Three-time World Champion ISRAEL “MAGNIFICO” VAZQUEZ, two-division World Champion RAFAEL MARQUEZ,undefeated IBF Bantamweight World Champion YONNHY PEREZ and unbeaten top-rated contender ABNER MARESparticipated in a media conference call to discuss their upcoming fights on Saturday, May 22 at STAPLES Center onSHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING LIVE at 9 P.M. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) on SHOWTIME®.

The historic doubleheader is co-promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Gary Shaw Productions, Espinoza Boxing Promotions and Zanfer Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate. Tickets, priced at $250, $125, $75, $50 and $25 are available online at ticketmaster.com, via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at (800)745-3000.  Tickets are also available at the STAPLES Center Box Office.

Here’s what the fighters had to say on Tuesday:

ISRAEL VAZQUEZ

“I have a lot of gratitude for the fans for sticking by me because I’ve been out for such a long time. And there’s still an interest in this fight. I’ve prepared myself just like I did for the first three fights. There’s no exception this is going to be a tough fight. Rafael requires that much preparation because he’s such a great fighter.

“I think we surprised everybody with how great the first three fights were. No one expected them to be so great. We surprised everybody and we surprised ourselves. And more than anything we treated the fans. I still get stopped in the street and people say, ‘Hey, are you going to fight him again.’ And, ‘When are you going to fight him again?’ So I have to thank the fans because without them there wouldn’t be a fourth fight.”

Is it an advantage to have fought three times before?

“I think it cancels out. We know each other very well. We know each other’s strengths and we know each other’s weaknesses. And it’s our job to do what we have to do and it’s our job to prevent the other guy from doing what they have to do. We’re fighters. I know I’ve stayed in the gym and I know that Rafa stays in the gym so rust cannot set it.

“I’ve had big fights that have taken a lot out of me but I still feel good. I feel fine going into the ring and that’s why I’m still fighting. Obviously you get motivated by the fans and you get motivated by the money. I’m finally making some good money now. If I can feel the way I feel now I’ll keep fighting till I’m 50 years old. But I still feel good physically.”

Is it a negative or a positive to know each other so well?

“I see it as a positive. You’re right, it can be a negative as well but I see it as a positive. I know his tendencies. I know where to attack him from. The negatives you can always correct them. You can go back and fix what you didn’t do right. How well are we going to be able to execute what we’ve been working on? And how will we hold up physically? How much did those past fight take out of us? Those are the questions that will be answered.”

Is this going to close the Vazquez-Marquez book?

“That’s a good question. Sometimes you get motivated by the money. And it’s very good money we’re getting paid. I’m just thinking of the fourth fight right now and I’m going to give it my all and go out with a big hurrah. Part of the reason I’m doing this is for the fans and I just want to make a great fight for the fans.”

What is your motivation for this fight?

“The money is great but we work hard for it. We just want to make a great fight. We’ve prepared ourselves to lay it all on the line and give it all we’ve got in that ring. My motivation is to shut those naysayers mouths. They say I shouldn’t be fighting anymore. I want to shut their mouths and let them know that I can still make great fights. All I’ve got to do is make a great, spectacular fight on the 22^nd. One thing I know is that Rafa and I might be in wheelchairs one day but we’ll still be throwing punches and battling from our wheelchairs.”

RAFAEL MARQUEZ

“It’s going to be a great fight. Just like the other three. I can’t wait to get in the ring. It’s going to be a spectacle. Israel is a good fighter and that’s the kind of fights that we make. We’re here to please the fans and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”

Is it an advantage to have fought three times before?

“I agree with Israel. I think it cancels out. I’m always training; either running or in the gym working out. It’s going to be a great fight on the 22^nd. It cancels out. We both know each other very well.”

What are Israel’s strengths? What are his weaknesses?

“What I can say about Israel is that Israel is a great fighter. He’s very strong. He’s resilient. He hits hard and he’s proven he can come back when he’s down on points. He can always come back and win a fight. I’ve always said that he’s a great fighter and that he really has no weaknesses. I feel that’s why I accepted to fight him the first time. I said I only want to fight the best and that’s why I agreed to fight him the first time. He’s just a very good fighter.

“I still feel physically fine. The only thing that’s different with me this time is I’m more mature. And that’s with any fight; you keep learning. You keep maturing mentally. The only difference between me this time and last is I have matured mentally and I know what it takes to win.”

Is it a negative or a positive to know each other so well?

“I agree with Israel it’s a little positive and it’s a little negative but you can correct your mistakes. That’s one of the keys to this fight. Who will be able to execute.”

Is this going to close the Vazquez-Marquez book?

“It’s up to the fans. We do this for the fans. They are the ones who decide. This fourth fight was in demand because the fans wanted to see it. I leave it up to fans. If they want to see it then we have to leave it up to the fans.”

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According to USATODAY, Manny Pacquiao appears on his way to winning a seat in the the Philippine House of Congress. Nothing can be confirmed, but given his popularity, the outcome seems likely.

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NEW YORK (May 4, 2010) —

It’s an old story, kind of. A penniless immigrant finds his way to America, wins fame and fortune in the boxing ring and marries a model. But as E:60’s Jeremy Schaap reports, this is a story with a twist.

The episode is now available online: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5163154

Foreman is in training for his first title defense, against three-time world champion and the pride or Puerto Rico Miguel Cotto. Cotto vs. Foreman will headline “Stadium Slugfest” — the inaugural brawl atYankee Stadium, Saturday, June 5. It will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing, beginning at 10:15 p.m. ET / 7:15 p.m. PT.

Foreman (28-0, 8 KOs), a 29-year-old from Brooklyn, NY, became the first orthodox Jew to win a world championship in nearly 75 years.  Born in Gomel, Belarus, and raised in Israel, Foreman eventually emigrated to Brooklyn.  The 2001 New York Golden Gloves Champion turned pro in 2002 and began studying to become a rabbi three years ago.  Foreman knocked down defending champion Daniel Santos in the final round of their November 2009 rumble in Las Vegas (ironically on the undercard of Pacquiao-Cotto) en route to a decisive and unanimous decision victory while becoming Israel’s first world champion fighter.

Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs), from Caguas, Puerto Rico, has held a world title every year since 2004 and will be looking to extend that streak with his challenge of Foreman.  Puerto Rico’s most exciting fighter, Cotto held the World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior welterweight crown from 2004-2006, successfully defending it six times before vacating it to capture the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight title at the end of 2006,a title he held for nearly as long.  He won his second welterweight title in February 2009, knocking out Michael Jennings in the fifth round to become the WBO welterweight champion.  He lost the title in his second defense, last November, to Manny Pacquiao.  Notable scalps on Cotto’s belt include Sugar Shane Mosley, Zab Judah, Joshua Clottey, Paulie Malinaggi, and Demarcus Corley.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Miguel Cotto Promotions and Yankee Stadium, remaining tickets to Cotto vs. Foreman, priced at $400, $300, $200, $100, $75 and $50, can be purchased at the Yankee Stadium box office, Ticketmaster.com and all Ticketmaster outlets.  To charge by phone, 877-469-9849 or Tickemaster TTY 800-943-4327.  For more information on Cotto vs. Foreman, go to www.TopRank.com.

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LAS VEGAS, MAY 1 - Fireworks will come at the end of July this year when boxing superstars Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez takes on Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz in a rematch of their February 28, 2009 fight which was named 2009′s Fight of the Year by numerous boxing organizations and media outlets.

Marquez vs. Diaz II, scheduled for Saturday, July 31, will be for Marquez’s Ring Magazine, WBA and WBO Lightweight World titles, and will take place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.  The fight will be produced and distributed live on HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

“Juan Diaz is a true warrior and I know he’s going to come at me even harder than in our first fight,” said Marquez.  ”He deserves the rematch and I know he will come out with everything one more time, but I’ve got some new tricks for him and I’m going to come out fast on July 31, so I expect an even faster win than last time.”

“It’s no secret that my loss to Marquez is the one that I want to get back the most,” said Diaz.  ”I was dominating the beginning rounds of the first fight, but I didn’t finish.  This time, that won’t be the case and I promise my fans that I will get the victory on July 31.”

“This fight is the perfect way for boxing fans to enjoy a hot summer night,” said Oscar de la Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions.  ”Marquez and Diaz gave us one of the best fights I have ever seen and with even more at stake this time, I believe they’re going to surpass what happened in their first fight, if that’s even possible.”

“Their first fight was one of the most exciting and memorable nights of 2009,” said HBO PPV’s Mark Taffet.  ”Boxing fans will be looking forward to Marquez-Diaz II with a real sense of anticipation.”

On February 28, 2009, Marquez roared back from an early deficit to defeat Diaz via ninth round TKO at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas in a heated, back and forth battle filled with furious exchanges.  The action-packed war, which was referred to as “hellacious” by veteran HBO blow by blow commentator Jim Lampley, earned Fight of the Year honors from the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA), ESPN.com and the Ring Magazine.

One of Mexico’s greatest warriors, Mexico City’s Juan Manuel Marquez (50-5-1, 37 KOs) has won world titles in the featherweight, junior lightweight and lightweight divisions over the course of a 17-year pro career that will undoubtedly land him in the Hall of Fame.  Winner of six of his last eight bouts, with his defeats coming to Floyd “Money” Mayweather and via controversial decision to Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao, “Dinamita” is still on top of his game at the age of 36, and he’s eager to remind Juan Diaz of that fact on July 31.

A pro since the age of 16, 26-year-old Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz (35-3, 17 KOs) has practically grown up in the fight game and he’s apparently learned his lessons well, as he held the world lightweight title for over three years from 2004 to 2007.  Now, looking to regain the title on July 31, the fighting pride of Houston, Texas will be coming with all guns blazing to Las Vegas, where he is 4-0 in his career.

Tickets for Marquez vs. Diaz II, which is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Marquez Boxing Promotions are priced at $350, $250, $150, $100 and $50 and  are now on sale.  Tickets are available for purchase at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino).  To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000.  Tickets also will be available for purchase atwww.mandalaybay.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

The Marquez vs. Diaz II pay-per-view telecast, which begins at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View® and will be available to more than 71 million pay-per-view homes.  The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD.  HBO Pay-Per-View®, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry.  For Marquez vs. Diaz II fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com.

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Floyd MAYWEATHER JR. vs. Shane MOSLEY

Grand Rapids,             MI Pomona, CA

40-0 (25 KO’s)                                                     46-5 (39 KO’s)

Weight: 146 lbs.                                                    Weight: 147 lbs.

JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHTS – 10 ROUNDS

Saul ALVAREZ vs. Jose Miguel COTTO

Guadalajara, MEX                                                  Caguas, PR

31-0-1 (23 KO’s)                                                  31-1-1 (23 KO’s)

Weight: 150 lbs.                                                    Weight: 149 lbs.

WBC LATINO FEATHERWEIGHT TITLE – 10 ROUNDS

Daniel Ponce DE LEON vs. Cornelius LOCK

Cuauhtemoc, MEX                                                   Detroit, MI

38-2 (32 KO’s)                                                      19-4-1 (12 KO’s)

Weight: 125 lbs.                                                     Weight: 125 lbs.

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THE WEIGHT IS OVER: Boxing fans, the wait is over; world championship boxing returns to Carson next month, featuring Paul ‘The Punisher’ Williams in a 12-round super welterweight clash with Kermit ‘The Killer’ Cintron on Sat., May 8. Williams will fight over his weight, at 147 pounds, in HBO World Championship Boxing’s headliner dubbed ‘The Weight is Over,’ presented by Goosen Tutor Productions, in association with DiBella Entertainment. Williams first fought at The Home Depot Center in 2006, where he stopped undefeated Walter Matthysse and decisioned Antonio Margarito in 2007 for the WBO Welterweight Title in his two previous efforts at The Home Depot Center.

Tickets are available now for as low as $25, with VIP floor seats priced at $200. Other tickets in the 8,000-seat outdoor stadium are available at $50 and $100 at all Ticketmaster outlets and online at www.Ticketmaster.com, as well as The Home Depot Center Box Office (open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.).

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WHEN: Friday, April 30, 2010

1:00 p.m. PT – Doors Open

3:00 p.m. PT – Weigh-In Begins

3:10 p.m. PT (Approx.) – Main Event On Scale

WHERE: MGM Grand Garden Arena

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Photos by: Tom Casino/SHOWTIME

Denmark’s Kessler has been living and training in a remote countryside hotel to escape “Mikkel-Mania,” the media frenzy surrounding the Group Stage 2 fight in Denmark.  Kessler is coming off of a Group Stage 1 upset loss to 2004 U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist Andre Ward in which he lost the WBA 168-pound title.

Photos by: Tom Casino/SHOWTIME

Kessler (42-2, 32 KOs), who has never lost a fight in his hometown of Denmark, needs a victory to get on the board in the cumulative points-based tournament.  He’s looking to defeat Froch (26-0, 20 KOs) on Saturday night and earn back the WBC belt he lost to Joe Calzaghe in 2007.

The inaugural Super Six World Boxing Classic is a ground-breaking, six-fighter tournament from SHOWTIME Sports featuring the class of the super middleweight (168-pound) division. The field is comprised of world renowned fighters competing in a points-based round-robin tournament for the inaugural Super Six World Boxing Classic Cup

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LAS VEGAS (April 21) – Seven of the MGM MIRAGE properties on The Strip will host closed circuit viewing of the upcoming mega-fight between Floyd “Money” Mayweather and Sugar Shane Mosley.  The resorts include MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Bellagio, The Mirage, Monte Carlo, Luxor and Circus Circus.  The bout is set to take place on Saturday, May 1 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and will be produced and distributed live by HBO-Pay-Per-View® beginning at 6 p.m. PST/9 p.m. EST.

Tickets for the closed circuit telecasts at all venues are priced at $50, not including applicable service charges and handling fees, and go on sale today, Wednesday, April 21 at 10 a.m. PST.  All seats will be general admission and will be available at each individual property’s box office outlets and at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino).  To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000, or visit www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket sales are limited to 20 per person.

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