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boxing, PBC on ESPN, Premier Boxing Champions

PREMIER BOXING CHAMPIONS ON ESPN MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT

June 26, 2015 FNU47 Leave a comment

Lou DiBella

Thank you very much for joining us for this call for the PBC on ESPN show on August 1 from Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The show will be live on primetime on ESPN on Saturday, August 1st, with coverage beginning at 9:00 pm ET/6:00 pm PT.

The main event of the evening is Danny “Swift” Garcia against Paulie Malignaggi. The opening fight is a middleweight title bout between Danny Jacobs and Sergio Mora.

August 1 is the second PBC card on ESPN and the first one is going to be Keith Thurman against Brooklyn’s Luis Collazo. That’s going to be on July 11th in Tampa, Florida.

Tickets for August 1 are priced at $250, $150, $75 and $45 and are on sale now. They’re available atwww.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. To charge by phone, you can call Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000 or to get group tickets from Barclays Center, 800-GROUPBK.

The opening bout is a terrific fight. Danny Jacobs is an inspirational fighter but also a super talented middleweight that’s risen to championship stature and holds the belt. He’ll fight at Barclays Center for the fourth time.

Danny rise from cancer to vie over the champion has been well documented. But frankly, at this point, he’s beaten that illness and he wants to focus to be on his boxing career and on being the best he can be and he’s taking on a huge challenge on August 1 in Sergio Mora, legitimately one of the best middleweight contenders out there and known very well as the winner of NBC’s “The Contender” Series a number of years ago. Sergio is a former world champion at super welterweight, looking to add a middleweight crown to his resume.

He owns victories over Ishe Smith, Peter Manfredo Jr. and Vernon Forrest and enters this fight on a five-fight win streak. And he most recently defeated Abraham Han in February of this year on ESPN.

So first, I’ll let Sergio Mora say a few words before we go to the champion.

Sergio Mora

Hey, guys. Well, I’m excited to be fighting on my first PBC card. It’s been a long time coming. The last time I fought for a world title was seven years ago and I was able to defeat Vernon Forrest as a 4-1 underdog.

I think I’m going to be an underdog for this fight again, fighting the younger, stronger champion in his hometown. So defeating him is going to be tough with all the cards stacked against me and that’s something that I grown used to and accustomed to.

There’s nothing bad I can say about Daniel Jacobs, absolutely nothing. I look for something negative to say and I can’t. The guy has overall talent. He’s far younger, faster, stronger and hits harder than me and he has more momentum coming his way. He’s on a nine-fight win streak and he beats me in that as well. I have five-fight going for me.

But the thing that I can say is that he hasn’t faced opposition that I faced. I think he’s an emotional, athletic fighter. I’m a cerebral, intelligent, strategic fighter.

This is going to be a really exciting card because he’s in his hometown and defending the world title. I’m hungry for that world title and I know that I’m going to have to be extra sharp and do a lot more than just have a close victory in his hometown. So I’m going to have to press action and go out of my comfort zone and I think he’s going to have to go out of his comfort zone, which is going to make an interesting fight for everybody.

I’m very confident coming into this fight. I’m very happy on the team that I’m with now and this opportunity. I’ve always wanted to fight in Brooklyn. I always wanted to fight in a mega arena like Barclays Center. I’m blessed to have this opportunity and part of this PBC movement. Thank you.

L. DiBella

Thank you, Sergio.

And now to the champion, Brooklyn’s own, Danny Jacobs.

Daniel Jacobs

Well, after Sergio’s intro, what more can I say? That’s pretty cool.

I’m excited to have an opportunity to be back at Barclays Center a second time around as a champion. So this will be my second title defense. It’ll be against the most experienced guy I’ve faced thus far. I’m looking forward to testing my challenge against this slick, crafty veteran in Sergio Mora.

I’ve always said that I’m just trying to get that experience most importantly. It’s important to me as a young champion, I’m not where I want to be as a fighter thus far. You’re still growing, you’re still learning. I’m looking at this as just a really starting test. I’m trying to really gain as much experience as I can in fighting such a crafty, slick veteran.

He’s been in this position before. So, he’s already accustomed to being in this position and being an underdog but I can’t take him lightly even though he will be an underdog and even though people will pick me as a favor to win. I’m looking at him as the most devastating opponent that I’ve had thus far coming up to middleweight.

So there’s not a lot of fear as far as power is concerned but where he lacks that he makes up in his craftiness and his slickness and awkwardness and sometimes he does engage in the action as well. So I’m looking forward to it. It’s really a starting test but something that I’ve been preparing for a while of any camp even though I’ve been working and doing my broadcasting which I’m very happy to announce. I’ve been keeping in the gym. I’ve been keeping fit and I’m really looking forward to this test and have it at Barclays I think there’s not a better place in the world I have. So I’m looking forward to testing my skills against a crafty veteran.

I’d like both of you to address when you receive this negative attention on Twitter and such, how do you deal with it and what’s your response to it.

S. Mora

Well, listen, I’ve been dealing with this negative criticism for my entire career. It’s something that followed me. I don’t know if it’s because I’m a reality show winner or because people hate the way that I go in to fight and I can’t knock people out. I’m sorry I wasn’t born with power. You need to be born with power. If I have a way where I can ingest power and knock out and what people want to see into my arsenal, then I’ll do it, but I can’t. I was born the way I’m born. I got to do what I can with my abilities.

I think I’ve come a long way with all the other athletes that lack power and I think that makes me an even better fighter. It made me evolve into a different type of boxer. So these are the things that boxing needs to understand and the fight fans need to understand that, “All right, well, listen, he’s fighting a guy with a lot of power but how come the guy with no power is actually doing better than the guy with power? Because this is the sweet science and that’s how I become a champion.

So it doesn’t bother me. I just continue educating people about the sweet science and letting them know that power is not the number one aspect you need to be successful it’s your agility, techniques, your defense, body shots, the strategy, it’s following that strategy it’s hard.

So I’m happy to answer those questions for people that don’t know. But people that do know, get over it.

Danny, what about you responding to people who want you to fight Golovkin? That say he isn’t tough enough, how do you deal with that stuff?

D. Jacobs

I’ve learned since my return back. I’ve got a lot of criticism on my position – why I’ve been facing people who wanted me to step up, people who wanted me to get in position to fight who they want me to fight. I’m passed that point. Now what I care about – well, not to the extent where I don’t care about what the fans think but, if you support me, I look at it as, you understand the process, you understand that it’s not going to come when you wanted to come and if you’re a fan of the sport and if you’re a fan of myself, then you just go along with the journey.

I want to step up. I want to be able to get in there with the best of the best. But obviously, with everything going on in the sport of boxing right now, I’m not really in control of certain things, you know. I may control who I step in there with but to a certain degree. So I really don’t tend to get into things like that. I do what I do. I stay ready. As a champion, I conduct myself inside and out of the ring. Whoever I’m in there with I give my best. If you are a fan of the sport, then you’re going to like the fights regardless. It’s all about putting on a show. That’s what I’ve been doing – I felt like I’ve been put in good fights.

Is it a challenge for you that you want to take on to be the first person to stop Sergio Mora or is it pretty important for you to finally go the distance to go 12 rounds?

D. Jacobs

I’d essentially wanted to go 12-rounds with Truax. I intentionally wanted to go 12-rounds with Truax. Because I felt like I could stop him a little bit earlier, maybe like in the 6th round but it was something that I wanted to prove to myself and knowing that I can go a full strong 12 rounds is something that I’m very confident with now and I feel like I’m answering my question. So, the test with Sergio Mora is – whether that he can be stopped or whether or not I can go the distance with him, he’s never been stopped before, so it will be icing on the cake to be able to not only to defeat him but to stop him in the match.

But, he’s a crafty veteran and if I can take a win over a guy like that, a win is a win to me. But at the end of the day, what the fans want to see is knockouts. What the fans want is spectacular fights. So my thing is if we could just produce a fantastic fight and a competitive fight, I’m content with that. A knockout is just icing on the cake. But it’s something that I’m looking for but if it happens, I’m pretty sure I know how to get the job done.

What do you think about his boxing skills? How do they match up with yours especially over the course of a 12-round fight?

S. Mora

That was a great question you asked Danny, by the way. I think he answered perfectly. I would want to knock someone out like me, you know, because it puts something on your resume that Vernon Forrest and Sugar Shane Mosley, two Hall of Fame greats haven’t been able to do. So that was a great question.

