By Norm Frauenheim–

CARSON, Calif. — The GGG at the belt of his waistband isn’t much of a secret anymore. But Gennady Gennadyevich Golovkin’s initials might as well be evolving into a marketing acronym. These days, it could be Gennady Going Global.

World class means more than a gaudy piece of tin on a plastic belt worth a lot less than the fee paid to the sanctioning bodies. It also means hitting the road the way Muhammad Ali did when he fought in Manila, Zaire, Ireland and Indonesia. Faraway places are part of the intrigue. More significant, perhaps, they are also part of the challenge. At least, they used to be.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. reigns as boxing current pound-for-pound champ. But when was the last time he answered an opening bell outside of Las Vegas’ MGM Grand? He’s become as much of a regular at the MGM as Cirque du Soleil. His last 10 bouts have been there. Mayweather plays it safe, stays at home mostly because he can.

But Golovkin has been on the move since his days as an amateur in Kazakhstan. There was a 2004 Olympic silver medal in Athens. Then, there were bouts in Germany and Monaco with a stop in Panama before a string of appearances in New York. Stamp-for-stamp, Golovkin’s passport has to be a contender. He must have more frequent-flier miles than a passenger on the old Space Shuttle.

Unlike Mayweather, Golovkin has to travel. The initial challenge was just to indtruduce him to an American audience that would have had hard time finding Kazakhstan on a map. Then, became boxing most-avoided fighter, which might be another way of saying that Mexican stars Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Canelo Alavrez won’t fight him in their backyard.

No problem. Golovkin will still go into that backyard anyway, albeit against a lesser Mexican name in Marco Antonio Rubio Saturday night in an HBO-televised about at the Stub Hub Center in Carson, Calif. It’s Golovkin’s first fight in Southern California and its loyal Mexican, Mexican-American fans. That audience, boxing’ most important demographic, makes this stop as significant as any in the wide, wide world of GGG.

If ticket demand is any indication, those fans are as anxious to see him live as he is to win them over. It’s a sellout. It has been for about month. The 8,000-seat outdoor arena has been expanded three times just to fulfill the demand

Make no mistake, the fans aren’t turning out to see Rubio, who is a competent enough challenger with just enough power to make things interesting. No, this is all about Golovkin and his debut in a key boxing market. If Golovkin (30-0, 27 KOs), the WBA’s 160-pound champion, impresses that crowd with another big victory, public pressure will mount on Canelo and Chavez Jr., to finally fight him. It’s just another piece in the marketing puzzle of turning Golovkin into a world-class star, who can’t be avoided anymore.

In part, Golovkin’s bout with Rubio (59-6-1, 51 KOs) has the feel of a political campaign. He’s making the Southern California stop to unleash the power in his hands, shake a few hands, win over the customers with a shy smile and leave them with no doubt about the world-class credentials possessed by a Gennady Going Global.

LOS ANGELES (October 15, 2015) — World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight champions NONITO “The Filipino Flash” DONAIRE and NICHOLAS “The Axe Man” WALTERS collide This Saturday! in a WBA featherweight title unification showdown at a sold-out StubHub! Center in Carson, Calif. The fight will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing®, beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. The telecast will also feature WBA/IBO middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin defending his titles against World Boxing Council (WBC) interim middleweight champion Marco Antonio “El Veneno” Rubio. Golovkin vs. Rubio and its undercard are presented by K2 Promotions and GGG Promotions, in association with Promociones Del Pueblo.

Donaire and Walters boast a combined record of 57-2 (41 KOs) — a winning percentage of 97% and a victory by knockout ratio of 72%. When it comes to these two world featherweight champions, “You could have knocked me over with a feather,” is more than just a figure of speech!

NONITO DONAIRE

“Confident fighters are dangerous fighters. I know that. But there other fighters who said before a fight they were stronger than me, hit harder, were going to knock me out.

“Walters is a good champion but really how many quality fights has he been in compared to where I have been in my career?

“We both have speed, we both have power. It’s an explosive fight. This is going to end in a knockout. I will go into the ring and do my best.”

NICHOLAS WALTERS

“Donaire is a very good champion. We both have speed and power. The difference is intelligence. I was born to fight. The bigger the fight the better.

“If Donaire isn’t right, he’s going to get knocked out. Maybe five rounds, maybe less. Not sure yet.

“But you know what? Donaire stepped up and took this fight. He didn’t have to. For that, I respect him for getting in the ring with me.”

******************************

For Donaire vs. Walters fight updates go to www.toprank.com, or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, or twitter.com/hboboxing. Use the Hashtag #DonaireWalters to join the conversation on Twitter.

In two short years, middleweight titleholder Gennady Golovkin has built a powerhouse reputation with East Coast fans thanks to an intriguing array of skills, highlighted by stunning knockout power, becoming perhaps the sport’s most feared fighter.

Now, he takes aim at the West Coast in his first Los Angeles-area prizefight when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: GENNADY GOLOVKIN VS. MARCO ANTONIO RUBIO AND NONITO DONAIRE VS. NICHOLAS WALTERS is seen SATURDAY, OCT. 18 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT from StubHub Center in Carson, Cal., exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports team will be ringside for the event, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates: Oct. 19 (8:30 a.m.) and 21 (1:05 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates: Oct. 19 (4:00 p.m.) and 20 (12:15 a.m.)

In his 12th middleweight crown defense, Gennady Golovkin (30-0, 27 KOs), originally from Karaganda, Kazakhstan, and now training at Big Bear, Cal., meets the dangerous Marco Antonio Rubio (59-6-1, 51 KOs) of Torreon, Mexico in a scheduled 12-round contest. Currently boasting a knockout victory streak of 17, Golovkin has taken the boxing world by storm with an extraordinary knockout-to-win ratio of 90%, and no opponent has gone the distance with him since Nov. 2008. He’s trained by the highly regarded Abel Sanchez.

Rubio, who trains in Oxnard, Cal. with the accomplished Robert Garcia, has never backed away from a challenge. A veteran of bouts with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Kelly Pavlik, David Lemieux, Frankie Randall and Kassim Ouma, he brings a wealth of major-league experience into the ring.

Opening the telecast is a compelling featherweight title matchup pitting Nonito Donaire (33-2, 21 KOs) against Nicholas Walters (24-0, 20 KOs) in a 12-round battle. A native of the Philippines who’s currently based in San Leandro, Cal., Donaire was the 2012 BWAA Fighter of the Year. Having earned world titles in four different weight classes, he now puts his new 126-pound crown on the line. Walters, who hails from Jamaica, is widely viewed as a talented fighter.

Immediately after the live boxing action from Carson, HBO Sports will present the one-episode special “24/7 Hopkins/Kovalev” at approximately 12:15 a.m.

