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WBC PURSE BID FOR STEVENSON/KOVALEV  APRIL 17th IN MEXICO CITY

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MONTREAL (March 27, 2015) – The concretization of the The Ring, WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO light heavyweight unification fight between Adonis “Superman” Stevenson and Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev has taken another important step. The World Boxing Council (WBC) has ordered a purse bid to take place April 17 in order to determine the promoter of this major event.

 

Initially requested by Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM) to insure the required time to prepare for a major event like this super fight, the WBC agreed to host the purse bid on Apr. 17 in Mexico.

 

The winner of this purse bid will have an advantage over the other promoter in terms of determining the date, place and television network for the light heavyweight showdown. Each group will split the bid equally on a 50-50 basis.

 

Before the Stevenson (25-1, 21 KOs) vs. Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KOs) rumble can happen, though, both fighters must win their next bout. Stevenson, the Haitian-born Quebecer, has to successfully defend his WBC and The Ring crowns April 4 in Quebec City against Cameroon native Sakio Bika (32-6-3, 21 KOs), while Kovalev has 90 days to execute a mandatory defense of his IBF belt against Frenchman Nadjib Mohammedi (37-3, 23 KOs) at a place to be determined.

 

Stevenson’s promoter, GYM president Yvon Michel, is excited by the possibility of promoting what could be the biggest light heavyweight brawl of all-time. “We went ahead because Adonis and his team (adviser Al Haymon and head trainer Jevan Sugar Hill) wanted this awesome fight to happen,” Michel explained. “My boxer (Stevenson) wants to give his fans, not only from Quebec but from around the entire world, the fight they really want.

 

“Adonis was unfairly accused of ducking Kovalev last summer but his ultimate goal has always been to prove he is the King of the Light Heavyweights.”

“Everybody talks to me about Sergey Kovalev,” WBC, The Ring and lineal world light heavyweight champion Stevenson added. “I am fully focussed on Sakio Bika right now, but I really want to unify the titles. I am the king of my division and ready to prove it.”

The 37-year-old southpaw, fully confident of winning all the major world title belts, also noted, “In fact, the two titles (WBA and IBF) that Bernard Hopkins lost to Kovalev were supposed to be mine, but Hopkins ran away to HBO rather than fight me.”  

 

With the help of the WBC

 

Sanctioning bodies rarely allow champions of other organizations to be part in its rankings. In this case, however, the WBC made an exception and stated that, at its 52th annual convention last December in Las Vegas, the Kovalev vs. Jean Pascal bout winner would be the mandatory challenger for Stevenson’s title.

 

The importance and magnitude of a fight with all the titles of a single division at stake influenced the WBC Board of Governors to make that decision.

 

“That was an excellent strategy by Kathy Duva (president of Main Events and Kovalev’s promoter),” Michel commented. “Adonis is now obligated to face Kovalev in a unification bout, guaranteeing a simple process without long, unnecessary bargaining. Our champion won’t back down, the countdown has just started.”
boxing, CBS Boxing, Premier Boxing Champions

Campillo Next for Beterbiev 

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QUEBEC CITY (March 19, 2015) – After dominating the amateur ranks during two entire Olympic cycles, Russian prospect Artur Beterbiev is now ready for pro boxing’s elite, even though he has only fought seven times as a professional. The Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM) jewel will continue his journey April 4 in Quebec City, airing live on CBS and TVA Sports, against former world champion Gabriel Campillo, of Spain.

“The journalists won’t be happy since I did not KO anybody today,” laughed Beterbiev after a public training session today in Quebec City, He demonstrated his skills with his sparring partners, Englishman Bob Ajisafe and Australian Blake Caparello.

“I really think it will be a short night for Campillo,” Caparello said after sparring Beterbiev. “This guy has some incredible brute force. He could even chase and hunt down a strong Sergey Kovalev in the ring,”

Beterbiev (7-0, 7 KOa) will face former WBA light heavyweight world champion Campillo (25-6-1, 11 KOa), a slick 6’2” southpaw who has fought 211 rounds as a professional, in a preliminary bout before the WBC andThe Ring light heavyweight world title fight between defending champion Adonis “Superman” Stevenson and Sakio Bika.

Beterbiev-Campillo is for the IBF world second ranking in the light heavyweight division. 

“It is a good fight against an excellent opponent; a resistant, experienced guy,” Beterbiev trainer Marc Ramsay analyzed. “Campillo will bring a lot of ring experience to Artur. My boxer continues to improve every day but, in fact, he is already ready for the best.”

“I will put on a good show and fight April 4th,” Beterbiev continued. “When I step in the ring, I don’t have a friend. I want to continue to get better until I face Sergey Kovalev again. And I will beat him again!”

Kevin Bizier vs. Stanislav Salmon

Canadian welterweight Kevin Bizier (23-2, 16 KOs) will have his chance to write history in the old Québec Coliseum, since he will fight the last boxing bout ever produced in the former Nordiques arena. April 4th, he will face former French and WBC Mediterranean welterweight champion Stanislav Salmon (24-3-2, 10 KOs). 

In order to realize that dream, the Quebec City’s pride had to refuse an offer to appear in the semi-final bout of the Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and Andrzej Fonfara fight, April 18th in Carson, California.

“Kevin would have received a bigger purse than the one he had for his last fight against Jo Jo Dan, but he wanted to stay on the Quebec card,” promoter Yvon Michel added. “He did a great job in a really close brawl against Dan and Dan will fight in an IBF world welterweight fight, March 28 in England. Everything is still possible for Kevin and we believe in him.”

“To be the one that will close the Colisée is really something,” Bizier commented. “It is also a good preparation fight and I must do great. I would have liked to fight in California, but I will have another opportunity in June. And of course, I would have loved to be in Jo Jo Dan’s shoes to fight in a world championship…but one day, it will be my turn.” 

Sébastien Bouchard vs. Denis Farias

Also on the card, Canadian fovorie Sébastien Bouchard (9-1, 3 KOs) will step up to face French tough guy Denis Farias (19-6-2, 1 KOs).

“Sébastien made us proud in his last fight when he stopped the last boxer to defeat icon Stéphane Ouellet, Belgian Cedric Spera,” GYM vice-president Bernard Barré mentioned. “He will be facing a durable fighter, who has only lost one time by K.O.”
Tickets are on sale at the Pepsi Coliseum box office in Quebec, by calling (418) 691-7211 or 1 (800) 900-7469, online at www.billetech.com, at GYM (514) 383-0666 and Champion Boxing Club (514) 376-0980. Ticket prices range from $25 to $250 on the floor.
boxing, CBS Boxing, Premier Boxing Champions

ADONIS STEVENSON VS. SAKIO BIKA TO TAKE PLACESATURDAY, APRIL 4 IN FIRST PREMIER BOXING CHAMPIONS ON CBS EVENT LIVE FROM THE PEPSI COLISEUM IN QUEBEC CITY

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Live on CBS at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT
MONTREAL (Feb. 27, 2015) – Light heavyweight world champion Adonis “Superman” Stevenson (25-1, 21 KOs) returns to the ring Saturday, April 4 at Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec City to defend his title against former super middleweight world champion Sakio “The Scorpion” Bika (32-6-3, 21 KOs). The April 4 event marks the debut of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on CBS (3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT).

 

“I am excited to be the headliner for first PBC event on CBS,” Stevenson said. “I know Bika will stop at nothing, so the fight will be spectacular and extremely offensive-minded. I predict that Bika will lose by knockout for the first time in his career.”

 

“After all these years fighting at 168 pounds, it was becoming increasingly difficult to make weight and that was a major factor in my defeats,” Bika said. “I see no problem making the jump to light heavyweight to face Stevenson and I do not feel I’ll be at a disadvantage because the champion made this transition successfully himself less than two years ago against Chad Dawson. I promise you that I will be the new champion on April 4.”
Stevenson, 37, won the world light heavyweight title in June of 2013 in Montreal, via a sensational 76-second, first-round knockout just over the then-undisputed king of the division, Dawson. The impressive victory earned Stevenson “Knockout of the Year” and “Fighter of the Year” accolades. In his first defense the following Sept. 28, former world champion Tavoris “Thunder” Cloud was meant to be a major test for the new champion, but the powerful southpaw forced Cloud to retire at the end of the seventh round.

 

Two months later, “Superman” concluded the year with an unequivocal victory over his No. 1 mandatory contender, Tony “Bomber” Bellew of Great Britain, who was unable to complete the sixth round. In May 2015 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Polish challenger Andrzei Fonfara proved to be a tough challenger and fans were treated to a memorable bout as Stevenson knocked Fonfara down twice in the early rounds only to visit the canvas himself in the ninth round. Judges scored the fight 116-109, 115-110 and 115-110 for Stevenson in his SHOWTIME® debut. In his last outing, Dec. 19, 2014 on SHOWTIME from the Pepsi Coliseum, “Superman” made short work of Russian veteran Dmitry “The Hunter” Sukhotskiy, stopping him in the fifth.
Bika, fighting out of Australia by way of his native Cameroon, which he represented at the 2000 Olympics, has earned the reputation as a tough, rough brawling warrior who has fought the best. He has been in six world title fights (1-3-2), holding one of the 168-pound division crowns in 2013-14. He has fought many world champions, never been knocked out in 41 professional bouts and he was “The Contender, Season 3” reality television series champion in 2007.

 

“The Scorpion” demonstrated his world-class toughness and determination in fights with the world’s elite super middleweights at that time, challenging world champions Markus Beyer and Joe Calzaghe in 2006, Lucian Bute in 2007 and Andre Ward in 2010. Resilience and hard work finally paid off for Bika when he won the coveted 168-pound title, defeating Marco Antonio Periban by decision in 2013 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. He successfully defended his title six months later by fighting to a 12- round draw with Anthony Dirrell on SHOWTIME in 2013. Bika eventually lost his belt in a rematch with Dirrell on SHOWTIME last August.

 

PBC on CBS, headlined by the light heavyweight world championship fight between Stevenson and Bika, is promoted by Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM) and presented by Videotron and in association with Mise-O-Jeu.
Tickets go on sale Saturday, Feb. 28 at 10 a.m. E, at the Pepsi Coliseum box office in Quebec, by calling (418) 691-7211 or (800) 900-7469, online at www.billetech.com, at GYM (514) 383-0666 and Champion Boxing Club (514) 376-0980. Ticket prices range from $25 to $250 on the floor.

 

Because the show is being held the day before Easter, GYM encourages the Quebec public to come as families and groups by offering two tickets (in the stands) for-the-price-of-1 special offer for two days only (Saturday, Feb. 28 and Sunday, March 1) for those purchasing tickets directly through www.billetech.com.

 

For more information visit www.sports.sho.com and www.groupeyvonmichel.ca, follow on Twitter at @SHOSports, @yvonmichelgym, @AdonisSuperman and @Sakio_Bika, follow the conversation using #StevensonBika, become a fan on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/SHOBoxing or visit the SHOWTIME Boxing Blog athttp://theboxingblog.sho.com.
boxing, CBS Boxing, Premier Boxing Champions, Showtime Boxing

LIVE BOXING RETURNS TO CBS TELEVISION NETWORK WITH MULTI-YEAR VENTURE FROM CBS & SHOWTIME®

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PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release

 

CBS Sports Presentation of Premier Boxing Champions To Air In Conjunction With Marquee SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® Events
NEW YORK (Feb. 17, 2015) – CBS Sports and SHOWTIME Sports® have announced a multi-year joint venture to present live boxing on the CBS Television Network-the first of up to eight live events in 2015 will premiere on Saturday, April 4 at 3 p.m. ET on CBS.  Premier Boxing Champions on CBS will air in conjunction with marquee SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING events as part of a partnership that will cross-promote the live programs across multiple platforms. 

 

The first six weeks to begin this venture will feature two of the biggest names in the sport-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., and Adonis Stevenson-and bookend this year’s most anticipated boxing event, the SHOWTIME PPV® presentation of the undisputed pound-for-pound champion Floyd Mayweather.

 

Each live boxing event on CBS and SHOWTIME will be supported with short- and long-form shoulder programming that will air across multiple platforms including CBS, SHOWTIME and CBS Sports Network.  In addition, a significant marketing budget will be dedicated to promoting each of the live CBS broadcasts and each major SHOWTIME telecast with targeted advertising campaigns.

 

“The Premier Boxing Champions series on CBS will help usher in a new era in the storied history of boxing,” said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President & General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports.  “With the support of our parent company, we are uniquely positioned for a three-tiered approach that includes live boxing broadcasts on America’s No. 1 network, the cable reach of CBS Sports Network and, of course, the premium television leader in boxing, SHOWTIME.  The benefit of elevating the sport across these platforms for all involved, including SHOWTIME, is immeasurable.”

 

The schedule of upcoming live boxing events on CBS and SHOWTIME is as follows:

 

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING

On Saturday, March 28, SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING will present a doubleheader featuring a featherweight showdown between WBC champion Jhonny Gonzalez and top contender Gary Russell Jr., and a matchup of 154-pound contenders Jermell Charlo and Vanes Martirosyan.  The live SHOWTIME telecast will preview the following week’s April 4 CBS debut of Premier Boxing Champions. 

 

PREMIERE BOXING CHAMPIONS ON CBS

The CBS premiere on Saturday, April 4 (3 p.m. ET/Noon PT) will feature light heavyweight world champion Adonis Stevenson defending his WBC title against former super middleweight champ Sakio Bika.  In the co-feature, undefeated light heavyweight contender Artur Beterbiev will face veteran former world champ Gabriel Campillo.  The CBS broadcast, with its national reach of more than 110 million households, will offer a broad platform to promote a major SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING event just two weeks later. 

 

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING

On Saturday, April 18, SHOWTIME presents the network debut of former world champion and Mexican superstar Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., as he takes on light heavyweight contender Andrzej Fonfara. 

 

PREMIERE BOXING CHAMPIONS ON CBS

On Saturday, May 9 Premier Boxing Champions returns to CBS for the second installment (4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT).  This broadcast will pit undefeated Omar Figueroa, who recently vacated his Lightweight World Championship to move up in weight to 140 pounds, against former champion Ricky Burns. 

 

The April 18 SHOWTIME telecast and the May 9 CBS broadcast will support-and be supported by-theMay 2 SHOWTIME PPV event featuring the undefeated, world’s No. 1 ranked fighter, Floyd Mayweather.

 

Additional confirmed dates for Premier Boxing Champions on CBS include live broadcasts in June, July and September, with up to three remaining events on the 2015 calendar yet to be announced. The live boxing broadcasts on CBS, other than the aforementioned premiere, will be broadcast live at4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT. 

 

The Premier Boxing Champions series was created for television by Haymon Sports. It is the first consistent series presentation of live boxing on CBS in 15 years.  The network aired a one-off live event featuring current WBC Super Bantamweight Champion Leo Santa Cruz in 2012.  Prior to that, the last live boxing on the network was in 1997 when then-middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins knocked out Glen Johnson.

 

Live boxing was a staple on the network in the 1980s, consistently featuring future Hall of Famers Sugar Ray Leonard, Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini and others. Boxing’s history on CBS dates back to 1948 when the Pabst Blue Ribbon Bouts premiered featuring legendary blow-by-blow commentator Russ Hodges.