SportsCenter will televise live the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao press conference on Wednesday, March 11, from Los Angeles’ Nokia Theatre at 4:30 p.m. ET. SportsCenter’s Lindsay Czarniak will anchor coverage from ESPN’s L.A. studio, and ESPN boxing analyst Teddy Atlas will be in L.A. providing insight and analysis. Neil Everett and Stan Verrett will co-anchor coverage from the Red Carpet outside the Nokia Theatre.
In addition, reporters Jeremy Schaap and Bernardo Osuna will be on site to interview both fighters before and after the press conference. Following the press conference, Czarniak will anchor the 6 p.m. SportsCenter from ESPN’s L.A. studio.
The much-anticipated Mayweather and Pacquiao welterweight title unification showdown will occur on May 2, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
MEDZHID “B-52” BEKTEMIROV MAKES 2015 DEBUT IN TEXAS THIS FRIDAY
HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 12, 2015) – Co-promoters Gary Shaw Productions and Savarese Promotions are happy to announce the 2015 debut of Light-Heavyweight Russian power puncher, Medzhidm “B-52” Bektemirov (14-0, 11 KOs). The undefeated slugger will face James Johnson (28-44-4, 17 KOs) in a 6-round bout at the “Battle on the Mainland” card taking place at the Charles Doyle Convention Center in Texas City, TX on March 13, 2015.
Bektemiorov, who’s knocked out six of his last eight opponents, is looking to keep the momentum going with a spectacular performance. His mindset is to come out guns blazing and go for the knockout early.
“My trainer Ronnie Shields has me working on a lot of different things, but he’s not trying to change my style,” said Bektemirov. “He wants me to stay aggressive without being reckless. I’m ready to drop bombs, hence my name B-52. If the fight goes the distance, I’ll make sure that my opponent takes a lot of punishment. I want to thank Gary and Lou for coming together to take my career to the next level. Everything starts this Friday in Texas City.”
“I’m very pleased from what I’m hearing about B-52’s sparring sessions,” said Gary Shaw. “He’s a tremendous puncher with good footwork. With a veteran trainer like Ronnie Shields guiding the corner, I see him developing into a great fighter.”
“This kid can go,” Lou Savarese stated. “I know we got something special Bektemirov. His name “B-52″ serves him well because he really does drop bombs. I’ve seen him take out a lot of dudes in the gym. I can’t wait to see him get to work this Friday.”
“Battle of the Mainland” tickets priced $35 (general admission), $75 (Table seats) and $100 (Ringside) are on sale now and can be purchased by calling (713) 658-0229 or online at www.SavaresePromotions.com. The Charles Doyle Conventions Center is located at 2010 5th Ave N, Texas City, TX, 77590.
NEGOTIATIONS BEGIN FOR WORLD FIGHT BETWEEN ZOLANI TETE AND MCJOE ARROYO
After the spectacular victory of the South African Zolani Tete, the International Boxing Federation (IBF) super flyweight champion, over Paul Butler last Friday, this entity ordered the start of negotiations for a fight against Puerto Rican McJoe Arroyo, who is the IBF #1 ranked in the division.
“The IBF sent the letter to us and to the promoters of Tete, to begin negotiating a fight between Tete and McJoe, so we started working for the realization of it,” said Peter Rivera, Vice-President of PR Best Boxing Promotions (PRBBP), company representing Arroyo. “Now, we have some time to negotiate and if it does not reach an agreement, it would go to a purse bid. But we hope that we can get an agreement and make this fight.”
Tete (20-3, 17 KOs) successfully defended his IBF 115-pound title on Friday, March 6, when he defeated the British Paul Butler by TKO in eight rounds in bout held in the UK. Against Butler, Tete made the first defense of the belt he won on July 18, 2014 when he won a unanimous decision over Japanese Teiru Kinoshita in Japan.
While Arroyo (16-0, 8 KOs), a 2008 Puerto Rico Olympian, is coming off a unanimous decision victory last December over the Philippine Mark Anthony Geraldo in an elimination fight for the first space in the IBF super flyweight rankings. Arroyo, a bronze medalist at the 2007 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Chicago and at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games in Colombia, also beat last year former world challenger David Quijano by unanimous decision in April and former world champion Hernan “Tyson” Marquez by KO in June.
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