NEW YORK – July 28, 2022 – SHOWTIME SPORTS has announced the global distribution partners, pay-per-view price and telecast team for the upcoming SHOWTIME PPV co-headlined by global superstar Jake “The Problem Child” Paul vs. Hasim Rahman Jr. and Amanda “Real Deal” Serrano vs. Brenda Carabajal on Saturday, August 6 live from Madison Square Garden in New York City. Tickets are on sale and available at www.msg.com. Click HERE to watch and share the promo video.

The pay-per-view event kicks off at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and is widely available for purchase and live streaming in the United States at SHOWTIME.com/ppv and via the SHOWTIME app for a suggested retail price of $59.99 (SRP). All U.S. consumers who purchase the event through the SHOWTIME app or SHOWTIME.com can watch it live through the SHOWTIME streaming service app on any supported devices including Apple iOS and tvOS devices, Android Mobile, AndroidTV, Roku, Amazon FireTV, Samsung Smart TV, Xbox One, LG Smart TV, as well as online at SHOWTIME.com. The event is also available for purchase in the U.S. via satellite and telco systems through DIRECTV^®, DISH, Sling TV, Vubiquity and on the Sony PlayStation™ store.

In Canada, viewers can purchase and access the event via traditional cable and satellite distributors (Bell, Rogers, Shaw and SaskTel/TELUS) as well as on FITE, who has distributed all of Paul’s previous fights and will offer the event in most regions around the world outside of the U.S. Liberty and Claro TV will offer the event in Puerto Rico. Joe Hand Promotions is the commercial distributor within the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada.

DAZN will broadcast the event in the United Kingdom and Ireland, as part of the monthly subscription and ESPN LatAm will be the exclusive cable, satellite, internet/digital carrier in Latin America. Paul vs. Rahman Jr. is also available down under via FOX Sports Australia.

Paul (5-0, 4 KOs) and Rahman Jr. (12-1, 6 KOs) will meet after the two erupted during the kick-off press conference over who was the better man during sparring sessions they had in 2020. Paul, a YouTube star and influencer-turned-pro boxer trains under the tutelage of Danny Smith and B.J. Flores in Puerto Rico and was named the Sports Illustrated 2021 Breakout Boxer of the Year. Rahman Jr. is the son of the former two-time heavyweight champion and has trained under boxing sages like Emanuel Steward, Calvin Ford and now Yoel Judah, father and trainer of the former two-division world champion Zab Judah.

The other half of the dual main event features seven-division women’s champion Serrano, (42-2-1, 30 KOs) of Brooklyn, who will defend her featherweight titles against Argentina’sCarabajal (18-5-1, 9 KOs) in a 10-round featherweight bout. Serrano made history in April when she and Katie Taylor were the first women to headline a main event at MSG. In the co-feature, teenage sensation,18-year-old Ashton Sylve (7-0, 7 KOs) of Long Beach, Calif., will face Braulio Rodriguez of the Dominican Republic in an eight-round lightweight bout. Knockout artist Brandun Lee (25-0, 22 KOs), of La Quinta, Calif., will face Will Madera in a 10-round super lightweight to open the pay-per-view telecast.

Veteran sportscaster and SHOWTIME boxing host Brian Custer will host the four-fight pay-per-view telecast alongside the most versatile voice in combat sports Mauro Ranallo, with International Boxing Hall of Famer Al Bernstein and former junior middleweight champion and SHOBOX^® commentator Raúl “El Diamante” Marquez serving as expert analysts. Leading combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani will serve as ringside reporter. Two more Hall of Famers will round out the SHOWTIME PPV telecast team – boxing historian Steve Farhood will serve as unofficial scorer and world-renowned Jimmy Lennon Jr. will serve as ring announcer. Hall of Famer Barry Tompkins and SHOBOX announcer and combat sports expert Brian Campbell will provide analysis for the international feed.

The pay-per-view telecast is produced and distributed by SHOWTIME PPV. Four-time Emmy^® award winner David Dinkins Jr. will serve as executive producer and Bob Dunphy, son of legendary Hall of Famer Don Dunphy, as director. The pair has produced the three highest-grossing pay-per-view events of all time (Mayweather-Pacquiao, Mayweather-McGregor, Mayweather-Canelo).

In the leadup to the dual headliner, SHOWTIME SPORTS will offer an installment of its Emmy^® Award-winning series ALL ACCESS, bringing fans behind the scenes as Paul prepares to face the first full-fledged boxer of his career and Rahman Jr. prepares for his first big moment in the spotlight.  The series also features Serrano as she trains in her hometown and shakes off the remnants from her last fight in advance of her title defense. ALL ACCESS: PAUL VS. RAHMAN premieres on Saturday, July 30 at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT with ALL ACCESS: PAUL VS. RAHMAN EPILOGUE premiering on Saturday, August 13. 

The event is co-produced by SHOWTIME PPV and Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), a company founded by Paul and Nakisa Bidarian and promoted by Holden Boxing.

For more information visit www.SHO.com/sports, follow on Twitter via @JakePaul, @ShowtimeBoxing and @MostVpromotions on Instagram via @JakePaul, @ShowtimeBoxing and @MostValuablePromotions or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Paramount, owns and operates the premium service SHOWTIME^®, which features critically acclaimed original series, provocative documentaries, box-office hit films, comedy and music specials and hard-hitting sports. SHOWTIME is available as a stand-alone streaming service across all major streaming devices and Showtime.com, as well as via cable, DBS, telco and streaming video providers. SNI also operates the premium services THE MOVIE CHANNEL^™ and FLIX^®, as well as on demand versions of all three brands. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV^®. For more information, go to www.SHO.com.  

Las Vegas – July 27, 2022 – The verbal jabs continued one week ahead of the Jake “The Problem Child” Paul and Hasim Rahman Jr. mega-fight as Rahman Jr. participated in an open media workout Tuesday night at DLX Boxing in Las Vegas. He wasted little time dissing Paul as a “mockery of our sport” saying he respected Paul’s work ethic, but that he is looking to “expose him for the fraud he is.”

The cruiserweight clash scheduled for eight rounds will take place on Saturday, August 6 live on SHOWTIME PPV (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) from Madison Square Garden in New York City. Tickets can be purchased at www.msg.com.

Here is what the principals had to say Tuesday night: 

Hasim Rahman Jr.

“We’ve had an amazing camp and I just want to thank my team. From my track coach to my strength and conditioning, all my coaches have been there for me. Just taking care of every little thing down to my nutritionist preparing my meals. Everyone is in sync and we’re ready to go.

“There’s nothing Jake Paul does that concerns me. I’m just super confident going into this fight. I feel like this guy is not at my level. He made a mistake picking me.

“Being in Vegas is amazing. My family and I came here because of boxing and we’ve been training for what could be the biggest fight of the year. It’s on me now and I have Vegas on my back. I have a lot of support and this is my home. I love it here. There’s not a better place to be and then to go from here to go to the mecca of boxing next week is just a beautiful thing. It’s poetry in motion.

“Fighting in Madison Square Garden happened so fast – I didn’t think it would happen so fast. But it’s here and I’m ready and I know what I signed up for. We’re going to go in there and make it look easy.

“I respect his work ethic but come August 6 I look to expose him for the fraud he is.

“It’s similar to when my father knocked out Lennox Lewis. He had a target on his back. I’m looking to do the same thing and to get that target on my back so I can fight for a world championship.

