ATLANTIC CITY–The ageless Bernard Hopkins yet again held back the clock as he scored a 12 round unanimous decision over unheralded mandatory challenger Karo Murat at Boardwalk Hall.

Hopkins took a few rounds getting adjusted to Murat who came to win.

The bout was entertaining and featured many furious exchanges that aren’t common in most Hopkins bouts. Hopkins had Murat hurt on several occasions as his vaunted straight right hand was on point and began to bust up the face around Murat’s left eye. In between the action there was some holding that was precipitated by Murat and he was docked a point by referee Steve Smoger in round seven.

In round eight, the man known as “The Alien” became more entertaining as he engaged in an exchange with Murat while talking to the television cameras on the apron. Hopkins desperately wanted a knockout was aggressive and had Murat hurt down the stretch. Murat did mount an effort but came up short on this night to the 48 year-old legend.

Hopkins outlanded Murat 247-565 to 147-486. The hopkins tally included 184 power punches.

Hopkins, 172 1/2 lbs of Philadelphia won by scores of 119-109, 119-109 and 117-110 (same as 15rounds.com) and is now 54-6-2. Murat, 174 lbs of Berlin, Germany is 25-2-1.

“Richard Schaefer said we needed to be crowd pleasers,” said Hopkins, the oldest champion in sports history. “The crowd wanted to see skill and blood so I had some blood to give them. I am an entertainer and this is what people want to see… He was a game number one contender.”

When asked by SHOWTIME ringside reporter Jim Gray if Murat brought out the best in him, Hopkins answered, “Not really, but he didn’t bring out the worst either.”

Regarding the slow start, Hopkins said, “That was the plan. That was the bone on the string so that the dog could follow him into a dark alley and then realize someone was waiting on him. And that dog was me.”

Hopkins continued, “He throws pretty good punches and he is no one to sleep on. He is going to give some light heavyweights a bit of a problem.”

When Gray asked Hopkins how he stays in such phenomenal shape at age 48, Hopkins replied, “I’m a freaking alien.”

Gray then spoke to Murat who said, “Bernard is a good boxer and I lost concentration due to the two cuts which came by head butts. I know that when I am in good shape I can beat him, however, the cuts disturbed me.”

Peter Quillin retained the WBO Middleweight title with a 10th round stoppage over Gabriel Rosado when the challenger was deemed unable to continue due to a cut over the left eye.

In round two, Quillin landed a left hook to the side of the head that sent Rosado to the canvas. Rosado fought back valiantly and started to get into fight with some solid right hands. the two traded off rounds with Quillin throwing less but landing harder. Rosado landed the flashier punches and seemed to be picking up momentum in various parts of the fight.

In round nine, a bad cut appeared around the left eye of Rosado that was ruled from a punch. Just forty seconds into round ten, ringside doctor Blair Bergen thought the blood was too much and stopped the fight.

Quillin, 159 1/4 lbs is now 30-0 with 22 knockouts. Rosado, 160 lbs is now a hard luck 21-7.

Said Quillin after the fight, “I’m not a judge. I’m not an elected official. I did what I had to do as a fighter and I respect the call. The referees and doctors ringside did what they had to do to make sure the fighters are safe.

“I never expect an easy payday or an easy fight. I work hard every time for each fight… When you dedicate to win a title you need to give that person a sense of being able to achieve what they want. I am a world champion and I work hard. He has never been a champion and he doesn’t know.

“I’m ready for anybody. I am a fighter and I worry about fighting. If it is a rematch, then I don’t care. I work hard to be in this ring and I work hard to defend my title against anybody. I don’t care if it is against my own mother.”

Of the stoppage, Rosado told Gray, “I felt like that was B.S. This is a championship fight. We were going into the championship rounds. This was a competitive fight. I never complained about a cut. When the doctor saw my eye, I told him that I could see. It was not giving me any problems up to that point.

“I noticed if I backed him up with a jab that I was hurting him and I was doing that. But then the doctor called me over and stopped the fight. This is boxing. What about Gatti-Ward? They didn’t stop that fight. Corrales-Castillo. We are warriors.

“I never even complained that I couldn’t see. Of course I want a rematch. This is the story of my life. I’m the real Rocky Balboa.”

Deontay Wilder made it 30 for 30. 30-0, 30 knockouts that is as he scored a four round destruction over Nicolai Firtha in a scheduled ten round Heavyweight bout.

Firtha came rushing out and made Wilder stumble from a left hand. Wilder came back string in the round as he floored Firtha twice in the round. The first knockdown came from a hard right hand while the second was from a right to the side of the head. Firtha began to gush blood from his nostrils. Wilder kept up the power assault in round two and then dropped Firtha from a huge power right in the third.

Wilder ended things with a huge right hand that sent Firtha flat on his back and the fight was stopped at 1:26 of round four.

“This is what i wanted. To box and have fun. I told everyone that Firtha was coming to fight. I am right there at the door. Everytime you see me, you know what you are going to get and that a knockout.”, Said Wilder

Wilder, 224 lbs of Tuscaloosa, AL is now 30-0 with 30 knockouts. Firtha, 252 1/2 lbs of Akron, OH is now 21-11-1.

Zachary Ochoa remained undefeated with a four round unanimous decision over Michael Doyle in a Jr. Welterweight bout.

Scores were 40-36, 39-37 and 39-37 for Ochoa, 140 1/2 lbs and is now 5-0. Doyle, 137 lbs is 2-6.

Braulio Santos disposed of David Clark in round one of their scheduled eight round Featherweight bout.

Santos rocked Clark with two vicious power shots and then connected on a devastating left hook that sent Clark down. Clark got to his feet but referee David Fields called the bout off at 1:49 of round one.

Santos of Puerto Rico is now 11-1 with 10 knockouts. Clark is 6-3.

Dominic Wade opened the show up with a first round destruction over Roberto Ventura in a scheduled eight round Middleweight bout.

Wade rocked Ventura with a left hook and then dropped him with an overhand right. Seconds later Wade dropped Ventura with an overhand right. Wade finished things with a hard overhand right that sent Ventura down for a third and final time and the bout was stopped at 2:08 of round one.

Wade is now 13-0 with 10 knockouts. Ventura is now 12-8.

Atlantic City, NJ (Oct. 24, 2013) – The six fighters that will be featured on the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast this Saturday night gathered with media members at Caesars Atlantic City to discuss their respective matchups. Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins, Karo Murat, Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin, “King” Gabriel Rosado, Deontay “Bronze Bomber” Wilder and Nicolai Firtha answered questions candidly about the in-ring challenges taking place at Boardwalk Hall on Saturday night.

Below please find quick-hitting quotes from each fighter.

Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins, IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion

“Coming to Atlantic City brings out a lot of emotions in me. To be back here, healthy with a legacy and doing historic things is a blessing.

“I am motivated by being in a place where it all began. There is extra energy for me to give serious beat downs here.

“Karo Murat is hoping, like others before him, that he is lucky enough that I got old in the gym.

“There’s no magic spell that hits you over the head that says, ‘You’re old.’

“As far as I’m concerned, old to me is not old to the average person. What is old?

“I’m getting the interest on the investment I have made in my personal life.

“I’m not just fighting Karo Murat. I’m fighting politics. I made a 360-degree turn. I’m back in Atlantic City. I’ve been here a few times. You hear Hopkins and Mayweather. You hear Hopkins fighting other light heavyweights. People want to put a time frame on what you’re supposed to be doing.

“I remember everything about the Clinton Mitchell fight [Hopkins’ professional debut]…I remember I lost.

“How many urban stories have ended up like mine? How I have been disciplined in the gym and in business.

“Some people might get tired of hearing me talk, but not the young ones, the young boxers. I can tell they don’t get tired of hearing me talk to them.

“My fight [Saturday night] is another page of my legacy. We want people to think this is a tough fight, but it’s a fight that is going to lead to bigger things.”

Karo Murat, Top Light Heavyweight Contender

“I had a lot of practice in Germany and in many of my other fights. This is a fight against a legend, but I can handle it.

“I think it is a sign from God that I am here to end Bernard’s career. He is an old man and needs to stop now.

“I know that I don’t have to knock Bernard out in order to get a fair decision in America.

“I don’t have a strategy. I will see during the fight what I can do to beat Hopkins.

“The biggest crowd I have fought in front of was 6,000 people.”

Peter Quillin, WBO Middleweight World Champion

“Sometimes you work so hard you surprise yourself, but it’s not for you to be over confident. You have to continue to work hard.

“It’s important not to look ahead and to stay present and focus on the now.

“I look at myself like a more polished champion because I wouldn’t be here if God didn’t want me to be.

“I learned early in my career that every fighter has small window to make money and you need to make sure to save your money, pay your taxes and set yourself up for the future.

“Rosado is still trying to find himself out. He lost already; he took some bumps in roads with losses.

“Nothing that Rosado does in the ring is going to be good enough.

“When I get in the ring my trunks are my office suit. Outside of the ring I have the business suit on.

“I want to challenge myself to go to every level I possibly can and challenge my own records.”

“I don’t know how to speak about any other story besides establishing myself and explain myself through these [holding fists up].

“Before I fight I say to myself I’m already ready. Let me get more ready.”

Gabriel Rosado, Top Middleweight Contender

“I will fight in my back yard or in anyone’s back yard. I am comfortable fighting anywhere.

“I have a lot of people that have shown me love faithfully since the beginning, so what I do is buy 50 tickets and give them to those who have been there supporting me along the way.”

“I know I will have a lot of opportunities to take advantage of Quillin in the ring because not only did I study him in his past fight but I also studied my past fight and looked for ways to improve my fight.

“Without a doubt I have fought the bigger names like Soto-Karass and Kassim Ouma.
I have the better names on my record.

“It’s going to be a great fight …Its about who is the smarter guy.”

“I feel really great about this camp and sparred with three guys that weighed 190 lbs. My strength and conditioning coach [Jason Sargus] are working together again and I feel really strong and prepared.

“I think if I would have had everything along the way handed to me on a silver platter, I wouldn’t be here. The route that I took makes me what I am today. I am a lot more mature now. I am turning 28 years old and I feel that mentally I am at a stage that I have never been at in my career. I want to be a world champion

[On his personal life and his career] “The adversity I went through would break most men but it made me better.”

“Kid Chocolate has been on my mind for a while. I have never called him out because I wanted it to play out naturally and get the fight.

“I am fighting Kid Chocolate because I want this fight. I expect him to bring his A-game. I am ready for his fight.”

Deontay Wilder, WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight Champion

“I know that Firtha doesn’t move his head and that’s a dangerous thing to do, especially in the heavyweight division and with a puncher like me. To his credit, when he comes he comes to fight.

“I can take this opportunity as a blessing or be scared and be a participant like my opponents have done. But I fear no man. I only fear God.

“If he goes hard, I will go harder.

“If I am fighting for another person than that makes me fight harder. I don’t want to let that person down. I don’t like that feeling of letting anybody down.”

Nicolai Firtha, Heavyweight Contender

“Before you compete against the best, you don’t know if you can beat them. You don’t know until you actually fight them.

“I want my abilities, tools and skills to speak for me. Not only can I fight the best, but I can beat the best.

“I don’t take his [Wilder’s] record lightly at all. He has done what he has to do in serious fashion.

“I will have a very serious problem dealing with Deontay’s power if I stand there in his way to be hit.

“My trainer tells me to use my good jab and my movement to my advantage.”

# # #

Hopkins vs. Murat is a 12-round bout for Hopkins’ IBF Light Heavyweight World Championship, presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Caesars Atlantic City and sponsored by Corona and AT&T. In the co-main event WBO Middleweight Champion Peter Quillin puts his title on the line against Gabriel Rosado in a 12-round bout. Plus, opening the tripleheader, WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder will face Nicolai Firtha in a 10-round showdown. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins live at 9 p.m. ET/PT and is available in Spanish on secondary audio programming (SAP). Preliminary bouts will air live on SHOWTIME EXTREME® beginning at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets priced at $300, $150, $75, $50 and $25, not including applicable service charges, are on sale now and can be purchased at the Boardwalk Hall Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-736-1420 or at www.ticketmaster.com.

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (October 1, 2013) – After scoring 10 knockdowns in his last two fights and soaring to the top of the 160-pound weight class, WBO Middleweight Champion Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin will make his second title defense on Saturday, Oct. 26 when he meets Philadelphia contender “King” Gabriel Rosado in the Bernard Hopkins vs. Karo Murat co-main event at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ, live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/PT).

Additionally, knockout artist WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight Champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder, will open the telecast when he takes on Nicolai “Stone Man” Firtha in a 10-round showdown. In the main event, IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins will become the oldest fighter in history to make his initial title defense when he faces highest-rated light heavyweight challenger Karo Murat in a 12-round matchup.

“It’s great to be on the East Coast and back on SHOWTIME for my second world title defense,” said Quillin. “Rosado is a quality challenger who always comes to fight, and because of our competitive styles, the fans are going to get a great show on October 26.”

“I’ve never lost in New Jersey and I don’t plan on starting now,” said Rosado. “I’ve chased a world title for a long time and while I respect Quillin for giving me this new opportunity, but I’m going to have to take that belt and bring it back home to Philly.”

“Nicolai Firtha is a veteran who has gone the distance with a lot of tough fighters,” said Wilder. “But I’m more confidant and more ready than ever, so I’m expecting another knockout win, I want to make a statement with this fight.”

“Wilder hits hard, there’s no question about that, but we’ve never see what happens when he gets hit back,” said Firtha. “I’m going to hit him on Oct. 26 and I plan on taking his ‘0’ away.”

“We’ve returned to the East Coast with not just another history-making title defense by Bernard Hopkins against a hungry challenger in Karo Murat, but we have a guaranteed action with the undercard,” said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. The co-main event between the top American middleweight in the world, Peter Quillin and the always tough Gabriel Rosado as well as one of the most exciting young heavyweights out there, Deontay Wilder, against someone coming to score the upset in Nicolai Firtha. It’s going to be a great night for boxing once again.”

New York City’s Peter Quillin (29-0, 21 KO’s) was considered by many as one of the top rising stars in the sport, but when he beat Winky Wright in 2012, the stakes got higher for “Kid Chocolate,” who fulfilled his potential in October of last year with a six-knockdown win over Hassan N’Dam that earned him the WBO Middleweight Championship. In April of 2013, Quillin successfully defended his title for the first time, dropping Fernando Guerrero four times en route to a seventh-round technical knockout victory. On Oct. 26, the 30-year-old will look to showcase his championship skills against “King” Rosado.

A Philadelphia fighter through and through, 27-year-old Gabriel Rosado (21-6, 13 KO’s) is a fearless warrior willing to do whatever it takes in search of victory. Holder of wins over Jesus Soto Karass, Sechew Powell, Kassim Ouma and Charles Whittaker, Rosado has also been in the ring with Gennady Golovkin, Alfredo Angulo, and J’Leon Love and when the bell rings on Oct. 26, this “King” will do whatever it takes to win the middleweight crown.

With 29 wins, 29 knockouts and no defeats, 2008 U.S. Olympic Bronze medalist and WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder has the boxing world abuzz with his devastating power and championship potential. Hailing from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the 27-year-old is coming off of first round knockouts of former gold medalist Audley Harrison and former heavyweight champion Siarhei Liakhovich, making it clear that no one is safe from the wrath of the “Bronze Bomber.”

Akron, Ohio’s Nicolai “Stone Man” Firtha (21-10-1, 8 KO’s) was a decorated amateur who fought his way to the 2004 Olympic trials, but his true home was in the professional game, where he has won the USA Ohio State and NABA USA titles. He has also faced quality opposition like Alexander Povetkin, Tony Grano, Tyson Fury and Johnathan Banks, knocking out Grano and going the distance with Povetkin and Banks. Coming off a win over Robert Hawkins in July, the 34-year-old will leave it all in the ring in search of victory on Oct. 26.

Hopkins vs. Murat is a 12-round bout for Hopkins’ IBF Light Heavyweight World Championship, presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Caesars Atlantic City, Corona and AT&T. In the co-main event WBO Middleweight Champion Peter Quillin put his title on the line against Gabriel Rosado in a 12-round bout. Plus, opening the tripleheader, WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder will face Nicolai Firtha in a 10-round showdown. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast begins live at 9 p.m. ET/PT and is available in Spanish on secondary audio programming (SAP).

Tickets priced at $300, $150, $75, $50 and $25, not including applicable service charges, are on sale now and can be purchased at the Boardwalk Hall Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-736-1420 or at www.ticketmaster.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com; follow on Twitter at @goldenboyboxing, @THEREALBHOP, @MURATKARO, @TeamSauerland, @KingGabRosado, @KidChocolate @BronzeBomber and #HopkinsMurat; or become a fan on Facebook at Golden Boy Boxing Facebook Page
or Bernard Hopkins Facebook Page. Follow SHOWTIME Sports at www.sports.sho.com, Facebook at www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing and on Twitter @shosports. Follow Caesars Atlantic City on Facebook a www.facebook.com/CaesarsAtlanticCity and on Twitter @CaesarsAC.