BROOKLYN (January 23, 2019) – As fight week begins for the first Premier Boxing Champions on FOX and FOX Deportes event of 2019, welterweight world champion Keith Thurman and veteran contender Josesito López took part in a media workout at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn on Wednesday before they headline action this Saturday, January 26 from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.

Televised coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and features additional participants from Wednesday’s workout including rising Polish heavyweight contender Adam Kownacki and former title challenger Gerald Washington, who meet in a 10-round attraction, and hard-hitting featherweights Claudio Marrero and Tugstsogt Nyambayar, who meet in a 12-round showdown.

Wednesday’s event also saw unbeaten Brooklyn prospect Chris Colbert, who takes on once-beaten Josh Hernandez in PBC Prelims on FS1 and FOX Deportes that begin at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.

Tickets for the show, which is promoted by TGB Promotions in association with DiBella Entertainment, begin at $50 and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.

Here is what the fighters had to say Wednesday:

KEITH THURMAN

“We’re back in Brooklyn, it’s been a long time and I’m happy. I feel slim and trim. Everything is great headed into Saturday.

“I had a lot of ups and downs, but once we got into camp, we did what we had to do. We slowly improved each day and now we’re ready. It was a slow start, but we’re going to be finishing strong on Saturday.

“When I’m outside of the ring, I’m not the jealous type watching other people perform. But I feel better when I’m here living out my dream. These past weeks, I have just felt so good. I feel fantastic and ready to perform. I’m going to be an active fighter and one of the best welterweights in the world today.

“My ranking, my ‘0’ and my accomplishments haven’t gone anywhere. I’ve been out of sight and out of mind for a little, but I’m back now. You can’t block a star from shining. We’re in the galaxy and shining bright.

“I’m definitely interested in a big unification fight with Errol Spence Jr. When I first met Errol at MGM Grand years ago, I told him that it’s nice to meet him and I can’t wait to get in there and scrap it out. I’m humble, but I’m also honest. I’m a man of my word. It doesn’t matter how many years ago that I said it, but from that day to this day, it’s a true statement.”

JOSESITO LOPEZ

“I’m confident in my abilities. Talk is cheap to me. What other people say makes no difference to me. I’ve come here to do a job and I’m going to do it.

“I know that I have a tough task ahead of me, but I also know that I can do it. I can pass this test. I’m ready for it. We’ve prepared right and everything is lined up. We worked hard for 10 weeks and now it’s time.

“It’s hard to say if Keith will be my toughest opponent, but he definitely has a great resume and is a great champion. I’ve fought some great guys but I’m taking this as the most important fight of my career.

“I think that since I started working with Robert Garcia, all of my skills are on par with Keith Thurman. Most importantly, I’m a much smarter fighter than I’ve ever been. I’m always going to be courageous in the ring, but we’ve developed a game plan where I take less unnecessary risks.

“The most important thing in my game plan is for me to dictate the pace. I need to control the ring throughout the fight. I’m prepared for however he brings the fight.”

ADAM KOWNACKI

“It’s going to be a sea of red and white on Saturday. The Polish fans are unbelievable and I can’t wait to go out there and get a knockout for them.

“I think I’ve improved my speed heading into this fight. I feel great. It’s been a long camp leading up to this huge card. I have to come out at my top condition. I made a slight statement against Charles Martin, and I’m going to make a bigger one against Gerald Washington.

“I definitely want to outdo the performances of Deontay Wilder and my friend Jarrell Miller against Washington. I want to have bragging rights. I want that knockout.

“Washington has fought contenders, good fighters and a guy I lost to in the amateurs in Nagy Aguilera. He’s proven that he’s game, and I’m expecting the best version of him. I’ll be ready.

“Boxing is a skill, not a bodybuilding contest. I proved my conditioning last fight by throwing 70 punches a round. I’m in ever better shape right and I feel great.”

GERALD WASHINGTON

“We know where we want to be and we know this is a stepping stone to getting back there. I have to take the hard road and this is it. We’re prepared, we’re ready and I’m looking forward to January 26.

“Any of the top heavyweights would be great to fight, but I’m taking it one fight at a time. This is going to be an action-packed fight.

“I have the total package. We’ll see everything I learned from my last fights and see if it makes a difference now.

“I know that Kownacki is going to come forward. I know what kind of fighter he is. I didn’t come here to lose. I came here to win and get back on the right track and into contention to win the heavyweight title.

“Styles make fights. I was doing very well in the Deontay Wilder fight, similar to what Tyson Fury was doing. This is a different type of fight. You’re going to see my skills come to life to contain this man.”

CLAUDIO MARRERO

“We went through a very serious, 10-week camp because we know that we’re here to fight a very strong fighter. I’ve taken everything to the fullest each day with intense work in training camp. I’m ready.

“We respect our opponent, but he’s coming to our weight division. I’ve been making this weight ever since I was a pro. In his last fight, he was dropped by Oscar Escandon, who’s a very good fighter, but he’s a smaller guy.

“We believe that this is the beginning of something beautiful. I’m going to be at the top of the rankings after this fight. We believe that winning this fight is going to take us back to the top level.

“I understand that this is my time to shine. I’m more focused and dedicated than I’ve ever been and it’s going to show in the ring on Saturday night.”

TUGSTSOGT NYAMBAYAR

“I feel good and strong. I’ve had a great camp and I’m ready for Saturday night. I’m going to give a great show for the fans in my Brooklyn debut.

“I put everything into camp and I’m going to show it in the ring on Saturday night. I’m here to win and show off my athleticism. I believe I can do everything in the ring.

“Claudio Marrero is a good tough contender who’s been at this level for quite some time. He’s a good boxer who can punch, so we prepared for everything. He may have more pro experience, but I believe I have more boxing experience than Marrero. I’ve seen everything throughout the world.

“Now it’s just a matter of cultivating my skills and experience into becoming a world championship fighter. In this fight, I’m going to dictate the style of the fight. It’s going to go down on my terms.”

CHRIS COLBERT

“I’m going to go out there and dominate like I always do. I don’t have any resolutions for 2019. I’m just going to do the same thing and keep being great.

“New year, same me. I’m out here chasing greatness. I’m looking to keep winning and work my way to a world title. I’m not just talk, I’m the real deal.

“I don’t believe that you can be rushed into a world title fight. I’m ready. I don’t care if I’m considered a prospect for a contender, I’m just going to show everyone that I’m no fluke. I do this differently.

“I always fight for a cause and this time I’ve got my hair dyed pink for breast cancer awareness. It’s for my mom and all of the other survivors and people going through this.”

# # #

ABOUT PBC ON FOX & FOX DEPORTES: THURMAN VS. LOPEZ
Premier Boxing Champions on FOX & FOX Deportes is headlined by the return of WBA Welterweight World Champion Keith Thurman defending his title against veteran contender Josesito López on Saturday, January 26 live from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™ and the East Coast home of PBC. The event is promoted by TGB Promotions in association with DiBella Entertainment.

The broadcast begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and features rising unbeaten Polish heavyweight Adam Kownacki taking on former title challenger Gerald Washington, plus a 12-round featherweight showdown between Claudio Marrero and Tugstsogt Nyambayar.

PBC Prelims on FS1 and FOX Deportes begin at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT and will feature junior lightweight prospect Chris Colbert taking on once-beaten Josh Hernandez in an eight-round bout, plus 2016 U.S. Olympian Antuanne Russell facing Roberto Almazán in a six/eight round super lightweight attraction, and super welterweight prospect Chordale Booker meeting Juan De Ángel for eight-rounds of action.

Fans can live stream the fights on the FOX Sports app, available in English or Spanish through the FOX or FOX Deportes feeds. The fights are available on desktop at FOXSports.com and through the app store, or connected devices including Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Xbox One and Roku.

For more information: visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/homepage and www.foxdeportes.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @PBConFOX, @FOXSports, @FOXDeportes, @TGBPromotions, and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/foxsports and www.facebook.com/foxdeportes.

BROOKLYN (January 22, 2019) – Unbeaten rising prospect Stephen Fulton and welterweight contender Miguel Cruz will step into action in separate undercard attractions on Saturday, January 26 as part of an exciting night presented by Premier Boxing Champions from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.

Cruz (17-1, 11 KOs) will take on Colombia’s Luis Florez (24-11, 20 KOs) in a six or eight round welterweight attraction while Fulton (14-0, 6 KOs) faces Colombia’s Marlon Olea (13-3, 12 KOs) in an eight-round super bantamweight showdown.

The event is headlined by the return of WBA Welterweight World Champion Keith Thurman defending his title against veteran contender Josesito Lopez in PBC on FOX and FOX Deportes action that begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Tickets for the show, which is promoted by TGB Promotions in association with DiBella Entertainment, begin at $50 and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.

Rounding out the card are a trio of unbeaten prospects as Clarksburg, Maryland’s Mark Duncan competes in a four-round middleweight fight against Daniel Flores, Landover, Maryland’s Tyrek Irby (5-0, 2 KOs) takes on Jonathan Figueroa in a four-round welterweight attraction and Mychal Teal out of St. Petersburg, Florida steps into the ring for a four-round battle against Jacob Landin.

The 24-year-old Fulton fights out of Philadelphia and will be making his Barclays Center debut when he steps into the ring Saturday night. Fulton has defeated previously unbeaten fighters in five of his last eight contests and most recently vanquished his most experienced opponent to date in German Meraz last September.

Fighting out of Lake Mary, Florida, Cruz returns to action after losing an exciting duel against Josesito Lopez last April. A member of the Puerto Rican national team as an amateur, the 28-year-old owns victories over then unbeaten fighters in Alex Martin and Samuel Figueroa.

# # #

ABOUT PBC ON FOX & FOX DEPORTES: THURMAN VS. LOPEZ
Premier Boxing Champions on FOX & FOX Deportes is headlined by the return of WBA Welterweight World Champion Keith Thurman defending his title against veteran contender Josesito Lopez on Saturday, January 26 live from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™ and the East Coast home of PBC. The event is promoted by TGB Promotions in association with DiBella Entertainment.

The broadcast begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and features rising unbeaten Polish heavyweight Adam Kownacki taking on former title challenger Gerald Washington, plus a 12-round featherweight showdown between Tugstsogt Nyambayar and Claudio Marrero.

PBC Prelims on FS1 and FOX Deportes begin at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT and will feature junior lightweight prospect Chris Colbert taking on once-beaten Josh Hernandez in an eight-round bout, plus 2016 U.S. Olympian Antuanne Russell facing Roberto Almazán in a six/eight round super lightweight attraction, and super welterweight prospect Chordale Booker meeting Juan De Ángel for eight-rounds of action.

Fans can live stream the fights on the FOX Sports app, available in English or Spanish through the FOX or FOX Deportes feeds. The fights are available on desktop at FOXSports.com and through the app store, or connected devices including Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Xbox One and Roku.

For more information: visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/homepage and www.foxdeportes.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @PBConFOX, @FOXSports, @FOXDeportes, @TGBPromotions, and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/foxsports and www.facebook.com/foxdeportes.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL. (January 17, 2019) – Welterweight world champion Keith “One Time” Thurman discussed his anticipated return to the ring as he nears his showdown against Josesito Lopez that headlines Premier Boxing Champions on FOX and FOX Deportes Saturday, January 26 from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.

PBC on FOX and FOX Deportes action begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and features unbeaten Polish heavyweight Adam Kownacki battling former title challenger Gerald Washington, plus unbeaten featherweight contender Tugstsogt Nyambayar taking on hard-hitting Claudio Marrero in a 12-round bout.

Tickets for the show, which is promoted by TGB Promotions in association with DiBella Entertainment, begin at $50 and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.

Thurman will return to action on January 26 from a long injury layoff after his most recent fight saw him unify welterweight titles by defeating Danny Garcia in March 2017 at Barclays Center. Here is what Thurman had to say about his return, Josesito Lopez and more from his training camp at the St. Pete Boxing Club in St. Petersburg, Florida:

How has training camp been going? Have there been any adjustments because of the injury?

“Training camp has been going well. It was a little bit of a slow start after so many months out of the ring, but I’m feeling great as we get closer to the fight. I’m starting to feel more and more like a world-class athlete again. It’s a good feeling working this hard and it reminds me what it’ll take to continue being the champion.”

Do you anticipate any ring rust? Do you think it will be more difficult to feel like yourself physically in the ring, or mentally trusting the injury is healed?

“I don’t think ring rust will be an issue. The only thing that even if this may not be the best Keith Thurman that people have ever seen, we’re focused on getting better and much stronger with each fight. But make no mistake, people will see one of the best welterweights in the world on January 26 at Barclays Center.”

When did you start to feel like you were turning the corner physically? Were you ever worried you wouldn’t be healthy enough to fight?

“You always have to be a little worried about new injuries. There’s nothing wrong with your car until the day it decides to break down. So at the end of the day, it’s always in the back of my mind. I run a lot of miles, so I wonder about my knees. I wonder about my shoulders also. Athletes and their bodies go through a lot of things. But here I go getting right back into things and I’m totally ready to showcase my talents on January 26.”

What kind of challenges does Josesito pose? What makes him a difficult opponent for you coming off a layoff?

“Josesito is experienced. He’s a busy fighter with good reach. He likes to mix it up and force his opponents to fight. He also has a new coach in Robert Garcia now, and I know he has a lot of confidence in his abilities. Josesito has been through ups and downs in his career, but he’s back on an upswing at the moment. Then he pinpointed me and called me out. So I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

What are you looking to show in this fight? How do you control your emotions and make sure you don’t press too much?

“I’m going to show my versatility in the ring. I’m going to show Josesito what it’s like to be in the ring with me. He might think it’s just all about my power, but I’ll show him what none of his sparring partners could. I’m going to show everyone the full package of skills I bring and enjoy every second of it.”

How do you see this fight looking stylistically?

“I like to let my opponent show me how the fight is going to go. I’ve thought many times that my opponents would do something specific, but then they do something totally different in the moment.

“I’m just prepared for any version of Josesito. I’m ready for him to come at me with punches in bunches, but I’m also ready if he wants to try box more and work behind his jab. I don’t think there’s anything that he’s going to do that I won’t be able to dominate. I’m going to move, trade on the inside, whatever it takes and we’ll see which road to victory looks the easiest.”

# # #

ABOUT PBC ON FOX & FOX DEPORTES: THURMAN VS. LOPEZ
Premier Boxing Champions on FOX & FOX Deportes is headlined by the return of WBA Welterweight World Champion Keith Thurman defending his title against veteran contender Josesito Lopez on Saturday, January 26 live from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™ and the East Coast home of PBC.

The broadcast begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and features rising unbeaten Polish heavyweight Adam Kownacki taking on former title challenger Gerald Washington, plus a 12-round featherweight showdown between Tugstsogt Nyambayar and Claudio Marrero.

