AMPA (July 6, 2015) – An exciting night of undercard fights comes to the USF Sun Dome in Tampa on Saturday, July 11 featuring matchups between Edner Cherry (33-6-2, 18 KOs) fighting Luis Cruz (21-3, 16 KOs) in a 10-round lightweight battle and Anthony Peterson (34-1, 22 KOs) facing Ramesis Gil (8-11-5, 5 KOs) in a 10-round super lightweight bout.

Televised coverage of Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT with an explosive junior middleweight showdown between Tony Harrison (21-0, 18 KOs) and Willie Nelson (23-2-1, 13 KOs). The night is headlined by undefeated welterweight star Keith “One Time” Thurman (25-0, 21 KOs) facing former world champion Luis Collazo (26-6, 19 KOs). Door open at USF Sun Dome at 6 p.m. with the first fight beginning at 6:30 p.m.

The night of action will also feature Walter Castillo (25-3, 18 KOs) who takes on Amet Diaz (32-11, 23 KOs) in a 10-round super lightweight attraction and undefeated prospect Patryk Syzmanski (13-0, 8 KOs) facing off against Maurice Louishomme (8-2, 4 KOs) in an eight-round super welterweight bout.

Also showcased will be the brother of world champion Gary Russell Jr., 22-year-old Washington, D.C. prospect Antonio Russell who takes on 23-year-old Puerto Rican Jaxel Marrero in a six-round bantamweight attraction and the pro debut of Chicago’s Bruno Brecidean as he faces 21-year-old Brad Sustad out of Orlando in a super welterweight tilt scheduled for four rounds.

Rounding out the scheduled fights are Antonio Tarver Jr. (2-0, 2 KOs), the 27-year-old out of Orlando and son of boxing superstar Antonio Tarver who takes on 29-year-old Julian Valerio (2-3) of Orlando in a four round super welterweight bout and undefeated 28-year-old super welterweight Manny Woods (13-3-1, 5 KOs) out of St. Petersburg who takes on 26-year-old Puerto Rican Carlos Garcia (7-14-1, 7 KOs)

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Warriors Boxing, are priced at $200, $150, $75, $50 and $25, not including applicable service charges and taxes, and are on sale now. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available at www.ticketmaster.com or by visiting the Sun Dome box office.

An experienced fighter who has made appearances in the ring for over a decade as a professional, the 32-year-old Cherry will make his 2015 debut on July 11 in Tampa. Owner of victories over Vicente Escobedo, Monta Meza Clay and Wes Ferguson, Cherry was born in the Bahamas but now fights out of Wauchula, Florida. He takes on the 29-year-old Puerto Rican Cruz.

The brother of former world champion Lamont Peterson, the 30-year-old Peterson hopes to soon make a name for himself on the big stage. Owner of wins over Daniel Attah, Dominic Salcido and Marcos Leonardo Jimenez, the Washington, D.C. product is looking to win his fifth consecutive fight on July 11. He faces the 32-year-old Gil out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

The 26-year-old Castillo is an exciting brawler who never takes a step back and will look to put on a show for fans in Tampa. The Managua, Nicaragua-born knockout artist ended 12 of his first professional 14 victories inside of the distance. He will face 32-year-old former title challenger Diaz out of Panama City.

Miami-based fighter, Hernandez will be able to compete not far from his home when he hits the ring in Tampa on July 11. The 30-year-old will bring his straight ahead style up against the 22-year-old Tercero out of Mexico City.

Undefeated at just 22-years-old, Szymanski will look to build on his recent success on July 11. The Konin, Poland-born fighter made his 2015 debut in March with a second round TKO over Yoryi Estrella. He is set to face the 37-year-old Louishomme out of Colorado Springs.

For information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @KeithFThurmanJr, @RealLuisCollazo, @WarriorsBoxingProm and @ESPNBoxing and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/premierboxingchampions
and www.Facebook.com/WarriorsBoxingPromo.

By Bart Barry

TAMPA, Fla. – Saturday in University of South Florida’s acclaimed Sundome, Florida welterweight Keith “One Time” Thurman stopped Brooklyn’s Luis Collazo in the 11th round of PBC’s insipid ESPN debut. Official attendance in the hauntingly quiet arena was announced at: “A lot, I mean, look around.”

Thurman’s victory was not without controversy. After failing to land a clean punch on Collazo through several, 90-second durations of their fight, Thurman came alive at the midway point of the penultimate round, striking Collazo flush with a number of punches at the very instant late-sub referee Laurence Cole, caught texting on his phone in a neutral corner several times in round 5, offered the fight his undivided attention. Thurman was ahead 100-90 on all three official scorecards at the time, as expected.

The purpose of this fight was twofold: 1. Build the Thurman brand, and 1. Fill a reserved ESPN television date, and 2. Drop a Thurman ball in the Mayweather Opponent Draft Lottery, and 2. Preclude future lawsuits against the event’s advisor and hedge fund from alleging University of South Florida fell prey to a venue-squatting saltern to keep its coveted Sundome from being reserved by a regional California promoter who once used rumors of his own intention to fight in September to preclude a rival promotional outfit from using a Mexican Independence Day weekend he later filled with Marco Antonio Barrera and Robbie Peden (this column should not be used in the text of any future lawsuits that allege the Florida State Boxing Commission was complicit in a plot to bump Bengali songbird Shreya Ghoshal from her Saturday date to a performance on July 25).

As stated by the promoter of record, who, frankly, could be any one of four or five nameless entities that rent their licenses to advisor Al Haymon – who, it should be noted, deftly navigates the unenforced Ali Act by calling himself neither a manager nor a promoter: “Keith (Thurman) does not hate Shreya Ghoshal. That’s patently ridiculous. I wouldn’t rent my promoter’s license to his advisor if he did! Without getting into the specifics of ethnicities, I could basically be a Bengali – all other things being equal.”

To bring further clarity, and with any luck an end to the manufacture of this particular controversy, immediately after stopping the hapless Collazo, Thurman declared: “Dude, I love the Bengals. Some of my buddies are from Cincy. I’m gonna even get tiger trunks for my next fight.”

Collazo did his job smartly, Saturday, committed wholly to giving a one-time exciting young prospect his third dull decision since December, but Collazo’s effort to stretch Thurman into what “tepid, Gulf bathwater, coming all the way up to your shoulders” he promised before Saturday’s match was thwarted much by Thurman and the silent Sundome crowd as by the third man in the ring. Collazo, once boldly informed by a veteran San Antonio Express-News boxing scribe his 2013 victory over Alan Sanchez was “honestly, the dullest fight I think I’ve ever seen,” was circumspect about Saturday’s early stoppage.

“I’ll be back,” Collazo said. “Set your alarms and wake-up calls. I’ll be back.”

Before any more social-media outrage attends Saturday’s stoppage, #ColeAgainAgain, with citations of video evidence that shows Thurman landing merely four unanswered punches on Collazo before the match was called-off, one must consider the wording in the PBC’s recently leaked hedge-fund prospectus: “A fight can be stopped at the onset of any punch combination that sees the designated opponent (subsequently called B-SIDE) struck by any number of punches disproportionate to the mean of punches previously established in no more than three (3) rounds.”

Keith “One Time” Thurman, to the halfway point of Saturday’s 11th round, justified his cognomen, averaging about one punch landed per combination thrown in rounds 8 and 9 and 10, making his jab-jab-hook-cross combination at 1:27 of round 11 a 400-percent increase in violent activity over the established mean, validating Cole’s hurling of himself between the combatants. That Collazo did not show any outward signs of peril is both interesting and entirely beside the point, as boxing’s wounds often occur internally, long, long before they show outward manifestations.

At Friday’s weighin, Collazo trainer Willie Vargas promised: “We’re going to to hit Thurman ‘one time’ for every tattoo on Luis’ body.” Asked about his giddy forecast at Saturday’s postfight presser, Vargas replied, “I don’t know. Maybe we did. Who was counting?”

Postfight talk both inside and outside Sundome returned to a familiar question, one that sank in Tampa’s oppressively heavy air all week: Did Thurman look bad enough to get a September fight with Floyd Mayweather?

“Oh man, Keith, you looked terrible!” shouted a Haymon hypeman at the ESPN cameras just before Saturday’s official time was read. “Man, you looked awful!”

Mayweather pal Leonard Ellerbe, attending the match in behalf of his sponsor, showed customary sobriety in his assessment of any future Mayweather opponent.

“It was boring, and nobody knows why the ref stopped it,” said Ellerbe. “(But) terrible enough to fight ‘Money’ in the final match before his next retirement after he breaks that record? I really don’t know about that. Even with the competition he’s been fed, Keith’s skills are not eroded like we’d hoped.

“He can still punch a bit, can’t he?”

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

TAMPA (June 4, 2015) – Undefeated superstar Keith “One Time” Thurman (25-0, 21 KOs) returns to the ring in his home state to face former world champion Luis Collazo (36-6, 19 KOs) on Saturday, July 11 in the main event of the inaugural Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN show live at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT from the USF Sun Dome in Tampa.

The co-main event of the evening features an exciting matchup between undefeated top prospect Tony Harrison (21-0, 18 KOs) and quick-fisted Willie Nelson (23-2-1, 13 KOs) in an event that will kick off live coverage of PBC on ESPN. Doors open in the arena at 6 p.m. ET with the first fight starting at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Warriors Boxing, are priced at $200, $150, $75, $50 and $25, not including applicable service charges and taxes, and go on sale Saturday, June 6 at 10 a.m. ET. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available at www.ticketmaster.com or by visiting the Sun Dome box office.

Thurman has consistently shown his tremendous power by knocking out 18 of his first 19 opponents and since winning a world title in 2013, he has ascended to the very top of the sport’s elite class. The 26-year-old Clearwater, Florida native made three successful title defenses with wins over Jesus Soto Karass, Julio Diaz and Leonard Bundu. In his next bout he debuted the Premier Boxing Champions series by defeating Robert Guerrero in a spectacular battle on March 7. Next up on July 11, Thurman will return to the ring in his home state of Florida for the first time since 2009.

One of Brooklyn’s most respected fighters,Collazo has earned another shot at the top of the welterweight division on July 11. In April of this year, Collazo made a statement with a second round TKO of Christopher Degollado at Barclays Center.. A world champion in 2005, Collazo has faced top fighters his whole career. Most notably in recent years, he delivered an electrifying second round knockout over Victor Ortiz in Dec. 2014. Collazo will look to use his experience and guile to upset Thurman on the road on July 11.

At just 24-years-old, Harrison has made big noise recently as he brings a 10 knockout win streak to his fight on July 11. The Detroit-native has gotten off to a blazing start in 2015, already knocking out Antwone Smith and Pablo Munguia in impressive fashion. The supremely talented fighter now steps up in competition and hopes to keep his undefeated record intact when he faces Nelson.

A professional since 2006, Nelson has the tools and experience to give Harrison more than just a tough test. The 28-year-old owns victories over previously unbeaten fighters John Jackson and Yudel Johnson plus experienced veterans Luciano Cuello, Michael Medina. The fighter out of Cleveland is coming off of a narrow defeat against top contender Vanes Martirosyan in Oct. 2014.

For information visit
www.premierboxingchampions.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @KeithFThurmanJr, @RealLuisCollazo, @WarriorsBoxingProm and @ESPNBoxing and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/premierboxingchampions
and www.Facebook.com/WarriorsBoxingPromo.

The first live Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN (PBC on ESPN) telecast will feature a star-studded 12-round welterweight matchup between undefeated Keith “One Time” Thurman (25-0, 21 KOs) and Luis Collazo (36-6, 19 KOs) when the series debuts on ESPN on Saturday, July 11, at 9 p.m. ET. The opening fight will showcase a 10-round junior middleweight matchup between undefeated Tony Harrison (21-0, 18 KOs) and Willie Nelson (23-2-1, 13 KOs). ESPN3 will also carry live the preliminary bouts at a time to be determined. The card will be held in Tampa, Fla., at a site to be named.

In March, ESPN announced a multi-year agreement, to televise Premier Boxing Champions, a series created for television by Haymon Boxing, featuring top-level fights between many of boxing’s biggest names. PBC on ESPN will air 12, two-hour live shows annually on ESPN and ABC. ESPN Deportes, ESPN’s Spanish-language network, will also televise all PBC on ESPN fights as part of its Noche de Combates series and ESPN International will present coverage across its networks in Latin America, Brazil, the Caribbean and Pacific Rim. Live coverage will also be available through WatchESPN on computers, smartphones, tablets, Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One via an affiliated video provider.

Blow-by-blow commentator Joe Tessitore and analyst Teddy Atlas, both recipients of the prestigious Sam Taub Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism presented by the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA), will call the fights ringside on ESPN and ABC. Additional on-air commentators will be announced at a later date.

Florida’s Thurman—who is widely regarded to be the heir apparent in the division when Floyd Mayweather retires—is coming off a unanimous decision win against welterweight contender Robert Guerrero, while New York’s Collazo is looking to score another victory following a second-round TKO win over Christopher Degollado. Harrison, fighting out of Detroit, scored a third-round TKO win over Pablo Munguia in his last fight, while Cleveland’s Nelson is looking to rebound from a unanimous decision loss to Vanes Martirosyan.

Boxing on ESPN
Boxing has been a staple of ESPN’s programming for 35 years. ESPN began televising boxing on April 10, 1980 – the network’s first year on the air – when weekly boxing returned to television for the first time since 1964. For the past 17 years, ESPN Friday Night Fights has showcased some of the best bouts in the boxing industry and introduced fans to future stars and champions. Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN will take fights to a level never seen before on the network.
About Haymon Boxing Management
Haymon Boxing Management is based in Las Vegas, Nevada, and manages and advises more than 200 professional fighters.

For more information on Premier Boxing Champions, visit:

premierboxingchampions.com, facebook.com/premierboxingchampions, or https://twitter.com/premierboxing

LAS VEGAS, NV (March 11, 2015) – A few days after his inspiring effort against WBA Welterweight Champion, Keith Thurman (25-0, 21 KOs), Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero is already looking forward to his next fight. Guerrero is today’s version of a modern day gladiator who leaves everything in the ring. His never die fighting style is what fans of all ages are thriving to see. Sports fans around the world witnessed a “Fight of the Year” candidate when Guerrero and Thurman left everything in the ring. Guerrero speaks on his future.

“Although Thurman and I went to war, my body is recovering well,” said Robert Guerrero. “As crazy as it sounds, I’m ready to get back to work and start training. I’m hoping I can get back in the ring by the summer and finish off strong by the end of the year. If I can get two more fights in this year, I’ll be happy. I know the fans are looking forward to my next fight, and I’m ready to bring them another exciting night of action.”

Bob Santos who co-manages Guerrero stated, “After looking at the fight, I realized Guerrero was fighting a super-middleweight on fight night, which makes his fight with Thurman even more unbelievable. Guerrero who came up from 122 lbs. went the distance with an undefeated champion who fought most of his career at 154 pounds, that’s incredible. The fans got to see a true warrior in Guerrero last Saturday, and will get to see him again in the near future.”

By Bart Barry–

SAN ANTONIO – Tuesday at Aztec Theater, the oldest theater in this old city, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and James Kirkland announced their May 9 fight in Houston. Saturday at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Keith Thurman decisioned Robert Guerrero. In between those two middling affairs, Showtime announced plans to honor its televised trilogy of Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez – a trilogy unlikely to be matched in quality or ferocity even by a 2025 highlight reel called “Premier Boxing Champions: The First 10 Years.”

What Alvarez and Thurman have in common is above-average talent and a poor era; they are b-level fighters elevated to millions-dollar purses through some balance of mediocre opposition and needy fans. Alvarez is better tested and more beloved and unlikely to improve, while Thurman is more athletic, even while his power has moved with inverse proportionality to his opposition. What Vazquez and Marquez were, and made together, is another thing entirely.

There’s an inauthenticity to the televised experience, today, that wasn’t nearly so pronounced a part of our sport in previous decades. Boxing writers’ lamentations about television are well-noted and quite old, of course, and this isn’t intended to be so much another tired protest of the inevitable as a commentary on what’s worsened.

Boxing long preserved a griminess, a degree of filth, other sports lost generations before; boxing retained a sense of the unexpected in a way that made other sports appear overwrought and scripted. There was ever a touch of irony to this – with spectators accusing boxing results of being fixed, which they often were, even while phantom rules violations in the NBA and NFL influenced just as dramatically who became those sports’ champions. Television was a guest at boxing events, or at least telecasts felt like they were conducted by guests; proper boxing matches had a sense of inevitability to them, an implication this grievance would be settled, regardless of witness, at this time, on this evening, and television cameras just happened to be there.

Saturday’s NBC debut, instead, had other sports’ feel: We are here because television invited us, and do you know how great is the reach of public airwaves? and have you seen our incredible commentating team? and would you please have a listen to our soundtrack? If it did not feel quite scripted, it neither felt like a collection of brawls that were going to happen even if television cameras went dark. Aficionados are noticeably insecure about public acceptance of our sport, too, and that marked social-media depictions of a few good rounds in an otherwise poor night of NBC boxing with the usual trimming: Don’t you see, everybody, this is why you should love boxing as much as we do!

Tuesday’s press conference, or media event, as they’re now called since “press” – derived from printing press – no longer has any meaningful place at these clubland mashups where seats labeled Deadline Media get occupied early by women with enormous promotional posters and boys with eager black sharpies, and the deejay stands both closer to fighters and with a better chance of interrogating them than anyone carrying something antiquated as a notebook or pen, had promoters beseeching the partisan-Mexican South Texas crowd to show the world Texans were the very best fans by driving 200 miles to Houston in May to purchase the promoters’ product. Oscar De La Hoya was there, looking jittery as he’s appeared since warming up to fire Richard Schaefer (who must’ve watched Saturday’s NBC telecast and realized, much like HBO’s Kery Davis before him, he was disposable to Al Haymon as print media is), and of course Saul Alvarez and James Kirkland were there too.

Evermore, De La Hoya appears a refreshingly outdated model; he likes or appreciates the press and adheres to the olden-day rules of being unbothered by gliding through 20 minutes of frictionless inquiries so long as his inquisitors are equally unbothered by 20 minutes of countlessly refried cliches. There was a time De La Hoya was unique in the sport for his lack of sincerity. De La Hoya is no more sincere today than he was then, but our beloved sport now plumbs such depths of insincerity a De La Hoya sighting has all the charm of a throwback jersey; at least Oscar cares enough to smile and wave and remind us he was a great fighter who did fight other great fighters.

As an antidote to all that, last week Showtime announced it would commemorate the best trilogy to improve is airwaves, when it replayed Israel Vazquez versus Rafael Marquez. There appears nowhere on our horizon the likelihood of another such trilogy. The quality and violence of the combat shared between those two Mexican prizefighters, their willingness to avenge both defeats and victories, at a withering pace – they fought three times in 363 days (just after Vazquez stopped Jhonny Gonzalez in a particularly brutal affair) – is so far from what we have now it is barely believable Vazquez-Marquez 3 happened only seven years ago.

Then, as now, many in our ranks were discontent with boxing’s trajectory. Try not to imagine how bad things will need to go for us someday to look back longingly at Thurman-Guerrero.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

LAS VEGAS – Blood, guts, skill and will made for a powerful mix. It was a shot of prime time, just what NBC ordered.

Keith Thurman and Robert Guerrero delivered Saturday night at the MGM Grand with a compelling welterweight bout full of more drama than the story told by scores on one-sided cards.

Thurman was the winner. The 120-107, 118-109, 118-108 scorecards seemed to say that it was easy. It wasn’t. That was as plain as Thurman’s battered face. There was a huge welt on the left side of his forehead from an apparent head butt in the third round. Streaks of blood and bruises framed his weary eyes.

Thurman won, all right.

In the ninth round, he knocked down Guerrero and cut him above one eye with a successive right uppercuts and a glancing left hand. Guerrero was flat on his back, blood streaming across his face and onto the mat from a deep gash across his left eyelid. It looked as if he wouldn’t get up, as if he was about to get stopped for the first time in his long career. But there’s no if in his courage.

“Robert Guerrero was a tremendous warrior,’’ Thurman (25-0, 21 KOs).

Was and is.

Guerrero (32-3-1, 18 KOs) got up and took the fight to a tiring Thurman. It was if Guerrero knew he needed a knockout and Thurman was protecting the victory he knew he had on the cards. Thurman backpedaled. Guerrero moved forward.

In the 10th, there was a collision. Guerrero’s pursuit put him with range and he capitalized, landing straight right hands that seemed to stun Thurman. The crowd of 10,107 went wild. NBC had the round it wanted in its first prime-time telecast of boxing in three decades.

