NEW YORK (August 17, 2011) – Live world championship boxing returns to EPIX when undefeated 2004 Olympic super heavyweight gold medalist ALEXANDER POVETKIN and former World Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight champion RUSLAN CHAGAEV square-off for the vacant WBA heavyweight title, Saturday, August 27th. Presented by Sauerland Event, the live broadcast will emanate from Erfurt, Germany.
The battle between the two highest world-rated heavyweight contenders will be televised live in the U.S. exclusively on EPIX, the multiplatform premium entertainment service. EpixHD.com will stream the fight live as part of a free two-week trial offer. The live broadcast and the live stream on EPIX and EpixHD.com, respectively, will begin with the main event at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT.
Following the Povetkin-Chagaev WBA heavyweight championship, the broadcast and live stream will continue with undefeated World Boxing Organization (WBO) and WBA Intercontinental heavyweight champion ROBERT HELENIUS defending his regional titles against former WBO heavyweight champion SIARHEI LIAKHOVICH.
As has become the custom, EPIX will once again present the closed-captioned simulcast of both fights on a jumbotron in Times Square (Broadway between 44th and 45th Sts.), beginning at 5 p.m. ET.
Photos of the fighters can be accessed via this link:
https://rcpt.yousendit.com/1194052339/07e672acf0668f9afaa805a48e425283
Povetkin, Chagaev, Helenius and Liakhovich boast a combined record of 88-4-1 (58 KOs) – a 95% winning percentage and a victory by knockout ratio of 66%.
“EPIX looks forward to providing U.S.-based boxing fans exclusive live coverage of the Povetkin- Chagaev heavyweight title fight and presenting a preview of the heavyweight division’s next generation of world champions and title challengers,” said Travis Pomposello, EPIX senior executive in charge of boxing.
“I have won the Olympic gold medal and I have been World and European Amateur Champion. Now I want to finally accomplish my goal of winning the world title as a professional,” added Povetkin. “I have a lot of respect for Chagaev, but he will not get in my way.”
“Povetkin is a strong fighter, but I want to become world champion again and win back my old title. I am highly motivated,” said Chagaev.
Povetkin (21-0, 15 KOs), of Russia, is currently the WBA’s No. 2 world-rated heavyweight contender. His resume includes a knockout victory over former two-time heavyweight champion Chris Byrd, and unanimous decision victories over one-time heavyweight title challenger Eddie Chambers and former U.S. Olympians Jason Estrada and Larry Donald. Povetkin enters this fight having won three of his last four bouts by knockout. Povetkin has been promoted by Sauerland Event throughout his entire professional career.
Chagaev (27-1-1, 17 KOs), a native of Ukraine who fights out of Berlin, Germany, captured the WBA heavyweight title when he dethroned 7-foot defending champion Nikolai Valuev via a majority decision in April 2007. During his two-year, Chagaev successfully defended his title winning decisions over Matt Skelton (21-1) and Carl Drumond (26-0). Since losing to Wladimir Klitschko in 2009, Chagaev has defeated Kali Meehan and Travis Walker en route to becoming the WBA’s No. 1 heavyweight contender.
Helenius (15-0, 10 KOs), a native of Finland who fights out of Berlin, Germany, will be looking to make Liakhovich his third former heavyweight champion knockout victim having already starched Lamon Brewster and Samuel Peter in eight and nine rounds, respectively. He enters this fight having won nine of his last 10 fights by stoppage and world-rated No. 2 by the WBO and No. 3 by the International Boxing Federation (IBF).
Liakhovich (25-3, 16 KOs), a native of Belarus, fights out of Phoenix, Ariz. He won the WBO heavyweight championship in 2006, dethroning defending champion Lamon Brewster via a unanimous decision. He lost the title, in his first defense, to Shannon Briggs. Liakhovich enters this fight having won his last two fights by knockout against Jeremy Bates and Evans Quinn, in the first and the ninth round, respectively.
Mike Crispino, the voice of the New York Liberty, former undisputed World Heavyweight Champion Lennox Lewis and ESPN.com senior boxing writer Dan Rafael will be calling the fights for EPIX and EpixHD.com. Viewers watching the live stream on EpixHD.com will enjoy round-by-round blogs from Sports Illustrated’s boxing writer Chris Mannix.
‘Bazooka’ Joe Linenfelser ready to explode on ESPN FNF card this week
CHICAGO (Aug. 17, 2011) – Whether or not his swing bout airs on this week’s ESPN Friday Night Fights (FNF) card, welterweight prospect “Bazooka” Joe Linenfelser (9-1-1, 6 KOs), a 23-year-old boxer from Rockford, Illinois, plans to steal the show.
The final ESPN FNF card of the year, live from Hammond, Indiana, showcases 2008 U.S. Olympian Demetrius Andrade vs. The Contenders’ champion Grady Brewer in the main event and former world champion David Diaz vs. Hank Lundy. Never-the-less, Linenfelser plans to rock the Horseshoe Casino.
“It’s going to be great, whether or not I actually get to fight on ESPN,” Linenfelser said. “I know there are four other good fighters on the card with great records and reputations, but people who watch my fight are going to go away asking when I’ll be fighting again.”
In a six-round fight, Linenfelser will face his most difficult test to date, tough veteran Ruben “Modern Day Warrior” Galvan (27-17-4, 10 KOs), who has only been stopped four times. Galvan has been in the ring against world champions such as Zab Judah, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Paul Spadafora, as well as world title challenger Dmitriy Salita.
“Beating Galvan will give me more credibility and hopefully get me ranked by one of the regional organizations,” Linenfelser added. “It’ll help put me on the map and get me a shot at Henry Coyle in a few months. For now, though, I’m fully focused on Galvan. He is a veteran who has fought a lot of good guys. I really don’t know too much about him, but I’m a young, hungry pup and I know that I bring more to the table than him.”
When he made his pro debut October 8, 2005, stopping 181-fight veteran Donnie Penelton in the opening round of their fight in Iowa, 17-year-old Joe was the youngest professional boxer in the United States.
In October of 2008, Linenfelser registered his signature victory versus former NABA & NBA champion “Fearless” Fernando Hernandez, who Joe had previously defeated in a kickboxing fight. Linenfelser put Hernandez to sleep in the fifth round and then into retirement right after their fight in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Next up for “Bazooka Joe” was an eight-round throw-down with 1996 Cuban Olympian Ivan Leden (12-8-1), in Milwaukee, that Linenfelser won by decision.
Linenfelser was inactive for 14 ½ months (2010-2011) due to an injury suffered in the ring, until his triumphant ring return this past April against Jeremy Marts in Chicago. Linenfelser dropped Marts once in the fifth and twice from body shots in the final round en route to a win by unanimous, six-round decision.
“I took a year off and during that time I concentrated more on body shots,” ‘Bazooka Joe” explained. “I’d always been ‘Bazooka Joe,’ throwing bombs and knocking guys out. But I found out that, the better the opponent, the harder it is to knock ‘em out with just head shots. Body shots tear-down an opponent and then you go upstairs to finish.”
Linenfelser has fought almost exclusively as a junior middleweight – his only loss was in a fight in which he weighed 171 ¾ pounds – but he’s dropped down to welterweight for this fight and plans to continue fighting at 147.
“I had no problems making 147,” he concluded. “There was a time that I had some personal problems, but I started praying a lot and everything just seemed to fall into place for me. My speed and stamina has improved. I’m as strong as ever and I’ve been running 12 miles a day. When I fought at 154, I’d balloon-up as high as 187 between fights. Now, I eat and drink right and my weight doesn’t go way up.
“My father (manager Jeff) has been telling me for a long time that I should be fighting at 147. I haven’t felt this good since I was 14. I’m excited to fight at this weight. I’m on a nutritious diet and take vitamins. I used to be on a ‘wrestling diet’ to make weight because I lost weight the wrong way. I’m living healthy and feeling real strong.”