INDIO, CALIF. (October 28, 2015) – Two-division world champion TIMOTHY “Desert Storm” BRADLEY JR. and his new trainer TEDDY ATLAS hosted their first-ever Media Workout today at the Tim Bradley Boxing Gym in Indio, Calif. Bradley (32-1-1, 12 KOs), of Palm Springs, Calif., is 10 days away from for his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title defense against former world champion BRANDON “Bam Bam” RIOS (33-2-1, 23 KOs), of Oxnard, Calif. Coincidentally, both Bradley and Rios have fought in Fights of the Year in 2013 and 2012, respectively. Here is what Bradley and Atlas had to say:

TIM BRADLEY

“Rios can bring on the pressure all night long and we will deal with it. We are prepared for intense pressure. The only chance Rios has is a lucky punch and that’s not going to happen. Teddy Atlas brought in two sparring partners who have put pressure on me every single second for the last three weeks. Rios is living on a prayer and he knows it

“I don’t care what Rios is doing in his camp. I am only concerned about what I am going to do on fight night. I am absolutely, totally focused. I am not the same fighter I was before. When Teddy came to camp he challenged me, not what I could do physically but my mental aspect of fighting.

“When Teddy came to camp he took a book of images of certain rounds I had fought previously. There were notes about what I did right and what I did wrong. No trainer of mine has ever prepared for a fight like Teddy has for me against Rios.

“My game plan is to stay totally focused for 36 minutes of fighting. Rios fights hard, is relentless, can endure pain and look for one shot to hurt me. I want this fight badly. I plan to keep it in control my way. Teddy is full of wisdom. Together we are going to win this big fight.”

TEDDY ATLAS

“We looked at a lot of video of Rios to take a look at how he moves and his tendencies. We are not concerned about what is happening in the Rios camp because I’ve seen fighters have bad camps and fight well and have seen fighters who had great camps not perform on fight night.

“Tim did his job to prepare for Rios. He knows what it takes and what we have to do to win on November 7. Tim is ready to fight. We both know what needs to be done — total focus for 12 complete rounds — to win this fight.”

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Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with the Wynn Las Vegas and Tecate, the Bradley vs. Rios world welterweight championship event will take place on Saturday, November 7, at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. It will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT. Remaining tickets to the Bradley vs. Rios world welterweight championship event , priced at $400, $250, $150, $100 and $50, may be purchased at the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office, online at http://www.unlvtickets.com/, at UNLVtickets Outlet Town Square Las Vegas and La Bonita Supermarkets. To charge by phone call 702-739-FANS (3267) or 866-388-FANS (3267).

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

RIVERSIDE, CALIF. (October 27, 2015) — Former world champion BRANDON “Bam Bam” RIOS (33-2-1, 23 KOs), of Oxnard, Calif., his trainer ROBERT GARCIA and manager CAMERON DUNKIN hosted a Media Workout at Robert Garcia Boxing Academy in Riverside, Calif. today.

The hot topic?

Two-division world champion TIMOTHY “Desert Storm” BRADLEY JR. Rios will be challenging Bradley, (32-1-1, 12 KOs), of Palm Springs, Calif., for his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title next week. Coincidentally, both Bradley and Rios have fought in Fights of the Year in 2013 and 2012, respectively. Here is what Rios, Garcia and Dunkin had to say:

BRANDON RIOS

“We are ready for the best Tim Bradley, the one who beat Juan Manuel Marquez. I have been in camp in Riverside, California for three months. This is the Camp Zone. We brought in three kinds of sparring partners — a boxer, a brawler and a boxer-brawler. I want to get back on top in boxing. Bradley is in my way. Bradley is going to be my ticket back to the top.”

ROBERT GARCIA

“The way to beat Tim Bradley is to put on pressure in the fight and try to knock him out. We plan to cut off the ring and turn this into a real fight. We are not concerned with his change in a chief trainer because Bradley always comes in top condition and is ready to fight. Joel Diaz did a good job with Bradley.”

CAMERON DUNKIN

“Brandon looks sensational – strong, in shape, ready to fight now – he’s a real fighter.”

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with the Wynn Las Vegas and Tecate, the Bradley vs. Rios world welterweight championship event will take place on Saturday, November 7, at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. It will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT. Remaining tickets to the Bradley vs. Rios world welterweight championship event , priced at $400, $250, $150, $100 and $50, tickets may be purchased at the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office, online at http://www.unlvtickets.com/, at UNLVtickets Outlet Town Square Las Vegas and La Bonita Supermarkets. To charge by phone call 702-739-FANS (3267) or 866-388-FANS (3267).

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

LONDON (18 September) – The scintillating showdown between reigning welterweight world champion Timothy Bradley and the all-action Brandon Rios will be screened exclusively live on BoxNation on November 7th.

The pair collide at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas in an explosive contest for Bradley’s WBO title that is guaranteed to have fight fans on the edge of their seats.

The ‘Channel of Champions’, BoxNation, through their exclusive output deal with leading promoters Top Rank, will once again bring boxing lovers another thrilling clash to add to a mightily impressive upcoming schedule.

BoxNation has already confirmed a host of live fights including Miguel Cotto’s superfight with Canelo Alvarez, Lucas Matthysse against Viktor Postol, the meeting between knockout kings Gennady Golovkin and David Lemieux and next Saturday Frank Buglioni’s world title shot against champion Fedor Chudinov.

The meeting between two-time champion Bradley and former world champion Rios fits in nicely to the stacked BoxNation schedule, with both men having fought in Fights of the Year in 2013 and 2012, respectively, as they look to end this year on a similar high.

“I am excited to get back into the ring on November 7th against a very game and very dangerous Brandon Rios,” said Bradley. “I know that Rios is dedicated to giving the fans what they pay for and so am I. I guarantee you that the Thomas and Mack Center will once again deliver a great event.”

“We’ve been looking for a big fight and at last we have it. I’ll be ready,” Rios said.

“If I was going to come back to train a fighter, it was going to be one who had shown character in and out of the ring just like Tim Bradley,” said Teddy Atlas, Bradley’s new trainer.

“Fighting for the world welterweight championship is the most important thing in this fight plus I know Rios and Bradley will give the fans one of the best fights of the year. Both Bradley and Rios are warriors and will give the fans what they want to see. Thanks to Team Bradley for taking this fight. Let’s go out and give Southern California a fight that fans will never forget,” said Robert Garcia, chief trainer for Rios.

Also on the fight card will be one of boxing’s rising superstars with two-time Ukrainian Olympic gold medalist Vasyl Lomachenko defending his WBO featherweight world title against top-ten world-rated contender Romulo Koasicha of Mexico.

Jim McMunn, BoxNation Managing Director, said: “This is a really exciting clash to add to the busy BoxNation schedule over the next few months. We are very pleased to bring BoxNation subscribers top fight after top fight and Timothy Bradley against Brandon Rios has the potential to steal the show from what is a jam-packed calendar of live world class matchups on the channel. We always aim to deliver the very best fights around at the best value so are delighted to do that once again through our exclusive output deal with Top Rank.”

To subscribe to BoxNation (Sky 437/490HD, Virgin 525, TalkTalk 415, online or app) for only £12 a month visit boxnation.com.

-Ends-
About BoxNation
BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated subscription boxing channel. For £12* a month and no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Khan vs Collazo and Mayweather vs Maidana.

The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Virgin (Ch.546), TalkTalk (Ch.415), online at Livesport.tv and via apps (ios, Android, Amazon). BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.

BoxNation is also available to commercial premises (inc. pubs, clubs and casino’s) in the UK and Ireland, for more information on a commercial subscription please call 0844 842 7700.

For more information visit www.boxnation.com

*Plus £8 registration fee for Sky TV and new Livesport.tv customers.

Two-division world champion TIMOTHY “Desert Storm” BRADLEY JR. and former world champion BRANDON “Bam Bam” RIOS, both who have fought in Fights of the Year in 2013 and 2012, respectively, will collide for Bradley’s World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight world championship crown in an all-Southern California showdown. Bradley vs. Rios will take place on Saturday, November 7, at the Thomas & Mack Center, located on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing, beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. The telecast will open with two-time Ukrainian Olympic gold medalist VASYL LOMACHENKO, defending his WBO featherweight world title against Top-10 world-rated contender ROMULO KOASICHA of Mexico.

These four warriors boast a combined record of 93-8-2 (51 KOs) — a winning percentage of 90% with over half of their victories coming by way of knockout.

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with the Wynn Las Vegas and Tecate, tickets to the Bradley vs. Rios world welterweight championship event go on sale Tomorrow! Thursday, September 17, at 1:00 p.m. ET / 10:00 a.m. PT. Priced at $400, $250, $150, $100 and $50, tickets may be purchased at the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office, online at http://www.unlvtickets.com/, at UNLVtickets Outlet Town Square Las Vegas and La Bonita Supermarkets. To charge by phone call 702-739-FANS (3267) or 866-388-FANS (3267).

“I am excited to get back into the ring on November 7th against a very game and very dangerous Brandon Rios,” said Bradley. “I know that Rios is dedicated to giving the fans what they pay for and so am I. I guarantee you that the Thomas and Mack Center will once again deliver a great event.”

“We’ve been looking for a big fight and at last we have it. I’ll be ready,” Rios.

“If I was going to come back to train a fighter, it was going to be one who had shown character in and out of the ring just like Tim Bradley,” said Teddy Atlas, Bradley’s new trainer.

“Fighting for the world welterweight championship is the most important thing in this fight plus I know Rios and Bradley will give the fans one of the best fights of the year. Both Bradley and Rios are warriors and will give the fans want they want to see. Thanks to Team Bradley for taking this fight. Let’s go out and give Southern California a fight that fans will never forget,” said Robert Garcia, chief trainer for Rios.

“The battle between Bradley and Rios should be a real classic as both fighters give it their all in the ring. Without a doubt this will be a candidate for the Fight of the Year,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank.

“In one of the fall’s biggest fights, with two impressive careers defined by unbreakable wills on the line, Timothy Bradley Jr. faces Brandon Rios on November 7 to see whose grit is the truest,” said HBO Sports Vice President of Programming Peter Nelson. “The Thomas & Mack in Las Vegas is a venue rich in history and HBO is privileged to broadcast the event for our World Championship Boxing franchise.”

“Wynn Las Vegas is pleased to once again partner with Top Rank to bring this anticipated event to Las Vegas,” said Maurice Wooden, president of Wynn Las Vegas. “All eyes will be on Bradley and Rios as they battle for the World Welterweight Title.”

Bradley (32-1-1, 12 KOs), from Palm Springs, Calif., a two-division world champion who has held a world title every year since 2008, completed his comeback from his sole professional loss, to Fighter of the Decade Manny Pacquiao in their world title rematch and a controversial draw against former interim world champion Diego Chaves — both in 2014 — when he beat undefeated world champion Jessie Vargas on June 27, to reclaim the WBO welterweight world title. A consensus Top-10 pound for pound fighter, Bradley returns to the ring in his second stint as welterweight world champion with a new trainer in Teddy Atlas. A former junior welterweight world champion who unified the junior welterweight titles twice during his previous four-year reign, Bradley moved up to the 147 pound division and beat Pacquiao on June 9, 2012 to capture the WBO welterweight crown for the first of three consecutive career-best victories. Bradley followed that by co-starring in the Fight of the Year on March 16, 2013, at StubHub Center, winning a brutal 12-round decision over future world champion Ruslan Provodnikov though Bradley was suffering from a concussion throughout most of the fight. Seven months later Bradley encored with another virtuoso performance in defeating three-division world champion and Mexican icon Juan Manuel Márquez on October 12, 2013, proving that Bradley is indeed one of boxing’s elite pound for pound fighters.

Rios (33-2-1, 23 KOs), the former World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight champion, from Oxnard, Calif., is on the hunt for his second world title in as many weight divisions. Fourteen of his last 18 victories have come by way of knockout. One of boxing’s most exciting fighters, Rios is known for his all-action fan-friendly fighting style. His trainer, former International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior lightweight champion and 2012 Trainer of the Year Robert Garcia, calls it a “throwback” style with a warrior’s mentality that screams excitement. Highlight knockout victories on Rios’ resume include Miguel Acosta, Anthony Peterson, Urbano Antillon, John Murray and Mike Alvarado (twice). Alvarado, the natural 140-pounder, entered that fight as the undefeated WBO No. 1 junior welterweight contender. Many consider it 2012’s Fight of the Year. In their exciting rematch, which took place on March 30, 2013, Rios lost a close decision for the vacant WBO interim junior welterweight title. It was considered a finalist for the 2013 Fight of the Year award. After losing a unanimous decision to Fighter of the Decade Manny Pacquiao, on November 24, 2013, which headlined a pay-per-view event that emanated from Macau, China, Rios returned to the winner’s circle on August 2, 2014, winning a gritty, foul-filled battle against former interim world welterweight champion Diego Chaves, via a ninth-round disqualification. In his last fight, on January 24, Rios stopped Alvarado in the sixth round of the rubber match of their exciting trilogy, in Alvarado’s hometown of Denver to put himself back into position for a world title shot.

The greatest amateur boxer of his era and arguably of all time, two-time Ukrainian Olympic gold medalist Lomachenko (4-1, 2 KOs), of Odessa, captured the vacant WBO featherweight title on June 21, 2014, winning a scintillating majority decision over the previously unbeaten Gary Russell Jr. It was Lomachenko’s third professional bout, tying him with Thailand’s Saensak Muangsurin for fewest fights to win a world title. Muangsurin won a junior welterweight title in 1975, also in his third professional fight. Russell, a former U.S. Olympian, was totally blitzed by Lomachenko, battered around the ring throughout the fight. From the outset of his professional career, Lomachenko made it known that he was ready for the best in his division. He made his professional debut in 2013 knocking out the WBO’s No. 7-rated featherweight contender Jose Luis Ramirez (24-2-2, 15 KOs) in the fourth round of a bout that was scheduled for 10. Less than five months later, on March 1, 2014, in his second professional bout, he challenged WBO featherweight champion Orlando Salido, losing a split decision to the heavier defending champion whose title had been stripped because he could not make the weight limit. Since winning the world title, Lomachenko has successfully defended it twice, winning a 12-round unanimous decision on November 23, 2015, against No. 1 contender Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo (51-1, 33 KOs) and a ninth-round knockout of Gamalier Rodriguez (25-2-3, 17 KOs) on the undercard of the May 2 Floyd Mayweather – Manny Pacquiao extravaganza. Lomachenko first gained international renown by winning gold medals in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Games as a featherweight and a lightweight, respectively.

Koasicha (24-4, 14 KOs), from San Luis Potosi, Mexico, has won eight of his last 10 fights with five of those victories coming by way of knockout fight. A two-time USNBC featherweight champion, the only blemishes on his record during that span were 12-round decision losses to future world champion Lee Selby last year and Jesus Galicia in 2013. In his last bout, on July 24, Koasicha captured the vacant Mexican featherweight crown via an impressive seventh-round TKO of Guillermo “Borrego” Avila in Mexico City. Koasicha is currently world-rated No. 8 by the WBO and No. 9 by the World Boxing Council (WBC).

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

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBO Welterweight champion Timothy Bradley will take on Brandon Rios on November 7 at the Thomas & Mack Arena in Las Vegas.

The could be a slight hurdle as Sadam Ali, the WBO top-contender must take a step aside deal in order for the fight be a title fight.

“We’re confident it will all work out in the end and all parties will be satisfied,” said Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti told ESPN.com.

“I am excited to get back into the ring on Nov. 7 against a very game and very dangerous Brandon Rios,” Bradley said. “I know that he is dedicated to giving the fans what they pay for. So am I. I guarantee you that the Thomas & Mack Center will once again deliver a great match.”

Said Rios: “We’ve been looking for a big fight and at last we have it. I’ll be ready.”

“This is a great between two of the best welterweights in the world and they both have big names,” said Cameron Dunkin, Rios’ manager and Bradley’s former manager. “They’ve fought everybody. They’re both very experienced. It’s a fight that everybody is talking about and wants to see, so I am really, really excited about the matchup. Brandon is very focused on this.”

“Timothy Bradley has been around for a long time. He fought Pacquiao twice and no matter what happened the first time, if it was controversial or not, he beat him. He won. He got the title,” Rios, who lost a lopsided decision to Pacquiao in 2013 in Macau, China and then tested positive for a banned substance, said of Bradley’s massively disputed split decision win against Pacquiao in 2012. “It’s an honor to get back in the spotlight and fight a great champion.”

“As long as I get a fight, I don’t care,” Rios said. “It’s great to be fighting for a title but I don’t really care. Either way I will train my ass off and take it as a title fight because Bradley is a legit fighter and he will come to fight, especially when you put the pressure on him. When you put pressure on him, like I will do, the fighter in him will come out.”

“I didn’t care who I was going to fight. I was just happy Top Rank got me a fight after Alvarado. I didn’t care who it was,” Rios said. “It was very frustrating. I’m so pissed off, but at the end of the day I can’t let it affect me, and I can’t think about it. But I’m mad and I’m disappointed with Top Rank with the way they came about the business. Bob Arum told me after the Alvarado fight I’d be back in June and then nothing happened. It sucks the way it worked out. I like to stay active, especially after a great performance against Alvarado.”

“Offers for other fights were made to Rios and his team that were declined,” Moretti said. “Now he has as big a fight as there is, which is what his focus is on now, I hope.”

“I will be well prepared again for this big opportunity,” he said. “I’m back to my old days — happy training, hungry. I made a lot of money at a young age out of nowhere and I got a little cocky. Good thing I learned that before it was too late. You’ll see me like against Bradley the way I was against Alvarado in the third fight.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, two-division world champion Timothy Bradley has split with longtime trainer Joel Diaz.

“After his last fight, I have not heard from Tim at all. He never answered my calls or anything,” Diaz said. “Then last week, he came to the gym. He said he wanted to talk to me. I said, ‘What’s going on?’ What he said was his manager had other plans and I am not part of those plans. He tried to make some excuses, like I was doing something wrong. I said, ‘I’ve known you for a long time, you’re like my brother, but right now it’s out of your control. Your wife took over your career.’

“He said he would think about it. When they were negotiating the [Brandon] Rios fight, I was calling him to see what was going on. I had to go around him and call his father so his father can contact him because I don’t even think he had a phone no more. I sensed something was going on. His wife got so involved. She didn’t want me involved in the camp.”

“He told me the last few fights things were not the same,” Diaz said. “He was upset because I would leave camp for a day or two sometimes to be with my other fighters at fights. That is my job, but I always put Tim first. I said, ‘Tim, that’s not you talking. It’s people in your ear who you live with. If we’re going to work together let me know.’ He said he would think about it, and two days later [on Sunday], he called and left a message and said he would move on and he would find another trainer.

“I couldn’t even call him. I had to go through Monica. It became an issue of his manager taking over everything. She wanted to have control and power over everything. Look, Timothy is a great guy. He has a big heart, but he has people putting things in his head. I trained this kid his whole career. Monica was really cool at first, but the switch came when she became the manager. She’d come to the gym and try to control the training. I was feeling uncomfortable. It was weird. I never had a problem with Monica, never had an argument with her.”

“I told him when he came to the gym [last week], ‘The problem is not you. I know you from the heart. You are overpowered. You gave somebody too much authority of your life,'” Diaz said. “And I said, ‘Good luck, champ.’ Even if I’m not with him I will be at his next fight and I will root for him. I have no hard feelings, but I’m going to move on.”

“It’s my call. Ain’t nobody make me do anything,” Bradley said. “I did it because I felt it needed to be done. A real man wouldn’t even blame a woman or my wife. My wife didn’t speak to Joel. I spoke to Joel. I told him what was going on.

“At the end of the day, I don’t trust him. What’s the point of being with him if you don’t trust him? If there’s no trust, then there’s no relationship.”

“Go back to the Jessie Vargas fight and go see if Joel Diaz is in the ring with me at the end of the fight,” Bradley said. “He left. Right before they announced me as winner, he just left me. He didn’t stick around for me. When we had the conversation, I asked him about it. ‘Dude, you showed me you don’t even care about me.’ The answer was he was pissed off about something else somebody did on the team and decided to leave the ring.

“I was like, ‘We’ve been together for like 10 years and you’re going to just walk away? Stand by me, bro. If it’s so easy for you to leave me like that, then it’s easy to leave anytime.’ I questioned if he cared for me.”

“He blamed my wife, but I’ve been thinking about this since the fight. I’m a loyal guy, but I kept a lot of things in and I accepted a lot of things, but after so long being Mr. Nice Guy, I had to do this because some things were bothering me.”

“I give the OK on everything,” Bradley said. “My wife is there to protect me, but it’s my decision. I make the decisions because I have to live the decisions. I don’t like that he blamed my wife.”

“I’m gonna talk to my wife and see when can we get them out to work with me,” Bradley said of them coming to his hometown of Palm Springs, California. “I’ll be fighting end of the year and I need to get someone in here.”

“Good things come to an end. It’s not a bad thing,” Bradley said. “I’m looking for change. A lot of guys change trainers. It’s nothing bad about Joel. Sometimes you just need a change. We won five world championships together. I would love to remain friends. Don’t want to make this ugly. It’s just business. I really like the guy a lot.”

Las Vegas (Aug. 20, 2015) – Five-Time World Champion Tim “Desert Storm” Bradley has confirmed that he will appear and have a booth at the Las Vegas Convention Center for the second annual Box Fan Expo that will take place Saturday Sept.12, 2015. The Boxing Expo will coincide with the Floyd Mayweather vs. Andre Berto championship fight, which will take place later that evening, along with Mexican Independence weekend.

Tickets to the Box Fan Expo are available online at: http://BoxFanExpo.eventbrite.com.

The current title holder, Bradley is a two-time WBO welterweight champion; he is also a two-time WBC junior welterweight champion and lastly the former WBO junior welterweight champion. Bradley is trained by former title contender Joel Diaz. He holds wins over world champions Manny Pacquaio, Juan Manuel Marquez, Devon Alexander and Ruslan Provodnikov.

Bradley will also have on hand his “B” Desert Storm brand of clothing for fans to purchase and enjoy.

Bradley joins Roberto Duran, Zab Judah, James Toney, Sergio Martinez, Shawn Porter, Mia St. John, Terry Norris, Joel Casamayor, Fernando Vargas, Ruslan Provodnikov, the World Boxing Council (WBC) and the World Boxing Association (WBA) among early commitments to this year’s Box Fan Expo.

This unique fan experience event, which allowed fans to meet and greet boxing legends, past and current champions and other celebrities of the sport, debuted last September. This year the Expo will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and once again, allow fans a chance to collect autographs, take photos and purchase merchandise and memorabilia.

Exhibitors such as boxing gear, apparel, broadcasting media and other brand companies who wish to participate will have a chance to showcase their products to fans and the whole boxing industry.

Last year’s inaugural Box Fan Expo featured some of the most popular fighters and boxing celebrities in recent history. Fans were treated to visits with Mike Tyson, Roy Jones Jr, Martinez, Amir Khan, Zab Judah, Mikey Garcia,Toney, Riddick Bowe, Leon Spinks Terry Norris, Porter, Chris Byrd, Jesse James Leija ,Lamon Brewster, Ray Mercer, Earnie Shavers, St-John, Erislandy Lara, Quillin, Jean Pascal and Austin Trout. Also appearing were current WBC Champion Deontay Wilder, the charismatic Vinny Pazienza, Paul Williams, noted commentator Al Bernstein and trainer Roger Mayweather of Mayweather Promotions.

The roster of attendees for this year’s Box Fan Expo will be announced throughout the next several weeks leading up to the event.

For anyone in the boxing industry or brand companies who wish to be involved and reserve a booth as an exhibitor or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Box Fan Expo at:

U.S.A telephone number: (702) 997-1927 or (514) 572-7222

For any inquiries please email: boxfanexpo@gmail.com

More information on the Box Fan Expo is available at: http://www.boxfanexpo.com

To watch Tim Bradley video about Box Fan Expo go to: http://goo.gl/u3KeUP

View the official promo video of Box Fan Expo here: http://www.boxfanexpo.com/video-2/

You can follow Box Fan Expo on Twitter at: https://www.twitter.com/BoxFanExpo and on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/BoxFanExpo

By Bart Barry-

DALLAS – Four miles southeast of this city’s downtown center stands Gexa Energy Pavilion, a 20,000-seat outdoor amphitheater whose stage Friday hosted a deep roster of pioneers in a musical genre then-known as rap – as in Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” – and now known as hip-hop. For those enchanted by the seedling genre in its great years, 1985-1992, Friday was an ecstasy of nostalgia and enduring craftsmanship.

Would that welterweight Timothy Bradley’s decision victory over Jessie Vargas Saturday night in Carson, Calif., kindled such praise, but when a referee marks the first interview conducted after a sporting event of any kind, one can safely assume that event disappointed spectators. So it went with Bradley-Vargas 1, a middling affair until the final moments, when Bradley ran himself into a Vargas righthand, got buckled, staggered a bit, held on, and made it to referee Pat Russell’s chosen stopping place, which as everyone now has been told a dozen times and as many different ways, was not on the 3:00 mark.

The idea Bradley – who pedaled himself unconsciously through about 11 rounds with Ruslan Provodnikov, and managed to remain conscious, too, for a combined 36 rounds across from Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez – was but one blow from being stopped by a career junior welterweight with nine knockouts in 26 prizefights, in his debut at 147 pounds, is quite nearly absurd. But as neither HBO nor promoter Top Rank has an idea what to do with Bradley, still, a rematch birthed by a controversy inspired by true events is the best idea currently in the offing. One no longer pities Bradley quite deeply as he did in the aftermath of the Provodnikov match, when Bradley dutifully shortened his own life with a heroic apology for decisioning Pacquiao and thereby sabotaging in 2012 (until Marquez did it perfectly six months later, and Top Rank subsequently and effortfully resurrected Pacquiao) the Fight to Save Boxing, which did quite the opposite this May.

Bradley is not a welterweight, whatever says the thickening of his physique, and his lack of welterweight power manifests itself in two obvious ways. Firstly, in seven matches, Bradley has yet to knock-out, or even knock-down, anyone as a welterweight – despite hurling himself awkwardly enough at every opponent to ruin feet and ankles, and perform what could only be called a contortionist feat on the blue mat against Provodnikov th’t yogis, to this day, cannot replicate. And secondly, that Bradley loses his balance so often, and badly, by overcommitting to punches that barely dent or mark the men he strikes flush with them.

The move that causes Bradley the most trouble is his orphan-the-children righthand that, when it misses, finds him fully crossed-over and pointedly aware of how precariously he’s mispositioned himself. Generally, after the righthand misses, Bradley sets his eyes on the tops of his own shoes, hopes not to get hit, returns his weight to his left foot (now his back foot), and quickly uncrosses his legs. He’s an elite athlete, even among what elite athletes make their livings in prizefighting, and that athleticism, once a fundamental hindrance, most likely, a hindrance to his adoption of boxing fundamentals, is now what allows him to do well as he does.

Jessie Vargas, too, exceeded expectations, Saturday, offering a competitive opponent to Bradley, and making the final minute of the fight more interesting than its 35 predecessors. Vargas certainly did not win, and were there a feasible or even novel opponent for Bradley, victory over Vargas would be declared and boxing would move on without a rematch at the end of the year, but as there is not, Unfinished will become Business’s modifier, and a more-tentative Timothy Bradley will outbox Vargas by wide margins whenever the rematch happens.

There was a two-year stretch in which I attended three-of-four Bradley matches, in Las Vegas, and yet it didn’t cross my mind to attend Saturday’s tilt. Why not? Two reasons, again: Firstly, Timothy Bradley, while remaining a model citizen and fighter boxing would be well-advised to replicate a few hundred times, is not always enthralling to watch, and the higher his weight climbs, the more apparent this becomes. And secondly, there was Big Daddy Kane and Melle Mel and Sugarhill Gang and Doug E. Fresh and Whodini and LL Cool J – “Kings of the Mic” – to see in this city, Friday.

The term “classic hip-hop” appears now to encompass the genuinely talented part of Friday’s show, while the less-talented part of Friday’s show, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, is from a later era discovered by trailblazers who, despite their collective greatness as performers, proved no better at spotting talent than Shane Mosley during his brief time as a Golden Boy Promotions partner. There was not a single oath spoken, sung or rapped in the opening four hours of Friday’s show, and then Bone Thugs-n-Harmony began its sloppy, pointless set, and one couldn’t escape from vulgarity – the word motherf**ker fairly creaking under the weight of a performance it now had to shoulder.

That is not some priggish commentary about family values, either; it’s an aesthetic criticism.

Today, consumers of hip-hop expect, proudly demand even, lyrics written between and a first- and third-grade reading level. It was not that way in the beginning. Big Daddy Kane’s lyrics resonate almost 30 years after one first hears them, and so do LL Cool J’s. The songs Public Enemy released before 1992 are more relevant to current events, 25 years later, than 90-percent of the garbage hip-hop has become since the fateful year Dr. Dre released “The Chronic.”

“Oh, but you don’t understand ‘the industry’ and ‘the branding’ and ‘what’s hot’ and . . .” – just stop it; no man wants to hear another man talk like a teenage girl.

In the short run, little in life finds its governance in a meritocracy, and the long run, by its very nature, rarely gets survived by what artists it promotes. May some sense of that continue to bring solace to both Timothy Bradley and Big Daddy Kane.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

CARSON, Calif. – Nothing is ever easy for Timothy Bradley.

Or predictable

In a career full of controversial decisions and crazy finishes, there was another wild ride for Bradley.

Bradley wound up winning a unanimous decision over Jessie Vargas Saturday. But it was in a 12-round fight that referee Pat Russell stopped about seven seconds before it was supposed to end and about five seconds after Bradley was rocked by a huge right hand.

Confusion reigned for a couple of minutes, Vargas thought Russell stopped it because Bradley was hurt and couldn’t continue. Vargas celebrated, thinking he had scored a huge upset. His corner men and friends jumped into the ring to celebrate with him. Meanwhile, Bradley appeared confused. He shook his head in disbelief at what looked to be a loss.

“I knew where I was at all times,’’ said Bradley, who stumbled backwards from an overhand right by Vargas. “I knew where I was at all times. All of sudden, the referee was waving his hands. I didn’t know what was going on.’’

Nobody did.

Turns out, Russell stopped the fight because he thought it was over.

“I thought I heard the bell,’’ Russell told HBO’s Max Kellerman in a chaotic scene at the center of the ring.
Maybe, Russell heard the 10-second warning and mistook it for the final bell. Or maybe he heard an inadvertent bell from somewhere in the StubHub crowd. Maybe, maybe, maybe. It’s only certain that he didn’t stop the fight because of what he saw in Bradley.

“I made the call based on what I heard,’’ Russell said.

That meant the fight went to the scorecards. All three favored Bradley. Judge Max DeLuca had it 116-112. Rocky Young scored it 117-111. On Kermit Bayless’ card, it was 115-112.

Finally, Bradley (32-1-1,12 KOs) could celebrate. In the sudden turn of events, however, there was only frustration for Vargas (26-1, 9 KOs).

“Those seven seconds cost me the fight,’’ he said.
He complained that he wasn’t allowed to finish Bradley. He was denied a triumphant finish, he said.

“Let me finish what I started,’’ he said to Bradley while asking for a rematch.
Okay, Bradley said.
No telling how crazy an encore might be.

Except for seven seconds, Bradley appeared to control the bout

Doubt appeared to creep into Vargas’ eyes as early as the second round. Bradley was applying pressure with muscle and authority. As the round ended, Vargas smiled at him. There was a question, perhaps a prayer, in that smile. It was as if Vargas couldn’t believe that Bradley could sustain the pace.

But he did at a punishing rate. Bradley repeatedly stepped inside Vargas’ four-inch advantage in reach, delivering blows to body and head with the thudding impact of that old jackhammer he swung around during an old-school training camp.

At the end of the fifth, Vargas found himself with his back on the ropes. He would be there again and again in a futile attempt to elude Bradley’s tireless pursuit. There was just nowhere else to go for Vargas in his first bout against a welterweight who is among the division elite.

Bradley was stronger and he knew it. By the seventh, there was a look of resignation instead of doubt on Vargas’ face. By the ninth, there was almost a look of dread. By the tenth, there was inevitability.

But, in the end, there was only chaos. Nothing for new for Bradley

Oscar Valdez down early, wins easily

If the prospect stage is about lessons, super-featherweight Oscar Valdez got one. Passed it, too. But it wasn’t the A-plus kind of grade that put Valdez at the top of the honor roll through his first 16 fights. More like a B-minus.

Ruben Tamayo, a fellow Mexican with a journeyman’s record (23-6-4, 15 KOs) surprised Valdez (17-0, 14 KOs) early with some thing of a pop quiz. Valdez, a two-time Olympian, was on the canvas in the first round.

It wasn’t exactly clear how he got there. Valdez appeared to get his feet tangled up after Tamayo knocked him off balance with a left. Maybe, he tripped. Maybe, Tamayo’s power put him there. Maybe, both.

Whatever it was, it was a momentary stunner.

Valdez looks surprised, even embarrassed. The good news is that he quickly recovered with a poised attack that included stinging jabs to the head and combos to the body. The bad news was that he couldn’t finish Tamayo, who was penalized a point in the seventh for a low blow. Still, it was enough for a 98-90, 99-90, 98-90 win on the scorecards.

Next lesson, please

On The Undercard
The Best: Providence featherweight Toka Khan Clary (16-0-0-1, 10 KOs) landed a huge hook at the end of the sixth round, dropping Colombian Jonathan Perez (33-12, 27 KOs) just as the bell sounded. It looked as if Perez never heard the bell. It also looked as if he had no clue at what hit him or even where he was. He was unconscious before he ever hit the canvas, knocked out at 2:59 of the sixth.

The Rest: Chicago welterweight Ed Brown (6-0, 6 KOs) scored a second-round knockout of Jose Maruffo (7-3-2,) of Phoenix. It was dull, but it was decisive as junior-welterweight Abraham Lopez (1-1) of Rowland Heights scored a unanimous decision over Mexican Joann Valenzuela (1-4-1, 1 KO). And Los Angeles featherweight Leonardo Chavez (4-1, 3 KOs) scored a second-round knockdown and was never threatened in winning a unanimous decision over Mexican Jair Quintero (4-5-2).

By Norm Frauenheim-

CARSON, Calif. – Timothy Bradley returns to a place that gave him headache. A career-defining victory, too.

This time, he plans to leave without the headache and only a victory over Jessie Vargas Saturday night (6:45 pm PST/9:45 pm EST on HBO) in a welterweight bout he hopes will hit the-re-set button for bigger things in his resilient career.

Still, Bradley can’t help but look around at the SubHub Center and wince at what he remembers of March 16, 2013 against Ruslan Provodnikov.

“Horrific,’’ Bradley said.

That was the night Bradley suffered a concussion, yet somehow survived to win a decision over Provodnikov in the 2013 Fight of the Year.

Ever since, Bradley has called the outdoor ring at StubHub “the War-Grounds.’’ Calling it a Center just doesn’t do justice to the battle that transpired more than two years ago.

Bradley isn’t seeking an encore. Who would? A solid decision over Vargas, a newcomer to the welterweight division’s elite ranks, would be enough and perhaps lead to bigger fights for bigger money at even a bigger weight. Bradley has even talked about middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin.

“I was small 140-pounder,’’ said Bradley, who was 146.4 pounds Friday at the weigh-in for the 147-pound bout. “I’m a small 147-pounder. I’d be a small 154-pounder. But, like I’ve been saying all along, I’ll fight anybody.’’

For now, that somebody is Vargas, who is finally getting the big fight he’s been seeking. Vargas, who has a four-inch advantage in reach, also was 146.4 pounds Friday.

The card, HBO’s Boxing 1000th telecast, will also feature super-featherweight prospect Oscar Valdez in his first appearance on the premium network. Valdez (15-0, 14 KOs), a two-time Mexican Olympian who went to school in Tucson, was 127.4 pounds Friday. He faces fellow Mexican Ruben Tamayo (25-5-4, 17 KOs). In his first trip to the scale Tamayo was 129, a pound over the contracted weight, 128. An hour later, Tamayo weighed 128.

Timothy Bradley 146.4 – Jessie Vargas 146.4
Oscar Valdez 127.4 – Ruben Tamayo 129

HBO Boxing News: Jessie Vargas Interview

By Norm Frauenheim

Timothy Bradley doesn’t stay angry for too long. Maybe that’s because he’s a nice guy. Or maybe he just doesn’t have time for it. But he doesn’t let it metastasize into a career-killing grudge. That’s for a long line of angry young men in a business full of more grudges than catch-weight clauses.

So it wasn’t exactly a surprise Thursday when Bradley let his rant Tuesday at Jesse Vargas and trainer Erik Morales pass like a summer storm. The good guy in Bradley is impossible to suppress and it was there at a news conference for his Saturday bout with Vargas at the Stub Hub Center in Carson, Calif.

“I have nothing against this team,’’ Bradley (29-1-1, 11 KOs) said as he looked at Vargas and Morales a couple days before HBO Boxing reaches a milestone with its 1000th telecast. “What happened two days ago on that rant – I was just getting out of my car.

“I’m hungry. I’m tired. I gotta take a piss, and I hear someone is saying some negative things about my name. When I went on that rant, I was angry at the time.

“But there’s no disrespect. There’s no bad blood. I respect everybody on the dais – Jessie Vargas and Erik Morales, the great Hall of Fame fighter, Erik Morales.’’

Those are the kind of comments that have come to define Bradley, a promising ringside analyst. He’s a people person with common problems, including a bad day. He’s different only because he fights for a living.

Yet, he’s still approachable in a way that allows they pubic to identify with him. You almost feel as if you could knock on his door to ask if you could borrow his lawn mower. Try that with Floyd Mayweather Jr, who probably doesn’t have a mower, at least not one made by Ferrari.

Bradley went into his rant when he arrived at the fight’s hotel. It quickly exploded on the net, mostly because it was so out of character. It was also hard to figure. What precipitated it?

After promising to whip Vargas’ bleeping posterior, he threatened to do the same to Morales, the former featherweight great and Vargas new trainer. Morales, a former champion at four different weights, replaced Roy Jones Jr.

“I’ll come back and beat his behind if he comes out of retirement,’’ said Bradley, a favorite in his first bout since sustaining a debatable draw in December against Diego Chaves. “Whatever weight. We could fight at a catch-weight. It don’t matter. You want to fight at 200? It doesn’t matter. I’m going to whip your ass next. If you want to talk, you can say whatever you want to say.’’

Huh?

It was never clear what, if anything, Morales said. There was some suspicion that maybe it was just a ploy to sell a fight between two good guys. And, sure enough, Top Rank don’t waste any time sending out video of the rant, far and wide. The other suspicion was that Bradley was grasping for motivation against Vargas (26-0, (KOs), who is unbeaten yet a newcomer to the welterweight division’s elite.

Nope, nope and nope.

Turns out, Bradley only had to go to the men’s room.

One of the sport’s best fighters returns when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: TIMOTHY BRADLEY JR. VS. JESSIE VARGAS AND OSCAR VALDEZ VS. RUBEN TAMAYO is seen SATURDAY, JUNE 27 at 9:45 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from StubHub Center in Carson, Cal., exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports team will be ringside to call all the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

The night marks the 1,000th fight televised on HBO. It all began Jan. 22, 1973 when HBO acquired telecast rights to the heavyweight title fight between Joe Frazier and George Foreman in Kingston, Jamaica. HBO has carried fights from 34 states plus Washington. D.C and international destinations such as Buenos Aires, Cancun, Montreal, London, Berlin, Copenhagen, Munich, Manila, Moscow and Tokyo. The fighters with the most appearances on the network during its 43 years of covering the sweet science are Roy Jones Jr and Oscar de la Hoya tied with 32.
Other HBO playdates: June 28 (10:00 a.m.) and 29 (11:30 p.m.)
HBO2 playdate: June 28 (3:30 p.m.)
Timothy Bradley Jr. (31-1-1, 12 KOs), from Palm Springs, Cal., takes on undefeated Jessie Vargas (26-0, 9 KOs) of Las Vegas in a scheduled 12-round welterweight contest. A former super lightweight and welterweight titleholder, Bradley will be making his 2015 debut. His only pro loss came at the hands of Manny Pacquiao, which was followed by a controversial draw against Diego Chaves. Bradley has consistently accepted difficult fights and will be returning to the venue where he fought Ruslan Provodnikov in an epic 12-round battle that was named 2013’s Fight of the Year by the BWAA. Vargas has held a title in the super lightweight division and is moving up in weight to take on Bradley, seeking a new championship belt for his collection.
Opening up the telecast is a 10-round featherweight attraction that features the HBO debut of highly regarded two-time Mexican Olympian Oscar Valdez. The 24-year-old (16-0, 14 KOs) from Nogales, Sonora, hopes to show off his considerable ring skills in a matchup with southpaw Ruben Tamayo (23-5-4, 15 KOs), who hails from Ciuadad, Obregon, Sonora, Mexico.
Follow HBO boxing news at hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/hboboxing.
All HBO boxing events are presented in HDTV. HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.
The executive producer of WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is Rick Bernstein; producer, Dave Harmon; director, Johnathan Evans.
® WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.

Just a day after getting Jose Felix as a replacement foe for Ray Beltran. Humberto Soto injured his knee and his June 27 fight on the Timothy Bradley – Jessie Vargas undercard is off, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Soto is not going to fight,” said Golden Boy Promotions Eric Gomez. “He messed up his knee jogging on Tuesday. He was training. He got X-rays and he has strained knee ligaments, and the doctor told him he needs to rest it for a month.”

“It’s shocking. This guy can’t catch a break,” Eric Gomez said of Soto. “First, there was the Frankie Gomez situation, then Ray Beltran and now this. When bad news happens, it comes in threes. It was like 1-2-3 strikes, you’re out.”

LAS VEGAS, NV (May 29, 2015) — Former four-division world champion and Mexican boxing icon ERIK “El Terrible” MORALES is the new trainer for undefeated World Boxing Association (WBA) super lightweight world champion JESSIE VARGAS. Morales, who received the call a few days ago, is already in Vargas’ Las Vegas-based training camp preparing him for the biggest fight of his professional career, against former two-division world champion TIMOTHY “Desert Storm” BRADLEY JR. Vargas (26-0, 9 KOs), a native of Los Angeles who now lives in Las Vegas, and Bradley (31-1-1, 12 KOs), from Palm Springs, Calif., will go mano a mano for the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight world title, Saturday, June 27, at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. The fight will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing®, beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

These two gladiators boast a combined record of 57-1-1 (21 KOs) — a winning percentage of 97%.

“I am very religious so I began to pray for the right person to train me,” said Vargas. “Instantly, the name of Erik Morales came to me. I was able to track him down and he came right to our training camp in Las Vegas. I watched practically of all Erik’s big fights – the wars with Marco Antonio Barrera, the fights against Manny Pacquiao. Erik always fought hard and with all his heart. That’s who I want in my corner, someone who will give me everything they have to beat Bradley.”

“I’ve trained many fighters in Mexico. But Jessie is the best fighter I will be working with and this is the biggest fight, against Bradley,” said Morales. “We will win this fight. Jessie will put on pressure with intelligence and mix it up, using counter-punching. Bradley likes to go into his comfort zone in the ring. We will attack there too.”

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Tecate, remaining tickets to the Bradley vs. Vargas welterweight championship event, priced at $150, $75, $50 and $25, (plus applicable taxes and fees), can be purchased online at http://www.axs.com, by telephone at (888) 929-7849 or at the StubHub Center box office, Monday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Suites are available by calling (877) 604-8777. For information on group discounts, please call (877) 234-8425.

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

LONDON (22 May) – Boxing has enjoyed an incredible year in 2015 with BoxNation at the forefront having screened the biggest and best fights around.

In the past few weeks alone ‘The Channel of Champions’ has shown some of the highest viewed fights in years live and exclusive including the thrilling toe-to-toe war between Lucas Matthysse and Ruslan Provodnikov, heavyweight legend Wladimir Klitschko’s defence of his world titles against Bryant Jennings, Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez’s brutal knockout of James Kirkland and Kazakh ace Gennady Golovkin’s stunning win over Willie Monroe Jr.

Those eye-catching battles will undoubtedly go down among the top highlights of a remarkable year with BoxNation set to keep delivering with an unbelievable value-for-money lineup over the summer.

The non-stop live boxing action starts tonight when Russian kingpin Alexander Povetkin takes on the Cork based Cuban Mike Perez as both slug it out to see who will compete for the charismatic Deontay Wilder’s WBC heavyweight world title next up.

Then, next Friday night, live from the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, one of boxing’s most exciting fighters is back when British welterweight star Amir Khan takes on Chris Algieri as he looks to get his name into the Floyd Mayweather sweepstakes for September.

28-year-old Khan is coming-off a dazzling display against the tricky Devon Alexander in his last matchup but will have to be at his best against former champion Algieri who is fighting in his hometown under respected new head trainer John David Jackson.

A host of top fights keep coming on BoxNation when Puerto Rican idol Miguel Cotto takes on former two-time world champion Daniel Geale in a bout that could lead to a superfight for the victor.

Four-weight world champion Cotto has enjoyed a revival under Hall of Fame coach Freddie Roach and is looking more dangerous than ever as he eyes a showdown with Canelo Alvarez should he prevail on June 6th.

Featherweight assassin and reigning WBA Super champion Nicholas Walters will be out a week later on June 13th as he puts his title on the line against knockout king Miguel Marriaga.

The Columbian holds a win over the unbeaten Walters in the amateurs, with the Jamaican hitter out for revenge and looking to continue his fine form that has seen him destroy 2012 Fighter of the Year Nonito Donaire last October.

Top welterweight Tim Bradley is hoping to cement his name at the pinnacle of the 147 pound division but will have his work cut out against rising American Jessie Vargas who goes up against the experienced 31-year-old in his breakout fight.

Vargas is mentored by fight legend Roy Jones Jr, having once trained under the Mayweather banner, and is well aware that a win over Bradley will catapult him to the top of the division.

Plus, on July 11th from the Manchester Velodrome, lightweight Terry Flanagan will have home advantage as he challenges for the vacant WBO world title against Jose Zepeda.

Both men are undefeated but Manchester born Flanagan, with a record of 27-0, will look to capitalise on fighting in front of his home crowd against 25-year-old big-hitting Zepeda, who has knocked out 20 opponents in his 23 wins.

There is even more big-hitting to come on BoxNation when one of the world’s most feared knockout artists Sergey Kovalev defends his prized WBA, WBO and IBF light-heavyweight titles against Frenchman Nadjib Mohammedi.

The 175-pound hitman has made light work of his previous 27 opponents, putting 24 of them to sleep along the way, and will be out to do much of the same against Mohammedi as he eyes a megafight with rival Adonis Stevenson in the near future.

Jim McMunn, Managing Director of BoxNation, said: “BoxNation is enjoying an amazing year with a host of record breaking fights having been screened live and exclusive on the channel. 2015 has already witnessed some unbelievable matchups and things just get better on BoxNation with a jam-packed summer schedule featuring the biggest and best names around. BoxNation continuously looks to deliver the best fights from around the world at a genuinely affordable and value-for-money price for our subscribers. The next few weeks on BoxNation is truly a fight fan’s dream.”

To subscribe to BoxNation (on Sky/Virgin/TalkTalk/ Livesport.tv/Apps) for just £12 a month please visit boxnation.com.

-Ends-
About BoxNation
BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated subscription boxing channel. For £12* a month and no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

BoxNation is proud to support Fight for Peace, a charity that uses boxing and martial arts combined with education and personal development to realise the potential of young people in communities that suffer from crime and violence. Buy LUTA (www.luta.co.uk) clothing and support Fight for Peace.

Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Khan vs Collazo and Mayweather vs Maidana.

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For more information visit www.boxnation.com

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According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former world champions Ray Beltran and Humberto Soto will meet on June 27 as part of the Timothy Bradley – Jessie Vargas undercard at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.

“Adding this slugfest to the much anticipated slugfest between Bradley and Vargas just ensures another memorable night of prizefighting at the highest level at the StubHub Center,” Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti told ESPN.com. “Those in attendance and watching at home on HBO are in for a special night with major implications for those combatants.”

“We’re excited about the fight. It should be a fun fight. Both guys are exciting fighters,” said Golden Boy vice president Eric Gomez, who negotiated the bout with Moretti. “Peter Nelson took it upon himself to tell Soto they would have him back on after what happened with Frankie. We really appreciate it. He kept his word. He is doing the right thing here. Peter stepped up and said he’d get him back on the network, and he did it with what we think is going to be a great fight. Humberto Soto is going to make a war.”

LOS ANGELES (May 18, 2015) — Former two-division world champion and highly-rated pound for pound fighter TIMOTHY “Desert Storm” BRADLEY JR. and undefeated World Boxing Association (WBA) super lightweight world champion JESSIE VARGAS will make their long-awaited 2015 debuts when they square off in a 12-round welterweight rumble, Saturday, June 27, under the stars at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. The Southern California natives’ fight will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing, beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

These two gladiators boast a combined record of 57-1-1 (21 KOs) — a winning percentage of 97%.

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Tecate, tickets to the Bradley vs. Vargas welterweight event go on sale Tomorrow! Tuesday, May 19, at 10:00 a.m. PT. Priced at $150, $75, $50 and $25, (plus applicable taxes and fees), tickets can be purchased online at http://www.axs.com, by telephone at (888) 929-7849 or at the StubHub Center box office, Monday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Suites are available by calling (877) 604-8777. For information on group discounts, please call (877) 234-8425.

“I’m excited to be back in the ring with an undefeated champion,” said Bradley. “I look forward to the challenge and to take his 0 away from him on June 27th.”

“I am thrilled to have this fight,” said Vargas. “I will be facing a very talented fighter and when you have two great talents with a lot of heart it always makes for a great fight. I always elevate my game against better competition. I am ready to show and prove that I am one of the best fighters out there. There is not one doubt in my mind that everyone will enjoy this fight. I look forward to giving the fans the best of Jessie Vargas on June 27. ”

“Tim Bradley, one of the sport’s elite fighters, will be looking to take another big step toward regaining a world title belt, while Jessie Vargas, a young and hungry world champion, will be moving up to a new weight division in the biggest test of his professional career. It’s a great matchup of Southern California natives in a perfect setting for their fans at StubHub Center,” said Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank.

“The last time Timothy Bradley, Jr., entered the ring at the StubHub, he left having given the fans the fight of the year,” said Peter Nelson, Vice President of programming, HBO Sports. “Now, he returns for his 2015 debut against one of boxing’s undefeated rising attractions, Jessie Vargas, in a fight that augurs to have great action and impact in the loaded welterweight division.”

Bradley (31-1-1, 12 KOs), from Palm Springs, Calif., a former two-division world champion, from 2008 to 2014, who unified the junior welterweight titles twice during his previous four-year reign, returns to the ring following a controversial draw against one-time interim world champion Diego Chaves last December. The judges were taken to task by ringside media who had Bradley winning handily, an argument bolstered by the fact that Bradley landed 73 more punches than Chaves and controlled almost every round. Bradley continues his comeback since suffering his first professional loss, in his welterweight championship rematch against Fighter of the Decade Manny Pacquiao on April 12, 2014. Before the Pacquiao rematch, Bradley posted three consecutive career-best victories. After moving up in weight and beating Pacquiao in 2012 to capture the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight crown, Bradley co-starred in the Fight of the Year on March 16, 2013, at StubHub Center, winning a brutal 12-round decision over future world champion Ruslan Provodnikov though Bradley was suffering from a concussion throughout most of the fight. Seven months later, Bradley encored with a virtuoso performance in defeating three-division world champion and Mexican icon Juan Manuel Márquez on October 12, 2013, proving that Bradley is indeed one of boxing’s elite pound for pound fighters.

Vargas (26-0, 9 KOs), a native of Los Angeles who now lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, is trained by former four-division world champion and future Hall of Famer Roy Jones, Jr. Vargas captured the WBA super lightweight title on April 19, 2014 in Las Vegas, winning a unanimous decision over undefeated defending champion Khabib Allakhverdiev. It was a close and competitive fight that proved Vargas’ grit as he bit down hard during the championship rounds to pull away with the victory and the world championship belt. Vargas successfully defended his title twice that same year, winning unanimous decisions over undefeated contender Anton Novikov in Las Vegas and former world champion Antonio DeMarco in Macao, China on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao – Chris Algieri world welterweight pay-per-view card. Vargas’ impressive resume also includes victories over former world champions Stevie Forbes and Vivian Harris and top contenders Josesito Lopez, Lucky Boy Omotoso, Ray Narh and Lanardo Tyner.

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

LONDON (May 13) – BoxNation will air the return of Puerto Rican legend and reigning WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto live and exclusive on June 6 as he steps in against former two-time world champion Daniel Geale.

The 34-year-old superstar Cotto will return to New York, where he has enjoyed much success, as he fights for the first time at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn having fought 11- times previously in ‘The Big Apple’.

Against the skilled Geale, however, the Freddie Roach trained Cotto will have to be at his best if he hopes to continue the impressive revival that has been witnessed under the Hall of Fame trainer.

Cotto is regarded as one of boxing’s elite stars and is ready to impress once again, live on BoxNation.

“I am happy and excited to be back in New York and fighting at Barclays Center,” said Cotto. “This is another chapter in my career and I’m committed to train as hard as always and bring a big victory. I’m looking forward to seeing all the Puerto Rican fans on June 6 and to being part of another exciting boxing night in Brooklyn.”

Australian Geale is back in New York following his 3rd round loss to Kazakh assassin Gennady Golovkin but is confident he can reign as champion once again.

“Thanks to Miguel Cotto for the opportunity to become a world champion once again,” said Geale. “I have total respect for Miguel and his achievements, but I can win this fight and that is exactly what I intend to do come June 6 in Brooklyn at Barclays Center.”

Further great news for BoxNation subscribers is that the channel will be bringing two further thrilling cards in June starting with Nicholas Walters versus Miguel Marriaga on June 13 and welterweight ace Tim Bradley facing the crafty Jessie Vargas on June 27.

Known as ‘The Axe Man’, Walters burst onto the scene late last year when the undefeated Jamaican, who has a record of 25 wins with 21 knockouts, stopped 2012 ‘Fighter of the Year’ Nonito Donaire inside six rounds.

The WBA featherweight world champion is ready to get revenge on the unbeaten Marriaga at the fabled Madison Square Garden, with the Colombian holding a win over him in the amateurs having defeated him during the Olympic trials.

“Headlining at Madison Square Garden is every fighter’s dream. I have unfinished business with Miguel Marriaga,” said Walters. “He kept me out of the 2008 Olympics when he beat me in the Americas Olympic Qualifier and I am ready to pay him back. I am going to chop him with the axe.”

“I am happy to be fighting at the legendary Madison Square Garden,” said Marriaga. “I was born to be world champion and come June 13 I will be victorious.”

The card will also feature the golden Puerto Rican lightweight talent Felix Verdejo who takes on an unbeaten prospect like himself in Ivan Najera.

“I know that the fight against Ivan Najera will not be easy,” said Verdejo. “I will prepare myself to the maximum and sacrifice everything in the gym so that on fight night I will be at my best. I am very thankful to Top Rank for giving me these types of opportunities.”

This exciting bill is quickly followed by Bradley’s 12-round matchup with the undefeated Vargas at the StubHub Center in Carson, California, where the victor will be looking to cement themselves as one of the very best in the stacked 147-pound division.

Jim McMunn, Managing Director of BoxNation, said: “After enjoying some amazing nights of boxing in recent weeks live on BoxNation we are delighted to fill our summer schedule with further great matchups. Miguel Cotto is one of boxing’s true superstars so we are very pleased to feature him on the channel once again. The further two cards on June 13 with Nicholas Walters against Miguel Marriaga, and Tim Bradley taking on Jessie Vargas on June 27, ensures that BoxNation continues to deliver the very best fights for boxing fans at a truly exceptional price of just £12 a month.”

To subscribe to BoxNation (Sky 437/490HD, Virgin 546, TalkTalk525) for just £12 a month please visit boxnation.com.

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About BoxNation

BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated subscription boxing channel. For £12* a month and no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

BoxNation is proud to support Fight for Peace, a charity that uses boxing and martial arts combined with education and personal development to realise the potential of young people in communities that suffer from crime and violence.

Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Khan vs Collazo and Mayweather vs Maidana.

The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Virgin (Ch.546), TalkTalk (Ch.525), online at Livesport.tv and via iPhone, iPad or Android. BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.

BoxNation is also available to commercial premises (inc. pubs, clubs and casino’s) in the UK and Ireland, for more information on a commercial subscription please call 0844 842 7700.

For more information visit www.boxnation.com

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Former Welterweight champion Timothy Bradley will take on WBA Super Lightweight champion Jessie Vargas on June 27 at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.

“Vargas is a good, little fighter,” Bradley told ESPN.com. “He’s a world champion, and he has to be respected. This is another good fight, another good opponent. I’m always fighting good competition. He’s undefeated. I think this is a good test for both of us and a good fight for me against an undefeated fighter.”

“I’m very excited about this fight,” Vargas told ESPN.com. “I’m extremely excited to be getting the opportunity to fight a name like Timothy Bradley, a guy who beat Manny Pacquiao. I know it was controversial, but he has a win over him. I’m trying to get closer to fighting the big names.”

“It was getting harder for me to make 140. I knew it was coming to an end, and I didn’t want to get to a point where that last half-pound would hurt me,” said Vargas, who is trained by former pound-for-pound king Roy Jones Jr. “I’m looking forward to fighting at 147. I was successful in past fights at 147.”

“Tim is a great fighter, and that’s why I’m excited. We both come to fight and give the fans a great fight,” Vargas said. “Timmy always comes and gives an exciting fight. I want to be a fan-friendly fighter.”

Said Carl Moretti, vice president of Top Rank, “Because of their styles, I think it’s going to be a great fight and the winner is going to come out as a big player in the division. Jessie wanted to move to 147 and he’s been on HBO before. Any time you get a good fight in the welterweight division, there’s interest, and this is a good fight in the welterweight division.

“It’s a fight that keeps Bradley going in another competitive fight, and for Jessie, it’s a chance for him to fight a big name. Jessie is sky-high for the fight.”

“It ain’t hard to get up for this fight,” he said. “He wants what I got. He wants my name on his resume. You got to get in there and show me you can beat me. I’ve faced big names in the sport, but I’m [a] risk-taker, baby. It’s me and him that night.”

truTV and Top Rank will partner to exclusively present the MetroPCS Friday Night Knockout on truTV, a live primetime boxing series set to debut Friday, May 1, at 10 p.m. ET. The new boxing series, in association with Turner Sports and HBO Sports, will launch on the eve of the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao pay-per-view fight with a card featuring two title bouts inside The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

The network’s presentation will feature the first-ever domestic use of “Spidercam” technology for a live boxing telecast, providing dynamic coverage of this new series. “Spidercam” operates on a four-point system of cables from designated points beyond the corners of the boxing ring. The suspended camera has the ability to provide compelling 360-degree angles of the action including the ability to move in three dimensions – left/right, forward/backward and up/down.

“Spidercam” will provide the definitive views of the action throughout the series, including a main event on Friday, May 1, showcasing Takahiro Ao (27-3-1, 16 KOs) from Chiba, Japan, vs. Ray Beltran (29-7-1, 17 KOs) from Los Mochis, Mexico, in a 12-round bout for the vacant WBO Lightweight World Championship. The undercard will include two undefeated fighters in action – Mikael Zewski (26-0, 23 KOs) from Quebec, Canada, vs. Konstantin Ponomarev (27-0, 13 KOs) from Miass, Russia – in a 10-round bout for the NABF Welterweight Championship.

Commentators for the event will include Kevin Kugler providing play-by-play with analyst Timothy Bradley and reporter Crystina Poncher. Kugler is a veteran announcer who has called college basketball and NFL coverage for Westwood One and college football for the Big Ten Network. Bradley is a former WBO welterweight champion and former WBO and two-time WBC junior welterweight champion, including a win over Pacquiao during his career. Poncher is a commentator and reporter for Top Rank, as well as a host, reporter and correspondent for NFL Network and NFL.com. Additionally, closed captioning in Spanish will be available.

The second week of the MetroPCS Friday Night Knockout on truTV series – live from Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Friday, May 8, at 10 p.m. – will be headlined by Top-10 contenders Glen “Jersey Boy” Tapia (23-1, 15 KOs) from Passaic, N.J., and “Irish” Seanie Monaghan (23-0, 15 KOs) in action. Tapia will defend his NABO junior middleweight title against Michael Soro (25-1-1, 15 KOs) from France, with Monaghan (defending his WBC Continental Americas light heavyweight title) facing Cleiton Conceicao (20-6-2, 16 KOs) from Brazil.

As part of its entitlement sponsorship of the boxing series on truTV, MetroPCS will receive camera-visible center ring and corner pad brand placement for each fight, as well as inclusion in all promotional messaging across truTV and other Turner Broadcasting networks. Sony PlayStation also joins as an associate sponsor of the series, with in-ring signage and inclusion in promotional spots.

Visit the Turner Sports online pressroom for additional press materials; follow Turner Sports on Twitter at @TurnerSportsPR.