NEWARK, N.J. (Aug. 26, 2022) — Norfolk’s Olympic silver medal star, Keyshawn Davis, now has an opponent for his long-awaited ring return. Davis, who shined for Team USA last summer in Tokyo, will fight Mexican veteran Omar Tienda in an eight-round lightweight showdown Friday, Sept. 23, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
 
Davis-Tienda will be the co-feature to WBC/WBO junior lightweight world champion Shakur Stevenson’s hometown title defense against Brazilian Olympic gold medalist Robson Conceição.
 
Stevenson-Conceição and Davis-Tienda will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
 
The undercard — streaming live and exclusively on ESPN+ at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT— features an eight-round junior lightweight bout between unbeaten prospect Henry “Moncho” Lebron and Andy “El Tiburon” Vences.
 
Promoted by Top Rank, tickets starting at $50 are available at Ticketmaster.com.
 
Davis (5-0, 4 KOs) is back following April’s sixth-round TKO over Esteban Sanchez on the Oscar Valdez-Stevenson card. His proposed July bout against Jair Valtierra was postponed, but with a clean bill of health, Davis seeks to make waves once again before Stevenson takes center stage. Tienda (25-5, 18 KOs), from Guadalupe, Mexico, has won seven straight fights — all by knockout — since a 2017 decision loss to Dennis Galarza. His only stoppage defeat came in his seventh pro fight back in 2013.
 
Lebron (16-0, 10 KOs), from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, ranks among his island nation’s top prospects, but he’s looking to notch a signature victory. In his last outing, he won a clear eight-round unanimous decision over Luis Lebron (no relation). Vences (23-3-1, 12 KOs) is a 10-year pro from San Jose, California, who has battled a slew of top-rated fighters. His July 2020 split decision defeat to Luis Alberto Lopez — now the IBF No. 1 featherweight contender — ranked among the year’s best action fights. He makes his comeback little more than one year removed from a majority decision loss to former world title challenger Jono Carroll.
 
In other undercard action, Shakur Stevenson protégé Antoine Cobb (1-0-1, 1 KO) will fight an immediate rematch against Jaylan Phillips (1-2-1, 1 KO) in a four-rounder at welterweight. Cobb and Phillips fought to a crowd-pleasing draw April 30 on the Valdez-Stevenson undercard.
 
The undercard is also scheduled to include the following bouts:
 
Jahi Tucker (8-0, 5 KOs) vs. Jose Luis Sanchez (11-2-1, 4 KOs), 8 rounds, welterweight
 
Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (4-0, 3 KOs) vs. Jose Argel (9-4, 3 KOs), 6 rounds, featherweight
 
Armani Almestica (6-0, 6 KOs) vs. Omar Urieta (3-1-1, 2 KOs), 6 rounds, lightweight
 
Pablo Valdez (6-0, 5 KOs) vs. Noe Alejandro Lopez (11-5-1, 4 KOs), 6 rounds, welterweight
 
Orlando Gonzalez (18-1, 11 KOs) vs. Misael Lopez (13-1, 5 KOs), 8 rounds, featherweight
 
Floyd “Cashflow” Diaz (6-0, 2 KOs) vs. Eduardo Diogo (3-0, 2 KOs), 6 rounds, junior featherweight

HOLLYWOOD, FLA–The main event of Triller Verzuz lll did not last long. Former UFC Champion Vitor Belfort knocked down Evander Holyfield twice in the first round, then pounced on the former heavyweight champion until referee Sam Burgos called the fight off at 1:49 of round one. The fight headlines at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino

Silva Knocks Out Ortiz in 1!

In a battle of MMA Legends, Anderson Silva stopped Tito Ortiz in the opening round of their eight-round cruiserweight bout.

Ortiz quickly backed Silva into the ropes, knocking Silva from one side of the ring to the other, landing combination after combination until, in true “Spider” style, Silva landed a short right hand that dropped Ortiz at 1:21  of round one and that was the end of the fight.

Carroll Takes Majority Decision over Vences

The second bout of Triller Verzuz lll featured Junior Lightweights Andy “El Tiburon” Vences vs. Jono “King Kong” Carroll. Both men are ranked top ten by the WBA, and both men fought with determination.

After a competitive but even six rounds, the action picked up in round seven after Vences landed a three punch combo to the body of Carroll

Carroll came out strong in round eight, and continued to press the action, but Vences landed some hard shots of his own, and opened a cut on Carroll that caught the attention of the ring doctor between rounds.

Carroll felt the pressure, and came out stronger than ever in round nine which was the most action-packed round of the fight.

The final stanza was fierce and action packed, with both men landing combinations, but the advantage was Carroll’s who took the majority decision with scores 95-95, 97-93, 97-93.

David Haye Decisions Fournier

Former heavyweight and cruiserweight champion David Haye took a eight-round unanimous decision over Joe Fournier in a heavyweight that featured two minute rounds.

In round one Fournier came out strong,  while Haye paced himself. Haye established his jab midway through the round and dropped Fournier with a crisp punch.

Haye led round two with a left hook, and frustrated Fournier throughout the round, but wasn’t putting much power behind his punches.

Fournier came out in round three with aggression, but Haye’s defense prevented any damage.

Rounds four through seven featured more chasing by Fournier, and evading by Haye, who did slip in the occasional jab to let Fournier know he was still there. 

Haye showcased his superior head movement in round eight and managed to evade all of Fournier’s punches.

Final scores: 79-72, 80-71, 79-72 for David “The Haymaker” Haye.

Los Angeles, CA (August 11, 2021) TRILLER has announced three outstanding undercard fights for LEGENDS II set for Saturday, September 11 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA and available for viewing globally on Pay-Per-View. The event is headlined by the return to the squared circle of Boxing Legend, ‘THE GOLDEN BOY’, OSCAR DE LA HOYA battling former UFC Superstar VITOR ‘THE PHENOM’ BELFORT. Just added to LEGENDS II, Former Heavyweight and Cruiserweight World Champion DAVID ‘THE HAYEMAKER’ HAYE will face off against JOE FOURNIER in a scheduled eight-round heavyweight battle.

The first segment of the first ever two-continent, two main event Triller Fight Club Pay-Per-View, geared towards fans in the UK and Europe will start at 3:00 p.m. PT / 11:00 p.m. BST (London Time) with a music concert in addition to featured undercard bouts followed by the HAYE vs. FOURNIER eight-round heavyweight battle and will be priced at £19.99.

Following the Haye vs. Fournier fight, a FREE Pre-View will commence with the main Pay-Per-View priced at $49.99 starting at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT. The $49.99 price includes both segments of the Pay-Per-View.

Triller has sold over 2,500,000 Pay-Per-Views to date and expects to exceed 4,000,000 Pay-Per-Views buys for the year making it the largest league; eclipsing even the UFC who’s deal with ESPN provides $350,000,000 a year for 2.500,000 Pay-Per-Views buys, which Triller has already exceeded this year.

Tickets starting at $75 will On-Sale this Friday, August 13 at 12:00 p.m. PT and may be purchased through AXS.com or at this Ticket Link. Doors will open on the day of the event at 3:00 p.m. with the first bell at 3:15 p.m. local time. The STAPLES Center is located at 1111 S. Figueroa St. in Los Angeles, CA 90015. Very-limited VIP packages as well as Super-Exclusive behind the scenes packages will be available too.

“We will keep shaking shit up until it’s perfect. And given that achieving a perfect show is virtually impossible we will always just be shaking shit up,” said RYAN KAVANAUGH, Co-Founder of Triller.

The evening’s visionary and producer NIGEL LYTHGOE; creator of American idol and “So You Think You Can Dance” has imagined and created the Mexican Independence Day Celebration for LEGENDS II. The event will be hosted by SNOOP DOGG who continues to provide strategic counsel to Triller Fight Club, assisting in the selection of fighters and musical acts for the show-stopping events. He secured his spot as a fan favorite with his entertaining commentary during Triller’s first sporting event, MIKE TYSON vs. ROY JONES JR.

“This isn’t just a boxing match and this isn’t just a concert, it’s a night not to be missed,” said Lythgoe.

Triller’s last show shook up New York City when thousands of people “stormed the gates” at Madison Square Garden trying to get into an already sold out and more than packed house.

Fighting out of London, David ‘The Hayemaker’ Haye is a former unified Cruiserweight World Champion and WBA Heavyweight Champion. With a professional career spanning an acclaimed 16 years he is one of Britain’s most celebrated and successful champions in the modern era.

David Haye and Evander Holyfield are the only boxers in history to have unified the cruiserweight world titles and become Heavyweight World Champions. His illustrious career finished with a record of 28-4-0, 26 of these victories by devastating knockout!

To capture the WBA World Heavyweight Title, ‘The Hayemaker’ closed a record-breaking gap when he defeated Nikolai Valuev who was a colossal 11 inches taller  and 100 lbs. heavier.

 “This is not a comeback, this is about teaching Joe Fournier there are levels to the boxing game,” said David Haye. “One must stay in their lane or risk getting flattened.”

“There are certain things in life you can’t buy, Joe ‘The Billionaire’ Fournier needs to learn that. I was the heavyweight Champion of the World just 10 years ago, I’m only 40. Joe is delusional, Champions are born not bought.”

Joe Fournier has amassed an undefeated record with all of his nine fights ending in spectacular knockout fashion. The billionaire entrepreneur was most recently victorious on April 17, 2021, stopping Andres Londono in the second round at the Triller Fight Club event headlined by Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.

“I will shock the world and knockout David Haye,” proclaimed Joe Fournier. “Unquestionably, one of the hardest challenges of my life, but this is the perfect fight at the perfect time for me. Haye is riddled with injuries, ten years past his prime. I was a late starter to this pro boxing game, now I’m coming into my fighting prime. I’m healthy, motivated and ready to prove a point to Haye, that on September 11 I will be victorious.”

Co-featured, UFC Legends, ANDERSON ‘THE SPIDER’ SILVA from Sao Paolo, Brazil and ‘THE HUNTNGTON BEACH BAD BOY’ TITO ORTIZ will clash in an eight-round cruiserweight boxing match for combat sports supremacy.

Silva is a Former UFC Middleweight Champion who holds the record for the longest title reign in the company’s history from 2006 to 2013 (2,457 days). On June 19, 2021, Silva made his professional boxing debut defeating Former Middleweight World Champion and Son of the Legend, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Stated Anderson Silva, “I am very excited to have the opportunity along with my team to get in the ring against Tito Ortiz on September 11th with Triller Fight Club who are really shaking things up in the combat sports world”. Silva is represented by ICM Partners who negotiated this deal.

Among the most popular MMA fighters in history and one of its biggest Pay-Per-View stars, Tito Ortiz held the UFC’s Light Heavyweight Title for over three years. Settling a long feud with Chuck Liddell on November 24, 2018, Ortiz stopped the fellow MMA legend with a first-round knockout in Los Angeles, CA.

“I am excited to be taking on a new challenge and compete against another great fighter in Anderson Silva,” said Tito Ortiz. “As a patriot, fighting on September 11 means a lot to me, so I am grateful to both Triller and Campbell McLaren from Combate Global for giving me this opportunity.”

Additionally, in a highly anticipated 10-rounder, ANDY ‘El TIBURON’ VENCES, (23-2-1, 12 KOs), of San Jose, CA will challenge Ireland’s JONO ‘KING KONG’ CARROLL, (19-2-1, 5 KOs), for the vacant WBC International Silver Super-Featherweight Title.

Vences vs. Carroll was previously scheduled for June 19 in Miami, FL. In addition to continuing their training, both combatants have used the time to engage in a war of words through the media. Fighting for the first time in 2021, the popular, all-action Vences will look to bounce back into the win column following a hard-fought split decision loss to Luis Alberto Vargas on July 7, 2020 in Las Vegas. The always ready-to-rumble road warrior Carroll hits the ring following a fourth-round knockout of Romic Airapetean on March 27, 2021 in Malaga, Spain.

Said Andy Vences, “Fighting September 11th at STAPLES Center on the Triller Fight Club undercard is a huge step forward in my career. Jono Carroll is experienced and comes to fight. Mentally I know what needs to be done and the crowd is in for a show from start to finish. We’ve already had multiple altercations leading up to this fight and there is nothing more for me to do but show him in the ring I’m a stronger, smarter, more disciplined and focused fighter. Come September 11th I will be victorious We are 100% focused on Carroll and what needs to be done!”

“I’ve been training my whole career for these types of fights,“ said Jono Carroll. “I feel like I need to make a huge name for myself in the United States and that’s where I want to win my world title but this is where it all starts. Andy Vences just won’t be able to handle what I’m about to give him, his time is up. The King stays the King!”

LEGENDS II will be broadcast globally on FITE, iNDemand and through all leading Cable, Satellite and Telco Providers in the U.S. and Canada. The suggested PPV retail price is $49.99.

**HOW TO WATCH THE SEPTEMBER 11, 2021, TRILLER PPV EVENT**

TV: Cable, satellite & telco PPV providers, including Xfinity, Spectrum, Contour, Fios, and Optimum (U.S.), among others, as well as leading operators.

Worldwide Streaming: FITE.TV and all FITE mobile, Smart TV, IPTV, game controller and OTT apps as well as the event microsite hub: TrillerFightClub

LEGENDS II is the second event Triller Fight Club has promoted at STAPLES Center, the first being Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. on November 28, 2020. The fight was boxing’s biggest pay-per-view event of the year garnering over 1.6 million buys.

FITE, the world’s premier streaming PPV platform for sports and entertainment recently acquired by TrillerNet, will handle worldwide live pay-per-view streaming distribution online for the September 11 event, and via FITE mobile and Smart TV apps, game controllers and all major OTT devices as well as power TrillerFightClub.com.

iNDemand, the leading transactional video-on-demand and PPV programming provider in North America, will serve as the exclusive U.S. and Canadian cable, satellite, and telco PPV provider for the De La Hoya vs. Belfort fight. Fans will be able to order the event on PPV through their existing cable, satellite, and telco PPV providers across the U.S. and Canada.

About TrillerNet:

FITE and Triller Fight Club are owned by TrillerNet, a first-of-its-kind company consolidating technology and content platforms to lead the move to Internet 3.0. TrillerNet pairs the culture of music with sports, fashion, entertainment and influencers through a 360-degree view of content and technology. TrillerNet—which owns the globally popular Triller app used by musicians, celebrities, athletes, and overall culture setters—has more than 300 million users worldwide. The Triller app—unlike other popular short-video apps it is often compared to, encourages its users to post the content created on the app across other social media platforms and websites. The app uses proprietary AI and Machine Learning technology which is uniquely tied to the content rather than the user. By tracking the content, Triller empowers its tastemakers and users to push their content virally to affiliated and non-affiliated sites and networks reaching hundreds of millions of additional users. Data and insights gleaned from the Triller network, its creators, artists and users (from the app and off network) are used to program longer-form content, connect users across the web with the content, and provide unprecedented opportunities for engagement and monetization. TrillerNet has developed highly successful campaigns that begin with the app and continue throughout the entire content and technology ecosystem with some of the biggest brands in the world, including Pepsi, McDonalds, Weedmaps, DraftKings, L’Oreal, and many others. TrillerNet offers brands a unique content and technology solution, including direct deals with the influencers and celebrities. This branded content journey starts with short-form video and can easily expand into valuable long-form content distributed through the Triller Network, such as live-event boxing and music PPVs, fashion shows, and episodic reality content on TrillerTV. Some of the more than 65 original half-hour TrillerTV shows include The D’Amelios Family’s “Ask a DAM Question,” Jennifer Lopez In The Morning, Jake Paul: Staying On Top, 2 Chainz Let’s Do It, DJ Khaled’s Spreading Love, Hype House’s Thomas Petrou’s Coffee Talks, Josh Richards’ Josh Pong, Ur Lov’d: the Noah Beck Show, Fat Joe’s Masterclass, The Perez Hilton Show, and Violet Benson’s Too Tired To Be Crazy, among others. TrillerNet additionally owns Verzuz, the massive live-stream music platform launched by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, and Triller Fight Club (www.TrillerFightClub.com), which launched last year with the highly successful Tyson-Jones Fight which shattered digital PPV records. Other holdings include leading AI-powered customer engagement platform Amplify.ai, and FITE, the premier live event and PPV, AVOD, SVOD streaming platform.

This marks the third time that FITE, iNDemand and Triller will have partnered to bring value-packed, world-class PPV events to boxing, music, and entertainment fans. iNDemand also served as the cable, satellite, and telco PPV distributor for Triller Fight Club’s November 2020 Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. event (which landed as the 8th best PPV event of all time), as well as the April 17, 2021 Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren event. FITE handled global digital sales for both events and powered the TysononTriller and TrillerFightClub sites.

Fans outside North America can check the FITE.TV for international pricing.

About FITE:

FITE is the premier global platform for live sports and entertainment offering the industry’s marquee PPV events and SVOD packages with over 5MM registered users. FITE is available worldwide through its iOS and Android mobile apps, Apple TV, Android TV, ROKU, Amazon Fire TV and Huawei apps. In addition, FITE supports Samsung, LG, Cox Contour, Vizio SmartCast™?, Foxxum, Chromecast, PS4, XBOX, ZEASN, Netrange, Vidaa/Hisense, VEWD, Netgem TV, Virgin Media, Comcast’s Xfinity 1 and Xfinity Flex as well as 7,000 models of Smart TVs. Available online at www.FITE.tv. Follow FITE on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

It’s ON.

About iNDemand:

iNDemand is an innovative partnership between three of the leading cable companies in the U.S.—Charter Communications, Comcast Cable, and Cox Communications. iNDemand is a company of trusted content aggregators and licensing experts, with unparalleled technical expertise and long-standing relationships with MVPDs, major sports leagues, Hollywood studios, and other entertainment and sports companies across North America. iNDemand delivers great content to more than 80 million homes and has distribution deals with more than 150 companies. For more information, go to indemand.com.

Social Media

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Former two-time world title challenger Jose Zepeda won a 10-round majority decision over Kendo Castaneda in a junior welterweight bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Zepeda controlled the action for the most part, with Castaneda having a couple of moments late in the fight.

Zepeda landed 149-446 punches. Castaneda was 93-422.

Zepeda who challenged for both the lightweight and junior welterweight world titles won by scores of 98-92 twice and 97-93.

Zepeda, 143.9 lbs of La Puente is 32-2. Castaneda, 143.9 lbs of San Antonio, TX is 17-2.

“He was a late replacement, but he was tough in there. I didn’t take Kendo lightly because I knew what he was capable of. He had only one loss by decision coming into tonight,” Zepeda said. “Anybody with a belt at 140 pounds is who I want to fight. A championship fight is my goal, and that is what I am working towards.”

Luis Alberto Lopez won a 10-round split decision over world-ranked Andy Vences in a junior lightweight bout.

Lopez came forward and threw more and landed more shots. It seemed that Vences was more consistent through out the affair.

In round six, Lopez rocked Vences with a hard uppercut, and that set off a good round as Vences was in trouble.

In round seven, a clash of heads opened up a cut over the left eye of Vences.

Lopez landed 170-656 punches. Vences was 162-580

Lopez, 128.2 lbs of Mexicali, MEX won two cards by 96-94 scores. Venes won a card 96-94.

Lopez is 21-2. Vences, 129.5 of San Jose, CA is 23-2-1.

“I felt I won the fight with my pressure. It was a close fight, but I was confident I did enough after the final bell sounded,” Lopez said. “Credit to Vences. I thought he was knocked out earlier in the fight, but he came back like a warrior.”
 
Said Vences, “I thought I won a close fight, but I am not going to complain about the decision. It was a good, close fight. No excuses. I prepared well for 10 hard rounds.”

Andres Cortes fought through a knockdown and cut to remain undefeated to hammer out an eight-round unanimous decision over Alejandro Salinas in a lightweight bout.

In round two, Cortes was bleeding over the left eye from a clash of heads. In round four, Salinas landed a hard right that sent Cortes down. The cut worsened with another headbutt in round seven, but Cortes was able to outland and out throw Salinas down the stretch by scores of 79-73, 78-74 and 76-75. Cortes landed 129-452; Salinas was 102-384.

Cortes, 132.5 lbs of Las Vegas is 13-0. Salinas, 133 lbs of Youngstown, OH is 10-4.

Gabriel Muratalla remained undefeated with a four-round unanimous decision over Sergio Lopez in a bantamweight bout.

Muratalla outlanded Lopez 112-60.

Muratalla, 118.9 lbs of Fontana, California won by scores of 40-36 twice and 39-37, and is now 4-0. Lopez, 119.1 lbs of Las Vegas is 4-6-3.

LAS VEGAS — It began with Tyson Fury walking down the hallway toward the ring looking ominous. He was dressed, all 6-foot-9 of him, in funereal back. Then, suddenly, The Grim Reaper transformed into Captain America. The black was gone.

Beneath it, there was an American flag fashioned into a robe and Top Hat that could have been straight out of Apollo Creed’s closet. It ended, with Fury at the center of the ring, singing I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing. It’s an Aerosmith song. But Fury made it sound like Elvis.

Hey, an Elvis impersonation had to be in there. This is Vegas, after all. And that’s what Fury promised. A show. It wasn’t much more than that. Yes, there was a fight – or at least a facsimile of one – for nearly two full rounds between The Grim Reaper-turned-Captain America and Elvis.

But it was a fight that appears hard to judge, at least in terms of what it means to the heavyweight division. Deontay Wilder will have to wait, probably until early next year. There’s still plenty of time to argue and re-argue all of the possibilities in the proposed rematch. Nothing that in Saturday fight figures to change the outlines of what to expect in Fury-Wilder II.

German challenger Tom Schwarz didn’t do anything to make anybody change any minds. He was there as a prop. He vanished like a prop in what could have been another part of the show. Fury was the magician, making Schwarz vanish within two rounds Saturday night of a bout televised by ESPN+.

“Me key tonight was to enjoy myself,’’ Fury (28-0-1, 20 KOs) said after retaining the lineal heavyweight championship and a purse estimated to be $12,5 million. “I hope everybody enjoyed it as much as I did.’’

If the crowd’s enthusiasm was any sign, nearly everybody did, other than probably Schwarz (24-1. 16 KOs) and his trainer. The German corner threw in the towel at 2:54 of the second, not long after a succession of punches dropped Schwarz along the ropes. Schwarz got up. But Fury’s punches kept coming, one after another in a blitz without interruption.

A sure sign of the end was evident in the beginning. Fury immediately began to work his long jab. He developed a rhythm – feint, feint, jab, hook, feint. Then, there was some mocking. Fury stuck out his tongue at Schwarz. He smiled at him. He did just about anything he wanted to.

“What’s next?” said Fury, who then deflected the question to his promoter, Bob Arum.  “Bob will tell you we have September 25 or October 5.

“Then ,next year we are going to hold down Deontay Wilder to give me that green (WBC) belt.’’

Jesse Hart wins at light-heavyweight, beating Barrera

Jesse Hart, a former super-middleweight contender, moved up in weight and discarded the former. He’s still a contender, this time at light-heavyweight. Hart (26-2, 21 KOs) beat top-10 contender Sullivan Barrera (22-3, 14 KOs) knocking him down once in the eighth round en route to 99–90, 96-93, 97-92 victory over the Cuban fighter, now a resident of Miami.

“Watch out, cause I’m on my way,” said Hart, a Philadelphia fighter who continues his lifelong pursuit of a major title. ” I hurt my right hand in the seventh. But I’m OK. I think I need just one more fight at 175 to feel completely comfortable at the weight.”

Mikaela Mayer stays unbeaten

Mikaela Mayer stayed unbeaten and undeterred about her hopes for an eventual  showdown with Irish star Katie Taylor Saturday with a tough, yet convincing decision over Lizbeth Crespo in a 10-round, 130-pound fight.

Mayer (11-0, 4 KOs), an Olympian from Los Angeles, endured some powerful shots in the early rounds from Crespo (13-5, 3 KOs), who learned how to fight because of domestic abuse while growing up in Argentina. But Mayer employed power, precision and a superior reach to gain control over the final few rounds. 

Toledo super-featherweight Albert Bell (15-0, 4 KOs) relied on a three-inch advantage to control distance and tempo in the early rounds, scoring a unanimous decision over Andy Vences (22-1-1, 12 KOs), a San Jose, Calif., fighter whose aggressiveness and power in the later rounds weren’t enough.  

UK featherweight Isaac Lowe wins unanimous decision

UK featherweight Isaac Lowe started the fight. Finished it, too.

Lowe (18-0-3, 6 KOs) shoved Duarn Vue (14-2-2, 4 KOs) during a face-t-face pose fro the camera after a staged weigh-in Friday. Punches might have been thrown then if not for 87-year-old Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, who rushed across the stage and pulled Vue to one side. 

The punches would wait, but 24 hours later Love threw and landed most of them, scoring a unanimous decision over Vue.

Abel Sanchez-trained heavyweight scores overwhelming stoppage

He calls himself the Gladiator, an appropriate nickname for a fighter from a city known for its ancient Colosseum. Rome heavyweight Guido Vianello (4-0, 4 KOs) did everything his nickname demands. The Abel Sanchez-trained  scoring three knockdowns of Keenan Hickman (6-4-1, 2 KOs) for a second-round TKO. 

First Bell: German heavyweight opens Fury-Schwarz card with a decision win

In front of a matinee crowd of people trying to escape The Strip’s sole-melting temps, a young German heavyweight did what a fellow German hopes to do on the main event.

Peter Kadiru (4-0, 1 KOs), of Hamburg, won.

The 21-year-old Kadiru opened the show at the MGM Grand, scoring a unanimous decision over Houston’s Juan Torres (3-2-1, 1 KO) in a four rounder on an eight-fight card scheduled to end with German Tom Schwarz in an attempt at an upset of lineal heavyweight champ Tyson Fury. 

LAS VEGAS (June 4, 2019) — A pair of unbeaten super featherweight contenders will get a chance to shine on the sport’s biggest stage. Andy “El Tiburon” Vences will defend his WBC Continental Americas belt in a 10-rounder against Albert “Prince” Bell June 15 at MGM Grand Garden Arena on the Tyson Fury-Tom Schwarz undercard.

Vences-Bell and Mikaela Mayer-Lizbeth Crespo will anchor the live Fury-Schwarz undercard broadcast beginning at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.

Fury-Schwarz and Jesse Hart-Sullivan Barrera will stream on ESPN+, the leading multi-sport streaming service, starting at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

Vences-Bell was originally set to take place June 8 in Reno, Nevada, on the Oscar Valdez-Jason Sanchez undercard, but both fighters are excited to take their talents to Las Vegas.

“We were prepared to fight June 8, so this doesn’t change anything. I know this is a big opportunity and that a win would be huge for my career,” Vences said. “I can see Bell getting hurt this fight. He is the only one standing in my way as I move toward a world title shot. He can hit and move all he wants, but it’s going to take much more than that to get my respect.”

“All this does is give me one extra week to train,” Bell said. “I am excited and blessed to be fighting at the MGM Grand on the same card as the heavyweight champion.”

Vences (22-0-1, 12 KOs), from San Jose, California, has won two in a row since a closely contested draw against Erick De Leon on the Oscar Valdez-Scott Quigg undercard March 10 of last year. He is coming off a shutout unanimous decision over Dardan Zenunaj Feb. 10 in Fresno, California. Bell (14-0, 5 KOs), from Toledo, Ohio, has never been close to defeat as a pro but will be taking a giant step up in competition versus Vences. A 2012 National Golden Gloves champion as an amateur, Bell last fought Feb. 15 in Hinckley, Minnesota, scoring a decision win over the durable Edward Kakembo.

ABOUT FURY VS. SCHWARZ

FURY vs. SCHWARZ, the 12-round fight for the lineal heavyweight championship of the world, is presented by Top Rank in association with Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions and SES Boxing, and is sponsored by Geico. 

FURY vs. SCHWARZ will take place Saturday, June 15, beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT at MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA, and will be produced by Top Rank and ESPN and streamed live on ESPN+.

Tickets priced at $500, $300, $100 an $50 are on sale now can be purchased online through axs.com, charge by phone at 866-740-7711 or in person at any MGM Resorts box office.

For more information, visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.

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

About Top Rank
Innovation has been the standard at Top Rank since it was established in 1966 by Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum. The boxing industry’s leading promotional company, Top Rank has shaped, developed, and promoted the careers of top international pay-per-view superstars and Hall of Famers, including Muhammad Ali, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Aaron Pryor, Alexis Arguello, Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Miguel Cotto, Erik Morales, Terence Crawford, and Vasiliy Lomachenko. 

Top Rank has promoted some of the most memorable fights in the sport’s history, including 26 Ali events, Leonard vs. Hearns, Pryor vs. Arguello, Duran vs. Leonard, Hagler vs. Hearns, Leonard vs. Hagler, Foreman vs. Holyfield, Morales vs. Barrera, De La Hoya vs. Trinidad, and the most lucrative fight in boxing history, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. In addition to the previously mentioned super fights, Top Rank possesses one of the largest sports libraries, which includes nearly 10,000 fights.

Known for creating strategic collaborations between athletes, sponsors, and television networks, Top Rank has been an architect of boxing’s global growth by staging high-profile events in landmark settings around the world, including Madison Square Garden, MGM Grand Garden Arena, Staples Center, Wembley Arena, Araneta Coliseum, The Venetian Macao, Yankee Stadium, Radio City Music Hall, The “Fabulous” Forum, and AT&T Stadium. Top Rank has also been the leader within the boxing industry in creating unforgettable in-arena experiences for fans and embracing 21^st century technological advancements to distribute world-class fights and shoulder programming across a variety of platforms.

About Queensberry Promotions 
Queensberry Promotions is the promotional vehicle of Hall of Fame Promoter Frank Warren.

Frank Warren has promoted some of the sport of boxing’s biggest names in his 35+ year career including the likes of Prince Naseem Hamed, Joe Calzaghe, Mike Tyson, Frank Bruno and Ricky Hatton; as well as current stars Tyson Fury, Billy Joe Saunders, Josh Warrington and Carl Frampton.

Some of the events promoted by Frank Warren during his illustrious career include Frank Bruno v Oliver McCall at Wembley Stadium, David Haye v Derek Chisora at Upton Park, Ricky Hatton v Kostya Tszyu at Manchester Arena, Prince Naseem Hamed v Kevin Kelley at Madison Square Garden and Joe Calzaghe v Mikkel Kessler at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.

Queensberry Promotions has a long-term exclusive deal in the UK to promote boxing events on BT Sport, the sport broadcast platform of telecoms giant BT.

About MTK Global
MTK Global is the world’s foremost fighter management company. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, it was founded in September 2012 by two-time European boxing champion, Matthew Macklin.

MTK Global delivers a wide range of support and services including career development, legal, media, endorsements and sponsorships to more than a hundred professional fighters. It provides boxing shows, events and training gyms in various locations worldwide: Marbella, Spain, London, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Newcastle, United Kingdom, Johannesburg, South Africa, Sta. Catarina, Brazil and Sydney, Australia.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. It reached 2 million subscribers in less than a year and offers fans thousands of live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, along with premium editorial content.

Programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of MLB and NHL games, exclusive UFC, Top Rank boxing and PFL fights and events, top domestic and international soccer (Serie A, MLS, FA Cup, UEFA Nations League, EFL Championship, EFL Carabao Cup, Eredivisie, and more), thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and other sports), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, new and exclusive series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films. Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and can cancel at any time.

ESPN+ is available as an integrated part of the ESPN App (on mobile and connected devices) and ESPN.com. They are the industry-leading all-in-one digital sports platform, delivering a rich, personalized experience to tens of millions of fans every month.

About MGM Grand Garden Arena
The MGM Grand Garden Arena is home to concerts, championship boxing and premier sporting and special events. The Arena offers comfortable seating for as many as 16,800 with excellent sightlines and state-of-the-art acoustics, lighting and sound. Prominent events to date have included world championship fights between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson as well as Floyd Mayweather vs. Canelo Alvarez as well as Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao; and concerts by The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Bette Midler, George Strait, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, U2, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Coldplay, Alicia Keys, Jimmy Buffett and the Barbra Streisand Millennium Concert. The MGM Grand Garden Arena also has been home to annual events including the Academy of Country Music Awards, the Billboard Music Awards, the Latin GRAMMY Awards, iHeartRadio Music Festival, Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Championship and Frozen Fury NHL pre-season games hosted by the Los Angeles Kings.

RENO, Nev. (May 30, 2019) — Gabriel Flores Jr., the 19-year-old pride of Stockton, California, had the night of his boxing life May 4 at Stockton Arena. More than 10,000 fans packed the venue, as Flores knocked out Eduardo Pereira Reis in three raucous rounds, establishing himself as the sport’s youngest hometown ticket-seller.

Flores will return June 8 against Salvador Briceno in an eight-round lightweight bout, which will be the ESPN-televised co-feature to Oscar Valdez’s WBO featherweight world title defense against fellow unbeaten Jason Sanchez at Reno-Sparks Convention Center.

Valdez-Sanchez and Flores-Briceno will be televised live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

The entire undercard will stream live on ESPN+, the leading multi-sport streaming service, beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

“I am excited to be back on ESPN, and once again, Stockton will be in the building,” Flores said. “Briceno is the toughest fight of my career, but I rise to the level of my opposition. I only fought a few weeks ago, so I am sharp and ready to put on another highlight-reel showing for the fans watching on ESPN.”

“Trust me when I say that Flores has never faced anyone like me,” Briceno said. “I am coming to Reno intent on putting on a great performance. Flores probably thinks I am a stop on the way to bigger things, but his team made the wrong decision in picking me.”

Flores (13-0, 6 KOs) signed with Top Rank at 16 years old and made his pro debut on May 5, 2017, four days after his 17^th birthday. His pro debut took place at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center, a second-round TKO over Devon Jones. Flores went 6-0 in 2018 and will be making his third ring appearance of 2019. Briceno (15-3, 9 KOs) has fought as high as 140 pounds and is a heavy puncher whose last four victories have come via stoppage.

The ESPN+ undercard is scheduled to include the following bouts:

• Andy Vences (22-0-1, 12 KOs), one of the super featherweight division’s top contenders, will defend his WBC Continental Americas belt against fellow unbeaten Albert Bell (14-0, 5 KOs) in a 10-rounder that will thrust the winner into the world title conversation. Vences has made no secret of his desire to fight newly minted WBO champion Jamel “Semper Fi” Herring. 
• Robson Conceicao (12-0, 6 KOs), who captured Brazil’s first Olympic boxing gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, will take on Carlos Ruiz (16-6-2, 6 KOs) in an eight-round super featherweight bout. Conceicao last fought March 31 in Mangaratiba, Brazil, where he scored a first-round TKO.
• Diego Elizondo (2-0-1, 0 KOs), who hails from Carson City, Nevada, will look to get back in the win column versus Sacramento product Sergio Vega (2-0, 2 KOs) in a four-round lightweight shootout.
• Big-punching light heavyweight Michael Seals (22-2, 16 KOs) will fight Philadelphia native Christopher Brooker (14-6, 5 KOs) in a 10-rounder. Brooker is coming off an upset win over Lanell Bellows (18-2-2 at the time) last September in Las Vegas. 
• Reno native J.J. Mariano will make his pro debut in a four-round welterweight contest against William Flenoy (pro debut), 
• Dmitry Yun, a former Russian amateur standout, will make his pro debut in a six-round lightweight bout against an opponent to be named. 

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Let’s Get It On Promotions and Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, tickets for this world championship event priced at $103, $68 and $43 (including facility fees) are on sale now and can be purchased via Ticketmaster.com or in person at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa gift shop.

For more information, visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook:facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.

Sign-up to ESPN+ at www.espnplus.com.

Use the hashtags #ValdezSanchez and #FloresBriceno to join the conversation on social media.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. It reached 2 million subscribers in less than a year and offers fans thousands of live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, along with premium editorial content.

Programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of MLB and NHL games, exclusive UFC, Top Rank boxing and PFL fights and events, top domestic and international soccer (Serie A, MLS, FA Cup, UEFA Nations League, EFL Championship, EFL Carabao Cup, Eredivisie, and more), thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and other sports), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, new and exclusive series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films. Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and can cancel at any time.

ESPN+ is available as an integrated part of the ESPN App (on mobile and connected devices) and ESPN.com. They are the industry-leading all-in-one digital sports platform, delivering a rich, personalized experience to tens of millions of fans every month.

Jose Ramirez defended the WBC Super Lightweight title with a 12-round majority decision over Jose Zepeda in front of over 14,000 fans at Save Mart Center in Fresno, California.

It was a tactical fight that saw Zepeda box and get off to a good a start.  There were several head clashes for which caused cuts on each fighter.  Ramirez was cut around his right eye in round four.

Ramirez started to come on in the middle rounds as he featured some solid body work.

Zepeda righted himself, and he himself was cut under his left eye in round eight, but he was able to keep the fight close on the score cards.  The fight may have been won in the last 15 seconds, as Ramirez landed a nice flurry to take the final stanza.

Ramirez of Avenel, CA won by scores of 116-112, 115-113 and 114-114 to raise his mark to 24-0.  Zepeda falls to 30-2.

“He was a very a tough and smart southpaw. He came well prepared,” Ramirez said. “He kept a good range and distance. That made it a tough, close fight, but I think I pulled it off in the championship rounds. I landed the most effective punches.”

Said Zepeda: “Jose Ramirez is a great fighter, and his fans really pushed him and gave him momentum.”

Former lightweight world champion Ray Beltran stopped previously undefeated Hiroki Okada in the 9th round of their scheduled 10-round super lightweight bout.

In round two, Beltran was dropped by a hard right that was preceded by a left.  In round three, Okada was cut over his left eye.  Beltran was cut over his left eye in the fourth round.

In round seven, Beltran began to bleed around his right eye.  In round nine, Beltran dropped Okada with a perfect right to the chin.  Okada was hurt, and Beltran went right after Okada and wobbled him before landing a hard right that sent Okada down, and the bout was stopped at 2:08.

Beltran of Phoenix, AZ is 36-8-1 with 22 knockouts.  Okada of Tokyo is 19-1.

The action was fierce from the opening bell, with the two combatants waging a second round for the ages. Beltran knocked Okada (19-1, 13 KOs) down with a crisp left hook, only for Okada to stun Beltran later in the round.

“I knocked him down in the second round, but he came back and got me good, too,” Beltran said. “We knew his plan was to stay at distance and keep me at bay with the jab. Every time I threw my left hook, he kept covering very well. I saw an opening with the right hand and that’s why I started throwing it, and little by little, I kept shortening the distance until I connected with a big right hand and I stopped him.”

Carlos Castro remained undefeated by winning a 10-round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Genesis Servania in a super bantamweight bout.

In round seven, Servania was bleeding from around his right eye.

Castro, 121 lbs of Phoenix, AZ won by scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92 and is now 22-0.  Servania, 121 1/2 lbs of Bacolod City, PHL is 32-2.

Gabriel Flores Jr. remained undefeated with a six-round unanimous decision over Alex Rynn Torres in a junior lightweight bout.

Flores, 132.4 lbs of Stockton, CA won by scores of 60-54 twice and 59-55 and is now 12-0.  Torres, 132.6 lbs of Mexico City is 6-3.

“I’m getting better with each fight. I felt better than ever,” Flores said. “I get more and more experience with each fight. I feel like I’m getting cleaner. I’m getting sharper, and I’m only going to get better. I’m ready for whoever Top Rank puts in front of me. This is what I do all day, every day.”

Andy Vences remained undefeated with an eight-round unanimous decision over Dardan Zenunaj in a junior lightweight bout.

Vences, 131 lbs of San Jose, CA won by scores of 80-72 and is now 22-0-1. Zenunaj, 131 lbs of Kosovo is 14-6.

“I felt great coming back after that long rest after suffering the injury. It’s been a long time,” Vences said. “I looked sharp, but I knew this was going to be a tough fight. This guy gave a great fight and went the distance against Andrew Cancio, and Cancio just became a world champion last night. I knew that against a guy like that I was going to need to use all my skills, and I did. I dominated the fight.”

Isidro Ochoa stopped Jesus Guzman in round five of their scheduled six-round super bantamweight bout.

Ochoa beat up Guzman until the fight was stopped by the doctor at 1:18.

Ochoa, 121 3/4 lbs of Fresno is 7-0 with three knockouts. Guzman, 122 3/4 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 7-3.

Cristian Coria stopped Joel Diaz Jr. in round three of a scheduled eight-round junior welterweight bout.

In round three, Coria landed a left hook to the jaw that sent Diaz to the deck. Cora dropped Diaz again with a hard left hook, and the bout was stopped at 1:50.

Coria, 140 lbs of Famillia, ARG is 28-7-2 with 13 knockouts. Diaz, 138 1/4 lbs of Palmdale, CA is 24-2.

Guido Vianello stopped Andrew Satterfield in the first-round of the their scheduled six-round heavyweight bout

Vianello dropped Satterfield with vicious five-punch combination to the head. Satterfield got to his feet, only to eat about 11 more flush punches, and the fight was stopped at 1:54.

Vianello, 236 lbs of Rome, ITA is 2-0 with two knockouts. Satterfield, 241 1.2 lbs of Marietta, OH is 4-2.

“I felt more relaxed and composed than my first pro fight,” Vianello said. “I am only going to get better.”