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BRITISH & IRISH BOXING AUTHORITY PRESS RELEASE

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London, UK – 3rd February 2017.

 

 

BREAKING NEWS: Hand Held Infra-Scanners, That Detect Brain Bleeds, Introduced For Professional Boxing Events In The United Kingdom.

 

 

The British & Irish Boxing Authority (BIBA) are set to introduce hand held Infra-Scanners, that can detect Brain bleeds, at events sanctioned by themselves in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.

 

Sky News’ Health & Science Correspondent, Thomas Moore, highlighted the benefits of the use of the Infra-Scanners, that can detect brain bleeds with an accuracy of 90%, often before any symptoms such as headaches or confusion become apparent, following the death of Mike Towell last year at an event sanctioned by the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC).

In the article Mr. Moore stated “Compulsory brain imaging using Infra-Scanners could be “massive” for boxers who risk death from professional competition.”

On announcing the introduction of Infra-Scanners, that will be available ringside at events sanctioned by them, BIBA Vice President Gianluca Di Caro said.

“We are extremely proud to be the first to introduce Infra-Scanners at events in the United Kingdom and Ireland, as we whole heartedly believe having them ringside will significantly prevent further tragedies within our sport.”

Before expanding further and explain what had led to the decision to introduce the use of Infra-Scanners at BIBA events;

“Following two major head injury incidents last year, one that resulted in the death of Mike Towell, even though neither were on events sanctioned by ourselves, the BIBA board had decided to actively seek solutions regarding improving the way that injuries such as these can be detected as quickly as possible. The first move we made was to appoint renowned forensic sports scientist Professor Michael Graham PhD to our Ringside Medical Officer & Medical Advisory Board. Professor Graham led the esteemed team that produced the internationally published papers “Direct Hits to the Head During Amateur Boxing is Associated With a Rise in Serum Biomarkers For Brain Injury” & “Should an Increase in Cerebral Neurochemicals Following Head Kicks in Karate Influence Return to Play?” Professor Graham and his esteemed team are currently researching the short-term and long-term effects of head injuries in Rugby as well as preparing, in conjunction with ourselves and a prestigious UK University, a long term research project to assess cognitive function following brain trauma. Around the time of the appointment of Professor Graham, our CMO, Dr. Louise Eccles, proposed that we should investigate obtaining Infra-Scanners, as the use of these would massively assist in detecting problems such as a bleed on the brain quickly, especially as there is only a limited amount of time to assess the location of such an injury. Following Louise’s advice, I contacted the manufacturers and am extremely proud to say that the initial trial unit will arrive later this month, hopefully in time for the 26th February event in Bradford, that features two ten round International contests. We have initially ordered two Infra-Scanners which will be operated by Professor Graham and Dr Eccles at our events, and are aiming to order a further eight units over the coming twelve months, so that every BIBA Ringside Doctor will have an Infra-Scanner available by 2018. Both the appointment of Professor Graham and the introduction of Infra-Scanners, are just two pro-active decisions made by ourselves with regard to Boxer Health & Safety, there are more to come, as Professor Graham and another of our Ringside Medical Officer & Medical Advisory Board, Dr Mark Xuereb have also proposed the introduction of further safety measures, one of which is the introduction of Cognitive Testing, which will come into force very soon. We believe that Boxer Health & Safety is paramount, as such we will continue researching procedures that can assist us provide the very best medical evaluations possible.” www.boxbiba.com

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JORGE LINARES vs. ANTHONY CROLLA PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES & PHOTOS FOR LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD TITLE REMATCH SATURDAY, MARCH 25 LIVE ON SHOWTIME®

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Linares-Crolla II Paves The Way For World Title Unification Bout With Winner of
Saturday’s Lightweight World Championship: Dejan Zlaticanin vs. Mikey Garcia

 

Click HERE For Photos; Credit: Lawrence Lustig; Matchroom Boxing


MANCHESTER, ENGLAND (Jan. 24, 2017) – WBA Lightweight World Champion Jorge Linares and former titlist Anthony Crolla held a press conference on Tuesday in Manchester, England, to formally announce their upcoming rematch on Saturday, March 25 live on SHOWTIME from Manchester Arena.

 

Linares (41-3, 27 KOs) narrowly outpointed defending champion Crolla (31-5-3, 13 KOs) last September in a thrilling battle in Crolla’s hometown of Manchester.

 

The WBC has mandated that the winner of Linares-Crolla II must face the winner of this Saturday’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING matchup between WBC Lightweight World Champion Dejan Zlaticanin and undefeated two-division titlist Mikey Garcia.

 

Here’s what the fighters had to say on Tuesday:

 

JORGE LINARES:

“I wasn’t supposed to win the first fight, but I’m glad I did so I can come back and do it again.

 

“The belts mean so much to me and my country, and I am going to work very hard to make sure that I take them home again.

 

“It’s a new year and a new day.  Anthony is going to be better and hungrier, and that means I will work harder, come with more skill and an even better game plan to win.

 

“I hope to see another huge crowd in Manchester and we’re going to provide the fans with another beautiful fight.”

 

ANTHONY CROLLA:

“I want the belt back, simple.  Fighting for these prizes in front of us is huge.  I’m so lucky to have a second chance and it’s one I have to take.

 

“It was a special night last time, great crowd and it’ll be even bigger this time.  The setting was perfect but I lost my belt.  I lost to a great fighter but I don’t celebrate losing, I don’t want to feel it again and I want to go down in history by beating a great fighter.

 

“I am better in rematches and I’m locking myself away to work harder and smarter to make sure these belts stay here.

 

“Jorge is the best and I want to be the best – beating him stakes my claim.  I didn’t win the first one but I had success and I can work on that.

 

“We’ve both got great teams behind us, and I believe if I make the right changes for the fight I will take the titles.”

 

EDDIE HEARN:

“The first fight was a hell of a fight.  Anthony was the favorite and now Jorge is the favorite.

 

“Anthony is the challenger in this rematch.  He’s had success in rematches before – he did it against Darleys Perez and he came back better.  He needs to do that again against Jorge, No. 1 in the division.

 

“It gives me huge pleasure to announce that the fight will be on SHOWTIME in the U.S. and I want to thank Stephen Espinosa and his team for making this happen.”

 

JOE GALLAGHER:

“I need a nasty Anthony Crolla for this fight.  Jorge is the best in the world so I need to keep him locked away and getting nasty – he won’t be doing any fan signings or selling tickets.  If you like Anthony and care about him, leave him alone, let him work, and come and watch him win on the night.”

 

ROBERT DIAZ:

“I didn’t know how Jorge was going to react to the fans as I know that Anthony has great fans. I think that Jorge won a lot of fans that night and he’ll have his share in the rematch.

 

“Anthony didn’t have to take the fight, he could’ve gone elsewhere and got some wins, but that shows what a man this guy is.  He wants the belts and we expect a better Anthony.  I said you would see the best Jorge ever and you did – he’s going to be even better this time.”

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SHOWTIME® TO TELEVISE JORGE LINARES vs. ANTHONY CROLLA LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD TITLE REMATCH ON SATURDAY, MARCH 25

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SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL® Presentation of Immediate Rematch Airs Live From Manchester, England 

Click HERE For Images from Linares-Crolla I; Photo Credit: Matchroom Boxing

 

NEW YORK (Jan. 24, 2017) – SHOWTIME will televise the eagerly anticipated rematch between WBA Lightweight World Champion Jorge Linares and former champ Anthony Crolla on Saturday, March 25 live on SHOWTIME from Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.

 

Linares (41-3, 27 KOs) dethroned Crolla (31-5-3, 13 KOs) in a thrilling battle last Sept. 24 in Manchester.  It was the first time the three-division titlist Linares was pushed the 12-round distance in his career.

 

Linares-Crolla will be the second lightweight world title bout on SHOWTIME in 2017 and an important fight toward potentially unifying the resurgent 135-pound division.  Dejan Zlaticanin will defend his WBC Lightweight World Championship against undefeated two-division world champ Mikey Garcia this Saturday, Jan. 28 in the co-feature of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®.

