All posts by FNU47

Tommy ‘Sweet T’ Jacobs set to face Bilal Mohammad For WBF International Crown

Colchester’s Tommy ‘Sweet T’ Jacobs is firmly on a fast track to achieving his dream of being a World Champion, when he takes on Ghana’s Bilal Mohammad for the World Boxing Foundation (WBF) International Super Welterweight Crown at the Charter Hall in Colchester on Saturday 30th June 2018.

 

 

Back in April this year Jacobs secured the WBF European Super Welterweight title with a convincing unanimous points victory over Matar Sambou, who to date has been the only boxer to beat him, when they first went toe-to-toe on Jacobs’ first defence of his British Masters crown back in October 2017.

 

 

Jacobs, a former Team GB International Amateur star, only turned professional in March 2016 and in that short time has already secured three Professional Titles, the British Masters, the International Masters and the World Boxing Foundation (WBF) European Championships and is confident that he will be adding the WBF International crown on just his ninth professional fight.

 

 

More importantly Jacobs’ eight fights to date have been against prospects, a rarity in the sport these days and one that sees Jacobs join such luminaries as all-time top fifty Pound 4 Pound Champions, Muhammad Ali, Oscar De La Hoya, Bob Fitzsimmons, Andre Ward and Joe Gans, who also only fought prospects with positive records in their first nine professional contests.

 

 

“Really looking forward to the fight, I had tunnel vision before and was so fixated on facing and beating Sambou after the controversial way the initial contest ended. I couldn’t deal with losing to someone who wasn’t better then me.

 

 

Now that’s done I’m firmly looking to the future! In no way I’m overlooking my next opponent, he is many levels above anyone else I’ve faced previously, but I feel he is a gatekeeper to bigger and better things and cannot wait to show case my talents against an opponent of that calibre.”

 

 

Tommy ‘Sweet T’ Jacobs versus Bilal Mohammad for the World Boxing Foundation International Super Welterweight Championship takes place at the Charter Hall, Colchester Leisure World, Cowdray Avenue in Colchester on Saturday 30th June 2018.

 

 

Tickets are available direct from any boxer on the card or call the ticket line on 07475 09653

Maia vs. Usman Recap, New ESPN Deal, Boxing Promotional Battles are topics of discussion on this week’s FNU Combat Sports Show

This week on the FNU Combat Sports Show, Tom, Tony and Rich discuss a wide variety of topics. We start out with the ESPN/UFC broadcast rights deal for five years, 30 fight cards and $1.5 billion. We also discuss the infighting among boxing promoters lately with both Bob Arum and UK upstart Eddie Hearn scrambling to sign free agents while trying to fill slots for slated shows in the United States over the coming year. We go on to recap last week’s combat sports action, highlighting the Adonis Stevenson vs. Badou Jack majority draw and the Usman vs Maia 5-round snoozefest headlining last Saturday night’s UFC Fight Night card. We of course also preview this weekend’s boxing matches and the UFC and Bellator cards coming out of England. We even touch on the regulation of bareknuckle boxing and Bobby Gunn’s claim of no fatalities recorded in the sport. Finally, we wrap up with  a reminder of what this weekend is all about: saluting our servicemen and women.  Listen to the whole show at the link below:

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/v8zi5h9j4j7t07e/tonytomandrichmay262018.mp3?dl=0

M-1 CHALLENGE 92 RESULTS & PICTURES 

Sergei Kharitonov vs. Anton Vyazigin declared
“No Contest”
Aleksander Doskalchuk crowned undisputed

M-1 Challenge flyweight champion

 

Aleksander Doskalchuk is now the undisputed M-1 Challenge flyweight champion

 

SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia (May 25, 2018) – Last night’s SuperFight between Russian heavyweight star Sergei Kharitonov and his main event challenger, Anton Vyazigin, was declared a “no contest” and Aleksander Doskalchuk established himself as the undisputed M-1 Challenge flyweight champion last night at M-1 Challenge 92 at M-1 Arena in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

 

 

 

Kharitonov (27-6-0) originally was declared the winner by way of a second-round technical decision over his Russian opponent, Vyazigin (9-2-0), due to an illegal eye poke that prevented Kharitonov from continuing to fight.

 

 

 

The result was later changed to a “no contest” after the commission, assembled by M-1 Global president Vadim Finkelchtein, reviewed the fight video  and made the decision to change the result. A rematch will be scheduled for one of the next events, likely M-1 Challenge 95: Battle in the Mountains, which will happen in July in Ingushetia, Russia.

 

 

 

“A ‘no contest’ was the only possible decision in this situation,” Finkelchtein explained the change. “It was an accident and yesterday the judges made the decision according to the rules, giving the victory to Kharitonov, based on the scorecards. But this fight was an exception.”

 

 

 

“Changing the result to ‘no contest’ is the best choice,” Kharitonov agreed. “This was not the victory I wanted. I was sure the fight would be ruled as no contest, so I was surprised when the referee raised my hand. Anton did not want to poke me, so I think the decision now is fair. In the hospital I was told I’ve got an eye contusion and corneal abrasion. I hope to recover fast and get a rematch.”

 

 

 

Sergei Kharitonov (R) didn’t agree with the original decision declaring him the winner.

 

 

 

“I think ‘no contest’ is a fair result,” Vyazigin added. “I was sure that after that poke, Sergei would take a break, and then we will go on. But the fight was stopped and he was declared the winner. Talking about corneal abrasion, I have no idea how it could happen. I always cut my nails before fights and the referee checks that, so that is weird. Of course, I want a rematch, our story has not ended.”

 

 

 

Doskalchuk (9-1-0), fighting out of Ukraine, entered The Rage as the M-1 Challenge flyweight champion to take on M-1 Challenge Interim flyweight titlist Arman Ashimov (8-3-1), of Kazakhstan. Ashimov was unable to continue after two rounds due to a hand injury.

 

Brazilian welterweight Tiago “Bahia” Varejao (27-5-1) turned in an impressive M-1 debut, taking a majority decision from former M-1 Challenge title challenger Sergey Romanov (14-3-0).

 

 

 

Giga Kukhalashvili (9-4-0) was disqualified in the third round for “rope grabbing” against undefeated Russian light heavyweight Khadis Ibragrimov (4-0-0).

 

 

 

Russian lightweight Pavel Gordeev (11-1-0) took a split decision victory from Mickael “Ragnar” Lebout (17-9-2), of France.

 

 

 

On the preliminary card, Russian heavyweight Maksim Baruzdin (1-0-0) won his pro debut, stopping Cuban giant Freddi Gonzales (0-2-0) in the opening round via punches, Russian lightweight prospect Alexey “Phenomenal” Ilyenko (8-0-0) lived up to his nickname, remaining undefeated by unleashing a barrage of kicks and punches for a third-round knockout of Helson Henriques (9-6-1), of Angola.

 

 

 

Kyrgyzstan featherweight Azibek Satibaldiev (7-4-0) was disqualified in the second round for kicking a grounded fighter, German challenger Saba Bolaghi (9-1-1), Russian featherweight Mikhail Kuznetson (6-4-1) used a guillotine choke to submit fellow countryman Nikita Solonin (4-2-0) in round two, and Ukrainian bantamweight Ludwig Sholinyan (2-0-1) andAlexander Osetrov (4-0-1) fought to a three-round majority draw.

 

 

 

Georgian welterweight Amiran Gogoladze (6-1-0) won a three-round split decision over Russian Taymuraz Guriev, while Ruslan Shamilov (5-0-0) kept his undefeated intact with a three-round split decision versus Denis Tiuliulin (3-4-0) in a battle between Russian middleweights.

 

 

 

Fighters represented 10 different countries: Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Brazil, Georgia, France, Angola, Germany, Cuba and Kyrgyzstan.

 

 

 

Complete results & photo gallery below:

 

 

 

 

MAIN CARD

 

 

MAIN EVENT – HEAVYWEIGHTS

 

Sergei Kharitonov (27-6-0, M-1: 5-0-0), Russia

“No Contest”

Anton Vyazigin (9-2-0, M-1: 4-1-0), Russia

 

 

 

CO-FEATURE – M-1 CHALLENGE FLYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

Aleksander Doskalchuk (9-1-0, M-1: 3-0-0), Champion, Ukraine

WTKO2 (5:00)

Arman Ashimov (8-3-1, M-1: 3-1-0), Interim Champion, Kazakhstan

(Doskalchuk becomes undisputed M-1 Challenge flyweight title)

 

 

 

WELTERWEIGHTS

Tiago “Bahia” Varejao (27-5-1, M-1: 1-0-0-), Brazil

WDEC3

Sergey Romanov (14-3-0, M-1: 5-2-0), Russia

 

 

 

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS

Khadis Ibragimov (4-0-0, M-1: 2-0-0), Russia

WDQ3 (rope grabbing – 3:27)

Giga Kukhalashvili (9-4-0, M-1: 2-1-0), Russia by way of Georgia

 

 

 

LIGHTWEIGHTS

Pavel Gordeev (11-1-0, M-1: 5-0-0), Russia

WDEC3

Mickael “Ragnar” Lebout (17-9-2, 1 NC, M-1: 1-1-0), France

 

 

 

PRELIMINARY CARD

 

 

 

HEAVYWEIGHTS

Maksim Baruzdin (1-0-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Russia

WTKO1 (punches – 0:18)

Freddi Gonzales (0-2-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Cuba

 

 

 

MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Ruslan Shamilov (5-0-0, M-1: 5-0-0), Russia

WDEC3

Denis Tiuliulin (3-3-0, M-1: 0-1-0)

 

 

 

WELTERWEIGHTS

Danila Prikaza (10-2-1, M-1: 7-2-0), Russia

WDEC3

Joilton “Peregrino” Santos (24-7-0, 1 NC, M-1: 0-1-0), Brazil

 

 

 

Amiran Gogoladze (6-1-0, M-1: 3-0-0), Georgia

WDEC3

Taymuraz Guriev (7-4-0, M-1: 2-2-0), Russia

 

 

 

LIGHTWEIGHTS

Alexey “Phenomenal” Ilyenko (8-0-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Russia

WKO3 (kicks & punches – 0:27)

Helson Henriques (9-6-1, M-1: 0-1-0), Angola

 

 

 

FEATHERWEIGHTS

Mikhail Kuznetsov (6-4-1, M-1: 4-3-1), Russia

WSUB2 (guillotine choke – 4:20)

Nikita Solonin (4-2-0, M-1: 1-1-0), Russia

 

 

 

BANTAMWEIGHTS

Ludwig Sholinyan (2-0-1, M-1: 0-0-1), Ukraine

D3

Alexander Osetrov (4-0-1), M-1: 3-0-1), Russia

Full Card Set for Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship & First Legal, Regulated and Sanctioned Bare Knuckle Event  in the U.S. Since 1889

 
Saturday, June 2 Live Across the U.S. and Canada on 
Pay-Per-View from Cheyenne Ice & Events Center 
in Cheyenne, Wyoming
 
Twelve-Bout Card to Feature Former
UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez vs. Lewis Rumsey 

Lineal Bare Knuckle Heavyweight Champion Bobby Gunn vs. 
Marcelo Tavares & Women’s Showdown between Former 
UFC Fighter Bec Rawlings & Denver’s Alma Garcia

CHEYENNE, WY (May 25, 2018) – The full lineup of matchups are set for the inaugural Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) fight card that will feature 12 bouts Saturday, June 2 live on pay-per-view from Cheyenne Ice & Events Center in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

 

 

 

The first legal, regulated and sanctioned bare knuckle event in the United States since 1889, “BKFC: The Beginning,” will air throughout the United States and Canada on pay-per-view through MultiVision Media, Inc., on FITE-TV app and fite.tv on all major television and streaming distribution outlets for $29.99 in 4K. The event can be ordered at www.bareknuckle.tv/bkfc1.

 

 

 

The pay-per-view telecast will feature former boxing world champion Antonio Tarver providing color commentary.

 

 

 

Headlining the card is former UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez taking on Pennsylvania’s Lewis “The Beast” Rumsey in five rounds of heavyweight action, while Lineal Bare Knuckle Boxing Heavyweight World Champion Bobby Gunn battles Brazil’s Marcelo Tavares in a seven-round attraction.

 

 

 

A five-round women’s showdown between “Rowdy” Bec Rawlings and Alma Garcia will also be featured on the groundbreaking pay-per-view event. A former UFC fighter,  Rawlings recorded two wins in UFC among her seven professional MMA victories. The 29-year-old from Brisbane, Australia enters the ring looking to bring her signature aggressive style into bare knuckle boxing. She will take on Garcia, a professional boxer with seven fights under her belt and fighting out of Denver, Colorado.

 

 

 

Held under the auspices and control of the Wyoming Combative Sports Commission, headed by Chairman Bryan Pedersen, the card features only established professional fighters who have competed in boxing, MMA, kickboxing or Muay Thai.

 

 

 

BKFC heavyweight tournament action will feature Arizona’s Eric “The American Soldier” Prindle battling Missouri’s Sam Shewmaker, Las Vegas-native Maurice “The Gorilla” Jackson against Hawaii’s Dale Sopi and Chicago’s Arnold “Bomaye” Adams competing against California’s DJ “Da Protégé” Linderman in a series of five-round quarter final matchups.

 

 

 

Additional fights on the stacked night of bare knuckle boxing include Virginia’s Reggie Barnett versus Pennsylvania’s Travis Thompson in a five-round 135-pound fight, Texas-native Johnny “Brutal” Bedford in a 137-pound, five-round matchup against Wyoming’s Nick “Garfield” Mamalis and a 155-pound showdown between Phoenix’s Estevan “El Terrible” Payan and Washington’s Omar “Gallo Fino” Avelar scheduled for five rounds.

 

 

 

Rounding out the night of fights are a pair of 145-pound fights as San Diego’s Joey Beltran meets California’s Tony “Kryptonite” Lopez in a five-round bout and Winnipeg’s Desmond Johnson taking on New Mexico-native Austin Ward in a five-round affair,plus Canada’s Brandon Cheverfield against Indiana’s Jorge Gonzales in a five-round 165-pound attraction.

 

 

 

Tickets for the live event are available now exclusively at www.bareknuckle.tv and are priced from $50 to $200.

 

#          #          #

 

 

 

ABOUT BKFC: THE BEGINNING

“BKFC: The Beginning” will be distributed live on pay-per-view on Saturday, June 2 at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT and will be available to over 100 million households in the United States and Canada via cable and satellite, and carried throughout the world on traditional television, apps, Smart TVs, home computers, laptops, iPhones, iPads and android devices via Chromecast, Apple TV, Sony Playstations, etc.

 

 

 

Please consult your local guide for channel and replays throughout the month. The suggested retail for “BKFC: The Beginning” is $29.99.

 

 

 

“BKFC: The Beginning”, will be produced in state-of-the art 4K and distributed by New York-based MultiVision Media, Inc. The executive producer is Brian Ricco.

 

 

 

For more information visit www.bareknuckle.tv or follow on Twitter at@BKBChampionship, on Instagram at www.instagram.com/bareknucklefc and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bareknucklefc.

FIGHTNIGHT LIVE APPROACHING 1.5 MILLION VIEWS FOLLOWING SUCCESSFUL INAUGURAL CAMPAIGN

Fan-friendly, interactive series looks to continue momentum in year two.
FIGHTNIGHT LIVE Founder Mark Fratto joins Michael Woods on this week’s Talk Box Podcast, powered by Everlast: 

NEW YORK (May 24, 2018) – Recently celebrating its first anniversary and now approaching 1.5 million views for the series, Facebook FIGHTNIGHT LIVE next turns the corner to year two, looking to build upon its meteoric rise after a highly successful inaugural campaign.

 

 

 

The fan-friendly series that – among other aspects – prides itself on the real-time conversations held between fight commentators and the viewing audience has showcased more than 300 fighters during 17 live event broadcasts in its first 12 months. In doing so, the interactive platform has generated the loyal interest of fight fans from across the United States and around the globe, including significant audiences in Mexico, the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe, and even fans in South America, Asia and Australia.

 

 

 

“We are extremely proud of what FIGHTNIGHT LIVE has accomplished since May 2017. We’ve had 17 shows originating from New York, Boston, Atlantic City, Philadelphia, New England, Phoenix and America’s Heartland, where many different promotions gained an incredible amount of exposure via this exciting, truly social platform. To be able to have several events where more than 150,000 people have tuned in only scratches the surface on the market interest for these events, and we are ready to take FIGHTNIGHT LIVE to the next level in year two,” said Mark Fratto, Principal and Director of Business Development, Linacre Media.

 

 

 

“Beyond the numbers, we’re really pleased with the way the shows have been presented and produced,” Fratto continued. “We’ve been able to showcase more than 300 up-and-coming fighters to fight fans all over the world, and help them expand their bases. And we’ve been able to invite our viewers to be part of the action by fostering real-time interaction between our broadcasters and viewers on the fight activity, the decisions and the knockouts; it’s the next-best thing to having a ringside seat.”

 

 

 

Now at more than 1.4 million views for the series, FIGHTNIGHT LIVE has continued to deliver impressive numbers throughout its rookie season, which has already included seven live shows in the first five months of 2018:

 

 

 

  • Over the first 11 months of programming, the numbers on the 17-show FIGHTNIGHT LIVE series have showed promise and potential for the new platform with an average of83,714 fight fans tuning in per event and more than 1.4 million fans served.

 

  • The Sept. 9 “Real Deal Promotions: Empire State” from Resorts World Casino (225,000), the August CES “Super Saturday” from Foxwoods (203,000), the Sept. CES “Twin River Twinbill” from Lincoln, R.I. (157,000) and the March 17 Murphy’s “St.

 

 

  • Patrick’s Day Clash” (150,001) all logged 150,000 or more views, and collectively the 17-show series has seen a total of more than 30,000 total hours of Facebook video consumed by 1,423,132 users across all devices.

 

  • In addition to the raw viewership numbers, the fully-interactive, fan-friendly productions have seen more than 173,000 collective live post engagements(more than 10,200 per show), including more than 116,000 “likes” or “loves,” almost 30,000 comments and nearly 10,000 shares.

 

  • FIGHTNIGHT LIVE broadcasts are viewed by 76 percent men, 24 percent women. The top demographic is comprised of males ages 25-34, which encompasses approximately 30.0 percent of the audience, on average.

 

  • The Sept. 9 “Real Deal Promotions: Empire State” set a new bar with 224,658 viewsand the Sept. 15-16 DiBella-CES doubleheader carried the series to three-quarters-of-a-million views in just over four months. TheFeb. 10 Hard-Hitting Promotions “Philly Fight Night” show stands out individually with 3,421 live hours of content viewed, while the Sept. 15 DiBella card saw more than 40,000 viewer interactions including almost 39,000 “likes” or “loves” and the March 17 Murphy’s “St. Patrick’s Day Clash” set a new high-water mark for shares with 2,182.

 

  • The FIGHTNIGHT LIVE page on Facebook has more than 80,000 fans and more than 83,000 followers.And Facebook itself has taken notice – the world’s No. 1 social network recently profiled FIGHTNIGHT LIVE on its “Success Stories” media blog, noting the series’ use of industry best practices for production and interactivity: https://www.facebook.com/facebookmedia/success-stories/fightnight

 

 

Created and produced by Linacre Media out of New York City, the FIGHTNIGHT LIVE series features professional announcers, multiple camera angles, television graphics, replays and behind-the-scenes access and interviews. The streamed shows are available globally wherever Facebook is available. The initiative not only enables fans from around the world to tune in, but also gives up-and-coming fighters a global platform to showcase their abilities, gives promoters an accessible “broadcast” solution and gives sponsors the ability to reach a mass audience via branded content.

 

 

 

More FIGHTNIGHT LIVE Spring and Summer 2018 dates will be officially announced in the coming weeks.

 

 

 

FIGHTNIGHT LIVE is available online at:
https://www.facebook.com/FaceFIGHTNIGHTLIVE/

 

 

 

Follow all the action via social media at FaceFIGHTNIGHTLIVE on Facebook, @FaceFIGHTNIGHTLIVE on Instagram and @FIGHTNIGHTLIVE_ on Twitter, or by using the hashtag #FIGHTNIGHTLIVE. For the latest Linacre Media events and broadcast schedule, follow @LinacreMedia across all social platforms or use the tags #LinacreMediaEvents or #LinacreMediaOnTV.

CHRISTINA HAMMER TRAINING CAMP NOTES

WOMEN’S WBC & WBO MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION TO MAKE U.S. DEBUT IN TOUGH DEFENSE AGAINST FORMER CHAMPION TORI NELSON ON FRIDAY, JUNE 22
Tickets on Sale For Event At Masonic Temple in Detroit Headlined By Two-Time Gold Medalist Claressa Shield’s Attempt To Become A Two-Division World Champion

Unified Women’s WBC and WBO Middleweight Champion Christina Hammer has taken to the mountains of Austria for this leg of her intense training camp.

 

 

 

Hammer (22-0, 10 KOs) will make her U.S. fighting debut while defending her titles against former world champion Tori Nelson (17-1-3, 2 KOs) on Friday, June 22. The bout will serve as a supporting bout to two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and unified women’s super-middleweight champion Claressa Shields’ attempt to become a two-division world champion against unified women’s 154-pound champion Hanna Gabriels at Masonic Temple in Detroit, Mich.

 

 

 

Shields vs Gabriels will be contested for the vacant IBF and WBA Middleweight World Championships and telecast on SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION at 10 p.m. ET/PT live on SHOWTIME. Extensive highlights of Hammer vs. Nelson will also be shown.

 

 

 

Hammer, of Dortmund, Germany, has dominated the women’s middleweight division since 2010. The 27-year-old says training at elevation in the mountains of Austria is bringing the best out of her.

 

 

 

How has training camp gone so far?

 

 

 

“My camp has gone well. We train three times a day and work hard to be in the best shape possible on June 22 in Detroit.”

 

 

 

Can you tell us about your current training location?

 

 

 

“We are in Austria, staying at a place in the mountains that is about 5000-feet elevation. It’s amazing here. The nature and the mountains inspire me and give me power. It’s very comfortable to do my roadwork and go to the boxing gym because everything is situated in a comfortable way.”

 

 

 

What is a typical day like at training camp? 

 

 

 

“We’ve been in Austria for the last 10 days. At 7:30 am, we start the first interval runs. At 9 am, I have breakfast and at 11 am, we go up to the mountains to our gym (which is at 6500 feet high) to do my strength and conditioning work. Later, in the afternoon, we start our boxing work. The nature and beautiful surroundings give me peace of mind.”

 

 

 

How and why is your training camp built into different stages?

 

 

 

“The mountains are perfect to prepare for the fight. You are away from your hometown stay more focused on training. The air is thin and this high level of elevation gives your body a higher level of conditioning. On June 10, we will move on to our next stage of training, which will take place in the United States. That will be to help acclimate me to the new time and climate for fight night on June 22, which is when I will put all of this hard work together and have it pay off in a big way.”

 

 

 

Who is your head trainer?

 

 

 

“My coach is Dimitrie Kirnos. I started my professional career with him. He himself was Soviet Union Boxing Champion and trained many top champions. He is old school and pushes my mind and body to the limit. He is a big part of my team we have a great bond. I have much respect and admiration for him.”

 

 

 

Have you done anything different preparing for this fight?

 

 

 

“I spar with lots of shorter fighters, like Tori Nelson. I guarantee that it will be much more explosive and impressive than Claressa Shields was against her.”

 

 

 

American fans love knockouts. Can they expect a Christina Hammer KO on June 22?

 

 

 

“That’s why I train hard and give everything in the gym. I want to be amazing that night and a knockout would be a perfect ending.”

 

 

 

What is your prediction for June 22?

 

 

 

“I will show my power and skills. People will see who the real unified Middleweight Champion of the world is. My performance will speak for itself!”

 

 

 

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by Salita Promotions, are available at Ticketmaster.com or at the Masonic Temple Box Office at (313) 832-7100. VIP tickets are priced at $300, ringside tickets at $125, and remaining tickets at $75, $50 and $35. 

 BANTAMWEIGHT BOUT ADDED TO ALREADY-STACKED PORTLAND FIGHT CARD

Portland, Maine (May 24, 2018) – Last week New England Fights (NEF) released the official card for its upcoming return to Aura in Portland, Maine.  The mixed-martial-arts event, entitled “NEF 34: Home of the Brave,” is scheduled to take place on Saturday night, June 16, 2018 with a bell-time of 7:00 pm EDT.  NEF matchmakers, however, were still hard at work on adding fights to the card, and earlier today they announced the addition of an amateur bantamweight bout to the event.  Henry Clark (3-4) will face Dave Brown (1-3) at a fight weight of 135-pounds.

 

 

 

The lead-up to “NEF 34” has been somewhat of a wild ride for Henry Clark.  He was originally scheduled to face Florida’s Krishna Scott (0-1) on the card.  Just prior to the announcement of the full fight card, Scott’s camp informed NEF that he was pulling out of the fight.  Clark remained in training camp at the Choi Institute in Portland in the hope that NEF matchmakers would find him a replacement opponent.  When Dave Brown stepped up to the plate, Clark was quick to accept the opportunity to fight in front of his hometown fans and friends once more.

 

 

 

“I’m so grateful that Dave Brown stepped up,” said Clark. “It takes a lot of guts to take a short notice fight. I would have fought anyone on a week’s notice if it meant fighting in Portland. It’s great motivation for me to finish up my camp knowing who I’m fighting. I’m coming to showcase and steal the show.”

 

 

 

A native of North Andover, Massachusetts, Dave Brown is a three-fight veteran of the NEF cage.  Prior to his time competing in MMA, Brown wrestled for Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire.  He will return to NEF after a three-year absence following his loss to Norman Fox in the spring of 2015.  Brown, “‘Downtown’ Dave Brown” as he is known to his fans and friends, is looking forward to his return to action.

 

 

 

“I’ve seen Henry Clark in action and I have a lot of respect for his abilities,” said Brown when reached for comment.  “But come June 16, I’m gonna take him down… all the way downtown!”

 

 

 

NEF’s next mixed-martial-arts event, “NEF 34: Home of the Brave,” will take place at Aura in Portland, Maine on Saturday, June 16, 2018.  Tickets are on-sale now online at www.AuraMaine.com.

 

 

 

About New England Fights

 

 

 

New England Fights (“NEF”) is a fight events promotions company. NEF’s mission is to create the highest quality events for fighters and fans alike. NEF’s executive team has extensive experience in combat sports management, events production, media relations, marketing, legal and advertising.

Sergei Kharitonov speaks out before Today’s SuperFight with Anton Vyazigin Headlining M-1 Challenge 92

 
May 24 at M-1 Arena in Saint Petersburg, Russia

Sergey Kharitonov

SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia (May 24, 2018) – MMA living legend Sergey Kharitonov (27-6-0, M-1: 5-0-0) outs his perfect M-1 record on the line today against fellow Russian heavyweight, “Cherepovets Giant” Anton Vyazigin (9-2-1, M-1: 4-1-0), in today’s (May 24) M-1 Challenge 92 main event SuperFight, at M-1 Arena in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

 

 

 

M-1 Challenge 92 will be live-streamed from Russia in high definition on www.M1Global.TV. Viewers will be able to watch the preliminary fights and main card by logging on to register at www.M1Global.TV. Fans may watch all the action on their computers, as well as on Android and Apple smart phones and tablets. M-1 Challenge 92 will also be available on www.FITE.TV(preliminary card is free, $7.99 for the main card)

 

 

 

The 37-year-old Kharitonov has defeated a Who’s Who of some of top heavyweight MMA fighters, including Alister OvereemAndrei ArlovskiFabricio Werdum and Pedro Rizzo.

 

 

 

Kharitonov had a few last words before the action officially begins:

 

 

 

Sergey, you have had 33 professional MMA during your career and now you are 37 years old. What is your motivation in MMA? Why do you keep fighting?

 

 

 

SK: “Fighting has become an essential part of my life. I literally can’t live without it. I love new challenges, and this is why I compete at different events and now, for example, I have a new challenge: two fights in one week. Tomorrow I have an MMA fight at M-1 Challenge 92 and in a week, I’ve got a kickboxing bout scheduled.

 

 

 

“This is life and we have to take risks, because no risk, no reward. So, I am ready for this. MMA is my passion, but I love kickboxing, too, and now I am interested in competing in both sports.”

 

 

 

It is said that for heavyweights the age of 35 is the prime, because this is the time when heavyweights are usually quite experienced, but still in shape. What do you think about it?

 

 

 

SK: “It all depends. One fighter can reach his prime at 25, another one at 35, but, in my opinion, it depends on his conscious. Take a look at some boxers like George Foreman, who fought until he was 48. Even in lighter divisions there are many examples of successful old fighters like Bernard Hopkins and even Floyd Mayweather Jr., who is not that young today. If you keep training hard, you can fight for a long time.”

 

 

 

Only twice in your career you won by decision. How does it happen that you finish almost all your opponents?

 

 

 

SK: “I always look at my opponent; if he gives me an opportunity to finish him, I do it. I don’t care how I win fights and I have no goal to finish my opponents. The only thing that really matters is the victory.”

 

 

 

Anton Vyazigin has power in his hands. Do you have a plan for the upcoming fight or do you need one?

 

 

 

SK: “My fighting style depends on the situation, but I think tomorrow we are going to have a stand-up fight. At this stage of my career, I do not really change my training camp for new opponents. I have pretty much experience, so I can just enter The Rage and do what I have to do. Nevertheless, I usually watch my opponents’ fights. I watched two fights of Vyazigin and can say that he is a great young athlete with heavy punches. I am very excited because it makes me happy that young guys like him are ready to replace us. Who knows how much time we have left, a year, two, three, maybe even five? These guys have long careers ahead and they have to keep growing and showing their best!”

 

 

 

INFORMATION:

 

 

 

www.M1Global.tv

www.mixfight.ru

www.wmmaa.org

 

 

 

Twitter & Instagram:

@M1GlobalNews

@Vadim_finkelchtein

@M1Global

 

 

 

Facebook:

 

 

 

www.facebook.com/M-1-GlobalNews

 

 

 

Upcoming M-1 Challenge Events:

May 24 – M-1 Challenge 92: Kharitonov vs. Vyazigin in Saint Petersburg, Russia

June 1 – M-1 Challenge 93: Shelemnko vs. Siva in Chelyabinsk, Russia

Two time Olympic Medalist Dychko to face Marrone June 16 in St. Petersburg, FL

June 16 poster.jpg

Tampa, FL (May 23, 2018) – Fire Fist Boxing Promotions is proud to announce two-time Olympic medalist Ivan Dychko will face former world title challenger Mike Marrone in an eight round heavyweight contest Saturday, June 16 at The Coliseum in St. Petersburg, FL.

 

 

 

Born in Kazakhstan and fighting out of Kissimmee, FL, Dychko was among the world’s top amateur boxers.

 

 

 

The 27-year-old captured a bronze medal at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. In addition to his Olympic success, Dychko is a three-time medalist at the World Amateur Champions and medaled twice at the Asian Games. As a pro, the 6’9 Dychko’s 5-0 with all of his victories coming by knockout, 3 of which came in less than a round.

 

 

 

Born and raised in Vero Beach, FL, Marrone started his career 18-0. In 2011, Marrone move down in weight to challenge Guillermo Jones for the WBA cruiserweight title but was stopped in the sixth round. Having faced world champions and contenders in Jones, Shannon Briggs, Chazz Witherspoon, DaVarryl Williamson, Francesco Pianeta and Charles Martin, Marrone, 21-8 (15 KO’s), is by far Dychko’s most experienced foe.

 

 

 

“When I got the call about adding Dychko-Marrone to the card I was over the moon,” said Jody Caliguire of Fire Fist Boxing Promotions. “Ivan has all the tools to be a future heavyweight champion and had an incredible amateur career. Mike’s fought for the world title and faced many of the best plus he’s a fan favorite in Florida. Both men have something to prove in this fight and the fans are in for a real treat.”

 

 

 

This special evening of boxing is headlined by a ten round NBA middleweight championship showdown between unbeaten Connor Coyle, an Ireland-based Tampa transplant, against bitter rival Danny “El Bebo” Pastrana of Orlando, FL.

 

 

 

The co-main event pits popular Tampa native Nicholas Iannuzzi (19-4) against Vincent Miranda (17-2) in an eight round cruiserweight affair. Iannuzzi returned from a 3 ½ year layoff in March to knockout Lemarcus Tucker in three rounds. Miranda, who fights out of Atlanta, GA and is originally from Puerto Rico, has wins over former title challengers David Telesco and Brian Barbosa.

 

 

 

Unbeaten welterweight standout Ramal Amanov, undefeated phenom Mark Reyes Jr., 126 pound powerhouse Jose “Lil Pacquiao” Resendez, Ali Tareh, Joseph Fernandez and Rodriguez Cade will all fight in separate undercard bouts.

 

 

 

Tickets are on sale now at https://www1.ticketmaster.com/event/0D00548D9F1C967E. Fire Fist Boxing Promotions is also offering a special discount for all military members, active or retired, and their families. For details on the military discount, please email Matt@Knockoutpublicity.com.

 

Crypto Boxers Announces Open Call for Contenders to #GetIntheGame

May 23, 2018 – Crypto Boxers, the first and only boxing game operating on blockchain technology, has announced an open call for all boxers to #GetInTheGame!  Professional contenders, of all ranks, can now apply to have their own avatar created for game inclusion and thereby receive residual income after the game’s launch.Crypto Boxers is slated to launch this summer and will feature real life boxing professionals as collectible tokens for the virtual fighting action on Ethereum, an open-source, public, blockchain-based distributed computing platform and operating system featuring smart contract functionality.

 

 

 

By playing Crypto Boxers, gamers engage in virtual matches with the boxer of their choice, creating an actual ‘gloves on’ in the ring experience! By offering gamers a unique opportunity to compete while exploring the new realm of digital currency via their wins and losses, Crypto Boxers will do for cryptocurrency what Madden did for the game industry. Moving beyond the PlayStation realm, the game allows the player the opportunity to not only just compete, but to also earn upon winning as the game’s virtual boxers reap digital rewards for their wins.

 

 

 

Boxing champion Yahu “Rock” Blackwell is spearheading the game after delaying his initial fight game release to expand the concept as a means to merge into the cryptocurrency space. Hall of Famer and legendary referee Joe “Mr. Fair But Firm” Cortez is the first celebrity announcement with his own avatar calling all the fights on the game!

 

 

 

“This all started as a boxing game then became an innovative cryptocurrency concept,” explains Andrew Gilliam, Blackwell’s manager and Crypto Boxer consultant. “We then sat down as a team to discuss how can we make the game a more inclusive experience for the entire boxing community. It just made sense to invite our industry’s pioneers, current contenders and newcomers to “Get in the Game” with us! By coming on board now, fighters have an opportunity to earn long term residual income by lending their personas as fight opponents for gamer selections. It becomes a win-win for all involved!”

 

 

 

Crypto Boxers has received an overwhelming positive response with numerous professional boxers already signed up.  Perspective participants can log on at http://menminesmedia.com/2018/05/01/all-boxers-get-in-the-game/ for sign up details and information.

 

 

 

Crypto Boxers is currently fielding offers from multiple silent investors and will make the game available for pre-orders in the upcoming months. To stay updated on launch details and to earn early game rewards, sign up at http://cryptoboxers.io/.

 

 

 

Follow Crypto Boxers on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram and #GetIntheGame now!