SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION® OFFICIAL WEIGHTS
IBF 154-Pound Title Eliminator – 12 Rounds
Julian Williams – 154 Pounds
Marcello Matano – 150 ½ Pounds
Middleweight Bout – 10 Rounds (WBO International Middleweight Title)
Antoine Douglas – 158 ¾ Pounds
Avtandil Khurtsidze – 160 Pounds
Middleweight Bout – 10 Rounds
Tony Harrison – 156 ¼ Pounds
Fernando Guerrero – 156 ½ Pounds
NON TELEVISED BOUTS
Ievgen Khytrov 159.3 – Kenneth McNeil 158.4
Joey Dawejko 242 – Ytalo Perea 250
Amir Shabazz 173. – Hakeem Atkinson 172.2
Chordale Booker 150.4 – Antonio Allen 150.6
Terrence Williams 161.5 – Anthony Miller 159.5
Here is what the fighters had to say Friday
JULIAN WILLIAMS:
“He obviously has a dream, and I have to respect his dream. It’s my job to break his dream.
“No one wanted to fight me. But this guy accepted it, he came here and he’s in my way.
“This is the biggest fight of my life. I win this and I fight for a title this year.
“People don’t want to see us dance around for 12 rounds. They want to see action.
“We opened camp on Nov. 9. We’ve been waiting for this fight and now it’s finally here.”
MARCELLO MATANO:
“My dream has always been to fight for the world title. Now, I’m almost there.
“People may not be familiar with me, but champions can be born everywhere.
“On paper, Williams is a better fighter, the favorite. But will he be able to translate his skills in the ring? That’s the question. I will be the more active fighter. I’ll push the action and frustrate him.”
ANTOINE DOUGLAS:
“We’re coming to win. With the work we put in, we’re ready for anyone. We prepare the same way
“I just plan to go out there and win. Any guy with two hands is dangerous. We just have to fight out fight.
“This guy is so aggressive it’s going to hurt him. We know he’s going to keep coming but we’re going to keep our hands in his face.
“I haven’t made it yet. I’m still hungry. I know I need to win this fight to move on to the next step, to get my shot at the title.”
AVTANDIL KHURTSIDZE:
“We’re going to be aggressive. Once he feels the power he’s going to change his game plan. Once we take his jab away it’s going to be difficult for him.
“This is a huge opportunity for me. I have to win. Losing isn’t an option.
“There’s never been a world champ from Georgia. If I win this fight, I’m that much closer to becoming that first champion.
“I sparred with Marcus Browne, (Ievgen) Khytrov, (Sergiy) Derevyanchenko. We had a great camp and now we’re ready to fight.”
“Mike Tyson is my favorite fighter. I model my style after him.”
TONY HARRISON:
“I don’t want to leave any questions. I don’t want to go 10 rounds with Fernando Guerrero
“I want to be back to where I was before I lost. To get back where I was, I have to win impressively. I think winning this fight gets me back to where I was.”
FERNANDO GUERRERO:
“I haven’t felt this good mentally and physically in a while. I’m more well-rounded now.
“This is my natural weight. When I was fighting at middleweight I was always the smaller fighter.
“Tony has some speed and he was a real good amateur, but I’m a veteran professional. I’m going to take him out of his comfort zone.”
Saturday, March 5
5:30 p.m. SANDS BETHLEHEM EVENTS CENTER DOORS OPEN
Location: 77 Sands Blvd.; Bethlehem, PA 18015
6:45 p.m. FIRST BOUT
10:00 p.m. SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION BROADCAST BEGINS
CREDENTIAL DISTRIBUTION
Fight night credentials can be picked up on Saturday, March 5 from 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. at the Backstage Entrance. Proper personal photo ID (Driver’s license or passport) is required for credential pick-up.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by King’s Promotions, are priced at $108, $83 and $58, not including applicable service charges and taxes and are on sale now. Tickets are available HERE at www.ticketmaster.com. To charge by phone call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000.
For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports and www.sandseventcenter.com, follow on Twitter @SHOSports, @JRockBoxing, @Action_Douglas, @IAmBoxing, @FernandoDomini, @TheSBEC and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports
