Back in the USA: Klitschko return is real instead of rumor

By Norm Frauenheim –
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Wladimir Klitschko’s return to America coincides with talks that are holding a sport hostage all over again. The heavyweight’s April 25 bout with Bryant Jennings at New York’s Madison Square Garden arrives in time to take attention off the paralysis-by-analysis of you-know-what.

It’s impossible to know what’s happening, or who’s to blame, or if the reported talks are fact, fantasy or futility.

It’s also hard to know whether frustration will lead to further erosion in the pay-per-view numbers if Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. does not happen. Renewed speculation and anticipation are symptoms. But of what? An imminent backlash? The cancer is back? Or resiliency in a sport that outlives its obituaries?

There’s no safe answer here, but Klitschko’s appearance Wednesday at a news conference in New York offered hope and certainty to what has otherwise been an exercise in exasperation. The Pacquaio-Mayweather tease could continue for another three weeks and that’s if we’re lucky. The first Mayweather-Marcos Maidana fight last May wasn’t announced until Feb. 24.

The only thing anybody knows for sure at this point is that Mayweather-Pacquiao won’t happen in Australia, which denied Mayweather a visa on Wednesday.

In Klitschko, however, there’s reliability in an intriguing pursuit of what has become today’s most over-used word: Legacy. Mayweather advertises it with TBE, The Best Ever, on shorts and caps. If he never fights Pacquiao, will an asterisk be attached to the acronym?

Meanwhile, Klitschko is fighting for his place in history with a steady, patient career. Too patient, too steady for some. Nevertheless, he is closing in on Joe Louis’ reign of eleven successive years as the heavyweight champ. It’s a record that would allow him to be mentioned alongside others in the TBE debate. There’s more than one and there always will be.

Klitschko knows that his longevity and record (63-3, 53 KOs) are generating comparisons to Louis, Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes.

“I hear this once in awhile,’’ he said. “…I don’t want to put myself in line with those legends. I respect and love them. I cannot put myself with others. You can do it, but it’s not my job.”

It’s an ambitious job, part political and unmistakably dangerous for a fighter who will be 39 years old on March 25. It’s no coincidence, perhaps, that he’s back in the U.S. for his first fight in seven years. He’s in the country and city that has produced so many of the best moments in the heavyweight division’s fabled history.

“It’s kind of incredible to me to think that I’m coming back now as the champion and still doing this,” he said. “Fortunately, knock on wood, I don’t feel my age. I’ll be 39 by the time we fight but I don’t feel that way. I feel good and I want to show the people here in the U.S. how far I’ve come since I was last here.”

Klitschko’s return to the U.S. market makes business sense, too. There are signs that of renewed interest in American-born heavyweights. The television audience for Alabama-born Deontay Wilder’s one-sided decision over Bermane Stiverne for the WBC’s slice of the title was a hit.

The Showtime-telecast of the bout drew an average audience of 1.24 million, fourth highest in the network’s history of non-PPV bouts. It was a surprise, because half of a crowd announce at about 8,400 at Las Vegas MGM Grand had freebies. But the Nielsen numbers said fans are curious about the outspoken, entertaining Wilder, the last American to win an Olympic medal – bronze in 2008.

It’s a number that says they’ll be back, maybe in larger numbers, for a PPV showdown with Klitschko, who has employed Wilder as a sparring partner.

“We need to do it and we have to do it,” Klitschko said of the Wilder possibility. “There is certainly a reason why I’m back here and why I’m fighting on U.S. television live on U.S. soil. (Wilder) is the most valuable opponent for me to fight and the price is the title that he has.

“The demand is here.”

Klitschko, at least, is taking a real step toward fulfilling it.




Klitschko – Jennings Press Conference Quotes From Madison Square Garden

wklitschko
New York City (February 4, 2015) – IBF/WBA/WBO/IBO and “The Ring Magazine” World Heavyweight Champion WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO and top rated challenger BRYANT JENNINGS along with their respective teams held the Kick-Off Press conference for their highly anticipated battle set for Saturday, April 25 at Madison Square Garden, “The World’s Most Famous Arena.”

“THE CHAMPION RETURNS” will be televised Live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT in the United States and RTL in Germany among the more than 150 countries which will telecast the event.

Presented by K2 Promotions and Klitschko Management Group in association with Gary Shaw Productions, tickets priced at $1000, $600, $300, $200 and $100 can be purchased through the Madison Square Garden Box Office, www.TheGarden.com and www.Ticketmaster.com.

WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO
“Let us, Bryant and me, entertain you on April 25th here in New York at Madison Square Garden. I see how Bryant Jennings acts. I see how he walks, I see how he shakes hands, I see how he speaks, and he has the qualities of Rocky Balboa from Philadelphia.”

“Thank you to HBO. Eventually you believed in me. I’m back on your network and I’m happy about it. Like Sinatra said, ‘If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. Right event, right venue and right city. I fought here for the first time 15 years ago and I’m so happy to come back here and fight.”

BRYANT JENNINGS:
“This is it. I like to thank everyone involved with this promotion and my city of Philadelphia. It took a long time to make this fight happen and through it all I stayed calm. I commend my team for allowing me to be the athlete that I am while these negotiations were going on. On April 25th history will definitely be made and it will be made by me. One of us has to lose and it isn’t going to be me. Enough of the talking, I’m ready to fight.”

BERND BOENT/CEO, KMG Management:
“This is Wladimir’s 27th world title fight, it was 15 years ago when he first fought here. I’d like to thank Joel Fisher and his terrific team here at Madison Square Garden, this venue truly is the home of heavyweight champions and we are very excited to have this event here. I’d also like to thank our broadcast partners HBO and RTL without whom events like this would be possible.

TOM LOEFFLER/K2 Promotions:
“This is K2 Promotions’ eighth event at Madison Square Garden and we’re honored to work with the outstanding team here. We’ve already sold over 5,000 tickets which is just an incredible response to announcing this event.”

GARY SHAW/Gary Shaw Productions:
“Madison Square Garden is the mecca of boxing, the ring is in the Hall of Fame, this is what heavyweight boxing is all about. 25 years ago on February 11, 1990, Buster Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson. I believe on April 25th history will once again be made for an American heavyweight to do something spectacular, but this time instead of being overseas, it will be here in the United States at the Madison Square Garden. I believe Bryant Jennings will become the unified heavyweight champion of the world on April 25th.”

JAMES PRINCE, Manager of Jennings:
“This is a dream come true for us and we can’t wait. There are a lot of doubters out there right now and they believe there is no way Bryant Jennings is going to be able to deliver a victory on April 25th. I would like for you all to show up because Bryant Jennings is going to show out, and we shall be champion.”

FRED JENKINS, Trainer of Jennings:
“I do know the pedigree of where Bryant Jennings comes from, he’s going to give it all he’s got. This is a one sided fight and I believe its going to be all Bryant “By-By” Jennings.”




Wladimir Klitschko vs. Bryant Jennings: Saturday, April 25 Live on HBO

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New York City (February 4, 2015) Undisputed Heavyweight World Champion WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO will defend his 10-year title reign against top rated challenger BRYANT JENNINGS on Sat., April 25 emanating from the “The World’s Most Famous Arena”, Madison Square Garden and televised Live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Said Klitschko about the highly anticipated battle, “I do have great respect for Bryant Jennings and his achievements. He has good movement in the ring and good technique. I know this will be a tough challenge.”

“I am extremely happy to fight in New York City again. I had my first unification fight there and a lot of great heavyweight matches have taken place at Madison Square Garden. It will definitely be a great fight night and I will do everything for it from my side.”

Stated undefeated contender Jennings, “This is the moment I have been waiting for,” now it’s time to bring the belts home.”

“For the fourth time Wladimir will be boxing in the world’s most famous arena.” said BERND BOENTE, CEO of the Klitschko Management Group. “It’s always something special to promote at Madison Square Garden, where legends such as Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield stood inside the ring. We are looking forward to another exciting fight and a great event.”

Continued TOM LOEFFLER, Managing Director of K2 Promotions: “Wladimir has proven to be the most dominant heavyweight champion in recent history and we are looking forward to another great performance on April 25.”

“We’re proud to present Jennings with the opportunity to win the Unified Heavyweight Title of the World,” said GARY SHAW, head of Gary Shaw Productions

“On April 25th at Madison Square Garden, Wladimir Klitschko defends his heavyweight championship for the first time in the United States since 2008,” said Peter Nelson, vice president, programming, HBO Sports. “Heavyweight is boxing’s supreme glamour division, and its champion could not be a better ambassador to the sport in a career heading toward historic landmark achievements. Bryant Jennings has an opportunity to halt those ambitions and become America’s first unified heavyweight champion in more than 13 years, challenging for the crown in the media capital of the world. HBO is thrilled to present the event live on our flagship World Championship Boxing series.”

“It is an honor to host the World Heavyweight Championship at Madison Square Garden and welcome back Wladimir Klitschko, who last fought at The Garden in 2008,” said Joel Fisher, executive vice president, MSG Sports. “Throughout our 135 year existence, The Garden has hosted the very best in sports and entertainment, and to bring the World Heavyweight Championship back so our passionate boxing fans can see Bryant Jennings challenge for the heavyweight title is a moment not to be missed.”

Holder of the IBF/WBA/WBO/IBO and “The Ring Magazine” world titles and undefeated over the last ten years, Klitschko returns to Madison Square Garden for the fourth time sporting a record of 63-3-0 (54KO’s).

On November 15, Klitschko scored a fifth round knockout over #1 ranked contender Kubrat Pulev in Hamburg, Germany. Looking as dominant as ever during his illustrious career, Klitschko dropped the heavy handed Bulgarian four times in front of a sold out crowd at the 02 World Arena.

Returning to HBO® for his third straight fight, Philadelphia native Jennings has compiled a record of 19-0-0 (10KO’s) over his five-year professional career.

Making his HBO and Madison Square Garden debut on January 25, 2014, the 30-year-old Jennings devastatingly stopped undefeated Polish contender Artur Szpilka in the tenth and final round.

Following up on his knockout victory over Szpilka, Jennings won a 12-round unanimous decision over top contender Mike Perez on July 26, 2014 setting up the showdown with Klitschko.




Klitschko – Jennings set for April 25 in MSG

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According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, unified Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko will defend his belts against undefeated oPhiladelphian Bryant Jennings on April 25 at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

“I have all of the attributes naturally to be a champion that you can’t teach — heart and will,” Jennings told ESPN.com. “I’m psyched up. This is the level where I’m at. This is exactly what I planned to do. Whatever competition you are in, your goal should be to reach the top. This is the top, but now it’s about taking it to higher heights and winning.

“Yes, we are back at the Garden on April 25,” said Klitschko manager Bernd Boente said. “The fifth Klitschko fight there, fourth of Wladimir, and Wladimir is happy about it.”

“I do have great respect for Bryant Jennings and his achievements,” Klitschko said. “He has good movement in the ring and good technique. I know this will be a tough challenge. I am extremely happy to fight in New York again. I had my first unification fight here and a lot of great heavyweight matches have taken place at Madison Square Garden. It will definitely be a great fight night and I will do everything for it from my side.”

“Everybody has some weaknesses, and there is a blueprint to beat everybody,” Jennings said. “I will have to be at my best. This is heavyweight boxing, where it only takes one punch. Matching me up with Wladimir, there is an age difference. I’m a lot younger than he is. And while I may be shorter [6-foot-3 to 6-6], my arms are long and I am very athletic. But the most important thing is that I come to fight and I know how to win.

“They can say whatever they want about inexperience but I know how to win and in a lot of different ways. And I always have the ambition to find a way to win. I’m not a quitter. I have the heart and will to be a champion. I understand Klitschko is a beast in himself, but I know for sure I will be ready. This is what I fight for. We are not planning on losing. We are talking about bringing that belt home. Nothing against Deontay, but I figure a heavyweight champion from Philly is bigger than a heavyweight champion from Alabama.”

“The negotiations with Roc Nation were exhausting and unnecessary but now all is set,” Boente said.




Video: Bryant Jennings




BRYANT JENNINGS “I’m grinding everyday like a machine”

Bryant Jennings
PHILADELPHIA (November 20, 2014) – Gary Shaw Productions and Antonio Leonard Promotions’ undefeated heavyweight contender, Bryant “By-By” Jennings (19-0, 10 KOs) is waiting patiently as he is next in line to face the winner of Bermane Stiverne (24-1, 21 KOs) vs. Deontay Wilder (32-0, 32 KOs).

Stiverne, who is the current WBC champion, will battle Wilder at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on January 17, 2015. Jennings, who’s next in line, passed on a HBO date in November as he wanted to wait for the opportunity to fight for the prestigious WBC championship.

“I could have fought this month but my mind is set on fighting for the WBC world title,” said Jennings, “I worked my way to the top of the WBC rankings and now it’s time for me to make my mark in history. Stiverne or Wilder…I don’t care who it is, I’ll be ready to fight either one of them. My promoters, Gary Shaw, Antonio Leonard and I, are all on the same page. We want that WBC title!”

In his last two fights, both eliminations bouts, Jennings defeated former undefeated contenders, Mike Perez (20-1-1, 12 KOs) and Artur Szpilka (17-1, 12 KOs) to position himself as the mandatory challenger to fight for the WBC crown. While Stiverne and Wilder are getting ready for battle, Jennings is training everyday with dreams of becoming the heavyweight champion of the world.

“I’m grinding every day like machine,” Jennings continued. “I’m constantly visualizing myself with my hands raised in the air with the WBC strap around my waist. I’m hungry man! I know I can do this.”

Promoter Gary Shaw is excited about his Philadelphia born fighter. He feels he’s next in line to carry the torch for America as the next great heavyweight champion.

“Bryant is a very gifted athlete who is hungry to show the world that he’s an elite fighter.” said Shaw. “He’s got the athletic ability to have a long career in this sport. The heavyweight division needs a guy like Bryant to be the ambassador for American fighters. He has all the tools to become that guy.”

Jennings is managed by famed advisor James Prince, who also manages undefeated Olympian and WBA super-middleweight champion Andre Ward.




FOLLOW GOLOVKIN – GEALE LIVE FROM RINGSIDE

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

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

Round 1

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

Round 3 BIG RIGHT AND DOWN GOES GEALE…FIGHT STOPPED

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Round 9 Right hook from Perez…87-84 Perez

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

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

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

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




VIDEO: Golovkin, Geale, Jennings and Perez Weigh-In




VIDEO: HBO Boxing Update, Bryant Jennings

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Video: Hey Harold, Jennings – Perez




Video: Preview of Jennings – Perez




HBO World Championship Boxing Doubleheader from Madison Square Garden Saturday Night

Gennady Golovkin (208x138)
A talent-rich international cast takes the spotlight on boxing’s most famous stage when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: GENNADY GOLOVKIN VS. DANIEL GEALE AND BRYANT JENNINGS VS. MIKE PEREZ is seen SATURDAY, JULY 26 at 9:30 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from Madison Square Garden in New York City, exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports team will be ringside for the event, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

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




“G4”, New York City Media Workout Quotes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Not sure how but I’m going to win.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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




VIDEO: Bryant Jennings Media Day




HEAVYWEIGHTS HITS EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

Bryant Jennings
New York City (July 22, 2014) Undefeated heavyweights BRYANT “By By” JENNINGS and MIKE “The Rebel” PEREZ stopped traffic today at they headed to the world-famous Empire State Building for a media photo opportunity on the 86th Floor Observation Deck. With a huge crowd of onlookers and supporters watching their every step, the fighters posed for photos and signed autographs for the well-wishers.

Co-featured on the“G4” professional boxing event set for Saturday, July 26th at The Mecca of Boxing, Madison Square Garden will be the WBC World Heavyweight Title Eliminator between undefeated and top rated heavyweights BRYANT “By By” JENNINGS, 18-0-0 (10KO’s), of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and MIKE “The Rebel” PEREZ, 20-0-1 (12KO’s) of Cork, Ireland and LIVE on HBO World Championship Boxing ® beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT.

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

Headlining “G4” is Boxing’s fastest rising star, WBA/IBO Middleweight World Champion GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN who will defend his titles against two-time world champion DANIEL “The Real Deale” GEALE.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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




BRYANT JENNINGS — MIKE PEREZ INTERNATIONAL MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT

Bryant Jennings
· B. Bahrmasel Thank you very much for joining us. Today is the International Media Conference Call for the WBC heavyweight Eliminator between Bryant “Bye Bye” Jennings and Mike “The Rebel” Perez. The fight will take place on Saturday, July 26 at Madison Square Garden. Joining us on the call today will be Tom Loeffler from K2 Promotions, Gary Shaw from Gary Shaw Productions, Mike Perez, Bryant Jennings, Adam Booth and Fred Jenkins. Adam Booth is a trainer for Mike Perez. Fred Jenkins is the trainer for Bryant Jennings. At this point I will turn the call over to Tom Loeffler, Managing Director of K2 Promotions.

· T. Loeffler Thank you, Bernie. We’re really excited about this show. The main event is a terrific middleweight championship fight between Gennady Golovkin and Daniel Geale, and as the co-feature we have this heavyweight eliminator between two undefeated heavyweights. The only main event that this fight would be a co-feature for is one of this magnitude between Golovkin and Geale. This is really its own main event being for the eliminator and having two undefeated heavyweights fighting each other.

We’re excited to go into the big arena, and Madison Square Garden tickets are priced very reasonably. We’ve had a great response for the show, and we’re really excited about coming back to HBO on July 26. With that being said, I’d like to introduce the trainer for Mike Perez. Their training camp is over in the U.K. He’s had quite a bit of experience with heavyweight champions himself. I’d like to introduce Adam Booth.

· A. Booth Good afternoon, everyone. I’d just like to say that when you look at some of the fights that have taken place recently in the heavyweight division for the championship and then you look at this matchup between Mike and Bryant, I’m confident when I say that this fight is probably a lot better quality and better grade than some of the world heavyweight championship fights that we’ve all seen recently. It’s a great match up and I’m just excited to be involved in such a great fight.

· T. Loeffler Thanks, Adam. With that, I’d like to introduce number three rated in the WBC, Mike “The Rebel” Perez, undefeated heavyweight. This will be his third appearance on HBO, a second appearance in New York at Madison Square Garden. Is Mike there with you, Adam?

· M. Perez Yeah, good afternoon, everyone. I’d like to say that I just can’t wait for this fight. I think it’s going to be a very, very, very good fight so I can’t wait to come July 26 and do what I do, you know.

· T. Loeffler That’s great. Bernie, are we going to open it up for questions now?

· B. Bahrmasel Yeah, for those of you who have questions to be asked, the first portion of the call will be for Team Perez. The second will be for Team Jennings. Bricelda, go ahead and give the instructions one more time to the media please.

· Moderator Thank you. If you would like to ask a question or have a comment, please press *1 on your telephone keypad. This will place your question in the order it was received. Once again, if you would like to ask a question, please press *1 on your telephone keypad now.
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· B. Bahrmasel Our first call will come from Karl Freitag from Fight News. Go ahead, Carl.
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· Karl Freitag: I’d like to ask going into this fight against another undefeated fighter again if there’s still any remnants of any of the previous fight you had against Mago?
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· M. Perez

I’m just concentrating on this fight. This is the fight that’s going to change my life, this one moment that I’m working for. What happened with the last fight, it happened last fight. I appreciate it if nobody asks any questions because I don’t want to talk about that. Mago’s doing good and I’ve been asking about him. That’s in the past. I just concentrate on the fight with Jennings and this is what I worry about, to go out and do my thing, and that’s it. So if everyone dialed in listens to this, please I don’t want to talk about Magomed fight. That happened and that’s it.
I’m just

· Karl Frietag Fair enough, thank you.

· B. Bahrmasel Thanks very much, Mike. Thanks very much for the question, Karl. Our next question comes from Keith Idec from The Record New Jersey. Go ahead, Keith.

· K. Idec Mike, I was just wondering how you think Bryant Jennings compares to some of the other fighters you’ve fought in terms of his ability level and what other maybe different challenges he presents to you?
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· M. Perez That’s a good question, he’s got a good record. Everybody can see that. Just come July 26 we’ll have to see who’s the best on July 26. The best man’s going to win.
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· K. Idec What did you learn, Mike, from your last fight back in January? What did you learn from that?

· M. Perez Everything, like my coach can explain to you how much I learned. I learned that this is a serious sport. A little bit, a slip, that can put you down forever, you know?
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· K. Idec Do you feel that you went into the last fight over confident? What do you mean by it’s a serious sport? Can you elaborate on that?
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· M. Perez I don’t think there was enough time to fight. I just fight like 80 days, 70 days. I just fight in November and then I fight in January again. So this is what I think of that. I think that I mentally was not ready for that.
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· K. Idec You fought too soon in other words after your previous fight right?
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· M. Perez Yes, that’s what I think, yes.
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· Tom Loeffler Keith, if I could jump in on that. It really was—the fight before that was really a tough physical fight for both fighters. I agree with Mike. In hindsight, it was probably too quick to bring him back. I was anxious to put him back on HBO as quickly as possible, and it seemed prior to the fight everything was fine but you could see probably in the performance was a little bit slack. Now that he has had some time off and he’s worked with Adam for a number of months now, I think you’ll see a different Mike Perez coming in July 26th.
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· K. Idec Mike, how do you feel physically after your injury
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· M. Perez Yeah, yeah, yeah, thank God I feel better, you know. There will be no problem there so it’s 100%.
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· K. Idec Thank you, guys.
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· A. Booth Thanks, Keith.
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· B. Bahrmasel Thanks very much, Keith. We appreciate the call.

