SHOWDOWN SET FOR SATURDAY, Augustus 6

Bij Oracle Arena in Oakland, CALIFORNIË

TELEVISED LIVE ON HBO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING ^®

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Photo Credit: Roc Nation Sport / Tom Hogan – Hoganphotos

OAKLAND, ZOALS (Augustus 4, 2016) – On Thursday, Augustus 4, Roc Nation Sport gastheer van de laatste persconferentie voor de twee keer wereldkampioen en top-rated pound-for-pond vechter Andre Ward (29-0, 15 KO) and power-punching Colombian Alexander Brand (25-1, 19 KO) bij Meer Merritt Amphitheater in Oakland, California in advance of their August 6 vechten bij Oracle Arena in Oakland. Ward and Brand will meet in 12-round WBO Intercontinental title fight televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 10:35 p.m. ET / PT.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf sent senior special advisor, Penny Moore, to kick off the press conference with an official proclamation honoring Ward’s contribution to the city and declaring August 4 as Andre Ward Day.

Below is what the fighters and dais guests had to say at the press conference:

ANDRE WARD, Twee keer wereldkampioen en top-rated pound-for-pond vechter:

“The Bay Area is a beautiful place. I’m blessed to be here in my city and to represent you all. I’ve gotten a lot of heat in the press about fighting here but I won’t apologize. I dreamed about fighting here and being a headliner. We’re going to continue to headline. I’m thankful for all the sponsors that were named, HBO and everybody who supported on a small and big level.

“I’m excited about the future. I want to be the lightweight champion of the world, a two division champion. Everyone knows that, but it’s impossible for me to overlook this man (Brand). I’m not built like that. I wasn’t raised like that. I wasn’t groomed like that. As a young fighter, I don’t operate like that. This man is coming, this is his super bowl. Because this is his super bowl, it has to be my super bowl. My ribs are showing, Ik heb honger. I’ll see you all Saturday night.”

ALEXANDER BRAND, Former WBC Latino Super Middleweight Champion:

“I want to thank you all for being here today. It’s a pleasure for me to be in this wonderful city. All I want to do is give a good show and make sure that I give that to my fans here in Oakland. I want to have a good fight and work hard. It’s really a true honor to be in the ring with a champion like Andre Ward.”

MICHAEL YORMARK, President en Chief van de Branding & Strategy – Roc Nation:

“Over the last year and a half this city has become our home away from home, with Saturday marking Roc Nation Sports’ third big Bay Area fight in the last 16 maanden. Belangrijker, Oakland is also the home to the world’s greatest pound-for-pound boxer and Olympic gold medalist, your very own Andre Ward and now the new home of another Roc Nation star athlete, Kevin Durant. On Saturday at Oracle Arena and live on HBO, Andre looks to continue his conquest of the light heavyweight division when he takes on power-punching Colombian Alexander Brand.”

VIRGIL HUNTER, Andre Ward’s Trainer:

"Thanks to the city of Oakland for coming out and supporting Andre. We hope you continue to do that as we continue to grow in his career and his journey. Much respect for Team Brand. We consider him a very formidable opponent. He cannot be taken lightly. We know he can fight, we know he is a great competitor. It is also an honor for us to be in the ring with him and his team.”

JAMES PRINCE, Andre Ward’s Manager:

“I like to thank God for this opportunity, HBO, Roc Nation, Antonio Leonard Promotions and Team Alexander Brand. Alexander Brand has over 400 amateur fights so this is an opponent we’re not taking lightly. Anybody who has 400 fights has a lot of experience so we look forward to fighting him. We had him on our radar a few months ago but we didn’t reel him in. We were injured and he got away from us. Come Saturday night, we’re going to put an S.O.G brand on Alexander Brand.”

ALEX CAMPONOVO, Alexander Brand’s Manager:

“It’s been a long road for Alexander Brand. He’s worked very hard to get where he is today. He was given the opportunity by HBO last December for a fight in Florida on HBO Latino and he showed his true colors. This is a great opponent, one of the greatest of all time, in Andre Ward. We know that this champion probably has never lost a round inside the ring and that is what Brand is here to do, to prove himself and to show that if you try and work hard, you can go very far.”

TONY WALKER, Vice-President, HBO Pay-Per-View:

“On behalf of our executive Vice President Peter Nelson and the rest of the HBO Sports staff, I’d like to say that we’re very happy to be here in Oakland. We are looking forward to a great card on Saturday night. We’ve done three shows from Oracle, and each time, Andre Ward has put on an outstanding performance and showcased his skills as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. We consider Andre one of the HBO family as he’s been able to showcase his skills, become one of the best boxers of this generation, recognized as a champion and he’s all done it with great character and great professionalism. He’s a joy to work with us at the network.

“I’d like to welcome Alexander Brand to the network as he’s here to spoil the party. Anytime you get in the ring, anything can happen as we’ve seen in boxing over the years. We welcome him and know that he’s going to give a great performance as he tries to elevate his own career.

“There seems to be an opportunity that people have been talking about this fall for Andre. With what we’ve seen in boxing over the past few years, I think we should wait to see what happens Saturday night, then start talking about what happens after that. The telecast starts at 10:35 p.m. ET / PT. We have a great broadcast crew, we guarantee you some informative and exciting discussion on boxing and a great night of television.”

Ward vs. Brand is a 12-round fight for the WBO Intercontinental title, presented by Roc Nation Sports and sponsored by Corona Extra, Verizon, ProSupps, Corporate Travel Management Solutions (CTMS), Jordan Brand, Shoe Palace, Kingsford, Autocom Nissan, Ticketmaster and The Clorox Company, supporting the Bay Area Community for over 100 jaar. The event will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing®beginning at 10:35 p.m. ET / PT.

Tickets geprijsd op $250, $100, $70, $40 en $30, niet met inbegrip van toepasselijke diensten en belastingen, are available at all Ticketmaster locations, online op Ticketmaster.com en heffing op telefoonnummer (800) 745-3000.

Voor meer informatie, kunt u terecht op www.rocnation.com. Volg Roc Nation op Twitter en Instagramrocnation en op Facebook op www.facebook.com/RocNation.

Voor meer informatie, bezoek www.hbo.com/boxing, volgen op Twitter en Instagram opHBOBoxing en word fan op Facebook op www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.

Follow the conversation using #WardBrand.

SHOWDOWN SET FOR Zaterdag, Augustus 6 Bij Oracle Arena in Oakland, CALIFORNIË; TELEVISED LIVE ON HBO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING ^®

Klik HIER Voor foto's

Photo Credit: Roc Nation Sport / Tom Hogan – Hoganphotos

OAKLAND, ZOALS (Augustus 3, 2016) - Op dinsdag, Augustus 2, Twee keer wereldkampioen en top-rated pound-for-pond vechter Andre Ward (29-0, 15 KO) and power-punching Colombian Alexander Brand (25-1, 19 KO) deelgenomen aan een media-training in het King's Gym in Oakland, California van tevoren Augustus 6vechten bij Oracle Arena in Oakland. Ward and Brand will meet in 12-round WBO Intercontinental title bout televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 10:35 p.m. EN/PT.

Na schaduwboksen in de ring en een paar rondjes op de bokszakken, both fighters participated in interviews with media members in attendance. Also on hand to catch the hometown hero were a dozen members of the West Oakland Boys and Girls Club chapter. Ward surprised the group of local youths with tickets to Zaterdag gevecht.

Hieronder is wat de vechters te zeggen had tijdens de laatste media-training:

ANDRE WARD, Twee keer wereldkampioen en top-rated pound-for-pond vechter:

“It was good to get back in camp right after the last fight. I was a lot sharper early in camp than I normally am. The last couple of years, typically, you have to get the rust off first, then work on getting sharp, work on technique and the game plan. This training camp was continuous of the last training camp, I probably put in over 130 rondes. Ik voel me echt goed.

“I know enough about Brand. He’s got everything to gain and nothing to lose. He swings for the fences with every punch. He’s a dangerous guy to fight.

“It feels good to be back at Oracle Arena multiple times this year. I don’t know how much stock you can put into the last couple of years. A lot of people are talking about it, but people have to weigh in the amount of time I have been doing this, which is all my life. You look at Floyd Mayweather, he took a couple of hiatuses and it may have given him two or three more years. It was a mental break and it was a physical break. Taking those couple years where maybe you’re not fighting as frequently, it’s not always a bad thing, especially late in your career.

“I came up a little different in my Olympic days. Virgil Hunter is the type of coach who will get you away from everybody and turn your phone off. We didn’t have snapchat in 2004, we didn’t have Instagram in 2004. We had a room that we all had to huddle around with desktop computers where we all had to get news about what was going on. Maar nu, in 2016, I see the USA team snapchatting and Instagramming. Part of you wants to tell them to shut it down and do it like I did it, but that may not be the right thing. Understand why you’re there, understand you’re not going to get this moment again. You don’t typically repeat when you go for the Olympics. Understand why you’re there, take it seriously and everything else will fall in place.

“The key is to have a good team. I’ve got a great lawyer, a great manager and a great promotional team in Roc Nation Sports. They are going to make sure the details are right. This is a very much a business, and before there’s combat, business has to be handled and taken care of. I think fighters and all athletes should be unapologetic about taking care of business. Op die manier, when you get into that ring or field or court, your mind can be free.

“Unfortunately, our women don’t get the respect they deserve, they don’t get the notoriety. They don’t get the exposure that they probably should get. Raquel Miller, who will be on the card, and other female fighters, they do what we do. They’re training and grinding but they are not always noticed. I remember the Christie Martin days where she fought on the Mike Tyson undercards with Laila Ali. They got some good publicity and shine. Echter, there are so many other young female fighters coming up, ones who are established and have been fighting, whom people don’t know about. It’s a beautiful thing. I’m happy for Raquel and excited to have her on the card. I don’t believe when people say there is no market for women’s boxing. Let’s create a market then, let’s create some buzz!

“Sergey Kovalev is not on my mind at all. I’ve got a job to do. I haven’t even talked about Kovalev. We can talk about Kovalev on August 7^th, that’s what I told my team. I didn’t watch his last fight, he’s not my next opponent but I know what happened and what people are saying about it.

“I’ve never seen Brand in person. It’s tricky, in my last fight, Sullivan Barrera was a little bit bigger than me. Everyone made a big deal about that, and Brand is smaller than me. You’ve got to be able to get it done, short or tall, explosive or wild. Brand is wild, so it’s going to take a few rounds to break him down and tame him before we start doing what we want to do. As a championship-caliber fighter, you’ve got to be able to deal with everything, every style and size. I’ve never seen the guy in person, so it’s hard to gauge.

“Taking away my opponents’ best weapon away is a skill that I developed as a kid, right here at King’s Gym. Virgil was a really, really good coach. He’s probably the last of the great teachers. I’ve been in here with pros at 13 en 14 jaar oud. Seasoned veterans hitting me on my head, trying to discourage me, trying to bully me. I would go back to the corner and say, ‘Man he hit me on my head. Man he’s pushing my head back.’ And Virgil would say, ‘Then make him stop.’ In other words, I had to figure it out. Having those sessions here year after year, I had to get my respect in here first before I could even fight others. I had to learn to adjust here first before I had the chance to adjust in a big fight. Zo, it started here. En, it carried over. Zelfs vandaag, we bring in top sparrers. Sparring is different than a fight, but we bring in top sparrers to make sure my senses are on point. I don’t like to lose a second of a round so even when I am tired, I try to figure it out mentally. What can I do to offset him? How can I take that away from him? Exploit his weakness? That is constantly on my mind. I think it shows when the lights come on.

“Being back at home, it’s two-fold. Part of me wants to stop and take it in. Go down memory lane and remember all the times I’ve walked into the gym, all the battles I’ve had in here. Remember the good days and the bad days. Then there is another part of me that doesn’t like looking back too soon. I’ve got to stay in the moment. It’s kind of surreal. It’s surreal to be in the arena that I have driven past for years. Driving down 880 and wishing I could headline. Ik ben gezegend. Not a lot of people get the opportunity. I know a lot of great fighters who didn’t get the opportunity for one reason or another. And to have that opportunity, I don’t take it lightly.

“I’ve been given a tremendous opportunity. God has blessed me a lot. There’s an inscription in the bible that says to whom much is given, much is acquired. He’s given me a talent, and I’m probably not the most talented, but I want to make sure I use it the best I can. I’m running my race right now in this professional game, and when I look back I want to say that I didn’t cheat anybody, that I gave everything that I had, and this is what I have to show for it. Finishing strong is really important to me. Becoming an all-time great is really important to me. I’m just giving God a return on his investment, because he’s invested a lot in me. I’m thankful.”

ALEXANDER BRAND, Former WBC Latino Super Middleweight Champion:

“I didn’t want to show too much at this media workout but I’ve got something in store for the day of the fight.

“It doesn’t really matter that the fight is in Ward’s hometown, it’s going to be a fight. Wherever it is, whether it’s in his backyard or anywhere else, I’m coming to fight and that’s the most important thing.

“It’s nothing new for me, Ik vocht bij 175 pounds in the amateurs. My last fight in December was at 175 pounds against an undefeated Russian when Andre Ward got hurt and couldn’t fight me on the Cotto-Canelo card.

“Whatever Ward brings, I’m going to have something for him.

“Ward still has 12 rounds to fight before he can think about Kovalev.”

Ward vs. Brand is a 12-round fight for the WBO Intercontinental title, presented by Roc Nation Sports and sponsored by Corona Extra, Verizon, ProSupps, Corporate Travel Management Solutions (CTMS), Jordan Brand, Shoe Palace, Kingsford, Autocom Nissan, Ticketmaster and The Clorox Company, supporting the Bay Area Community for over 100 jaar. Het evenement zal live worden uitgezonden op HBO World Championship Boxing begin bij 10:35 p.m. ET / PT.

Tickets geprijsd op $250, $100, $70, $40 en $30, niet met inbegrip van toepasselijke diensten en belastingen, are available at all Ticketmaster locations, online op Ticketmaster.com en heffing op telefoonnummer (800) 745-3000.

Voor meer informatie, kunt u terecht op www.rocnation.com. Volg Roc Nation op Twitter en Instagramrocnation en op Facebook op www.facebook.com/RocNation.

Voor meer informatie, bezoek www.hbo.com/boxing, volgen op Twitter en Instagram opHBOBoxing en word fan op Facebook op www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.

Follow the conversation using #WardBrand.

Roc Nation Sports is pleased to announce the addition of San Francisco’s Raquel Miller (1-0, 1 KO) to the undercard of Andre Ward vs. Alexander Brand at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California on Augustus 6, 2016. This will be the first Roc Nation card to feature a female fighter.

Bayview-Hunters Point native Raquel “Pretty Beast” Miller will be making her second professional start since debuting against Sara Flores on May 21, 2016 in Richmond, Californië. In her augural pro fight, the former amateur standout wasted no time, scoring a technical knockout over her opponent within the first minute and 14 seconden van de eerste ronde. Miller was the 2012 Women’s World Championships Silver Medalist, 2012 USA Boxing Women’s National Champion and 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Bronze Medalist, serving as the U.S Women’s Olympic alternate in the London Games. Miller will be taking on an opponent to be determined on Augustus 6 bij Oracle Arena.

Two-Time World Champion and top-rated pound-for-pound fighter Andre Ward (29-0, 15 KO) zal op terug te keren naar de ring Zaterdag, Augustus 6, to continue his conquest of the light heavyweight division when he takes on power-punching Colombian Alexander Brand (25-1, 19 KO) bij Oracle Arena in Oakland, Californië. Ward vs. Brand is a 12-round fight for the WBO Intercontinental title, presented by Roc Nation Sports and sponsored by Corona Extra, Verizon, ProSupps, Corporate Travel Management Solutions (CTMS), Brand Jordan, Shoe Palace, Kingsford, Autocom Nissan, Ticketmaster and The Clorox Company, supporting the Bay Area Community for over 100 jaar. Het evenement zal live worden uitgezonden op HBO World Championship Boxing begin bij 10:35 p.m. EN/PT.

Tickets geprijsd op $250, $100, $70, $40 en $30, niet met inbegrip van toepasselijke diensten en belastingen, are available at all Ticketmaster locations, online op Ticketmaster.com en heffing op telefoonnummer (800) 745-3000.

ON Zaterdag, Augustus 6 Bij Oracle Arena in Oakland, CALIFORNIË

WARD VS. BRAND TO BE TELEVISED LIVE

ON HBO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®

BEGIN BIJ 10:35 p.m. EN/PT

NEW YORK, NY (Juli 26, 2016) – Two-Time World Champion and top-rated pound-for-pound fighter Andre Ward (29-0, 15 KO) zal op terug te keren naar de ring Zaterdag, Augustus 6, to continue his conquest of the light heavyweight division when he takes on power-punching Colombian Alexander Brand (25-1, 19 KO) bij Oracle Arena in Oakland, Californië. Het evenement, which will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:35 p.m. EN/PT, will now include six bouts of non-televised action for ticketed fans to enjoy before the main showdown.

The promising undercard lineup will feature East Bay familiar, Bilal Mahasin and a collection of Roc Nation Sports’ brightest prospects including, Daniel "Twitch" Franco, Rudy “The Revelation” Puga Jr. en Darmani “Rock Solid” Rock. Roc Nation Sports’ sparkplug Maurice “Machtige Mo” Hoer also looks to ignite Oracle Arena as the card’s co-feature in a 10-round NABO Junior Welterweight Title clash against Tyrone Barnett.

Maurice “Machtige Mo” Hoer (20-0-2, 15 KO) is geboren en getogen in Oak Cliff, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, waar hij een bokshuis vond in Maple Avenue Boxing Gym via een outreach-programma voor risicojongeren. Zijn natuurlijke talent werd al snel opgemerkt, waardoor hij als amateur meedeed, gedurende welke tijd hij meer dan deelnam 100 gevechten, samenstellen van een record van 97 overwinningen en slechts 7 verliezen, met 67 overwinningen komen via een knock-out. Hooker werd in april professional 29, 2011, het opnemen tegen de veel meer ervaren Tyrone Chatman in het Orpheum Theatre in St. Louis. Na vier rondes, de juryleden zagen het gevecht 40-36, 37-39 en 38-38, making the fight a split draw. Onverschrokken, in zijn volgende gevecht in juni 24, 2014, Hooker scoorde zijn eerste professionele overwinning, knocking out Wilbert Mitchell in the first round at the Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas. Elf overwinningen (acht door knock-out) later, hij nam het in januari op tegen de ongeslagen Abel Ramos 17, 2014 in een gevecht dat te zien was op ShoBox vanuit het Cook Convention Center in Memphis. Na acht uur dichtbij, zwaarbevochten rondes, de juryleden zagen het gevecht als gelijkspel. Vier opeenvolgende knock-outoverwinningen zouden volgen voordat hij in juni het opnam tegen mede-ongeslagen kandidaat Eduardo Galindo 26, 2015 at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas for the vacant NABO Junior Welterweight Championship. “Mo” did not disappoint his legion of hometown fans who saw him capture the title with a sixth round technical knockout victory. Op oktober 17, 2015, Hooker verdedigde met succes zijn titel in Madison Square Garden in New York City tegen zijn zwaarste tegenstander tot nu toe in Ghislain Maduma. De beslissende overwinning in 10 ronden kwam op de undercard van Gennady Golovkin vs. David Lemieux en was te zien in de “Freeview” van het evenement en werd over de hele wereld online gestreamd. "Mighty Mo" maakte zijn debuut onder de vlag van Roc Nation Sports op de undercard van Andre Ward vs. Sullivan Barrera, afgelopen maart in Oracle Arena in Oakland, ZOALS, waar hij tegenstander Wilfrido "La Roca" Buelvas uit Columbia vernietigde in de eerste ronde van een 10 ronden tellend junior weltergewichtgevecht door middel van technische knock-out. Hooker looks to advance his undefeated record when he takes on Tyrone Barnett (23-4-1, 15 KO) op Augustus 6 bij Oracle Arena. Barnett was in action this past February, with a technical knockout victory over Daniel Attah at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The D.C. native is eager to stop Maurice Hooker’s momentum and take home the NABO title.

Afkomstig uit Riverside, Californië en uitvechten van het boksen broeinest van Oxnard, ongeslagen junior lichtgewicht Daniel "Twitch" Franco (13-0-3, 8 KO) begon boksen op de leeftijd van acht, het vergaren van een amateur record van 67-15, het winnen van het kampioenschap in Oxnard PAL 2006 en de California State Silver Gloves Championship in 2007 onderweg. Tijdens de professionele debuut Franco's op december 18, 2010, versloeg hij Emanuel Machorro bij Club 401 in Ontario, Californië via een derde ronde technische knock-out. Franco indruk in het begin van zijn carrière, samenstellen van een ongeslagen record met twee gelijke spelen in de locaties in Californië aan het eind van 2013. Een van die trekt kwam tegen Alejandro Ochoa op Quiet Cannon in Montebello, Californië op september 20, 2013, but in a rematch three months later, Franco outmatched Ochoa scoren een zes-ronde unaniem besluit overwinning in het Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. Op juni 20, 2015, during Ward’s return to the ring at Oracle Arena, Franco saw action in an eight round junior lightweight bout against Jonathan Alcantara and won by unanimous decision. In his most recent fight on March 26, 2016 bij Oracle Arena in Oakland, California on the Andre Ward vs. Sullivan Barrera undercard, the unbeaten Twitch met Mexico’s German “Panteonero” Meraz in an eight-round featherweight bout. Franco scored a technical knockout over the veteran fighter in the final round of the fight.Augustus 6 will be Franco’s third appearance at Oracle when he takes on Renton, Washington’s Marcelo Gallardo (7-3-2, 3 KO). The 26-year-old Gallardo has been known to play the spoiler role, scoring unanimous decision victories over unbeaten prospects Christopher Diaz and Vic Pasillas in 2015.

Having compiled an exceptional amateur record of 99-8, Rudy “The Revelation” Puga. Jr. (8-0, 7 KO), the promising prospect from Salinas, California made his professional debut on September 2, 2011, scoring a fourth round technical knockout victory over Raul Talamontes at the Sports Complex in his hometown. Back in the ring less than twee maanden later, Puga Jr. raised his record to 2-0 with a first round technical knockout of Jose Jesus Hurtado at the Sherwood Inn in Salinas. In juni 2012, he sent Thomas Turner to the mat four times scoring a second round technical knockout win at the Joint at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. After a little more than a year away from the ring, he rededicated himself to the “sweet science” with a vengeance and on February 17, 2014, Puga Jr. made his comeback stopping Charon Spain in the third round with an overpowering body shot at the Salinas Storm House in his native Salinas. Puga Jr. rounded out 2015 with a four-round technical knockout of Katrell Straus and a six-round unanimous decision over Juan Carlos Rojas. Op Februari 12, Puga Jr. extended his undefeated streak to 7 fights by knocking out Alejandro Osuna in two rounds at the Double Tree Hotel in Ontario, Californië. In his most recent fight on March 26, 2016 bij Oracle Arena in Oakland, California on HBO’s Andre Ward vs. Sullivan Barrera undercard, Puga Jr. extended his undefeated streak against Carlos “Kalimba” Lozano by way of a technical knockout in the sixth round. The Southern California native returns to the Bay Area on Augustus 6 to face an opponent to be announced.

Brooklyn's ongeslagen Junior “The Young God” Younan (9-0, 7 KO) wordt beschouwd als een van de beste boksperspectieven van New York City. Younan, opgeleid door zijn vader Sherif, zelf een voormalig professionele bokser, began fighting competitively at age eight and only twee jaar later was called a “boxing prodigy” by the New York Times. Hij stelde een amateurrecord samen 90-5, onderweg een indrukwekkende reeks titels behaald, waaronder negen Olympische Jeugdkampioenschappen, negen Junior Metro kampioenschappen, acht New York State Silver Gloves-kampioenschappen en vijf Regional Silver Gloves-kampioenschappen. In 2011, hij werd gekroond tot National Junior Golden Gloves-kampioen en was U.S.A. Boxing's nummer één junior bokser in zijn gewichtsklasse. Minder dan een maand na de zijne 18^th verjaardag, Younan maakte zijn professionele debuut op november 9, 2013, in het Aviator Sports and Events Center in Brooklyn, New York, het stoppen van Kenneth Schmitz in de eerste ronde. During his recent match up on the Andre Ward vs. Sullivan Barrera undercard that took place March 26, 2016, Younan scored a four round unanimous decision over Christian Solarzano, pitching a shutout on all three scorecards. Facing his stiffest test to date on May 13, 2016 on the undercard of throne boxing’s Dusty Hernandez-Harrison vs. Mike Dallas, Jr. on BET and Tidal.com, Younan overwhelmed Rodrigo Almeida of Woburn, Massachusetts with a technical knockout in the first round at the DC Armory in Washington, D.C. Returning to Oakland on the Ward vs. Brand undercard, Younan is set to take on Jaime “Zarco” Solorio (5-2-2, 4 KO) op Augustus 6. Fighting out of Baja, Californië, the Mexico native is riding an undefeated streak in his last six fights.

Op de leeftijd van 20, Darman Rock (3-0, 3 KO) is al tekenen vergelijkingen met ex-zwaargewicht grootheden uit het verleden. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Rock was brought to a local boxing ring by his father at age twelve after he lost a street fight to neighborhood bullies. Permanent op 6'4”, Hij beweegt met een ongeëvenaarde lichtheid en snelheid voor een vechter zijn grootte. Rock verdiend landelijke onderscheidingen na een banner jaar in 2014 toen hij ging naar huis met de USA Boxing Junior en Jeugd Open, Youth Continental en Jeugd Wereld super zwaargewicht titels. Tijdens de 2014 Junior en Jeugd Open in Reno, Nevada, Rock buitengesloten de 2013 Nationaal Jeugd Kampioen, John Luna, 3-0. Deze indrukwekkende prestatie werd gevolgd door een andere super zwaargewicht titel bij de jeugd continentale kampioenschappen maart 2014 in Quito, Ecuador, waar hij versloeg de Argentijnse Kervin Espinola 3-0. Rock nam toen het huis van de gouden medaille op de prestigieuze World Youth Championships in Bulgarije in april 2014 door een 2-1 besluit over de Duitse Peter Kadiru. Rock namen ook het huis van de 2014 World Junior Amateur Championship en afgedekt uit 2014 door wordt genoemd Philadelphia Amateur Boxer van het Jaar op de jaarlijkse Briscoe Awards. Zijn meest opmerkelijke overwinning, echter, kwam mei 2015 when he beat Cam Awesome in Las Vegas for the National Golden Gloves title. Rock ook veroverde de 2015 U.S. National Amateur super zwaargewicht kampioenschap. Hij beëindigde zijn carrière als amateur het nummer een nominale super zwaargewicht in de Verenigde Staten (en de nummer vijf rated super zwaargewicht in de wereld) gaand 19-5 in nationale toernooien. Rock made his highly anticipated professional debut, after signing an exclusive promotional agreement with Roc Nation Sports, against Rockville, Maryland’s Carlos Black on May 13, 2016, as the co-feature of Roc Nation’s throne boxing card at the Armory in Washington, D.C. Following a devastating left hook, Rock brought his opponent to the floor with a right-left combination at the 1:54 teken van de eerste ronde. Without wasting any time, Rock followed his impressive debut by demolishing his next two opponents, Bobby Favors and Hassan Lee, both by way of knockout in the first round of the respective bouts. Making his Oracle Arena debut on Augustus 6, Rock looks to keep his fierce win streak alive when he takes on Mike Kyle (1-2-1, 1 KO). The Boise, Idaho native seeks to reaffirm the impression he has set on Oakland where he scored his first career win and knockout over James Kirby this past January.

Bilal “Rebellious” Mahasin (8-3-1, 1 KO) is no stranger to Oakland fight fans. A resident of the Bay Area’s eastern shore, Mahasin made his professional debut in 2002 with great promise, winning his first three fights. Op november 10, 2013, he fought one of the area’s top junior welterweight fighters, Moris Rodriguez, at the Red Lion Hotel in Sacramento, Californië. East Bay supporters made the trek to the state’s capital for Mahasin’s triumphant return which came by way of a six-round unanimous decision. Mahasin has accrued a ring record with a majority of the results coming as wins, and has transitioned up a weight class to super welterweight. He last fought on June 11, 2016 bij de 16^th Street Rail Station in Oakland, going the distance with a six-round unanimous decision over Vincente Guzman. Mahasin is ready to take on journeyman Luis Alfredo Lugo (14-25-1, 5 KO) op Augustus 6 at Oracle Arena in front an ever-steadied fanfare.

Ward vs. Brand is a 12-round fight presented by Roc Nation Sports and sponsored by Corona Extra, Verizon, ProSupps, Corporate Travel Management Solutions (CTMS), Brand Jordan, Verizon, Shoe Palace, Ticketmaster and The Clorox Company, supporting the Bay Area Community for over 100 jaar.

Tickets geprijsd op $250, $120, $90, $40 en $30, niet met inbegrip van toepasselijke diensten en belastingen, are available at all Ticketmaster locations, online op Ticketmaster.com (http://bit.ly/WardBrandPR) en opladen via de telefoon op (800) 745-3000.

Voor meer informatie, kunt u terecht op www.rocnation.com. Volg Roc Nation op Twitter en Instagramrocnation en op Facebook op www.facebook.com/RocNation.

Voor meer informatie, bezoek www.hbo.com/boxing, volgen op Twitter en Instagram opHBOBoxing en word fan op Facebook op www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.

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