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During a recent media event at Joe Hand Gym Boxing Gym in Philadelphia, fighters, promoters and network officials agreed that getting back to boxing basics in the City of Brotherly Love was just what the doctor ordered.

Gary Quinn, Senior Director, Program Planning and Aquisitions, NBC Sports Group, explained how Philadelphia ties in to the NBC Sports Network Fight Night game plan, “What we think puts us in a unique position to make this series succeed is now that we have the NBC Sports Group formulated, we’ve got 4 media platforms: we’ve got the NBC broadcast network; we’ve got the 24/7 NBC Sports Network; we have the 12 regional sports networks; and our digital platforms. It’s no coincidence that we are here in Philadelphia where we have one of the strongest RSN’s (Regional Sports Network) with CSN (Comcast SportsNet) Philly.”

Quinn added, “So you can say, ‘okay you’ve got the promotional platform, but you’ve got to have the product to make it work.’ We think we do. We’ve come up with a model that resembled what we did back in the day when The Fight Doctor (Ferdie Pacheco) said, ‘The key is putting crossroads fights on. You don’t have to worry about titles; you don’t have to worry about records. You want to match styles that will put on a good show.’ We feel Kathy (Duva) and Russell (Peltz) have done a great job on this card from top to bottom. That’s going to be the theme, to put on wars that have our viewers wanting more and more.”

Kathy Duva, CEO Main Events, explained the location for the debut show, “Philadelphia has a powerful boxing history and many avid boxing fans, we want to use that to make our show successful. Five of the eight bouts on this amazing card feature fighters that are from Philly. We want people in the audience that are from Philadelphia, so that everyone in the arena has a rooting interest, so we know they are going to make a lot of noise. This is why we chose Philly fighters like Gabriel Rosado and Ray Robinson to be on the undercard, they make terrific fights and have a big following. This will make for a great night in the arena and on TV.”

Ray Robinson, 12-2, 5 KO’s, will be in an 8 round welterweight fight against Doel Carasquillo, of Frederica, DE, 16-18-1, 14 KO’s. He assured the crowd that he was ready to put on a great show, “This is going to be an action-packed fight. Anybody that knows me knows I bring the fight. I’m a great boxer. I’ve trained hard enough for anything. I’ll make sure that it’s going to be a great fight on January 21st because it is on my birthday!”

Fellow Philadelphian, Gabriel Rosado, 18-5, 10 KO’s, faces Jesus Soto Karass of Los Mochis, 24-6-3, 16 KO’s, in what promises to be a 10 round junior welterweight war. Rosado ensured his fans that he was ready to give them a rousing show, “I am excited about this card. Soto Karass is a tough guy and I am excited to make a statement. I am going to show that I am a heavy hitter at 154. It’s going to be one helluva fight. Soto Karass is gonna bring it. I’m ready for everything. I have a big following and they’re all gonna come. I can’t wait.”

Kathy Duva spoke of choosing the main event for the NBCSN Fight Night debut show, “When the time comes to try to actually make the fights that everybody wants to see, you find out it’s a lot harder than you thought it might be. As we went through the list, we found consistently that in the heavyweight division there were a lot more people willing to fight each other than anywhere else. And I think that that’s a good thing.” She went on to say, “There’s a lot of talk about how the heavyweight division isn’t what it used to be. Well I’ll tell you, in recent years the only opportunity for heavyweights was to wait their turn to go to Germany and get beat up by one of the Klitschko’s. That does not make for becoming a better fighter, that does not cause anyone to learn or get better. What makes a great fighter is that they have to be in competitive fights, they have to learn as they go along.”

“We were delighted when we were able to make arrangements with Eddie Chamber’s promoter, Dan Goossen of Goossen Tutor to bring him to this show. He hasn’t fought in Philadelphia in a very long time, so this is a bit of a homecoming for him. He is one of the top heavyweights in the world and he has agreed to fight another one of the top heavyweights in the world, Sergei Liakhovich. This is exactly the kind of match we were looking for. They both have a lot at stake, they are both going to come in and do their best, and they’re both going to try to win,” Duva concluded.

Philadelphia resident, Eddie Chambers, 36-2, 18 KO’s, was in very good spirits as he discussed his upcoming battle with Sergei Liakhovich, Scottsdale, AZ, 25-4, 16 KO’s, on NBC Sports Network, “I’d really like to thank NBC for stepping up to the plate and trying to bring boxing back to what it used to be. I hate to disappoint NBC because they want competitive fights and all, but in my opinion this is not going to be a competitive fight.” He confidently boasted, “I got a lot of respect for Sergei; he’s been a world champion; a really good fighter; but I think I’m a little more advanced than he is! I think I pose a lot of threats to him. I’ve watched some his tapes, and some of the things he’s done. It doesn’t hurt that I am probably in the best shape that I’ve ever been in. I think it’s not going to be easy, but I think what I bring to the table is going to be too much for him to handle.”

To find NBC Sports Network on your TV, visit http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/ and use the NBC Sports Network Channel Finder on the right-hand side of the webpage.

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Eddie Chambers Hopes To Add To Philly Heavyweight History

Philadelphia, PA - When Eddie Chambers, of Philadelphia, PA, boxes Sergei Liakhovich, of Scottsdale, AZ, in the 10-round main event on Saturday evening, Jan. 21, at the Asylum Arena, he will take another step on the journey he hopes will lead him to the heavyweight championship of the world.

Chambers, 29, who moved to Philadelphia from Pittsburgh as a young pro in 2002, already has boxed for the IBF version of the crown. Although he was stopped in the 12th round by Wladimir Klitschko in 2010 in Germany, he now knows what he must do to get back there and win.

In the long history of Philadelphia boxing, few have challenged for boxing’s richest prize. Despite its reputation as a great boxing town, only two men, Sonny Liston (below) and Joe Frazier, lived in Philadelphia when they won the world heavyweight title. Terrible Tim Witherspoon twice earned pieces (WBC, WBA) of the crown in the 1980s.

Liston lived here when he dispatched Floyd Patterson in one round in 1962 at Chicago’s Comiskey Park to become Philadelphia’s first world heavyweight champion.

Six years later, Frazier (below), originally from Beaufort, SC, knocked out Buster Mathis in Madison Square Garden to gain recognition as world champion. He won the undisputed belt in 1970 against Jimmy Ellis then cemented his heavyweight legacy by outpointing the comebacking Muhammad Ali over 15 rounds in 1971.

There have been other outstanding Philadelphia heavyweights, including Tommy Loughran, considered by many to be the greatest fighter ever from Philadelphia, Al Ettore, Leroy Haynes, Dan Bucceroni, Leotis Martin and Jimmy Young.

While Philadelphia world heavyweight champions are rare, the city has hosted two of the most important heavyweight championship fights of all-time on the same date and in the same ring, 26 years apart.

On Sept. 23, 1926, Jack Dempsey lost his crown to Gene Tunney via 10-round decision in a steady downpour in front of 120,757 fans at what was then known as Sesquicentennial Stadium in South Philadelphia. On the same date in 1952, in what many claim was the greatest heavyweight title fight ever, Rocky Marciano came from behind to knock out Jersey Joe Walcott in the 13th round at the same venue, then known as Municipal Stadium.

It’s a long, glorious history Chambers is following and the fight with Liakhovich is the next step.

A pro since 2000, Chambers is 36-2, 19 KO’s. Liakhovich, 35, of Scottsdale, AZ, is 25-4, 16 KO’s, and he held the WBO version of the title for seven months in 2004. The winner will have something to say in the world heavyweight picture in 2012.

ABOUT THE FIGHT

The inaugural main event of the NBC Sports Network Fight Night Series, Eddie Chambers vs. Sergei Liakhovich, a 10-round heavyweight match, tops an eight-fight card on Saturday evening, Jan. 21, at the Asylum Arena, 7 West Ritner Street, in South Philadelphia. The live television broadcast also features a 10-round junior middleweight clash between Gabriel Rosado, of Philadelphia, PA, and Jesus Soto-Karass, of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico. First fight is at 7 PM. The live NBC Sports Network Fight Night telecast begins at 9 p.m. The show is being promoted by Main Events, Peltz Boxing Promotions and Goossen Tutor. Tickets are priced at $45 and $65. They are on sale at Peltz Boxing ( 215-765-0922 ) or online at www.peltzboxing.com.

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Sergei “White Wolf” Liakhovich Aims to Gain New Fans in Philly

In a bout that has the makings of a match made in boxing heaven, former Heavyweight Champion Sergei “White Wolf” Liakhovich takes on top Heavyweight Contender “Fast” Eddie Chambers to open the new NBC Sports Network’s Fight Night on January 21, 2012, at 9pm, at Asylum Arena in Philadelphia.

Sergei is a native of Belarus and grew up in the former Soviet Union. He attributes his upbringing to the type of fighter and person he is today. “Growing up in Belarus was the best life lesson for me. It prepared me for all the challenges that life brings.” “It made me stronger and hungrier for a better life.” Someone once said ‘sports does not build character, it reveals it,’ growing up in Belarus definitely helped build my character!”

Since he was 12 years old, Liakhovich always dreamed of becoming a professional boxer. When Sergei was young he would cut out articles from newspapers and magazines which featured fighters like Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield. He envisaged becoming a boxing icon. “I knew that the United States was the most important place to be in order to make it big in professional boxing. When I was 23, I obtained one of my goals by coming to the US, it wasn’t easy. Becoming World Champion at 29 was the next big accomplishment, now I intend to continue the dream by becoming a world champion again” Sergei said.

Commenting about fighting in a city with a rich boxing heritage, Liakhovich said, “Philadelphia has so much boxing history and true boxing fans. I grew up in the working class city, so this feels like going home to me. One of the biggest compliments you can have as a fighter is when you can turn a crowd that comes to support the home town guy into your own fans by the end of the fight. It happened in Pittsburgh when I fought Brewster and I think it will happen again in Philly.”

Sergei is pleased to be on NBC Sports Network’s inaugural Fight Night show, “I am so excited to have the opportunity to be in the main event on NBC Sports Network’s opening show. NBC is an important part of worldwide TV and to be chosen for this show was a privilege. Anyone who knows me knows that I give my all each time I step in the ring. I promise you nothing less on January 21st. In fact, since our styles match perfectly, when Chambers and I mix it up, it will be a night boxing fans will talk about!”

Promoted by Main Events, Peltz Boxing Promotions and Goossen Tutor, the non-televised undercard fights will begin at 7 p.m. Televised fights will begin at 9 p.m.Tickets are priced at $45 and $65 can be purchased by calling Peltz Boxing, (215) 765-0922 .

NBC SPORTS NETWORK FIGHT NIGHT SCHEDULE (All Times ET)

Saturday, January 21, 9-11 p.m. - Philadelphia

Saturday, March 24, 10 p.m.-Midnight - Site TBA

Saturday, June 16, 9-11 p.m. - Site TBA

Saturday, December 8, 9-11 p.m. - Site TBA

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NBC Sports Network Fight Night Premiere
January 21, 2024 - Asylum Arena, Philadelphia
Eddie Chambers vs. Sergei Liakhovich

Philadelphia heavyweight contender “Fast” Eddie Chambers takes on former World Heavyweight Champion Sergei “White Wolf” Liakhovich on Saturday, January 21st when the NBC Sports Network (currently named VERSUS) brings its inaugural NBC Sports Network Fight Night broadcast to the City of Brotherly Love.

Making his first hometown appearance since 2008, Chambers, (36-2, 18 KO’s), who learned to fight in Philly’s legendary gyms, will have his hands full when he faces “The White Wolf” of Scottsdale, AZ (25-4, 16 KO’s) at Philadelphia’s Asylum Arena. A former Russian Olympian, Liakhovich is an aggressive, heavy-handed competitor who rarely takes a step backwards and always makes great fights. His epic 2006 brawl with Lamon Brewster, when the native of Vitebsk, Belarus won the WBO Heavyweight Championship, is still characterized by many boxing pundits as the best heavyweight fight of the past ten years.

Opening the television broadcast at 9 p.m. will be a blistering junior middleweight battle between “King” Gabriel Rosado of Philadelphia (18-5, 10 KO’s) and Jesus Soto-Karass of Tijuana, Mexico (24-6, 16 KO’s). “Soto-Karass made his reputation in two wars with Mike Jones,” NBCSN Fight Night’s Hall of Fame matchmaker Russell Peltz said, referring to a recent pair of thrilling bouts involving Soto-Karass and Jones, the world’s number one welterweight contender. “Rosado vs. Soto-Karass is a huge fight in Philly,” he commented. “It’s the kind of bout where records don’t matter. It’s all about the fight in the ring and there will be action from the first bell.”

“Our ambition with this series is to make interesting, competitive fights that are relevant to the markets where they take place,” said promoter Kathy Duva of Main Events. “In short, fights that people would pay to see. I think that this card delivers on all of those counts and I can’t wait to experience the atmosphere at the Asylum when the fighters touch gloves.”

Promoted by Main Events, Peltz Productions and Goossen Tutor, the non-televised undercard fights will begin at 7 p.m. The remainder of the card will be announced in the coming weeks.

Tickets priced at $45 and $65 can be reserved by calling Peltz Boxing, (215) 765-0922 .

Professional Career Of Eddie Chambers

Eddie started boxing professionally in 2000 at the age of 18. For the first five years, he fought unknown opponents before raising his level of competition significantly in 2005 against clubfighters Ross Puritty and Robert Hawkins.

In 2006 he took a further step upward by defeating former title challenger Ed Mahone and renowned clubfighter Domonic Jenkins (in spite of his record of only 9-5 Jenkins had beaten several prospects).

In May 2007, Chambers stopped 15–0 Derric Rossy and defeated Dominic Guinn on Shobox. Later in 2007 he took part in IBF’s 4-man elimination tournament to face the current champion Wladimir Klitschko. Chambers beat Calvin Brock via split decision in semifinals, but lost unanimously to Alexander Povetkin in the final bout.

After his fight with Povetkin he won three more bouts against opponents like Raphael Butler before facing Samuel Peter on March 27, 2024 and defeated him by majority decision. He scored another decision win afterwards against Alexander Dimitrenko on July 4, 2024 in a WBOtitle eliminator bout, which made him the mandatory challenger for the WBO heavyweight title held by Wladimir Klitschko.

On March 20, 2024 he faced Wladimir Klitschko for his first ever title shot in Düsseldorf, Germany.[1] Klitschko defeated Chambers by knockout five seconds before the end of the final round. The Ukrainian was criticized between rounds by his trainer Emanuel Steward for not fighting aggressively enough despite having won all prior rounds and Chambers only fighting back weakly. Klitschko began punching more often during the final round than he had done before which eventually led to his left hook hitting Chambers to the forehead. The punch made Chambers fall forwards and lose consciousness for a short amount of time. The referee stepped in and called an end to the contest instantly. On February 11, 2024 in Atlantic City, he defeated Derric Rossy by an unanimous decision.

NBC Sports Network Fight Night Premiere
January 21, 2024 - Asylum Arena, Philadelphia
Eddie Chambers vs. Sergei Liakhovich

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NBC SPORTS GROUP PRESENTS FIGHT NIGHT BOXING SERIES

Quarterly Boxing Matches Saturday Nights on NBC Sports Network

Series Debuts Saturday, January 21, 2024 from Philadelphia

Main Events To Coordinate Multi-Promoter Strategy with Hall-of-Fame Matchmaker J Russell Peltz

NEW YORK - November 22, 2023 - NBC Sports Group announced today the formation of NBC Sports Network Fight Night, a boxing series featuring premier boxing talent. Fight Night will debut on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012 on the NBC Sports Network (which will be renamed from VERSUS on Jan. 2, 2012), from Asylum Arena in Philadelphia, Pa. The Fight Night cards are being scheduled in cities that are served by a Comcast Sports Group regional network, and the regional networks will help promote the events and have the ability to re-air fights.

NBC Sports Group will work with Main Events and Hall-of-Fame matchmaker J Russell Peltz on a multi-promoter strategy for NBC Sports Network Fight Night designed to produce the best quality fights. It is a strategy in which any promoter can participate to get their boxers involved in these programs.

“This is a unique approach to have multiple promoters competing to put fights on NBC Sports Network,” said Jon Miller, President, programming, NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network. “That, coupled with the legendary matchmaker J Russell Peltz serving as our quality control expert, ensures that boxing fans will enjoy exciting and competitive matches.”

“We are reaching out to all promoters to get involved in the series, and our priority is simply to make exciting fights. We don’t care who brings the fighters,” said Kathy Duva, president, Main Events. “We expect that multiple promoters will be involved in each of the Fight Night programs. All fighters who are willing to further their careers by engaging in compelling, interesting, meaningful matches are welcome.”

“Fights in this series will be solid, competitive and exciting,” said Peltz. ”Borrowing the philosophy of the late Madison Square Garden matchmaker Teddy Brenner, my bouts will be made on the following criteria: Do the fighters’ styles mesh to make an exciting fight? Does this fight lead to something? And would I buy a ticket to it? These should be good fights for boxing fans.”

NBC SPORTS NETWORK FIGHT NIGHT SCHEDULE (All Times ET)

Saturday, January 21, 9-11 p.m. - Philadelphia

Saturday, March 24, 10 p.m.-Midnight - Site TBA

Saturday, June 16, 9-11 p.m. - Site TBA

Saturday, December 8, 9-11 p.m. - Site TBA

-NBC SPORTS GROUP-

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