HBO’s hit late-night boxing franchise presents a night of hot action from the Jersey Shore, headlined by the comeback bout of one of the sport’s elite, when HBO BOXING AFTER DARK: PAUL WILLIAMS VS. ERISLANDY LARA AND AKIFUMI SHIMODA VS. RICO RAMOS is seen SATURDAY, JULY 9 at 10:15 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT), from the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports broadcast team will be ringside for the event, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.
Other HBO playdates: July 10 (8:30 a.m.) and 11 (midnight)
HBO2 playdates: July 10 (4:45 p.m.) and 12 (11:00 p.m.)
Making his 2011 debut, Augusta, Ga. native Paul Williams (39-2, 27 KOs) meets undefeated challenger Erislandy Lara (15-0-1, 10 KOs) in a 12-round junior middleweight matchup. One of the sport’s elite in recent years, the 29-year-old Williams has displayed a willingness to take on challengers at various weight divisions. Splitting his two stirring bouts with pound-for-pound middleweight ace Sergio Martinez, he won their first encounter in Dec. 2009, but was stunned by a second-round KO in the Nov. 2010 rematch.
Lara, 28, who defected from his hometown of Guantanamo, Cuba and currently resides in Miami, Fla., turned pro in 2008 and has impressed boxing fans everywhere with his ferocious boxing. This 154-pound matchup of the two southpaws should make for an intriguing showdown.
In the opening bout, undefeated California-bred prospect Rico Ramos (19-0, 10 KOs) seeks to take the super bantamweight title from Tokyo native Akifumi Shimoda (23-2-1, 10 KOs). Making his first title defense – and his U.S. debut – the 26-year-old Shimoda will be out to hand the ring-savvy, 24-year old Ramos his first professional loss. This 122-pound bout is scheduled for 12 rounds.
Follow HBO boxing news at hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/hboboxing.
The executive producer of HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is Rick Bernstein; producer, Jon Crystal; director, Mike Sheehan.
Chisora: Fury is a poor man’s Wladimir Klitschko
“Fury brings a dream, little else, into the ring,” Chisora said about his archrival’s chances in the 12-round main event. “He is a poor man’s version of (Wladimir) Klitschko – upright and robotic. He’s like a tall tree and, like a tree, if you chop away at the trunk the tree will fall.”
“The Big Brawl,” presented by Hennessy Sports, is being distributed in the UK on Channel 5, in Canada on the Super Channel network and in the United States by Integrated Sports Media on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DIRECTV, and Avail-TVN.
The 27-year-old Chisora, fighting out of Finchley, London by way of Zimbabwe, has twice had a scheduled World Boxing Organization (WBO) title fight cancelled against champion Wladimir Klitschko. The 6‘ 1-½”, 245 pound “Del Boy” will give away 7-½” and close to 20 pounds to the 6’ 9” Irish challenger. Chisora has twice stopped Sam Sexton, winner of “The Prizefighter Heavyweight Tournament,” as well as Mike Tyson-conqueror Danny Williams.
Chisora and Fury have had a well documented war of words going for the past few months. “His actions haven’t affected me at all,” Dereck spews. “He comes across as someone trying hard to convince himself more than others. Empty vessels make the most noise. I will show everyone that I am the top domestic heavyweight and that Fury isn’t what he thinks. I am the British and Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion and beating Fury will prove that and remove another pretender.
“I’ve fought on US TV before but the more exposure, the better. I’m adaptable, fast and exciting. I don’t know any other way to fight. Providing Fury backs his words and comes to fight, fans won’t be disappointed. It will be exciting with him fending me off as the reality of life at the top slowly kicks in.”
Despite having (Wladimir) Klitschko pullout of world title fights against him on two occasions, Chisora doesn’t believe that will lead to an emotional letdown against Fury. “Boxing is about mental strength,” Chisora explained. “The Klitschko chapter was a disappointment twice and very frustrating, but life goes on and my mental strength will not allow it to affect the outcome of this fight. Life is full of disappointments but, you learn to deal with them, and move on. Klitschko owes me a fight. I hope he’s a man of integrity and honours his commitment to me.”
BRYANT PAPPAS GOES FOR LUCKY NUMBER 13TH STRAIGHT KNOCKOUT THIS THURSDAY LIVE ON GFL
Knockout artist and local favorite, Bryant Pappas looks to go 13-0 with thirteen knockouts against Allen Medina live on www.gfl.tv
NEW YORK (July 6, 2011)—This Thursday night, Bryant Pappas will go for his thirteenth consecutive knockout when he takes on veteran Allen Medina in a six round Middleweight bout that will headline a five bout card at The Paradise Theater in the Bronx, New York.
The entire card can be seen LIVE all over the world on www.gfl.tv for the low price of just $9.99 and will begin at 7:30 pm eastern time and is promoted by Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing
The fight can be ordered by clicking: http://www.gfl.tv/Events/Fight/Boxing/Punchin_at_the_Paradise_12/1081
Pappas, a Yonkers Police Officer and a native of Yonkers, New York has ripped through his first twelve opponents with seven of them not making it out of the first round.
He has beaten some good opponents such as Chris Ray and Josh Hammock.
The Humble Pappas donates his entire purse to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center which happens to be the number-one cancer research center in the country.
Pappas will take on twenty-seven fight Allen Medina.
Medina of Denver, Colorado has fought top competition such as undefeated Middleweight prospect Patrick Majewski and Miguel Hernandez and is by far the most experienced foe that Pappas has faced.
In the six round co-feature, Stephen Owusu makes his second straight appearance on a Punchin At The Paradise card when he takes on Angel Rios in a Welterweight bout.
Owusu was very impressive in his May 5th bout as he came off an eleven year layoff to win a four round unanimous decision over Juan Perez.
Owusu of Bronx, New York has a record of 7-6 with four knockouts.
Rios also of the Bronx is 9-4 with six knockouts is coming off an eight year layoff when in his last bout he went ten round before dropping a decision to future world champion Mike Anchondo.
In an interesting Lightweight bout undefeated Danny Valle (4-0, 3 KO’s) will take on upset minded Corey White (1-2, 1 KO)
Valle, who was a 2003 New York Golden Gloves champion and comes from a boxing family where his father and grandfather are known as legendary trainers in the New York area will take on White, whose one career win was a shocking upset over heavily favored and undefeated Joey Tiberi in January.
FULL CARD
6 Rounds—Middleweights—Bryant Pappas (12-0, 12 KO’s) vs. Allen Medina (8-19, 1 KO)
6 Rounds- Welterweights—Stephen Owusu (7-6, 4 KO’s) vs. Angel Rios (9-4, 6 KO’s)
4 Rounds- Lightweights—Danny Valle (4-0, 3 KO’s) vs. Corey White (1-2, 1 KO)
4 Rounds- Welterweights—Juan Perez (0-1) vs. Andrew Jones (0-6-1)
4 Rounds- Light Heavyweights—Michael Ocasio (1-0, 1 KO) vs. Abdellah Smith (1-2, 1 KO)
UPCOMING BOXING ON WWW.GFL.TV
July 15th—Peltz Boxing from Ballys—Gabriel Rosado vs. Allen Conyers
July 15th—Chicago Fight Night—3 Title Bouts—Lanardo Tyner vs Vivian Harris; Carl Davis vs. Rob Calloway; Albert Mensah vs. Andres Georges
July 16th – Championship Boxing from Greensboro, NC—Scott Sigmon vs. Chris Fitzpatrick plus Joey “Twinkle Fingers” Hernandez