LOS ANGELES, CA (January 24, 2017) Former World Boxing Council (WBC) Super Flyweight Champion CARLOS “PRINCIPE” CUADRAS, (35-1-1, 27 KO’s) of Mexico City, Mexico returns to battle against cross-town rival and Former World Title Challenger DAVID “SEVERO” CARMONA, (20-3-5, 8 KO’s), also of Mexico City, Mexico, on Saturday, March 18 at The Mecca of Boxing, Madison Square Garden.

Cuadras vs. Carmona, scheduled for ten rounds, will be featured on the televised undercard of the World Middleweight Championship between Unified Middleweight World Champion GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN, (36-0-0, 33 KO’s) and WBA Middleweight World Champion and Mandatory Challenger DANIEL “THE MIRACLE MAN” JACOBS, (32-1, 29 KO’s). The event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

“I wanted a rematch with Roman Gonzalez but right now my sole focus is on Carmona, we’ve known each other for many years and there is a true rivalry between us,” said Cuadras. “I’m looking forward to settling it in the ring at Madison Square Garden, the home of so many classic battles and in front of the great Mexican boxing fans in New York City and those watching on HBO Pay-Per-View.”

Said Carmona, “Carlos has accomplished a great deal in boxing, being a former world champion and undefeated for many years. However, my time is now and I look forward to being victorious on March 18.”

“We’re very excited to add this all-Mexican battle between Carlos Cuadras and David Carmona to an already outstanding boxing event,” said TOM LOEFFLER, Managing Director of K2 PROMOTIONS. “Cuadras is coming off one of the best fights of 2016 in his world title fight with “Chocolatito” last September on HBO and Carmona is looking to prove he’s worthy of another world title opportunity.”

“Carlos was one of the true breakout stars in boxing last year in his valiant performance against ‘Chocolatito’. We’ve gotten a tremendous response to our showcasing of the lighter weights at our events from boxing fans and the media and we’re very excited to have these two super flyweight battles on the televised undercard.”

“Adding this third bout to the March 18 event continues our commitment to boxing fans in the arena and those watching on HBO Pay-Per-View that we will provide maximum value at our events. Tickets for Madison Square Garden are selling fast and we look forward to another outstanding event on March 18.”

On September 10, 2016, then undefeated WBC Super Flyweight World Champion Cuadras and three-division world champion ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ waged war in a 2016 “Fight of the Year” candidate in front of a huge crowd at The Fabulous Forum and telecast on HBO.

After twelve epic rounds of world class action, the 28-year-old Cuadras lost a very close decision to Gonzalez in a battle that had the Mexican and Nicaraguan partisan crowds on their feet cheering throughout.

Carmona is returning to the ring following the toughest test of his seven-year professional career. On May 8, 2016, the 25-year-old Carmona traveled to Tokyo, Japan to challenge undefeated WBO Super Flyweight Champion NAOYA INOUE. Following twelve action packed rounds, Carmona came up short on the judges’ scorecards but validated his standing among the best in the division.

Presented by K2 Promotions, tickets priced at $1000, $600, $400, $300, $200 and $100, are now on sale and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.thegarden.com

SOCIAL MEDIA — #GGGJACOBS, #CHOCOLATITORUNGVISAI, #CUADRASCARMONA

Gennady “GGG” Golovkin
@GGGBoxing – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Daniel Jacobs
@DanielJacobsTKO – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez
@ChocolatitoBox – Twitter
@ChocolatitoOfficial – Facebook
@Chocolatito87 – Instagram

Carlos Cuadras
@CuadrasOficial – Twitter
@CarlosCuadras – Facebook
@CuadrasOficial — Instagram

HBO
@HBO, @HBOBoxing – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Madison Square Garden
@TheGarden – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Tom Loeffler (K2 Promotions)
@TomLoeffler1 — Twitter

NEW YORK CITY (January 12, 2017) Unified Middleweight World Champion (WBC, WBA, IBF, IBO) GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN (36-0, 33 KO’s) and WBA Middleweight Champion and Mandatory Challenger DANIEL “THE MIRACLE MAN” JACOBS (32-1, 29 KO’s) hosted a massive contingent of Southern California media on Wednesday in Downtown Los Angeles to promote their highly anticipated showdown set for Saturday, March 18 at “The Mecca of Boxing”, Madison Square Garden. The championship event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Golovkin and Jacobs have an extraordinary, combined 35 consecutive knockouts heading into this highly anticipated battle.

Presented by K2 Promotions, tickets for “MIDDLEWEIGHT MADNESS” priced at $1000, $600, $400, $300, $200 and $100, are now on sale and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.thegarden.com.

Below are quotes from the participants:

GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN
“Everybody wants to see this fight. Daniel is a great fighter, I’m very excited to be facing him because for me it’s very important who is better, in the ring. I have a great deal of respect for Daniel for taking this fight.”

“I also have a great deal of respect for this sport and that’s why it’s important for me and for everyone to find out who is #1 in the middleweight division. Right now my position and Danny’s position is to find out who is #1.”
“Thanks to my team, to HBO and Madison Square Garden, my friends, my family. I welcome everyone to watch the fight on March 18.”

DANIEL “THE MIRACLE MAN” JACOBS
“I want to thank my team for allowing me to become the man I am inside and outside the ring. Thanks to my family for always sticking by my side for supporting me. K2 and HBO and everyone involved for allowing this to be the mega-fight that it is.”

“This fight has the material to be one of the best fights in a very long time. What we all bring to the table, this is a can’t miss fight. You guys are going to either want to show up or buy the pay-per-view, this is a fight that cannot miss. Two guys, two dedicated knockout punches, you can’t get any better than this. “

“I’m privileged to face the best. Nine times out of ten, guys don’t take on the toughest challenges, they milk the game in a sense as much as they can.”

“I credit Gennady for taking this fight, I have the utmost respect for him and his team but come March 18, the questions that have been asked about me will be answered, who I truly am, what I bring to the table and just how great I can be.”

“I haven’t come this far to give up, I’m scared of no man, I fear nothing, my back has been against the wall so many times and I’ve accepted that this is no different. It’s a tough challenge but one I look forward to.”

“For however long it lasts, I’m sure it’s going to be an entertaining fight. Once again I’m grateful for those who supported me for allowing me to have this amazing dream, to fight the best. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

ABEL SANCHEZ, Trainer of Golovkin

“We are looking forward to again facing one of Sam and Al’s projects. Andre Rozier has a program of developing a lot of very, very good fighters as we do in Big Bear. On fight night they’re both champions in the ring and we hope that they give you the kind of fight that your presence requires.

ANDRE ROZIER, Trainer of Jacobs

“Give both these fighters all the credit in the world for taking this fight. These guys are putting
it all on the line and they deserve the respect.

“A lot of people don’t know Danny Jacobs, he’s a gentleman out of the ring and when that first bell ring he becomes a monster, I know that this fight will put Danny in the history books. I’ve known him since he 14 years old and he’s never, ever disappointed me and I don’t expect him to disappoint me on March 18.”

TOM LOEFFLER, Managing Director of K2 Promotions
“This is really two champions fighting each other, there’s no question these are the two best fighters in their division and that’s what the fans respond to, the best fighting the best. There’s not going to be any tables thrown, both fighters are great ambassadors for the sport of boxing, this is clearly how the sport should be conducted. Both are confident in their abilities; the teams as well have a tremendous amount of respect for each other.”

“This is the type of fight that fans want to see, who is the best middleweight in the world. Danny wasn’t going to take this fight unless he was confident in winning and the same for Gennady, it’s a mandated fight from the WBA so if Gennady wanted to keep his title he had to fight Danny Jacobs. The same thing for Danny if he wanted to prove he’s the best middleweight in the world, he’d have to fight Gennady.”

“This has really been a great start to the promotion, we went on sale two weeks ago over the holidays and the tickets sales are outpacing where they were when Gennady fought David Lemieux in October 2015 when MSG was completely sold out so we definitely see the response from both very strong fan bases.”

“With a combined 35 knockouts heading into this fight, Gennady and Danny will provide the excitement on March 18th that the fans want.”

SOCIAL MEDIA — #GGGJACOBS

Gennady “GGG” Golovkin
@GGGBoxing – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Daniel Jacobs
@DanielJacobsTKO – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

HBO
@HBO, @HBOBoxing – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Madison Square Garden
@TheGarden – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Tom Loeffler (K2 Promotions)
@TomLoeffler1 — Twitter

NEW YORK CITY (January 11, 2017) “The Mecca of Boxing”, Madison Square Garden played host today to the Kick-Off Press Conference for the highly anticipated “MIDDLEWEIGHT MADNESS” showdown between Unified Middleweight World Champion (WBC, WBA, IBF, IBO) GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN (36-0, 33 KO’s) and WBA Middleweight Champion and Mandatory Challenger DANIEL “THE MIRACLE MAN” JACOBS (32-1, 29 KO’s) set for Saturday, March 18 in The World’s Most Famous Arena.

The press conference was held in the arena in front of a massive crowd of media and fans. The championship event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Golovkin and Jacobs have an extraordinary, combined 35 consecutive knockouts heading into this highly anticipated battle.

Presented by K2 Promotions, tickets for “MIDDLEWEIGHT MADNESS” priced at $1000, $600, $400, $300, $200 and $100, are now on sale and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.thegarden.com.

Below are quotes from the participants

GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN
“I’m very excited for this fight, I have a great deal of respect for Danny Jacobs. This is the best place for boxing, Madison Square Garden, The Mecca of Boxing. The best channel for boxing, HBO, the best companies, JORDAN Brand and Tecate.”

“Today I understand, this is huge for me, for us, for everybody. I believe Danny is very ready for this fight, because I have four belts, this is a dream for him. It’s very important for us to prove who is #1 in the middleweight division, not for the future but for right now.”

“Thank you very much to everyone and I welcome you all to Madison Square Garden on March 18th. I promise an amazing show, it’s the biggest step for us.”

DANIEL “THE MIRACLE MAN” JACOBS
“I want to thank so many people who played a part in this, my family, Madison Square Garden for allowing us to have this fight here and HBO along with so many other people who have followed our careers and allow this opportunity to be so big. This is truly one of the biggest fights this year.”

“I’m just excited, I’ve wanted this fight since before the WBA mandated it, I called ‘GGG’ out
right after the (second) Sergio Mora fight and right after that the WBA mandated it.”

“For me it’s the perfect opportunity and the perfect time for this to happen. I’m glad it’s finally happening, in my hometown, pretty sure it’s going to be a sold-out crowd.”

“I look forward to seeing everyone and my fists will do the talking inside that ring. At the end of the day it’s about fight night and as a fighter that’s exactly what we do. Much respect to Team Golovkin but we have an amazing plan and we look forward to executing it.”

ABEL SANCHEZ, Trainer of Golovkin

“First of all to Danny, thank you for being a gentleman and a man of character. Three years ago when he won his title, I remember him saying he wasn’t ready for the elite, he needed more 10-12 round fights and then he would be ready for Gennady.”

“Once the fight was ordered Danny started talking like a champion should. These two fighters enter the ring with better than a 90% KO ratio, it’s fair to say that somebody is going out.”

“Andre and I understand the importance and significance of this fight in the middleweight division and we look forward to matching wits. It’s all about getting the two best fighters in the ring to put on a great show for all of us.”

ANDRE ROZIER, Trainer of Jacobs

“We’ve been told that we were running, that we were afraid, that we didn’t want to fight Gennady, I’m here to tell you that is entirely not true. This young man here, Daniel Jacobs, I call him my son. He has fought the hardest fight he could ever have, in life. Everything after that is a walk in the park because he fears no man.”’

“When he gets in the ring on March 18th, he will show all those who didn’t believe what he’s really about. We going to work hard and train hard, I’m a big fan of Gennady, he a class act, a gentleman but on March 18th I don’t’ know who he is, I don’t want to know who he is because my fighter has to inflict punishment and garner a victory. I won’t like him on March 18th, maybe after the fight I will.”

TOM LOEFFLER, Managing Director of K2 Promotions

“Both of these champions here set the stage for the type of promotion this will be. We have a tremendous media turnout here and we’ve had a great response since we officially announced the fight. We can’t thank everyone enough involved for putting this promotion together.”

“This will be the fifth time Gennady has fought at Madison Square Garden and when you have a champion like Danny Jacobs and all the support that he brings and all that he’s accomplished in his career, it’s a fight that sells itself. Both fighters are great ambassadors for the sport. It’s so rare these days to see the best in the division fighting each other and that’s what the fans respond to.”

“We want to acknowledge the set up here in the arena for this press conference and thank Joel Fisher and everyone on his staff at MSG. Fights like this couldn’t be done without our broadcast partner HBO Pay-Per-View led by Peter Nelson and we thank them for their support. We also want to their Tecate for their support on this promotion.”

“The ticket prices start at $100 and there were 5,000 in that price category when we put tickets on sale. We’ve had a tremendous reaction from the fans as far as ticket purchases. The response to ticket sales is well above our last event here in October 2015 which sold out.”

KEITH CONNOLLY, Team Jacobs

“A fight like this with a champion like Gennady and a champion like Danny, a fight like this can really elevate boxing. This is rare, sometimes you see boxers in the same division, circle each other and avoid each other for years and years or wait until one of the guys gets old, we weren’t looking to do that.”

“I think both guys are in their prime and you’ll see the best of both of them come March 18th. I think whoever comes out on this fight on top will be the superstar in the sport.”

“I think on fight night, people are going to be really surprised, not only do I think Danny wins but I think he’s going to be dominant. I think halfway through the second round people at ringside and Gennady himself will realize he’s in there with a totally different animal, I think he bit off more than he could chew this time. I don’t think people are giving Danny enough credit for what he’s accomplished.”

“With 32 victories and 29 knockouts, Danny’s one of the biggest punches in the middleweight division and with Gennady’s knockouts I don’t see this fight going the distance, it’s a can’t miss fight and I think it’s the biggest fight of the year.”

SOCIAL MEDIA — #GGGJACOBS

Gennady “GGG” Golovkin
@GGGBoxing – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Daniel Jacobs
@DanielJacobsTKO – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

HBO
@HBO, @HBOBoxing – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Madison Square Garden
@TheGarden – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Tom Loeffler (K2 Promotions)
@TomLoeffler1 — Twitter

Roman Gonzalez will defend the WBC Super Flyweight title against Srisaket Sor Rungvisai on March 18th at Madison Square Garden as the co-feature bout on the Gennady Golovkin – Daniel Jacobs Middleweight unification bout, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Many people consider Sor Rungvisai more dangerous or just as dangerous as Cuadras. This is not an easier fight than a rematch with Cuadras,” Gonzalez U.S. representative Tom Loeffler told ESPN. “Roman and his team decided to fight Srisaket with the winner having to fight Cuadras.”

“He is a very dangerous opponent for Roman and even though many of the U.S. fans might not know him, the boxing people know him,” Loeffler said. “When we have the combination of GGG and Chocolatito in arguably the toughest fights of their career on the same card, that’s the type of value we want to provide for the fans that come to Madison Square Garden or the fans who buy the card on HBO PPV.”

“This will be their fifth appearance on the same broadcast together. It’s a great combination when you have the two best pound-for-pound fighters in the world on the same show,” Loeffler said. “The fans can see the talent level these guys have. All four of these fighters are extremely talented. That’s a winning combination for the fans.”

NEW YORK CITY (December 28, 2016) Tickets are moving very fast for the World Middleweight Championship on Saturday, March 18, 2017, at Madison Square Garden between Unified Middleweight World Champion (WBC, WBA, IBF, IBO), GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN, (36-0, 33 KO’s) and WBA Middleweight Champion and Mandatory Challenger, Brooklyn’s DANIEL “THE MIRACLE MAN” JACOBS, (32-1, 29 KO’s).

“We’re very happy with the results from a very strong pre-sale and the first days of sales particularly given that it was over the Christmas holiday weekend,” said Tom Loeffler, Managing Director of K2 Promotions. “We’re ahead of our pace from the last time Gennady sold-out Madison Square Garden in October 2015 especially with the strong added interest we’ve seen with Danny Jacobs being from Brooklyn. We look forward to another memorable evening inside the ‘Mecca of Boxing’ where the two best middleweights will fight each other in front of a capacity crowd.”

Presented by K2 Promotions, tickets for “MIDDLEWEIGHT MADNESS” priced at $1000, $600, $400, $300, $200 and $100, are now on sale and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.thegarden.com.

The championship event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Golovkin and Jacobs have an extraordinary, combined 35 consecutive knockouts heading into this highly anticipated battle.

SOCIAL MEDIA — #GGGJACOBS

Gennady “GGG” Golovkin
@GGGBoxing – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Daniel Jacobs
@DanielJacobsTKO – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

HBO
@HBO, @HBOBoxing – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Madison Square Garden
@TheGarden – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Tom Loeffler (K2 Promotions)
@TomLoeffler1 — Twitter

NEW YORK CITY (December 20, 2016) “The Mecca of Boxing” and The World’s Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden will host Unified Middleweight World Champion, GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN, (36-0, 33 KO’s) as he defends his titles (WBC, WBA, IBF, IBO) against WBA Middleweight Champion and Mandatory Challenger, Brooklyn’s DANIEL “THE MIRACLE MAN” JACOBS, (32-1, 29 KO’s) on Saturday, March 18, 2017. The championship event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Golovkin and Jacobs have an extraordinary, combined 35 consecutive knockouts heading into this highly anticipated battle.
Presented by K2 Promotions, tickets for “MIDDLEWEIGHT MADNESS” priced at $1000, $600, $400, $300, $200 and $100, will go on sale Christmas Eve, This Saturday, December 24th at 12:00 p.m. ET and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.thegarden.com.

“I love fighting at Madison Square Garden, it feels like my second home”, said Golovkin. “Danny is a great fighter, one of the best middleweights and a big test for me. I look forward to another ‘Big Drama Show’ in New York City.”

Stated Jacobs, “I’m excited about facing Gennady and proving I’m the best middleweight in the world. On March 18th I’m bringing all the belts back to Brooklyn with me.”

“We’re very excited to promote this outstanding matchup of the two best middleweights in the world, Gennady Golovkin and Danny Jacobs,” said Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions. “It doesn’t get any better than this, the World Middleweight Championship at The Mecca of Boxing, it’s truly going to be a memorable evening.”

“With Gennady’s previous fight at Madison Square Garden last October against David Lemieux selling out and Danny’s huge Brooklyn fan base, we anticipate tickets will move very quickly.”

“March 18th is a big night for the boxing world,” said Keith Connolly of Team Jacobs. “You have the two best middleweights in the world going head to head for the majority of the belts. What else could anyone ask for. This is a fight the boxing fans deserve.”

“We want to thank Al Haymon for all his tireless work over the last nine years helping put Danny into this position to have an opportunity to beat Gennady Golovkin, one of the best fighters in the world. Come March 18th Danny will come out on top and he will be taking all the belts back to Brooklyn, you can count on that”
Since his first fight in the United States and on HBO in September 2012, Golovkin has become one of the most talked about fighters in the world. In his last three fights, Golovkin has sold out Madison Square Garden, The Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles and The O2 in London. The battle with Jacobs will be the fifth time Golovkin has fought at Madison Square Garden.

In his last fight, on September 10, 2016 in front of over 19,000 fans at The 02, Golovkin stopped Undefeated Welterweight World Champion Kell Brook in the fifth round, his 23rd consecutive knockout and his 17th straight middleweight world title defense.

Born and raised in the boxing hotbed of Brownsville, New York which has produced many legendary world champions including Mike Tyson and Riddock Bowe, the heavy handed Jacobs has scored numerous highlight reel knockouts over his nine years as a professional.

In the most impressive fight of his career on December 5, 2015, Jacobs spectacularly knocked out longtime rival and then undefeated former middleweight champion Peter Quillin in the first round in Brooklyn, New York.

Sandwiched around the Quillin stoppage are two impressive knockouts of former world champion Sergio Mora, the first coming on August 1, 2015 in the second round in Brooklyn, New York. Most recently, Jacobs knocked out Mora in the seventh round on September 9, 2016 in Reading, PA.

One of the biggest punchers in the sport of boxing, Jacobs has won his last 12 fights, all by stoppage.

SOCIAL MEDIA — #GGGJACOBS

Gennady “GGG” Golovkin

@GGGBoxing – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Daniel Jacobs

@DanielJacobsTKO – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

HBO

@HBO, @HBOBoxing – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Madison Square Garden

@TheGarden – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Tom Loeffler (K2 Promotions)

@TomLoeffler1 — Twitter

It’s a holiday treat for HBO Boxing fans. Over four consecutive nights in late December, HBO will present six of the year’s standout fights, spotlighting some of the biggest names in the sport. Featured are signature wins by Canelo Alvarez, Terence Crawford, Gennady Golovkin, Roman Gonzalez and Andre Ward plus a leading candidate for “Fight of the Year.”

Starting Tuesday, Dec. 27, HBO will replay six major league showdowns from this year sprinkled over four consecutive nights. All the fights will also be available on HBO ON DEMAND® as well as the HBO NOW and HBO GO® services.

The “Boxing’s Best” lineup includes:

Tuesday, December 27 Canelo Alvarez vs. Amir Khan &
11:00 p.m. ET/PT Sergey Kovalev vs. Andre Ward

Wednesday, December 28 Gennady Golovkin vs. Kell Brook &
11:30 p.m. ET/PT Terence Crawford vs. Viktor Postol

Thursday, December 29 Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez vs. Carlos Cuadras
11:00 p.m. ET/PT

Friday, December 30 Francisco Vargas vs. Orlando Salido
11:00 p.m. ET/PT

*Winners names are in italics, Vargas-Salido ended in a majority draw.

BROOKLYN (Dec. 19, 2016) – Middleweight champion and Brooklyn native Daniel “Miracle Man” Jacobs will wear BROOKLYN BOXING branded merchandise in the ring when he fights against unified middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin on March 18.

Jacobs, who in June was named the face of BROOKLYN BOXING, the flourishing boxing platform for Barclays Center, will train and compete in branded gloves, trunks, shoes and robes and will wear other apparel during fight week events and in the post-fight press conference.

“I’m excited to represent BROOKLYN BOXING and the 2.6 million people in my home borough,” said Jacobs, who grew up in Brownsville. “My story is about never giving up and that’s the spirit and perseverance I’ll be bringing into the ring against Golovkin on March 18. I will make Brooklyn proud.”

In 2011, Jacobs was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a life-threatening form of bone cancer. After an arduous battle, radiation treatments and surgery, Jacobs returned to the ring at Barclays Center where he went on to win his WBA world middleweight title in August 2014, a belt he still holds.

“We couldn’t be more proud to have Daniel representing BROOKLYN BOXING,” said Brett Yormark, CEO of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment. “Daniel’s determination and courage capture the spirit of the borough and we are confident that he will return to Barclays Center for his next fight with all of Golovkin’s world middleweight championship belts.”

Launched earlier this year, the BROOKLYN BOXING merchandise line features a unique brand of active wear, lifestyle apparel, accessories for men and women, fighters and fans alike.

The assortment includes in-ring essentials like BROOKLYN BOXING training gear, gloves and corner buckets, as well as street wear such as hats, hoodies, shirts, and socks. Fans can purchase their own apparel at BrooklynBoxingShop.com.

BROOKLYN BOXING is making an annual donation to Jacobs’ Get In The Ring Foundation, through which he advocates for children struggling with cancer, childhood obesity, and bullying.

BROOKLYN SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment (BSE) develops and operates state-of-the-art venues and manages premier sports franchises, delivering dynamic content and experiences for audiences. BSE oversees programming, marketing, sales, and operations for Barclays Center and Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum Presented by New York Community Bank, and manages and controls the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets and its Development League team, the Long Island Nets, as well as the business operations of the NHL’s New York Islanders.

Barclays Center, which opened on September 28, 2012, offers 17,732 seats for basketball, 15,795 for hockey, and up to 19,000 seats for concerts, and has 101 luxury suites, four bars/lounges, four clubs, and 40/40 CLUB & Restaurant by American Express.

The New Coliseum Presented by NYCB, scheduled to reopen April 5, 2017 after extensive renovation, will offer 13,000 seats for hockey, 13,500 for basketball, and 14,500 for concert configurations, with the ability to flex up. The bowl will have a theater seating option for 4,000 guests.

With a focus on emerging businesses, BSE identifies and creates alliances, strategic partners and other business opportunities to ensure the success of its assets. For additional information, please visit Brooklynse.com.

Middleweight champions Gennady Golovkin and Danny Jacobs will meet on March at 18th at Madison Square Garden and televised on HBO Pay Per View, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“It’s big news for me. I am very excited,” Golovkin said. “I think it’s a very big fight and great fight for you guys to watch. Danny is an amazing fighter. He is a tough opponent and No. 2 in the middleweight division. He is my toughest opponent. Hopefully, I fight three times next year. There are big plans for 2017 (but) right now I am focused on Jacobs and I am here to fight.

“I’m excited about facing GGG and proving I’m the best middleweight in the world,” Jacobs said in a statement to ESPN. “On March 18 I’m bringing all the belts back to Brooklyn with me.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, a purse bid has been ordered for the WBA Middleweight title bout that would pit Gennady Golovkin and Daniel Jacobs.

The bid would be on December 19th.

“Still planning to have a deal done with Jacobs before the bid deadline,”said Golovkin promoter Tom Loeffler, who was traveling in Germany, told ESPN by email after the purse bid order was announced.

A proposed fight between middleweight champions Gennady Golovkin and Daniel Jacobs has been pushed back to 3027 according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Once the WBA made their ruling to uphold their standard split, it became just a matter of still talking to Al and trying to finalize a deal, but it’s just too late now for the fight to be on Dec. 10,” Golovkin promoter Tom Loeffler said. “We had Madison Square Garden on hold, and they’ve been a good partner to us, so I don’t like having to leave them with an open Saturday night. HBO also was ready to go, but we are going to push it back into early 2017.”

“As soon as we can get the deal agreed to we’ll figure out a date and location,” he said. “But first we have to make the fight. Optimally, it will stay at Madison Square Garden. Our goal is to not go to a purse bid because a promotion is more effective when both sides are happy with the deal.”

“By the time contracts are signed and fighters are in training camp, it just wasn’t realistic to keep the December date, unfortunately,” Loeffler said. “If we had the contracts signed today, OK, maybe we could do it. But we’re not there yet. The contract isn’t signed and there’s no telling when it would be signed.”

“It’s not by our choice,” Loeffler said.

Welterweight titlist Kell Brook had successful orbital bone surgery following is stoppage defeated to middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“All went well and he’s resting up,” Anthony Leaver, spokesman for Brook promoter Matchroom Boxing, told ESPN.com on Wednesday.

“He looked worse after the fight than he did after the operation,” trainer Dominc Ingle told the Sheffield Star. “The surgeon, who was called Mohammed Ali, believe it or not, went up through his gums, his front teeth, moved an eye to one side and then sorted out the fracture. Kell is good, though, and doesn’t want any delays before his next fight. He wants to be out again early in the new year, rather than later.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, plans are in motion for Middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin to fight WBA champion Daniel Jacobs on December 10th at Madison Square Garden.

The fight became a possible reality after Canelo Alvarez fractured his hand and forcing him off of the December date.

“That was Canelo’s date and we’re shooting for that date now for GGG,” Golovkin promoter Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions told ESPN.com on Thursday night.

“Hopefully, we can work out the details soon for Jacobs,” Loeffler said.

By Norm Frauenheim-

In the political season, Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez are acting a lot like candidates.

Maybe, that’s because they have been campaigning longer than Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump for a fight presumably sometime after somebody finally moves into the White House next January.

The Golovkin campaign stopped in London last Saturday with a predictable stoppage over welterweight-turned-middleweight Kell Brook in a bout surprising only because of marks left on GGG’s usually unmarked face.

A week later, this Saturday, Canelo takes his turn in the bully pulpit against unbeaten, yet little-known UK junior-middleweight Liam Smith in a ring on top of the Dallas Cowboys home field at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tex., in a pay-per-view bout (HBO 9 pm ET/6 pm PT).

For those reading the tea leaves – and that’s just about everybody, the bruises represent early signs of vulnerability in GGG. Then again, they also might only mean the feared middleweight champion can take a punch.

Safe to say, the 26-year-old Canelo and his partisans connected the abrasions and welts like dots in a progression that perhaps confirms what they’ve been doing all along. Time has begun to do what no punch ever could to a younger GGG. It’s inevitable. It’s also business.

Next year –say in May during the annual Cinco de Mayo celebration, Golovkin will be 35, late enough in his prime to attack early signs that had not been evident until Brook’s punches landed. Of course, a potential symptom might also be nothing more than a pimple.

Nevertheless, there’s good news in talk from Dallas that Canelo and his corner are finally beginning to see a chance at beating GGG.

It’s never been about the weight, although Canelo’s corner continues to insist he’s really a 154-pound fighter, still growing into a true middleweight.

Yet, he declined to step on a scale for HBO in his dressing room just before his crushing stoppage of ex-junior-welterweight Amir Khan last May for the WBC’s 160-pound title, which he subsequently relinquished amid mounting criticism from frustrated fans who only want to see him against GGG.

The guess here is that Canelo didn’t want any of those fans to know that he is in fact a true middleweight already and perhaps a division or two heavier.

Time is the only scale that really matters here. As long as Canelo stays at 154, Golovkin gets a little older and maybe a lot more vulnerable to big punches from a fighter entering his prime just as GGG is exiting his own.

Los Angeles, CA (September 14, 2016) Boxing Superstar and Unified Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin’s, (36-0, 33KO’s), fifth round stoppage of previously undefeated UK Superstar, “The Special One” Kell Brook, (36-1, 25KO’s) was viewed by a combined 1,436,000 viewers on HBO World Championship Boxing this past Saturday, September 10, marking it as the most watched HBO boxing event in 2016 and the highest rated HBO international boxing telecast in many years viewed live by 843,000 fans and same-day rebroadcast by 593,000 viewers.

The thrilling victory by Golovkin was also viewed live on TV Azteca by 1,560,000 viewers in Mexico on Saturday afternoon. Golovkin’s fights are broadcast in over 100 countries which all reported strong viewership numbers for this event.

Golovkin’s 23rd straight knockout and his 17th world title defense took place at The O2 in London, England in front over a capacity crowd of over 19,000 fight fans as he retained his WBC, WBA, IBF and IBO Middleweight World Titles.

Also on Saturday, Consensus #1 Pound-for-Pound Fighter Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, (46-0, 38 KO’s) thrilled the crowd of 6,714 at The Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles, with a unanimous decision over former WBC Super Flyweight World Champion and previously undefeated Carlos “El Principe” Cuadras, (35-1-1, 27KO’s). The fight viewed by 833,000 fight fans on HBO World Championship Boxing earned Gonzalez his fourth divisional world title in a clash that is a certain 2016 “Fight of the Year” candidate according to many of the international media in attendance at The Fabulous Forum.

The memorable victory by “Chocolatito” was also telecast in Mexico on Saturday night and was viewed by 2,300,000 viewers.

“We’re proud of these viewership numbers and we are happy to provide these great fights for the fans worldwide,” said Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions. “Fight fans saw four undefeated world champions, among the best in their weight classes and the attendance and viewership numbers validated this day as the biggest international telecast of boxing this year.”

“Gennady’s fight in London sold out in one day and his viewership numbers continue to distinguish him among the biggest international stars in boxing and one of the most marketable athletes in the world, selling out his third arena in a row.”

On October 17, 2015, Golovkin’s ninth round stoppage of then IBF Middleweight Champion David Lemieux was fought in front of a sold-out Madison Square Garden crowd of 20,548. On April 23, 2016, Golovkin knocked out mandatory challenger Dominic Wade in the second round at The Fabulous Forum before a capacity crowd of 16,353.

Continued Loeffler, “Additionally it was a huge night for Roman winning his fourth divisional world title in an outstanding fight against previously undefeated champion Carlos Cuadras. His viewership numbers are some of the very highest for an HBO World Championship Boxing main event debut. Fight fans clearly want to see more of both “Chocolatito” and Cuadras from their valiant efforts in the ring.”

After their knockout wins this past weekend, the WBA has ordered a bout between champions Gennady Golovkin and Daniel Jacobs, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“The 30-day negotiations period has started,” WBA president Gilberto Mendoza Jr. said. “They have 120 days to do the fight.”

“Daniel Jacobs, he is very good fighter. Huge fight, probably in New York,” Golovkin told ESPN.com in his dressing room after stopping Brook. “Absolutely. I am open for everybody. I think right now this is best fight for us.”

By Bart Barry-

Saturday afternoon HBO broadcast the latest episode in its ungainly series of Gennady “GGG” Golovkin feature films against hopeless welterweight Kell “Special K” Brook, who won a minute of the fight’s first 12 then signalled his corner “anytime fellas!” and got the match towel-waved in round 5, before HBO redeemed itself Saturday night with the genuinely brilliant Nicaraguan Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez in a genuinely competitive championship match with Mexican Carlos “Principe” Cuadros.

The best thing to come of what has become a shameless promotional manufacture of Gennady Golovkin – whose handlers are inexplicably opposed to seeing him challenged – is the emergence of Chocolatito, a master prizefighter deserving of mention in the same paragraphs as other master prizefighters, unlike just about every one of his remaining contemporaries including Golovkin. Making Gonzalez a mainevent attraction may well be the only exceptional thing HBO has done with its sports budget in years, whatever it tells itself about itself.

Much as putting Gonzalez at the top of billings with Golovkin is a service to Gonzalez and his legacy and HBO subscribers, though, it is becoming more and more a liability for Golovkin’s legacy – as it becomes obvious to viewers which man seeks greatness and in a ratio, more alarming still to Golovkin apologists, inverse to viewers’ knowledge of our oncebeloved sport: While the aficionado has historical comparisons with which to delude himself about embarrassing mismatches like Golovkin and Brook – and, hey, look at the soldout arena! – the naif sees one man’s opponent frightened from the opening bell and wonders how this sort of entertainment sates any manly impulse save sadism.

Whatever the scales said the eyes told you Golovkin and Brook did not belong in a ring together much as Chocolatito and Cuadros did not, but whereas Golovkin-Brook fulfilled only the worst suspicions Gonzalez-Cuadros came stuffed with pleasant surprises as the significantly smaller man spun and wacked and maneuvered and pressured and absorbed the larger man’s aggression in a properly competitive spectacle that renewed albeit temporarily one’s passion for prizefighting.

Golovkin-Brook saw a fight in which one man was powerless to hurt the other whatever his technique and the other was powerless not to hurt the one – whatever, again, his technique; Golovkin’s technique has improved no more than his English since HBO’s biannual forcefeedings commenced in 2012, due to dreadful opposition and a trainer who’s three parts savvy selfsalesman for every one part sweetscience sage. Golovkin did more damage to Brook with his jab than Brook did Golovkin with a perfectly placed uppercut thrown in combination, a thing to tell you exactly nothing about Brook’s power or Golovkin’s chin or Golovkin’s power or Brook’s chin but everything about what farcical matchmaking now bedrocks the Golovkin legend.

Such is not an indictment of Golovkin so much as his handlers; one senses Golovkin is all-fighter and wants to mill with real opponents who might really improve him by really stretching him, converting his potential finally instead of merely growing it, but that cannot happen so long as the industry’s rapacity protects him, a lifetime middleweight, a man 40 pounds from the heavyweight division, with continuing nonsense about a dearth of suitable opponents (no one at 168 pounds will face him; only someone from 147 would) – risibly the same industry that once chided Floyd Mayweather, who made title fights in five divisions and climbed 24 pounds, for not challenging himself adequately and now wonders aloud when Chocolatito will jump to his fifth or sixth weightclass.

While Golovkin and his big payday Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, faces still CoverGirl fresh, unite to unify the welterweight division, Chocolatito wears the scars of a man who challenges himself properly in a pursuit of greatness by matching himself with increasingly larger men and narrowing dramatically his margins for error. Therein lies the insult of Saturday’s spectacles: Golovkin strode forward with an aluminum bat in a waterballoon fight while Chocolatito suffered each time Cuadros struck him and didn’t relent.

Put Golovkin in the ring with men large enough to hurt him or shut up until you do.

To the suddenly empathetic souls who saw Brook motion for 20,000 spectators and one fellow combatant the very moment his right eye was hurt Saturday, actually waving his glove and pointing to his eye midround, a question: Can you imagine Gonzalez or Cuadros giving another man on earth the satisfaction of knowing he was injured? Then came the predictable perversity of cheering a premature corner stoppage for preserving future paydays the vanquished and his sympathetically complicit cornermen may enjoy in 2017 scams and one more at least in 2018. What sort of afficionado, exactly, feels compelled to celebrate the continuation of a career unremarkable as Brook’s in lieu of continued violence?

If you’re enthusiastically watching a fight for the middleweight championship of the world and fearful a man may lose his life in the opening 15 minutes you’re being disingenuous – either when you say you’re enthusiastic about seeing the fight or when you say you’re genuinely concerned for the loser’s health. Both are unseemly.

After their respective matches Golovkin gave himself a low score and likened his assault to sparring while Chocolatito, both eyes swelling shut, said he knew the perils of rising in weight but welcomed them because rising to challenges (rising for challenges) is what great fighters do. Credit both men’s honesty.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

Gennady Golovkin retained the IBF/WBC Middleweight titles by stopping Welterweight champion and previously undefeated Kell Brook in round five in front of a sold out crowd at the 02 Arena in London.

Golovkin hurt Brook early in round one and it looked like Golovkin was going live up to much of the pre-fight predictions of an early stoppage.

Brook worked his way into the fight as he got the better of exchanges, which drew a roar from the pro-Brook crowd. The action was fast and their were furious exchanges for which broth fighters hsowed marks on their faces. Brook however started to swell around his right. Golovkin came out in round four seeking his prey, but Brook hung in there and gave almost as good as he received. In round five, Golovkin came out with abandon and began landing the heavy leather on Brook. Brook seemed to dodge some of the shots, but his trainer Dominic Ingle waved off the bout.

Golovkin is now 36-0 with 33 knockouts. Brook is now 36-1.

Follow all the action as Gennady Golovkin defends the IBF/WBC Middleweight title against IBF Wekterweight champion Kell Brook in a battle of undefeated world champions.  The action begins at 5:30 PM ET from the 02 Arena in London.

THE PAGE WILL UPDATE AUTOMATICALLY–NO REFRESH NEEDED

Round 1: Jab from Golovkin..Right from Brook..Brook swelling around right eye…Hard body shot..Brook is hurtUppercut from Brook..Hard right from Brook..Left from Golovkin..Golovkin swelling around his left eye..

Round 2:  Great back and forth…Brook getting better…Lands an uppercut….

Round 3 Golovkin putting on pressure…3 punch body to body…Hard right…..Brook;s eye swelling badley…3 hard shots from Brook

Round 4 Counter right from Brook.Body shots from Golovkin..Jab,,Good left hook from Brook…

Round 5 Golovkin going after Brook….Hard right snaps Brook’s head back..BROOK’S CORNER THROWS IN THE TOWEL

 

 

London, England (September 8, 2016) In front of a massive display of international media, Boxing Superstar and Unified Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, (35-0, 32 KO’s) and Undefeated British Boxing Star and Welterweight World Champion “The Special One” Kell Brook, (36-0, 25KO’s) held their Final Press Conference today leading up to their highly anticipated international showdown at The O2 on Saturday, September 10 in London, England.

Presented by Matchroom Boxing and K2 Promotions, the middleweight world title clash will be televised on Sky Sports Box Office in the United Kingdom and Live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET/PT in the United States.

Gennady “GGG” Golovkin
“I’m very excited to be here. I want to thank my team, my managers and promoter. Thanks to the JORDAN Brand and Jordan family and all my Kazakhstan partners. I feel great, I like London, it’s a beautiful city.”

“I respect Kell Brook and his team, I know he understands for both of us, this is the biggest fight. “

“He looks ready, I’m ready. This is a big gift for boxing fans. Not just in the UK but for all boxing fans.”

“Kell Brook is a very good boxer and I respect him for taking this fight – he is more than ready. He is an undefeated champion and this will be the biggest fight of my career. He is coming up from welterweight so his speed will be a new test for me.

“I hope our styles match well to give the fans a present. I want to produce a dramatic show and that is why I have come to London.

“The Special One” Kell Brook
“When he feels the power that I have that’s going to be a strong, powerful and quick Middleweight hitting him, not a Welterweight. I’m going to put it all together.”

“Golovkin is like Mike Tyson – people have lost before they even get in there with him. I’m not interested in what he’s going to do; I’m focused on what I need to deliver to win.”

“I am happy with the decision to make this enormous fight and the sold-out crowd and the viewing figures on TV will prove that this is a massive fight.”

“Everyone in boxing knows that I am a big guy. People who don’t know think that the weight is going to be an issue. I’m more vicious in sparring when I am around 160lbs or coming down from heavier than that, that’s where I am healthier in training and I can give so much more output in the gym, and that means the full 100 per cent will come from me in the fight. ”

“I’m going to follow the greats and make history. The likes of Felix Trinidad, Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao have all moved through the weights to prove they are greats at all weights. There’s a small window of opportunity to do something special and I am going to take my chance to prove that I am a special fighter.”

Abel Sanchez, Trainer of Gennady “GGG” Golovkin
“About six and half years ago we took on the task of developing an attraction that would be worthy of all this attention.”
“I think were close and on Saturday night, Kell Brook will discover that it takes more than a 10-week scientific experiment to topple Gennady Golovkin.”

Dominic Ingle, Trainer of Kell Brook
“The last time I remember seeing a media gathering like this was for Mike Tyson coming to Scotland in 2008. That was a massive event and this one is even bigger.

“This fight couldn’t’ have come at a better time for Kell, he’s been looking to move up in weight for a long time.”

“People are now realizing that Kell Brook is not a small guy, a welterweight stepping up to challenge a middleweight.”

“This is the only time I’ve seen him happy in a training camp. Never had a smile on his face when he had to make 147, but this time he’s been happy the whole training camp as he makes 160. “

Tom Loeffler, K2 Promotions
“Eddie really saved the day and we thank him and his team for all their great work on this promotion. We have a great deal of respect for Kell Brook for accepting this fight.”

“We don’t have to go through the list of all the full fledged middleweights who have turned down fights, given up titles and negotiated until the 11th hour and then not sign the contract, it’s unbelievable how difficult it was to find someone to get in the ring with Gennady.”

‘With the international interest in this fight, it’s become the most talked about fight this year.”

“We’d like to thank Sky Sports for this great efforts in promoting this event and HBO who really launched Gennady’s career and RTL our partners in the German speaking territories, this is the first time they’ve telecast one of Gennady’s fights and they realize the magnitude and excitement that comes with this matchup.”

“We’d like to thank the JORDAN Brand as well as Tsesnabank, Expo 2017and Capital Holdings for their support and on Saturday night you’ll see the brand new shoes they’ve designed specifically for Gennady.

Eddie Hearn/Matchroom Boxing
“This fight has hit fever pitch, fans coming up to me dozens of times today and asking ‘can Kell do it, he looks strong, is GGG really the beast people say he is.”

“London, England is really the new capital of boxing. It’s great to have another huge event at The 02. It’s a pleasure to have Gennady Golovkin here, the best fighter in the world.

“Everybody wants to see him, bringing him here to the UK created this massive event.”

“It was a pleasure dealing with Tom Loeffler and K2 Promotions on this event and thanks to Gennady’s entire team for their cooperation with the promotion.”

“Any fighter who wishes to face Gennady, these are very easy people to deal with, they just want to fight the very best and that’s what they are doing with Kell Brook, 35-0 vs. 36-0, it doesn’t get any bigger or better than this.
————————

Golovkin is known as “The Most Exciting, Hardest-Hitting, Most Feared Fighter in the World.” From recently selling out arenas in New York City (Madison Square Garden), Los Angeles (The Fabulous Forum), Carson, California (StubHub Center) and now The O2 (London) to his sponsorships with the JORDAN Brand, Apple, Samsung, and Bijan, Tsesnabank, BI Group and EXPO 2017, Golovkin is one of the most marketable athletes in the world.

Golovkin’s record includes 22 straight knockouts in addition to 16 consecutive world title defenses. His 91.4% knockout ratio is the highest in boxing’s middleweight division history.

Britain’s pound-for-pound number one fighter, Kell Brook, is out to shock the world when he steps up two weight divisions to take on the fearsome Gennady Golovkin.

The unbeaten Sheffield star achieved his childhood dream in August 2014 when he travelled to California to rip the IBF World Welterweight title from Ohio’s highly-rated and then-unbeaten Shawn Porter. He has since defended the title on three occasions, defeating Jo Jo Dan, Frankie Gavin and Kevin Bizier, all by stoppage.

SOCIAL MEDIA: For more information, visit www.MatchroomBoxing.com www.K2Promos.com, www.HBO.com/boxing, www.SkySports.com, and www.theo2.co.uk

Follow on Twitter for Gennady “GGG” Golovkin @GGGBoxing, Kell Brook at @SpecialKBrook,
@ Tom Loeffler/K2 Promotions @TomLoeffler1, Eddie Hearn @EddieHearn and Matchroom Boxing @MatchroomBoxing in addition to HBO Boxing @HBOBoxing and Sky Sports Boxing @SkySportsBoxing.

Use the hashtag #GGGBrook to join the conversation on social media.

What does Liam Smith provide in term of helping Canelo to get ready for a potential fight with GGG? As a promoter, what do you tell boxing fans that wanted to see Canelo-GGG instead of Canelo-Smith?

“Well, first of all, Canelo takes every fight seriously and never looks past anyone. Liam Smith is an undefeated fighter, the WBO Junior Middleweight Champion of the world, has knocked out his last eight opponents and comes from an outstanding boxing family.

“As of today, Canelo is a 154-lb fighter. He only fought for a Middleweight championship because fans wanted a fight with Miguel Cotto, and Canelo delivered by winning that fight convincingly.

“I have been clear that Canelo will fight Golovkin at 160 pounds and we have a verbal agreement to do it in the fall of 2017. But in the meantime, Canelo is going to build up to being a true middleweight.

“The plan is to face Smith – a big, bruising 154-pounder – in September, and if Canelo emerges victorious, to start making his way up to 160 pounds and fight Golovkin on equal turf (in terms of weight).

“We envision Canelo doing a third fight in 2016 either at or close to the middleweight limit and then a fight on Cinco De Mayo at 160 before facing Golovkin in the fall.

“I know Canelo/Golovkin is the biggest fight to make; the fighters know it’s the biggest fight to make; and the fans know it’s the biggest fight to make. Everyone agreed that a fight for the middleweight championship should take place at the middleweight limit and once Canelo builds up to that weight, the fight will be on.

“In the meantime, we are hopeful and confident that Canelo will continue to perform at a level that has led to back-to-back knockouts of the year over James Kirkland and Amir Khan and when his body is ready, GGG should look out.”

The HBO Sports special ROAD TO CANELO/SMITH debuts Saturday, September 10 at 12:45 a.m. (ET/PT) immediately following HBO World Championship Boxing.

Alvarez challenges Britain’s Liam Smith for his junior middleweight crown when Canelo vs. Smith takes place Saturday, September 17 from AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, live on pay-per-view beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT.

HBO Boxing presents day-night action from two continents, highlighted by a pair world championship fights featuring two of the sport’s top pound-for-pound performers, when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: GENNADY GOLOVKIN VS. KELL BROOK AND ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ VS. CARLOS CUADRAS AND YOSHIHIRO KAMEGAI VS. JESUS SOTO KARASS 2 is seen SATURDAY, SEPT. 10, first at 5:30 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from London and then at 10:00 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from Inglewood, Cal., exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports team will call all the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates: Sept. 11 (9:15 a.m.) and 12 (11:00 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates: Sept. 11 (4:15 p.m.) and 13 (midnight)

The tripleheader will also be available on HBO NOW, HBO GO and HBO On Demand.

At 5:30 p.m. (ET/PT), from The O2 in London, powerhouse Gennady Golovkin (35-0, 32 KOs), originally from Karaganda, Kazakhstan, and now training at Big Bear, Cal., defends his middleweight crown against Kell Brook (36-0, 25 KOs), from Sheffield, England, in a scheduled 12-round contest.

Seeking his 17th consecutive successful 160-pound title defense, Golovkin is drawing closer to Bernard Hopkins’ record of 20 successful middleweight title defenses. On a 22-bout knockout streak, Golovkin has compiled an extraordinary knockout-to-win ratio of 91%, and no opponent has gone the distance with him since June 2008. Trained by the highly regarded Abel Sanchez, he will be making his 11th appearance on HBO since his auspicious Sept. 2012 debut on the network.

With a 69% knockout-to-victory ratio, Brook became the British welterweight champion in 2008 and is a current world welterweight champion. Having defended his title successfully three times, he is moving up two weight classes to take on the formidable Golovkin.

At 10:00 p.m. (ET/PT), from The Forum in Inglewood, Cal., the primetime bouts kick off with Yoshihiro Kamegai (26-3-2, 23 KOs), from Tokyo, Japan, taking on Jesus Soto Karass (28-10-4, 18 KOs) of Los Moches, Mexico, who now lives in North Hollywood, Cal., in a scheduled ten-round super welterweight fight. These ring warriors fought to a split-decision draw in April and now look to settle the score in their heated rivalry.

Then, undefeated fighters Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (45-0, 38 KOs), from Managua, Nicaragua, and Carlos Cuadras (35-0-1, 27 KOs), from Mexico City, Mexico, meet in a scheduled 12-round super flyweight title fight. Gonzalez has brought worldwide attention to the lower weight divisions with his speed and power, boasting an 84% knockout-to-win ratio. Cuadras, with a 75% knockout-to-win ratio, is a super flyweight champion and looks to halt Gonzalez’s quest for a world title in a fourth weight class.

The primetime presentation will also feature a replay of the Golovkin-Brook bout from earlier in the day. Immediately following all the boxing action, HBO Sports will premiere at approximately 12:45 a.m. (ET/PT) ROAD TO CANELO/SMITH, a special chronicling the path to the Sept. 17 junior middleweight pay-per-view title fight at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tex. between Canelo Alvarez and Liam Smith.

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

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

The executive producer of WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is Rick Bernstein; producers, Dave Harmon, Jon Crystal, Thomas Odelfelt; director, Johnathan Evans.

By Bart Barry–

SAN ANTONIO – This city is named after a river.

Too, it’s nicknamed after a mission where a battle happened and Davy Crockett fought. Saturday the domed venue named after the mission where that battle happened and Davy Crockett fought, Alamodome, will play host to Mexican WBC Silver Caneloweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’s decimation of British welter/middleweight Kell “Special K” Brook in a Cinco De Mayo HBO PPV extravaganza, “GolovKanelo,” that will also see HBO Middleweight Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin make a homecoming hospitalization of British super welterweight Liam “Beefy” Smith in Kazakhstan.

“Kell Brook reminds me a lot of myself,” said an enthusiastic Oscar De La Hoya at GolovKanelo’s kickoff presser in April. “And Canelo Alvarez, obviously, reminds me a lot of myself. It’s like Oscar versus De La Hoya. Expect fireworks. Two champions. Both were undefeated before their primes.”

The Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation is on high-alert for Saturday’s premeditated assault. Despite reserving ringside seats for more than two dozen “medical officials” Commissioners expect to be powerless to stop the battery when Canelo brings more than two centuries of his countrymen’s grief, first with Spain and later with corrupt locally grown leaders, to the chin and ribs of hapless Kell Brook, a once-undefeated welterweight who ate himself to a handsome payday and vicious beating from Gennady Golovkin in September, a London match that went off lopsidedly even in the drunken betting shops of Brook’s hometown.

One of the Brothers Smith, apparently the one Canelo made a brutal “lesson in the obligations of independence” out of on Mexican Independence Day Weekend 2016, will make the second part of HBO’s split-venue / split-continents pay-per-view fiesta when he serves himself warm to GGG and 20,000 rabid Kazakhs in their country’s third-largest sports venue, Kazhymukan Munaitpasov Stadium, in a contest expected to satisfy any outstanding criteria for naming Golovkin the HBO Middleweight Champion of the Decade – an honorarium that precludes GGG from ever moving to 168 pounds, unless he wants to.

According to an unnamed source in the otherwise unreadable “Official GolovKanelo Blog” the enmity betwixt Alvarez and Golovkin was too much for one continent to sustain after what insiders now call The Incident. As reporters have hashed and rehashed since September: Budgetary restrictions precluded Golovkin’s handlers from booking a direct London-to-Dallas flight after Golovkin’s near decapitation of Brook, which caused Golovkin to land in his adopted hometown of Los Angeles and drive to Texas where he arrived 37 minutes too late to see Canelo break the stream of electricity to Smith’s brain in the fifth round of their woeful mismatch.

According to De La Hoya, Canelo’s earnest promoter, Canelo might’ve stopped Smith in round 3 if he’d had a proper warmup but instead spent the final private moments of his prefight routine before a restroom mirror practicing a new speech and glower he intended to deliver to Golovkin immediately after another successful defense of the WBC Caneloweight Silver title (Alvarez also holds the International title, the Gold title and the Americas title in this division).

“The only thing that held Canelo back from scoring the fastest knockout of a British fighter in Mexican history,” De La Hoya explained in Part 4 of a riveting blog, “was me telling him to rehearse his lines for after the fight. He won’t do that again.

“Now he’s going straight to the top.”

When Golovkin was not yet in the city limits of Arlington, Texas, at the time of Canelo’s important announcement, the fiercely proud Firehaired Horseman of Jalisco stated flatly:

“Mexicans do not tolerate the disrespect. We do not fight a man who disrespects us, because that means respecting a disrespectful man and that is not how he learns to respect. Wherever he is, tell that guy he will not share a ring with me until he learns respect, and since these things take a year to learn, at the very least . . .”

Whatever applause then burst from the partisan-Mexican crowd at AT&T Stadium in September – a crowd De La Hoya estimated “between 20,000 and 100 million but definitely more than 10,000” – a terrible rift opened between the two champions’ promoters, HBOGBP and HBOK2, time alone may heal but may not – not as proud as these two men are, not as proud as they are of their respective fighting traditions.

Further complicating matters was Canelo’s refusal to pay Golovkin step-aside money for Canelo’s expected match with David Lemieux, whom Golovkin blasted apart some years ago, and about whom Canelo later said, “For what would I beat a guy Golovkin beat after many years when I can broil (asar) more English beef the other guy tenderized Saturday?”

Tweeting from the bed to which doctors consigned him after his match with Golovkin, Special K eagerly accepted Canelo’s challenge, promising to bulk up to 190 pounds by March in the hopes of cutting a pound a day in April.

“With no chance of Canelo and Golovkin now fighting one another in 2017,” an HBO representative said, “we decided to give fans a truly innovative experience. We call it the HBO Virtual Scorecard. This way our subscribers can watch Canelo against Golovkin’s most recent victim and Gennady against Alvarez’s most recent opponent, and score who would win each round if Canelo and Gennady were fighting each other.

“Max has been doing this for years!”

Kell Brook hit the scales five pounds heavier than Gennady Golovkin in their final WBC check-weigh ahead of their monster clash for the WBC, IBF and IBO World Middleweight titles at The O2 in London on Saturday September 10, live on Sky Sports Box Office.

Brook was weighed at the famous Wincobank Gym in Sheffield by the British Boxing Board of Control and weighed 167.8lbs, while Golovkin tipped the scales at 162.9lb at his Big Bear Training Camp in California.

Brook and Golovkin top a blockbuster night of action in London with two more mouth-watering World title clashes as Lee Haskins defending his IBF World Bantamweight title in a rematch with bitter rival Stuart Hall, who he met for the European strap in July 2012, and Charlie Edwards challenging for a World title in his ninth pro fight against two-weight IBF Flyweight champion Johnriel Casimero.

Callum Smith defends his WBC Silver title against tough Hungarian Norbert Nemesapati while his older brother Paul continues his hunt for a third World title shot, Martin J. Ward and Andy Townend meet for the vacant British Super-Featherweight title, WBC Silver Super-Bantamweight champion McDonnell is tracking down a World title shot of his own Sheffield Super-Bantamweight and Brook’s Ingle Gym mate Galahad continues his comeback, Conor Benn boxes for the fourth time in the paid ranks and unbeaten Middleweight Craig Richards tastes his fifth action in the pros.