Like I said, I think he possess everything that I don’t. But I have the experience. I think I take a better shot from experience with Danny and I think I follow my game plan more than Danny. A lot of boxers especially a lot of young athletic fighters they go out of their game plan and once they see that it’s not working. As a veteran, I know that it’s not working initially.

There’s a beginning, a midgame and an end game, kind of like in chess. But you just got to stick to what you practiced and don’t go out of your element and normally things go well for me. That’s how I’m going to continue doing.

Of course, I’ve changed some things in my strategy. I’ve changed some things in my arsenal and the way I see opponents and I go about it. But ultimately, it’s still Sergio Mora – still the guy that has that ability to upset a champion and that’s who’s going to be fighting August 1st.

Can you talk about your perspective on having it been a long time since you were at this level in terms of a belt being available to you?

S. Mora

Well, anyone who’s been around the game for more than ten years or not even then. Anyone who’s been around the game will know that this is a political game. And if you’re not with the right side, you’re on the wrong side. And then even if you are on the right side, there’s another side I think that are right and they’re going to be butting heads.

Very political business and I think I turned a lot of people off when I fought Shane Mosley and an uneventful fight but I took all the blame for that and then after that, I was forced to go to Texas to fight a Texan. And I came up short against Brian Vera and then that just really hurt my career.

I was getting all the bad media, I wasn’t getting the right offers and that’s a good reason why fighters retire because they don’t have the offers coming in and it can be really depleting and depressing. I decided to go back to the drawing board and start off with a new team, have a new focus and I realized the change in the boxing as well, the same people that were in charge of courts in 2010, 2012, they’re not in charge anymore. There are new players in the game, there are new dates in the game and there’s new opportunity.

So because of all this new stuff that’s been added to the world of boxing, a person like myself has been able to make the comeback and I’m in a really good place and I am appreciative.

Sergio, do you feel that you get a bit of a bad wrap?

S. Mora

In my head, in my stubborn, ignorant head, I’m undefeated. I thought I beat Brian Vera both of those times and I beat Vernon Forrest the first time. He beat me the second time. That’s an even draw, you know. So in a way, no one has really dominated, no one has really beat me convincingly. So in my head, I’m undefeated. There’s no rubber match to see who really has more wins over the other guy. But in reality, Vernon beat me the second time, I beat him the first time.

It’s a crazy business. People are waiting for you to just come down.

So when you take a look at Danny’s record, what is your take on what he’s accomplished or what you think of his ability?

S. Mora

Well, exactly what you guys thought. I think with special talent and he got a piece of a world championship and he’s recognized as a champion. So, everything that people thought of him came true. Now that he’s on top, he needs to fight top fighters. I don’t think he’s faced the opposition that I faced and other champions have faced. I think that’s the only thing that he’s limited in.

So I’m going to be the best name on his resume and we’re going to see how he’s going to be able to handle a guy as crafty like me and a former champion like myself. So it’s a bit of success for him and it’s the best for me fighting a young, hungry champ.

When you look over your resume of opponents you faced in your career so far, does he poses perhaps the most formidable test of your career given his experience and his crafty nature?

D. Jacobs

Well, absolutely, coming into this thing I even said that I mentioned that he’s the most experienced fighter that I will be stepping in the ring with. The former world champion, beating the likes of Vernon Forrest, Shane Mosley, a couple other guys. He has that experience. He knows what it is to go the distance. He knows what it is to be in a dogfight. I’m a young champion and I haven’t seen those things thus far, right, you know.

I’m content – well, not content but, I’m okay with the fact that I have fought those guys, those topnotch but that’s what I’m looking forward to is a ladder. You can’t skip the ladder. You can’t skip any steps, or you’ll fall.

So we take in a step by the time and we stepping up and every time you’re going to see great opposition. I’m just looking forward to this one. I don’t take him lightly whatsoever. I clearly mark him as one of the toughest, craftiest most experienced guy that I have faced.

Daniel, what is going to be the thing that gets you over the top and helps you win this fight?

D. Jacobs

I don’t know what will be the main thing. But I feel like I have a lot more advantages than he does in the fight. But whatever my advantages are and whatever gets me going, will be the deciding factor for me I would stick to. So if it’s my speed, then I’ll stick to using my speed. If it’s my power, backing him down, showing him what a real middleweight feels like, then that’s what I would do.

But it’s all about adjusting and getting in there because, you know, not a lot of things may work according to the game plan. So you got to go to Plan B, Plan C and so on and so forth. So I’m just looking forward to seeing what works for me, figuring it out because it is a puzzle, it is a chess game when you fight a guy like Sergio and just making it work. I think that’s what a true champion does is just adjust and get the job done.

What are you doing in training camp to get away from that label of spoiler and be directly concentrated on winning that title from Danny Jacobs?

S. Mora

Yes. I’ve been labeled the spoiler. I’ve been labeled a lot of names that I actually consider as a good thing, you know. You could see it as positive or negative. You come in the positive things that I’m going to go in there, I’m going to spoil Danny Jacobs’ plans and spoil his promotion plan and spoiler for the fans is the negative that I’m going to come in and win. I decided to go in there – when the fight with Mosley and Vera, I decided to change my style a bit and I actually engaged a little bit more and be a little bit more offensive and take more chances to go for the knockout. But I think I’ve done that. You know, in my last five fights, I knocked down three of my opponents. So I’ve kept my word and I got this opportunity to fight for a world title again.

With Danny, I’m going to do the same. I’m going to try to go out there and do the same thing that got me into this position. I’m showing them that I can be and I can be crafty. I mostly want to let them know that, “Hey, listen, I got this other side to my game too that I added to that slickness and that craftiness.” Danny also mentioned, if that’s not working, then I got to go to Plan B and C. I’m going to give him different looks just like he’s going to give me. But I’m an excited former champion and waiting to be a new champion August 1st.

Talk about the kinds of sparring partners you have into camp.

S. Mora

Yes, I like to have heavier sparring partners, harder punching sparring partners. But it’s not about the power because me and my sparring partners aren’t going to go in there and hit me with that power. So I like hitting guys with slickness, with speed, just in case Danny comes in there and he shows me a different style, I got to be ready for that. So I got younger guys, stronger guys, powerful guys, big guys, elusive guys and I like to mix it up.

You’re a tremendous fighter, and the same time, you are great announcer, can you talk about seeing that light at the end of the tunnel and a career after boxing?

D. Jacobs

Well, thank you sir I really, really appreciate that. To answer your question, yes, that’s the game plan. To be able to talk and give my side on a national level. So one opportunity I don’t take for granted that I’m enjoying doing is giving me a different perspective on a sport that I love. And it’s something that it can set me up for the rest of my life as something to do post-boxing. But, obviously not straying away from the main task at hand, boxing obviously is what I love to do and just the forefront. So I’m 110% focused on what we’re doing actually inside the ring.

But on my spare time in between fights, it’s something that I also like to do and stay busy. But the most part is just building the brand. That’s what we’re doing. We’re building the Danny Jacobs brand and I’m having fun doing it but I’m taking it seriously because, you know, boxing is a very short road and I’m going to fall back on this as well.

So just trying to take everything serious and trying to give the best that I have and seeing that it’s been working thus far. So God has definitely blessed me and I’m just looking forward to everything in the near future. This opportunity to fight Sergio is a heck of an opportunity for me in my mind. I think it’s one heck of a step-up as well.

So I’m just looking forward to what life has in store for me and my career in the future.

L. DiBella

We’re going to move on to the main event of the evening right now. But once again, this is Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN from Barclays Center on August 1. It’s primetime in ESPN, coverage beginning at 9:00 pm ET/6:00 pm PT. Tickets are from $250 down to $45 available at BarclaysCenter.com, Ticketmaster.com, the Box Office at Barclays or by calling Ticketmaster or calling Barclays Center.

The main event is a classic Philadelphia versus Brooklyn matchup, featuring two of boxing’s biggest stars. And it’s a must-win situation for both fighters when Danny “Swift” Garcia takes on Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi. It’s 12 rounds at welterweight at 147 pounds.

Interestingly, both of these fighters participated at Barclays Center inaugural boxing card in 2012.

Danny Garcia, the former Unified Welterweight Champion, made five defenses Junior Welterweight Champion, made five defenses of his belt. It’ll mark Danny’s official move up to welterweight and his fifth appearance at Barclays Center. On his last fight, he had a really tough win and a really hard-fought fight with Lamont Peterson.

On August 1, he has his hands full with Paulie Malignaggi, former Welterweight and Junior Welterweight World Champion, has a record of 33-6. It’s Paulie’s fourth fight at Barclays Center. He defeated Pablo Cesar Cano and Zab Judah there and he lost close split decision to Adrien Broner.

Paulie, do you want to start by saying a few words?

Paulie Malignaggi

Thank you, Lou. Yes, I’m just really feeling blessed to have the opportunity. It was an opportunity that I didn’t see coming my way after pulling out of the O’Connor fight earlier in the summer and then now trying to back up into the fall. I’m just really trying to sit back and enjoy the summer more so than training and whatnot.

This kind of opportunity just fell into my lap. It was unexpected. But I’m all about competing against the best. As surprised that I was, it was also an opportunity I couldn’t say no to. It’s a chance to, be back in the main spotlight with that kind of a fight, be at the forefront which are the kind of fights that I crave, anyway, and the kind of fights that really get my adrenaline flowing and get me motivated.

I’m fighting one of the best fighters in the world today at any weight. Like Danny Garcia, it’s a motivation to test myself against the best. I always want to test myself against the best, and so here I am.

L. DiBella

Thank you, Paulie. Danny “Swift” Garcia, still undefeated, 30-0 with 17 KOs. Danny?

Danny Garcia

How are you guys doing? First, I want to say good afternoon to everybody. I hope everybody is having a good day. Thanks for having me on this conference call.

August 1^st this is going to be another great night at Barclays Center. It’s my fifth fight there and my first fight at 147. So I feel like this is a great matchup, stylistically, to the fans all around the world.

Come August 1st, I’m going to be ready. I’m working hard. I’m training hard. I can’t wait to get in there, showcase my skills and in the weight class.

How do you feel, Danny, now moving up to welter?

D. Garcia

It feels great. For the first time in a long time, I could worry about training to get better and not training to lose weight. I’ve been fighting at 140 my whole career.

I just feel felt like losing the weight was affecting my performances, mostly in the later rounds of big fights because I will use a lot of my energy losing weight. I think I’m just going to – I’ve been feeling a lot stronger and a lot better at 147. I think I should have been moved up maybe after the Mattysse fight.

But I’m here now and I feel good. I feel strong. I’m training hard. And we’re working on new things just to get faster and stronger at 147.

Did the weight loss hurt you against Lamont Peterson you think?

D. Garcia

I’m not making any excuses. He had a good game plan. I just didn’t feel strong at that weight class anymore.

Before, when I hit guys, I could feel the power going through my arms. And when I land a shot, I knew I would hurt them. I just didn’t feel strong at the weight class no more. I just felt like I was hurt myself. I just didn’t feel as strong at 140 anymore.

Paulie, just talk about getting back in the ring after the Porter fight and this opportunity for you.

P. Malignaggi

I feel blessed just to get the opportunity and to get a chance to continue to test myself against one of the best fighters in the world.

You get to the point when you’re not in the ring for a while. It’s going through my mind that maybe I don’t want to fight. But as time went by and I started working out again, I started realizing that it was something I missed. It was something I was still craving. I wanted to be back in there.

This year, in particular, has been different than a lot of years. I’ve always had my fight and then I’ve gone right back into just hanging out. I’ve spent almost the entire year in the gym. And I’ve been able to balance it out with all my travel with my commentating. I was in Sadam Ali’s camp for his fight.. I went right into my own training camp for Danny O’Connor and I got cut just two weeks before that scheduled fight. Then I got a call for this fight not long after that.

I’ve spent a large chunk of the year in the gym, which is something that hasn’t happened in a long time. And I feel sharp before that. If we’re going to talk about the layoff, people are going to talk about the fact that, I haven’t fought for a long time. But in reality, I actually haven’t trained this consistently in a decade, I mean literally a decade. Since I fought Miguel Cotto, I started making pretty good money after that and I haven’t stayed all year in the gym. Before that, I was in the gym all year, you know.

I didn’t even mean to do it by design. It’s not like I said, “Oh, this year, I’m going to spend the whole year in the gym.” I didn’t – it’s not something I planned. It’s just something that ended up happening going from one camp into another camp, into another camp. And I guess it’s just an accident.

But I do feel the sharpness in a gym. I do feel the timing is really good. Obviously my weight has come down. So, that’s a good feeling knowing that I have to drop a lot of weight during the training camp just working on the sharpness and keep getting better.

Was there ever any serious consideration about retiring after the Porter fight or was that just suddenly flowing around out there?

P. Malignaggi

It wasn’t even something I considered. It was just something that I felt like I was going to do, you know. I just felt like, I don’t really want to do this, in the time, the way I felt, where my mind was at. And it was just something I didn’t want to do anymore.

So I think that’s probably the best thing that happened to me in terms of thinking it like that. Not talking about the loss, but in terms of my mindset in that moment was probably the best thing because if you start to tell yourself you’re going to have a layoff and you’re going to come back, in the back of your mind, you’re never going to take that time off the right way. You’re going to be thinking about you should be back in a gym or when is the right time to get back in the gym.

But because I wasn’t thinking that, I was just thinking, “You know what, I’m done,” I gave myself plenty of time to kind of rejuvenate a little bit before I got back in the gym. And then I just decided, “Hey, you know what, I miss this. I want to get back in the gym.”

So I think the change of my mind was probably a good thing as opposed to just telling myself, “You know what, I’m going to take some time off and then come back.” I really didn’t think I was going to come back. So when I took the time off, it was really like a time that I was legitimately, in my mind, feeling rested and got myself rejuvenated without even realizing it. And then by the time I got back in the gym, it was like to try rebuilding a new me, so to speak.

Did you think that this might be too much of a stepup after you’re going to be fighting Danny O’Connor after the long layoff?

P. Malignaggi

I was actually surprised. First, I didn’t realize Danny was actually going to move to welter right away. I figured like he was having trouble making the junior welterweight limit. But I had heard rumblings that he still wanted to stay a junior welter for a little longer.

I was surprised just in general that he’s moving to welterweight. And then I was surprised, coming off the layoff, I thought maybe that we’ll get somebody else, instead of me to fight Danny.

When I got the call, I was surprised. But it was almost like pleasantly surprised. And not because I don’t respect Danny because I do, I got a lot of respect for Danny and family and his father and everything, but I’m a competitor. I haven’t had a big fight in over a year. So it’s just like, man, this is an opportunity for me to kind of put myself back in the mix with one really good performance as opposed to slowly getting back in the mix over the course of three, four fights.

I’m 34-years-old. I’m not 24. So I don’t really have that kind of patience anymore. At the same time, when I got the call, I also realized how good I had felt in the gym sparring and how good I’ve been feeling in the gym just getting shaped or whatnot. So I felt like I could just flow right into another training camp, because I hadn’t taken that long a time off after I had been cut for the O’Connor camp. I actually still kept training.

So my weight was still good. It kind of made sense on a lot of fronts. I didn’t tell myself, “Oh, it’s a big step-up after a layoff.” I didn’t look at it like that. I looked at it from more of a positive perspective.

Are there any health concerns for you or just heading into this fight?

P. Malignaggi

I don’t ever think about this stuff, man. You have to have a short memory in boxing. And that applies to both when you look good and when you look bad. So whatever has happened to you in the past, it doesn’t matter whether it was good or bad. You can’t take that in the ring with you in your next performance. You’re starting a new chapter every time you step in the ring for round one in your next fight.

So I know as far as round one, it’s a new chapter for me. And so I don’t consider, I don’t think about what’s happened to me in the past, whether it was good or bad. But it’s something that I haven’t thought about in a long time and it doesn’t go through my mind.

Danny is this an effort for you to feel what a 147-fight feels like?

D. Garcia

This is a fight my manager wanted. He gave me the call. He made this fight. And like any other fight, he did ask me, “Hey, do you want to fight this guy?” And then we say, “Yes, we want to fight this guy.”

So I didn’t go say, “Gee, I want to fight Paulie because he’s not a big puncher,” you know, because, power is just one of the many skills you need in boxing. I don’t choose the opponent. I don’t hand choose the opponent. But I think that overall, this is going to be a great fight.

And what are you looking for this fight to do in terms of advancing your career should you win the fight? What would be next for you? What are you aiming to do in this division?

D. Garcia

I don’t know what’s next. Obviously, one fight at a time. I got a task in front of me. I got to go in there 110% mentally and physically prepared and just get the job done. Then after that, we can see what’s next for us.

Paulie, how do you view a fighter like Danny, a former champion, coming up from 140 to 147?

P. Malignaggi

Oh, I think he’s a phenomenal fighter. I even told Danny myself, early on, I wasn’t high on him. But, I know when he was in the prospect stages, he was beating some really good names and he was hitting a harder road up and a lot of prospects to do, in terms of a guy he has to fight. And he grew on me. I started realizing I’m not looking at this kid the right way. This kid is actually good on a lot of fronts, both from a physical perspective and from a mental perspective, really strong.

I’ve always had a lot of respect for him. But in terms of 140, 147, he’s no different than me. I was a junior welterweight champion; I moved into welterweight. So from that front, I don’t even look at myself as a bigger guy or anything. As a matter of fact, he moved up to welterweight at a younger age than when I moved up to welterweight, you know. So his body grew into the division a little sooner than my body grew into the division.

So I think from that point of view, we both have that in common that we’re both ex-junior welterweight. So from a physical standpoint, I’m not looking at it as having any advantages. It’s just a matter of matching of my skills to his skills.

Moving up to 147, do you really feel like you’re going to be able to put a staple on a lot of people’s mouths to shut them up about all the criticism that comes with Danny Garcia?

D. Garcia

That’s just boxing. Because I’ve been the underdog before, I’ve been the underdog before and I won. And there was like, “Oh, he got lucky.” So it’s either I’m the favorite or the underdog. I can’t listen to none of that stuff after just going through each fight like I was, mentally prepared, physically prepared going in and get the job done.

If it’s good enough for the media and it’s good enough for the fans, I’m happy. I’m still happy because, it takes a real man to go in there and put gloves on and fight another man for 12 rounds. It takes a lot of discipline. It’s usually hard work for ten weeks straight waking up every day, doing the same thing, sweat, blood, tears, all that stuff.

So I would love for the fans and the media to love me. But, it is what it is, they’re tough on me and that’s what keeps the chip on my shoulder and that’s going to make me train hard every day.

Do you see your craftiness advantages that you may have over him that Danny may have a little bit of difficulty with skilled boxers?

P. Malignaggi

I think styles make fight. From a style point of view there are things that I feel like I’ll be able to do against Danny. But I also expect Danny had made some adjustments since those fights.

When it comes to the Lamont Peterson fight, as I was watching that fight and Lamont started turning things around, I started thinking, maybe Danny, he got in his mind after the first three, four, five rounds that this was the kind of fight this is going to be all night.

And when you kind of get into that role in your mind where, hey, man, this is going to be at a slow pace fight and you’re going to go through the motions in the fourth round. And then suddenly the script gets switched on you; you weren’t ready.

I felt like Lamont almost caught Danny in a sleep. And so from there, I don’t know that Danny would make a mistake again. The pace was so slow early on. I felt like I put myself in Danny’s shoes and I said, “You know what, if I was Danny, I would probably be thinking two, three, four rounds. That’s it. This is the kind of fight we’re going to fight for 12 rounds. So I wouldn’t be ready when suddenly he got turned off. Because if in your mind you put in – if you put in your mindset that’s how the fight is going to be and then things switched, then you kind of get caught sleeping.

So I felt like maybe it was a learning experience for Danny. But as far as from the stylistic point of view, yes I like the way my boxing skills match up to his. I’m sure there’s things he feels he can do to me as well. And that’s kind of why we get in the ring, we compete with each other and you match up skills. But I’m sure both of us have certain advantages over the other that we’re both going to try to apply once the bell rings on August 1st.

Do you see that as a must-win situation for you especially coming off the loss with Shawn Porter?

P. Malignaggi

I think it’s more must-win for me as far as my own boxing career is concerned. I think there’s no question that from my professional boxing career, not my commentating career; take everything else aside. For the life of my professional boxing career to continue, I feel like this is a must win for sure. I don’t think that there’s much of a must-win for Danny as it is for me.

At this level, they’re all – you always feel like it’s must win because you’re always in the mix for a bigger fight if you can win. So it’s always must win. But in reality, I feel like the burden falls on me more than Danny for it to be that kind of must-win.

But it’s also nothing new to me. I’ve been written off before. My career was supposed to end in 2009 when I went to Houston, Texas. I just came off the Ricky Hatton loss and I went to Houston to fight Juan Diaz. And no matter what I said in the press conferences, no matter what I’ve said in interviews, I remember just within one year they just kind of felt like this was going to be the end of my career. And so I had to go in there and prove it myself that it wasn’t yet, you know.

So I had everybody – if I allowed myself to listen to what everybody says, I would have long gone a long time ago because you figure, you teach everybody their lessons and then it happened again in 2012. I got sent to Ukraine. I hadn’t really had a big fight in a couple of years and people just thought I was again sent to Ukraine as a fight just to make a little bit of money and be done. I was surprised that everybody was thinking about me like that again. I was like, “Wow. These people really don’t learn their lesson, you know.”

And so I went to Ukraine and I’d come back with the WBA Welterweight title at that time. And I was able to turn things around again from – in my career. And those are really two key situations because losses in those two fights would really have erased me from the sport.

So I found myself again in this kind of situation. I’m not travelling to anybody’s hometown this time. I’m fighting in my own hometown. But it’s the same situation. It’s kind of the same thing. No matter what I say going into this fight, people are still going to look at it the same way that I’m the opponent and I’m the guy that Danny beats and this is my last fight and I’m just taking this for a payday and all this stuff.

So if I hadn’t already been through this, maybe I would worry about it. I remember in 2009, going to Houston, being kind of worried about it, complaining about all kinds of stuff and just not really knowing what I was walking into. I was walking into a dark room. But I’m not walking into a dark room on August 1st. I know exactly what’s going on. I know exactly what the rumblings are in the boxing world. And I know exactly what everybody is saying about the fight.

Regardless, it doesn’t matter. None of it matters. I go in the gym; I do my work every day. I know my mindset. It’s focused. It’s ready. And I know I’m going there to do work on August 1st. And nobody’s opinion is going to matter when the bell rings. But you can’t take people’s opinions in the ring with you, again, whether they’d be good or whether they’d be bad. Nobody’s opinion comes in the ring with you. It has absolutely no bearing on who wins each and every single round.

Danny, what things have you been able to do this time around doing training that you could not do in the past because you had to make 140?

D. Garcia

We added things to our workout now. We added a lot of explosive workouts, a lot of agility, a lot of footwork, a lot of things to making you more explosive, things I couldn’t do at 140 because I didn’t have the energy for it. But now the extra weight is really helping me. I’m eating – I’m adding more meals to my base to make me stronger, like before I had to skip meals. I was always weak.

When we’re thinking about this, your training in the gym, do you 100% know how good you’re going to be as far as the sharpness and what you have left at 34? Or does it remain to be seen, you’ll only know on fight night?

P. Malignaggi

Fight night you can feel any which way. You can have a good camp but sometimes have a bad night. You can have a bad camp and have a good night. You don’t know how you’re going to be on fight night until you wake up the morning of the fight.

But I will say this, I’m having a good camp. And it mainly has to do with the fact that I’ve flown from one camp to another to another and I’ve been able to keep working on my skills and keep working on my sharpness. My weight has stayed low because of the fact that I have consistent training, consistent sparring.

I really like the way I’m feeling right now. I like the rhythm that I’m in when I’m in the gym. I like the flow. We’re just going to try to bring this sharp camp into the fight.

Do you believe that you got the fight because they believed that you were a faded fighter?

P. Malignaggi

I didn’t go that deep into thinking. When I got the call, I was just surprised. Rhen I got the thinking, like, man, that’s a big fight. Any competitor wants big fights and wants to be in the limelight and wants to be on the big stage. I was wondering if I would ever get a chance to fight on this stage again.

I was more just surprised than anything else. I didn’t really go into thinking as to why I got the fight or why I got offered the fight or whatnot. I think that’s more your guys’ job. And I’m sure they let me know about it on Twitter and in the media why I’ve got this fight. Even if I didn’t think about it, just seeing what everybody says about it, I kind of get the gist of it.

If that’s the reason I got offered the fight, it’s the same reason I got offered the Juan Diaz fight in Houston in ’09. It’s the same reason I got the Vyacheslav Senchenko fight in Ukraine in 2012. And my confidence comes from me knowing I have the mental capacity to not let that kind of pressure bother me and have the mental capacity to just go into my zone and eliminate all the negativity from my mind.

Danny said earlier he would love the media and the fans to love him. I couldn’t care less whether anybody loves me or hates me. And I think the body of my work throughout my career or the things that I said, the things that I do, shows that I could care less whether anybody loves me or hates. I go out there to do a job. I’m a competitor. I love competing. I love the adrenaline rush of combat at the highest level and testing myself against the best fighters in the world.

That’s why I do this. I love to fight – I love to see where I’m at. And on August 1st, I’ll show myself.

Danny, where is dad, Angel Garcia?

D. Garcia

My dad is doing well. Right now, he’s at a shop. He owns and runs a business. Angel is just being Angel right now. I won’t see him until 5 o’clock. Only the Lord knows what he’s doing right now.

I would say some of the best work that you have done in the ring is by out-foxing heavy-handed opponents. How much of the old fox are we going to see? How is he again against Danny Garcia?

P. Malignaggi

I think for the most part, people know Danny’s style, people know my style. We’re going to make some adjustments to each other, both as part of the game plan and once we see each other in the ring.

I can’t really tell you exactly how I’m going to play it out until I’m in the ring myself. I plan on being the best me possible. I plan on being the sharpest me possible. And right now, in training, I feel really good. The plan is to flow this training camp into a sharp night on August 1st.

How long have you been thinking about the move up to welter?

D. Garcia

I believe right after the Matthysse fight I wanted to move up. I felt like that was a perfect time for me to move up because I beat the best 140-pounder at that time. I had beat Khan and then I came back and beat Morales and Matthysse.

I beat two of the best 140-pounders, so I feel like it’s time for me to go up to 147. But they had different plans for me. Me and my team, we decided to stay at 140 for a little longer to see how it played out. I just wasn’t fully strong at the weight class anymore. I just wasn’t fully strong anymore. So I felt like it’s time for me to go up to 147.

How confident do you feel that you can become world champion again against the likes of Thurman, Kell Brook, perhaps a rematch against Amir Khan?

D. Garcia

I’m very confident. I faced a lot of good fighters. I faced a lot of great fighters in my career. I have a lot of experience. I was a big 140-pound fighter. I’ve never faced a 140-pound fighter who was taller than me or who looked better than me.

I was just squeezing my body down to 140. And I feel like I’m going to be a way better fighter at 147 and be able to use my legs more. At 140, I felt like I wasn’t strong no more, so I just had to walk forward all night and knock my opponents out.

But I feel like at 147, you’re going to see a more athletic Danny Garcia and be able to use my legs more, using my jab more and see punches clearer. When you drain yourself as hard to see punches, then you get hit with a lot of dumb punches because your vision is not clear.

I feel like my vision is going to be a lot clearer and be able to move my head, see the punches better, use my feet. And I think I’m going to be a champion at 147, too. I know so.

L. DiBella

With that, thank you, everybody, for joining us for this PBC on ESPN call.

Again, it’ll be Danny “Swift” Garcia against Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi, and Danny Jacobs against Sergio Mora in the opening bout at Barclays Center, August 1, primetime on ESPN, coverage beginning at 9:00 pm ET/6:00 pm PT.

# # #

In addition to the evening’s main event and co-main event, select undercard bouts will be carried live on ESPN3. ESPN Deportes will also televise the fight live as part of its Noche de Combates series and ESPN International will present live coverage across its networks in Latin America, Brazil, the Caribbean and Pacific Rim. Live coverage will also be available through WatchESPN on computers, smartphones, tablets, Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One via an affiliated video provider.

For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, www.barclayscenter.com andwww.dbe1.com. Follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @DannySwift, @PaulMalignaggi, @LouDiBella, @ESPNBoxing, @BarclaysCenter and @Swanson_Comm and become a fan on Facebook atwww.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/fanpagedannyswiftgarcia,www.facebook.com/PaulMalignaggi, www.facebook.com/barclayscenterandwww.facebook.com/ESPN. Follow the conversation using #PBConESPN and #BrooklynBoxing.

boxing, ESPN Boxing, Premier Boxing Champions

MIDDLEWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION DANIEL JACOBS TO FACE FORMER WORLD CHAMPION SERGIO MORA ON TELEVISED OPENER OF PREMIER BOXING CHAMPIONS ON ESPN IN PRIMETIME ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 1 FROM BARCLAYS CENTER

June 17, 2015 FNU47 Leave a comment

Coverage Begins On ESPN At 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT

Tickets Are On Sale Now!

BROOKLYN (June 17, 2015) – Middleweight World Champion Daniel “The Miracle Man” Jacobs (29-1, 26 KOs) returns to the ring in his hometown of Brooklyn to take on former world champion Sergio “The Latin Snake” Mora (28-3-2, 9 KOs) as the televised opener of Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN primetime Saturday, Aug. 1 at Barclays Center with televised coverage beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

This fight will precede the showdown between undefeated superstar Danny “Swift” Garcia (30-0, 17 KOs) and Brooklyn’s own Paulie “The Magic Man” Malignaggi (33-6, 7 KOs).

“I’m just excited to be on this great card and to be able to perform at Barclays Center is an honor,” said Jacobs. “I’m looking forward to making the best out of this opportunity and most importantly I want to give the Brooklyn fans a great show. I get to go to work in my own backyard.”

“I went back to the ‘drawing board,’ worked hard and now I’m blessed to be a part of this great event,” said Mora, “I don’t plan to let this opportunity get by me. On August 1, I’m coming to Brooklyn to win.”

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment in association with Swift Promotions, are priced at $250, $150, $75 and $45, not including applicable service charges and taxes, are on sale now. Tickets are available at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.comand at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center beginning Thursday, June 18 at noon. To charge by phone, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.

The inspirational figure who will fight at Barclays Center for the fourth time, Brooklyn’s Jacobs completed his road from cancer survivor to champion last August when he defeated Jarrod Fletcher for the middleweight title. In 2011, while pursuing a championship in the ring, cancer threatened his life and kept him on the sidelines for 19 months. When he returned, he picked up where he left off and hasn’t lost since. The 28-year-old looks to keep his momentum going when he faces Mora onAug. 1.

The winner of NBC’s “The Contender” series, the 34-year-old Mora is a former world champion at super welterweight and looking to add a middleweight crown to his name. The Los Angeles native owns victories over Ishe Smith, Peter Manfredo Jr. and Vernon Forrest and enters this fight on a five-fight win streak. He most recently defeated Abraham Han in February of this year and will make his first pro start in Brooklyn on Aug. 1.

For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, www.barclayscenter.com andwww.dbe1.com. Follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @DannySwift, @PaulMalignaggi, @LouDiBella, @ESPNBoxing, @BarclaysCenter and @Swanson_Comm and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/fanpagedannyswiftgarcia, www.facebook.com/PaulMalignaggi, www.facebook.com/barclayscenterand www.facebook.com/ESPN. Follow the conversation using #PBConESPN and #BrooklynBoxing.

boxing, ESPN Boxing, Premier Boxing Champions

UNDEFEATED SUPERSTAR DANNY GARCIA TO FACE BROOKLYN’S OWN PAULIE MALIGNAGGI AS PREMIER BOXING CHAMPIONS GOES PRIMETIME ON ESPN AT BARCLAYS CENTER ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 1

June 16, 2015 FNU47 Leave a comment

Tickets On Sale Wednesday, June 17 at 10 a.m.

BROOKLYN (June 15, 2015) – Undefeated superstar Danny “Swift” Garcia (30-0, 17 KOs) will take on Brooklyn’s own Paulie “The Magic Man” Malignaggi (33-6, 7 KOs) at Barclays Center as Premier Boxing Champions will be live in primetime on ESPN on Saturday, August 1 with coverage beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

“It’s going to be a great fight against Paulie on August 1^st,” said Garcia. “I’m looking forward to getting in the ring again, in my fifth appearance at Barclays Center, and putting on a great show for the East Coast fans in attendance and the fans watching all over the world. By the end of the night, I will still be the undefeated Danny ‘Swift’ Garcia. To all of the fans that love me, I love you too. This is for you.”

“Although I have a ton of respect for Danny and his father Angel, both for what they’ve accomplished in the ring as well as the bond they share as father/son, I, like them, am a competitor through and through and in this sport it’s all about testing yourself against the elite. So I look forward to defending my home turf of Brooklyn and matching my skills against Danny’s at Barclays Center on August 1.”

“August 1 will mark Danny Garcia’s first fight as a true welterweight,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “It’ll take place at Barclays Center, in the backyard of Brooklyn’s Paulie Malignaggi. This high quality PBC matchup on ESPN is a must-win situation for both fighters.”

“We are excited to host a third outstanding Premier Boxing Champions event and our first ESPN fight in Brooklyn,” said Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark. “Danny Garcia always puts on a great show and there’s no bigger fan favorite in Brooklyn than Paulie Malignaggi. With this fight, we are continuing to establish Barclays Center as the premier boxing venue in the country.”

“This classic Philly versus New York match-up featuring two of boxing’s biggest stars is exactly why ESPN is televising Premier Boxing Champions,” said Brian Kweder, senior director of programming and acquisitions at ESPN. “Danny Garcia has laid waste to the junior welterweight division and instead of easing his way into the welterweight division, he’s fighting a former world champion in Paulie Malignaggi.”

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, are priced at $250, $150, $75 and $45, not including applicable service charges and taxes, and are on sale Wednesday, June 17 at 10 a.m. Tickets are available at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com and at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center beginning Thursday, June 18 at noon. To charge by phone, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.

In addition to the evening’s main event and co-main event, which will be announced shortly, select undercard bouts will be carried live on ESPN3. ESPN Deportes will also televise the fight live as part of its Noche de Combates series and ESPN International will present live coverage across its networks in Latin America, Brazil, the Caribbean and Pacific Rim. Live coverage will also be available through WatchESPN on computers, smartphones, tablets, Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One via an affiliated video provider.

Now in his fourth year as a world champion, Philadelphia’s Garcia will return to headline at Barclays Center for a record fifth time. Garcia last fought in Brooklyn on April 11 defeating Lamont Peterson in a rousing 12 round majority decision. The 27-year-old has taken down some of the biggest names in boxing on his way to an undefeated record, including Amir Khan, Erik Morales, Lucas Matthysse and Zab Judah.

A former world champion at 140 and 147-pounds, the 34-year-old Malignaggi will return to the ring to fight at Barclays Center for the fourth time as a professional. He has faced a slew of big names throughout his career and has taken home victories over the likes of Zab Judah, Vyacheslav Senchenko and Pablo Cesar Cano. Born and raised in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of Brooklyn, “The Magic Man” will step into the ring for the first time since April 2014.

The first live Premier Boxing Champions on Primetime ESPN (PBC on ESPN) telecast, from the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Fla., will feature a star-studded 12-round welterweight matchup between undefeated Keith “One Time” Thurman (25-0, 21 KOs) and Luis Collazo (36-6, 19 KOs) when the series debuts on ESPN on Saturday, July 11, at 9 p.m. The opening fight will showcase a 10-round junior middleweight matchup between undefeated Tony Harrison (21-0, 18 KOs) and Willie Nelson (23-2-1, 13 KOs). Read more.

For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, www.barclayscenter.com andwww.dbe1.com. Follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @DannySwift, @PaulMalignaggi, @LouDiBella, @ESPNBoxing, @BarclaysCenter and @Swanson_Comm and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/fanpagedannyswiftgarcia, www.facebook.com/PaulMalignaggi, www.facebook.com/barclayscenterand www.facebook.com/ESPN. Follow the conversation using #PBConESPN and #BrooklynBoxing.

boxing, Showtime Boxing

EXCLUSIVE, CANDID INTERVIEW WITH FLOYD MAYWEATHER TO PREMIERE SATURDAY ON SHOWTIME®

May 8, 2015 FNU47 Leave a comment

Mayweather Goes In-Depth on Pacquiao Injury, the Possibility of a Rematch and Fighting Beyond Next September

SHOWTIME Premiere of World Championship Bout—Mayweather vs. Pacquiao—at 9 p.m. ET/PT Followed by Exclusive Interview and the Premiere of “INSIDE MAYWEATHER vs. PACQUIAO Epilogue”

NEW YORK (May 7, 2015)—Sports Emmy^® Award winning reporter Jim Gray of SHOWTIME Sports^® sat down with pound-for-pound champion Floyd “Money” Mayweather for an exclusive and candid interview late Tuesday night, just days after Mayweather dominated Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao en route to a 12-round unanimous decision victory last Saturday night in Las Vegas. The interview will premiere this Saturday, May 9, on SHOWTIME immediately following the network’s premiere of Mayweather vs. Pacquiao (9 p.m. ET/PT).

In the interview, Mayweather addresses the claim made by Pacquiao’s camp that the Philippine fighter sustained an injury to his right shoulder that hampered his ability during the bout. Mayweather also discusses the possibility of a rematch with Pacquiao and fighting beyond his next scheduled event in September.

“Absolutely not,” Mayweather told Gray when asked if he could detect a problem with Pacquiao’s shoulder during the bout. “He was fast. His left hand was fast. His right hand was fast and he was throwing them both fast and strong.

“Excuses, excuses, excuses,” continued Mayweather, who remains undefeated in his professional career with 48 wins, no losses and no draws.

“I’m not going to buy into the bull—… and I don’t want the public to buy into the bull—-. He lost. He knows he lost. I lost a lot of respect for him after all of this.”

Mayweather goes on to address the possibility of a rematch.

“Did I text Stephen A. Smith and say I will fight him again? Yeah, but I change my mind,” said Mayweather. “At this particular time, no, because he’s a sore loser and he’s a coward… If you lost, accept the loss and say, ‘Mayweather, you were the better fighter.’”

The compelling interview will air immediately following the SHOWTIME premiere of the welterweight world championship unification bout at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The interview will be immediately followed by the premiere of INSIDE MAYWEATHER vs. PACQUIAO Epilogue, the acclaimed original documentary series from SHOWTIME Sports.

# # #

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD™, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, FLIX ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND, and the network’s authentication service SHOWTIME ANYTIME®. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks™, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution, which offers Smithsonian Channel™. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.

boxing, Top Rank

MetroPCS Friday Night Knockout on truTV Continues Friday, May 8, at 10 p.m. ET

May 6, 2015 FNU47 Leave a comment

May 5, 2015

The MetroPCS Friday Night Knockout on truTV series will feature its second consecutive week of live boxing coverage Friday, May 8, at 10 p.m. ET from Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The card will feature two title fights, headlined by Top-10 contenders Glen “Jersey Boy” Tapia (23-1, 15 KOs) from Passaic, N.J., and “Irish” Seanie Monaghan (23-0, 15 KOs). Tapia will defend his NABO junior middleweight title against Michel Soro (25-1-1, 15 KOs) from France, with Monaghan defending his WBC Continental Americas light heavyweight title against Cleiton Conceicao (20-6-2, 16 KOs) from Brazil.

Commentators for the event will include Kevin Kugler providing play-by-play with analyst Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini and reporter Crystina Poncher. Kugler is a veteran announcer who has called college basketball and NFL coverage for Westwood One and college football for the Big Ten Network. Mancini is a 2015 International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee and former NABF and WBA lightweight champion. Poncher is a commentator and reporter for Top Rank, as well as a host, reporter and correspondent for NFL Network and NFL.com. Additionally, closed captioning in Spanish will be available.

The network’s presentation will feature the continued use of “Spidercam”technology, the first of its kind for a live domestic boxing telecast, providing dynamic coverage during the series. “Spidercam” operates on a four-point system of cables from designated points beyond the corners of the boxing ring. The suspended camera has the ability to provide compelling 360-degree angles of the action including the ability to move in three dimensions – left/right, forward/backward and up/down.

As part of its entitlement sponsorship of the boxing series on truTV,MetroPCS will receive camera-visible center ring and corner pad brand placement for each fight, as well as inclusion in all promotional messaging across truTV and other Turner Broadcasting networks.

Visit the Turner Sports online pressroom for additional press materials; follow Turner Sports on Twitter at @TurnerSportsPR.

boxing, Friday Night Knockout, HBO Boxing, Top Rank, TruTV Boxing

MetroPCS Friday Night Knockout on truTV to Debut Friday, May 1, at 10 p.m. ET

April 24, 2015 FNU47 Leave a comment

New Primetime Series to Include First-Ever Use of “Spidercam” for Live Boxing Telecast

Kevin Kugler to Provide Play-by-Play with World Class Welterweight Timothy Bradley & Reporter Crystina Poncher

truTV and Top Rank will partner to exclusively present the MetroPCS Friday Night Knockout on truTV, a live primetime boxing series set to debut Friday, May 1, at 10 p.m. ET. The new boxing series, in association with Turner Sports and HBO Sports, will launch on the eve of the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao pay-per-view fight with a card featuring two title bouts inside The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

The network’s presentation will feature the first-ever domestic use of “Spidercam” technology for a live boxing telecast, providing dynamic coverage of this new series. “Spidercam” operates on a four-point system of cables from designated points beyond the corners of the boxing ring. The suspended camera has the ability to provide compelling 360-degree angles of the action including the ability to move in three dimensions – left/right, forward/backward and up/down.

“Spidercam” will provide the definitive views of the action throughout the series, including a main event on Friday, May 1, showcasing Takahiro Ao (27-3-1, 16 KOs) from Chiba, Japan, vs. Ray Beltran (29-7-1, 17 KOs) from Los Mochis, Mexico, in a 12-round bout for the vacant WBO Lightweight World Championship. The undercard will include two undefeated fighters in action – Mikael Zewski (26-0, 23 KOs) from Quebec, Canada, vs. Konstantin Ponomarev (27-0, 13 KOs) from Miass, Russia – in a 10-round bout for the NABF Welterweight Championship.

Commentators for the event will include Kevin Kugler providing play-by-play with analyst Timothy Bradley and reporter Crystina Poncher. Kugler is a veteran announcer who has called college basketball and NFL coverage for Westwood One and college football for the Big Ten Network. Bradley is a former WBO welterweight champion and former WBO and two-time WBC junior welterweight champion, including a win over Pacquiao during his career. Poncher is a commentator and reporter for Top Rank, as well as a host, reporter and correspondent for NFL Network and NFL.com. Additionally, closed captioning in Spanish will be available.

The second week of the MetroPCS Friday Night Knockout on truTV series – live from Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Friday, May 8, at 10 p.m. – will be headlined by Top-10 contenders Glen “Jersey Boy” Tapia (23-1, 15 KOs) from Passaic, N.J., and “Irish” Seanie Monaghan (23-0, 15 KOs) in action. Tapia will defend his NABO junior middleweight title against Michael Soro (25-1-1, 15 KOs) from France, with Monaghan (defending his WBC Continental Americas light heavyweight title) facing Cleiton Conceicao (20-6-2, 16 KOs) from Brazil.

As part of its entitlement sponsorship of the boxing series on truTV, MetroPCS will receive camera-visible center ring and corner pad brand placement for each fight, as well as inclusion in all promotional messaging across truTV and other Turner Broadcasting networks. Sony PlayStation also joins as an associate sponsor of the series, with in-ring signage and inclusion in promotional spots.

Visit the Turner Sports online pressroom for additional press materials; follow Turner Sports on Twitter at @TurnerSportsPR.

boxing, HBO Boxing, Showtime Boxing

FLOYD MAYWEATHER MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT

April 24, 2015 FNU47 Leave a comment

Kelly Swanson

Thanks, everybody, for joining us today. Today on the call we have none other than ‘TBE’ the greatest fighter on the earth, Floyd Mayweather, 11-time World Champion. We also have Leonard Ellerbe, CEO, Mayweather Promotions. Leonard, please start with the introductions. Thank you.

Leonard Ellerbe

Thank you, everyone, for joining us on the call. We’ll jump right into this without further ado. None other than Floyd Mayweather himself.

Floyd Mayweather

Hey, how is everyone doing? I want to thank Leonard. I want to thank Kelly. I want to thank my team. I want to thank all the media from around the world that have been covering this fight. I want to thank everyone, I just want to say that you guys are doing a great job and I appreciate you.

That thing on SportsCenter the other night, when you were talking about your place in boxing history and you said you thought you were greater than Muhammad Ali. Can you expand on your reasons why you feel that way?

F. Mayweather

I just feel like, like I said before, I take my hat off and then acknowledge all of the past champions. Ali, I think he was a legend. I respect Ali like I respect any other champion. I just feel like I’ve done everything I can do in this sport over my whole life, for 30-something years. I feel like I’ve done just as much in this sport as Ali did.

There’s no disrespect to him. I just feel like, when you look at it, Ali was great in one weight class, which is heavyweight. But he stood up for a good cause; he stood up for a hell of a cause in his era.

I think that it’s hard for a guy to beat me. I’m still sharp, still very, very sharp at the age of 38. Still going strong at the age of 38. There’s no disrespect to Ali, as I said before. I just feel like I’m the best, no different from how he called himself ‘The Greatest,’ I call myself ‘TBE.’

I’m pretty sure that I will get criticized for what I said, but I can care less. I couldn’t care less about the backlash. I believe what I believe like he probably got criticized at one particular time when he said that he was the greatest. He felt like he was better than Sugar Ray Robinson. The list goes on and on. I’m pretty sure there’s going to be another fighter that’s going to come along and say he’s better than Floyd Mayweather and he’s going to get criticized.

Do you think that Manny Pacquiao believes anything that Freddie Roach is saying when it comes to the bad guy and all this other stuff? Or do you think he’s just blowing smoke?

F. Mayweather

I’m not going to speak negative about Freddie Roach. I don’t have to at all. If I say something about the guy, they’re going to think Floyd is picking on a guy, who is not 100 percent healthy.

Then, if I comment on some of the stuff he says, he’s making this basically a God and devil type thing. The best way to handle a situation like that, is not to say anything at all, if you don’t have anything positive to say. He don’t have to get in there and fight, so when it comes down to it, it’s up to the two fighters.

He’s entitled to say what he wants to say, but the fighter is not speaking like that. I couldn’t care less because it comes down to the two fighters. I wish Freddie Roach nothing but the best; I don’t have anything negative to say about him. I’m truly blessed to be where I’m at and I’m thankful to be where I’m at.

The magnitude of this fight, I know you treat it like just another fight, but what about your team? How has your team dealt with the press?

F. Mayweather

I’m very happy, like I said before. A little bit of everything got me to this point. Everybody played a major key. I try to keep my team grounded. People talk about the money. That plays a major key. My place in history plays a major key. Performing well plays a major key. Everything plays a major, major key.

I just try to keep my team grounded and try to keep them focused and just try to teach them every day how to go out there and fish for themselves. That’s the only thing I try to teach my team. I tell them to stay positive, and what I’ve heard was keep a positive environment around myself, which keeps me comfortable and happy.

Are you excited at any point of this fight? I know you say you treat this like a job, but are you excited to finally get in the ring and have this fight happen?

F. Mayweather

It’s just like I said before. I’m not really going crazy. It’s just a fight to me. I know it’s the biggest fight in boxing history, but I can’t approach it like that because I’m not going to put any unnecessary pressure on myself.

He’s a fighter that’s extremely talented, he’s a very good fighter also, and my thing is just to be Floyd Mayweather. People actually don’t know, how is this fight going to be fought? I can’t say. Like I said before, I’m not a psychic. I cannot predict the future. But I will be at my best May 2^nd.

Listen, if you believe Bob Arum, this fight might not happen. That there’s issues with tickets, there’s the contract has not been signed, whatever. Do you know anything about that?

F. Mayweather

When it comes to the business side, that’s for Leonard Ellerbe. I don’t try to worry about tickets; I try to worry about the guy that’s in front of in me, which is going to be Manny Pacquiao. That’s my whole focus. Tickets are something I don’t really deal with.

Have you trained harder for any previous fight than you have for this one, and would that be down to your respect for Manny or the fact that you need to work a bit harder the older you get?

F. Mayweather

When you’re trying to perform, when you’re at this level, you always want to perform extremely well. You don’t want to overtrain. You want to train to where you know you’re completely ready. Go out there and be at just 100 percent. As far as this training camp, I’ve trained extremely hard. I believe that we’ll just see how everything plays out.

I’m hearing reports, Floyd, that you’re looking stronger and fitter than ever.

F. Mayweather

Well, some people say that, you might not believe that depending on who is telling you. Hopefully. Hopefully I am. We’ll just have to see. That’s why I’m at this level, at the pinnacle of my career, because I’ve been pushing myself for so long and working so hard.

Can I just ask you about Amir Khan? Is he still in your plans?

F. Mayweather

My focus right now is the guy that’s in front of me. My last fight is in September. I never want to overlook anyone. I believe you take it one fighter at a time. As of right now, Manny Pacquaio is the guy that’s in front of me, and that’s my focus.

My question is regarding, Manny Pacquiao has said he thinks it’s Floyd’s time to lose. He’s almost implying that it’s maybe, God is on his side. I was wondering how you think, if God actually does care who wins prizefights?

F. Mayweather

I actually believe God loves us all. The people that are on this call, every writer, every fighter, every athlete that goes out there and competes. God loves us all. Once again, I’m a fighter. What I do, I’m a professional prizefighter. I believe in God and I love God. I don’t think God takes sides.

Lot of stuff gets reported in the fourth or the sixth weeks leading up to this. We don’t always get a chance to ask you yourself, so I want to give you the opportunity. Is there anything that was reported that you want to clear up that you want to actually say no, that isn’t true, you guys got it wrong?

F. Mayweather

No, nothing at all. Because once my career is over, that’s when I’m going to read everything, anyway, all the articles that people have written. When I come home, I leave boxing at the boxing gym. When I go to the gym or when I go to train, I work. I dedicate myself to my craft.

When I come home and I’m not on the computer, I’m not looking at myself. I’m not buying magazine covers with me on the cover. I’m not on the computer looking up articles. I could care less about all that. My job is to go out there and perform and be at my best, and be the best that I can be in the sport of boxing.

My question for you is, in your opinion, what would a victory against Pacquiao do for your legacy? And then how much would it enhance your legacy.

F. Mayweather

It’s just another fight. I just look at the situation. He’s another guy that I faced. You’re just going to say in history, that these two faced each other at one particular time. It was hard to make the fight happen, eventually they made the fight happen, and we faced each other.

Do you believe, though, that a victory would in some way enhance your legacy?

F. Mayweather

I’m not sure, because I’m not the one that’s putting myself in the history books.

Do you think it’s true that the winner of the fight will be declared, in essence, by the public, as the king of this era?

F. Mayweather

I can’t really say. I don’t really know. Just look at Ali’s career. When he fought, he looked like the best when he fought. I think he lost seven fights. When I got older I noticed that he lost seven fights and lost some other fight that he lost. He still was known as the greatest. Because that’s what he put out there. So, that’s what it is.

The wonderment on a lot of people’s minds is when the career is over, will you have enough money for the rest of your life? Do you ever worry about losing at all?

F. Mayweather

I’m blessed. I made some good investments to where if I wanted to retire today, I could.

That means there’s no fear of bankruptcy whatsoever in terms of the gambling and the other involvements that you’ve spent?

F. Mayweather

I made some good investments, and if I wanted to retire today, I could.

My question is, you said at the press conference that you though that Pacquiao was surprised at how much bigger you were than him. Can you talk a little bit about that, and then also some of the strategic aspects of being the bigger fighter in the ring on May 2?

F. Mayweather

Normally when I face an opponent, they normally outweighed me by 17 to 20 pounds on fight nights. This has been going on for a good while now. You can read a guy’s body language. When Pacquiao first saw me in Miami, he didn’t expect to see me over there at the basketball game. He looked shocked, like, ‘Damn, he is taller than me. He’s bigger than what I thought he was.’ Just being in the sport for so long, you’re able to read body language; you’re able to read a fighter’s eyes.

Do you feel that some of the trash talking is Freddie Roach being nervous about the fight and trying to get a psychological edge on you?

F. Mayweather

I’m not fighting Freddie Roach, so I’m not worried about that at all. Freddie Roach, he’s Pacquiao’s trainer and he’s going to do what he has to do for his fighter to win. If that’s trying to get an edge, then that’s what he should do.

All of your other fights, you’ve always been a very vocal, always been a vocal fighter. Why the silence this time?

F. Mayweather

This is exactly what I’ve said. Even in my interviews, I’ve said we had to bring a game plan. Even from day one when I was with Bob Arum, I said I wanted to work extremely hard to get to a certain point in my career, which is to get to a point to be the first fighter to ever make nine figures in one night.

It took a game plan to me going out there on my own. It’s just me speaking out with a very, very loud voice. Having a lot of personality. But as you get older, you mature. After trash talking for 17, 18 years, and constantly saying, look what I’ve done. Look at me. Look at me. You know what I’m saying? I’m the best. Look at me. And everybody they’ve put in front of me I’ve beaten.

I’m at a point where you just say, you know what? It is what it is. I know what I can do. I know what I bring to the table. God has truly blessed me to be in this situation. I have a good team. My children are healthy, so I don’t have to do all that.

It’s more like I did all that loud talking and everything to get to a certain point. I’ve still got a lot of personality, I did what I had to do to get to a certain point in my career, and that’s what I did. It was a brilliant game plan.

From your personal point of view, how has this fight and this promotion been different from the many other big events that you’ve been a part of?

F. Mayweather

It’s actually been kind of the same. It’s just a little bit over the top, but I just try to stay relaxed. That’s my main thing. It’s a very, very huge event. I can remember every day.

Sometimes I think about when Mike Tyson got out of prison and he was boxing, and when he was fighting at the MGM Grand. I would go to the MGM Grand, because I wasn’t a professional at that particular time. Just starting. I would go to the MGM Grand and some people would know me so I would take pictures and just sign a few autographs. I was like, man, MGM Grand would never be this packed again. That’s what I thought. I was only 19 years old at that particular time. That was in ’96. I kept believing though. I always believed that I could do record-breaking numbers. I just needed the right team with me and it took a little bit of everything. The right fights, the right team, and we made it happen.

Beyond all the trash talk and salesmanship, you’ve always been a guy that, when it comes down to it, is very respectful of his opponents. I think it’s part of your secret. Is there anything that you admire about Manny Pacquiao, either the fighter or the person?

F. Mayweather

Well, he’s got to this point by doing something right. It’s obvious he’s done something right to get to this point. I have to respect that.

The Filipino fans are expecting or hoping for a very aggressive Manny in the ring. Is this something that you’re training for, or are you just going in the ring to fight your fight, make the adjustments along the way as you have so successfully throughout your career?

F. Mayweather

If you’re basically asking what’s my game plan, my game plan is to win. That’s actually what my game plan has always been is to win.

A lot of the animosity from the Filipino fans towards you is not directed to you as a great boxer, but more as someone who can put an end towards a Filipino hero’s career. Do you honestly believe that you would put an end to a Filipino hero’s career?

F. Mayweather

Well, my thing is this. I’ve heard that we’re all God’s children, whether you’re American, Filipino, African, Dominican, Asian, we’re all God’s children. People are going to root for who they want to root for and simple and plain I’m pretty sure I’ve got Filipino fans that like me, and I’m pretty sure that you’ve got some black American fans that like Pacquiao.

I never try to focus on anything like that. My focus is to give the people what they really want to see. Just facing the facts. That’s what I’ve done throughout my career. He’s one of the last guys, he’s one of the last good fighters of this era. It’s a fight that has to happen, and I’m glad that the fight is happening.

How much strength and effort and support from family does it take to get you where you are right now?

F. Mayweather

Well, the support came a lot. I had a hell of a supporting cast to get to this point, before I became a professional. There’s this guy that I never talk about to anyone. I never say anything about him to anyone. And he’s doing extremely badly right now, not financially but health-wise. I believe he’s lost his memory, which hurts extremely bad. A guy by the name of Frank Brown, I’ve known him since I was the age of three.

He has supported me more than anyone. He has always said that, “Floyd, one day you will be the best fighter in the world.” He’s always taking me to church, taking me through different activities. He was like a grandfather to me. Frank Brown. When I used to fight, he would drive anywhere. It could be in Little Rock, Arkansas. He would drive from Grand Rapids, Michigan to come support me. He would sit in the room with me and say prayers with me.

He’s a guy that I would never forget, because he was there from the age of three until after I fought De La Hoya, because he’s up there in age now. He eventually lost his memory, so he’s at a home. He’s at an old folks’ home. It really hurts, but I love that guy so much. I think about him all the time.

K. Swanson

Okay, that’s our last question. Thank you, everybody, for joining us. Floyd, any final comments?

F. Mayweather

I just want to tell everybody, thank you for all the stories, and all the articles you guys wrote. Thank you so much. My team appreciates you all, as well as myself. Thank you.

* * *

Mayweather vs. Pacquiao is a 12-round welterweight world championship unification bout promoted by Mayweather Promotions and Top Rank Inc., and is sponsored by Tecate con caracter, Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions -Terminator Genisys, in theaters July 1^st, Paramount Pictures & Skydance Productions present MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: ROGUE NATION, in theaters & IMAX July 31^st, The Weinstein Company and the new movie Southpaw, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, in theaters everywhere July 24 and Mexico, Live it to Believe it. The pay-per-view telecast will be co-produced and co-distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View^® and SHOWTIME PPV^® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

boxing, Showtime Boxing

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

March 30, 2015 FNU47 Leave a comment

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.

boxing, Showtime Boxing

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

March 28, 2015 FNU47 Leave a comment

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:

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(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.

boxing, Showtime Boxing, UK Boxing

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

March 27, 2015 FNU47 Leave a comment

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.

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