 

Linares, of Barinas, Venezuela, has won 10 fights in a row, including seven by knockout.  He became a three-division titlist when he captured the vacant WBC Lightweight World Championship in 2014 with a knockout of Javier Prieto.  The 31-year-old defended the belt twice in 2015 with knockouts of Kevin Mitchell and Ivan Cano before being named “Champion in Recess” by the WBC because of inactivity due to injuries.  Linares returned following an 11-month layoff to face Crolla in his hometown of Manchester, outpointing the champion 115-114, 117-111 and 115-113 in a back-and-forth and bloody battle.   With the win, Linares also earned the WBC Diamond and Ring Magazine lightweight belts.

 

Crolla, of Manchester, won the WBA Lightweight Title with a fifth-round KO of Darleys Perez in November of 2015 in an immediate rematch of their 12-round draw earlier that year.  The 30-year-old knocked out previously unbeaten Ismael Barroso in his first title defense on May 7, 2016 to set up the showdown with Linares.   The close loss to Linares was Crolla’s first defeat in his last 11 fights.

 

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Carney, Clayton and Russo In Knockout Form at BIBA Inaugural Event

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On Friday night, at the Kyle Gallagher (Fight Club) promoted event at the Devonshire House Hotel in Liverpool, the British & Irish Boxing Authority (BIBA) successfully sanctioned their inaugural event, since taking over the British and Irish operations of the Malta Boxing Commission (MBC) earlier this month.

The first bout of the night, see Lee Clayton make his professional debut against two-bout veteran Thomas Murry.

The two combatants went at it hammer and tongs from the off, both men vying for centre ring with a passion. As the round progressed into the second minute Clayton began to dominate, letting rip with vicious body shots whenever the opportunity arose.

By the third minute Clayton stepped it up even further and then on around two minute thirty mark Clayton landed a peach of a body shot to send Murry down. The Mancunian lad initially attempted to rise but was clearly in a lot of pain and motioned to Referee Jimmy Byrne that he couldn’t continue and the bout was waived off at the 2 minute and 42 second mark.

Local lad Dayle Clayton faced Belfast’s Marty Kayes in the second bout of the night. From the opening bell right through to the closing bell of the bout these two warriors battled it out much to the delight of the packed house, after four very closely fought rounds Referee Jimmy Byrne scored the bout 40-36 in favour of Dayle Gallagher, whose record now stands as 2-0.

Third bout of the night see Hyde, Cheshire’s Will O’Reilly make his professional debut against Newark, Nottingham’s Vaclav Skromach.

Again another full on war from start to finish, both men giving their all for the full four rounds, as with the Clayton-Hayes bout each round was very close, in this case so close that Referee Jimmy Byrne scored the bout 39-37 in favour of debut kid Will O’Reilly.

Next up see Liverpool’s Lee Boyce against Castlerae, Ireland’s John Waldron. Another cracking all action bout.

Boyce dominated the majority of the first round, using his exceptional movement to keep the Irishman out of range, before moving forward and letting rip with clean sharp shots to body or head.

Many in attendance thought it was going to be an early finish, after Waldron was sent down following a vicious body shot in the first, but the Irishman is of much tougher stock, as proved in the second round which Waldron won.

Third and fourth rounds were full on Battle Royales with Boyce capturing one and Waldron the other, so after four sensational rounds of boxing it was clearly going to be close, so no surprise that Referee Jimmy Byrne’s scorecards showed Boyce the victor by a very close 38-37, the first round knockdown being the difference. A seriously great fight and surely a rematch in the future should be on the cards.

The fifth bout of the night saw former England Amateur star Nathan Russo making his debut against the equally talented and also debuting James McDonald.

The first minute or so of the bout was sensational to put it mildly, first one lad dominated the other and then visa versa, however as the round progressed Russo began to get major success with vicious body-shots and big lefts to the head, so much so around the two minute thirty mark Russo stepped it up even further, forcing McDonald to cover up much more than he had in the early parts of the round, then just as the bell to end the round was about to be rung Russo let rip with a huge left to the head, sending McDonald straight down and out.

Referee Jimmy Byrne realized the instant the punch landed it was a knockout and dived straight to the prone lads side to check his condition before signaling to the ringside medical team to enter the ring to attend to the injured warrior.

The crowd stood respectfully quietly, as did Nathan Russo, as the medical team went to work on the prone McDonald, but when eventually McDonald was assisted to the stool some two or three minutes later the entire crowd to a man (or woman) stood and applauded.

Although James McDonald seemed to be fully recovered, he was taken to hospital for checks to be on the safe side.

The final bout of the night see local lad Jay Carney against pro debuting Jak Johnson, from Newcastle.

Everyone was expecting this to be a serious good fight, as these two lads had fought each other previously in the amateurs, and they were to proved right.

What a first round, these two really went for it, both lads boxing beautifully throughout. Early in the second Johnson began to take control, landing some pinpoint perfect shots, Carney though is as tough as they come and weathered the onslaught and as the round progressed fought back magnificently and began to regain control.

Around the two minute thirty mark Carney stepped things up and started landing some big shots, causing Johnson to cover up, however this tactic opened up the body, which Carney took advantage of, throwing a huge body shot to send Johnson down.

As with Thomas Murry, initially Johnson tried to rise but was too winded to do so. Referee Jimmy Byrne waived the fight off on the two minute forty five second mark of the second round.

Following the event British & Irish Boxing Authority Vice President and CEO Gianluca Di Caro spoke briefly about the event.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better event to launch the British & Irish Boxing Authority, Kyle (promoter Kyle Gallagher) had put together a fantastic show, he’s without doubt one of the UK’s best promoters, his attention to detail is first class.

The venue was superb and the matching of the bouts was first class and more importantly, well to us, featured both British and Irish boxers, so we are over the moon he has chosen to be with the British & Irish Boxing Authority.

I have nothing but praise for every single fighter tonight, every single one of them fought their hearts out and put on a great show.

I am pleased to report that James McDonald is fine, but have to admit I was worried as it looked quite serious at the time, and to be honest if it wasn’t for the quick reactions of Jimmy (Referee Jimmy Byrne), John (Dr John Oates) and Chris (Trauma Medic Chris Say) and his team it could so easily have been.

With our first event done and dusted, it’s onwards and upwards. Events are coming in thick and fast, so much so that next weekend we have two events, Lee Murtagh’s event at the Aria Suite in Leeds, that will feature the pro debut of the excellent Sophie Varley as well as a full card of well matched bouts on the Friday and on SaturdayThomas Melville’s quadruple WBF title headed show at the Lagoon Leisure Centre in Paisley.”

For further information on the British & Irish Boxing Authority (BIBA) please see the official website; www.boxbiba.com and also please follow on Facebook www.facebook.com/BibaBoxing and Twitter www.twitter.com/BIBABoxing

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ANTHONY JOSHUA KNOCKS OUT CHARLES MARTIN TO WIN IBF HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY ON SHOWTIME®FROM THE O2 IN LONDON

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Encore Presentation of SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL®Airs Monday At 10 p.m. ET/PT On SHOWTIME EXTREME®

 

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: http://s.sho.com/1S9DGSs

Click Here For Photos; Credit Matchroom Sport

 

LONDON (April 9, 2016) – Anthony Joshua is the new IBF Heavyweight Champion of the World.

 

The undefeated knockout artist blasted defending champion Charles Martin in the second round to capture the IBF belt on Saturday in front of a rousing hometown crowd at The O2 in London on SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL.

 

Joshua, who kept his perfect KO record in tact to advance to 16-0 with 16 KOs, earned a heavyweight belt in the fewest number of fights since Michael Bentt beat Tommy Morrison in just his 12th pro match in 1993.

 

Joshua’s one-punch KO power was evident early.  After an even first, the 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist floored Martin with a straight right less than one minute into the second round.  The southpaw looked stunned and slowly rose to beat the count, but was floored again with another right hand just seconds later.  That was it for Martin (23-1-1, 21 KOs), who had won the belt in January under bizarre circumstances and now owns the second shortest reign for a heavyweight champion.

 

“I’m only one-quarter of the way there,” said Joshua., who has expressed his desire to unify the heavyweight division.  “I’m not going to get too carried away because we still have work to do.  We have (David) Haye calling me out, Tyson Fury calling me out.  I need to keep on pushing if I’m going to maintain at a high level.

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CHARLES MARTIN vs. ANTHONY JOSHUA OFFICIAL WEIGHTS & PHOTOS FOR IBF HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP THISSATURDAY, APRIL 9, LIVE ON SHOWTIME®

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SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL® Live At 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT

From The O2 In London

Click HERE To Download Photos; Credit: Matchroom Sport

 

IBF Heavyweight World Championship – 12 Rounds

Charles Martin – 245 Pounds

Anthony Joshua – 244 Pounds

 

IBF Featherweight World Championship – 12 Rounds

Lee Selby – 125 Pounds

Eric Hunter – 125 ¼ Pounds

 

NOTE: Highlight coverage of Selby vs. Hunter will air on this Saturday’sSHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL® telecast, preceding the live presentation of the IBF Heavyweight World Championship between unbeaten American titlist Charles Martin and fellow unbeaten British Olympic Gold Medalist Anthony Joshua.  Martin vs. Joshua airs live on SHOWTIME® at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT.

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CHARLES MARTIN vs. ANTHONY JOSHUA FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES & PHOTOS FOR HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT THIS SATURDAY, APRIL 9, LIVE ON SHOWTIME®

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“I’m always here to prove the doubters wrong.  When you doubt me, that just fuels my fire.” – Charles Martin

 

“I’ll probably go out and try to take his head off.” – Anthony Joshua

Click HERE To Download Photos; Credit: Matchroom Sport

 

LONDON (April 7, 2016) – IBF Heavyweight World Champion Charles Martin and unbeaten British Olympic Gold Medalist Anthony Joshua faced off at the final press conference on Thursday at Four Seasons Hotel in London as they near Saturday’s heavyweight showdown, live on SHOWTIME from The O2.

 

The SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL® telecast begins live at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT on SHOWTIME.  An encore presentation will air on SHOWTIME EXTREME® at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

 

Here’s what Martin and Joshua had to say at Thursday’s final press conference.

 

CHARLES MARTIN:

“I don’t consider this a risk. The O2 Arena, that’s my arena. I’m comfortable everywhere I go.  When eyes are on me, I’m going to perform.

 

“I know how to move my head and be evasive.  Real true analysts see the things I do. They can tell.

 

“I’m always here to prove the doubters wrong. When you doubt me, that just fuels my fire.

 

“We’re going to keep the tide rolling.  We’re rolling.”

 

ANTHONY JOSHUA:

“They know when it comes to these big heavy-hitters we don’t play games. We’re here to go to war.  We’ve just got two generals in the ring and the best army wins.

 

“You know what I’m like, I’m a fighter. I’m not going to go in there and dance around and try to evade punches. I’m going to walk through two to give him five. That’s just how it goes, I’m coming for him.

 

“I’m here to box, but at the same time I know I’m ready to swim through deep waters to get it.  It’s not going to be easy, I know that for a fact, no fight is easy. That’s why I said to you I will box and hopefully it will be an easy night.

 

“It most definitely is a risk, but at the same time let’s scrap all this 15-fight, 16-fight nonsense and let’s put men in the ring together who want it. Whoever wants it comes out on top and it’s simple as that.”

 

When asked if he can control his emotions: “Probably not. I’ll probably go out and try to take his head off.”

 

Additional Fight Week Quotes (free to use):

 

CHARLES MARTIN:

 

“I don’t know how the fans will react to me knocking him out, but that’s what is going to happen.  I don’t know how the fans in London will react, but I can only be myself.

 

“I’m world champion, but a lot of people don’t know me.  After I knock him out we’ll see where that goes.

 

“I’m not going to go in there respecting anybody’s power. He’s going to have to respect me and my power and deal with me and my tools. I don’t care what he’s bringing to the table.

 

“This is my livelihood and I get real emotional with this. If you don’t take emotion into it then how are you even going to win?  I’ve got to walk my own path.  When I get emotional ahead of a big fight like this, I feel that I cannot be stopped. Even if I have doubt, I always have that.

 

“I don’t think about where he’s been.  All I care about is where he’s going. I don’t care if he’s been in deep water before, or how many rounds he’s been. I want him to remember the word ‘timber’ because I’m going to make his ass hit that canvas real hard.

 

“This belt is mine. He’s trying to take what’s mine, take something from me. He’s trying to steal food out of my mouth, out of my kids’ mouth, out of my family’s mouth. This is my livelihood.

 

“I don’t want to let this go: this is never going to end. I want to be known as the greatest southpaw heavyweight that ever put on a set of gloves.

 

“When I get to this point now, I can’t be stopped. I’m like Lamon Brewster versus Wladimir Klitschko when he unloaded all those shots until he couldn’t throw anymore punches. And then what did Lamon Brewster do?  Knock him the (expletive) out. Just that will to win, man. You can throw whatever you want, but I’ll walk through fire to get you.

 

“It’s controlled aggression, though, because if it’s not, you’ll run into everything they throw at you. I go in there with my antennas to the ceiling and I won’t take my eyes off him until the job is done.

 

“Everything is just cooking in the kitchen like I am a master chef, and all of the ingredients put together make it perfect.

 

“Life is all about taking risks but I don’t consider this a risk because I’m confident in what I do. It’s all about just taking that first step. You’ve got to walk out on your own and you’ve got to believe in yourself.  If I didn’t believe in myself I wouldn’t have made it this far. If I didn’t believe in myself I wouldn’t be Prince Charles Martin.

 

“The belt is absolutely in the right hands. I didn’t want to win it the way I did – that was just crazy – I don’t even really like talking about it because it wasn’t my fault.  Afterwards, he walked out of the venue – he didn’t limp or get carried out, he walked.  If that was me I’d have fought on and gone out on my shield. You’d have to knock me out no matter what. I don’t care if I break my hand, if I break my jaw, I am not stopping.”

 

ANTHONY JOSHUA:

“I believe I am ready to win the world title. A lot of people have said that this might be too soon for me, that I’ve bitten off more than I can chew, but right now my knuckles are itchy and I just want to get in there and show the world what I can do.

 

“When my promoter Eddie Hearn called me up and said ‘do you want to fight Charles Martin for the world heavyweight title?’ I just said: ‘Let’s roll’.

 

“Opportunity knocks and you have to open the door. I have trained and prepared correctly and am ready for this.  There’s no turning back.  I just embrace it.

 

“We saw the opportunity when Martin called me out. I was like, ‘OK Mr. IBF calling me out.’  The IBF champ calling out the British champ.  I’ve got the heavyweight champion of the world calling me out saying he wants to fight me.  I say cool. Let’s rock and roll.

 

“At the end of the day, let’s strip away the heavyweight title and let’s look at the opponent I’m facing. Charles Martin is a southpaw who can box and who can punch a bit.

 

“Facing a southpaw always comes with different angles and different tricks. I can’t go in recklessly because you can easily get counter punched. That’s why sparring is important and having a successful camp is important.  I know I’ve done all I can to prepare myself for him.

 

“Let’s welcome Charles into the Lion’s den.  He’s coming to The O2 – this is my stomping ground. When I fight here it’s electric and it’s going to be an amazing atmosphere, the best yet.  It’s going to be interesting to see how he handles it. What a night it will be if I can lift that belt above my head.

 

“Sometimes you got to put talent to one side and dig deep. This is the fight game; you got to prove to yourself that when tactics aren’t working, you’ve got to dig a bit deeper, go to war and find a way to win. That’s what I thought when I fought Dillian (Whyte). Certain things weren’t working, I was rushing a bit, I wasn’t in my comfort zone, but I dug deep I found a way to win and I ended the night in a spectacular knockout.

 

“After I do the business with Martin, a fight with (Tyson) Fury is 10 or 12 months away — providing he handles his business in (Wladimir) Klitschko rematch.

 

“I find Fury a bit irritating to be honest. All his antics work for him, I suppose, but I can’t wait to fight him.  He’s had plenty to say about me, and it’s coming from the same guy that was singing my praises when I sparred with him when I was a complete novice.

 

“As time goes on, it’s going to get worse for the others because my confidence will grow, I’ll train, learn and take it into the ring.

 

“David Haye? Bring it on.  My heart tells me I am ready.  I am at championship level now. After I get Martin out of the way, David is a massive name and when we’re ready to get it on it will be a huge fight.”

 

# # #

 

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, and also offers SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND and FLIX ON DEMAND®, and the network’s authentication service SHOWTIME ANYTIME®. Showtime Digital Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of SNI, operates the stand-alone streaming service SHOWTIME®. SHOWTIME is currently available to subscribers via cable, DBS and telco providers, and as a stand-alone streaming service through Apple®, Roku®, Amazon and Google. Consumers can also subscribe to SHOWTIME via Hulu, Sony PlayStation® Vue and Amazon Prime Video. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks™, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution, which offers Smithsonian Channel™, and offers Smithsonian Earth™ through SN Digital LLC. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV. For more information, go to www.SHO.com.

 

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ANTHONY JOSHUA KNOCKOUT VIDEO COMPILATION

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Undefeated heavyweight contender Anthony Joshua has 15 knockouts in his 15 professional fights.  Check out this video compilation from SHOWTIME Sports showcasing all of Joshua’s KOs.  And tune in this Saturday to watch the 2012 British Olympic Gold Medalist challenge undefeated American titlist Charles Martin for the IBF Heavyweight World Championship, live on SHOWTIME at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT from The O2 in London.

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LEE SELBY & ERIC HUNTER QUOTES & LONDON PRESS CONFERENCE PHOTOS

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Click HERE For Photos; Credit Matchroom Sport

 

LONDON (April 6, 2016) – IBF Featherweight World Champion Lee Selby and American challenger Eric Hunter participated in a final undercard press conference on Wednesday at Trinity House as they prepare to faceoff this Saturday at The O2 in London.

 

Highlight coverage of Selby vs. Hunter will air on this Saturday’sSHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL® telecast, preceding the live presentation of the IBF Heavyweight World Championship between unbeaten American titlist Charles Martin and fellow unbeaten British Olympic Gold Medalist Anthony Joshua.  Martin vs. Joshua air live on SHOWTIME® at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT.

 

Selby (22-1, 8 KOs) vs. Hunter (21-3, 11 KOs) is the second of five scheduled featherweight title bouts in 2016 (details below), a lineup showcasing many of the world’s best 126-pounders aiming to unifying one of boxing’s deepest divisions.

 

Here’s what Selby and Hunter had to say during fight week:

 

LEE SELBY:

 

“I will put on a devastating and clinical performance.  I am going to take the fight to him. You are going to see spiteful punches and hurtful shots, so Hunter better be ready.

 

“I will show why I am the IBF World Champion and show people what I can do. If he wants to stand and fight, we can fight. If he wants to box, we’ll box. I haven’t needed to show how tough I am yet and that I can grit it out, because I’ve out-boxed everyone I’ve faced. However, he wants it I don’t mind. If you see me sparring every day in the gym, I just want to have a tear-up.

 

“You don’t win fights like that – or at least, I’m instructed not to. I’m told to box all the time but when it comes down to it, I’d love to have a tear-up.

 

“I’ve never had the trash talking and at weigh-ins I’ve never had anyone in my face, but it won’t affect me at all. It doesn’t change my mindset one bit.

 

“I’ve had a little look at him, seen his style. He’s a good fighter, he’s awkward, switch hits, has power, so it’s going to be a tough fight.

 

“Eric is my No. 1 challenger and he’s there for a reason.  He’s going to give me a real test but that’s what I need.

 

“Fighting in front of British fans is the best atmosphere in boxing.  It was a dream to go out to America to defend a World title, but it’s a dream to defend it on home soil in front of 20,000.

 

“There have been some great fighters calling me out. Carl Frampton was talking about me after his last fight, Josh Warrington has called me out a lot of times and Leo Santa Cruz has mentioned me, too. There are plenty of options but I’ve got to come through this one.

 

“Warrington will never get to my level. He’s done everything asked of him and won all the titles I vacated, and it’s a fight that could be made straight away if he comes through his next fight and I come through mine.  Warrington talks about me a lot, and it’s a fight I would definitely be interested in and if we both win our next fights.  Maybe it will happen, and it would be a big fight.”

 

ERIC HUNTER:

 

“Selby is a runner, we know he’s a runner, he boxes and runs away.  He hasn’t really fought anyone yet.  He beat Evgeny Gradovich, who has not really been the same since he fought Billy Dib.  He just walked forward with his hands up.

 

“I was rated by the IBF for the longest time.  I was rated higher than Lee Selby when he fought Fernando Montiel and when he got Gradovich.

 

“Not to be smart or cocky, but I’d never seen him fight.  I never heard of him until the Gradovich fight.  And with that fight, I think Gradovich was winning but Selby got the hometown decision. He boxed well. He runs pretty well too.

 

“I can adjust. I can fight.  I can box.  I got better footwork.  I can bang.  I can do a few things that he probably can’t.

 

“I’m excited about fighting in front of all these people.  It gives me the chance to show off my skills. They are going to see a new IBF champion.

 

“I don’t need to win a war of words, I’m going to show what I can do on the night. I love the London fans, I’m looking forward to coming over there and showing them what I can do.”

 

2016 Featherweight Title Bouts (All on SHOWTIME with the exception of June 25 “SHOWTIME BOXING on CBS”)

  • Feb. 27 WBA (Super) Featherweight World Championship Leo Santa Cruz vs. Kiko Martinez
  • April 9 IBF Featherweight World Championship Lee Selby vs. Eric Hunter (Highlights)
  • April 16 WBC Featherweight World Championship Gary Russell Jr. vs. Patrick Hyland
  • June 25 WBA (Regular) Featherweight World Championship Jesus Cuellar vs. Abner Mares
  • Summer 2016 WBA (Super) Featherweight World Championship Leo Santa Cruz vs. Carl Frampton

 

# # #

 

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boxing

Eric Hunter in London, Ready to Take Selby’s IBF Featherweight Title This Saturday

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Upcoming world title challenger Eric “The Outlaw’ Hunter is in London and feeling more motivated now than ever to take the title away from Welsh champion Lee Selby.
A proud Philadelphia fighter, Hunter (21-3, 11 KOs) will face Selby (22-1, 8 KOs) in a 12-round battle this Saturday, April 9, for Selby’s IBF World Featherweight Championship at The O2 in London. The bout will serve as the featured fight before undefeated IBF Heavyweight World Champion Charles Martin defends his belt against fellow unbeaten Anthony Joshua. Extensive highlights of Hunter vs. Selby will be shown on SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL®, prior to live coverage of Martin-Joshua (LIVE on SHOWTIME® at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT).
“I wasn’t invited to the open workout yesterday,” said Hunter. “They had an open workout for Selby and didn’t have one for me. I’m kind of irritated about that. It’s not even fair to the fans, you know? I’m sure that a lot of fans wanted to see who their man is fighting. I have no choice but to use it as fuel for even more motivation.”
The 29-year-old Hunter, in Europe for the first time, says he doesn’t mind travelling to win this championship. In fact, despite being an underdog via the odds makers, Hunter says his victory won’t be an upset. “I won’t call it an upset when I win. I’m the better fighter. And it doesn’t bother me to come here. All the great ones had to do it. I want to be great, so I have to do this. As long as they don’t cheat me with the judges, I’m ok.”
Hunter says his victory will be the culmination of his lifelong dream. “It would mean everything. It would right my wrongs. All those who doubted me. All my failures and letdowns on the way here. It will turn all my negatives into positives.”