By: William Holmes
The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of March 31st to April 7th, covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.
PBC Announces Partnership with SiriusXM
SiruisXM and Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) have announced an agreement to bring PBC fights to satellite radio listeners nationwide.
SiriusXM’s first broadcast will be the April 11th Garcia-Peterson/Lee-Quillin fight card at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. It will air on channel 92 (8:00 pm ET). The broadcast team for the April 11th card will feature New York Athletic Commission Chairman and former Editor in Chief of The Ring Magazine Randy Gordon as well as the blow by blow voice and former heavyweight contender Gerry Cooney. Sway Calloway, host of Sway in the Morning on Eminem’s Shade 43 channel, will be the ringside reporter.
“So many of the great moments in boxing history were experienced by fight fans through their radios. We’ll deliver that experience again on SiriusXM by bringing the sounds and excitement from ringside into those fans’ cars, homes and phones,” said Steve Cohen, SiriusXM’s SVP of Sports Programming. “This is a very exciting time for boxing. The creation of the Premier Boxing Champions series and the buzz around big fights and new stars has sports fans as enthusiastic as ever about the sport. We look forward to building on that resurgence by offering live broadcasts of these terrific events to listeners nationwide.”
All Access Chavez Premieres April 10th
The Sports Emmy Award winning series All Access returns to look at the life of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. ad he prepares to make his Showtime Championship Boxing debut against Andrzej Fonfara on Saturday, April 18th live on Showtime from the StubHub Center in Carson California.
All Access will premiere on Friday, April 10th immediately following the live ShoBox: The New Generation.
Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame to Honor 2015 Class of Inductees at Caesars Palace
Casesars Palace will host the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame’s third annual induction dinner/ceremony on Saturday, August 8th. The silent auction will begin at 6:00 p.m. and the dinner ceremony starts at 7:00.
The Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame will also throw a Caesars Palace pool-side part from 7:00-11:00 p.m. on Friday May 1st with its annual “A Night with Boxing’s Legends” party.
Tickets are available here.
Those who will be inducted include Roger Mayweather, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, Johhny Tapia, Muhammad Ali, Macro Antonio Barrera, Gene Fullmer, Marvin Hagler, Lennox Lewis, Sugar Ray Robinson, Felix Trinidad and more.
Andy Lee, Peter Quillin, Marcus Browne, and Heather Hardy Ring NYSE Closing Bell
Boxers Andy Lee, Peter Quillin, Marcus Browne, Heather Hardy, who are fighting on Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, participated in the ringing of the NYSE Closing Bell on April 6th, 2015. These boxers were joined by Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark, DiBella Entertainment President Lou DiBella, Swanson Communications President Kelly Swanson, Barclays Center Chief Communications Officer Barry Baum, and Haymon Boxing Vice President of Communications Tim Smith for the ceremony.
Humberto Soto vs. Frankie Gomez Announced as Co-Main Event for Canelo vs. Kirkland
On May 9th former three-division world champion Humberto Soto will take on one of boxing’s most prized prospects, East Los Angeles native, Frankie “Pitbull” Gomez as the televised co-main event of the upcoming Canelo vs. Kirkland HBO bout.
This card will take place at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas and it will be televised on HBO beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.
“The addition of Frankie ‘Pitbull’ Gomez and Humberto ‘La Zorrita’ Soto as the co-main event for Canelo vs. Kirkland further adds to the excitement and fireworks we are going to see in the ring on May 9 at Minute Maid Park in Houston,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Founder and President of Golden Boy Promotions. “The undefeated Gomez will be put to the test May 9 against the seasoned Soto, and I’m sure the fans won’t forget this war in the ring.”
“This fight is a classic tale between an experienced fighter and a young fighter,” said Humberto Soto. “Gomez, is a young hungry fighter with a future ahead of him. He comes into the fight full of energy and the desire to create his own legacy in the world of boxing and this makes him dangerous. I understand because I used to be in that position dreaming of one day becoming a world champion. Now, it’s my turn to be the fighter with the experience and maturity and I am prepared to take on a fighter like Gomez, a fight that will be exciting and explosive and one that I would like to dedicate to all the fans in Mexico!”
“I’m grateful to Golden Boy Promotions and HBO for giving me the opportunity to fight on the best network for boxing,” said Frankie Gomez. “It’s an honor to be chosen as the co-main event on the Canelo-Kirkland televised card. I know it’s going to be a tough fight against Humberto Soto, he is a ranked former world champion and is always prepared to fight. Come fight night, I will be at my best and will prove that I am a feared contender in the division.”
Mansour Tells Dawejko: The Beard’s Gotta Go
Amir Mansour and Joey Dawejko are scheduled to meet on Friday, May 8th at the 2300 Arena in Philaldephia, Pennsylvania on ESPN Friday Night Fights. Mansour is hoping that Dawejko won’t have his beard when he steps into the ring.
“Dawejko is going to have to cut that beard,” Mansour said. “It defies the boxing rules. He can’t come in with that big, long beard. He’s been getting away with it probably because nobody has been saying anything. The boxing commission knows he can’t get into the ring with that big, old beard. He’s hiding his chin. They’re supposed to tell him to shave it.”
The winner of the Dawejko and Mansour fight figure to be in the mix for big heavyweight fights in the near future.
Unbeaten Brooklynites Galarza, Khytrov, and Derevyanchenko Featured on April 10th ShoBox
On Friday, April 10th at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime unbeaten Frank Galarza (16-0-2) returns to the ring to face off against Sheldon Moore (13-2-1) in an eight round super welterweight bout headlining ShoBox: The New Generation tripleheader on Friday, April 10th from the Aviator Sports and Events Center in Brooklyn, NY live on Showtime.
Other Brooklyn fighters appearing on the card are middleweight Ievgen Khytrov (9-0) and super middleweight Sergiy Derevyanchenko (4-0) against Aaron Coley (9-0-1) and Alan Campa (13-1) respectively.
Championship Boxing on CBS Sports Network Event Taking Shape
The CBS Sports Network will televise a card from the Grand Casino Hinckley in Hinckley, Minnesota on Friday, April 17th.
Championship Boxing on CBS Sports Network will be headlined by Ireland’s WBA #12 and IBF #11 rated “Hurricane” Dennis Hogan (20-0-1) and Tyrone “Young Gun” Brunson (22-4-1) for the WBA Oceana Super Welterweight Championship. The co-feature will be between lightweight Tony Luis (19-2) defending his WBC Continental Americas Championship against Ira Terry (26-13).
