Tag Archives: Kevin Bizier

KEVIN BIZIER EARNS TKO OVER FREDRICK LAWSON IN TOE-TO-TOE BATTLE ON PREMIER BOXING CHAMPIONS ON NBCSN FROM MICCOSUKEE RESORT & GAMING IN MIAMI

WALTER CASTILLO & KEITA OBARA FIGHT TO MAJORITY DRAW IN
ACTION-PACKED CO-MAIN EVENT

Click HERE For Photos From Robert Sullivan/Premier Boxing Champions
MIAMI (November 7, 2015) – Kevin Bizier (25-2, 17 KOs) stopped Fredrick Lawson(24-1, 20 KOs) after 10-rounds of toe-to-toe action on Premier Boxing Champions(PBC) on NBCSN on Saturday night from Miccosukee Resort and Gaming in Miami.
Lawson’s corner stopped the fight after the tenth round as Lawson indicated that his jaw may have been broken. Bizier pressured Lawson throughout the fight and hurt him with powerful right hands.
In the fifth round, Bizier landed one of those powerful rights perfectly on Lawson’s head and sent the previously unbeaten fighter to the canvas. Making his U.S. debut, Bizier wore Lawson down and never allowed his opponent to get into a rhythm.
In the co-main event, Nicaragua’s Walter Castillo (26-3-1, 19 KOs) and Keita Obara(14-1-1, 13 KOs) fought to a majority draw in a back and forth battle that appeared to have been won by Japan’s Obara.
Making his U.S. debut, Obara used his length and numerous well-timed right hands to stifle the attack of the aggressive Castillo. The Nicaraguan Castillo came out of the gate with a strong second round when he hurt Obara on the ropes with multiple flurries.
Obara appeared to be the fresher fighter in the later rounds and threw sharp punches while controlling the fight with his movement. Castillo was able to send Obara into retreat mode at moments late in the fight with his all-out barrages, but still took plenty of punishment for his efforts.
Castillo was bleeding from his eye, mouth and ear at different moments throughout the 12-round affair. The final judges totals were 115-113 for Obara and 114-114 twice.
Here is what the fighters had to say Saturday:
KEVIN BIZIER
“My plan was to stay close, not let him breathe and it worked. I put too much pressure on him.
“I was surprised. He’s not a puncher like his record would indicate. He hit me well, but never hurt me. I never felt tired or any pain. In the tenth round I was still very strong.
“He was starting the rounds strong but he would fade by the end of the round and that’s when I would come on”
FREDRICK LAWSON
Fredrick Lawson did not comment due to injured jaw.
WALTER CASTILLO
“The fight was a very good, strong fight. I respect the decision of the judges. I fought my best.
“The eye did affect my vision. As soon as I got hit, everything went blurry. My corner did a good job to get me through the 12 rounds. I gave it my all, but the eye did hamper the things I was trying to do.
“I would definitely fight him again. I would like to have a final decision over who the winner was. If he will fight, I would love to.”
KEITA OBARA
“It’s my fault for not knocking him out. I don’t agree with the decision, but it’s my fault in the end because he was still there at the end of 12 rounds.
“I landed good punches on him, but none were knockout punches. I knew to beat him here I would need to get the knockout and I did not get it.
“It was really fun and exciting to fight in U.S. Before the decision was read I was having the time of my life. Now I’m disappointed in the decision.
“I would fight him again if the arrangement were made.”
# # #
PBC on NBCSN was promoted by Warriors Boxing.
For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com andwww.nbcsports.com/boxing, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @WarriorsBoxingProm, @NBCSports and @Swanson_Comm and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/NBCSports andwww.Facebook.com/WarriorsBoxingPromo. Highlights available at www.youtube.com/premierboxingchampions.

WELTERWEIGHTS KEVIN BIZIER & FREDRICK LAWSON SQUARE-OFF ON  PREMIER BOXING CHAMPIONS ON NBCSN SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7 AT MICCOSUKEE RESORT & GAMING IN MIAMI, FLORIDA 9:00 P.M. ET/6:00 P.M. PT

 
Plus! Walter Castillo & Keita Obara Meet In Co-Main Event
 
Tickets On Sale Now!
 
MIAMI (October 14, 2015) – Welterweights Kevin Bizier (24-2, 16 KOs) and Fredrick Lawson (24-0, 20 KOs) will meet in a 12-round contest as Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on NBCSN comes to Miccosukee Resort and Gaming in Miami, Florida on Saturday, November 7 with televised coverage beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
The telecast opens with an exciting clash as Walter Castillo (26-3, 19 KOs) takes on Keita Obara (15-1, 14 KOs) in a 12-round super lightweight contest.
”An opportunity like this is exactly what I was waiting for,” said Bizier. “It is now my turn to prove I belong at the world class level. I am going to make the most of this opportunity.”
“I’d like to thank my whole team for this opportunity,” said Lawson. “I would also like to commend Kevin Bizier for having the courage to accept this fight. I know he is a good fighter, but this time he is way out of his league. Come November 7, I will show him why I’m the future of the welterweight division. This is the beginning of another era. Dig your graves friends, General OKUNKA the ‘Baby Face Assassin’ is in town!”
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Warriors Boxing, are priced at $25, $50 and $100, not including applicable fees, and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased by calling Warriors Boxing at (954) 985-1155 or by visitingwww.warriorsboxing.com. You may also call Ticket Force at (877) 840-0457 or visit Ticket Force online athttp://tickets.ticketforce.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=1434.
An accomplished amateur fighting out of Quebec, Canada, Bizier is once again nearing a long-awaited world title opportunity. The 31-year-old has fought exclusively on his home soil and will be making his U.S. debut on November 7. Bizier owns victories over Lanardo Tyner, Carlos Herrera and most recently was triumphant against Fouad El Massoudi in April.
Born in Ghana but fighting out of Chicago, Lawson is unbeaten since turning pro in 2011 and stopped 19 of the first 20 opponents he faced. The 26-year-old racked up 23 wins fighting in Ghana before making his U.S. debut in March 2014. Since arriving in the U.S., Lawson has remained unbeaten with victories over Mohammed Kayongo, Ray Narh and Breidis Prescott.
The 26-year-old Castillo is an exciting brawler who never takes a step back and will look to put on a show for fans in Miami. The Managua, Nicaragua-born knockout artist ended 12 of his first professional 14 victories inside of the distance. Most recently, he stopped Ammeth Diaz in the third round of their July bout.
Since dropping his pro debut, Keita Obara has been on fire, delivering knockouts in 14 of his next 15 fights, all victories. The 28-year-old from Tokyo will be making his U.S. debut on November 7 and is looking for his third knockout victory of 2015.
# # #
For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com and www.nbcsports.com/boxing, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @WarriorsBoxingProm, @NBCSports and @Swanson_Comm and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/NBCSports and www.Facebook.com/WarriorsBoxingPromo. Highlights available at www.youtube.com/premierboxingchampions.

