Deerfield Beach, FL (March 21, 2019)—It’s a new day in Kazakhstan.

The world’s greatest boxing promoter and peace ambassador, Don King, has sent his well wishes to outgoing President Nursultan Nazaarbayeu after 30 years of service to his country and welcomed interim President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

King, who promoted the Thrilla in Manila featuring Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, and the Rumble in the Jungle with Ali and George Foreman, is at it again.

King is proposing bringing the “Thrilla in Kazakhstan” promoting peace, harmony and unity for the Kazakhstanian people. The card will feature hometown hero and cruiserweight title holder Beibut Shumenov defending his title against “interim” beltholder Arsen Goulamiriam of France in the month of May.

“I’m excited about the prospect of Shumenov returning home to defend his title and meet both the outgoing and the new President of his country,” said King. “I’m planning to put together another great Don King Productions extravaganza. It will be a night of boxing that Kazakhstan and the United States will not forget.”

Shumenov (18-2, 12 KOs) has won four consecutive fights, the last coming July 7 last year as he stopped Hizni Altunkaya in the ninth round to win the vacant WBA World Cruiserweight title. The 31-year-old is from Shymkent, Kazakhstan and currently trains in Las Vegas, NV.

Goulamiriam (24-0, 16 KOs) is a 31-year-old Frenchman, who last March stopped previously unbeaten Ryad Merhy in the 11th round to notch the interim title and then kept the interim title last October in his homeland, with a ninth round KO of Mark Flanagan.

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (June , 2018) — World Boxing Association (WBA) No. 3-rated cruiserweight Hizni “The Warrior” Altunkaya (30-1, 17 KOs) isn’t concerned about hitting the road to fight local hero and two-division World Boxing Association (WBA) World Champion, Beibut Shumenov, for the vacant WBA World cruiserweight title, July 7 in Astana, Kazakhstan.

A 2004 Kazakhstan Olympian, Shumenov (17-2, 11 KOs) retired a year ago due to an eye injury that required surgeries, forcing him to relinquish his WBA cruiserweight world title. Shumenov has fully recovered and he’s on a mission to recapture his WBA world cruiserweight title.

Shumenov vs. Altunkaya is a presentation of Shumenov’s company, KZ Event Productions, Inc. The July 7th gala event will be part of the 20th anniversary celebration of Astana being the capital of Kazakhstan. Many political dignitaries from Kazakhstan and around the World are expected to attend Shumenov’s comeback fight, which will air nationally on Qazaqstan TV and QAZSPORT TV, as well as internationally, including BoxNation in the United Kingdom.

“I have no reservations about fighting Shumenov in his country,” 30-year-old Altunkaya said. “I believe that there will be a fair decision and the better fighter that evening will win. I will arrive in Kazakhstan with enough time for me to acclimate.

“I have great respect for what he has achieved. Shumenov has a lot of experience and he is a strong boxer. We are studying some fights to find his weaknesses. I think it will be, technologically, a good fight, in which both of us will take chances to get a knockout. I’m a boxer, but when I see the chance for a knockout, I can change my style. It will be a tough fight and I will do my best to go home as world champion.

Altunkaya, who was born in Turkey but now lives and fights out of fighting out of Germany, knocked out Mathias Reinhardt in the first round, on the Vitali Klitschko versus Shannon Briggs World Boxing Council (WBC) Heavyweight World Championship card in 2010, at O2 World Arena in Hamburg, Germany.

In 2011, Altunkaya won a 12-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Salvatore Aiello (29-0) for the Interim World Boxing Federation (WBF) World cruiserweight crown. The gifted Turk captured the vacant Global Boxing Council (GBC) Intercontinental cruiserweight title in 2016, His pro loss happened last year, when he was stopped in round five by former World Boxing Organization (WBO) Cruiserweight World champion Krzysztof Glowacki (26-1).

Shumenov has a tremendous quality experience advantage over Altunkaya, who did not box as an amateur. Although Altunkava has fought more pro rounds than Shumenov, 147-140, the chiseled Kazakh has fought 88 rounds in major world title fights compared to zero for his Turkish opponent.

“The fight against Glowacki was one of the most important experiences in my career,” Altunkaya added. “I know what I did wrong and I will not repeat those mistakes against Shumenov.”

Additional fights will soon be announced. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

INFORMATION:
www.BeibutShumenov.com
Twitter: @Beibut_Shumenov
Instagram: @BeibutShumenov
Facebook: www.Facebook/BeibutShumenov/fanpage
You Tube: www.YouTube.com/channel/UCyWBF2CoafZEeif7bON2H8Q

LONDON (14
June, 2018) – Two-division WBA world champion Beibut Shumenov’s ring return following a two-year hiatus will be screened live and exclusive on BoxNation.

The 2004 Kazakhstan Olympian retired last June due to an eye injury that required surgery, forcing him to relinquish his WBA cruiserweight world title, but now he feels ready to claim yet another belt when he faces German born Hizni Altunkaya on July 7th.

Not known for taking soft touches, Shumenov (17-2, 11 KOs) challenges a game contender in Altunkaya (30-1, 17 KOs), a youthful cruiserweight who has beaten solid opposition in the past but will now be in with the best fighter that he has ever faced.

Taking place from the Barys Arena in Astana, next month’s event will be part of the 20th anniversary celebration of the Kazakhstan capital with many political dignitaries expected to attend Shumenov’s comeback fight.

“I’m happy to fight for my belt,” Shumenov said from his training camp in Kazakhstan. “My eye is 100-percent and I’m excited about fighting again. I’m honoured to fight on the 20th anniversary celebration of Astana as my country’s capital. After this fight, I want interim cruiserweight champion, Arsen Goulamirian.”

In only his 10th pro fight, Shumenov established the fewest-fights record for a light-heavyweight world champion, when he decisioned Gabriel Campillo in Las Vegas.

Shumenov became the only two-division world champion from Kazakhstan in his last fight, when he stopped Junior Wright in the tenth round of their May 21st, 2016 title fight, capturing the WBA cruiserweight world championship.

During the 34-year-old Shumenov’s professional career, he has defeated four world champions – Campillo, Byron Mitchell, William Joppy and Montell Griffin – as well as seven world title challengers: Epifanio Mendoza, Vlacheslav Uzelkov, Danny Santiago, Enrique Ornelas, Tamas Kovacs, BJ Flores and Wright.

Against Altunkaya he steps in against a younger fighter who is looking to bounce back following his only career loss, that being against former world champion Krzysztof Glowacki last year, to claim his first world title.

“I’m thankful for the chance to fight Beibut Shumenov,” Altunkaya said. “He’s a great fighter, but I will give him my best. We have optimum time to be fully prepared for the fight. It’s going to be a good fight. I’m coming to Kazakhstan to win!”

Jim McMunn, BoxNation Managing Director, said: “Beibut Shumenov is always involved in exciting fights and it will be great to see him back in the ring. The cruiserweight division is on a real high at the moment with a host of top names looking to stake their claim as the best in the division. Shumenov and Hizni Altunkaya will be out to prove that they are part of the mix by winning in style on July 7th as part of a fantastic fight card live and exclusive on BoxNation.”

BoxNation is available on Sky/Freeview/Virgin/TalkTalk/EE/Apple TV/ online at watch.boxnation.com, via apps (iOS, Android, Amazon) and TV Player for just £12 a month. Buy now at boxnation.com.

– ENDS –

About BoxNation

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Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Mayweather vs Maidana, Saunders vs Eubank Jr and Canelo vs Golovkin.

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ASTANA, Kazakhstan (May 10, 2018)) – Two-division World Boxing Association (WBA) World Champion Beibut Shumenov announced his comeback fight will be held July 7, against 30-1 Hizni Altunkaya for the vacant WBA Cruiserweight World title, in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Shumenov (17-2, 11 KOs), a 2004 Kazakhstan Olympian, retired last June due to an eye injury that required surgeries, forcing him to relinquish his WBA cruiserweight world title.

Shumenov vs. Altunkaya is a presentation of Shumenov’s company, KZ Event Productions, Inc.

The July 7th gala event will be part of the 20th anniversary celebration of Astana being the capital of Kazakhstan. Many political dignitaries from Kazakhstan and around the World are expected to attend Shumenov’s comeback fight.

“I’m happy to fight for my belt,” Shumenov said from his training camp in Kazakhstan. “My eye is 100-percent and I’m excited about fighting again. I’m honored to fight on the 20th anniversary celebration of Astana as my country’s capital. After this fight, I want Interim cruiserweight champion, Arsen Goulamirian.”

In only his 10th pro fight, Shumenov established the fewest-fights record for a light heavyweight world champion, when he decisioned Gabriel Campillo in Las Vegas.

Shumenov became the only two-division world champion from Kazakhstan in his last fight, when he stopped Junior Wright in the 10th round of their May 21, 2016 title fight, capturing the WBA Cruiserweight World Championship.

During the 34-year-old Shumenov’s professional career, he has defeated four world champions – Campillo, Byron Mitchell, William Joppy and Montell Griffin) – as well as seven world title challengers: Epifanio Mendoza, Vlacheslav Uzelkov, Danny Santiago, Enrique Ornelas, Tamas Kovacs, BJ Flores and Wright.

The 30-year-old Altunkaya (30-1, 17 KOs), fighting out of Germany by way of his native Turkey, stopped Mathias Reinhardt in the opening round on the Vitali Klitschko versus Shannon Briggs World Boxing Council (WBC) Heavyweight World Championship card in 2010 at O2 World Arena in Hamburg, Germany.

In 2011, Altunkaya won a 12-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Salvatore Aiello (29-0) for the Interim World Boxing Federation (WBF) World cruiserweight title. The talented Turk added the vacant Global Boxing Council (GBC) Intercontinental cruiserweight crown to his collection in 2016, The only loss of his pro career was last year to former World Boxing Organization (WBO) Cruiserweight World champion Krzysztof Glowacki (26-1).

“I’m thankful for the chance to fight Beibut Shumenov,” Altunkaya said. “He’s a great fighter, but I will give him my best. We have optimum time to be fully prepared for the fight. It’s going to be a good fight. I’m coming to Kazakhstan to win!”

Other fighters to be in action include four undefeated Kazakh prospects in separate bouts: middleweight Aidos Yerbossynuly (7-0, 6 KOs), super welterweight Bobirzhan Mominov (6-0, 5 KOs) and middleweight Ibragim Iskandarov (2-0, 2 KOs), and pro-debuting Mirzhan Rahimzhanov, who was Shumenov’s teammate on the 2004 Kazakhstan Olympic Boxing Team.

Opponents and other fights will soon be announced. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

INFORMATION:
www.BeibutShumenov.com
Twitter @Beibut_Shumenov
Instagram @BeibutShumenov
Facebook – BeibutShumenov/fanpage.

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (January 29, 2018) – Two-division World Boxing Association (WBA) World Champion Beibut Shumenov announced his comeback today at a press conference held in his native Kazakhstan.

“I thought a very long time before making this decision,” Shumenov explained. “Having weighed all the pros and cons, in addition to consulting with my family and team, I have firmly decided to return to professional boxing. Ahead is a lot of work but our goal is obvious. I want to express my thanks to all those who’ve supported me. I will keep everyone up to date with more news and details of my return to the ring.”

The Las Vegas-based Shumenov (17-2, 11 KOs), a 2004 Kazakhstan Olympian, retired last June due to an eye injury., forcing him to relinquish his WBA cruiserweight world title.

“I want to tell you why I decided to interrupt my career.” Shumenov announced at today’s presser conference. “The trauma of my eye affected my decision. Fatigue and emotional tension accumulated. I just needed a break. Now, I have recovered, and I am going to resume my boxing career. Negotiations are now underway for my next fight.”

Shumenov also revealed that he is working with a Kazakh group to develop a domestic pro boxing program in Kazakhstan for young children in Kazakhstan to help them reach their heights.

In only his 10th pro fight, Shumenov established the fewest-fights record for the light heavyweight world champion 10 years ago, when he decisioned Gabriel Campillo in Las Vegas.

Shumenov became the only two-division world champion from Kazakhstan in his last fight, when he stopped Junior Wright in the 10th round of their May 2, 2016 title fight, capturing the WBA Cruiserweight World Championship.

During the 34-year-old Shumenov’s professional career, he has defeated four world champions (Campillo, Byron Mitchell, William Joppy and Montell Griffin), as well as seven world title challengers (Epifanio Mendoza, Vlacheslav Uzelkov, Danny Santiago, Enrique Ornelas, Tamas Kovacs, BJ Flores and Wright).

SOCIAL MEDIA:Twitter @Beibut_Shumenov, Instagram – @BeightShumenov, Facebook – BeibutShumenov/fanpage.

LAS VEGAS (June 26, 2017) – Two-division World Boxing Association (WBA) World Champion Beibut Shumenov has relinquished his WBA cruiserweight world title, due to his career-ending eye injury, and he has announced his retirement from the ring.

“I have regrettably relinquished my WBA cruiserweight title and retired from boxing because of a traumatic eye injury suffered the week before my last scheduled fight,” Shumenov said from his Las Vegas home. “I’m extremely disappointed my boxing career has ended like this but, unfortunately, injuries are part of this sport and there’s nothing I can do about it. I still have blurred vision and I need to have an additional surgery next month to try to further repair so I don’t risk blindness in my (right) eye.

“I’d like to thank my family, my team throughout the years, friends and fans for their continued support all these years. I was proud to wear the WBA championship belt for many years as a two-division champion. I’m grateful to WBA President Gilberto Jesus Mendoza, his father, and all those in my WBA family. It was quite a ride and I look forward with great anticipation to the next chapter of my life with my son and future endeavors.”

Shumenov (17-2, 11 KOs), a 2004 Kazakhstan Olympian, was scheduled to face Interim WBA champion Yunier Dorticos (21-0, 20 KOs) in the April 29th main event of Premier Boxing Champions on FS1 and FOX Deportes, from Sam’s Town Live in Las Vegas.

During his last slated sparring sessions, Shumenov suffered an eye injury that required immediate surgery, forcing him to withdraw from his April 29 fight against Dorticos.

Earlier this month, the WBA received a letter from Shumenov’s eye surgeon, Dr. Kent L. Wellish, who wrote the following: “Mr. Beibut Shumenov has a serious ocular issue, a recurrent corneal erosion of his right eye, that with continued fighting, puts him at risk for permanently losing his eyesight.

“It is my medical opinion that he should permanently refrain from sparring, training and boxing due to the severity of damage to his eye and the high risk of further damage of vision impairment, including the possibility of permanent vision loss.”
The WBA accepted Shumenov’s relinquishment of his championship, noting that it expressed its gratitude and pride for his professional career with the WBA.

The last three years of Shumenov’s career was marred by inactivity, in which he fought only three times due to lack of managerial support, despite him training daily, in top shape and always being ready to fight. In fact, he sparred almost 400 rounds since his last fight (May 21, 2016) in anticipation of, first, a unification fight with Denis Lebedev and then for his fight versus Dorticos. Neither happened, however, as boxing politics enabled Lebedev to avoid fighting Shumenov, who defeated BJ Flores and then Junior Anthony Wright in back-to-back WBA elimination fights to be Lebedev’s mandatory challenger.

Even Shumenov’s mandatory fight against Dorticos was unnecessarily delayed because Dorticos’ promoter, Caribe Promotions, defaulted its right to promote the fight it had won by purse bid, followed by continuous and numerous date changes from February to March until finally landing on April 29.

The 33-year-old Shumenov retires as the first and only two-division world champion to date from Kazakhstan, as well as the record-holder for fewest fights needed to win the world light heavyweight championship, 10.

During his 9 1/2 -year pro career, Shumenov defeated four world champions – Gabriel Campillo, Byron Mitchell, William Joppy and Montell Griffin – as well as world title challengers Epifanio Mendoza, Vlacheslav Uzelkov, Danny Santiago, Enrique Ornelas, Tamas Kovacs, BJ Flores and Junior Wright.

SOCIAL MEDIA:Twitter @Beibut_Shumenov, Instagram – @BeightShumenov, Facebook – BeibutShumenov/fanpage.

LAS VEGAS (April 20, 2017) – Cruiserweight world champion Beibut Shumenov (17-2, 11 KOs) suffered an eye injury in training on Wednesday and will not be able to defend his title against Yunier Dorticos (21-0, 20 KOs) in the main event of a special Saturday night edition of Premier Boxing Champions on FS1 and FOX Deportes, April 29 from Sam’s Town Live in Las Vegas.

Shumenov-Dorticos has been postponed until Shumenov has completely healed from his injury. It will be rescheduled as soon as Shumenov is healthy enough to return to training. There is no timetable yet on when he is expected to return from the injury.

WBA Interim Featherweight Champion Carlos Zambrano (26-0, KOs) defending his title against once-beaten contender Claudio Marrero (21-1, 15 KOs) has been elevated to the main event.

Televised coverage will begin at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT and will feature undefeated Jeison Rosario (12-0, 9 KOs) taking on once-beaten Nathaniel Gallimore (17-1-1, 14 KOs) in a 10-round middleweight attraction.

“It is disappointing that Shumenov suffered an eye injury in training. Unfortunately, that’s the nature of boxing,” said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions. “We were looking forward to seeing him defend his cruiserweight world title against Dorticos. I hope he makes a full recovery and we can reschedule the match.

“Now, we’re looking forward to Carlos Zambrano making his Mayweather Promotions debut in a scintillating match against a very tough challenger in Claudio Marrero on FS1 and FOX Deportes.”

An unbeaten fighter from Lima, Peru, Zambrano turned pro in 2008 and fought nine of his first 12 bouts in the U.S. He won a South American regional title in 2012 and began moving up the featherweight rankings with a knockout victory over Devis Perez in 2014. He picked up his interim title with a unanimous decision victory over Daniel Ramirez in 2015 and defended the belt successfully against Jose Sanmartin later that year.

A former title challenger who lost a narrow decision to Jesus Cuellar in 2013, Marrero has won seven-straight bouts since then. Most recently, the 28-year-old knocked down Luis Hinojosa four times before stopping him in the fourth round in August 2016. A native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Marrero was an accomplished amateur who will be fighting in Las Vegas for the second time in his pro career.

An unbeaten fighter out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Rosario will make his U.S. debut when he enters the ring on May 16. A pro since 2013, the 22-year-old scored knockouts in his first three starts and won a Domincan welterweight title with a second round stoppage of Jose Vidal Soto in 2014. Rosario’s last three starts have seen him score TKO victories over Euro Gonzalez plus previously unbeaten fighters Carlos Jairo Cruz and Rafael Lorenzo.

Originally from Kingston, Jamaica and fighting out of Evanston, Illinois, Gallimore enters this fight having won his last four bouts, all by knockout. The 28-year-old has fought professionally since 2014 and was unbeaten in his first 14 outings before losing a narrow split-decision last June. He began his 2017 with a third round stoppage of Angel Hernandez in early April.

# # #

Fans can live stream the fights on FOX Sports GO, available in English or Spanish through the FS1 or FOX Deportes feeds. The fights are available on desktop at FOXSportsGO.com and through the app store, or connected devices including Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Xbox One and Roku. In addition, all programs are also available on FOX Sports on SiriusXM channel 83 on satellite radios and on the SiriusXM app.

For more information: visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, www.mayweatherpromotions.com, http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/homepage, www.foxdeportes.com.and www.TGBPromotions.com Follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @MayweatherPromo, @TGBPromotions, @FS1, @FOXDeportes and @Swanson_Comm and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/foxsports, www.facebook.com/foxdeportesand www.facebook.com/MayweatherPromotions. PBC on FS1 & FOX Deportes is sponsored by Corona Extra, La Cerveza Mas

LAS VEGAS (April 7, 2017) – Cruiserweight world champion Beibut Shumenov (17-2, 11 KOs) will meet interim cruiserweight champion Yunier Dorticos (21-0, 20 KOs) in the main event and WBA Interim Featherweight Champion Carlos Zambrano (26-0, 11 KOs) defends his title against once-beaten contender Claudio Marrero (21-1, 15 KOs) in a special Saturday night edition of Premier Boxing Champions on FS1 and FOX Deportes, April 29 from Sam’s Town Live in Las Vegas.

Televised coverage begins at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT as Shumenov and Dorticos will meet to unify their WBA titles in a long-awaited showdown between the former light heavyweight champion, Shumenov, and the unbeaten knockout artist, Dorticos.

“I’ve been in the gym working hard since my last fight,” said Shumenov. “I have been ready this entire time to defend my belt against anyone who is willing to step up. Denis Lebedev wanted to fight anyone but me and Dorticos disappeared after I signed the bout agreement to fight him February 11th in Miami. I am glad that, after many fight date changes, the fight is finally here on April 29. ”

“I have been waiting a long time to reach this level and I’m very excited for this opportunity,” said Dorticos. “I want to thank my team at Caribe Promotions and Warriors Boxing for making this happen. I can’t wait for the whole world to see me in action. I’ve had a great training camp and my whole team has been working very hard. Shumenov is a great champion and I thank him for stepping in the ring with me. I can’t wait for that bell to ring so I can start fighting.”

“Training to defend my title has been intense,” said Zambrano. “We have a great team who put together a plan for me and I am giving everything I have to them. I have to get in the ring and show what I am capable of. There is only one result of this fight, I am going to win. Whether it’s by knockout or points, I will leave the ring a champion.”

“I think the fans have been wanting to see this fight for a while, and I am prepared to give the fans an exciting fight,” said Marrero. “I am focused and ready. I’ve been training hard with my team and I only see this fight going one way, and that’s me leaving with the win.”

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and TGB Promotions, are priced at $75, $50 and $25, and are on sale Monday, April 10 at 12 p.m. PT. Tickets are available online at www.samstownlv.com/entertain.

“We can’t wait to bring another thrilling night of fights to the great fans in Las Vegas at Sam’s Town Live,” said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions. “This main event is going to be a scintillating cruiserweight title fight on FS1 and FOX Deportes and we are also looking forward to Carlos Zambrano making his Mayweather Promotions debut against a very tough challenger in Claudio Marrero. There will be an action packed undercard featuring a slew of Mayweather Promotions fighters, so you will want to get there early to enjoy the whole show!”

“This is a true boxing fans show,” said Tom Brown of TGB Promotions. “Beibut Shumenov and Yunier Dorticos are two of the best cruiserweights in the sport and they’re stepping into the ring to prove it. Carlos Zambrano and Claudio Marrero have been circling each other for a while now, which has heightened the anticipation of their finally meeting in the ring. The intensity in both matches means excitement for the fans.”

A native of Shymkent, Kazakhstan and fighting out of Las Vegas, Shumenov looks to build on a strong start to his campaign at cruiserweight after picking up a title against B.J. Flores in July 2015 and defending the belt with a TKO victory over Junior Wright last year. The 2004 Olympian for Kazakhstan won a world title at light heavyweight by defeating Gabriel Campillo in Las Vegas in 2010.

Fighting out of Miami by way of Havana, Cuba, Dorticos is unbeaten since turning pro in 2009 after a decorated amateur career. Dorticos won a regional cruiserweight title over previously unbeaten Hamilton Ventura in 2014 and continued his ascent to a world title with victories over Edison Miranda, Galen Brown and Fulgencio Zuniga. He won his interim title with a stoppage victory over Youri Kalenga in one of the most exciting fights of 2016.

An unbeaten fighter from Lima, Peru, Zambrano turned pro in 2008 and fought nine of his first 12 bouts in the U.S. He won a South American regional title in 2012 and began moving up the featherweight rankings with a knockout victory over Devis Perez in 2014. He picked up his interim title with a unanimous decision victory over Daniel Ramirez in 2015 and defended the belt successfully against Jose Sanmartin later that year.

A former title challenger who lost a narrow decision to Jesus Cuellar in 2013, Marrero has won seven-straight bouts since then. Most recently, the 28-year-old knocked down Luis Hinojosa four times before stopping him in the fourth round in August 2016. A native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Marrero was an accomplished amateur who will be fighting in Las Vegas for the second time in his pro career.

# # #

Fans can live stream the fights on FOX Sports GO, available in English or Spanish through the FS1 or FOX Deportes feeds. The fights are available on desktop at FOXSportsGO.com and through the app store, or connected devices including Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Xbox One and Roku. In addition, all programs are also available on FOX Sports on SiriusXM channel 83 on satellite radios and on the SiriusXM app.

For more information: visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/homepage, www.foxdeportes.com.and www.TGBPromotions.com Follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @MayweatherPromo, @TGBPromotions, @FS1, @FOXDeportes and @Swanson_Comm and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/foxsports, www.facebook.com/foxdeportesand www.facebook.com/MayweatherPromotions. PBC on FS1 & FOX Deportes is sponsored by Corona Extra, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

LAS VEGAS (January 31, 2017) – The World Boxing Association (WBA) has notified WBA cruiserweight world champion Beibut Shumenov and WBA Interim cruiserweight title-holder Yunier Dorticos, as well as their representatives, that Caribe Promotions has lost its rights to promote the WBA mandated Shumenov vs. Dorticos title fight.

Dorticos’ promoter, Caribe Promotions, originally won the Shumenov vs. Dorticos title fight rights last November with a winning purse bid of $350,001, which required a fight date within 90 days. Although rumored to be held in mid-February in either Miami or Las Vegas, Caribe’s ability and willingness to actually promote the fight came into question in January, 2017. The WBA demanded that Caribe confirm its intentions and even granted Caribe additional time to respond, but Caribe failed to file confirmation of a fight date with the WBA. Because Caribe was unable to confirm its intentions, the WBA had little choice but to award rights to the second-highest purse bidder, Tom Brown’s TGB Promotions.

“I last fought May 21st and I have been in the gym since June because I was supposed to fight Lebedev in September,” said a terribly frustrated Shumenov. “But he backed out of the fight with me once again and I have been ready to fight since then. I signed a bout agreement to fight Dorticos on February 11th in Miami, but Dorticos and his promoter disappeared after I signed. They’re full of it; all they do is talk. I can’t wait to knock him out. I am waiting on my manager to call me right now to tell me the new fight date with TGB.”

Caribe Promotions has been forced to also forfeit its $35,000 purse bid deposit with 10-percent off the top going to the WBA and remainder ($31,500) distributed to Shumenov and Dorticos, respectively, on a 75-25 percent basis due to its failure to promote the fight.

Shumenov (17-2, 11 KOs), fighting out of Las Vegas by way of Kazakhstan, fought last May 21, when he stopped 15-1-1 Junior Wright in the 10th round of their Las Vegas fight for the vacant WBA World cruiserweight title. The WBA had ruled that the Shumenov-Wright winner would be the mandatory challenger for its “Super” champion, Lebedev, within 90 days, however, it later allowed unified cruiserweight titlist Lebedev (against Shumenov’s strong objections) to fight his International Boxing Federation (IBF) mandatory defense against challenger Murat Gassiev, effectively mandating an eliminator between Shumenov and Dorticos with that winner to fight the winner of Lebedev-Gassiev. Only days prior to the Lebedev-Gassiev title fight, Lebedev was inexplicably allowed to fight Gassiev without defending his WBA title, as only his IBF belt was on the line. Gassiev (24-0) defeated Lebedev (29-3) by way of a 12-round split decision in Moscow to become the IBF cruiserweight world champion and Lebedev remains the WBA Super cruiserweight world champion, at least for now. The WBA is expected to rule on Shumenov’s objections to Lebedev’s fight against Gassiev, Lebedev’s status and whether Lebedev will remain champion having lost his last fight.

Dorticos has made false claims in the media that Shumenov, who had been waiting for the WBA to rule on his petitions to force Lebedev to fight him without further delay, had been avoiding him. It is ironic now that Dorticos’ own promoter first sought to delay and has now defaulted on the long-awaited confrontation by failing to promote the Shumenov-Dorticos title fight within the WBA deadline.

A former WBA Super light heavyweight world champion, the 33-year-old Shumenov is the first two-division world champion from a Soviet-bloc country.

Fans may friend Beibut Shumenov on his Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/BeibutShumenov.

Caribe Promotions won the purse bid for the right to promote the WBA Cruiserweight title bout between Beibut Shumenov and Yunier Dorticos, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Caribe Promotions won a purse bid Monday at WBA headquarters in Panama City, Panama, to gain promotional rights to the bout. Caribe, which promotes Dorticos, bid $350,001 to beat the bid of $201,000 offered by Tom Brown’s TGB Promotions, which represents Shumenov.

Although the date and site of the bout are not yet set, Caribe Promotions proposed dates and sites as part of its offer. They are Feb. 4 in Houston or Las Vegas or Feb. 11 in Miami. The fight must take place within 90 days of the purse bid.

LAS VEGAS (August 17,, 2016) – Team Shumenov believes it is worth reviewing recent history enlight of the recent announcement that WBA Super/IBF cruiserweight world champion Denis Lebedev will defend against Murat Gassiev in late November or early December in Russia: A condition for allowing Lebedev to fight IBF cruiserweight champion Victor Emilio Ramirez on May 21, 2016 was that Lebedev had to fight WBA cruiserweight world champion Beibut Shumenov within 120 days. (Lebedev hasn’t made a mandatory defense since April 10, 2015.) Shumenov has done everything to make that fight, while Lebedev has done nothing but run from his mandatory title fight. When it first became obvious in June that Lebedev was trying to avoid his mandated WBA title fight, Shumenov repeatedly requested that the WBA order a purse bid.

Lebedev ignored the WBA and then recently sought, after the WBA deadline had passed, a special permit allowing him to fight Gassiev, which Shumenov officially objected to within 48 hours. WBA Interim cruiserweight world champion Yunier Dorticos has also objected. At this present time, though, Team Shumenov is still waiting to hear the WBA’s ruling in terms of stripping Lebedev if he decides to fight Gassiev instead of Shumenov.

It really is very simple. Shumenov wants to fight Lebedev, who is doing everything he can to avoid it. If Lebedev doesn’t care to meet his obligations and conditions of his prior special permit, he should relinquish his title. Lebedev and his people need to rejoin the rest of us in the real world and stop claiming that Shumenov has not been pushing for this fight.

According to a recent report, Lebedev’s camp members erroneously reported that, “Shumenov is not exactly pushing the issue” (to fight Lebedev next).

Fans may friend Beibut Shumenov on his Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/BeibutShumenov.

LAS VEGAS (July 22, 2016) – It has been more than a month since World Boxing Association (WBA) world cruiserweight champion Beibut Shumenov (16-2, 10 KOs), based on the much publicized WBA Cruiserweight Tournament rules and regulations, petitioned the WBA to either declare a purse bid for a title fight between WBA Super cruiserweight champion Denis Lebedev, or strip Lebedev of his title belt for being non-compliant.

Last July, Shumenov defeated B.J. Flores by way of a 12-round unanimous decision to become the WBA mandatory challenger for Lebedev, who hasn’t fought a mandatory defense since April 10, 2015.

The WBA issued a resolution this past April that Lebedev, who defeated Victor Emelio Ramirez in May to also become International Boxing Federation cruiserweight champion, must fight Shumenov within 120 days of the latter’s May 21, 2016 knockout victory over Junior Wright.

On record for making changes to insure only one world champion in each division, incredibly, the WBA presently has 38 different world title belt holders in only 17 different weight classes. Only three WBA divisions have one world champion – super lightweight, lightweight and light flyweight – and eight have three world titlists, including its cruiserweight division, which presently has world champions in Lebedev, Shumenov and Interim champion Yunier Dorticos, who is the WBA second mandatory challenger.

In an apparent public relations move, the WBA has suddenly declared this month a rash of mandatory defenses, however, declaring and actually making these title fights are two different things, as Shumenov has unfortunately learned. The WBA should have ordered a Lebedev vs. Shumenov purse bid on June 21, 2016, when the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement, but the WBA failed to do so. When Shumenov repeated his request for a purse bid in June, the WBA failed once again to act.

WBA Rule D: Purse Bids

1. Call For Purse Bid. Bout participants shall reach an agreement on holding the bout no later than ninety (90) days before the expiration of the mandatory period. To confirm an agreement has been reached, the WBA must receive acceptable bout contracts signed by the boxers certifying they have reached terms for the bout. If no agreement has been reached, the Championships Committee, with the approval of the President, can call for Purse bid. A boxer may also request a purse bid at any time.

Lebedev’s promoter, Andrei Ryabinsky, has been quoted in stories about having a deal in place for his fighter to defend his IBF title first. In effect, the WBA is allowing Lebedev to hold the WBA Super cruiserweight title belt hostage, leveraging it against his IBF crown. Shumenov, who is a former WBA Super light heavyweight champion, has now proudly worn the WBA belt around his waist for a total of nearly five years.

“I was looking forward to fighting Lebedev and I don’t understand his unwillingness and refusal to step in the ring with me,” Shumenov said.

Team Shumenov is extremely disappointed in the WBA’s failure to act on making the fight with Lebedev that it mandated, in addition to being discouraged by the WBA’s failure, after several requests had been made, to either set a purse bid date or strip Lebedev of his world title belt. Not knowing if or when the WBA is finally going to rule has left Shumenov unable to book any fights. The WBA’s failure to enforce its own purse bid rule, or strip Lebedev, has unfairly prevented Shumenov from earning a living while at the peak of his pro boxing career.

Shumenov is the only native Kazakh to be a two-division world champion. Now a resident of Las Vegas, he also represented his native Kazakhstan at the 2004 Olympics in Greece.

Fans may friend Beibut Shumenov on his Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/BeibutShumenov.

LAS VEGAS (June 5, 2016) – World Boxing Association (WBA) cruiserweight world champion Beibut Shumenov (17-2, 10 KOs) stopped No. 11-rated Junior “Hurricane” Wright (15-2-1, 12 KOs) in the 10th round of their May 21st title fight to remain mandatory challenger for unified WBA Super/International Boxing Federation (IBF) cruiserweight world champion Denis Lebedev (29-2, 22 KOs). The WBA mandated a Lebedev-Shumenov fight within 120 days of May 21.

Shumenov, 32, is a 2004 Kazakhstan Olympian who lives and trains in Las Vegas. During his 9-year professional boxing career, Shumenov has defeated four world champions – Gabriel Campillo, Byron Mitchell, William Joppy and Montell Griffin – as well as seven world title challengers. He is 8-2 (4 KOs) in world title fights

Below find a one-on-one interview with Shumenov:
(Photo by Yumio Yamada)

Evaluate your performance against Junior Wright in your last fight?

BS: “I am 100-percent a completely different fighter than in my previous fight against B.J. Flores. But, at the beginning of this fight, I had a little bit of ring rust. The inactivity is really hard for me. I would like to be busier and fight more often. I already started training and doing light exercises, right after my fight on May 21st. In my next fight, I will be even more different fighter against Lebedev.”

How does it feel to be the only fighter from your country to be 2-division world champion?

BS: “I don’t really think about those things. My main goal is to unify all of the titles and fight all the best fighters.”

You’ve always wanted to unify as a way of determining who the best or real champ is. In 20-11, you almost fought a unification as WBA light heavyweight but then-WBO champion Juergen Braehmer who suddenly went home a few days before the scheduled unification fight. How does it feel to know that you will be fighting Lebedev for WBA super and IBF cruiserweight titles within 120 days from May 21?

BS: “This has always been my goal – to unify – and I’m motivated even more knowing that I am going to fight for those two titles very soon.”

Do you think a deal will be made between your manager, Al Haymon and Lebedev’s promoter, Andrei Ryabinsky, or will it go to purse bid?

BS: “It doesn’t concern me, whether it goes to a purse bid, or where the location is. However, I hope the parties can get the best deal worked out for everyone involved.”

If Lebedev doesn’t want to fight you and he relinquishes his WBA super title belt, where do you go from there, fight second-mandatory challenger Yunier Dorticos?

BS: “I have heard rumors that Lebedev doesn’t want to fight me and, if this is true and he relinquishes his WBA Super belt, then I want to fight Dorticos because every organization should only have one champion in each division. I hope this isn’t the case, as I have been waiting to fight Lebedev since I won the WBA interim title (mandatory) back in July of 2015. The WBA has ordered us to fight within 120 days of May 21st. I am ready, willing and able to fight him and I hope he is ready, too.”

Fans may friend Beibut Shumenov on his Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/BeibutShumenov.

LAS VEGAS (May 19, 2016) – Cruiserweight champion Beibut Shumenov (16-2, 10 KOs) will battle once-beaten Junior Wright (15-1-1, 12 KOs) and top contender B.J. Flores takes on Mexico’s Roberto Santos (12-3, 5 KOs) in a pair of bouts that highlight undercard action on Saturday, May 21 from The Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

The May 21 event features SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT with a tripleheader of 154-pound world title fights. The main event sees a rematch between WBA champion Erislandy Lara and U.S. Olympian Vanes Martirosyan plus IBF champion Jermall Charlo battling former champion Austin Trout and unbeaten contender Jermell Charlo facing top contender John Jackson for the vacant WBC Super Welterweight world title.

Shumenov will defend his cruiserweight title in a 12-round matchup with Wright while Flores will make his heavyweight debut against and Santos in a six-round tilt.

Rounding out the action is Las Vegas-native Lanell “KO” Bellows (15-1-1, 8 KOs) in an eight-round super middleweight contest against Virginia’s Scott Sigmon (26-8-1, 14 KOs) and unbeaten prospect Tra-Kwon “Superman” Pettis (3-0, 1 KOs) in a six-round super lightweight battle against Mexico’s Carlos Rodriguez (6-2, 2 KOs).

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and TGB Promotions, are on-sale now. Ticket prices start at $39, and are available online at www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com or through Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000; www.ticketmaster.com.

A native of Shymkent, Kazakhstan fighting out of Las Vegas, Shumenov looks to build on his last fight, which saw him earn a cruiserweight crown by defeating B.J. Flores in July. His first title defense was scheduled for December but was cancelled when Shumenov suffered an eye injury. The 32-year-old won a world title at light heavyweight by defeating Gabriel Campillo in Las Vegas in 2010. The 2004 Olympian for Kazakhstan went on to defend his title five times and will make his first 200-pound defense against Chicago’s Wright. The 29-year-old has won back-to-back fights since suffering his only loss last May.

Twice a U.S. National Champion as an amateur, Flores seeks a run at a world title after coming up just short in a decision loss to Shumenov last July. Born in San Francisco, but fighting out of Chandler, Arizona, Flores had won seven fights in a row before his last bout including victories over veterans Kevin Engel and Anthony Caputo Smith. He will be opposed by the durable Mexican Santos, who has never been stopped.

For more information visit www.sports.sho.com and www.mayweatherpromotions.com, follow on Twitter @SHOSports, @LaraBoxing, @VanesBoxing, @FutureOfBoxing, @NoDoubtTrout, @TwinCharlo, @MayweatherPromo and @Swanson_Comm, become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxingand www.facebook.com/MayweatherPromotions

LAS VEGAS (May 18, 2016) – World Boxing Association (WBA) Interim Cruiserweight World champion Beibut Shumenov (16-2, 10 KOs) makes his first title defense this Saturday night (May 21) against WBA No. 11-rated Junior “Hurricane” Wright (15-1-1, 12 KOs) at The Chelsea inside of The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

“I’m happy to get the opportunity to fight this Saturday night,” Shumenov said, “but I wish that I could fight more often. I’ve been ready since January. Every training session I gain new knowledge. I am a completely different fighter than in my last fight.”

Shumenov’s last fight was back in July, in which he defeated B.J. Flores (31-1-1, 20 KOs) by 12-round unanimous decision in Las Vegas to capture the vacant WBA Interim title, making the former WBA light heavyweight champion Shumenov the first professional boxer from Kazakhstan to be a two-division world champion.

By becoming the WBA Interim cruiserweight champion, Shumenov also became the No. 1 ranked mandatory challenger for WBA Super cruiserweight titlist Denis Lebedev (28-2, 21 KOs), who also fights this Saturday in Russia against International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion Victor Emilio “El Tyson de Abasto” Ramirez (22-2-1, 17 KOs) in a unification match.

The WBA has already mandated that the Lebedev-Ramirez must fight Shumenov within 120 days. The WBA, however, has failed to explain why it also declared a WBA “regular” cruiserweight world title fight this Friday night in France between No. 2 Yunier Dorticos and No. 5 Youri Kalenga (since upgraded to No. 3), especially after announcing that it would work this year to have only one world champion in each weight class.

Shumenov, of course, is risking his mandatory position by fighting Wright, the former 5-time Chicago Golden Gloves champion. “I need to stay active,” Shumenov explained why he’s taking such a risk. “Every fight, I gain experience and it also helps me develop my fighting skills.”

The 12-round Shumenov vs. Wright title fight is on the non-televised portion of The Cosmopolitan show.

Fans may friend Beibut Shumenov on his Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/BeibutShumenov.

LAS VEGAS (March 22, 2016) – World Boxing Association (WBA) Interim Cruiserweight World champion Beibut Shumenov (16-2, 10 KOs) is targeting the May 21st unification title winner between WBA titlist Denis Lebedev (28-2, 21 KOs) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion Victor Emilio “El Tyson de Abasto” Ramirez (22-2-1, 17 KOs).

When Shumenov defeated B.J. Flores (31-1-1, 20 KOs) last July in Las Vegas, the former WBA light heavyweight champion became WBA Interim champion as well as its No. 1 mandatory contender.

Lebedev, however, hasn’t fought a mandatory fight since last April 10 in which he won a 12-round decision over then Interim WBA champion Youri Kalenga. Lebedev made a voluntary tittle offense last November, stopping Lateef Kayode in the eighth round.

Shumenov will be back in the ring next month (April), full details forthcoming, and then he will challenge the Lebedev-Ramirez winner within 90/120 days of their outcome.

“I’m looking forward to having the opportunity to fight the Lebedev-Ramirez winner because it’s always been my goal to unify the titles,” Shumenov explained. “Lebedev has always been my target. Ramirez is the other fighter I’ve really wanted to fight and my manager tried to make a fight between us, too.

“I’ve been in the gym since my last fight, training hard to perfect my skills. Now, I am a completely different fighter since I fought last July. My team is extremely happy and confident that I can beat all of the other world cruiserweight champions.”

Last December, Shumenov was scheduled to defend his Interim WBA crown against two-time world cruiserweight champion Krzyesztof “Diablo” Wlodarczyk (50-3-1, 36 KOs), but a serious medical issue concerning a family member forced Shumenov to withdraw from the aforementioned fight.

“The opportunity to fight the winner of Lebedev/Ramirez in a big unification fight just came about this year and I didn’t have that option back when I agreed to initially fight Wlodarczyk back in December and I was unable to foresee what would happen to my family personally,” 32-year-old Shumenov said. “I have no problem fighting Wlodarczyk in the future, but only after I fight the Lebedev-Ramirez unification winner. In addition, at any time, I have no problem fighting WBA No. 2-ranked Yunier Dorticos.

“Right now, I’m at my fighting prime yet still improving, training with my coach, Ismael Salas. I want to show the world my skills before I get too old. Literally, I’m ready to fight tomorrow and I’ve been ready for months. I’ll be back in the ring next month and then I’ll get my shot at the Lebedev-Ramirez winner.”

Fans may friend Beibut Shumenov on his Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/BeibutShumenov.

LAS VEGAS (November 12, 2015) – Undefeated Cuban Rances “Kid Blast” Barthelemy (23-0, 13 KOs) and Russia’s Denis Shafikov (36-1-1, 19 KOs) will fight for a lightweight world title on Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on Spike Friday, December 18 from the Pearl at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

Televised coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET/PT and will see cruiserweight world champion Beibut Shumenov (16-2, 10 KOs) in a matchup with former world cruiserweight world champion Krzyzstof Wlodarczyk (49-3-1, 35 KOs). Also featured on the telecast is undefeated junior middleweight Chris “Young King” Pearson (13-0, 10 KOs) and rising unbeaten prospect Gervonta “Tank” Davis (13-0, 12 KOs) in separate attractions.

“On December 18 I’m going to make history by adding another world title to my collection,” said Barthelemy. “Shafikov is a very tough opponent and at this level everyone is dangerous. I’m taking this fight very seriously and the boxing world will take notice of my presence in the ring. Fans love to see action and that’s what I bring to every fight. I’m going to send a stern message to the world of boxing that I’m one of the best in the sport.”

“I’ve been preparing my whole life for this fight and to become a world champion,” said Shafikov. “This is my second world title fight and while I have a great deal of respect for Barthelemy, I will be victorious on December 18. My trainer Abel Sanchez and I have been working hard for the past couple of months and we will have a great game plan on fight night.”

“I am happy to get back in the ring again because I want to fight all of the best fighters in the cruiserweight division,” said Shumenov. “I would like to stay more active because I’m still developing. I am curious to see my progression and how I will do against the best cruiserweights.”

“I’m very excited to be fighting a well-known opponent in Las Vegas,” said Wlodarczyk. “Shumenov is a tricky guy, but he has no heart. He tried to run from the action in his last fight. I do not like to fight guys who run but if I want to fight the best I have to destroy this chicken and I will do it.”

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Mayweather Promotions in association with Warriors Boxing, are priced at $100.50, and $25.50 plus applicable fees, and are on sale Friday, November 13. Tickets may be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling the Pearl Box Office at 702-994-3200 or Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000.

“It’s a great pleasure to be promoting two world title fights on this outstanding night of boxing on Spike from Palms Casino Resort,” said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions. “In addition, Mayweather Promotions’ rising stars Chris Pearson and Gervonta Davis will enter the ring looking to remain unbeaten and get another step closer to a world title. It’s going to be a can’t-miss night of action.”

“We look forward to having Spike and Mayweather Promotions back to The Pearl for a night of action-packed bouts,” said Billy Conn, Vice President of Entertainment and Special Events at Palms Casino Resort.

A Cuban amateur national champion, the 29-year-old Barthelemy has yet to taste defeat since turning pro in 2009. Born in Cuba but now fighting out of Las Vegas, he won a super featherweight world title in July of last year by defeating Argenis Mendez in impressive fashion and followed that up with a second round TKO over Angino Perez. Most recently, he defeated former world champion Antonio DeMarco in convincing fashion in a PBC main event in June.

Having fought in eight countries throughout his pro career, the 30-year-old Shafikov brings a full career of experiences with him into his second world title opportunity on December 18. Born in Miass, Russia, he enters this fight having won three in a row by taking down Rustam Nugaev, Miguel Mendoza and Roy Mukhlis.

A native of Shymkent, Kazakhstan fighting out of Las Vegas, Shumenov looks to build on his last fight, which saw him earn a cruiserweight crown by defeating B.J. Flores in July. The 32-year-old won a world title at light heavyweight by defeating Gabriel Campillo in Las Vegas in 2010. The 2004 Olympian for Kazakhstan went on to defend his title five times and will return to the scene of his latest triumph on December 18.

A two-time world champion in the cruiserweight division, Warsaw, Poland’s Wlodarczyk looks to win a world title for a third time in his career at cruiserweight. The 34-year-old owns world title-winning victories over Steve Cunningham and Giacobbe Fragomeni. In his last world title reign Wlodarczyk defended his belt six times, including victories over Danny Green, Rakhim Chakhkiyev and Francisco Palacios.

Born in Dayton, Ohio, Pearson has impressed with strong victories over Steve Martinez, Said El Harrak, Lanardo Tyner and previously unbeaten Acacio Joao Ferreira in four fights before he defeated Janks Trotter in September. The 24-year-old looks to continue to rise within the junior middleweight division and cement his contender status on December 18.

A highly-regarded prospect who won the 2012 National Gloves championship, the 21-year-old Davis has already recorded four stoppage victories in 2015. Most recently, the Baltimore-native stopped former world champion Cristobal Cruz with a vicious combination in their October fight.

For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, www.mayweatherpromotions.com and www.spike.com/shows/premier-boxing-champions.
Follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @RealKidBlast, @Beibut_Shumenov, @_ChrisPearson, @SpikeTV, @SpikeSports, @MayweatherPromo, @WarriorsBoxingProm, @PearlAtPalms and @Swanson_Comm and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions and
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According to Dan Rafael of espn.com. interim Cruiserweight titlist Beibut Shumenov will defend his totle against Kryzstof Wlodarczyk on December 18th in Las Vegas on Spike TV.

LAS VEGAS (Aug. 3, 2015) – Newly crowned World Boxing Association (WBA) Interim cruiserweight champion Beibut Shumenov (16-2, 10 KOs) recently made history once again, defeating B.J. Flores (31-2-1, 20 KOs) by way of a 12-round unanimous decision as Premier Boxing Champions series headliner, which aired July 25th on NBCSN live from The Palms in Las Vegas.

Shumenov, 31, became the mandatory challenger for WBA “regular” cruiserweight champion Denis Lebedev (27-1, 20 KOs, 1 NC), of Russia, as well as the first Kazakhstan native to capture a world title in two different weight classes having been the WBA light heavyweight champion from 2010-2014.

Boxing hotbed Kazakhstan has produced five other world champions during the past quarter-century: 1990 WBC super featherweight Aratoly Alexandrov, 2000 WBC heavyweight Oleg “Big O” Maskaev, 2001-2003 – IBF cruiserweight Vassily “The Tiger” Jirov, 2010-2012 WBA super middleweight Dimitri Sartison and reigning WBA Super/WBC Interim middleweight Gennady Golovkin.

In his fist historic fight back in 2010, Shumenov defeated defending WBA light heavyweight champion Gabriel Campillo viaa 12-round decision to establish the record for fewest-fights, 10, to become world champion of a major organization in the 175-pound division.

“I am very proud to set another record in boxing,” 2004 Olympian Shumenov said. “I’m honored to be the first fighter from my country to become world champion in two divisions. I’d like to thank my manager, Al Haymon, for giving me this opportunity. Lebedev is the main target and, if I pass that test, I want to fight the best fighters in the cruiserweight division.”

Shumenov went through a style transformation, under the direction of famed Cuban head coach Ismael Salas, who worked with the athletic Kazakh to change him from an aggressive, grinding fighter into a more complete, all-around boxer. Shumenov baffled Flores, who expected Shumenov to come to him and exchange punches, which would have given the naturally bigger, stronger Flores an advantage. Instead, Shumenov masterfully boxed his way to victory, using lateral movement, angles and positioning to frustrate Flores into ineffective aggression, resulting in an array of off-balance punches and misses.

After the fight, Shumenov explained the surprising change he went through after training with Salas since January. “I’m still in the learning process. Like my trainer says, there are no limits, and I still haven’t perfected what he’s teaching me. It really comes down to a lot of hard work, repetitions of muscle memory. My footwork for this fight came from my trainer. I was happy to be victorious but I still see myself getting a lot better, overall, as a complete boxer.”

(L-R) Shumenov & Salas
Salas also trains World Boxing Council (WBC) World Lightweight Champion Jorge Linares (39-3, 26 KOs), in addition to handling past and present world champions such as Guillermo Rigondeaux, Yuriokis Gamboa, Danny Green, and Jesse Vargas.

“There is a process for everybody in terms of bio-mechanics,” Salas commented. “There are specialties of training I teach that aren’t used often in boxing, specific exercises for the dynamics of motion. I originally learned to coach in the Cuban system, which is similar to the Soviet system in which Beibut first learned, but I’ve also been all over the world learning different methods of training. It still takes time for a world-class fighter like Beibut, who has been world champion as a professional, and had many amateur matches. Jorge Linares was a two-time world champion before we started working together. Beibut is getting there. He’s still not at his full potential, right now, using only 40-50 percent of his tools.”

Shumenov is a lawyer and successful businessman who speaks five languages. Although he’s a two-time world champion, he’s still a student of boxing, and Salas is his highly respected professor.

“He’s (Salas) humble but a genius,” Shumenov insists. “He asks and listens to my opinions. We concentrate on fundamentals and he explains everything to me. Our team had a daily routine in camp in which we shared our knowledge after each training session. The four of us (Shumenov, Salas, Grmjoja and Crisler) became one.”

And the result was a second world title.

Fans may friend Beibut Shumenov on his Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/BeibutShumenov.

LAS VEGAS (July 21, 2015) – Former World Champion Rico Ramos (24-4, 12 KOs) takes on hard-hitting Claudio Marrero (18-1, 13 KOs) in a featherweight battle on Saturday, July 25 at the Pearl at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

The bout is part of a full night action headlined by a 12-round cruiserweight showdown between Beibut Shumenov (15-2, 10 KOs) and B.J. Flores (31-1-1, 20 KOs). Televised coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT with a 10-round contest between undefeated cruiserweights Jordan Shimmell (19-0, 16 KOs) and Isiah Thomas (14-0, 6 KOs).

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Mayweather Promotions are priced at $100.50, $75.50, $50.50, and $20.50, plus applicable fees and are on sale now. Tickets may be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling the Pearl Box Office at 702-994-3200 or Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000.

Undefeated prospects will faces tough tests Saturday as knockout artist Andrew “The Beast” Tabiti (10-0, 10 KOs) faces Roberto Santos (12-1, 5 KOs) in an eight-round cruiserweight bout, 2012 U.S. Olympian Michael Hunter (8-0, 5 KOs) battles Michael Bissett (9-7, 7 KOs)in 10-rounds of heavyweight action and Ladarius “Memphis” Miller (7-0, 1 KO)rounds out the action in a six-round super lightweight contest against Sean Gee (2-0).

A decorated amateur out of Carson, California, Ramos won a super bantamweight world title in 2011 by knocking out Akifumi Shimoda. The 28-year-old owns victories over previously unbeaten fighters Efrain Esquivias and Carlos Ivan Velasquez. He most recently took home a unanimous decision victory over Juan Ruiz in Dec. 2014.

After winning a silver medal at the 2007 Pan American Games, in addition to several other amateur accolades, the Dominican Republic’s Marrero won the first 14 outings of his pro career. At 26-years-old, he brings a four-fight win streak into this matchup on July 25, including his most recent victory over Orlando Rizo in February.

A 2012 U.S. Olympian who won U.S. Amateur Championships in 2009 and 2007, the 26-year-old Hunter has begun to make a name for himself in the professional ranks since turning pro in 2013. After winning four times in 2014, the Van Nuys, California-native won a unanimous decision over Avery Gibson in February to start 2015 and followed that up by stopping Deon Elam in June. He takes on the 31-year-old Bissett of Biloxi, Mississippi.

Coming off of a thrilling one-punch knockout over Thomas Hanshaw in June, the 25-year-old Tabiti looks to keep his knockout ratio perfect when he returns on July 25. The Chicago-born cruiserweight now fighting out of Las Vegas will face the most experienced fighter of his career when he battles the 26-year-old Mexican Santos.

A slick fighter out of Memphis but fighting out of Las Vegas, Miller is unbeaten since turning pro in 2014. The 21-year-old most recently took home a unanimous decision over Marquis Taylor in April and will return to take on the 27-year-old Portland, Oregon born Gee.

For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, www.nbcsports.com/boxing, www.mayweatherpromotions.com and www.TGBPromotions.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @Beibut_Shumenov, @BJFloresBoxing, @MayweatherPromo, @TGBPromotions, @NBCSports, and @PearlAtPalms and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.Facebook.com/MayweatherPromotions and www.facebook.com/NBCSports

LAS VEGAS (July 20, 2015) – Nearly one year ago, former World Boxing Association (WBA) Light Heavyweight World champion Beibut Shumenov (15-2, 10 KOs) made two critical decisions that are now paying dividends as the 2004 Kazakhstan Olympian prepares for this Saturday night’s (July 25) showdown with B.J. Flores (31-1-1, 20 KOs) at The Palms in Shumenov’s adopted home of Las Vegas.

First, after struggling to lose weight in order to make the 175-pound light heavyweight limit, which often left Shumenov weakened during his fights, he decided to move up one weight class to fight as a cruiserweight. Then, after self-training himself for three fights, Shumenov started working with highly-regarded Cuban head trainer Ismael Salas, who also trains World Boxing Council (WBC) World Lightweight Champion Jorge Linares. He has also handled present and past world champions such as Guillermo Rigondeaux, Yuriokis Gamboa, Danny Green, and Jesse Vargas.

With Salas in his corner for the first time, Shumenov made his cruiserweight debut last December at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, in which Bobby Thomas, Jr. (14-2, 9 KOs) retired after the fifth round when he could no longer take an old-fashioned beating.

These two aforementioned critical decisions have already positioned WBA No. 1-ranked Shumenov to fight WBA No. 3-rated Flores for the interim WBA cruiserweight title, headlining a Premier Boxing Champions event to air live on NBCSN.

Shumenov is a physical specimen, impressively cut with bulging muscles. However, as he aged, the constant wear and tear associated with making weight – it’s much more difficult to lose muscle than fat – simply became too much for him to overcome. When he first came to the United States eight years ago, ironically, he thought about fighting as a heavyweight or cruiserweight, but he ultimately decided to fight as a light heavyweight. He went on to set the world light heavyweight record for fewest career fights, 10, needed to become world light heavyweight champion

“Since moving up to cruiserweight,” Shumenov said, “I have had no problems making weight. No stress at all! All I think about now is how I can be a better fighter. I really enjoy being a cruiserweight and I have only positive energy at the gym.”

Salas agrees that Shumenov is comfortable and effective fighting as a world-class cruiserweight. “Beibut has adapted very well to fighting in the cruiserweight class,” Salas noted. “It is due to his healthy way of working hard and eating well. He doesn’t struggle anymore to make weight. Plus, he still has good mobility and power punching ability.”

The connection between Shumenov and Salas was immediate, largely due to a similar boxing program Shumenov learned in Kazakhstan, Salas in Cuba, which focus on fundamentals.

“Ismael is the coach I dreamed of finding,” Shumenov remarked. “We have a lot of similarities in our boxing school background. We had chemistry right away, from the first day of training. I also have two assistant coaches, Jeff Grmoja and Rodney Crisler, and we all discuss and share our boxing knowledge as a team to help me become a better fighter. We now all think as one.”

Salas agrees with Shumenov about their instant connection, adding: “It is true that we come from very similar training systems. We’ve added a professional approach to training, stressing the fundamentals of boxing skills. Add Beibut’s mental strength and all his hard work to be prepared in the ring to adjust, in approximately 10 months, and we have a new team that works so well together.”

On paper, Flores may have an experience advantage over Shumenov – 33 pro fights to 17 – but Shumenov has faced a much higher quality of opposition having fought in eight (6-2) world title fights. In his 17 pro fights, Shumenov has fought five world champions and five world title challengers. Flores lost to the only world champion he’s fought, then-IBO cruiserweight Danny Green.

“We’re prepared to face anything BJ Flores will bring, so I believe it’ll be an exciting, competitive fight between two experienced fighters,” Salas concluded. “The first few rounds may be a like a master chess game.”

Fans may friend Beibut Shumenov on his Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/BeibutShumenov.

LAS VEGAS (June 29, 2015) – Former world champion Beibut Shumenov (15-2, 10 KOs) meets cruiserweight contender and NBC boxing analyst B.J. Flores (31-1-1, 20 KOs) on Saturday, July 25 on Premier Boxing Champions on NBCSN live from The Pearl at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas with televised coverage beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

The evening’s televised co-feature will showcase a pair of undefeated rising contenders as Jordan Shimmell (19-0, 16 KOs) faces Isiah Thomas (14-0, 6 KOs).

“I’m excited to get back in the ring July 25th on NBCSN to be a part of this huge fight,” said Shumenov. “Flores is a good fighter with experience, so I expect a very good, entertaining fight. I am very happy to be fighting in Las Vegas. I am enjoying working with my head coach, Ismael Salas, and my two assistant coaches, Jeff Grmoja and Rodney Crisler. Every day has been productive and I’ve been learning something new.”

“Commentating for PBC is something I enjoy, but boxing is my passion. I am a boxer first,” said Flores. “I look forward to proving myself against a former world champion, an Olympian and a guy who is highly respected and regarded. This is the type of fight that PBC wants. Good competitive fights and that is what this is going to be. I’m very eager to be in a position like this. Beibut is a guy that I had always wanted to fight. He is a very good fighter. There is nothing bad to say about him. It is a great opportunity for me.”

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Mayweather Promotions are priced at $100.50, $75.50, $50.50, and $20.50, plus applicable fees, and go on sale tomorrow, June 30 at noon PT. Tickets may be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling the Pearl Box Office at 702-994-3200 or Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000.

“Mayweather Promotions is pleased to bring another great night of fights to Las Vegas and viewers watching on NBCSN,” said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions. “With two top cruiserweight contenders entering the ring, this will be an action-packed event for as long as it lasts.”

“We welcome Mayweather Promotions back to The Pearl and look forward to hosting another night of fantastic fights live for the whole world to see,” said Billy Conn, Vice President of Entertainment and Special Events at Palms Casino Resort.

A native of Shymkent, Kazakhstan fighting out of Las Vegas, Shumenov looks to make his mark in the cruiserweight division in the same way he soared to the top at light heavyweight. The 31-year-old won his world title by defeating Gabriel Campillo in Las Vegas in 2010. The 2004 Olympian for Kazakhstan went on to defend his title five times and will look for a big win in the city he now calls home.

Twice a U.S. National Champion as an amateur, the 36-year-old Flores seeks his biggest professional win on July 25 in Las Vegas. Flores has also begun to make his mark on the boxing world as an analyst for PBC on NBC. Born in San Francisco but fighting out of Chandler, Arizona, Flores comes into this bout on a seven-fight win streak including his most recent effort, a third round TKO over Kevin Engel in Oct. 2014.

The 26-year-old Shimmell is a former amateur standout who became the first heavyweight to win four Michigan Golden Gloves titles. Undefeated as a pro, the Hudsonville-native has ended his last seven bouts inside of the distance including his most recent victory, an April stoppage of Carlos Reyes.

A product of Emanuel Steward’s Kronk Gym in Detroit, Thomas was trained by the late famed trainer throughout an amateur career that included two Junior Olympic titles and a gold medal at the World Cadet Championships. Since turning pro in 2008 the 26-year-old is yet to lose and recently defeated Brad Austin in February.

For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, www.nbcsports.com/boxing and www.mayweatherpromotions.com,follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @Beibut_Shumenov, @BJFloresBoxing, @MayweatherPromo, @NBCSports, and @PearlAtPalms and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.Facebook.com/MayweatherPromotions and www.facebook.com/NBCSports.

An injury to Beibut Shumenov has forced a postponement of his WBA Interim Cruiserweight title fight that was slated to take place next Saturday in Las Vegas, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Flores was disappointed but said he will remain in training camp in Phoenix and be ready for the new date. He has been sparring with heavyweight contenders Steve Cunningham and Bryant Jennings for the past two weeks in preparation.

“I had over 40 rounds sparring with those two guys and another 25 rounds [with others] before that,” Flores told ESPN.com on Tuesday. “I’ve been working crazy hard. I was more than ready for June 20. I was very ready. Steve and Jennings are great tools to get ready for big fights. They are both much better than Beibut. Great camp so far.”

LAS VEGAS — Victor Ortiz is man with many resumes. Movie roles are on one. Floyd Mayweather Jr. is on the other.

Ortiz left the studio and went back to work Saturday on the resume that includes his wild loss to Mayweather

It went off almost as if it had been rehearsed.

Ortiz (30-5-2, 23 KOs) was back at the MGM Grand with a predictable victory, without a head butt and with an impressive third-round stoppage of Manuel Perez (21-11-1, 4 KOs), with whom he knocked heads during Friday’s weigh-in.

But no head games were necessary in the ring. Perez, of Denver, never had much of a chance. Ortiz’ hand speed began to find its mark in the opening round and finished Perez with a succession of blows at 51 seconds of the third.

“If you ain’t first, you’re last,’’ said Ortiz, sounding a lot like the Ricky Bobby character in the film Talladega Nights.

Yeah, Ortiz can act. Maybe, he can still fight, too.

Tokyo junior-middleweight Yoshihiro Kamegai (25-2-1, 22 KOs) walked through Oscar Godoy (13-4, 6 KOs) of San Jose, Calif, Saturday in an early bout on the Showtime-televised card featuring Amir Khan-versus-Devon Alexander at the MGM Grand.

Actually, Kamegai could have walked over him, too. Godoy offered no opposition, hitting the canvas three times, twice in the second round. At 1:58 of the fourth, Godoy was finished, unable to get to his feet before referee Jay Nady reached the count of 10.

Kazakhstan cruiserweight Beibut Shumenov (15-2, 10 KOs), back at work after a one-sided loss to Bernard Hopkins, threw the day’s first punch in front of a lunch time crowd at the MGM Grand, scoring a 5th-round TKO of overmatched Robert Thomas Jr. (14-3-1, 9 KOs) of Beckley, WV.

Tokyo junior-middleweight Yoshihiro Kamegai (25-2-1, 22 KOs) walked through Oscar Godoy (13-4, 6 KOs) of San Jose, Calif, Saturday in an early bout on the Showtime-televised card featuring Amir Khan-versus-Devon Alexander at the MGM Grand.

Actually, Kamegai could have walked over him, too. Godoy offered no opposition, hitting the canvas three times, twice in the second round. At 1:58 of the fourth, Godoy was finished, unable to get to his feet before referee Jay Nady reached the count of 10.

Kazakhstan cruiserweight Beibut Shumenov (15-2, 10 KOs), back at work after a one-sided loss to Bernard Hopkins, threw the day’s first punch in front of a lunch time crowd at the MGM Grand, scoring a 5th-round TKO of overmatched Robert Thomas Jr. (14-3-1, 9 KOs) of Beckley, WV.

LAS VEGAS (Dec. 8, 2014) – After being self-trained for his last three fights, former World Boxing Association (WBA) Light Heavyweight World champion Beibut Shumenov (14-2, 9 KOs) is now working in Las Vegas with highly-regarded Cuban head trainer Ismael Salas.

Salas, who has trained world champions such as Guillermo Rigondeaux, Yuriokis Gamboa, Danny Green, Jesse Vargas and Jorge Linares, is preparing Shumenov for his cruiserweight debut this Saturday night (Dec. 13) against West Virginia fighter Bobby Thomas Jr. (14-2, 9 KOs) in an eight-round bout for the NABA US title, on the Golden Boy Promotions-presented Khan-Alexander card at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“I’ve had a lot of changes after my last fight,” the 31-year-old Shumenov said. “I trained myself for the last three fights but now I have added a great trainer, Ismael Salas, to my team.

“I come from Kazakhstan and I was taught the Soviet Union boxing program. The Cuban boxing program has a lot of similarities, so, for me it was easy to pick up Ismael’s teaching method. The addition of Ismael to my team, along with a few other minor changes, has brought about a real positive environment. I look forward again to going to the gym every day and having fun.”

“There was chemistry between us from the beginning,” Salas explained. “In Beibut, I found the old Russian and Cuban boxing fundamentals, so, it was easy for me to approach Beibut’s style but in a professional manner. We talk with all key members of Team Shumenov to discuss his weekly training, including sparring, to do everything the right way.

“We started working together in September and fortunately I provided the right tools he needed for his style. Since the beginning I’ve explained to him that I wouldn’t change his style, just improve it and approach him about working angles better. His strength is toughness and power punching. All he needs is to maintain his game plan. As long as he stays healthy going into a fight – that is most important – moving up to cruiserweight will not affect his power and mobility.”

WBA No. 2 rated cruiserweight Shumenov, a 2004 Kazakhstan Olympian who lives in Las Vegas, captured the WBA light heavyweight title January 29, 2010 by way of a 12-round decision over Gabriel Campillo. Fighting as a professional in only his 10th professional bout, Shumenov established the fewest-fights record for the light heavyweight champion of a major organization with his victory over Campillo.

Shumenov successfully defended his WBA light heavyweight title belt five times against previously unbeaten mandatory challenger Vyacheslav Uzelkov (DEC12), former world champion William Joppy (KO6), multiple world title challengers Danny Santiago (TKO) and Enrique Ornelas (DEC12), and previously undefeated Tamas Kovacs (TKO3).

Fans may friend Beibut Shumenov on his Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/BeibutShumenov.

Former Light Heavyweight beltholder Beibut Shumenov will move up in weight in his first bout since losing his title on December 13 in Las Vegas according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

He will take on Bobby Thomas Jr.

“I look forward to Dec. 13 and pursuing a world cruiserweight title with (adviser) Al Haymon in my corner,” said Shumenov, 31, a native of Kazakhstan, who lives in Las Vegas.

“I’m happy to be fighting again and moving up to the cruiserweight division,” Shumenov said. “I don’t have to struggle now to lose 50-plus pounds to make weight for my fights.”

“I’ve had a lot of changes after my last fight,” Shumenov said. “I trained myself for the last three fights but now I have added a great trainer, Ismael Salas, to my team.”

49 year-old Bernard Hopkins continued to make history as scored a 12 round split decision pver Beibut Shumenov to to retain his IBF and capture the WBA Light Heavyweight title at the DC Armory in Washington, DC.

The 1st three rounds set the pace that Hopkins wanted as next to nothing happend and Shumenov’s offensive pace was set for the evening. Hopkins started to get his trademark lead right hand going in round four. Hopkins became a little more active as each round passed. Hopkins took took all the middle rounds and was building up a solid lead. In round 10, he landed a perfect right hand that sent Shumenov to the canvas. It looked for a minute as if Hopkins would be able to get the stoppage but he did not turn on the gas and continued to land solid shots all be that they were one at a time. Shumenov landed very few punches of note but somehow a score card read 114-113 in his favor. The two other cards were correct at 116-111 for Hopkins.

The ageless wonder will now wait for the winner of the May 24 WBC title fight between Adonis Stevenson and Andrej Fonfara. Hopkins, 172.4 lbs of Philadelphia improves his Hall of Fame mark to 55-6-2. Shumenov, 174.4 lbs of Shymkeent, KAZ is now 14-2.

On his future, Hopkins said, “We are with SHOWTIME until I end my career. Stevenson, I am coming to Canada. I am getting my papers together. I want to be the undisputed light heavyweight world champion this year, period.”
A disappointed Shumenov told Gray, “To be honest, I wasn’t thinking about the scorecard. I tried hard. Bernard, but he was the better man tonight. I chose the wrong strategy and used the wrong style. I am angry that I couldn’t get the victory. I am a true warrior and I want to fight only the best. Tonight, obviously it wasn’t my fight.”

Shawn Porter scored an explosive 4th round stoppage over Paulie Malignaggi to retain his IBF Welterweight title.

In round one, Malignaggi was cut from what looked like a jab. In round two, the fight get physical and hurt Malignaggi from a leaping left hook. Porter landed several more power shots during the round.

In round four, Porter came out and landed a right hand that sent Malignaggi to the canvas. Malignaggi was clearly hurt and ate a huge left hook that drove him to the ropes. Porter was all over Malignaggi and landed 2 hard punches in close and Malignaggi was sent to the canvas and the fight was stopped.

In the aftermath, Gray asked Porter what it was that Malignaggi had told him just moments after the bout. “Paulie, wished me the best and I don’t know what he is looking at for himself [in the future] but he said, ‘Make sure they know that I lost to a great champion. Go out there and be great.’ I am going to honor his words and his wishes.”

Speaking about the win, Porter said, “I definitely needed this victory. To get it like that from a guy like this. He touched me in every way possible being in the ring with him. I knew what he was coming with. But I always had questions of my own. I came in and answered those questions tonight.”

When asked what he wants next, Porter said, “I’m going to enjoy this and let my team handle what is next. I’m sure they will all communicate. We’ll come up with the next game plan and we’ll tackle it.”

Gray then asked Malignaggi what it was that he told Porter. “I just said, ‘Don’t make me have lost to an average fighter. Go be great so that I can say that a really great fighter beat me.’ I know that he has that potential.

Regarding retirement, “If I do retire, and I don’t want to make that decision right now while I am emotional, but I don’t want to do it off of an average champion. I want to do it off of a great champion.

Breaking down the fight, Malignaggi said, “He was controlling the distance. I couldn’t get going. He was going away and then bringing the attack. He mixed it up well. He came right at me at times and then, at other times, he moved away.”

When asked about retiring and focusing the rest of his career solely on his commentating work for SHOWTIME, Malignaggi said, “I can’t really think about that right now. If I give you an answer right now I would tell you that I am stopping fighting but maybe I’d change my mind next week. I want to go home and think about it.”

Porter, 146.8 lbs of Akron, OH is now 24-0-1 with 15 knockouts. Malignaggi, 146.2 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is now 33-6.

Peter Quillin scored a 12 round unanimous decision to retain the WBO Middleweight crown over Lukas Konecny.

Quillin boxed well over the 1st half of the fight and landed shots through the high guard of Konecny. At the end of round six, a right hand wobbled Konecny. Round eight saw some good action as both land hard shots. Quillin got through with a left hook while Konecny landed some left hooks. The fight turned lethargic in round ten and even drew some boos from the crowd at the Armory. Konecny started to bleed from right eye in round ten. There were a couple decent exchanges down the stretch but neither fighter was in any danger.

Quillin, 159.8 lbs of Brooklyn won by scores of 120-108 and 119-109 twice and is now 31-0. Konecny, 158.25 lbs of Usti, CZ is now 50-5

After the fight, Quillin said, “I’m thankful that I was able to get up in here with a tough customer in front of me and get up and fight.”

Sadam Ali made short work of Michael Clark by scoring a 1st round stoppage in their 10-round Welterweight bout.

Ali landed a left hook to the face that sent Clark down for the 10-count at 2:06 of round one.

Ali. 146 1/4 lbs of Brooklyn is now 19-0 with 12 knockouts. Clark, 144 lbs of Columbus, OH is now 44-10-1-1.

Marcus Browne remained undefeated by scoring an 8-round unanimous decision over veteran Otis Griffin.

Browne dominated the action and scored a knockdown from a perfet straight left in round five.

Browne, 174 lbs of Staten Island, NY won by scores of 80-71 on all cards and is now 10-0. Griffin, 176 lbs of Sacramento, CA announced his retirement before the fight finished with a mark of 24-16-2.

Zachary Ochoa scored a 5th round stoppage over Hector Marengo in a scheduled six round Jr. Welterweight bout.

Ochoa dominated and scored a knockdown in round round from a roundhouse right hand. He dropped Merango for a 2nd time from a body shot in round five. Just seconds later, Merango’s corner threw in the towel at 1:32 of round five.

Ochoa, 139 1/2 lbs of Brooklyn is now 7-0 with 4 knockouts. Merango, 140 1/4 lbs of Aricibo, PR is now 6-8-4.

WASHINGTON D.C. (April 17, 2014) – The fighters, including legendary future Hall of Famer Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins and Beibut Shumenov, who will compete on Saturday’s eagerly awaited “History at the Capitol” world championship tripleheader on SHOWTIME®, participated in the final press conference Thursday at The Hamilton Live in Washington, D.C.

In the history-making main event on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® (9 p.m. ET/PT following the premiere of Episode 1 of ALL ACCESS: Mayweather vs. Maidana) the 49-year-old Hopkins (54-6-2, 32 KOs), of Philadelphia, will be seeking to become the oldest fighter in boxing history to unify world titles when he puts his IBF Light Heavyweight title on the line against his WBA counterpart, Shumenov (14-1, 9 KOs), of Shymkent, Kazakhstan, who is aiming to become the fastest fighter to unify the light heavyweight division with only 15 professional fights.

The two other world title fights on SHOWTIME — unbeaten IBF Welterweight World Champion Shawn Porter (23-0-1), ofCleveland, defends against former world champion Paulie Malignaggi (33-5, 7 KOs), of Brooklyn, N.Y. and unbeaten WBO Middleweight World Champion Peter Quillin (30-0, 22 KOs), of Brooklyn, risks his belt against the Czech Republic’s Lukas Konecny (50-4, 23 KOs). Three live preliminary fights will precede the SHOWTIME telecast on SHOWTIME EXTREME®(7 p.m. ET/PT): Sadam Ali (18-0, 11 KOs), Brooklyn, vs. Michael Clark (44-9-1, 18 KOs ) Columbus, OH., 10 rounds, welterweights; Zachary Ochoa (6-0, 3 KOs), Brooklyn, vs. Hector Marengo (6-7-4, 4 KOs), Arecibo, Puerto Rico, 4/6 rounds, junior welterweights; and Marcus Browne (9-0, 7 KOs), Staten Island, N.Y., vs. Otis Griffin, 24-15-2 (10 KOs) Sacramento, Calif., 8 rounds, light heavyweights.

Tickets priced at $25, $50, $75, $200 and $300, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, are on sale now and available online at http://www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations or by calling (800) 745-3000. The DC Armory Box Office will be open on fight night only from 3 p.m.-10 p.m. ET.

Hopkins was honored twice during the final press conference. At the outset of the proceedings, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer presented him with a National Portrait Gallery portrait donated by Golden Boy Promotions and shot by renowned sports photographer Holger Keifel. It will become part of Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery permanent collection and is projected to appear in the museum within the next two to three years and will likely be on display for six months or longer.

Later, Marvis Frazier, the former boxer and son of the late, great former heavyweight champion Joe Frazier, presented a plaque to Hopkins and Golden Boy Promotions in appreciation for their contribution to the Joe Frazier Statue in Philadelphia.

What the boxers and executives said Thursday:

BERNARD HOPKINS

“This is really a defense of my legacy. Belts are nice, but they’re nicer when you’re younger and establishing a foundation. My foundation was laid down years ago. You get what you put in most of the time and then you get the times where you have to fight for what you want.

“This is an opportunity for me to represent the 40 and up club that is very alive in the world. Boxing and non-boxing fans are supporting me. I go and train understanding that it’s not just for me, but for you all to enjoy what is taking place while it is taking place.

“Sometimes we take personal achievements for granted. We don’t appreciate it until you get treated the opposite way.

“Come April 19, you will be inspired by me. The work I’ve put in all these years has already been set. Now I’m here to let you know how I feel.

“The best in Beibut will bring out the best in me. I want him to try to win every round. I want him to do this because if he doesn’t do this, you won’t see the best of me. I’ll do what I do regardless, but I don’t want to look like the worst word in America, a bully.

“He’s motivated to fight me, he said he’s been dreaming of this all his life. Understand one thing, be careful what you wish for.

“Get ready for school, student. No disrespect, its logic. I am the professor with a PHd. I’m going to take his GED learning that you need more than that to make a living.

“After this is over with, let’s pray he has the career going forward. I have a track record. There’s a whole list of names that didn’t survive the mental beat down.

“When you watch Saturday you’re going to watch something you’ve seen over and over. I can’t help if you all get bored. You’re going to have to write the story.

“Enjoy and understand that this is history. I’m defending something bigger than a title. My legendary
20plus year legacy, is more important than anything around my waist.”

BEIBUT SHUMENOV

“[To Hopkins] You’re mistaken if you think going into this as if I’m fighting a 50-year-old man. On Saturday night we are going to see who is taking whose belts.

“It’s not for me about money. I’m fighting for the honor and the glory to be acknowledged as a great fighter. I’m not thinking about future fights. I prepared for this fight like it’s my last. I’m a man of my word, so you’re going to see a great fight Saturday night.

“I want to fight the best and I am fighting the best.

“I’ve been dreaming all of my life for this moment. I’ve been ready to fight at this level for several years. I couldn’t get there on my own. This is a good opportunity for me.

“Hard work and preparation has been done. I am fighting one of the greatest ever, who beat so many other legends and great fighters.

“I am ready to show the world what I’m capable of. I will show the world that I am the best light heavyweight champion.”

SHAWN PORTER

“We could have taken any challenger, we could have taken a lesser opponent, and we could have fought two more months from now…but that’s not the Porter way.

“We work hard and we have high expectations. At Team Porter we challenge ourselves. We talk day in and day out about the game plan. We send footage and notes to one and other every single day. We diet together. I lost a lot of weight for this fight, and I feel really good right now.

“My dad’s doing the exact same things I’m doing, eating the same stuff, working the same way I do. We work hard and we’re blessed. We understand what position we’re in today and what position we’re going to be in when I get in the ring with Paulie Malignaggi.

“We’re in a privileged position – we have a world championship belt. We’re going to defend it with honor and everything we have. We know what Paulie is bringing to the ring. This is going to be a great, exciting fight.”

PAULIE MALIGNAGGI

“I’m very happy with the team I have around me, they’ve allowed me to excel. I can just focus on boxing with no other headaches.

“I have outlasted almost every single fighter that has been hyped more than me. You keep saying, ‘how is this guy still around?’

“Shawn Porter is a world champion who still has that hungry attitude. That makes it all the more difficult of a challenge. Fighting a guy like that becomes not only a game of skill, but a game of will.

“I think I’ve proven through the years that I have a lot of both and Shawn is proving he has both as well and that makes it a very intriguing matchup.

“The winner will be very deserving at the end of the day. I feel like I’m the more talented fighter not that Shawn isn’t talented. I feel what I have in my back pocket is more than what he has. We’ll see Saturday if he’s ready.”

PETER QUILLIN

“It’s an important thing for me to be here in front of you guys. I just hope I can keep doing this same thing over and over again.

“I’m going to defend my title with so much pride. There’s no ego, just pride, hard work, determination and sacrifice. It’s what got me here and it’s the most important part of boxing to me.

“I may not have much control outside of the ring, but when I’m in the ring I can create and do what I want. I’m inspiring people to be happy with themselves.

“Bernard set the bar so high and I just want to set it even higher.

“The only part of this card that’s going to be hard is watching my brothers Paulie and Shawn fight. May the best man win. When the opportunity comes you have to capitalize on it.

“I’m thankful for this opportunity to fight in D.C. I’m so inspired to be here I think my name is going to be the ‘Capital Kid.’ ”

LUKAS KONECNY, WBO European Champion & Former WBO Interim Junior Middle Champion

“I expect a hard fight, but a fair fight. I want to win and I have the most experience.

“I think it should be a good confrontation between the European and the U.S. boxing style. Hopefully the best one will win and it will be me.”

NAAZIM RICHARDSON, Hopkins’ Trainer

“I’ve seen a lot of these young guys as they grew up. I’ve known Shawn Porter so long I remember when his father was fighting. Seeing all these guys up in this position is great and needs to be paid attention to.

“This guy, Bernard Hopkins, you’ve said everything you could say about him. We just hope you guys appreciate it. This guy has been fighting all the way through.

“Bernard teaches me all the time. I want people to understand when they see Bernard that you’re not seeing the microwave era of boxing. You have to appreciate it, the sweet science of boxing. These guys on the undercard are lucky because they get to see it.

“I want people to acknowledge that we’re dealing with a special athlete in Bernard. Thirty is old in boxing, guys still perform at 30 but it’s old. So what he’s doing is ridiculous.

“Everything he does is history. Every bag he hits is a part of history. Because what he’s doing has never been done. Bernard is the oldest athlete to hold a title in any sport.

“Bernard now carries Joe Frazier’s spirit in Philadelphia. It’s not the same style but it’s the same mentality. He never says die and never surrenders.”

MARVIS FRAZIER, Joe Frazier’s Son

“Bernard Hopkins is a true humanitarian. My father passed away in the midst of people putting together a statue for him. No one would come to the table; Golden Boy and Bernard Hopkins said they would build the statue for my father.

“I love this guy, he’s a great brother and on behalf of the Frazier family I want to thank you and Golden Boy Promotions for what they have done and are about to do.”

RICHARD SCHAEFER, Golden Boy Promotions CEO

“Now is your chance. Here in Washington and the East Coast, people from Philly, New York and Washington come here to be part of this historic event.

“With Beibut Shumenov, Bernard’s fighting somebody who as a pro has a record with 14 wins, 9 by KO. Beibut is from Kazakhstan, and he has a rich amateur history. He was a 2004 Olympian for Kazakhstan. He has been waiting for an opportunity like this. He is as dedicated as any fighter I have ever seen. He has tremendous will and desire. He has a tremendous and loyal team behind him. He’s trained hard and is ready to go and make history here in Washington, D.C.

“Paulie is one of the most recognized fighters in the world. He’s a two-time, two-division world champion who is trying to win his third world title on Saturday night.

“Shawn Porter wants to face a veteran and the welterweight division is without any question the hottest division. Shawn Porter was one of the best amateur boxers of this era and established himself as one of the most exciting, young emerging stars of the sport.

“I’ve been in boxing since 2000. Of all the fighters there’s one that stands out when it comes to loyalty and when it comes to respect and Bernard tells me that it’s because of the respect I show him. He is one of a kind in many ways. He is a true friend.”

CHRIS DEBLASIO, Vice President Communications, SHOWTIME SPORTS

“This fight Saturday night on SHOWTIME is part of a tremendous lineup of boxing programming on our network that features no less than 19 live prizefights over the next three weeks.

Saturday’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast will be preceded by the premiere of All Access: Mayweather vs. Maidana. And the live show will feature a special guest analyst. Middleweight contender Daniel Jacobs will be substituting for Paulie Malignaggi who will be indisposed.

“Last January, when we had a fight card here at the DC Armory, I reported record ratings and record viewership growth for Showtime Boxing. I am proud to say that the trend continues and we are looking for strong performances in the next three weeks. Thank you for your support.”

ERIK A. MOSES, Senior Vice President of Events DC

“We consider ourselves very fortunate to be able to host such a fantastic fight card. As a fight fan, I’m excited about what we’re going to see on Saturday. But as a person who’s responsible for making D.C. more of a fight and sports town, I’m really excited that Golden Boy Promotions and SHOWTIME and Bernard, in particular, have decided to come back to Washington.

“For those of you who don’t know, this will be the third championship fight in 14 months that we’ve hosted in the DC Armory, which is a fantastic thing. And frankly, we should give it up to Golden Boy Promotions for that. D.C. is a good sports town, but we want to make certain that people know it’s a fight town as well.

“I will echo Scottie Irving’s [D.C. Boxing Commissioner] comments that we want to sell this fight out. And every fight that comes to Washington, we want to show that we’re a great fight town. There’s a lot of energy and buzz around this city, and there has been ever since this fight was announced.

“We want Golden Boy Promotions to come back many more times and bring many more fights to Washington, D.C. as we continue to show them what we can do to support this fantastic sport.

“We’re honored to have Bernard and Mr. Shumenov here having their fight, as well as Paulie and the other combatants who are going to be here.

“This is going to be history in the making. To see someone like Bernard, who’s been fighting as long as he has, and at his age, do what he’s trying to do in our nation’s capital has all the makings of a fantastic story.”

SCOTTIE IRVING, Chairman of the DC Boxing Commission

“We expect an outstanding, clean fight. I want to make it really clear that the last time we had a fight at the DC Armory that sold out we talked to Golden Boy and had a conversation with Bernard, and we said at that time that we did a great job and we deserve another fight. And Bernard said, ‘I will do my best to make sure you guys get another fight soon.’
“I said it before, that Bernard is a man of his word. Not only did he go out and find the best fighter that he could to fight in D.C., he offered to do it himself, and to come fight here.

“If you miss this one I’ll do my best to make sure Golden Boy is back this summer, and next time at the Verizon Center. We look forward to our continued success in boxing.”

# # #

Hopkins vs. Shumenov, a 12-round fight for the IBF, WBA and IBA Light Heavyweight World Championship, will take place Saturday, April 19 at the DC Armory in Washington, D.C. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona, AT&T and Casamigos Tequila. In the 12-round co-features, Shawn Porter defends his IBF Welterweight World Title against Paulie Malignaggi and Peter Quillin puts his WBO Middleweight World Title on the line against Lukas Konecny. The live SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast will begin at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) immediately following ALL ACCESS: Mayweather vs. Maidana. The telecast will be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP). Preliminary bouts will air on SHOWTIME EXTREME® at 7 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and www.sports.sho.com and follow on Twitter at @TheRealBHop and @SHOSports, follow the conversation using #HopkinsShumenov and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing

LONDON (April 16) – Boxing’s oldest ever world champion Bernard Hopkins believes he will once again make history as he looks to unify the light-heavyweight division this weekend.

Hopkins has already made a profound statement in the world of boxing, reigning as one of the world’s top middleweights for over a decade, before moving up the weight classes to finally become the fight games oldest champion.

Having initially dethroned George Foreman of that title back in 2011, when he captured the WBC and IBO light-heavyweight belts at 46 against Jean Pascal, the Philadelphian recently broke his own record when he beat Tavoris Cloud at 48 to win the IBF crown last year.

Now though, the boxing icon faces another momentous task as he looks to unify the 175-pound division when he faces off against WBA Super champion Beibut Shumenov this Saturday, live on BoxNation, with Hopkins urging fans to enjoy him while he’s around.

“To be 49-years-old, approaching 50, and knocking on the door of being a senior citizen – it’s a profound statement of my dedication,” said Hopkins “It’s sweeter now to be here with everybody. Everything I do is history. If you had one more chance to see something that you loved before you never see it again – here I am. You’ll have a chance to see history. You can tell your grandkids about what you saw,” he said.

The skilled veteran is determined to remain at the top and fighting the best, despite the challenges a battle with Shumenov presents.

“Name another athlete in this country that is doing it at this age and winning, not just competing, but fighting the top fighters in the world. This guy is no run-of-the-mill guy, he’s a threat,” Hopkins said.

“I’m not fighting a cream puff; this isn’t a bum of the month club. I’m fighting real dudes. These guys are hardcore, hungry and top contenders.

“Shumenov wants to make a name, like everyone else. What better place to make a name than against me?” he said.

The light-heavyweight division is packed with some of boxing’s leading names including knockout artists Adonis Stevenson and Sergey Kovalev.

Both hold the other recognised world titles in the division, with the prospect of capturing all the belts and becoming only the second fighter since Evander Holyfield to unify two separate divisions with every championship an alluring one for the ageless Hopkins.

“It [prospect of unifying the division], gets me a lot more energised than my last two fights but those last two fights played a role to get energised,” said Hopkins. “To me, this isn’t the climax, this is the pre-climax, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s where I need to be and where I had to go through to get here in the last year or two, to be patient, to fight my mandatory and to show people

“I wanted it to be Kovalev but they chose to fight [Nathan] Cleverly, smart move, good management. Now, we’re here, and I’m looking to show the world that I might be the second or the first boxer in any division that became undisputed in two weight classes in modern times,” he said.

“I love history and I love trying to break records that have been set for multiple years because I believe I have a history of doing that, and this is energising too,” Hopkins added.

The American’s disciplined lifestyle is the driving force behind his success that is seeing him not only remain competitive in his twilight years but still held in high regard as one of boxing’s truly elite fighters.

“Taking the test without studying is like taking a fight without being in the gym. The gym is studying. The test is April 19. You can put the cart in front of the horse if you’re a fool and I think people would agree I’m no fool.

“I’m a guy that loves the craft and respects the craft. You can love something, but it doesn’t mean you respect it. Love is the emotional part; respect is the dedication and hard work. That attitude and that demeanour is always going to be there. That’s just who I am,” said Hopkins.

Hopkins vs. Shumenov is live and exclusive on BoxNation (Sky 437/490HD & Virgin 546) this Saturday night. Visit www.boxnation.com to subscribe.

-Ends-

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