LAS VEGAS – In the end, it was Terence Crawford’s dance floor.

He danced with his family. Danced with his mom. Maybe he danced to the top of the pound-for-pound debate.

Neither the dance nor the debate figures to end anytime soon. Above all, Crawford proved he still belongs on any dance floor and in any debate with a 10^th-round stoppage of Shawn Porter Saturday night in front of a capacity crowd at Mandalay Bay’s Michelob ULTRA Arena.

Porter came as advertised. He knows a lot of dance steps. But he couldn’t sustain them against the patient Crawford. He knows how to wait. Knows how to adjust. And how to finish.

The finish came at 1:21 of the 10^th round after two knockdowns of Porter. Porter’s first trip to the canvas started with a left-uppercut from. The return trip started with a combination followed by a left hand to the head. Frustrated, Porter got up and stomped his foot.

 But the gesture was futile. It was over. His father and trainer, Kenny Porter, was already up the steps with towel in hand. The towel was never thrown. The referee and inspector for the Nevada Commission saw it and acted. Kenny Porter would later say his son wasn’t properly prepared, confirming rumors that Shawn Porter had a problematic camp.

For Crawford, however, it was a moment that punctuated what he wanted to accomplish.

The belt, the World Boxing Organization’s version of the welterweight. Title, was still in his dangerous hands. More important, he strengthened his claim on the top spot in the pound-for-pound debate. Canelo Alvarez, are you listening?

One potential Crawford rival, however, was there. Listening and watching. Errol Spence had a ringside seat.

“Now wait, my thing is, who’s No. 1 in the welterweight division now?” Crawford said in a comment clearly intended for Spence.

At the top of the 147-pound division, it’s either Spence or Crawford. There is nobody else. Crawford made sure of it by eliminating Porter from any real say-so in the weight class. Crawford also has the last word, at least for now.

“You know who I want,’’ said Crawford, who collected about $6 million, $2 million more than Porter’s $4 million payday. “I’ve been calling him out all day. Maybe, Spence will get his tail out of his butt and fight me.’’

Maybe.

For now, there are questions about where Crawford is headed. Promotionally, he’s a free agent. His victory of Porter was the last fight on Top Rank contract.

Top Rank’s Bob Arum is confident he can re-sign him. Arum is already talking about a fight between Crawford and junior-welterweight champion Josh Taylor, who is preparing to move up in weight

For now, however, Crawford only wanted to celebrate a night that began with Porter coming out fast, moving forward and attacking throughout the first three minutes. For one round, it worked. He appeared to win the round with his aggressiveness.

He also was sending a message, one that he wore on the back of his black-and-orange robe. Marvelous War, it said. It was a tribute to legendary warrior, Marvin Hagler. It was note of respect to the past. But it was also a look at the immediate future, a sign of what Porter intended to do.

To wit: Crawford better be ready to brawl. He was. Porter unleashed a whirlwind of an arsenal — conventional, unconventional and often a blur of both.

“I figured that I had the reach and he had to take chances to come to him and he did what he normally does,’’ Crawford said.  “He tried to maul and push me back but I used my angles and I pushed him back at times as well.  Shawn Porter is a slick fighter he was doing some things in there and made me think

“I know I caught him with a good uppercut and then when I caught hidm with another left hook clean in his face that he was real hurt and his dad did the right thing by stopping it because I was coming with a vengeance.’’

In the end, there was nothing else to do but dance to Chaka Khan’ “Ain’t Nobody.’’

For one night, nobody but Terence Crawford.

Falcao wins technical decision in dull bout stopped by head butt

It was called an eliminator. In one way, it was. The crowd cheered when the final six rounds of the Esquiva Falcao-Patrice Volny was eliminated because head butt.

The butt came late in the sixth after Volny (16-1, 10 KOs), of Montreal, swung his head into Falcao’s face. The bout, so-called eliminator for a shot at the International Boxing Federation’s middleweight title. Everything before then was boring. Think deadly dull.

After it was determined that Falcao could not continue, the scorecards were turned in and counted. Two scores, 57-56 and 58-56 were for Falcao, an Olympic silver medalist from Brazil The third — a head scratcher — was for Volny, 86-84. Falcao (29-0, 20 KOs) got the victory by technical decision.

The crowd got some relief. At least, it was over.

Kazak middleweight Alimkhanuly wins stoppage

Janibek Alimkhanuly (11-0, 7KOs) ), a heavy-handed middleweight from Kazakhstan, administered a beating, landing lethal left hands that rocked Hassan N’Dam around the ring and off the ropes, virtually everywhere except on to the canvas.

Somehow, N’Dam (38-6, 21 KOs) , a former middleweight champion from Cameroon, stayed on his feet throughout the bout on a card featuring Crawford-Porter. But that wasn’t enough for him to have even a slim chance of winning. Finally, Kenny Bayless stopped it at 2:46 of the eighth round of a bout that could have easily been stopped a round or two earlier.

Unbeaten Raymond Muratalla wins fifth-round TKO

There was no stopping Raymond Muratalla (13-0, 11 KOs), a lightweight from Fontana CA. Elias Araujo (21-4, 8KOs), of Argentina, couldn’t. But Allen Huggins could. And did.

Huggins stepped in and ended the bout at 2:20 of the fifth round in the first ESPN + PPV bout on the Crawford-Porter card. Araujo protested, first in anger. Then, in tears. But the referee had seen enough. Muratalla began to land punch after punch. Blood began to drip from a cut on Araujo’s cheek and from his nose.

Huggins saved him from what would have been a bad beating.  

Dogboe wins majority decision

LAS VEGAS –Isaac Dogboe, a fighter from Ghana once projected to be a star, continued to try to regain some of his abundant promise, scoring a narrow victory — majority decision — over Puerto Rican Christopher Diaz (26-4, 16 KOs) on a card featuring Crawford-Porter.

Dogboe , a former 122-pound champion now at featherweight, won his third straight since his career(26-4, 16 KOs) was sidetracked by successive losses to Emanuel Navarrete.

Head butt leads to no decision

There was blood. But there was no decision.

Adan Ochoa (12-2, 5 KOs), a featherweight from Long Beach CA, was badly cut above his right eye in a head butt with Adam Lopez (15-3, 6 LOs of Glendale CA during the first round of a scheduled eight-rounder. on the Crawford-Porter card.

Late in the second, the blood began to flow into Ochoa’s eye. Just as the bell rang to start the third, the fight was stopped, declared a no decision because it had not gone at least four rounds.

Karlos Balderas wins fourth-round stoppage

Karlos Balderas (11-1, 10 KOs), a junior-lightweight from Santa Maria CA, was bigger and just better, scoring repeatedly with combinations, including a headrocking left-right that finished Julio Cortez (15-4, 11 KOs) of Ecuador at 2:13 of the fourth round in the second bout on the Crawford-Porter card.

First Bell: Tiger Jonson kicks off his career and Crawford-Porter card with TKO win

It was first bell. A debut, too.

Tiger Johnson, a welterweight from Cleveland, kicked off his career and the card featuring Terence Crawford-versus-Shawn Porter with a stoppage of Antonius Grable (3-3-1, 3 KOs) in a Saturday matinee at Mandalay Bay’s Michelob ULTRA Arena.

Johnson landed successive right hands, leaving Grable of Sarasota, FL dazed and done at 1:54 of the fourth round.

Just to make sure that everybody noticed, celebrated by walking toward retired welterweight champion Timothy Bradley, who was already in his ringside seat for he ESPN + pay-per-view telecast..

“I’m here, Tim,” Johnson shouted as he leaned over the ropes. “I’m here.”

LAS VEGAS (Nov. 10, 2021) — Raymond “Danger” Muratalla, the 24-year-old lightweight star from Fontana, California, has a new opponent for his PPV debut Saturday, Nov. 20 at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. After unbeaten prospect Steven Ortiz was forced to withdraw due to injury, Muratalla will fight Argentina’s Elias “El Macho” Araujo in an eight-rounder to open the PPV broadcast of the welterweight super fight between undefeated WBO world champion Terence “Bud” Crawford and former two-time welterweight world champion “Showtime” Shawn Porter.

The PPV telecast also includes a 12-round IBF middleweight title eliminator featuring unbeaten contenders Esquiva “La Pantera” Falcao and Patrice Volny, and a 10-round middleweight tilt between rising star Janibek “Qazaq Style” Alimkhanuly and former world champion Hassan N’Dam.

Presented by Top Rank and TGB Promotions, Crawford-Porter will be a Top Rank PPV exclusively on ESPN+ in the United States at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.  Limited tickets are still available and can be purchased by visiting AXS.com.

Muratalla (12-0, 10 KOs), who trains with Robert Garcia in Riverside, California, has won seven consecutive bouts by knockout. Araujo (21-3, 8 KOs) has never been stopped as a professional, and his only two lightweight defeats have come via close decision. He was supposed to fight Joseph Adorno in Las Vegas on Nov. 5, but the bout was scrapped after Adorno missed the contract weight.

Before the PPV broadcast commences, Southern California natives Adam “BluNose” Lopez and Adan Ochoa will fight in an eight-round featherweight rematch on the undercard telecast (ESPN2 & ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT) headlined by the scheduled 10-round featherweight firefight between former world champion Isaac “Royal Storm” Dogboe and two-time title challenger Christopher “Pitufo” Diaz. Lopez (15-3, 6 KOs) hopes to rebound from June’s razor-thin decision loss to Dogboe, while Ochoa (12-2, 5 KOs) seeks retribution. Ochoa and Lopez fought as undefeated prospects in April 2017, and Lopez prevailed by four-round unanimous decision.

The fight action begins on the ESPN App (6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT) with a pair of young stars. 2016 U.S. Olympian Karlos Balderas (10-1, 9 KOs) looks to continue his winning ways against Julio Cortez (15-3, 11 KOs) in a six-rounder at junior lightweight, while recent U.S. Olympian Tiger Johnson will make his long-awaited professional debut in a welterweight four-rounder versus Antonius Grable (3-1-1, 3 KOs). Johnson recently signed a long-term promotional pact with Top Rank.

Balderas, the fighting pride of Santa Maria, California, lost his unbeaten record with a shocking knockout loss to Rene Tellez Giron in December 2019. After the setback, Balderas changed managers, signed a promotional contract with Top Rank, and linked up with noted trainer Buddy McGirt. He came back in August with a second-round knockout over Fidel Cervantes. Cortez, a seven-year pro, has never been knocked out.

Johnson, from Cleveland, Ohio, advanced to the quarterfinals of the welterweight bracket at the Tokyo Olympics before losing a decision to eventual gold medalist Roniel Iglesias (Cuba).

Use the hashtag #CrawfordPorter to join the conversation on social media. For more information, visit www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing; twitter.com/ESPNRingside.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 14.9 million subscribers.

Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $6.99 a month (or $69.99 per year)
at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $13.99/month (Hulu w/ads) or $19.99/month (Hulu w/o ads).

About Michelob ULTRA Arena
The Michelob ULTRA Arena is a multi-purpose arena home to World Championship Boxing, premier concerts and special events. With seating for as many as 12,000, the arena, which was recently renovated in 2018, offers excellent sightlines and state-of-the-art lighting and sound. The entertainment venue is home to WNBA team, the Las Vegas Aces, the city’s first professional basketball team. Prominent events have included concerts such as Justin Timberlake, KISS, Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, Katy Perry, John Mayer, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Alejandro Fernandez and David Foster & Friends. World championship boxing events have featured fighters including Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, Shane Mosley and Bernard Hopkins. The Michelob ULTRA Arena also has been home to multiple Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events, USA Basketball and the Latin Billboard Music Awards.

LAS VEGAS (Nov. 4, 2021) — There will be plenty of fistic reinforcements Saturday, Nov. 20 at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Two high-stakes middleweight showdowns and a 50-50 fight featuring undefeated lightweights will comprise the televised PPV undercard of the welterweight super fight between undefeated WBO world champion Terence “Bud” Crawford and former two-time welterweight world champion “Showtime” Shawn Porter.

The co-feature, a 12-round IBF middleweight world title eliminator, will see Brazilian 2012 Olympic silver medalist Esquiva “La Pantera” Falcao fight fellow unbeaten Patrice Volny.

The PPV telecast also includes a 10-round middleweight tilt between rising star Janibek “Qazaq Style” Alimkhanuly and former world champion Hassan N’Dam, and an eight-round lightweight duel between unbeaten prospects Raymond “Danger” Muratalla and Steven “The Hitman” Ortiz.

Presented by Top Rank and TGB Promotions, Crawford-Porter will be a Top Rank PPV exclusively on ESPN+ in the United States at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Limited tickets are still available and can be purchased by visiting AXS.com.

Before the PPV telecast, a special feature will set the stage. Former junior featherweight world champion Isaac “Royal Storm” Dogboe will face two-time title challenger Christopher “Pitufo” Diaz in a 10-round featherweight bout. Dogboe-Diaz will be shown live on ESPN2 and ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

Additional undercard fights will be announced shortly.