· T. Loeffler Why don’t we do this, Bernie? Why don’t we let Gary introduce Fred and Bryant, and then we can just open up at the end of the call for any questions for either fighter. Go ahead, Bryant, Gary.
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· G. Shaw This is Gary Shaw. I’d like to thank all the reporters that are on the call for getting on the call, thank HBO for broadcasting this great fight of two undefeated heavyweights. I wanted to introduce Fred Jenkins, the trainer of Bryant Jennings, a very highly underrated trainer who’s been training for years and years in Philadelphia. Fred, do you have anything to say?
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· F. Jenkins Yeah, I just want to say thank you for this opportunity, long-awaited opportunity for Bryant Jennings. After this fight, they really do recognize as the number one heavyweight in the world.
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· G. Shaw A ll right, thank you very much, Fred. There’s not much to say about Bryant. He can surely speak for himself, as any of you that have interviewed him know. I do want to say just a couple of things. A.) He’s a tremendous family man. B.) He has tremendous character. C.) He knows where he came from, knows where he wants to go and he’s probably the best athlete that I’ve ever represented in boxing. He’s a true athlete, and I think on July 26th that will show the difference between Bryant Jennings and Mike Perez and we have a great deal of respect for Mike Perez. He’s a great fighter and we understand that. We’ve seen his fights and we know the damage that he can do.
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· I’d like to introduce Bryant Jennings. Before Bryant gets on, I just want to remind everybody that the premiere of “Road to Golovkin/Geale” is on HBO and will include a preview of the matchup between Bryant Jennings and Mike Perez with intense training and revealing interviews of both fighters. At this time I’d like to introduce who I believe will be the next heavyweight champion of the world, Bryant Jennings.
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· B. Jennings Hey, good afternoon, everybody. Yeah, I’d just like to thank everybody that has anything to do with this July 26 fight, for the opportunity for putting me up front once again. I believe that I’m definitely going to work my hardest. I believe my confidence is 100%, and just come July 26 we’re definitely going to see. Thank HBO, thanks K2 Promotions; thank Gary Shaw Promotions, Antonio Leonard Promotions and everybody else in affiliation with this show. I’m glad to be here and let’s get with the questions.
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· T. Loeffler Thanks, Bryant. You can open it up, Bernie.
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· B. Bahrmasel Our next call comes from John DeSanto from Philly Boxing History.
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· J. DeSanto Okay, hi, Bryant. It’s good to talk to you. You had, in the last year or so, you’ve had, and you’ve been up in the top of the rankings and heading towards the number one spot with a win in this fight. Prior to this you had sort of whirlwind career with a lot of activity. I know you’re always in the gym, but how are you feeling physically and as you approach this fight with not fighting as often as you’ve been used to in the prior two years?
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· B. Jennings Staying physically fit is not an easy task period. I guess you can ask a great percentage of America or a great percentage of the world. That’s not an easy task to do so I won’t sit here and say it’s easy though I’m a natural athlete and it’s in my blood and it’s in my genetics to just look and stay fit. Over the times, the couple layoffs that I had, I’m strong mentally. It takes a lot of mental strength to get over layoffs and long spots in your career. I just stay mentally focused and that’s what keeps me together, being mentally focused.
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· J. DeSanto Just one follow up, do you think, being someone who’s watched you fight all along, it seems that that is, of all of your abilities, that’s like all your strength. That’s maybe your greatest strength, your conditioning and your mental strength. Do you think that distinguishes you from your opponent this time, as well as the other guys out there in the division?
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· B. Jennings Yeah, pretty much, because us as fighters, we go through a lot. We go through a lot, and I honestly think eight weeks is too long of a time to be preparing for a fight because it’s kind of like let’s hurry up and get this thing over with but we have a lot of time, eight weeks, and for this fight it actually was about 16 weeks because of the schedule. It was cancelled; then it was rescheduled. So this is a definite mental test, definitely for the both of us, and I think that your mentality will definitely play a big part in it because it’s been very tough going all of these weeks. We maybe had two or three weeks in between, but we went a whole lot of weeks and we worked out hard. We nearly killed ourselves. We make sure that we’re fully prepared for this fight, and being mental is definitely going to play a big part in this situation.
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· J. DeSanto And this is the first time, for this fight, the first time it was scheduled and now for the first time you went away for camp. How was that and how did that affect your training this time? How was that an advantage?
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· B. Jennings Well, it affected me greatly because it’s a lot of—I’m like the head of the family. I’m like the head of the neighborhood. This is something that I’ve been before I started boxing so I’m very accessible. I just got a lot of people that’s rooting for me. I got a lot of people that want to stop by. I’m not going to say hold me up or anything, but a lot of people are seeking my attention and being away is just a way that I can just fully focus and be away from everything and put 100% into boxing.
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· J. DeSanto Great, okay, thank you, looking forward to the fight.
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· B. Bahrmasel Great. We’re going to try and go back to Dan Rafael from ESPN. Dan, can you go ahead please?
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· D. Rafael Hello.
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· B. Bahrmasel Dan, go ahead please.
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· D. Rafael Thank you, Bernie. Hey, Bryant, good to talk to you today.
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· B. Jennings Hey, what’s going on, Dan?
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· D. Rafael Bryant, my question for you is when you take a look and you see the way that Mike has looked in his last couple of fights, you have the fight with Mago where it was obviously a very physical, grueling fight. He was all over him, hard punching, never let up for ten rounds. Obviously we know what happened in that fight, and then in his next fight against Takam not quite the same as far as the ferocity, maybe not as good of a performance and it was a draw. I think Mike would admit it was not his best night. I’m wondering, when you look at those is your mentality that he’s as good as he was the night he fought Mago or maybe not as good as the night he fought Takam or is he kind of somewhere in between? How do you assess where Mike Perez is in his career?
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· B. Jennings Well, my assessment on Mike Perez and he career right now is pretty much my assessment on the way I see things as being a boxer myself and those were two different nights, two different bodies and you just can’t really pinpoint what the problem was even though it seemed to be a problem but you got to start comparing. Now you would compare Carlos Takam to Magomed. So it’s just like okay, those were two different types of fighters, two different nights. I don’t know, maybe Mike ate something that night or that morning that had him affected, but you can’t look at that and just say oh, he’s on the down slope and underestimate him and his ability and come into the fight unprepared thinking that he’s going to look like he did in his last fight.
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· D. Rafael Okay, my other question for you, Bryant, is so this fight between you and Mike is to get to the number one spot in one of the organizations where the winner is going to get a mandatory title fight so I know there’s a lot on the line for both of you guys. It’s probably something you’ve all dreamed about since you started boxing. You want to fight for the heavyweight title so you got to win the fight, but on the other side of it the guy who wins the fight is going to probably have a long way to get that title fight because the title fight ahead of you is Stiverne and Wilder and that fight is not even scheduled yet so it could be a number of months before you’re actually in the ring against the winner of the other fight. Is that difficult to think about at all or do you not even look ahead to the title fight even though that’s the motivation presumably for this bout?
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· B. Jennings Well, I’m not even looking at that. Knowing that this boxing game nowadays anything could happen, and I’m almost certain that something—I just have it in the back of my head that anything could happen and I’m not going to say what I was thinking would happen because I really don’t know what I would think, but like I said, anything could happen. They could come up with something and say well, we’ve got to squeeze this person in or you’ve got to fight this person first before you do that so I’ve just literally focused on this fight. This fight here is the fight to win in order to even think about the long wait or any other thing and that Wilder and Stiverne fight.
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· D. Rafael Okay, when you were getting ready to fight Mike the first time, before the fight was postponed or I guess at that time it was canceled and we weren’t really certain if or when it would be rescheduled—I’m wondering how difficult was it to go through the period where the fight was off, you were probably presumably very close to being ready for the fight, to not have it rescheduled. I guess it was a few weeks maybe a month even before it was formally rescheduled. The uncertainty aspect of when you were waiting to see what was next or did you just stay in shape and be assured that this would be rescheduled? How did you go about that?
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· B. Jennings That’s where my mental strength kicked in, because like I say, I could’ve broke down. We had used money for training and I was away from my son for two months. It almost seemed like it was for nothing. It definitely was a letdown, but I really didn’t dwell on it because obviously I’m still alive, I’m still here and the cancellation didn’t come at my expense. In other words, I wasn’t the one that was hurt or injured or whatever so it didn’t come at my expense so that’s pressure that I didn’t have to deal with. I was like, hey, it’s life. Learn how to deal with it. I got over it real fast. I stayed in shape and just waited patiently and put faith in my team that they’d come up with something and they came up with something fast.
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· D. Rafael All right very good. Bernie, is Mike still on the call?
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· M. Perez Yeah, I’m right here.
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· D. Rafael Mike, my question for you is your last fight was a draw with Takam. Not the result I know that you wanted so you must’ve been disappointed by the draw. Were you at all surprised that coming off of a draw you would be put into the situation where you have now the opportunity to fight an eliminator to get a title fight? A lot of guys get a draw or a loss, their next fights not in this kind of fight. It’s not at this level.
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· M. Perez No, this no was a surprise. I believe I won for the best heavyweight out here at the moment. I just have to thank my promoter that is doing a good job and make me keep going.
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· D. Rafael How disappointed were you with the draw though? At the time that it happened you have to think that you’re not going to be in this big of a fight right away.
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· M. Perez Yeah, like I said, I have to thank my promoter Tom Loeffler for that. He’s doing a good job and just pushed me to be the best.
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· D. Rafael Okay, thank you, Mike.
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· D. Rafael I have a question for either Gary or for Tom to answer. Is there anything written in the contract, being that this is an eliminator and there’s uncertainty between when Wilder and Stiverne fight, is there any language in the contract saying when the winner will get a title shot?
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· G. Shaw No.
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· D. Rafael Okay, so they should win this fight and kind of hope and wait for the best?
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· G. Shaw Look, the only fight that counts right now is this fight, and anybody looking past this fight is a foolish person and that goes for the promoters and the fighters and the trainers. They need to win this fight obviously. After this fight, the winner will then have the opportunity to worry about what’s next, whether it’s the winner of Stiverne and Wilder or one of them pulls out with an injury, whether it be real or fake. There’s a lot going on, but nothing counts other than July 26.

