Perhaps the sport’s most feared fighter, middleweight titleholder Gennady Golovkin has built a powerhouse reputation by demonstrating a willingness to take on any challenge and displaying an intriguing array of skills, highlighted by stunning knockout power.

The Kazakhstan native makes his 2015 U.S. debut when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: GENNADY GOLOVKIN VS. WILLIE MONROE JR. AND ROMAN GONZALEZ VS. EDGAR SOSA is seen SATURDAY, MAY 16 at 10:00 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from the historic Forum in Inglewood, Cal., exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports team will be ringside to call all the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates: May 17 (9:45 a.m.) and 18 (11:30 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates: May 17 (3:30 p.m.) and 19 (11:15 p.m.)

In the 14th defense of his middleweight crown, Gennady Golovkin (32-0, 29 KOs), originally from Karaganda, Kazakhstan, and now training at Big Bear, Cal., meets Willie Monroe Jr. (19-1, 6 KOs) from Ithaca, NY, in a scheduled 12-round contest. Currently boasting a knockout victory streak of 19, Golovkin has taken the boxing world by storm with an extraordinary knockout-to-win ratio of better than 90%. No opponent has gone the distance with him since Nov. 2008, and he began 2015 by battering and eventually knocking out the formidable Martin Murray on Feb. 21. His 2014 fights ended in the seventh, third and second rounds. Trained by the highly regarded Abel Sanchez, Golovkin will be making his eighth appearance on HBO since his auspicious network debut in Sept. 2012.

Willie Monroe’s top accomplishments as a pro include a victory against the previously undefeated Brandon Adams to win the 2014 Boxcino Middleweight Tournament final, and defeating the hard-nosed Brian Vera this past January, while his only loss came more than four years ago via a close split decision. The slick southpaw faces the toughest test of his career in what will also be his first 12-round contest.

The opening bout is a spectacular flyweight attraction, as 112-pound rising star Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (42-0, 36 KOs) of Managua, Nicaragua meets Edgar Sosa (51-8, 30 KOs) of Mexico City in a 12-round title bout. Gonzalez has become a consensus top-ten pound-for-pound fighter and looks to extend his knockout streak to eight. Crafty veteran Sosa has a history of accepting difficult challenges.

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 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is Rick Bernstein; producer, Jon Crystal; director, Johnathan Evans.

® WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.

LOS ANGELES (May 12) – Boxing legacy and one of the top prospect in the super flyweight division, Ivan Morales (27-0, 15 KOs) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico will face Danny “Venado” Flores (14-6, 8 KOs) of Mexico City in an eight-round super flyweight bout featured on the non-televised undercard of the World Middleweight Championship between Gennady “GGG” Golovkin vs. Willie Monroe, Jr. on May 16 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif.

“I am very happy and excited for this great opportunity,” said Ivan Morales at the Golovkin vs. Monroe Final Press Conference today. “I know how important it is to be part of this fight card. I have seen film of Flores and I know he is a skilled fighter, but I know my talent and my desire to win will dominate the fight this Saturday.”

“The tradition of Morales vs. Barrera will continue this Saturday since Flores is currently trained by the legendary Marco Antonio Barrera and his brother,” said Robert Diaz, Head Matchmaker of Golden Boy Promotions. “This fight will add to the intensity and explosiveness to a card headed by the talented Gennady Golovkin and Willie Monroe Jr.”

Brother of the international boxing hall of famer and seven time world champion in four weight classes Erik “El Terrible” Morales, Ivan Morales, has boxing in his blood. Already an outstanding prospect and owner of the WBC International Silver Super Flyweight title, the 23-year-old has defeated titlist Cesar Canchila and world title challenger Luis “Titi” Maldonado. The undefeated fighter last fought and defeated Timur “Here Comes Trouble” Shailezov via unanimous decision in December. Now, Morales is looking for an impressive win in his first fight of 2015.

Danny “Venado” Flores is one of Mexico’s toughest warriors in the division, who is trained by the legendary Marco Antonio Barrera. A professional since 2009 the fighter has won the interim WBC Mundo Hispano Bantamweight Title and the WBC Mundo Hispano Flyweight title, now, the 25-year-old is looking to add another win to his record when he faces Morales on May 16. Flores was last seen facing Roberto “Escorpión” Pucheta Amador in August 2014.

In the main event of the night and televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, (32-0, 29KO’s) will be defending his WBA, IBO and WBC Interim Middleweight World Titles against #2 ranked challenger Willie “The Mongoose” Monroe, Jr., (19-1-0, 6KOs). The telecast co-main event features a 12-round junior flyweight matchup between WBC Champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (42-0, 36 KOs) and #2 ranked challenger and former world champion Edgar Sosa (51-8-0, 30KOs).

Gennady Golovkin vs. Willie Monroe is a 12-round middleweight world championship bout presented by K2 Promotions and GGG Promotions in association with Banner Promotions and The Forum. The fight will take place Saturday, May 16 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif.. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. PT, the first bout starts at 4:45 p.m. PT., the HBO World Championship Boxing telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Gonzalez vs. Sosa is presented by K2 Promotions and Teiken Promotions in association with Zanfer Promotions.

Tickets for May 16 Golovkin vs. Monroe are priced at $300, $200, $100, $60 and $30, plus applicable fees and service charges, and are on sale now and available for purchase at the Forum Box Office (Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.) and all Ticketmaster outlets, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000, online at www.ticketmaster.com.

For more information, visit www.K2Promos.com, www.GGGBoxing.com, www.Banner-Promotions.com, www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.FabulousForum.com and www.HBO.com/boxing.

Follow on Twitter at Gennady Golovkin @GGGBoxing, Willie Monroe Jr. @WillieMonroeJr, Roman Gonzalez @ChocolatitoBox, Edgar Sosa @EdgarSosaChamp, Tom Loeffler/K2 Promotions @TomLoeffler1, Banner Promotions @BannerBoxing, Golden Boy Promotions @GoldenBoyBoxing the Forum @theForum and HBO Boxing @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/GGGBoxing, www.facebook.com/WilieMonroeJrFanPage,
www.facebook/BannerPromotions, www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/TheForum and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.

Use the hashtags #GolovkinMonroe and #GonzalezSosa to join the conversation on Twitter.

EAST LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A. – On Saturday night, May 16, 2015, undefeated 22-year-old flyweight women’s professional boxer Seniesa Estrada (East Los Angeles, CA/pro record: 3-0-0, 1 KO) faces Carly Batey (United Kingdom/pro record: 4-4-2, 0 KOs) in a six-round, non-televised, undercard bout on the HBO World Championship Boxing card at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The HBO Boxing card is presented by K2 Promotions and GGG Promotions, in association with Banner Promotions. In the televised main event, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (32-0, 29 KOs) will defend his WBA/IBO and interim WBC Middleweight World Titles against Willie Monroe (19-1, 6 KOs).
Estrada, a Mexican-American, last fought on March 14, 2014, when she defeated Blanca Raymundo via second round knockout. Seniesa had a lengthy amateur career, compiling an impressive record of 97-4. She currently works with boxing trainer Dean Campos at Gamboa Boxing & Fitness, located in Whittier, California. Campos also trains middleweight contender Sergio “The Latin Snake” Mora.

Dean Campos said, “Seniesa has been dedicated in the gym and is prepared for her fight. Carly Batey is physically bigger, and has fought at bigger weight classes, but Seniesa is stronger, and more skilled. We’re grateful for the opportunity to be on such a great card and looking forward to showing everyone what Seniesa can do. It is a great opportunity for her to help women’s boxing gain exposure.”
Seniesa Estrada said, “I am very thankful to fight so close to home on May 16 at the Forum. Being on such a great card with the talented GGG is terrific exposure for myself and women’s boxing. I have been working hard in the gym and look forward to putting on a great performance. My opponent, Carly Batey, is coming all the way from the UK. I know she is coming to fight and will give it her all. I am prepared physically and mentally and ready to display my skills and talent.”
Estrada discussed the current state of women’s boxing in the United States. “I’m working very hard in the gym, and I’ve built a great team around me. My success depends on the work I do, both inside and outside the gym, plus the support I receive from the boxing fans, significant promoters, and the major networks. I have put fifteen years of hard work into women’s boxing. Ronda Rousey has become a star in the UFC, and I believe those same accomplishments are possible in professional boxing. It has been very difficult finding fight opportunities in the U.S. Every week, there are boxing cards all over the country, however, few have women featured on them. In almost every boxing gym, you can find women training along with the men.
I believe women can be superstars, too. We just need a chance to show what we can do. Self-promotion and selling tickets are easier when you have the backing of a major promoter or the promise of getting television time. Getting on a stacked card like the one on May 16 is a great start. I can’t wait to participate in the promotional opportunities that come with a fight of this magnitude. GGG is a rising star and a great ambassador for my sport. I’m honored to share the stage with him.”
Estrada continued, “Thank you Roy Englebrecht, Tom Loeffler, K2 Promotions, GGG Promotions, Artie Pellulo, and Banner Promotions for including women on this major HBO Boxing card. I can’t thank my super sponsor Oscar A. Sanchez enough for everything he has done for me in preparation for this fight. I’m grateful to have him as a part of my team.”
Tickets for Estrada’s fight on May 16 at The Forum are on sale now and priced at $300, $200, $100, $60 and $30, plus taxes and fees. They can be purchased at The Forum Box Office, located at 3900 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood, CA, 90305. They can also be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com, or charged by phone at +1 (800) 745 3000.

WBA number-two ranked contender Willie “El Mongoose” Monroe Jr. arrives at LAX with his team for Saturday’s Middleweight title fight against Gennady Golovkin that will take place at the Forum in Inglewood, California and will be televised on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 10 PM ET/PT

Bernie Bahrmasel: Hello, and welcome to the International Media Conference Call for the Middleweight Championship of the World as boxing superstar Gennady “GGG” Golovkin defends his WBA, IBO and Interim WBC Title against number two ranked challenger Willie “The Mongoose” Monroe Jr., set for next Saturday night, May 16th at The “Fabulous” Forum in Los Angeles, and telecast live in the United States on HBO World Championship Boxing at 10 p.m. Eastern.

We are seeing an overwhelming amount of interest in this event, which also features the HBO debut of fast-rising star Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez defending his WBC junior flyweight title against number two ranked challenger, Edgar Sosa.

This week, we will be distributing an extensive fight week media schedule of Los Angeles area events. For the media, if you have not yet done so, please apply for credentials at MagnaMedia.com.

Joining us first on this call from his training camp in Big Bear Lake, California will be Gennady, his world-renowned trainer, Abel Sanchez, and the managing director of K2 Promotions, Tom Loeffler. Later in the call, we will be joined by Willie Monroe Jr., from his training camp in Winter Haven, Florida, and his promoter, the head of Banner Promotions, Artie Pelullo along with his trainer Tony Morgan.

It’s now my pleasure to turn the call over to Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions, who will introduce Gennady Golovkin and Abel Sanchez for their opening comments. Go ahead, Tom.

Tom Loeffler: Thanks, Bernie. We’re excited at bringing Gennady back to the Los Angeles area. We’ve gotten a great response from the fans with the ticket sales. Gennady has a 19-fight knockout streak going right now, and provides a lot of excitement in the ring and there have been a lot of calls for him getting back into the ring. We saw the fight on Saturday night and people seem to be yearning for some excitement, and that’s what Gennady guarantees in the ring, and we have a great co-feature with “Chocolatito” Gonzales against Edgar Sosa. Chocolatito’s making his HBO debut, as well, and I know a lot of fans in the L.A. area are also excited to see Chocolatito in the ring.

And Willie Monroe is the number two-rated contender and poses a very unconventional style with his southpaw stance and his movement in the ring, so I think this’ll be a great contrast to styles.

With that, I want to introduce Abel Sanchez from his Summit Training Camp in Big Bear Lake.

Abel Sanchez: Hi. Good morning, guys. We’re looking forward to-what is it ten days from now eleven days from now, putting on another fantastic show. We’re fortunate to have a young man in Willie Monroe who I know is going to come to fight and provide us with that exciting fight that we haven’t had. Well, actually last week was not as exciting as this one’s going to be, so hopefully Willie’s in great shape. I know that Tony’s getting him ready, so we’re looking forward to this Saturday night.

Tom Loeffler: And then I also want to introduce the WBA, the WBC Interim Champion, IBO Middleweight Champion, 32-0 with 29 knockouts, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin.

Gennady Golovkin: Good morning. A couple of weeks before the fight and I’m ready, I feel good. Hopefully, Willie will be ready to fight because we’ll have a strong fight and a good performance for the fans. I promise a big drama show. I hope he is ready also. Thank you to my team, the fans and media for all their support and to HBO.

Q. Hi, guys. Thanks for taking the time to do the call. My question is for Gennady. Your May 16th fight comes at an interesting time, right on the heels of Mayweather/Pacquiao, a fight in which a lot of people-I dare say most people said it didn’t feature enough action for their liking. Did you watch the fight? And, what did you think of Mayweather/Pacquiao?

Gennady Golovkin: Yes. Everybody wanted the fight for the last five years. I think Floyd’s too smart. This is Floyd’s style; he doesn’t take too many shots. Floyd’s too smart, he’s a great boxer, he’s number one in the world.

Q. And what about Pacquiao? What did you think of his performance?

Gennady Golovkin: Pacquiao, I think he loses control of the fight. He could not do anything against Floyd. Pacquiao is very good, but it was a very smart fight for Floyd.

Q. Listen, I’m not looking past Willie Monroe, that wouldn’t be wise. I expect you’re too talented for him, though. So, what about next fight, you against Floyd Mayweather at 154 pounds? I believe you, maybe, are the next logical opponent to test Floyd Mayweather.

Gennady Golovkin: Of course, it is my dream fight. Obviously, Floyd, he is a great champion, and a little bit different style. Floyd, he’s a smart guy. He does a lot of moving. For my style, a little bit different, I like drama show, I like real fight, like close fight. I want show, big show; big drama show!

Q. And you would bring that big drama show if you were to get a fight with Floyd Mayweather?

Gennady Golovkin: Absolutely.

Q. Excellent. Great answer. I appreciate it. Good luck.

Q. Question is for Abel. Abel, how do you deal with all these questions about who is next? We just had one-who is next for Gennady when he is to fight on May 16, the guy who is probably one of the fastest guys you have ever fought. How do you deal with this? And, how do you keep GGG concentrated on the task on hand? Not to talk about Canelo, and not to talk about Floyd and everything else, May 16th is first.

Abel Sanchez: Well, fortunately we have a real professional in Gennady Golovkin in the gym, so the questions about anybody else are only on these types of calls. In the gym, he’s solely focused on Willie Monroe. Willie Monroe’s going to be a tough challenge, and we’re not overlooking him by any means because if we take a stumble here, all those other names are mute.

So, Golovkin is concentrating on Willie Monroe, unless of course they ask questions like this in a media call, but there’s no doubt in my mind that we’ll be ready for, mentally and physically, for May 16th.

Q. One more question, if I may. The combined records of the last five opponents for Gennady is 165 wins, only 15 losses. Where would you put Willie Monroe in-between those fighters? How would you rate him among the last five Gennady fought?

Abel Sanchez: I think as far as skills and as far as ability in the ring, he’s got to be in the top three, and maybe the top two. Experience, maybe not quite as experienced as the other guys, but Willie has proven in bigger fights, the Boxcino Tournament for instance, that he can handle himself in the ring, so he’s up there, like I said, one, two, or three. A very, very, very good fighter.

Q: Good morning, gentlemen. I just have two quick questions. Gennady, we know your reputation and your resume and your desire to fight, but you continue to get criticism for not taking proper fights without people really putting the blame on people who have to agree to fight you. How does that make you feel when people say that about you?

Gennady Golovkin: I feel great. I feel good now. This fight is really important for my career, and for everybody, for my people, for my team. Thank you very much for my people. It’s very important for me, this fight with Willie, right now my focus is on Willie Monroe because he’s a great champion, he’s a great challenger for me and he may be next champion. Every fight is important for me.

Q. With fighting against Willie Monroe, he’s a southpaw, and we’ve seen a lot said that you wanted to face that type of opponent, who is a southpaw. What do you hope that this performance will show to people watching you about your style, and the way you fight?

Gennady Golovkin: I want to fight a southpaw because I want to show everybody that I can beat any style, it doesn’t matter. Anybody, strong guy, tall guy, short guy, just anybody. I’m very anxious. This is a big test for me. I remember a lot of fighters, like Canelo, Cotto, and a lot of great champions have have problems with southpaws. So why not test myself.

Q. Abel, Gennady kind of answered the question I was about to ask, but what I guess from a trainer’s standpoint, what do you see Willie Monroe bringing to the table that Gennady hasn’t yet seen on his way up?

Abel Sanchez: A lot of movement and slickness and if Gennady fights a southpaw in the future were better prepared for the style.

Willie is a proven and good fighter in, like I said in the Boxcino Tournament, so it’s not like we’re fighting a guy that’s on-that has never been in a situation like this. The difference is he’s going to go in against Golovkin and Golovkin seems to bring these guys down to the level that they’re not much for him, but if Willie brings his A game, I think we’re looking at five or six tough rounds, and then the stretch will be who’s got more in the tank.

Q. Gennady, I know you can’t force the other middleweights to get in the ring with you; all you can do is just entertain. Do you feel kind of obligated though to carry the middleweight division right now? Like, you’re the guy that everyone’s going to look to as the one middleweight that will fight everyone.

Gennady Golovkin: Yes. I want to fight to unify the titles. For me, it’s very important who’s number one; who’s best in the world in the middleweight division.

Q. Yes. This is a question for Tom. You said in your intro that you thought fans were yearning for some excitement after what had happened Saturday. As a promoter, is there any fear of a backlash in the business? And what I guess would serve as a follow-up as Gennady is poised to be maybe the next face of boxing, maybe he can capture some of the crossover fans. Will that be harder to do now?

Tom Loeffler: I don’t think there’ll be a backlash. I think it’ll make fans appreciate Gennady’s style more when they see what he actually brings into the ring with him. He always tries to-Abel trains him in a style to provide excitement, to provide value for the fans, and I think the fans will appreciate instead of having to buy this fight on pay-per-view, they’ll get to see it on HBO, and they’ll see an entertaining show with Chocolatito as the co-feature, with Gennady, and Willie Monroe Jr. in the main event. I think it’s a great matchup of styles, and I think it’ll be a challenge to see if Gennady keeps his knockout streak alive and that’s what fans have really come to appreciate.

They know every time they come to see Gennady fight live, every time he’s fought, whether it’s Danny Geale, or whether it’s Marco Antonio Rubio at the StubHub Center last year. I mean, they’ve seen an exciting fight, and I think you’ll see the same type of fight, and interesting matchup coming this Saturday on May 16th at The Forum.

Q. Alright. Abel, same question?

Abel Sanchez: I think that we owe it to the fans to provide entertainment. I’ve said from the beginning that I wanted Gennady to be the kind of guy that you look forward to leaving home/work early on Saturday night to be able to watch all the pre-stuff in the fight to see more about Gennady. I wanted him to be that kind of individual inside the ring, not so much outside the ring, but I think that we’re getting to that point now.

Willie presents the next test. Hopefully, after Willie, if everything goes well on the 16th, and Willie cooperates, we can have a bigger name, but right now it’s Willie in front of us, and we’re going to put on that show, or Gennady’s going to put on that show to make sure that the fans go away with a smile on their face and hoping to find out when he fights again.

Q. Andy Lee against Kid Chocolate turned into a draw. You’ve got Miguel Cotto, who’s just kind of out there looking for that big fight. Do you want to stay at middleweight because you’ve said that you would drop down, and obviously the big fight that I think if we could all snap our fingers and make it happen is you and Mayweather? Would you move down a little bit at a catch weight or will we see you moving up, perhaps, to go for the super middleweight title?

Gennady Golovkin: Yes. Right now, my focus is on 160. My goal is to hold all the belts. Absolutely, I hope for a big fight with Miguel because he has the WBC title, I have the WBC interim belt, and of course I want a unification fight with Andy Lee. I think he’s ready and, of course, my dream fight is against Floyd.

Q. Good morning on the West Coast, everybody. Tom, this question is for you, and it’s a bit of a follow-up about the promoter’s job in the wake of Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. With casual fans, perhaps, grumbling about the lack of action, do you think that was a net-win or a net-plus overall for the sport of boxing with the enormous attention on that fight? And, does that change your approach two weeks in the wake of this enormous media onslaught and attention to boxing?

Tom Loeffler: I think the exposure to boxing was a net-win for it. I think fans might have been disappointed that paid a lot of money to actually see it live, or maybe on the pay-per-view; that’s where you really saw the disappointment of the fans. But, I think, again, when you see somebody that’s exposed to the sport of boxing and then they follow-up two weeks later or even one week later. You’ve got Canelo coming up this weekend, also on HBO, and then two weeks later you have Gennady coming back to the ring, it just creates more of an appreciation for those fans that are exposed to the sport for having an exciting fight in the ring.

Q. And on the follow-up, how do you exploit, for lack of a better word, that attention and make sure they’re still around two weeks later to see what we on the call all know would be a very different and highly entertaining contest?

Tom Loeffler: Well, we just try to put on the best shows. When Gennady fought last year at the StubHub, we had Nonito Donaire, and Nicholas Walters as the co-feature, and with this fight we have “Chocolatito” Gonzales against Edgar Sosa, also as a co-feature, so we just try to provide value for the fans. They’ve responded by buying tickets and Gennady had the biggest selling fight ever at the StubHub Center, and there have been many champions who have fought there before, and his ratings continue to reflect that.

So it’s just packaging value for the fans, and it’s just the more people that appreciate the sport of boxing that are exposed to it and then they all have a better sense of when you have an exciting fighter that gets into the ring, and at some point they’ll choose whether they buy a ticket or tune in to different styles.

And I think Gennady’s proven that he provides excitement and every time somebody tunes in or buys a ticket to his fight, they always come away with a sense of excitement, and he brings a lot of fans to the sport, new fans that have never actually been to a boxing match before that came to StubHub, or when he fought in New York in Madison Square Garden. They came specifically to see Gennady and that’s a breath of fresh air for the boxing fans.

Q. Okay. Quick question for you, Abel, first. Gennady has one of the best knockout percentage ratios in the boxing game right now. My question for you is sometimes he doesn’t get credit for his excellent footwork. Is there anything else, specifically, that you’ve found, or that you’ve kind of sharpened in fight camp with him these last few weeks prior to the fight with Willie Monroe?

Abel Sanchez: Well, every training camp that we go into we set aside a couple things that we’re going to concentrate on for the particular fight we have coming up. For Willie, we have a couple things that we’re working on to combat some of his, not only movement, but also the way he tries to be slick.

So, hopefully the reason for that is hopefully in ten, twelve fights, we covered a lot of the areas that need to be covered to improve his game. Gennady’s a student of the game. Gennady loves learning new things, Gennady’s always paying attention, so it’s easy to show him something and to ask for him to do something and he repeats it. Max and I, his brother Max and I will talk about what it is that we want him to do and then Gennady executes it the way we want it.

Fortunately, for this camp we had two very good sparring partners in Julius Jackson and Raymond Gatica that provided us that canvas for Gennady to practice some of the things that we’re trying to improve on for this fight.

Q. Was anything different now fighting a southpaw that you felt like you had to kind of enhance or work on a little more?

Abel Sanchez: Oh, absolutely. Willie Monroe’s not a standard southpaw. He’s very slick. He has very good wheels, so it’s going to be a process of trying to cut him off and practicing that in the gym to be able to cut him off and react to the situations, so he’s done it very well. He’s adapted very well to what we wanted for this particular fight, in addition to the things that we were doing in the past. So we’re looking forward to a great night.

Q. Okay. My question to you is, is it a little frustrating for you sometimes, I know you fight four times a year, more or less, give or take, you try to stay active. Is it frustrating for you sometimes when you start to see some of these guys like Miguel Cotto, he’s able-and you want to try to get to fight some of these really good guys, and sometimes it’s difficult for you? How do you stay focused knowing that you want to fight some of these really great champions, and it’s a little difficult for you?

I know that you say sometimes you’re into the Mexican fighters, and so I’m assuming that you want to emulate their greatness.

Gennady Golovkin: I kind of just see my situation now as just I’m ready. You know you’re right, absolutely, that’s not my focus. My focus is on who is number one in the middleweight division. It doesn’t matter how many fights per year, five, six, I remember, like Chavez Sr., a lot of great champions, every second month he had a big fight. For me, right now I’m ready for big fight, I’m ready. I know I have just maybe couple years, maybe three years, maybe four years, I’m ready for six fights per year. I’m ready for anybody.

Q. Is Chavez your favorite Mexican fighter?

Gennady Golovkin: Yes. Chavez, Sr. is. I love great champions from Mexico. I like Chavez Sr.’s style, like moving, and the strategy, I like this. I like the style because he will fight anybody and anytime. It may only be five, six, seven times per year. Same for me, I’m ready.

Q. So, is that why you try to fight as often as you do?

Gennady Golovkin: Absolutely, yes.

Bernie Bahrmasel: We’re going to wrap up Gennady Golovkin’s side. Tom, if you want to make some closing comments, and tell the media where their readers can get tickets?

Tom Loeffler: Absolutely. Again we’re all excited about Gennady coming back to Southern California May 16th against Willie Monroe Jr. It’ll be at The “Fabulous” Forum. It’s a great building that’s event better since it was renovated. It has such a great history of legendary fights being held there and now with this fight card coming to the L.A. area, I think we’ll see a great turnout. We priced the tickets for the fans starting at the $30 and they are available at TheForum.com, and also at TicketMaster.com. Gennady’s last fight in LA sold out, so we advise the fans to buy their tickets early so they don’t run into the same problem last time when there was no tickets available.

Bernie Bahrmasel: Abel, do you want to give the media some closing comments before we get back to training?

Abel Sanchez: Absolutely. I’d like to thank them for their support and their calls and their questions. Make sure that you tune in and see another great fight from Gennady on his way to superstardom.

Bernie Bahrmasel: Thanks very much, Abel. Gennady, any more comments before you go back to training today?

Gennady Golovkin: Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you very much for support. Thank you very much for attention. It is really important for my team, for my career, and I promise great show, great events, just welcome to my Big Drama Show. Thank you.

Bernie Bahrmasel: Thanks very much, Gennady. Thanks very much, Abel. At this time for the media, it is my pleasure to introduce Artie Pelullo from Banner Promotions, who will introduce Team Monroe. Go ahead, Artie.

Artie Pelullo: Hi, guys. Hello. Good morning to everybody. I guess the opening statement that I would like to make is I would like to thank Gennady Golovkin and Tom Loeffler for giving Willie Monroe this opportunity. As we all know, Willie is number two in the world, and the reason why we’re here is because of how well he did in 2014 by winning four fights in a row, including the tournament that ESPN had the ability and the foresight to put on called Boxcino. And then Willie came back and then won a unanimous decision after winning the tournament against Bryan Vera, which now has put him in the status to challenge the best middleweight in the world, and it’s going to be a very interesting fight.

It’s a fight that we believe we can win. Most people don’t think Willie can win the fight, but we do; that’s why we took it. And it’s going to be a terrific fight, and I think Gennady is going to be in for a very difficult fight with a very good fighter who can do things that nobody who’s fought Gennady has done before.

So, I just want to say thank you to Gennady because it’s a voluntary fight, and he said he wanted to fight a tough guy who is a southpaw and this is the best southpaw out there. And Tom Loeffler’s a very good guy, a friend of ours and mine, not ours, mine, and has been able to make this deal rather quickly.

I want to thank HBO for also for putting the fight on because Peter Nelson who buys the fight for HBO realized that this is going to be a very compelling match, and back then to my opening statement. I want to thank everybody. Bernie, you’re doing a good job, and then now what Bernie. I guess, where’s this-is Willie on the line?

Willie Monroe Jr.: Yes, I’m here.

Artie Pellulo: Go ahead, Willie.

Willie Monroe Jr.: I’m just grateful. I’m grateful for the opportunity. Thanks to Banner Promotions for putting me in the position to fight for the middleweight world championship against the greatest middleweight in the world at this time, and I’m blessed. So, thanks to Banner Promotions, and ESPN Boxcino and HBO. Thank you.

Artie Pellulo: Tony, would you like to say a few words?

Tony Morgan: Yes. How you all doing? I just want to say we’re glad to have the opportunity. Thanks to Tom Loeffler, Banner Promotions, HBO for giving us this opportunity to do what we do. Thank you.

Q. Hi, Willie. In your opening remarks, you referred to Gennady Golovkin, saying you’d be grateful to fight for the middleweight championship against the fighter known as the greatest middleweight of his time. I just want to know if you believe that Gennady is the best middleweight out there today.

Willie Monroe Jr.: I mean, what he’s done is he’s proven himself. And he’s widely known as the best middleweight out there, so you can’t argue with it, and obviously, I’m up there around two or number three, so that’s why I’m thankful for this fight. So, I can’t chop the man down. I won’t sit up here and chop him down because once I win, then I’ll be chopping myself.

Q. Right. Okay. Do you believe there’s any fight that you’ve had, leading into this, that can prepare you? I mean, obviously, Gennady’s better than everyone you’ve fought, but is there any particular style that you’ve faced that prepares you for what to expect next Saturday?

Willie Monroe Jr.: I think my whole career from the amateurs all the way up to now has prepared me for this opportunity. I mean I had 142 amateur fights, I’m a three time national champion.

I fought in Boxcino-I mean, Gennady is a little bit of a mixture of everyone I fought in Boxcino all the way up to Bryan Vera. So I think this is the pinnacle, and it’s my job to go in and do what I do best.

Q. Hi, guys. Thanks for taking the time to do the call. Appreciate it. The question is for trainer Tony Morgan. Tony, you were in the news recently, a slight misstep it looks like. I’m not sure the situation and specifics, but I’m wondering has there been any interruption in training, and has that affected things at all, and how’s the relationship with you guys? And, how’s training going?

Tony Morgan: Flawless. We don’t have any issues. Everything is in the hands of my attorneys with my situation. The situation here is just training camp and that’s-we’re going to go through and do what we do, and put the pieces of the puzzle together, and solve the puzzle that nobody seems to be able to do.

Q.: Hi, Tony. It’s also the question for the trainer. We all think that this fight will be about speed versus power, and power on the side of Gennady, obviously, and the speed, which is supposed to prevent him to knockout his punches will supposed to be the number one most important thing for your fighter, for Willie. How do you see the fight? Are we wrong? Are we right? Give us a little bit, a glimpse of what we can expect from Willie in this fight.

Tony Morgan: I think the fight will truly be won by ring intelligence. I think what we bring to the table is something Gennady’s never seen and realistically can’t prepare for. I mean, there’s really only one Willie Monroe. There’s two guys, maybe three that mimic his style that is very fast, very elusive.

Willie had a lot of knockouts in the amateurs, not saying Willie always goes in there to be a big puncher, but I think people are going to be surprised as they were with Bryan Vera. I think it’s going to be a big surprise for a lot of people, not for us, but for everybody else.

Q.: And one more question, this time for Willie. All those talks, all those bets around Las Vegas and all over the world from 60:1 to 80:1 for Golovkin is just bulletin board material for you? Do you need extra motivation? Do you use this as extra motivation or are you just pushing this all information about you being basically-you basically lost already before you went into the ring? You just don’t pay attention to it?

Willie Monroe Jr.: I mean, after this fight is over, and I’m the new WBA champion, I will tell you guys a little story, and give you guys a little insight on my personal life, but I say that to say this. I’ve been the underdog since I was conceived in my mother’s womb, and I mean that literally; that’s not a figure of speech. I mean that literally.

So, being an underdog is what I relish because those are the moments where I rise to the occasion and do-sometimes I surprise myself with how good I do, so I’m in my element. If I was the favorite, then I’d be a little worried, but being the underdog is what I actually relish because it motivates me to do what I need to do.

Everybody’s different. Some people need to be encouraged and told that they’re the best, to be the best, and some people need to be told that you can’t do it, so they can go out there and prove that they can. And I’m one of those people that’s always looking to prove people wrong.

Q. Alright. So, of course this is the biggest fight of your career and being the fact that boxing has probably been in the best shape that it’s been in quite a while, how do you feel about being part of boxing’s future, going forward?

Willie Monroe Jr.: It’s a blessing. This is something that we’ve said since I turned pro. My trainer’s always said I will resurrect boxing; I will bring back the true essence of boxing and being articulate, inside as well as outside of the ring.

Well now, I think the timing is perfect. I mean, it’s a blessing for me. I’m blessed, and I’m elated to have this opportunity and this is just the beginning.

At the end of the day, it’s all about what I do. I mean, it doesn’t matter the pedigree or where you come from or what the name is, it’s all about how you apply yourself and what you do in the ring and what you do in training camp leading up to the fight. So, I really try not to live off what my dad and my uncle did. I’m creating my own legacy, and my own right, and as of right now, I’ve made it further than both of them already.

So, it’s really nothing for me to do me and be me.

Q. Alright. Thanks for taking my call. This question is for Willie. From looking at you, you are a boxer, a very slick guy, and a lot of technical skill. Who did you look up to? Who do you pattern your style after, in terms of as a fighter?

Willie Monroe Jr.: My two favorite fighters, premier fighters are the champions, Roy Jones, Jr., and Sugar Ray Leonard. Anybody who was fast and very elusive and could do things physically that other fighters just can’t pull off, and do it in such a pretty fashion. Those are the guys that I look up to.

Hector “Macho” Camacho Sr., Pernell Whitaker, all of those guys that were special, physically and mentally special. So those are the guys that I like to watch all the time and emulate.

Q. Thank you very much, and hi, everybody. Willie, it was right before you were going into training camp, you were on with myself and Gerry Cooney. You said you were very confident about this fight. How did training camp go and how do you feel?

Willie Monroe Jr: Training camp’s good. Training camp’s great. I’m more confident now that we’re in tiptop shape, but I mean everything is good. Everything is good. This is the fight I’ve wanted. This is the fight I said I wanted right after Boxcino.

A lot of people are insinuating that oh, you must be getting paid a lot of money. I mean, this is the fight I asked for. When all the blogs and different interviews, they asked me what middleweight would you like to fight? I said Gennady Golovkin. I mean, he’s the best. So, you either go hard or go home.

So, I mean, everything’s good. Camp is great. I’m having fun. I mean, just ask yourself who is my trainer, then you know how good training camp is going. I got the best trainer in the world.

Q. Okay, and let’s see, let’s go back to upsets, Leon Spinks over Muhammad Ali, Buster Douglas over Mike Tyson. This is really going to be looked at because GGG is certainly in the top two or three pound for pound in the world. If you win this fight, it’s going to be one of the biggest upsets over the last 30 years or so. How do you look at it?

Willie Monroe Jr.: I look at it the same way, and you have to. I mean, look what he’s accomplished as a fighter; 19 straight knockouts. He made his American debut in 2012, and he’s knocked out everybody thus far. And I mean like why wouldn’t you want to take that cloak of invincibility from somebody? And, I mean, I’m the one that can do it.

But, I mean, once the bell rings, and on May 16th nobody can get in there and fight for him, nobody can get in there and fight for me, it’s all about what we apply and what we adjust to that night and may the best man win.

Q. You got it. Final question. Were you disappointed in the big fight the other night, Mayweather and Pacquiao?

Willie Monroe Jr.: Not really because I knew it was going to be like that. It’s one of those stylistically matchups where you just kind of know what’s going to happen, and I’m glad it’s done and over with, so people can stop talking.

Q. Thank you very much. This is a question for Tony. Tony, I’m not going to ask you to give away any of your training secrets before the fight, but you did mention-there was a mention in the lead up that you’re going to be bringing something different to the fight. Let me put it in these terms. In watching Golovkin’s previous opponents, did you identify any mistakes that you think Willie can correct in this fight?

Tony Morgan: I think that Golovkin makes a lot of mistakes. I think he’s beatable. I think any guy’s beatable if you bring the right plan to the table, but yeah, we’re going to capitalize on his mistakes and I don’t want to say we’re going to expose him because he is a great fighter, but we’re going to expose Willie. We’re going to expose what Willie really is, and what he’s really capable of doing.

Q. And Tony, on your follow-up to the question, and that’s a great answer. The question was actually aimed at Golovkin’s opponents and their mistakes that you might be able now to avoid? So, have you looked and seen that the Geale’s and the Murray’s and the Macklin’s of the world, did they do anything that you think you and Willie can avoid?

Tony Morgan: One hundred percent, all of them are pretty much all flat-footed and all of them stand in front of Golovkin. Sooner or later, he gets people to stand in front of him. I don’t think he’s going to be able to capitalize on anything that he’s used to doing because he’s never fought anybody the caliber of Willie Monroe.

I’m not saying that we beat everybody who is out there. We don’t have a name like he does, but the style that Willie presents is a style that’s imitated by no one, really.

Bernie Bahrmasel: Artie, we’re going to go ahead and wrap up the call if you want to make your closing comments and have Tony and Willie join you, that would be fantastic.

Artie Pelullo: Sure. Listen, once again, I want to thank everybody for giving Willie the opportunity. I think Tony and Willie said it right, and we all know that it’s going to be a great fight. We’re going to win the fight, and that’s how much confidence we have in Willie’s ability. But if it wasn’t for Tom Loeffler and Gennady Golovkin and HBO giving Willie this opportunity, we wouldn’t be here.

So, I want to say thank you to everybody. We’re going to be out there off all week, so there’s a lot going on. Willie will be available to do interviews one on one, there’ll be an open workout, and just want to thank everybody for having us and it’s going to be a great show. It’s going to be a very good fight. It’s going to be much more than people realize what Willie can do, and it’s going to be a great show, and I think that Gennady Golovkin knows that, and I think he’s taking it very seriously.

So, once again, thank you, everybody, and I’ll turn it over to Willie and then Tony. Go ahead, Willie.

Willie Monroe Jr.: I’m just thankful for this opportunity and like Artie eluded to, you have to thank GGG and his camp for taking this fight and for giving Willie an opportunity, myself, Willie Monroe, an opportunity to tango with the best, and I’m happy, so thanks Tom Loeffler, thanks team GGG. And an even bigger thanks to my team for believing in me and putting in the work the last seven weeks. May 16th is show time.

Bernie Bahrmasel: Go ahead, Tony.

Tony Morgan: I just want to say thanks for all the support, thanks for GGG’s team for allowing us to get this opportunity, thanks for Artie, and Banner Promotions, and we’re going to go out and do what we do. We win, that’s what we do, so I just want to say thanks and thanks for the interview and appreciate the publicity.

Bernie Bahrmasel: Thanks very much, gentlemen. Again, this is going to be a tremendous fight. This is the best middleweight in the world against a fighter who’s truly earned this opportunity to fight him. And we look forward to seeing all the media in Los Angeles next week, and we look forward to everybody watching the fight on May 16th on HBO. Thanks very much, everyone.

GOLOVKIN VS. MONROE FIGHT INFO:
Gennady Golovkin vs. Willie Monroe is a 12-round middleweight world championship bout presented by K2 Promotions and GGG Promotions in association with Banner Promotions and the Forum. The fight will take place Saturday, May 16 at the Forum in Inglewood, CA. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. PT and the first bout starts at 4:45 p.m. PT., the HBO World Championship Boxing telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Golovkin, 32-0 (29KO’s) will be defending his World Boxing Association, International Boxing Organization and “Interim” World Boxing Council Middleweight World Titles against #2 ranked challenger Monroe,
19-1-0 (6KO’s).

Co-featured on the telecast is 12-round junior flyweight matchup between World Boxing Council Champion ROMAN “Chocolatito” GONZALEZ, 42-0 (36KO’s) and #2 ranked challenger and former world champion EDGAR SOSA, 51-8-0 (30KO’s).

Advance tickets, priced at $300, $200, $100, $60 and $30, are now on-sale through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000) and the Forum Box Office.

GOLOVKIN vs. MONROE is presented by K2 Promotions and GGG Promotions in association with Banner Promotions and the Forum.

Co-featured on the telecast is an outstanding Junior Flyweight matchup between World Boxing Council Champion ROMAN “Chocolatito” GONZALEZ and #2 ranked challenger and former world champion EDGAR SOSA.

GONZALEZ vs. SOSA is presented by K2 Promotions and Teiken Promotions in association with Zanfer Promotions.

SOCIAL MEDIA: For more information, visit www.K2Promos.com, www.GGGBoxing.com, www.Banner-Promotions.com, www.FabulousForum.com and www.HBO.com/boxing.

Follow on Twitter at Gennady Golovkin @GGGBoxing, Willie Monroe Jr. @WillieMonroeJr, Roman Gonzalez @ChocolatitoBox, Edgar Sosa @EdgarSosaChamp, Tom Loeffler/K2 Promotions @TomLoeffler1, Banner Promotions @BannerBoxing, the Forum @theForum and HBO Boxing @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/GGGBoxing, www.facebook.com/WilieMonroeJrFanPage,
www.facebook/BannerPromotions, www.facebook.com/TheForum and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.

LONDON (March 31) – One of boxing’s most exciting pound-for-pound fighters Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin will defend his middleweight titles live and exclusive on BoxNation when he takes on Willie Monroe Jr on May 16th.

The Kazakh superstar has struck fear throughout the middleweight division by dismantling all 32 of his opponents – 29 of those by way of brutal stoppage – with the explosive puncher out for more of the same when he takes on his skilled American challenger.

The 12-round bout taking place at The Forum in Inglewood, California will see Golovkin’s WBA Super belt and IBO title up for grabs as he makes his first return to the ring following his win over Britain’s brave Martin Murray in February.

The addition of the May 16th clash adds yet another string in the bow to a mighty BoxNation schedule over the coming weeks.

Boxing fans can enjoy a host of back-to-back world class fights for just £12 a month starting on April 11th when Andy Lee makes the first defence of his WBO middleweight crown against Peter Quillin, with light-welterweight aces Danny Garcia and Lamont Peterson on the card.

That’s followed a week later on April 18th with a truly monster night of live action for BoxNation subscribers when lightweight Derry Matthews takes his first stab at a world title against slick WBA champion Richard Abril at Liverpool’s Echo Arena.

BoxNation will then go Stateside with two fantastic fight cards starting with a bout that promises to be an all-out war with Argentine banger Lucas Matthysse taking on the formidable Ruslan Provodnikov at Turning Stone Resort and Casino in New York.

Hot on the heels of that, on the same night, will see rising pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford back in action in Arlington, Texas as he looks to become a two-weight world champion against Puerto Rican sensation Thomas Dulorme.

That’s not all, with BoxNation bringing British fans even more mouth-watering live fights with heavyweight legend Wladimir Klitschko back on US soil when he defends his world titles against the undefeated and highly-rated Bryant Jennings on April 25th in New York.

It gets even better for BoxNation subscribers when Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez and knockout artist James Kirkland share the ring in front of 40,000 fans at the Minute Maid Park in Houston Texas on May 12th in a ‘Fight of the Year’ contender.

That is followed in quick succession by fan-favourite Golovkin who will be out to provide more fireworks as he continues lighting up the 160-pound division.

“I’m very excited to fight again in Los Angeles where I now live” said Golovkin. “Monroe is a skilled southpaw and I look forward to the test he will provide. I promise my fans another ‘Big Drama Show.”

Top-rated challenger Monroe Jr is adamant 32-year-old Golovkin will not have it all his own way as he looks to spring a surprise.

“It’s going to be one of those fights; speed vs. power, slickness vs. aggressiveness and the bull vs. the matador. I am ready. I’ve been in training already for three weeks before we even got this fight. We will be more than ready on May 16,” said Monroe Jr.

Jim McMunn, Managing Director of BoxNation, said: “Gennady Golovkin is among the most exciting and thrilling fighters around so we are delighted to be able to bring BoxNation subscribers his next fight against a tricky opponent in Willie Monroe Jr live and exclusive. This fight joins a fantastic lineup on BoxNation over the coming weeks, with a number of world class fights that at only £12 a month represents truly remarkable value for money.”

To subscribe to BoxNation (Sky 437/490HD, Virgin 546 and TalkTalk 525) for only £12 a month visit boxnation.com.

-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 Collazo and Mayweather vs Maidana.

The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Virgin (Ch.546), TalkTalk (Ch.525), 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 registration fee for Sky TV and new Livesport.tv customers.

Los Angeles, CA (March 24, 2015) Boxing fans around the world eagerly anticipating the return of Boxing Superstar GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN received more great news with the announcement that “Pound For Pound” flyweight star ROMAN “Chocolatito” GONZALEZ will face Mexico’s EDGAR SOSA in the 12-round co-feature on Saturday, May 16 at the Forum and televised Live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

“I’m very happy to have Roman fight on my card on May 16 at the Forum and on HBO,” said Golovkin. “He is a great fighter and I’m glad boxing fans will be able to watch him fight on the same night as I do.”

“Pound For Pound” is headlined by Golovkin’ s World Middleweight Championship clash with #2 rated and undefeated challenger WILLIE MONROE.

Golovkin and Gonzalez are both consensus pound-for-pound entrants in the international boxing media. “GGG” is currently ranked #5 “Pound For Pound” by ESPN.com and #9 by Ring Magazine while “Chocoladito” is ranked #4 by Ring Magazine and #7 by ESPN.com.

A formal press conference with both fighters will be held next week in Los Angeles for the Roman Gonzalez—Edgar Sosa matchup.

“This is a great opportunity for me to make my HBO debut and in front of a great crowd at the Forum,” said Gonzalez. “I’d like to thank everyone for making this happen and promise to put on a spectacular show on May 16 against Edgar Sosa.”

Said Sosa, “I know this is a big fight for Gonzalez but I will be well prepared on
May 16 for victory and to shine in front of the huge crowd at the Forum and those
watching on HBO.”

The Gonzalez-Sosa bout is presented by K2 Promotions and Teiken Promotions in association with Zanfer Promotions.

Tickets for “Pound For Pound”, priced at $300, $200, $100, $60 and $30, are now on-sale through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000) and the Forum Box Office.

“With each of Gennady’s fights we want to provide the best event possible for the fans” said TOM LOEFFLER of K2 Promotions.

“Boxing fans have wanted to see Roman fight in the United States and this fight against Edgar Sosa should provide a lot of fireworks.”

Fighting out of Managua, Nicaragua, the 27-year-old Gonzalez, long a favorite among hardcore boxing fans, has compiled a record of 42-0-0 with 36 knockouts over his ten-year career.

Currently the holder of the World Boxing Council (‘WBC’) Flyweight Title, Gonzalez is riding a seven-bout knockout streak, most recently stopping Valentin Leon in the third round on February 28 in Managua, Nicaragua.

The former WBC Junior Flyweight World Champion, Sosa enters the contest against Gonzalez with a record of 51-8-0, having won a 10-round shutout unanimous decision over Carlos Melo on November 8, 2014 in Petionville, Haiti.

Among the top victories on the 35-year-old Sosa’s ledger are wins over Brian Viloria, Giovanni Segura, Ulises Solis, Omar Soto and Sonny Boy Jaro.

On December 6, 2013, Sosa traveled to Toyko, Japan challenging WBC Flyweight World Champion Akira Yaegashi, losing a very hard fought and close 12-round decision.

“Pound For Pound” is presented by K2 Promotions and GGG Promotions in association with Banner Promotions and the Forum.

SOCIAL MEDIA: For more information, visit www.K2Promos.com, www.GGGBoxing.com, www.Banner-Promotions.com, www.FabulousForum.com and www.HBO.com/boxing.

Follow on Twitter at Gennady Golovkin @GGGBoxing, Willie Monroe Jr. @WillieMonroeJr, Roman Gonzalez @ChocolatitoBox, Edgar Sosa @EdgarSosaChamp, Tom Loeffler/K2 Promotions @TomLoeffler1, Banner Promotions @BannerBoxing, the Forum @theForum and HBO Boxing @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/GGGBoxing, www.facebook.com/WilieMonroeJrFanPage,
www.facebook/BannerPromotions, www.facebook.com/TheForum and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.
Use the hashtags #GolovkinMonroe and #GonzalezSosa to join the conversation on Twitter.

Los Angeles, CA (March 18, 2015) Boxing Superstar GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN is Once Again is a Hit at the Box Office in Los Angeles with first day sales of over 2,500 tickets for his upcoming world title defense against #2 rated challenger WILLIE MONROE JR. set for Saturday, May 16 at the Forum.

“It’s very similar to GGG’s last fight at the StubHub! Center in October which sold out three weeks before the fight” said TOM LOEFFLER of K2 Promotions. “We had a tremendous response from the media at the press conference yesterday and the fans are thrilled that he is fighting once again in his new hometown of Los Angeles.”

Priced at $300, $200, $100, $60 and $30, tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, phone 1-800-745-3000) and the Forum Box Office.
Actual Ticket Link — http://www.ticketmaster.com/Gennady-Golovkin-tickets/artist/1916580

Loeffler continued, “May 16th will be a memorable night in the long history of boxing at the Forum and I strongly encourage fans to purchase their tickets well in advance.”

—————-

Presented by K2 Promotions and GGG Promotions in association with Banner Promotions and the Forum, the event will be televised Live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

World Boxing Association (‘WBA’), International Boxing Organization (‘IBO’) and World Boxing Council (‘WBC’) ‘Interim’ Middleweight World Champion GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN, 32-0-0 (29KO’s) of Los Angeles, California via Karaganda, Kazakhstan will make the 14th defense of his title against top rated challenger WILLIE MONROE JR., 19-1-0 (6KO’s), of Ithaca, New York on Saturday, May 16 at the Forum in Inglewood.

On February 21 in Monte-Carlo, Golovkin stopped Martin Murray for his 19th consecutive win by knockout, the most in the history of the middleweight division. This will be Golovkin’s second fight in Los Angeles, having stopped former world title challenger Marco Antonio Rubio on October 18, 2014 before a record setting crowd of 9,323 at the StubHub! Center in Carson, CA.

Monroe Jr. won the acclaimed 2014 ESPN Boxcino Tournament defeating fellow contenders Donatas Bondorovas, Vitaliy Kopylenko and Brandon Adams towards the title.

Most recently Monroe Jr. won a 10-round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Bryan Vera on January 16 in a bout telecast on ESPN Friday Night Fights.

Additionally Monroe Jr. comes from a great boxing pedigree, his uncle Willie “The Worm” Monroe defeated legendary middleweight Marvin Hagler in 1976.

Monroe is currently ranked #2 by the WBA, #5 by the WBO and #9 by the WBC.

SOCIAL MEDIA: For more information, visit www.K2Promos.com, www.GGGBoxing.com, www.Banner-Promotions.com, www.FabulousForum.com and www.HBO.com/boxing.

Follow on Twitter at Gennady Golovkin @GGGBoxing, Willie Monroe Jr. @WillieMonroeJr, Tom Loeffler/K2 Promotions @TomLoeffler1, Banner Promotions @BannerBoxing, the Forum @theForum and HBO Boxing @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/GGGBoxing, www.facebook.com/WilieMonroeJrFanPage,
www.facebook/BannerPromotions, www.facebook.com/TheForum and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.

Use the hashtag #GolovkinMonroe to join the conversation on Twitter.

Los Angeles, CA (March 17, 2015) Boxing Superstar GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN will defend his WBA/IBO and ‘Interim’ WBC Middleweight World Titles against Top-Rated Challenger WILLIE MONROE JR. on Sat., May 16 emanating from the Forum in Inglewood, CA. The championship event will be televised Live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

“I’m very excited to fight again in Los Angeles where I now live” said Golovkin. “Monroe is a skilled southpaw and I look forward to the test he will provide. I promise my fans another ‘Big Drama Show’.”

Said Monroe, “Its going to be one of those fights; speed vs. power, slickness vs. aggressiveness and the bull vs. the matador. I am ready. I’ve been in training already for three weeks before we even got this fight. We will be more than ready on May 16.”

“With the extraordinary success and record crowd of Gennady’s last fight in Southern California at the Stub Hub! Center, we’re very excited to bring him back to Los Angeles on May 16th at the Forum which has such a long and legendary history of boxing,” said Tom Loffler of K2 Promotions.

“We commend Willie Monroe Jr. for accepting the challenge of fighting Gennady, which many other contenders and even title holders are unwilling to even consider.”

“The old adage is that styles make fights and we believe that Willie has the style that will make this a great fight. Willie showed that by winning the 2014 Boxing Middleweight tournament and his win over Bryan Vera proves that he is one of the best middleweights in the world. On May 16 he will prove that he deserved to fight Gennady Golovkin for the Middleweight championship of the World.” said Banner Promotions’ president, ARTIE PELLULO.

“Watching many fighters, fans can only hope to be entertained, but with Gennady Golovkin they can expect to be,” said Peter Nelson, Vice President, Programming, HBO Sports. “Since challenging for his first world title, Golovkin has knocked out all 13 opponents he has faced, a longer streak and higher knockout percentage than any present world champion. On May 16, he looks to build on those accomplishments against Willie Monroe Jr., who himself seeks to enlist among the ranks of storied underdogs who have upended expectations at the legendary venue of the LA Forum.

DANA DUFINE, SVP West Coast, Madison Square Garden Co. said, “The ‘Fabulous’ Forum has a rich boxing history dating back to 1968. This building has hosted over 400 fights and welcomed over 2 million boxing fans through its doors. We are proud to add to its history with the World Middleweight Championship matchup of Gennady Golovkin vs. Willie Monroe Jr.”
—————-

World Boxing Association (‘WBA’), International Boxing Organization (‘IBO’) and World Boxing Council (‘WBC’) ‘Interim’ Middleweight World Champion GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN, 32-0-0 (29KO’s) of Los Angeles, California via Karaganda, Kazakhstan will make the 14th defense of his title against top rated challenger WILLIE MONROE JR.,
19-1-0 (6KO’s), of Ithaca, New York on Saturday, May 16 at The Forum in Inglewood.

On February 21 in Monte-Carlo, Golovkin stopped Martin Murray for his 19th consecutive win by knockout, the most in the history of the middleweight division. This will be Golovkin’s second fight in Los Angeles, having stopped former world title challenger Marco Antonio Rubio on October 18, 2014 before a record setting crowd of 9,323 at the StubHub! Center in Carson, CA.

Monroe Jr. won the acclaimed 2014 ESPN Boxcino Tournament defeating fellow contenders Donatas Bondorovas, Vitaliy Kopylenko and Brandon Adams towards the title.

Most recently Monroe Jr. won a 10-round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Bryan Vera on January 16 in a bout telecast on ESPN Friday Night Fights.

Monroe is currently ranked #2 by the WBA, #5 by the WBO and #9 by the WBC.

GOLOVKIN vs. MONROE JR. is presented by K2 Promotions and GGG Promotions in association with Banner Promotions and the Forum.

SOCIAL MEDIA: For more information, visit www.K2Promos.com, www.GGGBoxing.com, www.Banner-Promotions.com, www.FabulousForum.com and www.HBO.com/boxing.

Follow on Twitter at Gennady Golovkin @GGGBoxing, Willie Monroe Jr. @WillieMonroeJr, Tom Loeffler/K2 Promotions @TomLoeffler1, Banner Promotions @BannerBoxing, the Forum @theForum and HBO Boxing @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/GGGBoxing, www.facebook.com/WilieMonroeJrFanPage,
www.facebook/BannerPromotions, www.facebook.com/TheForum and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.

Use the hashtag #GolovkinMonroe to join the conversation on Twitter.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, undefeated Flyweight champion Roman Gonzalez will take on Edgar Sosa in the co-feature on a HBO World Championship boxing double header that will feature Gennady Golovkin’s middleweight title defense against Willie Monroe Jr. at the Forum in Inglewood, California on May 16.

“For a long time we’ve had our eye on bringing ‘Chocolatito’ to our subscribers as we do with any of the fighters considered to be the best in the world,” HBO Sports vice president Peter Nelson told ESPN.com before Tuesday’s news conference at the Forum to announce the card. “Architecting a plan to achieve this came to fruition finally with the vision of Tom Loeffler and Mr. Honda, who saw this opportunity to bring two of the sport’s planetary forces together on one show.”

“My philosophy is to try to provide the best fights for the fans that we can make whether or not the fighters are with K2,” said K2’s Tom Loeffler. “We showed that when he worked with Top Rank to put Nonito Donaire against Nicholas Walters on Gennady’s card [in October]. The opportunity arose to put on Roman Gonzalez and have him in the U.S. on HBO. It is the perfect complement to having Gennady in the main event.

“I think Roman Gonzalez is in the exact same position we were in before Gennady fought on HBO in 2012. He was a hard-core fight fan favorite. A lot of people had seen the Internet videos of him, but nobody had really seen him live. Then he made his HBO debut and he has grown tremendously in popularity. Roman Gonzalez is in the same position now. Once he is able to show the American television audience on HBO what he can do, he is going to become a fan favorite as well.”

“I’m very, very excited about this,” Nelson said. “I think it’s a great fight, which is the linchpin to all of this. But in addition to the quality of the fight there is quality to the card in having both Gennady Golovkin and ‘Chocolatito’ on the same show. It was something that immediately brought lights to the eyes to those we revealed this plan to.”

Los Angeles, CA (March 17, 2015) Tickets will go on sale TODAY!!, March 17 at 12:00 p.m. PDT for the World Middleweight Championship showdown between Boxing Superstar GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN and #2 Rated Challenger WILLIE MONROE JR. set for Saturday, May 16 at the Forum.

Priced at $300, $200, $100, $60 and $30, tickets will be available through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000) and at the Forum Box Office.

“Starting at $30, we’ve priced the tickets very reasonably to give as many fight fans as possible the opportunity to see “The GGG Big Drama Show,” said Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions. “As his last fight in Los Angeles was sold out, we encourage fans to purchase their tickets early.”

The first 100 fans purchasing tickets at the Forum Box Office this Tuesday starting at 12:00 p.m. will have an opportunity to have a photograph taken with “GGG” on the press conference stage starting at 1:00 p.m. at the famed venue.

The Forum is located at 3900 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood, CA 90305. The Box Officecislocated on the West Side of the building, parking can be accessed through the S. Prairie Ave. entrance.

—————-

Presented by K2 Promotions and GGG Promotions in association with Banner Promotions and the Forum, the event will be televised Live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

World Boxing Association (‘WBA’), International Boxing Organization (‘IBO’) and World Boxing Council (‘WBC’) ‘Interim’ Middleweight World Champion GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN, 32-0-0 (29KO’s) of Los Angeles, California via Karaganda, Kazakhstan will make the 14th defense of his title against top rated challenger WILLIE MONROE JR.,19-10 (6KO’s), of Ithaca, New York on Saturday, May 16 at The Forum in Inglewood.

On February 21 in Monte-Carlo, Golovkin stopped Martin Murray for his 19th consecutive win by knockout, the most in the history of the middleweight division. This will be Golovkin’s second fight in Los Angeles, having stopped former world title challenger Marco Antonio Rubio on October 18, 2014 before a record setting crowd of 9,323 at the StubHub! Center in Carson, CA.

Monroe Jr. won the acclaimed 2014 ESPN Boxcino Tournament defeating fellow contenders Donatas Bondorovas, Vitaliy Kopylenko and Brandon Adams towards the title.

Most recently Monroe Jr. won a 10-round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Bryan Vera on January 16 in a bout telecast on ESPN Friday Night Fights.

Additionally Monroe Jr. comes from a great boxing pedigree, his uncle Willie “The Worm” Monroe defeated legendary middleweight Marvin Hagler in 1976.

Monroe is currently ranked #2 by the WBA, #5 by the WBO and #9 by the WBC.

SOCIAL MEDIA: For more information, visit www.K2Promos.com, www.GGGBoxing.com, www.Banner-Promotions.com, www.FabulousForum.com and www.HBO.com/boxing.

Follow on Twitter at Gennady Golovkin @GGGBoxing, Willie Monroe Jr. @WillieMonroeJr, Tom Loeffler/K2 Promotions @TomLoeffler1, Banner Promotions @BannerBoxing, the Forum @theForum and HBO Boxing @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/GGGBoxing, www.facebook.com/WilieMonroeJrFanPage,
www.facebook/BannerPromotions, www.facebook.com/TheForum and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.

Use the hashtag #GolovkinMonroe to join the conversation on Twitter.

Philadelphia, PA (March 16, 2015)–This past Friday it was announced that Boxcino 2014 Middleweight champion Willie Monroe Jr. has accepted the challenge and will fight WBA/IBO and WBC Interim Middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin on May 16 at the Forum in Inglewood,California.

The event will be televised Live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Monroe of Rochester, New York earned the opportunity on the strength of his three wins in the 2014 Boxcino Middleweight tournament and a ten-round unanimous decision victory over Bryan Vera on January 16.

“On May 16, I will shock the world,” said Monroe.

“I think this is an awesome fight. We have two contrasting styles and that will make for some spontaneous combustion. We will see which style comes out on top on May 16.”

“I want to thank Banner Promotions for standing by me. I also want to thank GGG for accepting the fight. This is a risky fight for him because people have not given me the credit for who I am.” continued Monroe. “I want to also thank Brian Kweder and John Campagna of ESPN for the platform of the Boxcino tournament. I know that it was those three fights that really spingboarded me into this position.”

Said Banner Promotions President Artie Pelullo, “We are extremely happy for Willie. He has worked very hard, and he got this opportunity the old-fashioned way. He earned it. To win the 2014 Boxcino tournament shows that when fighters take risks in their career, and they are willing to fight quality fighters, great things come from it. For that I have to really give a lot of credit to Brian Kweder and John Campagna of ESPN for help facilitating this great run that Willie has been on and which led to this opportunity.”

“When ESPN signed on with Banner Promotions to bring back the Boxcino Championship last year, Artie Pelullo promised that the tournament would produce a world champion just as it did back in the 1990’s,” said Brian Kweder, ESPN senior director of programming and acquisitions. “I’m happy to see Willie Monroe, Jr. get the first shot at delivering on that promise. This fight on May 16th is exactly the reason fight fans should tune in to this year’s crop of talent appearing in the Boxcino semifinals on April 10th on Friday Night Fights.”

Gennady Golovkin continued his dominant run by scoring his 19th consecutive stoppage as he took out Martin Murray in round eleven of their Middleweight title bout in Monte Carlo

In round four, Golovkin dropped Murray with a body shot. Second later, Murray was dropped again from a flurry of punches. In round five, Murray’s nose began to bleed as a result of an uppercut.

Golovkin continued to beat a batter Murray until Golovkin sent Murray to the deck in round ten from a hard right hand to the top of the head. Golovkin landed a hard combination on the ropes in round eleven and referee Luis Pabon stopped the bout at 2:10 of round 11.

Golovkin, 159.9 lbs is now 32-0 with 29 knockouts. Murray, 159.9 lbs of England 29-2-1.

LONDON (20 FEB) World middleweight title challenger Martin Murray has heard all about the reputation of Gennady Golovkin, his next opponent, and respects the fact he’s widely considered the hardest puncher in all of boxing right now. But that doesn’t mean the Briton is overawed or fearful of the imposing Kazakh.

In fact, rather than hide from the reality of the situation, Murray has instead confronted it head on and says he’s looking forward to sampling Golovkin’s power when the pair clash on Saturday (February 21) in Monte Carlo.

“I’ve been watching all his best bits,” said Murray, 29-1-1 (12 KOs). “I’ve not been looking at all the things he does wrong. Let’s be honest, he doesn’t do a lot wrong. What I’ve been focusing on are all the things he does well. I’ve been watching him at his absolute best. That then makes me more prepared, more nervous and more on my guard.

“His power is obviously something you have to look out for. He clearly hits hard. His general ring craft is very good as well. He’s very good at putting you in places he wants to put you.

“I think he does all things very well. He’s not just a big puncher – he seems to have the lot. But we’ve seen a couple of chinks in his armour and we feel there’s some stuff for us to work on during the fight. We’re confident it’s going to work. I’m looking forward to going in there on Saturday and trying them out.

“It doesn’t bother me that Golovkin hits hard. Don’t get me wrong, I’d prefer it if he hit a bit softer, but it doesn’t faze me knowing that I’m going to go in there with someone who knocks everybody out. I know he hits hard, I know it’s going to be a tough fight and I know I might get hurt. I’m ready and prepared for it, though.”

Murray is renowned for his ability to raise his game when necessary. A perennial underdog, the St. Helens man was desperately unlucky in his previous two world title fights, drawing with Felix Sturm in 2011 and then losing a controversial decision to Sergio Martinez in 2013. This time, however, he’s determined to make it third time lucky.

“This feels like the biggest fight of my career,” said the 32-year-old. “I’ve kind of been detached lately due to being based in South Africa, but now I’m in Monte Carlo and I can sense how big the fight is. This is it for me. There’s more riding on this fight than any other I’ve had, and I’m more determined and confident of winning this one than I was before the others.

“In fact, of all my world title fights, this is the one I’m most looking forward to. It feels like my biggest challenge, and it will be my toughest fight, but I’ve got confidence in my ability and know that in these situations I rise to the occasion and put on my best performances.

“I’m expecting a long, hard fight and I’m expecting to have to go through a lot of pain. But, no matter what it takes, and no matter what I have to go through, my hand is going to get raised at the end of that fight. I know this is a proper battle and I know it will have to be a war. I’m ready for it. I honestly can’t wait.”

*** Boxing superstar Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin defends his WBA Super world middleweight title against Britain’s Martin Murray on Saturday, February 21 in Monte Carlo, LIVE on Channel 5 (10PM) ***

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For more information on Channel 5, MaxNutrition, Golden Gloves, K2 Promotions, GGG Promotions and Hennessy Sports:

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LONDON (19 FEB) Former world champions Steve Collins and Richie Woodhall will cast their expert eye over Saturday’s (February 21) WBA Super world middleweight title fight between Gennady Golovkin and Martin Murray as part of Channel 5’s star-studded fight night team.

Collins and Woodhall will join Mark Pougatch in the studio, while Dave Farrar and respected American fight personality Al Bernstein provide commentary in Monte Carlo.

No stranger to big fight nights, Irishman Collins is a former WBO middleweight and super-middleweight champion who twice defeated both Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn. He retired in 1997 with a professional record of 36-3 and was renowned for his toughness, aggression and hard-nosed approach to his craft.

Woodhall, meanwhile, was a former WBC world super-middleweight champion who boxed a number of quality, world-class fighters over the course of a ten-year professional career. He retired in 2000 with a 26-3 record and has since gained a reputation as one of Britain’s finest fight pundits and commentators.

*** Boxing superstar Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin defends his WBA Super world middleweight title against Britain’s Martin Murray on Saturday, February 21 in Monte Carlo, LIVE on Channel 5 (10 PM) ***

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For more information on Channel 5, MaxNutrition, Golden Gloves, K2 Promotions, GGG Promotions and Hennessy Sports:

www.channel5.com
www.maxinutrition.com
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www.goldengloves.co.za
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LONDON (19 FEB) Super-middleweight Rocky Fielding has watched stablemate Martin Murray prepare for a number of big fights over the years, but never has he seen the St. Helens man look as well-prepared as he is just days before his WBA Super world middleweight title fight with Gennady Golovkin on Saturday night (February 21), LIVE on Channel 5.

The 27-year-old Fielding trained alongside Murray in South Africa for the duration of camp and has seen the progression up close. He knows the challenger is more than ready.

“Boxers often say they’ve had the best camp of their life and they couldn’t be any fitter, but I’ve been around Martin a long time now and I’ve never seen him look better,” said Fielding. “He’s been at the top for a while now and knows how to prepare for big world title fights. He knows what he’s done right and wrong in the past and I think he’s nailed it this time.

“He was very serious and professional in this camp. When it was time to switch on, we all met up, did our stuff and got on with it. There wasn’t much talking or joking around. We’d relax a little bit at dinner time, but that was about it. It was all very serious. Even the chefs in the hotel would be given set meals by Martin’s nutritionist and then go away and sort them. There was no stone left unturned.

“Fitness-wise, he’s on another level for this fight. I’m a good runner and can handle myself against most people, but Martin was overtaking me on all of our runs. He wouldn’t have looked out of place on the South African running team.”

Although Fielding has witnessed drastic improvements in Murray on a daily basis, he is under no illusions as to the extent of the challenge his friend faces in Monte Carlo this weekend.

“I rate Golovkin very highly,” said Fielding. “He’s a very good boxer with good punch power.

“His opponents have always given him a bit too much respect, though. He’s got power and they think they should just stay away and survive.

“Martin has been in at the top and he can take a good punch. He’s been in there with (Sergio) Martinez and (Felix) Sturm, who can both punch a bit, and he always seems to be comfortable and able to adapt to whatever his opponent does. Martin has a good defence and he’s very clever in the ring.

“From what I’ve seen of Martin in the gym, and from what I’ve heard him and Oliver discuss, I really think an upset is on the cards this Saturday. They’re working on some good things that could really mess Golovkin up. They’re looking to get in his head.

“Golovkin can hit hard, we know that, but nobody has come back at him yet and roughed him up. They haven’t got physical with him and pushed him about. I think Martin can do that and still stay tight defensively.”

Should Murray perfect his game plan and do everything he has practiced in the gym, Fielding sees no reason why Britain won’t be celebrating a new world middleweight champion in the coming days.

“If Golovkin doesn’t get Martin out of there in four rounds, I think we’re on to a winner,” he said. “But we’re expecting a tough, gruelling fight.

“Golovkin has said he thinks it might go twelve rounds, but I think he’s bluffing. He’ll fight the same way he always does – he’ll come out all guns blazing.

“If Martin can get through those first three or four rounds and then come back with his own shots, I can see him taking over in rounds seven, eight, nine and ten. If Golovkin doesn’t bang Martin out, what’s the game plan? I don’t think he can keep up with Martin for twelve rounds.

“Martin can match him with everything but power. He can match him for boxing skills and he can match him for defence, ring generalship and experience. This is far from an easy fight for Golovkin.”

*** Boxing superstar Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin defends his WBA Super world middleweight title against Britain’s Martin Murray on Saturday, February 21 in Monte Carlo, LIVE on Channel 5 (10 PM) ***

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www.goldengloves.co.za
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Monte-Carlo (February 18, 2015) Middleweight World Champion GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN and top rated challenger MARTIN MURRAY give their final thoughts at today’s final press conference.

Golovkin vs. Murray takes place this Saturday, February 21 at the Salle des Etoiles in Monte-Carlo and televised Live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 5:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Photos credit: Will Hart/HBO

GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN

“Martin Murray is a great fighter, he looks strong here today. He is the biggest test of my career.”

“Thanks to everyone for putting this event together, it’s great to be back in Monte Carlo, I love fighting here. Thanks to my team and my coach Abel Sanchez.”

“I promise a great fight on Saturday night and a big drama show.”

“Welcome to my fight!”

MARTIN MURRAY

“Gennady Golovkin is one of the best fighters in the world, but this Saturday I will beat him.”

“We had a great camp, six weeks in England followed by five in South Africa. I’ve done everything I need to beat him, this is the hardest fight of my life but I’m ready for it.”

TOM LOEFFLER, K2 Promotions

‘Thanks to everyone for their help in putting this fight together. In addition to HBO in the United States this fight will be shown live all over Europe and in over 100 countries.”

“This is actually the sixth press conference we’ve done for this fight including previously here in Monte Carlo, also in Kazakhstan, in London, Mexico City and Los Angeles. This is truly a worldwide event.”

“We expect Martin to rise to the occasion as he did against Sergio Martinez and Felix Sturm and expect a great fight on Saturday night.”

ABEL SANCHEZ

“We thank Martin Murray for taking the fight, we know how good he can be as he showed against Sergio Martinez and Felix Sturm.”

“Gennady had a great camp and understands that he needs to please and be responsible in the ring.”

ANDREW MIKHAIL, Manager of Murray

“Martin is the uncrowned champion and we know he is coming to win. The world is in for a great fight this Saturday night.”

“Martin is ready, willing and able to beat Gennady on Saturday night.”

PETER NELSON

“On behalf of HBO we’re very happy to be here.”

“Martin has shown his toughness throughout his career and the ability to fight all over the world against the best in the division. Gennady will fight anyone, anywhere.”

RODNEY BERMAN, Golden Gloves of South America

“Golden Gloves fighters have had some excellent luck over the years as underdogs. Corrie Sanders defeating Wladimir Klitschko, Hasim Rahman stopping Lennox Lewis and Sugar Boy Malinga beating Nigel Benn. On Saturday night we continue the trend.”

Perhaps the sport’s most feared fighter, middleweight titleholder Gennady Golovkin has built a powerhouse reputation by demonstrating a willingness to take on any challenge and displaying an intriguing array of skills, highlighted by stunning knockout power.

Now, the Kazakhstan native makes his highly anticipated 2015 debut when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: GENNADY GOLOVKIN VS. MARTIN MURRAY is seen SATURDAY, FEB. 21 at 5:45 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from the Salle des Etoiles in glittering Monte Carlo, exclusively on HBO, with a replay later that night on HBO at 10:15 p.m. (ET/PT). 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.

In the 13th defense of his middleweight crown, 32-year-old Gennady Golovkin (31-0, 28 KOs), originally from Karaganda, Kazakhstan, and now training at Big Bear, Cal., meets the formidable Martin Murray (29-1-1, 12 KOs) from St Helens, Merseyside, United Kingdom in a scheduled 12-round contest. Currently boasting a knockout victory streak of 18, Golovkin has taken the boxing world by storm with an extraordinary knockout-to-win ratio of better than 90%. No opponent has gone the distance with him since Nov. 2008, and the average length of his pro bouts is 4.6 rounds; his three 2014 fights ended in the seventh, third and second rounds. Trained by the highly regarded Abel Sanchez, Golovkin will be making his seventh appearance on HBO since his auspicious debut in Sept. 2012.

Murray, 32, is a seasoned pro willing to accept any challenge, at any location. He battled titleholder Felix Sturm to a hard-fought draw in Mannheim, Germany, and fought Sergio Martinez before a raucous partisan crowd in Argentina, resulting in what some saw as a questionable loss. In October, Murray won in impressive fashion against Domenico Spada in Monte Carlo.

The telecast from Monte Carlo continues HBO’s initiative of presenting high-caliber fights from Europe in the late-Saturday afternoon time slot. In the past two years, HBO Boxing visited London, Moscow and Hamburg for world-class title action.

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 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is Rick Bernstein; producer, Jon Crystal; director, Johnathan Evans.

® WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.

Monte-Carlo (February 18, 2015) — The principality of Monte-Carlo will be showcased to the world on Saturday with the broadcast of “Thunderbolt”, the tournament headlined by Gennady Golovkin’s world middleweight championship bout against Martin Murray.

Multiple nternational broadcasters from around the globe have purchased the rights, ensuring maximum exposure for what is anticipated to be Golovkin’s toughest challenge to date.
The unbeaten Kazakh (31-0, 28 KOs), the WBA Super World middleweight, interim WBC World middleweight and IBO middleweight champion, is on an unbeaten 18-bout KO streak and will be looking to extend that against the UK’s Murray (29-1-1, 12 KOs), who refuses to simply be an “opponent”.
The fight will be broadcast on HBO in the US and on Channel Five, the terrestrial TV service in the UK.
Deals have also been concluded in a number of other major countries and regions, including Africa (SuperSport), Australia (Main Event PPV), Brazil (Esporte Interativo), China (CCTV), France (L’Equipe), Germany (Sat.1), Israel (Sport 5), Japan (WOWOW), Mexico (Azteca), Nicaragua (Canal 4), Panama , Pan-South America (Space), Poland (NC+), Russia (Russia 2), Scandinavia (Viasat), Slovenia, Thailand (Channel 7), Turkey (Kanal D) and Uruguay (VTV).
Negotiations are continuing with an additional number of broadcasters.
“This is very gratifying,” said promoter Rodney Berman of Golden Gloves. “This fight has captured the imagination, as has the undercard. I’m delighted that so many people will have the chance to watch such a major event.”
The undercard includes South African Hekkie Budler (27-1, 9 KOs) in defence of his WBA and IBO minimumweight titles against Jesus Silvestre (30-5, 22 KOs) of Mexico, plus the UK’s Lee Haskins (30-3, 13 KOs) contesting the vacant EBU bantamweight title against Omar Lamiri (13-1, 5 KOs) of France and a heavyweight bout between contenders Hughie Fury (14-0, 8 KOs) and Andriy Rudenko (24-1, 16 KOs) of Ukraine.

GOLOVKIN vs MURRAY is presented by Golden Gloves of South Africa, K2 Promotions, GGG Promotions, Expo 2017 and Tsesnabank, Casino de Monte-Carlo along with Monte-Carlo SBM.

The fight will be broadcast internationally from the beautiful Salle des Etoiles venue in Monte-Carlo.

The international broadcast and transmission rights to this world class event are being exclusively distributed by leading boxing rights distributor and sports marketing firm Protocol Sports Marketing Ltd., an Octapixx company.

LONDON (18 FEB) Two-time world title challenger Martin Murray has been away from his family for the last five weeks in the hope that such sacrifices will help land him the WBA Super world middleweight title on Saturday night (February 21) in Monte Carlo, LIVE on Channel 5.

The proud St. Helens warrior faces fearsome champion Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin in a matter of days and knows he’s left no stone unturned in training camp.

“Being away from my family has absolutely killed me,” said Murray, father to Archie, Amelia and Aisla. “I’ve been away from them now for over five weeks and it’s been really hard.

“I can look back now and think, well, at least it’s nearly done, but, at the time, it was hell. I was lonely, I was down. But it needed to be done. I’ve got no regrets whatsoever. If I had to go back and do it all again, I would. It’s been tough but worthwhile.

“I’m heavily involved in my kids’ lives and I know I’ve been missing a lot of things. I’m a very hands-on dad, so every day I spend away from them eats me up inside. But I can make up for it on Monday when I see them and bring home the world title.”

Though days from fight night, Murray, 29-1-1 (12 KOs), feels no ill will towards Golovkin, nor does he expect to experience any animosity at today’s fight week press conference. But that doesn’t meant he won’t be doing everything in his power to dethrone the champion on Saturday.

“When we have our press conference, I’ll be professional and courteous,” he said. “But, come fight night, that’s not going to stop me wanting to rip his head off. He’ll be the same way. We’ll shake hands and be perfectly nice to each other, but that goes out of the window on Saturday. He wants to take something from me and I want to hurt him.

“Some of Golovkin’s opponents might give him too much respect, and they might be all smiles and handshakes at the press conference, but that’s just stupid. They obviously didn’t grow up where I grew up. I respect his ability as a fighter, and I’m sure he’s a nice guy, but this is a fight and I can be just as nasty as anybody when I have to be.”

Murray has done the bulk of his training in South Africa, running at altitude and pushing his body to its limit, and the experience, he believes, has sufficiently prepared his mind for the sternest test of his seven-year professional career.

“I went over with a great bunch of lads and that made it easier for me,” he said. “I spent quite a lot of time in my room on my own, though. I wouldn’t say I was moody or horrible to be around, but I was focused and serious a lot of the time.

“Being away just made me focus that bit more and gave me more of a drive. I was away from home, away from my family and it was all for the right reasons.”

Such was the level of Murray’s focus, he even attached a picture of Golovkin, Saturday’s opponent, to a heavy bag in his gymnasium. It acted as a daily reminder.

“That picture was put on the heavy bag on day one and it was still there when I left on Friday,” said the 32-year-old. “It wasn’t done for publicity. It’s something we’ve always done. No matter who I’ve fought, there has always been a picture of them on a bag or on the wall. It’s just good to have their face in the gym. It makes you constantly aware of what is to come. To be honest, I’m sick of the sight of Golovkin now. I’ve seen him every single day.

“Saying that, though, it’s been extremely easy to switch off when I’ve needed to. In fact, I’ve never slept better during a training camp. I don’t know whether that’s because I’ve trained harder than ever or what, but sleep has been really easy this camp.

“I’ve thought about Golovkin, but only when I’ve needed to think about him. For example, I’d think about him on my way to training and while in the gym. Aside from that, though, I’ve put him to the back of my mind. I pick and choose when I need to focus on him.

“On Saturday night he’ll be the only thing on my mind.”

*** Boxing superstar Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin defends his WBA Super world middleweight title against Britain’s Martin Murray on Saturday, February 21 in Monte Carlo, LIVE on Channel 5 (10pm) ***

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