Johannesburg, October 27 – Former world champion Ruslan Provodnikov (24-4, 17 KOs) says he will be in great shape for next weekend’s showdown with Jesus Alvarez Rodriguez (13-0, 10 KOs) in Monte Carlo as he was in training for a fight in New York at the same time.

Those plans changed, though, because “six or seven opponents changed their mind about fighting me”. They include Amir Khan and Shawn Porter.

The Russian’s in-your-face style makes him a tough fight for anyone and it’s little surprise that many big names have baulked at the chance to challenge him.

“It’s frustrating, but we will persevere,” he said from his base in Indio, California where he is working with new trainer Joel Diaz, former trainer of Provodnikov rival Timothy Bradley.

Asked what sort of fight Monte Carlo fans can expect next weekend, the Banner Promotions boxer unsurprisingly pointed to his reputation saying he had been in two fights of the year candidates, plus the fight of the year with Bradley in 2013.

“Right now, the goal is to become world champion again. Being in America has made me a better fighter,” said the 31-year-old who grew up admiring Mike Tyson. “If you are a star in the USA then you are a star all over the world. Plus the competition level in the US is at its highest.”

Having grown up in western Siberia, he attributes the emergence of Eastern Bloc fighters like himself, Gennady Golovkin, Artur Beterbiev and so many others to the challenges thrown down by Soviet history.

“There have been some tough times that really made people very hard-working and persistent in whatever they do,” said the man they call the “Siberian Rocky”.

Provodnikov is looking forward to following in the footsteps of Golovkin, who has twice fought in the principality to much acclaim.

“I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world. I know Gennady enjoyed it every time. I can’t wait to see how many fans I have over there.”

As ever, the Russian expects to put on a good show. “I’ve seen Rodriguez’s fights. He is a very strong fighter, and unbeaten. This will be a brawl.”

His fans, of course, wouldn’t want it any other way.

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NEW YORK (Oct. 22, 2015) – Unbeaten rising star Antoine “Action” Douglas will fight on ShoBox: The New Generation for a fifth time when he takes on Les “Lock N Load” Sherrington in a clash of world-ranked middleweights in the main event of a quadrupleheader live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) on Friday, Nov. 6, at Downtown Las Vegas Events Center (DLVEC), across from the D Las Vegas in iconic Downtown Las Vegas.

The popular prospect-oriented boxing series premiered in July 2001 and has produced 63 world champions to date. Antoine’s fifth ShoBox appearance will tie him with eight other fighters for second place on the all-time list (the ShoBox appearance record is held by Chris Avalos with six appearances). All of the fighters with five or more ShoBox appearances went on to challenge for a world title, five triumphed -Andre Ward, Ishe Smith, Robert Guerrero, Kendall Holt and Badou Jack-and three fell short -Avalos, Mike Arnaoutis and Sechew Powell. A sixth five-time Shobox participant, Lateef Kayode, is scheduled to challenge WBA Cruiserweight World Champion Denis Lebedev on Nov. 4.

Douglas, of Burke, Va., is the WBA’s ninth-ranked contender. He will enter the 10-round bout for the WBA and WBO International 160-pound titles with a record of 18-0-1, 12 KOs. Australia’s Sherrington, the WBA’s No. 12th-rated contender, is 35-7, 30 KOs.

“Douglas has been consistently entertaining throughout his fights on ShoBox and is fighting another older, more-experienced opponent once again,” said ShoBox expert analyst Steve Farhood. “Part of the satisfaction of watching fighters develop on ShoBox is seeing them graduate to contender status. Douglas is just about at that point; he is taking his final classes.”

The 10-round ShoBox co-feature will match former international amateur standout and 2012 Olympic Bronze Medalist, Ukrainian southpaw Taras “Real Deal” Shelestyuk (12-0, 8 KOs), of Los Angeles, Calif. against experienced Aslanbek Kozaev (26-1-1, 7 KOs), of Vladikavkaz, Russia, in a welterweight bout.

Two eight-rounders will round out the four-fight telecast: southpaw “Killa” Keenan Smith (8-0, 3 KOs) of Philadelphia battles Benjamin “Da Blaxican” Whitaker (10-1, 2 KOs) of San Antonio in a super lightweight scrap and O’Shaquie “Ice Water” Foster (8-0, 5 KOs) of Orange, Texas, confronts “Tsunami Sam” Teah (6-1, 2 KOs) of Philadelphia in a lightweight match.

All but Douglas will be making their ShoBox debuts in an event promoted by GH3 Promotions and Banner Promotions. All eight boxers will be fighting in Las Vegas for the first time. Tickets are priced at $100.50, $75.50, $40.50, $25.50 and $20.50 and are available for purchase at www.ticketmaster.com.

Douglas, 23, has been impressive in four consecutive victories since he boxed a draw with former world title challenger Michel Soro in an eight-rounder that was part of the 200th ShoBox telecast on July 25, 2014. Douglas has won his last two starts by knockout: on July 17, a third-round TKO over Istvan Szili and on March 13, a sixth-round TKO over Thomas LaManna.

“This is a very good matchup for me,” said Douglas. “I feel I’m in the right place on my career. I want to move up the ranks and earn a title shot.

“I have seen Sherrington and he is tall and long. He likes to fight on the inside. He has lost to Sam Soliman. I’ve been in camp with Soliman and he’s not a big puncher.

“This is my first fight in Las Vegas, I’m very excited. Las Vegas is the boxing mecca of the world. This is a huge step up for me.”

Douglas, a top amateur who made it to the 2011 U.S. Olympic Trials, has been extremely active since turning pro in October 2012. He fought twice in 2012, nine times in ’13, six times in ’14 and this would be his third start this year.

Sherrington of Burleigh, Gold Coast, Australia, will be fighting outside of his native land for the first time in this, his U.S. and 2015 debuts. He’s won two in a row and is 8-1 in his last nine fights, the loss coming to former IBF World Middleweight Champion Soliman in December 2013.

Since the bitter defeat to Soliman that knocked him out of the world rankings, Sherrington has been looking to redeem himself in a major matchup in a major stage. This is his opportunity.

“This fight is something I have been waiting my whole career for and I plan on giving it my best shot,” he said. “I can’t wait to get over to America and showcase my skills. Fighting top-tier fighters is all I’ve ever asked.”

The well-conditioned 6-foot, 33-year-old Sherrington turned his career around after losing his pro debut in April 2002 and going 4-3 in his first seven starts. Since March 2006, he’s 25-3 while winning several minor titles. In his last start on Dec. 2014 he captured the WBA Oceania Middleweight Title with a shutout 10-round decision over Samir Santos Barbosa.

Taras Shelestyuk made his debut at the late age of 27. A prospect at 147 pounds, he was an amateur standout (195-15) in Ukraine with extensive international experience. He was the Gold Medalist at the 2011 World Championships and a Bronze Medalist at the 2012 Olympics, both at 152 pounds.

The 5-foot-10 29-year-old, who was born in Makeevka, Ukraine, is trained by International Boxing Hall of Famer, Freddie Roach. Shelestyuk is a lefthander with solid skills, movement and punching power who has exclusively campaigned in the United States since turning pro in March 2013. He went 6-0 in 2013, 3-0 in 2014, and is 3-0 this year. He’s coming off a unanimous eight-round decision over Juan Rodriguez last April 3 in Ontario, Calif. He’s gone eight rounds twice.

Regarding his nickname, Shelestyuk said, “My nickname is ‘Real Deal,’ and it means that I prove what I say in the business that I do.”

Kozaev, 29, 5-foot-7, is making his 2015 debut and fifth U.S. start. He won his first two before losing his outing before last on a 12-round decision to prospect Ray Robinson in an NABO welterweight title fight on Feb. 21, 2014. He’s short for the welterweight class and is spotting Shelestyuk 3 ½ inches in height.

Smith, the 2008 National Golden Gloves Featherweight Champion and a 2007 Junior Olympic National Champion, turned pro in April 2010-at 130 pounds.

The 5-foot-7, 25-year-old will be making his fourth start of the year after fighting just one time in both 2012 and 2011. He’s won two of his three fights in 2015 by knockout, including any easy second-round knockout over Lavell Hadley last Aug. 15 in Atlantic City. This will be his second fight since signing with GH3 Promotions and his first since his mother died in late September.

“This has been a rough training camp as my mom passed away and we had the funeral on Sept. 29,” Smith said. “Going through that is extra motivating and I am dedicating this fight to her. I am excited to be in my first television bout. I can’t wait for Nov. 6.”

Smith went 72-4 in the amateurs. Two of the victories came against current world-ranked contender Amir Imam.

Whitaker, a 5-foot-9, 31-year-old, has fought in Texas in all but one of his fights. He’s been impressive in his three fights this year, winning them all by clear and convincing eight-round decisions.

Whitaker produced a career-best victory two outings ago when he soundly out-tallied previously undefeated knockout artist and local favorite, Skender Halili. Also, Whitaker captured the vacant WBC United States (USNBC) and U.S.A. Texas State Super Welterweight titles by outpointing Rodolfo Gomez on Jan. 16 in Laredo.

“Talk is cheap, this fight is going to be a war,” said Whitaker, a three-year pro who was victorious in his first seven pro fights and also owns a win over previously undefeated Felipe Rivas. “He wants to keep his undefeated record but I am trying to get to where I want to be.”

