CHICAGO (June 9, 2015) – A full slate of exciting fights round out a stacked undercard coming to UIC Pavilion in Chicago on Friday, June 12 as heavyweight bruiser and fan favorite Artur Szpilka (18-1, 13 KOs) takes on Manuel Quezada (29-9, 18 KOs) in a 10-round heavyweight attraction.

The full night of undercard action supports the Premier Boxing Champions on Spike doubleheader that features Cuban boxing sensation Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara (20-2-2, 12 KOs) taking on veteran Delvin Rodriguez (28-7-4, 16 KOs) and Russian knockout artist Artur Beterbiev (8-0, 8 KOs) facing Alexander Johnson (16-2, 7 KOs). This edition of PBC on Spike begins at 9 p.m. ET. Doors at UIC Pavilion open at 5 p.m. CT with the first fight set for 5:15 p.m. CT.

Also competing in undercard action is the explosive Anthony Peterson (34-1, 22 KOs) who battles Ammeth Diaz (32-11, 23 KOs) in a 10-round super lightweight bout and undefeated rising contender Eleider Alvarez (16-0, 9 KOs), who battles Anatoliy Dudchenko (16-0, 9 KOs) in a 10-round light heavyweight duel.

Ronald Hearns, the son of the legendary Thomas “Hitman” Hearns, returns to the ring to(27-5, 21 KOs) face David Thomas (10-4-2, 8 KOs) in a six-round super welterweight contest while undefeated prospect Domonique Dolton (16-0, 8 KOs) faces Victor Fonseca (9-4-1, 7 KOs)in eight rounds of super welterweight action.

The card also features a slew of Illinois’ top prospects including 24-year-old Ramiro Carillo (8-0, 5 KOs) out of Chicago battling 31-year-old Dedrick Bell (12-23-1, 7 KOs) out of Memphis in a six-round welterweight contest and Chicago’s Josh Hernandez will make his pro debut as he faces 23-year-old Joe Estrada (0-3)from Kearney, Missouri in a four-round welterweight battle.

Rounding out the local flavor is 20-year-old Jose Quezada (6-0, 5 KOs) from Alsip, Ill., taking on 26-year-old Jeffrey Ramos (4-3, 2 KOs)from Puerto Rico in a six-round lightweight bout and 22-year-old undefeated prospect Eddie Ramirez (8-0, 6 KOs) out of Aurora, Ill., battling 35-year-old Gerardo Cuevas (17-14, 15 KOs) from Mexico City in an eight-round junior welterweight attraction.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Warriors Boxing in association with Group Yvon Michel (GYM) and Star Boxing, are priced at $151, $101, $51, and $31, not including applicable service charges, and are on sale now. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or UIC Pavilion Box Office at (312) 413-5740. Tickets are also available at www.ticketmaster.com or by visiting the UIC Pavilion Box Office (Thursday or Friday 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.).

With only one loss to the undefeated Bryant Jennings on his record, the 26-year-old Szpilka will look to build on his most recent victories, a unanimous decision in Nov. 2014 over heavyweight star Tomas Adamek and a second round TKO over Ty Cobb in April. Born in Wieliczka, Poland, he has made a name for himself in Chicago having fought there three times before and picking up knockout victories each time. He faces the 38-year-old Quezada out of Wasco, California by way of Mexico.

The brother of former world champion Lamont Peterson, the 30-year-old Peterson hopes to soon make a name for himself on the big stage. Owner of wins over Daniel Attah, Dominic Salcido and Marcos Leonardo Jimenez, the Washington, D.C. product is looking to win his fifth consecutive fight on June 12. He will be opposed by the 32-year-old former world title challenger Diaz who fights out of Panama.

A 2008 Colombian Olympian, the 31-year-old Alvarez has risen to contender status in the light heavyweight division as he remained undefeated with three big wins in 2014. Fighting out of Montreal by way of Columbia, his 2015 debut will also be his U.S. debut when he takes on the 36-year-old Dudchenko who fights out of Los Angeles by way of Ukraine.

Son of the legendary Thomas “Hitman” Hearns, the 36-year-old Hearns looks to build on his last win, a fifth round knockout over Roberto Ventura in Dec. 2014. The Southfield, Michigan native is an exceptional athlete who played Division 1 basketball at American University while getting his degree in Criminal Justice. He faces the 32-year-old Thomas out of Evansville, Indiana.

Undefeated since turning pro in 2008, the 25-year-old Dolton got off to a strong start in 2015 as he dominated Juan Carlos Rojas in February. The Detroit-native looks to keep his momentum going when he meets the 22-year-old Mexican Fonseca on June 12.
For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, www.spike.com/shows/premier-boxing-champions, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @LaraBoxing, @DRodriguez1980, @WarriorsBoxProm, @yvonmichelgym, @starboxing and @SpikeTV and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.Facebook.com/WarriorsBoxingPromo and www.Facebook.com/Spike.

CHICAGO (April 20, 2015) – A slew of local favorites and exciting fighters come to UIC Pavilion in Chicago on Friday, April 24 as part of a stacked undercard topped by hard-punching Roberto “La Amenaza” Garcia (36-3, 23 KOs) battling James Stevenson (22-1, 15 KOs) in the first televised bout and heavyweight bruiser Artur Szpilka (17-1, 12 KOs) taking on Ty Cobb (18-6, 10 KOs).

These exciting undercard bouts will precede the Premier Boxing Champions on Spike doubleheader featuring Anthony “The Dog” Dirrell (27-0-1, 22 KOs) battling Badou Jack “The Ripper” (18-1, 12 KOs) and Daniel “Miracle Man” Jacobs (28-1, 25 KOs) taking on Caleb “Golden” Truax (25-1-2, 15 KOs) The televised action on Spike TV begins at 9 ET/8 CT.

Keith Tapia (13-0) will be showcased in an eight-round cruiserweight bout, Ramiro Carrillo (7-0, 4 KOs) takes on Ramon Guevara (10-23-2, 6 KOs) in four-rounds of welterweight action, Maciej Suiecki (19-0, 4 KOs)faces Daryl Cunningham (30-7, 11 KOs) in an eight-round middleweight fight and Semajay Thomas (5-0, 3 KOs) goes up against Jose Santiago (3-5, 3 KOs).

Remaining undercard fights will pit Alex Martin (7-0, 5 KOs) against Jonathan Garcia (4-12) in an eight-round welterweight bout, Ricky Edwards (5-0, 2 KOs) fighting Javier Garcia (6-8-1, 2 KOs) in six-rounds of junior welterweight action, Joe F. Quezada (5-0, 4 KOs) battling Edgardo Torres (2-3, 2 KOs) in a six-round lightweight attraction and Eddie Ramirez (7-0, 5 KOs) facing Mario Hermosillo (12-19-4, 2 KOs) in a six-round junior welterweight bout.

Tickets for the live event, which is co-promoted by Warriors Boxing and Mayweather Promotions, are priced at $151, $101, $51, and $31, not including applicable service charges, and are on sale now. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or UIC Pavilion Box Office at (312) 413-5740. Tickets are also available at www.ticketmaster.com or by visiting the UIC Pavilion Box Office (Thursday or Friday 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.).

A veteran of the sport for nearly 15 years, Garcia is looking for his ninth consecutive victory when he fights at UIC Pavilion for the third time on April 24. Born in Mexico, but having moved to Weslaco, Texas at a young age, Garcia was able to pile up enough wins to eventually earn himself a shot at former world champion Antonio Margarito. While he lost that decision, Garcia has rebounded nicely on his curreny hot streak, which includes wins over Breidis Prescott and Victor Manuel Cayo. Garcia will take on the 32-year-old Stevenson out of Baltimore.

With only one loss to the undefeated Bryant Jennings on his record, the 26-year-old Szpilka will look to build on his most recent victory, a unanimous decision in Nov. 2014 over heavyweight star Tomas Adamek. Born in Wieliczka, Poland, he has made a name for himself in Chicago having fought there twice before and picking up knockout victories each time. He will be challenged by the 39-year-old Cobb, out of Wichita Falls, Texas.

An undefeated cruiserweight prospect, the 24-year-old Tapia turned pro in 2011 and has not lost since. Fighting out of Santurce, Puerto Rico, he will face the 32-year-old Williams who fights out of Jackson, Michigan.

Having fought four times before at UIC Pavilion, the 24-year-old Carrillo will hope to have the home crowd behind him when he goes for his eighth professional win on April 24. His opponent is the 31-year-old Guevara who was born in the Dominican Republic but fights out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Eager to make his U.S. debut on April 24, the 25-year-old Sulecki has never lost since turning pro in 2010. Fighting out of Warsaw, Poland he faces Daryl Cunningham out of Detroit.

A young undefeated prospect and just 22-years-old, Ramirez makes his fourth straight start at UIC Pavilion on April 24. He was a Chicago Golden Gloves champion and a National Golden Gloves runner-up. Born in Aurora, Illinois, Ramirez will face the 28-year-old Hermosillo out of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.

Another young, undefeated prospect, Edwards fights for the first time outside of his home state of New Jersey for the first time on April 24. The 24-year-old from Paterson will take on the 32-year-old Garcia out of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Another staple of UIC Pavilion, all five of Quezada’s pro victories have come at UIC Pavilion. A 25-year-old out of Alsip, Illinois, he will look to remain undefeated when he takes on the 28-year-old Torres from Vineland, New Jersey.

Making his fourth consecutive start at UIC Pavilion in his hometown of Chicago, the highly regarded Thomas will look to start 2015 with his sixth professional win. The 22-year-old was an accomplished amateur who was the 2011 USA Boxing National Champion. His next challenge is Santiago out of Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

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NEW YORK–Mikey Garcia remained perfect as he scored a 12 round unanimous decision over Juan Carlos Burgos to retian the WBO Jr. Lightweight title at the Theater at Madison Square Garden.

It was a lackluster part for the most part. Burgos one shining moment came in round two when he landed a hard right hand that buckled Garcia badly. But Garcia rocked Burgos in round three and that shot seemed to make Burgos more hesitant to make anything happen. Garcia was able to settle down and box Burgos at his own pace and basically won every round there on after.

Garcia, 129.2 lbs of Oxnard, CA won by scores of 119-109, 118-110 and 118-110 and is now 34-0. Burgos, 129 lbs of Tijuana, MX is now 30-2-2.

Bryant Jennings scored a 10th round stoppage over Artuz Sziplka in a battle of undefeated Heavyweights.

The fight started off with both guys showing good movement for heavyweight.s In round twom Jennings started to get through with shots. He started to work the body throughout and landed a right hand to the body that sent Szpilka to a knee. Jennings kept up the dominance and dropped Szpilka with a short right and left. Sziplka got to his feet but it wasn’t long bfore a barrage of punches forced referee Michael Ortega stopped the bout at 2:20 of round 10.

Jennings, 225 lbs of Philadelphia is now 18-0 with 10 knockouts. Szipilka 223.6 lbs of Warsaw, POL is now 16-1.

“I came out here to put on a show and I think I accomplished that goal,” said Jennings. “Szplika is a very tough fighter and I give him credit for lasting as long as he did. After the first knockdown I didn’t think he would last much longer but he showed great heart and almost went the distance.”

“I’m ready to step up and challenge for a world title,” Jennings continued. “I’m going to take it one day at a time and see what my team presents me. I want to thank Gary Shaw, Antonio Leonard, James Prince and HBO for giving me this opportunity.”

“Jennings showed he’s a very talented fighter,” said Gary Shaw. “Boxing needs heavyweights that can close the show and Jennings proved that tonight on his HBO debut. I will talk with James Prince and Antonio Leonard to see what is next for Jennings. He’s the first American heavyweight in many years that has a legitimate shot to be the World Champion. The Polish Prince put up a great fight, but tonight it was all about the USA. Right now I’m very happy with Jennings performance.”

“Bryant Jennings is no joke,” stated co-promoter Antonio Leonard. “He’s going to take the heavyweight division by storm and I see him becoming a world champion very soon.”

“I know Jennings has the talent to take over the heavyweight division,” manager James Prince said. “Tonight he took a giant step toward a world title shot. Boxing fans here in the U.S have a heavyweight in Jennings they can rally behind. We are gunning for the best out there.”

Felix Verdejo scored an explosive just 21 seconds into his bout with Lauro Alcantar in a battle of undefeated Lightweights.

Verdejo landed the “6 inch left hook” right on the chin of Alcantar and he was splattered on the canvas and the fight was stopped.

Verdejo, 1346 lbs San Juan, PR is now 10-0 with 7 knockouts. Alcantar, 135.2 lbs of Agua Prieta, MEX is now 8-1.

Jesse Hart scored a six round unanimous decision over Derrick Frinley in a Super Middleweight bout.

Scores were 60-54 om all cards for Hart, 169 lbs pf Philadelphia and is now 12-0. Findley, 168.2 lbs of Gary, IN is now 20-12-1-1.

Alberto Marchado scored a spectacular 2nd round stoppage ove Nuwan Jayakody in a scheduled 6 round Featherweight bout.

Machado blasted Jayakody with a left hook that sent him to the canvas. Jayakody tried to get his feet but stumbled down and the fight was stopped at 1:34 of round two.

Machado, 126 lbs of San Juan, PR is now 6-0 with 4 knockouts. Jayakody, 125.8 lbs of Nittabuwa, Sri Lanka is now 2-4-1.

Francisco Vargas scored a 1st round stoppage over four round Lopez in a scheduled four round Weltereight bout.

Vargas drilled Lopez with hard right hook that him flat on his back and the fight was stopped at 1:59.

Vargas, 149 lbs of San Juan PR is now 2-0 with 2 knockouts. Lopez, 146.4 lbs of Denver, CO is now 1-1.

Seanie Monaghan scored a 1st round stoppage over Matt Vanda when Vanda had to retire with a bicep injury. The time of stoppage was 2:51 for Monaghan, 175 lbs of Long Beach, NY who is 20-0 with 13 knockouts. Vanda, 173.2 lbs of St. Paul. MN 45-16.

Julian Rodriguez scored a 1st round stoppage over Neyeine Muang in a scheduled four round Super Lightweight bout.

The time was 1:51 for Rodriguez, 141.4 lbs of Hasbrouck Heights, Nj is now 3-0 with 2 knockouts. Muang, 141.2 lbs of Utica, NY is now 1-1-2.

HBO’s hit late-night boxing franchise begins 2014 with an all-action doubleheader featuring an intriguing junior lightweight title showdown when HBO BOXING AFTER DARK: MIKEY GARCIA VS. JUAN CARLOS BURGOS AND BRYANT JENNINGS VS. ARTUR SZPILKA is seen from the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York on SATURDAY, JAN. 25 at 9:45 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT), exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports team will be ringside for the event, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates: Jan. 26 (9:30 a.m.) and 28 (midnight)
HBO2 playdates: Jan. 26 (4:45 p.m.) and 27 (11:00 p.m.)
The main event pits Mikey Garcia (33-0, 28 KOs) of Oxnard, Cal. against Juan Carlos Burgos (30-1-2, 20 KOs), from Tijuana, Mexico, in a scheduled 12-round, 130-pound title bout. Garcia comes from a talented boxing family: The 26-year-old is trained and co-managed by his father, Eduardo, and his brother, Robert, the Boxing Writers Association of America’s 2012 Trainer of the Year. Garcia has been on the fast track to superstar status, steamrolling the competition and emerging as one of the sport’s elite fighters. His three wins in 2013 were convincing triumphs over former champions Orlando Salido, Juan Manuel Lopez and Rocky Martinez. The 26-year-old Burgos is a seasoned veteran who will be making his third bid for a world title.
In the co-feature bout, rising heavyweight Bryant Jennings (17-0, 9 KOs) makes his HBO debut. The 29-year-old Philadelphia native has attracted the attention from boxing observers as the sport searches for the next big American heavyweight star. His formidable foe, 24-year-old Artur Szpilka (16-0, 12 KOs) of Krakow, Poland, has generated a following in the U.S. this year with two televised victories over Mike Mollo, both of them all-action affairs.
Follow HBO boxing news at hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/hboboxing.
All HBO boxing events are presented in HDTV. HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.
® HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.

The United States Embassy in Poland has granted heavyweight sensation Artur “The Pin” Szpilka (16-0, 12 KOs) the proper visa to enter the United States, and he will be landing in Chicago this evening.

Szpilka had been denied entry on his first attempt to enter the country for his 10-round showdown against Bryant Jennings (17-0, 9 KOs) on January 25 in New York at Madison Square Garden Arena

Promoters Gary Shaw of Gary Shaw Productions and Leon Margules of Warriors Boxing are both breathing a sigh of relief, now that fight will proceed as scheduled.
The undefeated pair will both be making their HBO debuts in a televised doubleheader, headlined by “Mikey” Garcia’s first defense of his WBO Super Featherweight Championship.

Philadelphia’s Jennings is currently ranked #5 in the WBA and #4 in both the WBC and IBF. The wildly popular Szpilka, of Warsaw, Poland, is currently rated WBA and WBC #14.
ABOUT WARRIORS BOXING

Launched in 2003, Warriors Boxing operates under a simple philosophy-bring the best boxers in the world to fight fans, match them in competitive bouts, and in doing so help re-establish the sport of boxing for a new generation.

With a series of successful Pay-Per-View shows and packed houses to it’s credit, the Warriors business model is working wonders in a sport that was sorely in need of the innovation and energy that the company brings to the table.

When it comes down to it though, a promotional company is only as good as the fighters and fights it promotes. Warriors Boxing has delivered on all fronts, with outstanding bouts such as Lara-Molina, Cayo-Peterson, Abraham-Miranda I and II, Miranda-Pavlik, Miranda-Green, Ibragimov-Briggs, Ibragimov-Klitschko, Urango-Hatton, Urango-Bailey, Cayo-Maidana and Ibragimov-Holyfield.

For more information on Warriors Boxing, visit their website at www.WarriorsBoxing.com.

PHILADELPHIA (Jan. 13, 2014) – Undefeated Heavyweight contender Bryant “By-By” Jennings (17-0, 9 KOs) is preparing for the biggest fight of his career when he faces fellow unbeaten, polish superstar Artur Szpilka (16-0, 12 KO’s). The bout will take place at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, as the co-feature to Garcia vs. Burgos which will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark®, on Saturday, Jan. 25, beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

With less than two weeks away from his showdown with Szpilka, Jennings reflects on training camp, making his HBO debut and fighting at Madison Square Garden for the first time.

“I’ve been in the gym since my last fight back in June so I’m ready to go,” he said. “My trainer Fred Jenkins and I have been grinding, working on new things, trying to improve on what I do best, which is to box my opponents ears off.

“I know Szpilka is a big star in him native country, but his “0” has got to go, and his fans must deal with him losing for the first time. I’m healthy and I feel I’ve improved my ring intelligence since I fought last.

“An opportunity like this, to fight on a big stage like HBO, is a dream come true,” Jennings continued. “When I first stepped in the gym, which was about five years ago, I always envisioned myself fighting on HBO. Now it’s time to show the world what Bryant Jennings is all about. I want to thank my promoters Gary Shaw and Antonio Leonard as well as my manager James Prince for getting me this opportunity. HBO needs some fresh heavyweight talent to showcase and I’m the one to take make it happen. I’m coming to win and win impressively.

“Everyone knows the Madison Square Garden is a place where many fighters have made their name famous. I plan to follow in the footsteps of the greats that have fought there before and continue on my path to greatness. God willing, everything goes as planned. Philadelphia will definitely be in the house and I want to personally thank all my fans for their support,” Jennings concluded.

January 12, 2014 – Gary Shaw Productions, Antonio Leonard Promotions and Team Bryant Jennings are all hoping Artur Szpilka can resolve his visa problems as it was reported that the polish fighter was deported back to his native land after he was stopped by the Department of Homeland Security at O’Hare International Airport. Bryant Jennings is scheduled to face Artur Szpilka on HBO January 25th.

“Team Jennings along with myself and Antonio Leonard are well aware of the visa problems Szpilka is having at the moment,” said Gary Shaw. “We are monitoring the situation very closely with Warriors Boxing Promoter Leon Margolis and hope this problem can get resolved very fast. This is a great fight between two undefeated ranked heavyweights and it would be disappointing if they are not able to fight. We are working endlessly to get Artur’s proper documents approved so they can meet January 25th on HBO.

December 15, 2013 – Gary Shaw of Gary Shaw Productions and Leon Margules of Warriors Boxing are happy to announce an agreement has been reached for rising heavyweight contenders Bryant Jennings (17-0, 9 KOs) and Artur Szpilka (16-0, 12 KOs) to meet in a 10-round showdown on January 25 in New York at Madison Square Garden Arena.

The undefeated pair will meet in an HBO-televised doubleheader, headlined by “Mikey” Garcia’s first defense of his WBO Super Featherweight Championship. The fight will mark the HBO debuts of both fighters.

Co-promoted by Antonio Leonard Promotions, Philadelphia’s Jennings, currently ranked #5 in the WBA and #4 in both the WBC and IBF rankings, will be returning from a seven-month layoff for this fight. Jennings who’s managed by James Prince, who also manages Andre Ward, was last seen in June of this year (his only fight of the year) stopping Russia’s Andrey Fedosov in round six. After competing five times in 2012, the time off has left Jennings eager to get back into the ring.

“It feels like I’ve been caged up for so long,” said Jennings. “I feel like I have all of this intensity built up inside of me and nowhere to release it. My hunger is so strong that not even killing it in the gym is an escape anymore and the only way to satisfy my hunger is to binge, January 25th will be a buffet. With every minute that passes it’s like my hunger grows and that is bad news for Artur Szpilka.”

Warsaw, Poland’s Szpilka, who’s co-promoted by Warriors Boxing and Ulrich Knockout Promotions, is currently rated WBA and WBC #14, was last seen in August, completing a two-fight ESPN-televised series with tough guy Mike Mollo. Szpilka visited the canvas in both fights against Mollo before scoring the KO with his super punching power from the southpaw stance.

“I look forward to the challenge,” said the popular Szpilka of the Jennings fight. “I have been improving with every fight and I am ready for anyone in the world. To take away his ratings in the world by beating him will move my career forward, so that is what I will do.”

“This is an incredible matchup between two undefeated heavyweights on the rise, they are both prideful countrymen and they are both on the fast track to the top,” said Gary Shaw. “Jennings has been on the radar a bit longer, but Szpilka has made a dent over the past year. This fight could steal the show based on the complementary nature of their styles. Bryant could’ve taken a lesser fighter with a more well-known name, or even one of the fading veterans still hanging around the heavyweight division, but instead he decided to get back in the ring and face a strong test. It’s a testament to both his dedication and competitive nature, I think it’s also foreshadowing for the kind of champion he will eventually be.”

“Artur makes all of his fights exciting by fighting to the level of his opponents, so prepare to see the best Artur Szpilka anyone has yet seen in the ring,” said Leon Margules. “He’s a tough Polish fighter with a dynamic style and a charismatic personality. A victory over Jennings will go a long way toward making him the star he was born to become.”

NEW YORK (December 16, 2013) — Undefeated two-division world champion and Ventura County Police and Sheriff’s Reserve Officer Academy graduate MIKEY GARCIA returns to the stage where he won his first world title 12 months earlier — The Theater at Madison Square Garden — only this time he’ll be defending his second world championship belt in as many weight classes. Garcia will put his World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior lightweight title on the line against two-time world title challenger and current No. 1 contender JUAN CARLOS “Mini” BURGOS. Garcia vs. Burgos will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark®, Saturday, January 25, beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT. The telecast will open with a 10-round battle between undefeated heavyweight contenders BRYANT JENNINGS and ARTUR SZPILKA.

These four warriors have a combined record of 96-1-2 (69 KOs) — a winning percentage of 97% and a victory by knockout ratio of 72%.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Banner Promotions, Thompson Boxing Promotions, Gary Shaw Productions, Warriors Boxing Promotions, Madison Square Garden and Tecate, tickets, priced at $200, $100, $50 and $25, go on sale This Friday! December 20 at Noon ET — THE perfect holiday gift for boxing fans. Tickets can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008), and online at www.ticketmaster.com and www.thegarden.com. .

The non-televised undercard will feature New York’s favorite light heavyweight, undefeated Top-10 contender “Irish” SEANIE MONAGHAN, 2012 Puerto Rican Olympian and undefeated lightweight contender FELIX VERDEJO and undefeated super middleweight contender JESSE HART, the son of Philadelphia boxing legend Eugene “Cyclone” Hart. The trio of young contenders boast a perfect record of 39-0 (29 KOs).

“We are proud to be presenting Mike Garcia once again,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum. “We believe Mikey is the next big superstar in boxing and in 2014 that will become evident.”

“We are really excited for Juan Carlos Burgos and his opportunity to win the world title that he should have already had,” said Arthur Pelullo, president of Banner Promotions, who co promotes Burgos with Thompson Boxing Promotions . “Juan was given that very questionable draw against Rocky Martinez last January 25th at The Garden that robbed him of the title. Mikey Garcia is a tremendous fighter, but we feel that Juan has the tools and the experience to get the win and become the new Junior Lightweight Champion of the World.”

“Burgos is primed for a big year in 2014,” said Ken Thompson, president of Thompson Boxing. “He’s one of the more talented boxers in his division and he’ll prove that against Mikey Garcia.”

“I’m happy to be returning to the ring,” said Garcia. ” Burgos is a very good fighter. He did very well against Rocky Martinez at The Garden last January and I think he is deserving of this title shot. There is no question we will give the fans a very exciting fight.”

“I’ve been looking forward to getting back in the ring,” Burgos said. “We’ve had a strong training camp with excellent sparring sessions. I know Mikey is a tough boxer, but I’ve been putting in the work and I expect a win on January 25.”

“With his two titles won in three victories on Boxing After Dark in 2013,” said Peter Nelson, director of programming, HBO Sports, “Mikey Garcia joined an elite class of fighters who emerged throughout the past season as boxing’s rising stars. Now, we’ll see if he can keep up that momentum or if his challenger Juan Carlos Burgos can steal it for himself. Opening the show, two undefeated heavyweights, Bryant Jennings and Artur Szpilka, face off in their HBO debuts, a compelling addition to the season premiere.”

“Madison Square Garden is excited to welcome back one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world — Mikey Garcia — for another great night of world championship boxing,” said Joel Fisher, executive vice president, MSG Sports. “Garcia versus Juan Carlos Burgos along with Seanie Monaghan and Felix Verdejo will be a thrilling night for fight fans and a great way to kick off another exciting year of boxing at The Garden.”

Garcia (33-0, 28 KOs), of Oxnard, Calif., returns to the ring having won 16 of his past 18 bouts by knockout and has not gone the distance in over three years. He became a two-division world champion in his last fight, stopping defending WBO junior lightweight champion Roman “Rocky” Martinez in the eighth round with a vicious body shot to the liver on November 9, in Corpus Christi, TX. Garcia won his first world title — the WBO featherweight championship — on January 19, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, dethroning two-time featherweight champion Orlando Salido via an eighth-round technical win that had Garcia winning virtually every round against the seasoned veteran. He was forced to vacate the title in his first defense, for not being able to make the 126-pound weight limit. Though drained, he was still able to rise to the occasion and knock out former two-division world champion Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez in the fourth round last June 15. Garcia, 26, had a great year in 2012 too, knocking out one-time world title challenger Bernabe Concepcion and former world champion Mauricio Pastrana, in the seventh and second rounds, respectively. He ended his 2012 campaign by knocking out former World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight champion Jonathan Barros in the eighth round. Garcia is trained by his father Eduardo Garcia and co-managed and trained by his brother, 2012 Trainer of the Year Robert Garcia, the former International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior lightweight champion.

Burgos (30-1-2, 20 KOs), of Tijuana, México, will be making his third attempt at a world title. After unsuccessfully challenging Hozumi Hasagawa for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) featherweight title in 2010, he moved up to the junior lightweight division stringing together a two-year, five-bout winning streak, including victories over Luis Cruz for the NABO title in 2011, and former world champion Cristobal Cruz for the WBC Silver championship belt in February 2012. In July 2012 Burgos stopped undefeated Cesar Vazquez in the third round to catapult himself into the No. 1 contender position. Burgos challenged defending WBO junior lightweight champion Rocky Martinez on the same card that saw Mikey Garcia stop Orlando Salido. Unfortunately Burgos’ efforts were not rewarded the same way as both fighters walked away with a disputed draw despite Burgos landing 93 more punches than Martinez, according to CompuBox statistics, including 70 more power punches, and his 36% connect rate was 13% higher than Martinez. Burgos, who turns 26 on December 26 — Boxing Day — returns to ring world-rated No. 1 by the WBO.

Jennings (17-0, 9 KOs), of Philadelphia, PA, is picking up steam, winning four of his last five bouts by knockout. One of the brightest lights among U.S. heavyweight contenders, Jennings, 29, captured the USBA heavyweight title in June of 2012, winning a 10-round decision over Steve Collins. He successfully defended that title in December 2012, knocking out Bowie Tupou in the fifth round. He only had one fight in 2013 — a sixth-round stoppage victory of Andrey Fedosov in June. Collins, Tupou and Fedosov had a combined record of 71-5-1 when they faced Jennings, who enters this fight with a new managerial and promotional team. He is currently world-rated No. 4 by the WBC and No. 5 by the WBA.

Szpilka (16-0, 12 KOs), of Krakow, Poiland, enters this fight having won 10 of his previous 12 fights by knockout, including three of the four bouts he fought in 2013. He has picked up an American following thanks to his two nationally-televised knockout victories over Mike Mollo in 2013, where both men hit the deck in each of their action-packed fights. Another highlight for Szpilka was his 10-round unanimous decision victory over Brian Minto for the interim WBC Baltic heavyweight title. He enters this fight world-rated No. 14 by the WBC.

One of New York’s top boxing attractions, Monaghan (19-0, 12 KOs), of Long Beach, NY, is the reigning WBC Continental Americas light heavyweight champion. He captured that title in June 2012, knocking out Romaro Johnson in the eighth round, and has successfully defended it twice — via a 10-round unanimous decision in October 2012 and in his pay-per-view debut, on the Timothy Bradley vs. Juan Manuel Márquez welterweight champion card, by stopping Anthony Caputo-Smith in the third round. Monaghan enters this fight having won four of his last six fights by stoppage and world-rated No. 6 by the IBF and No. 10 by the WBA. He will be facing Fabio Garrido (19-4, 15 KOs), of Säo Paulo, Brazil, in a 10-round light heavyweight battle. Garrido, who has won his last three fights by knockout, captured the vacant Brazilian light heavyweight title on December 7, knocking out Ernesto Gonzalez in the first round.

Verdejo (9-0, 6 KOs), of San Juan, Puerto Rico, has not only transitioned from a stellar amateur, where he fought on Puerto Rico’s 2012 Olympic team, to an exciting professional, he has also ignited the passions of his island’s boxing fans who currently have no world champions representing them. In short, he is showing the potential for being Puerto Rico’s next big boxing star, following the lineage of Felix Trinidad and Miguel Cotto in attracting legions of fans to his all-action fights not only in Puerto Rico, but in New York, Las Vegas and Florida. Verdejo, 20, fought eight times in 2013 and only went the distance twice. He will be facing Lauro Alcantar (8-0, 1 KO), of Agua Prieta, México, in a six-round battle of undefeated lightweight contenders.

Hart (11-0, 10 KOs), of Philadelphia, PA , won all six of his 2013 fights by knockout, with only one of those bouts reaching the third round. Trained by his father, the highly-rated middleweight contender of the late ’60s and early ’70s Eugene “Cyclone” Hart, the younger Hart, 24, will be taking on durable veteran Derrick Findley (20-11-1, 13 KOs), of Gary IN. Findley, who scored a second-round TKO of contender Ronald Hearns in 2012, has gone the distance against undefeated contenders Matt Korobov, Gilberto Ramirez and J’Leon Love.

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