CECILIA ZUNIGA: I want to welcome all the media that joined us today for Canelo’s final media conference call. As you all already know, we have an exciting event planned for all of you on November 21st. Now to introduce the call and Team Canelo, I would like to introduce our host for this call, the Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, Oscar De La Hoya.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Thank you very much. Welcome everyone, and thank you for joining today’s international media conference call with Team Canelo Alvarez. I’m pleased to be on the call this afternoon to talk about the highly anticipated clash of two Titans, Miguel Cotto and Canelo Alvarez, in a classic Puerto Rico versus Mexico battle that will be for the WBC and Ring Magazine Middleweight World Championship on November 21st live from the Mandalay Bay Events Center, which will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View.

I’m extremely proud to announce that this fight will be for the WBC Middleweight World Championship Diamond Belt and will also have the Ring Magazine Championship Belt on the line.

Like I said, this fight will be taking place on HBO pay-per-view, and to all the media from around the world that’s listening, this match-up is one of the most anticipated match-ups of the year; a match-up where people are expecting a war; people are expecting a great battle.

History shows when you put a Puerto Rican fighter and a Mexican fighter inside the ring, you are guaranteed to get excitement and fireworks, so everyone across the globe is really, really excited.

I want to thank our supporters of this fight: Corona Extra, Mexico, Live it to Believe It, Also, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Tequila Cazadores and our newest sponsor, Corporate Travel Made Simple.

At this moment let me take the opportunity to introduce to you the head trainer, who will say a few words, and his name is Eddy Reynoso, who has been with Canelo Alvarez for practically all his life as a professional fighter and as an amateur fighter, so Eddy Reynoso will say a few words, Eddy?

EDDY REYNOSO: Hello and thank you to everyone for being here at the press conference. We’re ready.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Thank you, Eddy. Also at this moment let me introduce the manager and also trainer, you all know him as “Chepo” and this is Jose Reynoso. Jose?

JOSE “CHEPO” REYNOSO: Good afternoon. We’re here ready for the fight, and we’re ready for anyone that is looking forward to interviewing us.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Great. Thank you. Gracious. Lastly, I would like to introduce to you the man of the hour, the Mexican Superstar, Canelo Alvarez, who continues to impress with every victory, every fight. His record is 45-1 with 32 knockouts, which is outstanding, at just 25 years old. He hails from Guadalajara, Mexico, and he continues to captivate the fans all around the world with his action-packed fighting style, his charisma and his willingness to take on the toughest challenge.

Let me introduce to you, Canelo Alvarez.

CANELO ALVAREZ: Hello. How is everyone? I’m looking forward to the fight. We’re very happy. We thank God that we’re close to the fight. We’re just finishing up our final details but we’re ready.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Operator, we can now open it up for questions.

Q. Hello, everybody. Canelo, this would be what I would view as your second humongous fight, the other one being the Floyd Mayweather fight. That fight was your first experience in a big, mega-fight, and I wonder if you could talk about the lessons that you may have learned from the — really just the “bigness” and the moment of that fight as you get ready to go into what is now your next huge fight as a result of that fight?

CANELO ALVAREZ: All of my fights I learned something. There are some important fights, there are some difficult fights, but with all these combined fights you gain experience, and with that experience I’m going to display that on November 21st.

Q. But nothing particular about the — dealing with the moment and the magnitude of the event?

CANELO ALVAREZ: Nothing in particular, like more specifically, what?

Q. I want to know if there is anything, just because that was your first experience in that kind of atmosphere?

CANELO ALVAREZ: Nothing in particular.

Q. Staying on the Mayweather fight, compared to the Cotto fight, when you fought Floyd, it was to unify titles, you were fighting the pound-for-found number one fighter in boxing, so obviously a lot at stake and a really big deal. This fight, fighting for the middleweight title, a lot at stake, combined with the fact it’s Mexico vs. Puerto Rico. We all know about the great rivalry between the two countries. I’m wondering which to you was a bigger deal, fighting for the unified titles and the number one pound-for-pound fighter in boxing, or getting a shot at the middleweight title and fighting in what will go down as one of the top rivalry fights that there’s been in a long time?

CANELO ALVAREZ: Both of the fights were important. They were in a different division. One was Mayweather, was for the unification of pound-for-pound, and now this is at a different weight division, so it’s important, also. And this is Mexico versus Puerto Rico, and more importantly I’m motivated and inspired and looking forward to November 21st.

Q. Oscar, I have a quick question for you. Has there been a decision made to the other fight on the pay-per-view telecast because of the Andre ward injury?

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Not yet. We’re still discussing that with Roc Nation, so we will have an answer for you shortly.

Q. Canelo, your promoter was not exaggerating when he said you have captivated fans all over the world. My mother is 78 years old and thinks you’re gorgeous. There is a real sense that — people have asked all the questions about the fight, and also people are really interested in you as a human being and want to get a better sense of what you’re like, what sort of cuisines, food you like, Italian, Chinese, what other sports you like, do you have a girlfriend? Do you look forward to the new Star Wars movie? Can you tell us — answer those sorts of questions and give us a better sense of what you are like as a person?

CANELO ALVAREZ: In terms of food, I like lots of things, sushi, taquitos a variety of little things, but what is most important is my fans and that I satisfy my fans.

Q. Oscar, you’re promoting a fight with your guy going up against someone trained by Freddie Roach. You’ve fought with Freddie Roach in your corner. You’ve fought somebody else who had Freddie Roach in their corner, so you’ve got a hell of a perspective on what he may or may not bring to a fighter. Can you talk about that?

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Yes, Freddie Roach is going to have Miguel Cotto in tip-top shape. Freddie Roach is going to have Cotto probably stay on his toes. The question is, how long can Cotto stay on the toes? That’s the million dollar question. One thing for sure is that Freddie Roach is a great trainer, and he’s going to have Cotto in tip-top shape to go the distance, and we obviously expect a Miguel Cotto that’s going to come in strong and be ready.

Q. Do you understand winning this moment, basically you will become the solidified champion and idol of Mexico.

CANELO ALVAREZ: We understand obviously the magnitude of this fight. We must consume that responsibility with hard training, and we must win the fight.

Q. Cotto was quoted saying after your press conference that he wasn’t very impressed with you or with your team. He actually said that you were cowards, does this statement affect you personally or do you just see him as a stepping stone to bigger things in your career?

CANELO ALVAREZ: We are not impressed by Cotto’s team and we do not take this personally. We don’t listen to our rivals. We are a very serious team and do our job. I cannot fail. He is a great world champion, and we are prepared for him.

Q. Does the pressure affect you or did the Mayweather fight help you?

CANELO ALVAREZ: I’m not worried about the pressure. I am more concerned with the motivation. I am training. I’ve had a lot of fights, and I’ve learned a lot.

Q. Oscar, knowing about the different ways to watch this fight, tickets, closed circuit and at movie theaters, what is your projection in terms of Pay-Per-View sales for this fight?

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Sales for this event are excellent so far, better than expected and I feel 99% confident about this fight. In my opinion, this is the most anticipated fight of the year and we are expecting great numbers, 1.5 million or more. We will wait and see.

Q. Oscar, in this fight you are gambling the future of the most important card on the stable of Golden Boy. What does it mean for the company to win or lose this fight?

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: We are not gambling. This is a great event for all the fans and for all of boxing, I don’t see it as a game. We feel that Canelo and the people deserve the best fights, period. The most important thing is that the fans are very happy with the fight. We know Canelo is very well prepared. Cotto will be well prepared and I can imagine that the fight will be very entertaining for all the fans.

Q. Oscar, are you in agreement that win or lose this fight will make a big difference for Golden Boy as a company?

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Not at all. It’s not about winning or losing, it’s about making the best fight for the people and I am sure both fighters will give the fans a great night of boxing.

Q. Canelo, I have two questions: Your fight against Mayweather had a lot of hype, and a lot of people believed that you could possibly be the one to hand him his first loss. In your opinion, what went wrong in that fight and what changes have you made in your training since then?

CANELO ALVAREZ: I learn every day. I come to win. I train every day to learn more, and every day I learn, and I’m here to win.

Q. The fighting styles of you and Cotto should make for a great and entertaining night. Do you see this going the distance or do you predict a KO?

CANELO ALVAREZ: That’s it. It’s going to be a great fight. The styles will accommodate the fighters to engage in a great fight, and, you know, I’m prepared to train, and I prepared for different things in the ring. If the knock outcomes, it comes, if it doesn’t, I’m prepared for whatever happens in the ring.

Q. Canelo, you know, you punished James Kirkland in your last fight, and we knew what kind of fight it would be going into the fight, but Cotto is a lot better boxer than Kirkland, and I wonder if you have any thoughts about what kind of fight you’re going to be expecting from Miguel Cotto?

CANELO ALVAREZ: The styles are different. I prepare for the different styles. I’m here to give a great fight, and whatever happens in the ring, and I need to adjust to in the ring.

Q. I guess you said it earlier in the call, but do you consider this a “must win” fight? Why or why not?

CANELO ALVAREZ: Absolutely. All my fights are necessary to win. I’m here, I’m ready to win, and I’m willing to win. All my fights are necessary to win.

Q. Canelo, your defense is very good. I want to follow up on a question that’s on behalf of a female friend who wants to know indeed if you do have a special gal pal, if you have one special girlfriend, because my female friend wants to ask you out on a date.

CANELO ALVAREZ: Thank you very much (Chuckles.) Yes, I have a girlfriend.

Q. I will note that for the record. The people who tell me that say Cotto is going to win, they cite the Mayweather fight in common and say that Cotto did better against Mayweather, so I ask Canelo, does that mean anything or does it not mean anything that supposedly people saying Cotto did better against Mayweather than you did?

CANELO ALVAREZ: You know what, that doesn’t affect me. Styles make fights. He may have done better — Cotto might have done better against Mayweather; however, I did better against Austin Trout, and Cotto didn’t do that good against Austin Trout. All fights are different, all styles are different, so that’s not going to affect me at all.

Q. A lot of great fights at the Mandalay. There are many Mexicans that have fought at the Mandalay. Do you think this fight has what it takes to become a historical fight?

CANELO ALVAREZ: Yes, this is going to be a great fight. I personally say that November 21st is going to be a great fight, and we will all wait to see the fight on November 21st and the result of the fight.

Q. Julio Caesar Chavez had some conversations about the strategy, about this being a great fight. What particular strategy do you plan to use?

CANELO ALVAREZ: We have a strategy; we have a plan. We have plan for success in the ring, and this is going to be a great fight.

Q. There is a difference in age, and what’s going to be the effect of that difference in age during the combat?

CANELO ALVAREZ: Age is not my focus. My focus is my great preparation for “Cotto and Canelo.” Age is not an issue.

Q. What is the highlight of your victory and what are you going to do to protect yourself or use as a defense?

CANELO ALVAREZ: All. My training is very, very important. This is a very difficult fight. It’s a 50/50 fight, so training is going to have a lot to do with it.

Q. Oscar, as you mentioned in the opening, Puerto Rico versus Mexico is always a huge event. You are the only one on this call who can speak to preparing and being a part of that. Have you spoken to Canelo about how not to let the enormity of the event overtake the task at hand, which is beating Cotto?

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Well, yes, I mean, look, he’s a professional. They know what they are doing. They have a great team. They know the magnitude of this event. When you get Puerto Rico versus Mexico, what’s involved is passion, passion and the fighting spirit, and fighting with a lot of heart, you know, that’s what we’re going to get on November 21st.

