OXNARD, CA (July 28, 2022) – Welterweight, Blair “The Flair” Cobbs (15-1-1, 10 KOs), who battles Maurice “Mighty Mo” Hooker (27-2-3, 18 KOs), this Saturday, August 6th on the undercard of Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Michael McKinson, has a new team in place. Cobbs is now training in Oxnard, CA with Roger Romo and his core team. Hooker vs. Cobbs, a 10-round bout, will take place at The Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, broadcasted worldwide on DAZN.

Cobbs, who is managed by Greg Hannely, CEO of Prince Ranch Boxing, has his mind set on vengeance after suffering his first loss as a professional.  Here is what Cobbs had to say about his massive fight against former world champion Maurice “Mighty Mo” Hooker, his recent training camp, and more.

On his recent training camp:

“This was a very humbling camp. I had to think about things from different perspectives and come up with new ways to get great results. My last fight didn’t go how I wanted, but I’m ready to get back on top. I’ve wrapped up training in Oxnard, CA, with a new team in place as Roger Romo is my new head coach, along with coach Adam and Cecilio. I’m feeling good going into the fight and I’m going to give the fans a great show.”

On his matchup against Maurice Hooker:

“Hooker is a tougher opponent then Alexis. A win in this fight puts me in the top 10 rankings. The Rocha fight passed, I’m already on to bigger and better fights. While he continue fighting easy set ups. Blair “The Flair” remains the peoples champion, with odds stacked against him. Each fight will be an inspiration to people around the world.”

On dealing with the first loss of his career:

“It was hard. I didn’t like the stoppage, as people could see I was still fighting back, but it doesn’t matter now, I must win this fight. The result is the result, and now I must earn my spot back. I know I have a new mindset, and I am ready to fight my heart out.”

On fighting on the Vergil Ortiz vs Michael McKinson card:

“Look, Blair “The Flair” has looked at Vergil Ortiz as a future opponent for a long-time, so after I have another spectacular performance, it will only be a matter of time before I face Vergil Ortiz, who I think will win this fight. I think the fans will embrace it, and I want it as well.”

OXNARD, CA (July 28, 2022) – Prince Ranch Boxing’s welterweight, Blair “The Flair” Cobbs (15-1-1, 10 KOs), will look to make a successful return after suffering his first career loss when he faces former world champion, Maurice “Mighty Mo” Hooker (27-2-3, 18 KOs), Saturday, August 6th on the undercard of Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Michael McKinson. Hooker vs. Cobbs, a 10-round bout, will take place at The Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, broadcasted worldwide on DAZN. 

“I am going into this bout with my mind on coming out victorious by all means necessary,” said Cobbs. “I and understand that I need to make a statement in this fight to get back on track toward fighting for a world title. At this point in my career all fights are going to be tough, and I must step up my game. This is going to be a great show, and its time for me to show up and show out.”

For those unaware, Maurice Hooker held the WBO super lightweight title defeating Alex Saucedo in Saucedo’s hometown to win the belt. He would be dethroned following that bout by unified world champion Jose Ramirez. Hooker has been viewed as a top-15 super lightweight for most of his career.

“This is a chance for Blair Cobbs to show the world where he is at,” said Greg Hannley, CEO of Prince Ranch Boxing who manages Cobbs. “In facing a former world champion this will tell him a lot about himself and his future. The future is in Blair’s hands and I have faith he will come out on top.”

FORT WORTH, TX (July 26, 2022): Newly crowned WBC, WBA, and Ring Magazine Flyweight World Champion Marlen Esparza (12-1, 1 KOs) of Houston, TX, is set to defend her three world titles for the first time against her mandatory, former WBA Interim Flyweight World Champion Eva “La Ley” Guzman (19-1, 11KOs) from Maracay, Venezuela on Saturday, August 6 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TX. The 10-round flyweight event will serve as the co-main event for Vergil Ortiz, Jr. vs. Michael Mckinson.

Also, on the card, Dallas, TX fan favorite Maurice “Might Mo” Hooker (27-2-3, 18 KOs) will face Blair “The Flair” Cobbs (15-1-1, 10 KOs) of Philadelphia, PA, in a 10-round welterweight fight. Opening the DAZN stream, Bektemir “The Bully” Melikuziev (9-1, 7 KOs) of Indio, CA, will take on Sladan “The Miner” Janjanin (32-10, 24 KOs) of Boston, MA in an 8-round super middleweight event. All fights will stream live worldwide, exclusively on DAZN starting at 5:00 p.m. PT / 7:00 p.m. CT / 8:00 p.m. ET. 

Tickets for Ortiz Jr. vs. McKinson are on sale now and are priced at $275, $137.50, $82.50 and $44 not including applicable service charges. Tickets will be available for purchase online at Ticketmaster.com, DickiesArena.com and GoldenBoyPromotions.com

Also on the card and part of The Golden Boy Fight Night: Ortiz Jr. vs. McKinson Prelims on DAZN and the Golden Boy Boxing YouTube page, Alex “Chi Town Heat” Martin (17-4, 6 KOs) returns to the ring against the battle-tested warrior Henry “Hank” Lundy (31-10-1, 14 KOs). The 10-round super lightweight fight will be part of the preliminary bouts ahead of the DAZN broadcast hosted by Golden Fight Night’s Beto Duran and Texas rising boxing star Alex Rincon. Additional fights on the card will be announced shortly. 

“I am ready for Eva Guzman. Mandatory defense or title fight, all fights are serious business for me!” said Marlen Esparza. 

“This is the opportunity I have been waiting for to prove I am the best,” said Eva Guzman. “After this victory, the whole world will know I am the most dangerous fighter at 112lbs.” 

“Im ready to show the world I’m still a warrior,” said Maurice Hooker. “I’m ready to give them a fight they will always remember.”

“Blair the Flair is saying absolutely nothing. See you August 6,” said Blair Cobbs. 

“It’s been a long time in training camp, the opponents pulled out, the dates rescheduled, so I am happy to finally have a fight and step back in the ring on August 6 on a big Golden Boy show,” said Bektemir Melikuziev. 

Marlen Esparza was born to make history in boxing. Born in Houston, Texas, Marlen Esparza began her boxing career at 12 years old after growing up in a household that loved the sport. In May 2012, Esparza became the first American woman to qualify to compete in the 2012 Olympics in London, the first year that women’s boxing made its debut as an Olympic event. She would win the bronze medal in the women’s flyweight division. In 2017, Esparza became the first female fighter signed by Golden Boy Promotions. 

In 2021, Esparza had a successful year, with an unanimous decision victory against Ibeth Zamora Silva for the WBC Flyweight World Championship and successfully defended her new world championship title against former world champion Anabel “Avispa” Ortiz. On April 9, as part of the undercard of Ryan Garcia vs. Emmanuel Tagoe, Esparza faced her toughest challenge to date, taking on five-division world champion Naoko Fujioka. The fight pitted the #1 vs. #2 in the female flyweight division, granting them the honor of fighting for the first-ever Ring Magazine Female Flyweight World Championship. After 10-rounds of non-stop action from two of the mightiest female fighters in the flyweight division, the judges ruled in favor of Esparza unanimously, crowning her the new WBC, WBA, and Ring Magazine World Champion. 

An accomplished fighter since her professional debut in 2015, Eva Guzman has rapidly risen the ranks to a world championship by defeating some of the toughest fighters in the division. Her first big test came in 2018 when she faced Yaditza Perez for the IBA World Minimumweight World Championship. In 2021, she earned the most significant accomplishment in her career thus far, moving up in weight and fighting in Mexico for the first time against Isabel Millan to claim the crown as the WBA’s newest Interim Flyweight World Champion. The new title had also earned her the honor of becoming the new mandatory to fight Marlen Esparza for the WBA Flyweight World Championship, something she has dreamed of becoming since her professional debut. 

Ortiz Jr. vs. McKinson is a 12-round welterweight fight presented by Golden Boy in association with Matchroom Boxing. The event is sponsored by Hennessy “Never Stop. Never Settle” and “BetOnline – Your Online Sportsbook Experts.” The fight will take place on Saturday, August 6 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TX, and will be streamed live worldwide on DAZN.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and DAZN.com. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing and @DAZNBoxing. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoy and https://www.facebook.com/DAZN. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoy and @DAZNBoxing. Follow the conversation using #OrtizMcKinson

By Bart Barry-

Saturday in Fort Worth undefeated welterweight prospect Vergil Ortiz made an entertaining match with fellow Texan and former 140-pound titlist Maurice “Mighty Mo” Hooker on DAZN.  The match ended in round 7 when Hooker broke something between his right shoulder and hand, though not his middle finger – whose resilience he later confirmed energetically.  Ortiz was winning when the match ended about exactly the way its 10-1 odds anticipated.

Vergil Ortiz is ready for Terence Crawford.  He is no less likely to beat Crawford in 2021 than he’ll be in 2026.

Bud’s 3 1/2 years at welterweight are an embarrassment for our beloved sport.  Some of it’s Bud’s fault, probably, for pricing himself out of whatever halfassed plans his promoter planned to make for him.  Much of it is Top Rank’s fault for having no viable plan for Crawford at 147 pounds, building no one for him and finding every reason to avoid PBC as a fixed strategy.

Avoiding PBC hasn’t been a bad play for Top Rank these last few years.  But PBC has every other welterweight worth watching, and as one of the world’s two best prizefighters Bud Crawford deserves an opportunity to make at least one superfight in the final year or two of his prime.  He now says he’s moved on from that superfight with Errol Spence, which leaves him alternately courting a semiretired senator in the Philippines and scoffing at a title defense with Ortiz.  Neither option is palatable.  One pays much better than the other, but Manny Pacquiao is way too savvy to fight Crawford without a tuneup or two and incentives aplenty.

Bud was back in Lone Star State to see his stablemate look game but overmatched against Ortiz on Saturday.  At ringside Crawford looked softer than he has in the past.  That is, his smile felt genuine and his laughter too; gone was the dark anger that followed him like a raincloud.  He knows posterity will blame Spence for their non-fight, he knows Pacquiao will be more washed than him if they do fight in the fall or next winter, and he believes, incorrectly, he’s had a first-ballot career.

Just because Bud has been near the top of abstract rankings for a couple years doesn’t mean his reign has been a good one.  If he’s not going to make immediate matches with Ortiz then two of PBC’s top-3 welterweights his best shot at an enduring legacy is moving to 154 pounds, where he can play cleanup with the same poor competition he’s fought at welterweight and get even more credit for it.  Crawford’s unlikely to move seven pounds higher as Canelo is to return to middleweight for a rubbermatch with GGG.

Then Vergil Ortiz is the best option.  Ortiz’s promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, hasn’t a choice these days but to say yes to anything anyone with money offers, and Top Rank has lots of ESPN money to use on a meaningful fight for Terence Crawford.  Ortiz has a very good jab, a gaudy record and unremarkable defense.  Crawford, who’s fought thrice in two years (1-0 against contenders, 2-0 against Brits), should be rusty enough for Ortiz to scare him a bit more than Egidijus Kavaliauskas did 16 months ago.

Ortiz fights in the undissuadable, gladiator-academy style all Robert Garcia’s men favor (except for Robert’s little brother, Mikey, who has too much talent to’ve chosen Robert for non-fraternal reasons).  Ortiz isn’t going to learn nuance under Garcia.  He’s not going to learn much defense either.  Instead he’ll get instruction on walking through punches and ignoring damaged eyes and hitting the other guy hard and whatnot.  His greatest attribute against Crawford will be just how awful Crawford’s competition at welterweight has been (one-legged Jose Benavidez may very well be the greatest welterweight Bud ever fights).

Even grizzled aficionados fall for the all-by-knockout tag.  Fought guys you’ve never heard of? guys in the wrong weightclass? guys with multiple losses? guys coming out of retirement?  Suddenly it doesn’t matter because the wins were all-by-knockout.  There’s plenty of this with Ortiz.  The real tell to listen for is: “But none of those guys had been stopped before in their career!”  That’s when you know a circusbarker, be he promoter or flunky, is pettifogging poor competition.  Maybe Matthew Macklin has lost four times, and maybe there was that unfortunate episode at a lower weightclass seven years ago, but he’s never been knocked-out like that!

Mighty Mo was having none of it Saturday night.  After tasting leather aplenty and taking a knee the round before, Hooker threw a cross in the seventh and broke some part of his hand, and that was that.  Or wait, no it wasn’t.

After refusing to do that b-side thing where you favorably compare the man who just beat you less conclusively at 147 pounds than the guy who unbuttoned you at 140 Hooker explained something about both his hands being broken but one of them popping.  The socially distanced Texas crowd, partisan Ortiz and partisan Latino, booed Hooker, and Hooker, himself a Texan, told them what they could do with themselves.  It was fantastic comical.  He then turned, tossed his middle fingers in the air like smoking pistols, stepped through the ropes onto the apron, and challenged a few thousand of his critics.

Even Bud Crawford had fun with that.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

Vergil Ortiz Jr. remained perfect by stopping former world champion Maurice Hooker in seven entertaining rounds at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

The two stood toe-to-toe for most of the fight Ortiz landed the harder blows as he rocked Hooker several times. Hooker was able to get in some good shots of his own and the effects of those punches showed on the swelled up face of Ortiz.

In round six, Ortiz landed a hard right that sent Hooker back to the corner and eventually down.

In round seven, it was a right to the side of the head that sent Hooker to a knee, and the fight was over at 36 seconds.

Ortiz, 147 lbs of Grand Prairie, TX is 17-0 with knockouts, Hooker, 147 lbs of Dallas, TX is 27-2-3.

Estrada Decisions Ortiz; Wins WBA Minimumweight title

Seniesa Estrada won the WBA Minimumweight Title with a 10-round unanimous decision over long reigning champ Anabel Ortiz.

In round two, Estrada put Ortiz on the deck with a big left hand.

Estrada landed 163 of 511 punches; Ortiz was 102 of 373.

Estrada, 104.4 lbs of E. Los Angeles, CA won by scores of 100-89 twice and 99-90 and is now 20-0. Ortiz, 105 lbs of Mexico City, MEX is 31-4.

Marcelino Lopez stops Jairo Lopez in five

Marcelino Lopez stopped Jairo Lopez in round five of a scheduled 10-round welterweight bout.

In round two, Marcelino dropped Jairo with a left hook. In round three, it was a right that sent Jairo to a knee. In round four, Jairo went down from what looked like a push, yet was scored a knockdown. In the same round Marcelino was cut over his left eye from an accidental headbutt. In round five, Marcelino dropped Jairo in the corner for the 10-count, and the fight was over at 1:24.

Marcelino, 140.8 lbs of Arribenos, ARG is 37-2-1 with 22 knockouts. Jairo, 139.2 lbs of Apodaca, MEX is 27-12.

Kalkreuth Blows Out Long in 1

Tristan Kalkreuth destroyed Dustin Long in round one of a scheduled six-round cruiserweight fight.

Kalkreuth landed a huge barrage of punches in the corner and finally sent Long to the canvas and the fight was stopped at 1:18.

Kalkreuth, 198 lbs of Duncanville, TX is now 8-0 with six knockouts. Long, 199.8 lbs of Johnson City, TN is now 4-2-2.

Alex Martin won a 10-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Luis Hernandez in a junior welterweight bout.

Martin, 140 lbs of Chicago, IL won by scores of 100-90 twice and 99-91 and is now 16-3. Hernandez, 139.4 lbs of Chihuahua, MEX is 21-1.

George Rincon won a eight-round unanimous decision over Luis Solis in a super lightweight bout.

Rincon, 139.2 lbs of Dallas, TX is 11-0. Solis, 139.8 lbs of Merida, MEX is 25-12-4.

Hector Valdez won a eight-round unanimous decision over Alberto Torres in a super bantamweight bout.

Valdez, 121.6 lbs of Dallas, TX is 14-0. Torres, 121.4 lbs of Sacramento, CA is 11-4-3.

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (March 18, 2021): Vergil Ortiz Jr. (16-0, 16 KOs) and Maurice “Mighty Mo” Hooker (27-1-3, 19 KOs) hosted a final press conference today ahead of their 12-round fight for the WBO International Welterweight Title. The action will take place this Saturday, March 20 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas and will be streamed live exclusively on DAZN worldwide, including the U.S. and Mexico.

Below is what today’s main event participants had to say at the press conference:

VERGIL ORTIZ JR, WELTERWEIGHT CONTENDER:
“I’m very thankful to be fighting back at home again, especially after fighting in a bubble last year. It was a really cool experience. I found that I really love the fans. I enjoy the fans. So, what better place to come back and fight than in the Dallas Fort Worth area?”

“This fight is really special to me. I asked for this fight at 140 pounds. He was a good fighter then, and he is a good fighter now. I want to fight the best. The only way to be the best is to fight the best. I feel very confident. I have the confidence of my promoter and team behind me. I had a great camp, and I am ready to go.”

“We will find out on Saturday if my power and size will be too much for him. I have never been in the ring with him before, so I don’t know how he will take it. But it’s not just power with me. It’s not just my physical attributes. My best attribute is my thinking ability, and I’m going to do a lot of that on Saturday.”

“This is going to be one of the first fights in Dallas between two world class natives of the area. We are going to put a really great show. I’m really excited about it. We’ve trained really hard, and I hope you all enjoy the show.”

MAURICE HOOKER, FORMER WBO JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION:
“This fight will mean everything to me. I’m happy to be back at home where fans at home can see me. And it’s great to give to the fans something special after all they have been going through.”

“I have been watching Vergil Ortiz for a while now. I have been supporting him since he started because he is from Dallas. His 16-0 with 16 knockouts don’t mean nothing to me until we get in the ring. I mean, it’s cute, but we will see in the ring.”

“I’m excited. My team is excited. I’ve worked hard. The fact that I’ve been called the underdog has pushed me more. I’ve prepared well for this fight. I’m going to go in the ring, do my business, and have fun with it.”

OSCAR DE LA HOYA, CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF GOLDEN BOY:
“Everyone is saying that he is the next big thing in the welterweight division. And he is. But first he has to get past Maurice Hooker, and that is no easy test. This is a real fight and a tough test for him. If he beats him, then he is going straight to the top of the division, where are lots of big fights to make. I can’t say who I want him to see next because this Saturday’s fight is a big test.”

“Hooker’s style, abilities and experience make him dangerous. He’s going to show Vergil different angles. It’s a different style than what Vergil has faced in the past. But Vergil has a great corner. He is a great fighter and has great team. They’ve studied Maurice. So that’s why I feel this will be an amazing fight.”

Ortiz Jr. vs Hooker is a 12-round fight for the WBO International Welterweight Championship presented by Golden Boy. The event is sponsored by Hennessy “Never Stop. Never Settle” and “BetOnline – Your Online Sportsbook Experts.” The fight will take place on Saturday, March 20 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas and will be streamed live exclusively on DAZN worldwide, including the U.S. and Mexico.

Tickets for Ortiz Jr. vs. Hooker are on sale and are priced at $200, $100, $60 and $40, not including applicable service charges and taxes. Tickets will be available for purchase at www.dickiesarena.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and DAZN.com. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing and @DAZNBoxing. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoy and https://www.facebook.com/DAZN. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoy and @DAZNBoxing. Follow the conversation using #OrtizHooker

Photos and videos are available for download by clicking here or copying and pasting the link: http://bit.ly/OrtizHookerinto a browser. Credit must be provided to Golden Boy for any photo and/or video usage.

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (Feb. 19, 2021): Seasoned slugger Pablo Cesar “El Demoledor” Cano (33-7-1, 23 KOs) will take on rising contender Jonathan “Thunder” Navarro (17-0, 9 KOs) in a 12-round fight for the WBC Silver International Super Lightweight Title in the new co-main event to Ortiz Jr. vs Hooker. The action will take place Saturday, March 20 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas and will be streamed live exclusively on DAZN worldwide, including the U.S. and Mexico.

Highly touted heavyweight monster Arslanbek Makhmudov was originally slated to return in the co-main event, but he will now return in April against a very big challenge. Details for Makhmudov’s return will be announced in the coming weeks.

“This co-main is a Golden Boy special — two guys who can crack, don’t take a step backwards and are always going for the knockout,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy. “With both guys having been off for more than a year due to Covid-19, each is hungry for a win and to position themselves in the mix at the top of the super lightweight division.”

Cano is a 31-year-old contender from Tlalnepantla, Mexico, who is coming off wins against
Jorge “El Niño de Oro” Linares and Roberto “Massa” Ortiz. This young veteran of about 15 years has also defeated the likes of Ashley Theophane, Mauricio “El Maestro” Herrera and Ruslan Madiev, and he has participated in great battles against “Sugar” Shane Mosley, Paul “The Magic Man” Malignaggi and Erik “El Terrible” Morales. Cano will inch closer to a world title shot if can beat Navarro.

“I am very happy to be returning on such an important card on March 20” said Pablo Cesar Cano. “I am delighted for the chance to be active once again, especially because of all that has happened due to the pandemic. I am motivated, and I have a positive mentality. I’m going to make sure I train very hard to be at optimum shape on fight night.”

Navarro is a 24-year-old rising contender who scored his biggest win yet in 2018 when he beat then-undefeated prospect Damon Allen Jr. via technical knockout. Since then, he has scored two impressive wins, though he has been inactive since October 2019. Navarro plans to return to the ring and make a big statement in order to put himself in line for a world title shot.

“I am very excited for this fight,” said Jonathan Navarro. “You’re not going to want to miss it. This fight will be a big step up for me, and it will bring me closer to becoming a world champion. We are working very hard back at camp and making sure we are prepared for Cano. I’m coming to make a statement in the 140-pound division. I will let everyone know that I’m coming for a belt very soon!”

As announced previously, the Ortiz vs. Hooker undercard will be stacked from top to bottom with highly competitive matchups.

Anabel “Avispa” Ortiz (31-3, 4 KOs) of Mexico City, Mexico and former flyweight champion Seniesa “Superbad” Estrada (19-0, 8 KOs) of East Los Angeles, California will meet in an epic 10-round fight for Ortiz’s WBA Minimumweight World Title.

Luis “Matador” Hernandez (21-0, 19 KOs) of Chihuahua, Mexico will participate in a 10-round super lightweight battle against Alex Martin (15-3, 6 KOs) of Chicago, Illinois.

George Rincon (10-0, 7 KOs) of Dallas, Texas will return in an eight-round super lightweight fight against Alex Martin(15-3, 6 KOs) of Merida, Mexico.

Hector Valdez (13-0, 8 KOs) of Dallas, Texas will face Alberto Torres (11-3-3, 4 KOs) of Sacramento, California in an eight-round super bantamweight battle.

Oscar Acevedo (7-0) of Garden City, Kansas and James “Crunch Time” Willkins (9-1-0, 6 KOs) of Staten Island, New York will meet in an eight-round super featherweight bout between two Golden Boy prospects.

Tristan Kalkreuth (7-0, 6 KOs) of Duncanville, Texas will return against a soon-to-be-announced opponent in a six-round fight in the cruiserweight division.

Ortiz Jr. vs Hooker is a 12-round fight for the WBO International Welterweight Championship presented by Golden Boy. The event is sponsored by Hennessy “Never Stop. Never Settle” and “BetOnline – Your Online Sportsbook Experts.” The fight will take place on Saturday, March 20 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas and will be streamed live exclusively on DAZN worldwide, including the U.S., Mexico and Russia.

Tickets for Ortiz Jr. vs. Hooker are on sale and are priced at $200, $100, $60 and $40, not including applicable service charges and taxes. Tickets will be available for purchase at www.dickiesarena.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and DAZN.com. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing and @DAZNBoxing. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoy and https://www.facebook.com/DAZN. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoy and @DAZNBoxing. Follow the conversation using #OrtizHooker

Photos and videos are available for download by clicking here or copying and pasting the link: http://bit.ly/OrtizHookerinto a browser. Credit must be provided to Golden Boy for any photo and/or video usage.

DALLAS, TEXAS (Jan. 27, 2021): A hometown battle between two Dallas, Texas natives will take place on March 20 as Vergil Ortiz Jr. (16-0, 16 KOs) and former world champion Maurice “Mighty Mo” Hooker (27-1-3, 19 KOs) clash in a 12-round fight for the vacant WBO International Welterweight Title. The bout will headline a card that includes the Unites States debut of heavyweight monster Arslanbek “Lion” Makhmudov and a world title clash between Anabel “Avispa” Ortiz and Seniesa “Superbad” Estrada.

Information regarding the venue will be announced shortly as it is pending commission approval. The fights will be streamed live exclusively on DAZN worldwide, including the U.S., Mexico and Russia.

“On his rapid ascent from prospect to contender, Vergil has absolutely blown away everyone we have put in front of him, including a former world champion,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy. “But with a win over Maurice Hooker, just one fight removed from a significant title reign, on March 20, Vergil can stamp his ticket to a world championship fight.”

Since debuting as a professional in 2016, Ortiz Jr. has knocked out every single person who has stepped into the ring with him. The native of Grand Prairie, Texas, who has roots in Michoacan, Mexico, has scored stoppage wins against the likes of Mauricio “El Maestro” Herrera, Antonio “Relentless” Orozco, Brad “King” Solomon and Samuel Vargas. The 22-year-old contender has been wanting to fight Hooker for some time, and he’s eager to demonstrate his abilities against a former world champion.

“First and foremost, I’m really grateful to be fighting back at home again,” said Vergil Ortiz Jr. “Not only that, but I’ll be fighting another Dallas native in Maurice Hooker. I’ve known Hooker since back in the amateur days. I know we’re going to give the fans back at home a fight to remember.”

Hooker is a 31-year-old former world champion who traveled to United Kingdom to defeat Terry “Turbo” Flanagan and capture the 140-pound WBO title. Then, Hooker scored big wins against undefeated contenders Mikkel “Slikk Mikk”LesPierre and Alex “El Cholo” Saucedo before suffering his first loss in an epic unification fight against Jose Carlos Ramirez. Now at welterweight, Hooker plans to derail Ortiz’s meteoric rise by putting an end to their long-standing rivalry.

“I’ve never been one to shy away from a fight,” said Maurice Hooker. “The decision to fight Ortiz was an easy one as it allows me to prove to the world something that I already know—that I’m one of the best welterweights in the world. I have a new team around me who has taken my game to a whole new level, and I feel amazing at this weight class. I can’t wait to put on a show for all the fans on March 20. Dallas, get ready!”

In the co-main event, Arslanbek “Lion” Makhmudov (11-0, 11 KOs) will make his highly anticipated United States debut in a 10-round defense of his NABF heavyweight title in a bout presented by Golden Boy and Eye of the Tiger Management. The 31-year-old Russian is on the fast track to a world title, and he already has his eyes set on the biggest names of the division.

Two-division champion Anabel “Avispa” Ortiz (31-3, 4 KOs) of Mexico City, Mexico and former flyweight champion Seniesa “Superbad” Estrada (19-0, 8 KOs) of East Los Angeles, California will meet in an epic 10-round fight for Ortiz’s WBA Minimumweight World Title. Ortiz is eager to make a statement in her United States debut, while Estrada looks to accomplish her dream of becoming a world champion in more than one division.

Luis “Matador” Hernandez (21-0, 19 KOs) of Chihuahua, Mexico will participate in a 10-round super lightweight battle against Alex Martin (15-3, 6 KOs) of Chicago, Illinois.

George Rincon (10-0, 7 KOs) of Dallas, Texas will return in an eight-round super lightweight fight against a soon-to-be-announced opponent.

Hector Valdez (13-0, 8 KOs) of Dallas, Texas will face Alberto Torres (11-3-3, 4 KOs) of Sacramento, California in an eight-round super bantamweight battle.

Oscar Acevedo (7-0) of Garden City, Kansas and James “Crunch Time” Willkins (9-1-0, 6 KOs) of Staten Island, New York will meet in an eight-round super featherweight bout between two Golden Boy prospects.

Ortiz Jr. vs Hooker is a 12-round fight for the WBO International Welterweight Championship presented by Golden Boy. The event is sponsored by Hennessy “Never Stop. Never Settle” and “BetOnline – Your Online Sportsbook Experts.” The fight will take place on Saturday, March 20 in Dallas, Texas and will be streamed live exclusively on DAZN worldwide, including the U.S., Mexico and Russia.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and DAZN.com. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing and @DAZNBoxing. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoy and https://www.facebook.com/DAZN. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoy and @DAZNBoxing. Follow the conversation using #OrtizHooker.

Photos and videos are available for download by clicking here or copying and pasting the link: http://bit.ly/OrtizHookerinto a browser. Credit must be provided to Golden Boy for any photo and/or video usage.

(April 13, 2020) — WBC/WBO super lightweight world champion Jose Ramirez is staying ready. The 2012 U.S. Olympian has not fought since knocking out Maurice Hooker last July in a title unification bout. He was supposed to fight Viktor Postol Feb. 2 in China (Feb. 1 prime time in the U.S.), but it became the first major bout to be impacted by COVID-19. The May 9 makeup date in Fresno also fell by the wayside. 
 
Ramirez is self-quarantining with his family in California’s Central Valley, but he is awaiting the call for the third — and hopefully final — Postol fight date.
 
He recently spoke with Top Rank’s Crystina Poncher. This is what he had to say.
 
CP: How have you dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic?
 
JR: “Obviously it’s the second time my fight gets postponed. There’s a lot of frustration there because of the sacrifices we go through. I’ve been training for the same fight since November. I trained through the holidays, which is always difficult.
 
“Me having my boy, I want to spend as much time with him now that he’s getting older by the second. It’s hard. I had a plan for 2020, just like any other fighter. I had a plan to fight three times. I was happy that I was going to start early and hopefully move to the {welterweight} division next year. It throws me off. It sets me back. Everything happens for a reason, I believe. Right now, we just have to stay safe. We have to go through this crisis.”
 
CP: How do you keep yourself from feeling defeated after going through two training camps {without a fight}?
 
JR: “I’m just staying focused. I’m staying optimistic with everything, with doctors, with everyone, the first responders. I think everyone is working hard to get together to go through this fast and get everything back to normal. Right now, I believe this is something that requires everyone to be on the same page, to really practice {self-isolation} so we can stop the spread of this virus.
 
“I do know that my fight will be one of the first fights back when all this is over.”
 
CP: Once the Postol fight is rescheduled, would you like to try and stay at 140 pounds and get more belts or is a move up to 147 imminent?
 
JR: “I owe it to myself to fight for all the belts just because if I were to go up to the next weight class, people will still doubt who the best 140-pounder is, just because there is another guy with two belts (WBA/IBF world champion Josh Taylor}. There are some other fighters that I didn’t get to face at 140. I really want to prove a lot of people wrong. I want to do it for myself. I know I can be the best 140 in the world. I know I can see myself with all four belts. It’s just a matter of time, and once I do that, I think that’s going to put my name more out there worldwide. It’s going to definitely make a stronger impact when I do move to 147 knowing that the undisputed champion at 140 is moving up to 147. I think that’s going to make more noise.”
 
CP: Any interest in WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford?
 
JR: “I’ll take any route that leads me to fight for a world title. Crawford is an excellent fighter, so yeah, I would definitely be honored to share the ring with him. I think I’ll show him something new. I think I’ll bring something out of him. By the time I do make that decision to move to 147 and put that extra muscle on me, on my body, I’ll be a much stronger Jose Ramirez. I can see myself developing into a better welterweight than super lightweight. I do have the height. I do have the body frame. I think once I put the extra seven pounds on, it’s going to be a huge difference in a very positive way.
 
“After Crawford, I plan to stay in the welterweight division for quite a while, definitely fight all the top names out there and see how I do. I think I have what it takes to stay at this level of competition for a long time.”
 
CP: Would you ever be up for a fight with Regis Prograis down the line?
 
JR: “Definitely. I think if the fight with Regis takes place, it might take place at 147, though, because I have (super lightweight} fights lined up. I really want to move up after that.”

Matchroom Boxing USA’s event at MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland on Friday April 17 has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
 
Former World Super-Lightweight champions Regis Prograis and Maurice Hooker were due to meet in Maryland along with undisputed World Welterweight champion Cecilia Brækhus defending her titles against Jessica McCaskill, while Croatian Heavyweight Filip Hrgovi? was set to take on Jerry Forrest and Olympic gold medal man Daniyar Yeleussinov had his sights set on former unified World champion Julius Indongo.
 
Matchroom Boxing USA is exploring alternative options around staging the event, including on a rescheduled date.
 
Fans should visit their point of sale for ticket refunds.

Tickets for the blockbuster clash between former World champions Regis Prograis and Maurice Hooker go on pre-sale at noon tomorrow (Wednesday March 3) ahead of their clash at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, live on DAZN. 
TICKETS START AT JUST $43 (PLUS FEES)
Prograis and Hooker head into the clash having both played their part in two fight of the year unification bouts in 2019. Prograis (24-1 20 KOs) travelled to London and was edged out over 12 rollercoaster rounds by Josh Taylor in the final of the World Boxing Super Series, while Hooker (27-1-3 18 KOs) hosted José Ramírez in Dallas in July, and the pair served up a back-and-forth shootout that Ramirez won via stoppage in the sixth round of a breathless contest.

A stacked undercard has been lined up in support of the main event, with undisputed Welterweight champion Cecilia Brækhus (36-0 27 KOs) defending her titles against unified Super-Lightweight champion Jessica McCaskill (8-2 3 KOs), with more World title and top-level action to be announced.

Pre-sale starts at noon tomorrow with the following three codes: ‘MBUSA’, ‘PROGRAIS’ and ‘HOOKER’

Tickets will go on general sale from noon on Thursday March 4, again available from Ticketmaster.com

Daniel Jacobs was awarded a stoppage after round five of his scheduled 12-round super middleweight bout after Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. quit in the corner, citing a broken nose in front of over 10,000 fans at The Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona.

The fight actually started off well for the much (and deserved) maligned Chavez as he came out aggressive and working the body of Jacobs. That lasted about a round and a half as Chavez basically stopped punching due to Jacobs starting to get his offense going. Jacobs featured his own body attack and would flick in the right hand. He started getting through with some power shots in the 5th, with one such right hand hitting the nose of Chavez. Chavez started to bleed from his nostrils when he abruptly quit and the fight was called.

Jacobs of Brooklyn, NY is now 36-3 with 30 knockouts. Chavez, who checked in nearly 5 pounds over the 168 pound weight limit is now 51-4-1.

Julio Cesar Martinez stopped Cristofer Martinez in round nine to win the WBC Flyweight title.

It was a high contact fight that had both guys bleeding. After being buckled in the 2nd round, Martinez dominated the fight as he would coming with hard and thudding combinations, mixing it up between the head and body of Rosales. Martinez buckled and rocked Rosales

As Martinez seized control of the fight, Rosales was absorbing a lot of punishment, and the bout was finally stopped at 1:19 of round nine after Martinez landed several unanswered flush blows on the ropes.

Martinez of Mexico is now 15-1 with 12 knockouts. Rosales of Nicaragua is 29-5.

Former Junior Welterweight Maurice Hooker dismantled Uriel Perez in the 1st round of their scheduled 10-round welterweight bout.

Hooker landed a powerful flurry of punches that sent Perez down in the corner. Perez got to his feet, but was in no condition to continue and the bout was stopped at 2:52.

Hooker, 144.3 lbs of Dallas is 27-1-3 with 18 knockouts. Perez, 141.9 lbs of Mexico is 19-5.

Former world champion Liam Smith won a 10-round unanimous decision over Roberto Garcia in a middleweight bout.

Smith dominated the action and focused on hard body shots that led him to the victory by scores of 99-91 twice and 98-92.

Smith, 159.9 lbs of Liverpool., UK is 29-2-1. Garcia, 155.5 lbs of Weslaco, TX is 42-5.

2016 British Olympian, Josh Kelly won a 10-round unanimous decision over Wiston Campos in a welterweight fight.

In round one, Kelly was cut over his right eye from a punch.

In round ten, Kelly sealed the fight with a right hand that sent Campos to the deck.

Kelly, 150.4 lbs of Sunderland, UK won by scores of 99-90 twice and 98-91 and is now 10-0-1. Campos, 148.4 lbs of Nicaragua is 31-7-6.

Reshat Mati dropped Rakim Johnson four-times in the 1st en route to a stoppage in the opening frame of their six-round welterweight bout.

Mati of New York is 6-0 with four knockouts. Johnson of Indianapolis id 6-9-1.

Raymond Ford stopped Francisco Muro in round one of their scheduled six-round featherweight bout.

Ford dropped Muro with a hard three punch combination that capped by a straight left. Muro was hurt and Ford jumped all over Muro, and the bout was stopped at 1:41.

Ford of Camden, NJ is 5-0 with two knockouts. Muro of Tucson, AZ is 3-7.

Photo Credit: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing USA

FRESNO, Calif. (Oct. 8, 2019) — WBC/WBO super lightweight world champion Jose Ramirez wanted to do something to benefit the family of Maxim “Mad Max” Dadashev, who passed away July 23 due to injuries sustained in the ring.

After he defeated Maurice Hooker in a super lightweight unification bout July 27 in Arlington, Texas, Ramirez and his adviser, Rick Mirigian, offered his fight-worn gloves, shoes and trunks to the highest bidder. The board of The Big Fresno Fair, the largest annual event in California’s Central Valley, stepped up with a $10,000 bid.

One hundred percent of the proceeds were sent to the Dadashev family, and the items are currently on display alongside a life-size statue of Ramirez at the Fresno County Historical Museum.

“I’m honored and humbled to have been able to help out Maxim’s family,” Ramirez said. “Every fighter puts their life on the line in the ring. My prayers to his family.”

“These items are incredibly important to our museum, especially with the recent addition of the life-size statue honoring Jose,” said John C. Alkire, CEO, The Big Fresno Fair. “When we knew this was going to support a family during a time of loss, we were all in.”

“Maxim fought in Fresno once as a pro, and Jose and I just wanted to do something to show our support for his family,” Mirigian said.

“From the bottom of our hearts, and on behalf of Maxim’s family and our entire team, we would like to thank Jose, his team and The Big Fresno Fair for their generosity,” said Egis Klimas, Dadashev’s manager.

Former WBO Junior Welterweight champion Maurice Hooker has decided to move to welterweight, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“I want to give my fans the best possible performances and, therefore, after careful deliberations with my manager (Arnie Verbeek) and promoter (Dino Duva of Roc Nation Sports), I have decided to move up to the 147-pound limit,” Hooker said in a statement.

“We’ve talked about it. I let him relax and take a vacation after the Ramirez fight,” Duva told ESPN. “Everybody knows he struggled with the weight. If there was a really big fight for him at 140 pounds right away he would probably consider giving it one more shot but I don’t think there’s anything like that on the horizon.

“So with Maurice not having the belt anymore we just figured this was the right move for him. There are some big potential fights for him if he makes the move. Welterweight is a loaded division. He feels he will be stronger and more comfortable at 147 pounds. This move makes sense.”

“I’m already looking at possible opponents,” Duva said. “I want him to fight a credible guy in his first fight at 147, somebody in the rankings. We think one or two wins and then we can position Maurice for a big fight at welterweight, so this is the move that makes sense for him.”

By Bart Barry-

Saturday in a junior welterweight title-unification
match broadcast by the aficionado’s network, DAZN, California’s Jose Ramirez stopped
Texan Maurice Hooker midway through a wonderfully compelling fight that ended with
extraordinary abruptness.  Eighteen-and-a-half
minutes in, the men looked equally formidable. 
Eighteen seconds later, Hooker lay collapsed on the whiteropes, a blueshirt
his only protection from Ramirez’s ferocity.

Both men distinguished themselves by daring to
ratify their once-vacant titles. 
Promoters and their matchmakers are too good to be believed, and so the
winner of a vacant title is not credible till he’s fought a fellow titlist.  We now know Ramirez is the real thing.  And we know Hooker is the real thing, too,
though slightly less of that thing than Ramirez.

If neither man was allowed comfort before the
other, a minutely tally’d’ve found Ramirez acting as discomfitter, not
Hooker.  There was the promise of Hooker’s
substantial rightcross to keep Ramirez sober at every charge, a source of
instant anxiety for Ramirez to be sure, but it was a tool Ramirez solved and
dulled in the fight’s opening quarter.  Ramirez
did this with timing and footwork, somethings he doubtlessly learned before joining
trainer Robert Garcia’s stable.

If you have an amateur pedigree – which means
you’ve involuntarily boxed through your youth against every style and ethnicity
– before you pilgrim to Oxnard, Garcia takes your skillful foundation, puts it
in smaller gloves and commands you attack. 
If you haven’t a skillful foundation, Garcia nevertheless puts you in
smaller gloves and commands you attack. 
As we saw in his younger brother’s spring whitewashing contra Errol
Spence, Coach Robert carries no plans B to ringside in his spitbucket; any exam
question whose answer is not “more aggression” gets left blank for later – a generation
later.

Fortunately for Fresno aficionados Jose Ramirez,
an Olympian, brought skills galore to Oxnard when he arrived a year ago.  That meant Garcia’s plan A, more aggression,
was exactly matched to Saturday’s moment. 
It wasn’t necessarily that an Olympian like Ramirez couldn’t stay
outside and win a boxing match with Hooker, that was about a 40/60 proposition,
it was that there was no reason to try it. 
Hooker’s every advantage disintegrated once Ramirez was within his arms’
length of Hooker.  And Ramirez’s
advantages multiplied proportionate to every inch nearer after that.  Hooker knew this, Ramirez knew this.

Hooker outsmarted himself, though, figuring in round
5 he might do a little sabbatical on the ropes and let Ramirez get tired of
punching.  That was the lapse that cost
Hooker his title.  What happened in a
couple seconds in round 6, Hooker’s straightback headpulling that set his chin
on a tee for Ramirez’s left fist and the legs’ jellying and Ramirez’s swift
adaptation and Hooker’s utter defenselessness, all that, came of Hooker’s vanished
judgement the round before.

There are ways to discourage and fatigue volume
punchers like Ramirez, but none of them permits him to put knuckles on
you.  Knuckling you puts that breed of
man in his most comfortable place.  He’s
no longer burning calories at fractionally the rate you think he is, especially
if you’re a rangy puncher accustomed to throwing on your preferred timetable.

Ali rope-a-doped Foreman, remember, not Frazier.  You rope-a-dope a slugger, and he
autodiscourages by failing to harm you the way experience told him he
would.  You rope-a-dope a boxer, and he
retreats to the opposite ropes, and y’all feint at one another till the ref
starts deducting points.  But you
rope-a-dope a volume puncher, and you leave in an ambulance.

Too soon?

Let’s have a treatment of our beloved sport’s
deadly past week, then.  We are expected
to examine our collective conscience at times like these, I know, perform
public acts of expiation, and especially if we write for daily periodicals
whose pacifistic editors tsk-tsk our ways.

Good news, there.  In 2019 none of us writes for daily periodicals.

That means much of last week’s atonement was
habitual more than sincere.  We know this
because it all reduced to a massive shrug from the moral lowground, or else
niggling about pet safety issues – like tiptoeing a matchstick bridge across a
firepit licking.

Here’s an easier calculus for you, the aficionado:
Do you watch fights hoping to see a brainbleed or death?

No, you don’t. 
Then that’s that.  You’re not
obligated to justify yourself further. 
Those who would ban our sport are unserious; if they coulda, they
woulda.  Those who wish to make
prizefighting safer verily miss the point – our sport survives by dint of its
peril; safe prizefighting is oxymoronic. 

Some primal, though enduring (and thus still not vestigial),
human trait requires public acts of violence. 
In this sense the ban-boxing brigade recalls a Chris Rock joke about
needing bullies, because a couple decades of banning bullying in our schools meant
that when an actual bully showed up in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, no
one knew what to do.

Jose Ramirez would know what to do, and for that
matter so would Maurice Hooker, and if watching them punch one another doesn’t
quite tell us what to do it at least reminds us occasions for punching one
another still exist, however many millennia since our ancestors emigrated from their
caves.  There is real violence within
most of us, and it thrills the spirit. 
That isn’t a solution for prizefighters’ deaths and damages or even a
prescription for a solution.  It is an
amoral report of where and what we are – an act of acceptance, not contrition.

*

Editor’s note: This column will be on summer vacation
next week.

*

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

Maurice Hooker has credited his tight-knit team for getting him to the edge of greatness as he prepares to face Jose Ramirez in a World Super-Lightweight unification battle on Saturday night at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, live on DAZN in the US and on Sky Sports in the UK.
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW FROM WWW.UTATICKETS.COM FROM $25
Hooker (26-0-3 17 KOs) penned a deal with Matchroom Boxing USA and DAZN alongside his long time promoters Roc Nation Sports last July as he entered a new phase of his career as WBO ruler having travelled to Manchester to take the title from Terry Flanagan in June 2018. The 29 year old saw off the challenges of Alex Saucedo and Mikkel LesPierre on the road before landing the unification clash with Ramirez (24-0 16 KOs) on home turf.

The Dallas ace attributes his path to the point of unification to the men that have guided his career from the start in trainer Vince Parra and his assistant manager Arnie Verbeek and promoter Dino Duva, and hopes to repay their faith and support with a big night of celebration after Saturday’s pick-em clash.

“I just like to smile and be happy in boxing and my life,” said Hooker. “I don’t like big crowds even outside of boxing, I just hang with a few people. I don’t like too much attention and you get people arguing around you and you have to worry about everybody. I keep close to the people I trust because I know that they have got my back. All you need is a few great people and you will be ok.

“Vince and I grew up with each other, learned the sport together and did everything as a partnership, the trust is there with us and I know that whatever he tells me to do in the gym or in the corner between rounds is the right advice to get the win.

“We’ve done it all from day one, gone on the road and stayed in dirty hotels to get great sparring with Terence Crawford, Miguel Cotto and more, but now we’re in the best hotels as World champion! We’ve done it all and been through a lot. It’s good to have someone in your corner that you trust as much as I do with Vince.

“There’s a lot of fighters in and around San Diego, we’re down the street from Mexico so we can get fighters in with that Mexican style. We drive to LA, Big Bear and Las Vegas and get great work as we’re right in the middle of that.”

Hooker and Ramirez clash on a bumper night of action in Arlington, as Tevin Farmer defends his IBF World Super-Featherweight title against mandatory challenger Guillaume Frenois. Tramaine Williams takes on Yenifel Vicente for the vacant USBA Super-Bantamweight title and a trio of unbeaten talents look to continue their 100 per cent KO records in Nikita Ababiy, Artur Biyarslanov and Houston’s Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams.

Heavyweight Joey Dawejko meets Rodney Hernandez over ten rounds and there’s action for three Dallas fighters in Stephen Acosta, Javier Martinez and debutant Darius Bagley.

Tickets for the bumper night of World championship action are on sale now from $25 from www.utatickets.com

Jose Ramirez believes all the pressure is on hometown favorite Maurice Hooker as they clash for the WBO and WBC World Super-Lightweight titles at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas on Saturday night, live on DAZN in the US and on Sky Sports in the UK.

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW FROM WWW.UTATICKETS.COM FROM $25
WBC ruler Ramirez (24-0 16 KOs) has his own fortress in Fresno, California, where he’s successfully defended his title twice in the last ten months since landing the vacant belt against Amir Imam in New York last March.

The 26 year old will enter the lion’s den for the biggest fight of his career, but he believes that all eyes will be on WBO champion Hooker (26-0-3 17 KOs) who fights for the first time in his hometown as a World champion – meaning the visitor can concentrate on unifying the division in this mouth-watering 50-50 bout.

“Maurice wanted the fight in his hometown so it was up to me to accept those terms and I did,” said Ramirez. “When two fighters really want a fight and the promoter gives you the green light, there’s nothing to stop the big fights from being made. It just takes a little encouragement from your team. It’s a great fight for everyone involved.

“To be a great fighter you have to learn to adapt in any ring. The venue is important but it’s really down to us to perform in the ring – rings are all the same size and that is where we’re at home, no matter what city it is, that’s our territory.

“I know there are a lot of Hispanics in Texas that I am sure will be showing up to support me and I know we’re going to give the fans a great fight, like I did when I travelled to New York and won the title, I went on the road and did my job.

“Sometimes the fights on the road are easier because I don’t have the same responsibilities when I am fighting in Fresno as I am co-promoting the fights with Top Rank and I have to do a lot of appearances, but now I am the guest so I am here to do my job.”

Hooker and Ramirez clash on a bumper night of action in Arlington, as Tevin Farmer defends his IBF World Super-Featherweight title against mandatory challenger Guillaume Frenois. Tramaine Williams takes on Yenifel Vicente for the vacant USBA Super-Bantamweight title and two unbeaten talents look to continue their 100 per cent KO records in Artur Biyarslanov and Houston’s Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams.

Tickets for the bumper night of World championship action are on sale now from $25 from www.utatickets.com

Everything is bigger in Texas – and that’s just what Maurice Hooker plans to be as he prepares for his Super-Lightweight unification clash with Jose Ramirez on Saturday night at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, live on DAZN in the US and on Sky Sports in the UK.
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW FROM WWW.UTATICKETS.COM FROM $25
Hooker (26-0-3 17 KOs) puts his WBO title on the line for the third time as he fights at home for the first time as a World ruler. The 29 year old last laced them up in the Lone Star state back in August 2017, where he claimed the WBO NABO title in downtown Dallas.

Hooker hit the road ten months later to rip the WBO World title from Terry Flanagan in the Manchester man’s home arena, and in November ‘Mighty Mo’ pulled off a stunning win in Oklahoma, climbing off the canvas in the second round to put unbeaten local favorite Alex Saucedo away in the seventh.

Hooker’s second defense took him to upstate New York where Brooklyn’s Mikkel Les Pierre was seen off in a comfortable points win – setting up the chance to come home in style and take home court advantage in the biggest fight of his career against WBC king Ramirez (24-0 16 KOs).

“I will be a champion in boxing and in Dallas as everyone will know my name after this fight. This fight means everything to me and the same for him, I just have to go harder than him and I will come out on top. This is part of my legacy – it’s just the beginning.

“This is the fight that makes me a big name. I am getting better with every fight and now I have the platform in the fight on DAZN to show my boxing skills, my power, my smarts, everything – everyone will know who Maurice Hooker is after this.

“I so excited to have this fight in Dallas, I’m ready to come with everything I have. The crazy thing about it is that I don’t feel any pressure coming into the fight, it’s just another big fight, all my fights over the last three have been really big, so I don’t feel any pressure from fighting at home. I’m just ready to do what i do and handle my business.

“I won my WBO NABO belt in Dallas but this fight is on a whole new level, I have the chance to unify at home. The first World title fight was in England and the others have been on the road too, but now I have the biggest fight of my life at home, so there’s a little pressure but not too much and I just have to focus on doing my job and getting the victory.

“It’s been crazy at home since the fight was announced. Everybody has been telling me that they are coming and telling me to put on a show. I’m confident I’ll get the win as is Jose, I’ve been watching him and it’s going to be tough in the opening rounds, but I will take over and make him adjust to me. Dallas seeing me fight as a World champion is so big for me and for the city, all the kids I’ve spoken to in the schools, the people that look up to me, can now watch me live.”

Hooker and Ramirez clash on a bumper night of action in Arlington, as Tevin Farmer defends his IBF World Super-Featherweight title against mandatory challenger Guillaume Frenois. Tramaine Williams takes on Yenifel Vicente for the vacant USBA Super-Bantamweight title and two unbeaten talents look to continue their 100 per cent KO records in Artur Biyarslanov and Houston’s Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams.

Tickets for the bumper night of World championship action are on sale now from $25 from www.utatickets.com

Maurice Hooker says the pressure of fighting at home in a career defining fight will bring the best out of him when he meets WBC World Super-Lightweight ruler Jose Ramirez in unification clash on Saturday July 27 at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, live on DAZN in the US and on Sky Sports in the UK.

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW FROM $25 – CLICK HERE

Hooker (26-0-3 17 KOs) fights in his Dallas backyard for the first time as a World champion following three fights in enemy territory. Hooker puts his title on the line for the third time after ripping the WBO crown from Terry Flanagan in Manchester, England last June and travelled to Oklahoma City to get off the canvas and stop Alex Saucedo inside seven thrilling rounds in November. ‘Mighty Mo’ met Brooklyn’s Mikkel LesPierre in Verona, New York in March, flooring the unbeaten challenger in the ninth round of a dominant points win.

Ramirez (24-0 16 KOs) also puts his crown on the line for the third time having landed the vacant title at Madison Square Garden in New York in March 2018 against Amir Imam. The 26 year old’s first two defenses were on home soil in Fresno, putting Antonio Orozco on the deck twice in a points win in September and then a tight contest with Jose Zepeda in February where he held onto his title via majority decision.

“This fight will define my career,” said Hooker. “I will either be the star at 140lbs or I’ll have to start over again and try to build my name back up. I’m pumped up for this fight. I can fight at home and hopefully win some new fans at home as they can see me fight in person. The fight could have happened in New York or Las Vegas, it doesn’t matter, but I’m pumped for the first time that people can see me fight at home as a World champion.

“People have been hitting me up for tickets and getting excited about it, but I’m focused, I’m back in San Diego and working hard in camp. Everyone is going to be there and that’s more motivation for me. There’s pressure on me to win this fight for the fans as they have always given me great support, so I have to win it for them.”

A stacked undercard in support of the main event will see more World title action added to the card which already features the hotly anticipated debut of Murat Gassiev, who moves up from Cruiserweight and meets Philadelphia’s Joey Dawejko.

Houston-based rising talent Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams (2-0 2 KOs) is in action for the third time in the paid ranks, and the impressive 23 year old can make it three straight first round KOs in his home state.

Tickets start at just $25 and are on sale NOW from www.utatickets.com

Tickets for the blockbuster unification clash between WBO World Super-Lightweight champion Maurice Hooker and WBC ruler Jose Ramirez on Saturday July 27 at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, go on pre-sale TODAY at 10am (CDT).

Hooker (26-0-3 17 KOs) fights in his Dallas backyard for the first time as a World champion following three fights in enemy territory. Hooker puts his title on the line for the third time after ripping the crown from Terry Flanagan in Manchester, England last June and travelled to Oklahoma City to get off the canvas and stop Alex Saucedo inside seven thrilling rounds in November. ‘Mighty Mo’ met Brooklyn’s Mikkel LesPierre in Verona, New York in March, flooring the unbeaten challenger in the ninth round of a dominant points win.

Ramirez (24-0 16 KOs) also puts his crown on the line for the third time having landed the vacant title at Madison Square Garden in New York in March 2018 against Amir Imam. The 26 year old’s first two defenses were on home soil in Fresno, putting Antonio Orozco on the deck twice in a points win in September and then a tight contest with Jose Zepeda in February where he held onto his title via majority decision.

A stacked undercard in support of the main event will see more World title action added to the card which already features the hotly anticipated debut of Murat Gassiev, who moves up from Cruiserweight and meets Philadelphia’s Joey Dawejko.

Houston-based rising talent Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams (2-0 2 KOs) is in action for the third time in the paid ranks, and the impressive 23 year old can make it three straight first round KOs in his home state.

Tickets start at just $25 and the pre-sale starts at 10am (CDT) from www.utatickets.com

There are five pre-sale ticket codes for the event: MMH, JCR, AMMO, MBUSA and UTA

Tickets then go on general sale at 10am (CDT) on Friday June 14 from www.utatickets.com

ENDS

Maurice Hooker and Jose Ramirez came face-to-face for the first time today at the first press conference for their World Super-Lightweight unification blockbuster on Saturday July 27 at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, live on DAZN in the US and on Sky Sports in the UK.

WBO champ Hooker (26-0-3 17 KOs) and WBC ruler Ramirez (24-0 16 KOs) will headline a huge night of action in Texas, with more World title action to be added along with top Heavyweight fights, and tickets go on pre-sale next Wednesday and general sale next Friday.

PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES

Maurice Hooker, WBO World Super-Lightweight champion: I want to thank Eddie Hearn, RocNation, Matchroom Boxing USA, DAZN, Jose Ramirez, his team and Top Rank for getting this show done. July 27 is going to be a hell of a fight, you are going to see the best of me, the best of Jose Ramirez, may the best man win.

“I’m training hard and pushing myself, I’m doing this for my family, so let’s do this man – I want to show everyone what I am all about, it’s going to be a hell of a fight and I am not leaving without that WBC belt. Did you bring it? OK, you’ll bring my belt on July 27! It’s a great fight so let’s do it man.”

Jose Ramirez, WBC World Super-Lightweight champion: “I want to thank Bob Arum, Rick Mirigian, Robert Garcia and all the Top Rank family for the opportunity to come to his territory and a different network with Eddie Hearn and DAZN to showcase my skills in my first unification match. Ever since I came out of the London 2012 Olympics my goal was to become a World champion, and after I became a World champion my goal was to become the undisputed champion and I think Maurice Hooker is a big step to make that possible.

“He’s a great champion, I’m very honored to be here and fighting in a different venue in Arlington Texas, I know that there are a lot of fans here that love and support boxing and this is the type of fight that every champion should step up and give to the fans that deserve to see it. I feel Boxing is more alive now than ever and I’m happy I’m here as a World champion and I am going to do everything I can to stay a World champion.

“I am fighting for my family and the right causes, to do something bigger than just box. When I box my goal is to motivate people to fight for themselves, to push themselves and be better, and this is the type of fight that is going to make me better and take my career to a whole different level. It’s a blessing for me to have this fight, I’m thankful to Mo’s team for accepting the fight and stepping up to the plate, I think it’s something that was just us fighters want to prove ourselves, that’s how our promoters were able to work together to provide us with a life-changing opportunity. You will see the best of me on July 27.”

Eddie Hearn, Matchroom Boxing USA: This is a huge fight for the 140lbs division, it’s an absolute A-star match up, one both teams wanted for a long time, and after a crazy night on DAZN last Saturday at Madison Square Garden, I believe we have a fight of the year contender here in Arlington on July 27.

“I want to thank Top Rank and their fighter Jose Ramirez. The problem these days in boxing is that there is too much politics with different promoters and different networks, but when two fighters want to fight, generally you have a great chance to make it happen. So, I want to thank Bob Arum and all the Top Rank team for making this incredible fight a reality on DAZN.

“We wouldn’t be working with Mo without the help and support of RocNation Sports and Dino Duva. When we came to America, we were looking to partner up with several people that we trusted and believed in, and the relationship with Matchroom Boxing USA, Mo and RocNation Sports has been fantastic so far. We got off to a slow start really when we lost a purse bid to fight Alex Saucedo. We went to Oklahoma to fight him and it was one of the great, great nights as Mo stopped him to defend his title. He defended it again in Turning Stone but now this really is the defining night of Mo’s career.

“When we went to Oklahoma, I walked into the dressing room and it was just the guys you see on stage. I thought, ‘Oh, it’s not a very big team!’ It was our first fight with Mo and that night showed me that sometimes you don’t need a massive team, you need the right team. The right backing from genuine people that have your best interests at heart. The team lives and breathes Maurice Hooker.

“Behind every great fighter is a great trainer and it’s not just a great match-up in the ring but also out of it, with two great trainers in Vince and Robert Garcia. Robert has long been one of the top trainers in the sport and he knows how difficult this fight is, and he will be putting together a gameplan for his charge. Vince Parra has been so influential in the career development of Mo and it’s a massive night for him too.

“Seeing these guys today and looking in their eyes, this is a fight they wanted and one they are excited by. Mo has a spring in his step, he’s got this monster fight in his hometown. His opponent Jose Ramirez is a hugely popular fighter, I’ve been to some of his shows in Fresno, I want to thank his manager Rick Mirigian who has done a great job in building him locally there. He’s popular, entertaining, technically a great fighter, a puncher and he has plenty of heart. I wanted to bring a fight to Dallas for Mo. I didn’t expect to bring one of this size but what an opportunity for him to become a unified World champion in his backyard.

“This is a real fighter’s fight, one of the fights of 2019 so far. There will be other World title fights on the card and some big Heavyweight fights to be announced. It will be a stacked night of boxing, that’s what we do and that’s what DAZN do.”

Vince Parra, Maurice Hooker’s trainer: “I want to thank Eddie Hearn, DAZN, Matchroom Boxing USA, Top Rank and Jose’s team, but more than anything I want to thank Mo. When I got him, he was a young prospect, I told a reporter he was like a bolt of lightning and I just knew that if we harnessed it and put it in the right way that he could do something special.

“Last year in England he did that, we’ve always taken the hard road, we’ve been the underdog, hitting the road and going all over the US together, living out of hotels and sparring the best fighters we could. He’s always trusted me, and I thank him for that because he’s exceeded even my expectations. I want to compliment JR and his great team, but more than anything these two fighters stepped up. They didn’t hide behind anything, they want to decide who is the best 140lb fighter in the division and they are doing their part, so I applaud them both for that.

“This is a great opportunity for me to match wits with a great trainer like Robert Garcia, and for Mo to match skills with Jose Ramirez. On July 27 there will be a new unified WBO and WBC champion, and it will be Maurice Hooker in his hometown of Dallas.”

Robert Garcia, trainer of Jose Ramirez: “We’re really happy to be here and glad that this fight was able to happen. These are the fights that need to happen and people are missing out on so many fights because of the problems that promoters and TV networks have, but we were able to make this happen and I’m glad because it’s one of the best fights of the year, I can guarantee that. Jose is very motivated and ready to do this, and I am sure Maurice is preparing well too. It’s a hell of a fight and one the fans will remember for many years.”

Dino Duva, RocNation Sports: “I am so happy to see Mo getting this huge fight at home. After he beat Alex Saucedo, he boxed Mikkel LesPierre, two fights in a row on the opponent’s home turf. Eddie and I talked and said we wanted to bring Mo back home, so I want to thank Eddie and DAZN for that.

“Maurice deserves it, he hasn’t fought here for a long time and he certainly deserves it as champion. You couldn’t ask for a better match-up for Mo’s homecoming. Jose Ramirez is a great champion, it’s a unification with a Mexican-American star – you can’t ask for a better fight for this area. Dallas has become a real hotbed for great fights, there’s been huge events here over the last couple of years and this is going to be right up there with the best of them. I really believe this fight could be one of the best that we’ve seen in a long time, the match-up, the style, the background, everything about it leads to a special and historic event.

“To echo what Eddie said, I want to thank Jose, Top Rank, my old friend Robert Garcia, for doing what had to be done to make this fight, for Mo to have his homecoming in as good a match as you could as for. Matchroom Boxing USA and DAZN have done a terrific job with us for Maurice and with boxing in general. If you look at the line-up DAZN has had, you can’t beat it, and now, with this beautiful venue in Arlington, it’s going to be a special night that you don’t want to miss on July 27, I hope that the local fans support the night.”

ENDS

Maurice Hooker and Jose Ramirez will clash in a World Super-Lightweight unification clash on Saturday July 27 at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, live on DAZN in the US and on Sky Sports in the UK.

WBO champion Hooker (26-0-3 17 KOs) fights in his home state for the first time as a World champion having won the title in stunning fashion in Oklahoma in November, getting off the canvas to KO Alex Saucedo in his backyard, the widely outpointing Mikkel LesPierre in his first defense in Verona, New York in March.

WBC ruler Ramirez (24-0 16 KOs) puts his belt on the line for the third time having landed the vacant strap in March 2018 against Amir Imam in New York. The 2012 Olympian handed a first defeat to Antonio Orozco in his first defense at home in September at the Save Mart Arena in Fresno, California, and then edged a majority decision against Jose Zepeda in February in the same venue.

“First of all I want to thank my promoters Matchroom Boxing and Roc Nation for getting me this opportunity,” said Hooker. “I’m proud to display my skills on DAZN – the best boxing platform out there. I’d also like to thank my team who are with me every step of the way. I want to show the world that I’m the best in the 140 lb. division. My dream is to become the undisputed champion in my weight class. This unification fight with Jose Ramirez is a major step towards that goal.

“Training camp for Team Mighty Mo Hooker is well underway and I’ll be at my absolute best on July 27 to take the green belt from Ramirez. It will be a thrill to do this in front of my home crowd and I’m looking forward to the energy they’ll bring to the ring. I am a dream killer, and Ramirez will be my next victim coming July 27.”

“I am ready for my opportunity to unify the titles,” said Ramirez. “To get the opportunity to be a unified champion is a blessing for me. I’m thankful to Bob Arum and Top Rank for believing in me to go out there and get the job done. I’m going to push myself hard to make the team proud.”

“This is a fight I wanted. I told my manager, Rick Mirigian, that I wanted to fight Maurice Hooker. I know this fight can take my career to the next level. I want to continue making statements at 140 pounds. I want to make it easier for people to decide who the best 140-pounder truly is.

“I’m treating this fight the same as when I won the title in New York City against Amir Imam. He was the taller fighter, the bigger fighter. It’s sometimes easier fighting someone in his backyard because it takes away some of my responsibilities behind the scenes. As the underdog, I have everything to win. It’s not just about defending my title but unifying the division as well. I’m ready to prove myself and show everyone what Jose Ramirez is all about. I can’t wait to bring Hooker’s title back with me to California.”

“I’m delighted to announce this excellent unification match-up between two great champions in Maurice Hooker and Jose Ramirez,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “These are the fights that boxing needs and the styles will gel into a real fight of the year contender. Both champions believe they have the edge in this fight, tune in July 27 on DAZN to find out comes out on top.”

“This looks like a terrific battle, and I’m predicting that our guy, Jose Ramirez, will emerge as the unified champion,” said Top Rank’s Bob Arum.

“This is a big fight for Maurice and our team,” said Roc Nation’s Dino Duva. We have been looking forward to it since he became a champion – a title unification match in his hometown, doesn’t get any better for a fighter and his team. Mighty Mo will seize this opportunity to win over the hearts of the great Mexican boxing fans. A victory over a fantastic champion like Jose Ramirez will catapult Mighty Mo into superstar pound for pound status! Big thank you and congrats to DAZN and Matchroom Boxing for stepping up and putting this unification match together. Additional thanks to Top Rank, Ramirez promoter for making it work. This is what great boxing is about.”

“We’re thrilled to deliver another title unification bout to DAZN subscribers this year,” said Joseph Markowski, DAZN EVP, North America. “Credit to all parties working together with the fan’s best interest in mind. Hooker vs. Ramirez is the right fight happening at the right time.”

“This was not easy to get done and had many moving parts,” said Ramirez’s manager Rick Mirigian. “It’s the first of its kind in this new era of boxing and I pushed for this since February, I want to thank Top Rank and Eddie Hearn for working through a complex network landscape to make this huge fight happen for the sport.”

An announcement on ticket sales will be made a press conference in Arlington on Friday.

ENDS

Chris Algieri hopes that a win over Brit Tommy Coyle at Madison Square Garden in New York on June 1 will move him a step closer to a shot at WBO Super-Lightweight World Champion and Matchroom Boxing USA stablemate Maurice Hooker.

Algieri (23-3, 8 KOs) puts his WBO International title on the line for the first time against former Commonwealth Lightweight king Coyle, live on DAZN in the US and Sky Sports Box Office in the UK, knowing that a win could land him the opportunity to reclaim his WBO World title against reigning champion Hooker.

The New York warrior battled back from a pair of first round knockdowns to outbox and upset Ruslan Provodnikov to land the WBO crown in 2014 but was forced to vacate his belt when he stepped up to Welterweight to face modern legend Manny Pacquiao for the 147lbs title later that year.

“Winning this fight, which is all that me and my team plan on doing, puts us in a very good position for some of the top guys in the division,” said Algieri. “Potentially a World title fight with the current WBO World Champion Maurice Hooker who holds the title that I never lost in the ring. That’s what I have in my sights.

“I still feel like part of that belt is mine. That’s not to take anything away from the current champion Hooker, he earned it and he fought his ass off to get to the position that he’s in. I feel like I need another crack at that title because essentially part of it is me.”

Coyle produced a typically bullish performance as he outfought Ryan Kielczweski over ten rounds on his American debut in Boston in October last year. ‘Boom Boom’ is renowned for his toughness but Algieri says he is prepared to take the Hull fighter into the trenches to get the win next week.

“You know what you’re going to get with Tommy Coyle. He’s going to come over here in great shape and give it his all. He’s a tough guy and he comes to fight. He’s a blood and guts kind of guy, a kind of guy that I can get excited for. This is going to be a fun fight to watch and it’s going to be a fun fight to be in!

“You’ve got a guy like him who’s going to come forward. He’s going to be throwing and he’s going to be fighting and he’s going to be hungry. Then you’ve got a guy like me who’s a master boxer who’s going to go out there and use his skills. At the same time, I’ve shown my ability to be tough, I’ve shown my ability to be gritty, and when I need that I can always tap into it.”

Algieri and Coyle clash on a huge night of action at MSG where Anthony Johua’s World title defence against Andy Ruiz Jr. is supported by Irish sensation Katie Taylor clashing with Delfine Persoon for the undisputed Women’s World Lightweight championship, Callum Smith defending his WBA World ‘Super’, WBC Diamond and Ring Magazine Super-Middleweight titles against Hassan N’Dam and Josh Kelly making his US debut as he defends his WBA International Welterweight title against Philadelphia’s Ray Robinson – with more exciting undercard additions announced this week.

Tickets for the huge night of World title action in New York are on sale now via Madison Square Garden and StubHub (www.stubhub.com)

Tickets can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.MSG.com.

Official Ticket and Travel Packages, including the opportunity to travel on the Official Charter Plane, are available to purchase via Sportsworld (www.sportsworld.co.uk) Prices start at £1,095. Reserve your seat today.

Tickets are priced, $106, $156, $206, $306, $406, $506, $756, $1,006, $1,256 and $2,506 plus applicable booking fees.

Wheelchair seats, companion seats, aisle seats and Assistive Listening Devices are available to purchase by calling 212-465-6034.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, a 140-pound unification fight between Jose Ramirez and Maurice Hooker is being negotiated.

“We’re in negotiations on that fight with Top Rank and we’ve also been talking to our co-promoter, Roc Nation,” Hooker co-promoter Eddie Hearn said. “It’s a fight both sides want, a fight I think the fans want. It’s a brilliant fight for the division. It would be on DAZN but there’s still a long way to go to getting anything done but the conversations are positive.”

“They want a big fight and they also want to unify titles, just like our side does,” Hearn said, adding that if the fight is made it would take place either in California, where Ramirez is from, or Texas, where Hooker is from.

“I’ve had discussions about the fight with Sir Edward,” Top Rank’s Carl Moretti said. “Hopefully, somehow this fight can be put together. We look forward to further discussions and negotiations.”

JACK CATTERALL IS hopping mad over being likened to an insect by his forthcoming world title foe Maurice Hooker.

The 25-year-old from Chorley – who returns to the ring at the SSE Arena, Wembley on April 27 – has worked his way into the mandatory challenger position for the WBO world super lightweight title held by the Texan Hooker.

The unbeaten Catterall undertook a little working holiday recently to watch Hooker make a second defence of his title against Mikkel LesPierre in New York, where the 29-year-old laboured to a points victory.

Since Catterall made himself known to ‘Mighty Mo’, the champion has acknowledged his challenge across social media by describing him as a ‘little grasshopper’.

Definition: A plant-eating insect with long hind legs which are used for jumping and for producing a chirping sound.

“He has since called me a ‘little grasshopper’ twice, which I am not happy about,” responded Catterall this week in his Fighter Diary posted on frankwarren.com.

“I don’t even know what he means by it or trying to get out of it.”

Insect references aside, Catterall is happy to have made the acquaintance of his future opponent and is convinced he will soon be parting him from his title.

“I treated it like a work trip, just in and out, because I am not a loud person and didn’t want to make too much noise.

“The way it unfolded went well for me, I got a bit of publicity from it and people know now that I am the No.1 contender. He certainly knows and I made a statement by travelling out to watch him, which I think was a smart move.

“I got to see him up close again for the second time and now I am even more convinced that I can beat him. I saw him before the fight, a couple of hours before the show started, and I wished him luck for the fight.

“So he knew I was there and then you will have seen the little clip in the ring when he got his victory. He let me know that I would be getting my shot at the title soon enough.”

The 23-0 Catterall, who calls himself ‘El Gato’, was not overly impressed with Hooker’s display against LesPierre after the champion was forced to make several return visits to the scales the day before the fight.

“Looking at the fight in comparison to when he beat Terry Flanagan, I would say that it wasn’t his greatest performance and he was much better against Terry and in his first defence.

“Whether him going downhill is to do with weight issues? I know he struggled to make it this time, so maybe that is why he didn’t perform.

“I didn’t think the opponent, even though he was undefeated, had really earned a shot at the title and I was a bit surprised over the success he had in snippets in the fight. I thought Hooker would make a statement with this guy and blow him out of the water, but it proved to be different.

“He is an awkward customer though with his long reach and the height, but if you look at my record I have boxed them all and had plenty of tall opponents like Nathan Brough, Tyrone McKenna, Tyrone Nurse – and Ohara with his extra-long arms!”

It is now a waiting game for Catterall due to Hooker’s stated intention of having an interim fight on home soil.

“I am still in the waiting room for my shot at the title and it seems like he is going to have another fight before defending against me. I’m hearing he will have a summer defence as a homecoming in Dallas and I’m hoping not too long after that we can get it on.

“I am prepared to go to America if needs be and there are a couple of ways I have looked at it. As a child, when you think of big fights, you always dream of winning in America and fighting away from home. I know he is the champion and you have got to make a statement and really take the belt off him.

“It honestly won’t bother me where the fight is, whether it is over here or over there.”

Daniel Dubois v Richard Lartey tops the bill at the SSE Arena, Wembley on April 27 on a card that also includes the Commonwealth super middleweight title fight between Lerrone Richards and Tommy Langford, as well as the Southern Area super middleweight title clash between Zak Chelli and Jimmy Smith. WBO European super flyweight champion Sunny Edwards and WBO European super featherweight champion Archie Sharp also feature.

Chorley-boxer Jack Catterall will be in action as he edges ever-closer to a world title challenge. Rangy Super Welterweight talent Hamzah Sheeraz will be back out after his impressive win over Rod Douglas Jnr. Hard hitting middleweight and Peacock gym product Denzel Bentley (9-0) and Belfast amateur middleweight star Caoimhin Agyarko will also return to action. There is a Queensberry debut for Sheffield middleweight Shakiel Thompson (2-0) – with Thompson being tipped by sparring partner Billy Joe Saunders as a star for the future. Ilford Super Middleweight Umar Sadiq (4-1) also returns as he looks to rebuild after his first career loss. Tunde Ajayi trained lightweight Bilal Ali (1-0) will have his second professional fight after making a successful start to his pro career, with Hoddesdon super lightweight Alfie Price set for his fifth.

Tickets will be priced as £40, £50, £75, £100 and £150 and are now ON SALE to purchase via Eventim, Ticketmaster, the SSE Arena website and AXS.com

Maurice Hooker has signed an extension to his co-promotional deal with Matchroom Boxing USA and Roc Nation.

Hooker defended his WBO World Super-Lightweight title with a commanding points win over Mikkel LesPierre at Turning Stone Resort Casino live on DAZN earlier in the month, and the Dallas native now hopes to fight at home for the first time as a World champion following his win over the Brooklynite.

Hooker punctuated his win by flooring the challenger with a body shot in the ninth round, with the game challenger hearing the final bell and scorecards of 120-107, 119-108 and 118-109 in the defending champion’s favor– and ‘Mighty Mo’ now has WBC king Jose Ramirez and potential mandatory from Britain Jack Catterall in his sights.

“I want the WBC title,” said Hooker. “Everyone come to DAZN! Anybody – come to DAZN. Jack Catterall came all the way over here to America to watch me fight. Just wait young grasshopper, you will get your turn.

“I give myself a C- in my performance. I wasn’t good but I had to push. Look, you live and you learn. If you judge me from this fight, you better not get in the ring thinking the same thing because I am coming for you.

“Making weight was my fault. I was in the room messing around. That was my fault. I’m learning as I go. I’m not done yet at Super-Lightweight, I want the massive fights.”

“I’m delighted to extend our agreement with Maurice and Roc Nation Sports,” said Eddie Hearn, managing director of Matchroom Sport. “Maurice will return this summer, most likely in Dallas, giving him three World title defenses in just seven months.

“We like to keep our world champions nice and busy and we want to push for unification match ups in 2019 – I believe Maurice is the best 140lber in the world right now and we look forward to helping him prove it on DAZN.”

“We’re excited to announce that we’ve been able to extend our co-promotional deal of Maurice Hooker with Matchroom Boxing USA,” said Roc Nation Sports boxing promoter Dino Duva. “It’s a great partnership and we look forward to working with them not only with Maurice but on other fighters moving forward. Maurice is on his way to becoming one of the biggest stars on DAZN and this deal completely solidifies that.”

Maurice Hooker hopes to land a big homecoming fight in Dallas next as he defends his WBO World Super-Lightweight title for the second time against Mikkel LesPierre at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York on Saturday March 9, live on DAZN in the US and on Sky Sports in the UK.

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW PRICED FROM $49 VIA TICKETMASTER.COM

Hooker (25-0-3 17 KOs) won his title on the road by ripping it from champion Terry Flanagan in Manchester, England in June and then packed his bags again for his first defense, a thrilling win over local favorite Alex Saucedo in Oklahoma City in November, Hooker climbing off the canvas in the second round to stop Saucedo in the seventh.

Hooker hits the road again to put his belt on the line against Brooklyn’s LesPierre (21-0-1 10KOs) but ‘Mighty Mo’, who has predicted a devastating KO win over the challenger, wants to come home in his next fight – and believes he can do so in a major fight that will stake his claim to being the best in the world at 140lbs.

“It would mean so much to me to fight in Dallas as a champion,” said Hooker. “I want to show the kids in my neighborhood that don’t have anyone to look up to that they can look at me – I’m a champion that they can follow and look up to.

“I wasn’t a disciplined kid so boxing taught me a lot. My attitude was bad so boxing taught me to keep calm no matter what. When you look at what I’ve achieved, that’s the example I want to show the kids where I am from.

“My kids are my motivation – I want to give them the life that I didn’t have growing up, give them everything they want and be there for them.

“I am my biggest opponent. Sometimes you can think ‘I’m a World champion, I don’t need to train.’ I know that can backfire on me in the gym so I am working harder than ever because i want to stay a champion and achieve more in the future.

“It’s an open division, and one I think I can take over. There’s a lot of good fighters in there making a name for themselves and a lot coming up.

“I’m a champion and I want to fight the best. I feel I am the best. My long arms, my chin, my skills and my hard work will put me on the top – I think that sets me apart.

“Dallas is my home and in my heart, but there’s too many distractions to train there. In San Diego, I wake up thinking about boxing and go to bed thinking about boxing, and just train in between. The weather is great, I just love it.”

Hooker’s clash with LesPierre is part of a huge night of action at Turning Stone Resort Casino with a second mouthwatering World title fight on the bill in the shape of Dmitry Bivol (15-0 11KOs) defending his WBA World Light-Heavyweight title against Long Island’s Joe Smith Jr (24-2-0 20KOs).

Callum Johnson (17-1-0 12KOs) and Sean Monaghan (29-2-0 17KOs) will both have a keen eye on Bivol’s clash as they battle in a crunch fight in the 175lbs division, World-ranked heavyweight contender Sergey Kuzmin, (14-0 11 KOs), of St. Petersburg, Russia will battle Philadelphia based veteran Joey Dawejko, (19-6-4 11 KOs) and Otha Jones III makes his pro debut on the card.

Maurice Hooker says he’ll bring the heat early to Mikkel LesPierre and send a big statement to the rest of the division when he defends his WBO World Super-Lightweight title for the second time at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York on Saturday March 9, live on DAZN in the US and on Sky Sports in the UK.

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW PRICED FROM $49 VIA TICKETMASTER.COM

Hooker (25-0-3 17 KOs) defended his title in thrilling fashion in November, climbing off the canvas in the second round against home town favorite Alex Saucedo to silence the Oklahoma City crowd with a clinical seventh round stoppage.

The Dallas star now hits the road again to meet LesPierre (21-0-1 10KOs) in upstate New York, with the unbeaten Brooklyn man lacing them up in his first World title fight – and Hooker plans to test the challenger’s ambitions from the opening bell, and predicts a spectacular KO on the horizon.

“What do I know about Mikkel? He’s going down on March 9, that’s all I know,” said Hooker. “He’ll be a little nervous and jittery. I’ll pop him with a hard jab early to see where his mind is. I’ll be looking in his eyes when I hit him to see how he reacts like, ‘god damn!’ or ‘OK, bring it’ – that will tell me what he’s going to be like the whole fight, if he’s there to win and be great, or just there to collect the cheque.

“He doesn’t have power but I still have to be wary as he could close his eyes and swing, hit me with the backhand – it’s boxing. But if I see a weakness in him, I’m not going to hesitate – I want to KO him hard and fast, I don’t get paid overtime. I will show real power in both hands, and show I can put any southpaw in the world to sleep.

“I don’t feel any extra pressure as a defending champion – I am getting paid to do my job. As long as I train hard and stay focused, there’s no-one out there that can beat me and I will prepare hard for anyone put in front of me.

“He’s a short southpaw that’s going to sit outside the box, and he’s going to be in the danger-zone. I wish him the best in the build-up, I am sure that he’s trained hard as this is the biggest fight of his life – fighting for a World title at home – but that’s just like Saucedo, he’s going to come, not as aggressive as Saucedo, but he’ll still come.

“After the first round though, he’ll die down as he’ll be thinking ‘man this guy is long, rangy, I can’t get to him – AND he hits hard’. He’ll shell up. But I’ll be explosive. Fighters say they don’t look for the KO – I am looking for a big KO on March 9, I want it bad and I will KO him.”

Hooker’s clash with LesPierre is part of a huge night of action at Turning Stone Resort Casino with a second mouthwatering World title fight on the bill in the shape of Dmitry Bivol (15-0 11KOs) defending his WBA World Light-Heavyweight title against Long Island’s Joe Smith Jr (24-2-0 20KOs).

Callum Johnson (17-1-0 12KOs) and Sean Monaghan (29-2-0 17KOs) will both have a keen eye on Bivol’s clash as they battle in a crunch fight in the 175lbs division, World-ranked heavyweight contender Sergey Kuzmin, (14-0 11 KOs), of St. Petersburg, Russia will battle Philadelphia based veteran Joey Dawejko, (19-6-4 11 KOs) and Otha Jones III makes his pro debut on the card.

Tickets for the World title double-header starring Dmitry Bivol and Maurice Hooker defending their belts at Turning Stone Resort Casino on Saturday March 9 live on DAZN in the US and Sky Sports in the UK are on sale NOW

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Bivol puts his WBA Light-Heavyweight title on the line against Joe Smith Jr, the fifth defense of his belt after moving to 15-0 (11KOs) in November, with a comprehensive to a points win over former unified champion Jean Pascal in New Jersey. Bivol’s win over the Canadian was the latest impressive name on his growing CV, following a points triumph over Isaac Chilemba, a final round stoppage of Sullivan Barrera and a highlight real first round KO of Trent Broadhurst.

The Russian star will meet a stern test of his ambitions to unify the division in the shape of Smith Jnr (24-2 20KOs) the Long Islander who famously stopped Bernard Hopkins in the Philadelphia legend’s last pro fight in December 2016 and destroyed Andrzej Fonfara inside the opening round of their clash in Chicago six months earlier.

Hooker defends his WBO Junior-Welterweight title against unbeaten challenger Mikkel LesPierre, with Hooker making the second defense of his title following his stunning victory in November, climbing off the canvas in the second round against Alex Saucedo in the challengers Oklahoma City backyard to hand a first career loss to the 24 year old in the seventh round.

Hooker (25-0-3 17KOs), who won the title on the road earlier in the year in Manchester to take Terry Flanagan’s ‘0’ in June, will add upstate New York to his travels as he targets a major hometown defense in the summer. Trinidad and Tobago born Brooklynite LesPierre (20-0-1 9KOs) fights for his first World title against Hooker.

“I want to thank Joe and his team for taking the fight as I think that our styles will make for a great fight – but I will keep my title,” said Bivol. “I’m so happy that my team have come up with a great plan for my future on DAZN, it’s an exciting new chapter in my career and I cannot wait for March 9.

“This is a huge opportunity for me and one I’ll take full advantage of,” said Smith Jr. “This is everything that I’ve worked for, really hard, for my whole life, so I’m going to give it everything I’ve got, and come March 9, I will be 100 per cent ready to take that title home.”

“I can guarantee you that I’m leaving New York City with another ‘W’ in the win column,” Hooker said. “I’m hungry to get back to competing and I’m going to put on a great show so that I can bring my belt back to Dallas for my next bout.”

“We’re very excited that Mo will be fighting in New York, giving him the opportunity to shine in the biggest city in the world,” Roc Nation Sports boxing promoter Dino Duva said. “He had an unforgettable 2018 and we’re confident that he’ll sustain that momentum in 2019.”

“It’s been a long time coming, I’ve been grinding underground out of the public eye – so when I come to fight, I go to work and get the job done,” said LesPierre.

“I took this fight in a heartbeat. I don’t listen to what people say, some might not think I deserve this shot but come March 9, I will show people that I belong at this level. I’ve moved up the rankings and put the work in – there’s no-one out there that works harder than me or wants this more than me. I’ve put myself in position to get to this point and now it’s time to shine.”

Further fights on the undercard will be announced soon.