LAS VEGA, NV (July 20, 2023) – Super bantamweight contender, Ra’eese Aleem (20-1, 12 KOs), has broke his silence since suffering his first defeat as a professional, a hard-fought split decision loss to Sam Goodman (15-0, 7 KOs), a fight that took place in Goodman’s homeland of Australia last month.

One of the major hurdles Aleem faced during his journey to Australia was acclimating to the significant time change. He attested to the difficulties of adjusting to the new time zone, stating, “The time difference definitely presented some unique challenges. I now know what fighters have always said about fighting overseas, its not easy. I’m not taking anything away from Goodman, he showed he belongs with the elite in the division. Nevertheless, I believe that stepping out of my comfort zone is necessary for growth and reaching new heights in my career. I definitely want that rematch, but here in the States, and let’s see if he can hang with the travel.”

Despite the setback in Australia, Ra’eese Aleem remains undeterred and determined to reclaim his position among the super bantamweight elite. He recognizes that the road to success is often filled with obstacles but believes that every experience, whether victory or defeat, serves as a steppingstone towards greatness.

“Ra’eese is a true warrior, and his determination is unmatched,” said Greg Hannley, CEO of Prince Ranch Boxing who manages Aleem. “Despite facing adversity in Australia, he has proven time and again that he belongs at the highest level of the super bantamweight division. We are excited about his future, and we are confident that he will bounce back stronger than ever.”

Looking ahead, Aleem is eagerly keeping an eye on the highly anticipated unification bout between Stephen Fulton and Naoya Inoue. The potential matchup with either of these world-class fighters presents an enticing opportunity for Aleem to prove his mettle on the grandest stage. His unwavering focus on top-tier competition showcases his commitment to be recognized as one of the best in the division.

“Fulton verses Inoue is going to be a great fight,” continued Aleem. “I’ll be watching closely as either one of them are potential opponents down the road. I’m leaning toward Fulton to pull off the upset, but I know it’s going to be a difficult task for him being that he’s fighting overseas. People don’t realize how hard it is to get acclimated when fighting on foreign land.

QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA – June 2, 2023 – Undefeated Australian superstar Tim Tszyu will return to the ring and defend his Interim WBO 154-pound title against Mexican contender Carlos Ocampo headlining action live on SHOWTIME on Saturday, June 17 (Sunday, June 18 in Australia) from the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre in Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia in a Premier Boxing Champions event.

The SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL telecast begins at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT and will also feature top super bantamweight contender Ra’eese Aleem taking on undefeated Australian Sam Goodman in an IBF 122-pound title eliminator in the co-main event.

Tszyu will make the first defense of his interim belt after capturing it in March on SHOWTIME with a career-best showing in stopping former champion Tony Harrison. He had originally been scheduled to face Undisputed Super Welterweight Champion Jermell Charlo in Las Vegas in January, before Charlo was forced to withdraw due to injury. With a victory on June 17 in his home country, Tszyu can lock in a date with Charlo later this year.

The event is promoted by No Limit Boxing and The Rose Brothers, in association with TGB Promotions.

“Tim Tszyu has solidified his place near the top of the super welterweight division and will once again bring his fan-friendly style to the ring for fans in the U.S. watching on SHOWTIME,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “An experienced and hungry Carlos Ocampo will be coming to Australia to upset Tszyu’s plans and disrupt his path toward a long-awaited showdown with the 154-pound division’s undisputed champion Jermell Charlo. Adding in top contender Ra’eese Aleem taking on the rising Australian Sam Goodman, and this shapes up to be a great doubleheader of action fights on Saturday, June 17.”

The 28-year-old Tszyu (22-0, 16 KOs) has quickly climbed the rankings in the 154-pound division with an all-action, aggressive style. The notable names on his resume include former welterweight champion Jeff Horn, whom Tszyu stopped in round eight, and Terrell Gausha, a top contender and member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic team. A native of Sydney, Australia, Tszyu made his U.S. and SHOWTIME debut against Gausha and showed his poise and toughness by rallying back from a first-round knockdown to win the fight via unanimous decision. Tszyu grew up playing soccer, but soon gravitated toward boxing. The decision led to him following in the legendary footsteps of his father, Kostya, who was an undisputed 140-pound champion and who was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2011.

“I was full training on Monday after the thing happened on Saturday,” said Tszyu to Australian press in reference to a dog bite on his right arm. “I’m not going to be limited at all…There’s a dog in me right now that’s about to come out.

“I’m a fighter. My job is to fight. I won’t sit on the couch and wait for [Jermell] Charlo’s hand to get better. I want to fight in the meantime,” added Tim Tszyu previously to the Australian media about his announcement for his title defense against Ocampo. “The fans deserve the fights…The Charlo fight is in the making, but I’m not underestimating Ocampo. I’ve got a hard task ahead of me.

“Technically, this fight is going to be much harder than my previous fights. The Mexican style will require something new in me and I expect it to be tough. Despite being Australian and on the other side of the globe, I’m headlining a fight on SHOWTIME for the third time. Is anyone else doing that? Everyone knows I’m coming to take over.”

The 27-year-old Ocampo (34-2, 22 KOs) rode a 12-fight winning streak into his last matchup, which saw him drop a decision to 154-pound contender Sebastian Fundora last October in a SHOWTIME main event. The 12 consecutive triumphs dated back to the only other loss of his career, which came to current unified welterweight champion Errol Spence, Jr. in a 2016 knockout defeat. During the 12-fight stretch, the Ensenda, Baja California, Mexico native scored nine of those victories by stoppage, including traveling to Mikael Zewski’s home country of Canada to stop the fan-favorite by ninth-round TKO.

“I’m looking forward to my fight against Tim Tszyu,” said Ocampo. “We are both warriors who go forward without fear. The fans will be the true winners that night, because I’m going after that title at all. Costs and it’s coming back to Mexico with me. He won’t want to hand it over to me, so I’ll just have to take it from him.”

Owning a top-10 ranking at 122-pounds from multiple sanctioning bodies, Aleem (20-0, 12 KOs) put on the most impressive performance of his career in January 2021, dominating in a battle of unbeatens by dropping Victor Pasillas four times before eventually stopping him in round 11. Raised in Michigan and training out of Las Vegas, the 32-year-old Aleem stopped seven-straight opponents before most recently earning decisions over Eduardo Baez in November 2021 and Mike Plania in September 2022. Aleem made his SHOWTIME debut in February of 2020 with a fourth-round stoppage of Adam Lopez on SHOBOX: The New Generation.

The 24-year-old Goodman (14-0, 7 KOs) scored a career-best victory in his last outing, announcing himself as a 122-pound contender with a dominant unanimous decision victory over former world champion T.J. Doheny in March. After an impressive amateur career that included four national championships and an appearance in the 2017 World Amateur Championships, the Australian from Albion Park, New South Wales turned pro in April 2018 and began compiling his unbeaten record.

The SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL telecast is executive produced by four-time Emmy award winner David Dinkins, Jr., with Ray Smaltz III producing and Chuck McKean directing.

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HOUSTON – May 4, 2022 – Undefeated WBC Middleweight World Champion Jermall Charlo will hold a Juneteenth celebration in his hometown for the second-straight year when he steps into the ring to face tough former title challenger Maciej Sulecki on Saturday, June 18 live on SHOWTIME from Toyota Center in Houston in an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions.

The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and will see undefeated top super bantamweight contender Ra’eese Aleem taking on Mike Plania in the 10-round co-main event, plus the Derrick James-trained unbeaten lightweight contender Frank Martin battles Panama’s power-punching Ricardo Núñez in the 10-round telecast opener.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Lions Only Promotions and TGB Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased at toyotacenter.com.

Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs) returns to fight in his hometown of Houston for the fifth time in his career, having most recently earned an entertaining unanimous decision win there over Juan Montiel last June on SHOWTIME. The 31-year-old scored an impressive unanimous decision triumph over top middleweight contender Sergiy Derevyanchenko in their September 2020 showdown and owns a 7-0 record since moving up to middleweight in 2017. A two-division world champion, Charlo also strung together an impressive run at 154-pounds, capturing the IBF title in 2015 and piling up victories over champions Austin Trout, Cornelius Bundrage and Julian Williams, whom he floored three times on his way to a memorable fifth-round knockout.

“I’m excited to get back in the ring in front of my people in Houston and put on a great show fighting on Juneteenth weekend once again,” said Charlo. “I’m ready to handle my business and give everyone what they’re coming out to see. Sulecki is a tough fighter who’s going to come in hungry. But I’m fighting for something bigger and I won’t be stopped from delivering a special performance on June 18.”

A native of Warsaw, Poland, Sulecki (30-2, 11 KOs) trains in Chicago, Ill. with his new co-trainer and longtime Polish contender Andrzej Fonfara. He will look to earn his third straight victory on June 18. The 32-year-old has never been stopped and has won four of his last five fights, including a unanimous decision over Gabriel Rosado that earned him the title shot against Demetrius Andrade that he would eventually lose by decision. Sulecki has fought professionally since 2010 and has also scored notable victories in defeating former titleholder Jack Culcay in 2017 and knocking out then undefeated Hugo Centeno Jr. in 2016.

“I’ve been training for a long time for this fight and I feel strong and ready to get in the ring,” said Sulecki. “Charlo is a great champion and I respect what he can do, but I don’t think he’s any better than the best fighters I’ve faced before. I think I am the stronger fighter mentally and physically. I don’t think he’s a killer. He hasn’t even been able to stop his last two opponents. I’ve fought as the underdog in my opponent’s hometown, so I’m not worried about fighting in Houston at all. We have a huge community of Polish fans in the U.S. and I know they’ll be there supporting me on June 18.”

Owning a top-10 ranking at 122-pounds from multiple sanctioning bodies, Aleem (19-0, 12 KOs) put on the most impressive performance of his career in January 2021 to capture the interim WBA title on SHOWTIME. Aleem dominated in a battle of unbeatens, dropping Victor Pasillas four times before eventually stopping him in round 11. Raised in Michigan and training out of Las Vegas, Nev., Aleem, 31, had stopped his past seven opponents inside the distance before most recently earning a decision victory over Eduardo Baez in November 2021.

“The time is now to take that next step in my career toward a world title shot and I know that a win against a tough opponent like Mike Plania will put me in that position,” said Aleem. “I’ve been waiting patiently for my opportunity to show everyone why I’m the best super bantamweight in the world. I’m grateful to my team for believing in me and my ability to bring excitement on the big stage. I’m never in a boring fight and you will see the best of me come June 18. I’m going to let my hands fly and do the talking.”

The 25-year-old Plania (26-1, 13 KOs) dropped Joshua Greer twice in their June 2020 clash on his way to a career-best decision victory, which he followed up in April 2021 by defeating Emmanuel Mogawa before stopping Ricardo Nunez in November. A native of General Santos City in the Philippines, Plania has put together a 11-fight winning streak since a 2018 decision loss against former champion Juan Carlos Payano. Plania has fought professionally since 2014, with five of his last six outings taking place stateside.

“Ever since I beat Joshua Greer to put myself in the world rankings, I have been looking for an opportunity to fight the best at 122 pounds to secure a world title shot,” said Plania. “June 18 is that time and by beating Ra’eese Aleem, I will show everyone I deserve to fight for the title. I want to thank my whole team for putting me in this position and I can’t wait to get in there and show what I’m capable of.”

The 27-year-old Martin (15-0, 11 KOs) rose up the lightweight rankings in 2021 with a pair of impressive victories before most recently delivering a New Year’s Day KO over Romero Duno. In 2021, Martin knocked out the previously unbeaten Jerry Perez in a dominating performance in April, before earning a unanimous decision over Ryan Kielczweski in August. Originally from Indianapolis, Martin now trains in the Dallas-area under the guidance of top trainer James alongside unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr.

“I’ve been training hard in Dallas and I’m just excited and ready to go,” said Martin. “Núñez is a boxer-puncher, so I expect him to mix it up with some fast combinations and to try and throw my movement off, but I’ll be ready for all of that. Fight fans are going to enjoy an action fight with this one. We’ve got the speed, power and athleticism to put on an exciting show on June 18.”

Representing La Chorrera, Panama, Núñez (23-3, 21 KOs) enters this fight with knockout victories in his last two fights, including most recently stopping Richard Solano in the first round in October 2021. The 28-year-old moved back up to lightweight for those two victories after challenging three-division champion Gervonta Davis in July 2019 for a 130-pound title. Núñez has fought professionally since 2010 and has a brother also named Ricardo who is a veteran pro fighter in the featherweight division.

“I’m very happy to be back in a big fight on June 18,” said Núñez. “You’re going to see a whole new fighter against Martin. I’m coming to fight and impose my style on my opponent. Martin is a good boxer who’s made it to a high level, but he still has to show what he’s made of. I’m going to give one hundred percent to stop his rise and be the first person to beat him.”

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