NEW YORK (October 11, 2023) -Tonight at the Montreal Casino, Split-T Management fighter Mary Spencer takes on Femke Hermans for the vacant IBF Super Welterweight World title in a rematch of a fight that took place on February 16th.

The fight, for which Spencer came in after battling an illness, saw Hermans win a unanimous decision.

Spencer of Montreal is 7-1 with five knockouts and is established as one of the hardest punching female fighters in the world. Spencer has a first-round stoppage over Cynthia Lozano (9-1) on her record.

Hermans of Belgium is 16-4 with seven knockouts. The 33-year-old has wins over Nikki Adler (16-1), Lili Jumali (1-0).

The fight will be streamed live on ESPN+ at 7 PM ET.

(Oct. 6, 2023) — Canadian Olympian Mary Spencer will attempt to avenge her only defeat when she takes on Belgian former world champion Femke Hermans in a 10-round rematch for the vacant IBF junior middleweight world title on Wednesday, October 11, at Casino de Montréal in Montreal, Canada. 
 
Promoted by Eye of the Tiger, Spencer-Hermans II headlines a loaded fight card streaming live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ starting at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.
 
Spencer (7-1, 5 KOs) represented Canada at the 2012 London Olympics. Nearly a decade later, she turned pro with a first-round knockout victory against Maria Esquivel Zamora in August 2021. She secured her first regional title by blasting out Cynthia Lozano in the first round of their September 2022 battle. Hermans (16-4, 7 KOs), a seven-year pro, captured the WBO junior middleweight world title with a decision win over Nikki Adler in May 2018. Later that year, she moved up to middleweight and made an unsuccessful bid for Claressa Shields’ unified crown. She then faced the likes of Savannah Marshall and Elin Cederroos before returning to junior middleweight. In their first encounter last December, Hermans beat Spencer via decision in a fiercely contested battle. Less than a year later, the stakes are even higher.
 
In the 10-round super middleweight co-feature, unbeaten southpaw Erik Bazinyan (30-0, 21 KOs) defends his NABF and NABA titles against American veteran Ronald Ellis (18-3-2, 12 KOs). Bazinyan, who is ranked No. 3 by the WBA, WBC and IBF, is inches away from a world title opportunity. He will make his third appearance of 2023 after decision wins against Alantez Fox in February and Jose de Jesus Macias in June. Ellis returns following a two-year layoff after providing stiff tests to David Benavidez and Christian Mbilli in 2021.
 
In other streaming action from Montreal:
 
Christopher Guerrero (8-0, 4 KOs) vs. Jose Lopez (30-8-2, 16 KOs), 8 rounds, welterweight
 
Leila Beaudoin (9-1, 1 KO) vs. Estrella Valverde (19-11-2, 4 KOs), 8 rounds, junior lightweight 
 
Jhon Orobio (4-0, 4 KOs) vs. Jesus Solis Reyes (4-1), 6 rounds, lightweight 
 
Wilkens Mathieu (3-0, 2 KOs) vs. Cesar Lopez Romo (2-0, 1 KO), 4 rounds, super middleweight
 
Imam Khataev (3-0, 3 KOs) vs. David Benitez (9-8, 2 KOs), 8 rounds, light heavyweight
 
Mehmet Nadir Unal (5-0, 4 KOs) vs. Luca Spadaccini (9-5-3, 4 KOs), 8 rounds, light heavyweight 

NEW YORK (December 16, 2022) — Tonight at Centre Gervais Arena in Shawnigan, Quebec, Canada, undefeated knockout artist Mary Spencer goes after her first world title when she takes on veteran former world champion Femke Hermans for the IBO Super Welterweight world title.

Spencer is managed by Split-T Management under Brian Cohen.

The fight can be seen live on ESPN+ at 7 PM ET.

Spencer of Montreal has accumulated an impressive record that reads 7-0 with five knockouts.

In Spencer’s last bout, she won the WBA International and WBC Silver Super Welterweight titles with an emphatic first-round destruction of former world title challenger Cynthia Lozano (9-1) on September 9th in Montreal.

Hermans of Belgium is 13-4 with five knockouts. Hermans is a former Belgium and WBF International champion. Hermans won the WBO Super Middleweight title on May 12, 2018 with a 10-round unanimous decision over Nikki Adler (16-1). Her only losses have come in world title bouts.

At Thursday’s weigh-in both fighters came in at a ready 152.8 lbs.

Spencer is promoted by Eye of the Tiger Management.

Newcastle, England – (April 2, 2022) – WBO middleweight champion Savannah ‘The Silent Assassin’ Marshall (12-0, 10 KOs) headlined the Utilita Arena, Newcastle on Saturday night in knockout fashion against Femke Hermans (12-4, 5 KOs) setting up the biggest fight in women’s boxing history against the WBC, IBF & WBA middleweight champion Claressa Shields (12-0, 2 KOS).

Marshall proved successful on her third defence as she stalked Hermans throughout the early rounds and calculated her opponent in the process. At the death of the third round Marshall detonated a powerful left hook that knocked Hermans out cold, sending a message to her arch-nemesis ringside.

The Hartlepool fighter trained and mentored by Peter Fury holds the reputation as the most ferocious puncher in women’s boxing and she more than lived up to the hype with her 10th knockout of her professional career.

However, Hermans proved to be no pushover in the build-up to the fight, a former world champion who has fought Shields and taken her 12 rounds, losing respectively in the process.

Many would have been taking this fight as a direct comparison to how Shields and Marshall fared against Hermans. The anticipated fight against Shields next has all boxing fans chomping at the bit, Marshall remains the only fighter to have beaten Shields when she beat her in the amateurs in 2012.

Marshall is considered to be the biggest female puncher on the planet and maybe all time, she becomes the only fighter to have stopped Hermans and the fight against Shields will be one of the biggest fights of the year.

In chief support, ‘The Albanian King’ Florian Marku (11-0-1, 7 KOs) successfully defended his IBF International Welterweight title in his toughest test to date against the former British and Commonwealth titlist Chris Jenkins (23-5-3, 8 KOs).

Lasting just four rounds, the fiery Albanian landed a big right hand that rocked Jenkins heavily with the referee stepping in soon after.

Marku did seem to struggle at times with Jenkins and was often outboxed, Jenkins established his jab early in the fight and relied on the punch to disrupt Marku’s flow throughout the length of the fight.

The victory establishes itself as the best in Marku’s relatively short career with a fight against fellow BOXXER fighter Chris Kongo (13-1, 7 KOs) just around the corner.

Zak Chelli (11-1-1, 6 KOs) returned to boxing duties for the first time in a year with a hard-earned stoppage over late opponent Jack Kilgannon (11-1, 3 KOs) in the sixth round, handing him his first defeat in the process.

A clash of heads occurred in the sixth round with Chelli coming off worse with a huge cut on the hairline, the cut appeared to annoy Chelli, and he unleashed a ferocious overhead right knocking Kilgannon out towards the end of the round.

The super middleweight is no stranger to performing under the BOXXER banner as he won the super middleweight BOXXER tournament in 2020. The 24-year-old will take the momentum of the victory into the rest of year which he will be hoping will see himself challenging for titles.

British boxings latest breakout star Brad Rea (13-0, 5 KOs) added another victory to his journey with BOXXER, defeating a testing opponent in Lukas Ndafoluma (20-5, 10 KOs) on points.

After his emphatic first round stoppage last time out against Craig McCarthy (8-1-1, 2 KOs), Rea took his time in this fight and gained valuable rounds in the process. The referee scored the eight-round bout 78-73 in Rea’s favour.

At the end of the fourth round, Rea switched to the southpaw stance and landed a perfectly timed left cross to counter Ndafoluma’s attack and drop him to the canvas. The punch woke the Newcastle crowd and certainly changed the balance of the fight.

Considered a step up for the 24-year-old from Manchester, the WBA African middleweight champion Ndafoluma proved a worthy opponent and allowed Rea to learn from a different style of opponent.

Hailing from a boxing family, Luke Cope (4-0, 0 KOs) was victorious in his return to the ring beating journeyman Lee Connelly (8-73-6, 0 KOs) over four rounds by unanimous decision, 39-37.

