The February 14 edition of ESPN Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra and ESPN Deportes’ Noche de Combates presentado por Corona Extra will feature undefeated Junior Welterweight Chris Algieri (18-0, 8 KOs) and Emanuel “Tranzforma” Taylor (17-1, 12 KOs) in the 10-round main event.
Friday’s show, from the Paramount Theater in Huntington, N.Y., will air live at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2, broadband Spanish-language ESPN Deportes+ and WatchESPN. ESPN Deportes will televise the fights at 10:30 p.m. The card is promoted by Star Boxing.
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Watch Teddy Atlas and Joe Tessitore preview Friday’s main event
Commentators:
Joe Tessitore will be ringside with Teddy Atlas describing the action for ESPN2, while studio host Todd Grisham (@GrishamESPN) will present all the latest boxing news and highlights. Delvin Rodríguez and Pablo Viruega will call the fights for Noche de Combates (Fight Night) on both ESPN Deportes and ESPN Deportes+, while Leopoldo González and Claudia Trejos will anchor the studio. Bilingual reporter Bernardo Osuna (@osunaespn) will present live interviews and reports for both shows.
Main Event:
Algieri, the hometown favorite from Huntington, scored a seventh-round TKO win over Wilfredo Acuna in his last outing.
“I think Emanuel Taylor is a good fighter. He’s a tough kid, he’s hungry, just like myself,” Algieri said. “I think it’s going to be a great night, especially for me. He’s (Taylor) a sharp guy, he’s a high-percentage puncher, but I’m a much busier fighter. It’s a good matchup, especially for the fans.”
Maryland’s Taylor has won his last three fights, including an eighth-round TKO win over Victor Cayo in his last fight.
“I’ve seen a couple of videos of Algieri. He’s in shape, throws a lot of punches and stays busy,” Taylor said. “This is a step-up fight for him and it’s not going to be good for him. Stay tuned to the fight. It’s going to be a real good show.”
Co-Feature:
Friday’s eight-round co-feature will pit Junior Welterweights Issouf “Volcano” Kinda (16-1, 6 KOs) against Jeremy “Hollywood” Bryan (16-3, 7 KOs). New York’s Kinda is looking to rebound from sixth-round technical decision loss to Chris Howard, while South Carolina’s Bryan will look to get back to his winning ways following a second-round TKO loss to Amir Imam.
Next Week on Friday Night Fights and Noche de Combates:
Next week on Friday, Feb. 21 (9 p.m., ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN), from the Edgewater Casino in Laughlin, Nev., Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra and Noche de Combates presentado por Corona Extra will televise the start of Boxcino 2014 sponsored by 1800 Tequila. The tournament is presented by Banner Promotions. Tournament details and TV schedule can be found on ESPN MediaZone. Tournament matchups can be found on ESPN MediaZone.
Upcoming Schedule:
Date
Time (ET)
Main Event
Location
Networks
Fri, Feb. 21
9 p.m.
Boxcino 2014 Lightweight Quarterfinals: six-rounds each
Chris Rudd (12-1, 8 KOs) vs. Yakubu Amidu (22-4-1, 18 KOs)
Petr Petrov (32-4-2, 15 KOs) vs. Fedor Papazov (14-0, 9 KOs)
Miguel Gonzalez (22-3, 16 KOs) vs. Miguel Angel Mendoza (21-2-2, 21 KOs)
Fernando Carcamo (15-5, 12 KOs) vs. Samuel Neequaye (21-0, 15 KOs)
Edgewater Casino, Laughlin, NV
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
Fri, Feb 28
9 p.m.
Boxcino 2014 Middleweight Quarterfinals: six-rounds each
Donatas Bondorovas (18-4-1, 6 KOs) vs. Willie Monroe, Jr. (15-1, 6 KOs)
Cerresso Fort (17-2-1, 11 KOs) vs. Vitalii Kopylenko (22-0, 12 KOs)
Brandon Adams (12-0, 7 KOs) vs. Daniel Edouard (23-4-2, 12 KOs)
Raymond Gatica (13-1, 7 KOs) vs. Sena Agbeko (15-0, 15 KOs)
Harrah’s Horseshoe, Hammond, Ind.
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
Fri, Mar. 7
9 p.m.
Rustam Nugaev (26-6-1, 16 KOs) vs. Marvin Quintero (25-4, 21 KOs) — 10-rounds, Lightweights
Pala Casino, Pala, Calif.
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
Fri, Mar. 21
9 p.m.
Vanes Martirosyan (33-1-1, 21 KOs) vs. TBD — 10-rounds, Junior Middleweights
Morongo Casino, Cabazon, Calif.
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
*Schedule subject to change
Friday Night Fights and Noche de Combates Social Media:
· Follow ESPN Friday Night Fights on Twitter @ESPNFNF or like it on Facebook.
· Score the fights round-by-round with the “Live Friday Night Fights Facebook Voting App,” an application on the ESPN FNF Facebook page that allows viewers to score the fight round-by-round.
· Follow ESPN Deportes’ Noche de Combates on Twitter @ESPNBoxeo.
· For the latest ESPN.com boxing news and analysis follow @ESPNBoxing.