“I fought my heart out,’’ Guerrero said. “That’s the the kind of performance that wins over the hearts of fans, even if you don’t win.’’

Adrien Broner has a fast jab, a faster mouth and collection of nicknames. The jab was enough to a score a 120-108, 118-110, 120-108 decision over John Molina Jr., whose only real counter was an awkward lunge.

But the speed in Broner’s jab was absent in his feet. Broner (30-1, 22 KOs), who landed 141 jabs, was often as flat-footed as Molina (27-6, 22 KOs) was off-balance. It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t even competitive. Molina landed only 54 punches throughout the 12 rounds.

Yet, Broner never displayed a finishing touch. He calls himself AB. But Broner’s performance put some new meaning into the acronym. About Billions? Not quite. About Boring was more like it.

It was a junior-welterweight fight that took the prime out of time. The MGM Grand crowd booed. NBC can only hope that the viewers didn’t reach for their remotes, especially after Broner repeated a version of a slur that insulted a pay-per-view audience in May, 2014.

That’s when Broner said: “I’ve beaten Afri-cans and I just beat the bleep out of a Mexi-can” after a victory over Carlos Molina on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s decision over Marcos Maidana.

This time, Broner tried to offend a network audience.

“Anyone can get it,’’ he said to as the crowd tried to silence him with boos. “African’cans, Mexi-cans.’’

At least, nobody in the NBC audience had to pay to hear that one.

In the wake of a knockout loss to Jhonny Gonzalez, nothing has been easy for Los Angeles featherweight Abner Mares (29-1-1, 15 KOs), who won his third straight since the defeat, yet continued to look less than spectacular in a unanimous decision over Arturo Reyes (18-5, 5 KOs) of Mexico.

Mario Barrios (8-0, 4 KOs), a 6-foot featherweight from San Antonio, employed every inch of his advantage in height and reach against overmatched and overwhelmed Justin Lopez (5-3, 5 KOs), a fellow Texan who was down late in the second round and finished at 1:53 of the third.

With Robert Guerrero’s volatile dad, Ruben, in his corner, Mexican featherweight Jorge Lara (27-0-1, 19 KOs) was a buzz saw, walking through and over fellow Mexican Mario Macias (25-15, 13 KOs) for a first-round TKO

First, there were the lights. Then, there was the music. Then, there were Ladarius Miller and Ryan Picou, who were the first fighters to walk across a new stage, down ramps and into a ring beneath the brightest high def this side of Jerry Vision at the Dallas Cowboys home stadium.

Miller and Picou must have been tempted to look at themselves on screens that cost $3.5 million apiece.

But they couldn’t. They had to keep an eye on each other in the opening bout on Al Haymon’s first card in his new circuit, Premier Boxing Champions, at the MGM Grand.

Miller, a Mayweather-promoted junior-welterweight, and Picou battled through four crisp rounds Saturday night in the first non-televised bout on a card featuring Keith-Thurman and Adrien Broner-John Molina Jr. in NBC’s first primetime telecast of boxing since a Larry Holmes’ victory over Carl “The Truth’’ Williams in 1985.

With Floyd Mayweather Sr. in his corner, Miller (6-0, 1 KO) employed his superior reach and quick hands, scoring a four-round unanimous decision over Picou (2-7), who lost every round on each of the scorecards.

On the card’s second bout, lightweight Robert Easter (13-0, 10 KOs) of Toledo didn’t leave it up the judges. He knocked down Alejandro Rodriquez (22-16-1, 13 KOs), three times in the second for a TKO victory at 1:15 of the round.

Follow all the action as Keith Thurman defends the WBA Welterweight title against Robert Guerrero. The action kicks off at 8:30 PM / 5:30 PM PT as Adrien Broner battles John Molina in a Jr. Welterweight bout.

12 Rounds–WBA Welterweight Title–Keith Thurman (24-0, 21 KO’s) vs Robert Guerrero (31-2-1, 18 KO’s)

Round 1 Thurman lands a combination..Right from Guerrero…Right to body from Thurman..right..right to body..10-9 Thurman

Round 2 Thurman lands a uppercut..Hard body shot…Hard right…20-18 Thurman

Round 3 Guerrero lands a left..Right from Thurman..Right from Guerrero…29-28 Thurman

Round 4 Thurman has a bumo over his left eye from an accidental headbutt..Combination from Thurman…right hand//another right..39-37 Thurman

Round 5 Right from Thurman..counter right..Guerrero lands a body punch and a right..49-47 Thurman

Round 6 Left from Guerrero…right and left from Thurman…right…Right from Thurman..left..Big right..Left…59-56 Thurman

Round 7 Thurmna lands a right…body shot..69-65 Thurman

Round 8 Guerrero lands a combination..Right from Thurman..right..right..79-74 Thurman

Round 9 BIG RIGHT AND DOWN GOES GUERRERO…GUERRERO IS CUT VERY BADLY AROUND THE LEFT EYE,,,Thurman unloading in the corner…89-82 Thurman

Round 10 Thurman lands a right…Guerrero lands a left,…Strong right from Thurman…Body shots from Guerrero…Hard combo from Thurman on the ropes…Great action on the ropes..99-91 Thurman

Round 11 Combination from Guerrero on the ropes..Big right from Thurman..108-101 Thurman

Round 12 Hard combination from Guerrero..Big right from Thurman…left from a charging Guerrero..Right from Thurman..117-111 Thurman

120-107, 118-109, 118-108 for Keith Thurman

12 Rounds–Super Lightweights–Adrien Broner (29-1, 22 KO’s) vs John Molina Jr. (27-5, 22 KO’s)

Round 1 Left from Broner..left..10-9 Broner

Round 2 Molina lands a right..Nice combo from Broner..left..20-18 Broner

Round 3 Right from Broner..jab..jab..Right from Molina to the side of the head..Good right..Jab and right from Broner..Molina lands a hard right.Right from Broner…30-27 Broner

Round 4 Broner lands a left..Jab..40-36 Broner

Round 5 Molina lands a right..left hook from Broner..50-46 Broner

Round 6 Combination and uppercut from Broner..2 jabs…combination..good right..60-55 Broner

Round 7 Broner lands a combonation..70-64 Broner

Round 8 Good combination from Broner…80-73 Broner

Round 9 Ref Robert Byrd admonishing both fighters..Body shot from Broner…90-82 Broner

Round 10 Left from Molina..Body shot..Good right from Broner..combination..left from Molina..100-92 Broner

Round 11 110-102 Broner

Round 12 Right from Broner..uppercut…120-111 Broner

120-108 twice and 118-110 for Broner

219-54 for Punches by Broner

LONDON (4 March) – BoxNation will air a host of top fights from the Premier Boxing Champions series, starting this weekend with rising superstars Keith Thurman and Adrien Broner.

‘The Channel of Champions’ has three great fights cards as part of the deal, with the highly-touted Thurman to get the ball rolling when he takes on the unrelenting Robert Guerrero this Saturday night, in a glittering lineup which also sees the return of Mexican ace Abner Mares.

The former world champion will go toe-to-toe with the tricky Arturo Santos Reyes, before the flash and often brash Broner looks to get his year off to a bang when he challenges the tough John Molina in a mouth-watering showdown, live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

In addition to this, on March 13th, BoxNation will bring subscribers an exciting night’s action when welterweights Andre Berto and Josesito Lopez share the ring at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California.

All-action 147-pounder Shawn Porter will also be out that night when he faces the dangerous and hard-hitting Roberto Garcia, with heavyweight hitman Chris Arreola also set to appear.

The world’s best boxing channel will also air the thrilling April 11th card which sees Irish star Andy Lee make the first defence of his WBO middleweight world title when he battles the undefeated and former champion Peter Quillin.

There will be high UK interest in that fight with the victor eyeing a potential clash with WBO mandatory challenger Billy Joe Saunders later this year.

Furthermore, the April 11th bill at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn will witness one of the most eagerly anticipated fight’s so far this year when light-welterweight kingpin Danny Garcia goes up against IBF champion Lamont Peterson.

The card will also see cancer survivor and miracle man Danny Jacobs make his first title defence following his win over Jarrod Fletcher last August, when he lays it all on the line against 31-year-old Caleb Truax.

BoxNation’s multi-fight agreement with Premier Boxing Champions demonstrates the channel’s continued commitment to delivering the very best fights to UK boxing fans.

Jim McMunn, Managing Director of BoxNation, said: “BoxNation continuously looks to deliver the very best fights out there for our viewers. This agreement once again demonstrates our commitment to boxing and our aim of airing the very best shows, both domestically and internationally, to our loyal subscribers. These are three thrilling fight cards and we’re delighted UK fans will be able to watch them live and exclusive on BoxNation.”

To subscribe to BoxNation (Sky 437/490HD, Virgin 546 and TalkTalk 525) for only £12 a month visit boxnation.com.

-Ends-

About BoxNation
BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated subscription boxing channel. For £12* a month and no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

BoxNation is proud to support Fight for Peace, a charity that uses boxing and martial arts combined with education and personal development to realise the potential of young people in communities that suffer from crime and violence. Buy LUTA (www.luta.co.uk) clothing and support Fight for Peace.

Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Khan vs Collazo and Mayweather vs Maidana.

The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Virgin (Ch.546), TalkTalk (Ch.525), online at Livesport.tv and via iPhone, iPad or Android. BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.

BoxNation is also available to commercial premises (inc. pubs, clubs and casino’s) in the UK and Ireland, for more information on a commercial subscription please call 0844 842 7700.

For more information visit www.boxnation.com

*Plus £8 registration fee for Sky TV and new Livesport.tv customers.

The March 6 edition of ESPN Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra and ESPN Deportes’ Noche de Combates presentado por Corona Extra will feature undefeated up-and-coming junior middleweight Tony “Superbad” Harrison (19-0, 16 KOs) and veteran “The Truth” Antwone Smith (23-5-1, 12 KOs) in the 10-round junior middleweight main event. Friday’s show will air live at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN2, broadband Spanish-language ESPN Deportes+ and WatchESPN. ESPN Deportes will televise Friday’s fights on Saturday, March 7, at 8 p.m. The card is presented by Warriors Boxing. The fights will take place at the famed MGM Grand in Las Vegas which is the site of this weekend’s debut of the Premier Boxing Champions series headlined by Adrien Broner vs. John Molina and Keith Thurman vs. Robert Guerrero.

Commentators:
Todd Grisham will be ringside with analyst Teddy Atlas describing the action for ESPN2, while Pablo Viruega and Delvin Rodríguez will call the fights for Noche de Combates (Fight Night) on both ESPN Deportes and ESPN Deportes+. Leopoldo González and Claudia Trejos will anchor the ESPN Deportes studio on site and will be joined by Hall-of-Fame boxing referee and analyst Joe Cortez. Bilingual reporter Bernardo Osuna (@osunaespn) will present live interviews and reports for both shows. In addition, ESPN.com boxing writer Dan Rafael will join the ESPN2 telecast to discuss Friday’s fights and the much anticipated welterweight title unification mega-fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Read Rafael’s full story on how Mayweather-Pacquiao was made.

Main Event:
The undefeated Harrison, who is from Detroit, is coming off a first-round TKO win over Tyrone Brunson.

“He’s (Smith) a tough opponent,” Harrison said. “He’s fought contenders and champions…It’s my time. It’s time to put Detroit back in the position that it once was in and it starts with this, to give us the recognition we deserve…This is the one for everybody who’s never seen Tony Harrison fight. This is the one to watch.”

Smith, of Miami, is looking to get back to his winning ways after a second-round KO loss to Jermall Charlo.

“I’m sure he’s (Harrison) probably going to blitz early, because he usually knocks everybody out in the first or second round,” Smith said. “He’s only been eight rounds one time. After I get out of the blitz, I plan to do steady work. I know what 10 rounds feels like.”

Co-Feature:
Friday’s 10-round co-feature will pit undefeated middleweight Ievgen “The Ukrainian Lion” Khytrov (8-0, 8 KOs) against Jorge “Destroyer” Melendez (28-4-1, 26 KOs). In his last bout, New York’s Khytrov scored a third-round KO win over previously undefeated Maurice Louishomme, while Puerto Rico’s Melendez is looking to rebound from a majority decision loss to Javier Francisco Maciel.

Additional Fights:
Friday’s show will also include an eight-round bout between undefeated junior middleweights Erickson Lubin (9-0, 6 KOs) and Kenneth Council (8-0, 6 KOs) and a six-round middleweight bout between undefeated Caleb Plant (6-0, 4 KOs) and Daniel Henry (2-2-2, 0 KOs).

Upcoming Schedule:
Date
Time (ET)
Main Event
Location
Networks
Fri, Mar 6
11 p.m.
Tony Harrison (19-0, 16 KOs) vs. Antwone Smith (23-5-1, 12 KOs) — 10 rounds, Jr. Middleweights
MGM Grand Ballroom, Las Vegas
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
Thurs, Mar 26
9 p.m.
Breidis Prescott (27-6, 20 KOs) vs. Fredrick Lawson (23-0, 20 KOs) — 10 rounds, Welterweights
Hialeah Park Racing & Casino,
Hialeah, Fla.
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN
Fri, Apr 3
9 p.m.
TBD
Omega Products Center, Corona, Calif.
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
Fri, Apr 10
9 p.m.
Boxcino 2015 Semifinals: 8 rounds each

Heavyweights:

Andrey Fedosov (26-3, 21 KOs) vs. Lenroy Thomas (19-3, 9 KOs)

Razvan Cojanu (13-1, 7 KOs) vs. Donovan Dennis (11-1, 9 KOs)

Jr. Middleweights:

Brandon Adams (16-1, 11 KOs) vs. Vito Gasparyan (15-3-5, 8 KOs)

Stanyslav Skorokhod (9-0, 7 KOs) vs. John Thompson (15-1, 5 KOs)
Sands Hotel & Casino, Bethlehem, PA
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
*Schedule subject to change

Friday Night Fights and Noche de Combates Social Media:
· Follow ESPN Friday Night Fights’ Nigel Collins on Twitter @ESPNFNF or like ESPN Friday Night Fights on Facebook.

· Score the fights round-by-round with the “Live Friday Night Fights Facebook Voting App,” an application on the ESPN FNF Facebook page that allows viewers to score the fight round-by-round.

· Follow ESPN Deportes’ Noche de Combates on Twitter @ESPNBoxeo.

· For the latest ESPN.com boxing news and analysis follow @ESPNBoxing.

LAS VEGAS (March 2, 2015) – San Antonio’s 6’1 undefeated featherweight sensation, Mario Barrios (7-0, 3 KOs), will make his Las Vegas debut on the undercard of Guerrero vs. Thurman this Saturday March 7, 2105, at the MGM Grand Hotel. Barrios will face Justin Lopez (5-2, 3 KOs) in what will be his first 6-round bout.

Already known for his fast hands, Barrios is getting better with each fight. Against Lopez, he will look to continue his quest to remain undefeated with an incredible performance.

“When you’re a kid growing up in this sport, you always think about what it would be like to fight in the boxing capitol of the world, Las Vegas,” said Barrios. “Now that time has come and I’m ready to get busy. I don’t know much about my opponent expect that he has some power. None the less, I’m looking to impress those in attendance with a great performance.”

Advised by Al Haymon, Barrios knows he is in a wonderful position to take his career to the next level.

“This will be my first 6-round bout, something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time,” Barrios continued. “With all the dates that Al Haymon has coming up…I’m looking to be his number one prospect. What Haymon Boxing is doing for the sport is amazing. I’m ready to shine on March 7th.”

AROMAS, CALIF. (Feb. 19, 2015) – Media in the Bay Area gathered Wednesday to watch Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero prepare for his headlining welterweight showdown with Keith “One Time” Thurman on the inaugural Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on NBC taking place Saturday, March 7 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Tickets for the live event are priced at $400, $300, $100 and $50, not including applicable service charges and taxes, are on sale now. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available
at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Here is what Guerrero had to say heading into his historic bout with Thurman:

ROBERT GUERRERO, Former Four-Division World Champion

“I’m very happy that the fight is right around the corner. I’m looking forward to giving fans a great night in boxing. A lot of big shots are going to be thrown from my end.

“I know Keith Thurman is training hard and so am I. This fight is going to be a war and I’m looking forward to it.

“Training camp is wrapping up and my body feels great. This is one of the best camps I’ve had in a very long time and the fans can count on me being at peak performance on fight night.

“I can’t wait to show the world and everybody watching on NBC what I’m all about. March 7 can’t come soon enough. I’m ready to go!”

# # #

Premier Boxing Champions on NBC is promoted by Goossen Promotions and features Keith Thurman vs. Robert Guerrero and Adrien Broner vs. John Molina, Jr. in bouts that will air live on NBC (8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT). The Abner Mares vs. Arturo Santos Reyes bout will be televised live on the NBC show (8:30-11 p.m. ET) or on the NBCSN telecast (11 p.m. ET).

For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, www.nbcsports.com/boxing and www.goossenpromotions.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @KeithFThurmanJr, @GhostBoxing, @AdrienBroner, @JohnMolinaJr135, @abnermares, @NBCSports and @MGMGrand and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions and www.facebook.com/NBCSports.

“Welterweight Amir (King) Khan took the main event in the MGM Grand Garden on Saturday night, an event labeled “The Royal Battle,” in impressive fashion.”- Bill Dwyre, Los Angeles Times

“The 28-year-old native of England looked spectacular in his second fight as a full-fledged welterweight by controlling distance with his jab and temporarily putting aside the chin issues that have haunted his career.” – Brian Campbell, ESPN

“Amir Khan put on a boxing clinic at the expense of Devon Alexander Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, garnering the degree of landslide he felt necessary to warrant a shot at Floyd Mayweather Jr.” – Case Keefer, Las Vegas Review-Journal

“The way he took apart Alexander, who had lost only twice before this, was terrifically encouraging, no more so than in witnessing how Virgil Hunter, his wily trainer, has ironed out the flaws which were holding him back.” – Steve Brenner, The Guardian

“Khan, using his height (5’9″), boxing acumen and pure physical gifts, dominated a fight many expected to be close, beating Alexander to the punch and re-staking his claim to the greatest prize in all of boxing—a potential bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr.”- Jonathan Snowden, Bleacher Report

“Khan’s quickness was too much from the opening bell as he kept the southpaw Alexander on the outside and was first with his punches in most exchanges.” – Tim Dahlberg, Associated Press

“So brilliantly did he bedazzle the much-respected three-time world champion Devon Alexander that this neon city which craves thrills and excitement is clamouring to see his name back in lights here soon.” – Jeff Powell, Daily Mail

Amir Khan made his claim to be a possible Floyd Mayweather opponent by scoring an emphatic 12-round unanimous decision over Devon Alexander in a battle of multi-division former world champions at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Khan, 147 lbs of Bolton, England won by scores of 120-108, 119-109 and 118-110 and is now 30-3. Alexander, 147 lbs of St. Louis, MO is now 26-3.

Keith Thurman retained the WBA Interim Lightweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Leonard Bundu

In round one, Thurman dropped Bundu with a left hand. Thurman was never challenged the rest of the night.

Thurman oulanded Bundu 189-62.

Thurman, 146 1/2 lbs of Clearwater, FL won by scores of 120-107 on all cards and is now 24-0-1. Bundu, 146 1/2 lbs of Florence, IT is now 31-1-2.

Abner Mares scored a stoppage after round five in his scheduled 10-round bout with Jose Ramirez in a Super Featherweight bout.

Mares dropped Ramirez in the 1st from a right hand. Mares was cut over his right eye later in the frame. In round five, Mares landed a combination that was finished off by a left hook that sent Ramirez to the canvas. Mares continued to drill Ramirez for the remainder of the round and the bout was stopped in between frames.

Mares of Guadalajara, MX is now 28-1-1 with 15 knockouts. Ramierez of Mexicali, MX is now 24-4-2.

Jermall Charlo scored a 3rd round stoppage over Lenny Botai in a scheduled 12-round IBF Jr. Middleweight elimination bout.

Botai was cut in round two around his left eye. In round three, Charlo landed a left hook that sent Botai to the canvas. Bottai got up at nine but the referee stopped the fight just as Botai’s corner threw in the towel at 39 seconds of round three.

Charlo, 154 lbs of Houston, TX is now 20-0 with 16 knockouts. Botai, 154 lbs of Italy is now 22-3.

By Norm Frauenheim-

LAS VEGAS – Boxing’s chessboard is full of potential moves Saturday with dueling cards that include 18 bouts televised by competing networks and each promoted by rivals who are learning how to cooperate.

