LONDON (April 24) – Knockout artist Marcos Maidana is gunning for pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather so bad he doesn’t care about any world titles up for grabs.

The Argentine kingpin knows gaining victory over Mayweather will be the biggest scalp of all despite the fact that both Maidana’s WBA welterweight title and the undefeated Michigan magician’s WBC belt are on the line.

The explosive 30-year-old, with 31 knockouts in his 35 wins, is adamant he will shock the world, causing the biggest upset since James ‘Buster’ Douglas’ overcame Mike Tyson nearly 25 years ago, when the duo clash at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 3rd.

“I am a champion and I am ready to fight for my title. Most importantly, I am preparing to beat Mayweather. The last thing that I’m worried about is my title. I want to just train and beat Mayweather,” said Maidana, whose fight is live on BoxNation.

“This is the most important part of my career. The fight with Adrien Broner gave me a lot of exposure, but this fight itself is the biggest fight of my career and it would be a tremendous upset and that’s what I’m training for, to upset the world and to do it for my country. It would be huge for my country,” he said.

Going into the fight Maidana is regarded as the underdog, yet, against Broner last December he was in the same position before his brutal annihilation left the man tipped as the next star of boxing truly humbled.

And again, the Santa Fe assassin insists his role as the dark horse only makes him more determined to succeed.

“It doesn’t bother me at all [what people say],” said Maidana. “What motivates me is that if I win, I’m going to beat the best in the world and that’s what motivates me. I’m going to go out to win it. If others haven’t been able to do it, I’m training to do it. I’m training to be the first one to do it,” he said.

His defiant, don’t-care attitude, which has become so synonymous with him, is backed up by his 2012 Trainer of the Year, Robert Garcia, who believes that Mayweather has never shared the ring with a fighter as ferocious as the man dubbed ‘El Chino’.

“Against Floyd, those that have tried and come forward, they have failed, but the fact is that Floyd has never faced somebody with the power and the heart, the determination that Chino has. This is a fighter who doesn’t worry about anything,” said Garcia.

“He’s not worrying about; I’m fighting the best pound-for-pound in the world or the best fighter in history. He’s not worried about that. He gets ready to fight and do what he does best and he does it against anybody.

“It doesn’t have to be the best in the world. He goes out there just to try to hurt his opponent and that’s what he’s training to do. He throws punches from different angles. He has tremendous power in both hands. Everybody knows that. There is no secret to that. He doesn’t respect whoever is in front of him,” Garcia said.

Under the tutelage of the respected Garcia, Maidana’s career has blossomed with the pair recording four wins out of four since they got together back in 2012 following the boxing ace’s loss to Devon Alexander.

It was Garcia who masterminded the stunning victory over Broner, with Maidana insisting – despite what some may feel – he doesn’t need the knockout to win.

“With Broner, everybody thought I had to knock him out and I beat him with a decision. I am preparing myself to go 12 rounds if it’s necessary [for Mayweather]. I’m preparing to hurt him every time I throw punches and if a knockout comes, then great, but I am preparing myself to win after 12 rounds.

“I already beat Broner the way I did and I think I can do the same with Mayweather,” said Maidana.

Prior to the big bill next weekend, a huge amount of top class action is set to take place over the coming days on BoxNation.

This Friday night, live from Russia, cruiserweights Dennis Lebedev and Guillermo Jones do battle once again for the WBA cruiserweight world title.

The pair met in May last year when Lebedev lost his world championship following a stoppage in the 11th round after a horrendous eye injury took its toll on the Russian despite being ahead on all three judges’ scorecards.

However, following the decision Jones was stripped of the title after irregularities in his drug test came to light, with both men now looking to put the record straight in the ring.

Furthermore, coming live and exclusive from the StubHub Center in Carson, California on Saturday night is a bill topped with the biggest punchers around.

Headlined by the rising star of the welterweight division, Keith Thurman, who is unbeaten having blitzed his way past 22 opponents on route to what he hopes will be a world title shot after he squares off against former world champion Julio Diaz.

Exciting Argentine Lucas Matthysse is also back in action as he makes his return following his toe-to-toe thriller with unified light-welterweight world champion Danny Garcia last September.

He goes up against the tough John Molina looking to continue his knockout streak which has seen him flatten 32 of his 34 opponents.

There will also be world title action on the night when WBC lightweight champion, Omar Figueroa defends his title, and undefeated record, against fellow Texan Jerry Belmontes.

The hard-hitting 24-year-old will be out to stop another foe as he looks to improve on his impressive 22 wins with 17 knockouts in a stacked Golden Boy Promotions bill that may be over in a blink of the eye.

Earlier that night, ‘The Channel of Champions’ BoxNation will also bring viewers some fantastic domestic action when heavyweight hitman Lucas Browne takes on Eric Martel Bahoeli in a Hatton Promotions show from Sheffield.

Rising prospect Adam Etches, who has been causing a stir of late with his highly impressive displays, is also on the card as he takes on Felipe De la Paz Teniente for the WBC Youth world middleweight title.

Mayweather vs. Maidana is live on BoxNation (Sky 437/490HD & Virgin 546) on Saturday May 3rd. 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 £12* 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 in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.

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 £8 one off registration fee for Sky TV and new Livesport.tv customers.

New York, NY (May 30, 2013) – Boxing is back on MSG Network every Friday night at 9:00 p.m. this summer with “Friday Night Fights.” Following tomorrow night’s presentation of two recent bouts from Russia, John Duddy and Mark Breland take center stage every Friday night with an all-new look at some classic fights.

“Friday Night Fights” gets started tomorrow night with a special presentation of “Don King Presents” featuring two recent title bouts from Moscow: Denis Lebedev vs. Guillermo Jones and Alexander Povetkin vs. Andrzej Wawrzyk. In the cruiserweight fight, Jones upset Lebedev and left the former title holder with a serious eye injury. Povetkin maintained his WBA heavyweight belt after defeating Wawrzyk in the third round, setting up a fight with Wladimir Klitschko this fall.

Starting Friday, June 7, Madison Square Garden favorite John Duddy and 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist and two-time world champion Mark Breland take over Friday Night Fights as they present classic bouts featuring some of the biggest names in boxing, including Lennox Lewis, “Sugar” Ray Leonard, Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe.

Below is the “Friday Night Fights” schedule through the July 4th weekend. Additional fights will be announced at a later date.

June 7 – Alexis Arguello vs. Aaron Pryor II (9/9/83)

The rematch of the November 1982 fight, this bout ended in the same fashion, with Arguello falling to Pryor by KO, but four rounds earlier, this time in the 10th.

June 14 – Evander Holyfield vs. Riddick Bowe I (11/13/92)

Considered one of the greatest heavyweight fights of all-time, the inaugural bout between Holyfield and Bowe went the full 12 rounds with the younger Bowe outlasting his opponent for the unanimous decision.

June 21 – Mark Breland vs. Harold Volbrecht (2/7/87)

One of the greatest amateur boxers ever, two-time world champion Breland defeated Volbrecht in Atlantic City, NJ for the WBA World Welterweight Title, his first professional world title.

June 28 – Kevin Kelley vs. Jesse Benavides (5/6/94)

With the WBC Featherweight Title at stake, Kelley defeated Benavides by unanimous decision.

July 5 – Zab Judah vs. Terron Millett (8/5/00), Zab Judah vs. Allan Vester (6/23/01)

Two IBF title defense fights by Zab Judah. In the first bout, Judah went down in the first round but regained his composure and knocked out Millett in the fourth with a series of punches. Eight months later, Judah knocked down Vester twice in the second round and finished him in the third with a left hand to the head.

MSG Networks is the exclusive local television home of the New York Knicks, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres, New York Liberty and New York Red Bulls, and the official regional sports networks of the New York Giants. MSG Networks also telecasts over 100 live college basketball games and over 40 live college football games from top national conferences (SEC, Big 12, Big East, Pac 12, Conference USA), as well as horse racing, boxing and award-winning original programming. In 2013, MSG Networks received 18 New York Emmy Awards, including 16 for MSG and one each for MSG+ and MSG.com. MSG’s 85 Emmys over the past six years are more than any single network or station in the region during that time.

About The Madison Square Garden Company

The Madison Square Garden Company is a fully-integrated sports, media and entertainment business. The Company is comprised of three business segments: MSG Sports, MSG Media and MSG Entertainment, which are strategically aligned to work together to drive the Company’s overall business, which is built on a foundation of iconic venues and compelling content that the company creates, produces, presents and/or distributes through its programming networks and other media assets. MSG Sports owns and operates the following sports franchises: the New York Knicks (NBA), the New York Rangers (NHL), the New York Liberty (WNBA), and the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL). MSG Sports also features the presentation of a wide variety of live sporting events including professional boxing, college basketball, bull riding and tennis. MSG Media is a leader in production and content development for multiple distribution platforms, including content originating from the Company’s venues. MSG Media’s television networks consist of regional sports networks, MSG Network and MSG+, collectively referred to as MSG Networks; and Fuse, a national television network dedicated to music. MSG Networks also include high-definition channels, MSG HD and MSG+ HD, and Fuse includes its high-definition channel, Fuse HD. MSG Entertainment is one of the country’s leaders in live entertainment. MSG Entertainment creates, produces and/or presents a variety of live productions, including the Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the Rockettes. MSG Entertainment also presents or hosts other live entertainment events such as concerts, family shows and special events in the Company’s diverse collection of venues. These venues consist of Madison Square Garden, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the Beacon Theatre, the Forum in Inglewood, CA, The Chicago Theatre, and the Wang Theatre in Boston, MA. More information is available at www.themadisonsquaregardencompany.com.

MOSCOW, Russia—World Boxing Association cruiserweight champion Denis Lebedev (25-1, 19 KOs), from Chekhov, Russia, and WBA cruiserweight champion in recess Guillermo “El Felino” Jones (38-3-2, 30 KOs), from Colon, Panama, are set to meet on May 17 at Crocus City Hall in Moscow, Russia. Co-promoter Don King has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin and Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli to attend the event.

“I have invited the leaders of Russia and Panama to attend our big boxing event in Moscow on May 17 as the world champions in the main event hail from these great countries,” King said. “Sports can transcend boundaries and bring us together, so what better way to exemplify that than to have these great leaders on the scene supporting their countrymen.”

The event will take place in the beautiful 7,000-seat Crocus City Hall and has been dubbed “Fight For Peace, The One Will Stand.”

“It’s to Russia with love and understanding, a sports extravaganza to bring people together for peace, democracy and freedom. President Putin said, ‘Nobody and nothing will stop Russia on the road to strengthening democracy and ensuring human rights and freedoms,’ and I support him in his quest to make a better Russia for the Russian people.”