D. Rafael Thanks very much.

· B. Bahrmasel Tom, did you want to speak something on that as well?
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· T. Loeffler It’s a testament to both fighters, as far as what they’re risking in this fight. Even though Gary and I disagree on who’s going to win the fight, we both agree that we believe the winner of this fight will become the heavyweight champion. It’s really one of these, and Adam has spoken to it before, it’s probably one of the best match ups that we’ve seen in the heavyweight division for a long time where you have two guys risking their undefeated records on the big stage at Madison Square Garden and with the history of the Garden. That’s what makes this such a compelling co-feature fight. It’s really one of those that you look at as a 50/50 fight. It really depends on who comes in the ring that night as the better person and who leaves as the number one contender.
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· To go back to Dan’s question as far as Mike going into this type of a fight with a draw, he didn’t lose his rating. He was rated number five and Bryant Jennings was rated number four. They were the two highest rated contenders and that’s how the WBC mandated this second title eliminator so there’s a lot on the line in this fight and a lot for the winner of the fight.
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· D. Rafael Thanks, Tom. I appreciate it. Gary, thank you for the answer and best of luck to both fighters.
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· B. Bahrmasel Our next call comes from Lem Satterfield from RingTV.com. Go ahead, Lem.
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· L. Satterfield Hey, how you doing? Thanks. I have one question, two questions for Mike Perez and then one for Bryant. Mike, how is the shoulder and how was it training with the injured shoulder to get, to recover from it?
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· M. Perez The truth is 100%. I can’t wait to fight.
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· L. Satterfield Okay. Is Adam there?
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· A. Booth I’m here, yes.
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· L. Satterfield Adam, can you tell me, piggybacking on an earlier question, how is Bryant Jennings style and his ability to move? He kind of boxes and really exhibits some lower weight skills. How is he different preparing for than say Mike’s last two fights?
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· A. Booth Well, I wasn’t involved with working with Mike for his last two fights so I can’t really make that comparison. All I can do is make Mike the best he can be and then obviously work a strategy for the opponent he’s fighting. Now Bryant Jennings is a good athlete. He can see he’s a rounded athlete.
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· I would imagine he’s very capable at lots of different things and he carries that type of athletic ability into the boxing ring. He has a very good concentration and very immaculate discipline as well. He sticks to what he’s doing in a fight and if what he’s doing is working he doesn’t get reckless. He doesn’t get greedy. He keeps doing what works for him, and that shows that he’s obviously got a fantastic coach and a good relationship with his coach and he has the discipline to do what he has to do in a boxing ring.
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· My job is to look at what he does and what he doesn’t do and then we work with Mike and the incredible skills that Mike has and the phenomenal pedigree he has as a world-class amateur and all of the different styles that he’s seen. We’re working on a number of different things. We’re not just working on Bryant Jennings’ moving around because Bryant will also put his hands up and try and come up close and try and smother close. We know that he’ll use his jab.
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· And Mike will be ready for anything that takes place in that ring because he has the experience of seeing everything and I think this time around he has a new experience of actually being in fantastic condition, that he’s actually trained like a world-class fighter and a world-class athlete and he’s been a joy to work with. I expect Bryant Jennings to have a game plan. I expect him to stick to that game plan, but this is a fight where the small changes that each fighter will have to make during the fight will play out.
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· L. Satterfield Perfect, perfect, thank you so much. Bryant, you there?
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· B. Jennings Yeah, I’m here. I’m listening.
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· L. Satterfield Bryant, obviously it would be—you have to win this fight to get there, but you’re in a position to become the first American heavyweight champion in quite a while. Not only that, you have the Philadelphia legacy in general but in particular that of Joe Frazier. I wonder how much you think about the prospect of being the first American champion from Philadelphia and the legacy that you would be a part of?
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· B. Jennings I think about it a little bit, but it’s not my priority. My priority pretty much is to get through, is to get through life. As everybody knows, I’ve only been boxing for five years. I didn’t ask to be a boxer. I came in with a mindset and a lifestyle that was fit for boxing, and I knew exactly how hard it was going to take for me to work. I just want to get through. I just want to get through life so therefore I work hard.
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· I’m very disciplined with life period. Boxing is a lifestyle and I don’t live it just six to eight weeks during training and stuff like that. My light switch is never off. Being from Philly and being the first American heavyweight in a long time, that actually fuels my motivation but my motivation pretty much is just to get through life. We’re always living until we die so my motivation will never die until I die. Just pretty much my priority is just to get through life, get through what I need to accomplish, my goals and all that other stuff, the legacy.
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· Sometimes they may strip me of something. I just may be—one day I just may be the greatest of something. Somebody may be the greatest of something and they won’t be recognized for it. I just fight. I get in the ring. I do what I’m supposed to do. I live how I’m supposed to live. I eat how I’m supposed to eat. I listen to my trainers. I’m a very respectful person, all around guy, and I’m just doing this for life. This is the craft that God has set in my life for me to do, and I’m a perfectionist so this is what I do to perfect it. All that other stuff, all the titles and everything, all that stuff comes later. I just focus on my craft first.
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· L. Satterfield Bryant, thanks so much and good luck in the fight.
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· B. Jennings Thank you.
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· B. Bahrmasel Thanks very much, Lem. Next up is Sean Crose from Boxing Insider. Go ahead, Sean.
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· S. Crose Hi, how are you, Mr. Jennings?
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· B. Jennings Hey, how you doing?
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· S. Crose Good, thanks, got a question for you. I’ve been following you for a while. I remember on NBC Sports you were on quite a bit. You were almost their feature guy, if you weren’t as it was. It showed that you had full-time job. Just a question, you don’t have the full-time job anymore correct? You’re now boxing full time?
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· B. Jennings I still have a full-time—I still have the full-time job, but I’m not working. I’m on a leave of absence, and I’ll make my decision after this fight. Win, lose or draw, I have my decision in line already. So I guess you all can know what that is, but I’m not working right now but I do plan to go to work after this fight.
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· S. Crose Okay, thank you very much. My only other question is for Mike Perez. Mr. Perez, are you there?
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· M. Perez Yeah.
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· S. Crose How are you? Mike, there was some questions about you—there were some rumors that you didn’t want to fight in Texas, that you needed more time to train and so the injury wasn’t as bad as it was. This isn’t an accusation. I’m just repeating what I’ve read. Do you want to respond to those rumors?
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· M. Perez Yeah, what do you want to hear? People can talk whatever they want to talk. If I don’t want to fight, I don’t want to fight. I do want to fight. Plus Jennings and his team know that we were trying to make the fight way more before this happened. It’s not accusing. People can think whatever they want to think. Actually I don’t care.
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· T. Loeffler Right. I can jump in on that question as well. When Mike got injured, Gary will attest to it, there was no guarantee that HBO was going to—there wasn’t any timeframe as far as rescheduling this fight. Mike would never jeopardize a title elimination fight like this because the date was set and we had the venue and everything set in Texas. There was uncertainty after he got injured what would actually happen, how long he’d be out of the ring and if we could get a date on HBO and what the WBC would do as far as sanctioning the fight if the injury was worse. Whatever rumors were out there really were—there was no basis to that, and if you need more, any detailed information on the injury, Adam, I’m sure will be happy to go into detail on that as well.
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· G. Shaw And those rumors never came from the Jennings side, just to make it clear.
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· T. Loeffler That’s correct. I think they came from one of the fighters on the under card that was frustrated that his fight got canceled as a result of the entire show being canceled.
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· S. Crose Okay, that’s good enough for me. I’ll put it down. Thank you for answering the question.
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· B. Bahrmasel Thanks very much, Sean. Our next question comes from George Hanson from FightKings.com. Go ahead, George.
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· G. Hanson Good afternoon, everyone. First a comment, I applaud both promoters and managers and trainers for making this fight. My question is for the great Freddie Jenkins. Watching the tape of Bryant’s first amateur fight over the weekend and looking at his progression, how were you able to take Bryant from a guy with athletic ability to the fighter he is now because I notice something different every time? There’s another dimension. How have you been able to accomplish that over such a short period of time?
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· G. Shaw It’s a short period of time for Bryant Jennings, but it’s 43 years for me. That’s how I accomplish that.
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· G. Hanson And this question is for Bryant. Bryant, at what point did the light go off and you realized that I have the ability to be heavyweight champ? Was it initially or was it at some point or some fight somewhere in your career?
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· B. Jennings Actually I would tell you what it is. It was in May, five months after I started when I was in the Golden Glove finals. Right there was the point of no return. Maybe one of the dates, he told me, I remember this one day he told me, he said even if you don’t win this you’ve done enough. Can you imagine somebody walking into your gym and five months later you’re in Salt Lake City, Utah in a Golden Glove national, in the finals? It just was like this is it. That light switch was on ever since then. I’m just a hard worker at life. I can go on and on about that. I just tunnel vision, shoot for the stars and I’m focused.
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· G. Hanson Thank you.
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· B. Jennings You’re welcome. Thank you.
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· B. Bahrmasel Thanks very much for the call, George. Go ahead, Chip Mitchell.
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· C. Mitchell Okay. Two questions for you Bryant. Physically I can’t say anything about you other than I wish it was me, but mentally—I’m going to piggyback on something one of the other callers asked. You were maintaining a remarkable schedule of working full time, training, being a father on top of other things. Outside of boxing, when you were working full time and doing other things, did you do your training prior to your job and as well as after? How did your typical schedule work out for you?
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· B. Jennings Some mornings I would train, I would definitely do my runs and stuff before I go to work. Sometimes I would run to work. Being the great fighter and the popular person that I started to become, working at a job you start to get privileges so I was able to run to work and if I was a little late I was able to still shower and do all that. I had a lot of people that helped me along the way and made that a little easier, but I still did the eight hours of work.
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· I would train when I leave from work. Sometimes my son would meet me at the gym. His mom would bring him or I would have to go pick him up from school. Some mornings I would run and be back home in time, because I live next door to my grandma, so in time to go get my son ready for school, take him to school, then go to work, then right after work go pick him up from school then go straight to the gym and then go back home to eat.
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· My life has always been crowded, and even right now, even without the job—most people say oh, you’re going to quit your job, you’re going to have a whole lot of—no, I’m a corporation. I’m a business right now. I have to keep it going and that same pace, those same ethics, I keep going without the nine to five. I am my own nine to five now. I’m 24/7. I’ve got to live it, I’ve got to make the money and we’ve got to run the business. You’ve got a business to run so I just focus on balance. I’m a Libra so I like to balance everything up.
·
· C. Mitchell Okay, well outside of being late, you might be the only one on here that actually runs to work. My second question, and you can correct me if I’m wrong on this, something I picked up when I watched you live, instead of maybe what 99.9% of boxers do to their opponents, instead of focusing on your opponent’s head it seemed like, and correct me if I’m wrong, that you were looking directly at the center of your opponent’s chest when you were fighting. I’ve never seen anyone do that. If I’m correct about that, can you explain how that works for you?
·
· B. Jennings You’re absolutely correct. I’ve always—I started out that way. I think I was told—me and my trainer, he has a lot of experience with something’s that—I’m new, and it’s like teaching an old dog new tricks. If you tell a dog to chase its tail, the dog might be used to chasing its tail to the left but you’ve got to train it and tell it I want you to chase it to the right. The dog says listen, it’s the same thing. I’m comfortable with doing it this way and this is how it’s going to be. I’m going to chase my tail whichever way I want to chase it.
·
· I was told once before to look the opponent in the eye, but eyes could be deceiving so I just picked up this thing. I used to play other sports so I would never look the person in the eye because, like I said, the eyes could be deceiving. I will always look at the center of your body and that way I can see which way your feet moving, which way your hands are moving, which way your body’s going to move. I don’t need to look at your eyes. I don’t want to see you and I don’t want you to see me. The only thing I want you to do is focus on my eyes and have you thinking exactly where is this guy looking at and what’s his next move. That plays a good role offensively and defensively.
·
· C. Mitchell Okay, 18:0, who am I to argue. Thank you. Thank you.
·
· B. Jennings You’re welcome.
·
· B. Bahrmasel Chip, thank you very much for your time. Our next call comes from Raymundo Ortiz from Sports World News. Go ahead, Raymundo.
·
· R. Ortiz This is for Bryant. I’m just wondering if there have been any fighters that you have fought in the past like Perez that you feel have prepared you for this big fight, aside from the training and prep you’re already doing?
·
· B. Jennings That’s a good question. Lately I was comparing Mike Perez to a better Andrey Fedosov. When I fought Andrey Fedosov in June of 2013, he had some of the same tactics that I think Mike Perez brings. He brings maybe a little better, a little more flicker, but I definitely will compare him and somewhat of his style or somewhat of his approach, as far as like height and arm length and short punches and things like that, to Andrey Fedosov.
·
· R. Ortiz Thank you.
·
· B. Bahrmasel Thanks very much, Raymundo. Our next call comes from Keith McMenamin from Philly Keith. Go ahead, Keith.
·
· K. McMenamin This question’s for Bryant. I just wanted to touch on your experience fighting at Madison Square Garden. Do you expect to have a big turnout? You’re pretty close to home. You have a lot of people coming in to support this fight?
·
· B. Jennings You’re asking do I have a lot of people coming to the fight?
·
· K. McMenamin Yeah.
·
· B. Jennings That’s what I would imagine. As a fighter, I never worry about who’s coming. The only thing I know is that I got to be in that ring regardless if there’s two people in the audience. I’m getting a lot of love and I’m returning the love as well, and come July 26 I’ll give them something to root for. For Philadelphia fans it’s very tough so anybody who travels, what is it 90 miles from Philadelphia to New York City, to go watch somebody and to go root for somebody then because coming from Philadelphia—that’s why we fight so hard, because we have tough fans to please. Any fans that come, I appreciate them. I love them. I love their support and I’m going to keep doing what I need to do and make sure I do it well.
·
· K. McMenamin All right, this one’s a follow up too. This is your second time at the Garden. What was your first experience like and what are your thoughts on Madison Square Garden?
·
· B. Jennings I don’t normally get excited about where I’m fighting because the ring is the ring. You could put in the backyard. You could put it in the middle of a carnival. The ring is the ring. But afterwards, once everything soaks in and you start to celebrate your win or you just look at the affect your fight made on the boxing world and where it was at, it’ll be part of history. But it has to be done before it’s a part of history so I can only be included in history after the fight is over. I don’t have really too may good excitements before. Of course I’m excited that it’s at the Garden, but I can’t let that get in the way of me fighting well and winning that fight, being that priority.
·
· K. McMenamin All right, thank you, I appreciate your time.
·
· B. Bahrmasel Thanks very much, Keith. That’s going to conclude the media question and answer session of our call. Gary, did you want to have your team make some final comments please?
·
· G. Shaw No, I just once again want to thank everybody for their interest in this fight, and I do want to say that in this day and age both fighters, forget their promoters or anybody else, but both fighters should be applauded for willing to put undefeated records up and fight one another. Too often everybody’s looking to duck the fight that they’re not sure if they could win or not, and in this fight both fighters said okay without hesitation. I congratulate both fighters, and I hope the press writes the good things about both of these fighters. Thank you.
·
· B. Bahrmasel Thank you, Gary. Fred, did you have any final comments you wanted to make?
·
· F. Jenkins No.
·
· B. Bahrmasel Okay, anything final for you, Bryant?
·
· B. Jennings I’d like to thank everybody for taking out their 51 minutes and 23 seconds out of their day to be on this conference call. I’d like to thank all of the reporters for actually calling in and showing interest in this fight. I’d like to thank America for standing behind me. I know I had the majority of the questions. That’s just an honor for me to be that I’m of interest of somebody. I’ll just fight hard come July 26 and me and Mike Perez are definitely going to put on a good show. Shout out to you, Mike. Shout out to you, Adam. Shout out to you, Tom with K2 Promotions, Bernie, everybody on that end. Let’s make it happen July 26, baby.
·
· B. Bahrmasel Thanks, Bryant. Adam, do you have any final comments on the call?
·
· A. Booth No, just thanks, everyone, for taking the time to do this. It’s a pleasure. Good luck to Bryant, stay healthy and look forward to seeing everyone July 26.
·
· B. Bahrmasel Excellent, thank you. Mike, do you have any final comments you’d like to make to the media?
·
· M. Perez Nothing more. Thank you, everyone, for being here and for all this time, all the media. Thanks to Jennings and his team and we’ll look them there July 26.
·
· B. Bahrmasel Great, thanks very much, Mike. Tom, do you want to make any final comments?
·
· T. Loeffler I’d just like to thank Gary again for his help on both fights with the main event, with Golovkin and Geale. As he had mentioned, the “Road to” show premieres this Saturday, July 12, and it also focuses on this great co-feature fight with Bryant Jennings and Mike Perez. We also have a great under card with some local fighters, including Glen Tapia, Boyd Melson, Julian Rodriguez, who will be on the show. We’re providing a great show of full entertainment and I think it’s fitting that it’s at the big arena, the Garden, and we’re just looking forward to a great show that night.




BRYANT JENNINGS TRAINS IN VEGAS BEFORE PEREZ FIGHT

Bryant Jennings
LAS VEGAS, NV (June 16, 2014) – Gary Shaw Productions and Antonio Leonard Promotions heavyweight contender, Bryant “By-By” Jennings (18-0, 10 KOs), has set up training camp in Las Vegas for two weeks before his upcoming WBC title elimination bout against Mike Perez (20-0-1, 12 KOs).

Jennings, who hails from Philadelphia, PA, left home for two weeks to avoid the distractions that go along with training near family and friends. In the biggest fight on his career, he chose Las Vegas, to train in high elevation for a couple of weeks, before returning home to finish out camp.

“I wanted to come out to Las Vegas for a couple of weeks and train in high elevation,” said Jennings. “I’ve been running up at Mt. Charleston in high elevation, training alongside Erislandy Lara. Leaving Philly for a couple of weeks is only going to help me focus on getting fully prepared for Perez. I’ll head back home to finish out camp after this week.”

“Jennings is taking this fight very seriously,” said promoter Gary Shaw. “I know he doesn’t want to leave any stone unturned. That is why he went out to Vegas to train with the best guys in the business. I know he’ll be in great shape for this fight. He’s a dedicated and amazing athlete.”

Bryant “By By” Jennings and Mike “The Rebel” Perez will take place on Saturday, July 26 at The Mecca of Boxing, Madison Square Garden as the co-feature to Gennady Golovkin vs. Daniel Geale. The fight will be televised Live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT.

