RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (Dec. 12, 2009) – In a fierce battle of wills between two determined, unbeaten fighters, Timothy “Desert Storm’’ Bradley (25-0, 11 KOs) retained his World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior welterweight title with an impressive, one-sided 12-round decision over Lamont Peterson (27-1, 13 KOs) in the main event of a world championship doubleheader Saturday on SHOWTIME®.
In the co-feature on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, World Boxing Council (WBC)/World Boxing Association (WBA) 115-pound champion Vic Darchinyan (33-2-1, 27 KOs), of Sydney, Australia, by way of Armenia, regained his winning ways with a devastating second-round knockout over challenger Thomas Rojas (31-12-1, 22 KOs) of Mexico.
The event at The Show at Agua Caliente Casino • Resort • Spa was promoted by Gary Shaw Productions and Thompson Boxing Promotions in association with Top Rank, Inc.
Encouraged by an enthusiastic hometown crowd, Bradley, of nearby Palm Springs, registered a knockdown in the third en route to winning an exciting one-sided, give-and-take slugfest by the scores of 120-107, 119-108 and 118-110. Peterson, of Washington, D.C, who entered the ring as the WBO interim 140-pound titlist, fell to 27-1 with 13 KOs.
“Lamont came out and made me fight like no one ever, ever has,’’ Bradley said. “He is a tough, tough fighter. This is a great night for me but also a great fight for the fans.
“I think experience played a big role tonight. He had the right game plan but got a little careless and was rushing in instead of following his jab. When he came in like that is when I nailed him.
“Lamont did what he was supposed to do and tried to break me down. I felt a little gassed in the seventh round but I got my second wind in the eighth and ninth. I felt my conditioning was superior.’’
Bradley, who excelled in all areas, showed again why many consider him to be the No. 1 fighter in the world at 140 pounds.
“I’ll fight whoever they want me to fight and I don’t care where I have to go,’’ Bradley said. “I’m very happy with my performance but Lamont proved that he is going to be a great world champion.’’
Said Peterson: “My game plan was to win the first round. But in the middle of it I got hit pretty hard by right-hand punches and lost the round. I was in trouble and fell behind. I got reckless during the fight. I couldn’t make it up. He’s a great champion. I gave it all I had.’’
Southpaws Darchinyan and Rojas duked it out from the outset with both landing their fair share of hard shots. Two of the three judges gave the first round to Rojas.
The second session was also highly competitive until Darchinyan connected with a devastating left hand that left Rojas on his back, down and out. The bout ended at the 2:54 mark.
“The key to this fight was patience and showing my boxing skills,’’ Darchinyan said. “Strength-wise, fighting at 115 pounds or 118 pounds doesn’t mean anything because the difference is minimal.
“It’s all about mental preparation and tonight I was patient and took my time and let the knockout come. He was hitting me with punches but I was hitting him back more and with more power. It was only a matter of time before he felt my power.’’
A fight fans want to see is a rematch between Darchinyan and Nonito Donaire, who knocked out Darchinyan in the fifth round July 7, 2007, on SHOWTIME.
“Every night when I go to sleep or I am preparing for a fight I am dreaming of a rematch with Nonito Donaire,’’ Darchinyan said. “It’s all up to my promoter Gary Shaw.’’
Shaw says he is trying to get the fight made.
Rojas felt he was on the way to an upset until he got caught.
“I was doing what I was supposed to do, which is to box him and keep him away, but I got careless and I never saw the punch coming,’’ Rojas said. “I am very disappointed because I knew that I could beat this guy.’’
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING announcers Gus Johnson and Al Bernstein called the action with Jim Gray reporting from ringside. The executive producer of SHOWTIME Sports is David Dinkins with Ray Smaltz producing and Bob Dunphy directing.
For information on SHOWTIME Sports, including exclusive video, photos and news links on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING and Strikeforce mixed martial arts telecasts, along with access to the SHOWTIME Sports Facebook® and Twitter® pages, please go to http://Sports.Sho.com.
Saturday’s bouts will re-air as follows:
DAY CHANNEL
Wednesday, Dec. 16, at 11 p.m. ET/PT SHOWTIME 2
The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING world championship doubleheader also will be available On Demand beginning Tuesday, Dec. 15.
SHOWTIME Sports Schedule for remainder of 2009: Next Friday, Dec. 18, ShoBox: The New Generation closes out another terrific year with a tripleheader at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). In the 10-round main event at Grand Casino Hinckley in Hinckley, Minn., promising southpaw middleweight Fernando Guerrero (16-0, 13 KOs), of Salisbury, Md., by way of the Dominican Republic, will risk his unbeaten record against Jesse Nicklow (19-1-2, 7 KOs), of Baltimore, Md. In a pair of eight-rounders featuring four young, unbeaten boxers with a combined record of 36-0 with 22 KOs, Lanard Lane (9-0, 6 KOs) of Philadelphia faces Said “The Messenger’’ El Harrack (8-0, 3 KOs) of Henderson, Nev., by way of London, England, in a welterweight bout and Shawn “Showtime’’ Porter (11-0, 9 KOs) of Akron, Ohio, meets Jamar “Yung Prince’’ Patterson (8-0, 4 KOs) of Utica, N.Y. via, New Hartford, N.Y., in a middleweight match.
On Saturday, Dec. 19, Mixed Martial Arts is back with STRIKEFORCE: Evolution (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) featuring the return of unbeaten superstar and former STRIKEFORCE world middleweight champion Cung Le (6-0) of San Jose, Calif., who meets Scott “Hands Of Steel’’ Smith of Elk Grove, Calif., in the main event. In the semi-main at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., on SHOWTIME: STRIKEFORCE world lightweight champion Josh “The Punk’’ Thomson (16-2) of San Jose will risk his belt against the fighter he dethroned, top-seeded rival and interim 155-pound champion Gilbert “El Nino’’ Melendez (16-2) of San Francisco, by way of Santa Ana, Calif.
Showtime Networks Inc.
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.
About Agua Caliente Casino • Resort • Spa
Agua Caliente Casino • Resort • Spa in Rancho Mirage and Spa Resort Casino in downtown Palm Springs offer the hottest slots, a variety of table games, live poker and high-limit gaming, plus fine dining, shopping, relaxing spas and luxurious hotel rooms, all in a gorgeous resort setting. Agua Caliente Casino • Resort • Spa is also home to The Show, the premier concert theatre in Southern California featuring headliners like Matchbox Twenty, Tony Bennett, Jay Leno and more. Both resorts are owned and operated by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, which also owns the world-famous Indian Canyons and Tahquitz Canyon hiking trails, Indian Canyons Golf Resort and the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum.