Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev, WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion
I studied French in school for six years but I remember nothing because I wasn’t interested in this language; my time was spent learning English. It will be big action for Saturday night. I love to be here and I am glad to be here in Canada. I am expecting a lot of fans because I was here in November 2013. Saturday night will be two best boxers of light heavyweight division facing each other. Jean Pascal is tough boxer and Saturday I will see how tough. I am not going say any prediction. This is boxing, anything can happen with a fight. For me this fight is very interesting because it is next step in my career, the next test in my career. For myself I want to prove who I am on this level, in front in this huge arena, in my first time fighting in huge arena like this. I am very happy and waiting for Saturday. Thank you so much.

[On comments by John David Jackson about Jean Pascal] I don’t know because I didn’t read what John said. It is his opinion. It will be me fighting in the ring on Saturday. What John sees is his vision. My vision is mine and may be different. I didn’t watch very many Pascal fights. I understand his style. I only watch a couple rounds of my opponents. I don’t spend much time watching fights of my opponents. If John thinks it is true, I believe him.

Krusher Kovalev
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

[On not fighting in front of his home crowd in Russia] This is a huge arena for me. This is something new for me. I love experiencing something new in my career. I love travelling the world to fight. If my job lets me travel and get victory, then it is good for me. It makes me happy. It is big motivation for me because a lot of people will be watching this fight. I am now responsible for three titles and it pushes me to work harder. I would like to fight in Russia but I don’t know when the opportunity will happen.

[On not taking easier fights] We are Russian, we are ready for anything. We are ready to make good fights. It is interesting fight. If I look for easy opponents, it will not be interesting for anyone. Who is the best right now in this division? We will find this out Saturday.

Jean Pascal
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Jean Pascal, former light heavyweight champion
It will be a great fight. I have 15 trainers because I am a general and I have an army behind me. Kovalev doesn’t like to talk and lets his trainer do the talking. John David Jackson doesn’t have to get in the ring with me. Sergey does. He needs to man up and talk for himself. I am a general. I’m not a follower. I am a wolf, not a sheep.

In hockey, Russian players do well during the regular season and then not do well in the play-offs. So I think that, like those hockey players, Kovalev will not be able to perform the same on Saturday night against me as he has in the past against other fighters. Nobody should take me lightly.

[On comments he made to the press about knocking Sergey out] I said the best scenario is to give the fans 12 good rounds and then try to knock him out in the last 15 seconds of the fight.

I will give 110% on Saturday night but I cannot predict the future. This is like game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals and I am prepared to do whatever it takes to win. I’ve got balls and big ones and you will see them on Saturday night.

Kathy Duva
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events
We are so happy to be here in boxing-crazy Quebec. This fight is exactly what boxing is supposed to be: the two best fighters who are willing to fight each other. That is what this promotion is about: The very best against each other. Jean Bedard and his team have created a market that is the model for other promotions. It is going be hard to go into opposite sides of the ring from Interbox on Saturday night. I want to thank HBO and Peter Nelson for having the vision to see what we saw in Sergey Kovalev. This is exactly the kind of thing that gets me out of bed in the morning. This is going to be an amazing event and I am privileged to be able to watch it live.

I am so relieved that this fight is not going to be between John David Jackson and Jean Pascal’s 15 trainers. It is not about the money for Sergey. It is not about the fact that he had to come here. He wants to make everyone who watches this fight into his fans. I am going to make the prediction that he will do that.

This has been a wonderful experience so far. Thank you to Interbox and thanks Jean Pascal for being a man for taking this fight.

Kovalev and Pascal Face-Off
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Jean Bedard, President of Interbox
I want to thank our friends from HBO who have put their trust in us to deliver a great product. We intend to work with them in the future to bring many more great events to Canada. It has also been a pleasure working with Main Events and Kathy Duva. This sets the stage for what will be exciting times ahead in boxing. Interbox is optimistic about the future. Thanks to Jean Pascal and Sergey Kovalev for making this fight happen.

John David Jackson
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

John David Jackson, Trainer to Sergey Kovalev
It is a pleasure to be here. Thank you for allowing us to be here. I thought I retired from boxing. In this business, this is what we do. There is a lot of hostility from Team Pascal. I said a few things and it got a rise out of Team Pascal, so I did my job. We got under his skin so we did what we needed to do. He needs to back up all his talk on Saturday night.

[On his comments in the press] I am not going to back down on what I said. It is not about me. They have to fight on Saturday night, not me. I am glad they showed the weakness of their mentality. I said what I said and they reacted the way they did so I’m glad.

[On finding sparring partners for Sergey] It is always hard because Sergey is Sergey. In the ring he is all business. We aren’t going to find someone who fights just like Pascal to spar with. That is what boxing is about; a true fighter is going to find what he has to do to be victorious. Sergey is well prepared for Saturday night.

Egis Klimas
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Egis Klimas, Manager of Sergey Kovalev
What a great city, Montreal. What nice people. It is a big pleasure to be here. I want to thank Interbox. I want to thank Main Events, our promoter, and HBO for bringing us here to Montreal. It is a pleasure to represent Sergey Kovalev. He came in 2009 to the United States. He put his career into my hands. I was 100% trusted by him. We had a long and interesting run to get here. He is proud to have three belts. I want to thank him for putting me in the situation that I am in today. I don’t know who talks but Sergey Kovalev does not like to talk and neither do I. I have big respect for Pascal for taking this fight. He could have taken an easier fight. He is a tough fighter. He is not a puncher. Don’t miss it on Saturday night. Be here or watch on television because it is going to be a great fight.

Marc Ramsay, Jean Pascal’s trainer
On my way to the Centre Bell, someone asked me if I was starting to get nervous. This is why we do what we do; we want to live these challenges. We don’t have the pressure to fight on the road, to defend an undefeated record like Kovalev does. This is a no-lose situation for us. For the last ten weeks we have studied Kovalev. We have a profile of him and I have a lot of respect for Mr. Kovalev. They know how to conduct themselves inside and outside of the ring. I have coached Pascal since he was 14 years old. I lead him to the national team and Olympic Games. I lead him to the world championship. It is easy to take a fighter who is already built up and do something with him. It is a different to work someone from the beginning. Until then, you [points to John David Jackson] should be quiet.

To me Sergey Kovalev is a solid classic boxer. It isn’t hard to analyze him. He is best opponent he have ever faced.

Roy Jones Jr., Jean Pascal’s Assistant Trainer
Thank you. It is an honor and a pleasure to be here. It is always great to be here and back working with HBO. It is a great crew of people here. Boxing is an egotistical sport. It says a lot about Marc [Ramsay] that he reached out to me to assist with Pascal’s training. He is open-minded because he is willing to ask for anything that Jean needs to help get him a victory. I would like to thank everyone for coming out for this. It is so great to see two of the top guys facing each other. That is what we live for. I can’t wait until Saturday night. I look forward to a great fight.

Peter Nelson
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo

Peter Nelson, Vice President of Programming HBO Sports
Thank you. This is a great fight. We couldn’t be more excited and thrilled to be back in Montreal. We want to thank Kathy for bringing Sergey to us. We are a platform which provides the fans the fights that they want to see. Whenever the best fight the best the sport wins. The winner of this fight will benefit from their legacy. These fighters care more about their legacies than their earnings. Sergey Kovalev has proven that over and over again by telling us he will fight anyone. I want to thank Interbox and Main Events. We look forward to a tremendous fight on Saturday. Also Glazkov vs. Cunningham and Chilemba vs. Lepikhin are two incredible fights to make this a tremendous triple header.

Russ Anber, Assistant trainer to Jean Pascal
Kovalev, we welcome you here. We know you are a monster. We know what we are up against. Win or lose Sergey is going to be in the fight of his life on Saturday night. Which also puts Jean in the fight of his life. Sergey may be the most dangerous light heavyweight in the division in years. For both guys this is going to be an early contender for fight of the year. This is going to be the biggest fight ever to be held in this city. That is a fact.

[In response to John David Jackson’s comments] In defense of Marc Ramsay we are small unit of trainers. For someone turn around and try to discredit and be that disrespectful is uncalled for. Sergey understands what it means to develop as a fighter. He knows what that brings to the table. Not everyone is lucky to have a Sergey Kovalev fall in our laps like Jackson was.

Robert Schinke, Pascal’s Sports Psychologist
We are very excited about this fight. We don’t take it lightly. I have worked with Jean since he was 16 years old. In the psychological preparation for this fight, Jean Pascal he needs to be focused. He should not peak Saturday morning. We also needed to understand the opponent in front of us, the athlete and his coaches, their history and patterns. We are fully prepared.

About Kovalev vs. Pascal
Kovalev vs. Pascal is a 12-round fight for the WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Championship Titles. The fight will be televised as part of a live triple header on HBO World Championship Boxing® Saturday, March 14 from the Centre Bell in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Tickets are on sale now at the Centre Bell ticket office, at www.evenko.ca, by telephone at 1-855-310-2525 or through Club de Boxe Champion 514-376-0980. This event is a co-promotion of Main Events and InterBox, presented by Vidéotron in association with Mise-O-Jeu.

Joe’s Rants: Sergey Kovalev vs. Jean Pascal
Joe’s Rants: Sergey Kovalev vs. Jean Pascal

Isaac Chilemba vs Vasily Lepikhin March 14th HBO
Isaac Chilemba vs Vasily Lepikhin March 14th HBO

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Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Before fans watching live on HBO World Championship Boxing® and at the Centre Bell in Montreal, Quebec, Canada are treated to the light heavyweight showdown between Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev and Jean Pascal, they will get to enjoy the heavyweight battle between Vyacheslav “Czar” Glazkov and Steve “USS” Cunningham for the mandatory position in the IBF. Glazkov is an Olympic Bronze Medalist who is undefeated in his professional career. Cunningham is a former two-time cruiserweight world champion looking to get a title shot in the heavyweight division. Both are technical boxers with great defensive skills who are willing to mix it up. Below is the scouting report for this exciting match-up:

Category
Vyacheslav “The Czar” Glazkov
Steve “USS” Cunningham
Age
30
38
Record
19-0-1 (12 KOs)
28-6 (13 KOs)
Strength
Glazkov is a very active fighter who is consistently in the ring. He has solid defensive skills and a good chin. He physically breaks down his opponents, and he is not afraid to engage with anyone.
Cunningham is a veteran who has much more professional experience than his younger opponent; he is also a former two-time cruiserweight world champion. He is coming off of major wins over hard hitters and undefeated fighters: Amir Mansour and Natu Visinia.
Weakness
“The Czar” has a tendency to be a slow starter, which almost got him into trouble in a close decision win against Derric Rossy.
Steve lacks significant power for a heavyweight; since 2010 he has only recorded two knockout wins, and has only recorded 13 knockouts in his 28 career victories.
Experience
Glazkov had an impressive amateur career, earning a bronze medal in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. His recent and tough wins over veteran Derric Rossy and then-#2 ranked heavyweight contender Tomasz Adamek have helped prepare him well for this big stage.
Cunningham will have the advantage here as he is a former cruiserweight champ and three of his past five fights have been against former or currently ranked heavyweight contenders. (Tomasz Adamek, Tyson Fury and Amir Mansour)
Power
Although he does not possess that one-punch power, Glazkov will have an advantage here. He has the ability to physically break his opponent down throughout the fight.
Although he did record a stoppage win in his previous bout, Steve is not known for his knockout power. He is more of a boxer and will need to be cautious when exchanging punches with the younger and more powerful Glazkov.
Speed
Although Glazkov is a natural heavyweight, he is still somewhat small for the division. He moves around the ring very well.

Steve is small for a heavyweight, which enables him to move around the ring well. He may need to keep a safe distance from the hard-hitting Ukrainian. He also possesses great hand speed and a quick jab that he must utilize to win this fight.
Endurance
Glazkov will be at a slight disadvantage here; he has only been 12 rounds on one occasion. However, he tends to be a slow starter so the additional rounds may help.
Cunningham may have the advantage here as he has gone a full 12 rounds on nine separate occasions during his career.
Accuracy
Glazkov is a very accurate puncher, much like his opponent, he picks his shots well and is a solid technical fighter.
Cunningham is a good technical boxer who picks his shots wisely and does not waste many punches.
Defense
Glazkov is a very effective defensive fighter who does a good job of shielding himself when dealing with his opponent’s onslaught.
Steve moves around the ring well and often, making it difficult for any big heavyweight to cut the ring off and land their significant shots.
Chin
In the past year, Glazkov has shown that he has a solid chin. He took a lot of big shots against Derric Rossy, and was able to weather the storm and box his way to a decision win.
Steve has only been knocked out once in his career by the #4 WBO heavyweight contender Tyson Fury. He was also knocked down twice against Amir Mansour, but he was able to rise to the occasion and defeat the previously ranked heavyweight in what some believe was the fight of the year for 2014.
Style
Glazkov is a defensive-minded fighter who will not hesitate to engage with his opponents if necessary.
Steve is a technical boxer who has no problem trading shots.
Crowd Support
Glazkov has been in big fights throughout the past three years. It is safe to say that he has built a fan base and they may be in attendance for this bout.
Steve may have a slight advantage here; he has never fought in Canada but has been in many big fights during his career and has a fan friendly style.
Intangibles
Glazkov has no problem facing opposition with more experience than him. He could have taken an easier road to a title shot, but instead has been willing to face a long list of veterans and current or former ranked contenders. Cunningham will be his 13th consecutive opponent who is older and more experienced.
Steve will face his third undefeated heavyweight opponent in a row when he squares off against the IBF #2 heavyweight contender Vyacheslav Glazkov.
The Match-up:
Will Steve’s professional experience be too much for Glazkov?
Will Glazkov capitalize on his youth and amateur experience?
They are both fighting for so much outside of the ring. Who will show that come fight night?
This is your typical veteran boxer against the up-and-coming-boxer. Who will come out on top and be the #1 contender in the IBF?