At 12:45 a.m. the HBO Latino service will present a doubleheader of HBO Latino Boxing action from StubHub Center. Headlining a 10-round light heavyweight battle will be Edwin Rodriguez and Azea Augustama and in the opening bout it’s a 10-round middleweight clash with Marcos Reyes squaring off with Abie Han.

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, CA (October 13, 2014) Additional Bleacher Seats will go on sale Tomorrow at Noon PT for “Mexican Style”, the highly anticipated World Championship Boxing event set for This Saturday, October 18th at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.

Priced at $53 plus applicable service charges, the Bleacher Seating tickets will be available online at AXS.com, by phone at 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849) and at the StubHub Center Box Office (Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. PT to 6 p.m. PT).

“Gennady wanted to do as much as possible to satisfy the tremendous demand for tickets for his West Coast debut and therefore we’ve added an additional 284 bleacher seats on the StubHub Center Concourse,” said Tom Loeffler, Managing Director of K2 Promotions. “Unfortunately, these will be the last tickets we will be able to make available for Saturday night.”

Presented by K2 Promotions and GGG Promotions in association with Promociones Del Pueblo, “Mexican Style” is headlined by a 12-round world middleweight title fight between Boxing’s fastest rising star, WBA/IBO Middleweight Champion, GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN and WBC Interim Middleweight Champion MARCO ANTONIO “El Veneno” RUBIO.

The co-feature bout on October 18th is a featherweight showdown between 2012 Fighter of the Year and four-division world champion NONITO “The Filipino Flash” DONAIRE and undefeated world champion NICHOLAS “The Axe Man” WALTERS who will battle it out to determine the undisputed World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight world champion. Donaire vs. Walters is presented by Top Rank®.

The StubHub Center is located at 18400 Avalon Blvd. in Carson, CA 90746. For directions and further information, please visit their website at www.StubHubCenter.com Doors will open at 3:00 p.m. PT on the day of the event with the first bell at 3:15 p.m. PT.

For fight updates on GOLOVKIN VS. RUBIO via Social Media, follow HBO Boxing on Twitter at @HBOBoxing and Facebook at /HBOBoxing, in addition to on Twitter at Gennady Golovkin/ @GGGBoxing, Marco Antonio Rubio/ @MAVenenoRubio, Tom Loeffler – K2 Promotions/ @TomLoeffler1 and Promociones Del Pueblo/ @PromoDelPueblo. Use the hashtag #GolovkinRubio to join

Los Angeles, CA (October 11, 2014) Seven days out from their highly anticipated “Mexican Style” showdown, WBA/IBO Middleweight World Champion GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN and WBC Interim Middleweight Champion MARCO ANTONIO “El Veneno” RUBIO were both within the prescribed limits set forth by the World Boxing Council rules.

For the WBC Official 7-Day Weigh-In, Golovkin tipped the scale at 165lbs., while Rubio weighed in at 167.5lbs.

“We’re a week out and both fighters appear to be in excellent shape,” said Tom Loeffler, Managing Director of K2 Promotions.

Set for this Saturday, October 18th, “Mexican Style” is headlined by the highly anticipated 12-round world middleweight title fight between Boxing’s fastest rising star, WBA/IBO Middleweight Champion, GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN, 30-0-0 (27KO’s) and WBC Interim Middleweight Champion MARCO ANTONIO “El Veneno” RUBIO, 59-6-0 (51KO’s).

Golovkin is wrapping up his training with Abel Sanchez at The Summit High Altitude Training Facility in Big Bear Lake, CA while Rubio is in Oxnard, California with Robert Garcia at the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy.

“Mexican Style” is presented by K2 Promotions and GGG Promotions in association with Promociones Del Pueblo.

The co-feature bout on October 18th is a featherweight showdown between 2012 Fighter of the Year and four-division world champion NONITO “The Filipino Flash” DONAIRE, 33-2-0 (21KO’s) and undefeated world champion NICHOLAS “The Axe Man” WALTERS, 24-0-0 (20KO’s) who will battle it out to determine the undisputed World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight world champion. Donaire vs. Walters is presented by Top Rank®.

Bout world title bouts will be televised Live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

The StubHub Center is located at 18400 Avalon Blvd. in Carson, CA 90746. For directions and further information, please visit their website at www.StubHubCenter.com Doors will open at 3:00 p.m. PT on the day of the event for a full program of world class boxing with the first bell at 3:15 p.m. PT.

For fight updates on GOLOVKIN VS. RUBIO via Social Media, follow HBO Boxing on Twitter at @HBOBoxing and Facebook at /HBOBoxing, in addition to on Twitter at Gennady Golovkin/ @GGGBoxing, Marco Antonio Rubio/ @MAVenenoRubio, Tom Loeffler – K2 Promotions/ @TomLoeffler1 and Promociones Del Pueblo/ @PromoDelPueblo. Use the hashtag #GolovkinRubio to join the conversation on Twitter.

Los Angeles, CA (September 22, 2014) Thirty days out from their highly anticipated “Mexican Style” showdown, WBA/IBO Middleweight World Champion GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN and WBC Interim Middleweight Champion MARCO ANTONIO “El Veneno” RUBIO were both within the prescribed limits set forth by the World Boxing Council rules.

For the WBC Official 30-Day Weigh-In, Golovkin tipped the scale at 165lbs., while Rubio weighed in at 174.5lbs.

“Both fighters look to be in excellent shape and will be well prepared on October 18th” said Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions.

Set for Saturday, October 18th, “Mexican Style” is headlined by the highly anticipated 12-round world middleweight title fight between Boxing’s fastest rising star, WBA/IBO Middleweight Champion, GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN, 30-0-0 (27KO’s) and WBC Interim Middleweight Champion MARCO ANTONIO “El Veneno” RUBIO, 59-6-0 (51KO’s).

Golovkin is currently training with Abel Sanchez at The Summit High Altitude Training Facility in Big Bear Lake, CA while Rubio is in Oxnard, California with Robert Garcia at the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy.

“Mexican Style” is presented by K2 Promotions and GGG Promotions in association with Promociones Del Pueblo.

The co-feature bout on October 18th is a featherweight showdown between 2012 Fighter of the Year and four-division world champion NONITO “The Filipino Flash” DONAIRE, 33-2-0 (21KO’s) and undefeated world champion NICHOLAS “The Axe Man” WALTERS, 24-0-0 (20KO’s) who will battle it out to determine the undisputed World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight world champion. Donaire vs. Walters is presented by Top Rank®.

Bout world title bouts will be televised Live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

The StubHub Center is located at 18400 Avalon Blvd. in Carson, CA 90746. For directions and further information, please visit their website at www.StubHubCenter.com Doors will open at 3:00 p.m. PT on the day of the event for a full program of world class boxing with the first bell at 3:15 p.m. PT.

