Top Rank on ESPN: Joshua Greer Jr., Jose Pedraza and Emanuel Navarrete to Headline at MGM Grand and TV Azteca Studios

Greer-Mike Plania, Pedraza-Mikkel LesPierre and Navarrete-Uriel Lopez to top Week 2 cards LIVE on ESPN & ESPN Deportes

LAS VEGAS (June 9, 2020) — Don’t blink. Top Rank on ESPN’s summer schedule resumes with a trio of shows, commencing Tuesday, June 16, with the return of bantamweight contender Joshua “Don’t Blink” Greer Jr. in a 10-rounder against 23-year-old Filipino upstart Mike Plania at the MGM Grand Conference Center – Grand Ballroom in Las Vegas.

The action continues from MGM Grand Thursday, June 18, when former two-weight world champion Jose “Sniper” Pedraza will face former world title challenger Mikkel LesPierre in a 10-round super lightweight showdown.

Week 2 concludes Saturday, June 20, at TV Azteca Studios in Mexico City, when WBO junior featherweight world champion Navarrete will fight Uriel “Yuca” Lopez in a 10-round featherweight bout. Navarrete-Lopez will headline one of two June cards from TV Azteca Studios, which will be promoted by Top Rank in association with Zanfer Promotions.

All three Week 2 events will air live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes (in Spanish), with start times to be announced shortly.

“It is exciting to see these great fighters back in action and in fights that promise to be action-packed,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “Greer and Pedraza have tough opponents in front of them, but if they are victorious, we could see them in world title fights before the end of the year. Navarrete is the king of the 122-pounders, a throwback fighter who wants to stay as active as possible.”

June 16
MGM Grand Conference Center – Grand Ballroom

Main Event
Joshua Greer Jr. (22-1-1, 12 KOs) vs. Mike Plania (23-1, 12 KOs)
10 rounds, Bantamweight

Greer, the Chicago product who taunts potential KO victims with custom-made pillows, is knocking on the doorstep of a world title shot. He has won 19 fights in a row and is currently the WBO No. 1 contender at bantamweight. Plania, meanwhile, has won eight straight bouts since a March 2018 decision loss to Juan Carlos Payano, a fight that propelled Payano to a world title shot against pound-for-pound great Naoya Inoue.

“Whoever the opponent is, it doesn’t matter. I prepare the same,” Greer said. “Every fight is a world title fight for me. I’m ranked number one in the world, so I have to take advantage of this opportunity. ‘Mr. ESPN’ is back!”

Co-Feature
Antonio DeMarco (33-8-1, 24 KOs) vs. Giovani Santillan (25-0, 15 KOs)
10 rounds, Welterweight

Former lightweight world champion DeMarco, who is coming off a competitive decision loss to top contender Jamal James, represents a quantum leap in class for the 28-year-old Santillan. A native of San Diego who has stopped his last four opponents, Santillan hopes to become the first man to knock out DeMarco in nearly eight years. In his last bout, he overcame a nearly 19-month layoff to knock out Wilfrido Buelvas in two rounds.

Undercard

Nikoloz Sekhniashvili (5-0, 4 KOs), a 26-year-old who hails from the nation of Georgia, will make his 2020 debut against Detroit native Isiah Jones (8-1, 3 KOs) in a six-rounder at super middleweight. Sekhniashvili, trained by Javiel Centeno, is part of a deep stable of fighters that includes Puerto Rican phenom Xander Zayas and lightweight contender George Kambosos Jr.

Super featherweight prospect Edward Vazquez (7-0, 1 KO), from Fort Worth, Texas, will face an opponent to be named in a six-rounder.

Puerto Rican-born heavyweight Hector Perez (6-2, 3 KOs) will fight southpaw spoiler Juan Torres (5-2-1, 2 KOs), from Cypress, Texas, in a six-round bout. Torres has won two straight and has never been knocked out in a professional match.

June 18
MGM Grand Conference Center – Grand Ballroom

Main Event
Jose Pedraza (26-3, 13 KOs) vs. Mikkel LesPierre (22-1-1, 10 KOs)
10 rounds, Super Lightweight

Pedraza, who won world titles at junior lightweight and lightweight, is taking another run at the super lightweight division following last September’s decision loss to Jose “Chon” Zepeda. His opponent LesPierre challenged Maurice Hooker for a world title last year, dropping a unanimous decision. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Brooklyn resident received deliveries and assisted doctors and nurses at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in Manhattan.

“I am very excited to finally return to the ring after this long break. During quarantine, I made adjustments and trained hard from home, Pedraza said. “Despite everything that is happening in the world, my team and I have had a great training camp. I have done many runs up the mountains in Cidra, Puerto Rico. I am now focused on giving the fans a great show on June 18 against Mikkel LesPierre. We know he is a world-class fighter, but I am, too, and I am determined to return to the top once again.”

“I’m excited and blessed to be a part of the first round of televised sports as we navigate through this pandemic,” LesPierre said. “Jose Pedraza is a good fighter and a former world champion, but I feel that I have the tools to beat him. It will be a great fight and an opportunity for me to take my career to the next level. The Maurice Hooker fight was just a taste of what the elite level is all about. I’m determined to get back to title contention. This fight is the first step toward that goal. I’m ready to go.”

Co-Feature
Gabriel Flores Jr. (17-0, 6 KOs) vs. Josec Ruiz (21-2-3, 14 KOs)
10 rounds, Lightweight

The 20-year-old Flores, fresh off a win on the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury 2 undercard, returns in his first scheduled 10-rounder. Flores, the Stockton, California native who signed with Top Rank when he was 16 years old, packed more than 10,000 spectators into the Stockton Arena last May to establish himself as one of the sport’s top regional ticket-sellers. Ruiz is unbeaten in his last 16 bouts.

Undercard

David “The Lion of Zion” Kaminsky (6-0, 3 KOs) will face noted spoiler Clay Collard (6-2-3, 2 KOs) in a six-rounder at super middleweight. Collard, who also is a veteran MMA pro, has defeated unbeaten prospects in his last two fights.

In four-round bouts each, Puerto Rican super featherweight Frevian Gonzalez (2-0, 1 KO) will fight an opponent to be named, while super lightweight Victor Rodriguez (2-0, 1 KO) will face Justin Horsley (0-1).

June 20
TV Azteca Studios

Main Event
Emanuel Navarrete (31-1, 27 KOs) vs. Uriel Lopez (13-13-1, 6 KOs)
10 rounds, Featherweight

Boxing’s most active world champion, Navarrete defended his title five times (all by KO) in nine months, most recently knocking out Jeo Santisima on the Wilder-Fury 2 Pay-Per-View undercard. Navarrete is fighting as a featherweight for the first time in nearly three years in what will be his sixth bout in 13 months. Lopez has a 2016 knockout victory over longtime Japanese contender Ryo Matsumoto.

Undercard action will feature Carlos “Chinito” Ornelas (25-2, 14 KOs), who will take on Edwin “Pupo” Palomares (12-3-1, 3 KOs) in a 10-rounder at featherweight. Featherweight prospect Sergio Chirino Sanchez (14-1, 8 KOs) will look to extend his winning streak to six against Gustavo Alan Pina (8-2, 5 KOs) in an eight-round bout.

Former interim world champion Silvia Torres (20-2-2, 7 KOs) will face 21-bout veteran Edith de Jesus Flores in an eight-rounder at light flyweight.

Mexico City-based flyweight prospect Ivan Armando Garcia (5-0, 3 KOs) will fight Roberto Palomares (5-4-1, 1 KO) in his first scheduled six-rounder.

Live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes FRIDAY, 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT from Pechanga Resort Casino, California

154-pound slugger Carlos Adames (17-0, 14 KOs) will defend his NABO belt in a 10-rounder versus upstart Patrick Day (17-2-1, 6 KOs).

At Wednesday’s final press conference, this is what the fighters had to say.

Carlos Adames

“I had a very good amateur record. I’m a very talented fighter, and so is Patrick Day, but there is no fighter alive that can defeat me in the ring.”

On training with Robert Garcia and adding a nutritionist to his camp

“They are a great team. I’ve been training hard with Robert and Perfecting Athletes on the nutritional part, but I also have a lot of confidence in my talent.”

“The Dominican Republic is known for having good baseball players, but I’m trying to make it known that the country has good boxers as well.”

Patrick Day

“My most recent success comes from within, my hunger, my desire. I just want to be great at something, not only in boxing but in life. And in life, I just happen to choose to box. That’s the avenue that I want to do. I’m not going to be mediocre. I suffered two defeats early in my career, so I had to {look within} and really evaluate myself.”

“This is a great opportunity. It’s an opportunity I’ve dreamed of – my opponent as well – and we’re both deserving of this opportunity. In my estimation, we are the two best 154-pounders in the world. These guys that have the belts, they’re good. It seems like Al Haymon really has his hands on the 154-pound division with all these prospects and champions, but these guys haven’t been tested yet. And they’re not the real deal. They talk big, they have the big ego and they’re really cocky, but what have they done? They’re not fighters like me and Carlos are. We’re going to set the tone, and we’re going to set an example for the 154-pound division.”

Photo: Mikey Williams

Crawford to defend WBO welterweight title against Jose Benavidez Jr. at the CHI Health Center Omaha

Saturday, October 13 and televised LIVE by ESPN and ESPN Deportes
at 10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT

Evan Korn: Live from Omaha at the CHI Health Center on Oct. 13, Terence “Bud” Crawford (33-0, 24 KOs) will make the first defense of his WBO welterweight world title against Jose Benavidez Jr. (27-0, 18 KOs).

Crawford vs. Benavidez will air live and exclusively on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 10:30 p.m. ET with the entire undercard streaming live in the United States at 7:00 p.m. ET. The weigh-in will be broadcast Oct. 12, live on ESPN2 at 5:30 p.m. ET.

To kick things off, I would like to welcome the President of Top Rank, Todd duBoef.

Todd duBoef: It’s great to get everybody on the call, and obviously, to see the return of Terence coming back after dominating Jeff Horn. Benavidez also performed very well that night against Frank Rojas, so I think everything is really dialed in for a terrific show.

These guys have had some public words. Obviously, you saw the 30-second spot where these guys were talking smack to each other, and I think this thing is very much a personal battle. Benavidez has been, from when we took him out of the amateurs, very highly skilled and has had a nice career. And this is his defining moment.

At this point, with Terence Crawford, this is the gold standard in boxing. He has just electrified everybody with both boxing skill and power, taken all challengers. And just anecdotally, when Terence Crawford gets in the ring, it’s like Alabama in football. He is that dominant, and he’s going to have his hands full with a guy that is not going to back down.

Q: It’s a little bit of maybe a grudge match here. I’d like you to just give me your point of view about that confrontation that you guys had in Corpus Christi, where he was on the undercard and he accused you of ducking him. You got a little heated. Calmer heads prevailed, but can you explain that situation a little bit and what happened?

Terence Crawford: Pretty much nothing. He just came up to me, told me that I was ducking him, and I never wanted to sign a fight, I never signed a contract, and I was scared of him, and he was going to knock me out. So I told him, I said, ‘Man, don’t you got a fight? You need to focus on your fight before you focus on me right now. You need to be focused on your fight.’ Then just a little heated discussion.

Q: Did you find it a little bit unusual that a fighter like Benavidez who, as Todd said was a good fighter, was a tremendous amateur but has not the sort of serious fight in terms of a name opponent as a professional so far would go up to a guy like yourself whose had high profile fights and accuse you of ducking him when he hadn’t done anything yet to be mentioned alongside you?

Terence Crawford: That comes with the territory when you’ve got people that, you know, want your spot. They want to get the opportunity or the chance to prove their worthiness, to make a name for themselves. So that’s how I take it. He’s trying to piggyback off of my name to make himself bigger.

Q: What was it that made you decide to give him the opportunity?

Terence Crawford: Oh, why not? Why not? You know, talk is cheap. We’re in the same division, same promoter. It’s an interesting fight. He’s always saying that I’m fighting smaller guys, so this is a chance to see what you are made of.

Q: Anything special that you’ve seen? He did have a very good first-round knockout on your last undercard when you fought Jeff Horn and beat him in June.

Terence Crawford: Come on now, we all know who he fought.

Q: I’m just asking. I’m not talking about that fight, just in general.

Terence Crawford: Well, what about it? I had a spectacular knockout, too.

Q: No, I was asking if you see any particular special qualities about Benavidez, not just about his fight with Rojas, but just in any fights of his you may have seen over the years?

Todd duBoef: Terence, you’d say he has a good mouth, right?

Terence Crawford: Yes, that’s about it.