About Kovalev vs. Pascal
Kovalev vs. Pascal is a 12-round fight for the WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Championship Titles. The fight will be televised as part of a live triple header on HBO World Championship Boxing® Saturday, March 14 from the Centre Bell in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Tickets are on sale now at the Centre Bell ticket office, at www.evenko.ca, by telephone at 1-855-310-2525 or through Club de Boxe Champion 514-376-0980. This event is a co-promotion of Main Events and InterBox, presented by Vidéotron in association with Mise-O-Jeu.

Vyacheslav

March 5, 2015 – Ring legend Bernard Hopkins, who knows a thing or two about the light heavyweight division, will be ringside on Saturday, March 14 at the Bell Centre in Montreal working as the expert analyst for the HBO World Championship Boxing® telecast. Hopkins will work alongside Jim Lampley, Max Kellerman and Harold Lederman.

The live tripleheader (9:45 p.m. ET/PT) is headlined by the 2015 ring debut of light heavyweight champ Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev defending his title belts against the formidable Jean Pascal. Hopkins has faced both of these elite fighters in the ring. Bernard fought Pascal in Quebec in 2010 and 2011, registering a majority draw and a win. He lost a unanimous decision to Kovalev last November in Atlantic City in one of the year’s most intriguing events.

“We are delighted to have a personality as engaging as Bernard Hopkins filling in on such a terrific and important fight card,” said Rick Bernstein, executive producer, HBO Sports.

The telecast opens up with a light heavyweight bout between Isaac Chilemba and Vasily Lepikhin followed by the evening’s co-feature an important heavyweight tilt between Vyacheslav Glazkov and Steve Cunningham.

Steve “USS” Cunningham
[On his first fight in Montreal] I am excited. This is my first time in Canada. From the Pascal fights I have seen, the fans in Montreal are crazy for boxing. I am excited to go.

[On his first fight on HBO] It is 14 years in the making. I am happy to finally be here.

[On Glazkov] He struggled against Malik Scott and Derric Rossy and they have similar styles. I ain’t worried about none of that though. I need to do what Steve Cunningham does. I come to kick butt. I come to win. I come to walk out of there with my hands raised.

[On the stakes riding on this fight] The stakes for this fight are the ultimate stakes. This is the fight to get to the heavyweight title. This is that fight that gets you there. Every fight I have had has been the most important fight of my career but this fight is on the stage for that #1 spot. This is to get to the champion. This is the biggest fight of my career. This is the biggest fight of a lot of peoples’ careers. I want to capitalize on it. I want to make the best of it. I want to get in there and do what I am supposed to do. I want to get in there and do what I know I can do. I don’t want to be concerned with Glazkov himself I am just focusing on me. This is the upper echelon stakes.

Kennedy and Steve Cunningham
Photo Credits: Dave Torres/Main Events

[On fighting Klitschko or Jennings if he wins] I just need to get in there and handle this business. I can elaborate more on that March 15. Right now Glazkov is the tip of the spear.

I am looking at this fight like it is a cruiserweight fight. Naazim and I had good work. We got in good sparring with good guys that we have worked with before. We have been putting in good work and we are ready for anything. He could come in at 250 [pounds] if he wants or 210 [pounds] and we are ready to go.

I have been the underdog since I started boxing. The main thing to do is keep the faith. When you believe in what you are doing, you love what you do and you work hard at what you do then nobody can stop you. I have always been the underdog, always. I was the underdog for so long so that motivation is just built into me. How many times have I fought in Philly? As a cruiserweight it was only one time. Now I have fought here a few times as a heavyweight. Even as an amateur I never really had that home court advantage, never. That is a kitchen I cook in well. I am used to not being comfortable. I learned to work in uncomfortable situations. I was in the United States Navy for four years. I am ready for hard work. When you can perform in lack of comfort it builds something in you. I have seen guys seen guys break down mentally when they have to fight overseas because they are not in comfortable setting. I could care less about where I fight. We could have a ring on the moon and Steve Cunningham is golden time.

Steve Cunningham and Naazmin Richardson
Photo Credits: Dave Torres/Main Events

A lot of fans want to see you take the throne from the king. I am a boxing fan myself. Before I was a fighter I was a fan. I understand the fans want you to take the crown from the king. I would love to fight Wladimir [Klitschko] because when you are a champion and you are at that level the challenges are what drive you. It is not just money and this and that. A champion wants to put himself up against the best. He wants to see how he fairs against the best. Wladimir Klitschko is the best right now. I would love to challenge him. I have been to camp with Wladimir twice. He and I have a good relationship. We talk all the time. We’ve got the same lawyer. I totally respect him.

We work on putting the weight on. This camp I have been coming in higher than I have in the past. I don’t matter. Whatever weight we come in at, that’s the weight we are fighting at. That’s my mindset. I try to put the weight on but my metabolism is so crazy and I sweat so much I can’t keep it on.

Richardson and Cunningham
Photo Credits: Dave Torres/Main Events

Brother Naazim Richardson, Cunningham’s trainer
[On Glazkov’s Olympic experience] I don’t underestimate Glazkov in any capacity. Even though fighters say it’s not true, but I believe any kid who has been to the Olympics is ready for the big stage. I have been to the Olympics. The Olympics is large. More people watch the Olympics than any world championship fight. I was with my son at the Olympics with Bernard Hopkins, and Bernard had every belt you could have, and I asked my son how the opening game of the Olympics compared to any fight he had ever been to. He said this ain’t even close. I think Glazkov is ready for anything after competing in the Olympics. He is definitely one of the most dangerous athletes, if not the most dangerous, one we have ever faced for that reason. He is a very talented kid.

Steve needs to be the best Steve Cunningham he can be and that will be enough for Glazkov. When Steve is at his best he brings enough to the table to beat him. Steve just turned heavyweight not too long ago yet he is facing his fourth undefeated heavyweight and the third one in a row. Who has done that, including the champion? I feel that had he had more time to acclimate to this weight class he would have put on an even better performance against [Tyson] Fury.

About Kovalev vs. Pascal
Kovalev vs. Pascal is a 12-round fight for the WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Championship Titles. The fight will be televised as part of a live triple header on HBO World Championship Boxing® Saturday, March 14 from the Centre Bell in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Tickets are on sale now at the Centre Bell ticket office, at www.evenko.ca, by telephone at 1-855-310-2525 or through Club de Boxe Champion 514-376-0980. This event is a co-promotion of Main Events and InterBox, presented by Vidéotron in association with Mise-O-Jeu.

Greatest Hits: Sergey Kovalev (HBO Boxing)
Greatest Hits: Sergey Kovalev (HBO Boxing)

Road to Kovalev-Pascal (Full Show)
Road to Kovalev-Pascal
(Full Show)

WCB: Kovalev vs. Pascal Preview (HBO Boxing)
WCB: Kovalev vs. Pascal Preview (HBO Boxing)

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Miami, FL: On March 14 Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (26-0-1, 23 KOs) will compete in his first title defense as Unified WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion against former lineal light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal (29-2-1, 17 KOs) in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Kovalev completed the first half of his preparations in Big Bear Lake, CA then moved to Miami, FL where he is finishing training camp with his trainer, John David Jackson.

Coming off of his big win against Bernard Hopkins on November 8, some expected Kovalev to take on an easier opponent than Jean Pascal, a former champion who has never been knocked down in his pro career. Sergey, however, does not look for easy fights. He prefers a challenge. When asked what makes Pascal a dangerous opponent, Sergey said, “His power and crazy style of boxing.” Sergey is also excited to return to Quebec, where he knocked out Ismayl Sillakh in his first WBO Light Heavyweight World Championship defense in 2013. He said, “I’m very glad to fight in Canada again because I like Canadian fans and country too. Canada remember me of Russian winter weather.”

Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev
Photo credits: Jose A Pineda/Main Events

This fight against Pascal will be a different test for Kovalev than Hopkins. According to Jackson, “Pascal is more of a herky-jerky type of fighter. Bernard was smoother in his approach. He was also more calculating in his risk. Pascal takes his chances because he punches without really looking at his target. He presents a different problem in the ring but it really isn’t a big problem as long as Sergey sticks to the task at hand. He needs to box him and set traps for Pascal to get caught in. Pascal throws punches with his head down and he is not even looking at his opponent. He is a little more surprising than Bernard; he can throw punches from any angle in hopes of landing that shot to hurt you.”

In the first real test of his championship reign, Krusher pulled off a stellar unanimous decision victory over Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins in Atlantic City in November of 2014 and added the WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Championship belts to his collection. Although Kovalev dethroned a ring legend, he was very humble about the victory. He said, “My life didn’t change after the Hopkins fight. I just got responsible for defending more titles now!” Sergey refuses to look back, adding, “I already forgot about Hopkins. I have to focus on this fight. It’s already past. Now I need to go forward.”

Photo credits: Jose A Pineda/Main Events

Going forward means providing for his growing family. Shortly before the fight with Hopkins, Sergey’s wife, Natalia, gave birth to their first child, Aleksandr. Sergey was not present at the birth of his son and did not meet him until he returned home after the Hopkins fight. For this training camp, he is separated from his young child again but, according to John David Jackson’s assistant trainer, Derik Santos, “Sergey always says this is a sacrifice, but it is for his family.”

Jackson added, “Now that Sergey is a father I think it is harder for him to be away from his family for training camp. He is a brand new father, this is his first child, and that weighs on him a little bit. He is a professional, however, and he is able to separate his feelings from the task at hand. He knows he needs to concentrate on camp. It may be tough on him but he doesn’t let it show. He just goes about his business of getting ready for this fight.”

Now that he is the unified champion, there are more demands on his time and additional scrutiny, but the Krusher is not fazed. According to John, “Slowly but surely it is beginning to sink in that he is a super star fighter. He is still humble to a degree where a lot of that stuff doesn’t bother him. He is not an attention whore and he doesn’t need all that attention on him like a lot of other fighters would.”

About Kovalev vs. Pascal
Kovalev vs. Pascal is a 12-round fight for the WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Championship Titles. The fight will be televised as part of a live triple header on HBO World Championship Boxing® Saturday, March 14 from the Centre Bell in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Tickets are on sale now at the Centre Bell ticket office, at www.evenko.ca, by telephone at 1-855-310-2525 or through Club de Boxe Champion 514-376-0980. This event is a co-promotion of Main Events and InterBox, presented by Vidéotron in association with Mise-O-Jeu.

Greatest Hits: Sergey Kovalev (HBO Boxing)
Greatest Hits: Sergey Kovalev (HBO Boxing)

Road to Kovalev-Pascal (Full Show)
Road to Kovalev-Pascal
(Full Show)

WCB: Kovalev vs. Pascal Preview (HBO Boxing)
WCB: Kovalev vs. Pascal Preview (HBO Boxing)

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Oxnard, CA:
As Vasily “The Professor” Lepikhin (17-0, 9 KOs) prepares to face Isaac “Golden Boy” Chilemba (23-2-2, 10 KOs) for the NABF Light Heavyweight Title on March 14 in the opening bout of the Kovalev-Pascal HBO World Championship Boxing® telecast he cannot help to reflect on his career thus far.

The common misconception is that Lepikhin earned the nickname, “The Professor” while attending university in his hometown of Gelendzhik, Russia. Although he does have two degrees, one in sports (similar to a US degree in athletic training) and one in management, he was coined “The Professor” when he made his professional debut back in 2005 at the age of 19. He explained, “When I had my pro debut in Russia, the promoter of the show thought I was so smart in the ring he said I was a professor of boxing. From that point on I was known professionally as ‘The Professor.'”

Berridge & Lepikhin
Photo Credits: Rich Graessle/Main Events

The undefeated Lepikhin has had a stellar career so far. He has an impressive 53% (9 of 17) knockout-to win ratio with the majority of his fights taking place in his home country of Russia. He made his US debut back in August of 2014 with an impressive fifth round stoppage of Robert Berridge of New Zealand to secure the PABA and WBO Oriental Light Heavyweight Titles. Shortly after the fight Lepikhin and his promoter, German Titov of German Titov Promotions, signed a co-promotional agreement with Main Events.

Lepikhin & Junior
Photo Credits: Rich Graessle/Main Events

In November, he returned to the US to face Brazilian Jackson Junior. Lepikhin appeared to struggle against Junior but still managed to secure the ten-round unanimous decision victory. He explained, “In my last fight I arrived to Pennsylvania and got very sick. I went into the ring sick.”

For this upcoming fight Lepikhin and his camp traveled from Russia to Oxnard, CA on February 21 to finish out the remainder of his training camp in the United States. “I came to Oxnard so I could adjust to the time difference and to get in a little sparring before heading to Canada,” said Vasily.

Igor, Vasily and Andrey Lepikhin
Photo Credits: Rich Graessle/Main Events

For Lepikhin, boxing is a family affair. He is trained by his father, Andrey Lepikhin, the same trainer that also trains fellow Main Events’ stable mate, middleweight Dmitry Mikhaylenko. His brother, Igor Lepikhin, will also work his corner for him on March 14 when he faces Chilemba in Canada. Vasily said, “I love training with my father. I love every single minute of it. It is great for me because I get to work with my family.”