For fight updates on GOLOVKIN VS. RUBIO via Social Media, follow HBO Boxing on Twitter at @HBOBoxing and Facebook at /HBOBoxing, in addition to on Twitter at Gennady Golovkin/ @GGGBoxing, Marco Antonio Rubio/ @MAVenenoRubio, Tom Loeffler – K2 Promotions/ @TomLoeffler1 and Promociones Del Pueblo/ @PromoDelPueblo. Use the hashtag #GolovkinRubio to join the conversation on Twitter.

Los Angeles, CA (September 19, 2014) Due to extraordinary demand, Standing Room Only tickets priced at $27 for “Mexican Style” will go on sale Today at 1:00 p.m. PT it was announced this morning by
K2 Promotions.

Set for Saturday, October 18th, “Mexican Style” is headlined by the highly anticipated 12-round world middleweight title fight between Boxing’s fastest rising star, WBA/IBO Middleweight Champion, GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN and WBC Interim Middleweight Champion MARCO ANTONIO “El Veneno” RUBIO.

The co-feature bout on October 18th is a featherweight showdown between 2012 Fighter of the Year and four-division world champion NONITO “The Filipino Flash” DONAIRE and undefeated world champion NICHOLAS “The Axe Man” WALTERS who will battle it out to determine the undisputed World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight world champion. Donaire vs. Walters is presented by Top Rank® and was just officially announced today.

“The response to this event has been unprecedented for boxing at the StubHub Center as four weeks to go we’re virtually sold out of tickets,” said Tom Loeffler, Managing Director of K2 Promotions. “Therefore, we’re putting a limited number of Standing Room Only tickets on sale to meet the demand.”

“With the addition of Donaire vs. Walters this card will stand among the very best presented to boxing fans in 2014.”

Standing Room Only tickets priced at $27, plus applicable service charges will available online Today at 1pm at AXS.com, by phone at 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849) and at the StubHub Center Box Office (Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. PT to 6 p.m. PT).

“Mexican Style” is presented by K2 Promotions and GGG Promotions in association with Promociones Del Pueblo.

The StubHub Center is located at 18400 Avalon Blvd. in Carson, CA 90746. For directions and further information, please visit their website at www.StubHubCenter.com Doors will open at 3:00 p.m. PT on the day of the event for a full program of world class boxing.

For fight updates on GOLOVKIN VS. RUBIO via Social Media, follow HBO Boxing on Twitter at @HBOBoxing and Facebook at /HBOBoxing, in addition to on Twitter at Gennady Golovkin/ @GGGBoxing, Marco Antonio Rubio/ @MAVenenoRubio, Tom Loeffler – K2 Promotions/ @TomLoeffler1 and Promociones Del Pueblo/ @PromoDelPueblo. Use the hashtag #GolovkinRubio to join the conversation on Twitter.

LOS ANGELES (September 19, 2014) — Top Rank® announced today that 2012 Fighter of the Year and four-division world champion NONITO “The Filipino Flash” DONAIRE and undefeated world champion NICHOLAS “The Axe Man” WALTERS will battle it out to determine the undisputed World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight world champion. Donaire vs. Walters will take place Saturday, October 18, at StubHub! Center in Carson, Calif. It will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing, beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. The telecast will also feature WBA/IBO middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin defending his titles against World Boxing Council (WBC) interim middleweight champion Marco Antonio “El Veneno” Rubio. Golovkin vs. Rubio and its undercard are presented by K2 Promotions and GGG Promotions, in association with Promociones Del Pueblo

Donaire and Walters boast a combined record of 57-2 (41 KOs) — a winning percentage of 97% and a victory by knockout ratio of 72%. When it comes to these two world featherweight champions, “You could have knocked me over with a feather,” is more than just a figure of speech!

“I am very excited for this fight. We are doing everything we can to be ready for everything Walters brings on October 18,” said Donaire.

“This is my dream fight. It’s now the time to show everyone who is the best 126 pound world champion in the entire world,” declared Walters.

“The featherweight division has a rich history with epic matchups, said Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank. “Nonito Donaire and Nicholas Walters are two of the great champions in the division today. This promises to be an entertaining, exciting world title unification battle.”

“Nonito Donaire is a four-division world champion and former fighter of the year, who always delivers for fans by challenging the toughest competition, which is precisely what he’ll be facing when he fights undefeated power-puncher Nicholas Walters in a superb featherweight championship co-feature on October 18 at the StubHub Center in Carson, CA, live on HBO World Championship Boxing,” said Peter Nelson, vice president, programming, HBO Sports.

Donaire (33-2, 21 KOs), a native of General Santos City, Philippines, now living in Las Vegas, has been a consensus Top-10 pound-for-pound fighter for several years. He returned to the top of the mountain as a world champion in his last fight, on May 31, at The Venetian Macao, dethroning defending WBA featherweight champion Simphiwe Vetyeka via a vicious five-round technical decision. His banner year in 2012 included four world championship victories. He beat former world champion Israel Vazquez, Jr. to capture the vacant WBO junior featherweight title, then unified the title by defeating IBF junior featherweight champion Jeffrey Mathebula. Donaire collected his third belt of the year by knocking out WBC Diamond Belt super bantamweight champion Toshiaki Nishioka, ending Nishioka’s eight-year, 16-bout, winning streak. Donaire concluded his magnificent year by blasting out Mexican icon Jorge Arce in the third round and sealing his 2012 Fighter of the Year honors while extending his 12-year, 30-bout winning streak. He lost his title to undefeated Cuban sensation and WBA super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux in a title unification bout at a sold-out Radio City Music Hall on April 13, 2013. Career highlights for Donaire also include knockout victories of defending IBF flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan, former WBA bantamweight champion Wladimir Sidorenko, and defending WBC/WBO bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel, ending Montiel’s 25-bout winning streak. That victory was named the 2011 Knockout of the Year. Donaire’s ended 2013 with a ninth-round knockout victory of Darchinyan in their eagerly-awaited rematch. Donaire has held a world title every year dating back to 2007. Three of his last four victories have been by way of knockout.

Walters (24-0, 20 KOs), of Montego Bay, Jamaica, enters this fight having won 10 of his last 11 fights by knockout. He captured the vacant WBA featherweight title on December 12, 2012, knocking out Daulis Presscott (26-1, 19 KOs) in the seventh round. He has successfully defended the title twice — both by knockout — stopping Alberto Garza and former two-division world champion Vic Darchinyan in the fourth and fifth rounds, respectively. A former amateur standout who collected gold medals at the 2007 Pan American Games Qualifier III and the 2005 and 2007 Caribbean Championships, Walters is known for his expert boxing skills and movement and two-fisted punching power that are at a caliber of a much higher weight class.

Remaining tickets to the Golovkin-Rubio/ Donaire-Walters world championship doubleheader, priced at $210, $105, $53 and $27, plus applicable service charges, are available online at www.AXS.com, by phone at 888-9AXS-TIX (888-929-7849) and www.StubHubCenter.com. Doors will open at 3:00 p.m. PT, with the first bell scheduled for 3:15 p.m. PT.

For Donaire vs. Walters fight updates go to www.toprank.com, or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, or twitter.com/hboboxing. Use the Hashtag #DonaireWalters to join the conversation on Twitter.

Los Angeles, CA (September 12, 2014) Due to an overwhelming demand for tickets to “Mexican Style” on Saturday, October 18th at the StubHub Center in Carson, California, K2 Promotions announced plans today to add Standing Room Only tickets priced at $27.

“Mexican Style” is headlined by the highly anticipated 12-round world middleweight title fight between Boxing’s fastest rising star, WBA/IBO Middleweight Champion, GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN and WBC Interim Middleweight Champion MARCO ANTONIO “El Veneno” RUBIO.

“In the first two weeks we’ve sold over 75% of the available tickets to “Mexican Style” which truly validates the popularity of Gennady on the West Coast,” said Tom Loeffler, Managing Director of K2 Promotions.

“This speaks to Gennady’s growing global brand as he is willing to fight in locations around the world unlike many champions who only fight in one city or one state.”

Continued Loeffler “We’re happy to announce the unprecedented addition of Standing Room Only tickets in order to meet the demand from boxing fans for this event.” The additional SRO tickets will go on sale in the near future.

Presented by K2 Promotions and GGG Promotions in association with Promociones Del Pueblo, remaining tickets priced at $210, $105, $53 and $27, plus applicable service charges are available online at AXS.com, by phone at 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849) and at the StubHub Center Box Office (Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. PT to 6 p.m. PT).

The StubHub Center is located at 18400 Avalon Blvd. in Carson, CA 90746. For directions and further information, please visit their website at www.StubHubCenter.com Doors will open at 3:00 p.m. PT on the day of the event for a full program of world class boxing.

For fight updates on GOLOVKIN VS. RUBIO via Social Media, follow HBO Boxing on Twitter at @HBOBoxing and Facebook at /HBOBoxing, in addition to on Twitter at Gennady Golovkin/ @GGGBoxing, Marco Antonio Rubio/ @MAVenenoRubio, Tom Loeffler – K2 Promotions/ @TomLoeffler1 and Promociones Del Pueblo/ @PromoDelPueblo. Use the hashtag #GolovkinRubio to join the conversation on Twitter.

Mashantucket, CT: Sullivan Barrera (12-0, 7 KOs) the undefeated light heavyweight from Cuba has set his sights on West Virginia native Eric “The 1 Armed Bandit” Watkins (10-7-1, 5 KOs) for an eight-round battle on the Mchunu-Wilson undercard Sept. 20 at Foxwoods Resort Casino. This will be Sullivan’s first fight training with world-renowned trainer Abel Sanchez. Sanchez is best known for training WBA Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin from Kazakhstan.

Barrera, 32, made his professional debut in 2009 and knocked out his first five opponents in the first or second round. Since then he has had continued success securing both the WBO Latino and WBA Fedelatin Light Heavyweight Titles. Most recently, he knocked out Lee Campbell in the sixth round at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs on Jun. 21, 2014. This will be his third fight in 2014 (in addition to the knockout of Campbell he defeated Larry Pryor via unanimous decision on Apr. 4, 2014 at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, PA). This will be the first eight-round fight of his professional career and his first in Connecticut (the majority of his professional fights have taken place in his new home state of Florida). Barrera said, “I’m looking forward to Sep. 20. I’ve been in Big Bear training really hard and I’m ready to give the fans another great show. Training with my new trainer, Abel Sanchez, in Big Bear has been a great move for my career. I feel strong, I’m in excellent shape and everyday I continue to sharpen my skills. I’m excited for what’s to come in my career working with Abel.” Sullivan’s co-manager, Luis Molina, added, “We are excited to be back in action again and we are looking forward to another ‘W.’ Sullivan is in great shape. With his new trainer, Abel Sanchez, he has been able to master some things.”

Barrera
Photo Credits: Rich Graessle/Main Events

Sullivan now trains at Sanchez’s facility in Big Bear, CA alongside GGG and other top notch fighters. According to Sanchez he and Barrera took some time to adjust to one another but now he has been able to incorporate changes to Sullivan’s routine, “It has taken us awhile to blend together but he is very open-minded and a very diligent worker so we are having fun trying new things out. We are getting him in a different kind of shape because Big Bear tends to do that. Sullivan training around Golovkin and some of the other champions that we have here has been very beneficial because it has helped him understand what it takes to get to that level. We are looking forward to him trying some of these new things out on Sep. 20.”

Eric Watkins
Photo Courtesy of:
Eric Watkins

Watkins, 28, may be four years younger than Barrera but he has 18 professional fights, as compared to Barrera’s 12 professional fights, since making his professional debut in 2010 (Aug. 28, 2010 – four-round unanimous decision victory over Roy Fitzgerald in West Virginia). Eric won his first four professional fights (Fitzgerald; Feb. 4, 2011 – David Markert four-round unanimous decision; Mar. 26, 2011 – Gonzales Jones third-round TKO; and Apr. 30, 2011 – Terrence Watson first-round KO). Watkins is looking to stop and three-fight losing streak (Oct. 12, 2013 – Trevor McCumby via unanimous decision; Jan. 25, 2014 – Dustin Craig Echard via third round TKO; and Mar. 29, 2014 – Bobby Thomas Jr. via ten-round split decision).

Peter McGinley, Watkins’ trainer/manager had this to say about the fight with Barrera, “We are very excited to have this opportunity to compete against an undefeated fighter of this caliber. We hope he trains for this fight harder than he’s ever trained before. If he doesn’t he will truly regret it.” Watkins added only, “Want some, get some!”

According to Main Events’ matchmaker Jolene Mizzone, Barrera wants to take his career to the next level. She said, “Barrera has been asking us to step up the competition and because he made the move across country to Big Bear away from his friends and family for a new trainer has proven to us he is serious about taking his career to the next level.” She added, “The key to a good boxer-trainer relationship is clicking. Abel and Sullivan appear to be clicking well so far.”

About September 20:

The Sep. 20th special afternoon edition of NBC Fight Night will take place at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, CT and will feature a ten-round cruiserweight match-up between Thabiso “The Rock” Mchunu and Garrett “The Ultimate Warrior” Wilson for the NABF Cruiserweight Title and a ten-round lightweight match-up between Karl “Dynamite” Dargan and Angino “The Nightmare” Perez for the Junior NABF Lightweight Title. The undercard bouts will be announced shortly. Tickets are $100, $75 and $40 and are available through Foxwoods.com and Ticketmaster.com. The card is presented by Main Events, Peltz Boxing and Showpony Promotions in association with Banner Promotions. The special NBC Fight Night broadcast will begin live at 3:00 PM ET/12:00 PM PT.

NBC Sports Live Extra:

NBC Sports Live Extra: NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets – will live stream Fight Night at 3 PM ET/12 PM PT on September 20. For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app for mobile devices and tablets is available at the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and on select Android handset and tablet devices within Google Play.

About Foxwoods® Resort Casino

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Los Angeles, CA (September 4, 2014) Ticket sales are moving at an extraordinary pace during the first week for “MEXICAN STYLE”, the World Middleweight Championship between Boxing’s fastest rising star, WBA/IBO Middleweight Champion, GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN and WBC Interim Middleweight Champion MARCO ANTONIO “El Veneno” RUBIO. The event will take place on Saturday, October 18th at the StubHub Center in Carson, California and will be televised Live on HBO World Championship Boxing®.

Presented by K2 Promotions and GGG Promotions in association with Promociones Del Pueblo, advance tickets priced at $210, $105, $53 and $27, plus applicable service charges are available online at AXS.com, by phone at 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849) and at the StubHub Center Box Office (Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. PT to 6 p.m. PT).

“Since putting tickets on sale last Wednesday during the Los Angeles Press Conference at Olvera Street we’ve seen sales skyrocket, this is the fastest selling boxing event that’s been held at the StubHub Center” said Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions. “I strongly encourage boxing fans to purchase tickets in advance so they don’t miss out on this great night of boxing.”

Continued Loeffler, “We always felt Gennady’s popularity on the West Coast would mirror his East Coast presence and the early ticket sales strongly validate that.” Golovkin has fought five previous times in the United States and on HBO over the last two years, most recently at Madison Square Garden.

“Southern California and the StubHub Center have a tremendous legacy of memorable boxing events and we anticipate “Mexican Style” to be at the top of that storied list.”

With his ability to headline at Madison Square Garden and the StubHub Center, Golovkin has proven to be one of the most active and marketable fighters in boxing, appearing on HBO in back-to-back world championship defenses in less than a three-month span.

The StubHub Center is located at 18400 Avalon Blvd. in Carson, CA 90746. For directions and further information, please visit their website at www.StubHubCenter.com Doors will open at 3:00 p.m. PT on the day of the event for a full program of world class boxing.

Sporting a record of 30-0-0 with 27 knockouts, “GGG” has the highest knockout percentage (90%) of any active world champion. He has become a must-see international attraction with his aggressive all-action style and breathtaking knockouts.

On July 26th at Madison Square Garden, Golovkin stopped two-time former world champion Daniel Geale in the third round with an extraordinary knockout punch that will be at the top of most “Knockout of the Year” media and fan lists.

Against Geale, Golovkin made his 11th title defense while scoring his 17th knockout in a row. Preparations for his fight are taking place in Big Bear Lake, California under the watchful eye of longtime trainer, Abel Sanchez.

Fighting out of Torreon, Mexico and training in Oxnard, California, with former world champion Robert Garcia, Rubio has compiled a record of 59-6-1 with 51 knockouts against some of the best fighters in the sport.

The hard-hitting Rubio has faced Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Kelly Pavlik, David Lemieux, Kassim Ouma, Frankie Randall and Jose Luis Zertuche.

The 34-year-old Rubio is currently 16-1 in his last seventeen bouts most recently stopping Italian veteran Dominico Spada in the tenth round on April 5th in Chihuahua, Mexico, winning the WBC Interim Middleweight Title.

For fight updates on GOLOVKIN VS. RUBIO via Social Media, follow HBO Boxing on Twitter at @HBOBoxing and Facebook at /HBOBoxing, in addition to on Twitter at Gennady Golovkin/ @GGGBoxing, Marco Antonio Rubio/ @MAVenenoRubio, Tom Loeffler – K2 Promotions/ @TomLoeffler1 and Promociones Del Pueblo/ @PromoDelPueblo. Use the hashtag #GolovkinRubio to join the conversation on Twitter.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.con, Nonito Donaire will fight undefeated Nicholas Walters on October as part of the Gennady Golovkin – Marco Antonio Rubio card in Carson, California.

“Even before this fight was made the response we’ve gotten to Gennady’s fight with Rubio has been incredible. There has been a great response. This just makes the show even bigger and better,” said K2 Promotions Tom Loeffler, who formally announced Golovkin-Rubio at a Los Angeles news conference on Wednesday, but couldn’t announce Donaire-Walters because the deal with Top Rank was not agreed to until several hours later.

“They are both Top Rank fighters, but we wanted to make the best fight possible even if it didn’t involve our fighters (in the co-feature),” Loeffler said. “This fight adds a lot of value to Gennady’s fight with Rubio.”

“These guys want to fight and we want them to fight, so this was a good spot for them,” said Top Rank’s Carl Moretti. “The fight is agreed to and the paperwork is going out. It’s a terrific fight. It’s Walters’ relative youth versus Donaire’s experience. Walters is a strong, younger, hungry fighter. Donaire is an established pound-for-pound fighter, one of the biggest names in the sport still. It’s not like Donaire hasn’t faced guys like this before. We know Donaire has been there before. Now we’ll see what Walters can do on this kind of big stage.”

Los Angeles, CA (August 19, 2014) Boxing’s fastest rising star, GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN will defend his World Boxing Association (‘WBA’) and International Boxing Organization (‘IBO’) Middleweight World Titles against World Boxing Council (‘WBC’) Interim Middleweight Champion MARCO ANTONIO “El Veneno” RUBIO on Saturday, October 18th at the StubHub Center in Carson, California and televised Live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT

Presented by K2 Promotions and GGG Promotions in association with Promociones Del Pueblo, the scheduled 12-round GOLOVKIN vs. RUBIO championship battle will headline “MEXICAN STYLE”, a world class evening of entertainment at the West Coast’s premier outdoor venue for boxing.

“I’m very excited to fight in California,” said Golovkin. “I always enjoy attending fights at the StubHub Center and look forward to a “Mexican Style” fight against Marco Antonio Rubio.”

Said Rubio, “I’m excited to fight another world champion. I always accept the biggest challenges and without a doubt this will be the greatest of my career. I will show Golovkin a real “Mexican Style” fight on October 18th.”

“We’re looking forward to promoting the West Coast debut of Gennady Golovkin,” stated Tom Loeffler, Managing Director of K2 Promotions. “His growing popularity across the country compels us to bring this highly anticipated fight to the StubHub Center, which has hosted so many exciting boxing events in recent years.”

“Marco Antonio Rubio is among the toughest fighters in boxing and this battle with Gennady should provide fireworks from the opening bell.”

“It will be a tremendous fight,” said Oswaldo Kuchle of Promociones Del Pueblo. “I can assure you that Rubio will make this a war.”

Sporting a record of 30-0-0 with 27 knockouts, the highest knockout ratio (90%) of any active world champion, Golovkin has become a must-see international attraction with his aggressive all-action style and breathtaking knockouts.

On July 26th at Madison Square Garden, Golovkin stopped two-time former world champion Daniel Geale in the third round with an extraordinary knockout punch that will be at the top of most “Knockout of the Year” media and fan lists.

Against Geale, Golovkin made his 11th title defense while scoring his 17th knockout in a row. Golovkin will head to Big Bear, California next week to begin preparations under the watchful eye of longtime trainer Abel Sanchez

Fighting out of Torreon, Mexico and training in Oxnard, California with former world champion Robert Garcia, Rubio has compiled a record of 59-6-1 with 51 knockouts against some of the best fighters in the sport.

The hard-hitting Rubio has faced Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Kelly Pavlik, David Lemieux, Kassim Ouma, Frankie Randall and Jose Luis Zertuche.

The 34-year-old Rubio is currently 16-1 in his last seventeen bouts most recently stopping Italian veteran Dominic Spada in the tenth round on April 5th in Chihuahua, Mexico, winning the WBC Interim Middleweight Title.

For fight updates on GOLOVKIN VS. RUBIO via Social Media, follow HBO Boxing on Twitter at @HBOBoxing and Facebook at /HBOBoxing, in addition to on Twitter at Gennady Golovkin/ @GGGBoxing, Marco Antonio Rubio/ @MAVenenoRubio, Tom Loeffler – K2 Promotions/ @TomLoeffler1 and Promociones Del Pueblo/ @PromoDelPueblo. Use the hashtag #GolovkinRubio to join the conversation on Twitter.

Venice, CA (August 1, 2014) For the fifth time in his distinguished Middleweight World Championship run, Boxing’s fastest rising star, GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN has been named the World Boxing Association’s “Fighter of the Month” for his highlight reel third round stoppage of two-time world champion DANIEL GEALE on Saturday, July 26th at Madison Square Garden, “The Mecca of Boxing”.

The stoppage of Geale was telecast LIVE in the United States on HBO World Championship Boxing® and in over 100 countries worldwide. It was Golovkin’s 11th straight WBA world title defense and his 17th straight knockout victory. With the win, Golovkin’s record stands at 30-0-0 with 27 knockouts bringing his knockout ratio to 90%, the highest of any middleweight champion in history and the highest among all active world champions in boxing.

“I’m very happy to receive this award again from the WBA and I look forward to defending my title many more times in the future” said Golovkin.

Said Tom Loeffler, Managing Director of K2 Promotions, “Gennady’s magnificent knockout of Geale confirmed his status as a must-see attraction and one of the most dominant boxers in the sport today.”

“We’re very grateful to the WBA for honoring Gennady once again and look forward to his next world title defense.”

By Bart Barry-

“Geale had the best credentials of anyone that’s gotten in the ring with him. Geale is a former two-time titlist.” – Gennady Golovkin’s promoter Tom Loeffler, July 26.

Saturday at Madison Square Garden, 32-year-old Kazakhstani middleweight titlist Gennady “GGG” Golovkin stopped Australian challenger Daniel Geale at 2:47 of round 3. It was another attraction-building event televised by HBO, a portentous sort of happening intended to entice viewers with the chance one of Golovkin’s next three or four matches might come against enticing, or at least appropriate, competition – even if a $60 pay-per-view tariff must be levied upon subscribers to see it.

Daniel Geale fought like a self-taught hobbyist, Saturday, a man who wanted out of his contract during introductions and was unheard of in the United States for good reason until last week, when aficionados who know better began exercising their minds with the calisthenics of thought-experiment, proving they possessed dexterity enough to imagine a means by which Geale might vanquish Golovkin. Geale was, after all, the guy some Americans watched via buggy videostream in 2012 decision Felix Sturm, a middleweight titlist still better known by Americans for being wronged during a De La Hoya-Hopkins infomercial 10 years ago than anything he achieved afterwards.

There is some simple calculus in matchmaking, to complement its much more difficult intuiting, and that is: Volume punchers solve boxers who solve power punchers who solve volume punchers. That’s an indirect way of saying a volume-punching guy like Geale – who unloaded his best righthand on an onrushing Golovkin in round 3, and landed it flush, and didn’t so much as compromise the trajectory of Golovkin’s own righthand, an already started one stiff enough to land Geale on a blue mat from which the Aussie rose with seven beats to go in a 10-count he then stretched to a standing 4-count before quitting on his feet with a spiritless shake of the head – was a better showcase for Golovkin than even cynics anticipated.

Here’s a direct way of putting it: Daniel Geale hadn’t a prayer against Gennady Golovkin. Much of that is Golovkin’s fantastic professionalism, a professionalism supporter and dissenter alike would dearly like to see tested by a worthy adversary, more overdue for Golovkin now than any HBO fighter since Andre Berto, but a goodish amount of it is also due to matchmaking and Geale-promoter Gary Shaw’s noteworthy penchant for getting no-hopers on HBO.

If there was a first noteworthy moment in Saturday’s main event, it came in the final seconds of round 1, when Golovkin measured Geale with straight rights. What made it noteworthy was Golovkin’s fearlessness across from Geale, a fearlessness that allowed Golovkin to paw and tap with a right glove extended fully from his chin even while he remained in an orthodox stance. Youngsters are taught to time and punish opponents who hang their jabs, returning their lead heads at half the rate they deploy them, but how often does a prizefighter in a title match have the chutzpah to hang a cross, and leave it there?

That it took fewer than 170 seconds for Golovkin to realize Geale’s freshest haymaker mightn’t imperil him speaks to matchmaking, finally, more than another element. Once the man across from you is incapable of hurting you, he becomes a target, not an opponent, and while reducing challengers to such marks a champion’s greatness, having opponents ready-reduced in round 1 is a mark of attraction-building more than matchmaking.

Talk now turns to a Madison Square Garden superfight between career welterweight and new middleweight champion Miguel Cotto and Golovkin, which, conducted at a catchweight between 155 and 155 1/4 pounds, would be compelling. Such a fight, though, loses its attraction by 30 percent with every pound that happens above 155 – still, technically, middleweight – since the men’s styles are similar enough to reduce their competition to one of size, and Golovkin would be considerably larger. Cotto, of course, graduated beyond the Daniel Geales of the world almost 10 years ago, when he stopped Randall Bailey (26-2, 24 KOs) in 2004, and Cotto is only 18 months older than Golovkin – which ought to help statisticians recalibrate the meaningfulness of Golovkin’s 90-percent knockout ratio.

If the best match for Golovkin is at junior middleweight with the middleweight champion of the world, or at middleweight with a man enjoying a career rebirth round 154 pounds, so be it, but can we please cool the silly banter about GGG’s willingness to fight great men at 168? Golovkin has fought exactly two times above middleweight, when he defeated Amar Amari and Malik Dziarra in 2008, and to say his Saturday untethering of Daniel Geale qualifies him for a match with Carl Froch or Andre Ward at super middleweight is, frankly, inappropriate.

The same night in 2009 Ward unmanned Mikkel Kessler, a favorite to win the Super Six tournament, Golovkin laid waste to Mikhail Makarov in Makarov’s 11th prizefight. Two weeks before Froch gave Lucian Bute his first career loss, in 2012, Golovkin stamped Makoto Fuchigami’s record with its seventh. The question, then, is not if Ward and Froch would each be 30-0 against the 30 men Golovkin has faced but instead: Would either Ward or Froch have less than a 100-percent knockout ratio?

A hundred victories over Daniel Geale do not approach one victory over Andre Ward, and a thrashing of little Miguel Cotto, asked by many to retire 4 1/2 years ago when Manny Pacquiao whupped him, does not approach so much as a decision victory over Carl Froch. It’s long past time for Golovkin’s handlers to do something bold.

Bart Barry can be reached at bart.barrys.email (at) gmail.com

Follow all the action as it happens from Madison Square Garden as Gennady Golovkin defends the WBA Middleweight championship against former IBF champion Daniel Geale. The action begins at 9:30 PM ET with an intriguing Heavyweight battle of undefeated Bryant Jennings and Mike Perez

12 rounds–WBA Middleweight Championship–Gennady Golovkin (29-0, 26 KO’s) vs Daniel Geale (30-2, 16 KO”s)

Round 1

Round 2 LEFT HOOK AND DOWN GOES GEALE…Geale bleeding from left side of his face…20-17 Golovkin

Round 3 BIG RIGHT AND DOWN GOES GEALE…FIGHT STOPPED

12 Rounds Heavyweights–Mike Perez (20-0-1, 12 KO’s) vs Bryant Jennings (18-0, 10 KO’s)

Round 1 Perez gets in a left..right to the body…10-9 Perez

Round 2 Right hooj from Perez..Combintion on rope…..Slapping left from Jennings..20-18 Perez

Round 3 Trading body shots…Left from Perez..Right from Jennings..Left to body from Perez..30-27 Perez

Round 4 Right hook from Perez..Jennings lands a right on the ropes..Hard right….39-37 Perez

Round 5 Perez lands a left to the head..Good body..right hook..Jennings lands a hard 3 punch combination..Body/Head from Perez…49-46 Perez

Round 6 Perez lands a straight left..straight left...59-55 Perez

Round 7 Jennings rips a 3 punch combination…Straight left from Perez…Body shot and combo from Jennings…68-65 Perez

Round 8 Hard counter right from Jennings..Good right from Jennings…Ripping combination to head…77-75 Perez

Round 9 Right hook from Perez…87-84 Perez

Round 10 Jennings landing in the clinch..Counter right...96-94 Perez

Round 11 Jennings lands a right to the body…3 on the ropes..Perez lands a right to the body..105-104 Perez

Round 12 Jennings coming out on fire…lands 4 shots..Perez deducted point for hitting in break..Left from Perez…Right to head from Jennings…114-113 Jennings

114-113 Perez; 115-112 Jennings….114-113 Jennings

Broadcast live streaming video on Ustream

New York City (July 24, 2014) Boxing’s fastest rising star, GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN made his Broadway debut on Wednesday night at “Rocky on Broadway” at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City.

In front of a packed house, Golovkin was cheered on during his cameo scene by those in attendance three nights before his WBA/IBO World Middleweight Championship title defense against DANIEL “The Real Deal” GEALE on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.

Also part of the special “Rocky on Broadway” performance was legendary ring announcer MICHAEL BUFFER in town for the GOLOVKIN VS. GEALE fight.

Boxing’s fastest rising star, WBA/IBO Middleweight World Champion
GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN will defend his titles against two-time world champion DANIEL “The Real Deale” GEALE on Saturday, July 26 at Madison Square Garden and LIVE on HBO World Championship Boxing ® beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT.

GOLOVKIN VS. GEALE is presented by K2 Promotions, GGG Promotions in association with Gary Shaw Productions and Grange Old School Boxing.

JENNINGS VS. PEREZ is presented by K2 Promotions and Gary Shaw Productions in association with Antonio Leonard Promotions.

“Road to Golovkin/Geale” replays on HBO include: July 25 (5:30 p.m. & 1:00 a.m.), and 26 (8:45 a.m.). All times are ET/PT.

With the highest knockout ratio (89%) among all active champions, in addition to his extraordinary growth in viewership on HBO, Golovkin has become a must-see attraction in the international sporting world.

In 2013, Golovkin, 29-0-0 (26KO’s) scored four knockouts, three of which were telecast on HBO to outstanding viewership earning him plaudits for both Fighter of the Year and Knockout of the Year among many media members.

Previously holder of the (‘IBF’) International Boxing Federation Middleweight Title and WBA “Super” Middleweight Title, Geale brings a distinguished record of 30-2-0 (16KO’s) into the world title challenge with Golovkin. Geale is currently ranked # 3 by the World Boxing Association.

Co-featured on “G4” is the WBC World Heavyweight Title Eliminator between undefeated and top rated heavyweights BRYANT “By By” JENNINGS, 18-0-0 (10KO’s), of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and MIKE “The Rebel” PEREZ, 20-0-1 (12KO’s) of Cork, Ireland.

The winner of JENNINGS VS. PEREZ will become the mandatory challenger to WBC Heavyweight Champion BERMANE STIVERNE.

Advance tickets priced at $500, $300, $200, $100, $50 and $25 are available at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com and www.thegarden.com

For fight updates on GOLOVKIN VS. GEALE via Social Media, follow HBO Boxing on Twitter at @HBOBoxing and Facebook at /HBOBoxing, in addition to on Twitter at Gennady Golovkin/@GGGBoxing, Daniel Geale/@RealDealGeale, Tom Loeffler – K2 Promotions/ @TomLoeffler1 and Gary Shaw Productions/@GaryShawBoxing. Use the hashtag #GolovkinGeale to join the conversation on Twitter.

For fight updates on JENNINGS VS. PEREZ via Social Media, follow HBO Boxing on Twitter at @HBOBoxing and Facebook at /HBOBoxing, Bryant Jennings on Twitter at @BYJennings, Tom Loeffler/K2 Promotions at @TomLoeffler1 and Gary Shaw Productions at @GaryShawBoxing. Use the hashtag #JenningsPerez to join the conversation on Twitter.

A talent-rich international cast takes the spotlight on boxing’s most famous stage when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: GENNADY GOLOVKIN VS. DANIEL GEALE AND BRYANT JENNINGS VS. MIKE PEREZ is seen SATURDAY, JULY 26 at 9:30 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from Madison Square Garden in New York City, exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports team will be ringside for the event, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates: July 27 (9:45 a.m.) and 29 (1:00 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: July 27 (4:00 p.m.) and 28 (11:00 p.m.)
In the 11th defense of his middleweight crown, boxing sensation Gennady Golovkin (29-0, 26 KOs), originally from Karaganda, Kazakhstan, and now training at Big Bear, Cal., headlines the “big arena” at Madison Square Garden for the first time when he goes up against Daniel Geale (30-2, 16 KOs) of Mt. Annan, Australia, in a scheduled 12-round contest. Currently boasting a consecutive knockout victory streak of 16, Golovkin has taken the boxing world by storm with an extraordinary knockout-to-win ratio of 89.66%. No opponent has gone the distance with him since Nov. 2008.
Former two-time world champion Geale will be making his second appearance in the States as he seeks to recapture a 160-pound title belt. He fought valiantly versus Darren Barker a year ago and now hopes to turn the tables on the power-punching Golovkin.
Previewing the bout, “Road to Golovkin/Geale” is available on HBO ON DEMAND® and HBO GO®. Replay times include Friday, July 25 at 11:10 p.m. on HBO2 and Saturday, July 26 at 8:45 a.m. on HBO.
Opening the telecast is a battle of undefeated fighters with great ambitions as Philadelphia’s Bryant Jennings (18-0, 10 KOs) goes up against Mike Perez (20-0-1, 12 KOs) from Cork, Ireland, originally from Ciego de Avila, Cuba, in a scheduled 12-round heavyweight bout. A standout high school football and basketball player, Jennings was a latecomer to boxing, but has risen quickly in the division rankings, thanks to formidable skills. Perez, 28, who found a home in Ireland following his exit from Cuba, is known for his aggressive, punishing style.
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, Dave Harmon; director, Johnathan Evans.
® WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.

New York City (July 23, 2014) In front of a packed house of New York City sports media on Tuesday afternoon at the Mendez Boxing Gym, all four TV fighters, GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN, DANIEL “The Real Deal” GEALE, BRYANT
“By By” JENNINGS and MIKE “The Rebel” PEREZ went through one of their final workouts prior to the “G4” event this Saturday night, July 26 at Madison Square Garden.

GENNADY GOLOVKIN
“This is a very important fight for me to fight in the big arena at Madison Square Garden. I’m really looking forward to it.”

“Daniel Geale is a great fighter, he throws a lot of punches and has a different style being from Australia.”

“I saw the Barker fight and know what a very good body puncher he is.”

“I love Madison Square Garden and love coming to New York City.”

“Right now my focus is on 160 and unifying the titles.”

DANIEL GEALE
“I’m very confident going into this fight, Golovkin is one of the best fighters in the world but I can beat him.”

“We have a game plan and I know what I need to do on Saturday night to be victorious.”

“I’ve fought all over the world so I have no problem fighting in Madison Square Garden against Golovkin.”

“I want the titles and he’s got two of them.”

“I always wanted to fight him and I’m ready to win on Saturday night.”

BRYANT JENNINGS
“It was tough to have the fight postponed but I’m ready to fight Perez right now.”

“I can’t speak about why Perez looked different against Takam, maybe he had a bad day.”

“I don’t worry about Perez, I’m focused on being the best I can be.”

“I’m not preparing any differently, I’m going to fight my fight and win on Saturday night.”

“Not sure how but I’m going to win.”

MIKE PEREZ
“Yes, it’s a big deal fighting as a heavyweight at Madison Square Garden. I want to add my name to the champions who have fought there.”

“He needs to be ready for me, because I’m ready for him.”

“He’s a little taller than me but that won’t matter during the fight.”

“My prediction is that I’m going to win.”

Media Credential Pick-Up
Media credentials can be picked up starting at 4:00 p.m. and ending at 9:30 p.m. on the day of the event at the glass doors on the corner of 31st Street & 8th Avenue adjacent to the Penn Station entrance.

Boxing’s fastest rising star, WBA/IBO Middleweight World Champion GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN will defend his titles against two-time world champion DANIEL “The Real Deale” GEALE on Saturday, July 26 at Madison Square Garden and LIVE on HBO World Championship Boxing ® beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT.

“Road to Golovkin/Geale” replays on HBO include: July 22 (12:00 p.m. & 2:55 a.m.), 25 (5:30 p.m. & 1:00 a.m.), and 26 (8:45 a.m.). All times are ET/PT.

Golovkin currently has sixteen knockouts in a row and the highest knockout ratio (89%) among all active champions. Additionally, with his extraordinary growth in viewership on HBO, Golovkin has become a must-see attraction in the international sporting world.

In 2013, Golovkin, 29-0-0 (26KO’s) scored four knockouts, three of which were telecast on HBO to outstanding viewership earning him plaudits for both Fighter of the Year and Knockout of the Year among many media members.

Previously holder of the (‘IBF’) International Boxing Federation Middleweight Title and WBA “Super” Middleweight Title, Geale brings a distinguished record of 30-2-0 (16KO’s) into the world title challenge with Golovkin. Geale is currently ranked # 3 by the World Boxing Association.

Co-featured on “G4” is the WBC World Heavyweight Title Eliminator between undefeated and top rated heavyweights BRYANT “By By” JENNINGS, 18-0-0 (10KO’s), of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and MIKE “The Rebel” PEREZ, 20-0-1 (12KO’s) of Cork, Ireland.

The winner of JENNINGS VS. PEREZ will become the mandatory challenger to WBC Heavyweight Champion BERMANE STIVERNE.

GOLOVKIN VS. GEALE is presented by K2 Promotions, GGG Promotions in association with Gary Shaw Productions and Grange Old School Boxing.

JENNINGS VS. PEREZ is presented by K2 Promotions and Gary Shaw Productions in association with Antonio Leonard Promotions.

Advance tickets priced at $500, $300, $200, $100, $50 and $25 are available at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com and www.thegarden.com

For fight updates on GOLOVKIN VS. GEALE via Social Media, follow HBO Boxing on Twitter at @HBOBoxing and Facebook at /HBOBoxing, in addition to on Twitter at Gennady Golovkin/@GGGBoxing, Daniel Geale/@RealDealGeale, Tom Loeffler – K2 Promotions/ @TomLoeffler1 and Gary Shaw Productions/@GaryShawBoxing. Use the hashtag #GolovkinGeale to join the conversation on Twitter.

For fight updates on JENNINGS VS. PEREZ via Social Media, follow HBO Boxing on Twitter at @HBOBoxing and Facebook at /HBOBoxing, Bryant Jennings on Twitter at @BYJennings, Tom Loeffler/K2 Promotions at @TomLoeffler1 and Gary Shaw Productions at @GaryShawBoxing. Use the hashtag #JenningsPerez to join the conversation on Twitter.