All posts by FNU47

Jamal James battles Jose Lopez in 10-round main event on Saturday, June 27 at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem

 Plus  undefeated Antonio DuBose, Alex Martin, Caleb Plant, Christian Molina, Kyrone Davis, Carlos Gongora and Chris Colbert
For Immediate Release
Bethlehem, PA (June 8, 2015)On Saturday night, June 27 King’s Boxing will present night of boxing at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem.
In the main event, undefeated Welterweight Jamal James will take on Jose Lopez in a bout scheduled for 10-rounds.
James of Minneapolis, Minnesota has a record of 16-0 with 9 knockouts.
The 26 year-old James has some quality wins over Patrick Boozer (5-1), Mohammed Kayongo (17-2-1) to win the Minnesota State Welterweight Title, Colby Courter (4-1) and Wayne Martell (25-4-1).
James is coming off a 2nd round stoppage over Daniel Sostre on April 18 in Valley Forge, PA.
Lopez of Torreon, Mexico has an impressive mark of 25-3-1 with 15 knockouts.
The 24 year-old has wins over Zwan Alberto Ramirez (3-0), former world champion Cesar Soto to win the WBC FECOMBOX Interim Super Lightweight title, future world title challenger Jorge Paez Jr (27-3-1), Eliud Melendez Rocha (3-0-1), Juan Manuel Leal (4-0-1), Jose Emilio Perea (21-1) to win the vacant WBF Welterweight title, Mahonri Montes (27-1-1), Carlos Martinez (10-0) and Ismael Urieta (5-1).
Lopez, who has won 8 in a row is, coming off an 8-round unanimous decision over Jonathan Duran on May 30 in Mexico City.
In 8-round Bouts:
Antonio DuBose (7-0, 2 KO’s) of Philadelphia will take on an opponent to be named in a Featherweight bout.
In 6-round Bouts:
Alex Martin (8-0, 5 KO’s) of Harvey, Illinois will take on Pavel Miranda (19-10-1, 9 KO’s) of Tijuana, Mexico in a Welterweight bout.
Caleb Plant (7-0, 6 KO’s) of Ashland, TN will fight Juan Carlos Rojas (10-10-1, 8 KO’s) of Saltillo, Mexico in a Super Middleweight bout.
Christian Molina (4-0, 3 KO’s) of Allentown, PA will take on Justin Johnson (6-8) of Pittsburgh, PA in a Jr. Welterweight bout.
Kyrone Davis (7-0, 3 KO’s) of Wilmington, DE will take on an opponent to be named in a Middleweight bout..
In 4-round Bouts:
Robert Ramos (1-3-1, 1 KO) of Allentown, PA will fight Ismael Serrano (2-1) of Bethlehem, PA in a Lightweight bout.
Desmond Moore of Bethlehem, PA will fight Mike Heffilfinger of Pennsylvania in a battle of Featherweight pro debuter’s.
Carlos Gongora (1-0, 1 KO) of Brooklyn, NY will box Alvaro Enriquez (12-14-2, 4 KO’s) of Tlaxcala, Mexico in a Light Heavyweight affair.
Chris Colbert (1-0, 1 KO) of Brooklyn, NY will fight Antwan Robertson (9-14-1, 6 KO’s) of Minneapolis, MN in a Super Bantamweight bout.
Tickets are priced at $100, $75 and $50 and can purchased at ticketmaster and www.ticketmaster.com
The 1st bout will start at 6:45 PM with the doors opening at 6 PM.

FIGHT NETWORK MMA, JUDO & KICKBOXING PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE (June 8-14, 2015)

Fight Network is a 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports. It airs programs focused on the entire scope of the combat sports genre, including live fights and up-to-the-minute news and analysis for mixed martial arts, kickboxing, professional wrestling, traditional martial arts, boxing, fight news, as well as fight-themed drama series, documentaries and feature films.

 

Below find highlights of this week’s programming:

Monday, June 8

7:00 p.m. ET – 5 Rounds – Hosts John Ramdeen and Robin Black invite special guests to break down the weekend of MMA action.

7:30 p.m. ET – Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.

8:00 p.m. ETFinal Fight Championship 8 MMA: Rodriguez vs. Galesic – Featuring Rico Rodriguez vs. Zelg Galesic from Oct. 25, 2013 in Zagreb, Croatia.

10:00 p.m. ETFinal Fight Championship 8 Kickboxing: Brestivac vs. Cenik – Featuring Mladen Brestovac vs. Ali Cenik and Tomas Hron vs. Jahfarr Wilnis from Oct. 25, 2013 in Zagreb, Croatia.

Tuesday, June 9

1:30 & 6:30 a.m. ETHip Show: Arena Combat – Tag-team MMA inside a 12m by 12m arena with three-level obstacle structures.

2:30 am. ET – XPTV – Coverage of regional U.S pro and amateur MMA.

7:00 & 7:30 p.m. ETXtreme Fighting Championship – Florida-based professional MMA featuring top American prospects, international stars and UFC veterans.

8:00 p.m. ET – 5 Rounds – Hosts John Ramdeen and Robin Black invite special guests to break down the weekend of MMA action.

8:30 p.m. ET — Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.

10:00 p.m. ETHard Knocks Fighting 43 – Featuring Jason Zentgraf vs. Nick Ring, Misha Cirkunov vs. Shaun Asher and Sergej Juskevicvs. LT Nelson from May 22, 2015 in Calgary, Canada.

Wednesday, June 10

3:00 a.m. ETTexas Fight Night – MMA action from Texas featuring the Lone Star State’s top prospects in the cage.

6:00 p.m. ETBest of Cage Rage – Featuring classic fights from the UK-based Cage Rage organization with Anderson Silva, Antonio Silva, Victor Belfort, Paul Daley and others.

7:00 p.m. ETFight News Now Extra: MMA Edition – Covering all the happenings in the MMA world with exclusive analysis and features.

7:30 p.m. ETFight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.

9:00 p.m. ETCage Warriors Fighting Championship 44 -Featuring Chris Fields vs. Jack Mason from Oct. 1, 2011 in London.

11:00 p.m. ETMMA Meltdown with Gabriel Morency – Gabriel Morency breaks down all the happenings in MMA, discussing odds, predictions, plus special weekly guests and exclusive interviews.

11:30 p.m. ETTakeDown Wrestling – Extensive coverage of amateur wrestling events, including the latest news, behind-the-scenes coverage from events and exclusive interviews.

Thursday, June 11

1:30 a.m. ETUltimate Challenge MMA 11: Adrenaline Rush – Featuring Mark Weir vs. Jack Mason from Mar. 27, 2010 in London.

6:00 p.m. ETChampionship Fightling Alliance – Pro MMA from Florida featuring the likes of Josh Sampo, Mike Kyle, John Howard, Sean McCorkie, Luis Palomino and others.

7:00 p.m. ETFighting Rookies – Aspiring kickboxers climb the ladder of success in the sport as rookies compete for a chance to become professionals and get experience needed to succeed at a higher level.

8:00 p.m. ETFight News Now: MMA Edition – Covering all the happenings in the MMA world with exclusive analysis and features.

8:30 p.m. ET Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.

9:00 p.m. ETM-1 Challenge 33: Emelianenko vs. Magomedov 2 – Featuring Aleksander Emelianenko vs. Ibragim Magomedov and Mukhamed Aushev vs. Ivica Truscek fro,m June 6, 2012 in Dzheirakh, Russia.

Friday, June 12

2:00 a.m. ETPancrase Classics – Classic pioneering MMA battles featuring Ken Shamrock, Frank Shamrock, Bas Rutten, Nate Marquardt, Chael Sonnen and others.

4:00 a.m. ETBest of DEEP – Featuring class fights from the historic Japanese DEEP promotion including Shinya Aoki, Hayato Sakurai and Gegard Mousasi.

5:00 a.m. ETBest of Jewels – Classic fights from the all-female Japanese MMA league, Jewels.

12:00 p.m. ETBookie Beatdown – Preview of betting lines and top picks for major UFC events.

5:00 p.m. ETUFC 188: Velasquez vs. Werdum Weigh-Ins – LIVE coverage of the official weigh-in for UFC 188: Velasquez vs. Werdum from Mexico City, Mexico.

6:00 p.m. ETM-1 Challenge – Pro MMA from Europe featuring top rising prospects and international stars.

7:00 p.m. ETFight News Now: MMA Edition – Covering all the happenings in the MMA world with exclusive analysis and features.

7:30 p.m. ET Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.

8:00 p.m. ETToe 2 Toe with Cain Velasquez – In-depth sit-down interview with UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez.

8:30 p.m. ETHip Show: Arena Combat – Tag-team MMA inside a 12m by 12m arena with three-level obstacle structures.

9:00 p.m. ET — KSW 21 – Khalidov vs. Grove – Featuring Mamed Khalidov vs. Kendall Grove and Michal Materia vs. Rodney Wallace from Dec. 1, 2012 in Warsaw, Poland.

Saturday, June 13

1:00 a.m. ETSuperKombat Grand Prix Ploiesti 2015 – Featuring Benjamin Adegbuyi vs, Daniel Lentie, Andrei Stoica vs. Marcello Adriaansz and the New Heroes middleweight championshoip from Mar. 7, 2015 in Ploiesti, Romania.

6:00 a.m. ETBest of TKO – FeaturingJonathan Goulet vs. Shonie Carter from TKO 23.

7:00 a.m. ET – Best of Gladiator Challenge – Featuring Joe Stevenson vs. Casey Balkenbush from Gladiator Challenge 14.

8:00 a.m. ETBest of SportFight – Top quality MMA from the Pacific Northwest, histed by UFC veterans Matt Lindland and Chael Sonnen.

7:00 p.m. ETUFC 188: Velasquez vs. Werdum Pre-Show – LIVE pre-fight coverage and previews of UFC 188: Velasquez vs. Werdum from Mexico City.

8:00 p.m. ETM-1 Challenge 58: Battle in the Mountains 4 – Featuring Marcello Brito vs. Murad Abdulaev for the vacant M-1 Challenge welterweight title, plus Lee Morrison vs. Pavel Vitruk from June 6, 2015 in Russia.

11:00 p.m. ET – King of Kings: World Grand Prix Vilnius 2015 – Featuring a one-night, single-elimination light heavyeight tournament from Mar. 14, 2015 in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Sunday, June 14

1:00 a.m. ETUFC 188: Velasquez vs. Werdum Post-Show – LIVE post-fight coverage and post-fight press conference for UFC 188: Velasquez vs. Werdum from Mexico City.

6:00 a.m. ETPancrase Classics – Classic pioneering MMA battles featuring Ken Shamrock, Frank Shamrock, Bas Rutten, Name Marquardt, Chael Sonnen and others.

10:00 a.m. ETBest of ADCC – Featuring compilations of the greatest grappling matches ever held, featuring Tito Ortiz, Matt Hughes, Eddie Bravo, Fabricio Werdum, Marcelo Garcia, Ronaldo Souza and Royler Gracie.

11:00 a.m. ET – Elite Muay Thai: Thailand vs. Challenger – The biggest Muay Thai series in the world featuring premium international stand-up fighters taking on the renowned Thai National Team

5:00 p.m. ETUSA Wrestling Weekly – Host Scott Casber gives weekly news and analysis centering around USA Wrestling, the sport’s national governing body, including interviews, features and look back at the past.

5:30 p.m. ETJudo Dusseldorf Grand Prix 2015 – Highlights from the Judo Dusseldorf Grand Prix from Feb. 20-22, 2015 in Germany.

6:30 p.m. ET – Hip Show: Arena Combat – Tag-team MMA inside a 12m by 12m arena with three-level obstacle structures.

7:00 p.m. ET – Fighting Spirit MMA Season 4 – Compilation of International fights from SFL, Legend, FFC, M-1 and more.

INFORMATION:

www.FightNetwork.com

 

Twitter & Instagram @fightnet

 

www.Facebook.com/FightNetwork

 

ABOUT FIGHT NETWORK:  Fight Network is the world’s premier combat sports network dedicated to 24/7 coverage, including fights, fighters, fight news and fight lifestyle. The channel is available in the U.S. on Cablevision in parts of New York, Connecticut and New Jersey, Texas-based Grande Communications, Armstrong Cable in Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, as well as on Shentel Cable in Virginia, West Virginia and portions of western Maryland. Fight Network is also on Roku set top boxes in the U.S. and Canada, streamed live on website KlowdTV.com, and available on all major carriers in Canada and more than 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Emmanuel Sanchez Replaces Injured Goiti Yamauchi; Plus Four Additional Preliminary Bouts Complete 13-Fight “Bellator: Kongo vs. Volkov” Card On June 26

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (June 8, 2015) – With an unfortunate injury forcing the withdrawal of Goiti Yamauchi, Emmanuel “El Matador” Sanchez (10-1) receives the call to step in against former featherweight champion Pat “Paddy Mike” Curran (20-7). With this change of opponent, and four newly announced matchups, “Bellator MMA: Kongo vs. Volkov” on June 26 is now complete with 13 total scraps to sink your teeth into.

 

The additional fights include heavyweight bouts between Alex Huddleston (5-1) vs. Javy Ayala (8-3) and Derek Bohi (5-4) vs. Frederick Brown (2-1) as well as featherweights Greg Scott (3-3) vs. Gaston Reyno (3-0) and lightweights Marcio Navarro (13-11) vs. Cody Carrillo (8-11).

 

“Bellator MMA: Kongo vs. Volkov” is headlined by a heavyweight clash between French striking specialist Cheick “The Darkness” Kongo (22-10-2) and former Bellator MMA Heavyweight World Champion Alexander “Drago” Volkov (24-5). The event takes place June 26 at Kansas Star Event Center Arena in Mulvane, Kan.

 

The night’s main card airs live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts stream on Spike.com at 7 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. CT. Tickets for “Bellator: Kongo vs. Volkov” start at just $17 and are currently available at Ticketmaster.com.

 

Additional announced pairings on the SPIKE-televised card include lightweights Dave “The Caveman” Rickels (16-3) vs.John “The Natural” Alessio (35-17) and a contest between middleweight sluggers with Joe “Stitch ‘Em Up” Schilling (2-4) vs. Hisaki Kato (4-1).

 

The 24-year-old Sanchez is an explosive featherweight, fighting with Duke Roufus out of the famed Roufusport gym in Milwaukee. The two-time Bellator veteran has shined throughout his current six-fight winning streak, most recently scoring a first-round rear naked choke over Stephen Banaszak at Bellator 128 followed by a dominant unanimous decision over Costa Rican standout Alejandro Villalobos at Bellator 135 this past March.  Sanchez faces stiff competition in former featherweight kingpin Curran, who has been involved in some of the most memorable Bellator fights of all time.

 

Huddleston, 28, is a key training has won four consecutive tilts since dropping the first fight of his professional career in 2011. Most recently, “The Shaved Gorilla” stopped Derek Bohl at Bellator 130. Standing opposite Huddleston inside the cage will be the 26-year-old Ayala, who is on a three-fight promotional winning streak of his own. The California native has stopped his last three foes before reaching the judges’ discretion.

 

In the second added heavyweight feature, Bohl will seek his first win for the Southern California-based promotion. “Marshmallow” has won his first two bouts in 2015 on the regional circuit. Brown will have his second opportunity at success for Bellator against Bohl. The hometown fighter was finished by Daniel Gallemore at Bellator 113, which was his last time in action.

 

Undefeated at 3-0, Reyno will bring the tenacity he has shown on the independent MMA scene to the Bellator cage. “Tonga” has finished every fight he has been involved in and will look to make a mark on the featherweight division with his debut. Scott, a Whichita native, made his Bellator MMA debut in 2011 and has had a mixed bag of success.

 

Lastly, a pair of experienced lightweights will round out the preliminary portion of the card when Navarro and Carrillo tangle inside the steel mesh. With 43 professional bouts between them, both veterans will attempt to string together some wins under the Bellator banner.

 

“Bellator MMA: Kongo vs. Volkov”Friday, June 26, Kanas Star Event Center Arena, Mulvane, Kansas

 

Main Card (9 p.m. ET)

 

Bellator Heavyweight Main Event: Cheick Kongo (22-10-2) vs. Alexander Volkov (24-5)

Bellator Lightweight Feature Fight: Dave Rickels (16-3) vs. John Alessio (35-17)

Bellator Featherweight Feature Fight: Pat Curran (20-7) vs. Emmanuel Sanchez (10-1)

Bellator Middleweight Feature Fight: Joe Schilling (2-4) vs. Hisaki Kato (4-1)

 

Preliminary Card 

 

Bellator Featherweight Prelim Fight: Bubba Jenkins (8-2) vs. Joe Wilk (18-10)

Bellator Bantamweight Prelim Fight: Jeimeson Saudino (8-4) vs. Aaron Ely (4-2)

Bellator Lightweight Prelim Fight: Bobby Cooper (12-5) vs. Pablo Villaseca (9-0)

Bellator Heavyweight Prelim Fight: Daniel Gallemore (4-2) vs. Augusto Sakai (7-0)

Bellator Female Featherweight Prelim Fight: Iony Razafiarison (2-0) vs. Bryanna Fissori (1-0)

Bellator Heavyweight Prelim Fight: Alex Huddleston (5-1) vs. Javy Ayala (8-3)

Bellator Featherweight Prelim Fight: Greg Scott (3-3) vs. Gaston Reyno (3-0)

Bellator Heavyweight Prelim Fight: Derek Bohi (5-4) vs. Frederick Brown (2-1)

Bellator Lightweight Prelim Fight: Marcio Navarro (13-11) vs. Cody Carrillo (8-11)

LAST-MINUTE REPLACEMENT IN FEATHERWEIGHT FIGHT AT NEF XVIII

Lewiston, Maine (June 8, 2015) – New England Fights (NEF), America’s number-one regional fight promotion, will hold its eighteenth mixed-martial-arts (MMA) event, “NEF XVIII: MADE IN AMERICA,” this Saturday night, June 13, 2015 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine.   Earlier today, the promotion announced the addition of an amateur featherweight bout to the fight card.  Carl Langston (4-8) is scheduled to meet Alex Johnson (2-1) at the featherweight limit of 145-pounds.

 

A fixture of NEF MMA amateur cards, Langston, of Young’s MMA in Bangor, Maine, replaces Johnson’s original opponent, and Langston teammate, Aaron Lacey (5-1), who was injured last week.  The Lacey-Johnson fight was scheduled to determine the first-ever NEF MMA Amateur Featherweight Champion.  The bout between Langston and Johnson, however, will be a non-title affair.

 

Langston is riding high off a victory over Sheldon Bang (2-2) last February.  It was Langston’s first victory in the NEF MMA cage. Likewise, Johnson is looking to extend his own streak of two wins in a row to three in NEF action.  A member of Ruthless MMA & Boxing of Benton, Maine, Johnson submitted Dustin Shorey (0-1) at “NEF XVII” this past April.

 

NEF officials further announced today that the Langston-Johnson contest is currently scheduled to open the show at “NEF XVIII” this Saturday.

 

Tickets for “NEF XVIII: MADE IN AMERICA” start at just $25 and are on sale now at www.TheColisee.com or by calling the Colisee box office at 207.783.2009 x 525.  For more information on the event and fight card updates, please visit the promotion’s website at www.NewEnglandFights.com.  In addition, you can watch NEF videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”

 

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 Maine’s fighters and fans alike. NEF’s executive team has extensive experience in combat sports management, events production, media relations, marketing, legal and advertising.

Julian “J Rock” Williams returns this Saturday, June 13 against Armen Ovespyan on Wilder – Molina undercard in Birmingham, Alabama

Fight to be broadcast live on Showtime Extreme    
Philadelphia (June 8, 2015)–This Saturday, June 13 one of the hottest names in boxing will be back in action as undefeated Jr. Middleweight, Julian “J-Rock” Williams (19-0-1, 11 KO’s) will take on Armen Ovespyan (14-4, 11 KO’s) in a 10-round bout for the WBC Continental America’s Jr. Middleweight title.
The bout will take place in Birmingham, Alabama and be part of the Deontay Wilder – Eric Molina WBC Heavyweight title card that will be televised on Showtime Championship Boxing.
Williams – Ovespyan will be shown live on Showtime Extreme.
“I wanted a bigger fight but if the other top guys are not available,” said Williams.
“I can’t just sit around and be inactive. I’m still improving. I still have to work on my craft. I still have to make money. So sitting around is not an option for me. At one time people had high hopes for Ovespyan. He’s not a bum and I’m definitely not overlooking him,” said the 25 year-old. “At one point during camp I thought I was fighting Frank Galarza in Brooklyn so I was locked in. Then I thought it would be Jan Zaveck. Who is an ex world champion and took Keith Thurman the 12 round distance so I was still super focused. I’ve been told I will get a big fight in September maybe even a title shot, so there is no way I will have a let down against Ovespyan because if I don’t win I won’t get what I have been asking for. I haven’t lost a round in 2 years since the Joachim Alcine fight and I want to continue to build on that and perfect my craft.”
Williams has earned the moniker, “Mr. Do It All” for his versatility in the ring.  Williams has proven to be a master boxer and high quality banger when need be.
Williams is currently ranked #8 by the WBC, #10 by the WBA and #10 by ESPN.com
Williams of Philadelphia has been credited for willingness to take step up fights such as wins over former world champ Joachim Alcine (32-4) Orlando Lora (29-4-2), Freddy Hernandez (30-6), Michael Medina (26-4-2), Eliezer Gonzalez (14-0), Jamar Freeman (13-3-2) and Joey Hernandez (24-2-1).  Williams was also dominating undefeated Hugo Centeno (19-0) before the fight was stopped due to a cut and ruled a no-contest.

 

M-1 Challenge 58 Official Results

Presents

M-1 CHALLENGE 58: BATTLE IN THE MOUNTAINS 4

Marcelo Brito vs. Murad Abdulaev

Vacant M-1 Challenge Welterweight Championship

June 6, 2015   ● Ingushetia, Russia

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release

 

Mural Abdulaev decisions Marcello Brito

To capture M-1 Challenge welterweight title

New M- Challenge welterweight champion Mural Abdulaev is crowned by

M-1 Global president Vadim Finkelchtein

 

INGUSHETIA, Russia (June 7, 2015) – Last night at M-1 Challenge 58: Battle in the Mountains 4,Mural “Hunter” Abdulaev won a unanimous 5-round decision over Marcelo Brito to capture the vacant M-1 Challenge welterweight title, outdoors in Ingushetia, Russia.

 

Abdulaev (13-10, 6 KO/TKO, 2 SUB), fighting out of Russia, remained unbeaten in M-1 Global competition with his third victory. Brito (13-6-0, 2 KO/TKO, 5 SUB), who replaced his injured Brazilian countryman Igor Fernandes, made his M-1 Global debut.

 

In main card action, Russian by way of Azerbaijan featherweight Tural Ragimov (10-2-0, 4 KO/TKO, 5 SUB) defeated Antun “Killer” Racic (17-6-0, 0 KO/TKO, 13 SUB), of Croatia, by way of a late third-round submission via an arm-bar.

 

Heavyweight Alexi “Brick” Kudin (20-8-0, 16 KO/TKO, 1 SUB), of Belarus, kicked his way to a second-round knockout of Russian Baga Agaev (27-17-0, 5 KO/TKO, 2 SUB).

 

American featherweight Lee “American Bulldog” Morrison (13-5-0, 4 KO/TKO, 4 SUB) won a three-round majority decision from Pavel Vitruk (12-2-0, 3 KO/TKO, 2 SUB), a native of Ukraine who fights out of St. Petersburg, Russia.

 

Brazilian veteran Charles “Gracie” Andrade (28-23-1, 6 KO/TKO, 22 SUB) needed only 34 seconds to force previously undefeated Russian middleweight Abukar Yandiev (4-1-0, 1 KO/TKO, 2 SUB) into submission with a heel hook.

 

Russian middleweight Magomed Mutaev (6-2-0, 4 KO/TKO, 0 SUB) won by technical knockout when Spaniard Enoc Solves Torres‘ (16-9-0, 5 KO/TKO, 7 SUB) corner-men halted the fight after the first round.

 

Fighting on the preliminary card, hometown favorite Adam Tsurov (2-1-0) stopped pro-debuting Tajikistan lightweight Bakhitoyor Ibragimov (0-1-0) on punches in the opening round, Russian lightweight Khamzat Dalziev (3-1-0) won a second round split decision from Russian Akhied Nazarov (0-1-0), Russian featherweight Movsar Evloev (2-0-0) took a two-round decision from Lu Zhenhong (6-3-0), of China, Russian light heavyweight Adam “Beast” Yandiev (8-0-0) remained undefeated with an early first-round submission of Lithuanian Valdas Pocevicius (33-32-0), and Russian lightweight Djambulat Kurbanov (7-1-`) won as previously undefeated UkrainianAlexander Panasyuk (5-1-0) submitted due to an arm-bar in the first round.

 

Russian featherweight Kurbanali Abdusalamov (5-2-0) upset previously unbeaten Pierre Sauvage (6-1-0), punching out the Frenchman late in the final round, Ingushetia favoriteKhamzat Aushev (6-3-0) needed only 26-seconds to submit Spanish lightweight Javier Fuentas(6-2-0) with a heel lock, Arkamat Evkurov (3-1-0) punched his way to a first-round stoppage ofVladimir Bury (1-2-0) in a battle of Russian heavyweights, and featherweight Ruslan Esmurziev(2-1-0) ruined the pro debut of fellow Russian Marat Kishaev (0-1-0), who was a KO victim of punches.

 

In M- Medieval knight fights heavyweight Evgeniy Gladkov (3-0-0) remained unbeaten with  victory over Maxim Plaksin (0-2-0), while welterweight Rustam Kuhurkhev (1-0-0) won hi pro debut against Boris Dzhelilov (0-2-0).

 

 

Complete results and picture gallery below:

 

 

M-1 CHALLENGE WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

 

Mural Abdulaev (13-1-0)                      

WDEC5                         

Marcelo Brito (13-7-0), Brazil

(Abdulaev won vacant M-1 Challenge welterweight title)

 

MAIN CARD

 

HEAVYWEIGHTS

Alexi Kudin (20-8-0), Belarus                       

WKO/TKO2 (Leg Kicks – 1:40)

Baga Agaev (27-17-0), Russia

 

MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Charles Andrade (28-23-1), Brazil

WSUB1 (Heel Hook – 0:34)

Abukar Yandiev (4-1-0), Russia

 

Magomed Mutaev (6-2-0), Russia

WTKO1 (Corner Stoppage – 5:00)

Enoc Solves Torres (16-9-0), Spain

 

FEATHERWEIGHTS

Tural Ragimov (10-2-0), Russia                        

WSUB3 (Armbar – 4:27)

Antun Racic (17-6-0), Croatia                       

 

Lee Morrison (14-5-0), USA                           

WDEC3                         

Pavel Vitruk (12-2-0), Russia

                              

PRELIMINARY CARD

 

HEAVYWEIGHTS

Akramat Evkurov (4-1-0), Russia

WKO/TKO1 (Punches – 1:43)

Vladimir Bury (1-2-0), Russia

 

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS

Adam Yandiev (8-0-0), Russia                        

WSUB1 (RNC — 0:34)

Valdas Pocevisius (33-32-0), Lithuania

 

LIGHTWEIGHTS

Adam Tsurov (3-1-0), Russia

WKO/TKO1 (Punches – 4:16)

Bakhitier Ibragimov (0-1-0), Tajikistan

 

Khamzat Dalgiev (3-1-0), Russia                        

WDEC2                         

Akhred Nazarov (0-1-0), Russia

 

Dzambulat Kurbanov (7-1-0), Russia

WSUB1 (Armbar – 3:18)

Alexander Panasyuk (5-1-1), Ukraine

 

Khamzat Aushev (6-3-0), Russia

WSUB1 (Heel Hook – 0:26)

Javier Fuentas (6-3-0), Spain

 

FEATHERWEIGHTS

Movsar Evloev (2-0-0), Russia                        

WDEC2                         

Lu Zhenhong (6-3-0), China

 

Kurbanali Abdisalamov (4-2-0), Russia

WKO3 (Punches – 4:25)

Pierre Sauvage (6-0-0), France

 

Ruslan Esmurziev (2-1-0), Russia

WKO1 (Punches — 4:35)

Marat Kishaev (0-0-0) Russia

 

MEDIEVAL KNIGHT FIGHTS

 

HEAVYWEIGHTS

Evgeniy Gladov (3-0-0), Russia

Won

Maxim Plaksin (0-2-0), Russia

 
WELTERWEIGHTS

Rustam Kuhurkhoev (1-0-0), Russia

Won

Boris Dzhelilov (0-2-0), Russia

 

Mural Abdulaev has position on Marcelo Brito

New M-1 Challenge welterweight champion Mural Abdulaev

 

Tural Ragimov strikes Antun Racic

 

Charles Andrade shows his respect for Abukar Yandiev

Pavel Vitruk & Lee Morrison mix it up in the mountains

Alexi Kudin toses Baga Agaev

 

Magomd Mutaev & Enoc Solves Torres

Khamzat Dagev& Akhred Nazarov

Rustam Kuhukhoev & Boris Dzhelilov

Djammbulat Kurbanov finishes off Alexander Panasyuk

Khmzat Aushev forces Javier Fuentas into submission

Movsar Eloev nails Lu Zhenhong right on the chin

Evgeniy Glakov attacks Maxim Plaksin

Ruslan Esmurziv & Marat Kishaev

Adam Yandiev defeated Valdas Pocevicius

Pierre Sauvage & Kurbanali Abdusalamov

Vladimir Bury & Akromat Evkurov

 

 

Upcoming Event: M-1 Challenge 59: Kharitonov-Garner II in Astana, Kazakhstan

 

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ABOUT M-1 GLOBAL: Founded in 1997, M-1 Global has established itself in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as the premier entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With its office in St Petersburg, Russia, the M-1 brand has staged more than 160 events worldwide, including M-1 Selection, M-1 Challenge, M-1 Global and M-1 Global HWGP events, in addition to co-promoting Strikeforce events and M-1 Global on the U.S. network, Showtime. Captivating live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and match-ups, M-1 Global events have featured some of the sport’s top names, including legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Keith Jardine, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Sergei Kharitonov, Aleksander Emelianenko, Roman Zentsov, Yushin Okami, Mike Pyle, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, Amar Suloev, Chalid Arrab and Stephan Struve. 2015 promises to be another sensational year of world-class competition with a full calendar of Challenge events fueled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global Champions among the greatest fighters in the sport.

 

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ROBERT “THE GHOST” GUERRERO DEFEATS ARON MARTINEZ VIA SPLIT DECISION IN MAIN EVENT OF SPECIAL AFTERNOON EDITION OF PREMIER BOXING CHAMPIONS ON NBC FROM STUBHUB CENTER IN CARSON, CALIF.

 

HARD-HITTING HEAVYWEIGHT DOMINIC BREAZEALE REMAINS UNDEFEATED WITH THIRD ROUND KO OVER YASMANY CONSUEGRA

 

Click HERE For Photos

Photo Credit: Suzanne Teresa/Premier Boxing Champions

 

 

Carson, Calif. (June 6) – Southern California boxing fans were treated to an afternoon of hard punches and quick action as Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on NBC took to the ring at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. The Saturday afternoon fight card, part of a jam-packed day of sports action on NBC, showcased a heavyweight brawl between Dominic Breazeale and Yasmany Consuegra and a fast and furious welterweight bout between Robert Guerrero and Aron Martinez.

 

In the PBC on NBC main event, Guerrero and Martinez let their fists fly from the opening bell to the closing bell in a showdown that saw over 1,000 punches thrown between the two welterweights over 10 rounds. It was clear from the beginning of the fight that Martinez was not intimidated by Guerrero’s skills or resume as he dominated the first several rounds, even dropping Guerrero in the fourth. But Guerrero was able to turn the table in his favor as the fight progressed and dominate the second half of the 10 round brawl. The judges scored the bout 97-95 and 95-94 for Guerrero and 95-94 for Martinez in a split decision victory that brought the crowd to its feet.

 

Breazeale, a 2012 U.S. Olympian and Southern California-native, needed less than three rounds to defeat previously unbeaten heavyweight Conguegra. The referee called off the fight at 1:49 of the third round after Consuegra hit the canvas three times as Breazeale extended his professional record to 15-0 with 14 KOs.

 

The featured fight on NBC SportsNet saw a featherweight battle between the once-beaten Argentinean Jesus Cuellar and former world champion Vic Darchinyan that came to a half when Cuellar knocked out Darchinyan at 1:04 of the seventh round.

 

NBCSN also featured the return of Alfredo Angulo, who scored a fifth-round knockout victory over Delray Raines in a middleweight contest that saw  “El Perro” raise his hand in victory for the first time since 2012.

 

Here is what the fighters had to say about Saturday afternoon’s fights:

 

ROBERT GUERRERO

 

“Aron Martinez came to fight and the fans got to see two warriors go at it.

“I can’t explain why I go to war so much. I just love to get in there and mix it up.

“When I got up off the canvas, I told myself…get up and win this fight.

“Once I started boxing I felt I started dominating the fight.

“We got the victory and now it’s time to move on to some big fights and give the fans the warrior type fights they deserve. I’m an action fighter and I’ll continue to be so.

 

“There is something about this arena that makes you want to stand there and trade.

 

“I just suffered the loss of my cousin. She passed away last week and this fight was for her.”

 

 

ARON MARTINEZ

 

“I’m very happy with my performance. I thought I won the fight.

 

“I thought the third scorecard was way out of line.

 

“It was a great experience fighting on NBC. I wanted to put on a great fight for the fans and me and Robert did that.

 

“I look forward to being more active and fighting again as soon as possible.”

 

DOMINIC BREAZEALE

 

“Its always a little different to fight in the afternoon. The fans came out to support me. I put on a big show and got the win.

 

“He was putting his hand on his right side and I was hitting him with the upper cut.

 

“I couldn’t ask for anything better.

 

“I’d love to be back in the ring as soon as possible.  Everybody did a great job putting this together. This was only three rounds right here and lets do it again in a couple months.”

 

JESUS CUELLAR

 

“I wasn’t hurt. It was more of a slip. Darchinyan is a very tough warrior and I’m glad I came out on top.

 

“I want to fight again as soon as possible. I saw Abner Mares sitting in the first row and I want to fight him next.”

 

ALFREDO ANGULO

 

“I have so many fans and I want to thank them. They are here cheering for me – cheering for the dog. I always say it’s for the fans and I want to thank them for the support.

 

“This is my first fight coming back to my old trainer [Clemente Medina] and it was great.

 

“A lot of people say ‘the dog is dead,’ but if you ask the people that saw my performance, they will all tell you the dog is alive and well.”

 

Photos: Miguel Cotto vs Daniel Geale & Undercard Weigh-In for their June 6, 2015 fight on HBO +

WBC and Ring Magazine Middleweight World Champion Miguel Cotto (left) and former Two-Time World Champion Daniel Geale (right) pose on June 5, 2015 in Brooklyn, New York at the weigh-in for June 6, 2015 world title fight at Barclays Center in Brooklyn which will be televised live on HBO. (PHOTO CREDIT: Tom Hogan – Hoganphotos/Roc Nation Sports/Miguel Cotto Promotions)
WBC and Ring Magazine Middleweight World Champion Miguel Cotto (left) and former Two-Time World Champion Daniel Geale (right) pose on June 5, 2015 in Brooklyn, New York at the weigh-in for June 6, 2015 world title fight at Barclays Center in Brooklyn which will be televised live on HBO. (PHOTO CREDIT: Tom Hogan – Hoganphotos/Roc Nation Sports/Miguel Cotto Promotions)
WBC and Ring Magazine Middleweight World Champion Miguel Cotto (left) and former Two-Time World Champion Daniel Geale (right) pose on June 5, 2015 in Brooklyn, New York at the weigh-in for June 6, 2015 world title fight at Barclays Center in Brooklyn which will be televised live on HBO. (PHOTO CREDIT: Tom Hogan – Hoganphotos/Roc Nation Sports/Miguel Cotto Promotions)
Undefeated welterweight prospect Dustin Fletcher (left) and Karim Miller (right) pose on June 5, 2015 in Brooklyn, New York at the weigh-in for their June 6, 2015 fight at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. (PHOTO CREDIT: Tom Hogan – Hoganphotos/Roc Nation Sports/Miguel Cotto Promotions)
Undefeated junior lightweight prospect Jose Lopez (left) and Angel Luna (right) pose on June 5, 2015 in Brooklyn, New York at the weigh-in for their June 6, 2015 fight at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. (PHOTO CREDIT: Tom Hogan – Hoganphotos/Roc Nation Sports/Miguel Cotto Promotions)
Undefeated light heavyweight prospect Junior Younan (left) and Mike Sawyer (right) pose on June 5, 2015 in Brooklyn, New York at the weigh-in for their June 6, 2015 fight at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. (PHOTO CREDIT: Tom Hogan – Hoganphotos/Roc Nation Sports/Miguel Cotto Promotions)
Junior featherweight prospect Shawn Simpson (left) and Damon Simon (right) pose on June 5, 2015 in Brooklyn, New York at the weigh-in for their June 6, 2015 fight at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. (PHOTO CREDIT: Tom Hogan – Hoganphotos/Roc Nation Sports/Miguel Cotto Promotions)
Former World Champion Wilfredo Vazquez (left) and Fernando Vargas (right) pose on June 5, 2015 in Brooklyn, New York at the weigh-in for their June 6, 2015 fight at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. (PHOTO CREDIT: Tom Hogan – Hoganphotos/Roc Nation Sports/Miguel Cotto Promotions)
Undefeated heavyweight prospect Zhang Zhilei (Right) and Glen Thomas (Left) pose on June 5, 2015 in Brooklyn, New York at the weigh-in for their June 6, 2015 fight at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. (PHOTO CREDIT: Tom Hogan – Hoganphotos/Roc Nation Sports/Miguel Cotto Promotions)

6-6-15 HBO WCB Bout Sheet

DEONTAY WILDER & ERIC MOLINA CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT

 

Click HERE For Audio Link

 

Kelly Swanson

Thanks everyone for joining us today.  I’m excited about this call and this fight. Today we’re going to hear from both the fighters, Deontay Wilder and Eric Molina.  Joining us as well is Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment, and also Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports.

 

So, to make the formal introductions, I’m going to turn it over to Lou.

 

Lou DiBella

Thank you, Kelly.  It’s always a real pleasure and honor whenever you get to promote a heavyweight championship fight, and Deontay Wilder is the first American heavyweight champion in quite a while.  He’s getting the opportunity to defend his title, his first defense in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, on the campus of UAB from the Bartow Arena.

 

This will be televised as a main event on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on Saturday night, June 13.   This is an interesting time to be at the UAB campus because UAB just reversed a very controversial decision to disband its football program, so college football’s coming back to Birmingham and the campus of UAB and so is heavyweight championship boxing with Deontay Wilder.

 

Tickets are priced at $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, and $200, but there are less than 1,000 tickets left, and we expect a sold-out house of about 8,500 people and that tickets are going to sell out way before fight night.  So, if anyone wants tickets, get them as soon as you can at UABSports.com and AlabamaFightNight.com.  The doors will open at 3 o’clock.  The first bout will be at 3:30 p.m., and then SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHP BOXING on the air at 9 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. CT, and 6 p.m. PT.

 

The opening bout on SHOWTIME is a terrific world championship fight itself between 130-pound title contenders, Jose Pedraza and Andrey Klimov.  I’d like to invite Executive Vice President and General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports, Stephen Espinoza.

 

Stephen Espinoza

Thanks very much, Lou.  It’s an exciting day for all of us here at SHOWTIME.  Earlier today, we announced the imminent launch of a new online streaming service, SHOWTIME Direct to Consumers, which means all our award-winning programming, including all of our live boxing telecasts, will be available on the live East and West Coast feeds for SHOWTIME as well as all of our on demand content.  That service will launch in mid-July.

 

Later tonight, we have a great episode of 60 Minutes Sports, which includes a very revealing interview with some of the latest developments in the Pippa scandal.  That’s followed by the premier of ALL ACCESS: Deontay Wilder.  That’s at 10 p.m. ET/PT.  We’ll take a look back at Deontay’s signature win, that which earned him the heavyweight title through the award-winning lens of the series, and we’ll also, as usual, be taking a closer look at the personal side and showing you some of the depth of Deontay’s character that fans might not be familiar with this fall.

 

As for Saturday the  13, we have a big night of fights, perhaps one of our strongest nights of the SHOWTIME Extremecards to date.  That kicks off at 7 p.m. ET/PT.  That will kick off with two undefeated fighters in a WBC 135-pound elimination bout, Ivan Redkach, who many of you have seen several times on ShoBox against Dejan Zlaticanin, who is a very tough challenger.  Also, one of the staples of Extreme and a very highly regarded prospect, Julian Williams of Philadelphia, will be in tough against a Russian welterweight prospect, Arman Ovsepyan.

 

Then it’s SHOWTIME, a championship double header, as Lou indicated.  In the opening bout, we have undefeated amateur standout, Jose Pedraza of Puerto Rico facing heavy hitter Andrey Klimov.  Pedraza, of course, has represented Puerto Rico in the 2008 Olympics, was a gold medalist at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean games.  You’ve seen him featured on ShoBox.  He’s a very skilled fighter.

 

Andrey Klimov, also a top amateur, former Russian lightweight belt holder.  His only loss, of course, is to the current WBO 140-pound champion, Terence Crawford.  Lou will give  a little bit more into detail on main event and introduce the fighters, but allow me to say that we do expect a tremendous turnout for our first world champion boxing event and for our SHOWTIME Boxing telecast in the state of Alabama.

 

As we know, a packed arena adds a tremendous element of excitement to live television.  We’re proud to present this compelling and refreshing world heavyweight title fight live on SHOWTIME.

 

Back over to you, Lou.

 

L. DiBella

Thank you very much, Stephen.  The heavyweight championship bout features Deontay Wilder being challenged by Eric Molina.  Molina is 23-2 with 17 KOs.  He’s on a five-fight  winning streak and a three-fight  knockout streak, including a career best win over Davarryl Williamson.  His only loss since his pro debut came against Chris Arreola.  He’s ranked number 9 by the WBC.

 

He’s also a really interesting guy as I’ve gotten to hear him a few times over the course of this promotion, who does a lot to give back to his community, who has a great sense of charity and community, and he’s made it very clear that he’s got nothing to lose here.  He’s viewing this as an opportunity of a lifetime, and that he’s going to do anything and everything to shock the world and take that world championship away from Deontay Wilder.

 

So, it’s my pleasure to introduce world title challenger, Eric Molina.

 

Eric Molina

Hello, guys.  Just like Lou just said, that was a good introduction of who I am and what I’m coming in to do.  We’re very excited about the fight, the opportunity to go down to Alabama.  We know it’s going to be a very hectic environment down there, very uncomfortable environment, but Wilder is the champion, and he gets to enjoy all these privileges of all the guidelines of where we fight and all the logistics of it, so we’re excited for the opportunity to fight for the heavyweight world title and we are very prepared.

 

Training camp is going extremely well.  We’re closing up our training camp on Saturday, and we should be ready to go down to Alabama on Monday.  Everything’s looking very good, and we’re ready to go.

 

L. DiBella

Thank you, Eric.  Fight week, next week, there’ll be a slew of events leading up to the fight, including a workout on Wednesday and a public weigh-in on Friday.  I’d like people to follow AlabamaTitleFight.com for all details as they’re updated, including a lot of details about stuff that’s open to the public and that the people of Birmingham can enjoy during fight week, so that’s www.AlabamaTitleFight.com.

 

One of the proudest sons and the greatest sons of Birmingham, Alabama, is a young man who’s a physical specimen.  He’s 33-0, with an incredible knockout rate of 32 KOs in 33 fights.  Deontay Wilder had a brief but decorated amateur career that concluded with a trip to the Olympics where he won a bronze medal for the United States.  He won a 12-round decision over Bermane Stiverne in January to become the WBC heavyweight champion.

 

In his professional career he’s knocked out former Olympic gold medalist, Audley Harrison in one round, former heavyweight title holder, Sergei Liakhovich in one round.  He only began boxing in 2005, and his quick ascent in the sport was pretty amazing and actually the inspiration for a children’s book called Deontay the Future World Champ, and I guess that children’s book was prophetic because it’s now Deontay, the World Champ.

 

He was born in Tuscaloosa, grew up a diehard Crimson Tide fan, and he’s returning home to fight in Alabama for the first time in three years to defend his WBC heavyweight title for the first time.

 

So, it’s my honor and pleasure to introduce WBC heavyweight champion of the world, Deontay Wilder.

 

Deontay Wilder

Hello, guys.  I’m excited to have this opportunity to get back in the ring and display my talent more.  All the people that are going to be watching and the people that are going to be in attendance, it’s a pleasure and an honor to be able to get in the ring to do something that I love to do and I have a very strong passion about, so I’m excited about June 13.  I’m excited about coming to my home state of Alabama.

 

When I set forth becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, I got one part of it becoming the heavyweight champion, the WBC heavyweight champion of the world.  I’ve still got a long way to go, but I’m honored and pleased to have my very first title defense in Alabama.  We’re going to make history come June 13 by having the first title fight of any division in the state of Alabama, and that’s a pleasure and definitely an honor to me.  So, me and Eric will definitely be witnessing and making history come June 13.

 

I appreciate him for signing the contract and accepting this opportunity.  A lot of guys don’t get an opportunity to be able to fight for a world title, and I congratulate him on the opportunity.  I know it’s going to be a great fight.  He’s going to come to fight, and that’s what I expect.  I expect a great fight. He’s someone that got a big bark but want a big bite in the ring as well too, so that’s what I expect.  To all my fans, he’s coming to enemy territory.  He’s coming to an arena filled with nothing but majority of hometown people in the state of Alabama, so that’s a tough environment to come into and then facing one of the most dangerous guys in the division to date.

 

So, I applaud him for that.  I’m just ready. I’ve been waiting for a long time to get back in the ring.  After my last fight, I want to stay consistent.  I want to stay busy in fights.  I love to do this. God gave me the opportunity to do this.  I’m going to keep doing it, keep giving the fans what they want to see, and that’s great fights and defending my title as much as possible.  You can tell by my voice that I’m super excited.  I can’t wait.  There’s nothing like what I do, my job, and that’s to whoop a**, and I can’t wait to get up in there come June 13.

 

L. DiBella

Thank you, Deontay.  Well, now we’ll open it up for questions.

 

Q

As my understanding is, Deontay, a couple years ago, or three years ago, whenever it was, not that long after you turned pro, that the people in Alabama really created the boxing commission that is there to regulate the sport basically because they wanted their favorite son, Deontay Wilder, to be able to fight in the home state and to put on these kind of big shows.

 

When that happened, was the ultimate goal for you to put on a big event in your home state?

 

D. Wilder

This definitely was the ultimate goal.  My trainer and co-manager, Jay Deas, we set forth a goal to getting a commission here.  We had a lot of great champions that’s from here but couldn’t get fight due to the fact that there was no commission here.  I already had plans of after the Olympics turning pro and staying and residing here in my home state. I had a vision for this state.  I wanted to make it bigger than just college football.  I gave them opportunities to have a professional sport here, and that’s boxing, so once we got our commission, it was uphill from there.  A lot of people have gotten on board.  A lot of people have never troubled with boxing, period, in their life, until they read about the story of my movement, what’s going on, and a lot of people had lost interest in boxing until they read about my story, my movement.  Now, they’re on board.

 

So, it became a bit of a thing for the state of Alabama now, so they put me on top as far as the sport is concerned here in the state of Alabama because there’s nothing like a world sport, nothing.  Nothing national can compete with a world-level sport.

 

Q

I was wondering if you could mention who are some of those other top contenders that you guys looked to fight before you decided to make an agreement with Eric?

 

D. Wilder

Well, at this moment, I feel like stating names is irrelevant right now.  Next week will be fight week, and everything is focused on Eric Molina.  That’s the main focus, and I love the guys.  It wouldn’t do any good stating names.  They had the opportunity.  Eric stepped up to the plate, and we’ll congratulate him.  We’re going to put on a great performance June 13.

 

Q

How do you respond to the people who say,  ‘Eric Molina, who’s that?  And why should he be in a heavyweight championship fight?’

E. Molina

Well there are a lot of casual boxing fans out there that really don’t know too much about Eric Molina.  I have been in pretty big fights.  I fought Tony Grano, the NABF champion, ranked in the top 10  in the world for over a year.  If you look at my record, you see two losses.  In the casual boxing sense, you see those two losses.  Only a fighter knows how hard it is to bounce back from losses like those.

 

So, the casual fan doesn’t say ah, well, they say he’s got these two losses, but I know what I’ve been through to come back from my losses, things that I’ve learned from my losses, and I positioned myself back into being a top contender in the world.

 

A lot of these fights on my resume, you see fights, but you don’t see the other angles of what’s on the table, how long I had to prepare, the things I had to go through outside of the ring, so I’m glad that June 13th is coming up.  We’ve had a very smooth training camp, and I’m coming in with everything.  I’ve never been this prepared for a fight before.  I’ve never had the privilege to come in this prepared for a fight, so we’re excited about it.

 

Q

Eric, because your two defeats were in the first round, and because Deontay has so many first-round knockouts, he’s a fast starter, how pivotal is getting through the first round in this fight?

 

E. Molina

Well, it’s definitely important.  I think that this is definitely a fight that from the first bell, I think it’s going to be a fast-paced fight.  Deontay Wilder’s a big puncher, but I feel that I’m a big puncher also, so I think that it’s very important to be ready from the first bell.  Anything could happen at any given second.  It’s a heavyweight world title fight.

 

Q

Do you kind of feel that some pressure’s off of you to try to knock out everybody, or have to knock out everybody?

 

D. Wilder

I mean, you can say so, but I don’t live my life with pressure.  I’m an easy-going person.  I’m the type of person, people’s opinions about me doesn’t matter, especially when I’m in the ring because I know that everything I do, I prepare for, I train hard for each and every time, in camp, in training.

 

I’m always training, I never stop.  I don’t take any days off.  I’m always training because I love to do this.  I love to box.  I love to be able to get in there and perform for the fans, so I don’t have any days off.  But you can’t please everybody.  There are too many billions of people in the world to try to please every opinion, to try to please everybody. Even when people said things about me, what I couldn’t do, my last fight I proved everything to them.  That made me an even more dangerous fighter because now people know what I’m capable of doing.  Not only that I’m a puncher, but I can box.  I can have fun.  I can go 12 rounds and make it seem like it is nothing.  I can take a punch.  That’s nothing, but we’ve been telling people for years what I could do, just needed the right person in there for me to display my talents.  There’s no pressure on me at all.

 

I don’t go in there and try to look for the knockout, anyway.  I go in there and let my hands go, and if I get the knockout, I get it.  I would prefer the knockout, of course.  This is a heavyweight division.  It’s all based about power.  When people get dressed up and come out to that fight, they come to see a knockout.  They want to see a couple of rounds or whatever, to see what kind of skill and will that person has, maybe a little heart, and then they want to see the knockout because they’ve got other things planned for that night.

 

And when they come to see a Deontay Wilder fight, that’s what I want to bring them.  I want to bring them knockouts, but that last fight, it meant so much more than just a knockout because I did, I wanted to prove to people what I was capable of doing.  I think that particular night, winning a title, that was the perfect moment to prove what I’m capable of doing and what I’m all about.

 

So, now it’s time to get back on to my knockout streak like people expect from me, and that’s what I want to do, so here we go, baby.

 

Q

Lou, how were the ticket sales for the fight coming up?

 

L. DiBella

The ticket sales have been fairly remarkable, actually, 7,500 tickets already sold.  The capacity’s 8,500, so we’re not even in fight week and we’re looking at a sellout.  We’re not in the last few days, and we’re looking at a sellout.  I think we’re going to sell out before there’s a walk-up.

 

Q

Deontay, how does it feel just to go 12 rounds?  It’s something you hadn’t done yet in your professional career, and how did it feel just to not to say get the rounds, just to quiet a lot of the critics.  That was the one knock against you, how would you do in a 12-round fight?

 

D. Wilder

To go 12 rounds is, it’s something I do in training, I do in camp.  The hardest part in boxing is not the part where you go out there and compete and fight your opponent.  It’s the training part.  That’s the hard part, the training, what people don’t really see.

 

They think fighters just go out there one night, they fight 12 rounds or less, and then that’s it, they get paid, oh, that’s it.  But the hard part is in camp, what you do in training, what you do in camp.  That’s the ultimate hard part of it and we-12 rounds is nothing.  I’ve been telling 12 rounds is nothing to me.  It’s an appetizer.

 

Most of the time, we go 15.  After getting my belt, I was traveling for three months.  I got right back in the gym and did 20 rounds, easy, because I’m never out of shape.  I’m always full of energy.  I love to do this, so to go to 12 rounds, that wasn’t anything.  As you can see, I still had energy to go even six more, seven more rounds in that fight.  But to silence the critics, now, we’re talking about something.

 

To silence the critics, that was such a joyful feeling for me.  That right there meant a lot to me because like I said, we live in a world that’s based on opinions of many people.  Some people know what they’re talking about.  The majority of them and most don’t know what they’re talking about, and it was a remarkable feeling to be able to silence the critics.  It was even enjoyable to see their faces, to see their voice, to have to eat their words.  That was enjoyable right there.

 

Q

Did you ever think that in your wildest dreams this fight next Saturday would be taking place?

 

D. Wilder

I did dream it.  Sometimes things start with a dream, and they say dreams do come true, but dreams only come true if you allow them to.  It is not just going to come true just because you had dreamt it.  You’ve got to dream it, and then you’ve got to apply some kind of ultimate goal to it.  Then when you set a goal, you’ve still got to apply self-preservation, as far as gaining that goal and making that dream come true.

 

I dreamt it.  I spoke it into existence.  I believe in the power of the tongue, and I made my dream come true, and now we about to have it, about to make it the biggest thing in the state of Alabama.  It’s just a blessing.  I told people before, I’m a blessing to the state of Alabama, and a lot of people have agreed with me, that’s for sure.

 

So, I am very honored to be able to fight in my state because a lot of fighters can’t fight in their state.  A lot of fighters don’t have a home to come to, they have to fight elsewhere, but I have the honor and the privilege to have a state that’s behind me and has loved me, and I’m looking forward to it.  And like I said, me and Molina are going to make history that night.  Win, lose, or draw, we’re going to make history that night in the state of Alabama.

 

Q

How do you try to eliminate the distraction of fighting at home, people talking about bigger fights for you in the future?   How do you focus on this particular fight and not look forward or not get kind of caught up in the hoopla now of being the heavyweight champion?

 

D. Wilder

Well, for me it’s just when I look at an opponent, the task that lies at hand, I automatically focus on that.  I can’t look past nobody.  I can’t put nobody aside.  I treat every opponent that I get in the ring, no matter what their record is or what their resume may read, I look at this opponent as if he’s the most dangerous person in the world.

 

I look at an opponent as if I’m still a contender trying to gain me a world title, and that’s how I do all my opponents.  And by doing that, it keeps me focused.  It keeps me humbled as well too to do what I’ve got to do because this is boxing, and this is the heavyweight division.  Anything can happen in boxing.

 

No man can ever feel like he’s bigger than the next person because once you start doing that, you start loosening up, your training starts to get a little lighter because you’re not training, you don’t have that hunger any  more, and a lot of things will start to get exposed.  People take advantage of that and feel confidence in themselves.

 

So, I don’t want to be that type of fighter that I feel like oh, I’m at the top now, I don’t have to train as hard as I was when I was a hungry fighter, because I’m still hungry.  I’ve still got goals, I’m still looking to do things in this sport to make it bigger and better.   I tell people all the time that even though I’m the WBC heavyweight champion of the world, my heart still feels like a contender, and by my heart still feeling like a contender, it keeps me humble.  It keeps me grounded.  It keeps me very, I mean, very, very hungry.

 

Q

To quote Ric Flair, ‘To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man.’ And you know, the man in the heavyweight division for the last decade or so has been Wladimir Klitschko.  A lot of people are discussing you as the heir apparent to that, so while you’re staying hungry and moving up the chain and continuing to fight, is that something that’s in the back of your mind, and do you think that’s something that you’re going to have to conquer to truly be the full heavyweight champion of the world?

 

D. Wilder

Well, I’m going to put it like this, that fight is titled not if it’s going to happen, but when it’s going to happen.  Of course, that’s something I think about, but at this moment in time, I’m not focused on him.  He will get his turn as well too, and last time I checked, I have the most prestigious, most well-known, most precious, beautiful belt in all of boxing, something that’s been around for a very long time, and that’s the WBC crown, it’s something that everybody wants.

 

So, I have that.  I’m the owner of that, so I’m not worried about anything else.  Right now, it’s all about Deontay Wilder and Eric Molina, and that’s what I’m looking forward to, Deontay Wilder versus Eric Molina.

 

Q

Eric, is it motivating to you to — when you hear people say that you’re just someone to help Deontay — a spotlight matchup, a homecoming match, someone that he can look good against?  Does that give you even more motivation than just the fact that you’re fighting for the heavyweight championship of the world?

 

E. Molina

It definitely motivates me more because people have their opinions, and like Wilder said, a lot of people don’t know too much about different angles of boxing, so people don’t want to give me a shot, people don’t think I have a shot, and that’s fine.  I’ve used it as motivation.  I’ve definitely trained hard.  I’m stronger than I’ve ever been, and I’m not here to convince people to give me a shot or not.  I know what I bring to the table.  I know the size and strength that I bring to the table, and I don’t have to convince nobody to root for me or to give me a shot or to believe in me.

 

The people that love me, the people, my family and my fans, they believe in me, and I believe in myself, more importantly.  So, we’re coming in, I’m coming in June 13th, and I’m blessed to, well, God  has given me more strength than I’ve ever had, and I’m excited, and we’re good to go.

 

Q

Deontay, you had spoken about obviously being Alabama’s fighter, Alabama’s hero.  There’s some deep divisions in the state there.  You’re from Tuscaloosa.  You’re an avowed Alabama fan.  Have you united even the Auburn people behind you?

 

D. Wilder

I’m representing — Alabama football has its own rival and different things like that, but this is not Alabama football, this is a heavyweight championship world title fight, and I’m representing not only just Tuscaloosa, I’m representing the whole state.  I’ve got the whole state behind me.  This is a worldwide event, so I just can’t say I just got Tuscaloosa or have a rival with Auburn.  No, I’m representing the whole state of Alabama, and the whole state of Alabama is behind me.  That’s the unique and the special thing about it, that I’m representing the whole state, and people love that.  I’m looking forward to – definitely it’s going to be a packed venue, that’s for sure.  I’m looking forward to that and moving on to an even bigger venue than the state of Alabama.

 

We’ve got even bigger venues, and I’m looking forward to packing everything out, but right now it starts with the Bartow Arena.  I’m looking forward to displaying my talent there and making history right there, the first title fight in Alabama in any division right there at Bartow Arena.

 

Q

Klitschko was extended a little bit in his last time out with Bryant Jennings.  Did you see anything there that led you to believe that this guy’s not Superman?

 

D. Wilder

I mean, we all did.  We all seen loose holes.  We all see something that was there.  If anybody says they didn’t, then they’re a liar.  We all seen that, but when that time comes, I’m going to execute those things that I saw.  But right now, it’s hard to talk about another fighter when you’ve got one fighter that you’re getting ready to face and is on the phone now.

 

My focus is not on another fighter because if I don’t get past him, we can forget talking about anybody else.  It’s irrelevant to talk about anybody else if this fight isn’t done.  It’s not over yet, so it’s hard for me to state or talk about another fighter when I’ve got a task that lies at hand.

 

Once I get finished with Molina, then we can come back and talk about Klitschko.

 

Q

Do you give Tyson Fury much of a chance against Wladimir, and  whether or not he gets wiped out against Wladimir, is that still something you’d like to do, come to England and take Furyon, shut his mouth up?

 

D. Wilder

I give Tyson a great percent of the chance of coming in and being a new world champion.  It’s  all going to depend on him, how serious he takes this business, this game, how serious he takes training and the preparation for that.  I wish him luck on everything he does and on becoming the world champion.

 

There’s nothing like setting a goal to become a world champion and being that, seeing your hand raised high with that belt saying you are the world champion.  It’s a great feeling to be a world champion, so it’s going to be up to him.  Like I said before, we’ve seen what Klitschko did in his last fight, and we’ll see how he can adjust to a bigger fighter.  These are bigger guys now, and that’s what’s running division, the bigger guys.  That’s fine.  All the taller fighters in the heavyweight divisions are taking over, so we’ll see what Tyson has lies ahead, so we can only wait.

 

Q

Deontay, do you think you could be bigger for boxing than Floyd Mayweather?

 

D. Wilder

Oh, definitely.  Most definitely, and I say that with high confidence because the heavyweight division is the cream of the crop in the first place, and the things that I bring, the excitement, the personality that I have,  everything about me is all me, is totally me.  Some people, some guys when they have cameras in their face, they pursue to be a certain type of person.  Their persona about them changes or whatever, and then when the camera is off, they’re a whole totally different person.  I don’t have flip personalities.  I’m not a fake person.

 

Everything about me is real, everything you see, even the ALL ACCESS (on SHOWTIME).  You know, you all watch the ALL ACCESS, everything is me.  Nothing is scripted.  Nothing is planned out, nothing.  I can’t sit back and let somebody script something out about my life and what it is because it’ll be fake, and I won’t be able to go through with it because it wouldn’t be me.

 

So, I think I bring a lot of excitement to this division.  I have woken up a lot of people as far as friends to come back to the division and stuff like that, and I know I’m doing the right things.  People love me.  That’s what it’s all about, but I’m just glad to be a part of the movement because we’ve got a lot of other exciting heavyweights that have made it – come back alive again as well too, whether it’s bashing up the talking or whether it’s the excitement of the performance of their fights.  So, the division is definitely on the rise, and I’m looking to be the biggest thing in boxing, period.

 

Q

Deontay, you’ve said several times that your focus is just on this fight and Eric Molina and not anybody else in the heavyweight division.  Could you talk a little bit about what you know about Eric Molina and why you think you’re going to be victorious in this fight?

 

D. Wilder

Well, the only thing I know about Eric, he’s got a nice size as far as height-wise.  His weight, I know the record about the guy, and he looks pretty exciting.   He’s not the biggest, or tallest, but when people see two tall guys, I think he’s 6’5″ and I’m 6’7″, so when people see two big guys get in there, they automatically see the excitement and thrill, what they can bring.  I’m not the type of guy that looks at any kind of films or nothing like that.  I don’t believe in it.  I’ve never done it in all of my career, and I’m not going to start now.

 

I like to have a challenge.  I like to be surprised in the ring to see what they have so I can adjust to that fighter when I get them in the ring.

 

Q

Why do you think you’re going to be able to win in this fight?  What are your advantages?  You’re the favorite, obviously, but why do you think that’s going to play out?

 

D. Wilder

Well, my confidence is at an all-time high.  I’m always confident in any opponent that I get in the ring with.  That’s just my mentality.  I feel like if you don’t believe in yourself, then it’s hard to convince or motivate somebody else to believe in you.  You can have all the greatest trainers and all the strength trainers, the top of the line strength trainers in the world, but if they don’t really believe in what you’re doing, you don’t really believe in yourself first, then you can’t get those guys to be motivated to believe in yourself.

 

So, first and foremost, I believe in myself.  My confidence has always been over the top, no matter what opponent I get in the ring with. A definite advantage I have is my speed, my footwork and the power that I bring.  My defense is remarkable with my footwork.  My athleticism kills a lot of the fighters, and that’s what I’m going to bring to the ring.  So, I’ll come through anybody.  They’re all going to try and come, and that’s what they’re supposed to do.  I just hope they come in the hopes of really trying to take it.  That’s what I’m looking for.  I’m looking for a guy that’s very hungry, that’s really trying to take this belt, to make this exciting.  I want the most challenging opponent that I can get.

 

Q

Eric, obviouslywe know that Deontay’s the favorite.  He’s going to have the crowd behind him.  Why do you think you can win this fight being the underdog?

 

E. Molina

I’ve realized one thing, that people keep saying Alabama this and Alabama that.  We know how hectic it’s going to be going down there.  That’s what the heavyweight world championship belt’s all about.  You can’t expect to go in and fight no easy fights.  I mean, you want to become champion, you’ve got to go through hell to get it.  I’m expecting to go down to Alabama.  It’s going to be a hard situation, a very uncomfortable situation, his backyard, his people, his commission, his everything.

 

But to be heavyweight world champion, this isn’t easy, so I’m excited.  I’m mentally focused to go down there and face all these things.  Number one, I want to bring that title back.  I want to bring it back home.  And like I said, if people don’t give me a shot, I don’t got to convince them to give me a shot or not to give me a shot.  I know what I’m bringing to the table.  I know what I’m coming to do, and that’s all that counts.

 

Q

Eric, howmuch do you think you’ve improved as a fighter in the last few years?  Because you know everyone’s going to look at your record, they’re going to look at the loss to Arreola three years ago.  How much do you think you’ve improved since then?

 

E. Molina

Well, I’ve always believed that special fighters are able to learn from their losses, but not all fighters can learn from their losses.  I believe I’m a special fighter because I’ve learned from my losses, and I know I’ve learned from my losses.  I’ve been able to bounce back.  I’ve been able to be a better fighter.  I’ve been able to put things together better, and I mean, a lot of things about my record that people don’t really understand is how hard it is for somebody to bounce back from some of the losses that I’ve been through, how hard it really is.

 

So, I’ve definitely handled those things that were very challenging, and I’ve regrouped.  I’ve put myself back together.  I’ve become a contender again, and I’m definitely a stronger, more experienced, more confident fighter.  And I’m ready.

 

Lou DiBella

That’ll be it, guys. Thank you, Deontay.  Thank you, Eric.  Thank you, everybody, for joining us.  Just one more time, the event will be at the Bartow Arena on the campus of UAB in Birmingham, Alabama.  Tickets are $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, and $200, but there are less than 1,000 tickets left.  We expect a sold-out house of about 8,500 shortly, so get your tickets quickly at UABSports.com and AlabamaTitleFight.com.  Showtime Championship Boxing will be on the air at 9 p.m. Eastern Time, 8 p.m. Central Time, 6 p.m. Pacific Time.  The doors open to the arena at 3 p.m., first fight at 3:30 p.m., and thank you all for joining us.

 

# # #

“WILDER vs. MOLINA,” a 12-Round fight for Wilder’s WBC Heavyweight Championship, takes place Saturday, June 13, at The Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Ala. DiBella Entertainment and Bruno Event Team have joined forces to bring this event to Alabama. In the co-main event co-romoted by DiBella in association with Universal Promotions, Jose Pedraza will face Andrey Klimov in a 12-Round bout for the IBF Jr. Lightweight World Title. It will air live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT). The telecast will also be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP).  Preliminary bouts will be televised live on SHOWTIME EXTREME (7 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).

 

For more information visit www.sports.sho.com and www.dbe1.com follow on Twitter at @SHOSports, @BronzeBomber, @LouDiBella and @Swanson_Comm, follow the conversation using #WilderMolina, become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing or visit http://shosportspoundforpound.

UNBEATENS IVAN REDKACH, DEJAN ZLATICANIN  CLASH IN MAIN EVENT ON SHO EXTREME®  WINNER GETS CRACK AT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Rising Star Julian Williams Aims to Remain Undefeated

Saturday, June 13 at Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Ala.

 

NEW YORK (June 5, 2015) – With a shot at a lightweight world title on the line, undefeated world-ranked contenders Ivan “El Terrible” Redkach and Dejan “El Dinamita” Zlaticanin will square off in a 12-round eliminator Saturday, June 13, in the main event of SHOWTIME BOXING on SHO EXTREME® (7 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) at Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Ala.

 

In the co-feature, unbeaten top 10-ranked super welterweight Julian “J Rock” Williams (19-0-1, 11 KOS, 1 ND), of Philadelphia, will be opposed by Armenia’s Armen Ovsepyan (14-4, 11 KOs), of Glendale, Calif., in a ten-round bout.  Time permitting, hard-hitting light heavyweights Ahmed Elbiali (10-0, 9 KOs, 1-1 WSB), of Miami, Fla, and Donta Woods (8-4, 7 KOs), of Atlanta, will collide in a swing match.

 

Later that evening, in the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®main event, undefeated WBC Heavyweight World Champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder (33-0, 32 KOs), of Tuscaloosa, Ala., will make the first defense of his title when he faces Eric “Drummer Boy” Molina (23-2, 17 KOs), of Raymondville, Texas, live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT).

 

The winner between Redkach (18-0, 1 ND, 14 KOs), of Los Angeles, and Zlaticanin (16-0, 9 KOs), of Montenegro, becomes the mandatory challenger to Jorge Linares, the WBC 135-pound world champion who registered a 10th-round TKO over then-No. 1 contender Kevin Mitchell on May 30.  Zlaticanin and Redkach are the second- and third-rated contenders by the WBC at 135 pounds.

 

Redkach and Zlaticanin are talented southpaws who were both accomplished amateurs in Eastern Europe.  Redkach, a 2008 Olympic Games alternate for his native Ukraine, is known for his aggressive and relentless style.  The 29-year-old is coming off a sixth-round knockout over Yakubu Amidu last Jan. 9 on ShoBox: The New Generation and has been angling for a title shot in 2015.

 

“This is the most important fight of my life,” said Redkach, who made ESPN.com’s “Top 20 Prospects to Watch” lists in 2012 and 2013. “I’ve never trained longer or harder for a fight.  My trainer, Robert Garcia, has me totally prepared and in great shape.

 

“It’s going to be a good action fight.  I’ve watched tapes of [Zlaticanin’s] last two fights so I feel I’m familiar with him.  He’s very strong and he throws a lot of punches.  I thank him [Zlaticanin] for coming to the United States.  I’m honored.  But this is a good matchup for me.  I want to thank my team for giving me this opportunity.  This is another step closer to my dream, the world title.  I’m confident in myself. I’m going to put on a great show.”

 

Dejan (pronounced “DAY-han) Zlaticanin (silent “z” – pronounced “la-ti-CAH-nin) is making his U.S. and 2015 debut.  Zlaticanin’s most significant victory of his career came two outings ago when, as a prohibitive underdog, he earned a well-deserved 12-round split decision over hometown favorite Ricky Burns, a former two-division world champion.

 

The 31-year-old Zlaticanin, who moved training camps to the U.S. for his stateside debut, is an offensive-minded fighter who constantly pressures his opponents, outworks them and wears them down.  Zlaticanin, of the Southeastern European country of Montenegro, represents the toughest opponent of Redkach’s career, though he’ll be giving away four inches in height to his opponent.

 

“I think I will knock Ivan Redkach out,” Zlaticanin said. “I don’t like his behavior.  Now that I’m training in America, I think I will be stronger and better than I was before.”

 

The fast-rising Williams, 25, is making his sixth appearance on SHO EXTREME, more than any other boxer.  Ranked in the top ten by multiple sanctioning bodies, the undefeated 154-pounder has won six consecutive fights, four by knockout since a bout with still-unbeaten Hugo Centeno Jr., ended in a fourth-round No Decision in September 2013.  Williams was up, 3-0 in rounds scored, when the fight was halted due to an unintentional clash of heads.  In his last start he scored one knockdown en route to a shutout 10-round decision over veteran Joey Hernandez on April 4.

 

“I’ve seen some tape on my opponent,” Williams said. “He seems to be a really good, solid fighter.  I’m expecting a tough fight, and I’m prepared. I’m ready.”

 

The 29-year-old Ovsepyan trains out of the Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles and has campaigned for most of his career in California or Russia.  The aggressive-minded Ovsepyan has had difficulty getting fights in the past and this will be his first ring assignment in 13 months.

 

“I’ve been training for a whole year now,” he said. “They kept telling me that I could get a fight at any minute. I was supposed to have a fight in December, but it was canceled.

 

“I’ve seen Williams fight a couple of times, but it doesn’t matter to me.  I don’t even want to know anything about my opponent.  I just want to get back in the ring and get a win.  I’m hungry and he better not be taking me lightly.”

 

In the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING co-feature, undefeated Jose “The Sniper” Pedraza(19-0, 12 KOs), of Cidra, Puerto Rico, will take on Andrey Klimov (19-1, 9 KOs), of Klimovski, Russia, in a 12-rounder for the vacant IBF Junior Lightweight World Championship.

 

Brian Custer will host the SHOWTIME EXTREME telecast with Barry Tompkins calling the blow-by-blow at ringside alongside expert analyst Steve Farhood.

 

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment in association with Bruno Event Team are on sale now.  Tickets start at only $25 with the best seats in the house going for $200.  VIP packages are also available.  To purchase tickets fans should visit alabamatitlefight.com.  Tickets are selling fast and a sellout is anticipated.

 

# # #

“WILDER vs. MOLINA,” a 12-Round fight for Wilder’s WBC Heavyweight Championship, takes placeSaturday, June 13, at The Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Ala. DiBella Entertainment and Bruno Event Team have joined forces to bring this event to Alabama. In the co-main event co-romoted by DiBella in association with Universal Promotions, Jose Pedraza will face Andrey Klimov in a 12-Round bout for the IBF Jr. Lightweight World Title. It will air live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT). The telecast will also be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP).  Preliminary bouts will be televised live on SHOWTIME EXTREME (7 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).

 

For more information visit www.sports.sho.com and www.dbe1.com follow on Twitter at @SHOSports, @BronzeBomber, @LouDiBella and @Swanson_Comm, follow the conversation using #WilderMolina, become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing or visit http://shosportspoundforpound.tumblr.com/