SHOWDOWN SET FOR SATURDAY, ויגוסט 6

ביי אָראַקלע ארענע אין אָוקלאַנד, California

TELEVISED LIVE ON HBO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING ^®

דריקט דאָ פֿאַר Photos

פאָטאָ קרעדיט: ראָק נאַציאָן ספּאָרט / טאָם האָגאַן – האָגאַנפאָטאָס

Oakland, אַזאַ ווי (ויגוסט 4, 2016) – On Thursday, ויגוסט 4, ראָק נאַציאָן ספּאָרט כאָוסטיד די לעצט דרוק זיצונג פֿאַר צוויי-צייט וועלט טשאַמפּיאָן און שפּיץ-רייטאַד פונט-פֿאַר-פונט Fighter אַנדרע קעסטקינד (29-0, 15 קאָס) and power-punching Colombian אלעקסאנדער סאָרט (25-1, 19 קאָס) אין לייק Merritt אַמפיטהעאַטער אין אָוקלאַנד, California in advance of their August 6 קאַמף בייַ אָראַקלע אַרענאַ אין אָוקלאַנד. Ward and Brand will meet in 12-round WBO Intercontinental title fight televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 10:35 פּ.ם. עט / פּט.

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:

אַנדריי WARD, צוויי-צייט וועלט טשאַמפּיאָן און שפּיץ-רייטאַד פונט-פֿאַר-פונט Fighter:

“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, איך בין הונגעריק. 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.”

מיכאל יאָרמאַרק, פּרעזידענט און טשיף פון בראַנדינג & 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 חדשים. מער ימפּאָרטאַנטלי, 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, קעווין דוראַנט. 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.”

ווירגיל יעגער, 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.”

יעקב פּרינץ, Andre Ward’s Manager:

“I like to thank God for this opportunity, הבאָ, ראָק נאַציאָן, 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 וואָקער, וויצע פרעזידענט, הבאָ פּייַ-פּער-מיינונג:

“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 פּ.ם. עט / פּט. We have a great broadcast crew, we guarantee you some informative and exciting discussion on boxing and a great night of television.”

קעסטקינד ווס. Brand is a 12-round fight for the WBO Intercontinental title, presented by Roc Nation Sports and sponsored by Corona Extra, Verizon, ProSupps, פֿירמע רייזע מאַנאַגעמענט סאַלושאַנז (CTMS), Jordan Brand, שו פּאַלאַס, Kingsford, Autocom Nissan, Ticketmaster and The Clorox Company, supporting the Bay Area Community for over 100 יאָרן. The event will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing®beginning at 10:35 פּ.ם. עט / פּט.

טיקקעץ פּרייסט בייַ $250, $100, $70, $40 און $30, ניט אַרייַנגערעכנט אָנווענדלעך דינען טשאַרדזשאַז און טאַקסיז, are available at all Ticketmaster locations, אָנליין בייַ Ticketmaster.com און באַשולדיקונג דורך טעלעפאָנירן בייַ (800) 745-3000.

פֿאַר מער אינפֿאָרמאַציע, ביטע באַזוכן www.rocnation.com. גיי ראָק נאַציאָן אויף טוויטטער און ינסטאַגראַםראָקנאַטיאָן און אויף קרוקס בייַ www.facebook.com/RocNation.

פֿאַר מער אינפֿאָרמאַציע, באַזוכן www.hbo.com/boxing, follow on Twitter and Instagram at @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.

Follow the conversation using #WardBrand.

SHOWDOWN SET FOR שבת, ויגוסט 6 ביי אָראַקלע ארענע אין אָוקלאַנד, California; TELEVISED LIVE ON HBO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING ^®

דריקט דאָ פֿאַר Photos

פאָטאָ קרעדיט: ראָק נאַציאָן ספּאָרט / טאָם האָגאַן – האָגאַנפאָטאָס

Oakland, אַזאַ ווי (ויגוסט 3, 2016) - אויף דינסטיק, ויגוסט 2, צוויי-צייט וועלט טשאַמפּיאָן און שפּיץ-רייטאַד פונט-פֿאַר-פונט Fighter אַנדרע קעסטקינד (29-0, 15 קאָס) and power-punching Colombian אלעקסאנדער סאָרט (25-1, 19 קאָס) אנטייל אין אַ מידיאַ ווערקאַוט בייַ מלך ס ספּאָרטזאַל אין אָוקלאַנד, California אין שטייַגן פון זייער ויגוסט 6קאַמף בייַ אָראַקלע אַרענאַ אין אָוקלאַנד. Ward and Brand will meet in 12-round WBO Intercontinental title bout televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 10:35 פּ.ם. און/פּט.

נאָך שאַדאָוובאָקסינג אין די רינג און אַ ביסל ראָונדס אויף די פּאַנטשינג באַגס, 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 שבת ס קאַמף.

ונטער איז וואָס די Fighters האט צו זאָגן בעשאַס די לעצט מידיאַ ווערקאַוט:

אַנדריי WARD, צוויי-צייט וועלט טשאַמפּיאָן און שפּיץ-רייטאַד פונט-פֿאַר-פונט Fighter:

“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 ראָונדס. איך פילן טאַקע גוט.

“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. But now, אין 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. אַז וועג, 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. אָבער, 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^טה, 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 און 14 יאר אַלט. 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. אַזוי, it started here. און, it carried over. אַפֿילו הייַנט, 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. איך בין ברוך. 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, איך געהאַלטן ביי 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.”

קעסטקינד ווס. Brand is a 12-round fight for the WBO Intercontinental title, presented by Roc Nation Sports and sponsored by Corona Extra, Verizon, ProSupps, פֿירמע רייזע מאַנאַגעמענט סאַלושאַנז (CTMS), Jordan Brand, שו פּאַלאַס, Kingsford, Autocom Nissan, Ticketmaster and The Clorox Company, supporting the Bay Area Community for over 100 יאָרן. די געשעעניש וועט זיין טעלאַווייזד לעבן אויף הבאָ וועלט טשאַמפּיאָנשיפּ באָקסינג אָנהייב בייַ 10:35 פּ.ם. עט / פּט.

טיקקעץ פּרייסט בייַ $250, $100, $70, $40 און $30, ניט אַרייַנגערעכנט אָנווענדלעך דינען טשאַרדזשאַז און טאַקסיז, are available at all Ticketmaster locations, אָנליין בייַ Ticketmaster.com און באַשולדיקונג דורך טעלעפאָנירן בייַ (800) 745-3000.

פֿאַר מער אינפֿאָרמאַציע, ביטע באַזוכן www.rocnation.com. גיי ראָק נאַציאָן אויף טוויטטער און ינסטאַגראַםראָקנאַטיאָן און אויף קרוקס בייַ www.facebook.com/RocNation.

פֿאַר מער אינפֿאָרמאַציע, באַזוכן www.hbo.com/boxing, follow on Twitter and Instagram at @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook at 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 קאָ) to the undercard of Andre Ward vs. Alexander Brand at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California on ויגוסט 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, קאַליפאָרניאַ. 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 סעקונדעס פון די ערשטער קייַלעכיק. Miller was the 2012 Women’s World Championships Silver Medalist, 2012 USA Boxing Women’s National Champion and 2012 יוז. 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 ויגוסט 6 בייַ אָראַקלע אַרענאַ.

Two-Time World Champion and top-rated pound-for-pound fighter Andre Ward (29-0, 15 קאָס) וועט צוריקקומען צו די רינג אויף שבת, ויגוסט 6, to continue his conquest of the light heavyweight division when he takes on power-punching Colombian Alexander Brand (25-1, 19 קאָס) בייַ אָראַקלע אַרענאַ אין אָוקלאַנד, קאַליפאָרניאַ. קעסטקינד ווס. Brand is a 12-round fight for the WBO Intercontinental title, presented by Roc Nation Sports and sponsored by Corona Extra, Verizon, ProSupps, פֿירמע רייזע מאַנאַגעמענט סאַלושאַנז (CTMS), Brand Jordan, שו פּאַלאַס, Kingsford, Autocom Nissan, Ticketmaster and The Clorox Company, supporting the Bay Area Community for over 100 יאָרן. די געשעעניש וועט זיין טעלאַווייזד לעבן אויף הבאָ וועלט טשאַמפּיאָנשיפּ באָקסינג אָנהייב בייַ 10:35 פּ.ם. און/פּט.

טיקקעץ פּרייסט בייַ $250, $100, $70, $40 און $30, ניט אַרייַנגערעכנט אָנווענדלעך דינען טשאַרדזשאַז און טאַקסיז, are available at all Ticketmaster locations, אָנליין בייַ Ticketmaster.com און באַשולדיקונג דורך טעלעפאָנירן בייַ (800) 745-3000.

אויף שבת, ויגוסט 6 ביי אָראַקלע ארענע אין אָוקלאַנד, California

WARD VS. BRAND TO BE TELEVISED LIVE

ON HBO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®

BEGINNING AT 10:35 פּ.ם. און/פּט

נייַ יארק, ניו יאָרק (יולי 26, 2016) – Two-Time World Champion and top-rated pound-for-pound fighter Andre Ward (29-0, 15 קאָס) וועט צוריקקומען צו די רינג אויף שבת, ויגוסט 6, to continue his conquest of the light heavyweight division when he takes on power-punching Colombian Alexander Brand (25-1, 19 קאָס) בייַ אָראַקלע אַרענאַ אין אָוקלאַנד, קאַליפאָרניאַ. די געשעעניש, which will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:35 פּ.ם. און/פּט, 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, דניאל "טוויטש" פראַנקאָ, Rudy “The Revelation” Puga Jr. און Darmani “Rock Solid” Rock. Roc Nation Sports’ sparkplug Maurice “Mighty Mo” Hooker 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 “Mighty Mo” Hooker (20-0-2, 15 קאָס) was born and raised in Oak Cliff, טעקסאַס, a suburb of Dallas, where he found a boxing home at Maple Avenue Boxing Gym by way of an outreach program for at-risk youths. His natural talent was soon noticed resulting in him competing as an amateur, during which time he participated in over 100 פייץ, compiling a record of 97 ווינס און בלויז 7 לאָססעס, מיט 67 victories coming by way of knockout. Hooker turned professional on April 29, 2011, taking on the vastly more experienced Tyrone Chatman at the Orpheum Theater in St. לוי. After four rounds, the judges saw the fight 40-36, 37-39 און 38-38, making the fight a split draw. Undeterred, in his next fight on June 24, 2014, Hooker scored his first professional win, knocking out Wilbert Mitchell in the first round at the Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco, טעקסאַס. Eleven wins (eight by knockout) later, he took on undefeated Abel Ramos on January 17, 2014 in a bout that was featured on ShoBox from the Cook Convention Center in Memphis. After eight close, hard-fought rounds, the judges saw the fight a draw. Four consecutive knockout victories would follow before he took on fellow undefeated prospect Eduardo Galindo on June 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. אויף אקטאבער 17, 2015, Hooker successfully defended his title at Madison Square Garden in New York City against his toughest opponent to date in Ghislain Maduma. The 10-round decision win came on the undercard of Gennady Golovkin vs. David Lemieux and was featured on the event’s “freeview” as well as streamed online around the world. “Mighty Mo” made his debut under the Roc Nation Sports banner on the undercard of Andre Ward vs. סאַליוואַן באַררעראַ, this past March at Oracle Arena in Oakland, אַזאַ ווי, where he annihilated opponent Wilfrido “La Roca” Buelvas of Columbia in the first round of a 10-round junior welterweight bout by way of technical knockout. Hooker looks to advance his undefeated record when he takes on Tyrone Barnett (23-4-1, 15 קאָס) אויף ויגוסט 6 בייַ אָראַקלע אַרענאַ. Barnett was in action this past February, with a technical knockout victory over Daniel Attah at the Walter E. וואַשינגטאָן קאַנווענשאַן צענטער. The D.C. native is eager to stop Maurice Hooker’s momentum and take home the NABO title.

האַילינג פון ריווערסייד, California און מלחמה אויס פון די באָקסינג כאַטבעד פון אָקסנאַרד, ונדעפעאַטעד יינגער לייטווייט דניאל "טוויטש" פראַנקאָ (13-0-3, 8 קאָס) אנגעהויבן באָקסינג בייַ דער עלטער פון אַכט, אַמאַסינג אַ ליבהאָבער רעקאָרד פון 67-15, ווינינג די אָקסנאַרד כאַווער טשאַמפּיאָנשיפּ אין 2006 און די California שטאַט זילבער גלאָוועס טשאַמפּיאָנשיפּ אין 2007 צוזאמען די וועג. בעשאַס פראַנקאָ ס פאַכמאַן דעבוט אויף דעצעמבער 18, 2010, ער דעפעאַטעד ימאַניואַל מאַטשאָרראָ בייַ קלוב 401 אין אָנטאַריאָ, California דורך א דריט קייַלעכיק טעכניש נאַקאַוט. פראַנקאָ ימפּרעסט פרי אין זיין קאַריערע, קאַמפּיילינג אַ ונדעפעאַטעד רעקאָרד מיט צוויי דראָז אין ווענוז איבער California דורך די סוף פון 2013. איינער פון יענע דראָז געקומען קעגן Alejandro אָטשאָאַ בייַ רויק קאַנאַן אין מאָנטעבעללאָ, California אויף סעפטעמבער 20, 2013, but in a rematch three months later, פראַנקאָ אָוטמאַטטשעד אָטשאָאַ סקאָרינג אַ זעקס-קייַלעכיק יונאַנאַמאַס באַשלוס נצחון בייַ וועסטין באָנאַווענטורע האטעל אין לאס אנדזשעלעס. אויף יוני 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 בייַ אָראַקלע אַרענאַ אין אָוקלאַנד, 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.ויגוסט 6 will be Franco’s third appearance at Oracle when he takes on Renton, Washington’s Marcelo Gallardo (7-3-2, 3 קאָס). 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. דזשוניער. (8-0, 7 קאָס), 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 two months 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. אין יוני 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, נעוואַדאַ. 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. אויף פעברואַר 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, קאַליפאָרניאַ. In his most recent fight on March 26, 2016 בייַ אָראַקלע אַרענאַ אין אָוקלאַנד, 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 ויגוסט 6 to face an opponent to be announced.

Brooklyn’s undefeated Junior “The Young God” Younan (9-0, 7 קאָס) is considered one of New York City’s best boxing prospects. Younan, trained by his father Sherif, a former professional boxer himself, began fighting competitively at age eight and only two years later was called a “boxing prodigy” by the New York Times. He compiled an amateur record of 90-5, racking up an impressive series of titles along the way including nine Junior Olympic championships, nine Junior Metro championships, eight New York State Silver Gloves championships and five Regional Silver Gloves championships. אין 2011, he was crowned National Junior Golden Gloves champion and was U.S.A. Boxing’s number one rated junior boxer in his weight class. Less than a month after his 18^טה געבוירנ-טאָג, Younan made his professional debut on November 9, 2013, at the Aviator Sports and Events Center in Brooklyn, ניו יארק, stopping Kenneth Schmitz in the first round. 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, דזשוניער. 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, ד.ק. Returning to Oakland on the Ward vs. Brand undercard, Younan is set to take on Jaime “Zarco” Solorio (5-2-2, 4 קאָס) אויף ויגוסט 6. Fighting out of Baja, קאַליפאָרניאַ, the Mexico native is riding an undefeated streak in his last six fights.

אין די עלטער פון 20, Darmani Rock (3-0, 3 קאָס) is already drawing comparisons to former heavyweight greats of the past. 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. Standing at 6’4”, he moves with an unparalleled lightness and speed for a fighter his size. Rock earned nation-wide accolades following a banner year in 2014 when he took home the USA Boxing Junior and Youth Open, Youth Continental and Youth World super heavyweight titles. During the 2014 Junior and Youth Open in Reno, נעוואַדאַ, Rock shut out the 2013 National Youth Champion, John Luna, 3-0. This impressive performance was followed by another super heavyweight title at the Youth Continental Championships in March 2014 in Quito, Ecuador where he defeated Argentina’s Kervin Espinola 3-0. Rock then took home the gold medal at the prestigious World Youth Championships in Bulgaria in April 2014 by a 2-1 decision over Germany’s Peter Kadiru. Rock also took home the 2014 World Junior Amateur Championship and capped off 2014 by being named Philadelphia’s Amateur Boxer of the Year at the annual Briscoe Awards. His most noteworthy win, אָבער, came in May 2015 when he beat Cam Awesome in Las Vegas for the National Golden Gloves title. Rock also captured the 2015 יוז. National Amateur super heavyweight championship. He ended his amateur career as the number one rated super heavyweight in the United States (and the number five rated super heavyweight in the world) גיי 19-5 in national tournaments. 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, ד.ק. Following a devastating left hook, Rock brought his opponent to the floor with a right-left combination at the 1:54 צייכן פון די ערשטער קייַלעכיק. 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 ויגוסט 6, Rock looks to keep his fierce win streak alive when he takes on מייק קילע (1-2-1, 1 קאָ). 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 קאָ) 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. אויף נאוועמבער 10, 2013, he fought one of the area’s top junior welterweight fighters, Moris Rodriguez, at the Red Lion Hotel in Sacramento, קאַליפאָרניאַ. 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 בייַ די 16^טה Street Rail Station in Oakland, going the distance with a six-round unanimous decision over Vincente Guzman. Mahasin is ready to take on journeyman לויס Alfredo Lugo (14-25-1, 5 קאָס) אויף ויגוסט 6 at Oracle Arena in front an ever-steadied fanfare.

קעסטקינד ווס. Brand is a 12-round fight presented by Roc Nation Sports and sponsored by Corona Extra, Verizon, ProSupps, פֿירמע רייזע מאַנאַגעמענט סאַלושאַנז (CTMS), Brand Jordan, Verizon, שו פּאַלאַס, Ticketmaster and The Clorox Company, supporting the Bay Area Community for over 100 יאָרן.

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