The 24-year-old last fought in March 2019 but due to the pandemic the young super lightweights career suffered. Cope and his team will be hoping for a bright 2022 with lots of activity inside the ring.

Following last October’s upset defeat to Kirstie Bavington (5-2-2, 2 KOs), Newcastle’s own April Hunter (5-1, 0 KOs) returned to winning ways with a 60-54 unanimous decision victory against Ester Konecna (1-15-1, 0 KOs) in the very same arena she lost her unbeaten record.

Switching camps to join forces with Peter Fury and Savannah Marshall, Hunter will be looking to build on this victory and continue her young career in the right direction.

Undefeated British cruiserweight Michael Webster (7-0, 5 KOs) gained his fifth consecutive stoppage victory with an impressive 3rd round stoppage against Erdogan Kadrija (17-5, 11 KOs).

After an up and down fight week with his previous opponent pulling out, Webster was matched with the travelling German Kadrija who boasted an impressive record going into the fight.

The 27-year-old from Middlesbrough must look forward to the next stage in his career as a step-up fight should be next. The heavy-handed cruiserweight has the potential to be a problem in what is one of Britain’s most improved divisions in recent years.

Georgia ‘Geo’ O’Connor (2-0, 0 KOs) continued her young professional career with BOXXER as she defeated Erica Alvarez (2-6, 0 KOs) via a unanimous decision over six rounds.

Formerly with Team GB and a five-time national champion as an amateur, Geo used her boxing ability to convincingly beat the Argentine earlier on the undercard.

Hosea Stewart (2-0, 0 KOs) faced the well-seasoned heavyweight journeyman Phil Williams (4-35-1, 1 KOs) earlier in the night at the Utilita Arena. Stewart, the 24-year-old, took the four scheduled rounds to defeat Williams but made sure he did so with a convincing unanimous decision that the referee scored 40-36.

Matty Harris (2-0, 1 KOs) made easy work of his second professional fight as the young heavyweight crushed Mait Metsis (0-5) in the first round with a beautifully timed right uppercut, that will be remembered as the most brutal knockout of the night.

Full fight results

Savannah Marshall (12-0, 10 KOs) def. Femke Hermans (12-4, 5 KOs) – 3rd KO, 10×2 WBO middleweight title.

Florian Marku (11-0-1, 7 KOs) def. Chris Jenkins (23-5-4, 8 KOs) – 4th rnd TKO, 10×3 IBF International welterweight title.

Zak Chelli (11-1-1, 6 KOs) def. Jack Kilgannon (11-1, 3 KOs) – R6 KO, 8×3 super middleweight.

Brad Rea (13-0, 5 KOs) def. Lukas Ndafoluma (20-5, 10 KOs) – UD 78-73, 8×3 middleweight.

Luke Cope (4-0, 0 KOs) def. Lee Connelly (8-73-6, 0 KOs) – UD 39-37, 4×3 super lightweight.

April Hunter (5-1, 0 KOs) def. Ester Konecna (1-15-1, 0 KOs) – UD 60-54, 6×2 super welterweight.

Michael Webster (7-0, 5 KOs) def. Erdogan Kadrija (17-5, 11 KOs). – R3 TKO, 6×3 cruiserweight.

Georgia O’Connor (2-0, 0 KOs) def. Erica Alvarez (2-6, 0 KOs) – UD 60-55, 6×2 super welterweight.

Hosea Stewart (2-0, 0 KOs) def. Phil Williams (4-25-1, 1 KOs) – UD 40-36, 4×3 heavyweight.

Matty Harris (2-0, 1 KOs) def. Mait Metsis (0-5) – R1 KO, 4×3 heavyweight.

Newcastle, England – (April 2, 2022) – Tempers boiled over at today’s BOXXER Newcastle: Marshall vs Hermans official weigh-ins today when Florian Marku, the defending IBF International Welterweight Champion, faced off with challenger Chris Jenkins.

Marku had strong but inaudible words for Jenkins, prompting Jenkins to sarcastically blow him a kiss in response. This incensed the Albanian champion; he grabbed Jenkins by the throat, forcing security to intervene quickly and separate the two enraged fighters.

All fighters made weight at the first attempt today, including WBO World Middleweight Champion Savannah Marshall, who defends her title against former champion Femke Hermans in the headline bout of tomorrow night’s event, live on Sky Sports.

Below please find today’s official weights and the running order for tomorrow night’s event:

FIGHT #1: 17:00

6×3 Mins Welterweight Contest

Michael Likalu 11st 3lb 8oz (157 v Carl Turney 11st 2lb (156lb)

FACEBOOK SKY SPORTS BOXING LIVE STREAM: 17.30 (approx)

FIGHT #2

4×3 Mins Heavyweight Contest

Matty Harris 18st 8lb (260lb) v Matt Metsis 16st 8lb (232lb)

FIGHT #3

4×3 Mins Heavyweight Contest

Hosea Stewart 24st 8lb (344lb) v Phil Williams 18st 1lb (253lb)

FIGHT #4

6×2 Mins Super-Welterweight Contest

Georgia O’Connor 10st 13lb 8 (153.05lb) v Erica Alvarez 10st 12lb (152lb)

FIGHT #5

6×3 Mins Cruiserweight Contest

Michael Webster 14st 6lb (202lb) v Erdogan Kadrija 14st 4lb (200lb)

FIGHT #6

6×2 Mins Super-Welterweight Contest

April Hunter 11st 1lb (155lb) v Ester Konecna 11st 1lb 8oz (155.05lb)

FIGHT #7

4×3 Mins Super-Lightweight Contest

Luke Cope 10st (140lb) v Lee Connelly 10st 8oz (140.05lb)

LIVE ON SKY SPORTS MAIN EVENT: 20:00

FIGHT #8

8×3 Mins Middleweight Contest

Brad Rea 11st 6lb 8oz (160.05lb)v Lukasz Ndafoluma 11st 6lb (160lb)

FIGHT #9

8×3 Mins Super-Middleweight Contest

Zak Chelli 11st 12lb 8oz (166.05lb) v Jack Kilgannon 12st (168lb)

FIGHT #10

10×3 Mins Welterweight Contest

Florian Marku 10st 6lb 8oz (146.05lb) v Chris Jenkins 10st 6lb (146lb)

FIGHT #11

10×2 Mins WBO Middleweight Title Contest

Savannah Marshall 11st 5lb (159lb) v Femke Hermans 11st 4lb 8oz (158.05lb)

FIGHT #12

*TV SWING* 

4×2 Mins Super-Flyweight Contest

Chloe Watson 8st 1lb 8oz (113.05lb) v Gemma Ruegg 8st 1lb 8oz (113.05lb)

Savannah Marshall says she has “tunnel vision” going into this Saturday’s defence of her WBO World Middleweight Title defence against Femke Hermans, the former WBO World Super-Middleweight Champion. 

Marshall headlines the BOXXER card taking place at Newcastle Utilita Arena, live on Sky Sports, knowing that a win will set up a showdown with bitter rival Claressa Shields, an encounter which would be the biggest fight in the history of women’s boxing.

The defending champion is immune to distraction however and is not looking past this Saturday’s bout against the hard-hitting Hermans.

SAVANNAH MARSHALL 

“I’ve got tunnel vision when it comes to who I’m fighting. I know I can’t overlook Femke. This is definitely my toughest fight to date. She’s a former world champion, she’s only ever been beaten by world champions so I’m expecting a tough fight.”

“Everyone keeps asking how I can focus on Femke when everyone is talking about Claressa. But the thing is, everyone’s been talking about Claressa for the past four years. She’s always been creeping about in the background for me, this is nothing new.

“[A win on Saturday means there is] nothing stopping setting up a massive fight between me and Claressa in the summer.”

FEMKE HERMANS

“I’m in very good shape, I’ve had a great training camp, everything has fallen together in the last month and I am ready to kick some ass on Saturday.”

“I’m going to do everything I can on Saturday. For me it’s a big chance to get back at the highest level after some difficult years. I’m going to give everything on Saturday so I can take the belt home so I can be the WBO champion in two different weight classes.”

Newcastle, England – 31 March 2022 – Undefeated Jack ‘The Cannon’ Kilgannon will now face rival Zak Chelli this Saturday night at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle in a battle of the super-middleweight prospects on the undercard of Savannah Marshall’s WBO World Middleweight title defence against Femke Herman, live on Sky Sports.

Oldham’s Kilgannon (11-0, 3 KO’s) replaces Diego Costa, who was announced yesterday but was unable to make the required weight safely at short notice, and it pits two fiercely proud, up-and-coming talents who are willing to face each other on the rise in their careers.

To his credit Former Southern Area Champion Chelli (10-1-1, 5 KO’s) is not phased by the late change and wants to get on with the job and deal with whatever is put in front of him to prove that he’s the real deal.

Fulham’s Chelli said, “I’m ready no matter what. I believe a boxer has to be prepared to face anybody at any time. I’m fit and ready and I’ll deal with whatever Kilgannon brings to me in the ring on the night. He’s unbeaten, like Costa was, Kilgannon’s ‘O’ will have to go instead.”

Former Central Area Champion Kilgannon, known as Jacky Boy, was already in training for a fight this Saturday in Wigan and jumped at the opportunity for a bigger fight

Kilgannon said, “I weighed up the risk versus the reward and this was too big an opportunity to turn down. I was in training for a fight in Wigan so I’m fit and ready to fight and then the offer came in to my manager. I’m a big and tall middleweight so super-middle is comfortable for me. It’s a huge opportunity live on Sky Sports to make my name by beating Chelli, who’s good but not outstanding. We’re coming to win.”

Newcastle, England – 30 March 2022 – Fulham’s Zak Chelli will face the undefeated Brazilian Diego ‘Dynamite’ Costa in an exciting super-middleweight showdown on the undercard of Savannah Marshall’s WBO World Middleweight Title defence against Femke Hermans this Saturday night at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle, exclusively live on Sky Sports.

Fulham’s Chelli, who works as a supply teacher in London, has finished his school week early as he heads to the North East for his big clash with the heavy-punching Manchester based Latino who is regarded as one of the most avoided fighters around the weight.

Chelli (10-1-1, 5 KO’s) and Costa (8-0, 5 KO’s) could have met in the BOXXER 7 Super-Middleweight tournament in November 2020, but the tournament was reduced to a unique four-man format and Costa didn’t feature due to illness.

However, Chelli put on a classy and powerful performance on the night to shut out Vladimir Georgiev on points in the semi-final, before dropping Mike McGoldrick three times on the way to a second round stoppage in the final.

Former Southern Area Champion Chelli’s last fight was in April last year when he travelled to Kiev and defeated Borden Harrkavyi with a third round stoppage.

KO king Costa is unbeaten eight fights with five KO’s, with four of those coming quick inside three rounds. He credits his love of salsa dancing for his quick feet and generating the power from his hips to knockout opponents.

Chelli is excited with the fight against Costa and is promising to take his unbeaten record. He said, “I was gutted that we didn’t fight on Boxxer 7, but things happen for a reason and it’s a much better fight now down the line. Costa’s unbeaten, he likes to come forward, have a fight and he can punch. I can’t wait for this Saturday in Newcastle and I’m going to take that ‘0’ off his record. The fans in Newcastle and the viewers watching on Sky Sports are going to be in for a real treat.”

Savannah Marshall believes her late stand-in opponent Maria Lindberg will prove to be a tougher assignment than her original opponent Femke Hermans when they meet for the WBO Middleweight World Title tomorrow night, live on Sky Sports in the UK and on DAZN in the U.S. and more than 200 countries and territories.

Marshall (9-0, 7 KOs) stopped Hannah Rankin in seven rounds to win the vacant WBO crown last October, the former amateur World Champion was a class above her Scottish rival from the opening bell and managed to go one better than her old foe Claressa Shields by ending the fight inside the distance.

The Hartlepool fighter was due to face Belgium’s Hermans in her maiden defence until the European Champion was forced to pull out of their contest just days ago due to two positive Coronavirus tests in her camp. 

Sweden’s Lindberg, a former four-time World Title challenger, has shared the ring with the likes of Christina Hammer, Ema Kozin and Marie Eve Dicaire, and Marshall says she is prepared for a hard night’s work in her first fight of 2021.

