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boxing, Mayweather Promotions, Showtime, Showtime Boxing

JEAN PASCAL VS. BADOU JACK AND JARRETT HURD VS. LUIS ARIAS VIRTUAL PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES

May 26, 2021 FNU47 Leave a comment

**Fighters Preview Showdowns Taking Place Sunday, June 6 on Mayweather vs. Logan Paul SHOWTIME PPV Undercard from**
**Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens**

**NEW YORK –** (May 25, 2021) – WBA Light Heavyweight Champion **Jean Pascal** and two-division champion **Badou Jack**, plus former unified world champion **“Swift” Jarrett Hurd**and veteran contender **Luis Arias**, previewed their respective showdowns on a virtual press conference Tuesday before they step in the ring as part of the SHOWTIME PPV undercard of Mayweather vs. Logan Paul taking place Sunday, June 6 from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

Pascal and Jack will meet for a championship rematch in the co-main event of the pay-per-view, while Hurd and Arias square off for a 10-round bout also on pay-per-view. The telecast, which is being produced by SHOWTIME PPV, will air live beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and will also feature former NFL star wide receiver Chad Johnson making his boxing debut in an exhibition match against versatile fighter Brian Maxwell.

Tickets for the live event are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com.

Here is what the fighters had to say Tuesday:

**JEAN PASCAL**

“I’m very excited about the rematch. I’ve been training in Puerto Rico since December. I’ve been waiting this whole time for the rematch and I’m ready. I respect Badou, but he’s always whining after he loses. The judges said I won the fight and that’s it.

“The first fight, in the first six rounds I did everything well. I might have gotten a little overconfident. I took it a bit too easy after that. The fight got close because of that knockdown he got that wasn’t from a real punch. Without that, it wouldn’t have even been close. We’re going to settle this June 6 in Miami.

“I think I just have to pace myself a little better this fight. I got over excited because I’ve sparred with Badou before and know what I can do. I am a veteran, so I shouldn’t have gotten too excited like that. As far as knocking him down again in this fight, my mom taught me that anything you can do once, you can do twice.

“I do believe that Badou respects my power. If he doesn’t, then he better watch that fourth round again. But I also have skills with my power. I am naturally-gifted and I have the better skills. I was born for this sport and built to win.

“I really think the work in the gym will help so I don’t have ring rust. I’m a veteran. I’ve been here and done that. At this age, it’s better to have more rest than to be over trained. I had the right intensity in camp to make sure I’m not over trained.

“He’s coming for revenge and I’m coming with bad intentions. It’s going to be a great show, so make sure you tune-in for this one.”

**BADOU JACK**

“I’m feeling great with my new trainer Jonathon Banks. Physically I’m in amazing shape and I can’t wait. Another week and a half and it’s all going to happen.

“This has been in the works since our first fight. Last year Floyd called me and said, ‘it’s on.’ Then the pandemic hit and it got pushed back. There is a reason there is a rematch, because everyone knows who won that fight. It’s better late than never. I was back in the gym Monday after the first fight.

“There were three judges and Julie Lederman had it for me and the two other guys had never judged a big fight before. We have two judges for this fight: the right hand and the left hand. That’s it. I’m very confident for this fight and I’m not worried about the judges. I know Jean Pascal is a warrior, and I’m a warrior. I’m just ready to fight.

“Looking at the past, yes, I need to start faster. Every fight, that can apply. I will listen to my corner, and we’re going to figure out how to win the fight. By any means we need.

“He can say whatever he wants about when I knocked him down. I hit him five straight times and he swung and missed and I hit him. That’s why he went down.

“This is going to be a firefight. We already know that. Tune in to this fight. Boxing is not a game and I’m going to show everyone that and try to steal the show.

“I’ve watched the last fight once or twice, maybe three times. I just need to make some small adjustments. You can always do better. I’m more confident than last time. I know we are both warriors. We’ve fought everyone. We’re the same age (Jack is 37; Pascal 38), even though I look a little bit better. I’m looking younger. Nobody has seen my birth certificate. I’m not really 37. I’m 27.”

**JARRETT HURD**

“Training camp has been great. I haven’t fought in a year and a half, so I had a chance to really take my time with this camp. I’ve had a lot of time to put in the work. I’m training with fighters like Terence Crawford, Shakur Stevenson, Troy Isley and a lot more. We’re all out here working day after day.

“Arias is a great fighter. This is going to be the type of toe-to-toe fight I like. He’s going to be there in front of me and ready to fight. He’s never been stopped, so I’ll be prepared to go the distance.

“We’ve seen this story before from Arias. He talks a big game but look at his fights against top fighters. It doesn’t matter what weight I’m at, Arias knows what’s coming. I suffered a loss, but I got the win in my last fight and I’m on my way back.

“I just need a dominant win on June 6. Luis Arias can make it ugly, but I have to go win convincingly and let everyone know I’m back. I don’t want to win in a sloppy way, I want to look good doing it.

“He might think he’s catching me at the right time, but it’s not going to be a good time for him on June 6. I can box and I can bang, it doesn’t matter. We’ll decide on fight night which style I’m going to use. I know that I can beat him either way.

“I tried to work on my bad habits after my loss. I was a straight-forward guy who just came at you. I wanted to show in my last fight against Francisco Santana that I can use my height and range if I need to. I wanted to box all 10 rounds and I did that.

“I still have too much unfinished business at 154-pounds. I have a lot of fights, including my rematch against Julian Williams, that I still want to get. I want to regain my titles. Me and Jermell Charlo is probably the biggest fight at 154 right now. I want to handle that before I move up in weight.”

**LUIS ARIAS**

“Camp has been excellent. I’m excited for the fight. I think this is a perfect fight and a perfect opportunity. It’s a great matchup. I’ve been working on the right things to make sure I’m one hundred percent prepared for this fight and I think I’m catching Jarrett Hurd at the right time. He’s switching styles. He really doesn’t know how he wants to fight.

“When this fight was brought to me, he was ranked No. 1 at the Ring Magazine at 154 and that’s part of why I wanted this fight. Leonard Ellerbe asked if I was willing to fight Hurd, and I said one hundred percent. It’s all about challenging yourself. This is another challenge and I never turn down a challenge. I’ve been in there with the best and there’s nothing that Jarrett Hurd can bring to the table that I haven’t already seen.

“A win puts me right back in the mix. I’ve always been just one step away from really getting into the mix with the big guys. My last couple fights have all been just one fight away from getting that world title fight. Once I beat Jarrett Hurd on June 6, I’ll be right there with the big dogs. He’s calling out Jermell Charlo and he wants to fight all these other big names, but he’s going to have to get through me. If he loses to me, I’ll be in position for the fights that he wants.

“It’s going to be a hard fight. If he wants to bang, we can bang. If he says he wants to box, he’s not the better boxer. But there’s only one way to find out and we’re going to find out in two weeks. I have to do everything that I can do to make sure that I show up and I impress.

“I’m still young and I’m still fighting my way through. I just needed to make the proper adjustments. I’m not going to be a desperate fighter. I’m going to go in there and fight the way I fight. I’ve always had championship-level fighting in me, but I just haven’t shown it. This is a perfect opportunity for me to show it.

“I’m coming after him. I have to win. He’s not going to have to find me. I’m going to be right there. If I have to box him in the middle of the ring or if I have to put my head in his chest and dog him out, then that’s what I got to do. From the opening bell to the final bell, if we make it to the final bell, I’m going to be on him. We’ll see what type of adjustments he makes, but I don’t feel he’s a better inside fighter than me and I don’t feel like he’s a better boxer than me.”

**LEONARD ELLERBE, CEO of Mayweather Promotions**

“The world is buzzing about this whole event, including our terrific undercard with two great professional bouts. Hurd vs. Arias is going to be a scintillating bout. I’ve seen Luis up close and personal during this training camp and I know that he’s 100% prepared and ready to pull off the upset. Hurd on the other hand is looking to maintain his footprint in the 154-pound division and prove he’s the best at that weight.

“Pascal and Jack had a fantastic bout a year and a half ago on SHOWTIME. From the opening bell, those guys proved they are great warriors and we expect nothing less in the rematch on June 6. The fans are truly in for a treat on that night.

“The energy between these four fighters today has been incredible. As the promoter of this event, I’m excited, so I can only imagine what the fans are in for. Hurd and Arias are both looking to make a statement, and that’s going to roll right into Pascal against Jack, who are going to pick up right where they left off in their first fight.”

***ABOUT MAYWEATHER VS. LOGAN PAUL***
Mayweather vs. Logan Paul is a special exhibition bout presented by Mayweather Promotions, FANMIO and Mavathltcs that will take place on Sunday, June 6 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. The telecast, which is being produced by SHOWTIME PPV, will air live beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and can be purchased now at SHOWTIME.com andFANMIO.com. The undercard will feature WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Jean Pascal vs. two-division world champion Badou Jack in a 12-round rematch, plus former unified super welterweight champion “Swift” Jarrett Hurd against Luis Arias in a 10-round bout and in a fourth PPV bout, former NFL star wide receiver Chad Johnson will make his boxing debut in an exhibition match against versatile fighter Brian Maxwell. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com.

For more information visit bit.ly/mayweatherpaul, www.SHO.com/sports, www.FANMIO.com. Follow on Twitter @FloydMayweather, @LoganPaul, @MayweatherPromo,@ShowtimeBoxing and @FANMIO and on Instagram @FloydMayweather, @LoganPaul, @MayweatherPromotions, @ShowtimeBoxing and @FANMIO.

Perfect connection Gilberto“Zurdo” Ramirez & Trainer Julian Chua

May 26, 2021 FNU47 Leave a comment

LAS VEGAS (May 25, 2021) – Back in February of 2019, World Boxing Organization (WBO) Super Middleweight Champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez had made a decision to move up to fight in the light heavyweight division, and he was searching for a new head trainer.

Ramirez (41-0, 27 KOs) immediately connected with a then 28-year-old Julian Chua, a former amateur boxer who had been training boxers at Freddie Roach’s famed Wildcard Boxing Club in Hollywood, California. “Zurdo” and Chua are now 2-0 (2 KOs) and preparing for a mega-fought later this year, ideally, against undefeated World Boxing Association (WBA) Super Light Heavyweight Champion Dmitry Bivol (17-0, 11 KOs).

How Ramirez ended up with Chua as he head trainer isn’t a typical boxing story. After all, “Zurdo” was the first Mexican world super middleweight champion, sporting a 29-0 pro record, and only 27 when they first met.

Ramirez’ manager, David Suh, conducted a search to hire Ramirez’ chief second. He had a list that included some of the top trainers in the industry, as well as a young, relatively unknown – at least outside of southern California – in Chua.

“I don’t know how I got on that list,” a humble Chua said. “There was going to be a tryout of sorts to determine who would work with ‘Zurdo.’ We trained together in Long Beach (where Ramirez was training) and then I met with David for coffee. He asked if I was interested in becoming the head trainer. We trained together a little more. He liked the way I trained, and we got along well. I texted David saying we liked working together and that I was interested in becoming his head trainer.

“We clicked right away, and we learned things about each other and how we liked to train. I study a lot and do a lot of research of how he had been trained, because I wanted to help him to improve. I was getting four fighters ready in LA and “Zurdo” couldn’t go there for sparring. I said I couldn’t leave these fighters and go to Santa Barbara. “Zurdo” respected me even more for not jumping ship from those four fighters for a better opportunity. We still wanted to work with each other, and ‘Zurdo’ made it work. I went to Long Beach twice a week, he came to Wildcard three times.”

Ramirez won his light heavyweight debut April 12, 2019, when Tommy Karpency (29-6-1) was unable to continue after four rounds, followed last December 18^th with a 10^th round stoppage of Alfonso Lopez (32-3) to capture the North American Boxing Federation (NABF) title.

Chua was trained by Roach when he was an amateur from Indiana, but when Chua started at Wildcard, Roach’s assistant Eric Brown became Chua’s mentor. During his training career at Wildcard West Boxing, known now as Churchill Boxing in Santa Barbara, Chua has trained several world champions in boxing and MMA.

The 29-year-old Ramirez, who recently signed an exclusive promotional contract with Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, is currently ranked No. 3 by the WBA and WBO. “Zurdo” returns to action July 9^th in Los Angeles against Sullivan Barrera (22-3, 14 KOs).

Whether it’s Bivol, or the other world light heavyweight champions — Artur Beterbiev and Joe Smith – “Zurdo” and Chua are preparing to beat the best for Ramirez to wear the coveted World championship crown in a second division.

INFORMATION:

Website: www.ZurdoPromotions.com

Instagram: @zurdoramirez, @zurdopromotions

Twitter: @ZurdoPromotions, @GilbertoZurdoRamirez

mixed martial arts, MMA

SFT dominating Brazilian National MMA Rankings

May 26, 2021 FNU47 Leave a comment

SAO PAULO, Brazil (May 25, 2021) – Fighters in SFT’s stable, according to MMA Premium, dominated May’s Brazilian National MMA Rankings.

In the male pound-for-pound ratings, SFT stable fighters captured three of the top four positions: 2, Marcos “Babuino” de Santos (33-13-1, SFT: 3-0-), 3. Wellington “Predador” Prado (11-2-0, SFT: 5-1-0), 4. Thiago “Manchinha” Silva (19-9-0, (SFT: 0-1-0).

“Babuino” and “Predador”, respectively, are also the top 2 ranked featherweights, while Junior and Acacio “Pequeno” dos Santos (13-3-0, SFT: 2-0-0) finished one-two in the light heavyweight division.

SFT women also placed second and third in the women pound-for-pound ratings, respectively, with strawweights Julia Polastri (8-2-0, SFT: 1-0-0) and Karine “Killer” Silva (13-4-0, SFT: 2-0-0).

SFT swept the top three positions in female bantamweight rankings, in order, with Karine “Killer,” who was SFT’s 2020 Submission of the Year recipient, Gisele “Gi” Moreira (9-4-0, SFT: 1-0-0) and Sidy Rocha (12-8-2, SFT: 0-1-0).

“SFT was established in 2018 by our film and production company,” SFT president David Hudson said. “Two events were produced, but then we were on hold for five years, and back then, I had nothing to do with SFT. When events were resumed in 2018, I wondered why a country that played a major role in the creation of MMA and UFC didn’t have a world-class promotion. After analyzing what was being done and attending SFT 4 in Brazil, I was sure the problem was how things were being done. I decided to walk away from the film industry and dedicated my life to MMA.

“Under my leadership, SFT has had a whole new way of promoting MMA. Each decision I made, I was told that by many that I was wrong, and it would result in the end of SFT. Numbers don’t lie and thanks to God, I I have the numbers that prove I was correct., However, as innovative and even crazy my ideas may have been, I knew that at the end of the day our fights had to be top notch. I had a 3-year plan and my goal was to have top 10 Brazilian fighters in each weight class in SFT, excluding those who had contracts outside of Brazil.”

SFT is tentatively prepared to return July 10th with SFT 27 in Brazil.

“We were on track to reaching our goal, but the pandemic caused us to pause at the year of year too,” Hudson explained. “Due to inactivity, many of our fighters dropped out of the top 5 and 10 in national rankings. We still have a lot of the best of the best in Brazil in our stable and in July we will return with our monthly events. I am sure that in a year, things will be back on track, and we’ll be closer to our goal.

“Part of our strategy was to have events in the United States, but there are still travel restrictions for Brazilians going to the USA. As soon as we are able to bring our fighters to the United States to fight, we will, and then we will be one step closer to attaining my goal.”

INFORMATION:

Website: www.sftcombat.com

Facebook: /SFT.combat, davidhudson.SFT

Twitter: @SFTCombat, @SFTUSA

Instagram: @SFTCombat, @DavidHudson.SFT

You Tube: /SFTCombat, /SFTUSA, /SFTBrasil

boxing

Marvin Cordova, Jr. & Robert Daniels, Jr. Join Fighter Locker stable

May 26, 2021 FNU47 Leave a comment

BOSTON (May 25, 2021) – Veteran boxer **Marvin “Much Too Much” Cordova, Jr**(pictured above) and promising prospect **Robert Daniels, Jr.** (pictured below) are the latest additions to **Ryan Roach**’s growing Fighter Locker stable.

“Mr. (Jimmy) Burchfield (Cordova’s promoter) linked me up with Marvin,” Roach said. We had a few short conversations on the phone, and it just happened. Marvin is very passionate about the sport, and he’s read to show the worked he still has a lot left in his tank. He truly is a special fighter with a high-caliber resume including opponents likeVictor Ortiz and **Joselito Lopez**. He has a great team around him now and we are really looking forward to getting him going.

“Robert is a great young man coming from a family just like mine. I am ready to get him going with a great trainer in **Kevin Cunningham**. I am proud to add him to the Fighter Locker team. He is really a talented fighter that had a few bad breaks early on in his career. He had managerial issues and so forth. Look for Daniels Jr. during the next year!”

The 36-year-old Cordova (23-2-1, 12), is a super middleweight from Pueblo, Colorado. A solid amateur who was a bronze medalist at the 2002 U.S. Under-19 and 2003 Police Athletic League, Cordova turned pro in 2014, but his pro career has been interrupted because spent 8 years in prison. He also defeated future pro world champion **Daniel Jacobs**

“I’m 36 but a young 36,” Cordova said. “I started boxing at 4. I had 242 amateur fights and was chosen as one of the top amateur boxers in the country. I spent 8 years in prison, and it made me a better person and hungrier fighter. I have some unfinished business to take care of. I really beat Joselito Lopez (Lopez won an 8-round decision). I hit him with a big shot in the sixth round, but they let him stay down for 4 minutes, claiming he was hit low.”

In his last fight this past January, Cordova captured the NBA super middleweight title by stopping 56-30-3 **Hector Velazquez** in round four, adding to his awards display case that also includes his Interim WBC Youth World, WBA NABA U.S. light welterweight, and GBU Youth light welterweight title belts.

“Ryan Roach believes in me,” Cordova noted. “I’m stronger and ready for the next step. I had talked with a friend, **Jimmy Williams**, about signing with a good manager. He told me Ryan was a good manager who loves his fighters and really cares about him. My promoter, ‘Mr. B’ (**Jimmy Burchfield**), hooked me up with Ryan. He calls to make sure I’m good and he can get me to the elite level once again.”

Daniels (4-0, 4 KOs) is the son of former WBA cruiserweight World champion **Robert “Preacher Man” Daniels** (49-10-1, 41 KOs), who became world champion in 1989, when he decisioned the future Hall of Famer **Dwight Muhammad Qawi**.

“There’s a little bit of added pressure as the son of a world champion boxer,” southpaw Daniels admitted. I’ve heard things like ‘he’s not going to be like his father, he doesn’t have what it takes to be world champion.’”

Now fighting out of West Palm Beach, Florida, Miami native Daniels is now trained byCunningham. Managerial issues resulted in him fighting only four times as a pro during his nearly 5-year career.

“I was introduced to Ryan by my friend, **Daniel Bailey** (a member of Fighter Locker), and I believe Ryan can get me to a world title,” Daniels remarked. “The main reason I signed with Ryan is I like his personality. He’s easy to talk with and before I even signed with him, he reached out to me to see how things were going. And that’s a big reason why I did sign with him.

“I was supposed to sign with managers are few times, but it never went anywhere, and I wasn’t getting fights. I have this great opportunity now and I’m going to take full advantage of it.”

Fighter Locker’s growing stable of gifted boxers include California super flyweight **Rocco “So Cal Kid” Santomauro** (21-1, 6 KOs), Troy, NY ABF American West super lightweight **Ray Jay “The Destroyer” Bermudez** (12-0, 9 KOs), Toronto, Canada welterweight West Haven, CT super welterweight **Jimmy “Quiet Storm” Williams** (17-5-2, 6 KOs), super middleweight **“The Amazing” Shawn McCalman** (7-0, 4 KOs), U.S. Army super bantamweight **Daniel Bailey, Jr**. (5-0, 4 KOs), lightweight **Leonel de los Santos** (2-0, 2 KOs), a 2-time Dominican Republic Olympian, Boston featherweight **Troy Anderson, Jr**. (1-0, 1 KO), pro-debuting Dominican Republic welterweight **Juan Solano**, and Salt Lake City, 2016 Olympic silver medalist **Yuberjen Martinez**, Utah brothers, super lightweight **Ignacio Chairez** (8-0-1, 5 KOs) and lightweight **Gabriel Chairez** (3-0-1, 2 KOs).

**INFORMATION:**
WEBSITE: fighterlocker.com, punch4parkinsons.com
FACEBOOK: /fighterlocker
TWITTER: @RoachRyan
INSTAGRAM: @RyanRoach82

**ABOUT FIGHTER LOCKER:** Established in 2019, Fighter Locker is a comprehensive sports agency that manages professional boxers. Fighter Locker also helps to brand boxers by finding their voice with a 100-percent customized service. Fighter Locker does not really believe in working models. It believes in partnership optimization models in motion.

Fighter Locker uses four creative steps because it believes in “the foundation is everything”: 1. wisely conceived, 2. creatively restrained, 3. Proudly judged, 4. sharply targeted.

boxing

BLAIR “THE FLAIR” COBBS EXCITED ABOUT RING RETURN IN EL PASO

May 26, 2021 FNU47 Leave a comment

**LOS ANGELES, CA (May 24, 2021)** – One of the most exciting welterweights in all of boxing returns on June 19, 2021, when **Blair “The Flair” Cobbs** (14-0-1, 9 KOs), battles decorated amateur and veteran of the sport, **Brad Solomon** (29-3, 9 KOs). The ten-round bout, taking place at the University of Texas at El Paso’s Don Haskins Center, will air live on DAZN as the first televised fight on the **Jaime Munguia** vs. **Maciej Sulecki** card.

“I haven’t fought in over a year and it is time for the most electrifying man in all of boxing to give the fans a show,” said Cobbs in-between rounds at his new home, Wild Card Boxing Gym in Hollywood, California. “I wanted a tough opponent, and Brad Solomon is just that. His losses have only been to really good fighters and he has over twice the experience as me as a professional, so I am ready to show the world who I am! It’s time for the Wooo man to get busy.”

“Blair is nearing the point to fight some of the world-ranked fighters, the fans love him, he has a great style, and he is a talented fighter,” said Cobb’s manager,**Greg Hannley**, CEO of **Prince Ranch Boxing**. “We’re expecting a lot from Blair, and I see him in a big fight amongst one of Golden Boy Promotions best fighters by the end of the year, that is the goal for Blair.”

Cobbs last fought on Valentine’s day weekend of 2020, winning a split decision over **Samuel Kotey Neequaye**. Cobbs has been out of the ring for a year-plus and has made changes to his team that he feels will help him moving forward in his career.

“I made a decision to move to Hollywood and train with **Freddie Roach** at the Wild Card Boxing Gym, because I needed a change,” said Cobbs. “Being in the gym with Freddie every day and seeing all the great fighters and new faces has me excited all over again. I really want to make my legacy known as one of the top guys in the sport.”
# # #

**Munguia vs. Sulecki** is a 12-round fight for the WBO Intercontinental Middleweight Title presented by Golden Boy in association with Zanfer Promotions and Warrior’s Boxing. The event is sponsored by Tecate “The Official Beer of Boxing,” Hennessy “Never Stop. Never Settle” and “BetOnline – Your Online Sportsbook Experts.” The fight will take place on Saturday, June 19 at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas and will be streamed live exclusively on DAZN worldwide, excluding Mexico.

Tickets for **Munguia vs. Sulecki** are on sale now and are priced at $200, $100, $60 and $35 not including applicable service charges. In an effort to promote social distancing, tickets will be sold in pods/groupings of 2, 3, 4 and 6 people only. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call 915-747-5234. Tickets will also be available for purchase at http://www.utepspecialevents.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

For fans who have already purchased tickets for Saturday, April 24 and would like to still attend **Munguia vs. Sulecki,** your tickets and seating location are still valid for the new date and no further action is required.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and DAZN.com. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing and @DAZNBoxing. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoy and https://www.facebook.com/DAZN. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoy and @DAZNBoxing. Follow the conversation using #MunguiaSulecki.

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Showtime

FIGHT NIGHT RESULTS, QUOTES & PHOTOS FOR BELLATOR MMA 259: CYBORG VS. SMITH 2

May 26, 2021 FNU47 Leave a comment

A picture containing person, sport

Description automatically generated — **COMPLETE FIGHT NIGHT PHOTOS HERE – (PLEASE CREDIT: BELLATOR MMA / LUCAS NOONAN)**

**POST-FIGHT VIDEO INTERVIEWS HERE**

c-**Cris Cyborg** (24-2, 1 NC) defeated #4-**Leslie Smith** (12-9-1) via TKO (strikes) at 4:51 of round five

*Cris Cyborg after retaining the title:*

**“I knew she was tough and I’ve fought her before. I know her and respect her and she’s a real fighter. I knew with her it would be a great match, because she’s capable and she’s tough.**”

“I was really working in sparring to keep going and going because I knew it was going to be this way. I noticed I enjoyed it a little more. It’s going to be 16 years as a professional fighter this month so I started to enjoy it in there.”

**“I’ve been working on grappling my whole life but I just feel like I’m getting better and better every day. I got a black belt, but it’s like a white belt because I’m always learning.**”

“I’ve been doing this 16 years, I’ve got four titles. But before you can be a G.O.A.T. you have to fight the ‘Cat.’ So, I’d like to fight with Cat Zingano and I will ask Scott Coker. Because before you can be a G.O.A.T. you have to fight the ‘Cat.’”

#6-**Leandro Higo** (20-5) defeated **Darrion Caldwell** (15-5) via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

“I’ve been waiting for this fight for three years now. It’s exactly how I wanted it to go. I used my wrestling and I used my jiu-jitsu. I’m a complete fighter and I’m ready for any fighter on the planet because I believe I’m the best. I knew I had lost the first round, but in the second when he was throwing all those elbows and cut me open, I’m from a poor family in Brazil and that was nothing I hadn’t seen before. I felt happy being in that cage with blood all over me.

“He ended up taking me down in the second and I went for a kimura, which is something I’m very accustomed to doing, but he reversed it but then he didn’t do anything and I hit him with a lot of strikes on bottom. A lot of elbows and strikes and I stayed very on bottom and he wasn’t doing anything. That’s why I won the second and third round.”

“I think that I deserve a title shot. I just beat three of the biggest names in the game and I just beat a former world champion. And nobody has beaten the top three guys of this world-class caliber like I have done in three consecutive wins. I’m going for that world title and that’s what’s next for me. So let’s make it fast.”

#3-**Austin Vanderford** (11-0) defeated #4-**Fabian Edwards** (9-2) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

*Austin Vanderford following his unanimous decision win:*

“I like my fights bloody, whether it’s me or my opponent. I’ll get a scab. But hats off to Fabian who cut me up a little bit. But happy to get the win.”

“He was a big, strong guy. I started feeling him give me that head and arm choke. Unfortunately, I didn’t capitalize on it. But I knew what I was going to do. I was going to just grind it out. He’s a good striker so I had to be careful but I felt good. Wrestling … it’s my heart. I’m ready for the next step.”

**Jaleel Willis** (15-2) defeated **Maycon Mendonca** (11-5) via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

**Hannah Guy** (3-1) defeated #8-**Valerie Loureda** (3-1) via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

*Hannah Guy following her first win inside the BELLATOR cage…*

“I felt like I had really good cardio, so that was awesome because I was really worried about that a little bit. I’m so thankful she took the fight and I’m so thankful BELLATOR gave me this opportunity.

“I thought I was going to finish with the triangle (choke), honestly. She just slipped right out of there, so that was awesome of her. Her defense was really good. I was really impressed with that. I didn’t know what her ground game was but it was a lot better than I thought it was going to be.

“Grappling is just where I want to be if you’ve seen any of my other fights. My striking has really improved a lot though so I’m hoping to change that. But grappling has always been my strong suit. I didn’t want to just depend on my grappling, but I thought I landed some shots pretty well a few times. In this fight I thought I could see when the punches were coming. And I was able to defend a little bit better and how I’ve grown. So I’m just really proud of myself right now.”

**Preliminary Card:**
**Saad Awad** (24-13, 1 NC) defeated **Nate Andrews** (16-4) via KO (strikes) at 3:16 of round one
#7-**Grant Neal** (6-0) defeated #8-**Tyree Fortune** (5-1) via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:20 of round one
**Sumiko Inaba** (2-0) defeated **Kristina Katsikis** (1-2) via TKO (strikes) at 3:35 of round three
**Aviv Gozali** (6-0) defeated **Sean Felton** (5-3-1) via submission (heel hook) at 1:17 of round one
#9-**Davion Franklin** (3-0) defeated **Tyler King** (12-10) via KO at 2:02 of round one
#7-**Leah McCourt** (5-1) defeated 6-**Janay Harding** (6-5) via submission (triangle choke) at 2:42 of round two
**Danny Sabatello** (11-1) defeated **Brett Johns** (17-3) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
**Alexander Shabliy** (20-3) defeated #9-**Alfie Davis** (14-4) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Please visit Bellator.com for additional information.

boxing, Showtime, Showtime Boxing

SHOWTIME SPORTS DOCUMENTARY FILMS RELEASES OFFICIAL TRAILER AND POSTER ART FOR THE KINGS

May 22, 2021 FNU47 Leave a comment

SHOWTIME^® SPORTS DOCUMENTARY FILMS RELEASES OFFICIAL TRAILER AND POSTER ART FORTHE KINGS, AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT THE BOXING GOLDEN AGE OF DURÁN, HAGLER, HEARNS AND LEONARD

Four-Part Documentary Series Premieres

Sunday, June 6 at 8 PM ET/PT

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NEW YORK – May 21, 2021 – Showtime Sports Documentary Films has released the official trailer and poster art for the upcoming documentary THE KINGS, a four-part series chronicling the fierce rivalry between world champions and Boxing Hall of Famers known as the “Four Kings” – Roberto “Manos de Piedra” Durán, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns, and Sugar Ray Leonard. Premiering Sunday, June 6 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME, the series chronicles the four fighters’ dramatic and divergent ascents to greatness and the legendary matches they produced.

To watch and share the trailer, go to: https://s.sho.com/3whPJTt

THE KINGS spotlights boxing’s evolution from the end of Muhammad Ali’s era to the era of the Four Kings, set against the seismic political and socio-economic shifts taking place in the United States. The Four Kings rose to fame as the presidency of Jimmy Carter and economic recession gave way to the boon of 1980s capitalism and excess harnessed by the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. Through in-depth interviews and archival footage, the series also examines the very personal battles that each man waged on his unique journey to the center of the sports world.

THE KINGS is produced by Box To Box Film in association with Ingenious Media. The series is executive produced by James Gay-Rees (Amy, Senna, Drive To Survive) and Paul Martin (Diego Maradona, Drive To Survive), produced by Fiona Neilson (Oasis: Supersonic, Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams) and directed by Mat Whitecross (Oasis: Supersonic, Road To Guantanamo, Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams).