New York, NY (May 30, 2013) – Boxing is back on MSG Network every Friday night at 9:00 p.m. this summer with “Friday Night Fights.” Following tomorrow night’s presentation of two recent bouts from Russia, John Duddy and Mark Breland take center stage every Friday night with an all-new look at some classic fights.
“Friday Night Fights” gets started tomorrow night with a special presentation of “Don King Presents” featuring two recent title bouts from Moscow: Denis Lebedev vs. Guillermo Jones and Alexander Povetkin vs. Andrzej Wawrzyk. In the cruiserweight fight, Jones upset Lebedev and left the former title holder with a serious eye injury. Povetkin maintained his WBA heavyweight belt after defeating Wawrzyk in the third round, setting up a fight with Wladimir Klitschko this fall.
Starting Friday, June 7, Madison Square Garden favorite John Duddy and 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist and two-time world champion Mark Breland take over Friday Night Fights as they present classic bouts featuring some of the biggest names in boxing, including Lennox Lewis, “Sugar” Ray Leonard, Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe.
Below is the “Friday Night Fights” schedule through the July 4th weekend. Additional fights will be announced at a later date.
June 7 – Alexis Arguello vs. Aaron Pryor II (9/9/83)
The rematch of the November 1982 fight, this bout ended in the same fashion, with Arguello falling to Pryor by KO, but four rounds earlier, this time in the 10th.
June 14 – Evander Holyfield vs. Riddick Bowe I (11/13/92)
Considered one of the greatest heavyweight fights of all-time, the inaugural bout between Holyfield and Bowe went the full 12 rounds with the younger Bowe outlasting his opponent for the unanimous decision.
June 21 – Mark Breland vs. Harold Volbrecht (2/7/87)
One of the greatest amateur boxers ever, two-time world champion Breland defeated Volbrecht in Atlantic City, NJ for the WBA World Welterweight Title, his first professional world title.
June 28 – Kevin Kelley vs. Jesse Benavides (5/6/94)
With the WBC Featherweight Title at stake, Kelley defeated Benavides by unanimous decision.
July 5 – Zab Judah vs. Terron Millett (8/5/00), Zab Judah vs. Allan Vester (6/23/01)
Two IBF title defense fights by Zab Judah. In the first bout, Judah went down in the first round but regained his composure and knocked out Millett in the fourth with a series of punches. Eight months later, Judah knocked down Vester twice in the second round and finished him in the third with a left hand to the head.
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About The Madison Square Garden Company
The Madison Square Garden Company is a fully-integrated sports, media and entertainment business. The Company is comprised of three business segments: MSG Sports, MSG Media and MSG Entertainment, which are strategically aligned to work together to drive the Company’s overall business, which is built on a foundation of iconic venues and compelling content that the company creates, produces, presents and/or distributes through its programming networks and other media assets. MSG Sports owns and operates the following sports franchises: the New York Knicks (NBA), the New York Rangers (NHL), the New York Liberty (WNBA), and the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL). MSG Sports also features the presentation of a wide variety of live sporting events including professional boxing, college basketball, bull riding and tennis. MSG Media is a leader in production and content development for multiple distribution platforms, including content originating from the Company’s venues. MSG Media’s television networks consist of regional sports networks, MSG Network and MSG+, collectively referred to as MSG Networks; and Fuse, a national television network dedicated to music. MSG Networks also include high-definition channels, MSG HD and MSG+ HD, and Fuse includes its high-definition channel, Fuse HD. MSG Entertainment is one of the country’s leaders in live entertainment. MSG Entertainment creates, produces and/or presents a variety of live productions, including the Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the Rockettes. MSG Entertainment also presents or hosts other live entertainment events such as concerts, family shows and special events in the Company’s diverse collection of venues. These venues consist of Madison Square Garden, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the Beacon Theatre, the Forum in Inglewood, CA, The Chicago Theatre, and the Wang Theatre in Boston, MA. More information is available at www.themadisonsquaregardencompany.com.
