SAN CARLOS, CA (February 24, 2018) – Victor Conte, CEO of SNAC System speaks out in response to WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder’s recent comments made during the pre-fight conference call for his upcoming world title bout against Luis Ortiz in Brooklyn, New York on March 3rd.

Below are some of the quotes from Conte’s response to Wilder:

“I don’t believe Deontay Wilder knows much about anti-doping!”

“I don’t think Wilder’s statement ‘…once a cheat, always a cheat’ is coming from an informed individual.”

“He seems to know about as much about anti-doping as I know about skydiving and I am afraid of heights.”

“Luis Ortiz has been tested seven times by VADA as well as the New York commission.”

“I’ve been assisting the Ortiz camp by helping trainer Herman Caicedo with nutrition and training protocols. In fact, I have tested Ortiz’s blood profile on two different dates and have not seen any of the markers that would suggest any form of drug use.”

“Bottom line. I think Luis Ortiz is a clean athlete and everybody needs to put this ‘once a cheat, always cheat’ stuff aside. I hope it doesn’t become a distraction or sideshow this week and that everyone can focus upon a great fight that is about to happen. My prediction is Luis Ortiz will do a great job and become the new heavyweight champion of the world.”

BROOKLYN (Feb. 23, 2018) – Middleweight contender Hugo Centeno Jr. suffered a rib injury while training and his Interim WBC Middleweight World Championship bout with Jermall Charlo has been rescheduled for a Premier Boxing Champions event on Saturday, April 21 live on SHOWTIME.

The March 3 SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast continues as a doubleheader beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT from Barclays Center in Brooklyn. In the main event, WBC Heavyweight World Champion Deontay Wilder will make the seventh and most difficult defense of his title against fellow-unbeaten heavyweight Luis Ortiz.

In the opening bout of the March 3 doubleheader, Andre Dirrell and Jose Uzcategui will meet for the Interim IBF Super Middleweight World Championship in an immediate rematch of one of 2017’s best and most controversial fights.

Charlo vs. Centeno will now be a featured bout on the previously announced April 21 SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast presented by Premier Boxing Champions. Four-division world champion Adrien Broner will face undefeated former champion Omar Figueroa and one of boxing’s brightest young stars, Gervonta Davis, returns to the ring as the 23-year-old undefeated former champion looks to regain a title in the 130-pound class.

“While the injury to Centeno is unfortunate, we’re pleased to have the flexibility to keep the Charlo-Centeno fight on our 2018 boxing schedule,” said Stephen Espinoza, President, Sports & Event Programming, Showtime Networks Inc. “The March 3 SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING event remains a can’t-miss night for any fight fan, with Deontay Wilder facing the most dangerous opponent of his career in Luis Ortiz, and Andre Dirrell and Jose Uzcategui settling the score in a rematch of one of 2017’s best fights.”

“I’m devastated.,” said Centeno. “I’ve been in the gym for a long time. Being so close to a fight and accomplishing my dream of a world title it’s devastating.

“It happened during sparring. I tried to work through the pain and as the day progressed and the adrenaline subsided I had to go to the ER and get checked out. It’s a good enough injury that it had to be postponed. Nothing was broken, but it was severe enough to keep me from fighting.

“I was just about to peak. Now I have to taper off a bit and cut back to let my body recover and then pick it up and get some momentum back.”

“I’m ready to go,” said Charlo. “I’m 167 pounds right now, and this was the best camp I’ve ever had. I’m so disappointed. I’m at a loss for words. When you want something so bad and you don’t get it, you can’t be a kid about it. You just have to deal with it.

“I’m hungry and I’m ready to get back in the ring. I’m still coming to the fight though. I’m going be there to support Deontay. I love Barclays Center and all my fans in Brooklyn.”

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Lou DiBella
Thanks for joining us, everybody for the call for SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING tripleheader presented by Premier Boxing Champions featuring the heavyweight championship of the world pitting Deontay Wilder vs. Luis Ortiz at Barclay Center in Brooklyn, New York Saturday night March 3, 2018.

Tickets are on sale for the live event and available at Ticketmaster, Barclays Center box office or barclaycenter.com. It’s been a great start to the year already for SHOWTIME Boxing. It’s been a great start of the year for Stephen Espinoza who was recently promoted deservingly to President of sports and events programming for SHOWTIME Networks.

Stephen’s been instrumental in Deontay Wilder having a home at SHOWTIME and was instrumental in creating this tremendous tripleheader for the fans on March 3rd so it’s my pleasure to introduce Stephen Espinoza.

Stephen Espinoza
Thanks very much, Lou, and as good as a main event this is and we’re very excited about it, the other two fights that are on the card are high-quality fights as well.

These are three fights which could have been a main event in their own right. Andre Dirrell and José Uzcategui, this is a rematch of a really good fight that was a little bit overshadowed by the controversial unfortunate event that happened afterward. The fight itself was a Fight of the Year candidate.

Jermall Charlo and Hugo Centeno are two young guys in the primes of their career with only one loss between them, an interim title fight as well, and then the big one, Wilder vs. Ortiz. When we announced our first half of the year schedule, which was a loaded schedule with 11 different events and 13 world title fights, I think this fight Wilder vs. Ortiz was really the marquee matchup. Not just because of the heavyweights but because it’s such a well-matched fight.

Deontay is making his seventh and arguably his most-difficult defense of his WBC heavyweight title. It is the closest betting odds for a Wilder fight since he won the title in January of 2015, and deservedly so. Luis Ortiz is probably the division’s most-avoided fighter, a great power-puncher, a lefty, very skilled boxer and a matchup of two of the four top heavyweights in the world.

In fact, in March we will be featuring all four of the top four heavyweights in the world and all four of the major world titles: Wilder/Ortiz on March 3, bookended later by Joshua vs. Parker on March 31.

Between those two fights we will be featuring all four of the best heavyweights in the world, all four world championships and a combined record among those four fighters of 111 wins, 0 losses, 100 knockouts.

Between the two of these guys in our main event by itself, we have 67 total fights with 62 of those ending in knockout. We have a thrilling schedule for the first half of the year, a great slate of two heavyweight title fights, and I think the marquee matchup of the first half of the year, the fight everyone’s looking forward to, Wilder vs. Ortiz.

L. DiBella
Thank you so much, Stephen Espinoza really has put together an incredible slate. It’s already been announced and it’s unprecedented to have this type of schedule out there this far in advance with fans getting a consistent product like this.

Not to belabor a point but I read a comment on my Twitter feed from a fan saying that this fight card would be pay-per-view worthy. Well, I guess that that’s a compliment but I think it’s a bigger compliment to the people at SHOWTIME that this is a live tripleheader on premium cable.

This is an opportunity for people to subscribe to the best premium cable network for boxing out there if they don’t do so already and to get a card featuring a a highly competitive terrific heavyweight title matchup with two other great fights.

So we’re going to move on to the fighters now but this really is a special night of boxing on March 3. Everyone who can get to Brooklyn should be at Barclays Center for it but if not, you have the opportunity to see this on SHOWTIME.

Luis “King Kong” Ortiz, 28 and 0, 24 KOs from out of Miami, Florida now by way of Camaguey, Cuba. He won numerous titles, every Latin-related title you can win on his way up the world rankings. He was 343 and 19 as an amateur, 343 and 19. That makes him one of the greatest amateur heavyweight fighters in the history of boxing.

He’s a big guy, he’s a left-hander, he’s a power-punching left-hander and through the goodness and the desire of the heavyweight champion of the world Deontay Wilder to prove himself to be the best, Luis Ortiz – “King Kong” Ortiz – will get a chance on March 3rd to change the lives not only of his family but of his grandkids and generations to come, an opportunity to dethrone the heavyweight champion if he can do it.

It’s another opportunity after some other possible opportunities that fell through, he’s getting this chance yet again so he’s coming into this fight with these stellar credentials with all the stability and with nothing to lose. His manager Jay Jimenez will do the translating for him – but believe me I’m sure that King Kong has a lot to say, Luis “King Kong” Ortiz. Jay?

Luis Ortiz
As far as the preparation, I’m ready to go. We’re ready to go this week if we have to. As far as for the fight and for Wilder, I have no comments for him.

L. DiBella
All right, well then I’ll then turn to the heavyweight champion of the world. When he knocked-out Bermane Stiverne in their rematch on November 4th, it allows him to now say that he’s knocked-out every man he’s faced as a professional.

This is a step toward proving that he’s the best and a step toward eventual unification of the heavyweight titles if he can get past his toughest test to date so Deontay, would you like to say a couple of words?

Deontay Wilder
Good evening, everyone. Hope everybody’s having a wonderful day and a beautiful day as beautiful as mine. I just had a scrumptious meal with some sweet tea, I’m feeling good. I’m fixing to get ready to go spar and get this past week over and March 3 I’m coming to whip Luis Ortiz’ ass but I’m excited for this fight. I am so excited for this fight.

I’m glad that it’s finally here, one more week, next weekend, all the talking, all the anticipation for this fight, all the hype, all of that’s fixing to come into play next week and I’m looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to being in one of my biggest, one of my toughest fights to date and we’re going to see what happens.

I’m feeling great, camp has been going great. This is what I’ve been waiting on to prove to the world what I’ve been saying all along, that I am the best heavyweight champion in this era. I am the best heavyweight champion, period, and I’m willing to prove that not only to Luis Ortiz but to the world.

I think Luis Ortiz is a great fighter and I think this is the biggest fight that could be made at this point in time in boxing. He’s been waiting a very long time and here I come, Luiz Ortiz called me his angel because I came along, I took him under my wings, I’ve blessed him not only once but twice and I can’t keep saying that enough.

I want people to get it in their mind that I could have ran from this fight. I could have chosen any opponent that I wanted to to fight on March the 3, especially when all the other stuff went about, I could have easily gone somewhere else but no, I’m adamant about what I say, I’m confident about what I’m going to do and I’m ready to prove it to the world. So I got the perfect opponent, it’s the perfect time, it’s the perfect place.

Somebody’s ‘0’, got to go and you all already know what I come to do. I talk my talk to walk my walk. It’s going to be up to Luis Ortiz to prove me wrong. He’s got an opportunity to be the first Cuban heavyweight champion of the world. It sounds good but he got a big task in front of him. He dealing with a monster. He dealing with a guy with a killer instinct.

He dealing with a guy that ain’t afraid of not one human being on Earth, especially when you get in that jungle and I am the king of the jungle. I am the lion of the jungle. He’s never faced nobody with the pedigree with the killer instinct that I have inside of me. He’s never faced a guy that wanted to knock his head off so clean off his shoulders.

He never been in there with a guy that won’t back down, won’t budge. I can’t wait. I hope he’s sleeping good, too. I hope you’re getting all your minerals, your protein and you’re taking your medicine faithfully because March the 3rd it’s going to be a real fight. I’d like to welcome you to the real sport of boxing.

Q
How hard is it for you to think and to focus so hard on this fight knowing that you’ve had three other fights to my count that have fallen-out because of bad drug tests. Do you allow yourself to think of that as a possibility?

D. Wilder
Yes, that could happen, that’s a possibility, we always say, once a cheat, always a cheat and that will always carry with him but that’s going to be up to Luis Ortiz. I think Luis Ortiz is a smart guy and I think he’s going to do the right thing up to this point.

If he doesn’t, like I said, it’ll be shame on him to put people through so much pain and it’s ridiculous that we have to be talking about this still at this point in time with drugs and cheating and stuff but I think he’s going to do the right thing and so with that being said, I’m not worried about it.

I have confidence in him that he’s going to turn-up clean and he’s going to give a great performance on the night of that fight and we’re all going to be winners at the end of the night.

Q
How hard is it to have the birth of a child take place so close to the fight?

D. Wilder
Well, boxing comes first. This is my life. This is my career that we’re talking about. This is how I can afford to feed my family so nothing come above this so when coming into that involvement, I made it perfectly clear that boxing was first and boxing was last. Now we have some in the middle that we can fill but then we can do so.

They were very cooperative of what I requested and what I wanted to happen and they fulfilled their obligations with me and I did so with them. My focus is solid on Luis Ortiz. I don’t want people to mistake me doing reality show for not caring about this fight.

When Deontay Wilder’s mind is set on something, when he’s focused, nothing is going to stop me.

Q
Deontay how do you prepare for fights mentally and how do you think that helps or hurts you?

D. Wilder
I think boxing for me is 90% mental during the duress or even 96 percent. it’s a majority mental for me more than physical. That’s why I’m able to speak and say what I’m going to do and actually deliver that because I believe in myself, I believe what I say, I believe in what I say I’m going to do.

I don’t play around. That’s the thing about it and it all comes from my mental standpoint, my mental game, mentally, emotionally, physically I am ready for this fight.

Like I said, I fought this fight 100 times and the thing about it – about this fight – out of the 100 times I done fought this fight, most days were similar but the only thing that was different out of the 100 times I done fought this fight, the ending it ended in different ways, different knockouts because I will knock him out.

It ain’t going to be a matter of time. A win is going to be a matter of time or when it lands and the fashion I do it in so mental plays a big part in what I do. That’s why I’m able to boldly speak how I speak because a lot of guys they aren’t confident in themselves.

They won’t dare speak how I speak, they won’t dare to do it because they don’t know what the outcome’s going to be on that night of that fight but with me, I know what it’s going to be because it’s up to me.

It’s not up to the crowd, it’s not up to my trainers, it’s not up to nobody but myself in that ring and we all know what when Deontay Wilder get under those lights, those cameras, I perform my best. I’m an entertainer so I can’t wait.

Q
Luis how do you feel when people say they want to see Joshua vs. Wilder?

L. Ortiz
I have no feelings there, that fight isn’t going to happen. That fight is not going to happen.

Everybody that talks as much as Deontay loses. Brandon Rios just the other day was talking and talking and talking and talking against Danny Garcia and look what happened. None of this talk bothers me. He can talk all he wants. Deontay is trying to convince himself.

Q
Deontay you said that it feels like I’m better off not being in this sport as being in it, I don’t understand it when it comes to all the failed drug tests your opponents have had in the past couple of fights. Do you still feel that way?

D. Wilder
So sometimes I still feel that way, but also I have to face reality as well too that these guys are going to do it. They’re going to do it and these organization makes it worse because they allow them to do it because they bring them back in without suffering any really no type of consequences behind their actions.

Makes you wonder what they doing when they taking these PEDs. Everybody wants to come-up, I understand.

Everybody want to feed their family; I understand but how can you say you a man when you take PEDs? When you cheat, when you try to do things to give you that advantage to try to get on top of the game, it doesn’t work that way.

So many champions have done it as well. We don’t know how many times these guys do it we just know the number of times that they got caught. The intention is to do it without getting caught. We try to be as smart as we can not to get caught and that’s a problem.

It’s like I can’t even be a man, I couldn’t even be a man and sit up here and allow nobody to put something in my mouth or stick needles in my arm or in my ass or wherever it goes. I couldn’t be a man and say that and I win a title and something and say I did it because no, you didn’t. You didn’t do nothing.

You cheated and that’s bottom line. It’s a touchy subject because I’ve been a clean fighter all my life. I never even thought about even taking no drugs or put in my body to make my body do something that it’s not normally supposed to do. I’m a clean fighter. I’m a fair fighter. I bring what I bring and I give you results.

I say what I’m going to do and I deliver. I give you results. I’m very confident of what I say no matter what nobody may feel or what they may say. No. I don’t have to deal with none of that because it’s already there. I’ve showed you 39 times, 39 knockouts.

This is about to be my 40th fight with 39 KOs. Yes, we may have an amateur background but that’s amateur. This is the pros and in the pros I’m more experienced. I’m a knockout artist. That’s what I come to do and that’s what I will do. I promise you that. Promise. Promise. I promise.

Q
First question for Luis, is Deontay the toughest fighter that you’ve faced and do you have a prediction for this fight?

L. Ortiz
Absolutely not. It’s going to be a hell of a fight and somebody’s going to hit the canvas. While he keeps hyping himself and hyping himself and trying to believe in himself, it’s going to be a bad night for him. He’s talking about PEDs. I’ve taken seven tests in a month and a week, seven blood and urine tests for VADA and the New York Commission.

Bryant Jennings was the toughest fight Luis ever had.

D. Wilder
Oh lord, you can say that now because you ain’t faced me.

L. Ortiz
Well, you’re in for a hell of a problem March 3.

Q
Deontay how have you improved since that Szpilka fight and are there any tactics you plan on using differently when facing a southpaw this time around?

D. Wilder
No, my camp has been great. I’ve had a lot of great sparring partners. I’ve even had sparring partners that have whipped his sparring partners, so that explains a lot. It’s going to be a great fight.

Szpilka was a very awkward fighter, just like myself so when you get two awkward fighters in there, it turns-out to be like that. I adapt to every fighter. I feel every fighter out. No matter how long it takes, I’ll figure you out.

Szpilka was a very awkward fighter, just as myself so when you get two awkward fighters in there, it turns-out to be like that. I feel every fighter out. No matter how long it takes, I’ll figure you out.

It’s a 12-round fight. People got to understand, people want me to be so perfect. They want me to win all the rounds, they want me to look good doing it and they want the knockout. They expect so much of me but it’s okay, because I always deliver what I say I’m going to do.

That’s the thing about me, I’m a man of my word and I have a lot of credit for being a man of my word worldwide, not just the belief part isn’t it? So with this southpaw, I can’t wait. He’s not as awkward as you think, there’s a lot of things that he does wrong, there’s a lot of mistakes that he’s making in the ring and it’s due to his long amateur experience.

That’s going to be a bad thing for him when you’re coming in the professional rankings so the fight is going to be good as it lasts and I can’t wait. They never had nobody in front of them that won’t just knock his head off like I want to do. They never had a guy in there so vicious, so mean as me, and it’s so real.

There’s nothing that I have to pretend to be. I am who I am. I am the king.

Q
What do you think of Ortiz’ level of opposition to this point?

D. Wilder
I’ll let you be the judge of that. Ortiz has never faced nobody with my caliber. Ortiz ain’t never faced nobody with the intensity, with the mindset that I have or with the natural killer instinct that I have.

All that shit goes out the window when you get in the ring with a real one. I don’t care about all that. That ain’t nothing.

There is nothing that man’s going to do to touch me where he’s going to hurt me. I’m going to walk through all that. I’m telling you. That’s nothing. I’ve seen his style many, many, many times. I’ve fought it coming-up in the amateurs. I’ve got a lot of Cuban friends. I know their style. Trust me. And I can’t wait. That’s why I do my talking. I talk my talk so I can walk my walk.

Anybody else on the outside of the ring can’t talk the talk because they’re not going to be able to walk that green mile. His trainers, his promoters, his people around him are not going to be able to walk the green mile. Luis Ortiz is going to be the only person that’s going to be able to have to suffer the consequences and the more they talk, the more punishment that comes on him.

Everything intensifies my anticipation of knocking his head off. Keep talking.

L. DiBella
Well guys, Deontay’s going to go do some talking in the ring. He’s got to go spar right now. Jay Jimenez thank you and Luis Ortiz for being on the call. Jay, Luis is going to get an opportunity to do all his talking on March 3rd. Thanks everybody for joining us. Thank you Jay, thank you Deontay.

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For more information visit www.sho.com/sports , www.premierboxingchampions.com,
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and www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment. PBC is sponsored by Corona Extra, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

BROOKLYN (February 21, 2018) – The undercard for the heavyweight world title showdown between Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz set for Saturday, March 3, from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING, willnow feature an outstanding 10-round women’s world title clash between Long Island’s Alicia “The Empress” Napoleon (8-1, 5 KOs) and undefeated Femke Hermans (6-0, 3 KOs), of Londerzeel, Belgium, for the vacant WBA Women’s Super Middleweight World Title.

“I’m thrilled to be fighting at Barclays Center for this world title,” said Napoleon. “This means so much to me and for women’s boxing in the United States. I’ve worked very hard for many years and dreamed of becoming a world champion and to have my Long Island fans see me challenge for the title makes it even more special.”

“DiBella Entertainment, Premier Boxing Champions, Brooklyn Boxing and SHOWTIME remain committed to women’s boxing and together we have staged, or at least scheduled, a women’s fight of significance on every card we’ve worked on at Barclays Center,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “Napoleon is a very charismatic and popular fighter from Long Island and, on March 3, she will have a chance to achieve her dream of becoming a world champion in front of her hometown fans.”

Owner of the two popular Overthrow boxing gyms in Brooklyn and Manhattan, Napoleon made her professional debut in August 2015 winning her first seven fights, including five by stoppage.

Following her first loss on December 10, 2016, to world ranked contender Tori Nelson, Napoleon bounced back to defeat Nikolett Papp, on November 18, 2017, in Queens, New York.

Victorious three times in 2017, Hermans will be leaving Belgium for the first time in her professional career for the world title fight with Napoleon. In her last bout, the 28-year-old won a unanimous decision against Ester Koneca, on September 30, 2017.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and TGB Promotions, start at $50 and are on sale now. To purchase tickets, visit Ticketmaster.com, BarclaysCenter.com, or call 800-745-3000. Tickets for the event can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center.

The Premier Boxing Champions event is headlined by the highly anticipated Wilder vs. Ortiz matchup and will see undefeated former 154-pound champion Jermall Charlo take on Hugo Centeno, Jr. for the interim WBC middleweight title in the co-feature. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins live on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT with top super middleweight contender Andre Dirrell battling hard-hitting Jose Uzcategui in a rematch for the interim IBF168-pound world title.

# # #

For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com,
follow us on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @LouDiBella, @DiBellaEnt, @TGBPromotions, @BarclaysCenter, @Brooklyn_Boxing and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/barclayscenter,
and www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment. PBC is sponsored by Corona Extra, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

MIAMI (February 20, 2018) – Unbeaten heavyweight contender Luis “The Real King Kong” Ortiz is finally nearing his first world title opportunity as he prepares to take on WBC Heavyweight World Champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder Saturday, March 3 live on SHOWTIME from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.

The Premier Boxing Champions event will see undefeated former 154-pound champion Jermall Charlo take on Hugo Centeno, Jr. for the interim WBC middleweight title in the co-feature. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT with top super middleweight contender Andre Dirrell battling hard-hitting Jose Uzcategui in a rematch for the IBF Interim 168-pound world title.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and TGB Promotions, start at $50 and are on sale now. To purchase tickets, visit Ticketmaster.com, BarclaysCenter.com, or call 800-745-3000. Tickets for the event can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center.

Ortiz spoke on a variety of topics as he heads into the highly anticipated showdown with Wilder. Here is what Ortiz had to say from training camp in Miami:

On Deontay Wilder…

“He’s talking too much. He’s going to have to back that up in the ring. He says he’s going to kill ‘King Kong.’ He’s going to knock me out. I want to watch him try. I’m not like those other guys he fought. I’m a real fighter. Tough and with a lot of experience. I’ve been fighting since I was 10 years old.

“He doesn’t intimidate me. His trash talk makes me laugh. It’s just a lot of noise. I’m hungry. I’m doing this for my family. He better take me seriously because he’s going to find himself on the canvas before he knows it. I’m going to show the world who ‘King Kong’ is.”

On his confrontation with Wilder after Ortiz’s last fight…

“Someone told me Wilder was in the crowd, I smiled. I was glad to see him. I knew what he wanted.

“I’m not the kind that likes to trash talk, but I’ve had it with this guy. He talks too much. He has a big mouth. He has insulted me and has said too many dumb things. So when I saw him ringside I told him to get inside the ring and to tell the world once and for all that he was going to fight me. He says he wants to fight the top fighters. I’m a top fighter. Let’s do it.”

On testing positive for a banned substance during training for the first scheduled fight against Wilder…

“A lot of people that believe in me and know me well, know that I would not do anything that can jeopardize my future as a boxer. I have too much at stake: my family, my children and the possibility to provide for them.

“I had been taking that medicine for two years. It was my mistake not to disclose that prescription drug in the paperwork. I never thought a prescription was going to bring me so much trouble. I was taking this medicine to treat high blood pressure, but apparently it’s also used to go to the bathroom a lot and mask other things. I drink two gallons of water per day. I go to the bathroom a lot already. I never put two and two together. I’m clean. The dose they found in my system was too low to mask anything at all. If I would have known this prescription drug was not allowed, I would have told my trainer and my doctor.

“I’m a heavyweight I don’t need to make weight. Why am I going to go to the trouble of taking an illegal substance that makes you go to the bathroom a lot? I have no need. I simply didn’t know it was banned. If I would have known, I would have said something to my trainer or to the doctors.

“I think the fight was not meant to be at that point in time last year. Destiny played a part. It was supposed to be postponed. Now there are no excuses.”

On how important this fight is for him…

“Every fight I’ve had in my career has been important. The key is always to avoid thinking that it’s win or die because that can put you off center. So the way I see it is that this fight is important for me because I have to win it. And I’m going to. It’s a world championship, but for me it’s just another day at work. My only goal is to win this fight. Win. Win. Win. By winning this fight, everything else unfolds. I get a title and I help my family.”

On what’s going to happen on fight night…

“When I get in the ring, all I will be thinking about is the strategy we put together in the gym. My family is always there. They go to every fight. That was my promise to them when I had to leave them behind in Cuba to come to the United States. They will come with me wherever I go. If I gas out, I look at them and they keep me going. They are my motivation and they will help me achieve this victory.”

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MIAMI (February 16, 2018) – Unbeaten heavyweight contender Luis “The Real King Kong” Ortiz is finally nearing his first world title opportunity as he prepares to take on WBC Heavyweight World Champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder Saturday, March 3 live on SHOWTIME from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.

The Premier Boxing Champions event will see undefeated former 154-pound champion Jermall Charlo take on Hugo Centeno, Jr. for the interim WBC middleweight title in the co-feature. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT with top super middleweight contender Andre Dirrell battling hard-hitting Jose Uzcategui in a rematch for the IBF Interim 168-pound world title.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and TGB Promotions, start at $50 and are on sale now. To purchase tickets, visit Ticketmaster.com, BarclaysCenter.com, or call 800-745-3000. Tickets for the event can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center.

Ortiz spoke on a variety of topics as he heads into the highly anticipated showdown with Wilder. Here is what Ortiz had to say from training camp in Miami:

On Deontay Wilder…
“He’s talking too much. He’s going to have to back that up in the ring. He says he’s going to kill ‘King Kong.’ He’s going to knock me out. I want to watch him try. I’m not like those other guys he fought. I’m a real fighter. Tough and with a lot of experience. I’ve been fighting since I was 10 years old.

“He doesn’t intimidate me. His trash talk makes me laugh. It’s just a lot of noise. I’m hungry. I’m doing this for my family. He better take me seriously because he’s going to find himself on the canvas before he knows it. I’m going to show the world who ‘King Kong’ is.”

On his confrontation with Wilder after Ortiz’s last fight…
“Someone told me Wilder was in the crowd, I smiled. I was glad to see him. I knew what he wanted.

“I’m not the kind that likes to trash talk, but I’ve had it with this guy. He talks too much. He has a big mouth. He has insulted me and has said too many dumb things. So when I saw him ringside I told him to get inside the ring and to tell the world once and for all that he was going to fight me. He says he wants to fight the top fighters. I’m a top fighter. Let’s do it.”

On testing positive for a banned substance during training for the first scheduled fight against Wilder…
“A lot of people that believe in me and know me well, know that I would not do anything that can jeopardize my future as a boxer. I have too much at stake: my family, my children and the possibility to provide for them.

“I had been taking that medicine for two years. It was my mistake not to disclose that prescription drug in the paperwork. I never thought a prescription was going to bring me so much trouble. I was taking this medicine to treat high blood pressure, but apparently it’s also used to go to the bathroom a lot and mask other things. I drink two gallons of water per day. I go to the bathroom a lot already. I never put two and two together. I’m clean. The dose they found in my system was too low to mask anything at all. If I would have known this prescription drug was not allowed, I would have told my trainer and my doctor.

“I’m a heavyweight I don’t need to make weight. Why am I going to go to the trouble of taking an illegal substance that makes you go to the bathroom a lot? I have no need. I simply didn’t know it was banned. If I would have known, I would have said something to my trainer or to the doctors.

“I think the fight was not meant to be at that point in time last year. Destiny played a part. It was supposed to be postponed. Now there are no excuses.”

On how important this fight is for him…
“Every fight I’ve had in my career has been important. The key is always to avoid thinking that it’s win or die because that can put you off center. So the way I see it is that this fight is important for me because I have to win it. And I’m going to. It’s a world championship, but for me it’s just another day at work. My only goal is to win this fight. Win. Win. Win. By winning this fight, everything else unfolds. I get a title and I help my family.”

On what’s going to happen on fight night…
“When I get in the ring, all I will be thinking about is the strategy we put together in the gym. My family is always there. They go to every fight. That was my promise to them when I had to leave them behind in Cuba to come to the United States. They will come with me wherever I go. If I gas out, I look at them and they keep me going. They are my motivation and they will help me achieve this victory.”

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BROOKLYN (February 14, 2018) – The heavyweight world title showdown between Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz will feature a stacked undercard of exciting attractions that includes top contenders, a former heavyweight champion, exciting prospects and more all entering the ring on Saturday, March 3 from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.

Action inside the arena includes top middleweight contender Sergey Derevyanchenko facing Dashon Johnson in an eight-round fight, 2016 U.S. Olympian Gary Antuanne Russell in a six-round super lightweight showdown, and a 10-round matchup between super welterweight prospects Patrick Day and Kyrone Davis.

A 2008 Ukrainian Olympian now fighting out of Brooklyn, Derevyanchenko (11-0, 9 KOs) earned his top contender status in the IBF by stopping Tureano Johnson in the 12th round of their August 2017 showdown and will face California’s Johnson (22-22-3, 7 KOs) as he awaits his title shot.

One of featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr.’s younger brothers, the 21-year-old Russell (3-0, 3 KOs) represented the U.S. at the 2016 Olympic games in Rio and made it to the quarterfinal round. He turned pro in May of last year and has scored three first round stoppages as a pro.

The 25-year-old Day (14-2-1, 6 KOs) fights out of Freeport, New York and most recently won an exciting contest over then unbeaten Eric Walker last July to seize the WBC Continental Americas Super Welterweight Title. He takes on another prospect looking to leap to contender status in the 23-year-old Davis (13-1, 5 KOs) from Delaware who enters this bout on a three-fight winning streak.

The card continues with former heavyweight world champion Charles Martin (25-1-1, 23 KOs) in an eight-round fight, former world title challenger Willie Monroe Jr. (21-3, 6 KOs) in an eight-round middleweight affair and a pair of local welterweight prospects fighting at Barclays Center for the fourth time as Richardson Hitchins (3-0, 1 KO) and Kenny Robles (2-1, 1 KO) compete in separate six-round attractions. Rounding out the action is unbeaten prospect Shynggyskhan Tazhibay (5-0, 2 KOs) in a six-round welterweight bout.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and TGB Promotions, start at $50 and are on sale now. To purchase tickets, visit Ticketmaster.com, BarclaysCenter.com, or call 800-745-3000. Tickets for the event can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center.

The Premier Boxing Champions event is headlined by the highly anticipated Wilder vs. Ortiz matchup and will see undefeated former 154-pound champion Jermall Charlo take on Hugo Centeno, Jr. for the interim WBC middleweight title in the co-feature. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins live on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT with
top super middleweight contender Andre Dirrell battling hard-hitting Jose Uzcategui in a rematch for the IBF Interim 168-pound world title.

BROOKLYN (February 12, 2018) – Top super middleweight contender Andre Dirrell clashes with hard-hitting Jose Uzcategui in a rematch for the IBF Interim 168-pound world title live on SHOWTIME Saturday, March 3 from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™, as part of a tripleheader presented by Premier Boxing Champions.

Heavyweight champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder will defend his title against Luis “The Real King Kong” Ortiz in the main event of a SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING tripleheader. The telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and also features undefeated former 154-pound champion Jermall Charlo taking on Hugo Centeno, Jr. for the interim WBC middleweight title in the co-feature.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and TGB Promotions, start at $50 and are on sale now. To purchase tickets, visit Ticketmaster.com, BarclaysCenter.com, or call 800-745-3000. Tickets for the event can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center.

The hotly contested first match between Dirrell and Uzcategui, which was also for the IBF interim world title, ended in controversy after Uzcategui was disqualified for landing a punch after the bell sounded to end the eighth round. Dirrell was dropped and knocked out by the punch. The referee ruled that the punch was intentional and disqualified Uzcategui. In the IBF mandated rematch, Dirrell and Uzcategui will look to put themselves in position to fight for the super middleweight title that Caleb Truax recently earned via a majority decision over James DeGale.

Dirrell (26-2, 16 KOs), a bronze medal winner for the 2004 U.S. Olympic boxing team, continues his quest for a world championship. The 34-year-old southpaw from Flint, Michigan lost a split decision to Carl Froch in his first attempt in 2009 and dropped a narrow unanimous decision to DeGale in his next attempt in 2015.

“I’m extremely excited to be a part of one of the most dynamic tripleheaders this year,” Dirrell said. “This time around I’ll be phenomenal and leave no doubt who the better fighter is. I’m 100 percent focused on dominating Uzcategui on March 3 and getting another shot at the title.”

The 27-year-old Uzcategui (26-2, 22 KOs), who is from Venezuela and now lives in Tijuana, Mexico, worked his way up to the match against Dirrell with a string of four straight stoppage victories, including a stunning upset of Julian Jackson in 2015. Uzcategui dropped Jackson four times on the way to a second round technical knockout victory.

“I’m very excited to go get what’s mine,” said Uzcategui. “I feel I won the last fight. I didn’t feel I did anything wrong. What happened in the last fight is in the past. I’m going to get what belongs to me. The world will see what ‘Bolivita’ can do and they’ll want to see more of me.”

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LOS ANGELES (Feb. 9, 2018) – Just days after the birth of his daughter, American heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder met with members of the Southern California media on Thursday as he prepares to defend his WBC Heavyweight World Championship against fellow-undefeated challenger Luis Ortiz Saturday, March 3 live on SHOWTIME from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.

Wilder and his girlfriend, fellow “WAGS Atlanta” star Telli Swift, welcomed their daughter into the world on Tuesday before Wilder turned his focus to March 3, climbing in the ring at Team Watson Boxing Club in the San Fernando Valley to work out with his trainer Mark Breland, the former U.S. Olympics gold medalist and former WBC Welterweight World Champion.

The 32-year-old Wilder owns a perfect record of 39 wins, zero losses and 38 knockouts. Fighting out of his hometown of Tuscaloosa, Ala., he was a 2008 Olympic Bronze Medalist and is the only reigning American heavyweight world champion. The 6-foot-7 Wilder faces the toughest opponent of his career in Ortiz, a 6-foot-4 Cuban who owns a professional record of 28-0 with 24 knockouts.

Here is what Wilder had to say on Thursday:

DEONTAY WILDER:

“Once I unify all the titles then line up the mandatories, I’ll easily get to 50-0. I’m not a 12-round fighter, and I don’t get overtime. I’m a knockout artist. So that being said, I don’t take much damage, but I give all the damage. I put people in the hospitals. I put people in stretchers. When you fight me your head is not the same when you leave. When you fight me you’re really signing a death warrant.

“This is one of the biggest fights of my career and I’m up for the challenge. I’m going to pass with flying colors.

“Ortiz has got that reputation of being the bogeyman but I’ve never been scared of the bogeyman. For that reason, I wanted him. A lot of people have been avoiding him, even champions that are champions to this day have avoided Luis Ortiz. But this champion right here took on the opportunity.

Even when [Ortiz] failed the drug test once, I still blessed him again because I’m very adamant about what I want to do. I want to fight the best. I say I’m the best. I say it very proudly, I say it very confidently. I say it so boldly and I want to show the world that I don’t play around. If I say it, I really mean what I say. I don’t have time to waste.

“If he fails again then somebody’s going to need to go whoop his ass. The public needs to whoop his ass. All of Miami should get up and do that. The first time, a lot of people spent a lot of time and a lot of money for tickets and he did what he did. A lot of people were enraged. I heard it and a lot of people blamed me, which I don’t know why. But, with this fight right here and what I did with my last performance, it makes it even better. It intensifies the whole fight. So, if he [fails his drug test again] then shame on him. I feel sorry for his soul and his life. I don’t think he’s going to do that. I think he has a lot of responsibilities in his hands right now. At this point in time he knows he needs to do the right thing. Three times is not the charm in all instances.”

On his lifestyle outside of boxing:

“I just think life itself is just mental. I do a lot of visualization. I do a lot of meditation. It strengthens my mind to go through a lot of the situations that I go through. Having a baby and being on a reality show, all of that is fun stuff. Some people know how to maintain it and some people don’t. I’m just a guy that multitasks a lot of things. I can do a lot of things. Even when I’m talking to you, my mind can be in so many different places right now and still be able to comprehend and interact with you. So, I think I was meant for a lot of things. Boxing is just not what all I can do. I’m so talented in so many different areas.

“I’m a laid back guy. In my personal life I’m just a cool, calm and collected dude that likes to live life and I love peace. Unfortunately, in what I do in the ring, I turn into the ‘Bronze Bomber’ and the ‘Bronze Bomber’ don’t get caught by no one.“

On being on reality TV and recognized by non-boxing fans:

“I think it’s very important. People need to know who the heavyweight champion of the world is. America got a bad man, an ass-whooper, right in America. I think it’s important and people should understand and should know who that is. That’s why I do the things I do. That’s why I’m so competitive. That’s why I speak the way I speak. Sometimes it may annoy people, it may get on people’s nerves and I never hear it in front of my face, but I understand it. I do it to show people that I’m going to speak it and you’re going to see me deliver it. I think you get the most respect when you say something you’re going to do and you do it. Look at Ali, people hated him. They say he was a big mouth who ran his mouth too much but he proved himself many times and that’s that thing I want to do. I want to speak what I say I’m going to do and you watch me work.”

On Anthony Joshua:

“I want him just as bad as everybody else wants him. If it was up to me, we would’ve been fighting two years ago. I’ve been calling this man out. When they hyped him up and said he was this, said he was that. I’m the type of person that I get happy for other people. With me and my happiness and me being successful, that’s all up to me. It ain’t up to nobody else. So, when I see other people doing great things, when I see good things coming to other people, I get happy for other people. It’s a hard thing for people to get happy for other people because things don’t happen for them but I’m not like that because I know my blessings will sure enough come. All I got to do is keep working.

“I come in peace all of the time but with him, I don’t think Joshua wants to fight me. His promoters don’t want him to fight me. They’re on the goal of trying to build this resume, saying they want to be the first billionaires, stuff like that. But doing that, the plans all end with me. All roads lead to me. I’m not going nowhere, no time soon. They know black don’t crack. So, I’m going to be around for a long time. I ain’t the best heavyweight in the division. I’m the best heavyweight on this earth. I’m just waiting on the opportunity to prove it.”

Prediction on Joshua-Parker:

“I’ve always said ‘later rounds’. I see that fight going later rounds if Joseph Parker is smart in what he does. He has nice movement and is able to execute on all of the opportunities that he sees with Joshua. Because Joshua can’t move his head. He’s a muscle, body-building type of guy. You’ve seen my dance? [chuckles] With that, if he’s able to calculate what he needs to do in the ring – because the ring has a lot of secrets – if he’s able to do things he needs to do, I see late rounds. But, like I said before, I think they’re going to have to knock Joshua out because they’re not going to give it to him.”

Prediction for March 3:

“People ask me the round and I always see threes. This year is a magical year. It’s the year of the 33. So, I see threes everywhere. I see three rounds or less, maybe shorter than that. It all depends on how I feel when I see him.”

For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, follow us on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @LouDiBella, @TGBPromotions, @BarclaysCenter, @Brooklyn_Boxing and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/barclayscenter, and www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment. PBC is sponsored by Corona Extra, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

BROOKLYN (Jan. 23, 2018) – Undefeated WBC Heavyweight World Champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder will face his toughest opponent to date when he meets hard-hitting Cuban southpaw Luis “The Real King Kong” Ortiz Saturday, March 3 from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™ and presented by Premier Boxing Champions.

The co-feature of the evening will see the return of undefeated former 154-pound world champion Jermall Charlo, a powerful knockout artist who is looking to prove that he is a dangerous contender in the star-studded middleweight division. Once-beaten contender Hugo Centeno Jr. will test Charlo’s 160-pound credentials when they meet in a 12-round match to determine the WBC interim champion, with the winner immediately stepping into the picture for middleweight supremacy.

Tickets for the show, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and TGB Promotions, start at $50 and are on sale now. To purchase tickets, visit Ticketmaster.com, BarclaysCenter.com, or call 800-745-3000. Tickets for the event can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center.

“We’re very excited to bring the heavyweight champion of the world, Deontay Wilder, back to Brooklyn for his seventh title defense and third appearance at Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “This fight is happening because Deontay wanted to silence his critics by taking on the biggest challenge available. Deontay has an axe to grind with Ortiz and will swing it on March 3. Former 154-lb. champion Jermall Charlo is already a top player at middleweight and plans to prove he’s carried his power with him by facing one of the division’s best prospects, Hugo Centeno Jr., who is coming off a huge knockout victory in his last fight.”

“Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz is one of the best fights that can be made in the heavyweight division and its’ what heavyweights are all about – power versus power,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “Everybody loves the knockout and that’s what Wilder and Ortiz specialize in. In the co-main event, Jermall Charlo is strictly seek and destroy in the ring. That ferocious spirit made him a force at 154 and he has brought it with him to the 160 pound ranks. Centeno is a rugged competitor and he doesn’t back down from anyone. That makes this a can’t miss fight for the boxing fans.”

True heavyweights in every sense of the word, the 6-foot-7, 228-pound Wilder and the 6-foot-4, 240-pound Ortiz have 62 combined knockout victories.

The 32-year-old Wilder (39-0, 38 KOs), the only reigning American heavyweight world champion, is a knockout artist with the power to end any fight in spectacular fashion. His only professional match that went the distance was the fight in which he won his world title with a dominant 12-round unanimous decision over Bermane Stiverne on Jan. 17, 2015 -the birthday of legendary heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali. The champion out of Tuscaloosa, Alabama added Stiverne to his list of knockout victims in his last fight with a devastating first round destruction in their rematch at Barclays Center on Nov. 4.

Wilder was originally supposed to fight Ortiz that night, but Ortiz was pulled from the match after he tested positive for a banned substance. Ortiz was later cleared after the WBC determined he had failed to list medication that he was taking on his pre-testing paperwork, which triggered the positive test. He was assessed a fine and allowed to resume boxing.

Wilder, a Bronze Medal winner for the U.S. Olympic boxing team at the 2008 Beijing Games, has successfully defended the title six times. This will be his third title defense at Barclays Center. In his first defense at Barclays Center, Wilder scored a memorable ninth-round knockout over Artur Szpilka back in Jan. 2016.

“I’m looking forward to returning to Barclays Center to defend my title for a seventh time,” Wilder said. “Luis Ortiz is one of the toughest guys around and he’s supposed to be the boogeyman in the heavyweight division. But I’ve never been afraid of the boogeyman and I’ve knocked out every opponent that I’ve faced. I plan on keeping that streak going. Everyone standing in my way of becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion has to go down. It’s Luis Ortiz’s turn.”

The 38-year-old Ortiz (28-0, 24 KOs), of Camaguey, Cuba by way of Miami, Fla., will make his Barclays Center debut when he meets Wilder for his first title shot. The hard-hitting southpaw turned pro seven years ago after defecting from Cuba and has since been steadily climbing the heavyweight ladder. He cemented his standing in the division with victories over veteran contenders Bryant Jennings, Tony Thompson and Malik Scott and is the No. 1-ranked contender by the WBC. In his most recent fight, Ortiz scored a devastating second-round knockout of Daniel Martz in Miami, Florida on Dec. 15.

If Ortiz wins, he will become the first Cuban born fighter to win a heavyweight world championship.

“This really is the best versus the best as far as the heavyweight division, and everyone who knows boxing knows that,” Ortiz said. “There’s been too much talking already. It’s time to fight. All I ask now is that the winner of this fight receives the respect from the other man, from the public, from the media and the fans that they deserve as the best heavyweight in the U.S.”

Charlo (26-0, 20 KOs) won his super welterweight title with a dominant knockout of Cornelius Bundrage in 2015 and eventually achieved the distinction of holding a world title in the same weight class (154 pounds) as his twin brother after Jermell won a title in 2016. After successfully defending his 154-pound title three times, Charlo of Richmond, Texas decided to move up to 160 pounds to win another title in a different weight class. In his debut at 160-pounds the 27-year-old scored a TKO victory over Jorge Sebastian Heiland at Barclays Center on July 29.

“I really love fighting in Brooklyn and at Barclays Center,” said Charlo. “The fans in Brooklyn always show me a lot of love. Since my last fight I’ve had a chance to work on my patience and work on improvements to my game. I’ve got the same feeling that I had before I won my first world title. I want to be a champion at 160 more than I did the first time at 154. More than anything I just want to get back in the ring. Centeno is a tough fighter. He’ll be a hard test for someone who isn’t at my level. I’m not taking anything away from him. But he’s just another fighter that’s in my way. I don’t feel like I have anything to prove to anyone else in this fight. I’m all about proving things to myself now. In the 160-pound division you’re hearing my name more and more. It’s more than you did when I was at 154 pounds.”

The 26-year-old Centeno (26-1, 14 KOs) caught everyone’s attention when he scored a stunning knockout of Immanuwel Aleem in his last fight on Aug. 25. It was enough to springboard Centeno into middleweight title contention. Centeno of Oxnard, California successfully rebounded from a tough TKO loss to Maiej Sulecki on June 18, 2016 with a victory over Ronald Montes before his match against Aleem.

“I’m excited for the opportunity,” said Centeno. “I think my last outing had a lot to do with this/ It helped to put me in this position. Charlo is a great fighter with a lot of talent. I feel like we have similar statures. It’s going to be an interesting fight. I think it’s going to come down to who is the smarter fighter that night and who has more left in the tank toward the end. This is a life-changing, career-changing fight for me that could lead to bigger and better things. I’m coming to win.”

# # #

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BROOKLYN (January 12, 2018) – Another blockbuster boxing event will come to Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING®, as unbeaten heavyweight world champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder defends his title against unbeaten contender Luis “The Real King Kong” Ortiz on Saturday, March 3 in an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions.

Wilder-Ortiz is a long-awaited matchup of undefeated, consensus top-five fighters facing off in the resurgent heavyweight division and marks Wilder’s third appearance at Barclays Center.

Tickets for the show, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and TGB Promotions, start at $50 and go on sale Tuesday, January 16 at 10 a.m. To purchase tickets, visit Ticketmaster.com, BarclaysCenter.com, or call 800-745-3000. Tickets for the event can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center beginning Wednesday, January 17 at noon.

“We are thrilled to welcome the heavyweight champ back to Barclays Center for his second-consecutive fight after a big first round knockout of Bermane Stiverne in our ring last November,” said Brett Yormark, CEO of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment. “Deontay’s long-awaited bout with Ortiz is sure to be one of 2018’s best matchups.”

Wilder returns to Barclays Center after most recently scoring a sensational first round knockout of Bermane Stiverne on November 4, 2017 and previously delivering a highlight reel knockout of Artur Szpilka in January 2016. America’s only reigning heavyweight champion will look to put on another unforgettable performance when he faces his toughest opponent to date in Ortiz.

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Two world title fights are being negotiated for the Spring at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

The first card would take place on March 3 and pit heavyweight world titleholder Deontay Wilder against Luis “King Kong” Ortiz, with another penciled in for April 14 — though it could move to another date that month — featuring unified welterweight titleholder Keith Thurman in a defense against former two-division world titlist Jessie Vargas, multiple sources involved in the events told ESPN.

MIAMI (December 4, 2017) – Top-rated heavyweight title contender Luis “King Kong” Ortiz will take on Daniel “The Mountain” Martz in an added 10-round featured bout on a special Friday night edition of Premier Boxing Champions TOE-TO-TOE TUESDAYS on FS1 and BOXEO DE CAMPEONES on FOX Deportes at Hialeah Park in Miami, Florida on Dec. 8.

The main event of the card features Ahmed Elbiali taking on former world champion Jean Pascal in a 10-round light heavyweight bout. Televised coverage of the 2-1/2 hour show begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT with a battle between unbeaten featherweight prospects Stephen Fulton (11-0, 5 KOs) and Adam Lopez (8-0, 3 KOs) and also features welterweight prospects Bryant Perrella (14-1, 13 KOs) and Alex Martin (13-2, 5 KOs) in undercard action.

Ortiz is returning to the ring one week after the World Boxing Council lifted a sanction that it had imposed against the Cuban heavyweight contender in October. Ortiz was pulled from a match against world champion Deontay Wilder scheduled for Nov. 4, after Ortiz failed a Voluntary Anti-Doping Association drug test. Last week the WBC ruled that Ortiz had failed to disclose two medications that he was taking, which triggered his positive test. He was fined $25,000 for failing to make the disclosure, and re-instated into the organization’s rankings.

That cleared the way for Ortiz to return to the ring, and he will waste no time doing so with a match that he hopes will help propel him toward another world title shot in 2018.

“I’m just thankful to be back in the sport I love so much. I can’t wait to get some action and feel that ring and those gloves tight on my wrist,” Ortiz said. “I’d like to thank everyone, especially my loyal fans, who stood by me and supported me through this rough time. I don’t think it would have been possible without you guys. I’d like to thank the WBC and Mr. Sulaiman for being humane enough to take time for their investigation, and my entire team who never lost faith in me. But most of all I need to thank God because without him there wouldn’t be anything worth living for.”

The 38-year-old Ortiz (27-0, 23 KOs), of Camaguey, Cuba now resides in Miami, Fla., and will be fighting Martz in a 10-round bout in front of his adopted hometown crowd. The hard-hitting southpaw turned pro seven years ago after defecting from Cuba and has since been steadily climbing the heavyweight ladder. He cemented his standing in the division with victories over veteran contenders Bryant Jennings, Tony Thompson and Malik Scott and is currently ranked No. 3 by the WBC. Ortiz hasn’t fought in almost a year, having scored a technical knockout victory over David Allen at Manchester Arena in England on Dec. 10, 2016 in his last fight.

Ortiz-Martz replaces the Chad Dawson-Edwin Rodriguez light heavyweight bout on the card. The match was cancelled after Dawson suffered an injury in training camp.

The 27-year-old Martz (16-5-1, 13 KOs), a 6-foot-7 heavyweight from Clarksburg, West Virginia, has taken on world champion Joseph Parker and contender Bryant Jennings during his five-year professional career. He is coming off a second round technical knockout victory over Tim Washington on Nov. 17.

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Fans can live stream the fights on FOX Sports GO, available in English or Spanish through the FS1 or FOX Deportes feeds. The fights are available on desktop at FOXSportsGO.com and through the app store, or connected devices including Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Xbox One and Roku. In addition, all programs are also available on FOX Sports on SiriusXM channel 83 on satellite radios and on the SiriusXM app.

For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/homepage and www.foxdeportes.com.
Follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @FS1, @FOXDeportes and @Swanson_Comm and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, and www.facebook.com/foxdeportes. Highlights available at www.youtube.com/premierboxingchampions. PBC on FS1 & FOX Deportes is sponsored by Corona Extra, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

NEW YORK, November 8, 2017 — The six fighters that will appear Live on HBO World Championship Boxing on Saturday night at NYCB LIVE Home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum worked out today in New York for the media.

DANIEL JACOBS
Having Chris Algieri in camp is great – it’s the second time around and it makes for a great family atmosphere. But at the same time, i am a loner. I like to be alone. I like to s=isolate myself because on fight night I am in that ring all by myself so I like to get used to being the only person leading up to the fight. On Saturday night, I just want to win impressively so i can have another fight. That is my only goal. I want to be champion again and go after the heavy hitters. Not excluding anyone, but I feel I am the best middleweight in the world and i want to prove that and Saturday night is going to be the first stepping stone.

LUIS ARIAS
I am a warrior. I don’t like to come in and move and dance around. I come to fight. Jacobs is a runner. I am coming for a war. I let him know and i let the world know that. I want to see him in the middle of the ring and I want to duke it out. He’s making comments about how he is going to knock me out – well, come knock me out then. I’ll be right in the middle of the ring ready to bang it out. Saturday night is going to be an early night so I can get out of there.

ARIAS Asst Trainer GILBERT GASTELUM
Jacobs has a weak chin. I respect him as a boxer and he has great skills, but we know he has a weak chin.

JARRELL MILLER
I’m the one that the other fighters are scared to mention but everyone will know my name on Nov 11th as I begin to take over the division and become a household name.

MARUISZ WACH
This camp was amazing I have not felt this good in a long time. I had great sparring from Chisora and Bryant Jennings. This fight should be a 12-round fight but the Miller camp only wanted 10-rounds. I am ready to fight on Saturday night and I will be victorious.

MIAMI, FL (October 5, 2017) – Manager to Luis Ortiz, Jay Jimenez, wants to clarify the current situation with his fighter and the WBC’s decision to move to a new opponent.

“To clarify the Luis Ortiz situation, this is the real and only version of the current process. Mr. Sulaiman and the WBC have NOT suspended or removed Luis from their rankings. The WBC’s decision was as follows, they did not sanction the fight based off the fact that they are worried for Luis’s health. And to be honest, I must respect and admire their decision because I agree, the fighter’s health is paramount. So, the WBC will schedule a visit with one of their approved physicians to check Luis health, and make sure he is 100% healthy and fit to fight, and that the Blood Pressure pills will not affect him physically.”

“Once Luis has passed all physical exams and is medically cleared to fight by the WBC, we will begin to work on a possible fight towards the end of the year. Also, once all is resolved, we hope that we can reschedule the Wilder fight in the first quarter of next year. Wilder has shown much interest in fighting Ortiz, and the best fighters in the division, so I know it will not be a hard fight to renegotiate. Thank you to everyone for your support. This soon will be corrected, and Luis can continue on with his career.” ~ Jay Jimenez, Manager of Luis Ortiz

Heavyweight contender Luis Ortiz failed a drug test and putting his November 4th title shot with WBC Deontay Wilder in jeopardy.

According to the letter sent by VADA president Dr. Margaret Goodman to Sulaiman and others disclosing the positive test, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN, Ortiz gave a urine sample for a random drug test conducted on Sept. 22 at his training camp in Miami. The results were returned on Thursday, and Ortiz’s “A” sample tested positive for the banned diuretics chlorothiazide and hydrochlorothiazide, which are used to treat high blood pressure but also can be used as masking agents for performance-enhancing drug use.

“I can verify the information Mauricio put out,” DiBella, promoter of the fight, told ESPN. “I’m flabbergasted and particularly crestfallen for my fighter. Deontay Wilder is a great champion and a clean champion and probably has been victimized more than any other fighter in the history of the sport.”

“Stay clean, because we’ll be checking,” Wilder told Ortiz. “Stay clean. Don’t f— this up for me, nor you, because I’m gonna prove to the world that I am the best.”

“It is sad for the sport, and I just hope something even more can be done about this situation before it ruins the sport of boxing,” Wilder told ESPN in February, before he faced Washington. “I want to see some punishment done. I want to see if you do this, if you put steroids or anything that has your body doing what it is not naturally supposed to do, I think you should not only get suspended, but maybe indefinitely.

“They need to take their career away, because this is ridiculous. I am naturally strong without weights. Without training. With anything, I am God-given, Alabama-country strong. I have always been that way. But just imagine if I used anything to enhance my body. Did you see my fight with [Artur] Szpilka? Just imagine if I had something in my body. That man would have been dead, because I thought he was dead. I hope it just gets cleaned up.”

DiBella said he would deal with things on Friday and planned to talk to Wilder’s team, Barclays Center officials and Showtime Sports boss Stephen Espinoza.

“I want to get a good night sleep and deal with it on Friday,” DiBella said.

BROOKLYN- (September 28, 2017) – Former welterweight world champion “Showtime” Shawn Porter will battle Adrian Granados in the featured bout of a stacked undercard for Deontay Wilder vs. Luis Ortiz on Saturday, Nov. 4 at Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™, in an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions.

Unbeaten contender Sergey Lipinets will take on Akihiro Kondo for the vacant IBF Junior Welterweight World Championship to open the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING tripleheader beginning live at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Plus, former heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne and former title challenger Dominic Breazeale will meet in a 10-round heavyweight attraction that will stream live on line via SHOWTIME Sports.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and TGB Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.

“Deontay Wilder versus Luis Ortiz on November 4 is the best heavyweight championship fight that was makeable this year, and it will be supported by a tremendous action-packed undercard, televised on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “Shawn Porter versus Adrian Granados is an all-action, fan-pleasing fight that will once again have fans at Barclays Center cheering. Sergey Lipinets is a knockout artist and up-and-coming star, attempting to secure his first world title. Additionally, SHOWTIME will stream other undercard bouts, including what should be a competitive heavyweight title eliminator between top contenders Bermane Stiverne and Dominic Breazeale.”

“Adrian Granados is as tough as they come and while he may lack the name recognition of Porter, he should not be overlooked,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “You look at his record and he has five losses, but those five losses are three split decisions and two majority decisions and the two draws that are split draws. This is another huge opportunity for him. Adrian feels he’s paid his dues and belongs in a fight of this magnitude.”

The 10-round welterweight match against Granados will be Porter’s fourth fight at Barclays Center. Porter won the welterweight title in his debut at the arena with a unanimous decision over Devon Alexander on Dec. 7, 2013. He lost a narrow decision to unified welterweight champion Keith Thurman in a 2016 Fight of the Year candidate in Brooklyn, and scored a TKO victory against former welterweight champion Andre Berto in his last fight on April 22 in front of the Barclays Center faithful.

The 29-year-old Porter (27-2-1, 17 KOs), who was born in Akron, Ohio and now lives in Las Vegas, remains one of the top welterweights in the division and aims to secure another title shot with a strong performance against Granados.

“To be fighting on an undercard for a Deontay Wilder fight is nothing short of excellent,” said Porter. “I’m excited and looking forward to this opportunity. Against Granados I’m getting into the ring with someone who is very established as an amateur and a professional, has great skills and isn’t going to go in there and lay down. That’s always going to bring out the best in me, and that’s always going to create a very exciting match-up. I know that when I do what I’m planning to do, it’s going to be exciting, entertaining and fill the seats.”

Adrian Granados (18-5-2, 12 KOs), of Chicago, is accustomed to tough assignments and is known for delivering exciting toe-to-toe action. The 28-year-old has been in with Felix Diaz, losing a close majority decision in 2014, and then unbeaten Amir Imam, whom he defeated by TKO in 2015 when Imam was the top contender at 140-pounds. Granados went punch for punch with Adrien Broner in his last match, but came up just short, losing a split decision in Broner’s hometown of Cincinnati on Feb. 18.

“I’m very excited to be fighting one of the best welterweights in the world in Shawn Porter,” said Granados. “With our styles it’s going to be fireworks from the opening bell. I was getting ready for a fight in October but when this opportunity arose I jumped at it. It’s a tremendous card to be fighting on with the whole world watching and I’m looking to
put on a great performance.”

The 28-year-old Sergey Lipinets (12-0, 10 KOs) is a former kickboxer from Russia who has been waiting nearly a year for his opportunity to fight for a world championship. Lipinets has only been the distance twice in his pro career and he earned his title shot with an eighth-round knockout of Lenny Zappavigna in a title eliminator last December. In his most recent start, Lipinets stopped Clarence Booth via third-round TKO in March at Barclays Center.

“I feel very privileged to be in the position to fight for this world title,” said Lipinets. “I will prepare to face the best possible fighter on that night and I promise that I will not disappoint. The lights will be bright but I have trained too hard not to leave the ring as a world champion.”

Akihiro Kondo (29-6-1, 16 KOs) will be making his U.S. debut and fighting for a world championship for the first time when he meets Lipinets for the 140-pound title. The 32-year-old Kondo, of Kazo, Saitama, Japan, has won eight straight matches, including five by stoppage. This will be his third fight this year after he stopped Komsan Polsan in March and defeated Yuya Okazaki by TKO in May.

Former world champion Bermane Stiverne (25-2-1, 21 KOs) is coming off a two-year absence from the ring. Stiverne, 38, became the first Haitian-born boxer to win the heavyweight title when he defeated Chris Arreola in May of 2014. He lost the title to Wilder by decision on January of 2015 in Las Vegas. In his last fight Stiverne, who moved from Canada and now resides in Las Vegas, Nev., defeated Derric Rossy via decision.

The 32-year-old Dominic Breazeale (18-1, 16 KOs) was a member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic boxing team and won his first 17 pro fights before suffering the only loss of his career when he fell short vying for a title against now-unified champion Anthony Joshua in June of 2016. In his last match, the fighter from of Alhambra, Calif. scored a fifth-round TKO victory over Polish heavyweight contender Izu Ugonoh on Feb. 25 in a memorable slugfest.

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CONTACTS:

NEW YORK, N.Y. (Sept. 20, 2017) — Undefeated WBC Heavyweight World Champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder and hard-hitting Cuban southpaw Luis “The Real King Kong” Ortiz announced their upcoming Nov. 4 SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING heavyweight world title bout on Wednesday from Dream Hotel in Downtown Manhattan.

The event is presented by Premier Boxing Champions and will air live on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.

Because of inclement weather near his home in Miami, Ortiz was unable to travel to New York, but did offer his thoughts about the upcoming fight via telephone.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and TGB Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.

Here is what the participants had to say Wednesday:

DEONTAY WILDER

“I am the best. I am the toughest heavyweight in the division. I am the man in the division. I don’t care what anybody else has going on. You’ve got to come through me.

“When I knock him out, I want my due respect. I’m the only American heavyweight champion of the world and I am the man. Nobody is stronger physically, mentally and spiritually. They are all scared of me.

“I’m the heavyweight in the division with real knockout power. I put grown men down easily. On November 4, Ortiz is going down. After that, you already know who is next. I’m ready to unify.

“If he’s the boogeyman, I can’t wait to shine a light on him because the boogeyman is only effective at night. And we’re in New York so you already know what happened to King Kong in New York.

“The game plan is the same as usual. We’re going to use my attributes. I’m going to set him up until the time comes. Ortiz has a great set of skills and I like his aggressive style. That’s one of the reasons I chose him. I wanted to beat him to prove that I am the man.

“It definitely won’t go the distance. Right now, I’m thinking about three rounds but come November 4th, it might be in the first round.”

LUIS ORTIZ

“I’m ready to go and excited for the fight. I want to get to November 4 so I can do what I have to do.

“Wilder does a lot of talking. He’s nervous and keeps forgetting the date of the fight. I think he took this fight because he has no choice and no one else to fight.

“I think Wilder is going to run in this fight. He should be careful what he says before the fight, because I think he’s going to run from me.

“Wilder should sign his death sentence. I’m very different than anybody else that he’s fought. I punch harder than anybody else. I’m going to teach him not to mess with Cubans.

“Some skeptics are talking about my age, but look at Mayweather. I still have my speed and my quickness.”

JAY DEAN, Wilder’s Co-Manager and Trainer

“Everything in camp has been going well. Last time we were here in New York we had a great crowd and it was a wonderful event. This will be an even bigger challenge. This is the fight the fans wanted and this is the fight we wanted.

“Deontay has always wanted the biggest challenges. We won the belt in [Bermane] Stiverne’s hometown and we were ready to go to Russia to defend the belt. These are two guys in the division no one wants to fight, but they’ve decided to fight each other.

“This is a great opportunity for Deontay to show who he is and where he is. It’s going to be well worth everyone’s time to be there at Barclays Center.”

LOU DIBELLA, President of DiBella Entertainment

“There is nothing like a great heavyweight championship fight and on November 4th, a great champion is going to fight a great contender. This is a terrific fight.

“This fight is happening because Deontay Wilder wants the world to know that he is afraid of no one, and that he’s prepared to fight anyone and he’s the best heavyweight in the world today. I could not be prouder of him for making this fight happen.

“This is the toughest fight that Deontay Wilder could engage in right now. This is the most difficult opponent he possibly could fight.

“Luis Ortiz is the boogeyman of this division. You haven’t heard anyone scream about fighting Luis Ortiz. A lot of people were shocked when they heard that Deontay Wilder wants to fight him. He not only wants to fight him, but he insisted upon it.

“This isn’t a 43-year-old champion on his last legs in Luis Ortiz. This is a hungry beast that wants to beat Deontay Wilder. But Deontay is a champion. He’s not doing this for the money. A lot of people would think this is a dumb economic move. This is a legacy move. This is a move to prove who is the best. We’re not afraid of Anthony Joshua. If he was available on November 4th and wanted to fight, we’d fight him then.”

STEPHEN ESPINOZA, Executive VP & GM, SHOWTIME Sports

“This has been a really strong year for SHOWTIME Boxing. This will be our 23rd live boxing event on SHOWTIME this year. And they’ve been important, meaningful fights. Not just a big name against a nobody. In fact, 16 times this year on SHOWTIME we’ve featured and unbeaten fighter taking on another unbeaten fighter. We know on SHOWTIME that you’re seeing the best fighting the best. No other network is as dedicated to delivering the highest quality fights. So without question, it’s been a great year. But we may have saved the best for last here.

“We have two of the top heavyweights in the world. Both undefeated with a combined record of 65-0, 60 knockouts. This is the best fight that can be made in the heavyweight division. There is no question about that. This will be the eighth heavyweight title fight we’ve featured in the last two years. The only way to get to one unified champion in the heavyweight division is to have the best fight the best, and that is what is happening here on Nov. 4, and we can’t wait.”

# # #

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and www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment.

BROOKLYN (Sept. 20, 2017) – Undefeated WBC Heavyweight World Champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder will make his sixth title defense when he meets hard-hitting Cuban southpaw Luis “The Real King Kong” Ortiz on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, in an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions on Saturday, Nov. 4 live on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and TGB Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.

An exciting lineup of undercard attractions will be announced soon to support this titanic heavyweight matchup. True heavyweights in every sense of the word, the 6-foot-7, 228-pound Wilder and the 6-foot-4, 240-pound Ortiz have 60 combined knockout victories.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time and I’m excited that the time has come to meet Luis Ortiz,” said Wilder. “Ortiz is considered the boogeyman of the sport and I am the hardest hitter in boxing. When you put us together in a ring, you will get one of the best heavyweight fights in a long time. I will unify the division. This I promise. This is the first step towards unifying. Any heavyweight that gets in my way is getting knocked out.”

“Wilder has been doing a lot of talking about me and this fight,” said Ortiz. “I’m tired of hearing it. I’m not that big on talking. I like to do all my talking in the ring and that’s what I plan to do. I respect him. I know he hits hard, but I hit hard too. It’s going to be a great fight. I can’t wait to get in the ring and shut him up in front of everybody at Barclays Center on SHOWTIME on November 4.”

“This fight is happening because Deontay Wilder wants to beat the best, regardless of the risk,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “He will knock ‘King Kong’ off the Empire State Building for the world to see on November 4 at Barclays Center.”

“The resurgence of the heavyweight division is going to be on full display at Barclays Center and on SHOWTIME on November 4,” said Tom Brown, president of TGB Promotions. “Deontay is facing his toughest challenge yet in the undefeated Cuban, giving him the opportunity to really prove himself. We are thrilled to be a part of the action and can’t wait until fight night.”

“Deontay Wilder vs. Luis Ortiz is one of the highlights of what has been an exceptional year for boxing on SHOWTIME,” said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports. “We have consistently delivered the biggest names in boxing in their most important fights. The main event on Nov. 4 features two dynamic punchers with a 92-percent knockout ratio between them. It will be the 21st world championship fight on SHOWTIME this year and the 16th time we’ve seen undefeated fighters going head-to-head. It is clear that no other network is more committed to delivering the most significant bouts directly to its subscribers than SHOWTIME.”

“On November 4 Barclays Center will once again host one of the year’s best fights,” said Brett Yormark, CEO of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment. “Deontay has made his mark in Brooklyn, and I am thrilled to welcome him back to our ring alongside a tough competitor in Luis Ortiz, who will be fighting here for the first time.”

The 31-year-old Wilder (38-0, 37 KOs), the only reigning American heavyweight world champion, won his WBC title with a dominant 12-round unanimous decision over Bermane Stiverne on Jan. 17, 2015 -the birthday of legendary heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali.

Wilder, a Bronze Medal winner for the U.S. Olympic boxing team at the 2008 Beijing Games, has successfully defended the title five times. In his previous defense at Barclays Center, Wilder scored a memorable ninth-round knockout over Artur Szpilka back in Jan. 2016. In his most recent defense, Wilder, of Tuscaloosa, Ala. stopped Gerald Washington via fifth-round technical knockout before a hometown crowd at Legacy Arena in Birmingham on Feb. 25.

The 38-year-old Ortiz (27-0, 23 KOs), of Camaguey, Cuba by way of Miami, Fla., will make his SHOWTIME and Barclays Center debut when he meets Wilder for his first title shot. The hard-hitting southpaw turned pro seven years ago after defecting from Cuba and has since been steadily climbing the heavyweight ladder. He cemented his standing in the division with victories over veteran contenders Bryant Jennings, Tony Thompson and Malik Scott and is the No. 1-ranked contender by the WBC.

If Ortiz wins, he will become the first Cuban born fighter to win a heavyweight world championship.

# # #

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and www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment.

WBC Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder will defend his title against undefeated challenger Luis Ortiz on November 4th at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Part of that deal includes a title elimination fight on the undercard. Bermane Stiverne will face 2012 U.S. Olympian Dominic Breazeale (18-1, 16 KOs), 32, of Los Angeles, multiple sources told ESPN. Breazeale suffered his only loss by seventh-round knockout challenging world titleholder Anthony Joshua in June 2016 in London.

Heavyweight contender Luis Ortiz injured his hand which will force the postponement of his bout with Derric Rossy scheduled for Saturday night in Brooklyn, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“We were told he hurt his hand, that he banged it up pretty good and is out of the fight,” said Lou DiBella, who is not Ortiz’s promoter. “It would have been nice to see him on the show. He’s one of the best heavyweights out there. Obviously people would have liked to see him fight, but he got hurt. What can you do?

BROOKLYN (March 30, 2017) – Unbeaten heavyweight contender Luis “The Real King Kong” Ortiz (27-0, 23 KOs) will return to the ring to take on Long Island’s Derric Rossy (31-12, 15 KOs) in a 10-round showdown Saturday, April 22 in a Premier Boxing Champions event live from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.

Also competing in undercard action is four-division world champion Amanda “Real Deal” Serrano (31-1-1, 23 KOs) who will look to make history by becoming the first woman and the first Puerto Rican fighter to win a fifth world title in five different weight classes. Both the Ortiz vs. Rossy and Serrano bouts were announced at a press conference in New York City on Thursday.

SHOWTIME Boxing coverage of the Ortiz vs. Rossy and Serrano bouts will be announced in the coming days.

The April 22 event is headlined by former world champions Andre Berto and Shawn Porter battling in a welterweight world title eliminator. Televised coverage of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, presented by Premier Boxing Champions, begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on SHOWTIME and also features unbeaten super welterweight world champion Jermell Charlo defending against top contender Charles Hatley.

Additional undercard attractions feature a group of unbeaten prospects as Mexico’s Jose Miguel Borrego (11-0, 10 KOs) battles 2012 Spanish Olympian Jonathan Alonso (12-0, 4 KOs) in an eight-round junior welterweight showdown, Julian Sosa (7-0-1, 2 KOs) entering the ring in a six-round welterweight fight and 2016 Haitian Olympian Richardson Hitchins (1-0, 1 KO) in a four-round junior welterweight bout.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, start at $50 (not including applicable fees) and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting www.ticketmaster.com, www.barclayscenter.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP. The Charlo vs. Hatley fight is co-promoted by TGB Promotions and Don King Promotions.

One of the most feared heavyweights in the world, Ortiz has worked his way into the WBA’s mandatory position to fight the winner of the Anthony Joshua-Wladimir Klitschko, who fight for Joshua’s IBF and the vacant WBA Super World Championship. The Cuban-born fighter had previously picked up the interim title in 2015 with a stoppage of Matias Ariel Vidondo and defended the title with a dominant knockout of former title challenger Bryant Jennings later that year. Last year saw Ortiz continue to run through heavyweight contenders as he earned TKO victories over Tony Thompson and David Allen plus a victory over Malik Scott.

Fighting out of Medford, New York, Rossy was a 2004 Golden Gloves champion and a defensive end for Boston College before turning pro in October 2004. Rossy owns victories over Axror Muralimov, Ray Mercer and Carl Drumond in addition to challenges top heavyweights Eddie Chambers, Vyacheslav Glazkov and Bermane Stiverne. This will be the ninth undefeated fighter that Rossy faces in his pro career.

Raised in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, Serrano gravitated toward boxing from watching her older sister Cindy, also a professional fighter. She picked the sport up quickly, amassing a 9-1 record during a brief amateur career in which she won the New York Golden Gloves title in 2008. The 28-year-old would go on to fight all over the world, seizing her first world title in 2011 when she defeated Kimberly Connor to grab a super featherweight belt. In 2014, she went to Argentina and defeated Maria Elena Maderna to become a world champion at lightweight. Her world title climb continued in 2016 as she stopped Olivia Gerula in the first round to capture her featherweight championship and followed that up with a victory over Alexandra Lazar to add a super bantamweight title to her collection. She most recently put on a show at Barclays Center in January when she defeated two-division champion Yazmin Rivas by unanimous decision.

Here is what the participants had to say Thursday from Gallagher’s Steakhouse in Manhattan:

LUIS ORTIZ

“I’m not a man of many words, but yesterday was my birthday, so with that extra year of experience, I’ll speak a little bit more.

“I’m ready to fight right now. I’m waiting for the opportunity to fight the winner of Anthony Joshua vs. Wladimir Klitschko. They better get ready, because ‘King Kong’ will be waiting for them.

“I work very hard to stay in shape. All year round I am in the gym and staying ready. When the time comes and I have a fight offered, I will always be ready.

“My plan is to become the heavyweight champion of the world. I feel like I’m with the right team now that will open those doors for me. Whoever they put in front of me, I will take care of them.

“I love fighting in New York because there are such smart fans here who really love boxing. They love the knockout and I’m excited to be here to do my job.

“I’ve been working hard and waiting to get a victory on April 22. Once I get past this bout, it’s on to bigger and better things. I’ll find out everything about Rossy that I need to know on April 22 and put on a great show.

“Age is nothing to me. So many fighters have competed into their late age. I still have a lot left in the tank.

“I would love to fight Deontay Wilder. We’re both big, tough fighters. These are the kind of fights that people want to see. I know that my time will come.

“We’re looking forward to this new relationship and this first fight on April 22. I can’t wait to get out there in front of the fans and show my skills. I believe it will finally be time for ‘King Kong’ to come out of the jungle.”

DERRIC ROSSY

“When they brought the fight to me, I said let’s do it. We’re doing it right by fighting at Barclays Center.

“This is a real fight. I’m always ready. The fans are who pays us and they want to see a legitimate fight. This is going to be a quality matchup on April 22.

“I think our styles will match up well. He throws his hands well and I think I do the same. I sometimes try to be more evasive and I’m anticipating him bringing it. There might be some bull in a China shop, but then it could turn. We both adapt well in the ring.

“You can’t ask for anything better than this kind of fight. We’re both top-notch heavyweights and we’re going to go at it. It’s a thrill for me to be there regardless, but I think the fans are really going to be the winners.

“I’ve fought a lot of really good heavyweights. I won’t know how he stacks up until I get in there with him. All I know is that he’s tough, rugged and good.

“My situation is that I always have to stay ready in the gym. I happened to be ready when the call came and I said yes as soon as I could.

“I’m going to win this fight and it’s going to set up some big things. I’m in this business to get a world title. I have to go through Luis Ortiz to get there.”

AMANDA SERRANO

“I can’t wait to get back in the ring and put on a show in front of the fans. That’s what I love to do and it’ll be great to do it at Barclays Center.

“I’m motivated to make history. This would be my sixth world title in five weight divisions. This is a goal that my whole team has had. We want me to be the first Puerto Rican fighter to conquer five divisions. I want to be known as the girl who made history.

“I think every fighter wants to be known as the best in the world. If I’m not the best, I want to be one of the best. I want to be remembered and open the door for girls around the world.

“I’m very thankful for everyone who came out here today. This is a great opportunity for me on April 22. I’m going for history. I want this so badly. I train hard and I have a great team taking care of me.

“What better place to make history than at Barclays Center in Brooklyn? No matter who they put in front of me, it’s going to be a night of fireworks. I’m doing this for female boxing. I’m going to show how much talent we have. This is the one that I want more than anything. I always put on a show for my fans in Brooklyn and my eyes are on the prize.”

LOU DIBELLA, President of DiBella Entertainment

“I’m really happy today to announce some great additions to a terrific card on April 22 in Brooklyn and live on SHOWTIME. Everyone knows the main event is a great fight in the welterweight division. We also announced a 154-pound matchup as the co-main event with Jermell Charlo vs. Charles Hatley.

“The biggest announcement is that a very big man, is going to be on this card. All Luis Ortiz has done as a professional fighter is knock guys out. He’s one of the most feared and avoided men in the heavyweight division. Ortiz and his team want the biggest fights out there. He knows that being seen on a card of this magnitude is a tremendous opportunity.

“I know that Luis Ortiz has a big victory in mind on April 22 that will propel him to a bigger fight and eventually to the biggest fights in the world. This guy deserves the opportunity.

“Amanda Serrano is a great champion. She’s one of the best pound-for-pound female fighters I the world today. No female fighter in history has ever won five titles in five weight classes. But it’s even more amazing, given the long history of the sport on the island, that no Puerto Rican fighter has ever become a five-division world champion. On April 22 Amanda Serrano will attempt to make history.

“Amanda has won titles as heavy as 135-pounds and now she’ll be fighting at 118-pounds. That’s an amazing achievement. She’s always fought the best out there and she’s always proven that she is the best. She deserves the attention she’s getting. She may be the best fighter I promote, period. This woman stands should-to-shoulder with any of them.”

“I know that Derric Rossy is going to give a test to Ortiz. But he’s never been predicted to win. Every time I watch his fight against Bermane Stiverne, I saw him winning the fight. This guy is a real professional and he deserves this opportunity.

STEPHEN ESPINOZA, Executive VP & General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports

“We’re thrilled to be here announcing such a fantastic undercard from top to bottom. Amanda Serrano is looking to become the first woman and Puerto Rican to win world titles in five weight classes. A card this deep, you know that it is a SHOWTIME card.

“These are the kind of cards that SHOWTIME, Lou DiBella and Barclays Center are working on every day. This was a good event and now it is a great event.”

BRETT YORMARK, CEO of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment

“It’s been a special start to the year for Brooklyn Boxing. You think about January 14 and March 4 and what great nights those were. Now we have April 22 and it has become a special card. We’re excited about what we’re building in Brooklyn. We’re making great strides.

“I want to welcome Luis Ortiz to Barclays Center for the first time. I’m sure it will be a special night. We’re thrilled to welcome back Amanda Serrano as well for what should be a historic night.

“We’re going to continue to put on the biggest and best events we can. It’s been a great start to the year and we’re looking forward to more to come.”

# # #

ABOUT BERTO vs. PORTER
Andre Berto vs. Shawn Porter is a WBC welterweight world title eliminator between former 147-pound world champions. The 12-round bout headlines SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, presented by Premier Boxing Champions, Saturday April 22 from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™. In the co-main event, undefeated super welterweight world champion Jermell Charlo battles top rated challenger Charles Hatley, with televised coverage beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports follow on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @AndreBerto, @ShowtimeShawnP, @LouDiBella, @BarclaysCenter and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing, www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment, www.Facebook.com/barclayscenter. PBC is sponsored by Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

Responding to WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder’s recent public statements, former WBA Interim Heavyweight Champion Luis Ortiz would like to let him know: “I signed up for the WBC/VADA Clean Boxing Program last September. Stop using that excuse to avoid fighting me!”

The undefeated Ortiz (27-0, 23 KOs), of Camaguey, Cuba, now living in Miami, has been trying to get Wilder into a boxing ring for quite a while, as Wilder has chosen to face a string of what many would label second-tier opponents to defend against.

“He’s scared!” said Ortiz of Wilder. “The more he can use my failed test against me he will. He and (promoter Lou) DiBella are saying he won’t fight me because of that. That was years ago, and since that unfortunate incident, for which I was punished, I have tested a dozen times clean. Now he’s trying to say I haven’t signed up for VADA Clean Boxing… guess what Wilder? I signed up last September when I was notified that all WBC contenders need to be part of their new Clean Boxing Program. I filled out the paperwork and my trainer submitted it to the WBC. He can stop using that excuse to avoid me. I have nothing to hide and do not have to prove any longer to anyone that I am clean. Wilder is nothing but a paper champion who happened to be at the right place at the right time against the right opponent with, most importantly, the right promoter. That’s all he is.”

Ortiz’s trainer, Herman Caicedo of Caicedo Sports Training Center of Miami, Florida, also says Ortiz’s failed drug test in 2014 is no longer a factor.

“Since failing his test years ago, Luis has been tested over a dozen times, voluntarily and mandatorily in fights. He has made it very clear that he never wants that to happen again and I wouldn’t work with a fighter I even suspected wasn’t clean. There’s too much involved in how I train fighters. We all put a lot of blood sweat and tears into training for a failed drug test to derail the entire process. I do my own drug panels and steroid checks before I take fighters. And those that do not wish to willingly participate, I will not train.”

Ortiz says sooner or later, Wilder will run out of excuses to avoid him or be run out of boxing.

“My mentality was always to beat whoever was the best fighter in my division, period. I don’t handpick my opponents. This is all weird and new to me. He can’t run for much longer though. I assume he will try to unify or vacate before he has to fight me. He can’t unify with the Joshua/Klitschko winner because I am the mandatory above any unification fight, and I will not be jumped over. So, he can try to beat up (New Zealand-based contender Joseph) Parker after his next fight. Then retire the paper champion he is.”

“I am very confident about the outcome if Ortiz and Wilder ever do fight,” continued Caicedo. “Ortiz will knock him out within 10 rounds. Luis has a level to his approach that I haven’t seen in quite some time. He is a throwback, old-school heavyweight boxer. He has incredible poise, precision, and ring generalship. He’s accurate with this punches and defensively very sound. If they ever do fight, Wilder will be exposed. But, he will probably retire a legend in his own mind without ever fighting anybody.”

Ortiz says no matter what happens with Deontay Wilder, he is happy and comfortable with his life.

“I would like to thank my team: Jay, Javier and my trainer Herman for the support they give me throughout all this uncertainty, as well as my fans and, most important to me, my wife and three children. I never thought I would be fighting to make a living. Boxing was always what I did because I loved it. I fought for pride. I fought for bragging rights!! I have already achieved one dream and that was to be here in the United States with my family. I am a United States citizen and very proud. Now to be able to box for a living, make money and potentially become world champion… that, to me, is priceless.”

Luis Ortiz will face Dave Allen at the Manchester Arena on Saturday December 10, live on Sky Sports Box Office.

Heavyweight danger man Ortiz made his European debut in Monte-Carlo on November 12 with a landslide points win over Malik Scott extending his unbeaten record to 26-0. ‘King Kong’ was frustrated by Scott’s negative approach, but the Cuban KO artist is confident that he prove he’s the next ruler of the division on December 10.

“I’m so excited to be boxing in the UK and it’s great to be keeping busy,” said Ortiz. “Monaco was a great experience for me and although the fight didn’t play out like I hoped I felt I learnt a lot.

“We looked at opponents for December 10 and we wanted someone who will come to fight for the fans. Dave Allen called the fight on and he’s got his wish. It’s great to be taking on a Brit in his backyard and I’m confident you will see the real Luis Ortiz in Manchester.”

Doncaster man Allen has other ideas though and for the 24 year old it’s a huge chance for him to claim a major scalp and put his name in the mix for more major battles in 2017.

“The day Eddie Hearn signed Luis Ortiz, I messaged him and said “I will fight him, stick me in with him!” said Allen. “I didn’t hold any fear of fighting him even before the Malik Scott fight. But that fight showed that the hype isn’t real. Ortiz isn’t Superman – I think he’s on the slide even though he’s undefeated.

“I showed I have a good defence against Dillian Whyte, so I will be prepared for anything. I said to myself I would only fight the end of the year if it was against David Price, but this fight is even bigger so I couldn’t say no. I’m going to put it all on the line against him. I’m stick it on him early, smack him bang on the chin and see how it goes.

“I’m going to make Ortiz look like an old man in there. When he hits me, I’m going to stand there and smile at him. This is the fight that will catapult my career on the world scene. My sparring tells me that I have the ability to become world class, now this my time to go out there and show the world what I can do.”

Ortiz’s clash with Allen is part of a huge night of action in Manchester as Anthony Joshua MBE defends his IBF World Heavyweight title against Eric Molina.

Dillian Whyte faces bitter London rival Dereck Chisora in an official eliminator for the WBC Heavyweight title, Scott Quigg returns to action after treatment on his broken jaw following his unification blockbuster with Carl Frampton, and the Bury star moves up to Featherweight as he looks to regain his status as a World champion.

Kal Yafai can become Birmingham’s first World champion but the unbeaten 27 year old faces a tough task to rip the WBA Super-Flyweight title against Luis Concepcion, the two-weight World champion that will enter the ring in his 11th World title outing.

Irish amateur sensation Katie Taylor boxes for the second time in the paid ranks after making her pro debut at The SSE Arena, Wembley on November 26, Callum Smith defends his British Super-Middleweight title against Luke Blackledge and Hosea Burton will defend his British Light-Heavyweight title against Frank Buglioni.

Limited tickets remain on from http://www.manchester-arena.com/ and on 0844 847 8000 VIP tickets are £800 and available exclusively from Matchroom Boxing www.matchroomboxing.com.

Face value tickets for December 10 are also be available from http://www.stubhub.co.uk/matchroom-boxing-tickets/ . StubHub is the official ticket partner and marketplace of Matchroom Boxing and Anthony Joshua.

Luis Ortiz scored three knockdowns and remained undefeated by winning a 12-round unanimous decision over Malik Scott in a heavyweight bout in Monte Carlo.

Ortiz dropped Scott in both round’s four and five with left hands. In round nine, Ortiz dropped Scott with a counter left to the body.

Knockout machine Luis “King Kong” Ortiz is one of the most exciting fighters in the tradition-rich heavyweight division. Now, he makes his first ring appearance across the Atlantic when HBO BOXING AFTER DARK: LUIS ORTIZ VS. MALIK SCOTT is seen SATURDAY, NOV. 12 at 4:00 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from the Salle des Etoiles in Monte Carlo, with an evening replay at 11:00 p.m. (ET/PT). The HBO Sports team will call all the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates: Nov. 13 (9:45 a.m.) and 15 (12:40 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates: Nov. 13 (4:10 p.m.) and 14 (12:05 a.m.)

The fight will also be available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and affiliate portals.

Luis “King Kong” Ortiz (25-0, 22 KOs), 37, originally from Camaguey, Cuba, and now living in Miami, Fla., meets Philadelphia’s Malik Scott (38-2-1, 13 KOs) in a scheduled 12-round contest. Currently boasting a knockout-to-win ratio above 80%, the dangerous Ortiz is on a quest for worldwide recognition and title belts. Scott, 36, is a seasoned pro who fought 13 years before absorbing his first loss in 2013.

The Monte Carlo telecast continues HBO’s initiative of presenting intriguing fights from across the Atlantic in the late-Saturday afternoon time slot. In the past three years, HBO Boxing has also visited London, Moscow, Hamburg and Dusseldorf.

Immediately following the prime time replay at 11:00 p.m. (ET/PT), HBO Sports will present the special ROAD TO KOVALEV/WARD set for approximately 12:30 a.m. (ET/PT).

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

All HBO boxing events are presented in HDTV. HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.

The executive producer of HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is Rick Bernstein; producer, Jon Crystal; director, Johnathan Evans.

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

Watch #HeyHarold! Ortiz vs. Scott (Click to Watch)
Link: https://youtu.be/75FanW78_zE
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Watch Ortiz vs. Scott Promo (Click to Watch)
Link: https://youtu.be/hGCYDplM-b0
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Luis Ortiz says he’ll rule the Heavyweight division in 2017 as he prepares to take on Malik Scott in Monte-Carlo on Saturday night, live on Sky Sports in the UK and on HBO in the US.

Ortiz is one of the most feared fighters on the planet and has blasted away 22 of his 25 opponents inside the distance, with the vicious Cuban’s last two outings underlining his fearsome reputation as dismissed Bryant Jennings in seven rounds to land the interim WBA crown in December and then destroyed Tony Thompson in six rounds in March.

‘King Kong’ is hunting down World honours and makes his European debut against Scott his first fight under the Matchroom banner and the 37 year old monster revealed his excitement at his upcoming schedule.

The Heavyweight division was thrown wide open when Tyson Fury ended the long-standing reign of lineal champion Wladimir Klitschko in Germany in November 2015. A slated rematch between the pair failed to happen though and with Fury now out of commission as he deals with personal issues outside the ring, the throne sits vacant waiting for a new king to emerge – and Ortiz believes he’s the man to beat the likes of Anthony Joshua MBE, Deontay Wilder and Klitschko and rule the world.

“I want to fight the very best and I want to be the Heavyweight champion of the world,” said Ortiz. “I’m willing to fight anyone, any champion, any place, any time. I’m ready for anyone: Joshua, Wilder, Klitschko. I know I can beat all of them.

“I feel I have been at my peak for many years now. I have simply been late arriving on the US Heavyweight boxing scene. I have been fighting since I was in elementary school. Boxing is a very, very deep passion of mine.

“Now, it is a way to give my family a better future, and I tell you, no one will stand in my way of accomplishing this. In my eyes, I am the Heavyweight champion of the world and if anyone, any other champion, is willing to challenge me, to face me, I can and will prove it.

“I do have a lot of respect for the Heavyweight champions. They have accomplished a lot and have sacrificed a lot to be where they are. They do deserve recognition. I just want the chance to beat them and be [seen by all as] the next true Heavyweight champion.

“I think Fury was able to shake up the Heavyweight division and because of him, the division is now one of the most exciting divisions to watch! I just want to get the opportunity to face him, or Wilder, to prove I am a champion as well.”

Scott’s clash with Ortiz is part of a huge night of action in Monte-Carlo as WBA World Bantamweight king Jamie McDonnell defends his crown against Liberio Solis. It’s the fifth defence for the Doncaster ace, who followed his stoppage win over Javier Chacon with a pair of impressive wins over Tomoki Kameda in Texas last year and stopped Fernando Vargas in nine rounds at The O2 in London this April.
Stephen Smith has a second World title crack, challenging WBA Super-Featherweight kingpin Jason Sosa. Smith travelled to Connecticut to meet IBF ruler Jose Pedraza in April in his first outing for a World belt, and recovered from that points loss with a commanding win over Daniel Brizuela in his hometown of Liverpool a month later. Puerto Rican-American Sosa defends his strap for the first time having ripped the crown from Javier Fortuna in Beijing in June.
Martin Murray is targeting World title action in 2017 but faces a stiff test in the shape of former interim WBA Middleweight champion Dmitry Chudinov.
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Malik Scott says that his best years are still to come – and he’ll prove that by handing a first loss to dangerous Heavyweight Luis Ortiz when they clash in Monte-Carlo on Saturday night, live on Sky Sports in the UK and on HBO in the US.

American star Scott recorded impressive back-to-back wins over Alex Leapai and Tony Thompson in his last two outings to get in the frame for a big-time outing, bouncing back from a first round loss to Deontay Wilder back in March 2014.

Ortiz has been dubbed the most avoided Heavyweight on the planet, but Scott insists that this is a fight he’s wanted and the Philadelphian believes that beating Ortiz can be the springboard to him winning World titles, not ‘King Kong’ Ortiz.

“I don’t want people to get the wrong end of the stick – I picked to fight Luis Ortiz,” said Scott. “People have crowned him as the next king of the Heavyweight division, so that’s the kind of guy I want.

“Is he the most feared? Anyone will fight him but for the right amount of money. He’s a 6ft 4in Cuban southpaw – he’s got a hell of a pedigree, he can fight and he’s dangerous – but that makes me want to fight him. I gravitate to risks like this, because the rewards out there are huge.

“I went to Australia and beat Leapai, I came home to beat Thompson who had just beat Odlanier Solis, another guy that had been hyped. People said that Thompson would beat me, I gave him a clinic. Ortiz is dangerous, but a punch at Heavyweight can change everything. He doesn’t know what it’s like to sit on the shelf and wait for a fight, get messed around by opponents. I am just as hungry as he is.”

Scott’s clash with Ortiz is part of a huge night of action in Monte-Carlo as WBA World Bantamweight king Jamie McDonnell defends his crown against Liberio Solis. It’s the fifth defence for the Doncaster ace, who followed his stoppage win over Javier Chacon with a pair of impressive wins over Tomoki Kameda in Texas last year and stopped Fernando Vargas in nine rounds at The O2 in London this April.
Stephen Smith has a second World title crack, challenging WBA Super-Featherweight kingpin Jason Sosa. Smith travelled to Connecticut to meet IBF ruler Jose Pedraza in April in his first outing for a World belt, and recovered from that points loss with a commanding win over Daniel Brizuela in his hometown of Liverpool a month later. Puerto Rican-American Sosa defends his strap for the first time having ripped the crown from Javier Fortuna in Beijing in June.
Martin Murray is targeting World title action in 2017 but faces a stiff test in the shape of former interim WBA Middleweight champion Dmitry Chudinov.
INFORMATION AND RESERVATIONS
Tickets from 100€

Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer
T. +377 98 06 36 36 from 10am to 7pm, 7 days a week
ticketoffice@sbm.mc
montecarlolive.com