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

Advance tickets priced at $500, $300, $200, $100, $50 and $25 can be purchased starting at 10:00 a.m. ET on Thursday, June 5 at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com and www.thegarden.com

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

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




UNDEFEATED HEAVYWEIGHTS BRYANT JENNINGS & MIKE PEREZ COLLIDE IN A WBC HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE ELIMINATOR

Bryant Jennings
New York City (June 9, 2014) Undefeated heavyweight’s BRYANT “By By” JENNINGS and MIKE “The Rebel” PEREZ will clash in a World Boxing Council (“WBC”) Heavyweight Title Eliminator on SATURDAY, JULY 26 at The Mecca of Boxing, Madison Square Garden. The fight will be televised Live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT, it was announced today by K2 Promotions and Gary Shaw Productions in association with Antonio Leonard Promotions.

The winner of the 12-round bout will become the mandatory challenger for the WBC Heavyweight Title, which was vacated by longtime champion Vitali Klitschko earlier this year.

The Jennings/Perez bout will serve as the co-feature to the WBA/IBO World Middleweight Championship defense by GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN against two-time world champion DANIEL “The Real Deal” GEALE.

“I commend HBO for sticking to their guns on making Jennings vs. Perez happen after the fight was called off.” said Gary Shaw. “I know Bryant is thrilled to be returning to the Madison Square Garden where he made his HBO debut and defeated Artur Szpilka who was undefeated at the time. Jennings is eager to show everyone he’s the best heavyweight contender out there. This will be a fight the fans will not want to miss. The next great American heavyweight will be on display, and I’m talking about Bryant Jennings.”

Said Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions; “We’re very excited to add this outstanding heavyweight matchup to the action packed “G4” boxing event featuring the return of Gennady Golovkin to Madison Square Garden. There is a lot at stake in this heavyweight fight and it’s fitting that it take place at “The Mecca of Boxing” where so many legendary heavyweight bouts have been held. There is nothing like heavyweight boxing at Madison Square Garden.”

“We feel that Mike is among the best heavyweights in the world and expect him to show that on July 26 against Bryant Jennings.”

“The fight is on again and I’m ready to make a statement against Perez,” said Jennings. “My fans can expect another great performance on July 26 as I return to the Madison Square Garden. HBO shows it’s serious about bringing the heavyweight division back to its glory days by making this fight happen and I’m here to make a name for myself. I want to thank Mauricio Sulaiman for including me in the Heavyweight tournament, giving me an opportunity to fight the winner of Wilder vs. Stiverne for the WBC world title.”
“I’m very happy this bout has been rescheduled,” said Perez. “My dream is to fight for the WBC heavyweight championship and a win over Jennings will bring me that much closer. I look forward to fighting on HBO again and I will prove that I deserve a shot at the heavyweight championship when I am victorious on July 26.”
“The WBC is proud to sanction the fight between Perez vs. Jennings as a final elimination fight as part of the WBC tournament in the Heavyweight division,” stated Mauricio Sulaiman, President of the World Boxing Council.

“Vitali Klitschko was honored with the Emeritus Champion distinction after he decided to dedicate his career to the politics of his country Ukraine and he is being regarded as a hero by many.”

“The WBC ordered a tournament between all the top rated fighters to fight and Perez vs. Jennings will prove to be a formidable match to find the second mandatory contender of the WBC Heavyweight division. “

The 29-year-old Jennings, 18-0-0 (10KO’s) is coming off his career best victory, a sensational, HBO televised tenth round knockout of Poland’s Artur Szpilka on JANUARY 25 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Dominating the action from the outset, Jennings dropped the crafty southpaw in the sixth before finishing him off in the final round.

A highly successful amateur in his native Cuba, the 28-year-old Perez has compiled a record of 20-0-1 (12KO’s), since moving to Ireland and turning professional in 2008.

Perez has recently made two previous appearances on HBO and is looking forward to showcasing his skills against another undefeated fighter on July 26th.

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

Advance tickets priced at $500, $300, $200, $100, $50 and $25 can be purchased starting at 12:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, June 10, at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com and www.thegarden.com

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

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




QUOTES FROM “‘G4” NEW YORK CITY PRESS CONFERENCE

New York City (June 9, 2014) Saturday afternoon in New York City, a Press Conference was held for “G4”, the boxing extravaganza set for SATURDAY, JULY 26 at ‘The Mecca of Boxing”, Madison Square Garden and Live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT.

In attendance were WBA/IBO Middleweight World Champion GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN, Two-Time World Champion DANIEL ‘The Real Deal” GEALE along with undefeated heavyweight contenders BRYANT “By By” JENNINGS and MIKE “The Rebel” PEREZ in addition to undefeated welterweight prospect DUSTY HERNANDEZ-HARRISON. Hosting the press conference were Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions and Gary Shaw of Gary Shaw Productions.

The Press Conference was hosted by the internationally recognized voice of boxing, Hall of Famer, MICHAEL BUFFER. (All photos/courtesy Will Hart.)

GENNADY GOLOVKIN—“Thank you to HBO and Madison Square Garden for welcoming me back. I’m very happy to be fighting Daniel Geale, I’ve known him for many years and this will be a terrific fight for the fans. Saturday, July 26 will be a great night at Madison Square Garden.”

“I would also like to give express special thanks to our partner – EXPO-2017, an International Exposition dedicated to green energy scheduled to take place in 2017 in Astana, Kazakhstan.”

DANIEL GEALE—“This is a tremendous opportunity for me. I want thank HBO, Gary Shaw, Grange Old School Boxing and Madison Square Garden. This is a perfect fight for me and I look forward to the challenge of facing Gennady.”

BRYANT JENNINGS—“I want to thank Gary Shaw in addition to Antonio Leonard and James Prince. I also want to thank HBO. I’m very happy to be back on their network and back at Madison Square Garden.”

“Mike doesn’t like to talk much but I’m here to tell you that I will be the next heavyweight champion from the United States and I can’t wait for July 26.”

MIKE PEREZ—“I don’t have much to say but I look forward to facing Bryant Jennings on July 26 and fighting on HBO.”

Golovkin will be defending his WBA “Super Champion” Middleweight Title and IBO Middleweight World Title against Geale in the 12-round main event.

With the highest knockout ratio (89%) among all active champions, in addition to his extraordinary growth in viewership on HBO, Golovkin, 29-0-0 (26KO’s), has become a must-see attraction in the international sporting world.

In 2013, Golovkin scored four knockouts, three of which were telecast on HBO to outstanding viewership earning him plaudits for both Fighter of the Year and Knockout of the Year among many media members.

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

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

The Jennings/Perez bout will serve as the co-feature at “G4” with the winner of the 12-round bout becoming the mandatory challenger for the WBC Heavyweight Title, which was vacated by longtime champion Vitali Klitschko earlier this year.

The 29-year-old Jennings, 18-0-0 (10KO’s) is coming off his career best victory, a sensational, HBO televised tenth round knockout of Poland’s Artur Szpilka on JANUARY 25 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Dominating the action from the outset, Jennings dropped the crafty southpaw in the sixth before finishing him off in the final round.

A highly successful amateur in his native Cuba, the 28-year-old Perez has compiled a record of 20-0-1 (12KO’s), since moving to Ireland and turning professional in 2008.

Perez has recently made two previous appearances on HBO and is looking forward to showcasing his skills against another undefeated fighter on July 26th.

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

With a record of 22-0-0 (12KO’s), Hernandez-Harrison will be fighting for the third time on the undercard of a Gennady Golovkin world title defense.

Advance tickets for “G4” priced at $500, $300, $200, $100, $50 and $25 can be purchased starting at 12:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, June 10, at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com and www.thegarden.com

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

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




Golovkin, Geale, Jennings & Perez

Gennady Golovkin
New York City (June 7, 2014) On Friday evening in front of a huge crowd of fans, all four fighters from the upcoming “G4” boxing extravaganza hit New York City’s Madison Square Garden.

With the sensational artwork of their Saturday, July 26th event looking down from the “Mecca of Boxing’s” world famous marquee, GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN, DANIEL “The Real Deale” GEALE, BRYANT “By By” JENNINGS and MIKE “The Rebel” PEREZ posed for photos. The were joined by their promoters Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions and Gary Shaw of Gary Shaw Productions.

“G4” is headlined by the World Middleweight Championship between World Boxing Association “Super Champion” and International Boxing Organization Champion Golovkin and Two-Time World Champion Geale.

Co-featured at “G4” is the highly anticipated 12-round World Boxing Council Heavyweight Title Eliminator between Jennings and Bryant.

Both fights will be televised Live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT.

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

Advance tickets for “G4” priced at $500, $300, $200, $100, $50 and $25 can be purchased starting at 12:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, June 10, at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com and www.thegarden.com

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

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




Perez injures shoulder; fight with Jennings postponed

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, undefeated Heavyweight Mike Perez injured his should while training for his May 24 bout with Bryant Jennings and the bout is postponed.

“I was floored when I got the call this morning from Perez’s manager, Patrick Thomas, that he injured his shoulder in sparring,” said Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions, Perez’s promoter. “Mike is flying back to Ireland to see a shoulder specialist. I’m hoping to hear good news that the injury is not too serious and the fight can be rescheduled in the near future. I know Mike is devastated because of this setback but looks forward to continuing his dream of marching toward a WBC world title fight.”

“When I received the news this afternoon that Perez got injured I felt so bad for Bryant because I know how hard he trained for this fight and how much he was looking forward to fighting for this WBC elimination bout,” Gary Shaw, Jennings’ promoter, said. “I hope that Perez’s injury is minor and we can get these guys back in the ring in a timely manner.”




TICKET ALERT: Jennings vs. Perez, Geale vs. Macklin, May 24 in Corpus Christi and LIVE on HBO

Bryant Jennings
Corpus Christ, Texas (April 25, 2014) – Tickets are on sale now for the upcoming World Boxing Council (‘WBC’) Heavyweight Title Eliminator clash featuring undefeated and top rated heavyweights BRYANT “By By” JENNINGS of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and MIKE “The Rebel” PEREZ, fighting out of Cork, Ireland. The bout will take place on SATURDAY, MAY 24, at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texasand televised LIVE on HBO Boxing After Dark® beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. K2 Promotions, Gary Shaw Productions in association with Antonio Leonard Promotions, DiBella Entertainment, Grange Old School Boxing and Frankel Sports will bring you the action.

Tickets priced $25, $40, $60, $100 and $150 are on sale now and can be purchased at the American Bank Center Box Office, all TicketMaster Outlets & ticketmaster.com.

The winner of the 12-round bout will become the mandatory challenger for the WBC Heavyweight Title, which was vacated by longtime champion Vitali Klitschko earlier this year. Jennings and Perez are currently ranked #4 and #5, respectively by the sanctioning body.

Opening the telecast is a 10-round middleweight battle between two-time former world champion DANIEL “The Real Deal” GEALE and perennial contender MATTHEW “Mack The Knife” MACKLIN.

The American Bank Center is located 1901 N. Shoreline Blvd. in Corpus Christi, Texas. For further information please visit their website at
www.AmericanBankCenter.com

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

For additional Social Media updates for GEALE vs. MACKLIN using Twitter follow Daniel Geale at @RealDanielGeale and Matthew Macklin at @MattMacklinas well as DiBella Entertainmentat @DiBellaEnt using the hashtag #GealeMacklin




GARY SHAW FIGHTERS MARCH UP WBC RANKINGS

Bryant Jennings
NEW JERSEY (April 19, 2014) – Gary Shaw Productions is happy to announce the ranking updates of six GSP fighters, who have worked their way up the WBC ratings. Fighting in a heavyweight elimination bout, is # 4 ranked contender Bryant Jennings (18-0, 11 KOs). Former two-time Australian Middleweight world champion, Daniel Geale (30-2, 16 KOs), is ranked # 2. At Lightweight (135 lbs), Rustam Nugaev (27-6-1, 17 KOs) is rated # 4, while the undefeated Alejandro Luna (17-0, 13 KOs) is # 10. Thomas Dulorme (21-1, 14 KOs) is rated # 4 at Super-Lightweight, and Jose Pedraza (16-0, 10 KOs) is now # 5 at Super-Featherweight (130 lbs), putting Puerto Rico on the map.

Daniel Geale is right back into title contention with his recent victory over world rated Garth Wood, and will now be fighting Matthew Macklin in a meaningful bout. Geale is knocking on the doorstep of a world title bout. Look for him to go all out against Macklin.

