Fight News

Plus! Featherweight Champion Cindy Serrano Enters the Ring & Unbeaten Local Prospects Richardson Hitchins, Julian Sosa & Chordale Booker Feature on Exciting Night of Undercard Attractions

BROOKLYN (September 25, 2017) - Former title challenger Tony Harrison (24-2, 20 KOs) will return to the ring in a 10-round middleweight bout against Paul Valenzuela Jr. (20-5, 14 KOs) as part of an exciting night of undercard bouts on Saturday, October 14 from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.

Additional action will see featherweight world champion Cindy Serrano (26-5-3, 10 KOs) from Brooklyn making her Barclays Center debut in an eight-round special attraction bout.

The Premier Boxing Champions event is headlined by Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara defending against undefeated Terrell Gausha in the main event of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING. Coverage on SHOWTIME begins live at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT and features hard-hitting unbeaten champion Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo taking on top contender Erickson “Hammer” Lubin and “Swift” Jarrett Hurd making his first title defense against tough former world champion Austin “No Doubt” Trout.

Tickets to the event are on sale now and start at $50 (not including applicable fees). Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.

A trio of exciting local prospects will compete in their hometown as 2016 Haitian Olympian Richardson Hitchins (2-0, 1 KO) fights in a four-round welterweight bout, Brooklyn’s Julian Sosa (9-0-1, 3 KOs) enters the ring for a six-round welterweight attraction and unbeaten prospects square-off for eight rounds of super welterweight action as Brooklyn’s Chordale Booker (7-0, 4 KOs) meets Malcolm McCallister (9-0, 8 KOs).

Rounding out the night of fights are Justin Hurd (3-0, 3 KOs), brother of 154-pound champion Jarrett, in a six-round super welterweight bout against Georgia’s Steven Andrade (3-2, 2 KOs) and unbeaten Dylan Price (3-0, 3 KOs) in a four-round junior bantamweight affair.

The 27-year-old Harrison scored an explosive ninth-round stoppage of Sergey Rabchenko last July at Barclays Center to earn his world title shot earlier this year in which he lost a spirited contest against Jarrett Hurd. The Detroit-native was unbeaten in his first 21 pro fights, recording 10-straight knockouts between 2013 and 2015 and owns victories over Cecil McCalla, Fernando Guerrero and Tyrone Brunson over his seven-year pro career. He will take on the 30-year-old Valenzuela Jr. out of Baja California Sur, Mexico who has won three of his last four contests.

The older sister of five-division champion Amanda, Cindy became a world champion last year when she defeated Calixta Silgado to capture the WBO Featherweight World Championship. Born in Puerto Rico but raised and fighting out of Brooklyn, she defended her title successfully in May by defeating Paola Torres. Serrano is unbeaten in her last 12 contests dating back to 2012 and will be making her Barclays Center debut on October 14.

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THREE 154-POUND WORLD CHAMPIONS DEFEND IN HIGH STAKES SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING^® TRIPLEHEADER SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14 LIVE ON SHOWTIME^® FROM  BARCLAYS CENTER IN BROOKLYN

Presented by Premier Boxing Champions & Headlined by Erislandy Lara Defending Title Against Unbeaten Terrell Gausha; Also Features Unbeaten Champion Jermell Charlo Against Top Challenger Erickson Lubin, and Jarrett Hurd in First Defense Against Former World Champion Austin Trout

Tickets Go On Sale Tomorrow, August 31 at 10 a.m. ET

BROOKLYN (Aug. 30, 2017) - A trio of 154-pound world champions will defend their titles as part of a SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING tripleheader headlined by Erislandy Lara defending against undefeated Terrell Gausha, in an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions on Saturday, October 14 live on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING^®.

The card, promoted by DiBella Entertainment and TGB Promotions, will feature four undefeated 154-pound boxers and will pave the way for an undisputed king of the 154-pound division. 

Erislandy "The American Dream" Lara (24-2-2, 14 KOs), generally recognized as the best boxer in the super welterweight division and its longest reigning champion, will defend his title against undefeated 2012 U.S. Olympian Terrell Gausha (20-0, 9 KOs). 

In the co-main event, hard-hitting unbeaten champion Jermell "Iron Man" Charlo (29-0, 14 KOs) takes on top contender Erickson "Hammer" Lubin (18-0, 13 KOs), while "Swift" Jarrett Hurd (20-0, 14 KOs) will make his first title defense against tough former world champion Austin "No Doubt" Trout (30-3, 17 KOs).

"On October 14 at Barclays Center, three world champions will be defending their belts, on SHOWTIME, in a night of tremendous super welterweight action," said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. "Long reigning Cuban Erislandy Lara takes on undefeated Olympian Terrell Gausha and newly crowned Jarrett Hurd faces respected former world champion Austin Trout. This card also features one of the best matchups that can be made between two undefeated fighters, champion Jermell Charlo and young sensation Erickson Lubin."

"This is a blockbuster card for boxing fans," said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. "The 154-pound division is full of talent and this card is loaded with the best champions and top-ranked contenders in the division. The guy who will be the eventual king of the division is fighting on this show and the fans will be treated to matches that will determine who that unified champion will be.'' 

Tickets to the event will go on sale on tomorrow, August 31 at 10 a.m. ET and start at $50 (not including applicable fees). Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center starting Friday, September 1 at noon ET. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.

"We are thrilled to continue our best year yet of BROOKLYN BOXING with our fifth major boxing event of 2017," said Brett Yormark, CEO of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment. "We always aim to deliver fight fans an evening packed with top-notch matchups from start to finish, and this card certainly does that." 

Lara, a 34-year-old Cuban southpaw, owns victories over Trout, Alfredo Angulo and a slew of former champions and top contenders in addition to a controversial split decision loss to Canelo Alvarez on the way to cementing his credentials as the top boxer in the division. Lara will make the seventh defense of his world title as he continues to train with renowned trainer Ronnie Shields. 

"I'm very excited to be making another title defense back on SHOWTIME headlining a great tripleheader," said Lara. "This is an interesting fight versus an undefeated U.S. Olympian in Terrell Gausha. I know he will be ready because it's his opportunity to beat the best fighter in the division and become a champion. But come fight night, he will quickly realize and know why I'm the consensus No. 1 super welterweight in the world.  After this performance, I look forward to, one-by-one, adding a WBC and IBF title to my collection."

The 29-year-old Gausha, of Cleveland, Ohio, earned a shot at the world title with solid victories in his last two matches. He won a hard-fought decision over Steven Martinez last August and followed it up with another impressive victory over Luis Hernandez on Feb. 10.  Lara figures to be his toughest battle in his pro career that dates back to 2012.

"I've been talking about this since I was a three-year-old watching Muhammad Ali on television," said Gausha. "I'm here now and blessed for this opportunity. Lara's a tough fighter, champion and the best opponent I'll fight on paper. He's been in with the bigger names. But the better the opponent, the better I am, and I'm coming to dethrone him. He's crafty, but the world hasn't seen all that I can bring to the table. I'll make adjustments on the fly and do things that I've never shown before. Seeing other Olympic team members win titles gives me motivation to earn the victory and the notoriety I've been looking for."

Charlo of Houston, Texas will be making the second defense of his title, which he won by knockout victory over John Jackson on May 21, 2016. The 27-year-old Charlo successfully defended the title with a highlight reel knockout victory over fellow Texan Charles Hatley on April 22 at Barclays Center. He and his twin brother, Jermall, both held world titles at 154-pounds, before Jermall relinquished his title to move up to 160 pounds. Charlo now trains in Dallas with Derrick James, trainer of world champion Errol Spence Jr.

"Lubin is young and hungry and I know he always comes to fight, but there's a reason why I'm where I am in the sport," said Charlo. "I've been through the trenches and I don't plan to stop anytime soon. This is what boxing always needs -- two young, undefeated fighters willing to risk their '0'. But I think it's a little early for Lubin to step in the ring with me, and I plan on keeping my title. October 14 I'll show everyone why I'm a world champion."

Lubin, 21, is nicknamed "The Hammer'' because of his power in both hands and his ability to bring a quick conclusion to every match. Lubin of Orlando, Fla., has picked up 10 victories since the beginning of 2015 including seven knockouts on his way to contender status. Lubin most recently scored a sensational knockout of Jorge Cota in a title eliminator in March at Barclays Center.

"This is a fight for the fans," said Lubin. "You have an undefeated champion against an undefeated Prospect of the Year. I'm very excited to be fighting for the belt and it's truly been a dream of mine ever since I first got into boxing. Come fight night, Charlo will either give it to me or I'm going to rip the belt out of his hands. Many fans and reporters have said that he's one of the best, and that will make it even sweeter. My mentality will be to seek and destroy, so everyone tune-in to SHOWTIME on October 14, you will witness boxing's new superstar!"

Hurd, 26, will be making the first defense of the title that he won with a KO victory over Tony Harrison on Feb. 25. Fighting out of Accokeek, Maryland, Hurd soared up the rankings with stoppage victories over previously unbeaten fighters Frank Galarza and Oscar Molina at Barclays Center plus veteran Jo Jo Dan.

"I got a Trout to catch,'' said Hurd. "His losses have all been to top champions Canelo Alvarez, Erislandy Lara and Jermall Charlo. But I'm on a streak of six straight knockouts and Trout has never been stopped, so I'm looking for the stoppage to make a statement that the other fighters couldn't make. This is definitely my toughest fight, and I didn't have to take it since it's a voluntary defense. But I wanted this fight to stop Austin Trout, proving to the fans and people in general I'm the real deal and a true champion."

Trout, a 31-year-old southpaw from Las Cruces, New Mexico, has faced some of the top 154-pound boxers in the division. He defeated Miguel Cotto in New York to win a title in 2012 and has close losses to Canelo Alvarez and Lara on his resume. In his most recent attempt at winning the title, Trout gave Jermall Charlo perhaps the toughest test of his career after looking impressive in four straight victories leading up to the challenge.

'What a blessing it is to have this opportunity at a world title shot," said Trout. "I want to thank everyone who has been in my corner to help get me career defining fights. It's refreshing to see young champions showing heart and testing their skill with the best in the game. With that said, salute to Hurd for allowing this fight to go through."

Mikey Garcia’s return to the ring continued to pick up speed with his second dominant performance at Barclays Center in the last year.

The undefeated world lightweight champion was in control from the start against Adrien Broner, handing the former four-division world champ a decisive loss via unanimous decision in a junior welterweight bout.

Garcia went 30 months without a fight before returning to handle Elio Rojas via a fifth-round TKO in Brooklyn a year ago. In January, he returned to the ranks of world champions when he knocked out Dejan Zlaticanin in the third round to become a three-division titlist.

Moving up a weight class to meet Broner in a non-title fight, Garcia was the overwhelming aggressor. He took control from the start and ended up throwing nearly twice as many punches as Broner.

Garcia improved to 37-0 (30 KOs) with the highest-profile win of his career, setting himself up to be a threat and a championship contender at any one of three weight classes.

Jermall Charlo surrendered his IBF world super welterweight title to move up to middleweight, and quickly earned himself a shot at another title. The undefeated 27-year-old improved to 26-0 with his 20^th knockout, finishing off Jorge Sebastian Heiland in the fourth round.

In the world title eliminator, Charlo took over in the second round and dominated on the way to the fourth-round finish by TKO. Charlo is now the mandatory challenger for Gennady Golovkin’s middleweight title.

Heavyweight Jarrell Miller and super flyweight Rau’shee Warren also earned victories, as did Irish Olympic champion Katie Taylor in her U.S. debut.

After 19 months out of the ring, Omar Figueroa returned with a dominant performance against Robert Guerrero at NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

It was a night for comebacks. Thirty-one years after its last boxing event and three months after it reopened following an 18-month, $165 million renovation, the Coliseum hosted the debut of BROOKLYN BOXING On Long Island. After 22 fight cards at Barclays Center, Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment brought its fight platform to Long Island for its inaugural event.

Against the former four-division champion Guerrero, Figueroa took his shots in the first round. But Guerrero’s aggressive, in-close approach came with a price. As Figueroa loosened up, he consistently shook Guerrero’s exposed chin with tight uppercuts, repeatedly sending the veteran champion to the mat.

Figueroa’s fifth knockdown came in the third round, and that was enough for the referee to call the fight. The former world lightweight champion improved to 27-0-1 with the victory, and at just 27 years old, is in fine shape to return to the championship conversation.

The co-headline bout featured a collision of local, undefeated light heavyweight contenders. But it was a one-sided fight. Staten Island’s Marcus Browne, a 2012 U.S Olympian, registered a second-round TKO over Long Island’s own Seanie Monaghan. It was the first career loss for the rugged Long Beach fighter.

Since a contested split decision win over Radivoje Kalajdzic at Barclays Center in April 2016, Browne has been on a tear. He dominated former title contender Thomas Williams Jr. in a sixth-round TKO in February, and had no problems with Monaghan.

The 26-year-old Browne put the veteran on the mat less than a minute into the fight. He kept up the pressure in the second round, pounding Monaghan along the ropes before the fight was stopped. Browne improved to 20-0 with 15 knockouts.