“If anything, this is a tougher fight than the original fight we had,” said Marhsall. “Maria is very experienced, tough and been in with some of the best in the world – Christina Hammer twice. I’m expecting a tough fight come Saturday.

“I’ve had a twelve-week camp, so I’ve prepared for everything. Whatever Maria brings I’m more than confident I’ve got the answer for. I found out about Femke Hermans being off on Saturday and I thought there was no way they’d get me a replacement opponent at such short notice. 

 “Luckily Matchroom pulled it out of the bag and got me an opponent. She’s had three times as many fights as me so I’m sure she knows all of the little tricks of the trade. She’ll probably never get a chance like this again so really it’s the last roll of the dice for her. She’s definitely going to come all guns blazing.”

Marshall vs. Lindberg is part of a big night of action, rising Welterweight star Conor Benn (17-0, 11 KOs) defends his WBA Continental Title against Samuel Vargas (31-6-2, 14 KOs) in the main event, Watford’s Shannon Courtenay (6-1, 3 KOs) faces Australia’s Ebanie Bridges  (5-0, 2 KOs) for the vacant WBA Bantamweight World Title, Glasgow Bantamweight Kash Farooq (14-1, 6 KOs) challenges Alexander Espinoza (20-2-2) for the WBC International Silver Title, Glasgow Heavyweight Nick Campbell makes his professional debut and Takeley prospect John ‘The Gentleman’ Hedges (1-0) looks to build on his pro debut win last October.

Savannah Marshall will make the first defence of her WBO Middleweight World Title against former World Champion Femke Hermans on Saturday April 10, live on Sky Sports in the UK and on DAZN in the U.S. and more than 200 countries and territories.

Marshall (9-0, 7 KOs) stopped Hannah Rankin in seven rounds to win the vacant WBO Title last October, the former amateur World Champion was a class above her Scottish rival from the opening bell and managed to go one better than her old foe Claressa Shields by ending the fight inside the distance.

Hermans (11-3, 4 KOs), another former opponent of Shields, took the American star the distance in a challenge for her WBC, WBA and IBF Middleweight crowns in December 2018, before falling short in a challenge for the IBF Super-Middleweight Title against Elin Cederroos four months later. 

She won the vacant WBO Super-Middleweight World Title by outpointing Nikki Adler on away territory in Germany back in May 2018, and will be hoping to cause another upset when she locks horns with Hartlepool’s Marshall. 

The 31-year-old from Londerzeel in Belgium picked up the vacant EBU European Middleweight Title with a unanimous decision against Russia’s Luiza Davydoza in December and her latest World Title challenge will be the first time that she has fought in the UK.

“I’m really happy and I can’t wait for fight night in three weeks’ time,” said Marshall. “I’m very aware of Femke Hermans, a very good fighter. She’s been in with the best, she’s a former WBO World Champion, so I’m sure she’s going to try and get her belt back.

“I know she’s no pushover and I’m looking forward to getting in there. For me, this is probably my toughest test to date. The reigning European Champion. She lost out on a close decision to the World Super-Middleweight Champion, so I know it’s going to be a tough fight. 

“I never go into a fight thinking I’m going to stop someone but I know if I land, whoever I land on, I will hurt them. I’m just looking forward to putting on a good display and showcasing my skills.”

Marshall vs. Hermans is part of a big night of action on April 10, rising Welterweight star Conor Benn (17-0, 11 KOs) defends his WBA Continental Title against Samuel Vargas (31-6-2, 14 KOs) in the main event, Watford’s Shannon Courtenay (6-1, 3 KOs) faces Australia’s Ebanie Bridges (5-0, 2 KOs) for the vacant WBA Bantamweight World Title, Glasgow Bantamweight Kash Farooq (14-1, 6 KOs) returns after his masterclass win over Angel Aviles and Takeley Super-Middleweight John ‘The Gentleman’ Hedges (1-0) looks to build on his pro debut win last October, with more fights to be added soon.

HBO Sports returns to the boxing hotbed of southern California for a thrilling tripleheader of ring action when HBO BOXING AFTER DARK: CECILIA BRAEKHUS VS. ALEKSANDRA MAGDZIAK LOPES AND JUAN FRANCISCO ESTRADA VS. VICTOR MENDEZ AND CLARESSA SHIELDS VS. FEMKE HERMANS is seen SATURDAY, DEC. 8 at 10:20 p.m. (ET/PT) from StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. The HBO Sports team will call all the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

The fights will also be available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and partners’ streaming platforms.

In the main event, the sport’s most prolific female fighter appears on HBO for the second time to defend her world welterweight title in a ten-round bout. Hailing from Bergen, Norway, Cecilia Braekhus (34-0, 9 KOs), 37, has fashioned a brilliant ring career, elevating herself to the status of elite performer and worldwide attraction. She faces a tough challenger in Aleksandra Magdziak Lopes (18-4-3, 1 KO), 38, of Gliwice, Poland.

The co-feature is a dynamite ten-round super flyweight showdown between Juan Francisco Estrada (37-3-0, 25 KOs) and Victor Mendez, (28-3-2, 20 KOs), both of Sonora, Mexico. Estrada, who fought on all three “Superfly” cards, is coming off a dominant 12-round decision over Felipe Orucuta at “Superfly 3” in September. Last February, the 28-year-old challenged super flyweight champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai at “Superfly 2,” losing a hotly contested 12-round majority decision in a battle that’s a surefire candidate for fight of the year. Estrada has become an attraction on the west coast, and will be fighting for the fourth consecutive time in southern California on HBO. Mendez, 25, has won nine of his last ten bouts, most recently scoring a third-round knockout of Alberto Ascanio in June.

Opening the telecast and making her HBO debut is two-time U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist and women’s middleweight world champion Claressa Shields (7-0, 2 KOs) of Flint, Mich. Returning to the ring just three weeks after her unanimous decision victory over Hannah Rankin, the fast-tracking Shields, 23, will defend her title against 28-year-old Femke Hermans (9-1, 3 KOs) of Londerzeel, Belgium in a ten-round bout.

Follow HBO boxing news at hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/hboboxing.

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.

The executive producer of HBO Sports is Rick Bernstein; producer, Dave Harmon; director, Johnathan Evans.

® HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.

The two baddest ladies on the planet will be side-by-side Saturday night when UFC Superstar Champion Cris Cyborg walks 2x US Olympic gold medal winner and current WBC/WBA/IBF Middleweight Champion Claressa Shields into the ring for T-Rex’s fight versus 168-lb champion Femke Hermans Saturday night live on HBO from Stub Hub Center in Carson, CA.

Cyborg will be taking time out from preparation for her December 29 PPV battle with Amanda Nunes to join Shields and be ringside for the final HBO boxing telecast this Saturday. Shields and Cyborg have a great mutual respect and have trained together in the gym.

“I’m excited to have Cris walk me out and carry my WBC championship belt on Saturday,” said WBC/WBA/IBF Champ Claressa Shields. “She’ll be supporting me on December 8 and I’ll be rooting big for her against Amanda Nunes on December 29. We are the two baddest ladies on the planet.”

“Both Claressa and Cyborg are leaders in their respective combat sports,” said Shields’ promoter, Dmitriy Salita. “Women’s empowerment will be on display on Saturday night on the historic final night of HBO Boxing.”

“In addition to being a celebration of forty-five years of HBO Boxing, Saturday night is a celebration of a new era of women’s boxing and women’s sports,” said Mark Taffet, manager of Claressa Shields and a twenty-five year former HBO Boxing executive. “Claressa Shields and Cris Cyborg are the backbone of the new era, and I’m thrilled Cris will be walking Claressa to the boxing ring on this historic night.”
About Salita Promotions

Salita Promotions was founded in 2010 by Dmitriy Salita, a professional boxer and world-title challenger who saw the need for a promotional entity to feature boxing’s best young prospects and established contenders in North America and around the world. Viewers watching fighters on worldwide television networks including Showtime, ESPN, Spike TV, Universal Sports Network and MSG have enjoyed Salita Promotions fight action in recent years. We pride ourselves on offering our fighters opportunities inside and outside the ring. Salita Promotions looks forward to continuing to grow and serve the needs of fight fans