Jennings possesses the athletic ability that hasn’t been seen in the heavyweight division is some time. His style some would say emulates Evander Hollyfield, because of his slippery defense and deceptive punching power. As a late bloomer, Jennings is now coming into his own, getting better with each bout. A world title bout against Wladimir Klitschko (61-3, 51 KOs) is on the horizon, should he beat Mike Perez (20-0-1, 12 KOs) in his upcoming title elimination bout.

Thomas Dulorme is on a roll, winning five fights in a row since his move to Super-Lightweight. His recent win against former undefeated contender, Karim Mayfield (18-1, 11 KOs), has placed him in position to fight for a world title. He’s hoping to get in the ring with any of the champions at 140 lbs.

Known as a pressure fighter, Rustam Nugaev has been unstoppable of late, destroying everyone in his path, winning his last five bouts by knockout. He’s on the cusp of a world title opportunity and would like to face any of the champions at 135 lbs.

Pedraza is a technical fighter with immense boxing skills. His ability to adapt to any style makes him a problem for any challenger. If need be, Pedraza who is a conventional right handed fighter, can switch his stance to southpaw and not lose any momentum during a fight. He’s seeking a fight with champion, Takashi Miura or any of the top contenders in his division. Should Pedraza capture the WBC title at Super Featherweight, he could then move up to Lightweight and have a possible Puerto Rican showdown with Felix Verdejo.

A true Mexican Cowboy, Alejandro “El Charro” Luna is a young hungry 22-year old fighter who has power in both hands. He also has the skill to switch stances and be extremely effective. His steady march up the rankings is gaining him the notoriety he needs to make a run for a world title shot. With a massive fan base in Southern California, Luna’s ready to challenge any top fighter in the Lightweight division.

“My guys are great men with the character to become stars in this sport,” said Gary Shaw. “Geale is one fight away from a world title as is Jennings. My goal is to get Dulorme, Nugaev and Pedraza in a mega TV fight against any of the current champions in their division by the end of the year. With Luna, I want him to stay busy and keep him marching up the rankings. I want to thank the WBC ratings committee for recognizing these future WBC Champions




UNDEFEATED HEAVYWEIGHTS BRYANT JENNINGS & MIKE PEREZ COLLIDE IN A WBC HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE ELIMINATOR AND DANIEL GEALE BATTLES MATTHEW MACKLIN SATURDAY, MAY 24, 2014 AMERICAN BANK CENTER in CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS LIVE ON HBO®

Bryant Jennings
Corpus Christ, Texas (April 17, 2014) Undefeated and top rated heavyweights BRYANT “By By” JENNINGS of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and MIKE “The Rebel” PEREZ, fighting out of Cork, Ireland will clash in a World Boxing Council (‘WBC’) Heavyweight Title Eliminator on SATURDAY, MAY 24, at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas and televised LIVE on HBO Boxing After Dark® beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT, it was announced today jointly by K2 Promotions and Gary Shaw Productions.

The winner of the 12-round bout will become the mandatory challenger for the WBC Heavyweight Title, which was vacated by longtime champion Vitali Klitschko earlier this year. Jennings and Perez are currently ranked #4 and #5, respectively by the sanctioning body.

Opening the telecast is a 10-round middleweight battle between two-time former world champion DANIEL “The Real Deal” Geale and perennial contender MATTHEW “Mack The Knife” MACKLIN.

“The world has been desperately seeking a heavyweight to take over the division and I believe that person is Me,” said Jennings. “By defeating Mike Perez, I will position myself as the mandatory position in the WBC. My promoter Gary Shaw ensures me that if I win this fight; I’ll be looking at a potential world title bout soon. My main focus is winning this fight against Perez and I’m doing everything in the gym to make that a reality. I’ll be ready to go come May 24th.

“My dream has always been to fight for the heavyweight championship,” said Perez.
“This has been my dream since I first started boxing and I have sacrificed a lot to get this opportunity. Jennings and I have been on crash course for a while and now with so much at risk I’m sure it will bring out the best in both of us. However, as good as Jennings is I will be victorious.”

“Mike Perez is a good fighter with an undefeated record and he is dangerous for any opponent,” said Gary Shaw. “But I feel my fighter Bryant Jennings has the athletic ability, the speed and movement to defeat him and is the all around better fighter. This is the type of fight the fans deserve, two undefeated guys putting it all on the line to get a world title shot, that’s what boxing is all about.”

Said Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions, “It is rare to see two undefeated heavyweights once again risk their record in a fight like this featured on HBO. However there was no hesitation from either side when the WBC ordered this eliminator because both fighters want to fight for the WBC Heavyweight Championship of the World.”

“We feel that Mike is among the best heavyweights in the world and expect him to show that on May 24th against Bryant Jennings.”

“The WBC is proud to sanction the fight between Perez vs. Jennings as a final elimination fight as part of the WBC tournament in the Heavyweight division,” stated Mauricio Sulaiman of the World Boxing Council.

“Vitali Klitschko was honored with the Emeritus Champion distinction after he decided to search his dream of becoming President of his country Ukraine and is being regarded as a hero by many.”

“The WBC ordered a tournament between all top rated fighters to fight and Perez vs. Jennings will prove to be a formidable match to find the second mandatory contender of the WBC Heavyweight division. “

The 29-year-old Jennings, 18-0-0 (10KO’s) is coming off his career best victory, a sensational, HBO televised tenth round knockout of Poland’s Artur Szpilka on JANUARY 25 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Dominating the action from the outset, Jennings dropped the crafty southpaw in the sixth before finishing him off in the final round.

A highly successful amateur in his native Cuba, the 29-year-old Perez has compiled a record of 20-0-1 (12KO’s), since moving to Ireland and turning professional in 2008.

Perez has made two previous appearances on HBO, on NOVEMBER 2, against Magomed Abdusalamov from Madison Square Garden in New York City and more recently facing Carlos Takam on JANUARY 18 from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada.

Hailing from New South Wales, Australia and sporting a record of 30-2-0 (16KO’s), the 32-year-old Geale previously held the WBA and IBF middleweight titles. Most recently Geale stopped fellow countryman Garth Wood in the sixth round on FEBRUARY 19 in New South Wales, Australia.

Former world title challenger Macklin of Birmingham, England has had an illustrious 12-year career having compiled a record of 30-5-0 (20KO’s).

Despite suffering a third round stoppage at the hands of middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin on JUNE 29, 2013, Macklin stormed back into the world rankings with a dominant ten round unanimous decision over then undefeated Lamar Russ on DECEMBER 7 in Atlantic City, Jersey. Both of these bouts were telecast on HBO.

“I can’t wait to make my return on HBO and fight Mathew Macklin,” said Geale. “I’m keen to prove I am still one of the best middleweights in the world. Macklin is a very tough opponent who likes to go to war, as do I, our clash of styles could make a fight that steals the show. I will confirm my status as one of the top fighters in the division with a victory. When I win, I still want to fight Golovkin, if he comes back to 160, or the winner of Sturm vs. Solomon.”

Said Macklin, “I’m really excited about the fight with Daniel Geale. He’s a good fighter, a former world champion, and he throws a lot of punches like me so I’m expecting it to be a tough, action-packed fight. After the Golovkin fight, the win over Russ got me back on track and a much-needed 10 rounds of work. Winning on May 24th against Geale will throw me back into the world title mix, so in many ways this is almost a world title eliminator. It’s a great fight between two of the best and most exciting middleweights in the world.”

“Most people are saying that this is a 50/50 fight. I don’t know Geale personally but he seems like a good guy and I respect him as a fighter for what he has achieved and accomplished in his career. That being said though, I always believed he was tailor made for me and there only going to be one winner on May 24th and that is me.”

The Geale/Macklin bout is presented in association with DiBella Entertainment and Grange Old School Boxing.

The American Bank Center is located 1901 N. Shoreline Blvd. in Corpus Christi, Texas. For further information please visit their website at www.AmericanBankCenter.com

Advance ticket information and further details on this event will be announced shortly.

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

For additional Social Media updates for GEALE vs. MACKLIN using Twitter follow Daniel Geale at @RealDanielGeale and Matthew Macklin at @MattMacklin as well as DiBella Entertainment at @DiBellaEnt using the hashtag #GealeMacklin




Jennings – Perez; Macklin – Geale doubleheader set for May 24 on HBO

Bryant Jennings
According to Dan Rafael of espm.com, an intriguing doubleheader has been set for May 24 on HBO that will feature a Heabyweight elimination bout between Bryant Jennings and Mike Perez as well as a Middleweight showdown between former champion Daniel Geale and Matthew Macklin.

“I honestly think Perez is more dangerous that Szpilka because he’s so used to being the bully,” Jennings told ESPN.com from his training camp in Houston. “Both of them are slick but Perez has this type of bully aspect and I always bully the bully. I would hope (Perez trainer) Abel Sanchez makes sure Perez is smart and they take their time to do everything correctly because they are dealing with someone who is well-skilled and well-conditioned and ready to fight. I hope Perez brings his A-game and please do not sleep on Bryant Jennings.”

“I think it’s the best matchup right now. We ain’t ducking nobody. We’re fighting for a position that we would both love to be in,” said Jennings, who turned pro in 2010. “It’s all about the position.”

Said Jennings and Geale promoter Gary Shaw, “This is a real heavyweight fight. It’s a really good fight between two top contenders. I know Jennings is ready. He trains all the time. I think it’s a 50-50 fight. The questions I have is can Jennings use the lateral movement that I believe Perez cannot handle? Will Jennings start off slowly and be a sitting duck for Mike Perez to tee off on, because Jennings is historically a slow starter? Can he start quicker with more movement like he was going into the fourth round not the first? I believe he can.”

“I think it’s a great matchup between two of the top undefeated fighters in the heavyweight division,” said Perez promoter Tom Loeffler said. “I believe the winner of this fight will ultimately go on to win the WBC heavyweight championship. Both fighters have already been featured on HBO and there is a lot of anticipation for this fight now.”

“Stylistically, it’s a great fight and the outcome is doubt. This isn’t one of those fights where you know who the winner is going to be,” said Lou DiBella, Macklin’s promoter. “Neither of these guys is a huge favorite in the fight. These are two guys who like to fight, who like to throw punches and they’ll go at each other. But I have confidence in my guy.

“This is a good, old-fashioned ‘Boxing After Dark’ fight and I think the winner will get a title fight or a fight as economically big or bigger than a title fight.” Geale (30-2, 16 KOs), 33, of Australia, won a world title in 2011, made four successful defenses, including outpointing Felix Sturm in a unification fight, before losing a split decision to Darren Barker in August. Geale has fought once since, scoring a sixth-round knockout of countryman Garth Wood in February.

“I believe Geale is the better fighter, a late bloomer, and will bring it all, no different then what he did in the Barker fight,” said Shaw, Geale’s promoter.




Russian heavyweight Andrey Fedosov relocates to Chicago

Chicago, IL, Tuesday, February 4–Bobby Hitz announced today that Russian heavyweight prospect Andrey Fedosov (24-3, 19 KOs) has relocated to Chicago and will train full time in the United States. In June, Fedosov, who hails from Shuya, Russia, impressed American boxing fans in a televised fight against Bryant Jennings (18-0, 10 KOs) which Hitz felt was stopped prematurely.

“Andrey is an impressive fighter who has a legit shot at a title. Chicago has a large Russian community and I am confident that his fan base will grow as a result,” said Hitz. “He would like another shot at Jennings because that fight was stopped early by a ref who couldn’t communicate with him. Whenever Spanish speaking boxers fight they make sure the ref speaks Spanish, they don’t give that same courtesy to Eastern European fighters like Andrey or Donatas Bondas.”

As Fedosov, who was recently married, settles into the Windy City he is ready to make an impact on the local boxing scene.

“I have made Chicago my new home, but I have to clean out my backyard which starts with me beating Mike Mollo and that bum Spzilka, who will never want to visit Chicago from Poland when I am done with him” said Fedosov. “I have a lot of respect for my Hitz stablemate Fres Oquendo, but I know I must challenge him too.”

Fedosov believes a rematch with Jennings is in order. Following their bout in June 2013 many boxing writers characterized Fedosov as giving Jennings a scare, conversely many said that Artur Spzilka (16-1, 12 KOs) was outclassed by Jennings.

“Bryant is a great boxer but I know that I will win a rematch,” said Fedosov. “I didn’t get any sparing rounds in before this fight. On the evening of the bout I wasn’t allowed to follow my normal warm up routine because they told me they couldn’t find my gloves and got them to me at the last minute. I know what was going on. Jennings is lucky I got cut early because I would have won that fight.”