Foster, 22, will be making his eight-round debut. A pro since August 2012, he’s made short work of his last two opponents, scoring opening-round knockouts over Darius Jackson (1:03) and Frank Jordan (1:26) on Sept. 26 and Aug. 22, respectively.

“It is going to be a great fight. I am glad for the opportunity,” said Foster, who’s been brought along carefully after a 100-plus amateur career in which he advanced to the 2012 U.S. Olympic Games Trials where he lost to unbeaten pro prospect, Joseph “Jo-Jo” Diaz.

“I have been training really hard. I have looked at Teah and he throws a lot of wide and wild punches. I am looking forward to fighting in Las Vegas.”

The 2011 Houston Golden Gloves and 2010 PAL National Champion, Foster was a five-time Ringside National Champion and two-time National Junior Golden Gloves Champion.

Teah, 28, a lightweight, will also be making his eight-round debut. All seven of his previous starts have been scheduled for four rounds. Since suffering his lone setback on a majority four-round decision to undefeated Laviasas Williams on July 25, 2014, Teah has won two in a row, both on shutout four-round decisions, including a 40-36 whitewash against Raymond Velez in his lone start this year on July 17.

Barry Tompkins will call the ShoBox action from ringside with Farhood and former world champion Raul Marquez serving as expert analysts. The executive producer is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.

# # #

About ShoBox: The New Generation
Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young talent matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to televise exciting, crowd-pleasing and competitive matches while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. Some of the growing list of the 63 fighters who have appeared on ShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes: Andre Ward, Deontay Wilder, Erislandy Lara, Shawn Porter, Gary Russell Jr., Lamont Peterson, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Omar Figueroa, Nonito Donaire, Devon Alexander, Carl Froch, Robert Guerrero, Timothy Bradley, Jessie Vargas, Juan Manuel Lopez, Chad Dawson, Paulie Malignaggi, Ricky Hatton, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Williams and more.

About Downtown Las Vegas Events Center
Located at the corner of Third St. and Carson Ave. across from the D Las Vegas, the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center can accommodate up to 11,000 guests and features state-of-the-art stage, sound and lighting. The open-air design is inviting to both tourists and locals and offers the perfect spot for concerts, conventions and other large-scale events. Embracing the uninhibited spirit of Downtown Las Vegas, the new venue plays host to a line-up of curated events including premier concerts, food festivals and more. The venue is also the first entertainment arena in Las Vegas to accept Bitcoin as currency. For more information, visit www.dlvec.com or follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @DLVEC.

Philadelphia / Monte Carlo (October 19, 2015)–On Saturday, November 7th, former WBO junior welterweight world champion, Ruslan “The Siberian Rocky” Provodnikov gets back in the ring when he headlines a special night of boxing when he takes on undefeated Mexican slugger, Jesus Alvarez Rodriguez.

The 10-round welterweight bout will headline the “Night of Champions” tournament event promoted by Rodney Berman’s Golden Gloves Promotions and takes place at the Salle Des Etoiles in Monaco

“I am glad that finally I have a specific date and location for the fight! This will be a great experience for me because it’s my first time fighting in Europe, and I heard Monte Carlo has a lot of boxing fans,”said Provodnikov. “I know that next year I will be back in the ring and the networks will finally have an opponent that will fight me and not just say they want to fight me. Hopefully we can make a rematch with Matthysse or a fight with Brandon Rios,which would both be great fights for the fans!”

Said, Rodriguez, “I never thought I was going get a fight against Ruslan. He is one of my favorite boxers to watch so this is a great opportunity for me, and I want to make a splash. I’m training very hard because I want the world to know who I am.”

“Provodnikov is in great shape as he was in training,” said Golden Gloves Rodney Berman, who reached agreement with Art Pelullo of Banner Promotions. “Provodnikov is all-action, a made-for-TV fighter who will add great value. I’m disappointed the Braehmer-Oosthuizen fight has fallen through, but I’ve been around long enough to know that such things are an occupational hazard.”

Said Arthur Pelullo, President of Banner Promotions, “I am excited to see Ruslan back in the ring with his new trainer Joel Diaz. We expect him to thrill the fans in Monte Carlo, much the same way he has all around the world. I want to thank my friend Rodney Berman for the opportunity to fight on this show, and this should be a great main event to a great a card.”

Provodnikov of Beryzovo, Russia has a record of 24-4 with 17 knockouts and is considered the most exciting fighter in the world today.

He turned professional on December 3, 2006 and went on to win his first seventeen bouts. He scored a 2nd round stoppage over Victor Hugo Castro to win the WBO Intercontinental Super Lightweight title.. He has defeated former world champion Javier Jauregui. After suffering his first defeat, Provodnikov won five in a row with wins over undefeated Ivan Popoca (15-0-1), former world champion DeMarcus Corley, David Torres (21-2-2) and Jose Reynoso (16-3-1).

On March 16, 2013, Provodnikov challenged undefeated WBO Welterweight champion, Timothy Bradley. The fight was one of the most memorable battles as Provodnikov battered the champion throughout the fight. Bradley came back strong and had success in the middle rounds of what turned out to be the 2013 Fight of the Year. Provodnikov dropped Bradley late in round twelve but it was not enough as he came up on the short end of a unanimous decision.

On October 19, 2013, Provodnikov was undeterred as in his very next bout, he won the WBO junior welterweight world championship with a 10th round stoppage over reigning champion Mike Alvarado in the champion’s hometown of Broomfield, Colorado.

Provodnikov lost his belt in a controversial split decision to Chris Algieri.

On November 28, 2014, Provodnikov stopped former world champion Jose Luis Castillo in five rounds in Moscow, Russia.

In Ruslan’s last bout, he lost a 12-round majority decision to Lucas Matthysse in a bout that is a front runner for Fight of the Year. The bout took place on April 18, 2015 in Verona, New York.

Alvarez of the fighting city of Los Mochis, Mexico gained the opportunity of a lifetime based on his record that reads 14-0 with 11 knockouts,

The 23 year-old upstart has has knocked out five of his last six opponents which includes his last bout when he made his American debut as he stopped Bryan Abraham in three rounds on February 20, 2015 in Verona, New York

This world class event is exclusively distributed internationally by leading boxing rights distributor and sports marketing firm, Protocol Sports Marketing. The company is presently in conversation with top broadcasters worldwide to ensure that the November 7 telecast can be seen by sports fans everywhere.

TICKET SALES
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From 10am to 19pm, 7 days/week
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Andrade (22-0, 15 KOs) stopped Argentinian Dario Fabian Pucheta (20-3) at the 50-second mark of the second round Saturday night at Mohegan Sun Arena to capture the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) International Junior Middleweight Title in the main event while Lundy disposed of Carlos Winston Velasquez (23-22-1) 23 seconds into the fifth round of the co-main event to bring home the World Boxing Council (WBC) Continental Americas Lightweight Crown.

The dual main event headlined CES Boxing’s “Gold Standard” card, promoted in association with Banner Promotions and Star Boxing.

Fighting for the first time in 16 months, Andrade – the former world title-holder in the WBO – made quick work of Pucheta, sending him to the canvas twice in the opening round, the first time courtesy of a straight left hand and again just seconds later with a right uppercut. Already on wobbly legs, Pucheta gave it a go in the second round, but Andrade laid him out flat with another right, sending the pro-Andrade crowd into an uproar.

Andrade will now vault back into the WBO rankings, where he says he’s ready for the “big boys” at 154 pounds, whether that’s World Boxing Association (WBA) junior middleweight champion Erislandy Lara, WBC middleweight champ Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, or anybody else in that weight class.

“Everybody else can get the big fights. Why can’t I get the big fights?” Andrade said. “Lara calls out Delvin Rodriguez and he gets that fight, but I can’t get Lara. He can go in and barge in on Canelo’s press conference and get that fight. Why can’t I get the same thing? I called him a bitch, nationally!

“No disrespect to any fighter because anyone who gets in that ring, I have high respect for, but it’s time for me to showcase what I really have against the guys everyone thinks is No. 1.”

Showing no signs of ring rust, Andrade came out firing Saturday and could get his shot real soon.

“This layoff, I just took the time to get better physically, spiritually, mentally, just all around, to be better myself,” he said. “Once I found out I was fighting September 17th, I always keep the synthetic oil in, but I had to get the motors running again. Here we go, man.”

WBO International Junior Middleweight Title

DEMETRIUS ANDRADE
Providence, R.I.
21-0, 14 KOs
153 ½

DARIO FABIAN PUCHETA
Buenos Aires, Argentina
20-2, 11 KOs
152 ½

Manchester, England (October 1, 2015)–WBO number-five ranked junior middleweight contender & Boxcino 2015 champion, John “Apollo Kidd” Thompson arrived Thursday morning in Manchester, England in advance of his October 10th WBO junior middleweight world title clash with Liam Smith that will take place at the Manchester Arena.

Thompson of Newark, New Jersey, is promoted by GH3 Promotions and Banner Promotions, is excited for the opportunity to become world champion.

“I am glad to be here, but I have a job to do and on October 10. That night I will become world champion.”

Photo Credit: Marc Abrams