March 27, 2015 – HBO Sports® debuts an all-new installment of “2 Days” when the feature segment returns Monday, April 6 at 10:15 p.m. (ET/PT) with a behind-the-scenes look at undefeated sensation Terence Crawford, one of boxing’s fastest rising stars.

“2 Days” is a revealing and intimate look at a 48-hour span in the life of a boxer in the lead-up to one of his fights and the next edition will focus on Omaha native Terence Crawford. HBO cameras followed the 2014 BWAA “Fighter of the Year” last November when he defeated Ray Beltran on Thanksgiving Weekend in front of the hometown fans. The win was Crawford’s 25th consecutive triumph as a pro and his last at 135 pounds where he was the premier lightweight performer. His upcoming fight will see the 27-year-old make his debut at 140 pounds.

HBO air times include: April 6 (10:15 p.m.), 9 (5:30 p.m. & 12:35 a.m.), 12 (1:15 p.m.), 13 (8:15 a.m.), 15 (1:45 p.m. & 10:15 p.m.), 17 (2:00 a.m. & 7:15 p.m.) and 18 (8:45 a.m.).

HBO2 air times include: April 8 (11:50 a.m. & 8:00 p.m.), 10 (2:40 a.m. & 4:30 p.m.), 11 (10:05 a.m.), 14 (3:30 p.m.), 17 (11:00 p.m.) and 18 (4:30 p.m.).

HBO Latino air times include: April 6 (10:15 p.m.), 9 (5:30 p.m.), 12 (1:15 p.m.), 13 (8:15 a.m.), 15 (1:45 p.m. & 9:45 p.m.), 17 (2:25 a.m.) and 18 (8:45 a.m.).

All times are ET/PT.

Crawford is slated to return to the ring on Saturday, April 18 when he meets the formidable Thomas Dulorme from the College Park Center at the University of Texas Arlington on HBO Boxing After Dark. The event will be part of terrific split site doubleheader on HBO starting at 9:45 p.m. (ET/PT).

“2 Days” will also be available on the HBO On Demand® service, HBO GO® and at www.hbo.com/boxing as well as various other new media platforms that distribute the series.

ARLINGTON, TX (March 5, 2015) — Undefeated World Boxing Organization (WBO) lightweight champion and the Boxing Writers Association of America’s (BWAA) Fighter of the Year TERENCE “Bud” CRAWFORD is movin’ on up — to the junior welterweight division — where he will take on THOMAS “Thunder” DULORME, the No. 2-world-rated contender, for the vacant WBO World Junior Welterweight title. Crawford vs. Dulorme will take place Saturday, April 18, at College Park Center located on the campus of the University of Texas Arlington in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The world championship fight will be televised as part of a split site doubleheader live on HBO Boxing After Dark®, beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Promoted By Top Rank®, in association with Gary Shaw Productions, Foreman Boys Promotions and Tecate, tickets to the Crawford-Dulorme world championship event will go on sale Tomorrow! Friday, March 6, at 10:00 a.m. CT. Priced at $200, $100, $60, $40 and $25, plus applicable fees, tickets can be purchased at College Park Center box office, online at www.utatickets.com/ or www.utacollegepark.com/ or by phone at (817) 272-9595.

“I am ready to do bigger and better things at 140,” said Crawford.

“I’m here to prove to the world that I am the best fighter in the junior welterweight division,” said Dulorme. “Crawford has an undefeated record but he’s never won a fight at 140 lbs. I’m envisioning a hard-fought victory, one that I will bring back home to my people of Puerto Rico.”

“Dulorme is a good, well-rounded boxer. We are excited because the 140 pound division will bring the best out of Terence,” said Brian McIntyre, Crawford’s co-trainer and co-manager. “The 140 division is loaded with top fighters. This is great for Terence as everyone will soon see.”

“Terence had a breakout year in 2014 capturing the world’s attention with three career-best world championship victories en route to earning Fighter of the Year accolades,” said Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank. “He will be looking continue that momentum on April 18 when he returns to HBO, on the hunt for another world title against Thomas Dulorme of Puerto Rico.”

“I’m very pleased that I was able to get this fight done with Top Rank,” said Gary Shaw. “Terence Crawford is considered one of the best Lightweights in boxing, but he is moving up to junior welterweight where he will face a very determined and talented Thomas Dulorme, who’s undefeated at 140 pounds. I want to thank HBO for showcasing what I perceive is another great fight for the fans. I smell an upset in the making. This will be the start of a great run of fantastic fights for HBO.”

“With Terence Crawford’s star having emerged in 2014, the question now is how high that star ascends or if his opponent Thomas Dulorme will invert the trajectory,” said Peter Nelson, vice president of programming, HBO Sports. “As lightweight champion last year, Crawford earned his BWAA Fighter of the Year honors with bold, stylish victories against top competitors, a streak which continues in stride up the scale against the hungry Dulorme, who is undefeated at 140-lbs. It will be a split-site doubleheader not to be missed on our late night Boxing After Dark franchise.”

Crawford (25-0, 17 KOs), of Omaha, NE, makes his 2015 ring debut looking to build on his star-making 2014 which featured three world championship victories as well as Fighter of the Year honors from the BWAA and major media alike. He began his career-best year last March 1, just 13 days short of the sixth anniversary of his professional debut. Crawford captured the WBO lightweight title, dethroning defending champion Ricky Burns on Burns’ home turf of Glasgow, Scotland. Scoring a powerful and unanimous decision, Crawford put the boxing world on notice with his virtuoso performance as he pulled out all stops in dismantling Burns, rocking the defending champion throughout the fight, while switching back and forth between orthodox and southpaw stances. He followed that with a dramatic and critically-acclaimed knockout victory of undefeated former world champion and Cuban Olympic gold medalist Yuriorkis Gamboa on June 28 in a Fight of the Year nominee. It was one of the most-watched fights of the year with over 1.2 million viewers catching the live, first-time airing of the fight, according to Nielsen Media Research. He concluded 2014 on November 29 with a thorough shellacking of one-time world title challenger and No. 1 contender Ray Beltran, winning 11 of the 12 rounds. Crawford is only the second Nebraska native to be recognized as a boxing world champion. Perry “Kid” Graves, from Rock Bluff, captured the welterweight crown, knocking out Johnny Alberts in Brooklyn, in 1914, according to the Omaha World-Herald.

Dulorme (22-1, 14 KOs), of Carolina, Puerto Rico, graduated to the professional ranks in 2008 after a stellar amateur career which included a sterling 140-2 record. He has long been a fan-favorite of Puerto Ricans for his slick all-action fighting style. Dulorme enters this fight riding a two-year six-bout winning streak, with his career-best victories coming in back-to-back fights in 2014 and both televised on HBO. He opened up 2014 with a 10-round unanimous decision victory over undefeated contender Karim Mayfield to capture the NABF super lightweight title and ended the year unifying his NABF title with the NABO junior welterweight title via an exciting 10-round decision over Hank Lundy. A consensus Top-Five contender, Dulorme is world-rated No. 2 by the World Boxing Association (WBA), No. 3 by the World Boxing Council (WBC) and No. 4 by the WBO and the International Boxing Federation (IBF).

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, facebook.com/GaryShawProductions or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, twitter.com/GaryShawBoxing or twitter.com/hboboxing. Use the Hashtag #CrawfordDulorme to join the conversation on Twitter.

ARLINGTON, TX (March 4, 2015) — Undefeated World Boxing Organization (WBO) World Lightweight Champion and the Boxing Writers Association of America’s (BWAA) 2014 Fighter of the Year TERENCE CRAWFORD and THOMAS DULORME, the No. 2 world-rated junior welterweight contender, will host a Dallas/Fort Worth area press conference announcing their world championship rumble, Tomorrow! Thursday, March 5, on the arena floor of the College Park Center, located on the campus of the University of Texas Arlington (600 South Center St., Arlington, TX 76010-1814). The press conference, which will be open to the public, will begin at 1:30 p.m. CT.

Joining the fighters will be Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank, and Gary Shaw, president of Gary Shaw Promotions, who promote Crawford and Dulorme, respectively. All the participants will be available for one-on-one interviews.

Media may enter through the main entrance, located on the north side of the building. Media parking will be available in the garage, also located on the north side of the building

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Gary Shaw Promotions, Foreman Boys Promotions and Tecate, Crawford and Dulorme will be battling for the vacant WBO junior welterweight world title, Saturday, April 18 at College Park Center. The world championship fight will be televised as part of a split site doubleheader live on HBO Boxing After Dark®, beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Crawford (25-0, 17 KOs), of Omaha, NE, boxing’s brightest young star, captured the WBO lightweight title last March, dethroning Ricky Burns in the defending champion’s native Scotland, with a virtuoso performance. Crawford successfully defended the title twice in 2014, knocking out undefeated Cuban superstar and former world champion Yuriorkis Gamboa — a Fight of the Year nominee — and a one-sided unanimous decision over one-time world title contender and mandatory challenger Ray Beltran last November.

Dulorme (22-1, 14 KOs), of Carolina, Puerto Rico, is a fan-favorite in one of boxing’s hottest and most passionate markets. He enters his first world championship fight riding a two-year, six-bout winning streak, including his most recent victory, an NABF/NABO junior welterweight title victory over Hank Lundy, which was televised on HBO last December. Dulorme is world-rated No. 2 by the World Boxing Association (WBA), No. 3 by the World Boxing Council (WBC) and No. 4 by the WBO and the International Boxing Federation (IBF).

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, facebook.com/GaryShawProductions or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, twitter.com/GaryShawBoxing or twitter.com/hboboxing. Use the Hashtag #CrawfordDulorme to join the conversation on Twitter.

According to Dan Rafael, Lightweight titlist Terence Crawford has been named 2014 Fighter of The Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America.

“It’s a surprise to me because that’s something I never thought I’d be able to accomplish,” Crawford said. “Now that it’s happened, it kind of feels like it’s not real. But I will say that my performance in the ring on those three nights last year brought the best out of me.

“I was as sharp as I could be. Everything fell into place at the right time, and I’m looking for a big year again in 2015.”

“I’m going to continue taking the biggest and best fights out there. I don’t want to take no step down,” said Crawford, a native of Omaha, Nebraska. “I want to prove I’m the best fighter in and around my division and one of the best in any division. To be great, you got to set your sights on the Pacquiaos and the Mayweathers. Those are the kind of guys I want to fight and beat.

By Bart Barry-

Saturday at CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraskan lightweight champion Terence Crawford decisioned Mexican Raymundo Beltran lopsidedly, 119-109 and 118-110 and 119-109, in a match that was not large as its superlatives but demonstrated Crawford should stay at lightweight, which he won’t, Beltran was overrated, which no rater will admit, and Crawford should be 2014’s fighter of the year, an award that instead will go to a Russian who decisioned a 49-year-old last month.

In this, the final month of this, one hell of a dreadful year for our beloved sport, there are clear factions established among aficionados, anymore, and these factions predict with unfortunate accuracy the way each HBO main event will be seen. There are the sturdy optimists, identifiable by their collective disgust, creatively and diversely expressed; and there are the evangelists, using to describe today’s middling fare what words once adorned feats by Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Roberto Duran – and almost always with a financial incentive for imposing such overwrought modifiers.

The sturdy optimists saw Saturday on HBO two mediocre featherweights followed by one good lightweight and one very good lightweight. The sturdy optimists, who are optimistic for their refusal to call a counterfeit the true coin, saw nothing great happen. The evangelists, contrarily, saw the possible future of Puerto Rico prizefighting score a questionable draw with a Russian fighter – and if this year taught us little more, it taught us a former-Soviet-bloc fighter has amazingness as his birthright – followed by a future great with every tool establishing lightweight lineality against a very good contender (who should be champion!) before 12,000 Nebraskans, which is an astounding number when one considers it is 30-percent more fans than Gennady Golovkin’s record breaker of a ticketselling feat comprised in October.

The less written about undefeated Russian featherweight Evgeny Gradovich and undefeated Puerto Rican Jayson Velez’s remaining undefeated against one another, the better – as each man would be better served fighting the other man six more times than getting axed by Jamaican Nicholas Walters, and so let’s just wait for their third rematch before returning to them.

Terence Crawford is much better than most of his peers, both better at fighting than they are and better at interesting the townspeople of his native city in prizefighting, and promoter Top Rank deserves credit for working to build Crawford as an attraction in Omaha, a city not identifiable by anyone as interested in boxing till recently. Crawford’s large ticket sales in his hometown are surprising as the paucity of tickets he would sell in Las Vegas if he took his show on the road, which he oughtn’t do.

Crawford needs offensive-minded opponents to entertain best, and the more offensively basic and defensively suspect such athletic men are when they move forward, the better. Raymundo Beltran, a Mexican who fights out of Arizona and California, often as a sparring partner to the stars, was nearly right for Crawford’s style as Yuriorkis Gamboa was for Crawford’s ascension-making performance in June. Beltran fought gamely but ultimately succumbed to a sparring-partner ethic that makes meaningful effort, and the good work it gives one’s customer, nearly valuable as victory. When Beltran whacked away at Ricky Burns a couple Septembers ago, he used his Mexican suspicion of others’ acclaim to test the Scotsman and find him wanting, before treating Burns like an impostor. Saturday Beltran began with the same Mexican suspicion, one that grows in another man’s hometown, serendipitously enough for Mexican prizefighters and aficionados, to test Crawford, and land what was a jarring righthand in round 3.

But this time the man across from Beltran was a customer, not an impostor, and it remanded Beltran to nine rounds of hard labor and meaningful effort and what satisfaction and acclaim he received immediately afterwards despite losing 10 rounds unanimously. So dismal has boxing become that Crawford’s sporadic efforts to knock-out Beltran in rounds 11 and 12 met with near breathlessness from HBO’s broadcasting crew, as if endeavoring to land the decisive blow on a man whom you’ve outclassed for a solid half hour is a new and abstract form of courageousness. Alas. Evangelists are not culpable for lapses in quality control; their job is enthusiasm, not discernment, and their craft is craftily wording homages and tributes to whomever gets placed before them, not choosing those men.

Now Terence Crawford, who has the skills, potentially, to be a great lightweight but lacks the physical strength to be more than a good junior welterweight and a mediocre welterweight is summoned to 140 pounds, which is unfortunate because he fought Saturday at 153 pounds and did not carry in either fist power enough to stretch a man who began his career at 126. Barring nifty matchmaking, Crawford may well have scored his career’s last meaningful knockout in the very year aficionados happened to get excited about him, a phenomenon becoming too common in prizefighting to be called phenomenal.

It is hard to imagine Sergey Kovalev’s decisioning of a 49-year-old Bernard Hopkins evinces greater merit than Crawford’s three decisive victories over men in the primes of their careers, but as Kovalev’s decisive victory happened in front of more American boxing writers than the aggregate of Crawford’s three victories, well, one needn’t be a pessimist to know which way the nod will go, as the optimists look middle-distance, detached, and the evangelists make sure someone is looking at them for a quiet fist pump.

*

Editor’s note: After a one-week Spanish hiatus, Bart Barry’s column will return on Dec. 15.

LONDON (Nov 28) – Rising middleweight sensations Chris Eubank Jr and Billy Joe Saunders will be out to steal the show on a truly mouth-watering evening of boxing this Saturday, live and exclusive on BoxNation.

Taking place at a 20,000 sell-out at ExCel London the pair have not minced their words in the run up to this year’s biggest and best British card, headlined by Dereck Chisora and Tyson Fury’s world title eliminator.

But despite the heavyweight hitmen topping the bill, it is Eubank Jr’s and Saunders’ clash which could prove the fight of the night on a card stacked from top to bottom.

The duo have shown little regard for one another in the build up to their eagerly anticipated clash, with Eubank Jr adamant that the current British, Commonwealth and European champion has not got under his skin.

“I can see he is not mentally ready to face what is going to be brought to him on Saturday night,” said Eubank Jr. “I could see he’s not ready at the press conference, with his nervous laughing and talking like he is a school kid. It’s going to be complete domination on my part in this fight.

“From day one of my professional career I have had people saying all types of things to me – from social media to trolls to haters. They have always been insulting me, whether it’s because they doubt my abilities or they didn’t like my dad so they don’t want me to succeed.

“So I’m used to insults and immune to any bad words that are directed towards me. He is not getting to me but I am getting to him by not reacting to the dumb things he says,” said Eubank Jr.

Despite both men having around the same number of professional fights, with the unbeaten Saunders’ 20 wins to Eubank Jr’s 18, it is the Brighton speedster who is seen as the less experienced of the two.

However, the 25-year-old is looking to follow in his father’s famous footsteps but says he is his own man when in the ring and has vowed that he will stop the highly-touted Saunders.

“I don’t take advice – I know what I’m going to do. If I feel like I have to change a certain strategy or start doing something different I will do it. That’s the difference between me and Billy Joe he needs someone to tell him what he needs to do – I don’t,” said Eubank Jr.

“I never pick a round or say when I’m going to take someone out in but he will not go the full 12 rounds with me – I’m going to knock him out. He’s not going to have enough to deal with the firepower which I’m going to bring to him,” he said.

Saunders, though, is in equally defiant mood and despite the fact he could have gone on to challenge for world honours he felt he has unfinished business back at home.

“I think you get more respect from the fans by taking on fights like this, where people can’t split you. I want to make sure everyone in Britain is beat so when I do move to world level people can say he beat everyone at his weight back home now he’s gone onto the world,” said Saunders.

“This is a fight the fans have been calling for and I’m happy we’ve managed to get this fight done – I honestly cannot wait to get in the ring,” he said.

The fight will allow the victor to go on to challenge the biggest names in the division next year, with Saunders, also 25, certain that Eubank Jr doesn’t know what is coming his way.

“It’s been a long time coming. The talking is done. This fight doesn’t need hyping up. I’m fit and ready to rock and roll. I’m going to poleaxe Chris Eubank Jr. Believe me I’m going to knock him out cold,” Saunders said.

“He says he’s going to break my heart. He wouldn’t break my heart with an AK47. So he isn’t going to break my heart – that’s definitely sure. I know what I need to do in there. I’m relaxed, all the hardwork has been done and the job is going to get done on Saturday,” he stated.

Also featuring on the night’s brilliant bill is Birmingham’s Frankie Gavin who will be looking to bounce back against the undefeated Bradley Skeete, with super-featherweights Liam Walsh and Gary Sykes challenging for the British and Commonwealth belts.

Super-middleweight ace Frank Buglioni is also appearing on the card as he takes on Andrew Robinson for the vacant WBO European title.

Once the enthralling bill is over from London, BoxNation will bring viewers live and exclusive coverage of one boxing’s hottest young superstars in the slick and exciting Terence Crawford who will defend his WBO lightweight world title against Raymundo Beltran.

In front of a full house at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska, the 27-year-old Crawford returns home for his second fight in a row, as he takes on the man who contentiously lost in his last world title bid against Ricky Burns last year.

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

-Ends-

About BoxNation
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HBO’s hit late-night boxing franchise visits Omaha, Neb. for the second time in less than six months to present an all-action doubleheader of world title bouts when HBO BOXING AFTER DARK: TERENCE CRAWFORD VS. RAY BELTRAN AND EVGENY GRADOVICH VS. JAYSON VELEZ is seen SATURDAY, NOV. 29 at 10:00 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from CenturyLink Center, 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: Nov. 30 (8:15 a.m.) and Dec. 1 (12:15 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates: Nov. 30 (5:45 p.m.) and Dec. 2 (12:15 a.m.)

Last June in Omaha, lightweight titleholder Terence Crawford (24-0, 17 KOs) made his long-awaited hometown debut on HBO, scoring a spectacular comeback KO victory over the previously undefeated Cuban star Yuriorkis Gamboa. The 27-year-old has fast-tracked through the 135-pound division, scoring three victories on HBO last year and adding a world title belt in March 2013.

Ray Beltran (29-6-1, 17 KOs) of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico is a formidable opponent on a five-fight winning streak. No stranger to the spotlight, the 33-year-old fought on the Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley Jr. undercard last April, winning a 12-round unanimous decision over Arash Usmanee.

The night from Omaha opens with two undefeated fighters hoping to become breakout stars when Evgeny Gradovich (19-0, 9 KOs) of Russia and Jayson Velez (22-0, 16 KOs) of Puerto Rico clash in a 12-round featherweight title fight. Making his fourth title defense, the 28-year-old Gradovich has shown a willingness to meet anyone, anywhere, having fought three times in Macau, China. Like Gradovich, the 26-year-old Velez has a fan-friendly style that should make for a compelling encounter.

The telecast begins with a replay of the Manny Pacquiao-Chris Algieri welterweight title fight from Macau that featured a dominant performance from Pacquiao in his 17th HBO Pay-Per-View event.

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 HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is Rick Bernstein; producer, Jon Crystal; director, Johnathan Evans.

OMAHA, NEB (October 3, 2014) — Tickets to the TERENCE “Bud” CRAWFORD vs. RAY BELTRAN WBO lightweight championship fight have been flying out the window — literally — since going on sale today at 10:00 a.m. CT. Crawford (24-0, 17 KOs), Omaha’s favorite son, will be defending his world title against No. 1 contender Beltran (29-6-1, 17 KOs), of North Hollywood, Calif., Saturday, November 29 at Omaha’s CenturyLink Center. The fight will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark, beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

“In just the four hours of being on sale, we are close to selling out the ringside seats and the next highest priced tier tickets sales are not too far behind that,” said Hall of Fame Promoter Bob Arum. “Terence’s fans are taking no chances on missing the opportunity of seeing their world champion defend his title live. The atmosphere on fight night is going to be even more electric than his last fight!”

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Tecate, remaining tickets to the Crawford vs. Beltran World Lightweight Championship event, priced at $127, $77 and $52 and $27, are available for purchase at the CenturyLink Center Omaha box office and all Ticketmaster outlets. To charge-by-phone call 800-745-3000. To order online, visit Ticketmaster.com.

Crawford successfully defended his title on June 28, at the CenturyLink Center, knocking out previously undefeated world champion Yuriorkis Gamboa in front of an energized crowd. The fight, a candidate for Fight of the Year honors, was televised live on HBO®, and according to Nielsen Media Research, garnered an average audience of 1.208 million viewers to the live, first-time airing, making it the second most-watched fight of the year so far. Crawford vs. Gamboa was the first world championship fight the city of Omaha had hosted in 42 years when Joe Frazier defended his World Heavyweight Championship crown against Ron Stander in 1972.

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, or twitter.com/hboboxing. Use the Hashtag #CrawfordBeltran to join the conversation on Twitter.

OMAHA, NEB (September 30, 2014) — Undefeated World Boxing Organization (WBO) lightweight champion TERENCE “Bud” CRAWFORD, Omaha’s favorite son, will make an encore hometown title defense on the heels of his wildly successful victory over previously undefeated world champion and Cuban sensation Yuriorkis Gamboa. Crawford will defend his title against No. 1 contender and mandatory challenger RAY BELTRAN on Thanksgiving weekend, Saturday, November 29, at the CenturyLink Center. The fight will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark, beginning at
10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Tecate, tickets to the Crawford vs. Beltran World Lightweight Championship event will go on sale This Friday! October 3, at 10:00 a.m. CT. Reserved seat tickets start at just $27, with remaining tiers priced at $52, $77 and $127. They will be available for purchase at the CenturyLink Center Omaha box office and all Ticketmaster outlets. To charge-by-phone call 800-745-3000. To order online, visit Ticketmaster.com.

Crawford successfully defended his title on June 28, at the CenturyLink Center, knocking out previously undefeated world champion Yuriorkis Gamboa in front of an energized crowd. The fight, a candidate for Fight of the Year honors, was televised live on HBO®, and according to Nielsen Media Research, garnered an average audience of 1.208 million viewers to the live, first-time airing, making it the second most-watched fight of the year so far. Crawford vs. Gamboa was the first world championship fight the city of Omaha had hosted in 42 years when Joe Frazier defended his World Heavyweight Championship crown against Ron Stander in 1972.

“It’s an honor to fight in my hometown during the holiday season in front of my fans and family who will be traveling to Omaha,” said Crawford. “It’s great that Top Rank and HBO are coming back into town to promote another show on one of the biggest weekends of the year. Beltran feels I have something – a world title belt – which belongs to him. He thought he beat Ricky Burns and I thought Beltran won too. But he didn’t and I did. Beltran can fight. We know that. I am going to fight him like a bad dog, fight fire with fire. Let’s see if he really has a will to win in Omaha. My will to win is off the charts. He won’t be coming straight at me the way he did against Ricky Burns. My team and I are training hard to put on a good show for everyone. No one will be disappointed.”
“Crawford has shown to be a talented fighter, someone I respect.,” said Beltran. “But I see this fight as an opportunity for me to achieve the recognition in the boxing world and the public’s eye. This fight is Champion vs. Champion. It’s not about the belts. It’s about us. Crawford is talented, has skill, but I have the ability to adapt and will be ready for what he brings. The situation against Burns made me stronger, I felt the love of the crowd and all of their respect that night. I feel blessed with my family and friends. All of that will be with me when I fight Crawford in Omaha. I am the No. 2 fighter in the world. Crawford is No. 1. That is what this is all about. I believe in me. This is my moment.”

“This fight between Crawford and Beltran could very well be the fight of the year. The styles and skills of both fighters guarantee as much,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum.

“When Terence Crawford fought in front of his Omaha hometown crowd last June, the atmosphere produced one of the most spectacular fights of 2014 on HBO,” said Peter Nelson, vice president, programming, HBO Sports. “The spotlight returns to the American heartland November 29, as the undefeated champ faces Ray Beltran, a challenger who has earned more opportunities than he’s been given and always gives the fans his all.”

“CenturyLink Center Omaha is honored to have the opportunity once again to host this world championship boxing event,” said Roger Dixon, President and CEO of the Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority. “The atmosphere was electric in June and we expect even more excitement this time around.”

Crawford (24-0, 17 KOs), of Omaha, returns to the ring fresh from his dramatic and critically-acclaimed knockout victory of Gamboa. Not only did Crawford retain his title, he also made himself a contender for Fighter of the Year. He is only the second Nebraska native to be recognized as a boxing world champion. Perry “Kid” Graves, from Rock Bluff, captured the welterweight crown, knocking out Johnny Alberts in Brooklyn, in 1914, according to the Omaha World-Herald. After a short but impressive amateur career, which included victories over future world champions Danny Garcia, Mikey Garcia and one-time world title challenger Diego Magdaleno, Crawford made his professional debut on March 14, 2008 – a first-round knockout victory of Brian Cummings. On March 1, 2014 – just 13 days short of the sixth anniversary of his pro debut, Crawford captured the WBO lightweight title, dethroning defending champion Ricky Burns on Burns’ home turf of Glasgow, Scotland. Scoring a powerful and unanimous decision, Burns put the boxing world on notice that with his virtuoso performance. Crawford pulled out all stops in dismantling Burns as he rocked the defending champion throughout the fight, while switching back and forth between orthodox and southpaw stances.

Beltran (29-6-1, 17 KOs), a native of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, who now lives in North Hollywood, Calif., is one of the lightweight division’s toughest and most experienced fighters. A former NABF and USBA lightweight champion, Beltran enters this fight riding a two-year five-bout winning streak, which includes a disputed draw against defending WBO lightweight champion hometown favorite Ricky Burns in Glasgow, Scotland last year. In that fight, Beltran fractured Burns’ jaw in the first two rounds and dominated the fight, consistently landing the harder punches. Beltran scored a knockdown in the eighth round and finished the fight strongly. Ringside observers and television viewers alike screamed “home cooking!” when the fight was declared a draw. Beyond his professional fight, Beltran has had the benefit of being a main sparring partner for Fighter of the Decade Manny Pacquiao for several years before becoming a top-rated contender in his own right. In his last fight, on April 12, he claimed the NABO lightweight title, winning a 12-round unanimous decision against once-beaten Arash Usmanee on the undercard of the Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley Jr world welterweight championship rematch.

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, or twitter.com/hboboxing. Use the Hashtag #CrawfordBeltran to join the conversation on Twitter.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, IBF Featherweight champion Evgeny Gradovich will defend his title against Jayson Velez on November 29 as part of the Terence Crawford – Ray Beltran undercard in in Omaha, Nebraska.

“It’s a real good fight, I think,” said Gradovich’s promoter Bob Arum. “Gradovich and this kid Velez both come to fight. It’s hard for me to pick a winner. If you had to pick a winner I guess you’d have to go with Gradovich based on his experience.”

“It’s two guys who aren’t big sluggers who fight like they are big sluggers, which always makes for a great action fight,” Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti said.

“Velez has given a good account of himself and he’s Miguel Cotto’s fighter, so we moved him into the title fight with Gradovich,” Arum said. “Velez, Miguel and [Cotto adviser] Gaby [Peñagaricano] are ecstatic to get the fight and we’re happy to put it on.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com. WBO Lightweight champion Terence Crawford will make the 2nd defense of his title against Raymundo Beltran on November 29 in Crawford’s hometown of Omaha, Nebraska.

“After the way the people of Omaha responded to the June fight, there is a hunger now there for boxing, especially for Terence Crawford,” said Crawford’s promoter Bob Arum told ESPN.com. “We had over 10,000 for the fight in June and we’ll have another big crowd for this fight.

“And I think we have a good fight with Beltran, an interesting fight. It’s a style contrast that should make it an exciting fight with Beltran putting on pressure and Crawford being the better boxer, but a guy who can also put on pressure.”

“It’s gonna be great. The feeling that I get when I’m at home is unreal, especially not being able to fight in my hometown before [June] and coming off a great victory like I did in my last go-round,” Crawford said. “To bring this one home also, it will be great.”

“In the view of every rational viewer, Beltran beat Burns,” Arum said. “In a fair world Crawford would have been the challenger to Beltran for the title. At least Beltran is getting the opportunity as the challenger, but it’s not the same thing as getting the fight as the champion because of the disparity in money.”

“No question about it, my next opponent ain’t a bum,” Crawford said. “He’s tricky, he’s smart, he’s a veteran. He’s tough and he can take a punch. I’m not cutting any corners.

“I saw the fight because I was the No. 1 contender and going to fight the winner for the title,” Crawford said. “I felt Beltran did more than enough to win that fight. Unfortunately, he didn’t get that victory over there. I went over there and did my job and got the victory. Now we’re fighting.

“I know coming into the fight he feels like I have something that belongs to him. He feels like that belt belongs to him and he will train extra hard to get what he thinks belongs to him, and that makes for a good fight.”

“I should be defending my title. But only God knows why it happened,” he said. “I just focus and try to stay positive. I’ve been through a lot in boxing.”

There was some discussion in the Crawford camp about a possible move up to junior welterweight for his next fight, but he is staying put at lightweight for at least one more bout.

“He’s going

“Right now my body is getting bigger and I am filling out a little more, but as I have said, my next goal is to move up in weight and win more titles,” Crawford said. “But as of right now, me and my managers and promoter feel like a couple of more at 135 and then move up. I wanted to move up, but this is not just my decision. We’re a team and my team felt it would be better to take another fight at 135 and then think about moving up and that’s what we’re doing right now.

“So we are focused on Beltran. I can still make 135 and be strong, so our main focus is on Beltran. Moving up is later on in the future.”

The July 11 edition of ESPN Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra and ESPN Deportes’ Noche de Combates presentado por Corona Extra will feature undefeated Middleweight Mike “Imagine Me” Gavronksi (14-0-1, 10 KOs) and Tureano “Reno” Johnson (14-1, 10 KOs) in the 10-round main event. Friday’s show, from Little Creek Casino in Shelton, Wash., will air live at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and WatchESPN. The card is promoted by Gary Shaw Productions.
New Picture (4)
Commentators:
Bernardo Osuna (@osunaespn), filling in for Joe Tessitore, will be ringside with analyst Teddy Atlas describing the action for ESPN2, while Doug Kezirian will fill in for Todd Grisham in the studio. Commentators Alex Pombo and Delvin Rodríguez will call the fights for Noche de Combates on ESPN Deportes, while Claudia Trejos and Leopoldo González will anchor the studio.

In-Studio Guest: WBO Lightweight Titlist Terence Crawford:
On the heels of his ninth-round knockout victory over Yuriorkis Gamboa to retain his world title, undefeated World Boxing Organization (WBO) Lightweight titlist Terence Crawford will appear as an in-studio guest this week on Friday Night Fights and Noche de Combates.

Main Event:
Washington’s Gavronski is coming off a six-round majority decision win over Kevin Hand, while Johnson, a 2008 Olympian for The Bahamas, is looking to rebound from a 10th-round TKO loss to Curtis Stevens.

“Reno (Johnson) has an attitude, and I think he means it,” Johnson’s co-manager Victor Wainstein said. “He thinks every fight is a world title fight and takes every opponent seriously. From the little tape I’ve seen of Gavronski, he looks like a real tough guy. He comes forward, which we love. I think everyone who tunes in is going to see an amazing fight.”

Gavronski said of the fight, “Johnson is one of those straightforward fighters. He’s going to come at you. If he can knock your block off, he will. I have respect for him, for sure – I respect anybody that gets in the ring. I think it’s going to be a fun fight for everybody to watch, and I’m excited to be part of it.”

Co-Feature:
Friday’s 10-round Lightweight co-feature will pit Jonathan “Inca Peruano” Maicelo (17-1, 1 NC, 11 KOs) of New Jersey against California’s Art “Lionheart” Hovhannisyan (17-1-2, 9 KOs). Maicelo is looking to score a victory following a no-contest in his last fight against Jorge Rodriguez. Prior to that fight, Maicelo scored a 10th-round knockout win over Alejandro Rodriguez. In his last outing, Hovhannisyan won an eight-round unanimous decision over Hector Zuniga. Hovhannisyan scored his career-best win in 2012 when he won a 10-round split-decision over former WBA Lightweight titlist Miguel Acosta.

Upcoming Schedule:

Date

Time (ET)

Main Event

Location

Networks

Fri, Jul 11

9 p.m.

Tureano Johnson (14-1, 10 KOs) vs. Mike Gavronski (14-0-1, 10 KOs)—10 rounds, Middleweights

Little Creek Casino, Shelton, Wash.

ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN

Fri, Jul 18

8 p.m.

Karim Mayfield (18-1-1, 11 KOs) vs. Emmanuel Taylor (17-2, 12 KOs)—10 rounds, Jr. Welterweight

Paramount Theater,
Huntington, N.Y.

ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN

Fri, Jul 25

9 p.m.

Roberto Garcia (35-3, 23 KOs) vs. Breidis Prescott (27-5, 20 KOs)—10 rounds Welterweight

UIC Convention Center, Chicago

ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN

Fri, Aug 1

9 p.m.

Thomas Williams Jr. (17-0, 12 KOs) vs. Gabriel Campillo (23-6-1, 10 KOs)—12 rounds, Light Heavyweights

Little Creek Casino, Shelton, Wash.

ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN

*Schedule subject to change

Friday Night Fights and Noche de Combates Social Media:

· Follow ESPN Friday Night Fights on Twitter @ESPNFNF or like it on Facebook.

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

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

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

MONTREAL (July 9, 2014) – North American Boxing Federation (NABF) lightweight champion Dierry “Dougy Style” Jean (26-1, 18 KOs) has zeroed in on undefeated World Boxing Association lightweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford (24-0, 17 KOs) as a potential opponent for a career-defining fight.

Last month, Jean stopped Mario Perez (15-5-4) in the eighth round for the vacant NABF title, five months after Jean lost a unanimous 12-round decision (118-111, 116-112, 116-113) to International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior welterweight champion Lamont Peterson.

Nearly two weeks ago, Jean watched with great interest as Crawford eventually destroyed previously undefeated Yuriorkis Gamboa (23-1, 16 KOs) on HBO. Crawford fought in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, packing the venue with more than 11,000 enthusiastic fans, who loudly cheered as Crawford dropped Gamboa four times en route to a ninth-round stoppage. Immediately after the fight there was talk that Crawford may be moving up one division to fight as a junior welterweight.

“I thought it was a very good fight,” Jean said. “Both fighters got caught. Gamboa was just too small to fight Crawford. Crawford would be a good fight for me, one that I can win. I think it would be a very technical fight. It wouldn’t matter if we fought at 135 (lightweight) or 140 (junior welterweight). Of course, I’d prefer to fight him at home in Montreal, but for the right deal I’d go there to fight him in Omaha. I fought Pederson in his hometown, Washington D.C.”

Jean’s promoter, Camille Estephan (Eye of the Tiger Management), believes the time is right for another major fight for Jean and Crawford is the perfect opponent. “Crawford is a very good champion and he proved that beating Gamboa like he did,” Estephan commented. “He’s also the HBO darling right now but, remember, he fought a guy much smaller than him, and that was the big difference. Crawford is a perfect fight for Dierry, who can fight him at 135 or 140, whatever weight he picks. We’re open to fighting him here (Montreal), or we’re willing to go into his backyard in Omaha, if that’s what it takes.”

“‘Dougy’ is ready and able to fight the best at 135 or 140,” Jean’s head trainer Mike Moffa added. “His experience against Peterson will help us. Crawford is the ideal guy right now.”

For further information about Jean or any of his EOTTM stable-mates visit www.eottm.com, or follow him on Twitter @DierryJean.

BRISTOL, CT (July 7, 2014) — On the heels of his scintillating ninth-round knockout victory of undefeated Cuban icon Yuriorkis Gamboa to retain his world title, undefeated World Boxing Organization (WBO) lightweight champion TERENCE “Bud” CRAWFORD will be joining Doug Kezirian as the in-studio guest on this week’s edition of ESPN Friday Fights, which will air live, This Friday! July 11, beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT on ESPN2. Topics Crawford and Kezirian will be discussing will most certainly include a recap of Crawford-Gamboa, arguably the Fight of the Year at the midpoint of 2014 as well as making Crawford (24-0, 17 KOs), the Pride of Omaha, a serious consideration for Fighter of the Year.

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with SMS Promotions, PS4 and Tecate, Crawford-Gamboa attracted nearly 11,000 fans to the CenturyLink Center in the first world title fight to take place in Omaha, Neb. in 42 years, when Joe Frazier defended his heavyweight title against Ron Stander on May 25, 1972. According to Nielsen Media Research, Crawford-Gamboa, which was televised live on HBO®, was the second-most viewed fight of the year so far on U.S. television, attracting an average audience of 1.208 million viewers to the live, first-time airing.

By Bart Barry-

After nine years of sitting ringside at Top Rank shows – my first media credential came from Lee Samuels, in April 2005 – one flatters himself to think he can discern the difference between a well-built fight and a well-built fighter, noting hallmarks of the promoter’s extraordinary eye for talent and talent for matchmaking in the differences between a well-built fight like Donaire-Montiel and a well-built fighter like Miguel Cotto. In Dallas one year ago to see Mikey Garcia continue his ascent, while actually witnessing its antithesis, I believed the best-built fighter I saw at American Airlines Center was not Garcia but an undefeated kid from Nebraska named Terence Crawford.

Saturday confirmed that opinion and ratified Crawford as one of the world’s two best lightweights (and if a fight’s probable aesthetics should require ambiguity, may it ever do so in the case of Crawford and Miguel Vazquez), when Crawford overcame undefeated Cuban Yuriorkis Gamboa’s initial superiority of reflex and craft to make a first defense of his world title the proper way: TKO-9. At Omaha’s CenturyLink Center, Crawford switched from orthodox to southpaw, socked Gamboa from most every direction, dropped him four times, and commanded referee Genaro Rodriguez’s mercy, in a performance that made aficionados everywhere suddenly invest in the Nebraskan’s fortunes.

Crawford-Gamboa was an excellent fight conducted near the height of boxing’s current powers, though not quite as much as HBO’s hyperbolic commentating crew proclaimed – so thrilled were they to be somewhere new in front of a spectacle competitive. Terence Crawford is a rarity among contemporary prizefighters: A talented fighter able to sell tickets at home though nevertheless willing to travel anywhere and make fight real fights against real fighters. He is a monument to how Top Rank alone can build a fighter when it wishes to, when it takes a nothing-much-to-lose approach and moves him properly, making sterner tests steadily, and giving him a chance to surprise himself and others when his moment comes.

If a prizefighter improves considerably by becoming a champion, Crawford just became better again by defending his belt before a hometown crowd. Whatever collectedness Crawford showed throughout the match and afterwards, however much the ferocity of Gamboa’s attack elevated Crawford’s demeanor in aficionados’ eyes from insipid to poised, there can be no doubt he was surprised and overjoyed by his performance and its result. Watch him immediately after being hoisted on his handler’s shoulders in the traditionally celebratory way; he begins with the menacing glare one sees predominately in staredowns and hip-hop clubs then surrenders his face to a wide and nearly disbelieving grin.

It was, in its way, a metaphor for the transition in demeanor our sport’s fans underwent these last 30 days: After a scowl-inducing opening five months, 2014 righted its course, if it didn’t fully redeem itself, with definitively heroic showings by Carl Froch, Chris Algieri, Vasyl Lomachenko and Terence Crawford, interrupted early by a coronation of sorts for Miguel Cotto, aficionados’ consensus pick for the veteran prizefighter most deserving of one. While a single stretch in a mediocre run would not save a programming regime in a meritocracy, in the current state of premium-cable programming it likely buys those running HBO Sports another year or so.

As if in late-arriving rebuttal to Showtime’s groundbreaking work with Chuck Giampa in 2012, HBO unveiled Saturday its own fan-battle and groggy-cam innovations, the former a feature in which, rather than feign objectivity at the outset, Max and Roy each pick an opposing fighter and comb a match’s every indecisive moment for evidence his fighter took it, while Jim scores their efforts and Steve agrees. Max selects the object of his greater overstatements in bygone fights, and Roy picks whichever guy resembles Roy. Perhaps the fan-battle innovation, then, marks not an innovation but a feedback mechanism: Any time Max tore his eyes from Gamboa’s spellbinding athleticism, Saturday, it meant Crawford did something exceptional, and each time Roy got Gamboa’s name right it was because the Cuban showed much heart, son.

The groggy-cam innovation, though, was exactly that: Effectively as Chuck Giampa once took Showtime viewers inside the mind of a judge so did HBO’s camerawork take subscribers inside the massively concussed brain of a nearly unconscious man in a championship prizefight. Viewers who delighted in HBO’s rope-obstructed shots in the opening rounds had no choice but to concede the close of Saturday’s main event was nigh intoxicating, if not intoxicated. After Gamboa rose from the blue mat and readied himself for his final act of self-immolation in round 9, HBO gave its viewers a jerky Omaha-crowd-as-Pacific-Ocean angle nonsensical as broadcasting a Tiger Woods sudden-death putt from the Goodyear Blimp.

Self-immolation was indeed the phrase that often came to mind while watching Gamboa in Saturday’s final rounds. Gamboa, who has been rendered HBO-camera-like just about every time a fight of his makes television, brought to mind the Mike Tyson whom Evander Holyfield stopped in their first match, though without a chin fractionally reliable as Tyson’s. Just as Holyfield weathered the initial onslaught of Tyson’s reflexive rage and raging reflexes, weathered it to remind Tyson who the physically stronger man was, so did Crawford get too close and then too far in his opening 12 minutes with Gamboa, determining what he might be missing in the Cuban’s all-offense-always style and what the consequences of his carelessness later might bring, before marching forward and imposing himself the way a man should in a confrontation.

Unlike Crawford, Gamboa had no means of countering a force that moved him backwards, asserting once more his claim on contemporary prizefighting’s largest delta between physical ability and ring IQ – that somewhat fuzzy quality one needn’t define precisely before knowing Crawford has much larger stores of it than Gamboa. More enticing, still, is this: Crawford utilized his IQ to make a wager worthy of prizefighting’s master gambler, Juan Manuel Marquez, choosing to absorb Gamboa’s overhand rights, from a southpaw stance, in the hopes of deploying his own arsenal with more devastating effect.

When such hopes find full satisfaction in an arena filled with one’s hometown fans, it’s OK to break character afterwards and smile widely, Terence. You’ve got lots of folks smiling.

Bart Barry can be reached at bart.barrys.email (at) gmail.com

Terence Crawford defended the WBO Lightweight title with a 9th round stoppage over former world champion and previously undefeated Yuriorkis Gamboa before nearly 11,000 fans at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska.

It was a terrific back and forth action fight that saw Gamboa control the early part of the fight with his speed and right hand. Things turned in round five when Crawford sent Gamboa to the canvas. Crawford started to dominate the action in round’s six and seven and sent Gamboa down in round eight. Crawford scored a 3rd knockdown in round nine. Gamboa landed a huge right before getting caught with hard left that sent him to the canvas for a fourth and final time at 2:53 of round nine.

Crawford, 134 3.4 lbs of Omaha, NEB is now 24-0 with 17 knockouts. Gamboa, 134 1/2 lbs of Cuba is now 23-1.

In a battle of undefeated Middleweights, Matt Korobov passed his sternest test when he scored a 10-round unanimous decision over Jose Uzcategui.

Korobov boxed very well over the first three rounds. Uzcategui got in the fight as he landed some long combinations and cut Korobov over the left eye in round five. Korobov came back and had a strong last few rounds and sealed the fight by scoring two knockdowns from right hooks in round seven.

Korobov, 160 lbs of Russia won by scores of 97-91 twice and 96-92 and is now 24-0. Uzcategui, 160 lbs of Venezuela is now 22-1.

LONDON (June 26) – World champion Terence Crawford is hoping victory this Saturday night against “cocky” Yuriorkis Gamboa will kick start his path to greatness.

The WBO lightweight champion got his first taste of world title success when he overcame Scotland’s Ricky Burns earlier this year, with his first title defence taking place this weekend against the unbeaten Gamboa, live and exclusive on BoxNation.

The Omaha, Nebraska native, however, is not merely content with having achieved a lifelong dream by becoming a world champion but has his eyes on bigger prizes as he looks to establish himself as one of boxing’s biggest names.

“Of course being a world champion is going to fill you with confidence but that’s a short term goal – being a world champion. Now it’s about becoming a marquee fighter that everyone wants to see and that everyone acknowledges is a great fighter,” Crawford told BoxNation.

“Gamboa is a great fighter in his own right and for me to be in the ring with him shows where I’m at in my career. I didn’t get into this game to just fight for wins. Of course I’m in it to win it but to be the best you’ve got to beat the best.

“I feel like I’m the best lightweight out there in the world, everybody thinks he’s one of the best lightweights in the world and that’s why we’re fighting. I’m getting the victory. I feel like it’s going to be a tough fight but I will be victorious,” said a confident Crawford.

The 26-year-old has admitted that his fight with the Cuban Gamboa will likely be his last at the 135 pound weight class, as he looks to move up following nearly ten years as a lightweight.

“This is probably going to be my last fight at 135 pounds before moving up. My long term goal is to eventually move up to 147 and remain one of the best up there after fighting at 140 pounds,” said Crawford.

“I’ve been a lightweight for a long time, ever since I was 16, so my body has grown a lot and my last few fights it’s got a little hard on me [to make weight]. So this will probably be my last fight at lightweight,” he said.

The 32-year-old Gamboa goes into the fight with the slick Crawford as an Olympic gold medalist and former WBA and IBF featherweight world champion.

This weekend’s bout, though, will be taking place on the reigning champion’s home soil where he will fight in Omaha for the first time as a professional.

“I can’t describe the feeling [of fighting as a world champion in Omaha] because this is the moment I’ve been asking for and been waiting for. Now that it’s here, come fight night I’m going to put it all on the line,” said Crawford.

“He needs to be ready for whatever I bring. I’m going to bring a few things to the table that I’m going to show on Saturday. I see the fight going in my favour and feel this is my time and I’m not going to take no for an answer.

“Everybody knows he has fast hands and can box well but his downfall is that he’s too cocky. I can make adjustments for any fighter and fight my fight so that I’m the one in there that’s in charge,” he stated.

The American could have opted for an easier route in his first defence rather than such a stringent challenge against someone as skilled as Gamboa, but the fact it was such an intriguing matchup for fight fans made it an easy decision for Crawford.

“I never call out anybody. I never choose anybody. I just fight whoever they would like me to fight. And everybody from the outside looking in said this was a great fight so I just want to put on great fights for the fans, and this is a fight that the fans want to see,” said Crawford.

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

-Ends-

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

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

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OMAHA, NEB. (June 26, 2014) — The Official Weigh-In for World Championship Boxing’s return to Omaha for the first time in 42 years, between undefeated world champions TERENCE CRAWFORD, the Pride of Omaha, and Cuban sensation YURIORKIS GAMBOA, will take place Tomorrow! Friday, June 27 in Grand Ballroom A at the the CenturyLink Center in Omaha (455 North 10th St.,Omaha, Neb. 68102).

The Weigh-In will be open to the public. Doors will open at 2:00 p.m. with the fighters stepping on the scale, beginning at 3:00 p.m. CT.

This will be the last times both champions, who boast identical 23-0 (16 KOs) professional ring records, see each other outside the ring before they battle for Crawford’s newly-won World Boxing Organization (WBO) lightweight title, Saturday, June 28, at the CenturyLink Center Omaha.. Crawford vs. Gamboa will be the first world championship fight Omaha has hosted since Joe Frazier successfully defended his heavyweight title against Nebraska’s-own Ron Stander on May 25, 1972. It will also be a professional homecoming for Crawford, who has not fought in his home state since 2011. The fight will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark®, in its first-ever visit to Omaha, beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. The telecast will open with undefeated Top-Five contenders MATT KOROBOV and JOSE UZCATEGUI battling in a 10-round rumble for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental middleweight title.

This exciting all-action doubleheader features four undefeated gladiators with a combined record of 91-0, 63 KOs.

********************

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with SMS Promotions, PS4 and Tecate, remaining tickets to Crawford vs. Gamboa, priced at $27, $52 and $102, can be purchased at the CenturyLink Center Omaha box office and all Ticketmaster outlets. To charge-by-phone call 800-745-3000. To order online, visit Ticketmaster.com.

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, or twitter.com/hboboxing. Use the Hashtag #CrawfordGamboa to join the conversation on Twitter.

HBO’s hit late-night boxing franchise visits Omaha, Neb. for the first time to present an all-action doubleheader featuring a world title bout between undefeated rising stars when HBO BOXING AFTER DARK: TERENCE CRAWFORD VS. YURIORKIS GAMBOA AND MATT KOROBOV VS. JOSE UZCATEGUI is seen SATURDAY, JUNE 28 at 10:00 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from CenturyLink Center, 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: June 29 (8:45 a.m.) and July 1 (1:10 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates: June 29 (4:15 p.m.) and 30 (11:15 p.m.)

After six years of ring brilliance, lightweight titleholder Terence Crawford (23-0, 16 KOs) makes his long-awaited hometown debut in the national spotlight with a 12-round title defense against Cuban star Yuriorkis Gamboa (23-0, 16 KOs). The fight will serve as the 300th bout televised live on the HBO BOXING AFTER DARK series. Launched 18 years ago at the venerable Forum in Inglewood, CA, the late-night franchise has been the television home for many of the sport’s emerging stars for nearly two decades.

Crawford, 26, has fast-tracked through the 135-pound division, scoring three victories on HBO in 2013. In March, he subdued Ricky Burns, the UK’s lightweight titlist, for 12 rounds, showcasing his footwork, pinpoint accuracy and swiftness. Now, with HBO’s revival of Omaha’s championship stage after nearly half a century, Crawford will display his talent before those who first noted his ring generalship.

Ending a year’s layoff with his return to HBO, 2004 Olympic gold medalist Gamboa, 32, has limited experience at 135 pounds. His sole previous lightweight bout was a unanimous decision over undefeated Darleys Perez in June 2013. Gamboa was a highly-touted Cuban sensation when he relocated to Miami in 2007 and looks to reinforce his standing as an elite fighter with superstar skills.

The night opens with two more undefeated fighters who hope to become breakout stars when Matt Korobov (23-0, 13 KOs) of Saint Petersburg, Fla., and Jose Uzcategui (22-0, 18 KOs) clash in a ten-round middleweight fight.

It was only a matter of time before Korobov, 31, showcased his skills on a national stage. The heavily-touted southpaw and 2008 Russian Olympian will be putting his undefeated record on the line against his toughest challenger yet.

Making his HBO debut, the 23-year-old Uzcategui meets 160-pounders with a menacing combination of youth, experience and explosive power. The Venezuelan native, who now lives and trains in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, has let his hands fly in his last five bouts, knocking out each opponent before the seventh round.

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 HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is Rick Bernstein; producer, Thomas Odelfelt; director, Johnathan Evans.

® HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.

OMAHA, NEB (June 26, 2014) — World Championship Boxing returns to Omaha for the first time in 42 years! Undefeated world champions TERENCE CRAWFORD, the Pride of Omaha, and Cuban sensation YURIORKIS GAMBOA, who boast identical 23-0 (16 KOs) professional ring records, will be battling for Crawford’s newly-won World Boxing Organization (WBO) lightweight title This Saturday! June 28, at the the CenturyLink Center in Omaha (455 North 10th St., Omaha, Neb. 68102). This will be the first world championship fight Omaha has hosted since Joe Frazier successfully defended his heavyweight title against Nebraska’s-own Ron Stander on May 25, 1972. It will also be a professional homecoming for Crawford, who has not fought in his home state since 2011. The fight will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark®, in its first-ever visit to Omaha, beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. The telecast will open with undefeated Top-Five contenders MATT KOROBOV and JOSE UZCATEGUI battling in a 10-round rumble for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental middleweight title.

This exciting all-action doubleheader features four undefeated gladiators with a combined record of 91-0, 63 KOs.

***********************************

CARL MORETTI: First I would like to say there is no truth to the rumor that we banned Bob Arum from the conference call. Bob is home resting comfortably from his knee replacement surgery and I know he’ll be watching the show on Saturday night. We pass along our well wishes. We have four undefeated fighters fighting Saturday night live on HBO [10 p.m. ET/PT] Their combined records are a perfect 91-0 with nearly 70% of those victories coming by way of knockout. Matt Korobov and Jose Uzcategui, world-rated No. 1 and No. 4 by the WBO, respectively, open the HBO telecast up and to the victor should go on to become the mandatory challenger to Peter Quillin. And in the main event, Terence Crawford, the local hometown kid, makes the first defense of his title he won over is Scotland against Ricky Burns, battling one of the greatest amateurs ever and undefeated as a pro and a worthy contender for this title.

YURIORKIS GAMBOA: I am very anxious to get to the fight. I met all the objectives that I needed to in training camp to get our game plan together for this fight on Saturday night.

CAMERON DUNKIN: I am just very excited for Terrence and Brian both. They were out in Omaha and we had a plan and it worked out – we knew we would get here and a lot of people thought we were crazy. We’re here and I’m really excited for them. We look for a great fight – Gamboa is a great fighter and it’s going to be a terrific fight.

BRIAN McINTYRE: I first would like to say thank you to Yuriorkis Gamboa for accepting the fight. I am excited for Terence that he will be able to showcase his skills at this level and he being in his hometown. I am expecting a great fight.

TERENCE CRAWFORD: I’m feeling good and I’m ready. This is what I have been asking for all along and I am just ready for the moment.

When you won the title in Glasgow, was it a plan to defend it in your hometown?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: Yes, that was my goal, to make my first defense in Omaha and I was real pleased with Bob [Arum] keeping his word. Now that we are here I am just happy for everything. I am in my hometown where my fans have never really got to see me perform as a professional and I am ready for the moment

There are always stories of distractions, tickets etc., when a fighter fights in his hometown. Have you experienced that?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: I don’t handle any of that – no tickets or t-shirts, so they can’t call me for nothing. So I am not worried about the distractions.

BRIAN McINTYRE: Well, we already have a game plan planned out – what everybody’s job is going to be as far as the tickets go and the t-shirts. We are keeping Terence secluded so he has no distractions. We talked about that months in advance and now we are just executing the plan.

Do you have knowledge of the last world championship fight that took place in Omaha? [Joe Frazier vs. Ron Stander World Heavyweight Championship, May 25, 1972]

TERENCE CRAWFORD: It was news to me. I never knew about it until a few years back. I know about it now and that’s all that matters.

You looked much bigger than Gamboa at the initial press conference. Do you feel you have a big size advantage? Do you think you will use it?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: Like I tell everybody – you never know. Gamboa is a real skillful fighter and he can make adjustments in the ring as the fight goes on. We just have to wait to see what happens.

Gamboa, you are shorter than most of your opponents, but this seems more so…

YURIORKIS GAMBOA: I answer that question by going back to all of the fights in my professional career. I have been pretty much the smaller fighter in all of my fights, so I don’t think it will have much of an affect. I know how to adjust and I know how to come in with a game plan. It’s just something I have dealt with since I was an amateur – I have always been the smaller guy.

Will the layoff affect you – you fought once in 2012 and once in 2013?

YURIORKIS GAMBOA: Basically no, not as long as I am focused. I have stayed active – maybe not in the ring but I have done what I need to do outside of the ring to be prepared for Saturday night. I have remained active in the gym.

Gamboa has been tweeting some odd things towards you – how do you feel about that?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: I just look at it as being part of boxing. That’s something he feels he wants to do and I don’t take it personally. I am going to go in there, come Saturday, and look at him eye-to-eye and see what he has to say then.

Does Gamboa pose a big challenge to you?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: He is going to be a big challenge. He is a great fighter, like myself. I never got hit by him so I don’t know about his power.

How is he different than Burns?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: Gamboa has a lot more amateur experience, but at the same time they are two different fights. One is tall and one is short and they fight two different styles.

How do you feel about fighting in your hometown?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: My managers, Cameron Dunkin and Brian McIntyre – they came in and got the job done. I am just blessed to be able to fight in Omaha.

Do you feel this is a career-defining fight for you?

YURIORKIS GAMBOA: Like in any career, obviously it is a defining moment and I plan to take full advantage.

Where does Yuri feel that Terence falls talent-wise?

YURIORKIS GAMBOA: Until I fight him on Saturday I really can’t answer that question.

How have you dealt with the demands on your time while fighting in your hometown?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: We’ve been keeping a low profile. When we got back into town from training camp [in Colorado Springs] there wasn’t a big entourage. I actually didn’t let anyone know when I was coming back into town. It’s been kind of cool – just chillin’ and waiting on the fight.

Cameron?

CAMERON DUNKIN: I leave that up to Brian. These guys have lived there their whole lives. Brian and I were concerned about it and we had a long talk about it. He told me he would set everything up and keep all the distractions away. Brian has done a great job, giving everyone jobs so Terence is just focused on the fight and ready to go. He hasn’t had any distractions and Brian has assured me he is ready to go.

Do you get a feeling, by walking around town, the magnitude of the event?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: Yes, I can tell it is big. Big not just for me but for the city of Omaha, Nebraska. It’s not just the boxing community; it is all the people in Omaha. I can also tell that I give the people hope – that they can be what they want to be, if you believe and work hard at it.

How do you characterize yourself? Some say you are a southpaw and some say you are a switch-hitter?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: I don’t look at myself as one-dimensional. I can fight a lot of different ways – I’m very flexible.

What type of challenge does Terence pose to you?

YURIORKIS GAMBOA: It’s part of the sport. Obviously you are going to fight guys that can switch up on you. Some can master either the southpaw or orthodox stance, but it’s something you have to deal with. You have to prepare to face that challenge.

When was the last time you went to fight in someone’s back yard – or as the B-side of the promotion?

YURIORKIS GAMBOA: In Kazakhstan is the last time I can remember, in 2006.

Do you plan to attack Gamboa, since he has been off for a while and he may have a suspect chin?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: I never go into the ring thinking that’s the way he is going to be – I just go in to fight my fight. I don’t go in there looking for the knockout. If it comes it comes and if it doesn’t it doesn’t.

Who made the decision to take this fight against Crawford?

YURIORKIS GAMBOA: I think it is well known that the dialogue and conversation between my team and Top Rank was a fight with Mikey Garcia, but that was not going to happen – there are some legalities between them that wouldn’t let the fight take place, and that’s when Top Rank suggested we make this fight happen and we decided that was a good option as well.

Terence, what do you think you will bring to the table that will give Gamboa problems? He mentioned that he has been fighting guys like you since his young amateur days in Cuba…

TERENCE CRAWFORD: We are going to have to wait until Saturday. The guys he has fought, I am pretty sure don’t have the same style as me. He may have fought guys with similar styles but no one has the same exact style as me. So we will have to see on Saturday.

What one thing that you will bring to the table will get you the victory?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: Just me being myself. Me going in there and fighting my fight.

YURIORKIS GAMBOA: I would say that my boxing IQ I think is very high – that is one thing that a lot of people underestimate in me. My boxing abilities give me an advantage in a lot of fights that I go into. My speed and my reflexes – a combination of a lot of those things I think will lead me to a victory on Saturday.

TERENCE CRAWFORD: I say good luck to Gamboa. I know we are going to be ready and he’ll be ready and to all of the fans out there support Gamboa and me and buy tickets to the fight, support the fight and thanks for having me.

CARL MORETTI: Obviously this is a hot event here in Omaha and we have opened up the remaining seats in the upper level to accommodate the demand. Fans are welcome to watch the live-stream of Thursday’s final press conference at www.toprank.tv [3 p.m. ET / Noon PT] and attend Friday’s Official Weigh-In, which will take place at the CenturyLink Center Omaha, beginning at 3:00 p.m. local time. We are looking forward to it.

********************

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with SMS Promotions, PS4 and Tecate, remaining tickets to Crawford vs. Gamboa, priced at $27, $52 and $102, can be purchased at the CenturyLink Center Omaha box office and all Ticketmaster outlets. To charge-by-phone call 800-745-3000. To order online, visit Ticketmaster.com.

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, or twitter.com/hboboxing. Use the Hashtag #CrawfordGamboa to join the conversation on Twitter.

MIAMI (June 23, 2014) – Undefeated multiple-time world champion Yuriorkis “The Cyclone of Guantanamo” Gamboa (23-0, 16 KOs) firmly believes he is one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world and he plans to back that up this Saturday night against World Boxing Organization (WBO) lightweight champion Terence Crawford (23-0, 16 KOs).

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with 50 Cent’s SMS Promotions, PS4 and Tecate, Crawford vs. Gamboa will be the 12-round main event, airing live on HBO Boxing After Dark, starting at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT, from Century Link Center in Omaha, Nebraska.

A four-time Cuban National amateur champion, Gamboa clearly has a decisive advantage over Crawford in terms of overall experience and quality of opposition fought. He had more than 250 amateur matches, highlighted by gold medal performances at the 2004 Olympics, 2006 World Cup and 2003 Pan-American Games.

After defecting in in 2006, the now Miami-based boxer-puncher has twice captured World featherweight titles, in addition to three Interim World championships in three different weight classes, from featherweight through lightweight.

The 32-year-old possessor of rare speed and power doesn’t listen to his critics. “I really don’t have anything to prove to anybody but myself,” he explained. “My goal has always been to be recognized as one of the best fighters in the world. I don’t have to prove anything and only need to make accomplishments for me and my family.”

While Gamboa has defeated three world champions and seven world title challengers in his last 10 fights, the gifted Crawford is relatively inexperienced in major fights with the exception of his last, in which he traveled this past March to Scotland and took the WBO 135-pound division title home to America, winning a 12-round unanimous decision over local favorite and defending champion Ricky Burns (26-2-1).

Gamboa is unfazed fighting in Crawford’s hometown, or by his skeptics, and he’s looking forward to showcasing his immense talent on HBO again. “I can’t speak for him but I’m going into this fight with the same approach,” Gamboa said. “I think it’s going to be more of a thinking game than physical. I need to spot his weaknesses and exploit them. Whether I stop or him, or it lasts 12 rounds, I expect my hand to be raised as the winner.”

HBO Boxing: Yuriorkis Gamboa Greatest Hits
HBO Boxing: Yuriorkis Gamboa Greatest Hits

Reserved tickets to Crawford vs. Gamboa are on sale starting at just $27.00, with remaining tiers priced at $52.00 and $102.00. Tickets are available to purchase at the CenturyLink Center Omaha box office and all Ticketmaster outlets, call 800-745-3000 to charge-by-hone, or order online at www.TicketMaster.com.

Follow Gamboa on Twitter @Gamboa.

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. (June 12, 2014) – Hosted by his promoter Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, undefeated multiple world champion Yuriorkis “The Cyclone of Guantanamo” Gamboa (23-0, 16 KOs) held an open media workout today at Iron Mike Promotions Gym to promote Gamboa’s June 28 world title fight against World Boxing Organization (WBO) lightweight championTerence Crawford (23-0, 16 KOs).

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with SMS Promotions, PS4 and Tecate, Crawford vs. Gamboa will be the 12-round main event, airing live on HBO Boxing After Dark, starting at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT, from Century Link Center in Omaha, Nebraska.

Reserved tickets to Crawford vs. Gamboa are on sale starting at just $27.00, with remaining tiers priced at $52.00 and $102.00. Tickets are available to purchase at the CenturyLink Center Omaha box office and all Ticketmaster outlets, call 800-745-3000 to charge-by-hone, or order online at www.TicketMaster.com.

GAMBOA QUOTES

“Coming from Cuba, the guys were technical and had size, and I fought them a lot. Me, I’ve perfected my strategy to fighting these type of fighters.”

“I think this will be a counter-vs-counter match.”

“Objective is to get him to the middle range where I can use my speed.”

“Logic says to carry a little more weight as you get older, so I’m comfortable fighting at this weight.”

“The training camp is going perfect.”

How are you preparing in this training camp? “General conditioning and working on specific objectives as we draw closer to the fight.”

Working with Floyd Sr? “We worked on defense and counter punching. I know I tend to put my hands down and we worked on that.”

Strategy vs Crawford: “The game plan is to attack from the start, be on the defensive, and develop the fight from there.”

Why did you go fight Crawford in his hometown? “At this point, we have nothing to lose. We fight whenever, where ever.”

Prediction: “We will have a great fight and I’ll give you the best of me every time I fight. We will win.”

Working with 50? “It’s been two years up to this point it has been a great opportunity. I’m aware that other promoters have not made it easy for 50 to complete his two bout agreement.”

What’s next? “After this fight, sitting with SMS and looking for a fight with Garcia or someone of that stature.”

The objective for the fight: “The first objective is not only to win the championship, it’s to give SMS Promotions a better advantage. I feel they have left them [SMS Promotions] on the side and not given them fights because they don’t them to have a champion.”

Regarding his career: We have had a great career, of course, nothing is perfect. We have the right to make mistakes like humans but this is a great opportunity to show the people that Gamboa, ‘The Hurricane of Guantanamo’ is here.”

His state of fighting activity and inactivity. Are you worried about that going into the ring with Crawford? “I’m not worried about that one bit. I’m not only active when a fight presents itself. For me inactivity is when you are not training at all but I’m always training.”

50 CENT QUOTE

“Gamboa has been with me from the beginning. I got the opportunity to see his talents early on. He’s here in Miami training hard and this is going to be a great fight.”

OMAHA, NEB. (May 23, 2014) — Top Rank® announced today that undefeated Top-Five contenders MATT KOROBOV and JOSE UZCATEGUI would battle in a 10-round rumble in the co-main event to World Boxing Organization (WBO) lightweight champion TERENCE CRAWFORD’S world title defense homecoming against Cuban sensation and three-division world champion YURIORKIS GAMBOA. Korobov and Uzcategui will be battling for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental middleweight title. Both fights will be televised live from the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Saturday, June 28, on HBO Boxing After Dark®, in its first-ever visit to Omaha, beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

This exciting all-action doubleheader features four undefeated gladiators with a combined record of 91-0, 63 KOs.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with SMS Promotions, PS4 and Tecate, remaining tickets to the Crawford vs. Gamboa world championship event, priced at $102, $52 and $27, can be purchased at the CenturyLink Center Omaha box office and all Ticketmaster outlets. To charge-by-phone call 800-745-3000. To order online, visit Ticketmaster.com.

Korobov (23-0, 13 KOs), a 2008 Russian Olympian and stellar amateur will be making his long-awaited HBO debut. Now based in St, Petersburg, Fla., Korobov, a six-year veteran of the pro ranks, enters this fight having won three of his last four fights by knockout, including a sixth-round stoppage of Emil Gonzalez on April 16. Korobov is currently world-rated No. 3 by the WBO.

Uzcategui (22-0, 18 KOs), a native of Venezuela who trains in Mexico, will be making his U.S. debut. A knockout artist who has stopped 10 of the last 11 opponents he has faced, he captured the WBO Latino middleweight title in March, knocking out David Lopez in the sixth round. He is currently world-rated No. 5 by the WBO.

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, or twitter.com/hboboxing. Use the Hashtag #CrawfordGamboa to join the conversation on Twitter.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, undefeated Middleweight Matt Korobov will make his HBO debut when he takes on Jose Uzctegui in a Middleweight bout on June 28 on the Terence Crawford – Yuriorkis Gamboa undercard in Omaha, Nebraska.

“It’s what [HBO’s] ‘Boxing After Dark’ is really about — two undefeated fighters risking a lot in the hopes of getting to the next level,” Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti told ESPN.com after finalizing Korobov-Uzcategui. “I applaud [HBO executive] Peter Nelson for coming up with this matchup and, obviously, the fighters for taking the risk.

“Both fighters are undefeated, but undefeated records are sorta like bikinis. They show more than they reveal.”

LONDON (May 20) – BoxNation has added three more thrilling shows to its stacked summer calendar including two world title main events headlined by champions Terence Crawford and Guillermo Rigondeaux, plus the exciting York Hall bill led by rising star Frank Buglioni.

It will be Ricky Burns’ conqueror Crawford who will be out first on June 28th when he makes the first defence of his WBO lightweight title against the feared Cuban Yuriorkis Gamboa at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska.

The unbeaten Gamboa has long been regarded as one of boxing’s next stars having enjoyed a glittering amateur career that culminated in him claiming Olympic gold at the 2004 Athens Games.

Having been out of action for over a year by the time he enters the ring on June 28th, he will have his work cut out against the skilled Crawford who has the talent to reach the very pinnacle of the sport and is unbeaten in his 23 fights.

‘The Channel of Champions’ will also bring viewers a domestic fight feast when rising star Frank Buglioni looks to prove his shock loss in his last bout was only a minor setback as he takes on the wily Sam Couzens at the York Hall on July 16th.

Two unbeaten contenders in Mitchell Smith and Peter Cope are also set to go at it as they compete for the vacant English super-featherweight title in what is set to be an all-action affair, with welterweight prospect Bradley Skeete also featuring on the night.

Then, on July 19th one of the world’s very best will be looking to showcase his box of tricks with Cuban ace Rigondeaux putting his WBA Super and WBO super-bantamweight titles on the line against knockout artist Jonathan Guzman.

Taking place at the Cotai Arena in Macao, China, the Dominican Republic’s Guzman will look to capture his first world titles by continuing his fearsome undefeated record which has seen him knockout 16 opponents in his 16 wins.

British and Irish interest will be high in the fight as Belfast’s Carl Frampton and Bury’s Scott Quigg eye a future clash with the 122 pound division’s top dog in Rigondeaux.

The exhilarating additions to the BoxNation calendar follows hot on the heels of the news that the channel will be broadcasting the megafight between WBC middleweight world champion Sergio Martinez and superstar Miguel Cotto live and exclusive on June 7th.

Further good news for BoxNation viewers is that the channel will be the only place to see the award-winning 24/7 series previewing the build up to Martinez-Cotto at Madison Square Garden in New York, with episode one set to premiere on Tuesday the 3rd of June at 7pm.

BoxNation will also be the only place to see this summer’s eagerly anticipated heavyweight world title eliminator between kingpins Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora on July 26th.

To subscribe to BoxNation (Sky 437/490HD & Virgin 546) for only £12 a month (plus a one-off registration fee) please visit www.boxnation.com.

-Ends-

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

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

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

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

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

For more information visit www.boxnation.com

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

OMAHA, NEB. (May 8, 2014) – Undefeated world champions TERENCE CRAWFORD, the Pride of Omaha, and Cuban sensation YURIORKIS GAMBOA, who share identical 23-0 (16 KOs) professional ring records, will battle for Crawford’s newly-won World Boxing Organization (WBO) lightweight title, Saturday, June 28, at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha. This will be the first world championship fight Omaha has hosted in 42 years, when Joe Frazier successfully defended his heavyweight title against Nebraska’s-own Ron Stander in 1972. It is also a professional homecoming for Crawford, who has not fought in his home state since 2011. The fight will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark, in its first-ever visit to Omaha, beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with SMS Promotions, PS4 and Tecate, tickets to Crawford vs. Gamboa will go on sale Tomorrow! Friday, May 9 at 10:00 a.m. CT. Reserved seat tickets start at just $27, with remaining tiers priced at $52 and $102. They will be available for purchase at the CenturyLink Center Omaha box office and all Ticketmaster outlets. To charge-by-phone call 800-745-3000. To order online, visit Ticketmaster.com.

“This is what I always wanted to do, make my first world title defense in Omaha where I grew up,” said Crawford. “As soon as this fight was announced my phone and Facebook lit up. Everyone wants to be at this fight. This is extremely exciting, something I always dreamed about. Gamboa is fast and he hits with power. This is a serious fight. I fought and beat a lot of great fighters as an amateur. I was at 132 pounds then and Gamboa, as an amateur, was 112. But now we are about to go at it. I plan to train in Colorado Springs. During fight week, I will be away from the main fight hotel. It’ll be me and just my team to be by ourselves in the final days leading to the biggest fight of my life. It’s been a long ride to get here but at last my dream has come true. This will be a great action-packed fight.”

“I am glad to be back in the ring and continue my quest at being recognized as one the best in the sport,” said Gamboa. “I know that Crawford is a great talent and a good champion and I welcome the chance at beating one of the best in the lightweight division.
I know all about him. There is one major difference – my speed and my power. I am going right into his hometown because I know I will win. I want that title belt. Certainly by beating him, God willing – I know that bigger and better opportunities will come. It is time to remind fans all around the world that El Ciclon de Guantanamo is here for the long run.”

“When we made this fight Terence asked me to please make the tickets reasonable for all of his fans. We did exactly that at $102, $52 and $27,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum. “He is so happy. This is a great event, the first big championship boxing event in over 40 years in this wonderful city Terence Crawford and Yuriorkis Gamboa are considered to be the two best lightweights in the world. We are looking forward to a great action fight.”

“After 42 years, it’s going to be a historical moment in Omaha. Gamboa and Crawford have identical records so it’s surely going to be an amazing showdown,” commented 50 Cent.

“This fight brings together two prodigious, undefeated talents,” said Peter Nelson, director of programming, HBO Sports. “A few months ago, Terence Crawford earned his first world title the hard way, traversing the Atlantic Ocean to beat down the then lightweight champ in his hometown in Scotland. Now, intrepid Cuban sensation Yuri Gamboa heads to Crawford’s own backyard of Omaha, attempting to wrest his second divisional title from the newly-crowned champ. As both men can tell you, there is no such thing as a hometown advantage against a straight right hand or a left hook from a man from out of town. The creativity of these two elite fighters pit against each other in the ring will undoubtedly elevate esteem for the winner with fans everywhere.”

“CenturyLink Center Omaha is proud to host this significant event,” said Roger Dixon, President and CEO of the Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority (MECA). “Not only will we have a high-profile title fight, but the defending world champion is a hometown hero. This will truly be unprecedented for our venue and our community.”

Crawford (23-0, 16 KOs), of Omaha, is only the second Nebraska native to be recognized as a boxing world champion. Perry “Kid” Graves, from Rock Bluff, captured the welterweight crown, knocking out Johnny Alberts in Brooklyn, in 1914, according to the Omaha World-Herald. After a short but impressive amateur career, which included victories over future world champions Danny Garcia, Mikey Garcia and one-time world title challenger Diego Magdaleno, Crawford made his professional debut on March 14, 2008 – a first-round knockout victory of Brian Cummings. On March 1, 2014 – just 13 days short of the sixth anniversary of his pro debut, Crawford captured the WBO lightweight title, dethroning defending champion Ricky Burns on Burns’ home turf of Glasgow, Scotland. Scoring a powerful and unanimous decision, Burns put the boxing world on notice that with his virtuoso performance. Crawford pulled out all stops in dismantling Burns as he rocked the defending champion throughout the fight, while switching back and forth between orthodox and southpaw stances.

Gamboa (23-0, 16 KOs), of Miami, Fla., captured Olympic gold for the Cuban team in 2004, fighting in the 112-pound division. Known as “The Cyclone of Guantanamo,” Gamboa defected to freedom in 2007 the same year he made his professional debut. Two years and 14 bouts later, in 2009, he won the World Boxing Association’s (WBA) Interim Featherweight Championship via a 10th-round stoppage of Jose Rojas. Soon elevated to full world champion status, Gamboa successfully defended the WBA title five times during his two-year reign, which included unifying the title with a 12-round decision victory over International Boxing Federation (IBF) World Champion Orlando Salido. Gamboa captured the WBA Interim super featherweight title in 2012, winning a dominant unanimous decision over Michael Farenas. In his last fight, on June 8, 2013, Gamboa captured the WBA Interim lightweight title, handing undefeated Darleys Perez, a former Colombian Olympian, his first professional defeat. Gamboa scored the unanimous decision victory by outboxing and outworking Perez throughout their fight.

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, or twitter.com/hboboxing. Use the Hashtag #CrawfordGamboa to join the conversation on Twitter.

OMAHA. NEB (May 6, 2014) — Undefeated world champions TERENCE CRAWFORD, Omaha’s favorite son, and Cuban sensation YURIORKIS GAMBOA, who both boast identical 23-0 (16 KOs) records, will host a news conference announcing their World Lightweight Championship fight This Thursday! May 8, at the CenturyLink Center in the Bud Light Zone (455 North 10th St., Omaha, Neb. 68102). The news conference, which will be open to the public, will begin at 12:30 p.m. CT, with doors opening at Noon CT. Joining Crawford and Gamboa will be Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum and Roger Dixon, President/CEO of the Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority (MECA).

Crawford vs. Gamboa is the first world championship fight the city of Omaha has hosted in 42 years when Joe Frazier defended his World Heavyweight Championship crown against Ron Stander in 1972.

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s SMS Promotions, PS4 and Tecate, the Crawford vs. Gamboa World Lightweight Championship fight will take place Saturday, June 28, at the CenturyLink Center. It will be televised live on HBO®, beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

All the participants will be available for one-on-one interviews. Media may park in Parking Lot A and enter through the Security/Media Entrance.

Terence Crawford won the WBO Lightweight title with a 12 round unanimous decision over reigning champion Ricky Burs in front of a pro-Burns crowd at the Scottish Exhibition Center in Glasgow, Scotland.

Crawford controlled the action with his boxing and won by scores of 117-111, 116-112 and 116-112.

Crawford, 134 1/4 lbs of Omaha, NE becomes a world champion and is now 23-0. Burns, 134 1/4 lbs of Glasgow, SCOT is now 36-3-1.

2012 Olympic Gold Medal winner Anthony Joshua scored a 1st round stoppage over Hector Avila in a scheduled 6 round Heavyweight bout.

Joshua landed a perfect left hook that sent Avila down to the canvas holding his ear and was counted out at 2:14.

Joshua is now 5-0 with 5 knockouts. Avila is 22-16-1.

Former world title challenger took out John Simpson in round two of a scheduled 10 round Lightweight bout.

Murray, who was much bigger dropped Simpson three times in the 2nd frame and the bout was stopped at 2:58 of round two.

Murray is now 33-2 with 20 knockouts. Simpson is 25-11.

Scotty Cardle remained perfect by scoring a stoppage over Paul Appleby in the eighth and final scheduled round of their Lightweight bout.

It was a close fight with Cardle getting the better until he was all over Appleby in the final frame as he unleashed a fuselage of punches and dropped Appleby with a hard right. Appleby got to his feet but the fight was stopped at 1:17 of round eight.

Cardle is now 14-0 with 3 knockouts. Appleby is 19-6.

2012 Olympic Gold Medal winner Anthony Ogogo scored a 6 round decision over Greg O’Neill

Ogogo won by the referee’s score of 60-54 and is now 5-0. O’Neill is 3-2.

Martin J Ward scored a 4th round stoppage over Craig Woodruff in a scheduled 6 round Super Featherweight bout.

Ward is now 8-0 with 4 knockouts. Woodruff is now 5-3.

San Diego, CA (February 27. 2014)–On Saturday afternoon, Match 1st, Ricky Burns will make the 4th defense of the WBO Lightweight title when he takes on highly regarded and undefeated Terence Crawford in a 12-round bout at the Scottish Exhibition Center in Glasgow, Scotland.

Boxing fans across the United States can enjoy this world championship bout live via the PlayStation®3 system via the Sony Entertainment Network Live Events Viewer. The price is $9.95 for approximately three hours of world class boxing which includes the Burns – Crawford main event. PS3 viewers may subscribe early to the event.

“The world title fight showdown has the makings for Fight of the Year,”said AWE President Charles Herring. “I am pleased to have Sony and have the PS3 viewers able to enjoy this event. We are always looking for the best and unique ways to give fight fans the opportunity to enjoy these world class events.”

The event starts at 2pm eastern / 11 am pacific.

About AWE
For 2012, AWE earned 2 of the 6 Boxing Writers Association of America nominations for “Fight of the Year” candidates, beating out all other networks except HBO which earned three. AWE also showcased live all 2012 David Price fights. In 2013 AWE has featured the stunning upsets of Tony Thompson over Price, bouts with Adonis Stevenson and Tony Bellew, who just fought each other for the Light Heavyweight championship; 2008 Olympic Gold Medal winner James DeGale and possibly the two most controversial bouts which saw Ricky Burns keep his Lightweight title against Ray Beltran as well as the debatable stoppage that saw Carl Froch retain his title against George Groves.

The network is currently available nationally on Verizon FiOS TV channel 169 and 669 in HD, AT&T U-Verse TV channels 470 and 1470 in HD, along with over 100 cable systems across the country and worldwide. The new website for AWE is www.awetv.com

AWE is the premier lifestyle and entertainment network -the destination for exclusive and original programming, simultaneously transmitted in high definition and standard definition. AWE delivers informative shows to its viewers, providing invaluable insights on what every American dreams of – from travel secrets to fast cars, from outrageous homes to live boxing events, and much more. The network fills a television vacuum by delivering intellectually stimulating, thought-provoking entertainment and always-unbiased news from an insider’s perspective.

For more information, please visit www.awetv.com

San Diego, CA (February 27. 2014)–This Saturday afternoon, undefeated Terence Crawford will look to capture his 1st world title when he takes on WBO lightweight champion Ricky Burns from Glasgow, Scotland in a bout that can be seen LIVE on AWE at 2pm eastern / 11 am pacific.

Boxing fans in the United States can enjoy this world championship bout live via
PlayStation®3 system via the Sony Entertainment Network Live Events viewer.

Crawford of Omaha, Nebraska has a record of 22-0 with 16 knockouts has traveled to the United Kingdom for once purpose and that is to bring back the world championship.

“I am ready. Training went excellent,” said Crawford after a workout on Tuesday.

The opportunity to fight for a world title will not add any pressure to the even keeled Crawford.

“I am treating like this any other fight.”

He respects Burns but he does not believe that champions has anything that Crawford can’t handle.

“Burns brings the belt and experience. Whatever else he has, I will be ready for.”

Crawford is not worried about getting a fair shake from the judges but isn’t necessarily looking for the stoppage.

“If I get the knockout then it comes. The only thing that I am looking for is being victorious.”

“Just tune in Saturday and there will be a new champion.”

Said manager Brian Mcintyre, “We started preparing for this when Terence won the NABO title in June. We have been training the whole time for this. We are not worried about the judges. Bob Arum has talked to (WBO President) Paco Varcarcel and we know there will be good experienced judges. We are just going over there handle our business. We know Burns does not want this fight. He tried offering us step-aside money for us not to take this bout to get out of it.”

One of the men, who help mold career path for Crawford is Top Rank matchmaker Brad Goodman who said, “The expected 10,000 fans wont faze Terence. Terence is a professional and he comes from a tough area and he will not be intimidated.”

About AWE
For 2012, AWE earned 2 of the 6 Boxing Writers Association of America nominations for “Fight of the Year” candidates, beating out all other networks except HBO which earned three. AWE also showcased live all 2012 David Price fights. In 2013 AWE has featured the stunning upsets of Tony Thompson over Price, bouts with Adonis Stevenson and Tony Bellew, who just fought each other for the Light Heavyweight championship; 2008 Olympic Gold Medal winner James DeGale and possibly the two most controversial bouts which saw Ricky Burns keep his Lightweight title against Ray Beltran as well as the debatable stoppage that saw Carl Froch retain his title against George Groves.

The network is currently available nationally on Verizon FiOS TV channel 169 and 669 in HD, AT&T U-Verse TV channels 470 and 1470 in HD, along with over 100 cable systems across the country and worldwide. The new website for AWE is www.awetv.com

AWE is the premier lifestyle and entertainment network -the destination for exclusive and original programming, simultaneously transmitted in high definition and standard definition. AWE delivers informative shows to its viewers, providing invaluable insights on what every American dreams of – from travel secrets to fast cars, from outrageous homes to live boxing events, and much more. The network fills a television vacuum by delivering intellectually stimulating, thought-provoking entertainment and always-unbiased news from an insider’s perspective.

For more information, please visit www.awetv.com

For more information, contact:

Sarah Nunez – Press Coordinator
AWE
Phone: 858-270-6900
sarah.nunez@awetv.com