Hitz, also promotes WBA Fedelatin and NABA heavyweight champ “Fast’ Fres Oquendo (36-7, 23 KOs) of Chicago, Brian Houston (1-0-1, 1 KO) of Omaha, NE and newcomer Nick Asberry (2-0, 2 KOs) from Waukegan, IL.

On Friday, February 28, Hitz returns to Hammond, Indiana’s The Venue for its wildly popular “Fight Night at the Horseshoe” as it partners with Banner Promotions for a card to be featured on ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights.” Earlier in the month boxing legend “Iron” Mike Tyson hits The Venue stage for “Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth” on Saturday, February 8. Tickets for both are available at ticketmaster.com

ABOUT HITZ BOXING
Since its debut in 1991, Hitz Boxing has been the midwest’s leading boxing promoter. Led by Bobby Hitz, who boasted a 21-4 record with 18 KO’s as a boxer, Hitz Boxing is the longest running boxing promoter in the Chicago area dating back to the bi-monthly boxing series the “Ramada Rumble,” held at the former Rosemont Ramada Inn. The organization currently promotes the wildly popular “Fight Night at the Horseshoe” at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, IN and is the subject of the actuality show “Hitz Boxing,” a web series which has amassed over 5 million internet views. Over the year’s the organization has produced matches that have included some of the top names in boxing such as James Toney, Antonio Tarver, Montell Griffin, Iran Barkley, Andrew Golota and “Fast Fres Oquendo.

For more information, please visit: www.hitzboxing.com.




Garcia defends 130 lb with decision over Burgos

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NEW YORK–Mikey Garcia remained perfect as he scored a 12 round unanimous decision over Juan Carlos Burgos to retian the WBO Jr. Lightweight title at the Theater at Madison Square Garden.

It was a lackluster part for the most part. Burgos one shining moment came in round two when he landed a hard right hand that buckled Garcia badly. But Garcia rocked Burgos in round three and that shot seemed to make Burgos more hesitant to make anything happen. Garcia was able to settle down and box Burgos at his own pace and basically won every round there on after.

Garcia, 129.2 lbs of Oxnard, CA won by scores of 119-109, 118-110 and 118-110 and is now 34-0. Burgos, 129 lbs of Tijuana, MX is now 30-2-2.

Jennings_ Szpilka_141025_001a
Bryant Jennings scored a 10th round stoppage over Artuz Sziplka in a battle of undefeated Heavyweights.

The fight started off with both guys showing good movement for heavyweight.s In round twom Jennings started to get through with shots. He started to work the body throughout and landed a right hand to the body that sent Szpilka to a knee. Jennings kept up the dominance and dropped Szpilka with a short right and left. Sziplka got to his feet but it wasn’t long bfore a barrage of punches forced referee Michael Ortega stopped the bout at 2:20 of round 10.

Jennings, 225 lbs of Philadelphia is now 18-0 with 10 knockouts. Szipilka 223.6 lbs of Warsaw, POL is now 16-1.

“I came out here to put on a show and I think I accomplished that goal,” said Jennings. “Szplika is a very tough fighter and I give him credit for lasting as long as he did. After the first knockdown I didn’t think he would last much longer but he showed great heart and almost went the distance.”

“I’m ready to step up and challenge for a world title,” Jennings continued. “I’m going to take it one day at a time and see what my team presents me. I want to thank Gary Shaw, Antonio Leonard, James Prince and HBO for giving me this opportunity.”

“Jennings showed he’s a very talented fighter,” said Gary Shaw. “Boxing needs heavyweights that can close the show and Jennings proved that tonight on his HBO debut. I will talk with James Prince and Antonio Leonard to see what is next for Jennings. He’s the first American heavyweight in many years that has a legitimate shot to be the World Champion. The Polish Prince put up a great fight, but tonight it was all about the USA. Right now I’m very happy with Jennings performance.”

“Bryant Jennings is no joke,” stated co-promoter Antonio Leonard. “He’s going to take the heavyweight division by storm and I see him becoming a world champion very soon.”

“I know Jennings has the talent to take over the heavyweight division,” manager James Prince said. “Tonight he took a giant step toward a world title shot. Boxing fans here in the U.S have a heavyweight in Jennings they can rally behind. We are gunning for the best out there.”

Verdejo_Alcantar_141025_001a
Felix Verdejo scored an explosive just 21 seconds into his bout with Lauro Alcantar in a battle of undefeated Lightweights.

Verdejo landed the “6 inch left hook” right on the chin of Alcantar and he was splattered on the canvas and the fight was stopped.

Verdejo, 1346 lbs San Juan, PR is now 10-0 with 7 knockouts. Alcantar, 135.2 lbs of Agua Prieta, MEX is now 8-1.

Jesse Hart scored a six round unanimous decision over Derrick Frinley in a Super Middleweight bout.

Scores were 60-54 om all cards for Hart, 169 lbs pf Philadelphia and is now 12-0. Findley, 168.2 lbs of Gary, IN is now 20-12-1-1.

Alberto Marchado scored a spectacular 2nd round stoppage ove Nuwan Jayakody in a scheduled 6 round Featherweight bout.

Machado blasted Jayakody with a left hook that sent him to the canvas. Jayakody tried to get his feet but stumbled down and the fight was stopped at 1:34 of round two.

Machado, 126 lbs of San Juan, PR is now 6-0 with 4 knockouts. Jayakody, 125.8 lbs of Nittabuwa, Sri Lanka is now 2-4-1.

Francisco Vargas scored a 1st round stoppage over four round Lopez in a scheduled four round Weltereight bout.

Vargas drilled Lopez with hard right hook that him flat on his back and the fight was stopped at 1:59.

Vargas, 149 lbs of San Juan PR is now 2-0 with 2 knockouts. Lopez, 146.4 lbs of Denver, CO is now 1-1.

Seanie Monaghan scored a 1st round stoppage over Matt Vanda when Vanda had to retire with a bicep injury. The time of stoppage was 2:51 for Monaghan, 175 lbs of Long Beach, NY who is 20-0 with 13 knockouts. Vanda, 173.2 lbs of St. Paul. MN 45-16.

Julian Rodriguez scored a 1st round stoppage over Neyeine Muang in a scheduled four round Super Lightweight bout.

The time was 1:51 for Rodriguez, 141.4 lbs of Hasbrouck Heights, Nj is now 3-0 with 2 knockouts. Muang, 141.2 lbs of Utica, NY is now 1-1-2.




ALL-ACTION SLUGFEST HBO BOXING AFTER DARK®: MIKEY GARCIA VS. JUAN CARLOS BURGOS AND BRYANT JENNINGS VS. ARTUR SZPILKA PRESENTED SATURDAY, JAN. 25 ON HBO FROM NEW YORK’S MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

Mikey Garcia (208x138)
HBO’s hit late-night boxing franchise begins 2014 with an all-action doubleheader featuring an intriguing junior lightweight title showdown when HBO BOXING AFTER DARK: MIKEY GARCIA VS. JUAN CARLOS BURGOS AND BRYANT JENNINGS VS. ARTUR SZPILKA is seen from the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York on SATURDAY, JAN. 25 at 9:45 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT), exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports team will be ringside for the event, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates: Jan. 26 (9:30 a.m.) and 28 (midnight)
HBO2 playdates: Jan. 26 (4:45 p.m.) and 27 (11:00 p.m.)
The main event pits Mikey Garcia (33-0, 28 KOs) of Oxnard, Cal. against Juan Carlos Burgos (30-1-2, 20 KOs), from Tijuana, Mexico, in a scheduled 12-round, 130-pound title bout. Garcia comes from a talented boxing family: The 26-year-old is trained and co-managed by his father, Eduardo, and his brother, Robert, the Boxing Writers Association of America’s 2012 Trainer of the Year. Garcia has been on the fast track to superstar status, steamrolling the competition and emerging as one of the sport’s elite fighters. His three wins in 2013 were convincing triumphs over former champions Orlando Salido, Juan Manuel Lopez and Rocky Martinez. The 26-year-old Burgos is a seasoned veteran who will be making his third bid for a world title.
In the co-feature bout, rising heavyweight Bryant Jennings (17-0, 9 KOs) makes his HBO debut. The 29-year-old Philadelphia native has attracted the attention from boxing observers as the sport searches for the next big American heavyweight star. His formidable foe, 24-year-old Artur Szpilka (16-0, 12 KOs) of Krakow, Poland, has generated a following in the U.S. this year with two televised victories over Mike Mollo, both of them all-action affairs.
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.
® HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.




Szpilka Clears Up Immigration Troubles, Fight vs. Jennings IS ON

The United States Embassy in Poland has granted heavyweight sensation Artur “The Pin” Szpilka (16-0, 12 KOs) the proper visa to enter the United States, and he will be landing in Chicago this evening.

Szpilka had been denied entry on his first attempt to enter the country for his 10-round showdown against Bryant Jennings (17-0, 9 KOs) on January 25 in New York at Madison Square Garden Arena

Promoters Gary Shaw of Gary Shaw Productions and Leon Margules of Warriors Boxing are both breathing a sigh of relief, now that fight will proceed as scheduled.
The undefeated pair will both be making their HBO debuts in a televised doubleheader, headlined by “Mikey” Garcia’s first defense of his WBO Super Featherweight Championship.

Philadelphia’s Jennings is currently ranked #5 in the WBA and #4 in both the WBC and IBF. The wildly popular Szpilka, of Warsaw, Poland, is currently rated WBA and WBC #14.
ABOUT WARRIORS BOXING

Launched in 2003, Warriors Boxing operates under a simple philosophy-bring the best boxers in the world to fight fans, match them in competitive bouts, and in doing so help re-establish the sport of boxing for a new generation.

With a series of successful Pay-Per-View shows and packed houses to it’s credit, the Warriors business model is working wonders in a sport that was sorely in need of the innovation and energy that the company brings to the table.

When it comes down to it though, a promotional company is only as good as the fighters and fights it promotes. Warriors Boxing has delivered on all fronts, with outstanding bouts such as Lara-Molina, Cayo-Peterson, Abraham-Miranda I and II, Miranda-Pavlik, Miranda-Green, Ibragimov-Briggs, Ibragimov-Klitschko, Urango-Hatton, Urango-Bailey, Cayo-Maidana and Ibragimov-Holyfield.

For more information on Warriors Boxing, visit their website at www.WarriorsBoxing.com.




VIDEO: Bryant Jennings Media Workout




VIDEO: Bryant Jennings media roundtable




CAMP NOTES BRYANT JENNINGS

Bryant_Jennings
PHILADELPHIA (Jan. 13, 2014) – Undefeated Heavyweight contender Bryant “By-By” Jennings (17-0, 9 KOs) is preparing for the biggest fight of his career when he faces fellow unbeaten, polish superstar Artur Szpilka (16-0, 12 KO’s). The bout will take place at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, as the co-feature to Garcia vs. Burgos which will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark®, on Saturday, Jan. 25, beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

With less than two weeks away from his showdown with Szpilka, Jennings reflects on training camp, making his HBO debut and fighting at Madison Square Garden for the first time.

“I’ve been in the gym since my last fight back in June so I’m ready to go,” he said. “My trainer Fred Jenkins and I have been grinding, working on new things, trying to improve on what I do best, which is to box my opponents ears off.

“I know Szpilka is a big star in him native country, but his “0” has got to go, and his fans must deal with him losing for the first time. I’m healthy and I feel I’ve improved my ring intelligence since I fought last.

“An opportunity like this, to fight on a big stage like HBO, is a dream come true,” Jennings continued. “When I first stepped in the gym, which was about five years ago, I always envisioned myself fighting on HBO. Now it’s time to show the world what Bryant Jennings is all about. I want to thank my promoters Gary Shaw and Antonio Leonard as well as my manager James Prince for getting me this opportunity. HBO needs some fresh heavyweight talent to showcase and I’m the one to take make it happen. I’m coming to win and win impressively.

“Everyone knows the Madison Square Garden is a place where many fighters have made their name famous. I plan to follow in the footsteps of the greats that have fought there before and continue on my path to greatness. God willing, everything goes as planned. Philadelphia will definitely be in the house and I want to personally thank all my fans for their support,” Jennings concluded.




SHAW, LEONARD AND TEAM JENNINGS HOPE SZPILKA CAN RESOLVE VISA PROBLEMS

January 12, 2014 – Gary Shaw Productions, Antonio Leonard Promotions and Team Bryant Jennings are all hoping Artur Szpilka can resolve his visa problems as it was reported that the polish fighter was deported back to his native land after he was stopped by the Department of Homeland Security at O’Hare International Airport. Bryant Jennings is scheduled to face Artur Szpilka on HBO January 25th.

