American fight fans will see the biggest bout in Canadian boxing history when the action-packed tripleheader WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: JEAN PASCAL VS. LUCIAN BUTE, ELEIDER ALVAREZ VS. THOMAS OOSTHUIZEN AND MIKE PEREZ VS. CARLOS TAKAM is presented SATURDAY, JAN. 18 at 10:15 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from the Bell Centre in Montreal, exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports team will call all the action, presented in HDTV and in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates: Jan. 19 (8:30 a.m.) and 21 (midnight)
HBO2 playdates: Jan. 19 (4:00 p.m.) and 20 (11:00 p.m.)
In the historic main event, the country’s top rivals, Jean Pascal (28-2-1, 17 KOs) and Lucian Bute (31-1-0, 24 KOs), meet in a 12-round, 175-pound spectacle originally slated for May 2013. The 31-year-old Pascal has never backed down from a challenge, confronting American stars Bernard Hopkins and Chad Dawson with supreme confidence. Bute, 33, has displayed flashes of brilliance as a super middleweight, and will now test his power in the light heavyweight division.
The preceding bout features Montreal’s Eleider Alvarez (13-0-0, 8 KOs) and Thomas Oosthuizen (22-0-2, 13 KOs) of Boksburg, Gauteng, South Africa in a 12-round light heavyweight title clash. The undefeated Alvarez, 29, who has fought his last ten fights at the Bell Centre, will have the backing of fight fans around the country. Returning to HBO after recording a draw against Brandon Gonzales in June, Oosthuizen, 25, is making the transition from super middleweight to the highly competitive 175-pound division.
The evening opens with a battle of highly touted heavyweights, as Mike Perez (20-0, 12 KOs) of Cork, Ireland, takes on Carlos Takam (29-1, 23 KOs) of Noisy-le-Grand, Seine-Saint-Denis, France in a scheduled ten-round bout. Coming off a November win, Perez, 28, seeks to preserve his undefeated record and power-punch his way to a shot at a heavyweight crown. Boasting an impressive 11-fight win streak, including eight by knockout, Takam is making his HBO and Canadian debuts. He is sharp having scored a third round KO win over Jakov Gospic on Dec. 20.
All HBO boxing events are presented in HDTV. HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.
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® WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.

Montreal, Canada (December 13, 2013) World ranked heavyweight Mike “The Rebel” Perez will make a quick return to the ring taking on hard-hitting contender Carlos Takam of France on Saturday, JANUARY 18 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada.

The Perez/Takam clash contested for the World Boxing Council (‘WBC’) US-NBC Title will be a featured bout on the massive event headlined by Canada’s two most popular fighters, Jean Pascal and Lucian Bute. Perez vs. Takam is presented by K2 Promotions while Pascal vs. Bute is promoted by GYM Promotions and Interbox. January 18 will be a tripleheader televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT.

“We’re thrilled to bring Mike back to the ring and back on HBO so quickly following his win on NOVEMBER 2 at Madison Square Garden” said Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions. “Mike’s battle with Magomed Abdusalamov was a highly competitive bout and in light of Mago’s injuries from that fight Mike will be dedicating this upcoming bout to him.”

“We’re also very happy that HBO has shown a renewed commitment to the heavyweight division which has always been the premier division in the sport. Mike wants to stay active and show that he’s one of the best heavyweights in the world.”

Perez will be donating a portion of his purse to Abdusalamov’s family and will honor him in the ring by having “Mago’s” name stitched on his trunks. Fans can also make donations to Abdusalamov and his family through www.Ring10Ny.com .

“I’m excited to return to training with my coach, Abel Sanchez in Big Bear, California. My thoughts since NOVEMBER 2 have been with ‘Mago’ and his family and I pray he makes a full recovery,” said Perez.

“Takam is a very strong heavyweight with a great record but I’ll be fully prepared to be successful on JANUARY 18.”

“I’m excited that my fight will be on HBO, I have a lot of respect for Perez but on January 18 I will prove that I can beat him in the ring ” said Takam.

“We are thrilled to launch our 2014 boxing season on an electric night in Montreal,” said Peter Nelson, Director of Programming, HBO Sports. “January 18th promises to be compelling: Jean Pascal and Lucian Bute will face off before one of the biggest crowds of fight fans to gather in 2014; rising undefeated heavyweight Mike Perez returns to HBO against heavy-handed Carlos Takam; and Eleider Alvarez-Thomas Oosthuizen presents a make-or-break battle of undefeated light heavyweights.”

Fighting out of Cork, Ireland, by way of Cuba, the 28-year-old Perez sports an undefeated record of 20-0-0 (12KO’s)

Looking to stay active and work towards a world title bout, Perez is currently ranked # 5 by the World Boxing Council and # 10 by the World Boxing Organization.

A native of Cameroon, fighting out of Noisy-le-Grand, France, the 33-year-old Takam has compiled a record of 28-1-0 with 22 knockouts over eight year professional career.

Over the last two years, the 2004 Olympian has knocked out two former world title challengers, Michael Grant and Frans Botha and has won ten fights in a row.

Over the last decade, K2 Promotions has promoted the most heavyweight championship title bouts of any promoter worldwide. K2 Promotions is one of Boxing’s most respected promoters showcasing boxing’s biggest events in the US and Europe at many of the world’s premier venues.

The Managing Director of K2 Promotions is Tom Loeffler.