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MIKEY GARCIA BECOMES A FOUR-DIVISION WORLD CHAMPION WITH UNANIMOUS DECISION OVER SERGEY LIPINETS SATURDAY ON SHOWTIME® FROM FREEMAN COLISEUM IN SAN ANTONIO
Kiryl Relikh Dominates Rances Barthelemy To Capture WBA Super Lightweight World Championship In SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® Co-Feature
Catch The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING Replay Monday, March 12 At
10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME
Click HERE For Photos; Credit Amanda Westcott/SHOWTIME
SAN ANTONIO (March 11, 2018) – Mikey Garcia captured a world title in his fourth weight division, outpointing previously undefeated Sergey Lipinets to win the IBF Junior Welterweight World Championship Saturday on SHOWTIME from Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio.
With the victory, Garcia (38-0, 30 KOs) joined Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez as the only fighters in history to win titles at 126, 130, 135 and 140 pounds.
“It’s a great feeling. Winning this fourth title in a fourth division is an honor,” Garcia said. “To get to be mentioned with Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez is a huge honor for me. It just leaves a little chapter in boxing with my name, my brother, my dad. I think people will remember the Garcia family for ages to come.”
Garcia, who was fighting for just the second time at 140 pounds, relied on a steady diet of combos to back up Lipinets, who was making the first defense of the IBF title he won last November on SHOWTIME. Garcia floored Lipinets for the first time in his career, connecting on a counter left hook midway through the seventh in a rousing moment that sent the pro-Garcia crowd at Freeman Coliseum to their feet.
Garcia, who won by scores of 116-111 and 117-110 twice, connected on 46 percent of his power shots compared to 36 percent for the defending champion.
“He came in exactly as I expected – a very tough, very hungry and strong fighter,” Garcia said. “We worked with angles behind the jab. He’s very dangerous, but we had a great game plan and we were able to prevail.
“I know I carry the power, but I was fighting a bigger man and he could take a punch. I didn’t want to get caught and I had to be patient.”
After the fight, Garcia, who still holds the WBC title at lightweight, reiterated his mantra that he’s seeking the biggest fights available, regardless of weight division.
“What I love is I have all the options,” Garcia said. “I could go down to 135 to unify titles, which is what I really want to do. And in a couple of fights you’re going to see me at 147.
Despite being the defending champion, Lipinets (13-1, 10 KOs) was fighting in just his 14th professional fight. The Russian, who was born in Kazakhstan, delivered a valiant effort against one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
“It was probably experience that took over at some point,” Lipinets said. “Mikey is a great fighter, he can obviously crack. It was just experience that I was lacking.
“I want to go back in the gym and work on the problems I showed in the ring. There are a couple of holes I need to close. I’ll be back. It’s a learning experience.”
In a rematch of one of 2017’s best and most controversial fights, Kiryl Relikh handed former two-division world champion Rances Barthelemy the first loss of his career with a wide unanimous decision victory to capture the vacant WBA Super Lightweight World Championship.
Relikh (22-2, 19 KOs) was the more active fighter and controlled the co-main event of the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast from the opening bell, throwing 1,237 total punches compared to just 494 for Barthelemy. Relikh, who many thought won their first matchup, consistently worked off his jab, connecting on 103 punches per round while Barthelemy landed an average of just 41.
While Barthelemy (26-1, 13 KOs) won a disputed and wide decision in their first bout there was no controversy in the judges’ scorecards in the rematch, which was scored 117-110 and 118-109 twice.
Relikh became just the third fighter from Belarus to win a world title while Barthelemy came up short in his bid to become the first Cuban to win a world title in three weight divisions.
“Last time I was not ready,” Relikh said. “I didn’t have proper preparation in the first fight but this time, with my new trainers, I was ready. I’m very happy. I’ve waited for this dream for 20 years. I’ve worked hard for this dream and now it’s mine.
“Coming in we were looking to box all the way. My jab has developed so much since the last fight. They probably thought that I would run out of gas like last time, but I trained like a champion this time. Everything was geared toward becoming champion and that’s what we did tonight.”
Barthelemy, who picked up the pace a bit in the final three rounds, didn’t dispute the decision.
“My heart is broken because I came in to this fight trying to get that third world title,” Barthelemy said. “I have to admit defeat and say that Relikh deserved to win that fight, but I will be back.
“At this point I have to look forward and put it behind me.”
The featured attraction of the SHOWTIME BOXING on SHO EXTREME telecast saw San Antonio’s own Mario Barrios (21-0, 13 KOs) deliver a sensational second round knockout of Eudy Bernardo (23-3, 17 KOs) in front of his hometown fans.
