MONTREAL, QC—Two-time world title challenger Dierry Jean has been added to the already stacked card on December 15 in Toronto, ON, presented by Lee Baxter Promotions.

Jean signed with Baxter earlier this year, and picked up his first win on the comeback trail, stopping Abraham Gomez in six rounds on September 29. It was an emotional moment for Jean, who had finally gotten his promising career back on track.

But Jean is past gunning for sentimental victories now. On December 15 he will bump it up to an eight rounder against an opponent to be named shortly, with an eye towards returning in front of his home Montreal crowd in the near future—and contending for a world title once again.

The 36-year-old has shared the ring with the best in the world, fighting for the world championship against Terence Crawford and Lamont Peterson in addition to serving as long-time training partner to future Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao.

“Dierry is one of the very best Canadian boxers of this era. He was fighting on HBO and Showtime during a time when fighters in this country weren’t getting any television exposure whatsoever,” said Baxter. “With his talent level and name recognition, we know he can get back to that place again, and there’s no better market to start in than downtown Toronto.”

Jean will be fighting in the Coca-Cola Coliseum in the heart of Toronto, a venue which has hosted two world title fights in the past—Adonis Stevenson vs. Tommy Karpency, and Stevenson vs. Badou Jack, a card co-promoted by Lee Baxter Promotions.

“We’ve held a world title fight before, but now we want to do it with our very own fighters. We have a collection of talent that’s knocking on the door of title contention, and Dierry is as close or closer than anyone to getting that opportunity. This time, he won’t let it go to waste,” said Baxter.

ABOUT THIS EVENT:

Lee Baxter Promotions, in association with Athlete Development and Management (A.D.A.M.) will present “Risky Business,” live championship professional boxing at the newly renamed Coca-Cola Colisseum in downtown Toronto, Ontario.

The Coca Cola Coliseum is the home of the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, and a spot for some of the city’s biggest concerts and attractions, including WWE wrestling.

In the main event, Samuel Vargas will return home to face the undefeated Adrian Gabriel Pereiro, as he begins a new campaign at light welterweight. Vargas is fresh off a thrilling bout with former world champion Amir Khan. Despite coming up short on the scorecards, Vargas not only gained fans, but proved to have plenty of them already. The Colombian-Canadian banger dropped Khan early in the bout, and had him hurt later on in the contest as well. In the end, the fight was the most-watched in the history of U.K. subscription television.

Vargas is now honing his craft in training camp in Spain alongside former welterweight champion Kell Brook, as he is determined to return to Canada an improved fighter.

In the co-feature of the night, an old fashioned local rivalry comes to a boil, as Patrice Volny battles Ryan Young.

Volny scored the biggest win of his career in September, as he dominated veteran Albert Onolunose to capture both the WBA-NABA and WBO-NABO middleweight crowns. The victory situates him in a prime spot within the world rankings in two major sanctioning bodies, remarkably, just twelve fights into his professional career.

Another one of Canada’s top middleweights, Steve Rolls, will be in tough against KeAndrae Leatherwood. Both men have enjoyed significant national television exposure, having graduated from the esteemed ShoBox series on Showtime.

The card will also feature local favorite Nick Fantauzzi against Marco Parente in a light heavyweight contest, Bollywood star Neeraj Goyat, heavyweight sensation Kristian Prenga, the professional debut of Iranian amateur standout Salar Gholami, and the remarkable return Moncef “Buddy” Askri after an 11-year hiatus from the sport of boxing.

Tickets for “Risky Business” are available through Ticketmaster. VIP tables can be purchased by emailing [email protected]. Doors open at 6:00 PM ET, with the first bout starting at 7:00 PM ET.

TORONTO – Thursday, March 29, 2018: Boxing is returning to Niagara Falls with the most star-studded lineup the city has seen in a ring yet.

Lee Baxter Promotions is proud to announce the signing of the exciting two-time world title challenger Dierry Jean (29-2-1, 20 KOs) of Montreal.

The 35-year-old boxer has shared the ring with the best in the world, fighting in the world championship with Terence Crawford (26-0-0) and Lamont Peterson (31-2-1), in addition to serving as training partner to the future member of the Hall of Fame Manny Pacquiao.

“We are very happy to have gotten in touch with a spectacular boxer like Dierry Jean. He will make a first comeback fight, then he will be back in the world rankings and we expect to see him in big fights by next year, “said Lee Baxter, president of Lee Baxter Promotions.

Jean will face Mexico’s Juan Armando “Tortuga” Garcia (21-6-2, 12 KOs) in his return on May 19 in Niagara Falls, Ontario at the Scotiabank Theatre.

Garcia is a rugged customer who will be making his sixth visit to Canada, where he has faced some of the country’s best in Mian Hussain, David Théroux, Samuel Vargas, Ayaz Hussain and Mathieu Germain. It will be a perfect return test for Jean, who will be at his first clash in just over a year, after putting his life back on track and returning to the Underdog Gym in Montreal.

The main event of the evening will feature Toronto’s Samuel Vargas (29-3-1, 14 KOs) to Dominican Republic champion Julio “La Para” De Jesus (26-1-0, 24K).

Vargas, current 147-pound NABA welterweight champion, will be looking to earn a fifth consecutive win since losing to former world champion Danny Garcia. As for De Jesus, a six-foot tall welterweight, he won the Dominican Republic championship titles, WBA Fedelatin and WBA Fedecentro during his career, which began in 2010. De Jesus packs serious power, with 24 of his 26 wins coming by way of knockout.

The bout will take place at a catchweight of 144 pounds, as Vargas gradually ventures down to the light welterweight division. This will be Vargas’ final defense of the WBA-NABA welterweight title before Baxter says he will go after a regional title at 140 pounds with one of the four major sanctioning bodies.

“Nobody works harder than Sammy Vargas, and he’s determined to make a splash in the 140-pound division,” said Baxter. “He’s in the best shape of his life, and in our opinion, finally fighting in the proper weight class. You’re going to see a refreshed and more powerful version of Sammy on May 19.”

The card will also feature three-time national champion Anthony Lenk, who will cross the border from his native Niagara Falls, NY to fight in Canada for the first time as a professional. Lenk is signed to Evander Holyfield’s The Real Deal Boxing.

In addition to Lenk, local talent will also come in the form of Josh Lupia, the 2-0 Canadian welterweight prospect with a rabid following in Niagara Falls. Lupia was a Canadian amateur standout, and most recently scored a second round KO over Dario Ortiz in the Domincan Republic.

Tickets are on sale now via ticketpro.ca or by calling 1-888-655-9090. Tickets start at just $60, and VIP tables will be available upon request.

By Bart Barry-

Saturday in Omaha’s CenturyLink Center, in what was probably another attendance record of some prepositional sort – in October, against a French speaker, after a Texas fight, under the rules of the WBO, within the American Midwest, without a doubt, beyond expectations – Nebraska junior welterweight Terence Crawford razed Haitian-Canadian Dierry Jean in 10 rounds. Before Jean was able to retrieve his check from the scorer’s table with a shrug, talk turned to Crawford’s next opponent: Manny Pacquiao, in his first last match, in April, on pay-per-view! And the shrugging commenced.

Anybody see Terence Crawford repeating as Fighter of the Year for 2015?

They can’t all be good twelvemonths, and to be fair, the exceptionality of Crawford’s 2014 was impossible in 2015, known forevermore in boxing annals as the year 0 AH (After Haymon), but Crawford, or at least his handlers at Top Rank, the incredible shrinking promoter, might have put in an effort slightly more inspired than what 2015 shined. There was the compulsory migration to a new weightclass, junior welterweight, that might’ve impressed if Crawford’dn’t already fought a better junior welterweight, Breidis Prescott, on no notice, in 2013 (2 BH). Then there was the inexplicable University of Texas venue in Arlington, on a campus even UT alumni needed to google, and a typically tough, hopeless opponent.

Saturday’s match, an achievement-award homecoming tilt, a way for Omahans to thank a fellow Nebraskan for excelling at some sport other than football, happened against a man not even fightweek festivities bothered embellishing. He was Dierry Jean, the Haitian-born Canadian smuggled out of Montreal to rehab Lamont Peterson in 1 BH, after Lamont got spincycled by Lucas Matthysse, just before Lucas got handled by Danny Garcia. Whatever the ratings boards say of Jean, and no, I don’t care enough to check, intuition says he’s roughly half the opponent someone of Crawford’s talent and pedigree should be confronting in his third match at 140 pounds, on HBO.

So bring on the Pacman!

That’s actually an uncharacteristically interesting fight if it happens in 1 AH, which it likely will not, because honestly, how often does anything genuinely interesting still happen in our oncebeloved sport? Faded as Pacquiao is, a return to 140 pounds – where he fought only once, stiffening Ricky Hatton in 6 BH – might quicken his movements some and make a fight entertaining enough to disarm the righteous rage aficionados feel about the performance, and postfight gracelessness, Manny and Coach Freddie staged against Floyd Mayweather in May. Disarm is perhaps a verb too far: Boxing is just beginning to experience the first sensations of the injury it suffered from The Fight to Save Boxing.

If the pay-per-view numbers are to be believed, and they never ever are, Mayweather took a 90-percent haircut, Pacquiao-to-Berto, and Gennady “Our Next Superstar” Golovkin didn’t do even half Mayweather’s new number, despite allegedly breaking Madison Square Garden attendance records not even the Empire State though to track till GGG’s invasion. The official model is probably broken, and adherence to it – basic cable to premium cable to PPV – almost assuredly will frustrate any who obstinately power towards it.

Bob Arum is not to blame. His legacy as a legendary promoter is assured by the company and fighters he built and the enduring changes he wrought (how do you think boxing got off free TV in the first place?), and he’s been semiretired, anyway, since Juan Manuel Marquez dangled Manny Pacquiao between life and death in 3 BH. What has happened to Top Rank since then is a descent that now accelerates.

There’s a chance all living systems follow the same spiraling pattern, and if they don’t, certainly boxing’s television model has: Disorder –> Negative Feedback (diminishing returns) –> Order –> Positive Feedback (increasing returns) –> Disorder.

The consolidation of broadcasting from many to few imposed an orderly system for exponentially increasing the revenues generated by select men like Mike Tyson and Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. This increased revenue summoned new agents, like Al Haymon, and disproportionately empowered a few men to move the sport according to their whims. And the more whimsically they behaved, the more revenue they generated till the order disintegrated in the spectacle of a network, HBO, despite having invested extraordinary resources in the promotion of two fighters, Mayweather and Pacquiao, being powerless to make them face one another.

The Fight to Save Boxing was not the beginning of disorder so much as its highest manifestation: A match no expert believed would please its consumers found the largest paying audience assembled in our sport’s history. What 30 years of splintering titles and feuding promoters and deteriorating talent pools could not do to obliterate boxing’s fanbase – decimate, yes, but not obliterate – May 2 did in less than an hour.

Aficionados’ hostility now makes them casual fans whose indifference ensures diminishing returns for every organism in the boxing ecosystem. Opponents of the truly talented are no longer talented enough to improve them, and the truly talented’s skills subsequently erode till they bore their audiences away or lose in matchmaking mishaps. Suddenly boxing is ubiquitous on free television, the last era’s Promised Land, and yet nobody cares at all. The negative feedback has begun in earnest, and while human technology ever has an acceleratory effect on its spirals, the last cycle took decades to complete and this one is barely begun.

Prizefighting, in the sense of men paying to watch other men bludgeon one another to unconsciousness, will endure, but prizefighting, in the sense of a match generating $500 million again, is finished for years, definitely, for decades, probably, and for a lifetime, possibly.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

Terence Crawford made his case for a fight with Manny Pacquiao as he defended the WBO Super Lightweight title with a 10th round stoppage over Dierry Jean at the Centurylink Arena in Omaha, Nebraska

Just before the end of round one, Crawford landed a straight left and right hook that sent Jean to the canvas.  Crawford continued to beat up Jean over the course of the bout.  Crawford dominated the bout from the southpaw stance as he only occasionaly ate right hands.  In round nine, Crawford dropped Jean again with a couple of chopping shots to the top of the head.

Crawford came out in round ten and hurt Jean several times before landing a hard combination that sent Jean into the bottom ropes and referee Tony Weeks stopped the fight.

Crawford of Omaha, Nebraska is 27-0 with 19 knockouts.  Jean of Montreal, QUE is 29-2.

Andy Ruiz Jr. battered Raphael Zumbano Love over eight rounds to win a unanimous decision in a Heavyweight bout.

Ruiz, 248 3/4 lbs of Imperial Valley, CA won by scores of 80-72 two cards and 80-70 on the 3rd card and is now 26-0.  Zumbano Love, 247 3/4 lbs of Sao Paulo, BRA is now 37-12-1.

Mikael Zewski scored a 5th round stoppage over Ayi Bruce in a scheduled 10-round Jr. Middleweight bout.

In round five, Zewski landed a big uppercut that was followed by a left and right to the head that sent Bruce to the canvas.  Bruce tried to get up but was counted out at 1:41 of round five.

Zewski, 149 1/2 lbs of Trois-Riverst, QUE is 27-1 with 21 knockouts.  Bruce, 149 1/2 lbs of Accra, GHA is 15-12.

Former world featherweight champion Evgeny Gradovich won a 8-round split decision over Aldomir Silva in a Jr. Lightweight bout.

Gradovich, 127 3/4 lbs of Oxnard, CA won two cards by 79-71 and 78-74 scores while Silva took a card 77-75.

Gradovich is 20-1-1.  Silva, 127 lbs of Sao Paulo, BRA is 19-9.

Julian Rodriguez remained undefeated with a 4-round unanimous decision over Alvaro Ortiz in a Welterweight bout.

Rodriguez, 143 1/4 lbs of Hasbrook Heights, NJ won by scores of 40-36 on two cards and 39-37 and is now 11-0. Ortiz, 140 lbs of Ciudad, MX is 7-5-1.

Alex Saucedo remained undefeated by scoring 2 knockdowns en route to a 6-round unanimous decision over Angel Martnez in a Welterweight bout.

In round five, Saucedo dropped Martinez from a chopping right hand. In round six, Saucedo dropped Martinez with an accumulation of punches on the ropes.

Saucedo, 142 1/4 lbs of Oklahoma City, OK won by scores of 60-52 twice and 60-54 and is now 19-0. Martinez, 141 1/2 lbs of Empalma, MX is 12-8-1.

Alfredo Martinez registered three knockdowns en route to a 4-round unanimous decision over Darin Hampton in a Welterweight fight.

In round two, Martinez dropped Hampton with a series of body shots. Martinez continued to batter Hampton by scoring another knockdown just seconds later. In round four, Martinez scored another knockdown from a left to the body.

Martinez, 142 lbs of Scotts Bluff, NE won by scores of 40-33 on two cards and 40-34 and is now 5-0. Hampton, 141 1/2 lbs of Kansas City, MO. is 1-2.

Zsolt Daranyi scored a 2nd round stoppage over Sean Rawley Wilson in a scheduled 4-round Jr. Middleweight bout

Daranyi dropped Wilson with a right hand at the end of the opening frame. In round two, Daraanyi landed about 25 unanswered blows with most being body shots until the bout was stopped at 1:55 of round two.

Daranyi, 153 lbs of Toronto, CAN is 5-0 with 5 knockouts. Wilson, 153 3/4 lbs of Lavista, NE is 5-16-1.

Follow all the action as WBO Jr. Welterweight champion Terence Crawford defends against Dierry Jean.  The action begins at 9:30 PM ET / 8:30 CT

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HBO Boxing Insider Kieran Mulvaney goes one on one with Terence Crawford. Crawford vs. Jean happens Saturday, October 24 live on HBO at 9:30pm ET/PT

TERENCE CRAWFORD

“Dierry Jean is a good fighter. I am not overlooking him. There is a lot at stake for both of us. One of the secrets to my success has been to never look past an opponent or train less than 110% for a fight. It’s all about focus and keeping the blinders on. If you don’t respect the talents of the man in the opposite corner then you’re asking for trouble.

“It was a great honor being the [2014] Fighter of the Year. It was so big. A lot of great fighters never won it and for me to win it at such an early age is quite humbling.

“This will be MY show on Saturday night. Jean will not dictate the fight to me.

“Who cares if Jean sparred with Manny Pacquiao? That’s sparring.

“Bodywise, I feel comfortable and much stronger at 140 than I did at 135.

“I feel great being home in Omaha. I can’t think of a better place to make the first defense of my junior welterweight world title. It’s going to be a great fight and a great event. I am so Omaha. I wear it on my trunks…on my sleeve…and in my heart.

DIERRY JEAN

”Terence Crawford is the HBO darling. But I will hurt him.

“Fighting in Omaha will have no effect on me. No pressure. I’m not here to win over Crawford’s hometown fans. I’m here to beat their champion.

“My training camp lasted eight weeks and I sparred with southpaw and orthodox fighters switching up every two rounds.

“I was a sparring partner for Manny Pacquiao in his last camp. He taught me how to fight a southpaw. I even used the shoulder roll on him. Manny was so quick and strong. He threw his whole body into every punch.

“I love being the underdog. I’m always the underdog. I’m used to it. I’m going to show everyone that I’m the top man in the junior welterweight division. I’m going to shock the world! Everything is in my favor.

“I’m dedicating this fight to my big brother who passed away two months ago. I plan to go to Haiti after the fight and visit his grave.

“I learned a lot from my loss to Lamont Peterson when we fought last year. It was my first world title fight. I went full out trying to get the early knockout and by the fourth round I was really gassed. I rallied in the later rounds but then I ran my tank empty.

“This time I’m going to box Crawford and if I catch him with a good punch I will finish him. It’s all about being first…first with the jab and first with the counter punch.”

The 2014 BWAA Fighter of the Year returns to the ring before an admiring hometown crowd with a new junior welterweight crown to defend when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: TERENCE CRAWFORD VS. DIERRY JEAN is seen SATURDAY, OCT. 24 at 9:30 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from Century Link Center in Omaha, Neb. The HBO Sports team will call all the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates: Oct. 25 (9:00 a.m.) and 26 (11:30 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Oct. 25 (3:30 p.m.) and 27 (11:00 p.m.)
Omaha native Terence Crawford (26-0, 18 KOs), who turned 28 on Sept. 28, has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the past two years, and was recently honored by the BWAA as 2014’s Fighter of the Year. He overwhelmed Thomas Dulorme in April to earn a new title belt at 140 pounds. Now, he returns to a venue that will be filled with supporters, striving to enhance his standing as one of the sport’s greatest talents.
Dierry Jean (29-1, 20 KOs), 33, a native of Port-au-Prince, Haiti and now based in Montreal, is riding a four-bout winning streak, three of them by knockout. He is looking to score one of the top upsets in a weight class filled with exciting fighters and matchups.
Scheduled for 12 rounds, the Crawford-Jean bout was originally part of a previously announced doubleheader that also included a heavyweight title fight between Wladimir Klitschko and Tyson Fury, which was postponed to Nov. 28 due to injury.
Leading off the telecast will be the exclusive replay of two sensational title bouts that took place last Saturday night at a sold out Madison Square Garden. Middleweight title-holder and 160-pound powerhouse Gennady Golovkin remained undefeated and registered his 21st consecutive ring KO with an eighth-round TKO victory over David Lemieux and flyweight champ Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez scored a thrilling ninth-round TKO against challenger Brian Viloria, reaffirming his standing as the sport’s No. 1 pound-for-pound attraction.
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.

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OMAHA, NEB. (August 24, 2015) — Undefeated two-division world champion and the reigning Fighter of the Year, TERENCE “Bud” CRAWFORD, Omaha’s favorite son, will make a homecoming defense of his World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior welterweight title against one-time world title challenger and current No. 2 world-rated contender, DIERRY “Dougy Style” JEAN, Saturday, October 24, at CenturyLink Center Omaha (455 North 10th St., Omaha, Neb. 68102). The championship event will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing, beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT.

The two warriors boast a near-perfect combined record of 55-1 (38 KOs) — a winning ratio of 98% with nearly 70% of those victories coming by way of knockout.

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Tecate, tickets to the Crawford vs. Jean world championship event go on sale at 2:00 p.m. CT Today! Priced at $27, $52, $77 and $127, reserved seat tickets are available at the CenturyLink Center Omaha box office and all Ticketmaster outlets. To charge-by-phone call (800) 745-3000. To order online, visit ticketmaster.com.

“I will be totally prepared for whatever Dierry Jean brings to the ring,” said Crawford. “I love this big event as it is not often Omaha fans get to attend a prize fight
live on HBO.”

“I just can’t wait! I want this. I’m hungry,” said Jean. “Crawford is the HBO darling who is supposed to be the next big thing but I will hurt him. Mark my words! I will be crowned world champion on October 24th.”

“Terence is well on his way to topping his breakout year in 2014 where he won three career-best world championship victories en route to earning Fighter of the Year accolades,” said Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank. “Now that Terence is a two-division world champion he will be bringing that momentum on October 24 when he returns home to the great fans of Omaha and to HBO, defending his newly-won junior welterweight world title against the Canadian cold front known as Dierry Jean, who has iced seven of his last ten opponents.”

“This is a BIG fight for Terence. Dierry Jean is an excellent fighter and Terence knows it,” said Cameron Dunkin, Crawford’s co-manager. “Terence is very focused and is training harder than ever anticipating a very competitive fight. Believe me, Terence will be ready!”

“Dierry Jean is recognized by most observers as one of the most talented boxers to ever come out of Canada,” said Camille Estephan, Jean’s manager. “His lone loss was in his first world title challenge and he doesn’t want to miss his chance for a world title this time. Dierry wants to fulfill his potential and I believe he’s learned from his world title shot experience in January 2014. It’s great that we have a chance at redemption and October 24th will be his moment. This fight has the makings of a great battle for the fans.”

“In 2014 lightweight champion Terence Crawford emerged as a superstar earning Fighter of the Year honors,” said Peter Nelson, vice president of programming, HBO Sports. “He kicked off 2015 with a huge statement by moving up to a new division and knocking out Thomas Dulorme to remain undefeated and become a world champ at 140 pounds. Now Terence will defend his new title against Canada’s Dierry Jean who has won his last four bouts and looks to upset the champion before a partisan hometown crowd in Omaha.”

Crawford (26-0, 18 KOs), of Omaha, Neb., makes his ring debut as WBO junior welterweight world champion. The consensus Top-10 pound-for-pound fighter will be looking to build on his star-making 2014 which featured three world championship victories as well as Fighter of the Year honors from the BWAA and major media alike. Crawford, 27. captured the vacant WBO junior welterweight crown on April 18, via a devastating sixth-round knockout of once-beaten No. 2 world-rated contender Thomas Dulorme. Crawford began his career-best year on March 1, 2014, just 13 days short of the sixth anniversary of his professional debut. He captured the WBO lightweight title, dethroning defending champion Ricky Burns on Burns’ home turf of Glasgow, Scotland. Scoring a powerful and unanimous decision, Crawford put the boxing world on notice with his virtuoso performance as he pulled out all stops in dismantling Burns, rocking the defending champion throughout the fight, while switching back and forth between orthodox and southpaw stances. He followed that with a dramatic and critically-acclaimed knockout victory of undefeated former world champion and Cuban Olympic gold medalist Yuriorkis Gamboa on June 28, 2014, in a Fight of the Year nominee. It was one of the most-watched fights of the year with over 1.2 million viewers catching the live, first-time airing of the fight, according to Nielsen Media Research. He concluded 2014 on November 29 with a thorough shellacking of one-time world title challenger and No. 1 contender Ray Beltran, winning 11 of the 12 rounds. Crawford is only the second Nebraska native to be recognized as a boxing world champion. Perry “Kid” Graves, from Rock Bluff, captured the welterweight crown, knocking out Johnny Alberts in Brooklyn, in 1914, according to the Omaha World-Herald.

Jean (29-1, 20 KOs), a native of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, who now fights out of Montréal, Québec, Canada, returns to the ring riding a four-bout winning streak, with three of those victories coming by way of knockout, since suffering a 12-round decision loss to International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior welterweight world champion Lamont Peterson on January 25, 2014. Career highlights include an IBF junior welterweight title elimination victory over Cleotis Pendarvis, which led to his world title challenge of Peterson, NABF and NABA super lightweight title victories over Lanardo Tyner, Ivan Cano and Juan Rivera, and NABF lightweight title victories over Mario Perez and Daniel Ruiz. Only Tyner avoided losing by knockout. Jean, 33, is currently world-rated No. 2 by the World Boxing Council (WBC) and No. 6 by the WBO.

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

Terence Crawford will defend the WBO Lightweight title against Dierry Jean on October 24 in Crawford’s hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

I’m excited to be able to bring these types of fights to Omaha. This is what Omaha, Nebraska, has been missing for decades,” Crawford told ESPN.com on Thursday. “I’m just happy to bring some excitement to the city instead of the people watching the news and hearing about all the negativity going on.”

“I just can’t wait. I want this. I’m hungry,” Jean said. “Crawford is the HBO darling who is supposed to be the next big thing, but I will hurt him. Mark my words. I will be crowned world champion on Oct. 24th.”

“His lone loss was in his first world title challenge, and he doesn’t want to miss his chance for a world title this time,” said Camille Estephan, Jean’s manager. “Dierry wants to fulfill his potential, and I believe he’s learned from his world title shot experience in January 2014. It’s great that we have a chance at redemption, and Oct. 24 will be his moment. This fight has the makings of a great battle for the fans.”

“I’m excited about the fight,” Crawford said. “A lot of people don’t know who he is but I know him. He’s a great, solid fighter. No walk in the park. I’m just ready. I watched [Peterson-Jean] live [on television]. I watched it as a fan, but there was always that possible chance of us fighting. On that particular day, I wasn’t looking at him like I’ll fight him one day but I knew that day may come.

“He put up a great fight against Peterson. He made it very exciting. He showed a lot of heart, showed a lot of skill, showed a lot of determination. You can’t take anything away from the guy. I will be totally prepared for whatever Dierry Jean brings to the ring.”

Said Cameron Dunkin, Crawford’s co-manager with Brian McIntyre, “This is a big fight for Terence. Dierry Jean is an excellent fighter and Terence knows it. Terence is very focused and is training harder than ever anticipating a very competitive fight. Believe me, Terence will be ready.”

“I was willing to fight the IBF champion [Cuenca] to unify our titles,” Crawford said. “You know me. I was willing to fight anybody. I got some names — Orozco, Soto — but they’re fighting each other. Herrera came up. [My managers] brought up Cuenca. I was like, ‘OK, I’m ready to face him in a unification fight.’ But I let my managers do their job. Dierry Jean got the fight.

“I never predict a knockout. I only predict victory. As long as my hand is raised at the end of the fight, I’m happy with that.”

David Lemieux won the IBF Middleweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada.

In round two, Lemieux landed a huge left that dropped N’Dam. In round five, Lemieux sent N’Da, to the canvas with a thudding left to to body/left to the head combination. Moments later, it was another crunching left hook that dropped N’Dam for a 3rd time.

N’Dam hit the deck again late in round seven from a right hand.

Lemieux, 160 lbs of Montreal won by scores of 115-109 twice and 114-110 and is now 34-2. N’Dam of France is now 31-2.

In a battle of former world title challengers, Dierry Jean won a 10-round unanimous decision over Jerry Belmontes in a Lightweight bout.

In round two, Jean landed an overhand right that made Belmontes glove hit the canvas for a knockdown.

Jean of Montreal won by scores of 99-90, 99-89 and 98-91 and is now 29-1. Belmontes, 134.4 lbs of Corpus Christie, Texas is now 19-7.

Heavyweight Luis Ortiz remained undefeated with a 1st round blowout over Byron Polley in a scheduled 8-round bout.

Ortiz dropped Polley with an left uppercut to the body in round one. Ortiz scored a 2nd knockdown when he pushed Polley down but it was a ruled a knockdown. Ortiz finished the fight with a perfect left hand that dropped Polley and the fight was stopped at 2:38 of round one.

Ortiz, 230 lbs of Miami, FL is 22-0 with 19 knockouts. Polley, 272 lbs of St. Joseph, MO is 27-19-1.

MONTREAL (September 11, 2014) – North American Boxing Federation (NABF) lightweight champion Dierry “Dougy Style” Jean (26-1, 18 KOs) will make his first title defense September 27 against Mexican challenger Daniel “Canerito” Ruiz (32-7-2, 22 KOs) at the famed Bell Centre in Montreal.

The 12-round bout will be the co-feature on the “Red Dawn” card, headlined by a North American Boxing Association (NABA) light heavyweight title fight between two-time Russian Olympian Artur Beterbiev (5-0-0, 5 KOs) and former International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion Tavoris “Thunder” Cloud (24-2-0, 19 KOs).

In his last action this past June, Jean stopped Mario Perez (15-5-4) in the eighth round for the vacant NABF lightweight crown, five months after losing a unanimous 12-round decision (118-111, 116-112, 116-113) to International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior welterweight champion Lamont Peterson.

“Honestly,” Jean said, “I didn’t go to lightweight because I thought it was going to be harder at 140 pounds. I’m not getting any younger, so I thought it could open doors to fight in two divisions. I want to get a world title shot as soon as possible. I do feel a little stronger and imposing at 135. I don’t take any of my opponents lightly but, after this fight, I want a title shot at Omar Figueroa or Terence Crawford, at 135 or 140.”

Upset-minded Ruiz, who is a former International Boxing Organization (IBO) super featherweight champion, knocked off hot Irish prospect and previously unbeaten Jamie Kavanagh (15-0-1) last December by way of a sixth-round knockout. Ruiz has been the distance with Rey Bautista (33-2), losing a 12-round split decision in 2012 for the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) International featherweight championship, in addition to dropping a 10-round majority decision in 2011 to unbeaten Canadian contender Logan McGuinness (14-0-1).

“I can’t wait for this fight to happen,” Jean added. “Even though he is still young, Ruiz is experienced. He has a good left hook and is a powerful puncher as his record indicates (22 KOs in 32 wins). But I’m in great shape; I’m going to destroy him, stop him, because it’s ‘Dougy Style’ time!”

“Dierry is fighting a dangerous opponent,” Jean’s promoter Camille Estephan (Eye of the Tiger Management – “EOTTM”) noted. “We’re didn’t bring in a second-rate lightweight. Ruiz has power and a track record for knocking off top prospects. He’s lost to some good guys like Abner Cotto, Bautista and McGuinness.

“Derry gained a lot of attention winning the NABF title. He wants to make a major statement this fight in order to get a big fight with Figueroa or Crawford. He’s ready for them. Dierry learned a lot in the Peterson fight and we’re giving him every opportunity to get him right back on top, ASAP.”

A loaded undercard card will showcase two other EOTTM fighters, world welterweight title challenger Antonin Decarie (30-2-0, 9 KOs) against Mexican invader Ivan “El Ruso” Pereyra (19-3, 13 KOs) in a 10-round fight, along with sensational junior middleweight prospect Steven Butler (4-0-0, 3 KOs) in a four-round bout vs. TBA.

“Red Dawn” is co-promoted by Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM) and InterBox, in association with Eye of the Tiger Management (EOTTM) and the participation of Don King Productions (DKP), and co-presented by Mise-O-Jeu and Videotron.

Tickets range from $50.00 to $250.00 and are available to purchase at Bell Centre, online at www.evenko.ca, or by calling GYM (514 383-0666) and the club Boxing Champion (514 376-0980).

For further information about Jean or any of his EOTTM stable-mates visit www.eottm.com, or follow him on Twitter @ eotmvd and @DierryJean.

MONTREAL (July 9, 2014) – North American Boxing Federation (NABF) lightweight champion Dierry “Dougy Style” Jean (26-1, 18 KOs) has zeroed in on undefeated World Boxing Association lightweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford (24-0, 17 KOs) as a potential opponent for a career-defining fight.

Last month, Jean stopped Mario Perez (15-5-4) in the eighth round for the vacant NABF title, five months after Jean lost a unanimous 12-round decision (118-111, 116-112, 116-113) to International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior welterweight champion Lamont Peterson.

Nearly two weeks ago, Jean watched with great interest as Crawford eventually destroyed previously undefeated Yuriorkis Gamboa (23-1, 16 KOs) on HBO. Crawford fought in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, packing the venue with more than 11,000 enthusiastic fans, who loudly cheered as Crawford dropped Gamboa four times en route to a ninth-round stoppage. Immediately after the fight there was talk that Crawford may be moving up one division to fight as a junior welterweight.

“I thought it was a very good fight,” Jean said. “Both fighters got caught. Gamboa was just too small to fight Crawford. Crawford would be a good fight for me, one that I can win. I think it would be a very technical fight. It wouldn’t matter if we fought at 135 (lightweight) or 140 (junior welterweight). Of course, I’d prefer to fight him at home in Montreal, but for the right deal I’d go there to fight him in Omaha. I fought Pederson in his hometown, Washington D.C.”

Jean’s promoter, Camille Estephan (Eye of the Tiger Management), believes the time is right for another major fight for Jean and Crawford is the perfect opponent. “Crawford is a very good champion and he proved that beating Gamboa like he did,” Estephan commented. “He’s also the HBO darling right now but, remember, he fought a guy much smaller than him, and that was the big difference. Crawford is a perfect fight for Dierry, who can fight him at 135 or 140, whatever weight he picks. We’re open to fighting him here (Montreal), or we’re willing to go into his backyard in Omaha, if that’s what it takes.”

“‘Dougy’ is ready and able to fight the best at 135 or 140,” Jean’s head trainer Mike Moffa added. “His experience against Peterson will help us. Crawford is the ideal guy right now.”

For further information about Jean or any of his EOTTM stable-mates visit www.eottm.com, or follow him on Twitter @DierryJean.

MONTREAL (JUNE 18, 2013) – Newly crowned North American Boxing Federation (NABF) lightweight champion Dierry “Dougy Style” Jean (26-1, 18 KOs) is targeting the top lightweights in the world.

Fresh of his eight-round technical knockout of Mario Perez (15-5-4) earlier this month for the vacant NABF title, which came five months after Jean lost a unanimous 12-roiund decision (118-111, 116-112, 116-113) to International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior welterweight champion Lamont Peterson,Jean proved that he’s a legitimate two-division, world-class contender.

“I felt strong,” Jean said about fighting as a lightweight. “It was a little tough getting down in weight, but I can fight effectively at both weights. I didn’t go down to lightweight because junior welterweights were too strong for me. I just took advantage of an opportunity to fight at lightweight.

“I’d like to fight any of the world lightweight champions. (Omar) Figueroa is a good fighter. He’s strong and a good puncher. I’d like to fight him or the winner of (Terence) Crawford and (Yuriorkis) Gamboa. They’re both good boxers. I don’t know who is going to win that fight but I think Gamboa.”

Jean is currently rated No. 7 as a junior welterweight by the IBF and, as the NABF champion, he should crack the next World Boxing Council’s (WBC) top 15 ratings.

“We want a title shot as soon as possible,” Jean’s promoter Camille Estephan emphatically commented. “Figueroa, the Crawford-Gamboa winner, (Richard) Abril or (Miguel) Vasquez….anyone of them. Dierry was very impressive as a lightweight. His energy level was higher and he was strong. It was probably the first time he fought somebody the same size. He’s always been fighting bigger guys as a junior welterweight. We feel that he’ll be a monster at lightweight. He will crush anybody and we’re certain he’ll be as much of a force as a lightweight as he was as at 140 pounds. We’re looking for big fights!”

Jean may have suffered his first loss as a professional to Peterson but some positives also came out of that fight for the Haitian native who lives in Montreal. The invaluable experience he gained fighting in a world title fight and everything surrounding it has made him an even better fighter.

“I gained experience and learned how to better control myself in and out of the ring,” Jean concluded. “I know I can fight with world champions. I can be me, using my style of fighting, something I didn’t do against Peterson because it was so stressful fighting for the first time in a world championship. Now, I’ve been through all of that, and I will do much better the next time I’m in a world title fight.”

For further information about Jean or any of his EOTTM stable-mates visit www.eottm.com, or follow him on Twitter @DierryJean.

MONTREAL (March 18, 2014) – Eye of the Tiger Management (EOTTM) has been developing world-class boxers in Canada the past few years and now, thanks to its hi-definition network (PunchingGrace.com) and popular Fight Night Series, American fight fans may watch top contenders and prospects from North of the Border before they fight on United States-based networks like HBO, Showtime and ESPN.

The seventh installment of the popular Fight Night Series will be Friday night, March 28, featuring World-rated welterweight Antonin Decarie (29-2, 9 KOs), also airing live on pay per view from Lac Leamy Casino in Gatineau, Ontario, Canada.

Fight Club Series, presented by Eye of the Tiger Management (EOTTM), is being distributed in the United States by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 7:00 p.m. ET – 4:00 p.m. PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via DIRECTV, iN Demand, DISH, and Avail-TVN. The event may also be watched worldwide on PPV at www.PunchingGrace.com.

“We’re giving our fighters opportunities to be seen fighting outside of Canada, through PunchingGrace and PPV in the US, by expanding our borders,” EOTTM promoter Camille Estephan explained. “Their fights will be available to watch in close to 70-million U.S. households alone.”

EOTTM heavyweight Bermane “B. Ware” Stiverne was virtually unknown in the U.S. until his last fight, in which he won a unanimous decision on HBO in convincing fashion against Chris Arreola. WBC #1 Stiverne and #2 Arreola will fight again May 10 on ESPN, at a site to be determined, for the WBC title vacated by retired Vitali Klitschko.

Stiverne’s stable-mate and fellow Haitian, junior welterweight Dierry “Dougy Style” Jean (25-1, 17 KOs), was introduced to the American public on ShoBox, which led to him challenging IBF world champion Lamont Peterson. Jean lost a 12-unanimous decision but proved that he belong among the elite 140-pounders in the world.

“People all over the world are going to know Bermane because of the exposure he’s going to get fighting on ESPN (not ESPN2 that Friday Night Fights is on), but the main ESPN station that shows professional football and other leading sporting events,” Estephan said. “He is fortunate to have that window of opportunity. He’s a heavyweight with power and balls who has the footwork of a lightweight. He’s deadly serious about what he’s doing. We don’t just want him to win the world heavyweight title, we want him to win and defend it many times. He’s not looking past Arreola and is preparing to fight him like they’ve never fought before. They’re the top two heavyweights in the world without a world title.

“Dierry Jean didn’t lose to Peterson because of his ability. Peterson was at his best, his experience and ability to adjust were the difference. Dierry will be fighting in late April, early May, on his way back to the top. He also has the advantage of being able to fight at junior welterweight or lightweight.”

WBC #8/IBF #13 Decarie burst on the American boxing scene on HBO, when he upset previously unbeaten Alex Perez, and the popular French-Canadian parlayed that into another high-profile appearance on HBO, albeit losing a 10-round decision to Luis Carlos Abregu.

Decarie faces former Mexican champion Pablo “Sepulturero” Munguia (19-4, 11 KOs) Mar. 28 in the 10-round main event.

Antonin Decarie vs. Pablo Munguia LIVE on Pay Per View March 28th at 7 pm EST
Antonin Decarie vs. Pablo Munguia LIVE on Pay Per View March 28th at 7 pm EST

The next EOTTM hidden jewel who most American boxing fans may not know yet is WBC #3/IBF #5 lightweight Ghislain “Mani” Maduma (16-0, 10 KOs), the reigning NABA and NABF champion. “Maduma is going to burst on the scene – the same show as Dierry fights – in an IBF eliminator,” Estephan noted. “People watching him fight are going to ask where this guy came from because he hasn’t fought on a major network yet. He is an awesome talent.”

The next wave of EOTTM fighters soon to be introduced to American fans include super middleweight Schiller Hyppolite (8-1, 5 KOs), who takes on George Beroshvili (8-1, 5 KOs) in a 10-round bout on Mar. 28.

“Schiller has tremendous talent and the super middleweight division is big in Canada having produced Lucian Bute, Jean Pascal and Adonis Stevenson,” Estephan concluded. “He learned from his only loss and had to make an attitude adjustment. Another fighter who is going to make big news is welterweight Mian Hussian. He has two brothers who are fighters and all they do is box – sleep, eat, train — and then do it all over again the next day. He has a lot of power, plus he’s fast and mean. All he lacks is experience. And don’t forget middleweight (IBF #8, WBO #11, WBC #13) David Lemieux (31-2, 29 KOs). He came up a little too fast but now he’s back and we’ll have some big news about him very soon. And we just signed Steven Butler, a promising 18-year-old who was the youngest Canadian National Team champion.”

Other Mar. 28 undercard fights include lightweight Chris Plaitis (5-0-1) vs. Jesus “Diamante” Perez (4-2, 2 KOs) in a six-round match; super middleweight Pascal Villeneuve (3-0, 2 KOs) vs. Francois “The Tank” Miville (6-1, 2 KOs) and Mitch Louis-Charles (3-1-1, 2 KOs) vs. Guillaume Coude (2-0, 1 KO), cruiserweight Samer Baraket (2-0, 2 KOs) vs. Sandy Pembroke (3-7, 1 KO), and heavyweight Zack Bunce (2-0, 1 KO) vs. Steven Harvey (4-1, 2 KOs) in four-round fights.

All fights and fighters are subject to change.

For further information about EOTTM and Punching Grace, as well as the Mar. 28 show, please visit www.eottm.com, www.PunchingGrace.com or www.IntegratedSportsNet.com, or follow on Twitter @eotmvd and @IntegratedPPV.

Lamont Peterson dazzled in front of his hometown crowd on Saturday night scoring a unanimous decision victory over Dierry Jean to retain his IBF Junior Welterweight World Championship from the DC Armory in Washington, D.C., live on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING.

Peterson (32-2-1, 16 KO’s) and Jean (25-1, 17 KO’s) kicked off the 2014 boxing calendar with an action-packed aggressive showdown. Jean began with a patient approach, looking to test the chin of Peterson after his devastating knockout loss last May against Lucas Matthysse. By midway through the fight Peterson made it clear that loss had no affect on him as he became the aggressor, putting on a show for his hometown crowd. As the fight progressed Peterson outworked and outlanded his opponent using combinations, speed and agility. At the end of the fight SHOWTIME Sports analyst and former World Champion Paulie Malignaggi emphatically stated, “Lamont clearly proved that he is still a force to be reckoned with at 140 pounds.” The judges scored the bout 115-113, 116-112 and 118-111.
In the co-main event, 23-year-old top junior middleweight prospect Jermell Charlo remained undefeated in a unanimous decision victory over gutsy veteran Gabriel Rosado.

After the fight Peterson said, “I knew that this was his [Jean’s] first title fight and this is a big stage. I knew regardless of what he said he would have some type of nerves. At the end of the day I was in shape and I was able to hold the rounds. I would like to be considered the best 140-pound fighter in the world before I leave [the division]. If it means Danny Garcia is next then that’s what it is.”

When asked how long it took to get over his loss against Matthysse, Peterson said, “At the end of that night I sat and thought all night and I came to an understanding of why I lost. Then I moved on. I was over it in 24 hours.”
Speaking to the crowd of 5,668, Peterson said, “I love my city. My city loves me.”

When asked about the loss, Jean chalked it up to the inexperience of this being his first title fight saying, “I think it is just a matter of experience. Life goes on you know. I am definitely leaving with my head held high. I have all of my fans with me and I fought a hard fight.”

Jermell Charlo scored the biggest win of his career when he scored a 10 round unanimous decision over former two-time world title challenger Gabriel Rosado in a Jr. Middleweight bout.

Charlo was effective early by sharp shooting with the left hook when Rosado would come in. Rosadi’s left eye began to swell in round four and was cut in round five from what was ruled a punch. Rosado fought well through the fight but Charlo was more active and was pinpoint with his punches.

Charlo, 153 lbs of Houston, TX won by scores of 97-93, 99-91 and 100-90 and is now 23-0. Rosado, 154 lbs of Philadelphia, PA is now 21-8-1.

After the fight, Charlo acknowledged his opponent saying, “Rosado is a tough fighter. He came to fight. He did exactly what we trained for. He’s my strongest fight to date. He did what he had to do. It’s about being in shape. It’s about being in shape to do what we do.”

Speaking about the cut, Charlo said, “Once I saw the eye leaking, I told myself let’s finish this eye up and see what the doctors do. I told you if his eye holds up, we are going to get some work in.”

Rosado also addressed the cut saying, “It’s kind of like my Achilles heel. It’s really tender so it just gets cut early. It is what it is. I am kind of… it’s disappointed. I am forced to fight this way, aggressive. Charlo boxed a good fight but it’s a little frustrating that I have to fight a different style. I have to fight aggressively [because of the judges]. It’s crazy because I didn’t get a round.”

three-rime U.S. Olympian, Rau’she Warren scored an easy 8 round unanimous decision over German Meraz in a Bantamweight bout.

Warren dominated the fight with his superior boxing skills. In the final round, he dropped Meraz with a straight left hand.

Warren, 118 1/2 lbs of Cincinnati, OH won by scores of 80-72 and 80-71 twice and is now 18-0. Meraz, 119 lbs of Sonora, MX is now 33-28-1.

Good looking lightweight prospect Robert Easter Jr. went the distance for the first time and scored a 8 round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Daniel Attah.

Eatser dominated the bout and scored knockdowns in round’s three and eight from right hands and he cruised home by scores of 80-70 on all cards.

Easter, 134 lbs of Toledo, OH is now 9-0. Attah, 134 1/2 lbs of Washington, DC is now 28-18-1-1.

LONDON (Jan. 24) – BoxNation kicks off its 2014 world title coverage this weekend with an intriguing clash for the IBF World Light-Welterweight title between champion Lamont Peterson and mandatory challenger Dierry Jean from the DC Armory in Washington, USA.

The 29 year old Peterson’s story will be familiar to British diehards due to the extensive coverage he received here for his hugely controversial victory over Amir Khan in December 2011.

Despite scoring an early knockdown, the Bolton lad conceded the tightest of split decisions in Peterson’s hometown of Washington DC, after having two points docked for ‘pushing’. Then, their keenly anticipated rematch had to be shelved when Peterson failed a pre-fight drugs test. The pair still has an unresolved score to settle.

Known as ‘Havoc’, Peterson and his younger brother Anthony – also a leading pro – survived a homeless childhood on the mean streets of DC, prior to finding sanctuary inside the prize ring.

A multiple US national amateur champion, he joined the pros in September 2004 and romped to victory in his first 27 gigs before colliding with formidable WBO king Tim Bradley in December 2009.

Though widely outscored, he delivered a sufficiently plucky showing to merit a second world title crack at Khan two years later.

Problems beyond the ropes confided the forceful, technically adept Peterson to just two airings over the subsequent 25 months. Whilst he retained his claim by grinding out an eight round stoppage over ex WBO king Kendall Holt last February, he was pulverised in three by Argentine bomber Lucas Matthysse in an over-the-weight non title affair in May and has been dormant since.

At just 7-5 against, 5ft 7in challenger Jean is a very live underdog. Born in Haiti 31 years ago, he is a product of the currently thriving Quebec boxing scene, having lived in Canada since the age of 10.

A late starter at 18, he posted a 54-8 amateur slate and has been victorious in all 25 contests since joining the pros in December 2006. Seventeen stoppage wins suggest there is plenty of pop in his gloves.

It’s a contest full of curiosity and who better to assess it for us than the aforementioned Khan, a former two-time 140lb world champion who spoke to boxing writer Glynn Evans from his training base in California on Monday evening.

Catch a terrific night’s boxing which also includes heavyweight David Price’s return to action plus the rematch between WBO cruiserweight king Marco Huck and Firat Arslan from Stuttgart, Germany, by tuning into BoxNation, the Channel of Champions from 6pm on Sky Ch.437/Virgin Ch.546.

“It’ll be very interesting to see what Peterson has still got left. He’s 29 and he’s coming off a bad knockout loss to Lucas Matthysse last year. Sometimes a bad defeat can make you a better fighter, if you can learn from it and make changes. It’s happened to me against Breidis Prescott and Danny Garcia but I proved it doesn’t necessarily mean the end.

I was surprised by how Matthysse managed to put Peterson away so early and so clinically because when I fought Lamont he absorbed a lot of big shots. But then our fight took a lot out of both of us. It was brutal. Later he tested positive (for synthetic testosterone in the build up to their aborted rematch) so you don’t know if he was on something that night.

When I fought Lamont he was challenging for a world title in front of his hometown crowd and he was really up for it mentally. Fighting at home gave him a huge advantage and he came with real hunger to win. The shots he took from me proved he has a real fighting heart. He had to dig deep.

He’s quite a good technical boxer but without wanting to disrespect him or sound big headed myself, I was a bit better than Lamont, boxing wise, the night we fought. When I got him onto his back foot, his shots usually fell short.

But Lamont applied a lot of good pressure. He closed the range and cut the ring down well. He’s got a firm stance, keeps his hands tight and moves pretty well. He’s not the biggest puncher but he chugs forward, grinding away, grinding away. In Barry Hunter, he had a very good trainer who continually inspired him to drive forward. But he’s only really got the one style and I know I took a lot out of him. He’s not been the same in either of his two fights since.

After his loss to Matthysse, I’m not sure that Peterson deserves to hold a belt and, personally, I think he falls a bit short of Danny Garcia (WBC/WBA king) and Ruslan Provodnikov (current WBO boss), the other champions at 140. Still, styles make fights.

Like most people, I’ve not seen or heard a lot about Jean. But he’s the mandatory challenger and has been highly ranked by several organisations for some time. I’m told he’s a very tough and durable orthodox boxer and he’s going into his world title chance unbeaten. He should certainly be confident and up for it. He’ll provide us with a good gauge of what Peterson has left.

It’s his big chance and my advice to Jean would be to jump on Peterson from the very start. Push him back and put him under pressure immediately. Lamont’s coming off a bad stoppage defeat so there’s sure to be doubts in his mind. After dropping Peterson heavily in the first round, I made the mistake of backing off and allowing him back into the fight. I let him get his confidence back. I regret that.

Coming off that kayo (defeat), I’d expect Peterson to be very careful at the start and to keep it tight until he’s fully warmed up. It’s a big opportunity for Jean to break through and make a name for himself. It’s definitely a fight worth watching.

But I expect Peterson to win this, probably by decision. He’s got far greater experience at top level and fighting in his hometown will prove a big advantage again.”

Lamont Peterson vs. Dierry Jean is live and exclusive on BoxNation (Sky Ch.437/Virgin Ch.546) this Sunday from 1.30am. To subscribe visit www.boxnation.com.

-Ends-

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (Jan. 23, 2014) — Just a couple of days away from the first night of the initial SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING event in 2014, below please find what for Peterson vs. Jean trainers, fighters and promoters had to say at the final press conference at Hamilton Live in Washington, D.C. on Thursday:

Lamont Peterson, IBF Junior Welterweight World Champion
“We’re going to give everyone a great show; make sure you come out and support. Once you’re inside you should be warm and kept plenty entertained by the fighters.

“It should be an entertaining fight, but at end of the day I’m going to come out victorious.

“I’ve seen Jean fight on film. He’s tough. He’s got good speed and power, basically everything that you look for in a fighter. It’s going to be a good challenge.

“I can show you how I come back from a knockout better than I can tell you; you’ll see Saturday night. You just have to forget it, it can happen to the best of us. Even basketball players shoot air ball free throws; sometimes that’s just what happens. I didn’t have a hard time dealing with it, just seemed like the media did.

“We train hard, we go into the fight and we are there to win, but of course there’s a chance you can lose. That’s what happened [with his fight against Lucas Matthysse], but you just have to pick yourself up and move on.

“I have always been someone who thinks you can only be distracted if you allow it. If you don’t allow distractions, then, they won’t happen. I could train every day in this room with all these people in it and I won’t have any distractions. But when you want distractions you’ll have them. I always like to say that I’m here, but I’m not here, my family knows I take this very seriously and they know not to bother me.

“I don’t feel like I have any pressure on me. I don’t feel like I have to prove anything. At the end of the day, I love boxing. That’s why I’m going to fight Saturday night. If I feel like I have to prove you wrong, I’ll stress myself out, so, I just don’t.

“If it was up to me, I would have fought three or four months after my last fight. Jean was the No. 1 contender and we had to negotiate and that stretched it out. Hopefully, next time it doesn’t take so long and I can get back in the ring as soon as possible.”