ADONIS STEVENSON WINS THRILLING BATTLE OVER SAKIO BIKA IN DEBUT OF PREMIER BOXING CHAMPIONS ON CBS IN FRONT OF A RAUCOUS CROWD AT THE PEPSI COLISEUM IN QUBEC CITY

 (PHOTOS BY: Amanda Kwok / PBC on CBS)

ARTUR BETERBIEV SECURES KNOCKOUT OVER GABRIEL CAMPILLO

 

JULIAN WILLIAMS WINS AGAINST A TOUGH JOEY HERNANDEZ

QUEBEC CITY (April 4, 2015) – The inaugural Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) onCBS card brought fight fans a very exciting afternoon of boxing matchups from Quebec City’s Pepsi Coliseum. The main event featured Adonis “Superman” Stevenson (26-1, 21 KOs) in a thrilling 12-round unanimous decision (115-111, 116-110 and 115-110) win over Sakio “The Scorpion” Bika (32-7-3, 21 KOs).

 

The opening televised bout saw Artur Beterbiev (8-0, 8 KOs) in an impressive fourth round knockout win over Gabriel “The Handsome Man” Campillo (25-7-1, 11 KOs).

 

The telecast also featured highlights from Julian “J Rock” Williams (19-0-1, 11 KOs) win over Joey “Twinkle Fingers” Hernandez (24-3-1, 14 KOs).

 

Below are some notable comments from the televised fighters regarding their performancetonight:

 

ADONIS STEVENSON

 

“I worked hard to be able to go for 12 rounds. I dropped him twice. He’s never been knocked out and I knew he’d come prepared to fight.

 

“I said I would be happy with a knockout or going the distance to get the win. So I’m very happy with how I fought today and with the result.

 

“Bika used his head a bit and tried to brawl, but I was able to control the fight. I knew he didn’t just come to Canada for fun, but to win.

 

“Being involved with Premier Boxing Champions and fighting on CBS has been a great experience. This is fantastic for boxing and we’re hoping more and more kids will start getting involved in the sport.

 

“As far as what’s next, I’ll wait and see what Al (Haymon) has for me. I’ll be ready to go again by June or July.”

 

SAKIO BIKA

 

“Adonis deserved to win this fight. I can’t take anything away from him. He fought very well.

 

“I got caught with a right and slipped the first time I went down. When he caught me with the left and I went down later on it didn’t really affect me that much actually. He’s the champ though and he fought a great fight today.

 

“Fighting on CBS has been an amazing highlight for my career. I didn’t get the win, but I put on a great fight for the public to see.

 

“For now, I’ll head back home and enjoy my family. Then I’ll see about another fight.”

 

ARTUR BETERBIEV

 

“In this fight I was able to really show what I’m capable of and my experience paid off.

 

“When I watched footage of Campillo I noticed that he did a lot of running. I wasn’t trying to be the aggressor. I just stuck to my game plan.

 

“I’m very happy to be on the big stage on CBS at such an early point in my professional career. This all came together very quickly and I hope to be back soon.

 

“We’re planning to fight again in May and I’ll leave whoever my opponent will be in God’s hands.”

 

GABRIEL CAMPILLO

 

“I really wanted to push Beterbiev into the late rounds of this fight to see how he’d handle that, but I wasn’t able to get it done.

 

“The most important punch was the first time he caught me in round one. After that shot I wasn’t able to regain myself.

 

“I was thrilled to get this opportunity to fight on CBS. This PBC production was very nice to be a part of and I think the series will do a lot to help grow the sport.

 

“My plan for now is to rest. Then we’ll revisit the situation and see about fighting again.”

 

JULIAN WILLIAMS

 

“There was no underestimating Hernandez for this fight. We studied a lot of film on him and had a pretty good idea of what he would bring into the ring today.

 

“I thought that my jab and my movement were my two biggest strengths in this fight. Cutting off the ring was key.

 

“This PBC series and having the fights on a major network like CBS is huge for the sport of boxing. It’s great to get into so many more homes, and I hope that it helps make the sport more popular. Hopefully this reaches those kids who can’t afford premium cable and helps encourage more young kids to get into the sport.

 

“I’m not sure what’s next. I’ll wait for Al (Haymon) to let me know, but I’m really hoping for a shot at a top 10 fighter before the year’s over.”

 

JOEY HERNANDEZ

 

“Williams is probably the best fighter I’ve faced so far. He’s not the hardest hitter, but he fought a very smart fight. He used his height and reach to keep me off my jab and stay out of my range.

 

“Unfortunately I had to take punches to give punches in this fight. When I got inside I was able to get my punches off, but I couldn’t do enough to get the win.

 

“This was a great fight for the fans and fighting on CBS gave me a great opportunity for so many more people to see these fights.

 

“I’m still young at 30-years-old. I know I’ll be back in the ring. I do this because I want to and I love it, not because I need to.”

 

# # #

The card was promoted by Groupe Yvon Michel. For more information visit www.sports.sho.com, www.premierboxingchampions.com andwww.groupeyvonmichel.ca, follow on Twitter at @SHOSports, @premierboxing and @yvonmichelgym, become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing or visit the SHOWTIME Boxing Blog at http://theboxingblog.sho.com.

ADONIS STEVENSON vs. SAKIO BIKA ARTUR BETERBIEV vs. GABRIEL CAMPILLO OFFICIAL WEIGHTS & PHOTOS

Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) On CBS Saturday, April 4, At 3 p.m. ET/Noon PT From Pepsi Coliseum In Quebec City, Canada

WEIGH-IN PHOTOS: (Photo Credit: Amanda Kwok / PBC on CBS)

BEHIND THE SCENES PHOTOS: (Photo Credit: Amanda Kwok / PBC on CBS)

 

OFFICIAL WEIGHTS:

ADONIS STEVENSON: 174 ½ Pounds

SAKIO BIKA: 174 ½ Pounds

 

ARTUR BETERBIEV: 175 Pounds

GABRIEL CAMPILLO: 174 ½ Pounds

 

(TV Swing Bout)

JULIAN WILLIAMS: 154 ½ Pounds

JOEY HERNANDEZ: 155 pounds

 

# # #

 

PBC on CBS, headlined by the light heavyweight world championship fight between Stevenson and Bika, is promoted by Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM) and presented by Videotron and in association with Mise-O-Jeu.  Tickets are on sale now at the Pepsi Coliseum box office in Quebec, by calling (418) 691-7211 or (800) 900-7469, online at www.billetech.com, at GYM (514) 383-0666 and Champion Boxing Club (514) 376-0980. Ticket prices range from $25 to $250 on the floor.

ADONIS STEVENSON vs. SAKIO BIKAUNDERCARD   PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES & PHOTOS

 

Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) On CBS

Saturday, April 4, At 3 p.m. ET/Noon PT From Pepsi Coliseum In Quebec City, Canada

Click HERE for photos from the undercard press conference

Credit: Amanda Kwok / PBC on CBS

 

QUEBEC CITY (April 2, 2015) – Before the inaugural Premier Boxing Champions on CBS telecast begins (3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT), a bevy of young stars will look to ignite the Pepsi Coliseum crowd in a series of undercard bouts beginning at 1 p.m. ET.

 

Tickets for the live event are on sale and can be purchased at the Pepsi Coliseum box office in Quebec, by calling (418) 691-7211 or (800) 900-7469, online at www.billetech.com, at GYM (514) 383-0666 and Champion Boxing Club (514) 376-0980. Ticket prices range from $25 to $250 on the floor.

 

PBC on CBS, headlined by the light heavyweight world championship fight between Adonis “Superman” Stevenson and Sakio “The Scorpion” Bika and featuring Artur Beterbievas he faces Gabriel “The Handsome Man” Campillo, is promoted by Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM) and presented by Videotron and in association with Mise-O-Jeu.

 

Headlining the undercard action is rising undefeated super welterweight contender Julian “J Rock” Williams (18-0-1, 11 KOs), who’ll be looking to continue his rise to stardom when he faces exciting Joey “Twinkle Fingers” Hernandez (24-2-1, 14 KOs)in a 10-round welterweight bout.

 

In another top non-televised match, Kevin Bizier (23-2, 16 KOs)returns to the ring in his hometown to face Fouad El Massoudi (12-4, 1 KO)in an eight-round super welterweight showdown. In an eight-round heavyweight scrap, undefeated Oscar “Kaboom” Rivas (15-0, 10 KOs) will face Oezcan Cetinkaya (19-9-2, 13 KOs).

 

In a pair of super welterweight bouts, Sebastien Bouchard (9-1, 3 KOs) will take on Denis Farias (19-6-2, 1 KO) in an eight-round clash and Custio Clayton (2-0, 1 KO) will faceRonald Berti (4-3-1, 1 KO)in a six-round showdown.

 

The remainder of the card is rounded out by a trio of Canadian prospects looking to build their pro resumes. Jan Michael Poulin (1-0-1) takes on Michel Tsalla (1-9-2) in a four round middleweight bout, Vislan Dalkhaev (1-0) battles Adel Hadjouis (7-3) in a four-round bantamweight bout and Shakeel Phinn (1-0, 1 KO) faces Roody Rene (0-2-1)in a four-round super middleweight bout.

 

An undefeated prospect hailing from f the great fighting city of Philadelphia, Williams is looking to keep his undefeated record intact and impress on the big stage. The 24-year-old faces a stiff test in Miami-native Hernandez. The 30-year-old Hernandez has battled some of the best in boxing and he intends to hand Williams his first professional loss when the two square off.

After dropping a title-eliminator by split decision in his last bout, Bizier, 30, returns to his hometown of Quebec looking to get back in the win column and into title contention. He hopes to build his case with a victory over the 27-year-old El Massoudi, who is making his North American debut. The fighter out of Clermont-Ferrand, Puy-de-Dome, France hopes to make an immediate impact in his battle against Bizier.

 

An undefeated heavyweight who represented Columbia at the 2008 Olympics, Rivashas fought exclusively in his adopted hometown of Montreal since turning pro in 2009. He’ll be making his first start at Pepsi Coliseum when he faces Cetinkaya, of Kassel, Hessen, Germany.

 

Fighting for the third time as a professional at Pepsi Coliseum, Quebec’s Bouchard is seeking his second consecutive victory since suffering his lone defeat. The 27-year-old faces a difficult test in the experienced Farias, of Aulnay-sous-bois, Seine-Saint-Denis, France. This is the 27-year-old Farias’ first fight outside of France.

 

A 2012 Canadian Olympian, Clayton looks to build his professional resume and show why he was considered one of the best amateur boxers to come out of Canada. The 27-year-old from Montreal battles the 27-year-old Berti from Bracquegnies, Belgium.

 

A latecomer to the professional ranks, Poulin is looking to build off of his first career victory in December 2014. The 32-year-old from Quebec faces the 31-year-old Tsalla, who also hails from Quebec.

 

Russian-born but fighting out of Quebec, Dalkhaev is making his second pro start after earning his first pro victory in December 2014. The 26-year-old will be tested by the 28-year-old Hadjouis, of Rueil-Malmaison, Haut-de-seine, France.

 

Rounding out the non-televised undercard, Phinn, 24, will be looking for his second pro victory after picking up a TKO win over Eddie Gates in January of this year. The Quebec-native battles the 36-year-old Rene out of Ontario.

 

Below are quotes from Thursday’s press conference:

 

YVON MICHEL, President of GYM

“In my opinion, the biggest fight in the history of Pepsi Coliseum was Pascal-Hopkins 1, but the scale of this event presented on a general network like CBS exceeds all that was done previously. “We are privileged to have the PBC series for this historic first. All of this is possible thanks to Adonis Stevenson. The undercard is also stacked.

 

“PBC on CBS will also ensure that the people there love the experience. There will be screens everywhere and spectacular entrances. It will be a unique experience!” added the promoter.”

 

BERNARD BARRE, Executive Vice President of GYM 

“There will be 10 fights  Saturday, including nine non-televised bouts that only people who bouthg tickets to be at the Coliseum will see.  It’s a Marathon!”

 

JULIAN WILLIAMS

“I’m just looking to perform well and get the win on Saturday. I’ve been preparing and training extremely hard for this fight. I’m taking it one fight at a time, and I’m definitely not looking past a fighter like Hernandez.”

 

JOEY HERNANDEZ

“There’s no excuses this time around. I’ve had some trouble motivating myself for training in the past, but not this time. I respect my opponent and have worked very hard to prepare for this fight. This will be the fight of my life and I’m looking to put on a great show on Saturday.”

 

KEVIN BIZIER“I’m happy to close the Coliseum. It is my home here. And you know I always do good fights! My opponent will come to fight and he loves going inside to brawl. It will be a good battle me and him. May the best man win Saturday.”

FOUAD EL MASSPOUDI

“It is a first time for me in Canada. I am ready for this fight and we have all the weapons to succeed”

 

OEZCAN CETINKAYA

“I’m glad to have the opportunity to box at the Quebec Coliseum. It’s a new year and I look forward to make a statement this year

 

SEBASTIEN BOUCHARD

“We worked hard in the gym and that labor paid off when I stopped Cédric Spera. We continued in the same vein for this fight.”

DENIS FARIAS

“It’s been over a month I’ve been training twice a day for this fight. I came here to win.”

JAN-MICHAEL POULIN

“I look forward to settling something Saturday. It’s nothing personal against Michel Tsalla, but I have a draw to erase against him.”

MARC RAMSAY (trainer of Vislan Dalkhaev)

“I have a special history with Vislan Dalkhaev. Initially, he came here on the recommendation of Artur Beterbiev. The initial goal was to help Artur to acclimate to Montreal and I knew that having a friend here would help. At the gym, however, I discovered that, not only were they friends of the each other, but Vislan was a high-level boxer.” 

#       #       #

 

For more information visit www.sports.sho.com and www.groupeyvonmichel.ca, follow on Twitter at @SHOSports, @yvonmichelgym, @AdonisSuperman and @Sakio_Bika, follow the conversation using #StevensonBika, become a fan on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/SHOBoxing or visit the SHOWTIME Boxing Blog athttp://theboxingblog.sho.com.

RISING STAR JULIAN WILLIAMS BATTLES JOEY HERNANDEZ PLUS, A HOST OF CANADIAN PROSPECTS & CONTENDERS TO BE FEATURED ON ADONIS STEVENSON VS. SAKIO BIKA UNDERCARD

Don’t Miss Any Of The Action Leading Up To The Inaugural Premier Boxing Champions on CBS Event (3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT)

 

First Fight Starts At 1 p.m. at Pepsi Coliseum

 

Click HERE for photos from the undercard press conference

Credit: Amanda Kwok / PBC on CBS

 

QUEBEC CITY (April 2, 2015) – Before the inaugural Premier Boxing Champions on CBS telecast begins (3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT), a bevy of young stars will look to ignite the Pepsi Coliseum crowd in a series of undercard bouts beginning at 1 p.m. ET.

 

Tickets for the live event are on sale and can be purchased at the Pepsi Coliseum box office in Quebec, by calling (418) 691-7211 or (800) 900-7469, online at www.billetech.com, at GYM (514) 383-0666 and Champion Boxing Club (514) 376-0980. Ticket prices range from $25 to $250 on the floor.

 

PBC on CBS, headlined by the light heavyweight world championship fight between Adonis “Superman” Stevenson and Sakio “The Scorpion” Bika and featuring Artur Beterbiev as he faces Gabriel “The Handsome Man” Campillo, is promoted by Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM) and presented by Videotron and in association with Mise-O-Jeu.

 

Headlining the undercard action is rising undefeated super welterweight contender Julian “J Rock” Williams (18-0-1, 11 KOs), who’ll belooking to continue his rise to stardom when he faces exciting Joey “Twinkle Fingers” Hernandez (24-2-1, 14 KOs)in a 10-round welterweight bout.

 

In another top non-televised match, Kevin Bizier (23-2, 16 KOs)returns to the ring in his hometown to face Fouad El Massoudi (12-4, 1 KO)in an eight-round super welterweight showdown. In an eight-round heavyweight scrap, undefeated Oscar “Kaboom” Rivas (15-0, 10 KOs) will face Oezcan Cetinkaya (19-9-2, 13 KOs).

 

In a pair of super welterweight bouts, Sebastien Bouchard (9-1, 3 KOs) will take on Denis Farias (19-6-2, 1 KO) in an eight-round clash and  Custio Clayton (2-0, 1 KO) will face  Ronald Berti (4-3-1, 1 KO)in a six-round showdown.

 

The remainder of the card is rounded out by a trio of Canadian prospects looking to build their pro resumes.  Jan Michael Poulin (1-0-1) takes on Michel Tsalla (1-9-2) in a four round middleweight bout, Vislan Dalkhaev (1-0) battles Adel Hadjouis (7-3) in a four-round bantamweight bout and Shakeel Phinn (1-0, 1 KO) faces Roody Rene (0-2-1)in a four-round super middleweight bout.

 

“In my opinion, the biggest fight in the history of Pepsi Coliseum was Pascal-Hopkins 1, but the scale of this event presented on a general network like CBS exceeds all that was done previously,” said GYM president Yvon Michel. “We are privileged to have the PBC series for this historic first. All of this is possible thanks to Adonis Stevenson. The undercard is also stacked.

 

“PBC on CBS will also ensure that the people there love the experience. There will be screens everywhere and spectacular entrances. It will be a unique experience!”

 

An undefeated prospect hailing from f the great fighting city of Philadelphia, Williams is looking to keep his undefeated record intact and impress on the big stage.  The 24-year-old faces a stiff test in Miami-native Hernandez. The 30-year-old Hernandez has battled some of the best in boxing and he intends to hand Williams his first professional loss when the two square off.

 

“I’m just looking to perform well and get the win on Saturday,” said Williams. “I’ve been preparing and training extremely hard for this fight. I’m taking it one fight at a time, and I’m definitely not looking past a fighter like Hernandez.”

 

“There’s no excuses this time around,” said Hernandez. “I’ve had some trouble motivating myself for training in the past, but not this time. I respect my opponent and have worked very hard to prepare for this fight. This will be the fight of my life and I’m looking to put on a great show on Saturday.”

 

After dropping a title-eliminator by split decision in his last bout, Bizier, 30, returns to his hometown of Quebec looking to get back in the win column and into title contention. He hopes to build his case with a victory over the 27-year-old El Massoudi, who is making his North American debut. The fighter out of Clermont-Ferrand, Puy-de-Dome, France hopes to make an immediate impact in his battle against Bizier.

 

An undefeated heavyweight who represented Columbia at the 2008 Olympics, Rivas has fought exclusively in his adopted hometown of Montreal since turning pro in 2009. He’ll be making his first start at Pepsi Coliseum when he faces Cetinkaya, of Kassel, Hessen, Germany.

 

Fighting for the third time as a professional at Pepsi Coliseum, Quebec’s Bouchard is seeking his second consecutive victory since suffering his lone defeat. The 27-year-old faces a difficult test in the experienced Farias, of Aulnay-sous-bois, Seine-Saint-Denis, France. This is the 27-year-old Farias’ first fight outside of France.

 

A 2012 Canadian Olympian, Clayton looks to build his professional resume and show why he was considered one of the best amateur boxers to come out of Canada. The 27-year-old from Montreal battles the 27-year-old Berti from Bracquegnies, Belgium.

 

A latecomer to the professional ranks, Poulin is looking to build off of his first career victory in December 2014. The 32-year-old from Quebec faces the 31-year-old Tsalla, who also hails from Quebec.

 

Russian-born but fighting out of Quebec, Dalkhaev is making his second pro start after earning his first pro victory in December 2014. The 26-year-old will be tested by the 28-year-old Hadjouis, of Rueil-Malmaison, Haut-de-seine, France.

 

Rounding out the non-televised undercard, Phinn, 24, will be looking for his second pro victory after picking up a TKO win over Eddie Gates in January of this year. The Quebec-native battles the 36-year-old Rene out of Ontario.  

 

#       #       #

 

For more information visit www.sports.sho.com and www.groupeyvonmichel.ca, follow on Twitter at @SHOSports, @yvonmichelgym, @AdonisSuperman and @Sakio_Bika, follow the conversation using #StevensonBika, become a fan on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/SHOBoxing or visit the SHOWTIME Boxing Blog athttp://theboxingblog.sho.com.

JERMELL CHARLO OUTPOINTS VANES MARTIROSYAN ON A SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® DOUBLEHEADER

 

WELTERWEIGHT CHAMP KELL BROOK OBLITERATES JO JO DAN

TO RETAIN TITLE ON SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL®  

Watch The Replay Of The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING Doubleheader

Tomorrow/Sunday at 9 a.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME,

Tuesday, March 31, at 10 p.m. ET/PT On SHO EXTREME

 

Click HERE For Charlo vs. Martirosyan & Gonzalez vs. Russell Jr. Photos

Photo Credit: Esther Lin/SHOWTIME

 

Click HERE For Brook vs. Dan Photos

Photo Credit: Lawrence Lustig

 

LAS VEGAS (March 28, 2015) – After coming close to world championship glory in 2014,

Gary Russell Jr. (26-1, 15 KOs), a former United States amateur standout, delivered on his promise in impressive fashion Saturday night, knocking out defending champion Jhonny Gonzalez (57-9, 48 KOs), of Mexico City, in the fourth round in the main event of a SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING doubleheader promoted by DiBella Entertainment at The Pearl Theater at Palms Casino Resort.

 

In the co-feature on SHOWTIME®, undefeated Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo (26-0, 11 KOs) of Houston, won a close, unanimous 10-round decision over Vanes Martirosyan(35-2-1, 21 KOs), of Glendale, Calif., in a clash of top-five ranked super welterweights. There were no knockdowns in a bout scored 97-93 and 96-94 twice.

 

The talented and quick-fisted southpaw Russell, who stood and exchanged with Gonzalez, utilized his overall speed to dominate. He dropped the veteran three times, once in the third and twice in the fourth before referee Tony Weeks waved off the fight 37 seconds into the round (to watch the knockout click HERE).

 

“This is the kind of performance I always expect but don’t always get,’’ said Russell, who lost a close 12-round decision to Vasyl Lomachenko in his initial attempt at the 126-pound crown last June 21 on SHOWTIME. “If people only knew how hard we worked for this, the time we put in the gym, the mental and physical things we work on and put ourselves through every day.

 

“There are always obstacles to overcome but for this fight I was 100 percent. This win is for all the people who have been with me from the beginning.’’

 

Russell’s strategy was to eliminate Gonzalez’ vaunted left hook, and he executed the plan to near perfection.

 

“We were never in this to turn it into a track meet,’’ Russell said. “We were going to stand right in the pocket. We know what Gonzalez likes to do, and that’s throw the wide left hook. I tried to bait him into throwing it and he did.

 

“Honestly, I don’t think he recovered from the first knockdown.’’

 

Gonzalez, a two-time WBC featherweight world champion – and a veteran of 16 world championship fights – won the title for the first time in April 2011 and made four successful title defenses before losing it in September 2012. He regained the title on a shocking first-round knockout over Abner Mares in August 2013 on SHOWTIME, and had made two more successful title defenses before falling to Russell.

 

Gonzalez offered no excuses before quickly exiting the ring.

 

“I’m OK,’’ he said. “I did not expect this kind of fight at all. We expected him to run around the ring with me chasing. But he didn’t.’’

 

In the co-feature, Charlo silenced critics of his resume by defeating his toughest opponent to date.

He was surprised at the way his match with Martirosyan played out. “I definitely expected a much rougher fight,’’ he said. “This was easy compared to what I thought we were in for.

“I fought smart and when I was told to pick it up, I knew what time it was so I did. I’m absolutely ready for a shot at a world title.’’

Martirosyan, who was cut over the left eye from an accidental headbutt in the eighth round, was visibly disappointed with the result.

“I positively feel 100 percent that I won that fight,’’ he said. “I was the aggressor and forced the action. All he did was run. I landed the cleaner punches. I definitely felt I won the last round.

“I was stunned by the headbutt [that resulted in the bout being halted while he and the ringside physician discussed the cut]. Sure my left eye bothered me after that and it was blurry. But that’s no excuse.

“I felt I was hurting him. He never hurt me once. I really don’t understand this decision.’’

Earlier Saturday, on SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL, undefeated IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook (34-0, 23 KOs) overwhelmed mandatory challenger Jo Jo Dan (34-3, 18 KOs), dropping the Romanian-based Canadian four times before the one-sided beatdown was wisely halted after the fourth round at Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield, England.

 

Brook, of Sheffield, was making the first defense of the welterweight title he took from previously undefeated Shawn Porter last August on SHOWTIME and fighting for the first time since suffering a serious injury when he was stabbed in the thigh during a holiday on the island of Tenerife last September.

 

The exciting welterweight showed no ill effects from the layoff in an emotional return to the ring, registering two knockdowns in the second round, and two more in the fourth, with the final knockdown coming at the closing bell. Dan suffered the first knockout defeat of his career (to watch the knockout click HERE).

 

“I’m back, baby!” said Brook, whose devastating performance against the usually durable Dan electrified the hometown fans while paving the way for a major showdown in the future.

 

“It was truly amazing to walk out in front of all my fans. I didn’t think I would ever walk again, much less  box again. Here I am filling arenas. I can’t put into words how much it means to be back and defending a world title. It means everything to me.

 

“It was hard there holding it together. But this is where I belong. The leg feels fine. The leg feels as good as the other leg. There is no problem with the leg.

 

“If you’re watching Amir Khan, then get in here with me. I know you’re delicate around the whiskers. I’ll take you out.’’

 

The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING doubleheader will re-air this week as follows:

 

DAY                                                                            CHANNEL

Tomorrow, Sunday, March 29, 9 a.m. ET/PT            SHOWTIME

Monday, March 30, 10 p.m. ET/PT                            SHOWTIME EXTREME

 

Saturday’s two-fight telecast will be available at SHOWTIME ON DEMAND beginning tomorrow, Sunday, March 29.

 

Brian Custer hosted the SHOWTIME telecast, with Mauro Ranallo calling the action, Hall of Fame analyst Al Bernstein and former two-time world champion Paulie Malignaggi commentating and Jim Gray reporting. In the Spanish simulcast, Alejandro Luna called the blow-by-blow and former world champion Raul Marquez served as color commentator. The executive producer of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING was David Dinkins Jr. with Bob Dunphy directing.

 

# # #

 

“Gonzalez vs. Russell Jr.”, was a 12-round world championship bout for Gonzalez’s WBC Featherweight World Title and was promoted by DiBella Entertainment. In the co-feature, Jermell Charlo took on Vanes Martirosyan in super welterweight action. The event took place at The Pearl Theater at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The event aired on SHOWTIME.

 

For more information, visit www.sports.sho.com, follow on Twitter at @SHOSports, @jhonnygbox, @mrgaryrusselljr, @TwinCharlo, @LouDiBella and @PearlAtPalms, follow the conversation using #GonzalezRussell, become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing or visit the SHOWTIME Boxing Blog at http://theboxingblog.sho.com.

BEHIND THE SCENES WITH WASHINGTON D.C. BOXER  GARY RUSSELL, JR. PRIOR TO HIS FIGHT WITH JHONNY GONZALEZTOMORROW ON SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®


 

Gary Russell Jr. discusses his family’s boxing background, his father’s role in his corner, and his motivation following his first professional defeat to Vasyl Lomachenko. Russell steps in the ring for the WBC Featherweight World Title against defending champion Jhonny Gonzalez tomorrow,Saturday, March 28 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on SHOWTIME ®.

http://s.sho.com/1xCFbic

 

 

Click on the image below to watch, share and embed this video:

 

 

 

Share this video: http://s.sho.com/1xCFbic

(Photo Credit: SHOWTIME)

 

# # #

 

“Gonzalez vs. Russell Jr.”, a 12-round world championship bout for Gonzalez’s WBC Featherweight World Title, is promoted by DiBella Entertainment. In the co-feature, Jermell Charlo takes on Vanes Martirosyan in super welterweight action. The event will take place at The Pearl at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas and will air on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT). The telecast will also be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP).

 

Tickets for the live event are priced at $200, $100, $75, $50, and $25, plus applicable fees are on sale. Tickets may be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or by clicking HERE. Tickets are also available online at www.ticketmaster.com.

 

For more information, visit www.sports.sho.com, follow on Twitter at @SHOSports, @jhonnygbox, @mrgaryrusselljr, @TwinCharlo, @LouDiBella and @PearlAtPalms, follow the conversation using #GonzalezRussell, become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing or visit the SHOWTIME Boxing Blog at http://theboxingblog.sho.com.

JHONNY GONZALEZ VS. GARY RUSSELL JR. MARCH 28 UNDERCARD FEATURES TOP CONTENDERS AND FUTURE STARS

 

LAS VEGAS (March 26, 2015) – The excellent night of fights featuring WBC Featherweight World Champion Jhonny Gonzalez (57-8, 48 KOs)defending his title against highly regarded contender Gary Russell Jr. (25-1, 14 KOs) and top 154-pound contenders Jermell Charlo (25-0, 11 KOs) and Vanes Martirosyan (35-1-1, 21 KOs) squaring offwill be supplemented by a full night of undercard fights featuring first class fighters in tough matchups.

 

Get there early and don’t miss a minute of the action as doors at The Pearl at The Pearl at Palms Casino Resort open at 2 p.m. PT with the first fight start just minutes later.

 

Tickets for the live event are priced at $200, $100, $75, $50, and $25, plus applicable

fees are on sale now. Tickets may be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000or by clicking HERE. Tickets are also available online at www.ticketmaster.com.

 

Gonzalez vs. Russell and Charlo vs. Martirosyan airs live on SHOWTIME® at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

 

The exciting undercard features Jermell’s brother, Jermall Charlo (20-0, 16 KOs),looking to keep his undefeated record intact against the powerful Michael Finney (12-2-1, 10 KOs) in a 10-round super welterweight bout.

 

Also in action is J’Leon Love (18-1, 10 KOs), who returns to the ring after suffering his first loss and will look to get back in the win column against exciting veteran Scott Sigmon (24-6-1, 13 KOs) in 10 rounds of super middleweight action.

 

Another exciting undefeated fighter, Ronald Gavril (11-0, 9 KOs), will compete in an 8-round super middleweight bout.

 

Former world-title challenger Cesar Seda (26-2, 17 KOs)makes his 2015 debut when he squares off against the young and rugged Cesar Juarez (15-3, 13 KOs) in a bantamweight bout scheduled for 8 rounds.

 

In more undercard action, undefeated prospect Thomas Hill (2-0) will look to keep his perfect professional record against Jeremiah Page (2-1, 2 KOs) in a 4-round super welterweight bout.

 

Rounding out the night is a battle of experienced super lightweights between Levan Ghvamichava (13-1-1, 10 KOs) and Derrick Findley (21-14-1, 13 KOs) competing in a 6-round bout.

 

Highly regarded and undefeated,the 24-year-old Jermall Charlo is primed for a world title opportunity along with his brother. He remained undefeated in 2014 with dominant victories over Hector Munoz, Norberto Gonzalez and Lenny Bottai. The Houston-native will take on the 23-year-old Finney out of Opelka, Alabama, looking to impress once again.

 

A top contender who was on the brink of a world title fight before suffering his first defeat, the 27-year-old Love is eager to get back in the ring and back in the win column on March 28. Before his defeat, Love put on an impressive boxing display on his way to a unanimous decision over Marco Antonio Periban in May 2014. He takes on a 28-year-old battle-tested brawler in Bedford, Virginia’s Sigmon who has been in with top fighters including Kelly Pavlik throughout his career.

 

Another fighter born outside the U.S. but now fighting out of Las Vegas, Romanian-bornGavril is a knockout artist with an undefeated record to match. The 28-year-old will try for his fifth straight knockout in a row.

 

A longtime contender fighting out of Puerto Rico, Seda finally got his first world title shot in Dec. 2013 but lost a unanimous decision to Leo Santa Cruz. He bounced back with a victory over Alex Rangel in 2014 and now the 29-year-old takes on a young brawler in the 23-year-old Juarez out of Mexico City.

 

An undefeated prospect who made his pro debut in Aug. 2014, the 20-year-old Hill will look to continue running through opponents on March 28. The Milwaukee-native faces the 21-year-old Page out of Wichita, Kansas.

 

The first fight of the night is sure to bring fireworks as two experienced fighters battle it out in the super lightweight division. Originally out of Poti, Georgia but now fighting out of Hayward, Calif., Ghvamichava is looking to get his third victory in a row. The 29-year-old will have a battle-tested fighter standing in his way in the 30-year-old Findley out of Chicago.

 

Gonzalez vs. Russell takes place at The Pearl at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas and will air on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT). In the co-main event, Jermell Charlo takes on Vanes Martirosyan in super welterweight action. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast will also be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP).

 

For more information, visit www.sports.sho.com, follow on Twitter at @SHOSports, @jhonnygbox, @mrgaryrusselljr, @TwinCharlo, @LouDiBella and @PearlAtPalms, follow the conversation using #GonzalezRussell, become a fan on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/SHOBoxing or visit the SHOWTIME Boxing Blog athttp://theboxingblog.sho.com.

VANES MARTIROSYAN VS. JERMELL CHARLO & GARY RUSSELL JR. CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT

Kelly Swanson

Thank you, operator.  Thanks, everyone, for calling in.  We have a great call this morning and this afternoon actually here on the East Coast to talk about the March 28 SHOWTIME show, CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING Show, featuring Jhonny Gonzalez, Gary Russell, Jr. and Jermell Charlo against Vanes Martirosyan.  We have all the fighters joining us today on the call.  We will start with Jermell and Vanes.  But, before we get to the fighters, I’d like to introduce Chris DeBlasio, Vice President of Communications for SHOWTIME Sports to fill you in a little bit about the fight.  Chris?

 

Chris DeBlasio

Thanks so much, Kelly.  I just want to take a quick moment to thank the fighters for being on this call, thank the press for being here, and just say on behalf of Stephen Espinoza, the EVP and General Manager for SHOWTIME Sports, and all of us at SHOWTIME, we’re really excited to get back into it with a nice live SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING event this Saturday.  As you may have seen in the boxing press, it was about two weeks ago that we announced the addition of a new platform called SHOWTIME Boxing International. The first fight will be this Saturday, March 28; it’s an international fight on the SHOWTIME network live to our subscribers.  So, the first instance is a nice way to kick off our Saturday March 28 boxing coverage, and that’s gonna be the Kell Brook versus Jo Jo Dan IBF Welterweight World Championship fight that’s taking place in Sheffield, England.  SHOWTIME is going to carry that fight live at 6:15 Eastern, 3:15Pacific.  And then, we will take a break during the afternoon hours and then go live at 10 p.m ET./7 p.m. PT SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING event with Jermell Charlo, Vanes Martirosyan, Jhonny Gonzalez and Gary Russell.  So, it’s sort of a two- part platform on Saturday with three live fights coming to you, which we’re really excited about.  And we appreciate the opportunity to be in business with the guys on the phone here today.  So, without anything further, let’s get it started.  We welcome you guys.

 

Kelly Swanson

Okay.  And  one quick note — or rather, media, one quick note — we have just sent out the Fight Week Media Schedule, so please look for that in your inboxes, and it will give you the details of what is going on this week for the fight.  Thank you.  Okay, let’s go ahead and open it up.  Actually, let me go ahead and introduce the two guys that are on the call right now.  They want to say a couple words.  First, we have Vanes Martirosyan.  He’s a world-ranked 154 pound contender.  Vanes, you want to say a couple words, tell us how training is going and how you’re getting ready for the fight?

 

Vanes Martirosyan

Training is going great, everything is going good.  We can’t wait to fight.  You know, I’m sure everybody says that before they fight, but we really are ready to go.  We just can’t wait to go.

 

Kelly Swanson

Okay, great.  Thanks so much.  And where are you training?

 

V. Martirosyan

I’m training here in California at Main Event Sports Club.  There’s been a couple of locations we’ve been training, but the major has been Main Event Sports Club, which the media will be at today.

 

K. Swanson

Now, I’m going to move to Jermell Charlo.  He’s an undefeated super welterweight contender.  Jermell why don’t you tell us a little bit about what’s happening in your training camp and how you’re feeling heading into the fight.

 

Jermell Charlo

Training’s been great.  Every time I step in the ring, every time I get ready for a fight, I feel like just there’s never been a time where I repeat myself or do something the same.  I’ve been learning from all my past mistakes.  Every win I’m still learning from.  So, training camp has been good.  Trainer Ronnie Shields, Danny Arnold. I opened my own gym, so I get a little late night extra hours in when I want to.  And, I want to fight with my twin brother.  We’re pushing to fight.  I can’t wait to fight.  Just like Vanes, he’s hungry, he’s ready. I’m  I’m ready.

 

Q

Given both of your positions, as considered as top 10 contenders in the 154 pound weight class, in your mind, do you consider this an elimination fight? Vanes, what are your thoughts about that?

 

V. Martirosyan

I think every fight right now at this point in my career and Jermell’s career should be considered a title fight.  It is — I think it is — an eliminator fight.  I’m looking at this as a championship fight.  Jermell is tougher than any of the champions, so to me, this is a championship fight, and that’s what we got ready for.  And it should be an eliminator fight.  I don’t know if it is or not, but that’s how we’re taking it as, and we’re taking this as a world title fight.

 

Q

Jermell, your thoughts on that – is it an official eliminator or a de facto one?

 

J. Charlo

Same thing with me.  I feel that this is a tough fight.  Every fight is a fight for my life.  And I step in the ring and make sure that I fight with that on the back of my mind.  Vanes is a great fighter — grew up with him. I know what I bring to the table.  And this fight is a fight for manhood, it’s a fight to show who the real tycoon of the sport is in the 154 pound weight division.  There’s a lot at stake, so it’s more than a title fight to me.

 

Q

Jermell, did you say that you grew up with him a little bit?

 

J. Charlo

Yeah, I grew up with him, at least two or three years with Vanes, you know, and his family, his people, you know?  So, I know — we know each other well.

 

Q

Have you guys ever sparred with each other?

 

J. Charlo

Yeah, we’ve sparred with each other several times.

 

Q

How often, would you say?  And how long ago?

 

J. Charlo

I can’t really say how often.  I know it was back when we were a little bit younger.  I was younger, still a little boy growing up into a man. So, right now, I don’t even think about how it was, what it was about, or how training was when we were training together. Wasn’t even 19 — I was 17, 16, 17, 18, I mean, those ages.  Here, we face each other because we’re both at the top, and that’s what happens when you’re in the same division.  Never had anything personal or different to say about him.  It’s just work.

 

Q

Vanes, you feel the same way about your times in the ring with him?

 

V. Martirosyan

Yeah, I remember when we used to train.  It was good training.  We were always in competition — me, him and his brother.  We used to go running at Memorial Park every day, and we’d try to see who’d finish the lap first.  It was always competition between us — running and training or what-not.  But it was nothing but love and I respect him, his father, and his trainer, Ronnie Shields.  They’ve been good people to me. But Saturday night, he’s going to be my enemy in the ring. For now, outside the ring, I respect everybody.  Once we step in the ring, it’s a totally different story.

 

Q

Your fight that took place in October was a big win for you against Willie Nelson.  You harnessed a lot of the emotion going into that fight because it had taken place just after your promoter Dan Goossen had passed away and you had his brother Joe in your corner.  It was a lot of heavy emotion that night, and you really came through in a big way that night.  Is it gonna be difficult in any way to sort of get that same emotion behind you?

 

V. Martirosyan

No, because at that fight, we had to forget about a lot of things. Dan passed away.  We were all sad, and we didn’t know what to do.  And we actually thought — ‘should we fight’ or I don’t know if Joe (Goossen’s) going to be there.  I didn’t know what was going on.  There was too much emotion going into that fight.  We kind of got away from the fight a little bit.  But we used it as motivation for our fight.  This fight to me is big. When I lost to Andrade, I didn’t step into the ring 100 percent, and when I came home — when you come home a loser, it’s a bad feeling. I can’t look at my wife, my kids.  I feel like I let them down.  So, right now, I’m just in that mode where I’d rather die than see that again.

 

Q

If you were to win this fight, obviously, you’d be in position for a major world title fight. Are you comfortable with waiting for one of those, figuring those fighters only fight maybe twice a year, or would you want to stay active and take more fights between them? 

 

J. Charlo

You know, winning this fight to me — a world title would be ideal.  A world title is important.  I want to fight for a world title.  I want the world title.  That’s every boxer’s dream and envision whenever they’re young. Fighting for the world title matters and all this extra stuff, but if I’m here building my name and building my brand, that’s just as important. Being a household name throughout the World Boxing Council, everything. That matters to me.

 

V. Martirosyan

The fight, this fight — I’d say like a lot of the champions that are champions right now in our weight class, most of them just run their mouth, starting with Andrade.  A fight like this for me and Jermell, it’s such a big fight for me, you know,  but it’s not only for us.  I mean, it’s for the fans.  The fans are in, and it’s great.  I mean, you rarely get to see contenders like me and Jermell wanting to step up and fight each other.  You know, usually, people will get up to the rankings like we are, they just want to just talk a lot of bad stuff about the champions to get the world title fight.  But, you know, you rarely get to see contenders like that, you know, No. 1 and No. 2  fighting each other when,  you know they really want to fight each other and they both said yes to the fight.  So, it’s a big fight, but I feel like, you know, we’re all gonna be — we’re gonna do our best, and I feel like the fans are gonna be the winners for this fight.

 

K Swanson

Okay, great.  You guys, I think that was your last question, and so we appreciate you taking the time out of your training.  And Vanes, we look forward to seeing you later for your open workout.  And, Jermell, we will see you in Las Vegas later this week.

 

J. Charlo

No problem.  See you, guys.

 

V. Martirosyan – Thank you.  Take care.

 

Kelly Swanson

We’re going to switch the call over to Gary Russell, Jr.

 

K. Swanson

Gary Russell, Jr. will be facing Jhonny Gonzalez for Gonzalez’s 126 pound title, the WBC Featherweight World Championship.  Gary, if you want to tell us a little bit about how training is going, your anticipation to be fighting Jhonny Gonzalez for this world title and what you think about the whole fight in general?

 

Gary Russell Jr.

We had a great training camp. Everything has been perfect, no excuses, no cutting corners.  We’re 120 percent ready for this fight.  We can’t wait be able to call ourself the new WBC World Champion.

 

K. Swanson

Are you doing anything in camp in preparation for this that’s different from your other fights?

 

G. Russell Jr.

No, we’re not doing anything that’s different in preparation for any of the fights.  I think the only difference is, depending on the fight, you want to prepare depending on the opponent that you’re competing against.  So, I think the only difference is the difference in sparring. You want to bring in guys that have a similar style to who it is you’re gonna be competing against etc. That’s the only change that we’ve made so far.  Besides that — basic fundamentals, ring generalship, hand speed, punching power, strength and conditioning, all of that stuff is the same.

 

Q

Gary, were you surprised to get another shot at the title?

 

G. Russell, Jr.

No, I’m not surprised. I got the same Al Haymon Promotions, just Al Haymon in general when it comes to that. He’s my manager, and we know that he did everything in his power to try to make things happen for us, and give us another shot at a world title.  I’m extremely grateful and thankful for this opportunity.

 

Q

When you fought the fight against Lomachenko for one of the titles, do you take anything out of that defeat? Whether it’s the experience, or being on that level of the stage that you bring towards this next championship opportunity?

 

G. Russell Jr.

Of course.  One of the main things that we took out of it is, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.  In that particular fight with Lomachenko, we did a lot of things completely different in that fight that we normally wouldn’t do.  We brought other people in.  We let other people take the reigns and be in control of our conditioning. We’ve seen the outcome of that and the side effects of it. We don’t take losses easy, by far. So we’re back on pace.  We have the same team around us that have been here from the beginning of my career all the way up until now. We had the same team way back in motion. We’re ready, we’re focused, we’re determined, we’re driven and we’re just looking to give a good show.

 

Q

Do you see Gonzalez as a much better fighter than Lomachenko, or perhaps a bit of a more vulnerable fighter than Lomachenko or similar? How do you stack up the two title holders?

 

G. Russell Jr.

They’re two very different fighters. Lomachenko has a little bit more hand speed than Jhonny Gonzalez.  Gonzalez is more of a puncher.  Jhonny Gonzalez is more of a dangerous fighter than Lomachenko just because of his punching ability and just him being a seasoned professional, being able to get all these rounds in as a professional.  Lomachenko definitely is a good fighter.  We take every fight serious. You take no one for granted. We definitely said, oh, this is a dangerous fight taking with Jhonny Gonzalez, but we feel as though what we bring to the table will be superior in the end.

 

Q

What specifically did you do differently to prepare for Lomachenko that you wish you hadn’t? 

 

G. Russell, Jr.

We brought someone in for our strength and conditioning.  We’ve known our strength and conditioning was completely different.  Even when it came to the way that we cut weight, it was different.  Leading up to the fight, we were in a sauna for the past two, maybe three days leading all the way up into the fight.  That’s what my strength and conditioning coach wanted me to do.

Anyone that’s seen that fight, whether it was Lomachenko or anyone else, they’ve seen the difference in my punching ability, my endurance, my speed, just me as a person. People knew that that wasn’t the Gary Russell, Jr. that they’d seen the previous 24 fights.And that was some of the things that came up in the Lomachenko fight.  I was completely tired and fatigued in the first round, you know?

 

Q

About Jhonny Gonzalez — he obviously is a guy who is a volume puncher, he’s not afraid to stand in and trade. How does this fight work to your advantage if he does fight a typical Gonzalez fight in your mind?

 

G. Russell, Jr.

I don’t think that he’s going to be able to deal with, once again, my speed.  I think we’ll be able to do it with my speed.  He’s always been slow in the speed.  Even though he’s been a puncher, a lot of punchers have to really sit to actually apply these punches efficiently.  I think he lacks the ring generalship as far as the footwork goes that he would need — the foot quickness. And a lot of his shots are a little wide. So, I’ll be about to outpunch him and be able to punch him between his shots.

 

Q

What did you think of the decision in the Lomachenko fight?

 

G. Russell Jr.

I didn’t think anything of it.  The only thing that registered in my mind was the fact that I didn’t have the ability to perform the way that I normally would have. I never really looked at a decision.  I never looked at how the referee was going about the fight or any of these things.  The only thing that came to my mind was the fact that I just lost my first professional fight, and I sort of saw the reason why I lost — it was because I wasn’t able to do what it was that I normally do.

 

Q

So, you feel that you lost the fight then?

 

G. Russell Jr.

Certainly.  I’d definitely say that I lost the fight.

 

Q

You touched on Al Haymon earlier. Can you explain what his impact is in your career?  And we’ve all seen the moves that he’s been making.  How is that gonna help you moving forward?

 

G. Russell, Jr.

I feel as though the fire is under these managers and promoters. There’s a team effort. You’ll be able to tell your manager or your promoter, ‘Hey, this is my game plan, this is what it is that I want to accomplish this year.’  I wanted to at least be able to contend for a world title.  I want to have maybe four fights this year, maybe six fights this year, etc. Your manager and promoter, where they come in at, they should be able to meet you halfway with their game plan.  If you want to have six fights within a year, etc., your manager and promoter should be able to get it done for you.  We feel as though that Al Haymon is very efficient in doing exactly what it is that we want from him. It’s about who you know, I guess.

 

Q

Heading into this fight, do you feel like you have to give a certain quality of fight to really make fans relate to you and make you a household name?  Now that there’s so many platforms for boxing, do you feel like there’s added pressure to put on an exciting fight, or do you feel like you can still just, methodically box and gain fans from that?

 

G. Russell Jr.

I honestly don’t feel as though that we have to do anything out of the ordinary. You’re going to see the typical Gary Russell, Jr. that you’ve seen the previous 24 fights — hand speed, punching ability, ring generalship and etc. ,A lot of fighters get caught up in the hype, and they feel as though they have to do things a little more to win the fans over,  etc.  That’s never one of my things.  I’m  always to be exciting without being reckless.  And I’m going to do what it is that I’m comfortable doing.

 

K. Swanson 

Okay, Gary, thank you so much for being available to answer those questions, and we appreciate you taking the time out of your busy day, and we look forward to seeing you fight this Saturday, March 28, at the Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas and live on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING.  Thanks, Gary.

 

*          *          *

 

Tickets for the live event are priced at $200, $100, $75, $50, and $25, plus applicable

fees are on sale now. Tickets may be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or by clicking HERE. Tickets are also available online at www.ticketmaster.com.

 

Gonzalez vs. Russell takes place at The Pearl at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas and will air on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT). In the co-main event, Jermell Charlo takes on Vanes Martirosyan in super welterweight action. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast will also be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP).

 

For more information, visit www.sports.sho.com, follow on Twitter at @SHOSports, @jhonnygbox, @mrgaryrusselljr, @TwinCharlo, @LouDiBella and @PearlAtPalms, follow the conversation using #GonzalezRussell, become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing or visit the SHOWTIME Boxing Blog at http://theboxingblog.sho.com.