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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

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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.

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THOMAS HEARNS HEADLINES STAR-LADEN CLASS OF INDUCTEES INTO NEVADA BOXING HALL OF FAME

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Spinks brothers, Michael Carbajal, Erik Morales and Salvador Sanchez are also among the greats to be honored Aug. 12 at Caesars Palace.  
 
LAS VEGAS – Former world champion Thomas Hearns, who along with Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Roberto Duran dominated boxing in the 1980s and became known collectively as “The Four Kings,” headlines a 14-person class of inductees into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame, Hall CEO/president Michelle Corrales-Lewis announced Wednesday.
Hearns was chosen in the non-Nevada resident boxer category, along with Michael Spinks, Erik Morales, Michael Carbajal, women’s boxing star Lucia Rijker and Salvador Sanchez. Elected in the Nevada resident boxer category was Ken Norton, Leon Spinks and Richie Sandoval.
Chosen in the non-boxer category were referee Davey Pearl, public relations specialist Debbie Munch, promoter Mel Greb, trainer/cut man Rafael Garcia and Nevada Athletic Commission chair Dr. Elias Ghanem.
Norton, Sanchez, Greb and Ghanem will be inducted posthumously.
The members of the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame’s star-studded fifth-induction class will be honored at a gala dinner at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on Saturday, Aug. 12. Ticket will be released Thursday, February 16th at 12pm on NVBHOF.com .
“We are very proud of this class of inductees, and it contains some of the greatest fighters who ever lived,” Corrales-Lewis said. “I’m looking forward to our gala dinner when we can honor these richly deserving people and allow their fans to say hello.”
Hearns was one of the standouts during the 1980s and participated in a series of great bouts in Las Vegas with Leonard, Hagler and Duran. His 1985 bout with Hagler at Caesars Palace is still regarded by many as the greatest fight in boxing history.
The Spinks brothers, Michael and Leon, become the first set of brothers inducted into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame. Both won gold medals for the U.S. at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal and then went on to win world titles in the pros.
Norton, known primarily for a series of close bouts with the legendary Muhammad Ali, also competed in one of the great heavyweight title bouts ever. He lost the WBC title by a razor-thin decision to Larry Holmes in 1978, among the finest heavyweight championship fights ever held.
Pearl was among the best referees of all-time and worked more than 70 championship bouts. He was the referee for both Leon Spinks’ shocking 1978 upset of Ali as well as for Leonard’s dramatic 14th-round knockout of Hearns in 1981.
The Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame is an IRS 501 (c)3 charity and all donations are tax deductible. The Hall’s charitable contributions over the five years since its formation have helped boxers in need and boxing-related charities. Donations are welcome.
The Hall was founded in 2013 by noted boxing broadcaster Rich Marotta.
For more information, phone 702-3NVBHOF, or 702-368-2463.
BIOGRAPHIES OF THE NEW HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
Michael Carbajal – Best known as the first junior flyweight to earn a $1 million purse, Carbajal won world titles at junior flyweight and flyweight. Known as “Little Hands of Stone” for his punching power, Carbajal was 49-4 with 33 KOs.
His rivalry with Humberto “Chiquita” Gonzalez was one of the best of the early 1990s and their 1993 fight was The Ring Magazine Fight of the Year. In 2004, The Ring named Carbajal as the best junior flyweight in history.
He was 98-10 as an amateur and won a silver medal at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.
 
Thomas Hearns – Hearns, 58, won recognized world titles at welterweight, super welterweight, middleweight, super middleweight and light heavyweight during a career in which he went 61-5-1 with 48 KOs.
He’s most remembered for his savage three-round battle with Hagler in 1985, but he participated in many of the decade’s biggest and most electric bouts. He fought in Las Vegas 16 times, going 11-4-1 with nine knockouts.
Erik Morales – One of the most exciting fighters of the early part of the 2000s, Morales is best known for his series of outstanding fights with arch rival Marco Antonio Barrera. Morales went 52-9 with 36 knockouts but is best known for his trilogy with Barrera, two of which were named Ring Fight of the year.
Morales won major world titles at super bantamweight, featherweight, super featherweight and super lightweight, becoming the first Mexican born fighter to win titles in four weight classes.
He also engaged in a spectacular trilogy with Manny Pacquiao, beating him in the first and dropping the last two.
Ken Norton – Though he was the heavyweight champion before losing his belt to Larry Holmes in one of the great title bouts ever, Norton was best known for his three fights with the legendary Muhammad Ali. Norton defeated Ali in 1973 in San Diego in their first bout, breaking Ali’s jaw.
Ali won the two subsequent bouts, including a 1976 match at Yankee Stadium for the title. Some observers believe Norton deserved to win all three fights.
The Holmes fight was sensational and the two men stood in the center of the ring at Caesars and slugged it out in the 15th and final round.
Lucia Rijker – Rijker is regarded as one of, if not the best, women boxers in history. She was 17-0 with 14 knockouts in boxing and was 37-0-1 with 25 knockouts as a kick boxer.
In her boxing career, she scored dominant wins over the likes of Jane Couch, Marcela Acuna and Chevelle Hallback.
She later appeared in the Oscar-winning film, “Million Dollar Baby.“
Salvador Sanchez – Sanchez tragically died in an auto accident in Mexico at just 23 years old, robbing the world of one of the elite fighters in history well before his time. Sanchez was 44-1-1 with 32 knockouts and was the lineal featherweight champion from 1980 until his death in 1982.
He won the title by knocking out Danny “Little Red” Lopez, but is best known for a dominating eighth-round stoppage of Wilfredo Gomez. Gomez was 33-0 with 32 knockouts but was no match for Sanchez.
Richie Sandoval – Sandoval held the bantamweight title for two years, but his career, as great as it was, is a question of what might have been. He was a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic boxing team, but he lost his chance at a medal when President Carter decided to boycott the Games in Moscow.
Sandoval won the first 29 fights of his pro career, racking up 17 knockouts, and beat the great Jeff Chandler for the bantamweight belt.
But tragically, Sandoval suffered serious boxing related injuries in a 1986 bout with Gaby Canizales and was forced to retire.
Leon Spinks – Spinks is most known for upsetting Muhammad Ali  in 1978 in just his eighth pro fight to win the heavyweight championship. He lost the title in a rematch and failed in two other attempts to win a title. He was stopped by Larry Holmes in a heavyweight title fight in 1981 and lost a cruiserweight title challenge in Reno to Dwight Muhammad Qawi in 1986.
A colorful figure known as “Neon” Leon, he was an acclaimed amateur who was 178-7 with 133 KOs and the light heavyweight gold at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.
He finished his professional career with a 26-17-3 mark and 14 KOs.
 
Michael Spinks – Spinks was 31-1 in his career and won both the light heavyweight and heavyweight titles. He moved up from light heavyweight to defeat Larry Holmes at the Riviera in 1985, denying Holmes the opportunity to go 49-0 and match Rocky Marciano’s record.
He won the light heavyweight title in his 17th pro fight in 1981 at the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas when he bested the much more experienced Eddie Mustafa Muhammad. Spinks held the light heavyweight title for four years, before giving it up to move to heavyweight to fight Holmes.
A 1976 Olympic gold medalist, Spinks‘ only pro loss came in his final fight when he was knocked out by Mike Tyson in a bout for the undisputed heavyweight title.
NON-BOXER INDUCTEE BIOGRAPHIES
Rafael Garcia – Garcia, 87, is best known for his cap he wears festooned with pins and for working as Floyd Mayweather’s hand wrapper. But he had a long career as both a cut man and a trainer and was outstanding at both. He worked with elite fighters such as Mayweather, Roberto Duran, Alexis Arguello and Wilfredo Gomez.
Dr. Elias Ghanem – Ghanem as the long-time chairman of the Nevada Athletic Commission, and was responsible for helping it to earn the moniker, “The greatest commission in the world.”
Ghanem, a physician whose patients once included Elvis Presley, played a key role in the hearings after Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield, and also was instrumental in bringing the Oscar De La Hoya-Felix Trinidad bout to Las Vegas in 1999.
Mel Greb – Known as “The father of professional boxing in Southern Nevada,” Greb was a promoter and matchmaker who first brought Muhammad Ali to Nevada. Then known as Cassius Clay, Greb promoted Ali’s seventh pro fight in 1961. That week, he introduced Ali to wrestler “Gorgeous” George, and Ali patterned himself after George in many ways.
Greb died in 1996 at 75  years old.
Debbie Munch – Caesars Palace in Las Vegas was a legendary host for many of boxing’s biggest fights in the 1980s and early 1990s, and Munch, a public relations expert, was instrumental in it.
She was widely respected by promoters, boxers and the media and helped many journalists immeasurably with their boxing coverage.
Davey Pearl – Pearl was small of stature, but was a giant as a referee. He worked more than 70 world title bouts, including Muhammad Ali-Leon Spinks and Sugar Ray Leonard-Thomas Hearns.
Pearl was also a highly regarded judge.
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NEVADA BOXING HALL OF FAME TO ANNOUNCE FIFTH CLASS OF INDUCTEES ON FEB. 15 IN LAS VEGAS

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CEO/President Michelle Corrales-Lewis to welcome “exceptional” new class
 
LAS VEGAS (February 13, 2017) – The Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame will announce its fifth class of inductees on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 11 a.m. PST, Hall CEO/ president Michelle Corrales-Lewis announced. The 2017 class of nine boxers and five contributors will be revealed at Real Boxing, 5137 W. Oquendo Rd., Las Vegas, NV 89118.  Lunch will be provide by TC’s Rib Crib.
The honorees will be formally inducted at the popular gala dinner on Saturday, Aug. 12 at Caesars Palace. Ticket information will be released shortly.
“We have elected yet another exceptional class of inductees and I can’t wait to introduce them,” said Corrales-Lewis, whose late husband, Diego Corrales, was a member of the NVBHOF’s inaugural class in 2013. “We have some of the best boxers ever in this group and I know fans are going to be excited to have the opportunity to meet them.
“Our class of contributors is very strong as well and all have made a significant imprint upon boxing in Nevada.”
Past inductees include some of the greatest fighters who have ever lived, including Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Roberto Duran, Julio Cesar Chavez, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis and more.
The Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame is an IRS 501 (c)3 charity and all donations are tax deductible. The Hall’s charitable contributions over the five years since its formation have helped boxers in need and boxing-related charities. Donations are welcome.

The Hall was founded in 2013 by noted boxing broadcaster Rich Marotta.   For more information, phone 702-3NVBHOF, or 702-368-2463.
For Media Credentials Contact:                    For Information And Sponsorship Opportunities Contact:
Media Coordinator Jon Hait                             Chief Executive Officer Michelle Corrales-Lewis
Email: jhshark@aol.com                                  Email: michelle@nvbhof.com
Phone: (702) 277-1020                                    Phone: 702-3-NVBHOF (702-368-2463)
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TOP WELTERWEIGHTS: THURMAN-PORTER  WINNER TOO CLOSE TO CALL

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 This Saturday, June 25, Live in Primetime at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on CBS  
Click HERE For PBC Fighter Prediction Video
 
NEW YORK (June 22, 2016) – Their peers in the welterweight division – world champions, former champions, contenders and top prospects – can’t pick a definitive winner between defending WBA 147-pound king Keith “One Time” Thurman (26-0, 22 KOs) and former world champion “Showtime” Shawn Porter (26-1-1, 16 KOs).
The majority of the fighters polled – some of whom are potential opponents down the line for the winner – lean toward Thurman, but most all concede that Saturday’s eagerly awaited main event of a SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® on CBS event, presented by Premier Boxing Champions (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) at Barclays Center is going to be an intense, exciting, tight fight from start to finish that could go either way.
Here’s how the boxers see “Thurman vs. Porter”:
 
Danny Garcia (WBC Welterweight Champion): “I think this is a great matchup. Thurman has the boxing ability and the movement while Shawn Porter is the aggressor and he’s going to bring the heat. To be honest with you it’s a 50-50 fight, but I would give the edge to Keith Thurman by a very close decision.”
 
Kell Brook (IBF Welterweight Champion):”This is a great fight, one I can’t wait to watch. If Shawn can stick to his boxing I think he can become world champion again on points, but Keith is heavy-handed and he could walk Shawn onto one – it’s really a pick ’em fight for me.”
 
Errol Spence Jr. (Undefeated Welterweight Contender): “I think this is a great fight between young fighters with good skill. Shawn throws a lot of punches while Thurman is a boxer who can punch too. I know Shawn will be aggressive and it should make for a great fight. If Keith can box and keep Shawn Porter on the outside I see Keith Thurman winning. If Shawn stays on the inside and stays in the chest of Keith, I see him winning.”
Andre Berto (Former Welterweight Champion): “Shawn is going to come, but I think Keith will be on his toes and box but also drop hard shots as well when Shawn comes in. Keith can be very versatile in there and has a lot of great skills, while Shawn is more like a bull. Keith will hurt or knock Shawn down but will keep coming all night.”
Sammy Vazquez (Undefeated Welterweight Contender): “Shawn is a pressure fighter and Thurman used to be a pressure fighter but now he boxes. It’s really hard for me to decide who is going to come out on top. Thurman has good power. It all depends on how Shawn is able to take Thurman’s punches. I think Thurman because of the power but Shawn will bring it for 12 rounds.”
 
Robert Guerrero (Former Welterweight Champion): “This is a fight the fans are going to love watching.  Both Thurman and Porter bring exciting styles to the ring. I think if Porter can keep the fight on the inside he’ll have a better chance to come out victorious. But Keith Thurman is a very smart and powerful fighter and will make the right adjustments. I just think Thurman is going to outbox Porter.  I’m picking Thurman to win by decision in a very tough fight.”
Luis Collazo (Former Welterweight Champion): “I’m not sure who the favorite is, but I’m going with Porter. I like his style and I think it’s going to be interesting to see how Thurman holds up with the pressure Porter is going to bring.”
 
Devon Alexander (Former Welterweight Champion): “It’s a very exciting fight. Both fighters are come forward type fighters and they swing for the fences when they throw. I don’t know who will come out on top because they have similar styles. Shawn Porter has decent power, but out of the two Keith has the more power. We’ll see. This is boxing.”
 
# # #
The live CBS telecast with open with a 10-round matchup between undefeated super welterweight prospects Jarrett Hurd andOscar Molina
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, start at $49 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. Barclays Center’s BROOKLYN BOXING™ programming platform is presented by AARP.  PBC is sponsored by Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina.
For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports and www.premierboxingchampions.com, follow on Twitter @SHOSports, @PremierBoxing @KeithFThurmanJr, @ShowtimeShawnP,  @LouDiBella, @BarclaysCenter and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebookat www.Facebook.com/SHOSports,www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment and www.facebook.com/BarclaysCenter.
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Keith Thurman vs. Shawn Porter Undercard Complete

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Unbeaten Polish Heavyweight Adam Kownacki Faces Massachusetts’ Jesse Barboza While Undefeated Rising Star Heather Hardy Battles Colorado’s Kirstie SimmonsSaturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn
 
Plus! Puerto Rican Prospect Nicklaus Flaz Added to Stacked Undercard
 
BROOKLYN (June 21, 2016) – The stacked undercard for the highly anticipated Keith Thurman vs. Shawn Porter welterweight showdown is complete and will feature a pair of popular Brooklyn fighters as heavyweight Adam Kownacki (13-0, 10 KOs) battles hard-hitting Jesse Barboza (11-1-1, 7 KOs) in an eight-round bout while crowd-pleasing featherweight   Heather “The Heat” Hardy (16-0, 4 KOs) takes on Colorado’s Kirstie Simmons (8-1, 2 KOs) in an eight-round contest on Saturday, June 25from Barclays Center.
The June 25 SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® on CBS event, presented by Premier Boxing Champions, is headlined by the world title fight between defending world champion Keith Thurman and former champion Shawn Porter. Televised coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The live telecast will open with an exciting battle between undefeated super welterweight prospects Jarrett Hurd and Oscar Molina.
Additional undercard action features unbeaten prospect Jonathan Alonso taking on Los Angeles native Brian Jones in a junior welterweight match, Bronx native Josue Vargas opposing Oklahoma’s David Nelson in a four-round welterweight bout and a recent addition to the card, Puerto Rico’s Nicklaus Flaz, in a four-round junior middleweight battle against Brooklyn’s Mack Babb.
Completed matchups that were previously announced include fast-rising prospect David Benavidez (14-0, 13 KOs) taking on Francy Ntetu (16-0, 3 KOs) in an eight-round light heavyweight bout and unbeaten junior welterweight Regis Prograis (17-0, 14 KOs) versus Luis Eduardo Flores (21-3, 17 KOs) in a 10-round bout.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, start at $49 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.
A popular Brooklyn fighter who competed in Barclays Center’s first-ever professional female boxing match, Hardy has become a staple at the arena since. On June 25, she will be making her seventh appearance at Barclays Center. A little over two years after her pro debut, Hardy won an international title belt in the super bantamweight division in October 2014. In 2015, she defeated Noemi Bosques and Renata Domsodi twice. In her lone 2016 fight, she stopped Anna Donatella Hultin in the fourth round. She will be opposed by Aurora, Colorado’s Simmons who has won nine fights in a row after losing her pro debut.
A two-time New York Golden Gloves champion, Kownacki had a big 2015, notching four victories including knockouts of Maurenzo Smith and Randy Easton. Born in Lomza, Poland, the 26-year-old now calls Brooklyn home. His 2016 campaign began in January at Barclays Center when he defeated Danny Kelly in front of a raucous Polish crowd. He will take on Barboza out of Hyannis, Massachusetts. The 29-year-old Barboza was a three-time New England Heavyweight Golden Gloves champion.
#          #          #
Barclays Center’s BROOKLYN BOXING™ programming platform is presented by AARP. PBC is sponsored by Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina.
For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports and www.premierboxingchampions.com, follow on Twitter @SHOSports, @PremierBoxing @KeithFThurmanJr, @ShowtimeShawnP, @LouDiBella, @BarclaysCenter and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports, www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment and www.facebook.com/BarclaysCenter.
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Sugar Ray Leonard & Thomas Hearns, Two Hall of Fame Welterweight Champions, Weigh-In on the Keith Thurman-Shawn Porter 147-Pound Championship Battle at Barclays Center on Saturday, June 25 Live on CBS

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“The winner of Thurman-Porter will immediately move into the
welterweight penthouse.”  – Leonard
“I know that Porter and Thurman both have the ability to get each other out of there. It’s going to be a matter of who gets to who first.” –Hearns
NEW YORK (JUNE 20, 2016) – Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas “Hitman” Hearns might be uniquely qualified to talk about what WBA welterweight champion Keith “One Time” Thurman and “Showtime” Shawn Porter are thinking and feeling heading into their battle that pits two men against each other who are in their primes in a highly charged battle for supremacy in the talent-laden welterweight division.
The highly anticipated showdown headlines SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® on CBS presented by Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) with televised coverage starting at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
Leonard had a record of 30-1 with 21 KOs and held the WBC welterweight title when he took on Hearns, who was 32-0 with 30 KOs and held the WBA title, in a 15-round title unification match in Las Vegas on September 16, 1981. The match was billed as “The Showdown” and had a worldwide television audience of 300 million.
The fight was a pitched back-and-forth battle, but Hearns appeared to be in control having won rounds nine through 12 on all three judges’ scorecards. It was between rounds 12 and 13 that Leonard’s trainer, the late Angelo Dundee, famously screamed at Leonard: “You’re blowing it now, son! You’re blowing it!”
Leonard, with his left eye badly swollen, turned the tide in the 14th round by staggering Hearns with an overhand right and then pinning Hearns on the ropes and unleashing a barrage of punches, which prompted referee Davey Pearl to stop the fight, giving Leonard the victory and making him the undisputed welterweight champion and king of the division. At the time of the stoppage Hearns was leading on all three scorecards – 124-122, 125-122 and 125-121.
“It was the toughest fight of my life. It took every ounce of will and strength to beat Tommy Hearns. I couldn’t have taken that many of those in my career,” Leonard said. “The Tommy Hearns fight was the one that propelled me to the penthouse.”
Leonard felt like the victory over Hearns launched him into superstardom. He believes the same thing awaits the winner of Thurman-Porter.
Hearns on the fight: “I wanted to show my world my boxing ability. They knew I could knock people out, but they didn’t know that I could box very well.”
Both Leonard and Hearns said they are anxiously awaiting the match between Thurman and Porter because they believe it will hold just as much drama as their match 35 years ago.
“Yeah, you can make the comparison,” Leonard said. “Both guys are at the top of the welterweight division. The only thing that’s different is that me and Tommy were so well known by sports fans. We were on TV a lot, and that’s what built our names and gave people the chance to see us so much. And that’s what they’re doing now with the PBC and the shows being on network TV. This could be a fight like ours. Who knows? But I do know that the fans are waiting on this fight.”
HOW DO YOU PREPARE TO FACE THE BEST MAN IN YOUR DIVISION?
 
HEARNS: “It’s always hard to get prepared for someone like that because you think about what the outcome is going to be and what are your chances of winning the fight. I never thought about losing, but I thought about what my chances were.
I knew if I went out and boxed the way I knew I could box, I would beat Ray. Just the thought of fighting Ray brought a lot of questions to my mind. Some I had answers to and some I didn’t have. Most other guys I knew I could go out there and knock them out.”
WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT THIS MATCHUP?
LEONARD: “Just the heart of Keith and Shawn. Both of these guys have heart and both have that will. That composure. You can’t teach composure. It’s something that you either have or you don’t. You can’t learn that. That deep, deep composure when your left eye is closed and your liver is busted and you got to get up on the canvas.”
HEARNS: “I know Thurman and Porter have the ability to get each other out of there. It’s going to be a matter of who gets to who first. I’m definitely watching. I hope to be there in person.”
HOW IMPORTANT IS THE MENTAL ASPECT OF THIS MATCH?
 
HEARNS: “I know what it’s like to go against somebody that people don’t think you can beat. You have to prepare for that. It’s a mental stage that you go through, how you prepare your mind. If you can control your mind and tell your body what you’re going to do, then you can do it. You can’t worry about how good the other guy can punch. Just stay out of the way. Keep on laying that stick on him and he won’t be able to punch you.”
WHAT WAS YOUR MENTALITY GOING INTO THE MATCH AGAINST LEONARD?
 
HEARNS: “I didn’t come to go 12 or 15 rounds. I came to whip your butt and go home. I had no desire to go 15 rounds. I trained for it, but I was never going 15 rounds.”
WHAT WAS YOUR MENTALITY GOING INTO THE MATCH AGAINST HEARNS?
LEONARD: “I felt that I could beat anyone. My brother Roger didn’t think I could beat Tommy. He didn’t tell me that until it was over. In training camp I used to box Roger and he would land a lot of right hands. He figured if Tommy’s right hand landed on me it would be over. My brother didn’t have much confidence in me.”
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, start at $49 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.
boxing

Marvin Hagler Jr. to take on Ray Leonard Jr. on April 8, 2017 in Atlantic City

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30 years to the day of their Fathers’ memorable fight
Atlantic City, NJ (May 13, 2015) – On April 8, 2017, Feldman Brothers, Ritesh Parikh and former Heavyweight champion of the world, Larry Holmes will present a special night that will feature a bout 30 years in the making.
Marvin Hagler Jr. and Ray Leonard Jr. will square off in a battle for legacy in a contest that will come exactly 30 years after the Father’s squared off in a memorable fight.
The third man in the ring will be the same referee that officiated Leonard Sr’s win over Hagler Sr.  That being Richard Steele.

The event will distributed worldwide live on Pay-Per-View.
boxing, Showtime, Showtime Boxing

A LEGENDARY MARCH THROUGH THE DECADES – SHOWTIME SPORTS® CONTINUES CELEBRATION OF 30 YEARS OF SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®

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Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, Felix Trinidad, Ricardo Lopez, George Foreman & More Showcased In March

 

Click HERE For A Look Back At Some Of The Legendary Moments On SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: http://s.sho.com/1RkA3CE

 

NEW YORK (March 2, 2016) – SHOWTIME Sports rolls out its third installment of a year-long salute commemorating 30 years of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING in March with  “Legends’’.

 

This month will be highlighted by legends Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Felix Trinidad, Ricardo “Finito” Lopez and George Foreman.  Seven of the most unforgettable and important fights from these legends – some of which have seldom been re-aired since their live presentation – are available now on the network’s on demand platforms and will air will air on “Throwback Thursdays”in March at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME.

 

The Thursday, March 10 presentation of Marvin Hagler vs. John Mugabi airs exactly 30 years after the final win of Hagler’s Hall of Fame career on March 10, 1986.  Hagler vs. Mugabi was the first main event to ever air on SHOWTIME®.

 

The classic fights, which are also are available on SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, SHOWTIME ANYTIME® and via the network’s standalone streaming service, will be wrapped with brief context and commentary from SHOWTIME Sports host Brian Custer.

 

Below is the schedule of SHO EXTREME premieres for the month of March:

  • Tomorrow, Thursday, March 3: Terry Norris vs. Sugar Ray Leonard
  • Thursday, March 10: Marvin Hagler vs. John Mugabi
  • Thursday, March 17: Felix Trinidad vs. David Reid
  • Thursday, March 24: Ricardo Lopez vs. Rosendo Alvarez II
  • Thursday, March 31: Iran Barkley vs. Thomas Hearns I, George Foreman vs. Gerry Cooney (10:15 p.m. ET/PT), Gerald McClellan vs. Julian Jackson I (10:30 p.m. ET/PT)

 

In celebration of the best rivalries on SHOWTIME, see below for a special column from SHOWTIME Sports expert analyst and boxing historian Steve Farhood.

 

LEGENDS

By Steve Farhood

 

Boxing without legends would be like religion without saints.

 

There’s no formula for a fighter to advance from star to superstar to legend. The process depends on timing, circumstance, and sometimes as little as a point or two on the judges’ cards.

 

And oh, yeah: It helps if a guy can really fight.

 

As we celebrate 30 years of boxing on SHOWTIME, we’re focusing on a different theme each month. Throughout March, the theme will be Legends.

 

In the 130 years from John L. Sullivan to Floyd Mayweather, boxing has given us what other sports can’t provide. Consider:

 

  • The Associated Press voted Luis Firpo’s knockdown of Jack Dempsey as the greatest sports moment of the first half of the 20th Century.
  • The Frazier-Ali “Fight Of The Century” in 1971 was easily the most anticipated sporting event in history.
  • Last year’s Mayweather-Pacquiao fight generated more than half-a-billion dollars — in one night!

 

Legends are made by big moments … and how they respond to those moments.

 

On SHOWTIME, we’ve featured three decades worth of legends. Here’s a look at those who will share the spotlight in March.

 

MARVIN HAGLER: Since Vince Lombardi didn’t exactly say, “Timing isn’t everything, it’s the only thing,” Hagler should’ve said it.

 

Hagler was a great fighter long before he was a superstar, but it wasn’t until he fought Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns, and Sugar Ray Leonard (three of Hagler’s last six bouts) that Marvin became Marvelous.

 

Hagler’s one appearance on SHOWTIME, which happened to be the first bout televised on the network (March 1986), was the final win of his career. Undefeated over 10 years, Hagler had established himself as one of the greatest middleweights in history. And while it could be argued in hindsight that at age 31, the ultimate blue-collar fighter was slightly past his prime, much of what made Hagler special was on display during his savage defense against his unbeaten and ferocious challenger, John Mugabi.

 

Almost three decades after his retirement, Hagler remains the middleweight today’s 160-pounders are measured against.

 

SUGAR RAY LEONARD: If Hagler bloomed late, Leonard was a superstar before he threw a single punch as a professional.

 

Back in the mid-‘70s, that’s what a magnetic smile, an Olympic gold medal, and repeated exposure on prime time television could do for a young fighter.

 

It’s ironic that Leonard was initially viewed by some as a coddled creation of the media. In fact, he was as tough as any fighter of the star-studded early-‘80s. Better yet, he remains the best fighter I’ve covered in 38 years on the boxing beat.

 

Leonard’s appearance on SHOWTIME was the penultimate bout of his career. In electing to end yet another lengthy layoff, Sugar Ray, 34, chose outstanding 23-year-old super welterweight titlist Terry Norris as his opponent. Leonard dropped from 160 to 154 pounds and fought at Madison Square Garden for the first time.

 

The bout served as a reminder that at least in a pre-Bernard Hopkins world, boxing was very much a young man’s game.

 

FELIX TRINIDAD: There are only three Hispanic fighters who became superstars in the USA without speaking English. The first was Panama’s Roberto Duran. The second was Mexico’s Julio Cesar Chavez.

 

The third was Puerto Rico’s Trinidad.

 

Trinidad’s motto might as well have been, “If you can’t be from America, then beat America.”

 

A classic puncher with a boy scout’s smile and a fan-friendly personality, Trinidad made his name by defeating four U.S. Olympians, Pernell Whitaker, Oscar De La Hoya (albeit by a terrible decision), David Reid, and Fernando Vargas.

 

Moreover, Whitaker, De La Hoya, and Reid had all been gold medalists.

 

The fight we’ll feature on March 17 on SHO EXTREME, Trinidad vs. Reid, was Trinidad’s 14th and final appearance on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING and SHOWTIME pay-per-view.

 

From his welterweight title-winning kayo of Maurice Blocker in 1993 through his defense against Mahenge Zulu in 1998, 13 of Trinidad’s 14 bouts were aired on SHOWTIME. Twelve of those fights were knockout wins.

 

Where Trinidad ranks with Wilfredo Gomez, Miguel Cotto, Carlos Ortiz, Wilfred Benitez, and the rest of the legends from Puerto Rico is debatable. What is inarguable is that “Tito” generated as much excitement as any fighter of his era.

 

RICARDO LOPEZ: What’s smaller: the chance that a strawweight (105 pounds) becomes an American television star or the fighter himself?

 

There’s never been an American world champion at strawweight (or minimumweight). We just don’t grow fighters that size. In fact, until the emergence of Mexico’s Lopez in the early-’90s, most American boxing fans couldn’t have identified a single strawweight if armed with a map of the world and a set of WBC ratings.

 

Lopez was so complete, so dominant, so technically perfect, that from 1994 to ’99, he was a staple of SHOWTIME’s boxing programming. He fought 13 consecutive bouts on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING or SHOWTIME Pay-Per-View, and the first 11 of those contests were defenses of the strawweight title.

 

And if you think the little guys can’t punch, well, there were some one-punch kayos sprinkled in.

 

Lopez, who retired with a mark of 51-0-1, is universally acknowledged as an all-time great. Too bad he never fought America’s Michael Carbajal at light flyweight. Had he won that bout, he’d likely be acknowledged as one of the two or three greatest Mexican fighters ever.

 

Which is saying a lot for a fighter who never faced an opponent recognized by the American viewing public.

# # #

 

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.

boxing, NBC, Premier Boxing Champions

PREMIER BOXING CHAMPIONS ON NBCSN RESULTS   GABRIEL BRACERO KNOCKS OUT DANNY O’CONNOR IN 41 SECONDS

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 JONATHAN GUZMAN MAKES IT 20-FOR-20
 
RYAN KIELCZWESKI DECISIONS VAZQUEZ IN WAR
 
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS
Photo Credit: Ed Diller/DiBella Entertainment
 
LOWELL, Mass. (October, 10 2015) – Brooklyn welterweight Gabriel “Tito” Bracero(24-2, 5 KOs) came into hostile territory and knocked out hometown favorite Danny “Bhoy” O’Connor (26-3, 10 KOs) only 41 seconds into the first round, headlining tonight’s loaded Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on NBCSN card at historic Lowell Memorial Auditorium in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Bracero, who handed O’Connor his first pro loss four years ago, used an overhand right that O’Connor, fighting out of nearby Framingham (MA) did not see coming.  O’Connor was out cold before he hit the mat.
“I worked on that punch for six weeks,” Bracero said after the fight.  “In my last fight, I fought a southpaw and made some mistakes.  I specifically worked on that punch because Danny’s a southpaw. I slipped to the side and threw the right.  This was the first time I went away to camp, away from my family.
“I’m just so humbled and grateful. I knew coming in here that all the pressure was on him (O’Connor); the crowd would try to take the beast out of me and put me on the defense.
Everything is going to work out (regarding his next fight).  I’ll let Tommy Gallagher andLou DiBella take care of my next fight.  I’m ready to go right back in the gym.”
O’Connor was taken by ambulance to the nearby Lowell General Hospital for observation.
Hometown hero “Irish” Micky Ward and National Hockey League Hall-of-Famer NBCSN analyst “Sugar” Ray Leonard returned to the same building in which he captured a National Golden Gloves Tournament title in 1973.
Undefeated Dominican super bantamweight KO artist Jonathan “Salomon King” Guzman (20-0, 20 KOs), fighting out of nearby Lawrence (MA), made it a perfect 20 fights, 20 KO wins via a ninth-round stoppage of a game Danny Aquino (17-3, 10 KOs) in the 10-round co-feature.
Guzman dropped Aquino, a Mexican native fighting out of Connecticut, in the second round.  The badly hurt Aquino, however, lasted until the ninth round when Guzman ended the show with a brutal left hook.  Aquino, another New England Golden Gloves champion who won his title in this very building, had never been stopped as a professional.
 
Quincy (MA) featherweight Ryan “The Polish Prince” Kielczweski (24-1, 7 KOs), who won two New England Golden Gloves championships at Lowell Memorial Auditorium, won a 10-round, hard fought decision over Brooklyn’s Rafael “Dynamite” Vazquez (16-2, 13 KOs).
Kielczweski out boxed Vazquez in the first four rounds, but Vasquez came charging back and opened a cut over Kielczweski’s right eye in the eighth and rocked the local fighter in the final 30 seconds of the fight  The judges had Kielczweski winning the entertaining fight by scores of 97-93 twice and 96-94.
FIGHTER QUOTES
GABRIEL BRACERO:
“God bless Danny O’Connor. He’s a champion. Just because he lost here today, I still tip my hat off to him. It takes a real champion to come in here and do what he does. I wish him the best.
“It’s an amazing feeling. The truth is, I was a winner before I walked in the ring. This is a dream come true. I have dreamed about this day for a long time. I made some mistakes in my prior fights, but I went back to the drawing board, went to camp, fixed my mistakes and came in here super focused today.
On what he said to O’Connor after the fight…
“My message to Danny was, after my last fight, after my last loss, I was down. I went through a depression. I told him not to let that happen to him. To pick himself back up, to be proud of himself. To go home to his beautiful wife and kids and enjoy life. I didn’t want the same thing to happen to him, that happened to me.”
JONATHAN GUZMAN:
“I proved that I can fight and I can punch. This fight was an example of what I can do.
“From the second round I fought with two hurt hands. It didn’t matter to my hands, I was going to stop him.”
RYAN KIELCZWESKI:
“Before this fight, I knew he could punch. I thought I avoided it for the whole fight, but in the 10th round, he got me. It felt pretty good to get rocked for the first time, just to know what it feels like.”
“I kind of started off slow, but in the middle rounds, I started putting my punches together, throwing four, five, six punches at a time and it was working. But he came back every time and started trading with me.
(On going 10 rounds…)
“It’s all the same. You’re just as tired after a four-round fight as you are after six, eight or 10.  You leave it all till the end of the fight. It all feels the same.
(On getting hurt in the 10th….)
“I didn’t know where my feet were. It was a strange feeling, I had no idea what that felt like. He caught me and I could see straight, but I felt myself going left and right.
“He’s a tough guy.  I really needed that fight.
“We knew he wasn’t much of a volume pincher.  It didn’t surprise us when he came on in the middle rounds.
“The blood wasn’t in my eye. I didn’t know I was cut until the referee came over.
“I like to entertain in the ring.  I don’t need to do this.  I do it because I like to fight and entertain.
“This was my favorite venue to fight in as an amateur.  I fought here 10-15 times as an amateur.”
RAFAEL VAZQUEZ:
“He was a slick fighter, he moved and he had great power. He was in great shape. He’s young, I will be 38 this year. No excuse, I moved up to 126 pounds to face him, I’m 122 pounds.
“I thought I won the last three rounds. Especially the ninth and tenth round. The tenth round was big. He maybe connected ten punches in the whole round. I rocked him. I hurt him. But, we’re fighting in his hometown, and I’m grateful to him for giving me the opportunity.”
Undercard
Polish heavyweight Adam Kownacki (12-0, 10 KOs), fighting out of Brooklyn, kept his undefeated record intact, turning in a workmanlike effort to win an eight-round unanimous decision (78-73 X 3) over Rodney Hernandez (8-3-1, 1 KO).
Irish junior lightweight Patrick “The Punisher” Hyland (31-1, 14 KOs), a 2012 Interim world featherweight title challenger, lived up to is nickname.  The Dubliner dropped toughDavid “El Finito” Martinez (18-7-1, 3 KOs) once on his way to a one-sided fight that ended at 18 seconds of the eighth round when Hyland caught Martinez with a vicious left hook.
Irish middleweight champion Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan (22-1, 15 KOs) outclassed light heavyweight veteran David Toribio (21-16, 14 KOs) and ended the fight with a second-round knockout. Former European champion Stephen “The Rock” Ormond (19-2, 10 KOs) dropped former world title challenger Michael “Cold Blood” Clark twice en route to an opening round victory by knockout.
New York lightweight prospect Titus Williams (3-0, 2 KOs) remained unbeaten, stoppingArthur Parker (1-14-2, 1 KO) in the second round, while two-time world title challengerFernando “El Vasco” Saucedo (57-6-3, 10 KOs) registered a second-round technical knockout over lightweight Carlos Fulgencio (19-7-1, 12 KOs) in the opening bout of the evening.
O’Connor vs. Bracero was promoted by DiBella Entertainment in association with Murphy’s Boxing.