DATE: Friday, Dec. 19

SITE: Pepsi Coliseum
Quebec, Canada

TELEVISION: SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION
SHOWTIME
LIVE at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT (Delayed on the West Coast)

PRINCIPALS: WBC Light Heavyweight World Championship – 12 Rounds
Adonis Stevenson vs. Dmitriy Sukhotskiy
24-1, 20 KOs 22-2, 16 KOs
Quebec, Canada Barnaul, Russia

IBF Welterweight Elimination Bout – 12 Rounds
Kevin Bizier vs. Jo Jo Dan
23-1, 16 KOs 33-2, 18 KOs
Quebec, Canada Montreal, Canada

IBF Super Middleweight Bout – 10 Rounds
Andre Dirrell vs. Derek Edwards
23-1, 16 KOs 27-3-1, 14 KOs
Flint, Mich. Las Vegas, Nev.

Light Heavyweights – 10 Rounds
Artur Beterbiev vs. Jeff Page Jr.
6-0, 6 KOs 15-0, 10 KOs
Montreal, Canada by way of Russia Andover, Kansas

QUEBEC CITY (Dec. 16, 2014) – WBC Light Heavyweight Champion Adonis “Superman” Stevenson and Russian challenger Dmitry “The Hunter” Sukhotskiy held a main event final press conference on Tuesday in Quebec City, Canada, as they prepare for their showdown on SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION this Friday, Dec. 19.

Stevenson (24-1, 20 KOs) and Sukhotskiy (22-2, 16 KOs) will square off in the 12-round main event of a SHOWTIME quadrupleheader that begins live at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) from Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec.

Joining the main event fighters at Tuesday’s press conference was super middleweight contender Andre “The Matrix” Dirrell (23-1, 16 KOs), who will face Derek “The Black Lion” Edwards (27-3-1, 14 KOs) in a 12-round IBF super middleweight elimination bout.

Here’s what the participants had to say on Tuesday:

ADONIS STEVENSON:
“This was probably the best training camp that I’ve had. We’re ready for this fight. We’re not underestimating him. I know he’s coming to fight and I will be ready.

“I know he’s a tough contender. And I know he’s training very hard for this fight. He’s going to try to surprise me, but I’m very prepared because I know the contender is always going to try to take your belt.

“I’m going to win by knockout. Emmanuel (Steward) always told me that knockouts sell, so I’m going to win by knockout. It’s going to be a short night on SHOWTIME.

“My plan is to face (Sergey) Kovalev in 2015. But first we need to focus and win this fight. Then we can talk 2015.”

DMITRY SUKHOTSKIY:
“He looked nervous at the podium, like he wasn’t ready to fight. But I am ready to fight.

“I’m not going to say that he is underestimating me because I’ll show that in the ring. I came here to win; I came here to bring the world title back to Russia.

“He has flaws and it is our job to find them and find a way to win the fight.

“It’s always different when you fight a southpaw, but we prepared for it. We prepared for everything that can happen in the ring.

“I’m ready to fight. I’m here to make a statement. This isn’t my first time fighting for a world title. Only this time, I will win.”

ANDRE DIRRELL:
“I’m here to do a job and it will get done.

“It’s good to be back. This is my third fight in six months, and before that I fought three times in the past four years. I’m on a very busy schedule right now and it feels good.

“I’m just looking forward to the fight. It will put me in a high ranking in the IBF and bring me this much closer to challenging for that title pretty soon.

“I want that rematch with Carl Froch. He’s the IBF Champion and a win on Friday will bring me closer to fighting him again and proving that I beat him the first time.

“I’m excited to be here. It’s cold but it’s beautiful in Canada. I just can’t wait for the action to start.”

SUGAR HILL, Stevenson Trainer:
“This was the best training camp we’ve had. It was a fun training camp, and when you have a fun camp you learn a lot, you’re relaxed and you get better results.

“His attitude has been great. He’s happy and he’s ready to fight.

“Dmitry is a very sound fundamental fighter. He uses his jab very well and he likes to punch and get knockouts. His nickname is ‘The Hunter; so we’re expecting him to come forward. He’s not going to be bouncing around and moving and making it a boring fight.

“Adonis is a come-forward kind of boxer, but he can also move backwards and counterpunch. It’s going to be a strategic fight up until a certain point. As Adonis always says, ‘I’m going to wait for you to make a mistake and I’m going to catch you.’

“I’m looking forward to Dmitry making a mistake and Adonis capitalizing and catching him.

“I always see Adonis’ fights ending in knockouts. He’s such a tremendous puncher, he can move well, and he’s still learning. His boxing IQ is off the charts. He can think so fast in the ring. He can remember something from the first round in the ninth round and come back and capitalize on that.

“The original training was supposed to be in Detroit at the New Kronk Gym that was opened by my cousin, Sylvia Steward, Emmanuel’s daughter. The gym is open, but it’s just not ready. Some of the equipment was not ready in time so we continued the camp in Brampton, Canada.”

# # #

Stevenson vs. Sukhotskiy, a 12-round light heavyweight bout for Stevenson’s WBC Light Heavyweight World Championship, will air live on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) in the main event SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION from Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec City, Canada. In the co-feature, Jo Jo Dan will face Kevin Bizier in a 12-round IBF welterweight eliminator. Also on the card, Andre Dirrell will face Derek Edwards in a 12-round IBF super middleweight elimination bout and Artur Beterbiev will take on Jeff Page Jr. in a 10-round light heavyweight scrap. The event is presented by Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM) in association with Mise-O-Jeu and Videotron.

Tickets range from $25 to $250 and are on sale in the branches of the Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec (418) 691-7211 or 1 (800) 900-7469, online at www.billeteck.com, at GYM (514) 383-0666 or Boxing Club Champion (514) 376-0980.

NEW YORK (Nov. 18, 2014) –- An IBF super middleweight elimination bout between 168-pound contender Andre “The Matrix” Dirrell (23-1, 16 KOs), of Flint, Mich., and veteran spoiler Derek “The Black Lion” Edwards (27-3-1, 14 KOs), of Las Vegas, has been confirmed as a 12-round co-feature of a SHOWTIME BOXING: Special Edition quadrupleheader on Friday, Dec. 19, live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec City, Quebec.

For the switch-hitting Dirrell, the elimination bout for the IBF’s No. 2 position behind No. 1 James DeGale and champion Carl Froch will be his first start on SHOWTIME and fifth overall since getting injured against then-undefeated Arthur Abraham in his second Super Six World Boxing Classic fight on SHOWTIME on March 27, 2010.

Dirrell had scored a knockdown in the fourth and was comfortably ahead of the Armenian on all scorecards heading into 11th. About a minute into the round, Dirrell slipped on a wet canvas and Abraham blatantly hit him while he was down, knocking Dirrell out cold and resulting in Abraham being disqualified. Dirrell suffered neurological issues as a result of the punch, withdrew from the tournament and was sidelined for 21 months.

A fixture on SHOWTIME before the injury, Dirrell is quickly approaching the peak form he exhibited when he entered the Super Six and was regarded by many as one of boxing’s fastest-rising contenders. Dirrell has won his last five fights, three by stoppage.

“I’m excited to be back on the fast track and I’m ready to show that this is definitely where I belong,” Dirrell said. “It takes time to move back to the top, but I like to improve myself each time I step into the gym. I almost feel like I’ve been overworking myself in the gym to prove that I’m back.

“But I feel like I’m there and ready for a title shot. And, when the time comes to prove that I’m ready, I won’t leave any doubt.’’

A 2004 U.S. Olympic bronze medalist and the older brother of WBC Super Middleweight World Champion Anthony Dirrell, Andre scored a second-round TKO in his return to the ring on Dec. 30, 2011, but didn’t fight again until February 2013. He’s been victorious in both his fights in 2014, winning his last via fourth-round TKO over Nick Brinson on Oct. 8.

After blasting out Vladine Biosse two starts ago, the 31-year-old Dirrell called out IBF Champ Froch, who was the unbeaten WBC 168-pound champion when he dealt Dirrell his lone loss via a controversial, 12-round split-decision in his native England in the first Super Six fight for both fighters on Oct. 17, 2009.

“I know I won that fight against Froch,” Dirrell said. “I think everyone knows I won that fight. He’s the one opponent I want and the fact that he’s a world champion again is just icing on the cake. I don’t think I’ve ever been defeated and I want that title shot. Hopefully he doesn’t retire because I know the world wants to see that rematch.

“I want to fight the best at 168. I want to unify the division, but if my brother does that first then I will move up to 175. I have a lot of work to do in a little amount of time – I want to fight for about five more years – and if Anthony runs me out at 168 then I’ll go up to 175.”

Before Dirrell gets his shot at a title he must first defeat a power-punching opponent who has a knack for upsets.

“This guy may have power, but power-punchers are the best opponents for pure boxers, for slick guys like me,” Dirrell said. “That’s when I’m at my best. I’m not even looking at his power – his will and determination in the fight will be more important than his power.

“I know he’s going to be at his best when he steps in the ring on Dec. 19. He’s been in some tough fights, but I don’t think we’ve seen the best from him yet. I’m not worried about anything but getting the job done and I know I will when the time comes.”

Edwards, who once fought light heavyweight kingpin Adonis Stevenson when he was campaigning at 168 pounds, is coming off perhaps the most unlikely result of the year, a stunning 1:01, first-round knockout of previously-unbeaten, top-five ranked Badou Jack on ShoBox: The New Generation last Feb. 28 on SHOWTIME.

An extreme longshot going in, Edwards twice dropped Jack, the first coming with an overhand short right 32 seconds into the match. Moments later, Edwards registered another knockdown from a right followed by a glancing left hook. Jack stumbled to his feet but the referee had seen enough and waved off the bout.

“I’m definitely confident going in against Andre,” Edwards said. “He’s a different fighter than Jack. He had a good amateur background and fought some of the best super middleweights in the Super Six, but I see some things I can exploit in Andre. I know I’ll need to force the action on him and be the aggressor.

“A win like this would put a lot of other fighters on notice; let guys know that I can deal with the speed of a fighter like Andre and the power of a guy like Jack. And it would give me the confidence to fight anyone.’’

A “traveling underdog” who has fought from 161 to 185 pounds, Edwards, a native of Winston-Salem, N.C., is known for an ambidextrous style of fighting. Despite only six amateur bouts, he won his first 25 fights – more than 50 percent by knockout – after turning professional in October 2002.

And while he’s never faced an opponent with the speed, amateur pedigree and as naturally athletic as Dirrell, he knows that a second consecutive upset victory could forever change his life.

“I’ve never been this motivated for a fight,” said the 34-year-old Edwards. “A win like this would put a lot of things on the table, open up a lot of doors and opportunities. It’s definitely the biggest fight of my life.

“There’s no tomorrow. It’s just one night. I need to seize the moment and lay it all out on the line. This is my one big shot.”

In the main event on Dec. 19, hard-hitting WBC and The Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight World Champion Adonis “Superman” Stevenson (24-1, 20 KOs) will defend against Dmitry “The Hunter” Sukhotskiy (22-2, 16 KOs), of Russia.

Kevin Bizier (23-1, 16 KOs), of Quebec, will face the only man to defeat him, Canadian-based Romanian Jo Jo Dan (33-2, 18 KOs) in a 12-round IBF welterweight eliminator – the winner to face World Champion Kell Brook – in the second clash of a four-fight telecast. The opener will feature the SHOWTIME debut of two-time Russian Olympian Artur Beterbiev (6-0, 6 KOs), who twice beat WBO/WBA/IBF Champion Sergey Kovalev in the amateurs. Beterbiev meets fellow unbeaten Jeff Page Jr. (15-0, 10 KOs), of Andover, Kansas, in a 10-round light heavyweight scrap.

Tickets for an event presented by Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM) in association with Mise-O-Jeu and Videotron, range from $25 to $250 and are on sale in the branches of the Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec (418) 691-7211 or 1 (800) 900-7469, online at www.billeteck.com, at GYM (514) 383-0666 or Boxing Club Champion (514) 376-0980.

MONTREAL (Nov. 5, 2014) – Popular, hard-hitting WBC and The Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight World Champion Adonis “Superman” Stevenson (24-1, 20 KOs), of Montreal, will defend against top-10 contender Dmitry “The Hunter” Sukhotskiy (22-2, 16 KOs) of Russia, in the main event of a SHOWTIME BOXING: Special Edition® quadrupleheader Friday, Dec. 19, live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from the Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec City, it was formally announced Wednesday at a jam-packed press conference at NRJ Bell Media building in Montreal.

The final SHOWTIME boxing telecast of the year, presented by Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM) in association with Mise-O-Jeu and Videotron, will include three other fights: former world title challenger and super middleweight contender Andre Dirrell (23-1, 16 KOs), of Flint, Mich., will box an opponent to be announced in the co-feature, Kevin Bizier (23-1, 16 KOs), of Quebec, will rematch Canadian-based Romanian Jo Jo Dan (33-2, 18 KOs), in an IBF welterweight elimination fight and undefeated contender and two-time Russian Olympian Artur Beterbiev (6-0, 6 KOs) will face fellow unbeaten Jeff Page Jr. (15-0, 10 KOs) of Andover, Kan., in a 10-round light heavyweight match.

Tickets, ranging from $25 to $250 will go on sale next tomorrow, Thursday, Nov. 6, at 10 a.m. ET, in the branches of the Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec (418) 691-7211 or 1 (800) 900-7469, online at www.billeteck.com, at GYM (514) 383-0666 or Boxing Club Champion (514) 376-0980.

Here’s what Stevenson, Bizier, Dan, Beterbiev and Page had to say on Wednesday:

ADONIS STEVENSON, WBC and The Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight World Champion

“My hand has healed from the injury when I fought Fonfara. I’m healthy and I’m ready to go.

“Going 12 rounds was a good experience for me. I train for 12 rounds in the gym. Sometimes it’s good to go the distance and get the experience.

“Everybody brings their A-game because I’m the champ.

“I know I’m the king of the light heavyweight division and I know that everyone wants to take my belt. I’m going to train very hard.

“Sukhotskiy is a tough guy and he’s hoping to surprise me. I’ll prepare, my hands will be perfect and it will be a short night on SHOWTIME.”

JO JO DAN, Once-Beaten Welterweight Contender

“I’m hoping to fight with Kell Brook, but I’m concentrating 100 percent on the fight with Kevin Bizier. I’ve been waiting for this fight since I started boxing.

“I know he’s learned some things and has more experience since our first fight. But I also know him better now than when we first fought, so I think it’s going to be an exciting fight.

“If the knockout comes, it’s comes, but I always prepare for 12 rounds. If the chance is there, I won’t miss it. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t preparing for 12 rounds.

“I train 100 percent and I’m sure he’ll be in the best shape of his life. We’re looking to make the fight of the year in Quebec.”

KEVIN BIZIER, Once-Beaten Welterweight Contender

“If I want to win the world championship then I need to prepare for the best and the toughest fight of my life against [Jo Jo] Dan.

“It puts a little more pressure knowing that I could fight for a title if I win in December. But I’m focused on Dan and no one else. I’m just focusing on boxing. I’m not worried about stopping him.

“I learned to be more relaxed after our first fight. In the first fight I was going for the KO. I’m going to try to be more relaxed and use my jab this time around.”

ARTUR BETERBIEV, Former Amateur Standout And Undefeated Light Heavyweight

“I’m not worried about getting another knockout. It all depends on the strategy of the fight. I’m going to fight until the last round.

“With [Tavoris] Cloud I was preparing for 12 rounds and I could never have predicted that I would only box for four minutes. I was just doing my job and that’s what happened.

“I’m going to be more motivated for this fight because he’s undefeated. Every fight I go in the ring thinking that I’ve already lost to my opponent before. That way I won’t take my opponent lightly.

“The amateur career helped and I hope it will help me for the rest of my life. But at the same time I need to progress. I have a lot to learn in professional boxing and I’m looking forward to it.”

JEFF PAGE JR., Undefeated Light heavyweight

“No, I don’t think he’s overrated. He had a great amateur background and he went to the Olympics twice. He has beaten a lot of good fighters and he just beat Tavoris Cloud, so I think he’s a tough opponent.

“I have great hand speed and great footwork, but I know I can’t run from him like everyone else has. I’m ready to exchange – I have great power myself.

“I think him and his team are underestimating me, but I’m going to use that to my advantage. I’m going to come in and show him right away that I’m there to win, that I’m not an opponent.

“Being an underdog is absolutely a motivator for me. Everybody back home is going to be watching. If I win this fight big things are going to start happening for me and my team. Everyone will know who I am.

“I think my experience helps. He’s had a lot of amateur fights, but amateur and pro fights are a lot different. I’ve trained with a lot guys – I’ve been to Vegas, I’ve been to Chicago – and I’m getting ready to go to Big Bear. I have a lot of experience and I plan to use it.

“I train for knockouts but I’m ready to 10 rounds.”

NEW YORK (Nov. 5, 2014)–-SHOWTIME Sports will close out its 2014 boxing calendar with the return of WBC and The Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight World Champion Adonis “Superman” Stevenson as he defends his title against top-10 ranked Russian challenger Dmitry “The Hunter” Sukhotskiy in the main event of a SHOWTIME BOXING: Special Edition on Friday, Dec. 19, LIVE on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Stevenson will once again headline in his adopted home province of Quebec for his ninth consecutive fight and his fourth world title defense. The showdown will originate from Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec City and is presented by Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM) in association with Mise-O-Jeu and Videotron.

In the co-feature of the stacked quadrupleheader, former world title challenger and super middleweight contender Andre Dirrell (23-1, 16 KOs) will return to SHOWTIME for the first time since appearing in the Super Six World Boxing Classic in 2010. Dirrell will face an opponent to be announced in the super middleweight division.

Once-beaten Kevin Bizier (23-1, 16 KOs) will face the only man to defeat him, fellow welterweight contender Jo Jo Dan (33-2, 18 KOs), in a rematch of their 2013 split-decision showdown. The winner of Bizier-Dan II, a 12-round welterweight bout, will determine the mandatory challenger to IBF Welterweight World Champion Kell Brook.

In the opening bout of the telecast, undefeated light heavyweight contender and two-time Russian Olympian Artur Beterbiev (6-0, 6 KOs) will face fellow unbeaten Jeff Page Jr. (15-0, 10 KOs) in a 10-round 175-pound bout.

The 37-year-old Stevenson (24-1, 20 KOs) is coming off a hard-fought unanimous decision victory against Andrzej Fonfara in his SHOWTIME debut this past May 24 in which the champion was knocked down for just the second time in his career. Stevenson started strong, scoring two early knockdowns of his own and was cruising to an easy win until Fonfara battled back and floored the champ in the ninth round. The two went toe-to-toe from then until the final bell, with Stevenson prevailing with a convincing victory.

Stevenson, one of the most exciting and destructive fighters in boxing, had a breakout year in 2013. He won the WBC crown with a first-round knockout of Chad Dawson and then followed up that performance with two successful title defenses, against Tavoris Cloud and Tony Bellew, to close out one of the most impressive campaigns of the year.

Now, the Haitian-born slugger will face the 33-year-old Sukhotskiy (22-2, 16 KOs), a former world title challenger currently ranked No. 7 by the WBC and WBO, and No. 8 by the WBA. Sukhotskiy challenged for the WBO Light Heavyweight World Championship against then-champ Juergen Braehmer in 2009 and lost in the champ’s hometown in Germany.

Sukhotskiy, who has never been stopped, is currently riding a four-fight winning streak that features three knockouts. He’s just one fight removed from a career-best win, a fifth-round TKO of former world title challenger Eduard Gutknecht, and owns a 2011 second-round TKO over current IBF light heavyweight No. 1 contender Nadjib Mohammedi.

Ranked in the top 15 in all four sanctioning bodies (11th in the IBF), Sukhotskiy has fought in his native Russia for all but three of his professional bouts and has seven knockouts in his last nine fights.

Dirrell, of Flint, Mich., was one of boxing’s fastest-rising contenders entering the innovative Super Six tournament, which matched the top super middleweights in a round-robin tournament to determine the best in the division. Undefeated when he entered the tournament, Dirrell traveled to England in 2009 to challenge then-WBC champ Carl Froch in his hometown, losing a close, disputed 12-round split-decision.

In his next bout in the tournament, Dirrell faced then-unbeaten Arthur Abraham and was winning on all three judges’ scorecards when Abraham was disqualified in the 11th round for punching Dirrell while he was defenseless on the canvas after slipping on the wet surface. The former Olympic Bronze Medalist suffered neurological issues as a result of the punch, withdrew from the tournament and stepped away from boxing for 21 months.

The 31-year-old Dirrell, the older brother of WBC Super Middleweight World Champion Anthony Dirrell, is undefeated since his return to the ring, winning three of his four bouts by knockout. The switch-hitting southpaw has been called one of the most athletically gifted fighters of today. At this point in his career, he is looking to reassert himself as one of the top fighters in the sport.

Quebec’s Bizier, 30, a pro since 2008, was undefeated and the favored fighter heading into his first showdown with fellow contender Dan. The two battled for 12 action-packed rounds with Dan taking a split decision – 116-111, 114-1113 for Dan and 117-110 for Bizier. Dan controlled the early rounds; Bizier the later sessions of a thrilling fight.

Still a top contender at 147 pounds, Bizier has recorded consecutive knockouts in 2014 including his most recent performance, a first-round TKO of Laszlo Fazekas in Montreal this past September. Bizier is ranked No. 6 by the IBF and will get his first shot at a world title if he avenges the loss to Dan.

The 33-year-old Dan was born in Romania and has campaigned for most of his career in Canada. The only blemishes on the southpaw’s record are a pair of close, controversial decision losses to then-undefeated contender Selcuk Aydin – the first in 2010 and the second in 2011 – both in Aydin’s native Turkey.

Dan, whose full name is Ionut Dan Ion, has registered four consecutive wins since the 2011 loss to Aydin and is coming off a fifth-round TKO over Lukasz Janik on the Stevenson-Fonfara undercard in May.. A consensus top-10 fighter, Dan is currently ranked No. 2 in the IBF, No. 6 in the WBC and No. 8 in the WBA.

Beterbiev is fresh off a dominating second-round TKO of former IBF light heavyweight champ Tavoris Cloud on Sept. 27 in Montreal in which he floored the former champion four times in less than 4 minutes. An amateur standout who turned pro in June of 2013 and has campaigned exclusively in Canada, the highly regarded Beterbiev has knocked out all of his professional opponents in four rounds or less.

The 29-year-old Beterbiev, who holds two amateur victories over current WBO Light Heavyweight Champ Sergey Kovalev, is already ranked in the top-10 by the WBO (No. 10) after just six professional fights and 26 rounds of boxing.

The 24-year-old Page, of Andover, Kansas, is a former college linebacker. He turned professional in March 2013 and fought 10 times in nine months, facing limited opposition. Page has registered two consecutive knockouts and is coming off a fifth-round KO of Maxwell Taylor in October.

Tickets, ranging from $25.00 to $250.00, will go on sale next Thursday, Nov. 6, at 10:00 a.m. ET, in the branches of the Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec (418) 691-7211 or 1 (800) 900-7469, online at www.billeteck.com, at GYM (514) 383-0666 or Boxing Club Champion (514) 376-0980.

MONTREAL (October 29, 2014) – Boxing has its “Superman” — World Boxing Council (WBC) light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson — and from the same country, ironically, comes “Batman” — world super middleweight contender Schiller Hyppolite (13-0-1, 9 KOs).

The 28-year-old Hyppolite, like Stevenson, was born in Haiti and he also lives in Montreal. Hyppolite has won eight straight fights and is world rated by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) at No. 15, as well as No. 19 by the WBC.

The multi-talented boxer-puncher headlines a show November 21, presented by his promoter Camille Estephan’s company, Eye of the Tiger Management (EOTTM), streaming live in high definition on www.punchinggrace.com from Colisee Cardin in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec. Hyppolite faces Alan Campa (10-1, 7 KOs) in the 12-round main event for the vacant IBF North American and WBC Continental Americas 168-pound titles.

If not for a major attitude adjustment after suffering his lone loss as a professional in 2012, to then 7-0 Francy Ntetu by six-round split decision, Hyppolite would probably be a struggling journeyman instead of one of the hottest prospects in boxing, “Batman.”

“I was undisciplined when I lost that fight,” Hyppolite explained. “I was not doing well at that time, but I had an opportunity to spar for a month with Tavoris Cloud and that changed my life. I started doing what I was supposed to be doing to accomplish my goals in the ring. That changed everything and now I work hard every day in the gym. I’m definitely ‘The Next One’ out of Canada. I work so hard that I can’t see why I won’t be the next great fighter from up here.”

Cloud was preparing to fight living legend Bernard Hopkins, who Hyppolite not only idolizes but is somewhat similar to, style-wise, in the squared circle. “I would love to spar with Bernard Hopkins,” Schiller gushes. “He’s so smart in the ring. I’m sneaky like him; I move around a lot and make adjustments, too. I’m a boxer but can go to war when I have to. My heart is with Bernard for his fight with (Sergey) Kovalev.

A native of Haiti, Hyppolite has closely followed his fellow countrymen in Canada: Stevenson and former world light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal, as well as his EOTTM stable-mates, WBC heavyweight champion Bermane “BWare” Stiverne, and former world junior lightweight title challenger Dierry “Dough Style” Jean.

“I’m glad to be with other Haitian fighters here who have done so well in boxing,” Hyppolite noted. “Today, when people here about a Haitian boxer, they know he’s a good fighter.”

“Someday, ‘Batman’ will out do ‘Superman,'” Estephan commented. “He’s always been a nice kid but he had a bad attitude. He was kicked off the Canadian National Team. His coach, 1996 Canadian Olympian and NABF heavyweight champion Jean Francois Bergeron, asked me about getting Hyppolite a fight. I saw him in the gym and liked what I saw. I got him a six-round fight. He clearly won five rounds but was showboating. The judges didn’t like him and he lost a split decision. Schiller needed to and made an attitude adjustment after that fight and since then he’s won eight fight with seven knockouts. He’s also worked very hard on strength and conditioning for the past two years.

“Schiller is more talented than (Lucian) Bute, Stevenson or Pascal at the same point in their careers. He’s slick, dangerous and fast. Sparring with Cloud really changed things for him. His confidence improved after that training camp and another in which he sparred with (Gennady) Golovkin. He proved himself against those guys as being a very talented fighter capable of adjusting during a fight. Schiller is EOTTM’s top prospect and I’m confidence that he will eventually surpass Bute, Stevenson and Pascal.”

Unlike these aforementioned Canadian fighters who graduated from super middleweights to light heavyweights, Hyppolite has no plans to move up from 168 to 175 pounds, at least in the immediate future. In 2015, hopefully, he’ll get a world title shot.

“I figure in a year, 1 ½ years, I will be fighting for a world title,” Hyppolite concluded. “I know that Camille will get me a world title shot, as long as I keep winning and improving. I don’t really care which world champion I fight but, if I had a choice, I’d want to fight Andre Ward because he’s the best super middleweight in the world right now.”

For further information about EOTTM, Hyppolite or any of his stable-mates please visit www.eottm.comand follow on Twitter @eotmvd.

MONTREAL (Oct. 27, 2014) – World Boxing Council (WBC), The Ring Magazine and lineal light heavyweight champion Adonis “Superman” Stevenson (24-1, 20 KOs), the The Ring Magazine and ESPN’s 2013 Fighter of the Year and 2013 Knockout of the Year winner, returns to the ring December 19 at Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec to face Russian challenger Dmitry “The Hunter” Sukhotskiy (22-2, 16 KOs),

“THE REIGN OF SUPERMAN,” featuring the world light heavyweight championship between Stevenson and Sukhotskiy, is presented by Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM) in association with Mise-O-Jeu and Videotron. Stevenson’s fourth world title defense will be against Sukhotskiy, who is world rated by all four major governing bodies: WBC #7, WBO # 8, WBA # 7 and IBF # 11.

For the second time in a row Stevenson will headline on Showtime as part of its prestigious series, SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, which will televise Stevenson’s title defense on American television, thanks to the close cooperation of Stephen Espinoza, Showtime Executive Vice President & General Manager, Sports and Event Programming.

WBA #10, and WNC #13 light heavyweight contender, two-time Russian Olympian sensation Artur Beterbiev (6-0, 6 KOs), as well as dangerous IBF #5 welterweight Kevin Bizier (26-1, 16 KOs) will also be in action.

Two press conferences will be held next Wednesday, Nov. 5, in the morning in Quebec City and Montreal in the afternoon. All details will be announced then.

Tickets, ranging from $25.00 to $250.00, will go on sale next Thursday, November 6, at 10:00 a.m. ET, in the branches of the Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec (418) 691-7211 or 1 (800) 900-7469, online at www.billeteck.com, at GYM (514) 383-0666 or Boxing Club Champion (514) 376-0980.

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ABOUT GROUPE YVON MICHEL, INC.: Founded in 2004, Yvon Michel’s GYM’s mission is the development of high-level boxers by providing a supportive coaching and especially management competition. GYM is active in recruiting talent in order to achieve its objectives and event planning. Since its founding nine years ago, GYM has promoted 117 events, including ticket and PPV viewing history making fights such as Pascal vs. Hopkins I and II. GYM has produced more than 300 hours of television with Canal Indigo, Bell TV, Shaw TV, TVA Sports, VOX, TVA, CBC, RDS and V, in Canada, as well as HBO, Showtime and ESPN in the USA. A total of seven different GYM boxers have fought in 21 world championship fights. Under the tutelage of GYM, Joachim Alcine captured the WBA super welterweight title in 2007 and Jean Pascal the WBC light heavyweight championship in in 2009. Since June of 2013, Adonis “Superman” Stevenson has held the WBC light heavyweight title. In addition to also being The Ring and lineal light heavyweight champion, Stevenson was named the 2013 Boxer of the Year by The Ring, Sports Illustrated and many other publications.

Totowa, NJ: Having achieved its goal of making a light heavyweight unification fight for Sergey Kovalev, Main Events filed paperwork in the Southern District of New York today formally dropping their lawsuit against Groupe Yvon Michel, Inc., Yvon Michel, Adonis Stevenson, Al Haymon, Showtime, Golden Boy Promotions, Inc., and Richard Schaefer. With the announcement of the upcoming unification bout between WBO Light Heavyweight Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (25-0-1, 23 KOs) and WBA/IBF Light Heavyweight Champion Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins (55-6-2, 32 KOs), Main Events succeeded in obtaining the result it sought for Kovalev.

Main Events filed the lawsuit in April after Groupe Yvon Michel and Stevenson failed to honor an agreement for a scheduled bout between Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev and WBC Light Heavyweight Champion Adonis “Superman” Stevenson (24-1, 20 KOs). Now that Kovalev is scheduled for a unification bout with Hopkins, Main Events decided to drop the suit without prejudice, retaining the right to reinstate the litigation in the event the fight between Hopkins and Kovalev does not proceed as scheduled.

Main Events’ CEO Kathy Duva said, “The purpose of the lawsuit was to secure a unification bout for Sergey and allow him to face the top competition in the light heavyweight division. By signing on with Hopkins and Golden Boy Promotions for a three-title unification bout, Main Events secured the big fight that Sergey wanted. We no longer have damages, so we will not proceed with the litigation at this time.”

Miami, FL (July 3, 2014) Next Thursday night, July 10, top rated light heavyweight contender HUMBERTO SAVIGNE will battle former world champion JEFF “Left Hook” LACY from the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida and LIVE on FOX Sports 1.

Presented by Iron Mike Productions, the Savigne/Lacy scheduled ten rounder at “JUDGMENT DAY” for the World Boxing Council (‘WBC’) Latino Light Heavyweight Title is the co-featured attraction to the highly anticipated IBF Super Featherweight Title Rematch between ARGENIS “La Tormenta” MENDEZ and RANCES “Kid Blast” BARTHELEMY.

Savigne is currently ranked # 3 by the WBC.

Boxing legend MIKE TYSON is adamant that Savigne is the future undisputed king of the light heavyweight division.

“Savigne can beat both Sergev Kovalev and Adonis Stevenson, he’s got as much power as they do but he’s also a very skilled and intelligent fighter. Boxing fans deserve the chance to see those two fight against someone who has a chance to beat them.”

Sporting a record of 12-1-0 with 9 knockouts, Savigne is on a ten bout-winning streak, having turned professional in 2009 following an illustrious amateur career for the Cuban National Team. Now based in Miami, Florida, the Tyson led charge is looking to repeat the recent success of fellow amateur standouts.

Continued Tyson, “ In just the last couple of weeks, two brilliant amateur stars have fought for world titles, Vasyl Lomachenko schooled the game but overmatched Gary Russell Jr. while Yuriorkis Gamboa stepped up in weight and was knocked out by the former United States National Amateur Champion, WBO champ Terence Crawford.”

“Savigne’s stellar amateur career was just as dominant as Lomachenko’s and Gamboa’s as well as Erislandy Lara’s and Guillermo Rigondeaux’s. His rise has been slower as he struggled for eight years to come to the United States and start a professional career. But now is clearly his time. The question is when will he get his shot at the current light heavyweight world champions who seem to prefer hand picked matchups based upon the criteria that the opponents don’t have knockout power.”

With 450 amateur fights, and recent wins over former world champion Richard Hall and undefeated contender Jackson Junior, Savigne hopes that a win over former world champion Lacy will seal the deal with the major networks and show them that he is ready to battle either Kovalev or Stevenson.

Lacy, 26-4-0 (18KO’s) has been chomping at the bit to get an opportunity to fight a top light heavyweight and is ready to try to return to the top of the rankings, fighting injury free for the first time since his loss to the long running world champion Joe Calzaghe.

“Savigne vs. Lacy promises action from the opening bell and with the card we’ve put together, boxing fans in Miami will see a card that will be talked about for years”, said Tyson.

Opening the FOX Sports 1 telecast will be the nationally televised debut of heralded and undefeated 18-year-old welterweight prospect ERICKSON “The Hammer” LUBIN clashing with Mexican veteran NOE “Platanito” BOLANOS in a scheduled eight round bout.

A sensational off-TV undercard for “JUDGMENT DAY” will be announced shortly.

For more information on “JUDGMENT DAY” please visit the website, www.IMPMIAMI.com. Advance tickets, starting at $49 may be purchased through www.Ticketmaster.com with V.I.P Ringside Table Packages also available.

The American Airlines Arena is located at 601 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, Florida, 33132. For more information, please visit their website at www.aaarena.com. Doors will open on the evening of the event at 6:30 p.m. with the first bell at 8:00 p.m.

For additional information on Iron Mike Productions visit www.IronMikeProductions, follow on Twitter at @IronMikeProd and on Facebook at IronMikeProductionsOfficial.

Adonis Stevenson survived a couple anxious moments but he retained the WBC Light Heavyweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Andrzej Fonfara at the Bell Centre in Montreal

In round one Stevenson landed a hard left and sent Fonfara to the canvas. Stevenson was all over Fonfara and tried to end the fight in the opening frame. The shots opened up a cut around the right eye of Fonfara in round three. Fonfara settled down and had a decent round four. In round five, Steveson landed a hard left to the body that put Fonfara on the canvas. When Fonfara got to his feet, Stevenson continued to work the body and then landed a huge uppercut. Stevenson hurt Fonfara yet again in round six with a hard right to the body.

Fonfara hung in and tried to work behind the jab in round seven. The fight turned in round nine when a right hook sent Stevenson down to the canvas. Fonfara continued to pepper Stevenson with shots throughout the round. Round ten was a good bounce back round for Stevenson as he hurt Fonfara on a couple of occasions by mixing up head and body shots. Stevenson came out in round 11 by battering the body and then hurt Fonfara with an uppercut. The two battled to the end which was much to the delight of the crowd at the Bell Centre

Stevenson, 173 1/2 lbs of Montreal won by scores of 115-110 twice and 116-109 and is now 24-1. Fonfara, 174 1/2 lbs of Chicago is 24-3.

After the fight, Stevenson told SHOWTIME Sports® ringside reporter Jim Gray, “(It was a) good fight. I hurt my left hand in the second round. He did very well. I threw the punch but I caught the elbow and I hurt my hand.”

Stevenson was satisfied with his victory despite getting knocked down. “Everyone gets knocked down. But I came back strong. I showed the world because I’m a true champion.

“I told everybody (Fonfara) is strong. He’s been training since December. He is ranked No. 1 and No. 3 in the world. He was ready for this fight. I never overlooked him because he’s a tough fighter.”

When asked by Gray about the prospect of fighting Bernard Hopkins and Sergey Kovalev, Stevenson said, “I accept any challenge. Bernard can be next. And I have no problem with Kovalev. If I fight him I fight him.”

Fonfara, despite the loss, made an emphatic statement. After the fight, he said, “I survived because I have the heart to fight. Every time he hit me I felt the punch. Tonight Stevenson is better. I’m still young. I’m only 26 years old. I’m training hard and one day I’ll be a world champion.”

Middleweight power puncher destroyed former world title challenger Fernando Guerrero in round three of a scheduled 12-round bout.

Guerrero had a good first two-minutes of the bout as he darted in and landed lead lefts. Lemieux finally caught Guerrero with a massive left hook that set up two hard rights that sent Guerrero to the canvas. In round two, Guerrero landed huge shots and opened up a cut from the right eye. Lemieux scored a second knockdown at the end of the round from a hard combination. Lemieux was relentless to start round three to the point Guerrero to a knee without a punch being thrown. With the blood streaming out of his eye, Guerrero went down from hard uppercuts and the fight was stopped at 1:56 of round three.

Lemieux, 159 1/2 lbs of Montreal is now 32-2 with 30 knockouts. Guerrero, 159 lbs of Los Angeles is now 26-3.

“I knew Fernando Guerrero is a very strong fighter. Very tough,” said Lemieux. “He’s been down many times and always gets back up. Once I started to land my shots I could see it in his eyes that the game started to change.

“The results in the ring are from my dedication and my training. I want to tip my hat to Fernando Guerrero. He is a great fighter. I studied him for many months prior to the fight. So I am very happy with the outcome.”

“I’m determined to be a world champion. I would love to fight anyone in the world at 160.”

Jr. Middleweight Jermell Charlo remained undefeated with a 12-round unanimous decision over Charlie Ohta.

Charlo took charge with his boxing in the first 2 rounds. In round three, Ohta landed a right hand that sent Charlo to the canvas. Charlo was not hurt and boxed as if nothing happend and came back to land a hard upper cut the bell. Charlo continued to box and mix up his punches with right and left hooks. He jabbed well too. Ohta would get in an occasional nice counter.

In round nine, Charlo was deducted a point for low blows but was never threatened during the fight.

Charlo, 153 3/4 lbs of Houston won by scores of 115-111 and 118-109 twice and is now 24-0. Ohta, 153 lbs of Tokyo is now 24-2-1.

After the fight, Charlo said that he was not concerned with the knockdown. “To me, I slipped. I didn’t feel the solid shot. He hit me with the right hand. He just caught me off balance. But it is what it is.

“This was a rough one. I did what I had to do tonight.”
Good looking Jr. Middleweight prospect Julian Williams remained undefeated with a terrific 8th round stoppage in a 10-round bout.

Williams dominated with quick over hand rights in the 1st couple of rounds. He rocked Medina on several occasions through out the fight. In round six, he shook Medina with a beautiful 10 punch combination for which 6 of the punches landed flush. In round eight, Williams landed a perfect double right hand that sent Medina to the canvas and the fight was stopped upon Medina getting to his feet at the count of 10 at 1:59 of round 8.

Williams, 154 3/4 lbs of Philadelphia is now 16-0-1 with 10 knockouts. Medina, 154 lbs of Los Angeles, CA is now 26-5-2.

Light Heavyweight prospect Eleider Alvarez scored a 10-round unanimous decision over Alexander Johnson.

Alavarez dominated with a the right hand against the southpaw Johnson. In round five, Alavarez dropped Johnson with a combination. Johnson was able to get out of the round finished the fight as Alavarez seemed content to box from the outside.

Alvarez, 175 lbs of Montreal won by scores of 97-92 on all cards and is now 15-0. Johnson, 171 1/2 lbs of Washington, DC is now 15-2.

LONDON (May 23) – On Saturday night knockout artist Adonis ‘Superman’ Stevenson is back in action, live and exclusive on BoxNation, when he defends his WBC light-heavyweight title against the tricky Andrzej Fonfara at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

Regarded among modern day boxing’s biggest hitters, the 175 pound champion sits in the privileged position of being the type of all-action, exciting fighter that is guaranteed to put bums on seats.

Fight fans have long adored, and yearned, for the concussive, one-punch pugilist, one who is able to end a fight in the blink of an eye.

Throughout the ages boxing has been littered with such formidable characters from the lowest weight classes all the way up to the heaviest. Names such as Ernie Shavers, Mike Tyson, Julian Jackson, George Foreman, Bob Foster, Tommy Hearns, Sandy Saddler, Archie Moore, Rocky Marciano and many more have acquired enviable reputations as some of the sport’s most feared hitters.

Ahead of Stevenson’s clash this weekend, BoxNation analyses ten of the biggest-punchers around today.

1. Adonis Stevenson (23-1, 20 KOs)

No better place to start than the man who fights this Saturday night. His reputation as boxing’s biggest puncher has risen considerably after enjoying a memorable 2013, which saw him blast his way past Chad Dawson in the first round to capture the WBC light-heavyweight crown.

The brutal stoppage of Dawson was followed by wins against Tavoris Cloud and Tony Bellew, which has seen the southpaw stop his last 10 opponents, whilst amassing a record of 20 knockouts in his 23 wins.

He recently declared himself ‘the Mike Tyson of the light-heavyweights’, with the punching power he possesses you’ll find few who will argue.

2. Deontay Wilder (31-0, 31 KOs)

Known as ‘The Bronze Bomber’, his record of having knocked out all who stand before him speaks for itself. Heavyweight Wilder is making huge impressions on a division that is hoping to restore itself as boxing’s glamour weight class.

Some critics have questioned the level of competition that the 6ft 7inch Alabama bruiser has been in with, but you can only face what is put in front of you, and next up for the heavyweight ace is likely to be a stab at Bermane Stiverne’s WBC heavyweight title.

Wilder’s only made it as far as the fourth round on one occasion and will be hoping he can prove he’s the real deal by putting the heavyweight division’s very best to sleep.

3. Gennady Golovkin (29-0, 26 KOs)

The Kazakhstani kingpin is earning a reputation as boxing’s most feared combatant. Having captured the WBA middleweight title in 2010 against Nilson Julio Tapia by third round knockout, ‘Triple G (GGG)’ has seen his stock rise considerably to the point where it’s getting hard to find him any worthy opponents.

This in a division which boasts other notable names such as Sergio Martinez, Peter Quillin, Felix Sturm and Britain’s Martin Murray.

With nearly a 90% knockout record it’s clear to see why Golovkin would be last on anyone’s list as a potential foe.

4. Sergey Kovalev (24-0-1, 22 KOs)

The current WBO light-heavyweight champion currently ranks alongside Adonis Stevenson and the veteran Bernard Hopkins as the top dogs at 175 pounds.

The 6ft chiselled Russian rarely breaks into a smile, instead preferring to break jaws with an incredible 22 knockouts in his 24 victories.

A potential matchup between the two KO kings, Kovalev and Stevenson, has yet to materialise but his impressive victory over Nathan Cleverly to claim his first world title away from home shows nothing fazes this steely Russian assassin.

5. Keith Thurman (23-0, 21 KOs)

Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman earned his moniker due to his one-punch knockout power. The Floridian is quickly emerging as a real star of a stacked welterweight division which contains boxing’s biggest names including Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.

His recent outing’s have seen him hammer his way past respected names like Jesus Soto Karass and Julio Diaz, to take his record to 23 wins with 21 knockouts.

He stands on the verge of a shot at the world title at some point this year, with some predicting, with his slick boxing skills and devastating power, he will be the man to go on to take away Mayweather’s famous ‘O’.

6. Lucas Matthysse (35-3, 31 KOs)

Up until his recent closely fought battle with unified light-welterweight world champion Danny Garcia, ‘The Machine’ was regarded as the man on the threshold of reigning supreme over the 140 pound division.

His incredible run of victories prior to the Garcia fight had seen him run through a host of top names including Lamont Peterson, Mike Dallas Jr and Olusegun Ajose.

A rematch may be on the cards with Garcia if the champion decides to stay at light-welterweight, but nevertheless, with 33 knockouts in his 35 wins there will be a few restless nights for anyone going in against the ferocious Argentine.

7. Randall Bailey (44-8, 37 KOs)

As a three-time world champion in two weight divisions, his nickname ‘The Knockout King’ says it all. His most recent world title victory came against the respected welterweight champion Mike Jones in June 2012.

Behind on all three judges’ scorecards the American hitter needed a knockout to win. He duly obliged with a straight right down the middle in the tenth round which floored Jones, before ending the fight with a vicious uppercut at the close of round 11 that left the champion all over the place and unable to recover.

Tellingly, Jones hasn’t fought since the loss, and they say a fighter’s last thing to go is his power and at 39 Bailey will give anyone a run for their money.

8. Marcos Maidana (35-4, 31 KOs)

Hot off a valiant display against Floyd Mayweather, the Argentine Maidana showed that he was able to make up for his lack of technical skills by out hustling and using his power to trouble the pound-for-pound king.

Mayweather was well aware of ‘El Chino’s’ 31 knockouts in his 35 wins but after once being described by former champion Kevin Kelly as having hit ‘like a building fell on top of me’, his punching power alone has probably earned the undying respect of boxing’s number one star.

9. Jhonny Gonzalez (55-8, 47 KOs)

No matter the circumstances, if you can punch you always have a chance. Unfancied against one of boxing’s upcoming stars in Abner Mares, the Mexican featherweight never read the script when he decked the WBC champion twice in the first round.

With 46 knockouts in 54 victories before they met, Mares knew he was going in with a live wire but was unable to deal with Gonzalez’s fists of fury. A rematch was scheduled before Mares pulled out due to a rib injury, leaving Gonzalez set to face Clive Atwell next.

10. Wladimir Klitschko (62-3, 52 KOs)

With his sibling Vitali hanging up the gloves, and pursuing a career in politics, the younger Klitschko brother will be the one to fly the flag and continue the Klitschko domination of the heavyweight division.

At times the brothers have not got their due respect, but as the WBA, IBF, WBO and Ring Magazine heavyweight world champion and with a record of 52 knockouts in his 62 wins, Wladimir is undoubtedly one of the heaviest hitters around.

A fight with the unbeaten Kubrat Pulev is set to be next up for him, before a potential unification clash with WBC champion Bermane Stiverne.

Adonis Stevenson vs. Andrzej Fonfara is live on BoxNation (Sky 437/490HD & Virgin 546) this Saturday night. Visit www.boxnation.com to subscribe.

-Ends-

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MONTREAL (May 23, 2014) – All 10 fighters competing televised bouts made weight made weight on their first attempts Friday at Bell Centre. The weigh-in was streamed live by SHOWTIME Sports Press Pass Live and is currently available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZp3llIKqtE

In the main event of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING tripleheader (SHO, 9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast), exciting knockout specialist and 2013 Fighter of the Year, Adonis “Superman” Stevenson (23-1-0, 20 KOs), of Montreal, will make his network debut when he defends his WBC light heavyweight title for a third time when he meets Andrzej “The Polish Prince” Fonfara (25-2-0, 15 KOs), of Chicago by way of Warsaw, Poland. Stevenson has won his last 10 fights by knockout. Fonfara has won 15 in a row, 12 inside the distance, and has never been defeated as a light heavyweight.

In co-featured fights, power-punching Montreal middleweight David Lemieux (31-2, 29 KOs) meets battle-tested Fernando Guerrero (26-2, 19 KOs) of Salisbury, Md., in a 12-rounder for the vacant NABF 160-pound crown, and unbeaten rising star Jermell “Ironman” Charlo (23-0, 11 KOs), of Houston, takes on Japan’s Charlie Ohta (24-1-1, 16 KOs), of New York, in a 12-round collision of world-ranked junior middleweights. Charlo is ranked No. 5, Ohta No. 9.

WEIGHTS AND OFFICIALS

Stevenson – 173½ pounds
Fonfara – 174½ pounds
Referee: Frank Garza, Jr.
Judges: Richard De Carufel (Canada), John McKaie (New York), John Woodburn, Canada.

Lemieux – 159½ pounds
Guerrero – 159 pounds
Referee: Michael Griffin
Judges: Nicolas Esnault (Canada), Ester Lopez (New Mexico), Pasqualie Procopio (Canada)

Charlo – 153¾ pounds
Ohta – 153 pounds

Referee: Jean-Guy Brousseau.
Judges: Larry Hazzard Jr. (New Jersey), Jean LaPointe (Canada), Robert Paolino (Rhode Island),

On SHO EXTREME (7 p.m. ET/PT), Julian “J-Rock” Williams (15-0-1, 9 KOs), of Philadelphia, faces Michael Medina (26-4-2, 19 KOs), of Modesto, Calif., in a 10-round junior middleweight scrap and world-ranked Eleider Alvarez (14-0, 8 KOs), of Montreal by way of Colombia, clashes with Alexander Johnson (15-1, 6 KOs), of Washington, D.C., in a 10-round light heavyweight bout.

WEIGHTS AND OFFICIALS

Williams – 154¾ pounds
Medina – 154 pounds
Referee: Alain Villeneuve
Judges: De Carufel, Esnault, Marie-Josee Guerin (Canada)

Alvarez – 175 pounds
Johnson – 171½ pounds
Referee: Marlon B. Wright
Judges: Jean Gauthier (Canada), Sylvain LeBlanc (Canada), Benoit Roussel (Canada)

Brian Kenny will host both telecasts on Saturday night. Mauro Ranallo calls the action on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING alongside Hall of Fame analyst Al Bernstein and Paulie Malignaggi with Jim Gray reporting. Brian Custer calls the fights on SHOWTIME EXTREME with boxing historian Steve Farhood at his side. For SAP in Spanish, Alejandro Luna will call the blow-by-blow with former world champion Raul Marquez serving as analyst. The executive producer is David Dinkins Jr. with Ray Smaltz III producing and Mike Arnold directing.

MONTREAL (May 22, 2014) – Hometown favorite David Lemieux and Fernando Guerrero agree on one thing: their showdown on the undercard of the Adonis Stevenson-Andrzej Fonfara SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING tripleheader at Bell Centre this Saturday, May 24 will likely end in a knockout.

“The knockout is going to be there,” Lemieux said. “It’s only a matter of how it’s going to be there that is going to make a difference.”

The power-punching Lemieux (31-2, 29 KOs), of Montreal, and Guerrero (26-2, 19 KOs) of Salisbury, Md., will square off in a 10-round middleweight co-featured bout live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).

Guerrero, who compiled a 2-0 record in Canada while fighting as an amateur, isn’t fazed by Lemieux’s power or the prospect of fighting in his hometown.

“We’ve faced punchers before and I’ve demolished them,” Guerrero said. “With a guy like David and I facing off, it doesn’t seem like the fight will go the distance.”

In the opening bout of the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast, Houston’s unbeaten rising star Jermell Charlo (23-0, 11 KOs) takes on Japan’s Charlie Ohta (24-1-1, 16 KOs) in a 12-round junior middleweight match.

The 2013 Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year, “Superman” Stevenson (23-1, 20 KOs), of Montreal, will defend his WBC Light Heavyweight World Championship against Chicago’s Fonfara (25-2, 15 KOs), the IBF No. 1 and WBC No. 3-ranked contender.

On SHO EXTREME (7 p.m. ET/PT) from the Bell Centre, Julian “J-Rock” Williams (15-0-1, 9 KOs), of Philadelphia, faces Michael Medina (26-4-2, 19 KOs), of Modesto, Calif., in a 10-round junior middleweight scrap and world-ranked Eleider Alvarez (14-0, 8 KOs), of Montreal by way Colombia, collides with Alexander Johnson (15-1, 6 KOs), of Washington, D.C., in a 10-round light heavyweight bout.

Here’s what the participants had to say at Thursday’s press conference:

DAVID LEMIEUX:
“I’ve been preparing for a spectacular fight. We’re both great fighters, but only one of us can win on Saturday.

“(Guerrero) is one of the best fighters I’ve fought to date. I feel spectacular. My training camp has been spectacular; I’ve had the best training camp of my career. We did everything we needed to do in case there are any surprises in the ring.

“I feel the strongest I’ve ever been. I’m ready to go 12 rounds. If it has to go to the limit, I will have no problem.

On switching trainers……“It has been a big help in my career. It’s been a big turnaround. My new trainer Marc Ramsay has helped me become ready to be a 12-round fighter. There have been so many changes since the two upsets I had with my old trainer. I now see all the things that I need to be on top of my game and to be a world champion. We’ve been making adjustments and we’ve been getting the results in the ring. I’m ready to fight anybody right now.

“I’m a knockout artist. Every fight I go into I expect a knockout. And I’m feeling the strongest I’ve ever felt since the beginning.

“I expect (Guerrero) to take my head off. So I will be ready for whatever. I’m not scared – I expect the same punishment that I give to my opponents. I want to knock him out, so I expect the same thing from him.

“I’m not worried. Whatever he brings to the table, I’ll adjust and I’ll be victorious.”

FERNANDO GUERRERO:
“We’ve fought in Canada before in the amateurs and I won both times. I’m 2-0 in Canada. I’m not worried about fighting in front of his hometown fans.

“I’ve grown since the loss to (Peter) Quillin. I had one of the worst camps of my life for that fight and I wasn’t mentally or emotionally prepared. We just have to move on and not have any emotions in there for this fight.

“Lemieux and I have a lot of similarities. We both have two losses. We’ll get in there and see what happens. One of us will likely walk out with a third loss, and I’ve done everything I can to make sure that it isn’t me.

“Once we step in the ring there aren’t any excuses. If I win, it’s because I prepared as hard as I could. If I lose, it’s because I didn’t give it my all.

“I’m 2-0 in Canada. I came here and I won. When you’re a boxer, it’s not the location that matters because we all fight in the ring. I’ll step in the ring and do my job and let the judges do theirs.

“I’ve seen a lot of his fights – we’ve done our homework. We know what he does well and we also know his weaknesses.

“I consider myself a puncher just like him. He’s strong, I’m strong. He’s fast, I’m fast. He has heart, I have heart. But I never give up. I have the will to fight.’’

JERMELL CHARLO:
“I’m blessed and thankful to be here in Canada. Ever since we touched down it’s been great. I’m ready to put on a great performance and keep climbing up in the ranks at 154 pounds.

On his height advantage over Ohta… “In camp we worked on so many different things and we’re ready for whatever Charlie is going to bring. He’s 5-foot-6 and I’m 5-foot-11½ so that’s an advantage for me.

“I’m fast, I’m strong. I’m way stronger than I was for the (Gabriel) Rosado fight, so hopefully that will come out during this fight. You’ll see the strength and you’ll see that I’m ready for this next stage and level of boxing.

On being in camp with Erislandy Lara… “We push each other hard. Even with the language barrier we’re able to still communicate and make fun out of training and at the same time give it our all.

“We’ve been gaining from everything that we knew we missed out on last fight. So it’s just the process of getting better.

On Ohta not being present at the press conference… “It happens. I’ve seen him on tape. I know what he looks like, so it’s fine. I’ll see him at the fight, and I’ll see him at the weigh-in.

“He’s a short and stocky guy so he uses his compact positioning and his style to his perfection. But what fighter haven’t I faced that comes forward, that puts a lot of pressure on and is heavy?

“He has a little pop on his punches. He’s 32 years old, I’m 24 – my birthday was Monday — so I feel like I’m getting older and I’m getting better.”

CHARLIE OHTA (Prepared Statement):
“I’m in great shape and I had a great camp. This is my time.

“This is a great fight between a boxer and a puncher. It’s no secret what I’m going to do — I’m going to bring the heat and put the heat on Charlo.

“We guarantee you will see a great fight and everyone will get their money’s worth.”

LONDON (May 22) – Big-hitting Adonis Stevenson has promised another sensational knockout this weekend as he looks to etch his name amongst boxing’s best ever.

The no-nonsense star takes on Polish ace Andrzej Fonfara, live and exclusive on BoxNation, at the Bell Centre in Montreal this Saturday night, with the proclamation he will continue his hot streak which has seen him lay out his last 10 opponents.

The Haitian-born pugilist, now based in Canada, has amassed a frightening 20 knockouts in 23 wins, and with a reputation as the fight’s games biggest puncher, the WBC light-heavyweight world champion has declared it will be business as usual against Fonfara.

“I’m very focused for this fight. I’m not overlooking him,” said Stevenson. “I know he’s going to be ready and I’m training for just him. I take it one fight at a time and I will take care of business. I’m ready for this fight. I’m not here to lose. I’m a champion and I’m here to win by knockout. That’s it and I’m not concerned about anything else.

“I don’t know [about his strengths and weaknesses]. I’m going to knock him out. That’s what I’m going to do. I don’t know his game plan. I’m going to knock him out,” he said.

Drawing comparisons to the formidable Mike Tyson due to his punching prowess, the 36-year-old is hoping to follow in the footsteps of boxing’s biggest names as he looks to cement his own legacy in the sport.

“I want to be a legend and I want to be on par with all the boxing legends so that gives me a lot of motivation to push my body very, very hard and at a high level and keep training and focus fight by fight. I’m very motivated,” said Stevenson.

“When you used to watch Mike Tyson fight, you knew someone was going to get knocked out. That’s what is going to happen on Saturday. Somebody’s going to get knocked out,” he said.

A potential unification fight with IBF and WBA champion Bernard Hopkins is in the pipeline should Stevenson come through the challenge of Fonfara.

However, the man known as ‘Superman’, has refused to look too far ahead with Fonfara, who has 25 wins in 28 contests, presenting an imminent threat to his reign at the top.

“I don’t care about Hopkins now. Fonfara is in front of me, and that’s it. After the fight we can talk about Hopkins,” said Stevenson.

Though the light-heavyweight star was more outspoken when asked why a fight with the ferocious Russian, and current WBO champion, Sergey Kovalev, never materialised when Stevenson switched allegiances from HBO to Showtime.

“Those people don’t understand that boxing is a business. That’s our mentality. That we negotiate with the network and we make sure that everyone gets paid. That’s why I took it [the Showtime contract] because I’m working with the best managers in the world and they make sure everything is right with the network,” said Stevenson.

“It’s not about ducking, it’s about business. I don’t have a problem fighting Kovalev. I have a feeling that Yvon Michel [Stevenson’s promoter] will one day make that happen,” he said.

Having been spotted by the late and great Emanuel Steward in 2011, Stevenson has vowed to fulfil the prophecy of the respected Hall of Fame trainer who believed he would go on to dominate the 175 pound division.

“Emanuel gave me a lot of advice and motivation. And it’s not just about training. He was a friend to me and we spent a lot of time talking about life. And we talked about boxing and what it would be like to be a world champion,” he said.

“A couple of years ago he didn’t have any money, he didn’t save nothing. And he explained that to me and I took his advice. He told me I was going to be the world champion and that I was going to be a star,” said Stevenson.

Stevenson vs. Fonfara is live on BoxNation (Sky 437/490HD & Virgin 546) this Saturday night. Visit www.boxnation.com to subscribe.

-Ends-

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NEW YORK (May 21, 2014) – Andrzej Fonfara eyed WBC Light Heavyweight World Champion Adonis Stevenson’s title belt during Wednesday’s final press conference at Casino de Montreal, the look of a man eager and confident heading into the biggest fight of his boxing career.

Fonfara will challenge Stevenson for the WBC crown in the main event of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, this Saturday, May 24, live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada.

“This is not my first time as an underdog,” Fonfara said. “I’ve proved people wrong before and I’ll do it again.”

The 26-year-old Fonfara (25-2-0, 15 KOs), of Chicago by way of Warsaw, Poland, is the No. 3 contender in the WBC, the No. 1 contender in the IBF, and holds victories over three former world champions in his last five fights. Fonfara has won 15 fights in a row, 12 by knockout, and has never been defeated as a light heavyweight.

“He’s confident. I’m confident. But I have the power to end this fight quickly,” said Stevenson.

The 36-year-old Stevenson (23-1-0, 20 KOs) laid his claim as the world’s No. 1 light heavyweight with an exceptional 2013 campaign that included knockout victories over Chad Dawson and Tavoris Cloud, earning him The Ring Magazine award for “Fighter of the Year.”

In co-featured fights this Saturday, May 24, on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, power-punching, world-ranked Montreal middleweight David Lemieux (31-2, 29 KOs) meets Fernando Guerrero (26-2, 19 KOs) of Salisbury, Md., in a 10-round bout, and Houston’s unbeaten rising star Jermell Charlo (23-0, 11 KOs) takes on Japan’s Charlie Ohta (24-1-1, 16 KOs) in a 12-round junior middleweight match.

On SHO EXTREME (7 p.m. ET/PT) from the Bell Centre, Julian “J-Rock” Williams (15-0-1, 9 KOs), of Philadelphia, faces Michael Medina (26-4-2, 19 KOs), of Modesto, Calif., in a 10-round junior middleweight scrap and world-ranked Eleider Alvarez (14-0, 8 KOs), of Montreal by way Colombia, collides with Alexander Johnson (15-1, 6 KOs), of Washington, D.C., in a 10-round light heavyweight bout.

Here’s what the participants had to say at Wednesday’s press conference:

ADONIS STEVENSON:
“He’s confident. I’m confident. But I have the power to end this fight quickly.

“I’m in tremendous shape. I took a rest and my body is recovered. Now, I’m ready to get back in the ring and prove why I’m the best light heavyweight in the world.

“I’m used to fighting taller guys with long range. That won’t be a problem for me. We’ll use my speed and power to (to negate that).

“It’s a tough challenge. “I’m not overlooking him because I know he is very dangerous. I know he’ll be ready for me.

“My trainer trained me for the knockout, so I’m looking for it. I know he is a good fighter and he’s the best contender, so you have to watch Saturday night. It’s going to be a good fight, exciting.”

Regarding verbal exchange during the ‘face off’…
“I asked him if he liked the belt…And I told him the belt is going to stay in Montreal.”

ANDRZEJ FONFARA:
“Everyone wants to fight for the biggest trophy and against the best fighters. He’s the best world champ in this division and Saturday is my chance to prove that I am the best.

“This is not my first time as an underdog. I’ve proved people wrong before and I’ll do it again.

“Everyone will see what I bring to the ring. I can handle his power. That doesn’t worry me.

“Everything is at stake. I have the chance to make history, so I have plenty of motivation for this fight.
“He has power, but I can knock him out, too. A knockout would be the best offense for me. With our styles, it will be a good, exciting fight.

“You’ll see on Saturday why I’m the better fighter. This is the right time for me.”

On Stevenson’s loss against Darnell Boone…
“I’ve got a good punch with both hands. He’s gotten knocked out before. It proves he goes down too. He’s not Superman like he thinks he is. He went down and he lost the fight.”

JAVAN “SUGAR” HILL (STEVENSON TRAINER):
“I know the Fonfara camp very well. Sam (Colonna) and I go back to the amateur days. I know he trains fighters as well as I do. This is another level we have to fight on, only this is a world championship level. We can’t wait to test our skills against each other.

“Everything is perfect. The training camp went well. Adonis is ready – his main focus is fighting Fonfara and the other objective is to get a knockout. I’m looking for a knockout from Adonis Stevenson and I hope everyone else is.”

SAM COLONNA (FONFARA TRAINER):
“This is a dream come true for him. He’s been working his whole life to come to this level and now he’s here.

“Andrzej has always been the underdog, but he’s always come out on top. Come the 24th we’re going to surprise some people.

“We started out sparring in Chicago and moved to Big Bear. We had some great sparring partners, we couldn’t pick better guys.”

YVON MICHEL, GROUPE YVON MICHEL (STEVENSON’S PROMOTER):
“We are very, very happy to do the first title defense of Adonis Stevenson on SHOWTIME. One of the missions that SHOWTIME and Stephen Espinoza have is to show the unification of the light heavyweight title.

“Adonis has a lot of ambition. His ambition was step by step. He had a huge task. He wanted to be a contender, then a champion, then a unified champion. He wants to be a legend and one day in the Hall of Fame. He is doing what he has to do to reach his goal.

“There will be another title that Adonis will be defending Saturday and that title is (The Ring Magazine) Fighter of the Year for 2013. His name is up there with some of the best fighters in history. He is the first Canadian fighter ever, in the 85–year history, to be recognized as the Fighter of the Year. It was not by accident.

“Sugar is the one who took the task from his uncle (Emmanuel Steward) and built Adonis as a world champion and Fighter of the Year. He is the one who showed Adonis boxing IQ to complement his power-punching.”

STEPHEN ESPINOZA, EVP & GENERAL MANAGER, SHOWTIME SPORTS (Prepared Statement):
“Adonis Stevenson is someone I’ve had my eye on for a long time. Long before I took the job as programmer for SHOWTIME Sports, I heard about Adonis from the late, great Emanuel Steward. Steward told me a few years ago that this young man might be the best pure power puncher that he had ever trained.

“When someone like Manny Steward makes a statement like that, you take notice.

“Now, several years later, Adonis is a world champion, universally regarded—and feared—as one of the top light heavyweight fighters in the world. He is coming off a remarkable 2013 campaign that earned him the coveted 2013 Fighter of the Year honor. To say we are excited to have ’Superman’ make his SHOWTIME debut this Saturday would be an understatement.

“Andrzej Fonfara has had an incredible journey to get to this, his first world title fight. He’s young, he’s hungry, and he may have been overlooked, which is a recipe for disaster once the bell rings.”

LEON MARGULES, ANDRZEJ FONFARA’S PROMOTER:
“We didn’t take this fight to come up here and lose. We believe we have an excellent chance to become the next light heavyweight champion of the world.

“When I signed him a year ago, I asked him who, out of anyone in the world he would want to face, and he said Adonis Stevenson.

“This is a fight my fighter wanted more than any other challenge.”

NEW YORK (May 20, 2014) – WBC Light Heavyweight World Champion Adonis Stevenson and Andrzej Fonfara participated in a media conference call on Tuesday as they reach the apex of preparation for this Saturday’s world title showdown live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada.

The 36-year-old Stevenson (23-1-0, 20 KOs) laid his claim as the world’s No. 1 light heavyweight with an exceptional 2013 campaign that included knockout victories over Chad Dawson and Tavoris Cloud, earning him The Ring Magazine award for “Fighter of the Year.” The 26-year-old Fonfara (25-2-0, 15 KOs), of Chicago by way of Warsaw, Poland, is the No. 3 contender in the WBC and holds victories over three former world champions in his last five fights. Fonfara has won 15 fights in a row, 12 by knockout, and has never been defeated as a light heavyweight.

In co-featured fights this Saturday, May 24, on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, power-punching, world-ranked Montreal middleweight David Lemieux (31-2, 29 KOs) meets Fernando Guerrero (26-2, 19 KOs) of Salisbury, Md., in a 10-round bout, and Houston’s unbeaten rising star Jermell Charlo (23-0, 11 KOs) takes on Japan’s Charlie Ohta (24-1-1, 16 KOs) in a 12-round junior middleweight match.

On SHO EXTREME (7 p.m. ET/PT) from the Bell Centre, Julian “J-Rock” Williams (15-0-1, 9 KOs), of Philadelphia, faces Michael Medina (26-4-2, 19 KOs), of Modesto, Calif., in a 10-round junior middleweight scrap and world-ranked Eleider Alvarez (14-0, 8 KOs), of Montreal by way Colombia, collides with Alexander Johnson (15-1, 6 KOs), of Washington, D.C., in a 10-round light heavyweight bout.

Here’s what the participants had to say on Tuesday’s call:

Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President & General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports:
“This event is a long time coming, at least for us here at SHOWTIME. We’ve wanted Adonis to fight on SHOWTIME for quite a while. Personally, I became interested a few years back when Emanuel Steward first mentioned Adonis to me. We had Adonis scheduled to fight on SHOWTIME back in 2012 until some bad luck intervened. So, we’ve been waiting for Superman, if you will, for some time.

“Andrzej is not someone to look past. He is a very good puncher. He is a very good boxer and I think his boxing skills are underrated. I believe this Stevenson-Fonfara main event is going to be a lot tougher than many of you may think. I said it about Matthysse-Molina a couple of weeks ago. And I said the same for Mayweather-Maidana. I expect a very competitive fight in our main event.”

Q: How devastating would it be if Adonis was to lose this fight?

“I don’t think devastating is the right way to describe it. My sense of Adonis is that he’s got his own motivation; whether it’s losing the title or a unification fight, that’s all secondary. He wants to win because he’s used to winning and he wants to keep winning. … No one should be ashamed in losing this fight. This is a well-matched, competitive fight. Here at the network, our goal is to televise a title unification fight eventually. We don’t have any particular preferences on who the titlists are. We would just like to be able to televise and bring to the fans a fight that would result in a unified light heavyweight title. I will say that a good amount of the fascination with Adonis and his popularity is that he is such a big puncher and he has these highlight-reel knockouts. That’s something that’s not going to go away with a loss here or a loss there. It does throw a wrench in his plans for a unification fight, but there’s still plenty of value and interest in Adonis as a fighter.”

Yvon Michel, Adonis Stevenson’s promoter:
“Adonis has won his last 10 fights by knockout. While you progress in the rankings and when you get better opposition, usually the knockout ratio starts slimming down. But it has been the other way around for Adonis. The better the opposition, the more he wanted to win the fight, and the easier it became to get better timing and knock out his opponent.

“(Adonis) is an exceptional puncher with both hands and can hurt you and knock you out with one punch at any time in the fight. Anytime a fighter comes into the fight with a plan, all that strategy goes out the window the very first time he gets hit by Adonis.”

Adonis Stevenson:
“I’m very focused for this fight. I’m not overlooking him. I know he’s going to be ready and I’m training for just him. I take it one fight at a time and I will take care of business. I’m ready for this fight.

“I’m not here to lose. I’m a champion and I’m here to win. By knockout. That’s it and I’m not concerned about anything else.”

Q: What are your motivations for seeking a path that would lead you to a fight with Bernard Hopkins as opposed to one that was talked about with Sergey Kovalev?

“You know, I want to be a legend and I want to be on par with all the boxing legends so that gives me a lot of motivation to push my body very, very hard and at a high level and keep training and focus fight by fight. I’m very motivated.”

Q: How do you respond to some of the people who look at the decision you made and say, ‘Bernard is a great name and (Adonis) has a tough fight with Fonfara, but he’s ducking Kovalev because of the deal that you accepted.’ How do you respond to those people?

“Those people don’t understand that boxing is a business. That’s our mentality. That we negotiate with the network and we make sure that everyone gets paid. That’s why I took it because I’m working with the best managers in the world and they make sure everything is right with the network, and everything. It’s not about ducking, it’s about business. I don’t have a problem fighting Kovalev. I have a feeling that Yvon Michel will one day make that happen.”

Q: You came up as a fighter who worked with Emanuel Steward. What affect did he have, not only on your professional career, but what impact did he have on you as a person inside the ring and outside?

“You know, Emanuel gave me a lot of advice and motivation. And it’s not just about training. He was a friend to me and we spent a lot of time talking about life. And we talked about boxing and what it would be like to be a world champion. A couple of years ago he didn’t have any money, he didn’t save nothing. And he explained that to me and I took his advice. He told me I was going to be the world champion and that I was going to be a star.”

Q: What is Fonfara’s style, his strengths and his weaknesses?

“I don’t know. I’m gonna knock him out. That’s what I’m going to do. I don’t know his game plan. I’m going to knock him out.”

Q: Is Bernard Hopkins next up for you?

“I don’t care about Hopkins now. Fonfara is in front of me, and that’s it. After the fight we can talk about Hopkins.

“When you used to watch Mike Tyson fight, you knew someone was going to get knocked out. That’s what is going to happen on SHOWTIME. Somebody’s going to get knocked out.”

Leon Margules, Andrzej Fonfara’s promoter:
“Andrzej is a great young fighter and we believe a future champion. We’re not discrediting the year Adonis Stevenson had and we’re certainly not predicting an easy fight, but Andrzej believes, and I believe, that he can win the world title on Saturday night.

“When I first saw Andrzej Fonfara I asked him of all the champions and all the fighters and all the opportunities that you may have, who do you want to fight? Anybody you want. And for any world title you want. And he said, ‘I want to fight Adonis Stevenson for the WBC light heavyweight championship.’ So, he is very, very excited and I know he’s thrilled to be on SHOWTIME because it will be his first experience on premium television.”

Andrzej Fonfara:
“Everything is going right. My training camp is almost ended. We trained for a couple of weeks in Chicago and then we flew to Big Bear in California. We trained in Abel Sanchez’s gym in Summit for like three weeks and then we came here. I’m ready for this fight and I’ve had good sparring partners and have had good preparation.”

Q: Do you think you’ve been overlooked by Adonis, and if so how is that beneficial to you?

“No. I don’t think like that. This business is like that and you must think about your next fight. Adonis should think about his next fight. I want to focus on this fight and it’s not a problem to talk about that. It’s normal.”

Q: What is your game plan?

“I don’t want to say it here. You will see when I get into the ring. I don’t want to say anything about my plan.”

Q: Is there a different preparation or approach you have to take when facing a guy with the knockout power as Adonis Stevenson?

“No. We do the same preparation as always. We change a little bit because he’s a southpaw and he has a different style. We have good sparring partners and I am ready physically and mentally.”

MONTREAL (April 10, 2014) — Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM) is presenting an evening of thunder, “Collision: Stevenson vs. Fonfara,” May 24 at Bell Centre in Montreal. The co-feature will mark the SHOWTIME debut of powerful Quebec middleweight David Lemieux (31-2-0, 29 KOs), who takes on Dominican Republic-born, American fighter Fernando Guerrero (26-2-0, 19 KOs) for the vacant NABF title.

The IBF #10 and WBO #11 rated Lemieux has an incredible opportunity to break into the international scene in the 160-pound division. He has made vital changes since his loss to current WBC interim champion Marco Antonio Rubio ( 59-6-1, 51 KOs), riding a six-fight win streak, five coming by knockout, into his May 24 showdown with former world title challenger Guerrero.

The 25-year-old Lemieux has paid his dues in order to become a more effective and dangerous fighter. Last November in Laval (Quebec), IBF # 6 ranked Jose Miguel Torres (27-6-0, 24 KOs) was stopped in the seventh round, his first stoppage in his career, after Lemieux had floored him six times.

Guerrero had a great amateur career, highlighted by being crowned national champion in 2007. His more notables wins as a professional have been over Gabriel Rosado (21-8-0, 13 KOs), Ossie Duran (28-11-3, 11 KOs) and Ishe Smith (25-6-0, 11 KOs. Guerreo In his lone world title shot to date, by way of seventh-round technical knockout to WBO middleweight champion Peter Quillin (30-0-0, 22 KOs) in 2013. Guerrero has since returned to winning ways and at age 27, he is convinced that he has gained experience and maturity to deserve another world title shot.

“COLLISION,” headlined by the WBC light heavyweight championship fight between defending champion Adonis “Superman” Stevenson (23-1-0, 20 KOs) and challenger Andrzej Fonfara (25-2-0, 15 KOs), is presented by Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM) in association with Warriors Boxing, and co-presented by Mise-O-Jeu and Videotron.

According to the president Yvon Michel of GYM, “David Lemieux is the next big star of the World middleweight division! His presence in the ring literally mesmerizes the crowd as he intensively charges with violent intentions His arrival in the big leagues is eagerly awaited.”

Talented light heavyweight contender Eleider “Storm” Alvarez (14-0-0, 8 KOs) is on a mission to become world champion. The WBO # 2, WBA # 3 and WBC #10 light heavyweight is in an enviable position in world rankings and ready for anyone. His opponent will be confirmed soon..

Upon his arrival in Montreal from his native Russia, GYM announced it would not drag things regarding the activity and development of its gifted light heavyweight Artur Beterbiev (4-0-0, 4 KOs). Having completed his apprenticeship fighting four bouts Quebec, the two-time Russian Olympian moves up in rounds and clash, meeting former IBF world light heavyweight champion Jeff ” Left Hook” Lacy (26-4-0, 19 KOs) in a 10-round clash on the stacked “Collision” card. After an absence of several years, the 2000 U.S. Olympian won his last fight this past November against Martin Verdin (20-17-2, 11 KOs). Lacy is a sleek, experienced opponent and Beterbiev’s first major test as a professional.

Unbeaten welterweight Mikael Zewski (23-0-0, 18 KOs) also returns to the ring May 24 in front of his Quebec fans. Promoted by Top Rank, the popular Zewski will fight for the seventh time in Quebec. He has fought prestigious locations like New York, Las Vegas or Atlantic City. His opponent, Prince “Too Hot” Doku Jr. (18-5-0, 12 KOs), will be fighting for the third consecutive time outside of his native Ghana.

Additional May 24 undercard bouts fights will soon be announced. However, GYM has confirmed the participation of IBF # 7 middleweight Kevin Bizier (24-1-0, 14 KOs), as well as heavyweight Oscar Rivas (13-0-0, 8 KOs), young welterweight Junior Ulysses (1-0-0, 1KO), and Grant Brothers’ heavyweight prospect Erik Bazinian (3-0-0, 3 KOs) .

Tickets, ranging from $50.00 to $350.00, are on sale at Bell Centre, www.evenko.ca, GYM (514-383-0666) or Boxing Club Champion (514-376-0980).

LONDON (April 2, 2014) – Leading boxing channel BoxNation is packing a real punch this April and May with the fight games top names including Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao set to feature live and exclusive in a jam-packed schedule.

‘The Channel of Champions’ has pulled no punches in its attempt to line up the biggest and best names in the world of boxing, proving categorically that it is the undisputed pound-for-pound home of boxing.

Rising Irish sensation Carl Frampton’s world title eliminator against Mexican Hugo Cazares this Friday kicks-off a string of back-to-back world class fights on the channel.

Fan-favourite Frampton will attempt to blast his way past the sturdy Cazares in front of his adoring Belfast crowd with the hope of setting up a world title shot against WBC super-bantamweight world champion Leo Santa Cruz.

The undefeated 27-year-old will be looking to make easy work of Cazares at the Odyssey Arena with a winter showdown against the torpedo-like Santa Cruz representing an explosive matchup that could be a potential ‘Fight of the Year’ contender.

The following night, live from Germany, veteran Welshman Enzo Maccarinelli makes one last stab at the world title as he attempts to wrestle the WBA light-heavyweight belt away from the grasp of the dominant Juergen Braehmer.

The German will be looking to ensure Maccarinelli’s ‘Rocky story’ ends in tears, but the chance to seize world title glory at the latter stages of his career offers a unique opportunity for the Swansea star who will leave it all in the ring this Saturday night.

The action just keeps getting better on BoxNation, when, on April 12th, one of boxing’s biggest icons Pacquiao makes his latest ring splash when he takes on another pound-for-pound star in Tim Bradley.

Having met for the first time in 2012, amid a controversial split decision victory for the American Bradley, the rematch presents the chance for Filipino hero Pacquiao to settle an old score.

Such a task, however, will be no easy feat with Bradley having grown tremendously as a fighter following momentous wins over WBO light-welterweight world champion Ruslan Provodnikov and Mexican superstar Juan Manuel Marquez.

With Bradley’s WBO welterweight world title on the line, the bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas is certain to produce fireworks with the ever-exciting Pacquiao, the first and only eight-division world champion, eager to show that time is still very much on his side.

Earlier that evening, there is great domestic action when rising star Frank Buglioni defends his WBO European super-middleweight title when he takes on Sergey Khomitsky at the Copper Box Arena in London.

The unbeaten Buglioni, who is fast making a name for himself as one of the fight game’s hottest prospects, will be looking to continue his march towards a world title shot, with Commonwealth champion Tony Conquest and starlet Bradley Skeete also on the card.

It’s back across Stateside on April 19th when, at 49 years of age, the legendary Bernard Hopkins, the current IBF world champion, will look to unify the light-heavyweight division when he faces WBA Super champion Beibut Shumenov.

The Hopkins story is unlike any other in sport, let alone the sweet science, with the Philadelphian turning his life around following a lengthy prison stint before reigning supreme in the world of boxing, becoming the oldest champion in history.

His bout with Shumenov offers the skilled technician the chance to reach another landmark in his illustrious career by unifying the belts and achieving another remarkable feat just before he hits the age of 50.

Also on the bill that night will be welterweights Shawn Porter and Paulie Malignaggi, as they battle it out for Porter’s IBF crown, with the winner set to face British ace Kell Brook in a mandatory defence.

Middleweight menace Peter Quillin will be another one starring on the night when he takes on Lukas Konecny with Quillin’s WBO world title on the line.

Then, on May 3rd, BoxNation viewers will be in for a real treat when the undisputed pound-for-pound king of boxing Floyd Mayweather takes on Argentine knockout artist Marcos Maidana in a world title unification fight.

WBC welterweight champion ‘Money’ Mayweather will be looking to extend his renowned unbeaten record against WBA champion Maidana who shocked the boxing world by blasting past rising superstar Adrien Broner last December.

A Mayweather event is not fitting without a stacked undercard, and that’s just what fight fans get when former unified light-welterweight world champion Amir Khan makes his eagerly anticipated ring return when he steps up to welterweight to face the skilled Luis Collazo.

Collazo is coming off a stunning victory over the tough Victor Ortiz, having ran Ricky Hatton extremely close in 2006 in a fight many felt belonged to the Brooklyn banger.

Khan will have his work cut out in a bout that could well steal the show on a card which also sees Broner step back between the ropes when he faces Carlos Molina.

The Cincinnati native will be looking to bounce back in style and silence the critics following his crushing defeat to Maidana.

It’s non-stop on BoxNation, with further exciting action on May 24th when The Ring Magazine’s ‘Fighter of the Year’, Adonis Stevenson, looks to blitz his way past another contender for his WBC light-heavyweight crown.

‘Superman’ Stevenson does battle with Andrzej Fonfara live from Montreal with the aim of making the Polish pugilist his 11th knockout victim in a row.

Further good news for the channel is that BoxNation will be the only place to see Tyson Fury’s impending matchup with Dereck Chisora on July 26th.

The heavyweight hitmen lock horns for the second time in their careers when they regain hostilities at the Phones4U Arena in Manchester later this summer, in a bout that will leave no stone unturned.

BoxNation has grown rapidly since its launch in 2011, and is now the recognised as the home of boxing for British fight fans who wish to see the very best action live and exclusive.

The upcoming schedule, packed with competitive world title fights, offers viewers the biggest bouts over the coming months, with a host of leading names, for only £12 a month (plus a one-off registration fee).

To subscribe to BoxNation, and make sure you don’t miss out on all this live and exclusive action, visit www.boxnation.com to join.

-Ends-

About BoxNation
BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated subscription boxing channel. For £12* a month and no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

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

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

The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Virgin (Ch.546), online at Livesport.tv and via iPhone, iPad or Android. BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.

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

For more information visit www.boxnation.com

*Plus £8 one off registration fee for Sky TV and new Livesport.tv customers.

LONDON (March, 28) – THE RING magazine’s ‘Fighter of the Year’ Adonis ‘Superman’ Stevenson will be out to display his superhero power when he takes on Andrzej Fonfara live and exclusive on BoxNation.

The WBC light-heavyweight world champion who enjoyed a scintillating 2013, has earned a reputation as one of boxing’s most formidable punchers, with BoxNation viewers getting the chance to see the knockout artist live in action on May 24th.

‘The Channel of Champions’ is pulling no punches when it comes to adding the very best boxing action to its schedule having already confirmed a number of top fights to its roster including Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao’s respective ring returns.

In Stevenson’s showdown, subscribers to the best dedicated boxing channel in the world will see the man who has blitzed his way past a host of leading names in the 175 pound division including Chad Dawson and Britain’s Tony Bellew.

Up against 26-year-old Fonfara he faces a highly skilled foe, who, despite losing twice early on in his career has not tasted defeat in six years, racking up 25 victories in his 28 contests.

The Polish born warrior, now residing in Chicago, is rated as number one in the rankings by the IBF and WBO, and number three by the WBC.

Stevenson has knocked out his last 10 opponents and will be looking to ensure his run continues when he does battle with Fonfara on BoxNation, live from Montreal.

Other fights on the “COLLISION” card are set to be announced in the coming days.

With a jam-packed April and May schedule coming up on BoxNation (Sky 437/490HD & Virgin 546), the channel offers fight fans a truly spectacular line-up of world class fights and is available for only £12 a month (plus a one-off registration fee).

Visit www.boxnation.com to subscribe.

-Ends-

About BoxNation
BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated subscription boxing channel. For £12* a month and no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

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

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

The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Virgin (Ch.546), online at Livesport.tv and via iPhone, iPad or Android. BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.

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

For more information visit www.boxnation.com

*Plus £8 one off registration fee for Sky TV and new Livesport.tv customers.

MONTREAL (March 27, 2014)- The 2013 “Fighter of the Year,” according to The Ring Magazine and many other boxing publications, as well as the recipient of the prestigious “KO of the Year” award, Adonis “Superman” Stevenson ( 23-1-0, 20 KOs ) returns to the ring May 24 at Bell Centre in Montreal to defend his World Boxing Council (WBC), The Ring and lineal light heavyweight titles for the third time against challenger Andrzej Fonfara (25-2-0, 15KO ).

Born in Warsaw, Poland and now fighting out of Chicago, Illinois, Fonfara is rated No. 1 by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Organization (WBO), as well as No. 3 by the WBC.

The world light heavyweight title fight between Stevenson and Fonfara headlines, “COLLISION,” which is presented by Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM), in association with Warriors Boxing, and co-presented of Mise-O-Jeu and Videotron. As previously announced this fascinating boxing event will air live in the USA on Showtime, thanks to Mr. Stephen Espinoza, its Executive Vice President & General Manager, Sports and Event Programming.

“Superman’s 2013 was a year well beyond all predictions, beyond all imagination so tremendous it was,” GYM president Yvon Michel said. “He rose to the ranks of international superstar, considered to be the best light heavyweight on the planet! It is a privilege to see him in action again here in Montreal.”

Stevenson, 36, won his world light heavyweight title via knockout in only 76 seconds of then-undisputed light heavyweight champion, “Bad” Chad Dawson (31-3-0, 17 KOs). In his first title defense on September 28, 2014, the new champion was supposed to face a major test against former world champion Tavoris “Thunder” Cloud (24-1-0, 19 KOs). It was quite different, however, as the powerful left-hander pushed Cloud until he retired at the end of the seventh round, after Stevenson gave him a thorough boxing lesson. Stevenson gave a brilliant demonstration of skills, finesse, speed, defense, and power. Two months later, “Superman” completed his dream year with an unequivocal defeat of the WBC No. 1 mandatory contender from Great Britain, Tony ‘Bomber’ Bellew (20-1-1, 12 KOs), who was unable to finish the sixth round. The tough Englishman later declared that he had never been hit with such powerful shots, even by heavyweights.

During his incredibly amazing run, the powerful southpaw Stevenson has knocked out all 10 of his last 10 opponents: Bellew (TKO6), Cloud ( TKO7 ), Dawson (KO1), Darnell Boone (KO6), Don George (TKO12), Noe Gonzales ( TKO2 ), Jesus Gonzales (KO1), Aaron Pryor Jr. (TKO9 ), Shujaa El Amin TKO1) and Derek Edwards (KO3). In fact, the last time a Stevenson fight went the full distance dates back to 2007.

The 26-year-old Fonfara has had spectacular victories over three former world champions in his last five fights. First, by third-round technical knockout in 2012 against former WBA monarch Byron Mitchell (29-9-1, 22 KOs), followed by a 10-round decision over multiple champion Glen Johnson (51-16-2, 35 KOs), and then last year a ninth-round stoppage of former WBA title-holder Gabriel Campillo (22-5-1, 9 KOs).

Fonfara has won his last 15 fights, 12 by knockout, and he has never been defeated fighting as a light heavyweight. He had discussions to face WBO championSergey Kovalev and he could have fought to become mandatory challenger to IBF champion
Bernard Hopkins. Fonfara preferred to fight Stevenson because he is convinced that he has the right style and resources to overthrow the world champion. According to American journalist Briggs Seekins, “Fonfara has power in both hands and undoubtedly belongs to the elite of the division. It is certainly the most serious test of Stevenson title defense.”

Other fights on the “COLLISION” card will be announced in the coming days but GYM is committed to presenting another memorable event. GYM does confirm that the IBF No. 10, WBO No. 11 and WBC No. 16 middleweight David Lemieux (31-2-0, 29 KOs) will be in the co-feature for the most important fight of his career. WBO No. 2, WBA No. 3 and WBC No. 10 world light heavyweight contender Eleider Alvarez (14-0-0, 8 KOs) will be in action May 24, along with rising light heavyweight star Artur Beterbiev (4-0-0, 4 KOs), IBF No. 7 middleweight Kevin Bizier (24-1-0, 14 KOs), heavyweight prospect Oscar Rivas (13-0-0, 8 KOs ), super middleweight Sébastien Bouchard (8-0-0, 2 KOs), and young welterweight Yves Ulysse Jr. (1-0-0, 1 KOs).

Tickets go on sale this Saturday morning (Mar. 29) at 10:00 a.m. ET, at Bell Centre, online at www.evenko.ca, calling GYM at (514) 383-0666, or Boxing Club Champion (514) 376-0980 Ticket prices range from $50.00 up to $350.00 reserved on the floor.

-30 –

About Groupe Yvon Michel Inc.: Yvon Michel’s (GYM) group was founded in 2004. The organization’s mission is the development of high-level boxers using a support frame and carefully selected competition by management. To achieve its objectives, GYM actively recruits of top talent and organizes events. In its tenth year of operation, GYM has already produced 113 events in which some have made history in ticket sales and PPV buys, including Pascal vs. Bute (co-promoted with InterBox), Pascal vs. Hopkins I and II. GYM has produced more than 300 hours of TV for Canal Indigo, Bell TV, Shaw TV, TVA Sports, VOX, TVA, Radio Canada V and RDS in Canada, as well as on HBO, Showtime and ESPN in the USA. A total of eight different GYM boxers have participated in 20 world championship fights. Under the tutelage of GYM, in 2007 Joachim Alcine captured the WBA super welterweight title and in 2009 Jean Pascal became WBC light heavyweight champion. Since June 2013, Adonis “Superman” Stevenson has held the WBC, The Ring Magazine and lineal heavyweight title. He was also acclaimed 2013 Fighter of the Year by “The Ring” and several other publications, in addition to getting the KO of the Year for his sensational victory over Chad Dawson in only 76-seconds.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Light Heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson will take on Andrzej Fonfara in a title bout that will land on Showtime on May 24 in Montreal.

The fight was originally ticketed for HBO which would have led to a unification fight with Sergey Kovalev but Stevenson signed with adviser Al Haymon and a bigger deal was reached with Showtime.

“We had a deal. It changed. It is not the way we do it,” HBO spokesman Ray Stallone told ESPN.com.

“We’re thrilled to have Adonis on the network,” Stephen Espinoza, the Showtime Sports executive vice president and general manager, told ESPN.com. “He’s one of the most exciting fighters in any division. I intended to get in business with him in August 2012. He was supposed to fight on the network on the undercard of the Jean Pascal-Tavoris Cloud fight but Pascal got injured and the card was canceled. It took longer that I expected but we finally got our man and we’re thrilled.

“We have a structure in place that will allow us to do the Fonfara fight and whatever big fights become available for him. Should Kovalev [who has a multifight deal with HBO] become available, we’d welcome him at the network if he’d like to fight Adonis.”

If Stevenson defeats Fonfara, the fight he will be lined up for will be against the winner of the title unification fight between Bernard Hopkins and Beibut Shumenov (another Haymon client). They headline a Showtime card April 19 in Washington, D.C.

“A unification fight is absolutely the natural progression for Adonis,” Espinoza said. “If he takes care of business on May 24 against Fonfara, the winner of Hopkins-Shumenov is the natural fight to make and one we want to do.”

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

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

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

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

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

About March 15th:

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

NBC Sports Live Extra:

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

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

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

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

FOLLOW US:

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Atlantic City, NJ: Over the past week or two the boxing world has been consumed with the verbal sparring match happening in the media between Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (23-0-1, 21 KOs) and Adonis Stevenson. But before any Kovalev-Stevenson match can take place “Krusher” will face-off against undefeated challenger Cedric “L.O.W.” Agnew (26-0-0, 13 KOs) for the WBO Light Heavyweight Championship on March 29th at the Ballroom at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ and live on HBO Boxing After Dark.

Agnew has been flying under the radar, so few people know how deeply the sport of boxing runs in his veins. His uncle, Chicago’s own “Mighty” Mike Evans (38-11-1, 27 KOs), started taking Cedric to the gym with him when he was just eight years old. Agnew spent the majority of his childhood in Chicago working out with his pro-boxer uncle. His youngest brother, Frankie, is also a fighter, coming off a Chicago Golden Gloves Championship and contemplating a professional career.

Cedric had a stellar amateur career, winning 110 of his 120 bouts. During his amateur career he won gold medals at the 2003 United States National Junior Olympics, the 2003 Sweden Cup for Under-19’s, the 2004 Chicago Golden Gloves, the 2004 United States Under-19 Championships, the 2006 Chicago Golden Gloves and won a silver medal at the 2004 National Golden Gloves. He also defeated current WBA Champion Beibut Shumenov.

According to Cedric’s promoter, Malcolm Garrett of Garrett Promotions, he was not looking to sign another fighter when he first heard about Cedric. He received a call from legendary boxing trainer Sam Colonna, who has worked with such names as Andrew Golota, Angel Manfredy, Angel Hernandez and Vaughn Bean, and told Garrett he needed to come look at Cedric. According to Garrett, “Sam Colonna told me that Cedric is the most talented fighter to come out of Chicago in over 30 years. When Sam said that, I needed to listen so I signed him.”

Cedric turned pro in 2007 at the age of 20 and has not lost a fight since. He is no stranger to big fights. Agnew defeated Rayco Saunders via unanimous decision on May 1, 2008 (just one year after his professional debut) to take the vacant WBC Continental Americas Light Heavyweight title. Three years later, on November 3, 2011, he knocked out Daniel Judah in the sixth round to take the vacant WBC United States (USNBC) Light Heavyweight title. Finally, on April 12, 2013 he defeated Yusaf Mack via unanimous decision for the USBA light heavyweight title. According to Agnew, “My win over Yusaf was one of the biggest of my career thus far.”

“L.O.W.” is a student of the sport. According to Garrett, Agnew watches almost every fight but especially the fights in the light heavyweight division. He has studied Kovalev extensively and feels he is ready for this fight. Malcolm said, “He believes he is right there with Kovalev. He plans to win the fight. We are hoping for a big upset and he has the ability to upset him. Hopefully the public will enjoy the fight.” And Agnew believes he has what it takes to defeat Kovalev, he said, “My brain and the way I think will be my biggest advantage in the ring. I’m a very smart fighter. I’m just looking to fight my fight, that’s all”

Cedric “L.O.W.” Agnew
When Garrett approached Agnew about the possibility of a fight between him and Kovalev, Agnew did not hesitate. Garrett said, “I have learned when you have to convince a fighter to take a fight you are already in trouble. I was encouraged when Cedric took the fight without an ounce of hesitation. He wants this fight and he knows he’s ready.”

And Agnew is not bothered by the Kovalev-Stevenson hype; he said, “I try not to listen to the media. I’m just focusing on what I need to do come March 29th.” Malcolm is hoping the hype will work to their advantage and that the media is not the only one overlooking Agnew, “I think all the media attention about Kovalev-Stevenson is great and I hope Kovalev is overlooking Cedric like everyone else and it will work to our advantage. This is a fight Cedric wanted. He knows he’s been overlooked – out of the limelight under the radar – but when the bell rings, we will all know.”
About March 29th:

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

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

About Caesars Entertainment:

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

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (Media):

MAIN EVENTS: Ellen Haley- 973-903-6715, ehaley@mainevents.com
HBO: Kevin Flaherty – 212-512-5052, Kevin.Flaherty@hbo.com
CAESARS: Jerry Eisenband, jeisenband@harrahs.com
BOARDWALK HALL: Zack Lloyd, zlloyd@global-spectrum.com

It’s a holiday treat for HBO Boxing fans. Over five consecutive nights in late December, the HBO2 service will present 10 of the year’s standout fights, spotlighting some of the biggest names in the sport in riveting performances. Featured are signature wins by Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto, Timothy Bradley Jr. and Carl Froch plus breakout victories by rising stars Gennady Golovkin, Adonis Stevenson and Sergey Kovalev.

Starting Monday, Dec. 23, HBO2 will replay 10 major league showdowns from this year over five consecutive nights. Each night the doubleheader of action starts at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT. Fight fans will get to revisit the most memorable, most significant and most compelling bouts that were televised on HBO, including a couple of slugfests that are clear favorites for “Fight of the Year” honors.
The “Boxing’s Best” lineup includes:
Monday, December 23 at 11:00 p.m.
Carl Froch vs. Mikkel Kessler II
Sergey Kovalev vs. Nathan Cleverly
Tuesday, December 24 at 11:00 p.m.
Timothy Bradley Jr. vs. Ruslan Provodnikov

Miguel Cotto vs. Delvin Rodriguez
Wednesday, December 25 at 11:00 p.m.
Brandon Rios vs. Mike Alvarado II

Gennady Golovkin vs. Matthew Macklin
Thursday, December 26 at 11:00 p.m.
Timothy Bradley Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Marquez

Adonis Stevenson vs. Chad Dawson
Friday, December 27 at 11:00 p.m.
Manny Pacquiao vs. Brandon Rios

James Kirkland vs. Glen Tapia

*Winners names are in italics.
All times are ET/PT.
“Boxing’s Best” will be available on HBO ON DEMAND® and HBO GO®

2013 Highlights:
HBO Boxing traveled to four continents this year (North America, Europe, South America and Asia) illustrating the sport’s global appeal and reach. Fight fans were presented live fights from exciting destinations in Macau, Moscow, Montreal and Buenos Aires.
The roster of elite fighters appearing on HBO in 2013 included: Sergio Martinez, Manny Pacquiao, Andre Ward, Gennady Golovkin, Timothy Bradley Jr., Wladimir Klitschko, Mike Alvarado, Juan Manuel Marquez, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Miguel Cotto, Carl Froch, Mikkel Kessler, Brandon Rios, Nonito Donaire and Mikey Garcia.
Emerging stars who made their HBO debut this year, launching an impressive wave of new attractions on the network included: Ruslan Provodnikov, Adonis Stevenson, Sergey Kovalev and Terence Crawford.
The two top-rated boxing series on cable television are on HBO, the leading television platform for the sport in the U.S. HBO Boxing has delivered 21 of the top 25 bouts on cable television in 2013.

Ph

Adonis Stevenson retained the WBC Light Heavyweight title with a sixth round stoppage of mandatory contender Tony Bellew at the Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec City, Canada.

In round six, Stevenson dropped Bellew with a perfect left hand. Stevenson then landed two more crunching lefts that snapped the head of Bellew back violently and referee Michael Griffin stopped the bout at 1:50 of round six.

Stevenson, 174 1/2 lbs of Montreal is now 23-1 with 21 knockouts. Bellew, 175 lbs of Liverpool, ENG is now 20-2-1.

Sergey Kovalev retained the WBO Light Heavyweight with a two round destruction of Ismayl Sillakh.

After a good boxing 1st round by both, Kovalev dropped Sillakh just seconds into the second round with a hard right hand. Sillakh was clearly hurt but ate a devastating three punch combination that decked Sillakh on hos side and the fight was stopped at 52 seconds of round two

Kovalev of Fort Lauderdale, FL is now 23-0-1 with 21 knockouts. Sillakh, 174 1/2 lbs of Simi Valley, CA is now 21-2.

UEBEC CITY – Saturday’s HBO Boxing telecast airs at 10:15 p.m. (ET/PT). The telecast begins with the replay of welterweight superstar Manny Pacquiao’s dominant win over Brandon Rios on Nov. 23 in Macau.

The live HBO telecast from Colisée Pepsi in Quebec City features undefeated 175-pound title-holder Sergey Kovalev vs. Ismayl Sillakh in a 12-round title match that serves as the evening’s co-feature.

Sillakh and Kovalev face off at weigh in
Photo Credits: HBO/Ed Mulholland

The main attraction from Quebec City, a 12-round light heavyweight contest, features title-holder Adonis Stevenson as he defends his crown against challenger Tony Bellew.

Official Weights from Quebec City:

Adonis Stevenson: 174.4 lbs.

Tony Bellew: 175 lbs.

Sergey Kovalev: 174.6 lbs.

Ismayl Sillakh: 174.4 lbs.

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#StevensonBellew and #KovalevSillakh

New York, NY / Quebec City, Canada – (11/26/13) – This Saturday, DiBella Entertainment’s (DBE) world-rated welterweight contender (WBC #6 & IBF #10) Ionut “Jo Jo” Dan Ion (31-2, 17KO’s) will look to take a major step toward once again challenging for a piece of the welterweight world crown when he faces fellow top-rated (IBF #3 & WBA #11) and undefeated welterweight contender Kevin Bizier (21-0, 14KO’s). The bout, scheduled for 12 rounds with the NABA and IBF Inter-Continental titles at stake, is also an official IBF eliminator for the #2 spot. The contest is the main supporting bout on the loaded and highly anticipated HBO Boxing After Dark championship double-header featuring defending WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson facing top-rated challenger Tony Bellew and WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev defending against Ismayl Sillakh. The card will be taking place at the Colisee de Quebec in beautiful Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.

“I am going into this fight against Kevin Bizier with full confidence, a win is my only option,” said a determined Ion. “Boxing took me all over the world both as an amateur and a pro and I am convinced my opponent in Quebec City cannot bring anything that I have not seen yet in a boxing ring. Bizier is a good fighter and I have respect for him and his team, but he is in over his head in this fight. The two belts are changing owners this Saturday. I am very grateful for this opportunity and I want to thank my promoter DBE and also GYM for accepting our challenge to their fighter.”

“DBE signed Jo Jo Dan because we believe that he is one of the best welterweights in the world. This Saturday night he will have the opportunity to prove it. If he defeats Kevin Bizier, a world title shot should await,” stated promoter Lou DiBella.

The bout this Saturday will see Ion once again in a similar position entering enemy territory. Ion began his career reeling off 26 consecutive victories before traveling to Turkey to take on fellow undefeated top-rated contender and 2004 Turkish Olympian Selcuk Aydin for the vacant WBC Silver welterweight championship. Ion brought the fight to the hard-hitting Aydin and, despite suffering a questionable first-round knockdown, seemingly controlled the rest of the action, only to come up on the wrong end of a highly debatable 12-round split decision.

Ion scored three straight victories to earn himself a rematch against Aydin for the WBC Silver title. Unfortunately for Ion, the bout once again took place in Aydin’s home country of Turkey with the titlist pulling out a narrow decision victory, although this one was more deserved.

Looking to work his way back into title contention, Ion signed with promoter Lou DiBella in late 2012 and put together back-to-back victories to earn him the opportunity on Saturday night.

The Romanian-born Ion has been calling Montreal home ever since he turned pro in 2004 and the bout between the Quebec-native Bizier has been talked about for a while now. While Bizier will have the home crowd behind him, many of Ion’s fans are expected to make the trip over from Montreal, adding more excitement to what is an already stellar event planned for Saturday night.

MONTREAL(October 17, 2013) — The World Boxing Council (WBC), The Ring Magazine and lineal World light heavyweight champion, Adonis “Superman” Stevenson (22-1, 19 KOs), has promised to be a spectacular, popular and active champion. He is keeping his word, fighting more impressively with each other victory, as he now prepares for his fourth fight in 2013.

Stevenson’s third world championship fight in a five month period, to air in the United States on HBO®, will be in the main event against his mandatory challenger and the WBC’s No. 1 contender, England’s Tony ‘Bomber’ Bellew (20-1-1, 12 KOs), on Saturday, November 30 at Colisee Pepsiin Quebec City, Canada. The event will televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark, beginning at 10:15 p. m. ET/PT.

As a bonus, Quebecers will also have the pleasure of watching a second world light heavyweight title fight in the same ring as undefeated World Boxing Organization (WBO) champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (22-0-1, 20 KOs), who like Stevenson is one of the most feared hitters in boxing today, defends his crown for the first time against challenger Ismayl “The Black Russian” Sillakh (21-1, 17 KOs) in the co-feature.

“The Quest of the Man of Steel” event, featuring double world light heavyweight championship action — Stevenson vs. Bellew and Kovalev vs. Sillakh — is being co-promoted by Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM) and InterBox, in association with Matchroom Boxing and Main Events, and co-presented by Mise- O -Jeu and Videotron.

According to GYM president Yvon Michel, “This attractive boxing event also helps bring international prestige to the beautiful City of Quebec for the first time since Pascal vs. Hopkins and Bute vs. Johnson. We find ourselves with valuable support, including Mayor Régis Labeaume and his team, whom we thank for their co-operation.”

“We are very happy to be participating in this event as co-promoter in the wonderful city of Quebec,” InterBox President Jean Bédard said. “We will put all our resources and knowledge at the forefront in order to contribute to the success of this event.”

The 36-year-old Stevenson, now living in Blainville (Quebec, Canada), won his world heavyweight title by way of a first-round knockout in 76 seconds over “Bad” Chad Dawson who was considered at that time the undisputed King of the Light Heavyweights. In Stevenson’s first defense (September 28), former world champion Tavoris Cloud (24-1, 19 KOs) was supposed to be a major test for the new world champion. It was quite different as the powerful left-hander pressured Cloud from the start, forcing the challenger to retire at the end of the seventh round. Stevenson gave Cloud a boxing lesson, displaying brilliant skills, finesse, speed and defensive power.

“Stevenson – ‘The Man of Steel’ – is receiving universal recognition as an exceptional boxer, as well as a superior athlete who, through his most recent performances, has risen to the level of his generation’s greatest champions,” Michel declared. “Adonis Stevenson is already considered a major international attraction in professional boxing. Every time he goes into the ring, he has an opportunity to increase its visibility and reputation.”

The powerful southpaw Stevenson is on a nine-fight win streak, all ending on sensational knockouts, over Cloud (TKO7 ), Dawson (KO1), Darnell Boone (KO6), Don George (TKO12), Noe Gonzalez (TKO2), Jesus Gonzales (KO1), Aaron Pryor, Jr. (TKO9), Shujaa El Amin (TKO1) and Derek Edwards (KO3). In fact, the last Stevenson fight that went the distance dates back to 2007.

The 30-year-old Bellew is a native of Liverpool in the United Kingdom. After a great amateur boxing career, he turned professional in 2007 and later won the Commonwealth (2010-2011) title and he still holds the WBC Silver Belt (2012). He has suffered only one loss to then WBO world champion Nathan Cleverly in 2011. He earned his mandatory challenger position by taking the measure of Isaac Chilemba on points in a WBC title eliminator this last May 25 in the co-feature a Carl Froch vs. Mikkel Kessler headlined card in the UK. Among his notable victories was a ninth-round technical knockout of the usually durable Colombian Edison Miranda (35-7, 30 KOs).

The WBO light heavyweight championship bout between champion Kovalev and challenger Sillakh has also raised a lot of interest around the world. Kovalev once terrorized boxing rings around the world representing the Russian National Team. Now a resident of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, he continues in the same vein as a professional, stopping 20 of his 22 opponents, including his last six in a row. In his WBO world title fight last August in England, he was so strong that he tore the title belt from defending champion Cleverly (26-0, 12 KOs), by way of a fourth-round knockout, putting an end to his nearly three-year reign, including six consecutive world championship fights. Kovalev has fought only 61 rounds during his pro career in 22 fights. Eighteen of his 22 fights have ended three rounds or less.

Sillakh was one of the most decorated amateurs of his time in international boxing. The former World Cup champion as an amateur turned pro in 2008. In 2012, he was ranked the WBC No. 1 contender, before losing for the first and only time to Denis Grachev (11-0-1, 7 KOs) by eighth-round TKO. Sillakh has his last four fights to reappear in the world rankings.

Undercard fights will soon be announced as InterBox and GYM are working hard to set up another memorable event.

Tickets will go on sale this Saturday (Oct. 19) at 10:00 a.m. ET, at Pepsi Coliseum box office, on www.billeteck.com, at GYM (514) 383-0666, InterBox (Marie-Josée Fontaine) (450) 645-1041 or Boxing Club Champion (514) 376-0980. Ticket prices range from $50 in the red up to $300 on the floor.

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About Groupe Yvon Michel Inc.:

Yvon Michel (GYM) Group was founded in 2004. The organization’s mission is the development of high-level boxers with a support frame, especially in competition. To achieve its objectives, GYM is actively recruiting talent and organizing events. Since its inception nine years ago, GYM has produced 111 events, some of which like Pascal vs. Hopkins I and II have made history in terms of ticket sales and PPV viewership. GYM has produced more than 300 hours of television for Canal Indigo, Bell TV, Shaw TV, TVA Sports, VOX , TVA, CBC , RDS and V , in Canada; as well as HBO, Showtime and ESPN in the USA. A total of eight different GYM boxers have fought in 19 world title fights. Under the tutelage of GYM, Joachim Alcine captured the WBA super welterweight title in 2007, and WBC light heavyweight Jean Pascal the WBC crown in 2009. Since June 2013, Adonis “Superman” Stevenson has held the WBC title, The Ring Magazine and lineal light heavyweight championships.