Jake Paul won a 10-round unanimous decision over Nate Diaz in an entertaining cruiserweight bout in front of a capacity crowd at The American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas.

In round one, Paul hurt Diaz with a left to the top of the head and had him reeling to ropes as he landed a hard flurry of punches. Diaz made a stand in round four as he landed some shots that drove Paul back. In round five, Paul dropped Diaz with a short left hook to the side of the head.

The second half of the fight saw Diaz be more competitive as he was able to get to Paul several times by landing short shots on the inside that snap the head of Paul. There were several toe-to-toe exchanges that thrilled the boisterous crowd at The American Airlines Arena. The battled it out until the final bell.

Paul landed 174 of 491 punches. Diaz was 143 of 392.

Paul, 185 lbs of Cleveland won by scores of 98-91 twice and 97-92 and is now 7-1. Diaz, 184.9 lbs of Stockton, CA was making his professional boxing debut.

Jake Paul Quotes

On his training camp for this fight: “I’m a new fighter. The new team we brought in, the new strength and conditioning—- everything was new and I worked harder this camp. It pushed me to my limits. There were moments in the gym where I thought, ‘Damn I don’t even know if I can do this,’ but I just kept on believing in myself and now my gas tank is crazy. I could have kept on going. I could have gone 12 rounds and we are just stepping up and up, and after doing it in three years- I’m happy with myself.”

On what it’s like to fight Nate: “It was fun and I knew he was trying to take breaks so I would pounce on him when he was doing that. We were talking to each other the whole fight.” 

“When you’re in there with another dog, you can sense it. It just makes the sport more fun and this fight was probably the most memorable yet.”

On his previous loss: “The loss was seriously the best thing. It set me on the path I was supposed to be on and you can’t cut corners in this sport. I was in the gym the day after the loss. I flew back from the Middle East and went to the gym every single day up until this fight.”

Nate Diaz Quotes:

On Jake Paul: He needed a takedown. He needed a choke. He did a good job. He’s a fucking athletic, strong dude and he hits hard and fast, but it ain’t nothing I hadn’t seen before, and I trained with people who were [like that]. These guys can throw down. It’s good shit. […] I should have been throwing punches, keeping him on the outside. I’m not trying to make an excuse, but about a month back I hurt my […] right arm, a bit. I think I should’ve kept to the outside and circled, and done better stuff. But it’s all good. There’s no way I [wouldn’t] show up for a fight because of something like that. You gotta go regardless, no matter what. 

[The chokehold was a] done deal. In a real fight, the fight’s over, and I would have secured the win, but we were participating in a boxing match, and it was a good time, and now I know… I’ve trained my whole career in boxing with pro boxers on the highest level, high as I could get, and I’ve done really well. I’ve never fought in a pro fight, so I thought I’d fuck up anybody. The guillotine… that was too easy. The takedown was too easy too – I got the punch, his whole weight was in my chest. In MMA they smash my head and fuck me up. 

I didn’t think I won. I knew he got the knockdown, but I figured I won a good amount of rounds. 

On his boxing debut: I would’ve liked to have trained like I do – when I’m smaller. I was kind of concerned with getting bigger. I didn’t think he was much bigger than me. 

On facing off with Jake Paul in MMA: Yeah, I think I would fight him. It’s easy to take him down. Two, three, four months [from now], I’m ready to rock. We’re going to talk. 

On returning to boxing: 100%. Talk about experience. […] I didn’t even get cut today. I get cut in every MMA fight I fight in. I have nobody’s [name] in mind right now, but […] next week, get back to me. I’m sure I’ll have a list full of motherfuckers’ asses to whip.

Serrano Defends Undisputed Title with Another Decision over Hardy

Amanda Serrano retained the Undisputed Featherweight Title with a 10-round unanimous decision over Heather Hardy in a rematch of a bout that had the same result in 2019.

Serrano battered and bloodied a tough-as-nails Hardy, who took many hard shots. She was able to get through all 10-rounds.

In round one, Serrano came out ripping hard shots to the body and head that made the nose of Hardy to start bleeding.

In round nine, Hard began to bleed from a big gash in her forehead from an accidental headbutt.

Serrano landed 278 of 739 punches. Hardy was 149 of 557.

Serrano, 124.6 lbs of Brooklyn won by scores of 100-90 twice and 99-91 and is now 45-2-1. Hardy, 125.8 lbs of Brooklyn is 24-3-1.

Amanda Serrano

On how tonight went: “It’s another day at the job. It feels good, I wanted to be on this card because I knew there would be a lot of people here wanting to see Jake vs Nate Diaz and that’s why we chose Heather. I just wanted to be here.” 

On Jake Paul: “He’s very on the job. When I was training down in Puerto Rico, I saw him training in the gym. I saw how much he improved. I saw it tonight, he went ten rounds —  he’s a real fighter now.

Chris Avila Decisions Jeremy Stephens

In a battle of former MMA fighters, Chris Avila pounded out an six-round unanimous decision over Jeremy Stephens in a super middleweight fight.

Avila landed 141 of 377 punches. Stephens was 81 of 267.

Avila, 170.3 lbs of Stockton, CA won by scores of 60-54 and 59-55 twice and is now 4-1. Stephens, 167 lbs of Chula Vista, CA is now 0-1-1.

Chris Avila

On the sold-out crowd and live audience energy: It was cool. It was motivating. And it was cool to see a bunch of people out there. And it made me feel good to go out there and show off. And yeah, it was fun.

And it shows you how much Nate brings to the fucking table. That was all Nate Diaz right there. This fan base is crazy. 

On getting ready for this fight with Nate as he got ready for a big fight: It was a long camp so we had a lot of boxing going on and a lot of high level boxing throughout the week. So it was a good camp and everyone got good work and everyone was leveled up. We’re on a good schedule. We’re locked for months. We’re always on the same schedule, but we were locked in. Everyone performed good tonight. It was a good camp.

Sylve Stops Silva with a Body Shot in Round 4

Ashton Sylve remained undefeated with a fourth round stoppage over William Silva in a lightweight contest.

At the end of round two, Sylve landed perfect left to the body tat put Silva on his back. In round four, Sylve landed another crushing left to the body, but this time Silva did not get up and the fight was over at 2:59.

Sylve,134.5 lbs of Long Beach, CA is 10-0 with nine knockouts. Silva, 134.6 of St. Petersburg, FL is 30-5.

H2O Sylve

On what he wants going forward: “I definitely want to be the best. I think that’s what the majority of the fighters want to be- a world champion.”

On fighting other top fighters in his weight class: “I definitely want to put my name out there. I think after this performance it makes sense, but at the same time I’ll see you when I see you. They are the top guys in the division, so they sort of have the shots now.”

On fighting at AAC in front of a sold out crowd: “It’s always a blessing to fight in front of a crowd and get myself out there and expose myself to a crowd like that. Being comfortable fighting in front of a crowd of, I think they said 20,000 people in attendance. It’s sort of destined for me to be on a big stage and everytime I’m under the lights like that my performance is high class.”

Shadasia Green Decisions Olivia Curry

Top-Ranked super middleweight contender Shadasia Green won a 10-round unanimous decision over Olivia Curry.

Curry had some success early by boxing and moving, but Green took over the second half of the fight as she landed some booming right hands that Curry took but marked up her face.

Green landed 179 of 385 punches. Curry was 99 of 495.

Green, 166.9 lbs of Paterson, NJ won by scores of 100-89, 100-90 and 99-91 and is now 13-0. Curry, 166.7 lbs of Chicago is 7-2.

Alan Sanchez Decisions Angel Beltran

Alan Sanchez scored an eight-round unanimous decision over Angel Beltran in a welterweight bout.

Sanchez landed 149 of 439 punches. Beltran landed 130 of 451.

Sanchez, 147 lbs of Fairfield, CA won by scores of 79-73, 78-74 and 77-75 and is now 23-5-1. Beltran, 144.4 lbs of Indio, CA is 17-2.

Kevin Newman II won a ight-round unanimous decision over Quilisto Madera in a super middleweight bout.

In round two, Madera began to swell under his left eye.

In round seven, Madera was deducted a point for hitting on the break.

Newman, 161.8 lbs of Las Vegas won by scores of 80-71 and 79-72 twice and is now 15-3-1. Madera, 164.9 lbs of Stockton, CA is 14-4.

Jose Aguayo won a four-round majority decision over Noel Cavazos in a welterweight bout.

In round three, Aguayo was cut over his left eye.

Aguayo, 148.6 lbs of Ventura, CA won by scores of 39-37 twice and 38-38 and is now 1-1. Cavazos, 149.4 lbs of San Ramon, CA is 2-2.

Luciiano Ramos won a four-round unanimous decision over Cee Jay Hamilton in a junior welterweight bout.

Ramos, 140 lbs of Buenos Aries, ARG won by scores of 40-36 twice and 39-37 and is now 2-3. Hamilton, 136.9 lbs of Hartwell, GA was making his pro debut.

Alan Sanchez

On the crowd and energy: Yeah, it was great to see a lot of people support. A lot of people from Stockton too come over here and support us. It’s motivating to see a lot of people here.

On getting ready for this fight with Nate as he got ready for a big fight: Well, it’s great, you know, we have a great camp. Everybody’s trained hard. We trained with Robert Garcia, we have good sparring over there. It was a great camp.

Cletus Seldin scored a vicious 7th round stoppage over William Silva in a scheduled 10-round super lightweight bout at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

In round seven, Seldin unleashed a perfect overhand right to the chin and another straight right put Silva down and out at 24 seconds.

Seldin, 139.1 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is 26-1 with 22 knockouts. Silva, 139 lbs of Sao Paulo, BRA is 28-4.

Said a euphoric Seldin after the victory, “This was the hardest training in my life. Just a year ago I was sleeping on the floor, after three cancellations of a fight.  I am 100% giving myself an A+ on this, for all the hard work and determination I had to get here.”

 “We always went for body, head, body, head, and coming up with the right hand. If you go back and look at what my trainer said for that round, he said, ‘two jabs and throw a short overhand right.’ He wasn’t getting up after I landed those two big right hands.”

“The distance was close and I was able to land them. I went for the home run on that right-hand combination and got the knockout.”

Ananyan Decisions Gonzalez

Petros Ananyan won a 10-round majority decision over Daniel Gonzalez in a super lightweight contest.

In round four, Gonzalez began to bleed from his nose. That fight featured terrific back and forth action with the difference being the 9th round where Ananyan battered the bloody face of Gonzalez.

Ananyan landed 106 of 415 punches; Gonzalez was 103 of 442.

Ananyan, 139.4 lbs of Brooklyn, NY won by scores of 96-94 twice and 95-95 and is now 16-2-2. Gonzalez, 138.6 lbs of Woodhaven, NY is 20-3-1.

“This was a tough fight but I’m very happy with my performance. I’m ready now for better competition and look forward to bigger fights in the near future,” said Ananyan after the victory.

Madera stops Najmitdonov after five

Will Madera spoiked the American debut of Jamshidbek Najmitdinov after round five of a scheduled eight-round super lightweight fight.

In round four, The nose of Najmitdinov began to bleed. Najmitdinov also hurt his left arm, and the fight was halted after the round five because of those injuries.

Madera, 139.4 lbs of Albany, NY is now 17-1-3 with 10 knockouts. Najmitdinov, 139.8 lbs of Tashkent, UZB is 17-2.

“This was a tough fight against a strong guy,” said Madera. “I knew I was hurting him, he was shaking his head no but that usually means yet. He was getting tired from my body shots and I could hear him grunting after each one.”

Francis Decisions Roman

In a battle of undefeated super welterweight, Cesar Francis won an eight-round unanimous decision over Jose Roman.

In round four, Francis dropped Roman with a body shot.

Francis landed 71 of 320 punches; Roman was 62 of 273.

Francis, 144.4 lbs of Brooklyn won by scores of 79-72 and 78-73 twice and is now 9-0. Roman. 145.4 lbs of Bayamon, PR is 11-1.

Brooklyn, New York (October 16, 2021)

How does a kid from Shirley Long Island make it onto the world stage of professional prize fighting? Enter, CLETUS SELDIN (Shirley, NY 25-1 21KO’s). Seldin is set to defend his NABA Super Lightweight title against tough Brazilian, WILLIAM SILVA (28-3 16KO’s) in a 10-round cross-roads fight at Triller Fight Club tonight (10/16) live from the Barclays Center.

Seldin grew up on Long Island’s south shore and from a young age had a no quit attitude. While attending Longwood high school, Cletus was a talented multi-sport athlete as both a state champion wrestler and starting cornerback for the Long Island Champion Longwood Lions. It was during this time Cletus decided he would become a professional athlete.

At 5’7″, a professional football career was out of reach. Instead, Seldin turned his sights to becoming a professional body builder, competing in a few meets. While finding some success, it would not be his passion. At the age of 22, Cletus walked into a boxing gym for the first time.

After a year of getting beat up, Cletus began to see a change, becoming the aggressor – and the “Hebrew Hammer” was born. Cletus’ strong work ethic and hunger to win translated to dominance in the ring. His come forward, throwback style reminiscent of the greats of boxing’s past like Marciano created a fear in his opponents. He becomes the cerebral assassin that abuts you with the left and puts you to sleep with the “Hebrew Hammer” right.

Saturday night marks an important test for Seldin. Entering the fight on a four-bout knockout streak and, more importantly, on the fringe of world title contention. In his way is stablemate, William Silva, who finds himself in the same position as Seldin, but simply on the other side of the ring. Only one man will have his hand raised, and to the victor goes the spoils. Will the “Hebrew Hammer” put an abrupt stop the fight as he has done 21 times prior, or will Silva put out the flame and take the belt and victory back to Brazil? Tune in tonight to find out.
WATCH TRILLER FIGHT CLUB HERE!MAIN EVENT: SELDIN VS SILVA
The stream is set to begin at 6PM ET. The main event is estimated to walk at 8PM ET. Tickets can be purchased at TrillerFightClub.com. The Seldin-Silva & Gonzalez-Ananyan slugfest is promoted by Triller Fight Club, DiBella Entertainment and Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing.

PREVIOUS RELEASES:
TRILLER FIGHT CLUB TO FEATURE SELDIN-SILVA, GONZALEZ-ANANYAN 10/16
STAKES RAISED: GONZALEZ-ANANYAN TO FIGHT FOR WBA CONTINENTAL AMERICA’S TITLE

UPCOMING EVENTS:

TRILLER FIGHT CLUB PRESENTS: TRILLERVERZ III
TONIGHT!
BARCLAYS CENTER, BROOKLYN, NY

CLETUS SELDIN vs WILLIAM SILVA DANNY GONZALEZ vs PETROS ANANYAN

TICKETS HERE

STAR BOXING PRESENTS:
ROCKIN’ FIGHTS 40
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11
THE PARAMOUNT, HUNTINGTON, NY

Rockin’ Fights returns for its 40th edition at The Paramount for an electric Thursday night fights on Long Island!

TICKETS HERE

STAR BOXING ARCHIVES:
Rockin’ Fights 38: Cletus Seldin vs Luis Flores NABA Title Bout
Rockin’ Fights 35: Danny “El Gallo” Gonzalez vs Jerome “Conqueror” Conquest

MEDIA CONTACTS

Brooklyn, New York (October 15, 2021)

Tomorrow’s Triller Fight Club fight card tipped the scales today at the Sheraton Brooklyn on the eve of an action packed night of fights at the Barclays Center.

In the 10-round NABA Super Lightweight title fight, CLETUS “THE HEBREW HAMMER” SELDIN (25-1 21KO’S) weighed in at 139.4 lbs. Challenging Seldin for the title is Brazilian, WILLIAM “BABY FACE” SILVA (28-3 16KO’s) who weighed in at 139 lbs.

In the 10-round WBA Continental America’s title fight, DANNY “EL GALLO” GONZALEZ tipped the scale at 138.6 lbs, while his opponent, PETROS ANANYAN weighed in at 139.4 lbs.

Tickets can be purchased at TrillerFightClub.com. The Seldin-Silva & Gonzalez-Ananyan slugfest is promoted by Triller Fight Club, DiBella Entertainment and Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing.

New York, New York (October 12, 2021)

Brooklyn is buzzing with boxing’s return to the Barclays Center on Saturday night (10/16) as CLETUS “THE HEBREW HAMMER” SELDIN (Shirley, NY, 25-1, 21KO’s) defends his NABA Super Lightweight Championship against challenger and stablemate, WILLIAM “BABY FACE” SILVA (Sao Paulo, Brazil, 28-3, 16KO’s) at Triller Fight Club.

The stakes of the previously announced co-main event between Queens native, DANNY “EL GALLO” GONZALEZ (Woodhaven, NY, 20-2-1, 7KO’s) and Armenian born Russian Brooklynite, PETROS ANANYAN (Brooklyn, NY, 15-2-2, 7KO’s) have been raised, as Star Boxing is pleased to announce that this 10-round super lightweight showdown will now be for the vacant WBA Continental America’s Super Lightweight Championship.

To Gonzalez, the belt adds to an already massive opportunity, “I’m so excited to fight for this belt. I’m truly blessed. I want to thank my promoter JOE DEGUARDIA for getting me these epic opportunities. I am ready to put it all on the line on Saturday night. I’m taking this home!”

A victory not only secures a WBA Continental America’s Title but is a ticket into the upper echelon of the super lightweight division. Both Gonzalez and Ananyan understand what is at stake come Saturday night, it only remains to be seen who will execute and seize such a monumental opportunity.

Tickets can be purchased at TrillerFightClub.com. The Seldin-Silva & Gonzalez-Ananyan slugfest is promoted by Triller Fight Club, DiBella Entertainment and Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing.

PREVIOUS RELEASES:
TRILLER FIGHT CLUB TO FEATURE SELDIN-SILVA, GONZALEZ-ANANYAN 10/16

UPCOMING EVENTS:

TRILLER FIGHT CLUB PRESENTS: TRILLERVERZ III
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16
BARCLAYS CENTER, BROOKLYN, NY

CLETUS SELDIN vs WILLIAM SILVA DANNY GONZALEZ vs PETROS ANANYAN

TICKETS HERE

STAR BOXING PRESENTS:
ROCKIN’ FIGHTS 40
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11
THE PARAMOUNT, HUNTINGTON, NY

Rockin’ Fights returns for its 40th edition at The Paramount for an electric Thursday night fights on Long Island!

TICKETS HERE

STAR BOXING ARCHIVES:
Rockin’ Fights 38: Cletus Seldin vs Luis Flores NABA Title Bout
Rockin’ Fights 35: Danny “El Gallo” Gonzalez vs Jerome “Conqueror” Conquest

Oscar Valdez survived a hard knockdown to comeback and stop late-replacement Adam Lopez in round seven of their scheduled 10-round junior lightweight bout at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.

In round two, Lopez landed a perfect left hook that dropped Valdez.

In round seven, Valdez turned the tide when he landed a left hook that sent Lopez to the canvas. Lopez began to bleed from his nose. Valdez landed a hard right that sent Lopez back, and that gave Valdez the confidence to land a left and right that forced referee Russell Mora to stop the fight at 2:53.

Lopez took the fight on about 30 hours notice after original opponent Andres Gutierrez checked in at 11 pounds over the mandated 130-pound weight limit

Valdez, 129.8 lbs of Nogales, MX is 27-0 with 21 knockouts. Lopez, 126 lbs of Glendale, CA is 13-2.

The win sets Berchelt up for a spring battle with WBC champion Miguel Berchelt.

Former two-division world champion Carl Frampton introduced himself to a new weight class by winning a 10-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Tyler McCreary in a junior lightweight contest.

Frampton used his experience and made the fight an inside battle and started beating the body of McCreary.

In round six, Frampton sent McCreary to a knee from a left to the body. In round nine, it was a double left hook to the body that sent McCreary down.

While McCreary had some moments in the fight, Frampton was mostly dominant and won by scores of 100-88 on all cards.

Frampton, 128 lbs of Belfast, Northern Ireland is 27-2. McCreary, 127.5 lbs of Toledo, OH is 16-1-1.

Frampton will now look towards a showdown with WBO champion Jamel Herring.

Frampton landed 141-461 punches. McCreary was 77-412

Patrick Teixeira dug own deep and although bloodied, came back to win the Interim WBO Jr. Middleweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Carlos Adames

Texieira started to bleed over his right eye in round five. Adames controlled the action through the first half of the fight.

In round seven, Adames came on and had Teixeira hurt on the ropes and bloodied both of his eyes. Somehow Teixeira was able to stage a huge comeback at the end of the round with some straight lefts and then a right hook put Adames down on the canvas. Teixeira continued on the momentum and won by scores of 116-111 and 114-113 twice.

Teixeira, 153 1/4 lbs of Sao Paulo, BRA is 31-1. Adames, 153 1/2 lbs of Santiago, DR is 18-1.

“I am very happy to bring a world title back to Brazil,” said Patrick Teixeira. “I want to make boxing bigger in Brazil. Soccer is our biggest sport, and this is a great moment for boxing in my country. It was tough with the cuts, but I was able to get through it because of my experience. It was a little harder, but my corner did an excellent job on the cuts. I felt like I needed to win the last round. It was a close fight. Every point was crucial, and I won the final round to win the fight.” 

“We are so proud of Patrick Teixeira for capturing the interim WBO World Title at 154 pounds,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy. “It was a brutal and bloody war, but Teixeira really dug deep to earn himself the most important win of his career against a very dangerous fighter. We look forward to starting the new year with yet another champion in our stable.”

Arnold Barboza Jr. stopped William Silva in round five of a scheduled 10-round junior welterweight bout.

In round three, Barboza dropped Silva with a left hand. In round five, Barboza landed a hard right hand to the body that made Silva crumple to the canvas for the 10-count at 2:59.

Barboza, 140 lbs of South El Monte, CA is 23-0 with 10 knockouts. Silva, 139 1/2 lbs of Sao Paulo, BRA is 27-3.

Larry Gomez won an eight-round split decision over Brian Mendoza in a welterweight contest

Mendoza started to swell around his left eye in round three.

Gomez, 146 lbs of West Jordan, UT won by scores of 77-75 on two cards. Mendoza took a card 77-75.

Gomez is 10-1. Mendoza, 146 1/2 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is 18-1.

Guido Vianello remained undefeated with a one=punch stoppage over Colby Madison in a scheduled six-round heavyweight bout.

Vianello landed a hard right that sent Madison down for the 10-count at 45 seconds.

Vianello, 237 lbs of Rome, ITA is 6-0 with six knockouts. Madison, 239 lbs of Owings Mills, MD is 8-2-2.

Andy Hiraoka stopped Rogilio Casarez in round two of a scheduled eight-round junior welterweight bout.

Hiraoka dropped Casarez with a right hook, and then finished him off with a big flurry of punches at

Hiraoka, 140 lbs of Yokahama, JAP is now 15-0 with 10 knockouts. Casarez, 139 1/2 lbs of Batesville, AK is 13-9.

Xander Zayas stopped Virgil Windfield in round one of a scheduled four-round welterweight bout.

In round one, Zayas landed an overhand right that put Windfield on the canvas. It was another overhand right that sent Windfield down again, and the fight was stopped at 1:48,

Zayas, 146 1/2 lbs of Plantation, FL is 2-0 with two knockouts. Windfield, 148 lbs of Concord, NC is 2-3-1.

New York, November 18, 2019

Star Boxing is pleased to announce the signing of WILLIAM “BABY FACE” SILVA (27-2 15KO’s), who will be closing out 2019 with a bang when he faces undefeated California-born, ARNOLD BARBOZA JR (22-0 9KO’s) at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas on November 30, to be featured on ESPN.

Hailing from Sao Paulo, Brazil, Silva has had an impressive amateur and professional career. Over his 29 professional bouts, the super lightweight has held titles such as the IBO Intercontinental Lightweight Championship, WBO Latino Welterweight and Lightweight Championship, NBA Lightweight Championship and is the current ABF Continental Americas Champion.

Silva began his boxing career well before his professional debut in 2006. At the age of 7, Silva’s father brought him to a local boxing gym and he never looked back. “My father was a boxer” said Silva, “he fought, as did my brothers.” Silva’s brother, Michele Silva is a professional boxer, fighting out of Brazil. As an amateur, Silva represented his home country as a member of the Brazil Olympic training team. He boasted a stellar amateur record of 135-5.

Campaigning most of his career at lightweight, Silva has had great success since moving from his native Brazil, making Florida his home away from home. Fighting prospects such as Felix Verdejo and Teofimo Lopez, Silva never hides from a challenge. In his last two bouts, Silva steamrolled Joe Forero, dominating the entire fight, ending with a 9th round TKO earning the ABF Continental America’s Title. In February it was more of the same for Silva, as he dominated a 10-round unanimous decision over the tough Juan Ramon Solis (then 25-13 9KO’s). (100-90 (x2), 98-91)

William Silva said this about signing with Star Boxing, “I am extremely excited and grateful to sign a contract with Star Boxing and feel really motivated to show the world that I belong in World Championship fights. I live and train in Plant City Florida, with a great coach Jose Rodriguez, my manager Jody Caliguire, and our entire team is awesome. I am ready to get back to the top of the rankings. I know I can beat anyone in the world.”

Silva is preparing to return to the ring in a thriller against top rated undefeated Barboza in an ESPN bout from the majestic Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas on November 30. Having last fought in February of 2019, Silva is chomping at the bit to get back into the ring.

Manager JODY CALIGUIRE had this to say about Silva signing with Star Boxing, “Team Silva is very happy to have signed promotional contract with Star Boxing. We look forward to competing on great events and having the opportunity to compete soon for a world title. At 27-2, with 15 KO’S, Silva is a proven excellent boxer. We want a world title shot in the near future. Silva, now lives and trains in Florida, and we have the team in place to insure each time he walks in the ring he will be ready to win and convincingly. This man is a true professional and great boxer. Thank you to Joe DeGuardia for allowing us to be part of your great team.”

CEO JOE DEGUARDIA said this about signing Silva, “Silva is a very talented fighter who we are very excited to work with. We believe that with the team we have in place, the sky is the limit for Silva, and we are looking forward to closing out 2019 with a great fight in Las Vegas on ESPN!”

Tampa, FL (February 13, 2019) – Fire Fist Boxing’s Connor “The Kid” Coyle, Willian “Baby Face” Silva and Mark Reyes Jr. will all fight as part of a UFC Fight Pass card Saturday, February 16 at the Coliseum in St. Petersburg, FL.

This excellent evening of boxing is promoted by Roy Jones Jr. Boxing Promotions in association with Rite Hook Promotions.

Headlining the telecast is an eight round middleweight showdown between Coyle and Travis “Dirty Red” Scott.

Splitting time between his native Ireland and St. Petersburg, FL, Coyle’s a perfect 8-0 with 3 wins by knockout. He’s become a big draw in the Tampa-St Pete area and most recently scored a sixth round TKO of Danny Pastrana. The talented Coyle has been featured as a prospect to watch out for by media members from both sides of the pond.

Fighting out of Baton Rouge, LA, Scott is Coyle’s most experienced foe to date. The 38-year-old has an excellent 19-4 professional ledger with 5 KO’s. A true veteran of the sport, Scott turned pro in 2004 when Coyle was 14.

Welterweight phenom Mark Reyes Jr of Tampa, FL risks his 0 against fellow unbeaten Rodrigo Tatijewski of Sao Paolo, Brazil in a highly-anticipated six round contest.

The wildly popular Reyes Jr. is 8-0 with 6 KO’s. An athletic boxer-puncher, Reyes is coming off a third round TKO of Juan Garces last October and at 22-years-old, continues to improve rapidly.

Tatijewski, who is fighting for the first time in the United States, is 8-0 and has 7 wins by way of knockout. He’s confident of making a major splash by taking out Reyes in front of millions of viewers on UFC Fight Pass.

Junior welterweight Willian “Baby Face” Silva of Plant City, FL by way of Sao Paolo, Brazil challenges rugged Argentinian Juan Ramon Solis in a ten rounder.

Silva, who has an excellent 26-2 professional ledger and 15 wins by knockout, scored a dominant 9th round TKO over Jose Forero last October. After fighting most of his career at lightweight, Silva’s sights are set on the best at 140 pounds but he must first get past Solis.

Living and fighting out of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Solis is 25-13 with 9 KO’s. The 36-year-old’s faced many top fighters including world champion Robert Easter, contenders Sergio Thompson and Diego Silva along with unbeaten Saul Rodriguez among others.

“This is a great opportunity for Connor, Mark and Willian,” said Jody Caliguire of Fire Fist Boxing. “The UFC Fight Pass platform is perfect for all three of these excellent boxers to showcase their talent to fans from all over. We’re looking forward to Saturday evening.”

Fans can watch Coyle, Silva and Reyes’ bouts on Ufc.tv/page/fightpass and tickets are available at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fight-fest-st-pete-ufc-fight-pass-rjj-rite-hook-promotions-tickets-55031335205.

For more information, please visit Firefistboxing.net or Facebook.com/firefistboxing.

ABOUT FIRE FIST BOXING: Fire Fist Boxing is a professional full-service boxing management group. Fire Fist Boxing manages elite top-ranked, local and international boxers living and/or training in the Tampa Bay area.

Tampa, FL (August 28, 2018) – Lightweight William “Babyface” Silva returns to the ring Saturday, October 6 when he meets hard-hitting Jose Forero in a ten round contest headlining Fire Fist Boxing Promotions’ “Night of Champions” at the St. Petersburg Coliseum in St. Petersburg, FL.

Tickets are on sale by going to http://www1.ticketmaster.com/fire-fist-boxing-presents-abf-triple-st-petersburg-florida-10-06-2018/event/0d00551696349f20. VIP tickets can be purchased by calling 813-734-2461.

Born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil but now fighting out of Plant City, FL, Silva has an outstanding 25-2 professional record with 14 knockouts. On July 14, Silva showed incredible heart and determination but lost via sixth round stoppage against elite rising star Teofimo Lopez. Prior to his gutsy effort vs Lopez, Silva shutout veteran Rogelio Casarez over ten rounds to capture the IBO Continental 135 pound championship.

Living and fighting out of Panama, Forero is a former WBC Latino and Global Boxing Council champion, capturing both belts by stoppage. Forero, 13-7-1 (11 KO’S), is confident Silva will be his next victim and doesn’t plan on leaving it up to the judges.

Silva-Forero is for the vacant ABF Continental Americas lightweight title.

Popular welterweight up and comer Mark Reyes Jr. of Tampa challenges experienced Panamanian Edwin Gamboa in an eight rounder for the ABF Continental Americas welterweight title.

A multi-time champion as an amateur, Reyes has shined thus far in the pros, compiling a perfect 7-0 record with 5 wins by knockout. Reyes appears to be a star in the making however he’ll be facing his toughest foe to date.

A 20 fight veteran, Gamboa’s 11-9 with 6 wins by KO. The 33-year-old Panama City native’s faced five unbeaten opponents and handed two their first defeat.

Former world champion and St. Petersburg native Noemi “La Rebelde” Bosques returns to her hometown for the first time in more than two years to face ultra-tough Crystal Hoy in a six round super flyweight contest for the ABF Continental Americas title.

Since turning pro in 2012, Bosques traveled the world to face many of the sport’s top fighters. She’s shared the squared circle with Kenia Enriquez, Heather Hardy (twice), Mariana Juarez, Lourdes Juarez, Alesia Graf and Rosalinda Rodriguez. The well-traveled Bosques fought all across the world including bouts in Mexico, New Zealand, China, India and various US cities.

The Las Vegas-based Hoy turned pro in 2002 and battled legendary Alicia Ashley, Monica Lovato, Yazmin Rivas, Katy Castillo, Heather Hardy and Tyrieshia Douglas.

Fire Fist Boxing’s card also features five all-Florida match-ups.

Arcadia’s Joseph Fernandez, 7-3-3 (1 KO), will swap punches with Tobias “Da Truth” Green, 7-2 (2 KO’s), of West Palm Beach in a junior welterweight matchup while 5-0 welterweight prospect Ramon De La Paz of Wesley Chapel battles Orlando’s Javier Garcia.

Junior middleweight knockout artist Ozodbek “Bomber” Aripov of Fort Myers puts his 3-0 record on the line against Miami’s Clifford Gray Jr., heavyweight Jose “The Dream” Medina of Tampa faces Miami native Hector Hodge and Tampa junior lightweight Armando Moran squares off with Miami’s Benny Rodriguez Jr.

All bouts are scheduled for six rounds except Moran-Rodriguez, which is a four round contest.

Argentinian imports Marcos Escudero, 4-0 (3 KO’s) and Alberto Palmetta, 8-1 (4 KO’s), will also appear against opponents to be named.

“We’re pleased to bring Silva back following his heroic effort against Lopez,” said Jody Caliguire of Fire Fist Boxing Promotions. “He deserves the opportunity to fight in his adopted home state of Florida and the fans enjoyed his fight in March. We’re also excited to present Mark Reyes Jr’s first title and promotional debut for us plus the return of hometown hero Noemi Bosques. From top to bottom, we’ve got exciting fights and fighters from all over Florida so make sure to come out and support what will be an excellent night of boxing.”

All fights and fighters are sanctioned by the Florida State Athletic Commission and subject to change.

For more information, please visit Firefistboxing.net or Facebook.com/Firefistboxing.

NEW YORK (JULY 16, 2018)–Teofimo Lopez shined in a major step up bout as he dominated William Silva by scoring a 6th round stoppage in their lightweight bout that was the co-feature on ESPN.

The bout took place on Saturday night at the Lakefront Arena in New Orleans.

In round one, Lopez dumped Silva with a left hook. Silva was bleeding from the nose, In round five, Lopez landed several hard hooks to the bloodied Silva, and then dumped Silva to the canvas in the corner.

Lopez came out in round six by landing three left hooks and a right that dropped Silva and the bout was called at 15 seconds.

Silva who came in with a record of 25-1, and is only loss was to Felix Verdejo on HBO, had never been knocked down before the fighter known as “Gordo” dropped him three times.

Lopez is now 10-0 with 8 knockouts. Silva is 25-2.

“I know everything is set up by the jab,” said Lopez. “The jab is the most important punch. I was playing with his mind. I was setting him up by letting him get comfortable and then to land the big shot. I hurt my hands, early in the fight but you prepare yourself for the worst possible. I just put everyone on notice that I’m coming for those world title at 135lbs!”

“I can’t remember ever seeing such a dynamic young performer as Teofimo Lopez. He’s going to be the best in the world,” said Split-T Management CEO David McWater.

Lopez is promoted by Top Rank

Photo Credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

ABOUT SPLIT-T MANAGEMENT

Headed by David McWater, Split-T Management has amassed one of the top stables in boxing.

Their impressive roster includes:

World Rated Contenders

IBF Super Lightweight Mandatory Title Challenger Ivan Baranchyk

Welterweight “The New” Ray Robinson

Former Bantamweight Title Challenger Antonio Nieves

2016 Olympians

Lightweight Teofimo Lopez

Junior Middleweight Charles Conwell

Bantamweight Antonio Vargas

Undefeated Prospects

Heavyweights: Stephen Shaw, Marcus Carter, Yegor Plevako

Cruiserweights: Joshua Temple, “Mighty” Joe Jones

Light Heavyweights: Joseph Williams, Bortirali Mamajonov

Super Middleweights: Isiah Steen, DeAndre Ware, Isiah Jones, Anthony Barnes, Tyler Howard

Middleweights: Marquis Moore, Raquel Miller

Junior Middleweights: Ardreal Holmes, Hurshidbek Normatov, Fred Wilson, Jr.

Welterweight’s Janelson Bocachica, Poindexter Knight, Mark Dawson, Boubacar Sylla, Brian Ceballo

Junior Lightweight: Erick De Leon

Regis Prograis stopped Juan Jose Velasco in round eight of their scheduled 12-round junior welterweight bout at The Lakefront Arena in New Orleans.

Prograis dropped Velasco in round’s five and seven with body shots and dumped him again in round eight, and the bout was stopped at 139.

Prograis of New Orleans is 22-0 with 19 knockouts.  Velasco of Argentina is 20-1.

Teofimo Lopez thrilled the crowd and catapulted himself into the thick of the lightweight division as he dominated and stopped William Silva in round six of their scheduled 10-round bout.

In round one, Lopez dumped Silva with a left hook.  Silva was bleeding from the nose,  In round five, Lopez landed several hard hooks to the bloodied Silva, and then dumped Silva to the canvas in the corner.

Lopez came out in round six by landing three left hooks and a right that dropped Silva and the bout was called at 15 seconds.

Lopez is now 10-0 with 8 knockouts.  Silva is 25-2.

Erick De Leon got off the deck to win a 10-round unanimous decision over Adrian Young in a super featherweight bout.

Young dropped De Leon in the 1st round with a left hook.  De Leon recovered well and boxed very will over the final nine rounds to get the victory by scores of 98-91 and 97-92 twice.

De Leon, 132 1/2 lbs of Detroit is now 18-0-1.  Young, 133 1/4 lbs of Los Michis, MEX is 25-5-2.

2016 U.S. Olympian Charles Conwell remained perfect with a 2nd round stoppage over Travis Scott in a scheduled eight-round junior middleweight bout.

Conwell came out in round by hurting Scott with a flurry of punches on the ropes.  Conwell ended things with a perfect left hook to the body that sent Scott to a knee for the ten count at 1:34.

Conwell, 153 1/4 lbs of Cleveland, OH is 8-0 with 6 knockouts.  Scott, 153 1/4 lbs of Baton Rouge, LA is 19-4.

Jean Carlos Rivera stopped Angel Luna in round one of their scheduled eight-round featherweight bout.

Rivera rocked Luna with a hard left hook in round one. Then a body punch and another left hook later, the bout was stopped at 1:22.

Rivera, 125 3/4 lbs is now 14-0 with 9 knockouts. Luna, 126 3/4 lbs of Dominican Republic is now 11-5-1.

In a battle of undefeated junior welterweights, 2016 Olympic Gold Medal winner Fazliddin Gaibnazarov won a eight-round unanimous decision over Kevin Johnson.

Gaibnazarov, 138 lbs of Uzbekistan won by scores of 78-74 on all cards, and is now 5-0. Johnson, 137 1/4 lbs of Detroit is 5-1.

Jeremy Hill won a four-round unanimous decision over Charles Johnson in a super lightweight bout.

Hill of New Orleans won by scores of 40-35 on all cards, and is now 3-0.  Johnson is 0-1-3.

• Regis Prograis 139.8 lbs vs. Juan Jose Velasco 140 lbs
(WBC Super Lightweight Diamond Belt – 12 Rounds)

• Teofimo Lopez 134.9 lbs vs. William Silva 134 lbs
(WBC Continental Americas Lightweight Title – 10 Rounds)

• Erick De Leon 132.5 lbs vs. Adrian Young 133.1 lbs
(Super Featherweight – 10 Rounds)

• Jean Carlos Rivera 125.8 lbs vs. Angel Luna 126.8 lbs
(Featherweight – 10 Rounds)

• Fazliddin Gaibnazarov 138 lbs vs. Kevin Johnson 137.1 lbs
(Lightweight – 8 Rounds)

• Jonathan Guidry 235.3 lbs vs. Aaron Chavers 228.8 lbs
(Heavyweight – 6 Rounds)

• Charles Conwell 153.4 lbs vs. Travis Scott 155.3 lbs
(Middleweight – 6 Rounds)

• Tyler Howard 164.9 lbs vs. Javier Frazier 163.1 lbs
(Super Middleweight – 6 Rounds)

• Jeremy Hill 136.1 lbs vs. Charles Johnson 136 lbs
(Lightweight – 4 Rounds)

• Jonathan Montrel 137.7 lbs vs. Samuel Forjoe 140.6 lbs
(Super Lightweight – 4 Rounds)

Prograis vs. Velasco and Lopez vs. Silva will be televised live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 7 p.m. ET. The entire undercard will be streamed on ESPN+ beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with DiBella Entertainment, tickets, priced at $200 (ringside), $125 (floor), $75, and $40, are on sale now, and can be purchased at the Lakefront Arena box office, Ticketmaster.com and charge by phone at 800-745-3000. Discounts for military, students and New Orleans Police Department members ? $75 tickets for $50 and $40 seats for $25 – are available when presenting valid ID at the Lakefront Arena box office.

For more information visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook:facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, facebook.com/espndeportes; Twitter:twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, @ESPN @ESPNBoxeo @RPrograis,@DiBellaEnt, @LouDibella @ESPNDeportes.

Use the hashtag #PrograisVelasco to join the conversation on social media.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the first-ever multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment in conjunction with ESPN. ESPN+ offers fans two exclusive original boxing programs The Boxing Beat with Dan Rafael (Tuesdays, weekly) and In This Corner (twice monthly). In addition to boxing content, fans can watch thousands of additional live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks. This includes hundreds of MLB, NHL and MLS games, Grand Slam tennis, Top Rank boxing, PGA TOUR golf, college sports, international rugby, cricket, the full library of ESPN Films (including 30 for 30) and more. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and cancel at any time.

NEW ORLEANS (July 12, 2018) – Regis “Rougarou” Prograis asked to fight in his hometown of New Orleans for a long time. After 21 bouts and more than six years as a pro, his wish is finally coming true.

The Prograis homecoming will occur Saturday evening at the Lakefront Arena, where he will defend the WBC super lightweight diamond belt against fellow unbeaten Juan Jose Velasco. And, in the co-feature, Brooklyn-bred Teofimo Lopez (9-0, 7 KOs) will take on William Silva (25-1, 14 KOs) for the vacant WBC Continental Americas lightweight title.

Prograis vs. Velasco and Lopez vs. Silva will be televised live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 7 p.m. ET.

The undercard will be streamed on ESPN+ beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET. Several young standouts will see action, including 2016 U.S. Olympian Charles Conwell (7-0, 5 KOs) in a six-round middleweight bout against Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native Travis Scott (19-3, 5 KOs), 2016 Olympic gold medalist Fazliddin Gaibnazarov (4-0, 2 KOs) versus fellow unbeaten Kevin Johnson (5-0, 4 KOs) in an eight-round lightweight bout; unbeaten 130-pound contender Erick De Leon (17-0-1, 10 KOs) against Adrian Young (25-4-2, 19 KOs) in a 10-rounder; and featherweight prospect Jean Carlos Rivera (13-0, 8 KOs) versus Angel Luna (12-4-1, 7 KOs) in a 10-round contest.

At Neyow’s Palace, located only a couple miles from the French Quarter, the fighters gathered for the final press conference. Prograis and Lopez, as always, exhibited their gift of gab. This is what they, and many of the other combatants on Saturday’s card, had to say.

Regis Prograis

“It’s a dream to come here. The Lakefront Arena, I grew up right around the corner from there. Like, in the car, you’d get there literally in two minutes. Just to be headlining there, that’s super important to me. I’m honored for it. I have to hide my excitement because I still have to fight. {Velasco} is going to try and knock me out, you know what I mean? So I gotta go out there and do my thing. I’m super excited. I might not show it, but I’m really excited to be fighting in my hometown, and not only that, my whole goal is to bring big-time boxing back to New Orleans. Not only a Regis Prograis fight, but one day we may get {Terence Crawford, who was seated in the audience} up here to fight. You know, one day, maybe me and {Crawford} might fight here at ’47.”

“I’m focused. There are no distractions for me. This is normal. This is a part of the game.”

Teofimo Lopez

“It’s about time {I stepped up the competition}. It’s about time. I definitely want to showcase more of what I’m capable of doing. People have yet to see everything of me. Top Rank’s matchmakers – Brad Goodman and Bruce Trampler – they’re doing a hell of a job with me. This is a good step up. Definitely. Fighting a guy whose only defeat was with Felix Verdejo {in 2016}, and he went the distance with him. At the end of the day, I’m no Felix Verdejo.”

Juan Jose Velasco

“I’ve had a tremendous training camp, and I am thankful for this opportunity. I am going to take advantage of it.”

“Regis is a great fighter. To be a great champion, you need to fight the best fighters. And I want to prove that Saturday night, that I’m elite like him.”

William Silva

“I’m ready for the fight. It’s a real important fight. I had a real good training camp, and I’m ready to go.”

Erick De Leon

“I can’t wait to see all my fans. You guys are in for a really special treat. I can’t wait to display my talent and everything I got, everything I worked for in camp. It’s going to show Saturday, so make sure you’re there early.”

“I make adjustments. I can do it all in the ring. I’m available to capitalize and make adjustments, and that’s what it’s all about. Saturday, you are going to see a more complete fighter. You’re going to see a more exciting fighter.”

Jean Carlos Rivera

“I’m ready for the 10 rounds. We were supposed to fight Jose Haro for the USBA title and unfortunately he pulled out. Then, we were supposed to fight Viorel Simion, who has fought Scott Quigg and Lee Selby, in a 12-rounder, and unfortunately, he also pulled out. Now I’m fighting Angel Luna, and we’re ready for whatever he brings.”

Charles Conwell

“I feel as if my pro career is going real well. I’ve been active. I’ve been up against good, tough opponents, and I’m just growing and getting better as each fight goes on.”

# # #
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with DiBella Entertainment, tickets, priced at $200 (ringside), $125 (floor), $75, and $40, are on sale now, and can be purchased at the Lakefront Arena box office, Ticketmaster.com and charge by phone at 800-745-3000. Discounts for military, students and New Orleans Police Department members ? $75 tickets for $50 and $40 seats for $25 – are available when presenting valid ID at the Lakefront Arena box office.

For more information visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook:facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, facebook.com/espndeportes; Twitter:twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, @ESPN @ESPNBoxeo @RPrograis,@DiBellaEnt, @LouDibella @ESPNDeportes.

Use the hashtag #PrograisVelasco to join the conversation on social media.

New York, NY (July 12, 2018)–Undefeated lightweight prospect Teofimo Lopez takes on his toughest test when he battles William Silva in a scheduled ten-round bout this Saturday night in New Orleans.

The 20 year-old Lopez (9-0, 7 KOs) of Brooklyn, New York, who was a 2016 Olympian representing Honduras, now fights out of Las Vegas. Lopez is the hottest prospect in boxing, and is coming off a sensational 1st round stoppage over Vitor Jones Freitas in Madison Square Garden. Lopez battles Silva in a bout that will take place at The Lakefront Arena, and will be the co-feature on the ESPN and ESPN Deportes broadcast that begins at 7 p.m. ET.

“Time to bring #TheTakeover to the big city,” said Lopez.

Lopez, is managed by Split-T Management and promoted by Top Rank.

New Orleans, LA (July 12, 2018) – When lightweight William “Baby Face” Silva arrived in New Orleans yesterday afternoon, he stepped off the plane and raised both hands in the air.

Every time a plane lands in New Orleans, happy travelers throw their hands up in a pre-celebratory fashion of what’s to come during their time in the Big Easy. Silva’s pose however is one he expects to replicate Saturday evening after he defeats hot prospect Teofimo Lopez when the two face off at New Orleans’ Lakefront Arena.

Silva, 25-1 (14 KO’s), completed an intense training camp under head trainer Jose Rodriguez in Plant City, FL. Originally from Brazil and now fighting out of Florida, Silva is cool, calm and confident heading into his bout with the highly touted 9-0 Lopez, who many consider one of boxing’s future stars.

“Everything was perfect in camp and this is the kind of opportunity I need to show everybody the fighter I truly am. Lopez is a talented boxer but I’ve got a big edge in experience and know what it’s like to be in a big fight. I’m ready or Saturday night and will do whatever is necessary to have my hand raised at the end of the fight.”

Silva’s promoter, Jody Caliguire of Fire Fist Boxing Promotions, immediately jumped at the opportunity for his fighter to challenge Lopez and anxiously awaits Saturday night.

“William needed a fight like this to get him to the level we know he’s capable of. Team Silva has respect for Teofimo Lopez and know he’s rated as one of the top young boxers but William is going to show the world that he’s among the best 135 pound fighters Saturday night.”

Promoted by Top Rank Inc. in association with DiBella Entertainment, Silva-Lopez fight is scheduled for 10 rounds and is for the WBC Continental Americas Lightweight title. It airs live ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 7 pm E.T. It precedes the WBC interim 140 pound championship matchup between champion Regis Prograis and Juan Jose Velasco.

Fans can follow Silva on Instagram @Willian_Baby_Face and for more information on Fire Fist Boxing Promotions, visit www.firefistboxing.net.

NEW ORLEANS (July 11, 2018) – Championship boxing is back in “The Big Easy” on Saturday at the Lakefront Arena. Native son Regis “Rougarou” Prograis (21-0, 18 KOs) defends the WBC super lightweight diamond belt against fellow unbeaten Juan Jose Velasco (20-0, 12 KOs), while unbeaten lightweight sensation Teofimo Lopez (9-0, 7 KOs) looks to continue “The Takeover” against once-beaten William Silva (25-1, 14 KOs) for the vacant WBC Continental Americas lightweight title.

Prograis vs. Velasco and Lopez vs. Silva will be televised live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 7 p.m. ET. The undercard will be streamed on ESPN+ beginning at 4:30 p.m ET and include several standouts, including 2016 U.S. Olympian Charles Conwell (7-0, 5 KOs) in a six-round middleweight bout against Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native Travis Scott (19-3, 5 KOs), 2016 Olympic gold medalist Fazliddin Gaibnazarov (4-0, 2 KOs) versus fellow unbeaten Kevin Johnson (5-0, 4 KOs) in an eight-round lightweight bout; unbeaten 130-pound contender Erick De Leon (17-0-1, 10 KOs) against Adrian Young (25-4-2, 19 KOs) in a 10-rounder; featherweight prospect Jean Carlos Rivera (13-0, 8 KOs) versus Angel Luna (12-4-1, 7 KOs) in a 10-rounder; and the professional debut of the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist from Russia, Vladimir Nikitin.

Many of the fighters from Saturday’s card worked out for the media Wednesday at New Orleans Boxing Club. This is what they had to say.

Regis Prograis

“I’m not going to say I go in looking for the knockout, but I go in to try and hurt my opponent. Boxing is a brutal sport, and that’s how it’s supposed to be. I feel like I’m a killer. Of course, I’m nice. I can smile with ya’ll, but when I get in there, I’m a killer.”

“When I hit somebody and I know they’re hurt, then I know I got them. My whole thing is if I hit them and I see some type of weakness in their body, or I see something going, then I know automatically I got them. It’s over.”

“When I started {boxing}, I was a natural street fighter most of the time. It was a big influence because it started me off and gave me the hunger. I wanted to be great and I knew I wanted to be a professional boxer since probably when I was 14 or 15.”

“There are way more distractions {fighting at home}, but it’s part of the game. You gotta do it. It’s part of my job.”

Teofimo Lopez

“I’m 20 now. I’ll be a world champion by 21. Then I’m going to clean out the 135-pound division. And yeah, I know Vasiliy Lomachenko is in my way.”

“This is my last fight as a 20-year-old, and I know that I’m going to put on another great show. ‘The Takeover’ is real, ladies and gentlemen. The dude I’m fighting has never been knocked out, but he’s never seen anyone like me. I just can’t wait for Saturday night, and I have a bunch of tricks up my sleeve that nobody has seen.”

“I don’t smoke. I don’t drink. I respect the sport. My time is coming.”

Juan Jose Velasco

“The pressure is not an issue for me. The pressure is on Regis. I’m not expected to do much, which is fine by me. I’ll prove the experts wrong.”

“I feel like everyone is pulling for him, that it’s a gimme fight for Regis. Everyone can talk, but on Saturday, he’ll have to fight.”

William Silva

“I feel great. Teofimo was a great amateur and an Olympian, but this is the pro game. The pros are a different animal.”

“In the ring, there ain’t no underdog. It’s whoever has the will and the skills. When you’re in the ring, you show your skills.”
# # #

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with DiBella Entertainment, tickets, priced at $200 (ringside), $125 (floor), $75, and $40, are on sale now, and can be purchased at the Lakefront Arena box office, Ticketmaster.com and charge by phone at 800-745-3000. Discounts for military, students and New Orleans Police Department members ? $75 tickets for $50 and $40 seats for $25 – are available when presenting valid ID at the Lakefront Arena box office.

Plant City, FL (June 26, 2018) – Lightweight William “Baby Face” Silva has an outstanding professional record of 25-1 with 14 wins by knockout. The Plant City, FL based Brazilian won most of his bouts comfortably and has been top 15 rated.

Teofimo Lopez is considered a blue chip prospect though he’s yet to face a stiff challenge as a professional.

The talented 20-year-old represented Honduras at the 2016 Olympics and is 9-0 with 7 wins by knockout. Following a recent ESPN televised first round KO, Lopez received much attention for a victory dance he did honoring the popular game Fortnite.

On July 14, Silva and Lopez square off over ten rounds for the WBC Continental Americas lightweight title. The bout will air live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 7 p.m. ET from the Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, LA. A large crowd is expected.

With just over two weeks until the opening bell sounds, Silva’s sharpening his tools in an intense camp with head trainer Jose Rodriguez at Plant City Boxing Gym. Between extra time in the gym, world class sparring and an added motivation from the public viewing him as an underdog, Silva is confident July 14 will elevate his career, not Lopez’.

“I feel great and our preparations have gone exactly as planned so far,” Silva said following a training session at Plant City Boxing Gym. “Lopez is a good fighter but this is a great opportunity to show that I’m also a top talent. My team and I will be prepared for victory July 14.”

Silva’s promoter, Jody Caliguire of Fire Fist Boxing, has seen a significant improvement in his fighter in the last six months and believes that Lopez is in for a surprise.

“I believe some people are probably expecting to see the William Silva they did against Felix Verdejo but they’re in for a major surprise. He’s a totally different fighter now and improvements have been made across the board that I’ve seen firsthand in the gym. If Lopez and his supporters are viewing Silva as a stepping stone with a good record it’s not only motivation for our side but a major mistake on theirs.”

The card is headlined by a battle of unbeatens between New Orleans’ very own Regis Prograis and Argentina’s Juan Jose Velasco for the World Boxing Council (WBC) interim super lightweight title.

Promoted by Top Rank in Association with DiBella Entertainment, tickets from $40 are on sale now at the Lakefront Arena box office, Ticketmaster.com and by calling 1-800-745-8000. Military, student and New Orleans Police Department members can receive discounted seats with a valid ID at the box office.

Clearwater, FL (March 5, 2018) – Lightweight standout William “Babyface” Silva masterfully outclassed ultra-tough Arkansas based Guatemalan Rogelio “El Loco” Casarez to become the NBA World and IBO Continental lightweight champion Saturday, March 3 at Banquet Masters in Clearwater, FL.

Headlining a six bout card promoted by Fire Fist Boxing Promotions that was broadcast live across the world on Fite.tv, Silva was in control throughout the contest.

The Plant City, FL based Brazilian dictated the pace, peppering Casarez with jabs, straight rights, uppercuts and body punches. Casarez, who made multiple attempts to turn the match into a slugfest, repeatedly found himself on the end of Silva’s crisp punches. Casarez bled heavily from a cut that literally soaked the ring canvas but displayed tremendous heart and a remarkable chin.

All three judges scored the bout 100-90.

“I knew that Casarez was a tough opponent but I knew what I had to do to dictate this fight,” Silva said after his victory. “I’m pleased with my performance and want to fight the big boys at 135!”

With the victory, Silva improves to 25-1 with 14 KO’s. Casarez slides to 13-7 (5 KO’s).

Middleweight Antonio “T2” Tarver Jr. impressively overcame a 22 month layoff to down 14 fight veteran Carlos Dixon. Born and raised in Orlando, FL and now fighting out of Tampa, FL, Tarver Jr. quickly took control. After dominating the opening round, Tarver hurt Dixon in the second stanza and teed off until the bout was mercifully stopped.

With the victory, Tarver Jr. improves to 5-0 with 4 of those wins coming by knockout.

Popular cruiserweight Nick “The Showstopped” Iannuzzi of Tampa scored a highlight-reel third round knockout over Arkansas’ Lemarcus “Frieght Train” Tucker. Fighting for the first time in 3 ½ years, Iannuzzi looked to get reacclimated in the squared circle. Moments before the bell sounded to end round one, Iannuzzi dropped Tucker with a hard straight right hand.

In the third, Iannuzzi decked Tucker with another right. The game Tucker made it back to his feet but was in bad shape. Knowing a knockout was imminent, Iannuzzi put Tucker down for good with a massive right hand, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

Iannuzzi improves to 19-4 (11 KO’s) as Tucker falls to 5-4-1 (3 KO’s).

Featherweight Ricky “Cowboy” Tomlinson of Thonotasassa, FL handed Baltimore, MD native Ernest “Lightning Bug” Hall his first defeat in an entertaining four round contest. With a huge group of supporters cheering him on, Tomlinson worked at a fast pace and was the busier fighter. Both fighters connected with clean shots in this action-packed bout but Tomlinson’s consistency earned him the victory by scores of 40-36 twice and 39-37.

Tomlinson ups his record to 6-3-1 with 2 knockouts and Hall slips to 3-1 (1 KO).

In other bouts, Macon, GA’s Rodriguez Cade, 1-1 (1 KO), knocked out Miami, FL’s Joseph White, 0-2-2, in the closing seconds of a four round bout and junior middleweight Ozodbek Aripov of Fort Myers, FL improved to 2-0 after shutting out ultra-game Savanah, GA native Chaklit Ali Redwood, 0-3 over four rounds.

“It was a great evening of boxing and I’d like to thank all the fans who came out or watched on Fite.Tv,” said Jody Caliguire, CEO of Fire Fist Boxing Promotions. “We had knockouts, great action and all around quality boxing. Fire Fist Boxing is just getting started and our plan is to feature top local and international talent.

Fire Fist’s next card takes place Saturday, June 16 at the St. Petersburg Coliseum and will be headlined by a showdown between Connor Coyle and Danny Pastrana for the NBA Intercontinental middleweight title.

For the latest updates, visit Firefistboxing.net or Facebook.com/firefistboxing.

Plant City, FL (March 1, 2018) – Many in the boxing world best remember Brazilian lightweight William Silva for his gutsy 2016 performance against Felix Verdejo. In the HBO televised bout, Silva showed tremendous heart and toughness but was outpointed over ten rounds in front of a sold out pro-Verdejo crowd.

“I didn’t have the right team or training camp at the time,” said Silva, who entered the Verdejo bout 23-0.

Since relocating to Florida from Arizona, Silva linked up with Jose Rodriguez at the Plant City Boxing Gym and inked a promotional agreement with Tampa-based Fire Fist Boxing Promotions. In November 2017, he returned to the ring after a year and a half layoff to outpoint Ariel Vasquez. Thus far, everything has paid off and Silva’s currently in top form.

“He’s been training at a fantastic pace, said Rodriguez. “His balance and power are extraordinary – he’s ready to fight!”

On Saturday, March 3, Silva faces tough Rogelio Casarez in the 10 round main event of a Fire Fist Boxing card at Banquet Masters in Clearwater, FL. Silva-Casarez is for the NBA World and IBO Continental lightweight championships. Casarez, who has a deceiving 13-6 record, faced excellent opposition including Jamel Herring and multi-division title contender Cesar Seda, who he took the distance last August.

“I don’t know much about him besides that he’s a tough lefty that comes at you,” Silva said of his opponent.

Even with limited information about the man he’ll swap punches with Saturday evening, Silva’s confident he’ll defeat his Arkansas-based foe before setting his sights on the 135 pound division’s elite.

“(With a victory) I hope to get ranked and fight the top fighters at 135. This is my time to make it happen because I’ve got the right people behind me that believe in my career.”

The card starts at 7 pm and also features 7 other bouts including local standouts Nicholas Iannuzzi, Antonio Tarver Jr., Joseph Fernandez, Ricky Tomlinson and Ozodek Aripov.

Tickets are available at ticketmaster.com and tables can be purchased by calling 813-734-2461. Fans can also watch the eight bout card live anywhere in the world for just $9.99 by going to https://www.fite.tv/watch/lightweight-battle/2mzhw/.

Tampa, FL (February 18, 2018) – Lightweight contender William “Baby Face” Silva returns to the ring Saturday, March 3 to face rugged Rogelio Casarez at Banquet Master in Clearwater, FL.

The eight-bout card is promoted by Fire Fist Boxing Promotions. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com and tables can be purchased by calling 813-734-2461. Fans can also watch the card live for only $9.99 at Fite.tv/watch/lightweight-battle/2mzhw/. The first bout is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Hailing from Sao Paolo, Brazil but residing in Florida, Silva has an excellent 24-1 professional record with 14 of those victories by knockout. The former WBO Latino Lightweight titlist fought highly-touted Felix Verdejo on HBO in 2016 but came up short in a gutsy performance. Silva is looking to get back into the limelight but must first pass a tough test on the 3rd.

Known by his moniker “El Loco,” Casarez has proven his willingness to fight anybody, anytime, anywhere. The Arkansas native, who is 13-6 with 5 KO’s, fought 2012 Olympian Jamel Herring, undefeated Louis Cruz and two-division world title challenger Cesar Seda. In 2016, Casarez traveled all the way to China to capture the NABF and IBU 130 pound titles by outpointing previously unbeaten Ronnakit Boontree over twelve rounds.

The Silva-Casarez showdown is slated for ten rounds and is for the NBA World and IBO Continental 135 pound titles.

Popular Tampa cruiserweight Nicholas “The Showstopper” Iannuzzi returns to the squared circle for the first time in nearly four years to face Lemarcus Tucker of Arkansas in a six rounder. Known for his larger than life Personality, Iannuzzi has a solid 18-4 record with 10 KO’s. Tucker, 5-3-1 (3 KO’s), had all nine of his professional fights during Iannuzzi’s hiatus and looks for a second consecutive victory.

Ricky “Cowboy” Tomlinson of Thonotasassa, FL meets unbeaten Ernest Hall of Baltimore, MD in a four round featherweight contest. Tomlinson, 5-3-2 (3 KO’s) is a big local draw and fought his entire career in the Sunshine State.

Middleweight prospect Antonio Tarver Jr. of Orlando, FL looks to run his record to 5-0 when he meets Dallas, TX based veteran Carlos Dixon in a four round contest. Tarver Jr. is the son of former unified champion Antonio Tarver.

“We at Fire Fist Boxing are looking forward to an explosive night of boxing with championship bouts and a great undercard,” said Promoter Jody Caliguire. “I’m looking forward to seeing all the boxing fans for another great evening filled with international and local talent.”

In other undercard bouts, Joseph Fernandez meets Thomas Amaro in a six rounder, heavyweight Jordan Sanders challenges Rodriguez Cade over four rounds, Ozodbek Aripov faces Chaklit Ali Redwood in a four round junior middleweight tilt and Rufat Huseynov battles Emilio Rivera.

For more information, go to Firefirstboxing.net or Facebook.com/Firefistboxing.

Follow all the action LIVE  from Ringside at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden as Terence Crawford defends the WBO Jr. Welterweight title against Hank Lundy.  The action begins at 10 PM ET /7 PM PT with a Lightweight contest between future star Fleix Verdejo taking on William Silva in a battle of undefeated Lightweights.

THE PAGE WILL REFRESH EVERY 60 SECONDS AUTOMATICALLY 

Round 1 Lundy lands a left..Jab from Crawford..

Round 2

Round 3 Crawford lands a left from distance…Hard jab from Lundy…Left from Crawford..Jab..

Round 4 Crawford gets in a left..inside right..Lundy cut above right eye…

Round 5 Lundy gets in a right hook..Straight left hurts Lundy…BIG LEFT IN CORNER AND DOWN GOES LUNDY…crawford ALL OVER LUNDY AND ANOTHER STRAIGHT LEFT ROCKS LUNDY AND THE FIGHT IS OVER

Round 1 Silva gets in a left..

Round 2 Verdejo lands a right over the top…Left to body…1-2

Round 3 Combination from Verdejo

Round 4 Verdejo lands a jab

Round 5 Good left hook by Verdejo…Right over the top..

Round 6 Verdejo lands a right to the body…Verdejo warned for a low blow…right from Verdejo

Round 7 Verdejo jabbing

Round 8 Verdejo lands a right to the body…

Round 9 Right from Verdejo..Right from Silva…Left hook..

Round 10 Right from Verdejo…2 hard left hooks

100-90 twice and 99-91 for VERDEJO

Terence Crawford retained the WBO Jr. Welterweight title with a 5th round stoppage over Hank Lundy at a sold out Madison Square Garden Theater.

It was a close fight early with Lundy getting in a few shots.  Lundy was cut above the right eye in round four from an accidental headbutt.  In round five, Crawford caught Lundy with a left down the middle that rocked the challenger.  Crawford jumped on Lundy and the two had a heated exchange with Crawford getting the better to the point where another left hand sent Lundy Spawling to the canvas in his corner.  Lundy got up to only eat a barrage of heavy punches that forced referee Steve Willis to stop the bout at 2:09

Crawford, 139.2 lbs of Omaha, NEB is 28-0 with 20 knockouts.  Lundy, 138.2 lbs of Philadelphia is 26-6-1.

Crawford Quotes

What did you tell Lundy after the fight?

I told him good fight and I appreciate him taking the fight

Cause I got my respect – I said he was going to respect me at the end of the fight and he was going to respect me today and I respect him back. He said good fight it’s all love and I appreciate it

Why do you get hit in eearly rounds?

Cause they are earlier rounds and we are feeling each other out. Once I make the adjustment I start touching him more

Seems like you have more power

I was killing myself to make 135 and it was taking a lot out of me. I want to thank got for the V.

I told everyone I got power in both hands and the boxing ability that I have and it’s going to take me a long way in this game

I never duck anyone and I’ll fight anybody. My manager will make the fights happen and and I will train and fight.

Hot-shot prospect, Felix Verdejo won a 10-round unanimous decision over Willian Silva in a battle of undefeated Lightweights.

Verdejo was solid throughout and won by scores of 100-90 twice and 99-91.

Verdejo, 135 lbs of San Juan, PR is 19-1.  Silva, 134.4 lbs of Sao Paulo, BRA is 23-1.

Verdejo Quotes

“I felt very goodd uring the fight. My opponent moved a lot, but I did what I had to do and got the win”

“This is a new learning experience. I will learn from this and I will keep moving forward”

Julian Rodriguez remained perfect with an 8-round unanimous decision over King Daluz in a Super Lightweight bout.

Rodriguez dropped Daluz with a right to the body in round seven and cruised home to the victory by scores of 80-71 on all cards.

Rodriguez, 141.6 lbs of Hasbrouck Heights, NJ is now 12-0.  Daluz, 140.4 lbs of Santa Cruz, Spain is 12-3-2.

Juan Carlos Torres remained undefeated with a 3rd round stoppage over Miguel Gloria in a scheduled 4-round Lightweight contst.

Torres scored a knockdown in round one and floored Gloria twice more in round two.  Gloria only lasted 20 seconds into round three before the fight was halted.

Torres, 136.4 lbs of Trujillo Alto, PR is 4-0 with three knockouts.  Gloria, 136 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is 1-2.

Christopher Diaz was impressive in scoring a 4th round stoppage over Angel Luna in a scheduled 8-round Featherweight bout.

Diaz pummeled and rocked Luna in round three with heavy blows.  In round four, Diaz landed a booming right that basically knocked Luna out on his feet.  prone in the corner, Diaz unloaded two more blows and the bout was stopped at 2:42 of round four.

Diaz, 127 lbs of Barranquitas, PR is 15-0 with 10 knockouts.  Luna, 126.8 lbs of Santiago, DR is 12-2-1.

World ranked Light Heavyweight Seanie Monaghan tuned up Janne Forsman in round five of their scheduled 10-round bout.

Monaghan landed a flurry of body shots in round four that sent Forsmann to his knees.  Monaghan continued the assault until the bout was halted at 1:34 of round five.

Monaghan, 179.8 lbs of Long Beach, NY is 26-0 with 17 knockouts.  Forsmann, 177 lbs of Vassam FIN is 21-4.

Emanuel Taylor scored a sixth round stoppage over Wilfredo Acuna in a scheduled 8-round Jr. Welterweight bout

In round six, Taylor landed a blistering combination that featured a right uppercut and left hook that sent Acuna to the canvas and the fight was waved off at 2:59

Taylor, 143.8 lbs of Baltimore, MD is 19-4-2 with 13 knockouts. Acuna, 144 lbs of Minagua, NIC is 15-19.

HBO Boxing presents an action-packed doubleheader when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: TERENCE CRAWFORD VS. HANK LUNDY AND FELIX VERDEJO VS. WILLIAM SILVA is seen SATURDAY, FEB. 27 at 10:00 p.m. (live ET/ tape-delayed PT) from The Theater at Madison Square Garden, exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports broadcasting team will call the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates: Feb. 28 (10:30 a.m.) and 29 (11:30 p.m.)

HBO2 playdate: Feb. 28 (3:00 p.m.)

Terence Crawford (27-0, 19 KOs), 2014’s Fighter of the Year, defends his junior welterweight title and unblemished record against veteran Hank Lundy (26-5-1, 13 KOs) in a scheduled 12-round contest. Hailing from Omaha, Neb., the 28-year-old enjoyed an impressive 2015 with knockout victories against top 140-pound contenders Thomas Dulorme and Dierry Jean. Known for his speed, precision, defense and power, Crawford will be making his pro debut in New York.

Philadelphia native Lundy, 32, suffered a technical decision loss to Mauricio Herrera on HBO Latino in July 2015, but rebounded in October with an impressive stoppage win against Carlos Velasquez. He’ll look to deploy his ring savvy against the younger Crawford.

In the evening’s co-main event, undefeated lightweights square off as Felix Verdejo (19-0, 14 KOs) of San Juan, Puerto Rico, takes on William Silva (22-0, 13 KOs) of Sao Paulo, Brazil, in a scheduled ten-round affair. Just 22 years old, Verdejo will be making his fifth appearance at the Garden. The rangy Silva, 28, will seek to halt the young star’s rise.

HBO’s flagship “World Championship Boxing” series marks its 44th year in 2016, while HBO Boxing presented its 1,000th fight last year.

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 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is Rick Bernstein; producer, Jonathan Crystal; director, Johnathan Evans.

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

LAS VEGAS, NV (January 28, 2016) — Before they enter the ring for their super brawls, MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO, TIMOTHY “Desert Storm” BRADLEY JR., TERENCE “Bud” CRAWFORD and FELIX “El Diamante” VERDEJO, who are headlining upcoming world championship events, took time out to make predictions on Super Bowl 50, which will pit the Denver Broncos against the Carolina Panthers on February 7. Also adding their two cents were trainers World-Famous FREDDIE ROACH and TEDDY ATLAS, who will be facing each other from opposing corners for the first time, with Pacquiao and Bradley, respectively, Top-10 contender “Hammerin'” HANK LUNDY and undefeated Brazilian buzz saw WILLIAM “Baby Face” SILVA, the respective opponents of Crawford and Verdejo.

THE PREDICTIONS

MANNY PACQUIAO
“Peyton Manning is a great competitor and with the possibility that this could be his last game I think he will be an inspiration to the Broncos to win and to end Peyton’s career as a world champion. He is certainly an inspiration to me.”

TIM BRADLEY
“It’s very clear to me — Carolina Panthers 31-27.”

FREDDIE ROACH
“I’m going with the Broncos because Peyton Manning, like Manny Pacquiao, has racked up all the records and the victories against superior opposition. Champions like Manning and Pacquiao know only one way to go out in their last rodeo and that’s on top. It’s Manningfest Destiny.”

TEDDY ATLAS
“It is Cam Newton’s time as I believe it is Tim Bradley’s and that is why Newton will win a Super Bowl and Bradley, a super championship, while Peyton Manning and Manny Pacquiao both retire after great careers.”

TERENCE CRAWFORD
“I don’t know what the score will be but the Carolina Panthers are the better team. One big reason is that they have Cam Newton as quarterback.”

HANK LUNDY
“I’m not really into it that much because I’ve got my own Super Bowl to worry about on February 27th and I’m coming to win the championship. I like Peyton Manning a lot, but I think Cam Newton is going to take care of business. Panthers 21-14.”

FELIX VERDEJO
“I’m going to pick the Carolina Panthers to win the Super Bowl this year. They are the better team”

WILLIAM SILVA
“I’m from Brasil so I do not get to see a lot of American football, but I think the Panthers will be the better team on Super Bowl day based upon their performances in past games. As far as the score, I think it will be the Panthers with three touchdowns to the Broncos’ one touchdown.”

********************

Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38 KOs), of General Santos City, Philippines, boxing’s only eight-division world champion and the reigning Fighter of the Decade, collides with five-time world champion Bradley (33-1-1, 13 KOs), of Palm Springs, Calif., in a 12-round world welterweight championship battle. Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with MP Promotions, Pacquiao vs. Bradley will take place Saturday, April, 9, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. It will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View®, beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT.

Crawford (27-0, 19 KOs), of Omaha, the 2014 Fighter of the Year and a two-division world champion, will be defending his World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior welterweight world title against Top-10 contender Lundy (26-5-1, 13 KOs), of Philadelphia, PA. Verdejo (19-0, 14 KOs), of San Juan, Puerto Rico, will be risking his WBO Latino lightweight title, Top-Five world ranking and his impending world title shot when he takes on Silva (23-0, 14 KOs), of São Paulo, Brasil, in a battle of undefeated contenders. Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Tecate, Classic Entertainment & Sports (CES), Diamante Promotions and Madison Square Garden, the Crawford/Verdejo championship doubleheader will take place on Saturday, February 27, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. Both fights will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

For fight updates go to toprank.com, hbo.com/boxing or mgmgrand.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing,, facebook.com/trboxeo or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, or twitter.com/hboboxing. Use the Hashtags #PacBradley, #CrawfordLundy or #VerdejoSilva to join the conversation on Twitter.

NEW YORK (January 12, 2015) — Undefeated superstar champions TERENCE “Bud” CRAWFORD and FELIX “El Diamante” VERDEJO will make their 2016 debuts in title defenses, Saturday, February 27, at the “Mecca of Boxing” — The Theater at Madison Square Garden. Crawford, the two-division world champion and 2014 Fighter of the Year will be defending his World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior welterweight world championship belt against Top-10 contender “Hammerin'” HANK LUNDY. Verdejo, the boxing gem of Puerto Rico, will be risking his WBO Latino lightweight title crown and his march to a world title shot when he rumbles with undefeated Brazilian buzz saw WILLIAM “Baby Face” SILVA. Both fights will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing, beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

These four warriors boast a combined record of 95-5-1 (60 KOs) — a winning percentage of 94% with close to 2/3 of their victories coming by way of knockout.

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Tecate, Classic Entertainment & Sports (CES), Diamante Promotions and Madison Square Garden, tickets to the Crawford vs. Lundy / Verdejo vs. Silva championship doubleheader will go on sale Tomorrow! Wednesday, January 13 at 10:00 a.m. ET. Priced at $300, $200, $100, $50 and $25, tickets can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008), and online at www.ticketmaster.com and www.thegarden.com.

“I will show the world I am the best fighter at 140 pounds,” said Crawford

“We can’t wait to shut up this dude, once and for all,” said Brian McIntyre, Crawford’s chief trainer and co-manager.

“This is an excellent matchup,” said Cameron Dunkin, Crawford’s co-manager. “Terence, the best in the world, against Lundy, a world-class fighter. Fans at The Garden and at home watching on HBO will be on their feet for as long as it lasts.”

“This is the type of fight I have been waiting for,” said Lundy. “The last couple of fights I have beaten guys but didn’t get the fair shake. If you’re a true fan of boxing, you know I belong in the ring with the best fighters in the world. I’m the type of guy that no one wants to fight, because I am the real deal. On February 27th, I am coming to Madison Square Garden to fight Terence Crawford, and on the 28th I’ll be leaving with his belt.”

“I feel happy to be going back to New York where last time I didn’t have one of my best performances because of the injury I suffered on my left hand, but I hope that this time I can give all my fans in ‘The Big Apple’ the spectacle that they deserve,” said Verdejo. “I’m coming ready to demonstrate to the world that in Puerto Rico there is a hungry fighter that wants to continue the tradition of champions that our Island has a rich history of producing.”

“We are going to New York to face William Silva, who on paper looks like the toughest fighter Felix has ever faced, but we are confident we will do the right preparation to pass this test,” said Ricky Marquez, Verdejo’s trainer and manager. “We know that we can count on the support of all the boricuas and we dedicate this fight to them, because they inspire us to wake up every morning at dawn to keep working harder and harder.”

“This is the fight I’ve wanted for a long time. At last, we get Verdejo in the ring,” said Silva.

“All of us at Top Rank are thrilled to return to the Theater at Madison Square Garden,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum. “We are particularly delighted that America superstar Terence Crawford will defend his world junior welterweight title against an ever dangerous Hank Lundy. The big boxing program will also showcase rising superstar prospect and the pride of Puerto Rico Felix Verdejo who will take on undefeated contender William Silva of Brazil.”

“It is great to be working with Top Rank and HBO Boxing on this event. This is the type of fight that is great for the sport of boxing, said Jimmy Burchfield, Sr., president of CES, Lundy’s promoter. “Fans will see two true warriors who will leave it all in the center of the ring, and it should go down as one of the best fights of the year. Hank Lundy has been waiting for a well-deserved opportunity like this his whole life, and he is hungry and ready for this bout. “Hammerin'” Hank has never turned down an opportunity, and in his past 17 bouts he has fought in 13 different states against opponents with a combined record of 276-44-4. On February 28th the world will see the best Hank Lundy yet.”

“Making his Manhattan debut, Terence Crawford stands today among boxing’s fastest rising stars” said Peter Nelson, Executive Vice President, HBO Sports. “His opponent Hank Lundy, Crawford’s toughest to date, seeks to usurp that star power for himself on fight night with an upset at the historic Madison Square Garden Theater. This will be a memorable night that will catapult the winner to new heights.”

Crawford (27-0, 19 KOs), of Omaha, Neb., who has won three of his last four bouts by stoppage, will be making his debut at the “Mecca of Boxing” in his second title defense as WBO junior welterweight world champion. The consensus Top-10 pound-for-pound fighter will be looking to build on his star-making 2014 which featured three world championship victories as well as Fighter of the Year honors from the BWAA and major media alike. Crawford, 28, captured the vacant WBO junior welterweight crown on April 18, 2015, via a devastating sixth-round knockout of once-beaten No. 2 world-rated contender Thomas Dulorme. He successfully defended the title on October 24, stopping No.2 world-rated contender Dierry Jean in front of a packed house at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha. Crawford began his career-best year on March 1, 2014, just 13 days short of the sixth anniversary of his professional debut. He captured the WBO lightweight title, dethroning defending champion Ricky Burns on Burns’ home turf of Glasgow, Scotland. Scoring a powerful and unanimous decision, Crawford put the boxing world on notice with his virtuoso performance as he pulled out all stops in dismantling Burns, rocking the defending champion throughout the fight, while switching back and forth between orthodox and southpaw stances. He followed that with a dramatic and critically-acclaimed knockout victory of undefeated former world champion and Cuban Olympic gold medalist Yuriorkis Gamboa on June 28, 2014, in a Fight of the Year nominee. It was one of the most-watched fights of the year with over 1.2 million viewers catching the live, first-time airing of the fight, according to Nielsen Media Research. He concluded 2014 on November 29 with a thorough shellacking of one-time world title challenger and No. 1 contender Ray Beltran, winning 11 of the 12 rounds. Crawford is only the second Nebraska native to be recognized as a boxing world champion. Perry “Kid” Graves, from Rock Bluff, captured the welterweight crown, knocking out Johnny Alberts in Brooklyn, in 1914, according to the Omaha World-Herald.

Lundy (26-5-1, 13 KOs), of Philadelphia, PA., will be bringing anything but brotherly love when he battles Crawford. The nine-year pro has a refreshing “old school” attitude about competition which can be boiled down to three words, “Bring It On!” Boasting a professional resume that doesn’t shy away from any tough fights, Lundy, 32, has several impressive victories, including former world champions David Diaz and Richar Abril as well as contenders Olusegun Ajose, Patrick Lopez, Dannie Williams and Angelo Santana. Lopez and Williams were both NABF lightweight title fights. In his last fight, on October 17, Lundy captured the World Boxing Council (WBC) Continental Americas lightweight title via a fifth-round knockout of Carlos Velasquez. Like Crawford, he can switch effectively and seamlessly to the southpaw stance. He is currently world-rated No. 8 by the WBC.

Verdejo (19-0, 14 KOs), from San Juan, Puerto Rico, who earned “Prospect of the Year” honors in 2014 and 2015, is looking to begin this year as a bona fide world title contender. He returns to the ring having won eight of his last 10 fights inside the distance, including his first and last fights of 2015 — a fifth-round knockout of Marco Lopez, on April 25, for the vacant WBO Latino lightweight title and a second-round pasting of Josenilson Dos Santos on December 11, which was Verdejo’s second defense of the title. In between those two fights, Verdejo successfully defended his title on June 13 at Madison Square Garden during Puerto Rican Day Parade weekend, winning a 10-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated contender Ivan Najera of San Antonio, TX. Already world-rated No. 4 by the World Boxing Association (WBA), No. 6 by the WBO and No. 7 by the International Boxing Federation (IBF), Verdejo, 22, continues to develop into a major gate attraction, producing standing room only crowds every time he fights. A former amateur standout who represented Puerto Rico in the 2012 Olympics, Verdejo has been mentored by Puerto Rican boxing icon and Hall of Fame inductee Felix Trinidad.

Silva (23-0, 14 KOs), of São Paulo, Brasil, who will be making his HBO debut, has only gone the distance three times over the past five years. He began to separate himself from the pack in 2013, when he captured the WBO Latino welterweight title via a 12-round unanimous decision over Hector Santana. In his 2014 debut, he captured the WBO Latino lightweight title, again by a 12-round decision, over Pablo Barboza. Santana and Barboza had a combined record of 40-5 when Silva fought them. Silva, 28, won all his 2015 fights by knockout, including a third-round stoppage of Bayanmunkh Bayaanjargal on the undercard of the December 11 Verdejo-Santos fight. Silva was licking his chops at the prospect of fighting Verdejo and made no secret of his desire at the post-fight press conference. World-rated No. 15 by the WBO, Silva will be one of the biggest and most dangerous opponents Verdejo has ever faced.

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, or twitter.com/hboboxing. Use the Hashtags #CrawfordLundy or #VerdejoSilva to join the conversation on Twitter.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, undefeated Lightweight’s Felix Verdejo will take on William Silva on February 27 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden.

The bout will be the co-feature bout to Terence Crawford’s WBO Jr. Welterweight title defense with Hank Lundy and be televised by HBO.

“He’s big, he’s strong, he’s undefeated and when he fought on Felix’s undercard in Puerto Rico, after he knocked out Jargal he said, ‘I can’t wait to fight Verdejo,'” said Top Rank’s Carl Moretti.

They had talked about making the fight in 2016 at some point “but now it just happens to be their first fight of the year,” Moretti said. “I don’t think he is in any way in awe of fighting Verdejo. I don’t think he’s intimidated one iota. He doesn’t care that he will be fighting him in front of a Puerto Rican crowd.

“But if Felix Verdejo is the type of fighter we think he can be we expect him to be victorious. That said I haven’t come across an opponent as confident as Silva. He’s a legit guy.”