LOS ANGELES (July 25, 2018) – IBF Lightweight World Champion Robert Easter Jr. participated in a media workout to kick off fight week in Los Angeles Wednesday as he nears his 135-pound title unification showdown against WBC champion Mikey Garcia this Saturday, July 28 live on SHOWTIME from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles in an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions.

Joining Easter Wednesday and competing on the three-fight SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT) were Cuban heavyweight slugger Luis “The Real King Kong” Ortiz and former title challenger Razvan Cojanu, who meet in a 10-round bout plus unbeaten super lightweight contender Mario “El Azteca” Barrios and hard-hitting Jose Roman, who compete in a 10-round showdown.

Rounding out the workout participants was unbeaten prospect and 2016 U.S. Olympian Karlos Balderas, who competes on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING COUNTDOWN, which will stream on the SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and SHOWTIME Boxing Facebook page beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Ringstar Sports and TGB Promotions, begin at $50, plus applicable fees, and are on sale now. To purchase tickets, visit AXS.com.

Here is what the fighters had to say Wednesday from City of Angels Boxing Gym:

ROBERT EASTER JR.

“Training down in Florida allowed me to get away from distractions and just focus on myself. Kevin Cunningham stayed on me every day. We focused on my skills, using my advantages and you’ll see it all on July 28.

“We have a game plan, but we’re professionals in there and we both know we’ll have to make adjustments as the fight goes on. I’m going to fight my fight and leave it all in the ring. My focus is 100 percent on Mikey Garcia Saturday night.

“Early in my career I fought a lot on the West Coast and my first pro fight was actually at STAPLES Center. So I’m very excited to be back in front of a big exciting crowd.

“Coach Cunningham had me really working on the skills that I hadn’t been using as much in past fights. He’s helped me put together a great game plan that focuses on the advantages I have. He knows what kinds of things will give other fighters trouble.

“Big fights like these are important to me. Champion versus champion speaks loudly about who we are as men. It’s the two best guys out there fighting to decide who’s the best in the weight class.

“I’ve been dreaming about fights like this since I was a little kid. It’s finally here and I’m going to show the world what Robert Easter Jr. is really made of.”

LUIS ORTIZ

“I feel great and I’m happy to get back in the ring on Saturday night. I moved past the loss after a day or two and got right back in the gym. I always knew I would fight again this year, because this is what I love to do.

“I’m excited to be fighting at STAPLES Center and I’m thankful to my opponent for accepting the challenge. I just want to show off my skills and prove again why I’m one of the best heavyweights in the world.

“I’m going to go in there on Saturday and do my job. I’m prepared to take care of the opponent in front of me, whether it’s in round one or round twelve. It’s going to be the same mission that I have going into every fight.”

RAZVAN COJANU

“We worked during training camp and sparred with a lot of southpaws to prepare for this. I feel good about our strategy and the shape I’m in.

“My fight against (former heavyweight champion) Joseph Parker was an interesting fight. I only found out that I was facing him two weeks before, so I was not as ready as I wanted to be heading into it. But it was an opportunity I couldn’t miss and I believed in myself and fought all the way until the end.

“Ortiz is a strong fighter and a big challenge. I’m looking forward to another tough fight and putting on a great performance for the fans.”

MARIO BARRIOS

“I’ve finished off training camp the last four weeks in the Bay Area with Virgil Hunter and I’m feeling great. We had fantastic sparring and everything is looking great heading into fight night.

“I’m excited for this opportunity. I have a really good, experienced opponent in front of me, and I’m coming into his backyard. I have a lot to gain coming into this fight. This is going to be a very explosive fight.

“I’m ready to showcase my talent and dominate with the game plan that we’ve put together. We’re focused on this fight, but I’m looking to climb the ladder and get a title fight or title eliminator by the end of the year.”

JOSE ROMAN

“I trained really hard for this great opportunity that I have here. It was very exciting to find out I’d be on SHOWTIME, especially on a big show like this headlined by a fight everybody wants to see. Now I get to display my talent in front of everybody.

“We had an effective training camp. We worked hard each day and everything really went smoothly. Everybody wants to be in this position, but not everyone gets to experience it.

“Barrios has a really good record and he’s very talented. He’s undefeated for a reason. We’re coming here to win. I’m going to be at my very best on Saturday.”

KARLOS BALDERAS

“When I first made my pro debut I felt like I was rushing things in the ring and trying to do things too fast. Now as I get more fights in I’m going to be able to take my time and break these fighters down little by little. You can’t knock everybody out in the first round.

“I’m only 22-years-old and I still have a long way to go. More than anything I just need to remain patient throughout the bout. We’ve put in the work so I know what I have to do on Saturday night.

“I fought at STAPLES Center last month, so this is nothing new to me. I’m going to go in there and fight my fight, be smart and take him out of there. We’re doing things the right way and we’re planning on being here for a while.”

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NEW YORK (July 23, 2018) – SHOWTIME Sports will provide live streaming of undercard fights and analysis on the network’s social platforms in advance of this Saturday’s Mikey Garcia vs. Robert Easter Jr. Lightweight World Championship Unification. SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING COUNTDOWN, the fifth digital presentation of live boxing in 2018, will stream on the SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and SHOWTIME Boxing Facebook page beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT preceding the evening’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® tripleheader live on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

The social media offering will include a 10-round bout featuring undefeated super lightweight prospect Fabian Maidana, the brother of former champion Marcos Maidana, as well as special guests breaking down the highly anticipated unification fight from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. This is the third consecutive year that SHOWTIME has delivered free live streams of boxing, an industry-leading offering available to all consumers with internet access.

Former three-division champion Abner Mares will join boxing broadcaster Ray Flores and analyst Chris Mannix as they call the fights from ringside in Los Angeles and preview that evening’s three-fight telecast.

Maidana (15-0, 11 KOs), the younger brother of former two-division world champion Marcos Maidana, will face his toughest professional test in former world title challenger Andrey Klimov (20-4, 10 KOs). The 26-year-old Maidana, of Argentina, is looking to continue his rise from prospect to contender. Also on the live stream, 2016 U.S. Olympian and unbeaten prospect Karlos Balderas (5-0, 4 KOs) will appear in a six-round super featherweight bout against an opponent to be announced.

In addition to Garcia vs. Easter, the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast features the return of Cuban heavyweight slugger Luis Ortiz against former world title challenger Razvan Cojanu in a 10-round bout, plus unbeaten super lightweight contender Mario Barrios taking on Jose Roman in a 10-round showdown.

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING COUNTDOWN – 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT

YouTube Link: https://s.sho.com/2NAa5Rx

YouTube Embed Code:

NOTE: SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING COUNTDOWN will be geo-blocked for U.S. users only.

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

Richard Schaefer
Thank you very much and thank you to all the media members and the fighters for being available today on this call. I’m really happy to talk a little bit about this upcoming fight. Clearly this is the fight of the summer. Probably going to be a Fight of the Year candidate. It’s one of those can’t miss fights and whenever you have champion versus champion, undefeated versus undefeated, you know that the fight fans are in for a special treat.

Mikey Garcia versus Robert Easter Jr. for the Unified Lightweight Championship of the World, two fighters in their prime challenging themselves for greatness. Premier Boxing Champions presents this fight, a truly premier event from the premier venue in the United States, the STAPLES Center, Saturday July 28th. It seems whenever you have a fight at the STAPLES Center they always exceed – not only live up to, but exceed their expectations. The STAPLES Center is the kind of venue with the way it’s built and the way the crowds are embracing their fighters there in the center ring, it always brings out the best of the athletes performing at the STAPLES Center.

It’s a 15-fight card and yes you heard right: 15 fights are on the card. I don’t really remember ever having promoted a card with that many fights and the good news is it’s not just like a pileup of fights. It really is a great card top to bottom. As part of the tripleheader on SHOWTIME, we are going to have one of the best heavyweights, Luis “King Kong” Ortiz on the card and we have one of the most exciting young junior welterweights in Mario Barrios. He’s undefeated with 21 wins, 13 KOs from San Antonio. We will have him on the card as well.

Also Fabian Maidana, Marcos Maidana’s brother, who is quickly make a name for himself. He’s 15-0 now with 11 KOs so make sure you keep an eye on him as well. And then the most talked about elite prospect from the U.S. from the Olympics – Rio Olympics in 2016 Karlos Balderas will be returning to the STAPLES Center as well. He’s 5-0 now.

Tickets for this boxing extravaganza and that’s what it really is, are starting at $50. We do anticipate a huge crowd at STAPLES Center. We saw that with the last fight we did there with Mares and Santa Cruz. Huge lines formed the day of the fight, people buying tickets last minute. So if you do intend to go I would suggest that fans do go and buy their tickets now.

I want to thank the man who made it all possible, who’s passionate about the sport, passionate about the fighters he advises and manages and that is of course Al Haymon. I would like to thank the entire Haymon team. It’s always a pleasure to work with them. And then of course I like to thank our co-promoter, the President and of TGB Promotions Tom Brown.

Now for those who can’t make it to STAPLES Center of course the fight will be shown live on the number one boxing destination and that is SHOWTIME. SHOWTIME clearly is number one and no one out there comes even close. Their continued commitment to the sport, with the best fighting the best, champion versus champion and in this case here a unification fight, a stacked card and the man who makes that possible is a good friend of mine and he is first and foremost a boxing fan himself and he is of course President Sports & Events Programming, Showtime Network Inc. Stephen Espinoza.

Stephen Espinoza
Thanks very much Richard. Appreciate that introduction. This fight which we are all very excited about, champion versus champion, will be the third world title unification fight on SHOWTIME just this year. We’ve spent the last two or three years trying to ramp up and position things so that 2018 and maybe ’19 will be periods in which we will see these kinds of unifications. So we’ve done all the work, the fighters have done the hardest part and I’d like to recognize both Mikey and Robert Easter Jr. for taking this fight and taking this fight with no delay.

There is a long history of exciting lightweight unification fights on SHOWTIME. In fact, the last lightweight unification fight on SHOWTIME was of course Corrales versus Castillo in 2005. So those are big shoes to fill but I think there’s a tremendous matchup with two very skilled fighters.

Both Garcia and Easter are coming off victories in world title fights on SHOWTIME, Mikey defeating Sergey Lipinets for the 140 title and Easter making the third defense of his title versus Javier Fortuna. Mikey Garcia since coming back from his layoff has quickly risen to a top five pound-for-pound consensus fighter. In four fights on SHOWTIME since returning he’s won world titles in two different divisions.

The one thing that speaks well about Mikey among many things is that he seeks out the biggest and toughest fights. We’ve seen that over and over again. In this particular case no one’s rushing to fight Robert Easter Jr. He’s a tall, athletic and skilled fighter and no one really is anxious to fight him other than Mikey, who didn’t hesitate at all. This is Mikey’s first fight in Southern California in seven years. Last time he fought here was 2011. I know, having discussed it with Mikey, that it was important to him and he’s going to put on a good show for the crowd.

Robert Easter Jr. is in fact the longest current reigning champion at135 pounds, who won his title in 2016. He has rare physical gifts, 5-foot-11, 76-inch reach. That gives him a big height and reach advantage over Mikey and part of what makes this an intriguing matchup. You add in Luis Ortiz and two really interesting young super lightweights in Mario Barrios and Jose Roman, and we’ve got a really exciting triple-header on SHOWTIME.

R. Schaefer
Thank you very much Stephen. It’s a pleasure now for me to introduce to you Team Easter. Robert has been waiting for a moment like this, a world champion, undefeated, and a big-time fighter. A champion like Robert Easter Jr., they like to challenge themselves against the best. And when the fight was offered to him against Mikey Garcia, he didn’t hesitate a second. He said where do I sign? In fact, he’s been looking for this fight because he knows in order to become the best and the biggest you need to fight the best and the biggest.

He’s undefeated, a huge crowd attraction in Toledo, Ohio. With Kevin Cunningham he has a world class trainer in his corner. I’d like to acknowledge Kevin as well as Robert’s father, Mr. Robert Easter, Sr. Kevin certainly knows how to train and he knows how to get the best out of world champions. He is a very smart trainer and he knows how to come up with the right game plans to win fights.

And as it relates to Robert Easter Jr., when he lands next week here in Los Angeles let there be no doubt about it: he’s not coming here to deliver a belt. He’s coming here to pick up another one. And it’s a pleasure for me now to introduce to you the undefeated lightweight world champion Robert Easter, Jr.

Robert Easter Jr.
Camp has been really good. We had a long camp, nine-plus weeks and just staying focused and staying sharp and everybody in has been waiting for this fight and this moment for a long time. I believe this fight is what boxing deserves, champion versus champion. I’m no stranger to tough fights. This is going to define my career and make the best out of me, fighting another best great fighter.

This fight with Mikey Garcia is one of the big fights that I’ve been waiting on for so long and it’s finally here. July 28th and we’ll see one of the best you’ve ever seen. I’m going to bring in plenty of skills thanks to my coach Robert Easter, Sr. and Coach Kevin Cunningham. We’ve made adjustments and changes in my game and everything is coming out perfect. July 28th you will see me with two belts.

Q
Given your fights against Javier Fortuna and Richard Commey would you call this fight against Mikey by far the biggest of your career given the stakes?

R. Easter
Yes of course, I look at every fight like it’s big. Of course with this one being another champion it is even bigger. So we train hard for every fight and we look at every opponent the same. We don’t just favor just one opponent. I step in there I step in the ring with my life on the line.

Q
What advantages do you feel you have over Mikey that will enable you to beat him on July 28th?

R. Easter
My height and my speed and my power. My ability to box will keep him away and eventually I’ll be able to finish get off the power punches I want.

Q
Robert how do you feel that you fought in your fight against Javier Fortuna? What did you like about your performance and what did you dislike about it?

R. Easter
I believe I fought that fight wrong and made it tougher on myself. Instead of using my reach and my ability to box, I sort of smothered my punches. But when I fight I move on from it, we learned from it as well as every fight.

Q
Was that the fight that really convinced you to go with Kevin after what happened in that fight?

R. Easter
No. What convinced me to go to Kevin is, to just switch it up, make things less comfortable for me. I was too comfortable in Toledo having things my way, doing things my way and just around too many distractions.

Q
Kevin also can you assess how Robert fought against Javier Fortuna and what you thought about his performance in that fight?

Kevin Cunningham
Well I thought after watching the fight I thought the fight could’ve been a lot easier for Robert just if he had used his natural gifts in terms of the height and reach and control and range and distance. Like he explained, he knows the mistakes that he was making in the fight. He was not using his range properly, not controlling distance and then smothering his punches by fighting in a little too close and giving up his height and things of that nature.

Robert understands what he needs to do to, the adjustments that he needs to make. He’s got the ability and the skill to pick it up going back, pick it up. He’s really looking sharp and I just think that he’s really going to put on a show come July 28.

Q
I know you are friends with Adrien Broner and Gervonta Davis and everything. So I was just wondering if perhaps on the night of April 21, when both of those fighters had their debut bouts with Kevin in their corner, was there anything specifically that you saw in those performances for both of those guys that convinced you that maybe Cunningham was the move for you for this type of fight?

R. Easter
I saw the focus and the shape those guys were in. Plus, every step of the way I was calling Adrien. I was on the phone with him throughout the camp. And I was seeing videos and he was telling me things they were doing.

I’m pretty familiar with Coach Cunningham anyway, growing up and I’d see him in the amateurs and of course in the pros. Plus he from the Midwest so it was like family. So he welcomed me in with open arms, and there you have it. I’m here at camp with him and we cooking up something for July 28.

Q
Did you watch the kind of exchanges that Broner and Cunningham had in the corner and is that something that you think could be beneficial on July 28?

R. Easter
Of course. That’s a big reason why I made this move to come down here and be in Coach Cunningham’s program. Like I said, being back at home, I had a lot of distractions and my mind was everywhere and I couldn’t focus just on boxing. So whenever I was in the ring, I was never sticking to a game plan.

So making that move with Coach Cunningham, he made me focus on our game plan and nothing but our game plan. That’s all I’ve been focused on, is boxing, period. Being away from home and all the distractions, all I can think about is boxing.

Q
Coach Cunningham, the influx of these world-class guys coming down to Florida to work with you, what has that meant to you professionally?

K. Cunningham
Well, I appreciate the fact that a lot of these guys appreciate me really giving them 110% if they make the decision to come to my camp. So, we kind of reciprocate the appreciation with each other. It’s all work and no play down here. It’s just a tremendous situation for these guys.

Any time you come and put the work in, like Robert for instance, his camp will be, weeks when it’s over and he left no stone unturned. He sacrificed everything. He did everything that was asked of him. And he’s a talented guy. He’s naturally talented. We have a tremendous game plan. He’s been a pleasure to work with.

R. Schaefer
Excellent. Thank you very much. I want to thank Robert and Kevin, Team Easter for being on the call and making themselves available. I know we are in the final days of training and I know you’re going to be traveling out here soon to Los Angeles. Looking forward to seeing you all and welcoming you to STAPLES Center for this big unification bout. So good luck and I’ll see you guys next week.

So let’s move right along. It’s a pleasure for me to introduce to you Team Garcia now. We have pound-for-pound trainer Robert Garcia on the line and we have the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter Mikey Garcia on the line. Both will be available to answer questions.

Mikey’s an athlete who keeps challenging himself to fight the best. He seeks out the most challenging and biggest challenges. And in this fight here, I mean biggest as well, literally. With Robert Easter, Mikey will face a fighter who possesses skills and power and is obviously naturally gifted with his height and reach advantage.

But Mikey is a four-division world champion. He’s moving up and down these weight classes as if they don’t exist, always finding a way to solve the most difficult and most challenging puzzles. In fact, he’s only the third fighter in modern history to be a champion, a world champion, at 126, 130, 135 and 140 pounds. And I have that sneaky feeling that he’s not done yet.

He’s a man who is driven to make history. This is Mikey’s first unification bout. It’s Mikey’s first fight in Los Angeles for I believe seven years. And he knows where he is going to perform on Saturday night and it is a building which is reserved for the biggest stars in sports and in music, and that’s the STAPLES Center. I know that Mikey will be ready for this challenge, for any challenge.

It’s a pleasure now for me to introduce to you the undefeated superstar, the undefeated world champion and the undefeated pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter in the world, Miguel Angel “Mikey” Garcia.

Mikey Garcia
Well, you know, camp is winding down now but camp went very well. We had a nine-week camp and great sparring, greater number of rounds. I’m excited for the fight. I’m very happy that we happened to land a unification match. It’s big fight for me in my career.

I’m happy it could land it here in L.A. It’s even more wonderful. I get to experience this fight with my local supporters. And so I couldn’t ask for anything else. I think everything is going very well and I’m just very happy.

Q
From what you’ve seen of Robert Easter Jr., what does he bring to the table? And what are you going to have to be most watchful for?

M. Garcia
Well, I’ve seen him on several occasions and he’s a fighter. He’s had some tough fights and I think he’s had those tough fights because he allows it to get tough for himself. Because he’s a fighter, he likes to fight. He likes to exchange punches and gives up the height and reach advantage at times. But he’s always in the fight. He’s always punching. He’s dangerous. He has power.

I think he might actually use his height and reach early on. So that’s something I have to be aware of. I have to be prepared. And that’s what we did in the gym. We worked on a lot of things to overcome those height and reach advantages. But I’ll make those adjustments. I have experience fighting a lot of different opponents, different styles, different heights. I’d say I’ll be prepared to do whatever it takes to win on the night of the 28th.

Q
Hey, Richard, just really quick. How are the ticket sales going for this event?

R. Schaefer
Tickets are going excellent. Actually, some of the price categories, we’re sold out and we’re having a meeting this afternoon with the STAPLES people to see if we can open up some more. So I do anticipate a very big crowd, a fantastic crowd. The fight fans are here in L.A. They love a great fight. They love a big fight and they’re going to show up.

With Mikey Garcia, they have somebody who’s a local guy, who they can cheer on and who they can support. With Mikey Garcia, they have a pound-for-pound No. 1 in the world and he’s coming from right here, from Los Angeles. So fans will show up.

Q
Mikey it’s your first time back at 135 for the last couple of fights, how’s your body reacting to it? Are you feeling comfortable getting back at the weight?

M. Garcia
Yes, I’m comfortable. We had, like I said, a long camp with nine weeks. And the right eating, the right diet allows me to be able to fluctuate in weight and come back down to 135. I feel strong. I feel fast. I feel very healthy.

Q
You’ve fought at lightweight and super lightweight. Which division do you feel more comfortable in? Or does it matter to you at this point?

M. Garcia
Well, I feel comfortable at both divisions. I feel fast and strong in either division. But I do feel that I’m at a disadvantage when I’m fighting at super lightweight, 140 pounds. Those guys are naturally bigger and carry more weight. But I feel the same as far as my abilities go. And that’s why I’m able to fight in both divisions because I feel fast and strong in either one.

Fighting at lightweight, I think it’s more of an even category, weight class. Even though my opponent this time around is a lot taller and has a lot of reach, we weigh the same. I don’t feel that that’s going to be any factor, when it comes to fight night. But I feel comfortable really. I honestly do feel comfortable in both divisions.

Q
Looking at Robert’s length and his reach, Javier Fortuna found a lot of interesting ways to get inside of him. I’m wondering, did you study that fight? And did you pick anything up that Javier Fortuna did that you could capitalize on?

M. Garcia
Well, I’ve seen the fight. And believe it or not, Javier Fortuna has a weird, awkward style that makes everybody have problems. He’ll give problems to anybody no matter height or reach. Javier Fortuna is tricky, experienced, a former champion. Robert Easter Jr., sometimes gives up those height and reach advantages on his own because he’s a fighter, because he likes to fight and exchange punches and looks for a knockout. And that’s part of the reason why Fortuna had some success in a really difficult fight. But overall, I still felt that Robert won and did enough to win that fight.

Q
Given the stakes of his fight, does the fact that you’re fighting in Los Angeles make the fight even more special than your previous ones?

M. Garcia
Well, it’s a big fight for me. I’ll be unifying titles at lightweight so that’s a big accomplishment and it does make it more special because it’s here in LA, in Southern California, my home. I get a chance to give my local fans and people a chance to support me and an opportunity to see me live for the first time in seven years. I’ve been fighting in Texas and New York and out of other states.

So, it’s very special for me to be here. I know I have a lot of family, a lot of support, a lot of fans out here in France who sometimes can make the trips out and this time they’re definitely going to be here so that makes it a little more special.

Q
I know there’s been some chatter about you potentially moving up in weight again or looking at other big fights, does it become tough at times to not look ahead of your current fight or is it you just not pay mind to that kind of talk and chatter?

M. Garcia
Well, I will discuss anything — any options available, any name that’s being mentioned, I have no problem with. It doesn’t distract me from my opponent in front of me. Robert Easter Jr. is a tough fighter who I have to take very seriously and I do and that’s why we did a nine-week training camp and got the great sparring, got the right training, the right diet–everything.

But speaking about other opponents, other fighters in the possible future doesn’t affect me at all, , I’m willing to speak and discuss anything with anybody.

Q
Richard, are you expecting attendance number around the last fight at STAPLES Center? A lot higher? Lower?

R. Schaefer
No, I expect an attendance number around that ballpark, maybe even more. When I started working with Mikey, one of our goals was to really start making the STAPLES Center at least once a year, the home for Mikey Garcia.

Before that, before that fight we did with Mares and Santa Cruz, it has been quite a while before STAPLES Center had a fight card. But to be able to make STAPLES Center your home was one of the goals and Mikey’s a very ambitious guy and he set many other goals which, I’m sure, at due course he will discuss with you guys. But, you know, to fight in STAPLES Center is a big thing and Mikey’s the right guy and he will be the king – the king of LA and the king of boxing and to pound-for-pound king and all of those kings, you watch and see.

Q
Do you consider this a chance to really to make your statement that you are, indeed, not only the king of the lightweight division but also pound-for-pound?

M. Garcia
So, I always have believed I’m the best and that’s why I’m taking on these fights to prove to everybody that there’s no one else better than me, there’s no one else equal to me and these are the fights that excite me the most and will cement my name.

Q
How important is it to fight an undefeated fighter like Easter?

M. Garcia
I’m looking for the most attractive fights, most important fights for me in my career and I want fights just like this, undefeated champions. I’m fighting champion after champion, those are the fights that will excite me the most and motivate me the most.

I could easily be defending my title against top contenders in the top ten, but if they haven’t been champions or their record’s not perfect, it doesn’t really excite me, it doesn’t motivate me. But that’s why I’m facing guys like Dejan Zlaticanin, Sergey Lipinets — undefeated champions. These are fights that really motivate me and excite me because in the end, I want to leave my name cemented in the history books of boxing.

Q
I saw that you were at the ESPY’s yesterday, and you were there, it’s across the street from STAPLES Center, did you have any thoughts about your fight when you were leaving and taking a look at the arena? Did you think about your fight? Or did you tell people anything about it?

M. Garcia
Well, I was just excited to be there and I’m looking forward to next week when I come back and fight in front of all my local fans. It’s exciting to be there at the red carpet, meeting all these athletes and just being around that atmosphere is great at the ESPY’s. But my task next week is most important and that’s what I’m looking forward to.

Q
When you were an amateur boxer and you were fighting in the Golden Gloves, like right there in the Lincoln Park, did you ever have dreams of fighting at STAPLES Center?

M. Garcia
Well, I remember going to STAPLES Center to watch some of the fights there and it’s always just nice to be in that arena and I’ve seen some of the fights there and I also would, obviously, have the dream to one day be there. I remember going to some concerts there and I’ve seen Jay-Z there and to go to the arena and I’m like, wow, one day I’m going to be there and I’m going to be fighting here and now I get to do that and experience it this week, so I’m very excited for it.

It’s been a goal ever since I started, fighting title fights and were never allowed and never had the opportunity to fight at STAPLES. It’s what I wanted to do and now I get to do it, so that’s what’s making this that much more special.

Q
Robert, do you think that Mikey’s gotten the credit for what he’s done? Do you think he’s gotten the proper recognition so far?

R. Garcia
I think so, as of now, I think he does. Particularly people who know the talents and the skills that he has and he does get a lot of credit for what he’s accomplished.

Q
Robert, what do you think of the challenge that Easter presents for Mikey next week?

R. Garcia
Easter is a typical fighter. He does have a five-inch height advantage and eight-inch reach advantage, so that’s a big difference so I’m sure he’s training and getting ready to use that advantage. So we’re doing the opposite, we’re training to beat him to that and it’s just going to make a great fight and all the fans are going to enjoy a great fight, the boxing world and people watching on SHOWTIME are going to enjoy a hell of a fight.

Q
How do you look at Easter having Kevin Cunningham as his new trainer for this fight?

R. Garcia
Kevin is a great trainer, he’s one of the best in the business right now and I’m sure he’s doing a great job in training camp and I can’t wait to see what kind of game plan they move with because I know he’s really good at that and he always brings the best out of the fighters. So I am excited to be part of it and I’m excited for the challenge.

Q
How has it been for you working with a guy in your first fight with them?

R. Garcia
Well, look, sometimes depends on who the fighter is, you know? A lot of times, I don’t know if that’s the case with Cunningham and Robert but some fighters, sometimes they just need a new voice, they just need somebody to call the shots like we say. They get too comfortable with the trainers, they start calling the shots, they start saying when they want to train, who they want to train with and where they want to train. I think it’s definitely going to benefit Robert Easter Jr and if that’s the case with him, I know Cunningham is very strict with his work and does a great job.

Q
Mikey, how much of a difference do you expect to see in Easter now that he’s working with Kevin Cunningham in this fight?

M. Garcia
Sometimes it just takes another person, another voice, to get the fighter to use what he needs to do. I think he’s going to try to use his reach and height advantage. I think they’re going to try to use that most of the night but that’s part of the fight, that’s part of the game and I have to make those adjustments to overcome that and find other ways to get to him. I think he’s going to be very motivated and probably in the best shape ever; he knows what’s at stake, he knows it’s a huge fight. It’s the biggest fight of his career as well so I’m expecting the best Robert Easter Jr. ever.

Q
Mikey, how much do you expect him to be able to resist what you’ve mentioned earlier, that he gives away his height and his reach but because he’s so willing to get in there and fight, do you expect him to revert back to that or you expect him to be able to use his height and reach a little bit better then in this fight?

M. Garcia
I think he’s going to use this height and reach a little bit more. I think that somewhere down in the middle of fight, maybe, midway in the fight, if things start getting heated, he might start to exchange with me on occasions but I think that’s where the trainer will come in. Cunningham will come in and remind him to stay away and use the reach and height again. It’s just part of being a good trainer, a good coach and reminding your fighter to stay in your game plan but I think there’s going to be moments where we are going to get in exchanges because that’s just who he is as a fighter.

R. Schaefer
Excellent, thank you. Well we heard from Robert Easter Jr, we heard from Mikey Garcia, I think what’s very clear, even more so today after this call, that both are ready, both are motivated and both wants that other belt.

On Saturday, July 28, right here at STAPLES Center, we will see the biggest fight of the summer, one of the biggest fight of the year, the unification between Mikey Garcia versus Robert Easter so hope to see you all there. We’re going to have some exciting things planned for next week, as well.

On Wednesday we’re going to have some media workouts here in Los Angeles. On Thursday, it’s going to be the final press conference at the Congo Room in L.A. Live and then on Friday, of course, the weigh-in, at STAPLES Center and open to the public. Then on Saturday, at 3:00, the STAPLES Center doors will open for this fantastic 15 card fight-night in Los Angeles so make sure you tell all your writers this is truly the biggest card I can remember, maybe the biggest Los Angeles has ever seen with 15 fights and I’m so excited, can’t wait and see you all. Thank you.

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For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports, www.premierboxingchampions.com and www.staplescenter.comfollow on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @SHOSports, @PremierBoxing @MikeyGarcia, @RobertEaster_Jr, @Ringstar, @TGBPromotions @STAPLESCenter and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports, www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions and www.facebook.com/STAPLESCenter.PBC is sponsored by Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

By Norm Frauenheim-

Terence Crawford’s pound-for-pound campaign got a strong endorsement Wednesday night in downtown Los Angeles with an ESPY for best fighter.

Mikey Garcia was there for the annual awards dinner across the street from Staples Center where he will continue his own campaign on July 28 against Robert Easter Jr.

Garcia had to wonder how he could get off the red carpet and on to the main stage. He’s where Crawford was a couple of years ago. He’s a consensus pound-for-pound contender. From list to mythical list, he’s in the top five. He’s third on this one, behind Crawford, Vasiliy Lomachenko at No. 2 and ahead of Gennady Golovkin at No. 4.

Garcia’s resume puts him there. He’s unbeaten at 38-0. Thirty stoppages keep him there. He’s won titles in four weight classes. He’s got everything except the victory or two that could put where Crawford was Wednesday night.

Getting there, in large part, is as political as it is pugilistic. There’s a sense that Garcia would already be No. 1 if had fought the right guy. For a while, internet imaginations were inflamed by the possibility of Garcia versus Lomachenko, No. 1 in many pound-for-pound debates and also a lightweight champion currently in rehab for shoulder surgery.

It made sense then. Still does. But Garcia’s divorce from Top Rank a few years ago makes it problematic at best. Lomachenko is a Top Rank fighter. So, too, is Crawford, who once was mentioned as a Garcia possibility when Crawford, a newly-minted welterweight champion was still at 140.

The best way, the only way perhaps, to eventually force a Lomachenko-Garcia is to turn Garcia into a star. That means big numbers at the box office and on television. For now, that brings Garcia to an arena just a few blocks of red carpet from that ESPY dinner the other night.

Garcia is back at home, fighting in Southern California for the first time in more than seven years. Garcia had fought in New York, Texas and Las Vegas.

Along the way, however, his identity as a Los Angeles fighter had been lost. Restoring it is one path toward reawakening and regaining his fan base in southern California.

“He will be the king of LA, then the king of boxing, all of those things,’’ said Richard Schaefer, who is promoting the July 28 Showtime card, which is scheduled for 15 fights. “You will see.’’

Lomachenko has repeatedly said he wants to fight Garcia. But numbers, personality and lingering tensions between Garcia and Top Rank could always get in the way.

Then what? Former welterweight great Manny Pacquiao, back in the headlines after his stoppage last week of Lucas Matthysse in his first KO since 2009, might be a possibility, especially at 140.

Garcia, also a 140-pound champion, says he is mostly comfortable at 135 these days.

“I’m comfortable in both divisions,’’ Garcia, 30, said during a conference call Thursday after Schaefer introduced him as the pound—for-pound best. “There is a little disadvantage at 140 against bigger guys. But I feel good at either.’’

Seemingly, that would eliminate 147. Then again, that might eliminate an option in the quest for the big prize at the end of that red carpet. Garcia hasn’t mentioned Crawford, perhaps because of his issues with Top Rank and/or simply because Crawford’s dramatic emergence is beginning to scare the hell out of just about everybody in the business.

But Garcia has mentioned Errol Spence Jr, another emerging welterweight who appears to be on a collision course with Crawford sometime during the next couple of years.

It’s hard to judge how Garcia, who is as fundamentally as sound as anybody in the current game, would fare against the bigger Spence.

But maybe an early indication of that will be there against Easter (21-0, 14 KOs), also a lightweight champion, yet with a couple of physical dimensions bigger than even Spence. Easter has huge advantages in height and reach over Garcia. The unbeaten Toledo welterweight is 5-foot-11, five inches taller than the 5-6 Garcia. More significant, Easter has a listed reach of 76 inches, eight more than Garcia’s 68.

Compare that to Spence. At 5-9 ½, he’s an inch-and-a-half shorter than Easter. Spence’s reach is listed as 72 inches, four less than Easter.

If – just if – Garcia can find a way over, under and through Easter’s key advantages, then maybe he can deal with Spence, who is ranked among the second five in most pound-for-pound debates.

“I’m willing to talk about fighting anybody,’’ said Garcia, who knows the issues and understands he needs the options.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL. (July 19, 2018) – IBF Lightweight World Champion Robert Easter Jr. has made the most of his inaugural training camp with Kevin Cunningham and will look to bring that same level of focus to the ring when he challenges WBC Lightweight World Champion Mikey Garcia Saturday, July 28 live on SHOWTIME from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles in an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions.

“I decided to go to Florida for a different environment than I usually trained in,” said Easter, a Toledo-native who had trained in his hometown for much of his pro career. “I needed to be taken out of my comfort zone. At home, I was focused on too many other things. Coming to West Palm Beach has allowed me to focus on nothing but myself and boxing.”

Easter saw what Cunningham had done for his close friends Adrien Broner and Gervonta Davis, who both trained with Cunningham leading into April 21 fights on SHOWTIME that saw Broner battle to an entertaining draw against Jessie Vargas and Davis capture a second world title with a spectacular knockout of Jesus Cuellar.

“I was with Adrien Broner and Gervonta Davis every step of the way during training camp with Kevin Cunningham earlier this year,” said Easter. “I saw for myself that it was something I needed to do. I talked with my dad about getting away from the distractions and we agreed this was the right move.”

Easter burst onto the scene in 2016 with a dominant knockout of former champion Argenis Mendez before beating Richard Commey later that year in an entertaining battle to capture the lightweight belt. Easter’s last two defenses however have seen him narrowly escape with decision victories, something the unbeaten champion believes won’t be a factor on July 28.

“People are paying attention to my last couple of fights when I wasn’t using my height and reach,” said Easter. “I can improve on that by taking it back to what I had been doing before. I was knocking people out fight after fight.

“If you’re looking at just my last two fights, you aren’t giving me credit for everything I bring to the table. I faced two tough southpaws recently but on July 28 I’m going to show everyone what they’ve been sleeping on and why I’m a world champion.”

The 27-year-old Easter will now step up to take on one of boxing’s pound-for-pound best in four-division world champion Mikey Garcia. For Easter, this is a fight that he’s had on his mind and one that can put him into the top echelon of the sport.

“I’ve always wanted to fight the best in my weight class and now I have my chance to unify,” said Easter. “I know that Mikey is going to fight his fight and look to counter. He wants to wait for you to make a mistake so he can take advantage.

“What I have to do is go in there and impose my attributes on him. My height and reach are my advantages, but also my speed and power. I just have to combine all that and focus on my footwork.”

Although Easter will be fighting in Garcia’s hometown of Los Angeles, he has no plans to let the partisan crowd effect his focus as he looks for his biggest pro win in the same building where he made his professional debut.

“It doesn’t matter to me where we fight,” said Easter. “None of the fans can help him fight. It’s only about me and him in that ring together.

“My first pro fight was at STAPLES Center and even though it was early on an undercard, I still felt like there were 10,000 fans watching me. I just fought my fight. It’s all about staying focused. There will be no excuses on July 28.”

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Ringstar Sports and TGB Promotions, begin at $50, plus applicable fees, and are on sale now. To purchase tickets, visit AXS.com.

The three-fight SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT) will also see Cuban heavyweight slugger Luis “The Real King Kong” Ortiz returning to action to face former title challenger Razvan Cojanu in a 10-round bout and unbeaten super lightweight contender Mario “El Azteca” Barrios taking on hard-hitting Jose Roman in a 10-round showdown.

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For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports, www.premierboxingchampions.com and www.staplescenter.com follow on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @SHOSports, @PremierBoxing @MikeyGarcia, @RobertEaster_Jr, @Ringstar, @TGBPromotions @STAPLESCenter and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports, www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions and www.facebook.com/STAPLESCenter. PBC is sponsored by Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

LOS ANGELES (July 10, 2018) – WBC Lightweight World Champion Mikey Garcia worked out for the press Tuesday at Fortune Gym in Los Angeles as he prepares for his 135-pound title unification against IBF titlist Robert Easter Jr. Saturday, July 28 live on SHOWTIME from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles in an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions.

The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® tripleheader (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT) will also see Cuban heavyweight slugger Luis “The Real King Kong” Ortiz returning to action to face former title challenger Razvan Cojanu in a 10-round bout and unbeaten super lightweight contender Mario “El Azteca” Barrios taking on hard-hitting Jose Roman in a 10-round showdown.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Ringstar Sports and TGB Promotions, begin at $50, plus applicable fees, and are on sale now. To purchase tickets, visit AXS.com.

Here is what Garcia, his brother and trainer Robert Garcia and Ringstar Sports Chairman and CEO Richard Schaefer had to say ahead of Garcia’s first title unification fight:

MIKEY GARCIA

“It’s been seven years since I last had the chance to fight here in LA, and that was even before I was champion. Now after all of my accomplishments, I get to come home and put on a unification match for my local fans.

“Every time I walk into the ring, there’s a moment where I get butterflies and feel the emotions from the fans. This time it’s with my hometown fans and that’s really special. I’m really looking forward to it because I know the fans are going to show up and show their love and support.

“I think I’m in my prime right now. I’m in the best shape physically and mentally that I’ve ever been in. I need to take advantage of the moment right now and take on the biggest challenges. I want to give the fans fights to remember. Those are the fights that excite me the most.

“I know Easter is very tall and has a longer reach than me. In the gym, we’ve been working on sparring partners who present different challenges and made adjustments from there. I have to catch him reaching in or put pressure and work my way inside. There are different things that I’m capable of doing.

“I’m pretty experienced from fighting taller guys in the past, so I don’t think it’s going to make too huge a difference. It’s a disadvantage on paper, but once fight night comes, I’ll be ready.

“This is a big fight for me and I’m sure it’s the biggest fight of Easter’s career so far. I’m glad to hear he’s training extra hard. It shows me that he’s motivated and hungry to show off his very best, just like I am.

“This is my natural weight and so far everything in camp has been smooth. The weight started coming off right away and now just restricting the diet enough so we get to where we want to be.”

ROBERT GARCIA, Garcia’s Brother & Trainer

“We know that Robert Easter is training like never before to be ready for this fight against Mikey. He has a huge reach advantage, so we know he’s going to come in and use that. He has a new trainer [Kevin Cunningham] who is going to try make us box with him.

“We don’t listen at any criticism of Easter for having close decisions in his last couple of fights. We know that Easter is going to come in having trained like never before. It’s going to be the best Robert Easter Jr. possible on fight night.

“Mikey fighting at home in front of his hometown fans is huge for us. We know that there’s extra pressure that comes with it, but everything we’ve done together so far in his career has prepared him for it. I’m confident it’s going to bring out the best in him.”

“We have to use our experience advantage. Mikey has fought the better competition, but Easter is a young guy who wants to take Mikey’s spot. Mikey is very smart, so he’s going to look for the right punch to do damage.”

RICHARD SCHAEFER, Chairman & CEO of Ringstar Sports

“Mikey Garcia has the opportunity to dominate at 135 and 140-pounds, plus he even wants to move up in weight and challenge himself against the best at 147-pounds. It shows the character and strength of Mikey Garcia. No challenge is too big for him.

“Whenever Mikey Garcia fights, it is must-see TV. He’s as good as it gets in the sport. This challenge against Robert Easter Jr. is the kind of fight that can turn you into a boxing fan. This is going to be a barnburner. They say that styles make fights and these two styles are made for each other.

“There was always somebody who carried the sport of boxing who was in Los Angeles, but right now there isn’t. Mikey is coming to fill that void. To have Mikey back at STAPLES Center is a perfect pairing of fighter and arena. STAPLES Center tends to bring out the best in fighters and that’s sure to happen again on July 28.”

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For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports, www.premierboxingchampions.com and www.staplescenter.comfollow on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @SHOSports, @PremierBoxing @MikeyGarcia, @RobertEaster_Jr, @Ringstar, @TGBPromotions @STAPLESCenter and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports, www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions and www.facebook.com/STAPLESCenter.PBC is sponsored by Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

LOS ANGELES (July 10, 2018) – Cuban heavyweight slugger Luis “The Real King Kong” Ortiz returns to action to face former world title challenger Razvan Cojanu in a 10-round bout on Saturday, July 28 live on SHOWTIME from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles in an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions.

The three-fight SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT) will open with unbeaten super lightweight contender Mario “El Azteca” Barrios takingon hard-hitting Jose Roman in a 10-round showdown. The event is headlined by lightweight world championship title unification bout between WBC Lightweight World Champion Mikey Garcia and IBF Lightweight World Champion Robert Easter Jr.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Ringstar Sports and TGB Promotions, begin at $50, plus applicable fees, and are on sale now. To purchase tickets, visit AXS.com.

After having heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder nearly out on his feet in their March classic, Ortiz (28-1, 24 KOs) eventually succumbed to the power of the unbeaten champion. Now, Ortiz looks to get back to world title contention on July 28. Originally, from Camaguey, Cuba, now residing in Miami, Fla., Ortiz will fight in Los Angeles for the first time as a professional. Ortiz quickly became one of the most avoided men in boxing with victories over Bryant Jennings, Tony Thompson and Malik Scott on his way to the memorable showdown with Wilder.

“I’m looking to make a statement on July 28 and get back to challenge for the heavyweight championship of the world,” said Ortiz. “I’m excited to be back in the ring. I am thankful to have this opportunity. To all the fans in Los Angeles, don’t miss this great card at STAPLES Center. ‘The Real King Kong’ is coming to LA!”

A native of Romania and fighting out of Burbank, Calif., Cojanu (16-3, 9 KOs) challenged then WBO heavyweight world champion Joseph Parker for the title in May 2017. Cojanu took the New Zealand champion the distance but lost via unanimous decision in the champion’s home country. Standing over six-foot-seven, Cojanu scored three straight knockout victories in 2016 to earn the title shot and will return to the ring for his first fight in the U.S. since January 2016.

“I’m proud and confident to know that I will be stepping into the ring against a worthy opponent on July 28,” said Cojanu. “Luis Ortiz is a world-class fighter with a lot of experience, which will give me the opportunity to show my skills to all the fans at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and watching on SHOWTIME.”

The 23-year-old Barrios (21-0, 13 KOs) has been impressive since moving up to 140 pounds last March. He’s scored stoppage victories over Yardley Cruz, Jose Luis Rodriguez, Naim Nelson and most recently a second-round destruction of Eudy Bernardo. The five-foot-ten Barrios of San Antonio had previously campaigned at 130 pounds before making the move to the higher weight class that has helped unlock his power.

“I fought on SHOWTIME EXTREME but making my debut on SHOWTIME has always been a dream of mine since I was a kid,” said Barrios. “Now, the time has come to show why I’m here. I’m ready to keep showing why I’m going to become a star and one of the sport’s next great fighters. Come July 28, everyone should tune-in for a great night of fights. It’s ‘Azteca’ time.”

Fighting out of Garden Grove, Calif., Roman (24-2-1, 16 KOs) scored knockouts in nine of his first 11 pro fights and has won 10 of his last 11 leading up to July 28. The 30-year-old most recently dropped a decision to Wilberth Lopez last September after a run of defeating veteran fighters and will look to put himself back on the path to a world title with a victory over Barrios at STAPLES Center.

“I’m very excited to have this great opportunity,” said Roman. “Barrios has been on a roll, but I have the experience to take him out. Both of us bring pressure and I know he’s going to be hungry to keep his record perfect. I’m more motivated than I’ve ever been for this fight. I can’t wait to put on a show in my backyard for all the great fans in Southern California.”

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For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports, www.premierboxingchampions.com and www.staplescenter.comfollow on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @SHOSports, @PremierBoxing @MikeyGarcia, @RobertEaster_Jr, @Ringstar, @TGBPromotions @STAPLESCenter and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports, www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions and www.facebook.com/STAPLESCenter.PBC is sponsored by Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

LOS ANGELES, (June 11, 2018) – WBC Lightweight World Champion Mikey Garcia and IBF Lightweight World Champion Robert Easter Jr. will square-off in a 135-pound unification showdown between unbeaten stars Saturday, July 28 live on SHOWTIME from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles in an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions.

The main event of the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT) will see Garcia look to become a unified champion for the first time in a career that has seen him win titles in four weight classes. Easter, who enters with a 5-inch height and 8-inch reach advantage, looks to stamp his name amongst boxing’s elite by unifying titles at 27 years old, less than two years after capturing his first belt.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Ringstar Sports and TGB Promotions, begin at $50, plus applicable fees, and are on sale today at 12 p.m. PT. To purchase tickets, visit AXS.com.

“SHOWTIME Sports continues to lead the industry with the biggest events, the most important matchups, week after week, month after month,” said Stephen Espinoza, President Sports & Events Programming, Showtime Network Inc. “Mikey Garcia vs. Robert Easter Jr. is the third world championship unification match on SHOWTIME this year. A consensus top-10 pound-for-pound champion facing an undefeated young champion while both are in the prime of their careers. July 28 has all the makings of an instant classic.”

“Mikey Garcia vs. Robert Easter is an outstanding lightweight matchup that is sure to deliver drama for fight fans at STAPLES Center and on SHOWTIME,” Said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “Garcia will look to unify in his hometown and further solidify his credentials as boxing’s pound-for-pound best. He’ll have perhaps the toughest test of his career in the unbeaten Easter, who has a lethal combination of size, speed and power that he brings to the ring. With both fighters defending their titles and undefeated records, this is shaping up to be a can’t-miss night of boxing in downtown Los Angeles.”

“This is the kind of matchup that boxing fans love and a fight that I believe will certainly live up to expectations,” said Richard Schaefer, Chairman & CEO of Ringstar Sports. “With two undefeated world champions, and two of the top guys at 135 pounds, this fight is guaranteed drama. Mikey Garcia will look to become a unified world champion and add another accolade to a career that is already shaping up to be historic. Robert Easter Jr, a proud champion in his own right, is coming to STAPLES Center on July 28 to upset Mikey Garcia in his hometown. This is the quality of matchup that fans watching on SHOWTIME have come to expect and I suspect they will be fulfilled once again when these two warriors meet in the ring.”

“We are really looking forward to this incredible fight at STAPLES Center,” said Lee Zeidman, President, STAPLES Center. “These two fighters will undoubtedly headline an amazing night of fights for boxing fans in Los Angeles and we are looking forward to welcoming back Premier Boxing Champions and SHOWTIME for the second time in just two months.”

One of Southern California’s most popular fighters, Garcia returns to STAPLES Center for his first fight since becoming a world champion, and his first in California in seven years. Easter returns to the site of his professional debut, having started his career at STAPLES Center in 2012 after serving as an alternate in the London Olympic Games.

Garcia (38-0, 30 KOs), of Moreno Valley by way of Oxnard, Calif., became only the third fighter in modern history to become champion at 126, 130, 135 and 140-pounds, joining future Hall of Famers Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao, when he defeated Sergey Lipinets for the IBF 140-pound title in March. The 30-year-old relinquished that title so that he can unify the WBC Lightweight World Championship that he won in January 2017 with a highlight reel knockout of Dejan Zlaticanin (Click HERE to watch Garcia-Zlaticanin KO video)

These wins, combined with a summer 2017 victory over Adrien Broner, have seen Garcia return to the top of pound-for-pound lists after a layoff of two and a half years. Garcia accrued wins over a list of notable names while winning his first two titles at 126 and 130-pounds, including Orlando Salido, Roman Martinez and Juan Manuel Lopez.

“This is the toughest fight of my career to date,” said the four-division champion Garcia. “Robert Easter Jr. is an undefeated world champion who presents serious challenges that I’m going to have to work hard to overcome. Unifying titles is something I’ve dreamed of doing for many years, and to do it at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles will make it even more special. This is the kind of fight that will help my legacy. To be the best you have to beat the best, and Easter is certainly one of the best out there. I’m very thankful to have this opportunity and I’m going to make the most of it on July 28.”

Representing his hometown of Toledo, Ohio, Easter (21-0, 14 KOs) has made three successful defenses since winning his world title in an exciting contest over Richard Commey in 2016. The 27-year-old delivered a fifth-round destruction of former champion Argenis Mendez to earn the title shot, and since winning the title has held off challenges from Javier Fortuna, Denis Shafikov and Luis Cruz to retain his 135-pound belt.

Easter will be making the move to work with Kevin Cunningham for the first time for this fight and conducting training camp in West Palm Beach with him. Cunningham, the longtime trainer of former world champions such as Devon Alexander and Cory Spinks, spurred Adrien Broner to a strong performance in a draw against Jessie Vargas and Gervonta Davis to a dominant knockout of Jesus Cuellar in their first fights together in April.

“This is a fight I’ve been waiting for and I’m really excited that the time is now,” said Easter. “This is the best fighting the best. These are the fights that boxing is all about. I made the move to train with Kevin Cunningham down in Florida and I think it’s going to help me reach another level. It’s just eat, sleep and train down there. We’re going to be ready on July 28 to put on a show and deliver fireworks.”

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For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports, www.premierboxingchampions.com and www.staplescenter.com follow on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @SHOSports, @PremierBoxing @MikeyGarcia, @RobertEaster_Jr, @Ringstar, @TGBPromotions @STAPLESCenter and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports, www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions and www.facebook.com/STAPLESCenter.PBC is sponsored by Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

Please see below for quotes from Mikey Garcia and Robert Easter Jr. from tonight’s interview on the SHOWTIME telecast ahead of their Saturday, July 28 matchup live on SHOWTIME from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.

MIKEY GARCIA

“We were fighting at 140 but I always had my mind set on coming back to lightweight. The only fight that made sense was a unification and the only fighter available was Robert Easter. He’s a champion and the man to beat.

“It’s great to be back to finally give my fans here in Southern California a fight. Now that we are I get to give them a unification match and the biggest fight of my career to date.

“I got my fight on July 28, but there’s been a lot of talk about Lomachenko and me over the past year. If I get through Robert Easter Jr. I’d be unified champ and the only other fight that makes sense is Lomachenko.”

ROBERT EASTER JR.

“Lomachenko and Mikey are two skillful guys in the lightweight division and two guys I want to fight. Me and Mikey will do the talking in the ring.

“My height and my reach will give anyone problems as long as I use it skillfully. It will give anyone problems.

On changing trainers to Kevin Cunningham:

“There were some adjustments we needed to make. I was getting too comfortable. I had to do something to take me out of my comfort zone. Coach Cunningham was the guy to pull me in and get on my tail.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, lightweight champion Mike Garcia is talking to Dana White of the UFC to become a part of a potential Zuffa Boxing Promotion.

“A month ago maybe, before Mikey’s last fight, [White] saw Mikey train a full workout,” Mikey’s trainer/brother Robert Garcia said. “When he left the gym, he said, ‘I want to invite you guys to [Las] Vegas.’ I never went to Vegas, but I think Mikey went, and they had a meeting. He was there, and he said after the fight, ‘I want to invite you guys to Vegas,’ that he wanted to fly us in.”

pects him back in the gym Monday to begin training for his next fight, which is supposed to be a Showtime-televised lightweight title unification bout with Robert Easter Jr. (21-0, 14 KOs) on July 28 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, though the fight has not been formally announced.

“That’s what it looks like, but Mikey hasn’t confirmed the fight yet, but I know he’s training on Monday,” Robert Garcia said. “But I don’t know if Mikey wants to get into a promotional contract. If he does sign with Dana, it’s got to be something that makes a lot of sense for Mikey. What we’ve seen Dana do with UFC, if he’s able to bring something like that to boxing, then it will be huge. I think Mikey would do something [with White] if it was well worth it for him.”

Unexpectedly, Mikey Garcia vacated his junior welterweight belt and will keep his WBC Lightweight championship, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

The IBF, whose junior welterweight title he won from Lipinets, gave Garcia 10 days to make a decision. He notified the sanctioning organization in a letter in late March that he planned to keep the junior welterweight belt.

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman told ESPN that Garcia had notified him that he would defend his lightweight title next, which is why the WBC had not yet stripped him of the belt.

And then Garcia notified the IBF of his change of plans.

“The IBF received an email from Mikey Garcia on Sunday indicating that he was relinquishing the IBF junior welterweight title,” IBF president Daryl Peoples told ESPN on Tuesday. “We were a little surprised as well.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, newy minted IBF 140 lb. champion Mikey Garcia will elect to keep that title and vacate his WBC Lightweight title.

Garcia is now mandated to face Ivan Baranchyk.

We are going to sit down and see what can be done,” Ringstar Promotions Richard Schaefer said. “I talked to Lou. We talked about the fight and said we should wait until Mikey is back from Belize and then connect next week. So when Mike is back, Lou and I will talk. But Mikey’s intentions are to defend the title.”

Lou DiBella said he hoped that Garcia would go through with the fight with Baranchyk.

“I don’t know, but it appears they’re going to do the fight with Baranchyk,” DiBella said. “Ivan is not going to give up the opportunity he has earned to fight for the title. I did call Richard after I got the letter from the IBF, and we agreed we would talk in a week or so. We’re sitting back and waiting. We are in a good situation. Either Baranchyk will fight Mikey for the title, or he will fight for the vacant title.”

By Jimmy Tobin-

Saturday night, at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Texas, moonlighting junior welterweight Mikey Garcia ran his undefeated record to 38-0, turning back a spirited challenge from Sergey Lipinets over twelve tactical rounds. It was typical Garcia: in a fight of some risk, precision and poise ensured victory and little else. There is something resembling mastery in what Garcia does; even when pressed (and Garcia’s face today reveals just how mischievous Lipinets was) the rounds that do not go his way feel like rounds he lost, not rounds his opponent won. So tangible is his control of the action.

Some 1400 miles away, under an appropriately bruised sky at StubHub Center in Carson, California, featherweights Oscar Valdez and Scott Quigg engaged in twelve rounds of ritualized violence whose residuals could figure well after the marks of battle have faded. Valdez rightly had his hand raised in the end, and among his spoils the victor should find a longer than usual hiatus from the ring, one that will diminish not at all the memory of his performance nor the anticipation that will meet his return. Attrition need not be Valdez’ game, but he obliges any such invitation.

While it seems natural to contrast Garcia and Valdez there are problems with such an approach, not least of all the fact that this mode feels reductionist, if only because to establish clearly the demarcation is to pigeonhole both fighters, to misrepresent the breadth of their talents. Still, risks aside, there is a mirroring with Garcia and Valdez of some interest.

Garcia is a fighter who covets control; when it is his, he moves confidently. When that sense of control waivers though, so too does Garcia, and rather strikingly, unbecomingly, of a fighter with his reputation. It is in these moments that one wonders whether this once aspiring police officer who retired long enough to extricate himself from the control of Terence Crawford’s promoter is simply doing the job he is best suited for. And that he knows it. Because Garcia is as calculating beyond the ropes as he is between them—which is why his toughest fight to date was the one that kept him out of the ring.

There was another tremor of Garcia’s resolve on Saturday when Lipinets speared his nose; the product not only of a punch but of a rhythm and pressure that put Garcia on edge. Garcia responded as he always does, not with fire, but with the strategies of control: jabs and a return to space (along with a handful of hard combinations designed to preserve it). And the left hook that dumped Lipinets in the seventh round? An act meant to steady the action more than end it, with Garcia flashing an evil so that he might risk no more in asserting it.

Faced with challenges of his own, Valdez did not react this way, and it is fair to wonder if he would even want to.

No one would have faulted Valdez for pulling out of Saturday’s fight. Yet against an opponent who even given multiple opportunities passed on making weight, and whose disregard for the scale was a sign of how intent he was on winning, Valdez never waivered. Instead, he took the opportunity to punish Quigg for daring attempt to skirt the rules. And punish him he did.

Quigg hardly shied from his fate, fracturing Valdez’ jaw along the way, but every time he hurt the Mexican fighter Valdez responded like one. There is a chance—albeit slim, given the version of Quigg that showed up—that Valdez could have employed a more controlled and controlling strategy, could have mitigated the damage he incurred. But a fighter who tattoos his name on his chest is unlikely to suffer insults well or hush the bloody expectations of his devotees. No, it was always going to be the disassembly line for Quigg.

Whether Garcia recognizes similar expectations isn’t clear. As he has been through nearly forty fights, against Lipinets Garcia was simply too good to be denied control, and that trend should continue provided his talk of moving to welterweight remains only that. Garcia has teased the idea of fighting Errol Spence, but no one who cares about him is likely to encourage such delusion (and no one else is going to credit it). No, better to return to lightweight for a series of hypothetical wins over Vasyl Lomachenko, some fantastic historical comparisons, a few more laps around the track.

The pride of the Garcia clan is going to be remembered primarily for his dominance, greatness having fallen victim to finances, a stubborn hiatus, an eye for preservation—in short, to control. And should that offend Garcia’s supporters, expect them to hurl blame anywhere but at their idol (oh how Mayweather’s shadow still looms). Valdez, by contrast, is not going to achieve the longevity or dominance of Garcia because his style and temperament will not allow it, because the outlay of his success is simply too great, and because his need to succeed is too personal. Garcia is better than him, and shrewder too: where an eye to the future is concerned, he makes better choices. But he is the type of fighter, Valdez, who is remembered for what he does in the ring; there is already no need to consider Valdez outside the context of his fights, as someone isolated from his opponents.

Garcia delivers a verdict; a body is brought before him, he interrogates it and determines its fate. Valdez delivers a product; a body is brought before him, he subjects it to his volition and creates something of value. The appeal of the latter is so much easier to understand.

By Bart Barry-

NOT SAN ANTONIO – Saturday in Freeman Coliseum junior welterweight Mikey Garcia decisioned Sergey Lipinets unanimously to attain a title in Garcia’s fourth weight-class, which we were assiduously assured by Showtime is an historic happening.

Well.

About five years ago I drove four hours each way to cover Garcia’s match with Juanma Lopez in Dallas; I saw him unbundle Cornelius Lock in Laredo, 2010, and knew there was nothing counterfeit about Mikey; however hinky Garcia’s eightround decisioning of Orlando Salido (by which Garcia acquired a featherweight title he never defended) I believed Garcia might be a generational talent and wished not miss a thing he did.

Then Mikey missed weight widely in his first title defense, in Dallas (a then-unheralded Nebraskan named Terence Crawford stole the show). Then Mikey was unremarkable against Roman Martinez, winning a super featherweight title he would defend once, in Corpus Christi (and an unknown Jamaican named Nicholas Walters stole the show). One fight and a couple months later Garcia went on extended sabbatical. A year ago Mikey won his lightweight title by smashing someone named – just a sec, BoxRec is refreshing – Dejan Zlaticanin, a title Mikey hasn’t defended, then did an exhibition thingy with “About Billions” Broner.

Saturday Garcia fought 10 miles from my home, and I chose instead to keep easily reschedulable plans 30 miles west of Freeman Coliseum. I watched the Showtime broadcast of Garcia-Lipinets, though, and felt exactly no regrets being elsewhere, even before seeing Richard Schaefer and Sam Watson jockeydancing behind Jim Gray.

The telecast featured a bunch of happy talk about Garcia’s place in history alongside Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao, for his having won titles at featherweight and super featherweight and lightweight and junior welterweight, which inadvertently shone some insight on PBC’s enduring inauthenticity. Garcia is a proper cherrypicker now suing posterity for considerations he doesn’t deserve.

At featherweight Pacquiao blitzed Marco Antonio Barrera and drew with Marquez, who made four defenses of his featherweight title before decisioning Barrera to win a super featherweight title he lost to Pacquiao, who’d gone 7-1 (4 KOs) at 130 pounds. To attain his lightweight titles Marquez iced Joel Casamayor and Juan Diaz, and to become a junior welterweight champion Pacquiao poleaxed Ricky Hatton.

And to become a lightweight titlist Pacquiao assaulted David Diaz, and to become a junior welterweight titlist Marquez beat someone named Serhii Fedchenko. Pacquiao’s win over Diaz and Marquez’s win over Fedchenko were cherrypicker delights, disappeared by what remarkable matches the two men made with one another and other hall-of-famers. Nobody remembers Marquez or Pacquiao for those wins, however “historic” they be.

The telecast’s other contextual reference for Garcia’s achievement Saturday, Alexis Arguello’s failed attempt at the same four-weightclass-title feat, managed to mention Aaron Pryor without supplying to younger viewers some helpful context on Pryor like “who was somewhere between 11 and 27 times the fighter Sergey Lipinets is.”

Garcia, whose branding now includes postfight celebrations of his charitable acts, considers himself poised for the celebrity turn of his career, going the GGG route and threatening men in three divisions at once. His trainer and brother says Mikey’s best weight is 135, and maybe he’s right – the rest of us have only seen Mikey weigh that once, and he did look spectacular. But before we meander any deeper in Familia Garcia fantasyleague we need put a bold black line or two through the words “welterweight champion” – as even PBC’s alternative universe has at least two titlists Mikey wants no beef with.

Then there’s Bud Crawford, isn’t there? “Now all of the sudden 140 is this stacked division when I leave,” tweeted Crawford, derisively, about Mikey’s fight. Crawford is now promoter Top Rank’s very best prizefighter, which is exactly what Mikey was supposed to be.

As Saturday’s match happened in San Antonio, here’s an associative anecdote of sorts from the city’s historic San Fernando gym:

For years the gymwalls’ sole decoration comprised fight posters belonging to the late Joe Souza. One was telling. Jan. 18, 1997, Oscar De La Hoya made the first defense of his 140-pound title at Thomas & Mack Center. In the comain Kostya Tszyu made the fifth defense of his 140-pound title. But the promotional poster shows one man fighting a “light welterweight” match, while the other fights for a “super lightweight” title.

The subterfuge worked: I made passing glances at that poster for a year before realizing it was a riddle – th’t there was about as much promotional interest in putting a 24-year-old De La Hoya in a ring with Tszyu back then as there has been in putting Mikey Garcia in a ring with Crawford since about 2013.

Mikey looked duly more hittable Saturday than he’s looked generally. Because fighters gain weight on their chins more than their fists at 140 Garcia’s power is stunning, not stopping; to have the same effect he must now throw more and harder and avail himself of counters accordingly. He clipped Lipinets with a lightsaber left in round 7, but Lipinets found it dissuading more than devastating. Even within the bounds of PBC’s measured-gladiator spectacles there’s something perilous about scaling weightclasses, which is why most of history’s nonheavyweights are known precisely by their abilities to do so.

Even still Mikey’s white gloves Saturday looked bigger than they did a few years ago; even discounting white’s outsized reflective properties Mikey’s fists appeared overpadded, softer, a touch fluffy.

Things rarely feel grimey or dangerous during a PBC fight, which must be by design, and may be a very good idea – supposing our beloved sport can become more attractive to casual fans by being less violent.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

SAN ANTONIO, TX (March 10, 2018) – Last night at the Mi Mercado Event Center in San Antonio, TX, TMB & PRB Entertainment, sponsored by Mikey Garcia Promotions, presented “Friday Night Fights”. Special guests Mikey Garcia, Abner Mares and Bones Adams were all in attendance.

In the main event, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (5-0, 3 KOs), fighting out of the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy, defeated Jose “El Cuate” Casiano (0-2) by way of first round knockout. A right hook to the head put Casiano down for the count at the 1:33 mark of round one.

In the co-main event, Angel Alejandro (2-0, 1KO) went the distance with Jose Elizondo (2-6-1), winning a unanimous decision. Scorecards read 40-35 and 39-36 twice, all in favor of Alejandro. Alejandro dropped Elizando in round one before cruising to victory.

Undercard Results

(4-round super-middleweight bout)
Patrick Clarke(1-0, 1 KO) defeated Taylor Saucedo (0-4). A left hook to the head ended the bout at the 2:59 mark of round one.

(4-round Middleweight bout)
Steven Ramos (2-0, 2 KOs) defeated Jacob Landin (0-2). Aright hook by Ramos dropped Landin in the early part of round two, then a straight left followed, ending the bout.

(4-round jr bantamweight bout)
Aaron Morales (1-0, 1 KO)defeated Jorge De Leon (0-2)by way of first round knockout. A left hook to the body put De Leon down, ending the bout at the 1:42 mark.

(4-round heavyweight bout)
Brandon Glanton defeated Tyrrel Herndon. Herndon was disqualified for holding and quit. The bout was stopped at the 1:02 mark of round three.

(4-round Featherweight bout)
Vincente Loredo (1-0, 1 KO) defeated Ben Guerrero (0-2). A flurry of punches by Loredo ended the bout at the 1:23 mark of round three, giving Loredo the TKO victory.

IBF Junior Welterweight World Championship

Mikey Garcia – 139 ½ pounds

Sergey Lipinets – 139 ¾ pounds

Referee: Laurence Cole; Judges: Mark Calo-Oy (Texas), Julie Lederman (N.Y.), Nelson Vazquez (P.R.)

Vacant WBA Super Lightweight World Championship

Rances Barthelemy – 139 ½ pounds

Kiryl Relikh – 140 pounds

Referee: Luis Pabon; Judges: Alfredo Polanco (MEX), Cesar Ramos (Texas), Rafael Ramos (Texas)

# # #

For more information visit www.sho.com/sports , www.premierboxingchampions.com, follow us on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing, @Ringstar @TGBPromotions, and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing and www.Facebook.com/RingstarSports. PBC is sponsored by Corona Extra, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

SAN ANTONIO (March 8, 2018) – Unbeaten three-division world champion Mikey Garcia and IBF Junior Welterweight World Champion Sergey Lipinets went face to face Thursday at the final press conference before they square-off Saturday, March 10 live on SHOWTIME from Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio.

Also in attendance Thursday were two-division world champion Rances Barthelemy and Kiryl Relikh, who meet in the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING (10:15 p.m. ET/PT) co-feature in a rematch for the vacant WBA 140-pound world title.

Garcia looks to become a four-division champion, joining future Hall of Famers Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez as the only fighters to capture titles at 126, 130, 135 and 140 pounds, while Barthelemy has a chance to become the only Cuban in history to win titles in three weight divisions.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Ringstar Sports and TGB Promotions in association with Leija-Battah Promotions, are priced at $250, $150, $75, $50 and $20 and are on sale now. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000 or 210 556-7390.

Thursday’s press conference also featured fighters competing on the SHOWTIME BOXING on SHO EXTREME telecast that will see unbeaten contender Mario Barrios, of San Antonio, take on Eudy Bernardo. The telecast begins at 8 p.m. ET/PT with undefeated Alejandro Luna facing former world title challenger Richard Commey in a 12-round IBF Lightweight Title Eliminator.

Here is what the press conference participants had to say Thursday from Omni La Mansion in San Antonio:

MIKEY GARCIA

“At the end of my career, this is the fight that will have opened the door for even bigger fights. I plan on moving up and fighting even bigger names. This is the kind of fight that really motivates me and it’s going to be the first of many big fights.

“I’m very focused on Sergey Lipinets. The entire camp I’ve known what’s in front of me. I know he’s hungry and wants to defend his title. He knows what’s in front of him, so I know he’ll be in the best shape possible. Lipinets knows what a win over me will do for his career, and it’s my job to make sure that doesn’t happen.

“I don’t have a specific goal in this sport but I know that I need to win more world titles in more weight classes. I know that at the end of my career I’ll get the credit that I deserve.

“I’m happy to bring this show to a beautiful city like San Antonio and I just want everybody to come out on Saturday. This is a great boxing city and I know they’re going to show up for a great night of boxing. There are lots of candidates for ‘Fight of the Night’ on this card. We’re all hungry and we’re all here to win.”

SERGEY LIPINETS

“I’m very happy for this opportunity. If you’ve followed my career you’ve seen that I never take a shortcut. It meant a lot to win a world title but I’ve really always wanted to fight the best of the best. Mikey gave me that chance and I was eager to take it.

“I have no concerns about my hand at all. My right hand is hungry and it’s going to be eating a lot on Saturday night.

“I’m young, I’m hungry and I have a great team behind me. I’m fast, strong and I have all the confidence I need heading into this fight.”

RANCES BARTHELEMY

“I’m very excited to be here in San Antonio fighting for the first time. Everyone knows that the first fight with Relikh was an unbelievable war. People thought it was a close fight, but I’m here to make history and erase any doubt.

“This is going to be a great show with great action all night long. The fight fans here in San Antonio are great and I hope everyone shows up for it.

“Everyone knows that Cubans have a rich tradition in boxing, including one of my trainers, Joel Casamayor. It’s an amazing feat to be able to be the first Cuban to win world titles in three weight classes.

“I always tell the truth and Relikh is a powerful puncher, I won’t take that away from him. I never touched the canvas though, but Relikh did. On Saturday night, I’m going to put him back on the canvas.”

KIRYL RELIKH

“I’m very happy to have this opportunity again to fight against Barthelemy again. It’s good for me that this time we will be fighting for a world title. I’m very happy for my new team and you will see a new fighter on Saturday.

“I don’t think I lost the first fight, but that’s up to the judges. This time, we will be much better and not leave it in the judges’ hands if we have the opportunity.

“This is boxing so we know anything can happen. Two world class fighters are going for the world title, so of course I’m going to be at my best. This is going to be a fight you cannot miss on Saturday.”

MARIO BARRIOS

“It’s great to be back home. I’m very excited for the opportunity to show off in front of my people and show them what I’ve been working on.

“I had a great camp out there with Virgil Hunter. I can’t wait to be on this huge card. These fighters up here are champions that I look forward to meeting real soon in the ring.

“It’s going to be an exciting night. I’m young, I’m hungry and I’m a Mexican fighter competing at home in Texas. I hope everyone comes out for a great show.”

EUDY BERNARDO

“I feel very good about my fight. Training camp went really well and I think I’ve done everything I need to do to win.

“On Saturday, I’m going to get in the ring and take care of the game plan we came up with in the gym. I’m really going to focus on solid defense and pressuring the guy, because I’m in really good shape.

“Barrios is a really good fighter, I know he’s undefeated but if I execute my game plan and focus on what I’ve been working on in the gym I’ll be successful. I want to take him in to deeper waters, to the fourth and fifth rounds, and try to get him on his heels.

“I’ve been working really really hard on good defense and staying low. once I get past the third, fourth and fifth rounds that’s when the fight is really going to start.”

ALEJANDRO LUNA

“It feels great to be on this stage. I’ve been doing this since I was nine-years-old so the time is now. I’m ready to take full advantage of this.

“Training camp was great. The only bump we had was the postponement of the fight, but we slowed it down a little bit so we could peak at the right time. I’m ready to go.

“Richard Commey comes from a rich boxing background and those fighters from Ghana are all known for coming forward. I think our styles are really going to clash nicely. The real winner of this fight is going to be the fans.”

RICHARD COMMEY

“The change to Andre Rozier as my trainer was something I needed and wanted. I’m very happy to be working with one of the best trainers in the country and so far he’s helped me improve in many ways.

“I know that Luna is going to apply pressure and come forward. He’s going to look to throw big right hands, so we’re getting ready for all of that.

“I just have to stick to my game plan and make sure I’m always first. My job is to go in and get the win and convince the judges any way that I can that I’m the better fighter.”

ROBERT GARCIA, Garcia’s Brother & Trainer

“I’ve worked with many Russian and Eastern Europeans fighters before and the one thing about those guys is, they are the most dedicated fighters I’ve ever worked with.

“I know Sergey is in the best shape of his life because a win over Mikey will bring him even bigger fights. We know we’ll have a tough, strong opponent on Saturday night and that’s what we’ve prepared for.”

BUDDY MCGIRT, Lipinets’ Trainer

“You have to wait until Saturday night to see what’s going to happen. After the fight I’ll tell everyone how we got the job done.

“It’s fun to me to be in these kind of fights. Mikey Garcia comes from a great pedigree of fighting. Robert Garcia is a gentleman who’s taken limited fighters and got them to the top. Mikey has a lot of talent so they have their eyes on a lot more world titles, but on Saturday night, you’ll have to wait and watch happens.”

RICHARD SCHAEFER, Chairman & CEO of Ringstar Sports

“For as little as $20 you can be part of a historic night of boxing. This arena is built for boxing so I hope all the local fans come out to witness history being made.

“SHOWTIME has continued to put on the best fights week after week and month after month. They have really become the sole leader in this sport and are a big reason why there has been such a resurgence of boxing in the U.S.

“This fight card has a little bit of everything. There are five Texans fighting on this card, most notably San Antonio’s Mario Barrios, plus emerging stars such as Alejandro Luna and Richard Commey, who are looking to make names for themselves.

“The 140-pound division is on full display Saturday night with Rances Barthelemy and Kiryl Relikh meeting in a world title rematch for a world title. Plus of course we have the historic matchup as Sergey Lipinets defends his title while Mikey Garcia seeks a fourth world title in a weight class.

“These are exciting fighters, big punchers and you will see fireworks Saturday night from Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio.”

# # #

For more information visit www.sho.com/sports , www.premierboxingchampions.com,
follow us on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing, @Ringstar @TGBPromotions, and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing and www.Facebook.com/RingstarSports. PBC is sponsored by Corona Extra, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

SAN ANTONIO (March 7, 2018) – Unbeaten three division world champion Mikey Garcia and IBF Junior Welterweight World Champion Sergey Lipinets kicked off fight week in San Antonio Wednesday by participating in media workouts at the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy before they enter the ring Saturday, March 10 live on SHOWTIME (10:15 p.m. ET/PT) from Freeman Coliseum.

Also participating in Wednesday’s workout and competing on the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast was two-division world champion Rances Barthelemy, who meets Kiryl Relikhin a rematch of their thrilling fight last May, this time for the vacant WBA 140-pound world title.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Ringstar Sports and TGB Promotions in association with Leija-Battah Promotions, are priced at $250, $150, $75, $50 and $20 and are on sale now. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000 or 210 556-7390.

Unbeaten contender Mario Barrios, of San Antonio, was also in attendance on Wednesday as he prepares for his SHOWTIME EXTREME matchup against Eudy Bernardo. The SHOWTIME BOXING in SHO EXTREME telecast begins live at 8 p.m. ET/PT and features undefeated Alejandro Luna facing former world title challenger Richard Commey in a 12-round IBF Lightweight Title Eliminator.

Here is what the fighters had to say:

MIKEY GARCIA

“I want to take on these big opportunities because I want to challenge myself. This is another chance to prove to all the fans what kind of fighter I am.

“Everything depends on my opponent. If I find there’s an opportunity to go for a knockout, I’m definitely going to take it. If it goes 12 rounds, then he’s a very tough fighter and I expect Lipinets to be tough. I’m just going to do whatever it takes to win the fight. If the opportunity is there, I’m definitely going to go for the knockout because that’s what we’re here to do. I’m here to make the fight as easy as possible.

“I feel good. I’m fighting a bigger man naturally, so that’s something I have to get adjusted to but I still feel that my ability and my skills are enough to compete at the highest level with these men and that’s why I’m comfortable fighting at 140. I still feel that 135 might be a better fit for me because I’m a little bit of a naturally bigger, stronger man at 135, but at 140 I feel just as good as far as my speed, my footwork and my reflexes.

“It would be very nice to win a fourth division title. That would obviously be a big accomplishment in my career and it would be the second time I won the title here in the state of Texas. I have a lot of appreciation and love for San Antonio boxing fans.

“Some critics aren’t giving Lipinets much credit because he’s only had 13 fights, but that tells you how good of a fighter he is. It took me 30 fights to be a world champion. He’s a high caliber fighter who brings great danger. At the end of the day, I believe I’m the better boxer and that will help me get the win.”

SERGEY LIPINETS

“It was a great camp. We had a lot of different sparring partners that were giving me different looks as far as boxing abilities. Every single one of them had styles similar to Mikey. I’m ready to go. I’m not going to let anything get in the way. I’ll come out victorious Saturday night.

“I feel great. It doesn’t matter if I’m an underdog or not, I’m ready to prove everybody wrong. I really want to show everybody that I’m the one that they should be looking at; that I’m the champion.

“Mikey’s records and accomplishments don’t matter to me. He’s got two hands, two feet and one head. He’s just another person, he’s just another fighter I’m fighting. I prepared for little different things to fight Mikey but once I get in the ring, it’s going to be Mikey and me and you’ll see how it’s going to go down.

“My hand injury took place over the course of sparring. We were changing sparring partners two rounds at a time. I hit one of them at some point and the next morning [the injury] blew up. I didn’t really feel it at the time when I hurt it.

“It’s completely cured; there is no problem with the hand and you’ll see it in action on Saturday night – no problem at all.”

RANCES BARTHELEMY

“I studied [Relikh] a lot so I expect the same type of performance that I’ve studied, based off what he’s done in his past fights and what he did with me in our last fight. I know he’s strong, he’s a hard-hitter, and he always looks for that punch. I expect that this time around as well. He likes to exchange; that’s another thing I’m looking for. I know he’s going to come with all those tools in to the ring so I expect that and my team has prepared exactly for that.

“I feel like a completely new guy. In the past, I’ve eaten poorly before and after fights. I feel like I’ve reconnected with my youth. My energy has come back thanks to Bob Santos, my new strength and conditioning coach, who has taught me a lot about nutrition and things that I can use not just in the ring, but also outside of the ring — things I can use to prolong my life.

“I’m unlocking some of the skills I had in my younger days. They will be one of the key determining factors in how I perform on Saturday. I haven’t felt this good in a long time and I’m thankful for that because I feel like a new guy. I usually have concerns about making weight, but not this time around.

“My nutrition and physical condition took a toll on me last time I fought. I didn’t think my body was going to react the way it did when I got into the ring. My legs really gave out on me. But not now. This time around, I’m coming with a whole new gameplan and I’m not going to have to force myself to adapt to [Relikh’s] strategy. The first time we fought, I felt like I had to fight his fight. I had to make adjustments in the ring and exchange a lot with him. I took a lot of punishment.

“I’m definitely not looking past Relikh, I’m really focused on this fight. I want to win this fight. I’m looking for big names after. I can fight anyone between 135 and 147 now. Broner, Garcia, Lomachenko, it’s only big names what I’m after next.”

MARIO BARRIOS

“This fight it’s a huge step up and probably my toughest fight to date. My opponent looks really good on paper and he has a lot of power. But I’m not concerned. I had a great camp and I’m ready to give my best in front of my hometown fans.I really hope he is ready to fight because I’m going to go in there on Saturday and take care of business. It’s going to be a very explosive fight.

“We are going to continue climbing the ranks at 140. I hope that I can face Mikey Garcia or Rances Barthelemy at some point. I think early next year I may be ready to go toe-to-toe with them.

“No added pressure fighting at home, all of this is motivation. I’ve been waiting to fight back here for a while. I’m excited for this opportunity

“Every time I’m out there in the Bay Area at Virgil Hunter’s gym I’m always picking up different things. Every camp, l learn from different guys at the gym – Andre Dirrell, Andre Ward, Amir Kahn. We have our game plan, which I can’t discuss, but going for it on Saturday. We should be able to go in there and take care of business, no problem.”

# # #

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follow us on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing, @Ringstar @TGBPromotions, and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing and www.Facebook.com/RingstarSports. PBC is sponsored by Corona Extra, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

SAN ANTONIO, TX (March 7, 2018) – This Friday, March 9, 2018, TMB & PRB Entertainment, sponsored by Mikey Garcia Promotions, present “Friday Night Fights”, live professional boxing from the Mi Mercado Event Center in San Antonio, TX.

The card will showcase ten fights headlined by local favorite and Robert Garcia Boxing Academy fighter Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (4-0, 2 KOs), taking on Jose “El Cuate” Casiano. The 4-round main event will take place in the featherweight division. The co-main event will showcase junior bantamweight Angel Alejandro (1-0 1KO) vs. Jose Elizondo in a 4-round bout.

“This is a big weekend for boxing fans in San Antonio and it starts on Friday as I’m looking to put on a great show for my hometown fans,” said Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, who makes his second appearance in San Antonio. “All the hard work is done and now its time to give my people their money’s worth with a great performance. I’m going all out for as long as it last and my hand will be raised when its all said and done.”

“Bam is a true talent in the sport of boxing and fighters like him don’t come along that often,” said Robert Garcia, Rodriguez’s trainer. “It’s always great to see him be afforded great oppurtunies, like a main event in his hometown. It is also exciting working with great partners like TMB and PRB Entertainment. Mikey [Garcia] and I are interested in bringing great fights together with Rick Morones and Greg Hannely of Prince Ranch Boxing.”

“Robert and Mikey Garcia are well respected in the boxing world and great people to interact with,” said Rick Morones. “It’s a great pleasure to put on a world-class show in San Antonio, Texas with them. The fans are going to see a great night of boxing this Friday.”

Undercard 4-Round Bouts:
(Lightweight) Frank “Bloodhound” Brown (2-1-1, 1 KO) vs. Joe Zambrano (5-5 1KO), (Junior welterweight) Wesley Diana (2-0 2 KOs) vs. Ousmane Sylla (2-1), (Super middleweight) Patrick Clarke (pro debut) vs. Taylor Ray Saucedo (1-3), (Heavyweight) Tyrrel “Too Real” Herndon (7-2 4 KOs) vs. Brandon Glanton (4-0, 4KOs), (Middleweight) Steven Ramos (1-0 1KO) vs. Jacob Landin (0-1), (Junior bantamweight) Aaron Morales (pro debut) vs. Jorge De Leon (0-1), (Featherweight) Ben Guerrero (0-1) vs. Vincente Loredo (pro debut) and (Middleweight) Eddie Hunter Ortiz (5-0-2, 2 KOs) vs. TBA

Multiple division world champion Mikey Garcia, former world champion Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios, 3-time world champion Abner Mares, and world title contender Josesito Lopez, will all be special guests at the event.

Weigh-ins will be held on Thursday at 3:00 P.M. at the “Burger Fi” located at 9630 Huebner Rd. San Antonio, TX, 78240. Media arrival at 2:30 P.M.

Ringside tickets priced at $100, and general admission $30, are on sale now and can be purchased by calling (210) 449-5599 or (210) 322-9974. The Mi Mercardo Event Center is located at 227 New Laredo Hwy, San Antonio, TX. Doors open at 6:30 PM, first bell at 8:00 PM.

LONDON (7 March, 2018) – Boxing ace Mikey Garcia will attempt to become a four-weight world champion when he faces unbeaten 140-pound titleholder Sergey Lipinets exclusively live on BoxNation this Saturday night.

30-year-old Garcia, with a record of 37 fights unbeaten with 30 KOs, is regarded amongst the best pound-for-pound fighters around and will be looking to add Lipinets IBF light-welterweight crown to his collection.

The Kazakh born boxer however will be in no mood to surrender his championship belt and has dismissed all 13 of his opponents, with ten of those failing to hear the final bell.

Californian Garcia enjoyed an impressive 2017 by scoring a highlight reel knockout of Dejan Zlaticanin to win the WBC lightweight world title in January before dominating four-division champion Adrien Broner on his way to a unanimous decision in July.

With a win, Garcia would become only the third fighter in modern history to become champion at 126, 130, 135 and 140-pounds, joining future Hall of Famers Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao.

Taking place at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Garcia, who hails from a famous boxing family, will be looking to do them proud this weekend.

“It is a dream to have the opportunity to become a four-division world champion,” Garcia said. “San Antonio has some of the greatest boxing fans in the country, including some key supporters of my Robert Garcia Boxing Academy family. Since my last fight, I have stayed in the gym. I can’t wait to give the fans in Texas and those watching at home another great performance.”

28-year-old Lipinets is a genuine 140-pounder and he will be hoping that the leap up in weight will be too much for Garcia.

Trained by Buddy McGirt, Lipinets captured his world title in his last fight by defeating Akihiro Kondo via a unanimous decision in November.

He is well aware a victory over the accomplished Garcia will cement his place as a top-level operator.

“Getting the title is one thing, but keeping the title is a more difficult task,” said Lipinets. “I’m not about to give it away to anybody. No disrespect to Mikey Garcia or anybody else out there, but I’m keeping my title. Beating Mikey Garcia will put me in the elite of boxing where I believe I belong. I’m happy my team was able to put this great fight together. I can promise you this won’t be a snoozer. It’s going to be an action-packed fight for sure.”

Jim McMunn, BoxNation Managing Director, said: “Mikey Garcia has proved that he is one of the most exciting and best fighters around today. He has an extremely high skill-set and BoxNation subscribers will have the opportunity to see him put that into action this Saturday night against the undefeated IBF world champion Sergey Lipinets. Lipinets has impressed in his early career and he knows a victory will propel him to the very top of the 140-pound division. It will be an action-packed fight, with Garcia aiming to become a four-weight world champion exclusively live on BoxNation.”

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

– ENDS –

About BoxNation

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Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Mayweather vs Maidana, Saunders vs Eubank Jr and Canelo vs Golovkin.

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Richard Schaefer
Thank you and thank you all for participating in today’s call.

First of all, I would like to thank our co-promoters, Tom Brown, from TGB Promotions and Mike Battah and James Leija, from Leija Battah Promotions. And as well, of course, our sponsors, Corona, and our local sponsor in San Antonio, Metro PCS, who has activated this fight in over 130 stores in and around San Antonio.

The biggest thank you goes to Al Haymon’s PBC and SHOWTIME Sports for their commitment, their continued commitment, and passion for the sport of boxing. It is a pleasure now to introduce to you Stephen Espinoza.

Stephen Espinoza
Thanks for the introductions. Glad to be back in San Antonio and glad to be back with Richard working another big event. I’ll be brief here.

These two fights on the televised portion can speak for themselves, two title fights in the 140-pound division. Two fighters who want fight. Obviously, our main event here, the entire card, was postponed for a period of time due to an injury, but everyone was anxious to get it rescheduled. Mikey Garcia certainly wants his opportunity at the title. Sergey Lipinets was just as anxious to keep this fight on the schedule so that he could get a career- making opportunity. We look at our co-feature of Barthelemy and Relikh, a controversial fight in 2017 and each of them wasted no time wanting to get into a rematch, no one doubts that.

So, we’ve got four guys in the 140-pound division, all looking at extra fights. Just a reminder, before the 10:15 SHOWTIME start, at 8:00 pm on SHO EXTREME, we have local favorite Mario Barrios and Eudy Bernardo. And then, a really solid fight, really a better than solid fight, it’s really a solid fight for an Extreme card. It’s a look at the eliminator between Alejandro Luna and Richard Commey, it’s along with all the other non-televised fights. It’s going to be a really strong night of fights.

R. Schaefer
So when it comes to history, San Antonio is certainly one of the richest cities in the United States. Many battles have taken place there outside of the ring and more recently, inside the ring. San Antonio is a fight town, its fans are passionate and knowledgeable. So it’s only fitting that this historic showdown between one of the hardest hitters in the sport, a world champion, and undefeated fighter, Sergey Lipinets against one of the pound for pound best fighters in the world, a three-division world champion, an undefeated superstar, Mikey Garcia is taking place in San Antonio.

I was fortunate to promote many big events there, so I’m really excited to bring this exciting card back to San Antonio. We will have an amazing 14 fights on this card. A little bit of everything in store for fight fans.

Five of the fighters are from Texas, so there’s plenty of Texas flavor on the menu as well. Most notably, local San Antonio star and undefeated with a record of 20-0, Mario Barrios and 14-0, Brandon Figueroa, the brother of Omar Figueroa. Then we have as well emerging stars such as Alejandro Luna, with 22-0, one of the most exciting fighters in the sport.

The co-main event, Stephen mentioned it already, features a rematch of one of the most exciting fights of last year. I checked the weather; it’s beautiful outside and it will be hot at the Freeman Coliseum. For as little as $20, you can see the most exciting card, top to bottom, that I can remember in a while. Action, excitement, and passion will be on display.

I’d like to turn it over to first the trainers, and then, the fighters. Both fighters are trained by two of the best and most decorated trainers in the world. Sergey Lipinets is trained by a two-division world champion and someone who has made a big name for as a trainer now as well, having trained many world champions in his corner. It’s a pleasure now to ask Buddy to say a few words.

Buddy McGirt
Good afternoon. Basically, I don’t really have too much say, man. I want to thank everybody for putting the fight together. I think it’s a great fight for boxing. I think Mikey took on a big challenge, as well as we have. In boxing, the best should always fight the best. And this is a fight, that didn’t take long to make and I’m happy to be part of it. As far as anything else goes, I just have three words for everybody, that’s wait and watch.

R. Schaefer
Thank you, Buddy. Well, the Garcias. The Garcias are to boxing what the Kennedys are to politics. They are today, the first family of boxing. The patriarch, Eduardo Garcia, he mentions that he’s officially retired but I can tell he is still very active every day. He’s in the gym and sharing his wisdom with young kids, very passionate about it. He’s there at every training session for Mikey, of course. So we have Eduardo, and then there is Robert Garcia, the former world champion, in 2012 BWAA Trainer of the Year. He has gyms in San Antonio, as a matter of fact, and in California. And we’ll have several of his fighters be active in San Antonio on that card. It is a pleasure now to introduce to you one of the best trainers in the world, Robert Garcia.

Robert Garcia
We’re just ready. We’re obviously ready for this fight just like Buddy said it’s a big fight for both fighters. So we’re definitely taking this fight very seriously and even though it got postponed a month later, we continued our training and sparring. So we’re going to be in good shape for this fight.

R. Schaefer
Now to the two undefeated fighters, both are world champions, and both look at this fight as their platform to make a statement and to make history. First up, Sergey Lipinets, is a fighter who has two passions, and in a way, these two passions go hand in hand; it’s boxing and chess. If he’s not in the gym, he plays chess and if he does not play chess, he’s in the gym. It’s pretty much as simple as that. He’s heavy-handed, he’s strong, he knows as well how to box when necessary, and he quickly became one of the most feared fighters because of his skills and his power. He comes from the Eastern European School of Boxing, born in Kazakhstan, raised in Russia, and now living in Beverly Hills.

This young man really deserves a lot of credit for his very first defense, and it’s a voluntary title defense, one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world. But he did not hesitate a second when the fight was offered to him. He simply said, “No problem; that is how I become a superstar.”

Please welcome now the undefeated IBF World Campion, Sergey Lipinets.

Sergey Lipinets
Hello, everybody. Everything is great, everything went fine, and the hand is completely healed. I’m using it at will, no problem, full power. I’m very anxious, really want to get to San Antonio and just get in the ring.

I’m just delighted, I’m just very excited about the opportunity. I believe that that’s the only way we can make a statement in boxing. Even winning the title, I still didn’t really feel like a champ because of the fact that I didn’t really fight a guy that had been on the top of the game, in the world of boxing. No offense to Mr. Kondo, it’s just that I really can’t wait until I shows my skills and prove to myself first and then, everybody else, that I belong at the top of the food chain.

R. Schaefer
Now, Mikey Garcia. Mikey Garcia in my books, and in the books of many, is today, pound for pound the best fighter in the world. In my opinion, it’s not about what he’s done, in one, or two, or three fights, but it is his cumulative achievements with 37 wins and zero losses. The fact that he has already – he’s already a three-division world champion, and the fact the he continues to challenge himself to fight the best and most dangerous opponents.

He stands up for what is right and what is wrong. He’s very much involved in charitable causes and he is a mentor to many young fighters. All this together makes him, in my books, pound for pound. And today, he’s an ambassador of the sport of boxing. I am very proud to be on his journey and it is a distinct pleasure now to introduce to you the undefeated superstar, Mikey Garcia.

Mikey Garcia
I’m very happy with training camp, very excited for the upcoming fight. We’re only less than two weeks to go now and camp went great even though it was pushed back a few weeks. It didn’t really affect us at all, like my brother told you, we continue to train, we continue our sparring and we peak every moment, we work hard, we have great sparring partners for this match as well. So I couldn’t be happier.

I’m very excited to be in San Antonio. I know that it’s a big boxing community. My brother has a gym out there and so, we have a big, strong fan base in San Antonio. In general, to be in Texas is great. I won a world title there back in 2013 and now I get the opportunity to win another world title in the state of Texas. So I’m very excited for that as well.

I can’t take Lipinets lightly at all. I know he’s a tough, determined champion and he sees this as a huge priority in turn. When he faces me, if he were to beat me, I’ll start delivering for him. But I’m not looking at that, I’m focusing on winning. I believe my skills and my boxing abilities are greater than what he brings and I’m just excited for the fight. I’m ready to get on and I think this will open up even bigger doors for me.

So it’s going to be huge accomplishment when I do win this world title on the 10th and I think it’ll be a big celebration for our family, my dad, my brother, for my nephew. For the whole family to be champions in anther division. It’s going to be a great night. I just can’t explain how happy I am. It’s just a great opportunity, a great position that I’m at and I’m just very thankful to be where I am.

Q
How much of a factor in this fight do you think your professional experience will be compared to him?

M. Garcia
I don’t think the experience is the difference here. I think he has a lot of experience like you just mentioned as an amateur. Even moving up the ranks as a pro, to be champion in only 13 fights, tells you the caliber of fighter that he is. It took me 30 fights to get a title and it only took him 13. So, it definitely tells you he’s champion material and experienced enough to be there.

I think the deciding factor and what’s going to allow me to do prevail is my boxing abilities, my speed, my footwork, my timing. The skills that I possess, I think are greater and that’s just going to help me win my fight.

Q
Are you ready to say that you’re done at 135 pounds?

M. Garcia
No, I am not done at 135 and unless you guys just don’t, include the entire quote, when I do mention, moving up to 147, I always mention that I do want to come back to 135 after this fight with Lipinets. I want to come down to 135 and even unify the titles there before officially leaving the division.

But the plan is to fight this fight first, take care of business on the 10th, then I will look at my options. But I do want to do a unification match at a lightweight. Then eventually, make my way up to 147. Maybe even by the end of this year, I’ll set it, maybe by the end of this year. If not, then next year for sure. That’s a rich division with huge names, huge fights, that I want to be part of.

Q
Richard, do you think could tell me your thoughts about Mikey’s game plan about beyond March 10?

R. Schaefer
First of all to have a fighter who can be dominant or who is dominant in two weight classes, once he moves in 147, I have no doubt that he will dominant there as well. I think it’s exactly what I said before in the opening remarks, that is what somebody who is pound for pound on the top of the list.

If the Linares and Lomachenko fights don’t happen, there are other options at 135 for Mikey, such as Robert Easter. So, he has a lot of options at 135, he has a lot of options at 140 as well, including potentially the winner of the other fight which is going to be the co-main.

First things first, and I think this is exactly dangerous when you start overlooking opponents because – and I had that same conversation with Mikey not to overlook Sergey and I know he doesn’t.. We may have that same conversation about Sergey then, after the final bell on March the 10th. So, I think there are definitely, for both fighters, big options out there.

Q
What are Sergey’s thoughts about all the plans that are sort of out there that Mikey could be involved in beyond this fight?

S. Lipinets
Well, first of all, the fact that everybody’s talking about Mikey or fighting this guy after that fight or that guy after that fight, it really doesn’t matter with me. If anything, it motivates me even more as far as looking for some other fights after that fight, I’m not looking past Mikey. There’s nothing that I’m thinking about but Mikey’s fight and then when the fight actually occurs and when I come out to where I’m going to come out of that ring, then you start talking about the future opponents.

Of course, you want to the fight the best. I’ve proven my whole career as a boxer, I’ve fought always tougher guys than people thought I should have been fighting. I was not built up on their buddies, I was not built up on thinking that we’re supposed to be opponents. So, yes, I’m looking for a challenge all the time. But first things first. On March 10th, Mikey Garcia.

Q
Sergey how much better do your hand feels at this point, less than two weeks before the fight?

S. Lipinets
It’s better than ever. It’s like a brand new hand. It’s way better than it was before. You will see my hand in action guaranteed March 10th; not once, but many, many times.

Q
In hindsight are you happy that it was supposed because now you’re going into the fight healthy as opposed to before?

S. Lipinets
Of course I was upset, of course I was distracted. But in hindsight, everything happens for a reason. I’ve been very philosophical about it and then look, it’s just whatever happens, happens. You got little more time. As a matter of fact, it even works for the best. So I’m great now, that’s the main thing.

Q
Mikey I was just wondering what you thought of Lipinets’ last performance?

M. Garcia
Well from what I’ve seen, he did fight a very durable guy and that’s why he did go the distance but I also saw another side of Lipinets. He also can box. He can use defense. He can time and counter.

So there’s some more to Lipinets than just the power. There’s more than just that right hand. So those are things I have to be aware of, I have to be cautious about. That’s why he is a world champion so I respect him, I give him the credit for being champion with only 13 fights and taking on a fight against me shows his heart and determination.

Q
Did think he was capable of doing those things and did he surprise you a little bit?

M. Garcia
Well I hadn’t seen that. I had seen his fight against Zappavingna a year ago and this time around he fought a little differently for some of the rounds so I was a little surprised that he could box the way he did. He is more than what people paint him to be and that’s why he is a champion.

Q
Buddy, what are you hoping that Sergey shows people in this fight because I know you think very highly of his capabilities and what he can do.

B. McGirt
It’s not about what I want I him to show. I know what he’s going to do. It’s just a matter of time. And like I say, my favorite three words for this fight are: wait and watch. That’s all I’m going to say. So no matter what you ask me, that’s the answer you’re going to get from me is wait and watch.

Q
What was it during training camp at the beginning when the fight was scheduled for February 10, what was it that you saw that was the concern and what kind of confidence does that give you for your hand going into this fight?

S. Lipinets
Well, main reason for concern was of course the fight is going to get completely scratched out. That was the main reason I was real upset. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to use that hand at a full capacity the way it was. And as a matter of fact, you have to go to the Athletic Commission appointed doctor to take a look at it and he was the one saying that you can’t fight, you have to lay up for a month to let that hand rest.

Now the hand is great. I’m using it every single day. I’m hitting as hard as I can, there’s no problem with it and I’m happy. That’s it. I mean there is nothing to be even worried about.

Q
What are you thinking about for March 10 with Sergey Lipinets as far as what kind of hunger and drive does that give you to make sure that you can, after the fight is done, we can talk about those type of things that we were talking about earlier?

M. Garcia
Like I’ve always said, we have to plan out for the future, and plan for the best but, first things first, March 10, I have a very important fight with Sergey Lipinets. That’s why even though we do mention other future plans, my main focus has been Sergey Lipinets.

I think with his type of fighting and style and his hunger to be who I am he said it before, he wants to be what I am, he wants to be in my place. That’s a recipe for a great fight. He’s going to come in the best shape ever because he knows what’s in front of him. He knows the opportunity that’s in front. I’m coming with everything because I also want that title. I want to gain that other fourth division title for me.

So that’s just a recipe for a great matchup and I think he’s going to give everything he has and leave everything in the ring and I’m going to do the same because that’s who I am. You’ve seen me, many, many times and that’s just what I do.

So I think it’s going to be a great match. I think I’m going to win because of my boxing abilities. Like I said, my timing, my speed, my footwork, all the little elements I think are going to help me win this fight, but it’s definitely going to be a great matchup.

Q
Mikey is there a weight class that would you say best suits you or is it just going to be about looking for the biggest fights and you can make all three just as easy?

M. Garcia
I think right now as of right now the best ideal weight for me is still the lightweight division. It’s probably where I should be fighting. But I’m just taking on bigger challenges and that’s why we’re taking on Sergey Lipinets.

I got a good feel for the division at 140 pounds when I fought Adrien Broner last summer. I felt good, I felt comfortable in that weight class and that’s why we’re taking on Lipinets this time. So I still feel comfortable enough to fight at junior welterweight. Sergey is a strong natural 140-pounder but I feel comfortable enough being here.

Actually, I feel stronger. I don’t know, maybe the guys are bigger guys and that’s why they can take a bigger punch. Lightweight, they’re a little smaller, maybe I can hurt them a little more. But I’m open to fighting anybody that presents a challenge and Sergey definitely does that right now and that’s why we took this fight.

Q
Sergey with the hand injury in training after you fought in November, do you think it’s better that you’re fighting four months out instead of three months out?

S. Lipinets
Yes, I was ready to go on February 10. I wanted to go but whatever happened, happened. And that’s going give me a little more time to recoup.

The fight with Kondo was a real tough fight but it was tougher on Mr. Kondo having taken all those punches that not that many people could’ve taken from myself. I was happy to just go 12 rounds and show sides of me. Mr. Kondo turned out to be not as easy a fighter as people thought he would be. I’m happy to go 12 rounds and then get that experience.

Q
Mikey are you aware of the the risk and what’s really at stake for you if you were to lose this fight against Sergey Lipinets?

M. Garcia
I understand the risk and I understand what’s at stake, what the cost would be if I were to be beaten by Lipinets, all my future plans would be tossed out the window and I wouldn’t be able to do anything that I plan on doing in my future.

But that’s why I take this fight very seriously. I took the other camp very serious, I worked very hard for all the days that we did and never took a break. I’m very focused and determined on winning this fight because this fight will open the doors that I’m talking about. A bigger fight, a bigger plan and that’s why I have to take Sergey Lipinets extremely seriously. I can’t overlook him at all.

Q
Do you have a sense of how surprising that was, for you to dominate Broner, in the boxing community?

M. Garcia
Well like I said, people still haven’t seen the best out of me. I keep telling people, the best is yet to come for a reason. I need the right opponent to challenge me, to push me to the limit so they can bring out the best out of me.

When I was fighting Adrien Broner I told everybody that I would box and make the fight easy for me. Not a lot of people believed that because they just haven’t seen that side of me or they haven’t seen it in Broner. That’s why with this fight with Lipinets I get to release all my skills.

Like I said, I seen in the last fight, he can also box. He can also counter. He has timing and that’s what makes him a complete world champion. I got to be able to fight these challenges so I can bring out the best out of me. That’s why I’m prepared to do everything it takes to win this fight on March 10.

Q
How important is it to you to to keep succeeding from the standpoint of the Mexican boxing landscape right now?

M. Garcia
Well I think there’s great history with Mexican fighters and just to be accepted, by the Mexican fans, as one of their own, because my parents were born in Mexico, I speak the language, I represent Mexico. I’m Mexican, born here in the United States but with Mexican heritage and Mexican blood. To be accepted is great. I’m just doing what I got to do inside the ring to give glory to my family first and hopefully my people that follow me as well.

I think we’re on the right path that Mexico will be very, very proud, all my fans in Mexico will be very proud of my accomplishments. They can point a finger and say that’s one of ours, he’s our fighter and that’ll be just another huge accomplishment in my career.

Q
Is there a tendency for you, or maybe a desire to possibly fight more toe to toe in this fight? Or are you going to box completely if you have to box?

M. Garcia
Look I never go into a fight with one game plan and one game plan only. I am prepared to do whatever it takes to win my fight. If I box my way through a decision victory, if that’s what it takes, that’s what it takes. If I have to brawl with my opponent, I’m prepared to do that. If I have to put the pressure on my opponent and exchange punches in order to land a punch and try to go for a knock out, then I’m prepared to do that as well.

So I’m ready to do whatever it takes. I just know that it’s going to be a great fight and I know that the fans are going to be very happy with my performance.

Q
Can you express how motivated you are as a result of reading about yourself as the underdog?

S. Lipinets
Well I understand why it is all about Mikey. I realize the fact that I just stepped into the boxing world, what, 2-1/2 years ago. I understand what Mikey brings to the table and what he does as far as the publicity, as far as the heritage and as far as the boxing abilities. Of course more people know who Mikey is than they know who I am. I’m cool with that.

I don’t care if people think that Mikey is going to beat me, if Mikey is going to completely wipe me out. People think what people think. Every boxing person that really understands boxing will understand what kind of a fight it is and what I bring to boxing. It’s a great challenge I’m all about challenge. They’re two great fighters that are going to fight each other. That’s the way I look at that.

R. Schaefer
Okay thank you everybody. As Buddy McGirt was saying, wait and watch. Well the wait is almost over, a couple weeks left so I say come and watch. Come and watch at the Freeman Coliseum for as little as $20, March 10. Fourteen fights including two world championship fights, including one of the best fighters in the world going to challenge himself for a fourth weight class.

If you can’t make it to the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, make sure you watch it at SHOWTIME. Thank you very much and we’ll see you all ringside on March 10 in San Antonio.

# # #

For more information visit www.sho.com/sports , www.premierboxingchampions.com,
follow us on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing, @Ringstar @TGBPromotions, and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing and www.Facebook.com/RingstarSports. PBC is sponsored by Corona Extra, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

LOS ANGELES (February 20, 2018) – Three-division world champion Mikey Garcia and IBF Junior Welterweight World Champion Sergey Lipinets participated in an open media workout in Los Angeles Tuesday as they prepare for their world title showdown Saturday, March 10 live on SHOWTIME from Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio and presented by Premier Boxing Champions.

The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast will also see two-division world champion Rances Barthelemy taking on Kiryl Relikh in a rematch of their thrilling fight last May, this time for the vacant WBA 140-pound world title.

The night also features a SHOWTIME BOXING on SHO EXTREME telecast beginning at 8 p.m. ET/PT that will see undefeated 140-pound contender and San Antonio-native Mario Barrios face Eudy Bernardo in a 10-round bout and undefeated Alejandro Luna taking on former world title challenger Richard Commey in a 12-round IBF Lightweight Title Eliminator.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Ringstar Sports and TGB Promotions in association with Leija-Battah Promotions, are priced at $250, $150, $75, $50 and $20 and are on sale now. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000 or 210 556-7390.

Joining Garcia and Lipinets at Tuesday’s workout was former title challenger Josesito Lopez, who competes in undercard action at Freeman Coliseum on March 10.

Here is what the participants had to say Tuesday from the City of Angels Boxing Club in Los Angeles:

MIKEY GARCIA

“I’m excited to have another opportunity on March 10 to show my fans what I’m all about and what I can do in the ring. I’m preparing to win another world title and that’s all that’s on my mind right now.

“Neither one of us wants to lose. We’re both undefeated and no one wants to give up that ‘0’. That’s going to make this a great fight for the fans.

“I don’t have a number of titles that I’m chasing, but I do believe I will be a champion at 140-pounds and eventually at welterweight. Each fight is unique and I’m going to keep taking it one fight at a time.

“I’ve been winning and dominating my fights, but I still have room to show the fans more of my skills. I need opponents who will bring the best out of me. I’m going to keep trying to dominate each fight and make it easy for myself in the ring.

“It was a little upsetting that we had to wait to have this fight, but it’s part of the sport. We took a day off when we heard the news and then we went back to work. Now we’re ahead of schedule so it worked out great.

“We’re excited to be where we’re at and to have the opportunity to win another world title. I’m most excited that this really takes me closer to the kind of recognition we deserve and the goals I want to achieve.

“Sergey Lipinets is the number one priority right now. He’s an undefeated world champion and I can’t take him lightly at all. I’m going to follow my game plan and right now I’m on track to put on a great performance.

“The number one thing I see in Sergey is his size. He’s the bigger man so I’ll have to be prepared for the weight. Because he’s a young new champion, he’s really got nothing to lose. He’s coming with everything he has.

“I know he’s going to take this fight more seriously than any other he’s taken. I know that he has that fire in him. I have to be aware of his power and use my boxing skills to overcome it.”

SERGEY LIPINETS

“This is going to be a great fight. We’ll both be at 100 percent on fight night and ready to give our best. This won’t be a one-sided fight. It’s going to be two gladiators going at each other.

“Mikey is a great fighter. He has a lot of skills, especially defensively. I’m going to be ready for him. It’s going to be blood, sweat and tears.

“If you’ve watched my previous fights you know that this will be a great fight. We’re both going to be there in front of each other and we won’t be kissing and hugging.

“I’m very excited to be in this position and I’m planning to take advantage of it. It meant a lot to win a world title, but these are the kind of fights you get into boxing for. This is a chance to really put my name in the history books.

“Everything is on schedule for the hand. I’ve been using it at will with no problems. I’ll be ready to go on fight night. I never stopped working so the transition was very easy once the hand had healed.”

JOSESITO LOPEZ

“I can’t wait to show some new things that I’ve worked on in camp. I feel really strong, fast and quick and I’m excited to put it all together on fight night.

“Sparring with Mikey Garcia has been good for me. He’s a really intelligent fighter, he’s very precise and he does everything with a purpose. Being in there with him makes me a better fighter.

“I’m anxious to get back in the ring. I’ve worked hard with Robert Garcia on different game plans and perfecting my style. My body feels good and I’m ready to compete with the top fighters.

“Robert has a great gym in Riverside with a lot of talented fighters. We’re always working and you have to be ready to spar with anybody. The young guys have really given me good work and kept me on my toes, which I’ve needed these last few years.”

ROBERT GARCIA, Garcia’s Brother & Trainer

“Lipinets has power and we’re fighting in his weight division. Lipinets is the naturally bigger fighter and we know he’s a dedicated fighter. I’m sure he’s training like never before.

“This is an opportunity of a lifetime for Lipinets. Winning this fight puts him in a great position, so we have to be very careful. We can’t take him lightly, because it won’t be easy. But fighters like Mikey, with his skills, are sometimes able to overcome any disadvantage.

“Fighters like Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao were able to move up in weight and still dominate, because of their great skills. Very few fighters are able to do that. We believe that Mikey is one of those special fighters.”

BUDDY MCGIRT, Lipinets’ Trainer

“The key is to not be one-dimensional. Sergey is going to give him different looks all night. Once he steps on the gas, we’ll see what Mikey’s made of.

“Mikey hasn’t fought anyone competitive since he came back. I believe it’s been awhile since Mikey’s been in a fight where he’s had to dig down and work. Once Sergey steps on the gas, we’ll see what’s inside of him. I don’t doubt him, because he comes from a family of great fighters and trainers. But sometimes that ring rust will kick in at a time when you can’t afford it.

“We’re prepared for any and everything. Once we get in there, we’ll give Mikey all we can when the time comes.

“We’re watching Sergey and we could tell if he’s hesitating or holding back when throwing his right hand. He hasn’t been doing that. It’s just a matter of time now. Everything is running on schedule.”

# # #

For more information visit www.sho.com/sports , www.premierboxingchampions.com,
follow us on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing, @Ringstar @TGBPromotions, and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing and www.Facebook.com/RingstarSports. PBC is sponsored by Corona Extra, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

SAN ANTONIO, TX (February 13, 2018) – TMB & PRB Entertainment, sponsored by Mikey Garcia Promotions, present “Friday Night Fights”, live professional boxing Friday, March 9, 2018, from the Mi Mercado Event Center in San Antonio, TX. The card will showcase ten fights, all featuring hot prospects in 4-round bouts.

Undefeated featherweight sensation and San Antonio native, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (4-0, 2 KOs) vs. Jose Casiano (0-1) will serve as the main-event. In the co-feature, Arnold Alejandro (5-0, 4 KOs) battles Christian Santibanez (5-7, 3 KOs).

“We are very excited to be working with TMB & PRB Entertainment,’ said Robert Garcia, who runs and operates Mikey Garcia Promotions. “Mikey and I want to build a great boxing series here with my good friends Rick Morones and Greg Hannley of Prince Ranch Boxing. I know with hard work we can bring a lot of big fights to San Antonio.”

“Mikey and Robert Garcia bring great name recognition to the boxing community here in San Antonio,” said Rick Morones of TMB & PRB Entertainment. “Our local fans are asking for more boxing events and we are delivering. We are thrilled to be working with the Garcia family and March 9th is going to be a great night of boxing.”

Rounding out the card will be super bantamweight’s Angel Alejandro (1-0, 1 KO) vs Jose Elizondo (2-4-1), super middleweights Eddie Hunter Ortiz (5-0-2, 3 KOs) vs. Edward Tigs (4-7-3), lightweight’s Frank “Bloodhound” Brown (3-1-1, 1 KO) vs. Joe Sombrano (2-11-1, 2 KOs), super middleweight’s Tommy Kamara (0-1) vs. Patrick Clarke (Pro Debut), bantamweights Aaron Morales (Pro Debut) vs. Carlos Lopez (Pro Debut), and Featherweight Louie “King” Coria (6-1, 4 KOs) vs. TBA. More bouts to be added on a later date.

Multiple division world champion Mikey Garcia, former world champion Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios, 3-time world champion Abner Mares, and world title contender Josesito Lopez, will all be special guests at the event.

Ringside tickets priced at $100, and general admission $30, are on sale now and can be purchased by calling (210) 449-5599 or (210) 322-9974. The Mi Mercardo Event Center is located at 227 New Laredo Hwy, San Antonio, TX. Doors open at 6:30 PM, first bell at 8:00 PM.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2018 SHOWTIME BOXING SCHEDULE
Presented by Premier Boxing Champions

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

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

Mar 3 WILDER vs. ORTIZ Brooklyn
WBC Heavyweight World Championship

CHARLO vs. CENTENO JR.
WBC Interim Middleweight Championship

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

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

April 21 BRONER vs. FIGUEROA
WBC Super Lightweight Title Eliminator

GERVONTA DAVIS

May 19 KEITH THURMAN Brooklyn
WBA/WBC Welterweight World Championship

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

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

June 16 ERROL SPENCE JR. Dallas
IBF Welterweight World Championship

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SAN ANTONIO, TX (January 24, 2018) – Tickets will be on sale Friday for the world title showdown between unbeaten three-division world champion Mikey Garcia and undefeated junior welterweight world champion Sergey Lipinets that takes place on Saturday, March 10 live on SHOWTIME from the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio and presented by Premier Boxing Champions.

Fans who purchased tickets for the originally scheduled event at the Alamodome on February 10 will have a 34-hour early access window beginning today at 12 p.m. CT until Thursday, January 25 at 10 p.m. CT to purchase their new seats.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Ringstar Sports and TGB Promotions, are priced at $250, $150, $75, $50 and $20 and go on sale for the public on Friday, January 26 at 10 a.m. CT. Tickets will be available at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000 or 210 556-7390.

The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING co-feature will see two-division world champion Rances Barthelemy taking on Kiryl Relikh in a rematch of their thrilling fight last May, this time for the vacant WBA 140-pound world title. Action inside the Freeman Coliseum begins at 4 p.m. CT.

# # #

For more information visit www.sho.com/sports , www.premierboxingchampions.com,
follow us on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing, @Ringstar @TGBPromotions, and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing and www.Facebook.com/RingstarSports. PBC is sponsored by Corona Extra, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

SAN ANTONIO, TX (January 19, 2018) – The highly anticipated showdown between undefeated three-division world champion Mikey Garcia and IBF 140-pound champion Sergey Lipinets has been rescheduled for Saturday, March 10th. The Premier Boxing Champions event was set to take place on February 10th, but Garcia’s quest for a fourth world title had to be rescheduled following a training injury to Lipinets’ hand. The fight will be live on SHOWTIME and will remain in San Antonio but move to the Freeman Coliseum.

Ticket information will be released early next week. Those holding tickets for the original date at the Alamodome will receive priority on seat exchange for the new venue. Tickets are priced at $250, $150, $75, $50 and $20 and will be available at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 210 556-6390. The event is promoted by Ringstar Sports and TGB Promotions, in association with Leija-Battah Promotions.

The remainder of the card will remain the same including the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING co-feature, which will see two-division world champion Rances Barthelemy taking on Kiryl Relikh in a rematch of their thrilling fight last May, this time for the vacant WBA 140-pound world title. The doubleheader of title bouts in the wide-open 140-pound division sets the stage for a potential unification match.

The 29-year-old Garcia (37-0, 30 KOs), emphatically returned to pound-for-pound lists in 2017 by scoring a highlight reel knockout of Dejan Zlaticanin to win the WBC Lightweight World Championship in January and then dominating four-division champion Adrien Broner on his way to a unanimous decision in July. Garcia is a member of a renowned boxing family, and is noted for his sportsmanship and his commanding presence in the ring, honed by his brother and acclaimed trainer Robert Garcia.

Garcia, of Moreno Valley by way of Oxnard, Calif., returned to the ring after a two-and-half-year layoff in July 2016 without missing a beat by stopping former champion Elio Rojas. Garcia, who has held world titles at 126, 130 and 135 pounds, has stopped 19 of his last 22 opponents including Roman “Rocky” Martinez, Juan Manuel Lopez and Orlando Salido.

With a win, Garcia would become only the third fighter in modern history to become champion at 126, 130, 135 and 140-pounds, joining future Hall of Famers Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao*.

The unbeaten Lipinets (13-0, 10 KOs) captured a super lightweight world title in just his 13th pro fight by defeating Akihiro Kondo via a unanimous decision on November 4 on SHOWTIME. He is originally from Kazakhstan but moved to Russia when he was six years old. He currently lives in Beverly Hills, California, Lipinets and is trained by Buddy McGirt.

The 28-year-old moved up the 140-pound rankings with victories over then unbeaten Haskell Rhodes, Levan Ghvamichava and Walter Castillo before knocking out Leonardo Zappavigna in a world title eliminator last December. Lipinets will look to stamp his place as an elite fighter when he takes on the accomplished and dangerous Garcia on March 10.

*Pacquiao won lineal championships at 126 and 140-pounds, although he did not win alphabet titles.

# # #

For more information visit www.sho.com/sports , www.premierboxingchampions.com,
follow us on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing, @Ringstar @TGBPromotions, and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing and www.Facebook.com/RingstarSports. PBC is sponsored by Corona Extra, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

Due to a hand injury, Sergey Lipinets will not be able to defend his IBF Junior Welterweight title against Mikey Garcia on February 10th, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

The fight will be pushed back.

“We need to find out the extent of the injury, but it seems like it’s nothing too serious so I think the fight will probably just be pushed back a few weeks,” promoter Richard Schaefer said. “We have to coordinate with the Alamodome and see what dates are available and I need to talk to Showtime. So that’s what we are working on today.

“The injury is not that serious from what I’ve been told [by Lipinets’ team]. They think it’s a sprain in the hand, but definitely nothing is broken or anything that would cause the fight to have to be pushed back by an extended period of time.”

Welterweights Ray Robinson and Yordenis Ugas will meet in a welterweight elimination bout on February 10 in San Antonio as part of the Mikey Garcia – Sergey Lipinets card and will be broadcasted on showtime, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Ugas-Robinson is an intriguing crossroads-type matchup between two talented boxers, each looking to earn his way into the top tier of the welterweight division,” Stephen Espinoza, executive vice president and general manager of Showtime Sports told ESPN. “We are in discussions with Mayweather Promotions to add it as an opening bout on the Showtime telecast.”

SAN ANTONIO (December 19, 2017) – Undefeated three-division world champion Mikey Garcia and unbeaten IBF Junior Welterweight World Champion Sergey Lipinets were face to face for the second straight day Tuesday at a press conference in San Antonio to discuss their main event showdown taking place Saturday, Feb. 10 live on SHOWTIME (10:15 p.m. ET/PT). The matchup of top-5 ranked junior welterweights is presented by Premier Boxing Champions at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING coverage will also feature two-division world champion Rances Barthelemy in a rematch against Kiryl Relikh for the vacant WBA 140-pound world title.

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by Ringstar Sports and TGB Promotions, are priced at $250, $150, $75, $50 and $20. Tickets are on-sale now and available at Ticketmaster.com.

Here is what the press conference participants had to say Tuesday from Ruth’s Chris Steak House Grand Hyatt in San Antonio:

MIKEY GARCIA

“We’re expecting a tough competitive fight. Lipinets is a fighter who is always dangerous. He has power in both hands and he’s not afraid to let his hands go. He’s also willing to get hit, so that he can hit you back. That’s what makes him dangerous.

“This opportunity to win a title in a fourth division was too great to pass on. It’s hard to secure fights like this. I’m happy everything came together so we can give the fans a great show.

“Last year was a great year for my return. It started with a world title win for a third division title and then I had the big victory over Adrien Broner in the summer. I’m looking for even bigger things in 2018 and this last year really paved the path for that.

“Winning a fourth title was the big draw for me in making this fight happen. To make history like that is something that really motivates me. I know that I have a lot more to accomplish in the sport, but this is a great start. This is the direction I want to go in.

“There’s a lot of talent and history in boxing in San Antonio. My brother has a gym here and we have a lot of fighters we train with from the area. Even though I’ve never fought here, I’ve gotten a lot of support from the community. When we were looking at venues for the fight, this was something I was excited to do.

“I have fought in different regions of Texas and always received a lot of love, but I had never been able to fight in San Antonio. We decided to bring the fight here to give something back to the state of Texas. There’s no city better to host it than San Antonio.”

SERGEY LIPINETS

“The fans in San Antonio can expect drama. It’s going to be a show. It’s going to have big punches, knockdowns and everything you’d want to see in a fight.

“This is the biggest challenge that I’ve had in my career. Mikey is a big star, but I’m very competitive and I want to show the world what I can do.

“My spirit cannot be matched by any fighter, but I also have the speed and strength to win. I will show my devastating power on February 10.

“Mikey is a very good chess player. People underestimate his ability to think in the ring. So I can’t just go in there with a style that someone else has used against him. We’re going to work hard on the best game plan for what I can do.

“This is going to be a difficult fight. I’m aiming to get a win any way that I can. I can’t say what it is going to look like, but I will be ready for anything in the ring.

“I’m coming to win. I want to be in the position that Mikey has reached in this sport. I’ve worked hard to get to this moment and I’m going to give it my all to take advantage.

“If I didn’t think I was ready for this fight then I wouldn’t have taken it. We have a plan and we’ll use all the experience I’ve gained from my career to execute it.”

RICHARD SCHAEFER, Chairman & CEO of Ringstar Sports

“Boxing is going into 2018 with huge momentum and starting out with big events like this. You have two undefeated champions getting in the ring to fight each other. These kind of fights are going to continue to elevate the sport to great heights.

“This was an easy fight to make because you have two fighters who want to measure themselves against the best. This is a fight that got done quickly. Neither fighter had to be convinced. Both guys feel they can win and are going into the fight with an attitude of an undefeated fighter.

“Neither one of these guys have any thought that they might lose. They are 100 percent convinced that they are going to walk out of there with their hand raised. That’s what’s going to make this a great matchup.”

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