Early in 2015 Lepikhin, Main Events and German Titov Promotions were approached about joining forces with Interbox to co-promote Lepikhin and add a fight between Vasily and Isaac Chilemba to the HBO World Championship Boxing® telecast. Lepikhin said, “I am very excited about fighting on HBO and this new opportunity with Interbox. I am looking forward to showcasing my skills on this large international scale.”

The fight with Chilemba, who is currently ranked #2 in the IBF, will be a ten-round fight for the NABF Light Heavyweight Title. When asked about the fight with Chilemba, Lepikhin said, “I think Chilemba is a very good, experienced fighter. It is going to be a very good bout.” His father/trainer added, “We travelled a long road to get to this point. We are very, very happy to finally be here. We are ready.”

About Kovalev vs. Pascal
Kovalev vs. Pascal is a 12-round fight for the WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Championship Titles. The fight will be televised as part of a live triple header on HBO World Championship Boxing® Saturday, March 14 from the Centre Bell in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Tickets are on sale now at the Centre Bell ticket office, at www.evenko.ca, by telephone at 1-855-310-2525 or through Club de Boxe Champion 514-376-0980. This event is a co-promotion of Main Events and InterBox, presented by Vidéotron in association with Mise-O-Jeu.

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Feb. 27, 2015 – HBO Boxing presents “Road to Kovalev-Pascal,” a compelling special spotlighting the upcoming light heavyweight championship bout between undefeated knockout artist Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev defending his crown against Canada’s Jean Pascal. Their highly anticipated slugfest takes place Saturday, March 14 at the Bell Centre in Montreal and televised live on HBO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®.

The “Road to Kovalev-Pascal” special will premiere tomorrow, Saturday, February 28 at 12:15 a.m. ET/PT on HBO. It will preview the hot 175-pound title showdown between these two ring warriors who are making their 2015 debuts in this high-stakes battle. Kovalev, one of the sport’s top attractions, enjoyed a brilliant 2014 campaign, earning ‘Fighter of the Year” honors from Bleacher Report, USA TODAY, New York Post, Sports Illustrated.com, The RING, SherDog.com and UCNLive.com.

The 15-minute special will also be available on the HBO On Demand® service, HBO GO® and at www.hbo.com/boxing as well as various other new media platforms that distribute the series.

Other HBO playdates: March 3 (11:00 a.m.), 5 (10:00 p.m.), 8 (10:45 a.m.), 9 (3:45 a.m. & 11:45 a.m.), 11 (6:00 p.m. & 10:45 p.m.), 13 (1:15 a.m.) and 14 (10:00 a.m.).

HBO2 playdates: March 1 (12:00 a.m.), 2 (3:30 p.m.), 4 (1:10 a.m. & 5:00 p.m.) 6 (11:10 a.m.), 7 (7:00 p.m.), 10 (1:00 a.m), 13 (10:45 p.m.) and 14 (7:45 p.m.).

All times are ET/PT.

By Norm Frauenheim–

Jean Pascal is called quick for hands that can put punches together in rapid succession. He’s called quick for graceful feet that are a human version of rapid transit. But a quick thinker? Not so much.

At least, Pascal’s sudden-strike agility in hands and feet was not evident in anything he said Tuesday during a conference call with Sergey Kovalev for a HBO-televised bout on March 14 in Montreal.

Maybe Pascal didn’t get the memo. But if Kovalev is vulnerable, this might the time. He’s coming off the November 9th demolition of Bernard Hopkins in a fight significant because it represents a changing of the guard at the top of the light-heavyweight division, if not the sport itself. He is The Ring’s Fighter of the Year. He’s first-time father.

If there’s a chance at upsetting Kovalev, this is the time. Maybe, the unbeaten Russian is distracted or content. That’s doubtful, but it’s a possible hedge, and Pascal needs every one he can find if he hopes to beat Kovalev. Instead, he only managed to eliminate that possibility with cheap trash talk during a conference call last week that was mostly a disagreement about drug testing.

Pascal rattled the lion’s cage.

Pascal, Kovalev promoter Kathy Duva of Main Events said, “is clueless, quite clueless.’’

Duva was expressing her exasperation at Pascal for the reasons he said no to more stringent testing by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association.

VADA has no credibility because it tests only boxers, Pascal said repeatedly during a call gone free-for-all.

“We had been approached by the Pascal camp about doing drug testing,’’ said Duva, who argued that Kovalev had the right to dictate the protocol because Kovalev is the defending 175-pound champion. “We agreed to go to the people at VADA. Jean Pascal said he did not agree to VADA. He originally offered to pay for it. He wasn’t going to pay for VADA. We decided that since he didn’t want to pay the lower fee for the much more credible organization, then he must not have been serious about that, so there will be no drug testing.”

Greg Leon, CEO of Jean Pascal Promotions, then stepped into the rhetorical scrum.

“VADA didn’t come into the game until the 11th hour,” Leon said. “I was negotiating with Main Events attorney Patrick English, and we were trying to land in a place that Pascal originally planned on with the protocol he’s had in place since 2013. Out of the two athletes fighting on March 14, only one of them has been tested randomly over 10 times, and that’s Jean Pascal. It’s unfortunate we could not land on a mutual organization, but it is what it is. Main Events shouldn’t be caring what Pascal is spending on a test if he’s willing to pay for all of it.”

According to Leon, Pascal has been tested by the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) for the last two years.

It’s an argument the figures to go on – and on – until opening bell, mostly because Angel “Memo” Heredia is Pascal’s strength-and-conditioning coach. Heredia, who was involved with disgraced track-and-field Olympian Marion Jones, also works for Juan Manuel Marquez, who has never tested positive, yet has been suspected of PED use ever since he knocked out Manny Pacquiao in the fourth fight.

It would have been interesting to see what would have happened if Main Events had in fact said okay to WADA. Maybe, they should have. Heredia in Pascal’s corner, however, guarantees that he’ll have to deal with the suspicions no matter what happens against Kovalev. He could have eliminated them had he said okay to VADA.

Then again, Duva was right. Pascal has been clueless. Pascal, of Montreal, said a victory would make him TBE in Canada. No world on how much rent he had to pay Floyd Mayweather Jr. for the right to use that acronym. Then, Pascal suggested that the fight against Kovalev would play out like the Rocky sequel that takes Balboa to Russia for a fight against Drago. He referred to a 2011 bout in Russia when Roman Simakov lost a seventh-round TKO to Kovalev. Simakov lapsed into a coma. Three days later, he died.

“This fight reminds me of Rocky IV and I think it’s going to be like a remake,” Pascal said. “You have the North American guy versus the Russian. You’ve got the East versus the West. You’ve got Drago, who killed Apollo Creed in the ring. Sergey Kovalev did the same thing, maybe a couple of years ago.

“I am a huge underdog like Rocky was in the movie. The odds I think are about 4-1, but in this movie I’m not going to be Apollo Creed. I’m going to be the Black Balboa.”

Yo, Jean. Wake up. Kovalev has already faced the best trash-talker in the business. Word-for-word, nobody rivals Hopkins. Kovalev never blinked. There’s a lesson there, but Pascal missed it, because he was too busy with talk that has turned him into a target.

Feb. 19, 2015 – HBO Boxing presents “Road to Kovalev-Pascal,” a compelling special spotlighting the upcoming light heavyweight championship bout between undefeated knockout artist Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev defending his crown against Canada’s Jean Pascal. Their highly anticipated slugfest takes place Saturday, March 14 at the Bell Centre in Montreal and televised live on HBO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®.

The “Road to Kovalev-Pascal” special will premiere Saturday, February 28 at 12:15 a.m. ET/PT on HBO. It will preview the hot 175-pound title showdown between these two ring warriors who are making their 2015 debuts in this high-stakes battle. Kovalev, one of the sport’s top attractions, enjoyed a brilliant 2014 campaign, earning ‘Fighter of the Year” honors from Bleacher Report, USA TODAY, New York Post, Sports Illustrated.com, The RING, SherDog.com and UCNLive.com.

The 15-minute special will also be available on the HBO On Demand® service, HBO GO® and at www.hbo.com/boxing as well as various other new media platforms that distribute the series.

Other HBO playdates: March 3 (11:00 a.m.), 5 (10:00 p.m.), 8 (10:45 a.m.), 9 (3:45 a.m. & 11:45 a.m.), 11 (6:00 p.m. & 10:45 p.m.), 13 (1:15 a.m.) and 14 (10:00 a.m.).

HBO2 playdates: March 1 (12:00 a.m.), 2 (3:30 p.m.), 4 (1:10 a.m. & 5:00 p.m.) 6 (11:10 a.m.), 7 (7:00 p.m.), 10 (1:00 a.m), 13 (10:45 p.m.) and 14 (7:45 p.m.).

All times are ET/PT.

Vyacheslav “Czar” Glazkov, 19-0-1, 12 KOs, #2 in IBF heavyweight rankings and Steve “USS” Cunningham, 28-6-0, 13 KOs, USBA Heavyweight Champion, will be the co-feature on the Saturday, March 14 Kovalev vs. Pascal light heavyweight championship from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The twelve-round heavyweight fight is for the mandatory position in the IBF and the USBA Heavyweight Title. The fight will be the co-feature on the Kovalev vs. Pascal light heavyweight championship from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The HBO World Championship Boxing live triple header telecast will begin at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Earlier today Glazkov and Cunningham took part in an international conference call to discuss their upcoming fight.

Here are some of the quotes from that call.

Czar Glazkov, #2 in IBF Heavyweight Rankings
“It was a very busy year for me last year as a fighter and in my personal life. The most important fight from last year was the one against Tomasz Adamek. It was the first time in my career facing a fighter like Adamek. He has won so many title and he was a good fighter. It was a very big experience for me to learn something in that bout. After that I went through the training process that was very disruptive on my personal life with the war in Ukraine but I don’t want to talk in detail about that. It was a good year for me. There was gaps between my bouts but I was busy and was always training.”

On the unrest in Ukraine, which was at one of its worst points before and during Glazkov’s fight against Derric Rossy in August 2014: “It was pretty hard in the beginning. It was upsetting my concentration and interrupting my training. I lost my grandmother; she was killed in the street during one of the bombings. Of course it was always distracting to talk with my family back there. Right now I am concentrated 100% and I am here, I am training, I am ready.”

On his size: “If you are smart in the ring, you can overcome a size disadvantage.”

On reconnecting with his old trainer: “Everything is going very well. We are closer together. We understand each other. He sees a lot of my mistakes and we are working on them.”

On fighting Klitschko or Jennings: “I can’t run in front of the wagon. I am a fighter. I am a boxer. My career is in the hands of my manager and my promoter. I know I have to face Cunningham on March 14 and this is my priority right now.”

Steve Cunningham, USBA Heavyweight Champion
“I have been with Naazim [Richardson] for some years now and he is such a mad scientist when it comes to figuring guys out, so I just let him do his job. He is one of the best trainers in the world, in history, for a reason. He looks at the fighter and he tells me what we are going to do. He tells me what [my opponent] does and this is what you do, so it is still like I am in the military taking orders. Whatever commander Naazim tells me to do, if he tells me to take that hill, I am going to take that hill. That’s the faith and the trust I have in my team.”

On Glazkov’s performance against Adamek: “I thought he did a damn good job. He did very well. I was the color commentator on that fight where I stated it was like the old lion getting beat by the young lion. It was a very entertaining fight. He showed heart. He dug deep. Adamek did come on heavy in those last two rounds to show he was the champion, but before that Glazkov bagged so many rounds that Adamek just couldn’t get the nod. I thought he did a great job. Adamek was definitely getting older so you have to factor that in. Adamek has been in war after war and his defense is getting punched. He never really blocked punches or slipped punches. He ate punches, but he gave back just as much as he received. After he fought Vitali [Klitschko] he was basically beat up and it was only a matter of time. When Glazkov got to him, he was already damaged goods. I don’t want to diminish the victory that Glazkov had against Adamek because Adamek is still a formidable heavyweight. He could beat most of those heavyweights out there, so Glazkov beat a top ten heavyweight in Adamek.”

On his loss to Adamek: “I believe I won that fight every time I look at that fight. We know there is politics in this business. Adamek had a huge fan base and Steve Cunningham really didn’t. There is just a lot of other aspects. At the end of that fight I walked away very comfortable and it seemed like a victory to me. There are things I will take away from that fight. There is things I did with Adamek I won’t do with Glazkov. Naazim comes up with the game plan. If Naazim says spin backwards and flip three times and that is what is going to knock Glazkov out; that is what Steve Cunningham is going to do. I let Naazim look at the guy and analyze and break him down. He comes to the gym and tells me what we need to work on. Every fighter needs a game plan. They want a game plan and they should have a game plan. I believe I have a game plan mastermind in Naazim.”

“I think my size is going to help me get a world title. I don’t consider myself a heavyweight at all, period. I am just a fighter. I’ve gotten in there with huge monsters but performed greatly. Even with the loss to Fury, I’ve done things that people didn’t even dream I’d do. I am a fighter. You put a challenger in front of me and I am going to do what a fighter does which is try my best to kick that guy’s butt. I’m a smart fighter and I think my science is what is going to help me get to a world title. I have a great team and they emphasize different things about my strengths and my weaknesses. Throughout camp we have worked to strengthen those weaknesses. I have gotten better and better with each fight. I think my size is a plus. Being big does stop fighters from being able to do certain things but they do have that power. This is the heavyweight division and one shot can change the night or change your life. Glazkov is a small heavyweight too so this is going to be like two cruiserweights fighting.”

On Klitscko vs. Jennings: “Vladmir is a historic fighter. He does things many haven’t done. You can’t deny his pedigree. I have seen how he works. Jennings is young, hungry which could be a plus for him. So he can be ignorant to the scariness of fighting at that level. Wladimir doesn’t have the greatest chin so Jennings has a chance in there. If Jennings wins it would great to face him in Philly. After that fight we can take each other’s kids out to Dorney Park and spend all that money together. I think it would be a good fight for Philly. It would be a revitalization for Philly boxing. But I am a fighter and, if you put a challenge in front of me, that is a force that I can’t even explain. If I get to face Wladimir, if you beat the man, then you are considered the man. Going up against Wladimir would be like a dream come true. I am an old school fighter’s fighter. I want to fight the champion. I want to fight the biggest guy; the best guy. I want to be put into a challenge where people think Cunningham can’t make it out and then get in there and have people looking at me sideways when the fight is over. I want people saying, ‘This dude is crazy.’ I love challenges. I love to fight, period. It doesn’t matter who I am facing I love to fight. I love a challenge.”

On his daughter, Kennedy: “My daughter is nine years old. We have been dealing with this situation for nine years. It has just been the last year and a half that the boxing world has really heard about this. I have fought all over the world while I have been dealing with this. This is my life. I have been a two-time world champion with this in my life. I use it as energy. I use it as fuel and I press on. There’s a job that I must do. I have three children, not just Kennedy, so I have to provide for my entire family. I can’t just shut down. I have two sons and a nephew that I have to take care of. I got a job to do and a family to take care of. During this whole ordeal I have seen her face things that would make grown men shake in their bones, but she takes them on with a smug smirk on her face and says, ‘let’s go!’ I do remember that look on her face going down to the transplant and I have visited that look in my memory when times have gotten hard in training camp. If she can go in there and get a transplant with that much heart, then me going into these fights is nothing.”

On his age: “I have been in some good fights but I wouldn’t call them wars. Hunger drives me. I feel like I am getting better. I am still learning and that drives me to perfect what I am learning.”

Egis Klimas, Manager for Glazkov
“I was talking to him (Glazkov) about being too nice of a guy in the ring. He is a very nice guy outside and when he gets in the ring he keeps up the niceness. We are trying to put him where he has to be mean in the ring. No matter how good you are when you get in the ring you have to be mean. You have to be aggressive. You have to have a sportsman’s anger. That is what we have been working on with Czar in the last few months.”

“We are trying to work on his strategy. He never had a good teacher. He always had trainers. He was at one time with Don Turner, which I think is one of the best trainers but he’s always in Ukraine. He comes here and Don can’t change him in the two weeks before the fight; it’s impossible. So then we went to John David Jackson, but John David Jackson was away with Sergey preparing for Pascal so John David Jackson cannot pay attention. So this time we brought his old trainer. They know each other from Russia. Now his trainer is working with him in Oxnard getting good sparring and a longer preparation time.”

“Glazkov moved to the United States with his family, his wife for almost six months. He is not coming back and forth anymore. So right now his preparation is 100%. For Rossy and Malik Scott he was not ready mentally. Now he understands what this is all about.”

When asked how they are going to make Glazkov meaner in the ring: “I feed him raw meat!”

Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events
“Both of these guys are warriors. They are both fighters. It is kind of sad in this day in age that this is considered remarkable. They are remarkable; both of them. They are going to offer the fans a great fight. I think they are part of one of the best triple-headers anyone is going to see on television anywhere.’

About Kovalev vs. Pascal
Kovalev vs. Pascal is a 12-round fight for the WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Championship Titles. The fight will be televised as part of a live triple header on HBO World Championship Boxing® on March 14, 2015 from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Tickets are on sale now at the Bell Centre ticket office, at www.evenko.ca, by telephone at 1-855-310-2525 or through Club de Boxe Champion (514-376-0980). This event is a co-promotion of Main Events and InterBox, presented by Vidéotron in association with Mise-O-Jeu.

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Boucherville, Wednesday, February 18, 2015 – Main Events and Interbox announced today that the NABF Light Heavyweight Title fight between Isaac “Golden Boy” Chilemba vs. Vasily “The Professor” Lepikhin will be the opening bout of the HBO World Championship Boxing tripleheader featuring the Unified Light Heavyweight Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev vs. Jean Pascal in the main event and heavyweights Vyacheslav “Czar” Glazkov vs. Steve “USS” Cunningham in the co-feature on Saturday, March 14 live from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The HBO® telecast begins at 9 :45 p.m. ET/PT.

Main Events, German Titov Promotions and Interbox are also pleased to announce they have have agreed on a partnership and will join forces together in the promotion of Vasily Lepikhin moving forward.

A top ten light heavyweight, Chilemba (23-2-2, 10 KOs), 27, is originally from Malawi but currently resides in Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa. He has won all of his fights and has been quietly rising through the rankings in the light heavyweight division since suffering a decision loss to Tony Bellew in London two years ago. Currently, he is ranked #2 by the WBC, #6 by the WBO, and #7 by the IBF, as well as #6 by Ring Magazine and #8 by ESPN. Chilemba is known as a skilled boxer with a history of marring the records of undefeated opponents; he’s taken on five undefeated boxers in his pro career, suffering only one draw (Thomas Oostguizen)and no losses. Unbeaten prospect and amateur standout Artur Beterbiev passed on the opportunity to fight Chilemba on March 14th, clearing the way for Lepikhin to move in and seize the opportunity. Isaac will once again train with former WBC Welterweight World Champion James “Buddy” McGirt.

According to Isaac, “I am ready for this fight and happy to step into the ring with anyone that’s put in front of me. I never underestimate my opponents and I always come prepared. I am looking forward to March 14. I have trained hard and I will get the job done.” His manager, Jodi Solomon, added, “Isaac is a hardworking, disciplined athlete. He is serious about boxing and even more serious about winning. This fight is a great opportunity for him to showcase his dedication to the sport. I believe it’s very well matched, both fighters being accomplished in their own right. It should make for a very exciting fight.”

In the other corner, Interbox, Main Events and German Titov Promotions have joined forces in the promotion of undefeated Russian blue chip prospect Vasily “The Professor” Lepikhin (17-0, 9 KOs). Lepikhin, 29, is ranked #7 by the WBO and #12 in the WBA. “The Professor” is from Gelendzhik, Russia and is trained by his father Andrey Lepikhin. Vasily made his US debut in August of last year with a fifth round stoppage against New Zealand native Robert Berridge to secure the WBO Oriental and PABA Light Heavyweight Titles. The undefeated Lepikhin returned stateside in November and defeated Jackson Junior from Brazil in November. This will be his first fight in Canada.

“I am very excited about fighting on HBO and this new opportunity with Interbox,” explained Lepikhin. “I am looking forward to showcasing my skills on this large international scale.”

Lepikhin is managed by Egis Klimas, the same manager who has steered Sergey Kovalev’s career from the very beginning. Klimas added, “This is a great opportunity for Vasily. He is ready for a great fight on March 14 in Canada.”

“It is very important for us to offer our fans a quality product on March 14th and the addition to the card of a boxer with such enormous potential such as Vasily Lepikhin in a match against a world-rated contender is as exciting as it is strategic. We are also very happy to be able to further build on our relationship with Main Events moving forward past March 14th,” said Interbox President Jean Bedard.

Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events, added, “We had a great opportunity with this opening bout for Isaac to be on HBO and move up in the rankings and the eyes of the boxing public. In a fortuitous turn of events, Vasily will get the same opportunity and Main Events and German Titov Promotions will grow what has become a great working relationship in Canada with Interbox.”

Tickets
Tickets are on sale now at the Bell Centre ticket office, at www.evenko.ca , by telephone at 1-855-310-2525 or through Club de Boxe Champion (514-376-0980). This event is a co-promotion of Main Events and InterBox, presented by Vidéotron in association with Mise-O-Jeu.

About Main Events
Main Events was founded in 1978 by the late Dan Duva and is now run by his widow Kathy Duva. As one of the top promotional companies in the world Main Events has promoted boxing legends Evander Holyfield, Arturo Gatti, Lennox Lewis, Pernell Whitaker and many more. Currently Main Events promotes WBO, IBF and WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev who just defeated legendary light heavyweight Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins in one of the highest-rated fights of 2014 in November in Atlantic City, NJ. Main Events is committed to promoting quality fights that boxing fans want to see.

About InterBox
InterBox, founded in Québec in 1997, and acquired by Groupe Sportscene in 2004, is recognized throughout Québec and the world as a respected boxing organization. InterBox’s goal is to promote professional boxing locally and internationally via talented boxers supported by top-drawer trainers using cutting edge techniques. InterBox regularly promotes and presents elite events in cooperation with such significant corporate sponsors as Vidéotron, the Cage aux Sports restaurant chain, Coors Light and Mise-O-jeu.

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New York, NY: Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (26-0-1, 23 KOs), the current WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion, and Jean Pascal (29-2-1, 17 KOs), the former WBC and Lineal Light Heavyweight Champion and Current holder of the WBC Diamond Belt, addressed the U.S. media in New York City in advance of their March 14 fight for the WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight Championships. Kovalev has been named The Fighter of the Year by the WBO, Sports Illustrated, BleacherRepor, New York Post, USA Today and many others and today received his WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Championship Ring from Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events.

Also in attendance were Vyacheslav “Czar” Glazkov (19-0-1, 12 KOs) and Steve “USS” Cunningham (28-6, 13 KOs) who were announced as the co-feature for the Kovalev-Pascal card. The two will fight for the #1 position in the IBF.
Below are the quotes from the press conference:

Glazkov, Kovalev, Pascal & Cunningham
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events
“Welcome to the press conference where everyone is invited! One of the joys of my life is to present an interesting and big event with two fighters where the outcome is doubt. On March 14 we will present two such fights. The Kovalev-Pascal fight is a throwback fight in the truest sense of the word. A reigning World Champion who is willing to fight a worthy challenger in the challenger’s hometown. And if that wasn’t enough, in the co-feature Czar Glazkov and Steve Cunningham will face off for the #1 position in the IBF and the winner will face Wladimir Klitschko or whomever is the IBF Heavyweight Champion at the end of the year.”

Jean Bedard
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Jean Bedard, President of Interbox
“It is a privilege for Interbox to work with Kathy and Main Events because we share the same vision – to bring the best fights to the fans. Saturday is usually hockey night in Canada but, on March 14, Kovalev and Pascal will replace the Canadiens. The Bell Centre is one of the busiest sporting venues in the world and we are so proud to bring this event there. Thank you also to HBO.”

Duva
“Main Events and HBO have worked together since the 1980s probably before Peter Nelson was even born, but he has brought so much to the sweet science in a short period of time. It is a pleasure to work with again to bring another great night of boxing to the fans.”

Peter Nelson, Vice President of Programming, HBO Sports
“I wrote that for Kathy (laughing). I want to thank the media for coming today. I want to thank Kathy Duva. She has done a great job with Sergey Kovalev’s career. We were privileged to be part of his win over Bernard Hopkins and this is just the next installment in an amazing career. This fight is a signature event, it is not another check-in-the-box. This is two elite fighters looking to establish their legacies. We are privileged to be associated with events that not only have great main events but great co-features. The co-feature has an amazing story as well. Start time is 9:45 and we look forward to a great event. Sergey Kovalev and Jean Pascal always look to fight the best and I would like to thank the press for rewarding them for doing so.”

Duva
“In the co-feature, all of you will watch while I cover my eyes. We wanted to bring the heavyweight division back to life. Who knew that last year we would be here with two of our own facing each other for the #1 position? Then Steve Cunningham defeated Amir Mansour and Czar Glazkov defeated Tomasz Adamek and those victories have brought us here to this moment. The fans are the ones who will win when this fight ends but I won’t be able to watch. Steve’s legendary trainer, Brother Naazim Richardson is one of the best in the business. He is a member of Steve’s family and they have been living together through all the joy and all the sorrows. It is much better to be working together with Naazim on the same side this time instead of against him like with the fight against Hopkins. Steve has faced some incredible challenges in the boxing ring but he has faced even bigger challenges outside the ring. When he faced Mansour he was told his daughter Kennedy, who was born with a congenital heart defect, was going to die. Last month she proved the doctors wrong when she received a successful heart transplant. Her father shares her same fighting spirit to defy the odds and he is looking to show that on March 14.”

Steve and Cruz Cunningham
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Steve “USS” Cunningham, USBA Heavyweight Champion
“Thanks Kathy for making me tear up. I would like to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Main Events and HBO. I am finally getting on HBO! I gave up that I would ever get here so I am excited and happy to be on HBO finally. I know everyone talks about the situation with my daughter and the strength it took for us to survive it, but we have done nothing more than what anyone else would have done in the same situation. I want to thank everyone who gave to her fund and helped us get here. I am fighting my fourth undefeated heavyweight. I am here to show. Boxing is the show business. I have to show every time I get in that ring. I want to be the heavyweight world champion. Czar is an Olympian and he is undefeated and whatever plan Naaz comes up with I am going to execute it. You have seen the heart and the skill and I am going to bring that on March 14.”

Duva
“I didn’t know that the day that I met Egis Klimas that it would be one of the luckiest days of my life. He convinced me to look at Sergey Kovalev and I am so glad he did. Egis handles three world champions and now he is looking to get his first heavyweight world champion.”

Nelson, Glazkov and Klimas
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Egis Klimas, Manager of Sergey Kovalev and Czar Glazkov
“For me March 14 is going to be a double pleasure night. Me and Czar started working together when I convinced a Russian promoter to bring him to the United States. He just moved from the Ukraine to the United States. For this fight he relocated to Oxnard, CA and he is working with a new trainer, Victor Petrochenko. He has already started camp. It is going to be a good night and hopefully he can win and be IBF champion in the heavyweight division.”

Duva
“While Czar Glazkov was here in the United States becoming the NABF heavyweight champion, his friends and family were suffering through the conflict in the Ukraine. He wants a shot at his fellow countryman Wladimir Klitschko and he is willing to take on any challenge to get there. When he was originally scheduled to fight Tomasz Adamek and Adamek had fallen out, he was so disappointed that we had to replace him with Garret Wilson. However, he only asked me one question – is he right handed or left handed? That is what makes him the type of competitor he is.”

Czar and Steve
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

“Czar” Glazkov, NABF Heavyweight Champion
“I am very sorry to speak Russian but I am still learning English. I want to thank Kathy Duva and Main Events, HBO and Peter Nelson for giving me this opportunity to fight on the biggest boxing network. Steve Cunningham is a good fighter and this is his last chance to show something in boxing but my goal is to show that I am better. Now I am training with my new trainer, Victor Petrochenko. He is showing me something new. We are getting good workout and I will show March 14. It is going to be a good show.”

Greg Leon, CEO of Jean Pascal Promotions
“I want to thank HBO, Main Events, and Interbox. Interbox is a first class organization across the board. This fight is about the best versus the best. They are the two best light heavyweights willing to fight each other. Jean Pascal has never seen anyone as strong as Sergey Kovalev and Sergey Kovalev has never seen anyone as athletic as Jean Pascal. Pascal was shocked the odds have him four to one but we welcome the challenge. We are looking forward to a great night of boxing.”

Marc Ramsay, Trainer of Jean Pascal
“Thank you everyone. I would like to thank HBO, Main Events and Interbox for giving us this opportunity. I am proud to be part of this fight. So many fighters like to escape the big challenge. Sergey Kovalev is not afraid to travel and Jean Pascal is not afraid of this challenge. The real training camp starts next Monday. There is always a way to beat every fighter and Jean Pascal has all the tools to achieve it.”

Pascal with Kovalev and Duva
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Jean Pascal, Former WBC, IBO and The Ring Light Heavyweight Champion
“I want to thank God for giving us this opportunity as well as Interbox and Main Events. This fight was an easy fight to make. Titles and money come and go but history doesn’t. We want to make history. HBO wants to make the best fight possible and that is why they made this fight. I don’t have Showtime no more. They show boring fights. Sergey Kovalev is a great champion; a solid champion. He can punch, he has good speed, he is good with his distance, he does everything well, he has good technique and I love to be the underdog. I loved watching when Balboa fought the crushing Russian in Rocky IV and now this is my real life and I am going to be the black Balboa.”

Duva
“I want to recognize the best training staff in the business John David Jackson and Derik Santos, Sergey’s training team. They could not be here but they prepared him for his stellar appearance against Bernard Hopkins and they will have him ready for Pascal.”

Klimas
“It is a pleasure to represent a fighter who is USA Today, Sports Illustrated, and New York Post Fighter of the Year (to name a few). I believe truly he has proved that. Everyone thought that he could only knock people out but he outboxed Bernard Hopkins. Jean Pascal is a good fighter. He is the best challenger in the division for Sergey Kovalev. The two good men are going to meet. In the end talk is cheap let’s bring these guys in the ring and let that speak for itself. Nobody believed me when I brought Sergey Kovalev through 18 fights with my own money without a promoter. Thank you Kathy for bringing us to this level.”

Duva
“So many recognize why Sergey Kovalev should be the Fighter of the Year is not because he defeats everyone he faces but the way he does it. He outboxed a legendary fighter. It takes more than talent to make a champion, add drive, ambition and a work ethic that is second to none. He is charming and one of the nicest people in the world. He is the most electrifying fighter I have ever worked with (and I have worked with some electrifying fighters!) and he is just beginning. Before I ask him to speak I have a little surprise for him. Main Events has a tradition of creating rings when our fighters win a world championship. Joel McFadden is the artist who created your WBO ring. The good news is they created a wonderful new ring, that bad news is because you won two belts at once there is only one ring. Everything was designed by hand.”

Klimas and Kovalev with World Championship Ring
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev, WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion
“Hello everybody. Thanks for this great ring, it is very complimentary from jewel masters. I always wear my WBO ring. I sleep with it and now I will have to sleep with both together. Next, I know I was named Fighter of the Year but I didn’t know how many media chose me. I am happy and this push me more to show what I am a real Fighter of the Year. This year will be more big fights. I am starting with a very big fight with Jean Pascal. Thank you for taking this fight. For me it doesn’t matter where I fight. If I am true champion, I am fighting anyone anywhere. I want to thank HBO and Peter Nelson personally for this opportunity to give me big chance in my life. Where I am it is because of my team: Kathy Duva and Main Events, Egis Klimas and HBO. That is my team I love you and bless you. Everybody say before the fight was made that I will win. I never say never; this is boxing. This isn’t sprinting or bicycling. I never say never. You can go to Big Bear and repeat my preparations but no one can repeat my style. It is my thinking in me that gave me all victories and will give more.”

Duva
“I want to thank Le Parker Meridien, HBO and Hortitsia vodka, our sponsor. We look forward to a great night of boxing on March 14. Thank you.”

About Kovalev vs. Pascal
Kovalev vs. Pascal is a 12-round fight for the WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Championship Titles. The fight will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing® on March 14, 2015 from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Tickets are on sale now at the Bell Centre ticket office, at www.evenko.ca, by telephone at 1-855-310-2525 or through Club de Boxe Champion (514-376-0980). This event is a co-promotion of Main Events and InterBox, presented by Vidéotron in association with Mise-O-Jeu.

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BOUCHERVILLE, Quebec, Canada, Dec. 22, 2014 – In the first face-off between the triple light heavyweight champion and the former holder of several belts in the same weight division, there was nothing but respect all around at a press conference that was held Monday to officially kick off the unified Light Heavyweight World Championship fight that will take place between Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (26-0-1, 23 KO) and Jean Pascal (29-2-1, 17 KO). The bout is to be televised on HBO on March 14, 2015 at the Bell Center.

Even though he holds the unified WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion title belts, Kovalev praised Pascal highly at Monday’s press conference. “He’s the best possible opponent I could face in the weight division,” said Kovalev, who was named Sports Illustrated’s 2014 Fighter of the Year Monday.

“I respect Sergey Kovalev because he is the king of the light heavyweight division,” said Pascal, the former WBC, IBO and The Ring Light Heavyweight champion. “This will be the greatest challenge ever faced by a Quebec-based boxer, but with discipline and hard work, as well as the support of local boxing fans, nothing is impossible.”

The champ vs the local favourite
Kovalev said he won’t be bothered by the fact that the fight will take place in Montreal, where Pascal is one of the most popular boxers on the local scene.

“The ring is the same everywhere”, he said. “I plan to show who I am to Canadian boxing fans, and I aim to do the things they like to see in a ring.” Pascal also promised this will be a fight not to be missed. “If you’re a boxing fan, this is the perfect Christmas gift to give to someone you love, because it will be one of the greatest fights ever – and the greatest ever held in Canada.”

“This is not my first time in Canada, but each time I come here I’m greatly impressed to see to what extent boxing is a major sport in the Quebec province,” said Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events, Kovalev’s promoter. “This will be a high-quality event, and I’m delighted to be working with a first-rate promoter in InterBox and a great network in HBO for this fight that will bring together two great boxers.”

“What a great way to end 2014 with this announcement of a such a great fight for the New Year,” said InterBox President Jean Bédard. “Sergey Kovalev is the holder of three world titles, but he is first and foremost the boxer that no one wants to face. But it is with great enthusiasm that Jean Pascal has accepted this challenge.”
“Sergey Kovalev and Jean Pascal are first-rate competitors who always look to fight against the best and, on March 14, that’s exactly what they will do against one another in a World Championship bout,” said Peter Nelson, Vice President of Programming at HBO Sports. “Following a key win for his career against Bernard Hopkins, Kovalev will put his three unified titles on the line, which Jean Pascal will try to take away. And let’s not forget that the winner will be able to proclaim himself king of the light heavyweight division. This event is absolutely not to be missed!”

Kovalev back in North America
The unified WBO/IBF/WBA Light Heavyweight champion is back from a small vacation in Russia and spending quality time with his wife and infant son, who was born right in the middle of his last training camp. After a short rest, Sergey is now ready to start training for his fight against Jean Pascal. Kovalev is anxious to defend his WBO title for the fifth time, as well as the IBF and WBA titles he wrestled from Bernard Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 KOs) in a wide unanimous decision win on November 8th.

Pascal’s sole objective: To become World Champ again
Following the unfortunate turn of events during his December 6th fight, Jean Pascal is hungrier than ever to attain his ultimate objective of becoming world champion again. Marc Ramsey, who accompanied David Lemieux to Brooklyn last December 6th for his bout against Gabriel Rosado will be back in Pascal’s corner for the March 14th bout. Roy Jones Jr. and Russ Anber will be assisting Pascal during camp and during the bout.

Tickets on sale
Tickets for the unified Light Heavyweight World Championship fight between Kovalev and Pascal are on sale at the Bell Centre ticket office, at www.evenko.ca, by telephone at 1-855-310-2525 or through Club de Boxe Champion (514-376-0980).

About Main Events
Main Events was founded in 1978 by the late Dan Duva and is now run by his widow Kathy Duva. As one of the top promotional companies in the world Main Events has promoted boxing legends Evander Holyfield, Arturo Gatti, Lennox Lewis, Pernell Whitaker and many more. Currently Main Events promotes WBO, IBF and WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey « Krusher » Kovalev who just defeated legendary light heavyweight Bernard « The Alien » Hopkins in one of the highest rated fights of the year last month in Atlantic City, NJ. Main Events is committed to promoting quality fights that boxing fans want to see.

About InterBox
InterBox, founded in Québec in 1997, and acquired by Groupe Sportscene in 2004, is recognized throughout Québec and the world as a respected boxing organization. InterBox’s goal is to promote professional boxing locally and internationally via talented boxers supported by top-drawer trainers using cutting edge techniques. InterBox regularly promotes and presents elite events in cooperation with such significant corporate sponsors as Vidéotron, the Cage aux Sports restaurant chain, Coors Light and Mise-O-jeu.

Boucherville, Wednesday December 17th 2014 – Main-Events and InterBox announced that the Montréal Bell Centre will host the March 14th 2015 boxing Gala that will feature the reigning unified WBO, IBF and WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion, Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (26-0-1, 23 KOs) vs. former WBC, IBO and The Ring Light Heavyweight Champion, Jean Pascal (29-2-1, 17 KOs). Tickets to this megafight, which will also be broadcast on HBO World Championship Boxing throughout the United States, go on sale Saturday, December 20th 2014 as of 10 AM. A press conference is scheduled to take place early next week.

Three of the 4 major titles on the line
Kathy Duva, CEO of Main-Events, received the exception from the IBF that she and Sergey requested. Therefore, the IBF title will be on the line on March 14th when Kovalev faces Pascal. Mandatory IBF contender Najib Mohammedi is happy with the outcome because it will give him more time to work with his new trainer. Mohammedi will appear on the undercard of Kovalev-Pascal. Therefore, three of the four major world title belts will be on the line: The IBF and WBO World Light Heavyweight titles, as well as the WBA Super Light Heavyweight belt.

« After a tough 2014, we are extremely proud to bring to our fans one of the very best fights that can be made at Light Heavyweight. We all intend to start off the New Year with a bang, and Kovalev vs. Pascal will certainly deliver fireworks. Our fans deserve the very best fights, and those are the fights we will concentrate to make » states InterBox President Mr. Jean Bedard. Mr. Bedard continues by stating « The undercard is yet to be determined, but we are already at work with Main Events to match the best vs. the best. One thing is for sure, our athletes will have to be ready for some major challenges if they want to box on this card »

Kathy Duva said, « I received a very warm welcome in Montreal when I attended Pascal’s last fight at the Bell Centre. I’m excited to return with Sergey and to work with Jean Bedard and his staff at Interbox. I’m sure we will put together the best fight card of the year! »

Kovalev back in North America
The unified WBO/IBF/WBA Light Heavyweight champion is back from a small vacation in Russia and spending quality time with his wife and infant son, who was born right in the middle of his last training camp. After a short rest, Sergey is now ready to start training for his fight vs. Jean Pascal. Kovalev is anxious to defend his WBO title for the fifth time, as well as the IBF and WBA titles he wrestled from Bernard Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 K.-O.) in a wide unanimous decision win last November 8th.

Pascal’s sole objective: To become World Champ again
Following the unfortunate turn of events during his December 6th fight, Jean Pascal is hungrier than ever to attain his ultimate objective of becoming world champion again. Marc Ramsey, who accompanied David Lemieux to Brooklyn last December 6th for his bout vs. Gabriel Rosado will be back in Pascal’s corner for the March 14th bout. Roy Jones Jr. and Russ Anber will be assisting Pascal during camp and during the bout.

Exclusive pre-sale from December 18th -December 19th

For those fans who just can’t wait until December 20th to buy their tickets for the Kovalev vs. Pascal bout/Event, please note that there will be an exclusive pre-sale from December 18th at 10 AM until December 19th at 6 PM. Please communicate with InterBox at 450-645-1083, or contact Club de Boxe Champion at (514) 376-0980, or for those with a subscription, check the Evenko Info-letter.

Tickets on sale December 20th
Tickets for the general public will go on sale on Saturday, December 20th as of 10 AM. Those wishing to purchase tickets can do so via the Centre Bell ticket office, by visiting www.evenko.ca, or by dialing 1-855-310-2525.

About Main Events
Main Events was founded in 1978 by the late Dan Duva and is now run by his widow Kathy Duva. As one of the top promotional companies in the world Main Events has promoted boxing legends Evander Holyfield, Arturo Gatti, Lennox Lewis, Pernell Whitaker and many more. Currently Main Events promotes WBO, IBF and WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey « Krusher » Kovalev who just defeated legendary light heavyweight Bernard « The Alien » Hopkins in one of the highest rated fights of the year last month in Atlantic City, NJ. Main Events is committed to promoting quality fights that boxing fans want to see.

About InterBox
InterBox, founded in Québec in 1997, and acquired by Groupe Sportscene in 2004, is recognized throughout Québec and the world as a respected boxing organization. InterBox’s goal is to promote professional boxing locally and internationally via talented boxers supported by top-drawer trainers using cutting edge techniques. InterBox regularly promotes and presents elite events in cooperation with such significant corporate sponsors as Vidéotron, the Cage aux Sports restaurant chain, Coors Light and Mise-O-jeu.

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www.mainevents.com
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WHO: Main Event — Light Heavyweights (10) — PPV
JEAN PASCAL (29-2-1, 17 KOs), Laval, Quebec, Canada 179.6 lbs.
ROBERTO BOLONTI (35-3, 24 KOs), Buenos Aires, Argentina 179 lbs.
(180. lbs catchweight)

Jean Pascal

Roberto Bolonti

Co-Feature – WBC International Super Middleweight Championship (12) – PPV
SCHILLER HYPPOLITE (13-1, 9 KOs), Montreal, Quebec, Canada 168.7 lbs.
NORBERT NEMESAPATI (15-1, 14 KOs), Budapest, Hungary 167.6 lbs.

Super Featherweights (8) – PPV
JOEL DIAZ, JR. (17-0, 13 KOs), Palmdale, California, USA 129.7 lbs.
PEDRO NAVARRETE (28-19-3, 17 KOs), San Juan Zitaltepec, Mexico 129.5 lbs.

Super Welterweights (6/8) – PPV
STEVEN BUTLER (8-0, 7 KOs), Montreal, Quebec, Canada 151.7 lbs.
LYES CHAIBI (12-7-2, 2 KOs), Saint-Etienne, Loire, France 149.6 lbs.

Welterweights (8)
YVES ULYSSE, JR. (4-0, 3 KOs), Montreal, Quebec, Canada 143.8 lbs.
LUKASZ JANIK (12-7-1, 8 KOs), Katowice, Poland 145 lbs.

Heavyweights (8)
BOGDAN DINU (11-0, 7 KOs), Montreal, Quebec, Canada 237.6 lbs.
MIKAEL VIEIRA (14-4-1, 7 KOs), Montlucon, Allier, France 227 lbs.

Super Lightweights (6/8) – Swing Bout
DAVID THEROUX (4-0, 3 KOs), Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, Canada 141.7 lbs.
MAURYCY GOJKO (22-44-3, 8 KOs), Lublin, Poland 141.4 lbs.

WHAT: Pascal-Bolonti PPV

WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 6, 2014

WHERE: Bell Centre, Montreal, Canada

PROMOTER: Interbox

PPV: Available throughout North America.Integrated Sports Media will distributed in the United States for live viewing at 8:00 p.m. ET – 5:00 p.m. PT on both cable and
satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DirecTV, DISH, and Vubiquity for a suggested
retail price of only $24.95. Plus viewers in the US can order on-line by going to
www.GFL.tv. Saturday night’s event will be available on PPV in Canada on Indigo
and Bell in French and English, as well as via Rogers, Shaw and Sask-Tel in English
only.

ANNOUNCERS: Corey Erdman (blow-by-blow) & Benny Ricardo (color analyst)

INFORMATION: www.InterBox.ca or www.integratedsportsnet.com
and follow on Twitter @IntegratedPPV @InterBoxCA and @JeanPascalChamp.

TICKETS: On sale and available to purchase by visiting www.evenko.ca, or calling
1.855.310.2525 and Club de boxe Champion (1.514.376.0980)
ABOUT INTEGRATED SPORTS MEDIA:
North America’s leading distributor of International Pay-Per-View and Closed Circuit sports events has presented World Championship and world-class boxing matches featuring Gennady Golovkin, Carl Froch, Erik Morales, Vitali Klitschko, Ricky Hatton, Cristian Mijares, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr., Tomasz Adamek, Paulie Malignaggi, Ivan Calderon, Rocky Martinez, Nicolai Valuev, Amir Khan, Marco Antonio Barrera, Arthur Abraham, David Haye, John Ruiz, Wilfredo Vasquez, Jr., Brian Viloria, Giovani Segura and Ruslan Chagaev, as well as World Championship and world-class mixed martial arts shows featuring Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Bobby Lashley, Mirko Filipovic, Bob Sapp, Jeff Monson and Roy Nelson, in addition to In addition, Integrated Sports Media has distributed numerous International soccer matches featuring teams like Real Madrid, Club America of Mexico and the National Teams of Argentina, Honduras, El Salvador and the USA. For more information on upcoming Integrated Sports events visit
www.integratedsportsnet.com or follow on Twitter @IntegratedPPV.

ABOUT INTERBOX:
InterBox was founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1997 and acquired by Groupe Sportscene in 2004. InterBox is internationally recognized as one of the most respected boxing organizations in Quebec and throughout the World. InterBox’s main objective is to organize top quality events, both locally and internationally. InterBox’s success is due in large part to a growing pool of elite athletes and top quality trainers to support them and their ascension to the elite. InterBox promotes, produces and presents first quality events on a regular basis thanks to the very important corporate sponsors Videotron, the Cage-aux-Sports restaurant chain, Coors Light and Mise-O-Jeau.

Jean Pascal:
(about his decision to not trash-talk Thursday)
“Everything in its time. Everything I do is calculated. People think I’m unpredictable, but my strategies all well-planned with my sports psychologist. Now, for this fight, there isn’t any battle of wills, so there’s no point in trying to intimidate my opponent. We have another plan on the psychological front, but intimidation is not part of it.”

(about Bolonti)
“He’s a boxer with stamina. He has 35 wins, 24 by knock out. He’s never lost by KO, which means he’s coming here to go the distance. He’s had three months to prepare because he was initially set to fight Lucian Bute. He says the fight will be easier from a strategic standpoint because I’m a right-hander, so I know he’ll be ready. He’s here to try and surprise everyone. A win would allow him to be noticed at the international level.”

(On Bolonti lasting 12 rounds vs Braehmer on three weeks notice)
“Going the distance against a world champ, that says he’s a quality boxer. He has experience, he has stamina, so we’re in for a good fight at the Bell Centre on Saturday night.”

(Pascal says not thinking about Kovalev fight just yet)

“All I’m thinking about is this fight. I know Bolonti is the ideal opponent for me to prepare for the next bout, whoever it will be, against any right-hander, and allow me to go to the next level.”

Jean Pascal

Roberto Bolonti:
“I was preparing to fight Lucian Bute and, suddenly, he got injured. I know many people from Montreal follow him and that when he fights, the arena is full, so, I was quite disappointed. But it’s always easier to fight a right-handed boxer (like Pascal) than it is a left-hander (like Bute). The strategy will change, but it’s nothing to worry about. I’m looking forward to the fight.”

Roberto Bolonti

The Staredown

The Main Event.

WHAT: Pascal vs. Bolonti PPV

WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 6, 2014

WHERE: Bell Centre, Montreal, Canada

WHO: Main Event — Light Heavyweights (10) — PPV
JEAN PASCAL (29-2-1, 17 KOs), Laval, Quebec, Canada
vs.
ROBERTO “The Beast” BOLONTI (35-3, 24 KOs), Buenos Aires, Argentina

Co-Feature – WBC International Super Middleweight Championship (12) – PPV
SCHILLER “Batman” HYPPOLITE (13-1, 9 KOs), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
vs.
NORBERT “Noble” NEMESAPATI (15-1, 14 KOs), Budapest, Hungary

Super Featherweights (8) – PPV
JOEL DIAZ, JR. (17-0, 13 KOs), Palmdale, California, USA
vs.
PEDRO “Cowboy” NAVARRETE (28-19-3, 17 KOs), San Juan Zitaltepec, Mexico

Junior Middleweights (6/8) – PPV
STEVEN “Bang Bang” BUTLER (8-0, 7 KOs), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
vs.
LYES CHAIBI (12-7-2, 2 KOs), Saint-Etienne, Loire, France

Welterweights (8)
YVES ULYSSE, JR. (4-0, 3 KOs), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
vs.
LUKASZ JANIK (12-7-1, 8 KOs), Katowice, Poland

Heavyweights (8)
BOGDAN DINU (11-0, 7 KOs), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
vs.
MIKAEL VIEIRA (14-4-1, 7 KOs), Montlucon, Allier, France

Super Lightweights (6/8) – Swing Bout
DAVID THEROUX (4-0, 3 KOs), Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, Canada
vs.
MAURYCY GOJKO (22-44-3, 8 KOs), Lublin, Poland

PROMOTER: Interbox

PPV: Available throughout North America.Integrated Sports Media will distributed in the United States for live viewing at 8:00 p.m. ET – 5:00 p.m. PT on both
cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DirecTV, DISH, and Vubiquity for a suggested retail price of only $24.95. Plus viewers in the US can order on-line by going to www.GFL.tv. Saturday night’s event will be available on PPV in Canada on Indigo and Bell in French and English, as well as via Rogers, Shaw and Sask-Tel in English only.

ANNOUNCERS: Corey Erdman (blow-by-blow) & Benny Ricardo (color analyst)

INFORMATION: www.IntegratedSportsnet.com, www.InterBox.ca or www.integratedsportsnet.com, and follow on Twitter @IntegratedPPV @InterBoxCA and @JeanPascalChamp.

TICKETS: On sale and available to purchase by visiting www.evenko.ca, or calling 1.855.310.2525 and Club de boxe Champion (1.514.376.0980)
ABOUT INTEGRATED SPORTS MEDIA:
North America’s leading distributor of International Pay-Per-View and Closed Circuit sports events has presented World Championship and world-class boxing matches featuring Gennady Golovkin, Carl Froch, Erik Morales, Vitali Klitschko, Ricky Hatton, Cristian Mijares, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr., Tomasz Adamek, Paulie Malignaggi, Ivan Calderon, Rocky Martinez, Nicolai Valuev, Amir Khan, Marco Antonio Barrera, Arthur Abraham, David Haye, John Ruiz, Wilfredo Vasquez, Jr., Brian Viloria, Giovani Segura and Ruslan Chagaev, as well as World Championship and world-class mixed martial arts shows featuring Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Bobby Lashley, Mirko Filipovic, Bob Sapp, Jeff Monson and Roy Nelson, in addition to In addition, Integrated Sports Media has distributed numerous International soccer matches featuring teams like Real Madrid, Club America of Mexico and the National Teams of Argentina, Honduras, El Salvador and the USA. For more information on upcoming Integrated Sports events visit
www.integratedsportsnet.com or follow on Twitter @IntegratedPPV.

ABOUT INTERBOX:
InterBox was founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1997 and acquired by Groupe Sportscene in 2004. InterBox is internationally recognized as one of the most respected boxing organizations in Quebec and throughout the World. InterBox’s main objective is to organize top quality events, both locally and internationally. InterBox’s success is due in large part to a growing pool of elite athletes and top quality trainers to support them and their ascension to the elite. InterBox promotes, produces and presents first quality events on a regular basis thanks to the very important corporate sponsors Videotron, the Cage-aux-Sports restaurant chain, Coors Light and Mise-O-Jeau.

WHAT: Pascal vs. Bolonti PPV

WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 6, 2014

WHERE: Bell Centre, Montreal, Canada

WHO: Main Event — Light Heavyweights (10) — PPV
JEAN PASCAL (29-2-1, 17 KOs), Laval, Quebec, Canada
vs.
ROBERTO “The Beast” BOLONTI (35-3, 24 KOs), Buenos Aires, Argentina

Co-Feature – WBC International Super Middleweight Championship (12) – PPV
SCHILLER “Batman” HYPPOLITE (13-1, 9 KOs), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
vs.
NORBERT “Noble” NEMESAPATI (15-1, 14 KOs), Budapest, Hungary

Super Featherweights (8) – PPV
JOEL DIAZ, JR. (17-0, 13 KOs), Palmdale, California, USA
vs.
PEDRO “Cowboy” NAVARRETE (28-19-3, 17 KOs), San Juan Zitaltepec, Mexico

Junior Middleweights (6/8) – PPV
STEVEN “Bang Bang” BUTLER (8-0, 7 KOs), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
vs.
LYES CHAIBI (12-7-2, 2 KOs), Saint-Etienne, Loire, France

Welterweights (8)
YVES ULYSSE, JR. (4-0, 3 KOs), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
vs.
LUKASZ JANIK (12-7-1, 8 KOs), Katowice, Poland

Heavyweights (8)
BOGDAN DINU (11-0, 7 KOs), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
vs.
MIKAEL VIEIRA (14-4-1, 7 KOs), Montlucon, Allier, France

Super Lightweights (6/8) – Swing Bout
DAVID THEROUX (4-0, 3 KOs), Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, Canada
vs.
MAURYCY GOJKO (22-44-3, 8 KOs), Lublin, Poland

PROMOTER: Interbox

PPV: Available throughout North America.Integrated Sports Media will distributed in the United States for live viewing at 8:00 p.m. ET – 5:00 p.m. PT on both
cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DirecTV, DISH, and Vubiquity for a suggested retail price of only $24.95. Plus viewers in the US can order on-line by going to www.GFL.tv. Saturday night’s event will be available on PPV in Canada on Indigo and Bell in French and English, as well as via Rogers, Shaw and Sask-Tel in English only.

ANNOUNCERS: Corey Erdman (blow-by-blow) & Benny Ricardo (color analyst)

INFORMATION: www.IntegratedSportsnet.com, www.InterBox.ca or www.integratedsportsnet.com, and follow on Twitter @IntegratedPPV @InterBoxCA and @JeanPascalChamp.

TICKETS: On sale and available to purchase by visiting www.evenko.ca, or calling 1.855.310.2525 and Club de boxe Champion (1.514.376.0980)

ABOUT INTEGRATED SPORTS MEDIA:
North America’s leading distributor of International Pay-Per-View and Closed Circuit sports events has presented World Championship and world-class boxing matches featuring Gennady Golovkin, Carl Froch, Erik Morales, Vitali Klitschko, Ricky Hatton, Cristian Mijares, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr., Tomasz Adamek, Paulie Malignaggi, Ivan Calderon, Rocky Martinez, Nicolai Valuev, Amir Khan, Marco Antonio Barrera, Arthur Abraham, David Haye, John Ruiz, Wilfredo Vasquez, Jr., Brian Viloria, Giovani Segura and Ruslan Chagaev, as well as World Championship and world-class mixed martial arts shows featuring Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Bobby Lashley, Mirko Filipovic, Bob Sapp, Jeff Monson and Roy Nelson, in addition to In addition, Integrated Sports Media has distributed numerous International soccer matches featuring teams like Real Madrid, Club America of Mexico and the National Teams of Argentina, Honduras, El Salvador and the USA. For more information on upcoming Integrated Sports events visit
www.integratedsportsnet.com or follow on Twitter @IntegratedPPV.

ABOUT INTERBOX:
InterBox was founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1997 and acquired by Groupe Sportscene in 2004. InterBox is internationally recognized as one of the most respected boxing organizations in Quebec and throughout the World. InterBox’s main objective is to organize top quality events, both locally and internationally. InterBox’s success is due in large part to a growing pool of elite athletes and top quality trainers to support them and their ascension to the elite. InterBox promotes, produces and presents first quality events on a regular basis thanks to the very important corporate sponsors Videotron, the Cage-aux-Sports restaurant chain, Coors Light and Mise-O-Jeau.

Boucherville, December 2, 2014
Main Events and InterBox are proud to announce that an agreement has been reached to present a fight between the reigning unified WBO, IBF and WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion, Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (26-0-1, 23 KOs) and former WBC and The Ring Light Heavyweight Champion, Jean Pascal (29-2-1, 17 KOs). The fight is to take place in Montréal or Québec City on Saturday, March 14, 2015, but it is contingent on Pascal prevailing over Bolonti on December 6 and on the IBF granting Kovalev a special exception to postpone his mandatory title defense against Nadjib Mohammedi. This mega-bout will be televised live in the United States on HBO. Further details will be announced at a later date.

Pascal’s fight at the Bell Centre December 6 was already a very important one for his career, but this possibility brings it to a whole new level. Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events, will be watching the fight with Jean Bédard, as she has accepted the invitation extended by the InterBox president to join him ringside at the gala.

“The negotiation with Main Events went quickly and smoothly, so I know we’ll be able to organize a high calibre fight and a great night of boxing. After a pretty mediocre 2014 so far, we’re preparing to offer Québec boxing fans one of the best fights we could make in the entire division,” said Jean Bédard.

Kathy Duva said, “Sergey has made it very clear since the moment we signed him that he only wants to fight the best fighters. I promised after his demolition of Bernard Hopkins that the next one would be for the money. I’m thrilled to work with Interbox to bring boxing fans the Krusher versus Jean Pascal, which delivers on both fronts! The truth is that these fights are easy to make when both fighters want to be in the big fights and the promoters and managers are willing to be reasonable and work together.”

Kovalev brings it all back home
After a grueling year that included being at a United States training camp when his wife gave birth to their first child, the WBO/IBF/WBA Super Light Heavyweight World Champion is currently in Russia enjoying some well-earned downtime. On November 8, Kovalev cruised to a shutout decision against Bernard Hopkins, adding the IBF World Light Heavyweight and WBA Super World Light Heavyweight belts to his own WBO Light Heavyweight Championship.

Pascal wants it more than ever
This InterBox agreement with Main Events has already visibly given the Laval native an extra shot of motivation – as if he needed it – as he moves into the last rounds of preparation for the upcoming bout with Roberto Bolonti. Pascal is certainly looking to a bright future. As former WBC and IBO Light Heavyweight World Champion, Jean Pascal plans to demonstrate his superiority in the division against a well prepared Bolonti up as he works his way to the summit of his sport. Note that he’ll be supported by Roy Jones and Russ Anber in his corner on December 6, after a mutual decision to have coach Marc Ramsay join David Lemieux in Brooklyn.

Tickets for the Pascal vs. Bolonti gala
Tickets for the December 6, 2014 boxing gala are still available at www.evenko.ca; by phone at 855-310-2525 or at the Club de Boxe Champion 514.376.0980

About InterBox
InterBox, founded in Québec in 1997, and acquired by Groupe Sportscene in 2004, is recognized throughout Québec and the world as a respected boxing organization. InterBox’s goal is to promote professional boxing locally and internationally via talented boxers supported by top-drawer trainers using cutting edge techniques. InterBox regularly promotes and presents elite events in cooperation with such significant corporate sponsors as Vidéotron, the Cage aux Sports restaurant chain, Coors Light and Mise-o-jeu.

About Main Events
Main Events was founded in 1978 by the late Dan Duva and is now run by his widow Kathy Duva. As one of the top promotional companies in the world Main Events has promoted boxing legends Evander Holyfield, Arturo Gatti, Lennox Lewis, Pernell Whitaker and many more. Currently Main Events promotes WBO, IBF and WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev who just defeated legendary light heavyweight Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins in one of the highest rated fights of the year last month in Atlantic City, NJ. Main Events is committed to promoting quality fights that boxing fans want to see.

Information:
438-394-2775 / ccouturier@cage.ca

FOLLOW US:
http://kovalboxer.com/en.html
Twitter: @krusherkovalev
Facebook: facebook.com/shopkrusher
www.mainevents.com
Twitter: @main_events
Facebook: facebook.com/MainEventsBoxing

MONTREAL (Dec. 2, 2014) – A strong undercard featuring some of North America’s top prospects has been announced by the event promoter, Interbox, for this Saturday night’s pay-per-view card, headlined by former world light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal (29-2-1, 17 KOs) against Roberto “The Beast” Bolonti (35-3, 24 KOs) in the 10-round main event, at the famed Bell Centre in Montreal.

The four-fight PPV card is available throughout North America.Integrated Sports Media will distribute it in the United States for live viewing at 8:00 p.m. ET – 5:00 p.m. PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DirecTV, DISH, and Vubiquity for a suggested retail price of only $24.95. Plus viewers in the US can order on-line by going to www.GFL.tv. Saturday night’s event will be available on PPV in Canada on Indigo and Bell in French and English, as well as via Rogers, Shaw and Sask-Tel in English only.

In the 12-round co-feature, Montreal by way of Haiti super middleweight Schiller “Batman” Hyppolite (13-1, 9 KOs) takes on Hungarian invader Norberto “Noble” Nemesapati (15-1, 14 KOs) for the World Boxing Council (WBC) International super middleweight title.

Hyppolite, promoted by Eye of the Tiger Management (EOTTM), is ranked No. 15 by the International Boxing Federation (IBF). He’s riding an eight-fight win streak, highlighted by his most recent action, in which he won a unanimous 10-round decision over former Irish super middleweight champion JJ McDonough. Nemesapati is the WBC Youth Silver 168-pound champion.

Undefeated California super featherweight Joel Diaz, Jr. (17-0, 13 KOs), arguably one of the most exciting prospects in the U.S., faces Mexican veteran Pedro “Cowboy” Navarette (28-19-3, 17 KOs) in an eight-rounder.

Diaz, only 22, has already beaten some name fighters such as Tyler Asseltine, Emmanuel Lucero and previously unbeaten Guy Robb. Diaz is a banger who has stopped 13 of his 17 opponents as a professional. Navarrette has become a gatekeeper, of sorts, and is a former WBC FECOMBOX super featherweight and Interim WBC Caribbean Boxing Federation champion.

In the fourth PPV fight, Montreal junior middleweight sensation Steven “Bang Bang” Butler (8-0, 7 KOs) meets the toughest test of his young career to date, Lyes Chaibi (12-7-2, 2 KOs), of France, in a 6/8-round match.

A year ago at 18, Butler was the youngest member of the Canadian National Boxing Team. His promoter, EOTTM, has this Phenom on the fast track with this being his ninth pro fight since he turned pro this past March 28. Chaibi is a rugged, experienced fighter who hasn’t been stopped in 21 pro career fights.

Highlights of three other fights scheduled for the live card, showcasing local fighters, may air pending time considerations: Montreal welterweight Yves Ulysse, Jr. (4-0, 3 KOs) vs. Poland’s Lukasz Janik (12-7-1, 2 KOs) and Montreal heavyweight Bogdan Dinu (11-0, 7 KOs) vs. France’s Mickael Vieira (14-1-1, 7 KOs) in a pair of 8-round fights; Sorel-Tracy super lightweight David Theroux (4-0, 3 KOs) vs. Poland’s Maurycy Gojko (22-44-3, 8 KOs) in a 6/8-round swing bout.

Tickets are on sale and available to purchase by visiting www.evenko.ca, or calling 1.855.310.2525 and Club de boxe Champion (1.514.376.0980).

For additional information please visit www.IntegratedSportsnet.com, www.InterBox.ca or www.integratedsportsnet.com, and follow on Twitter @IntegratedPPV @InterBoxCA and @JeanPascalChamp.
ABOUT INTEGRATED SPORTS MEDIA:
North America’s leading distributor of International Pay-Per-View and Closed Circuit sports events has presented World Championship and world-class boxing matches featuring Gennady Golovkin, Carl Froch, Erik Morales, Vitali Klitschko, Ricky Hatton, Cristian Mijares, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr., Tomasz Adamek, Paulie Malignaggi, Ivan Calderon, Rocky Martinez, Nicolai Valuev, Amir Khan, Marco Antonio Barrera, Arthur Abraham, David Haye, John Ruiz, Wilfredo Vasquez, Jr., Brian Viloria, Giovani Segura and Ruslan Chagaev, as well as World Championship and world-class mixed martial arts shows featuring Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Bobby Lashley, Mirko Filipovic, Bob Sapp, Jeff Monson and Roy Nelson, in addition to In addition, Integrated Sports Media has distributed numerous International soccer matches featuring teams like Real Madrid, Club America of Mexico and the National Teams of Argentina, Honduras, El Salvador and the USA. For more information on upcoming Integrated Sports events visit
www.integratedsportsnet.com or follow on Twitter @IntegratedPPV.

ABOUT INTERBOX:
InterBox was founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1997 and acquired by Groupe Sportscene in 2004. InterBox is internationally recognized as one of the most respected boxing organizations in Quebec and throughout the World. InterBox’s main objective is to organize top quality events, both locally and internationally. InterBox’s success is due in large part to a growing pool of elite athletes and top quality trainers to support them and their ascension to the elite. InterBox promotes, produces and presents first quality events on a regular basis thanks to the very important corporate sponsors Videotron, the Cage-aux-Sports restaurant chain, Coors Light and Mise-O-Jeau.

MONTREAL (Nov. 25, 2014) — Jean Bédard, the president of InterBox, announced
that the NABF Light Heavyweight Champion, Jean Pascal (29-2-1, 17 KOs), will combat Argentina’s Roberto Bolonti (35-3, 24 KOs), instead of Donovan George (25-4-2, 22 K-.O.) next December 6, at the Bell Centre. This decision was taken after careful consideration following long negotiations with Donovan’s team. Boxing fans will also be thrilled by the undercard, which features locals Shiller Hyppolite (13-1-0, 9 K-.O.), Steven Butler (8- 0-0, 7 K-.O) and Ulysse Jr (4-0-0, 3 K-.O), among others.

Early on in the re-negotiations, InterBox inquired about Bolonti’s interest in going up against Pascal, so Bolonti’s team has been ready from the beginning – only awaiting a positive response from InterBox. The Argentinian, who has been training hard for the last two months, is motivated and looking forward to taking on the considerable challenge.

“There comes a time when negotiations have to stop and you’ve got to move forward. Pascal versus Bolonti was a scenario we’d already considered, and we think it’s the right one. Plus, it’s important for Jean Pascal to fight so he can direct his career,” Bédard explained.

“This time, I was lucky to have a good, long-term training camp for combat outside Argentina,” Bolanti said. “It would have been a shame not to have the opportunity to fight. Although his style is different than Bute’s, Pascal is just as big a challenge for me.”

So, these two fighters who were going to be in the ring with other opponents on the same evening, will – in the end – fight each other in a grand finale at the Bell Centre. Though they lost their respective adversaries, Pascal and Bolonti are both eager to win. Roberto ‘the Beast’ Bolonti comes into the fight with imposing record: 35 wins including 24 by knockout.

A striking undercard

Steven Butler vs. TBA
Never having been beaten, Steven ‘Bang-Bang’ Butler (8-0, 7 KOs) is definitely a rising star in the boxing world. This former Canadian senior champion, who will be in the ninth fight of his career, has been pretty busy since he started professional boxing on March 28 of this year.

Shiller Hyppolite vs. Norbert Nemesapati
‘Batman’ had to pass on his fight scheduled for November 21 in Sorel-Tracy, as his adversary bowed out. Now Montrealers have a chance to see him strut his stuff in the ring; this time against Norbert Nemesapati (15-1, 14 KOs). Shiller has also made it clear he’s gunning to take on Bolonti soon.

Joel Diaz Jr vs. Pedro Navarrete
The protégé of the Jean Pascal Promotions stable, Joel Diaz Jr (17-0, 13 KOs), will weigh-in on Canadiens’ territory for the first time, against Mexico’s Pedro Navarrete (28-19-3, 17 KOs).

Bogdan Dinu vs. Mickael Vieira
The scion of Stéphan Larouche and InterBox, now settled in Montréal with his family, will be concentrating on keeping his perfect record when he goes up against Frenchman Mickael Vieira (14-4, 7 KOs).

Ulysse Jr vs. Lukasz Janik
Poland’s Lukasz Janik (12-7-1, 6 K-O.), having already gone up against Jo Jo Dan, will be fighting the so-far-unbeaten boxer known for his lightning fists: Ulysse Jr (4-0, 3 KOs).

Zewski
InterBox is currently awaiting confirmation that Mikaël Zweski will be at the Bell Centre on December 6, rather than in Vegas.

Tickets on sale
Tickets for the December 6, 2014 boxing gala are available at www.evenko.ca; by phone at 1-855-310-2525 or at the Club de Boxe Champion 514.376.0980.

PPV in North America

The Canadian light heavyweight doubleheader card is also being distributed in the United Statesby Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 8:00 p.m. ET – 5:00 p.m. PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DirecTV, DISH, and Vubiquity for a suggested retail price of only $24.95.

The Dec. 6 card in Montreal, featuring Bute and Pascal in co-main events, will be available on a pay-per-view basis in Canada on Indigo and Bell in French and English, as well as via Rogers, Shaw and Sask-Tel in English only.

For additional information please visit www.IntegratedSportsnet.com or www.InterBox.ca, follow on Twitter @IntegratedPPV @InterBoxCA @InterBoxBute @JeanPascalChamp.
ABOUT INTEGRATED SPORTS MEDIA: North America’s leading distributor of International Pay-Per-View and Closed Circuit sports events has presented World Championship and world-class boxing matches featuring Gennady Golovkin, Carl Froch, Erik Morales, Vitali Klitschko, Ricky Hatton, Cristian Mijares, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr., Tomasz Adamek, Paulie Malignaggi, Ivan Calderon, Rocky Martinez, Nicolai Valuev, Amir Khan, Marco Antonio Barrera, Arthur Abraham, David Haye, John Ruiz, Wilfredo Vasquez, Jr., Brian Viloria, Giovani Segura and Ruslan Chagaev, as well as World Championship and world-class mixed martial arts shows featuring Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Bobby Lashley, Mirko Filipovic, Bob Sapp, Jeff Monson and Roy Nelson, in addition to In addition, Integrated Sports Media has distributed numerous International soccer matches featuring teams like Real Madrid, Club America of Mexico and the National Teams of Argentina, Honduras, El Salvador and the USA. For more information on upcoming Integrated Sports events visit www.integratedsportsnet.com or follow on Twitter @IntegratedPPV.

ABOUT INTERBOX: InterBox was founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1997 and acquired by Groupe Sportscene in 2004. InterBox is internationally recognized as one of the most respected boxing organizations in Quebec and throughout the World. InterBox’s main objective is to organize top quality events, both locally and internationally. InterBox’s success is due in large part to a growing pool of elite athletes and top quality trainers to support them and their ascension to the elite. InterBox promotes, produces and presents first quality events on a regular basis thanks to the very important corporate sponsors Videotron, the Cage-aux-Sports restaurant chain, Coors Light and Mise-O-Jeau.

“We highly dispute any reports that Donovan George pulled out of this fight. It’s true that he juts had twins, but as of late this afternoon, on our end, we are still a go. We were still negotiating the final details with Interbox. Since Bute pulled out of his fight, there’s been a lot of confusion as to how to elevate this fight to the main event. A lot of people were muddying the waters on how to make this thing happen, but at the end of the day Pierre Duc, his team and I put this fight back together. We have flight arrangements, and we are scheduled to arrive in Montreal on the 30th of November, and we intend on fulfilling that. These reports have been manufactured to try to add confusion to his training camp, but I can guarantee you this: Pascal better get ready, because Donovan’s coming to knock him out.”

MONTREAL (Nov. 12, 2014) – InterBox held a press conference today in Montreal to announce that fans at the Bell Centre on December 6 will be able to watch three major fights: light heavyweights Lucian Bute (31-2, 24 KOs) vs. Roberto Bolonti (35-3, 24 KOs) and Jean Pascal (29-2-1, 17 KOs) vs. Donovan George (26-4-2, 22 KOs), as well as the NABF middleweight title fight between David Lemieux (32-2, 20 KOs) vs. Gabriel Rosado (21-8, 13 KOs) on big screens live from Brooklyn, New York.

“We have a former IBF champion in Lucian, a former WBC champion and Ring champion in Pascal and one of the most exciting middleweights in the World in David Lemieux – all on the same night,” InterBox president Jean Bedard commented. “It’s the type of card the fans deserve and get excited to see.”

Lucian in the Philippines: A different style of training

Under the watchful eyes of multiple-time Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach, who is training multi-division world champion Manny Pacquiao, Lucian is refining his tools ahead of his Dec. 6 bout. Lucian may be halfway around the world in the Philippines but he quickly got comfortable with such prestigious company. “It is an honor to train with these two legends,” Bute said from the Philippines. “There are so many good people here who stop by and watch us. It feels great. It’s like I am training for the public every day.” Bute will stay at Pacquiao’s camp until Manny and Roach leave for Pacquaio’s Nov. 22 fight vs. Chris Algieri in Macau, China. Bute will return to Montreal at the end of November.

Pascal: Waiting for offers

WBC Diamond and NABF light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal is in an excellent position. As he stated to the media, Jean is currently the mandatory contender for WBC champion Adonis Stevenson and Jean will meticulously study all fight possibilities during the next few months. Pascal’s coach, Marc Ramsey, will be accompanying Lemieux to Brooklyn to work his corner Dec. 6. Pascal, who immediately agreed for Ramsey to work with Lemieux, will have Russ Anber and Roy Jones, Jr in his corner against George. Pascal also decided to set up training camp on Montreal instead of at Big Bear in California.

PPV in North America

The Canadian light heavyweight doubleheader card is also being distributed in the United Statesby Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 8:00 p.m. ET – 5:00 p.m. PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DirecTV, DISH, and Vubiquity for a suggested retail price of only $24.95.

The Dec. 6 card in Montreal, featuring Bute and Pascal in co-main events, will be available on a pay-per-view basis in Canada on Indigo and Bell in French and English, as well as via Rogers, Shaw and Sask-Tel in English only.

Neither PPV will include Lemieux vs. Rosado.

For additional information please visit www.IntegratedSportsnet.com or www.InterBox.ca, follow on Twitter @IntegratedPPV @InterBoxCA @InterBoxBute @JeanPascalChamp.
ABOUT INTEGRATED SPORTS MEDIA: North America’s leading distributor of International Pay-Per-View and Closed Circuit sports events has presented World Championship and world-class boxing matches featuring Gennady Golovkin, Carl Froch, Erik Morales, Vitali Klitschko, Ricky Hatton, Cristian Mijares, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr., Tomasz Adamek, Paulie Malignaggi, Ivan Calderon, Rocky Martinez, Nicolai Valuev, Amir Khan, Marco Antonio Barrera, Arthur Abraham, David Haye, John Ruiz, Wilfredo Vasquez, Jr., Brian Viloria, Giovani Segura and Ruslan Chagaev, as well as World Championship and world-class mixed martial arts shows featuring Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Bobby Lashley, Mirko Filipovic, Bob Sapp, Jeff Monson and Roy Nelson, in addition to In addition, Integrated Sports Media has distributed numerous International soccer matches featuring teams like Real Madrid, Club America of Mexico and the National Teams of Argentina, Honduras, El Salvador and the USA. For more information on upcoming Integrated Sports events visit www.integratedsportsnet.com or follow on Twitter @IntegratedPPV.

ABOUT INTERBOX: InterBox was founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1997 and acquired by Groupe Sportscene in 2004. InterBox is internationally recognized as one of the most respected boxing organizations in Quebec and throughout the World. InterBox’s main objective is to organize top quality events, both locally and internationally. InterBox’s success is due in large part to a growing pool of elite athletes and top quality trainers to support them and their ascension to the elite. InterBox promotes, produces and presents first quality events on a regular basis thanks to the very important corporate sponsors Videotron, the Cage-aux-Sports restaurant chain, Coors Light and Mise-O-Jeau.

HOBOKEN, NJ (October 30, 2014) – Integrated Sports Media (ISM), North America’s undisputed leader of major boxing pay-per-view distribution, announced today that it will deliver the “Bute vs. Bolonti” double feature to United States fans, Saturday, December 6, live from historic Bell Centre in Montreal.

Bute vs. Bolonti is being distributed in the U.S. by ISM for live viewing at 8:00 p.m. ET – 5:00 p.m. PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DirecTV, DISH, and Vubiquity for a suggested retail price of only $24.95.

Former International Boxing Federation (IBF) super middleweight champion Lucian “Le Tombeaur” Bute (31-2, 24 KOs), currently the World Boxing Council (WBC) No. 5 world rated light heavyweight, headlines in a 10/12 round bout against former world title challenger Roberto “La Bestia” Bolonti (35-3, 24 KOs). In the 10/12 round co-feature, former WBC light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal (29-2-1, 17 KOs) will risk his world No. 1 ranking against Donovan “Da Bomb” George (25-4-2, 22 KOs), fighting out of Chicago.

“We’re excited to bring this great card to American fight fans,” ISM president Doug Jacobs said. “Bute and Pascal are still two of the top, most popular light heavyweights in the world. They both have incredibly passionate fan bases. There’s nothing more exciting than broadcasting a major boxing event from Bell Centre in Montreal. We’re happy that InterBox has given ISM an opportunity to showcase Bute, Pascal and others in the United States.”

“InterBox is proud to have reached an agreement with Doug Jacobs and ISM to present our December 6th Bell Centre card throughout the United States of America,” InterBox president Jean Bedard commented. “Our Team is working hard on all facets of this promotion. We are looking forward to offering our American fan base a quality event with top rated boxers in meaningful fights.”

Romanian-born Bute has reached cult status in Quebec. He was the IBF super middleweight champion for five years from 2007 through 2012, when he lost to Carl Froch. During his aforementioned stretch of dominance (10-0, 8 KOs), Bute defeated world champions such as Alejandro Berrio, William Joppy and Glen Johnson, in addition to Librado Andrade (twice), Edison Miranda, Jessie Brinkley, Brian Magee and Jean-Paul Mendy.

Bute moved up to fight as a light heavyweight in 2012, winning a 12-round decision against previously unbeaten Denis Grachev for the North American Boxing Federation (NABF) title, which he lost in his last fight (Jan. 18, 2014) by decision to his Montreal arch-rival Pascal.

Bolonti is a 35-year-old Argentinian whose last fight was a loss by 12-round decision to World Boxing Association (WBA) light heavyweight champion Juergen Braehmer last June in Germany. Bolonti, who has never been stopped as a professional boxer, is a former WBC Latino, South American and Argentina 175-pound division champion. His only two fights outside of Argentina, however, resulted in losses to Braehmer and in two years ago to former world lightweight contender Tony Bellow
in the United Kingdom by way of a 12-round decision.

Pascal has won three straight fights, including his last to Bute in this past January, since losing his WBC title to living legend Bernard Hopkins in 2011. The Haitian native who has lived in Montreal for many years is presently the No. 1 world rated light heavyweight contender by the WBC and World Boxing Organization (WBO), as well as ranked No. 3 by the IBF. He was the first to defeat multiple world champion Chad Dawson, as well as former world champions Silvio Branco and Adrian Diaconu (twice), during his outstanding 9 ½-year pro career in which he’s never been knocked out.

Additional PPV fights will soon be announced. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Tickets are on sale and available to purchase by visiting www.evenko.ca, or calling 1.855.310.2525 and Club de boxe Champion (1.514.376.0980).

For additional information please visit www.IntegratedSportsnet.com or www.InterBox.ca, follow on Twitter @IntegratedPPV @InterBoxCA @ButeLucian @JeanPascalChamp.