PBC Prelims on FS1 and FOX Deportes begin at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT and will feature junior lightweight prospect Chris Colbert taking on once-beaten Josh Hernandez in an eight-round bout, plus 2016 U.S. Olympian Antuanne Russell facing Roberto Almazán in a six/eight round super lightweight attraction, and super welterweight prospect Chordale Booker meeting Juan De Ángel for eight-rounds of action.

Fans can live stream the fights on the FOX Sports app, available in English or Spanish through the FOX or FOX Deportes feeds. The fights are available on desktop at FOXSports.com and through the app store, or connected devices including Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Xbox One and Roku.

For more information: visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/homepage and www.foxdeportes.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @PBConFOX, @FOXSports, @FOXDeportes, @TGBPromotions, and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/foxsports and www.facebook.com/foxdeportes.

BROOKLYN (January 15, 2019) -Junior lightweight Chris Colbert will fight in his hometown as he battles once-beaten Josh Hernández in an eight-round match on Premier Boxing Champions Prelims live on FS1 and FOX Deportes on Saturday, January 26 from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.

Super lightweight prospect and 2016 U.S. Olympian Antuanne Russell will take on Roberto Almazán in a six/eight round super lightweight bout, and junior middleweight prospect Chordale Booker (13-0, 7 KOs) will fight at Barclays Center for the fourth time when he meets Colombia’s Juan De Ángel (21-9, 19 KOs) in an eight-round match.

The Prelims show begins at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT and precedes Premier Boxing Champions on FOX and FOX Deportes live in primetime that is headlined by undefeated WBA Welterweight World Champion Keith “One Time” Thurman returning to the ring after a lengthy injury layoff to defend his title against veteran Josesito López.

PBC on FOX action begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and will also include a co-feature featuring fast-rising unbeaten Polish heavyweight contender Adam Kownacki as he clashes with former title challenger Gerald Washington in a 10-round battle and unbeaten featherweight contender Tugstsogt Nyambayar battles hard-hitting Claudio Marrero in a 12-round bout.

Tickets for the show, which is promoted by TGB Promotions in association with DiBella Entertainment, begin at $50 and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.

Colbert (9-0, 3 KOs) will be fighting for the fourth time at Barclays Center when he takes on Hernandez (8-1, 7 KOs). In his last fight, Colbert defeated Fatiou Fassinou by unanimous decision after stopping previously unbeaten Austin Dulay prior to that on FS1. He is opposed by the 23-year-old Hernandez who fights out of Chicago. He has scored three straight knockout victories heading into January 26.

Antuanne Russell (7-0, 7 KOs) is part of the fighting Russells from Capitol Heights, Maryland. His older brother Gary Russell Jr. is the WBC Featherweight Champion and his other brother, Antonio Russell, is a top bantamweight prospect. All three brothers are trained by their father, Gary, Sr.

Antuanne was a member of the U.S. Olympic boxing team for the 2016 Rio Games and has a 100% KO ratio in his first seven professional fights, including two knockout wins at Barclays Center last year. He faces the 20-year-old Almazan (7-8, 2 KOs), who is from Brownsville, Texas, and is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Daniel Perales on April 12.

Antonio Russell (12-0, 10 KOs) will also enter the ring, in a non-televised eight-round bantamweight fight against Lucas Baez (34-17-5, 18 KOs). Marsellos Wilder (3-0, 2 KOs), the brother of heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, will be featured in a four-round special attraction.
# # #

ABOUT PBC ON FOX & FOX DEPORTES: THURMAN VS. LOPEZ
Premier Boxing Champions on FOX & FOX Deportes is headlined by the return of WBA Welterweight World Champion Keith Thurman defending his title against veteran contender Josesito Lopez on Saturday, January 26 live from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™ and the East Coast home of PBC.

The broadcast begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and features rising unbeaten Polish heavyweight Adam Kownacki taking on former title challenger Gerald Washington, plus a 12-round featherweight showdown between Tugstsogt Nyambayar and Claudio Marrero

Fans can live stream the fights on the FOX Sports app, available in English or Spanish through the FOX or FOX Deportes feeds. The fights are available on desktop at FOXSports.com and through the app store, or connected devices including Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Xbox One and Roku.

For more information: visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/homepage and www.foxdeportes.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @PBConFOX, @FOXSports, @FOXDeportes, @TGBPromotions, and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/foxsports and www.facebook.com/foxdeportes.

BROOKLYN (December 22, 2018) – Unbeaten welterweight champion Keith Thurman and veteran welterweight Josesito Lopez, plus Brooklyn’s undefeated heavyweight contender Adam Kownacki, hosted a press conference Saturday night to discuss their fights on Premier Boxing Champions on FOX & FOX Deportes taking place Saturday, January 26 from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.

Televised coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and will see Kownacki battle former title challenger Gerald Washington in a 10-round contest and unbeaten featherweight contender Tugstgogt Nyambayar take on Claudio Marrero to open the telecast, all leading up to the Thurman vs, Lopez main event.

Tickets for the show, which is promoted by TGB Promotions in association with DiBella Entertainment, begin at $50 and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.

Here is what the fighters had to say Saturday before going face-to-face in the Barclays Center interview room, prior to the PBC on FOX fight night in Brooklyn:

KEITH THURMAN

“I feel great physically. We’re working really hard and just getting back into everything we did before the injury. It feels tremendous and I’m so happy to be able to do this back in Brooklyn. January 26, you will see the return of the number one welterweight in the world.

“I need to come back and stay active and healthy. I’m going to remind everyone this year why I’m one of the baddest men on the planet. At the end of the day, I’m here to make a statement that ‘One Time’ is back.

“I have one belt, and I’m missing one belt. I’m going to re-establish my own accomplishments this year, then go from there. We’re taking it one fight at a time. Right now my eyes are set on Josesito Lopez.

“I’m a world-class fighter. I’ve fought through injuries my whole career. A real fighter ends up getting addicted to the game. There’s nothing better in this life than being under those lights and being part of the action.

“My legacy is not over. Unification against Danny Garcia was not enough for me. Ultimately, I’m just waiting to be presented with a man who is better than me. There might not be one, but I’m not afraid to let my ‘0’ go.

“I need fights like this against a guy like Josesito Lopez. He’s going to be there and give the fans a great fight. He’s coming to take me out. He looked like he was in shape a month ago when I first saw him.

“It’s been a long time and I’m truly honored to be back. It’s been hard for me to not be in the ring while I wait for the elbow to recover. I’m so happy to be back.”

JOSESITO LOPEZ

“I’m really excited to be here tonight. Keith Thurman is a world-class, elite fighter and I’m going to make the most of this opportunity.

“I’ve been in this position before and I’ve never shied away from big battles. This is another big one and I’m going to be ready for it and become world champion.

“I’m sure Keith Thurman is as strong and skilled as anyone I’ve ever faced. He’s undefeated for a reason. I give him his respect for that. I’m preparing for him to be the best fighter I’ve ever faced.

“We’re both experienced fighters who have fought world class competition. I’ve faced my share of tough heavy punchers. I’ve pretty much seen it all. Come January 26, we’re going into deep waters and we’ll see how each of us reacts.

“No matter how active Thurman has been, the importance of this opportunity doesn’t change. If anything we might see a better and healthier Keith Thurman than we’ve seen in years. I’m expecting the best Keith Thurman there is.

“I’m going in against one of the toughest welterweights out there. I don’t need anyone to believe in me but myself. I’m going to give it my all to come out with that title.”

ADAM KOWNACKI

“January 26 is going to be a great night. Every time I fight, it’s very exciting. I throw a lot of punches and bring the pressure. Gerald Washington is going to be a tough test, but if I get through him, I’m even closer to a title shot. That’s the ultimate goal.

“It’s a little bit of a fairytale story. I was just a little kid from Brooklyn wearing the Golden Gloves and now I’m fighting at Barclays Center. It’s a whole new environment. Hopefully next year I’m the main event. That’s the goal and it’s going to be a dream come true. I have to keep working hard to achieve it.

“I think when I fought Iago Kiladze, he was also a runner who could box. I managed the ring very well with him so I’m looking to do the same with Washington and punish the body. The taller they are the harder they fall.

“Gerald Washington is a tough exam. He’s a former title challenger and I know he’s going to bringing his “A-game.” My goal is to become the heavyweight champion of the world and in order to do that I have to get by Washington. That’s what I plan on doing.”

# # #

Fans can live stream the fights on the FOX Sports app, available in English or Spanish through the FOX or FOX Deportes feeds. The fights are available on desktop at FOXSports.com and through the app store, or connected devices including Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Xbox One and Roku.

For more information: visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/homepage and www.foxdeportes.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @PBConFOX, @FOXSports, @FOXDeportes, @TGBPromotions, @BrooklynBoxing and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/foxsports and www.facebook.com/foxdeportes.

BROOKLYN (December 18, 2018) – Undefeated WBA Welterweight World Champion Keith “One Time” Thurman returns to the ring after a lengthy injury layoff to defend his title against veteran Josesito Lopez on Saturday, January 26 live in primetime in the main event of Premier Boxing Champions on FOX and FOX Deportes from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.

Televised coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and will see a co-feature featuring fast-rising unbeaten Polish heavyweight contender Adam Kownacki as he clashes with former title challenger Gerald Washington in a 10-round battle and unbeaten featherweight contender Tugstgogt Nyambayar battles Claudio Marrero to open the telecast.

Tickets for the show begin at $50 and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.

“There is a high level of anticipation and intrigue surrounding the ring return of welterweight champion Keith Thurman, and Josesito Lopez will certainly provide some answers about where Thurman is after nearly two years out of the ring,’’ said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “Adam Kownacki and Gerald Washington have the opportunity to show exactly where they stand in the resurgent heavyweight division. Both of them are big heavyweights who love to throw power shots. Nyambayar and Marrero are guaranteed to add fireworks to an already thrilling show. It’s the kind of night that will have fans on the edge of their seats.’’

“I speak for boxing fans everywhere when I say we are eagerly anticipating Keith Thurman’s return to the ring,” said Brett Yormark, CEO of BSE Global. “He has experienced great success at Barclays Center, so it’s fitting that he will lead off a strong year of BROOKLYN BOXING programming in 2019. I also look forward to seeing local favorite Adam Kownacki, who always comes with a strong contingent of loud fans.”

Thurman (28-0, 22 KOs) made a steady rise through the welterweight ranks and reached the pinnacle with hard-fought victories over Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia at Barclays Center, the latter of which earned him a WBC crown in addition to his WBA title. But a string of injuries has sidelined him for nearly two years, calling into question his place amongst the 147-pound elites. The 30-year-old Thurman, who is still the reigning WBA welterweight champion, is looking to regain his top-tier status in the division starting with Lopez. Thurman, who lives and trains in Clearwater, Florida, enters the ring for the first time since a split decision victory Garcia on March 4, 2017.

“I’m extremely excited to step back into the ring,’’ said Thurman. “It’s a little nerve-wracking considering the time off and because I want to have a tremendous performance. I want to speak more with my hands more than my words and quiet the naysayers who think that Keith Thurman has lost his passion and skills in boxing. I believe I’m the best welterweight in the division and in the world and I hope to showcase that on January 26 with a knockout. The best fights in the welterweight division have involved Keith Thurman and that will continue to be the case. I’m looking forward to having a tremendous year and showing why I’m number one.”

The 34-year-old Lopez (36-7, 19 KOs) is looking to thwart Thurman’s plans to regain his lofty position in the 147-pound division. Nicknamed “The Riverside Rocky’’ because of his all-action style, the Riverside, California-native has stepped into the ring against some of the best boxers of this generation. He has rattled off three straight victories since suffering a TKO loss to former welterweight champion Andre Berto in 2015. Lopez is coming off a unanimous decision victory over previously unbeaten Miguel Cruz on April 28 live on FOX.

“I’m approaching this fight leaving no stone unturned as I prepare to take that world championship,’’ Lopez said. “I’ve set up training camp with altitude, chasing chickens, chopping wood – really into putting in the work. Overall the layoff will affect him and there could be a little hesitation, but we’ll see come fight night. The improvements that I’ve made with Robert Garcia the last couple of years will come into play. They’ve strengthened my qualities and I can’t wait to show it to the world.”

Kownacki (18-0, 14 KOs) has risen through the heavyweight ranks with a tough-as-nails brawling style that produced a string of knockout victories and exciting showdowns. His knockout streak ended at four in his last fight when he scored a unanimous decision victory over former heavyweight champion Charles Martin on Sepember. 8. Kownacki, who was born in Lomza, Poland and now lives in Brooklyn, will be fighting at Barclays Center for a third straight time and the eighth time overall.

“Living in Brooklyn this is like a home game for me,” said Kownacki.” I’ve had some of my best performances at Barclays Center and I can’t wait to step into the ring against Gerald Washington and showcase myself on PBC on FOX. There is nothing better to start off the year than with a knockout and that’s what I plan on doing on January 26 at Barclays Center. I hope all my fans will come out like they always do and have the arena in white and red.’’

Washington (19-2-1, 12 KOs) is a 6-foot-6 heavyweight who has been able to use his athletic ability to power his way past most of the opponents he faces. That athleticism will pose a challenge to Kownacki, who could be facing the toughest fight of his career. The 36-year-old Washington of Vallejo, California is a former college football standout at the University of Southern California and a U.S. Navy veteran who has challenged Deontay Wilder for his championship. He is coming off a unanimous decision victory over John Wesley Nofire in his last fight on June 10.

“I can’t wait to show everything I’ve been working on,’’ said Washington, “Boxing is a sport of truth. It brings the truth to light and it exposed my truth and what I needed to work on. You have to be able to adjust and be comfortable in every situation. You have to be ready for what’s to come. I’m expecting a hard fight from him. He’s a bruiser. He’s tough and he loves to fight. He’s in his hometown and he’s ready and he’s going to bring it, but I’m ready to position myself to fight again for a world title.’’

Nyambayar (10-0, 9 KOs) has made a rapid ascent through the talent-laden featherweight division with precision and power. The 26-year-old Nyambayar, who is from Ulan-Bator Mongolia and now lives in Carson, California, won a silver medal in the 2012 London Olympics as a member of the Mongolian boxing team. He scored a KO victory over Oscar Escandon in his last fight on May 26.

Marrero (23-2, 17 KOs), a 29-year-old southpaw from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, is coming off a stunning KO victory over Jorge Lara in his last fight on April 28. Marrero two losses have come against former featherweight champion Jesus Cuellar in 2013 and Jesus Rojas in 2015. A victory over Nyambayar will put Marrero in position to fight for a world title again.

# # #

Fans can live stream the fights on the FOX Sports app, available in English or Spanish through the FOX or FOX Deportes feeds. The fights are available on desktop at FOXSports.com and through the app store, or connected devices including Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Xbox One and Roku.

For more information: visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/homepage and www.foxdeportes.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @PBConFOX, @FOXSports, @FOXDeportes, @TGBPromotions, @BrooklynBoxing and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/foxsports and www.facebook.com/foxdeportes.

BROOKLYN (December 12, 2018) – Undefeated WBA Welterweight World Champion Keith “One Time” Thurman returns to the ring after a lengthy injury layoff to defend his title against veteran Josesito Lopez on Saturday, January 26 live in primetime in the main event of Premier Boxing Champions on FOX and FOX Deportes from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.

Televised coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and will see a co-feature featuring fast-rising unbeaten Polish heavyweight contender Adam Kownacki as he clashes with former title challenger Gerald Washington in a 10-round battle.

Tickets for the show begin at $50 and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.

“There is a high level of anticipation and intrigue surrounding the ring return of welterweight champion Keith Thurman, and Josesito Lopez will certainly provide some answers about where Thurman is after nearly two years out of the ring,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “Adam Kownacki and Gerald Washington have the opportunity to show exactly where they stand in the resurgent heavyweight division. Both of them are big heavyweights who love to throw power shots. It’s the kind of night that will have fans on the edge of their seats.”

“I speak for boxing fans everywhere when I say we are eagerly anticipating Keith Thurman’s return to the ring,” said Brett Yormark, CEO of BSE Global. “He has experienced great success at Barclays Center, so it’s fitting that he will lead off a strong year of BROOKLYN BOXING programming in 2019. I also look forward to seeing local favorite Adam Kownacki, who always comes with a strong contingent of loud fans.”

Thurman (28-0, 22 KOs) made a steady rise through the welterweight ranks and reached the pinnacle with hard-fought victories over Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia at Barclays Center, the latter of which earned him a WBC crown in addition to his WBA title. But a string of injuries, including surgery and rehabilitation on his elbow, has sidelined him for nearly two years, calling into question his place amongst the 147-pound elites. The 30-year-old Thurman, who is still the reigning WBA welterweight champion, is looking to regain his top-tier status in the division starting with Lopez. Thurman, who lives and trains in Clearwater, Florida, enters the ring for the first time since a split decision victory Garcia on March 4, 2017.

“I’m extremely excited to step back into the ring,” said Thurman. “It’s a little nerve wracking considering the time off and because I want to have a tremendous performance. I want to speak more with my hands more than my words and quiet the naysayers who think that Keith Thurman has lost his passion and skills in boxing. I believe I’m the best welterweight in the division and in the world and I hope to showcase that on January 26 with a knockout. The best fights in the welterweight division have involved Keith Thurman and that will continue to be the case. I’m looking forward to having a tremendous year and showing why I’m number one.”

The 34-year-old Lopez (36-7, 19 KOs) is looking to thwart Thurman’s plans to regain his lofty position in the 147-pound division. Nicknamed “The Riverside Rocky” because of his all-action style, the Riverside, California-native has stepped into the ring against some of the best boxers of this generation. He has rattled off three straight victories since suffering a TKO loss to former welterweight champion Andre Berto in 2015. Lopez is coming off a unanimous decision victory over previously unbeaten Miguel Cruz on April 28 live on FOX.

“I’m approaching this fight as leaving no stone unturned as I prepare to take that world championship,” Lopez said. “I’ve set up training camp with altitude, chasing chickens, chopping wood – really into putting in the work. Overall the layoff will affect him and there could be a little hesitation, but we’ll see come fight night. The improvements that I’ve made with Robert Garcia the last couple of years will come into play. They’ve strengthened my qualities and I can’t wait to show it to the world.”

Kownacki (18-0, 14 KOs) has risen through the heavyweight ranks with a tough-as-nails brawling style that produced a string of knockout victories and exciting showdowns. His knockout streak ended at four in his last fight when he scored a unanimous decision victory over former heavyweight champion Charles Martin on Sepember. 8. Kownacki, who was born in Lomza, Poland and now lives in Brooklyn, will be fighting at Barclays Center for a third straight time and the eighth time overall.

“Living in Brooklyn this is like a home game for me,” said Kownacki.” I’ve had some of my best performances at Barclays Center and I can’t wait to step into the ring against Gerald Washington and showcase myself on PBC on FOX. There is nothing better to start off the year than with a knockout and that’s what I plan on doing on January 26 at Barclays Center. I hope all my fans will come out like they always do and have the arena in white and red.”

Washington (19-2-1, 12 KOs) is a 6-foot-6 heavyweight who has been able to use his athletic ability to power his way past most of the opponents he faces. That athleticism will pose a challenge to Kownacki, who could be facing the toughest fight of his career. The 36-year-old Washington of Vallejo, California is a former college football standout at the University of Southern California and a U.S. Navy veteran who has challenged Deontay Wilder for his championship. He is coming off a unanimous decision victory over John Wesley Nofire in his last fight on June 10.

“I can’t wait to show everything I’ve been working on,” said Washington, “Boxing is a sport of truth. It brings the truth to light and it exposed my truth and what I needed to work on. You have to be able to adjust and be comfortable in every situation. You have to be ready for what’s to come. I’m expecting a hard fight from him. He’s a bruiser. He’s tough and he loves to fight. He’s in his hometown and he’s ready and he’s going to bring it, but I’m ready to position myself to fight again for a world title.”

# # #

Fans can live stream the fights on the FOX Sports app, available in English or Spanish through the FOX or FOX Deportes feeds. The fights are available on desktop at FOXSports.com and through the app store, or connected devices including Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Xbox One and Roku.

For more information: visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/homepage and www.foxdeportes.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @PBConFOX, @FOXSports, @FOXDeportes, @TGBPromotions, @BrooklynBoxing and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/foxsports and www.facebook.com/foxdeportes.

NEW YORK – September 7 – Welterweight World Champion Keith Thurman will serve as a guest analyst this Saturday on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING COUNTDOWN, providing insight and analysis during undercard streaming fights in advance of this Saturday’s Danny Garcia vs. Shawn Porter WBC Welterweight World Championship. Live streaming coverage from Barclays Center begins at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on the SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and SHOWTIME Boxing Facebook page and features multiple live fights and analysis preceding the evening’s three-fight SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT).

In the featured bout of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING COUNTDOWN, Amanda Serrano (34-1-1, 26 KOs) will attempt to make women’s boxing history as the five-division world champion faces Yamila Esther Reynoso (11-4-3, 8 KOs) the vacant WBO Junior Welterweight World Title. A win will place Serrano in elite company alongside Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya as boxing’s only six-division world champions.

Thurman will join host Ray Flores and analyst Chris Mannix to call the streaming action Saturday from Brooklyn. The reigning WBA Welterweight Champion, Thurman has previously defeated both of Saturday’s headliners. “One Time” edged Porter in a 2016 Fight of The Year Candidate, and narrowly defeated Garcia in a split-decision win to unify the division in 2017.

Saturday’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING COUNTDOWN will feature multiple bouts in what will be the seventh digital presentation of live fights from SHOWTIME Sports in 2018. For the third straight year, the network continues to deliver industry-leading livestream coverage of boxing free to all U.S. consumers with internet access.

Polish slugger Adam Kownacki and former heavyweight champion Charles Martin will open up Saturday’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast with a 10-round heavyweight attraction. In the co-feature, 147-pound contender Yordenis Ugas will battle against Argentinian favorite Cesar Barrionuevo in a welterweight world-title eliminator showdown.

For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports, subscribe to the SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel, follow on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing.

BROOKLYN (September 5, 2018) – Top welterweight stars of the past, present and future have weighed in with their thoughts on the highly anticipated matchup that pits former welterweight champions Danny Garcia and Shawn Porter against each other for the vacant WBC Welterweight World Title Saturday, September 8 in the main event live on SHOWTIME from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.

The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features a welterweight title eliminator between Cuba’s Yordenis Ugas and Argentina’s Cesar Barrionuevo and heavyweight action that pits unbeaten Polish slugger Adam Kownacki against former heavyweight champion Charles Martin.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and DiBella Entertainment, in association with DSG Promotions, start at $50 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.

Here is what a group of current and former welterweight fighters had to say about the Garcia vs. Porter world title showdown:

SUGAR RAY LEONARD, Hall of Famer & Former Unified Welterweight World Champion

“I feel the Danny Garcia vs. Shawn Porter fight has the makings of an exciting fight from what I’ve seen of both of these talented fighters. So here is my prediction based on what I feel both fighters bring into the ring

Garcia will win if he uses his jab to keep Porter at bay and off balance, but Porter gains a victory if he connects and hurts Garcia early and makes him abandon his boxing ability and fight like a slugger — as I did with my first fight vs Roberto Duran.

This is how I see this matchup which should be an exciting fight!”

ERROL SPENCE JR., Unbeaten IBF Welterweight World Champion

“I definitely want to fight the winner of Danny Garcia vs. Shawn Porter. That’s a close fight. I always picked against Danny Garcia in the past, and he always proved me wrong. Shawn Porter’s always a tough fight, because he’s going to come forward and give it his all. He’s basically trying to mug you. But for this fight, it’s hard to go against Danny Garcia. I pick Danny Garcia to win a split decision.”

KEITH THURMAN, WBA Welterweight World Champion; Former Unified Champion

“I honestly love this fight, and I consider it a tremendous battle and one of the best matchups of the year. For me, having fought both of them, I do believe that each is capable of hurting the other and getting one another out of there.

“I know most fans are going to lean toward Danny Garcia with his knockout power and the potential for that. Then there is Shawn, who’s got a decent punch, even though he focuses on his output more than his one-punch solid blow and has it in his arsenal to hurt Danny Garcia.

“I wouldn’t bet on Shawn getting the knockout, but I would on Shawn getting the victory, simply because of his output. I think Danny’s only chance of winning is by knockout, but even as a gambling man, I can’t put my money on Danny getting it. I’m taking Shawn Porter by decision.”

MANNY PACQUIAO, Multiple-Time Welterweight World Champion

“I’m going to give the edge to Danny Garcia. They’re both gritty fighters, but I think Garcia is a little more technical with a little more ring generalship. It should be a great fight, and there’s a possibility of me fighting the winner, but we’ll have to see what happens.”

MIKEY GARCIA, Four-Division World Champion

“I think this is a very good matchup. Shawn Porter is the kind of athlete who is always bringing the fight to you with pressure and volume punching. They both come to fight and they can both take it and dish it out.

“Danny Garcia can use his skills to box on the outside and work from a distance. I think Danny will be able to box a little more and win more of the tight rounds in a very close fight. I’m not sure if it will be a split-decision or a unanimous decision. I believe that Danny will use more of those tactics to win an exciting decision.”

YORDENIS UGAS, Top Welterweight Contender

“I have much respect for Shawn Porter, and I think it will be a great fight. ,
Danny Garcia has more technique and he’s also faced and beaten better opponents than Porter. I am leaning toward Danny Garcia to pull off the victory.”

ROBERT GUERRERO, Former Multiple Division World Champion

“This will be a very entertaining fight for the fans. I can see Danny putting up a good fight, but Porter is going to make the fight rough, and Garcia doesn’t like those type of fights. I’m going with Porter to win by split decision.”

VICTOR ORTIZ, Former Welterweight World Champion

“I think it’s going to be a fast-paced fight. Shawn will be pushing forward, making it rough on Danny, and Danny will be trying to control the distance. I’m going with Danny, giving him the slight edge and saying he wins by a decision.”

JAMAL JAMES, Welterweight Contender

“It’s a good one. Shawn is busier than Danny, more active and carries a lot of momentum when he fights. But that’s not always a good thing because Garcia has power with his timing, he might be able to catch Porter coming in. I’m thinking that Shawn Porter pulls it off. ”

BRANDON RIOS, Former World Champion & Welterweight Title Challenger

“That’s a really tough fight to predict. If Danny can counter really well and keep Shawn Porter off of him while Porter’s coming in, then I see Danny stopping him.

But if Shawn Porter is able to pressure Danny like he usually does, I don’t see Shawn Porter stopping Danny, or anything, but I see him winning by split-decision if he can be in his chest all night long. But if Porter gets nailed with one of those left hooks or a straight right hand, I say Porter goes down. I’m going to go with Danny because he knocked me out.”

BRYANT PERRELLA, Welterweight Prospect

“It could come down to how well Shawn Porter can take Danny Garcia’s punches in a fight that’s really hard to predict, and how well Danny can move, given that he’s not known for having fast feet similar to a guy like Keith Thurman.

But if Shawn can get close and smother Danny’s punches, he will make it a difficult fight. But Danny’s got really heavy hands and sits on his shots well, timing and counter-punching guys, so Porter could play into his hands.

Based off of clean, effective hard shots and giving him the edge in the close, competitive rounds, I’m leaning toward Danny Garcia. Shawn is tough as nails, so I see it going the distance, but just the slight edge to Danny.”

SAMMY VASQUEZ JR., Welterweight Contender

“I’m going with Shawn Porter. Not by stoppage, but Shawn creates too much pressure and Danny Garcia doesn’t throw enough punches and doesn’t deal with pressure. You saw that when he fought Guerrero, who wasn’t looking too bad in that fight.

“Danny can win by knockout if he catches Shawn with that hook, but Shawn’s a workhorse and he puts forth far more pressure than I think Danny’s ever seen in a fight. Shawn may not be susceptible to it if he doesn’t have the proper head movement, but I believe that he will.”

# # #

For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports,www.PremierBoxingChampions.com, follow on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing, @DannySwift, @ShowtimeShawnP, @LouDiBella, @TGBPromotions, or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing and www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment. PBC is sponsored by Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

NEW YORK (September 4, 2018) – Welterweight World Champion Keith Thurman has an acute understanding of what it takes to beat Danny Garcia and Shawn Porter. The undefeated, former unified champion edged both fighters in blockbuster matchups and will be watching intently from ringside at Barclays Center as the two face off for the WBC Welterweight World Championship Thurman vacated due to injury.

The reigning WBA 147-pound champion, Thurman defeated Porter via unanimous decision in a 2016 Fight of the Year candidate (FULL FIGHT VIDEO: https://s.sho.com/2MAUoNH), and narrowly beat Garcia via majority decision in 2017 (FULL FIGHT VIDEO: https://s.sho.com/2MZB6kA). The matchups were so closely contested that both fights would have been ruled draws if a single round were scored differently.

Thurman spoke with SHOWTIME Sports® Hall of Fame analyst Steve Farhood to break down what he calls “one of the best matchups of the year” in seven key categories – punching power, physical strength, defense, speed, boxing ability, ring IQ and chin.

See below for Thurman’s analysis of the showdown of consensus top-5 welterweights, which airs this Saturday live on SHOWTIME.

PUNCHING POWER: Edge GARCIA: “Danny can punch with both hands. He does load up, so you can’t be right there in front of him.”

PHYSICAL STRENGTH: Edge PORTER: “Shawn is clearly the more physical fighter.”

DEFENSE: Edge GARCIA: “Porter’s defense is his offense. With Danny, I’ve never seen anyone so willing to just stare at me without throwing a punch. He’s committed to being second, a pure counterpuncher.”

SPEED: Edge PORTER: “Shawn is faster and a little more athletic. He’ll triple on the jab to get inside and use stutter-steps. Danny’s real relaxed, but that doesn’t necessarily come through in his hand speed.”

BOXING ABILITY: Edge GARCIA: “Neither one is known for boxing. Danny’s a counterpuncher, and Shawn outworks you. Danny has nice boxing movement when he wants to be evasive. He’s underrated when on his back foot. We saw that against (Lucas) Matthysse and (Brandon) Rios.”

RING IQ: EVEN: “Hard to judge. These are two world champions with tremendous amateur pedigrees.”

CHIN: EVEN: “In my fights, Porter took more big punches than Garcia did. I had to hit hard to keep Porter off me. They both have enough power to hurt each other.”

PREDICTION: “This is one of the best matchups of the year. I try not to overthink it. It’s Porter by decision or Garcia only by KO. I lean toward PORTER.”

The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features a welterweight title eliminator between Yordenis Ugas and Cesar Barrionuevo and heavyweight action that pits unbeaten Polish slugger Adam Kownacki against former heavyweight champion Charles Martin.

Undercard streaming coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING COUNTDOWN as five-division world champion Amanda Serrano attempts to win a world title in her record sixth weight class when she faces Yamila Esther Reynoso for the WBO 140-pound title.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and DiBella Entertainment, in association with DSG Promotions, start at $50 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.

# # #

For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports,www.PremierBoxingChampions.com, follow on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing, @DannySwift, @ShowtimeShawnP, @LouDiBella, @TGBPromotions, or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing and www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment. PBC is sponsored by Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

Courtesy / SHOWTIME

Courtesy / SHOWTIME

CLEARWATER, FLORIDA (April 24, 2018) Unified welterweight champion Keith Thurman has voluntarily relinquished his WBC title while he recovers from the effects of elbow surgery last year and a hand injury he suffered in training camp last month.

After speaking with WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman recently, Thurman decided that he would relinquish the title and open the way for former champions Danny Garcia and Shawn Porter, the two leading contenders for the WBC title, to fight each other for the championship while Thurman made a full recovery from his injuries.

“Due to my rehabilitation from my injuries, I agreed to relinquish my WBC title at this time. I continue to rehab my hand and elbow and I look forward to getting back in the ring this summer. This is a temporary setback and I will be the unified champion once again and look forward to winning back my WBC title as soon as possible,” said Thurman.

“Keith Thurman unfortunately has suffered two consecutive injuries that have kept him out of the ring after his sensational victory over Danny Garcia and he has graciously relinquished his title, and the WBC has mandated that Danny Garcia and Shawn Porter will fight for the title,” said Mauricio Sulaiman. “Keith will have a direct path to fight for the title once he has healed just as Vitali Klitshcko and other WBC champions have done in the past. Keith is a tremendous athlete, champion and role model. The WBC will support him completely during this difficult time. ”

Garcia (34-1, 20 KOs), a former unified champion at 140 pounds and the former WBC welterweight champion, lost the WBC title to Thurman by 12-round split decision in 2017. He bounced back with a knockout victory over former champion Brandon Rios in February. The WBC had made that fight a title elimination match, which put Garcia in line to fight Thurman again for the title.

Porter (28-2-1, 17 KOs), a former welterweight champion, lost a close 12-round decision to Thurman in 2016. He became the mandatory challenger for the WBC title when he knocked out Andre Berto last year. He maintained his status with a 12-round decision over Adrian Granados in November.

The 29-year-old Thurman (28-0, 22 KOs) has been plagued by a string of injuries the last two years.

Thurman injured his neck in a car accident in February 2016, which delayed his match against Porter by three months. When they met Thurman defeated Porter by unanimous decision on June 25.

He defeated Garcia by split decision in a welterweight unification match on March 4, 2017. A month later he had major surgery on his right elbow to remove bone spurs and calcium deposits. He is still in rehabilitation from that surgery.

Thurman injured his hand hitting the heavy bag last month and aggravated the injury sparring with some amateurs at his gym in St. Petersburg, Florida. An MRI revealed bruises to the metacarpal bones in the hand, which also has extensive swelling. Thurman can’t have any impact with the hand for at least 8 weeks, which added another delay to his ring return.

He now hopes to return to the ring in the late summer or early fall.

Unified Welterweight champion suffered a hand injury and now will not be fighting on May 19th, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Thurman suffered a deep bruise to his left hand and has been forced to pull out of his next fight.

PHILADELPHIA, PENN./ORANGE, Calif. (March. 1, 2018)- Undefeated and world ranked welterweight contender Taras Shelestyuk is ready to go big game hunting in 2018.

The 2012 Olympic Bronze medal winner from Sumy, Ukraine, who now fights out of Los Angeles, California, has won the major regional titles, and he feels he has been overlooked by the perceived elite of the 147 pound division.

Shelestyuk, 16-0 with 10 knockouts, continues to work on his craft while he waits for a major fight to materialize.

“I want to fight Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter, Errol Spence or the winner of the Jeff Horn – Terence Crawford fight,” said Shelestyuk.

“I know that I have the skills and pedigree to beat those guys. I just need my opportunity, and I know that will be coming soon. I have been working hard in the gym, and I sparred with Viktor Ortiz for his bout with Devon Alexander, as well as WBA Super Welterweight Champion Brian Castano.”

Shelestyuk also has been helping with the career of his wife Alina. Alina is a runway model, who has done numerous photo shoots in Los Angeles.

Shelestyuk is co-promoted by Banner Promotions and Thompson Boxing.

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NEW YORK – January 24, 2018 – SHOWTIME Sports and Premier Boxing Champions have announced the television lineup for SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® for the first half of the year. Airing 10 live world-class boxing events – featuring 12 world champions and 12 world title fights – PBC and SHOWTIME are establishing an industry standard for a top-flight boxing season and a level of organization never before seen in the sport.

The schedule features more than two dozen elite fighters competing in boxing’s deepest and most talent-laden weight divisions and boasts the largest collection of stars in the sport today. The slate offers seven matchups of top-10 ranked fighters, four matchups of top-five ranked fighters, four top-10 pound-for-pound rated world champions and one world title unification bout.

Led by SHOWTIME and PBC, boxing experienced a renaissance in 2017 with established world champions Mikey Garcia, Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia, Deontay Wilder, Leo Santa Cruz and Anthony Joshua, alongside budding stars Gervonta Davis, Errol Spence Jr., Jermell and Jermall Charlo and David Benavidez. In 2018, all are taking center stage in the wake of the retirement by Floyd Mayweather, Wladimir Klitschko, Miguel Cotto and others.

“The stars have truly aligned, and SHOWTIME and PBC will once again set the pace for a landmark year in boxing,” said Stephen Espinoza, President, Sports & Event Programming, Showtime Networks Inc. “To continue with the positive momentum, our goal is to deliver the very best fights on a consistent basis to the broadest possible audience. This lineup delivers pivotal bouts with frequency and purpose – all free to our subscribers. SHOWTIME is far and away the No. 1 destination for boxing fans nationwide.”

The 27 fighters unveiled in this industry-leading lineup own 731 total wins, 106 world title victories and a staggering win percentage of .957. Fourteen of the fighters are undefeated and all but four have earned at least one world championship. Also included in this lineup are four of the consensus top-10 ranked welterweights, two of the consensus top-five ranked featherweights, and three of the consensus top-five fighters in the 154-pound division.

The full slate of boxing events airs live across all SHOWTIME platforms – television, mobile and the network’s internet streaming service.

In 2017, SHOWTIME Sports delivered the industry’s most significant and consistent schedule – 25 nights of live boxing featuring 33 world championship fights and more than 70 bouts in all. Once again, the brightest stars will face off as the network presents the most comprehensive and compelling schedule in boxing, shown below:

2018 SHOWTIME BOXING SCHEDULE
Presented by Premier Boxing Champions

Jan 20 SPENCE vs. PETERSON Brooklyn
IBF Welterweight World Championship
EASTER JR. vs. FORTUNA
IBF Lightweight World Championship

Feb 17 GARCIA vs. RIOS Las Vegas
WBC Welterweight Title Eliminator
BENAVIDEZ vs. GAVRIL II
WBC Super Middleweight World Championship

Mar 3 WILDER vs. ORTIZ Brooklyn
WBC Heavyweight World Championship

CHARLO vs. CENTENO JR.
WBC Interim Middleweight Championship

Mar 10 GARCIA vs. LIPINETS San Antonio
IBF Junior Welterweight World Championship
BARTHELEMY vs. RELIKH II
WBA Super Lightweight World Championship

April 7 LARA vs. HURD
154-Pound World Championship Unification

April 21 BRONER vs. FIGUEROA
WBC Super Lightweight Title Eliminator

GERVONTA DAVIS

May 19 KEITH THURMAN Brooklyn
WBA/WBC Welterweight World Championship

May 19 STEVENSON vs. JACK Canada
WBC Light Heavyweight World Championship

June 9 SANTA CRUZ vs. MARES II Los Angeles
WBA Featherweight World Championship
JERMELL CHARLO
WBC Super Welterweight World Championship

June 16 ERROL SPENCE JR. Dallas
IBF Welterweight World Championship

2018 Event By Event
Jan. 20: Spence vs. Peterson – Barclays Center in Brooklyn
One of boxing’s most highly regarded young champions, unbeaten IBF Welterweight World Champion Errol Spence Jr. (22-0, 19 KOs) kicked off the schedule with an eighth-round TKO of former two-division world champion and top-10 ranked welterweight Lamont Peterson (35-3-1, 17 KOs) in Spence first title defense. In the co-feature, undefeated IBF Lightweight World Champion Robert Easter Jr. (20-0, 14 KOs) won a close, split-decision victory over former world champion Javier Fortuna (33-1-1, 23 KOs) in an action-packed fight.

Feb. 17: Garcia vs. Rios – Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas
Two-division world champion Danny Garcia (33-1, 19 KOs) returns to the ring to begin his quest toward another welterweight world championship. Garcia’s long reigns at 140 and 147 pounds ended last March in a close decision loss to unified champion Keith Thurman. Now, Garcia will challenge tough former world champion Brandon Rios (34-3-1, 25 KOs), an all-action fighter who has fought the best in the sport. In the co-main event, boxing’s youngest world champion, 21-year-old David Benavidez (19-0, 17 KOs), will make his first title defense in a rematch against top contender Ronald Gavril (18-2, 14 KOs). The super middleweights fought a thrilling fight last September that ended in a controversial decision for Benavidez.

March 3: Wilder vs. Ortiz – From Barclays Center in Brooklyn
The revival of the heavyweight world championship division continues. America’s undefeated, No. 1 heavyweight, WBC World Champion Deontay Wilder (39-0, 38 KOs),will face fellow unbeaten challenger Luis Ortiz (28-0, 24 KOs) in an anticipated matchup of consensus top-5 ranked heavyweights. Wilder has held the coveted green belt since January 2015 and made six successful title defenses. Now, Wilder faces a highly skilled Cuban pugilist with big punching power in Ortiz. The co-main event will feature former super welterweight champion and top middleweight contender Jermall Charlo (26-0, 20 KOs) taking on once-beaten contender Hugo Centeno Jr. (26-1, 14 KOs)for the Interim WBC Middleweight World Championship.

March 10: Garcia vs. Lipinets – Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio
One of the top pound-for-pound fighters in boxing, Mikey Garcia (37-0, 30 KOs) will attempt to make history by capturing a world title in a fourth weight class. Standing in his way is unbeaten power-puncher and IBF Jr. Welterweight Champion Sergey Lipinets (13-0, 10 KOs), who is making his first title defense. Two 140-pound titles will be on the line as two-division champion Rances Barthelemy (26-0, 13 KOs)looks to become the first Cuban boxer to ever win world titles in three different weight classes when he faces Kirly Relikh (21-2, 9 KOs) in a rematch of their controversial May bout, this time for the vacant WBA Super Lightweight title.

April 7: Lara vs. Hurd – Location TBD
WBA World Champion Erislandy Lara (25-2-2, 14 KOs) and IBF World Champion Jarrett Hurd (21-0, 15 KOs) will meet to unify titles in a defining moment for the 154-pound division. In 2017, SHOWTIME televised eight matchups featuring all of the top-five ranked super welterweight champions and challengers in an unofficial tournament. This unification match will pit the technical wizardry of Cuba’s Lara against the strength and determination of Hurd.

April 21: Broner vs. Figueroa – From Barclays Center in Brooklyn
Four-division world champion Adrien Broner (33-3, 24 KOs) has established himself not only as one of the biggest draws in the sport, but as a fighter who is always willing to face the toughest competition. That will continue when he takes on undefeated former world champion Omar Figueroa (27-0-1, 19 KOs), an all-action brawler who never takes a step backward, as the former champions meet in a WBC Super Lightweight Final Eliminator. The co-main event will feature one of boxing’s brightest young stars in Gervonta Davis (19-0, 18 KOs) as the 23-year-old undefeated former champion looks to regain his title.

May 19: Thurman Defends Worlds Titles – From Barclays Center in Brooklyn
Keith Thurman is the only unified 147-pound world champion and the consensus No. 1-ranked fighter in boxing’s preeminent weight division. The undefeated Thurman(28-0, 22 KOs) has held the WBA title since 2015. He claimed the WBC belt with a decisive win over previously undefeated Danny Garcia last March in the most watched bout of the year, a presentation of SHOWTIME Boxing on CBS. Following an elbow injury that required surgery, Thurman will return to action against an opponent to be determined.

May 19: Stevenson vs. Jack – From Canada
WBC Light Heavyweight World Champion Adonis Stevenson (29-1, 24 KOs) has scored knockouts in six of his eight title defenses and will face perhaps his toughest challenge when he battles two-division champion Badou Jack (22-1-2, 13 KOs).Jack captured a 175-pound world title in his light heavyweight debut in August and relinquished the belt in order to immediately make this matchup of top-five ranked light heavyweights.

June 9: Santa Cruz vs. Mares II – From Los Angeles
After their 2015 title showdown brought the Staples Center crowd to its feet, WBA Featherweight Champion Leo Santa Cruz (34-1-1, 19 KOs) and three-division world champion Abner Mares (31-2-1, 15 KOs) will meet again in their shared hometown of Los Angeles. Santa Cruz, who also has held titles in three divisions for the past six years, remains one of the most prolific fighters in the sport today. Mares, a former world champion at bantamweight, super bantamweight and featherweight, aims to exact revenge after the close majority decision loss to Santa Cruz in 2015. This high-stakes matchup between consensus top-five ranked featherweights will give further clarity to a stacked division that includes Gary Russell Jr., Carl Frampton and Lee Selby. The consensus No. 1 fighter at 154 pounds, Jermell Charlo (30-0, 15 KOs) will defend his WBC Super Welterweight World Championship in the co-feature against an opponent to be determined.

June 16: Spence Defends Welterweight Title – From Dallas
Fresh off a dominating performance against a top-10 former welterweight champion, pound-for-pound great Errol Spence Jr. (23-0, 20 KOs) returns to his hometown of Dallas for the second defense of the IBF Welterweight World Championship.

About Showtime Networks Inc.
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, and also offers SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND and FLIX ON DEMAND®, and the network’s authentication service SHOWTIME ANYTIME®. Showtime Digital Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of SNI, operates the stand-alone streaming service SHOWTIME®. SHOWTIME is currently available to subscribers via cable, DBS and telco providers, and as a stand-alone streaming service through Apple®, Roku®, Amazon, Google, Xbox One and Samsung. Consumers can also subscribe to SHOWTIME via Hulu, YouTube TV, Sling TV, DirecTV Now, Sony PlayStation® Vue and Amazon Channels. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks™, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution, which offers Smithsonian Channel™, and offers Smithsonian Earth™ through SN Digital LLC. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®. For more information, go to www.SHO.com

Two world title fights are being negotiated for the Spring at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

The first card would take place on March 3 and pit heavyweight world titleholder Deontay Wilder against Luis “King Kong” Ortiz, with another penciled in for April 14 — though it could move to another date that month — featuring unified welterweight titleholder Keith Thurman in a defense against former two-division world titlist Jessie Vargas, multiple sources involved in the events told ESPN.

BROOKLYN (Oct. 14, 2017) – Heavyweight World Champion Deontay Wilder and Welterweight World Champions Keith Thurman and Errol Spence Jr. met with the media on Saturday at Barclays Center to discuss their upcoming bouts and expected 2018 campaigns.

Wilder will defend his WBC belt on Nov. 4 against mandatory challenger Bermane Stiverne live on SHOWTIME from Barclays Center in a Premier Boxing Champions event. Thurman announced he expects to return in early 2018 in his first bout since unifying the division and subsequent surgery.

In news on Saturday, IBF Welterweight Champion Spence announced that he will make the first defense of his belt against former world champion Lamont Peterson in January 2018 on SHOWTIME on a date and site to be determined.

Below are flash quotes from the three fighters:

Deontay Wilder

“What other heavyweight is doing what I do? What other heavyweight has power like me? I don’t have to put you out in punches in bunches. I don’t have to do that. One punch. Goodnight.

“I’m happy that I’ve had time to calm down and think about things. I’m happy that I’m fighting Stiverne because he’s my mandatory. I can finally get him out the way so I’ll be a free man.

“This is the story of my life. Every situation that I’m put in, I try to be optimistic about. It’s easy to appreciate the good. But when the bad comes, some people don’t know how to manage that.

“I’m the most frustrated guy around. I don’t understand. The best are supposed to fight the best, right? I’ve always done that. I called (Wladimir) Klitschko out years ago.

“People make so many excuses for my career. The one who is actually trying to make a legacy out of their career, he’s the only one that’s not complaining. The people who don’t have to get in the ring and endure this suffering are the ones that complaining.”

Keith Thurman

“I’m in the bounce-back stage. It won’t be long before I get back into the ring and hopefully my arm will be better than ever. We’re estimating I’ll be ready for a fight the first quarter of next year.

“I look forward to continuing my legacy and dominating the welterweight division.

“Everything happens for a reason. I’m 28-years-old and it doesn’t feel good to not be an active fighter while you’re in your prime.

“I don’t think that I will take that level of a fight [against Shawn Porter] coming off my injury. I think we’re going to just get a welcome back fight. Throw the arm around, test it out, have an injury-free camp, take the momentum from that and we can possibly get in the ring with Shawn after that.

“I look forward to that [potential] fight against Errol. I look forward to great competition and Errol is that. This is a fight that you guys have been talking about, you won’t stop talking about, and you should keep talking about it because when it goes down it will be one of the best fights of this generation.

“Everybody knows there’s no Floyd Mayweather. There’s no Manny Pacquiao. Everybody thinks they know who the real champion is. But real talk is that the king of the welterweight division will manifest within one to two years.

“[Terence] Crawford has whacked up a lot of people, but he hasn’t whacked up a welterweight yet. He still needs to make himself relevant in this division. He’s a 140 undisputed champion. He can come up to this weight division and fight anybody in the top 10 and he deserves that. But we are so flooded with talent he is going to have to make himself relevant at 147 before he gets his hands on us.”

Errol Spence Jr.

“I’m happy to be here, it’s been awhile. It’s finally time to defend my title, capture more titles and become the undisputed welterweight champion of the world. That’s what I’m ready to do next year.

“[Peterson] is somebody that I looked up to as an amateur. I sparred with him as an amateur and learned a lot from him. He’s one of my favorite fighters and is a guy that will fight anybody. I’ve never known him to duck a fight.

“Lamont is a tricky fighter. He’s been around the block. He does a lot of cagey, veteran things. I’m looking to get experience in this fight. I’m still a young fighter.

“Since I was 5-0, I’ve said I’d fight Keith Thurman or anybody in the top 5. He’s got to go through rehab, but I’m ready when he is. I’m always ready to fight the best.”

This Friday, October 13, marks the 99th and final boxing event that will take place at the arena on Dana Shores Drive in Tampa that once went by the name of Egypt Shrine Temple and is now called A La Carte Event Pavilion. The arena that showcased world champion boxers such as John “The Beast” Mugabi, James “Bonecrusher” Smith, Frankie “The Surgeon” Randall, Nate “The Galaxy Warrior” Campbell and Keith “One Time” Thurman, was recently sold and faces December demolition.

All Star boxing promoted it’s first show at A La Carte in 2010 and Friday’s event will be it’s 19th there

“Many promoters have done shows in this building, I remember when Brad Jacobs back in the 80’s was doing boxing shows in that I building. I feel privileged and honored for All Star Boxing, Inc and the Telemundo Network to bid farewell to such an iconic building for boxing fans in Tampa, Florida” said Tuto Zabala, President of All Star Boxing, Inc

Thursday’s OFFICIAL WEIGH-IN will take place on Thursday at 4 pm at the Tampa Stadium Hotel at 4732 North Dale Mabry, Tampa, FL 33614.

On Friday, DOORS OPEN at 7 pm and FIRST BOUT is at 8 pm.

Egypt Shrine Temple hosted it’s first of twenty-seven boxing events on October 24, 1982 and the last on November 13, 1998. The first of seventy one boxing events under the present name of A La Carte Event Pavilion took place on April 13, 2002.

The main event Friday will be a ten-round super bantamweight bout between Daniel Lozano (14-4, 11 KOs) from Bowling Green, Florida against Ricardo Rodriguez (16-4, 5 KOs) from Mexico City, Mexico now residing in Los Angeles, California. Both fighters have a history of fighting at A La Carte. Lozano made his A La Carte debut on August 13, 2010 and has fought there ten times total (7-3, 4 KOs). This will be Rodriguez’ sixth fight at A La Carte and he has 5 wins with 1 KO there.

In the co-feature, 2016 US Olympian and six-time US National Champion Teofimo Lopez (6-0, 5 KOs) from Brooklyn, NY now residing in Davie, Florida will battle Angel Sarinana (7-7, 3 KOs) in a lightweight bout.

EGYPT SHRINE TEMPLE / A LA CARTE EVENT PAVILION FACTS:
47 boxers made their professional debuts at Egypt Shrine Temple / A La Carte
On November 4, 1983, Egypt Shrine Temple hosted it’s second boxing event which featured future World Heavyweight Champion James “Bonecrusher” Smith, in his 13th professional fight
On August 5, 1984, future world champion John “The Beast” Mugabi won by TKO against Frank “The Animal” Fletcher.
On September 11, 1984, future world champion Frankie Randall, 17-0 at the time, fought for the first of six times at Egypt Shrine Temple – he was 6-0 with 5 KO’s there.
Tampa’s own Don “Cowboy” Shiver, 22-1, 12 KOs over a four-year career, with his only loss against Olympic Gold Medalist Mark Breland, was undefeated in six fights at Egypt Shrine Temple
On June 20, 1985, Tampa native Joe “Jo Jo” Harris made his professional debut at Egypt Shrine Temple with a knockout win. He fought there again three weeks later winning again by TKO. Harris then lost 25 of his next 28 fights to finish his career at 5-25, 4 KOs
On March 25, 2004, Wauchula native Edner Cherry fought the first of 15 fights at A La Carte finishing 15-0 with 15 KOs at the Pavilion
October 7, 2005 Chevelle Lynette Hallback became the first woman boxer to fight at A La Carte – she would soon become WBC WBO WBA World Featherweight champ
On January 19, 2007, Tampa’s Ahsandi Gibbs made his professional debut at A La Carte and would fight there ten times winning eight.
Jacksonville’s Nate Campbell, future six-time world champion fought at A La Carte on March 2, 2007
Following in her father’s footsteps, Jenna “Cowgirl” Shiver made her A La Carte debut on May 4, 2007 – she would fight there twelve times in her career, winning ten with two knockouts
On November 9, 2007, St. Pete’s Keith Thurman made his professional debut at A La Carte. Keith fought seven of his first pro fights there and is currently 28-0, 22 KO’s and world welterweight champion.

LAS VEGAS (May 19, 2017) – Unified welterweight champion Keith Thurman is recovering from surgery on his right elbow and expects to be out of action until the end of 2017.

Thurman, who held the WBA 147-pound title, defeated WBC 147-pound champion Danny Garcia at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on March 4 to become the unified 147-pound champion. Thurman fought through severe pain in his right elbow to secure the 12-round unanimous decision victory.

A few weeks later, he traveled back to New York to have surgery to remove calcium deposits in his right elbow. The surgery was performed by Dr. Riley Williams at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan on April 19. The surgery was successful and Thurman is currently undergoing rehabilitation on his arm. The doctors have told him he will need six months to recover.

“I had loose bodies in the elbow, similar to what baseball pitchers have. They had to go in and take out the loose bodies and calcium deposits,” Thurman said. “It was getting in the way of the hinging of the elbow and when I threw a punch. It was causing pain and inflammation. I noticed it before the Danny Garcia fight. There was no way to get rid of it without the surgery. I’m healing and getting the function back so that I can be pain free.”

The healing process is slow and frustrating for Thurman.

“One thing for sure, the doctor doesn’t want me to rush back into action,” he said. “You can’t jump back into the race too soon. It might start to feel good after a month or two, but you don’t want to rush it. My right elbow’s job is to launch punches like a missile. It might feel good, but it might not be able to sustain that. It might cause inflammation to develop, and then you have to wait to let it calm down and feel better. I figure a 4-month recovery will be quick. The doctor recommended 6 months of no action, before training. I won’t rush it.”

Thurman has a special message to his fans who want to see him back in the ring as soon as possible.
“I worked hard to be where I am. We’re excited to move forward. This is just the real struggle of an athlete,” he said. “It’s not always picture perfect. It happens in every sport and that’s because we demand a lot from our bodies and ourselves. It has repercussions. Cars break down. We get them fixed and put them back on the road. We’re looking forward to getting back into the ring and giving you another fight before the year is out.”

In the meantime, Thurman will be closely watching the title match between Errol Spence, Jr. and Kell Brook from Sheffield, England on Saturday, May 27.

“I’ll be tuning in and looking forward to the belt coming back to America and looking forward to seeing what Kell Brook has to offer at 147 pounds. I want to see if he wants to make his stand at 147. I like the idea of Spence showing everybody he’s the “Truth” and Kell trying to show everybody how “Special” he is.”

By Jimmy Tobin-

Saturday night at Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn New York, Keith “One Time” Thurman won a split decision over Danny “Swift” Garcia adding another alphabet trinket to his collection while doing little to stake his claim to welterweight supremacy. What distinguished Thurman-Garcia was not an interplay of fists, but an absence thereof. Thurman earned the victory because in those early moments when a fight appeared imminent, he seemed most eager to conjure one—and because when he wanted anything but Garcia could not coerce him enough to the contrary.

There were moments of drama between Thurman and Garcia, to be sure. Such moments are near guaranteed every time Thurman steps into the ring, and they came, as they almost exclusively now do in his fights, in the opening rounds. It is in those rounds that Thurman best embodies his moniker, trying to spark opponents with his considerable athleticism and less considerable power, throwing punches with a ferocity that speaks to the sense of performance he does not always honor but always carries within him. Thurman landed a few of those punches on Garcia who, whatever he suffered, responded without a hint of retreat, cranking little semi-circles from his left shoulder, measuring the counter left hooks that would soon enough inter Thurman’s daring.

Garcia proved, rather unsurprisingly, that he could handle whatever evil was delivered in Thurman’s early gusto. The clearer that message became, the more Thurman abandoned his combinations, his connection with the ground when he threw them, and eventually, his commitment to the moment. His chances of a finish quick and spectacular having evaporated, Thurman employed instead a brand of “boxing” antithetical to the reputation he—less convinced and less convincingly—encourages we preserve. If this is what passes for an offensive welterweight, perhaps Floyd Mayweather, who also landed less than fifteen punches a round but was at least skilled enough to stand directly in front of his opponent while doing so, was less a defensive specialist than he is often (disparagingly) remembered as.

For his part, Garcia was hardly better, worse even, if you consider his effort to take the rounds Thurman needed to spare and was willing to concede. Still, he stood his ground against Thurman, as he did against former boogeyman, Lucas Matthysse, digging the balls of his feet into the canvas and committing fearlessly a retort to every Thurman punch.

How undauntedly Garcia stares down daunting power; how quickly does this defiance shake an opponent’s confidence. Garcia is a more complete fighter than Thurman, there is more that is impressive and instructive in his game. But when all he needed were the basics, when a double jab would have won him the rounds Thurman tried to steal with an ill-placed blow and a cloud of smoke, Garcia too often holstered his weapons. If you believe enough of the Thurman narrative, he left an opportunity to distinguish himself in the ring. Garcia left victory there, however, and that mentality will make an opponent of him sooner rather than later.

What is perhaps most frustrating about what transpired is the absence of consequences both fighters stand to face for their performance. This is not to say fighters should be punished for poor performances, at least not exactly. But the lack of fallout for failing to live up to expectations, whether those expectations are the product of promotional ballyhoo or the proclamations of the fighters themselves, is a bit difficult to take. Again Thurman was placed in a position to distinguish himself as the future made present, and instead he was again left speaking laudatorily of his boxing ability (evermore a Thurman euphemism for a night he goes the distance). Garcia merely adds a disputed loss to his trio of disputed victories. He is likely to see little financial penalty despite scaling back his competition again in the aftermath of a loss that, as close as it was, he need waste no one’s time regrouping from. Matchmaking is already too glacial in its pace, and the concept of the comeback feels empty when a defeat carries none of the penalty, physical or otherwise, that need be recovered from.

The hope is that Thurman moves quickly, moves within the next four or five months to an opponent who presents the type of challenge that will not allow him to bore. Again, Thurman is a fighter, and pressed—as he was by Shawn Porter last year—he often responds like one. Whatever his limitations, he appreciates his responsibility to the crowd. And while he is not fighter enough to consistently embrace that responsibility a better opponent might give him no choice but to. For Garcia, there should be only fights that demand he comport himself like a loss means more than simply defeat—no more fights whose outcomes, good or bad, seem to barely register with him. And if that is asking too much of either fighter so too is asking for a charitable assessment of them.

BROOKLYN (MARCH 6, 2017) – Saturday’s highly anticipated showdown between Keith “One Time” Thurman and Danny “Swift” Garcia ranked as the highest-grossing non-Nets sporting event in Barclays Center history. The event also set a record for boxing attendance at Barclays Center with 16,533.

The Saturday, March 4 matchup of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on CBS saw Thurman (28-0, 22 KOs) become the unified welterweight world champion with a split-decision victory over Garcia (33-1, 19 KOs), defending his WBA belt and picking up Garcia’s WBC crown on boxing’s biggest stage in primetime on CBS. The judges scored it 116-112 Thurman, 115-113 Thurman and 115-113 Garcia. This was only the third time in history that undefeated fighters unified the 147-pound division.

This live broadcast of the PBC Showtime Championship Boxing on CBS, placed CBS as the No. 1 network in prime time on Saturday night, according to Nielsen overnight ratings.

On Saturday, it was also announced the WBC Welterweight Eliminator between former 147-pound champions Andre Berto and Shawn Porter will take place Saturday, April 22 at Barclays Center. The winner of this Berto-Porter matchup becomes the mandatory challenger of Thurman.

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

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

The New Coliseum Presented By NYCB, scheduled to reopen April 5, 2017 after extensive renovation, will offer 13,000 seats for hockey, 13,500 for basketball, and 14,500 for standard concert configurations, with the ability to flex up. The bowl will have a theater seating option for 4,000 guests. With a focus on emerging businesses, BSE identifies and creates alliances, strategic partners and other business opportunities to ensure the success of its assets.

ABOUT the PBC:
The Premier Boxing Champions is a live boxing television series created for television by Haymon Sports, LLC. The PBC series broadcasts the greatest array of boxing talent in all weight divisions, showcasing fighters from many different countries including the United States and Mexico. The PBC series can be seen on various networks in the U.S. and around the world.

For additional information, please visit Brooklynse.com.

By Bart Barry

Saturday welterweight Keith “One Time” Thurman majority-decisioned Danny “Swift” Garcia to become the undefeated, undisputed, unified champion of the PBC. The fight went along like PBC championship bouts often do, with neither man felled or bloodied and both in conscious attendance at the reading of official scorecards, guardedly optimistic. As PBC tradition tends to dictate the gloves looked too big in round 12 – Thurman’s patriotic Rivals and Garcia’s neon-canary Reyes – and both men looked fresh enough to box till a 15th round despite laying everything on the line and giving all their blood sweat tears nuts and guts etc.

It wasn’t as much of a PBC-style spectacle as others in the storied management company’s predecessor years because it featured evenly matched titlists, something no one in Al Haymon’s outfit anticipated being fiscally mandated until 2020 at the earliest. Turns out, not even casual fans are quite dumb as the PBC business model supposed which might’ve been obvious – not even the diehardest Patriots fan’d watch a season full of Pats v. Browns – had more than mere market saturation been considered during the company’s formation but apparently wasn’t.

Danny Garcia has long been a Haymon-model outlier while Keith Thurman’d be its purest incarnation were it not for Deontay “Windmill” Wilder. That started Thurman a few points ahead on PBC scorecards that came in fairly for a reason like: Garcia is a 140-pound athlete who outgrew the junior welterweight division, not a welterweight, and therefore his properly applied counterpunches did a few fractions less than sufficient to win rounds Thurman successfully stole in their final 10 seconds. Fair play all round.

But color me enduringly unimpressed with Thurman, now the unified welterweight champion of the PBC if probably not the world. What adjustments did Thurman make Saturday? He holstered his righthand for about three rounds after Garcia baloonpricked his liver a twotime but there’s no calling that a strategy or tactic when words like “compromise” and “surrender” remain available. Aside from that Thurman ferally overshot with 2/3 his powerpunches and did the retreating resting skipping thing the PBC calls “boxing” in homage to master “boxer” Amir Khan’s signature flight pattern, while Thurman must’ve reminded his Florida trainer of no one so much as fellow Floridian Jeff Lacy who once walloped hapless opponents with thrice Thurman’s rage till he came to someone competent and hadn’t the squareroot of a plan b.

Thurman manages to have roughly Lacy’s accuracy with a whole lot more hedging on his shots, often swimming tentatively forward in a way Lacy never did. Combine that with PBC matchmaking and opponents born in lower weight divisions, with the noble exception of Thurman’s single 2016 tilt against Shawn Porter, and you have a unified champion and comparative superstar, as planned, even if not yet sharing celebratory stature with Deontay “Wilder &” Wilder.

I began watching Saturday’s fight with no particular sense for it – and again, credit where it’s due: with no certain forecast – but a suspicion Garcia’s craft and experience’d crack Thurman for having faced at least three men superior to Thurman at junior welterweight (and probably four [Nate Campbell] and possibly five [Kendall Holt]), and when Thurman spent the better part of rounds 4-6 with his right elbow protectivepinned to his liver one rightly assumed Thurman’d get wild and get countered properly, and he did, and it didn’t matter. Credit to Thurman’s whiskers or PBC’s matchmaker but really not both.

Even in losing a fair decision Garcia was simply the more compelling man to watch Saturday in part because he plays against type in a way few of his coworkers do: He dresses gaudily and gives his dad’s jackassery free reign but then throws punches proportionately audacious, which in a different time might’ve been expected but surely isn’t these days. Experience leads one to anticipate Garcia’s ringwalk anticipates an accordion’s posture before adversity but Garcia does the opposite surprisingly often – he imperils himself and chances embarrassment or worse by whipping hooks with little technique allotted to selfpreservation.

Say what you will about his dad, their pairing works very well and not merely for the obvious reason Angel Garcia makes a target of himself for the terminally anxious so his son isn’t one. Somewhere in Garcia’s audacity lies a trust in his father’s judgement; if Garcia’s gambles on hooks bankrupt him, Dad will intervene before any too-permanent damage accrues. That’s much more than can be said for most prizefighter-trainer relationships, isn’t it? Tomorrow Garcia can fill PBC’s welterweight-gatekeeper role when Robert Guerrero and Shawn Porter are unavailable and spoil a few coronations, too, but his days as undefeated top billing are through.

Which leaves the PBC welterweight champion Keith Thurman, captain of the junior varsity, in a better professional position than his resume or technique necessarily justify. According to PBC highlights Thurman is all things to all people: a ferocious beast in the ring and a philosopher of pacifism outside it, a classically trained pugilist and a selftrained flautist, a man so mindful he meditates before cameramen. Neither Thurman nor his matches are nearly good as PBC tells us they are, but that’s where we find ourselves, still, in 2017.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

Follow all the action LIVE from Ringside as undefeated welterweight champions Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia get it on in a much anticipated bout from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.  The action kicks off at 9 PM ET / 6 PM PT with a Junior Middleweight bout between Erickson Lubin and Jorge Cota

NO BROWSER REFRESH NEEDED.  THE PAGE WILL UPDATE AUTOMATICALLY

Round 1: Thurman trying to push the action…Hard right from Garcia..Counter right..left to body..left..Huge left and right from Thurman…Right…right to head

Round 2 Right to body for Thurman..Right from Garcia..Right from Thurman..another right over the top

Round 3 Right from Thurman..right to the head..Combination from Garcia..Jab from Thurman..Right to body for Garcia..

Round 4 Counter right to body from Garcia..Jab..Counter right..Big right from Thurman..jab..

Round 5 Right from Thurman…Hard right..right…Counter left From Garcia..

Round 6 Thurman sneaks in a right to the body.Counter left..Good right from Garcia..Overhand right from Thurman

Round 7 Right from Garcia..Combination..Good right from Thurman..overhand right from Garcia..Garcia warned for a low blow..Left from Garcia..

Round 8 Right to body by Garcia..Left hook from Thurman..Jab..Counter right from Garcia..

Round 9 Left from Thurman..Uppercut..Right from Garcia

Round 10 Right from Garcia..jab..right..Thurman lands an overhand right..Hard uppercut from Thurman..Counter right from Garcia.

Round 11 Counter left from Garcia.Garcia working  on the ropes..

Round 12 Counter right from Thurman..right…Right from Garcia..Hard combination..

116-112 THURMAN…115-113 GARCIA…115-113 THURMAN

Round 1 Left from Lubin..

Round 2: Body work for Cota…Right hook from Lubin..Jab from Cota..Hard straight left and right from Lubin..

Round 3 Lubin working body on the ropes…Hard combination rocks Cota..Hard overhand left

Round 4 HUGE LEFT AND DOWN GOES COTA…HE GETS UP BUT THE FIGHT IS STOPPED

WBA & WBC WELTERWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP UNIFICATION – 12 Rounds
Keith Thurman: 146 ¼ pounds
Danny Garcia: 146 ½ pounds
Referee: Michael Griffin; Judges: John McKaie (N.Y.), Kevin Morgan (N.Y.), Joseph Pasquale (N.J.)

WBC SUPER WELTERWEIGHT ELIMINATOR – 12 Rounds
Erickson Lubin: 153 ¾ pounds
Jorge Cota: 153 ¾ poounds
Referee: Earl Brown; Judges: Frank Lombardi (Conn.), Alan Rubenstein (Penn.), Tom Schreck (N.Y.)

# # #

ABOUT THURMAN vs. GARCIA
Keith Thurman vs. Danny Garcia is a welterweight world title showdown between undefeated 147-pound titlists. The 12-round bout headlines SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on CBS, presented by Premier Boxing Champions, Saturday March 4 from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™. In the co-main event undefeated rising star Erickson Lubin battles once-beaten knockout artist Jorge Cota in a super welterweight title eliminator bout on CBS at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, start at $50 (not including applicable fees) and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting www.ticketmaster.com, www.barclayscenter.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.

For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports follow on Twitter @SHOSports, @KeithFThurmanJr, @DannySwift, @LouDiBella, @BarclaysCenter and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports, www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment, www.Facebook.com/barclayscenter. PBC is sponsored by Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

LONDON (3 March) – Amir Khan has tipped Danny Garcia to overcome Keith Thurman in their thrilling showdown to set up a riveting rematch between the pair later this year.

WBC champion Garcia and WBA champion Thurman meet in what is one of this year’s biggest and most exciting fights, exclusively live on BoxNation this Saturday night.

30-year-old Khan is the mandatory challenger for the WBC welterweight title and believes that Philadelphia fighter and two-weight world champion Garcia will see off knockout king Thurman.

“Danny is a very tough and underrated fighter even today, despite winning world titles. I think that his experience and boxing brain will see him beat Thurman. It’s a good matchup and it is a close one to call on paper,” Khan told BoxNation.

“Garcia does go into fights as the underdog and finds a way to win. I think he’s fought the better names, whereas Thurman hasn’t really been in with many top fighters. If he stops Garcia I will hold my hands up and say well done because that would be very impressive.

“It will be a close fight on the cards but I believe Danny will edge it on points. He’s grown into the welterweight division and is a better boxer than he gets credit for,” he said.

Bolton’s Khan waits in the wings for the winner and will be ringside at the Barclays Center in New York.

He suffered a fourth-round stoppage loss to Garcia in 2012, a swiftly arranged matchup following the collapse of his rematch with Lamont Peterson after the American had failed a drugs test.

28-year-old Garcia was a relative unknown at the time and Khan admits he took the fight lightly but is in no doubt that they will eventually meet again.

“I believe that me and Danny will cross paths again,” said Khan. “When we fought the first time I underestimated him and took him lightly. I had never seen him fight before. My rematch with Lamont Peterson had just been called off and I overlooked him.

“I had been in camp for so long training for Peterson and it was frustrating having to start a whole new camp again so soon after. I wanted a fight right away and he was one of the names that came up so I took it without even giving it much thought.

“But full credit to him, he has gone on to have a great career and prove that he is among the very best out there. I think eventually we will meet in the ring again.

“One fight I always get asked about by fans is the rematch with Danny and I’m sure it’s in our destiny – but this time with a different outcome,” Khan said.

The former unified light-welterweight world champion is determined to grab another title and the winner of the Garcia-Thurman fight is one route he is eyeing up.

“I’m mandatory by the WBC to face the winner of this fight so whoever it is I will be willing to take them on. It will probably be nearer the end of the year but I’ll be ready to face either guy,” said Khan.

“I want to become a world champion again and that is what drives me. If people have written me off that doesn’t faze me, it only fuels me. I have no doubt that I will get my hands on another world title. 2017 is going to be a big year for me,” he said.

Thurman v Garcia is exclusively live on BoxNation this Saturday night. Buy now at boxnation.com.

BoxNation is available on Sky/Freeview/Virgin/TalkTalk/EE/Apple TV/ online at watch.boxnation.com and via apps (iOS, Android, Amazon) for just £12 a month.

– ENDS –

About BoxNation
BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated boxing channel. From £12* per month with no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.
Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Mayweather vs Maidana, Saunders vs Eubank Jr and Khan vs Canelo.
The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Freeview (Ch.255), Virgin (Ch.546), TalkTalk (Ch.415), online at watch.boxnation.com and via apps (ios, Android, Amazon, Apple TV). BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.
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By Norm Frauenheim-

Boxing loves history. It remembers, yet it can’t repeat. Not yet, anyway. I’m not sure it has to. These days, just a good fight is enough. Keith Thurman-Danny Garcia Saturday in CBS prime time looks as if it fits the latter part of the bill.

With the year only a couple months old, it’s the best in 2017 thus far. It has a chance to be better than anything seen last year. History can wait, perhaps on a rematch in the evolution of a classic rivalry. Yet, the parallels are there, as irresistible as they are inevitable. In part, that’s why Sugar Ray Leonard will be there as a CBS analyst and a ringside symbol of what the sport would like to be all over again.

Thurman, the WBA’s welterweight champion, and Garcia, the WBC champ, are fighting for the same titles that were at stake when Leonard and Thomas Hearns battled each nearly 36 years ago in a September, 1981 bout that ranks among the all-time classics.

Changes since Leonard prevailed — retaining the WBA’s belt and taking the WBC’s version from Hearns in a 14th-round stoppage– at an outdoor ring behind Las Vegas Caesars Place and before a reported network television audience of 300 million – have forever altered boxing. There are countless titles and more television networks than acronyms. There are fewer fighters these days. More great athletes risk head trauma on the football field than they do in the ring anymore.

“Fortunately, I was in an era where there were just a lot of guys out there who were so talented,’’ Leonard said during a conference call before Saturday’s bout (PT 6-8 pm/ET 9-11 pm) at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

For Leonard, there were so-so many, although it’s ironic that the rivalry with Hearns was a business partnership that fell short of its potential. They fought a second time, nearly eight years later in 1989.

But it was forgettable, a draw that left nobody interested in a third step of a trilogy. Still, there was Roberto Duran and Iran Barkley and Marvin Hagler and all of the other legends of that time. There were so many chances at creating legacies, and Leonard, Hearns, Duran and Hagler did exactly that.

There aren’t as many opportunities these days and perhaps the willingness to do so just isn’t there anymore. The game conducts itself according to Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s business model: The biggest reward for the smallest risk. It worked for Mayweather, who fulfilled his Money nickname millions of times over. But it has created problems for fighters who might have had a better chance at a legacy for themselves in Leonard’s era.

“I always thought that we had to continue to raise the bar as a fighter, as a champion, and continue to fight better and better competition,’’ he said “When I was fighting, I swear, I wanted to be the underdog -psychologically, spiritually and mentally. If I wasn’t challenged, if I wasn’t considered somewhat of an underdog, I couldn’t perform the way I normally would. It’s what would get me going.’’

For Thurman (27-0, 22 KOs) and Garcia (33-0, 19 KOs) those kind of challenges loom in a bout that is only the third between unbeaten welterweight champions and the first since Felix Trinidad’s controversial victory over Oscar De La Hoya in 1999.

Thurman-Garcia is also intriguing for elements not reflected in their records. Thurman is a compelling personality. He is boxing’s enlightened warrior, a fighter who studies Eastern religions, plays music and talks philosophy.

He’s likable, the flip side to Danny Garcia’s offensive trainer and father, Angel, whose racial slurs at a news conference a few weeks ago left questions about whether the New York State Athletic Commission would license his to work the corner. It did, which adds a controversial edge. Will Angel’s presence put additional pressure on his son?

Danny Garcia is likable in his own way, but his father has turned him into the bad guy. Every great fight needs some good-and-evil, but Danny Garcia has been forced into an ill-fitting role by an offensive dad.

Meanwhile, the ever-poised Thurman has kept his cool throughout the race-baiting rhetoric from Angel Garcia. At opening bell, however, will he be motivated to make the son pay for what the dad said? There’s a danger in that, too especially against the counter-punching Danny Garcia, whose left is as lethal as any if it is allowed to land.

There’s potential on several levels for the kind of fight that Leonard experienced and endured.

“It is an out-of-body experience,’’ said Leonard, who on Wednesday picked Thurman to win. “It’s déjà vu. Like holy, I’m 60. It’s a kind of thing that is so special. It’s so rare of a unification. it seems like. It speaks volumes to me as far as the significance of it. And these guys, Keith and Danny, they know it.

“They realize it.”

Leonard has been there. Maybe, Thurman Garcia and will get there.

BROOKLYN (March 2, 2017) – Undefeated welterweight world champions Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia went face-to-face Thursday at the final press conference before they headline SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on CBS, presented by Premier Boxing Champions, this Saturday, March 4 in primetime from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.

Also in attendance Thursday and opening the broadcast at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT were undefeated rising star Erickson Lubin and once-beaten knockout artist Jorge Cota, who meet in a super welterweight world title eliminator.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, start at $50 (not including applicable fees) and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting www.ticketmaster.com, www.barclayscenter.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.

Here is what the participants had to say:

KEITH THURMAN

“This fight has been brewing for a long time. Both of us wanted this fight. There’s a reason why this fight is happening. We’re young, we’re hungry and we’re not trying to wait around. It’s time for this to go down.

“I’ve had a great camp. This is nothing new to me. I’m happy to be in this moment with all these people here. I’ve had a dream since I was a little boy to be not just your average champion, but to be a great champion. Before I had that dream, Ben Getty believed in me and it’s because of him that I’m where I’m at today. He predicted this before anyone.

“Danny is a smart fighter. He’s swift. He keeps rising to the top. He knows he has people underestimating him now and that fuels him. For me, I’m fueled by legacy. I want greatness for myself.

“It’s Danny’s reputation against my reputation. We’re both prideful fighters. You’re putting two of the best together. He wants to prove that he can be a unified champion in two divisions and I’ve been waiting for this opportunity to get fights like this. I want to show how and why I’m better than my competition. Saturday night is my platform to show the world how great of a champion I am.

“Danny looks ready. But I stay true when I look at you. His eyes wandered, so I wondered a little what that means. What really matters is how the fight starts. You find out if the fighter carries momentum, or if it shifts. What happens, when we land our first big punches?

“He feels confident and I feel confident. I believe that I have more to offer. I feel that I can box my way to victory. I visualize outcomes. I don’t think Danny wins without a stoppage. If it goes to the scorecards, it’ll favor me.

“There hasn’t been one opponent who’s gotten in the ring with me and said that my power isn’t for real. I think my power and my boxing IQ will be the same. I can change it up. I can do what I need to do, so you are unable to do what you want to do.

“This is going to be a fight that you can’t miss. It’s going to be right in your house. If you can’t make it to the arena, you can make it to the couch. This is elite world class championship boxing in primetime. This is for all sports fans.”

DANNY GARCIA

“This deserves all the media attention that it’s getting. I’ve been a champion for five years already and I’ve been a unified champion. Saturday I have an opportunity to unify another division. It’s always been a dream to unify multiple divisions and now I have my chance.

“We put in all the hard work. We did everything we had to do. I feel really good and I feel confident. On Saturday night, I’m going to be a unified champion again.

“I fight to win. I fight to secure my family’s future and that’s what it’s all about. That’s what we train so hard for. I’m going to give the fans something to watch on Saturday.

“Legacy is very important to me. I have more milestones than Thurman. This is his biggest fight. I’ve been in big fights before. Every championship fight is a part of history.

“People say he’s the bigger man because he’s been at this weight longer than me. I’m taller than him, I’m wider than him and I have a bigger back than him. I feel like I’m the fresher welterweight.

“You can’t chase a legacy or money. When you get desperate, you’ll try to take a shortcut. Everything I do is for the love of the sport. I’ve been blessed to be in this position.

“I started boxing because I wanted a trophy. I wanted to show my friends a trophy. I didn’t know the value of a dollar, that came later.

“I’ve been the underdog before. All ‘underdog’ means is that there are a whole bunch of people who don’t know what I can do. I rise to the occasion every time. I win because I’m better. On Saturday night I’m going to prove it again.”

ERICKSON LUBIN

“I made sure that I ate the right things and done everything perfectly during camp. This training camp went great thanks to my team and you’ll see the results on Saturday.

“If you don’t know me now, you will after Saturday night. This fight is in honor of my dear friend and cutman, Todd Harlib. I wish he could have seen this, but I know he’s looking down on me,

“Come Saturday night I’m going to make my mark in the division. I will become the youngest champion this year. Mark my words. We know my opponent is coming to fight. I’ve proven myself in past fights but I’m still young. I will become the mandatory challenger on Saturday night.

These type of fights bring the best out of me. I’m young, fierce and hungry. I’m excited to get in the ring and perform.

JORGE COTA

“I’m very thankful for this opportunity. I’m coming to fight and I’m coming to win.

“This is a big opportunity for me and I’m going to take full advantage. My dream is to win a world title and I know I have what it takes.

“I know I have a tough opponent Saturday night who people think very highly of. I have to believe in my training and keep throwing punches until I get the victory.

“I’m very happy to be fighting in New York city as part of this great card and I’m going to put on a show.”

LOU DIBELLA, President of DiBella Entertainment

“It really doesn’t get better than this for a boxing fan. This is as significant a fight as you can make in boxing right now and it might be the best fight you can make in boxing.

“The fact that this fight is on broadcast television on CBS is a huge plus for our business and anyone who loves boxing, For a fight of this magnitude available to so many people is a tremendous thing for boxing.

“Were on pace to set all sorts of records in terms of attendance and gate for boxing in the history of the great borough of Brooklyn.

“The main event on Saturday doesn’t need a lot of hype. It’s just the second primetime fight on CBS in 40 years and the most significant fight on network television in a generation.

“Keith and Danny have been on a collision course for their whole careers. These guys wanted to fight each other. This is one they both really wanted to happen now.”

STEPHEN ESPINOZA, Executive VP & General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports

“The sport of boxing is on the rise and SHOWTIME is proud to be a part of it. We are leading the industry with the strongest lineup of fights in boxing. No one is doing for boxing what SHOWTIME is. We’re doing everything possible to spread the word about these great events to fight fans.

“We’re delivering the best fights and bringing it to the widest audience possible. Saturday is no exception. Two undefeated champions in the prime of their careers. It’s elite fighter versus elite fighter and on free television, not PPV.

“When two fighters meet at Barclays, it is always special. In June, Thurman vs. Shawn Porter was a Fight of the year candidate, In July, Santa Cruz vs. Frampton was a Fight of the Year candidate. January of this year, Badou Jack vs. James DeGale was another Fight of the Year candidate. On Saturday night, this will be another special fight.

“When the best fight the best, special things happen. Leonard vs. Hurns, Trinidad vs. De La Hoy, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. Big fights and memorable fights. This has always been boxing’s glamor division. On Saturday night you will found out who the top fighter in this division is.

“The co-feature we have one of boxing’s brightest, most talented prospects in Erickson Lubin. If you don’t know him, you should. He’s taking on the toughest opponent of his career. An experienced fighter, a monster puncher and a real tough test. This whole card is worthy of this slot on CBS.”

BRETT YORMARK, CEO of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment

“This Saturday the nation will see world class championship boxing at its best and on display at Barclays Center in front of millions of primetime viewers on CBS. These are two undefeated superstars in the ring and we are proud to be the host.

“We will have our biggest crowd ever for a boxing event on Saturday, by far. It’s on pace to be one of the biggest non-Nets sporting event, in terms of gross revenue, in Barclays Center history.

“Barclays Center is Danny’s home away from home. Since fighting in our first event in 2012 he has gone on become one of the sport’s biggest names

“Keith has fought twice in Brooklyn and cemented his legacy in the sport and brought himself new fans. We’re thrilled to have him back for this great event.”

# # #

ABOUT THURMAN vs. GARCIA
Keith Thurman vs. Danny Garcia is a welterweight world title showdown between undefeated 147-pound titlists. The 12-round bout headlines SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on CBS, presented by Premier Boxing Champions, Saturday March 4 from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™. In the co-main event undefeated rising star Erickson Lubin battles once-beaten knockout artist Jorge Cota in a super welterweight title eliminator bout on CBS at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports follow on Twitter @SHOSports, @KeithFThurmanJr, @DannySwift, @LouDiBella, @BarclaysCenter and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports, www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment, www.Facebook.com/barclayscenter. PBC is sponsored by Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

BROOKLYN (March 1, 2017) – Welterweight world champions Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia participated in a media workout at world famous Gleason’s Gym Wednesday afternoon in advance of their primetime showdown that headlines SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on CBS, presented by Premier Boxing Champions, this Saturday, March 4 from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.

Also in attendance Wednesday and opening the broadcast at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT were undefeated rising star Erickson Lubin and once-beaten knockout artist Jorge Cota, who meet in a super welterweight world title eliminator.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, start at $50 (not including applicable fees) and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting www.ticketmaster.com, www.barclayscenter.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.

Additional fighters participating in the workout and competing in undercard action on Saturday included light heavyweight contender Andrzej Fonfara, who takes on former world champion Chad Dawson, popular local unbeaten Heather Hardy, who battles Edina Kiss in a featherweight attraction, super lightweight Mario Barrios, who meets Yardley Suarez in an eight-round fight, unbeaten contender Sergey Lipinets and Florida’s Clarence Booth, who meet in super lightweight action and 2016 Haitian Olympian Richardson Hitchins, who makes his pro debut.

Here is what the fighters

KEITH THURMAN

“It feels great to be in this big fight. This is what we’ve been dreaming of. It feels like my destiny. When you put so much hard work into the sport, everyone knows you’re planting a seed. You have to watch it grow and nurture it before it starts to bear fruit.

“Brooklyn has one of a kind fight fans. The history of this city and the history of boxing in this city is exceptional. The appreciation they have for fighters is one of a kind. It’s always a blessing to perform for these fans.

“I expect the best of Danny Garcia. This is the biggest fight of either of our careers. I saw the best of Shawn Porter, but Keith Thurman was able to rise to the top once again.

“When you look at the facts and our records, it doesn’t get bigger than this. There’s no comparison to my other fights. This is the biggest of my career.

“The ultimate goal is to unify the division. It’s a blessing right now to have two undefeated world champions. These titles have only been brought together a few times in history. It’s a great opportunity. The winner is going to be that man to beat at 147-pounds.

“I believe that we will see the next superstar in the welterweight division after we unify these titles. Whoever becomes the undisputed welterweight champion of the world, will be on another level. We’re going to take our first step toward that Saturday night.

“I want to touch as many households as I can touch. I want the kids who come from the struggle; I want them to see me. They have to learn that they’re going to earn their stripes in life from training hard in the gym.”

DANNY GARCIA

“I’ve trained hard for this fight and I’m ready. Saturday night, I’ll be the new unified champion of the world.

“The atmosphere at Barclays Center is amazing. I’ve always requested to fight here and I’m glad they accept me. I can’t wait to fight in front of those great fans again.

“I’m prepared for the best Keith Thurman. I’m ready to make adjustments and fight like a true champion and get the victory.

“I’ve been training a long time for this fight. I felt great in the gym and I was really comfortable the whole time. I’ve had no struggle to make weight. I feel strong and I’ve had no injuries. That’s a perfect camp. We train hard, we train smart and we’re prepared for Saturday night.

