LAKELAND, FL. (June 13, 2016) – Exciting super welterweight Joseph Elegele (16-2 11 KOs) showed his strength and power Sunday night in the main event of Premier Boxing Champions: The Next Round on Bounce TV as he went toe-to-toe with Phil Lo Greco (27-3, 15 KOs) for 10 hard-fought rounds from The Lakeland Center in Lakeland, FL. Both combatants left it all in the ring, exchanging punches throughout the bout with close rounds that left the audience wanting more.

Elegele of nearby Winter Haven, FL started the bout coming forward, slightly stunning Toronto’s Lo Greco with several flurries of punches that set the tone for a hard fought back and forth battle. The action picked up in round two as Lo Greco came in on the attack early in the round, pinning Elegele against the ropes and continuing to pepper him with punches to the body and the head.

Despite being taken aback by the attack, Elegele came roaring back in the final seconds of round two and out of the corner to kick off round three. Lo Greco remained in the pocket, not afraid to continue to throw wide left hooks as the fighters traded punches back and forth.

As the fight continued, Lo Greco backed Elegele up against the ropes, smothering him with punches despite Elegele’s four-inch height advantage. But round six was completely controlled by Elegele as he threw a combination of bruising punches that very well could have sent Lo Greco to the canvas. However Lo Greco remained in the pocket. In the 10th and final round, Lo Greco came out strong, outworking Elegele, but with less than 20 seconds to go in the bout, Elegele stunned Lo Greco with a barrage of punches up against the ropes. Judges scored the bout 97-95 and 96-94 twice, all for Elegele, the winner by unanimous decision.

The second televised bout saw two former amateur standouts Dauren Yeleussinov (5-0-1, 4 KOs) of Kazakhstan, who now fights out of Brooklyn, and Devaun Lee (7-2-1, 3 KOs) of Queens, NY in an eight-round middleweight bout that ended in a split draw. Yeleussinov wasted no time in the first round as he kicked off the fight by throwing multiple left hands, one to the body and two to the head of Lee.

Lee escaped the round unscathed and despite spending the majority of the second round against the ropes, he was able to let his hands go and catch Yeleussinov with multiple shots. The 30-year-old Yeleussinov went on the attack in the sixth round, pinning Lee against the ropes, once again with a barrage of punches. Judges scored the bout at 79-73 for Yeleussinov, 78-74 for Lee and 76-76, ending the bout in a split draw.

In the opening televised bout, Australian prospect Steve Lovett (15-1, 12 KOs) battled Craig Baker (17-1, 13 KOs) in a 10-round light heavyweight showdown that ended with an explosive knockout. Baker of Baytown, TX was sent to the canvas in round four following a big left hook thrown by Lovett, but Baker was the more active fighter throughout the fight as he was up on all three of the judge’s scorecards going into the eighth and final round. With only three seconds to go in the bout, Baker sent Lovett to the canvas with a hard right hand that ended the bout.

Here is what the participants had to say about their respective performances Sunday night:

JOSEPH ELEGELE
“I wasn’t surprised because he’s a tough fighter, he’s a Canadian and Canadian fighters are tough. He came to fight. It was a good fight.

“It’s hard for anyone to find an answer for a straight left, but I was surprised he kept walking through it.

“I hope this win puts me on the next level. I’m ready for the top fighters. I know there are some things I can work on, but I am ready for the top fighters.

“I’m not sure what’s up with my left hand. It hurt me when I was throwing it, but I’m a warrior. I’ve been through too much in life to let a little left hand hurt me. It could be falling off and I’m still going to throw it.”

PHIL LO GRECO
“It was his hometown. The score could have gone either way. I hurt him in the second round. He was out and the ref could have stopped the fight. That is no excuse. I will fight anyone, anywhere.

“I felt I was pushing the fight. I am disappointed in the decision.

“It’s up to the fans if they want to see me again. People see that I will fight anywhere and anyplace. I enjoyed tonight.”

DEVAUN LEE
“I don’t agree with the draw, I think I won the fight. I would have been comfortable with a split decision. He worked, but I landed clean shots and I landed heavier punches. I feel like I won the fight. He has power, but he wasn’t powerful enough to stop me.

“Next, I’m ready for whatever they put in front of me. I would do it again.”

CRAIG BAKER
“Lovett is a strong guy and he’s a hell of a competitor. He came to work and he tested me, so it is what it is, man.

“This is awesome, man. This is what I sweat and kill myself in the gym for. This win means the world to me.

“He never hurt me tonight. We stayed patient I do what we do. This is the biggest win of my career, but I won’t rest until I get a title.

“I’ll fight whoever next. I’ll be back in the gym soon and getting ready for whoever the put in front of me next.

“Fighting on a Premier Boxing Champions card is amazing. I’m grateful to get the opportunity and I hope to be back on PBC fighting again.”

The fight card was promoted by King’s Promotions and sponsored by Corona Extra: La Cerveza Mas Fina.

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For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @BounceTV, @KingsBoxing_ and @Swanson_Comm and follow the conversation using #PBConBounce, become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions and www.Facebook.com/BounceTV. PBC on Bounce is sponsored by Corona Extra: La Cerveza Mas Fina.

Bounce TV is the fastest-growing African-American (AA) network on television and airs on the broadcast signals of local television stations and corresponding cable carriage. The network features a programming mix of original and off-network series, theatrical motion pictures, specials, live sports and more. Bounce TV has grown to be available in more than 93.5 million homes across the United States and 93% of all African American television homes, including all of the top AA television markets. Among the founders of Bounce TV are iconic American figures Martin Luther King, III and Ambassador Andrew Young.

For local channel location, visit BounceTV.com.

LAKELAND, FL. (May 26, 2016) – A battle between exciting welterweights Phil Lo Greco (27-2, 15 KOs) and Joseph Elegele (15-2, 11 KOs) will serve as the 10-round main event of Premier Boxing Champions: The Next Round on Bounce TV and BounceTV.com Sunday, June 12 from The Lakeland Center in Lakeland, FL.
Televised coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET/PT and will feature unbeaten Australian prospect Steve Lovett (15-0, 12 KOs) and tough contender Craig Baker (16-1, 12 KOs) in a 10-round light heavyweight showdown. The full night of action will be streamed on BounceTV.com

“I don’t know much about Elegele but I will not take him lightly,” said Lo Greco. “I am always in the gym. I enjoy fighting. This is what it’s all about, fighting on television and making a name for yourself. A win here will get me one step closer to the bigger fights.”

“People should watch me, because after this fight, I am ready to show the world that I am ready for the big fights,” said Elegele. “This win will put me towards the top and in a position to fight top fighters. This is the best I have felt in my whole career. Lo Greco is a game fighter. This is my hometown and I will have a lot of people coming out to support me and I can’t wait.”

“A win here will get me in the mix with the top contenders,” said Lovett. “I expect an entertaining fight and I am ready to go. Training camp is always good and I will be in the best shape possible on June 12. I helped Edwin Rodriguez prepare for his fight against Baker so I know him well. I am at the stage to step up to the next level”

“I’m excited about this opportunity to take on a fighter like Steve Lovett,” said Baker. “He’s highly regarded but I know that I have the skills and experience to beat him. I’m leaving it all in the ring. A win here puts me in position to get big fights so I plan on being impressive.”

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by King’s Promotions, are priced at $75, $50 and $35, and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.thelakelandcenter.com or by calling 888-397-0100 and from the Lakeland Center Box Office by calling 863-834-8111 or visiting between 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

“This will be a great night of boxing,” said Marshall Kauffman of King’s Promotions. “Elegele and Lo Greco is a real 50/50 fight with each guy needing a win to get to the next level. The last show at Lakeland was action packed and June 12 will be no different.”

A four-time amateur national Canadian champion, the Toronto-born Lo Greco turned pro in 2006 and quickly made a name for himself as one of the top fighters from Canada. The veteran fighter has also fought in Germany, Italy and Hungary before making his U.S. debut in 2012 by defeating Hector Orozco in Atlantic City. He racked up a 25-0 record to begin his career and his lone defeats have come to top welterweights Shawn Porter and Errol Spence Jr. In his last bout, Lo Greco stopped Pablo Munguia in the fifth-round.

After piling up an amateur record of 69-8, Elegele turned pro in 2009 and reeled off 12 victories to start his career. One of nine siblings, Elegele worked as a sparring partner for Floyd Mayweather in 2013 and has also spent time in the training camps of Adrien Broner and fellow New Haven, FL native Andre Berto, who he has known since he was 12-years-old. He owns victories over Manuel Aguilar, Angel Hernandez and Lanard Lane and most recently stopped Alex De Jesus in the sixth-round of their Bounce TV clash in January.

Born in Australia but now training in Houston with Ronnie Shields, Lovett looks to build on the momentum he has gained in 2015 with four knockouts in his five wins. The New South Wales-native has taken down veterans Kevin Engel and Samuel Miller in his last two fights as he heads into his toughest challenge in Baker.

A once-beaten fighter who turned pro in 2008, Baker enters this fight having four of his last five opponents inside the distance. The Baytown, TX native took home victories over Anthony Greeley and Sergio Cordoba in 2014 and kicked off 2015 by knocking out highly regarded Umberto Savigne. Now, Baker looks to bounce back from a defeat to Edwin Rodriguez when he enters the ring on June 12.

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For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @BounceTV, @KingsBoxing_ and @Swanson_Comm and follow the conversation using #PBConBounce, become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions and www.Facebook.com/BounceTV. PBC on Bounce is sponsored by Corona Extra: La Cerveza Mas Fina.

Bounce TV is the fastest-growing African-American (AA) network on television and airs on the broadcast signals of local television stations and corresponding cable carriage. The network features a programming mix of original and off-network series, theatrical motion pictures, specials, live sports and more. Bounce TV has grown to be available in more than 93.5 million homes across the United States and 93% of all African American television homes, including all of the top AA television markets. Among the founders of Bounce TV are iconic American figures Martin Luther King, III and Ambassador Andrew Young.

For local channel location, visit BounceTV.com.