INTERNATIONAL SUPERSTAR JAKE PAUL TO FACE 17-2 PROFESSIONAL BOXER RYAN BOURLAND IN THE CO-MAIN EVENT FOR MOST VALUABLE PROMOTIONS’ SERRANO VS. MEINKE ON SATURDAY, MARCH 2, FROM PUERTO RICO, LIVE ON DAZN

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO – January 30, 2024 – Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) today announced international superstar Jake “El Gallo de Dorado” Paul (8-1, 5 KOs) will face professional boxer Ryan “The Rhino” Bourland (17-2, 6 KOs) on Saturday, March 2, 2024 at the legendary Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico as Paul continues to face more experienced opponents on the path to becoming a world champion. Paul vs. Bourland, an 8-round cruiserweight fight, will be the co-main event alongside Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano (46-2-1, 30 KOs) vs. Nina Meinke (18-3, 4 KOs), presented by CELSIUS Live Fit. Essential Energy, which marks Amanda Serrano’s first fight in Puerto Rico since becoming the island’s first undisputed world boxing champion, male or female. Bourland, Paul’s toughest match to date, brings years of experience and success to the ring against Paul in his 20th professional bout with more wins and knockouts than any of Paul’s previous opponents. Serrano vs. Meinke, featuring Paul vs. Bourland, will be offered as part of the DAZN subscription package to ensure it is affordable and accessible to fans worldwide, with Jake Paul also set to donate his full fight purse to his nonprofit, Boxing Bullies, to renovate youth boxing gyms across Puerto Rico. Tickets are now on sale at Ticketera.com.

Paul vs. Bourland will mark Paul’s first entrance into the ring this year following his most impressive performance to date on Friday, December 15, in which he secured a viral, first round knockout of three-time Golden Glove winner Andre August for his ninth professional win. Paul showed tremendous growth as a boxer on his path to becoming a world champion and added another highlight to his already impressive reel. Since turning pro in 2020, Paul has collected multiple accolades for his commitment to the sport of boxing, including ESPNRingside’s 2021 Knockout of the Year, Sports Illustrated’s 2021 Breakout Boxer of the Year, ESPNRingside’s 2022 Viral Moment of the Year, and was the cover of Sports Illustrated’s “The 50 Most Influential Figures in Sports” issue, awarded specifically for his groundbreaking work to revolutionize the sport through equitable pay, providing a platform for young fighters, and his support of female boxers. Paul also recently announced a partnership with USA Boxing ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, continuing his mission to elevate the sport and its future champions.

Paul also continued his record-breaking streak in his latest fight by achieving the highest recorded gate for a boxing event in Orlando’s history. Paul vs. August also broke the record for highest average ticket price, matching the average ticket price of Paul’s latest fight vs. Nate Diaz at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The upcoming Serrano vs. Meinke and Paul vs. Bourland event is expected to be yet another record-shattering night for Paul, Serrano, and Most Valuable Promotions.

“I’ve always said my goal is to become a world champion. I beat a pro boxer in December in the first round, someone who’s been boxing their entire life, and what did I do next? I went straight back to camp to get ready to face my next opponent, a professional boxer who has twice as many professional fights under his belt than I do,” said Jake Paul. “It’s a new year, it’s an even better me, and I’m facing an even more experienced, seasoned boxer on Saturday, March 2 as co-main to the Puerto Rican GOAT, Amanda Serrano. I’m fighting for experience, not for the money, and to show my love for this beautiful island I’ll be donating my entire fight purse from this event to my nonprofit Boxing Bullies to help renovate gyms across Puerto Rico.”

Ryan “Rhino” Bourland, born June 17, 1988 has a professional boxing record of 17-2-0 (6 KO). He grew up in Vallejo, California where he started learning how to box in the sixth grade. Ryan had over 15 amateur bouts, was a Golden Gloves Champion and fought in the National Junior Olympics. Ryan’s professional boxing record began at age 25. Ryan was recognized as Northern California’s Fighter of the year by Inside The Ropes Boxing in 2016. In 2018 Ryan won the regional light heavyweight GBO title in his fight against Jose Hernandez II. Throughout Ryan’s career he has always given back to the community by coaching boxing to local youth and adults. Ryan was featured sparring in the movie “Pride Jewel” (2022). Bourland comes to the ring vs. Paul off a three-fight winning streak, including his latest bout against Santario Martin, which Bourland ended with a decisive fifth round knockout. Martin previously went the distance with Paul’s last opponent, Andre August. At 17-2 with six KO’s, Bourland has proven his tenacity and skill in the ring. With just two losses in his professional career, Bourland is a determined and steady fighter and is Paul’s toughest opponent to date. 

“Jake Paul steps into the ring with his social media clout, but let’s not mistake followers for experience or skill,” said Ryan Bourland. “While he’s been busy chasing likes, I’ve been honing my craft for years, stepping into the ring and beating real boxers. On Saturday, March 2 I will shock the world and put an end to Jake Paul’s boxing career.”

“Jake Paul has broken record after record and in this fight, he’s once again showing what a tremendous person he is as well,” said Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of MVP. “Not only is Jake taking on yet another more experienced professional boxer in Ryan Bourland, but he’s also supporting Amanda Serrano as she headlines this historic event at the legendary Coliseo de Puerto Rico, demonstrating his and MVP’s commitment to equality in the sport. I applaud Jake’s continued commitment to giving back to the youth after he announced he is donating his entire purse from this fight to Boxing Bullies so the organization can continue their mission of renovating boxing gyms to give boys and girls a positive environment to learn. The world continues to watch Jake, and he continues to deliver. Thank you to DAZN for working with us to make this event available to fans around the world and to Celsius for their continued support and partnership. Serrano vs. Meinke featuring Paul vs. Bourland is going to be historic and we can’t wait to bring this amazing card to Puerto Rico.”

Also featured on the Serrano vs. Meinke and Paul vs. Bourland card on Saturday, March 2 will be Javon “Wanna” Walton, who will make his highly-anticipated global debut as MVP’s latest signee, WBO junior flyweight world champion Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez (27-3-1, 14 KOs) vs. fellow Puerto Rican talent Rene Santiago (12-3, 9 KOs), and finally in a battle of Puerto Rico vs. Mexico, the young, super flyweight sensation Kystal Roado (2-0, 1 KO)is set to face 5-0 Gloria Munguilla in the toughest test yet of her career. Rosado’s fight will be 4 x 3:00, following Amanda’s lead of fighting 3 minute rounds. The event marks Amanda Serrano’s first fight in Puerto Rico since becoming undisputed champion, with a sellout crowd expected to honor her as Puerto Rico’s first-ever undisputed world boxing champion, male or female. Serrano will fight for the second time at 12×3, the men’s championship standard, in defense of her unified IBF, WBO, WBA, IBO, and Ring Magazine featherweight world titles. In a true commitment to change for women’s boxing, Serrano recently vacated her WBC title, as the sanctioning body does not support women’s choice for 12×3.

Serrano vs. Meinke is MVP’s latest women’s championship fight as the company works to establish equity across the sport. The bout follows Amanda Serrano’s first-ever 12×3 unified championship fight in October and the Shadasia “The Sweet Terminator” Green vs. Franchón Crews-Dezurn WBC super middleweight and WBA Interim world title bout in December. 

Serrano vs. Meinke will air live globally on DAZN. Spartan Boxing INC. will serve as the official licensed promoter of Serrano vs. Meinke. This event is sponsored by CELSIUS Live Fit Essential Energy. For more information, follow on Twitter via @JakePaul, @MostVPromotions, and @DAZNBoxing or on Instagram via @JakePaul, @rhino707, @MostValuablePromotions, and @DAZNBoxing.

How to watch DAZN 

  • Visit DAZN.com and follow the steps to sign up now
  • Once signed up, download the DAZN app to watch on any device
  • Go to the app store on your chosen device, search ‘DAZN’ and download the DAZN app  
  • DAZN is available on your phone, tablet, smart TV, streaming devices such as Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, and gaming consoles. 
  • Connect multiple devices to your account to watch at home or on the go  

About Most Valuable Promotions (MVP)

Most Valuable Promotions was founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in 2021. With the mission to provide more creative control to fighters, MVP works to identify, grow, and maximize return for its own events and talent partners. One year into its inception, MVP was nominated as one of the prestigious Sports Breakthroughs of the Year in 2022 by Sports Business Journal. MVP have produced Jake Paul’s last five global pay-per-view events, including the recent Paul vs. Diaz match. The promotion company also signed one of the most decorated Hispanic athletes of all time, Amanda Serrano in its first year. Serrano and MVP made history in April of 2022 when Serrano went head to head with Katie Taylor, marking the first female fight to headline at Madison Square Garden, recently earning a nomination for Event of The Year by Sports Business Journal. Co-founder Nakisa Bidarian was an executive producer of the historic Triller Presents Mike Tyson v. Roy Jones Jr., which was the 8th most bought pay-per-view event in history.

About DAZN

DAZN is a leading digital sports platform in Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Japan, Canada, US and the UK.? Its wide range of exclusive content includes top-flight football from the world’s most popular competitions – Bundesliga, English Premier League, J.League, LaLiga, Serie A, and the UEFA Champions League, in addition to the biggest sports from around the world – Formula 1, NFL, NBA, MotoGP and the UFC.? 

DAZN is the NFL’s global partner and, from the 2023 season, will be the only place for fans around the world to watch every NFL match through the NFL Game Pass International add-on subscription. DAZN is a global home for boxing and combat sports through its partnerships with Matchroom Boxing the Professional Fighters League, and a global home for Women’s Football with UEFA Women’s Champions League and Finetwork Liga F.? DAZN is adding more and more sport to its platform to create a destination for sports fans.?

?

DAZN is reimagining the way people enjoy sport. With a single, frictionless platform, sports fans can watch, bet, play, share, socialize, and buy tickets, NFTs and merchandise. Live and on-demand sports content, anywhere, in any language, on any device – only on DAZN.?

DAZN is available on most connected devices including smart TVs, set-top boxes, streaming sticks, smartphones, tablets, PCs and game consoles, ensuring that fans have access to a ground-breaking rights catalog and slate of incredible content. In the UK and globally, DAZN can be accessed on Samsung, LG, Sony and Panasonic Smart TVs and on Games Consoles including PlayStation and Xbox. Subscribers also have access to DAZN on their Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast and Apple TV and can find the app on their iPhone, iPad, and android mobile devices. DAZN is available as an Amazon Channel on Amazon Prime TV and can be viewed on Channel 429 on Sky in the UK and Ireland.   

DAZN is a global, privately-owned company with employees in over 25 countries. For more information on DAZN, our products, people, and performance, visit?www.dazngroup.com.??




WORLD CHAMPION AMANDA “THE REAL DEAL” SERRANO TO MAKE LONG-AWAITED RETURN TO PUERTO RICO WITH INTERNATIONAL SUPERSTAR JAKE “THE PROBLEM CHILD” PAUL AS CO-MAIN AT LEGENDARY COLISEO DE PUERTO RICO ON SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2024

NEW YORK, NY – December 21, 2023 – Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) today announced unified featherweight champion Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano (46-2-1, 30 KOs) will make her long-awaited return to Puerto Rico vs. IBF mandatory challenger Nina Meinke (18-3, 4 KOs) on Saturday, March 2, 2024 at the legendary Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico, live globally on DAZN. This event, sponsored by CELSIUS Live Fit Essential Energy, marks Amanda Serrano’s first fight in Puerto Rico since becoming undisputed champion, with a sellout crowd expected to honor her as Puerto Rico’s first-ever undisputed world boxing champion, male or female. Serrano will fight for the second time at 12×3, the men’s championship standard, in defense of her unified IBF, WBO, WBA, IBO, and Ring Magazine featherweight world titles. In a true commitment to change for women’s boxing, Serrano recently vacated her WBC title, as the sanctioning body does not support women’s choice for 12×3. 

Co-headlining alongside Serrano will be international superstar Jake “The Problem Child” Paul (8-1, 5 KOs) who will continue his path towards becoming cruiserweight world champion in his 10th professional fight fresh off his first-round KO of professional boxer Andre August. Making his highly-anticipated global debut on the Saturday, March 2 card will be MVP’s latest signee, multi-talented featherweight boxer, actor, and model Javon “Wanna” Walton. Also competing on Serrano vs. Meinke will be Serrano’s first two signed Puerto Rican fighters, WBO junior flyweight world champion Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez (27-3-1, 14 KOs), who will make his third defense of his title, and the young super flyweight sensation Krystal Rosado (2-0, 1 KO). Tickets will go on sale on Wednesday, December 27th at 9:00am ET on Ticketera.com. There will be a kickoff press conference on Thursday,  January 18th in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico as part of the Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián. The press conference will feature all of the star athletes from the event.

Amanda Serrano, the first-ever Puerto Rican undisputed world champion, started her current featherweight title reign by defeating Heather Hardy in a brutal 10-round fight in 2019 to win the WBO belt, and has since defended her WBO belt six times. Serrano offered Hardy redemption in August 2023, but successfully defended her undisputed featherweight world champion title for the first time in a decisive 10 round unanimous decision victory. Serrano also won a blood-soaked war against WBA featherweight champion Erika Cruz in February 2023, which made her the undisputed featherweight champion. Serrano’s decisive win against Cruz followed her previous win over Sarah Mahfoud in Manchester, England that added the Dane’s IBF title to her WBO, WBC, and IBO featherweight belts. Her historic clash against Katie Taylor at Madison Square Garden in 2022 earned recognition as Sports Illustrated’s Fight of the Year and The Ring’s Event of the Year and was further nominated for Event of the Year by Sports Business Journal. Most recently, Serrano took home a unanimous decision victory against her mandatory WBO challenger Danila Ramos, making history in the first-ever women’s unified world championship to be fought over 12, three-minute rounds, equal to any men’s championship fight, and marking the first time a women’s fight has gone the full 12×3. Serrano threw a career high of 1103 punches in the bout.

“It is absolutely a dream come true to fight and headline at home at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico, and it is my biggest honor to have been the first-ever undisputed champion, male or female, from our beautiful island,” said Amanda Serrano. “I’m excited to prove my greatness and make history again in the ring at the Choliseo over 12, three-minute rounds. Thank you to the IBF, WBO, WBA, IBO, and Ring Magazine, Most Valuable Promotions, and my team for making this possible. A special thank you to Jake Paul, who gave me an opportunity to fight as his co-main many times and allowed me to show my skills to the world. I am honored to have Jake as my co-main for the first time.”

Nina “The Brave” Meinke, the Berlin, Germany native, comes to the ring ready to rise to the challenge Serrano presents and make history as the second-ever women’s unified championship fight set for 12 rounds with three minute rounds. The IBF mandatory featherweight challenger has garnered recognition throughout Europe following a series of interim title fights, most recently claiming the WBA Gold World Featherweight title against Japan’s Kimika Miyoshi in June 2023 and the IBF Inter-Continental Featherweight title against Laura Ledezma in October 2023. 

“My team and I have wanted this fight for a long time,” said Nina Meinke. “Finally we got it and I am happy, well trained and motivated to be the first female boxer from Germany to go the 12 round distance. Amanda Serrano is an outstanding person who has already made such a big change to women’s boxing and the fight for equal rights, so I am more than proud to be a part of that movement. Of course I am going to support it with all my heart and show the world women are just as capable in going 12 rounds at 3 minutes. I will be the best version of myself on this day and I am ready to make it a great fight! And new!” 

Jake Paul makes his triumphant return to the ring on Saturday, March 2nd following his first round KO obliteration of Andre August on December 15th, a jaw dropping right uppercut sure to be a KO of the year contender. Paul’s co-main appearance on Serrano vs. Meinke will continue to showcase Paul’s ongoing journey to become a world champion. Facing his first loss at the hands of Tommy Fury in February by a contentious split decision, Paul found himself back on top in August, defeating Nate Diaz by unanimous decision, before his first-round finish against August. In just three years since turning pro, Paul has collected multiple accolades, including ESPNRingside’s 2021 Knockout of The Year, Sports Illustrated’s 2021 Breakout Boxer of the Year, and ESPNRingside’s 2022 Viral Moment of the Year. Paul also earned distinction on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s August 2023 issue, “The 50 Most Influential Figures in Sports,” for his success in the ring, his groundbreaking work to revolutionize pay equality in boxing, and his support of female fighters and boxing prospects through Most Valuable Promotions alongside co-founder Nakisa Bidarian. 

Fighting for the first time at home in Puerto Rico alongside one of the greatest fighters ever, Amanda Serrano, promises to be the event of a lifetime,” said Jake Paul. “I’m honored to be the co-main event on Amanda’s homecoming card, and I could not be more excited to bring this historic event to Puerto Rico as I continue my path to becoming a world champion. Our latest MVP signee, Wanna Walton, is making his global debut on this card, Bomba Gonzalez and Krystal Rosado are continuing their rise to stardom, and the whole island of Puerto Rico will finally get a chance to properly celebrate the greatness of Amanda Serrano. She is going to sell more tickets in one event than Katie Taylor did in two in Dublin. This is going to be the biggest night of boxing the Choliseo has ever seen and the world will be watching.” 

17-year-old Wanna Walton signed with MVP in July 2023, and has since remained an amateur boxer in development. As the youngest-ever athlete to sign with Nike’s Jordan Brand, Walton has continued to excel as a boxer and now will make his global debut in MVP’s first marquee event of 2024. Walton began boxing at the age of four, and at age eight became one of America’s youngest amateur prospects. His skill and hard work earned him the title of multi-time Junior Regional Champion and two-time Junior Olympic national silver medalist. The Atlanta native is also a world-renowned actor who captured international attention with his debut role as the beloved drug dealer “Ashtray” in the HBO Max Emmy-winning series Euphoria starring alongside Hollywood icons Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney, and has since continued to co-star in numerous other film and TV titles. He trains under his father and coach, DJ Walton.

“I’ve been training most of my life for this moment, and it is an honor to make my global debut beside my fellow MVP athletes Amanda Serrano and Jake Paul,” said Wanna Walton. “Nakisa and the whole MVP team have become like a second family to me, and they are incredible mentors who truly believe in my talent. I’m ready to prove them right in the ring on Saturday, March 2 and start my path to greatness and I couldn’t be more excited to do it in Puerto Rico.”

Also starring on the Saturday, March 2 Serrano vs. Meinke card will be two other local Puerto Rican athletes. Amanda Serrano’s first signed fighters, WBO junior flyweight champion Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez and young sensation Krystal Rosado, will each feature on the main card of Serrano vs. Meinke. The 32-year-old Gonzalez made his professional debut in 2011 following an impressive amateur career in which he collected gold medals at both the 2008 Youth World Championships and the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games at flyweight. Bomba Gonzalez won his first title in just his ninth fight as a professional, and has gone on to hold the WBO junior flyweight title since 2021. Rosado, the young 21-year-old sensation, made her MVP and professional debut at MVP’s Most Valuable Prospects II show in August 2023, stunning fans with a ferocious second-round KO against Tarrethia Dixon. Rosado went on to compete on MVP’s historic Serrano vs. Ramos card in October 2023, earning her decisive second win over Hungary’s Kata Pap.

“First, I want to thank God for this big opportunity. I want to thank my managers, Amanda Serrano and Jordan Maldonado, MVP, and the WBO for giving me this opportunity to defend my title on my island of Puerto Rico,” said Bomba Gonzalez. “This is big. Fighting on this card with Amanda Serrano is going to be a highlight of my career and hopefully, I can continue fighting at home in Puerto Rico.”

“I’m happy and honored to get this opportunity to fight again on the undercard with my manager and PR boxing queen Amanda Serrano,” said Krystal Rosado. “Also being on a card with Jake Paul is incredible, and if that wasn’t enough, it’s in the Choliseo where even most of the greats from my island haven’t fought in. I’m also proud to be on the same card alongside my managerial teammate Jonathan ‘Bomba’ Gonzalez who will defend his title in a tough fight. This card is one that I wouldn’t have missed if I wasn’t on it. Thank you God, Amanda, and MVP for making this humble up-and-comer’s dream come true. To all my fans, I won’t disappoint!”

“It is an honor for Jake and I to work with Amanda on her historic return to Puerto Rico. While she fought in San Juan during the pandemic, this event on Saturday, March 2nd will be her true homecoming. A massive event for a massive Puerto Rican icon,” said Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions. “The magnitude of this event is such that Jake Paul demanded he be the co-main to Amanda for the first time, which reflects the starpower and legacy of Amanda Serrano in boxing and in Puerto Rico. We are also thrilled to bring Wanna Walton to the stage for his MVP global debut, and are certain he’s going to put on an incredible show and prove that he is one of the most talented future superstars of this sport. With Bomba and Krystal on this card, too, we’ll be featuring some of the most exciting talent from start to finish on this unforgettable night of boxing from San Juan to the world. This will undoubtedly be the most viewed Puerto Rican boxing event in history.”

“We are thrilled to be broadcasting this unmissable double-header on DAZN in March 2024,” said Alfie SharmanVP DAZN. “Amanda Serrano and Jake Paul are two of the biggest names in boxing, and to have them join our already stacked new year schedule once again highlights DAZN as the global home of boxing. Watch these excellent matchups exclusively live only on DAZN.”

Serrano vs. Meinke marks the latest in MVP’s series of significant women’s championship fights as the company works to establish equity across the sport. The event follows Amanda Serrano’s first-ever 12×3 unified championship fight vs. challenger Danila Ramos in October and the Paul vs. August special championship feature of MVP’s Shadasia “The Sweet Terminator” Green vs. Franchón Crews-Dezurn for the WBC and WBA super middleweight world titles. Spartan Boxing INC. will serve as the official licensed promoter of Serrano vs. Meinke. 

For more information, follow on Twitter via @Serranosisters, @JakePaul, @MostVPromotions, and @DAZNBoxing or on Instagram via @serranosisters, @JakePaul, @MostValuablePromotions, and @DAZNBoxing.

How to watch DAZN 

  • Visit DAZN.com and follow the steps to sign up now
  • Once signed up, download the DAZN app to watch on any device
  • Go to the app store on your chosen device, search ‘DAZN’ and download the DAZN app  
  • DAZN is available on your phone, tablet, smart TV, streaming devices such as Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, and gaming consoles. 
  • Connect multiple devices to your account to watch at home or on the go  

About Most Valuable Promotions (MVP)

Most Valuable Promotions was founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in 2021. With the mission to provide more creative control to fighters, MVP works to identify, grow, and maximize return for its own events and talent partners. One year into its inception, MVP was nominated as one of the prestigious Sports Breakthroughs of the Year in 2022 by Sports Business Journal. MVP have produced Jake Paul’s last five global pay-per-view events, including the recent Paul vs. Diaz match. The promotion company also signed one of the most decorated Hispanic athletes of all time, Amanda Serrano in its first year. Serrano and MVP made history in April of 2022 when Serrano went head to head with Katie Taylor, marking the first female fight to headline at Madison Square Garden, recently earning a nomination for Event of The Year by Sports Business Journal. Co-founder Nakisa Bidarian was an executive producer of the historic Triller Presents Mike Tyson v. Roy Jones Jr., which was the 8th most bought pay-per-view event in history.

About DAZN

DAZN is a leading digital sports platform in Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Japan, Canada, US and the UK.? Its wide range of exclusive content includes top-flight football from the world’s most popular competitions – Bundesliga, English Premier League, J.League, LaLiga, Serie A, and the UEFA Champions League, in addition to the biggest sports from around the world – Formula 1, NFL, NBA, MotoGP and the UFC.? 

DAZN is the NFL’s global partner and, from the 2023 season, will be the only place for fans around the world to watch every NFL match through the NFL Game Pass International add-on subscription. DAZN is a global home for boxing and combat sports through its partnerships with Matchroom Boxing the Professional Fighters League, and a global home for Women’s Football with UEFA Women’s Champions League and Finetwork Liga F.? DAZN is adding more and more sport to its platform to create a destination for sports fans.?

?

DAZN is reimagining the way people enjoy sport. With a single, frictionless platform, sports fans can watch, bet, play, share, socialize, and buy tickets, NFTs and merchandise. Live and on-demand sports content, anywhere, in any language, on any device – only on DAZN.?

DAZN is available on most connected devices including smart TVs, set-top boxes, streaming sticks, smartphones, tablets, PCs and game consoles, ensuring that fans have access to a ground-breaking rights catalog and slate of incredible content. In the UK and globally, DAZN can be accessed on Samsung, LG, Sony and Panasonic Smart TVs and on Games Consoles including PlayStation and Xbox. Subscribers also have access to DAZN on their Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast and Apple TV and can find the app on their iPhone, iPad, and android mobile devices. DAZN is available as an Amazon Channel on Amazon Prime TV and can be viewed on Channel 429 on Sky in the UK and Ireland.   

DAZN is a global, privately-owned company with employees in over 25 countries. For more information on DAZN, our products, people, and performance, visit?www.dazngroup.com.??




