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HASIM RAHMAN JR. PRO DEBUT MOVED TO FRIDAY, APRIL 14 MGM NATIONAL HARBOR IN OXON HILL, MD
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Top Russian heavyweight Sergei Kharitonov Commits to fighting on M-1 Challenge 80 card June 15 in China
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2016 Olympic Bronze medalist Nico Hernandez Shines in professional debut win at home
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Fight Network Presents LFA 7: Sanchez vs. Mai & GLORY 39 BrusselsDoubleheader Live this Weekend
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Iconic ‘WOS’ British Wrestling to Return to ITV
MANCHESTER | NASHVILLE – ITV Studios Entertainment Manchester announced today that it has teamed up with IMPACT Wrestling, a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp., to bring WOS Wrestling back to ITV, with an initial commission for a 10-part series.
The commission from ITV’s Helen Warner follows a successful one-off-special, which aired on New Year’s Eve 2016. The Executive Producers for ITV Studios are Tom McLennan and Simon Marsh. Jeff Jarrett, the Chief Creative Officer for IMPACT Wrestling, will be the Executive Producer for IMPACT Wrestling.
Thirty years after the original WOS ended – and legendary stars such as Big Daddy, Mick McManus and Rollerball Rocco left British screens – this new series will feature the very best of today’s wrestlers from the current red-hot U.K. wrestling scene.
They will compete in front of a live audience at the intimate Preston Guild Hall on Thursday 25th May and Friday 26th May (doors 7pm / bell time 7.30pm).
Tickets for these historic shows will go on sale at 9am on Friday 7th April from Gigsandtours.com /Ticketmaster.co.uk / prestonguildhall.co.uk
There will also be a launch event this Monday (27th March) at 2 pm in Manchester, where the full details of the WOS live shows will be announced, including the roster. Press and fans are invited to attend to the launch, which will include a Q&A and meet & greet. Places are extremely limited, to reserve one please email wswaudience@itv.com
This initial commission is part of a comprehensive co-production agreement between ITV Studios and IMPACT Wrestling to relaunch the WOS Wrestling brand, bringing British stars to ITV while leveraging the roster and creative team of IMPACT Wrestling along with its expertise in live event production and international distribution.
“This opportunity to work with ITV Studios to revive this iconic brand in the United Kingdom is a perfect example of the ways in which we intend to leverage our strengths to build our presence in international markets in collaboration with local organizations,” said Ed Nordholm, president of IMPACT Wrestling.
Director of Entertainment, ITV Studios Manchester, Tom McLennan said: “Britain’s wrestling scene is thriving and there has never been a better time to bring it back to ITV after a gap of 30 years.”
Jeff Jarrett, Chief Creative Officer for IMPACT Wrestling, added: “The WOS brand is etched in professional wrestling tradition. My family’s lineage in the industry dates back 70-plus years, so I am honoured for the opportunity to work on reviving the legacy of this historic British series.”
JORGE LINARES DEFENDS WBA LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY ON SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL® FROM MANCHESTER ENGLAND
Win Sets Up A Possible Unification Fight With WBC World Champion Mikey Garcia; Encore Presentation of Tonight’s Fight Airs at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHO EXTREME®
Photos Courtesy: Lawrence Lustig/Matchroom Sport
https://cbs.box.com/s/
NEW YORK (March 25, 2017) – Jorge Linares defended his WBA Lightweight World Championship with a unanimous decision victory over Anthony Crolla Saturday evening on SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL from Manchester, England. The win sets Linares up for a possible unification fight with WBC Lightweight World Champion Mikey Garcia, a matchup that would be considered one of the best that can be made in any weight class.
Saturday’s main event from Manchester Arena aired live on SHOWTIME. Live fight coverage was provided by Sky Sports with Adam Smith calling play-by-play and world champion Carl Froch serving as ringside analyst. Garcia joined SHOWTIME Sports host Brian Custer and analysts Al Bernstein and Paul Malignaggi to provide commentary from a New York studio.
Linares and Crolla previously fought a fierce, closely contested battle last September, one that Linares won by just a few rounds. On Saturday, Linares retained the belt by a wide margin—118-109 on all three scorecards—virtually outclassing Crolla from the outset.
“He seems to be getting better with age,” said Froch, sharing a growing sentiment among boxing pundits.
Linares (42-3, 27 KO’s) cruised through much of the fight with an impressive display of boxing skill and power. A precisely timed uppercut floored Crolla in the seventh. Moments later Linares nearly finished him with a flurry against the ropes. Crolla, however, would not go quietly. The Manchester native, perhaps spurned by his home crowd, bravely grew more aggressive in the second half of the fight. But Linares was simply too sharp, too fast and too comfortable for Crolla to overcome.
Mikey Garcia is coming off a brilliant knockout of world champion Dejan Zlaticanin in January and is hungry for a unification bout.
“First off, I congratulate Jorge Linares for a great win,” said Garcia. “His skill, flexibility, combinations and power were definitely impressive. I hope we can make a fight as soon as possible. He didn’t look cut or hurt so maybe we can fight this summer.”
Undefeated Super Welterweight World Champion Jermell Charlo Defends Against Top Contender Charles Hatley Saturday, April 22 On SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®, Presented by Premier Boxing Champions, From Barclays Center in Brooklyn
Welterweight World Title Eliminator Between
Andre Berto & Shawn Porter Headlines Action-Packed Night
BROOKLYN (March 24, 2017) – Unbeaten WBC Super Welterweight World Champion Jermell Charlo will defend his world title against No. 1-rated challenger Charles Hatley Saturday, April 22 live on SHOWTIME® from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.
Televised coverage of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, presented by Premier Boxing Champions, begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and is headlined by former world champions Andre Berto and Shawn Porter meeting in a 12-round welterweight world title eliminator.
Charlo (28-0, 13 KOs) will face his mandatory challenger Hatley (26-1-1, 18 KOs) after winning the vacant world title with a sensational eighth-round knockout of John Jackson in May of 2016.
“I’m once again ready to get in the ring and continue to build my legacy,” said Charlo. “I’ve been training hard, I’m focused and I’m even hungrier now that I have my belt. Charles Hatley has never been in the ring with someone like me and I’m going to do what’s necessary to get that win. My brother had an outstanding performance against Julian Williams and I want to compete with that. It’s motivated me and I’m ready to get out there and show off my power and skills.”
“I’ve been training for a long time for this fight and I can’t wait to get in the ring,” said Hatley. “I never stopped training since my last fight and I’m going to be ready to win that world title on April 22. Jermell is a good fighter, but he’s got a big mouth. I know we’re both training hard and going for the win, but I’m going to come out victorious.”
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, start at $50 (not including applicable fees) and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting www.ticketmaster.com, www.
“The 154-pound division is very hot right now, and Jermell Charlo is one of the best and most exciting fighters in the weight class,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “Charlo making the first defense of his WBC world title against a worthy challenger like Charles Hatley is a terrific addition to this card on April 22, at Barclays Center, televised by SHOWTIME. It’s also fun to have Hatley’s promoter Don King around. Only in America!”
“Jermell Charlo has demonstrated that he is a force in the 154-pound division and his confidence has only grown with winning the championship,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “This match against Hatley will further cement his place in the division. It’s the kind of challenge that will allow Jermell to display all of his power and boxing ability.”
“The silver champion will become the world champion on April 22 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn,” said Don King of Don King Promotions. “We’re looking at a great fight. I know that Charlo will do the best he can. But he’s got two chances against Hatley – slim and none and slim is out of town.”
One minute younger than his brother Jermall, Jermellwon his belt last year and made the Charlo brothers the first pair of twins to hold world title simultaneously in the same weight class.The 26-year-old from Houston trains in Dallas and is unbeaten since turning pro in December 2007. Charlo took on a steady slew of contenders on his way to a world title, including victories over Vanes Martirosyan, Gabriel Rosado and Joachim Alcine.
The first-time title challenger Hatley enters this fight on a nine-bout win streak after traveling to Australia to beat former two-time world champion Anthony Mundine by 11th round stoppage in 2015. The Dallas-native turned pro in 2008 after an impressive amateur career that saw him defeat Keith Thurman on his way to a U.S. National Amateur Championship. The 31-year-old won his first 14 fights and went his first 18 bouts without a defeat.
Charlo vs. Hatley becomes the eighth title fight or world title eliminator in the 154-pound weight class in the last 14 months on SHOWTIME or CBS, a roster featuring eight of the top-10 fighters in one of the deepest divisions in boxing.
For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports
Undefeated super lightweight Keenan Smith Headlines on Saturday, April 22nd at The Claridge in Atlantic City
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Jerry Odom takes on Gabriel Pham
Stacked card features Anthony “Juice” Young
Also undefeated Leroy Davila, Elijah Vines, Tyrell Wright, John Bauza, Donald Smith & Dylan Price
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Atlantic City, NJ (March 24, 2017)- Undefeated super lightweight Keenan Smith will headline a big night of action on Saturday, April 22nd at The Claridge Hotel in Atlantic City.
The show is promoted by GH3 Promotions and D and D Promotions.
The card will also feature many up and coming stars from the Philadelphia/New Jersey region.
Smith of Philadelphia has a record of 10-0 with 4 knockouts.
Smith, the 2008 National Golden Gloves Featherweight Champion and a 2007 Junior Olympic National Champion, turned pro in April 2010-at 130 pounds. Smith went 72-4 in the amateurs. Two of the victories came against current world-ranked contender Amir Imam.
He turned professional in 2010, and his wins over two undefeated fighters Alex Montes (1-0) and Lavelle Hadley (2-0). Smith also has a win over Bemjamin Whitaker (10-1) in a bout that was nationally televised on Showtime’s ShoBox series. In his last bout, Smith defeated Marquis Hawthorne on January 20th in Atlantic City.
The will be Smith’s 6 fight Atlantic City.
In the exciting eight-round co-feature, Gabriel Pham will battle Jerry Odom in a super middleweight bout.
Pham of Atlantic City, New Jersey has a record of 8-1 with four knockouts.
The 28 year-old Pham turned professional in 2009, and won his first six bouts, which included a win over undefeated Michael Glenn (2-0). Since his only professional blemish, Pham has knocked out his last two opponents, with the latest being a 4th round stoppage over Chauncey Fields (4-10) on March 11th at The Claridge in Atlantic City.
This will be Pham’s 7th fight in Atlantic City, with this being his 3rd consecutive at The Claridge.
Odom of Bowie, Maryland has a record of 14-3-1 with 13 knockouts.
The 24 year-old is a 5 year professional. Odom won his first 11 bouts, which included a thrilling stoppage over previously undefeated Victor Quinonez (8-0) in six-rounds in a bout that was nationally televised on Showtime’s ShoBox: The New Generation.
Odom then was disqualified in his bout against Andrew Hernandez, when Odom hit Hernandez while he was down. The loss was extremely controversial, and Odom avenged that setback in dramatic fashion as he stopped Hernandez inside of a round in their rematch. Odom, who has appeared on ShoBox five times, stopped Julius Jackson (19-1) on July 22, 2016. In his last bout, Odom was stopped in five rounds by Philadelphia based upset specialist Taneal Goyco on November 11, 2016 in Philadelphia.
Appearing in six-round bouts will be:
Leroy Davila (5-0, 3 KO’s) of New Brunswick, New Jersey taking on an opponent to be named in a bantamweight bout.
Ian Green (12-1, 9 KO’s) of Paterson, New Jersey taking on an opponent to be named in a middleweight bout.
Anthony “Juice” Young (15-2, 6 KO’s) of Atlantic City will take on an opponent to be named in a welterweight bout.
Tyrell Wright (9-0-1, 6 KO’s) of Jersey City, New Jersey battling Dan Pasciolla (9-2-1) of Brick, New Jersey in heavyweight bout.
John Bauza (5-0, 2 KO’s) of North Bergen, New Jersey will fight Tyrome Jones (4-0, 1 KO) of Chicago, Illinois in a super middleweight bout.
In four-round bouts:
Super Middleweight Elijah Vines (3-0, 3 KO’s) of Philadelphia, super featherweight Donald Smith (4-0, 3 KO’s) of Philadelphia, super flyweight Dylan Price (1-0, 1 KO) of Sicklerville, New Jersey as well as Manuel Rodriguez of Newark, New Jersey making his pro debut against will see action against opponents to be named.
Tickets range from $50 – $150 and can be purchased by calling 856-842-7577
WBC SANCTIONS SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT ELIMINATOR BETWEEN UNDEFEATED DAVID BENAVIDEZ AND ROGELIO MEDINA FOR #2 MANDATORY TO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Now that sanction has officially been granted, the next fight for red-hot undefeated super middleweight David “El Bandera Roja” Benavidez will be an eliminator for the #2 mandatory challenger spot in the WBC’s world rankings against highly regarded contender Rogelio “Porky” Medina, of Sonora, Mexico.
WBC #1-rated Callum Smith and WBC #2-rated Anthony Dirrell will fight for the vacant 168 WBC Championship (tentatively scheduled for May), the winner of that fight must then face undefeated WBC #3 contender, Avni Yildirim, from Turkey. The champion at the end of those two fights will be mandated to face the winner of the Benavidez vs. Medina eliminator.
For Benavidez (17-0, 16 KOs), who served as chief sparring partner for middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin’s recent preparations to face Danny Jacobs, news of the fight with Medina is a welcome development.
“This is the biggest opportunity of my life and I’m not going to let it go to waste,” said Benavidez. “I’m going to destroy this guy like I do everybody else. I have never trained this hard for a fight and I feel that, come fight time, I’ll be extremely strong and do it up.”
Considered a boxing prodigy by many, the 20-year-old Benavidez, who turned professional at age 16, is the brother of former interim WBA World Super Lightweight Jose Benavidez, and has been trained since age two by his father Jose Benavidez Sr.
Father/trainer Jose says everyone on Team Benavidez is aware of what’s at stake against the formidable Medina, who lost a controversial decision to IBF World Champion James DeGale’s last year, in a fight that many felt Medina won.
“We are excited and working really hard,” he said. “This is the toughest fight of his career, so we’re taking it super serious. This is a big opportunity for us to shine and look good and go to the next level. We were training with Golovkin here in Big Bear (California) and we’ve decided to stay here and keep training until the fight.”
“I know he’s a tough fighter and he’s been in a lot of wars, and he has a lot of experience, but I’m very motivated for this fight,” continued David. “We have a month and a half in training with Golovkin in camp already. Camp with him is hard work and training here in Big Bear gets you to the next level. The hard work I’m doing here will definitely get me this win.”
Promoter Lewkowicz says any remaining questions about young Benavidez will be answered in this fight.
“This is the final test for David Benavidez,” said Lewkowicz. “If he does to this guy what he did to so man other fighters, it will be time for the world to acknowledge that David is going to be a star in boxing. This test will show everyone that he is truly everything we’ve been saying he is since he was a teenager. I am proud of the hard work he is doing and look forward to this great victory.”
Date and site for the fight are being negotiated. More details to follow.