Follow all the action as Juan Manuel Marquez and Mike Alvarado square in a Welterweight elimination bout from The Forum in Inglewood, California. The action begins at 10:15 ET / 7:15 PT with a Jr. Welterweight bout between Viktor Postial and Selcuk Aydin.

12 ROUNDS–WELTERWEIGHT–JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ (55-7-1, 40 KO’S) VS MIKE ALVARADO (34-2, 23 KO’S)

Round 1 Good right and left hook from Marquez…Right from Alvarado..right...10-10

Round 2 Alvarado lands a jab…2 rights from Marquez..good left to the body..Alvarado lands a body shot..left hook…20-19 Marquez

Round 3 Counter right from Marquez…good left hook from Alvarado…Body shot from Marquez..Hard right and 3 more..Alvarado gets in 2 lefts..30-28 Marquez Headbutt causes cut on Alvarado

Round 4 Alvarado lands a left to the body..Hard right from Marquez..solid left hook..Good right to the body..4 punch combination..combinations…40-37 Marquez

Round 5 Hard body shots from Marquez..body shot..Combination..Alvarado lands a right..50-46 Marquez

Round 6 Hard right from Marquez..Hard right..Marquez landing hard combinations..60-55 Marquez

Round 7 Hard upperut that sets up a combination from Marquez..70-64 Marquez

Round 8 Good right from Marquez..Hard counter right…HUGE COUNTER RIGHT AND DOWN GOES ALVARDO..80-72 Marquez

Round 9 RIGHT AND DOWN GOES MARQUEZ…Tremendous back and forth..Big right from Marquez..88-82 Marquez

Round 10 Hard right from Alvarado..left and right from Marquez…Alvarado cut from lefy eye…98-91 Marquez

Round 11 Left hook from Alvarado…uppercut..Left uppercut from Marquez..Right..right staggers Marquez..Marquez glove almost hits the canvas..107-101 Marquez

Round 12 Combination from Marquez…117-110 Marquez

117-109, 117-109, 119-108 JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ

12 Rounds–Jr. Welterweights–Viktor Postal (25-0, 10 KO’s) vs Selcuk Aydin (26-2, 19 KO’s)

Round 1 Postol landing jabs and left to the body..Hard left from Aydin wobbles Postol…10-9 Aydin

Round 2 Left hook from Aydin…left hpok..20-18 Aydin

Round 3 Uppercut from Postol..Hook from Aydin..Body shots from Postol..29-28 Aydin

Round 4 Good right from Aydin..39-37 Aydin

Round 5 Good left uppercut from Postol…uppercut…left hook to the body and another…48-47 Postol

Round 6 Combinations from Postol…57-57

Round 7 Postol landing combinations..67-66 Postol

Round 8 11 punches from Postol..good left hook by Aydin..2 hard lefts…body shot...77-75 Postol

Round 9 Postol lands a good right to olbody..87-84 Postol

Round 10 Aydin lands a right..left hook..Postol lands a right..left from Aydin..96-94 Postol

Round 11 Postol lands a 2 punch combination..Aydin docked a point for hitting behind the head..BIG UPPERCUT AND DOWN GOES AYDIN AND THE FIGHT IS OVER

Juan Manuel Marquez scored a 12-round unanimous decision over Mike Alvarado in a Welterweight bout at the Forum in Inglewood, California.

Marquez took control early by landing hard and quick combinations as Alvarado came in without throwing many punches. Marquez racked up rounds with the same formula and began to chop up the face of Alvarado. When Alvarado did throw it was one at a time and was quite disappointing as he did not use his size advantage in close.

In round eight, Marquez planted Alvarado on the canvas from a hard right hand. Alvarado’s one glimmer of hope came in the next round when he connected on a right hand that rocked Marquez back and stumbling to the point where both of his gloves touched the canvas for a knockdown. The two stood toe to toe for much of the 9th which thrilled the large crowd on hand for the return of boxing to the Forum.

That was the high point of the fight as Marquez composed himself to continue to box masterfully by mixing up leads, counter and body shots and cutting up both eyes of Alvarado.

Marquez, 141 3/4 lbs of Mexico City won by scores of 117-109 twice and 119-108 and adds to his Hall of Fame mark of 56-7-1. Alvarado, 143 1/4 lbs of Thornton, CO is now 34-3.

Viktor Postol scored an 11th round stoppage over Selcuk Aydin in a scheduled 12-round Jr. Welterweight bout.

Postol continued to pepper Aydin with quick combinations in between left hook attempts by Aydin. AYdin did get through on occasion. Aydin started to take over the fight in the middle rounds as he started to batter Aydin. Aydin was docked a point in the 11th round for hitting behind the head. That would not matter as just seconds later, Postol landed a thunderous uppercut that sent Aydin to the canvas. Aydin;s head bounced off the floor at the fight was stopped at 2:53 of round 11.

Postol, 139 3/4 lbs of Hollywood, CA is now 26-0 with 11 knockouts. Aydin, 139 1/4 lbs is 26-3.

Former world title challenger Diego Magdaleno scored a 8-round unanimous decision over Oscar Bravo in a Lightweight bout.

Magdaleno scored a knockdown in round four from a body shot.

Scores were 80-71 twice and 79-72 for Magdaleno, 132 1/2 lbs of Las Vegas and is now 26-1. Bravo, 136 1/2 is 26-4.

Oscar Valdez scored a stoppage after the 7th round over Noel Echevarria in a scheduled 8-round Super Featherweight bout.

Valdez, 129 1/2 lbs is now 11-0 with 11 knockouts. Echevarria, 130 lbs is 11-3.

Zachary Wohlman scored a four round unanimous decision over Eddie Cordova in a Welterweight bouts.

Scores were 40-36 and 39-37 twice for Wohlman, 143 1/2 lbs and is now 8-1-1. Cordova, 143 3/4 lbs is 4-8-1.

Brad Solomon remained undefeated with 8-round unanimous decision over Armen Ovespyan in a Welterweight bout.

Scores were 79-73 twice and 78-74 for Solomon, 149 1/4 lbs and is 22-0. Ovespyan, 146 3/4 lbs id 14-4.

Raul Hirales scored a 3rd round stoppage over Ernest Guerrero in round three of their scheduled 8-round Featherweight bout.

Hirales sent Guerrero down in round one from a right hand. Hirales then landed a big uppercut in round three and Guerrero could not beat at 2:31 of round three.

Hirales, 124 1/2 lbs of Mexico is now 22-2-1 with 11 knockouts. Guerrero, 121 1/4 lbs of Mexico is now 17-11.

Gabino Saenz scored a 3rd round knockout over Felix Perez in a scheduled six round Featherweight bout.

Saenz dropped Perez with a left and referee Jack Reiss counted 10 at 1:29 of round three.

Saenz, 127 3/4 lbs of Indio, CA is now 12-0-2 with 9 knockouts. Perez, 127 lbs is 8-6.

Pedro Duran scored a 1st round stoppage over Dominica Coca in a scheduled 4-round Super Featherweight bout.

Duran landed a perfect left hook to the body that sent Coca down for referee Thomas Taylor’s 10 count at 1:09 of round one.

Durna, 129 3/4 lbs of Paramount, CA is now 6-0 with 4 knockouts. Coca, 130 lbs of Downey, CA is now 8-8.

Edwin Solis spoiled the pro debut of Yuri Trogiyanov in the 6th and final scheduled round of their Featherweight bout.

Solis kept constant pressure and bloodied the nose of Trogiyanov over the 1st five round. Solid jumped on Trogiyano and landed a barrage of punches that forced referee Jerry Cantu to stop the fight at 1:07 of round six.

Solis, 126 lbs of Pomona. CA is now 6-2-3 with 4 knockouts. Trogiyanov, 125 1/2 lbs of Hollywood, CA was making his pro debut.

Cameron Kreal scored an upset victory by scoring a 4-round split decision over Manuel Lopez in a Welterweight bout.

One judge had the fight even at 38-38 while two scores read 39-37 for Kreal.

Kreal, 141 1/2 lbs is 5-5-2. Lopez, 141 1/4 lbs is now 5-1.

Photos by Chris Farina / Top Rank

Two of boxing’s top warriors make their 2014 debuts when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ VS. MIKE ALVARADO AND VIKTOR POSTOL VS. SELCUK AYDIN is seen SATURDAY, MAY 17 at 10:15 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from The Forum in Inglewood, Cal., exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports team will be ringside for the event, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates: May 18 (9:00 a.m.) and 20 (1:00 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: May 18 (3:30 p.m.) and 19 (11:00 p.m.)
After a nearly two-decade absence, HBO cameras return to The Forum – the site of the first “HBO Boxing After Dark®” telecast in 1996 – when Juan Manuel Marquez (55-7-1, 40 KOs) of Mexico City and Mike Alvarado (34-2, 23 KOs) of Denver clash in a 12-round welterweight world title eliminator.
A devastating right hand in the sixth round of his Dec. 2012 bout against Manny Pacquiao made Marquez the year’s unanimous knockout king. That heralded victory earned him a shot at Timothy Bradley Jr. and the welterweight title, but he subsequently lost to Bradley in 12 rounds by split decision. Now Marquez, 40, returns to The Forum, where he first showed promise as one of the sport’s future superstars, with a chance to build upon his already extraordinary hall of fame-worthy legacy.
Alvarado, 33, was responsible for some of the most captivating moments of the 2013 boxing season. Last October, he lost his 140-pound belt when he submitted to the referee’s stoppage against Ruslan Provodnikov. As he moves up in weight to test his abilities in the welterweight division, the veteran’s passion is the key to replicating the form that inspired “fight of the year” performances against Brandon Rios in 2012 and in their 2013 rematch.
Opening the night of action from Southern California, undefeated Viktor Postol (25-0, 10 KOs) of Kiev, Ukraine, takes on Turkey’s Selcuk Aydin (26-2, 19 KOs) in a junior welterweight tilt scheduled for 12 rounds. Postol, 30, made his American debut in December 2012 when he earned a first-round knockout against Henry Aurad in Inglewood, California, and since then has won four consecutive fights to emerge as a top contender in the 140-pound division. Aydin, also 30, is no stranger to the big stage, as his three convincing wins in 2013 has propelled him back into junior welterweight title contention. The stakes are high as the winner of this fight will be poised to challenge for the 140-pound title.
An all-new and compelling edition of “Face Off With Max Kellerman: Cotto/Martinez” debuts immediately following the boxing action (12:30-12:45 a.m. ET/PT). The special sets the stage for the blockbuster June 7th HBO Pay-Per-View® encounter between Miguel Cotto and Sergio Martinez at New York’s famed Madison Square Garden.,
Follow HBO boxing news at hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/hboboxing.
All HBO boxing events are presented in HDTV. HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.
The executive producer of WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® is Rick Bernstein; producer, Jon Crystal; director, Johnathan Evans.
® WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.

Selcuk Aydin has only one goal in his mind: The “Turkish Warrior” wants to become world champion. On May 17th he could make a huge step towards a world title when he faces unbeaten Ukrainian Viktor Postol in Inglewood, California. The winner of this WBC super lightweight eliminator will be mandatory challenger for unified WBC and WBA champion Danny Garcia.

Aydin vs. Postol will be live on HBO as televised co-feature of the clash between Juan Manuel Marquez and Mike Alvarado. “This is Selcuk’s chance to get back into the mix and all the way to the top again”, says promoter Ahmet Oner. “He already fought at this level when he faced Robert Guerrero for the WBC championship at 147. In that fight he just couldn’t pull the trigger. But I think his natural power will be a bigger factor at 140. If he gets past Postol I am sure that he can beat Garcia, too. But he has to live up to his potential. I am sure that it will be an exciting and brutal fight.”

Aydin is currently in training camp in his hometown Trabzon with head coach Robert Rolle getting ready and in shape for the big fight. His sparring partners can tell that the “Turkish Warrior” is taking this fight very serious. Light middleweight contender Gogi Knezevic had to quit and leave camp after only one very tough eight round session because of neck problems. Now European champion Michele Di Rocco gets to feel Aydin’s dedication and will power. “Selcuk is very focused and very strong. On fight night he will be in perfect shape”, says coach Rolle. “I think his aggressiveness and pure power will be too much for Postol.”

Cuban 2004 Olympic gold medalist and former world heavyweight championship contender Odlanier Solis (18-1, 12 KOs) and former WBC Silver welterweight champion Selcuk Aydin (23-2, 17 KOs) held a press conference in Berlin, Germany, talking about their upcoming bouts at “Universal Hall” this Friday (March 22nd).

“It feels good to be back in Germany”, said Solis. “I started my pro career over here and still have lots of friends in Berlin. In my last fight in Germany I suffered a bad injury when challenging Vitali Klitschko. But now me knee is well again. I am ready to go and want to prove that I am the best heavyweight fighter in the world.” Asked when he thinks he would be ready for another shot at the world title, the Cuban defector just smiled and said: “Ask the Klitschkos. I’m ready when they are.” Solis will face unbeaten Norwegian tough guy Leif Larsen (17-0, 14 KOs).
In the co-feature Turkish knockout artist Selcuk Aydin takes on Italian veteran Giuseppe Lauri (53-11, 31 KOs). Just like Solis Aydin is returning to Germany where he gave his pro debut over six years ago. It is his first fight after losing two in a row in the United States to Robert Guerrero and Jesus Soto Karass. “It was a close fight against Guerrero which I could have won if it hadn’t been in his backyard. But that’s the business. Now he is fighting Floyd Mayweather and I am back in Berlin. I want to fight my way back to the top and I will prove on Friday that these two losses didn’t break me.”
Promoter Ahmet Oner is excited to present such an excellent card in Germany. “Solis and Aydin are world class fighters. They are in good match-ups as well. This is an excellent card for Eurosport. Not a lot of promoters can bring elite fighters like this to Europe. It’s a restart for both of them. They have to show that they belong to the top. I’m looking forward to a great show.”
The card got even better when former world heavyweight champion Ruslan Chagaev (30-2-1, 19 KOs) was added at the press conference. The 34-year-old contender from Uzbekistan takes on US journeyman Mike Sheppard (20-14-1, 9 KOs).
The show will be broadcasted live on Eurosport starting at 9pm German time on Friday night.

Cuban 2004 Olympic gold medalist and former WBC world heavyweight title challenger Odlanier Solis (18-1, 12 KOs) arrived in Berlin, Germany, this morning where he will face unbeaten Norwegian powerhouse Leif Larsen (17-0, 14 KOs) at Universal Hall this Friday (March 22nd) on a card broadcasted live on Eurosport.

“It’s important for Solis to get back into the ring”, says promoter Ahmet Oner. “He only fought once last year. We got to keep him active, At the same time it doesn’t help if he just beats tomato cans and journey man. So I am very happy that we could get the fight with Larsen done. We discussed this fight last year already. Larsen said that Solis would duck him. I’m glad that Solis has a chance to prove that he is not ducking anybody. He is the best heavyweight fighter in the world and will be world champion very soon.”
“La Sombra” was mandatory challenger for WBC titlist Vitali Klitschko in March 2011 but lost due to a serious knee injury he suffered in the first round of the championship bout. Now he wants to get back into the title race by defending his IBF Intercontinental championship which he won by easily outboxing hard-hitting German Konstantin Airich in May 2012.
In the co-feature, Turkish welterweight star Selcuk Aydin (23-2, 17 KOs) returns to Germany after losing his last two bouts in the United States against Robert Guerrero and Jesus Soto Karass. To get back on the winning track, Aydin will drop down to junior welterweight and face Italian veteran and long-time European champion Giuseppe Lauri (53-11, 31 KOs).
“Both Solis and Aydin are elite fighters”, says Oner. “I am proud to bring these two international stars back to Germany on the same card. And both guys will be in tough fights against quality opponents. This will be a huge show on Eurosport.”
Oner, Aydin and Solis will hold a press conference on Tuesday, March 19th, at noon at Best Western Hotel MAO in Berlin. The show at Universal Hall starts at 7pm German time on Friday, March 22nd. The live broadcast on Eurosport starts at 9pm German time.

Lucas Matthysse made a big statement in calling for a fight with the winner of Danny Garcia and Zab Juah as he scored a spectacular first round knockout over Mike Dallas Jr. in a scheduled twelve round Super Lightweight bout at the Joint at The Hard Rock in Las Vegas.

It took one blistering right hand to knock Dallas out on his feet and he plummeted to the canvas as Matthysse missed two follow up shots and referee Robert Byrd called the bout off immedately.

Matthysse, of Argentina is now 33-2-1 with 31 knockouts. Dallas of Bakersfield, CA is now 19-3-1.

Jesus Soto Karass scored ten round majority decision over Selcuk Aydin in a Welterweight bout.

Soto Karass pushed the action and consistently had Aydin backing up.

Scores were 97-93 on two cards and 95-95.

Soto Karass, 148 lbs of North Hollywood, CA is now 27-8-3-1. Aydin, 149 lbs of Tonazza, Turkey is now 23-2.

Jermell Charlo remained perfect by scoring an eighth round stoppage over Harry Joe Yorgey in a scheduled ten round Jr. Middleweight bout.

Charlo looked very good and flashed explosive speed that led to two knockdowns in round two. The first knockdown was scored from a hard right hand. Again it was the right that was responsible for the second knockdown.

Yorgey was not very active and it was Charlo’s skills that was the cause of the inactivity. Yorgey started to bleed from around the left eye in round seven. Charlo scored a vicious one-two combination that sent Yorgey slowly to his knee in round eight. Yorget beat referee Kenny Bayless count but took a step backwards and the fight was waved off at 1:09 of round eight.

Charlo, 153 1/2 lbs of Houston, TX us 20-0 with 10 knockouts. Yorgey, 153 1/2 lbs of Bridgeport, PA is now 25-2-1.

Francisco Vargas scored a second round stoppage over Ira Terry in a Jr. Lightweight bout.

Vargas landed a hard right hand that sent Terry down for the ten count and the bout was waved off at 1:46 of round two.

Garcia, 130 lbs of Mexico City is now 15-0-1 with 12 knockouts. Terry, 129 lbs of Memphis, TN is now 26-11.

Julian Williams remained undefeated by stopping Jeremiah Wiggins in round seven of an eight round Jr. Middleweight bout.

Williams dominated the action and hurt Wiggins repeatedly throughout the fight. Williams had extremely string rounds in three, four, five and six as landed hard shots with both hands. Wiggins stayed in the fight by occasionally landing combinations but never had Williams in serious trouble.

Williams landed a huge left hook in round seven that set off a barrage of punches on the ropes that facilitated Wiggins corner to throw in the towel.

Williams, 154 1/s lbs of Philadelphia is now 11-0-1 with six knockouts. Wiggins, 151 lbs of Newport News, VA is now 10-2-1

2012 U.S. Olympian Errol Spence Jr. drilled overmatched Nathan Butcher in the first round of a scheduled four round Welterweight bout.

Spence landed a right to the body that was followed by a vicious right and left to the head that had Butcher sprawling into the ropes and referee Russell Mora stopped the bout at 1:03 of round one.

Spence of Dallas is 3-0 with all wins coming via knockout. Butcher of Huntington, WV is 0-2.

LAS VEGAS, January 24 – Continuing to deliver more fight action than any other promoter, Golden Boy Promotions will do it again this Saturday, January 26 inside The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino with two preliminary bouts to air on SHOWTIME EXTREME® before the first SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BROADCAST® telecast of 2013 hits the airwaves with a tripleheader featuring Lucas Matthysse vs. Mike Dallas Jr., Selcuk Aydin vs. Jesus Soto Karass and Jermell Charlo vs. Harry Joe Yorgey.

In the SHOWTIME EXTREME headliner scheduled for 10 rounds in the junior lightweight division, unbeaten 2008 Mexican Olympian Francisco Vargas battles Memphis veteran Ira Terry. Plus, Philadelphia junior middleweight Julian Williams risks his “0” against Virginia’s Jeremiah Wiggins in an eight round SHOWTIME EXTREME opening bout and, in a bout that will be aired time permitting, 2012 U.S. Olympian Errol Spence Jr. faces an opponent to be determined in a four round super welterweight matchup.

The SHOWTIME tripleheader is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona and AT&T with Matthysse vs. Dallas being presented in association with Arano Box Promotions and Goossen Tutor Promotions, Aydin vs. Soto Karass being presented in association with Arena-Box Promotion, Charlo vs. Yorgey being presented in association with Banner Promotions and Bennett vs. Ankrah being presented in association with Millennium Events. The SHOWTIMECHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins live at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) with preliminary fights live on SHOWTIME EXTREME beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Tickets priced at $150, $100, $75, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, along with a limited number of VIP suite seats priced at $125, are on sale now and may be purchased at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at (800) 745-3000.

Mexico City’s Francisco Vargas (13-0-1, 10 KO’s) has impressed fight game insiders consistently since emerging from the 2008 Olympics and many believe that the 28-year-old is ready to make his move on the 130-pound elite in 2013. A knockout puncher with both hands, Vargas had a busy 2012, going 6-0 with five knockouts, and hopes to stay as active this year, beginning with Saturday’s fight against Terry.

Fighting out of Memphis, Tennessee, 25-year-old Ira Terry (26-10, 16 KO’s) has recently stopped Jered Johnson in less than two minutes and needed less than two rounds to do the same to respected fighter, Verquan Kimbrough, giving him plenty of positive energy heading into Las Vegas.

22-year-old Julian Williams (10-0-1, 5 KO’s) is Philadelphia’s latest promising rising star in the fight game and with wins over fellow prospects Hector Rosario (W8) and Jonel Tapia (TKO7) in his last two fights, he is clearly on the verge of big things in 2013. Also looking to make his move this year is Newport News, Virginia’s Jeremiah Wiggins (10-1-1, 5 KO’s). Fresh off of a near upset against highly touted prospect Daquan Arnett last November, the 31-year-old is ready for a battle with Williams this weekend.

A member of the 2012 United States Olympic team, Desoto, Texas’ Errol Spence Jr. (2-0, 2 KO’s) has put together two golden performances as a professional thus far, finishing off Jonathan Garcia and Richard Andrews, each in the third round. On Saturday, the versatile 23-year-old will meet an opponent to be determined in a four round bout.

In non-televised action, Los Angeles phenom Julian Ramirez (6-0, 5 KO’s) will fight for the second time this month, as he looks to follow up his January 11 stoppage of Sergio Najera with a win over San Bernardino’s Juan Sandoval (7-11-1, 4 KO’s) in a four round junior featherweight matchup.

The second half of the fighting Charlo brothers, junior middleweight Jermall Charlo (10-0-1, 5 KO’s) puts his unbeaten record on the line on the same show as his twin brother in an eight round battle against Westerly, Rhode Island’s Joshua Williams (8-4, 5 KO’s).

Also featured will be a 10 round super lightweight fight between Chad Bennett and Ben Ankrah. Fighting out of Newcastle, Australia, Chad “Hollywood” Bennett (30-4-3, 21 KO’s) has been on a tear as of late, winning six straight over the last two years, with five of those victories coming by knockout. The current WBO Asia Pacific 140 lb. champion, Bennett will return to fight in the United States for the first time since 2010 when he battles Accra, Ghana’s Ben Ankrah (17-11, 8 KO’s). A 12-year veteran of the sport Ankrah has won six of his last seven and considering that he has ended five of those victories by knockout, expect some explosive action when he squares off with Bennett.

In a four round welterweight opener, New South Wales, Australia’s Will Sands (3-0-1) faces San Juan, New Mexico’s Herb Begay (0-0-1).

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, and follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @TheJointLV,@hardrockhotellv, @SHOsports, follow the conversation using or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxingor www.facebook.com/ShoBoxing.

LOS ANGELES, January 3 – SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® will return with hard hitting action on Saturday, January 26 at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas live on SHOWTIME® (10:00 p.m. ET/PT delayed on the West Coast). The tripleheader will be headlined by Argentinean knockout artist Lucas Matthysse defending his WBC Interim Super Lightweight World Championship against Mike “The Silent Assassin” Dallas Jr.

In co-featured bouts, welterweight warriors Selcuk Aydin and Jesus Soto Karass will collide in a significant non-title attraction while rising undefeated junior middleweight contender Jermell Charlo takes on an opponent to be named in a 10-round junior middleweight attraction.

Featured in a non- televised bout will be a 12-round WBO Asia Pacific Junior Welterweight title fight between champion Chad Bennett and challenger Ben Ankrah.

This stellar SHOWTIME tripleheader is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona and AT&T with Matthysse vs. Dallas being presented in association with Arano Box Promotions and Goossen Tutor Promotions, Aydin vs. Soto Karass being presented in association with Arena Box Promotions and Bennett vs. Ankrah being presented in association with Millennium Events. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins live on SHOWTIMEat 10:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) with preliminary fights live on SHOWTIME EXTREME® beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

“We’re excited to start off 2013 with a big tripleheader on SHOWTIME,” said Golden Boy Promotions President Oscar De La Hoya. “We are setting the standard high for 2013 and this event is going to deliver up to that standard for fight fans in attendance at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and those watching on at home on SHOWTIME.”

“We are thrilled to kick-off SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING in 2013 with an exciting night of boxing featuring some of the sports’ hardest hitting punchers,” said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports. “Whenever you bring together fighters of this caliber, you can expect great action packed fights and that is exactly what we are anticipating for this tripleheader on January 26.”

Tickets priced at $150, $100, $75, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, along with a limited number of VIP suite seats priced at $125, go on sale on Friday, January 4 at noon PT and may be purchased at the Hard Rock Hotel Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, online at www.Ticketmaster.com or by phone at (800) 745-3000.

After fighting under the radar for several years, Argentinean strongman Lucas Matthysse (32-2, 30 KO’s) began breaking through on the international scene in 2010-11 after controversial decision losses to Zab Judah and Devon Alexander, which many ringside observers believe he won. Following those defeats, he decided to take things out of the judges’ hands. What followed were four consecutive knockout wins, including a 2012 finish of Humberto Soto in June and a 10th round TKO of Ajose Olusegun, the latter victory earning him the WBC Interim Super Lightweight title that he will defend on January 26.

One of California’s top young talents, Bakersfield’s Mike “The Silent Assassin” Dallas Jr. (19-2-1, 8 KO’s) has learned from his experiences in the ring over the last four-plus years. After bouncing back from losses to Josesito Lopez and Mauricio Herrera in 2011 with wins against Miguel Gonzalez and Javier Castro in 2012, he’s ready to make his move in 2013. The 26-year-old Dallas can make an emphatic statement to the boxing world with a win over Matthysse at the end of next month.

A native of Turkey who fights out of Hamburg, Germany, hard-nosed battler Selcuk Aydin (23-1, 17 KO’s) has long been one of the top European fighters in the world, winning European, WBC International, and WBC Silver titles. In July of 2012, Aydin returned to fight in the United States for the first time in three years and gave Robert Guerrero a grueling 12-round battle before losing a decision in their WBC Interim Welterweight World Championship bout. On January 26, the 29-year-old is back stateside and looking to take out perennial contender Jesus Soto Karass.

Highly respected by his peers and a growing fan base that appreciates his work ethic and aggressive fighting style, Los Mochis, Mexico’s Jesus Soto Karass (26-8-3, 17 KO’s) has paid his dues fighting the best competition possible over the years and is finally starting to get his time in the spotlight. An 11 year pro, the 30-year-old has won two of his last three bouts, with the only loss coming in a Fight of the Year candidate against Marcos Maidana in September of 2012. Knowing Soto Karass’ style, once all is said and done, his bout with Aydin may receive that same consideration.

After putting together three big wins in 2012, Houston’s Jermell Charlo (19-0, 9 KO’s) is looing forward to topping that total in 2013, and he begins that quest on January 26. The winner of bouts over Chris Chatman, Denis Douglin and Dashon Johnson this year, the talented 22-year-old known as the “Iron Man” will be ready for whoever is placed across the ring from him in the SHOWTIME opener.

Fighting out of Newcastle, Australia, Chad “Hollywood” Bennett (30-4-3, 21 KO’s) has been on a tear of late, winning six straight over the last two years, with five of those victories coming by knockout. The current WBO Asia Pacific Junior Welterweight Champion, the 39-year-old Bennett will return to fight in the United States for the first time since 2010 to defend his title against Accra, Ghana’s Ben Ankrah (17-11, 8 KO’s). A 12-year veteran of the sport, the 33-year-old Ankrah has won six of his last seven, and considering that he has ended five of those victories by knockout, expect some explosive action when he squares off against Bennett.

A complete slate of undercard bouts will be announced shortly. For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, and follow us on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @TheJointLV,@hardrockhotellv, @SHOsports, follow the conversation using or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing or www.facebook.com/ShoBoxing.

September 25, 2012 – 6-Time world champion, Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero was honored by the WBC today in Mexico City, as officially received his world title belt after defeating Selcuk Aydin last month in San Jose.

“I want to thank the WBC and their entire organization along with Golden Boy Promotions, for giving me the opportunity to fight for the WBC title. I take great pride in wearing the green belt and will continue to fight the best that come my way.”