Undefeated heavyweight contender Anthony Joshua has 15 knockouts in his 15 professional fights. Check out this video compilation from SHOWTIME Sports showcasing all of Joshua’s KOs. And tune in this Saturday to watch the 2012 British Olympic Gold Medalist challenge undefeated American titlist Charles Martin for the IBF Heavyweight World Championship, live on SHOWTIME at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT from The O2 in London.
Unbeaten Gibbs to meet Perry May 21 at Firelake Casino in OK
Baltimore Boxing Returns May 5
LEE SELBY & ERIC HUNTER QUOTES & LONDON PRESS CONFERENCE PHOTOS
Click HERE For Photos; Credit Matchroom Sport
LONDON (April 6, 2016) – IBF Featherweight World Champion Lee Selby and American challenger Eric Hunter participated in a final undercard press conference on Wednesday at Trinity House as they prepare to faceoff this Saturday at The O2 in London.
Highlight coverage of Selby vs. Hunter will air on this Saturday’sSHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL® telecast, preceding the live presentation of the IBF Heavyweight World Championship between unbeaten American titlist Charles Martin and fellow unbeaten British Olympic Gold Medalist Anthony Joshua. Martin vs. Joshua air live on SHOWTIME® at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT.
Selby (22-1, 8 KOs) vs. Hunter (21-3, 11 KOs) is the second of five scheduled featherweight title bouts in 2016 (details below), a lineup showcasing many of the world’s best 126-pounders aiming to unifying one of boxing’s deepest divisions.
Here’s what Selby and Hunter had to say during fight week:
LEE SELBY:
“I will put on a devastating and clinical performance. I am going to take the fight to him. You are going to see spiteful punches and hurtful shots, so Hunter better be ready.
“I will show why I am the IBF World Champion and show people what I can do. If he wants to stand and fight, we can fight. If he wants to box, we’ll box. I haven’t needed to show how tough I am yet and that I can grit it out, because I’ve out-boxed everyone I’ve faced. However, he wants it I don’t mind. If you see me sparring every day in the gym, I just want to have a tear-up.
“You don’t win fights like that – or at least, I’m instructed not to. I’m told to box all the time but when it comes down to it, I’d love to have a tear-up.
“I’ve never had the trash talking and at weigh-ins I’ve never had anyone in my face, but it won’t affect me at all. It doesn’t change my mindset one bit.
“I’ve had a little look at him, seen his style. He’s a good fighter, he’s awkward, switch hits, has power, so it’s going to be a tough fight.
“Eric is my No. 1 challenger and he’s there for a reason. He’s going to give me a real test but that’s what I need.
“Fighting in front of British fans is the best atmosphere in boxing. It was a dream to go out to America to defend a World title, but it’s a dream to defend it on home soil in front of 20,000.
“There have been some great fighters calling me out. Carl Frampton was talking about me after his last fight, Josh Warrington has called me out a lot of times and Leo Santa Cruz has mentioned me, too. There are plenty of options but I’ve got to come through this one.
“Warrington will never get to my level. He’s done everything asked of him and won all the titles I vacated, and it’s a fight that could be made straight away if he comes through his next fight and I come through mine. Warrington talks about me a lot, and it’s a fight I would definitely be interested in and if we both win our next fights. Maybe it will happen, and it would be a big fight.”
ERIC HUNTER:
“Selby is a runner, we know he’s a runner, he boxes and runs away. He hasn’t really fought anyone yet. He beat Evgeny Gradovich, who has not really been the same since he fought Billy Dib. He just walked forward with his hands up.
“I was rated by the IBF for the longest time. I was rated higher than Lee Selby when he fought Fernando Montiel and when he got Gradovich.
“Not to be smart or cocky, but I’d never seen him fight. I never heard of him until the Gradovich fight. And with that fight, I think Gradovich was winning but Selby got the hometown decision. He boxed well. He runs pretty well too.
“I can adjust. I can fight. I can box. I got better footwork. I can bang. I can do a few things that he probably can’t.
“I’m excited about fighting in front of all these people. It gives me the chance to show off my skills. They are going to see a new IBF champion.
“I don’t need to win a war of words, I’m going to show what I can do on the night. I love the London fans, I’m looking forward to coming over there and showing them what I can do.”