Los Angeles, CA (November 19, 2018) Two-time United States Olympic Gold Medalist and WBC/IBF/WBA Women’s Middleweight World Champion Claressa Shields, (7-0, 2 KOs), of Flint MI will face WBO Women’s Super-Middleweight World Champion Femke Hermans, (9-1, 3 KOs), of Londerzeel, Belgium in a just announced ten-round middleweight world title clash at UNDISPUTED, set for Saturday, December 8 at the StubHub Center in Carson, CA and televised live as the opening bout of the now triple-header on HBO Boxing After Dark Beginning at 10:20 p.m. ET/PT.

This past Saturday night, November 17, Shields added the WBC title with an impressive ten-round decision over Hannah Rankin in Mulvane, Kansas. Scores were 100-90 on all three judges’ scorecards for Shields who dominated with her technical skills and physical prowess.

Just 23-years-old, Shields won the IBF and WBC Super Middleweight Championships in August 2017 with a dominant stoppage of Germany’s Nikki Adler. In June of this year and in just her sixth pro fight, she dropped down to 160 pounds and won the IBF and WBA Middleweight titles with an exciting unanimous decision over Hanna Gabriels.

The 28-year old Hermans won the vacant WBO title with a ten-round decision over Nikki Adler on May 12, 2018 in Bayern, Germany. She had previously challenged Alicia Napoleon on March 3, 2018, in Brooklyn, NY for the vacant WBA Super Middleweight World Title, losing a ten-round decision.

Presented by Tom Loeffler’s 360 Boxing Promotions, advance tickets for UNDISPUTED priced at $25, $50, $100 and $150 can be purchased through AXS HERE .The StubHub Center is located at 18400 Avalon Boulevard, Carson, CA 90746. For more information please visit their website at www.StubHubCenter.com. Doors will open at 3:00 p.m. on the day of the event.

Said Shields “I’m so excited to be fighting live on HBO and to share the stage with Cecelia Braekhus on December 8. It’s a great step forward for women’s boxing to have the two best female fighters in the world on the same card on worldwide television.” Shields vs. Hermans is presented in association with Salita Promotions.

“Claressa Shields is a very special athlete on a mission to lift women’s boxing and to prove she’s the greatest female boxer ever,” said Dmitry Salita of Salita Promotions. “It is an honor for Salita Promotions to be a part of her historic journey.”

Stated Shields’ Manager Mark Taffet, “Having spent a quarter century at HBO, it will be very meaningful and memorable for me to see Claressa Shields in that ring on December 8. I thank HBO, Tom Loeffler and Salita Promotions for providing this great night and opportunity for Claressa.”

UNDISPUTED is headlined by the Consensus #1 Ranked Women’s Pound-for-Pound Fighter and Undisputed Women’s Welterweight World Champion ‘The First Lady’ Cecilia Braekhus (34-0, 9 KOs),

defending her titles (WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF, IBO) against two-time world title challenger, Aleksandra Magdziak-Lopes, (18-4-3, 1 KO), a native of Gilwice, Poland, now based in Marshfield, MA in the televised ten-round main event. Magdziak-Lopes also holds a victory over Braekhus’ recent opponent Kali Reis.

Former Men’s #1 Ranked Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the World, Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez, (47-2-0, 39 KOs), of Managua, Nicaragua, clashes with former world champion Pedro ‘Jibran’ Guevara, (32-3-1, 19 KOs), of Sinaloa, Mexico in the televised ten-round super flyweight co-main event.

Topping the non-televised undercard, popular female fighter Louisa ‘Bang Bang Lulu’ Hawton, (8-2-0, 4 KOs), of Perth, Australia will once again face off against Mexico’s Brenda ‘La Bonita’ Flores, (15-4-1, 3 KOs) of Tijuana, Mexico in a featured ten-round world title fight rematch. In their memorable first clash, Flores was victorious by split decision on September 8, 2018 at the Forum in Los Angeles. Flores will be defending the WBC Atomweight World Title earned during their first bout.

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360 Boxing Promotions

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