Former Undisputed Welterweight Champion to Provide Unique Insight as Garcia and Thurman Join Boxing Royalty in 147-Pound Unification

Isibhakela Sokubonisa Ukubumbana kuma-CBS, Kwethulwa ngumpetha we-Premier Boxing, Live on CBS from 9 - 11 p.m. KANYE / 6 - 8 p.m. PT from Barclays Center In Brooklyn

I-NEW YORK (Feb. 28, 2017) - I-Boxing Hall ye-FAMER ne-World Champion yeWelterweight Sugar Ray Leonard will join the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on CBS broadcast team on Saturday, March 4 for GARCIA vs. UThurman. The event will be headlined by the welterweight world championship unification bout between undefeated champions Danny Garcia futhi 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. KANYE / 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 Eminyakeni. 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, Izwi lokudlala nge-Play Mauro Ranallo, I-International Boxing Hall of Fame Analyst Al Bernstein and Sports Emmy^® Award-winning reporter Jim Gray ngomgqibelo.

ULeonard wenza i-debut yakhe yesibhakela e-CBS ku 1977, Ngaphansi konyaka owodwa ngemuva kokuthola igolide kuma-'76 ama-Olimpiki eMontreal njengengxenye yalokho okubhekwa njengeqembu elikhulu lesibhakela emlandweni wama-Olimpiki. 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 UBob dunphy, the son of legendary boxing broadcaster Don Dunphy.

Uhlu lwe-Titlist lwe-Divine Division kanye nelinye lamabhokisi ahlotshiswe kakhulu wesikhathi sonke, ULeonard uletha umbono oyingqayizivele kwi-Broadcast Booth esesimweni esifanayo noThurman noGarcia ngaphezulu 35 iminyaka edlule. Garcia, Umgcini we-WBC 147-Pound, noThurman, I-WBA Counterpart yakhe, izohlanganisa izihloko ezifanayo ezifanayo uLeonard (WBC) kanye nehholo elikanye neMever UThomas uyalizwa (WBA) ubumbene ku-classic yabo 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 lokhu ngoMgqibelo 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 14^th 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 10^th Ubumbano emlandweni wokuhlukanisa, 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.

Amathikithi for the umcimbi bukhoma, okuyinto kugqugquzelwa DiBella Entertainment, ukuqalisa at $50 (hhayi kuhlanganise letidzingekile) futhi ukudayiswa manje. Amathikithi angathengwa online ngokuvakashela www.ticketmaster.com, www.barclayscenter.com noma ngokushayela ucingo 1-800-745-3000. Amathikithi ayatholakala at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group izaphulelo ayatholakala ngokubiza 844-BKLYN-GP.

Mayelana ne-Garcia vs. UThurman

Danny Garcia vs. UKeith Thurman ungumbonist we-Welteweight Wellteweight phakathi kwezinhlu ze-Timol ezingekho emthethweni eziyi-147. Izihloko ezi-12-Round Bout Isibhakela Sokubonisa Ukubumbana kuma-CBS, presented by Premier Boxing Champions,Saturday, March 4 kusukela Barclays Center, Ikhaya leBrooklyn Boxing ™. In the umcimbi co-main, Ezingakanqotshwa star ekuphumeni Erickson Lubin izimpi kanye-eshaywe kanye umculi we-knockout Jorge Cota Esihlokweni se-super welteterweight siminator Bout kuma-CBs at 9 p.m. KANYE/6 p.m. PT.

Ukuze ulwazi olunabile, vakashela www.SHO.com/Sports, ukulandela on TwitterSHOSports, @ShowtimeBoxing, DannySwift, KeithFThurmanJr, LouDiBella, BarclaysCenter FuthiSwanson_Comm noma abe umlandeli ku-Facebook atwww.Facebook.com/SHOSports, www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment, www.Facebook.com/barclayscenter. I-PBC ixhaswe yiCorona, Finest Beer.