“I just have one final message: Jake Paul is going to fall!”

Hasim Rahman Sr. 

“We’re looking forward to knocking Jake out. I feel like when you get a certain status you start feeling you’re invincible. You start thinking you can do it all. But it’s one thing to say something, and another thing to go out there and do it. So when he has to go out and do it, he’s going to realize it wasn’t as easy as he thought it was going to be. Once he wakes up.

“I just feel like we don’t have to look for a KO. I just feel like we have superior boxing skills. His boxing IQ is much great than Jake Paul’s and I just personally feel like the knockout is going to come.

“Timing beats speed. We got the bigger, stronger fighter. We’ve got the reach advantage. We control the distance of the fight. We control how this fight goes. If we want to make it a slugfest, we will make it a slugfest. If we want to make it a boxing clinic, we’ll make it a boxing clinic. It all depends on what style we want to fight. The fight you are going to see will be dictated by us.

“We’re not really concerned with Jake Paul’s power. We don’t need to show how good our chin is. We don’t need to show what his right hand can do. What we can do is take his right hand away from him. We aren’t going to get hit with the right hand, but if we do we are going to fire back with our own counter. It’s going to be an interesting fight. Jake Paul can fight. Don’t get it twisted. But I’m not impressed by the knockouts he’s had. I don’t really feel like he’s knocked out a fighter yet.”

Yoel Judah, Rahman Jr.’s trainer

“I see Rahman Jr. is going to win in the sixth round. He’s confident and he’s doing everything by the book. He wants this fight. Jake made a big mistake.

“We’ve been working on everything. Movement, speed, and mainly stamina. We know he has really good punching power, and legs. So, if we get good stamina, we know we are good.

“Jake has a problem. He’s tried to cripple us to get to 200 pounds, then to not go over 214. The best thing about Jake Paul is he’s probably going to be in great shape. But you’re fighting a real boxer now. Good punching power and good combinations and someone who is not afraid of you and who is going to bring the fight to you.

“I’ve been with Hasim about four, five years. He’s right there. He’s where he’s supposed to be for this fight. I see him three years from now fighting for a world championship.”

The Paul vs. Rahman and Serrano vs. Carabajal event is co-produced by SHOWTIME PPV and Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), a company founded by Paul and Nakisa Bidarian.  Holden Boxing will be the licensed promoter and Paul and Bidarian will serve as executive producers for the event. The pay-per-view telecast is produced and distributed by SHOWTIME PPV. 

SHOWTIME SPORTS^® will bring fans inside the ropes and behind the scenes with its Emmy- award-winning series ALL ACCESS: PAUL VS. RAHMAN, which will premiere this Saturday, July 30. An ALL ACCESS:  PAUL VS. RAHMAN EPILOGUE will follow on August 13. 

For more information visit www.SHO.com/sports, follow on Twitter via @JakePaul, @ShowtimeBoxing and @MostVpromotions on Instagram via @JakePaul, @ShowtimeBoxing and @MostValuablePromotions or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing.

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Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Paramount, owns and operates the premium service SHOWTIME^®, which features critically acclaimed original series, provocative documentaries, box-office hit films, comedy and music specials and hard-hitting sports. SHOWTIME is available as a stand-alone streaming service across all major streaming devices and Showtime.com, as well as via cable, DBS, telco and streaming video providers. SNI also operates the premium services THE MOVIE CHANNEL^™ and FLIX^®, as well as on demand versions of all three brands. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV^®. For more information, go to www.SHO.com.  

QUINCY, Mass. (July 21, 2022) – Undefeated Pittsfield (MA) heavyweight Quintin Sumpter (5-0, 3 KOs heavyweight is preparing to shock the boxing world August 6th when he fights Jeremiah “Dream Land” Milton (5-0, 4 KOs) ) on the Jake Paul-Hasim Rahman, Jr. undercard, at famed Madison Square Garden in New York City.

“This fight can propel my career,” Sumpter said. “It can be life changing. I know that I need to be a dog on August 6th. I want to show people who don’t know me what I am. It’s surreal. I’m going to shock the world!”

Sumpter was born and grew up in New York City, Brooklyn to be exact, before moving to go to college in 2006. Returning home to fight at arguably the most famous boxing venue in the world, along with gaining added exposure because he’s’ fighting on the Jake Paul platform, is a tremendous opportunity for him.

“Unexplainable,” Sumpter initially responded to a question about fighting at MSG. “So many big fights have been at Madison Square Garden. I never thought that I’d be able to show my talent there. I never really thought I’d fight at Madison Square Garden.

“Whether you agree on not, Jake Paul is a boxer once he steps into the iron ring, and he is bringing a lot of attention to boxing.”

“When the opportunity was presented to Quintin and his trainer,” Granite Chin Promotions president Chris Traietti remarked, “they jumped on it. Quintin has developed that AAA mentality (anyone, anytime, anyplace) that separates him from the pack. In his 6th pro fight, regardless of the outcome – I have all the confidence in the world he is going to win – he has accomplished more than 90-percent of the people who turn pro in New England. He is the type of guy that makes a promoter’s job easy. He can fight and he wants to fight, real fights, not these fluff fights like so many others want to boost their fragile egos on social media. I’m proud of him and after August 6th, the boxing world is going to know who Quintin Sumpter is.”

The 6’ 0”, 220-pound Sumpter will be much smaller, physically speaking, than the 6’ 4”, 230 lbs. Milton, who was a defensive end on Northeastern State University’s football team. Sumpter, however, doesn’t care if he’s fighting at a size disadvantage against Milton.

“I’m not really concerned,” Sumpter spoke about being smaller than Milton. “I train with people a lot bigger than him. I’m light on my feet and move well. I’m not concerned with him. Once we step into the ring, he has to deal with me.”

Sumpter vs. Milton is scheduled for 6 rounds.

INFORMATION:

Facebook.com/GraniteChin

Twitter: @Granite_Chin

Instagram: @chinchekker_qt

NEW YORK – July 21, 2022 – Two of boxing’s most exciting prospects, Ashton “H20” Sylve and Brandun Lee, will highlight the SHOWTIME PPV undercard on Saturday, August 6 (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) co-headlined by Jake “The Problem Child” Paul vs. Hasim Rahman Jr. and Amanda “Real Deal” Serrano vs. Brenda Carabajal live from Madison Square Garden. Tickets are on sale and available at www.msg.com.

Teenage sensation,18-year-old Sylve (7-0, 7 KOs), and knockout artist Lee (25-0, 22 KOs) will make their SHOWTIME PPV and Madison Square Garden debuts against stern competition. Sylve, of Long Beach, Calif., will face the durable Braulio Rodriguez of the Dominican Republic in an eight-round lightweight bout, while the 23-year-old Lee, of La Quinta, Calif., will face Will Madera in a 10-round super lightweight bout opening the pay-per-view telecast.

Sylve, the first prospect signed by MVP, is facing an experienced opponent in Rodriguez, who is 20-4 and has scored knockouts in all but three of his victories thanks to his aggressive and big-swinging style. When he’s lost, it has come against top-flight opposition. Rodriguez has shared the ring with lightweight contender Ryan Garcia and title challenger Christopher Diaz. He dropped a split decision to then undefeated prospect Alberto Mercado and surrendered a unanimous decision to then unbeaten Carlos Diaz –the first blemish of his career after scoring 15-straight knockouts to start his pro campaign.

In Sylve, Rodriguez is facing an elite talent. The undefeated teenage sensation has stopped all of his opponents in four rounds or less, demonstrating hair-trigger reflexes, high boxing IQ and heavy hands. He recently knocked out Giovanni Gutierrez in the first round in May in his MVP debut at lightweight. He fought three times in 2021 and twice thus far in 2022. A gifted amateur who turned pro at 16 with over 100 wins and 10 national titles, Sylve first entered the public consciousness as an eight-year-old when a training video made by his father, Ivan, went viral and led to an invite to Floyd Mayweather’s famed gym in Las Vegas. 

Lee is also no stranger to turning heads with his athletic achievements. The winner of 15 of his last 16 fights by knockout, Lee has shown both one-punch power and the ability to outbox his opponents. He recently dominated tough veteran Zachary Ochoa in April and has quickly established himself as a force at 140 pounds. The child of a Mexican mother and Korean father, Lee has emerged as a vocal spokesperson for the Asian-American community.

Trained by his father Bobby, Lee has kept up a busy schedule, fighting four times in 2020, three times in 2021 and now twice in 2022. He was also an accomplished amateur, going an estimated 195 amateur fights with only five losses and capturing gold at the prestigious 2015 U.S. Junior National Championships at 145 pounds.

Co-headlining the night of action on August 6 are Paul (5-0, 4 KOs) and Rahman Jr. (12-1, 6 KOs), who will meet after erupting during the July 12 kick-off press conference over who was the better man during sparring sessions they had in 2020. The son of the former two-time heavyweight champion, Rahman Jr. had approximately 100 amateur fights and has trained under boxing sages like Emanuel Steward, Calvin Ford and now Yoel Judah, father and trainer of the former two-division world champion Zab Judah. Rahman Jr. is undisputedly the first full-fledged boxer that Paul has faced. 

The Sports Illustrated 2021 Breakout Boxer of the Year, Paul is coming off one of the best knockouts of last year when he demolished Tyron Woodley in the sixth round with a perfectly placed right hand that went viral and was the No. 1 trending video worldwide on YouTube following their December 18 bout. A YouTube star and influencer-turned-pro boxer, the Cleveland native, who is just 25 and started his pro boxing journey in January 2020, is fighting out of Puerto Rico under the tutelage of Danny Smith and B.J. Flores.

The other half of the dual main event features seven-division women’s champion Serrano, (42-2-1, 30 KOs) of Brooklyn, who will defend her featherweight titles against Argentina’sCarabajal (18-5-1, 9 KOs) in a 10-round dual main event. Serrano made history in April when she and Katie Taylor were the first women to headline a main event at MSG in a lightweight bout. Now she returns to her natural weight in front of her hometown fans.

The Paul vs. Rahman Jr. and Serrano vs. Carabajal event is co-produced by SHOWTIME PPV and Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), a company founded by Paul and Nakisa Bidarian.  Holden Boxing will be the licensed promoter of the event and Paul and Bidarian will serve as executive producers for the event. The pay-per-view telecast is produced and distributed by SHOWTIME PPV. 

SHOWTIME SPORTS^® will bring fans behind the scenes and inside the ropes with its Emmy^® Award-winning series ALL ACCESS. ALL ACCESS: PAUL VS. RAHMAN will premiere on Saturday, July 30 at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT with ALL ACCESS EPILOGUE premiering on Saturday, August 13. 

For more information visit www.SHO.com/sports, follow on Twitter via @JakePaul, @ShowtimeBoxing and @MostVpromotions on Instagram via @JakePaul, @ShowtimeBoxing and @MostValuablePromotions or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Paramount, owns and operates the premium service SHOWTIME^®, which features critically acclaimed original series, provocative documentaries, box-office hit films, comedy and music specials and hard-hitting sports. SHOWTIME is available as a stand-alone streaming service across all major streaming devices and Showtime.com, as well as via cable, DBS, telco and streaming video providers. SNI also operates the premium services THE MOVIE CHANNEL^™ and FLIX^®, as well as on demand versions of all three brands. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV^®. For more information, go to www.SHO.com.  

New York – July 13, 2022 – Jake “The Problem Child” Paul and Hasim Rahman Jr. didn’t waste any time expressing their dislike for each other during a heated and at times frenzied press conference on Tuesday, vowing to knock the other out ahead of their cruiserweight clash scheduled for eight rounds on Saturday, August 6 live on SHOWTIME PPV (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) from Madison Square Garden in New York City. Tickets went on sale at 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday and can be purchased at www.msg.com. The press conference was streamed live on the SHOWTIME SPORTS YouTube channel and Jake Paul’s YouTube channel.

For the first time in his colorful and storied career, Paul (5-0, 4 KOs) will take on a full-fledged boxer in Rahman Jr., who is 12-1 with six knockouts, had around 100 amateur fights and has been trained by such greats as Emanuel Steward, Calvin Ford and now Yoel Judah.

Just four months after her epic match with Katie Taylor at Madison Square Garden, Brooklyn’s seven-divisionworld champion Amanda “Real Deal” Serrano will return to the same venue and to her natural weight to defend her Featherweight World Titles against the hard-hitting Argentine Brenda “La Pumita” Carabajal co-headlining the event on August 6. 

Serrano was on hand on Tuesday and said she was looking forward to fighting at 126 pounds after she fought Taylor in April at 135. Rounding out the SHOWTIME PPV undercard are separate bouts involving two of the sport’s most exciting prospects — unbeaten knockout artist Brandun Lee (25-0, 22 KOs) and quick-fisted Ashton Sylve (7-0, 7 KOs).

The press conference was hosted by the combat sports expert Ariel Helwani, who guided the heated back-and-forth discussion between Paul and Rahman Jr. Their animosity stems from sparring sessions they held before Paul’s first two fights in 2020 and who got the upper hand in that action. Rahman claims he only used one hand in the sparring in an effort to work with him. Paul referenced leaked footage of their sparring in which Paul appears to land a number of heavy blows to demonstrate the action was heated and not at all controlled. Rahman Jr. claims the footage was edited to make Paul look good. 

The subject of Paul’s boxing resume also came up with Rahman stating that Paul built his career off of pummeling former MMA and NBA athletes. “That’s why your next on the list,” Paul responded. “That’s why I’m fighting you.” Hasim Jr. was flanked on the dais by his famous father, the former two-time heavyweight champion, Hasim Sr., who rose to prominence knocking out Lennox Lewis in 2001 in South Africa to become the unified titleholder. Paul referenced Rahman Sr., saying he wouldn’t be able to fight his son’s battle on August 6.

“You’re not in the ring sir,” Paul said. “And that’s what your son doesn’t understand. He thinks he’s you and that’s his biggest mistake and on August 6 I’m ending the legacy that your whole family has.”

Here’s a sampling of what the participants had to say at Tuesday’s press conference:

Jake Paul

“He’s going to get beat up by a singer, a musician, a seashell collector, an amateur, a Disney boy, a YouTuber, I’m all of these things.”

“I beat him in sparring and he knows that too. We have the footage.”

“You’re probably a little nervous about what happened (when we sparred). But under the lights with 10-ounce gloves is going to be different. That’s why I do this sport. I don’t do this sport to spar, I do this sport to fight and when he gets under the lights at Madison Square Garden in front of 20,000 fans, you’ll see what the result is.”

“It’s bring-your-kid-to-work day.”

“We know he’s going to come out southpaw so it’s me fighting a southpaw for the first time. But other than that, nothing really changes in my preparation. I spar professional fighters in the gym all the time, two to three times a week for the past three years, guys way better than him, so nothing really changes. We’re prepared for this.”

“You got beat (in sparring) and you know it.”

“This is 100 percent a tougher fight (than facing Tommy Fury). This is what I do. I take hard challenges and challenge myself more and more and increase the level of opposition and give the fans what they want. People say fight a real boxer – here we go. This guy is bigger than me, he has more experience. There’s no reason that I should win this but I’m proving to the world and proving to the kids out there that if you truly put your mind to something and you’re dedicated, then you will win.”

Hasim Rahman Jr.

“This is such a huge opportunity for me. I never once second-guessed or even doubted the outcome of this fight.”

“I’m the one giving you credibility. None of your other opponents gave you any credibility.”

“I’m here to end this façade that he’s calling a career so we’re going to see on August 6^th Jake Paul fall. You’re definitely going to see that.”

“They put the footage that they want to put out. Did you put out footage where you turn around and ran away from me in the ring? You turned your back and ran. You’re going to see on August 6^th.”

“Who have you fought? You haven’t fought anybody. You fought champions in the NBA and MMA but no boxers.”

“I will be using both hands on August 6. I only used one hand when I sparred him. He can’t even spar anyone with one hand. He’s not even on my level. I boxed this man with one hand behind my back and I promise you he turned his back and ran from me. I was trying to help you. He’s definitely barking up the wrong tree. I’m going to mess you up.”

“I think that I haven’t reached my full potential yet and that I can definitely have performed better in all of my fights, so on August 6 we’re going to come fully prepared.”

“I’m not worried about the weight. I was just in camp for a fight and then I got right back into the gym. The weight is not a factor. I’ve fought at 200 pounds for years in the amateurs, so losing the weight is exciting for me. It will open some doors for me in the boxing ring.”

Amanda Serrano

“I’m truly honored to have such a fast turnaround. The fight with Katie Taylor was a huge event, not just for females but for boxing in general. I’m super happy to be back at MSG with my manager Jake Paul and we get to show the world that we’re fighters and he gets to take off his promoter turtleneck and put on his boxing boots to show that he’s a fighter as well.”

“These (featherweight belts) are my babies. I work super hard for these belts. I went up to 135 my last two fights to get this fight with Katie Taylor. I’m not a legitimate 135-pounder. I’m a featherweight and that’s why I need to defend these titles and after this one it’s onto the next one against the other champions.”

“Jake Paul is fighting Hasim Rahman Jr. for a reason. We’re so much alike in the game of boxing, and I know he has all the heart and courage to go out there and do it. He’s training as if he’s fighting for a world title, so I have all the faith in his work ethic and he has that hammer and that hammer can neutralize any opponent.”

Hasim Rahman Sr.

“I’m excited like everyone else. I just don’t know how I’m going to feel when Jake’s 100 million fans hate my son (when he beats him). They’re going to hate him.”

“I think he’s been disrespectful (looking past my son) because – Jake is a real fighter and we respect that. I just think that he’s moving too quick. I think he picked the wrong guy at the wrong time.”

Stephen Espinoza, President of SHOWTIME SPORTS

“Jake could have taken an easier touch. But that’s not him. After Tommy Fury pulled out of the fight, Jake went looking for an even bigger challenge and they found a tougher challenge than they probably should have taken, someone who’s bigger than Jake, more experienced as an amateur, more experienced as a pro. Why take a fight that almost everyone around you is telling you not to take? Well, there’s one reason, Jake Paul is on a mission to prove himself as a credible professional boxer. And what he’s doing is unprecedented.”

“Strip away his celebrity status and his success as a content creator and what he’s striving for is no different than any other professional boxer. It’s no different from what Hasim Rahman is striving for – for credibility and respect, working to improve his skills and to put it all on the line on one night in front of a massive crowd here at The Garden.”

“Vasiliy Lomachenko did something similar, he headlined the Garden in his sixth professional fight at 5-1. But Jake’s doing it one fight sooner, headlining a Pay-Per-View event, and doing it without the benefit of 400 amateur fights and two gold medals. What Jake is doing is remarkable. But more importantly, you can’t call what he’s doing a hobby or a fad or a stunt. This is a full-time profession for Jake, a full commitment, boxing is now his calling card and No. 1 pursuit.”

“Jake clearly moves the needle like no one else and we at SHOWTIME are proud to be in business with him and he’s clearly bringing the sport to a new audience. The same can be said of Amanda Serrano, who inspires multitudes of young girls every time she fights. We’re proud to have Amanda back on SHOWTIME. We’re proud of our history with women’s boxing and proud to have Amanda back for a fifth time.”

Joel Fisher, Executive Vice President at MSG

“We here at The Garden are incredibly honored to host this fight between Jake Paul and Hasim Rahman Jr. Jake is an incredibly great partner. He’s really into the business of boxing and he’s a real supporter of women’s boxing, but we also know that Jake is into boxing himself and he’s really passionate about it, and I’m sure he’s in tremendous shape.”

“I want to welcome Hasim here and I want to personally thank you for stepping up quicky and stepping down in weight and we appreciate everything that you’re doing.”

“You’re following in your father’s footsteps who fought here and won in 2004.”

“The promotion we had with Amanda and Katie a few months ago was tremendous. It was historic. It was one of the greatest nights of boxing that we’ve ever had here at The Garden. Amanda is one of the best people, boxers, that I’ve ever worked with. She’s just been tremendous and we know that she’ll be ready.”

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The Paul vs. Rahman and Serrano vs. Carabajal event is co-produced by SHOWTIME PPV and Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), a company founded by Paul and Nakisa Bidarian.  Holden Boxing will be the licensed promoter of the event, and Paul and Bidarian will serve as executive producers for the event. The pay-per-view telecast is produced and distributed by SHOWTIME PPV. 

SHOWTIME will bring fans inside the ropes and behind the scenes with its Emmy- award-winning series ALL-ACCESS: PAUL vs. RAHMAN, which will premiere on July 30. An ALL-ACCESS Epilogue will follow on August 13. 

For more information visit www.SHO.com/sports, follow on Twitter via @JakePaul, @ShowtimeBoxing and @MostVpromotions on Instagram via @JakePaul, @ShowtimeBoxing and @MostValuablePromotions or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Paramount, owns and operates the premium service SHOWTIME^®, which features critically acclaimed original series, provocative documentaries, box-office hit films, comedy and music specials and hard-hitting sports. SHOWTIME is available as a stand-alone streaming service across all major streaming devices and Showtime.com, as well as via cable, DBS, telco and streaming video providers. SNI also operates the premium services THE MOVIE CHANNEL^™ and FLIX^®, as well as on demand versions of all three brands. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV^®. For more information, go to www.SHO.com.  

EW YORK – July 8, 2022 – SHOWTIME SPORTS^® and Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) today announced that international superstar Jake “The Problem Child” Paul will dramatically step up his level of competition when he faces heavy-handed Hasim Rahman Jr., son of the legendary former two-time heavyweight world champion Hasim Rahman, on Saturday, August 6 live on SHOWTIME PPV (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) from Madison Square Garden in New York City in a cruiserweight bout scheduled for eight rounds. Tickets will go on sale July 12 at 1 p.m. ET and can be purchased at www.msg.com. 

Paul and Rahman Jr. will go face-to-face for the first time since the announcement of the fight at a press conference on Tuesday, July 12 at 1 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden to preview their highly anticipated showdown. Amanda “Real Deal” Serrano will be in attendance as well to address her upcoming Unified Featherweight World Title defense against power-punching Argentine Brenda “La Pumita” Carabajal co-headlining the event on August 6. The press conference will stream live on the SHOWTIME SPORTS YouTube channel and Jake Paul’s YouTube channel.

Rounding out the SHOWTIME PPV undercard are separate bouts involving two of the sport’s most exciting and rapidly rising prospects. Unbeaten knockout artist Brandun Lee (25-0, 22 KOs) and quick-fisted Ashton Sylve (7-0, 7 KOs) will look to take the next steps in their accelerated developments before Paul and Rahman Jr. settle their differences, and Serrano defends her Featherweight belts.

“Fury fumbled the bag for the second time in a row and went into hiding, so I’m going to step up, again, and take on a new opponent on short notice,” said Paul. “Nothing but respect for Hasim Rahman Jr., a professional heavyweight boxer with a 12-1 record who comes from a legendary boxing family. He’s bigger, he’s stronger and he’s more experienced. But guess what? I’m crazier. I’m raising the stakes and on August 6, I will get my respect under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.”

The 6-foot-3 Rahman Jr., who has fought as heavy as 278 pounds and has campaigned exclusively at heavyweight in his pro career, steps in for Tommy Fury, who withdrew from a bout with the famous influencer for the second time in eight months.

“Jake Paul and I sparred two years ago and let’s just say I took it easy on the kid,” said Rahman Jr. “August 6 is not a sparring session. I am going to separate him from God’s conscience. My name is Hasim Rahman Jr., and I am going to knock out Jake Paul. Period.”

Paul (5-0, 4 KOs) and Rahman Jr. (12-1, 6 KOs) are familiar with one another from their days as sparring partners. Rahman Jr. helped Paul prepare for his pro debut against AnEsonGib, which Paul won in spectacular fashion via first-round knockout in January 2020. When Rahman Jr. sparred Paul again to help him get ready for his second fight against the NBA slam dunk champion Nate Robinson later that year, Rahman Jr. praised his opponent for improving both his technique and punching power. Paul detonated a right hand that knocked Robinson out in the second round of their bout.

Rahman Jr. is inarguably the most experienced boxer on Paul’s professional resume. Rahman Jr. studied his craft under the tutelage of famed trainers like Emanuel Steward and Calvin Ford, learning how to fight ambidextrously, something his famous father never did. After growing up in the sport, Rahman Jr. amassed around 100 amateur fights, winning the prestigious Junior National Golden Gloves and Junior National Police Athletic League championships. Rahman Jr. turned pro in 2017 and jumped out to a 12-0 record with six knockouts, showcasing deft footwork and heavy hands.

In his most recent bout in April, however, Rahman Jr. was stopped controversially in the fifth round by James McKenzie Morrison, son of former heavyweight champion Tommy Morrison. When the referee waived off the fight with Rahman Jr. on his feet, Rahman Jr. complained bitterly in the ring that he should have been allowed to continue against Morrison, who improved to 20-0-2 with 18 KOs.

Now, Rahman Jr. steps into this high-profile SHOWTIME PPV main event bout at Madison Square Garden with hopes of notching a turnaround win in the same fashion as his famous father and namesake. After suffering knockout losses in 1998 and 1999, Rahman stormed to prominence in 2001 when he decked Lennox Lewis with an overhand right in the fifth round to win the Unified Heavyweight World Championship in South Africa. In 2005, Rahman became a two-time heavyweight champion when he won a vacant title against Monte Barrett.

Lee, 23, has won 15 of his last 16 fights by knockout and has shown both one-punch power and the ability to out-box his opponents. He most recently dominated tough veteran Zachary Ochoa in April and has quickly established himself as one of the most talented 140-pounders in the division. 

Sylve, 18, is the first prospect signed by MVP and already finds himself boxing on the biggest stage in the world at Madison Square Garden on SHOWTIME PPV. The undefeated teenage sensation has stopped all of his opponents inside of four rounds with his quick-trigger reflexes, high boxing IQ, and heavy hands. He recently knocked out Giovanni Gutierrez in the first round in May during his MVP debut at lightweight.

The Paul vs. Rahman and Serrano vs. Carabajal event is co-produced by SHOWTIME PPV and Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), a company founded by Paul and Nakisa Bidarian.  Holden Boxing will be the licensed promoter of the event, and Paul and Bidarian will serve as executive producers for the event. The pay-per-view telecast is produced and distributed by SHOWTIME PPV. 

For more information visit www.SHO.com/sports, follow on Twitter via @JakePaul, @ShowtimeBoxing and @MostVpromotions on Instagram via @JakePaul, @ShowtimeBoxing and @MostValuablePromotions or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Paramount, owns and operates the premium service SHOWTIME^®, which features critically acclaimed original series, provocative documentaries, box-office hit films, comedy and music specials and hard-hitting sports. SHOWTIME is available as a stand-alone streaming service across all major streaming devices and Showtime.com, as well as via cable, DBS, telco and streaming video providers. SNI also operates the premium services THE MOVIE CHANNEL^™ and FLIX^®, as well as on demand versions of all three brands. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV^®. For more information, go to www.SHO.com.  

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – The son of the late Tommy “The Duke” Morrison, Kenzie Morrison put his name on the map with a fifth-round stoppage over Hasim Rahman Jr. on Friday night at The Theater at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. 

Morrison (20-0-2, 18 KOs) of Shawnee, Kansas by way of Miami, Oklahoma started fast as he stated he would before the bout, landing a couple stiff combinations in the opening minutes. Rahman (12-1, 6 KOs) of Las Vegas by way of Baltimore, Maryland switched to southpaw and slowed Morrsion with a right. Before the end of the round, Morrison landed a hard right that stopped Rahman in his tracks. Rahman did well to box and move out of range in the third, but still it was Morrison that landed the few eye-catching punches in the round. Morrison chased and landed on Rahman for much of the fourth, as the Las Vegas resident seemed content to cover up and fire back with single punches. 

After sitting for the first time between rounds at the end of the fourth, Morrison, 224.4, bolted out of his corner to attack Rahman, 224, in the fifth. A series of punches accentuated by an overhand right dropped Rahman hard early in the round. Rahman gamely rose to his feet, before being pressured into the ropes where referee Robert Hoyle called a halt to the bout after an uppercut and a left hand at 1:37 of the fifth round. 

“I felt strong when I connected,” explained Morrision. “Right now, I have a long drive home, but then it will be back to the gym until I await what [my promoter] Joe [Kelly] has for me.” 

With the victory, Morrison claimed the vacant WBC USNBC heavyweight title and will likely land himself a spot in the top fifteen world rankings with that sanctioning body. 

In a thrilling contest, Keith Hunter (15-1, 9 KOs) of Las Vegas powered his way to a ten-round unanimous decision over Demarius Driver (12-1, 7 KOs) of Atlanta, Georgia.

Driver, 140.8, proved to be an elusive target for much of the first, outside of a short counter right from Hunter that forced the Atlanta native to take a few off balance steps backward. Driver began to sit down on his punches more in the second, while Hunter, the son of the late Mike “The Bounty” Hunter, kept his right in his holster while waiting for the right opening to present itself. Driver slowed his pace a bit in the third, which allowed Hunter, 134, to trade on more even terms. As the round reached the final minute, Hunter found a home for some stiff rights that appeared to bother Driver. 

Driver brought his output level back up in the forth, but it was Hunter that landed the more telling blows, catching his shorter opponent reaching on occasion. Driver regained some footing in the bout in the fifth, boxing well, before Hunter rocked him in the closing seconds of the stanza. Driver appeared stunned by two overhand rights midway through the sixth, but soon after got back to utilizing his boxing skills to keep Hunter off balance. The turn of the tide was brief, as Hunter rocked Driver back into a corner with a clean body shot to close out a series of punches, ending the round. Hunter kept the pressure up in the following rounds, hurting Driver with stiff rights in the eighth. 

Driver proved his mettle in a heated ninth, as the two stood and traded for much of the round. The power edge went to Hunter, but Driver held tough and got in some power blows of his own. Hunter came out guns blazing in the tenth, winding up for huge power rights that landed to thuds for the first two minutes of the round. Again showing his toughness, Driver withstood the blows, regrouped and traded on even footing with a punched-out Hunter as the fight came to a close to a raucous ovation. Hunter claimed the victory by scores of 99-91 and 97-93 twice. 

“My biggest thing was staying relaxed, because I know I have the power to get him out of there,” explained Hunter, who called out Gervonta Davis after the bout. 

Arturo Moreno (6-0, 2 KOs) of Springfield, Missouri upset the son of the legendary Roberto Duran, Robert Duran Jr. (9-2, 7 KOs) of Plantation, Florida, scoring a one-sided six-round unanimous decision. 

After being lulled into a boxing match for two rounds, Moreno, 143.8, came out with renewed intensity in the third round. The Missouri native landed in combination for much of the round, while Duran, 147.4, covered up and threw back in short bursts. Moreno did well to box on the outside and hold at close quarters to prevent any Duran retort for much of a less-than-thrilling fourth round. Duran continued to struggle to cut off the ring or pin Moreno down in any meaningful way through the final two rounds. In the sixth, Moreno, who had previously resorted to holding on the inside, actually threw and controlled the action on the inside in the sixth en route to the decision by scores of 60-54, 59-55 and 58-56. 

Another offspring of former heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman, Sharif Rahman (6-0, 3 KOs) of Las Vegas by way of Baltimore turned back the challenge of a game Reyes Sanchez (7-2, 3 KOs) of Topeka, Kansas, earning a six-round unanimous decision. 

Through two rounds, Rahman, 156, controlled much of the action with his fast hands and combinations. In the third round, Sanchez, 153.6, managed to negate his opponent’s natural gifts by smothering Rahman against the ropes and landing where he could. Rahman more than likely could have turned and moved from the ropes, but instead elected to lean against the strands and exchange on the inside. 

Less than a minute into the forth, Sanchez missed with an errant right and clashed heads, opening a cut on Rahman. As the round came to a close, Rahman rocked Sanchez against the ropes with a combination. Sanchez did well to hold on, grappling Rahman as the bell sounded to end the round. The fifth featured some two-way action, but again Rahman came on late in the round, this time rocking Sanchez with a quick combination, fighting with his own back against the ropes. Rahman closed out the fight with more excellent combination punching, again knocking Sanchez off balance late in the round. One judge found a round for Sanchez, preventing the shutout with scores of 59-55 and 60-54 twice. 

The son of former super middleweight champion Gerald McClellan, Gerald McClellan Jr. boxed his way to a four-round unanimous decision over Demetrius Alexander (1-1, 1 KO) of Lincoln, Nebraska.

Through the first two rounds, McClellan (2-0, 1 KO) of Beloit, Wisconsin switched from southpaw to orthodox with regularity, but the tactic did not appear to do much to throw Alexander, 183.2, off of his gameplan. Fighting more out of the orthodox stance mostly in the third and fourth, McClellan, 178.2, jabbed and moved, but failed to land anything of great significance. In the end, the son of the former super middleweight champion had done enough to get the majority nod by scores of 38-38 and 39-37 twice. 

In the opening bout of the evening, Shady Gamour (13-0, 9 KOS) of Pensacola, Florida by way of Broby, Scania, Sweden boxed his way to an eight-round unanimous decision over Steven Pichardo (8-2-1, 2 KOs) of Compton, California. 

Gamour, 160.2, used his fast hands and ring generalship to control the majority of the bout, while the taller and rangier Pichardo, 159.8, failed to use his natural size to his advantage. A close first round was likely swayed in Gamour’s way with a stiff combination in the last few seconds. After a back-and-forth second round, Gamour began picking Pichardo apart as the taller California native attempted to be the aggressor in the third. Over the next two rounds, Gamour landed with more regularity, momentarily backing Pichardo into the ropes in the fifth. 

Into the sixth, Gamour’s speed and combinations continued to trouble the taller Pichardo, who failed to use his height advantage. Pichardo opened the eighth with new found aggression and landed to great effect in the opening minute. But after his initial onslaught, Pichardo appeared to have fired his final bullets and Gamour returned to controlling the action down the final stretch. In the end, Gamour claimed a unanimous decision by scores of 80-72 and 78-74 twice. 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at [email protected] or followed on Twitter @MarioG280

By Mario Ortega Jr.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – After taking two different paths, two sons of former world heavyweight champions find themselves at the same doorstep to much bigger things with only each other standing in their way, as Kenzie Morrison takes on Hasim Rahman Jr. tonight at The Theater of Virgin Hotels Las Vegas  

Morrison (19-0-2, 17 KOs) of Shawnee, Kansas by way of Miami, Oklahoma is the unmistakable son of the late Tommy “The Duke” Morrison. Unlike Rahman, Morrison did not come up through the amateur system, nor did he get the opportunity to take this career path with his famous dad by his side. 

“I’ve just felt in the last five or so years now, with my trainer Kevin Whiteburn, I’ve stumbled into being undefeated and to really now be in position to be in focus and push for this real last hard push to hopefully fight for a world title,” explains Morrison. “That is the goal and I feel like I can do it.” 

Rahman (12-0, 6 KOs) of Las Vegas by way of Baltimore, Maryland is a product in part of USA Boxing, having come up through the national amateur system. As a professional, it has been a slow burn for Rahman, a Las Vegas resident, now 30-years-old, just one-year younger than Morrison. 

“For me, this fight is everything,” says Rahman, the son of Hasim Rahman. “The reason I came to [live in] Las Vegas was because of boxing, so my father could better his career and I just so happened to take up what my father did, following in his footsteps.”

With their Fite-televised ten-round bout being contested for the vacant WBC USNBC heavyweight title, the winner figures to gain a top fifteen world ranking and be in line for a major opportunity. Morrison weighed-in at 224.4-pounds, while Rahman scaled 224 even.

The pay-per-view card, dubbed “Sons of Legends,” features several other fighting sons of former world champions and contenders. 

In the co-main event, Keith Hunter (14-1, 9 KOs) of Las Vegas takes on unbeaten Demarius Driver (12-0, 7 KOs) of Atlanta, Georgia in a ten-round light welterweight bout. Hunter, the son of late former heavyweight contender Mike “The Bounty” Hunter, scaled 134-pounds Thursday.

Driver, coming off a first-round stoppage victory on February 26th, came in at 140.8-pounds on his first attempt and was given an hour to lose two pounds. 

Robert Duran Jr. (9-1, 7 KOs) of Plantation, Florida meets Arturo Moreno (5-0, 2 KOs) of Springfield, Missouri in a six-round welterweight contest.  Duran, the son of hall of famer Roberto Duran, scaled 147.4-pounds. Moreno, coming off of a four-round decision just last month, weighed-in at 143.8. 

Sharif Rahman (5-0, 3 KOs) of Las Vegas by way of Baltimore will take on Reyes Sanchez (7-1, 3 KOs) of Topeka, Kansas in a six-round light middleweight bout. Rahman, another of Hasim Rahman’s fighting sons, scaled 156-pounds, while Sanchez came in at 153.6. Sanchez, best known for earning an even scorecard in a majority decision loss to Nico Ali Walsh last December, marks a step-up in competition for Rahman. 

The son of former super middleweight champion Gerald McClellan, Gerald McClellan Jr., will meet Demetrius Alexander (1-0, 1 KO) of Lincoln, Nebraska in a four-round cruiserweight bout. McClellan (1-0, 1 KO) of Beloit, Wisconsin weighed-in at 178.2-pounds, while Alexander scaled 183.2.

On the non-famous fighting family portion of the card, Shady Gamour (12-0, 9 KOS) of Pensacola, Florida by way of Broby, Scania, Sweden will meet Steven Pichardo (8-1-1, 2 KOs) of Gardena, California in a six-round middleweight bout. Gamour, taking the place of Quatavious Cash, scaled 160.2-pounds. Pichardo, taking a step-up in competition, weighed 159.8-pounds.

The son of two-time former cruiserweight champion Steve Cunningham, Steve Cunningham Jr., was scheduled to make his professional debut in a four-round middleweight bout. However, according to Team Cunningham, 20 potential opponents failed to pass approval from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

WBC USNBC Heavyweight Championship, 10 Rounds

Morrison 224.4

Rahman Jr. 224

Light welterweights, 10 Rounds

Hunter 134

Driver 140.8*

Middleweights, 6 Rounds

Gamour 160.2

Pichardo 159.8

Welterweights, 6 Rounds

Duran Jr. 147.4

Moreno 143.8

Light middleweights, 6 Rounds

Rahman 156

Sanchez 153.6

Cruiserweights, 4 Rounds

McClellan Jr. 178.2

Alexander 183.2

*attempting to lose 2 pounds

Tickets for the event, promoted by Roy Jones Jr. Boxing and Ares Entertainment, are available online at AXS.com.

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at [email protected] or followed on Twitter @MarioG280

By Mario Ortega Jr.-

One of two fighting sons of the late former WBO heavyweight champion Tommy Morrison, Kenzie Morrision, takes a step out of relative anonymity and onto the grand stage of a Las Vegas, Nevada pay-per-view heavyweight main event. Morrison takes on fellow second-generation fighter Hasim Rahman Jr. in the headline attraction at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas for the regional WBC USNBC title this coming Friday night. 

Though Morrsion (19-0-2, 17 KOs) of Shawnee, Kansas by way of Miami, Oklahoma finds himself headlining an event dubbed “Sons of Legends,” the former high school basketball standout did not foresee a future in prizefighting as a younger man. 

“I graduated high school and I had a couple scholarship opportunities to play basketball, but I was more interested in going right to work and making money,” recalls Morrison. “So I did that for a few years, but kind of got tired of the road work and being gone. So I came back and I was still young enough for boxing. I grew up around it, even though I was pretty young when my dad’s career ended.” Morrison, who was born in 1990, the year his father hit the big screen as Tommy “The Machine” Gunn in Rocky V, was six-years-old when his dad’s primary run as a professional came to an abrupt end after his well chronicled medical diagnosis. 

After a short stint back in the ring in 2008, the elder Morrison stayed close to boxing for a bit while living back in Kansas. “When I moved to Wichita when I was 19-years-old, my dad was opening up a gym on the southside of Wichita, which was kind of a low income area,” explains Kenzie. “He was trying to give them an opportunity to get into a boxing gym. So he started working with me a little bit and was kind of surprised by my ability. I was always an athlete, but I wasn’t a fighter growing up.”

Morrison worked with his dad for a while, before moving and training for a stint with his uncle Tim, another former professional fighter. “I was up there about nine months and then we had a falling out over something stupid,” recalls Kenzie. “I was young and I was like, ‘Dad, I’m going, I don’t feel like working with you.’ That was the last time that I trained with him because after that unfortunately he wound up getting sick. He wound up in Tennessee and then he would up getting in a hospital where he slowly, slowly declined in health.” 

With their time training together ultimately being very brief, Kenzie never received the positive recognition from his father as his trainer or an observer of his improvements that he likely would have heard at some point had things gone differently. At least he never heard those words from his father while his father was still with him. After Tommy’s passing, his widow ended up coming across audio recordings, which included messages he had recorded for himself about his son’s impressive progress in training.

“He was kind of a night owl,” says Kenzie of his late father. “He’d stay up late and think and he’d read the bible and do his meditation – the things he thought was necessary for him. He would also make these recordings. It was neat to hear. It was assurance that damn, he really did think I could do it. He just wasn’t going to tell me because he wanted to keep pushing me or for me not to get a big head. That was kind of his downfall. It was good to hear him say that. Even if it was in private and there was no one there to hear it.” 

A little ways into his run as a professional, Kenzie Morrison ended up joining forces with an individual that had strong ties to his father’s career and has helped move the young aspiring contender to the doorstep of big things. 

“My dad was involved in Tommy’s career, so I was around Tommy my whole life growing up,” explains Joe Kelly of Ares Entertainment, Kenzie’s promoter and the co-promoter of the event on Friday. “He was one of the investors in Tommy, so I got to see that and experience that [beginning in the late 80’s]. Tommy was always one of my favorite fighters growing up, because of the connection there, and with him training and living in Kansas City and whatnot. That is how I got into boxing. I guess everyone gets into it, at my age, probably from Mike Tyson. But my first true, intimate connection to boxing was with Tommy.” 

Over their run together, Joe and Kenzie have developed a clear bond. “It makes it even better because there is history behind it,” explains Kenzie. “I wasn’t fortunate enough to ever meet Joe’s father, but I did get to meet his mom. She was at two of my fights. She was awesome. How close his dad and my dad were and how it was all affiliated, with Joe growing up with my dad being one of his heroes and seeing all the lights and the glamor right there, front row and everything. Now, transition, and we are doing the same thing. It makes it a special deal, more than just business. You may hear it all the time: ‘This guy is family,’ but it does actually feel that way with Joe. You can tell when someone genuinely cares and the way we’ve done business so far, we are doing this together every step of the way.”

Morrison and his promoter had architected a step up in class when the COVID-19 pandemic helped slow those plans completely down. Now, with the wheels of the boxing business moving along again, Kelly can help Morrision see those plans through, beginning with the Rahman bout on Friday night. 

“This is the fight that would have been the fourth in our progression,”  says Kelly, who did three fights with Morrision pre-pandemic. “It is the right time to do it. Kenzie trains really hard, he’s ready for it. At this juncture, you have to make a step up in order to progress. I feel like a fight like this, with two great prospects, is a great fight for both of them. The winner takes a big step forward in the game. The fact that it is the first time in boxing history that sons of two former world heavyweight champions have fought, also makes it pretty cool. Just on the basis of competition, it is time for him to step up and I can say the same thing about Hasim Rahman, that it is time for him to step up as well. They are at that point in life where they need to progress.”

Morrison’s career path may have been slowed by unforeseen circumstances, but the young fighter seems to think he is ready to make up for lost time. “Joe and I were on our escalator and we were going up at the time, but then for a year and eight months I didn’t do nothing,” explains Morrison of the pandemic-induced hiatus. “We molded a game plan and we were pursuing it, but it kind of got cut short. I won’t know if it was a blessing until three years from now, or on April 29th, if what happened was good or bad. Some things happen for a reason. Maybe I needed that year to reflect and hit sort of a rock bottom in a way, to feel my hunger. I think it made me a different fighter. I feel like my mind is better conditioned for it in a weird way. Physically I am another year older, but physically I am doing things that I have never done before. I feel like I am still in my prime, at the moment. I am working my way out of it, but I am still in it right at the moment.”

Morrison understands the gravity of the moment and has been doing his homework in preparation for the regional title clash. “All I can do is watch footage, the bit that I could find,” says Morrison. “And then me and him have fought the same guy, Ronny Hale, from Alabama. Ronny came here and fought me in Oklahoma and turned around and fought Rahman, I think in New York. He ended up hurting Rahman, maybe hitting him around the ear, and I could understand why. Ronny can hit like a mule. He caught me off guard. [Rahman] is unorthodox in a way, where he fights orthodox and left-handed. He seems like more of a boxer and a defensive style boxer that likes to dictate the pace. I feel like he is going to challenge me. I’ve fought guys that have fought higher ranked people, but I’ve never fought someone that’s as athletic as Rahman, so it is going to be a step-up. He’s coming to fight and so am I. You’ve got two guys that are coming to test themselves and their opponents are their biggest test, so it has to turn out good.”

Morrison, like Rahman (12-0, 6 KOs) to this point in their careers, has been carefully moved, with little risk taken in competition, away from hardened eyes of national scrutiny. Now he takes the leap against an undefeated fighter under the bright lights of Las Vegas. “I am still trying to wrap my head around it,” explains Morrison. “This is for me one of the biggest fights I’ve ever had. I’m a country boy. My town has 2500 people in it and one stoplight. So I am a small town guy. I’ve been to Vegas one time on spring break, on our way through to California, but I was too young to go into anywhere, so I had to sit in the truck.”

On Friday night, Kenzie Morrison’s hard work will have put his family name back on the marquee in a town where his father never lost a professional fight. It will be up to Kenzie if it is a one-night only occasion, or whether there will be encores. In any event, he hopes to have earned the approval he’s only heard back on tape. 

“I know that there are going to be a lot of people watching and there are going to be a lot of comparisons, so I need to be and appear worthy of this opportunity and that’s what I plan to do,” says Morrision. “And I hope my dad is proud of me regardless, because everyone wins and loses. He knows that, and I know that too.” 

Tickets for the event, promoted by Roy Jones Jr. Boxing and Ares Entertainment, can be purchased online at AXS.com. The event is also being broadcast via pay-per-view on Fite. 

Photo by Keaton Ward

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at [email protected] or followed on Twitter @MarioG280

Both the undefeated sons of former two-time and undisputed heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman were victorious in fights last week, as heavyweight Hasim “Gold Blooded” Rahman Jr. (10-0, 5 KOs) notched a second-round TKO over Mexico’s Alejandro de la Torre at the Salon de Eventos in Heroica Matamoros, Mexico and on Friday, February 5, and younger brother Sharif “C3” Rahman (4-0, 3 KOs) scored a third-round TKO over Haitian opponent Gladimir Jacinto at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia on Saturday, February 6.

The brothers, both signed to New York-based promoter Greg Cohen’s GCP, say it was nice to get back in the ring after an extended Covid-related period of inactivity.

Splitting his training time between the Upton Boxing Gym in his hometown of Baltimore with Calvin Ford and Kenny Ellis and DLX Boxing in Las Vegas, where he’s trained by Dewey Cooper and his father, Hasim Sr., Rahman says he stayed ready the whole time for the chance to get back in. “Whenever it was open, I’ve been in the gym the whole time and looking forward to getting back. It felt great to get in there and get one that counts.”

A four-year pro and an accomplished amateur before that, Rahman Jr. says 2021 is the year he levels up in the family business. “This year, I want some better competition,” he said. “It’s clear that I can handle myself with B and C level opponents, so I’m looking to go ahead and get some more competitive fights this year and hopefully get on TV. I feel like I was born ready.”

Often on the smallish side, especially weight-wise, for today’s big men, Rahman says he’s looking forward to testing the waters in boxing’s newest weight class.

“My entire career has already been at bridgerweight,” he said. “I love everything about this new division. If you look at the top-50 heavyweights, you’d have to stretch to find more than a few that weighed under 225. That tells you they made this new weight class for a reason, to make it more competitive for guys around the cruiserweight limit. I think it’s perfect and I’ll definitely be campaigning at bridgerweight. If I don’t get a crack at that title, I’ll make my way down to cruiserweight. It’s not too far. I’m comfortable in either division.”

Sharif Rahman, who recently signed and joined his brother and his father before them as a member of the GCP stable, says the victory, his first in nearly three years, was a homecoming, even though it was in Mexico. “It’s rough getting fights in the US right now, so it felt great,” said Rahman. “In the ring is home for me. As far as my performance, it was good, but I can do a lot better.”

Rahman says his other family members’ experiences with GCP put him at total ease with his new promoter. “I’m looking to get to 10-0 this year,” he continued. “I hadn’t fought for a while because I had no backing and a lot of my scheduled bouts have fallen out, but I’ve known Greg since I was an amateur and I’ve got nothing but good things to say. He takes care of me well. I could have signed with Greg a while ago, but he didn’t want me to fight at 168 lbs. Now that I’m 100% disciplined and have made the sacrifices, he agreed to promote me at 154 lbs. and 147 lbs. as more appropriate weight classes. That’s fine with me because I want to be a multi-division champion.”

Like his brother, also a decorated former amateur, Rahman says fighting as a professional out of DLX Boxing in Las Vegas with trainer Chris Catalan and signed to GCP will finally allow him to let his true talents shine. “I’ve always had more of a pro style. Growing up watching my father train with fighters like Zab Judah, William Joppy and Floyd Mayweather, I would watch them and model my style after them. I’m more calculated and selective than an amateur.”

Father Hasim Rahman Sr. watched both his sons’ fights and indicates he is happy with the way things are going. “I was pleased with both outcomes to say the least,” said the elder Rahman. “I’m not concerned with rushing them. I feel like as long as they are progressing and moving forward to their goals, I’m happy. I’m also glad they are both signed to Greg Cohen now. Greg is an extended member of our family. I could have found a more prominent promoter to sign them with, but I know Greg has their best interests at heart, even beyond boxing. And I know for a fact Greg can get the job done because he got it done for me on several occasions. I have another son Hasan coming up and every one of us are going to sign with Greg automatically.”

Promoter Cohen says both brothers have big years in store for them under his guidance.

“Hasim Jr. is ready for another level,” said Cohen. “He is walking through the preliminary level of opponents. We hope to have him in with another prospect or a solid contender soon. And Sharif, he has turned his whole career around by focusing all his efforts. He looked terrific last week. I’ll be looking to continue his development by keeping him much more active in the next 12 months.”