Q: All right, Todd, that was pretty good.

Todd duBoef: If he’s not going to give him any flattering qualities, I’ve got to tell him the most obvious one.

Q: Obviously this pound-for-pound thing is pretty important to you, Terence, and you say that hands down, you are number one. How important is that to you, you know, to be recognized as number one and not number two by any other people that try to rank such things?

Terence Crawford: Well, it depends on who you ask. Some people rate me number one, some people rate me two. I can’t complain. I’m in the top two and almost everybody is rating me, so I’m just blessed to be in the top two.

Q: Another thing I wanted to ask you about is the welterweight division, which is extremely deep right now. Because Top Rank is with ESPN and your fights are on ESPN, a lot of those other guys are PBC fighters and there’s a divide in terms of trying to make some of those fights. How frustrating is that, a talent-rich division, and there’s obstacles to making some of the fights you’d like?

Todd duBoef: Can I answer this for him? I just want to make this crystal clear. We have said this following our recent announcement of re-signing Terence. Regardless of your affiliation, we will take on all comers. That’s it. We don’t care where you are, what you do. We will go and take on all comers, right? Terence is an elite fighter. He is at that class. In fact, when there was a big welterweight fight, a nice welterweight fight in early September, all they did was talk about Terence Crawford. We thank them for that.

We’ve done the biggest fights with the biggest complications of all time. He wants to take on the biggest. We want to provide the biggest. So, Terence, now you can chime in if you want. Sorry.

Terence Crawford: Well, you took everything out of my mouth. So, there’s nothing more for me to say. There you have it.

Q: How do you feel physically coming out of that Jeff Horn fight compared to when you fought at 135 and 140 pounds?

Terence Crawford: I feel stronger. I feel like my body is growing into the weight division. This is only my second fight at the welterweight division, so I feel like I’ve got a little more growing to do, but as far as strength-wise and how I feel, I feel great and I feel strong.

Q: When you’re looking at the welterweight division, and of course, one of the things that when you signed this new deal with Top Rank is that there’s the possibility that you could fight some of the other champions at 147 pounds. Between guys like Errol Spence, Shawn Porter, and Keith Thurman, who of the other champions would you like to fight next if you had your pick?

Terence Crawford: Those are the only champions. So, there are no other champions but them. So, I don’t know what champions you’re talking about.

Q: Well, I mean there’s still Manny Pacquiao. I don’t know if that’s…

Terence Crawford: He’s not a champion in my eyes. He don’t have the super belt. That’s the champion in my eyes. I look at the number one champion in the division. I don’t look at the WBC Silver and the interim belts and all that. I look at the super and the actual champion of the division.

Q: Benavidez, he won an interim title at 140. And he used a controversial tactic at that time. He hung on the ropes. Do you anticipate him trying to do that again and how would you counter something like that?

Terence Crawford: I don’t know. I don’t know if he’ll try that against me. I believe he’s going to come out, try to make it a fight being that it’s in my hometown. He don’t want to take any risks, and if he does do it, we’ve got a game plan for that as well.

Q: I wanted to actually ask a question to Brian and to Todd because I know that Terence is not going to want to talk about the future because he’s got the fight coming up on the 13th. But Brian and Todd, if you guys could talk to me, what do you view as sort of the rough outline, so to speak, game plan let’s say, for Terence’s next couple of fights? I know Todd, you said you guys are willing to make a fight with any of the other guys across the street however it may shake out. But what’s realistic in your mind, Todd and Brian?

Brian McIntyre (Crawford’s Trainer/Manager): Realistically, we’re going after the champions, man. You know, I don’t see any reason to be fighting the number six dude or number seven dude. We want the best fighters out there at 147 so, you know, I’m glad Todd is on this call because we’ll put the heat on him. He wants to make those fights happen. He can go to ESPN and make those fights happen. Terence wants those fights to happen. Let’s go!

Q: But because of the complications of you’re not going to want to leave ESPN to go to Showtime and/or Fox. They’re not going to want to leave their home base to come to ESPN. And so, therefore, it would seem as though those fights would have to be done in conjunction with each other as a pay-per-view.

So, if you had your choice in guiding Terence as a manager, as a trainer, who would you like to match him up with, the big name that you think would be the best and biggest fight to get Crawford sort of the major, major fight that I know he wants very much?

Brian McIntyre: Right now, the biggest name in the welterweight division is Errol Spence. So, what we would do is, and I’m glad Todd on this call, they just put the pressure on ESPN as a leader in sports. They want to be the leader in boxing. If they want to be a leader in boxing, they’re going to go out and make those fights happen. And so that’s what Terence wants. They want Terence to be the number one fighter in the world.

Q: And I mean, look, Spence would be a great fight. I think every boxing fan would love to see it, but what do you think is an actual realistic goal for the immediate future or beyond the Benavidez fight?

Todd duBoef: I think we’re asking everybody to look into a crystal ball, right, and project out what somebody else’s needs are and what somebody else wants to do. We’ve established what we want to do, all right. We’re not going to come up to a press conference and I mean I don’t want to get – this conference call is about Terence Crawford. I’m not going to divert it like they did about – they were giving us all the attention.

We’re going to go after all those guys. We’re not allowing anything, no politics, no nothing, to get in the way. They want to do it. We want to do it. Let’s just get it done. We’ll figure out a solution.

Q: Would you agree then that it would be pay-per-view then because of the network situations?

Todd duBoef: I’m not going to make a judgment today right now on a phone call without having a conversation with everybody involved, including them on the one side and us. We are open to anything. We are open to anything to make those big fights happen for Terence and BoMac. That’s what we’re up for, too. We are not going to be siloed into a formulaic way of doing things. We are open to everything.

Q: How are you making sure you’re not distracted by all this other talk about other fighters, and networks, and all that stuff?

Terence Crawford: I don’t pay attention to it. My main focus is on Benavidez. As you can see, he’s been doing a lot of talking, but while he’s talking, I’m working. So, I’m not worried about nothing that he’s saying or that he’s trying to hype up. I’m focused and I’m ready to go next week.

Q: Other guys who have annoyed you in the past or gotten under your skin a little bit have paid a price for it. Are you surprised that Benavidez has taken this approach based on that?

Terence Crawford: No. He’s confident in himself and his abilities, and on top of that, I feel as if he’s trying to boost his confidence up even more by telling himself these thoughts in his head that he’s one of the best. But come fight night, all that is going to be out the window and we’re going to have to fight. And then it’s going to be put up or shut up.

Q: How do you view it when an opponent talks trash to you, Terence? Do you like it? Does it motivate you more? How do you approach that?

Terence Crawford: Of course it motivates me more because, as you know, I’m cool, calm, collected. I never said anything to the guy. He approached me, so now it makes the victory more enjoyable to go in there and hit him in his mouth and shut him up.

Q: Terence, I know in the past you’ve said that you want to fight all over the world. But how much do you appreciate what you’ve built in Omaha where the people have turned out for all of your fights?

Terence Crawford: I appreciate it a lot. Omaha has given me tremendous support since my amateur days. It’s actually a blessing to have your own city turn out the way that they do for me to make it seem as if I only fight in Omaha. That’s how big the turnouts are. Everybody thinks that all I ever do is fight in Omaha because of the turnout. So that shows a lot right there.

Q: Could Todd and Brian speak on that too, what Terence, all of you guys have built together here for Terence in Omaha.

Brian McIntyre: It’s tremendous. It’s tremendous, man. When an opponent fights here in Omaha, you’ve got to fight against the crowd, too, because the crowd is so pro-Crawford, pro-Terence Crawford, and that’s a good thing I like about fighting in Omaha. It’s an extra push for Terence. It’s an extra push for the coaches. It’s just an extra push for even the promoters to put on a good show because, you know, it’s going to be a show-off to the world. And people enjoy it and they want to come back. They want to see Terence Crawford. They want to see the next Terence Crawford.

I’m excited with what Top Rank and Terence has done for the city. I just say let’s keep doing it.

Todd duBoef: Yes, I mean one of the things I would say to BoMac and to Terence is this is really is a credit to all the work that they do, too. They are really focused on creating his brand and not depriving his fan base and we started that from the beginning together. And I’m going to say this about Terence. A lot of fighters can talk about their hometowns, but he’s got a home state. I mean, we went to Lincoln and we kicked ass there, too.

So, it’s not necessarily Omaha. He is an icon for the state and a wonderful representative for all of Nebraska and the Midwest, and he’s fast becoming a major global star. And to take the energy that he creates and the connection to all of his fans at his home and transmit that throughout the world just perpetuates it even further. But it’s really a credit to BoMac, his team, and Terence for being that persistent and helpful in creating the brand there.

Q: Terence, can you comment on your relationship with Top Rank?

Terence Crawford: I have a great relationship with Top Rank. Since they picked me up from TKO Promotions, we’ve been partners and we built a lot of great memories together, and they got me to where I am right now. And all I can do is thank them.

Q: Obviously, you’ve done really well, Terence. With ESPN as a platform, what do you feel like can happen now that you’ve established yourself as one of the premier fighters with the new deal with Top Rank and ESPN, and where can this fight in particular take you as far as your exposure nationally and internationally?

Terence Crawford: It can take me wherever I want it to go. All I’ve got to do is keep doing what I’m doing, and everything will follow.

Q: Terence, for this fight in particular, obviously you and Benavidez have known each other for quite a while. Can you talk about the relationship and/or non-relationship that the two of you have had and what’s kind of led to this bout taking place?

Terence Crawford: I really don’t know the guy too much. But just from Top Rank, we don’t have no history but arguing with each other. So, we’re going to get it in come next week.

Q: I guess I was more referring to the fact that from his mind, he’s been calling for this fight for the last few years, even when the both of you were at 140. In your mind, I guess how does this now take place that you are at 147 after I guess it seemingly being brought up for at least a couple of years, at least from his team?

Terence Crawford: Like I said, talk is cheap. Come next week, all the talking and all the answers that everybody want to ask about the fight will be answered. I really don’t have nothing to say about the guy. Come fight night, you know I’ll be ready.

Crawford-Benavidez will air live and exclusively on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 10:30 p.m. ET with undercards streaming live in the United States at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+ – the new multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment in conjunction with ESPN.

Remaining tickets to this world championship event priced at $178, $103, $63, and $38, not including applicable fees, tickets can be purchased at the CHI Health Center Omaha box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 800-745-3000, or online at ticketmaster.com.

Use the hashtag #CrawfordBenavidez to join the conversation on social media.

PHOENIX (Aug. 22, 2018) – Ray Beltran is returning home to defend his title and Isaac “Royal Storm” Dogboe is looking to bring some lightning and thunder to the desert.

Beltran will defend the WBO lightweight title against former 130-pound champion José Pedraza, Dogboe will make the first defense of his WBO 122-pound world title against Hidenori Otake, and Mayer will face off against Edina Kiss in a six-round special attraction.

Beltran-Pedraza, Dogboe-Otake will be televised on ESPN and ESPN Deportes on Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona. The entire undercard will stream on ESPN+ beginning at 6:30 p.m ET.

On Wednesday, many of the fighters from Saturday’s 11-fight card worked out for the media at Michael Carbajal’s 9th Street Gym. This is what they had to say.

Ray Beltran

On life as a world champion: “Things have changed a little bit, the way people talk to me and act around me. For me, I still feel like I’m a contender. I’m still the underdog.”

“I think fighting Jose Pedraza and defending my world title near my hometown of Phoenix, Arizona, is a dream come true. Defending my title against a Puerto Rican, with the rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico, there’s nothing better than that.”

On fighting in Arizona: “You know how I am. I try to fight and put on a good show and try to make my fans happy. It’s going to be a great fight!”

José Pedraza

On the significance of becoming a two-weight world champion: “It would mean a lot to me because not everyone gets the opportunity to become a world champion. Even fewer boxers become two-division world champions. I am going to take full advantage of this opportunity.”

On staying active in 2018 with three fights: “I like to be more active. I can see the difference. I am more focused. I see that now I’m more mature as a fighter.”

On fighting pressure fighters like Beltran: “A pressure fighter is a perfect style for me because I am more of a boxer. The pressure Beltran puts on a fighter is different because he knows how to cut the ring off very well. He’s going to be tough, but I know we’re going to be victorious.”

Isaac Dogboe

On life as a world champion: “I give praise to the man upstairs, God of creation. We thank him for everything that has happened to Team Dogboe. Being a world champion is great.”

On the reception he received in his native Ghana after winning the title: “The whole nation came out to meet me at the airport. It was amazing.”

On joining the rich history of Ghanaian world champions: “I am very humbled. Boxing in Ghana isn’t as regarded as it is over here. We’ve been able to revive boxing over there. They are loving it. We are changing the perspective of the sport. It is great.”

On Hidenori Otake: “Otake is very strong, physically strong. He has a great record. You can’t underestimate Otake. We’re not underestimating him at all. He’s someone we have our eyes on, and we’re making sure, come Saturday, we are going to take him out.”

On the lack of trash talk compared to before the Jessie Magdaleno fight: “Otake is a gentleman. He’s so humble, and when two humble warriors come together, it’s mutual respect. And that’s how we’re taking it.”

Hidenori Otake

On Isaac Dogboe: “He is a good pressure fighter and a strong fighter. I’m going to use his pressure and his power against him.”

On the recent success of Japanese fighters: “Japanese boxers have been fighting very well recently, and I am looking to do the same. It’s great for Japanese boxing when we come to America and do very well.”

The World Boxing Organization (WBO) announced the officials for two WBO World title bouts to be held this Saturday, August 25th in Arizona.

In the main event, WBO Lightweight (135 lbs) World Champion Raymundo Beltrán, from México, will face WBO ranked number two José Pedraza, from Puerto Rico.

For this bout, which will headline the card presented by Top Rank from the Gila River Arena in Glendale, the referee will be Tony Weeks, from the United States.

Arizona’s Rubin Taylor, as well as Lisa Giampa and Robert Hoyle, both from Nevada, were appointed judges for the bout. The WBO Supervisor will be WBO President Francisco “Paco” Valcárcel, Esq.

For Beltrán (35-7-1, 21 KOs), it will be his first defense of the title he won by beating WBO Africa Lightweight titlist Paulus Moses via unanimous decision. On his part, Pedraza (24-1, 12 KOs) is looking to be crowned a two division World Champion with a victory over Beltrán. He previously held a title as a Junior Lightweight (130 lbs).

In the co-main event of the evening, WBO Junior Featherweight World Champion Isaac Dogboe, from Ghana, will battle WBO ranked number six Hidenori Otake (31-2-3, 14 KOs), from Japan.

For this bout, the referee will be Chris Flores, from the United States.

Illinois’s Patrick Morley, Texas’s Javier Álvarez and Connecticut’s Glenn Feldman were appointed judges for the bout. The WBO Supervisor will be WBO Vice-President North America/Chairman of North American Boxing Organization Richard de Cuir.

For Dogboe (19-0, 13 KOs), it will be his first defense of the title he won by defeating former WBO World Champion Jessie Magdaleno by 11-round knockout.

Beltrán-Pedraza and Dogboe-Otake will air live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 10:30 p.m. ET, with undercard action streaming live beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET. on ESPN+ — the recently-launched multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment in conjunction with ESPN.

Photo by Mikey Williams

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Ray Beltran and Isaac “Royal Storm” Dogboe will head to the desert this Saturday for their first title defenses.

In the main event at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, Beltran, who resides in nearby Phoenix, will defend the WBO Lightweight title against Jose “Sniper” Pedraza, a former junior lightweight world champion looking to bring another world title home to Puerto Rico. And, in the all-action co-feature, Dogboe will defend the WBO Junior Featherweight title against Hidenori Otake.

Beltran-Pedraza and Dogboe-Otake will air live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 10:30 p.m. ET, with undercard action streaming live beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET. on ESPN+ — the recently-launched multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment in conjunction with ESPN.

Tickets to this world championship doubleheader, priced at $125, $75, $50, and $25, not including applicable fees, go on sale Thursday, July 26 at 10 a.m PST. Tickets can be purchased at the Gila River Arena Box Office, by phone at 800.745.3000, or online at gilariverarena.com.

“I’m living the dream. It feels great to be a world champion. I am very motivated to defend my title, and it’s very special to me because I’m fighting in my adopted home,” Beltran said. “Pedraza is a very skillful fighter and is going to bring his best to take the belt from us, but I’m not just fighting for the belt, I’m also fighting to keep it in Phoenix and my birthplace of Los Mochis, Mexico. This belt represents my family’s future, and it’s going nowhere.”

“This is a great opportunity and a great challenge. Beltran is a veteran and is finally a world champion after trying for so long,” Pedraza said. “I think for that reason it’s going to be a great fight because he will not want to lose the title. I’m 100 percent prepared for war.”

“I’m making my first defense against Otake, a Japanese warrior. It’s going to be fireworks,” Dogboe said. “I’m not stepping back. We’re on a quest to make this division exciting and great again. We’re shaking up the division. Isaac ‘Royal Storm’ Dogboe, you all know I bring lightning and thunder!”

“I would like to express my appreciation to everyone who made this fight possible. I am truly grateful for this opportunity,” Otake said. “In capturing the world title for my first time on Aug. 25, I’d like to show everyone that age does not matter. Since comments can reveal strategy, I can’t say anymore.”

Beltran (35-7-1, 21 KOs) is a story of perseverance who finally broke through as a world champion five month shy of his 37th birthday. In his last bout, an ESPN-televised contest against Paulus Moses on Feb. 16 in Reno, Nevada, Beltran dug deep to win the vacant WBO lightweight title by unanimous decision. The scores — 117-111, 117-111 and 116-112 — did not reflect the back-and-forth nature of the bout. Once Manny Pacquiao’s chief sparring partner, Beltran had three previous cracks at a world title, most notably a 2013 draw against Ricky Burns that most ringside observers felt should have been a clear Beltran victory. The following year, he lost a wide unanimous decision to pound-for-pound elite Terence Crawford, who had beaten Burns to win the WBO lightweight crown. Beltran, a Phoenix resident who is originally from Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, will be fighting in his adopted home state for the first time since 2005.

Pedraza (24-1, 12 KOs), from Cidra, Puerto Rico, is on a mission to become a two-weight world champion. A former IBF junior lightweight world champion who made two successful defenses of his title, he lost his belt via seventh-round TKO to Gervonta Davis in January 2017. Following a 14-month layoff, he moved up to the lightweight division and signed a promotional contract with Top Rank. Pedraza is 2-0 as a lightweight in 2018, winning an eight-round unanimous decision against Jose Luis Rodriguez on March 17 and a 10-round unanimous decision against Antonio Moran on June 9 as the co-feature to the Terence Crawford-Jeff Horn welterweight title bout in Las Vegas.

Dogboe (19-0, 13 KOs) established himself as one of boxing’s best young champions in 2018 with a pair of signature victories. He knocked out Cesar Juarez in the fifth round on Jan. 6 in his hometown of Accra, Ghana, to win the interim WBO junior featherweight title. On April 28 in Philadelphia, Dogboe won the title in dramatic fashion, surviving a first-round knockdown to stop Jessie Magdaleno in the 11th round in a Fight of the Year contender. A 2012 Olympian, Dogboe had a rapid rise through the pro ranks, winning the WBO Oriental and WBO Africa featherweight titles en route to junior featherweight title contention. Boxing is in the Dogboe lineage as his father/trainer, Paul Dogboe, once served as a boxing coach and a physical instructor in the British Army.

Otake (31-2-3, 14 KOs), from Tokyo, has been a professional for more than 12 years and is riding a nine-bout winning streak dating back to Nov. 22, 2014. On that day, he challenged Scott Quigg for the WBA super bantamweight title, dropping a unanimous decision. He won the vacant Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) title on March 17, 2017 with a unanimous decision against Jelbirt Gomera. Otake defended the OBPF title three times, most recently scoring a 10th-round TKO over Brian Lobetania in Tokyo on March 13.

 

 

Beltran to defend WBO lightweight title against Jose Pedraza Aug. 25 at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona

LIVE on ESPN and ESPN Deportes

(Aug. 6, 2018) — Ray Beltran scratched and clawed and spent nearly 19 years as a pro boxer before earning his first world title. He outpointed Paulus Moses on Feb. 16 in Reno, Nevada, to win the vacant WBO lightweight title, a lifelong dream finally fulfilled. A native of Los Mochis, Mexico, Beltran is now a proud resident of Phoenix, a short drive from where he will make his first title defense.

Beltran (35-7-1, 21 KOs) will defend his title against former 130-pound world champion Jose “Sniper” Pedraza as the headliner of an ESPN-televised card, Aug. 25 at the Gila River Area in Glendale, Arizona.

Beltran returned home Saturday for a full slate of media activities, including an open workout at Gent’s Boxing Club in Glendale and as a guest broadcaster for the second inning of the Arizona Diamondbacks Alumni Game.

This is what he had to say.

On his future: “Hopefully, we have another big fight coming up against {Vasiliy} Lomachenko. I’m pretty happy when I fight the best. I’ve had no easy fights in my boxing career. We made our own way. We made our own name. We got a contract with Top Rank after 20-something fights. Nobody created our record. I have a lot of knockouts, but I have more power than it looks like on {my record}. All the losses that I have, four or five were robberies. I’m ready. Right now, I’m focused on Pedraza, but we dream big.”

On fighting for Phoenix and Mexico: “I feel like my heart is in half. I feel like a Phoenix fighter, but I’m also a Mexican fighter from my hometown. I can’t believe what I’ve come from. I come from nothing. I come from a place where nobody is supposed to make it. I think it’s important that the people where I came from know about it, so they get the message — whatever you want to do in life, if you work hard, you can make a change.”

On his opponent: “Pedraza is a former world champion. I believe he’s going to bring some heat. He’s going to come and fight hard to take the belt away from me. He bobs and moves around the ring a lot. He’s got good footwork, but we’ve been working at Wild Card with all different types of styles.”

Beltran-Pedraza and the Isaac Dogboe-Hidenori Otake WBO junior featherweight title bout will air live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 10:30 p.m. ET, with undercard action streaming live beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET. on ESPN+ — the recently-launched multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment in conjunction with ESPN.

Tickets to this world championship doubleheader, priced at $125, $75, $50, and $25, not including applicable fees, are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at the Gila River Arena Box Office, by phone at 800.745.3000, or online at www.gilariverarena.com.

For more information visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing,facebook.com/trboxeo, facebook.com/espndeportes; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, @ESPN @ESPNBoxeo, @ESPNDeportes.

Use the hashtags #BeltranPedraza and #DogboeOtake to join the conversation on social media.

Photo by Chas Wright

Miami, FL.- Cuban trainer Pedro Diaz said that his Colombian pupil, Roamer Alexis Angulo, has reached the fight week of his scheduled clash with World Boxing Organization (WBO) world champion Gilberto Ramirez of Mexico – and according to the game plan they focused on strategy, but at the same time realizing that they may go to war.

“Alexis is fine, focused on the fight and regarding the possibility of going to a war… we are ready because whenever someone gets into a ring with a Mexican, he goes into that, into a war – whether or not he is a boxer with a renowned name, whether he is in his best shape or not., or is starting out [in boxing] or finishing up and he (Angulo) knows it,” said Diaz.

“It’s going to be a great fight definitely and I think that’s something that’s a sure thing.”

Confident, but at the same time cautious, Diaz also said that the weight limit (168 pounds or less) is not an issue in because they made certain preparations to get down to the weight limit. Diaz is always making sure that his boxer never sacrifices anything to get down to a certain weight limit, but at the same time he ensures that his fighter is strong and in his best fighting shape possible.

“So far it has never happened to us, where we ever had a problem with it (weight). Of course it can happen, but we have worked in such a manner where it won’t happen that way when we step on the scale on Friday,” Diaz said.

The Angulo-Ramirez showdown will be televised by ESPN. Angulo is undefeated with a record of 23-0 and 20 KOs. The champion is also undefeated, with a record of 37-0 with 25 KOs. And the televised card takes place at the Chesapeake Energy Arena of Oklahoma City.

Photo by www.BoxeodeColombia.com

https://www.boxingscene.com/angulo-prepared-go-war-with-gilberto-ramirez–129463

On June, 14 edition of Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN, Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta (31-2-2, 17 KOs) of Cebu, Philippines will battle Roberto “Tito” Manzanarez (35-1, 28 KOs) of Phoenix, Arizona for the NABO Lightweight Title in the 10-round main event from Fantasy Springs Resort Casino from Indio, Calif.

ESPN3 will live stream beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT.
ESPN will air fights beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT.
ESPN Deportes will air the fights on Friday, June 15 at 9:00 p.m. ET/ 6:00 p.m. PT.

Gesta works the mitts with Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach ahead of his clash

Here’s what Gesta had to say at the media workout:

MERCITO “NO MERCY” GESTA, Former Lightweight Title Challenger:
“I feel excited for every fight. It’s another great event. Every event that I fight I treat as something special. Manzanarez is tough, but I’ll need to figure him out in the ring. Based on the videos, it’s tough to get on the inside because he’s tall, long and knows how to use that as advantages.”

“I learned from my world title fight. It boosted my confidence because I did so well against a great fighter. Every opponent is different and has different styles. I can’t look down on this guy. He’s not a stepping stone, and I will treat him as a world champion. I see myself fighting for a world title again soon. I still feel strong and ready. I still have a long way left in my career. I want any champion in the division. I’m always ready to take a fight.”

Gesta vs. Manzanarez is a 10-round fight for the NABO Lightweight Championship presented by Golden Boy Promotions. The event is sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING” and Hennessy, “Never Stop, Never Settle.” The fights will take place on Thursday, June 14, 2018 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino. ESPN will air the fights beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT, and stream live on ESPN3 starting at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. ESPN Deportes will air the fights on Friday, June 15 at 9:00 p.m. ET/ 6:00 p.m. PT.

Tickets for the event are on sale and start at $25. Tickets will be available at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino box office, by calling 1-800-827-2946, or by purchasing online at www.fantasyspringsresort.com.

(Photo Credit: Luis Arevalo Jr./Westside Boxing)

One of boxing’s very best Terence Crawford returns on June 9th, and his trainer Brian ‘Bomac’ McIntyre has a warning for Jeff Horn.

Crawford challenges Horn for his WBO World Welterweight crown at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas next week, live in the UK and Ireland on BoxNation.

After the fight was pushed back from April when Crawford damaged his right hand, Horn’s trainer Glenn Rushton labelled the American “a princess”, adding “he seems to be a bit soft”.

“The pressure’s on Horn but I don’t give a damn where the pressure’s at because Horn’s still getting his ass whipped,” McIntyre told Fox Sports.

“I’m gonna look right at his coach and say ‘you a*shole’. I tried to tell you that we was gonna win – you been talking all that sh*t, putting all that sh*t in the newspaper – all that sh*t on social media and you didn’t have a clue what you were going up against.

“I think Horn and his coach are scared because they know that Terence Crawford is going to whip Jeff Horn’s butt,” he added.

Crawford is a big favourite with the bookmakers to wrestle away Horn’s belt and become a three-division World Champion, and McIntyre argues that Horn’s aggressive style will play into the challenger’s hands.

“He don’t have much skills. He bounces around a lot but he comes to fight every single fight. He does come in shape that’s the good part about him – he will come and challenge – he will challenge Terence and that’s great because we need the best out of Terence this fight and Horn will bring the best out of Terence.”

McIntyre is fully confident that ‘Bud’ will be victorious in Vegas: “I just can’t wait to shut his coach up and get my hands on that belt!”.

http://www.boxnation.com/boxing-news/jeff-horn-is-getting-his-ass-whipped-crawfords-coach/

By Robert Hough

Light welterweights Terence Crawford and Julius Indongo are set to fight Saturday in an ultra-rare, four-belt unification bout. The match, in Lincoln, Nebraska, will be televised live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 10 p.m. ET and streamed live via the ESPN app.

Here’s what they had to say today:

Terence Crawford: “(Indongo) is at the end of his career. He doesn’t have a lot of choices. He can’t wait around for a long time…He has good legs. It seems like he can punch a bit. He doesn’t let his opponent get inside.”

Julius Indongo: “It’s something huge. It’s very big. It’s very meaningful…I am a humble guy but I don’t fear anybody. My focus, my game-plan, everything is in position…Although people never knew me, this is the right time to show the world.”

Top Rank President Todd duBoef: “This is a global sport. In America, we’re relatively isolated to a small pool of fighters. What Indongo did was, the door of opportunity opened and he stepped through it. This goes back to what makes boxing so special. People take advantage of those opportunities and a diamond in the rough is discovered.”

Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank

 

The weights are now in, as NABO Super Featherweight champion Alberto “El Explosivo” Machado (17-0, 15 KOs) and NABA Super Featherweight champion Carlos “The Solution” Morales (16-1-3, 6 KOs) stepped on the scale ahead of their 10-round super featherweight unification fight that will headline the Aug. 18 edition of Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN. Catch the live coverage of Machado vs. Morales on ESPN Deportes starting at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST, and on ESPN2 beginning at 11 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. PT.

Both boxers weighed in at 130-pounds on the nose.

  

  

  

Machado vs. Morales is a 10-round fight for the NABO and NABA super featherweight titles, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Miguel Cotto Promotions. The event is sponsored by Tecate, BORN BOLD and Hennessy, never stop, never settle. The bout will take place on Friday, August 18 at Complejo Ferial De Puerto Rico in Ponce. The ESPN 3 and ESPN app will begin at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT and coverage will air live on ESPN Deportes starting at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT and on ESPN2 at 11 p.m. ET/ 8:00 p.m. PT.

Credit:  Photo: Hector Santos Guia/ Miguel Cotto Promotions, LLC, Golden Boy Promotions

www.boxingscene.com/photos-alberto-machado-carlos-morales-ready-war–119574

By Miguel Rivera

WBO Junior Lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko mentioned that he was fully preparing to face Mexico’s Orlando ‘Siri’ Salido in a long awaited rematch on August 5, but then he was advised that Salido was out – and Colombian Miguel Marriaga was placed in the contest.

Vasyl was eager to avenge the only loss of his pro career to Salido, and an economic agreement had been reached but an injury to Salido’s hand prevented the deal from being finalized, and then Marriaga, who comes back from a solid fight against WBO 126-pound champion Oscar Valdez, was thrown in the mix.

“It really has not changed anything in my preparation, I was preparing for Salido but the opponent was changed. You have to be ready for the opponent they put in front of you and you have to give a good fight,” said Lomachenko to ESPN Deportes.

During the announcement of the card, Lomachenko (8-1, 6 KO’s) showed respect for Marriaga (25-2, 21 KO’s), who did the same, and promoter Bob Arum stressed that fights like this, and the one earlier this month with Manny Pacquiao and Jeff Horn.

“Boxing has been one of the major sports for many years, in the 1970s and 1980s, boxing was an essential sport not only in the United States but throughout the world. We’re working with ESPN to showcase these fighters and help boxing recover that top spot,”Arum said of the deal he had made with ESPN.

“We saw on July 1, Pacquiao-Horn’s ESPN broadcast had a tremendous audience, and Lomachenko and Marriaga, (Raymundo) Beltran and (Bryan) Vasquez will offer tremendous action to the public throughout the United States and the world, we are very proud to be part of this tremendous event.”

Finally, Marriaga expressed that he is not interested in the fact that Lomachenko is favorite. ”

It is normal that suddenly he is the favorite, he is the champion, but we are prepared, we come to fight, we’re coming to stage a war and God allows everything to go well,” he said.

www.boxingscene.com/lomachenko-i-preparing-salido-ready-marriaga–118729?print_friendly=1

In days, international icon and megastar boxing champion Manny Pacquiao will defend his world welterweight title in his first fight that will not be broadcast on Pay-Per-View [Pay-Per-Event] since 2005.

This Saturday, the ‘Pacman’ will risk his belt against undefeated Australian contender Jeff Horn in a bout that will reach a much wider audience, as it will be televised from coast to coast in the United States at 9 pm ET / 6 pm PT live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes in Mexico by Azteca 7, La Casa del Boxing. .

Pacquiao and Horn played the world championship welterweight World Boxing Organization (WBO) in the main event of the historic event ‘Battle of Brisbane’ to be held before a record crowd of over 55,000 fans abarrotarán Suncorp Stadium of city located east of Australia.

“It will be exciting fight before more than 60,000 fans and the hometown of my opponent. That gives me more motivation to focus and get the win,” Pacquiao said.

“I’m not underestimating. I did my job and I trained hard for this fight. If he based his homework at my fights with Marquez, that’s good for me. We will give a good show for the fans,” said the fighter who will go for win No. 60 out of his legendary career.

The senator also the only eight-division world champion in boxing history was extremely pleased with the news that his fight will be televised on ESPN and ESPN Deportes.

“I am very happy that this fight will be broadcast live in the United States on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. Now everyone can see my fight. That’s good for boxing. ”

Meanwhile, Horn (16-0-1, 11 KOs), of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, will come into this fight having won his last three fights – all in 2016 – before Ali Funkea, Rico Mueller and Randall Bailey, on the fast track. Horn is world ranked No. 2 by the WBO and the International Boxing Federation (IBF).

“I think I have a style which Pacquiao has not faced. I think you’ll have trouble with my style. I’m bigger than him. He may be faster, but I’m pretty fast too. What I can connect with a straight right and nobody knows what can happen, “said the Australian who was inspired by the withering right hand with which the Mexican Juan Manuel” Dinamita “Marquez knocked out Pacquiao.” I’m very excited and I can not wait to to the day of the fight. I’m ready for war. I do not have much more to do. I’m saving energy and nerves for the day that I need, which is the day of the fight. ”

Transmission of July 1 will also present the Irish Olympic hero Michael Conlan (2-0, 2 KOs), of Belfast, in a six-round featherweight bout against Jarrett “Juarez” Owen (5-4-3, 2 KOs) , Brisbane and world champion junior bantamweight IBF [International Boxing Federation (IBF)] Jerwin “Pretty Boy” [Pretty Boy] Ancajas (24-1-1, 16 KOs), of Cavite City, Philippines, defending his title against challenger. Teiru Kinoshita (25-1-1, 8 KOs), of Kobe, Japan. The live broadcast will begin with a middleweight bout over eight rounds Shane Mosley, Jr. (10-1, 7 KOs), of Pomona, California son of world champion “Sugar” Shane Mosley and David Toussaint (10-0, 8 KOs), Canberra, Australia.

www.worldboxingnews.net/2017/06/29/news/pacquiao-horn-ready-to-rumble-in-brisbane

brianvera.boxingscene

Photo: BoxingScene

On Friday night March 29, Arthur Pelullo, Banner Promotions and Greg Cohen Promotions will present ESPN  Friday Night Fights featuring the NABO Middleweight champion Brian Vera.  Vera will take on upstart Russian Donatas Bondorovas in the twelve round bout that will headline a night of boxing at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York that will be broadcast live as part of ESPN 2 Friday Night Fights.

Vera of Austin, Texas has a record of 22-6 with 13 knockouts.

Vera started of 2013 with a bang as he stopped former world Jr. Middleweight champion Sergiy Dzinziruk in ten rounds at the Turning Stone Resort Casino on January 25th.

In that bout, Vera dropped Dzinziruk twice in round one and once in the tenth to retain his NABO Middleweight title.

Vera is currently ranked #1 by the WBO & #6 by the WBC.

The thirty-one year old has some great wins over the likes of Samuel Miller (17-1); Max Alexander (14-1-1); Vera put the first loss on future world title challenger Andy Lee. Vera also has wins over Sebastien DeMers (31-2) and two victories over former world champion Sergio Mora with the latter coming in his last bout on August 11th.

Bondorovas of Chicago via Kaunas, Lithuania has a record of 17-3-1 with 6 knockouts.

The thirty-three year old has been a pro since 2002 and has some quality wins over Brian Johansen (7-0); Marlon Thomas (36-7-1) and two wins over David Thomas (10-2-2).  The latest was a 2nd round stoppage over Thomas on February 15th.

Bondorovas is riding a five fight winning streak.

In the exciting co-feature, Brazilian and world ranked Light Heavyweight Jackson Junior will defend his WBO Latino Light Heavyweight championship against Umberto Savigne.

Junior of San Paulo, Brazil is undefeated with a record of 14-0 with 12 knockouts.  The twenty-seven year old Junior has a 1st round knockout over undefeated Marcus de Oliveira (15-0-1) as well as a 9th round stoppage over undefeated Pedro Otas (23-0) to capture the Brazilian Light Heavyweight title.  He captured the WBO Latino title with a 6th round stoppage over Jose Alberto Clavero (37-9-1).  In his last bout, Junior made an explosive American debut when he stopped former U.S. Olympian Dante Craig in one round on January 25th at the Turning Stone Casino Resort.

Savigne of Miami, Florida via Cuba has a record of 10-1 with 7 knockouts.  He is on an eight bout winning streak which includes a 6th round stoppage over former three-time world title challenger Richard Hall for which Hall captured the WBA Fedlatin & WBC Fecarbox Light Heavight championship.  In his last bout, Savigne scored a ten round unanimous decision over Dhafir Smith on November 30th, 2012.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the first undercard bout starting at 7:30 p.m. The Friday Night Fights telecast begins at 9 p.m on ESPN , ESPN Deportes and will be available online through WatchESPN.com and on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app.

info@banner-promotions.com