News Flashes: On Showtime Ratings, 9/29 HBO Show, Holly Holm

KNOCKOUT KINGS SCORES RECORD RATINGS FOR SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING

Saturday’s Headlining Bout—Canelo Alvarez and Josesito Lopez—
And Fight Of The Year Candidate Marcos Maidana vs. Jesus Soto Karass Deliver Highest Ratings for SHOWTIME With Over One Million Viewers

Don’t Miss Tonight’s SHOWTIME EXTREME Replay, Tuesday, Sept. 18 At 10 p.m. ET/PT

Also Available Anytime at SHOWTIME ON DEMAND

NEW YORK (Sept. 18, 2012)–-In a big night for boxing, Saturday night’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast of “Knockout Kings” scored record ratings for its headlining fight between Canelo Alvarez and Josesito Lopez with over one million viewers. The blockbuster event, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Canelo Promotions in association with Goossen Tutor Promotions and Thompson Boxing Promotions, was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and featured an action-packed bout on the undercard between welterweights Marcos Maidana and Jesus Soto Karass, which helped garner the second-highest rating for a boxing telecast on the premium network since 2007.

Canelo did not disappoint with a dominating fifth-round technical knockout of Lopez in front of a sold-out crowd celebrating Mexican Independence Day weekend. In what is sure to be considered a Fight of the Year candidate, Maidana scored a technical knockout over Soto Karass in the eighth round.

RATING STATISTICS:
· Saturday’s main event bout between Canelo and Lopez attracted over one million viewers (1.04 million) for the live telecast, surpassing the 2010 Jean Pascal vs. Bernard Hopkins event as the highest viewership for a bout on SHOWTIME since the network began tracking bout viewership.
· Canelo vs. Lopez drew the largest Hispanic audience for an individual bout on SHOWTIME since 2009, outperforming Brandon Rios vs. Miguel Acosta from 2011.
· Saturday’s average viewership ranked as the highest SHOWTIME boxing telecast of the year, and the second-highest average viewership on the network since 2007.

“We’ve seen steady increases in viewership for our marquee championship boxing events throughout the year,” said Executive Vice President and General Manager for SHOWTIME Sports Stephen Espinoza. “It makes perfect sense that the budding star of Canelo Alvarez delivered our best performance thus far. We expect to build on this success with future Canelo fights and, of course, on the incredible lineup we have planned for SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING this fall.”

Saturday’s fights will replay tonight, Tuesday, Sept. 18 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME and is available anytime at SHOWTIME On Demand through October 15.

NEW YORK (September 18, 2012) – DiBella Entertainment has announced a stacked undercard for its “Road To Glory” card on September 29, supporting a special HBO Boxing After Dark tripleheader, live from the MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

Many of New England's hottest prospects will be showcased on “Road To Glory,” headlined by a 10-round title bout featuring undefeated super middleweight contender Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez (21-0, 14 KOs), fighting out of nearby Worcester, Massachusetts, defending his United States Boxing Association (USBA) against unbeaten power-puncher Jason “Monstruo” Escalera (13-0-1, 12 KOs), of Union City, New Jersey.

Also fighting on the HBO BAD show is undefeated Luis Orlando “Orlandito” Del Valle (16-0, 11 KOs) vs. former three-time, two-division world champion Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan (37-5-1, 27 KOs), in the 10-round co-feature for the vacant North American Boxing Federation (NABF) super bantamweight title.

World Boxing Council (WBC) International welterweight champion Antonin Decarie (26-1, 7 KOs), rated No. 8 by the WBC and fighting out of Quebec, defends his crown against unbeaten challenger Alex Perez (16-0, 9 KOs), of Newark, New Jersey. Decarie-Perez replaced a Special Light Heavyweight Attraction bout between world-rated Isaac “Golden Boy” Chilemba (19-1-1, 9 KOs) and former two-time, two-division world champion Zsolt Erdei, who was forced to withdraw due to suffering two broken ribs during training camp.

The event is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, in association with Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing and Gary Shaw Productions. All three bouts will be aired on HBO's Boxing After Dark beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT.

Super lightweight prospect Danny O'Connor (18-1, 6 KOs), who hails from Framingham, Mass., takes on Josh “Nino Assasino” Sosa (10-3, 5 KOs) in an eight-round bout. O'Connor has been on a roll since he added head trainer Ronnie Shields to his corner, in addition Ken Casey, founder and lead singer of the popular Boston-based band Dropkick Murphys, becoming the southpaw's manager.

Entertaining Quincy (Mass.) super featherweight Ryan “Polish Prince” Kielczweski (13-0, 2 KOs) puts his unbeaten record on the line against Jeremy McLaurin (9-3, 5 KOs) in an eight-rounder. Undefeated New Haven (Conn.) super bantamweight Luis “KO King” Rosa Jr. (8-3, 1 KO) faces Victor Valenzuela (8-3, 1 KO) in an eight-round rematch of their May 24 fight in Boston that ended in a No Contest, due to cuts sustained from an accidental head butt.

Fan-favorite Sonya Lamonakis (6-0-2, 1 KO), the pride of Turner Falls (Mass.), returns to action against heavyweight Tanzee Daniels (4-1-1, 1 KO), out of Queens (NY).

“Road to Glory” is the highly anticipated HBO Boxing After Dark tripleheader, featuring some of the brightest young fighters in all of boxing looking to continue on their paths toward their respective world championships. The card will take place on Saturday, September 29, at MGM Grand at Foxwoods. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased through the Foxwoods box office by calling 1 (800) 200-2882. Tickets are priced at $45, $75, $100 and $200.

ALBUQUERQUE, NM (September 18, 2012) – The true Queen of Boxing is 12-time, three division world champion Holly “The Preacher's Daughter” Holm (31-2-3, 9 KOs), who this past June 15th avenged her loss last December 2nd to French knockout artist Ann Sophie Mathis (26-2, 22 KOs) at Route 66 Casino Hotel in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Fan-favorite Holm captured the IBA, WBF and WBAN title belts, as well as the mythical women's pound-for-pound crown, with her 10-round decision over Mathis, whose 26-fight win streak, dating back to 1995, was snapped.

“Holly overshadows the September 25 fight between (Cecilia) Braekhus and Mathis (in Denmark) because she's the best woman fighter in the world,” Holm's promoter Lenny Fresquez said. “She proved it by beating Mathis. They're fighting for all but one belt that Holly relinquished. You have to beat the best in order to be the best and Holly has done that many, many times. Holly defeated Mathis to regain her pound-for-pound supremacy in women's boxing. The winner of Braekhus-Mathis may be the Princess, or Duchess of Boxing, but Holly Holm is the true Queen of Boxing. Braekhus and Mathis are fighting to determine the second-best woman boxer in the world today.

“Holly is one of the few female boxers ever to regularly sell-out fights, 3000 fans every show she headlines, something few men boxers do today. Despite being the second-best woman boxer in the world, Mathis was virtually unknown in women's boxing, outside of France, when she first fought Holly. She gained more media exposure fighting Holly than she had during her entire boxing career. Mathis was the best pound-for-pound women's boxer in the world for 7-½ months, until Holly beat her in their rematch, earning Holly the coveted No. 1 pound-for-pound title again. We will announce Holly's next fight on September 25, proving once again that she ducks no legitimate world title challenger.”

During the course of her incredible 10-½ year professional career, Holm is 14-1-1 against other world champions, from the 140 through 154-pound weight classes, including Mathis, Christy Martin, Mary Jo Sanders, Mia St. John, Jane Couch, Chevelle Hallback (twice), Duda Yankovich, Terry Blair (twice), Anne Succurato (twice), Belinda Laracuente and Jaime Clampitt.

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