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TICKETS ON SALE
FRIDAY, MARCH 8 AT 12PM ET

NEW YORK, NY – Tickets will go on sale Friday, March 8th at 12:00 noon ET, for the April 20th, Tyson Fury vs. Steve Cunningham fight which will be held at the Theater at Madison Square Garden and broadcast live in the afternoon on NBC.

Undefeated 6’9″ heavyweight contender and former Irish, Commonwealth and British Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury will make his New York debut when he takes on two-time World Champion Steve “USS” Cunningham.

This fight is an official IBF Heavyweight Voluntary Eliminator fight for the #2. The winner must meet #1 or the leading available contender to establish the mandatory challenger for Heavyweight King Wladimir Klitschko. The fight will be broadcast at 4PM ET on NBC as a special 2 hour afternoon presentation of NBC Sports Fight Night.
Tickets are priced $25, $50, $100, $250 and $500. Tickets are available at the Madison Square Garden box office, through Ticketmaster 866-858-0008 and at ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices include a $5 Facility Surcharge. Ticketmaster purchases are subject to a Ticketmaster Surcharge. Wheelchairs, companion seats, aisle seats and Assistive Listening Devices are available 212-465-6035.
FIGHT INFO:
April 20th at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York features Tyson Fury vs. Steve Cunningham in the main event. The undercard will be announced shortly. The main event and co-feature fight will be broadcast on NBC network TV beginning 4PM ET. The card is presented by Hennessy Sports and Main Events.

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GABRIEL CAMPILLO READY FOR RING RETURN AGAINST SERGEY “KRUSHER” KOVALEV

Former WBA light heavyweight champion Gabriel Campillo, 21-4-1, 7 KOs, is ready for his return to the ring after a layoff of almost one year. He fights undefeated power puncher Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev, 18-0-1, 15 KOs, in an anticipated 10-rounder at the Mohegan Sun Casino on Saturday, January 19th. The fight is the feature bout in the season opener of NBC Sports Network’s popularFIGHT NIGHT boxing series. The telecast will begin at 9PM ET with the Elvin Ayala vs. Curtis Stevens co-feature.

The last time Campillo fought, February 18, 2012, he thought that he had once again become a world champion. However, after 12 rounds with IBF champ Tavoris Cloud, Campillo found himself on the short end of a controversial split decision. Cloud retained his title and sent Campillo back to the drawing board. However, the fans remained on Campillo’s side.

“Ever since February 12th, I hear a couple of times each day from the people that I deserved that decision,” Campillo said.

A win against the rapidly rising Kovalev might be exactly what Campillo needs to receive another crack at the championship, against Cloud or anyone else holding a belt.

“I want to fight every big name in the division until I am considered the number one boxer in the 175-pound weight class,” Campillo said.

The first step is beating “Krusher” Kovalev.

“He’s a dangerous boxer with a very good right cross,” Campillo said. “But he has never fought a world class boxer like me. I am great at bobbing and weaving and counter punching. If we go to the scorecards, I have no doubt I’ll win by a huge margin. But just maybe one of my counter punches will end the fight.”

The pair was originally scheduled to face off in September, but a Campillo back injury forced a postponement of the fight.

“My back is completely recovered,” Campillo said. “Even though I only fought one time last year, I kept training and had sparring sessions throughout the whole year. So I am in great shape.”

The fight in Uncasville, CT, will only be the third time Campillo has boxed in the United States, but he welcomes his return to the USA.

“I love fighting in America,” Campillo said. “The people always treat me like I am American. I love that. Boxing in Spain doesn’t have the same prestige that it does in the States. Here every sportsman is respected.”

Perhaps that lack of prestige is due to the fact that boxing champions from Spain are a fairly rare breed. Campillo is one them, but feels he needs more victories and more titles before he’s considered the best ever to come from his country.

“I think Javier Castillejo has won more titles than me, but I can beat him yet,” Campillo joked.

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WHITTAKER LOOKS FORWARD TO PROVING HIMSELF IN SEPT 21 FIGHT AGAINST ROSADO

Georgetown, Cayman Islands - Junior middleweight Charles Whittaker hopes everyone underestimates his chances of beating Gabriel Rosado when the two collide Friday evening, Sept. 21, at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem.

The winner of the scheduled 12-round contest will become the No. 1 contender and official mandatory challenger for IBF world champion Cornelius K9 Bundrage.

The Whittaker-Rosado bout is one of three to be televised Sept. 21 by the NBC Sports Network Fight Night series. The others: Gabriel Campillo, of Madrid, Spain, vs. Sergey Kovalev, of Chelyabinsk, Russia, 10 rounds, light-heavyweights; Ronald Cruz, of Bethlehem, PA, vs. Antwone Smith, of Miami, FL, 12 rounds, for Cruz’ WBC Continental Americas Welterweight Title. The NBCSN broadcast will begin at 9PM ET.

Whittaker, 38, of the Cayman Islands, has boxed under the radar during most of his 19-year career. His 38-12-2 record includes 23 knockouts, but he rarely has been in high-profile matches.

“This fight means the world to me,” Whittaker said. “I have paid my dues and ready to be number one in the world. After this fight I will challenge for the IBF 154 world title.”

Whittaker gained the No. 2 slot in the IBF ratings due to a pair of 12-round victories in his two most recent fights–over Keenan Collins, of Reading, PA, 14 months ago in the Cayman Islands for the vacant USBA junior middleweight title, and over Giorbis Barthelemy, of Cuba, last November, in Miami, FL.

Whittaker has beaten former world-title challenger Billy Lyell and he has lost to some of the best–Troy Rowland, Mikkel Kessler, Shannon Taylor and Hercules Kyvelos.

“There are some people who told me I would never make it as a professional boxer and I have proved them wrong,” Whittaker said. “When I step into the ring on September 21 it will be no different. I know Rosado will be game but I have the experience and I am hungry to win.”

Proof of Whittaker’s popularity in the Cayman Islands is the fact that Premier McKeeva Bush plans to attend the Sept. 21 fight in Bethlehem.

It has been a long and winding road to the top spot for Whittaker, who got into trouble as a youth in the Cayman Islands. Born in Georgetown, he later moved to West Bay and was placed in a Jamaican reform school.

He returned home to attend Cayman Island High School. After graduation, his cousin John Evans took Whittaker to the local boxing gym where Dalmain Ebanks became his first coach and mentor.

After a brief amateur career, Whittaker turned pro in 1993 and won a four-round decision over Larry Jarrett, of Lafayette, TN.

With few opportunities in the Cayman Islands, Whittaker headed for Florida and spent time in Hollywood at Angelo Dundee’s gym under the guidance of Joe Quinlan and Dell Cava, then moved to Pensacola and worked with Roy Jones. Back in Hollywood, he finally hooked up with Norman Wilson, who has been his trainer for the last 10 years.

A native Philadelphian, Wilson is a former US Marine and Dade County Public School teacher with over 40 years boxing experience. He has worked with Oliver McCall, Tony Tucker and Randall Bailey.

Whittaker and family members formed Knockout Productions, Ltd., a group which promotes Whittaker’s fights in the Cayman Islands with Whittaker in the main event. Longtime friend Raul Alvarez, of Winter Haven, FL, is matchmaker and advisor.

Rosado, 26, of Philadelphia, PA, earned the No. 3 slot in the IBF ratings this year with knockout victories over Jesus Soto-Karass, of Mexico, and over Sechew Powell, of Brooklyn, NY. The win over Powell topped the June 1 card in front of a standing-room-only crowd at the 2,000-seat Event Center at the Sands.

A pro since 2006, Rosado has a 20-5 record, 12 K0s. He has won his last six fights and also has defeated ex-IBF champ Kassim Ouma, of Uganda, and contender Saul Roman, of Mexico.

ABOUT SEPTEMBER 21

The Campillo-Kovalev and Cruz-Smith fights top a seven-bout card at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem. First fight is 7.15 pm. Tickets priced at $130 (luxury suites), $80 and $55 can be purchased through the offices of Peltz Boxing (215-765-0922), all Ticketmaster outlets (800-745-3000) or at the box office at the Sands Event Center (610-297-7414). Tickets also can be purchased online at www.peltzboxing.com, www.SandsEventCenter.com and www.Ticketmaster.com. In Bethlehem, tickets are available at Deja Brew, Inc., 101 West 4th Street (610-865-2739) and at Pronto Insurance Notary, 232 East 3rd Street (610-419-6790). NBC Sports Network will televise the Campillo-Kovalev and Cruz-Smith fights, beginning at 9 pm. The card is being promoted by Main Events and Peltz Boxing Promotions, Inc., in association with Sampson Boxing and the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem.

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CAMPILLO AND KOVALEV HEADLINE SEPT 21st

NBC SPORTS NETWORK “FIGHT NIGHT”

Totowa, NJ - July, 2012 -

Gabriel “Chico Guapo” Campillo, 21-4-1, 8 KO’s, the #3 light heavyweight in the world, will take on Russia’s tough Sergey Kovalev, 18-0-1, 16 KO’s, rated #13, on Friday, September 21st when the critically acclaimed NBC Sports Network Fight Night Boxing Series returns to the Events Center at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The 2,000 seat arena was sold out with standing room only for the June 1^st NBCSN Fight Night show at the Sands.

The show, which is slated to begin at 9 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network, will be a co-promotion among Peltz Boxing, Sampson Boxing and Main Events.

Managed by World Middleweight Champion Sergio Martinez, Campillo of Madrid was last seen in February losing a razor-close highly controversial split decision to IBF Champion Tavoris Cloud in Texas. In 2010 Campillo, (21-4-1, 8 KO’s) lost another disputed decision to current IBF Light Heavyweight title holder Beibut Shumenov in Las Vegas. Last year he drew with Karo Murat in a title eliminator in Murat’s adopted home of Germany.

“Campillo has arguably beaten two world champions and the number one contender without receiving the decisions,” said promoter Kathy Duva of Main Events. “After he stopped Darnell Boone on NBCSN in June, Kovalev stated that he is ready to fight for the world title. On September 21st he will get the opportunity to prove to the world that he is worthy in a very tough fight. A win for Campillo would put him right back into the title picture.”

Campillo’s promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz said, “Campillo is very happy about this fight. This is well deserved. He got robbed in his last 3 – 4 fights, including Vegas, Germany and Texas.” Lewkowicz added, “Campillo will spend the next two months training very hard with manager Sergio Martinez and trainer Pablo Sarmiento. He is a very tough fighter. This will be a great fight and I guarantee that no one in that arena will know who the winner will be until the end.”

In the twelve round defense of his WBC Continental Americas Welterweight belt, popular welterweight Ronald Cruz of Bethlehem, 17-0, 12 KO’s, will make his second “Fight Night” appearance when he faces Antwone Smith, 21-4-1, 12 KO’s, in a classic crossroads match-up. Cruz won his belt on the NBCSN Fight Night show on June 1^st with a unanimous 12-round decision over Prenice Brewer, of Cleveland, OH. Smith is a walk-in styled fighter like Cruz and this fight promises to be a boxing fan’s contest. Cruz is currently ranked No. 12 IBF and No. 15 WBC as a welterweight.

The ticket prices and undercard will be announced shortly.

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SERGEY KOVALEV & DARNELL BOONE

FIGHT AGAIN

JUNE 1 AT SANDS CASINO BETHLEHEM

NBC SPORTS NETWORK “FIGHT NIGHT”

Bethlehem, PA – An important eight-round light-heavyweight attraction has been added to the June 1 boxing card at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem

Hard-hitting Sergey Kovalev, of Chelyabinsk, Russia, and Darnell Boone, of Atlanta, GA, meet in an eight-round rematch which could jump-start one of their careers.

Topping the card are two championship fights: Gabriel Rosado, of Philadelphia, PA, vs. Sechew Powell, of Brooklyn, NY, in a 12-round match for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental junior middleweight title, and Ronald Cruz, of Bethlehem, vs. Prenice Brewer, of Cleveland, OH, for the vacant WBC Continental Americas welterweight belt.

NBC Sports Network will televise the twin 12-rounders as part of its Fight Night series, broadcast begins at 9 PM ET. First of seven fights at the venue is 7PM ET.

In the first fight between Kovalev (above left) and Boone on Oct. 10, 2010, in Atlanta, Kovalev was fortunate to escape with an eight-round split decision. All three scorecards were 76-75, two for Kovalev, one for Boone.

The 29-year-old Kovalev is 17-0-1, 15 K0s, since turning pro in 2009 in Greensboro, NC. He currently resides is Arapahoe, NC.

Kovalev has beaten Dallas Vargas, of Toledo, OH; Julius Fogle, of Tacoma, WA; Douglas Okola, of Nairobi, Kenya.

He has boxed just twice in Russia, including his last fight Dec. 5, 2011, when he knocked out Roman Simakov (then 19-1, 9 K0s).

Boone (right), 32, has policed the super middleweight division for much of his eight-year career. His 19-18-3 record with 8 K0s belies his ability.

He has beaten Rasheem Brown and Lujuan Simon, both of Philadelphia, PA; Adonis Stevenson, of Quebec, Canada; Calvin Green, of Baytown, TX, Willie Monroe, Jr., of Rochester, NY.

In addition, Boone has lost to some of the best on some close calls, including Craig McEwan, of Edinburgh, Scotland; Fernando Zuniga, of Downey, CA; Brian Vera, of Fort Worth, TX; Erislandy Lara, of Cuba; Andre Ward, of Oakland, CA; Jean Pascal, of Montreal, Canada; Enrique Ornelas, of La Habra, CA.

NBC Sports Network will televise the Rosado-Powell and Cruz-Brewer fights, beginning at 9 pm on the Fight Night show. The card is being promoted by Main Events and Peltz Boxing Promotions, Inc., in association with the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem and www.goDaddy.com.

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