2016 Featherweight Title Bouts (All on SHOWTIME with the exception of June 25 “SHOWTIME BOXING on CBS”)
- Feb. 27 WBA (Super) Featherweight World Championship Leo Santa Cruz vs. Kiko Martinez
- April 9 IBF Featherweight World Championship Lee Selby vs. Eric Hunter (Highlights)
- April 16 WBC Featherweight World Championship Gary Russell Jr. vs. Patrick Hyland
- June 25 WBA (Regular) Featherweight World Championship Jesus Cuellar vs. Abner Mares
- Summer 2016 WBA (Super) Featherweight World Championship Leo Santa Cruz vs. Carl Frampton
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Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, and also offers SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND and FLIX ON DEMAND®, and the network’s authentication service SHOWTIME ANYTIME®. Showtime Digital Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of SNI, operates the stand-alone streaming service SHOWTIME®. SHOWTIME is currently available to subscribers via cable, DBS and telco providers, and as a stand-alone streaming service through Apple®, Roku®, Amazon and Google. Consumers can also subscribe to SHOWTIME via Hulu, Sony PlayStation® Vue and Amazon Prime Video. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks™, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution, which offers Smithsonian Channel™, and offers Smithsonian Earth™ through SN Digital LLC. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV. For more information, go to www.SHO.com.
Boxers needed for Gleason’s Gym Amateur Boxing Show Saturday Evening, April 16th
SHOWTIME SPORTS® CONTINUES CELEBRATION OF 30 YEARS OF SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® WITH THROWBACK THURSDAY “FIGHTS OF THE YEAR” IN APRIL
FIGHTS OF THE YEAR
April 7: JORGE CASTRO vs. JOHN DAVID JACKSON I (1994)
April 14: LUCAS MATTHYSEE vs. JOHN MOLINA JR. (2014)
April 21: DIEGO CORRALES vs. JOSE LUIS CASTILLO I (2005)
April 28: PAULIE AYALA vs. JOHNNY TAPIA I (1999)
Click HERE To Watch The Round Of The Year (9th) From 1994’s Fight Of The Year – JORGE CASTRO vs. JOHN DAVID JACKSON I:http://s.sho.com/1SyzVjH
NEW YORK (April 6, 2016) – SHOWTIME Sports® presents its latest installment of a year-long salute commemorating 30 years of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® with “Fights of the Year” in April on SHO EXTREME®.
The fourth round of a 12-month tribute will be highlighted by four of the most rousing and unforgettable fights in boxing history:
- Jorge Castro vs. John David Jackson I – 1994 Ring Magazine Fight of the Year (Round 9 earned Round of the Year honors)
- Paulie Ayala vs. Johnny Tapia I – 1999 Ring Magazine Fight of the Year (Ayala earned Fighter of the Year honors)
- Diego Corrales vs. Jose Luis Castillo I – 2005 Consensus Fight of the Year (Round 10 earned Round of the Year honors)
- Lucas Matthysse vs. John Molina Jr. – 2014 Boxing Writers Association of America Fight of the Year.
The four celebrated battles will air on “Throwback Thursdays” all month at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHO EXTREME and are available on SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, SHOWTIME ANYTIME® and via the network’s online streaming service. Each fight will be wrapped with brief context and commentary from SHOWTIME Sports ring announcer and International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee Jimmy Lennon Jr.
Below is the schedule of SHOWTIME EXTREME premieres for the month of April:
- Thursday, April 7: Jorge Castro vs. John David Jackson I
- Thursday, April 14: Lucas Matthysse vs. John Molina Jr.
- Thursday, April 21: Diego Corrales vs. Jose Luis Castillo I
- Thursday, April 28: Paulie Ayala vs. Johnny Tapia I
Castro-Jackson I (Dec. 10, 1994, Castro KO 9) –Castro, thoroughly battered, bloodied and losing by a wide margin, rallies from the absolute brink of defeat to score three knockdowns in the ninth round to overcome Jackson in one of the most dramatic turnarounds ever.
Ayala-Tapia I (June 26, 1999, Ayala W 12) – In some of the fiercest two-way action in the history of Las Vegas boxing, southpaw Ayala hands Tapia his first professional loss in 49 fights and captures the WBA bantamweight title by the scores of 115-114 and 116-113 twice. Game On: As the boxers were being announced, Tapia walked across the ring and shoved Ayala causing a momentary skirmish.
Diego Corrales-Jose Luis Castillo I (May 7, 2005, Corrales TKO 10) — After nine intense, back-and-forth rounds, Corrales accomplishes the unthinkable, miraculously regrouping from two knockdowns in the 10th to stop Castillo in the same round (2:06) and etch his spot in boxing lore. After managing to beat the count (and lose a point for excessive spitting out of the mouthpiece), Corrales got Castillo on the ropes and connected with a huge right hand. He continued to unload and Castillo got nailed with a bundle of vicious punches. Moments later, the ref stopped it.
Lucas Matthysse-John Molina Jr. (April 26, 2014, Matthysse KO 11) — Abloody slugfest, in which both fighters were knocked down multiple times,became an instant classic. Matthysse who went down in the second and fifth rounds, came back with a late-fight onslaught to wear down and drop Molina in the eighth, 10th and 11th rounds. The tremendous brawl was as brutal as it was exciting and more compelling to witness than anyone could have imagined.
