Arlington, Texas (September 15, 2016)–Below are quotes from middleweight contender, Willie Monroe, Jr. from Thursday’s press conference in advance of his bout with Gabriel Rosado.

Monroe will face Gabriel Rosado in a 12-round bout for the WBO Inter-Continental title, which will serve as the co-feature bout to the Canelo Alvarez – Liam Smith WBO Junior Middleweight title bout on September 17th from AT&T Stadium and televised live on HBO Pay-Per-View.

WILLIE “EL MONGOOSE” MONROE, JR. Former World Title Challenger:

“I come from nothing, and I want to thank my team and my brother for everything.

“We worked hard for these opportunities; we have gone from fighting out of the garage and living off of food stamps,and now we are on the big stage. This is one of the biggest stage’s, and I want to thank you all for your support today.”

“KING” GABE ROSADO, Former World Title Challenger:

“I want to thank god for this opportunity, without him nothing would be possible, and I want to thank Golden Boy Promotions. I wasn’t spoon fed coming up, but this is a new and approved Gabriel Rosado.

“Vargas and I work well together. He lit up the fighter in me. I know this is a fight, but this is also entertainment. I’m going to bring a knock out on the 17th.”

Photos by Tom Hogan Photos / Golden Boy Promotions

LOS ANGELES (Sept. 9, 2016) – Golden Boy Promotions rolled out the red carpet in celebration of a year’s worth of action-packed fights in partnership with Estrella TV for the September 9 edition of LA FIGHT CLUB in downtown Los Angeles. Celebrities and fight fans piled into a sold-out Belasco Theatre to witness a night of stellar performances that only Golden Boy Promotions could put together. Celebrities in attendance included Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions Oscar De La Hoya, International Music Producer and Celeb Judge on Estrella TV’s “Tengo Talento Mucho Talento” Pepe Garza, stars from Estrella TV’s Smash Hit “Rica Famosa Latina”including Victoria del Rosal, Luzelba Mansour, Niurka Marcos, Sissy Fleitas, Sandra Vidal, Mayeli Rivera, and Andrea Garcia, Fenomeno Studios Celebrity Vlogger Elisa Beristain, and Golden Boy Promotions professional fighters: “King” Gabriel Rosado, Jesus “Renuente” Soto Karass , NABO Lightweight Champion Michael “The Artist” Perez, NABA Featherweight Champion Abraham “Chamaco” Lopez, Undefeated NABA Super Featherweight Champion Carlos “The Solution” Morales, Nick “La Calavera” Arce, Jonathan “Thunder” Navarro, Joshua “The Professor” Franco, Hector “Finito” Tanajara Jr, Genaro “El Conde” Gamez, Niko “Baby Face” Valdes, David Mijares, and Rafael “El Alikin” Gramajo.

In the main event of the night, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico native Antonio “La Joya” Gutierrez (20-2-1, 9 KOs) faced the tough Jorge “Destroyer” Melendez (28-6-1, 26 KOs) of Manati, Puerto Rico in a 10-round middleweight event. The classic Mexico vs. Puerto Rico battle kept all the fight fans at the edge of their seat as both fighters aggressively pressured each other in 10 intense rounds. In the first round Gutierrez, was shaken holding on to the ropes, while Melendez was visibly shaken in rounds seven and eight. After 10-rounds of intense continual action the judges ruled in favor of Gutierrez with scores of 97-92, 97-92, and 96-93, winning the bout via unanimous decision.

“These Mexico versus Puerto Rico fights are always a war,” said Gutierrez. “I came in knowing we were going to go the distance. He was a tough opponent, and he made me fight for this win. I came out with more Mexican pride in my heart, and I am glad that I was able to provide a good show for the fans.”

In the co-main event, Buena Park, California’s Christian “Chimpa” Gonzalez (15-0, 13 KOs) clashed against Phoenix, Arizona’s Jonathan “Johnny” Corrales (8-3-2, 3 KOs) in a scheduled eight-round lightweight bout. Corrales hit the mat after “Chimpa” launched a left hand uppercut and left hand hook in the first round; however Corrales got back up, and withstood the rest of the round. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough for the knock out artist, as Gonzalez stopped Corrales at the 1:57 mark in the second round, maintaining his undefeated status.

“It feels really special to fight at LA FIGHT CLUB,” said Gonzalez. “I was on the first edition when they first opened LA FIGHT CLUB, and I love fighting here. With every fight, the game plan is to go for the knock out, and I was glad I was able to get it with this fight.”

Opening up the televised portion of the night, Parral Mexico’s Oscar Duarte (7-0-1, 3 KOs) performed in a four round lightweight bout against Tamaulipas, Mexico’s Rafael Reyes (6-9, 5 KOs). Duarte landed some tough punches, causing Reyes to hit the mat in the second round after a frenzy of blows. Reyes, demonstrating his endurance and retaliated with combinations at Duarte. The fight went the distance, and with a score of 38-37, the judges all unanimously agreed that Duarte was the victor.

“He was a tough fighter, and I’ve learned a lot,” said Duarte. “I knew he was going to get back up after he hit the mat, and I was ready to finish all four rounds. I am excited to hit the gym and train hard to keep up my undefeated record.”

Tenochtitlan Nava (3-0, 1 KO) dazzled the crowd in a super featherweight match that only lasted three of the four scheduled rounds against Juan Byrand of Laredo, Texas(1-5-1). “T-Dog” was in clear control, as he led Byrand to the ropes various times throughout the bout releasing a storm of heavy hitting punches. It was at the 1:47 mark on the clock in the third round where the judges called the fight, giving Nava his first career technical knockout.

“I got my first knock out of my career tonight, which makes me feel great about how we have been training,” said Nava. “I don’t think the win is going to hit me, and I am so glad my fans came out to support me. They aren’t just my fans, they are lovers of boxing.”

Lamont Roach, Jr. (12-0, 4 KOs), of Washington D.C. represented the East Coast in a scheduled eight-round super featherweight fight against Mexico City’s Mario Macias (26-19, 14 KOs). Roach, Jr. landed some powerful punches, destabilizing Macias and causing the referee to start the count. In the second round. Roach, Jr’s one-two combinations hurt the fighter, with body punches that slowly broke down the fighter, causing him to drop to the mat. Macias valiantly rose back up, only to fall again at the beginning of the third round, leading for the referee to call the fight at the seven second mark.

“I spar with world champions, former world champions, and anything else in-between,” said Roach, Jr. “I knew Macias was tough since he had fought for world titles before in his career, making me enter the ring even more cautious and even more determined. I knew my punches were breaking him down at the beginning, and it was going to be a matter of time before I knocked him out.”

Edgar Valerio (8-0, 4 KOs) opened the nights action as he fought against Emmanuel Castro (2-3, 2 KOs) of Los Mochis, Valerio set the tone of the night, entering in calm and relaxed. It was in the second round that Castro turned up the heat, launching a series of hits to Valerio’s face resulting in a cut over his eye. The two fighters went the distance and engaged in a series of exchanges that had fans cheering them on. By the end of the fight it was clear that Valerio was the victor, and he was granted a unanimous decision victory by the judges.

“I’m glad we go the win tonight,” said Valerio. “However, I am disappointed in myself for not making it through all six rounds straight. I wanted to give the fans tonight a show worth watching, and this was a learning experience for me. My opponent sure could take a punch, and I can’t wait to hit the gym to improve for my next performance.”

LA FIGHT CLUB: Gutierrez vs. Melendez was presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by “Tecate, BORN BOLD,” Casa Mexico Tequila and Carmelita Coconut Water. Doors opened at 5:00 p.m. and the first bout began at 5:30 p.m. The Estrella TV Boxeo Estelar broadcast aired live on Friday, September 2 at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT and streamed live simultaneously on estrellaTV.com and on YouTube via LBI Media, Inc.’s multiplatform digital network Fenomeno Studios: youtube.com/FenomenoStudios. The Ring TV live stream began at approximately 5:30 p.m. PT through 7:00 p.m.

For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.belascous.com, www.estrellatv.com, follow on twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @EstrellaTV and become a fanon Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/TheBelascoLA, www.facebook.com/EstrellaTVNetwork, visit us on Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @belascola and @EstrellaTV, follow the conversation using #LAFIGHTCLUB and #BoxeoEstelar.

LOS ANGELES (August 18, 2016) – As fans from around the world get ready to descend on the home of the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas for the world championship showdown between former two-division world champion and Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs) and current WBO Junior Middleweight World Champion, Liam “Beefy” Smith (23-0-1,13 KOs), Golden Boy Promotions today announced the Saturday, September 17 event will also feature three non-stop action fights as part of the HBO Pay-Per-View telecast beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Hailed as one of the most entertaining fighters in boxing, former world title challenger and blood-and-guts contender, “King” Gabriel Rosado (23-9, 13 KOs, 1 NC) of Philadelphia, will attempt to re-establish himself as one of the top fighters in the middleweight division when he faces former world title challenger Willie “El Mongoose” Monroe, Jr. (20-2, 6 KOs) of Rochester, N.Y. in a 12-round, middleweight bout as the co-main event to Canelo vs. Smith. The sure-fire action fight features two of boxing’s most resilient fighters who have taken on the top fighters in the division on their rise to stardom, garnering praise and respect from boxing fans. With a final run up the middleweight ladder at stake for the winner, this 50/50 fight will feature non-stop action and two warriors desperate for a win.

Also on the televised card, 2012 U.S. Olympian Joseph “Jojo” Diaz, Jr. (21-0, 12 KOs) of So. El Monte, Calif. will make his Pay-Per-View (PPV) debut, defending his NABF Featherweight title for the second time in a 10-round fight against one of the hardest punchers and most experienced fighters in the division, Andrew “El Chango” Cancio (17-3-2, 13 KOs) of Blythe, Calif.

Opening up the pay-per-view telecast, Diego De La Hoya (15-0, 9 KOs) of Mexicali, Mexico, will face off against Luis “Orlandito” Orlando Del Valle (22-2, 16 KOs) of Bayamon, Puerto Rico in a 10-round fight.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to perform at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys,” said Gabriel Rosado. “Fernando Vargas, my trainer and I are on a winning streak and getting better as we continue to work together. We have all the confidence we’ll be victorious on September 17. Training camp is going great; despite the change in opponent, we still continue to maintain our focus. Willie Monroe, Jr. is a southpaw as well so the game plan doesn’t change much. He’s in my way of me gaining a world title so I’m working harder than ever before to get that chance again. This is going to be a great fight for all the fans, I know I am coming in with everything I got and I know Willie Monroe, Jr. will do the same. I would like to thank Golden Boy Promotions, AT&T Stadium, and HBO for having me part of such a big event, I promise all boxing fans, this is the fight to watch on September 17.”

“I am happy to be back in championship contention,” Willie Monroe, Jr. “Gabriel Rosado is a warrior and this should make a for a great fight. I am looking forward to this opportunity. It is a big venue, but I don’t care if I am fighting in front of 200 people or 2 million people. I am always focused and I plan to put on a great performance on September 17.”

“I am very Happy that Willie is getting this opportunity,” said Arthur R. Pelullo, President and CEO of Banner Promotions. “Willie has displayed that he is one of the top middleweights in the world, and he will show that on that September 17th against a quality fighter in Gabe Rosado which should be an all-action, fan-friendly fight.”

“This undercard features everything a fight fan could want — a crossroads fight between two veterans battling for a last shot at stardom, a former Olympian on the cusp of a world title and a top prospect making his debut on the biggest scene in boxing,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “With the biggest star in the sport in Canelo headlining the night and this stacked undercard providing support, fans are in a for a top-to-bottom treat on September 17.”

“Fighting on HBO pay-per-view is a dream come true,” said Joseph Diaz, Jr. “As a young fighter you always dream about being on the big stage doing what you love and I am very excited to be part of such a big event. I am very motivated and ready to take this step and perform for all the fight fans in the arena and all the fights tuning in. Andrew is a tremendous fighter, strong, aggressive; I know he bring out the best in me. I know he is going to try to take everything away from me, but I am not afraid. I am going out on September 17 in the best shape of my life, I have everything ahead of me and I am ready to defend my title and give the fight fans a fight they want to see.”

“Every fighter dreams to one day get to this level of their career and be featured on pay-per-view,” said Diego De La Hoya. “With this fight and this stage I am ready to announce that I have arrived to the elite of this division. Winning this fight will take me to the next level of my career, I am ready for it. I have what it takes to win and I am looking forward to impressing all the fans on September 17.”

“Being patient paid off,” said Luis Orlando Del Valle. “This is a great opportunity, on one of boxing’s biggest stages. Now is the time to deliver, to come out with the win at all cost for my family and for Puerto Rico. Rest assured, I will not waste this magnificent occasion. I will rise.”

Canelo vs. Smith, a 12-round fight for the WBO Junior Middleweight World Championship, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Frank Warren and Canelo Promotions. Gabriel Rosado vs. Willie Monroe, Jr. is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Banner Promotions and Diego De La Hoya vs. Luis Orlando Del Valle is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Roc Nation Sports. The event is sponsored by “Tecate, BORN BOLD,” O’Reilly’s Auto Parts, Adriana’s Insurance and Casa Mexico Tequila and will take place on Saturday, September 17 at AT&T Stadium, doors open at 2:30 p.m. CT. and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Tickets are priced at $750, $500, $300, $200, $100, $85, $50 and $40, not including applicable service charges with a total ticket limit of 8 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com. Additionally, walk up purchases are available at the AT&T Stadium Box Office (Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. CT to 5:00 p.m. CT).

Since making his film debut in last year’s Creed,the latest installment of the internationally recognized Rocky franchise, “King” Gabe Rosado is fresh off of an exciting victory over Joshua “Grand Master” Clottey this past December 2015 and an exciting decision victory over Antonio “Tony” Gutierrez on the undercard of Fight of the Year contender Vargas vs. Salido on June 4. Rosado has established himself as one of the most entertaining fighters to watch in the sport taking on some of the toughest and elite fighters in the middleweight division. The epitome of Philadelphia toughness, Rosado has been battling the best for over a decade, including Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, David Lemieux, Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin, Jesus Soto “Renuente” Karass, Alfredo “Perro” Angulo, Kassim “The Dream” Ouma and Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo. But this September, Rosado, expects to leave Texas with a victory under his belt when he takes on Willie Monroe, Jr.

Willie began boxing at the age of six and comes from an acclaimed boxing family, which includes his father, Willie “The Body Rock” Monroe, who fought for the USBA and NABF titles at middleweight and super middleweight; his great uncle Willie “The Worm” Monroe (39-10-1) who was considered one of the best Middleweights of the 1970’s and holds a win over the great Marvin Hagler; his cousin Marcus Hall (6-6-1), and his late grandfather, Lee Monroe, a distinguished amateur in his fighting days. Willie had a distinguished amateur career, as well, which saw him go 128-14. He was a three-time national champion and won countless regional and state championships. He was a 2-time Empire State Games champion and 4-time State Golden Gloves champion. He lost in the quarterfinals of the 2008 Olympic trials to former IBF Welterweight champion Shawn Porter. Willie’s big breakthrough was winning the 2014 Boxcino Middleweight tournament on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights. Willie then took a ten-round unanimous decision win over perennial contender Bryan Vera on January 16, 2015 from Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York. With this impressive run of victories, Willie earned an opportunity to fight for the WBA Middleweight title of the world. On May 16, 2015, Willie took on WBA/Interim WBC Middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin in a bout that headlined HBO Championship Boxing at The Forum in Inglewood, California. In his last bout on June 11, 2016, Willie scored two knockdowns and went on to win an impressive ten-round unanimous decision over 2015 Boxcino Junior Middleweight Champion John Thompson. The bout took place at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.

A member of the 2012 United States Olympic team, Joseph “Jojo” Diaz, Jr. has been seen as a future world champion for years, and now the NABF Featherweight Champion is closing in on that dream. Currently ranked third in the world by the WBC and ninth by the IBF and WBO, the 23-year-old southpaw from South El Monte, California has steadily moved through all opposition at 126 pounds, including Rene “Gemelo” Alvarado, Ruben “Canelito” Tamayo and Hugo “Guerrero” Partida. But it was in his March 26 win in his HBO debut over highly-regarded Jayson “La Maravilla” Velez that Diaz announced his arrival to the world stage. Diaz, Jr. was last seen in the ring against Victor “Pitufo” Proa defeating the fighter via second round knockout as the co-main event to Anotnio Orozco vs. Abner Lopez live on HBO Latino Boxing, on July 30. Now, set to face one of the hardest punchers in his division, Diaz, Jr. is ready to move up to the big leagues when he faces Andrew “El Chango” Cancio on the pay-per-view undercard of Canelo vs. Smith on September 17.

Blythe, Calif. native Andrew “El Chango” Cancio made his professional debut in 2006, remaining undefeated for ten bouts before his first loss. Cancio’s power has brought him thirteen of seventeen wins by way of knockout, a strength he brought to the ring against Nicaraguan warrior Rene “Gemelo” Alvarado and former two-time world champion Hugo Fidel “El Increible” Cazares via knockout at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, in Indio, Calif. With these impressive victories, Cancio hopes to pursue his goal of becoming a featherweight world champion as he takes on one of the toughest challenges of his career in the decorated Joseph “Jojo” Diaz, Jr on September 17.

The latest boxing phenomenon to emerge from Mexico, 22-year-old Diego De La Hoya has all the tools to become a global superstar, but the mature super bantamweight is keeping his focus on what’s in front of him. In 2015, De La Hoya began his move on the super bantamweight elite with five wins highlighted by back-to-back victories over former world title challengers Manuel “Suavecito” Roman and Jesus “Estrella” Ruiz, Ramiro “Zurdo” Robles, Jose “Hollywood” Estrella, and Giovanni “Lloviznas” Delgado; winning the WBC Youth World Title in the process. De La Hoya kicked off 2016 in style in February with a fourth-round body shot knockout of Arturo “Fuerte” Badillo and successfully defending it on May 7 of this year with a blistering seventh round technical knockout of Rocco Santomauro. Now his eyes are on a big win in September at AT&T Stadium.

Puerto Rican native Orlando “Orlandito” Del Valle comes from a boxing linage that includes former WBO Bantamweight World Champion Rafael Del Valle. Prior to his professional debut on April 11, 2008 at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey where he knocked out Rey Rivera in the third round, Del Valle was an Under 19 National Junior Olympic Champion for Puerto Rico, three-time New York Golden Gloves Champion, National Golden Gloves Champion, and U.S. Boxing’s number one rated junior boxer at 125 lbs. Now, Del Valle is riding a four fight win streak with two victories already notched in 2016. In his first contest of the year on April 9, Del Valle scored a second round technical knockout victory over rising prospect Josh Crespo at Rockingham Park in Salem, New Hampshire. He followed that performance with an eight-round unanimous decision victory over southpaw veteran Thomas “KO” Snow on May 13 as the nationally televised co-feature of Dustin Harrison-Hernandez vs. Mike Dallas Jr. at the DC Armory in Washington, D.C. Del Valle looks to continue his momentum for a fifth consecutive win on September 17 in Dallas, Texas at AT&T Stadium.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.frankwarren.com, www.attstadium.com or www.hbo.com/boxing, follow us on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @LiamBeefySmith, @KingGabRosado, @WillieMonroeJr, @JosephDiazJr, @AndrewCancio, @DiegoDeLaHoya, @OscarDeLaHoya, @FrankWarren_tv, @ATTStadium and @HBOboxing, become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.Facebook.com/frankwarrenpromotions, www.Facebook.com/ATTStadium or www.Facebook.com/HBOboxing, join us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @LiamBeefySmith, @KingGabRosado, @Willie_elmongoose_monroejr, @JosephDiazJr, @Aa_Cancio, @DiegoDeLaHoya94 @ATTStadium, @OscarDeLaHoya and @HBOboxing, and follow the conversation using #CaneloSmith.

B-roll and images of the fighters are available for use and download HERE or by copying and pasting: bit.ly/CaneloSmith. Video and photo credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions.

LOS ANGELES (August 5, 2016) – On this edition of LA FIGHT CLUB, the fans were treated to non-stop action from start to finish at the Belasco Theater in Downtown Los Angeles. Special guests in attendance included NBA Superstar Metta World Peace, NABF Super Lightweight Champion Antonio “Relentless” Orozco, NABA Featherweight Champion Abraham “Chamaco” Lopez, Jesus “Renuente” Soto Karass, “King” Gabriel Rosado, Vyacheslav “Lion Heart-Chingonskyy” Shabranskyy, Roy “Pitbull” Tapia, Alexis Rocha, Niko “Baby Face” Valdes and David Mijares, who all sat ringside watching the action.

Fighting in the televised main event on Estrella TV’s Boxeo Estelar, Los Angeles local Carlos “The Solution” Morales (14-1-3, 6 KOs) went on an all-out rampage against Luis “La Estrella” Franco (14-2-1, 9 KOs) of Havana, Cuba in a featherweight bout for the vacant NABA Super Featherweight title. The evenly matched fighters exchanged blocks and jabs for all 10 rounds, with both fighters giving it their all. Eventually “The Solution” came out on top as the judges awarded the NABA crown to the LA FIGHT CLUB fan favorite with scores of 98-92, 97-93, 96-94.

In the televised co-main event, Glendora, California’s Joet Gonzalez (14-0, 6 KOs) maintained his undefeated status when he took on Los Angeles native Sergio “Micky” Lopez (19-12-1, 12 KOs) in a featherweight bout that went the distance. Gonzalez showed off his impressive left hook throughout the fight, using it to slowly break down Lopez round by round. Lopez countered and went on the defensive, landing shots to the face and body and at times cornered Joet on the ropes. The ninth round was filled with intensity as Joet landed massive jabs to the face, stunning Lopez. The fighters’ fury carried over to the 10th round, with the judges ruling in favor of Gonzalez via unanimous decision.

“I was mad during the fight,” said Joet Gonzalez. “I felt the referee wasn’t doing his job correctly. There were various points during the fight in which my opponent would lean in, head butt and hold me. However, despite the referee not noticing, I am glad the judges took note of my boxing ability. This was my first 10-round fight, and I prepared for this fight a little differently, using strength and weight training. I was able to share the card with my brother, which means a lot to me. We got first round knockout and unanimous decision victories.”

“During the fight, I didn’t think we were that far away points wise. In the end, it was the fans who won tonight,” said Lopez on the fight. “I feel we put on a great show for everybody. After our 30 days, I am going to hit the gym again and look forward to when I’ll hit the mat again to please the crowd.”

In the swing bout of the night, LA’s Angel Bojado (1-0, 0 KO) made his professional debut with a bang by defeating Euris Silverio (0-4) of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Knocked down in the second round, Bojado got right back up and went back to business with a vengeance and was awarded a victory by unanimous decision.

“This fight was a long time coming,” said Bojado. “This victory will be the foundation for the rest of my boxing career. It’s been about two years since I have been in the ring, and training hard in North Carolina has paid off. I knew my opponent was tough because all his fights went to the judges for the decision. I am excited to only go up from here.”

Los Angeles local and LA FIGHT CLUB fan favorite Pablo “The Shark” Rubio, Jr. (7-0, 3 KOs) fought opponent Michael Gaxiola (4-8), of Modesto, CA in a six-round super bantamweight fight. “The Shark” demonstrated his capacity to dominate the ring, throughout the fight by cornering Gaxiola during most rounds. It was during the third round in a series of heated punches that Rubio sustained a cut underneath his right eye from a head butt. Despite the setback, the judges all unanimously agreed that he was the stronger fighter, awarding him the victory of the fight.

“I agree with the judges’ decision and I am happy with my performance tonight,” said Rubio on his unanimous decision win. “I used my jabs and had a lot of movement, which is what I was working on in training camp for this fight. I noticed that I slowed down in the fifth round, however, I still kept my rhythm. My opponent was very technical and he didn’t throw any crazy punches, so I applaud him for a tough fight.”

Glendora, California’s Jousce Gonzalez (2-0, 2 KO) dazzled the crowd in a four-round super featherweight fight against David “Tito” Montes (0-4 KOs) of El Paso, TX, in which he landed a body shot at 1:26 in the first round, to add another knockout to his undefeated record.

“I prepared well for this fight and had great sparring partners in Alex Luna and my older brother Joet Gonzalez,” said Jousce Gonzalez. “I always train for double the amount of rounds and if the knock out comes during the fight, it comes. I’m ready for everything. I’m on fire and in the best shape of my life. I could fight tomorrow if needed.”

Kicking off this fight night with a four-round featherweight fight, Las Vegas’ Francisco “El Alacran” Esparza (3-0, 1 KO) faced Noe Munoz (2-2) of Ciudad Juarez. Ezparza wasted no time getting straight to business by landing a devastating right punch to Munoz’s face, effectively ending the bout by technical knockout in the first thirty seconds.

“I feel amazing,” said Esparza on his victory. “Going in to the fight, you never expect a knock out. I always prepare to go all four rounds. I hope to be back really quick, and I want to thank my team for the opportunity.”

Carlos Morales vs. Luis Franco was a 10-round bout for the NABA Super Featherweight fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, BORN BOLD, Casa Mexico Tequila, Carmelita Coconut Water, and Hands of Stone: The True Story of Robert Duran out in theatres this August. The Boxeo Estelar broadcast aired live on Estrella TV at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT. The card was also streamed live on EstrellaTV.com and on YouTube via LBI Media’s Fenomeno Studios. The Ring TV live stream began at approximately 5:30 p.m. PT through 7:00 p.m.

Tickets for LA FIGHT CLUB start at only $20 with Flex Passes for multiple fight packages, Group Tickets and Knockout Experience upgrade are available for purchase at www.goldenboypromotions.com, the Golden Boy Promotions Facebook page, by calling 213-233-2957 or by emailing LAFightClub@goldenboypromotions.com. Mark your calendars and purchase tickets in advance before they sell out for the remaining summer dates taking place August 19, September 2, October 7, November 4 and December 2.

For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.belascous.com, www.estrellatv.com, follow on twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @EstrellaTV and become a fanon Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/TheBelascoLA, www.facebook.com/EstrellaTVNetwork, visit us on Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @belascola and @EstrellaTV, follow the conversation using #LAFIGHTCLUB and #BoxeoEstelar.

LOS ANGELES (May 25, 2016) – Golden Boy Promotions is taking it up a notch for the Francisco Vargas vs. Orlando Salido fight night with the addition of fan favorite contender and prospect boxing stars for the June 4 undercard at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif.. Headlining the Ring TV Live stream and the international broadcast, Creed film star and boxing top contender “King” Gabriel Rosado (22-9, 13 KOs) of Philadelphia, is set to take on Tijuana’s Antonio “Tony” Gutierrez (20-1-1, 9 KOs) in a classic Puerto Rico vs. Mexico 10-round middleweight showdown.

Also featured on the live stream, undefeated knockout artist Christian “Chimpa” Gonzalez (13-0, 12 KOs) of Buena Park, Calif. will face Jhon “Baki The Disaster” Gemino (12-6-1, 5 KOs) in an eight-round fight for the WBC Youth Super Featherweight Title, and Los Angeles fan favorite Nick Arce (7-0, 6 KOs) will take on Francisco Dominguez (8-9, 2 KOs) of Cuidad Juarez, Mexico in a six-round super featherweight event. Opening up the live stream, East Los Angeles native Jonathan “Thunder” Navarro (5-0, 4 KOs) will take on McAllen, Texas’s pride Marc Torres in a six-round super lightweight battle.

In the non-televised action, Santa Ana, Calif.’s Alexis Rocha (2-0, 2 KOs) will face Anthony Woods (0-4) from Americus, Georgia. Also, San Diego, Calif.’s Genaro “El Conde” Gamez (1-0, 1 KO) will make the second appearance of his professional career in a four-round lightweight bout against Juan Bryand (1-3,) of Laredo, Texas., while stable mate Oscar Duarte of Parral, Mexico will engage in an four round lightweight fight. Finally opening up the night, newly signed Golden Boy Promotions fighter Cesar Diaz of Palmdale, Calif. will make his professional debut in a four-round super bantamweight fight. Opponents will be announced shortly.

The main event of the night will feature Francisco “El Bandido” Vargas (23-0-1, 17 KOs), fresh from his Fight of the Year victory over Takashi Miura, defending his WBC Super Featherweight World Title for the first time against fellow Mexican warrior and former three-time world champion Orlando “Siri” Salido (43-13-3, 30 KOs, 1 NC) in a 12-round Fight of the Year candidate televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark®.

Since making his film debut in last year’s Creed,the latest installment of the internationally recognized Rocky franchise, “King” Gabe Rosado is fresh off of an exciting victory over Joshua “Grand Master” Clottey this past December 2015. Looking to keep the momentum going, Rosado will be looking for another exciting victory over the tough Antonio “Tony” Gutierrez of Tijuana, Mexico. Rosado has established himself as one of the most entertaining fighters to watch in the sport taking on some of the toughest and elite fighters in the middleweight division. Having held titles such as USA Pennsylvania State middleweight title and WBO Intercontinental light middleweight title, one thing is for certain-Rosado never disappoints in the ring.

Antonio Gutierrez is coming in to his middleweight match against Rosado high off of a victory against past double wins over Alejandro “Iron Man” Alonso. A true Tijuana fighter, Gutierrez’s relentless spirit has shown with his nearly perfect record, including a knockout over Mexican knockout artist Gilberto “Gil” Flores Hernandez. With 20 wins under his belt, Gutierrez can’t wait to get back into the ring and prove he has what it takes to move up to become a top contender in the middleweight division when he faces “King” Gabriel Rosado on June 4.

Boxing’s next big thing, Buena Park’s Christian “Chimpa” Gonzalez won his first seven bouts in Mexico by first-round knockout. Since then, he has defeated his past four opponents in the U.S. by way of knockout, including seasoned fighters David Rodela, Alejandro Ochoa, and Luis Ruiz Lizarraga Jr. Come Saturday, June 4, “Chimpa” will have his fans on edge as he fights for his first title against Recky “The Terror” Dulay for the WBC Youth World Super Featherweight Title.

Filipino featherweight all-star and GAB Super Bantamweight Title holder Jhon “Baki the Disaster” Gemino of Batangas, Phillipines is ready to add another bantamweight to his collection when he faces Christian Gonzalez for a fight over the WBC Youth Super Featherweight title. Having fought almost all of his fights in the Phillipines, Gemino has been training hard to make his boxing debut in America.

Having established quite the growing fan base among Southern California boxing enthusiasts, Nick Arce has impressed every step of the way with an impressive 85 percent career knockout rate. Fighting out of Westside Boxing Club in Los Angeles, Arce will be fighting for the second time this year and the second time at the StubHub Center in what is to be a fantastic show in front of his home town crowd.

Hailing from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Francisco “Panchito” Dominguez will be fighting for the first time in over a year. Having been a professional boxer for ten years, “Panchito” has so far taken on the likes of Alex “El Diablo” Becerra and the undefeated Roberto Marroquin showing that he isn’t afraid to challenge anyone in the ring.

Jonathan “Thunder” Navarro representing East Los Angeles has lived up to his nickname thus far, as the 19-year-old has ended three of his four wins by knockout. Loyal to LA FIGHT CLUB and having fought all professional bouts at The Belasco Theater, this fan favorite is hungry to make a name for himself in the East L.A. boxing scene by fighting on the Vargas vs. Salido undercard at The StubHub Center. As the nephew of former boxing Olympian Jose Navarro, “Thunder” has boxing his in his blood and hopes to keep up the family tradition of big victories and sensational knockouts on June 4 when he faces Marc Torres.

Coming back from a killer knockout over opponent Mark Rojas this year, McAllen, Texas fighter Marc Torres can’t wait to have an action-packed year of boxing as he fights for the first time in SoCal after a series of South Texas bouts. After becoming a professional boxer four years ago, the 22-year-old is sure to light up the super lightweight division when he faces rising knockout artist Jonathan “Thunder” Navarro.

The youngest fighter to ever take home the gold from the Junior Olympics in 2012, Alexis Rocha has been the talk of the boxing world as he continued on to become a six-time national champion during his amateur career. As the younger brother of current WBC Silver Featherweight Champion, Ronny Rios, this six-time national champion signed a promotional contract with Golden Boy Promotions at the start of this year and has so far ended both of his professional bouts by knockout.

Anthony Woods of Americus, Georgia has fought all over the United States from the Lifestyle Pavilion in Columbus, Ohio to the Grand Ballroom in Atlanta, Georgia. This welterweight fighter fears no one and has built up his experience in the ring by taking on the likes of undefeated, rising stars Nathan Howard and Leandre “Blue” White. Come June 4, Woods is ready to go to war against Alexis Rocha in the 4-round welterweight division.

After leaving behind a highly decorated amateur career, including being ranked as the number one lightweight in the United States, Genaro “El Conde” Gamez has quickly become of boxing’s top prospects. A 2014 USA Boxing National Champion, San Diego’s Gamez is currently coached by renowned former world champion Robert Garcia. Since breaking into his professional career with a catastrophic first round knockout over Archie Weah, Gamez is sure to do the same to his soon to be named opponent in a 4-round lightweight bout.

Laredo’s boxing pride Juan Bryand will be giving The StubHub Center a big Texas welcome when he fights for the first time in Southern California in the lightweight division. Since turning professional two years ago, this 31 year-old fighter began his career with a bang with he won by unanimous decision against Daniel Sanchez.

Oscar Duarte of Parral, Mexico is eager to become a big name in the sport of boxing. In his U.S. debut, Duarte defeated Alejandro Salinas in August 2015, landing himself a promotional contract with Golden Boy Promotions. Currently co-managed by Latin star Gabriel Soto and Guillermo Roacha, Duarte was last seen at LA FIGHT CLUB this February defeating Archie Weah via unanimous decision. Duarte has shown that he has the power to outbox any opponent and will look to do so on Saturday, June 4 when he makes his debut at The StubHub Center in Carson, Calif.

Opening the Francisco Vargas vs. Orlando Salido undercard and ready to take on anyone willing to step up in the ring, Cesar Diaz is set to make his exciting professional debut as a new member of the Golden Boy Promotions stable in a 4-round super bantamweight bout.

Francisco Vargas vs. Orlando Salido is a 12-round battle for the WBC Super Featherweight Championship presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Zanfer Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, BORN BOLD, Casa Mexico Tequila and HANDS OF STONE: The True Story of Roberto Duran, in theaters this August. The HBO Boxing After Dark telecast begins live at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT. The RingTvLive.com live stream begins at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT

Tickets for Francisco Vargas vs. Orlando Salido are priced at $200, $100, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges will are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at AXS.com, by phone at 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849), and at StubHub Center Box Office (Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. PT to 6 p.m. PT). VIP Suites are available by calling 877-604-8777. For more information on group discounts or VIP packages, call 877-234-8425.

ABOUT STUBHUB CENTER
StubHub Center is southern California’s home of world-class competition and training facilities for amateur, Olympic, collegiate and professional athletes. Managed by AEG Facilities, the $150 million, privately financed facility was developed by AEG on a 125-acre site on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) in Carson, California. StubHub Center features an 8,000-seat tennis stadium, a 27,167-seat stadium for soccer, football and other athletic competitions and outdoor concerts; a 2,000-seat facility for track & field and a 2,450-seat indoor Velodrome – the VELO Sports Center – for track cycling. StubHub Center is home to Major League Soccer’s LA Galaxy, the five-time MLS Cup Champions. StubHub Center is also home of the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) High Performance Training Center, the national team training headquarters for the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) and EXOS, an international training center for elite and professional athletes. For additional information, please visit www.stubhubcenter.com.

For more information, visitwww.goldenboypromotions.com,www.zanfer.mx, www.hbo.com/boxing and www.stubhubcenter.com; follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @ZanferBox, @HBOBoxing, @StubHubCenter, @ElBandido130, and @siri_salido; become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/zanferpromotions, www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing and www.facebook.com/StubHubCenter; and visit us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @HBOBoxing. Follow the conversation using #VargasSalido

Luis Ortiz scored an impressive 7th round stoppage over Bryant Jennings in a Heavyweight bout at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.

Ortiz rocked Jennings with straight left in round one and once again in round three with a combination in round three.  Jennings showed tremendous resolve by landing some solid shots inside that seemed to throw Ortiz of his game.

In round seven, Ortiz landed a thudding left that sent Jennings down face first.  Jennings was able to continue but for not much loner as two more lefts sent him stumbling into the ropes and the fight was stopped at 2:41.

Ortiz, 239 lbs of Cuba is 24-0 with 21 knockouts.  Jennings, 229 1/2 lbs of Philadelphia is 19-2.

Former Featherweight champion, Nicholas Walters and Jason Sosa battled to a dubious 10-round majority draw

Walters focused on the body and landed some crisp shots inside.  Sosa was wobbled in round five from a short right on the inside.  Sosa showed heart but Walters was accurate on the inside and landed 113 more punches then Sosa.

Somehow Sosa won a card 96-94 while two cards read even at 95-95.

Walters, 129 1/2 lbs of Montigo Bay, JAM is 26-0-1.  Sosa, 130 lbs of Camden, NJ is 18-1-4.

Gabriel Rosado pounded out a 10-round unanimous decision over former world champion Joshua Clottey in a Middleweight bout.

Rosado, 158 lbs of Philadelphia, PA won by scores of 97-93 twice and 96-94 and is now 22-9. Clottey, 157 lbs of Bronx, NY is 39-5.

Former world champion, Yuriorkis Gamboa won a 10-round unanimous decision over Hylon Williams in a Lightweight bout.

Gamboa, 133 lbs of Miami, FL won by scores of 98-92 twice and 96-94 and is now 25-1. Williams, 133 lbs of Houston, TX is now 16-2-1.

2 fights have been added to the December 19 HBO card at the Turning Stone Resort Casino and will be shown on HBO Latino prior to the Boxing After Dark Card that will feature Luis Ortiz taking on Bryant Jennings and Nicholas Walters battling Jason Sosa according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Gabriel Rosado will take on former Welterweight champion Joshua Clottey while Yunieski Gonzalez will take on Vyacheslav Shabranskyy in a Light Heavyweight bout.

“We worked hard to put this card together and we’re very happy with it,” Oscar De La Hoya told ESPN.com. “Four really good fights on one card. It will be a great night to end the year with a bang.”

“Clottey is going up a little bit in weight and Rosado is going down a little bit in weight,” De La Hoya said. “Besides it being a good fight, I think the winner will put himself back in line for an even bigger fight with any of the top junior middleweights or middleweights.”

“Gonzalez and Pascal was a great fight and we saw what Gonzalez could do, so we know we’re throwing Shabranskyy into the fire. But the winner will be knocking on the door to fight the best light heavyweights,” De La Hoya said. “We promote Shabranskyy and, of course, I’m rooting for my guy, but this is a 50-50 fight.”

“It was pleasant to work with Joe and we’re looking forward to doing lots more business with him in the future,” De La Hoya said.

“I like the fights for my guys and I like the card that it’s on,” he said. “It’s a high-profile card and I have high hopes for Yunieski Gonzalez coming off the last fight because I thought he beat Pascal. A lot of people thought he beat Pascal.

“For Joshua, it will be a little higher weight than usual but I think it’s the kind of card and kind of higher-profile fight that can put him in position to be where he has been — in world title contention.”

Oct. 5, 2015 – Leading up to the highly anticipated world middleweight title unification showdown between Gennady Golovkin and David Lemieux – set for Saturday, October 17 and presented live by HBO Pay-Per-View® – HBO Sports will present the exclusive replay of two hard-hitting encounters that highlight the remarkable skill and power of these ring warriors.

On Friday, Oct. 9 at 12:00 a.m. (ET/PT) and Saturday, Oct. 10 at 9:00 a.m. (ET/PT), HBO2 will replay Golovkin vs. Monroe 2015 and Lemieux vs. Rosado 2014 back-to-back. This past May at The Forum in Inglewood, California, Gennady Golovkin extended his consecutive knockout streak to 20 in a row with a sixth round stoppage of Willie Monroe Jr. On December 6, 2014, David Lemieux displayed incredible resilience and ring skills against the rugged Gabriel Rosado and ended their battle in the 10th round by TKO.

Both fights will also be available 24 hours a day to HBO On Demand® and HBO GO® subscribers beginning Monday, Oct. 5.

Golovkin vs. Lemieux takes place Saturday, October 17 and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/ 6:00 p.m. PT.

Totowa, NJ: Curtis “Showtime” Stevens (27-5, 20 KOs) the30-year old middleweight from Brownsville, Brooklyn has signed a new promotional deal with Main Events. Stevens originally signed with Main Events in February 2013. During his first two years with the promotional outfit, he won the vacant NABF Middleweight Title against Saul Roman, challenged Gennady Golovkin for the WBA Middleweight World Championship and made his debut DirecTV BKB debut against Gabriel Rosado.

Curtis Stevens & Tureano Johnson
Photo Credits:
Larry Levanti/Main Events

Curtis’ fight against Tureano Johnson on April 4, 2014 was one of the most exciting contests of the NBCSN Fight Night series and a Fight of the Year contender. Stevens was losing on every judge’s scorecard until the tenth and final round when he knocked out Johnson with less than a minute remaining. In his BKB debut, Stevens knocked down current BKB Middleweight Champion Gabriel Rosado and battled him to a seven-round split draw. Rosado retained his belt, but Stevens is poised for a rematch.

Stevens had only this to say about his new deal, “Time to become champ!”

Main Events CEO Kathy Duva said, “We love Curtis. He’s such an exciting fighter. I’m so happy that he’s decided to remain with Main Events and we look forward to getting him back in the ring!”

FOLLOW US:
www.mainevents.com
Twitter: @main_events
Facebook: facebook.com/MainEventsBoxing

Toronto – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents a stacked live edition of the popular Big Knockout Boxing series this Saturday, April 4 at 10 p.m. ET from Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay, headlined by a BKB middleweight title fight as Philadelphia’s former WBO Intercontinental light middleweight champion Gabriel Rosado defends his title against Brooklyn’s former NABF middleweight kingpin Curtis Stevens.

Fight Network’s broadcast of BKB: Rosado vs. Stevens will air live exclusively in Canada.

The bill features four more title fights, as Chicago’s David Estrada takes on Russian Kurshid Abdullaev for the BKB junior middleweight title, California natives Javier Garcia and Jonathan Chicas throw down for the BKB welterweight title, San Jose native Anthony Johnson meets Colorado’s Joey Montoya for the BKB cruiserweight title, plus Las Vegas’ own Layla McCarter faces Australia’s Diana Prazak for the BKB women’s lightweight title.

The star-studded bill also features Gabe Duluc vs. Antonio Canas, Jesus Soto Karass vs. Ed Paredes, Julian Pollard vs. Elijah McCall and Herbert Acevedo vs. William Hutchinson.

Big Knockout Boxing is a revolutionary concept showcasing fights inside a pit with a 17-inch diameter, about half the size of a traditional boxing ring. With no ropes and no corners, there’s no choice but to engage. Quicker two-minute rounds leave no room for evasion strategies, plus sensors in the fighters’ gloves measure the speed and force of every punch they throw, so you can see the actual impact of every hook, jab and haymaker.

The live broadcast of BKB: Rosado vs. Stevens at 10 p.m. ET will immediately follow an encore presentation of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night™: Mendes vs. Lamas Prelims from Fairfax, Virginia, which repeats at 8 p.m. ET following the live telecast at 11 a.m. ET.

Also this Saturday, Enfusion Live 26 kickboxing emanates from The Hague, Netherlands live at 3 p.m. ET, headlined by a -60kg world championship showdown pitting Reda Narain against Tommy Dieckmann.

For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, please visit tv.fightnetwork.com and follow on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.

BROOKLYN (Dec. 5, 2014) – A host of unbeaten prospects will open the David Lemieux vs. Gabriel Rosado in the non-televised undercard on Saturday, Dec. 6 at Barclays Center as John Karl Sosa (11-0, 6 KOs), D’Mitrius Ballard (7-0, 6 KOs) and Lamont Roach Jr (4-0, 2 KOs) look to keep their perfect records intact.

In addition, two of New York City’s premier prospects will take to the ring at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center starting with a 10-round super welterweight contest, as the Bronx’s Eddie Gomez (16-1, 10 KOs) faces North Carolina’s James Winchester (16-10, 6 KOs). Plus, Brooklyn’s own Zachary Ochoa (8-0, 4 KOs) puts his unbeaten record on the line in a six-round super lightweight bout against Puerto Rico’s Jose Miguel Castro (4-1, 2 KOs).

The Lemieux vs. Rosado main event pits Montreal knockout artist David Lemieux (32-2, 30 KOs) against Philadelphia fan favorite “King” Gabriel Rosado (21-8, 13 KOs). In the opening HBO bouts, Hugo “The Boss” Centeno Jr. (21-0,11 KOs) faces James “The King” De La Rosa (23-2, 13 KOs) in a 10-round middleweight matchup, and Thomas “El Frances” Dulorme (21-1, 14 KOs) squares off with “Hammerin” Hank Lundy (25-3-1, 12 KOs) in a 10-round bout for the vacant NABF and NABA Junior Welterweight Titles.

Tickets priced at $150, $80, $50, $25 and $15, plus applicable taxes and service charges are on sale and are available for purchase at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-745-3000 and at the American Express Box Office. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.

Eager to return to the win column after the first loss of his pro career against Francisco Santana in June, 22-year-old Eddie “E-Boy” Gomez (16-1, 10 KOs) is hungry to not just get the victory, but to do it in spectacular fashion. With a 4-0 record at Barclays Center, a run that includes a big January win over previously unbeaten Daquan Arnett, Gomez will have a huge fan base cheering him on in the building this Saturday when he meets Reidsville, North Carolina’s James “Shotgun” Winchester (16-10, 6 KOs). A fearless competitor whose recent record includes bouts against the likes of Terrell Gausha and Luis Arias, the 36-year-old veteran could end the year in style with an upset against Gomez.

Barclays Center has become a second home for Brooklyn native Zachary “Zungry” Ochoa (8-0, 4 KOs), a promising 22-year-old talent who has gone 3-0 at the Barclays Center, most recently taking a near-shutout win over Luis Cervantes in August. On Saturday, Ochoa will be in tough against Carolina, Puerto Rico’s Jose Miguel Castro, who brings an impressive (4-1, 2 KOs) record into the ring.

Also hailing from Puerto Rico is highly-regarded welterweight John Karl Sosa (11-0, 6 KOs), a Caguas prospect who has already won three fights against solid competition in 2014. Sosa will face Brooklyn’s Jason Thompson (5-8-4, 4 KOs) in an eight-round matchup.

In a light heavyweight bout scheduled for six rounds, Washington, D.C.’s exciting prospect D’Mitrius Ballard (7-0, 6 KOs) will face Hartford, Connecticut’s Tylon Burris (4-2, 2 KOs), while his D.C. neighbor Lamont Roach Jr. (4-0, 2 KOs) will open the event in a four-round lightweight bout against Aguada, Puerto Rico’s Alexander Charneco (2-0, 2 KOs).

“Brooklyn Brawl: Lemieux vs. Rosado” is a 12-round NABF Middleweight bout which is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye Of The Tiger Management and sponsored by Corona Extra, AT&T and Mexico – Live It To Believe It!. Dulorme vs. Lundy is a 10-round junior welterweight bout promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Gary Shaw Productions and CES Boxing. The HBO Boxing After Dark telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

NEW YORK (December 5, 2014) – Gary Shaw Productions top rated contender Thomas Dulorme (21-1, 14 KOs, and his opponent Hank Lundy (25-3-1, 12 KOs) both made weight for their upcoming bout taking place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, where the two combatants will fight each other as part of a special triple-header edition of HBO BOXING AFTER DARK®. The 10-round bout will go down this Saturday, December 6, 2014 headlined by Lemieux vs. Rosado.

“There is a lot riding on this bout as my promoter Gary Shaw has made this fight for the NABF and NABA championships” said Dulorme. “I’m fully prepared to give the fans a great fight and bring home a victory to my people in Puerto Rico.”

“Dulorme is in a great position to take his career to the next level.” said Gary Shaw. “With both belts on the line, Dulorme can really position himself for a world title opportunity. I have confidence in his ability to come out on top because I feel he’s the superior fighter.”

# # #

Lemieux vs. Rosado is a 12 round NABF middleweight bout which is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye Of The Tiger Management and sponsored by Corona Extra, AT&T and Mexico – Live It To Believe It!. Dulorme vs. Lundy is a 10-round junior welterweight bout promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Gary Shaw Productions and CES Boxing. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. ET with the first bout at 6 p.m. ET. The HBO Boxing After Dark telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets priced at $150, $80, $50, $25 and $15, plus applicable taxes and service charges are on sale and are available for purchase at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-745-3000 and at the American Express Box Office. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.

DAVID LEMIEUX, NABF Middleweight Champion

“It’s good to be back in Brooklyn. I’m very excited. This is a great opportunity for both of us fighters.

“I expect the best Gabriel Rosado when I get in the ring with him. I’m not worried because it’s going to be the best of Lemieux.

“This is a big opportunity to be headlining on HBO. I’m not going to miss my shot. I’m going to leave everything in the ring and I will not leave disappointed.

“We’ve been working on a lot of things the last few years and now we’re getting to where we want to be. This is the best camp I’ve had in my career.

“I’m here from Montreal and I’m here to represent and give you guys the best show and a great night of boxing before the holidays.”

GABRIEL ROSADO, Middleweight Contender

“There’s something different about coming from Philly. Any man who steps into the ring is brave, but something about Philly fighters, we’re willing to die in the ring.

“I had a great training camp, I have a tremendous team. We worked on a lot of different things. We’re coming off the Bryan Vera knockout so I really feel like I have the momentum.

“Lemieux is a strong guy who is hungry, but I know this is my opportunity and this is my time.

“Having been in every situation, I know what I need to do. I can’t blame the politics, I just looked into myself and made myself more focused and more disciplined. I’m extremely happy about this opportunity to put on a great show.

“I always thank the fans because I’m only relevant because of fans. The fans have always showed love and always showed up. On Saturday I’m going to give the fans my all so they know I appreciate them.

“By the end of Saturday, I wont be that tough journeyman, I’ll be a star.”

HUGO CENTENO JR., Undefeated Middleweight Contender

“I had a great training camp. It was eight tough weeks. I started training with Gennady Golovkin to prepare him for his fight. I’ve trained extremely hard and have no excuses. Come Saturday night, I’ll be ready.

“I talk with my fists so James can say what he wants. It’s easy to talk before you get hit in the face.”

JAMES DE LA ROSA, Middleweight Contender

“I hope on December 6 Hugo is ready to fight and doesn’t get any little abrasions. I don’t want him to have to tell the doctor he can’t see.

“I hope he’s ready to fight Saturday night because it’s on.”

THOMAS DULORME, Junior Welterweight Prospect

“I’m very happy to be here. I feel like I’m at home here in Brooklyn with all the support that I get here.

“This was a tough camp, It was a good camp. I’m ready to go and I’m ready for Hank.

“I’m not a big talker, so I’ll let Hank talk all he wants. On Dec. 6 at Barclays Center I’ll do my talking in the ring.

“This is going to be a great fight, get your seat ready here or at home and get ready for a great fight.”

HANK LUNDY, Junior Welterweight Prospect

“It’s been a hell of a camp, I have two of the best trainers in the world with me. Everything you read and everything you see about me is the real deal.

“I’m not running, I’m here to put on a fight, I’m putting on a show. I’m the real deal.

“When you have a guy like me coming from Philadelphia, I try to imitate these great guys like Bernard Hopkins and Gabriel Rosado.

“These two belts, you best believe they’re coming back to Philadelphia.”

ZACHARY OCHOA, Undefeated Super Lightweight Prospect

“I made my 97-year-old grandfather cry when he saw me on NY1 yesterday.

“I want to thank Barclays Center for helping those kids in Brooklyn because I used to be one of them.

“It’s a beautiful thing to bring boxing back to Brooklyn and I hope we keep it going.”

MARC RAMSAY, Lemieux’s Trainer

“We are one thousand percent sure that Saturday’s fight is going to be amazing for the fans. What you will remember is that you watched David Lemieux make his U.S. debut.

“We had a very tough training camp and David is ready to show you what he can do.”

JESSE REID, Rosado’s Trainer

“This is a real pleasure, I looked at Gabe when he fought Gennady Golovkin and I was amazed by what I saw, which was a Johnny Tapia. I saw a young man who was learning the hard way.

“He was taking on fights and showing people the heart he has, but he also had a great boxing ability that god gave him. I don’t think he realized the talent he has.

“Rosado has a great team, I’ve worked with a lot of different trainers, but we really have a tremendous team put together.

“He’s going to show people another Bernard Hopkins or Johnny Tapia so look out.”

BERNARD HOPKINS, Golden Boy Promotions Partner and Future Hall of Famer

“I would like to let everybody know that fights like these are a custom. We are putting on the best fights, the most competitive fights. This is what we want to do. Going into 2015 this is what we will see more of. We will continue to sincerely do the best to have the best fighters face the best.

“The tickets for this fight are extremely affordable for the caliber of fighters and of fights. This is an early holiday present from Golden Boy Promotions.

“The fighters you see right now might not be the pay-per-view fighters of today, but these are the fighters who are fighting for that position and it starts this Saturday.”

ERIC GOMEZ, Senior VP of Golden Boy Promotions

“We’re very happy to be working with Barclays Center, they are committed to championship boxing and this card is no different.

“Gabriel Rosado is taking on the very dangerous David Lemieux. You don’t want to blink because Lemieux has power in both hands. Gabe Rosado has taken on the best in the business.

“When we put together these big cards we always put together those big competitive undercard fights. We have great prospects from all over the country fighting on the undercards. These guys are the champions of tomorrow.

“James De La Rosa is coming off of a big win against Alfredo Angulo and now he’s going to take on one of the top prospects in Hugo Centeno Jr., who is here to test his skills at this level.

“Hank Lundy and Thomas Dulorme is a fight with two guys who are top fighters in their division so you don’t want to miss that one.”

CAMILLE ESTEPHAN, President of Eye of the Tiger Management

“It’s a great honor and privilege to be here. I think boxing wins with this card, this is where boxing is at it’s best, when we have competitive cards like this.

“I really don’t think it’s a 50-50 fight, I don’t think people know. Rosado is a great way to find out if David Lemieux is for real.

“Saturday night David will take the opportunity to become a superstar. We’ve done everything we have to do every single day and I’m so proud of David. There are no shortcuts.

“We have so many great coaches, including Marc Ramsay who is a great person and great coach who is helping boxing in Canada.

“We know what David is all about, but you will all find out on Saturday night. Don’t miss this one and don’t blink.”

GARY SHAW, President & CEO of Gary Shaw Productions

“Hank said that on his side there is blood, sweat and tears. On Dulorme’s side it’s blood, sweat and bling, because we are going to walk out of here with both titles.

“Dulorme is a great fighter and I believe he is going to be the next 140-pound champion of the world. He will do his talking in the ring. The single most important thing is that he’s not a trash talker, he’s just a fighter.”

JIMMY BURCHFIELD SR., President & CEO of CES Boxing

“Fights like these are what boxing is all about, it’s the number one sport in the world and we have to keep making new stars.

“Every fight on this card is going to be amazing.

“Hank Lundy has added two major league trainers to his camp, in Barry Hunter and Mike Stafford. I want to thank them for helping the sport of boxing.

“Hank Lundy has been waiting his turn, we’ve traveled everywhere with Hank Lundy, because we’ve had to. The bigger the fight is, this is where the Philadelphia boxer comes out of him. He’s what TV wants, because he’s going to give his heart.”

BRETT YORMARK, CEO of Barclays Center

“We are really excited about hosting another big night of boxing at Barclays Center. Golden Boy continues to invest in bringing great boxing to Brooklyn.

“Zachary Ochoa, we’ve heard a lot about him, he’s a big personality who’s been training on the Williamsburg Bridge so many of us have seen him going back and forth.

“In just over 24 months, Barclays Center has become the heart of boxing on the east coast. Many great fighters became great champions here at Barclays Center and we are very proud of that.

“We think that next year will be the biggest yet for us. We want to be in the big event business and we want to bring the biggest events to this venue. We will bring the best of boxing to the borough of Brooklyn.”

DAVID BERLIN, New York State Athletic Commission

“New York is key in so many ways and with it’s rich boxing tradition we are once again privileged to host fighters from all around the world.

“Saturday’s card is here with the spectacle of a big fight card, but my first thought about this card is that these are all hard, competitive and evenly matched fights that fight fans want to see.

“Saturday night six fighters have a chance to make their mark and make their mark on the big stage.”

# # #

Lemieux vs. Rosado is a 12 round NABF middleweight bout which is promoted by
Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye Of The Tiger Management and
sponsored by Corona Extra, AT&T and Mexico – Live It To Believe It!. Dulorme vs.
Lundy is a 10-round junior welterweight bout promoted by Golden Boy Promotions,
Gary Shaw Productions and CES Boxing. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. ET with the first bout
at 6 p.m. ET. The HBO Boxing After Dark telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets priced at $150, $80, $50, $25 and $15, plus applicable taxes and service charges
are on sale and are available for purchase at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, by
calling 800-745-3000 and at the American Express Box Office. For group tickets, please
call 800-GROUP-BK.

NEW YORK (December 3, 2014) – Gary Shaw Productions Puerto Rican sensation, Jr. Welterweight contender, Thomas Dulorme (21-1, 14 KOs, arrived with his team in New York for his upcoming fight with Hank Lundy (25-3-1, 12 KOs). The 10-round bout will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York as part of a special triple-header edition of HBO BOXING AFTER DARK® on Saturday, December 6, 2014 headlined by Lemieux vs. Rosado.

“I’ve arrived in New York and I’m ready to go to war,” said Thomas Dulorme. “Hank Lundy has been doing a lot of trash talking saying I’m nobody. He’s going to have a rude awaking. I’m going to do my talking in the ring and everyone will know who the superior fighter is once the fight is over. I plan on stealing the show.”

Lemieux vs. Rosado is a 12 round NABF middleweight bout which is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye Of The Tiger Management and sponsored by Corona Extra, AT&T and Mexico – Live It To Believe It!. Dulorme vs. Lundy is a 10-round junior welterweight bout promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Gary Shaw Productions and CES Boxing. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. ET with the first bout at 6 p.m. ET. The HBO Boxing After Dark telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets priced at $150, $80, $50, $25 and $15, plus applicable taxes and service charges are on sale and are available for purchase at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-745-3000 and at the American Express Box Office. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.

DAVID LEMIEUX, NABF Middleweight Champion

“We are very well aware of Rosado’s tendencies and his capabilities and we did everything we had to in the gym to prepare for this fight. Rosado’s got a lot on his plate.

“Nothing ever brought me down. I believe in destiny and I never quit and here I am with the best around me, you’ve just got to put in the time, the effort, the blood, the tears and the sweat. It’s all a dance and you’ve got know the right steps to get back in the ring. You’ve got be ready for it and willing to accept change.

“I’m very understanding of my power and once I start landing it’s going to be hell for Rosado and I know it.

“Myself and my entourage, I owe it to them and everybody around me to perform well. Even though you’re in the ring by yourself it’s not like you’re fighting alone. I fight for my kids and to put food on the table. I fight for my manger who has invested in me, who believes in me…I am confident in my abilities and I want prove I can do whatever I want.

“My career is about much more than winning a belt. I want to make the youth follow in my footsteps. I want to be a good example for the young guys coming up in boxing. I have a good story. I could have easily went out and given up and been a bum.

“I used to get into fights in the street and get into trouble with cops but I quickly learned discipline. I didn’t want to be kicked out of school which meant I’d be kicked out of the gym…You’ve got to understand you can teach the young people to follow in those footsteps. I have a bit of bigger plan for myself.”

GABRIEL ROSADO, Middleweight Contender

“I feel strong, I feel fast…My new trainer Jesse Reid has lots of experience He’s trained 25 world champions in his career so I think the experience he has will help.

“The fans keep me in the game. That’s what keeps me relevant. I want to get this win for the fans. I want to show them I do pay attention, I do read my Twitter and my Instagram. I can’t reply to all of them but I see it and I do appreciate it.

“I started boxing late, at 18-years-old but I was always a fan of the sport. I have posters all over my room and I when I decided to be a fighter I envisioned it.

“I believe in experience as a backbone. If I use my ring smarts and experience, I think this could end early.

“In this fight I think the fans are going to see a lot more skill. I’m going to use my ring intelligence…you’re going to see speed, power. It’s going to be great.”

HUGO CENTENO JR., Undefeated Middleweight Contender

“This my first time here in New York and I love it. It feels like home.

“HBO is working with Golden Boy again and it feels great to be given that opportunity on such a big stage. I’m exited about it.

“My dad used to box when he was younger and got into a motorcycle accident and he wasn’t able to continue his career and that’s what got me into watching fights, we would watch Tuesday night fights as a kid. I started when I was seven and the rest is history.

“My main strategy in the ring is boxing, but I can bang if I need to. I’m taller than most of my opponents but if it comes down to it and we have to slug it out, I can do that too.”

JAMES DE LA ROSA, Middleweight Contender

“My goal is to take his heart as a fighter, I feel it’s not my discretion to choose whether I can fight or not. I’m going to fight until I can’t see-, doesn’t matter if I get cuts or not. I’m here to put on a show.

“I never back out of a fight. I’ve heard he’s backed out of a couple different fights…I’ve fought a few undefeated fighters. It feels better to take someone’s ‘0’ and that’s what’s going to happen on Saturday.

“People were saying I was going to get knocked out my last fight against Alfredo Angulo and that I didn’t stand a chance and that just fuels me. It brings more fuel to the fire. I trained hard for what I wanted and it just pushes me to show people that I can.

“I feel good and I’m ready to conquer Barclays Center like I conquered the MGM, I’m really excited.”

HANK LUNDY, Junior Welterweight Contender

“I’m excited and I’m ready to go. Dulorme is a pretty basic fighter who I’m going to take care of.

“Dulorme uses a lot of fundamentals and basic things. But you need more than that to beat Hank Lundy.

“It’s going to be a big statement and we’re going to do it in a big way. Afterwards I want Danny Garcia, Philly vs. Philly we have to do it.

“I’m an old school guy and I’m going to show everybody that on Saturday.

“Hammerin’ Hank is coming to put on a show. If you’ve been a fan from day one you know I’m coming to bring the house down.”

EDDIE GOMEZ, Super Welterweight Contender

“I’m excited to return to Barclays. I started off the year January 30th, I fought Daquan Arnett on the co main event of Victor Ortiz and Luis Collazo and I’m ready to go and close out the year in Barclays.

“I learned a lot from my last fight. More of the work was on my boxing skills. Mentally, I wasn’t ready for my last fight but I still went in there and did what I had to do. I didn’t get the victory but for this one I’m 100 percent clear minded and ready to go in there.

“After this fight I’m excited to spend time with my baby, My newborn daughter. I just got a baby girl and my drive, it’s just there more. Before it was just for me but now I have do it for me and my daughter to make sure we’re good.

“I just want to go in there and show off my boxing skills and show what I’ve learned. I’m not really looking for the knockout…you never know until you get in there though, if it comes it comes but if I have to go the distance I’ll go the distance.”

ZACHARY OCHOA, Undefeated Super Lightweight Prospect

“Every time you fight in front of your home fans in your home arena it always gives you that extra push because you don’t want to let them down but it doesn’t matter anywhere I go, I could be fighting in a desert, I’m always going to push.

“My game plan is go out there, do what I do and fight the way ‘Zungry’ fights and dominate.

“Training camp has been going great. I can’t wait for the weigh in, I can’t wait to eat, I can’t wait to get in the ring and hit this guy. I’m not anxious, I’m just real chill and happy with the way everything is going.”

BERNARD HOPKINS, Golden Boy Partner and Future Hall of Famer

“This is going to be a great fight, I promise you it will not go the distance, one way or the other.

“It’s an old saying, but ‘styles make fights’. Both guys are going to let it go in there.

“The Barclays Center fans are in for something great. New Yorkers want them to put on a show and they will not disappoint.

” People want to see the fighters–they want to see Gabe. I’ve been watching and his Instagram has almost tripled each day. He’s a guy that puts his heart out there and comes to fight, and he will fight anybody.

“They may think Gabe is the opponent but then they realize, ‘wait a minute,’ they’re in a real fight. That there is loss and his gain. That’s why Gabe is being loved.”

# # #
Lemieux vs. Rosado is a 12 round NABF middleweight bout which is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye Of The Tiger Management and sponsored by Corona Extra, AT&T and Mexico – Live It To Believe It!. Dulorme vs. Lundy is a 10-round junior welterweight bout promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Gary Shaw Productions and CES Boxing. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. ET with the first bout at 6 p.m. ET. The HBO Boxing After Dark telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT

Tickets priced at $150, $80, $50, $25 and $15, plus applicable taxes and service charges are on sale and are available for purchase at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-745-3000 and at the American Express Box Office. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.

HBO Boxing presents a sizzling night of ring action when HBO BOXING AFTER DARK: DAVID LEMIEUX VS. GABRIEL ROSADO, HUGO CENTENO JR. VS. JAMES DE LA ROSA AND THOMAS DULORME VS. HANK LUNDY is seen SATURDAY, DEC. 6 at 10:00 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports team will be ringside for the event, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates: Dec. 7 (9:30 a.m.) and 8 (12:45 a.m.)

HBO2 playdate: Dec. 9 (11:45 p.m.)

In the main event, engaging David Lemieux (32-2, 30 KOs) of Montreal brings his hard-hitting reputation to HBO for the first time. This 12-round, 160-pound middleweight fight has all the earmarks of a brawl, as he meets Philadelphia’s hard-nosed Gabriel Rosado (21-8, 13 KOs).

In the middle bout, the highly-regarded Hugo Centeno Jr. (21-0, 11 KOs), from the boxing hotbed of Oxnard, Cal., meets James De La Rosa (23-2, 13 KOs) of Harlingen, Tex., in a middleweight clash scheduled for ten rounds. De La Rosa is coming off the biggest victory of his career over Alfredo Angulo.

The opening bout is an intriguing 140-pound junior welterweight showdown featuring Puerto Rico’s Thomas Dulorme (21-1, 14 KOs) and Philadelphia’s Hank Lundy (25-3-1, 12 KOs). The scheduled ten-round fight is Dulorme’s fourth bout in New York.

The telecast marks HBO’s third trip to Barclays Center, which is quickly becoming a hot spot in the fight game.

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

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

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

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

Lisa Milner
Hi, everybody, thank you for calling in and kicking off your Thanksgiving week with us. We have a very special call today to discuss the card taking place at Barclays Center on December 6th, headlined by David Lemieux versus Gabriel Rosado. To tell us a little bit more about the fight and to introduce the fighters, I’m going to turn it over to Robert Diaz, matchmaker of Golden Boy Promotions.

Robert Diaz
Lisa, thank you very much. I want to thank everybody for taking their time, especially the fighters and their teams. Obviously, this is training time.

This is a very special event; we’re very excited to present to everyone the main event, David Lemieux versus Gabriel Rosado. It’s a 12-round fight for the NABF Middleweight Title, and when you talk excitement, you know what you’re going to get. Gabriel, there’s no secret. He’s a throwback fighter; Philly fighters, they come to fight. Every time he’s in the ring, regardless who he’s fighting, he’s here to fight. David Lemieux, from Montreal, Canada, is a very exciting fighter who’s going to bring it. So it’s a can’t miss; you want to see toe-to-toe action, you want to see a fight? Tune-in.

Our co-main event, Hugo Centeno Jr. versus James De La Rosa. James De La Rosa recently put on a great performance in beating Alfredo Angulo. And Hugo Centeno, a young star, 21-0, undefeated, is looking to make a name for himself.

Opening up the telecast will be Thomas Dulorme against Hank Lundy, and that’s a 10-round bout NABF and NABO Junior Welterweight Titles. Both are vacant and both kids are coming to fight. Opening up the telecast, Dulorme versus Lundy.

Saturday, December 6th at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York; you don’t want to miss it. Live on HBO Boxing After Dark, 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. Promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye of the Tiger Management and the Dulorme versus Lundy is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Gary Shaw Productions and CES Boxing.

I want to thank the sponsors, Corona Extra, AT&T, and Mexico: Live it to Believe It! Tickets are reasonably priced starting at $15 and can be purchased through Barclays Center and Ticketmaster. And, for a Black Friday event, we’re going to have a special offer with details coming soon; we’ll be releasing to the media and to all the fans, there will be a very special offer you want to look into following Thanksgiving for your Black Friday special (2 for 1 tickets on Black Friday only using the code BOGO).

I want to take this time to introduce to you, from Philadelphia, one of the most exciting fighters in boxing today; willing to fight anyone and everyone, “King” Gabriel Rosado, a fearless warrior who lives up to his claim of being willing to fight everyone. A knockout winner over the likes of Jesus Soto Karass, Sechew Powell and Charles Whittaker, and he’s been in the ring with top fighters, World Champions like Gennady Golovkin and Peter Quillin.

Gabe, would you like to say some words to the media and the fans?

Gabriel Rosado
Thanks, Robert. I’m having a great camp, I’m excited about this fight. This is the last week of sparring and I’m just ready to roll.

Q
Can you talk about the difficulty and maybe the hesitance in parting ways with a trainer you’ve worked with so long?

G. Rosado
Yes, Billy Briscoe, he was my trainer for about 10 years. But it just kind of got to the point where I just felt that it wasn’t anything personal, it’s just business and I thought that in order for me to take it to that next level, I had to make a move. And Jesse Reid is one of the best trainers in the world. He’s trained 25 World Champions and it’s funny how it just worked out.

I just went to the gym and I asked if he could wrap my hands up one time and he wrapped me up. And then I asked him if he could work with me in the corner when I was getting ready for a sparring session and he just started giving me advice and I started listening to his advice and it was actually working. We just clicked from there and I just feel that I’m a much better fighter right now and I’m learning a lot of new things.

Q
I can only imagine, that maybe it was hard in having that discussion with Billy, saying I’m going to try something else. Is it difficult, emotionally, having to do that?

G. Rosado
It was difficult, but the thing is that me and Billy, we’re like family and when I brought it to Billy’s attention, what he told me is he felt that if that’s what I feel that I need to do to progress, he was all in and he said it was fine. We parted ways on a good note; I spoke with him not so long ago, a couple-probably about last week. So, everything’s all good, man. He just wants me to be better and I just feel like I’m having a great camp right now.

Q
You usually train in Philadelphia for your fights, if I’m not mistaken; where are you training with Jesse?

G. Rosado
I train with Jesse-I moved to Los Angeles so Jesse’s gym is actually about a 10 minute ride up the block in Burbank. I just go up, I’m in the gym usually around 11 in the morning and that’s when we do our start and we do our workouts. I’m back and forth from Los Angeles to Philly. I have a place in Philly and I have a place in Los Angeles. When it’s training camp, my last training camp, when I fought Vera, I did it in Los Angeles. I’m doing my training camp now in Los Angeles.

Q
What is your perspective on the fact that, they look at Lemieux as a guy that has to get past the gate keeper, Gabe Rosado, that’s how they label you, to move onto the bigger and better things. But I know you still have aspirations yourself, so how important is it to, yes, be in good fights all the time, but you got to win at some point, don’t you?

G. Rosado
Yes. Okay, I feel that I’ve had controversial decisions. I think the fans spoke up loudly when I fought J’Leon Love, and they all felt that that was a fight that I won. And then with Peter Quillin, it was a fight where I honestly felt I was on the verge of getting a knockout; I felt like I had the momentum on my side. I had Quillin on his heels. And it’s a fight that the fans were seeing this and the commentators all had me up on that fight, when the fight got stopped; and it got stopped in the championship rounds.

So, I think, they’re losses, but they’re fights that people say ‘He was winning on the commentators’ score card,’ it was a fight that people felt that-it’s not like taking a loss where I just flat out lost. When I fought Charlo, I flat out lost to Charlo. It was a fight that I think a lot of that had to do with me thinking I could make 154-pounds again and I killed myself to make the weight.

But when we’re talking middleweight, the only guy that really beat me legit at the middleweight division was Gennady Golovkin. But when you look at the Love fight and you look at the Peter Quillin fight, those are the fights that the fans felt I was winning and so did I. So, the fans, they know better and you can’t fool the fans and I think that’s why I’m getting this fight and, honestly, I really don’t feel that Lemieux’s the favorite in this fight.

The media might think that, but I think the fans will get this fight and Lemieux has something to prove because this is his first fight in America; not too many people know Lemieux. People know what I bring to the table and I think with me having Jesse Reid in my corner now and having a new team and doing training camp in Los Angeles, I think you’re going to see a much better fighter in me and I just can’t wait to prove that on the 6th.

Q
Are you insulted by being the “B-side” or do you just feel like I have losses that are better than what they look like on paper and so let me just go in there and take care of this kid?

G. Rosado
Yes. I’m really not insulted by it because, like I said, at the end of the day, what matters to me most is what the fans think and the fans keep me relevant and they want to keep seeing me fight. And I just use it as motivation. I think Lemieux, he’s the one with the title, he’s the one with the strap so he should be the A-side. I think I have the bigger name and I fought the bigger opponents and things like that. But, we are fighting for a title and traditionally the guy with the belt is the one with the A-side.

Q
Robert, from a promoter’s standpoint, from a matchmaker’s standpoint, what does this represent for both fighters?

R. Diaz
Well, I know a lot of times we’re into that culture, it’s a crossroad fight. But look, when you have fighters like David Lemieux and you have fighters like Gabe Rosado, fighting, bringing it together, putting these guys in, I think, after the fight, the fans are going to be like “wow, what a fight.” That’s what keeps boxing alive. We’re too quick to write off a guy because oh, he lost a fight. So what? As long as it’s a great fight, they don’t lose. The fans win; boxing wins.

So, let’s enjoy it while it’s still there. Hey, let’s see; this is going to answer a lot of questions. Gabe is focused, he’s ready, he’s hungry. He knows what this represents. He told you, new trainer, new weight division. I expect fireworks and I’m very excited about this fight.

Q
When you step out of the ring and you’re frustrated, what turns your frustration into a desire to turn it to go back to the ring?

G. Rosado
Yes, it definitely helps when I went through some tough losses in my career, the fans definitely speak up and they definitely show me love on social media and it’s mostly love more than it is negativity. And they definitely motivate me. The fans definitely keep me relevant because they speak up and they speak their minds. So, I definitely appreciate that and it definitely makes me want to go to the gym and work harder.

This fight right here is a fight where I want to win and I definitely want to win it for the fans because it’s kind of like they’re just waiting for me to get my break already. They’re just waiting for me to just get that win and I think, right now, I’m training to my full potential. I’m training really hard. Regardless of the bad decisions, or whatever the case may be, I think a lot of it had to do with me needing to be a lot more disciplined and refocused and I think that’s what I’m doing now.

Q
Talk about what you hear, in some of the messages that you’ve heard from fans that make you believe that you still have it and that you should go back.

G. Rosado
A lot of people just say that I’m an inspiration to them, things like that; I get that a lot and I think it’s because they know my background. I never had a big manager, I never started off with a big promoter. I pretty much worked my whole career having a graveyard shift or just doing odd jobs and training for fights. So I’m kind of like the blue collar guy so, I think the fans kind of relate to me and they’re pulling for me because it’s like they can relate to me on that level. I stay humble; I don’t get big headed or anything like that. I stay humble; I always remember where I come from and I think that’s why the fans relate to me.

Q
You said you met Jesse Reid in the gym; when gym was that and then what are some things that stand out that you learned from working with him so far?

G. Rosado
With Reid, he just saw a lot of potential in me. He just has me doing things that I really wasn’t thinking about in the past. He has me sitting on my shots a lot better, using my rotation, using my smarts, and it’s just a lot that I think is definitely going to show on the 6th. My last fight with Vera, even though it wasn’t a traditional boxing match, I did that camp with Jesse Reid, and I was a lot faster in that fight, I was a lot stronger in that fight, and I think we’re just going to use that momentum from that fight coming into this fight.

Q
What gym was it that Jesse Reid was wrapping your hands? Where you met him?

G. Rosado
We train at his gym and Powerhouse. I walked into the gym and asked him to wrap me up, he wrapped me up. And then I asked him to help me work in the sparring session, and he did. And he just started giving me advice; I started listening. And I was pulling it off in the sparring session and it just kind of made me feel like this is the guy I need.

Q
Hey, Gabe, I was just wondering of what you think of David Lemieux, obviously, he’s a big puncher and he’s got a lot of knockouts, but what do you think of him as a fighter and what his record is in terms of the competition that he’s fought throughout his career?

G. Rosado
I’m not taking David Lemieux lightly. I think he comes in there and he tries to go for the kill; he tries to go for the knockout, throwing a lot of big shots. It’s nothing that I haven’t seen in the past, I think I’ve fought the best Middleweights out there right now. I think I just need to use my experience and my ring smarts in this fight and we have a strong game plan in what we’re going to do and I feel that my game plan is going to succeed.

Q
What do you think about the level of competition, mostly, that he’s faced?

G. Rosado
I really don’t know much of who he fought. I know the two names that I really know are Marco Antonio Rubio and Fernando Guerrero. I just thought that-he’s a young guy so I’m not going to take him lightly. If he’s in the gym, he’s working on getting better. Maybe he learned from those mistakes and maybe he’s working on being a better fighter so I’m preparing myself for the best Lemieux and I’m just being smart and I feel that if I stick to my game plan, I should win.

Q
Gabe, do you feel like this is a fight that you absolutely must win?

G. Rosado
I look at every fight like that. But I think this time around I’m a lot more mature, I’ve been through a lot of iffy experiences in boxing. So I know what I need to do; I know what mistakes not to do, what I did in the past. Regardless of the decisions, the bad calls, or whatever the case may be, I feel that I take some blame for those losses as well.

I felt that maybe I should have been a little more disciplined, a little more focused, and I think living in L.A. right now and having Jesse Reid as a coach is definitely making me a lot more mature as a fighter. It’s making me more disciplined and I kind of see the big picture.

I don’t want to look past David Lemieux, but the goal is to be a World Champion so I definitely feel that winning this fight puts me in that position where I can get a world title again and I can fight one of the champions out there.

Q
What were some of the mistakes that you felt that you made in the past, in terms of not being disciplined?

G. Rosado
They weren’t big things, it’s the little things that mean a lot. I think, maybe, I wasn’t resting well enough. Maybe the diet wasn’t as good as it should have been. It’s just those little things. Now, when I train, I go straight to the house and I rest. We have a rhythm going on; we get up at five in the morning, do our rope work and then we relax for a little bit and then we go to the boxing gym. There’s a routine. Every day is a routine; there’s a schedule. I’m resting better, I’m eating better. So I think once you fall into a rhythm of doing things right, you see much better improvement. I think that’s what I’m doing now; that’s making a difference.

Q
We talked a little bit about some of the close losses that you had in recent times, but you did have that win in the BKB event in the summer against Bryan Vera. It was a nice knockout.
Can you describe what that was like and, also, even though it didn’t count as an official boxing match, the fact that you won and looked good and knocked the guy out, if that had a big impact on you getting this kind of fight on HBO?

G. Rosado
Absolutely, absolutely. It definitely was a different experience, but at the end of the day when the bell rang, it felt like a fight. The only difference is there were no ropes, but everything was boxing, all boxing rules; everything. Getting that win definitely got me the momentum going for this fight. So I feel very confident going into this fight because I felt strong against Bryan Vera. I did something against Bryan Vera that Chavez couldn’t do. I did everything the same as a regular boxing match. I had a strong training camp and I think people saw my skills in that fight and they saw a different me. They saw me faster, they saw me sharper, they saw me sitting on my shots. People took notice that I looked real good and it was the first time that me and Jesse Reid went into a fight. I was taking Jesse Reid’s advice. And the round that I actually knocked Bryan Vera out was the round that Jesse Reid told me to go get him.

L. Milner
Alright, thanks. We are going to turn it over, but Gabe, do you have any closing comments?

G. Rosado
No. No, that’s it. I just got to head to the gym and get ready for sparring.

R. Diaz
Gabe, thank you so much, man. Thanks for taking the time and we’ll look forward to seeing you next week, man. Take care.

Next on the call, he’s definitely one of the most popular fighters in Canada and he’s looking, on December 6th, to come in and make a big splash into the US. Again, fighting 12 rounds for the NABF middleweight title is David Lemieux. He can be introduced by our co-promoter, Camille Estephan, President of Eye of the Tiger Management. Camille?

Camille Estephan
Hello, everyone. Thank you, Robert. Nice talking to you folks today and very much looking forward to next week in New York. We’re calling this ‘David Lemieux version two.’ Very proudly saying that his camp has gone fantastically well; we’re exactly where we want to be and looking forward to grabbing this opportunity. What a wonderful opportunity it is. Gabe Rosado, we have a lot of respect for him, but we’re there to splash David Lemieux’s name all over the boxing world and we’re confident this is going to happen December 6th.

I’m going to turn it over to David. He will talk to you a little bit about his feelings about the fight, what his training’s been like, and then we’ll be opening up for questions.

David Lemieux
Hello, hello. Here is David. How’s it going?

Camp has been going great. I’m in the best shape right now I have ever been. I’ve trained very well against Fernando Guerrero, but nothing like I’ve been training now and I’ve reached some highpoints that I never thought I could reach and become so strong. My punches are coming off very, very well. And I’ve been doing some 10-rounds, 12-rounds sparring. We’re ready for anything. The shape is there, the endurance is there, and the power is more there than ever.

So, this is going to be an exciting fight for the fans and for everybody, and it’s going to be brutal. I’m very excited to be back in the ring. It’s the first time in the US as a pro so it’s going to be very interesting fighting at the Barclays Center on HBO for a main event. I’m very confident that I did everything I had to do. I’m not fighting for the fans; me, I’m fighting for my family. I want to feed my children. So I know that whatever I do is going to reward the fans and make sure that the fans are always satisfied because, as a pro, I’m there to do the best I can do. So let’s get down to business on December 6th.

Q
Hey, David, there are some people who might qualify someone like Gabriel Rosado who has been in some tough fights, but lost, say that he might be kind of slipping into the role of opponent. Is that a dangerous assumption to make against a guy like this?

D. Lemieux
Well, I don’t care what other people are saying about Gabriel Rosado. Whenever they give me a fighter, I don’t care about whatever is said outside. I take whatever they give me and then we start studying our subject. We’ve been studying Gabriel Rosado for a while now and we’ve been training to perfection to fight him and we’re not taking anything lightly. Gabriel Rosado’s a very good fighter. He’s very durable; he’s been in there with a lot of guys, a lot of tough guys.

I’m not really listening because any fighter can be dangerous and for sure he’s still young, he’s still fresh, he’s not beaten up. He’s going to come to fight and he has a lot of gas. He’s going to bring good stuff to the table, but once he meets me it’s going to be a head-on collision.

Q
Dave, how does Rosado stack up to, say, Marco Antonio Rubio at the time you fought him or even Joachim Alcine at the time you fought him, which were fights that you lost?

D. Lemieux
Well, there’s a very easy answer for that question. I’m nowhere near who I was when I fought Rubio or a controversial fight like Alcine, which I still to this day, don’t believe I really lost that fight, but still, there was a lot of changes that have been made. I believe, also, everything happens for a reason so I’m not taking away anything that’s happened in the past. I take it in a good way. Either it breaks you or makes you better. So it’s making me better now.

So I really put those fights in the past and if I had to do it again, I have zero concerns about fighting Rubio or Alcine. I was a different guy back then and now there’s a much more evolved man that is here now. David version 2.0.

Q
What are the circumstances that are different? Who’s training you now as opposed to who was training you then; management; what are the changes?

D. Lemieux
Actually, everything. Management, trainers, nutrition, nutritionist; everything from A to Zed. I have a new trainer since the Rubio fight with Marc Ramsay that has been going tremendously well. Also, we added a physical conditioning trainer, who is Jarek Kulesza, who has been doing a lot with me and it’s been going great-I’ve never had that in the past, personal, physical conditioning trainer and, I think, it has helped the rise of my career. It has brought me to a different level.

I am thankful to God that I’m with Camille Estephan, the best manager in the world, I believe. I always tell him, what is he doing in boxing, Camille. He’s too much of a good person to be in this sport. But, it’s a rough sport and you need a lot of rough people; he’s a rough man, but I’m very thankful that he’s on my side and we’re achieving a lot of great things.

I changed all my nutrition. I have a new nutritionist; I have a guy who does my meals before me-for every day I have two meals that are premade. So we’re counting all the calories and there’s no fat on me; it’s all muscle. Everything I eat, everything is all calculated. I’ve never had that in the past and we’re just putting more good on our side than ever before so if you like you said, everything from A to Zed has changed in my career to make me a World Champion in the future.

I’m wondering how long did it take you to-or do you feel like you’ve put those losses totally behind you or are there still people that you see that question what the heck happened?

D. Lemieux
I think all that has changed. I know that it has changed in my life, in my head. I know it’s changed, but the people are starting to know slowly and slowly it has changed, also, if they saw my last fight, especially against Fernando Guerrero, they saw I was in tremendous shape, I was in the best physical shape of my life, I was stronger, I was sharp. If you watch closely, you can see not just a puncher, but also a good boxer in there and so we’re mixing everything up and people, when they hear David Lemieux, they think he’s good for four rounds. He’s going to come in there and try to knock him out and then if he doesn’t, well, it’s no longer to his advantage.

Well, they’re going to have a surprise because I’m bringing a lot of tools to the table. And I’m not just going to be a puncher, I’m going to be a very good boxer and I’m going to be strong until the end, from the first to the twelfth; whatever needs to be done, it’s getting better and better with each fight. I think this fight is going to be the peak of my 25th year in life. It’s going to be extremely exciting and I’m very excited to give the fans what they want to see and give them a different perspective from what they’ve seen in the past, probably. Let them judge after this fight who David Lemieux is.

Q
David, do you think that there’s any Middleweight in the world that can stand up to your power?

D. Lemieux
I believe that there are a lot of great fighters out there and there’s a lot of guys who can, yes, for sure take punches and roll with it. Anything is possible. But I’m well-prepared I’m not worried about any Middleweight in the world, but for sure some guys will be tougher to put out and I’m looking forward to it, but anything is possible. I’m not saying it is impossible.

Q
I’m wondering, do you feel like there’s a little bit of, I don’t know about pressure, but a great desire on your behalf, to, not only beat Gabe Rosado, a known fighter that’s been in with everybody, but’s been on a little bit of a losing streak, to go in there and make a real statement to say, you know what, I want those bigger fights and I should be in those bigger fights sooner than later.

D. Lemieux
Absolutely. This is the whole meaning of my long trainings and hard work and preparations; this is where we’ve been waiting to be headed since the beginning of my career. Now we know how to do it compared to before where we were just guessing on okay, let’s get there, but there were some flaws in my base. So now everything has been changed and everything is there and I’m ready to mingle in with all these great Middleweights. There’s a lot of great fighters out there, like you named them. We have a lot of-I have a lot of options. There’s a lot of fun opportunities for the fans, especially to watch some great fights with us.

But, for sure, I’m looking right now for next week, December 6th, with Rosado because he’s a serious dude. He comes to fight and we’re taking him very seriously and I’m training extremely hard for it and my only concern right now is him and after that the doors are opened. First, I have to beat this guy and then we’ll walk in. But I’m extremely confident, I’m not worried. I never like to look too far in the future; it comes soon enough.

Q
Camille, can you talk about, in your mind, as the person that guides his career, where you want to go, if everything goes well for your side next Saturday?

C. Estephan
I echo the sentiments that David has. We really don’t want to look past-we take it a fight at a time. But, there’s no secret that the middleweight division is a very hot division right now. It’s a great division with Canelo, Cotto, Golovkin and the rest of them, Quillin, etc. And any one of those fights would be a good fight for the fans, would be a good fight for us, but Rosado is, maybe, underestimated because of his streak of losses in boxing, putting apart the BKB fight, but certainly not somebody to be overlooked right now. We got to take care of that business and we’re reaching for the stars, man.

I believe David’s capable of beating any one of these guys when he’s properly prepared.

Q
David could you talk about making your US debut and what it means to be fighting at Barclays Center and what kind of emotions you’re going to be having on that night?

D. Lemieux
Ever since I got the news that I’d be fighting, doing the main event on HBO in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center, I’ve been extremely happy and extremely excited for this fight. So I’ve been training tremendously hard for it. I’ve had my hardest camp ever. I have never ever slept so much in camp after each training; coming home, being exhausted, being with my daughter. Sleeping at the same time as my daughter, I’m like wow, I’m really exhausted after these trainings. It’s funny because I always said to myself, I only need four, five hours sleep, but now it’s not the same thing anymore. So, we’ve been having a great camp and I’m extremely excited to be fighting at the Barclays Center.

It’s going to be exciting and it’s a great opportunity for me and also for my whole team, for my family, for all the fans, everybody that supports me, everybody out there, it’s going to be a great fight, December 6th. We’re very excited to be fighting there.

Q
Camille, could you talk about that a little bit, too? About what it would mean for David to get a win at Barclays Center and what it would mean for Eye of the Tiger?

C. Estephan
It means the world to us of course, David is one of the main guys on the team. He has the potential to be a great one for many, many years. He’s young, he’s hungry, he’s disciplined, and couldn’t be more proud of him in his work ethic; so, we’re prepared.

But the other thing that we should mention is that, you do the main event on HBO at the Barclays Center, but as well it will be featured at the Bell Centre in Montreal in another show that will have a few thousand people where Pascal is fighting on the InterBox card. So, David’s fight will be projected on the big screen. So the fans in Montreal are very, very excited about that.

He’s basically, I don’t know if it’s ever happened before, where a guy makes a main event in two shows, simultaneously, one in New York; one in Montreal. Very exciting opportunity, and we’re going to grab it.

L. Milner
Okay. David, Camille, if you guys could make some closing comments.

D. Lemieux
We said pretty much everything that there is to say. We’re extremely excited for December 6th and we’re looking forward to it and it’s going to be a great fight. A great opportunity. Thank you.

C. Estephan
Same here, guys. And don’t blink.

R. Diaz
Well, I want to thank everybody; the fighters, David, Gabriel, thank you so much for taking the time. Again, live on HBO, Boxing After Dark, December 6th from the Barclays Center. There are still tickets; very reasonable. You can get them through Barclays and Ticketmaster. And, again, look out for the Black Friday special. Thanks again, everyone. Don’t miss it. Lemieux versus Rosado.

Lemieux vs. Rosado is a 12 round NABF middleweight bout which is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye Of The Tiger Management and sponsored by Corona Extra, AT&T and Mexico – Live It To Believe It! Dulorme vs. Lundy is a 10-round junior welterweight bout promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Gary Shaw Productions and CES Boxing. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. ET with the first bout at 6 p.m. ET. The HBO Boxing After Dark telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets priced at $150, $80, $50, $25 and $15, plus applicable taxes and service charges are on sale and are available for purchase at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-745-3000 and at the American Express Box Office. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.

MONTREAL (Nov. 12, 2014) – InterBox held a press conference today in Montreal to announce that fans at the Bell Centre on December 6 will be able to watch three major fights: light heavyweights Lucian Bute (31-2, 24 KOs) vs. Roberto Bolonti (35-3, 24 KOs) and Jean Pascal (29-2-1, 17 KOs) vs. Donovan George (26-4-2, 22 KOs), as well as the NABF middleweight title fight between David Lemieux (32-2, 20 KOs) vs. Gabriel Rosado (21-8, 13 KOs) on big screens live from Brooklyn, New York.

“We have a former IBF champion in Lucian, a former WBC champion and Ring champion in Pascal and one of the most exciting middleweights in the World in David Lemieux – all on the same night,” InterBox president Jean Bedard commented. “It’s the type of card the fans deserve and get excited to see.”

Lucian in the Philippines: A different style of training

Under the watchful eyes of multiple-time Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach, who is training multi-division world champion Manny Pacquiao, Lucian is refining his tools ahead of his Dec. 6 bout. Lucian may be halfway around the world in the Philippines but he quickly got comfortable with such prestigious company. “It is an honor to train with these two legends,” Bute said from the Philippines. “There are so many good people here who stop by and watch us. It feels great. It’s like I am training for the public every day.” Bute will stay at Pacquiao’s camp until Manny and Roach leave for Pacquaio’s Nov. 22 fight vs. Chris Algieri in Macau, China. Bute will return to Montreal at the end of November.

Pascal: Waiting for offers

WBC Diamond and NABF light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal is in an excellent position. As he stated to the media, Jean is currently the mandatory contender for WBC champion Adonis Stevenson and Jean will meticulously study all fight possibilities during the next few months. Pascal’s coach, Marc Ramsey, will be accompanying Lemieux to Brooklyn to work his corner Dec. 6. Pascal, who immediately agreed for Ramsey to work with Lemieux, will have Russ Anber and Roy Jones, Jr in his corner against George. Pascal also decided to set up training camp on Montreal instead of at Big Bear in California.

PPV in North America

The Canadian light heavyweight doubleheader card is also being distributed in the United Statesby Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 8:00 p.m. ET – 5:00 p.m. PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DirecTV, DISH, and Vubiquity for a suggested retail price of only $24.95.

The Dec. 6 card in Montreal, featuring Bute and Pascal in co-main events, will be available on a pay-per-view basis in Canada on Indigo and Bell in French and English, as well as via Rogers, Shaw and Sask-Tel in English only.

Neither PPV will include Lemieux vs. Rosado.

For additional information please visit www.IntegratedSportsnet.com or www.InterBox.ca, follow on Twitter @IntegratedPPV @InterBoxCA @InterBoxBute @JeanPascalChamp.
ABOUT INTEGRATED SPORTS MEDIA: North America’s leading distributor of International Pay-Per-View and Closed Circuit sports events has presented World Championship and world-class boxing matches featuring Gennady Golovkin, Carl Froch, Erik Morales, Vitali Klitschko, Ricky Hatton, Cristian Mijares, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr., Tomasz Adamek, Paulie Malignaggi, Ivan Calderon, Rocky Martinez, Nicolai Valuev, Amir Khan, Marco Antonio Barrera, Arthur Abraham, David Haye, John Ruiz, Wilfredo Vasquez, Jr., Brian Viloria, Giovani Segura and Ruslan Chagaev, as well as World Championship and world-class mixed martial arts shows featuring Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Bobby Lashley, Mirko Filipovic, Bob Sapp, Jeff Monson and Roy Nelson, in addition to In addition, Integrated Sports Media has distributed numerous International soccer matches featuring teams like Real Madrid, Club America of Mexico and the National Teams of Argentina, Honduras, El Salvador and the USA. For more information on upcoming Integrated Sports events visit www.integratedsportsnet.com or follow on Twitter @IntegratedPPV.

ABOUT INTERBOX: InterBox was founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1997 and acquired by Groupe Sportscene in 2004. InterBox is internationally recognized as one of the most respected boxing organizations in Quebec and throughout the World. InterBox’s main objective is to organize top quality events, both locally and internationally. InterBox’s success is due in large part to a growing pool of elite athletes and top quality trainers to support them and their ascension to the elite. InterBox promotes, produces and presents first quality events on a regular basis thanks to the very important corporate sponsors Videotron, the Cage-aux-Sports restaurant chain, Coors Light and Mise-O-Jeau.

OXNARD, CA (November 6, 2014) – Gary Shaw Productions Jr. Welterweight contender, Puerto Rico’s Thomas Dulorme (21-1, 14 KOs), has arrived in Oxnard, California to train with boxing coach Robert Garcia. Dulorme will battle Philadelphia native Hank Lundy (25-3-1, 12 KOs) on a special triple-header edition of HBO BOXING AFTER DARK® on Saturday, December 6, 2014 headlined by Lemieux vs. Rosado.

“Everything is going as planned and training camp has begun,” said top 140 lbs contender Thomas Dulorme. “Robert Garcia and I are off are off and running. There are a lot of good fighters in camp so I know sparring will be intense. It’s very competitive in this gym and I have to be on my game every time I step into the ring. I feel great and I’m looking forward to a challenging training camp.”

“Dulorme has made all the right sacrifices to get back on top,” said promoter Gary Shaw. “The fact that he’s been training in Oxnard with Robert Garcia these last few fights tells me he’s serious about his career. Garcia has been doing a fantastic job with him and I know they’ll be ready to go on December 6th.”

Lemieux vs. Rosado is a 12 round NABF middleweight bout which is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye Of The Tiger Management and sponsored by Corona Extra, AT&T and Mexico – Live It To Believe It!. Dulorme vs. Lundy is a 10-round junior welterweight bout promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Gary Shaw Productions and CES Boxing. The HBO Boxing After Dark telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

For more information go to www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.eottm.com, www.hbo.com/boxing or www.barclayscenter.com Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/EOTMVD www.twitter.com/hboboxing, www.twitter.com/KingGabRosado, www.twitter.com/lemieuxboxing, www.twitter.com/HugoBoss805, www.twitter.com/KingJamesLDR, www.twitter.com/Swanson_comm or www.twitter.com/BarclaysCenter. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/EyeoftheTigerManagement, www.facebook.com/hboboxing and www.facebook.com/BarclaysCenter.

DAVID LEMIEUX, NABF Middleweight Champion

“Thank you to everybody for being here, it is a great honor and great opportunity for me to be able to fight in Brooklyn at Barclays Center.

“I’m very excited. I didn’t sleep much last night just getting excited to talk in front of you all.

“I can’t wait for the fight. Gabriel Rosado is a great fighter. He comes to fight and he’s a very tough opponent. However, I’ve never felt so strong in a camp and trained so well. If you saw my fight against Fernando Guerrero, it is going to be a new David again.

“I’m going to be a beast on December 6 and it’s going to be dangerous. I can’t wait. I’ve always trained hard, for people who don’t know my background; I’ve never cheated myself. I always put in all the work in the gym.

“We’ve had some miscalculations and setbacks, but we’re back on track and we’re here to stay on top of the pyramid.

“Brooklyn is a great city, when we landed here we could feel the energy. Then when we came here in front of Barclays Center we said, ‘wow’. This feels like home.

“Not everybody knows me here, but after December 6, you will. If you’re worried about ‘Triple G’, there’s a new name that’s coming in…Lemieux. Wait until you see my fight and then we will speak.

“I’m here to put on the best show and with Rosado, he’s a great fighter so it’s going to be fireworks and dynamite in the arena. I can’t wait.”

GABRIEL ROSADO, Middleweight Contender

“It’s interesting how this fight came about. I was supposed to be the co-main event on Hopkins’ card against Kirkland and that fight fell through. Golden Boy told me not to worry and they stuck to their word. The next thing you know, I’m the main event. One door closes another one opens.

“I’ve been in a lot of fights that were controversial, but that is boxing. Fans love the drama. Now I have the opportunity to showcase my talent.

“Jesse Reid [Rosado’s trainer] has brought new life to boxing for me. A lot of the fights that I study are old fights so I knew about Jesse. One day I needed Jesse to wrap my hands and I realized this was the guy for me.

“I respect Lemieux. He is a tough fighter. Just because I respect him doesn’t mean I am going to give him too much respect [in the ring].

“When it comes to the caliber of fighters I have faced, I’ve faced better names. I need to use my experience and intelligence in this fight.

“I’m excited to fight in New York City – the Mecca of boxing. It’s close to Philadelphia so I know the fans are going to come out. I’m Puerto Rican and there’s a big Puerto Rican population in New York and all of the Latinos will want to watch this fight.

“I’m excited and I can’t wait to put on a show.”

EDDIE GOMEZ, Junior Middleweight Contender

“As we all know, my last fight did not go in my favor. I lost my first fight as a professional, so now I’m just looking to bounce back and do what I have to do.

“I’m happy to be fighting again at Barclays Center, so a lot of my friends and family will come out and show support. You never know, my luck might just be right here at home.

“I’m looking to put on an impressive show in my first comeback fight. I’m happy to be fighting before Christmas and New Years and I’m hoping to close out the year with a good victory.”

ZACHARY OCHOA, Junior Welterweight Prospect

“Since I’ve started boxing I’ve dreamed of an introduction like that from Oscar De La Hoya. I’ve studied him for a long time, especially that jab. I want to thank him and Golden Boy Promotions.

“I want to thank Brett Yormark, Barclays Center and everyone who gave me the opportunity to fight on this great stage.

“It’s going to be a great fight, this has been my best year since signing with Golden Boy and I’m ready to go.”

OSCAR DE LA HOYA, President & Founder of Golden Boy Promotions

“It is satisfying to know that we are coming back once again to the ‘Mecca of Boxing’ in New York – Barclays Center and to be able to give the fight fans real fights that they deserve to see.

“What better venue than Barclays Center? We are always happy to be back in a town where boxing is appreciated this much. The fight fans know boxing. The fight fans live for boxing here in Brooklyn.

“It is very important for Golden Boy Promotions and Barclays Center to keep bringing boxing back to Brooklyn on a regular basis. This is quite a treat for us. Quite a treat for Barclays Center because we know that the fight fans are going to get close to 10 competitive fights from top to bottom.

“I’m really happy to be working with CES Boxing, Gary Shaw Productions and Eye of the Tiger Management. It shows the direction in which Golden Boy Promotions is heading – in terms of bringing the best fights to the fans. It shows that Golden Boy Promotions is willing to work with anybody in order to satisfy the boxing fans.

“The three televised fights are competitive, compelling fights that the fans will enjoy. There is a lot at stake in the 150-pound and 160-pound weight ranges – you think tough competition. There will be no losers because every fighter is going to give it their all. Every fighter knows what is at stake.

“We are really excited about all of the fights on this card. The winners will move on to bigger and better things.”

CAMILLE ESTEPHAN, President of Eye of the Tiger Managements

“We spoke for a while about this and now it is a dream come true. What better place than Barclays Center, what a beautiful place. Being here in New York City, all I can think is ‘wow.’

“We’ve been working towards this for a long time, way before any news about Rosado’s other fights. We have a lot of respect for Rosado and he is a guy that is respected in boxing. What we want to do is stamp the boxing world with David Lemieux.

“A couple of years ago when David and I started working together, we were sitting in a restaurant planning out what we wanted to do. We were sitting near a nice wall of bricks. There are a lot of difficulties in a boxer’s career, and what I said to him is that we we’re going to build a wall, every single day in the gym and every day is another brick in that wall. One day will end up with a great wall.

“We have a grand vision and we’re going to prove it on Dec. 6. We think the best possible place to do it is here so we want to thank everyone who made it possible.

“We’re going to have lots of people from Montreal coming, they’re ready. They’re coming to support David. There are some other great fights on that night in Montreal, but a poll started online saying which fight people wanted to see most. So far 58 percent want to see David’s fight, so hopefully we will bring them hear with us.

JESSE REID, Rosado’s Trainer

“It’s my pleasure to be here. I first saw Gabe on television and he reminded me of the old time fighters like Rocky Graziano. You look at some of these young souls and you see tremendous power, tremendous speed and a big heart.

“I told my son, ‘If I could ever get a chance to work with this young man, I would love it.’ I’ve had some great champions in Johnny Tapia, Roger Mayweather, Hector Camacho and others. This young man has really brought my heart back into boxing. I’m 72-years-old and he makes me feel like I’m 21.

“He’s ready to fight anyone at any time, but he also has tremendous boxing ability and I don’t think that has ever been tapped into and I have the opportunity to work on these things.

“The aggressiveness of Gabriel Rosado is what makes boxing worthwhile.”

BRETT YORMARK, CEO of Barclays Center

“We are extremely excited to be hosting another great night of boxing. We thank Golden Boy Promotions for its support of boxing in Brooklyn and Barclays Center.

“This is the ninth boxing event with Golden Boy Promotions. We are very proud of that. Golden Boy put us on the map in terms of our boxing promotion in Brooklyn. We have only been open for a little more than 24 months and I think we have certainly become the home of boxing in the northeast.

“When I look back at 2014, it was a great year of boxing at Barclays Center. I am looking forward to ending it on a high note on December 6.

“I truly believe that 2015 will be our biggest year ever when it comes to boxing in Brooklyn and with the help of Golden Boy, we will continue to bring great fights.”

# # #

Lemieux vs. Rosado is a 12 round NABF middleweight bout which is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye Of The Tiger Management and sponsored by Corona Extra, AT&T and Mexico – Live It To Believe It! Dulorme vs. Lundy is a 10-round junior welterweight bout promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Gary Shaw Productions and CES Boxing. The HBO Boxing After Dark telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets priced at $150, $80, $50, $25 and $15, plus applicable taxes and service charges are on sale now and are available for purchase at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-745-3000 and at the American Express Box Office. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.

For more information go to www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.eottm.com, www.hbo.com/boxing or www.barclayscenter.com Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/EOTMVD www.twitter.com/hboboxing, www.twitter.com/KingGabRosado, www.twitter.com/lemieuxboxing, www.twitter.com/HugoBoss805, www.twitter.com/KingJamesLDR, www.twitter.com/Swanson_comm or www.twitter.com/BarclaysCenter. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/EyeoftheTigerManagement, www.facebook.com/hboboxing and www.facebook.com/BarclaysCenter.

BROOKLYN (October 29) – Golden Boy Promotions returns to its East Coast home – Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY on Saturday, December 6 with a special HBO Boxing After Dark tripleheader. In the 12-round main event, rising Canadian star David Lemieux will defend his NABF Middleweight Title against the no nonsense Philadelphian warrior “King” Gabriel Rosado. Plus, unbeaten Californian Hugo “The Boss” Centeno Jr. takes on his toughest challenge yet in the form of Texas’ James “The King” De La Rosa. Rounding out the televised card is a pair of junior welterweight sluggers as Thomas “El Frances” Dulorme takes on “Hammerin” Hank Lundy in junior welterweight action.

In non-televised action, two hot prospects out of New York City, Eddie “E-Boy” Gomez and Zachary “Zungry” Ochoa, will enter the ring in separate bouts to entertain the hometown fans and continue their rise to the top of the boxing world.

Tickets priced at $150, $80, $50, $25 and $15, plus applicable taxes and service charges are on sale now and are available for purchase at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-745-3000 and at the American Express Box Office starting on Thursday, Oct. 30 at noon. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.

“I’m really looking forward to this fight,” said Lemieux. “My training camp has already started and I am in great shape. I want to take this opportunity to prove that I represent a real threat to the middleweight division. Gabriel Rosado is a tough fighter and he has fought a lot of talented boxers and has established his credibility. This will be a good test for me and I’m working really hard to deliver an amazing performance.”

“A fight like me against David Lemieux is what HBO is all about, and the type of fight the boxing world craves,” said Rosado. “I’m both excited and motivated to fight again on the East Coast. I’m from Philly and I know my fans will be in Brooklyn to represent [Philadelphia] alongside my New York fans. Records can be deceiving and I believe David Lemieux will learn that first hand, and I’m hungry to get back in the mix with the best in the middleweight division.”

“I’m really excited about this great opportunity, I will take complete advantage of it and showcase my talent,” said Centeno Jr. “I want to thank Golden Boy and HBO for this opportunity.”

“Here I am again on the big stage this time against Hugo Centeno Jr. on HBO,” said De La Rosa. “I’m dedicating this fight to my mentor Emanuel Augustus who I’d been sparring against since I was 14 years old. People know he came to put on a show and I’m coming to do the same December 6 in Brooklyn.”

“I’m very grateful to my promoter Gary Shaw for getting me this fight with Hank Lundy,” said Dulorme. “I’m really looking forward to putting on a great show for all of the fans watching on HBO. This is a great opportunity for me to showcase my talent against a very good opponent. I know a victory against Lundy will open up many doors for my career. I’m coming to win and win convincingly for my fans back home in Puerto Rico.”

“This is what we’ve been waiting for – to fight on a big stage – HBO,” said Lundy. “This is a great opportunity to show the world ‘Hammerin’ Hank is the best-kept secret in the 140-pound weight class. On December 6, I’m coming to New York to put on a hell of a show. As a Philadelphia kid, everyone knows that I’ve fought hard. Nothing comes easy. The fans know I’m going to bring it.

“The winners of these two fights will find themselves positioned for huge match-ups in their next bouts, while the losers will experience a major setback,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Founder and President of Golden Boy Promotions. “With so much on the line, fans are in for a huge show to close out the 2014 boxing season at Barclays Center.”

“I’m extremely happy for David to get this opportunity on the big stage in the U.S. against a very well respected Gabriel Rosado,” said Camille Estephan of Eye of the Tiger Management. “We are not looking past this fight nonetheless, we believe David is capable of competing with the cream of the crop in his division. We couldn’t be happier with David’s preparation so far for this fight. We want to seize this opportunity and we will.”

“Dulorme has looked sensational since moving down to 140 pounds,” said Gary Shaw, Dulorme’s promoter. “Right now he’s riding a five-fight winning streak and momentum is on his side. Lundy is a good fighter, but I believe Dulorme is on another level. I want to thank Ken Hershman, Peter Nelson and everyone at HBO for all of their supports in making this fight a reality. Also I’m glad to be working with Cameron Dunkin again. This is going to be a great fight for the fans, one they deserve.”

“We want to thank HBO, Golden Boy Promotions and Gary Shaw Productions for this opportunity. We’re very excited to fight at the beautiful Barclays Center in Brooklyn,” said Jimmy Burchfield Sr., CES Boxing President and CEO. “Hank is a throwback fighter. He fights in the center of the ring and brings the fight to his opponent. This is why he gets the highest ratings when he fights worldwide and on national television. This is a fight we’ve wanted for a long time. We know Thomas Dulorme is a worthy opponent, but these are the kind of fights that bring out the best in ‘Hammerin’ Hank.”

“I am excited to welcome new boxing talent to Barclays Center,” said Brett Yormark, CEO of Barclays Center. “We expect a great fight from Lemieux and Rosado, which the boxing fans of Brooklyn have come to expect at Barclays Center. We are also delighted that Zachary Ochoa and Eddie Gomez are returning to the center of boxing on the East Coast.”

“The commitment to boxing from the people at Barclays Center is gratifying and we are delighted to return to Brooklyn for an action packed night of tough fights on our late night boxing franchise,” said Peter Nelson, vice president, programming, HBO Sports. “Fight fans will get their money’s worth from three stellar matchups and we know that David, Gabriel, Hugo, James, Thomas and Hank will be prepared to seize the night.”

Canada’s latest hope for world championship honors, 25-year-old Montreal native David Lemieux (32-2, 30 KOs) has all of the tools to become an international superstar, and his first HBO headliner against Rosado will certainly prove if he’s ready for primetime. Currently ranked second in the world at 160 pounds by the WBC, fifth by the IBF and eighth by the WBO, Lemieux is coming off of a blistering third-round knockout over Fernando Guerrero in May and many believe a win over Rosado will be his ticket to a title shot.

One of the most respected and popular middleweights in the world, Philadelphia’s “King” Gabriel Rosado (21-8, 13 KOs) is a fearless warrior who lives up to his claim to be willing to fight anyone, anytime at any place. A knockout victor over the likes of Jesus Soto Karass, Sechew Powell and Charles Whittaker, Rosado has also shared the ring with world champions Gennady Golovkin and Peter Quillin. Eager to get another opportunity to challenge for a world title, the 28-year-old Rosado will enter the ring with a vengeance December 6.

Ready to make his move on the middleweight elite, Oxnard’s Hugo “The Boss” Centeno Jr. (21-0, 11 KOs) has long been one of boxing’s top prospects, but since the 23-year-old put together wins over Ayi Bruce, Keandre Leatherwood, Angel Osuna and Gerardo Ibarra, he has made himself known as a legitimate contender. On December 6, he will introduce himself to the world on the HBO airwaves.

A native of Harlingen, Texas, 26-year-old James “The King” De La Rosa (23-2, 13 KOs) fought under the radar for much of his nearly decade-long career, even though he defeated Tim Coleman, Tyrone Brunson and James Webb. But in September, De La Rosa broke out on the world stage with his dominant 10-round decision win over Alfredo Angulo in Las Vegas, setting up another big fight in December against the unbeaten Centeno Jr.

Fighting in New York for the fourth time, Puerto Rico’s Thomas Dulorme (21-1, 14 KOs) is currently on a five-fight winning streak in which he’s dispatched Francisco Figueroa and outpointed previously unbeaten Karim Mayfield, putting him among the top contenders at 140 pounds. Currently ranked second in the world by the WBA, fourth by the WBC and IBF and fifth by the WBO, the 24-year-old Dulorme is taking on a risky test in Lundy, but with a win, he will move a step closer to a title shot.

Bouncing back in style after a 2013 decision loss to Viktor Postol, 30-year-old Philadelphia native Hank Lundy (25-3-1, 12 KOs) has barely lost a round since defeating Olusegun Ajose, Angelo Santana and Gerardo Cuevas in successive fights, showing that despite his previous success at 135 pounds, his true home is now in the junior welterweight division, where he is ranked sixth in the world by the IBF heading into this pivotal showdown with Dulorme on December 6.

Hailing from the Bronx, Eddie Gomez (16-1, 10 KOs) has done a lot in a short time thus far as a professional, following up a stellar amateur career with dominant victories over a high level of competition. Now, he looks to avenge the first loss of his career, an upset defeat in June at the hands of Francisco Santana. Gomez had been hot before the loss as the skilled boxer-puncher had defeated Luis Hernandez, Steve Upsher Chambers and Daquan Arnett previously. Next he will face an opponent to be named on December 6.

Proudly representing his borough of Brooklyn will be junior welterweight prospect Zachary Ochoa (8-0, 4 KOs). Appearing at Barclays Center for the fourth time, the 22-year-old Ochoa has shown style and savvy throughout his young career and in his next test, against an opponent to be determined he will look to keep his hometown fans happy.

Lemieux vs. Rosado is a 12 round NABF middleweight bout which is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Eye Of The Tiger Management and sponsored by Corona Extra, AT&T and Mexico – Live It To Believe It!. Dulorme vs. Lundy is a 10-round junior welterweight bout promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Gary Shaw Productions and CES Boxing. The HBO Boxing After Dark telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

For more information go to www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.eottm.com, www.hbo.com/boxing or www.barclayscenter.com Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/EOTMVD www.twitter.com/hboboxing, www.twitter.com/KingGabRosado, www.twitter.com/lemieuxboxing, www.twitter.com/HugoBoss805, www.twitter.com/KingJamesLDR, www.twitter.com/Swanson_comm or www.twitter.com/BarclaysCenter. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/EyeoftheTigerManagement, www.facebook.com/hboboxing and www.facebook.com/BarclaysCenter.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Middleweights David Lemieux and Gabriel Rosado will headline a triple header on December 6 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn that will be televised on Showtime.

Oscar De La Hoya also outlined the plans for the rest of the card, which will include a middleweight bout between James De La Rosa and Hugo Centeno. A welterweight bout between hot prospect Frankie Gomez and Thomas Dulorme is also in the works.

“Lemieux is a very exciting fighter and a big puncher,” De La Hoya said. “We made a deal with him for this fight. He’s in an exciting weight class and the ultimate prize for anyone at 154 or 160 pounds is to face Canelo Alvarez, and David Lemieux fits into that picture perfectly. The guy comes at you like a Mack truck. We’re going to do some good things with him. He has a great record, amazing power and is a great looking kid.”

The 25-year-old Lemieux (32-2, 30 KOs), whose formal deal with Golden Boy is for only one bout, has fought all of his professional fights in Montreal except one, and that was in Quebec City. He has appeared on ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights” several times but he is coming to Brooklyn to make a statement in the U.S., said manager Camille Estephan.

“We want to fight guys like Miguel Cotto and Canelo Alvarez, and I think David is ready for these guys, but on a financial level it doesn’t make sense for them to fight him right now,” Estephan said. “I’m not saying they are ducking David because his name recognition in the U.S. is not big enough yet. So HBO wanted David to fight in the United States and for their audience to see him. They wanted to see what he can do against a guy who is a proven fighter like Gabriel Rosado. I am super happy we got this fight.”

“Rosado and Lemieux is a good fight,” said De La Hoya, who promotes Rosado. “Lemieux is a tough son of a gun. He always comes forward and so does Rosado. Rosado gave Golovkin one of his better fights and he always comes to fight. Dec. 6 is going to determine who’s possibly the next opponent for Canelo, after Cinco de Mayo.”

Middleweight boxing contender Gabriel Rosado will appear on the promoter this Thursday at 8 PM and will be filmed at Chickies and Petes in South Philadelphia.

Rosado who has twice fought for the Middleweight championship of the world will talk about his career and his upcoming bout against David Lemieux that will take place on December 6 in Brooklyn, NY.

The Promoter, which is hosted by Damon Feldman is on WAPC onc Comcast and Verizon on channel 4 and national networks through filmon.com and ifametv.com. Feldman is an undefeated professional 9-0. His father was well known world class trainer of 7 world champions. The taping is open to the public

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.

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.

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.

ATLANTIC CITY–The ageless Bernard Hopkins yet again held back the clock as he scored a 12 round unanimous decision over unheralded mandatory challenger Karo Murat at Boardwalk Hall.

Hopkins took a few rounds getting adjusted to Murat who came to win.

The bout was entertaining and featured many furious exchanges that aren’t common in most Hopkins bouts. Hopkins had Murat hurt on several occasions as his vaunted straight right hand was on point and began to bust up the face around Murat’s left eye. In between the action there was some holding that was precipitated by Murat and he was docked a point by referee Steve Smoger in round seven.

In round eight, the man known as “The Alien” became more entertaining as he engaged in an exchange with Murat while talking to the television cameras on the apron. Hopkins desperately wanted a knockout was aggressive and had Murat hurt down the stretch. Murat did mount an effort but came up short on this night to the 48 year-old legend.

Hopkins outlanded Murat 247-565 to 147-486. The hopkins tally included 184 power punches.

Hopkins, 172 1/2 lbs of Philadelphia won by scores of 119-109, 119-109 and 117-110 (same as 15rounds.com) and is now 54-6-2. Murat, 174 lbs of Berlin, Germany is 25-2-1.

“Richard Schaefer said we needed to be crowd pleasers,” said Hopkins, the oldest champion in sports history. “The crowd wanted to see skill and blood so I had some blood to give them. I am an entertainer and this is what people want to see… He was a game number one contender.”

When asked by SHOWTIME ringside reporter Jim Gray if Murat brought out the best in him, Hopkins answered, “Not really, but he didn’t bring out the worst either.”

Regarding the slow start, Hopkins said, “That was the plan. That was the bone on the string so that the dog could follow him into a dark alley and then realize someone was waiting on him. And that dog was me.”

Hopkins continued, “He throws pretty good punches and he is no one to sleep on. He is going to give some light heavyweights a bit of a problem.”

When Gray asked Hopkins how he stays in such phenomenal shape at age 48, Hopkins replied, “I’m a freaking alien.”

Gray then spoke to Murat who said, “Bernard is a good boxer and I lost concentration due to the two cuts which came by head butts. I know that when I am in good shape I can beat him, however, the cuts disturbed me.”

Peter Quillin retained the WBO Middleweight title with a 10th round stoppage over Gabriel Rosado when the challenger was deemed unable to continue due to a cut over the left eye.

In round two, Quillin landed a left hook to the side of the head that sent Rosado to the canvas. Rosado fought back valiantly and started to get into fight with some solid right hands. the two traded off rounds with Quillin throwing less but landing harder. Rosado landed the flashier punches and seemed to be picking up momentum in various parts of the fight.

In round nine, a bad cut appeared around the left eye of Rosado that was ruled from a punch. Just forty seconds into round ten, ringside doctor Blair Bergen thought the blood was too much and stopped the fight.

Quillin, 159 1/4 lbs is now 30-0 with 22 knockouts. Rosado, 160 lbs is now a hard luck 21-7.

Said Quillin after the fight, “I’m not a judge. I’m not an elected official. I did what I had to do as a fighter and I respect the call. The referees and doctors ringside did what they had to do to make sure the fighters are safe.

“I never expect an easy payday or an easy fight. I work hard every time for each fight… When you dedicate to win a title you need to give that person a sense of being able to achieve what they want. I am a world champion and I work hard. He has never been a champion and he doesn’t know.

“I’m ready for anybody. I am a fighter and I worry about fighting. If it is a rematch, then I don’t care. I work hard to be in this ring and I work hard to defend my title against anybody. I don’t care if it is against my own mother.”

Of the stoppage, Rosado told Gray, “I felt like that was B.S. This is a championship fight. We were going into the championship rounds. This was a competitive fight. I never complained about a cut. When the doctor saw my eye, I told him that I could see. It was not giving me any problems up to that point.

“I noticed if I backed him up with a jab that I was hurting him and I was doing that. But then the doctor called me over and stopped the fight. This is boxing. What about Gatti-Ward? They didn’t stop that fight. Corrales-Castillo. We are warriors.

“I never even complained that I couldn’t see. Of course I want a rematch. This is the story of my life. I’m the real Rocky Balboa.”

Deontay Wilder made it 30 for 30. 30-0, 30 knockouts that is as he scored a four round destruction over Nicolai Firtha in a scheduled ten round Heavyweight bout.

Firtha came rushing out and made Wilder stumble from a left hand. Wilder came back string in the round as he floored Firtha twice in the round. The first knockdown came from a hard right hand while the second was from a right to the side of the head. Firtha began to gush blood from his nostrils. Wilder kept up the power assault in round two and then dropped Firtha from a huge power right in the third.

Wilder ended things with a huge right hand that sent Firtha flat on his back and the fight was stopped at 1:26 of round four.

“This is what i wanted. To box and have fun. I told everyone that Firtha was coming to fight. I am right there at the door. Everytime you see me, you know what you are going to get and that a knockout.”, Said Wilder

Wilder, 224 lbs of Tuscaloosa, AL is now 30-0 with 30 knockouts. Firtha, 252 1/2 lbs of Akron, OH is now 21-11-1.

Zachary Ochoa remained undefeated with a four round unanimous decision over Michael Doyle in a Jr. Welterweight bout.

Scores were 40-36, 39-37 and 39-37 for Ochoa, 140 1/2 lbs and is now 5-0. Doyle, 137 lbs is 2-6.

Braulio Santos disposed of David Clark in round one of their scheduled eight round Featherweight bout.

Santos rocked Clark with two vicious power shots and then connected on a devastating left hook that sent Clark down. Clark got to his feet but referee David Fields called the bout off at 1:49 of round one.

Santos of Puerto Rico is now 11-1 with 10 knockouts. Clark is 6-3.

Dominic Wade opened the show up with a first round destruction over Roberto Ventura in a scheduled eight round Middleweight bout.

Wade rocked Ventura with a left hook and then dropped him with an overhand right. Seconds later Wade dropped Ventura with an overhand right. Wade finished things with a hard overhand right that sent Ventura down for a third and final time and the bout was stopped at 2:08 of round one.

Wade is now 13-0 with 10 knockouts. Ventura is now 12-8.

Atlantic City, NJ (Oct. 24, 2013) – The six fighters that will be featured on the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast this Saturday night gathered with media members at Caesars Atlantic City to discuss their respective matchups. Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins, Karo Murat, Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin, “King” Gabriel Rosado, Deontay “Bronze Bomber” Wilder and Nicolai Firtha answered questions candidly about the in-ring challenges taking place at Boardwalk Hall on Saturday night.

Below please find quick-hitting quotes from each fighter.

Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins, IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion

“Coming to Atlantic City brings out a lot of emotions in me. To be back here, healthy with a legacy and doing historic things is a blessing.

“I am motivated by being in a place where it all began. There is extra energy for me to give serious beat downs here.

“Karo Murat is hoping, like others before him, that he is lucky enough that I got old in the gym.

“There’s no magic spell that hits you over the head that says, ‘You’re old.’

“As far as I’m concerned, old to me is not old to the average person. What is old?

“I’m getting the interest on the investment I have made in my personal life.

“I’m not just fighting Karo Murat. I’m fighting politics. I made a 360-degree turn. I’m back in Atlantic City. I’ve been here a few times. You hear Hopkins and Mayweather. You hear Hopkins fighting other light heavyweights. People want to put a time frame on what you’re supposed to be doing.

“I remember everything about the Clinton Mitchell fight [Hopkins’ professional debut]…I remember I lost.

“How many urban stories have ended up like mine? How I have been disciplined in the gym and in business.

“Some people might get tired of hearing me talk, but not the young ones, the young boxers. I can tell they don’t get tired of hearing me talk to them.

“My fight [Saturday night] is another page of my legacy. We want people to think this is a tough fight, but it’s a fight that is going to lead to bigger things.”

Karo Murat, Top Light Heavyweight Contender

“I had a lot of practice in Germany and in many of my other fights. This is a fight against a legend, but I can handle it.

“I think it is a sign from God that I am here to end Bernard’s career. He is an old man and needs to stop now.

“I know that I don’t have to knock Bernard out in order to get a fair decision in America.

“I don’t have a strategy. I will see during the fight what I can do to beat Hopkins.

“The biggest crowd I have fought in front of was 6,000 people.”

Peter Quillin, WBO Middleweight World Champion

“Sometimes you work so hard you surprise yourself, but it’s not for you to be over confident. You have to continue to work hard.

“It’s important not to look ahead and to stay present and focus on the now.

“I look at myself like a more polished champion because I wouldn’t be here if God didn’t want me to be.

“I learned early in my career that every fighter has small window to make money and you need to make sure to save your money, pay your taxes and set yourself up for the future.

“Rosado is still trying to find himself out. He lost already; he took some bumps in roads with losses.

“Nothing that Rosado does in the ring is going to be good enough.

“When I get in the ring my trunks are my office suit. Outside of the ring I have the business suit on.

“I want to challenge myself to go to every level I possibly can and challenge my own records.”

“I don’t know how to speak about any other story besides establishing myself and explain myself through these [holding fists up].

“Before I fight I say to myself I’m already ready. Let me get more ready.”

Gabriel Rosado, Top Middleweight Contender

“I will fight in my back yard or in anyone’s back yard. I am comfortable fighting anywhere.

“I have a lot of people that have shown me love faithfully since the beginning, so what I do is buy 50 tickets and give them to those who have been there supporting me along the way.”

“I know I will have a lot of opportunities to take advantage of Quillin in the ring because not only did I study him in his past fight but I also studied my past fight and looked for ways to improve my fight.

“Without a doubt I have fought the bigger names like Soto-Karass and Kassim Ouma.
I have the better names on my record.

“It’s going to be a great fight …Its about who is the smarter guy.”

“I feel really great about this camp and sparred with three guys that weighed 190 lbs. My strength and conditioning coach [Jason Sargus] are working together again and I feel really strong and prepared.

“I think if I would have had everything along the way handed to me on a silver platter, I wouldn’t be here. The route that I took makes me what I am today. I am a lot more mature now. I am turning 28 years old and I feel that mentally I am at a stage that I have never been at in my career. I want to be a world champion

[On his personal life and his career] “The adversity I went through would break most men but it made me better.”

“Kid Chocolate has been on my mind for a while. I have never called him out because I wanted it to play out naturally and get the fight.

“I am fighting Kid Chocolate because I want this fight. I expect him to bring his A-game. I am ready for his fight.”

Deontay Wilder, WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight Champion

“I know that Firtha doesn’t move his head and that’s a dangerous thing to do, especially in the heavyweight division and with a puncher like me. To his credit, when he comes he comes to fight.

“I can take this opportunity as a blessing or be scared and be a participant like my opponents have done. But I fear no man. I only fear God.

“If he goes hard, I will go harder.

“If I am fighting for another person than that makes me fight harder. I don’t want to let that person down. I don’t like that feeling of letting anybody down.”

Nicolai Firtha, Heavyweight Contender

“Before you compete against the best, you don’t know if you can beat them. You don’t know until you actually fight them.

“I want my abilities, tools and skills to speak for me. Not only can I fight the best, but I can beat the best.

“I don’t take his [Wilder’s] record lightly at all. He has done what he has to do in serious fashion.

“I will have a very serious problem dealing with Deontay’s power if I stand there in his way to be hit.

“My trainer tells me to use my good jab and my movement to my advantage.”

# # #

Hopkins vs. Murat is a 12-round bout for Hopkins’ IBF Light Heavyweight World Championship, presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Caesars Atlantic City and sponsored by Corona and AT&T. In the co-main event WBO Middleweight Champion Peter Quillin puts his title on the line against Gabriel Rosado in a 12-round bout. Plus, opening the tripleheader, WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder will face Nicolai Firtha in a 10-round showdown. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins live at 9 p.m. ET/PT and is available in Spanish on secondary audio programming (SAP). Preliminary bouts will air live on SHOWTIME EXTREME® beginning at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets priced at $300, $150, $75, $50 and $25, not including applicable service charges, are on sale now and can be purchased at the Boardwalk Hall Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-736-1420 or at www.ticketmaster.com.

LONDON (23 Oct) – Peter ‘Kid Chocolate’ Quillin has hit back at ‘King’ Gabriel Rosado vowing to knock him out before conquering middleweight marvel Sergio Martinez.

The undefeated WBO middleweight world champion faces the hardened Philadelphian Rosado on the undercard of the Bernard Hopkins-Karo Murat clash this weekend at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

Fireworks are expected when the pair enter the ring, with Rosado earlier promising to make an early night of it, something which hasn’t sat too well with the current champion.

“He says the fight is going to a knockout and he’s not going to the scorecard. I really, honestly, see that, but I don’t believe it’s going to be me that’s going to be the one that’s taking defeat, knocked out,” insisted Quillin.

“I just know that I’ve been training very, very hard for this fight. I know what I’m able to do. I’m not comparing my performance to anybody. I’m not trying to match my performance.

“I’m going to do “Kid Chocolate” that’s all I know how to do, and with my last three fights people count for that too but they don’t count the last three where it’s been 11 knock downs.

“Everyone I touch they have a different approach, and once I touch them it’s not the same, and I’m praying for Gabe that’s he’s able to go up there and put his best foot forward because that’s all he can do, and when that’s not enough he’s just going to have to shake hands and going to have to accept defeat because that’s what I’m going to deliver,” said Quillin.

Raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the city of the legendary Floyd Mayweather, Quillin captured the WBO middleweight world title after a scintillating 12-round performance against Hassan N’Dam, which saw the French-Cameroonian hit the deck six times.

Long thought of as one of boxing’s glamour divisions, Quillin is out to restore the sparkle of past middleweight eras by insisting he wants to face the best out there should he get past Rosado, starting with the man he regards as the best in the division – Martinez.

“I would place myself second behind Sergio Martinez. I’ve been calling Sergio Martinez out from day one when everybody didn’t think I was a serious fighter,” he said.

“I would place myself number two only because I was willing to fight all the guys that Gennady Golovkin is fighting, Matthew Macklin. I was willing to fight Gennady Golovkin, but a lot of things and a lot of business hold back a lot of these things.

“I just know that I’m going to fight hard whatever place I am to be number one, be the number one middleweight in the United States and be number one middleweight in the world,” said Quillin.

“It’s one of my dreams, to be a unified champion, and I reconstructed my goals after I won the title to say that that’s the next mission that there’d be a unified champion,” he said.

Watch Hopkins v Murat and Quillin v Rosado live and exclusive on BoxNation (Sky Ch.437/Virgin Ch.546) this Sunday at 2am. Visit www.boxnation.com to subscribe.

-Ends-

About BoxNation
BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated subscription boxing channel. For £10* a month and no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

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

Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Khan vs Diaz and Mayweather vs Alvarez.

The channel is available on Sky (ch 437), Virgin (ch 546), online at Livesport.tv and via iPhone, iPad or Android.

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

For more information visit www.boxnation.com

*Plus £10 one off registration fee for Sky TV and new Livesport.tv customers.

NEW YORK (October 21, 2013) – The odds are heavily in favor of Gabriel Rosado (21-6, 13 KOs) hitting the canvas at least once this Saturday night during his world title fight challenge against undefeated World Boxing Organization (WBO) middleweight champion Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin (29-0, 21 KOs), airing on Showtime Championship Boxing, live from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

WBO No. 11-rated Rosado going down has less to do with the quality of his chin or durability, rather a credit to Quillin’s awesome power.

Quillin’s 29 opponents have been dropped a total of 31 times, including an amazing 10 knockdowns in his last two fights, both in world championship competition, against Fernando Guerrero (4 knockdowns) and former WBO champion Nassan N’Dam N’Jikam (6 knockdowns). “Kid Chocolate” also dropped future Hall of Famer Ronald “Winky” Wright, in Quillin’s fight prior to him challenging N’Jikam, which ended in a unanimous 10-round decision that sent Wright into retirement.

“I get paid to give 12 rounds of action,” Quillin said. “I am a performer in the ring and I’ve trained hard to be a power puncher. At times I’ll take a punch to give back a few of my own. I have power to knockout my opponent with my right or left, at any point of a fight. Earlier in my career, a lot of my knockdowns and knockouts came in two rounds or less, but I had 10 knockdowns in my two world title fights. No matter how many times they get up, I’m going to keep knocking them down.”

Quillin (L) working with his head trainer, Eric Brown

What explains Quillin’s propensity to knockdown his opponents so often?

“Animal status,” Quillin’s head trainer Eric Brown quickly answered. “Peter is a beast! He is very solid, focused and a fundamentally sound fighter, who can knock you out with either hand. He’s very hungry and appreciates what it really means to be world champion.”

For more information about Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin go online to www.TheKidChocolate.com (Team Kid Chocolate T-shirts on sale here) or follow him on Twitter @KidChocolate and Instagram@KidChocolate.

Kelly Swanson
We are on the phone today with WBO Middleweight World Champion Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin and “King” Gabriel Rosado. They will be facing each other in the co-main event on October 26 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. This is a great show. Of course, everybody knows that Bernard Hopkins is the main event against Murat, and exciting heavyweight Deontay Wilder will also be on the show. So, we’re looking forward to hearing from the fighters today. We have them both on at the same time so without further ado, I’m going to turn it over to Robert Diaz, Golden Boy Promotions Matchmaker, to make the formal introductions. Robert?

Robert Diaz
Thank you very much, Kelly. Thank you to everybody for being on the call. Before we get started, I want to make a couple of announcements. Saturday, October 26 at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey; promoted by Golden Boy Promotions. I want to thank our sponsors Corona and AT&T and, it will be from Caesars in Atlantic City. Produced and distributed live by Showtime Championship Boxing beginning at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/Pacific, and the event can be heard in Spanish using secondary audio programming. Tickets are priced at $300, $150, $75, $50 and $25, not including applicable service charges, are now on sale and can be purchased at the Boardwalk Hall box office or throughout all Ticketmaster locations by calling 1-800-736-1420.

Now, I’d like to start introducing the fighters. Obviously, those who know, out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, know that the fighters come to fight. Joe Frazier, Bernard Hopkins and “King” Gabriel Rosado holder of wins over Jesus Soto Karass, Sechew Powell, Kassim Ouma and Charles Whittaker. Rosado has also been in the ring with Gennady Golovkin, Alfredo Angulo and J’Leon Love. On October 26 the “King” will do whatever it takes to win the middleweight crown. Gabe, would you like to make some opening statements please?

Gabriel Rosado
Thanks for having me and looking forward to this fight. I’m having a terrific training camp so I’m just excited for October 26.

R. Diaz
Thank you, Gabe. He will be facing none other than Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin out of Brooklyn, New York with a record of 29-0-21 knockouts, the WBO Middleweight World Champion. When he defeated former champion Hassan N’Dam in a memorable performance where he dropped N’Dam six times at the Barclays Center on October 20. This past April, Peter Quillin successfully defended his title for the first time dropping Fernando Guerrero four times in route to a seven-round technical knockout. On October 26 Quillin will face Rosado in his second title defense and he will do whatever it takes to defend that title. Peter, would you like to make some comments please?

P. Quillin
Yes. I just want to thank everybody that’s going to be tuning in watching this fight, all the hard working people behind the scenes that make this fight possible, all my people, Al Haymon, and, you know, the list goes on. I’m very thankful, and I’m going to do my best to make sure that you get fireworks in the month of October.

K. Swanson
Okay. Thank you so much, guys. All right, we’re going to cruise right through here and we’ll open it up for questioning.

Q
Hey, Peter, in your mind right now, where do you think you rank among the world’s great middleweights?

P. Quillin
I would place myself second behind Sergio Martinez. I’ve been calling Sergio Martinez out from day one when everybody didn’t think I was a serious fighter. I would place myself number two only because I was willing to fight all the guys that Gennady Golovkin is fighting, Matthew Macklin. I was willing to fight Gennady Golovkin, but a lot of things and a lot of business hold back a lot of these things, but I just know that I’m going to fight hard whatever place I am to be number one, be the number one middleweight in the United States and be number one middleweight in the world.

Q
Are you hopeful of-not to look past Gabriel Rosado, I’m going to ask you about him in a second because he’s a tough dude but-are you hopeful of getting the chance to prove that at some point by unifying the titles with somebody like a Martinez or Golovkin?

P. Quillin
Of course that’s one of my dreams, to be a unified champion and I reconstructed my goals after I won the title to say that that’s the next mission that there’d be a unified champion. So, I can only take one day at a time and Gabriel Rosado is in front of me. He’s a very tough cookie to crack and I’m going to make sure that I do everything it takes to go ahead and stay on my goal path.

Q
All right. Well, you kind of told me what you thought about Rosado so let me ask you this, Peter. At what point in your career did you realize that you had something special going? And you are a terrific fighter, by the way.

P. Quillin
Well, I can just say that from the beginning my dream was always become a world champion. Once that happened I knew I would fight. Okay. I accomplished what I really wanted. Now where do I go from here? And that’s when I started to notice that when you become a world champion it becomes a special thing because you’ve got little kids telling you that they’re inspired by you and not inspired to be a champion but like lawyers and doctors and stuff like that. Then I knew that was something special so now I know I have a responsibility to know what I do is just go out there and I work even harder to make sure that every time I go out and defend this belt I’m defending it with all that pride, that honor, and all the kids that are watching.

Q
This question is for “Kid Chocolate.” Earlier this week you said in an interview that Gabe knows how to lose, and I thought that was an interesting comment because a lot of people when they look at Rosado he’s known for his toughness. He’s known for not quitting. So what have you seen in him to make you make a statement like that where you think that you know when the going gets tough he might fold in there in the ring with you?

P. Quillin
I’m not saying he’s a loser in spirit. I’m just saying based on facts and on paper that he knows how to lose, meaning he has six losses at the end of the day. I haven’t had a taste of defeat so my hunger and his hunger are coming from different places. His hunger will always fight from not wanting to lose again. My hunger is never to want to taste defeat. So, when people were thinking I was saying like he’s not tough enough and he knows how to lose, I mean it in a way that only people that will have a thinking mind will be able to put that in to perspective. I’m saying that with six loses on his record, if he ever got a moment in a fight with me where he felt that feeling before he can choose two ways. He can choose to fight on or he can choose to lose.

Q
Gabe, I wanted to get your thoughts on that but I also wanted to ask you, you said yesterday on Twitter that this fight is going to be a war and we’ve seen your last couple of fights that you’re very versatile. When you fought J’Leon Love you took the fight to him. When you fought Golovkin, you actually showed the counter punch. So what about “Kid Chocolate” you think that this fight is going to be a war the way you guys match up?

G. Rosado
I mean he doesn’t have to quit … and neither do I. I mean and I just have a different approach to this fight and my mindset is at a place that I don’t think it’s ever been in my whole career. I’m growing up, being smarter, and I just have a whole different mentality going in to this fight, and I feel like this fight is all or nothing, and I’m willing to go through hell to win that title on the 26 like literally. I’m willing to go through whatever it takes to win that belt.

Q
Question for Gabriel Rosado, I know that your mentor and one of your guys you most respect is Bernard Hopkins. How do you fell about fighting on the same card with him?

G. Rosado
You know what I never thought that would happen. I remember when Bernard fought Calzaghe, that’s when I first started being around Bernard, and at that time they were calling him old, and so I thought by the time I get there to that level Bernard will be retired. The fact that he’s still fighting at the age of 48 and he’s a world champion is amazing. I don’t think that will ever be done again. So, you know, the fact that I’m opening up with “Kid” and Bernard is the main event is just something special. Bernard has definitely been a big influence in my career. He’s taught me a lot and I think my different approach to my career, the approach I’m taking now has a lot to do with what Bernard has taught me mentally and how to live your life outside of the ring, and I take those things to heart because he’s a great champion. It means a lot being on the same card with Bernard Hopkins.

Q
Okay. Do you feel like this fight is a must win for you?

G. Rosado
That’s how I feel about every fight. You can look at the record and you see the six losses and at this point that’s history. That happened already, but I think it says a lot of the fact that I’ve been through all that adversity. The fact that I’m still here and I’m still relevant it speaks volumes because not too many fighters had loses and are still relevant and the fans going to see them. A lot of guys would have quit, and they wouldn’t have taken the road that I took. I mean so it just shows that I have the heart and the desire to be a champion, and I think with all the experience and everything that I’ve been through is going to prepare me for this fight mentally and physically and everything that I have to do. I’ll be ready October 26.

Q
Okay. Now your last fight against Love you had a good fight. It was a close fight. Many people thought you should have gotten the decision. He got the decision. I know that ultimately things were, the result was changed, but what did you learn in that fight? I mean against “Kid Chocolate” you’re fighting a terrific young champion, big, strong, game guy. How will you fight him in this fight and will that last fight, you know what have you learned in that fight? How will you adjust in this one?

G. Rosado
Yeah. I think one thing I’ll admit is the mistake that I made in the Love fight was I looked at the J’Leon Love fight as an opportunity to get a world title fight. I kind of went in to that fight with Love as I’m a veteran and he doesn’t have the experience, and I kind of just convinced myself I would be schooling him in that fight, and I didn’t go in to that fight with a-I should have had more of a killer mentality like how I’m going in to this fight. I think I kind of fought to my level. Sometimes fighters make that mistake and they fight to a certain level, and I just felt like Love wasn’t at my level and I kind of just was tagging amuck. And I think if I would have had the approach that I have now going in to the fight with “Kid” where I know “Kid” is a great champion my attitude, my whole demeanor, the way I’m training is I’m training for war. I’m going in to this fight like it’s all or nothing. You know what I mean? But you know everyone knows I won the Love fight anyway so that’s why I’m here, so I’m blessed that everything worked out anyway.

Q
Hey, Gabe, obviously Peter Quillin is the naturally bigger guy. He’s a guy coming in with the physical strength and the explosive power, and I just wanted to ask you where do you feel your advantages are in this matchup?

G. Rosado
Well, this being the third fight at middleweight my body has actually grown in to a middleweight right now. I’ve been walking around 176. Right now I’m down to probably like 172 so I’m a bigger guy now.

Q
You don’t look at yourself as a junior middleweight fighting a middleweight?

G. Rosado
Honestly, man, I think that junior middleweight the only way I would ever go back to junior middleweight is if it was something worth my while, but just to go back down I wouldn’t do it because I think probably now naturally I’m a middleweight. I think I’ve grown in to it. I think with the GGG fight, I was going up from 64 and I only came in like 163 the day of the fight, and then for the J’Leon Love I kind of felt a little more comfortable, but this time around I’m a lot bigger. I’m a lot stronger. I feel it in my training camp, sparing bigger guys and sparring cruiserweights. I definitely feel the size advantage and I have strict coach where I put more mass on, so I don’t think “Kid” is going to have an advantage when it comes to size.

Q
Do you think you have the advantage when it comes to technique or ring generalship?

G. Rosado
You know I think when it comes to technique I think I flow better with my punches. I think “Kid” is a strong puncher. He’s a raw guy, but I think at the end of the day this fight is going to come down to who is the smarter fighter and who has better skills. I think “Kid” has the will to win and I’ve got the will to win and that’s just going to make it such an action packed fight, but at the end of the day the smarter guy is going to win the fight.

Q
Who do you think has the better experience? I mean, “Kid Chocolate” he’s got some title fights under his belt now, and the fight with N’Dam was 12 rounds and it was a tough challenge. But do you see yourself as having the edge having been in with more champions this time?

G. Rosado
I don’t take anything away from “Kid.” He’s a world champion, right, but as far as names I feel like I’ve fought better names. He fought ‘Winky’ Wright and ‘Winky’ was a great champion, but ‘Winky’ Wright came out of retirement. He wasn’t the ‘Winky’ Wright of old. Guerrero beat me and he beat Guerrero but that fight was-I mean Guerrero was almost was about five years ago so it really doesn’t matter. But I think at the end of the day it really doesn’t matter. Kid is going to come and bring his A game and I’m going to bring my A game and the best man is going to win.

Q
Watching his last two fights, watching the fight with Guerrero and watching the fight with N’Dam did you see any flaws whether it was technically or in terms of just his conditioning? Did you see any flaws that you can take advantage of?

G. Rosado
I think every fighter has flaws. No one is perfect. I have flaws. He has flaws. Everyone has flaws. The key is to make them pay for their flaws so you have to be a smart fighter. I definitely do see flaws in “Kid.” I’m pretty sure he sees some flaws in my game. You know the whole thing is just to do your homework, study film, and then what you study do it in training camp, and then pull it off the day of the fight.

Q
I know you’ve been spending a lot of time with Bernard. How special is that for your career and is there anything that stands out that he’s been able to teach you over the past few years?

G. Rosado
You know Bernard is incredible. He’s like- I look at Bernard like family and it’s a blessing to be around him. I definitely steal everything I see from him. I mean I think it’s made me a better fighter being around him. It’s just a blessing man. I think I wouldn’t have gotten this far without Bernard mentoring me.

Q
And do you think that-I know you haven’t won your last two fights but you’re still getting a world title shot. Does that speak a lot for how much boxing fans want to see you fight?

G. Rosado
Yeah. I think with the GGG fight it was a hard loss and it hurt, but I think the fans they just respect that. I think they respect the fact that even though I was pretty much fighting the fight blind I think they admire the fact that I didn’t quit. Then with the J’Leon Love fight everyone knows that I won that fight, so the fans spoke. I’m glad that Showtime and Golden Boy and “Kid Chocolate” are giving me the chance to fight because they saw that I did win the last fight even though they didn’t give me the fight that night but the fans, we won.

Q
And that Golovkin fight being your first world title shot is there a difference the second time around with your second world title shot that you’re a little bit more focused and more calmed down in the situation?

G. Rosado
Yeah. I’m a lot more focused. I’ve changed some things in my lifestyle that weren’t healthy. I’m a young dude. I’m single. I was probably partying a little too much. I was probably taking it to the head. Sometimes you know you’re on TV and you have some money, people know you and you kind of lose track and I’m man enough to admit that. But at this point I’ve sat down and I’ve had that talk with myself where it’s like, “Oh, God, it’s all or nothing,” like “You either want to be an entertaining fighter or you want to be a world champion.” I had that talk with myself that it’s time to be a world champion so I’m doing whatever I have to do to fulfill that dream.

Q
Okay. Well, I just wanted to know if it was going to made note of it’s almost basically a year today of Hurricane Sandy ravaged New Jersey so would anything made not of that before the fights in Atlantic City on the 26?

K. Swanson
I’m sure something is being planned, and we’ll probably distribute a release on that.

Q
This question is for Gabe Rosado. After the conclusion of the Golovkin fight you were interviewed and you mentioned that you considered yourself a real threat at 154, but after that you fought J’Leon Love at middleweight and now “Kid Chocolate.” Why move up in weight when there are still opponents that are right there ready at 154?

G. Rosado
We tried to make a run for 154 but we weren’t successful getting a fight for whatever reason, but I think weight is a mentality. I think you can make it be a factor or you can just say whatever. It’s just a fight. I’m not going to be looking at this fight like it’s only six pounds. It’s not a big deal. I’m a big guy anyway. As a junior middleweight I was always the bigger man so it’s not like I’m a small dude. If anything “Kid” and I are probably the same height. We’re probably walking around at the same weight right now, so there’s no disadvantage in this fight. It’s an even fight as far as when it comes to size, and it is what it is. Things play out the way they play out and it wasn’t my time when I fought GGG but I feel like it’s my time now.

Q
Okay. Thanks, Gabe. And then, I have a question for “Kid Chocolate.” Until last night the tone between the two of you has been very level, very respectful and quiet until it kind of blew up a little bit on Twitter lasts night. Was there something that you noticed that sparked that or was it a little gamesmanship just to hype up the fight?

P. Quillin
Well, I know Gabe and personally I don’t have a problem with him at all. You know what I mean? But he’s still going to try to come in and win my belt. He made comments about knocking me out. Those types of things I don’t have to take lightly. I’m going in there with the same mentality. When somebody was born with two fists and they became a fighter he wasn’t the last fighter that was born and breed, you know what I’m saying. I’m going to take it for what it is. A lot of the Internet stuff the fans get us involved and all that type of stuff is kind of emotional for a fighter, to have some guy saying what he’s going to do to a person. So, like I said I don’t have a problem with him. I know him. I will shake hands with him before the fight, and then after the fight, but while the fight is going on I’m going to just try to lay hands on him.

Q
I’ve got a question for each of you. First, Gabe, your last two fights Madison Square Garden and the big Mayweather fight, Mayweather card in Las Vegas. Now you’re going back to a place where you’ve fought many times and have won many times. Is that a little bit of a calming effect on you compared to your last two fights?

G. Rosado
This fight could be in the middle of nowhere. It really don’t matter, but Atlantic City is like fight in my-it is like fighting in my backyard because it’s only a 45 minute drive from Philly. In Philadelphia alone each of my brothers bought about almost $20,000 worth of tickets so a lot of people in Philly are excited. Bernard is from Philly so he’s going to have a big Philly fan base as well. It’s like fighting at home, but that’s really not on my mind. I’m just thinking about the fight. I’m thinking about and I’m thinking about the game plan.

Q
And then one for Peter. How would you rate him compared to your last two opponents, N’Dam and Guerrero?

P. Quillin
He’s a different fighter. He’s at a different place in his life. I have to give him that respect. I’m not knocking anything away from him. I look at him like every other guy that I’m against is a guy that’s trying to beat me and I have to find a way to win.

Q
Gabe, you’ve been in the ring with GGG and you definitely felt the strength of his punches. What did you learn from that fight and what are you going to take with you in the ring with Peter that you learned from that?

G. Rosado
You know what I learned in that fight was I went in to that fight-even though I was the smaller man in that fight and I wasn’t as big as I am now, I kind of went in to that fight with that mentality. I’m the little guy and I kind of approached the fight with GGG trying to box. I think that was a mistake. I think I should have just stuck to what I do best, which is what I was doing at 54. I was just walking buys down, and I was just like fighting like the bigger guy. I think I did learn that stay true to your ring identity, don’t try to switch up. If it isn’t broke don’t fix it, and I’m just going to go back to my style of just applying pressure, being smart and not letting the guy back me down. I think that’s what I learned in that GGG fight.

Q
Hey, your last few fights have been in Brooklyn. How do you feel about fighting outside of your home turf and kind of in Gabe’s backyard a little bit?

P. Quillin
It’ll be interesting to see how many people will follow me to AC, but not only that I always said it best is that if I have three people watching in my mom’s back room, we had a fight in my mom’s back room I’d be happy with that. I’m a fighter. I can’t just worry about all the pressures of who is going to come, where I’m fighting. I think to inspire the world you have to be able to fight everywhere so I’m glad to have Golden Boy bringing me to AC and being part of a great card, part of Bernard Hopkins, a guy that I always watched as a young kid. I’m just going to make the best of this opportunity.

Q
Peter, also another question, what have you been doing differently in camp this time around to prepare for your battle with “King”?

P. Quillin
I took more control of my whole camp, brought guys in like Julien Williams from Philly, you know, Daniel Livingston. I got a bunch of guys here and just being motivating to have guys here, let little kids come and be part of the camp and workout and be inspired. Took my work level up and elevated myself mentally. I’m going out there a\whenever I feel like I want to do it. I do it every day. I just get it in. I’m in the gym just putting effortless work in, that’s all I have is effort. At the end of the day, when it comes to this fight I’m just very blessed to be able to get in the ring and showcase my talent.

Q
This first question is for Gabe. Gabe, earlier you mentioned that it would take a big fight for you to move back down to 154. What fighters at 154 would you consider going back down to?

G. Rosado
I mean not to down play your question but we’ll get to that once I take that pendant on the 26 because I don’t want to talk about other fighters and mention names when I’ve got the biggest fight of my life coming up on the 26. Right now I’m just thinking about “Kid Chocolate.”

Q
Fair enough. My next question for you, Gabe, you already actually answered it but you said your brother sold about 20,000 tickets in Philly so you are, indeed, expecting a large crowd of family, friends, and fans in Atlantic City?

G. Rosado
Yes. It’s definitely going to be big. I’m undefeated in Atlantic City. I fought there a couple of times and I have a big fan base over there, so it’s definitely going to be a big crowd. I’m going to make sure that I do everything I can to give them their money’s worth.

Q
And Peter, what are the difficulties that Gabriel presents to you in this fight, and what do you plan on doing about those difficulties so this fight can go your way?

P. Quillin
Well, I learned something as being a fighter; you only can win one round at a time. I’m going to go up in there. I’m going to figure him out every round. I’ve seen a little bit of Gabe as far as who he fought and everything like that. I don’t get too involved with that. I just know when you’re in there a guy fights totally different and you actually have to learn the guy right there in the ring and that’s what I’m going to do. So far as being presented with any problems, I haven’t been presented with any problems in my whole career in boxing. I’ve been an undefeated pro for nine years, and I’ve been up in there with some, some would say not enough guys that give me experience but you can’t do something for nine years and not know what you’re doing. I’m going to go up in there and learn Gabe one round at a time, and I’m going to come out victorious in this fight October 26.

Q
And what does it feel to fight on the undercard of Bernard Hopkins, a fighter just like you who was middleweight champion for many years?

P. Quillin
It’s very legendary, man. Bernard Hopkins I’ve just been a big fan of his. Even when he fought my favorite fighter Felix Trinidad and he beat him the way he did I was like you can’t get mad at something like that when a guy puts out greatness like that. So just being part of this whole card is just like magical and I’m very blessed to be a part of this card because I’m going to learn so much about myself through this card, and I think to go to the sky you’ve got to be able to be part of certain situations and certain opportunities where guys have been in the same place where I’m at now. Bernard has been there and done that and I think I’ve learned so much from him from when he speaks to me and gives me knowledge, and this is just a great card to be part of and I’m glad to be part of it.

Q
Do you feel coming in to this fight you have to be a little less aggressive for the judges since you were on the short end of their scorecard against Love?

G. Rosado
I’m not going to-the truth is, unfortunately, boxing is like that. You saw with the fight with Chavez and Guerrero. I am the underdog going in to this fight, and I understand that. When I signed the contract I knew what I was getting myself in to so I know that I have to approach this fight a lot differently. I’m not the favorite. I’m the underdog so I definitely have to win every round. I can’t give up rounds in this fight. I have to fight hard at a big pace to be victorious. If it goes all 12 I have to make sure that I get the decision. I have to really put a lot of effort in to this fight, and I’m confident about that. No disrespect to “Kid” but this fight isn’t going to go 12 rounds because I’m training for a knockout. I’m really not tripping off of the judges whatever is going to happen because it isn’t going to go to the scorecards.

Q
All right. Knowing that in Peter’s last two fights he had ten total knockouts does that put any-I don’t want to say fear but any thought in your training process because I know you are an aggressive fighter? Does that change your mentality towards how you approach him?

G. Rosado
No not really. He’s a big puncher and I’m a good puncher as well. I’m saying in 2012 all my wins were by knockout. I went up and I fought GGG. Unfortunately I didn’t win that fight but I fought J’Leon Love. I put him down in the 6th round as well so I’ve got power too. This is not a fight where it’s just “Kid” that’s tracking. We’re both tracking. He has to respect my power just like I’ve got to respect his.

Q
Thanks. One more for Peter. Peter, quick question, with you being able to have a lot of knock downs in the last two fights and the fact that Rosado came in with GGG widely considered the best pound-for-pound puncher in the class power wise and basically Rosado was able to walk him down. Did that put any thought in to your training process as far as the way you plan on approaching the fight?

P. Quillin
No because I’m not GGG. I’m a whole totally different cut breed, man. Like I am raw. I’m like straight off the Columbian boats. I’m that raw. When it comes to comparing myself I’m not matching anybody else’s performance and Gabe was fighting a totally different guy. He says the fight is going to a knockout and he’s not going to the scorecard I really, honestly see that but I don’t believe it’s going to be me that’s going to be the one that’s taking defeat, knocked out. I just know that I’ve just been training very, very hard for this fight. I know what I’m able to do. I’m not comparing my performance to anybody. I’m not trying to match my performance. I’m going to do “Kid Chocolate” that’s all I know how to do, and with my last three fights people count for that too but they don’t count the last three where it’s been 11 knock downs. Everyone I touch they have a different approach, and once I touch them it’s not the same, and I’m praying for Gabe that’s he’s able to go up there and put his best foot forward because that’s all he can do, and when that’s not enough he’s just going to have to shake hands and going to have to accept defeat because that’s what I’m going to deliver.

K. Swanson
Okay. That wraps it up, everybody. Thank you for joining us, and we will be sending out some more information on this fight including some activities for next week. You guys, thanks so much, Pete, Gabe, and we will see you very shortly, October 26 so keep training hard. We look forward to watching the fight.

P. Quillin
Good luck, Gabe. I’ll see you in October.

G. Rosado
Stay healthy all right.

K. Swanson
Bye, everybody.

END OF CALL

Hopkins vs. Murat is a 12-round bout for Hopkins’ IBF Light Heavyweight World Championship, presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Caesars Atlantic City, Corona and AT&T. In the co-main event WBO Middleweight Champion Peter Quillin will put his title on the line against Gabriel Rosado in a 12-round bout. Plus, opening the tripleheader, WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder will face Nicolai Firtha in a 10-round showdown. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins live at 9 p.m. ET/PT and is available in Spanish on secondary audio programming (SAP).

Tickets priced at $300, $150, $75, $50 and $25, not including applicable
service charges, are on sale now and can be purchased at the Boardwalk Hall Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-736-1420 or at www.ticketmaster.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com; follow on Twitter at@goldenboyboxing, @THEREALBHOP, @MURATKARO, @TeamSauerland, @KidChocolate @KingGabRosado, @BronzeBomber and #HopkinsMurat; or become a fan on Facebook at Golden Boy Boxing Facebook Page or Bernard Hopkins Facebook Page. Follow SHOWTIME Sports at www.sports.sho.com, Facebook at www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing and on Twitter @shosports. Follow Caesars Atlantic City on Facebook a www.facebook.com/CaesarsAtlanticCity and on Twitter@CaesarsAC.