FRIDAY: Jonathan Gonzalez-Gerardo Zapata Light Flyweight Title Showdown to Stream LIVE & Exclusively on ESPN+

(Oct. 23, 2023) —Puerto Rico’s WBO light flyweight world champion, Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez, will defend his world title against hometown favorite Gerardo Zapata this Friday, Oct. 27 at Alexis Arguello Sports Complex in Managua, Nicaragua.

Gonzalez-Zapata and undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Gonzalez (27-3-1, 14 KOs) has won five bouts since falling short to Kosei Tanaka in a 2019 bid for the WBO flyweight world title. He then moved down to the light flyweight ranks and positioned himself for a title shot with a pair of victories. In October 2019, he toppled Mexican champion Elwin Soto by split decision to capture his world title. Gonzalez defended the WBO light flyweight twice in 2022 with unanimous decision victories over Mark Anthony Barriaga in Florida and Shokichi Iwata in Japan.

Zapata (14-1-1, 5 KOs), who was born in Managua, fought the first 14 bouts of his pro career in his home country. He lost his ‘0’ when he was controversially disqualified against Rene Santiago in December 2022. Zapata returned in August and was held to a 10-round draw against Panamanian contender Azael Villar.

In other ESPN+ streaming bouts:

  • Rene Santiago (11-3, 8 KOs), two fights removed from the DQ win over Zapata, will defend his WBO Latino light flyweight title in a 10-rounder against undefeated Nicaraguan Kevin Vivas (7-0, 2 KOs).
     
  • In a six-round female light flyweight contest, Eveling Ortega (5-4, 2 KOs) looks to increase her winning streak to five against Costa Rica’s Silvia Duran (3-1, 2 KOs).
     
  • Welterweight prospect Harvin “Manimal” Aguirre (8-0, 6 KOs) steps up against Israel Lopez (11-3-1, 8 KOs) in an eight-rounder.
     
  • Honduras-born light flyweight Gerardo Sanchez (8-1, 5 KOs) hopes to end the unbeaten run of Peru’s Eduardo Ajito (11-0, 5 KOs) in an eight-rounder.



April 8: Kenshiro Teraji-Jonathan Gonzalez Light Flyweight Unification Showdown & Tenshin Nasukawa’s Pro Boxing Debut to Stream LIVE on ESPN+

(Feb 14, 2023) — Three light flyweight world titles will be on the line in a high-stakes unification fight on Saturday, April 8, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
 
WBC/WBA champion Kenshiro “The Amazing Boy” Teraji and WBO champ Jonathan “La Bomba” Gonzalez will collide in a 12-round battle that will put one man closer to becoming the division’s undisputed king.
 
The five-fight card will also feature Tenshin Nasukawa’s debut as a professional boxer. The former multi-division kickboxing world champion will face Yuki Yonaha in a six-round junior featherweight attraction.
 
Teraji-Gonzalez, Nasukawa-Yonaha and additional bouts will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. in the early morning hours on ESPN+.
 
Teraji (20-1, 12 KOs) captured his first world title by defeating Ganigan Lopez for the WBC 108-pound strap. Teraji made eight defenses before losing the belt via 10th-round TKO to Masamichi Yabuki. The 31-year-old avenged the loss by stopping Yabuki in the third round of their rematch to regain the title. Teraji then notched his most impressive victory last November by stopping Hiroto Kyoguchi in the seventh round to unify the WBC and WBA championships.    
 
Gonzalez (27-3-1, 14 KOs) spent years fighting top opposition at flyweight, including a failed challenge for Kosei Tanaka’s WBO world title in 2019. The slick southpaw is unbeaten in five fights since moving down to light flyweight in 2020. In October 2021, Gonzalez upset Elwin Soto for the WBO title, which he defended last year against Mark Anthony Barriga and Shokichi Iwata. 
 
Nasukawa began his pro kickboxing career when he was only 15 and compiled an unbeaten record in more than 40 fights. Nasukawa also competed in mixed martial arts, but he has always maintained a strong interest in boxing. In 2018, the 24-year-old participated in a boxing exhibition against Floyd Mayweather Jr., but his April 8 fight will mark his first official professional outing. Yonaha (12-4-1, 8 KOs) is a nine-year veteran who is Japan’s fourth-ranked bantamweight. The 32-year-old is 5-1 in his last six fights.

In other scheduled action on the ESPN+ stream:

  • Takuma Inoue (17-1, 4 KOs) vs. Liborio Solis (35-6-1, 16 KOs), 12 rounds, vacant WBA Bantamweight World Title—The younger brother of pound-for-pound phenom Naoya Inoue has won four straight fights since challenging Nordine Oubaali for the WBC crown. Solis, a former junior bantamweight world champion, will be making his fifth attempt at a bantamweight world title.
     
  • Kiko Martinez (44-11-2, 31 KOs) vs. Reiya Abe (24-3-1, 10 KOs), 12 rounds, IBF Featherweight World Title Eliminator—Spanish warrior Martinez is a two-weight world champion who hopes to regain the IBF featherweight crown currently held by Top Rank’s Luis Alberto Lopez. He is coming off a stunning fourth-round stoppage over European champion Jordan Gill. Abe has won five straight fights and has never been knocked out in the paid ranks.
     
  • Jin Sasaki (14-1-1, 13 KOs) vs. Keita Obara (26-4-1, 23 KOs), 12 rounds, Sasaki’s WBO Asia Pacific Welterweight Title.

# # #

 
About ESPN+ 
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 24.9 million subscribers. Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $9.99 a month (or $99.99 per year) at ESPN.comESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). 




November 1: Kenshiro Teraji-Hiroto Kyoguchi Light Flyweight Unification Battle Headlines Loaded Quadruple-Header from Japan LIVE on ESPN+

(Sept. 14, 2022) — The light flyweight division takes center stage Tuesday, Nov. 1, as two championship fights with three world titles at stake headline a loaded card from Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
 
WBC champion Kenshiro Teraji attempts to unify titles against WBA king Hiroto Kyoguchi in the main event. In the co-feature, Puerto Rico’s WBO champion, Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez, will defend his strap versus Japanese contender Shokichi Iwata.
 
Teraji-Kyoguchi, Gonzalez-Iwata, and undercard action will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ starting at 7:30 a.m. ET/4:30 a.m. PT.
 
“The Amazing Boy” Teraji (19-1, 11 KOs) is an eight-year pro who won the WBC world title in May 2017. He made eight defenses of that crown until a stunning 10th-round knockout defeat to Masamichi Yabuki last September. Less than six months later, Teraji exacted revenge with a third-round knockout over Yabuki to regain his title. Kyoguchi (16-0, 11 KOs) is a two-weight champion who was the IBF 105-pound ruler until he vacated that belt to move up to light flyweight. Since winning the WBA light flyweight crown on New Year’s Eve 2018 against Hekkie Budler, he has made four title defenses. He is coming off June’s eighth-round stoppage over Esteban Bermudez, which ranks among the year’s best title fights.
 
Gonzalez (26-3-1, 14 KOs) fell short in his first attempt at a world title in 2019 against Kosei Tanaka. He fulfilled his championship destiny last October when he edged Elwin Soto by split decision. Gonzalez defended his WBO title in June with a unanimous decision against Filipino upstart Mark Anthony Barriga. Iwata (9-0, 6 KOs), from Tokyo, won the Japan Boxing Commission, OPBF and WBO Asia Pacific titles en route to earning his first world title shot.
 
In other action scheduled on the ESPN+ stream:
 
Junto Nakatani (23-0, 18 KOs) vs. Francisco Rodriguez (36-5-1, 25 KOs), 10 rounds, junior bantamweight — WBO flyweight champion Nakatani tests the junior bantamweight waters against Mexican action star Rodriguez, a former unified 105-pound world champion.
 
Shuichiro Yoshino (15-0, 11 KOs) vs. Masayoshi Nakatani (20-2, 14 KOs), 12 rounds, WBO Asia Pacific Lightweight Title — Yoshino is coming off a technical decision over former world champion Masayuki Ito. Nakatani rebounded from last year’s knockout loss to Vasiliy Lomachenko with June’s first-round blitzing of Harmonito Dela Torre.
 
About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 22.8 million subscribers. Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $9.99 a month (or $99.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices).  




June 24: Rising Talents from Puerto Rico Added to Gonzalez-Barriga ProBox TV Broadcast at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida

KISSIMMEE, Florida (June 21, 2022): Top talents from Puerto Rico will be featured on the Gonzalez-Barrigaundercard on Friday, June 24 at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida and live on ProBox TV.

As previously announced, Jonathan “La Bomba” Gonzalez (25-3-1, 14 KOs) will defend his WBO Junior Light Flyweight Title against Mark Anthony “Baby Boy” Barriga (11-1, 2 KOs) in the 12-round main event.

In the co-main event, Axel “Mini” Vega (15-4-1, 8 KOs) of Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico takes on Venezuelan puncher Angelino “Huracan” Cordova (16-0-1, 12 KOs) in a 10-rounder for the WBO Latino Junior Flyweight Title. 

The following undercard bouts are scheduled to stream live on ProBox TV beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.

·      Hakim Lopez (12-0, 8 KOs), a light heavyweight prospect from Ellenwood, Georgia with roots in Puerto Rico, will face Cruse Stewart (8-0, 6 KOs) of Rock Island, Illinois in an eight-round battle.

·      Najee Lopez (4-0, 4 KOs), the younger brother of Hakim, will face Colombian Olympian Jeysson Monroy (1-0, 1 KO) in a cruiserweight tilt scheduled for six rounds.

·      Jaycob Gomez (4-0, 4 KOs) of Caguas, Puerto Rico will return in a six-round super featherweight bout against Ramon Esperanza (22-20-1, 11 KOs) of Asuncion, Paraguay.

·      Jan Paul Rivera (2-0, 2 KOs) of Ponce, Puerto Rico will put his undefeated record on the line against Cesar Martinez (4-6-2, 1 KO) of Los Angeles, Calif. in a four-rounder.

·      Jocksan Blanco (3-0, 1 KOs) of Caracas, Venezuela will return in a four-round welterweight battle.

·      Trinidad Vargas of Carrollton Texas will make his professional debut against Josh Aarons (0-2) of Williamsport, Pennsylvania in a four-round super flyweight bout.

# # #

Gonzalez vs. Barriga is a 12-round fight for the WBO Junior Flyweight World Championship promoted by ProBox Promotions in association with Tuto Zabala Jr.’s All Star Boxing, Inc. The event takes place on Friday, June 24 at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida and will be streamed live on ProBox TV beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.

Tickets for Gonzalez vs. Barriga are on sale now and are priced at $50 and $100. Tickets are available for purchase at www.Ticketmaster.com or by clicking here.

Credentials: Media interested in attending the June 24 event must be pre-approved for media credentials.The credential application is available by clicking here. Media will not be credentialed on site, no exceptions. 

About ProBox TV

ProBox TV is the first and only global sports streaming and media company dedicated exclusively to the sport of professional boxing. Founded by former CEO of Iron Mike Productions Garry Jonas in partnership with the legendary Roy Jones Jr., Juan Manuel Marquez, Antonio Tarver, and Paulie Malignaggi, ProBox TV’s mission is to deliver real boxing fans an improved experience when watching and following the sport—all for the nominal monthly price of $1.99. Download the ProBox TV app or visit www.ProBoxTV.com to learn more. Follow us on InstagramTwitterYouTube, and Reddit




MEXICAN CONTENDER AXEL ‘MINI’ VEGA FACES VENEZUELAN PUNCHER ANGELINO ‘HURACAN’ CORDOVA IN CO-MAIN EVENT OF ‘BOMBA’ GONZALEZ VS. ‘DA BABY BOY’ BARRIGA

KISSIMMEE, Florida (June 6, 2022): Former world title challenger Axel “Mini” Vega (15-4-1, 8 KOs) returns to the ring to take on undefeated Venezuelan knockout artist Angelino “Huracan” Cordova (16-0-1, 12 KOs) in the co-main event of “Bomba” Gonzalez vs. “Da Baby Boy” Barriga. The 10-round fight, which will be for the WBO Latino Junior Flyweight Title, tops off a stacked undercard of rising prospects that will be announced shortly. 

The event takes place on Friday, June 24 at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida and will be streamed live on ProBox TV beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.

Vega is a 22-year-old contender of Mexico City, Mexico who debuted as a professional in October 2016. After only three years, Vega earned his first world title opportunity in a rematch against Wilfredo Mendez for the WBO Minimumweight World Title. Though unsuccessful, Vega would get another title opportunity in 2021 at 108 pounds against WBA champion Hiroto Kyoguchi. Vega came up short in that fight, but returned quickly that year with a 10-round decision win over Armando Torres. With two title opportunities under his belt, Vega is prepared to make another run, but first he needs to get past a hard-hitting puncher.

Cordova is a native of Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela who has developed a 70% knockout ratio across 17 professional fights. The 26-year-old has never fought outside of his home country, but he’s ready to make his United States debut on one of the biggest stages in the world.

# # #

Gonzalez vs. Barriga is a 12-round fight for the WBO Junior Flyweight World Championship promoted by ProBox Promotions in association with Tuto Zabala Jr.’s All Star Boxing, Inc. The event takes place on Friday, June 24 at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida and will be streamed live on ProBox TV beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.

Tickets for Gonzalez vs. Barriga are on sale now and are priced at $50 and $100. Tickets are available for purchase at www.Ticketmaster.com or by clicking here.

Credentials: Media interested in attending the June 24 event must be pre-approved for media credentials.The credential application is available by clicking here. Media will not be credentialed on site, no exceptions. The deadline is Friday June 17 at 5:00 p.m. ET.

ABOUT PROBOX TV

ProBox TV is the first and only global sports streaming and media company dedicated exclusively to the sport of professional boxing. Founded by former CEO of Iron Mike Productions Garry Jonas in partnership with the legendary Roy Jones Jr., Juan Manuel Marquez, Antonio Tarver, and Paulie Malignaggi, ProBox TV’s mission is to deliver real boxing fans an improved experience when watching and following the sport—all for the nominal monthly price of $1.99. Download the ProBox TV app or visit www.ProBoxTV.com to learn more. Follow us on InstagramTwitterYouTube, and Reddit




TICKETS ON SALE NOW FOR WORLD TITLE SHOWDOWN BETWEEN JONATHAN GONZALEZ AND MARK ANTHONY BARRIGA 

KISSIMMEE, Florida (May 23, 2022): Tickets for the 12-round battle between WBO Junior Flyweight World Champion Jonathan “La Bomba” Gonzalez (25-3-1, 14 KOs) and Filipino contender Mark Anthony “Baby Boy” Barriga (11-1, 2 KOs) are now on sale.

The event, which is promoted by ProBox Promotions in association with Tuto Zabala Jr.’s All Star Boxing, Inc., will take place on Friday, June 24 at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida and will be streamed globally on ProBox TV.

Tickets for Gonzalez vs. Barriga are priced at $50 and $100. Tickets are available for purchase at www.Ticketmaster.com or by clicking here

Undercard information for the event will be announced shortly.

#

ABOUT PROBOX TV
ProBox TV is the first and only global sports streaming and media company dedicated exclusively to the sport of professional boxing. Founded by former CEO of Iron Mike Productions Garry Jonas in partnership with the legendary Roy Jones Jr., Juan Manuel Marquez, Antonio Tarver, and Paulie Malignaggi, ProBox TV’s mission is to deliver real boxing fans an improved experience when watching and following the sport—all for the nominal monthly price of $1.99. Download the ProBox TV app or visit www.ProBoxTV.com to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Reddit.




PUERTO RICAN WORLD CHAMPION JONATHAN GONZALEZ TO DEFEND 108-POUND TITLE IN PROBOX TV DEBUT AGAINST MARK ANTHONY BARRIGA

KISSIMMEE, Florida (May 4, 2022): Puerto Rican world champion Jonathan “La Bomba” Gonzalez (25-3-1, 14 KOs) is set to make the first defense of his WBO Junior Light Flyweight Title against Filipino Olympian and former title challenger Mark Anthony “Baby Boy” Barriga (11-1, 2 KOs) in a 12-round main event on Friday, June 24.

The fight, which is presented in association with Tuto Zavala Jr.’s All Star Boxing, Inc., will take place at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida and headlines a night of action that will be streamed globally on ProBox TV.

Ticket and undercard information for the event will be announced shortly.

Gonzalez is a slick southpaw who made his pro debut in April 2011. Since then, he’s faced some of the top fighters at 112 pounds, including former champions Giovani “El Guerrero Azteca” Segura and Kosei Tanaka. However, “La Bomba” decided to move down to 108 pounds in 2020, a division in which he has had much more success. Indeed, after obtaining two impressive victories in a row, Gonzalez upset Elwin “La Pulga” Soto to capture the WBO Junior Flyweight Title in October 2021. The Puerto Rican champion is now ready to defend his title for the first time in what will be his debut on the ProBox TV platform.

“I’m ready to kick off a dominant reign as world champion by making the first defense of my title,” said Gonzalez. “Elwin Soto learned that I’m not somebody you should underestimate, so I hope Mark Anthony Barriga is training as hard as possible because I’m coming with everything on June 24. This is my division. Nobody is going to beat me at 108 pounds. I look forward to an exciting night for the fans and to leaving the ring with my hand raised in victory.”

Barriga is a 28-year-old contender who represented the Philippines at the 2012 Olympics in London. After continuing his amateur career for a few more years, the explosive southpaw turned professional in 2016 and eventually captured the WBO International Junior Flyweight Championship in 2018. Barriga then had his first world title opportunity against Carlos Licona for the IBF 108-pound title. The fight was close and ended in a split decision loss for Barriga, who bounced back with two victories in his home country. Barriga understands the importance of this new opportunity, and he is ready for war on June 24.

“I have fought in the Olympics, for a world title, and was ranked No. 1 in the world, but this is the most important fight of my career,” said Barriga. “La Bomba is a world champion for a reason. He is a great opponent, and this is going to be an exciting fight. I am so thankful to my management One Above Sports Consultancy and Dejan Zavec for making this happen with a fantastic promoter All Star Boxing, Tuto, and Ruben. Thank you, Pro Box TV, for showing this around the world, especially for my country people in the Philippines.”

#

ABOUT PROBOX TV
ProBox TV is the first and only global sports streaming and media company dedicated exclusively to the sport of professional boxing. Founded by former CEO of Iron Mike Productions Garry Jonas in partnership with the legendary Roy Jones Jr., Juan Manuel Marquez, Antonio Tarver, and Paulie Malignaggi, ProBox TV’s mission is to deliver real boxing fans an improved experience when watching and following the sport—all for the nominal monthly price of $1.99. Download the ProBox TV app or visit www.ProBoxTV.com to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Reddit.




Martin Shocks Mikey Garcia by Majority Decision

Sandor Martin got the biggest win of his career and shocked former four-division world champion by winning a 10-round majority decision in a welterweight bout in Fresno, California.

Garcia seemed to never find a rhythm in the contest as he was barely throwing any punches. Martin did not exactly light up the pace, but he landed tricky counters throughout the contest. Garcia pressed throughout, but it was the adept and pinpoint connections by Martin as he won by scores of 97-93 twice and 95-95.

Martin landed 75 of 231 punches; Garcia was 60 of 318.

Martin, 144 lbs of Barcelona, SPA is 39-2. Garcia, 143.5 lbs of Ventura, CA is 40-2.

Castro Takes out Luna in 1

Marc Castro thrilled his hometown fans with a 1st round stoppage over Angel Luna in a scheduled six-round junior lightweight contest.

In round one, Castro came out firing by landing vicious power shots and then put Luna down with a left hook. Luna showed nothing in the fight and Castro opened up and landed a huge flurry and the fight was stopped at 2:41.

Castro, 129.8 lbs of Fresno, CA is 4-0 with four knockouts. Luna, 130.4 lbs of Bronx, NY is 14-8-1.

Gonzalez Decisions Soto; Wins WBO Light Flyweight Title

Jonathan Gonzalez won the WBO Light Flyweight title with a split decision over Elwin Soto.

Gonzalez landed 112 of 519; punches; Soto was 104 0f 434.

Gonzalez, 108 lbs of Caguas, PR won two cards 116-112; Soto rook a card 116-112.

Gonzalez is 25-3-1. Soto, 107.8 lbs of Mexicali, MX is 19-2.

Rodriguez stops Burgos in 4

Jesse Rodriguez stopped Jose Alejandro Burgos in round four of their 10-round light flyweight fight.

In round three, Rodriguez started to bleed from his nose. In round four, Rodriguez landed a left that buckled Burgos. One more left put Burgos on the seat of his pants.. Seconds later, Rodriguez landed another crushing left that put Rodriguez down just as the referee was stopping the fight at 1:23.

Rodriguez, 109.2 lbs of San Antonio, TX is 14-0 with 10 knockouts. Burgos, 110 lbs of Ensenada, MX is 18-5-1.

Jarvis Survives Scare; Stops Rodriguez in 5

Brock Jarvis almost had a nughtmarish American debut, but he stemmed off a tough 2nd round to come back to stop Alejandro Frias Rodriguez in round four of their scheduled 10-round lightweight fight.

In round two, Rodriguez rocked Jarvis and battered him all over the ring for much of the frame. Jarvis was able to gather himself and rev up his offense and in round five, he landed hard shots on the inside and hurt Rodriguez before the fight was stopped at 2:04

Jarvis, 134 lbs of Marrickville, AUS is 20-0 with 18 knockoiuts. Rodriguez, 134 lbs of Tepic, MEX is 13-5-2.

Diego Pacheco remained undefeated with a stoppage in the eighth and final round over Lucas De Abreu of their super middleweight bout.

Pacheco battered De Abreu untilthe bout was stopped at 2:34.

Pacheco, 166.2 lbs of South Cental, LA is 13-0 with 10 knockouts, De Abreu, 166.4 lbs of Miami, FL is 12-1,

Nikita Ababiy remained undefeated with a eight-round unanimous decision over Sanny Duversonne in a middleweight bout.

Ababiy, 159.2 lbs of Brooklyn, NY won by scores of 80-72, 79-73 and 77-75 and is now 11-0. Duversonne, 160 lbs of Mimai, FL is 12-5-2.

17-time National Amateur champion, Charlie Sheehy stopped Luciano Ramos in the 4th and final round of their lightweight contest.

In round four, Sheehy landed a big right that put Ramos on the deck. Seconds later, Sheehy landed a fierce combination that forced a referee stoppage at 1:48.

Sheehy, 134.2 lbs of Brisbane, CA is 1-0 with one knockout. Ramos, 137.8 lbs of Buenos Aries, ARG is 0-2.

Oscar Alan Perez won four-round unanimoud decision over Raymundo Rios in a super lightweight bout.

In round two, Perez dropped Rios with a right-left combination.

Perez, 136.9 lbs of Houston, TX won by scores of 40-35 on all cards and is now 4-0. Rios, 139.6 lbs of Durango, MX is 3-7-2.




“BOXEO TELEMUNDO” RETURNS FOR ITS FINAL SEASON OF 2018 WITH FOUR STRAIGHT WEEKS OF EVENTS STARTING NOV. 16 LIVE ON TELEMUNDO

MIAMI, Fla. – November 9, 2018 – Telemundo Deportes’ “Boxeo Telemundo,” the #1 Spanish-language boxing program in the U.S., returns to Telemundo for its final “season” of the year, presenting four weeks of action-packed bouts, starting Friday, November 16 at 11:35 p.m. ET, live from Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida. The season premiere will feature Puerto Rican Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez and Mexican Juan “Pinky” Alejo battling for the WBO/NABO flyweight title.

All fights will be broadcast live on Telemundo and live streamed on Telemundo Deportes En Vivo app with additional extensive news and content on TelemundoDeportes.com, including access to the weigh-in and exclusive behind-the-scenes content.

René Giraldo and Edgar López return as commentators alongside Abner Mares who joined the team last season. Mares, who is an activate fighter, is a four-division World Boxing Champion and former Olympian. He was the second youngest fighter to be a three-time World Boxing Champion, and has held IBF Bantam Weight, WBC Super Bantam Weight, and WBA and WBC Featherweight titles.

The season will feature four straight weeks of action, including the return of the program to South Florida as Mexican Ricardo “Hindu” Espinoza confronts Colombian Yeison “El Yei” Vargas for the WBO Bantamweight Latin title. The fight will take place at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, on Friday, November 30.

FOR VIDEO CLICK HERE

In the season opener, WBA #4 WBO #5 IBF #9 world-ranked Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez (21-2-1 12 KO’s) of Caugas, Puerto Rico enters the ring for the third time this year on the Telemundo platform. In his first fight of the year, Gonzalez captured the NABO title by split decision when he defeated fringe Mexican contender Ricardo “Meserito” Rodriguez. He later reappeared in the summer series to defend his title against former world title challenger Julian Yedras and is now looking to close out the year with another successful title defense.

In the other corner, WBC #24 light flyweight Fecombox champion and former two-time world title challenger Juan “Pinky” Alejo (24-5-1 14 KO’s) of Monterrey, Mexico is making his first appearance on Telemundo. In his last outing, Alejo fell short in his bid to win the WBO world light flyweight title and is looking to come back strong against Gonzalez.

“Boxeo Telemundo Ford” 2018 fall season will continue on November 23 with an exciting bout between Adrian “Gatito” Curiel vs. Armando “Ichiro Ozeki” Torres at Auditorio Blackberry in Mexico City, Mexico. Later it travels to South Florida for the November 30 bout, culminating the season back in Mexico City where Antonio Toño Moran confronts Edson “Buba” Ramirez for the vacant WBO Lightweight title.

“Boxeo Telemundo Ford,” will return again in February, 2019 to celebrate its 30th anniversary and continue its storied tradition of being the top boxing destination and longest-running boxing program in Spanish language media. Debuting in 1989, “Boxeo Telemundo” has showcased more than 50 world champions, including Erik Morales, Felix Tito Trinidad, Wilfredo Vazquez, Daniel Zaragoza, Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez, Oscar “Chololo” Larios and Israel “El Magnífico” Vazquez, earning a reputation as the show “where champions are born.”




Gonzalez decisions Medina

Roberto Garcia scored a 6th-round stoppage over former world title challenger Victor Cayo in a scheduled 10 round Welterweight bout at Hialeah Park in Hialeah, Florida.

Garcia applied constant pressure and opened up a cut over the right eye of Cayo in round four. In round six, Garcia landed a big left hook that sent Cayo to the ropes and after a hard flurry on the ropes, referee Tellis Aselmeninos stopped the bout at 2:38 of round six

Garcia, 146.2 lbs of Mexico is now 35-3 with 23 knockouts. Cayo, 150 lbs of the Dominican Republic is now 32-5.

Former Puerto Rican Olympian Jonathan Gonzalez scored a 10-round split decision over Regelio Medina in a Super Middleweight bout.

It was a close hard fought battle with both guys landing shots in close that saw the judges like Gonzalez to the tune of 96-94 for Medina but was overrules 97-93 and 96-94 for Gonzalez

Gonzalez, 162.8 lbs of Puerto Rico is now 18-0-1. Medina, 165.8 lbs of Mexico is now 32-6.

Jeff Souffrant made a successful pro debut by scoring a 4-round unanimous decision over Jorge Quintero in a Welterweight bout.

Souffrant scored a knockdown in the 1st round and cruised to victory by scores of 40-35 on all cards.

Souffrant, 146 lbs is 1-0. Quintero, 145 3/4 lbs is 1-2.




Gonzalez to Face Medina, May 1 on ESPN Thursday Night Fights from Hialeah Park in South Florida

The opponent has been announced for undefeated Jonathan “Mantequilla” González (17-0-1, 14 KOs) in the televised 10-round middleweight co-feature on Thursday, May 1, 2014, “Noche de Combates” event, a special edition of ESPN Thursday Night Fights, at the iconic Hialeah Park in South Florida.

Gonzalez, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, will put his near-perfect record on the line against Rogelio “Porky” Medina (32-5, 26 KOs) from Sonora, Mexico.

In the night’s 10-round, televised welterweight main event, Roberto “La Amenaza” Garcia (34-3, 22 KOs) of Weslaco, Texas, will face Victor “Mermelada” Cayo (32-4, 23 KOs) of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Tickets for “Noche de Combates,” are priced at $20, $35, $50 and $100 and are on sale now. They can be purchased at ticketforce.com, as well as hialeahpark.com, and also at the Hialeah Park Racing & Casino box office. For more information, call the special Boxing Hotline at 786-483-7444.

24-year-old Gonzalez has scored two impressive victories since fighting to a draw with former WBO Light Middleweight Champion Serhiy Dzinziruk in September 2012. As an amateur, Gonzalez had over 160 fights and won a silver medal at the 2007 Pan American Games and qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics. As a professional, he has held the NABO and WBA Fedelatin titles and was named to ESPN Columnist Dan Rafael’s Super 25 list of the best prospects of 2011.

25-year-old Medina has been a solid professional since 2007 and faced many of today’s top contenders. With a 70% KO ratio, the aggressive Mexican brings fight-stopping power into every bout.

The undercard will also include appearances by Warriors’ and Miami-based G&A Boxing Promotions’ newest co-promotional signings, super middleweight southpaw James “Buddy” McGirt Jr. (22-3-1, 11 KOs) and twin-brother featherweight contenders, Carlos Ivan “Twin Dream” Velasquez (16-1, 11 KOs) and Juan Carlos Velasquez (11-1, 5 KOs), from Catano, Puerto Rico, now living in Miami. The trio will each face opponents that are TBA.

Also featured that night will be an eight-round light heavyweight bout featuring knockout artist Yunieski Gonzalez (13-0, 13 KOs) of Havana, Cuba, who will put his perfect record on the line against Arpartado, Colombia’s Jaison Palomeque (14-9-1, 9 KOs); and a six-round cruiserweight affair, featuring undefeated Cuban Vilier Quinonez (7-0, 4 KOs) of Havana taking on Edgar Perez (5-8, 3 KOs) of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

In preliminary action, Cairo Egypt’s Ahmed Elbiale (3-0, 3 KOs) will be featured in a light heavyweight four-rounder against an opponent still TBA; and in the four-round welterweight opener, Bogota, Colombia, via Hollywood, Florida’s Jorge Quintero (1-1) will face Davie, Florida’s pro debuting, and Florida 2012 Golden Gloves Champ, Jeff “Rambo” Souffrant.

Hialeah Park & Casino is located at 2200 E 4th Avenue in Hialeah, FL. On fight night, Thursday May 1, 2014, gates will open at 6:30 PM ET and the first fight will be at 7:00 PM ET. All bouts are subject to change.
ABOUT WARRIORS BOXING

Launched in 2003, Warriors Boxing operates under a simple philosophy-bring the best boxers in the world to fight fans, match them in competitive bouts, and in doing so help re-establish the sport of boxing for a new generation.

With a series of successful Pay-Per-View shows and packed houses to it’s credit, the Warriors business model is working wonders in a sport that was sorely in need of the innovation and energy that the company brings to the table.

When it comes down to it though, a promotional company is only as good as the fighters and fights it promotes. Warriors Boxing has delivered on all fronts, with outstanding bouts such as Lara-Molina, Cayo-Peterson, Abraham-Miranda I and II, Miranda-Pavlik, Miranda-Green, Ibragimov-Briggs, Ibragimov-Klitschko, Urango-Hatton, Urango-Bailey, Cayo-Maidana and Ibragimov-Holyfield.

For more information on Warriors Boxing, visit their website at www.WarriorsBoxing.com.




Garcia Steps in to Face Gonzalez in Place of Injured Mantequilla

Because of an injury forcing Jonathan Gonzalez to withdraw, tough veteran Roberto “La Amenaza” Garcia (33-3, 22 KOs) of Weslaco, Texas, via Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico, will step in to face Monterrey, Mexico’s Norberto “Demonio” Gonzalez (20-2, 13 KOs) in the Friday Night Fights-televised 10-round middleweight main event on Friday, February 7, 2014, at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago.

33-year-old Garcia makes a worthy substitute opponent to say the least, as he has lost just one fight in the last decade and that to legendary champion Antonio Margarito.

Presented by Mike Tyson and Garry Jonas (Iron Mike Productions), Dominic Pesoli (8 Count Productions) and Leon Margules (Warriors Boxing), Garcia vs. Gonzalez will also feature a 10-round, televised co-feature between undefeated featherweight prospect Kamil Laszczyk (15-0, 7 KOs) of Warsaw, Poland, and Nicaragua’s Daniel “El General” Diaz (20-5-1, 14 KOs), plus 18-year-old welterweight prospect Erickson “Hammer” Lubin (2-0, 2 KOs) opening the telecast in a four-rounder vs. TBA.

Tickets for “Friday Night Fights” are priced at VIP $151, VIP Ringside $101, Ringside $76, Mezzanine $51 and General Admission $31 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000), the 8 Count Productions Offices: 312-226-5800 or the UIC Pavilion Box Office: 312-413-5740.

The switch in combatants became necessary on Saturday when Puerto Rico’s “Mantequilla” Gonzalez hurt his shoulder sparring and found he couldn’t lift arms above his head. Gonzalez visited the hospital this morning and underwent tests confirming a muscle pull that requires adequate healing time.

A victory over Garcia would still be a step forward for the 32-year-old “Demonio” Gonzalez, who got his career back on track with a surprise upset over Michael “Brazilian Rocky” Oliveira last November at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

###

About Iron Mike Productions(IMP)

Previously known as Acquinity Sports, Iron Mike Productions is a full-service boxing promotion company co-founded and led by CEO Garry Jonas. In partnership with Hall of Famer Mike Tyson, IMP is committed to changing traditional boxing promotion by advocating for its fighters’ successes, inside the ring and out, throughout their professional careers and into retirement.

About Warriors Boxing

Launched in 2003, Warriors Boxing operates under a simple philosophy-bring the best boxers in the world to fight fans, match them in competitive bouts, and in doing so help re-establish the sport of boxing for a new generation.

With a series of successful Pay-Per-View shows and packed houses to its credit, the Warriors business model is working wonders in a sport that was sorely in need of the innovation and energy that the company brings to the table.

When it comes down to it though, a promotional company is only as good as the fighters and fights it promotes. Warriors Boxing has delivered on all fronts, with outstanding bouts such as Lara-Molina, Cayo-Peterson, Abraham-Miranda I and II, Miranda-Pavlik, Miranda-Green, Ibragimov-Briggs, Ibragimov-Klitschko, Urango-Hatton, Urango-Bailey, Cayo-Maidana and Ibragimov-Holyfield.

For more information on Warriors Boxing, visit their website at www.WarriorsBoxing.com.

ABOUT 8 Count Productions

8 Count Productions, Home Of The Best In Chicago Boxing, was started by Dominic Pesoli in 1998 and has consistently presented the highest quality professional boxing events in Chicagoland.

Fighters currently under the 8 Count Productions banner include; IBO Light Heavyweight World Champion Andrzej Fonfara, middleweight contender Donovan George, world-class junior welterweight prospect Adrian Granados, former world title challenger Edner Cherry, super middleweight prospect Paul Littleton, middleweight prospect Viktor Polyakov and welterweight prospect Jaime Herrera.

For more information on 8 Count Productions please visit their new website, www.8countproductions.com.

For additional information go online at www.IronMikeProductions.com or www.8countproductions.comorwww.WarriorsBoxing.com.

Mike Tyson Web Site – miketyson.com
Facebook: facebook.com/miketyson
Twitter: @MikeTyson @IronMikeProd




Gonzalez vs. Gonzalez to Headline Friday Night Fights on February 7 in Chicago Global Boxing’s Polish Prospect Kamil Laszczyk to Face Daniel Diaz in Exciting Co-Featured Bout

On Friday, February 7, 2014, Mike Tyson and Garry Jonas (Iron Mike Productions), Dominic Pesoli (8 Count Productions) and Leon Margules (Warriors Boxing) will proudly present another installment of Friday Night Fights at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, and televised worldwide on ESPN Friday Night Fights.

In the night’s hard-hitting 10-round middleweight main event, Puerto Rico’s undefeated Jonathan “Mantequilla” Gonzalez (17-0-1, 14 KOs) will face Monterrey, Mexico’s Norberto “Demonio” Gonzalez (20-2, 13 KOs). In the 10-round, televised co-featured bout, red-hot undefeated featherweight prospect Kamil Laszczyk (15-0, 7 KOs) of Warsaw, Poland, takes on Managua, Nicaragua’s Daniel “El General” Diaz (20-5-1, 14 KOs).

Opening the telecast will be high-profile 18-year-old welterweight prospect Erickson “Hammer” Lubin (2-0, 2 KOs), the 2012 National Golden Gloves gold medal winner and former Team USA’s #1 overall prospect for the 2016 Olympics before recently turning professional under the Iron Mike Productions promotional banner.

The opponent for his four-round fight is TBA.

Tickets for “Friday Night Fights” are priced at VIP $151, VIP Ringside $101, Ringside $76, Mezzanine $51 and General Admission $31 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000), the 8 Count Productions Offices: 312-226-5800 or the UIC Pavilion Box Office: 312-413-5740.

24-year-old Jonathan Gonzalez is a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico. He is ranked IBF #9 and WBC #11 in the world. He is a former amateur boxing standout and a 2008 Olympic representative for Puerto Rico.

Norberto “Demonio” Gonzalez is a seven-year professional who got the biggest win of his career with a surprise upset over Michael “Brazilian Rocky” Oliveira last November at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Gonzalez was undefeated in his first 16 fights and his only 2 defeats were hotly contested decisions two top fighters. The dominant win over Oliveira has put his career back on track.

22-year-old Kamil Laszczyk is a native of Warsaw, Poland, currently living in North Bergen, New Jersey. He is the WBO #3-ranked featherweight in the world. Laszczyk was 110-7 as an amateur and won six Polish National Amateur Championships. As a professional, he has already won the WBO Youth Super Featherweight, WBO Inter-Continental Featherweight and WBC Baltic Silver featherweight titles.

Nicaraguan Daniel Diaz is a nine-year professional and a former NABA Champion. In 2011, Diaz unsuccessfully challenged Koki Kameda for the WBA World Bantamweight Championship in Osaka, Japan. Most recently, he won a decision against very highly regarded Mexican contender Robert Marroquin.

“I’m looking forward to my first appearance as a promoter in Chicago at the Gonzalez vs. Gonzalez fight on February 7,” said Mike Tyson. “We have a great fight card lined up with some exciting fighters. Chicago historically has a rich boxing history and I am proud to return and bring boxing entertainment to the city that has always been good to me.”

“I’m very happy to be returning to the great city of Chicago with another fantastic show,” said Leon Margules. “I wish to thank all my partners for their continued support in returning Chicago to its glory days of boxing. I also wish to extend many thanks to the great Mike Tyson for his promotional partnership. This will be another fantastic event I am proud to be a part of.”

“Leon and I are very excited to again be working with my dear friend and legend Mike Tyson and going back to Chicago with 8 Count,” said Luis DeCubas. “UIC Pavilion is one of the best venues for boxing in this country.”

“I’m very excited to bring another great show to the loyal boxing fans of Chicagoland,” said Dominic Pesoli. “What a great way to start off the New Year with an ESPN “Friday Night Fights” event. It will be a pleasure to work again with the good friends from Warriors Boxing and my new friends from Iron Mike Productions. Let’s start off the 2014 season with some serious HEAT, because Chicago can surely use it! Please come out and enjoy the fights with us and one of boxing’s greatest legends Mike Tyson.”

On fight night, doors will open at 6:00 pm CT with the first bout scheduled for 7:00 pm. The UIC Pavilion is located at 525 S. Racine, at the corner of Harrison and Racine on the campus of the University of Illinois-Chicago.

###

About Iron Mike Productions (IMP)

Previously known as Acquinity Sports, Iron Mike Productions is a full-service boxing promotion company co-founded and led by CEO Garry Jonas. In partnership with Hall of Famer Mike Tyson, IMP is committed to changing traditional boxing promotion by advocating for its fighters’ successes, inside the ring and out, throughout their professional careers and into retirement.

About Warriors Boxing

Launched in 2003, Warriors Boxing operates under a simple philosophy-bring the best boxers in the world to fight fans, match them in competitive bouts, and in doing so help re-establish the sport of boxing for a new generation.

With a series of successful Pay-Per-View shows and packed houses to its credit, the Warriors business model is working wonders in a sport that was sorely in need of the innovation and energy that the company brings to the table.

When it comes down to it though, a promotional company is only as good as the fighters and fights it promotes. Warriors Boxing has delivered on all fronts, with outstanding bouts such as Lara-Molina, Cayo-Peterson, Abraham-Miranda I and II, Miranda-Pavlik, Miranda-Green, Ibragimov-Briggs, Ibragimov-Klitschko, Urango-Hatton, Urango-Bailey, Cayo-Maidana and Ibragimov-Holyfield.

For more information on Warriors Boxing, visit their website at www.WarriorsBoxing.com.

About 8 Count Productions

8 Count Productions, Home Of The Best In Chicago Boxing, was started by Dominic Pesoli in 1998 and has consistently presented the highest quality professional boxing events in Chicagoland.

Fighters currently under the 8 Count Productions banner include; IBO Light Heavyweight World Champion Andrzej Fonfara, middleweight contender Donovan George, world-class junior welterweight prospect Adrian Granados, former world title challenger Edner Cherry, super middleweight prospect Paul Littleton, middleweight prospect Viktor Polyakov and welterweight prospect Jaime Herrera.

For more information on 8 Count Productions/Round 3 Productions please visit their new website, www.8countproductions.com.

For additional information go online at www.IronMikeProductions.com or www.8countproductions.com or www.WarriorsBoxing.com.

Mike Tyson Web Site – miketyson.com
Facebook: facebook.com/miketyson
Twitter: @MikeTyson @IronMikeProd




Warriors Re-Signs ‘Mantequilla’ Gonzalez to Promotional Agreement; Puerto Rican Slugger Relocates to Florida

Leon Margules, President of Warriors Boxing, proudly announces the signing of Puerto Rican junior middleweight contender Jonathan “Mantequilla” Gonzalez (16-0-1, 13 KOs) to an exclusive promotional contract.

Despite being considered a red-hot power-punching force in the 154-lb division, promotional problems had kept the 24-year-old Gonzalez out of the ring since last January. Margules says after a couple of return fights, Gonzalez will step directly into a high-profile showcase.

“We’ve relocated him from Puerto Rico to Florida to train. He’s 100% focused now and ready to live up to his reputation as the ‘Next Puerto Rican Superstar,'” said Margules. “We’re going to let him shake off some ring rust, starting December 6 at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago and then go to work getting him a title shot or an important fight to get back in the mix.”

Gonzalez had run up a streak of 13 consecutive knockouts to begin his career, drawing comparisons to a young Tito Trinidad, before going the distance in his last four fights, including a draw with former world champion Serhiy Dzinziruk. One of the goals for the newly refocused Gonzalez will be to return to his past power-punching ways.

“This kid is a true old-time fighter,” added longtime boxing expert Luis DeCubas. “He’s slick, but he can punch. That’s what he’ll be working on with his trainers, John David Jackson and Chico Rivas: sitting down on his shots more and going back to the destroyer he was earlier in his career. Now that he’s in Florida training full-time, he’s a lot more focused and away from the distractions back home. He’ll be coming in on-weight and ready to go.”

As an amateur, Gonzalez had over 160 fights and won a silver medal at the 2007 Pan American Games and qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics. As a professional, he has held the NABO and WBA Fedelatin titles and was named to ESPN Columnist Dan Rafael’s Super 25 list of the best prospects of 2011.

“Jonathan has all the talent and experience to become a star,” continued Margules. “We’ve made several adjustments to his training routine, including the relocation. We think a Jonathan Gonzalez who is focused and without distraction is a formidable force in one of boxing’s best divisions.”

Gonzalez’s opponent for December 6 in Chicago is still TBA. In the 12-round main event tha tnight, WBC Cruiserweight Champion Krzysztof “Diablo” Wlodarczyk (48-2-1, 34 KOs) of Warsaw, Poland, will attempt to make the sixth defense of his title and complete an epic trilogy of fights with Milan, Italy’s former WBC Cruiserweight Champion Giacobbe “Gabibbo” Fragomeni (31-3-2, 12 KOs).

Tickets for “World Championship Boxing: Wlodarczyk vs. Fragomeni 3” are priced at VIP $201, VIP Ringside $151, Ringside $101, Box Mezzanine $76, Reserved Mezzanine $51, and General Admission $31 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000), the 8 Count Productions Offices: 312-226-5800 or the UIC Pavilion Box Office: 312-413-5740.

ABOUT 8 COUNT PRODUCTIONS

8 Count Productions, Home Of The Best In Chicago Boxing, was started by Dominic Pesoli in 1998 and has consistently presented the highest quality professional boxing events in Chicagoland.

Fighters currently under the 8 Count Productions banner include; IBO Light Heavyweight World Champion Andrzej Fonfara, middleweight contender Donovan George, world-class junior welterweight prospect Adrian Granados, super middleweight prospect Paul Littleton, middleweight prospect Viktor Polyakov and welterweight prospect Jaime Herrera.

For more information on 8 Count Productions/Round 3 Productions please visit their new website, www.8countproductions.com.

ABOUT WARRIORS BOXING

Launched in 2003, Warriors Boxing operates under a simple philosophy-bring the best boxers in the world to fight fans, match them in competitive bouts, and in doing so help re-establish the sport of boxing for a new generation.

With a series of successful Pay-Per-View shows and packed houses to it’s credit, the Warriors business model is working wonders in a sport that was sorely in need of the innovation and energy that the company brings to the table.

When it comes down to it though, a promotional company is only as good as the fighters and fights it promotes. Warriors Boxing has delivered on all fronts, with outstanding bouts such as Lara-Molina, Cayo-Peterson, Abraham-Miranda I and II, Miranda-Pavlik, Miranda-Green, Ibragimov-Briggs, Ibragimov-Klitschko, Urango-Hatton, Urango-Bailey, Cayo-Maidana and Ibragimov-Holyfield.

For more information on Warriors Boxing, visit their website at www.WarriorsBoxing.com.

CONTACT:




Rances Barthelemy steals a decision win over Arash Usmanee; Jonathan Gonzalez outboxes Pooh Ennis

A very controversial decision capped an exciting 12-round elimination bout for the IBF’s #2 position at super featherweight between Miami-based Cuban Rances “Kid Blast” Barthelemy (18-0, 11 KOs) and previously undefeated Arash Usmanee (20-1, 10 KOs) season debut of ESPN Friday Night Fights, live from Stage 305 in the Magic City Casino in Miami, Florida.

Afghani-Canadian Usmanee closed the show with an amazing eleventh and twelfth round where he stalked, punched and attacked the Cuban Barthelemy relentlessly applying pressure until the final bell. The fight was competitive but I and many ringside reporters had the fight unanimously in favor of Usmanee. I spoke to Teddy Atlas after the fight and he was very upset with the decision and had the fight 117-111 for Usmanee. Barthelmy had a good first few rounds but started squaring up and Usmanee used that to his advantage and closed the gap and scored with great inside punching. As the cards were read the crowd, who was Barthelemy’s home crowd were also shocked by the decision. I had the fight 115-113 to Usmanee, all three judges scored for the Cuban 115-113, 116-112…. in the words of Teddy Atlas… the system is corrupt…

Puerto Rican slugger Jonathan “Mantequilla” Gonzalez 16-0(13KO) won a ten round decision over Derek “Pooh” Ennis. Gonzalez fought great on the outside throughout the fight with great accurate punches at times where he seemed to hit Ennis at will. Gonzalez, the Former Puerto Rican Olympian, is trained by former world champion John David Jackson, kept his composure throughout the fight and kept busy. Philadelphia’s Ennis, who dropped to 23-4(13KO) was able to land a couple big shots per round and found success while infighting, which Gonzalez avoided at good measure. The cards read 95-95, 98-92, 97-93.

Bayamón, Puerto Rico’s Roberto J. Acevedo (7-0, 5 KOs) destroyed Francisco Rios Gil (17-18) 12 KOs of Sonora, Mexico. An obvious physical mismatched produced an obvious underskilled attempt from the Mexican to hang with the bigger and stronger Acevedo.

Miami based Cuban Hairon Socarras 6-0-1(5KO) knocked out Josh Bowels 6-1(1KO) in the third round of their featherweight matchup. Socarras who is just 19, boxed nicely keeping Bowels at the end of his punches landing straight right hands and left hooks on the shorter Harrisburg, PA fighter, Bowel. The end came with a fascinating two punch combination, a left hook and a thunderous overhand right that deposited Bowels to the canvas. Bowels got to his feet but, however unable to continue.

Skilled rising prospect Light Heavyweight Radivoje Kalajdzic 9-0(6KO) won a hard fought unanimous decision over Grover “The Cobra” Young 7-8(4KO). Kalajdic was blistering fast and showed excellent ring generalship commanding the bout from the opening bell. The Bosnian born Kalajdic overwhelmed Young with punches in the third round dropping him twice, once right at the bell. Where the southpaw Young finished strong after the knockdowns, it was far too little too late.

The opening bout of the evening showcased Jeremy Bryan 16-2(7KO) from Patterson New Jersey with a great upset unanimous decision with over Light Welterweight Belarusian Yuri Ramanau 22-3(14KO). Early on Ramanau applied constant pressure tracking Bryan down and keeping his range and touching his counterpart. But it was the former two time amateur national champion Bryan who had a great fight past round 3 doing some nice work fighting from the outside and picking Ramanau off with sharp punches and great be first boxing. A cut over Bryans left eye in round two did not deter the determined New Jersey native, who should be proud of his performance.

Entertaining Cruiserweight Keith “Machine Gun” Tapia 6-0(5KO) destroyed Rafael Valenzuela and put on a great show while doing so….. with his boxing and with his ring antics.. which were humble and fun… I hope this kid goes on to do great things, he has the personality. I spoke with him after the fight and he was determined to take his career to the top. I am a fan.




Weights from Magic City Casino, Miami, Florida

12-Round IBF #2 Elimination Main Event

Rances Barthelemy 128.25 vs. Arash Usmanee 128.75

Jonathan Gonzalez 152.75 vs. Derek Ennis 161 (contract weigh 154)

Radivoje Kalajdzic 180 vs. Grover Young 189.25
Roberto J. Acevedo 166.75 vs. Francisco Rios Gil 165.75
Hairon Socarras 122 vs. Josh Bowles 121.75
Keith Tapia 204 vs. Rafael Valenzula 198
Yuri Ramanau 138.25 vs. Jeremy Bryan 140

Venue: Stage 305 in the Magic City Casino

Television: ESPN Friday Night Fights

Promoters: Warriors Boxing and Bad Dog Productions in association with the Magic City Casino

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Tickets are on sale now on the Magic City Casino website www.magiccitycasino.com as well as in person at the Magic City Players Club. They are priced at $100, $75, $50 and $35.

Doors open at 7:30 pm and the first bell is at 8:00.

About Magic City Casino

Magic City Casino features 800 Las Vegas-style slot machines, 18-table Poker Room, outdoor concert amphitheater, multi-purpose indoor venue, seasonal live greyhound racing and multiple food and beverage outlets, among other state-of-the-art amenities. The casino is open every day (Sunday through Thursday: 10 am to 4 am; Friday and Saturday: 10 am to 5 am). For more information, visit www.magiccitycasino.com




Jonathan “Mantequilla” González promises a knockout on “Friday Night Fights”

December 27, 2012 – Undefeated Puerto Rican power puncher, Jonathan “Mantequilla” González (15-0-1, 13 KO’s) will be facing off against Derek Ennis (23-3-1, 13 KO) of Philadelphia on Friday, January 4 at the Magic City Casino in Miami, Florida. The co-feature bout is scheduled for 10 rounds at the junior middleweight division and will be televised on ESPN2 “Friday Night Fights” starting at 10pm ET/ 7pm PT.

Ennis has victories over Puerto Ricans, Gabriel Rosado and Edwin “Zazule” Vázquez.

For this fight, “Mantequilla” is training in Miami, Florida under the supervision of trainers, John David Jackson and Melvin “Chico” Ramos.

“I’m very happy with the preparation. I’m in the best shape of my career, and at the end of the fight, the result will be a knockout” said a confident González, who is promoted by Warriors Boxing, Universal Promotions and Gary Shaw Productions.

“I have been in the gym regularly during this camp, and Jonathan has never looked better,” Leon Margules, President of Warriors Boxing” said. I truly believe Jonathan is an incredible talent who the boxing world will take notice of on January 4th.”

“Once again Jonathan will have another opportunity to display the kind of boxing skill that made him a terrific amateur,” said Gary Shaw. “The fact that Gonzales trained outside of Puerto Rico, proves he’s dedicated to this important fight on ESPN.”

“Jonathan is an incredible talent” said Javier Bustillo, president of Universal Promotions. “On January 4, we will see the beginning of another major Puerto Rican boxer, who will give so much to talk about in 2013”.

Headlining the event is a bout at the lightweight division between Rances Barthelemy (17-0, 11 KO’ s) against Arash Usmanee (20-0, 10 KOs) in a 10 round bout.

Gonzalez vs. Ennis can also be seen on ESPN Deportes, as well as online through WatchESPN.com, and on smartphones/tablets via the WatchESPN app.




THOMAS DULORME & JONATHAN GONZALEZ REMAIN TOP TEN IN THE WBC RATINGS


December 5, 2012 – During the 50th Convention of the World Boxing Council (WBC) held in Cancún, México, Puerto Rican boxers, Thomas Dulorme (16-1, 12 KO’s) and Jonathan “Mantequilla” González (15-0-1, 13 KO’s ) remained ranked in the top ten globally by the organization.

Dulorme is now ranked No. 10 at the junior welterweight division (140lbs), and González is rated No. 9 at the light middleweight division (154lbs).

“Dulorme and Gonzalez are ready to take on the toughest challenges presented to them.” said Gary Shaw. “Both fighters vow to make 2013 a memorable year for the Puerto Rican fans.”

“We are excited by the work we are doing together with Gary Shaw, Lou DiBella and Leon Margules” said Javier Bustillo, president of Universal Promotions. “On January, 4 “Mantequilla” will be fighting against Derek Ennis in Miami, and Dulorme on January, 23 in New York against an opponent to be named later.”

Dulorme, who was ranked No. 1 by the WBC at the welterweight division, will be campaigning at junior welterweight (140lbs), after he suffered his first loss against Juan Carlos Abregú. González got a draw in his last fight, against former world champion, Sergiy Dzinziruk.

González and Dulorme are members of “Team Puerto Rico”, which is a collaboration between Gary Shaw Productions, DiBella Entertainment, Universal Promotions and Warriors Boxing, made with the goal of gathering the best of Puerto Rico’s boxing talents.




GOLOVKIN – PROKSA; DZINZIRUK – GONZALEZ PRESS CONFERENCE




GONZALEZ MAKES 2ND DAY WEIGH-IN FIGHT WITH DZINZIRUK IS ON

VERONA, NY (SPETEMBER 1, 2012)—Undefeated Puerto Rican Jr. Middleweight Jonathan Gonzalez made his mandated second day weigh-in and his HBO televised co-feature with former WBO Jr. Middleweight champion Sergei Dzinziruk will go on as scheduled tonight at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino

The bout was scheduled to take place at 154 pounds and the WBC Continental Americas championship would be on the line but Gonzalez weighed in at 162 pounds and because of missing weight, the fight would only go on if Gonzalez weighed in at 166 pounds.

Gonzalez checked in at 165.2 pounds and the fight will go on as scheduled and will be televised Live on HBO beginning at 9:45 Eastern / Pacific.

The main event will feature undefeated WBA Middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin taking on Grzegorz Proksa.




GOLOVKIN / PROKSA ; DZINZIRUK / GONZALEZ CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT


Coordinator Welcome to the September 1st HBO Boxing After Dark Conference call. At this time all participants are in a listen-only mode. Later there will be an opportunity for live questions and comments. Instructions will be given at that time. As a reminder, this call is being recorded. I would now like to turn the conference call over to our host, Marc Abrams. Marc, please go ahead.

Marc Thank you. I want to welcome everyone to the September 1st HBO Boxing After Dark Conference Call. It’s a great double-header of boxing by Banner Promotions, Gary Shaw Promotions, Gary Shaw Productions, K2, Matchroom Sport, Warriors Boxing, and Universal Promotions of Puerto Rico in the Main Event – the WBA Middle-Weight Championship featuring undefeated champion Gennady Golovkin, 23-0 with 20 knockouts at Kazakhstan taking on the European Middle-Weight Champion, Grzegorg Proksa at 28-1 with 21 knockouts at Poland. We’re opening up the show at 9:45 p.m. Eastern and Pacific will undefeated Puerto Rican Jonathan Gonzalez, 15-0, 13 knock-outs taking on former world champion Sergiy Dzinziruk. Sergiy’s undefeated at junior middle-weight where he’s coming back down. That will be for the WBC Continental America’s Championship. Tickets can be purchased at Turning Stone for $75, $70, $45, $35, and $25, and that number there is 315-361-7469 or www.ticketmaster.com.

To introduce everyone on the call, the CEO of Gary Shaw Productions, Mr. Gary Shaw.

Gary Shaw: Thank you, Marc. I just want to thank everybody for getting on the call, our promotional partners, especially my partner Artie Pelullo from Banner Promotions, Warriors, K2, Matchroom and Universal. This, once again, shows that, if promoters cooperate with one another, they can put on a great show with fighters that don’t necessarily just belong to themselves. We have a great opening bout in Gonzalez and Dzinziruk. It should be a real war. I’m not sure that this fight lasts all 12 rounds, but it is a great, great opening fight for HBO. Obviously, in the Main Event, everybody’s been waiting to see Golovkin fight here in the U.S. Unfortunately, Pirog got hurt, but we were lucky enough to get Proksa from Matchroom and Barry Hearn giving us a great fight against Golovkin. Both of those guys can really swing and that’s another fight that, personally, I don’t see going 12 rounds. But, at any rate, HBO is going to have a great night of boxing on September 1st, and behalf of Artie and myself, I thank you all and we look forward to your questions.

Go ahead, Marc.

Marc Any of the other promoters want to give any opening statements?

Barry Hearn: Hello. Can I say something, Artie and Gary from Barry Hearn and the Matchroom Boxing. It’s just … here. We’ve got a rare sunny day in England and we’re looking forward to some better weather coming out to you guys. We’ve made no doubt about the selection of this fight for us, obviously, Proksa is coming off a big knock-out win on the European title scene and to get a phone call and the opportunity when Pirog hurt his back was a real blessing for us and one that we thank God for and look forward to delivering in style. More importantly, for a fighter like Grzegorz Proksa, the opportunity to appear on HBO, the world’s leading boxing station as far as the perception of fight fans around the world goes is a massive honor and, you know, at the same time it comes with a huge obligation and a demanding fight.

There is no question that the current world champion is an excellent fighter. We have the upmost respect for him. His knock-out record speaks for itself. He’s in for a really tough fight against; I think two of the them represent the two biggest punches in the middle-weight division. Both have a huge knock-out percentage. Both have the ability to take men out with single shots, and I think HBO is in for an exciting fight. If it goes the distance, I’ll be astonished. I think one of these guys is going to … the other guy because that’s the way they fight. These European fighters – these guys are tough. These guys are really tough. We look at our fighters – some in America and some in England – we question ourselves whether they are really tough enough to be in the professional fight game now and the answer is often no. But you will not be disappointed on September 1st. We’re absolutely delighted to be working with Gary and Arty on this. For me, I’m now – I’m getting very old. I’m extremely selective about what fights I watch because I don’t like to waste my time. I would not miss this fight for a million and one dollars and I look forward to seeing you when we fly out there and (unclear).

Gary Shaw: Thank you.

Marc Tom, did you want to say something?

Tom Loeffler Yeah, I wanted to add also as Gary had mentioned, we have a lot of respect from the Golovkin fight for Proksa when Pirog got injured. It seems like there was no hesitation from their side to take the fight, which is a little bit unusual when it comes to picking opponents for Gennady in the past. As he mentioned, both fighters are big punchers. I think this will be a very exciting middle-weight championship fight and I just wanted to also acknowledge and thank Gary Shaw and Artie Pelullo for working together on this particular fight. I think a lot of people know that the original Main Event was planned as Pirog versus … and there was a lot of interchangeable parts there were … and just the fight with … and then Golovkin was going to fight Pirog and Pirog got injured and now it’s Golovkin and Proksa, but it’s a great headline fight and championship fight and will be actually a great month of boxing for the middle-weight division in September so we’re really looking forward to this fight and the debut of Gennady Golovkin on HBO and in the United States.

Marc I guess we’ll start with the co-feature about Jonathan Gonzales and Sergiy Dzinziruk. I know we got Jonathan on the line and his promoters Leon Margules and Javier Bustillo. Leon, do you want to introduce your team?

Leon Margules: Sure. I first of all want to thank Gary and I want to thank Artie for the opportunity on HBO and Turning Stone and everybody who was able to put this great card together. You know, Jonathan, Javier, and I and Gary signed Jonathan out of the Olympics after the 2008 games and I’ve been his promoter his entire career. He has never turned down an opportunity and when this opportunity arose, which I think he’s been waiting for since his first day, Gaby said, no – they want to fight badly. Please, please make that fight. So it just shows you the kind of fighter he is and those of you who have seen him know he fights with bad intentions and tries to stop everybody that gets … So we’re really excited his career move forward. I know Javier and I, who worked together from day one with Jonathan, are excited and I know Gaby, his advisor and long-time friend is also excited about this opportunity.

Marc Gaby, do you want to let Jonathan make an opening statement?

Gaby Penagaricano: Sure, sure. Hi everybody. Jonathan, (Speaking Spanish).

Jonathan (Speaking Spanish)

Gaby Jonathan is very thankful to the promoters and to HBO for the opportunity to trust in him and his capabilities to get this very important fight for this career. So thank you.

Gary Is Dzinziruk on yet?

Marc Not yet.

Gary Okay, then, why don’t you open up questions to whatever press is on and has questions.

Coordinator I’m just showing both of them to the call now.

Gary Okay, then why don’t you have the operator open up the lines for any questions.

Coordinator Alright, let’s go with our first question in the queue.

Victoria Hello. How are you today?

Coordinator Good, thank you. Please go on with your question.

Victoria My name is Victoria …, Chicago … My question is to the promoters. Why promote this in the United States and New York was chosen to be the place for this double-header? And why from all the time, in the past couple of years – 2012, 2012 was chosen to be the fight of Golovkin and Proksa in the United States?

Gary Let me just make sure I understand the question. Was the question why are we promoting this in the United States?

Victoria Why, from all the times, September 2012 was chosen to get the fight and why New York from all the cities?

Gary Well, if the question was why are we promoting it in the United States, it’s because it’s on HBO and HBO does the majority of all their telecasts here in the United States. That’s why it has to be on primetime here in the United States. And I know that all four fighters on this card want to be on HBO.

Victoria Why, from all the cities in the United States, New York was chosen to be the state to do the fight on. Why it’s not in Vegas, Chicago, etc., etc.,

Gary Because it’s in New York, that’s why. Next question, operator, please.

Coordinator Alright, and our next question please. Caller, go ahead with your question, please.

Mike Yes, this is Mike Waters with Syracuse Post-Standard here in Syracuse, New York. This question is for Arthur. Turning Stone has had a number of major boxing events, but it’s been awhile since we’ve had some of the big events like Laila Ali versus Jacqui Frazier. What about the Turning Stone facilities in the Main Event Center attracted you? What made you want to bring this kind of card to Turning Stone?

Joshua Roy: I’ll actually pick up and talk on behalf of Artie. If not, Gary, go ahead and jump in.

Gary No, go ahead. Go ahead.

M What brought us to Turning Stone, actually in Syracuse, is when we have an event of this kind of level, we present it to a number of venues around the company. Frankly, Turning Stone wanted it more. They liked the quality of the event. They want to bring a big boxing event their venue and, just for what you had said, there hadn’t been one there for a long time. When this opportunity came around and they saw the quality of the fight between the co-feature and the main event, it was kind of a no-brainer and they jumped at it.

In working with Turning Stone, which has been top notch and Greg … Promotions who helped facilitate the building with us and Gary, everything just sort of fell into place and it’s been very smooth and hopefully the event goes as smoothly as everything has been leading up to it.

Mike Thank you. Any of the other gentlemen on the call want to add to those remarks?

Let’s go ahead and go on to the next question.

Josh Hi. This is Josh McDaniel with Leave It In the Ring Radio. This is for Jonathan Gonzalez. You know, you’ve got 15 wins – 13 by knock-out and just like your promoter earlier said – … were bad intentions. Because you’re fighting a veteran like Sergiy, do you feel like you kind of have to be more careful and not look for the knock-out but yet, if it comes it comes but if it doesn’t it doesn’t?

Gary Is Gaby on?

Gaby Yes.

Gary Did you hear the question?

Gaby Hello. I am translating.

Gaby Jonathan says not one bit. He has one plan and that is go – go and make pain on his opponent and that he will fight his same style as always, an aggressive knock-out artist.

Josh Thank you.

Gary Alright. In the meantime, let’s go to the next question.

Eric Rayz We can’t because Sergai just came out of the gym to be ready with us.

Barry Kristof, are you well?

Krzysztof Zbarski I’m fine, thank you.

Barry That’s good. Looking forward to seeing you, pal.

Gary I guess we’ll segue to the Main Event. We got Tom Loeffler with Gennady Golovkin and Barry Hearn who is in England and Kirstof … is with Grzegorz Proksa. Does Genaddy want to do any opening statements?

Gennady Yes. Hello. It’s me. It’s Gennady.

Gary Okay. Anything in opening?

Gennady Yes. I’m happy to go to my first fight in America in the United States and … I’m happy now.

Marc Kirstof, is Grzegorz with you?

Kirstof He’s with us. He’s with us on the phone.

Marc Does Grzegorgzhave any opening comments?

Grzegorz No, not really. I’m really happy to … fight. … waiting for all of my life. Right now, …, I’m really happy that my opponent with be Gennady Golovkin, the … champion, and I can’t wait for the fight date.

Marc I guess open it up for questions for Grzegorz and Gennady.

Mike Hi. This is Mike Woods from ESPN New York. The question is for Mr. Proksa. We haven’t seen you fight. Can you describe your style for us and what you bring to the table against Golovkin that’s Turning Stone?

Grzegorz You want me to tell you might strategy straight-ahead or what?

Mike Your fight style – how you fight – what sort of fight do you believe it’s going to look like?

Grzegorz It will be tough fight. It will be tough fight for sure. I’m ready for hard work. I know Gennady – like I said in the beginning, I respect my opponent but I believe in my work, what I’ve done, up to today and to get ready for a fight. What can I say more? Everything will appear crystal clear September.

Mike And Grzegorz, do you believe that Gennady is the toughest foe that you’ve fought to this point?

Grzegorg I think one of the three tough guys what I fought with … discipline … Yes, I believe yes.

Mike He is the toughest or did you say one of the three toughest?

Grzegorg Yes. Like you understood – three of the toughest.

Mike Okay – who were the other two? Who were the other two toughest?

Grzegorg One guy I don’t remember his surname. He is from Russia.

Grzegorg I hear more questions so I don’t know which one I need to answer.

Mike For Tom Loeffler – Tom, Mike Woods with ESPN New York – I’m wondering – I’m trying to get a sense of the stakes here for Golovkin and Proksa so not assuming that Proksa is going to be too high a hurdle to climb for Golovkin, but if Golovkin wins, what would be next for him? Tom, are you there?

Tom If Gennady is successful on September 1st, which we’re all confident that he would be, then we’re pretty much open. I mean we’ve made it clear that he would fight in the middle-weight division. There is a great fight the same night with … and … fighting. Naturally, it would be interesting to make the original fight with Pirog, which Gary was proposing who is undefeated and a WBO champion. Also, two weeks later there is the fight with Martinez and Chavez. Really, any of those fighters would be great for Gennady and he’s made it clear that he wants to fight the best in the middle-weight division and we think fighting Proksa in the debut on HBO is a great step in that direction.

Gary This is Gary.

Tom Hi Gary.

Gary I would not sell Proksa short. It is going to be a very, very tough fight. They are two huge punchers and this is a – to answer where Tom was going – this is a very, very … division. Both … and … and Chavez (unclear), so it’s just a fight that I wouldn’t sell either fighters off.

Gary The HBO audience is in for …

Tom I agree with what Gary said and I certainly wasn’t trying to sell Proksa short. Proksa’s a great fighter himself and I really think that, as a European champion and a big puncher and the way he has unconventional style being a south paw and moving around a lot, it’s going to be a terrific fight. Really, to get back to the question, is Gennady would fight anyone, but he certainly has to get by Proksa first and if he’s successful then he’s open to fighting, really, anyone.

Mike Great. Thanks so much guys. Have a great fight. Thanks for your time.

M Is there going to be …, please?

Norm This is Norm Frauenheim. I’m from 15Rounds and this question is for Gennady. Gennady, I’m curious – how difficult do you think it will be to create a marketable name and create a successful career in the United States? The question I’m asking, I guess, is Vassili Jirov was the first Kazakhstani fighter to try to do that. Most people would say his career was kind of mixed results. First, if you could answer the first question about the challenge of coming to the U.S. and then do you hope to surpass what Vassili Jirov did?

Gennady I think the win is great. I mean winning is great. I looking great. America public is great, too.

M Abel Sanchez I think the translator is with Gennady, so it might be clearer if Abel might answer the question with him so we can understand what Gennady is saying and then he can answer.

M That would be great. Thanks, Abel

Abel Really what he is trying to say is that it’s up to him to put on a good show and look great and the American public will take to him. If it’s a bad fight, then obviously, he’s not going to be marketable, but we think that he’s the best middle-weight in the world and if he does what he’s supposed to do, then the American public will buy the next HBO or the future pay-per-views that he will be on.

Norm Has he – Abel, could you ask him has he talked to Vassili Jirov about his own experience in trying to be a pro in the United States?

M Hold on. He said he did speak with him to try to gauge how to do it, but Vassili’s answer to him was every fighter is different. You go out and you do what you do. You’re in a division that is different from my division. …, obviously, are not household names so he’s in a division where there are a lot of great fighters and he will make his own mark.

Norm Okay, yeah, that sounds a lot like Vassili. Anyway, thanks a lot.

M Thank you.

Gary Yes, we have Sergiy on.

M Yes, I’m going to put him on now. He has an interpreter ready?

Sergiy Dzinziruk Hello.

M We’re ready for your questions.

.

Coordinator We do have some questions I’m picking up now.

Marc Does Sergiy want to make a statement?

Coordinator Well, we do have some questions. Do you want to do the statement first?

.

Victoria This is Victoria … … in Chicago. My question is to Gennady and to Sergiy. My question is about how do you think your body is adapting to switching the climates, time zones flying from Europe to the United States. How much time to you need to adapt to the United States and how far away from the fight are you coming to New York?

Abel I can answer for Gennady. My name is Abel Sanchez. I’m his trainer and he’s been here for approximately three months so the adjustment period was maybe a week and a half to two weeks and he’s quite adjusted to not only the climate but the time change and the training schedule.

Eric Okay. Let me translate the question for Sergiy. (translated question and answer)

As far as the first question is concerned, he usually comes one and a half to two months before the fight so by the time of the flight, he’s already adapted to the climate. He spars regularly before the fight so right now he’s been in the United States about three to four weeks. He doesn’t feel any discomfort. He’s been sparring regularly so he’s fine.

… will be flying from Los Angeles which is where he is right now.

Victoria Then my next question is where is Gennady staying right now once he came three months to the United States. If Sergiy’s in L.A., where is Gennady staying?

Abel Gennady trains in Big Bear, California.

Victoria Thank you.

Coordinator We’ll go on to our next question.

Matt Hi. This is Matt Harris of MaxBoxing.com. This question is for Golovkin. You’ve had lot of fights like evaporate or just fall apart. How happy are you to finally get one opportunity on HBO? What can you tell me about the like the fascination you experienced … against … or against … in the WBA and those fights …

Gennady Okay, answer. I’m happy with my fight on HBO. I think …

Matt Sorry. I must have not heard that. Yeah, I guess … on the line?

Gary Operator, can you go to the next question?

Mike Hi. This is Mike Woods with ESPN New York again. This question is for Abel Sanchez. Abel, we’ve talked before about Gennady, but would you mind repeating sort of what the upside is on this bid and how it compares to other people – other notables you have trained in your decades in the force?

Abel You know I’ve had the pleasure of working with a lot of great fighters, but this one is by far the best one that I’ve ever worked with at any period of time in their careers. He just – I think the 350 amateur fights and all the international experience has made him such a serene fighter – such a composed fighter and the one thing that he does have – he possesses lethal power on each end, so to me, he’s probably the best I’ve ever worked with.

Mike And remind us, please, who you have worked with.

Abel Terry Norris, … Norris, Miguel Gonzalez, … Compass, Paul Vaden, to name a few.

Mike You know, when you talk like that, that does put a little extra pressure on the guy. Does that worry you at all speaking in that manner saying he’s the best you’ve ever worked with and that’s with Terry Norris in the mix? Are you worried that puts too much pressure on the guy?

Abel No, not at all because of the vast international experience in some of the big tournaments he was in. He was in the Olympics. He was a silver medalist in the Athens Olympics. I think that he’s very secure in who he is. It’s just a matter of the transition from the European fighter, from the amateur fighter, to the American style that’s conducive to a good HBO fight – good pay-per-view fight. He understands what his role is here and he’s allowing us to develop and to change his style to suit American TV.

Mike Can you give a little quick low-down on what some of those changes are and how you activate them?

Abel I needed to make sure that he understood what his plusses were. His plusses – he’s a big puncher, so we needed to initiate and he understands he needs to initiate where in the past in some of the earlier fights that he had, he was sitting back waiting to counter punch. We need to be the aggressor. We need to make sure they understand who they’re in there with. Not to make it a long, drag-out boring fight – to make it a fight – to make the public want to see him again. He understands that completely. He understands the American public wants to see a knock-out. Whichever round it is, they want to see a knock-out. That’s one of the things that was very important to make him understand the quicker the better. He’s going to get paid the same whether it’s one round or 12 rounds.

Mike Excellent. Great stuff. Thank you, Abel. I appreciate it.


Marc I’d like to say thanks everyone for being on here again. Tickets range from $25 to $75 at 315-361-7469. I’d like to thank everyone who has been on the call. I’d also like to thank everyone at HBO – Ken Hershman, Kerry Davis, and Peter Nelson. Again, it’s Saturday, September 1st at 9:45 Eastern and Pacific time. It will be a great night, great double-header, world championship boxing. Thank you everyone for being on the call.

M Thank you. Good-bye.