Jarrett Hurd Scheduled To Return To The Ring On January 25th!

Former unified 154-pound champion "Swift" Jarrett Hurd will return to battle against Francisco "Chia" Santana in a 10-round super welterweight  co-feature bout on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING action at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Two-Division World Champion Danny García Takes on Hard-Hitting Ivan Redkach in WBC Welterweight Title Eliminator Live on SHOWTIME Saturday, January 25 in Premier Boxing Champions Event at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Undefeated Sensation Stephen Fulton Battles Arnold Khegai in Super Bantamweight Title Eliminator in SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING Action Beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT

Two-division world champion Danny "Swift'' García returns to the ring to take on hard-hitting slugger Ivan "El Terrible'' Redkach in a 12-round WBC welterweight title eliminator Saturday, January 25 live on SHOWTIME from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™, in a Premier Boxing Champions event.

                                                                    García's blend of power and sublime boxing skills has made him one of the most popular boxers of the last decade and secured him as a box-office fixture at Barclays Center, where he holds the record for the largest crowd for a boxing event. He set the benchmark when 16,533 attended his welterweight title unification match against Keith Thurman on March 4, 2017 in a bout that aired in primetime on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on CBS. The fight against Redkach will be Garcia's eighth appearance at Barclays Center.


"Barclays Center fan-favorite Danny García is back in Brooklyn as he continues his quest for the top spot in the welterweight division," said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. "Danny has been in the biggest fights at Barclays Center and on January 25 there are sure to be fireworks when hard-hitting Ivan Redkach looks for a career-defining win. Redkach has upset the odds before and there's no doubt he'll leave it all in the ring with this opportunity to move closer to a world title fight. Combined with a former unified champion known for action fights in Jarrett Hurd, plus a rising star in Stephen Fulton, this card is loaded with intrigue from top to bottom."


"Danny García and Jarrett Hurd are two of the biggest stars in the sport because they have consistently taken on the toughest challenges and they are always in all-action, exciting fights," said Stephen Espinoza, President Sports & Event Programming, Showtime Networks Inc. "On January 25, both men are fighting to maintain their place at the top of two of boxing's deepest divisions in important, must-win fights. Add in two undefeated, promising contenders in the opener and we have the recipe for an explosive night of fights on SHOWTIME."


"We're thrilled to host our first boxing event of 2020 by welcoming Danny García back for his eighth fight at Barclays Center and have Jarrett Hurd return to the arena where he's had some memorable victories," said Keith Sheldon, EVP of Programming and Development for BSE Global. "Danny specifically has built an enthusiastic fan base in the borough, becoming one of the most popular fighters in our arena, and we can't wait to see his supporters out in full force as he steps back into our ring against Ivan Redkach."


Tickets for the event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and DSG Promotions, are on-sale now and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com and barclayscenter.com. Tickets also can be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP. The Fulton vs. Khegai bout is promoted in association with Salita Promotions.


García (35-2, 21 KOs) is the latest in a long line of great boxers from Philadelphia who have made their mark on the sport. His run through the super lightweight division and two-year reign as a unified champion is one of the most impressive in modern history as he defeated a string of champions, including Nate Campbell, Kendall Holt, Erik Morales, Amir Khan, Zab Judah and Lucas Matthysse.


After dominating the super lightweight division, the 31-year-old García moved up to welterweight where he won the vacant WBC title with a unanimous decision over Robert Guerrero in 2016. He lost a split decision to Thurman in a unification match in 2017 and dropped a narrow unanimous decision to Shawn Porter for the WBC title in 2018. García and many pundits thought he won both those matches. In his last fight, García scored a spectacular knockout victory over Adrian Granados on April 20 to get back into position to regain the welterweight crown.


"I'm very excited to be headlining another SHOWTIME card and to go back to Barclays Center, my home away from home," said García. "I can't wait to step in the ring in Brooklyn and give fans the Danny García show. I watched a few of Redkach's recent fights and he had a great knockout win over two-time champion Devon Alexander. So, I know he's a tough fighter and competitor who I expect to bring the best out of me, and he's someone who deserves this opportunity. But January 25 is tax season, so I'm going to have to tax him and pay him with a reality check."


Redkach (23-4-1, 18 KOs) has his sights set on winning a welterweight title and will face the toughest challenge of his career when he steps in against Garcia. The 33-year-old Redkach, who was born in Shostka, Ukraine and now lives in Los Angeles, is accustomed to stern tests. He started boxing as an amateur in Ukraine where he had over 300 fights. When he turned professional he traveled to Mexico to train and develop the "Mexican Style'' - a style that emphasis standing in the pocket and throwing hard shots to the body.


Things started out slowly for Redkach, but soon he began to hold his own in Mexico and prevailed, earning the nickname "El Terrible'' from his training partners. Redkach won 14 of his first 18 professional fights by stoppage and has won three in a row, including most recently knocking out former world champion Devon Alexander in June.


"I'm very motivated to take a massive step in my career and get closer to becoming world champion against a strong and accomplished fighter like Danny García," said Redkach. "I have been to a lot of Danny's fights and now I get the chance to test myself against him. I am training very hard so that I am the best that I have ever been on January 25. I'm going to shock the boxing world just like I did against Devon Alexander. I've never been this hungry before and I'm confident I will win this fight."


The former WBA and IBF champion at 154-pounds, Hurd (23-1, 16 KOs) returns to action for the first time since losing his belts via decision against Julian Williams in one of 2019's best fights. The 29-year-old from Accokeek, Maryland captured his first title by stopping current WBC titlist Tony Harrison in 2017 and then added the WBA belt by defeating Erislandy Lara in 2018's consensus Fight of the Year. Hurd earned his title opportunity by going on a run of knocking off unbeaten fighters including Frank Galarza and Oscar Molina, and also owns a successful title defense against Austin Trout at Barclays Center in 2017.

 "Just because I fell back, doesn't mean I fell off," said Hurd. "I'm back and excited to fight at Barclays Center for the third time. I'm bringing the storm back on January and I'm going to make a statement everyone is going to see. You're not going to want to miss this fight and the best Jarrett Hurd anyone's seen."


Santana (25-7-1, 12 KOs) has taken on the toughest challenges at 154 and 147 pounds and has made his name with an all-action action style throughout a long career as a contender. The 33-year-old will look to bounce back from a close decision loss to Abel Ramos in March, in a fight where Santana dropped Ramos in the second round. Prior to the setback against Ramos, the Santa Barbara, California native was coming off of a victory over Olympic gold medalist Felix Diaz in April 2018. Santana has faced former champions Jermell Charlo and Sadam Ali while also owning a six-round draw against Julian Williams in 2011.

 "This is a great opportunity for me against a fighter like Jarrett Hurd," said Santana. "When you get an opportunity like this, it's hard to turn it down. My job is to rise to the occasion and have the best moment of my career on fight night. This is my Super Bowl. When I last fought at 154-pounds, I was basically self-trained. Now I have my coach Joseph Janik training me and I really think he's the missing piece of the puzzle for me. I'm going to go in there and leave it all in the ring January 25."


Super bantamweight Stephen "Cool Boy Steph'' Fulton will face undefeated Arnold Khegai in a 12-round WBO Super Bantamweight title eliminator to open SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING action at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

The 25-year-old Fulton (17-0, 8 KOs) has made a rapid rise through the super bantamweight ranks with superb boxing skills, befitting a slick fighter from Philadelphia. Lately Fulton has shown flashes of power that have caught his opponents off guard. In his last fight he stopped Isaac Avelar with a body shot to end their fight in the fifth round on August 24.


Fighting out of Odessa, Ukraine and training for this fight in Los Angeles, Khegai (16-0-1, 10 KOs) will make his third start in the U.S. on January 25, after a successful U.S. debut in in May 2018 when he defeated Adam Lopez on the prospect developmental series ShoBox: The New Generation. The 27-year-old has already been victorious twice in 2019, stopping Haidari Mchanjo in March and most recently winning a unanimous decision over Vladimir Tikhonov in August on ShoBox.

Weights From Virginia!

Here are the weights for tonight's fighters that are participating on the Tac Promotions card at the Tysons Playground in Vienna, Virginia!

Akeem Jackson 145.8 - Damon Towns 150.4

William Davis 166.2 - Aaron Thorne 174.6

Anthony Dave 137.2 - Taurean Venable 135.4 

Antonio Allen 150 - Chris Rowllins 152.6 

Larry Smith 150 - Justin Biggs 155.6 

William Townsell 163.4 - Keithland King 163

Micheal Davis? - Sam Crossed 197.6

Matt Murphy 146 - Michael Anderson 148.6

Gervonta Davis vs. Yuriorkis Gamboa Card Will Feature More Maryland Fighters!

On Saturday, December 28th at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, GA, Baltimore MD's Gervonta "Tank" Davis and Yuriorkis Gamboa of Miami, FL by way of Cuba will be in a championship  bout for the vacant WBA Lightweight title.

A number of local Maryland fighters will be on the card.  In a 10-round welterweight bout, Baltimore's Malik "Iceman" Hawkins (17-0, 10 KO's) will face undefeated Darwin Price (16-0, 9 KO's) of Houston, TX.  

Kareem "Reemo" Martin (13-2-1, 4 KO's) will be in a eight-round contest against Jeremy Cuevas (12-1, 9 KO's) of Philadelphia, PA. 

Malik "King" Warren (2-0, 2 KO's) out of Baltimore, MD will be in a four-round lightweight bout with a opponent TBA.

In a added feature to the card will be the daughter of trainer Kenny Ellis, Mia "Killabee" Ellis out of Baltimore, MD making her professional debut against Crystal Byers of Ohio.

Results From Ponytail Promotions Card In Sterling, Virginia!

Here are the results reported by Daniel Cork from ringside at the Ponytail Promotions card that took place Saturday night at the Dulles Sportsplex in Sterling, VA.

(Photos by Daniel Cork)

In the main/feature, debuting Joelle Flores by UD 2x 40-36 and 39-37, against Carma Radford. Solid fight, pretty competitive, I thought — but a bit of an odd ending. Henry Jones read the scores in the order/manner above — two judges with 40-36 and the third 39-37, without naming Flores yet — and there was enough outcry from the audience that Henry stopped reading, went over to the commission table, asked them to “make sure”, and then reiterated the scores. Odd for that strong a reaction, apparently at the possibility that the “other fighter” might have been credited with winning a round!

Tiara Brown by UD, 3x 80-72, against Simone Aparecida Da Silva. Workmanlike, per usual; Da Silva with some decent shots, but Brown never in any danger.

Joan Planas by stoppage, 2:02 of round 3, against Gladimir Jacinto, in battle of pro debutants. Good exchanges in round 1. Planas scored knockdowns against Jacinto twice in round 2, but Jacinto kept battling. More back and forth continued in round 3, Planas with an edge but Jacinto still making some returns, until Planas started a sequence against the far ropes and Brent Bovell opted to stop it.

Marlon Bolen by TKO at end of 2/beginning of 3 against Kevin Womack Jr. Both sprinted into the fight, with Bolen in particular seeming to want to try to end things with an explosive quick burst, but Womack returned in kind. Early in round 2, Womack knocked Bolen down (alas, again, blocked view of shot by Bolen’s body), but that only seemed to spur Bolen on, surging back and winning the rest of the round. At end of the round break, one of the inspectors/doctors indicated that Womack was hyperventilating; with that advice, bout was halted.

Calvin Mends by stoppage, 0:52 of round 3, against William Brown. Brown got some good shots in, too, particularly in round 1. Mends caught Brown with a nice body shot in round 2; Brown took a couple steps to his right and took a knee, but continued through the rest of the round. Mends downed Brown again in round 3, after which bout was halted.

Dante Cox by UD, 3x 40-35, against Elliot Brown. Brown more solid/competitive than the scores suggest — Cox certainly won the rounds, but he was effusive/gracious in postfight chatter with Brown.

Unanimous draw between Dionte Burts and Darel Harris, 3x 38-38 — and a very legitimate draw, both guys landing good shots and very busy throughout.

Mack Allison IV by stoppage over Mike Fowler, 2:09 of round 1. Some back and forth in opening minute before Allison took over and finally scoring knockdown. (Right in front of me, but with Fowler’s boy blocking the shot...this was a recurring theme with the night’s knockdowns!) Fowler took his time getting up, beat the count, but Brent Bovell waved it off after another look.

George Harris by UD, 39-37 and 2x 40-36, over Tony Lopez. Pretty careful fight by both...

Cobia Breedy Has Successful Night In Brooklyn, NY!

(Photos by David Algranati)


Hyattsville, MD featherweight Cobia "The Soldier" Breedy won by sixth-round TKO over Titus Williams of Long Island, NY. This was the final bout of the evening at the Barclays  Center in Brooklyn, New York to close the Charlo vs. Hogan card. 

Breedy and Titus both had a busy opening round. Breedy throwing the most punches with Williams being the more accurate of the two. Breedy shifted gears and took charge in the second-round to hurt Titus on a number of occasions. Williams bounced back in the third-round to land some good shots on Breedy to hurt him in the final minute of the round. Breedy gathered himself to box very well in the fourth-round having Williams to be more of a defensive fighter. 

Williams turned things around when he sent Breedy to the canvas for an eight count in round five. Breedy recovered and held on to complete the round. Breedy came back strong after recovering from the knockdown by dropping Williams late in the sixth-round and the bout was stopped by the referee at 2:16 of the round.

Cobia Breedy improved to (15-0, 5 KO's) while Titus Williams suffers the third loss of his career and falls to (9-3, 4 KO's).

Immanuwel Aleem Drops Decision At The Barclays Center In New York!

(Photos by David Algranati)
Richmond, VA middleweight "The Chosen One" Immanuwel Aleem (left) lost by ten-round majority decision to Ronald "Akeem" Ellis of Lynn, MA. The bout was aired live on the Showtime Boxing YouTube channel from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.

Aleem came out in the opening using his jab while moving around the ring to adjust to Ellis's reach advantage. Ellis closed the distance to finish the round by going toe to toe with Aleem. Ellis turned up the pace in the next couple of rounds by being the more active fighter while Aleem didn't add any offensive pressure to slow down Ellis. Aleem did a better job in the fifth-round as he stepped up his punch count to pressure Ellis. Ellis changed from using his jab to moving in close to start a inside battle with Aleem. Aleem tried to be more offensive minded in the last three rounds of the bout by throwing more punches but wasn't able to land that fight ending shot to get the knockout victory. One judge scored the contest a 95-95 draw but was overruled by the other two judges with the scores of 97-93, 98-92 for Ellis. 

Aleem falls to (18-2-2, 11 KO's) while Ellis improves to (17-1-2, 11 KO's).

Here Are The Results For Beltway Boxers Bouts In Philly!

(Photos by Daniel Cork)

Forestville, MD welterweight Mykal Fox won by eight-round unanimous decision over Johnny Arellano of Austin, TX on the King's Promotions card at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA last night December 6, 2019.

Fox used his jab to create good offense and good footwork to stay smart on defense. In the fifth-round Fox landed a left to the body followed by a right hook to send Arellano to the canvas. Arellano was one of the tallest fighters Fox has faced throughout his career. Arellano had his moments throughout the bout where he was able to land some scoring shots, but it wasn't enough to win the round he need to convince the judges in his favor. All three judges scored the contest for Fox 78-73 and 80-71 twice.  Fox improves his record to (22-1, 5 KO's) while Arellano falls to (10-2, 9 KO's)

In a super middleweight Hagerstown, MD "The Sexy Albanian" Genc Pllana and Kalvin "Hot Sauce" Henderson of Fayetteville, AR battled to an eight-round draw.

Pllana's looked to be the more active fighter throughout the contest as he out punched Henderson. Henderson was able to land shots to score during the rounds but Pllana's activity and point scoring shots seemed to visually give him the win. One judge seemed to see the contest in Pllana's favor with the score of 79-73, however, the two other judges scored the bout a draw at 76-76.  Pllana is now (7-1-1, 4 KO's) and Henderson adds a draw to his record (12-0-1, 8 KO's).

Marcus "Dreamcrusher" Bates out of Washington,DC won by eight-round unanimous decision over Francisco "Rayito" Pedroza of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. Bates was in full control of the bout in every round. His speed is definitely what made the difference. Bates landed a lot of hard shots to keep Pedroza in a defensive battle. Pedroza did make Bates work throughout each round until the eighth-round when Bates landed a hard left hand to send Pedroza down to the canvas. Pedroza beat the eight count but the contest ended giving Bates the win with the scores of 78-73 and 80-71 (twice).

Frederick, MD super middleweight Devar "The Warrior" Ferhadi returned to the ring after a three year absence to complete medical school to score a fifth-round TKO over Vincent Baccus of Okmulgee, OK.

Ferhadi used the double jab in the third round to drop Baccus to the canvas and continued to land shots after the round continued. Nothing didn't change as Ferhadi kept the pressure up going into the fifth-round when Baccus wasn't able to come up with the defense he need to protect himself. The bout was stopped at 1:45 of the fifth. Ferhadi gets back to his winning ways to remain undefeated at (8-0, 7 KO's) while Baccus suffers his first career defeat by upsetting stoppage and drops to (4-1-1, 3 KO's).