement.

Q
Hi, Karo. The question I have for you is the last time a German boxer came over to the United States to fight an aging legend that was a champion was your country mate, Axel Schulz, in 1995. I’m curious, for you, he came up very short, this close in that fight. I’m curious for you, what would it mean for you to beat a legend like Bernard Hopkins and bring that championship over, not just becoming a champion but also bringing that back over to Germany?

K. Murat
I know I always wanted to fight in the U.S., and it’s not about Hopkins being an advantage because the fight is in the U.S. When I watched George fight and I see that outsider won, it’s not about the decision but you see the real decision when the crowd stands behind the real winner. It’s not always the guy that the judges see winning. I’m just hoping for an impartial referee, good judges and the rest is up to me.

Q
Karo, since this is your first fight in the U.S., and I think it’s your first fight for a major world title, could you talk a little bit about, for those that aren’t familiar with your background, how you ended up in Germany and how you got into boxing?

K. Murat
I started boxing at the age of 13, and to be honest I just went to school but didn’t know what I had to do with myself in the spare time. I have brothers, and then one day they took me with them to the boxing gym. Those two brothers, they were also boxers, and they were more talented than me, but they stopped. I won and won and won so I got in touch with Sauerland Events and started my professional boxing career. I never thought that I would one day meet such as legend like Bernard Hopkins inside the ring. Its the hard work pays off. It’s not always the talent.

Q
Where exactly was that when you started? Was that in Germany or was that in Iraq?

K. Murat
I came over to Germany at the age of 12 and one year later I started boxing.

Q
Thank you to Germany. We appreciate you guys being accessible and look forward to seeing you next week. A couple of housekeeping notes while we’re waiting for Bernard, I wanted to once again thank our partners at Showtime, Stephen Espinoza, our partners at Caesars who are always such great hosts for us and for the media when we go to Atlantic City, and Corona and AT&T as well.

A couple of things to put on your calendar for next week, keep in mind that Wednesday at 12:30 will be the final press conference at BB Kings in New York, in Manhattan. So if you’re in and around the area, that’s the time. Thursday we’ll have media roundtables in Atlantic City at Caesar’s. Friday, of course is the weigh in, which will be in the lobby at Caesar’s starting at 3:30 p.m.

And then on Saturday for the media that’s down there we’re going to have a somewhat special event starting at 4:00 p.m. We’re going to have a press conference featuring Adrien Broner and Marcos Maidana, and that will also be at Caesars. And from there, you can make your way over to Boardwalk Hall where the doors open at 5:00. So the timing should work for everybody.

You know, every time I’m asked to introduce Bernard in a formal or an informal setting, it’s always so tough because there are so many great things about him professionally, and I believe so many great things about him personally. He’s just such a terrific guy.

But the one thing that I wanted to say today, and I mentioned it at the beginning of the call as well, is that it occurred to me that I think we take Bernard for granted. He’s been a part of our lives as fans for so long that we continue to think, “Wow, Bernard’s fighting good. I can’t wait,” But as I mentioned, I’m pretty sure that he won’t be doing this forever.

So I just wanted to, once again, point out what an amazing man he is and what an amazing career he’s had, and how absolutely astonishing in relation to professional sports of any type, his accomplishments inside the ring have been. This is not the senior tour. This is not the bush league.

This is a guy defending his light heavyweight world championship belt. A guy who’s, and I don’t have to receipt all of his bests, but who has defended his middleweight title 20 times and had some of the most classic fights in the history of the sport. I, for one, an excited to see him, and I know I speak for everyone at Golden Boy when I tell you all that we’re very proud to be in business with him, and we look forward to seeing him next week. Bernard Hopkins.

B. Hopkins
I’m here, and I’m ready to go, Bruce and everybody that’s listening. It’s good to be back home in Atlantic City where my first fight was at in 1988. I’ve been there a few times, but to come there again at this stage is pretty exciting. It’s pretty exciting in a lot of ways. This never gets old for me. That’s been a love that’s still there and the energy is still there because this never gets old for me. You can’t do it all your life, but it never gets old. And when it gets old it gets kind of through the motions. When that happens there can’t be nothing positive come out of that. But I’m looking forward to next Saturday to, again, continue to add another page to this long book.

Q
My question for you, Bernard, we’ve been on a lot of these calls, but usually on these calls you’re either challenging for a world title or you’re fighting a big name. You, yourself, have said leading up to this fight; admittedly it’s a mandatory. You need to get it done in order to get a bigger fight. I wonder from you Bernard, because this is probably your least recognizable opponent in I couldn’t even tell you how long, how do you still get up for this kind of fight knowing all the huge fights that you’ve had in your career?

B. Hopkins
Because I know that there’s light at the end of the tunnel. In this case, there’s what I consider a super fight at the end of this title, whether it’s my division or some other division. But I know one thing, before you get to the Tootsie Roll you’ve got to do a lot of licking. That’s not in a disrespectful way, but it’s in a way of knowing that you got to get through the prize before you get down into that box of the Cracker Jacks and you get the prize.

You’ve got to get through these things. These things are just part of business, whether you like it or not. I’m going to Atlantic City like it’s a super fight and knowing that I have to be on my A game no matter who I’m fighting at this stage of my career, especially when the opponent is not really known in the states, like myself.

Q
So is that then, I was going to ask if that’s what motivates you to do the running in the morning and do all the things you need to do to prepare for the fight, even though it’s not a Trinidad, a Pavlik, a Tarver, whoever is across the ring from you?

B. Hopkins
Yeah, because those guys are long gone. I’m in the second era of somebody else’s era. I’m in the Broner and the Danny Garcia’s and the other fighters; I could mention era. I extended the era of my era to this era, and I just have to just go ahead and just go in there with that youthful thinking, with the body that you and a lot of other reports reporting of my lifestyle.

I mean I don’t think nobody really, really, if they look at, are surprised that I’m really here. I guess they’d be surprised why I’m still doing it because I shouldn’t mentally and physically be motivated to do it anymore, but that’s not necessarily true when it comes to me because I’m ready. I’m ready and I’ll always be ready, and I’ll never go in a ring without being prepared physically and mentally.

So I look at myself ending my career with a super fight, and peoples is going to remember that. But this here, to me personally, is not a super fight in boxing but is a super fight to me because there’s no other, no other fight if this fight is not completed the way it should be with Bernard Hopkins, with myself. So I know how important it is for me to get to that, again, that Tootsie Roll at the end of the tunnel, that prize that says you got to work through.

This is just an obstacle. My obstacles can be kind of nagging sometimes, and I got to get through the obstacles and the obstacle is what it is. It’s there. I had 20 of them, and I won a lot of fights, but the mandatory came up and I want a breaking records and setting records and didn’t even know I was doing it until I got close to it and somebody reminded me from the boxing historic world.

I just want to keep-it isn’t going to be too long, but just get past this one and then I have the freedom by the rules to be able to at least have multiple months to be able to make some big fights in between, not waste time looking for one, but at least knowing that there’ll be one on the horizon.

Q
I’ll just end with this thing. You mentioned you’re still around and this week the Boxing Writer Association made their hall of fame votes and two guys much younger than you … and Oscar De La Hoya were on the ballot and you’re still here a champion. Congratulations.

Q
Listen, I wanted-if you’re not motivated now, you might be motivated by some of the things that Karo said. First of all, he was five years old when you began your professional career. He said more or less, “Your loss to Clinton Mitchell is what’s going to happen now. You began with a loss in Atlantic City and you’re going to end with a loss in Atlantic City.”

And he also said, and this I don’t know where he got this from, but he said, “Your gray beard and your gray hair are evidence of your age, in addition to the clinching you did in your last fight with Tavoris Cloud and others, and that Cloud fought a dumb fight.”

Your reaction-

B. Hopkins
I mean that’s his information. His information is what he’s registering and what he’s responding on, and when you have information and it’s not correct totally then you have the wrong information. Everybody know the history and even like, when you get information you’ve got to look at the information and take the information what it is.

And so far as I’m concerned, he has the wrong information, whether he came up with that information by, I guess, looking at the fights or being told by his handlers or whatever. When you have the wrong information, based on his statement, I’m already up four rounds on him.

So when you been in the game so long, and you hear guys say the things that they say, I’m not surprised at this stage of my career, but he’s 29 or 30 years old and he’s talking like a 30 year old. He’s talking like a young fighter.

There’s two things that he said that stands out. So when he said gray, he’s talking old. Well you all heard that before, and obviously he’s not paying attention to the guys that I’ve fought that are ten years younger than him, or at least eight or nine years younger than him. So you got to erase that. Then he’s looking at, “Okay, he clinches and he holds.” To me, that was an offensive/defensive fight to the T, a masterpiece. But he sees something different that others didn’t see or even think there was something I was doing in appropriate.

So when you’re young, you try to find excuses why a 48-year-old guy shouldn’t beat you, and when you get in the ring, and you realize you in the ring with me, and you see that it isn’t as easy as you might see, that’s the ultimate shock and surprise. Always, always catch a person that’s not prepared off guard.

The unknown, the unknown is not actually knowing or not knowing what you see. He’s seeing what he thinks he’s seeing, but it’s a whole new different story, and this is an experienced guy talking to you. When you get in that ring, you realize that you’re not faster than me. You realize that you’re not an all-around fighter better than me. You realize that there are stages in life like there are stages in boxing.

When you get in that ring and you come with a checkerboard, and you’re trying to beat me, and I got a chess board, playing chess, then you in a situation where you’re like, “Oh my God, he really is an alien.” He’ll start admiring my work. He’s going to start admiring and being happy that he’s there, and he’ll be able to tell those stories like he said to you and others.

Listen, listen to me right now, he was five years old. He was XYZ years old. He was here when I done this. So he watched my accomplishments. He’s already in awe about Bernard Hopkins. He’s already lost four rounds.

Q
One other thing, I guess one thing I did ask is, you talked about wrong information. I scratch my head and said, “When was the last time I saw you with gray hair or a gray beard? I mean, when was the last time I saw you with hair?” Then it did occur to me what fight he might be watching, because for most accounts the Tavoris Cloud fight was a masterpiece. Your thoughts on that?

B. Hopkins
Well, one is he might’ve quoted me I didn’t have a shave, but most of the time, like now, I’m skin from the top of my head to the chin of my chinny-chin-chin. So I don’t know what photo he might’ve seen. But no question, I have gray. No question, when my hair grows I’m a gray beard and gray everything, but the gray is wisdom.

He’s looking at the outside of it, but he’s not looking at the man and the body itself, and that’s what a lot of these young guys get fooled at. Cloud was one of them. Pavlik was definitely one of them. He hasn’t been right since. And a lot of other young ones was fooled based on age, because the lot of them, parents are my age or a year or two younger or a year or two older and they aren’t in good shape.

So they’re home or they see them every day, wherever they at, whether they live home still with them or not, they see them as they see their condition, and they say, “Well can’t nobody beat me that’s 40 years old,” and they get illusion. They get the illusion that I’m like them.

And so when they get in that ring, they get the first peak at the press conference, then they get their second peek at the weight in, and then they get their third peek when they’re actually in the ring and they be like, “Man, I can’t hit this guy. Man, every time I hit him I get hit four times.”

Those subtle little things that only a few fighters in the world have them, and I can count them on one hand, and that’s Bernard Hopkins and one of them is Floyd Mayweather. When you in there with that type of pedigree and that IQ and you come in with a checkerboard to a game that from A to Z and some, the plus sign, unless, unless, unless I completely discontinue, just black out of knowledge the night of the fight, he has a chance.

That’s something that nobody would bet against. Bernard Hopkins comes one way or the other, love him or hate him, he comes right and he comes ready, whatever happens, and then Murat will understand that he’s in there with totally different than the European fighters that he fought.

So welcome to the United States, it’s a whole different ballgame. It’s a whole different style. He hasn’t been in the ring with anybody, anybody with the attributes and the skill level and the knowledge of a Bernard Hopkins, unless you talk about Cleverly.

Q
Hello, Bernard, thanks for taking the time. What would you say, what is the most important lesson that you learned in boxing or in life that has made you the person that you are today, a boxer than can still at this age beat guys up?

B. Hopkins
Never take anyone for granted or lightly. Always look at your opponent as the enemy who’s trying to take your spot, who’s trying to take everything you work for or try to enhance his career off of your legacy, at that time, early in my career, off my career. So that’s one.

I gave you a couple of answers, but never under estimate your opponent, the art of war, the art of war, which is a fine, fine, fine roadmap for me for over 15 years, even before I came out of prison. The art of war, never under estimate your opponent. Never under estimate your enemy. Never under estimate the next general. You always have to take everybody from what their word, and that is they believe they going to beat you. They’re going to try to beat you. You have to change their mind.

Q
Bernard, recently I had a chance to speak with Brother Naazim Richardson, and he said this type of fight are the kind of fights he hates, because the guy that you see in the ring isn’t going to be the guy that you see on video. I’m curious for you, how are you preparing to fight someone like Karo Murat? And I know most of the cases it’s how is he going to prepare to fight you, but how are you preparing to fight him?

B. Hopkins
I mean I take every fight seriously, and Naazim Richardson thinks like I think because everybody know the big names in the light heavyweight division, and everybody knew the big names that I fought in the middleweight division. You can prepare for them easier than you can prepare for a guy that, you know, nobody actually knows and never fought anybody in the states or anybody that’s on my level. It’s the fighter. It’s the person itself. It’s me. It’s how I approach it mentally, physically and prepare for.

That’s what makes Naazim feel, on that part, a lot better because he knows he’s dealing with a guy that don’t look at anybody as, “He’s not this guy so I’m going to be light in training or I’m going to be light in my thinking or I’m just going to over look this guy.”

That’s the tricky part of a veteran compared to a younger guy. A younger guy will probably blow it off, “Well he’s no big name, just a mandatory. Let me go in and do and what I got to do and get out.”

No, I don’t look like that, because A.) I’m at the age where I can’t have a mental block, and B.) If this big fight is what I want to do before I leave, I must get past the roadblock. I must get passed the mandatory obligation.

So these fights can be nagging. It’s been a pain, really, in a way ever since it’s been postponed. So it’s been more than just what Naazim was saying, which is true, but it’s even further that it should’ve been over with July 13.

But nevertheless, he has more time. He got more time. He needed more time, and he got it. Fine. I enjoyed my summer with my family. I had a chance to get to the business part of the promotion with Golden Boy, and now we here. So pick back up the pieces. Start back up. Go do it again, and now we here.

So I’m prepared to do what I have to do, but this is the unique-Bruce said it earlier. Somehow, sometime, people, not all of us, take certain things for granted, and I’m going to make sure I do all I can so no one takes me for granted before I leave the game.

Because there’s going to be more eye-opener stuff and mouth-dropping stuff that peoples going to say, “This is amazing. Where do we put this guy? Where do we put this legend? Where do we put this icon?” Whatever name you want to give me, “Where do put him at before he leaves?” And that starts, to me, 20 something years ago, but it also starts right now.

Q
You said that you see the light at the end of the tunnel with this particular fight and at your particular age. Do you think a stumble against Karo Murat could mean the end for you, because he’s not the type of level fighter that you’re usually used to fighting? If you have a stumble here, do you think that could be the end?

B. Hopkins
The thing is, I mean, it would definitely be good for me. It definitely won’t be good for what I have in my plan. I’m not preparing to come to another guy’s level. I learned no matter what I have to make this guy bigger than what he is. I make this guy as threatening as he is.

My sparring partners was really, really vicious dudes, and they was coming, and one of them was a cruiserweight, and I had to use my legs to get away, not try to use strength for strength. Why do that? Use my brains. Use my intelligence.

Today, in the world of boxing, man, in the world we live in now, boxing is sort of a curse to be a slick boxer right now. You know what I mean? So I mean it’s a curse. I don’t if the MMA the UFC had anything to do with that, to influence that. But, you know, I’m from the sweet science, as you mentions all the time when I read articles, and the sweet science, you have to know what that means if you understand boxing. So I prepare to fight anyone.

I mean I had 20 mandatories in the middleweight division, and I’m not going to sit here on the phone to anybody who’s listening and say all of them were the hall of fame fighters. They shoved it on the table. I’m not going to say down my throat, but I had a choice, fight them or move on or get a title fight.

So this is another situation, deja vu all over again, but I will not go in there knowing that this is the carrot that’s hanging out there for anybody that likes titles, these young guys like titles, anybody that wants a unification, anybody that wants to do it. Now, you can have a title.

So it’s back to déjà vu. Here’s a title. Come get it. Here’s the caviar. Here’s the bait for the fish. So trust me, Karo Murat is not a guy I’m sleeping on and under estimating, and he’s going to see that early. Can’t nobody fight for me. Can’t nobody fight for him.

They’re going to call me, probably, which is not a popular name right now, they’re going to call me a bully. After next Saturday they’re going to say, “Oh, Bernard is-“So it’s really not a win-win for me. It’s really like, okay, it’s a throwaway fight, but I’m not treating it like that, but I know others are. So I’m not going to gain more superstardom because of Karo Murat.

I mean, I’m no fool, but I might be called a bully. Okay, I’ve been called that in high school, elementary school, in the streets, in boxing when I was a middleweight. Hey, so it’s cool. I mean I’m not saying that I accept it, but it’s cool. You can do what you want to do, but at the end of the day the story becomes, “He beats Bernard Hopkins.” That’s the story. I beat him; what else is new? So I understand that.

So it’s more than just Karo Murat. It’s a lot of intangibles that surround this name and this fight, and I have the ability and the mindset to handle all that because that’s what I do. And that’s what I’ve been doing basically the majority of my career, handling difficult situations that will break the average man.

Q
Hi, Bernard. My question is this, no disrespect to Karo Murat, but frankly his resume doesn’t suggest he’s near your caliber. So I wanted to actually pivot to something you referenced yourself, a super fight in the near future. A Bernard Hopkins fight against Floyd Mayweather would be a lot of fun in the promotion and an intriguing fight. So I’m wondering, have you had even a preliminary discussion with Team Mayweather and Golden Boy about that fight? If it took place, what weight would it take place at?

B. Hopkins
Well, first of all I had no conversations, but it was a conversation said to me, and that’s why I responded. And when I realized that there is a fight that they owe him in March of next year, I believe May, excuse me, of next year, and whether I’m willing or can I make 160, and I said, well, if I have that much time, a guy like me, the way I live and the way I keep my body right, even six pounds from fight night next week, sure.

They didn’t act like they were joking, and we’re talking powerful people. So I’m sitting back saying, “Okay, hey, you know,” because no one else is going to beat Floyd Mayweather in their 20s and even in their early 30s. Not this checkerboard man colony, young fighters who can be great later, but right now they just don’t have the degrees to do it. So that’s the only reason I threw my hat in there.

After the sixth or seventh round, when you’ve got two people looking across each other saying, “It doesn’t look like it’s going to happen tonight,” and I say, “You got that right.”

So my thing is it will be at 160 pounds, it will be at a weight division-that’s what I’m saying. It will be at a weight division that the history-and can you imagine the promotion of the ten plus years that I held down that middleweight division and made those defenses.

So like I look at Henry Armstrong and look at all them other guys, even De La Hoya, who’s not a big middleweight, who came up to challenge Bernard Hopkins at 160 because I cleaned everybody out for the only belt that I didn’t have, which was a WBO belt.

So this happened in history before. You hear people say, “The guy’s too big. The guy’s too small.” In weight division, “This guy is this. This guy is that.” Okay, but it’s been done by historic great fighters before so that’s what I’m saying.

But right now, Saturday becomes a thing-I can let everybody off the hook if I just get brain dead Saturday night and they be saying, “Okay, got him out of the way.” So I got to make sure that mentally and physically, because I get that question all the time in the … I should have.

But I keep reminding people, okay yes, there’s a possibility of anything. I’m not chasing anybody. I’m not standing in line for anybody. I’m not trying to pick on the little guy. But if you can find somebody that people want to see fight after that performance, masterful performance of a king chess player that we witnessed than less than two months ago, good luck. Good luck.

Q
Last time you made 160 was 2005, sir. Wow, the time has flown but do you believe you can do it and no problem really?

B. Hopkins
Hey, listen. How many times I been right when I said I can do something or wrong in my career, as long as you’ve been following me?

Q
Yeah, I never doubt. I never bet against you.

B. Hopkins
Listen, I know it won’t be easy. That’s what I’m saying. That’s the fun part. I mean this is what people do, like yourself and others listening, this is the fun part.

Can you imagine the fun part by like, “We want to put a camera on Bernard, all access, and we’re going to watch who helped Bernard leave from 160 to jump two weight classes to go to 175,” which no fighter, well only one fighter attempted to do that, and that was the great, late Sugar Ray Robinson, the fight in New York City at Yankee Stadium when he couldn’t come out to the 15th round because it was a hundred something degrees, and they changed one referee and gave him another referee because the referee fell out of heat in that fight.

To do that, to do that and to make history, I would love to put a feather in my cap to go down two weight classes after coming up two weight classes to make history with Tarver, almost seven, six years ago. I mean can you imagine the all access? Can you imagine the promotion for that fight because I’m not a shy guy and I don’t have a shy camp?

So you don’t have to pinch me or stick a needle and get me to do something out of my character to get hyped, no, because you have two chess players in there. And some would say, “Well two chess players be a born fight.” No, because somebody’s going to have to go ahead and be able to be out of character.

And the bottom line is after Saturday it’s a whole options out there for me. I got the whole light heavyweight division. The light heavyweight division has more than a heartbeat right now with some dangerous punches in the boxing game right now, which has got a lot of people excited, got a lot of people saying this guy and this guy, which is definitely the truth, is blasting everybody out of there.

I’m in a society right now where they like knockouts not skills. Okay, great, great, fine, I’m the last of the Mohicans. I’m going to see if my skills can survive with the punches, with the bang ’em out, sock ’em, rock ’em robots. So let’s see what happens, but definitely this Saturday in Atlantic City at Caesar’s in the Boardwalk Hall, I have to make sure that I get passed this obligation.

And then, you know, they might be calling me a bully because I’m going to pick on everybody. And they going to wonder, boxing people’s going to wonder why is the people letting the guy who everybody should be knocking on the door saying, “Let me go ahead and get this old man out of the way,” but instead they running with fear.

I live in a different era than my era. I’m in a whole new different two era, man. It’s kind of a little strange to me, but I understand. But it’s still strange, but I understand. I don’t accept, but I understand.

Q
I’d like to go back to Karo Murat. What do you know about him? What do you know about his special skills? Do you have a special eye on it maybe?

B. Hopkins
Do you have any special skills? I have never heard of anybody having special skills. I know just as much as you know, I mean, even though you have a different accent than myself. You might know more than be, but I know what I see. I see that a guy is coming for an opportunity to become a world champion, and I was at that place at one time. I respect that, that a man done something to get where he at.

You can’t-I’m no fool. I’m an old fox, f-o-x, and I understand when you work your way up to get to a position like I did to fight Segundo Mercado in ’94 and ’95, I understand that wherever I see and whatever I think he’s going to be ten times more than that because he’s fighting for a world title, and he’s fighting someone that can make him a superstar over night. You can’t over look those things if you got any sanity of reality.

That’s going to be a problem that I think that way for my opponent. That’s not good if you’re fighting Bernard Hopkins, and he understands how significant I think, which is the number one contender. I know how he thinks. Why? Because he was five years old when I won my title or when I had my first fight.

So I know what he’s thinking. I know how he’s feeling. I know how he’s motivated and energized. So you can’t look at anything that he did last week, last year, two years ago, three years ago, and say to yourself, “Oh man, this is going to be easy.” No way. I let the reporters, I let everybody else opinion, great, fine.

But I know anybody that fights Bernard Hopkins, that has fought Bernard Hopkins, except for one or two guys in my career, and that was early in the 90s. They come to fight me because my record and my history and the way I work and the way I come in shape, they come to get beat up in shape or they come ready, and if I have a mental lock or a mental block rather, it’d be a problem.

He would look a lot better, in spite of what’s going to happen to him, he’s going to look a lot better, and he’s going to be game, because that’s his style. He’s a game guy. He isn’t going to be running. He’s not going to be trying to out box me. That’s not his thing. That’s not his thing. And if he do that, I’ll definitely will be even easier.

But I’m telling you right now that he’s coming with his A game, and he’s coming because he got an opportunity to fight for a world championship. And the last time he fight for a world championship, to my knowledge, was Cleverly, and he didn’t pass the test. So he’s been there before. He’s been there before and he felled. This his second maybe only chance.

I understand that. I’ve been there too. I had a shot, I got a draw and I had to fight six months later to get a title. I understand his mentality. He haven’t been through it yet. Only the first task and that’s now. And that’s fighting for a world title for the second time. That’s the only task that he can say and I can say that he has a little experience with.

Q
Okay, great, thank you. Another question, I saw you with the alien mask. Can you explain for me, again, the story behind this mask?

B. Hopkins
No story. You understand the story. You know the story. You read the story. You want me to repeat the story? So I have to repeat the story again, because you already know.

I’m a smart fighter, and when you ask that question I realize you already know what I said. You already read it. You want me to repeat it because you want to hear me say it again, and it’s just really a waste of everybody’s time to be honest with you.

Q
The last question just wanted to ask you real quick, what keeps you motivated at this point? I know history, but what drives you, what keeps you going to keep going at your age of 48 and still putting on boxing masterpieces?

B. Hopkins
One is because I’m not really paying attention that I’m doing it, and I’m in awe of myself, saying I’m not in awe of myself, saying I’m doing it because I’m 48. I just feel like now that I get a chance, right now, as a late bloomer, and really peaked ten years ago and really had a late career turning pro at 25 years old, because I’m fighting late in my career.

And I see that a lot of people kind of saying, “Hey, man, you shouldn’t be doing,” or, “You could do it,” or, “I don’t think he’s going to do it. He should stop. He should do this.” I think that’s encouraging me a little bit more, to be honest with you.

That’s really one of the real significant reasons that I continue to want to prove people wrong and not look at the age, and let them focus on that and just continue to open their eyes and shock them and then they become fans. You really can do something for a long time no matter what the purpose is if you still have the love and the respect for the sport and respect for yourself.

I’m a proud person of my legacy. I’m a proud person of my last name. I would never pimp. I would never exploit. I would never use in a way of cheap my legacy and my name just because, just because is something I’m not operating on.

I’m going to do it until I realize that I don’t have to do it anymore and that isn’t two years, three years, four years. That’s only a fight or two. To be able to do what I do and make sure that when I leave that there’s no regrets, that I should’ve did one more thing and that’s the only thing.

I don’t want to be the Marvin Haler who’s still talking about the Ray Leonard fight. I don’t want to be one of those guys that when I promise my mother, to make her feel good, to make her feel great, and I really felt that way, and I got to that stage where it was time to do that and never come back, well just imagine what I would’ve left out there and never on a table. Forget the finances. What I left on the table are historic reasons why.

Look at the Tarver fight. After that fight and the fights accomplished then to now, that would’ve never happened if I’d have kept the promise, if I’d have kept what I said to that statement to everybody that it was said. There’s so many great things that I accomplished right after the fight when I won the light heavyweight championship. That was a perfect way to go out, and then you look at another career I started.

I mean this is something that people might take me for granted, but when they look back, and they start analyzing Bernard Hopkins, they going to believe. “How did this get past me?” It didn’t get passed. You just didn’t pay attention. You were so caught up in the other stuff that promotes today’s fighters. That’s good. That’s fine.

I don’t walk around with $2 million in a suitcase. I’m not about that. I’m not going to show this. You don’t got to know where my house at. I don’t care how many cars you know I got or how many cars I don’t have. That’s this world. You all can have that. I don’t want that. But when you sit back ten years from now or fifteen years from now, and you start going through my history and my legacy, there going to be some out there that say, “Man, I didn’t know.” Like you was living under a rock, you missed it.

I’m just trying to tell people or warn people, don’t miss it. Enjoy it while we’re here. Enjoy the things that you see that you can tell your son or you can tell your daughter or you can tell anyone I was there when this man became this or became that and when he did that. I mean that is something you can live with, whether its baseball, footfall, boxing or whatever.

I can tell my son about Michael Jordan. I can tell about Julius Irving in Philadelphia. Those are legacies, if you’re a sports person that you would like to pass on to the next generation and even the generation that’s not here yet, that’s how I feel, man. That’s the love that keeps the burning in my body to be able to do what I do and look like a chiseled rock, as I talk to you right now on this couch before I go to the gym in another hour and a half.

Q
Bernard, I just had one question. You mentioned something I thought was interesting. You said, “It’s a curse to be a slick boxer today.” Can you please define what you mean? I think I know what you mean, but if you could put it-

B. Hopkins
Well, I’ve just been hearing and seeing things for the last couple of years. I just been kind of like, sort of like disappointed that in this day of time the change with the boxing and sweet science its about has sort of gotten to a barbaric-it’s already that in a way of what we go through, but when you take away the skill, and you take away the slick, and you take away the boxing ability, and say that’s not entertainment, then to me it’s like trying to erase our culture that dominated this sport way back then where you were slick.

I’m talking about black fighters. Yes, I said it. I’m talking about black, inner-city, African American fighters. I’m not talking about a Mexican fighter. I’m not talking about a Polish fighter, Irish fighter or any other fighter. I’m talking about a black fighter that’s slick, that can throw punches, the Ray Robinson’s, the Ray Leonard’s, the Roy Jones Junior’s, the Bernard Hopkins’, when I want to do that style I can do that style, and many, many, many others.

So when you wipe out the concept and put that out there and feed that to the public and to the world that want to pay for fights and watch fights, they look at the fight and be turned off not looking at the skill to hit and not get hit, to take a guys weapon and use it against them. They started saying, “Well, I like Arturo Gatti in the Micky Ward fight.”

Great guys, they need to be in the hall of fame it they’re not in there. They fought bloodbaths, but I didn’t see skill. I didn’t see skill. I’ve seen heart. I’ve seen, “Don’t duck,” and I seen the will to win any means necessary in a way of even if its stupid to you or to your health.

What happened in the world of boxing? We became so violent in this country where skills is not even looked at as a thing where it’s an honor to get your degree and say, “I got a degree. I got my bachelors. I got my masters.” I got all these things and it becomes, “So what?” And so that’s what I meant, and that’s what I’m saying when they see me Saturday.

They’re going to see all of above. They’re going to see the inside, the outside. They’re going to see multiple styles that’s going to be all the things that I have done. Man, I’m from Philadelphia. They invented that.

So that’s what I said, not only to you, but I said it to Bernard Fernandez. I said it to a few other people, and they said, “You know, that’s kind of interesting.” It is interesting, because I see the world that’s trying to change the concept of boxing and the amateur kids are believing. From the Joe Hand Gym that I train at I’m around amateur guys all the time and their kids. They’re 13, they eight, they nine.

And they ask me. I said, “Look, you want to count your own money, and the way you count your own money is you duck many punches as you can.” The people that sitting outside eating popcorn, they want their entertainment money’s worth, be entertaining but understand that there’s life after boxing. It’s a conversation hopefully after boxing.

So the moral of the story is when you target that it should be a rock’em, sock’em robot and boxing skills and being the way you are in a way of hit and not get hit and be slick and be these things that we all admired at one time. I mean, Ray Leonard-I’ll leave with this one.

Ray Leonard, right now, the great Sugar Ray Leonard, who I was watching all this morning YouTube, getting information. Yes, at this stage of my career I still get information that would make me different. The great Sugar Ray Leonard, right now and if he was boxing, the way they want you to fight, the people that pull at the strings of the puppet, he will be boring today. Ray Robinson, the great Robinson will be boring today, because the feeders of the people that buy entertainment are being fed that if they duck, don’t buy it.

If they slick and they beat nine out of twelve rounds and the guy just can’t hit them because they were slick and smart enough to hit and not get hit, he’s not crowd-pleasing. He don’t sell tickets, because they didn’t fed the followers and they didn’t fed the customers. The customers will drink anything you give them, if it’s promoted right. So that’s my long answer to your short question.

Thanks for being on. Thanks for giving me the time. Of course next week, another chapter. I hope everybody come out to see it. If you can’t, it’ll be on Showtime Championship Boxing. I believe I get on at 10:00, 10:45 or 10:30. The undercard is great with Gabriel Rosario and also Quillin, the middleweight champion, “Kid Chocolate.” So let’s come out, support it.

B. Binkow
Thank you, Bernard. Thank you, everybody, we look forward to see you in Atlantic City and New York.

END OF CALL

Hopkins vs. Murat is a 12-round bout for Hopkins’ IBF Light Heavyweight World Championship, presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Caesars Atlantic City, Corona and AT&T. In the co-main event WBO Middleweight Champion Peter Quillin puts his title on the line against Gabriel Rosado in a 12-round bout. Plus, opening the tripleheader, WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder will face Nicolai Firtha in a 10-round showdown. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins live at 9 p.m. ET/PT and is available in Spanish on secondary audio programming (SAP). Preliminary bouts will air live on SHOWTIME EXTREME® beginning at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets priced at $300, $150, $75, $50 and $25, not including applicable service charges, are on sale now and can be purchased at the Boardwalk Hall Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-736-1420 or at www.ticketmaster.com.

WHITTIER, CALIFORNIA (October 18, 2013) – Gary Shaw Productions in association with La Noria Entertainment is thrilled to be giving fans an action packed night of boxing this Saturday October 19, 2013 at the Pico Rivera Sports Arena in Whittier, CA. The 10-round main-event of the evening is between lightweight prospect Alejandro Luna (14-0, 11 KOs) and the hardnosed veteran Daniel Attah (28-16-1, 11 KOs). Luna is coming into the fight with 5 KO/TKO wins in his last 7 outings, while Attah is trying to get back into the win column following some recently tough matchmaking.

Luna is quite the draw and he will enjoy a favorable crowd when he steps into the ring on Saturday. As a fast rising prospect, the undefeated Luna hopes to benefit from a win over the most notable opponent on his resume, but it won’t be an easy task as Attah has been in the ring with some of boxing’s best.

The co-main event on the card features another undefeated fighter in Roy Tapia (7-0-1, 3KOs), also from California. The junior featherweight Tapia takes on Sergio Najera of Tijuana, Mexico in a 6-round bout. Tapia promises to bring a crowd pleasing fight to Najera.

“Everyone knows I like to let my hands go,” said Tapia. “I will have a lot of fans coming out to see me fight so I’m coming extra hard to put on a great performance. I’ll be gunning for a knockout.”

The top of the card contains yet another undefeated fighter in local up and comer Arnold Barboza Jr. (2-0), another California-based fighter in his 3rd professional fight. Barboza will square off against Douglas Rosales in a 4-round affair set at the welterweight limit. Barboza prides himself on maintaining the ability to both box and slug. He is looking forward to showcasing his well-versed abilities

The card also features a bout between two female fighters, Edelma Jeffrey and Myra Manzo, making their pro-debuts, as well as a battle between Mexican fighters Jose Garcia and Alejandro Ochoa squaring off in a 4-round lightweight bout. Johathen Hayes and Robert Hill will open up the card in a 4-round junior middleweight bout.

The Pico Rivera Sports Arena is located at 11003 Rooks Rd, Whittier, CA 90601. For more information please visit www.lanoria.tv or www.garyshawproductions.com.

Tickets priced $125, $100, $75, $35 are on sale now and can be purchased at the Pico Rivera Sports Arena box office, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling (562) 695-0747. Doors open at 5 P.M, first fight starts at 6 P.M.

Chicago’s Polish Prince, Andrzej Fonfara (25-2, 14 KOs), will make his next ring appearance on Friday, December 6, at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, when Ulrich Knockout Promotions, Warriors Boxing and 8 Count Productions 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”.

25-year-old Fonfara, currently the IBF #1, WBO #2 and WBC #7-ranked contender, is a native of Warsaw, Poland, and a long-time Chicago fan favorite since turning professional in 2006. Riding high on a 15-bout unbeaten streak and known for his fight-ending power, Fonfara most recently stopped former world champion Gabriel Campillo on August 16 to reach the mandatory contender position in the IBF.

Tickets for “World Championship Boxing: Wlodarczyk vs. Fragomeni 3” featuring the Warriors Boxing debut of Andrzej Fonfara 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.

Fonfara’s opponent that night will be announced shortly.

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).

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/Round 3 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.

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. (October 18, 2013) – The World Boxing Council (WBC) has announced its World Cup Tournament has been postponed, resulting in the cancellation of the entire Iron Mike Productions-presented show scheduled on November 15, 2013 at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The postponement is out of respect to WBC president and World Cup founder, Jose Sulaiman, who is recovering from recent heart surgery. The event will not be rescheduled and refunds are available at point of purchase.

The main event and co-feature fights, slated to be part of the World Cup’s opening round, were going to air live on Fox Sports I.

The WBC issue the following statement:

The WBC has asked the promoters and participants of the WBC World Cup Tournament, which has been the dream of our President Jose Sulaiman, to postpone the inauguration of the tournament as a sign of respect and solidarity for his current medical condition as he recovers from his recent heart surgery.

Jose Sulaiman worked tirelessly for several years to put together the formidable World Cup, which is a tournament between all WBC affiliated federations champions to determine the best of the division, with the winner to become a challenger of the reigning champion.

The postponement would allow our President to be involved in all the activities which he had so passionately dedicated toward its implementation, with the support of the WBC 19s 10 Continental federations.

All our efforts in the WBC will be concentrated in the successful recuperation of Jose Sulaimán, who is presently recovering at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.

“I have known Mr. Jose Sulaiman since I was a teenager,” Iron Mike Productions president Mike Tyson said. “His recovery is of great importance to me and I am sending my prayers to the Sulaiman’s and the WBC Family. Professionally, we look forward to being a part of the WBC Cup tournament when it is reinstated. In the interim we will continue getting our fighters exciting fights.”

For additional information about Iron Mike Productions please visit www.IronMikeProductions.comor follow on Twitter @IronMikeProd.

Iron Mike Productions, previously Acquinity Sports, is a boxing promotion company co-founded and led by CEO Garry Jonas. It is a partnership with Hall of Famer Mike Tyson committed to changing traditional boxing promotion by advocating for its fighters’ successes inside the ring and out, throughout their professional careers and into retirement.

“We understand that the IBF have vacated Jamie McDonnell’s title as Bantamweight Champion because he failed to comply with a Resolution of the IBF Board of Directors.

“It is sad that Jamie McDonnell has been stripped of his World Title, especially when, in partnership with Dennis Hobson Promotions, he was able to achieve his boxing ambitions and become world champion at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster on 11 May 2013. It was a fabulous night for Jamie, for his team, and for British boxing, and we were particularly pleased when Jamie was gracious enough to say that he would not have become world champion without the team at Dennis Hobson Promotions.

“Unfortunately, in recent weeks Jamie has allowed third parties to influence him, to advise him and to make representations on his behalf – without any reference to us. This is in clear contravention of the contractual relationship he has with Dennis Hobson Promotions. The consequences of such unauthorised influence, advice and representations by these third parties have obviously, with today’s news, been catastrophic for Jamie.”

No further comment will be made by Dennis Hobson Promotions at this juncture.

Toronto – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, will be broadcasting around-the-clock live coverage of the second edition of SportAccord World Combat Games from St. Petersburg, Russia, beginning on October 18 and running until October 26.

Fight Network’s live coverage of the World Combat Games will be aired nationwide in Canada, as well as internationally as part of Fight Network’s expansion on ZON in Portugal, D-Smart in Turkey, and ZAP in Angola and Mozambique.

Fight Network’s daily coverage will include 30-minute highlight packages, as well as full-length presentations of various events staged throughout the week.

Fight Network will be on the scene calling the action with analysis and commentary from John Ramdeen, John Pollock, Robin Black and Corey Erdman.

SportAccord World Combat Games is an international sporting event which promotes values of self-control, determination and technical mastery, the martial arts and combat sports integrate elements of culture, wisdom, friendship to create an elite sports competition – the Art of Combat.

The Games will feature 15 martial arts and combat sports, including Aikido, Boxing, Fencing, Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Karate, Kendo, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Sambo, Savate, Sumo, Taekwondo, Wrestling and Wushu.

Additionally, the Combat Games will feature a Cultural Program reflecting the ancient traditions of martial arts as well as the social and cultural values of the 15 sports and the event as a whole. Topics will deal with the cultural dimensions of the martial arts and their social value and contribution to society.

Viewers are encouraged to check their weekly programming schedule for airtimes and additional details on all the events featured.

For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, please visit tv.fightnetwork.com.

Here are the weights from Kolding, Denmark ahead of tomorrow´s Nordic Fight Night.

EU Light Heavyweight Title:
Erik Skoglund: 78,8 kg
Lolenga Mock: 77,3 kg

For all weights, please visit www.sauerlandpromotion.com. Feel free to share, post and embed the weigh-in video.

18 October 2013 – Singapore: ONE Fighting Championship™ (ONE FC), Asia’s largest Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organization with a 90% market share, captivated the packed crowd in attendance at the Singapore Indoor Stadium for ONE FC: TOTAL DOMINATION. Fans were treated to a night of exhilarating action, culminating in a title unification bout between Bibiano Fernandes and Soo Chul Kim.

CEO of ONE Fighting Championship™ Victor Cui stated, “ONE FC has delivered yet another night of world-class MMA action to a packed out Singapore Indoor Stadium that had the fans on the edge of their seats.”

Bibiano Fernandes was crowned the undisputed ONE FC Bantamweight World Champion when he defeated former World Champion Kim by unanimous decision. Both fighters swung for the fences in several ferocious exchanges. Fernandes took control of the contest with several well-timed takedowns that neutralized the aggressive South Korean. Soo Chul Kim found the most success in the fourth round, stuffing Fernandes’ takedowns and even getting the Brazilian on his back in the middle of the stanza.

Aoki made a successful debut in the Featherweight division by earning a decision victory over Cody Stevens. The opening stanza saw Aoki implement his patented top-heavy grappling arsenal. Aoki continued stifling his opponent in rounds 2 and 3 with dominant ground control. Stevens was unable to solve Aoki’s puzzle and succumbed to a unanimous decision loss.

Eddie Ng extended his winning streak in ONE FC to four with an armbar submission victory over fellow Lightweight contender Peter Davis. After several exchanges on the ground, Ng opportunistically locked the Malaysian’s arm in a submission which led to the tapout. After the contest, he empathically stated the he will never face Shinya Aoki for the ONE FC Lightweight World Championship title although he will love an opportunity if Aoki ever vacates the title to stay in the Featherweight division.

Middleweight veterans Rafael Silva and Tatsuya Mizuno put on a fight that had the Singapore crowd screaming at the top of their lungs. The first round was a back-and forth affair that demonstrated the many complexities of mixed martial arts. Silva landed several strikes that had Mizuno backing off while Mizuno had several submission attempts that Silva managed to get out of. Both fighters came out swinging in the second round and each had their moment of dominance. Silva managed to open a cut on Mizuno while the Japanese had Silva backpedaling with diverse strikes. Mizuno started the third round brilliantly, using his reach to land numerous kicks on his game opponent. The resilient Silva fought resiliently off his back, even attempting several submission attempts of his own. Mizuno relentlessly stayed on the assault, and the strong finish earned him the unanimous decision on all three of the judges’ scorecard.

Sylvain Potard pulled off probably the biggest upset of the night when he knocked out former NCAA Division 1 Wrestler Jake Butler. The Frenchman was the first to attempt a takedown, but Jake Butler imposed his signature wrestling-heavy offense in the first round. Potard quickly gained a superior position on the ground and the heavy-handed striker landed several unanswered strikes to conclude the Light-Heavyweight bout and end Butler’s undefeated record.

The rematch featuring Mitch Chilson and Shannon Wiratchai ended in decisive fashion to put an end to the controversy surrounding the finish of the first bout. With Chilson dazed and on his back from an earlier strike, Wiratchai landed a soccer kick and punch combo which Chilson failed to recover from and effectively concluded the Featherweight contest.

Two Flyweights who are experts in Asian martial arts clashed in the ONE FC when Kun Khmer Champion Khim Dima took on Asian Games Wushu gold medalist Rene Catalan in Flyweight action. Both Flyweights came out in lightning quick strikes which the other narrowly managed to get out of the way to start the contest. The rest of the first round was close with Catalan coming close to finishing the bout with an armbar. The tide turned on the second round when Dima hit several well-timed strikes while Catalan attempted a takedown, dropping Catalan and prompting the referee to stop the fight.

The heavily-anticipated contest between Malaysia’s first female mixed martial artist, Ann Osman, and Singapore’s top female prospect, Sherilyn Lim was a back-and-forth affair that had the crowd on the edge of their seats. Osman took Lim down on several occasions, but Lim had the better offense, scoring heavily with ground-and-pound. The bout went to the judges’ scorecards and they awarded the victory to Sherilyn Lim by a razor-thin split decision.

The first round between Juan Wen Jie and Alex Lim was contested primarily on the feet, with Juan Wen Jie peppering his opponent with knees and punches. He eventually finished his opponent in the early seconds of round two with a well-timed left hook.

Stephen Langdown kicked off the night by defeating Malaysia’s Marc Marcellinus in the first round. The bout was predominantly a standup affair. The finish came when Langdown landed a flurry of knees and strikes that Marcellinus had no answer for.

Visit the official ONE FC: TOTAL DOMINATION photo gallery by clicking: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ogw4tb66e3467d5/JtQIQiN8uQ

Main card
Bibiano Fernandes def. Soo Chul Kim via unanimous decision at 5:00 of round five
Shinya Aoki def. Cody Stevens via Unanimous Decision at 5:00 of round three
Eddie Ng def. Peter Davis via Submission (Armbar) at 1:46 of round one
Tatsuya Mizuno def. Rafael Silva via Unanimous Decision at 5:00 of round three
Sylvain Potard def. Jake Butler via Knockout at 0:42 of round two
Shannon Wiratchai def. Mitch Chilson via Knockout at 1:52 of round one
Khim Dima def. Rene Catalan via Technical Knockout (Strikes) at 3:40 of round two

Undercard
Sherilyn Lim def. Ann Osman via split decision at 5:00 of round three
Juan Wen Jie def. Alex Lim via Technical Knockout (Strikes) at 0:18 of round two
Stephen Langdown def. Marc Marcellinus via Technical Knockout (Strikes) at 1:49 of round one

About ONE Fighting Championship™
With a 90%+ market share in Asia, ONE Fighting Championship is Asia’s largest Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organization. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization hosts the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Fighting Championship™ has partnered with FOX and STAR Sports for an unprecedented 10-year cable television deal with a coverage that spans 70+ countries across the world.