They know that firsthand. We feel that this event, people are going to watch because they know they’re going to get guaranteed fireworks because of that Puerto Rican/Mexican rivalry.

Q. Canelo, we all know there is a big fight waiting after this for the winner of this fight, but I believe you have your focus on this fight. We see an inordinate amount of ‘Canelo saying this’ about demands for the Golovkin fight, or ‘Canelo saying’ — is he really the one who has been making these weight demands already prior to actually beating Cotto?

CANELO ALVAREZ: I am 100% focused on this fight. My focus is winning this fight. This fight is very important. Whatever happens after this fight, will happen after this fight, but this is my primary focus.

Q. Canelo, Freddie Roach recently said he had you in his gym a while back and noticed that you had a lot of (away from mic.) He questioned your desire, your stamina, and that frankly you were a little lazy, and that’s something that’s going to play in his hands on November 21st for his man, Miguel Cotto. What do you have to say about that? Does that motivate you?

CANELO ALVAREZ: My words are most important in the ring on Nov. 21.

Q. Why were you at the Wild Card gym, and what was your experience there?

CANELO ALVAREZ: My recollection is that I’ve never been to Freddie Roach’s gym.

Q. Do you feel a lot of pressure with fighting Cotto?

CANELO ALVAREZ: No, it’s the same responsibility. You know, the hour of the fight is the hour of the fight. You have to go to win. It’s the same, it’s a fight, and that’s what I’m working to do, win!

Q. After winning this fight, what is your objective? To stay at 160 or come back down to 154?

CANELO ALVAREZ: The only thing that I am focused on is winning this fight. Once this fight is over, we will determine which direction we will go.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Thank you to all the press. We will be sending out a release to everyone on all the activities for fight week. We have a lot of great things in store for you, including a showing of HBO’s 24/7 for the media, dinners, obviously the press conference of the rival and we will see you fight week, next week. Thank you.

CANELO ALVAREZ: I would like to thank everyone for all the attention. I’m very grateful. Thank you very much.

CECILIA ZUNIGA: Thank you for joining the call. Like Oscar mentioned, we will be getting out information very soon in terms of fight week activities, and we look forward to seeing you all next week.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

Cotto vs. Canelo, a 12-round fight for Cotto’s WBC and Ring Magazine Middleweight World Championships, takes place Saturday, Nov. 21 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The fight is presented by Roc Nation Sports, Golden Boy Promotions, Miguel Cotto Promotions and Canelo Promotions and sponsored by Corona Extra; Mexico, Live it to Believe it!; O’Reilly Auto Parts; Tequila Cazadores and Corporate Travel Made Simple (ctms). Also featured on the pay-per-view telecast will be Takashi Muira vs. Francisco Vargas in a 12-round fight for the WBC Super Featherweight World Championship presented in association with Teiken Promotions, and Jayson Velez vs. Ronny Rios is a 10-round featherweight bout. The event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Randy Caballero vs. Lee Haskins, a 12-round fight for the IBF Bantamweight World Championship, is presented in association with Bristol Boxing Ltd. and will be featured as part of the preliminary undercards available on digital platforms starting at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT.

A limited number of tickets priced at $2,000, $1,750, $1,250 and $650, not including applicable service charges, can be purchased at the Mandalay Bay box office, ticketmaster.com, mandalaybay.com, all Ticketmaster locations or by calling (800) 745-3000. Ticket orders are limited to four per person.

Tickets for closed circuit viewings of Cotto vs. Canelo are priced at $75, not including applicable service charges and can be purchased at all MGM Resorts International Ticket Offices, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations or by calling (800) 745-3000.

Miguel Cotto vs. Canelo Alvarez will be presented live with Fathom Events in select theaters nationwide. Tickets for theater screenings of Cotto vs. Canelo can be purchased online by visiting www.FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices. For a complete list of theater locations visit www.fathomevents.com/event/cotto-vs-canelo-live.
Sports bars, restaurants, casinos (outside of Clark County, Nevada) and other commercial establishments can order Cotto vs. Canelo by contacting Joe Hand Promotions at (800) 557-4263 or by visiting www.JoeHandPromotions.com. Joe Hand Promotions is the exclusive commercial distributor for Cotto vs. Canelo throughout the United States and Canada.

NEW YORK (Nov. 10, 2015) –WBC No. 1 ranked super lightweight Amir Imam (18-0, 15 KOs) returns to face Adrian Granados (14-4-2, 11 KOs) in a 10-round bout on Saturday, Nov. 28 on SHOWTIME BOXING on SHO EXTREME.

The undefeated Imam is the mandatory challenger to WBC 140-pound champion Viktor Postol, who won the vacant title with a 10th round TKO of Lucas Matthysse in October.

The SHOWTIME BOXING on SHO EXTREME telecast begins live at 9 p.m. ET/PT from the Vidéotron Centre in Quebec City prior to that evening’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast. In the SHO EXTREME opener, undefeated heavyweight and former international star Oscar Rivas (17-0, 12 KOs) will face Curtis Harper (12-4, 8 KOs) in a 10-round bout.

IBF Super Middleweight World Champion James DeGale (21-1, 14 KOs) will defend his belt against former 168-pound champ Lucian Bute (32-2, 25 KOs) in the main event of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® live on SHOWTIME® (11 p.m. ET/PT).

In the co-feature, the WBC’s No. 1-ranked 175-pound fighter Isaac Chilemba (24-2-2, 10 KOs) will square off with No. 2-ranked Eleider Alvarez (18-0, 10 KOs) in a light heavyweight world title eliminator. The winner earns the right to become the mandatory challenger for WBC Light Heavyweight World Champion Adonis Stevenson.

The event, billed as “THE RECLAMATION”, is a presentation of Vidéotron in collaboration with Mise-O-Jeu.

One of boxing’s fastest-rising contenders, the 25-year-old Imam has knocked out 15 of his 18 professional opponents since turning pro in 2011. The Albany, N.Y., native is coming off a fourth-round knockout of former world title challenger Fernando Angulo on July 18 on SHOWTIME.

The 26-year-old Granados, of Chicago, has won three fights in a row since a close, split decision loss to undefeated welterweight prospect Brad Solomon on the undercard of the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao PPV last May 2 in Las Vegas. Granados’ only other defeat since 2011 was a majority decision loss to then-undefeated Felix Diaz in 2014. Granados, who holds a draw against former welterweight world champion Kermit Cintron, will move back down to 140 pounds for his bout with Imam.

The Montreal-based Rivas represented Colombia in the 2008 Olympic Games. The 28-year-old is coming off a three-knockdown, first-round TKO of Jason Pettaway on July 26 in his U.S. debut on ShoBox: The New Generation. Rivas returns to the province of Quebec, site of 16 of his 17 bouts, against the 27-year-old Harper, who is 5-1 in his last six fights.

Harper, of Jacksonville, Fla., is coming off a close decision loss to long-time heavyweight contender Chris Arreola on March 13. Harper was knocked down in the first round against Arreola but rallied in an entertaining slugfest.

Tickets are on sale at the Vidéotron Centre box office, on www.ticketmaster.ca, at GYM (514) 383-0666, at InterBox (450) 645-1077 or at Champion boxing club (514) 376-0980.

@butelucian, @jamesdegale1, @yvonmichelGYM, @interboxca, @stormalvarez, @SHOsports,

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com. interim Cruiserweight titlist Beibut Shumenov will defend his totle against Kryzstof Wlodarczyk on December 18th in Las Vegas on Spike TV.

Bayamon, PR (November 10, 2015) – Popular Puerto Rican contender Luis “Orlandito” Del Valle will face upset minded Juan Jose Beltran in an eight round contest Saturday, November 14 at the Auditorio Municipal de Comerio in Comerio, Puerto Rico.

Tickets from $12 are available at TCPR.com or by calling 787-792-5000. The card is presented by Miguel Cotto Promotions. The Del Valle-Beltran bout will air via tape delay Friday, November 20 on Unimas.

A pro for close to two decades, Beltran hails from the boxing crazed nation of Mexico. The 56 fight veteran battled numerous world champions and top contenders including Leo Santa Cruz, Jorge Arce, Eric Morel, Hugo Cazares, Claudio Marrero, Rico Ramos, Jesus Rojas and Jonathan Oquendo among others. In his most recent bout, Beltran outpointed Arturo Delgado over eight rounds. He also owns a win over two time title challenge Akihiko Nago and is out for revenge against Del Valle, who stopped him in four rounds back in 2013.

“Beltran has a lot of experience and has fought some of the best fighters in the world,” said Del Valle, who sports an excellent 19-2 record with 14 victories by knockout. “I give him credit for stepping up because a lot of guys didn’t want to take this fight. I need to dominate but it’s always dangerous fighting a guy with nothing to lose. Mexico vs Puerto Rico is boxing’s biggest rivalry and I know he wants to knock me out in front of my people to avenge his prior defeat. I’m not about to let that happen because I know there are bigger opportunities on the horizon, so my goal is to score another knockout and target all of the top super bantamweights!”

Fans can interact with Del Valle on Twitter @OrlanditoBoxing.

LOS ANGELES (Nov. 10, 2015) – Undefeated boxing legacy and fan-favorite Diego De La Hoya (12-0, 7 KOs) of Mexicali, Mexico will kick off an intense weekend of boxing on Friday, November 20, as he meets fellow countryman Giovanni “Lloviznas” Delgado (15-3, 9 KOs) of Mexico City, Mexico in what is sure to be an explosive eight-round super bantamweight main event at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, airing live nationally on Estrella TV’s Boxeo Estelar.Friday night’s lineup will also feature a classic Puerto Rico vs. Mexican battle as the co-main event, when Caguas, Puerto Rico’s John Karl Sosa (13-0, 6 KOs) takes on Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico’s Alan Sanchez (16-3-1, 8 KOs) in an eight round welterweight fight; which will serve as a prelude to the November 21 Miguel Cotto vs. Canelo Alvarez mega-fight at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View.

De La Hoya vs. Delgado and Sosa vs. Sanchez join an impressive card of previously announced fighters that features a classic televised opening bout between Mexican brawlers Horacio “Violento” Garcia (29-1-0, 21 KOs) and Raul “Bule” Hidalgo (24-13, 18 KOs), in an eight-round featherweight televised co-main event. Opening the night and The RingTV Live Stream, Francisco Esparza (1-0) of Las Vegas and of Fernando Vargas’ Feroz Fight Factory, will face Miguel Angel Aranda of Hawthorne, Calif., who will be making his professional debut in a four-round featherweight bout. Also part of the Ring TV Live stream, Roy “Pit Bull” Tapia (11-0-2, 6 KOs) takes on Erik Ruiz (14-4, 6 KOs) in an eight-round super bantamweight bout; Jason “El Animal” Quigley (8-0, 8 KOs) from Donegal, Ireland will participate in a six-round middleweight fight. Opponents will be announced shortly.

Diego De La Hoya vs. Giovanni Delgado is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona Extra and Carmelita Chorizo. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. and the first bout begins at 5:00 p.m. The Boxeo Estelar broadcast will air live on Estrella TV at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. The card will also stream live on EstrellaTV.com and on YouTube via Fenomeno Studios. The Ring TV live stream will begin at approximately 5:00 p.m. PT through 6:00 p.m and can be viewed on RingTVLive.com, YIPTV.com, Fightsports.tv, UCNLive.com, Facebook.com/RingTV, Livestream.com, and The Ring TV Channels on Roku and Amazon Fire.

Tickets, priced at $95, $65, $35 and $25, not including applicable service charges and taxes, are on sale now. Tickets are available for purchase by visiting The Joint box office, calling 888.9.AXS.TIX or online at www.axs.com.

Diego De La Hoya has thrilled fans with his impressive boxing skills since making his professional debut in 2013. Fighting with power, the Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico native has stayed busy in 2015 with an impressive victory over world title contender Manuel “Suavecito” Roman at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in February, and defeating Ramiro Robles in his first appearance at LA FIGHT CLUB in May. The rising star followed up with quick victories over Jose “Hollywood” Estrella in July and Jesus “Estrella” Ruiz in September. De La Hoya will make his highly anticipated return to the ring as he defends his undefeated status on November 20.

Giovanni Delgado is looking for victory when he returns to the ring on Nov. 20 after suffering a difficult loss to Joseph “Jojo” Diaz, Jr. in his U.S. debut on the May 9 undercard of Canelo vs. Kirkland earlier this year. Delgado has impressed since making his debut in 2010, which led to a two-year winning streak. He suffered his first loss against Robert “Escorpión” Pucheta Amador after enduring cuts over both eyes, stopping him in the sixth round. Since then, Delgado has added three victories, all by knockout. Delgado will be eager Nov. 20 to prove to himself and the fans that he can added another win to his resume, even over an opponent as tough as De La Hoya.

Fighting out of Caguas, Puerto Rico, a city known for its boxing history, John Karl Sosa is hoping to one day become part of that legacy. The welterweight prospect has had a stellar record thus far staying active in 2014 and winning all four of his fights via decision. Most recently, Sosa faced Joaquin “Chico” Chavez in April and defeated the tough fighter via unanimous decision. Now, the undefeated star is looking to conquer a victory for his native land when he faces the Mexican Alan Sanchez, ahead of the mega fight between Miguel Cotto and Canelo Alvarez.

Hailing from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico and now fighting out of Fairfield, California, Alan Sanchez is looking to add another victory to his record. Undefeated since 2014, the 24-year-old has four straight victories and will be looking to continue the momentum on Nov. 20. Sanchez was last seen in the ring in June when he faced Carlos “Kalimba” Lozano and defeated him by unanimous decision. Now, the Mexican fighter will be looking for a victory over Puerto Rico when he faces Puerto Rico’s John Karla Sosa on Nov. 20.

For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.estrellatv.com, www.hardrockhotel.com, follow on twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @EstrellaTV, @HardRockHotelLV and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/EstrellaTVNetwork, www.facebook.com/HardRockHotelLV visit us on Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @EstrellaTV and @HardRockHotelLV and follow the conversation using #BoxeoEstelar.

PROVIDENCE (November 10, 2015) – Undefeated super welterweight Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade (22-0, 15 KOs) has never forgotten where he comes from, Providence, and for the second year in a row the 27-year-old former world champion is spearheading a Turkey Drive there.

The group that Andrade founded, The Andrade Team, Inc., is on a mission to provide the Providence community with resources that, unfortunately, have become more scare, conducting various events that have included its aforementioned Turkey Drive.

The Andrade Team has also organized a community clean-up in Providence, provided backpacks and school supplies to more than 500 children, and a safe Halloween candy hand-out.

“Our staff will provide turkeys for those in need as well as the delivery of the turkeys,” Andrade explained. “With the economic climate being what it is today, we understand that more people are in need of some aid. This year we would like to increase the number of turkeys we give away from 500 to 700. I’m asking companies and people for donations to help us reach our goal of $5,500.

“I’m proud of our work and truly appreciate the support we’ve received in the past. It’s tough out there. People are working hard just to survive. This is a way for more fortunate people to show how thankful they really are at Thanksgiving by helping others.”

Donations of any denomination will be gratefully accepted. Checks should be made out to The Andrade Team, Inc. and sent to Demetrius Andrade, P.O. Box 28555, Providence, RI 02908.

Andrade was a 2008 U.S. Olympian and 2007 AIBA World Championships gold medalist.

Follow Demetrius Andrade on Twitter @AndradeATeam.

NEW YORK (Nov. 10, 2015) – Former Ukrainian Olympian and undefeated middleweight prospect Sergiy Derevyanchenko (6-0, 4 KOs, WSOB: 23-1, 7 KOs) returns to face veteran Jessie Nicklow (25-7-3, 8 KOs) in the eight-round co-feature of ShoBox: The New Generation, this Saturday, Nov. 14, live on SHOWTIME (10:45 p.m. ET/PT) from Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

In the opening bout of the tripleheader, unbeaten light heavyweight David Benavidez (10-0, 9 KOs), of Phoenix, Ariz., will make his ShoBox debut against veteran Felipe Romero (15-9-1, 9 KOs), of La Paz, Mexico, in an eight round bout.

In the ShoBox main event, undefeated super welterweights Frank Galarza (17-0-2, 11 KOs), of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Jarrett Hurd (16-0, 10 KOs), of Accokeek, Md., will square off in a 10-round bout.

Derevyanchenko (pronounced der-i-van-CHENK-oh) compiled an astonishing amateur record of 390-20 and represented his native Ukraine at the 2008 Olympic Games. Derevyanchenko, who is ranked No. 9 by the IBF at 160 pounds, went 23-1 in the World Series of Boxing and was the 2012 WSB Team Champion and 2011 and 2012 WSB Individual Champion. The 30-year-old will make his first start since winning an eight-round decision over former world title challenger Elvin Ayala on Aug. 7 on ShoBox.

The 28-year-old Nicklow, of Baltimore, Md., is experienced against solid opposition having faced former undisputed middleweight champion Jermain Taylor, Fernando Guerrero and Ronald Gavril. Nicklow is coming off an eight-round unanimous decision over Raymond Terry on Oct. 10.

The 18-year-old Benavidez is the younger brother of interim WBA Super Lightweight World Champion Jose Benavidez. He’s knocked out nine of his 10 opponents since turning professional in 2013, largely against limited opposition. Benavidez will take on his most difficult opponent to date in the veteran Romero, a well-traveled, 31-year-old veteran who has fought in Mexico, Poland, China, Germany, Ukraine and the U.S.

# # #

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions, are priced at $155, $105, $80, $55 and $30, not including applicable fees, and are on sale now. Tickets may be purchased at Hard Rock Hotel box office, by calling 888-9-AXS-TIX, or online at www.axs.com.

For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports follow on Twitter @SHOSports, @TGBPromotions, @HardRockHotelLV and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports.

About ShoBox: The New Generation
Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young talent matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to televise exciting, crowd-pleasing and competitive matches while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. Some of the growing list of the 63 fighters who have appeared on ShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes: Andre Ward, Deontay Wilder, Erislandy Lara, Shawn Porter, Gary Russell Jr., Lamont Peterson, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Omar Figueroa, Nonito Donaire, Devon Alexander, Carl Froch, Robert Guerrero, Timothy Bradley, Jessie Vargas, Juan Manuel Lopez, Chad Dawson, Paulie Malignaggi, Ricky Hatton, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Williams and more.

Parsippany, New Jersey (November 10, 2015) – On Friday night, December 11, GH3 Promotions will present an outstanding night of professional boxing at the Parsippany PAL in Parsippany, New Jersey.

In the main event, exciting Light Heavyweight, Jerry “The Kings Son” Odom will take on Willie Williams in a bout scheduled for 8-rounds.

Odom of Bowie, Maryland has a record of 13-2, with 12 knockouts.

The 22 year-old Odom won his first twelve bouts, which was highlighted by a thrilling 7th round stoppage over previously undefeated Vilier Quinonez on July 25, 2014. Odom rebounded from his first defeat, which was a controversial disqualification to Andrew Hernandez to comeback and destroy Hernandez in the first round of their March 13, 2015 rematch. The Quinonez and Hernandez rematch bouts where nationally televised on ShoBox: The New Generation.

In his last bout, Odom was stopped in three rounds by Samuel Clarkson on July 17, 2015 in Bethlehem, PA.

Williams of Baltimore, Maryland has a record of 14-10-2 with 4 knockouts.

Williams has a quality win over Richard Stewart (8-1-1). He will be trying to break a 2-fight losing streak as he is coming off losses to Roy Jones Jr. and Shawn Miller.

In the 6-round co-feature, Ian Green of Paterson, New Jersey will look to stay undefeated in a 6-round Middleweight bout against an opponent to be announced.

In 6-round bouts:

DeLoren Carraway (5-0, 4 KO’s) of Minnesota will take on an opponent to be named in a Welterweight bout.

In 4-round bouts:

Hector Frometa (1-0) of Miami, Florida will see action in a Welterweight fight.

Arturo Trujillo (7-0, 3 KO’s) of Reading, PA will fight in a Welterweight bout.

Leon Johnson (1-0, 1 KO) of Paterson, NJ will fight Rex Harris (1-3, 1 KO) of Harrisburg, PA in a Cruiserweight fight.

More bouts will be announced shortly.

Tickets can be purchased for $125, $100, $75 and $50 by calling 862-223-9487

The last time England and Ireland met in the the boxing ring with a World middleweight title on the line was 21 years ago when Steve Collins and Chris Pyatt clashed, now the two nations reignite their rivalry with the potential thriller between Billy Joe Saunders and Andy Lee on Saturday 19th December at the Manchester Arena.

Leicester puncher Pyatt, then the reigning WBO World Champion, lost the title to Dublin hardman Collins, who himself previously lost in two world title attempts, on a fifth round stoppage to finally achieve his dream of becoming World champion on 11th May 1994 at Sheffield’s Ponds Forge Arena.

The same belt will be on the line, now held by Limerick’s dynamite punching Lee, when he makes the first defence of the belt against his mandatory and undefeated challenger from Hatfield, in one of the most important fights in the 160lb division in recent years.

Straight after the Pyatt victory, Collins moved up to super-middleweight and defeated rival Chris Eubank, twice in a row, followed later by back-to-back victories over the Dark Destroyer Nigel Benn in epic encounters before retiring as undefeated world champion in July 1997.

Collins believes the winner of Lee and Saunders can go on to huge blockbuster fights in the division that holds stellar fighters Gennady Golovkin, Miguel Cotto and Saul Alvarez, plus Daniel Jacobs and Peter Quillin, who’s fights all feature exclusively live on BoxNation.

“When I beat Chris Pyatt to become WBO World Middleweight champion it was like a key to the super fights, to the Eubanks and Benns, which made my name, but that fight against Pyatt was absolutely crucial for me to win otherwise those big fights wouldn’t have happened,” Said Collins.

“It was a dream come true when I beat Pyatt, who was a great fighter in his own right, and I knew that I had to KO him to win, he was a tough man, but for me he was the ticket to the big fights. If I’d have lost he’d have gone and fought Eubank and Benn and I’d have been out of the picture. That’s pretty much how Lee and Saunders can look at it, it opens up even more big fights for the winner,”

“Saunders and Lee have got everything to fight for, there are some massive fights ahead for them. Obviously Golovkin is king right now and we haven’t seen the likes of him for a long long time, he’s the best right now. There are great fighters like Cotto and Alvarez, so the winner out of Lee and Saunders is going to have a field day. Back in my day there was Benn and Eubank who I beat twice each, but it created a great rivalry, the only one who didn’t get involved was Roy Jones Jnr. who stayed his side of the pond,”

“The current 160lb division is a very exciting place and it’s one of the best in boxing right now. This fight It’s like going back to the good old days in the division. It has the potential to be a great, great, fight. Both men have the ability to win. If it goes the distance Saunders can win, but Lee can win by stoppage. Whatever, it’s going to be exciting.”

Tickets are priced at £40, £50, £75, £100, £200 and £300 are available from

www.frankwarren.com

TicketMaster
0844 844 0444
www.ticketmaster.co.uk

Eventim
0844 249 1000
www.eventim.co.uk

Manchester Arena
0161 950 5000
0161 950 5229 (disabled access bookings)
www.manchester-arena.co.uk

*Tickets are subject to a booking fee.

The Channel Of Champions, BoxNation, will televise the show live and exclusive on Sky 437/HD 490, Virgin 546 and Talk Talk 415. Subscribe at www.boxnation.com Or watch online at Livesport.tv and via iPhone, iPad or Android.

New York, NY (11/10/15) – Earlier this summer, Visa announced its partnership with sports apparel company Under Armour for its online payment program and a new ad campaign, “Break It.” Commercials for the partnership have now started to roll out and none other than DiBella Entertainment’s “First Lady,” undefeated Brooklyn female super bantamweight Heather “The Heat” Hardy (14-0, 3KO’s) is being featured in the campaign ads.

Hardy, who returns to the ring on Saturday, December 5th, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, on the undercard of the eagerly anticipated world middleweight championship showdown between Daniel Jacobs and Peter Quillin, is in talks with the sportswear company to officially become part of the Under Armour Women’s team that includes such superstar athletes and female figures as Gisele Bundchen, Lindsey Vonn, Misty Copeland, Brianna Cope and Kelley O’Hara.

“It is an honor to be included in the “Break It” campaign alongside the likes of Billie Jean King and so many other great and inspirational female athletes,” said Hardy. “Like her, I am still a part of this fight, working to break the barrier that women in my sport fight both inside and outside of the ring, day after day. Even today, as an undefeated 14-0 champion, ranked #1 in the world, I am still fighting to get the recognition that I so long for and deserve. I will continue to fight this fight until I see my dreams come true and challenge for a world title in a nationally televised appearance on a major TV network.”

Hardy is quickly closing in on her first world title opportunity, but first she must take care of business against a familiar foe, Noemi Bosques (10-3-2, 2KO’s) when the undefeated female star steps into the ring on December 5, in what will be her fourth consecutive performance at Barclays Center. Hardy and Bosques fought at the Brooklyn arena in May, with Hardy winning an entertaining eight-round split decision. Hardy felt there was no question that she won the fight, and is out to prove there is no doubt who is the better fighter when the two meet again on the 5th.

“I hate doing rematches because it’s so redundant and I already beat you. It was a split decision though, so in her mind she feels like she can come back and beat me. I didn’t want to deny her that, because we put on a great show for the fans. People at the fight knew I won the fight and that it was a clear decisive win, but when people see ‘split decision’ there are always questions that arise because she is such a good legitimate fighter. I’m giving her another chance.”

Below are the mission statements for both Under Armour Women and the “Break It” campaign. A link to the “Break It” commercial is below.

Under Armour Women
IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT OTHERS THINK.
IT’S WHAT YOU BELIEVE.
We’re not a campaign; not a season or snapshot.
Our story isn’t told through a press release or social post.
It’s dripping down our backs-each drop a declaration to prove
that the space between woman and athlete is no space at all.
We’re UA Women. And we WILL what we want.

Break It
“Break It” is no ordinary campaign. It will be an epic, high-octane tribute to female athletes over the past 80 years who broke expectations to achieve excellence. Created in partnership with Visa and Under Armour, our message aims to inspire the next generation of female athletes.

Commercial Link
http://youtu.be/koTj6AOAGdc

Barclays Center’s BROOKLYN BOXING™ programming platform is presented by AARP. For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports follow on Twitter @SHOSports, @DanielJacobsTKO, @KidChocolate, @LouDiBella, @BarclaysCenter and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports, www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment and www.Facebook.com/

ZHANAT ZHAKIYANOV proved he belongs amongst the world’s elite by winning the interim WBA bantamweight title on Saturday night (November 7).

The Kazakh, who is trained by former four-time world champion Ricky Hatton, overcame the tall and tricky Venezuelan Yonfrez Parejo with a split decision verdict in front the of the great and the good of Monte Carlo.

Zhakiyanov had blasted out his previous 12 opponents and hoped to make it 13, but Parejo took him the long route by refusing to engage in close.

The South American’s jab and move tactic gave Zhakiyanov a few problems in the early rounds, but he refused to let his frustration show and continued to patiently stalk his foe before getting off single hooks.

With Parejo tiring, Zhakiynov took control of the fight down the stretch. Urged to “throw more shots” by Hatton, “ZZ” stepped across his opponent and connected regularly with quality punches.

Judges Giuseppe Quartarone and Stanley Christodoulou scored it 116-113 and 115-113 respectively against Levi Martinez’s verdict of 112-116.

“I’m very proud of what Zhanat has achieved,” Hatton, who is also Zhakiyanov’s promoter, said. “He was in with a very good opponent, who gave him a lot to think about, but he stuck to the game plan and got the job done.

“We said we wanted a knockout before the fight and think there were a few times when Zhanat hurt Parejo, but you can’t always have an early night and this victory is still as sweet as can be.

“The people of Kazakhstan love their boxing and I think Zhanat will have become something of a national hero now. They’ve got great fighters like Golovkin and Shumenov at world level already and now they’ve got Zhanat to get behind.

“He can go back home now with his new belt, have some well-deserved time off, and prepare himself for a massive 2016.

“This win has opened the door to the really big fights and I think it’s only a matter of time before he gets his hands on the full WBA title as well as a few more world titles.”

LONDON (10 NOVEMBER) Manchester’s Jack Arnfield is buoyant and “raring to go” ahead of his British middleweight title fight with champion Nick ‘Bang Bang’ Blackwell this Saturday (November 14) at Bristol’s City Academy.

The 26-year-old accepted the fight with Blackwell last Friday, following the withdrawal of original opponent Elliott Matthews, and now can’t wait to finally get his hands on that coveted Lonsdale belt.

“On Friday morning I got the phone call from Steve Wood, my manager, who told me Matthews was out and I was in,” recalled Arnfield, 19-1 (4 KOs). “I was over the moon. I was ecstatic.

“I’ve been working towards an opportunity like this my whole career. I’ve had some rough spots in my career but these past twelve months have been great. I’ve been back in the gym, working hard, enjoying it, and this is the best time for an opportunity like this to come along.”

Arnfield has been a professional eight years now, but has been active for only four of them on account of personal issues and injury woes. More recently, though, he’s enjoyed some positive activity; earlier this year he got to the semi-final of Sky Sports’ Prizefighter tournament and a little over two weeks ago he won an eight-rounder in Manchester.

“I have stayed in shape because I knew there was a chance something like this could happen,” he said. “I wanted to be ready if the chance came along. So, after my last fight two weeks ago, I had two days off and was then straight back in the gym. I had an inkling I’d be fighting again pretty soon.

“I’m in really good shape. I don’t struggle to make middleweight – I make it really well. I’m fit, I’m strong and I’m ready for Saturday night. I’m raring to go.”

Though he concedes he knows little about the man he replaced, Arnfield believes Blackwell will be wishing it were Elliott Matthews in the ring with him on Saturday night in Bristol.

“I’ve never seen Matthews box before,” said Arnfield. “I looked up his record and he seemed quite untested. He was a southpaw, but Blackwell doesn’t do too badly against southpaws; he boxed Billy Joe and gave him a good fight, he beat John Ryder and his last opponent, Damon Jones, was also a southpaw. He’s had a good run of southpaws, so I bet he was over the moon when Matthews was given the shot. He will have been training for a southpaw.

“I’m obviously not a southpaw, but I don’t think that will have too much of an impact on Blackwell. He’s a professional, he’s British champion and he’ll be prepared for whatever is in front of him.

“I do think I’m an all-round better boxer than Matthews and a tougher challenge for Blackwell, though. And I’m looking forward to showing that on Saturday.”

As for Blackwell, the new challenger admits he’s been keeping a close eye on the Trowbridge man ever since he dramatically shocked John Ryder in May, well aware that he might one day fight him for the British title.

“I’ve been hunting the British title for the past 18 months, so I’ve kept tabs on all the champions that have come along,” said Jack. “As soon as Blackwell won it in May, I had my sights set on one day fighting him.

“He’s aggressive and very, very fit. You can’t take that away from him. He’s always there for the full twelve rounds no matter who he’s up against. I know it will be a hard night’s work. But people underestimate how fit I am. I don’t stop from the first bell to the last bell.

“I also know he doesn’t have much of an amateur pedigree or any amateur background at all. He fought on the unlicensed scene. I’m not saying that’s a bad scene, but I think having an amateur pedigree stands for a bit more than that.

“I’m really looking forward to fighting him. I think everyone will be entertained.”

*** For tickets to BANG BANG: Blackwell vs. Arnfield, please contact the Ticketline Box Office on 0844 888 4402, the Sanigar Events Box Office on 0117 949 6699 or visit www.hennessysports.com ***

*** Blackwell vs. Arnfield will be televised live and exclusively on Channel 5 from 10pm, Saturday, November 14 ***

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The next documentary from ESPN Films’ Peabody and Emmy Award-winning 30 for 30 series will be “Chasing Tyson,” premiering on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. Directed by the Oscar- and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Steven Cantor, the film examines why so many years went by before Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson finally met in the ring.

Holyfield was a journeyman boxer who had earned respect with victorious bouts against greats like Buster Douglas, Riddick Bowe and George Foreman. He won the heavyweight championship belt four times. But it was Mike Tyson’s outsized personality and ferocious punches that cast a commanding shadow over boxing in the 1980s and ’90s. Even when “Iron Mike” was in prison, the heavyweight division belonged to him. Meanwhile, Holyfield endured years of delay while waiting for the opportunity to take down Tyson.

Though Holyfield dramatically lost and recaptured the heavyweight crown, and then lost it again, even he understood that his career would ultimately be defined by how he stood up to Tyson – if he ever got his chance. By the time of their much-hyped and oft-delayed heavyweight title bout in November of 1996, Holyfield was 34 years old and considered past his prime. Four years younger, Tyson was heavily favored to be standing over another meek and easily vanquished opponent at the end. Instead, the world got not one, but two of the sport’s most memorable fights – for very different reasons.

Additional information, including film clips and director statements and bios, are available at espn.com/30for30. Follow 30 for 30 on Facebook (facebook.com/espn30for30) and Twitter (@30for30). 30 for 30 is presented by Volkswagen. Fans can join the conversation on social media using #ChasingTyson.

About ESPN Films
Created in March 2008, ESPN Films produces high-quality documentary films showcasing some of the most compelling stories in sports. In October 2009, ESPN Films launched the Peabody and Emmy Award-winning 30 for 30 film series. Additional projects from ESPN Films include the decorated series 30 for 30 Shorts, Nine for IX and SEC Storied among others.

-30-

Anthony Crolla says his desire to win a World title in his hometown will drive him to victory in his rematch with Darleys Perez for the WBA World Lightweight title at the Manchester Arena on November 21, live on Sky Sports.

The Manchester star came within a whisker of ripping the title from the classy Colombian in their first meeting at the Arena in July, which ended in a majority draw. ‘Million Dollar’ was granted an immediate rematch for the title by the WBA, and having already stated he will leave no doubt as to the winner this time, Crolla says he is thinking of the belt being placed around his waist every second of the day.

“I think about winning the World title in Manchester every single day,” said Crolla. “I think about it going into the gym, before I go to sleep, over and over. I am sure the real thing will be even better than how I imagine it, and that is what I want to experience on November 21. I will do everything I can to make that dream come true. It has been a dream since I first laced a pair of gloves, every fighter has the same dream, and there would be no better setting than to do it in front of my home town people.

“The division is very, very strong and it is great to be a part of it. There are four or five fighters in the division who are world-level fighters. There are many great domestic fights to be had for World titles and hopefully I can bring home that title and then I don’t necessarily be needing to go across the pond for big Lightweight fights as there are ones right here in Britain.

“I still get goosebumps thinking about the ring walk now. To have 12,000 people in an arena like that, it was surreal. I am a lad who has been going there since before the Ricky Hatton days, seeing boxers like your Naseem Hameds and your Michael Brodies, to experience it as a fighter, it was a dream come true.”

Crolla faces Perez on a stacked bill in Manchester as the vacant British title at Super-Lightweight is on the line in a rematch between Chris Jenkins and Tyrone Nurse, whilst new Matchroom signing Ryan Burnett faces Jason Booth for the vacant British Bantamweight title.

There’s a pair of English title fights with talented former Team GB man defending his Flyweight title against Liverpool’s Phil Smith and Isaac Lowe defends his Featherweight strap against Manchester’s Ryan Doyle.

Unbeaten Manchester Cruiserweight Hosea Burton meets Tony Hill for the vacant WBA Inter-Continental title, and there’s action for former World Bantamweight champion Stuart Hall, former World title challenger Brian Rose and unbeaten youngsters Marcus Morrison and Liam Taylor.

Tickets are on sale now priced £40, £60, £80 and £100 bracket from www.manchester-arena.com or by calling 0844 847 8000.

Tickets for November 21 are also available from http://www.stubhub.co.uk/matchroom-boxing-tickets/ – StubHub is the official ticket partner and marketplace of Matchroom Boxing and Anthony Joshua MBE.

Fight Network is a 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports. It airs programs focused on the entire scope of the combat sports genre, including live fights and up-to-the-minute news and analysis for mixed martial arts, kickboxing, professional wrestling, traditional martial arts, boxing, fight news, as well as fight-themed drama series, documentaries and feature films.

Below find highlights of this week’s programming:

Monday, Nov. 9
6:00 p.m. ET – Global Wrestling Weekly – Host Scott Casper gives weekly news and analysis centering around the global wrestling scene, including interviews, features, the latest news and results, plus a look back at the past.
6:30 p.m. ET – Judo Tbilisi Grand Prix Highlights – Highlights from the Judo Tbilisi Grand Prix from Mar. Mar. 20-22, 2015 in Georgia.
7:00 p.m. & 11:30 ET – 5 Rounds – Fight Network’s John Ramdeen and Robin Black invite special guests to breakdown the weekend of MMA action.
7:30 p.m. ET & 11:30 p.m. ET- Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.

Tuesday, Nov. 10
1:30 a.m. ET – XPTV – Coverage of regional U.S. professional and amateur MMA events.
5:00 & 5:30 p.m. ET – Xtreme Fighting Championship – Florida-based pro MMA featuring top American prospects, international stars and UFC veterans.
6:00 p.m. & 10 p.m. ET – 5 Rounds Today – Video podcast with John Ramdeen and Robin Black breaking down a wide variety of topics in the MMA world, including previews of upcoming events and all the latest rumors and headlines.
8:00 p.m. ET – 5 Rounds – Fight Network’s John Ramadeen and Robin Black invite special guests to breakdown the weekend of MMA action.
8:30 p.m. ET – Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.
9:00 p.m. ET – Fighting Spirit MMA Season 4 – Compilation of international fights from SFL, Legend, FFC, M-1 and others.
10:00 p.m. ET – Ring of Combat 47 – Featuring Chris Wade vs. Pat Defranco and Frankie Perez vs. Mike Santiago from Jan. 24, 2014 in Atlantic City, NJ.

Wednesday, Nov. 11
12:00 a.m. ET – Ring of Combat 48 – Featuring Brendan Barrett vs. Justin Woods and Chris Wade vs. Frankie Perez from May 16, 2014 from Atlantic City, NJ.
5:00 p.m. ET – Texas Fight Night – MMA action from Texas featuring the Lone Star State’s top prospects in the cage.
6:00 p.m. ET – Best of Cage Rage – Featuring classic fights from the OK-based Cage Rage organization with Anderson Silva, Antonio Silva, Vitor Belfort, Paul Daley and others.
7:00 p.m. ET – Fight News Now Extra: MMA Edition – Covering all the happenings in the MMA world with exclusive analysis and feature.
7:30 p.m. ET – Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.
8:00 p.m. ET – Cage Warriors FC: Fight Night 9 – Featuring Bruno Carvalho vs. Gael Grimaud and Faycal Hucin vs. Che Mills in Amman, Jordan.
11:00 p.m. ET – MMA Meltdown with Gabriel Morency – Gabriel Morency breaks down all the happenings in MMA, discussing odds, predictions, plus special weekly guests and exclusive interviews.
11:30 p.m. ET – M-1 Challenge 59: Kharitonov vs. Garner – Featuring Sergei Kharitonov vs. Kenny Garner in a rematch from July 8, 2015 in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Thursday, Nov. 12
2:00 a.m. & 1 p.m. ET – Ultimate Challenge MMA 33 – Featuring Denniston Sutherland vs. Ben Callum from Apr. 6, 2013 in London.
4:30 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. ET – TakeDown Wrestling – Extensive coverage of amateur wrestling events, including the latest news, behind-the-scenes coverage from events and exclusive interviews.
6:00 p.m. ET – Championship Fighting Alliance – Pro MMA from Florida featuring the likes of Josh Sampo, Mike Kyle, John Howard, Sean McCorkie, Luis Palomino and others.
7:00 p.m. ET – Fighting Rookies – Aspiring kickboxers climb the ladder of success in the sport as rookies compete for a chance to become professionals and get experience needed to succeed at5 a higher level.
8:00 p.m. ET – Fight News Now Extra: MMA Edition – Covering all the happenings in the MMA world with exclusive analysis and feature.
8:30 p.m. ET – Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.
9:00 p.m. ET – 2015 IMMAF Amateur MMA Championships: Part 3 / 4 – Coverage of the 2015 IMMAF Amateur MMA Championships from Las Vegas, featuring the men’s featherweight, female bantamweight and men’s welterweight divisions.
10:30 p.m. ET – 2015 IMMAF Amateur MMA Championships: Part 3 / 4 – Coverage of the 2015 IMMAF Amateur MMA Championships from Las Vegas, featuring the men’s lightweight, men’s middleweight, female featherweight and men’s super heavyweight divisions.

Friday, Nov. 13
12:00 a.m. & 11 a.m. ET – It’s Showtime Special – The world’s premier kickboxing organization featuring Badr Hari, Melvin Manhoef and Giorgio Petrosyan.
2:00 a.m. ET – Pancrase Classics – Classic pioneering MMA battles featuring Ken Shamrock, Frank Shamrock, Bas Rutten, Nate Marquardt, Chael Sonnen and others.
4:00 a.m. ET – Best of DEEP – Featuring classic fights from the historic Japanese DEEP promotion including Shinua Aoki, Hayatpo Sakurai and Gegard Moisasi.
5:00 a.m. ET – Best of Jewels – Classic fights from the all-female Japanese MMA league Jewels.
7:30 a.m. ET – CANADA ONLY — ONE: Pride of Lions – LIVE from Singapore featuring Ben Askren vs. Luis Santos in a rematch for the ONE welterweight title.
12:00 p.m. ET – Bookie Beatdown – Preview of the betting lines and top picks for major UFC events.
12:30 p.m. ET – TakeDown Wrestling – Extensive coverage of amateur wrestling events, including the latest news, behind-the-scenes coverage from events and exclusive interviews.
1:00 p.m. & 4:00 p.m. ET – Best of Hard Knocks Fighting: Todd Stoute – Relive Todd Stoute’s clash with Anton Tokarchuk from Hard Knocks 42 on Mar. 20, 2015.
2:00 p.m. & 5:00 p.m. ET – Best of Hard Knocks Fighting: Rodney Wallace – Relive Rodney Wallace’s battle with Kalib Starnes from Hard Knocks Fighting 44 on June 26, 2015.
3:00 p.m. & 6:00 p.m. ET – Best of Hard Knocks Fighting: Todd Stoute – Mini-documentary on light heavyweight MMA veteran Todd Stoute.
3:30 p.m. & 6:30 p.m. ET – Best of Hard Knocks Fighting: Rodney Wallace – Mini-documentary on light heavyweight MMA veteran Todd Stoute.
7:00 p.m. ET – Fight News Now Extra: MMA Edition – Covering all the happenings in the MMA world with exclusive analysis and feature.
7:30 p.m. ET – Hard Knocks Fighting 46 – Featuring Jesse Arnett vbs. Dimitri Waardenburg for the Hard Knocks bantamweight title from Oct. 23, 2015 in Calgary, Canada.
10:00 p.m. ET – UFC 193 Weigh-ins – LIVE coverage of official weigh ins for UFC 193: Rousey vs. Holm in Australia.
11:00 p.m. ET – Hard Knocks Fighting 47 – LIVE MMA action from Calgary, Canada.

Saturday, Nov. 14
1:00 a.m. ET – Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.
1:30 a.m. – KSW 25: Khalidov vs. Sakurai – Featuring Mamed Khalidov vs. Ryuta SDakuri and Aslembeck Saidov vs. Daniel Acacio from Dec. 7, 2013 in Wroclaw, Poland.
6:00 a.m. ET — Best of TKO – Featuring George St-Pierre vs. Travis Galbraith from UCC 11.
7:00 a.m. ET – Best of Gladiator Challenge – Featuring Jake Shields vs. Jeremy Jackson from Gladiator Challenge 6.
8:00 a.m. ET – Best of SportFight – Top quality MMA from the Pacific Northwest. Hosted by UFC veterans Matt LIndland and Chael Sonnen. This episode features Brian Caraway and Ian Loveland in action.
5:00 p.m. ET – SuperKombat New Heroes Mamaia 2015 – Featuring Alexandru Negrea vs. Dumitru Topai and Andrei Ostrovanu vs,. Cristian Milea in kickboxing action from Mamaia, Romania.
7:00 p.m. ET – UFC 193 Pre-Show – LIVE pre-fight and analysis of UFC 193: Rousey vs. Holm in Australia.
8:00 p.m. ET – Fight News Now Extra: MMA Edition – Covering all the happenings in the MMA world with exclusive analysis and feature.
8:30 p.m. ET – Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.
9:00 p.m. ET – Super Fight League 2 – Featuring Todd Duffee vs. Neil Grove and Alexander Shlemenko vs. Ikuhisa Minowa from Apr. 7, 2012 in Chamdigarh, India.

Sunday, Nov. 15
1:00 p.m. ET – UFC 193 Post-Show & Post-Press Conference – LIVE post-fight coverage, highlights and analysis for UFC 193: Rousey vs. Holm in Australia, including the love post-fight press conference.
6:00 a.m. ET – Pancrase Classics – Classic pioneering MMA battles featuring Ken Shamrock, Frank Shamrock, Bas Rutten, Name Marquardt, Chael Sonnen and others.
11:00 a.m. ET – Best of ADCC- Features compilations of the greatest grappling matches ever held, featuring Tito Ortiz, Matt Hughes, Eddie Bravo, Fabricio Werdum, Marcelo Garcia, Ronaldo Souza and Royler Gracie.
12:00 p.m. ET – Elite Muay Thai: Thailand vs. Challenger – The biggest Muay Thai series in the world featuring premium international stand-up fighters taking on the renowned Thailand National Team.
5:00 p.m. ET – Global Wrestling Weekly – Host Scott Casper gives weekly news and analysis centering around the global wrestling scene, including interviews, features, the latest news and results, plus a look back at the past.
5:30 p.m. ET – Judo Samsun Grand Prix 2015 Highlights – Highlights from the Judo Samsun Grand Prix Mar. 27-29 in Turkey.
6:00 p.m. ET – Fighting Spirit MMA Season 4 – Compilation of international fights from SFL, Legend FFC, M-1 and more.

Information:

www.FightNetwork.com
Twitter & Instagram @fightnet
www.Facebook.com/FightNetwork

Fight Network is a 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports. It airs programs focused on the entire scope of the combat sports genre, including live fights and up-to-the-minute news and analysis for boxing, mixed martial arts, kickboxing, professional wrestling, traditional martial arts, fight news, as well as fight-themed drama series, documentaries and feature films.

Below find highlights of this week’s programming:

Monday, Nov. 9
7:30 p.m. & 11:30 p.m. ET- Fight New Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.
9:00 p.m. ET – UBF Title: De Alba vs. Batres – Featuring Frank De Alba vs. Pablo Batres for the vacant UBF All American super featherweight title from Reading, PA.

Tuesday, Nov. 10
12:00 p.m. ET – UBF Title: De Alba vs. Batres – Featuring Frank De Alba vs. Pablo Batres for the vacant UBF All American super featherweight title from Reading, PA.
4:00 p.m. — KOTV Boxing Classics – Reliving memorable boxing fights from the past two decades.
8:30 p.m. ET – Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.

Wednesday, Nov. 11
10:00 p.m. ET – KOTV Boxing Classics – Reliving memorable boxing fights from the past two decades.
7:30 p.m. ET — Fight New Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.

Thursday, Nov. 12
8:30 p.m. ET – Fight New Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.

Saturday, Nov. 14
1:00 a.m. & 8:30 ET — Fight New Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.
3:30 p.m. ET – KOTV Weekly – Covering all the latest news in pro boxing, featuring full recent fights and highlights from the sweet science.

Sunday, Nov. 15
12:00 a.m. & 7:00 ET – KOTV Boxing Classics – Reliving memorable boxing fights from the past two decades.
2:30 a.m. & 5:30 ET – KOTV Weekly – Covering all the latest news in pro boxing, featuring full recent fights and highlights from the sweet science.
8:00 p.m. ET – Ultimate Classic Boxing: Persol vs. Olson – Featuring Johnny Persol vs. Bobo Olson from June 19, 1964 in Madison Square Garden in NYC.

Information:

www.FightNetwork.com

Twitter & Instagram @fightnet

www.Facebook.com/FightNetwork

Nov. 9, 2015 – Leading up to the highly anticipated world middleweight title showdown between Miguel Cotto and Canelo Alvarez – set for Saturday, November 21 and presented live by HBO Pay-Per-View® – HBO Sports will present the exclusive replay of two hard-hitting encounters that highlight the remarkable skill and power of these ring warriors.

On Friday, Nov. 13 at 11:00 p.m. (ET/PT) and Saturday, Nov. 14 at 10:00 a.m. (ET/PT), HBO2 will replay Cotto vs. Geale 2015 and Canelo vs. Kirkland 2015 back-to-back. This past June, Miguel Cotto displayed his Hall of Famer caliber ring skills against Daniel Geale with a 4th round knockout at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. This past May, Canelo Alvarez stopped James Kirkland in the 3rd round in an all-out slugfest at Minute Maid Park in Houston.

Both fights will also be available 24 hours a day to HBO On Demand®, HBO NOW® and HBO GO® subscribers.

Cotto vs. Canelo takes place Saturday, November 21 at The Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/ 6:00 p.m. PT.

THE FIGHT GAME WITH JIM LAMPLEY returns with a new edition WEDNESDAY, NOV. 11 (11:00-11:30 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. Hosted by the four-time Sports Emmy® winner, who has hosted HBO Boxing since joining the network in 1988, the show is a provocative, engaging and informative experience that delves into intriguing storylines, newsmakers and issues that are top-of-mind in boxing.

Other HBO playdates: Nov. 15 (11:30 a.m., 5:40 a.m.), 17 (9:30 a.m., 11:15 p.m.), 21 (12:30 p.m.) and 23 (5:55 p.m., 5:00 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates: Nov. 13 (10:30 a.m., 8:00 p.m.), 14 (1:15 a.m.), 19 (2:30 p.m., 10:00 p.m.), 21 (5:30 p.m.) and 27 (7:30 p.m., 1:00 a.m.), and Dec. 5 (9:10 a.m.)

The show will also be available on HBO NOW, HBO GO and HBO On Demand.

Highlights of this edition of THE FIGHT GAME include: Lampley’s one-on-one interview with rising superstar Canelo Alvarez, currently in training for his Nov. 21 mega-fight with Miguel Cotto; a look at the implications of the Nov. 7 Timothy Bradley Jr.-Brandon Rios welterweight showdown; and a review of the knockout victories of Gennady “GGG” Golovkin and Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez. In addition, Max Kellerman and Bernard Hopkins join Lampley on the set, and Lampley presents an all-new Gatti list and FIGHT GAME pound-for-pound compilation.

Immediately following the show’s debut on Nov. 11, fight fans can log on to hbo.com for an exclusive overtime segment hosted by Lampley.

LONDON (9 NOVEMBER) British middleweight champion Nick Blackwell has been seeing a sports psychologist ahead of his November 14 title defence against Jack Arnfield in the hope that weekly sessions will eradicate a tendency to start slow in fights.

Blackwell won the Lonsdale belt in May with a stunning seventh-round stoppage of John Ryder at a sold-out O2 Arena, but had to rally back from a slow start to do so. He then experienced the same kind of start in July, when successfully defending his belt with a brutal one-punch knockout of Damon Jones in Derby, and has since gone looking for answers.

“I’ve been seeing a sports psychologist to see if he can get in my head and give me reasons why I’m not starting fast in fights,” said the 24-year-old, who meets Arnfield at Bristol’s City Academy this Saturday night.

“Gary Lockett (trainer) persuaded me to go and try it, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. Gary gave me a contact number for a guy who’s in Cardiff, not far from where I stay, and I thought I would try it.

“I didn’t think it would work, but it’s actually helping me a lot. It helped me after just one session. We’ll see how much impact it has on me when I fight, but I’m hopeful. It’s been really interesting.

“We’re not just talking about boxing. We’re talking about everything. He gets right inside my head and explores every aspect of my life and gets me to talk about how I feel about it. I’ve never had anything like that before. It’s only going to benefit me. It’s not going to make me any worse. I think it will give me a mental edge.”

Though he’s recently questioned his own starting pace, nobody can ever accuse Blackwell of fading down the stretch. If anything, he’s renowned for his ability to outlast opponents and always comes on strong in the later rounds. And it’s this ability to finish on top that Blackwell feels will be the difference when he faces Arnfield on Saturday night.

“I want to go in there and stop my opponent,” said the Trowbridge man. “I never want to go the 12 rounds. But I don’t go looking for a knockout, either.

“I’ve always had power, but never really used it in the right way. Whenever you go in there and try to get rid of someone, you load up on everything and become predictable. You tire and make it harder on yourself. If it comes, it comes. I don’t mind going a hard 12 rounds. I’ve done it before. I’m used to doing that.

“I have that last man standing mentality. I like to win fights by knowing I outlasted my opponent and was the tougher fighter. If we had the option to go back to the days of 15-round fights, I’d be all for it. It would suit me down to the ground.”

*** For tickets to BANG BANG: Blackwell vs. Arnfield, please contact the Ticketline Box Office on 0844 888 4402, the Sanigar Events Box Office on 0117 949 6699 or visit www.hennessysports.com ***

*** Blackwell vs. Arnfield will be televised live and exclusively on Channel 5 from 10pm, Saturday, November 14 ***

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VERONA, NY (November 9, 2015) — Undefeated former World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight world champion NICHOLAS “Axe Man” WALTERS returns to the ring to take on granite-fisted Top-10 contender JASON “El Canito” SOSA in a 10-round junior lightweight rumble. Walters vs. Sosa will take place on Saturday, December 19, at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, NY. Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Peltz Boxing Promotions and Warriors Boxing Promotions, Walters vs. Sosa will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark, beginning at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT. Doors will open at 6:00 p.m. ET. The telecast will also feature Bryant “By-By” Jennings vs. Luis “The Real King Kong” Ortiz in a 12-round heavyweight battle for the WBA interim Heavyweight title. That fight will be presented by Golden Boy Promotions, in association with Gary Shaw Productions.

Walters and Sosa boast a combined record of 44-1-3 (35 KOs) — a winning percentage of 92% — with 80% of their victories coming by way of knockout.

“I am training hard in Panama. I know how important this fight is and I will be in optimum physical condition,” said Walters. “My team has been studying video of my opponent Sosa. I cannot wait to leave Panama, get into Verona, New York and get inside the ring. Boxing is my passion.”

“First, I would like to thank God for all that he has done for me in my life. I also would like to thank Russell Peltz, Top Rank and HBO,” said Sosa. “I would also like to thank Nicholas Walters for giving me the opportunity to fight on December 19th. He is a very strong fighter and the toughest opponent that I have faced. But I am up for the challenge. I have a great team and they are getting me in the best shape of my life and making sure that I am mentally and physically ready to come away with the win. I am sure we are both ready for war and fans are not going to want to miss this.”

“I believe this will be the final Fight of the Year candidate for 2015,” said Carl Moretti, Vice President of Top Rank. “The making of this fight is the product of the right decision made at the right time by all the right people.”

Walters (26-0, 21 KOs), from Montego Bay, Jamaica, has won 11 of his last 13 fights by stoppage. He captured the vacant WBA featherweight title on December 12, 2012, knocking out Daulis Presscott (26-1, 19 KOs) in the seventh round. He successfully defended the title three times during his three year reign — all by knockout — stopping Alberto Garza, former two-division world champion Vic Darchinyan and 2012 Fighter of the Year and former four-division world champion Nonito Donaire in the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds, respectively. A former amateur standout who collected gold medals at the 2007 Pan American Games Qualifier III and the 2005 and 2007 Caribbean Championships, Walters is known for his expert boxing skills and movement and two-fisted punching power that are at a caliber of a much higher weight class. In his last fight, on June 13 at Madison Square Garden, Walters was forced to vacate the title when he failed to make the weight limit by one pound. However, he emerged victorious, winning a unanimous decision over the previously undefeated Top-10 contender Miguel Marriaga.

Sosa (18-1-3, 14 KOs), from Camden, NJ, enters this fight riding a four-year, 17-bout unbeaten streak which includes 13 consecutive knockout victories dating back to 2012! Many local fans, who flock to his fights, consider Sosa to be one of the best fighters to come out of Camden since Dwight Qawi. Sosa’s been a fan favorite since turning pro in 2009 because of his exciting and aggressive style, strong punching power and an average length of bouts of under four rounds. He is currently world rated No. 8 by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and No. 13 by the WBO.

Host of the event, the Oneida Nation’s Turning Stone Resort Casino, continues to distinguish itself as a premier destination for blockbuster boxing matches. The December 19 card will mark Turning Stone Resort Casino’s 16th nationally televised boxing event in less than two years, cementing the resort as a mecca for knockout televised fights. Located in Upstate New York, the four-season destination resort offers world-class entertainment and gaming, award-winning accommodations, a diverse mix of restaurants, luxury spas and several nightlife options.

Professional media requesting credentials for then December 19 event must contact Kelly Abdo, Turning Stone Resort Casino Public Relations Manager at (315) 366-9291 or kelly.abdo@turningstone.com.

Tickets will go on sale in early November. Additional ticket information will be announced soon.

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, www.hbo.com/boxing, www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.garyshawproductions.com and www.turningstone.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/trboxing, www.facebook.com/trboxeo, www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/Gary-Shaw-Productions, www.facebook.com/TurningStoneResort or www.facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/trboxing, www.twitter.com/trboxeo, www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/GaryShawBoxing, www.twitter.com/TurningStone or twitter.com/hboboxing. Use the hashtags #WaltersSosa #JenningsOrtiz to join the conversation on Twitter.

AUSTIN, TX (November 8, 2015) – Undefeated super-featherweight sensation, Mario Barrios (12-0, 7 KOs), has an opponent named for his upcoming bout this Tuesday November 10, 2015 at the Austin City Music Hall in Austin, Texas. Barrios, who’ll be making his Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on Fox Sports 1 debut, steps in the ring with Enrique Tinoco (15-2-2, 11 KOs), his toughest test as a professional fighter.

Riding a 4-fight winning streak, all coming by way of knockout, Tinoco is a major step up in class for Barrios. Tinoco has victories over three undefeated fighters, two of which had 14-0 records. With a tough test ahead of him, Barrios give his thoughts on his matchup with Tinoco.

“I’ve had a great camp and I’m well prepared for this difficult challenge,” said Mario Barrios who resides in San Antonio, Texas. “I’m ready to fight the best possible opponents out there. I know Tinoco is dangerous, but so am I. These are the type of fights that I must win to take my career to the next level and I can’t wait to let my hands go. I love the fact that I’m fighting this tough of an opponent this early in my career. It’s only going to make me better.”

Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) TOE-TO-TOE TUESDAYS on Fox Sports 1 and BOXEO DE CAMPEONES on FOX Deportes will air the event live beginning at 9 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. PT. In the main-event, Alejandro “Cobrita” Gonzalez Jr. (25-2-2, 15 KOs) will meet Karim Guerfi (22-3, 6 KOs) in a 10-round Bantamweight bout.

Tickets priced at $125, $85, $75, $45 and $25, not including applicable fees, for this live event, which is promoted by Leija*Battah Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased by calling Leija*Battah Promotions at 210-979-3302. Tickets can also be purchased at the Austin City Music Hall box office.

By Bart Barry

Saturday in a Thomas & Mack Arena that was not sold out, American welterweight Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley and his new trainer, Teddy Atlas, combined to retire American Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios after dropping him twice, in round 9. The fight happened on HBO, a network that completed its three-year and 180-degree perspective-pivot on Bradley by celebrating Bradley’s new choice of trainer and Bradley’s new trainer with the enthusiasm of a rookie talent recruiter selling a prospect to Google.

Yes, the makeover is exaggerated, but let us play along for a couple reasons like: Tim’s a good guy, and we don’t have much of a choice because we’re going to be fed a Bradley-Atlas-union feast long after we push ourselves back from the table, hands waving in sated, otiose resistance.

If there’s a gigantic difference between the marketing of the Bradley-Atlas relationship and the Miguel Cotto-Freddie Roach relationship, it is not apparent. Both trainer narratives brought electrical charges to stalled products: Cotto, having been decisioned by Floyd Mayweather and Austin Trout, was out of the pay-per-view business unless something more than cosmetic might be done. A few more tattoos, a lot more hotpink, a goofy boy friend’s weightloss, an unknown handler from Cuba, improved English – these were insubstantial product improvements when set against knockout losses to Antonio Margarito and Manny Pacquiao and a two-fight losing streak. Enter Coach Freddie: what chemistry! what trust! what rediscovery of the left hook! my goodness!

Those enhancements, along with an opponent on the downside of a six-loss career, and the new and improved product was done with infomercials and ready to ship. Cotto then blazed through the tissuepaper of Sergio Martinez’s knee(s), became the linear middleweight champion of the world and perfected his pronunciation of an English phrase he learned early in ESL tutelage: “A-side.” (The ‘SL’ in ESL may be inaccurate, we now learn: the nurses in the Rhode Island hospital where apparently El Gran Campeón Puertorriqueño was born surely brought English to the young man’s ears early.) All the Cotto product relaunch lacked was a mandatory title defense against a hopeless opponent, a chance to remind viewers Cotto reminded them of anyone from Mike Tyson to Benny Leonard, old timers, in other words, who reminded us of the old Miguel Cotto – neither the guy who took a knee against Margarito nor the guy pulped by Pacquiao but the warrior who cracked Paulie Malignaggi’s face – and Daniel “Real Deal” Geale strode on the set in June.

That match brought the hundredth or so chance for viewers to squint for insights at a fight whose outcome not one aficionado doubted. Anymore, an engaged aficionado, an endangered mammal whose ranks continue thinning as its hungerstrikers perish from malnourishment, gets encouraged by broadcasters to watch fights the way an NFL scout investigates combines or a Major Leaguer stares at his radar gun. Since the matchmaking and broadcasting are universally ironic – in the rhetorical sense of meaning other than what they state – aficionados, uniquely endowed with the talent and opportunities for cynicism, cynically derive from results whatever they expect to see.

It would be tragic if it were not, in its way, an intriguing adaptation: As if lifelong basketball fans deprived of watching their favorite NBA teams play one another derived, instead, fantasy basketball teams assembled according to height and vertical leap and whatever glowing commentary Charles Barkley had about players, and then set these fantasy teams loose on high school playgrounds, where they regularly mauled their teenage opponents, leaving the financially interested broadcasters of these contests to say of LeBron James dunking over a 5-foot-3 schoolboy freshman, “Looking at that dominant performance by James, one immediately thinks of Dr. J in the 1983 finals against the Lakers!”

Would such a derivative league survive? Doubtlessly it would. Would it thrive? Doubtlessly it wouldn’t.

None of this describes, quite, what happened Saturday, so much as it describes what might happen in Bradley’s next match, which will not be against Canelo Alvarez, of all absurd suggestions. Bradley beat down Rios more effectively than anticipated. But here we go again: Was Bradley disproportionately improved, or was Rios, career property of promoter Top Rank and its peerless matchmaking, disproportionately spent before the bell?

A quick memory might be instructive. The first time I interviewed Bob Arum, in 2004, I asked him if Top Rank could select a prospect on one criterion alone, what that criterion would be.

“Does he dissipate between fights?” said Arum immediately.

Setting aside how much smarter that answer is than what Richard Schaefer or any of Al Haymon’s subsequent puppets might say, it underlines boldly how closely Top Rank considers its fighters between matches, which is a roundabout way of imparting how unsurprised Top Rank likely was by how helpless Brandon Rios looked Saturday. That is not an indictment of Timothy Bradley or his new trainer. It really isn’t. They prepared for a much larger version of the Brandon Rios who, in 2011, blitzed both Miguel Acosta and Urbano Antillon, surely, and Bradley did in fact look better.

It’s a partial indictment, though, of the silliness that happened during the telecast, the spiraling embellishment that seems modern broadcasting’s default reaction to the predictable unevenness of uneven contests. Couched in the false humility of the conditional tense – could it be? would it have been? were it possible . . . – the intended seeding of the idea finds its roots and caretaking in whatever follows the humblefeint, slipping right past the viewer’s lowered guard. It’s not meanspirited mischief, no, but neither is it disinterested.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

Tyron Zeuge (17-0, 10 KOs) is confident of overcoming what he describes as the toughest challenge of his fledgling career when he takes on domestic rival Eduard Gutknecht (28-3-1, 11 KOs) for the IBF International and WBO Intercontinental Super Middleweight titles on November 21 at the TUI Arena in Hannover, Germany.

The 23 year-old talent, who is coming off the back of a convincing points victory over Nikola Sjekloca in April, aims to move closer to a World title opportunity by beating the former European Light Heavyweight Champion.

‘’This will be the toughest challenge of my career so far,’’ confirms the Berlin-boxer. ‘’Gutknecht has been involved in many big fights against good opposition, so in terms of experience he is clearly ahead of me.

‘’But I’m confident in my own ability. Anyone who has seen me fight will know what I can do and where my strengths lie. I believe I have the better overall package and that will be the deciding factor in this fight.

‘’It has always been my goal to fight for World titles, and this will be another big step forward for me. After my performance against Sjekloca, many people said I was ready, but I leave that decision with my trainer and promoter. I know my time will come and when it does I will be ready!’’

In the opposing corner is a man who has already challenged for World honours. In 2010, Gutknecht went the distance with former WBO 168 lbs titlist Robert Stieglitz before moving up to light heavyweight. Now, back down to his original weight and with experience on his side, the fighter from Gifhorn is confident he can derail Zeuge’s promising career and renew his own World title ambitions.

‘’I think this fight has come too early for Zeuge,’’ said the 33 year-old. ‘’I’ve seen and experienced a lot in my career, whereas he is young and relatively inexperienced.

‘’I hold every advantage. I’m back at my best weight and I’m feeling stronger than ever, plus Hannover is within striking distance of my hometown Gifhorn so I will have the home support pushing me forward. This is a fight I can’t lose, and after I beat Zeuge, I want another shot at the World title.’’

The IBF International and WBO Intercontinental Championship contest between Tyron Zeuge and Eduard Gutknecht provides chief support for ‘King’ Arthur Abraham’s WBO World Super Middleweight title defence against Martin Murray. Tickets are available online via tickethall.de and eventim.de.

TACOMA, Wash. – A razor-sharp Dashon Johnson claimed the vacant WBA-NABA United States Super Middleweight championship by defeating Mike Gavronski by TKO in the main event of Brian Halquist Productions Battle at the Boat 103 Saturday at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma.

The bout was stopped by the ringside doctor 1 second into the ninth round.

Johnson (18-18-3, 4 KOs) floored Gavronski late in the eighth round with a right. A dazed and bloodied Gavronski was able to get to his feet and survive a late flurry and managed to make it out of the round, but the bout was waved off at the start of the ninth, giving Johnson a victory in their rematch and the championship.

Gavronski (20-2-1, 13 KOs) won the first meeting against Johnson by unanimous decision on Jan. 9.

The rematch saw a much more active Johnson control the pace of the fight from opening bell.

Gavronski suffered a cut to the right side of his head early in the first round due to an accidental headbutt.

A solid left hook by Gavronski in the seventh round was his best punch up to that point. The shot perked the crowd up, but also seemed to ignite Johnson, who continued to be the aggressor in the bout leading to the knockdown the following round.

Isaac Tadeo (6-0-0, 3 KOs) remained undefeated by scoring a thrilling six-round unanimous decision over a game Cameron Sevilla-Rivera (6-2-1, 5 KOs) in the semi-main event. The judge’s scored the 158-pound bout 58-56, 58-56, 60-54.

Tacoma’s Will Hughes and Chicago’s Sean Gee put on a slugfest in their four-round light welterweight contest, with both figthers taking turns teeing off on the other with little defense being offered up.

Hughes (5-3, 3 KOs) emerged as the victor (40-36, 40-35, 40-35).

Also on the undercard Isaiah Najera (2-1-0) defeated Chris Wheaton by unanimous decision (40-36, 40-36, 40-36) in a match-up of 117 pounders, while Fatlum Zhuta (1-0-1, KO) made short work of Daryl Gardner with a first-round knockout (1:26).

Boxing returns to the Emerald Queen Casino on Jan. 15 when Brian Halquist Productions presents Battle at the Boat 104.

For more information please visit www.Halquistproductions.com.

Battle at the Boat 103 results
WBA-NABA US Super Middleweight title
Dashon Johnson (18-18-3, 4 KOs) d. Mike Gavronski (20-2-1, 13 KOs)

Semi-Main Event
158 – Isaac Tadeo (6-0-0, 3 KOs) d. Cameron Sevilla-Rivera (6-2-1, 5 KOs)

140 – Will Hughes (5-3-0, 3 KOs) d. Sean Gee (2-3-0), unanimous decision (38-35, 38-36, 38-36)
127 – Jeremy McCleary (8-1-0) d. Heath Cline (0-6-0), unanimous decision (40-35, 40-35, 40-35)
160 – Fatlum Zhuta (1-0-1, KO) d. Daryl Gardner (2-7-1, 2 KOs), knockout (first round, 1:26)
117 – Isaiah Najera (2-1-0) d. Chris Wheaton (0-2-0), unanimous decision (40-35, 40-35, 40-35)

###

ABOUT BRIAN HALQUIST
Brian Halquist Productions is the Northwest premiere fight promotion company creator of the famed “Battle at the Boat” boxing series promoting more than 18 years and 100 fights at the Emerald Queen Casino. BHP has also built the largest professional MMA series on the USA’s west coast with “CageSport MMA” promoting more than 40 fights. Brian Halquist Productions has promoted events for ESPN, ShowTime and HBO and featured on Showtime’s historic boxing event in St Lucia, West Indies. Brian Halquist Productions has been promoting fights and concerts for over 30 years in the Pacific Northwest.

LAS VEGAS (Nov. 7, 2015) – It was cold outside, the temperature dipping into the low 50s, but the elements did not affect unbeaten Antoine “Action” Douglas, however, as the talented world-ranked middleweight turned up the heat and impressively knocked out Les Sherrington in the fourth round in the main event of a ShoBox: The New Generation quadrupleheader Friday live on SHOWTIME.

Douglas (19-0-1, 13 KOs), of Burke, Va., dropped Sherrington (35-8, 19 KOs), of Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia, five times before the one-sided fight for the WBO International 160-pound title was stopped at 1:02 of the fourth. The quick, hard-hitting Douglas dropped Sherrington one time in the first and second rounds, two times in the third and once in the fourth.

In the co-feature from the specially-constructed ring outside the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center (DLVEC) across from the D Las Vegas, Ukrainian southpaw Taras “Real Deal” Shelestyuk (13-0, 8 KOs), of Los Angeles, Calif., pitched a near-10-round shutout over Aslanbek Kozaev (26-2-1, 7 KOs), of Vladikavkaz, Russia, to capture the WBO-NABO Regional Welterweight title. A former amateur standout and 2012 Olympic Games Bronze Medalist, Shelestyuk, won by the scores of 100-90 twice and 99-91.

In other results on a card promoted by GH3 Promotions and Banner Promotions, “Killa” Keenan Smith (9-0, 3 KOs), of Philadelphia, won a unanimous eight-round decision over Benjamin “Da Blaxican” Whitaker (10-2, 2 KOs), of San Antonio, Texas, in a competitive welterweight scrap and “Tsunami Sam” Teah (7-1, 2 KOs) of Philadelphia scored a unanimous decision over previously undefeated O’Shaquie “Ice Water” Foster (8-1, 5 KOs) of Orange, Texas, in a lightweight match. It was the 135th time a boxer suffered his first loss on ShoBox.
For Douglas, it was his fifth consecutive victory on ShoBox and likely may have earned him a spot on a future SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® card. The 10 fighters who’ve appeared five or more times on ShoBox have all gone on to challenge for a world title.

“Antoine Douglas is the perfect example of what we do in the ShoBox series. We build fighters. We develop them from prospect to contenders,” said Gordon Hall, Executive Producer of ShoBox: The New Generation and Senior Vice President of Production, SHOWTIME Sports. “We’ve seen Antoine grow. He started as a promising prospect, and we matched him really tough and each and every time he stepped up to the task. Tonight, he graduated from ShoBox with a spectacular performance; there are no doubts he is now a contender.”

“We got what Antoine Douglas needed: The type of utterly dominant performance that makes you want to see him against the best middleweights. Tonight was Antoine’s graduation from ShoBox. Now he’ll move up to bigger and better things,” said ShoBox expert analyst Steve Farhood afterward:

Douglas went 10 rounds for the second time and upped his winning streak to five since boxing a draw in July 2014.

“They said this was my graduation day, time for a cap and gown, so this was definitely a big win,” said Douglas, a top amateur who made it to the 2011 U.S. Olympic Trials and was the WBA’s ninth-ranked contender going in. “It was a great experience fighting on ShoBox and I appreciate everything they’ve done for me getting me ready to go to the next level. Now, it’s time for me to take the next step.

“I expected to win, probably by knockout, but I didn’t expect it to be this way. I expected Sherrington to be tougher, more prepared. I think my jab was the key. It set him up for all the big shots I landed with my right hand and left hook.

“I knew I’d be faster than him. I was very prepared. One good thing I’m happy about is how I kept my composure.”

Sherrington, who was fighting outside of Australia and making his U.S. and 2015 debuts, came in having won eight of his last nine fights, including his last pair. But the WBA’s No. 12 contender was no match for Douglas.

“Antoine Douglas is very good and he will go on to really big things in this sport,” Sherrington said.

“I’m not making excuses, but I was freezing and could never really warm up. And then he caught me cold. I came here to reach a lifelong dream of mine but it was not meant to be. I got welcomed into the big leagues in a big hurry and in the worst way. All credit goes to Douglas for that.”

Farhood was impressed with Shelestyuk, a former amateur standout. “[Taras] Shelestyuk looked like the most mature fighter on the card,” Farhood said. “He has a wonderful amateur pedigree, he was an Olympic Bronze Medalist. He fought a fighter that made him fight and throw a lot of punches — he averaged 85 punches a round. He dominated the fight from the first round on and he looked like the world-class fighter that he was developed to be.”

Shelestyuk utilized his 3½-inch height advantage to dominate the game but outclassed Kozaev. “This was a good fight for me. I’m so happy. I won my first pro title, went 10 rounds for the first time and won all the rounds,” Shelestyuk said.

“The guy was a super tough opponent. I thought I was going to knock him out in a few of the rounds but he took all my hard punches. He was a warrior and had a lot more experience than me.”

Kozaev, making his first start in 18 months, started fast but got outhustled and outworked from the second round on. “He’s a good fighter and I gave my best, but having not fought for such a long time was a big factor,” he said.

Smith overcame a nasty cut over the left eye from an unintentional headbutt in the sixth but came back to score a knockdown in the seventh. He triumphed by the scores of 79-73 and 78-74 twice.

“Keenan Smith overcame a very bad cut to win this fight,” Farhood said. “He scored a knockdown that was unexpected late in the fight. I thought that it was a very close fight, but Smith did enough in the early rounds to win. He’s definitely a prospect that will get better.”

Smith was fighting for the fourth time this year after a three-year hiatus. He was less than enthusiastic afterward. “This was a rough camp for me. My mother died. I dedicated this fight to her and really wanted to get the knockout,” said Smith who wore all-pink trunks in her honor.

“I’m not all that happy because I felt I could have finished him even though my left shoulder was hurting and I was not 100 percent. I also couldn’t see much at all out of my eye after the cut.

“But tonight, it was like a welterweight fighting a junior welterweight. I weighed in at 141 and he was at 147. But going eight rounds for the first time was definitely a good thing. I just feel like I should have finished much stronger. The weather was not a problem.”

Whitaker had a three-fight winning streak end. “The scoring was way off. It was a much closer fight than that,” he said. “I don’t understand how he could get warned the whole fight for holding, but never get a point taken away. The knockdown wasn’t even a knockdown. It was more of a trip. The ref asked me if I could continue and I was like, ‘I wasn’t even hurt, not even wobbled a little bit.’

“I would love to fight him again.”

Teah won the opening bout of the telecast by the scores of 79-73 and 77-75 twice. “This was an upset,” Farhood said. “Teah beat a fighter who had been a tough amateur. The problem for O’Shaquie Foster is that he looked like an amateur. He didn’t adjust to the pro game. He didn’t show enough strength and enough determination. He was a disappointment and [Sam] Teah took advantage of that.”

Teah, making his eight-round debut, won his third in a row. “I’m ecstatic and couldn’t ask for anything better,” he said. “This is definitely my biggest win and I definitely felt I won. I could have done more, but I did enough. This was a great win for my team. Working 10 hours a day paid off for me.

“This was my first time going eight rounds and I felt strong. To beat an unbeaten fighter was huge. The first six rounds I coasted. The last two rounds fatigue set in and I started to feel the weather, but I feel great now.”

If anyone of the eight boxers froze under the bright lights it was Foster. “For some reason I just wasn’t myself in there,” a visibly disappointed Foster said. “I could have done so much more but I just didn’t throw enough punches. It’s time for me to regroup and get it together for the next time.”
All but Douglas were making their ShoBox debuts.
The ShoBox quadrupleheader will re-air this week as follows:

DAY CHANNEL
Monday, Nov. 9, 10 p.m. ET/PT SHOWTIME EXTREME

Friday’s four-fight telecast will be available at SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® beginning today/Saturday, Nov. 7.

Barry Tompkins called the ShoBox action from ringside with Farhood and former world champion Raul Marquez serving as expert analysts. The executive producer was Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.

About ShoBox: The New Generation
Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young talent matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to televise exciting, crowd-pleasing and competitive matches while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. Some of the growing list of the 63 fighters who have appeared on ShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes: Andre Ward, Deontay Wilder, Erislandy Lara, Shawn Porter, Gary Russell Jr., Lamont Peterson, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Omar Figueroa, Nonito Donaire, Devon Alexander, Carl Froch, Robert Guerrero, Timothy Bradley, Jessie Vargas, Juan Manuel Lopez, Chad Dawson, Paulie Malignaggi, Ricky Hatton, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Williams and more.

About Downtown Las Vegas Events Center
Located at the corner of Third St. and Carson Ave. across from the D Las Vegas, the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center can accommodate up to 11,000 guests and features state-of-the-art stage, sound and lighting. The open-air design is inviting to both tourists and locals and offers the perfect spot for concerts, conventions and other large-scale events. Embracing the uninhibited spirit of Downtown Las Vegas, the new venue plays host to a line-up of curated events including premier concerts, food festivals and more. The venue is also the first entertainment arena in Las Vegas to accept Bitcoin as currency. For more information, visit www.dlvec.com or follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @DLVEC.

Kevin Bizier earned a title shot with IBF champion Kell Brook by stopping Fredrick Lawson in round ten of their scheduled 12-round Welterweight bout at the Micosoukee Resort in Miami, Florida.

Bizier, 146.5 lbs of Quebec City, CAN beat down Lawson until the bout was stopped in the corner at 2:59 of round ten.

Bizier is 25-2 with 17 knockouts. Lawson, 145.6 lbs of Accra, GHA is 24-1.

Walter Castillo and Keita Obara battle to a 12-round majority draw in a Super Lightweight bout.

Scores were 115-113 for Obara and 114-114 twice.

Obara, 139.4 lbs of Tokyo, JAP outlanded Castillo 230-166 but is now 15-1-1. Castillo, 139.6 lbs of Managua, NIC is 26-3-1.