Look for more lessons than solutions, more possibilities than answers, for a business confronted by declining pay-per-view numbers and no resolution to the tired question about Manny Pacquiao-versus-Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Pacquiao-Mayweather is a riddle without an answer. Yet, it’s always there, taking the air out of the game and, worse, diverting attention from a generation of young fighters who might help everybody forget about what hasn’t happened.

Meet Keith Thurman.

Fight fans know him. So do fighters. But their awareness of him includes emerging fear. Thurman, a welterweight, is beginning to fall into that category occupied by middleweight Gennady Golovkin. He’s somebody to avoid.

Consider this judgment: Oscar De La Hoya was asked Friday to pick between Thurman and Golovkin.

Who’s better?

“Thurman,’’ said De La Hoya, whose Golden Boy entity is promoting the Showtime television card at the MGM Grand that includes Thurman in a co-featured bout before the main event, a possible Mayweather eliminator between Amir Khan (29-3, 19 KOs) and Devon Alexander (26-2, 14 KOs).

Thurman (23-0, 21 KOs), who faces Italy’s Leonard Bundu (31-0-2, 11 KOs), is unlike Golovkin in one key aspect. He isn’t shy.

Thurman might be in a secondary role Saturday night. But he was front-and-center at Friday’s weigh-in.

He mocked Mayweather’s power. Why-oh-why, he asked, should anybody worry about getting knocked out by the so-called pound-for-pound king. Mayweather hasn’t stopped anybody in nearly a generation.

“If anybody should be scared, it’s Floyd Mayweather,’’ said Thurman, who tipped the official scale at 146 pounds during a weigh-in in which everybody made the mandatory except Jose Ramirez (24-3-2, 15 KOs) , the opponent for featherweight Abner Mares (27-1-1, 14 KOs).

Ramirez was three pounds heavier than a catch-weight, 128. He faced a fine if he did not lose the excess pounds. Both Khan and Alexander weighed 147. Thurman’s opponent, Bundu, came in at 146.5.

If Thurman can’t talk his way into a Mayweather bout, he hopes for a chance at Timothy Bradley, who is the star at the top of Bob Arum’s promoted card Saturday at the nearby Cosmopolitan.

Thurman said he wants to be the first to knock out Bradley (31-1, 12 KOs), who faces Argentina’s Diego Chaves (23-2, 19 KOs) in an HBO-televised show.

The forthright Bradley might be the most reliable possibility for Thurman. He says he’ll fight anybody and there’s never been any reason to doubt him. His promoter, Top Rank, however, might have some other ideas. Kell Brook has been mentioned. So, too, has a rematch with Juan Manuel Marquez .

There are, after all, reasons to avoid Thurman. More reasons than even Golovkin, De La Hoya said.

Both possess dangerous power. But De La Hoya says that Thurman possesses an added dimension in his ability to move. Sure, Golovkin is strong.

“Very strong,’’ De La Hoya said. “When Canelo (Alvarez) was sparring him up in Big Bear (Calif.), he said how strong he was. But a lot of fighters are strong. There are ways of beating strong fighters. But one thing about Keith Thurman is that he knows how to move. He has lateral movement. He throws combinations. He thinks in the ring.

“Golovkin is a fighter who has to beat you with his power. He has to. He can’ beat you by moving side-to-side, or going back. The thing about Golovkin – something that I learned from studying him – is that if he moves back, he can’t fight. He can’t fight. He can’t.

“But try and move him back. Good luck.’’

But at least there’s a chance at doing that. Golovkin still represents optimism at creating new business. Same with Thurman. There’s a potential for good luck in both, unlike the Paquiao-Mayweather riddle. By now, we know where that one leads. Still nowhere.

Notes: Jose Benavidez Jr. came in looking hungry at the weigh-in for his first world-class out against Mauricio Herrara on the Bradley-Chaves undercard. The 6-foot Benavidez (21-0, 15 KOs) was 138.5 pounds Friday for the junior welterweight bout. Herrera (21-4, 7 KOs) was 139.5. “I’m ready, more than ready, ’’ said Benavidez, a Phoenix prospect. “ …Irish middleweight Andy Lee (33-2, 23 KOs) tipped the scales at 19.2. Matt Korobov ((24-0, 13 KOs) was 159.4 Korobov-Lee is on the Bradley-Chaves card. …Unpredictable Victor Ortiz was as unpredictable as ever at the weigh-in for his comeback on the Khan-Chaves card. After some verbal taunts from Manuel Perez (21-10-1, 4 KOs), Ortiz (29-5-2, 22 KOs) began to push his welterweight opponent across the stage with the same forehead he used to head-butt Mayweather.

Welterweight titlist Keith Thurman turned down a lucrative promotional offer from Roc Nation Sports according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

Thurman would have gotten a $2 million advance against the total package — so he could have a nice chunk of the money up front — followed by fight-night payouts of $1 million, $1 million and $2 million. Thurman was interested in the deal and even had Roc Nation Sports tweak the offer to give him payouts of $1.5 million, $1.5 million and $1 million.

“For the most part, it’s a move that I’m not willing to make right now,” Thurman told ESPN.com on Monday. “It’s nice to throw dollar signs in front of a young guy like me and I appreciate it. But I am a man of faith and I believe all that’s coming to me in the future. As long as you have a ‘0’ (on your record) it’s like holding on to a golden goose egg.”

“Jay Z’s company is a young company. I haven’t seen them make guys money yet in boxing,” said Thurman, who turns 26 on Nov. 23. “I’m young. The offer came quick. I already knew I was getting ready for this fight and I’m satisfied with my purse for this fight and with another knockout victory next year my purses will multiply.

“I want to see (Jay Z) do something with another fighter before I follow. I don’t want to fly on the first airplane.”

“I listened. How could you not listen when they throw those kind of numbers around,” Thurman said. “The way I felt at the end is I don’t see how I’m not making $6 million next year anyway. It all came fast. I’m just a patient cat. I’m patient. If you keep a door open you can always walk through it eventually. Right now I’m comfortable with what I’m doing with Team Haymon.

“I was more than flattered by the offer. It was a dream come true actually. I laugh at the fact that I didn’t jump on board. I find it funny. I find it ironic because I was waiting my entire life to be offered a certain deal worth millions. And here I am saying no to a $6 million deal because I believe it’s in my future, if not more, going into 2015.

“I’m not sure if I want to tie down with any entity no matter what they plan to do. I want to learn about this sport – the business aspect of the sport. Maybe I should have jumped. Maybe some other fighter will. What if I lose to Bundu? But I’m a man of faith and I can be patient. I’m looking forward to 2015. Time will tell if I made the right decision.”

LAS VEGAS (Oct. 31, 2014) – The stars of boxing’s present and future will be out in full force at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, Dec. 13, when Golden Boy Promotions in association with Khan Promotions and The Great Promotions present a SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING tripleheader featuring a pivotal welterweight showdown and two world championship fights, live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT).

In a pair of must-see, high-stakes welterweight matchups, British superstar and former unified super lightweight world champion Amir “King” Khan of Bolton, Englandwill take onformer two-division world champion Devon Alexander “The Great” of St. Louis, Mo., while undefeated interim WBA Welterweight World Champion Keith “One Time” Thurman of Clearwater, Fla., will defend against Leonard “The Lion” Bundu of Lazio, Italy.

Rounding out an action-packed night on the three-fight SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast will be WBO Junior Middleweight World Champion and 2008 U.S. Olympian Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade of Providence, R.I., who risks his 154-pound belt against tough undefeated young star Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo of Houston, Texas. Charlo will make his first attempt at world title glory in a battle of unbeaten junior middleweights.

Featured on the undercard will be two separate 10-round bouts featuring former three-time, three-division world champion Abner Mares and former welterweight world champion “Vicious” Victor Ortiz. Mares, who will fight in a featherweight bout against an opponent to be determined, will look to build on his recent victory over Jonathan Oquendo. Ortiz is looking to make a comeback statement in a welterweight bout against an opponent to be named.

Tickets for the live event are on sale now and are priced at $300, $200, $100, and $50, not including applicable service charges and taxes. Tickets are limited to eight (8) per person with a limit of four (4) at the $50 price range. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

“Getting back in the ring is all I’ve been looking towards these last few months,” said Khan. “I want to show everybody that I’m a major force at 147 pounds and I’m ready to take on the best. This fight with Alexander has been on the table for a while, but it is finally happening and I plan on winning impressively to show that I am truly one of the best welterweights in the world.”

“I’ve wanted this fight for a long time and I’m ready to show that I’m worthy of this opportunity and the opportunities ahead after I win on Dec. 13,” said Alexander. “I’ve worked hard my entire life and now the pressure is on to really show what I can do.”

“I can’t wait to get back in the ring and defend my title,” said Thurman. “I’m going to give all my fans the performance of a lifetime and prove why my name should be at the top of the welterweight conversation.”

“December 13 is going to be the biggest night of my professional career thus far,” said Bundu. “To be fighting in the United States, in the fight capital of the world — Las Vegas on SHOWTIME against one of the most promising American prospects is a dream come true. But Keith Thurman doesn’t scare me. I know that I have what it takes to win and truly make a name for myself throughout the boxing world.”

“There is no way I’m letting go of my belt,” said Andrade. “Jermell Charlo is a good fighter, but nothing is going to stop me from defending my belt and raising my hand in victory on Dec. 13. I am confident that this will be a fight fans won’t want to miss.”

“I am beyond excited to finally get a shot at a world title,” said Charlo. “This is what I’ve been waiting for. I’m ready to be a world champion. Nothing is going to stand in my way. Andrade is the champion and I’m not looking past him at all, but this is my time. I know it. The title will lead to bigger and better things and that is what I’m all about.”

“I am so happy to be back at MGM Grand after my recent win in July,” said Mares. “My ultimate goal is another shot at a world championship and a win on December 13 will help me get there. I plan on putting on a great performance and showcasing my skills once again.”

“I’m excited to get back into the ring,” said Ortiz. “I got caught in my last fight, but I’m ready to get back to work and improve my game. I know what it takes to win and that is what I plan on doing on December 13. I’m thankful for the opportunity and looking forward to giving fans a great show.”

“A huge main event with two former champions looking to take a major step back towards a title shot; undefeated fighters going head-to-head on the undercard; our last big show of the year -Dec. 13 at MGM Grand will have it all,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Founder and President of Golden Boy Promotions. “Golden Boy Promotions is finishing 2014 strong and will move into 2015 continuing to make good on our promise to make the most exciting fights for boxing fans.”

“The Dec. 13 edition of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING delivers on our promise to televise stacked fight cards featuring big name fighters in meaningful fights,” said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports. “The main event, Amir Khan versus Devon Alexander, is a matchup between two renowned former world champions, each at a critical juncture in his career. In the co-feature, Keith Thurman, one of the brightest young stars in boxing, faces perhaps his toughest test to date in the highly regarded and undefeated Leonard Bundu, as each boxer battles for position in the ultra-competitive welterweight division. The opening bout on the telecast features two very talented undefeated rising stars, champion Demetrius Andrade and No. 2-ranked challenger Jermell Charlo. Each fight on the telecast will have a significant impact on the top-10 divisional rankings.”

Khan(29-3, 19 KOs), a 2004 Olympic Silver medalist who turns 28 on Dec. 8, has won his last three contests, all against former world champions. In his most recent outing, he scored three knockdowns en route to a lopsided 12-round decision victory over Luis Collazo in the co-main event on May 3. Before that, the popular, lightning-quick Brit defeated Julio Diaz via unanimous decision in April of 2013 and Carlos Molina in Dec. of 2012. A victory against Alexander would put Khan in a position to become a two-division world champion in 2015.

The 27-year-old southpaw Alexander (26-2, 14 KOs), is a former welterweight and junior welterweight world champion and is coming off of a 10-round unanimous decision over the tough Jesus Soto Karass last June. Fighting with a newfound passion and aggressiveness, Alexander was victorious by the scores of 99-91 twice and 97-93. A winner of five of his last six bouts, a stretch that has seen him defeat the likes of Lucas Matthysse and Marcos Maidana, Alexander believes that his technical artistry will put him back in the world title hunt soon.

Thurman (23-0, 21 KOs) has always been feared for his knockout power, but when he won the WBA Interim Welterweight World Title with a 10th round knockout over Diego Chaves in July of 2013, he was put in a position where the elite of the fight game would have to square off with him eventually. The 25-year-old Thurman has since made two successful title defenses with knockouts over Jesus Soto Karass and Julio Diaz, and he will attempt to achieve the same result against Bundu.

Bundu(31-0-2, 11 KOs), who represented Italy in the 2000 Olympic Games, is making his United States and SHOWTIME debut. The European and Commonwealth Champion, is coming off a hard-earned 12-round decision over previously undefeated contender Frankie Gavin on Aug. 1. Bundu was born in Sierra Leone before moving to Italy, where he has fought the majority of his fights since turning pro in 2005. He is ranked No. 3 in the WBC and No, 4 in the WBA and IBF.

A decorated amateur, Providence, Rhode Island’s Andrade (21-0, 14 KOs) turned professional in 2008 after representing the U.S. in the Olympic Games in Beijing. In November of 2013, the talented southpaw won the vacant WBO Junior Middleweight World Title with a 12-round decision over Vanes Martirosyan and this past June, the 26-year-old successfully defended his title for the first time with a seventh-round technical knockout over Brian Rose.

Charlo (24-0, 11 KOs), 24, is the younger-by-one-minute brother of identical twin, Jermall, who is also a world-ranked undefeated contender at 154 pounds. A tall fighter for his division, Charlo has stepped up in class in some recent fights and is coming off two consecutive terrific points’ victories against Charlie Ota in a 12-round fight on May 24 and against Gabriel Rosado in a 10-round battle on Jan. 25. Charlo, also a top-notch amateur, won the bronze medal at the 2005 Junior Olympics. December 13 marks a milestone in Charlo’s career as he will do everything he can to capture his first world title.

Mares (27-1-1, 14 KOs) of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, and fighting out of Downey, Calif. is coming off of a unanimous decision victory over Johnathan Oquendo at MGM Grand in July. Prior to his impressive win, Mares suffered the first loss of his professional career to the hands of Johnny Gonzalez, but has since bounced back and is ready to fight. Mares found himself on the pound-for-pound list in 2013 after winning the WBC Featherweight title, adding to his accomplishments as he already held world championships at bantamweight and super bantamweight.

Ortiz (29-5, 22 KOs) is ready to show the boxing world that he still has what it takes to be great. The 27-year-old Ventura, Calif. native has made headlines in and out of the ring, not only as a fighter, but also an entertainer. A former welterweight world champion who has engaged in memorable battles against the best in the boxing business including Floyd Mayweather, Marcos Maidana, Andre Berto and Josesito Lopez. He has also crossed over into the bright lights of Hollywood as a member of the cast of ABC’s hit series “Dancing With The Stars” and most recently as part of the film “Expendables 3.” Now Ortiz will return to the ring for the first time since his knockout loss against Luis Collazo in January and looks to show the boxing world he’s serious about another run at a world title.

“Royal Battle: Khan vs. Alexander,” a 12-round welterweight bout for the WBC Silver Welterweight Title, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Khan Promotions and The Great Promotions and is sponsored by Corona Extra, AT&T and Mexico – Live It To Believe It! The event will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. and will air on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT). In the co-main event, Keith Thurman defends his WBA Interim Welterweight World Title against Leonard Bundu, and in the televised opener, Demetrius Andrade defends his WBO Junior Middleweight World Title against Jermell Charlo in a bout promoted in association with Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing and Banner Promotions. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast will also be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP).

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and www.sports.sho.com, follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @SHOSports, @AmirKingKhan, @TheRealDevonA, @KeithThurmanJr, @LeonardBundu, @boobooboxing, @TwinCharlo, @abnermares00, @viciousortiz, @MGMGrand and @Swanson_Comm follow the conversation using #KhanAlexander, become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing, or visit SHOWTIME Boxing Blog at http://theboxingblog.sho.com/.

Follow all the action as Keith Thurman defends the WBA Interim Welterweight title against former Lightweight champion Julio Diaz. The action begins at 9 PM ET / 6 PM PT with a WBC Lightweight title bout featuring Omar Figueroa and Jerry Belmontes. Also former world champion Lucas Matthysse battle John Molina.

12 ROUNDS–WBA INTERIM WELTERWEIGHT TITLE–KEITH THURMAN (22-0, 20 KO’S) VS JULIO DIAZ (40-9-1, 29 KO’S)

Round 1 Left hook from Thurman..hard left..right..good exchange at the bell…10-9 Thurman

Round 2 Big combination…big left hook…left hOOK AND DIAZ TAKES A KNEE 20-17 Thurman

Round 3Right from Thurman…left stuns Thurman..Diaz cut around the left …29-27 Thurman

Round 4THE FIGHT IS OVER DUE TO AN INJURY TO THE RIBS OF DIAZ

12 ROUNDS–JR. WELTERWEIGHTS–LUCAS MATTHYSSE (34-3, 32 KO’S) VS JOHN MOLINA (27-3, 22 KO’S)

Round 1 Matthysse lands a right..Big right from Molina…Matthysse lands a left hook.right to body and left..Right..10-9 Matthysse

Round 2 matthyse lands a right to the body..Molina gets in an over hand right.goodr ight…BIG RIGHT AND DOWN GOES MATTHYSSE…19-18 Molina

Round 3 Double jab from Matthysse…right and left from Molina..Matthysse cut over left eye from a clash of heads…Jab from Matthysse..28-28

Round 4 Left hook from Matthysse…left..jab..Jab from Molina…left hook to body from Matthysse..Hard jab..Blood behind the left ear of Molina..good overhand right…jab..Molina lands a left hook..staright right…Matthysse lands consecutive 1-2’s…38-37 Matthysse

Round 5 Overhand right from Matthysse..Big right..right..right …Right from Molina..ShORT RIGHT AND DOWN GOES MATTHYSSE…47-46 Molina

Round 6 Good left hook from Molina..Overhand right from Matthysse…Uppercut hurts Molina…right from Molina..right uppercut..Good combination from Matthysse…Right from Molina..57-56 Molina

Round 7 Left hook from Molina…combination from Matthysse…overhand right..right and left to body..Left from Molina…jab..66-66

Round 8 Matthysse lands a right…double jab..big left..just gshots from both..good overhand right..RIGHT HAND DOWN GOES MOLINA…76-74 Matthysse

Round 9 2 huge lefts from Matthysse..Right from Molina…Right and double left hook..huge double left hook..double jab..over hand right..big shots…Molina lands a left hook..86-83 Matthysse

Round 10 Matthysse lands a jab..right over the top…left hook..body..Huge left hook…Matthysse landing ferocious shots..HUGE FLURRY ON THE ROPES…DOWN GOES MOLINA..Furious action at the bell…96-91 Matthysse

Round 11 BIG FLURRY DOWN GOES MOLINA AND THE FIGHT IS OVER

12 ROUNDS–WBC LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE–OMAR FIGUEROA (22-0-1, 17 KO’S) VS JERRY BELMONTES (19-3, 5 KO’S)

Round 1 Jab from Figueroa..double right from Belmontes…Right from Figueroa..Combination from Belmontes..Jab..Figueroa right over the top..Combination from Belmontes…10-9 Belmontes

Round 2 Lead right from Belmontes..Short left hook..right cross..Belmontes working on the ropes..Blistering combination on the ropes…20-18 Belmontes

Round 3 Good combination from Figueroa…Belmontes lands a right..left hook from Figueroa..29-28 Belmontes

Round 4 Right from Belmontes..Jab…Figueroa lands a body shit...39-37 Belmontes

Round 5 Right from Belmontes..Body shot…Figueroa lands a right…hard right..Right from Belmontes..Figueroa bleeding from nose..48-47 Belmontes

Round 6 Figueroa lands a right..Body work inside..right..trading shots...57-57

Round 7 Belmontes lands a jab..right..67-66 Belmontes

Round 8 Body from Belmontes..77-75 Belmontes

Round 9 Double jab from Figueroa...86-85 Belmontes

Round 10 Figueroa flurrying on the inside…Figueroa forcing the action..Uppercut from Blemonte..95-95

Round 11 Good action with Belmontes landing from the outside…105-104 Belmontes

Round 12 Not Much …115-114 Belmontes

115-113 Belmontes…116-112 Figueroa…118-110 Figueroa

Keith Thurman retained the WBA Interim Welterweight title when Julio Diaz could not continue after 3 rounds at the Stub Hub Center in Carson, California.

Thurman controlled the action for most of the bout and hurt Diaz in the 1st round. He boxed well in the 2nd round and scored a knockdown when he landed a left to the head and Diaz took a knee. Ironically Diaz made a nice stand at the end of the 3rd round when he landed a solid combination. In between round’s three and four, Diaz’s corner pulled the pug on the fight.

Thurman, 145 1/2 lbs of Clearwater, FL is now 23-0 with 21 knockouts. Diaz, 146 3/4 lbs of Cochella, CA is now 40-10-1.

Said Thurman, “I felt the body shot (to Diaz). I felt he was going to go down. I wondered if I hadn’t landed it clean enough. He’s a tough guy. He showed up to fight. You saw what he was doing in the ring. His rib… he had eight more rounds to go so he did what he had to do.

“I landed a clean left hook to the temple (in the second). He felt it. So, he thought it would be better to take a knee, rather than take another shot to the head. I train to do that. If you feel that your legs aren’t right and you are in with a dangerous puncher, you take a knee. It was a wise decision.

“Everybody shoots for the Mayweather sweepstakes. I am here to entertain, to dominate the welterweight division. I love the sport of boxing. I love knockouts. I am going to keep giving them to you.

“Shawn Porter is a terrific fighter. He’s a great friend of mine. He’s a devastating boxer-puncher like myself. Whenever they’re ready, I am ready.

Diaz, who took a knee after getting hit, had no excuses. “I got caught with a good body shot, in the rib,’’ he said. “I had trouble breathing. After the punch, I couldn’t breathe. I am human. I got hurt. The guy had some power. But I am a two-time champion. I have never quit in a fight. I didn’t have anything to prove. I took a knee to recuperate from a shot to the back of my head. And the rib shot really got me. I ain’t 18 years old anymore. I wanted to give a war, but I had to know when it was my time.’’

Lucas Matthysse was dropped twice but came back to stop gritty John Molina in a scheduled 12-round Jr. Welterweight bout.

The power punches were early and often in round one as Matthysse landed a couple of left hooks while Molina landed a hard overhand right. In round two, Molina landed a perfect overhand right that sent Matthysse to the canvas for the 2nd consecutive fight. The drama continued in round three when the two clashed heads and a cut was opened up over the left eye of Matthysse. Matthysse fought back in round four as he landed some hard shots that were set up behind a strong jab. Molina began to bleed from behind his right ear. Just as Matthysse was showing his dominance, Molina sent Matthysse to the canvas in round five.

The two continued to trade shots at close range with Matthysse landing the harder blows that were set up from his jab. In round eight, Matthysse landed a big flurry of punches that wobbled Molina and ultimately he was pushed down but referee Pat Russell ruled a knockdown. Matthysse started to take control and began to batter Molina and dropped him in round ten after a flurry of hard punches. Molina was seen by the doctors between rounds. When the 11th round began, Matthysse was all over Molina and dropped him to the canvas and the bout was stopped just 22 seconds into the frame.

Matthysse, 140 lbs of Argentina is now 35-3 with 33 knockouts. Molina, 139 1/4 lbs of Covina, Ca is now 27-4.

“It was a war,’’ said Matthysse, who improved his record to 35-3 with 33 KOs. “And it got complicated for me at the beginning, but we trained for this and we got the knockout. He hit me in the back of the head (in the second) and I crumbled a bit but I was waiting to find my distance and I was able to finish a tough fight.

“Molina is a tough fighter. He took some big blows (14 unanswered at the end of the 10th). I was a bit surprised he came back out for the 11th.”

Regarding his loss last September to unified 140-pound world champion Danny Garcia, Matthysse said, “I want the rematch. I feel that he had very good luck that night. I want the rematch.”

Offered the game but proud Molina (27-4, 22 KOs) afterward: “I am very disappointed. We gave the fans a good fight and I’m happy about that. I wasn’t well-known before this fight but I feel like I am now. I’m disappointed I didn’t finish Lucas. I had him hurt, but this is a learning experience. I only had a few amateur fights, so I’m learning from every experience.

“Trainer) Joe Goossen had a great game plan and we were sticking to it. Lucas Matthysse is the real deal. Even though he lost to Garcia, he still is the No. 1 rated fighter. I’d love to fight him again. I wanted to continue but the referee and judges have their jobs to do.

“It was a helluva fight. This was the fight of the year. I’d like to do it again

Omar Figueroa retained the WBC Lightweight title with a split decision over Jerry Belmontes.

Belmontes got off to a good start as he landed quick combinations and surprisingly matched Figueroa punch for punch on the inside. Figueroa surged back with busier volume punching in the middle rounds. The pace actually slowed down in the championship rounds and the fight seemed close on the score cards.

Figueroa, 134 3/4 lbs of Walesco, TX won by scores of 118-110, 116-112 while Belmontes took a card 115-113.

Figueroa, is now 23-0-1. Belmontes, 134 3/4 lbs of Corpus Christi, TX is now 19-4.

“He gave me more than trouble,’’ Figueroa said. “He wouldn’t make a fight out of it. I’m sorry to the fans. It was more of a sparring match than a fight. I prepared so much and this was the outcome.

“He almost made me cry again but of laughter saying he was going to beat me. I prepared well. I came 100 percent. I knew he was going to run. My hands are a little sore but nothing bad, nothing crazy. Now take my time off. I have been training since January. But it is up to Al Haymon.”

Said Belmontes: “Honestly, I thought I won the fight. I thought I landed the clearer more effective shots. I don’t fight like that (running) but sometimes I pay attention to the fans when they are booing so I went inside and fought like a Mexican warrior. He couldn’t handle my jab. He couldn’t’ handle me on the outside. I thought I won the fight.”

Jermall Charlo remained undefeated by scoring a stoppage at the end of four rounds when Hector Munoz was deemed unable to continue in their scheduled 10-round Middleweight fight.

Charlo beat, battered and bloodied Munoz until the referee stopped the fight in the corner on advice from the ringside doctor.

Charlo landed a hard right uppercut in the 1st round.

“I just tried very hard,’’ said Charlo after the one-sided proceedings were stopped. “Two camps in, I was hungrier than ever. I am hungrier than any fighter. I want to go on to bigger thing so badly. I credit Munoz for taking the fight. He showed a lot of spirit. But I had him. I’m so ready for the next level. I need it.’’

Terrell Gausha scored an 8-round unanimous decision over veteran Charles Whittaker in a Jr. Middleweight bout.

Guasha started to get things going in round two. Gausha continued to win rounds and then he dropped Whitaker in round six from a right hand. Gausha jumped on Whitaker and landed a flurry of punches.

Gausha was never threatened and by scores of 80-71 on all cards.

Gausha, 154 3/4 lbs of Carson, CA is now 9-0. Whittaker, 155 3/4 lbs of the Cayman Island is now 40-15-2.

Joseph Diaz scored a 6-round unanimous decision over veteran Luis Maldonado in a Super Bantamweight bout.

Diaz, 122 3/4 lbs won by scores of 60-54 on all cards and is now 10-0. Maldonado, 121 1/3 lbs is now 36-13-1.

Keith Thurman 145 1/2 – Julio Diaz 146 3/4
Lucas Matthysse 140 – John Molina 139 1/4
Omar Figueroa 134 3/4 – Jerry Belmontes 134 3/4

LONDON (April 25) – Rising star Keith Thurman is ready to do the business against former world champion Julio Diaz this weekend before going after IBF champion Shawn Porter.

The highly touted Thurman, who has been making serious waves in the welterweight division, goes up against the experienced Diaz, who ran Amir Khan extremely close 12 months ago, this Saturday night at the StubHub Center in California, live on BoxNation.

Florida native Thurman’s reputation continues to grow with many in the sport predicating that he will be the man to rule over the 147 pound weight class in the near future, but first one of boxing’s biggest punchers must show the hype is for real as he faces his sternest test yet.

“What excites me most is being in the main event. They could have put me on other cards as a co-feature, but this shows me respect and I want to thank Golden Boy for that,” said Thurman, who has amassed a record of 20 knockouts in his 22 wins.

“Every fighter has to take it one fight at a time, and I’m going in on Saturday to do my job. Winning on Saturday is obviously very important. Others in my division are already name-fighters, but I’m just starting to build mine.

“I’m still coming up in the world of boxing. So this is a chance for me to show that I’m not like all others,” he said.

The unbeaten 25-year-old has proven to have a crowd pleasing style, which he refuses to change, and will continue with that against the respected Diaz.

“I expect Diaz to fight his heart out,” said Thurman. “He says he plans to knock me out. I don’t know if that’s fight hype or his strategy, but I’ll be ready. I want guys who come to fight. I want to make and be in the best fights. On my record I have an ‘O’ but I’m not afraid to let it go.

“I work very hard and count my blessings that I’m where I’m at. I love the support the fans give me. We’re going to give them a real fight on Saturday,” he said.

A potential fight which has been mooted for later this year is a clash with the current IBF welterweight world champion Porter.

The all-action Porter, who recently blasted his way past Paulie Malignaggi in a highly impressive knockout win, has gone from strength-to-strength since he faced Diaz in two closely contested bouts, prior to capturing his world title against Devon Alexander last year.

Thurman is aware of how closely Diaz ran Porter but is eyeing up the possibility of facing the Ohio man should he prevail in his next fight.

“Diaz had some great performances against Shawn Porter and he gave Amir Khan a great fight. Diaz is a former world champion. They say he’s a veteran with a lot of experience. But I’m 25 and have been at this for 18 years, so I’m a veteran, too,” he said.

“I’ve known Shawn Porter and his Dad for years. I know they’re calling me out. When the time is right, we’ll fight. I expect to fight for maybe another 10 years,” Thurman added.

34-year-old Diaz, however, believes he is no one to overlook having been counted out on many occasions before springing a surprise.

The two-time world champion believes he can do much of the same when he faces off against one of boxing’s most touted prospects.

“They said I was an old man three years ago and said it was time for me to retire. Actually, I’ve been hearing the same thing for 15 years. They said it when I lost my title. They said it when I got knocked out. But I’m still here,” said Diaz.

“I’ve always felt like a world champion, which is a reason that I’m able to come back and win fights no one thinks I can. The biggest mistake I made, I think, was staying at lightweight too long. I think I fought at 135 for 12-13 years,” he explained.

“Going against Thurman is a very dangerous opportunity for me, but one I have to take. I have to take a big risk in any fight that comes my way to get the big reward.

“Keith Thurman is for real. He’s getting all the attention. But that’s the way it always is before my fights. Let’s see what they’re saying after our fight on Saturday,” said Diaz.

Saturday night’s card is stacked with some of the biggest hitting stars around, with Argentine ace Lucas Matthysse making his ring return following his thriller against Danny Garcia last September when he steps in against another puncher in John Molina.

World title action on the night sees the heavy handed Omar Figueroa defend his WBC lightweight belt against fellow Texan Jerry Belmontes.

Also, this Sunday from 7pm, BoxNation viewers will be able to see the premiere of episode two ‘All Access: Mayweather v Maidana’ as we delve into their respective camps ahead of the mega showdown next Saturday night.

Thurman vs. Diaz is live on BoxNation (Sky 437/490HD & Virgin 546) this Saturday night. Visit www.boxnation.com to subscribe.

-Ends-

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LOS ANGELES (April 24, 2014) – With Oscar De La Hoya presiding over the festivities, Golden Boy Promotions hosted the final press conference for their exciting, stacked fight card this Saturday, April 26 headlining Keith Thurman vs. Julio Diaz at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif., live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, following the premiere of ALL ACCESS: Mayweather vs. Maidana Episode 2) and SHO EXTREME® (7 p.m. ET/PT)

“It’s great to be back,’’ said De La Hoya, President of GBP, at the outset. “Great to be back.

“Saturday will be a treat for the fans. This is the real deal here. These are real fighters in real fights and you’re going to get some big-time action on Saturday night. There are still some tickets left, but they are going fast. We are expecting a great crowd at StubHub. I’m really looking forward to it. We have terrific fights from top to bottom

“It’s really exciting for me to be here at StubHub Center. Thank you to Golden Boy for believing in me. This is a testament that we can do it. Get yourself off the canvas, get back up and fight harder. That’s the way you should go.”

The 12-round main event Saturday on SHOWTIME will pit unbeaten,power-punching WBA Interim Welterweight Championship Keith “One Time” Thurman (22-0, 20 KOs), of Clearwater, Fla., against former world champion Julio “The Kidd” Diaz (40-9-1, 29 KOs), of Coachella, Calif.

In the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING co-main event, hard-hitting former interim 140-pound world champion Lucas “The Machine” Matthysse (34-3, 32 KOs), of Trelow, Chubut, Arg., will be opposed by offensive-minded John Molina (27-3, 22 KOs), of Covina, Calif., in a scheduled 10-rounder that could wind up as a Fight of the Year candidate. Opening the telecast will be an All-Texas WBC lightweight world title fight between undefeated defending champion Omar “Panterita” Figueroa (22-0-1, 17 KOs), of Weslaco, and a nemesis from his amateur days, Jerry “The Corpus Christi Kid” Belmontes (19-3, 5 KOs), of Corpus Christi.

Promising unbeaten junior welterweight Antonio “Relentless” Orozco (15-0, 9 KOs) of San Diego, Calif., takes on Mexico City’s Martin “El Brochas” Honorio (32-8-1, 16 KOs) in the main event on SHO EXTREME. Other SHO Extreme scraps will include talented Jermall Charlo (17-0, 13 KOs) against Albuquerque’s Hector Munoz (22-12-1, 14 KOs) in a 10-round junior middleweight clash and, time-permitting, 2012 Brazilian Olympian Yamaguchi Falcao (0-0-1), of Sao Paulo, against Carlos Badaldua (pro debut), of Tijuana, Mexico, in a 4/6-round middleweight fight.

Tickets priced at $150, $75, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, are on sale and available online at AXS.com, by phone at 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849) and at StubHub Center Box Office (Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. PT to 6 p.m. PT). VIP Suites are available by calling 877-604-8777. For more information on group discounts or VIP packages, please call 877-234-8425.

What the boxers and executives said Thursday:

KEITH THURMAN, WBA Interim Welterweight World Champion

“This fight right here for me is a dream come true. This is what I’ve been doing since I was seven. It’s where I want to be, the headliner in a SHOWTIME event.

“Julio has been giving some stiff competition. They call him ‘The Kidd’ because he keeps performing despite his age. He is coming to win, to find those holes and show us young fighters what he knows. I look forward to an excellent fight.

“My motto is KOs for life. I’m going to do it again. To me the judges have the best seat in the house. This is a terrific card. Heavy hitters across the board. Just come and enjoy the show.

“I’m grateful, I have been looking forward to Saturday for a long time. This camp was the longest camp I’ve had –10 weeks. I was getting prepared for anybody, I was preparing for the world. I’m ready to rumble. ‘One Time’!’’

JULIO DIAZ, Former World Champion

“Everyone always says thank you Golden Boy, but I really mean it. I’ve been through everything. This is the best treatment I’ve ever had as a fighter, despite coming from a couple of losses; I’m still headlining an event. I appreciate the opportunity.

“This is a tough opportunity, a dangerous opportunity. I’m facing a dangerous, tough fighter, but he’s not unbeatable. I take my job seriously. It’s going to be a tough fight but I guarantee you it’ll be an exciting fight.’’

LUCAS MATTYHSSE, Former Interim World Champion

“I’m very happy to be here. I want to thank Golden Boy, my promoter, and everyone involved for this fight. I just want to say I am ready to go and glad to be back.

“I know what Molina brings to the table. This will be a great fight. Get ready for an explosion, an exciting fight on Saturday.’’

JOHN MOLINA, Junior Welterweight Contender

“The judges may not be needed. This is going to be a war. Bombs away.

“Matthysse is a feared fighter. With his power, he’s shown he can explode at any time. People tell me I should fight him like Danny Garcia did, but I’m not Danny Garcia.

“I’m going to bring my A-Game, he’s going to bring his A-Game. There isn’t going to be a whole lot of running, just setting down in front of each other and exchanging. Matthysse gives a lot when he hits, and he takes a lot when he gets hit.

“I’m a slow starter, but he’s a notoriously slow starter, too. I definitely plan to go in and gain some respect right off the bat. But when the eggs start to roll, that’s when the real action kicks in.

“Two days out, I feel a combination of things. I’m excited. I’m thankful for this opportunity on such a great stage. I’m confident I can capitalize on all the advantages I possess. I feel my power is better at 140 pounds. There is going to be a great crowd on Saturday. I’m ready.’’

OMAR “PANTERITA’ FIGUEROA, WBC Lightweight Champion

“We are here now, and we are ready. I don’t care about winning or losing. I’m going to go out there and put on a great show and try to punch my opponent as much as possible, which is the best feeling in the world.

“It’s going to be a good fight. We’ve seen each other a few times in the amateur tournaments and we say hi. In the ring it’s a different story.

“It’s an honor to fight in the same card as Matthysse, I look up to him. He’s a power hitter like I am. I know all these guys are going to put on a good show. We’ll see you there.’’

JERRY BELMONTES, Lightweight Contender

“I’d like to thank everybody involved for making this fight. It’s going to be a terrific fight, a styles fight. He’s the brawler, I’m the boxer. We’re both from Texas, so this is a big fight our state.

“We’re good friends. I watched Omar grow up. I hope he doesn’t take it personal when I take the title belt away from him on Saturday.’’

ANTONIO OROZCO, Unbeaten, Hard-Hitting Junior Welterweight

“I want to thank Golden Boy, my manager, Frank Espinoza, everybody for this opportunity on Saturday. I’m ready for a great fight. I’m ready to put on a show.’’

YAMAGUCHI FALCAO, 2012 Olympic Games Bronze Medalist From Brazil

“Today is a special day. It’s a day when I finally can start thinking about my pro career. I spoke with my father and he told me that one day I would become a world champion. I won a bronze medal for Brazil in the 2012 Olympics. That fulfilled a dream of mine.

“Saturday begins another dream come true for me. I take my first step in becoming a world champion. Standing up here with all these great champions is so great. I hope to fight the very best in my career. I’m going to make it big in boxing, and it all starts this Saturday.’’

JARMALL CHARLO, Undefeated, World-Ranked Junior Middleweight

“I’m excited to be part of such an explosive card. To look at these guys around me – Matthysse, Thurman–is an honor.

“I want to thank my team for helping me bounce back and regaining my focus. My opponent took this fight on short notice, but you have to be in great shape all the time. I know I can fight on short notice because I stay in great shape.’’

HECTOR MUNOZ, Veteran Junior Middleweight

“I’m looking forward to going in and putting a lot of pressure on him. Thanks to everybody for getting me this fight.’’

JOSEPH JO-JO DIAZ, Promising, Unbeaten Super Bantamweight

“Thanks to Golden Boy and their staff for putting me on this great card. I’m fighting a guy with a ton of experience. I’m sure he’s ready but I had a strong, hard camp and I’m ready to put on a show.

“I hope all the fans tune in. Saturday is going to be great night of boxing.’’

CHRIS DEBLASIO, Vice-President of Sports Communications, SHOWTIME Sports
“In the last two years SHOWTIME has become the leader in televised boxing. I think there’s no mistake about that. We are televising the biggest events in sports, the most competitive fights and quite literally on the most aggressive schedule you can imagine.

“Saturday’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast features three incredible fights with all heavy hitters, knockout fighters that are looking to make a statement in really deep divisions at 147 and 140 pounds. There’s lot to be gained and some to be lost from reach fighter, but we know they’ll come out strong.’’

ANDY FOSTER, Head of California State Athletic Commission

“Welcome back Golden Boy. Golden Boy is the No. 1 stakeholder in California and California does the most boxing in the world. We are pleased to be regulating the fight on Saturday and wish the fighters a safe and successful night.”

In non-televised fights on Saturday: Frankie “Pitbull” Gomez (16-0, 12 KOs), East Los Angeles, vs. Orlando Vasquez (12-3-1, 6 KOs), Bayamon, P.R., 10 rounds, welterweights; Joseph “Jo-Jo” Diaz Jr. (9-0, 7 KOs), South El Monte, Calif., vs. Luis Maldonado (38-11-1, 29 KOs), Calexico, Calif., 8 rounds, super bantamweights; Terrell Gausha (8-0, 5 KOs), Cleveland, vs. Charles Whitaker (40-14-2, 24 KOs), Miami, Fla., 8 rounds, super welterweights; and Sharif Bogere (23-1), Las Vegas, vs. Artura Urena (26-16-1, 22 KOs), Mazatlan, Mexico; 8 rounds, lightweights. The first live fight is at 1 p.m. PT.

# # #

ABOUT THURMAN vs. DIAZ, a 12-round fight for Thurman’s Interim WBA Welterweight World Championship on Saturday, April 26, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona, AT&T and Casamigos Tequila. It will take place at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif., and will air as the main event of the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) and will be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP). In the co-feature, Argentine knockout artist Lucas Matthysse faces hard-hitting John Molina in a 10-round junior welterweight bout that is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Goossen Tutor Promotions. In the opening bout of the telecast, Omar Figueroa Jr. defends his WBC Lightweight title against fellow Texan Jerry Belmontes. Preliminary fights will air on SHOWTIME EXTREME®.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.sports.sho.com and www.homedepotcenter.com, follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/shosports, www.twitter.com/StubHubCenter, https://twitter.com/keithfthurmanjr www.twitter.com/JohnMolinajr135, www.twitter.com/OmarFigueroaJr and www.twitter.com/Jerry_Belmontes, follow the conversation using #ThurmanDiaz or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing and www.facebook.com/StubHubCenter.

LONDON (April 15) – BoxNation are delighted to announce another mega bill to its fantastic schedule with the addition of the stacked April 26th Golden Boy Promotions show featuring boxing’s biggest punchers in Keith Thurman, Lucas Matthysse and Omar Figueroa.

The card taking place at the StubHub Center in Carson, California is guaranteed to have fight fans on the edge of their seats with the three hitmen amassing a stunning 69 knockouts from 78 wins between them.

Headlined by rising welterweight star Thurman, who defends his interim WBA championship against the hardened Julio Diaz, who ran British ace Amir Khan very close last year, it offers the 25-year-old the chance to continue his march towards a shot at the world title. “

To headline a show like this against a former world champion is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and that day is here,” said Thurman. “I respect Julio Diaz and I will not underestimate him. He knows that this may be his last shot, and I expect the best from him, but I’ll be the one leaving with the victory.”

“This is a big opportunity for me to face a fighter that is feared by many, but not by me,” said Diaz. “I have been in the ring with far more dangerous and experienced fighters in the past, and everyone knows that I come to fight. My previous opponents Amir Khan and Shawn Porter will tell you that.”

Argentine assassin Matthysse will make his first appearance since his closely contested fight against light-welterweight kingpin Danny Garcia.

Having blasted his way past a host of top names including Lamont Peterson, Mike Dallas Jr and Humberto Soto, the feared puncher will go in against another hard-hitter in 31-year-old John Molina.

“Molina is the kind of fighter I respect and always want to compete against,” said Matthysse. “He shows up to fight and we’re going to give the fans the kind of show they want to see. I don’t think it will last long, but it will be something to see while it does.”

“I’m excited to showcase myself against someone that I consider to be one of the best fighters in the world at 140 pounds,” said Molina. “I am very well prepared to come in on fight night and do what I do best, and that is to be victorious.”

World title action is also set to take place on the card, with WBC lightweight champion Figueroa looking to continue his unbeaten run when he goes up against fellow Texan Jerry Belmontes.

“I am especially excited about this fight because I have wanted to get payback against Belmontes for longer than a decade,” said Figueroa. “I fought him in the amateurs and he always beat me because I was always shorter than him. Now I am taller, stronger and bigger than him and I am looking to beat him the way he beat me in the amateurs.”

“I beat Omar 5 times in the amateurs but it was just that, the amateurs, we were young,” said Belmontes. “We have taken different paths as professionals and finally they cross and we meet again…on April 26, he’ll be beaten…for the 6th time”.

Earlier that evening BoxNation will bring subscribers some top domestic action from Ponds Forge Arena in Sheffield when undefeated heavyweight bruiser Lucas Browne looks to win the vacant Commonwealth title against Canadian Eric Martel Bahoeli.

With 23-year-old Hatton Promotions protégé Adam Etches also taking on Felipe De la Paz Teniente in a 10-round middleweight contest for the WBC Youth world title.

The two big bills join a mammoth lineup of fights on the channel which has exclusive UK rights to Floyd Mayweather’s crunch unification world title clash with Marcos Maidana, plus Bernard Hopkins April 19th fight with Beibut Shumenov and a host of other top world title bouts.

Further good news for BoxNation viewers is that ‘The Channel of Champions’ will also be the only place to see All Access: Mayweather vs. Maidana.

The hit behind-the-scenes show gives a unique insight into both camps as they prepare for the May 3rd bill at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The premiere of All Access: Mayweather vs. Maidana airs this Saturday April 19th at 7pm, with episode two on Sunday 27th April at 7pm and the finale on Saturday May 3rd at 7pm, all free-to-air to Sky TV customers.

BoxNation is available for only £12 a month (plus a one-off registration fee). Visit www.boxnation.com to subscribe.

-Ends-

About BoxNation
BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated subscription boxing channel. For £12* a month and no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

BoxNation is proud to support Fight for Peace, a charity that uses boxing and martial arts combined with education and personal development to realise the potential of young people in communities that suffer from crime and violence. Buy LUTA (www.luta.co.uk) clothing and support Fight for Peace.

Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Khan vs Diaz and Mayweather vs Alvarez.

The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Virgin (Ch.546), online at Livesport.tv and via iPhone, iPad or Android. BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.

BoxNation is also available to commercial premises (inc. pubs, clubs and casino’s) in the UK and Ireland, for more information on a commercial subscription please call 0844 842 7700.

For more information visit www.boxnation.com

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

LOS ANGELES (March 26, 2014) – StubHub Center in Carson, Calif., has rapidly become known amongst boxing aficionados as the place to be to see world-class fights and fighters. On Saturday, April 26, that reputation continues to grow as Golden Boy Promotions and SHOWTIME Sports® team up for an all-action tripleheader featuring some of the top fighters in the sport today. In the 12-round main event, Florida power-puncher Keith “One Time” Thurman defends his interim WBA World Welterweight Championship against former World Lightweight titleholder Julio “The Kidd” Diaz.

In other televised bouts on SHOWTIME, Argentine knockout king Lucas “The Machine” Matthysse returns in a 10-round matchup against hard-hitting Californian John Molina and Omar “Panterita” Figueroa Jr. defends his WBC Lightweight World Championship against fellow Texan Jerry “The Corpus Christi Kid” Belmontes.

“To headline a show like this against a former world champion is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and that day is here,” said Thurman. “I respect Julio Diaz and I will not underestimate him. He knows that this may be his last shot, and I expect the best from him, but I’ll be the one leaving with the victory.”

“This is a big opportunity for me to face a fighter that is feared by many, but not by me,” said Diaz. “I have been in the ring with far more dangerous and experienced fighters in the past, and everyone knows that I come to fight. My previous opponents Amir Khan and Shawn Porter will tell you that. ”

“Molina is the kind of fighter I respect and always want to compete against,” said Matthysse. “He shows up to fight and we’re going to give the fans the kind of show they want to see. I don’t think it will last long, but it will be something to see while it does.”

“I’m excited to showcase myself against someone that I consider to be one of the best fighters in the world at 140 pounds,” said Molina. “I am very well prepared to come in on fight night and do what I do best, and that is to be victorious.”

“I am especially excited about this fight because I have wanted to get payback against Belmontes for longer than a decade,” said Figueroa. “I fought him in the amateurs and he always beat me because I was always shorter than him. Now I am taller, stronger and bigger than him and I am looking to beat him the way he beat me in the amateurs.”

“I beat Omar 5 times in the amateurs but it was just that, the amateurs, we were young,” said Belmontes. “We have taken different paths as professionals and finally they cross and we meet again… on April 26, he’ll be beaten… for the 6th time”.

Tickets priced at $150, $75, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, go on sale tomorrow/Thursday, March 27 at 10 a.m. PT and will be available online at AXS.com, by phone at 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849) and at StubHub Center Box Office (Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. PT to 6 p.m. PT). VIP Suites are available by calling 877-604-8777. For more information on group discounts or VIP packages, please call 877-234-8425.

A supreme knockout artist whose power continues to captivate more and more fans with each bout, Clearwater, Florida’s Keith “One Time” Thurman (22-0, 20 KOs) skyrocketed from prospect to contender to champion with three wins over Jan Zaveck, Diego Chaves and Jesus Soto Karass in 2013, earning the interim WBA Welterweight World title with the victory over Chaves. On April 26, the 25-year-old makes the second defense of his crown.

A respected veteran who has earned his stripes in the boxing world, Julio “The Kidd” Diaz (40-9-1, 29 KOs) found new life in his career with a move to the welterweight division in 2012. Since making the move, Diaz is 2-2-1, including a 10-round split draw to Shawn Porter and a hard-fought loss to world renowned Amir Khan. The 34-year-old former world lightweight champion from Coachella, Calif., would like nothing more than to win another title on April 26.

Popular Trelew, Chubut, Argentina native Lucas “The Machine” Matthysse (34-3, 32 KOs) has been knocking opponents out for nearly 10 years, becoming one of boxing’s most feared competitors in the process. The former interim WBC Junior Welterweight World Champion, Matthysse’s last 11 wins have ended before the final bell, and after a 12-round decision loss to Danny Garcia in a terrific championship bout last September, the 31-year-old is more determined than ever to take matters out of the judges’ hands.

Covina, California’s John Molina (27-3, 22 KOs) has plenty of dynamite in his fists as well, earning him a reputation as an exciting fighter ever since he turned pro in 2006. In July 2013, the 31-year-old added to his legend with a dramatic come-from-behind last-round knockout of previously unbeaten Mickey Bey, Jr. In his most recent bout last November, the hard-hitting Molina halted Jorge Pimentel in two rounds.

Seen for years as the future of boxing, the time for Omar “Panterita” Figueroa Jr. (22-0-1, 17 KOs) is now. In his last fight, an epic win over Nihito Arakawa last July, Figueroa won the WBC Lightweight World title in a Fight of the Year candidate. The 24-year-old of Weslaco, Texas, was scheduled to face Ricardo Alvarez on the March 8 Canelo vs. Angulo PPV event but sustained an injury in training that forced him to withdraw. On April 26, the fiery competitor returns to defend his crown for the first time against Jerry Belmontes.

Jerry “The Corpus Christi Kid” Belmontes (19-3, 5 KOs) proudly represents his hometown in and out of the ring, but it was his effort in the ring in March 2014 that earned him a shot at Figueroa. In that fight he won a dominant 10-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Australian contender Will Tomlinson. Now, more confident than ever, the 25-year-old plans on delivering another upset win on April 26.

A full undercard will be announced shortly.

Thurman vs. Diaz, a 12-round fight for Thurman’s Interim WBA Welterweight World Championship on Saturday, April 26, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona, AT&T and Casamigos Tequila. It will take place at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif., and will air as the main event of the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) and will be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP). In the co-feature, Argentine knockout artist Lucas Matthysse faces hard-hitting John Molina in a 10-round junior welterweight bout that is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Goossen Tutor Promotions. In the opening bout of the telecast, Omar Figueroa Jr. defends his WBC Lightweight title against fellow Texan Jerry Belmontes. Preliminary fights will air on SHOWTIME EXTREME®.

A triple header featuring three of the more exciting fighters will consummate a triple header on April 26 at the Stub Hub Center in Carson, California as Keith Thurman will defend his welterweight belt against Julio Diaz, Omar Figueroa will take on Jerry Belmontes in a Lightweight title fight while Lucas Matthysse will take on John Molina Jr. in a Jr. Welterweight bout according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

The card will be broadcast on Showtime.

“When you can see Thurman, Matthysse and Figueroa all on one night, it’s pretty exciting I think,” said Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer.

“Julio Diaz will get up for this kind of fight,” Schaefer said. “You saw how he looked in England against Amir Khan. Julio Diaz always comes to fight, and he we’ll see what happens. All of the other top 147-pounders are fighting, so Keith is going to do this fight. We’ll give Julio Diaz one last chance and see what he can make of it. But for Keith, this is about him getting back in the ring without having to wait for some of those other guys while they are getting their fights done.

“Being on air and fighting is the formula. You look at [middleweight titlist] Gennady Golovkin. He’s not fighting King Kong but he has stayed busy, and that is a key in this sport. If you stay busy, you stay relevant. If you wait for that big fight and sit out like some of these fighters have done, you become irrelevant. Keith is going to stay relevant. And one thing we all know about Julio Diaz is that this guy does not just come to pick up a paycheck. He comes to fight and he knows it’s a must-win fight.”

“Matthysse wants to see how he still feels at 140 pounds. He might move up to 147 and try to inject himself into the Mayweather sweepstakes, but he’ll fight this fight and then make that decision,” Schaefer said. “In the meantime, we were looking for an opponent who comes to fight and with Molina we found that.”

However, Figueroa reinjured his left hand a week before the fight and had to withdraw. According to Schaefer, the injury was not serious, only requiring a few weeks of rest.

“Everything is OK with his hand,” Schaefer said. “He had it checked out. He is ready to go and excited to come back.”

Belmontes, who had lost three out of four fights, is getting the title opportunity because he pulled an upset in his last fight, easily outpointing previously unbeaten contender Will Tomlinson of Australia in a 10-rounder on the Alvarez-Angulo card.

“That was a great win for Belmontes,” Schaefer said. “Tomlinson was undefeated and ranked in the organizations and Belmontes beat him. That was a big win for him, and this is his reward.”

LONDON (Dec.13) – Loved and loathed in equal measure, WBA World Welterweight king Adrien Broner certainly brings fight fans into a lather.

He is undeniably talented and appears to possess all the technical tools to become the dominant superstar of this decade.

Tomorrow evening, at the fabulous Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, we should have a clearer indication as to whether ‘The Problem’ has the mental fibre to match his physical gifts when he fronts up to stone-fisted Argentine Marcos Maidana.

Make up your own mind by watching the show live and exclusive in the UK on BoxNation, the Channel of Champions, from 12.30 am on Sunday morning. Join at www.boxnation.com

If Broner is the most blessed rising star in the division, then Florida’s Keith Thurman is the most explosive.

The 25 year old they call ‘One Time’ has iced 19 of his 21 victims inside the distance and he’ll be anxious to club his way into an All US shootout with Broner by impressively eliminating Mexican veteran Jesus Soto Karass in the chief support.

To analyse the action, boxing writer Glynn Evans touched base with reigning British and Commonwealth champion Frankie Gavin who intends to gatecrash the world 147lb scene himself in 2014.

“Broner versus Maidana is a really fascinating fight. It’s possible the Broner could make Maidana look a bit of a plodder, slow and stupid. But I think the Argentinian has got every chance. Broner looked crap against Malinaggi and Maidana will have tightened up since moving to the Garcias in Oxnard.

I’ve followed Broner pretty closely since he blitzed Jason Litzau inside a round on ESPN a couple of years ago. I’ve seen pretty much all his fights since then.

There’s no denying that he’s a great fighter. The question is, is he a great welter? He took a huge step up from 135 (lbs) to 147 and didn’t look overly strong and powerful against Malignaggi. I think 140 could be his optimal weight right now.

Away from the ring, he’s like an immature version of Floyd Mayweather. I go on him and off him as a person. Some of his showmanship is really funny but he can take things too far sometimes. I don’t like him taking the mick and being disrespectful to fellow fighters whose ability level is far beneath his. But I thought he came across well on Showtime’s All Access program, joking around.

There’s plenty to admire about him as a fighter. He’s so accurate with his shots and seldom wastes anything. Everything he throws is intended to land and hurt. I particularly like how he leans back then delivers that lead counter right hand.

Mind, from what I’ve seen so far I’m not sure his footwork is that great. He tends to walk forward and bully his opponent physically but I doubt very much whether he’ll be able to do that against Maidana. I think Maidana will be physically stronger and the one on the front foot. I know Maidana’s been on the floor a few times against Amir Khan and Victor Ortiz but I can’t see him getting stopped by Broner.

I’ve seen a lot of Maidana too. He can definitely ‘have it’! He’s a rugged, bullying type but he’s not a bad boxer either. I expect Maidana to be the bigger puncher in this fight – Broner’s not a one punch finisher – and Maidana can do his damage with both hands; swinging left uppercuts and big right hands over the top. I think Broner will also find him very strong in the clinches.

On the downside, Maidana’s not the quickest and isn’t great defensively. Sometimes he switches over his feet and can be caught square on. We all saw how easily Deven Alexander managed to outbox him.

To give himself the best possible chance, he’s going to need to get right on Broner and drag him into a war. And I wouldn’t be massively surprised if that happens. Broner is a lazy fighter who likes to take his breaks, whereas Maidana can sustain a pretty high workrate.

It’s possible Maidana could ruffle Broner out of his comfort zone and take over in the later rounds. Broner will enter favourite but I think Maidana has every chance.

Broner would be foolish to stand and trade with Maidana. To win, he’ll need to box Maidana from the outside and hit him as he charges in. He needs to keep adjusting so that Maidana struggles to set himself. You can’t hit a moving target as hard as you can hit a static one. If Broner can execute that, Maidana will get wilder and wilder. Then Broner can really capitalise and make Maidana look cumbersome, like Pacquiao did to Brandon Rios.

As yet, we’ve not really seen how Broner will respond once he gets pushed back.This fight should show us.

I’ll go with Broner to come through a few sticky patches and win quite widely on points, something like 117-110. It’s a fight I’m really looking forward to.

On the undercard we’ll get a good look at Keith Thurman who the Yanks are raving about.
I saw his stoppage win over (Carlos) Quintana and his 12 round points win over Jan Zaveck who used to be the IBF champion.

Clearly, with 19 knockouts from 21 wins, he’s a big puncher – dangerous with both hands – but other than that I don’t really rate him from what I’ve seen. He’s a good body puncher but his big hooks are pretty wild and he needs to learn to keep his hands up.

He hasn’t got great ability. Defensively he’s not all that and I don’t think he can fight off the back foot. I’d definitely take a fight with him if it was offered to me.

Soto Karass has plenty of recognisable names on his record like Carson Jones, Mike Jones, Gabriel Rosado, Maidana, Selcuk Aydin and he had that great win against Andre Berto last time out.

I saw the fight with Selcuk and basically Aydin gave it away rather than Soto winning it. Aydin was very lazy and got outworked.

From what I’ve seen, that’s Soto’s strength. He’s very tough, very busy and makes the opponent work hard. He’s not the most gifted technically – he’s very easy to hit, lacks speed and is quite old (31) – but he could outhustle Thurman.

Thurman is one of the biggest hitting welters but, for me, he’s not in the top five ability wise. The real slick operators would outbox him all day long. I certainly think Kell Brook would beat him, provided Kell did the weight properly.

But Thurman – Soto should definitely be a good fight for the fans because neither shy away. Soto will need to get close and be busy, make Thurman miss, then make him pay. But I’ll back the Yank to draw him on to his big bombs and stop him somewhere around the eighth or ninth.”

Broner vs. Maidana is live on BoxNation (Sky Ch. 437/Virgin Ch. 546) from 12.30am this Sunday. Visit www.boxnation.com to subscribe.

-Ends-
About BoxNation
BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated subscription boxing channel. For £10* a month and no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

BoxNation is proud to support Fight for Peace, a charity that uses boxing and martial arts combined with education and personal development to realise the potential of young people in communities that suffer from crime and violence. Buy LUTA (www.luta.co.uk) clothing and support Fight for Peace.

Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Khan vs Diaz and Mayweather vs Alvarez.

The channel is available on Sky (ch 437), Virgin (ch 546), online at Livesport.tv and via iPhone, iPad or Android.

BoxNation is also available to commercial premises (inc. pubs, clubs and casino’s) in the UK and Ireland, for more information on a commercial subscription please call 0844 842 7700.

For more information visit www.boxnation.com

*Plus £10 one off registration fee for Sky TV and new Livesport.tv customers.

Adrien Broner 144.4 – Marcos Maidana 146.2
Keith Thurman 145.8 – Jesus Soto Karass 146.2
Leo Santa Cruz 121.4 – Cesar Seda 121.6
Beibut Shumenov 175 – Tamas Kovacs 174.4

SHOWTIME EXTREME – Live at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT

JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHTS
Ricardo Alvarez – 140.4 Pounds
Rod Salka – 138.8 Pounds

LIGHTWEIGHTS
Robert Easter, Jr. – 133.6 Pounds
Hardy Paredes – 135.4 Pounds

LOS ANGELES (Nov. 25, 2013) – As the Thanksgiving holiday quickly approaches, the boxers participating in the back-to-back quadruple headers on Saturday, Dec. 7 and Saturday, Dec. 14 live on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING took time out of their training camps to share some of the things they are thankful for this holiday season. While turkey, stuffing and yams may not be on their Thanksgiving menus, they are all in agreement that there is much to be thankful for.

PAULIE “THE MAGIC MAN” MALIGNAGGI, Former Two-Time, Two-Division World Champion (Training in Brooklyn, NY)
“[I am thankful for] My family and my true friends, especially those that have stuck with me from the start.”

“SUPER” ZAB JUDAH, Former Five-Time, Two-Division World Champion (Training in Las Vegas, NV)
“I am thankful for this time and that I get to be together with my family.”

DEVON “THE GREAT” ALEXANDER, IBF Welterweight World Champion (Training in St. Louis, MO)
“I am very thankful just to be living and in the position I’m in to help a lot of kids and inspire them too. I’m really thankful for so many things in my life, but I can’t mention them all because then the list would go on and on. I do want to say that I am thankful for my team and Golden Boy Promotions for getting me the best opportunity possible. Many peoplewant to be in the position that I am in and I am glad that I am one of them!”

SHAWN “SHOWTIME” PORTER, Top Welterweight Contender (Training in Las Vegas, NV)
“I am most thankful for family because they are the most important thing to me.

ERISLANDY “EL ORO DE GUANTANAMO” LARA, WBA Interim Super Welterweight World Champion (Training in Houston, TX)
“I am most thankful for being in the United State of America and for the freedom I have been given.”

AUSTIN “NO DOUBT” TROUT, Former WBA Super Welterweight World Champion (Training in Houston, TX)
“First and foremost I am most thankful for God, the Son of Jesus. Also, I am thankful for the love from my family, friends and fans. I have so much that I am grateful for including my health and career that allows me to provide for family.”

SAKIO “THE SCORPION” BIKA, WBC Super Middleweight World Champion (Training in St. Louis, MO)
“I am most grateful to have my family. Also, I am thankful that I have my health and a roof over my head because in this world there are a lot of disabled and homeless people.”

ANTHONY “THE DOG” DIRRELL, Super Middleweight Contender (Training in Del Rey, FL)
“I am most thankful for my family and getting this world championship title opportunity. What I have been through has been amazing with the cancer (Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma) and the motorcycle accident. Having the opportunity to recover and fight for the title means a lot to me.”

ADRIEN “THE PROBLEM” BRONER, Undefeated WBA Welterweight World Champion (Training in Colorado Springs, CO)
“I am thankful to God for giving me the ability to take care of family, friends and children.”

MARCOS “EL CHINO” MAIDANA, Former WBA Intercontinental Welterweight Champion (Training in Oxnard, CA)
“I’m thankful for this opportunity that Golden Boy Promotions is giving me. I’m really excited about this fight because of the many more opportunities that will come my way if I win. I’m also grateful to the fans, all the Mexican fans that are showing me their support.”

KEITH “ONE TIME” THURMAN, Undefeated WBA Interim Welterweight World Champion (Training in Clearwater, FL)
“I am most thankful for my career in boxing. Boxing is the only job that I have ever had and the only job I have ever wanted and I am truly grateful for that.”

JESUS “EL RENUENTE” SOTO KARASS, Top Welterweight Contender (Training in Los Angeles, CA)

“I am most thankful for my life and my family. I am grateful to have the love of my wife, kids, parents and siblings. I have the best in life with them. I am also grateful for my health.”

LEO “EL TERREMOTO” SANTA CRUZ, Undefeated WBC Super Bantamweight World Champion (Training in Los Angeles, Calif.)
“I am most thankful for my family, especially my brother. He still suffers from his illness [lupus], but he is doing much better. I am also thankful for my promoter Golden Boy Promotions, my manager Al Haymon and his hard working staff and my fans for supporting me in becoming a champion. Without any of them I wouldn’t be where I am at today.”

CESAR SEDA, Super Bantamweight Title Challenger (Training in Salinas, Puerto Rico)
“I am thankful to God for my health and all of the good things in life that have happened to me and my beautiful family. I know that this Thanksgiving I won’t be able to be with my wife, kids, mother or my grandparents and the rest of my family, but they understand the sacrifice that I am making for their good. This Thanksgiving I pray that God blesses the whole world and that he brings a lot of peace. I am so grateful for the new opportunity he gave me to fight for a world title again.”

BEIBUT SHUMENOV, WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion (Training in Las Vegas, NV)
“As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, I am most thankful for my family. My father and mother raised me to be the person I am today and the continuous love and support from my brother, Chingis.”

TAMAS “TOMI KID” KOVACS, Top Light Heavyweight Contender (Training in Budapest, Hungary)
“I am very thankful for my family and feel very grateful every day to see my kids and my wife. When I am preparing for a fight my family is always on my mind and in my heart. In my career I am very grateful for the opportunity that I can fight for the WBA title.

# # #

ABOUT “MALIGNAGGI VS. JUDAH”:
Malignaggi vs. Judah is a 12-round fight for the NABF and NABO Welterweight titles taking place on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Super Judah Promotions and sponsored by Corona, AT&T, Casamigos Tequila and Grudge Match. In the co-featured bout, Devon Alexander puts his IBF welterweight title on the line in a 12-round bout against Shawn Porter, Erislandy Lara defends his interim WBA Super Welterweight title in a 12-round fight against Austin Trout and Sakio Bika defends his WBC Super Middleweight title against Anthony Dirrell in a 12-round bout. The SHOWTIME telecast begins at 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT immediately following ALL ACCESS: Broner vs. Maidana which begins at 7:30 p.m. ET/ 4:30 p.m. PT. The telecast will be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP).

Tickets priced at $250, $125, $75, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes and service charges, available at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-745-3000 and at the American Express Box Office. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.

ABOUT “DANGER ZONE: BRONER VS. MAIDANA”
“DANGER ZONE: Broner vs. Maidana,” a 12-round fight for Broner’s WBA Welterweight World Championship taking place on Saturday, Dec. 14 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Leija*Battah Promotions and sponsored by Corona, AT&T, Casamigos Tequila and Grudge Match. In the 12-round co-featured attraction, Keith Thurman will defend his interim WBA Welterweight World Championship against Jesus Soto Karass. Leo Santa Cruz will put his WBC Super Bantamweight World title on the line against Cesar Seda in a 12-round bout and Beibut Shumenov faces Tamas Kovacs in a 12-round clash for Shumenov’s WBA Super & IBA Light Heavyweight World titles. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast will air live at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and can be heard in Spanish using secondary audio programming (SAP). Preliminary bouts will air live on SHOWTIME EXTREME® at 6:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Tickets priced at $250, $200, $150, $100, $75, $50, $25, $20 and $10, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, went on sale today, Thursday, Oct. 31 at 10 a.m. CT and are available at the Alamodome box office, or through Leija*Battah Promotions by calling (210) 979-3302 or emailing m@leijabattahpromo.com or online at www.ticketmaster.com and all Ticketmaster locations, by calling (800) 745-3000.

Kelly Swanson
Thanks, everybody, for calling in. We really appreciate it. This call is to talk about this fantastic undercard, the undercard for the Adrien Broner and Marcos Maidana fight, which is December 14 from the Alamodome in San Antonio.

We’re going to start off today with Cesar Seda and Leo Santa Cruz, and then immediately following their comments and your questions for them, we will turn it over to Keith Thurman and Jesus Soto Karass. To get this call going, I’m going to introduce Richard Schaefer, Chief Executive Officer of Golden Boy Promotions.

Richard Schaefer
Thank you, Kelly. Before I get started to talk to about this sensational card, I just want to make another quick comment. There were some great fights this weekend. We had pound-for-pound great Andre Ward looking quite spectacular in defending his world title, but there was another fight which really stole the weekend. We had Kelly Swanson look more than spectacular in her first victory. I know she said it’s going to be a one-off; I’m trying to talk her into signing with Golden Boy and have offered her a very lucrative contract. We’ll see, but she was just devastating in her amateur debut this past weekend, so congratulations, Kelly.

K. Swanson
Thank you very much.

R. Schaefer
Talking about devastating, this is the best card we’ve ever put together in a very long time. It’s Broner and Maidana, but it’s not just Broner and Maidana, which really I believe is still a pay-per-view-worthy fight, especially if you team it up with three other world title fights – Keith Thurman and Jesus Soto Karass, Leo Santa Cruz and Cesar Seda, and Beibut Shumenov defending his his light heavyweight title against Tamas Kovacs.

For this card to be able to be enjoyed for free, live, on Showtime, is just absolutely spectacular thing. I want to say a big, big thank you to Stephen Espinoza and everyone at Showtime and CBS Network for coming up with the required financial contributions to get this fight card going. I want to thank very much, as well, our partners in San Antonio, Mike Battah and Jesse James Leija from Leija*Battah Promotions. They’re doing a terrific job as always.

We have scaled the Alamodome for 30,000 people and there are well over 10,000 tickets sold already. Ticket prices are available for as little as $10, as little as $10. I mean that’s less than a movie ticket -$10, $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, and $250. I think that the $250 is already sold out. Make sure, write about, tell your readers and listeners and so on that this great, great fight card, for as little as 10 bucks, you can go and enjoy.

I want to thank our sponsors Corona, AT&T, and our latest edition, Casamigos Tequila, a fast-growing tequila brand which a celebrity-owned tequila company owned by George Clooney, and Grudge Match, the great movie, which will be in the theaters on December the 25th. I want to thank all of the sponsors.

The fight will be televised live on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern, 5 p.m. Pacific. I really can’t wait for all of those fights, even the non-televised portion, with Ricardo Alvarez, Saul’s brother, Jamel Herring, Robert Easter, Rau’shee Warren. It’s an all-star lineup. There is a special other treat there, Jermain Taylor will be fighting against J.C. Candelo on that card as well. Really, a terrific lineup.

A little bit of everything, and I think the perfect ending to what I consider to have been the best year of boxing since I’ve been involved back in 2000. Just an absolutely terrific year with great, great fights. Talking about great fights, we have today Leo Santa Cruz and Cesar Seda on the call. This is the classic Mexican/Puerto Rican matchup.

Cesar Seda has a record of 25 and 1 with 17 knockouts. He’s from San Juan, Puerto Rico, promoted by Miguel Cotto Promotions and Golden Boy. He won the WBA Fedecaribe and NABO titles before having his one loss, which was against WBO Champion Omar Narvaez in 2011. Since then the 27-years-young Seda has gone up in weight and won five bouts straight, two by knockout, earning him the opportunity to fight for the world title against Leo Santa Cruz on December 14th. It’s a pleasure for me now to introduce to you, Cesar Seda.

Cesar Seda
First of all I want to thank Oscar and Richard for this opportunity. I also want to thank Leo Santa Cruz. This is the fight I was waiting for. This is the fight that I’m going to prove that there is still a lot of talent in Puerto Rico, so thank you very much.

R. Schaefer
Great, thank you. I’m going to be introducing you to now a fighter who doesn’t need much introduction. He is one of the most action-packed fighters in any weight class. He has a record of 25 and 0, with 15 KO’s. Originally from Huetamo, Mexico, now living in Los Angeles. He broke into the international boxing scene in June 2012 when he won the IBF Bantamweight World Championship with a unanimous decision over Vusi Malinga.

Then he went on to defend the title three times in 2012 with exciting wins over Eric Morel, Victor Zaleta and Alberto Guevara, the last one being the highest watched boxing event over the last 12 months. It was aired live on CBS network following the Butler-Indiana basketball game. Over 1.8 million homes were watching that fight and really elevated Leo Santa Cruz to even higher levels.

He then faced Alexander Munoz on May 4th in Las Vegas on the big card, with Mayweather and Guerrero, and then with a TKO, where he won with a TKO in the fifth round and continued his undefeated record. Most recently, Leo Santa Cruz earned the WBC Super Bantamweight Championship after a knockout win over former champion Victor Terrazas at the StubHub Center in Carson, Los Angeles.

As I said, his accomplishments in the ring are absolutely amazing, but outside of the ring, as I said so many times, he really is one of my favorite fighters. He’s just a terrific, terrific young man and it’s a pleasure for me to introduce to you the WBC Super Bantamweight World Champion, Leo Santa Cruz.

L. Santa Cruz
Thank you, Richard, for all your words. They mean a lot to me. Thank you very much. I want to say hello to everyone and I also want to thank Richard, Golden Boy, Showtime, my manager Al Haymon, to the other people that have been making this possible. I’m just happy and I’m ready. I’m ready for December 14th. I’ve been getting ready already like for a month and a half, two months. I’ve been training and I want December 14th to come so I can show everybody … and what I got. I’m very motivated and ready for December 14th.

R. Schaefer
Great. Thank you very much, Leo. We are going to open it up now for questions for the media. If you guys have any questions for Leo Santa Cruz or Cesar Seda, please go ahead.

Q
Yes. I have questions for everyone, but first, Kelly, I just want to congratulate you on all of your success this weekend and just for everything you do in this sport. I mean, this is just one more footnote. It’s really inspiring.

K. Swanson
Thank you.

Q
You’re very welcome. First my question is for Richard. Richard, this card in San Antonio, I’m not quite sure how to word it, but has this motivated other cities to get in touch with you, because you’ve really helped build San Antonio into a fight town. I just want to know if the plan is just to look for other areas in 2014 to keep it going throughout the country?

R. Schaefer
We started to host fights in San Antonio when we did some of the Fox shows and this has been a process with James and with Mike for the last couple of years, and then obviously, the goal was to bring big fights, world championship fights, on a regular basis. The key word here is “regular basis.” That’s how you develop the market. Obviously with the kind of turn out we have, it has worked.

We’ve done exactly the same in Brooklyn, New York, where a lot of people felt like a West Coast Los Angeles-based promotional company, how can they capture that market? But the key word again is consistency, and to have partners in those markets which share the same vision and are passionate about the sport. With Mike and with James we have those partners in Texas which are passionate about the sport and are willing to invest in the sport as well.
The same is true for the Barclays Center with Brett Yormark, the CEO, passionate about the sport. The same is here at the Staples Center with AEG Dan Beckerman, the CEO of AEG is passionate about the sport. That’s why you’ve seen these markets develop the way they are. There are many other markets, which I believe are waiting to be hosts on a regular basis for boxing. It’s a matter of finding the right local promoters and friends and partners to develop those markets. For example, I can see a Chicago being one of the next targets for us, but again, we want to have the right partners, loyal partners, who want to work with us.

Q
Okay, thanks a lot, Richard. That was a fantastic answer. My first question, Cesar Seda, I know you moved up to 122 a couple of years ago. I just want to know what difference it’s been for you since moving up from 115 and if there is anyone you’ve fought that you feel compares to Leo Santa Cruz in terms of the volume of punches that he throws?

C. Seda
I moved up in weight kind of like Leo did. Leo was the champion at 118. He moved up to 122. I also moved up. I kept my eye on him and the truth is, I feel a lot stronger at 122. I feel a lot stronger and I’m going to prove it on the night of the fight.

As far as Leo’s style, no, I’ve never fought anybody that throws so many punches, but I have fought guys that are very strong, aggressive and punchers. I want to prove that I have the talent and the power to beat a Leo Santa Cruz and to compete in this division. It’s the most important fight of my life.

Q
Cesar, you noted earlier that he wants to prove that there is plenty of talent in Puerto Rico. Does that add any pressure to this fight?

C. Seda
No, not at all. In fact, it motivates me and gives me hunger. Right now, in Puerto Rico, there are not too many champions. There aren’t too many champions and I want to prove that we have the talent and we can compete and be champions. I have hunger and I can’t wait for December 14th.

Q
Cesar, thanks a lot. Leo, I kind of have the same question for you, just how you feel since moving up to 122. You had a spectacular year last year, but I noticed against Guevara, you kind of looked a little sluggish. Was it just because you fought so much in 2012 or was it just that it was time to move up in weight?

L. Santa Cruz
No. I think at 122 I feel stronger. I feel better. Everything’s good. I didn’t have that much problem going up, making 118. The only thing that, for the Guevara fight, it was I fight in November and then in December again, it was-it seemed like a month. I didn’t really have that much time to train and probably my body was tired. I didn’t let my body recover. I think that was the main primary concern; I didn’t let the body rest. That’s why I looked kind of tired and sluggish. Other than that, I feel stronger at 122 and I feel stronger. The weight is way. I feel strong and inspiring. I feel great now.

Q
My first question is for Cesar Seda, picking up on what he said about Puerto Rico not having any champions, how much pressure does he feel given that he’s fighting a really tough guy in Leo Santa Cruz, with all that that’s gone on with the Puerto Rican fighters?

C. Seda
No, no pressure at all. That’s what we’re working hard for. We’re working very hard in the gym. We’re working very hard in the conditioning, strengthening, and remember I fought Narvaez. I lost my undefeated record to him and that gave me a great deal of experience.

Q
Yes, I wanted to pick up on that. Narvaez is more of a crafty fighter. Can he compare and contrast what he thinks he’ll be able to do with a guy like Santa Cruz, who comes to you and will be there, maybe allow him to use his southpaw skills.

C. Seda
We learned a lot from that fight. You have to understand, Narvaez had tremendous experience, a great deal of experience. He was an Olympian, and during the fight, we were winning. We were comfortably ahead of the fight, but then they started deducting points, calling low punches, and that frustrated me a little bit and made me look for just one punch. We learned a lot from that, gained a lot of experience, and that will show come the 14th.

Q
Leo, many of us who have been watching you, we just come to expect an exciting fight from you every single time out. No different this time. Do you embrace that pressure? Do you embrace that and does it make you fight better, or do you feel some pressure?

L. Santa Cruz
Yes, that’s why I train 100% in the gym. Every time I work harder. Every time I try to improve, I try to improve because I know that the fans, that’s what they want to see. For me to go and do what I always do, I have to train 100%. I have to dedicate and that’s what I do. I’m always – most of my time, I’m in the gym. In the morning I’m in the gym, and then I go home, eat, rest, and then I come back. I do my strengthening and conditioning.

We could say that I live in the gym because I like to please the fans. I like them saying good things about me, and when I go out there I like to give them a great show. I never want to disappoint them. I try my best not to do that. I try my best to be at 100% and that’s what I’m doing right now.

Q
Obviously, you saw what happened to Abner Mares and he feels the same way. He felt like – even when I asked him, should he have held on when he got back up? He said no, you got to understand, I’m a fighter. Your reaction to his loss? I know you thought maybe you would fight him someday. What is your reaction to his loss, and does that make you understand the sudden nature of this sport and how it can turn on a dime?

L. Santa Cruz
Yes. I was surprised. I couldn’t believe that he got knocked out. I thought he was going to win, that’s why. But things happen and it didn’t really affect me. It was just like a quick knockdown to fight him. We don’t know how it would have gone if it would have gone the distance. Maybe he would have won, or at that point, he wouldn’t have come. Maybe … to happen between me and him and nothing has changed it. I think we … fight.

Q
Last question for you. When was the last time you fought a southpaw? I was trying to look at your record. Do you think his style will be at all difficult for you?

L. Santa Cruz
Yes. Southpaws are more difficult, their style. But the last time I fought a southpaw was Vusi Malinga. That was when I won the IBF Title. I could fight southpaws, too. I could get used to their style and I’ve been fighting southpaws in the gym. I’ve been practicing hitting to the right and I’ve been doing things that how you have to fight a southpaw.
Q
I saw where on the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation website, you already have half-a-dozen dates reserved for next year. That indicates you have a lot of confidence in this market here. Talk about how that came about. I think you touched on it earlier, talking about Mike Battah and Jesse James Leija. What is it about this market that can support that kind of activity?

R. Schaefer
San Antonio was always a good market for boxing, but I think what we’ve done, together with Mike and with James, we really have taken it to a totally different level. When I was, a couple weeks ago, in San Antonio with all the fighters to do the press conference, I had mentioned it right there when I said that, and I really mean that, that there is Las Vegas – and I’m not listing these in any particular order.

There is Las Vegas, the MGM, obviously. There is the Staples Center and the StubHub Center in Carson, Los Angeles. There’s the Barclays Center in New York and then there’s the Alamodome Antonio. I really believe that San Antonio fits and belongs in that group of premier fight towns in the United States. For us to have been able to develop the market the way we have, with our local partners there, with Mike and with James, it’s obviously fantastic, and I that’s why we are holding a number of dates for San Antonio.

The continuity is extremely important and we want to continue to bring big world championship fights to San Antonio. One of the fights, who I mentioned that at the press conference as well, who made it clear to us, who wants to fight there again next year is Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. He felt extremely comfortable and welcomed in San Antonio. It’s a great fan base and it’s great that you come to San Antonio.

JQ
How much did his fights against Trout, Austin Trout, play into this when it drew 40,000 people? Did that really cement San Antonio on the map?

R. Schaefer
I think it was more than that. You look at Dallas, which had hosted a Pacquiao fight, and then you pretty much don’t hear anything about Dallas anymore where he won it was a one-off. Or you remember when Oscar fought in El Paso and it was a huge crowd. I think those big fights are important, but one-offs really are not.

You cannot build a market with one-off events no matter how big they are. Those one-off events, they don’t do anything. Are they important in the scope of the entire year, where you’re going to bring smaller fights and bigger fights? You need to bring a mix of everything and that is ultimately much more important than that one-off big fight.

Q
Finally, how important is the Hispanic market in this town, and in boxing in general, in driving the Bedrock of Boxing? Are they still the most important element?

R. Schaefer
Oh, absolutely. I think the Hispanic market is extremely important to the help of boxing. We recently had commissioned a study from the leading research company in the United States, Carrboro Research, which is, they work with Fortune 500 companies. We have commissioned the research, an independent research to ask them about the demographics of boxing and how boxing is perceived.

And the fact that the Hispanics are important, but I have to tell you, the urban market, the African American and the urban market, is almost equally important. I think a lot of people have not really realized that. But there is a reason why a Canelo fight against a Mayweather fight, where you have an urban, African American fighter with Mayweather, and a fighter who has a lot of overall, general market appeal, and you have him against the most popular fighter from Mexico, Canelo. You have those two and they break all sorts of records.

There are – I think boxing, it’s the Mexicans … the Latinos. It’s the urbans, but more and more, we see that the general market is getting really behind boxing again in ways we haven’t seen it before. We see that with increased sponsor commitments, but we see it as well with the ratings on Fox Sports Life, the Monday night boxing series, which several of those dates are, and will be, in San Antonio as well. The ratings Fox is getting is double, and I’m not making this stuff up, it’s double what they expected.

Boxing as a sport, I think, has really had a huge, huge comeback year in 2013. The biggest I’ve seen. I think San Antonio is a big, plays a big role there, because if you can bring fights to those kinds of venues like San Antonio has, like the Alamodome, or the basketball arena, and all those, and the smaller venues as well, you basically elevate the sport, and I think that’s what has happened this year.

Q
Yes, sir. Richard, I guess we’re echoing the same sentiment in reference to San Antonio being a hotbed for boxing, and definitely your undercard is very impressive with Leo Santa Cruz and then Keith Thurman fighting Jesus Soto Karass. That particular, the last fight that you all had in San Antonio with Omar Figueroa on the undercard, it turned out to be something absolutely amazing.

R. Schaefer
Absolutely. You saw the Omar Figueroa against the Japanese kid, Arakawa. That was like a fight-of-the-year candidate. It might very well be the fight-of-the-year, just an absolutely fantastic fight. So yes, you have great local talent in San Antonio, which is coming along, and Mike and James are doing a terrific job there to keep the pipeline going.

I think what it does as well, for a market, when these young kids, who are training in the gyms as amateurs, and they see that boxing is coming on a regular basis to their town, that encourages them as well to train even harder, and eventually hopefully sign with a Mike Battah and a James Leija, and then with the Golden Boy. I think that’s a big motivator as well, and the big benefit of having big cards on a regular basis in a particular market.

I think all that is very encouraging. I think it helps to really grow the sport as well from the roots up, by giving these amateurs something to look forward to when they turn pro, that they can fight in their home towns.

Q
Yes. And, Figueroa, of course, is from the Texas Valley. There are good gyms. Leija and Battah are doing a great job of finding that talent and trying to encourage kids to go into the sport of boxing. But, I just want to commend you on – it’s going to be tough for you all to get undercards such as the last two or three that you’ve had. You’re going to have to outdo yourself there.

R. Schaefer
We like that. We like to outdo ourselves. When you look at this card, you have a Broner and a Maidana as the main event, but all the other fights are main events in their own way. How is it that over 10,000 tickets are sold? That you’re going to have between 20,000 and 30,000 people there in the Alamodome? That doesn’t just happen. I just want to quickly spend a minute on, how does that happen?

With Mike Battah you have – with James Leija, you obviously have the legend in the market who understands boxing and knows boxing, and boxing knows him. But then with Mike Battah, you have one of the most successful business people and entrepreneurs there from the San Antonia area who is passionate about boxing, being fully dedicated to the sport.

What he does is he takes – when we bring these big cards there, he takes one of his warehouses, hires like 60 people, puts in 60 desks and phones lines, and so on, in a big warehouse. Those 60 people are, from the morning til the evening, nonstop on the phone, calling people, selling tickets, getting sponsors involved and creating a hype. That is what I call putting the money where your mouth is. That’s Battah. That’s Mike Battah. Just an absolutely amazing guy who has a passion for the sport and what he is doing is really, it’s just great, great, great for San Antonio.

Q
Hi. My first question is for Cesar Seda. Cesar, do you feel you can win a decision in San Antonio, considering that it’s going to be Leo Santa Cruz throughout, and sometimes when that happens, every time he throws a punch or lands a punch, people go wild. Do you feel you can win a decision in San Antonio?

C. Seda
Yes. We know and we understand it’s going to be pro-Santa Cruz, but there are ways to get around that and to keep the crowd out of it.

Q
The question is for Leo. Leo, what do you think are the strengths and advantages that Cesar has?

L. Santa Cruz
I know that he’s a very good fighter. Seda is a very good fighter. He has all the qualities to be a champion. He’s a good boxer. He’s a good puncher. He can box, punch. He can do a lot. But I’m training very hard. I’m training very, very hard, and like any good Mexican, I’m going to fight against a Puerto Rican, and you’re always going to get a war. I’m preparing very well for this fight. May the best man win.

Q
Richard, first of all with you, being at Fox and really the national TV scene no more, like the ABC and NBC and stuff like that, and even though you have set up these for Fox Sports and for those who have cable can watch it. Is that one of the terms why you all decided to bring the ticket prices down like $10 to $20; because it’s working? Are you all going old school with the prices to help those that can afford a little bit more to come out and see, and show more support?

R. Schaefer
Well, you want to create an environment where people can take a family and they can take their kids, and the kids can get excited about going to a big boxing event, sporting events. Some of the baseball stadiums once in a while you do have these cheap tickets, but other than that, there are very, very few sporting events, period, where you can go and get for $10 to go and see a world championship fight. Now, let alone here, we’re talking about four world championship fights. So from a pricing point of view that must be setting a record in itself.

I think pricing is important, but we didn’t really have to go as low as $10. I mean, we could have gone with $20 for cheapest ticket, and it still would have been extremely inexpensive, but we really want to make a point here that, don’t blame it that you can’t afford it, and if you’re a family of four or five or six for 50, 60 bucks you can go and take your family there, and this is what we wanted to do, and that is what we’re going to continue to do. And when you go to those bigger venues, then you have the advantage as well that you do have the ticket inventory, the seat inventory to accommodate fight fans, and I think that’s all part of the Golden Boy story, to really bring boxing back one fight at a time.

Q
Cesar, the question I have for you was, in your loss to Omar Narvaez, what did you learn from that fight that’s going to help you in this fight?

C. Seda
What I learned from that fight is to keep my rhythm, and to keep my game plan, basically. Don’t get discouraged and just keep the game plan and keep the rhythm and volume of punches.

Q
Right, and with that, Cesar, you’re pretty big for bantamweight, super bantamweight at 118, 122. With that, you’re 5’6″, but Leo is actually an inch taller than you, and got the same-pretty good reach as you. How do you plan on out working and out punching Leo, because he’s merciless when he gets mad; it’s like he doesn’t stop punching?

C. Seda
Yes, I have the tools, the smarts, and the ability to beat a fighter like him, and you’re just going to have to wait and see on December 14th.

Q
Right, and last question is for Leo Santa Cruz. Leo, if anybody who watches Cesar Seda knows that he’s a precision body puncher, and even though a couple times a ref will take a point away saying he hit kind of low, do you go back and replay it; he does hit kind of close to the belt line, but he’s really good at taking that body out. Do you expect him to do that to you; to take you out and keep you in the deep waters? And what do you feel about him being almost as tall as you, as well as a long-arm reach as you?

L. Santa Cruz
I like fighting taller guys than me or the same as me. I think it’s easier for me to resist them and to go out there and fight better, because I have trouble with shorter people, and it’s a lot difficult to fight shorter people if it’s hard when they move a lot, and it is hard to find their head. But to fight somebody as tall as me and almost the same, I think it makes a much better fight, and is better for both of us because we see the fans and we give them what they want, a better show, and if he comes with the body, I think it’s going to be even better for me because I like people to stay there in length, and if he does that, we’re both going go at it and give it a war. I think the fight is not going to finish, not going to go the distance, not going to go to 12 rounds if he stays there and tries to go to the body, I think it’s going to go the distance, going to finish before the 12 rounds.

R. Schaefer
Great. Okay. Thank you very much to the two fighters, to Leo and to Cesar. We’ll see you guys in a few weeks down in San Antonio. Continue training hard, and I know it will be a great battle. I know that Cesar Seda is coming to win the title, and I know that Leo Santa Cruz will be in great shape, and will continue to build his legend as one of the best fighters in the sport.

So with having said that, we are going to be moving on now to the semi-main event. Well, when I was talking about fights, I like to see, this one is right there. I mean, Keith Thurman against Jesus Soto Karass is, I think, a fight fans, a sport fans dream. With Keith Thurman, we have one of the most devastating knockout artists in the sport, and with Jesus Soto Karass, we have a fighter who has turned around, his career is flying high, and is building win after win after win, and fighting for a world title here now against Keith Thurman is the payoff he has been waiting for.

First, I’d like to introduce to you Jesus Soto Karass from the Mexican boxing hotbed, Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, clearly one of the most respected veterans in the sport. He had some classic fights over the last few years, going toe-to-toe with the likes of Marcos Maidana and Andre Berto. The Berto fight in July was particularly important for him as the twelve-round technical knockout win was, by the way, his fourth in his last five bouts, earned him the world title he has craved ever since turning pro in 2001. So on December 14th Soto Karass promises that he won’t let his chance at the championship glory slip away. He is ready to show Keith Thurman what he’s all about.

It’s a pleasure for me now to introduce to you a true Mexican warrior, Jesus Soto Karass.

Jesus Soto Karass
Good afternoon to everybody. Thank you for having me on this call. I just finished training. I’m training here at the Ponce De Leon boxing gym, and I’m ready, I’m preparing well, and I’m ready for a war on December 14th.

R. Schaefer
Excellent. Thank you. I’m going to be introducing now Keith “One Time” Thurman. Before I’m going to do that, I just want to quickly mention something; I’m reading everywhere that this one fighter is the most avoided one, and is the new superstar and has the highest knockout ratio of any fighter, and is being basically elevated into that status, and I know you know who I’m talking about, Gennady Golovkin, with a knockout ratio of 89.3%. And maybe it’s the old banker in me when it comes to numbers, I figure, I said something doesn’t add up because we have a fighter here, I think, who is as much avoided as Golovkin, and who actually has a higher knockout ratio than Golovkin, and that is Keith “One Time” Thurman with a record of 21 and 0 with 19 knockouts, that’s a 90.5% knockout ratio. So he is-and I know Eric Gomez can attest to that.

It’s not an easy thing to find an opponent for Keith Thurman. Everybody sort of like is afraid, I guess, but not Soto Karass. Keith “One Time” Thurman, a former amateur standout which compiled over 100 wins, has been on a tear since returning in 2012 from an injury-forced layoff, and he has made a statement with his trio of recent victories, and here he is on December 14th. It’s always a special treat. You want to make sure you have your popcorn or your beer or whatever you’re going to have. You’re going to be in your seat and you’re going to watch because you don’t want to blink, you just don’t know what happens when Keith “One Time” Thurman enters the ring, and starts unloading.

It’s a pleasure for me now to introduce to you, clearly one of the most exciting fighters today in the sport, Keith “One Time” Thurman.

Keith Thurman
Hey, how is everyone doing? It’s a pleasure to be here on the show. Thank you for having me. I’m on my way home from the gym, just put in many rounds of bag, shadow, abs. We’re getting in shape, we’re shedding off that last little bit of belly fat, and I’m looking forward to December 14th.

Q
Keith, my question for you, a couple questions for you; when you fought Diego Chaves, and won your interim title in July, it was a really, really good fight and, of course, on that same card your opponent Soto Karass, he fought Andre Berto, and also scored a big win, a knockout, an upset. I wanted to know if you saw that fight, and then what you thought about it, particularly given that he pulled the upset? Berto, of course, was the guy that a lot of people thought would win the fight, but Jesus Soto Karass has pulled his share of upsets in the past.

K. Thurman
Yes. Directly after my battle I went in the back, I got some ice, I put it on my nose, and I came out to watch the main event, and I saw Soto, I saw his fire and I saw his passion and the warrior mentality within him, and he just wasn’t backing down from anybody. He didn’t care that he was the underdog going into the fight, and he just stuck to his game plan and he kept showing the heart of a warrior, and he pulled up the victory. I saw a very tough fighter in Soto Karass, and I’m expecting the same thing on December 14th.

Q
Keith, when you were watching that battle unfold, and watching him take Andre apart, did you think to yourself, you know what, I may be in the ring with this guy soon. I just won a belt, this is my same weight class, we’re both with Golden Boy; that this was a fight that you might see yourself in down the road? Were you taking notes about it, or were you thinking it wasn’t going to happen?

K. Thurman
I was honestly just watching the fight as it was happening. Because the fight was so close, I didn’t know where it was going to go, so I didn’t have an assumption. This guy might be my next opponent. But as soon as he dropped Berto and it was over, I knew that it was a possibility, and I’ve seen him, in the past, fight fighters like Marcos Maidana, and things like that. So he’s a great warrior, and I’m very happy and excited to step into the ring with himcome December 14th.

Q
Alright. One other question for you, Keith. You’re one of the top up and coming welterweights in the weight class. Obviously you’ve been in some exciting fights. We know the kind of punching power that you have. The fight with Diego Chaves was really outstanding. I wonder, from your point of view, how long until you think that you should be, or maybe you already do, should be mentioned to be in the really big welterweight fights maybe against a Broner or even a Mayweather or somebody like that?

K. Thurman
This fight right here is what we call the icing on the cake. This will get the job done, because after this year no one can say that Keith Thurman has not been tested, that they haven’t put him in with anybody. As much as you want to say that, there’s nobody besides champion. So I’ve been doing my thing, I’ve been passing every test, and I’ve got one more test to pass this year come the 14th being Soto and, after that, hopefully the door will be wide open for that world title shot.

Q
Got you. Thank you. I also had one question for Soto Karass. I had a similar question for you as I asked Keith about. I know you were probably getting ready to go into the ring against Andre Berto, but I’m wondering if you had a chance to watch Keith’s fight against Chaves on that undercard, and if you had any thoughts about it, and what his take was on that performance, and did you think maybe you would be, at some point, with a victory against Berto, fighting against Keith in the near future?

J. Karass
You know what? The truth is I was preparing for my fight. I was in the locker room getting ready for Berto. I wasn’t really thinking about his fight. Yes, they had the TV on and I was watching a little bit, but more than anything I was getting ready for Berto, and that was-my concentration was for that fight. But it wasn’t until after the fight that I talked to my manager, Francisco Espinoza, and Golden Boy, and the opportunity came to fight Keith Thurman and I said yes.

I do what I always do, I prepare, and I’m always ready for anybody, and that’s what happened in this fight. I’m excited for the opportunity. I’ve been waiting for this, and I’m getting ready like never before, kind of like I did for Berto.

Q
So, did you finally watch the fight at some point later on and, if so, what was your take on the type of fighter that Keith Thurman is?

J. Karass
The truth is, I really don’t like watching video so no, I haven’t really seen his fight. What I do know is that he’s young and he’s strong and he’s hungry, and we’re both pretty much in the same position. We’re ready for major fights. Yes, he’s a world champion, an interim world champion, but I feel that both of us are not going to back down, and we’re ready for the bigger fights, and for the world title fight. So this is a good opportunity for me, and I just feel that I have to win this fight so I can take is back to Los Mochis.

Q
The question is to Keith. Richard mentioned that you have over 90% ratio in knockout, but I’ve noticed that actually you can box, you having boxing skills. Do you feel that you have to box against Soto Karass, or are you willing to go toe-to-toe and try to bang it out so you can knock him out kind of like the way Maidana did?

K. Thurman
I can box, I can punch, and a lot of times, sometimes I’ll have a game plan on do I want to be on the inside or the outside before I even step in the ring. So far, I’m just ready for this fight. I’m ready to plant my feet, I’m ready to throw the big punches. My nickname being One Time, I’m always looking for that one shot. I love ending fights early, I love going home early, and giving fans the knockout that they came to see. So I’m going to bring my best, I’m going to box sharp, I’m going to stay sharp, but I’m also going to be looking for those big punches.

Q
The question is for Jesus. Jesus, obviously you understand the kind of fighter that Thurman is, and you feel that if he goes toe-to-toe it’s going to favor you because you’ve been a fighter that likes to go toe-to-toe pretty much your entire career.

J. Karass
Yes. Well obviously I’ve been a fighter that’s been characterized as an aggressive fighter that likes to go toe-to-toe, but lately I’ve been boxing a little bit more, I’ve been a little smarter, a little more intelligent, that’s what I’ve been working in the ring. But as always, as always, if it comes down to it, I have the balls to go toe-to-toe if I need to, then obviously it’s going to favor me, and I feel that I’m accustomed to that style and I’m going to do what it takes to win. But still, obviously there’s a little bit of skill involved, and a game plan to be smart, and that’s always going to be in the back of my mind.

Q
Just one quick comment for Richard. That’s a great undercard. Thank you very much for putting that fight together. We have really appreciate that.

R. Schaefer
Thank you very much, and it’s my pleasure. First and foremost I’m a fight fan as well, and I love to sit there and watch great fights just like you guys, and that’s one of the reasons why I’m making all these fights.

Q
Hey, Keith and Richard and everybody. Two question, one for Richard, and one for Keith. Keith, I’ve talked to you several times. I guess the best word to describe you is unscripted. You really like what you do and there’s no hesitancy in you to stand and fight. You called out Floyd Mayweather two or three fights ago, but what do you like about your job?

K. Thurman
Really what I like about my job is that it brings the best out of me, also that I’m kind of my own boss. It’s always been my dream to show up to work when you want to show up to work, and clock in and clock out whenever you feel. But besides that, boxing just brings the best out of me. Each day in the gym I’m developing as a fighter just like each day in life I’m developing as a man. So I’m mature in the ring and I’m mature out of the ring, practically almost at the same rate, so that’s the number one thing that I love about boxing the most, is how it brings the best out of me inside and outside of the ring.

Q
You’re not shy, either, about kind of trying to take boxing back to the old days where you had Bernard Hopkins, you had Leonard, Hearns, Hagler. You’ve said that you want to be like those guys. Can you talk about how you try to bring that mentality into the ring in your overall approach to how you execute?

K. Thurman
Growing up in the world of boxing, surprisingly I actually was not much of a boxing fan. It was only once when I started to do my research and my history into the sport of boxing that I fell in love with all the old-school fighters. I mean, practically all of them, you know what I mean? It’s the way that they fought; it’s the way that they handled themselves, and the fact that they would accept anybody.

All you had to do was walk up to them in the street and say, “Yo, I’ma knock you out.” And they’re saying, “Where’s the contract? Let’s put one together right now.” So that was the main reason that kind of had me call out Floyd Mayweather on my first appearance on the big network was, here I am, I’m a young dude coming up in the rank, and I’m letting the whole world of boxing know who my actual target is. Doubt me as much as you want, but you are going to watch me through my career climb that ladder, and get to the destination that I first saw, the one that I told you about, and that’s Floyd “Money” Mayweather, and Jesus Soto Karass is one of those stepping stones that I got to get by if I want to make those dreams come true.

Q
Richard, when he called out Floyd, what was your initial thought right then and there, and what have you thought and seen in him since then?

R. Schaefer
Well, I don’t blame him, and he’s the kind of fighter who really means it. I mean, he’s not a

SAN ANTONIO (Oct. 31, 2013) – An enthusiastic crowd of boxing fans showed up for a public press conference on the floor of the Alamodome today as Golden Boy Promotions formally announced DANGER ZONE, a blockbuster event highlighted by a highly anticipated matchup between undefeated WBA Welterweight Champion Adrien “The Problem” Broner and former WBA Junior Welterweight Champion Marcos “El Chino” Maidana live on SHOWTIME® (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT) on Saturday, Dec. 14.

The 12-rounder between rising superstar Broner (27-0, 22 KO’s), of Cincinnati, and the always-dangerous, hard-hitting Maidana (34-3, 31 KO’s), of Margarita, Santa Fe, Argentina, tops a stacked fight card to close out what has been record-breaking year on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®.

Other Dec. 14 matchups: unbeaten Keith “One Time” Thurman (21-0, 19 KO’s), of Clearwater, Fla., will defend his interim WBA Welterweight Championship against Jesus “Renuente” Soto Karass (28-8-3, 18 KO’s), of Los Mochis, Mexico, undefeated Leo Santa Cruz (25-0-1, 15 KO’s), of Los Angeles by way of Huetamo, Mexico, will risk his WBC Super Bantamweight world title against southpaw Cesar Seda (25-1, 17 KO’s), of San Juan, P.R., popular former world champion “Vicious” Victor Ortiz (29-4-2, 22 KO’s), of Oxnard, Calif., will make his long-awaited return to the ring against an opponent to be determined, and WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Beibut Shumenov (13-1, 8 KO’s), of Las Vegas, Nevada by way of Shymkent, Kazakhstan, defends his title against Tamas “Tomi Kid’’ Kovacs (23-0, 14 KO’s), of Galanta, Slovakia.

The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast can be heard in Spanish using secondary audio programming (SAP). Preliminary bouts will air live on SHOWTIME EXTREME® (6:30 p.m. ET.PT).

Tickets priced at $250, $200, $150, $100, $75, $50, $25, $20 and $10, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, went on sale today, Thursday, Oct. 31 at 10 a.m. CT and are available at the Alamodome box office, or through Leija*Battah Promotions by calling (210) 979-3302 or emailing m@leijabattahpromo.com or online at www.ticketmaster.com and all Ticketmaster locations, by calling (800) 745-3000.

What the fighters and executives said Thursday:

Richard Schaefer, CEO, Golden Boy Promotions
“On Dec. 14, we have a celebration. A celebration of boxing at the highest level with the best fighters fighting the best opposition. This is what Golden Boy is all about. But it also is a celebration of San Antonio. New York at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, Los Angeles at the Staples Center, Las Vegas at the MGM Grand and San Antonio at the Alamodome. That’s right. San Antonio is now one of the top-four premiere destinations for boxing in the United States. And our company, in partnership with local promoters Jesse James Leija and Mike Battah, are committed to bringing big-time boxing to this market on a regular basis.

SHOWTIME is going to continue the tradition of the best fighting the best. And on Sat. Dec. 14, Santa Claus is coming to town. I want to thank my friend Stephen Espinoza, the General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports and the chairman of CBS Corporation, which is the parent company of SHOWTIME, Leslie Moonves. His commitment and passion for boxing is second to none. And he has allowed us the opportunity to stage these incredible events on SHOWTIME.”

Jesse James Leija, Former World Champion and Texas boxing legend
“Between Golden Boy Promotions and Leija*Battah Promotions, it’s possible to have great fighters to promote and bring up as champions but none if this is possible without the San Antonio fight fans.”

Mike Battah, President of Leija*Battah Promotions
“As of now we have $500,000 in sales, so we know that we have brought these fights to the right city [San Antonion]. On December 14, the fight fans here will get all of the excitement they are looking for when these guys go into the ring and give their best.”

SHOWTIME Spokesman Chris DeBlasio
This fight card is truly stacked. I feel like we have been saying that a lot lately in the past two years. But this, five major fights featuring this level of talent is perhaps the best of a great bunch.

SHOWTIME has quickly emerged as the premiere destination for big-time boxing. Through the close working relationship between Stephen Espinoza (Executive Vice President and General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports) and Richard Schaefer, SHOWTIME has become the home of the best fighters in the most competitive divisions in boxing today.

As a result, our subscribers have responded by tuning in in record numbers. To date, the top-five of the most watched SHOWTIME boxing events in our nearly 30 year history in this sport have all occurred in the last 13 months. So far this year, our average viewership for SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is up more than 23 percent. And dating back to 2011, our average viewership is up a remarkable 62 percent. There is no doubt that this incredible trend will continue when we deliver the strongest fight card of the year, on Saturday, Dec. 14, live on SHOWTIME.”

ADRIEN BRONER, Undefeated WBA Welterweight World Champion
“I have to thank God. He blessed us. And now it’s back to work. Like I’ve said before, I’ll fight whomever you all want me to fight. The next one is going to be the same way. After I (expletive) him up on Dec. 14, I’ll fight whomever you want.

(Regarding Maidana’s versatile training with renowned trainer Robert Garcia)
You can train different. You can lift weights with your teeth. You can push cars for two months straight. That doesn’t matter. I got the skills to pay the bills and I got enough will, my last name could be Smith.

There are a lot of people who hate me but the haters are going to love me at the end of the day. They just don’t know it yet. On Dec 14 I hope my haters become fans. You’ll love me eventually because I love all y’all.

I want to acknowledge the troops (members of the U.S. Military in attendance at the conference). I train in Colorado Springs. And I had the opportunity to go to Kuwait and Afghanistan to meet the troops a while back. And while I was sleeping, I could feel the ground shaking. We were getting bombed and I didn’t even know it at the time. That (expletive) over there is for real. Y’all are real fighters and y’all have given us the opportunity to do what we do. So, I thank you.

It’s going to be a hell of a fight. I can promise you this. It’s going to get ugly. I am talking Sam Cassell, Tyrone Hill ugly. It’s going to get ugly. I don’t know if he’s faking that he doesn’t speak English. But after Dec 14, he’ll speak English. I am going for the knockout. Strap up.

(On what Maidana brings to the ring)
He can hit. But Mark McGuire can hit too. But if he can’t hit nothing, his power shot becomes irrelevant. I want him to be 100% in this fight. I don’t want any excuses.

(Regarding his knockout prediction)
The Argentine fighters are strong for six rounds. They can’t go much past six. This fight is over shortly after the sixth.

Who is doing it like me? Nobody.”

MARCOS MAIDANA, Former WBA Junior Welterweight Champion
“This is a fight I wanted. I wanted to fight the best, the champion. And Adrien Broner is the champion so I am going to come prepared. I am very enthused. This is for the championship of the world. I am going to win. I am focused and will be 1000% ready.

Every fight, I have changed and I’ve improved my arsenal. Come Dec. 14, you are going to see a champion in Marcos Maidana.

(The key to beating Broner)
The key is to throw a lot of punches. Pressure him. Kick his ass. And that’s what I am going to do.

(On nuances in preparing for this fight)
I have not changed my style because this is who I am and that is how I fight. But Robert (Garcia) has sharpened my skills. He’s given me more composure in the ring and helped me to pick my shots and be even more aggressive than before.”

KEITH THURMAN, Undefeated WBA Interim Welterweight World Champion
“One Time. I am just so happy to be here. I am back. I am back in San Antonio to give another great performance. My motto is knockout for life. I am not called “One Time” for nothing. I come to bring the hurt. Fighters think they know what they’re getting into when they step into the ring. But no one can prepare for this. I am a beast. Dec. 14 is what I live for. That action. Getting hit, taking hits, giving hits. Seeing if they can take my hits, which they can’t do for long.

I am honored that Soto Karass took this fight. I am honored. There are a lot of guys that won’t take this fight. It gets me excited to know that I am going to meet someone like me in the ring. A true warrior. Someone that lives for the fight. Just like me, he’s not afraid of nobody.

I have to skip Thanksgiving. Sacrifices, sacrifices. But I can’t wait for Dec. 14. It’s going to be a special night.

There isn’t anything he can do to challenge me. No one can test me. I am testing you and you’ll fail. I come with a passion, drive, desire and will. Not just ordinary will, but the will to be champion. You’ve seen that will in my last fight. And Soto Karass is the type of fighter that can bring that out in me again. Once that comes out, it’s over for him.

(On ability of Soto Karass to challenge him)
He’s tough. Some people say he’s really tough. But when it comes to boxing, it takes skills. It’s nice to be tough but tough isn’t tough enough. If you don’t have the skills, it doesn’t matter. You have to be well rounded in this sport. I showed my versatility in my last fight and I’ll show you more on Dec. 14.

Other than Mayweather, you are looking at the best welterweights in the world (on this card). Adrien Broner is the world champ. I am Interim Champ. Marcos Maidana is ranked No. 1 by the WBA. This division is packed. I just happen to be one of the most talented.”

JESUS SOTO KARASS, (28-8-3, 18 Kos) Challenging for WBA Interim Welterweight Title
“Thank you. Especially to you, the people of San Antonio for letting me return and fight in this great city. I am excited to be back. And fighting Keith Thurman. I have seen him fight. We’ve been on the same cards before so I know what he has and he knows what I have. Come Dec. 14, I am going to bring it. I am coming to take that title back to Los Mochis (Mexico).

He has the same heart but the difference is that I have bigger balls.

I respect him but once we get into the ring, I don’t have that respect any more. My corner and myself will make adjustments once we get into the fight. I am going to war in the gym. I have bruises from the gym because I am preparing myself very well.

Mentally, I know that I need to train hard and be ready. I need to be successful and win in order to provide for my family.

There is no pressure. I know what I have to do. I have to attack and go to war in order to win this fight.”

LEO SANTA CRUZ, Undefeated WBC Super Bantamweight World Champion
“Thank you for bringing me to Texas. I always heard that I should fight in Texas and now I am here. I am going to give the fans what they want. Thank you for putting me on big shows. I am thankful for having the chance to be seen by so many people.”

CESAR SEDA, Super Bantamweight Title Challenger
“The opportunity to fight for this world title is a big deal for me. I am going to come prepared. I am going to continue with the great tradition of Mexico vs. Puerto Rico. I know I am not the favorite. I am not fighting at home. So I am going to do everything possible to come to PR with my hand raised up.”

VICTOR ORTIZ, Former WBC Welterweight Champion
“I shot a movie. I did “Dancing With Stars,” but through all that, in the back of my mind, I kept telling myself that I will be World Champion again. And that’s why I am here. Enjoy these fights. We have some of the greatest fighters of this era up here, so you are in for a treat. I will be world champion again, like it or not. Step aside. I am here.”

BEIBUT SHUMENOV, WBA Super Light Heavyweight World Champion
“I am excited. I am honored. I am looking forward to showing my skills.”

# # #

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.sports.sho.com and leijabattahpromo.com, follow on Twitter at @AdrienBroner, @ChinoMaidana, @KeithThurmanJr, @LeoSantaCruz2, @VICIOUSortiz @GoldenBoyBoxing, @LeijaBattahPR, and @SHOSports, follow the conversation using #DangerZone and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/LeijaBattah and www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing.

SAN ANTONIO (Oct. 31, 2013) – WBA Welterweight Champion Adrien “The Problem” Broner and former WBA Junior Welterweight Champion Marcos “El Chino” Maidana are no strangers to facing the most feared competitors in the sport of boxing. On Saturday, Dec. 14, in a SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® mega-bout to air live from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, the bold and brash Broner and the punching powerhouse Maidana will enter the DANGER ZONE like never before, with “The Problem” defending his title against the Argentine knockout artist determined to wrap championship gold around his waist once again.

Who will emerge from the DANGER ZONE unscathed? Will it be the fast and precise Broner or the aggressive and powerful Maidana? The world will find out on Dec. 14.

“Maidana is one-dimensional and not in my league,” said Broner. “I’m a Ferrari and he’s a go-kart and my fans will see that in my return to Texas. It’s been over four years since I’ve fought there and I’m going to put on a show. Watch me light Maidana up like a Christmas tree on Dec. 14.”

“Everyone knows that Broner has a big mouth, but that doesn’t bother me, because his mouth can’t fight for him,” said Maidana. “Whether he has the guts to stand in front of me or if he runs I’ll definitely go for the KO and either way, I’m leaving the ring with the belt.”

“On paper this is the classic boxer versus puncher matchup, but Broner is also willing to stand and trade and Maidana can box, so I’m expecting this to be a Fight of the Year candidate to end 2013,” said CEO of Golden Boy Promotions Richard Schaefer. “There’s a lot on the line for both fighters and I can’t wait to see who comes out of the DANGER ZONE with the belt.”
“With five amazing fights and boxing’s top stars, I can’t think of anyplace better to have this event than in San Antonio,” said President of Leija*Battah Promotions Mike Battah. “As shown with the Canelo Alvarez-Austin Trout fight, this is a city that loves and supports the sport, and I can’t wait to see the Alamodome filled once again on Dec. 14.”

“This has been an outstanding year for boxing on SHOWTIME, and I can’t think of any better way to end 2013 than with a stacked card like this one. Adrien Broner vs. Marcos Maidana is a dream matchup between two of the biggest names in the welterweight division. Keith Thurman and Jesus Soto Karass are two of the most aggressive, hard-hitting fighters in any division,” said Executive Vice President & General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports Stephen Espinoza. “We’ve also got one of the sport’s top young fighters in Leo Santa Cruz. Add in the return of Victor Ortiz, and it’s clear that this truly is a can’t-miss event. It’s a pay per view-quality event without the pay per view price tag.”

In the co-main event, one of boxing’s top young stars, Keith “One Time” Thurman, will meet his toughest challenge yet when he defends his interim WBA Welterweight Championship against Mexico’s Jesus “Renuente” Soto Karass.

“Soto Karass is a tough guy, there’s no question about that, and I respect him a lot,” said Thurman. “But his style is tailor-made for me and I expect to defend my title and win by knockout.”

“Thurman is a young, talented fighter with good power,” said Soto Karass. “But as I proved in my fight with Andre Berto that when I’m on top of my game, no one can beat me. I will become a world champion on Dec. 14.”

Before Thurman and Soto Karass battle it out, the WBC Super Bantamweight Championship will be on the line when defending champion Leo “Teremoto” Santa Cruz battles Cesar Seda.

“I’m looking forward to getting back in the ring and making my debut in Texas against Cesar Seda,” said Santa Cruz. “Seda is a quality fighter and a top contender, but I’m not ready to give up my belt to him or anyone.”

“I admire Santa Cruz for his talent and his accomplishments, but styles make fights, and I have the style to beat him and bring the world championship back to Puerto Rico,” said Seda.

The stacked card’s opening world championship fight pits Kazakhstan’s Beibut Shumenov against unbeaten challenger Tamas “Tomi Kid” Kovacs in a 12-round bout for Shumenov’s WBA Light Heavyweight Title.

“I am excited to be back in the ring and to compete on such an amazing event,” said Shumenov. “It’s been a long time for me, and I’m hungry to beat Kovacs in impressive style and retain my title.”

“It has been my dream to fight in the United States against the best in the world, and on Dec. 14 I finally get my chance,” said Kovacs. “Shumenov is a great champion, but I am confident in my ability to take his title.”

Plus, in a special 10-round super welterweight attraction former Welterweight World Champion “Vicious” Victor Ortiz makes his much anticipated return to the ring.

“It’s great to be back and I can’t wait for my return on Dec. 14,” said Ortiz. “I’m stronger and better than ever at 154 pounds, and the world will see that when the bell rings.”

Tickets priced at $250, $200, $150, $100, $75, $50, $25, $20 and $10, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, go on sale on Thursday, Oct. 31 at 10 a.m. CT and are available for purchase at the Alamodome box office, or through Leija*Battah Promotions by calling (210) 979-3302 or emailing m@leijabattahpromo.com or online at www.ticketmaster.com and all Ticketmaster locations, by calling (800) 745-3000.

Cincinnati’s Adrien “The Problem” Broner (27-0, 22 KO’s) is boxing’s latest superstar, a charismatic and talented fighter who has made it clear with his performances that he’s here to stay. A five-year pro, the 24-year-old boxer-puncher won his first world title in 2011 when he knocked out Vicente Martin Rodriguez for the WBO Super Featherweight crown and he added the WBC Lightweight belt when he scored an eighth-round technical knockout over Antonio DeMarco in 2012. But Broner’s greatest feat came when he jumped from 135 to 147 pounds in June, defeating Paulie Malignaggi to win the WBA Welterweight Championship. On Dec.14, he makes his first defense against the biggest puncher he’s ever faced.

Thirty-year-old Marcos “El Chino” Maidana (34-3, 31 KO’s) isn’t just one of boxing’s biggest punchers; he’s also consistently amongst the most exciting fighters in the game today, one who has specialized in Fight of the Year-worthy battles against the best the sport has to offer. Hailing from Margarita, Santa Fe, Argentina, Maidana first emerged on the world scene in 2009, when he won the interim WBA World Junior Welterweight Championship with a stunning sixth-round technical knockout over Victor Ortiz. After three defenses of his title, Maidana lost a 2010 Fight of the Year candidate to Amir Khan, but he regained the belt with another classic against Erik Morales in 2011. Since then, Maidana – now competing at welterweight – has won four of his last five, all by knockout, most recently halting Josesito Lopez in six rounds on June 8.

A former amateur standout who compiled over 100 wins, Keith “One Time” Thurman (21-0, 19 KO’s) owns the kind of power that has made the boxing world take notice. On a tear since returning in 2012 from an injury-forced layoff, the 24-year-old from Clearwater, Fla. has made a statement with his trio of recent victories, as he’s scored a technical knockout over Carlos Quintana, shut out Jan Zaveck and won the interim WBA Welterweight Championship with a 10th-round knockout over Diego Chaves. On Dec. 14, he makes his first title defense.

One of the most respected veterans in the sport today, 30-year-old Los Mochis native Jesus “Renuente” Soto Karass (28-8-3, 18 KO’s) has been in some classic fights over the years, going toe-to-toe with the likes of Marcos Maidana and Andre Berto. The Berto fight in July was particularly important for him, as the 12-round technical knockout win (his fourth in his last five bouts) earned him the world title he has craved since turning pro in 2001. He promises that he won’t let this chance slip away.

Boxing’s breakout star, Leo “Terremoto” Santa Cruz (25-0-1, 15 KO’s) has already earned world championships in two weight classes, despite being just 25-years-old. A native of Huetamo, Mexico now living in Los Angeles, Santa Cruz’s fan-friendly attack has garnered him followers from around the world, and after his 2013 knockouts of Alexander Munoz and Victor Terrazas, the latter victory earning him the WBC Super Bantamweight Championship, he shows no signs of slowing down in his quest for boxing greatness.

A native of the boxing-rich island of Puerto Rico, San Juan southpaw Cesar Seda (25-1, 17 KO’s) initially made his name in the fight game with a successful run at 115 pounds, where he won the WBA Fedecaribe and NABO titles before losing for the only time in his career against WBO Champion Omar Narvaez in April of 2011. Since that bout, the 27-year-old Seda has gone up in weight and won five straight fights, two by way of knockout, earning him a title shot on Dec. 14.

A true boxing phenon who won a world title in just his 10th pro fight, Shymkent, Kazakhstan’s Beibut Shumenov (13-1, 8 KO’s) has been one of the sport’s great success stories following an impressive amateur career that saw him represent his country in the 2004 Olympics. Now living in Las Vegas, Nev., the 30-year old WBA light heavyweight world champion has successfully defended his belt four times, most recently by decision against Enrique Ornelas in June of 2012. On Dec.14, he returns to the ring.

Unbeaten as a professional, 36-year-old Tamas Kovacs (23-0, 14 KO’s) is a seasoned veteran who’s finally getting his shot at world championship glory. A WBF and WBO European champion thus far in his five-year career, the Galanta, Slovakia native is coming off of two 2013 victories over Peter Vecsei and Said Mbelwa, and he would love to close out the year by bringing a world title belt back home to Europe.

One of boxing’s most charismatic young stars, 26-year-old “Vicious” Victor Ortiz (29-4-2, 22 KO’s) has made headlines in and out of the ring, first as a former welterweight world champion who has engaged in memorable battles with Andre Berto, Floyd Mayweather, Marcos Maidana, Antonio Diaz, and Josesito Lopez; but also as a member of the cast of ABC’s hit series “Dancing With The Stars.” Now with his dancing shoes put away, Ortiz has the gloves back on and makes his highly anticipated return to the ring.

“DANGER ZONE: Broner vs. Maidana,” a 12-round fight for Broner’s WBA welterweight world championship taking place on Saturday, Dec. 14 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, is promoted byGolden Boy Promotions and Leija & Battah Promotions and sponsored by Corona, AT&T and Grudge Match. In the 12-round co-featured attraction, Keith Thurman will defend his interim WBA welterweight Championship against Jesus Soto Karass. Leo Santa Cruz will put his WBC super bantamweight world title on the line against Cesar Seda in a 12-round bout and “Vicious” Victor Ortiz will make his much anticipated return to the ring. Plus, Beibut Shumenov faces Tamas Kovacs in a 12-round clash for Shumenov’s WBA light heavyweight title. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast will air live at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT and can be heard in Spanish using secondary audio programming (SAP). Preliminary bouts will air live on SHOWTIME EXTREME®at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.sports.sho.com and leijabattahpromo.com, follow on Twitter at @AdrienBroner, @ChinoMaidana, @KeithThurmanJr, @LeoSantaCruz2, @VICIOUSortiz @GoldenBoyBoxing, @LeijaBattahPR, and @SHOSports, follow the conversation using #DangerZone and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/LeijaBattah and www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing.