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Tag Archives: Andrzej Fonfara
SUGAR RAY LEONARD TO JOIN SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING ON CBS BROADCAST TEAM FOR DANNY GARCIA vs. KEITH THURMAN WELTERWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP UNIFICATION EVENT ON SATURDAY, MARCH 4
Former Undisputed Welterweight Champion to Provide Unique Insight as Garcia and Thurman Join Boxing Royalty in 147-Pound Unification
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on CBS, presented by Premier Boxing Champions, Live on CBS from 9 – 11 p.m. ET / 6 – 8 p.m. PT from Barclays Center In Brooklyn
NEW YORK (Feb. 28, 2017) – Boxing Hall of Famer and former undisputed welterweight world champion Sugar Ray Leonard will join the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on CBS broadcast team on Saturday, March 4 for GARCIA vs. THURMAN. The event will be headlined by the welterweight world championship unification bout between undefeated champions Danny Garcia and Keith Thurman. GARCIA vs. THURMAN is presented by Premier Boxing Champions and will take place at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, home of BROOKLYN BOXING.
The live broadcast will be produced by SHOWTIME Sports® for the CBS Television Network and will air live on CBS from 9-11 p.m. ET / 6-8 p.m. PT. Garcia vs. Thurman will be the first world title unification bout in any weight division on live network television in over two decades and just the second primetime boxing presentation on CBS in nearly 40 years. The first was headlined by a thrilling welterweight world championship fight between Thurman and Shawn Porter, a 2016 Fight of the Year candidate and one of the most watched boxing events of the year.
With SHOWTIME boxing analyst and active prizefighter Paul Malignaggi scheduled to fight in London that evening, the broadcast seat opened up for Leonard. He will join SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING host Brian Custer, play-by-play voice Mauro Ranallo, International Boxing Hall of Fame analyst Al Bernstein and Sports Emmy® Award-winning reporter Jim Gray on Saturday.
Leonard made his professional boxing debut on CBS in 1977, less than one year after he won gold at the ‘76 Olympics in Montreal as part of what is considered the greatest American boxing team in Olympic history. He served as a boxing analyst for the network in the early 1980s during a temporary retirement, calling fights alongside CBS boxing announcer Tim Ryan and Hall of Fame trainer and analyst Gil Clancy, before eventually resuming his professional boxing career. The March 4event will reunite Leonard with former CBS producer and current SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING Executive Producer David Dinkins Jr., and director Bob Dunphy, the son of legendary boxing broadcaster Don Dunphy.
A five-division titlist and one of the most decorated boxers of all-time, Leonard brings unique perspective to the broadcast booth having been in a similar situation to Thurman and Garcia more than 35 years ago. Garcia, the WBC 147-pound titleholder, and Thurman, his WBA counterpart, will unify the exact same titles that Leonard (WBC) and fellow Hall of Famer Thomas Hearns (WBA) unified in their classic 1981 Fight of the Year.
Heading into the March 4 unification, Garcia and Thurman own similar records to those of Leonard and Hearns prior to their ‘81 showdown. Thurman is 27-0 and Garcia is 33-0, while Leonard was 30-1 and Hearns was 32-0. And like Leonard and Hearns, Thurman and Garcia are in their 20’s and their respective primes as they approach the career-defining fight.
“I’m thrilled to be working with the SHOWTIME team and to be part of the CBS broadcast of this great event,” said Leonard. “I’ve watched Danny Garcia and Keith Thurman develop as young men and mature both inside and outside of the ring. Now they are both champions facing their biggest test to determine the man to beat in the welterweight division. This fight reminds me of my incredible bout against Tommy Hearns. There’s nothing better in boxing than when champions meet to unify a division, and I truly believe this fight could go either way. I’m so excited and I can’t wait to be ringside this Saturday at Barclay’s Center.”
“When Ray and I last spoke in January, we’d reminisced briefly about our work in boxing together and we’d promised to get together soon,” said Dinkins. “Who knew it would be to work on the biggest fight scheduled for 2017? I’m thrilled that Ray is available to join our SHOWTIME broadcast team on March 4. His experience in fighting on the big stage for high-stakes will help put Garcia vs. Thurman into its proper context.
“Garcia vs. Thurman is a battle of undefeated champions,” Dinkins continued. “The winner of this fight will be the No. 1 welterweight in the world. Ray has been there. His classic battles with Wilfred Benitez, Roberto Duran and Thomas Hearns at welterweight made him a legend. It is only fitting that he will be ringside when a new star is born.”
Leonard was down on the scorecards when he knocked out Hearns in the 14th round of the 1981 fight. It was only the second world championship unification match in welterweight history. Garcia and Thurman will face off in the 10th unification in division history, and only the third between undefeated world champions.
After the Hearns fight, Leonard made one more defense of his welterweight belts before eventually moving up to challenge Marvin Hagler at middleweight. Leonard has served as a TV personality and boxing analyst since retiring from the ring in 1997, including a stint on CBS.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, start at $50 (not including applicable fees) and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting www.ticketmaster.com, www.barclayscenter.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.
ABOUT GARCIA vs. THURMAN
Danny Garcia vs. Keith Thurman is a welterweight world title showdown between undefeated 147-pound titlists. The 12-round bout headlines SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on CBS, presented by Premier Boxing Champions,Saturday, March 4 from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™. In the co-main event, undefeated rising star Erickson Lubin battles once-beaten knockout artist Jorge Cota in a super welterweight title eliminator bout on CBS at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports, follow on Twitter @SHOSports, @ShowtimeBoxing, @DannySwift, @KeithFThurmanJr, @LouDiBella, @BarclaysCenter and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook atwww.Facebook.com/SHOSports, www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment, www.Facebook.com/barclayscenter. PBC is sponsored by Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina.
Undefeated Prospect Mario Barrios Battles Mexico’s Yardley Suarez While Super Lightweight Contender Sergey Lipinets Faces Clarence Booth in Undercard Action Saturday, March 4 From Barclays Center in Brooklyn
Plus! Undefeated Heather Hardy Faces Hungary’s Edina Kiss While Unbeaten Prospect Thomas Velasquez, Featherweight Rickey Lopez & 2016 Haitian Olympian Richardson Hitchins
Round Out Exciting Undercard
BROOKLYN (February 27, 2017) – A pair of exciting matchups highlight undercard action as unbeaten prospect Mario Barrios (17-0, 9 KOs) takes on Mexico’s Yardley Suarez (20-6, 11 KOs) in a super lightweight bout while super lightweight contender Sergey Lipinets (11-0, 9 KOs) faces Clarence Booth (14-2, 7 KOs) on Saturday, March 4 from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.
The March 4 event is headlined by the highly anticipated welterweight world title unification showdown between Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia that serves as the main event of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on CBS, presented by Premier Boxing Champions. Broadcast coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT with undefeated rising star Erickson Lubin battling once-beaten knockout artist Jorge Cota in a super welterweight title eliminator bout.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, start at $50 (not including applicable fees) and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting www.ticketmaster.com, www.barclayscenter.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.
Additional undercard action will feature popular local star Heather Hardy (18-0, 4 KOs), who will now battle Hungary’s Edina Kiss (13-2, 8 KOs) in a 10-round featherweight bout, while Philadelphia-native Thomas Velasquez (6-0, 4 KOs) enters the ring in a six-round lightweight affair.
Rounding out the night of fights are Colorado’s Rickey Lopez (16-4, 6 KOs) in a six-round featherweight clash against Houston’s Pablo Cruz (14-1, 6 KOs) and 2016 Haitian Olympian Richardson Hitchins, who makes his pro debut in a four-round welterweight contest against Mexico’s Mario Perez (1-0).
A tall fighter for his division at more than six feet, the 21-year-old Barrios picked up seven victories in a jam-packed 2015 in which he stopped five opponents inside the distance. The San Antonio-native turned pro in 2013 and is on the fast track towards a world title shot as he defeated Devis Boschiero in a 12-round bout in July 2016 and followed it up with a second round knockout of Claudio Rosendo Tapia in December. He will be challenged by the 22-year-old Suarez of Sinaloa, Mexico who picked up five wins in 2016 and stopped Christian Valverde in the fifth-round of his last bout.
An accomplished amateur who was born in Kazakhstan but fights out of California, Lipinets turned pro in April of 2014 with a decision victory over Franklin Varela. The 27-year-old recorded six knockouts in a row before stepping up in competition and impressing with a victory over Haskell Lydell Rhodes in March 2015 and a knockout of Levan Ghvamichava in March. He kept the momentum going by stopping established contender Walter Castillo in July and knocking out Lenny Zappavigna in their 140-pound title eliminator in December. He will be challenge by the Keith Thurman stablemate Booth, who fights out of St. Petersburg, Florida and defeated Cesar Soriano in his last bout.
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ABOUT THURMAN vs. GARCIA
Keith Thurman vs. Danny Garcia is a welterweight world title showdown between undefeated 147-pound titlists. The 12-round bout headlinesSHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on CBS, presented by Premier Boxing Champions, Saturday March 4 from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™. In the co-main event undefeated rising star Erickson Lubin battles once-beaten knockout artist Jorge Cota in a super welterweight title eliminator bout on CBS at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports follow on Twitter @SHOSports, @KeithFThurmanJr, @DannySwift, @LouDiBella, @BarclaysCenter and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports, www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment, www.Facebook.com/barclayscenter. PBC is sponsored by Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina.
DANNY GARCIA HAS CANDID CONVERSATION ABOUT THE ROLE OF HIS FATHER & THRIVING AS AN UNDERDOG IN THE REVEAL WITH MARK KRIEGEL
THE REVEAL with Mark Kriegel: Danny Garcia: http://s.sho.com/2m8unol
Danny Garcia opened up about his father Angel, his challenging childhood, and not getting the respect he deserves in an intimate conversation with award-winning reporter Mark Kriegel. The interview is the latest in a recurring SHOWTIME Sports digital series, THE REVEAL with Mark Kriegel, featuring exclusive and in-depth interviews with boxing’s emerging stars.
Garcia, the WBC Welterweight World Champion, and Kriegel spoke in a wide-ranging conversation prior to his long-awaited unification showdown with fellow undefeated WBA Welterweight Champ Keith Thurman on Saturday, March 4 on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on CBS, presented by Premier Boxing Champions, from Barclays Center, live on CBS from 9-11 p.m. ET/6-8 p.m. PT.
Below are bites from THE REVEAL:
Garcia on his father’s incarceration while he was a child:
“I was just a kid, I was confused. I didn’t know what was going on. I didn’t understand until I got older. I think that’s what motivated me today to be the best fighter I can be.
“The things I’ve been through as a kid – waking up on your birthday not even knowing it’s your birthday, not having a birthday cake – so it’s just a lot of things we went through in life that made me who I am today.”
Garcia on his father’s approach to tough parenting and coaching following a loss in the amateurs:
“I love him for that because we have a perfect chemistry. I needed him, he needed me. I was a talented kid, but he made me believe in myself. I just loved boxing, I was just having fun…but to him, he was working, he was providing for the family. This was our way out. And once he told me that I never looked at it like that again. I took it serious and I just became the best fighter I could be.”
Garcia when asked by Kriegel who is the most dangerous fighter in the division:
“Danny Garcia. You know why? Danny Garcia has always been the underdog and overlooked his whole career. And I’ve never been given the credit I deserve ever since I was a little kid. But you know what? It’s OK. I want people to overlook me so that when my hand is raised at the end of the night, what can they say?”
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Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, start at $50 (not including applicable fees) and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting www.ticketmaster.com, www.barclayscenter.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.
ABOUT THURMAN vs. GARCIA
Keith Thurman vs. Danny Garcia is a welterweight world title showdown between undefeated 147-pound titlists. The 12-round bout headlines SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on CBS, presented by Premier Boxing Champions, Saturday March 4 from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™. In the co-main event undefeated rising star Erickson Lubin battles once-beaten knockout artist Jorge Cota in a super welterweight title eliminator bout on CBS at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports follow on Twitter @SHOSports, @KeithFThurmanJr, @DannySwift, @LouDiBella, @BarclaysCenter and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports, www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment, www.Facebook.com/barclayscenter. PBC is sponsored by Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina.
Joe Smith, Jr. & Dr. Robert Polofsky Ring 8’s February Guest Speakers This Thursday night in New York
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NEW YORK (February 21, 2017) – World light heavyweight contender Joe “The Irish Bomber” Smith, Jr. (23-1, 19 KOs) and ringside physician Dr. Robert Polofsky are this Thursday night’s (Feb. 23) guest speakers at Ring 8’s monthly meeting, starting at 7 p.m. ET, at Plattduetsche Park Restaurant, located at 1132 Hempstead Turnpike in Franklin Square, New York.
The 27-year-old Smith (23-1, 19 KOs) is a Union 66 laborer between fights. The Long Island power-puncher from Mastic burst upon the International boxing scene last June, stopping former world title challenger Andrzej Fonfara (28-4) in the opening round for the World Boxing Council (WBC) International light heavyweight title. Last December, Smith retired living legend Bernard Hopkins (55-8-2), knocking out (8thround) the seven-time, two-division world champion for the first time in his career. Smith was the recipient of Ring 8’s “Knockout of the Year Award” last December at the organization’s 30th annual Ring 8 Holiday Event and Awards Ceremony. Currently rated as high as No. 3 by the World Boxing Council (WBC), Smith is knocking at the door for a world title shot in the 175-pound division. He is promoted by New York State Boxing Hall of Fame (NYSBHOF) inductee Joe DeGuardia (Star Boxing).
Dr. Polofsky is a physician member of the New York State Athletic Commission and USA Boxing
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Merrick, NY junior welterweight Larry Stanton (29-17-2, 17 KOs), who fought professionally between 1969 and 1983, will received his 2016 Ring 8 Uncrowned Champion Award. He was unable to attend the organization’s original awards festivity last December, the 30th annual Ring 8 Holiday Event & Award Ceremony.
Stanton’s most notable victories were against Bruce Strauss (54-27-2), Tony Petronelli (42-3-1) and Sammy Ayala (11-0). He fought a draw with two-time world title challenger Vilomar Fernandez (22-6-1) and lost a controversial decision to 1976 Olympic gold medalist Howard David, Jr. (6-0).
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ABOUT RING 8: Ring 8 became the eighth subsidiary of what was then known as the National Veteran Boxers Association – hence, RING 8 – and today the organization’s motto remains: Boxers Helping Boxers.
RING 8 is fully committed to supporting less fortunate people in the boxing community who may require assistance in terms of paying rent, medical expenses, or whatever justifiable need.
Go on line to www.Ring8ny.com for more information about RING 8, the largest group of its kind in the United States with more than 350 members. Annual membership dues is only $30.00 and each member is entitled to a buffet dinner at RING 8 monthly meetings, excluding July and August. All active boxers, amateur and professional, with a current boxing license or book are entitled to a complimentary RING 8 yearly membership. Guests of Ring 8 members are welcome at a cost of only $7.00 per person.
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FONFARA IN FULL SWING WITH VADA TESTING
BAY AREA, CA (February 16, 2017) – In preparation for his upcoming fight with former world champion, Chad Dawson (34-4, 19 KOs), Andrzej Fonfara (28-4, 16 KOs) is in full swing with his mandated VADA testing. The 10-round bout is set for March 4th, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn NY, on the Keith Thurman vs. Danny Garcia, undercard.
Fonfara, who recently hired Virgil Hunter, 2012 BWAA Boxing Trainer of the year, gives his thoughts on the importance of drug testing in boxing.
“Today I had my mandatory VADA testing and I feel good about it.” said Andrzej Fonfara, the current WBC #9 rated contender. “I think it’s very important that all fighters be tested for PED’s.” “We all put our lives on the line when we step in the ring and everyone knows boxing is a very dangerous sport. People die in the ring and for someone to have an advantage by taking drugs, should not be tolerated. I believe cleaning up the sport of boxing is a good thing, one that all fighters should applaud.”
Erickson Lubin Media Workout Quotes & Photos
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Keith Thurman Media Workout Quotes & Photos
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Undefeated World Champion Battles Keith Thurman in Main Event of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on CBS Presented by Premier Boxing Champions Saturday, March 4 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn
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DANNY GARCIA & KEITH THURMAN JOIN RECORD BOOKS & ELITE GROUP OF LEGENDS IN MARCH 4 WELTERWEIGHT UNIFICATION
Just The Third Unification Between Undefeated Welterweights In Boxing History
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on CBS, presented by Premier Boxing Champions, Live on CBS From Barclays Center In Brooklyn
NEW YORK (Feb. 15, 2017) – Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Tommy Hearns. Felix Trinidad vs. Oscar De La Hoya. Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao.
That is the elite company welterweight champions Danny Garcia and Keith Thurman will join when they meet in just the 10thunification in division history on Saturday, March 4 on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on CBS, presented by Premier Boxing Champions, from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™, live on CBS from 9-11 p.m. ET/6-8 p.m. PT.
Garcia, the WBC titleholder, and Thurman, the WBA champion, will unify the exact same titles that Leonard (WBC) and Hearns (WBA) unified in their 1981 Fight of the Year.
And while Hearns was undefeated and Leonard entered with one loss, Garcia (33-0, 19 KOs) and Thurman (27-0, 22 KOs) will meet in just the third unification between undefeated welterweights in boxing history, the first since Trinidad vs. De La Hoya in 1999, a bout billed as “The Fight of the Millennium.”
Garcia vs. Thurman will be broadcast in Primetime on CBS, the first unification on network television in any division in over two decades (Note: Terry Norris vs. Paul Vaden at 154-pounds on Dec. 16, 1995 on FOX). It’s also just the second primetime boxing presentation on the CBS Television Network in nearly 40 years.
While Danny Garcia and Keith Thurman are joining a who’s who of legendary 147-pounders, their showdown also presents current implications in boxing’s glamour division. With the retirement of pound-for-pound kingpin Floyd Mayweather, Garcia and Thurman, both just 28 years old, meet with a chance to become the new face of the stacked 147-pound division, and perhaps earn a spot on the mythical pound-for-pound list.
More than 80 percent of the total punches landed by Garcia are power shots, putting his high-octane power punch output nearly 10 percent higher than the welterweight average.
Keith Thurman ranks No. 4 amongst all current boxers in percentage of power punches landed, connecting at 48.2 percent according to Compubox. That’s more than 10 percent better than the welterweight average.
Both fighters are young, hungry and undefeated. Their bout on March 4 is the quintessential career-defining fight. It is a chance for both to add to their growing legacy and potentially, ultimately, be forever linked with every boxing great in the coveted International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Note: Welterweight Unifications (9) In Boxing History
· Jackie Fields (NBA) W DQ 2 Joe Dundee (World) 7-25-29
· Sugar Ray Leonard (WBC) KO 14 Thomas Hearns (WBA) 9-16-81
· Donald Curry (WBA, IBF) KO 3 Milton McCrory (WBA) 12-6-85
· Simon Brown (IBF) KO 10 Maurice Blocker (WBC) 3-18-91
· Felix Trinidad (IBF) W 12 Oscar De La Hoya (WBC) 9-18-99
· Ricardo Mayorga (WBA) KO 3 Vernon Forrest (WBC) 1-25-03
· Cory Spinks (IBF) W 12 Ricardo Mayorga (WBA, WBC) 12-13-03
· Floyd Mayweather (WBC, WBA Super) W 12 Marcos Maidana (WBA) 5-3-14
· Floyd Mayweather (WBC, WBA Super) Manny Pacquiao (WBO) 5-2-15
Note: Curry-McCrory and Trinidad-DLH were matchups of unbeatens.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, start at $50 (not including applicable fees) and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting www.ticketmaster.com, www.
ABOUT THURMAN vs. GARCIA
Keith Thurman vs. Danny Garcia is a welterweight world title showdown between undefeated 147-pound titlists. The 12-round bout headlines SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on CBS, presented by Premier Boxing Champions,Saturday March 4 from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™. In the co-main event undefeated rising starErickson Lubin battles once-beaten knockout artist Jorge Cota in a super welterweight title eliminator bout on CBS at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports