Sullivan Barrera vs. Seanie Monaghan Media Conference Call Recap

Kathy Duva – CEO, Main Events

“Good morning and good afternoon. Better late than never, right? We have had a long road to making this fight happen. I’m confident it will be worth the wait.

“As our fight poster says, this bout is “High Stakes” for both Sullivan and Seanie. This fight is a career make or break.

“The winner will be right back in the mix for a world championship in the competitive light heavyweight division. The loser will have a hard road ahead. With high stakes for the fighters comes high excitement for boxing fans.

“Tickets are on sale and priced so local fans can attend to see many regional New York based fighters along with Sullivan and Seanie including LeShawn Rodriguez and Ismael Villareal.

“We also have hard hitting middleweight Denis Douglin and even harder hitting heavyweight Cassius Chaney.

“Ticket prices start at just $50 and they are available through Eventbrite or by calling Main Events at 973-200-7050 or emailing boxing@mainevents.com.”

Derik Santos – Trainer of Sullivan Barrera

“Hello everybody. As you all know we have been to the top of that ladder, we had a misstep, but I still consider Sullivan to be the guy right under the champions. You just get back on that horse, do your training and we are right back at it, thanks to our promoters.”

Sullivan Barrera – Former light heavyweight contender

“Of course, this fight is very significant for my career. I had a misstep, but I want to get right back in the mix for another title shot.”

Kathy Duva

“I would like to give a shout out to Sullivan’s manager, Luis Molina. I know he usually prefers to stay silent, but we always know he is right there in the background. Sullivan has had a terrific career and continues to be a force in the division. I think that speaks volumes to his work ethic and the electricity we get from him every time he gets in the ring. We are looking forward to this one.”

PJ Kavanaugh – Manager of Seanie Monaghan

“I want to thank Kathy and Main Events for finally putting this together. We have been looking forward to this for quite some time. We understand it is a big fight and, as everybody knows, the winner will be right back in the mix for world championship opportunities.

“As Kathy said before, for the loser, it will be a tough road. It’s ‘High Stakes’ because everything is riding on this. We understand that Sullivan wants to get back on that horse and it is going to be up to Seanie to make sure he doesn’t. Come November 3rd, I think it is going to make for a great fight. I think the styles make for a great exciting fight. Both guys come to fight and both guys are very tough competitors. Sean has been training hard and he is not underestimating anything with Sullivan. We know his record speaks for itself.

“We are confident. Sean is confident. We are working hard, and hard work pays off. We are really looking forward to November 3rd and Seanie is ready to do battle. It is all on the line.”

Joe Higgins – Trainer of Seanie Monaghan

“We are very grateful to Main Events and the Sullivan camp. Seanie and Sullivan seemed to have a little Twitter talk back-and-forth back in the day, and it was only fitting that these two go at it in the ring.

“I think the bout is very evenly matched. For those of you who don’t know Sean, because he may not be the most popular athlete, but he has been in the top ten for a few years now. I can assure you, that has not been by mistake. We were ready for August 18th. We know things happen in boxing and we are glad that Sullivan is ok. We think this is going to be a fan-friendly fight. There is going to be no standing room in that arena.

“Seanie has been with me for 17 years. He has always done the work. He has always lived an itinerary life. He eats right; he sleeps. He does everything correctly. He has never been a problem for a promotion and we are not going to be one this time. I can assure you that he is going to be ready. This is really like two training camps we did back-to-back preparing for Sullivan. We did take a slight rest, but we think the batteries are charged. We are ready to go. We are finishing up strong.

“We expect a really tough fight from this guy. I am not going to say we didn’t study him, but we are ready for what ever happens that night. Whether it is a brawl, whether we are going to box, whatever you want. We think this is going to be an Arturo Gatti vs. Mickey Ward-type fight. In my eyes that could be blasphemy, because I don’t think I have ever seen anything else like that in boxing. I would not be surprised if these two fought each other two or three times and end up fighting each other for the title later on. This was always the game plan from Day One with Sean and me.

“With the amount of work, we have done over the years we’re really not surprised to be here. We are grateful, truly grateful, to Main Events and the Barrera camp. I am really glad that this worked out because this is the kind of fight that should happen for the fans.”

“Irish” Seanie Monaghan

“I want to thank Kathy and Main Events for giving me the opportunity. I want to thank Sullivan Barrera and his team for taking the challenge. I’ve got a lot of respect for him and his team. If you look at his resume, it speaks for itself. He’s one of the most dangerous guys in the world. There’s undefeated guys with better looking records than him, who would be a much easier fight than he is. He’s the kind of guy he takes everybody to deep water. He’ll get dropped, get up and fight even harder. That’s been on my mind this entire training camp. I know I’m going to have to push myself way harder than I ever have before to get past this guy. The poster has it right, this is a ‘High Stakes’ game for both of us. May the best man win.”

Kathy Duva

When Gatti-Ward was made, nobody expected Gatti-Ward. These are the kind of fights where that happens, where you have two fighters who have everything on the line and have styles that are complimentary. Everyone who watches this is going benefit. And it’s going to be on Facebook Watch. You don’t have to buy a subscription or pay anything. It’s going to be a great night.”

Question: Do you like the new live streaming platforms? Do you think it’s good for boxing?

Sullivan Barrera: “I think that’s a great idea. Everyone knows HBO is out of the game. Live streaming is the new king. It’s good for boxing people; I think that’s great.”

Seanie Monaghan: “Times are changing, and you’ve got to roll with the times. HBO boxing is gone now. Everybody and their mother is on Facebook every day of the week. We’ll get a lot of viewers, a lot of eyes on this. This is going to be he kind of fight people don’t want to miss.”

PJ Kavanaugh: “Seanie has a lot of fans in Ireland and also in the UK. It’s great they are getting the opportunity to watch this live.”

Question: This is a crucial fight for both guys. Sullivan, do you believe this is a make or break fight?

Sullivan Barrera: “Every fight is important to me. I know he’s tough. When we are brought together, I will bring my best fight Saturday. I’m trying to get another title shot and title fight. I think this is my opportunity.”

Question: Seanie, you seem to concentrate on stamina and movement. Is that something you’re going to try and incorporate?

Seanie Monaghan: “I have been known to get swept away with my emotions in a fight sometimes. I lose my temper sometimes. I feel stronger and tougher than a guy, I’ll try to bully him. This training camp I came to the realization I’ve been boxing for 17 years. I am a good boxer. I don’t have to get hit so much. I’ve been focusing on my boxing and my movement. You’ve got to use all the smarts you have against a guy as dangerous as Barrera. I’m going to put my best foot forward, and I’m going to show a new and improved version of me that night.”

Question: Sullivan, you lost to Dmitry Bivol and Andre Ward. What is it about their styles that troubled you the most? What about Bivol you couldn’t capitalize on?

Sullivan Barrera: “I’ve come back, I am strong, my mentality is strong too. I want to prove my heart in this fight. I lost to Andre Ward; I lost to Bivol. I’m training hard and I want to get back on track in my career. Both guys are tough light heavyweights. Ward is retired now. At this level, it’s like Gennady – Canelo. They had close fights. You can win, you can lose, it’s tough.”

Question: Sullivan, you’ve been in with a higher caliber of opposition than Seanie. Do you think it will help you in this fight?

Sullivan Barrera: “No, I don’t think so. He’s tough too. I’m just training hard at the gym. I’m listening to my coach. It’s good because I have tough fights before, but that doesn’t help too much because I am fighting with him, he’s tough. I will put in everything on Saturday.”

Derik Santos: “Every fight is like an original play, it has to play out. I think sometimes, sure, at the beginning when you are building up a fighter, you say ‘This guy has more experience.’ It might give him a slight edge. The guy across the ring has two hands, too. He’s trying to do the same thing. Maybe he hasn’t had the opportunity to show something. You can’t underestimate any of your opponents. We’re definitely not underestimating Seanie. You always have to remember every night is a night in itself.”

Question: A lot went back and forth between you two on Twitter. Is it personal?

Sullivan Barrera: “I don’t have nothing personal against him. That’s just boxing. It’s a great fight for boxing fans. You just do it, give the fans the great show. For me it’s nothing personal, it’s just sport.”

Seanie Monaghan: “There’s nothing personal here. As an athlete, as a warrior, you look at what the other guys are doing around you. I’ve seen Barrera fight, I’ve seen him get dropped and get back up and fight harder. I know what his resume is. I’ve got nothing but respect for him. Kathy (Duva) probably wanted more fireworks with the media conference here. But we’re not trash talking guys who are warriors. We’ll have plenty of action on that night in the ring.”

Question: Seanie, you’ve boxed twice at The Aviator, it’s a 25 minutes ride from your home where you have massive support. Do you feel it gives you an advantage?

Seanie Monaghan: “I feel very comfortable there, I’ve seen it already. I know what the locker room looks like. I know what the drive there feels like. There’s a level of comfort there.”

Question: Seanie, is this fight with Sullivan Barrera an opportunity to erase your one career loss to Marcus Browne?

Seanie Monaghan: “I’ve definitely got a chip on my shoulder. I was embarrassed by that loss. Maybe my head got a little bit too big for myself. I didn’t really even think it was possible; I’ve never been down in my life in the ring or even in sparring. I got put down with a shot and was kind of dazed. I learned a big lesson, I’ll never put myself in that position again. I’ll gather myself up and keep on fighting. I’ve seen Barrera do it many times. It was just a bad experience, but it’s probably better to have that experience going into a fight with Barrera than never having that experience before. I’m more seasoned and I took what I can from that, and I moved on.”

Question: Why didn’t the Joe Smith Jr. fight ever happen, and will it happen in the future?

PJ Kavanaugh: “We made many attempts to make that fight. Between the promoters not coming together and agreeing on purses, the money has been an issue, more so on their side than ours. We’ve made attempts to make it. I still think it’s a great fight to happen. In the past we wanted to do it, and, in the future, we want to do it. We love the fight. Hopefully we can make it happen. We’re moving on with the Barrera fight and that’s what we’re excited about.”

Question: Seanie, will a win over Barrera be the type of win that shows the division you are a legit contender?

Seanie Monaghan: “Absolutely. As far as rankings go, you see guys who aren’t even ranked get a title fight. It’s kind of all about being in the right place at the right time. But being ranked in the top five in the world and getting a big signature win against a guy like Barrera has to move my career forward in the right direction.”

Question: Are you overall concerned about any ring rust?

Seanie Monaghan: No, we’ve done multiple training camps for fights that all fell through. I was supposed to fight (Eleider) Alvarez in Canada, that kind of all fell apart, and he got a fight with (Sergey) Kovalev. I was supposed to fight Barrera in the summer, and that fell apart. I was supposed to fight Anthony Yarde in England, and that ended up falling apart, and now I’m back with Barrera. I’ve been in the gym the whole time and I’ve improved a lot this year. My one loss made me re-evaluate myself and re-evaluate my weaknesses and work on them. I’m coming out as the best possible version of myself I’ve ever been.”

Question: Sullivan, what did you learn from your loss to Dmitry Bivol?

Sullivan Barrera: “Every fight, you’re learning. With Bivol, that was a tough fight. I have experience, but every fighter is different. Every style is different. I’m learning by myself, at the gym, and waiting for another opportunity to fight for a title.”

Question: What is your opinion of Seanie Monaghan as a fighter?

Sullivan Barrera: “Seanie is a great fighter, a tough fighter. I think he is a good fighter for the boxing fans. We have the same style, we’ve going to make the fight fun for everyone.”

Question: Seanie, you have another chance to prove yourself. What have you done differently with this camp to prepare for Sullivan?

Seanie Monaghan: “With the loss to Marcus (Browne), it’s going to actually end up helping me in the long run. I took a learning lesson from that. I walked into the ring half asleep. I’ve been known to kind of be too calm before fights, I calm myself down in the locker room. I walked into that fight half asleep and the next thing it was over. I know how dangerous Barrera is, and I know I’ll be switched on as soon as the opening bell rings.”

Question: If you get past this fight, how interested are you in a rematch with Dmitry Bivol?

Sullivan Barrera: “Right now, I’m looking at Seanie, I have my mind focused on him. But yeah, my goal is a rematch. I think that night was not my night. Right now, I’m focusing on Seanie. I’m training hard for him. I hope in the future I have my rematch with Dmitry.”

Question: Do you want a knockout?

Sullivan Barrera: “He’s a tough guy. When you fight with a tough guy you never know what’s going to happen. When I walk into the ring for my fight, it doesn’t matter if it’s a knockout or a unanimous decision. I’m not looking for the knockout, I’m going to have fun with my fight.”

Question: What has Seanie done differently to prepare for this fight?

PJ Kavanaugh: The one thing I’ve observed, Seanie has really been working on his boxing skills. In his past his toughness has carried him through a long way in his boxing career. Joe has been working with him, bringing some new stuff to the table.”

Joe Higgins: “Seanie has always had some pretty decent boxing skills. But like he said earlier, sometimes he gets drawn into a brawl. We could tell you what we specifically trained for, and the fight could turn out to be something different. We have also prepared for that. Yes, we did work a lot more on boxing skills. I can’t really tell you exactly what we did, or I’d be giving the other guy my game plan. We worked very hard on his endurance. He’s stopped guys early and he’s also gone 10 rounds four or five times. So, we think we’re prepared for just about anything.

“All I can tell you right now, don’t be surprised when Sean exhibits some boxing skills. But if it turns into a war, he’s ready to do that in a heartbeat. The best thing though? We really, really truly focused a little bit more of the intangibles where our fundamentals are extremely sharp as we’re throwing multiple punches. We think that will make for a crowd-pleasing fight, and we think that might be the advantage if these guys start swinging with each other. That’s as far as I can go.”

Question: Will the winner of this fight face Dmitry if he is successful in his fight against Pascal?

Kathy Duva: “That’s certainly possible. Another possibility is if Sergey (Kovalev) is successful in his defense against Alvarez. If that doesn’t happen, maybe Alvarez. We have a really exciting division here. Everything is up for grabs. Adonis Stevenson turned 41 yesterday – happy birthday Adonis. We have a lot going on. Adonis is in a very dangerous fight on December 1st against (Oleksandr) Gvozdyk, who is a terrific young fighter.

“The floodgates are opening. There will be lots of title fight opportunities. One or both of these guys may get them. Could be the kind of fight where they both do so well, they both get the chance. I hope so, that’s the kind of fight where everybody wins. In the meantime, they both have a lot on the line. There’s a big opportunity out there for at least one of them. Which opportunity that is, I can’t tell you today. But I’m pretty sure there will be one.”

Question: What will it take to unify the light heavyweight division?

Kathy Duva: “Probably forAdonis Stevenson to lose. He’s been the impediment all along. So, I’ll be rooting for Gvozdyk. He wins, and then I see a straight line to unification here. In the meantime, only two guys can fight at once and the other champions will be looking for dance partners, and we have two possible candidates for them right here.”

Question: What version of Barrera do you think you’re going to see?

Seanie Monaghan: “I’m really not sure, but I’m preparing for a tough hard night’s work. From everything I’ve seen of him, he comes to fight and however hard you fight, he’ll match you. Every night when I’m laying in bed after putting in work, I put myself mentally in the position where I’m exhausted and I have to go out there and work even harder. I’ve been training my mind for this fight for a long time. Barrera’s a warrior. He’s a Cuban, all Cubans can box. He doesn’t necessarily fight like a Cuban. He’ll fight 110 percent. I know I’m going to have to fight fire with fire at some point, and I’m just getting myself ready for it mentally and physically.”

Question: Is this the best shape you’ve been in?

Seanie Monaghan: “Definitely, I could do 10 rounds standing on my head right now. I’ve got no injuries. I’m sure every pro athlete goes through their share of aches and pains. I’ve had a bunch of a nagging little injuries I’ve never really complained about, you just deal with them in training camp. This is the first time they’re all gone. I feel young, I feel healthy, I’m confident I’m in great shape. I’m just going to be ready to do whatever it takes.”

Question: How is the dynamic of your training camp and how has it been different?

Sullivan Barrera: “When we train, we always have a good training camp. I have my physical training. I think my condition for this fight is great. For every camp, but for this fight my condition is good.”

Question: When you look at Seanie, what do you see?

Sullivan Barrera: “He’s a warrior too. We both go to the front, I think it’s going to be a great fight. Because we have almost the same style.”

Question: There is pressure on both guys to win the fight. Do you feel the pressure? How do you cope with it?

Derik Santos: “From my standpoint, ever since I’ve been with Sullivan, there hasn’t been an easy fight. This is what we do. When you’re at the level with high-level trainers and high-level fighters, you were born to do this, and this is what you do. The reason why we’re still there is because we do it well. Every fight it’s the same amount of pressure to do well and win. There’s the same amount of danger. When you are a professional, you handle it.”

Joe Higgins: “Quite frankly, I think pressure is good. It doesn’t give you a chance to underestimate anything going into a fight. It makes you work harder. It makes you focus a little bit more. The bigger the fight, the more you’ve got to focus. So yeah, I think a little bit of nerves and pressure is good for these guys. I think sometimes if you’re a little too relaxed, sometimes you’re going in there with somebody you don’t fear. That’s when you let your guard down. I like for Sean to worry about the guy on the other side of the ring. Because that’s when I get the best out of him. I’m not so worried about the pressure. We’ve been doing this a long time. We’ve been on the stage a long time with filled arenas. If that doesn’t put pressure on you, trying not to let down your people, then nothing does. Because when you turn around, you see the entire room is for you. That adds the pressure. In Sean’s defense, he’s used to that kind of thing. Man, I think he feeds off it a little bit. Quite frankly, like I said earlier, I think the pressure is actually a good thing. It makes them worry a little bit more about the opponent, so they stay more focused.”

Seanie Monaghan: “Every fight your whole career is important. Anytime, you can catch a loss on the way climbing up the ladder and it will really set you back. So, every time you step in the ring there’s pressure. This will be my 31st fight. The stakes are very, very high and I’m very aware of that. It helped me push through the hard training moments and really dig deep in my training and get prepared for this.”

Sullivan Barrera: “For me, I don’t feel pressure. When I fought Andre Ward, I learned I want to have fun. That’s just my mentality. It’s one more fight, just that.”

Kathy Duva: “This light heavyweight main event will headline the Saturday, November 3 card as part of the Golden Boy Fight Night series on Facebook, live from The Aviator. The event is promoted by Main Events. The action will be streamed live globally on Facebook Watch on the Golden Boy Fight Night page beginning at 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time and 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Set a reminder on the Golden Boy Fight Night page.

“Tickets are priced from $50 to $125. They are on sale now and available through Eventbrite, by calling Main Events at 973-200-7050 or emailing

boxing@mainevents.com. Thank you for joining us today and we hope to see you at The Aviator or online on Facebook Watch on November 3rd.”

Reminder to news media: The deadline to apply for Fight Week credentials is Friday, October 26, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. ET. Fill out the credential application at http://www.emcevents.com/BarreraMonaghan.

About Barrera-Monaghan: The Saturday, November 3 card, headlined by Sullivan Barrera versus “Irish” Seanie Monaghan as part of the Golden Boy Fight Night series on Facebook, will take place at The Aviator Sports & Events Center in Brooklyn, NY. The event is promoted by Main Events. The action will be streamed live globally on Facebook Watch via the Golden Boy Fight Night Page beginning at 6:00 p.m. PT/9:00 p.m. ET.

Tickets, priced from $125 to $50 are on sale and available through Eventbrite or by calling or emailing Main Events: 973-200-7050; boxing@mainevents.com.

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Sullivan Barrera Hosts Miami, Florida Media Workout Seanie Monaghan Hosts Long Island, NY Media Workout

Miami, Florida and Long Island, NY): Sullivan Barrera (21-2, 14 KOs) and “Irish” Seanie Monaghan (29-1, 17 KOs) hosted open media workouts on Friday, October 19, in advance of their upcoming main event at The Aviator Sports and Events Center in Brooklyn, NY on Saturday, November 3, 2018.

Below please find quotes from both fighters and their trainers from Friday’s event.

Sullivan Barrera
Photo Credit: Roberto Illanes/Main Events

Click Here for Barrera Photos: Credit Roberto Illanes/Main Events

Click Here for Barrera Video – Credit Ed Keenan/Main Events

Quotes from Sullivan Barrera:

“I always come to fight. Every fight leaves a lesson. I took many lessons from the fight against (Dmitry) Bivol. I saw opportunities I did not take.”

“Come November 3rd, I will not allow any opportunity to slip, and capitalize on his mistakes. Derik (Santos, Barrera’s trainer) and I worked on all those details.”

Sean Monaghan
Photo Credit: Chris Hamlet/Main Events

Click Here for Monaghan Photos: Credit Chris Hamlet, Main Events

Click Here for Video – Credit Main Events

Quotes from Seanie Monaghan:

“Even though it was a long layoff, it has still been a productive year. I got a lot better just being in the gym all this time and working this whole time.”

“I didn’t even realize it. I did an interview with someone recently, and I realized I have been boxing for 17 years. Seventeen years is a long time. I have been in the gym a long time and every time I go there, I just try to get in the best shape possible.

“I have boxing skills. I use them in the gym all the time, but when I get in the fight, I always feel compelled to go brawl. There is another way to do things. I am smart enough. I am trying to box more and get hit a little bit less. I have reached a new level of maturity.”

“This fight is do or die for both of us. We both know what time it is. Me and Barrera have been talking trash to each other on Twitter for a while. We both respect each other but it is going to be two dogs with one piece of meat. I’ve got to feed my kids and he does too, so may the best man win.”

“I work out with a good group of young amateurs, and they keep me young. They challenge me in the sprints and motivate me.”

“We handled it the right way, I took my foot off the gas so, I wouldn’t over train. I’m in the best shape of my life, I know I say that at every camp, but this is legitimate, I’ve been legitimate. For months and months in preparing and it’s the best possible version of me there ever been.”

“Barrera is the man. He’s probably the most dangerous guy right below world champion level there is. His only two losses were to world champions, and he took them to deep water and gave them a hard time.”

“This is a giant test for me, and it’s do or die for both of our careers. The winner moves on to big things and the loser, you know it’s not looking good for them. We’re both in the same boat and we’re both looking for the same thing, so it’s going to be a battle.”

“I always expect the best version of whoever I’m fighting. I’ve learned through experience that when you watch a guy on tape and sometimes fight them, they don’t do what they did on the tape, and do something different. I’ve seen (Barrera) in a lot of fights. I’ve seen him hang tough with tough guys, and he’s as game as they come. As hard as you want to fight he’ll fight you back that hard, and he’ll get dropped and get up and fight even harder.”

“I’m mentally prepared for the long haul, mentally and physically I am ready to do whatever it takes and to dig as deep as I have to.”

Quotes from P.J. Kavanaugh, Monaghan’s Manager:

“Seanie knows he has a tough fight, he’s digging down deep and putting in a little extra. He started training camp way back. He’s faster on the track, he’s getting extra rounds sparring. He’s in the best shape I’ve ever seen him.”

“We’re working on some combinations for Barrera. Some things we think might work with him. They both like to come and fight.”

“Seanie knows how important it is for both of them. Like the poster says, it’s a high stakes fight. The winner moves on. The loser has a tough road.”

“He has the same hunger at this stage of his career he always has. He comes to fight.”

“We’re going to have a great atmosphere, a great time. He loves the home town crowd. He loves staying in his bed at night, being at home with his wife and kids.”

“Overall, Seanie has a reputation of being tough. He’ll brawl. In this camp, we’ve seen a lot more of his boxing skills. There’s definitely a wisdom about it.”

“We are very excited about Facebook live streaming this. It’s great for the sport. You’ll have people watching this worldwide. Seanie has a tremendous following in Ireland.”

?Reminder to news media: The deadline to apply for Fight Week credentials is Friday, October 26, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. ET. Fill out the credential application at http://www.emcevents.com/BarreraMonaghan.

About Barrera-Monaghan: This light heavyweight main event will headline the Saturday, November 3 card as part of the Golden Boy Fight Night series on Facebook, live from The Aviator. The event is promoted by Main Events. The action will be streamed live globally on Facebook Watch via the Golden Boy Fight Night Page beginning at 6:00 p.m. PT/9:00 p.m. ET.

Tickets, priced from $125 to $55, go on sale to the public on Friday, October xx, and will be available through Ticketmaster or by calling or emailing Main Events: 973-200-7050; boxing@mainevents.com.

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Sullivan Barrera vs. Seanie Monaghan Headlines Golden Boy Fight Night on Facebook Watch Saturday, November 3

Totowa, NJ – October 5, 2018 – Former WBC International Light Heavyweight world champion Sullivan Barrera (21-2, 14 KOs) returns to the ring to regain his standing as one of the world’s top light heavyweights. Barrera faces top five light heavyweight contender “Irish” Seanie Monaghan (29-1, 17 KOs) in the 10-round main event at The Aviator Sports and Events Center in Brooklyn, NY on Saturday, November 3, 2018. The event is promoted by Main Events and will be streamed live via Facebook Watch as part of the Golden Boy Fight Night series.

Tickets are priced at $125 and $100 for VIP ringside seats and $50 for general admission. They are available to purchase now through Eventbrite or by calling Main Events at 973-200-7050 or emailing boxing@mainevents.com.

Seanie Monaghan

Barrera vs. Monaghan was originally scheduled to take place on August 18 but was postponed when Barrera suffered an eye injury. Barrera has since recovered, and Monaghan remained available to put the bout back on the Facebook Watch series, a collaboration between Golden Boy Promotions, Facebook and Main Events, offered to fans around the world via live online streaming.

Barrera, 36, a native of Cuba who defected to the United States after fighting for the Cuban National Team, now lives and trains in Miami, Florida. He makes his return to the ring after taking WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Dmitry Bivol deep into the 12th round of their title fight in March before being stopped, by far the most difficult opponent of Bivol’s professional career. The WBC ranks Barrera fourth in the competitive Light Heavyweight division.

Monaghan, also 36, is a Long Island, New York native with proud Irish roots. He began his professional boxing career at the late age of 28 but quickly made up for lost time. After his first and only loss as a professional in 30 fights to Marcus Browne in July 2017, Monaghan started his comeback quest with a win in November 2017 and intends to make up for lost time against Barrera.

“Thank you to my team, my coach Derik Santos, my promoter Main Events, my manager Luis Molina, and thanks to Seanie Monaghan for taking this fight,” said Barrera. “As always, I’m willing to face the top guys in my division. This is another tough fighter. I look forward to November 3, and I’ll give the fans a great show. They will see me start to climb my way back up to facing the very best light heavyweights in the world.”

Barrera’s trainer, Derik Santos, said training is already underway for the fight. “We are working and are dedicated as usual. Thank you to manager Luis Molina and our promoter Main Events. Sullivan has gone into tough fights over the years and has consistently shown himself to be one of the toughest light heavyweight contenders in the division.”

Despite the pressure on them, Barrera and Santos maintain the same confidence and positive attitude that led Barrera to the top. “Train well and overcome, has been the directive since day one,” declared Santos. “Our expectations are the same today.”

Barrera is no stranger to Seanie Monaghan, and he’s looking forward to the matchup. “This fight is do or die for both of us. I’ve been going back and forth with Barrera on Twitter for a couple of years now. This will finally be our chance to settle it in the ring, no more talking,” said Monaghan.

Monaghan lost his father over the summer. He planned from that day to bring the late Davy Monaghan’s ashes back to his hometown of Navan in Ireland someday while wearing a title belt around his waist. His fight with Barrera is as much for his father as it is for himself.

In the ultra-competitive light heavyweight division, the talent pool is deep, and virtually every fighter ranked among the Top 15 contenders is a threat to the current titleholders. Main Events’ CEO and Barrera’s promoter, Kathy Duva, originally selected this high-stakes fight as a perfect fit for the Main Events-promoted card in the Golden Boy Fight Night series and remained resolved to make the fight happen after the cancellation.

“Expanding access to our fan-friendly fights around the world with online streaming technology is the latest chapter in the 40-year history of Main Events,” said Duva. “Boxing has always been able to adapt and stay current as a sport.”

Duva promised: “Technology has changed a lot in this world, but one thing will never change about Main Events: our determination to make the best matches and feature amazing athletes in the ring. We wanted Sullivan Barrera and Seanie Monaghan in the ring and were more disappointed than anyone when the original bout was postponed. We were determined to make this fight happen, because I know these guys will give everything they’ve got for their legacy, and for the fans.”

Tickets, priced from $125 to $50 are on sale and available through Eventbrite or by calling or emailing Main Events: 973-200-7050; boxing@mainevents.com.

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Sullivan Barrera vs. Seanie Monaghan Postponed

Bethlehem, PA: Sullivan Barrera (21-2, 14 KOs) suffered an eye injury during a sparring session while training for his August 18, 2018 bout with Irish “Seanie” Monaghan (29-1, 17 KOs). To ensure Barrera is allotted ample time to heal before returning to the ring, Main Events has decided to postpone the Barrera-Monaghan fight.

The fight was slated to be the second installment in the Golden Boy Fight Night on Facebook Watch series live from Sands Resort Casino in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It is unclear at this time whether Barrera will be healed in time for one of the remaining dates in the series. An announcement is expected soon regarding an alternate date, site and perhaps opponent for Monaghan.

Together with Golden Boy Promotions and Facebook, the decision was made to postpone the whole card, rather than make a last-minute substitute. One of the many advantages provided by the Facebook Watch platform is the ability to schedule flexibly – on any date or at any time – to make sure that fans are getting the fights they want to see and to protect the safety of the boxers.

Kathy Duva, Main Events’ CEO explained, “We were all very excited about the Barrera-Monaghan bout appearing on this exciting new series. Unfortunately, injuries happen. If Sullivan is not ready to face Seanie in time to appear on the series, we will do everything in our power to deliver another exciting and entertaining event. We’re thankful to be working with Facebook and Golden Boy on a series that gives us the ability to be flexible.”

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Sullivan Barrera vs. Seanie Monaghan Tickets on Sale Now!

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania – July 13, 2018- Tickets are now on sale to the general public for the upcoming slugfest between Former WBC International Light Heavyweight world champion Sullivan Barrera (21-2, 14 KOs) and Light Heavyweight Contender “Irish” Seanie Monaghan (29-1, 17 KOs) in the 10-round main event at the Sands Bethlehem Casino and Event Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on Saturday, August 18, 2018. Tickets, priced from $105 to $55 and will be available through Ticketmaster, the Sands Event Center box office and by emailing Main Events at boxing@mainevents.com.

The event is promoted by Main Events and World of Boxing and will be streamed live via Facebook Watch as part of the Golden Boy Fight Night series. Fans can catch all the action by clicking here.

About Barrera-Monaghan: This light heavyweight main event will headline the second live boxing card of the new Golden Boy Fight Night series on Facebook Watch, live from the Sands in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on Saturday, August 18. The event is promoted by Main Events and World of Boxing.

Tickets, priced from $105 to $55, are on sale now and are available through Ticketmaster, the Sands Event Center box office and by emailing Main Events at boxing@mainevents.com.

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Sullivan Barrera vs. Seanie Monaghan Headlines Second Golden Boy Fight Night on Facebook Watch on Saturday, August 18

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania – July 10, 2018 – Former WBC International Light Heavyweight world champion Sullivan Barrera (21-2, 14 KOs) returns to the ring to regain his standing as one of the world’s top Light Heavyweights. Barrera faces top five Light Heavyweight Contender “Irish” Seanie Monaghan (29-1, 17 KOs) in the 10-round main event at the Sands Bethlehem Casino and Event Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on Saturday, August 18, 2018. The event is promoted by Main Events and World of Boxing and will be streamed live via Facebook Watch as part of the Golden Boy Fight Night series. Fans can catch all the fights by clicking here.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, July 13.

Barrera vs. Monaghan is the second live card of the recently announced Facebook series, a collaboration between Golden Boy Promotions, Facebook and Main Events, offered to fans around the world via live online streaming.

Barrera, 36, a native of Cuba who defected to the United States after fighting for the Cuban National Team, now lives and trains in Miami, Florida. He makes his return to the ring after taking WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Dmitry Bivol deep into the 12th round of their title fight in November 2017 before being stopped, by far the most difficult opponent of Bivol’s professional career. The WBC ranks Barrera fourth in the competitive Light Heavyweight division.

Monaghan, also 36, is a Long Island, New York native with proud Irish roots. He began his professional boxing career at the late age of 28 but quickly made up for lost time. After his first and only loss as a professional in 30 fights to Marcus Browne in July 2017, Monaghan started his comeback quest with a win in November 2017, and intends to make up for lost time against Barrera.

“Thank you to my team, my coach Derik Santos, my promoter Main Events, my manager Luis Molina, and thanks to Seanie Monaghan for taking this fight,” said Barrera. “As always, I’m willing to face the top guys in my division. This is another tough fighter. I look forward to August 18 and I’ll give the fans a great show. They will see me start to climb my way back up to facing the very best light heavyweights in the world.”

Barrera’s trainer, Derik Santos, said training is already underway for the fight. “We are working, and are dedicated as usual. Thank you to manager Luis Molina and our promoter Main Events. Sullivan has gone into tough fights over the years, and has consistently shown himself to be one of the toughest light heavyweight contenders in the division.”

Barrera is no stranger to Seanie Monaghan, and he’s looking forward to the match-up. “This fight is do or die for both of us. I’ve been going back and forth with Barrera on Twitter for a couple of years now. This will finally be our chance to settle it in the ring, no more talking,” said Monaghan.

Monaghan recently lost his father, and has plans to bring the late Davy Monaghan’s ashes back to his hometown of Navan in Ireland someday while wearing a title belt around his waist. His fight with Barrera is as much for his father as it is for himself.

In the ultra-competitive Light Heavyweight division, the talent pool is deep, and virtually every fighter ranked among the Top 15 contenders is a threat to the current titleholders. Main Events’ CEO and Barrera’s promoter, Kathy Duva, selected this high-stakes fight as a perfect fit for the first Main Events-promoted card in the Golden Boy Fight Night series. “We have delivered the best in boxing entertainment to the fans for 40 years,” said Duva. “What better way to start our next 40 years in business by expanding access to our fan-friendly fights around the world with online streaming technology.”

About Barrera-Monaghan: This light heavyweight main event will headline the second live boxing card of the new Golden Boy Fight Night series on Facebook, live from the Sands in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on Saturday, August 18. The event is promoted by Main Events and World of Boxing.

Tickets, priced from $105 to $55, go on sale to the public on Friday, July 13 and will be available through Ticketmaster, the Sands Event Center box office and by emailing Main Events at boxing@mainevents.com.

Sullivan Barrera expects bounce back performance on Kovalev-Alvarez undercard and wants the winner

MIAMI, FLORIDA – Light heavyweight contender Sullivan “Sully B” Barrera is back in training camp armed with a new fight date and a fresh attitude.

The former Cuban amateur standout admits that not much went right in his March 3rd loss to Dmitry Bivol but chalks it up to an off night and said that it was a learning experience.

Barrera is back with his team but has also added a sports psychologist to his squad in an effort to make sure a repeat of March 3rd doesn’t happen.

“I feel great. I know that was just one bad night. I am not worried about the past and only looking ahead,” Barrera explained.

The plan is for Barrera to return to the ring sometime in the summer on the Sergey Kovalev-Eleider undercard and he hopes to fight the winner next.

“I think the fans know that I always want to fight the best out there. After this fight I want another big fight. My goal is to fight whoever wins between Kovalev and Alvarez,” said Barrera.

“Boxing is like sex. You can be the best lover in the world but sometimes you have an off night. My fiancee knows I am the best even if I don’t perform as well one night. I want to get back in the ring and show the world my best again.”

Video: HBO Boxing Highlights! #BivolBarrera

Sergey Kovalev vs. Igor Mikhalkin & Dmitry Bivol vs. Sullivan Barrera Final Press Conference Quotes

Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events
“Hello everyone. It has been a very long, cold winter, but don’t worry. Main Events is now here to heat things up. You can count on us to bring you plenty of hot boxing action this weekend at the greatest venue for boxing in the world, Madison Square Garden.”

“Every single one of the fighters in our lineup for Saturday’s fight has sweated through harder workouts and tougher training than ever in their careers. Many will fight at the Mecca of Boxing for the very first time. Some of them are returning, and that is a big deal, whether you’re a champion, or just starting in a four rounder.”

“In our televised fights, four light heavyweights know that the eyes of the world will be on them and they want to make a big impression. You will want to be part of this.”

“Tickets starting at $50 are still available through Ticketmaster and at the Madison Square Garden box office. Although if you want to sit up in ringside, you can’t, because those are gone. You could also watch it live on HBO World Championship Boxing® starting at 10:05 PM Eastern and Pacific.”

“At the top of our card we have a pair of exciting fights in the red-hot light heavyweight division, which I think is the perhaps most competitive division in this sport. First, we have Sullivan Barrera and Dmitry Bivol. In our main event, two-time Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey Kovalev will face his tough Siberian countryman and former amateur teammate Igor Mikhalkin.”

“On our non-televised under card, three talented and undefeated Eastern Europeans out of Egis Klimas’ Boxing Laboratory in Oxnard, California, promise to light up the arena. We have Bakhram Murtazaliev of Grozny, who is co-promoted by Main Events and Krusher Promotions, facing Keith McNeil of Birmingham, Alabama in a 10-round super welterweight bout. We have two young gentlemen from Kazakhstan. One, a middleweight named Meiirim Nursultanov, who will be in a battle with Alejandro Torres of Mexico. Rounding out this trio is Madiyar Ashkeyev, also of Kazakhstan, who is making his Garden debut versus tough Dominican, Jose Antonio Abreu in a welterweight showdown.”

“As if that wasn’t enough, how about the return of Vaughn Alexander of St. Louis to New York? Vaughn fought here as a rising star in 2004 and now he’s back 14 years later after getting his life together. What an amazing story. He’s going to be fighting a new opponent because apparently the guy he had been scheduled to fight thought better of it yesterday, and so Jolene [Mizzone, Main Events’ matchmaker], as usual, comes through with a miracle…We may have actually ended up with an even better and more competitive fight.”

“You can expect a big, big show from our heavyweights on this card. Cassius Chaney, clearly, was born to box with that name or at least his father decided he was. First, he was an NCAA scholarship basketball player at the University of New Haven. He graduated, switched sports and now we’ve got him.”

“We never forget our New York fans and we are going to take good care of you on Saturday with the three born and bred local fighters who promise some smoking hot performances. They include Brooklyn’s Frank Galarza, who’s going to return to Madison Square Garden after his big win in November. Frank, when you get to the ring it’s sort of like the main event because it seems like everybody in the arena is there to see him. We’re going to hear a lot of noise.”

“We also have Long Island native LeShawn ‘Lightning’ Rodriguez. He’s generating a lot of buzz and electricity.”

“Back after winning in his professional debut, also from New York, will be Ismael Villarreal of the Bronx.”

“We would like to thank our sponsors, Medoff Vodka and Leon.ru. For this card, we are working with Krusher Promotions and World of Boxing, in association with EC Box Promotions. We have Vadim Kornilov, Dmitry Bivol’s manager, and Erol Ceylan of EC Box with us today and I am so happy to see you. Thank you. I also want to thank HBO and especially Peter Nelson, Tony Walker and Ray Stallone for their support. They always have our back, and we will prove worthy of the opportunity.”

Peter Nelson, Executive Vice President, HBO Sports
“I want to thank all the members of the press for being here. I want to thank the fans for continuing to put together the pressure on these fighters to take great fights. I want to thank Madison Square Garden, Joel Fisher, you, your team, Sal Federico, everyone, and your continued support of the sport of boxing”

“Sergey Kovalev and Dmitry Bivol are two of the brightest lights in the light heavyweight division. Bivol is one of the most exciting new entrants at HBO. His career has been nothing short of meteoric in recent days. We’re excited to see what he does on Saturday night against a great opponent.”

“Sullivan Barrera and Igor Mikhalkin stand a shot at creating one of the biggest upsets this year. We’re excited to see what kind of fireworks fly on Saturday night. As Kathy mentioned, they’re going to be great fights the show underneath, so if you can make it into the arena and get a ticket, absolutely do that and set your DVR for HBO. Our start time is 10:05 Eastern. We look forward to seeing you all there Saturday night. Thanks very much.”

Duva
“I want to thank everyone here at the mecca of boxing, Madison Square Garden. Especially Sal Federico, Larry Torres and of course last, but certainly first, Joel Fisher, Executive Vice President of Madison Square Garden Marquee Events.”

Joel Fisher, Executive Vice President of Madison Square Garden Marquee Events
“First of all, it’s a great couple of weeks here at the Garden. We’ve got the Big 10 Tournament starting tonight, followed up by the Big East Tournament next week. Come Saturday night, we’ve got an incredible boxing match. Two world titles will be on the line Saturday night and it’s going to be a great start to what will be another great boxing season here at Madison Square Garden. Kathy and Jolene, it’s great to work with you again. You put together a great card, and the boxing fans will definitely have a great night here.”

“I’d like to welcome back Sergey Kovalev to The Garden. His performance in November was tremendous. It was a clear message that ‘The Krusher’ is back. We look forward to your resurgence continuing in the light heavyweight division. Igor Mikhalkin is a former European Light Heavyweight Champion and currently on a 10-fight winning streak. That will absolutely prove to be a great, great fight and an exciting night.”

“As Kathy and Peter mentioned, what a great co-main event. WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion Dmitry Bivol, who we have gotten to know some. He’s an undefeated hot, young fighter, who some say, will be the future in this division. He makes his Garden debut here against his mandatory challenger Sullivan Barrera, who also was here recently and beat Felix Valera last November in a great fight.”

“Both of these fights are fights that you don’t want to miss. We’re thrilled to host this great event, to have another great night of boxing in front of the best boxing fans in the world. It’s a great card, top to bottom. As Kathy mentioned, we’re just thrilled to work with her. All of our friends at Main Events, and of course, Peter Nelson and HBO, and the great job they do. We look forward to seeing everybody Saturday night, which will definitely be a great night of boxing.”

Duva
“To the media present and watching live at home, thank you for your time. You have a lot of things competing for your attention. We know that. I say with confidence, you made the right choice coming here today to join us and you will make the right choice when you join us on Saturday.”

“I don’t have to tell anyone in this room that the light heavyweight division is on fire right now. We should invite the FDNY to be here on standby Saturday for the televised fights. Cuban Sullivan Barrera is currently 21-1, 14 KOs and he steps up to challenge WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion Dmitry Bivol of Russia. Bivol has 10 knockouts in 12 fights and is undefeated.”

“Both Sullivan and Dmitry had distinguished amateur careers. Sullivan is a former member of the Cuban National Team. He defected from Cuba in 2009 and quickly made a name for himself in the light heavyweight division, winning his first 17 bouts, with 12 of those coming by way of knockout. He’s won four fights since his only loss. That includes a victory in 2017 over the very hot Joe Smith Jr. He is managed by Luis Molina, who tells me he will let trainer Derik Santos and Sullivan do the talking for him. First, I’m going to bring up Derik Santos.”

Derik Santos, Trainer of Sullivan Barrera
“Thank you everybody for being here. I would like to thank first of all, our manager Luis Molina, who allows us to make everything happen, to Main Events and Kathy for having us here. Peter, HBO, our home gym of Boca PAL, because they really support us and let us do what we need to do back at home. Mike Horner, Gil Gastelum, Ben Lira, Chris Algieri, who we brought into this camp. They’ve all been very supportive and helped us. Finally, to Sullivan Barrera who is absolutely as dedicated as you would want an athlete to be, as a coach.”

“We are here to do, once again, what we’ve been doing since we got together. Walking through the fire together. I’m going to keep it short. I know Bivol’s a talented young man, but we’re going to do what we’ve been doing, we are going to attempt to flip the picnic table right over and stop the party. That’s what we’re going to do here. That’s what we came to do here. Thank you.”

Sullivan Barrera
“Good afternoon, everyone. First, I want to say thank you, and my promoter Kathy Duva and Main Events, Peter Nelson, HBO, Bivol team, Bivol for taking the fight, for this opportunity. This is the dream for me. Fighting for a title fight. I hope Saturday night we can put great show for the boxing fans. Thank you.”

Duva
“This is truly a 50/50 fight, and Sullivan knows what he’s up against. Dmitry Bivol is the definition of a knockout artist. This is Dmitry’s first professional fight at Madison Square Garden. His English is really impressive after training in Los Angeles, and we also have Dmitry’s manager, Vadim Kornilov, who would like to say a few words.”

Vadim Kornilov, Manager of Dmitry Bivol
“It is a pleasure to have a fight at such a legendary arena. We appreciate the support of Madison Square Garden. It has been kind of a dream to have one of our fighters fight here one day and it’s coming true. We appreciate team Barrera. It’s going to be a great night. It’s definitely a 50/50 fight, like Kathy said, and anything can happen. It’s the first opponent of this magnitude that Bivol is fighting. It is this type of fight that we are very nervous about as well. I would expect fireworks from both of the main and the co-main event Saturday night.”

“Just wanted to say thank you to HBO and Peter Nelson for always having a great eye for talent and always bringing on these types of fights onto the network. I want to say thank you to Main Events. The whole team, it’s been a pleasure working with you, as well as World of Boxing, the co-promoter for Dmitry Bivol. Andrey Ryabinsky has actually asked to pass on a message to the press and everybody. He is not going to be able to be here. He wanted to make sure that we mention that it is a great pleasure for him to have one of his fighters fight on a TV network as large as HBO and he appreciates that opportunity. He appreciates the business with Main Events and how great that has been going. It’s been a very, very pleasant experience for all of us. Thank you to everybody, and I would like to bring up WBA World Champion in the light heavyweight division, Dmitry Bivol.”

Dmitry Bivol – WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion
“Hello everyone. I wanted to say thank you for coming, and thank you my promotion, World of Boxing, and promotion of Main Events, and I wanted to say thank you Madison Square Garden. I really glad to be here. Of course, thank you HBO for this chance for me and especially Peter Nelson. Thank you, Sullivan for taking this fight. I hope we will make good fight and people will be glad after. Thank you.”

Duva
“I also would like to thank Andrey Ryabinsky and all the people at World of Boxing. It has been a pleasure working with them and we look forward to continuing to work together in the future.”

“Now for the main event. Sergey Kovalev is back. He’s back on top as the WBO Light Heavyweight World Champion but his opponent is not intimidated. He’s not intimidated by appearing here at Madison Square Garden for the first time, not by facing an old friend, someone he’s known since they were young boxers training as amateurs in Russia many years ago. Igor Mikhalkin says that now he looks back and he believes he was destined to fight Sergey Kovalev from the start and that day is Saturday.”

“Igor may not be familiar to you but one thing I can tell you, he’s hungry. He wants to introduce himself to the American fans by making a very big impression on Saturday. Igor is going to come up here now, but first I’m going to bring up his promoter Erol Ceylan, who will introduce the team.”

Erol Ceylan, Promoter EC Box Promotions
“First of all, I want thanks Kathy Duva for the opportunity to take this fight and also I want to thank HBO. What I want to say about Igor Mikhalkin, he has a lot of courage to take the fight against Sergey Kovalev. We want to thank Sergey for this opportunity and it is a pleasure to take the fight. I hope it will be a very great fight because Mikhalkin is a good worker and he proved himself in Europe, but there are not enough opponents who can move more. He thinks here in US, are the best of this division and he want to show a big fight. After that, he hopes to make a great career in the States. Thank you.”

Igor Mikhalkin
“Thank you very much for Madison Square Garden, for HBO, and Kathy Duva, to Sergey Kovalev for taking the fight. I am very happy to be in New York and fight in Madison Square Garden and I hope that on Saturday the third, we will have a wonderful, exciting fight for all of you to see.”

Duva
“If life is all about lessons learned, and I promise you it is, I am here to tell you Sergey Kovalev has earned his PhD and graduated with honors. To lose after being world champion, such a dominant world champion, it’s a bitter blow. Some guys never recover from that but a rare few take an honest look at the way they are doing things. They change what needs to be changed. No matter how difficult, no matter what you have to give up to do it, this is hard. Sergey is not afraid of hard, as we all know. Sergey was honest with himself about his travel and lifestyle. He brought in a new trainer, Abror Tursunpulatov, and he has handed over control to him.”

“Sergey is the most focused and probably in the best shape I’ve ever seen him. People who had seen Sergey in recent months keep telling us the same thing. How fresh and fit he looks and how happy. The truth is, Sergey has not just changed his attitude. He’s changed his life. Don’t get me wrong. He’s happy to keep crushing his opponents in the ring. For those of you who are as old as me, and know about this reference, as The Who say, ‘Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.’ Sergey is here with his manager, and my dear friend, Egis Klimas.”

Egis Klimas, Manager of Sergey Kovalev
“Good afternoon, everybody. Happy to be here back again at New York City. I wanted to thank the media, Madison Square Garden, HBO, Mikhalkin for giving this opportunity to Sergey to show up.”

“I wanted to talk a little bit about undercard, what there is going to be. Many people come just for the main event, or co-main event, televised fights, because fights are getting boring nowadays. Take my word, we have four undercard guys, which are represented by me. They are very, very excited. Don’t count just on the co-main event and the main event. If you have a chance, come over right from the beginning. You are going to see very, very excited fights. I don’t know whose mission was this for the main event, but as right now, all the things going on in the world, probably they wanted to put two Russians in the ring and looking at beating each other, just to represent American fans. Just a joke.”

“I don’t remember when we saw on the main event, Showtime, HBO, two Russians coming into the fight and trying to fight. I think it’s going to be a very good night, Saturday night. Don’t miss it!”

Duva
“Actually, to echo Egis’ comments, I think based on the looks of the light heavyweight division at the moment, two Russians fighting for the title is going to become pretty normal. Without further ado, as always, my deepest pleasure to be able to introduce to you the light heavyweight champion of the world, Sergey Kovalev.”

Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev, Two-Time Light Heavyweight World Champion
“I am really happy back to in New York at Madison Square Garden. This is right now my favorite place to fight. Really appreciate it, Joel Fisher, and also thanks to HBO to show this fight on TV, to my promoter, Kathy Duva. Also, to thanks to team of Igor Mikhalkin who came from Russia. Right now, I can say that we met with Igor since amateur, when I was maybe 17 years old. We were like friends, but only friends can beat each other and won’t be upset on each other, you know? I can say that, and be sure that Saturday night will be interesting fight because we will beat each other very, very hard and my goal to defend the title. His goal, to get this title. It will be very interesting fight. Thank you for your support, and I love you, boxing fans. God bless you. Thanks.”

Duva
“Thank you, Sergey. I think that about says it all. As far as we are concerned here at Main Events, the boxing winter is over. I think that we know there are two world champions on this card. Those of you who come early enough to see the undercard, I think you will be able to someday say that you saw more than two world champions on Saturday night because they are all terrific, young fighters. I think that quite a few of the guys in that position are going to make it someday.”

“Once again, tickets starting at $50 still available through Ticketmaster and at the Madison Square Garden box office. You can watch live on HBO World Championship Boxing® starting at 10:05 PM Eastern and Pacific. My thanks to all the talented and dedicated people working hard to put on this impressive show on Saturday. People you have no idea about working in the background, especially our 2015 NABF Matchmaker of the Year, Jolene Mizzone. The guys have to do the work, but Jolene makes the magic happen. Did it again this morning by finding a better replacement of pulling it out of her who knows what, better than the one we had in the first place. Will you please give Jolene and the rest of my staff an applause? They really are the best. Jolene is still making matches as we speak.”

About March 3: The Saturday, March 3 main event between Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev and Igor Mikhalkin is a 12-round match-up for the WBO Light Heavyweight World Title at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The co-main event features WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion Dmitry Bivol versus Sullivan Barrera in a 12-round title fight. Tickets range from $50 to $300 and are available online at TicketMaster.com and at the Madison Square Garden box office. The event is promoted by Main Events, Krusher Promotions and World of Boxing in association with EC Box Promotions, is sponsored by Medoff Vodka and Leon.ru and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 10:05 p.m. ET/PT.

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Dmitry Bivol vs. Sullivan Barrera Scouting Report: Will the Veteran Stop the Newcomer?

New York, NY) – The upcoming Saturday, March 3 Kovalev vs. Mikhalkin HBO World Championship Boxing® telecast opens with a blockbuster battle of two top light heavyweights as WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion Dmitry Bivol (12-0, 10 KOs) faces Sullivan Barrera (21-1, 14 KOs) at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. Below is the scouting report for this action-packed match-up:

Category
Dmitry Bivol
Sullivan Barrera
Age
27
36
Record
12-0-0 (10 KOs)
21-1-0 (14 KOs)
Strength
Bivol is a strong, hard-hitting light heavyweight. He has knockout power in both hands and has been successful overwhelming his opposition with his in-your-face attack.
Barrera has a strong jab he uses well, and has shown numerous times he can overcome the adversity that takes place in the squared circle, thanks to solid endurance and a granite chin.
Weakness
Although he had an extensive amateur career, Bivol is still only 12 fights deep into his professional career. His inexperience as a pro may come into play if his opponent takes him into deep waters.
Sullivan has great technical boxing skills, but also has a tendency to get into wild slugfests with his opponents. He needs to keep his composure and stay sharp in order to avoid one of Bivol’s thundering blows.
Experience
There is no question Bivol has been through the gauntlet for his first 12 professional bouts. However, he does not have the experience nor has he faced the level of opposition Barrera has faced thus far.
Although this is his first world title fight, Barrera has been in the ring with some of the best the division has to offer: Andre Ward, Vyacheslav Shabranskyy, and Joe Smith Jr. He has overcome adversity in prior bouts, making him a stronger fighter to this point.
Power
Bivol’s power is one of his greatest assets. He throws vicious combinations and possesses significant power in both hands.
Barrera has a powerful jab and a devastating right hand, both of which have played roles in the majority of his stoppage wins.
Speed
The champion has solid speed, quick hands and is fast on his feet as well.
The challenger has average speed, and maintains a steady pace throughout the fight.
Endurance
Due to the way he has steamrolled through his opposition thus far, Bivol has only gone a full 12 rounds once, when he defeated Felix Valera in 2016.

Barrera proved he could go 12 rounds in a decision loss to former titleholder Andre Ward. He earned 10-round decision wins over ranked contenders Joe Smith Jr and Felix Valera.
Accuracy
Bivol’s style allows him to be an accurate puncher. He likes to close in on his opponents, leaving them with little room to run.
Barrera’s is very accurate when he gets his jab going and puts his punches together behind it.
Defense
Bivol’s best defense has been his offensive aggressiveness thus far in his short career.

If Barrera commits to the jab, it can be very effective in taking any fighter out of his element, making it that much more difficult to get anything going offensively.
Chin
We have yet to see a big puncher have any offensive success with Bivol, so his chin is still a question mark.

Barrera has a granite chin. He has been knocked down, but has never been stopped, and he hass risen to the occasion to finish strong.
Style
Bivol is an aggressive, in-your-face fighter who immediately enters attack mode from the start of the bout. He is heavy-handed and is making a name for himself in the division as a knockout artist.

Barrera is an extremely tough and technical fighter who likes to stick his jab and set up his shots. He also has a brawling style that inevitably comes out when his opponents show they are willing to engage.
Intangibles
Bivol makes his first WBA title defense against one of the hottest light heavyweights in the world in Sullivan Barrera. This is no surprise, however, as Dmitry has faced off against a who’s who of opposition in his short career. Although his Cuban opponent believes Bivol is in over his head taking on the WBA’s #1 ranked Barrera, Bivol thinks otherwise. He has full confidence in his abilities, and is well aware that if he has his way with Barrera, the sky is the limit for what he can do in the sport.

Barrera has been petitioning for a title shot for years. He has stepped up and faced off against the division’s best light heavyweights. After years of hard work and victories over the likes of Joe Smith Jr, Karo Murat, and Vyacheslav Shabranskyy, he has been offered his long-awaited opportunity. Barrera opted to face the less experienced Dmitry Bivol. Barrera feels his route to a title shot was much more grueling than that of the champion, and believes Bivol will not be prepared for such a seasoned and gritty challenger as Sullivan Barrera.
Crowd Support
Dmitry Bivol is one of the sport’s top prospects, but he lacks the television exposure of Barrera. Despite a loyal Russian following, he may be at a disadvantage here. If he can comfortably handle the challenger in this match, expect his crowd support to increase significantly.

Over the years, Sullivan Barrera has established himself as a crowd-pleasing fighter. He competed at Madison Square Garden in his last bout in which he earned a win over ranked contender Felix Valera. He can expect significant crowd support coming into this bout.
The Match-Up
Will Barrera be able to handle the power and speed of Bivol?
Will Bivol be able to handle the non-stop jab in his face and be able to make adjustments?
Will Barrera be able to focus on Bivol and not overlook him thinking about future opportunities?
Will Bivol be able to handle Barrera down getting up off the canvas after a knockdown and coming back stronger when he does?

According Main Events’ matchmaker and 2015 NABF Matchmaker of the Year, Jolene Mizzone, “This is the kind of fight more top light heavyweights should be taking. Here you have a young guy in Dmitry Bivol who is ready to take the challenge with a much more experienced Sullivan Barrera. You have Sullivan Barrera taking on the youngest light heavyweight champion in the division to prove he belongs there at the top too, belt or not. Both have a lot to prove, and I believe the real winners are the fans, who will get a real show in the ring from both come March 3.”

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS TAKE CENTER STAGE WHEN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®: SERGEY KOVALEV VS. IGOR MIKHALKIN AND DMITRY BIVOL VS. SULLIVAN BARRERA IS SEEN SATURDAY, MARCH 3

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING spotlights the competitive light heavyweight division with two world title bouts when SERGEY KOVALEV VS. IGOR MIKHALKIN AND DMITRY BIVOL VS. SULLIVAN BARRERA is seen SATURDAY, MARCH 3 at 10:05 p.m. (ET/PT) from The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The HBO Sports team will call all the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

The fights will also be available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and partners’ streaming platforms.

In the main event, light heavyweight titleholder Sergey Kovalev (31-2-1, 27 KOs) makes his 2018 ring debut, defending his crown against rising contender Igor Mikhalkin (21-2, 9 KOs) in a scheduled 12-round contest. The 34-year-old Russian reclaimed his title Thanksgiving weekend on HBO when he overwhelmed Vyacheslav Shabranskyy en route to a second-round knockout. Known as “Krusher,” Kovalev now resides in southern California and looks to continue his rise in the pound-for-pound rankings.

Fellow Russian Mikhalkin, 32, now residing in Hamburg, Germany, amassed three impressive unanimous decision victories in 2017, earning a shot at the world title for his biggest test to date. The southpaw will be making his U.S. and HBO debut.

In the co-main event, dominating light heavyweights square off when undefeated Dmitry Bivol (12-0, 10 KOs) defends his portion of the light heavyweight title against top contender Sullivan Barrera (21-1, 14 KOs) in a scheduled 12-round showdown. Bivol, 27, originally from Kyrgyzstan and now hailing from St. Petersburg, Russia, has quickly ascended to the top of the division since turning pro in 2014. Knocking out all but two of his opponents, the champ fought four times in 2017 and has set himself up for his biggest fight yet.

Barrera, 35, of Miami, Fla. by way of Cuba, scored an exciting victory over Felix Valera on the undercard of HBO’s Thanksgiving weekend event. With the only blemish on his pro record coming against future Hall of Famer Andre Ward, Barrera continues to fight top contenders as he chases his first world title.

Follow HBO boxing news at hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/hboboxing.

All HBO boxing events are presented in HDTV. HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.

The executive producer of HBO Sports is Rick Bernstein; producer, Jonathan Crystal; director, Johnathan Evans.

® WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.

Bakhram Murtazaliev vs. Kenneth McNeil Super Welterweight Title Bout Leads Off Lineup of Championship Fights March 3

New York, NY: Before fans at the Theater at Madison Square Garden enjoy two light heavyweight championship bouts Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev and Igor Mikhalkin, and Dmitry Bivol vs. Sullivan Barrera” on Saturday, March 3, Main Events and Krusher Promotions presents the first title fight on the night’s undercard in the super welterweight division.

Bakhram Murtazaliev (11-0, 9 KOs) of Grozny, Russia will face Kenneth McNeil (11-3, 8 KOs) of Birmingham, Alabama, in the first defense of the IBA Super Welterweight World Title he won at The Garden in November.

Murtazaliev, 25, has quickly made a name for himself since coming to the United States in 2016. He hopes to extend his seven-fight knockout streak and improve his already impressive 82% knockout ratio (9 KOs in 11 wins). This will be his third fight under both the Krusher Promotions’ and Main Events’ banners.

McNeil, 28, is coming off a win in his last bout, and a split decision with Samuel Clarkson many observers believe he won. McNeil has never been stopped, so Murtazaliev’s goal of extending his knockout streak will be put to the test in his toughest fight to date.

After winning the title at Madison Square Garden in November, Murtazaliev said of the experience, “It looked like what I dreamed all my life.”

Murtazaliev was able to return home to Russia for a holiday visit with family and friends, but then it was back to sunny Oxnard, California to train with Abror Tursunpulatov, who also trains two-time Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey Kovalev.

“In my preparation, my path is to do. Abror’s is to tell us what to do. Today, he tells us to throw rocks. Tomorrow, he may tell us to throw people. He has a plan … we trust him,” said Murtazaliev.

Murtazaliev recently marked his first anniversary training with Tursunpulatov. “I started to train with him and I really understood what he was saying. It made huge sense to me. I enjoy every day with Abror. I love training with the other boxers, and Kovalev too.”

Murtazaliev says he’s working hard to impress fans and achieve success in the ring. “I’m putting all my heart into practices and all my heart into my fight March 3rd. You aren’t going to be disappointed,” promised Murtazaliev. “I will try to gain more fans, to show nice boxing. I really work hard, and it’s all due to hard work. If you work hard, you will get everything you want in your life.”

There are a few big fans who won’t be watching the young super welterweight on March 3, though. “Nobody from my family has ever seen live video of my fights,” said Murtazaliev. “They are worried about me and they don’t want to see me get punched,” he laughed. Murtazaliev says only his father has ever watched him fight live, in Russia.

Top International and NY Prospects Highlight the Sergey Kovalev vs. Igor Mikhalkin Non-Televised Undercard

New York, NY: Before fans at the Theater at Madison Square Garden enjoy two light heavyweight championship bouts Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev vs. Igor Mikhalkin, and Dmitry Bivol vs. Sullivan Barrera on Saturday, March 3, Main Events serves up a menu of top international and local prospects on the non-televised undercard.

According to Main Events’ matchmaker and 2015 NABF Matchmaker of the Year, Jolene Mizzone, “matching an undercard like this is a breath of fresh air. The ‘A’ side fighters trust me to do my job and match them with the right opponents. They all want to challenge themselves to be ready when they get to the bigger fights. Some of them even asked me for tougher opposition, which doesn’t happen much these days.”

Vaughn Alexander
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Vaughn Alexander (11-0, 8 KOs) of St. Louis, Missouri and older brother of former welterweight world champ Devon Alexander, returns to Madison Square Garden 14 years after his 2004 victory there, as he works his way back into the middleweight division. He will face Jaime Solorio (14-4-2, 8 KOs) of Ensenada, Mexico.

Alexander was a rising star when he was sent to prison and served an 11-year sentence. The 32-year-old picked up his career where he left off with life lessons learned and gratitude for the second chance Main Events and his hard work have provided him.

Solorio, 29, is a come-forward fighter and bigger than Alexander. He’s only been stopped once. Solorio will test Alexander’s ability to handle his size and aggressive approach.

Brooklyn native and community philanthropist, Frank “Notorious” Galarza (18-2-2, 11 KOs), will face Norberto Gonzalez (24-10, 14 KOs) of Monterrey, Mexico in a ten-round junior middleweight contest.

Frank Galarza
Photo Credits: David Spangolo/Main Events

Galarza, 32, made his professional debut in 2010 and did not face defeat until 2015. After he signed with Main Events following a 14-month layoff, Galarza won a decisive decision victory in November and can’t wait to continue his road back to championship contention. Outside of the gym, Galarza dedicates his attention to his charitable organization, Youth Fighting Forward, which offers boxing lessons, as well as mentoring and tutoring to underprivileged kids in Brooklyn and Connecticut.

Gonzalez, 36, is a veteran who has fought everyone and took this fight on short notice without a second thought. Forget wins and losses, Gonzalez is a tough customer who puts everyone to the test in typical Mexican style.

Bakhram Murtazaliev
Photo Credit: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Astana, Kazakhstan native Meiirim “The Sultan” Nursultanov (5-0, 4 KOs) will face Alejandro Torres (9-3-2, 4 KOs) of Monterrey, Mexico.

Meiirim Nursultanov
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Nursultanov, 24, will have a robust cheering section for his second bout at The Garden from enthusiastic Kazakh fans. He has stopped each of his last three opponents. Nursultanov will look to top his most recent performance, which resulted in a TKO win after knocking his opponent, Ismael Bueno, out of the ring.

Torres, age 24, is making his debut at The Garden and appearing in his second bout in the United States. He has been on the short end of several decisions and nearly stopped his last opponent, knocking him down. Torres has only been stopped once, in his professional debut. Nursultanov will need to work hard to make a statement against Torres.

Expect a big show from the heavyweights. Cassius Chaney (11-0, 5 KOs) of Baltimore, Maryland faces Tim Washington (6-5, 6 KOs) of Toledo, Ohio, in a six-round fight.

Chaney, 30, a standout NCAA basketball player at the University of New Haven, switched sports after graduating with his bachelor’s degree in sports management. He’s been a sought after sparring partner, working with Tyson and Hughie Fury. He recently returned to his hometown of Baltimore to work with trainer Calvin Ford, the inspiration for the character “Cutty” in the popular TV series “The Wire.”

Washington, 37, joins the list of fighters making their first appearance in New York at The Garden. Washington has plenty of power and always comes to fight and make a statement. With all of his wins coming by knockout, Washington is a “go big or go home” opponent.

Alexey Evchenko (15-10-1, 6 KOs) of Chelyabinsk, Russia takes on Khiary Gray-Pitts (15-3, 11 KOs) of Worcester, Massachusetts in an eight-round welterweight fight.

Evchenko, age 34, makes his American debut after fighting primarily in Russia. He is a road warrior who has won his last six bouts in Russia and has the opportunity to introduce himself to fans and make a strong first impression that will stick with them.

Gray-Pitts, 25, is fighting for the first time outside Rhode Island and Connecticut. He is coming off his first win at welterweight over the rugged Greg Jackson. When this tough match was offered to Gray-Pitts, he didn’t hesitate, which says a lot about his attitude.

Middleweights Leshawn “Lightning” Rodriguez (8-0, 7 KOs) and Martez Jackson (4-1-2, 2 KOs) are scheduled for six rounds of action.

LeShawn “Lightning” Rodriguez
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Rodriguez, 24, of Shirley, New York is generating buzz among fans who love his take-no-prisoners, hard-hitting style. He enjoyed an outstanding amateur career, amassing a record of 160-15 and winning two NY Daily News Golden Gloves before making his professional debut in 2016. Rodriguez promises to entertain and hopes to achieve his third straight knockout victory.

Jackson, 34, from Atlanta, Georgia, has a knack for ruining perfect records. Both of his draws came against previously undefeated opponents. Jackson has never been stopped and his sole loss came to Madiyar Ashkeyev, who is also on the card. Jackson has the ability to dictate the pace and Rodriguez will be tested to keep up with him in his toughest fight to date.

Madiyar Ashkeyev
Photo Credit: David Spangolo/Main Events

Madiyar Ashkeyev (8-0, 4 KOs) of Merki, Kazakhstan will face Jose Antonio Abreu (13-3, 8 KOs) of La Romana, Dominican Republic in a six-round junior middleweight match-up.

Ashkeyev, 29, enjoyed an outstanding amateur career. He earned a bronze medal at the Asia Cadet Boxing Championships (2004), second place at the XIX International Boxing Tournament (2011), and first place at the XX International Boxing Tournament (2014). He scored a second-round stoppage in his professional debut in 2015 over Tavorus Teague, and is coming off a seventh round TKO over Shawn Cameron in his most recent bout. Ashkeyev trains in Oxnard at the Boxing Laboratory under the guidance of Marco Contreras, and is managed by Egis Klimas, who also manages champions Sergey Kovalev, Oleksandr Usyk and Vasyl Lomachenko.

Abreu, 30, made his professional debut in 2012 and won his first 12 bouts with seven of those wins coming by way of knockout. After suffering his first career loss in 2016, Abreu redeemed himself in his next fight by scoring a second round TKO over Euri Gonzalez. With two difficult defeats in a row, Jose is in “must-win” situation against Ashkeyev, which makes him a dangerous opponent.

Opening the evening, two-time NY Daily News Golden Gloves Champion Ismael Villarreal (1-0) from the Bronx, New York returns after his successful professional debut for his second fight at The Garden against Anthony Woods (1-6) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in a four-round super middleweight bout.

Ismael Villarreal
Photo Credit: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Villarreal, 20, son of former super lightweight fighter Otilio Villarreal, is quickly gaining fans and making a name for himself despite also carrying a full course load at Brooklyn Community College.

Woods, 31, originally from Georgia, wanted to play in the NFL as a kid. But after he got into a few scraps with neighborhood kids, he decided boxing suited him better. Woods says his attitude is why he’s never been stopped and he doesn’t intend for this to change against Villareal.

Mizzone said, “I am lucky to work with these boxers because they all want to fight the best. It is my job to challenge them, to advance their career, and it is their job to win!

“Every undercard fight is a must-win fight for both participants, whether it be to get to the next level, or to be able to get the next opportunity. I promise every fan who comes to this card on March 3 will be entertained from top to bottom, start to finish!”

Video: Watch #HeyHarold!: #KovalevMikhalkin & #BivolBarrera Preview

Sullivan Barrera Miami Media Workout Quotes

Miami, FL: Yesterday Sullivan Barrera (21-1, 14 KOs) met with members of the media in Miami to discuss his upcoming mandatory challenge fight against WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion Dmitry Bivol (12-0, 10 KOs) at The Theater at Madison Square Garden Saturday, March 3. The bout will be the co-main event on the Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev vs. Igor Mikhalkin HBO World Championship Boxing telecast which airs at 10:05 p.m. ET/PT.

Sullivan Barrera:

On fighting in a title bout:
“This would be a very important victory obviously because I want to look to the future after this. It would be a dream come true to win the title. And we would see what happens after that. There are a lot of big names out there.”

His plan fighting Bivol:
“Bivol is a good fighter and it is known that he has speed but we have a plan to adjust to the speed and take it away. We are going to impose ourselves and use our abilities.”

His thoughts on Bivol:
“Bivol is the champ and he has to be respected as such but I have fought big names before and that’s going to give me an edge. I have been there before, fighting in big fights.”

Regarding adversity and coming back from knockdowns:
“Things happen in a fight but you can see every time that it has happened the switch has gone on and activated me and I become a lot more dangerous. Obviously, that’s not the plan that it happens in any fight and we hope it doesn’t happen in this fight either. I know the crowd likes the drama and the excitement of it and it’s worked in our favor every time.”

What’s next?
“After March 3rd, when I get the belt, I’m ready, I’m ready right now for everyone, open for everyone. I’m a fighter and open to fight everybody. I’m a throwback fighter. I’m not thinking about sitting down. Of course, things need to be done right financial-wise but I am willing to fight anybody.”

His strategy for Bivol:
“Obviously, we can’t reveal our strategy and our plan, but I can tell you we are going to go out there 100% and leave it all out there in the ring to get the victory.”

Dmitry Bivol Media Workout Quotes

(Norwalk, California) – WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion Dmitry Bivol (12-0, 10 KOs) met with news media at the Legendz Gym, owned and run by Roger Ruiz yesterday to discuss his upcoming mandatory title defense against #1 ranked challenger Sullivan Barrera (21-1-0, 14 KOs).

Dmitry Bivol – WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion:

On his debut at Madison Square Garden: “Of course I’m glad I will be fighting in America and Madison Square Garden is a famous place. I’m glad; it’s great. I’m more excited (than nervous), I think. Every fight, I feel excited.”

On starting in boxing as a child: “To be honest with you, I don’t remember much of my life outside boxing. Everything I remember has been something to do with boxing. I’m thankful to my parents that they kept me in the sport and they’ve allowed me to be in the sport.”

On his greatest strengths: “It’s difficult to say, but I move good. My feet, my speed – well, everything! Every fighter must think about himself only the best. Because of that, you can be better, you can be a winner. If you think about yourself, ‘I’m not good,’ negative, you will hurt yourself. Confidence, but not over confidence.”

On fighting Sullivan Barrera: “I want to fight with the best guys. Barrera accepted our challenge. I’m glad he did.”

On getting top opponents to fight him: “Any good fighter probably has difficulties with getting guys in the ring, fighting the right guys. But my job is to train and I believe, I really believe, that my team is going to be able to come together and make things happen. I know they can.”

On seeing a large Russian fan base in New York: “Of course it’s a pleasure to fight on a card where there’s going to be two world champions from Russia, fighting on the same night, one fight after another. I think the fans should be very glad, the Russian fans and all the fans who like both of us, will come and see both of us fight. I hope everybody comes out. It will be an interesting night.”

Any pressure fighting on the same card as two-time world champion Sergey Kovalev: “Every fight for me is a lot of responsibility. I have to be responsible for my fans, for my family, and to my team. That’s my main responsibility. Mostly, I’m happy to be fighting at such a legendary place as Madison Square Garden and fighting with one of the best fighters out of Russia, Sergey Kovalev. He’s considered one of the best right now. That adds a lot and I’m grateful for the opportunity.”

On the Sergey Kovalev vs. Igor Mikhalkin fight: “Obviously, Kovalev is the favorite in the fight. But I do think people are underestimating Mikhalkin. He’s not an easy fighter. He’s not an easy opponent.”

Sergey Kovalev vs. Igor Mikhalkin and Dmitry Bivol vs. Sullivan Barrera International Media Conference Call Transcript

KOVALEV VS. SHABRANSKYY OFFICIAL WEIGH-IN
Theater Lobby, Madison Square Garden

Kathy Duva: Welcome everyone to the Sergey Kovalev vs. Igor Mikhalkin and Dmitry Bivol vs. Sullivan Barrera international media conference call. This is Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events. I just want to, on a personal note, tell everybody it’s great to have you back after these few months. This is a long cold winter. Happy to be able to get back into action.

Thank you to all the media who have dialed in on this call today to discuss two sensational championship fights in the light heavyweight division. Both bouts will air on HBO World Championship Boxing®, live from The Theater at Madison Square Garden, on Saturday, March 3rd at 10:05pm, ET/PT.

The main event between Sergey Kovalev and Igor Mikhalkin is a 12-round match-up for the WBO Light Heavyweight World Title. The co-main event, which features WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion, Dmitry Bivol vs. Sullivan Barrera is a 12-round title fight.

Tickets range from $50 to $300. They are moving very well and are available online at ticketmaster.com, in person at Madison Square Garden box office, and directly through Main Events by dialing our office at 973-200-7050, or sending an email to boxing@mainevents.com. The event is promoted by Main Events, Krusher Promotions and World of Boxing in association with EC Box Promotions and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing®.
We’ll also be featuring, for those who can be there in person, a fantastic undercard. Jolene Mizzone has always outdone herself and we will be featuring 11 bouts of all young prospects, some local, some from Eastern Europe and all over the world, who are going to be in great, competitive fights. It’s a good night to be there in person.

Sullivan Barrera: I feel alright. My training camp, we are going well too. I have been waiting my whole life for the title fight, so that’s the day finally here. Very important fight for me, so I’m very happy for that.

Question: Sullivan, can you tell us what went into your decision to take the Bivol fight over fighting Kovalev in the main event that night?

Barrera: I was offered the Sergey Kovalev fight initially for a substantial amount more money than the second time but at that time there was no title fight on the line. I felt that after the Wardfight, I was worthy of finally fighting for a title. The second time around when they offered me the Kovalev fight, it was for considerably less money, and they wanted to extend my contract. That is the reason why I decided to fight Bivol.

Question: Sullivan, can you tell us what you think of Bivol so far and if you think what people have been saying about him is justified based on what he’s done in the ring thus far.

Barrera: I respect all fighters. Bivol is a young, talented fighter. I respect anyone that gets in the ring. At the end of the day, when he steps into the ring, he’s going to have to prove everything that all the writers are saying about him.

Question: Why would this fight be different than Bivol’s previous fights? Because Sullivan obviously is the most experienced or most accomplished fighter that Bivol will have fought.

Barrera: All of my opponents have been younger than me. The importance here is that it’s a title fight and I am going in there knowing that it’s a title fight. I am preparing like this is the most important fight. I understand that Bivol is a younger guy and I’m used to that.

Question: What does Sullivan expect from fighting Bivol?

Barrera: I think in the past he hasn’t fought anyone with the experience that I have had and it should be a very competitive fight.

Question: Cuban boxers have had some recent defeats. The fighters that are left are [Luis] Ortiz, Erislandy Lara and Sullivan Barrera. Do you think you can be the show face for the Cuban boxing system?

Barrera: Of course, yes. I believe so.

Question: Kathy, why was Sullivan offered less money to fight Bivol than Kovalev?

Duva: Well, actually, while we were discussing the Kovalev fight, a lot of numbers got thrown around, but as far as the offer is concerned, it was the same, the actual offer. That’s my recollection of the negotiation.

Question: Sullivan also made a reference about extending the contract but I’m a little confused by that. Wouldn’t him becoming champion extend the contract?

Duva: Not at that time, no. Sullivan has been with Main Events a long time, that contract was running out and we were working on another one, where that was not featured in the contract. We did absolutely ask for options, it’s a voluntary defense and that’s typically the way things work.

Question: Sullivan, what weaknesses do you see in Dmitry Bivol that you feel you’ll be able to expose on March 3rd?

Barrera: The biggest difference is the experience. I feel that I’ve fought a lot more experienced fighters and I believe, strongly, that that will be the biggest difference come March 3rd.

Question: If Main Events was able to take you from a virtually unknown commodity of the United States, to a world champion who’s fighting on HBO, why wouldn’t you want to extend your contract with them?

Barrera: I never said that I was never going to re-sign with them or to continue to do business with them. Just that the offer that was made to me initially for the Kovalev fight was something that wasn’t up to par with what I wanted, and I am very thankful for everything Main Events has done for me and continues to do for me. What the future holds is after this fight.

Question: In this fight, is Sullivan betting on himself to improve the offers that he receives from Main Events?

Barrera: Yes, once I am a champion, the WBA champion, of course, I’ll be a champion, the offers do get much better.

Duva: Thank you Sullivan. Dmitry Bivol is the WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion. He is a fantastic fighter. We are partners with World of Boxing on this promotion and delighted to be working with him.

Question: Dmitry, earlier Sullivan said that the reason that he took the fight against you as opposed to Kovalev was about money. Why do you think that he took the fight?

Dmitry Bivol: I do not have any reason not to believe that Sullivan took the fight was because of the money, but at this point, it doesn’t matter why he decided to do it because now the only thing that’s left is the fight itself.

Question: Do you think that Sullivan views him as an easier opponent than Kovalev?

Bivol: At first, those were the thoughts that I might have had that maybe he thought I was a weaker opponent, but now that Sullivan has stated that it’s because of the money, I understand that maybe Sullivan is correct, he just did it because of the money. I don’t necessarily have a reason to not believe Sullivan.

Question: Dmitry, what is your opinion of Sullivan Barrera who obviously has a lot of international experience and has fought some top light heavyweights?

Bivol: Of course, I know that Sullivan has lots of experience and lots of fights behind him, but I know that I also have a lot of experience, might not as much as Barrera, but still lots of experience, good quality fights. I believe that I’ve got good qualities that I can trust. I can trust in myself to win this fight.

Question: How much do you feel that you have to prove yourself in this fight because Sullivan obviously is the best opponent that you have faced?

Bivol: I am definitely aware that Barrera is probably one of the best fighters that I’ve ever faced, probably the best fighter. But to me, every fight is important, and every fight, everything’s on the line, so I need to go out and do my best and make sure that I show my best qualities and do my best fighting.

Question: Dmitry, do you believe that perhaps because of the fact that you’ve only had 12 fights and you were a champion at an early age, you’re considered a rookie, so to speak, and that Barrera accepted you because of the fact that you were the lesser opponent in terms of a championship fight as opposed to Sergey Kovalev, or Superman Stevenson who’s fighting Badou Jack?

Bivol: I said before, at first, I might have thought that maybe Barrera decided to fight me because I’m a weaker opponent between the two. But, as Barrera stated, he accepted the fight over Kovalev specifically because of the money. So now, I know that that is why that fight was arranged. At the end, though, I am very happy that Barrera decided to fight me and I have no reason not to trust Barrera that he picked me specifically because of the money. So that is why I’m happy that we get to fight.

Question: Knowing that this is your title fight, you’re defending your title fight against, as expected, the veteran, which is Barrera, who’s fought Andre Ward and fought Joe Smith and guys with more fights than you. Without giving out any trade secrets, what are you doing extra to make sure that your hand is raised in victory March 3rd in terms of training?

Bivol: I believe that a person must do what he knows how to do. I know my good qualities and I make sure that every time I’m in practice, I’m perfecting the art of boxing. I’m perfecting my skills. I know that I’m not perfect but I want to make sure that I keep on working towards perfection. Nothing specific new is happening in camp; camp is always tough and camp is always good. It’s pretty much the same, the only thing that’s different maybe is tougher sparring partners, but other than that, I know my skills and I know that I want to continue doing what I do best, which is boxing.

Question: Dmitry, this is your New York City debut. How do you feel about fighting at the Theater at Madison Square Garden?

Bivol: I’m very excited about my debut in New York and, of course, to be fighting at Madison Square Garden. My trainer’s dream is to have his main fighter fight in the main event, in Madison Square Garden. This is a small step towards that dream for him.

Question: What are Barrera’s strengths and weaknesses that you’ve seen in his fight?

Bivol: Every fighter has his own weaknesses. I don’t necessarily want to discuss what Barrera’s weaknesses are. I think the best way to see it is just to see the fight and see where he was stronger and where he was weaker.

Question: We saw Andre Ward handle Sullivan Barrera rather easily. Will Dmitry look to deploy some of the same tactics?

Bivol: Ward showed a lot of good speed in a fight. He showed a lot of good movement, a lot of body movement in the fight, and possibly this is some of the things I would like to use in the fight as well.

Question: We’ve seen Sullivan go down in the first round of each of his last two fights. Will you look to jump on him? Do you see yourself getting off to a fast start knowing that in the last two fights whether he came out cold or for whatever the reason he’s been down early?

Bivol: I’m not lining up to necessarily knock him down or send him down in the first round. I’m going to assess the situation to see how the fight is going. And, of course, if there’ll be opportunities where I’m able to capitalize on them, for sure I will do it, but I will have to decide on my feet. I am training for all 12 rounds. I’m not sure if it’s going to go that long, but I’m training my stamina to make sure that I’ve got enough energy for all 12 rounds.

Question: It’s The Garden in New York, do you want this to be an all-out war, a dog fight, or would you prefer it to be a high IQ boxing match basically?

Bivol: When I come out to fight, I always try to fight with a high IQ. I want to make sure that I’m responsible for the movement that I make and I understand what’s going on. I’m always thinking on my feet. But, of course, after the fight, I want to make sure that the fight was also entertaining for the fans and the fans would like to see me fight again and are excited about me fighting.

Kathy: I would like to thank you Dmitry Bivol for joining us. Next on the line we have Igor Mikhalkin joining us from Germany with his promoter Erol Ceylan.

Question: Igor, I wanted to ask you, just looking at Kovalev fights in the past, will you focus on what everybody sees as his biggest weakness and go to the body? Is that something you’re going to stress going into this fight?

Igor Mikhalkin: I am going to judge it by the situation. I’m going to see how it goes, and try to hit in the head as well as go in the body. I’m going to assess the situation as the fight proceeds.

Question: Coming into The Garden, fighting on the big stage on HBO on the main event, if you could write the perfect script, how would he want this fight to play out?

Mikhalkin: [chuckles] Obviously, it’s a dream of every boxer to fight in the main event, Madison Square Garden. It’s obviously a dream fight for me. It’s very important for me. I’m very excited about it. And I’m not only fighting the main fight on the main card, I’m also fighting the main fighter in the light heavyweight division, so I’m going to write the perfect script on March 3rd and, hopefully, I’m victorious.

Question: Would you want it to end in a knockout or do you just want to win?

Mikhalkin: I’m going for points. I’m going for doing a good job boxing. I never was a puncher, so I never necessarily aim for a knockout. I conditioned to fight all 12 rounds, and I enjoy fighting all 12 rounds, so I’m going to go and fight technically and see how it goes.

Question: Igor, you’re making your debut in the Mecca of Boxing Madison Square Garden have you begun to develop perhaps a little bit of butterfly stage fright not only because this is your debut, but you’re fighting, like it was mentioned before, the number one. And what extra are you doing to make sure that your hand, not Sergey’s, is raised in victory on March third?

Mikhalkin: I’m conditioning and training really hard. I’m making sure I’m very well prepared for the fight. This is most likely the most important fight in my career. This is the greatest opponent I’ve ever fought. Before every fight, of course, there’s a little bit of butterflies. Because it’s Madison Square Garden as opposed to another arena, it’s not any more frightening than other places. I’m happy to be there. I’m happy to make my debut in Madison Square Garden, and I’m making sure that I’m training really hard to keep this fight in my favor.

Question: In terms of advantages or disadvantages, is the fact that he is a southpaw and fought very well, he has a very good record of 21 victories, nine knockouts, does a southpaw stance create advantage, you think?

Mikhalkin: Yes. The answer to your question is yes. I think being at southpaw is going to be to my advantage. The short answer is yes, I think so.

Question: Earlier, Igor, you said that you train for the distance and there is evidence of that in your record. Your last several fights, have gone to distance, but you haven’t been in there with somebody like Kovalev. Have you been sparring with bigger punchers than normal in an effort to try to simulate that power?

Mikhalkin: I have been inviting sparring partners that are bigger punchers that are trying to imitate, let’s say, the style of Kovalev. I’m prepared for when it’s time to fight on March 3rd.

Question: Are there any nuances? Is there anything else that you’re doing differently than normal?

Mikhalkin: Nothing specific. At the beginning of the training camp I thought maybe something needs to be changed, but then I realized that training is already good and so I am continuing to train very hard. Continuing to condition myself and make sure that everything goes well on March 3rd. So, not anything specific was changed, just hard training and training all the time.

Duva: I will like to thank Erol Ceylan and Igor Mikhalkin for joining us. Now we have two-time World Champion Sergey Kovalev on the line and Egis Klimas, his manager.

Question: Sergey, welcome back to New York City. This will be your second fight. You’re fighting a southpaw, what do you know about Igor?

Sergey Kovalev: Hi everybody. My pleasure to be back in New York fighting against Igor Mikhalkin. I know this guy from amateurs when I was maybe 17 or 18. And right now, we’re fighting in Madison Square Garden, so it’s interesting for me.

Question: What are his strengths and weaknesses that you know of Igor? If you’ve seen him in amateurs, you’ve seen him fight, maybe you just quarreled with him at amateurs?

Kovalev: I know that he is a nice guy and very good boxer. He’s IBO champion and that he wants to get the champion world titles. I will defend my WBO title March 3. I don’t know any more about him.

Question: Sergey, I was just wondering if you could tell us what Mikhalkin can do to make things difficult for you in the fight that you have to guard against. Being a southpaw, being a boxer, being a guy who moves, how do you guard against that to make sure you get the knockout?

Kovalev: I’m not going to do some something extra to get a victory over Igor Mikhalkin because I’m back already as champion of the world in my last fight. I should be ready for everything because I am very motivated right now. I think Mikhalkin is very excited about the fight with me. It’s going to be a very interesting fight because we are trained mentally, Russians, and never step back, just the fighting till the end. We’re ready to fight for the world title.

Question: Sergey, will you be disappointed if you’re not able to knock him out?

Kovalev: It’s not my goal to knock somebody out every round, every minute. I don’t think about it. I just get into the ring. We’ll get into the ring and I’m going to do my best job for boxing fans. What will happen, we will see. Everybody will see March 3rd. Watch HBO or come to Theater Madison Square Garden.

Question: Going into this fight, I know you talked a little bit about not worrying about the knockout, but you wouldn’t be “Krusher” Kovalev if you don’t knock the people out. That’s what people want. How important is it for you to be in this stage satisfying fans with this fight?

Kovalev: I will be very happy after the fight when I will get the victory over Igor by knockout. I’m really happy when my boxing fans are happy of results of the fight.

Question: Kathy, I want to ask you because I believe that you guys announced your date first, March 3rd, your fight with the main event with HBO. The other guys came in and they announced their date. Did they try to work with you at all or did anybody exchange any words saying, “Hey, look. We already got this date set in New York,” or is it just one of those things they announced it and everybody goes?

Duva: Nobody spoke to me. As you know, we announced this date on the night of Sergey’s last fight back in November. There are many dates that are held throughout the year for boxing events. They do not happen for various reasons. I can only worry about things I can control. Unfortunately, one of those things. We’re very happy with the response thus far from the fans with the ticket sales. At this point, we’ve already exceeded what we did last time. In fact, that was the case early on, actually, a couple weeks into the sales for the fight. We’re expecting a big robust crowd. I would advise anyone, especially, really not just the Sergey fans but the boxing fans, this is a great show, top to bottom. It’s not just about coming to see one fight, it’s about coming for the whole night. We will not disappoint you.

Question: Sergey, in your last several fights, you’ve been in there with pretty much nothing but the best of the best. Is it difficult for you to get motivated for a fight like Igor the same way as a Hopkins or an Andre Ward?

Kovalev: For me, every fight is like a call. It’s a call. Right now, this call I got Igor Mikhalkin, nobody except him. I’m ready to fight anybody. Who’s else right now is ready? Only Igor Mikhalkin. We have the best guys right now. Somebody can come and they have another belt and they defend the title against another challenger. And I’m fighting anybody who is ready to get into the ring against me. And Igor Mikhalkin got the call.

Question: Okay. You haven’t fought any southpaws since 2014 when you fought [Cedric] Agnew and [Blake] Caparello, two southpaws back-to-back. Who were some of the guys you’ve been sparring with to prepare for your first lefty in about four years?

Kovalev: It’s a little bit difficult to find somebody who looks like Igor Mikhalkin. But I’m ready because I have sparred already like three weeks with a southpaw. And day-by-day, spar-by-spar, I feel much better and more comfortable against southpaw. And this thing that will be interesting fight. I’m really excited that I’m fighting early on this year already and I’m really happy that I’m back on the high level to box high stakes.

About March 3: The Saturday, March 3 main event between Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev and Igor Mikhalkin is a 12-round match-up for the WBO Light Heavyweight World Title at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The co-main event features WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion Dmitry Bivol versus Sullivan Barrera in a 12-round title fight. Tickets range from $50 to $300 and are available at TicketMaster.com and the Madison Square Garden box office. The event is promoted by Main Events, Krusher Promotions and World of Boxing in association with EC Box Promotions and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing® at 10:05 p.m. ET/PT.

Sullivan Barrera “After Ward, Bivol is my toughest challenge”

MIAMI, Florida – Top light heavyweight contender Sullivan Barrera is working hard in the second half of his training camp for his March 3rd HBO televised clash against WBA light heavyweight champoin Dmitry Bivol.

The 35-year-old former Cuban amateur standout has been on quite a run. After losing a unanimous decision to the now retired former pound-for-pound king Andre Ward, Barrera has put together a four fight win streak against the likes of Vyacheslav Shabranskyy, Paul “Pay Per View” Parker, Joe Smith Jr. and the hard hitting Felix Valera.

While that is an impressive list, Barrera knows that none of those opponents are as formidable as the challenge that lies ahead of him on March 3rd at The Theatre at Madison Square Garden.

“Bivol is a great fighter. He will be the second best fighter I have faced and second only to Andre Ward,” said Barrera. “He has a great amateur pedigree and has been knocking out the majority of his opponents. I know I need to bring my ‘A’ game to beat him.”

Bivol has stopped his previous four opponents and only 2 of his 12 victims have made it to the final bell. Barrera has a lot of respect for his opponent and believes his power is legitimate.

“He has knocked guys out with one punch. I know I have to be careful in there. He is a very confident fighter. He knows he has power and knows how to get in position to use it. That is why I am taking him very seriously,” Barrera explained.

Barrera knows that a victory over Bivol will open a lot of doors as fights against champions like Sergey Kovalev, the Adonis Stevenson-Badou Jack winner and Artur Beterbiev could be available to him but the Cuban refuses to look ahead.

“March 3rd is all that matters. God willing I get the win and then we can talk about future plans but right now I am focused on Bivol. I know I have to concentrate on him and give him all of my attention,” said Barrera.

Kovalev-Mikhalkin & Bivol-Barrera Tickets on Sale Tuesday Presale Begins Monday!

New York, NY: Tickets go on sale Tuesday, January 16 at noon for the upcoming showdown between two-time Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (31-2-1, 27 KOs) versus Igor Mikhalkin (21-1, 9 KOs) and WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion Dmitry Bivol (12-0, 10 KOs) versus Sullivan Barrera (21-1, 14 KOs), which takes place on Saturday, March 3 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. Tickets for this exciting event are priced from $50 to $300 and will be available through ticketmaster.com and the Madison Square Garden box office. From Monday, January 15 at noon until Tuesday, January 16 at 11:00 am, subscribers to the Main Events email list can purchase tickets in advance using an exclusive presale code at www.ticketmaster.com and www.msg.com.

The event will be promoted by Main Events, Krusher Promotions and World of Boxing in association with EC Box Promotions and televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:05 p.m. ET/PT.

About March 3: The Saturday, March 3 main event between Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev and Igor Mikhalkin is a 12-round match-up for the WBO Light Heavyweight World Title at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The co-main event features WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion Dmitry Bivol versus Sullivan Barrera in a 12-round title fight. The event is promoted by Main Events, Krusher Promotions and World of Boxing in association with EC Box Promotions and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing®. Tickets range from $50 to $300 and will be available through TicketMaster.com, the Madison Square Garden Box office and the Main Events office by calling 973-200-7050 or emailing boxing@mainevents.com.

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Kovalev-Mikhalkin & Bivol-Barrera March 3 at MSG

New York, NY: Sergey Kovalev continues his rise back to the top of the light heavyweight division when he returns to the Mecca of Boxing on Saturday, March 3rd to defend the WBO Light Heavyweight World Title versus southpaw Igor Mikhalkin, originally of Irkutsk, Russia, now fighting out of Hamburg, Germany. A skilled boxer, Mikhalkin puts his ten-bout winning streak on the line as he steps up to challenge one of the most fearsome punchers in professional boxing at New York City’s Theater at Madison Square Garden.

In the co-main event, newly minted WBA World Light Heavyweight Champion Dmitry Bivol of Russia makes his second defense of the title against Cuba’s streaking Sullivan Barrera, the mandatory challenger. Viewed as a “toss-up” bout by boxing insiders, Bivol-Barrera matches a young, explosive champion against an experienced veteran hungry for his first world title fight. Presented by Main Events, Krusher Promotions and World of Boxing in association with EC Box Promotions, the doubleheader will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing®. Ticket information will be announced shortly.

Last month, the Big Apple welcomed Kovalev (31-2-1, 27 KOs), the two-time light heavyweight world champion, with open arms as he made his New York debut with a stoppage of Vyacheslav Shabranskyy in the second round to reclaim his WBO Light Heavyweight World Title at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. Eager to return to the ring and to his new home, “Krusher” thrilled his large following of Russian fans last month and he expects an even bigger contingent to greet him in March. As he sits comfortably atop the light heavyweight rankings and in the top five pound-for-pound, Sergey’s goal is to put on a great show for the fans in attendance and watching on HBO.

Kovalev said, “I really enjoyed fighting at Madison Square Garden in November. It feels like my home. I’m very excited to go back to MSG and to fight on HBO. Everyone should to have a great time watching my fight!”

Kovalev’s manager, Egis Klimas, added, “It’s still very difficult to find light heavyweights who want to fight Sergey. I’m surprised! Many thanks to Igor Mikhalkin, who is confident enough to take on The Krusher and get a big opportunity. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Shabranskyy is Ukrainian and Igor is Russian. They’re tough! Not afraid!”

Mikhalkin (21-1, 9 KOs), 32, a southpaw originally from Irkutsk, Russia, now resides in Hamburg, Germany. He made his professional debut in 2007 with a second-round stoppage against Stefan Stanko and went on to win his first 11 bouts with seven of those wins coming by way of knockout. The lone blemish on Mikhalin’s record is a unanimous decision loss to former WBO Light Heavyweight Title contender Aleksy Kuziemski in 2010. In the eight years since, Igor amassed several belts: the IBO Light Heavyweight World Title, EBU Light Heavyweight Title and the WBO Intercontinental Light Heavyweight Title. Mikhalkin will be making his US debut against Kovalev on March 3.

When asked about his upcoming title shot against Kovalev, Mikhalkin replied, “It is a great honor for me to fight in the United States. This will undoubtedly be the biggest and hardest fight in my career. Kovalev is for me the strongest man in this weight class. But I feel ready. The fight against Kovalev comes at the perfect time. I feel stronger than ever and I want to show the American boxing audience a great fight.”

Mikhalkin’s promoter, Erol Ceylan, of EC Box Promotions added, “We are happy to organize this fight together with Main Events. Kovalev is a big name in the light heavyweight division. Igor has absolutely earned this fight and he has the class to defeat Kovalev. Igor has already won many great foreign victories in his career and I’m sure that he will be successful again.”

In the co-main event, the young champion, Dmitry Bivol (12-0, 10 KOs), makes his New York debut and fights in the United States and on HBO for the second time. Sullivan Barrera (21-1, 14 KOs), who has become a fixture on HBO, returns to The Garden for his first world title fight. Both men were very focused on making this fight and facing each other. Some boxing commentators believe this matchup could be the fight of the night.

“This is not the first time that I am training for the most important fight of my career, and this motivates me and makes me happy! Sullivan Barrera is what we wanted and I am glad that we will meet in the ring soon,” explained WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion, Dmitry Bivol.

Andrei Ryabinskiy, of World of Boxing, Bivol’s promoter, explained, “We have planned a very active schedule for Dmitry Bivol and World of Boxing in 2018 and are happy to start the year with an event at Madison Square Garden on March 3rd with Dmitry Bivol vs Sullivan Barrera. I would like to thank Kathy Duva and HBO and hope that our partnership will prosper.”

Bivol’s manager, Vadim Kornilov added, “We are glad that our first appearance in 2018 will be against one of the best in the division in the legendary Madison Square Garden. Sullivan Barrera is a serious test for Bivol and we have a lot of respect for him taking this fight. We want to prove to the world that it was not by accident that this young kid became a world champion in only his 12th ring appearance, he is already fighting on HBO for his third time, and he is fighting one of the best fighters in the division with only one career loss that came at the hands of Andre Ward. Bivol has already been mentioned as a possible pound for pound prospect by many and we will continue fighting the best out there to prove this!”

Barrera said, “I came from Cuba with one dream and that was to win a world title. I know it won’t be easy and I know I chose the toughest road than anyone to get here. But I know all of the tough opponents I have agreed to fight and hard work will pay off. On March 3rd, I will become the most deserving light heavyweight champion in boxing.”

Main Events CEO Kathy Duva remarked, “We’re ready to showcase the light heavyweight division again at Madison Square Garden! We have Kovalev and Barrera both returning to The Theater after big wins in November and we’re adding another light heavyweight champion to the card! Dmitry is a young champion with a bright future ahead of him if he can get past Sullivan, which is no easy task. And Sergey is taking on Igor Mikhalkin, who is a young, but experienced, southpaw and that’s given him some trouble in the past. We’ll round out the show with another lineup of prospects and local guys in great fights to make sure the fans see a really entertaining and satisfying night of boxing.”

About Kovalev-Mikhalkin: The Saturday, March 3 main event between Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev and Igor Mikhalkin is a 12-round match-up for the WBO Light Heavyweight World Title at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The co-main event features WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion Dmitry Bivol versus Sullivan Barrera in a 12-round title fight. The event is promoted by Main Events, Krusher Promotions and World of Boxing in association with EC Box Promotions and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing®. Ticket information will be available shortly.

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Video: Fight highlights: Sullivan Barrera vs. Felix Valera (HBO World Championship Boxing)

FOLLOW KOVALEV – SHABRANSKYY LIVE!!

Follow all the action as Sergey Kovalev looks to regain the WBO Light Heavyweight title against Vyacheslav Shabranskyy. The action begins at 10 PM ET / 7 PM PT with Junior Lightweight contest between former world champions Jason Sosa and Yuriorkis Gamboa followed by a Light Heavyweight fight between Sullivan Barrera and Felix Valera

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12-Rounds–WBO Light Heavyweight title–Sergey Kovalev (30-2-1, 26 KOs) vs Vyacheslav Shabranskyy (19-1, 16 KOs)
ROUND	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	TOTAL
Kovalev*	10	TKO											10
Shabranskyy	7												7

Round 1: Kovalev lands a right..Good jab.Body shot..Right from Shabranskyy..BIG RIGHT AND DOWN GOES SHABRANSKYY..BIG RIGHT AND DOWN GOES SHABRANSKYY..

Round 2 Hard right from Kovalev..HARD LEFT AND SHABRANSKYY GOES DOWN..Right rocks Shabranskyy..HARD ONSLAUGHT AND THE THE FIGHT IS OVER

10-Rounds–Light Heavyweights–Sullivan Barrera (20-1, 14 KOs) vs Felix Valera ( 15-1, 13 KOs)
ROUND	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	TOTAL
Barrera	9	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	9	10			98
Valera	10	9	9	9	10	8	9	8	9	10			91

Round 1 HARD LEFT HOOK AND DOWN GOES BARRERA..RIGHT HAND AND DOWN GOES VALERA

Round 2 Left hook from Valera..Good left hook from Barrera..Valera warned for a low blow..Good right from Barrera..Barrera cut over his left eye..Hard right to body from Barrera..

Round 3 VALERA DEDUCTED A POINT FOR LOW BLOW..Left hook from Valera..Left hook to body from Barrera..

Round 4 Good overhand right from Barrera…Hard right…Right to body..right..

Round 5

Round 6 VALERA DEDUCTED ANOTHER POINT FOR LOW BLOW..Barrera lands a right. Valera lands a left..2 lefts Barrera…Good body shot..Right hand..Straight right to the chin..Hard combination

Round 7 Right from Barrera..Trading body shots..Good right from Barrera..Left uppercut

Round 8 VALERA DEDUCTED ANOTHER POINT FOR LOW BLOWS..Good uppercut from Barrera..

Round 9 BARRERA DEDUCTED A POINT FOR A LOW BLOW..Good left to body and right from Barrera..

Round 10 Big left hook from Valera..Body shot…Barrera lands a body shot..Big left hook

98-88, 97-90, 97-89 for SULLIVAN BARRERA

10-Rounds–Jr. Lightweights–Jason Sosa (20-2-4, 15 KOs) vs Yuriorkis Gamboa (27-2, 17 KOs)
ROUND	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	TOTAL
Sosa	9	10	10	9	9	9	10	10	10	10			96
Gamboa	10	9	10	10	10	10	8	9	9	9			94

Round 1 Hard right from Gamboa…Good body shot

Round 2 2 Body shots from Gamboa..Sosa lands a left hook…Cut over Gamboa’s left eye..Good over hand right from Sosa

Round 3

Round 4 Good body shot from Gamboa..

Round 5 Hard right from Gamboa..Good right from Sosa…Right From Gamboa..

Round 6 Left from Gamboa..

Round 7 RIGHT HAND MAKES GAMBOA GLOVE TOUCH CANVAS FOR A KNOCKDOWN..Good left hook from Gamboa..Good right from Sosa..Body shot..

Round 8 Right from Sosa..Left to Body..Left..Right to body

Round 9 Right from Sosa

Round 10 GAMBOA DEDUCTED A POINT FOR HOLDING…

94-94; 95-93; 96-92 for YURIORKIS GAMBOA

Return Of The “Krusher” — Kovalev Stops Shabranskyy In 2

NEW YORK CITY –Sergey Kovalev (31-2-1, 27 KO) returned to pre-Andre Ward fight form and captured the WBO world light heavyweight title, blasting through Vyacheslav Shabranskyy (19-2, 16 KO), sending him to the canvas three times inside two rounds en route to a TKO victory.

After a brief “feeling-out” period, where Kovalev was momentarily backed up by a Shabranskyy jab, the 34 year-old Russian marched forward, uncorking massive right hands that seemingly landed at will. It was midway through the first when a “Krusher” right landed flush on the side of Shabranskyy’s head and sent him down to the mat for the first time.

Upon beating the count, Kovalev greeted his 30 year-old Ukrainian counterpart with more haymakers and eventually connected with an even bigger right that collapsed Shabranskyy to the mat again. The “Lionheart” beat referee Harvey Dock’s ten count and was able to survive the round.

In the second round, Kovalev picked up right where he left off, fighting as ruthless and relentless as ever, plodding forward and unloading vicious bombs that continually connected with an alarming success rate.

A left-right-left combo midway through the second sent Shabranskyy down for the third time. Again, Shabranskyy beat the ten-count, but this time he stood on extremely unsteady legs. Kovalev continued to wail on an absent Shabranskyy until referee Harvey Dock stepped between the two combatants and called a half to the bout at the 2:36 mark of round two.

It was Kovalev’s first performance since dropping two straight fights to Andre Ward, both controversial in their own right. In their first meeting, Ward scored a split decision victory, despite hitting the canvas in the second round. In their rematch, referee Tony Weeks controversially waved off the match in the eighth round after a series of borderline low-blow body shots hurt the 34 year-old Russian and left him defenseless.

Tonight also marked Kovalev’s first fight working with head trainer, Abror Tursunpulatov. Previously, Kovalev had been working with John David Jackson. Rumors of a fractured relationship between Kovalev and Jackson began to swirl between the first and second Ward fights, and in October, the inevitable parting of ways become official when Kovalev formally announced Tursunpulatov as his new coach.

Prior to tonight’s devastating loss, Shabranskyy was having himself a solid 2017, scoring back to back stoppage wins over Larry Pryor and Todd Unthank May, respectively. Those wins were enough to land him his first title shot tonight against Kovalev.

Shabranskyy’s only other loss came courtesy of Sullivan Barrera in December 2016.

Barrera, who scored a unanimous decision victory earlier in the night against Dominican, Felix Valera, is certainly a candidate to fight for Kovalev’s title in the near future.

“It’s my goal to be the best in the division,” Kovalev said afterward. “Here tonight was great boxing for me and I love boxing and I want to make great fights.

Bombs Away — Barrera Scores UD Win Over Valera

Sullivan Barrera (21-1, 14 KO) out-slugged and earned a ten round unanimous decision victory over Felix Valera (15-2, 13 KO) in a light heavyweight contest marred by low-blows.

There were fireworks from the opening bell and midway through the bout’s first round, the free swinging Dominican, Valera, caught his Cuban counterpart with a monster left hook that sent Barrera down the canvas. The 35 year-old Barrera was able to shake the knockdown and score one of his own later in the round right as the bell sounded, when a glancing Barrera shot sent an off-balance Valera to the mat.

The first of four point deductions administered by referee Mike Ortega, Jr. for low blows came in the second round when Valera nailed Barrera below the waistline for the second time. Valera would also be deducted a point in the sixth and eighth rounds. Barrera was deducted a point for low blows in the ninth.

It was a bombs away type affair, with both fighters swinging wildly at times, knowing that they possessed the power to end the fight with one punch. But time and time again, however, it was Barrera who landed the more meaningful, significant shots.

In an attempt to rattle Barrera flamboyant Valera tried anything he could to disrupt the always-composed Cuban. The 29 year-old Dominican flailed his arms wildly, stuck his tongue out at Barrera, and even jumped up and down — all to no avail.

At the end of ten, all judges scored the bout widely for Barrera. Don Ackerman had it 98-88, Tom Schreck 97-89, and Glenn Feldman 97-90.

It was another solid win for Barrera, whose only defeat came at the hands of Andre Ward in March 2016. Barrera last fought in July against Joe Smith, Jr., where much like tonight, he rose off the canvas to score a unanimous decision victory.

For the durable Valera, it was his second professional defeat, the other coming courtesy of undefeated superstar, Dmitry Bivol.

Gamboa Earns Controversial Decision Over Sosa

Yuriorkis Gamboa (28-2, 17 KO) scored a controversial ten round majority decision victory against Jason Sosa (20-3-4, 15 KO) in what many viewed as a make or break fight for the former three-division world champion.

It was clear early on that the 35 year-old former Olympic Gold Medalist’s gameplan was to stick-and-move, get-in and get-out. Conversely, Sosa’s plan was to plod forward, apply as much pressure as he could, while landing the bigger, more significant power punches.

After a first round where both fighters staked their flag, Sosa unloaded a looping right that caught Gamboa on the button as the second round drew to a close. Any Sosa attempt to throw follow up shots were quickly squandered by the dinging of the bell.

Gamboa got right back to work in the middle rounds, however, staying true to his stick-and-move gameplan, landing a few shots, then slipping most of Sosa’s return-fire.

Sosa began to swing the momentum back his way in the sixth, and in the seventh, a Sosa left hook clipped an off-balance Gamboa whose gloved fist made contact with the canvas. Referee Ron Lipton immediately ruled a knockdown.

The final three rounds saw good action, with Sosa coming forward, and Gamboa trying to hit and move.

In the tenth round, referee Ron Lipton controversially deducted a point from Gamboa for holding.

At the conclusion of ten, judge Robin Taylor scored the contest even, 94-94. She was overruled by judges John McKaie and Don Trella, who scored the bout 95-93 and 96-92, respectively. 15rounds.com scored the fight 95-94 for Gamboa.

Sosa was initially slated to face Robinson Castellanos (24-13, 14 KO), who scored an upset TKO win against Gamboa in May. However, an injury earlier this month forced the Mexican to withdraw, and Gamboa was called in as a late replacement.

The win makes it two straight for “El Ciclon” since suffering that shocking defeat to Castellanos.

For Sosa, the tough-luck loss his is second in a row, the other coming back in April courtesy of Vasily Lomachenko.

“It was a good fight. I didn’t have enough time to train. I only had three weeks. I didn’t have time to get ready. I needed 2 or 3 more weeks to lose the weight correctly,” Gamboa said afterward.

He continued, “Of course the decision was good. I think won every round. Except for the knockdown and the point deduction.”

Sosa also spoke afterward, saying, “I was a fun fight. I took some breaks but I thought I did enough to win. I know I did enough to win the fight.”

Murtazaliev Destroys Galvan In 5, Wins IBA Super Welterweight Title

Bakhram Murtazaliev (11-0, 9 KO) methodically broke down Carlos Galvan (16-6-1, 15 KO) before closing the show in spectacular fashion in the fifth round of a super welterweight contest slated for ten.

The heavy-handed Russian, who operates under the tutelage of Sergey Kovalev’s new trainer, Abror Tursunpulatov, stalked his Colombian counterpart round after round. Like waves on a shore, Murtazaliev kept coming forward, forcing Galvan to fight going backwards, something he was clearly uncomfortable doing.

After four rounds of systematically crushing Galvan’s will, the 24 year-old Russian broke through in the fifth, sending Galvan to the mat with a vicious one-two. About a minute later, Murtazaliev finished off his wounded foe with a thundering left hook to the liver that put Galvan on the mat for good. Referee Ricky Gonzalez opted not to administer a ten-count and instead, called a stop to the contest at the 1:31 mark of round five.

It was the fourth stoppage defeat in six overall losses for Galvan. It was also his fourth time fighting in the United States, and his fourth loss.

Galarza Grabs UD Win In Return To Ring

Brooklyn’s Frank Galarza (18-2-2, 11 KO) returned to the ring after a fourteen month layoff and scored a unanimous decision win over Chicago’s Jamie Herrera (15-5-1, 8 KO) in an eight round super welterweight contest.

The victory was hard-earned and well-deserved for Galarza, who had dropped his previous two contests — a TKO loss to Jarrett Hurd and a majority decision loss to veteran Ishe Smith, a fight that saw Galarza hit the canvas in the second round.

It was a gutsy affair between two veteran prizefighters who each were coming off lengthy layoffs. For Galarza, who in July inked a new promotional deal with Main Events, the fight marked just his second fight in the last twenty-four months, and the first since September 2016. For the Mexican-American Herrera, it was just his first fight since November 2016, when he suffered UD loss to Taras Shelestyuk.

The fight was a back and forth contest, with a predictable, but entertaining ebb and flow. Round after round, both fighters willingly engaged, eating a few shots before landing their own. But while both fighters enjoyed success over the duration of the contest, it was the 33 year-old Galarza who punches landed cleaner and with more frequency.

In the fifth round, a Galarza right hand opened up a cut over his 28 year-old counterparts left eye. In the seventh, a booming right to the body by Galarza hurt Herrera, hunching him forward where he was met with a flurry of Galarza lefts and rights until Herrera was able to weather the storm.

The Chicagoan’s high-pressure style was both a blessing and a curse for him in that it seemed to slowly wear down Galarza, but also left him vulnerable to Galarza stick-and-move pot-shots as he tried to work his way inside his reach.
At the end of eight rounds, all three judges scored the contest for Galarza. Robin Taylor scored it a shutout 80-72, while referees John McKaie and Allen Nace saw it 78-74 and 79-73, respectively.

“I feel good after a 14 month layoff, shaking off some ring rust. I’m so grateful for Main Events to put me on their card,” Galarza remarked afterward.

He continued, “Hopefully I’ll be back in the Garden soon. It felt great, it was where I belong. It felt right. Not many places you can call home, but this is one for me.”

Galarza also acknowledged his legion of fans in the crowd tonight. “I’m grateful for my supporters, for people who waited it out for me,” he said. “As a Brooklyn native, a person from New York who’s been around, they support me and that’s the best thing.”

Nursultanov Stays Perfect, Hands Moon First Loss Inside Two

In a battle that pitted two undefeated middleweights against one another, Kazakhstan’s Meiirim Nursultanov (5-0, 4 KO) made quick work of Marietta, Georgia’s Eric Moon (7-1, 6 KO), stopping him inside two rounds.

It was all Nursultanov from start to finish, as he pressured and battered Moon from the opening bell. Midway through the second, Nursultanov pinned Moon against the ropes and wailed away, mixing shots to the body and head. At the 1:54 mark of the second round, referee Ricky Gonzalez decided Moon had eaten too many uncontested shots and called a halt to the contest.

The win makes it four kayos in five professional fights for the Egis Klimas managed, Main Events promoted, Nursultanov.

Thunder In His Hands, LeShawn Rodriguez Stops Duarte In 3

In a middleweight contest slated for six, former New York Golden Gloves Champion and 2016 US Olympic alternate “Lightning” LeShawn Rodriguez (8-0, 7 KO) powered his way past Sao Paolo’s Brazil’s Alex Duarte (13-3-1, 10 KO) en route to a third round KO victory.

It was an impressive display of patience, prowess, and power from the 24 year-old New York native, who balanced his attack, working to both the head and body of his 37 year-old counterpart.

Midway through the second, Rodriguez ripped a left to the body that put Duarte on his knees. The Brazilian beat Steve Smoger’s ten count and was able to survive the round.

In the third however, a Rodriguez left-right combo to the body and head, sent Duarte to the canvas for good, where he was unable to beat Smogers count. The official time of stoppage was the 1:48 mark of round three.

It was Duarte’s third loss of his career, all of which have come via stoppage.

“It feels good always to win, but to win by knockout is better, sensational, spectacular,” Rodriguez said afterward. “I felt at home. A lot of people came out to see me. This is the first time I’ve fought in New York since I turned pro.”

Gogokhia Stays Perfect, Decisions Abreau

Enriko Gogokhia remained perfect (7-0, 3 KO) with a unanimous decision win over Jose Antonio Abreau (13-3, 8 KO) in a six round welterweight contest.

Action picked up toward the end of the second round when the southpaw, Gogokhia, floored his Dominican counterpart. The 29 year-old Abrea beat the ten count and was immediately met with a barrage of punches as the round drew to a close.

In the next few rounds, the Egis Klimas managed Gogokhia, pressed his foot on the gas and forced the action, continually getting the better of the boxer’s exchanges.

In the end, all three judges scored it widely for the 26 year-old Georgian native, Gogokhia. Scores were 60-53 and 59-54, twice. The judges’ decision resulted in Abreau’s third career loss, all of which have been on US soil.

“It was a good fight, good opponent with a good record,” Gogokhia said afterward. “It was harder because the opponent was ready and he also wanted to win. I was just getting started by the last round. Still, a victory is a victory.”

Villareal Kicks Off Pro Campaign With Win

The undercard of Sergey Kovalev vs. Vyacheslav Shabranskyy kicked off with the successful debut of former two-time New York Golden Gloves champion, Ismael Villareal (1-0). The former amatuer standout scored a unimous decision victory over Race Sawyer (0-5) in a four round super welterweight contest.

Villareal, who fights out of John’s Gym in the Bronx is trained by his father, former welterweight Otilio Villareal, who over his 32 bout pro career, shared the ring with the likes of Zab Judah, Kermit Cintron, and Hector Camacho.

Villareal controlled the contest bell to bell, bruising and battering Utah’s Sawyer with head snapping blows. The 21 year old Bronx debutant would have benefitted by putting in more work to his foe’s body, but that was not on the agenda tonight.

All in all, Villareal won’t have too much to complain about tonight. The Ecuadorian-American pitched a shutout on all three judges scorecards. Don Trella had it 40-35, and John McKaie and Robin Taylor scored it 40-36.

After the contest, Villareal did speak about having some debut butterflies.

“It totally felt different than the amateurs,” he said. “There were so many more people looking at me. I was trying to look good, I was focused on the knockout because it was my very first professional fight.

“I learned I have to work harder and be careful not to get hit.”

HBO SERVES UP A THREE-COURSE THANKSGIVING FEAST WHEN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®: SERGEY KOVALEV VS. VYACHESLAV SHABRANSKYY AND SULLIVAN BARRERA VS. FELIX VALERA AND YURIORKIS GAMBOA VS. JASON SOSA IS SEEN SATURDAY, NOV. 25

HBO Sports celebrates the holiday weekend with an action-packed tripleheader, including the return of light heavyweight powerhouse Sergey Kovalev, when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: SERGEY KOVALEV VS. VYACHESLAV SHABRANSKYY AND SULLIVAN BARRERA VS. FELIX VALERA AND YURIORKIS GAMBOA VS. JASON SOSA is seen SATURDAY, NOV. 25 at 10:00 p.m. (ET/PT) from The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The HBO Sports team will call all the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

The fights will also be available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and affiliate portals.

The main event features the return of the feared Sergey Kovalev (30-2-1, 26 KOs) as he battles heavy-handed Vyacheslav Shabranskyy (19-1, 16 KOs) for a vacant light heavyweight title in a scheduled 12-round bout. Following a light heavyweight title reign that spanned more than three years and featured eight successful defenses, polished Russian knockout artist Kovalev, 34, is eager to reclaim the belts he lost in 2016 to future Hall of Famer Andre Ward.

Standing in his way is Ukraine’s Shabranskyy, 30, who turned pro in 2012 after a long amateur career in his home country and has been knocking out top contenders on the way to his biggest fight to date. Both men have been active lately, this being Kovalev’s tenth fight since Jan. 2014 and Shabranksyy’s tenth fight since Jan. 2015. The bout marks Kovalev’s 11th appearance on HBO, while Shabranskyy is making his debut on the main channel after fighting on HBO Latino in 2015.

In the co-main event, one of the top light heavyweight contenders, Sullivan Barrera (20-1, 14 KOs) of Miami via Cuba, closes out his tremendous 2017 by taking on Felix Valera (15-1, 13 KOs) of the Dominican Republic in a ten-round fight. Barrera, 35, is fresh off the biggest win of his career, a unanimous decision victory over Joe Smith Jr. in July and hopes to set himself up for another title shot in 2018 by defeating Valera. Making his U.S. debut, the hard-punching Valera, 29, seeks an upset that would insert him into the light heavyweight championship conversation.

In the opening bout, former unified featherweight champion Yuriorkis Gamboa (27-2, 17 KOs) of Miami, Florida squares off against Camden, NJ native Jason Sosa (20-2-4, 15 KOs) in a scheduled ten-round super featherweight contest. Gamboa, 35, is an accomplished veteran with success at all levels, including a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics while representing Cuba and a dominating stretch as a world champion in the pro ranks. Sosa, 29, looks to bounce back after a difficult loss to junior lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko and return to the championship ranks. Sosa is making his third HBO appearance, while the bout marks Gamboa’s tenth fight on HBO.

Immediately following the boxing action, HBO Sports presents a half-hour special spotlighting the career of all-time great Miguel Cotto, who is slated for his professional farewell against Sadam Ali on Saturday, Dec. 2 at Madison Square Garden in a fight to be seen on HBO.

Follow HBO boxing news at hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/hboboxing.

All HBO boxing events are presented in HDTV. HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.

The executive producer of HBO Sports is Rick Bernstein; producer, Thomas Odelfelt; director, Johnathan Evans.

® WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.

Sullivan Barrera vs. Felix Valera Scouting Report Two Heavy-Hitters Square Off

New York, NY: This Saturday’s Kovalev-Shabranskyy HBO World Championship Boxing® telecast will include a battle between two of the light heavyweight division’s biggest punchers when Sullivan Barrera and Felix Valera square off at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. Below is the scouting report for this exciting match-up:

Category
Sullivan Barrera
Felix Valera
Age
35
29
Record
20-1 (14 KOs)
15-1 (13 KOs)
Strength
Barrera has solid endurance and a granite chin. He has a strong jab that he uses well and has shown great patience in breaking his opponents down.
Valera is a crafty southpaw who has one-punch knockout power in both hands. He moves around well and does his best to utilize the whole ring to his advantage.
Weakness
Sullivan is known to get somewhat wild, he needs to keep it together and stay sharp in order to avoid one of his opponent’s thundering blows.
Felix gets careless at times. He likes to drop his guard and taunt his opposition. Barrera is a sharp fighter who can capitalize on this if Felix is not careful.
Experience
He is an experienced fighter who has been in with some of the best fighters in the division: Andre Ward, Vyacheslav Shabranskyy, Karo Murat and Joe Smith Jr. Barrera He came back from a first-round knockdown in his last fight against Smith Jr. to secure a unanimous decision victory. His ability to overcome adversity has made him a stronger fighter.
Although, he has not faced the same level of opposition as Barrera, Valera is still a former world champion. He managed to accomplish a lot in his career despite only being 16 pro fights deep. He earned the WBA Interim Light Heavyweight World Championship against Stanislav Kashtanov in Russia before losing it to current titleholder Dmitry Bivol.
Power
Sullivan has a powerful jab and a devastating right hand that has been very influential in a majority of his stoppage wins.
Valera delivers thunderous blows to his opponents. He relies heavily on his power, which has been a very successful strategy thus far.
Speed
Sullivan has average speed and maintains a steady pace throughout the fight. He understands when to turn it up a notch if he feels he can finish his opponent.
Valera uses many different gears in hopes of throwing his opponents of off their game.
Endurance
Barrera proved he could go 12 rounds when he came up short in a decision loss to former titleholder Andre Ward. He also earned a 10-round decision win over ranked contender Joe Smith Jr. in his most recent bout.
After starting his career with 11 knockout wins, all occurring in the first and second rounds, Valera proved that he is durable when he captured the WBA title in a 12-round decision win over Stanislav Kashtanov.
Accuracy
Sullivan’s is on point when he gets his jab going and puts his punches together behind the jab.
Felix does not utilize his jab as well as his opponent.
Defense
If he commits to the jab, then Barrera can be very effective in taking his opponents out of their element, making it that much more difficult to get anything going offensively.
Although he relies heavily on his power, Valera is a very effective defensively. He is very agile in the ring and is a sharp counter puncher.
Chin
Sullivan has a granite chin. He has been knocked down in prior bouts, but has risen to the occasion to finish strong.
Valera has a solid chin. He was the first opponent to overcome knockdowns and go the distance with knockout artist and current titleholder Dmitry Bivol.
Style
Sullivan is a technical fighter that likes to stick his jab and set up his shots. He also has a brawling style that inevitably comes out when his opponents show that they are willing to engage.
Valera is a knockout artist and a crafty southpaw who relies heavily on his power. He also likes to taunt his opponents, hoping to catch them off-guard and deliver one of his many thunderous blows.
Intangibles
Barrera has taken on some of the division’s best fighters in recent years. He has been extremely vocal about his desire to fight the best in the world on his way to a title shot. There are very few light heavyweights riding the same momentum and, after taking out two of the biggest punchers in the division in Joe Smith Jr and Vyacheslav Shabranskyy, he will risk his ranking against another heavy-hitter in Felix Valera. A win over Valera can almost guarantee Sullivan his long-awaited shot at the world championship.
In just 16 professional bouts, Felix Valera has already made a name for himself in the light heavyweight division. He earned the WBA world title in his 13th pro bout and although he lost the title in his next fight, he lasted 12rounds against one of the biggest punchers in the sport, Dmitry Bivol. Since then, Valera has gotten back to his winning ways and is aiming to seize an opportunity by taking out one of the hottest fighters at 175 lb in Sullivan Barrera. A win over Barrera will catapult him into the top of the ratings.
The Match-Up
1. Will Barrera be looking past Valera to future fights?
2. Is Valera in over his head with an active Barrera?
3. Will Barrera be able to handle the power of Valera?
4. Will Valera be mentally prepared for his first fight on US soil on such a big stage?

According Main Events’ matchmaker and 2015 NABF Matchmaker of the Year, Jolene Mizzone, “This is a fight in a very hot division. This is fight, like the main event, is must see! Both guys can punch, which means fans should not miss a minute or it could all be over. These two fighters want to prove they belong in the mix with all the champions and future champions in this division. This fight is not about whose zero will go, it is about who will prove they deserve a title shot next!”

Kovalev vs. Shabranskyy is a 12-round fight for the vacant WBO Light Heavyweight World Title promoted by Main Events and Krusher Promotions in association with Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Madoff Vodka and Leon.ru. Barrera vs. Valera is a 10-round light heavyweight fight promoted by Main Events in Association with Shuan Boxing Promotions. Gamboa vs. Sosa is a 10-round super featherweight fight promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Peltz Boxing and ZR Entertainment. The event will take place at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

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Sullivan Barrera vs. Felix Valera Miami Media Workout Recap

Sullivan Barrera – “Camp has been great. It continues to get better with my new coach, Derik Santos. Every camp we work on different things. I am enjoying camp because I am learning a lot from him and we mix well. Nov 25 expect a great performance from me!”

“The door is wide open for everyone in the light heavyweight division. There are a lot of great fights to be made and I’m just looking to continue being in the mix with all the great fighters we have in our division.”

“I’m very excited to be fighting for the first time at The Garden. I have a tough opponent in front of me, someone who is coming in with nothing to lose and everything to gain. Not only do I have to win but I have to win while giving the fans and HBO audience a good show.”

Kovalev vs. Shabranskyy is a 12-round fight for the vacant WBO Light Heavyweight World Title promoted by Main Events and Krusher Promotions in association with Golden Boy Promotions. Barrera vs. Valera is a 10-round light heavyweight fight promoted by Main Events in Association with Shuan Boxing Promotions. Gamboa vs. Sosa is a 10-round super featherweight fight promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Peltz Boxing and ZR Entertainment. The event will take place at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Reminder to news media: The deadline to apply for Fight Week credentials is Friday, November 17. Fill out the credential application at http://www.emcevents.com/kovalevshabranskyy.html

Light Heavyweight Showdown Between Sullivan Barrera and Felix Valera Added as Televised Co-Feature for Sergey Kovalev vs. Vyacheslav Shabranskyy

New York, NY: The upcoming battle between former unified light heavyweight world champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev and Vyacheslav “Lion Heart” Shabranskyy already has fans buzzing. Now this much-anticipated event on Saturday, November 25 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden will also include another exciting bout in the light heavyweight division between Cuban Sullivan Barrera (20-1, 14 KOs) and former WBA Interim Light Heavyweight Champion Felix “Mangu” Valera (15-1, 13 KOs) of the Dominican Republic. The bout will serve as the televised co-feature of HBO World Championship Boxing telecast which begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. This bout is presented by Main Events in association with Shuan Boxing Promotions, LLC.

Sullivan Barrera, 35, is ranked number one at light heavyweight by the WBA and, if he can defeat Valera, will be first in line for Dmitry Bivol’s WBA Light Heavyweight Championship belt as the mandatory challenger. A former member of the Cuban National Team who defected from Cuba in 2009, Barrera made his professional debut in 2009 in his adopted hometown of Miami, Florida. He quickly made a name for himself in the light heavyweight division winning his first 17 bouts, with 12 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

Barrera’s only career loss was last year against the recently retired former two-time super middleweight and unified light heavyweight world champion Andre “S.O.G.” Ward. Despite the unanimous decision loss to Ward, Sullivan stood toe-to-toe with the former pound-for-pound king for 12 full rounds. In his most recent fight, Barrera came back from a first-round knockdown to unanimously defeat Joe Smith Jr. and claim the WBC International Light Heavyweight Title.
When asked about this match-up, Barrera responded, “I am happy to be back in action, happy to be fighting in New York where boxing is big. Felix Valera is a tricky and tough fighter. He is just another obstacle in my way towards fighting for a world title.”

Valera, 29, from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic is a knockout artist with 13 KOs in only 15 professional wins. He made his professional debut back in 2012 and won his first 13 contests with 12 of those wins coming by way of the stoppage. Last year, he travelled to Russian and upset Stanislav Kashtanov to secure the WBA Interim Light Heavyweight Title. In his next fight, also in Russia, he suffered his only career loss to the reigning WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Dmitry Bivol in Bivol’s home country. Since the Bivol bout, Valera is 2-0 with 1 KO. This will be his first professional bout on US soil.

“I appreciate the opportunity offered to me by my promotional company, Shuan Boxing Promotion, and Main Events,” said Valera. “But I am warning Barrera right now that I am not going to New York for a vacation! I am going to score that upset and get the win. After my win against Barrera, I am then going to call out Sergey Kovalev because I want to fight the best fighters in my weight class. I am going to put my country, the Dominican Republic, back on the map and make them proud!”

Main Events CEO Kathy Duva said, “The light heavyweight division is wide open right now! Within a few short months, we’ll probably have four champions in the division. Sullivan Barrera and Felix Valera have both worked very hard over the last couple years to stay in the mix while taking on really tough fights. That experience will be an advantage for the winner of this fight, who will almost certainly fight for a world title next. More importantly for the fans, this is a great match up that will deliver in the ring on November 25 at Madison Square Garden.”

Valera’s promoter and CEO of Shuan Boxing Promotions, Bélgica Peña, added, “We have been waiting for an opportunity of this magnitude in the United States for a long time and we want to thank Felipe Gomez from El Matador Management, who has been the person helping us find a fight like this and he is the one who made this connection between us and Main Events. We know that Valera is not going to disappoint anyone with this fight. My fighter is a boxer with a lot of amateur experience and, with only 12 professional fights, he gained a world title in Russia. We know that Barrera is a great fighter, but he is in for major surprise come November. In all, the fans will be the true winner with this fight because Valera is coming to put on a spectacular show!”

Kovalev vs. Shabranskyy is a 10-round light heavyweight fight promoted by Main Events and Krusher Promotions in association with Golden Boy Promotions. Barrera vs. Valera is a 10-round light heavyweight fight promoted by Main Events in Association with Shuan Boxing Promotions. Sosa vs. Castellanos is a 10-round super featherweight fight promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Peltz Boxing. The event will take place at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Sullivan Barrera furious over being bypassed by Broadhurst to face Bivol!

When Andre Ward recently retired it opened up the WBA, WBO and IBF light heavyweight titles and when Badou Jack vacated his WBA “regular” title the division became even more wide open.

Red hot contender Sullivan Barrera was very confident that he would get a shot at one of the vacant belts. So naturally his jaw dropped when he heard that Dmitry Bivol would face Trent Broadhurst for the vacant WBA title on November 4th.

“I should be fighting Bivol. He is ranked number 1 and I am number 2. What is the point of the rankings if they won’t follow their rules?” Said an incredulous Barrera.

Shortly after winning the title against Nathan Cleverly in August, the WBA ordered a purse bid for Jack to face Bivol. When Jack vacated the title the sanctioning body mysteriously bypassed Barrra and several other more deserving fighters.

What makes this decision even more head scratching is that the unknown Broadhurst is only ranked #11 by the WBA and that Bivol is co-promoted by Barrera’s promoter Main Events which should have made it easier to get a deal done to match Bivol and Barrera.

“I think I’ve paid my dues. My promoter should be getting me that fight. While other fighters are avoiding Bivol, I welcome the challenge. I was ready to fight Badou Jack and I would beat Bivol too!”

Barrera has already beaten Vychaslev Shabransky, Paul Parker and Joe Smith and wants to cap off 2017 with a big fight.

“Since I was child all I’ve dreamed about in this sport is becoming world champion and this type of politics in the sport just hurts the fighters who are putting in the work. It’s just blah blah blah,” said a frustrated Barrera.

Barrera calls out Badou Jack for end of year showdown

MIAMI, FLA. – While Southern Florida braces for Hurricane Irma, red hot light heayweight Sullivan Barrera continues to train for what he hopes is an explosive end of year showdown.

After stopping Paul Parker and beating Joe Smith Jr. on the bright lights of HBO, Barrera has his sights set firmly on facing two-division champion Badou Jack before the calendar turns over to 2018.

“First off I want to say congratulations on beating Nathan Cleverly. I know you said you want to fight Adonis Stevenson but he has to face his mandatory next. I want your WBA belt around my waist. You know that your style and my style will make for an explosive fight. I’m sure the fans would want to see the fight. I would love to fight Kovalev too but me and you are both off big wins so let’s do this,” said Barrera after a recent training session.

With Stevenson likely facing his mandatory next and Andre Ward talking about moving up to cruiserweight or heavyweight, Barrera is the best option for Jack as well. With his fan friendly style and Latino fan base, what excuse would Jack have for not having him?

“I haven’t ever seen Badou back down from a challenge so why would he start with me? It is simple, he needs an opponent and so do I. The ball is in your court Badou. Do you accept my challenge?”

Sullivan Barrera wants to cap off banner 2017 with a bang

Top rated light heavyweight contender Sullivan Barrera has been on a roll since losing a decision to pound-for-pound king Andre Ward in the spring of 2015.

Since his only professional loss, Barrera has rebounded in a major way, stopping the then unbeaten Slava Shabranskyy, Paul “Pay-Per-View” Parker, and in his most recent performance he dominated the red hot Joe Smith Jr. on HBO.

Barrera is now in a position where only the big fights make sense and he wants to finish out the year with a title shot or eliminator.

“I want the Jack-Cleverly winner for the WBA title or Kovalev next. Kovalev is a big name and I would beat him so bad he would retire. If I can’t fight them I want someone like Marcus Browne in an eliminator,” said Barrera.

“With the way I have fought I think I deserve the big fights. Now the question is which fighter will step up and actually fight me.”

The 35 year old Barrera wants to strike while the iron is fight and with his #3 WBC, #2 WBA and #5 WBO rankings, it shouldn’t be hard for him to get a fight versus any fighter looking to make a move in the light heavyweight division.