Returning to the ring for the first time since his heavyweight championship loss to Deontay Wilder, Artur Szpilka received an unpleasant surprise from Adam Kownacki. In the biggest fight of his career, Kownacki was dominant in his fourth-round knockout win.

With a card filled with local Long Island talent, it was a triumphant return for boxing at the Coliseum.

Chris Algieri isn’t done boxing. But seeing ahead, laying the foundation for the next chapter, has always been part of his program.

It’s the kind of thinking that spurred him to transition from kickboxing to boxing, that had him earning his master’s degree while living the life of a pro fighter, cracking open physics textbooks in the car on the ride home from a workout.

At the moment, the tracks carrying Algieri’s present and future are merging faster than expected. His foray into sports nutrition drew a new spotlight earlier this year for his work with Daniel Jacobs prior to the middleweight’s high-profile fight against Gennady Golovkin.

The Long Island native Algieri and the Brooklyn-born Jacobs are both local fighters who have won championship belts, and they’re well known to Brooklyn Boxing fans. Jacobs has fought at Barclays Center five times, Algieri four times. There was an easy familiarity that came in handy when Algieri signed on to work with Jacobs during his training camp.

From early-morning runs and conditioning to lights out, Algieri was steady company for Jacobs throughout camp. He’d prepare meals, watch tape and join Jacobs in the gym.

“I wouldn’t have taken the job if I didn’t know Danny on a personal level and didn’t like him,” said Algieri. “Because you’ve got to spend eight weeks with a guy, day in and day out, you’ve got to get along with him. So we had that background where we were familiar and friendly. But spending that much time with someone, going through an experience like that, and me sharing my experiences in a similar situation, definitely a relationship was created out of that.

“He’s a great guy. What he’s done is an incredible thing. The training camp was great. The whole team, everybody came together and Danny went out and performed great.”

Jacobs went the distance with Golovkin, the undefeated champ who had knocked out his last 23 opponents, and drew strong reviews for his performance despite dropping the decision.

Algieri found himself getting some more attention after being featured with Jacobs on 24/7, the behind-the-scenes preview of the run-up to the fight. The athletes from Long Island’s Stony Brook University that he’d been working with seemed a little more eager for his advice, and other athletes were reaching out to enlist his expertise.

Algieri’s nutritional strategies focus on hydration and timing, when an athlete should get the right macro-nutrients, carbohydrates, fats and proteins relative to their workouts. The days immediately before a fight are crucial in terms of making weight, and then rehydrating, refeeding and refueling before the fighter gets into the ring.

“I’ve always known that nutrition was going to be my career after boxing,” said Algieri. “I didn’t think it was going to overlap like that in terms of working with fighters during my own career. But the sky is the limit with that. I’ve been working on a book for a while, so that’s something I think that when it’s ready and the public is ready for it, that would be a great goal in my life to get that out there and get it published. From there, I like to teach. I like to talk to groups. I like public speaking. Being able to share my unique skill-set and experience is something that I think I’d like to do.”

His interest in the field goes back more than a decade. After graduating from Long Island’s St. Anthony’s HS, Algieri stayed local for college at Stony Brook. He wanted to continue his kickboxing training on familiar ground, but he also had his eye on medical school.

That plan was delayed as Algieri found success in kickboxing before switching over to boxing in 2008. He picked up his master’s degree from the New York Institute of Technology in 2011 while he was in the midst of winning his first 20 bouts. Unsatisfied with some of the answers he got from doctors over the years, he started doing his own research into the best ways to fuel and recover from a grueling schedule. Along the way, he became a reference for other fighters right in his own gym.

“A lot of guys saw that I was always in great shape,” said Algieri. “They always said I had an internal gas tank. I would always train really hard. I was always the guy who could spar more rounds, I was always the guy who could run farther and faster. I made weight easier than everybody else. You’re going to notice that. ‘Why am I suffering and this guy’s not? This guy cuts more weight than me, but he looks fine. I’m working so hard and he can go longer than me.’ The guys started to realize that. Also my post-workout protocols and the foods that I brought with me, everyone started to notice that. When they started to ask me about it, I had scientific answers.”

More and more people are coming to Algieri for those answers these days. While he counsels others, he’s also keeping himself in fighting shape. It’s been over a year since his last bout, but the former WBO world junior welterweight champ is anxious to get back in the ring.

“I definitely needed some time off,” said Algieri. “That whole whirlwind of experience where I really didn’t get a chance to think back yet, it’s still kind of spinning. But that itch has never left me.”