Follow all the action live as Deontay Wilder defends the WBC Heavyweight title against Chris aArreola.  The action begins at 8 PM with a Jr. Middleweight bout between Erickson Lubin taking on Ivan Montero.  The co-feature will pit Sammy Vasquez Jr and Felix Diaz in a welterweight bout.  After Wilder – Arreola, stick around for bonus action as Gerald Washington takes on former world title challenger Ray Austin in a heavyweight bout, former world champion Vic Darchinyan battles Enrique Quevedo in a super bntamweight tilt and welterweights Jamal James and Wale Omotoso do battle.

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Round 1 Right from Wilder..

Round 2 Wilder lands a right.  Arreola cut on the nose.

Round 3 Arreola working the body..Chopping right and another right from Wilder..

Round 4 Uppercut from Wilder..BIG COMBINATION AND DOWN GOES ARREOLA..Arreola bleeding from his right eye..Big right rocks and wobbles Arreola

Round 5 Wilder lands a hard jab…left hook..Body shot from Arreola..Uppercut from Wilder

Round 6: Jab from Wilder..

Round 7 Wilder lands a jab…Good right..3 punch combination..right hand..Big right at the bell

Round 8 Nice jab from wilder..3 punch combination..Body shot..Arreola left eye is closing..Left hook…THE FIGHT IS STOPPED IN THE CORNER

Round 1: Lubin working the body

Round 2 Combination and body shot from Montero.  Combination and Body shot from Lubin..Good left..Nice left hook..Over hand left..

Round 3 Lubin working the body…Straight left

Round 4 Jab from Lubin..Body shot…

Round 5 3 body shots from Lubin

Round 6 Good combination from Lubin..2 jabs..right to body

Round 7:  Uppercut from Lubin

Round 8

Round 1:  Body shot from Vasquez

Round 2  Diaz getting through with a couple lefts

Round 3 Diaz lands a body shot

Round 4 Diaz lands a body shot..Both going ti the body..Good uppercut from Diaz,,

Round 5:  Diaz continuing with the left

Round 6: Vasquez lands a body shot…Straight left by Diaz..Combination

Round 7: Right from Diaz..Good body shot

Round 8:  Vazquez beginning to bleed from his left.  Diaz lands an uppercut…Right Hook

Round 9:  Diaz lands a shot in the corner ..Jab..Good left…Vasquez lands a left

Round 10 Vasquez cut over the right eye..Vasquez lands a left..Vasquez deducted point for spitting out mouthpiece

96-93, and 95-94 twice for Diaz

BIRMINGHAM, AL (July 11, 2016) – Unbeaten rising star Erickson “Hammer” Lubin (15-0, 11 KOs) returns to the ring to battle once-beaten brawler Ivan Montero (20-1, 8 KOs) in a super welterweight bout featured on the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on FOX and FOX Deportes telecast onSaturday, July 16 from Legacy Arena at the BJCC in Birmingham, Alabama.

FOX televised coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and is headlined by heavyweight world champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder defending his belt against two-time title challenger Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola plus undefeated welterweight contender Sammy “The Sergeant” Vasquez Jr. battles Olympic gold medalist Felix Diaz. The televised action will switch over to FS1 and FOX Deportes immediately following the conclusion of the FOX telecast.

Bouts to be featured on FS1 & FOX Deportes include a 10-round matchup between unbeaten welterweight Jamal James (19-0, 9 KOs) and exciting contender Wale Omotoso (26-2, 21 KOs), former world champion Vic Darchinyan (42-8-1, 31 KOs) in a 10-round super bantamweight bout against Mexico’s Enrique Quevedo (16-7-1, 10 KOs) and undefeated heavyweight Gerald “El Gallo Negro” Washington (17-0-1, 11 KOs) in a 10-round affair.

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment in
association with TGB Promotions and Bruno Event Team, start at only $20 and are on sale now. For tickets please visit www.alabamatitlefight.com and www.ticketmaster.com.

A highly regarded prospect with an exciting style, the 20-year-old Lubin burst onto the scene looking to finish opponents early as he cements his status as an elite contender. Fighting out of Orlando, he has already taken down experienced veterans including Orlando Lora, Ayi Bruce, Michael Finney and Norberto Gonzalez. He was sensational in November 2015 when he knocked out Alexis Camacho and in January he headlined his first card and dominated Jose De Jesus Macias in his first 10-round bout. He kept the hot streak going in June when stopped veteran Daniel Sandoval in the third round.

A professional since 2011, Montero was unbeaten in his first 19 pro fights including victories in 2015 over Michel Rosales and Julio Cesar Avalos. Fighting out of Yucatan, Mexico, he began his 2016 campaign by defeating Roberto Valdez in April. Now he looks to make a mark in his U.S. debut on July 16.

A tall welterweight at 6-foot-2, James is undefeated as a pro and beat tough contender Javier Molina in an FS1 and FOX Deportes main event in January. The 27-year-old out of Minneapolis had a big 2015 that began with victories over Michael Balasi and Daniel Sostre and culminated with a hard fought decision over once-beaten Juan Carlos Abreu in September. He will look to keep that momentum going when he faces his most dangerous opponent to date on July 16.

Born in Nigeria, but fighting out of Oxnard, Omotoso earned a unanimous decision over Gilberto Sanchez Leon in his last bout. He was unbeaten in his first 18 pro bouts while fighting out of Australia. The 31-year-old won his first five bouts stateside and will look for back-to-back victories when he battles James in Birmingham.

The fighter from Armenia who now fights out of Glendale, California, Darchinyan is coming off of stoppage victories over Cris Paulino and Prayoot Yaijam. Having fought against top contenders and former champions such as Abner Mares, Jesus Cuellar, Nonito Donaire and Nicholas Walters, Darchinyan looks to work his way back into world title contention after picking up titles in multiple weight classes. He takes on Quevedo out of Los Algodones, Mexico who most recently stopped previously unbeaten Yoandris Salinas in the fifth-round of their 2014 bout.

A two-way player (tight end and defensive end) at the University of Southern California, Washington spent time with the Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills practice squads on his unconventional path that led him to boxing. The 34-year-old also worked in the Navy as a helicopter mechanic before going to USC and did not get his start in professional boxing until 2012. Fighting out of Vallejo, California, he is yet to lose in his latest endeavor and most recently he defeated former title challenger Eddie Chambers in April.

For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com,www.alabamatitlefight.com www.dbe1.com,www.TGBPromotions.com, http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/homepage and foxdeportes.com follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @BronzeBomber, @NightmareBoxing @FOXSports, @FOXDeportes, @LouDiBella, @TGBPromotions and @Swanson_Comm and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxing, www.facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment. www.facebook.com/foxsports and www.facebook.com/foxdeportes. Follow the conversation using #PBConFOX. PBC on FOX is sponsored by Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

CARSON, CALIF (May 28, 2015) – 2012 U.S. Olympian Dominic “Trouble” Breazeale (14-0, 13 KOs)battles Yasmany Consuegra (17-0, 14 KOs) in an explosive matchup between two undefeated heavyweights that will kick off the Premier Boxing Champions on NBC telecast Saturday, June 6 from StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. with televised coverage beginning at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT.

This eight round heavyweight attraction will support the afternoon’s main event, which pits former four-division world champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero (32-3-1, 18 KOs) against Aron Martinez (19-3-1, 14 KOs). Also featured on the card is the 12-round featherweight showdown between Jesus Cuellar (26-1, 20 KOs) and Vic Darchinyan (40-7-1, 29 KOs).

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions, are priced at $200, $150, $100, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes, fees and service charges, are on sale now and are available for purchase online at AXS.com.

Also featured is Mexican warrior and former world champion Alfredo “El Perro” Angulo (22-5, 18 KOs) who returns to the ring to battle Delray Raines (20-10-1, 14 KOs) in a 10-round middleweight bout. Another former world champion returns to action as Marvin Sonsona (19-1-1, 15 KOs) takes on Jonathan Arellano (15-5-2, 3 KOs) in a 10-round featherweight bout.

Further undercard bouts pit 2012 Mexican Olympian Oscar Molina (12-0, 10 KOs) against Todd Manuel (10-5-1, 1 KO) in eight rounds of super lightweight action while undefeated prospect Alejandro Luna (17-0, 13 KOs) takes on former world champion Cristobal Cruz (40-15-3, 24 KOs) in an eight round super lightweight bout.

Rounding out the undercard action is Carlos Morales (7-1-3, 2 KOs) facing Juan Ruiz (24-17, 7 KOs) in an eight round lightweight bout, undefeated prospect Fabian Maidana (6-0, 5 KOs) going up against Julius Dyes (3-1, 2 KOs) in six rounds of welterweight action and undefeated prospect Anthony Flores (7-0, 5 KOs)taking on fellow unbeaten Erick Bossler (3-0, 2 KOs) in a six round welterweight attraction.

A 2012 U.S. Olympian, Breazeale (13-0, 12 KOs) has been nearly perfect in recording knockouts as a pro, having only gone the distance in one fight. The 29-year-old looks to keep his undefeated record intact on June 6 when he faces the toughest challenge of his career. Most recently the Glendale, California native survived an early knockdown against Victor Brisbal on his way to eventually recording a fourth round stoppage.

Undefeated since turning pro in 2010, the 31-year-old Consuegra is looking to make a big splash when he faces fellow unbeaten Breazeale on June 6. Fighting out of Miami by way of Cienfuegos, Cuba, Consuegra got off to a good start in 2015 with an eight round unanimous decision over Tauraus Sykes in March. Before that decision, he had knocked out 13 straight opponents as he built up his perfect record.

A fast-rising star out of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Cuellar looks to make it 10 victories in a row when he battles Darchinyan on June 6. His power in both hands has led him to six knockouts of his last nine victories including a second round destruction of Puerto Rican icon Juan Manuel Lopez in Sept. 2014. The 28-year-old will make his first career start in California when he enters the ring at StubHub Center.

Looking to put himself back into the discussion of top featherweights, the 39-year-old Darchinyan comes in with the kind of experience to topple the explosive Cuellar. A former world champion, the fighter from Armenia who fights out of Glendale, California is coming off of a ninth-round TKO over Juan Jimenez in February of this year. Having fought against top contenders such as Abner Mares, Nonito Donaire and Nicholas

A hard fighting Mexican warrior born in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico but fighting out of Coachella, Calif., Angulo is looking for a big victory in front of his adopted hometown fans. Always ready to challenge the best in the sport, the 32-year-old has gone toe-to-toe with some of the best fighters in the world and holds knockout victories over Gabriel Rosado, Joachim Alcine and Joel Julio. On June 6 he faces the 29-year-old Raines out of Oklahoma City.

A former world champion at super flyweight, the 24-year-old Sonsona most recently defeatedWilfredo Vazquez by unanimous decision in June 2014 in his U.S. debut. Fighting out of General Santos City, Philippines, he will take on the 27-year-old Arellano out of Commerce, California.

A 2012 Mexican Olympian, Molina now fights out of Norwalk, California. The 25-year-old is still undefeated as a professional and most recently defeated Jorge Pimentel in April. He returns to the ring to take on the 22-year-old Manuel out of Crowley, Louisiana.

At just 23-year-old, Luna has already put together an impressive 17 professional wins since turning pro in 2010. Fighting out of Bellflower, California, he takes on the former world champion Cruz. The 38-year-old fighting out of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico is coming off of a draw against Emanuel Lopez in June 2014.

Riding a seven-fight win streak into his June 6 bout, the 25-year-old Morales hopes to keep his winning ways going. The fighter out of Tuloncingo, Mexico will do battle with the 36-year-old Ruiz out of Panorama City, California.

Nine years younger than his brother Marcos, the 22-year-old Maidana is currently riding a five fight knockout streak. Representing Santa Fe, Argentina, he will take on Dyes out of Memphis.

A hot welterweight prospect, the 24-year-old Flores will look to represent his hometown of Los Angeles when he takes on the fellow undefeated Bossler out of Chicago.

For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com and www.nbcsports.com/boxing, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @NBCSports, @GHOSTBOXING, @ElPerro82, @JesusCuellarBOX & @VicDarchinyan and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxing, and www.facebook.com/NBCSports.

Former world title challenger Pablo Cesar Cano scored a 1st round stoppage over Jorge Silva in the 1st round of a scheduled 10-round Super Welterweight bout at Domo del Palacio Municipal, Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Cano landed a flurry of punches in the corner that sent Silva to a knee. He did not beat the referee’s count and the fight was over at 2:05 of round one.

Cano, 148 1/4 lbs is now 28-4-1 with 21 knockouts. Silva, 150 3/4 is now 20-7-2,

Vic Darchinyan scored a 9th round stoppage over Juan Jimenez in a Super Bantamweight bout.

Jimenez dropped Darchinyan in round three from a left hook. Darchinyan came back to land a hard flurry and drop Jiminez with a body shot in round nine. Darchinyan is now 40-7-1 with 29 knockouts. Jimenez, 122 1/4 lbs is now 19-9.

Luis Sanchez won a 8-round split decision over Alfonso Torres in a Super Featherweight.

Sanchez, 132 1/4 lbs won by scores of 80-72 and 77-77 while Torres, 128 1/2 lbs took a card at 77-75.

Sanchez is now 16-3-1. Torres is now 5-10-1.

Arturo Hernandez won a 6-round unanimous decision over Alberto Cupido in a Super Featherweight bout.

Hernandez, 130 1/2 lbs won by scores of 60-54, 59-55 and 58-56 and is now 4-2-1. Cupido, 129 1/2 lbs is 8-12-2.

LOS ANGELES (Feb. 3) – Golden Boy Promotions and Cancun Boxing de Pepe Gomez bring fans an exciting night of boxing on Saturday, Feb. 7 at the Domo del Palacio Municipal, Chetumal, Mexico, airing live on Televisa and Fox Deportes. In the main event, Pablo Cesar “El Demoledor” Cano (27-4-1, 20 KOs) from Tlalnepantla, Mexico will face Tijuana’s Jorge “Pantera” Silva (20-6-2, 16 KOs) in a 10-round welterweight bout. Next, Vanadzor, Armenia native Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan (39-7-1, 28 KOs) will face Juan “El Penita” Jimenez (19-8, 12 KOs) from Casas Nuevas, Chihuahua, Mexico in the co-main 10-round event. Opening up the telecast on Fox Deportes, undefeated Tijuana, Mexico native Antonio “La Joya” Gutierrez (17-0-1, 7 KOs) will fight in a six-round middleweight bout against seasoned fighter Gilberto “Gil” Flores (23-14, 18 KOs) from Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico.

Cano vs. Silva, is a 10-round welterweight bout, presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Cancun Boxing de Pepe Gomez. The FOX Deportes broadcast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT and the Televisa broadcast airs at 10:30 p.m. CT on Cannal 5.

Former WBA Interim Super Lightweight Champion Pablo Cano is a stellar contender out of Tlalnepantla who has drawn raves as one of Mexico’s best hopes for future world title honors. Cano entered the professional ring early, making his debut at the age of 16 with a first round knockout of Miguel Angel Merino. Now an experienced battler who has taken on tough fighters like Shane Mosley, Paul “Magic Man” Malignaggi, Johan “El Terrible” Perez and Erik “El Terrible” Morales, Cano is ready to start off 2015 strong with a win against Tijuana’s Jorge “Pantera” Silva.

At just 22 years old, Jorge Silva is already a seasoned fighter. The Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico native, has faced tough challenges versus Yoshihiro Kamegai and Alfredo “Perro” Angulo and is looking to open 2015 with an impressive win in the welterweight division.

A 15-year professional and former flyweight world champion, Vic Darchinyan from Vanadzor, Armenia training out of Glendale, Calif. is looking to conquer the super bantamweight division. Facing Juan Jimenez is Darchinyan’s first step towards getting himself back on the road to a title after notching notable wins in the bantamweight and flyweight division.

Undefeated fighter Antonio Gutierrez has been quickly moving up the middleweight ladder towards a title shot. A professional since 2011, the Tijuana native’s only blemish on his record includes a draw against Victor Fonseca in 2012. Now a middleweight contender, Gutierrez is ready to take down an experienced Gilberto Flores and prove that he has what it takes to go the distance in 2015.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.quequi.com.mx, www.FoxDeportes.com and www.televisadeportes.com, follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/PeriodicoQueQui, www.twitter.com/TD_Deportes and www.twitter.com/FOXDeportes and visit on Facebook at Golden Boy Facebook Page, www.facebook.com/periodicoquequi and www.facebook.com/FOXDeportes.

Simpiwie Vetyetka 125.5 – Nonito Donaire
Nicholas Walters 125.5 – Vic Darchinyan 125.5
Egveny Gradovich 125.5 – Alexander Miskirtchian 125.5

MACAO (April 22, 2014) – A press conference in Manila on Tuesday announced the details of Featherweight Fury – a championship event with three featherweight world title main event fights to be hosted by The Venetian® Macao on Saturday, May 31 at the Cotai Arena.

The world-class event is headlined by three spectacular featherweight title matchups: four-division world champion and 2012 Fighter of the Year NONITO “The Filipino Flash” DONAIRE will challenge World Boxing Association (WBA) undisputed featherweight world champion SIMPIWE “V12” VETYEKA; undefeated WBA world featherweight champion NICHOLAS “The Axe Man” WALTERS will defend his title against two-division world champion VIC “Raging Bull” DARCHINYAN; and undefeated International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion EVGENY “The Mexican Russian” GRADOVICH, making his third consecutive featherweight title defense at the Cotai Arena, will be battling No. 1 contender ALEXANDER MISKIRTCHIAN.

The Donaire-Vetyeka title fight will be televised on the same day in the U.S. on HBO, beginning at 4:00 p.m. ET/PT. The telecast will also include the world super middleweight title rematch between defending champion Carl Froch and top contender George Groves, which will take place at Wembley Stadium in London.

All “Featherweight Fury” undercard bouts will be streamed live via http://www.toprank.tv with Fran Charles handling the blow-by-blow and former world champion Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini and Hall of Famer Larry Merchant adding their expert analysis and commentary, except for the IBF junior featherweight title elimination bout between Top-Five contenders CHRIS “The Hit Man” AVALOS and YASUTAKA ISHIMOTO. That fight will be televised via same-day delay as the main event on Sólo Boxeo Tecate on UniMás. The winner will be declared the IBF’s No. 1 contender and mandatory challenger to IBF junior featherweight world champion Kiko Martinez.

“All eyes will be on the fabulous Cotai Arena with these three world title fights in one of boxing’s hottest divisions,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum. “Featherweight Fury is one of the most exciting events I have promoted in a long time.”

“This is our fifth time working with Bob Arum and Top Rank to bring sports entertainment at its best to Macao,” said Edward Tracy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sands China Ltd. “The world’s eyes will continue to be drawn to Macao as we continue to establish our city as a world centre of tourism and leisure with the diverse offerings of our multi-tiered entertainment strategy.”

Donaire (32-2, 20 KOs), a native of General Santos City, Philippines, now living in Las Vegas, has been a consensus Top-10 pound-for-pound fighter for several years. His banner year in 2012 included four world championship victories. He beat former world champion Israel Vazquez, Jr. to capture the vacant WBO junior featherweight title, then unified the title by defeating IBF junior bantamweight champion Jeffrey Mathebula. Donaire collected his third belt of the year by knocking out WBC Diamond Belt super bantamweight champion Toshiaki Nishioka, ending Nishioka’s eight-year, 16-bout, winning streak. Donaire concluded his magnificent year by blasting out Mexican icon Jorge Arce in the third round and sealing his 2012 Fighter of the Year honours while extending his 12-year, 30-bout winning streak. He lost his title to undefeated Cuban sensation and WBA super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux in a title unification bout at a sold-out Radio City Music Hall on April 13, 2013. Career highlights for Donaire also include knockout victories of defending IBF flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan, former WBA bantamweight champion Wladimir Sidorenko, and defending WBC/WBO bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel, ending Montiel’s 25-bout winning streak. That victory was named the 2011 Knockout of the Year. Donaire’s last fight was a ninth-round knockout victory of Darchinyan in their eagerly-awaited rematch which took place on November 9, 2013.

Vetyeka (26-2, 15 KOs), of Mdantsane, South Africa, will be making the first defence of the title he won from the legendary Chris John. A 12-year professional, four of Vetyeka’s five last victories have been by knockout. He scored a major upset to win his world title last December, knocking out the undefeated defending WBA featherweight champion John in the sixth round. John had celebrated the 10th year of his title reign two months earlier, which included 18 title defences.

Walters (23-0, 19 KOs), of Montego Bay, Jamaica, enters this fight having won nine of his last 10 fights by knockout. He captured the vacant WBA featherweight title on December 12, 2012, knocking out Daulis Presscott (26-1, 19 KOs) in the seventh round. He made his first title defence on November 9, 2013, stopping Alberto Garza (25-5-1, 20 KOs) in the fourth round.

Darchinyan (39-6-1, 28 KOs), a native of Armenia whose home base has been Sydney, Australia, is one of the lower division’s most exciting fighters. A member of Armenia’s 2000 Olympic boxing team, he won his first world title in his 22nd professional bout, knocking out undefeated IBF flyweight champion Irene Pacheco in the 11th round of their 2004 battle, ending Pacheco’s five-year reign. During his own three-year tenure as world champion, Darchinyan successfully defended his title six times – all by stoppage – against the division’s top contenders. After losing the title and his undefeated record to Donaire, in 2007, Darchinyan moved up in weight and claimed the IBF junior bantamweight crown, knocking out defending champion Dimitri Kirilov in the fifth round. He unified the 115 pound world titles in his next fight, knocking out World Boxing Council (WBC) / WBA super flyweight champion Cristian Mijares in the ninth round. The first person to unify three of the titles in that weight division, Darchinyan successfully defended his titles three times during his two-year reign as unified super flyweight champion, including an 11th-round stoppage of Méxican icon Jorge Arce. Darchinyan vacated his titles in mid-2010 to campaign as a bantamweight, defeating former IBF bantamweight champion Yonnhy Perez, Evans Mbamba and Eric Barcelona, while losing competitive decisions to world champions Abner Mares, Joseph Agbeko and Shinsuke Yamanaka. Last November, Darchinyan finally got his long-awaited rematch with Donaire. It was an exciting fight that had Darchinyan leading on the judges’ scorecards through eight rounds until he got caught by Donaire and was stopped in the ninth round.

Gradovich (18-0, 9 KOs), of Igrim, Russia, captured the IBF featherweight title on March 1, 2013, winning a gritty split decision over defending champion Billy Dib. He has successfully defended the twice – both at Cotai Arena – where he has developed a rabid fan following. At Fists of Gold II last July, Gradovich won a dominating unanimous decision over Mauricio Muñoz and on the November 24 Pacquiao-Rios undercard, he knocked out Dib in the ninth round of their rematch.

Miskirtchian (24-2-1, 9 KOs), of Namur, Belgium, will be making his Asian debut. He enters this fight riding a five-year, 11-bout winning streak, with over half those victories coming by way of knockout. After winning the European featherweight title and defending it twice during his two-year reign, he won a 12-round decision over Sofiane Takoucht, in an IBF featherweight title elimination bout, to become the IBF’s No. 1 contender and mandatory challenger to Gradovich. This will be Miskirtchian’s first world title shot.

Avalos (23-2, 17 KOs), of Lancaster, Calif., enters this fight riding a two-year, four-bout winning streak, including an NABO junior featherweight title victory over Drian Francisco last July. He is currently world-rated No. 1 by the WBO, No. 4 by the IBF and the WBC and No. 5 by the WBA.

Ishimoto (24-6, 7 KOs), of Tokyo, Japan, is riding a two-year, five-bout winning streak himself, with four of those victories coming by way on knockout. His most impressive victory during his current streak was for the WBO International junior featherweight title, where he won a majority decision over former world champion Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. at the Coati Arena on April 6, 2013. He is world-rated No. 5 by the IBF, No. 7 by the WBO and No. 8 by the WBC.

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Tecate, PS4 and Foreman Boys Promotions, Featherweight Fury will take place on Saturday, May 31, with the first bout beginning at 5:30 p.m. local time. Tickets to the multi-bout event can be purchased at all Cotai Ticketing box offices*, and are available in seven categories, ranging from HKD/MOP 80 (~PHP 450) to HKD/MOP 3,280 (~PHP 18,800). HKD/MOP 88 adds a round trip Cotai Water Jet ferry ticket between Hong Kong and Macao (HKD/MOP 80 tickets excluded). Tickets can be booked online at www.cotaiticketing.com, or by phone at +853 2882 8818 (Macao) / +852 6333 6660 (HK) / 4001 206 618 (China) / +63 2 395 3370 (Philippines). Tickets are also available through Hong Kong Ticketing (customer service fee applies), online at www.HKTicketing.com or by phone at +852 3128 8288, and via Macao Kong Seng Ticketing Network, online at www.macauticket.com, by phone at +853 2855 5555, or in person at selected retail outlets (for locations, visit www.macauticket.com/TicketWeb/ServiceStations.aspx). Hotel packages including two tickets and one night accommodation at your choice of The Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel, Conrad Macao, Cotai Central; Sheraton Macao Hotel, Cotai Central; Holiday Inn Macao Cotai Central; or Four Seasons Hotel Macao, Cotai Strip are also available for purchase starting at HKD/MOP 3,240† (~PHP 18,500) through Cotai Ticketing.

NOTE: Bouts and times subject to change

Photos from the press conference and workout session will be available at:

http://tinyurl.com/Featherweight-Fury

###

Entertainment at Sands China Ltd. Properties
Sands China Ltd. has as a clear vision to establish Macao as Asia’s top entertainment destination.

The 15,000-seat Cotai Arena is the only venue in Asia ranked in Pollstar’s Top 100 Worldwide Arena Venues based on ticket sales. It is the top entertainment destination in southern China, hosting the world’s and the region’s biggest names in music, sports and awards shows. Superstars frequently choose the venue as the starting point of their Asian tours.

The 1800-seat, multi-purpose Venetian Theatre is one of the most luxurious entertainment venues in greater China. Featuring ushers in black-tie, champagne service, gourmet food and beverage items and other unique, premium amenities, it offers an intimate, luxurious and exclusive venue experience. The Venetian Theatre is playing a key role in bringing the best in international and Chinese entertainment to Macao, with a luxury theatre experience like no other in the region.

The 650-seat Sands Theatre regularly features internationally-renowned singers, performers and artists of the highest calibre. From traditional Chinese-costumed dancers to modern performances, and from singing troupes to contemporary bands, everything from Western rock to Cantonese pop is covered.

With an unbeatable diversity, the entertainment offering of Sands China Ltd. is ushering in a new era of entertainment in Macao.

For information about upcoming shows and events, visit www.venetianmacao.com/entertainment.html.

About The Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel
Opened in 2007, The Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel is Macao’s first integrated resort featuring stunning replicas of the famous canals and architectural icons of Venice, Italy. The Venetian Macao features 3,000 suites, 1.2 million square feet (111,000 square metres) of convention and meeting facilities as well as a 15,000-seat Cotai Arena designed for world-class sports events and electrifying entertainment. The Venetian Macao is also home to the unique, 1,800-seat luxury Venetian Theatre, hosting the best in international and Chinese entertainment; more than 30 renowned restaurants; TAIVEXMALO Day Hospital & Spa; the incredibly fun QUBE indoor playground and more than 300 retailers at Shoppes at Venetian. Outdoor recreation areas include swimming pools and cabanas and a mini-golf course.

For more information, please visit www.venetianmacao.com.

About Cotai Strip Resorts Macao – Macao’s Integrated Resort City
Sands China Ltd. is the leading developer, owner and operator of integrated resorts in Macao. The befittingly named Cotai Strip Resorts Macao, situated on reclaimed land between the islands of Coloane and Taipa, is the one destination that provides a stunning array of experiences at the heart of Cotai. Cotai Strip Resorts Macao has transformed a gaming-centric day-trip market into an integrated resort city and international hub for business and leisure travellers.

Pulsating with life, both night and day, Cotai Strip Resorts Macao features an expansive offering of affordable luxury available nowhere else in Macao, with approximately 9,000 hotel rooms and suites, international superstar live entertainment, duty-free shopping with 600 retailers offering an unparalleled array of name brands, 1.3 million square feet (120,000 square metres) of meeting and exhibition space for Asia’s leading conferences and exhibitions, gaming excitement, transportation offerings and well over 100 dining options, including international restaurants, bars and lounges. Cotai Strip Resorts Macao is a must-see destination providing every guest with an unforgettable experience and unparalleled excitement.

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Mikey Garcia had to climb off the canvas and come back to score an 8th round stoppage over Roman Martinez and win the WBO Jr. Lightweight championship at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Garcia boxed very well for most of the fight the exception of a brief moment in round 2 when he was caught with a sneaky right hand that sent him to the canvas. That advantage was short lived for Martinez as Garcia started finding a range with his power shots. In round six, a left hook wobbled Martinez. Garcia finished the round landing a nice right hand and a body shot. Garcia continued landing good shots and in round eight he landed a perfect left to the body that sent Martinez down on all fours. he was unable to beat the count and the fight was over at 56 seconds of round eight.

Garcia of Oxnard, CA is now 33-0 with 28 knockouts. Martinez of Puerto Rico is now 27-2-2.

Nonito Donaire made it two for two against Vic Darchinyan as the Filipino Flash had to come from behind to score a ninth round stoppage in their Featherweight bout.

Both guys landed hard shots for the first eight rounds with Darchinyan landing more often and even rocking Donaire, the heavy favorite several times. Finally in round nine, Donaire dropped Darchinyan with a huge left hook. Donaire went in and landed a huge flurry of punches and the fight was stopped at 2:06 of the ninth round. Donaire was down 78-74 on two cards while a 3rd card was even at 76-76.

Donaire is now 32-2 with 21 knockouts. Darchinyan falls to 39-6-1.

Demetrius Andrade won the WBO jr. middleweight championship with a workmanlike split decision over 2004 U.S. Olympian and previously undefeated Vanes Martirosyan.

Andrade of Providence, Rhode Island, is now 20-0 with 13 knockouts and is promoted by Arthur Pelullo’s Banner Promotions and Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing.

Andrade proved early that he had the heart of a champion as he came back from a flash first -round knockdown.

Andrade got off the deck and dominated the rest of the bout as he stuck his hard right jab consistently in
Martirosyan’s face.

Andrade’s best round was the sixth when he hit Martirosyan with repeated power shots that raised swelling around his left eye.

Andrade was never challenged down the stretch as he put on a beautiful boxing exhibition that Martirosyan had no answer for.

According to Compubox Andrade landed 219 of 769 while Martirosyan only managed 83 of 443.

Two judges had Andrade winning by scores of 117-110 and 114-113, While a third judge turned in a dubious card that had Martirosyan ahead 115-112.

“He caught me but I stayed focused,” said Andrade about the knockdown. “I stayed focused and continued to jab and started to pick him apart. I started to feel comfortable inside and won the fight.”

On becoming a world champion, “This feels great and my time is now.”

Said co-promoter Arthur Pelullo, “This is what we envisioned when we signed him. That was to become world champion and he did that tonight. We feel that he is on track to become the best jr. middleweight in the world. Winning this belt puts him in the mix to be able to prove that.”

Mikey Garcia 128 3/4 vs. Rocky Martinez 129 3/4
(WBO jr lightweight title)
Nonito Donaire 125 1/4 vs. Vic Darchinyan 125 3/4
Vanes Martirosyan 153 3/4 vs. Demetrius Andrade 153 3/4
(Vacant WBO jr middleweight title)
Nicholas Walters 125 vs. Alberto Garza 125 1/2
(WBA featherweight title)
Oscar Valdez 127 3/4 vs. Jesus Lule 127 3/4
Alex Saucedo 145 1/4 vs. Steve Hall 146
Erick De Leon 129 3/4 vs. Jesus Aguinaga 130 1/4
Oscar Cantu 117 1/2 vs. Roberto Ceron 118 1/4

Affirmation and reclamation are on a loaded card Saturday night that is intriguing on several levels. There’s much to prove for Mikey Garcia, Nonito Donaire, Vic Darchinyan and even trainer Robert Garcia in Corpus Christi, Tex.

For Mikey Garcia, there’s the chance to affirm his ascendancy at a new weight against a tough Puerto Rican, junior-lightweight champion Ramon Martinez.

For Nonito Donaire, there’s the chance to reclaim his pound-for-pound credentials against old rival Vic Darchinyan, who for his own part is fighting to regain the aura that made him such a feared fighter.

For the busy Robert Garcia, there are a couple of chances to silence a few critics.

If that’s not enough, there’s a sense that the Top Rank card (HBO 9:30 p.m., ET/PT) is a chessboard full of potential moves that could determine who will be in position to claim Manny Pacquiao’s spot at the top of the marquee if he falls against Brandon Rios in a couple of weeks at Macao.

Start with Mikey Garcia. He’s in the main event, because of a promotional blueprint that has him ticketed for big things. Among them, there’s Fighter of the Year, a possibility that was addressed during a conference call Wednesday.

“I don’t look for that,’’ said Garcia, who possesses a tactical mastery and poise rivaled by perhaps only Gennady Golovkin. “That is something every writer and critic will have to decide on their own. I just try to win every fight and it has been a good year for me so far. I want to finish strong and maybe next year will be an even better year for me.’’

If all goes as well as expected against Martinez, indications are that it won’t be long before Garcia jumps to lightweight. He failed to make the featherweight mandatory, 126 pounds, in his last outing. Martinez gives him a chance to claim another acronym-sanctioned title in another weight against a fighter who never been knocked off his feet. His brother and trainer, Robert Garcia, hinted that a move from 130 to 135 is near.

“Moving up in weight – we should not have a problem but it is still not easy, said Robert Garcia, who will also train Donaire before he packs his bags and heads to Macao next week to work Rios’ corner. “It was hard to get down to 128, which was the weight he fought at last time. That was 128, so it wasn’t even the featherweight division and everybody had seen what Mikey went through to make that weight. One-thirty, hopefully he can make that weight but it won’t be that easy.’’

For Donaire, the trip to Corpus Christi comes on the heels of a rapid rise and quicker fall. A year ago, he was just a few months from being voted 2012’s Fight of the Year. Then, he lost to Guillermo Rigondeaux, perhaps 2013’s Upset of the Year. He arrives in south Texas as a new dad and reunited with his father, who will assist Robert Garcia. Donaire’s dad was there, Nonito said, when he was at his fundamental best — a 2007 stoppage of Darchinyan.

Nonito looked at his young son and thought of his dad. If he was starting over, it only made sense to reunite with the father who was there for the beginning.

Darchinyan has his own ideas. He always does. Since his move into the bantamweight ranks, he’s not been the intimidating force he was as a flyweight. But the edge on his confidence is as sharp as ever.

“I think (Nonito) was exposed in his loss to Rigondeaux,’’ Darchinyan said. “He had a good year and was voted Fighter of the Year, but inside me I know – personally he is a good guy — but about skills and power, he should not be pound-for-pound.’’

Never at a loss for words, Darchinyan had more to say.

“I will stalk him,’’ he said. “It is not about him. It is about me. I have more skills and I have more power. If I am motivated against someone – all of my title fights – I am getting prepared for me. I am not getting prepared for my opponent. I am getting prepared for myself. I have prepared mentally. I know everything that he is going to do and I know everything that I am going to do. I just want to come and demolish him, that’s what I want.’’

There wasn’t much response from the soft-spoken Donaire about all that Darchinyan said. He might still be talking.
Donaire has things to do other than just listen to Darchinyan. Things like sleeping and eating. Still, it sets the stage for a fight with plenty at stake for each.

There’s that, too, for Robert Garcia. Garcia, also Marcos Maidana’s trainer for a Dec. 14 clash with Adrien Broner in San Antonio, was asked about Rios’ loss to Mike Alvarado in a March rematch and Donaire’s defeat to Rigondeaux in April.

“Everybody mentions those two losses that we had with Brandon Rios and Nonito Donaire,’’ he said “But nobody mentions that Mikey beat Orlando Salido, the best featherweight in the division at that time and beat him so easy. Nobody mentions Evgeny Gradovich who beat Billy Dib when he was the underdog and we had an upset. And Jesus Cuellar, who became a featherweight champion also. People just don’t want to remember that. Now we have very important fights coming up with Donaire, with Mikey, with Brandon, with Marcos Maidana – those fights are very dangerous.

“We are training to win the fights, not to please the media or the people that like to criticize our team. We are doing it to win, not to be mentioned among the best trainers in the world.

“We do it because we want to win.’’

On a rare night full of multiple opportunities to do just that, it’ll be interesting to see who walks away with the most say-so.

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX (September 18, 2013) — The Lone Star State will play host to an exciting tripleheader featuring two world championship fights and a grudge rematch between former world champions that’s been building for over six years. Two-time World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior lightweight champion ROMAN “Rocky” MARTINEZ will defend his title against undefeated former WBO featherweight champion MIKEY GARCIA; 2012 Fighter of the Year NONITO “Filipino Flash” DONAIRE and former two-division world champion VIC “Raging Bull” DARCHINYAN will be looking to settle each other’s hash in a 10-round featherweight rumble and undefeated No. 1 and No. 2 contenders and one-time U.S. Olympians VANES “The Nightmare” MARTIROSYAN and DEMETRIUS “Boo Boo” ANDRADE will battle it out for the vacant WBO junior middleweight title This boxing extravaganza will take place Saturday, November 9, at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, TX. All three fights will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark®, beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT.

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Foreman Boys Promotions, PR Best Boxing, Arthur Pelullo’s Banner Promotions, Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing and Tecate, tickets to the Martinez vs. Garcia world championship event will go on sale This Friday! September 20, at 10:00 a.m. CT. Tickets, priced at $200, $100, $60, $40 and $25, plus applicable charges, can be purchased at the American Bank Center Box Office (Monday-Friday, 10am-6pm), all Ticketmaster Outlets (HEB Stores), ticketmaster.com, or by phone at 1-800-745-3000.

“This fight is a great opportunity to clear any doubts about my value as a world champion, “Martinez said to Primera Hora. “A win over Garcia will prove that I am a real champion and it will take me to the next level.”

“I’m fighting a defending champion. It won’t be easy but I think I have all the tools to beat Rocky,” said Garcia. “I want to be champion again and Rocky is in my way. I will become champion again.”

“This is a very important fight for me,” said Darchinyan. “It gives me the opportunity to face and defeat an opponent who beat me in the past. This win will be sweet revenge for me.”

“I am ready to go,” said Martirosyan. “The last fight postponement might be a blessing in disguise because it is just making me hungrier and hungrier every day. I just can’t wait to get into the ring and prove how badly I want this. I have been training very hard and have a great game plan with Freddie Roach. A lot of one-on-one with Freddie, combined with great sparring and training along with the likes of Miguel Cotto and George St. Pierre. That has been very inspirational and motivating. Andrade is a great fighter. I hope he is ready to go to war. We are on HBO and I plan on stealing the spotlight that night with a very exciting and entertaining win for the fans.”

“I am looking forward to this fight and have been waiting for this fight ever since I walked into the gym at age 7”, said Andrade. “I always wanted to be champion of the world and on November 9th I will be crowned champion. I wanted to win an Olympic gold medal and since they took that from me, I am going to take this world title. I was a 2008 Olympian and he made it in 2004. It’s great that the fans will get to see two Olympians battle on HBO. I know I will bring home the title.”

“We are proud to present to the fans of Corpus Christi a fistic feats involving some of the greatest boxers in the world,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum. “There are at least five fights on this card which could be the main event in any arena. This will be the most exciting night ever for boxing fans in Corpus Christi.”

“In all three fights, fans expect big statements to be made in the ring,” said Peter Nelson, director of programming, HBO Sports. “The night presents a fistic hat-trick of exciting match-ups in which the momentum can shift at any time.”

Martinez (27-1-2, 16 KOs), of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, captured his first world title in 2009, knocking out defending champion Nicky Cook in the fourth round of a bout held in Cook’s backyard, Manchester, England. Rocky successfully defended the belt twice — both by knockout — during his 18-month reign before losing it to Ricky Burns in Scotland in a hotly-contested battle that saw the close decision go to Burns. He bagen his second and current world championship tenure last year, winning the vacant WBO junior lightweight crown with a majority decision over Miguel Beltran, Jr. a toe-to-toe brawl that had the crowd on its feet from the opening bell. He has successfully defended his title twice since regaining it, a Draw against Juan Carlos Burgos and a split decision over Diego Magdaleno, last January and April, respectively.

Garcia (32-0, 27 KOs), of Oxnard, Calif., a 2010 graduate of California’s Ventura County Police and Sheriff’s Reserve Officer Academy, returns to the ring having won 15 of his past 17 bouts by knockout and has not gone the distance in over three years. He captured the WBO featherweight title in January, dethroning two-time featherweight champion Orlando Salido at Madison Square Garden via an eight-round technical win that had Garcia winning virtually every round against the seasoned veteran. He was forced to vacate the title in his first defense, for not being able to make the 126-pound weight limit. Though drained, he was still able to rise to the occasion and knock out former two-division world champion Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez in the fourth round last June. Garcia, 25, had a career-best year in 2012, knocking out one-time world title challenger Bernabe Concepcion and former world champion Mauricio Pastrana, in the seventh and second rounds, respectively. He ended his 2012 campaign by knocking out former World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight champion Jonathan Barros in the eighth round last November. Garcia is trained by his father Eduardo Garcia and co-managed and trained by his brother, 2012 Trainer of the Year Robert Garcia, the former International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior lightweight champion.

Donaire (31-2, 20 KOs), a native of General Santos City, Philippines, now living in Las Vegas, Nev., has been a consensus top-10 pound-for-pound fighter for several years. His 12-year, 30-bout winning streak came to an end in his last fight, losing a decision to undefeated Cuban sensation and WBA super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rogondeaux in a title unification bout last April. Trained by 2012 Trainer of the Year and former world champion Robert Garcia, Donaire is himself the reigning Fighter of the Year. 2012 was a career year for Donaire, winning four world title fights — all televised live on HBO. Highlights included capturing the vacant WBO junior featherweight title in February, winning a gritty split-decision battle over former world champion Wilfredo Vazquez, Jr. He unified the title later that summer, via a dominant unanimous decision victory over defending IBF champion Jeffrey Mathebula. Donaire followed that victory with another legacy-making knockout — a ninth-round stoppage of WBC Diamond Belt super bantamweight champion Toshiaki Nishioka in October, ending Nishioka’s eight-year, 16-bout winning streak. Donaire capped the year in December, blasting out Méxican icon Jorge Arce via a third-round knockout. Career highlights for Donaire also include knockout victories of defending IBF / International Boxing Organization (IBO) flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan, in the fifth round, the first loss of Darchinyan’s professional career, former WBA bantamweight champion Wladimir Sidorenko, in the fourth round, and defending WBC / WBO bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel in the second round, ending Montiel’s 25-bout winning streak while also claiming his third world title in as many weight divisions. That victory was named the 2011 Knockout of the Year.

Darchinyan (39-5-1, 28 KOs), a native of Armenia whose home base has been Sydney, Australia, is one of the lower division’s most exciting fighters. A member of Armenia’s 2000 Olympic boxing team, he won his first world title in his 22nd professional bout, knocking out undefeated International IBF flyweight champion Irene Pacheco in the 11th round of their 2004 battle, ending Pacheco’s five-year reign. During his own three-year tenure as world champion, Darchinyan successfully defended his title six times – all by stoppage – against the division’s top contenders. After losing the title and his undefeated record to Donaire, in 2007, Darchinyan moved up in weight and claimed the IBF junior bantamweight crown, knocking out defending champion Dimitri Kirilov in the fifth round. He unified the 115 pound world titles in his next fight, knocking out WBC / WBA super flyweight champion Cristian Mijares in the ninth round. The first person to unify three of the titles in that weight division He successfully defended his titles three times during his two-year reign as unified super flyweight champion, including an 11th-round stoppage of Méxican icon Jorge Arce. Darchinyan vacated his titles in mid-2010 to campaign as a bantamweight, defeating former IBF bantamweight champion Yonnhy Perez, Evans Mbamba and Eric Barcelona, while losing competitive decisions to world champions Abner Mares, Joseph Agbeko and Shinsuke Yamanaka. Last September, Darchinyan made his debut as a super bantamweight, winning the NABF title by shellacking previously undefeated prospect Luis Del Valle. Darchinyan returns to the ring fresh from a fourth-round knocked out of Francisco Gallo in May. Darchinyan is currently world-rated No. 2 by the WBO and the WBC, No. 4 by the WBA and No. 5 by the IBF.

Martirosyan (33-0-1, 21 KOs), a native of Armenia who fights out of Glendale, Calif., is one of the super welterweight division’s most promising contenders. A member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic team, Martirosyan’s amateur resume boasts victories over future world champions Timothy Bradley, Jr., Austin Trout and Andre Berto. Trained by Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach, Martirosyan captured his first title in 2009, knocking out defending NABA/NABO champion Willie Lee. He successfully defended the title in his next fight, in 2010, a 10-round unanimous decision victory over former IBF junior middleweight champion Kassim Ouma. He added the NABF title to his trophy case with another 10-round unanimous decision later that same year, at Yankee Stadium, this time over previously undefeated Joe Greene, and captured the World Boxing Council (WBC) Silver super welterweight title in 2011, via a seventh-round TKO of Saul Roman. Currently world-rated No. 1 by the WBO, Martirosyan returns to the ring fresh from knocking out Ryan Davis, his seventh knockout victim in his last 11 fights.

Andrade (19-0, 13 KO), of Providence, RI, has been a mainstay on television since making his professional debut following his stint on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team. Co-promoted by Banner Promotions and Star Boxing, Andrade’s aggressive style has attracted and created fans on both coasts of the U.S. One doesn’t have to look any further than his recent record where Andrade has stopped five of his last seven opponents. In his last fight, Andrade pasted one-time world title challenger Freddy Hernandez for 10 rounds, winning every round on all three judges’ card en route to a unanimous decision victory. Andrade is currently world-rated No. 2 by the WBO.

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com and www.hbo.com/boxing, Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/hboboxing, and facebook.com/trboxeo, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, or twitter.com/hboboxing.

Vic Darchinyan will look to extract revenge for his knockout defeat to Nonito Donaire in 2007 when the meet in a rematch as part of an HBO televised tripleheader on November 9th according to Dan Rafael of espn.

The bout could possibly take place in Corpus Christie, Texas that will also feature two title bout. WBO Super Featherweight champion Rocky Martinez defending against former Featherweight titlist Mikey Garcia while Demtrius Andrade and Vanes Martirosyan vie for the vacant WBO Super Welterweight title.

“Darchinyan is an awkward guy and he can punch,” said Cameron Dunkin, Donaire’s manager. “He’s a dangerous guy and he really wants this fight and revenge. You never take a guy like this lightly. Anything can happen in this business.”

“Vic has wanted this fight for a long time. He wants redemption,” Frank Espinoza, Darchinyan’s manager, said. “This is a fight he’s been waiting for. I was able to get him that opportunity, but now it’s up to Vic to prepare himself well. I’ve only had Vic for one fight, but here we are, in our second fight together, and he’s got the rematch with Nonito that he has wanted for a long time.

“Of course, it was monetary, too [accepting the higher weight], but it’s good money for Vic. He’s at the point in his career he doesn’t want to wait any longer. He wants redemption, and by beating Donaire, the doors will open for him again.”

“Vic is the smaller guy, but he’s up for the challenge,” Espinoza said. “He really wants to fight Nonito again. This is the first time at 126 for both of them, but Donaire is coming off a loss and the surgery and my guy is coming off two wins.”

“He’s happy and wants to get back in the ring and fight. He’s anxious to fight,” Dunkin said. “He kept asking me, ‘When are we gonna get the contract? When can I fight again?’

“He was really disappointed in himself and didn’t think he fought as well as he should have against Rigondeaux. He said, ‘I know I can beat him but I didn’t, so you gotta give him credit. He beat me.’ But Nonito said he didn’t train properly and that he took it for granted. He says that won’t happen again. He said, ‘Look, I’m 30 years old and I want to finish strong.’ He knows Darchinyan will be really fired up for this fight, so Nonito will really prepare for this one.”

Former world champion Vic Darchinyan scored an impressive third round stoppage over Javier Gallo in a scheduled ten round Super Bantamweight bout in Laredo, TX.

Darchinyan dropped Gallo three times in round two and finished the bout with a perfect left hand that dropped Gallo for a fourth time in round three.

Darchinya, 123 1/2 lbs of Armenia is now 39-5-1 with twenty-eight knockouts. Gallo, 123 1/2 lbs of Tijuana, MX is 18-7-1

2012 Mexican Olympian Oscar Valdez scored an explosive first round knockout over Rocco Espinoza in a scheduled six round Featherweight bout.

Espinoza scored three knockdowns with the first coming from a body shot, the second from a right to the head and third coming from a booming right hand and the fight was stopped at 2:58 of round one.

Valdez, 127 3/4 lbs of Nogales, MX s now 5-0 with four knockouts. Espinoza, 127 1/2 lbs of Las Vegas is now 4-7

In a battle of undefeated Jr. Welterweights, Kendo Castaneda scored a four round majority decision over Victor Rosas.

Scores were 40-36, 39-37 and 38-38 for Castaneda, 139 lbs of San Antonio, TX and is now 4-0. Rosas, 140 1/4 lbs of New Laredo, TX is 2-1.

Vic Darchinyan 123.5 – Javier Gallo 123.25

LAREDO, TX (April 18, 2013) – On the heels of Tax Day, two-division world champion VIC “Raging Bull” DARCHINYAN is looking to file a happy return to the ring when he makes his Top Rank and 2013 debut. The former flyweight and super flyweight world champion and current Top-Three contender will take on Tijuana toughman Francisco Javier Gallo in a 10-round super bantamweight rumble, on Saturday, May 11, under the stars at the Uni-Trade Stadium in Laredo, TX. This marks the inaugural boxing event at Uni-Trade Stadium, the new state-of-the-art home of the Laredo Lemurs of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball League.

Darchinyan vs. Gallo will be televised live on UniMás, as the main event of Solo Boxeo Tecate, beginning at 11:00 p.m. ET. The telecast will also feature two-time Méxican Olympian ÓSCAR VALDEZ in a six-round featherweight battle. Darchinyan and Valdez are managed by Frank Espinoza.

“Vic brings an all-action style of fighting to a very exciting boxing division,” said Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank. “I am looking forward to watching Vic bring it on May 11.”

Darchinyan (38-5-1, 27 KOs), a native of Armenia, who fights out of Sydney, Australia, was a member of Armenia’s 2000 Olympic boxing team. He won his first world title in his 22nd professional bout, knocking out undefeated International Boxing Federation (IBF) flyweight champion Irene Pacheco in the 11th round of their 2004 battle, ending Pacheco’s five-year reign. During his own three-year tenure as world champion, Darchinyan successfully defended his tile six times – all by stoppage – against the division’s top contenders. After losing the title to Nonito Donaire, in 2007, Darchinyan moved up in weight and claimed the IBF junior bantamweight crown, knocking out defending champion Dimitri Kirilov in the fifth round. He unified the 115 pound world titles in his next fight, knocking out World Boxing Council (WBC) / World Boxing Association (WBA) super flyweight champion Cristian Mijares in the ninth round. He successfully defended his titles three times during his two-year reign as unified super flyweight champion, including an 11th-round stoppage of Méxican icon Jorge Arce. Darchinyan vacated his titles in mid-2010 to campaign as a bantamweight, defeating former IBF bantamweight champion Yonnhy Perez, Evans Mbamba and Eric Barcelona, while losing competitive decisions to world champions Abner Mares, Joseph Agbeko and Shinsuke Yamanaka. In his last fight, which took place last September, Darchinyan made his debut as a super bantamweight, winning the NABF title by shellacking previously undefeated prospect Luis Del Valle. Darchinyan is currently world-rated No. 2 by the World Boxing Organization (WBO) and No.3 by the WBC.

Gallo (18-6-1, 10 KOs), of Tijuana, México, is a stocky brawler with an aggressive style, At the age of 29, Gallo is an eight-year pro. At his best, he pressures his opponents and wears them down. He is tough, determined and experienced against good opposition. Over one half of his victories have come by way of knockout.

Valdez (3-0, 3 KOs), of Nogales, México, represented México in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. In last year’s London Games, fighting as bantamweight, he advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to eventual Silver Medalist John Joe Nevin of Ireland, despite Nevin taking a standing 8-count in the final round from a body shot. Trained by his father, Óscar Sr., Valdez returns to the ring fresh from a fourth-round TKO victory over Carlos Gonzalez on the undercard of the March 16 Tim Bradley-Ruslan Provodnikov battle at The Home Depot Center.

Remaining tickets, priced at $15 (reserved) and $20 (box), and VIP Field Tables priced at $500 and $750 (for 10 people), can be purchased at Uni-Trade Stadium box office only. Vouchers for FREE general admission tickets are available at all participating Laredo-area Whataburger Restaurants, while supplies last.

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing and facebook.com/trboxeo and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing and twitter.com/trboxeo.

LOS ANGELES, October 19 – One of the biggest fights of 2012 is on the horizon with unbeaten WBC Super Bantamweight World Champion Abner Mares defending his crown against WBA Bantamweight Super World Champion Anselmo “Chemito” Moreno on November 10 at STAPLES Center in a twelve round fight for Mares’ title which will be televised live on SHOWTIME Championship Boxing. Before these two exciting stars step into the ring, FOX Deportes Classics will show you how they got to this point by replaying two epic battles with Mares vs. Vic Darchinyan on Saturday, October 20 at 11:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. PT and Moreno vs. Darchinyan on Sunday, October 21 at 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. ET (check your local listings for exact time due to MLB playoff schedules).

In the main event, Mares announces his arrival on the world stage with his 12 round split decision victory over Australia’s Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan from December of 2010 and, in the co-feature, Moreno shows his stuff against the “Raging Bull,” when he made his United States debut against Darchinyan in a fight from December of 2011.

A 2004 Mexican Olympian who now fights out of Hawaiian Gardens, Calif., unbeaten Abner Mares entered the ring at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington on December 11, 2010 determined to make his mark in the first round of SHOWTIME’s Bantamweight Tournament and he did just that against Australian superstar Vic Darchinyan, trading knockdowns with his foe before emerging victorious via 12 round split decision and eventually winning the tournament.

Nearly a year later, it was Panama native Anselmo Moreno’s turn to battle the “Raging Bull.” In another hard-fought 12 round battle, “Chemito” defended his WBA Bantamweight Super World Championship with a unanimous decision win over Darchinyan.

# # #

Mares vs. Moreno is a 12-round battle for Mares’ WBC Super Bantamweight World Championship promoted by Golden Boy Promotions taking place on November 10 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. The event is sponsored by Corona and AT&T and will be televised live on SHOWTIME.

Tickets priced at $200, $100, $50 and $25, not including applicable service charges and taxes, are available for purchase at all Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at (800) 745-3000 or at the STAPLES Center Box Office.

October 1, 2012 – This past Saturday, former three division world champion, Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan (38-5-1, 27 KOs), resurrected his career with a dominating victory against previous unbeaten Puerto Rican contender, Luis Orlando Del Valle (16-1, 11 KOs). With the gutty win, Darchinyan roars back into world title contention as he captured the vacant NABF title in the super bantamweight division.

After becoming a world champion in multiple divisions, Darchinyan’s win against Del Valle was his first at the super bantamweight division. Many opportunities arise with the victory.

“I felt very strong coming into this fight and I was in great shape.” said Darchinyan. “I’m going to campaign at super bantamweight moving forward and I believe I still have the power to keep my opponents honest.”

Darchinyan felt that coming into this fight as the underdog, was a slap in the face.

“I could not believe that I was the underdog coming into this fight.” continued Darchinyan, “I was thinking, what has this kid done to be the favorite against a fighter who’s won eight world championships. It really surprised me that I wasn’t the main event and that the fight was only a 10-rounder. All this inspired me to prove everyone wrong and dominate this fight. Now I’m calling out all champions….LET’S GO!

Darchinyan’s promoter, Gary Shaw, feels Vic has a lot of fight left in him and believes he should be next in line to fight all champions in every sanctioning organization.

“Look for Darchinyan to be in a big fight next time he steps in the ring because he showed everyone he can still fight at the elite level,” stated Gary Shaw. “In his astonishing career, he’s faced the best challenges that have come his way and his win against a very talented young fighter in Del Valle, is proof he can fight at the championship level.”

“Darchinyan and his thrilling style is responsible for bringing the little guys back to TV and in the limelight. I believe when Vic hangs up the gloves he will be a first ballot Hall of Famer.”

Edwin Rodriguez remained perfect by administering a one-sided beat down of prebiously undefeated Edwin Escalera in round eight of a scheduled ten round Super Middleweight bout at the MGM at Foxwoods in Connecticut.

Rodriguez came out in round one pounding Escalera all over the ring. Escalera lost his mouth piece twice but it was the least of his problems as he ate about fifty power shots in the round and a case could have been made for referee Steve Smoger to intervene in the first stanza. Rodriguez continued to box and win round’s. Rodriguez went after Escalera in round four and drilled him with hard right in the fifth that buckled Escalera.

The rout continued until referee Steve Smoger stopped the drubbing twelve seconds into round eight.

Vic Darchinyan resurrected his career by scoring a ten round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Luis Del Valle in a Super Bantamweight fight.

Darchinyan proved that experience over Del Valle was a big factor as he pounded Del Valle for most of the thirty minute affair. Del Valle should get credit for determination but Darchinyan landed punches from all angles and to all parts of Del Valle. Del Valle made a brief rally in round nine when he landed a right that rocked Darchinyan.

Darchinyam of Sydney, Australia won by scores of 99-91, 99-91 and 96-94 and is now 38-5-1. Del Valle, 122 lbs of Bayamon, PR is now 16-1.

Antonin DeCarie scored a sixth round stoppage over Alex Perez in a scheduled ten round Welterweight bout.

DeCarie worked the body and head and was doing very well mixing up the punches. In round six, DeCarie landed a vicious left that wobbled Perez and a subsequent right hand put Perez down. Perez was shaken and ate about five more flush right hands that forced referee Danny Schivone to stop the bout at 2:54 of round six.

DeCarie, 147 lbs of Montreal is now 27-1 with eight knockouts. Perez, 146 lbs of Newark, NJ is now 16-1.

September 26, 2012 – Gary Shaw Productions former three division world champion, Vic Darchinyan (37-5-1, 27 KOs), and undefeated Puerto Rican sensation, Luis Orlando Del Valle (16-0, 11 KOs), will battle for the vacant NABF super bantamweight title is Saturday September 29, 2012. The fight will be televised live on HBO BOXING AFTER DARK® beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT.

Darchinyan, known for being a warrior in the ring with a never say die approach to boxing, is looking to get back in the win column after losing to Japan’s Shinsuke Yamanaka (16-0-2, 11 KOs) and Panama’s Anselmo Moreno (33-1-1, 12 KOs) in back to back world title fights.

“I’m the ultimate road warrior” said Darchinyan. “I’ve traveled all over the world to scrap with the best fighters in my division. This Saturday will be no different when I step in the ring with Del Valle. I’m looking forward to giving him his first loss while I get myself back into title contention.”

“Del Valle better be ready for a rough fight because I’m coming hard every round. Gary should not have invested his money in DelValle, because it was a bad investment and he is going to lose his money.”

Darychinyan’s promoter Gary Shaw believes Vic has nothing to lose and will give Del Valle all he can handle.

“Right now Darchinyan has his back against the wall and he’s going to give every ounce of energy to win this fight,” stated Gary Shaw. “Del Valle is a great young fighter with a tremendous amount of talent, but he’s never been in the ring with an experienced fighter like Vic. I’m expecting an exciting fight this Saturday between these two and I won’t be surprised if Darchinyan comes out victorious.”

In the super middleweight main event, Edwin Rodriguez (21-0, 14 KO) will face Jason Escalera (13-0-1, 12 KO). The opening bout will be a welterweight clash between Alex Perez (16-0, 9 KO) and Antonin Decarie (26-1, 7 KO).

# # #

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that former two division champion Vic Darchinyan will fight for a bantamweight crown when he takes on Shinsuke Yamanaka in Tokyo on April 1

“I am very happy I was able to make a world title fight for Vic,” said Darchinyan’s promoter Gary Shaw. “He wanted another opportunity so badly that we took this fight for short money to do it.”

“Vic says he feels he can fight and win at 118 pounds,” Shaw said. “He has not had the success he had in the lower divisions, but he has also fought the best fighters in the world and he has not lost to inferior fighters. I thought he won the Mares fight, absolutely, 1,000 percent.

“A lot of people thought he won that fight. The only fight I believe he was outclassed in was against Moreno and that was a style mismatch thing. It just was not a good matchup for Vic. But no matter who he fights, he brings action and he brings the fight.”

“I haven’t seen any film on him but I was able to make the fight for Vic,” Shaw said. “I’ll get some film and have a better feeling of what we are up against after I look at it. I give credit to Vic for wanting to always fight the best and being willing to travel around the world to fight wherever the opportunity is.”

LOS ANGELES – An accidental collision of heads happened as Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan charged Yonnhy Perez in the fifth round of their consolation-cum-main-event bout. A cut opened over Perez’s eyes, and the match was stopped and sent to the scorecards. Those were academic, though. Perez hadn’t been in the fight for one minute of its opening 13.

Saturday night at Nokia Theatre in the downtown area, Armenia’s Darchinyan (36-3-1, 27 KOs) blitzed, bullied and blasted Colombia’s Perez (20-2-1, 14 KOs), beating him by three scores of 50-44 in a fight that saw only four rounds completed and none competitive.

Darchinyan, a southpaw and former world champion originally scheduled for the consolation match of Showtime’s Bantamweight Tournament but elevated to the main event when Joseph Agbeko withdrew from his championship fight with Abner Mares, dropped Perez in the second round then measured him for left uppercuts and crosses that didn’t miss.

When an accidental collision of heads came in the fifth round, referee Jerry Cantu acknowledged the cut and motioned the fighters together. Perez, though, shook his head and walked to his corner, where ringside doctor Paul Wallace eventually stopped the match, citing “arterial bleeding.”

“The ref said, ‘Do you want to fight?’” reported Darchinyan of his opponent’s comportment, after the match. “He said, ‘No.’ He quit.”

Asked about future opponents, Darchinyan first named the man who beat him by split decision in December.

“I’d like to fight (Abner) Mares, if he’ll fight me,” said Darchinyan. “Otherwise, I’ll fight Nonito Donaire.”

Donaire remains the only man to knock Darchinyan out in his prizefighting career.

UNDERCARD
Having a name that ends in a phonetic “?-?n” may win you a following in Glendale, Calif., but it ensures nothing else in boxing, as junior lightweight Armenian Azat Hovenensian (0-1) learned in his professional debut against Mexican Juan Reyes (1-1) in the final fight of Saturday’s undercard. Hovenensian engaged throughout the match’s four rounds and absorbed a rain of blows from Reyes, who won by unanimous-decision scores of 38-37, 40-36 and 40-36.

“Figueroa versus Figueroa along Figueroa” went the theme for a junior welterweight fight between Texan Omar Figueroa (11-0-1, 8 KOs) and Puerto Rican John Figueroa (7-10-3, 3 KOs) midway through the evening’s scheduled undercard. A Figueroa won of course – in this case Omar – by second-round knockout at 2:05.

Saturday’s third bout featured two Californians and the first of what would be four fighters of Armenian background, as Glendale’s Art Hovhannisyan (13-0-1, 7 KOs) swapped blows with Richmond’s Jose Alfredo Lugo (11-16-1, 5 KOs) in an entertaining six-round junior welterweight fight. Hovhannisyan, often moving like fellow Armenian Vic Darchinyan but generally showing better balance when attacking, grinded-down Lugo for four rounds before stopping him with a right cross at 1:57 of round 5.

Before that, an inspired four-round flyweight bout between Pennsylvania’s Miguel Diaz (5-0, 3 KOs) and Californian Alejandro Solorio (4-4, 3 KOs) saw Diaz remain undefeated by dropping Solorio in round 3 and cruising to a unanimous decision all three judges scored 39-36. But Solorio, a local fighter, made things interesting in each of the bout’s 12 minutes.

Saturday’s seven-fight card began with a slow-to-develop heavyweight match between Washington, D.C.’s DaVarryl Williamson (27-6, 23 KOs) and Floridian Michael Marrone (19-3, 14 KOs). The match temporarily came alive in round 3, when Williamson landed a counter right hand that knocked Marrone to the blue mat just before the bell. Four rounds later – at 2:30 of the seventh – the fight ended in similar fashion, with Williamson prevailing by technical knockout.

Opening bell rang on a silent Nokia Theatre at 5:06 PM local time. At 7:25, a venue security guard confirmed the door’s ticket count was 2,000.

Photo by Tom Casino / Showtime

LOS ANGELES – Friday afternoon on the second floor of the never-ending JW Marriott Hotel in the middle of downtown, last-minute main-event bantamweights Armenian Vic Darchinyan and Colombian Yonnhy Perez made weight for their Saturday consolation fight. But in an existential twist, the room was filled with the absence of Agbeko.

Ghana’s Joseph Agbeko, scheduled to fight Mexico’s Abner Mares in the finals of Showtime’s Bantamweight Tournament at Nokia Theatre, was not there and will not be in action Saturday. Citing sciatica – a nerve condition of the lower back and legs – and a pain so extreme that it caused him to collapse on Tuesday, Agbeko officially withdrew from his fight with Mares, at Thursday’s final fight-week press conference.

Friday’s weigh-in sagged somewhat from the deflation caused by that announcement. Like its host edifice, the weigh-in for what is now Darchinyan-Perez was resplendent but empty. There was ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. There was a pair of lasses scantily accoutered like ring-card girls. And there were Darchinyan, who weighed 117.8 pounds, and Perez, who made 117.6. But there was no Agbeko and no Mares, no Don King and no Oscar De La Hoya – who, along with Gary Shaw, co-promote the event – and those were not good omens for Saturday’s gate.

“We may have to give refunds,” said Golden Boy Promotions matchmaker Eric Gomez, Friday. “It’s up to the venue, but it’s tough when you lose a main event. Tough on the fighters, too.”

Asked how close he came to finding a replacement for Agbeko on short notice, Gomez confirmed there were hopes on Wednesday. “Very close,” said Gomez. “We tried to find an opponent that resembled Agbeko’s style. But ultimately, Abner said, ‘What if something happens?’”

While Saturday’s new main event – which features two fighters who lost in the Bantamweight Tournament semifinals in December – should nevertheless be a very entertaining spectacle, much of the enthusiasm that accompanied the start of fight-week was gone by Friday afternoon.

The weigh-in could have used the robust charisma and cackle of co-promoter Don King, but he was not in attendance.

“Don was getting on a flight on Thursday morning, and this was Wednesday night,” said publicist Alan Hopper. “And I told him, ‘No, it’s OK, you don’t have to be here.’”

The show will go on just the same. Doors are scheduled to open on Nokia Theatre at 4:00 PM local time, with the opening bell set to ring at 5:00. 15rounds.com will have full ringside coverage.

Joseph Agbeko got redemption and in one swoop reclaimed the IBF Bantamweight championship and advanced to the Bantamweight tournament finals with a twelve round unanimous decision in a rematch with the man who took the title from him in Yonnhy Perez at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington.

Agbeko boxed beautifully over the first half of the fight as he moved in and out and would land some solid rights and used some solid movement for which Agbeko hasnt been previously known for.

In round six, the two went to war throughout the full three minutes as Perez consistently pinned Agbeko against the ropes and landed some hard shots but Agbeko was always answering the barrages of the taller Perez.

Perez had some solid rounds as he featured some lead left hooks that got him back into the fight. Agbeko then turned back to boxing over the last three rounds as he landed and moved as Perez looked a little tired and had little on his punches.

Agbeko of Accra, Ghana won by scores of 117-111; 116-112; 115-113 and is now 28-2. Perez of Colombia is now 20-1-1.

Referencing the IBF belt now in his hands, Agbeko exclaimed. “This is my meal ticket and I’m glad I got it back. I am presenting it to Ghana as a Christmas bonus.” When asked about the upcoming tournament final with Mares, he said, “I’ve watched Abner Mares. He is a very smart kid. King Kong is always King Kong. I’m going to get the crown from him.”

Respectful in defeat, Perez offered, “Agbeko had an intelligent fight today and he won fair and square. I did not expect this game plan from Agbeko.”

Bloodied, knockdown and a point taken away, and that was in the first three rounds but Abner Mares came on late to win a split decision over Vic Darchinyan.

The tone was set early in round one as the two clashed heads and a bad cut was viable on the high left forehead of Mares. I did not get any better for Mares in round two as he was dropped when a big left from Darchinyan had the affect which made Mares glove touch the canvas for a knockdown. Round three didint get any better for Mares as he deducted a point for repeated low blows. The blood began to worsen in that round as well but it seemed to spur Mares on.

The two continued to trade heavy shots and showed incredible courage in this fight that had action in every round. In round seven, a left hand sent Darchinyan to the canvas for a flash knockdown. Mares seemed to be fighting more in combination whereas Darchinyan was loading up for one big shot. Over the last three frames it was Mares forcing the action on what looked to be a very tired Darchinyan as the both continued to fight to the end.

Mares won by scores of 115-111 and 115-112 while Darchinyan took a card by a 115-111 tally.

Mares is now 21-0-1. Darchinyan is now 35-3-1

“Our plan was to push him back because we know he likes to bully people. He has a tremendous punch. I proved that I could take punches,” said the emerging Mexican star who hails from Guadalajara and lives in Montebello, Calif. “I kept pushing him back. I heard him moan every time I landed a body shot.”

The close fight and split decision loss did not leave Darchinyan pleased. “It’s very disgusting, very bad ref. I think, of course, I won. He didn’t let me do what I wanted to do,” said Darchinyan before conceding about Mares, “He is a tough kid.”

LOS ANGELES — SHOWTIME® Sports hosted a press conference Thursday at The Conga Room , L.A. Live, to formally introduce and discuss “BANTAMWEIGHT TOURNAMENT: WINNER TAKES ALL” that begins Saturday, Dec. 11, live on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) from Irapuato, Mexico.

In attendance was Ken Hershman, SHOWTIME Sports Executive Vice President and General Manager, the four world class boxers who will participate in the two-round, single-elimination tournament to determine the best fighter at 118 pounds – International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion Yonnhy Perez (20-0-1, 14 KOs), former world champions Joseph Agbeko (27-2, 22 KOs) and Vic Darchinyan (35-2-1, 27 KOs) and world-ranked rising star Abner Mares (29-0-1) – and their promoters

The semifinal matchups: Perez defends his title against Agbeko and Darchinyan and Mares vie for the World Boxing Council (WBC) Silver Belt The bouts are scheduled for 12 rounds. The winners of each semifinal will clash in the final in 2011 with the losing fighters competing in a consolation fight.

Each of the participants in the bantamweight tournament has previously fought at least one of the other fighters in competitive bouts, all on SHOWTIME.

The bantamweight tournament is promoted by Gary Shaw Productions for Darchinyan and, in association with Thompson Boxing Promotions, for Perez, Golden Boy Promotions for Mares, and Don King Productions for Agbeko.

What the fighters, Hershman and the promoters said Thursday:

KEN HERSHMAN (SHOWTIME)

“I want to thank the press for coming out and the fighters and promoters for participating in this amazing series of fights. Our promise to our subscribers has always been very simple and that’s to put on the best fights as possible and let the fans enjoy it. I think we have four of the top 118-pounders in the world and I don’t think there’s a bad matchup in the bunch.

When we looked at the various configurations, we couldn’t figure out where we wanted to go and that to me is exactly what you want. You don’t go into the fight knowing who’s going to win, who’s not going to win, everyone gets two shots and I think we’ll be able to claim who’s the undisputed champion in this weight category.

“I believe the sport of boxing is a tremendous sport by itself, but I think when you overlay tournament style rules to this sport it becomes that much more thrilling. Obviously, for our subscribers, keeping it new, keeping it fresh is what we’re after. I want to thank the promoters. This was really a very cooperative effort.”

RICHARD SCHAEFER (Golden Boy Promotions, Mares’ promoter)

“This really is an amazing lineup. It’s natural for Mexico to host the opening round of this tournament. As we all know, Mexico has a rich and deep history with bantamweights.

“These four fighters will deliver what I know will be the best four fights.’’

ABNER MARES

“The four-man tournament is great. Tournament boxing is great. It helps not only fighters but boxing because in this tournament you have four of the best fighters facing each other. There’s no ducking any fighters here. You’re fighting the best no matter what. You don’t pick fighters in a tournament and this is what people want and I want that. I am here for the fans.

“I want to take the time to thank SHOWTIME for putting this show together and not forgetting about the little guys because there are a lot of people that don’t even look at the little guys. It’s a great opportunity for all four of us. It’s tremendous for the weight class and I love it.

“It’s a privilege to fight Vic Darchinyan. He’s a well-known fighter, a big name. He’s beaten a lot of good fighters. All around I think he’s a good fighter but I don’t think of myself as a bad fighter. I think I’ve got the perfect style for him. I think it’s going to be a tough fight for both of us.

“I’ve got to take it fight by fight. But this fight is really big. I’ve got to take full advantage of my opportunity.

It will be my first time fighting in Mexico so that is exciting.’’

(On fighting Yonnhy Perez to a draw on SHOWTIME)

“I was ready. I said I was ready for that fight and I proved it going the 12 rounds. I still haven’t got over it because I have people telling me, ‘you won the fight.’ (But) it is what it is.’’

KEN THOMPSON (Thompson Boxing, Perez’ promoter)

“I think we’re going to have the most fabulous tournament ever. We’ve got four of the best fighters in the bantamweight division and they’re from all over the world: Ghana, Mexico, Armenia and Colombia. We’ve got a mix like never before — future champions, former champions and current champions. With this mix, you’ll never see fights like this again. But in the end we think the IBF Champion of the World, Yonnhy Perez, will be standing there right in the middle of the ring as the world champion. We’re looking for everything that could possibly happen to happen in this tournament. This is the greatest collection of bantamweights ever.’’

“You’ve got the best of the best with SHOWTIME putting this on. You’ve got the best promoters. SHOWTIME is one of the finest groups of people you could work with and they have a vision like no one else. I can’t wait for this to start.’’

YONNHY PEREZ

“I’m very happy that SHOWTIME is putting this tournament on. In the end it’s going to show who the best bantamweight in the world is. For SHOWTIME to get all these promoters together is great because you don’t have to get fights. It’s set. Whoever wins goes on; whoever loses, there is still a fight. My goal is to win it all. I’m very happy about the tournament because basically everyone included has a title.

“I can’t express how thankful I am to SHOWTIME for putting on this tournament and even putting me on Shobox when I first came up from Colombia. I’m very thankful. After everything is done I hope I continue to have their support and I’ll always be ready to fight and will always give a great fight for SHOWTIME.

“I’m concentrating on my fight. I don’t consider myself the favorite. I know I’m the world champion but I go into every fight thinking I’m the underdog. I’m going to prepare for this fight and come out victorious.’’

GARY SHAW (Gary Shaw Productions, Darchinyan’s promoter)

“Let me thank Ken Hershman. Ken, even with the problems we’ve had with the Super Six, saw the value in tournaments. I think tournaments is the way boxing is going to have to go. It has the interest of the fans. It has the interest of the fighters and once and for all you’ll know who the best really is.

“This is a great tournament. There are four great fighters. I have a lot of respect for all of them. Agbeko fought a great fight and Darchinyan had concrete between his ears, didn’t listen to his corner and I believe cost himself the fight, but Yonnhy finished the unfinished work of Vic by finishing Agbeko off.

“Abner Mares, who I have a tremendous amount of respect for, is the youngest fighter and was in an absolute war with Yonnhy. I thought Yonnhy won by one round but I thought Mares showed a huge amount of heart and courage, stayed in that fight and took it to a draw. Darchinyan is the oldest fighter on the stage, the one with the most experience. Everybody at SHOWTIME knows Darchinyan and they know how he thinks and they know when he fight, he comes to fight. He’s never in a dull fight.

“I want to tell you how you confident I am in Vic Darchinyan. This fight is in Mexico, but I told Vic ‘don’t worry, you are the best in the tournament.’ He said, “You really believe that?’ I said, ‘I believe it so much I called up Jose Sulaiman and we’re going to have a Mexican referee, we’re going to have three Mexican judges, a Mexican timekeeper and I know you’ll win.”

VIC DARCHINYAN

I want to thank Gary Shaw , Ken Hershman and everyone at SHOWTIME for putting on this show. Now, the whole world can see at bantamweight who’s the best. I am very happy for this tournament. I’m physically prepared all the time.

“I’m happy I’m fighting in Mexico. My style is a Mexican style, guys are coming to fight, coming for a show, so that’s what I’m going to do. Mexicans love my style. I am not against them, I am not against anyone. I’m just against my opponent. It just happens Mexicans have been my opponents, which is good. Mexicans are good fighters.

“The two other guys (Francisco Montiel, Nonito Donaire) that didn’t want to be in the tournament know they cannot be at the same level. Some of them think they are good, but if you’re good, get in the tournament. If you’re one of the best at bantamweight, come and fight. Mares is a good fighter.

“I’m going to be prepared for anything. No fear. I moved up to challenge other champions. The super tournament connects all the dots. I don’t want to defend my titles and fight No. 10, No. 15. If I fight, I collect all belts. The point is not who you can beat, it’s what champions you can beat. I want to prove myself and I want to prove to everyone I’m the best. Why worry?

ALAN HOPPER (Don King Productions)

“I happened to be at ARCO Arena in Sacramento in 2007 when pretty much an unknown guy came in to face a tough as nails Nicaraguan name Luis Perez. He had been the ideal bantamweight champion since 2003 Joseph knocked him out and sent him to the hospital. That’s how he catapulted himself to this stage. Later, in his career-defining fight, he met Darchinyan.

“It’s always going to be a good promotion with Vic, a lot of back and forth talking. The Florida commission used SHOWTIME’s clock and there was an extra minute in a round and in that round Vic knocked Joseph down. It was a wonderful fight and Joseph was fortunate enough to come out with a victory. Then, there was the “Halloween Thrilla” at Treasure Island on SHOWTIME where Yonnhy met Joseph. Yonnhy had a great game plan and I give him everything. In the 10th round there was a terrible head butt and Joseph got knocked down. The referee didn’t see it, and called it a knock down. Joseph feels like he has some unfinished business.’’

JOSEPH AGBEKO

“This is going to be a very nice tournament. The opportunity to meet the best bantamweights in the world is going to give me a very good platform. This tournament is the return of “King Kong.’’ It’s giving me the opportunity to get back in the ring. My trainer and I are coming together to make me the best bantamweight.

“Perez is a great fighter. He’s got a brave heart. I’m going to come very well prepared. I’m not thinking about Vic, I’m not thinking about Mares, I’m thinking about Perez. The winner will meet me.

“I think it’s going to be a very nice opportunity for me to fight in Mexico. They’ve produced a lot of great fighters and it’s going to be an honor to fight in Mexico.

“I’m very motivated to get back the belt because Ghana has no champion right now. They all have supported me and want me to win the title.’’

About Showtime Networks Inc.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD™, SHOWTIME 2 HD™, THE MOVIE CHANNEL HD™, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL ON DEMAND™ and FLIX ON DEMAND®. SNI also manages Smithsonian Channel™, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the much rumored four man Bantamweight tournament will begin December 11 in Leon, Mexico and will feature first round fights between Vic Darchinyan taking on Abner Mares and a rematch between Yonnhy Perez and Joseph Agbeko.

Gary Shaw, who promotes Darchinyan and Perez, said the tournament, which has been in the works for a couple of months, was finalized during an afternoon conference call.

“It’s a very exciting night of fights for a great year-ending card on Showtime,” Shaw said. “Time to see who the real 118-pound champion will be.”

“I think it’s a great opportunity for these guys,” said Frank Espinoza, who manages Mares and Perez. “I think what Showtime is doing for the bantamweight division is great. You have four top boxers in the division. The winner of the tournament will be a superstar in the making. There’s a lot of good stuff in this tournament and I am looking forward to this.

“I know Abner and Yonnhy are also looking forward to the tournament. We are happy that everyone involved, Gary Shaw, [Mares promoter] Golden Boy, [Agbeko promoter] Don King and Ken Hershman from Showtime made this happen. We’re really excited.”