Dierry Jean, No. 1-Rated IBF Junior Welterweight Contender
“It’s a pleasure to share the ring with Lamont Peterson. He’s a good fighter.

“On Saturday, I’ll show everybody that I’m the best fighter pound-for-pound.”

Camille Estephan, Dierry Jean’s promoter
“I consider Dierry Jean the top pound-for-pound fighter in Canada, and there are some very good fighters in Canada.

“We are here, not as tourists, but for the show and for the belt, and we are going to get that belt.

“It is our turn to shine, it is Dierry Jean’s time to shine.

“People have said that Dierry has not fought the level of opposition that Lamont has, but he has fought very good opposition. Everyone needs a chance and this is ours.
We’re going to grab it, and run with it.”

Jermell Charlo, USBA Junior Middleweight Champion
“Saturday I’m coming here with the mentality of ‘lets get it,’ ‘got to get it,’ ‘lets go.’ I’m not playing games, I live like this and I was brought up for this.

“I started when I was eight-years-old and I’m extremely grateful I have a competitor as a twin brother. We struggled together, we worked hard together, we grew up together and now we’re at a stage in our lives and careers where we have to put up or shut up. We’ve got to stand strong for family.

“I have to win with a KO, it’s a must. The way I grind, I know I push myself to the limit. My standards are high right now, I want titles and I want to be recognized as one of the top 154-pounders.

“Saturday night, expect something crazy. If his face holds up, we’ll go 12 rounds. If not, we’re knocking him out early.”

Gabriel Rosado, Top Junior Middleweight Contender
“I’ve come up short and unfortunately the last fight was a title fight where I suffered a cut late in the fight. I felt that it was a premature stoppage, I felt like momentum was on my side. It was the game plan in the fight, to get Quillin late. He’s a strong fighter and you don’t want to make mistakes with him early. That’s why it’s a 12-round fight for a reason.

“I’m excited because this is a new year and I’m now going back down to super welterweight where I have unfinished business. Last time I fought at 154 was 2012, when I had a great year knocking out Soto Karass, knocking out Powell, and clinching the No. 1 spot in the IBF knocking out Whittaker.

“There’s no secret to my game plan, I’m going to go out and apply smart pressure. I’m not trying to let this go in the hands of the judges. I’m going for the knockout. I’ve already experienced that with J’Leon Love and Peter Quillin, so I want to put my destiny in my own hands. That doesn’t mean I’m going to be reckless, I’m a young veteran. I know how to set a guy up and that’s the plan.

“I think my experience will show against Charlo, I respect Charlo for taking this fight because it’s a really tough fight. I commend him for that. I think he believes in himself, but I believe in myself too. This is about experience and I’m only 28 and I’m reaching my prime. The fans haven’t seen the best of me yet.

“I just want to thank the fans, they spoke up for me. They booed when my last two fights went to decisions and they put their opinions on Twitter and Facebook and they backed me up. When you have that, the network sees that and responds to what the fans want. So I just personally want to thank the fans for supporting team Rosado.”

Bernard Hopkins, Future Hall of Famer and Golden Boy Promotions Partner
“I’m glad to be here in DC, where I have a personal history, but right now it’s about these guys up here. They’re trying to establish themselves as up and coming.

“We believe Gabe received the shot because of the effort that he put together in 2013 on the cuts with Quillin in New Jersey and the Love fight. We don’t know what the outcome would have been.

“I want to say to all of the fighters here today that even if you come up short, when you put that sincere effort forward to stand out amongst your peers, we are going to support you.

“Jermell is a former amateur star, making a name for himself in the junior middleweight division. He will be risking his undefeated record against Rosado this Saturday night. Charlo, I believe, is the next champion in boxing. I really believe he has what it takes to become a star in boxing.”

Chris DeBlasio, Vice President of Sports Communications, SHOWTIME Networks
“I’m proud to be up here and represent SHOWTIME and to be able to definitively say that our network is the No. 1 destination for sports programming in premium television. We have been able to do that over the last two years on the strength of shows like Inside the NFL and 60 MINUTES SPORTS, but boxing for nearly 30 years has been the flagship of sports programming on the network and it will remain as such.

“In the last two years we have risen our SHOWTIME boxing back to prominence by televising the biggest events featuring the brightest stars in the sport and in the most significant fights of their careers. Over the last two years we have been able to exponentially increase our ratings and our viewership has risen a remarkable 60 percent over those two years.

“We intend to continue that success in 2014 and that all begins at the DC Armory this Saturday night, with our first SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING event of the year. The fighters on this card, especially Lamont Peterson and Gabriel Rosado, they have faced the toughest challenges in their divisions over the past two years and they’re doing so again Saturday night.

# # #

Peterson vs. Jean, a 12-round fight for Peterson’s IBF Junior Welterweight World Championship, will take place Saturday, Jan. 25, at the DC Armory in Washington, D.C. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona and AT&T. The live SHOWTIME telecast begins at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) and will be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP). In the co-featured bout, Junior Middleweights Jermell Charlo and Gabriel Rosado square off in a 10-round fight for the WBC Continental Americas Super Welterweight Title. Preliminary bouts will air on SHOWTIME EXTREME® at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Tickets priced at $25, $50, $75, $150 and $250, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, are on sale and available online at www.ticketmaster.com and all Ticketmaster locations, or by calling (800) 745-3000.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Jan. 22, 2014) – It may be freezing in our Nation’s Capitol, but the four fighters competing in this Saturday night’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING doubleheader (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) braved the cold to sit down with SHOWTIME® cameras at the DCB Fit Boxing Gym to discuss their upcoming bouts.

In Saturday’s main event at DC ARMORY, local favorite Lamont Peterson (31-2-1, 16 KO’s) will defend his IBF Junior Welterweight World Championship against unbeaten No. 1-ranked Dierry Jean (25-0, 17 KO’s), of Montreal by way of Haiti. USBA Junior Middleweight Champion Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo (22-0, 11 KO’s), of Houston, riskshis 154-pound belt and unbeaten record against Two-Time World Title Challenger Gabriel “King” Rosado (21-7, 13 KO’s), of Philadelphia, in the co-feature.

Tickets priced at $27, $52, $77, $152 and $252, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, are on sale online at www.ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster locations, or calling (800) 745-3000. The DC Armory Box Office will be open Saturday only from 3:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. ET.

Below please find what the boxers said Wednesday:

LAMONT PETERSON, IBF Junior Welterweight World Champion
“I feel great. I feel like I had a good training camp and I am just ready to go Saturday night.
“This weather is typical winter. Sometimes it’s going to snow. Sometimes it’s going to be cold, but we get through it. We show up still so I don’t expect it to affect the crowd or take anything away from the fight.

“It was pretty cool to meet Dierry Jean for the first time today at the SHOWTIME shoot. We didn’t say anything to each other. No words. We did a face-off, but that was it. I came in when he was here [at the boxing gym], we did our faceoff and then he left. I wasn’t expecting to say anything to him and it’s going to be that way. He is small, but kind of the size I thought he would be. Size doesn’t mean anything.

“This was a better camp overall for me. My body is in better condition.”

DIERRY JEAN, No. 1-Rated IBF Junior Welterweight Contender
“We have over 100 people that have bought ringside tickets. We have made sure that all arrangements have been made for everyone.

“We are doing everything the way we should be as if we are home. We are not here as tourists. We are here to get the job done, to take that belt and go back home with it. But we love Washington, D.C. It is a nice city. People here are very hospitable.

“Look, I am here on a mission to bring that belt back. And having met Lamont, nothing changes.

“I am honored to fight the main event on SHOWTIME. When I started boxing, I was dreaming of this day. I have done all my work to come out victorious and in a very impressive fashion.”

JERMELL CHARLO, USBA Junior Middleweight Champion
“Fighting in D.C. is an awesome feeling because I feel like I am fighting in front of President Obama in our Nation’s Capitol. It’s a great experience and I am enjoying every little bit so far. I am happy to be welcomed to this city and the weather is not affecting me. I am here to put on a show and be victorious on Saturday.

“It’s exciting to be fighting on this SHOWTIME card, the first on of the year. Last year I was the first fight on SHOWTIME EXTREME and this year I am the first fight on SHOWTIME. It is a great feeling.

“I know Gabriel Rosado is a tough fighter. I just need to be ready to fight. Training camp was excellent. I am just ready for Saturday to get this over with and move on with the rest of my career.

“Doing these shoots, is part of making boxing a career. I’ve been here before.. At the end of the day we might be able to make even more of a professional career of being in front of the lights and on TV.”

GABRIEL ROSADO, Top Junior Middleweight Contender
“It was 90 degrees in Puerto Rico, but I am used to this weather. I left Philly a few weeks ago during a blizzard because it was interfering with my training. I couldn’t put my roadwork in so I went to Puerto Rico for the last couple weeks of camp.

“I think DC is a great town for boxing. A couple legendary fighters are from here. It’s not too far from Philly so I know I have a crowd coming to see me on Saturday night.

“It is great to be back on television. It is rejuvenating. This is a fresh start for the New Year and it is the first big fight on SHOWTIME. I’m excited to go back to super welterweight. I just think it’s going to be a great night for me.

“We were training in Puerto Rico and my trainer kept saying ‘Its Operation Chop down Charlo.’ Now everyone is tweeting that. We even made shirts and we’re running with it.

“I didn’t get a win technically in 2013, but I think I won fans. I think it is because they like that I come to fight. The fight against J’Leon Love was controversial and during the Peter Quillin fight I had great momentum. Unfortunately it got stopped prematurely. I think the fans are behind me and they’re rooting for me. I’m really eager to get into the ring on Saturday night.”

# # #

Peterson vs. Jean, a 12-round fight for Peterson’s IBF Junior Welterweight World Championship, will take place Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014 at the DC Armory in Washington, D.C. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and supported by Golden Boy Promotions’ sponsors Corona and AT&T. The live SHOWTIME telecast begins at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) and will be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP). In the co-featured bout, Jermell Charlo defends his USBA Junior Middleweight Championship in a 12-round fight against Gabriel Rosado. Preliminary bouts will air on SHOWTIME EXTREME® at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and www.sports.sho.com and follow on Twitter at @KingPete26 @DierryJean @KingGabRosado, @TwinCharlo and @SHOSports, follow the conversation using #PetersonDierry and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing.

LONDON (Jan. 22) – Lamont Peterson is adamant he has overcome his devastating knockout loss to Argentine bruiser Lucas Matthysse.

The IBF light-welterweight world champion steps back into the ring this weekend, live on BoxNation, when he goes up against the undefeated and big-hitting Dierry Jean at the DC Armory in Washington DC.

The bout will be Peterson’s first, following his crushing defeat last May when he was stopped inside three rounds by Matthysse – one which he insists he is over, despite the stunning nature of the defeat.

“Getting over the loss, that happened in one day,” said Peterson. “Who cares about the knockout? It’s part of boxing. That’s what happens. You pick yourself up and you move on. At this point, it’s in the past. Who cares? As a fighter, you have to block that out and you keep moving,” he said.

“As far as me moving on, I’m a fighter. At the end of the day, I had to focus on January 25th. I train hard, give it my all, and we go out there and we fight. It’s always going to be the same with me. Who cares about what happened in the last fight?,” Peterson declared.

Due to the fact Peterson faced Matthysse at the somewhat odd catchweight of 141 pounds, his IBF light-welterweight crown, which is up for grabs this weekend, was not on the line.

Some have called into question the fact Peterson has remained the IBF champion, though the Washington DC native appears unaffected and has called on his upcoming opponent, Jean, to back up his big talking in the ring.

“Who cares about what he thinks, what he says? At the end of the day I have to get in there and show him. So it’s not going to make me feel no type of way. He can say what he wants. It’s all his perception at this point. He has to go in there and show me,” Peterson said.

“At the end of the day the belts mean nothing. It means a lot to ya’ll, but it means nothing to me. I just love to fight. I go, I bust my ass in the gym, I go and I fight. I give it my all in the ring.

“Who cares about who’s number one, who’s number two, who’s pound for pound, who has this belt, who has that belt? I care less about that. So whether you look at me as a champion or not, it doesn’t make a difference,” he stated.

At 31, the opportunity to capture world title glory appears to have come just at the right time for the Haitian born Jean, who moved to Canada as a 10-year-old with his older brother.

Having blasted his way past 25 opponents, and scoring 17 knockouts, including an impressive stoppage in his last fight over Cleotis Pendarvis in the eliminator for a shot at Peterson’s IBF belt, Jean is sure his time has come.

“I see a better fighter [when compared with Peterson]. I’m more vicious. I can hit harder than him, and I want it more so I give everything to earn that title,” Jean said.

“This fight means everything for me. I’ve been working so hard to get there, and now I’m there. It’s to go conquer the belt. It’s a lot for me. I started at 18 years old, and now I’m 31. I think I deserve it now.

“I worked so hard from the bottom of my heart. So now it’s time to go get that belt. It’s my time now. Lamont did his time. Now it’s my time,” he declared.

Jean is also certain that he can capitalise on the vulnerability of Peterson given his last fight.

“It’s a great opportunity for me because I think in his mind he’s not 100% okay. So it’s going to be a great opportunity for me to strike him again, for me to catch him again, to remind him the nightmare he took last time,” said Jean.

In the co-featured bout, undefeated light-middleweight Jermell Charlo and the unyielding Gabriel Rosado square off in a highly anticipated 10-round fight for the WBC Continental Americas super welterweight title.

Lamont Peterson vs. Dierry Jean is live and exclusive on BoxNation (Sky Ch.437/Virgin Ch.546) this Sunday from 1.30am. To subscribe visit www.boxnation.com.

OTTAWA, Canada (January 13, 2014) – International Boxing Federation (IBF) No. 1-ranked mandatory challenger, undefeated Dierry “Dougy Style” Jean (25-0, 17 KOs), will become the first Haitian-born light welterweight champion of the world by upsetting defending champion Lamont “Havoc” Peterson (31-2-1, 16 KOs) on Saturday night, January 25, live on SHOWTIME Championship Boxing from The DC Armory in Washington D.C.

Fighting last May for only the second time outside of Canada, where he moved to from Haiti when he was 10, the slick Montreal boxer stopped then-IBF No.7 ranked Cleotis “Mookie” Pendarvis (17-3-2) in the fourth round of their IBF Title Eliminator, earning the 31-year-old Jean his first world title shot against Peterson.

“Training camp has been going well,” Jean reported. “My preparation is essentially the same as for any fight, only the strategy and game plan have changed. Winning the world title will be a dream come true. It would also mean a lot to my daughter, brother, coach Mike (Moffa) and my entire team since I would become their first world champ.

“This is a good time for Haitian fighters (including Adonis Stevenson and Jean Pascal). I really believe (his EOTTM stable-mate) Bermane Stiverne will become world champion this year as well. I would be really proud to bring the belt here to Quebec for my fans but also to make Haitians proud of me. It is really important for me to be representing them.”

When Jean steps into the ring to fight Peterson, he will be in the unusual position of not only fighting a world champion coming off a loss, but one who was dropped three times in the process before the action was finally halted in the third round. Peterson’s fight (May 18, 2013() against Lucas Matthysse (33-2), also on SHOWTIME Championship Boxing, was originally supposed to be contested for Peterson’s IBF belt, however, Matthysee refused to relinquish his World Boxing Council (WBC) Interim belt. A unification bout was disallowed and instead they fought a non-title fight.

“I think his (Peterson) state of mind was affected,” Jean noted. “He will be more fearful and less confident in himself. I think Peterson has been lucky in his career. He had controversial fights like the one against (Amir) Khan, where he was able to dethrone the defending champion by split decision. Peterson is a boxer with too much guts for the jaw he has!

“This will undoubtedly be an exciting fight for fans. I intend to dethrone Peterson and bring that title belt back home. I would have preferred to fight him in a neutral zone but, frankly, it doesn’t matter to me that we’re fighting in his hometown. The crowd will be against me but that will give me more rage and energy to perform. This is my second fight on a U.S. network having fought Pendarvis on ShoBox. It won’t be my last time, either. This gives me great visibility in the U.S. People will remember my name after this fight.”

Jean is ranked No. 8 in the world by The Ring Magazine.

“‘Dougy’ will be our (Eye Of The Tiger Management) first world champion,” Jean’s promoter Camille Estephan added. “Winning this title means a lot to all of us because it would reap the fruits of our hard work, dedication and commitment. These are the core values of Team EOTTM, from the athletes to our staff members and coaches. We take a lot of pride in what we do and believe the sky is the limited for us all.

“It is hard to predict which type of fight, style-wise, this will be although we have prepared ‘Dougy’ for all eventualities. There is nothing that Peterson can bring that we can’t handle. I am confident that the outcome of this fight will be in our favor. We have, in ‘Dougy’, an ultimately talented and prepared athlete.”

For further information about Jean or any of his EOTTM stable-mates visit www.eottm.com, or follow on Twitter @eotmvd and @DierryJean.

Kelly Swanson
This is a special delight because it’s the first conference call of the New Year, and we’re excited today to talk about the first Golden Boy Promotions show on SHOWTIME of the year, which will take place Saturday, January 25 at the DC Armory in Washington D.C., a big show with Lamont Peterson and Dierry Jean and also with Jermell Charlo and Gabriel Rosado. We have all four guys available today to talk to you, but we will first start with Jermell and Gabe. And in order to make the proper introductions and talk a little bit more about the show I’d like to introduce Richard Schaefer, Chief Executive Officer of Golden Boy Promotions. Richard?

Richard Schaefer
Thank you, Kelly, and welcome to all the media members to the first Golden Boy call of the year. Happy New Year to all of you and your families, much health and happiness, and I’m excited to work with all of you in 2014, another sensational year for the sport.

What we’ve done in 2013, particularly is two things, we put together evenly matched fights, fights where you don’t know who is going to win, and we put those into places, into venues and cities where they belong, and I think the results were outstanding. I think it was easily the best year in boxing for boxing in many years.

And one big thank you goes to the fighters. They have agreed to fight each other in competitive match ups, and that’s exactly where this card here on January 25 fits in. It’s at the right place in D.C., the Armory in Washington D.C. Washington fight fans are great fight fans. They will come out in large numbers. We already have sold a lot of tickets. So I do anticipate a sell out in Washington on Saturday, January the 25th.

Tickets are still available at $25, $50, $75, $150 and $250. So yes, you heard right, 25 bucks to see this amazing card, which again is SHOWTIME televised fights and the fights which will be televised on Showtime Extreme starting at 7 p.m. Eastern/Pacific. There will be some great undercard fights there like Anthony Peterson will be on there as well, Raynell Williams, Dominic Wade, Rau’Shee Warren, Robert Easter, Jamel Herring. So it’s going to be a great lineup of exciting fights and fighters.

A big thank you to Showtime for agreeing to televise this first card of the year. It’s going to be the first Showtime card as well, and I know it is the first of many, since I am actively discussing with Showtime some future exciting programming. So let’s kick it off here with a fight between two very, very exciting fighters, Jermell Charlo versus Gabriel Rosado.

Gabriel Rosado, “King” Gabriel Rosado with the record of 21-7-13 KOs. He’s certainly one of the entertainers in the sport, always comes to fight, a veteran of nearly eight years on the program, has wins over people like Jesus Soto Karass, Sechew Powell, Kassim Ouma, Charles Whitaker, has been in the ring with Golovkin and Angulo, J’Leon Love, and others, and in his last fight was an incredible effort against Peter Quillin.

I think it was a very close fight. Some people felt that he won the fight. It was certainly a very, very close fight, and it showed that Gabriel really wanted this and he belongs right there at the top, at the top of the Junior Middleweight Division. So on January the 25th he’ll return to the Junior Middleweight Division to 154 pounds, and he is on the road to show that he wants to get another world title opportunity in the near future.

I’m going to hand it over to Gabe now to make some comments, how his camp is going and please welcome “King” Gabriel Rosado.

Gabriel Rosado
Hey, thank you Richard. I’m having a great training camp. I just got to Puerto Rico on Monday for the second part of my training camp, and I’m training in Caguas right now, and I just have great sparring out here and the weather’s great so it’s helping me get down in weight.

I’m just excited for this opportunity at 154 to make a statement. I kind of have unfinished business in this weight class, giving up my number one ranking when I went up to fight Triple G. So I’m just excited to go back down at 154. I think I’m going to be bigger and stronger, and I’m just ready for it.

R. Schaefer
Thank you, Gabe. The man he is going to be facing is somebody who has over the last couple of years made a lot of noise in the pros. He has a very stellar amateur background clearly for an amateur start, 23 years young, 22-0 with 11 knockouts. He’s coming from the great fighting state of Texas, Houston, Texas.

He had an active 2013 where he won three times, defeating Harry Joe Yorgey, Demetrius Hopkins and Jose Angel Rodriguez. So on January the 25th he will put his undefeated record on the line in clearly the biggest and most dangerous fight of his career against Gabriel Rosado. He obviously hopes to make a statement here to the boxing world that he is going to be in line and ready for the world title shot as well.

Please welcome now Jermell “Ironman” Charlo.

Jermell Charlo
I appreciate that, Richard. I’m going to jump right into this. This is a great opportunity for me and Gabe. It’s a good fight. It was well matched, and I appreciate Golden Boy for putting this fight on. This is my time. It’s my season, and in order for me to do what I have to do and make noise or just period be the fighter that I need to be in boxing, I need to stand up and step out and this is what this fight’s going to do for me.

I’m ready at 154. This has been my weight. I’m going to own it. I’m claiming it now. So I appreciate Gabe for coming down from 160. Hopefully he makes weight on time and he makes weight good, that we get this ball rolling.

R. Schaefer
Thank you very much to Gabe and to Jermell. We’re going to open it up now to the media for questions.

Q
Hey, Gabe, how you doing? Since this is your fourth straight fight on premium television, what do you think makes you so attractive to be on TV so much?

G. Rosado
I think that boxing is a sport but it’s also entertainment, and at the end of the day it’s about being an entertainer and I think the type of fights that I bring to the table are entertaining to the fans. You see knockdowns. You see blood. You see controversy, of course in my last two fights.

I think the fans are just-they respond to the controversy and they voice their opinion. I think Gordon Blake acknowledges that and Showtime. When you’re putting it all on the table and you’re just fighting, I think that’s what people want to see. So I think that’s why I’m back on Showtime. I appreciate it, the opportunity that Showtime and Golden Boy’s given me to be back on Showtime again.

Q
And how much have you benefited from being on TV?

G. Rosado
A lot, man. The love and the support is great. People are knowing me everywhere I go and things like that. So a lot of times when I run into people a lot of people feel like I’m kind of like the modern day Gatti in a way. It’s exciting. I’m having a good time right now.

Even though in 2013 I officially didn’t have a win, it kind of was a good year for me in a way. I took the positive out of it. Even though I didn’t get to win a fight I took the positive out of it, and it’s 2014 so I feel like this is a fresh start for me as a new weight class. So I know what I got to do in this fight. It’s no secret. I have to knock Charlo out, and this is going to happen.

Q
Thank you. Hello, everybody. My first question for you is for Gabe. Gabe, because you’re coming back down to junior middleweight for this fight after the fights you’ve had recently in middleweight, looking back do you at all regret the fact that you did give up that mandatory position to go and fight Golovkin, which then you had those other fights that didn’t go your way in the middleweight division or are you happy you made the move and now you’re comfortable coming back down?

G. Rosado
It’s funny how things play out. I think everything happens for a reason. I really don’t regret going up and giving up my number one spot in the IBF. I think when I went to middleweight to fight Triple G I wasn’t naturally a middleweight. I think I was still a small guy, and then I kind of grew into the middleweight division once I fought Kid Chocolate and I felt real comfortable at middleweight. But I could still make junior middleweight. I’m a big guy, but I could still make junior middleweight.

So I don’t regret it, man. I think everything happens for a reason. Like I said, even though I didn’t get a win on my record for 2013, I won the fans over and the fans got my back and I’m getting a lot of support and they’re backing me up. So in a way it was a great year, and I just plan on 2014, I just plan to being a world champion in 2014.

Q
My other question for you, Gabe, is about the cuts that you’ve suffered, the fight with Quillin ended on a cut and the Golovkin fight ended because of a cut. I don’t know if they were the exact same place, but they seemed to me that they were in similar areas. Can you tell me; first of all, were they in the same basic spot where the two cuts occurred? And secondly, because they seemed to cut fairly easily are you at all concerned that even though you can hang with these guys, obviously, that’s going to be become a problem, that’s not going to let you get to those goals because your skin is just not going to hold up for you?

G. Rosado
It’s a different cut. It wasn’t the same cut from the Triple G fight. And in the Triple G fight I felt that those cuts were a lot worse than the Kid Chocolate fight. I felt that the cuts early in the Triple G fight made it difficult for me to fight, but I just felt that the stoppage with Kid Chocolate was a premature stoppage. I felt that I was the one coming on. I had some momentum. I was applying the pressure. I felt that I could’ve knocked Kid out in that round or in the next round.

So I just felt like it was something-cuts are a part of the game. It’s a part of boxing. Miguel Cotto, he’s been cut multiple times. Manny Pacquiao’s been cut multiple times. You got guys like Marquez. In the last card on Showtime, I believe it was the last card; all the guys got cut. Alexander got cut. Cotto got cut. You just go on and on. So it’s a part of boxing. I think a fight needs to be stopped when it’s affecting a fighter. When a fighter’s taking punishment from a cut, I think that’s when it should be stopped. So I felt that my stoppage was just premature. I’m not focusing on that, because when you focus on something like that it becomes a problem. I’m not thinking about it. I’m going into this fight with a lot of confidence. I went to a surgeon to get my eye checked, and he looked at it and he said it’s healing really great and everything should be great. So right now it’s not in my head.

Q
Okay, thank you for that, Gabe. I have two questions for Jermell. You mentioned in your opening comments this is obviously an important fight for you, your first time being on a main Showtime card, taking on an experienced veteran opponent who’s fought for world titles in the past. Do you feel like-you are undefeated, you are considered one of the prospects, rising contenders, however you want to phrase it, in the division, but do you view beating an opponent like Gabe Rosado, who has had experience, as the last hurdle you need to clear before you can get a potential world championship fight?

J. Charlo
Yes, absolutely. Defeating Gabriel Rosado will be, I want to say, the ladder that you finish climbing. I want to get to that point where you compare me to the greats and you compare me to the best in the weight division.

Right now with this fight in place this is, like I said earlier, my time and timing is everything. I want to say would’ve, could’ve, should’ve, that’s for the birds. Everything that could’ve happened before, I’m a different fighter. I’m thorough.

I’m going to come through this fight. I’m going to make it happen. We’ve got multiple game plans. We can handle adversity. We just haven’t been able to show much in these last recent fights because the fights is only been to where it’s been. So I’m here to get it on and do what I do best and that’s win.

Q
Regarding getting the cuts that Gabe suffered that ended two of his last three fights, is that something that you talk about in camp, that you may target that eye because it seemed a little soft in those two fights and it did cut open somewhat easily even though Gabe talked about how he felt it wasn’t that bad in the last fight?

J. Charlo
I’m hitting everything. I’m not focused on just hitting just the eye. We come to destroy. It’s not about hitting an eye and busting an eye open. We come to demolish.

Q
My first question is for you, Gabe. Could you talk a little bit more about the dropping of your weight, because you did say, I think, after the last weigh-in for the Quillin fight that you were done at 154? Could you talk about, and Jermell asked if you were going to make the weight comfortably-could you elaborate on why you feel comfortable coming back down in weight?

G. Rosado
Well, I talked about coming down to 154 thinking that I would beat Kid Chocolate, and which I felt like I was leading to that, but it’s all about opportunities and situations. Obviously I didn’t get the call for Kid Chocolate. So now I’m just in a situation where I was just waiting for an opportunity to come my way, and 154, I look at this as a great opportunity being so many names in the weight class, Angulo, Canelo, Lara, Trout. You name it. It’s a lot of talent in the division. So I just looked at it like an opportunity.

I don’t know what’s going on right now as far as the titles that Charlo’s holding on to because he has a WBC Americas and then he has the USBA, and the USBA didn’t approve me, which to me was a joke and then now we’re waiting on the WBC. My thing was I’m dropping to 154 thinking this is a championship fight. When I signed the contract I signed the contract for a 12-round fight.

So I don’t know what’s going on right now. The USBA didn’t approve of me because I’m not coming off a win, but the main event, no disrespect to Lamont Peterson, it was Lamont Peterson who lost that fight, and even though it was at a catchweight he still lost, but he gets to defend his world title and I don’t get a shot to get in the rankings. So I just don’t understand that.
NOTE: Charlo vs. Rosado is now a 10-round fight for the WBC Continental Americas Super Welterweight Title.

Q
Richard, can you elaborate on that, what this win could do for Gabriel given the fact that he’s been in so many high profile, exciting fights?

R. Schaefer
Well, I would certainly think that the winner of this fight has a strong case and a strong possibility to fight for one of the world titles. The fact is that we are promoting most of the world champions at 154 within Golden Boy. So I think the winner of this fight definitely has a shot at one of the world titles. That’s the idea.

So there is much, much at stake. Both fighters know that, and I think that is one of the reasons why Gabriel Rosado decided to move down to 154 as well. And as I said in my opening remarks, he is returning to the 154 pound obviously with the idea to take another world title opportunity. That’s the whole idea here. And that’s going to be up to me to secure that, and I feel confident that I can and I will.

The same is true for Charlo, for Jermell; that he knows that he has diligently worked towards that title opportunity. There is this one big hurdle ahead of him, in front of him. His name is Gabriel Rosado, but he knows that if he is able to beat Gabriel Rosado that he is in line for a world title shot. So there’s no question about that, and I think that’s one of the reasons why this makes this fight so intriguing.

Q
Jermell, when you hear Richard, it’s one thing to know that but to hear him say that right now, what does that mean to you, that this win right here could put you right there on the doorstep to be with those other guys that have been fighting for those titles?

J. Charlo
It’s a great thing, but I believe in one man and he works through R. Schaefer to put me in a fight that I need to be in. So as of right now, my focus in on January 25th, this win, and go from there.

Q
My last question for you, how does Gabriel stack up against the guys that you’ve faced? Obviously he’s been in some big fights, but he’s very resourceful and he was in all three of his last three fights. Is he the toughest guy you’ve faced? Is he possibly the most resourceful? Kind of characterize the challenge that’s in front of you.

J. Charlo
That’s a question I’ll have to answer after the fight. I don’t know if he’s the toughest guy I’ve faced. With his resume and his background he has put up something. He has put up and shut up a little bit. So right now I can’t just say, “He’s the toughest guy,” but I know comparing him to the other fighters that I’ve fought I know that this is a fight that I have to be on all Ps and Qs and be triple eight. So that’s it.

Q
This question is for Gabriel. Can you please explain the reason why you decided to do the second part of training in Puerto Rico? Have you done it before? Will you continue to do it in the future?

G. Rosado
I’ve done training camps in various places like Phoenix, New Mexico, Florida. The plan on going to Puerto Rico and training in Caguas is because in Philadelphia we got hit with a major snow storm, which was making it difficult for me to do road work and things like that. The temperature just dropped extremely low. It was like ten degrees. So I just needed to go somewhere where the climate was hotter and where I was able to focus a lot better.

So we came to Puerto Rico and everything’s great. Within the couple of days that I’ve been here I’ve already dropped six pounds. So the weight’s coming off quick, and there’s a lot of great talent in the gym. I’m getting great sparring. So it’s just kind of like just a boost. It’s playing out great, and I’m having a great camp out here.

Q
Now you spoke about staying at 154. What do you see in your immediate future after this fight?

G. Rosado
This is a fight that I’m looking at that I have to really be impressive, make a statement and go for the knockout. The old timers say, “Don’t ever go for the knockout,” and I understand that, but I think when you look at my last two fights I pretty much had no choice but to go for a knockout. This is not a fight where I can go there and be confident in boxing or doing things that I could do. I just got to be a killer. I got to be a beast. I got to go for the kill.

I’m not happy with my last two fights, as far as the outcome of them, so I’m kind of going to take it all out on Charlo on the 25th. I’m on a mission to knock him out. That’s my mission. That’s all that’s on my mind. There’s no game plan. There’s no nothing. It’s just go in there and knock him out. That’s my attitude. And from there, I plan on hopefully getting a fight with either Lara or Canelo. I would love to fight either of those guys.

Q
Okay. And, Jermell, how are you? Thank you for this opportunity. Gabe is mentioning that he wants to win by knockout. How do you respond to that?

J. Charlo
Just go and knock him out. He can’t knock me out. I’m going to do what I got to do in the ring, and that’s all I’m going to say. I’m not going to do all the little trash talking, like the little Twitter trash talking. I’m training right now. I’ve been training for about a week and a half and I’m ready to fight. I’ve been ready to fight.

Q
One question for both of you guys, since this will be the first fight of 2014 for you guys, how aggressive are you going to be this year to get the world title shot that you both deserve, that you feel that you deserve?

G. Rosado
I’m going to be extremely aggressive in this fight, and I’m going to be smart. It’s not going to be reckless pressure. It’s not going to be taking four shots and laying one type of pressure. It’s going to be smart pressure. Charlo says that he can face adversity, but you really can’t say that when you haven’t been there. It’s a whole different story when you’re in a fight and you’re cut and you have to fight through a cut and you’ve been down and you got to get up and fight through it. He hasn’t been through that. He really doesn’t know what he’s talking about, and by him saying that is-

J. Charlo
I’ve been through a whole fight with my eye completely shut. There’s no way you could say that.

G. Rosado
I’ll test Charlo, and we’ll see if Charlo’s really built for that. But he’s saying that he can go through adversity, but he really don’t know that. He’ll find that out himself on the 25th. He’s not sure of it. He’ll find out. Just like everybody else is going to find out, he’ll find out the 25th if he’s really built for that.

So he really is not sure of it. He can say he is, but you can’t say you could do something when you’ve really never been through it. So he has to experience it first before he can say he’s going to face adversity on the 25th.

Q
Charlo, for you a spin off of the same question, the talent level Gabriel fought his last three fights with were three undefeated fighters, world champion fighters. How aggressive are you going to be, since the talent that you-you’ve fought some good fights, but coming into this fight you haven’t fought the title fights that Gabriel has fought. So its 2014 and this fight in the ring on January 25th, how about that fight for you?

J. Charlo
I’m going to be aggressive of course. That’s the thing. You never go into a fight not being aggressive. You come to kill. That’s what every boxer should want to do, but I’m going to outsmart him. My skills are way better than his. So I’m going to beat him at whatever he’s trying to do. So if he’s trying to come in aggressive, I’m going to beat him at being aggressive. I’m going to take his game plan away from him, and that’s what’s going to make me victorious on the 25th.

Gabe talked about me not being tested, it’s just obvious. It’s obvious that he gets cuts and he bleeds and all of that. He don’t know what I went through and he don’t know the issues and the situations that other fighters went through when they was fighting. Everybody has problems. You don’t know until somebody goes out and lashes out and say it or complains about it. That’s when you actually say, “Oh, this was the issue.” You don’t what adversity they fought through.

So just to put that out there, I had surgery on my eyes in March and fought in June. Who says that I complained and said, “Oh, this was an issue.” No, bro, I fought through that, and that’s when I fought Demetrius Hopkins and that’s the same fight that you’re studying. So you’re studying the wrong game plan anyways.

R. Schaefer
All right, I’d like to thank both Gabe Rosado and Jermell Charlo for being available on this call. I know they’re in the middle of their training and training camps. I think one thing which came clearly across in this call is how excited and fired up these two guys are. It’s going to come down to desire and will to win. Both of them, I think, demonstrated very well on this call today what this fight means for them and to them. I can’t wait to watch this fight and good luck to both guys.

R. Schaefer
Thank you. Well, talking about will and desire and entertaining, I this next fight, the main event of that Showtime doubleheader, the Junior Welterweight World Championship between World Champion Lamont Peterson and Dierry Jean, I think, has a bit of all of that sprinkled in as well.

With Dierry Jean we have an undefeated fighter with 25-0, with 17 knockouts. He is an exciting fighter, a smart fighter, a very dangerous fighter and certainly is not one, as we often see of these mandatories, which somehow have become mandatories and people have to scratch their head, “How does this guy deserve to be a mandatory to a world title?” Dierry Jean is certainly one of the best junior welterweights out there, and just because maybe he’s not that well known here in the United States doesn’t mean he doesn’t belong there.

He’s a native of Haiti, who moved with his family to Montreal and Quebec in Canada as a child. He is obviously ranked the number one and is the mandatory for the world title. He’s probably representing his adopted home country of Canada. Winning a national amateur championship before turning pro back in 2006, he has been waiting for this world title shot. I know he will be ready, and I’d like to introduce to you now Dierry Jean.

Dierry Jean
Hello. How is everyone? My training camp is very good, so far so good. We’re in the best shape of my life. We’re going to go out there to do the job. Our mission is to go out there and win the belt.

R. Schaefer
Thank you, Dierry. Now Lamont Peterson is certainly a fighter who always comes to entertain, who always comes to fight, will to win, I think, is right there next to his name. He is an exciting fighter and has a lot of fans, has a big fan base in Washington D.C. as well. We saw that when he fought Amir Kahn back in December 2011, which was a great night of boxing in Washington D.C., and for him to be fighting in front of his home crowd I think is just added incentive.

We all know he got caught in his last fight when he fought Lucas Matthysse back in May 2013, but real champions, big champions, real fighters, they come back from this and they are ready, and I know that Peterson is ready. He has a great team with Barry Hunter and everyone behind him. I think he’s going to show the world what he is all about and that the May fight with Matthysse was what I just said, he got caught and that happens and that happens to the best. He is very charismatic and always fun to watch. So I can’t wait for this fight as well, for the Junior Welterweight World Championship, and it’s a pleasure for me now to introduce to you the World Champion, Lamont Peterson.

Lamont Peterson
Hey, how everybody doing? Pretty much don’t have to say much about my background or how I train. Everybody know I come to fight. I come in shape, and I’m just looking forward to January 25th.

Q
Thank you, hello, everybody, once again, my first question is for Dierry. It’s good to talk to you. My question for you is you got this title shot by scoring a pretty big knockout against Pendarvis in your eliminator, and now you’ve come into this fight against an opponent in Lamont who got knocked out in his last fight even though it wasn’t a world title fight. Do you feel like the best case of action for you is to sort of try to jump on him to make him remember the way it was when he fighting Matthysse in his last fight?

D. Jean
Yes, it’s a great opportunity for me because I think in his mind he’s not 100% okay. So it’s going to be a great opportunity for me to strike him again, for me to catch him again, to remind him the nightmare he took last time.

Q
And can you also talk a little bit about your boxing background? Richard mentioned in his introductory remarks you came from Haiti. I don’t know how old you were when you moved from Haiti to Canada, but what was it like for you growing up there and how did you get involved in boxing?

D. Jean
I came at like ten years old with my big brother. We grew up there. I started boxing at 18 years old, with an ex-boxer who brought me there, and then since that day I’m still boxing. I dreamed that I was a boxer, and then the next day he came to me and asked me if I want to box. I said, “Yes, for sure, I dreamed that I was a boxer so why not?” It’s a dream come true.