“I definitely made a statement tonight,” said Barrios. “I showed the 140-pound division that I’m here and ready for any of them.”
Barrios was dominant from the start and struck early in the second with a vicious straight right that put Bernardo down. Although Bernardo got to his feet and beat the count, referee Jon Schorle had seen enough and waved off the bout 45 seconds into the second round of the super lightweight affair.
“I wasn’t going in there looking for the knockout, but I caught him early,” said Barrios. “I’ve been on a good run and I’m ready to continue that streak. We’re moving up the ranks fight by fight. I’m looking to get a title eliminator by the end of the year and hopefully a title shot early next year.”
In the opening bout of the SHO EXTREME telecast, Richard Commey (26-2, 23 KOs) scored a sixth-round TKO of Alejandro Luna (22-1, 15 KOs) in their IBF Lightweight World Title Eliminator.
“Despite the win, my performance wasn’t up to the level that I hoped it would be,” said Commey. “He was exactly what I expected and if I had connected on more of my punches in the beginning I think the fight would have been over earlier. I was really trying to work on what we had been focusing on in camp but I just wasn’t performing well at the start of the fight.”
The fight was defined by exciting exchanges throughout, with Commey, fighting on his 31st birthday, getting the better early and connecting with power punches that caused Luna’s jaw to swell. Commey’s power broke through in round six when a powerful combination punctuated by a left uppercut sent Luna to the canvas for the first time in his career.
“I’m very disappointed,” said Luna. “All the credit to Commey, but I expect more of myself and I’m going to get back in the gym and come back much stronger and better.”
Luna rose to his feet but was quickly pounced on by Commey, who landed 62 percent of his power punches in the round, and was sent to the mat again. This forced referee David Fields to call a halt to the bout at 1:54 of round six. Commey now becomes the mandatory challenger for IBF Lightweight World Champion Robert Easter, who Commey lost a split decision to in September 2016.
“It is the greatest feeling to get the win on my 31st birthday,” said Commey. “I am looking forward to fighting for the 135-pound world title and becoming champion.”
The SHO EXTREME swing bout featured unbeaten prospect Brandon Figueroa (15-0, 10 KOs) scoring a seventh round knockout of Mexico’s Giovanni Delgado (16-6, 9 KOs) in their super bantamweight clash.
Figueroa, the brother of former champion Omar, continued to show the aggressive style that has defined his early career as he threw an astonishing 178 punches in the third round. That number was good for the second most ever thrown in a single round by a fighter in a super bantamweight bout, according to CompuBox.
The 21-year-old Figueroa continued to put the pressure on, battering Delgado until referee Gregorio Alvarez halted the fight at 1:55of the seventh round.
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For more information visit www.sho.com/sports , www
follow us on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing, @Ringstar @TGBPromotions, and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing
Ivan Buchinger rebounds from title loss with impressive win over Andrey Krasnikov
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Anton Vyazigin knockoyuts Zaur Gadzhibabayev
Oleg Aduchiev drops Vitaliy Branchuk
Viktor Kolesnik (white trunks) finishes off David Silva de Souza
Mickael Lebout knocked out Sergey FaleyJESSE “BAM” RODRIGUEZ SCORES FIRST ROUND KO
SAN ANTONIO, TX (March 10, 2018) – Last night at the Mi Mercado Event Center in San Antonio, TX, TMB & PRB Entertainment, sponsored by Mikey Garcia Promotions, presented “Friday Night Fights”. Special guests Mikey Garcia, Abner Mares and Bones Adams were all in attendance.
In the main event, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (5-0, 3 KOs), fighting out of the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy, defeated Jose “El Cuate” Casiano (0-2) by way of first round knockout. A right hook to the head put Casiano down for the count at the 1:33mark of round one.
In the co-main event, Angel Alejandro (2-0, 1KO) went the distance with Jose Elizondo (2-6-1), winning a unanimous decision. Scorecards read 40-35 and 39-36 twice, all in favor of Alejandro. Alejandro dropped Elizando in round one before cruising to victory.
Undercard Results
(4-round super-middleweight bout)
Patrick Clarke(1-0, 1 KO) defeated Taylor Saucedo (0-4). A left hook to the head ended the bout at the 2:59 mark of round one.
(4-round Middleweight bout)
Steven Ramos (2-0, 2 KOs) defeated Jacob Landin (0-2). Aright hook by Ramos dropped Landin in the early part of round two, then a straight left followed, ending the bout.
(4-round jr bantamweight bout)
Aaron Morales (1-0, 1 KO)defeated Jorge De Leon (0-2)by way of first round knockout. A left hook to the body put De Leon down, ending the bout at the 1:42 mark.
(4-round heavyweight bout)
Brandon Glanton defeated Tyrrel Herndon. Herndon was disqualified for holding and quit. The bout was stopped at the 1:02 mark of round three.
(4-round Featherweight bout)
Vincente Loredo (1-0, 1 KO) defeated Ben Guerrero (0-2). A flurry of punches by Loredo ended the bout at the 1:23 mark of round three, giving Loredo the TKO victory.
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REGIS PROGRAIS SCORES DOMINATING SECOND-ROUND KNOCKOUT OVER JULIUS INDONGO TO EARN INTERIM WBC SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE FRIDAY ON SHOWTIME®
SHOWTIME Veteran Ivan Baranchyk Dominates Petr Petrov in IBF Junior Welterweight Eliminator
Heavyweight Prospect Junior Fa Remains Unbeaten with Majority Decision Victory
Catch The Replay Saturday, March 10, At 5:30 p.m. ET/PT On SHOWTIME EXTREME®
Click HERE To Download Photos; Credit Stephanie Trapp/SHOWTIME
DEADWOOD, S.D. (March 9, 2018) – Undefeated 140-pound contender Regis Prograis scored a sensational second-round knockout over former unified world champion Julius Indongo to capture the Interim WBC Super Lightweight title Friday night on SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION from Deadwood Mountain Grand in Deadwood, S.D.
With the win, Prograis (21-0, 18 KOs) will now likely face the winner of next week’s Amir Imam (ranked No. 1 WBC) and Jose Ramirez (ranked No. 3 WBC) matchup for the currently vacant WBC world title belt. Prograis, of Houston by way of New Orleans, was dominant from the opening bell and has now scored knockouts in 14 of his last 15 fights.
“I had to put on a show for SHOWTIME, for Deadwood, and for all my fans in Houston and New Orleans and just the whole division,” said Prograis. “I had to put on a show for everybody. I am now the man at 140.”
In the final seconds of the opening round, Prograis landed a fierce jab that knocked Indongo (22-2, 11 KOs) to the canvas. In the second round, Prograis continued to attack the much taller Indongo, and floored him for the second time with a huge left hand. With a wobbly Indongo returning to his feet, Prograis continued the onslaught and immediately attacked his prone opponent and knocked him down for a third time in the fight. Referee Ian John-Lewis gave Indongo one more opportunity to remain in the fight, but Prograis ended it once and for all with a third knockdown in the round via a left hook and fourth in the fight at 2:54 of round number two.
Following the knockout, SHOWTIME analyst Steve Farhood spoke to the rising star in the wide-open and competitive 140-pound division. Farhood was especially impressed with Prograis, who was making his fifth SHOWTIME appearance.
“It was an awesome performance,” said the International Boxing Hall of Famer and noted boxing historian Farhood. “I was surprised he finished Indongo as quickly as he did and as emphatically as he did.
“I think now boxing fans know that this guy deserves to be rated among the top three or four in the 140-pound division. Because it was a such an emphatic win, all the other fights at 140, whether it’s tomorrow’s fight between Mikey Garcia and Lipinets, you got to feel like they have to answer to Regis. He deserves it.”
The WBC No. 2 ranked fighter at 140 pounds immediately turned his attention to a possible matchup with the winner of next week’s Imam-Ramirez matchup.
“I want the real title now, and I don’t think those two dudes will fight me after tonight,” said Prograis. “Indongo only had one loss to Terrence Crawford, the pound for pound best, and I stopped him a round before Crawford did. I don’t see anybody trying to fight me right now.”
In an IBF Junior Welterweight eliminator, Ivan Baranchyk (17-0, 11 KOs) thrilled fans at The Deadwood Mountain Grand with his all-action style, stopping Petr Petrov (38-6-2, 18 KOs) at 1:12 of round number eight.
Baranchyk, making his sixth appearance on SHOWTIME, was the much stronger, more aggressive fighter than his game but ultimately overmatched opponent, who showed commendable toughness and resiliency to stay in the fight. Baranchyk knocked Petrov to the canvas with the very first punch of the fight, and scored a second knockdown in the second round with a barrage of powerful punches.
With a bruised and battered Petrov trapped against the ropes in the eighth round, referee Mark Nelson stopped the fight. With the win, Baranchyk moves a step closer to becoming the mandatory challenger for the winner of the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING main event on Saturday night between 140-pound IBF world titlist Sergey Lipinets and lightweight titleholder Mikey Garcia.