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Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, and also offers SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND and FLIX ON DEMAND®, and the network’s authentication service SHOWTIME ANYTIME®. Showtime Digital Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of SNI, operates the stand-alone streaming service SHOWTIME®. SHOWTIME is currently available to subscribers via cable, DBS and telco providers, and as a stand-alone streaming service through Apple®, Roku®, Amazon and Google. Consumers can also subscribe to SHOWTIME via Hulu, Sony PlayStation® Vue and Amazon Prime Video. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks™, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution, which offers Smithsonian Channel™, and offers Smithsonian Earth™through SN Digital LLC. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV. For more information, go to www.SHO.com.
‘RAMPAGE’ JACKSON TO MAIN EVENT ‘BELLATOR: DYNAMITE 2’ IN ST. LOUIS ON JUNE 24 AGAINST OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST SATOSHI ISHII
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (April 6, 2016) – For the first time since 2014, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (36-11) will return to action for Bellator MMA when he faces Satoshi Ishii (14-5-1) in the main event of “Bellator: Dynamite 2” on June 24, at Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
While “Rampage” has competed at 205-pounds for a vast majority of his nearly 17-year career, this main event contest against Ishii will take place at an agreed upon catchweight of 215 pounds.
Tickets for “Bellator: Dynamite 2,” which start at just $30, go on sale this Friday, April 8 at 10 a.m. CT on Ticketmaster.com and the Ford Box Office at Scottrade Center, with a special Bellator Nation presale available from 10 a.m. CT to 10 p.m. CT on Thursday, April 7 for fans using the code: “BELLATOR.” Doors for the event open at 5 p.m. CT local time, and the first contest takes place one hour after.
“Bellator: Dynamite 2” airs live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream live on Bellator.com and The Bellator Mobile App.
Exactly like the groundbreaking inaugural “Dynamite” event this past September in San Jose, both a mixed martial arts cage and kickboxing ring will cover the floor at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, giving fans in attendance the opportunity to see both iterations of combat sports on the same night.
A three-fight veteran of Bellator MMA, “Rampage” signed with the organization in 2013 and is riding a four-fight winning streak. His legendary career has seen him compete against some of the top names in the sport across multiple organizations including PRIDE and the UFC, generating a loyal army of fans along the way. Jackson is the proud owner of many epic highlight reel slams and knockouts that he’s racked up throughout his battles with guys like: Chuck Liddell, Dan Henderson, Kevin Randleman, Ricardo Arona, Marvin Eastman, and perhaps most-notably his trilogy with fellow Bellator warrior Wanderlei Silva.
When he’s not beating people up in his MMA fights, Jackson’s larger than life personality has earned him multiple film roles, where he’s been able to beat people up on the big screen. Now, the 37-year-old returns to action for the fourth time under the Bellator MMA banner, where he looks to improve upon his unblemished mark within the promotion. With 19 of his fights taking place in Japan, the large contingent of Japanese MMA fans will have a hard time determining who to cheer for when “Rampage” takes on Ishii in June.
Ishii is a 29-year-old powerhouse Judoka who earned Gold at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing after defeating the best the world had to offer in the +100 kg division. Now fully focused on mixed martial arts, the Japanese star has competed in his home country almost exclusively throughout his 20-fight professional career and will be making his stateside debut on June 24 against “Rampage.” With half of his victories coming before reaching the judges’ scorecards, it’s worth noting that three of Ishii’s defeats have come at the hands of some of greatest the sport has to offer, such as Mirko Cro Cop and Fedor Emelianenko. Most recently, the judoka competed at light heavyweight for Rizin FF, during the promotion’s inaugural card on New Year’s Eve Weekend.
Updated “Bellator: Dynamite 2” Fight Card
Bellator MMA (215 lb.) Main Event: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (36-11) vs. Satoshi Ishii (14-5-1)
Conquer Fighting Championships returns to Richmond, California on April 30, 2016
April 5, 2016 – Conquer Fighting Championships (CFC) will have their second Mixed Martial Arts event, CFC 2, on April 30, 2016 at the Craneway Pavilion in Point Richmond, California. The event will feature 12 Professional fights with an undercard of 5 Amateur fights.
PRO
- Anthony Avila VS Juan Quesada, Catch Weight -150lbs
- Buddy Wallace VS James Terry, Welterweight
- Josh Paiva VS Ulysses Gomez, Flyweight
- Jordan Williams VS Dwight Grant, Welterweight
- Mauricio Alonso VS Mike Persons, Welterweight
- Amir Lacy VS Myron Smith, Light Heavyweight
- Bren O’Neal VS Salvador Becerra, Lightweight
- Paradise Vaovasa VS Samuel Alvarez, Featherweight
- Jordan Powell VS Mike Morales, Light Heavyweight
- JT Donaldson VS Drey Mitchell, Featherweight
- Roger Severson VS Agapito Mendoza, Bantamweight
- Dustin Moore VS Brian Wilkinson, Flyweight
New for CFC2, the event will be available for live streaming via Go Fight Live Entertainment’s services. This is a pay-per-view feature costing $14.99.
Conquer President and sole match-maker, Trever Johnson, is also pleased to announce that Harley Davidson has joined the team of prestigious sponsors for the event. Trever,
“Believes that with these dynamic leaps such as corporate sponsorship and pay-per-view abilities, CFC is steadily, and swiftly, climbing toward becoming one of the top promotions in the sport.”
ABOUT:
Conquer Fighting Championships is a Pro-Am MMA promotion based in the Bay Area of California. President Trever Johnson is also the match-maker and Founder. Launched in November 2015.,
CHIDI NJOKUANI SET TO CHALLENGE DOUGLAS LIMA IN CO-MAIN EVENT OF ‘BELLATOR 156’
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (April 5, 2016) – A duo of Bellator MMA’s top welterweights, Chidi “Chidi Bang Bang” Njokuani (14-4) and Douglas “The Phenom” Lima (26-6), will square off in the co-main event of “Bellator 156: Galvao vs. Dantas 2” on June 17 inside Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif.
The fight joins a main card that features a rematch pitting Marcos “Loro” Galvao (17-6-1) against Eduardo “Dudu” Dantas (17-4), with Galvao’s Bellator MMA bantamweight title on the line.
“Bellator 156: Galvao vs. Dantas 2” airs live on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream live on Bellator.com and The Bellator Mobile App. Additional fights will be announced shortly.
Tickets for the event start at only $25 and are on sale at the Save Mart Center Box Office, as well as Ticketmaster.com and Bellator.com.
“Chidi Bang Bang” has not lost in his past six fights dating back to March of 2013 and finished last year strong, recording a unanimous decision victory overRicky “The Sniper” Rainey in his Bellator MMA debut at “Bellator 146: Kato vs. Manhoef.” The 27-year-old Las Vegas native is now looking to solidify himself atop Bellator’s always-competitive welterweight division when he takes on “The Phenom” in the co-main event of “Bellator 156: Galvao vs. Dantas 2.”
Douglas Lima will be entering the cage for the 11th time under the Bellator MMA banner, having already won eight of his 10 bouts with the Viacom-owned organization. The former Bellator MMA welterweight titlist saw his impressive five-fight winning streak come to an end in July of 2015, when current champion Andrey Koreshkov edged out a unanimous decision victory over Lima to win the title. Prior to the defeat, “The Phenom’s” hot streak consisted of five consecutive knockouts, four of which came in the first two rounds. Lima will now begin the climb back up the ladder, with the ultimate goal being to regain the strap by year’s end.
Updated “Bellator 156: Galvao vs. Dantas 2” Card:
Bellator MMA Bantamweight World Title Main Event: Marcos Galvao (17-6-1) vs. Eduardo Dantas (17-4)
Bellator MMA Welterweight Co-Main Event: Chidi Njokuani (14-4) vs. Douglas Lima (26-6)
Eric Hunter in London, Ready to Take Selby’s IBF Featherweight Title This Saturday
Upcoming world title challenger Eric “The Outlaw’ Hunter is in London and feeling more motivated now than ever to take the title away from Welsh champion Lee Selby.
A proud Philadelphia fighter, Hunter (21-3, 11 KOs) will face Selby (22-1, 8 KOs) in a 12-round battle this Saturday, April 9, for Selby’s IBF World Featherweight Championship at The O2 in London. The bout will serve as the featured fight before undefeated IBF Heavyweight World Champion Charles Martin defends his belt against fellow unbeaten Anthony Joshua. Extensive highlights of Hunter vs. Selby will be shown on SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL®, prior to live coverage of Martin-Joshua (LIVE on SHOWTIME® at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT).
“I wasn’t invited to the open workout yesterday,” said Hunter. “They had an open workout for Selby and didn’t have one for me. I’m kind of irritated about that. It’s not even fair to the fans, you know? I’m sure that a lot of fans wanted to see who their man is fighting. I have no choice but to use it as fuel for even more motivation.”
The 29-year-old Hunter, in Europe for the first time, says he doesn’t mind travelling to win this championship. In fact, despite being an underdog via the odds makers, Hunter says his victory won’t be an upset. “I won’t call it an upset when I win. I’m the better fighter. And it doesn’t bother me to come here. All the great ones had to do it. I want to be great, so I have to do this. As long as they don’t cheat me with the judges, I’m ok.”
Hunter says his victory will be the culmination of his lifelong dream. “It would mean everything. It would right my wrongs. All those who doubted me. All my failures and letdowns on the way here. It will turn all my negatives into positives.”
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