HBO Boxing kicks off the fall with an all-action showdown featuring one of the most exciting fighters in the sport when HBO BOXING AFTER DARK: LUCAS MATTHYSSE VS. VIKTOR POSTOL AND HUMBERTO SOTO VS. ANTONIO OROZCO is seen SATURDAY, OCT. 3 at 10:15 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from StubHub Center in Carson, Cal., exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports team will be ringside for all the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.
Other HBO playdates: Oct. 4 (9:00 a.m.) and 6 (11:15 p.m.)
The doubleheader will also be available on the HBO NOW and HBO GO platforms.
In the headline event, Lucas Matthysse (37-3, 34 KOs) of Trelew, Chubut, Argentina and Viktor Postol (27-0, 11 KOs) of Kiev, Ukraine, compete for a vacant 140-pound title belt in a 12-round super lightweight fight.
Matthysse, celebrating his 33rd birthday this week, fought the rugged and relentless Ruslan Provodnikov last April, scoring a thrilling triumph in a contest many ringside observers view as the leading candidate for fight of the year honors. The undefeated Postol is a skilled 31-year-old who is embracing the challenge of meeting one of the sport’s most devastating punchers at a venue known for eye-opening outcomes.
Opening the evening is a ten-round super lightweight bout featuring Humberto Soto (65-8-2, 35 KOs) and Antonio Orozco (22-0, 15 KOs). Soto, 35, of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, is a skilled veteran with three division world titles on his resume and more than three times the professional experience of his opponent. Orozco, a 27-year-old Mexican native who currently hails from San Diego, is seeking national recognition in a highly competitive division.
The Oct. 3 doubleheader kicks off an impressive fall lineup on multiple HBO Boxing platforms. HBO Pay-Per-View® will present blockbuster middleweight bouts featuring Gennady Golovkin vs. David Lemieux (Oct. 17) and Miguel Cotto vs. Canelo Alvarez (Nov. 21), while a “World Championship Boxing®” card will showcase the 2014 BWAA “Fighter of the Year” Terence Crawford in prime time on Oct. 24 vs. Dierry Jean. Welterweights stars Timothy Bradley Jr. and Brandon Rios collide in an intriguing 147-pound showdown two weeks later in Las Vegas (Nov. 7).
Immediately following the live doubleheader from Carson, HBO will premiere “Road To Golovkin/Lemieux,” a special previewing the upcoming middleweight unification bout between Gennady Golovkin and David Lemieux that will air live on HBO Pay-Per-View®.
Follow HBO boxing news at hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/hboboxing.
All HBO boxing events are presented in HDTV. HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.
The executive producer of HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is Rick Bernstein; producer, Dave Harmon; director, Johnathan Evans.
® HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.
Matthysse-Postol press conference quotes
Former Interim WBC Super Lightweight World Champion and number two contender for the vacant WBC Super Lightweight Title Lucas “La Máquina” Matthysse (37-3, 34 KOs) and former WBC International Super Lightweight Champion and number one contender for the vacant WBC Super Lightweight Title Viktor “The Iceman” Postol (27-0, 11 KOs) held a Los Angeles press conference today ahead of their upcoming fight on October 3 for the vacant WBC World Super Lightweight Championship at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif.
Presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Arano Box Promotions, Top Rank, Inc. and ELITE Boxing Promotion, the championship event will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT.
Below is what the fighters and their teams had to say about the upcoming showdown on Oct. 3:
LUCAS “LA MAQUINA” MATTHYSSE, Former Interim WBC Super Lightweight World Champion and Number Two Contender for the Vacant WBC Super Lightweight Title:
“I’m very delighted to be fighting for the world title against Viktor Postol and to share the card with Humberto Soto and Antonio Orozco.
“I’m very delighted that the time has come for me to fight for the world title.
“What can I say? I’ll see you on October 3. I am excited to be back in Carson. The fans can expect a great fight.”
VIKTOR “THE ICEMAN” POSTOL, Former WBC International Super Lightweight Champion and Number One Contender for the vacant WBC Super Lightweight Title:
“Thank you to ELITE Boxing, Golden Boy Promotions, Top Rank, HBO and my trainers, Freddie Roach. It’s going to be a great event.
“This is my third fight in the U.S. I’m glad it’s happening in Los Angeles at the Stub Hub Center.
“Los Angeles is a second home to me; it’s where my training camp is. I know that Lucas will have more fans there, but it makes me happy to know I will have support there, too on fight night.”
HUMBERTO “LA ZORRITA” SOTO, Former Three-Division World Champion:
“Thank you to HBO, Golden Boy Promotions, and my team for always being on top of my career and my health.
“As the saying goes, third time is a charm. I hope it’s true because my two others fights this year have fallen through. I will be ready and in the best of shape for October 3.
“I want to thank Antonio Orozco for taking this fight. He is a tremendous fighter. It will be a great fight for the fans. The fans that pay for a ticket are going to enjoy it. They’re going to be the winners on October 3.”
ANTONIO “RELENTLESS” OROZCO, Undefeated Super Lightweight Contender:
“Come October 3, I will face a very experienced fighter who will demonstrate why he is a former world champion, and I will show the fans why I am still undefeated. I am sure he will bring his best. I know it will be a fight fans will enjoy.”
ERIC GOMEZ, Senior Vice President for Golden Boy Promotions:
“We are happy to be back at Stub Hub Center. It’s a great venue. Golden Boy Promotions hopes to host many more championship fights there. We are already ahead on ticket sales. Tickets are moving fast, and we are expecting a sell-out.
“We want these fighters to be tested. There comes a time in every fighter’s career where they need to be tested. This will be the toughest fight in Antonio Orozco’s career, and he is putting up his undefeated record against Humberto Soto for it.
“Humberto Soto is always up there in the rankings with the best around the world. He is a hero in Mexico. He wants to be able to fight and become a champion once again. He had a bit of bad luck earlier this year when he was supposed to fight Frankie Gomez. We want to thank HBO for the opportunity to show his fight again. HBO believes in this fight and in Humberto Soto-they believe he will make a good fight on October 3.
“The fans have given him the title ‘The Machine’ and Lucas Matthysse really deserves that title. The last time he fought at Stub Hub Center against John Molina it was determined to be the ‘Fight of the Year’ in 2014 by the Boxing Writer’s Association.
“We constantly get asked by fans on social media about Lucas Matthysse: ‘When is he fighting next?’ and ‘When do tickets go on sale?’ He is one of the top fighters that the fans want to see. Lucas never puts on a dull fight. Lucas is looking to become the world champion, defend the title, and then move on to bigger things.
“He will always put up a good fight. Lucas is the top fighter in Argentina, and in the U.S.. He is becoming one of the top guys here, and around the world.”
VADIM KORNILOV, Manager for Viktor Postol of VK Management:
“Working with Golden Boy Promotions is always good, we never have any problems.
“I know Viktor is kind of an unknown in this equation but he has proven himself before against (undercard of Alvarado – Marquez on HBO). He was a contender back then but no one knew who he was. On October 3, Viktor will show he is not just another fighter from Europe. He has the experience to come on this stage and fight Lucas Matthysse.
“What Lucas did with Molina and Ruslan, you can’t deny that. Viktor will make this a good fight because he won’t let Lucas win by knockout.”
MARVIN SOMODIA , Assistant Trainer for Freddie Roach to Viktor Postol:
“Good afternoon, everyone. Freddie Roach, Viktor’s trainer, isn’t here so I’m in charge today. Thanks to everyone for making this fight. We hope to see you on October 3.”
TONY WALKER, Director at HBO Sports:
“Thanks to everyone, Golden Boy Promotions, and the Stub Hub Center. Whenever we do a fight at Stub Hub, magic seems to happen there. We’ve had great fights there.
“Our ratings have been great on HBO Boxing After Dark and we expect to do great business October 3 with Matthysse vs. Postol and Soto vs. Orozco.
“If you want to see this fight live on the West Coast, you have to buy tickets to watch it in-person at the Stub Hub Center. For those of you watching it on HBO, we will have a great telecast for you on October 3.”
KATIE PANDOLFO, General Manager for Stub Hub Center:
“We are excited to have this fight on October 3. Stub Hub Center is the best place to see a fight in Southern California if not in the country. We look forward to seeing everyone in October for these exciting fights.”
Tickets for Matthysse vs. Postol are priced at $150, $75, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, and go on sale Friday, July 31 at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets can be purchased at AXS.com, by phone at 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849), and at StubHub Center Box Office (Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. PT to 6 p.m. PT). VIP Suites are available by calling 877-604-8777. For more information on group discounts or VIP packages, call 877-234-8425.
Matthysse vs. Postol
is a 12-round bout for the vacant WBC World Super Lightweight Championship presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Arano Box Promotions, Top Rank, Inc. and ELITE Boxing Promotion and is sponsored by Corona and Mexico – Live it To Believe It!. Doors open at 2 p.m. on Oct. 3 and fight times will be announced soon.