Falcao (28-0, 20 KOs) is a seven-year pro who signed with Top Rank following the 2012 Olympics. The 31-year-old southpaw has steadily climbed the world rankings and has knocked out five straight foes dating back to 2019. In his last outing, he stopped former world title challenger Artur Akavov in four rounds. Volny (16-0, 10 KOs), from Montreal, Canada, has fought all his pro fights in his home country and is coming off a March knockout over noted tough man Janks Trotter. The winner of Falcao-Volny will be in line to fight for the title currently held by Gennadiy Golovkin.

“I have waited for an opportunity like this for a long time, and I will grab it with both hands,” Falcao said. “I have an Olympic medal, and now it’s time to add a professional world title to my trophy case.”

Volny said, “I had several major opportunities fall through, but I am ecstatic that the fight with Falcao is happening. It won’t be an easy fight, but I have been training for a long time, and I will do whatever it takes to earn my shot at the title.”

Alimkhanuly (10-0, 6 KOs) is ranked the No. 2 middleweight by the WBO and coming off his signature win, an eighth-round stoppage over former world champion Rob Brant. From Zhilandy, Kazakhstan, the 2016 Olympian has knocked out four straight opponents dating back to April 2019. N’Dam (38-5, 21 KOs), a 17-year pro from Cameroon, held the WBA middleweight world title in 2017 and challenged for world titles on three other occasions. After a pair of defeats at super middleweight, N’Dam returns to the middleweight ranks, where he most recently defeated the formidable Martin Murray via majority decision.

Muratalla (12-0, 10 KOs), from Fontana, California, has risen to prominence fighting out of the famed Robert Garcia Boxing Academy in Riverside, California. He last fought on the Josh Taylor-Jose Ramirez card in May, knocking out Jose Gallegos in five rounds. Ortiz (12-0, 3 KOs), from Philadelphia, has made a habit of knocking off undefeated prospects. In his last six fights, he has defeated four undefeated fighters, including a unanimous decision over the 14-0 Jeremy Hill in March.

Dogboe (22-2, 15 KOs) has revitalized his career since back-to-back title fight losses to Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete. After a comeback knockout over Chris Avalos, he bested Adam Lopez by majority decision in June. Diaz (26-3, 16 KOs) is a two-time world challenger coming off a 12th-round TKO loss in a bid for Navarrete’s WBO featherweight world title. The Puerto Rican veteran had won two bouts as a featherweight entering the Navarrete fight and hopes a win over Dogboe leads to a third crack at world title glory.

“I’m excited for this challenge, a massive opportunity to get closer to becoming a two-division world champion,” Dogboe said. “This is a fight the fans won’t want to miss. I know Christopher is tough, but I’m stronger, tougher, and smarter. I’d like to commend everyone at Top Rank for making this fight possible and to Diaz for accepting the challenge. I always want to give the fans something to remember. That’s why I leave it all in the ring.”

Diaz said, “I’m coming back, and I’m very excited about fighting on a great stage like Crawford vs. Porter. Dogboe is a solid fighter who only has two losses against Navarrete. We both have a lot to give to boxing. The fans already know what to expect every time I get in the ring. I’m sure this fight will steal the show on November 20.”

Use the hashtag #CrawfordPorter to join the conversation on social media. For more information, visit www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing; twitter.com/ESPNRingside.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 14.9 million subscribers. Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $6.99 a month (or $69.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $13.99/month (Hulu w/ads) or $19.99/month (Hulu w/o ads).

About Michelob ULTRA Arena
The Michelob ULTRA Arena is a multi-purpose arena home to World Championship Boxing, premier concerts and special events. With seating for as many as 12,000, the arena, which was recently renovated in 2018, offers excellent sightlines and state-of-the-art lighting and sound. The entertainment venue is home to WNBA team, the Las Vegas Aces, the city’s first professional basketball team. Prominent events have included concerts such as Justin Timberlake, KISS, Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, Katy Perry, John Mayer, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Alejandro Fernandez and David Foster & Friends. World championship boxing events have featured fighters including Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, Shane Mosley and Bernard Hopkins. The Michelob ULTRA Arena also has been home to multiple Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events, USA Basketball and the Latin Billboard Music Awards.

Callum Smith will defend his WBA World ‘Super’, WBC Diamond and Ring Magazine Super-Middleweight belts against Hassan N’Dam on the blockbuster Anthony Joshua OBE vs. Andy Ruiz Jr. World title bill at Madison Square Garden in New York on June 1, live on DAZN in the US and Sky Sports Box Office in the UK.

‘Mundo’ (25-0, 18 KOs) captured the WBA World title and was crowned World Boxing Super Series champion following a stunning seventh round knockout victory over British rival George Groves in Saudi Arabia last September – a win that also saw the Liverpudlian claim the vacant Ring Championship. Smith puts those titles on the line for the first time against former Middleweight World ruler N’Dam in his second appearance as a professional in the US.

N’Dam (37-3, 21 KOs) has operated at World level since landing the WBA Interim Middleweight World title against Avtandil Khurtsidze in 2010. He defended that title twice before losing on points to Peter Quillin with the WBO Middleweight crown at stake. A landslide win over Curtis Steven qualified the Frenchman for a shot at the IBF title in 2015 – an explosive contest with David Lemieux followed with the Canadian coming out on top on the score cards.

In 2017 N’Dam took on London 2012 Olympic gold medallist Ryota Murata for the vacant WBA regular World title, which he won via a split decision. The pair rematched five months later, again on Japanese soil, where N’Dam was forced into retirement in the seventh round. He most recently defeated four-time World title challenger Martin Murray by a 12 round majority decision in December.

“I’ve had a good camp and I’m looking forward to walking to the ring as a World Champion for the first time in my career,” said Smith. “I worked so hard to get where I am and now the task is to keep hold of my titles and target those big fights. To have my first defence at Madison Square Garden is going to be special and it’s another box ticked for me personally. People call it the Mecca of Boxing and I’ve always seen it as a venue that I’d love to fight at one day. The minute that there was a chance of it happening I pushed to make sure that I could be part of this show.

“N’Dam is a good fighter and he’s a former World Champion. He’s only lost to three top fighters and he’s got some great wins on his record. I had him over in England to help me prepare for George Groves so we know each other well. He’s a good mover, has good footwork and can move around the ring pretty well. Experience is on his side and he’s an awkward guy to face. Saying that, he’s definitely a fighter that I should beat and get rid of if I’m on my game.

“I believe that I’m improving all of the time – I’ve even improved since winning the World title. I believe that I’m the best Super-Middleweight in the World. There’s a few fighters in my division who probably disagree with that and rightly so. If I am the best on the planet then I should be able to get rid of Hassan N’Dam and look good doing it.”

“I am confident I will create a big surprise in New York,” said N’Dam. “It is a true privilege for me to be given the chance to fight at Madison Square Garden for the first time in my life. At this stage of my career this is a beautiful opportunity for me to be able to change division and fight for both the WBA World and WBC Diamond titles.

“I am so pleased and proud for this opportunity to be offered to me and I would like to add that even though the challenge is a big one, this does not affect my focus and my determination. Callum Smith is an excellent boxer with many qualities. As he is tall he can impose his own boxing style on most of his opponents. I have much respect for him both as a boxer and a person. I believe it will be a very tactical fight.

“Being able to say that once in my life I have fought at MSG will be a great pride. Besides, I have the experience of boxing on big shows as I have participated in many and in front of thousands of people. I have always defended my titles abroad and I am used to pressure and know how to handle it.”

“This is a huge platform and one that Callum fully deserves,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “He has established himself as the number one 168 pounder in the World and will prove it at the Mecca of boxing on June 1. N’Dam always brings the action and I believe this will be a high level fight with plenty of fire. The mega fights await Callum and he can’t afford to slip up here, I know him and Joe Gallagher have prepared diligently for this challenge and he will be sending out a statement live on Sky Sports Box Office and DAZN.”

Joseph Markowski, DAZN EVP, North America said: “Credit to Hassan for moving up in weight to take on the world’s No.1 Super Middleweight at Madison Square Garden. Both he and Callum have a great opportunity to make a statement to U.S. fight fans in prime time.”

Adam Smith, Head of Sky Sports Boxing, said: “We’re very excited to add Callum Smith to a huge night at Madison Square Garden. He’s rightly regarded as the world’s best Super-Middleweight after that win over George Groves – and we can showcase more of our best talent on the AJ bill.

“Callum has already been named as a possible opponent for Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and there are massive nights ahead of him if he defeats the proven Hassan N’Dam. It’s going to be an action-packed evening for fight fans as Katie Taylor’s undisputed World title fight and the classy Josh Kelly are also in action before AJ lights up New York in the main event.”

Smith and N’Dam clash on a huge night of action at MSG where Anthony Johua’s World title defence against Andy Ruiz Jr. is supported by Irish sensation Katie Taylor clashing with Delfine Persoon for the undisputed Women’s World Lightweight championship, New Yorker Chris Algieri defending his WBO International title against Tommy Coyle is a crunch Super-Lightweight showdown and Josh Kelly making his US debut as he defends his WBA International Welterweight title against Philadelphia’s Ray Robinson – with more exciting undercard additions announced this week.

Tickets for the huge night of World title action in New York are on sale now via Madison Square Garden and StubHub (www.stubhub.com)

Tickets can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.MSG.com.

Official Ticket and Travel Packages, including the opportunity to travel on the Official Charter Plane, are available to purchase via Sportsworld (www.sportsworld.co.uk) Prices start at £1,095. Reserve your seat today.

Tickets are priced, $106, $156, $206, $306, $406, $506, $756, $1,006, $1,256 and $2,506 plus applicable booking fees.

Wheelchair seats, companion seats, aisle seats and Assistive Listening Devices are available to purchase by calling 212-465-6034.

Gennady Golovkin is eyeing fights with former titlist Hassan N’Dam or undefeated Steve Rolls for his DAZN debut in June, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Josh Warrington won a 12-round unanimous decision over former world champion Carl Frampton to retain the IBF Featherweight title at The Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.

Warrington came out like gangbisters and he threw and landed punches with reckless abandon.  Warrington dominated the first half of the fight with sheer volume.  Frampton showed a champions class as he fought his way back in the fight, and made it very tight on the scorecards bt landing right counters over the combinations of Warrington.

Warrington built up too much of a lead, and held on by scores of 116-113 and 116-112.

Warrington, 125.9 lbs of Leeds, UK is 28-0.  Frampton, 125.9 lbs of Belfast, IRE is 26-2

Liam Williams stopped previously undefeated Mark Heffron in round 10 of a scheduled 12 round middleweight fight.

In round two, Williams was cut over the right eye from a clash of heads.  Williams dominated the action as he will able to land his right hand at will.

In round two, Williams landed a big shot that drove Heffron into the ropes, which was ruled a knockdown.  Williams followed that up with an onslaught of punches, and the fight was stopped at 1:55

Williams, 159.9 lbs of Wales is 19-2-1 with 14 knockouts.  Heffron, 157.9 ls 21-1.

Hassan N’Dam won a 12-round majority decision over Martin Murray in a middleweight contest.

At the end of round four, Murray landed an overhand right that sent N’Dam down in the corner.  But N’Dam was able to survive that and box and move his way to a points victory by scores of 117-112, 116-112 and 114-114.

N’Dam, 157.9 lbs of France is now 37-3.  Murray, 159.9 lbs of England is 37-5-1.

Michael Conlan remained undefeated with a 10-round unanimous decision over Jason Cunningham in a featherweight bout.

In round six, Conlan was deducted a point for a low blow, but Conlan dominated the action, and won by scores of 98-92 and 97-92 twice

Conlan, 125.9 lbs of Ireland is 10-0.  Cunningham, 124.9 lbs of England is 24-6.

On his performance against Cunningham

“I made some mistakes in there, but it was a learning experience. It was the first time I went 10 rounds. I felt comfortable in there going the distance, and I got the job done.”

“At the end of the day, it’s another win in the bank. I’m very happy.”

On almost finishing Cunningham in the 10th round

“I thought I had him going, but I couldn’t get him out of there. He did very well to survive. I hit him with some good shots, but he’s a smart fighter and he knew how to survive. If I had a couple more rounds, I think I could have had him out of there.”

On his 2018 campaign

“I’ve progressed. I’ve gone from prospect to contender. I still have a few questions to answer, but I’m happy with the way things are going.”

On what’s next

“I’m going to be back at Madison Square Garden on March 17 for St. Patrick’s Day. Then, we want to come back to Belfast in the summer with a fight in between. I’m not sure who is next, but I want to keep stepping up.”

Nathan Gorman remained undefeated with a 12-round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Razvan Cojanu in a heavyweight bout.

Gorman, 238.1 lbs won by scores of 120-108 and 119-109 twice, and is now 15-0.  Cojanu, 273.1 lbs of Burbank, CA is now 16-5.

Tyson Fury’s brother, Tommy Fury made a successful pro debut with a decision win over trial horse Jevgenis Andrejevs.

Fury, 178.8 lbs won by  a 40-36 scores and is 1-0.  Andrejevs of Lativa is 10-103-3.

Follow all the action as Josh Warrington defends the IBF Featherweight title against former world champion Carl Frampton.  The action kicks off at 1 PM ET/ 6 PM UK time with Tommy Fury making his pro debut.  Also Nathan Gorman takes on Razvan Cojanu; Michael Conlan battles Jason Cunningham; Martin  Murray fights Hassan N’Dam; Mark Heffron fights Liam Williams

NO BROWSER REFRESH IS NEEDED.  THE  PAGE WILL UPDATE AUTOMATICALLY.

Round 1 Good right hook by Warrington and they are going at it..Frampton backing up…Heated pace

Round 2 Left hook from Frampton..Right from Warrington..Body shot..Warrington opening up..Short right

Round 3 Uppercut from Frampton..Body shots

Round 4  Right from Warrington..Warrington working on the ropes

Round 5 Barrage of punches from Warrington..Left..Body work..Uppercut..Frampton trying to land the uppercut

Round 6  Warrington applying pressure..Right from Frampton..Uppercut from Warington..right to the body

Round 7 Heavy body shots by both guys…Right from Frampton….Warrington outlanding Framton 142-76

Round 8 Body shots from Frampton..Uppercut from Warrington..Good shots from Frampton..Combination..Warrington trying to answer

Round 9 Right Counter from Frampton..Good right from Warrington..Combination from Frampton..Body punches..Warrington lands a 4 punch combination

Round 10 Jab from Warrington..Uppercut from Frampton..Warrington upping his punch output..Frampton getting better of exchange..Jab from Frampton

Round 11 Jab from Frampton..Right..1-2 from Warrington..Jab..Good combination from Frampton.

Round 12 Body work from Warrington..Pop shotting from the outside

116-113; 116-112 TWICE FOR JOSH WARRINGTON

Round 1 Williams lands a 1-2..Right

Round 2 Clash of heads..Another…Cut over right eye of Williams

Round 3 Good combination from Williams

Round 4 Right from Williams..Jab

Round 5 Hook from Heffron..Good left from Williams..Jab

Round 6 2 hard rights from Williams..Heffrom warned for low blow..Right from Williams..Hard right..Chopping right

Round 7 Right from Williams..Right over the top

Round 8  Right from Williams..Right..Williams warned for low blow

Round 9 Hook from Heffron..Body..Right from Williams

Round 10  HUGE RIGHT AND HEFFRON SLAMS INTO THE ROPES FOR A KNOCKDOWN..Williams landing big shots..REFEREE STOPS THE FIGHT

Round 1 Left to body from Murray..Body shot

Round 2 Left hook from Murray..Uppercut from N’Dam..Left to body from Murray

Round 3

Round 4 Combination from Murray..Combination in close by N’Dam..RIGHT FROM MURRAY AT BELL AND RULED A KNOCKDOWN

Round 5 Murray working the body..Uppercut from N’Dam

Round 6  Combination from N’Dam..Body shot

Round 7 Good uppercut from N’Dam..Combination..Body shot

Round 8 Body shots from N’Dam..Right from Murray

Round 9 Combination from N’Dam..Another combination on the ropes..

Round 10 Right from Murray..

Round 11 N’Dam boxing and moving

Round 12 Murray pressing..Uppercut from N’Dam

114-114; 117-112; 116-112 FOR N’DAM

Round 1

Round 2 Good right from Conlan..Left from Conlan…

Round 3 Body shot from Conlan

Round 4  Right from Conlan..2 lefts from Cunningham..Good body work from Conlan..Right to body

Round 5 Jab and combination from Conlan

Round 6 Conlan deducted a point for a low blow..

Round 7 Combination from Cunningham..Good exchange

Round 8 Good right from Conlan..Uppercuts

Round 9 Jab from Conlan..Good right

Round 10 Cunningham coming forward..Good left hurts Cunningham..Huge right buckles Cunningham

97-92 TWICE AND 98-92 for Conlan

Round 1 Body and uppercuts from Gorman

Round 2 Right from Cojanu..Left from Gorman..Lead left hook..Combination from Cojanu..Left hook

Round 3 Right from Gorman…Gorman getting more active

Round 4  Right from Gorman

Round 5 Left hook from Gorman..Right snaps Cojanu’s head back

Round 6 Hook to body and right from Gorman..Right from Cjanu..Nice uppercut..Body shots..

Round 7 Uppercut from Cojanu..Good left hook..Left hook from Gorman

Round 8 Left from Gorman

Round 9 Left from Gorman…Right to body from Cojanu

Round 10 Nice right from Gorman..Right from Cojanu..Hard right from Gorman

Round 11 Good right from Gorman..Good left from Gorman drive Cojanu to the corner

Round 12 Good left from Gorman..Body shot

119-109 twice and 120-108 for GORMAN

Round 1 Body shot from Fury..Uppercut…Body shot

Round 2 Right hand from Fury..Right

Round 3 Hard uppercut from Fury..Good body shots and right hand..Fury warned for low blows..Right to body

Round 4 Lead left hook from Fury

FURY WINS BY 40-36 SCORE

MARTIN MURRAY RELUCTANTLY concedes that it is a case of win or bust for him when he defends his WBC Silver middleweight title against the dangerous Hassan N’Dam on Saturday.

In what should be a compelling contest at the Manchester Arena, the 36-year-old four-time world title challenger bids to extend his winning run to five against former WBA Regular champion N’Dam and place himself in pole position for a fifth strike at world honours.

Should it not go his way against the 36-3 Frenchman, the final bell will likely call time on the career of the 37-4-1 stalwart from St Helens, who doesn’t see himself embarking on another lengthy rebuild when he has a young family to consider.

“It is the rebuild, working your way all the way back up again,” reasoned the 6ft middleweight. “I’ve got too much going on for that and my family is my main priority.

“I don’t hold it against boxing because the life we have got is because of boxing – my whole family know it. It does at some stage affect my family life and I won’t let it go on forever.

“So that is why I won’t rebuild again,” he confirmed, before relaying a tale of how a Christmas voyage on the high seas hit some turbulence due to fight scheduling.

“We booked a holiday 18 months ago – a cruise around Asia – and we go on December 20. I am now fighting on the 22nd, so now my wife, my kids, my mum fly over on the 20th, then I’ll fight and fly on the 23rd with my dad. We get to Vietnam on the 24th, but they will be at sea and don’t dock until the 25th so I am not going to see my kids until Christmas Day.

“They are the sacrifices I am making and, what I am saying is, with a loss for me I would not rebuild and do it all again.

“Some people are lucky to get one shot and I’ve had four. I believe that if I fight for another world title, no other British fighter will have done it. Frank Bruno and George Groves won it at four and nobody else has won it after five times.

“I know there will definitely not be a sixth and all I want to do is become world champion. I do really feel it is my destiny.”

Knowing that the book will be closed on his career should his arm not be raised aloft after his fight on BT Sport Box Office on Saturday night, Murray confesses is something that drives him harder in training to delay the reading of the final chapter.

“Of course it does, it helps with momentum and keeping young. I love going to the gym and the crack we have there. I love it when I feel fit and when I’ve got a big fight announced. I love everything about it – apart from the last two weeks when the dieting gets hard.

“I don’t want this to end, so it is keeping me focussed, although it (retirement) is there and I know it is going to happen. I don’t want it to end so I am training as hard as I can and as smart as I can as well.”

IBF world featherweight champion Josh Warrington takes on former two-weight world champion Carl Frampton at the Manchester Arena on December 22nd live on BT Sport Box Office. Mark Heffron and Liam Williams contest the vacant British middleweight title and Belfast’s blue chip featherweight prospect Michael Conlan (9-0) takes on former commonwealth champion Jason Cunningham (24-5). In a step up, Nathan Gorman puts his undefeated record and WBC International Silver Heavyweight Title on the line against former World Title challenger Razvan Cojanu, while Martin Murray defends his WBC Silver middleweight title against Hassan N’Dam. Billy Joe Saunders makes his return to the ring and Tyson Fury’s younger brother Tommy Fury also makes his professional debut.

Elsewhere on the bill, world flyweight title challenger Paddy Barnes (5-1), Manchester’s 12-0 Light Heavyweight Lyndon Arthur and 7-0 Darlington middleweight Troy Williamson also return to action.

Tickets are priced at £50 Upper Tier, £80 Tier, £100 Tier, £150 Tier, £200 Floor/Tier, £300 Floor, £400 Floor, £600 Inner Ring VIP Hospitality and are available.

Tickets available via Manchester Arena.

Martin Murray will face former world champion Hassan N’Dam as part of a massive night of boxing at the Manchester Arena on December 22, headlined by Josh Warrington defending his IBF world featherweight title against two-weight world champion Carl Frampton.

Murray, 37-4-1, is building towards another world title challenge, with his only career reverses having come in three previous bids – with one drawn – and against former WBA world champion George Groves.

The St Helens warrior put himself firmly in position for a tilt at the WBC title with the winning of the governing body’s Silver middleweight belt in June by defeating the champion Roberto Garcia via a unanimous decision over 12 rounds at the 02 Arena.

He is now up against a dangerous opponent in N’Dam, 36-3, who has operated at world level since winning the WBA Interim world title with a points victory over Avtandil Khurtsidze in 2010.

His winning streak continued with wins over Giovanni Lorenzo and Max Bursak – before he lost on points to Peter Quillin in 2012 with the WBO world middleweight title at stake.

The Frenchman rebuilt with four victories across 2013-14, with the fourth being a landslide points win over Curtis Stevens that qualified him for a shot at the IBF world title. A thrilling encounter with David Lemieux followed with the Canadian prevailing via the scorecards, with N’Dam showing huge bravery after being put to the canvas on four occasions by the heavy-hitting Lemieux.

A further four wins followed for the now 34-year-old before he headed to Japan in May 2017 to face London 2012 Olympic gold medallist Ry?ta Murata for the vacant WBA regular world title, which he won via a controversial split decision.

The pair rematched five months later, again on Japanese soil, where N’Dam was forced into retirement in the seventh round.

“He is obviously a good opponent and I have known about him for a while,” reacted Murray to the news of a tough night’s work being booked for him at the Manchester Arena. “He is a former world champion and a good fighter.
“It’s a good fight for me, one where I need to be on top of my game because he can box, he can move and he can fight as well. I am happy with it.

“I don’t want to be fighting in six or eight rounders against opponents who I am going to get out in two or three rounds. I need proper live opponents and this guy is one – and he will be coming to win.

“It is just the sort of fight I need.

“I am creeping my way back up there. It has been a slow rebuilding process from the Groves loss for me, but I am keeping myself afloat now and a win against this guy will keep me in the mix.”

IBF world featherweight champion Josh Warrington takes on former two-weight world champion Carl Frampton at the Manchester Arena on December 22nd live on BT Sport Box Office. Mark Heffron and Liam Williams contest the vacant British middleweight title and Belfast’s blue chip featherweight prospect Michael Conlan (9-0) takes on former commonwealth champion Jason Cunningham (24-5). In a step up, Nathan Gorman puts his undefeated record and WBC International Silver Heavyweight Title on the line against former World Title challenger Alex Leapai.

Elsewhere on the bill. world flyweight title challenger Paddy Barnes (5-1) and unbeaten Light Heavyweight contender Steven Ward (9-0) return to action. Manchester’s 12-0 Light Heavyweight Lyndon Arthur and 7-0 Darlington middleweight Troy Williamson also return.

Tickets are priced at £50 Upper Tier, £80 Tier, £100 Tier, £150 Tier, £200 Floor/Tier, £300 Floor, £400 Floor, £600 Inner Ring VIP Hospitality and are available.

Tickets available via Manchester Arena.

By Bart Barry-

Early Sunday morning on ESPN2 a fight for a middleweight title of some sort featured Japan’s Ryota Murata and Franco-Cameroonian Hassan N’Dam in a rematch of N’Dam’s evidently damnable decision victory over Murata in May. This match was another installment of promoter Top Rank’s fledgling union with ESPN, and if the union’s premier match, Manny Pacquiao versus Jeff Horn, happened on a Saturday during primetime, Murata-N’Dam’s happening on a Sunday during predawn felt right, too, when N’Dam and/or his corner surrendered to Murata’s mechanical attack just before round 8 could begin.

As sports and the shortsighted greed of their managers get moved by television from entertaining contests to mere entertainment assets – some combination of superhero movies and reality-television series, something increasingly interchangeable with professional wrestling – obedience to narrative becomes important as authenticity of spectacle. Murata seems to be wrapped in a narrative driven by promotional desires to monetize what Pan-Asian interest Manny Pacquiao catalyzed.

The opening three rounds of Sunday morning’s contest, as an example, saw him confront N’Dam’s ineffective aggressiveness with what one might call effective inaggressiveness, doing not particularly much while preventing particularly much from being done to him. Somehow those rounds were supposed to be autoawarded to Murata, with the chastening and rare event of a twojudge suspension after the first N’Dam-Murata fight ensuring no close round should go to anyone but Murata. Well, OK.

What professional wrestling began – and, lo, there are plenty of us still alive who remember serious debate about whether those results were rigged – and professional basketball followed is now a growing part of professional football and hockey. While the timing and nature of NBA foul calls have been suspect for at least 25 years, the NFL’s and NHL’s separate pursuits of suspenseful endings now court a similar disbelief in their fanbases, a disbelief deliciously undermined by the use of instant replay.

At least a halfdozen infractions occur away from the ball on every single down of a football game. Only the most egregious get called in the first two or three quarters of games. Forever this has served the continuity and flow of the game; if you call every infraction you turn football into fútbol, with its comely diving and unmanly theatrics, and nobody wants that. But now it serves an additional and different purpose: Increasing the number of choices an intentional official has for intervention in games’ decisive plays by increasing the probability more fouls are committed by players whose transgressions have gone unnoticed for most of the game (and most of the history of the game).

Fans react with indignity if yellow flags begin to fly on nearly every play of the final two minutes of close or closing games, but then a telecast can helpfully switch to a plethora of camera angles and replays to prove that, yes, the defensive end did in fact contact the tightend’s jersey for a twosecond or so, and since rules are rules no matter how much it hurts to admit – defensive holding! Since no replays are available for the other dozen times the same thing happened in the first half, uncalled, and since suspense is necessarily high, we’re told it was a mental error by the penalized player, understandable if intolerable, and we accept it as a tariff charged us for having one unbelievable finish after another unbelievable finish after another unbelievable finish, to include the most unbelievable comeback in Super Bowl history.

And that word and its many pronunciations, UN-believable / unbeLIEVable / Un. Be. Liev-able, and its durability, may just be more than what witlessness jocks-cum-commentators generate across the universe of athletics. Perhaps the commentators are selected by name and excitability, but the fans aren’t, or at least not exclusively so – lots of intelligent people watch football and hockey and basketball and tolerate the soundtrack of unbelievables because the word fits well how their collective subconscious reacts to most of those unbelievable plays and outcomes. They are in fact not believable.

Boxing and baseball, for being caught rigging results at least a halfcentury before other sports got in on it, have relied more on narrative and performance-enhancing drugs for their ratings this era. Creative nonfiction, though, can only be so creative before it becomes fiction. Much of HBO’s 24/7 series tightroped its way through this for 10 years, planning spontaneity and scripting improvisation, while Showtime’s (Emmy-winning) All Access novelas with Floyd Mayweather captured the surreality of Money’s lifestyle by being themselves surreal. A comparatively tiny few of us criticized this conversion of bloodsport to infomercial, and journalism to entertainment vehicle, while industries far and wide fixated on what effective marketing this brand of storytelling happened to make, until it became so pervasive th’t today one feels like a prig for making a point of its deep inauthenticity (in his madcap scramble for 1,000 weekly words).

That same creeping sort of feeling happened Sunday morning as Murata knuckleraked N’Dam’s brainstem and pistonstroked his chin to an unsatisfying corner stoppage: This guy isn’t that good, is he, and nowhere near what they’re telling me he is. Since ESPN’s lead boxing commentator pledges fealty to none but the voices in his own head, one suspects the Murata manufacture will go more Shimingly than Golovkinly, as it were; Teddy means a hell of a lot less to ESPN than Jim and Max and Roy mean to HBO, and he’s accordingly more apt to betray his network’s prewritten narrative.

Such is the risk Top Rank took when it departed its symbiotic if suddenly miserly HBO host for a network that broadcasts Top Rank stars as time allows (Sunday morning at 7:15 during football season). Still, Top Rank and Murata are wise to take this finagled timeslot on a new network – especially when one considers how Murata’d likely fare against HBO’s GGG, Canelo or Miracle Man.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

LAS VEGAS, NEV. (September 28 , 2017) – The world title rematch between World Boxing Association (WBA) middleweight champion Hassan N’Dam (36-2, 21 KOs), of France, and No. 1 contender Ry?ta Murata (12-1, 9 KOs), of Japan, will be televised live to the U.S. from Tokyo, on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes, Sunday, October 22, at 7:00 a.m. ET.

In their previous battle, which took place on May 20, also in Tokyo, N’Dam claimed the vacant world title via a controversial split decision despite getting knocked down in the fourth round and being out-boxed throughout the fight. The decision was considered questionable, leading the WBA to suspend the two judges — Gustavo Padilla of Panama and Canada’s Hubert Earle, who handed in the scorecards – for six months. The WBA also ordered an immediate rematch.

Murata captured the Olympic gold medal in the middleweight division at the 2012 Olympics held in London. It was the first gold medal won by a Japanese boxer since Takao Sakurai in 1964, and also is the first-ever boxing medal in a weight class other than bantamweight or flyweight. Murata also became the 100th gold medalist in Japanese Olympic history. Five of Murata’s last six victories have come by way of knockout.

For more information visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, facebook.com/espndeportes; Twitter twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, @ESPN @ESPNBoxeo
@ESPNDeportes. Use the hashtags #LomaRigo to join the conversation on Twitter.

No one is watching tomorrow night’s fight for the vacant WBA World middleweight title between Japan’s Ryota Murata #2-rated and France’s #1-rated Hassan N’Dam, at the Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo, Japan, more closely than WBA #3 contender Rob “Bravo” Brant and his promoter, Greg Cohen.

Brant (22-0, 15 KOs), of Saint Paul, Minnesota, is mandated by the WBA to face the winner within 120 days.

The fight, which will be Brant’s first for a world championship, will be the culmination of a fantastic 2016-2017, that saw him win the WBA-NABA Middleweight Championship via spectacular knockout over Decarlo Perez in January of last year and then go on to defend it successfully twice more.

Cohen, whose expert guidance has led Brant to fighting on national television numerous times while gaining a large following of fans, especially in his home state, says he’s probably more excited for Brant than he is.

“Rob is a special fighter and an outstanding person and I’m so happy for him,” said Cohen. “He has worked so hard to get here and after tomorrow night, he’ll know who he’s facing for his first world title. I have always believed in Rob Brant and I know he’ll be victorious when the day comes. He’s a winner. That’s what he does.”
About Greg Cohen Promotions
One of boxing’s premier promotional outfits, Greg Cohen Promotions (GCP) is a well-respected name for staging world-class professional boxing events and promoting elite professional fighters throughout the world.

Founder and CEO Greg Cohen has been involved with professional boxing in various capacities since the late 1980s, honing his craft and establishing himself as a shrewd international boxing businessman.

Distinguished by his ability to spot and develop raw talent, Cohen first made promotional headlines for his expert guidance of, among many others, former WBA Junior Middleweight Champion Austin “No Doubt” Trout, who Cohen helped guide from unknown New Mexico prospect to elite pay-per-view level superstar.

In addition to Trout, Greg Cohen Promotions has worked with established names such as former unified and two-time heavyweight champion Hasim “The Rock” Rahman and all-time-great multiple-weight class world champion James “Lights Out” Toney.

Cohen currently promotes Undefeated WBO NABO Heavyweight Champion and top 10 world-rated contender Jarrell Miller, Undefeated WBA NABA Middleweight Champion and top 5 world-rated contender Robert Brant, WBO NABO Lightweight Champion and top 5 world-rated contender Mason Menard, former WBA Interim World Lightweight Champion and top 10 world-rated contender Ismael Barroso, top 10 world-rated contender Rico Mueller, undefeated WBA International Bantamweight Champion and world-rated contender Mzuvukile Magwaca, WBO Oriental Super Welterweight Champion and world-rated contender Dennis Hogan, IBO World Featherweight Champion Lusanda Komanisi, former WBO Super Lightweight World Champion Kendall Holt, as well as current top 10 world-rated contenders cruiserweight Olanrewaju Durodola, Filipino Jr. Lightweight star Harmonito Dela Torre, Filipino Super Lightweight Czar Amonsot, and top 15 world-rated contenders featherweight world title challenger Eric Hunter and Guyanese bantamweight Elton Dharry.

Greg Cohen Promotions has hosted world-class boxing events in the finest venues throughout the United States and the world and has also proudly provided talent and/or content for several television networks including CBS Sports Network, HBO, Showtime, ESPN, NBC Sports Network, CBS Sports Network, MSG and FOX Sports Net.

For more information, visit gcpboxing.com. Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GCPBoxing. Twitter: @GCPBoxing.

WBA Middleweight champion Hassan N’Dam will fight Ryota Murata for the WBA Middleweight title on May 20th in Tokyo, Japan, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“I’ve started sparring already in training and it is going well,” Murata said at the news conference in translated comments. “I originally started boxing to see how good of fighter I was. If I am able to defeat this opponent, I can confidently say that I am a good fighter. I am looking forward to this fight.”

“Because I am a gold medalist, I have had so much support from so many people,” Murata said. “I want to win this fight for all them as my gratitude for their support and kindness. The key for me to win is to fight with what I do well.

“I believe what makes my boxing style exciting is moving forward and throwing punches. We will see if this style will prevail. I expect this fight to be a tough fight. The opponent is type of fighter who can be knocked down four or six times in a fight, but take the remaining rounds on points.”

“I think that Ryota Murata is a very effective fighter and he proved it as an amateur when he became Olympic champion,” N’Dam said. “I think he’s going to be a great opponent but I will be — and I’ve always been — ready for great outings, so this fight will be a war because I’m not ready to let my title go anywhere.”

“I am a fan of Felix Trinidad and Bernard Hopkins and the belt I will be fighting for is the same belt that they had,” Murata said. “This does not make me a boxing great like they are if I win this belt, but I am fortunate to be able to fight for the belt they held.”

LAS VEGAS, NEV. (March 21, 2017) — Teiken Promotions and Top Rank®, have begun negotiations for the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) middleweight world title between interim WBA middleweight champion Hassan N’Dam and undefeated No. 2 world-rated contender Ryota Murata.

“While N’Dam wants the fight to take place in France, Mr. Honda and I think this fight would do extremely well in Japan and we are pulling out all stops in trying to bring it there,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum. “Since winning Olympic gold in 2012, Ryota has developed a rabid fan base in Japan and we think those fans deserve to see their hero fight for his first professional world title. It would be a sensational event in Japan.”

N’Dam (35-2, 21 KOs), a native of Cameroon who fights out of Pantin,Seine-Saint-Denis, France, and a two-time world title challenger, regained the interim WBA middleweight crown for a second time on December 17, scoring a devastating first-round knockout of undefeated defending champion Alfonso Blanco in what many consider the Knockout of the Year for 2016.

Murata (12-0, 9 KOs), from Tokyo, Japan, won all four of his 2016 bouts by knockout in fights that took place in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Las Vegas and Tokyo. The six-foot fighter captured the Olympic gold medal in the middleweight division at the 2012 Olympics held in London. It was the first gold medal won by a Japanese boxer since Takao Sakurai in 1964, and also is the first-ever boxing medal in a weight class other than bantamweight or flyweight. Murata also became the 100th gold medalist in Japanese Olympic history.

Los Angeles, CA (June 24, 2015) It was a busy weekend across the globe for King Sports. From Los Angeles to Montreal to Milan, the company experienced exhilarating triumph & bittersweet loss.

“We began the weekend with a beautiful celebration of life taking place on Friday night in Los Angeles for Michael” said Paul Cain of King Sports. “From President Bill Clinton to Oprah Winfrey it was a wonderful tribute to a beloved man who has inspired us all at King Sports.”

“We then flew to Montreal for Hassan N’Dam’s IBF Middleweight World Title fight against David Lemieux.” Despite being dropped four times the valiant N’Dam battled the full twelve rounds with the hometown favorite Lemieux, dropping a hard fought decision.

“Hassan fought like the world class fighter we know that he is,” continued Cain. “He was successfully counter punching the wild swinging Lemieux the entire fight. A showing like this even in defeat raises his stock and we look forward to finding the biggest opportunity for him next.”

Also on Saturday night in Milan, Italy, fighting under the King Sports banner, Michel Soro stopped Emanuele Blandamura in the eighth round to capture the vacant European Middleweight Title, improving to 27-1-1 (17KO’s).

In his previous start, Soro knocked out Glen Tapia in the fourth round on May 8 in Newark, New Jersey to win the USBA & NABO Junior Middleweight titles.

“Michel has an outstanding future and he’s poised for a title shot before the end of the year,” Cain stated. “And we have big plans for the rest of our fighters, including Richard Commey who just won the vacant IBF Inter-Continental Lightweight Title, Chris Van Heerden, the IBF International Welterweight champ & Charles Martin, the NABO Heavyweight champion.”

ABOUT KING SPORTS
King Sports is a company started by entertainment entrepreneur Michael King. Through an exhaustive scouting and evaluation process, King Sports has signed some of the most exciting young fighters from around the globe, positioning each of them into the top 8 world rankings.

For more information follow King Sports on Twitter @KingSportsWorld, Facebook @KingSportsWorldwide and visit their website at www.KingSportsWorldwide.com.
@HassanNdam @SoroMichel @RichardCommey @TheHeat001 @StPrinceCharles

David Lemieux won the IBF Middleweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada.

In round two, Lemieux landed a huge left that dropped N’Dam. In round five, Lemieux sent N’Da, to the canvas with a thudding left to to body/left to the head combination. Moments later, it was another crunching left hook that dropped N’Dam for a 3rd time.

N’Dam hit the deck again late in round seven from a right hand.

Lemieux, 160 lbs of Montreal won by scores of 115-109 twice and 114-110 and is now 34-2. N’Dam of France is now 31-2.

In a battle of former world title challengers, Dierry Jean won a 10-round unanimous decision over Jerry Belmontes in a Lightweight bout.

In round two, Jean landed an overhand right that made Belmontes glove hit the canvas for a knockdown.

Jean of Montreal won by scores of 99-90, 99-89 and 98-91 and is now 29-1. Belmontes, 134.4 lbs of Corpus Christie, Texas is now 19-7.

Heavyweight Luis Ortiz remained undefeated with a 1st round blowout over Byron Polley in a scheduled 8-round bout.

Ortiz dropped Polley with an left uppercut to the body in round one. Ortiz scored a 2nd knockdown when he pushed Polley down but it was a ruled a knockdown. Ortiz finished the fight with a perfect left hand that dropped Polley and the fight was stopped at 2:38 of round one.

Ortiz, 230 lbs of Miami, FL is 22-0 with 19 knockouts. Polley, 272 lbs of St. Joseph, MO is 27-19-1.

MONTREAL (June 19, 2015) – Former World Boxing Organization (WBO) 160-pound division champion Hassan N’Dam (31-1, 18 KOs) has promised a world-class performance in tomorrow night’s (Saturday, June 20) showdown with David Lemieux (33-2, 31 KOs) for the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) middleweight title at the famed Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada.

A 2004 Olympian who represented his native Cameroon, N’Dam is the IBF No. 1-ranked, mandatory contender, who now fights out of France. Lemieux is ranked No. 4 in the world by the IBF.

“I promise a world-class performance tomorrow night in Montreal against hometown favorite David Lemieux for the IBF middleweight world championship,” N’Dam said earlier today in Montreal. “I will adapt to whatever style Lemieux brings. I can KO him in round one, or in any other round. He has never fought anyone with my skill set. Lemieux is coming into the deep end and I will prove he doesn’t belong here. I will show his handlers that he doesn’t belong at the top tier of world-class boxing.”

N’Dam’s victims, among the more notables, include Max Bursk, Curtis Stevens, Fulgencio Zuniga, Giovanni Lorenzo, Omar Weiss and Autandil Khurtsidze.

“Hassan has had the best training camp of his career and he’s going to put on the performance of his life tomorrow night,” N’Dam’s manager Gary Hyde added. “When he is crowned IBF world middleweight champion, Hassan will be right in the mix of the most exciting weight division in boxing. We are not happy with the appointment of a Canadian judge and Canadian referee, but I have been assured by Quebec Commissioner Michel Hamelin that they will do a good, honest job. I accept that this will be the case. We have a world title to win and that is what we will do. Hassan will be crowned world champion for the second time, against all odds, because he’s just too good.”

Follow on Twitter at @HassanNdam and @NoWhere2Hyde.

LONDON (19 June) – This season’s World Series of Boxing is set to come to a dramatic conclusion this weekend when reigning champions Cuba Domadores defend their title against Astana Arlans Kazakhstan, live and exclusive on BoxNation.

The two top teams from Season 5 will do battle over two days from the National Tennis Centre in Kazakhstan in the unique 16-team boxing competition, regarded as one of the most exciting sports leagues in the world.

Leading boxing channel BoxNation has so far screened this year’s quarters-finals and semi-finals and will show the finals live and exclusive on Saturday 20 June at 12.30pm BST and Sunday 21 June at 11.30am BST.

The WSB has proved a huge hit following its launch in August 2008, with the semi-pro competition bringing together the best athletes on the planet – world and Olympic champions – who compete across ten weight categories.

The 2015 final pitches two of the world’s proudest boxing nations up against one another with Cuba Domadores looking to win the title for the second successive season but will have their work cut out against former champions Astana Arlans.

The Cuba Domadores have enjoyed an unbelievable run with 14 consecutive victories in the regular season, including eight whitewash successes, with just seven individual losses against 63 wins.

Furthermore, a Cuban fighter placed at least fifth in the rankings of each WSB division, with five of their competitors finishing in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games quota positions.

They overcame the much respected Mexico Guerreros in the semi-finals 10-0, with star fighters, heavyweight Erislandy Savon, light-heavyweight Julio Cesar De La Cruz and number one ranked flyweight Yosbany Veitía thrilling en-route to the final.

However, despite their flawless season so far Astana Arlans stand in their way and have been in tremendous form themselves as they look to reclaim their former title as WSB champions.

Fighting on home soil the Astana Arlans are a formidable force having finished the group stages undefeated at home, losing just three individual matches in front of their loyal fans.

Having won 80% of their matches across their 14 regular season fixtures, Astana Arlans qualified directly through to the semi-finals after finishing top of Group B where they demolished the Russian Boxing Team 9-1 on aggregate to reach the final.

Star man Vasiliy Levit is one of the most dominant competitors in the WSB, with the top ranked heavyweight winning eight matches, with just one of his opponents being able to go the five round distance with him.

A meeting with Savon will undoubtedly be one of the most intriguing clashes in this final, with the Astana Arlans, who take their name from the alpha male wolf, also known as ‘the leader of the pack’, boasting further talents such as WSB number one super-heavyweight Filip Hrgovic and one of Kazakhstan’s most decorated boxers Daniyar Yeleussinov.

This weekend’s electrifying final brings to an end a six month season of the world’s premier boxing competition with teams having competed across four continents of Africa, Americas, Asia and Europe.

BoxNation will also air the next two WSB series’ in full, live and exclusive, as the channel continues to deliver the very best boxing action from around the world.

In addition to the WSB final, ‘The Channel of Champions’ will also screen the captivating showdown between Canadian big-hitter David Lemieux and the tough as teak Hassan N’Dam for the vacant IBF middleweight title live and exclusive this Saturday at 2am BST.

26-year-old Lemieux has 31 knockouts from 35 fights and challenges for his first world title against N’Dam, who has lost just once in 32 bouts, that a unanimous points decision against then WBO champion Peter Quillin.

To subscribe to BoxNation (Sky437/490HD, Virgin 525, TalkTalk 415) for just £12 a month visit boxnation.com.

-Ends-

About BoxNation
BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated subscription boxing channel. For £12* a month and no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

BoxNation is proud to support Fight for Peace, a charity that uses boxing and martial arts combined with education and personal development to realise the potential of young people in communities that suffer from crime and violence. Buy LUTA (www.luta.co.uk) clothing and support Fight for Peace.

Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Khan vs Collazo and Mayweather vs Maidana.

The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Virgin (Ch.546), TalkTalk (Ch.415), online at Livesport.tv and via apps (ios, Android, Amazon). BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.

BoxNation is also available to commercial premises (inc. pubs, clubs and casino’s) in the UK and Ireland, for more information on a commercial subscription please call 0844 842 7700.

For more information visit www.boxnation.com

*Plus £8 registration fee for Sky TV and new Livesport.tv customers.

LOS ANGELES (June 18) -Former world title contender Luis “The Real King Kong” Ortiz (21-0, 18 KOs) returns to the ring in an anticipated comeback fight against Brian “The Bear” Polly (27-18-1, 12 KOs) of St. Joseph, Missouri in a heavyweight bout on the undercard of the IBF Middleweight World Championship fight between Montreal’s David Lemieux (33-2, 31 KOs) and number one contender Hassan N’Dam (31-1, 18 KOs) on June 20.

Ortiz vs. Polley will be featured as the U.S. televised opening bout in a scheduled FOX Sports 2 and FOX Deportes tripleheader presented by Eye of the Tiger Management and Golden Boy Promotions in association with King Sports Worldwide and Evenko. In the main event David Lemieux will take on Hassan N’Dam in a 12-round bout for the IBF Middleweight World Championship. In the co-main event, Dierry “All In” Jean (28-1, 20 KOs) of Quebec, Canada will face Jerry “The Corpus Christi Kid” Belmontes (19-6, 5 KOs) of Corpus Christi, Texas in a 10-round fight for the NABF Lightweight title.

Undefeated Cuban heavyweight Luis “The Real King Kong” Ortiz has had a successful career knocking out opponent after opponent since his professional debut in 2010. Ortiz has faced and defeated some of the toughest fighters of the sport including Luis Andres Pineda, Henry Saenz, Alex Gonzalez and Lateef Kayode, all while adding the WBA FECARBOX Heavyweight title, the WBA Fedelatin Heavyweight title and the WBO and WBC Latino Heavyweight titles to his collection. The contender is returning from a seven-month hiatus after fighting for the interim WBA Heavyweight World Championship in September 2014 and is ready to prove himself in front of fans and critics that he is back as a serious contender in the sport.

Brian “The Bear” Polley of St. Joseph, Missouri is a tough fighter who is coming off a decision victory over Travis Fulton this past March. A professional since 1999, the seasoned fighter has fought for the USA Mid-American Heavyweight Title, the USA Mid West Heavyweight title, the WBC Continental Americans Heavyweight title and the WBA Fedecentro Heavyweight title. In 2014, Polley faced Aaron Green, Bryan Dailey and Yasmany Consuegra, and in his second fight of 2015, Polley is looking to add another victory to his record when he faces Luis Ortiz on June 20.

David Lemieux vs. Hassan N’Dam is a 12-round fight for the vacant IBF Middleweight World Championship presented by Eye of the Tiger Management and Golden Boy Promotions in association with Evenko. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. ET and the first bell rings at 6:45 p.m. ET. The live PPV telecast airs at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT and the FOX Sports 2 and FOX Deportes broadcast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT. The live action on FOX Sports 2 and FOX Deportes is available to customers of participating pay TV providers via FOX Sports GO app and on the web through FOXSportsGO.com. FOX Sports GO is currently available for iOS, Android, Kindle Fire tablets and Fire phones and select Windows devices.

CORK, Ireland (June 10, 2015) – Gary Hyde, manager of International Boxing Federation (IBF) No. 1-ranked, mandatory middleweight contender Hassan N’Dam (31-1, 18 KOs), has objected to two officials named to work the June 20th IBF world middleweight title fight between N’Dam and David Lemieux (33-2, 31 KOs) at the famed Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada.

Cameroon-native N’Dam, promoted by King Sports, is a former World Boxing Organization (WBO) 160-pound division world champion. The IBF No. 4-ranked Lemieux was born and lives in Montreal, Quebec.

“On June 2nd,” Hyde explained, “I learned who the officials were for the June 20th fight at the Bell Centre. I contacted the IBF and objected to two officials who are from Montreal, Quebec, the same city Lemieux is from. Referee Marlon Wright has refereed five of Lemieux’ fights and the judge in question, Benoit Roussel, has worked no fewer than 12 of Lemieux’ fights.

“I also objected to the Quebec Commission on the appointment of the two Canadian officials. The selection of two officials from the same city as one of the fighters in an international world championship bout indicates a flawed and unfair procedure and undermines the appearance of fairness and impartiality. In my experience in world championship bouts the officials must always be neutral.

“We are hopeful that the Quebec Boxing Commission will replace both Canadian officials with a pair of neutral officials, so that we can concentrate solely on the job at hand, to beat Lemieux.

LOS ANGELES (June 3)- Eye of the Tiger Management and Golden Boy Promotions in association with King Sports Worldwide and Evenko are excited to announce the U.S. broadcast of the highly anticipated vacant IBF Middleweight World Championship match-up between the Quebec power puncher David Lemieux (33-2, 31 KOs) and number one contender Hassan N’Dam (31-1, 18 KOs) on FOX Sports 2 and FOX Deportes on June 20 at 10:00 p.m. ET from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada.

The FOX Sports 2 and FOX Deportes triple-header will feature the return of the undefeated Cuban heavyweight Luis “King Kong” Ortiz (21-0, 18 KOs) in the eight-round televised opener. In the co-main event, Dierry “All In” Jean (28-1, 20 KOs) of Quebec, Canada will face Jerry “The Corpus Christi Kid” Belmontes (19-6, 5 KOs) of Corpus Christi, Texas in a 10-round fight for the NABF Lightweight title.

“Being on FOX Sports is a great opportunity to use this exposure and show fans an explosive night of boxing,” said David Lemieux. “I plan to put on a show and draw more people as fans to my sport.”

“We are very pleased to have FOX Sports as a partner helping in the visibility of David Lemieux’s career,” said Camille Estephan, President of Eye of the Tiger Management. “David is a rising star not only in the world of boxing but as well in the world of sports generally and the coverage should help in making a cross over from his sport of boxing to the world of sports.”

“The broadcast on FOX Sports will allow American audiences the chance to see a great fight featuring two of the most exciting stars in boxing,” said Oscar De La Hoya, President and Found of Golden Boy Promotions. “This match-up will deliver action-packed intensity as both Lemieux and N’Dam are hungry to move their careers forward and claim the title.”

Tickets, which will be offered for as low as $70 (CAD) (taxes and service charges included), and are on sale now at www.evenko.ca and at the Bell Centre box office. For further information, please visit us at and www.eottm.com, www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.evenko.ca or call 1-855-310-2525. Follow us on Twitter @Lemieuxboxing, @EOTMVD, @GoldenBoyBoxing and @evenko.

Currently ranked in the top ten middleweight fighters by the IBF, WBO, and WBA, David Lemieux is coming off of his eighth consecutive win and seventh consecutive knockout against Gabriel “King” Rosado in a headlining bout at Barclays Center on December 2014. Lemieux’s previous bout against Fernando Guerrero for the then vacant NABF middleweight title resulted in a dominating win, knocking down Guerrero in the first round, second round, third round and finally a technical knockout in the fourth round. Now David Lemieux is certainly seen as a serious contender against the elite of the middleweight division.

Number one contender Hassan N’Dam of Pantin, Seine-Saint-Denis, France is a fierce fighter known for his speed and endurance in the ring. A professional since 2004, N’Dam has already accumulated the WBA International Middleweight Title and the WBA World Middleweight title beating out seasoned fighters Omard Gabriel Weis and Giovanni Lorenzo for his shot at a world title. Having lost via unanimous decision to Peter Quillin for the WBO World Middleweight Title in 2012, the top contender is ready for prove that he has the makings for of a world champion when he faces David Lemieux for the vacant IBF Middleweight World Title.

Undefeated Cuba heavyweight, Luis “King Kong” Ortiz has had a successful career knocking out opponent after opponent since his professional debut in 2010. Ortiz has faced and defeated some of the toughest fighters of the sport, including Luis Andres Pineda, Henry Saenz, Alex Gonzalez and Lateef Kayode, all while adding the WBA FECARBOX Heavyweight Title, the WBA Fedelatin Heavyweight Title and the WBO and WBC Latino Heavyweight titles to his collection. The contender is returning from a seven-month hiatus after fighting for the interim WBA Heavyweight World Championship in September 2014 and is ready to prove himself in front of fans and critics that he is back as a serious contender in the sport.

Haitian-born Canadian boxer Dierry Jean made his professional debut in December 2006, triumphing over Stephane Fleury in current home of Montreal. Since his debut, the 33 year-old fighter has racked up an impressive record of 28 wins. In January 2014, Jean lost in the IBF Welterweight championship bout against Lamont Peterson but rebounded by recently defeating Mario Perez and Daniel Ruiz in 2014 and Carlos Manuel Reyes in March 2015. He looks to continue his current winning streak as he goes up against Jerry Belmontes vying for the NABF lightweight title.

Hailing from Corpus Christi, Texas, Jerry Belmontes made his professional debut winning over Olvin Mejia in January 2008 and continued his winning streak with an impressive 17 straight wins before his first loss to Eric Hunter in 2012. After tough fights against Francisco Vargas in 2013, amateur rival Omar Figueroa Jr and Abner Cotto in 2014, and Miguel Vazquez in 2015, Belmontes will look to make a comeback against Dierry Jean on June 20.

David Lemieux vs. Hassan N’Dam is a 12-round fight for the vacant IBF Middleweight World Championship presented by Eye of the Tiger Management and Golden Boy Promotions in association with Evenko. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. ET and the first bell rings at 6:45 p.m. ET. The live PPV telecast airs at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT and the FOX Sports 2 and FOX Deportes broadcast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT. The live action on FOX Sports 2 and FOX Deportes is available to customers of participating pay TV providers via FOX Sports GO app and on the web through FOXSportsGO.com. FOX Sports GO is currently available for iOS, Android, Kindle Fire tablets and Fire phones and select Windows devices.

LONDON (3 June) – BoxNation has added the exciting clash between Quebec puncher David Lemieux and number one contender Hassan N’Dam for the vacant IBF middleweight world title on June 20 to its sizzling summer schedule.

The 160-pound duo will meet in Montreal, Canada at the Bell Centre as they compete for the middleweight crown in a division stacked from top to bottom with star-studded talent.

Hard-hitting Lemieux, with a record of 31 knockouts from 33 wins, first captured the attention of the boxing world during his impressive win against Gabriel Rosado in Brooklyn, New York last year.

When the IBF middleweight title became vacant, the confrontation between Lemieux, who is currently ranked fourth in the world by the IBF, and number one contender N’Dam became eminent.

The division is currently stacked with world-class names including Kazakh assassin Gennady Golovkin and Puerto Rican legend Miguel Cotto.

“It was really important for my team and I to bring this fight here to Quebec,” said Lemieux. “The fans here have supported me from the beginning of my career and for that I am extremely grateful. I want to live this significant moment of my career with Quebecers and will do all that I can for them to be proud of me. I am ready to offer the very best of myself. Those close to me and my fans will see all the blood they want!”

“I’m thrilled to be fighting for the middleweight championship,” said N’Dam. “I’ve very thankful and I look forward to fighting in Montreal and leaving with the title.”

The undercard will feature some of the most talented boxers in Quebec, including Dierry Jean (28-1, 20 KOs), Schiller Hyppolite (15-1, 10 KOs), Ghislain Maduma (16-1, 10 KOs), Steven Butler (11-0, 9 KOs), Mian Hussain (11-0, 6 KOs), Ayaz Hussain (5-0, 3 KOs), Yves Ulysse Jr. (6-0, 4 KOs) and Mathieu Germain (1-0).

The stacked bill joins a cracking summer line-up on BoxNation which sees a host of top class action including Cotto vs. Daniel Geale this Saturday, Nicholas Walters vs. Miguel Marriaga, Tim Bradley vs. Jessie Vargas, Terry Flanagan vs. Jose Zepeda, Frank Buglioni vs. Lee Markham and Sergey Kovalev vs. Nadjib Mohammedi.

For details on how to subscribe to BoxNation for just £12 a month please visit boxnation.com.

-Ends-

About BoxNation
BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated subscription boxing channel. For £12* a month and no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

BoxNation is proud to support Fight for Peace, a charity that uses boxing and martial arts combined with education and personal development to realise the potential of young people in communities that suffer from crime and violence. Buy LUTA (www.luta.co.uk) clothing and support Fight for Peace.

Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Khan vs Collazo and Mayweather vs Maidana.

The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Virgin (Ch.546), TalkTalk (Ch.415), online at Livesport.tv and via apps (ios, Android, Amazon). BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.

BoxNation is also available to commercial premises (inc. pubs, clubs and casino’s) in the UK and Ireland, for more information on a commercial subscription please call 0844 842 7700.

For more information visit www.boxnation.com

*Plus £8 registration fee for Sky TV and new Livesport.tv customers.

Oscar De La Hoya:

Thank you very much, everyone. To all the media who is participating, we are extremely, extremely excited to announce today, an upcoming fight on June 20th live from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada: Lemieux vs. N’Dam. They will be fighting for the IBF vacant Middleweight World Title, and we are extremely proud to announce that this event is being presented by Eye of the Tiger Management and Golden Boy Promotions in association with Evenko.

We strongly feel that in Canada-obviously they love their hockey-but that’s not the only sport that they follow. Canadians also love their boxing with passion, and we anticipate a full house at the Bell Centre on June 20th in Montreal. So, that’s a fight that everybody in Canada will be looking forward to.

Lemieux vs. N’Dam is a terrific fight and they are in probably one of the most dangerous and one of the most exciting weight classes that boxing has today.

When you talk about the middleweight division, you think about the greats in boxing history. And on June 20th, Lemieux and N’Dam will have the opportunity to cement and to start creating their own history, eventually getting to the top and being mentioned with the greats of this division, the middleweight division.

As you know, Lemieux has been taking the world by storm. He, not only generates huge ratings on HBO, but he’s being looked upon as the emerging next star in the middleweight division, and N’Dam, his record speaks for itself. His style speaks for itself. There’s nothing that anyone can say negatively about N’Dam because he always comes to fight. He’s in the fight of his life and probably the most important fight of his career, and he knows that. We anticipate a tremendous fight on June 20th.

Let me at this moment introduce to you the director of boxing for King Sports who will make some comments and introduce Hassan N’Dam, that is Paul King.

Paul King:

Hey, Oscar. Thanks a lot, my man. First of all, we’re excited and we’re proud to be doing our first event with you. So Oscar and Eric and everybody at Golden Boy, we want to thank you for that.

At this point, I just want to move forward and I would like to put Hassan on for his interview. Hassan, are you there?

Hassan N’Dam:

I feel good. It’s the fight that I’ve been waiting for for a very long time, since I beat Curtis Stevens and I’m the official challenger. For me, it’s just a logic continuity after the Curtis Stevens fight. I’m happy that this fight is taking place because I was sick of waiting for this. For me, the opponent is not important.

Before David Lemieux, two other boxers refused to fight me. The fact that David Lemieux accepted to fight me was a relief. I’m just waiting with impatience for June 20th, because I’ll be able to show to the world what I have in my head, in my legs and in my arms.

Thank you.

Oscar De La Hoya:

Thank you very much, Hassan, and just to remind everyone, Hassan N’Dam has a record of 31-1 with 18 knockouts. So with Lemieux’s style and Hassan’s style, it calls for again one of those terrific fights that can’t be missed.

Also, thank you very much, Hassan, for your comments. We can now open it up to the media for a couple of questions for Hassan.

Question:

The question for Hassan is: how does David Lemieux save up against some of your previous fighters? You fought Curtis Stevens. You fought Peter Quillin. What is Lemieux’s quality? Is he better than Stevens? Do you see him as better than Quillin or a notch below?

Hassan N’Dam:

Every boxer has his style and every boxer has his own strategy. Stevens’s strategy will not be the same as David Lemieux’s strategy. Boxing is a difficult sport. I respect each and every opponent that I have. Every opponent that will face me will be taken very seriously. Each fighter, the better ones and the lesser ones, are all considered equal for me when I’m going into a fight.

Question:

Yes. With the current resurgence of the middleweight division-when you talk about the middleweight division the names that come to mind are: Cotto, GGG, Lee, Quillin, Geale and now Pennello in the mix. They tend to forget two names, which are Lemieux and N’Dam. After Saturday, one of y’all’s names will be mixed with those guys. How do you all feel about that and what does it mean to you?

Hassan N’Dam:

I always look at these things the right side. I’ve always been considered as an outsider. And, I’ve always proven my skills with each and every one of my opponents. I’ve proved to everyone that I have the [indiscernible] to be where I am at that given moment after each fight.

From the moment when I started competing in world championship fights-I fought only undefeated, tough opponents and I beat them. Except for [indiscernible] and that’s the only one, but everyone knows . Today, everyone is talking about the hard-hitter facing me. But people tend to forget what I’ve done before when I’ve faced other hard-hitting boxers. One day my skills, my talent and my efforts will be recognized and acknowledged and then I’ll be in that midst.

Question:

Yes, Paul, are you still on the line?

Paul King:

Yes.

Question:

Okay, I have a question with Hassan. I know this fight was being negotiated and there was some issue-I don’t know if there were issues or just rumors of issues of the financial terms, which led to the purse. I was just wondering if you could briefly speak to that.

Paul King:

Whatever went on before, everything got sorted out. Hassan is here. He’s in camp. Golden Boy is along with us, and we’ll be in Montreal on the 20th ready to fight.

Question:

Thanks. Well, I appreciate that. I have one question for Hassan. Just how he feels about having to go to David Lemieux’s backyard. Like he said, he goes on the outside looking in. So does he just see this as one more chance to upset the odds?

Hassan N’Dam:

Everywhere I fight, I feel like it’s my backyard. I feel like I’m at home. I was born in Cameroon, but I made a name for myself in France. Today, I fight in LA like I’m at home. On June 20th, I’ll be in my room in Canada.

Question:

Okay, great. Thanks. I appreciate that. Then Oscar, I just have one question for you.I know this fight is going to be shown on Canada pay-per-view. I was just wondering if efforts are still being made to try and secure US TV for this fight.

Oscar De La Hoya:

Yes. We are talking to various networks here in the US and that’ll be sorted out. We’ll have an announcement very soon.

Question:

Okay. I know you can’t speak to any network. Are you optimistic it will be on US TV though?

Oscar De La Hoya:

It will be on US TV. Absolutely, yes.

Question:

Yes. Thank you. I’ll ask my question in French, if you don’t mind. Sorry for those who don’t understand my French. Hassan. [speaking foreign language.]

Moderator (Question):

I’ll just translate the question for everyone. So, he’s asking, he says your only defeat in your career happened against Peter Quillin. So can you go over that and tell us what have you learned from that defeat, and can you use anything against David Lemieux?

Hassan N’Dam:

I’ve explained this many times to people and this is, I hope, the last time I’ll have to explain it, because my career is moving forward and not looking backwards. I fought Peter Quillin without being prepared. I had only a three-week notice and I didn’t even do any sparring.

The only reason I took this fight with a three-week notice is because they threatened to strip me from my belt, and since I am a man, if I was to lose my title, I thought I might as well lose it in the ring.

I had no strategy to beat Peter Quillin. I just had to improvise to do-to do my own style. And fight with my heart. Which I think I did very well.

Today, this situation is very different. My team changed. My training camp is much better. I am steady in my head to do a brilliant fight.

Question:

Merci. If I could just have a second question. [Speaking foreign language.]

Moderator (Question):

He says why did he not show up at the press conference at the last minute?

Hassan N’Dam:

I was told very, very late. I had a very short notice for this press conference. My preparation was already completely scheduled. When I was told about this press conference, I was in the French Alps because I do a high altitude free training camp, and I was just about to depart for Los Angeles to continue my training camp. I didn’t want to travel a lot and get tired.

I’m preparing this fight on June 20th. That’s my main focus, is to travel to Montreal, win the title and go home with my title.

Question:

This is for Hassan. You mentioned impatience following the fight versus Curtis Stevens. How does that motivate you? Does it give you motivation going into this fight against N’Dam seeing that it’s been a while since you got back into the ring?

Basically, I just wanted-cause he said-he mentioned impatience following the fight against Stevens. Does that give him added motivation going into the fight against Lemieux?

Hassan N’Dam:

Yes, it adds up to the motivation because I finally have a name. I know the face of my opponent so I’ve been just waiting all this time.

Question:
[Speaking foreign language.]

Moderator (Question):

She says: you’re talking of yourself like a boxer that’s underestimated and what’s your strategy to beat David Lemieux?

Hassan N’Dam:

My strategy is very simple. I’m a complete boxer. David Lemieux says that he’s different than what he used to be. But I am a very complete boxer and I’m going to use all of the tools I have to beat him. That’s it.

Moderator:

At this time, we have no further questions. I’d like to turn it over to Hassan for final comments.

Hassan N’Dam:

The final comment is, you know, I know everyone is talking about the fact that I am unhappy of the purse that I am getting for the fight. Of course, I am not very happy because I’ve heard several comments coming from my opponent’s camp saying that he’s going to have the largest purse in his career. I would like the idea, rules for the purse to be respected, and that is the purse must be split at 50/50, and there’s no additional money. I don’t want to talk about that anymore, but I just hope that the rules are going to be respected.

I just have a message for David Lemieux if he is on the line. Man, you better get ready because the spot you’re in, the challenger spot you’re in, you didn’t earn it. You got it by chance, by luck. I’m going to prove to you and to the entire world that you do not have the level of [indiscernible]. When you had the chance to become mandatory challenger, you always blew your chances. That’s all I have.

Oscar De La Hoya:

Thank you very much. Paul, thank you very much, N’Dam.

And now to introduce to you Team Lemieux. I would like to say it has been a great pleasure to work with this nice young man I’ll be introducing to you. He is president of Eye of the Tiger management. That is Camille Estephan. Camille.

Camille Estephan:

Hello, everybody. Thank you, Oscar, for the wonderful work and team N’Dam for being here today, unlike the Montreal visit that didn’t happen. I’d like to thank the press for the attention they’re giving to this fight. The fight that is majorly important in a very, very hard division that’s now the middleweight division. We believe that there will be a statement made on June 20th in Montreal at the Bell Centre.

The Bell Centre will be hosting an event that will be historical. It’s historical because it will mark a great name coming up. We believe in David Lemieux to do right at making a statement. But as well, it’s a celebration of a 35-year date in 1980. June 20th, Roberto Duran fought Sugar Ray Leonard at the Olympic Stadium and won a great historical fight. So, we’re pleased and thrilled to be making history again in Montreal for the wonderful boxing fans that supported us throughout the years and I’ve been there for David. So, it’s wonderful. Thank you, Eric and Oscar, to give the opportunity to David to give back to his fans on a wonderful June 20th coming up.

I’d like to introduce you to, as well, David and bring him to say a few words. I’m very proud of the work that he’s putting in, as always, for the last few years we’ve been working together and very, very looking forward to his performance on June 20th. David.

David Lemieux:

Hello. I’m here. Very excited for this fight. I’ve been waiting for a long time to be able to face the world champion in our division and to be able to become a world champion. It is my time, and I’ve been working since I was a young kid at this to be where I am today. I’m working extremely hard. This is to-date the best camp I’ve ever had. My physical strength is much better than it ever has been.

Everything is kind of coming into perfection for this fight. I’m extremely confident in this fight and what I am to expect with Hassan N’Dam, for I understand his boxing abilities. I understand everything about him. I’ve watched him. We studied him very well. I know his strengths, and I know his weaknesses. And I know my strength, and I know my weaknesses or whatever it is. There’s nothing I am concerned about in this fight with what I am doing today and everyday.

It’s going to be a great event. It’s going to be very explosive, and hopefully, it’s going to mark a historical event in Montreal and a great fight for 2015, to give to the fans all what they want, what they need. They’ve got two top athletes in the ring, and it’s going to be great. Two hungry guys; one much hungrier than the other. But, talk is cheap. We’ll keep everything cool for the fight on June 20th.

I’m very excited and very confident. I’m looking very forward to this fight. I’m very, very happy, and to fight N’Dam when other fighters turned him down. I would never turn down any fighter if the skills are right, good or great or whatever they are. With all my abilities, I’m in total confidence with myself, with my group, with my people, and with my surroundings, and every world we’re going to take, we’re going to be together. We’re going to be strong, and we’re going to have a big army around me. I’m willing to do all the damage, and on June 20th, I’m going to open a lot of eyes. It’s going to be very exciting.

Oscar De La Hoya:

Thank you very much, David. Before we open it up to questions for the media-just want to point out that David Lemieux, you take a look at his record, which is 33-2 with 31 knockouts. He has one of the top tail percentages of any fighter today. He has an explosive style. He’s hungry. He’s determined. He’s ready to go.

This is a very important and historical at the Bell Centre. Canada will be behind this event 100%. Golden Boy Promotions is really proud to be working with Eye of the Tiger and David. This will be our first fight since signing a deal with David, so we are just thrilled, excited, and happy, to be going out there for the whole week promoting this great event in Canada.

Now we can open it up to the media for questions for David. Thank you.

Question:

Hello, everybody. Thank you. Hello, David.

David Lemieux:

Hello.

Question:

David, my question for you is related to the loss that N’Dam took against Peter Quillin. He said on his part of the call that he had only three weeks to prepare for that fight and did not spar, but the results of the fight was he got knocked down, I believe it was five times, and obviously lost the decision. The question is: you are known for your very good punching power. He was on the deck five times against the best opponent that he has faced in his career. When you think about that, or do you think about that, do you think that this is looking like another knockout for David Lemieux?

David Lemieux:

He’s a great fighter. I’m not underestimating him, and I would never compare myself to any other fighters, especially not to Peter Quillin. He’s a good fighter but my abilities are very different, and I’m sure that any athlete can get knocked down but I think when Hassan will put the glove to his knee and that bell will ring in the first round, he will never [indiscernible] with me in his entire career. But we’ll see on June 20th.

Question:

Well, when you know that he got knocked down five times, and you know the kind of power that you possess, does it make you lick your chops a little bit?

David Lemieux:

No because anybody I’m willing to go in the ring with, I’m going to hurt them regardless if it is an undefeated title who has never been knocked down or some guy who has been knocked down. To me, it makes no difference because I have one goal in my mind. It’s to destroy and to be able to do it the best way I can throughout the whole fight. If it doesn’t happen in the first round, or the fifth, or the sixth, I’ll still try to the twelfth. There’s always going to be patience from my side.

Question:

I want to ask you, I don’t know if you had a chance to see it. Did you watch the Gennady Golovkin fight on Saturday night and his performance against Willie Monroe?

David Lemieux:

No. I’m just concentrating on this fight right now. I’m not paying attention to any other boxing. Just concentrating on my fight and on my [indiscernible], and that’s it.

Question:

How big of a deal is it for you, David, that this fight is going to take place in Montreal where you, obviously, that’s your hometown? By all accounts, you’re developing a very nice fan base up there. How significant is it for you to be able to fight for one of the world titles in front of those people in Montreal?

David Lemieux:

I’m very, very happy with it. It’s a dream come true. I’m working extremely hard. My fans always supported me here from my downsides, to my upsides and to my greater side. But now I’m a different person and I’m ready to bring this title home and to be sure, for all the fans to enjoy this great night of boxing at home in our backyard and just from a walk away from home. So, it’s good for me.

Question:

Alright. Very good. David, I wish you good luck. Thank you very much.

David Lemieux:

Thank you.

Question:

Hi, David. My question is this. On N’Dam’s side of the call, he said that you didn’t earn this spot, that you were lucky. Why do you think he would say something like that and does that bother you that he said you didn’t earn, regardless of what you’ve done in your career. He says you got this by luck?

David Lemieux:

Well, that’s only going to make him look foolish when I beat him on the 20th, that’s all. There’s no luck in boxing. It’s a hard man’s work. It’s life or death in the ring. It’s not a game, and there’s no such thing as luck in boxing. I’ve earned my right to be where I am, and I will be where I want to be. So, whatever his comment is, I disregard it and I don’t concern myself with his opinion.

Question:

Yes. This question is for David. You’re one of the names that kind of get forgotton in the middleweight division and if you win on Saturday, it’s going to change dramatically. You’re going to get thrown right up there with the upper echelon of this division. What does that mean to you? What does this fight mean to you?

David Lemieux:

It’s something I’ve known, I’ve understood and I’m ready for it. My name has been in people’s ears, but it hasn’t been out there to expose potential yet. So June 20th will signify earning the right to have my name out there with the top of the world. It’s extremely important. Of course every fight is extremely important, but especially this one. It’s another degree of importance. I’m training extremely hard, and I’m not going to miss my shot.

Question:

Good answer. Is unifying the titles, is that in your future? Do you see you trying that?

David Lemieux:

Yes. Sure. I’ll fight whoever there is to fight. I’m always up for challenges, and this is what I do as a champion. This is my duty. I’ll defend whatever there is to defend. I’m always going to be fighting the best. So, I’ll be all set for that [indiscernible].

Question:

Hi, David. How are you doing today?

David Lemieux:

I’m doing great. How are you?

Question:

Good. Thank you. My question comes from Hassan’s comments at the end of his conference. Do you think he is underestimating you as a fighter or do you think it was just a comment out of disrespect for you and how does that motivate you for the fight?

David Lemieux:

I think he has no clue of whom he’s going to face on June 20th and that’s going to be to my advantage. I don’t concern myself with his opinion or what he has to say about who he has faced and the challenges I’ve had in my life and my career, whatever it is. That’s my personal issues, and I aim to prove otherwise and June 20th will be the day when I will prove that. So, I don’t concern myself with anything. I’m very focused, and I’m ready. I’m ready for anything.

Question:

Great. Another question I have for you is he has more experience in championship fights. He’s gone, I think four or five more twelve-round fights than you have. Do you think his experience or your lack of experience in the later rounds will be a disadvantage for you?

David Lemieux:

Not at all. Nothing’s going to change the scenario of the fight. My experience has been great, and I’m ready to fight anybody in the middleweight division. Whatever style they have, it’s not going to be an issue.

Question:

Hello. This is a question for Oscar. Golden Boy and you have really been delivering. Your last two fights were Matthysse, Provodnikov, and then Canelo, Kirkland. This is another great matchup between N’Dam and Lemieux. I was just wondering, I read that HBO had a pass on this fight, and I was wondering why they would pass on a great fight like this.

Cecilia Zuniga:

Hey, Karl, this is Cecilia. Oscar had to step off the call to do a quick meeting in regards to TV rights to this particular fight. So, he’s no longer on the call, unfortunately. Sorry.

Karl Freitag:

Okay. Alright. That’s all I’ve got. Thank you.

Cecilia Zuniga:

Okay. Thank you.

Question:

Yes. I’m going to ask my question in French. [Speaking foreign language.]

Moderator: [Speaking foreign language.]

David Lemieux: [Speaking foreign language.]

Moderator: [Speaking foreign language.]

Moderator:

And I would not like to turn it over to David for final comments.

David Lemieux:

June 20th is going to be a great night of boxing. For all the fans around the world, don’t miss this fight. If you blink, you might miss it. It’s going to be a great night and very explosive. I’m actually very excited and very happy to be fighting Hassan N’Dam. Thank you.

Moderator:

And I’d like to turn it over to Camille for final comments.

Camille Estephan:

Well, the stage is set, and the chips are down, and like David said, don’t blink. It’s going to be an explosive fight that is made for the fans. Golden Boy has, like you guys mentioned, been putting on great fights that are extremely competitive, and this is one that is very promising. We’re working very hard on making sure that it will be a wonderful event for the Montreal fans with great explosive fireworks in the ring. So don’t miss it. Thank you very much.

###

David Lemieux vs. Hassan N’Dam is a 12-round fight for the vacant IBF
Middleweight World Championship presented by Eye of the Tiger Management and Golden Boy Promotions in association with Evenko. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. ET and the first bell rings at 6:45 p.m. ET. The live Canadian PPV telecast airs at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT.

Tickets start at $70 (CAD), taxes and service charges included, are on sale now at www.evenko.ca and at the Bell Centre box office. For further information, please visit us at and www.eottm.com, www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.evenko.ca or call 1-855-310-2525. Follow us on Twitter @Lemieuxboxing, @EOTMVD, @GoldenBoyBoxing and @evenko.

LOS ANGELES (May 14)- Eye of the Tiger Management and Golden Boy Promotions in collaboration with Evenko, announced yesterday via press conference the fight between Quebec power puncher David Lemieux(33-2, 31 KOs) and number one contender Hassan N’Dam (31-1,18 KOs) for the IBF Middleweight World Championship on Saturday, June 20. Live from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada and on Canadian Pay-Per-View, the card is set to showcase an exciting night of boxing with four additional championship belts on the line and an undercard featuring local Quebec talent.

David Lemieux first captured the attention of the boxing world during his impressive win against Gabriel “The King” Rosado in Brooklyn, New York December 2014. When the IBF Middleweight title became vacant, the confrontation between the Lemieux, who is currently ranked fourth in the world by the IBF, and number one contender N’Dam became eminent. This will be Lemieux’s first fight with Golden Boy Promotions since signing an exclusive promotional contract with the company in January 2015.

“David Lemieux vs. Hassan N’Dam will be an action packed fight the fans in Montreal will be excited to see on June 20, as David faces off against the dangerous N’Dam for the coveted vacant IBF Middleweight Title,” said Oscar De La Hoya, President and Founder of Golden Boy Promotions. “Hassan and David are both elite fighters in the middleweight division, both former and current title holders with fighting styles that will keep fans on the edge of their seats. This is just the kind of fight boxing needs to have; the fans want action in the ring and both David and Hassan are sure to deliver that.”

“It was really important for my team and I to bring this fight here to Quebec,” said David Lemieux. “The fans here have supported me from the beginning of my career and for that I am extremely grateful. I want to live this significant moment of my career with Quebecers and will do all that I can for them to be proud of me. I am ready to offer the very best of myself. Those close to me and my fans will see all the blood they want!”

“I’m thrilled to be fighting for the middleweight championship,” said Hassan N’Dam. “I’ve very thankful to King Sports for making this happen and I look forward to fighting in Montreal and leaving with the title.”

The undercard will feature some of the most talented boxers in Quebec, including Dierry Jean (28-1, 20 KOs), Schiller Hyppolite (15-1, 10 KOs), Ghislain Maduma (16-1, 10 KOs), Steven Butler (11-0, 9 KOs), Mian Hussain (11-0, 6 KOs), Ayaz Hussain (5-0, 3 KOs), Yves Ulysse Jr. (6-0 , 4 KOs) and Mathieu Germain (1-0). Jean, Hyppolite and Butler will fight respectively for the NABF Lightweight title, the WBC World Francophonie Light Heavyweight title and the North American Youth Super Welterweight title.

For the president of Eye of the Tiger Management, Camille Estephan, it was imperative that the card of the evening is entirely composed of Quebec natives.

“We believe that the province is full of talented and promising athletes who are just waiting for a chance to demonstrate their abilities,” said Estephan. “Our mission is to ensure that our Quebec boxers are achieving the greatest honors. Join us in our conquest.”

Tickets, which will be offered for as low as $70 (CAD) (taxes and service charges included), go on sale Saturday, May 16 at www.evenko.ca and at the Bell Centre box office. For further information, please visit us at and www.eottm.com, www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.evenko.ca or call 1-855-310-2525. Follow us on Twitter @Lemieuxboxing, @EOTMVD, @GoldenBoyBoxing and @evenko.

Currently ranked in the top ten middleweight fighters by the IBF, WBO, and WBA, Lemieux is coming off of his eighth consecutive win and seventh consecutive knockout against Gabriel “King” Rosado in a headlining bout at Barclays Center on December 2014. Lemieux’s previous bout against Fernando Guerrero for the then vacant NABF middleweight title resulted in a dominating win, knocking down Guerrero in the first round, second round, third round and finally a technical knockout in the fourth round. Now David Lemieux is certainly seen as a serious contender against the elite of the middleweight division.

Number one contender Hassan N’Dam of Pantin, Seine-Saint-Denis, France is a fierce fighter known for his speed and endurance in the ring. A professional since 2004, N’Dam has already accumulated the WBA International Middleweight Title and the WBA World Middleweight title beating out seasoned fighters Omard Gabriel Weis and Giovanni Lorenzo for his shot at a world title. Having lost via unanimous decision to Peter Quillin for the WBO World Middleweight Title in 2012, the top contender is ready for prove that he has the makings for of a world champion when he faces David Lemieux for the vacant IBF Middleweight World title.

David Lemieux vs. Hassan N’Dam is a 12-round fight for the IBF Middleweight World Championship presented by Eye of the Tiger Management and Golden Boy Promotions in association with Evenko. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. ET and the first bell rings at 6:45 p.m. ET. The live PPV telecast airs at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com. Davod Lemieux will take on Hassan N’Dam for the vacant INF Middleweight title on June 20 in Montreal.

“It was really important for my team and I to bring this fight here to Quebec,” Lemieux said. “(Quebec has) supported me since the very beginning, and for that I am extremely grateful. I want to live this significant moment of my career with Quebecers and will do all that I can for them to be proud of me. I am ready to offer the very best of myself. Those close to me and my fans will see all the blood they want.”

“David Lemieux versus Hassan N’Dam will be an action-packed fight the fans in Montreal will be excited to see on June 20,” Golden Boy president Oscar De La Hoya said. “Hassan and David are both elite fighters in the middleweight division with fighting styles that will keep fans on the edge of their seats. This is just the kind of fight boxing needs to have. The fans want action in the ring and both David and Hassan are sure to deliver that.”

Hassan N’Dam scored a 12-round unanimous decision over Curtis Stevens in an IBF Middleweight elimination bout at the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, California.

N’Dam boxed well from the outside and never let Stevens get on track with power shots.

It was N’Dam that scored the only knockdown when he landed a short right hand in round eight that sent Stevens to the canvas. Stevens landed his best punch later in the round when he landed a hard left hook to the war.

N’Dam continued to win rounds by jabbing and moving. Stevens made once last stand in the 12th round as he tried to land a power shot that would turn the tide but was no no avail as N’Dam won by scores of 119-108 and 116-111 twice.

N’Dam, 158 lbs of France is now 31-1. Stevens, 158.8 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is now 27-5.

Fredrick Lawson remained undefeated by scoring a 10-round unanimous decision over Ray Narh in a Welterweight bout featuring fighters originally from Ghana.

Lawson scored a knockdown in round two when Narh walked into a left hook and was sent to the canvas.

In round eight, Lawson landed hard left to the head that hurt Narh and a right to the body that sent Narh down face first.

Lawson, 147.8 lbs of Chicago won by scores is now 99-89 twice 95-93 and is now 23-0. Narh, 146.6 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is now 26-6.

Miguel Marriaga scored a 6th round stoppage over Christopher Martin in a scheduled 8-round Featherweight bout.

Marriaga dominated and cut Martin over his left eye in round four from a big over hand right. marriaga dropped Martin in round six from a seven punch combination. Marriaga finished Martin with a hard flurry in the corner and the bout was stopped at 2:37 of round four.

Marriaga, 125.6 lbs of Colombia is now 19-0 with 17 knockouts. Martin, 125.8 lbs of San Diego, CA is now 28-4-3.

ESPN2 will televise live the 12-round IBF World Middleweight Championship fight between titleholder Sam “King” Soliman (44-11, 18 KOs) and former Middleweight titlist Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor (32-4-1, 20 KOs) in an ESPN Boxing Special presented by Corona Extra on Wednesday, Oct. 8, at 9 p.m. ET. The winner of the championship bout will face the winner of tonight’s Hassan N’Dam vs. Curtis Stevens IBF Middleweight eliminator fight in an ESPN Boxing Special at 9 p.m. on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+ and WatchESPN.

“With the excitement over the rise of Gennady Golovkin, the anticipation over Miguel Cotto’s next move, and Peter Quillin’s power play in vacating the WBO belt, the Middleweight division is white hot right now from an interest- level standpoint,” said Brian Kweder, ESPN senior director, programming and acquisitions. “Equally as interesting has been the return of Jermain Taylor to the division so we are excited to provide fans with two consecutive ESPN Boxing Specials to finish painting the Middleweight picture.”

The October 8, show, from the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Miss., will also be televised live on ESPN Deportes’ Noche de Combates presentado por Corona Extra. Both shows will be also available via WatchESPN. The card promoted by Warriors Boxing.

Commentators:
Todd Grisham and analyst Teddy Atlas will be ringside describing the action for ESPN2, while Pablo Viruega and analyst Delvin Rodríguez will call the fights for ESPN Deportes. Claudia Trejos and Leopoldo González will anchor the ESPN Deportes studio. Bi-lingual reporter Bernardo Osuna will present live reports and interviews for both ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.

Main Event:
Australia’s Soliman won the IBF Middleweight title in his last fight by defeating then-titleholder Felix Sturm. Soliman, a former kickboxing world champion, was also a participant in the 2007 season of The Contender reality television show.

“Jermain Taylor — he’s been there, done that. He’s been a world champion himself,” Soliman said. “I’m excited about the fact that I’m fighting a guy who has won all the belts – I’m keen on doing that! He’s done what I’m looking forward to doing myself. It’s a rich scalp for me.”

Taylor of Arkansas — a former undisputed WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF and The Ring Middleweight world champion — is coming off a seventh-round TKO win over J.C. Candelo. Taylor has fought top-level opposition throughout his career including, Arthur Abraham, Carl Froch, Kelly Pavlik, Cory Spinks, and Bernard Hopkins.

“Things have come full circle for me — I have another shot to become a world champion, and I’m not going to let this opportunity pass by without being victorious,” Taylor said. “I’ve made a bunch of mistakes in boxing, losing to fighters I shouldn’t have lost to because of a lack of training, but I’m ready to clear all that up. With hard work and dedication, I’ll be 110 percent ready. I think Sam Soliman is a great fighter. He’s had a great career and he comes to fight, but I have to go in there and beat the hell out of him.”

Co-Feature:
The 10-round co-feature will pit Super Middleweights “The Matrix” Andre Dirrell (22-1, 15 KOs) from Flint, Mich., fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla., against New York’s Nick “The Machine Gun” Brinson (16-2-2, 6 KOs). Dirrell, a former Super Middleweight world title challenger, scored a fifth-round TKO win over Vladine Biosse in his last fight, while Brinson is looking to rebound from a 10-round unanimous decision loss to Dominic Wade.

About ESPN Boxing
ESPN is home to ESPN Friday Night Fights and ESPN Deportes’ Noche de Combates (Spanish version), a weekly boxing series which runs between January and August and showcases some of the best bouts in the boxing industry. Friday Night Fights began on October 2, 1998 and Noche de Combates (formerly Viernes de Combates) began on January 10, 2004. ESPN began televising boxing on April 10, 1980 when weekly boxing returned to television for the first time since 1964, with the debut of Top Rank Boxing on ESPN.

This Wednesday Oct. 1 at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, King Sports will pit boxing’s highest-ranking middleweights (Hassan N’Dam 30-1 18 KOs and Curtis Stevens 27-4 20 KOs) against each other in a mandatory bout to earn a shot at the IBF Middleweight World Championship Belt, currently held by Sam Soliman (44-1 18 KOs).

The event at Barker Hangar promises an epic night of fights that will be televised on ESPN2 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. King Sports will pull from an unprecedented talent pool that includes Interim World Cruiserweight Champion Youri Kalenga, and No. 7 Heavyweight in the world, Charles Martin (18-0-1 16 KOs) to create an exciting night of boxing.

Earlier this year, King Sports announced the return of big-time fights to Southern California on a frequent basis and this event, the second in the series, more than lives up to that promise. King Sports stunned the boxing world by winning the sealed bid against Main Events for the right to promote this important middleweight fight.

“I was just as shocked that we won the bid,” said Michael King, president of King Sports. “On the other hand, it’s important fights like this one that we promised to deliver, and will continue to deliver, as we develop and expand our lineup of world- class fighters and events from King Sports.”

“We bought the rights to this major fight and we’re thrilled to have it,” said Brian Kweder, Head of Boxing programming at ESPN. “Over the past several months, King Sports has proven itself a legit player in the space, and we are proud to partner with Michael King on his first televised event. Without question we’re expecting an outstanding lineup of fighters.”

Tickets can be purchased through
Ticketmaster by calling
1-800-745-3000.
Doors open at 5:00pm
First Bout at 6:00pm.

For more information on King Sports
and the October 1 event please visit
www.kingsportsworldwide.com.