PHILADELPHIA (APRIL 10, 2014)–On Tuesday, April 15th and Wednesday, April 16th, WBO Junior Welterweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov (23-2, 16 KO’s) will be hosting two press conferences to announce his much anticipated return to the ring, as he will defend his title against undefeated Chris Algieri (19-0, 8 KO’s) that will take place on Saturday, June 14th at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, Long Island.

The fight will headline an HBO Boxing After Dark card and is promoted by Banner Promotions, Top Rank and in association with Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing.

Provodnikov of Beryozovo, Russia announced his arrival on boxing’s big stage with his “2013 Fight of the Year” with Timothy Bradley on March 16th. He then captured the WBO Junior Welterweight title with a 10 round beat down of defending champion Mike Alvarado on October 19, 2013 in Broomfield, Colorado.

Algieri of nearby Huntington, Long Island is ranked number thirteen by the WBO. He will be making his 1st attempt at a world title and earned this opportunity with wins over Bayan Jargal (15-2-3), Jose Peralta (10-1) and Emanuel Taylor (17-1).

The first press conference will take place at 12 noon on Tuesday, April 15th at The Nassau Coliseum to formally announce the fight.

The very next day at 1 PM, Provodnikov & Algieri will be at Tatiana Restaurant / Nightclub in the Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn.

WHO: Ruslan Provodnikov (23-2, 16 KO’s)–WBO Jr. Welterweight world champion
Chris Algieri (19-0, 8 KO’s)–Undefeated challenger from Huntington.
Seanie Monaghan (20-0, 13KO’s)–undefeated light heavy, Long Beach.
Artie Pelullo–CEO Banner Promotions
Joe DeGuardia–President of Star Boxing

WHAT: Press conferences to announce June 14 HBO Boxing After Dark event

WHEN: Tuesday, April 15th at Noon ET
Nassau Coliseum
1255 Hempstead Pike
Uniondale, NY 11553

Wednesday, April 16 at 1 PM ET
Tatiana Restaurant / Night Club
3152 Brighton 6th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11235

Philadelphia, PA (APRIL 8, 2014)–One of the great great things about the concept of the Boxcino 2014 tournament is that it gives opportunity to fighters who just need a stage to showcase their talents.

Some of have flown under the radar, others have been victims of bad decisions. Both of those factors were evident early in the career of Raymond Gatica. But since entering the Boxcino tournament, Gatica has been given the opportunity that many boxers desire.

On February 28, he scored an impressive victory in stopping previously undefeated knockout artist Sena Agbeko in the fourth round of their quarterfinal matchup in Hammond, Indiana.

Gatica (14-2, 9 KOs’s) of Austin, Texas will now fight another undefeated opponent in Brandon Adams (13-0, 9 KO’s) of Los Angeles on April 18 at the Turning Stone Resort Casino.

Adams is coming off a stoppage over Daniel Edouard in his quarterfinal bout.

The winner of the Gatica / Adams fight will take on the winner of the Vitalli Kopylenko (23-0, 13 KO’s) / Willie Monroe Jr. (16-1, 6 KO’s) semifinal battle that will take place on the same card.

The fights will be broadcast live on ESPN2, ESPNDeportes+ and WatchESPN beginning at 9 PM ET.

Gatica knows he will have to improve to reach the finals.

“I felt I was a little sloppy but it came down to who would throw the harder punches,” said Gatica.

“My training for this fight is going well and I am getting in shape. I will be in better condition and we are working on my technique.”

Gatica is excited about the opportunity in fighting Adams.

“Brandon is a good fight for me. He is worthy with good skills. He is strong and in good shape. I am glad to be fighting him.”

Gatica believes that this fight pits two of the better fighters in the tournament.

“It could be us in the finals but that’s the way tournament shook out. I see myself winning the whole thing, but I am taking this one fight at a time.”

Gatica has received a lot of support from the boxing fans around the world who watched his first bout in Boxcino.

“People are glad that I am in Boxcino. It is exciting and I believe I will be in the final. They have liked my fights and have got great feedback on the concept of Boxcino. It gets people to fight and not be protected,” finished Gatica.

New Town, North Dakota (March 28, 2014)–Tonight at the 4 Bears Casino & Lodge in New Town, North Dakota, the Boxcino 2014 lightweight tournament semifinals will take place as Fernando Carcamo will take on Miguel Gonzalez and Petr Petrov battles Chris Rudd with the winners meeting on May 23rd. Banner Promotions has lined up a terrific undercard that will feature four of their prized prospects.

The card will be televised live on ESPN, ESPNDeportes+ and watchESPN beginning at 9 PM ET.

2012 Olympic Bronze Medal winner, Taras Shlestyuk (7-0, 5 KO’s) will take on Romon Barber (4-7, 3 KO’s) in a jr. middleweight bout scheduled for six rounds.

Taras Shelestyuk

Shelestyuk of Sumy, Ukraine is on a 2-fight knockout streak with his latest being a 1st round stoppage over Francisco Flores on February 21st in Laughlin, Nevada.

Heavyweight Donovan Dennis (8-0, 7 KO’s) of Davenport, Iowa will take on the most experienced foe of his career when he boxes 57-fight veteran Travis Fulton of Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Dennis has been very impressive by scoring three consecutive stoppage wins. He has two early wins over undefeated fighters, Eric Scribner (1-0) and Hugo Arceo (4-0-1). He is coming off a 1st round destruction over Sam Comming on February 28th in Hammond, Indiana.

Donovan Dennis

Light Heavyweight Micheal Seals (17-0, 13 KO’s) will look to stay perfect when he takes on Willis Lockett (13-12-5, 5 KO’s).

Seals of Atlanta will be making his Banner Promotions debut. He holds a 1st round stoppage over former world champion Byron Mitchell. Seals has won 7 consecutive fights by knockout which includes a 1st round stoppage over Steve Walker on November 9, 2013.

19-year old lightweight Ruben Ozuna (1-1) takes on Wayne Smith (0-1) in a bout scheduled for four rounds.

Ozuna of Wauchula, Florida was a distinguished amateur and has a ton of upside.

Ruben Ozuna

“We are excited to feature these four guys on the undercard,” said Banner Promotions CEO Arthur Pelullo.

“Taras has been terrific so far and we are very pleased with the development of Donovan Dennis. Tonight we are very much looking forward to seeing Michael Seals make his debut for our company. We also have high expectations for the 19-year old Ozuna as well,” finished Pelullo.

New Town, North Dakota (March 28, 2014)–Below are videos and images of Thursday’s weigh in plus interviews with the four semifinal participants of the Boxcino 2014 lightweight tournament that will feature Fernando Carcamo taking on Miguel Gonzalez and Petr Petrov battling Chris Rudd.

The fights will take place at the 4 Bears Casino & Lodge in New Town, North Dakota.

The fights will be shown live TONIGHT on ESPN, ESPNDEPORTES+ and watchESPN at 9 PM ET.

Media outlets may use the videos for journalistic use by copy/paste the embedded codes on their websites.

Fernando Carcamo 135.8 – Miguel Gonzalez 136
(Boxcino Semifinals)
Chris Rudd 135.6 – Petr Petrov 135.6
(Boxcino Semifinals)

Michael Seals 173.4 – Willis Lockett 191
Taras Shelestyuk 152 – Romon Barber 152.8
Donovan Dennis 224.8 – Travis Fulton will weigh in tomorrow
Ruben Ozuna 135.8 – Wayne Smith 134,6
David Laque 148 – Corey Land 145.2

Promoter: Banner Promotions
Venue: 4 Bears Casino & Lodge
TV: ESPN at 9 PM ET

New Town, ND (March 26, 2014)– This Friday night at the 4 Bears Casino & Lodge in New Town, North Dakota, The Boxcino 2014 lightweight tournament semifinals will take place with 8-round bouts featuring Petr Petrov (33-4-2, 15 KO’s) fighting Chris Rudd (13-1, 8 KO’s) and Fernando Carcamo (16-5, 13 KO’s) taking on Miguel Gonzalez (23-3, 16 KO’s).

The fights will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPNDeportes+ and WatchESPN beginning at 9 PM ET.

The tournament has been a critical success with the viewers and is the talk of social media.

One of the men responsible for identifying much of the talent that has been on display is Banner Promotions matchmaker Eric Bottjer.

Bottjer has been one of the most distinguished boxing men for the better part of two decades as he signed and developed many world champions.

Bottjer gives his overview of the quarterfinals and he breaks down what to look for in the semifinals.

“Petrov and Rudd were both big surprises because most people picked their opponents (Fedor Papazov and Yakubu Amidu respectively) to win in the opening fights,” said Bottjer.

“Both guys now face opponents with completely different styles than what they faced in their opening matches, so the key to their fight is who can make the adjustment. They both capitalized on fighting very aggressive fighters. Now they are each fighting more accomplished boxers.”

“Carcamo is the biggest puncher of the whole group of lightweights in the tournament and Gonzalez is the best boxer. It is no secret on how each of them is going to fight.”

“The fights in the first round were very good. The semifinals will be at that level if not better. The guy who wins this tournament would have defeated three good fighters on national television over a three-month period. Whoever wins the tournament will establish himself as a world-class fighter and title contender,” finished Bottjer.

BROOKLYN (April 21, 2014) — Below are videos of last week’s Ruslan Provodnikov – Chris Algieri media week festivities that featured a kick off press conference at Barclay’s Center and then the following day at Tatiana’s Restaurant / Nightclub in the Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn.

Provodnikov (23-2, 16 KO’s) will defend his WBO Jr. Welterweight title against Algieri (19-0, 8 KO’s) on June 14 at Barclays Center and will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark.

Below are videos of both press conferences as well as interviews with Providnikov, Algieri and Demetrius Andrade. Andrade will defend his WBO Jr. Middleweight title against number-one contender Brian Rose in the televised co-feature. Media outlets may use the videos for editorial use on their websites by copy and pasting the embedded codes.

Promoted by Banner Promotions and Top Rank®, in association with Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing, tickets to the Provodnikov-Algieri world champion event are $31, $56, $86, $106 and $206. Tickets will go on sale beginning Thursday, April 24 at 10:00 a.m. and can be purchased online via Ticketmaster by visiting www.barclayscenter.com or www.ticketmaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center beginning Friday, April 25 at noon. Group tickets are also available by calling 855-GROUP-BK. For information on individual suites, please call 718-BK-SUITE.

Located atop one of the largest transportation hubs in New York City, Barclays Center is accessible by 11 subway lines, The Long Island Rail Road and 11 bus lines.

# # #

Philadelphia (March 19, 2014)–Back on February 21, Fernando Carcamo (16-5, 13 KO’s) scored the only knockout in the quarterfinal round of the Boxcino 2014 lightweight tournament. He will look to continue to that momentum when he takes on Miguel Gonzalez (23-3, 16 KO’s) in the semifinals which will take place on March 28 at the 4 Bears Casino & Lodge in New Town, North Dakota.

The bout was be televised Live on ESPN, ESPNDeportes+ and WatchESPN beginning at 9 PM Eastern.

Carcamo of Ciudad, Mexico looked terrific in dispatching previously undefeated Samuel Neequaye in the 2nd round and now he turns his attention to the accomplished Gonzalez who has been on a roll as of late.

The performance over Neequaye did not just happen by coincidence as Carcamo put in the work needed to impress the audience who was watching around the world.

“It was all a part of the training camp we had. It was the best preparation that I ever had and I was happy to materialize it with a knockout and it was even better that it was the only stoppage of the quarterfinals,” said Carcamo.

Carcamo respects Gonzalez but he feels that this fight should be another where he will have his hand raised at the end of the fight.

“He is a pretty good fighter but he has weak points and we will attack them and break his spirit.”

Carcamo knew going into the tournament that it would be a great chance to showcase his ability and become a player in the lightweight division.

“I am just really motivated. I know this will take me to a completely different level and get me really close to a title shot. I am 100% into this and looking forward to this fight and want to give the fans what they want,” finished Carcamo.

Philadelphia (March 19, 2014)–Lightweight contender Miguel “Silky Smooth” Gonzalez (23-3, 16 KO’s) is looking for big things in 2014. First on his agenda is defeating Fernando Carcamo (16-5, 13 KO’s) on March 28 at the 4 Bears Casino & Lodge in New Town, North Dakota as part of the semifinal round in the Boxcino 2014 tournament.

Gonzalez defeated Miguel Angel Mendoza on February 21 via split decision in the quarterfinal round and now looks ahead to the power punching Carcamo.

“Everything is great. Training is good and we have been in camp since a week after the Mendoza fight. I am getting the proper preparation,” said Gonzalez.

Although Gonzalez won the fight, he wasn’t totally satisfied with the fight due to Mendoza.

“I think the guy who I was in there with wasn’t quality. I can’t judge my performance other than I was too quick for him.”

Gonzalez is now turning his attention to the hard charging Carcamo, who scored the only stoppage of the quarterfinal round when he took out previously undefeated Samuel Neequaye in two rounds.

“Carcamo is a stand up fighter. He is basic with a left hand. We have had the right sparring for this fight and I am coming in with confidence. I am here to win this tournament and he is just another guy.”

“I see myself as the champion of this tournament and this will lead to being a mandatory contender for a world title.”

With that confidence level, Gonzalez feels he is the man to beat as the semifinals commence.

“It has been a great tournament so far. I can not wait to go to North Dakota and put on a great show and it will be just one more fight left to win Boxcino. After I win this fight, I will go home and rest for a week with my daughter and her mother and start preparing for the final,” finished the Cleveland based contender.

Philadelphia (March 18, 2014)–He pulled off the biggest upset in the opening round of the Boxcino 2014 lightweight tournament and now Chris Rudd (13-1, 8 KO’s) is ready to do it again when he takes on Petr Petrov (33-4-2, 15 KO’s) on Friday, March 28 at the 4 Bears Casino & Lodge in New Town, North Dakota.

The semifinal bout will be televised Live on ESPN, ESPNdeportes+ and WatchESPN.

Rudd of Covington, Tennessee was the least known of the eight participants in the tournament but he won a 7 round (Draw Breaker) decision over veteran Yakubu Amidu on February 21 in Laughlin, Nevada, reflected back on the win for a moment before setting his sights on Petrov.

“I did a pretty good job,” said Rudd. “I think I won that fight because of my head and foot movement.”

Rudd began preparing for Petrov almost immediately after his win over Amidu.

“I have been working hard in the gym. Petrov throws a lot of wild combinations and a wild hook. I have been working on that as well as my jab and staying out of range.”

Rudd has relished being the unknown fighter in the tournament as he believes that will only enhance his accomplishments.

“It does not matter being the underdog. I was talking with my brother and he said, the more that I can win, the better I look.”

Rudd knows he can win the tournament but knows he has a tough road ahead.

“I see me winning. Petrov is a good fighter and he will come hard. The other two fighters (Miguel Gonzalez and Fernando Carcamo) are good fighters. I see myself winning but I can not claim it until I have it,”finished Rudd.