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BERMANE STIVERNE AND DEONTAY WILDER TALK TRAINING CAMP AND THEIR PLACE IN HEAVYWEIGHT HISTORY BEFORE THEIR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN ON SATURDAY, JAN. 17 AT MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA LIVE ON SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®

January 11, 2015 FNU47 Leave a comment

1-17-15 LH

LAS VEGAS (Jan 9, 2015) – As we near the epic return of world championship heavyweight action in the United States, WBC Heavyweight World Champion Bermane Stiverne (24-1-1, 21 KOs) and unbeaten knockout specialist Deontay Wilder (32-0, 32 KOs) are deep in training camp for their championship showdown on SHOWTIME^®.

Tickets for the event are on sale and priced at $500, $350, $250, $125 and $50, not including applicable service charges and taxes. Tickets are limited to eight (8) per person with a limit of four (4) at the $50 price range. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are also available at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Read below for what the fighters have to say about how training is going, what their place in heavyweight history is and what the fans can expect to see on Jan. 17 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas:

Q: Where have you been training? Who have you been training with? How has training been going?

Bermane Stiverne: I am in Vegas training at the Mayweather Gym. I have had many sparring partners, seven total and they have been alternating since it has been a very long camp. I began training camp in August because we didn’t even know when this fight was going to happen so we had to be ready for any time and we did better than ever. It has been a long, long training camp and I am in the best shape I have ever been in.

I plan to go in the ring between 238 and 242 pounds. We thought about going lower but I am a super heavyweight and that is the weight where I am best.

Deontay Wilder: Camp has been great. It’s been a long hard road but we’re here now. I had my whole team which was excellent — Jay Deas, Mark Breland, Russ Anber, Cuz Hill and my strength coach Peter Khoury, so it couldn’t have been any better.

Q: How do you feel about fighting on the big stage as the main event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena?

BS: Fighting at the MGM Grand is a dream come true. I have been dreaming of becoming a champion my whole life. When I think of the MGM I think of all the history and I want to write a new chapter.

DW: I’m super excited about fighting on the big stage. The bigger the better! The more attention and people watching, the more I like it. We’ve been working towards this for a long time, and I am glad we have gotten to this level.

Q: If you could meet any heavyweight champ who would it be? Is there a heavyweight that you would say you emulate?

BS: Muhammad – he was the greatest, he called himself “The Greatest” before he even knew he was The Greatest. He worked hard every single day to fulfill it and that is what I do. No corners cut.

DW: I’ve never patterned myself after any other heavyweight, but if I could meet one from the past it would be Joe Louis. He’s part of my nickname. He was the ‘Brown Bomber’ and since I’m from Alabama like he was and I won the Bronze medal at the Olympics, I’m the ‘Bronze Bomber.’

Q: How do you feel about being in the biggest heavyweight title fight in the United States in a decade?

BS: The Heavyweight Champion is what it’s all about. It’s the King of the Jungle. It is the Champion of all the Champions. I am happy to bring it back. Boxing is alive and well.

DW: It’s time for the heavyweight division to be important again and I’m the guy to do it, so I can’t wait.

Q: Which heavyweights inspired you or did you admire on your climb to this point?

BS: Iron Mike Tyson and James Toney – I really admire the way they fought. I loved Iron Mike’s explosiveness and speed and his fast hands. Tyson could hurt you with any punch at any angle and that is my forte. When I hit somebody, I see it in their eyes and their legs and I feel their pain.

DW: My daughter is my inspiration. I always admired guys like Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes though.

Q: Is there any extra motivation fighting for the WBC title that has been held by so many of the greatest including Muhammad Ali?

BS: The WBC heavyweight belt has been held by many great champions. It’s the biggest prize out there.

DW: A lot of great champions have held the WBC title belt, so it’s the big one and I’m honored and excited to be fighting for it.

Q: How important is it for you to represent your home country in this fight? Do you feel any additional pressure because of it?

BS: I am blessed to have been born in Haiti and lived in Quebec, Canada and now Las Vegas and I like to think of myself as an inspiration to kids in Haiti that have suffered so much – just like me. I want them to know that if they work hard they can achieve their dreams.

DW: Like I said, I am honored and excited. A lot of greats have held the belt and I am ready to make history and be one of the greats. Representing the U.S. in a heavyweight fight, bringing it back home, it’s an honor.

Q: What do you think of your opponent, does anything he does concern you?

BS: I think Wilder is a clown. Wilder thinks this is the WWE. He acts like it’s the WWE. This is for real. It is going to hurt very bad.

DW: I have no thoughts about Bermane Stiverne. I’m just ready to fight and leave it all out in the ring.

Q: What should the fans expect on Jan. 17? Do you have a prediction?

BS: On Jan. 17 I will hurt Wilder and I will knock him out and it will be a lasting image in peoples’ minds for a very long time.

DW: Fans should expect a great night of boxing and everyone will see Jan. 17. -. Be there or tune in on TV if you can’t. You don’t want to miss it!

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SHOWTIME Sports^® will present ALL ACCESS: STIVERNE VS. WILDER tonight,Friday, Jan. 9 at 10:45 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME.
“RETURN TO GLORY”: STIVERNE VS. WILDER, a 12-round fight for Stiverne’s WBC Heavyweight Championship taking place Saturday, Jan. 17 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, is co-promoted by Don King Productions and Golden Boy Promotions. In the 12-round co-feature, unbeaten WBC Super Bantamweight World Champion Leo Santa Cruz defends against Jesus Ruiz and undefeated Amir Imam meets Fidel Maldonado Jr. in a 10-round super lightweight bout. The event will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., and will air live on SHOWTIME^® (10:00 p.m. ET/ 7:00 p.m. PT). The telecast will also be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP). Preliminary bouts will be televised live on SHOWTIME EXTREME (8:00 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).

For more information visit www.donking.com, www.goldenboypromotions.com and www.sports.sho.com, follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @BStiverne, @BronzeBomber, @SHOSports and @MGMGrand and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing, or visit SHOWTIME Boxing Blog at http://theboxingblog.sho.com/.

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IVAN REDKACH BLASTS YAKUBU AMIDU IN FIRST SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION OF 2015

January 11, 2015 FNU47 Leave a comment

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ATLANTEZ FOX SCORES MAJORITY DECISION OVER PATRICK DAY; IEVGEN KHYTROV NOTCHES KNOCKOUT OVER MAURICE LOUISHOMME

Catch The Replay On Monday, Jan. 12 at 10 p.m. ET/PT On SHOWTIME EXTREME^®

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Credit: Esther Lin/SHOWTIME^®

CABAZON, Calif. (Jan. 9, 2015) – Undefeated prospect Ivan Redkach (18-0, 14 KOs) was impressive in a sixth-round knockout victory over Yakubu Amidu (19-6-2, 17 KOs), who failed to get off his stool following the sixth round in Friday’s main event of ShoBox: The New Generation from Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa in Cabazon, Calif.

Working for the first time with new trainer Robert Garcia, Redkach, of Los Angeles by way of Ukraine, started out slow as he found his range, with the durable Amidu handling his power in the opening rounds. Amidu, of Los Angeles by way of Ghana, started slow but picked up the pace in the fourth and then was docked a point by referee Ray Corona for repeated low blows in the fifth.

Amidu, who had never been knocked down in 26 professional fights, suffered two knockdowns in the sixth, with the first coming after a quick right followed by a hard left and the second after an onslaught of power punches. Amidu barely beat the count both times, but he simply couldn’t handle the power of Redkach, who landed 45 percent of his power punches.

“I was getting ready to knock him out,” Redkach said. “I was going to finish him before his corner stopped the fight. I would have finished him in the next round.

“I hadn’t been in the ring for sixth months, so I had to feel him out in the beginning before we attacked,” said Redkach. “That was the game plan with Robert Garcia. I was in perfect physical condition. I will be a world champion very soon. That is my dream.”

Amidu complained that a leg injury was the reason he quit on his stool.

“I hurt my knee in the last round when I fell on it,” Amidu said. “I was OK after the knockdown, but when I stood up I felt something in my knee. I didn’t stop fighting because of the punches; I stopped because I hurt my knee.”

While Amidu complained of a hurt knee after the fight, the California State Athletic Commission stated that the bout was stopped due to punches. By rule, the commission rules that a knockout.

SHOWTIME Analyst Steve Farhood was impressed by Redkach, who has been labeled by many boxing pundits as a hot prospect to watch.

“It was a very impressive victory because Amidu had never been down and had fought much better opposition,” Farhood said. “It’s not that Redkach beat him, it’s the way he beat him. When Redkach debuted on ShoBox we billed him as a lightweight terror and he didn’t really fight that way. But tonight he fought smart and in the sixth round the terror came out. He showed he had legitimate power.”

In the co-feature, undefeated junior middleweight prospect Alantez “SlyAza” Fox, of Forestville, MD, kept his undefeated record intact with an eight-round majority decision victory over previously unbeaten Patrick Day, scored 76-76, 78-74, 80-72.

Fox (14-0-1, 4 KOs), who is 6-foot-5, was able to keep Day at distance with his highly effective jab, averaging 54 jabs a round with a total of 436 jabs thrown in just eight rounds. Day (9-1, 5 KOs), who went past six rounds for the first time in his career, wasn’t able to come forward and looked frustrated in later rounds as he entered unchartered territory.

“I was able to land my jab,” said the 22-year-old Fox. “I kept moving and was able to stay off the ropes. I kept him on the outside with my jabs and movement. That definitely was the advantage that I had over him in the fight. It wasn’t just my height that worked; it was my movement and range.

“I was anxious before the fight, but once I was in the ring I settled down,” said Fox, who was making his SHOWTIME debut. “I’m very thankful for the opportunity and am very excited for big things to come.”

Day seemed frustrated with the decision saying, “I think I did enough to win. I think that I landed the better, harder, cleaner, more effective punches. I thought that’s how professional boxing is scored, but I guess not tonight. His height wasn’t a huge issue because I still think I won, but it was definitely an obstacle.”

In the ShoBox: The New Generation opening bout, 2012 Olympian Ievgen “Ukrainian Lion” Khytrov (8-0, 8 KOs) remained undefeated with a dominating third-round technical knockout victory over outmatched Maurice “The Natural” Louishomme (8-1-1, 4 KOs).

Khytrov, of Brooklyn, N.Y., by way of Ukraine, controlled the fight from the outset, lighting up Louishomme, of Colorado Springs, Colo., with aggressive right hands and uppercuts to the body that sent Louishomme staggering on multiple occasions in a fight that was entirely one-sided.

Khytrov was highly accurate, landing 53 percent of his power punches, 51 percent of his jabs and 52 percent of his total punches. Referee Ray Corona stopped the fight just 24 seconds into the third round after a hard right from Khytrov sent Louishomme’s mouthpiece flying for the third time and awarded Khytrov the technical knockout.

“I was just concentrating and trying to get some work in,” Khytrov said. “I wasn’t in there just looking for the knockout. I was looking for chances, but I wasn’t going to force it. The plan was to get some rounds in and really start pushing in the fourth.

“I’m ready to take on anyone. It’s been hard to get fights, but we’re just going to go home and prepare for the next one.”

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DE LA HOYA AND VARGAS MEET AGAIN…

January 10, 2015 FNU47 Leave a comment

LEGENDARY FIGHTERS REACH HISTORIC AGREEMENT, BUILDING THE NEXT GENERATION OF BOXERS WITH THE SIGNING OF CESAR “THE GREAT” QUIÑONEZ

QUIÑONEZ SET TO MAKE PROFESSIONAL DEBUT ON THEJAN. 17 BERMANE STIVERNE VS. DEONTAY WILDER UNDERCARD

LOS ANGELES (Jan. 9) – Golden Boy Promotions has teamed up with Fernando Vargas to sign exciting new junior welterweight fighter Cesar “The Great” Quiñonez.

Quiñonez is the first fighter from former world champion Fernando “Feroz” Vargas’ boxing gym Feroz Fight Factory to turn professional, and is managed by the late singer Jenni Rivera’s manager Pete Salgado. Quiñonez is now set to make his professional debut on the undercard of the highly anticipated heavyweight battle between current WBC Heavyweight World ChampionBermane “B. Ware” Stiverne and mandatory challenger and knockout sensation Deontay “The Bronze Bomer” Wilder on Saturday, Jan. 17 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“I’m excited to welcome the talented Cesar ‘The Great’ Quiñonez to Golden Boy Promotions,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Founder and President of Golden Boy Promotions. “The Golden Boy family continues to grow with the addition of up and coming talent with great potential like Cesar Quiñonez. I’m proud to have his debut on January 17 at the MGM Grand be under the Golden Boy Promotions banner.”

Fernando Vargas has had much success with Feroz Fight Factory transitioning into the professional boxing world with Quiñonez at the helm. The former world champion also has a history with Oscar De La Hoya, fighting the “Golden Boy” in 2002 for a title unification bout in the super welterweight division. Vargas also fought against Luis Ramon “Yory Boy” Campas, Raul “El Diamante” Marquez, Ronald “Winky” Wright and Ike “Bazooka” Quartey.

“I’m excited for my future as a trainer and I also look forward to working with Oscar and Golden Boy Promotions,” said Vargas. “I have a lot of great talent that I know will become world champions in the years to come!”

“It is truly a blessing to be signed by Golden Boy Promotions,” said Quiñonez. “I am very excited they’ve given me this opportunity to display my talents alongside my trainer Fernando Vargas. I’ve always looked up to Fernando growing up watching him fight, he is a great trainer. I’ve learned many things from him and we are ready to show the world what we can do.”

Quiñonez of Las Vegas has been making himself known in the boxing world since he first joined Feroz Fight Factory in 2013. With an amateur record of 74-4 and four national titles, Cesar has had the opportunity to work directly with Vargas and sparring with four-time female world champion Hollie Dunaway and former world champion Billy “The Kid” Dib. He hopes to make an explosive entrance in his professional debut at the MGM Grand Garden Arena next Saturday night.

For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and www.fernandovargas.com follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @cesarthagreat, @ferozfightfactory @_fernandovargas, become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and https://www.facebook.com/elferozfernandovargas or follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing and @OscarDeLaHoya.

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“RETURN TO GLORY”: STIVERNE VS. WILDER, a 12-round fight for Stiverne’s WBC Heavyweight Championship taking place Saturday, Jan. 17 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, is co-promoted by Don King Productions and Golden Boy Promotions. In the 12-round co-feature, unbeaten WBC Super Bantamweight World Champion Leo Santa Cruz defends against Jesus Ruiz and undefeated Amir Imam meets Fidel Maldonado Jr. in a 10-round super lightweight bout. The event will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., and will air live on SHOWTIME^® (10:00 p.m. ET/ 7:00 p.m. PT). The telecast will also be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP). Preliminary bouts will be televised live on SHOWTIME EXTREME (8:00 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).