Baranchyk, who out-landed Petrov 159-118 in total punches and 94-76 in power punches, was pleased with the improvements he showcased tonight.
“I thought I fought a more controlled than in the past and something my new coach has been helping me with,” said Baranchyk, who is currently ranked No. 4 in the IBF 140-pound division. “I knew I had to keep punching to the body, punching to the body. And I did that well tonight.
“I was surprised they stopped the fight when they did. I felt like I won every round and controlled the fight. I knew I won the fight. It was a good fight for me.”
In the opening bout of the telecast, heavyweight prospect Junior Fa (14-0, 8 KOs), of Auckland, New Zealand, kept his unbeaten record intact with a majority decision victory over Detroit’s Craig Lewis (14-2-1, 8 KOs). The judges scored the eight-round fight 76-76, 78-74, 79-73.
Fa, who twice beat fellow New Zealand native and current WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker in the amateurs, was the more active fighter against the 33-year-old former collegiate basketball player Lewis, who took the fight on just two weeks’ notice. Fa started the fight quickly, throwing a fight-high 53 punches in round one and a 24-13 lead in overall connects in the first two rounds. As the fight wore on, Fa’s pace slowed and Lewis was able to grow into the fight, out-landing Fa 50-45 in rounds five through eight, to close the overall gap to 82-81 in favor of Fa.
Fa, who made his SHOWTIME debut in November with a first-round knockout of Freddy Latham, was unhappy with his performance despite the win.
“I’m happy I was able to get the decision, but I wasn’t happy with my performance at all,” said Fa. “If I had to give myself a grade, it would be an F. I fought with too much emotion the first few rounds and that threw me off a little bit.
“I was pretty surprised with the one judge who saw it even. I saw him getting tired but I was just flat tonight. I can learn a lot from this fight and where I went wrong and what not to do in my next fight.”
Lewis felt that taking the fight on short notice played a role in the outcome.
“I needed a little more time to train as my conditioning fell off a bit towards the end,” said the former National Golden Gloves gold medalist Lewis. “But overall, I was happy with my performance, I thought it was probably a draw.”
In non-televised undercard action, undefeated heavyweight prospect Trey Lippe Morrison (14-0, 14 KOs), the son of former heavyweight world champion Tommy Morrison, stopped Oswaldo Ortega (3-8, 1 KO) with a third-round (1:18) technical knockout in his first fight in 15 months since suffering a hand injury.
Undefeated 2016 United States Olympian Charles Conwell (7-0, 5 KOs) earned a unanimous decision victory over Mexico’s Juan Jesus Rivera (28-20, 18 KOs). The six-round junior middleweight bout was scored 60-53 on all three judges’ scorecards.
Friday’s tripleheader will replay on Saturday, March 10, at 5:30 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME and will be available on SHOWTIME on DEMAND® and SHOWTIME ANYTIME®.
Barry Tompkins called the action from ringside with Farhood and former world champion Raul Marquez serving as expert analysts. The executive producer was Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.
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For more information visit www.sho.com/sports follow on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @SHOSports, #ShoBox, or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports.
Undefeated Julian Sosa ready for 1st headlining fight Tomorrow night in Brooklyn
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ERISLANDY LARA AND JARRETT HURD TO CLASH IN 154-POUND TITLE UNIFICATION LIVE ON SHOWTIME ONSATURDAY, APRIL 7 FROM THE HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO IN LAS VEGAS
Caleb Truax and James DeGale To Battle in a 168-Pound World Title Rematch in the Co-Main Event of the
Premier Boxing Champions Event
Tickets on Sale Friday, March 16
LAS VEGAS (March 9, 2018) – Erislandy Lara, the longest reigning world champion at 154-pounds, will clash with IBF champion “Swift” Jarrett Hurd in a highly-anticipated super welterweight title unification live on SHOWTIME (10 pm ET/7 pm PT) as part of an exciting card presented by Premier Boxing Champions Saturday, April 7 from The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
In the co-main event, Super Middleweight World Champion Caleb Truax will make the first defense of his IBF title against James DeGale in a rematch of one of the biggest upsets of 2017 that saw Truax wrestle the belt from DeGale on his home turf in London last December.
Tickets for the show, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and Mayweather Promotions, will go on sale Friday, March 16 and be available by visiting AXS.com or the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas Box Office.
“This is an action-packed card from top to bottom. The televised card features boxers who all have something significant to gain with a victory,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “The winner of Lara-Hurd will be one step closer to becoming the undisputed 154-pound world champion. In a rematch, Truax gets to re-affirm his position as champion and DeGale has a chance to regain his world championship status. This is the kind of show that keeps fans on the edge of their seats.”
“We take pride in promoting quality events that our audiences always want to see,” said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions. “This card is going to be another line-up that the fans won’t want to miss. With Lara and Hurd looking to unify their titles and guys going head-to-head in rematches on the undercard, this is sure to be a night of non-stop action.
Lara vs. Hurd is a classic contrast in styles that could force each fighter to raise their game to another level. Lara is a crafty southpaw who relies on his superior boxing skills to confound opponents, while Hurd is a pure pressure boxer-puncher that stalks his opponents and isn’t easily frustrated.
Lara, a Cuban whose nickname is “The American Dream”, is coming off a unanimous decision victory on SHOWTIME over Terrell Gausha in October. Hurd was on the same card and defeated former champion Austin Trout when Trout’s corner stopped the fight in the 10th round. That paved the way for this unification showdown.
The 34-year-old Lara (25-2-2, 14 KOs), who lives and trains in Houston, Texas, won his world title with a TKO victory over Alfredo Angulo in 2013 and has successfully defended it seven times, which includes wins over Trout, Ishe Smith and Vanes Martirosyan.
“I’m very excited and motivated for this fight and to once again be headlining on the best network in boxing on SHOWTIME, is truly a pleasure,” said Lara. “I look forward to adding another belt to my collection on April 7 and to proving that I’m the best 154-pound fighter out there. Everyone tune-in because you don’t want to miss this unification. It’s going to be a legendary night and one for the history books.”
The undefeated Hurd (21-0, 15 KOs) is coming off a career-defining TKO victory over the former champion Trout in his last fight on Oct. 14. It was the first defense of the title for the 27-year Hurd of Accokeek, Maryland, who won the championship with a TKO victory over Tony Harrison on Feb. 25, 2017.
“I plan on being the aggressor for the entire fight, so I’ve been doing some exercises and working on techniques to improve my foot work so that I can stay on top of Erislandy Lara,” said Hurd. “We are not trying to go to the scorecards, so hopefully, I can be the first man to stop him, which I hope to do in the later rounds.
“I called him out, and now, it has come to pass that I get to become a unified champion against the man everyone considers to be the best and most feared in the division, and that’s Erislandy Lara.”
They call 34-year-old Truax “Golden”, and he punched his ticket to world title gold while on a trip to London in December, when he defeated DeGale by majority decision. Truax (29-3-2, 18 KOs) of Osseo, Minnesota was on a two-fight win streak heading into the match against DeGale. Before that his only losses came against former champions Anthony Dirrell, Daniel Jacobs and Jermain Taylor.
“They made the right call on the decision in England, and I expect to be even more dominant this time around,” Truax said. “I am planning to really just beat up James Gale and get the job done in more efficient fashion this time.’
“Fighting in Las Vegas for the first time will be a very cool experience and I expect it to be friendlier than it was in London. There is a lot of pride on the line for me, being that I’m the first boxing world champion from Minnesota in a long time. So there is a lot on the line for me and I plan to keep that going, especially as a means for supporting my family.”
The 32-year-old DeGale (23-2-1, 14 KOs) was the first British boxer to win a Gold Medal in the Olympics (2008 Beijing Games) and a world championship as a professional. He won his world title with a unanimous decision over Andre Dirrell in 2015 and made two successful defenses before fighting to a draw against Badou Jack on Jan. 14, 2017. It was a brutal standoff between two world champions, but neither man had his hand raised in victory. DeGale, who was coming off of an injury, had his home town crowd behind him but couldn’t deliver a win as Truax scored a stunning upset with the majority decision victory.
‘I’m happy to have the opportunity to rematch Truax and regain my IBF title,” said DeGale. “I am not going to make excuses for my poor performance, actions speak louder than words. I am excited to be boxing in Vegas and on SHOWTIME again. The real JD will be back on fight night!”
FORMER WORLD CHAMPION KELLY PAVLIK CONFIRMED FOR FOURTH EDITION OF BOX FAN EXPO TAKING PLACE ON CINCO DE MAYO WEEKEND, SATURDAY MAY 5, IN LAS VEGAS
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MARCEL RIVERS TO BE HONORED FOR BIGGEST KO OF THE YEAR
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FNU Combat Sports Show: Wilder/Ortiz and UFC 222 Recaps
Tom, Rich and Tony recap UFC 222 and Deontay Wilder vs. Luis Ortiz, along with the last week’s biggest combat sports news stories. We have a short discussion about the Canelo Alvarez positive PED test, and we also preview upcoming boxing events.
Listen to the full show below: