Tag: David Benavidez

Unbeaten Welterweight World Champion Errol Spence Jr. Battles Undefeated Four-Division World Champion Mikey Garcia In Historic Showdown

Unbeaten Welterweight World Champion Errol Spence Jr. Battles Undefeated Four-Division World Champion Mikey Garcia In Historic Showdown On First Premier Boxing Champions on FOX Sports Pay-Per-View Event, Saturday, March 16 From AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

 
Tickets On Sale Now at SeatGeek.com

Blockbuster Event to Feature Unbeaten Former 168-Pound Champion David Benavidez, Undefeated Former Bantamweight Champion Luis Nery & Fan Favorite Chris Arreola In Separate Bouts on Four-Fight Pay-Per-View Card

ARLINGTON, TX. (February 14, 2019) – Unbeaten IBF Welterweight World Champion Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. defends his title against undefeated four-division champion Mikey Garcia in a highly anticipated and historic showdown for pound-for-pound supremacy that headlines a Premier Boxing Champions on FOX Sports Pay-Per-View event on Saturday, March 16 from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The four-fight pay-per-view card will also see unbeaten former super middleweight world champion David Benavidez taking on veteran contender J’Leon Love in a 10-round showdown, undefeated former 118-pound champion Luis Nery battling former champion McJoe Arroyo in a 10-round attraction and fan-favorite Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola facing unbeaten Jean Pierre Augustin for 10-rounds of action.

Tickets for this showdown, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and Ringstar Sports, are on sale now, and can be purchased at SeatGeek.com, the Official Ticketing Provider of AT&T Stadium.

Spence and Garcia will go face-to-face on Saturday, February 16 at a press conference in Los Angeles that will air live on FOX from the Microsoft Theater at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT. The press conference is open to ticket holders for the Leo Santa Cruz vs. Rafael Rivera featherweight championship fight.

On Tuesday, February 19, Spence and Garcia will square off at a press conference from
AT&T Stadium where they will finally go toe-to-toe on March 16.

Garcia is stepping up two weight classes from his last fight to challenge Spence for the welterweight title in Spence’s backyard, not far from the Dallas suburb of DeSoto where Spence grew up a lifelong Dallas Cowboys fan. Garcia will be fighting in Texas for the ninth time as a pro and figures to be buoyed by the large contingent of Mexican and Mexican-American fans that will be in attendance.

His task has historical parallels to the paths taken by great fighters like Shane Mosley, Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao, who all moved up multiple weight classes to challenge all-time great welterweights. Mosley and Pacquiao were both successful in moving up from lightweight to defeat Oscar De La Hoya, while Marquez’s rise to welterweight was halted in a decision loss to Floyd Mayweather.

Spence is a power-punching welterweight who has stopped his last 11 opponents heading into this intriguing matchup against the brilliant tactician that Garcia has established himself as. With a clash of two superb boxers in the prime of their careers and squarely in the top-five of the mythical pound-for-pound rankings, the winner can stake a claim as the best boxer in the sport today.

“Errol Spence Jr. vs. Mikey Garcia is a matchup of two highly-skilled and accomplished fighters in a true blockbuster showdown,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “Fans will get to see the hometown hero Spence against the Mexican-American superstar Garcia with huge contingents of fans uplifting them to put on a performance to match the moment. Combined with a jam-packed pay-per-view undercard of action fights, this has all the makings of a once-in-a-lifetime event.”

“Spence vs. Garcia is an event that transcends boxing and is a coronation that will crown the new ‘King of Boxing,'” said Richard Schaefer, Chairman and CEO of Ringstar Sports. “In addition to the main event, fight fans will be treated to a spectacular night of boxing featuring three of the most exciting Mexican fighters in the sport in David Benavidez, Luis Nery and Chris Arreola. This is exactly what a pay-per-view card is and should be all about: entertainment and non-stop action from the first bell to the last!”

“We are proud to host a boxing match of this magnitude with Errol Spence Jr. and Mikey Garcia,” said Dallas Cowboys Owner, President and General Manager Jerry Jones. “AT&T Stadium was built to house the greatest sporting events on the planet, and we feel we have another incredible boxing event on the horizon with this matchup in our building on March 16.”

Spence (24-0, 21 KOs) is no stranger to big stadium events as he won the IBF title by traveling to England to take on then-champion Kell Brook at Bramhall Lane soccer stadium on May 27, 2017. In front of a raucous crowd of over 27,000 loyal Brook supporters, the 28-year-old Spence stopped Brook in round 11 to wrest away the title.

This will be Spence’s third defense of the title. After beating Brook, he successfully defended it with an eighth-round stoppage of two-division champion Lamont Peterson and then knocked out mandatory challenger Carlos Ocampo in the first round in his last fight at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, near his hometown of Desoto, Texas on June 16. Spence turned pro shortly after representing the U.S. at the 2012 London Olympics with much promise and rose to the championship ranks with wins over former champion Chris Algieri and veteran contenders Leonard Bundu, Alejandro Barrera and Chris van Heerden.

“I can’t wait for March 16th. It doesn’t get bigger than this,” said Spence. “Fighting at AT&T Stadium in my hometown is a dream come true. If I beat Mikey Garcia the way I plan on beating him, I will be the guy in the sport. This is my year and Mikey isn’t going to stop me. I am training like this is the biggest fight of my life and I want to put on a great show for the fans and win convincingly.”

Garcia (39-0, 30 KOs) is striving to put together a legendary career and is aggressively pursuing that goal. He has won world championships at featherweight, junior lightweight, lightweight and junior welterweight. He now eyes a welterweight title against the consensus class of the division in Spence. Fighting out of Moreno Valley, California, Garcia unified the IBF and WBC Lightweight World Championships in his last bout by scoring unanimous decision victory over Robert Easter, Jr. on July 28.

The 31-year-old first reached the championship ranks by blitzing through the featherweight and junior lightweight division, defeating Orlando Salido, Juan Manuel Lopez, Roman Martinez and Juan Carlos Burgos to establish himself as a star in the sport. Garcia has been on a fast track since ending a nearly 2-1/2-year hiatus with a knockout victory over Elios Rojas in 2016. After the victory over Rojas, Garcia scored a KO victory over Dejan Zlaticanin for the WBC lightweight championship in January 2017, before defeating four-division champion Adrien Broner in July and then captured a title at 140-pounds by dropping and defeating Sergey Lipinets last March.

“In my career I’ve always sought to fight the best in boxing and this fight against Errol Spence Jr. is just that,” said Garcia. “I want to be known as one of the all-time greats and what better way to do that than to win a welterweight title and become a five-division world champion. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Errol and what he’s accomplished, but I fully expect to leave the ring at AT&T Stadium with the welterweight world title. This is a match that I’ve been looking forward to for a long time and I plan on giving the fans a performance they’ll never forget.”

The 22-year-old Benavidez (20-0, 17 KOs) became the youngest fighter to ever win a super middleweight title in 2017 when he defeated Ronald Gavril at just 20-years-old. Fighting out of Phoenix, Benavidez’s older brother Jose is also a pro fighter who challenged Terrence Crawford last year. Benavidez most recently won a rematch against Gavril last February, and as WBC “Champion in Recess” he will look to reclaim his belt against the winner of the Anthony Dirrell vs. Avni Yildirim bout for the vacant title on February 23.

Born in Detroit but fighting out of Las Vegas, Love (24-2-1, 13 KOs) has long been amongst the top contenders at super middleweight and most recently lost a decision to Peter Quillin in August. The 31-year-old had been previously unbeaten in seven bouts heading into the contest against Quillin.

Currently riding a nine-fight knockout streak, Nery (28-0, 24 KOs) will look to get one step closer to a fight to regain a bantamweight title when he steps into the ring March 16. The 24-year-old from Tijuana, Mexico twice traveled to Japan and stopped Shinsuke Yamanaka in WBC title fights. In 2018 he stopped Jason Canoy and Renson Robles heading into his U.S. debut against Arroyo.

A 2008 Olympian for his home country of Puerto Rico, Arroyo (18-2. 8 KOs) captured a 115-pound championship with a technical decision over Arthur Villanueva in their 2015 clash. After dropping decisions against Rau’shee Warren and Jerwin Ancajas, the 33-year-old most recently defeated Sander Diaz last June.

An exciting brawler inside the ring, Arreola (37-5-1, 32 KOs) is well-known for challenging the best heavyweights in the sport throughout his career, and for becoming a popular attraction in and around his native Los Angeles for his fighting style and persona. The 37-year-old faced the likes of Vitali Klitschko, Tomasz Adamek, and Bermane Stiverne, before challenging Deontay Wilder for his title in 2016. After a brief retirement, Arreola returned to stop Maurenzo Smith last December.

Unbeaten and fighting out of Louisville, Augustin (17-0-1, 12 KOs) will face his toughest and most experienced test to date in Arreola. Born in Haiti, Augustin turned pro in 2014 and has steadily climbed up the heavyweight rankings.

For more information: visit http://www.premierboxingchampions.com, http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/homepage and http://www.foxdeportes.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @PBConFOX, @FOXSports, @FOXDeportes, @Ringstar, @TGBPromotions and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, http://www.facebook.com/foxsports & http://www.facebook.com/foxdeportes.

 

 

DANNY GARCIA KNOCKS OUT BRANDON RIOS IN WELTERWEIGHT TITLE ELIMINATOR SATURDAY ON SHOWTIME® FROM MANDALAY BAY EVENTS CENTER

 

DANNY GARCIA KNOCKS OUT BRANDON RIOS IN WELTERWEIGHT TITLE ELIMINATOR SATURDAY ON SHOWTIME® FROM MANDALAY BAY EVENTS CENTER
 
David Benavidez Remains Boxing’s Youngest World Champion With Unanimous Decision Over Ronald Gavril In SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® Co-Feature
 
Watch The Replay Monday, Feb. 19 At 10 p.m. ET/PT On SHOWTIME EXTREME®
 
Click HERE for Photos from Stephanie Trapp/SHOWTIME
Click HERE for Photos from Chris Farina/Mayweather Promotions
Click HERE for Photos from Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions
 
LAS VEGAS (Feb. 17, 2018) – Former two-division world champion Danny Garcia returned with a vengeance, knocking out Brandon Rios in a WBC Welterweight Title Eliminator in the main event of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING Saturday on SHOWTIME from Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. 
 
Returning for the first time since dropping a close split-decision to Keith Thurman in a welterweight world championship unification fight in March of 2017, Garcia reminded fans of his position amongst boxing’s elite at 147 pounds with an early candidate for 2018 Knockout of the Year.  VIDEO: http://s.sho.com/2HpwG0N
 
Garcia (34-1, 20 KOs) did his best work in the center of the ring, where he was able to box at a distance and fend off Rios’ furious pace.  Rios, who returned in 2017 from a brief retirement, was most effective against the ropes where he gave Garcia trouble with his constant pressure and his favorite weapon – a wide overhand right.
 
In the ninth round with the fight where Garcia wanted it – in the center of the ring – the Philadelphia native landed a huge counter right to the chin that sent Rios flat on his back.  Rios beat the count, but was clearly wobbly on his feet, forcing referee Kenny Bayless to halt the contest at 2:25 of the ninth. 
 
“I felt the ring rust a little bit in the beginning,” said Garcia, who recorded the 20th knockout of his career.  “He’s a good inside fighter and he was giving me some good uppercuts.  I felt good, it was a good nine rounds.  He came to fight.  I came to box, I did that.  I came to bang, and I gave the fans what they wanted – a knockout. 
 
“I just noticed when I was getting my punches off he was standing right in front of me and I just let it go.  As soon as I got the fight in the middle of the ring where I wanted I landed good shots.  I was just letting my hands go and the punch landed.”
 
After the fight, SHOWTIME Sports reporter Jim Gray asked Garcia how the loss to Thurman affected him. 
 
“The loss was tough.  I have the mindset of a winner,” Garcia said.  “I hate losing.  I took it like a true champion and I bounced back like a true champion. 
 
“I would love the rematch with Keith Thurman.  It’s on him.  Whenever he’s ready we’ll fight.”
 
WBA and WBC Champion Thurman isn’t the only potential blockbuster on the horizon for Garcia. Former welterweight champion and the WBC’s No. 1 ranked contender Shawn Porter looms for what would be a massive showdown between the former champions.
 
After the fight, Rios (34-4-1, 24 KOs) was frustrated with the stoppage and promised to return. 
 
“I’m mad.  I don’t like going out like that,” Rios said.  “I’m a warrior, I got back up and I wanted to continue.  I guess they stopped it but I’m mad.  I’m mad because I got up. 
 
“I was doing good.  I got lazy with the jab and he came over with the right hand and he caught me.  I’m a warrior.  I’m still in the game.  I didn’t think he did much to hurt me.  I think it was closer than what he thought it was.  He just caught me with a lucky punch.  I was ready to continue.”
 
Boxing’s youngest world champion, David Benavidez, left no questions in a rematch with Ronald Gavril, defending his WBC Super Middleweight World Championship with a dominating 12-round unanimous decision in Saturday’s co-feature on SHOWTIME. 
 
The 21-year-old Benavidez and Gavril had fought to a close split-decision in one of 2017’s best fights that saw Benavidez drop to the canvas in the final minute of the 12th and final round.  The Phoenix native had no trouble in the immediate rematch, utilizing a stiff jab and a steady diet of combo shots to win a near-shutout over the game Gavril. 
 
Benavidez (20-0, 17 KOs) wore down Gavril with an intelligent body attack, pounding the midsection to open up power shots and jabs to the head.  Benavidez had his best round in the fourth, connecting on a huge right uppercut that nearly floored Gavril – who appeared to be saved by the ropes – and then pounced with a series of damaging combo shots. 
 
Benavidez appeared to hurt his right hand in the second half of the fight and stepped off the gas in the 10th, 11th and 12th.  But Benavidez, who connected on 41 percent of his power shots, still landed the harder shots and utilized a stiff left jab to keep Gavril largely at bay.
 
“I knew he was going to come aggressive.  He’s a one-trick opponent,” Benavidez said.  “I knew I could jab and box him all day.  When I saw the opening I took it.  I didn’t knock him out though – he’s a tough son of a gun. 
 
“Both my hands hurt but I have that warrior’s mentality so I kept pushing. 
 
“I want to be the best in division. So whoever they put in front of me that’s what I want to do.”
 
Gavril (18-3, 14 KOs) didn’t make any excuses for dropping what was an action-packed affair that was scored 119-109 and 120-108 twice.
 
“He tried to box me on the outside,” Gavril said.  “It was good fight.  He was the better man tonight. What can I say?  I want to go back in the gym and come back stronger.”
 
In the opening bout of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, Yordenis Ugas scored the biggest win of his career, knocking out Ray Robinson in the seventh round of an IBF Welterweight Eliminator. 
 
Ugas (21-3, 10 KOs) now holds the IBF’s No. 2 position to undefeated champion Errol Spence Jr. 
 
Ugas, a former amateur standout who is now 6-0 since moving up to the 147-pound class, set the tone with a knockdown in the closing minute of the opening round.  Robinson (24-3, 12 KOs) survived and was later deducted a point for hitting after the bell as the fourth round came to a close.  The illegal punch floored an unexpected Ugas, who rebounded and continued to dominate the subsequent rounds.
 
In the opening minute of the seventh, the 31-year-old Ugas landed a massive right that floored Robinson, who beat the count but was clearly hurt.  Ugas unleashed an onslaught with a series of combos, forcing referee Robert Byrd to step in to halt the contest at 1:05 with Robinson defenseless against the ropes.
 
Ugas landed 51 percent of his power shots and was comfortably ahead on all three judges at the time of the stoppage. 
 
“I felt like I was the stronger fighter by far and he didn’t hurt me,” said Ugas. “He lost a point for hitting me after the bell sounded, and knocked me down, but even that didn’t hurt me. He was very awkward and his style threw off my timing.
 
“Luckily I was able to land body shots that I knew were hurting him. I was able to dictate the pace and we never in trouble.
 
“I want Errol Spence next.  Everyone wants Errol.”

Garcia vs Rios Bout Sheet

 

Click HERE for PDF Version

Click HERE for Photos from Stephanie Trapp/SHOWTIME

Click HERE for Photos from Chris Farina/Mayweather Promotions

 

Tensions Flare At Final Press Conference For Danny Garcia vs. Brandon Rios Welterweight World Title Eliminator – Quotes & Photos From Thursday’s Final Press Conference
Tensions Flare At Final Press Conference For Danny Garcia vs.  Brandon Rios Welterweight World Title Eliminator
 
David Benavidez Promises To Knock Out Ronald Gavril In WBC Super Middleweight World Championship Rematch In Co-Feature Of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® Tripleheader
 
Saturday, Feb. 17, Live on SHOWTIME® from Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas & Presented by Premier Boxing Champions
Click HERE for Photos from Stephanie Trapp/SHOWTIME
Click HERE for Photos from Chris Farina/Mayweather Promotions
 
LAS VEGAS (Feb. 15, 2018) – Two-division world champion Danny Garcia and former world champion Brandon Rios faced off Thursday at the final press conference for their WBC Welterweight World Title Eliminator this Saturday, February 17live on SHOWTIME from Mandalay Bay Events Center, and presented by Premier Boxing Champions.
 
Garcia, who returns for his first bout since a unification showdown with Keith Thurman, promised to put on a show, while a confident Rios assured he was 100 percent prepared for what he deemed a “make or break” fight. 
 
Saturday’s co-main event stole the show Thursday as undefeated WBC Super Middleweight World Champion David Benavidez promised to send top-rated contender Ronald Gavril into retirement in their anticipated rematch of a thrilling 2017 split-decision.  Gavril, who floored Benavidez in the final minute of their Fight of the Year nominee, promised a different outcome in Saturday’s rematch. 
 
The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXINGtelecast begins at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT with welterweight contenders Yordenis Ugas and Ray Robinson facing offin an IBF 147-pound title eliminator.
 
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and TGB Promotions, are on sale now and are available at AXS.com.
 
Here is what the fighters had to say from Rhythm & Riffs Lounge in Las Vegas:
 
DANNY GARCIA
“I took a little under a year off just to enjoy my life. I’ve worked hard my whole life; I’ve been boxing for 20 years. I just wanted to be a regular person and let my mind rest, spend time with my daughter and enjoy some of my money.
 
“More than anything, I just felt like I needed the rest. It wasn’t about the hunger because I’ve always had passion for the sport. I love boxing. I love the competition.
 
“I’m back now and I’ve been in camp for three months. I’m training hard. I feel great and I feel confident.
 
“It was a close fight against Thurman. I walked out of there with no injuries. Thurman was the one with the elbow injury, so he took more punishment than me. I could easily be unified champion of the world right now. At the end of the day, I’m a champion. That’s my mindset. What doesn’t break me, makes me stronger.
 
“It feels great to be from Philly right now. The atmosphere is crazy. When the Eagles won the Super Bowl, it felt like I won. They motivated me to go out there and do what I have to do.
 
“It’s the Danny Garcia show so I’m going to go in there and do what I want to do. I’m going to dictate the pace. If we want to bang, we can bang. If we want to box, we can box.
 
“I’ve faced fighters that came straight at me before. I’ve faced fighters that moved. I’m prepared for whatever. I’m a young veteran in the sport and what made me a true champion is adapting to anything and overcoming adversity. If I have to overcome adversity on Saturday night, then I’m going to do that because that’s what I was built for.
 
“I need to get a victory on Saturday night. I can’t overlook anybody. I’ve seen some crazy things happen in boxing. One punch can change everything, so I’m just focused on Saturday night.”
 
BRANDON RIOS
“I’m ready 100 percent. I’m ready to give the fans an exciting show and that’s what I’ve prepared for. That’s my style. I always come forward and I come to fight. We ain’t dancing, we’re going to be fighting.
 
“Robert Garcia has always been my brother. He’s a brother from another mother. It felt great to be back with Robert Garcia and I’m just ready for the fight now. Him and Donald Leary have me confident in myself, and that’s the most important thing.
 
“I’m going to take advantage of every opportunity. This can make or break me. I’m doing everything right in training and dieting. I usually say I can’t wait until weigh-ins but this time I can’t wait until Saturday.
 
“There’s no weight issue at all. I’m perfectly on-weight right now. I’m perfectly fine health-wise, there’s no injuries. I’m 100 percent ready.”
 
DAVID BENAVIDEZ
“I’m going to put Gavril into retirement after this fight. I’m going to knock him out. This is going to be the fight of the night so you guys don’t want to miss it. He’s not going to want to box again after I get done with him.
 
“He dropped me but I wasn’t hurt at any point of that fight. I got back up and smiled. I did not feel his power at all.
 
“It wasn’t a tough decision to give him a rematch because it was a great fight. I just want to give the fans the fights they want to see. They said the first one was a war, let’s make this one a war too.
 
“I’m not offended by Gavril’s talk because he’s a good fighter. This is just more hype for the fight and more motivation for me to go in there and make it a war.
 
“This time, there’s going to be a little bit more boxing. I really want to put this guy away so in order to do that, I need to step up every part of my game.”
 
RONALD GAVRIL
“In the first fight, I proved to everybody that I have the skill and the power to be the best in this division. I thought that I won the fight, especially with the knockdown. So now, I had more than eight weeks to prepare for this fight when I only had four weeks for the first fight. I’m better now.
 
“I was not surprised Benavidez gave me the rematch because it was such a good fight. I think Benavidez talks to much. He said before the first fight that he was coming to stop me in four rounds or five rounds. He cannot stop me. And now, he said the same thing before this fight. He can’t do that. Why do you think he got a new fitness coach?”
 
YORDENIS UGAS
“Moving up from 140 to 147 in 2016 has been great for me. Putting on the extra weight only makes me stronger.
 
“I’m ready to fight Robinson. I feel 100 percent and after I fight him on Saturday, I’m looking forward to fighting (Errol) Spence if I’m successful.
 
“I’m going to jump on the fact that I have length and reach on him. I have the height advantage. I can find a way to come in and attack the body first.
 
“This is definitely the biggest fight of my career. It’s an eliminator so I’m going for the win on Saturday night.”
 
RAY ROBINSON
“At one point, I used to put a lot of pressure on myself because of my name. I put so much pressure on myself that I even think I lost a couple fights. I look up to Sugar Ray Robinson, but I’m here to put my own footprints in the sand.
 
“I have learned from every fight and gotten better every fight as a pro and as a person. I have a great team now and they have only added to my craft.
 
“I feel confident. I did all of the hard work in the gym with my team. This is the easy part. I can box with a blindfold on. That’s the one thing I know how to do – fight. On Saturday, all of my hard work is going to pay off.”

Unbeaten Rising Contender David Benavidez & Former European Amateur Star Ronald Gavril Battle for Vacant WBC Super Middleweight World Title

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT TRAINING CAMP NOTES

 

Unbeaten Rising Contender David Benavidez & Former European Amateur Star Ronald Gavril Battle for Vacant WBC Super Middleweight World Title

in Main Event of SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION® Friday,
Sept. 8 Live on SHOWTIME at 10:05 p.m. ET/PT

 

LAS VEGAS (Sept. 5, 2017) – Fight Week is here for the six boxers competing in this Friday’s SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION telecast, headlined
by unbeaten rising star David Benavidez and contender Ronald Gavril who will battle for the vacant WBC Super Middleweight World Championship live on SHOWTIME (10:05 p.m. ET/PT) from The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas.

 

The event, presented by Premier Boxing Champions,
will feature two additional showdowns in the super middleweight division. Once-beaten J’Leon Love (23-1, 13 KOs) will battle Texas-native Abraham Han (26-3, 16 KOs) in a 10-round bout while
unbeaten prospect Caleb Plant (15-0, 10 KOs) takes on 31-year-old Phoenix, Ariz., switch-hitter Andrew Hernandez (19-6-1, 9 KOs), who steps in for Alan Campa for the 10-round attraction.

 

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and Sampson Boxing, are priced at $100, $50 and $25, and are on sale Tuesday, Aug. 22. To purchase tickets visit AXS.com or the Hard Rock
Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas Box Office.

 

The following is a training camp update from each of the fighters on this Friday’s tripleheader.

 

David “El Bandera Roja” Benavidez

* He trains out of The Summit Gym in Big Bear, Calif.

* His trainer is his father, Jose Benavidez Sr.

* With a victory, Benavidez (age 20) would become the youngest Super Middleweight to ever win a world title and the youngest current world champion.

* He’s very familiar with the gym because his brother Jose Benavidez Jr. (former WBA interim super lightweight champion) used to train there when he was active.

 

Benavidez on training camp:

“My training camps are always fairly long. I only take a week off after every fight and go back into training. For the first couple weeks, it’s just moving around, then we slowly work into the hard training.
For this one, I probably had like a month and a half, two months.”

 

On his opponent:

“I feel like he [Ronald Gavril] has a really good style for me to showcase my skills, like how I did against Rogelio Medina. With our sparring partners, we have brawlers and we have boxers, as well. Whatever
style he fights on that night, I’m going to be prepared for it.”

 

Ronald “The Thrill” Gavril

* He trains at the Mayweather Boxing Club in Las Vegas.

* He is a former European amateur standout.

* His trainer is Eddie Mustafa Muhammad (65 years old; former WBA light heavyweight world champion, retired in 1988 with a record of 50-8-1, 39 KOs).

 

Gavril on training camp:

“I feel really sharp and I’m really happy with how everything has gone during training. This is the opportunity that I’ve worked so hard to get to and I’m definitely not letting it slip by. I know that everything
needs to be 100 percent on fight night so I’m pushing myself to be ready to do whatever it takes to leave with the belt.”

 

On his opponent:

“Benavidez is a strong guy who’s coming in with a lot of support behind him, but I’m not going to let any of that distract me from my preparation. Me and my trainer are going to have a great game plan for him.
I know he wants to be active and smother me and we’re going to show him all of the parts of my game.”

 

Eddie Mustafa Muhammad:

“I got Ronald sparring with the IBF’s number-one super middleweight contender, Jose Uzcategui. He’s giving us good work, too-he can fight. We also sparred Badou Jack for a couple rounds. We’ve got an abundance
of guys that we’re working with.

 

“The way they’re talking about Benavidez, it’s like he’s King Kong. But it’s good-perfect! Ronald is a boxer-puncher, he can adapt. That’s the whole key. He has a wealth of amateur experience. This is our opportunity.
We’ve talked about this for a while now, and Ronald is at a point where he’s ready right now…It’s going to be a great fight.”

 

J’Leon Love

* He trains at the Mayweather Boxing Club in Las Vegas.

* His trainer is Theo Chambers.

* He’s been in training camp for about five months

 

Love on training camp:

 “My training camp-it’s been months! I started training in April. Being that we had fights fall out, I always stayed in the gym. That’s the hardest part, because I feel like I’ve had bad luck with fights falling
out. But one thing I can say-we train our ass off! I just want to go on vacation after this.”

 

“We’ve had a lot of good sparring-Lionell Thompson and Denis Douglin have been in here working. We’ve had so many sparring partners throughout this camp, and we’ve just been working, working, working.

 

On his opponent:

“I remember Abie Han from the amateurs. He’s always been a tough fighter. You can’t look past anybody. Everybody comes in that ring to fight. Everybody comes in with a different mode or a different drive, so
this may be the drive he has to really come out and explode on the scene and beat me. So, I’m taking him absolutely, positively serious, like he’s a world championship fighter and we’re fighting for the world title.”

 

Abraham “The Sun City Warrior” Han

* Trains out of his father’s martial arts studio in El Paso, Texas (Han’s Martial Arts).

* He is trained by Louie Burke — 56 years old; former pro junior lightweight, retired in 1985 with a record of 19-3, 12 KOs; won the “ESPN Junior Lightweight Title” on Apr. 14, 1983, with a 12-round unanimous
decision against Freddie Roach; also won a 10-round decision against Roach in the rematch on Nov. 10, 1983.

* He has sparred with former world champion Austin Trout.

 

Han on training camp:

“I train at my dad’s martial arts studio in El Paso – Han’s Martial Arts. I’m sparring mostly with local people from El Paso, and I also sparred with Austin Trout.

 

“I’ve been working hard and working with Austin (Trout) and that makes a big difference. Austin makes me so much better. He’s been a world champion and he will be a world champion again. His expertise and his
knowledge is amazing. He’s been in those situations and he tells me little things along the way and I think that will make all the difference in this fight.”

 

Caleb “Sweet Hands” Plant

* Moved to Las Vegas from Nashville about a year ago to train

* He is trained by Justin Gamber and his father Richie Plant.

 

Plant on training camp:

“I’ve been living in Las Vegas for more than a year now – since August 24th, 2016. I’ve been in the gym consistently this whole time since my last fight, but my ‘official’ training camp will be seven or eight
weeks. We bounce around to a couple of different gyms for sparring. I’ve had good work this camp – great sparring, good strength and conditioning, good gym work, and I’ve had good rest. I have a good diet.

 

“I know every boxer says, ‘Oh, this is my best camp,’ and a lot of times they don’t mean it. But this has literally been my best camp. Things are very smooth.”

 

Andrew Hernandez

* He is managed by his wife Jacquie Hernandez and trained by Alan Beirs.

* Alfred Quintana serves as his cut man and strength and conditioning coach.

* A late replacement, Hernandez got the call on Aug. 29 and accepted the fight; contract signed the next day.

* Trains at Gents Gym in Arrowhead, Ariz.

 

What Hernandez has to say:

“I’ve known my trainer, Alan Beirs, for a while. He actually helped me with my last couple of fights – we’ve only been together maybe six months or so. He worked my corner in February, but we weren’t working
completely together. Then when I got back in the gym in March, that’s when we really started working together.

 

“I train at a place called Gents Gym in Arrowhead, Ariz. I trained there with the Busted Knuckles Boxing crew – that’s Alan Beirs’ crew. We’re all pushing each other to get better and I know they’ll have me
ready for fight night

Benavidez KO’s Douglin on PBC on ESPN

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Press Release                                                                                                                               For Immediate Release

Undefeated Rising Star David Benavidez Knocks Out Denis Douglin in Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN & ESPN Deportes Main Event from Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena 

Undefeated Lightweight Alejandro Luna BestsNaim Nelson by Unanimous Decision 

Click HERE for PhotosCredit: Premier Boxing Champions/Ryan Hafey 

Click HERE for Benavidez vs. Douglin Highlights

Click HERE for Luna vs. Nelson Highlights

PHILADELPHIA (August 6, 2016) – Undefeated rising contender David “El Bandera Roja” Benavidez (16-0, 15 KOs) knocked out Denis Douglin (20-5, 13 KOs) in the 10-round main event of Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN and ESPN Deportes from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. 

Douglin, who is trained by his mother Saphya, opened the fight very aggressive, stealing the first round on all three judges’ scorecards. Douglin continued to press the action, also winning the second round battle with two of the three judges, but Benavidez would soon settle in and take control of the war. 

“I knew it was going to be a tough fight. I knew Douglin wasn’t going to go out without a fight,” said Benavidez. “So I came in here and started slower than I usually do, just using my jab a little bit more.” 

The 19-year-old Benavidez made the necessary corrections in round three and never looked back, chipping away throughout the fourth and fifth rounds. In the sixth, Benavidez teed off on Douglin with damaging punches to both Douglin’s body and head. 

In the seventh round, Benavidez was still having his way when one of the top turnbuckles gave out, causing the ropes on one side of the ring to collapse, and stopping the fight momentarily. When the action resumed, Douglin came forward with a flurry, but that burst of energy was short-lived. 

Benavidez regained control in the eighth round, and in the ninth he scored the only knockdown of the fight. In the tenth and final frame, Benavidez threw a barrage of punches, several of which buckled Douglin, causing referee Gary Rosato to intervene and stop the fight at :35 into the round. 

When asked about Douglin’s resilience, Benavidez said, “I hurt him a lot of times, but I kept my cool. I knew I was going to get him out of there sooner or later and that’s exactly what I did tonight. This is a good victory for me. Douglin is a tough veteran. He started fast and swinging wildly, and his offense probably looked better on-camera than it was, but he did what he had to do to survive until the final round.” 

Benavidez continued, “It was important to me to get the stoppage and show everybody that I am just as strong in the late rounds as I am early on. I love this. This is what I signed up for. I want tough fights.” 

A disappointed Douglin said, “I was in this fight, I just got winded. I was in great shape and everything, but I got winded there towards the end. Benavidez is a tough, young fighter. He was able to make me stay in there longer than I wanted to, but I feel good and I’ll be back.” 

Benavidez concluded, “Right now, I would like to say that I don’t think about who’s next. I’m just trying to progress in my career and I’m not trying to call anybody out. But if I do dream about fighting anybody, it would be whoever is the champion at my weight. I’m going to work hard to get to that spot.”  

Televised coverage began with exciting undefeated contender Alejandro “El Charro” Luna (21-0, 15 KOs) defeating Philadelphia prospect Naim Nelson (13-2, 1 KO) by unanimous decision (99-91, 98-92, 97-93) in a ten-round bout fought at a catch weight of 144 lbs. 

Nelson, who stepped up to face Luna on only 24-hours notice, tried to bring the fight to Luna in the early rounds and make it a physical contest on the inside. 

Despite Luna landing a couple of blistering uppercuts in the second and third rounds, Nelson still came forward. Luna later said, “Nelson was a tough guy and could bang a little bit.” 

By the close of the third round, Luna’s left eye appeared to be swelling badly, but luckily for Luna Nelson’s gas tank appeared to drain just in time. Although Nelson was all aggression and wanted to fight in a phone booth early on, he found himself landing fewer punches and looking to create distance in the middle rounds. 

Luna soon took over the action, and in the seventh round a cut opened on Nelson’s forward, but was quickly controlled by his corner. Nevertheless, Luna had done enough damage in the middle stages of the scrap and was able coast to a unanimous victory on the scorecards. ”

Obviously we prepared for another opponent, but I felt I had a solid performance against him,” said Luna. “Nelson came to fight and was in shape, and I thought I handled him pretty well, but I know I can still do better.” 

When asked about taking the fight on short notice Nelson said, “I make no excuses, but we took this fight at 9 p.m. last night and I knew I was stepping up to face a tough opponent. I didn’t get the decision, but I felt good in there tonight, and I proved I can compete with a world class fighter. 

Nelson added, “Luna is a good puncher and he’s strong. I won’t take anything away from him. We fought a hell of a fight, and I look forward to being back soon.” 

Luna summed up the night adding, “I’m looking to build on what I did here tonight and get back in the ring soon for another good fight.” 

The card was promoted by King’s Promotions. 

For information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @KingsBoxing, @ESPNBoxing and @Swanson_Comm and become a fan on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/premierboxingchampions.  Highlights available to embed at www.youtube.com/premierboxingchampions. PBC on ESPN is sponsored by Corona Extra, La Cerveza Mas Fina.