NEWS: Canelo Álvarez and Caleb Plant Set For Historic Undisputed Super Middleweight Championship Event

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CANELO ÁLVAREZ AND CALEB PLANT SET FOR
HISTORIC UNDISPUTED SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT LIVE ON SHOWTIME PPV® SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 6

Pound-For-Pound King Álvarez and Undefeated Champion Plant Square Off Live at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas
in a Premier Boxing Champions Event

Boxing’s consensus No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, Mexican superstar and unified WBA/WBC/WBO Super Middleweight World Champion Canelo Álvarez will face undefeated IBF Super Middleweight World Champion Caleb “Sweethands” Plant in a historic showdown on Saturday, November 6, live on SHOWTIME PPV at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas in a Premier Boxing Champions event.

Canelo, a four-division world champion, will look to capture undisputed status for the first time in his Hall of Fame-caliber career as he returns to SHOWTIME where he made his pay-per-view main event debut in September 2013. The unbeaten and supremely talented Plant attempts to earn a career-defining victory and keep his perfect record intact as he makes his fourth world title defense. The winner of the November 6 bout will stamp his name in the history books as the first undisputed 168-pound world champion of the four-belt era.

“This is the most highly anticipated fight of the year and rightfully so,’’ said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “Canelo Álvarez has proven to be one of the best boxers in the sport today and he is seeking to become the first ever undisputed super middleweight champion. And Caleb Plant, who is a skilled technician in the ring and extremely confident in his abilities, wants to make history and not become a footnote. Both men will bring fire and determination into the ring and the eyes of the sports world will be focused on the action at MGM Grand on the evening of November 6.’’

“We are very happy to have been able to reach an agreement for this fight as we look to make history in becoming the first undisputed champion of Mexico or Latin America, and just the sixth man in the history of boxing,” said Canelo’s manager Eddy Reynoso. “We are going to train very hard, focus on growing the sport of boxing and plan to lift up the name of Mexico.”

“In one of our most prolific years to date, SHOWTIME has delivered 17 live boxing events in 2021 so far with several more to come. None more significant, however, than November 6,” said Stephen Espinoza, President, SHOWTIME Sports. “We are proud to welcome Canelo Álvarez back to SHOWTIME, now as the consensus No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world and the sport’s biggest draw. We also welcome undefeated world champion Caleb Plant to the network as both men chase a historic, undisputed world title in the most anticipated fight of the year.”

Tickets for the live event are on sale now and can be purchased at AXS.com. The event is promoted by Canelo Promotions and TGB Promotions andsponsored by Hennessy and Value.

Having already captured world titles at 154, 160, 168 and 175-pounds, Canelo (56-1-2, 38 KOs) has amassed a Hall of Fame resume at just 31-years-old. The fighting pride of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, Canelo began his quest for the undisputed super middleweight championship in December 2020 by defeating then unbeaten Callum Smith to capture the WBA and WBC titles. Most recently, Canelo added the WBO belt via a stoppage victory over previously undefeated Billy Joe Saunders in May. November 6 will be Canelo’s first attempt at an undisputed title.

Under the guidance of Reynoso, his renowned coach, Canelo has faced and triumphed over a long list of elite fighters since turning pro at just 15-years-old in 2005. Shane Mosley, Gennadiy Golovkin, Erislandy Lara, Miguel Cotto and Sergey Kovalev are among them. Canelo’s lone professional defeat came against undefeated legend Floyd Mayweather in September 2013.

"At the end of the day, this is what I want to do with my career, make history,” said Canelo. “These things, like becoming the first to be the unified champion at 168 pounds, is making history. To potentially be one of the few who holds this prestigious honor in any weight class makes me very happy. For my country, this would be a huge accomplishment. I want to be remembered as one of the greatest in the history of the sport."

The 28-year-old Plant (21-0, 12 KOs) captured his world title and burst onto the 168-pound scene by defeating Jose Uzcategui in January 2019. Plant was the underdog coming into the Uzcategui fight. He quickly set the tone scoring two early knockdowns on his way to a clear unanimous decision victory. It was an emotional night for Plant, who had dedicated his championship win to the memory of his late daughter, Alia, who passed away in 2015.

A native of Ashland City, Tennessee, Plant now lives and trains in Las Vegas, guided by his trainer Justin Gamber, along with his father and co-trainer Richie Plant. Caleb has successfully defended his title three times, dominating Mike Lee to earn a third-round stoppage at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in July 2019. He then earned a TKO victory over Vincent Feigenbutz in a homecoming bout in Nashville in 2020. Most recently, Plant bested former super middleweight world champion Caleb Truax, winning a unanimous decision in their January clash.

“On November 6, the world will witness boxing’s first ever crowned undisputed super middleweight champion,” said Plant. “When my hand is raised in victory, the world will know then, that I’m the new face of boxing. Everyone should order the PPV now and get their popcorn ready, because I’m about to put on a performance that will go down in history as one of the best ever. This man is in trouble.”

Robert Garcia: I Want Mikey-Loma, But Spence is Easier To Make

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Boxing Scene - 8/30/2018 - By Miguel Rivera

Robert Garcia, the head trainer and older brother of IBF, WBC lightweight champion Mikey Garcia (39-0, 30 KOs), would love to see his brother in a unification with WBA champion Vasiliy Lomachenko.

Mikey is hoping to move up by two weight division, to the welterweight limit of 147-pounds, to challenge IBF world champion Errol Spence.

Mikey has captured world titles at featherweight, super featherweight, lightweight and junior welterweight.

But Robert would rather see his brother take on other opponents - with Lomachenko being at the top of that list.

The fight Lomachenko is very difficult to make, because the two-time Olympic gold medal winner fights exclusively on ESPN - while Mikey is aligned with Showtime. Regardless of the money involved, Lomachenko is not fighting on a network outside of ESPN.

And the fight that Mikey likes is a clash with current WBA "regular" welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao.

There have been some discussions with Pacquiao's team, and the fight could be a lot easier to make since the Filipino star is promotional free agent and not tied to any network.

Robert does admit that a clash with Spence is the easiest to make of the three. Spence fights on Showtime - and both he and Garcia have a working relationship with powerful adviser Al Haymon.

"I would like Lomachenko first, it's a very big fight, he's regarded as one of the best in the world, very smart, fast, calculating and difficult and it was a good challenge for Mikey in Lightweight, that was the ideal fight for me," Robert Garcia told ESPN Deportes.

"After that, it's Manny Pacquiao. There are possibilities of that fight right now, now that he's free of his contract. And then there is Spence, but I think the easiest fight to do is with Spence... the two work with Al Haymon, they have the support of Showtime and it's probably the one we will see."

Showtime, Premier Boxing Champions Finalize New 3-Year Deal

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Boxing Scene - 8/30.2018

SHOWTIME Sports and Premier Boxing Champions have entered into a three-year boxing programming agreement extending their long-term partnership. The deal calls for a monthly series of events presented by Premier Boxing Champions to air live on SHOWTIME, ensuring the network’s access to the deepest talent pool in boxing and its continued ability to deliver the industry’s leading programming.

The agreement also calls for Premier Boxing Champions to deliver content for a significant expansion of live boxing programming from SHOWTIME Sports coming in 2019. The announcement was made today by Stephen Espinoza, President, Sports and Event Programming for Showtime Networks Inc.

Premier Boxing Champions, a live boxing series created by Haymon Sports, LLC, features more than 160 boxers from around the world. Founded in 2014, Premier Boxing Champions boasts the largest collection of world champions from bantamweight to heavyweight, 14 in total and far more than any other entity in the sport.

SHOWTIME and Premier Boxing Champions have collaborated to set the standard for live boxing where the brightest stars in the sport compete in the most compelling and competitive matchups on a consistent basis.

“Over the past seven-plus years, SHOWTIME has developed the most comprehensive slate of boxing programming in the world,” said Espinoza. “We have consistently been recognized for making the most significant contributions to the sport of boxing, both financially and editorially. Building off our industry-leading live event schedule, this long-term deal with Premier Boxing Champions ensures that SHOWTIME will remain the No. 1 destination for the world’s greatest fighters and their passionate and diverse fans.”

“Premier Boxing Champions is pleased to extend our relationship with SHOWTIME and continue our commitment to providing the best boxing events with the biggest stars across the most popular divisions in the sport,’’ said Tim Smith, Vice President of Communications for Haymon Boxing.

In 2018, SHOWTIME is delivering more live boxing than any other network—more than 30 presentations in total by the end of this year. In 2019, anchored largely by Premier Boxing Champions’ events and including content providers from around the world, SHOWTIME will present an even larger schedule with live boxing from virtually every level of the sport—prospects and contenders, to world championship bouts, world title unifications and pay-per-view tent pole attractions.

In addition, SHOWTIME Sports will continue to grow its burgeoning slate of shoulder programming in support of the sport and its athletes including the three-time Sports Emmy Award winning series ALL ACCESS, the cutting-edge talk show BELOW THE BELT WITH BRENDAN SCHAUB, and digital-only series such as SHO REPORT, FIGHT NIGHT and RING RESUME.

By the end of 2018, SHOWTIME will have presented more than 26-world championship fights this year, including four world title unification bouts and 10 bouts pitting top-five rated opponents from around the world. In all, SHOWTIME will have delivered more than 70 live bouts spanning ShoBox: The New Generation, SHOWTIME BOXING: Special Edition, SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING COUNTDOWN, SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL, SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING and SHOWTIME PPV.

The 2018 lineup, hailed as the strongest in boxing, was revealed in January at the inaugural SHOWTIME BOXING UPFRONT, an event that established a top-flight boxing season and a level of organization never before seen in the sport. Planning for the 2019 SHOWTIME boxing schedule is underway, and the first slate of main event matchups will be revealed in January.

Barthelemy, Ramirez Ends in a Split Draw in Las Vegas Battle

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Photo courtesy of Ryan Hafey / Premier Boxing Champions

BOXING SCENE - By Ryan Burton

Cannery Hotel & Casino, North Las Vegas, Nevada - In a very entertaining back and forth fight, decorated amateur Leduan Barthelemy (13-0-1) battled Eduardo Ramirez (20-0-3) to a questionable split draw in their featherweight battle. The height and reach advantage that Barthelemy enjoyed was evident from the opening bell. He also had a big speed advantage was difficult for Ramirez to adjust to. Ramirez turned it on with a big fourth as he landed several hard head shots.

The give and take action continued through the fifth and sixth as Barthelemy, the younger brother of former champion Rances Barthelemy, landed softer blows while Ramirez landed heavy artillery. Barthelemy tried to turn the tide in the seventh and began to sit on his shots but Ramirez also had moments. Barthelemy had better ninth and tenth rounds to make the fight closer.

97-93 Barthelemy, 96-94 Ramirez and 95-95 were the final scores.

"I wanted to pressure him all the way through and take away his reach advantage," said Ramirez. "I felt good the whole fight and he never hurt me at any point. I believed in my skills and I performed well. I thought that I won the fight, it was a close fight but I believe that I did what I had to do to win. I would fight him again and beat him even worse."

"It was a very tough, physical fight for both of us," said Barthelemy. "I didn't feel 100 percent but I was able to work through it and I never felt hurt during the fight. He landed on me but I was able to keep my composure. I would definitely fight him again. I'll be ready for another great battle and I'll get the clear victory this time."

In a battle of super featherweight prospects, Alejandro Salinas (9-1) outworked a gritty Duarn Vue (12-1) in a barn burner. The entire fight was fought from close range and Vue endured hellacious shots all night long. Salinas landed at will but wasn't able to finish off his opponent. The final tallies were 80-72, 79-73 and a too close 77-75.

In the opening bout of the telecast, Las Vegas resident by way of Cuba Ivan Jiménez (8-1-1) was defeated by Bryan Figueroa (13-0) of México in their lightweight bout via unanimous decision. After a feeling out process, the action heated up in the third when Figueroa landed several hard shots. He was also warned for low blows for the third time.

Jiménez came out with a sense of urgency in the fourth and landed a hard shot out of the gate to try to slow down Figueroa's momentum but was largely unsuccessful. Jiménez came out with a sense of urgency to close the show strong in the sixth and final round but it was too little too late. The final scores were 58-56 on all three scorecards.

Luis Ortiz: No Way Wilder Can Take My Punch; Will Pay for Mistakes

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BOXING SCENE - By Keith Idec

NEW YORK – Luis Ortiz is convinced Deontay Wilder won’t be able to take his power Saturday night.

The strong southpaw from Cuba cannot wait to exploit Wilder’s technical flaws, mistakes Ortiz promises will lead to him knocking out the undefeated champion at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. The extremely confident Wilder has knocked out 97 percent of his professional opponents, but Ortiz is sure Wilder is in for a devastating awakening when they fight for Wilder’s WBC title.

“There’s no way,” Ortiz said Thursday when asked after their press conference if Wilder will be able to handle his power. “Every mistake he makes, I’m gonna make him pay for it.”

Ortiz told Wilder exactly that, among other things, when they engaged in an intense staredown following Thursday’s press conference.

“I asked him when we were up there, ‘Do you wanna fight right now? We can go right now,’ ” Ortiz said. “I’ve got the hunger and I’m gonna do whatever it takes to win this fight.”

Miami’s Ortiz (28-0, 24 KOs, 2 NC) is confident he is a combination of intelligence, power and skill that Wilder hasn’t come close to encountering during the American’s ascent to stardom.

At the championship level, only Eric Molina appeared to hurt Wilder. Molina (26-5, 19 KOs) wobbled Wilder with a left hook early in the third round of their June 2015 fight.

Wilder quickly overcame that troublesome moment and dropped Molina four times. He knocked out Molina in the ninth round of his first title defense.

Mostly, though, Wilder has managed to avoid getting hit consistently with flush punches. Still, Wilder’s wildness at times leaves him susceptible to counter punches, the skillful Ortiz’s specialty.

“I’ve got power and I’ve got technique,” Ortiz said. “I don’t care. I’m ready to go.”

Ortiz, 38, and Wilder, 32, have combined to knock out 62 of 67 opponents (93 percent), excluding Ortiz’s two no-contests. Each fighter has gone 12 rounds just once, and Ortiz cannot envision that happening a second time Saturday night (Showtime; 9 p.m. ET).

“We’re both two guys with a lot of power,” Ortiz said, “and whoever makes the first mistake, the fight’s gonna be over with. And I’m not making that mistake.”

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.

Errol Spence vs. Carlos Ocampo Deal Reached For June 16

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Boxing Scene - By Keith Idec

Errol Spence Jr. will face the opponent everyone expected June 16.

An ESPN.com report early Wednesday morning stated that promoters for Spence, the unbeaten IBF welterweight champion, and mandatory challenger Carlos Ocampo have reached an agreement for them to fight that night. Showtime will televise the Spence-Ocampo match from an undetermined venue in the Dallas area.

The IBF ordered Spence (23-0, 20 KOs), of DeSoto, Texas, to make his next title defense against the unproven Ocampo (22-0, 13 KOs) last month. A purse bid was scheduled for March 6 at the IBF’s headquarters in Springfield, New Jersey, but the IBF informed the involved parties Tuesday night that it was canceled because Tom Brown, the promoter representing Spence, and Zanfer Promotions (Ocampo) came to an agreement.

The 27-year-old Spence – who’s generally regarded as one of the best boxers, pound-for-pound, in the sport – will make the second defense of the IBF welterweight title he won by knocking out Kell Brook (36-2, 25 KOs) in the 11th round May 27 in Sheffield, England, Brook’s hometown. The powerful southpaw stopped former two-division champion Lamont Peterson (35-4-1, 17 KOs), of Washington, D.C., in the eighth round January 20 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The 22-year-old Ocampo hasn’t beaten a top contender during his climb up the IBF’s rankings.

He is rated No. 3 among the IBF’s 147-pound contenders. The top two spots are vacant, however, which makes Ocampo the leading available contender for the mandatory defense Spence is due to make.

Ocampo will fight outside of Mexico for the first time when he travels to the Dallas area to challenge Spence. He last fought November 11, when Ocampo stopped fellow Mexican Dario Ferman (14-4, 11 KOs) in the seventh round in Chihuahua, Mexico.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.

CROWN BOXING X ROLANDO ROMERO "TEAM ROLLY" COLLABORATION

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By CROWN BOXING

This past weekend saw the debut of our Team Rolly collaboration with Mayweather Promotions prospect Rolando Romero III. We've been fans of Rolly's #SignUp4KOs movement since the kid turned pro so it was a blast working with the future star of TMT. Crown Boxing's lead designer Benny Lemon cooked up yet another fresh logo featuring a double-layered RR for Rolando Romero, topped off with a sleek regal looking crown appropriately placed above his initials. We threw the American and Cuban flag on each sleeve to properly show love to Rolly's heritage and unique style of a new school Cuban-American boxing. 

Photos courtesy of Sean Michael Ham / CROWN BOXING