MEI BARTOW ARENA i Birmingham, Ala.

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WÄTEA KATOA: Deontay Wilder Premieres Pipiri 3 I SHOWTIME

I roto i te tahi-āhuatanga, tūturu Jose “Ko te kaipupuhi” Pedraza (19-0, 12 Koó), o Caguas, Puerto Rico, Ka ātete e Andrey Klimov (19-1, 9 Koó), o Klimovski, Russia, i roto i te 12-rounder mo te wātea IBF Junior Kōmāmā World Championship.

The 6-foot-7 Wilder captured the heavyweight world championship with an impressive 12-round unanimous decision over defending titleholder Gold Cup i runga i Jan. 17 i runga i SHOWTIME. It was the first time the hard-hitting Wilder, 29, had fought more than four full rounds and the only time in his seven-year career that one of his fights went to the judges. By winning, he became the first undefeated American to win a heavyweight title since Michael Moorer i roto i te 1994.

Molina, a 6-foot-5 southpaw, possesses punching power that commands respect and makes him a dangerous proposition for any opponent. He has won five in a row, three straight by knockout, including an eighth-round TKO over Raphael Zumbano Love on the Wilder-Stiverne undercard. Ki te ikuna, the aggressive-minded 32-year-old would become the first Mexican-American heavyweight world champion.

Tikiti mo te takahanga, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment in association with Bruno Events Team are on sale now. Tīmata Tickets i anake $25 ki te nohoanga rangatira i roto i te whare e haere hoki $200. E wātea ana hoki pōkai VIP. Ki te hoko kia haere tīkiti pā alabamatitlefight.com. Kei te hoko nohopuku Tickets ka hohoro te sellout te.

“It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to defend my heavyweight championship in my home state,” Wilder said. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time.

“It was one of my dreams to win a world title. This was my other dream to be able to defend it before all my fans in Alabama. I can’t wait until fight night to step into the ring and see the whole state coming out to support me.”

“I remember just a few months ago watching Deontay get ready for the biggest fight of his life,” Molina said. “I thought to myself, ‘someday, that’ll be me.’ I stared with envy not knowing that a few months later I’d get my turn.

“Winning the heavyweight world championship is my dream. Just as it was Deontay’s dream, it’s mine now. He had his turn, though it will be short-lived. I will become the first Mexican-American heavyweight champion. Guaranteed. Na, Sharing, come prepared for war. I’m coming to kick some ass.”

“Deontay Wilder is the first American to hold a heavyweight championship in years and one of the most exciting fighters in the division. His homecoming in Birmingham will be electric,” promoter Lou DiBella said. “The opening bout will be Jose Pedraza’s opportunity to establish himself as Puerto Rico’s next champion and a rising star. It will be a great night of boxing on SHOWTIME.”

“We are excited to work with DiBella Entertainment to bring the first ever heavyweight boxing championship to the State of Alabama,” Said Gene Hallman, peresideni a te tumu o Bruno Team Takahanga, a nationwide leader in sports event management. “Alabama’s Deontay Wilder always puts on a show, so we expect the arena to sell out for this world heavyweight championship.”

“Deontay made an emphatic statement with his performance in January that he is one of the current and future stars of this sport, and we’re thrilled to welcome him back to SHOWTIME for his first title defense, ” Na ka mea a Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice te peresideni & Kaiwhakahaere General SHOWTIME Sports. “But we all know that one punch can change everything in the heavyweight division and Eric Molina will be coming to Alabama to prove just that.”

WÄTEA KATOA: Deontay Wilder, which chronicles the champion’s Jan. 24 homecoming parade in Tuscaloosa and his preparation for the upcoming title defense, tuatahi i runga i Wednesday, Pipiri 3 i 10 p.m. AND/PT.

Wilder, the first United States-born heavyweight champion since Shannon Briggs won the WBO belt in November 2006, was born and raised in Tuscaloosa. He’s fought in Alabama five times, although the bout on the campus of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) will mark the first occasion he’s fought outside of Tuscaloosa (four times) or Mobile (once). This will be the first fight in his home state since August 2012.

Wilder started boxing at the age of 21 after his daughter Naieya (pronounced nie-EE-ya) was born with spina bifida. Despite his late start in boxing, Wilder would go on to represent the United States in the 2008 Olympic Games, i reira riro ia he mētara parahi. Ko ia te kaimekemeke whakamutunga Amerika tane ki te mētara i roto i nga Olympics.

Until going the distance against Stiverne, Wilder hadn’t come close to putting in a full night’s work since turning pro in November 2008. The then-virtually untested slugger had fought a total of 58 rauna, an average of 1.8 rounds per outing. He’s registered 18 knockouts in the first round, eight in the second.

Molina, who resides in Weslaco, Texas, is a big slugger, rugged and strong. He has good skills and movement and, like Wilder, got a belated start in boxing but has had only two defeats as a professional.

“The Drummer Boy” is on a roll, coming off five consecutive victories. Molina’s matchup with Wilder will be his first shot at a world title.

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“WILDER VS. Molina, he whawhai 12-a tawhio noa mo te Wilder WBC Heavyweight Championship, e wahiRāhoroi, Pipiri 13, i te Bartow Arena i Birmingham, Ala. Kua piri DiBella Entertainment me Bruno Team Event ope ki te kawe i tenei kaupapa ki Alabama. Ka rangi te reira i ora i runga i SHOWTIME^® (9 p.m. AND/ 6 p.m. PT). Ka hoki te telecast wātea i roto i te reo Pāniora mā hōtaka ororongo Tuarua (SAP). Ka teata pāngia e afaro ora i runga i SHOWTIME EXTREME (7 p.m. AND/PT, roa i runga i te Tai Te Hau-ā-uru).

Mō ētahi atu pārongo'a'ahi www.sports.sho.com a www.dbe1.com te whai i runga i Twitter iSHOSports, BronzeBomber, LouDiBella ASwanson_Comm, te whai i te aparauraa te whakamahi i #WilderMolina, riro i te tahi i runga i Facebook i www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing 'a'ahi ki te Blog SHOWTIME mekemeke i raneihttp://theboxingblog.sho.com.