froch42355 A household name in his native England, talented, undefeated Carl Froch will look to make a major statement — and enhance his reputation in America — when he defends his World Boxing Council (WBC) super middleweight title against one of the most highly regarded and recognizable fighters of this generation, former undisputed middleweight belt-holder Jermain Taylor, Saturday, April 25, on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING from Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn.

A formal announcement was made by Ken Hershman, Senior VP and General Manager of Sports and Event Programming for SHOWTIME.

“Jermain Taylor is a great fighter and I am excited to have him make his SHOWTIME debut on April 25,” said Hershman. “He’s the more accomplished fighter and the better-known guy right now, but in Froch, he’s facing the naturally bigger fighter and a man that has never lost. Our viewers have come to expect competitive fights month-in, month-out on SHOWTIME and this fight should be no different.

“The 168-pound weight division is one of the deepest and most exciting in boxing,” Hershman continued. “Froch-Taylor is just one of many compelling matchups that this division has to offer.”

The telecast will air live at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) from MGM Grand Theater at MGM Grand at Foxwoods. The fight card is being co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Hennessy Sports.

“I expect fireworks in this matchup,” said DiBella Entertainment President Lou DiBella. “There is an aggressive, straight-ahead, rugged champion fighting a seasoned athletic warrior. It is a can’t-miss fight and the title will change hands.”

“This isn’t a case of a young fighter on the way up taking advantage of a big name on the way out or two old timers cashing out with a big payday – this is a real fight. You’ve got two of the world’s finest fighters, both at the peak of their powers and out to prove that they are amongst the best pound for pound fighters in the world,” said Mick Hennessy, President of Hennessy Sports.

“We are honored to be hosting the WBC World Super Middleweight Championship in association with DiBella Entertainment and SHOWTIME,” said Joseph Jimenez, Senior Vice President of Casino Marketing for MGM Grand at Foxwoods. “We are excited to showcase our beautiful property and magnificent theater at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods.”

Tickets are on sale now and priced at $200, $100, $75 and $50. Tickets are available at

www.mgmatfoxwoods.com, your local Ticket Master and MGM Grand Box Office 866-646-0649.

Froch (24-0, 19 KOs), of Nottingham, England, will be making the first defense of the vacant 168-pound crown he gained in his last outing with a unanimous 12-round decision over Jean Pascal on Dec. 6, 2008. He earned the title shot after registering a fourth-round TKO over Albert Rybacki on May 20, 2008, on ShoBox: The New Generation on SHOWTIME.

The six-foot, 31-year-old Froch, who has fought all but one of his fights in the UK, is one of 30 Shobox alums to become a world titleholder. A victory over Taylor would provide Froch instant stardom. The winner on April 25 will perhaps have the opportunity to unify against the IBF champion, the winner of this Friday’s Lucian Bute vs. Fulgencio Zuniga bout.

Taylor (28-2-1, 17 KOs), of Little Rock, Ark., has had a prolific pro career since winning a bronze medal for the United States in the 2000 Olympic Games. The six-foot-one-inch, 30-year-old Taylor is the only boxer to twice defeat future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins.

In a WBC title eliminator last Nov. 15, Taylor dominated Jeff Lacy en route to taking a unanimous decision. Taylor also has defeated former champions Cory Spinks, Raul Marquez and William Joppy.

When he outpointed Hopkins the first time, Taylor became 160-pound world champion in the WBC, World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Organization (WBO).

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING announcers Gus Johnson and Al Bernstein will call the action with Jim Gray reporting from ringside. The executive producer of SHOWTIME Sports is David Dinkins Jr., with Bob Dunphy directing.

KUZIEMSKI destroys unbeaten DOLLINGER in 5 rounds for EURO Belt !!

Light-Heavyweight Crown against previously undefeated German star ARMIN DOLLINGER (now 19-1-0). Kuziemski (WBA #6 rated) lead the action during all five rounds. There was a lot of expectation in Germany for this Championship as Dollinger came straight from a surprising KO victory over excellent recorded KAI KURZAWA (22-2-0) last year in Munich. However Kuziemski left him no chance to prove any skill as dominated most of the actions with strong punches. On early 5th round with a bloody nose and defenseless against the ropes Brit referee Paul Thomas decided to stop the Championship (min. 0:41) keeping Kuziemski his European Crown by TKO.

Promoter of the event was UNIVERSUM BOX-PROMOTIONS and televised live by ZDF (Germany), RTL (Hungary) and RTL (Poland).

“Date With Destiny” Heating Up Walker vs Waite April 25th:

Less than a month ago Michael “Midnight Stalker” Walker (19-1-2, 12 KOs) had a sparring partner Orphius Waite (4-0, 3 KOs), but there was always this buzz in the air at the One In A Million Inc. training facility when this duo would strap on the head gear and spar.

“This card is definitely going to be worth the price of admission,” said One In A Million Inc. CEO Octavius James. On Saturday, April 25th, 2009 at the Hammond Civic Center, there will be no head gear and this definitely won’t be a sparring session between Walker & Waite. “The million dollar question has always been when is Walker and Derrick “Superman” Findley going to fight, but here we have another one of our young warriors that is ready to go to war with Walker. “This fight is sure to be a barnburner”, James said.

Michael Walker Action 1Walker is coming off of an incredible eight-round decision over former world champion Antwun Echols on October 3rd, 2008 and even after that win, Walker doesn’t feel that Waite respects him. “(Waite) is messing with a different level of fighter and I don’t feel any respect at all from him, but I will get that respect when I whoop him without the head gear,” said Walker.

“I could tell (Waite) was trying to size me up during our sparring sessions,” added Walker. “Orphius wants to be me and he is trying to fight like I do, I’m ready and he is ready so let’s get it on.”

Waite Action Shot 1Waite enters this grudge match after defeating Chance Western by 1st round TKO back on January 23rd, but the only thing he has on his mind is making good on his biggest fight of his career. “It’s a very big fight, biggest fight of my career and secondly it’s going to be a stepping stone in my career,” said Waite.

“(Walker) had his chance to shine and he didn’t do too well and now it’s my turn,” added Waite. “When we walk into the training facility we both get that weird vibe and when we sparred I left his face battered a few times even with the head gear.”

Waite Action Shot 2Waite’s trainer Alex Sepulveda knows that his talented and chiseled star is ready for this level of fight. “If I didn’t think Orphius was ready for this I wouldn’t put him in there, but we are ready for Walker and we are going to take advantage of this great opportunity that Octavius James has presented us with,” said Sepulveda.

(Pictured above Waite decisively beats stablemate Juan Aguilar over six rounds.)

This card is loaded from top to bottom as Middleweight Sensation Derrick “Superman” Findley (13-2, 8 KOs), Welterweight Ed “2 Fast 2 Furious” Ochoa (7-0, 7 KOs), Light Welter Angel Hernandez (11-3, 9 KOs), Middleweight Josh Crouch (3-0, 3 KOs) and for the first time ever the brother-sister pair of Light Heavyweight “Pit Bull” Jimmy Perez Jr. (4-1, 1 KOs) and featured in an special amateur bout 2008 Golden Gloves Champion Tiffany Perez will be fighting on the same card.

Tickets for “Date With Destiny” can be purchased at VIP $100, VIP ringside $75, ringside $50, and general admission $30 and they are available from any Ticket Master location at (219) 791-1234, (312) 559-1212, (866) 438-7372, www.TicketMaster.com or at the Hammond Civic Center Box Office (219) 853-6378.

Hammond Civic Center, 5825 Sohl Ave. Hammond, IN located just 20 minutes from downtown Chicago, doors will open at 6 p.m. with the first bout at 8 p.m.