Q
What are your thoughts, very quickly, as far as this fight being that you’re going to travel to Lamont’s hometown where he enjoys good support, he’s been successful in the past and has fought a couple of his last two or three fights in Washington D.C.? You’re going to be the guy on the road in this one.

D. Jean
For sure. It’s okay. It doesn’t matter. For sure I would prefer to be in my crowd, but it’s going to be okay. I can deal with pressure, and he’s going to be the only one guy in the ring with me. I’m not going to be against the fans. So I’m very good to deal with pressure.

Q
All right, very good, thank you for your answers. I appreciate it. My question for you, Lamont, is we know what happened in the fight against Lucas Matthysse. I’m wondering, from your point of view, how difficult is it to overcome that loss?

Some guys, they come back off of a fight like that, they may go into a smaller fight, an eight-rounder, maybe not a TV fight. You’re jumping right back in against your number one challenger in the main event in front of the home crowd. How was it like for you to get over that knockout loss and to be right back into a somewhat significant fight in the next match?

L. Peterson
Getting over the loss, that happened in one day. Who cares about the knockout? It’s part of boxing. That’s what happens. You pick yourself up and you move on. At this point, it’s in the past. Who cares? As a fighter, you have to block that out and you keep moving. As far as me moving on, I’m a fighter. At the end of the day, I had to focus on January 25th. I train hard, give it my all, and we go out there and we fight. It’s always going to be the same with me. Who cares about what happened in last fight?

Q
So does that mean, Lamont, that even though you got beat in the last fight, but you still have the title because-

L. Peterson
Who cares?

Q
No, no, I understand that. I understand that, but you were at the catch weight. Do you still feel like a champion even though the last fight was a defeat?

L. Peterson
At the end of the day the belts mean nothing. It means a lot to ya’ll, but it means nothing to me. I just love to fight. I go, I bust my ass in the gym, I go and I fight. I give it my all in the ring. Who cares about who’s number one, who’s number two, who’s pound for pound, who has this belt, who has that belt? I care less about that. So whether you look at me as a champion or not, it doesn’t make a difference. The only thing it was is we fought at a catch weight, and me having a belt allows me to have this opportunity to fight Dierry Jean. That’s it. That’s all that belt means.

Q
I understand that. The one other question that would be, you said who cares about a loss and I can certainly appreciate that mentality of just moving on to the next thing, but I’m sure you realize that when you lose it has a tremendous and dramatic impact on the money that you can earn. Isn’t that right? Do you ever think about that?

L. Peterson
Yeah, of course of know that. It’s not my first loss so I know that. It has happened before, but at the end of the day, as a fighter, my mentality has to be who cares? Who’s going to sit around thinking about their last fight, if it didn’t go the way they wanted it to go?

Q
All right, fair enough.

L. Peterson
The best thing to do is to pick you up, forget about it, move on. I know I can still fight. I’m still a good fighter. I have to forget about it.

Q
Happy New Year. A question first to Mr. Jean, what do you see in Lamont Peterson that you feel that you can, without giving your game plan, but what do you see that says you will win this fight and win the title on the 25th?

D. Jean
I see a better fighter. I’m more vicious. I can hit harder than him, and I want it more so I own everything to earn that title.

Q
Okay, good enough. And for Lamont, my question also, fighting in your hometown again and one of the things that I’ve noticed in the fights you’ve had here, I should say, you have gotten off to a little bit of a slow start against Khan, against Holt especially, how important is it for you to get off to a real fast start on the 25th?

L. Peterson
Whether I start off slow or fast it doesn’t make a difference. At the end of the day, my job is to win the fight and that’s what I’m focusing on. If I want to start off slow, then let me start off slow. If I want to start off fast, then I’ll start off fast, but at the end of the day it’s all about a 12-round fight and winning that contest. So that’s what I’m focused on.

Q
Okay, good enough. And a quick question for Mr. Schaefer if he’s there, when we will know the match ups from the under cards, speaking particularly about the fighters from the Washington D.C. area, Dominic Wade and D’Mitrius Ballard? When will we know the match ups for those particular bouts?

R. Schaefer
Well, with for Anthony Peterson, Lamont’s brother, we are working on finalizing that. Dominic Wade, I believe is fighting Deshawn Johnson, and D’Mitrius Ballard, my match makers are working on finalizing that. So hopefully within the next week we have all of that lined up.

Q
Hey, guys, how you doing? Hey, Lamont, I just have one question for you. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anybody open up a conference call by talking about you the way he did, and I know you’re usually a very even-tempered guy. When you hear somebody talk about you like that and you’re the champion, what does it do? Does it arouse your competitive juices, and I know you’re going to be fighting in front of your hometown crowd, which is always very supportive and you seem energized by that?

L. Peterson
Who cares about what he thinks, what he says? At the end of the day I have to get in there and show him. So it’s not going to make me feel no type of way. He can say what he want. It’s all his perception at this point. he have to go in there and show me.

Q
One other question, how does he stack up against the guys that you fought? Has he fought anybody on your level or any other guys that you fought on their level?

L. Peterson
I’m not sure, but we’re going to find out January 25th.

Q
Hey, Lamont. Hey, Dierry. Hey, how you doing? Hey, my question’s for you, Lamont. I’ve seen you train and everything. Coming off the Matthysse fight are you going into this fight a little harder, training a little harder than you have with any other fight because of coming off of a loss?

L. Peterson
Not really. I always train hard. I always give my best. So how could I train harder when I give it my all every time? So at this point, you go back, regardless of win or lose, you go back and you work on things you feel like you need to work on. You move on. You go the next fight. So that’s exactly what we did.

Q
Maybe I’m not talking about the training aspect, but mentally did you know, do you know, “I must win this fight, because if I lose it’s an opportunity?”

L. Peterson
Well, before I went in there and fought Matthysse I felt that way. So I’m definitely going to feel that way now. It’s not going to be anything else, but I train hard every training camp. I’m not just talking about physical training. I’m talking about mentally. I always do what I’m supposed to do, no hanging out, no family. I stick to a strict diet and a strict lifestyle, and that’s every fight.

Q
Dierry, coming into this fight knowing that you’re fighting a tough fighter that Lamont Peterson is, with his background, the fighters that he’s been fighting against, how are you coming into this fight? What’s your mental state, as far as not conditioning but mental state to make it through this fight and in order to win this fight?

D. Jean
This fight means everything for me. I’ve been working so hard to get there, and now I’m there. It’s to go conquer the belt. It’s a lot for me. For so long, I start at 18 years old, and now I’m 31. I think I deserve it now. I work so hard from the bottom of my heart. So now it’s time to go get that belt. It’s my time now. Lamont did his time. Now it’s now my time.

Q
Dierry, Lamont Peterson has faced a lot of experienced fighters like Tim Bradley, Victor Ortiz. What do you have in your box to prove that you are of world champion caliber?

D. Jean
I got good sparring partners like them who can throw punches, who can take punches. I’ve got Steven Butler. I’ve got all good sparring partners, so welterweight and super welterweight, and by background too you can see the last fight and very exciting. So that means I can hit, and when you can hit it’s very dangerous for another fighter who just came from a big knockout. So I think the win is going to be on my side.

Q
Do you think you faced the most adversity in your career at this time and now it’s like more easy work for you?

D. Jean
No, for sure it’s going to the most adversity of my career, because Lamont Peterson is actual champion. He did his work. He did his job. So he’s there. I got to give him respect. So now, just like I said, it’s my time. So I’m going to go out there and go grab that belt.

R. Schaefer
Thank you to Dierry Jean and to Lamont Peterson. A much anticipated world championship fight. It’s going to be a great night in Washington D.C. I know the fans are going to come out and support their fighters and the card and boxing. These are evenly matched fights, and again, thank you so much to Showtime for showcasing this fight.

I do want to make one last comment, and it is that Lamont Peterson will hold an open media workout in Washington D.C. next Monday on January 13. A media alert with details was sent out earlier today.Thank you so much, and I see you all in Washington D.C. on January the 25th.

END OF CALL

Peterson vs. Jean, a 12-round fight for Peterson’s IBF Junior Welterweight World Championship, will take place Saturday, Jan. 25, at the DC Armory in Washington, D.C. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona and AT&T. The live SHOWTIME telecast begins at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) and will be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP). In the co-featured bout, Junior Middleweights Jermell Charlo and Gabriel Rosado square off in a 10-round fight for the WBC Continental Americas Super Welterweight Title. Preliminary bouts will air on SHOWTIME EXTREME® at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Tickets priced at $25, $50, $75, $150 and $250, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, are on sale and available online at www.ticketmaster.com and all Ticketmaster locations, or by calling (800) 745-3000.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Dec. 16, 2013) – World-class championship boxing returns to the nation’s capital on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014, when hometown hero IBF Junior Welterweight World Champion Lamont “Havoc” Peterson defends his 140-pound crown against Montreal’s unbeaten Dierry Jean as part of a live SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast)- event at the DC Armory in Washington, D.C. In the co-main event, Middleweight Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo risks his undefeated record against Two-Time World Title Challenger Gabriel “King” Rosado.

Tickets priced at $25, $50, $75, $150 and $250, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, go on sale Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 10 a.m. ET and available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster locations, or calling (800) 745-3000. The DC Armory Box Office will be open on fight night only from 3:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. ET.

“This is the perfect way for me to kick off 2014, with a great fight against a tough opponent in my hometown,” said Peterson. “Fights like these bring out the best in me and I’m going to give my fans a performance to remember on Jan. 25.”

“Peterson has been in the ring with many good fighters, but he hasn’t been in the ring with me,” said Jean. “I’ve worked hard for this for a long time. I have already started training camp and I’m in great shape. I just want to bring that belt home to Quebec, where it belongs.”

“I’ve waited for a big fight like this against a top-level opponent and now I’ve got it,” said Charlo. “Rosado is a rugged, tough fighter and with a win over him, I’ll be making a statement to the boxing world that I’m ready for even bigger and better things.”

“I wanted another world title shot after my fight with Peter Quillin, but with that rematch not happening right now, I want to stay busy and keep sharp until my time comes,” said Rosado. “Charlo’s got talent, but he’s not ready to face someone with as much experience as I have. I am ready to go after my recent fight with Quillin.”

“2013 was a great year for boxing on SHOWTIME, and this doubleheader shows that we’re ready to deliver even more exciting fights in 2014,” said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “Lamont Peterson is a fan favorite in Washington, D.C., and I give him credit for risking his belt against a tough, unbeaten fighter in Dierry Jean. As for the co-main event, Gabriel Rosado always comes to fight and he’s going to put Jermell Charlo to the test on Jan. 25.”

“Coming off a record-breaking 2013, we are taking significant momentum into the new year,” said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports. “Boxing’s passionate fan base has called for the world’s top fighters to take on the biggest challenges. Lamont Peterson returns to the ring and immediately takes a difficult main event match up against a hungry power puncher in Dierry Jean. And Jermell Charlo is a rising star taking a sizable step up against the battle-tested Gabriel Rosado. January 25 will be a night you don’t want to miss.”

IBF Junior Welterweight World Champion Lamont “Havoc” Peterson (31-2-1, 16 KO’s) will begin 2014 determined to defeat Dierry Jean and then continue on to battle his peers at the top of the 140-pound weight class. With his two most recent victories coming over Amir Khan and Kendall Holt, the 29-year-old has proven that he is one of the elite in the sport today, and in his first fight since a May 2013 loss to Lucas Matthysse, Peterson is hungry for a return to the win column and respectability.

A native of Haiti who moved with his family to Montreal, Quebec, Canada as a child, Dierry Jean (25-0, 17 KO’s) has proudly represented his adopted home country, winning a national amateur championship before turning pro in 2006. Since then, his professional record has been perfect, and after winning the NABF title in 2012 with a win over Lanardo Tyner in May 2013, Jean defeated Cleotis Pendarvis in the IBF title eliminator to become Peterson’s mandatory challenger.

At just 23-years old, former amateur star Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo (22-0, 11 KO’s) has made plenty of waves in the junior middleweight division over the last few years, dazzling with his mix of speed and power as he mowed down opponent after opponent. In 2013, he triumphed three times, defeating Harry Joe Yorgey (KO 8), Demetrius Hopkins (W 12), and Jose Angel Rodriguez (TKO 10).

A Philadelphia fighter in the truest sense, “King” Gabriel Rosado (21-7, 13 KO’s) is always willing to dig deep and battle it out in the trenches in search of victory. A veteran of nearly eight years in the pro game, the 27-year-old Rosado impressed with his gutsy efforts in recent middleweight title fights against Gennady Golovkin and Peter Quillin. On Jan. 25, he returns to 154 pounds, eager to prove that he’s worthy of another world title opportunity.

Peterson vs. Jean, a 12-round fight for Peterson’s IBF Junior Welterweight World Championship, will take place Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014 at the DC Armory in Washington, D.C. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and supported by Golden Boy Promotions’ sponsors Corona and AT&T. The live SHOWTIME telecast begins at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) and will be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP). In the co-featured bout, Jermell Charlo defends his USBA Junior Middleweight Championship in a 12-round fight against Gabriel Rosado. Preliminary bouts will air on SHOWTIME EXTREME® at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and www.sports.sho.com and follow on Twitter at @KingPete26 @DierryJean @KingGabRosado, @TwinCharlo and @SHOSports, follow the conversation using #PetersonDierry and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing.