Follow all the action LIVE as Khabib Nurmagomedov defends the UFC Lightweight Title against Justin Gaethje

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Round 1 Big right from Khabib..Counter from Gaethje..Jab from Khabib..Leg Kick from Gaethje..Right..Body kick from Khabib..Knee…Left….Body Kick..Body shot and left hook From Gaethje..Right over the top..Counter left,,Takedown by Khabib..Khabib has an armbar

Round 2 Leg Kick from Khabib..Left from Gaethje..Leg Kick..Takedown by Khabib…Triangle Choke…GAETHJE TAPS

Round 1 Leg kick by Whittaker..Leg Kick by Cannonier drops Whittaker..He gets up…Upper body kick by Whittaker..Nice Jab..2 kicks by Cannonier..Counter by Whittaker…Combination…High Kick..

Round 2 Double jab from Whittaker…Counter right from Cannonier..Swelling around right eye of Cannnier..Right..Straight for Whittaker..Double jab–right hand

Round 3 1-2 then a big kick rocks Cannonier…Cannonier is down…Taking shots on the ground…Body shot from Cannonier..Right hurts Whittaker..

Round 1 Body shot from Harris…Head punch..Straight from Volkoff..Jab..big Left…Right from Harris..Nice right..Right hurts Harris.

Round 2 Volkoff LANDS A KICK TO THE BODY..HE HIS HURT…VOLKOFF LANDS SOME SOLID SHOTS AND THE FIGHT IS STOPPED

Round 1 HAWES LANDS A HUGE RIGHT THAT KNOCKS MALKOUN DOWN AND THE FIGHT IS OVER IN LESS THEN 20 SECONDS

Round 1 Shakirova lands a right..Spinning back fist..Good counter right from Murphy..Right from Shakirova…Elbows from Murphy..2 Kicks to the body from Shakirova

Round 2 Combination from Murphy..Takedown….Murphy gets the CHOKE AND SHAKIROVA TAPS

Round 1 Front Kick by Ankalaev..Right Hook..Over hand right by Cutelaba..Ankalaev lands a knee…STRAIGHT LEFT KNOCKS DOWN CUTELABA….HUGE LEFT AND DOWN GOES CUTELABA..9 HUGE GROUND AND POUND STRIKES AND FIGHT IS OVER

Adrien Broner won the WBA Suoer Lightweight title with a 12th round stoppage over former champion Khabib Allakhverdiev at the U.S. Bank Arena in his hime town of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Broner doiminated the action with little spurts offense from Allakhverdiev. Allakhverdiev’s eyes began to swell. The bout was stopped at 2:23 of round twelve after referee Harvey Dock deemed that Allakhverdiev had taken enough punishment.

Broner, 138 1/2 lbs of Cincinnati, OH is now 31-2-1 with 23 knockouts. Allakhverdiev, 139 lbs of Russia is now 19-2. Broner now is a champion in his 4th weight division after winning belts at 130, 135 & 147 pounds.

Jose Pedraza retained the IBF Jr. Lightweight title with a split decision over Edner Cherry.

Pedraza, 129 lbs of Cidra, PR won on two cards by 117-111 scores while Cherry took a card 116-112.

Pedraza is now 21-0. Cherry, 129 lbs of Wauchula, FL is 34-7-2-1.

Robert Easter Jr. scored a 3rd round stoppage over Juan Solis in a scheduled 10-round Lightweight bout.

Easter dominated the action and hurt Solis several times. In round three, Easter landed a hug left to the body that doubled over Solis and a follow up flurry forced the referee to stop the bout at 43 seconds of round three.

Easter, 141 lbs of Toledo, OH is now 16-0 with 13 knockouts. Solis, 142 lbs of Buenos Aries, ARG is 20-10-1.

2012 U.S. Olympian Jamel Herring remained undefeated with a 10-round unanimous decision over Yakubu Amidu in a Lightweight bout.

Herring, 134 1/2 lbs of Cincinnati, OH won by scores of 100-90 twice and 99-91 is now 14-0. Amidu, 134 1/2 lbs of Los Angeles, CA is 19-8-2.

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT)

WBA Super Lightweight World Championship

Adrien Broner – 138 ½ Pounds

Khabib Allakhverdiev – 139 Pounds

IBF Junior Lightweight World Championship

Jose Pedraza – 129 Pounds

Edner Cherry – 129 Pounds

SHOWTIME BOXING ON SHO EXTREME® (8 p.m. ET/PT)

10 Rounds Lightweight Bout

Robert Easter Jr. – 134 ½ Pounds

Juan Ramon Solis – 136 Pounds

10 Rounds Lightweight Bout

Jamel Herring – 134 ½ Pounds

Yakubu Amidu – 134 ½ Pounds

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CINCINNATI, Ohio — (Oct. 1, 2015) – Two days before Adrien Broner goes for his fourth world title in his home state of Ohio, Broner and his opponent, Russia’s Khabib Allakhverdiev participated in a final press conference Thursday at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Former three-division world champion Broner (30-2, 22 KOs) returns to his hometown against fellow former world champion Allakhverdiev (19-1, 9 KOs) for the WBA Super Lightweight world title this Saturday, Oct. 3 live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT) from U.S. Bank Arena.

In the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING co-feature, undefeated IBF Junior Lightweight World Champion Jose Pedraza (20-0, 12 KOs) will defend his title against former world title challenger Edner Cherry (24-6-2, 19 KOs).

In the main event on SHOWTIME BOXING on SHO EXTREME®, top undefeated prospect Robert Easter Jr. (15-0, 12 KOs), of Toledo, Ohio, and Argentinean veteran Juan Ramon Solis (25-9, 9 KOs) will square off in a 10-round lightweight bout.

Opening the SHO EXTREME telecast (8 p.m. ET/PT), unbeaten U.S. Olympian Jamel Herring (13-0, 8 KOs), of Cincinnati will be opposed by former African champion Yakubu “Black Mamba” Amidu (19-7-2, 19 KOs), in 10-round lightweight fight.

Below is what the fighters had to say today:

ADRIEN BRONER

“I told you I wouldn’t do any interviews or talk. Nothing has changed. I just want to thank everyone for coming. I will be victorious on Saturday night, October 3.”

KHABIB ALLAKHVERDIEV

“I don’t talk too much. I am ready to fight Saturday.

“He [Broner] is nervous. That’s why he’s acting like a clown.

“This is his hometown. It’s his last chance for a world title and he shows up late and makes it look like he’s joking around with everybody and doesn’t care. I’ve seen fighters do this before and it’s because he is scared.

“He knows what will happen on Saturday. He can clown around all he wants, but that won’t help him when we are in the ring.

“I feel great seeing him nervous. For me, this is just another fight and just another win and that’s what it will be. A win for me over this nervous clown. I am going to beat him in front of all his friends.”

JOSE PEDRAZA, IBF Junior Lightweight World Champion

“Everyone says they’re going to come knock me out, good luck to him. It’s not happening.

“He has a lot of experience as a professional, but I have been fighting for a long time as well so I’m not worried about who he’s faced.

“I’m ready for 12 rounds but I want to get him out of there sooner. I’m going to work the body hard to try to get that done.

“I want to face the best. I’d prefer not to face another Puerto Rican but if it’s the best fight out there, I will face anybody.

“I have no prediction for the fight. I have a good strategy for the fight and if it works, I will win by knockout.”

EDNER CHERRY

“I want to thank the fans. Everyone that has supported me. Tune in Saturday night. It will be a great show.”

ROBERT EASTER JR.

“I’m coming out to put on a great show. You know I don’t like to be in the ring too long so you will see a knockout.

“I don’t watch a lot of tape or anything like that. I just work hard in the gym and do the best I can.”

JUAN SOLIS

“My technical abilities are my best qualities in the ring. This is my work and I fight with honor.

“Argentinean boxers are known for giving everything in their fights. I am going to do everything to win Saturday night.”

JAMEL HERRING

“I am honored to be here. Everyone that knows me knows that I come out and I give it my all.

“Expect to see a great fight. Much respect to my opponent for taking this fight, but that’s where it stops. Once we get in the ring its all about business.”

YAKUBU AMIDU

“I have fought some great fighters. I have experience in the boxing game. I am here to give Jamel Herring a good fight. I want you to come and watch a good fight.

“I’m from Ghana. I live in Los Angeles. I have been living there for six years. I started boxing as a pro in Ghana. I went to South Africa. Then I went to England and then I came here. I have a huge advantage in experience.”

MIKE STAFFORD, Adrien Broner’s Trainer

“Adrien is at his weight class this time. We have been fighting at 146 and 147, he’s had the title at 147, but now he is back at his weight. He is mean and lean.

“Adrien knows how important this is. He knows Khabib is a great former champion. We thank you for coming to our city. Not too many people would come into this situation.

“We thank our families and friends and without these guys wouldn’t be up here. These are a great bunch of guys. I am like a stand-in father to all of them and I appreciate you supporting them.”

LEON MARGULES, President of Warriors Boxing

“Everyone knows who Adrien Broner is. Adrien has a promotional company called About Billions Promotions and they have been fun, interesting and I hope we get to work together again.

“Not only do we have a great international card, but we have several fighters, up-and-comers from this area.

“When you look at this card, you have one of the more explosive fights boxing fans will see this year. Reigning IBF Junior Lightweight Champion Jose Pedraza and former title challenger that is fighting at the weight class that he wants – Edner Cherry.

“Cincinnati is a great city. It is also a world class sports town. Bengals, Reds, University of Cincinnati, Xavier University and the Cyclones that play in this building. They also have Adrien Broner.

“He is the most talented and naturally gifted fighter in the world today. I believe he can be the next superstar in our sport. He is 26-years-old. His finesse speed and power is unlike any I have seen in a long time. I am proud to be his partner and work with him on this fight.”

RAVONE LITTLEJOHN, President of About Billions Promotions

“Thanks Adrien for showing up. He has brought some great things into this camp.

“Thank Adrien Broner for giving me an opportunity to promote this fight. We are ready to go. Tickets are still available. See you Saturday night.”

VLAD HRUNOV, World of Boxing

“Thank you very much. Why do we still not sell out? If we are in your hometown. Welcome to the best fight of this city in boxing history.”

JAVIER BUSTILLO, President of Universal Promotions

“It is a pleasure and honor to be working with Leon Margules. I have been working in boxing for 20 years and I have never seen anyone like Jose Pedraza. We know we are fighting Edner Cherry – a good boxer.

“We call Jose the ‘Sniper.’ You are going to see a sniper Saturday night. He won’t miss a punch.”

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For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports follow on Twitter @SHOSports, @AdrienBroner, @WarriorsBoxProm and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports and www.Facebook.com/AdrienTheProblemBroner

Cincinnati, OH (10/01/15) – This Saturday night, live on Showtime®, undefeated Puerto Rican star Jose “The Sniper” Pedraza (20-0, 12KO’s) makes the first defense of his IBF junior lightweight world championship when he defends his crown against dangerous, former world-title challenger and IBF #14-rated Edner “Cherry Bomb” Cherry (34-6-2, 19KO’s). The championship matchup will be the lead supporting bout to Adrien Broner’s battle against Khabib Allakhverdiev for the vacant WBA world super lightweight title. Showtime will begin live coverage starting at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

The 2008 Olympian Pedraza won the belt in June with a near shutout decision over once-beaten and tough-as-nails contender Andrey Klimov. Pedraza had his way with Klimov from the outset, controlling the action with his superior boxing ability and speed, switching between orthodox and southpaw, and at times stalking Klimov down, showing his willingness to go toe-to-toe. It was a near flawless performance for the 26-year-old, who won by scores of 120-108, 120-108, and 119-109, fulfilling a lifelong dream, and cementing himself as the leading candidate to become the island country of Puerto Rico’s next superstar. Pedraza will be looking to steal the show this Saturday when he takes on the dangerous and longtime contender Cherry.

“We train hard all the time, we are in great shape and we prepare for every fight like the opponent is the champion,” said Pedraza. “Edner Cherry is a very experienced fighter. He is a strong guy and good puncher. I am in great shape and I’m ready to fight 12 rounds. This could very well be the toughest fight of my career. He hasn’t lost in seven years, but we are very prepared, studied the fight well and are ready to go come Saturday. My youth will play a huge part in this fight. I’m much younger than him and, without a doubt, I will win this fight. I can’t wait for the fans to watch this fight and if they can’t be here than I hope they watch on Showtime. It will be a great fight.”

“Jose Pedraza is one of the most exciting young champions in all of boxing and a successor to the great Puerto Rican champions that preceded him. On Saturday, he’ll have a chance to prove himself against very tough contender Edner Cherry in what should be a barnburner,” said co-promoter Lou DiBella.

“Working with Jose and his team has been spectacular since day one and having Al Haymon working with us to further build his career has been a blessing. There is no limit to what Jose can do in this sport. Edner Cherry is a very dangerous competitor who will be bringing it all night long. We are confident in Jose’s ability though and know he will once again put on a spectacular performance come Saturday night,” said co-promoter Javier Bustillo.

“I truly believe that Jose will be a multi-divisional champion and go down as one of the best fighters to ever come out of Puerto Rico,” said co-promoter Gary Shaw.

The 33-year-old Cherry hasn’t lost a bout since 2008, when he dropped a decision to then-WBC super lightweight world champion Timothy Bradley. After the defeat to Bradley, Cherry dropped down in weight and got himself back into title contention, reeling off 10 victories, including seven inside the distance.

The bout between Pedraza and Cherry is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, Universal Promotions and Gary Shaw Productions. The event is promoted by Warriors Boxing and About Billions Promotions.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Warriors Boxing and About Billions Promotions, are priced at $154, $104, $79, $54, and $29 and are on sale NOW. Tickets are available at the U.S. Bank Arena box office, all Ticketmaster outlets including select Kroger stores, call 1-800-745-3000, or online at Ticketmaster.com.

CINCINNATI, Ohio — (Sept. 30, 2015) – Adrien Broner (30-2, 22 KOs) and Khabib Allakhverdiev (19-1, 9 KOs) held a media workout at The Punch House in Cincinnati on Wednesday as they prepare for this Saturday’s WBA Super Lightweight World Championship, live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT) from U.S. Bank Arena.

In the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING co-feature, undefeated IBF Junior Lightweight World Champion Jose Pedraza (20-0, 12 KOs) will defend his title against former world title challenger Edner Cherry (24-6-2, 19 KOs).

SHOWTIME EXTREME fighters and undefeated prospects Robert Easter Jr. and Jamel Herring also participated in Wednesday’s workout. Easter Jr. (15-0, 12 KOs) will take on Juan Ramon Solis (20-9, 9 KOs) while Herring (13-0, 8 KOs) will face Yakubu Amido (19-7-2, 17 KOs) in separate 10-round lightweight bouts this Saturday. NOTE: Solis is a late replacement for the previously announced Miguel Acosta as an opponent for Easter Jr.

While Broner continued his vow of silence with the media, the three-division world champion “let his fists do the talking” in a spirited workout that lasted nearly 90 minutes.

Here’s what the rest of the SHOWTIME fighters had to say on Wednesday:

KHABIB ALLAKHVERDIEV:
“I expect Broner to try to play his game, but we will play our game.

“The experience I gained after losing the title in my last fight [against Jesse Vargas] is that I really understand the opportunity that I am being given going into this fight.

“I am not worried about fighting in Broner’s hometown. I have fought many fighters in their own cities and it doesn’t bother me.

“On Saturday night, I will show the fans a great fight and come out with the victory.”

JOSE PEDRAZA:
“We train hard all the time, we are in great shape and we prepare for every fight like the opponent is the champion.

“Edner Cherry is a very experienced fighter. He is a strong guy and good puncher.

“I am in great shape and I’m ready to fight 12 rounds.

“This could very well be the toughest fight of my career. He hasn’t lost in seven years. But we are very prepared, studied the fight well and are ready to go come Saturday.

“My youth will play a huge part in this fight. I’m much younger than him and, without a doubt, I will win this fight.

“I can’t wait for the fans to watch this fight and if they can’t be here than I hope they watch on SHOWTIME. It will be a great fight.”

EDNER CHERRY:

“This will be a very tough fight. We’ve been training hard and had a great camp.

“I’m not taking anything away from him, he’s a tough fighter. He’s a champion for a reason. But on Saturday night I’m coming for that title, that’s my job.

“We trained for 12 hard rounds, but if the knockout comes, then I will be very excited. All I’m looking for is a very hard 12-round fight.

“Ever since my title loss to Timothy Bradley in 2008, I’ve pushed myself to get back into this position and to give myself the opportunity for a title shot at the right weight class. I’m finally in the right weight class for me.

“Bradley was the much bigger fighter when we fought [in 2008]. That was a mistake on our end. He just was the bigger guy, but I was in the ring with one of the best fighters in the world and I really learned from that fight.

“I tell people that I am so glad that I didn’t win that title against Bradley because, in my mind, I would’ve been fighting at 140, but that wasn’t my weight class. I would’ve been risking my life fighting at 140. I glad I didn’t win it, but I’m also glad I hung in there and got myself back into a big fight.

“I’ve been preparing for this fight for 15 years, and it’s going to show on Saturday.”

ROBERT EASTER JR.

“I have a lot of people coming from Toledo to see me. They’re all excited about it.

“This is my second time fighting on SHOWTIME EXTREME and I’m truly blessed. It’s a good opportunity to showcase my skills on national television.

“I know nothing about my opponent, but I do that on purpose. It’s been the same thing as the rest of my 15 opponents. I didn’t study them at all. Whoever they put in front of me, that’s the test I have to overcome and so far I’ve been doing excellent and passed them all.”

JAMEL HERRING:

“He’s my best opponent yet. He’s a tough guy, very durable. He’s a lot more durable than my last few opponents.

“I take nothing from him, but I’m motivated and looking forward to pushing myself more than anything. It’s going to be a great step up and people are going to see a lot more than they’ve seen from me in the past.

“I’m in great shape. I just had a fight back at the end of August. I took literally three days off instead of a whole week and came right back, so I’ve been in shape for the past three months getting to this date.

“It’s a blessing to be able to showcase my talent on the national scene instead of the local venues or being on the big cards but not getting any kind of TV exposure. Now I’m part of the big show.

“I don’t take anything for granted or let it get to my head. To me it’s another fight and I take every fight seriously. It doesn’t matter who I’m in with, every fight is a stepping stone to a title, so every fight is important.”

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For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports follow on Twitter @SHOSports, @AdrienBroner, @WarriorsBoxProm and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports and www.Facebook.com/AdrienTheProblemBroner

CINCINNATI (September 24, 2015) – Top undefeated prospects Robert Easter Jr. and Jamel Herring will enter the ring in separate bouts on SHOWTIME BOXING on SHO EXTREME® on Saturday, October 3 live at 8 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) from U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati.

The SHO EXTREME telecast will lead into SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING live on SHOWTIME® at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. In the main event, Adrien “The Problem” Broner (30-2, 22 KOs) will take on Khabib “The Hawk” Allakhverdiev (19-1, 9 KOs) for the WBA Super Lightweight World Championship. In the co-main event, IBF Junior Lightweight World Champion Jose “The Sniper” Pedraza (20-0, 12 KOs) defends his title against veteran Edner “Cherry Bomb” Cherry (34-6-2, 19 KOs).

Easter Jr. (15-0, 12 KOs) and Herring (13-0, 8 KOs) will look to remain undefeated when they face former world champion Miguel Acosta (29-8, 23 KOs) and former African champion Yakubu “Black Mamba” Amidu (19-7-2, 19 KOs), respectively, in 10-round lightweight fights.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Warriors Boxing and About Billions Promotions, are priced at $154, $104, $79, $54, and $29 and are on sale now. Tickets are available at the U.S. Bank Arena box office, all Ticketmaster outlets including select Kroger stores, call 1-800-745-3000, or online at Ticketmaster.com.

Another pair of undefeated local prospects will appear on the undercard action: Jamontay “Quiet Assassin” Clark (6-0, 3 KOs) faces Romon Barber (5-9, 4 KOs) in a six-round welterweight bout and Raynell Williams (9-0, 5 KOs) competes in an eight- round lightweight affair against an opponent to be announced.

Rounding out the action is 32-year-old heavyweight Danny Calhoun (5-1 3 KOs) out of Chicago taking on 24-year-old Toledo-native Calvin Pritchard (2-6-3) in a six-round contest, 27-year-old Cincinnati-born Aaron Hollis (3-0, 2 KOs) facing 27-year-old DeWayne Wisdom (6-25-1, 3 KOs) out of Indianapolis in six rounds of featherweight action and 29-year-old Mel “Black Diamond” Crossty (7-0-1, 1 KO) out of Cincinnati going up against 25-year-old Cleveland-born Thomas Mattice (3-0, 3 KOs) in a 6/8 round lightweight attraction.

An accomplished amateur who was a 2012 U.S. Olympic alternate, the 24-year-old Easter Jr. will be seeking his fourth victory of 2015 after picking up knockouts over Osumanu Akaba, Miguel Mendoza and Alejandro Rodriguez. Unbeaten since turning pro in 2012, the Toldeo, Ohio-born prospect faces a tough challenge in 30-year-old Amidu. Born in Ghana, Amidu, who trains in Los Angeles, will be fighting for the third time this year.

The 29-year-old Herring represented the United States at the 2012 Olympic Games after winning the U.S. National Amateur title the same year. Fighting out of Cincinnati, Herring hopes for a fourth straight victory in 2015 after beating Hector Velazquez, Ariel Vasquez and Hector Marengo. He faces the toughest opponent of his pro career when he steps up against the 37-year-old Acosta. Born in Venezuela and fighting out of Philadelphia, Acosta won a world title and defended it against previously unbeaten fighters Paulus Moses and Armando Cordoba.

Another talented young fighter to come out of Cincinnati in recent years, Clark cites Aaron Pryor as one of his boxing idols. The slick 20-year-old recently completed his first six-round bout with a unanimous decision over Jonathan Garcia in May and stopped Marco Reyes in September. He returns in his hometown against the 33-year-old Barber out of Wichita, Kansas.

Fighting out of Cleveland, the 2008 U.S. Olympian Williams has been busy in 2015, picking up four victories including two by stoppage. The 26-year-old fights at U.S. Bank Arena for the second time in his career on October 3 and will look to make it a perfect 10 victories in a row to start his career.

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For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports follow on Twitter @SHOSports, @AdrienBroner, @WarriorsBoxProm and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports and www.Facebook.com/AdrienTheProblemBroner

CINCINNATI (Aug. 28, 2015) – Former three-division world champion Adrien “The Problem” Broner (30-2, 22 KOs) returns to his hometown looking for a fourth world title as he faces fellow former world champion Khabib “The Hawk” Allakhverdiev (19-1, 9 KOs) for the WBA Super Lightweight world title on Saturday, October 3 live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT) from U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio.

In the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING co-feature, undefeated IBF Junior Lightweight World Champion Jose “The Sniper” Pedraza (20-0, 12 KOs) will defend his belt against veteran former world title challenger Edner “Cherry Bomb” Cherry (34-6-2, 19 KOs).

“I’m excited to be back in Cincinnati taking on a tough world class fighter who is going to bring it,” said Broner. “This fight means the world to me. It’s a huge deal to have the chance to be a four-division world champion at 26 years old.”

“Broner is a good boxer, he is a fast and talented guy, but as a man I don’t have anything good to say about him,” said Allakhverdiev. “I am looking forward to a world championship winning performance and I know that if he tries to do something to get in my head, to approach me or to push me that I will be as restrained as possible and save my anger for fight night.”

“I’m very excited to be back on SHOWTIME defending my title,” said Pedraza. “This is another step in the direction of becoming a superstar in the sport of boxing. ? I will be victorious and make my island proud.”

“I’m in a tough fight on October 3 but I’m very excited for this opportunity,” said Cherry. “This is nothing new for me. I’m not taking Pedraza lightly. He’s a champion for a reason. This is something that comes once in a lifetime and I’m going all-in to win this title.”

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Warriors Boxing and About Billions Promotions, are priced at $154, $104, $79, $54, and $29 and are on sale NOW. Tickets are available at the U.S. Bank Arena box office, all Ticketmaster outlets including select Kroger stores, call 1-800-745-3000, or online at Ticketmaster.com.

The 12-round fight will be Broner’s first since he dropped a unanimous decision to former welterweight world champion Shawn Porter in June 20. Broner is 8-1 in title fights and has collected belts at 130, 135 and 147 pounds, but has never won a title at 140 pounds. Dropping down in weight, Broner is looking to add a fourth world title to his resume in his return to Cincinnati, where he defeated Emmanuel Taylor last September in front of his hometown fans in a 2014 Fight of the Year candidate.

Allakhverdiev’s (pronounced ah-lockh-ver-DEE-ev) only blemish came via controversial 12-round split decision in a title defense to then-undefeated Jessie Vargas in April 2014. Allakhverdiev, of Moscow, Russia, initially won the WBA 140-pound crown with an eight-round technical decision over previously unbeaten three-division world champion Joan Guzmán in November 2012. In his lone defense, the southpaw scored two knockdowns in a one-sided 11th-round TKO over former world champion Souleymane M’Baye in July 2013. This is Allakhverdiev’s first start since the questionable loss to Vargas.

Pedraza, of Caguas, Puerto Rico, won the vacant IBF 130-pound title with a dominating unanimous decision over Andrey Klimov on June 13 on SHOWTIME in Birmingham, Ala. The switch-hitting former Puerto Rican Olympian backed up his “The Sniper” moniker against Klimov as he picked apart the Russian with superior speed and accuracy. Pedraza earned a shot at the title in his previous bout with a career-best win over former world title challenger Michael Farenas last November.

Cherry, of Wauchula, Fla., is a former world title challenger who is 10-0 with 1 NC since 2009. His only blemishes since 2007 are losses to Timothy Bradley and Paulie Malignaggi at 140-pounds. Since the loss to Bradley in a bout for the WBC Super Lightweight World Championship in 2008, Cherry has gone undefeated as he made his way down to 135 and 130 pounds. Cherry, who was born in the Bahamas, owns victories over Vicente Escobedo, Monte Meza Clay and Wes Ferguson.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBA Super Lightweight champion Khabib Allekhverdiev injured his elbow and his March 30th title defense with Breidis Prescott has been postponed.

The bout was supposed to be the HBO televised co-feature to the highly anticipated rematch between Brandon Rios and Mike Alvarado.

“Khabib’s right elbow is a mess,” said Top Rank Vice-President Carl Moretti. “There are fragments and a lot of blood inside the elbow. He’s going to be on the shelf for several weeks. I don’t expect him to return until the summer. He was in Miami training and apparently was feeling pain for several days, if not a week. He went and had an MRI and an evaluation, and that’s what it showed. He tried to fight through it and stay in the fight but he just couldn’t pull it off.

“He couldn’t fight next week and will be out for a bit. He’ll need therapy and possibly a scope to clean it up. I think it’s been something there for awhile.”

Soon after the injury was disclosed promoters were trying to make a fight between Prescott and undefeated Terrance Crawford. Crawford is already ticketed to fight on the undercard.

“Crawford is already on the card and is in great shape,” Moretti said. “His fight was going to be shown on the international broadcast, and now he’ll get to fight a better opponent on HBO in the opening fight. There’s food and then there’s caviar. This was a no-brainer for us. (If it happens) it should be a great fight in the ring style-wise. You have Crawford, who is a young, undefeated fighter with a pleasing style, and Prescott, we already know the wars he provides. How could this not be an explosion of some sort?”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, newly crowned WBA Super Lightweight champion Khabib Allakhverdiev will make his maiden defense when he takes on hard punching Bredis Prescott on March 30th as the televised co-feature to the anticipated rematch between Brandon Rios and Mike Alvarado on March 30th at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

“He beat (Joan) Guzman, who’s a very good fighter and (matchmakers) Bruce (Trampler) and Brad (Goodman) think he’s a very good fighter, so we signed him,” said Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum. “We want to make him a big name and then we have fights we can try to make. Maybe he could fight (welterweight titlist) Tim Bradley, or the Rios-Alvarado winner. We can mix and match these guys.”

“It’s a title fight in the 140-pound division on the same card with Rios and Alvarado on top, so the winners and losers from that night, I can see them fighting each other somewhere,” Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti said. “It’s just a natural mix no matter who wins and loses that night.”

“Prescott was the first man to knock out Amir Khan, he had the war with Mike Alvarado and the disputed loss to McCloskey, who’s a southpaw, which shows he can handle that style,” Moretti said. “And Khabib just keeps coming and throwing punches. He doesn’t know any better. Let’s give him some credit. Khabib said to get him a tough guy. He had no problem taking this fight. Some people create their own storms and then complain when it rains, so let’s see what happens with Khabib and Prescott.”