“Team Jennings along with myself and Antonio Leonard are well aware of the visa problems Szpilka is having at the moment,” said Gary Shaw. “We are monitoring the situation very closely with Warriors Boxing Promoter Leon Margolis and hope this problem can get resolved very fast. This is a great fight between two undefeated ranked heavyweights and it would be disappointing if they are not able to fight. We are working endlessly to get Artur’s proper documents approved so they can meet January 25th on HBO.




HEAVYWEIGHTS BRYANT “BY-BY” JENNINGS vs. ARTUR “THE PIN” SZPILKA JANUARY 25 AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN ARENA LIVE ON HBO

December 15, 2013 – Gary Shaw of Gary Shaw Productions and Leon Margules of Warriors Boxing are happy to announce an agreement has been reached for rising heavyweight contenders Bryant Jennings (17-0, 9 KOs) and Artur Szpilka (16-0, 12 KOs) to meet in a 10-round showdown on January 25 in New York at Madison Square Garden Arena.

The undefeated pair will meet in an HBO-televised doubleheader, headlined by “Mikey” Garcia’s first defense of his WBO Super Featherweight Championship. The fight will mark the HBO debuts of both fighters.

Co-promoted by Antonio Leonard Promotions, Philadelphia’s Jennings, currently ranked #5 in the WBA and #4 in both the WBC and IBF rankings, will be returning from a seven-month layoff for this fight. Jennings who’s managed by James Prince, who also manages Andre Ward, was last seen in June of this year (his only fight of the year) stopping Russia’s Andrey Fedosov in round six. After competing five times in 2012, the time off has left Jennings eager to get back into the ring.

“It feels like I’ve been caged up for so long,” said Jennings. “I feel like I have all of this intensity built up inside of me and nowhere to release it. My hunger is so strong that not even killing it in the gym is an escape anymore and the only way to satisfy my hunger is to binge, January 25th will be a buffet. With every minute that passes it’s like my hunger grows and that is bad news for Artur Szpilka.”

Warsaw, Poland’s Szpilka, who’s co-promoted by Warriors Boxing and Ulrich Knockout Promotions, is currently rated WBA and WBC #14, was last seen in August, completing a two-fight ESPN-televised series with tough guy Mike Mollo. Szpilka visited the canvas in both fights against Mollo before scoring the KO with his super punching power from the southpaw stance.

“I look forward to the challenge,” said the popular Szpilka of the Jennings fight. “I have been improving with every fight and I am ready for anyone in the world. To take away his ratings in the world by beating him will move my career forward, so that is what I will do.”

“This is an incredible matchup between two undefeated heavyweights on the rise, they are both prideful countrymen and they are both on the fast track to the top,” said Gary Shaw. “Jennings has been on the radar a bit longer, but Szpilka has made a dent over the past year. This fight could steal the show based on the complementary nature of their styles. Bryant could’ve taken a lesser fighter with a more well-known name, or even one of the fading veterans still hanging around the heavyweight division, but instead he decided to get back in the ring and face a strong test. It’s a testament to both his dedication and competitive nature, I think it’s also foreshadowing for the kind of champion he will eventually be.”

“Artur makes all of his fights exciting by fighting to the level of his opponents, so prepare to see the best Artur Szpilka anyone has yet seen in the ring,” said Leon Margules. “He’s a tough Polish fighter with a dynamic style and a charismatic personality. A victory over Jennings will go a long way toward making him the star he was born to become.”




MIKEY GARCIA RETURNS TO THE BIG APPLE! TWO-DIVISION WORLD CHAMPION TO DEFEND TITLE AGAINST JUAN CARLOS BURGOS

Mikey Garcia (208x138)
NEW YORK (December 16, 2013) — Undefeated two-division world champion and Ventura County Police and Sheriff’s Reserve Officer Academy graduate MIKEY GARCIA returns to the stage where he won his first world title 12 months earlier — The Theater at Madison Square Garden — only this time he’ll be defending his second world championship belt in as many weight classes. Garcia will put his World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior lightweight title on the line against two-time world title challenger and current No. 1 contender JUAN CARLOS “Mini” BURGOS. Garcia vs. Burgos will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark®, Saturday, January 25, beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT. The telecast will open with a 10-round battle between undefeated heavyweight contenders BRYANT JENNINGS and ARTUR SZPILKA.

These four warriors have a combined record of 96-1-2 (69 KOs) — a winning percentage of 97% and a victory by knockout ratio of 72%.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Banner Promotions, Thompson Boxing Promotions, Gary Shaw Productions, Warriors Boxing Promotions, Madison Square Garden and Tecate, tickets, priced at $200, $100, $50 and $25, go on sale This Friday! December 20 at Noon ET — THE perfect holiday gift for boxing fans. Tickets can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008), and online at www.ticketmaster.com and www.thegarden.com. .

The non-televised undercard will feature New York’s favorite light heavyweight, undefeated Top-10 contender “Irish” SEANIE MONAGHAN, 2012 Puerto Rican Olympian and undefeated lightweight contender FELIX VERDEJO and undefeated super middleweight contender JESSE HART, the son of Philadelphia boxing legend Eugene “Cyclone” Hart. The trio of young contenders boast a perfect record of 39-0 (29 KOs).

“We are proud to be presenting Mike Garcia once again,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum. “We believe Mikey is the next big superstar in boxing and in 2014 that will become evident.”

“We are really excited for Juan Carlos Burgos and his opportunity to win the world title that he should have already had,” said Arthur Pelullo, president of Banner Promotions, who co promotes Burgos with Thompson Boxing Promotions . “Juan was given that very questionable draw against Rocky Martinez last January 25th at The Garden that robbed him of the title. Mikey Garcia is a tremendous fighter, but we feel that Juan has the tools and the experience to get the win and become the new Junior Lightweight Champion of the World.”

“Burgos is primed for a big year in 2014,” said Ken Thompson, president of Thompson Boxing. “He’s one of the more talented boxers in his division and he’ll prove that against Mikey Garcia.”

“I’m happy to be returning to the ring,” said Garcia. ” Burgos is a very good fighter. He did very well against Rocky Martinez at The Garden last January and I think he is deserving of this title shot. There is no question we will give the fans a very exciting fight.”

“I’ve been looking forward to getting back in the ring,” Burgos said. “We’ve had a strong training camp with excellent sparring sessions. I know Mikey is a tough boxer, but I’ve been putting in the work and I expect a win on January 25.”

“With his two titles won in three victories on Boxing After Dark in 2013,” said Peter Nelson, director of programming, HBO Sports, “Mikey Garcia joined an elite class of fighters who emerged throughout the past season as boxing’s rising stars. Now, we’ll see if he can keep up that momentum or if his challenger Juan Carlos Burgos can steal it for himself. Opening the show, two undefeated heavyweights, Bryant Jennings and Artur Szpilka, face off in their HBO debuts, a compelling addition to the season premiere.”

“Madison Square Garden is excited to welcome back one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world — Mikey Garcia — for another great night of world championship boxing,” said Joel Fisher, executive vice president, MSG Sports. “Garcia versus Juan Carlos Burgos along with Seanie Monaghan and Felix Verdejo will be a thrilling night for fight fans and a great way to kick off another exciting year of boxing at The Garden.”

Garcia (33-0, 28 KOs), of Oxnard, Calif., returns to the ring having won 16 of his past 18 bouts by knockout and has not gone the distance in over three years. He became a two-division world champion in his last fight, stopping defending WBO junior lightweight champion Roman “Rocky” Martinez in the eighth round with a vicious body shot to the liver on November 9, in Corpus Christi, TX. Garcia won his first world title — the WBO featherweight championship — on January 19, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, dethroning two-time featherweight champion Orlando Salido via an eighth-round technical win that had Garcia winning virtually every round against the seasoned veteran. He was forced to vacate the title in his first defense, for not being able to make the 126-pound weight limit. Though drained, he was still able to rise to the occasion and knock out former two-division world champion Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez in the fourth round last June 15. Garcia, 26, had a great year in 2012 too, knocking out one-time world title challenger Bernabe Concepcion and former world champion Mauricio Pastrana, in the seventh and second rounds, respectively. He ended his 2012 campaign by knocking out former World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight champion Jonathan Barros in the eighth round. Garcia is trained by his father Eduardo Garcia and co-managed and trained by his brother, 2012 Trainer of the Year Robert Garcia, the former International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior lightweight champion.

Burgos (30-1-2, 20 KOs), of Tijuana, México, will be making his third attempt at a world title. After unsuccessfully challenging Hozumi Hasagawa for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) featherweight title in 2010, he moved up to the junior lightweight division stringing together a two-year, five-bout winning streak, including victories over Luis Cruz for the NABO title in 2011, and former world champion Cristobal Cruz for the WBC Silver championship belt in February 2012. In July 2012 Burgos stopped undefeated Cesar Vazquez in the third round to catapult himself into the No. 1 contender position. Burgos challenged defending WBO junior lightweight champion Rocky Martinez on the same card that saw Mikey Garcia stop Orlando Salido. Unfortunately Burgos’ efforts were not rewarded the same way as both fighters walked away with a disputed draw despite Burgos landing 93 more punches than Martinez, according to CompuBox statistics, including 70 more power punches, and his 36% connect rate was 13% higher than Martinez. Burgos, who turns 26 on December 26 — Boxing Day — returns to ring world-rated No. 1 by the WBO.

Jennings (17-0, 9 KOs), of Philadelphia, PA, is picking up steam, winning four of his last five bouts by knockout. One of the brightest lights among U.S. heavyweight contenders, Jennings, 29, captured the USBA heavyweight title in June of 2012, winning a 10-round decision over Steve Collins. He successfully defended that title in December 2012, knocking out Bowie Tupou in the fifth round. He only had one fight in 2013 — a sixth-round stoppage victory of Andrey Fedosov in June. Collins, Tupou and Fedosov had a combined record of 71-5-1 when they faced Jennings, who enters this fight with a new managerial and promotional team. He is currently world-rated No. 4 by the WBC and No. 5 by the WBA.

Szpilka (16-0, 12 KOs), of Krakow, Poiland, enters this fight having won 10 of his previous 12 fights by knockout, including three of the four bouts he fought in 2013. He has picked up an American following thanks to his two nationally-televised knockout victories over Mike Mollo in 2013, where both men hit the deck in each of their action-packed fights. Another highlight for Szpilka was his 10-round unanimous decision victory over Brian Minto for the interim WBC Baltic heavyweight title. He enters this fight world-rated No. 14 by the WBC.

One of New York’s top boxing attractions, Monaghan (19-0, 12 KOs), of Long Beach, NY, is the reigning WBC Continental Americas light heavyweight champion. He captured that title in June 2012, knocking out Romaro Johnson in the eighth round, and has successfully defended it twice — via a 10-round unanimous decision in October 2012 and in his pay-per-view debut, on the Timothy Bradley vs. Juan Manuel Márquez welterweight champion card, by stopping Anthony Caputo-Smith in the third round. Monaghan enters this fight having won four of his last six fights by stoppage and world-rated No. 6 by the IBF and No. 10 by the WBA. He will be facing Fabio Garrido (19-4, 15 KOs), of Säo Paulo, Brazil, in a 10-round light heavyweight battle. Garrido, who has won his last three fights by knockout, captured the vacant Brazilian light heavyweight title on December 7, knocking out Ernesto Gonzalez in the first round.

Verdejo (9-0, 6 KOs), of San Juan, Puerto Rico, has not only transitioned from a stellar amateur, where he fought on Puerto Rico’s 2012 Olympic team, to an exciting professional, he has also ignited the passions of his island’s boxing fans who currently have no world champions representing them. In short, he is showing the potential for being Puerto Rico’s next big boxing star, following the lineage of Felix Trinidad and Miguel Cotto in attracting legions of fans to his all-action fights not only in Puerto Rico, but in New York, Las Vegas and Florida. Verdejo, 20, fought eight times in 2013 and only went the distance twice. He will be facing Lauro Alcantar (8-0, 1 KO), of Agua Prieta, México, in a six-round battle of undefeated lightweight contenders.

Hart (11-0, 10 KOs), of Philadelphia, PA , won all six of his 2013 fights by knockout, with only one of those bouts reaching the third round. Trained by his father, the highly-rated middleweight contender of the late ’60s and early ’70s Eugene “Cyclone” Hart, the younger Hart, 24, will be taking on durable veteran Derrick Findley (20-11-1, 13 KOs), of Gary IN. Findley, who scored a second-round TKO of contender Ronald Hearns in 2012, has gone the distance against undefeated contenders Matt Korobov, Gilberto Ramirez and J’Leon Love.

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