“I always train to impress. I don’t need to add any extra pressure just because it’s a big audience. I have to go in there and keep my composure and be the same Danny Garcia that I always am.

“We just have to stay focused on Saturday night. We’re just worried about my game plan for the fight. There’s no distractions for me. I think everything will go smoothly.

“There’s always been some tough fights in the legacies of other great fighters. Each fight is a learning experience. Everything in my career has led me to this fight.

“People want to see the best fight the best. This is my chance to prove it to the world that I’m one of the best fighters in the world.

“I’m definitely a better fighter than Keith Thurman. He’s never been in the ring with a guy like me. Saturday night, I’m going to prove it. I’m the better counter-puncher, I’m sharper and I’ll prove it on Saturday night.”

ERICKSON LUBIN

“It feels great to be here. Training camp was amazing. We had lots of sparring and made lots of improvements from my last fight. I feel strong and I can’t wait until Saturday night.

“I don’t let anything get to me. I know what I can do. I’m going to go in there confident and be dominant. I’m going to be aware of everything and keep my mind sharp in the ring.

“My coach does the studying of the tape but I know he’s a strong Mexican power-puncher. We know he’s going to be aggressive, but we’re ready for any style he comes with on Saturday night.

“For every opponent, the game plan is different. We have a game plan, but we’ll be ready to adjust. At the end of the day, I have to go in there and win, and win impressively.

“Being on this card is a wonderful feeling. I get to open up for this tremendous fight that I think is going to be the Fight of the Year. I’m going to set the bar real high.

“I’m coming for that number one spot Saturday night. After that, I become the mandatory for Jermell Charlo. I’m going to win this fight in spectacular fashion, mark my words.”

JORGE COTA

“I know that it’s been a long lay-off but I’ve been staying in the gym and staying ready. I don’t think I’ll have any ring rust once I get in there.

“I’m going to take it round-by-round and see what he brings into the ring. I’m going to make adjustments off of what I see. I’ll assess the situation and take it on from there.

“I have a lot of motivation coming into this fight and I’m ready to move a step closer to a world title. This opportunity is something that I won’t let slip by.

“I know I have a very tough opponent in front of me, but I am too strong and I will be too good on Saturday night.”

ANDRZEJ FONFARA

“I got some rest after my last fight and get myself back together. The decision was to change trainers to Virgil Hunter. I’m happy with that decision and I had a great camp.

“I have more focus during this camp. It’s just my family and the gym. The same thing every day. I’m in possibly the best shape I’ve been in my life.

“I have a great jab that I have to use. I think I’m a stronger and more physical fighter than Chad Dawson. I know how to box inside and outside. Dawson has a lot of experience but I know I will be ready for anything he brings.

“There are a lot of Polish fans I’m expecting to see on Saturday night. I know that Brooklyn has a large population of Polish boxing fans. I’m ready for that feeling. I’m back and I’m going after a world title.”

HEATHER HARDY

“I’ve had my eyes on this fight date for a while. I knew that I had to get on this card. There had to be at least one woman representing our sport on this card.

“The women have to work three times as hard just to get to this point. Girls train just as hard as men and we’re working towards getting our due.

“We don’t just represent ourselves when we get in the ring, we represent our sport. There’s always an incredible amount of pressure, no matter what the stage is.

“Just before this fight camp I was coming off of an eight-week MMA camp. Thinking about a girl who can only hit me with two hands, I’m not worried at all.

“I’m excited to get back in the ring and put on a show for my loyal and dedicated fans who love to watch me fight.”

MARIO BARRIOS

“I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to be on this card. We’re more than prepared for this fight. We have a tough opponent but I’m ready to take everything we’ve done in the gym and put it into the ring.

“My team has watched some tape on my opponent. I personally don’t like to watch too much of their tapes. Everyone fights different opponents differently. We came up with a game plan for this fight and that’s what we’ve been working on all camp.

“A win means everything to me. It’s going to help me climb the ladder and help me take another step in my career.

“I love fighting in New York. The people in this city are incredible and they come out for big fights like this. It’s huge to be on this stage and I’m going to take advantage of it.”

SERGEY LIPINETS

“The bright lights have never scared me away. I’m more motivated by the importance of this card. All I care about is what happens in the fight. I don’t see any distractions. I’m focused on my opponent.

“I prepare for every fight like it’s for a world title. It’s the same system for getting ready. But I am aware that people have a lot of tape on me now, so my team has been working on bringing something different to each fight.

“As of now, I’m the IBF mandatory, but I’m not looking past Clarence Booth. I want to take care of this fight and then move on to whoever is holding that belt in June or July. I want a world title fight next.

“I respect every man who steps into that squared-circle. Clarence Booth is a great fighter and I respect him for getting in the ring with me. He’s in my way and I plan on putting on a great performance.”

CLARENCE BOOTH

“Being in camp with Keith Thurman is like being in the school of boxing. We spar, get some good rounds in and he always gives me good advice.

“I’m prepared for anything on Saturday night. I’ve watched him a little bit. I see he’s a big puncher, but I’m a big puncher too. I’m ready to get to work.

“I can do it all in the ring. I can brawl, box and adjust to my opponent. I’m excited for this fight on Saturday.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for me and I’m just excited to get in the ring and take advantage of it on Saturday night.”

RICHARDSON HITCHINS

“I’m excited to make my pro debut. I’ve fought in the Golden Gloves at Barclays Center before so there’s no pressure heading into this one.

“I’ve had a long amateur career and I think all of that prepared me for this moment. Everything I’ve been doing since I was 13 has led to this.

“I don’t know too much about my opponent but I’m going to go in there and adapt. We’ve trained to be prepared for this.

“I’ve always seen myself fighting on big cards and one day I’ll be the headliner. We’re finally on the right track towards what I’m looking to accomplish.”

# # #

ABOUT THURMAN vs. GARCIA
Keith Thurman vs. Danny Garcia is a welterweight world title showdown between undefeated 147-pound titlists. The 12-round bout headlines SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on CBS, presented by Premier Boxing Champions, Saturday March 4 from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™. In the co-main event undefeated rising star Erickson Lubin battles once-beaten knockout artist Jorge Cota in a super welterweight title eliminator bout on CBS at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports follow on Twitter @SHOSports, @KeithFThurmanJr, @DannySwift, @LouDiBella, @BarclaysCenter and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports, www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment, www.Facebook.com/barclayscenter. PBC is sponsored by Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

LONDON (1 March) – Welterweight ace Keith Thurman has warned fellow champion Danny Garcia he will be his toughest fight yet.

The unbeaten pair clash this weekend, exclusively live on BoxNation, in what is one of the most eagerly anticipated fights of the year as Floridian Thurman puts his WBA world title on the line against WBC champion Garcia.

The heavy-hitters will meet at the Barclays Center in New York on Saturday night and 28-year-old Thurman, who has won all 27 of his fights, with 22 knockouts, is not worried about losing his perfect record and believes he will be Garcia’s toughest foe to date.

“It’s not easy to be Keith Thurman, I got an ‘0’ and I’m not afraid to let it go,” said Thurman.

“If you can beat me, beat me. I’m going to shake your hand at the end of the fight. I’m going to congratulate you at the end of the fight. But I don’t bow down to nobody and I know that I’m the greatest challenge that most fighters will ever face.

“That’s where my confidence comes from and, you know, I’m just looking forward to the fight. It’s going to be a great fight,” he said.

When Thurman and Garcia do meet they will be unifying the same world titles as ‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns did in their 1981 ‘Fight of the Year’ clash.

This showdown is expected to produce similar fireworks with Thurman believing that his naturally bigger size will be a telling factor in the fight.

“I love another man trying to get the best of me right in front of me, going toe-to-toe with me. I just live for it. I’ll never back down. I’m bigger than Danny naturally,” said Thurman.

“He was always smaller than me in the amateurs. He’s smaller than me in the pros. He’s moving up. He might hold his weight well but I’m just a little bit bigger. So that gives me some confidence there.

“We both have great records, great resumes, lots of knockouts, but I have less fights, more knockouts. So I believe that I do punch harder and that I’ll just edge him out statistically a little bit.

“It’s going to come down to who lands the right punches at the right time and strength and conditioning and just everything that the fight game is about. I always come prepared for these kind of fights. I’m just looking forward to it,” Thurman said.

28-year-old Philadelphia native Garcia disputes Thurman’s claim that he is the smaller man, insisting he only stayed at light-welterweight because he held the world titles at 140-pounds.

“To be honest with you I’ve been a welterweight – I was just shrinking myself down to 140 like after I fought [Lucas] Matthysse, my plan was to move up to 147 in 2013, because I couldn’t make the weight no more,” said Garcia.

“We had the title, so we decided to keep squeezing ourselves down. It kind of hurt me in a couple of performances. I wasn’t able to perform my best because of the weight but I feel like I’ve been a true welterweight. I should have been a welterweight since 2013.

“I’m tough for the weight class. I’ve got big shoulders. So I definitely feel like welterweight is my natural weight class. I was just squeezing myself down throughout the years and I’m happy that I’m able to let my body grow and filling to the welterweight division now,” he said.

Thurman v Garcia is exclusively live on BoxNation this Saturday night. Buy now at boxnation.com.

BoxNation is available on Sky/Freeview/Virgin/TalkTalk/EE/Apple TV/ online at watch.boxnation.com and via apps (iOS, Android, Amazon) for just £12 a month.

– ENDS –

About BoxNation
BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated boxing channel. From £12* per month with no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.
Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Mayweather vs Maidana, Saunders vs Eubank Jr and Khan vs Canelo.
The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Freeview (Ch.255), Virgin (Ch.546), TalkTalk (Ch.415), online at watch.boxnation.com and via apps (ios, Android, Amazon, Apple TV). BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.
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NEW YORK (Feb. 28, 2017) – Boxing Hall of Famer and former undisputed welterweight world champion Sugar Ray Leonard will join the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on CBS broadcast team on Saturday, March 4 for GARCIA vs. THURMAN. The event will be headlined by the welterweight world championship unification bout between undefeated champions Danny Garcia and Keith Thurman. GARCIA vs. THURMAN is presented by Premier Boxing Champions and will take place at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, home of BROOKLYN BOXING.

The live broadcast will be produced by SHOWTIME Sports® for the CBS Television Network and will air live on CBS from 9-11 p.m. ET / 6-8 p.m. PT. Garcia vs. Thurman will be the first world title unification bout in any weight division on live network television in over two decades and just the second primetime boxing presentation on CBS in nearly 40 years. The first was headlined by a thrilling welterweight world championship fight between Thurman and Shawn Porter, a 2016 Fight of the Year candidate and one of the most watched boxing events of the year.

With SHOWTIME boxing analyst and active prizefighter Paul Malignaggi scheduled to fight in London that evening, the broadcast seat opened up for Leonard. He will join SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING host Brian Custer, play-by-play voice Mauro Ranallo, International Boxing Hall of Fame analyst Al Bernstein and Sports Emmy® Award-winning reporter Jim Gray on Saturday.

Leonard made his professional boxing debut on CBS in 1977, less than one year after he won gold at the ‘76 Olympics in Montreal as part of what is considered the greatest American boxing team in Olympic history. He served as a boxing analyst for the network in the early 1980s during a temporary retirement, calling fights alongside CBS boxing announcer Tim Ryan and Hall of Fame trainer and analyst Gil Clancy, before eventually resuming his professional boxing career. The March 4 event will reunite Leonard with former CBS producer and current SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING Executive Producer David Dinkins Jr., and director Bob Dunphy, the son of legendary boxing broadcaster Don Dunphy.

A five-division titlist and one of the most decorated boxers of all-time, Leonard brings unique perspective to the broadcast booth having been in a similar situation to Thurman and Garcia more than 35 years ago. Garcia, the WBC 147-pound titleholder, and Thurman, his WBA counterpart, will unify the exact same titles that Leonard (WBC) and fellow Hall of Famer Thomas Hearns (WBA) unified in their classic 1981 Fight of the Year.

Heading into the March 4 unification, Garcia and Thurman own similar records to those of Leonard and Hearns prior to their ‘81 showdown. Thurman is 27-0 and Garcia is 33-0, while Leonard was 30-1 and Hearns was 32-0. And like Leonard and Hearns, Thurman and Garcia are in their 20’s and their respective primes as they approach the career-defining fight.

“I’m thrilled to be working with the SHOWTIME team and to be part of the CBS broadcast of this great event,” said Leonard. “I’ve watched Danny Garcia and Keith Thurman develop as young men and mature both inside and outside of the ring. Now they are both champions facing their biggest test to determine the man to beat in the welterweight division. This fight reminds me of my incredible bout against Tommy Hearns. There’s nothing better in boxing than when champions meet to unify a division, and I truly believe this fight could go either way. I’m so excited and I can’t wait to be ringside this Saturday at Barclay’s Center.”

“When Ray and I last spoke in January, we’d reminisced briefly about our work in boxing together and we’d promised to get together soon,” said Dinkins. “Who knew it would be to work on the biggest fight scheduled for 2017? I’m thrilled that Ray is available to join our SHOWTIME broadcast team on March 4. His experience in fighting on the big stage for high-stakes will help put Garcia vs. Thurman into its proper context.

“Garcia vs. Thurman is a battle of undefeated champions,” Dinkins continued. “The winner of this fight will be the No. 1 welterweight in the world. Ray has been there. His classic battles with Wilfred Benitez, Roberto Duran and Thomas Hearns at welterweight made him a legend. It is only fitting that he will be ringside when a new star is born.”

Leonard was down on the scorecards when he knocked out Hearns in the 14th round of the 1981 fight. It was only the second world championship unification match in welterweight history. Garcia and Thurman will face off in the 10th unification in division history, and only the third between undefeated world champions.

After the Hearns fight, Leonard made one more defense of his welterweight belts before eventually moving up to challenge Marvin Hagler at middleweight. Leonard has served as a TV personality and boxing analyst since retiring from the ring in 1997, including a stint on CBS.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, start at $50 (not including applicable fees) and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting www.ticketmaster.com, www.barclayscenter.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.

ABOUT GARCIA vs. THURMAN
Danny Garcia vs. Keith Thurman is a welterweight world title showdown between undefeated 147-pound titlists. The 12-round bout headlines SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on CBS, presented by Premier Boxing Champions, Saturday, March 4 from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™. In the co-main event, undefeated rising star Erickson Lubin battles once-beaten knockout artist Jorge Cota in a super welterweight title eliminator bout on CBS at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports, follow on Twitter @SHOSports, @ShowtimeBoxing, @DannySwift, @KeithFThurmanJr, @LouDiBella, @BarclaysCenter and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports, www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment, www.Facebook.com/barclayscenter. PBC is sponsored by Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina.