3/2 PBC on SHO: Erislandy Lara vs Brian Castano (WBA "regular" Super Welterweight Title)

[patscorpio]

BROOKLYN — Former 154-pound world champion Erislandy Lara seeks to return to the championship ranks when the Cuban star challenges undefeated contender Brian Castaño for his WBA Super Welterweight World Championship on Saturday, March 2 live on SHOWTIME and presented by Premier Boxing Champions from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING coverage of the PBC event begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features another Cuban star in top heavyweight contender Luis Ortiz as he clashes with Christian Hammer in a 10-round co-featured bout.

The super welterweight division remains one of the hottest divisions in boxing with unified champion Jarrett Hurd, newly crown champion Tony Harrison, former world champion Jermell Charlo, former title challenger Julian Williams and Lara all circling each other for supremacy in the weight class.

"This night of exciting action is headlined by two Cuban stars who will surely put on a display of the immense skill and determination that Cuban boxers are known for," said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. "Erislandy Lara has long been one of the best, if not number one, in the 154-pound division and he will look to get right back into that class by taking the WBA title from a hard-hitting and undefeated Argentine in Brian Castaño. Luis Ortiz has another opportunity to show why he's one of the most-feared punchers in the heavyweight division and prove that he deserves a rematch for the title with Deontay Wilder. Christian Hammer has fought against the best at heavyweight and he isn't coming here to lie down for Ortiz. When you add the Ricardo Núñez vs. Edner Cherry fight that is sure to bring action, it adds up to another can't-miss night at Barclays Center and live on SHOWTIME."

"Erislandy Lara is one of the most talented junior middleweights in the world, and while Brian Castaño is not yet a household name, he was a world renowned amateur and is undefeated as a pro," said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. "This is a must-win fight for Lara and Castaño's chance to establish himself as one of boxing's rising stars. Luis Ortiz is a dangerous man. His 'King Kong' nickname is appropriate, as no one wants to fight the beast. You saw why in his spectacular challenge against Deontay Wilder. Tested world class contender Christian Hammer will attempt to derail 'King Kong' in his quest to secure another world title shot."

"Over the last few years SHOWTIME has spotlighted the progression of the super welterweight and heavyweight divisions as they have emerged as two of the hottest and deepest in the sport," said Stephen Espinoza, President of Sports and Event Programming, SHOWTIME. "On March 2, we will further that with a pair of the most dangerous and perhaps most avoided fighters in boxing in Erislandy Lara and Luis Ortiz. Both are in significant and difficult matchups. Brian Castaño is young, undefeated and although already the champion, looking to make a mark on the division with a signature win over Lara. Add in an all-action 130-pound bout and we have a dynamite three-fight card."

"I'm thrilled to welcome both Erislandy Lara and Luis Ortiz back to Barclays Center for what will be an exciting night for fight fans in Brooklyn," said Brett Yormark, CEO of BSE Global. "Both fighters have put up compelling performances in our ring, and will face tough competitors on March 2. I am also looking forward to BROOKLYN BOXING returning to SHOWTIME for the first time in 2019 for an evening of world class matchups."

Lara (25-3-2, 14 KOs) was the longest reigning 154-pound champion until he lost a split decision to Jarrett Hurd on April 7 in a unification bout on SHOWTIME. Now the 39-year-old Lara, who was born in Guantanamo, Cuba and lives in Houston, looks to grab a title and once again stake his claim as one of the division's best. He has one of the strongest resumes in the division, having fought Hurd and former 154-pound champions Canelo Alvarez and Austin Trout.

"I'm very excited to be back headlining SHOWTIME in another major fight," said Lara. "Brian Castaño is a young undefeated champion with a strong amateur pedigree. I look forward to being in the ring with him and putting on a great fight for the fans. I can't wait to being crowned world champion again. Everyone tune in March 2nd, you don't want to miss the whole card, it's going to be sensational."

The 29-year-old Castaño (15-0, 11 KOs) has worked his way up the ladder in one of the toughest divisions in boxing with raw power and toughness. Castaño, who is from Buenos Aires, fits well into the mold of the Argentine sluggers before him - such as former champions Carlos Monzon, Sergio Martinez and Marcos Maidana. He will battle Lara after wins against Michel Soro in 2017, where he captured the interim 154-pound, and Cedric Vitu in 2018, where he captured the belt he will defend on March 2.

"I'm thrilled to be facing Lara as he was a great champion and still one of the best fighters out there," said Castaño. "Obviously this is the most important fight of my career and I know it will be difficult because of his experience. I have my own experience however, and I'm willing to prove that I belong with the best tin the division. I know he will get onto his bike and move around the ring, but I have the strength to knock him off."

'King Kong' returns to New York on March 2 as Ortiz (30-1, 26 KOs), a southpaw power puncher, enters the ring with two solid knockout victories under his belt since losing to WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder at Barclays Center last March. The 39-year-old Ortiz, who is from Camaguey, Cuba and now lives in Miami, Florida, is still considered one of the top five heavyweights in the division. He most recently scored a knockout victory over Travis Kauffman on December 1.

"'King Kong' is coming back to Brooklyn!" said Ortiz. "I'm very excited to be back on SHOWTIME in a huge event at Barclays Center. Christian Hammer is a very good fighter and I will be prepared for the best he has to offer. Come March 2, I'm hammering my way past him and setting up a clash with the winner of Wilder-Fury II or Anthony Joshua. I can't wait till Brooklyn.''

Hammer (24-5, 14 KOs) has dueled some of the top heavyweights in the sport, including Tyson Fury and Alexander Povetkin. The 31-year-old Hammer, who was born in Galati, Romania and lives in Hamburg, Germany, has put together two victories since he lost a unanimous decision to Povetkin in 2017. In his last fight he scored a KO victory over then-unbeaten Michael Wallisch on December 15.

"I've been in training since right after Christmas for this big opportunity," said Hammer. "I won my last fight by knockout, but I'm preparing for 12 hard rounds against Ortiz. A fight like this in New York is very special to me. This is the reason I became a boxer. The fans can look forward to a real heavyweight thriller on March 2."

 

[David_TheMan]

Lara gonna put on another sleeper but clear UD

 

[krackdagawd]

 

[wingstop]

This will probably be a boring Lara UD but it's an interesting matchup and I'm looking forward to it. I'm surprised Lara is fighting castano coming off a loss, I thought he would take an easier fight

 

[Recca Gatsby]

Pretty decent card

 

[patscorpio]

the card doesnt move me..im not mad at lara vs castano though...its either lara regains form and its a stinker or lara lost a few steps after that war with hurd and its some gut check shyt

they need to get out of here with ortiz vs hammer though

edner cherry fight i know is cancelled because of cherry going to the hospital with some issues

 

[KingOFKings]

This is a bit of a sideways fight to be honest and the card has 0 buzz because of it...and also no promo.

Showtime has to step it up this year. They've been slacking a bit.

It shows you how quiet things used to be in boxing though before FOX and ESPN started picking up the pace with the programming and promo. Fights literally came and went on HBO and Showtime the last few years......damn we have been asleep! How the hell did FOX just come in with the same budget and already surpass you with promo & structure in 2 months! FOX really has promotion down to a science.

We still need Showtime, yet it has to step up this year...can't rely on just FOX to do all of the promo work for the PBC fighters, I like the Showtime style as well. Maybe they need to get a youtube only weekly show on their channel, something...anything at this point. If they're relying on Brendan Schaub's Below the Belt Showtime Podcast/youtube channel for promo....they are doing it wrong, but it's literally their only show right now that reviews content (and he barely touches boxing..it's like 80 percent MMA).

Their "day in camp" videos have been amazing recently (Swift Hurd, Ennis, Haney)...yet they only do them once every 3-4 months on average and there isn't any consistency. They need to feature 1 fighter a month...like why isn't Lara or Ortiz getting one for this card? Or why didn't they do one for Tank Davis who just fought? (instead they gave him a couple of short 3 minute videos). Made no sense, and there is no rhyme or reason to how or when they decide to make these videos.

Step it up showtime

 

[patscorpio]

De Gracia-Ramirez Will Replace Cherry-Nunez on SHO Triple
Hard-hitting Bryan De Gracia will face once-beaten contender Eduardo Ramirez in a 12-round featherweight match live on SHOWTIME Saturday, March 2 from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™, and presented by Premier Boxing Champions.

De Gracia vs. Ramirez replaces the previously scheduled Ricardo Núñez vs. Edner Cherry match after Cherry was forced to withdraw due to a medical issue. The winner of De Garcia vs. Ramirez will capture the WBA Gold Featherweight Championship and be in line to face WBA (Regular) Featherweight World Champion Can Xu.

The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® tripleheader begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and is headlined by former world champion Erislandy Lara challenging undefeated WBA Super Welterweight Champion Brian Castaño and also features Cuban heavyweight contender Luis Ortiz battling Christian Hammer.


Tickets for the event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions in association with DiBella Entertainment, are on sale now and 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.

The Panamanian De Gracia (24-1-1, 20 KOs) will be fighting for the first time in the United States on March 2. The 25-year-old has knocked out seven of his last eight opponents and scored four straight stoppage victories since his one loss to Jorge Sanchez in 2017. De Gracia, who is ranked No. 2 by the WBA at 126 pounds, picked up two victories in 2018, including most recently stopping previously unbeaten Edinso Torres Jr. in August.

Ramirez (21-1-3, 8 KOs) suffered the only loss of his career when he dropped a unanimous decision to then-featherweight champion Lee Selby in December 2017. The 26-year-old southpaw from Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico had fought unbeaten Leduan Barthelemy to a draw prior to the Selby fight and most recently bounced back from that loss with a TKO victory over Carlos Jacobo in November.

 

[aceboon]

.

 

[patscorpio]

Lara vs. Castano Undercard To Be Streamed By Showtime

SHOWTIME Sports will provide live streaming coverage of three undercard fights on the network's social media platforms as part of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING COUNTDOWN beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT on Saturday, March 2 from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™, and presented by Premier Boxing Champions.

Streaming action will see hard-hitting contender Edwin Rodriguez battle Mitch Williams in a 10-round cruiserweight fight, unbeaten prospect Antonio Russell square off against Mexico's Jose Maria Cardenas in an eight-round bantamweight showdown and Leduan Barthelemy step in for an eight-round super featherweight matchup with Mexico's Miguel Angel Aispuro,

The social media presentation will stream on the SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and SHOWTIME Boxing Facebook page leading up to the evening's SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING event. The three-fight SHOWTIME telecast begins live at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and is headlined by former world champion Erislandy Lara challenging undefeated WBA Super Welterweight Champion Brian Castaño.

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions in association with DiBella Entertainment, are on sale now and 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.

Rodriguez (30-2, 20 KOs) has demonstrated his power-punching ability throughout numerous memorable contests in his career. The 33-year-old was born in Moca, Dominican Republic before moving to Worcester, Massachusetts. In his last fight he scored a unanimous decision over Lionell Thompson last February. He will battle Jackson, Michigan's Williams (16-6-3, 11 KOs) who most recently scored a stoppage victory over Michael Sunkett in December.

Antonio Russell (12-0, 10 KOs) sits between Antuanne and WBC Featherweight Champion Gary Russell in the lineage of the Russell family dynasty, and will look to remain unbeaten when he steps into the ring March 2. The 26-year-old scored two knockout victories in 2018 and has stopped his last five opponents from lasting the distance. He will be opposed by the 22-year-old Cardenas (16-3, 13 KOs) from Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.

The younger brother of two-division champion Rances and Olympic gold medalist Yan, Barthelemy (13-0-1, 7 KOs) most recently fought to a split draw against then-unbeaten Eduardo Ramirez in September 2017. The 29-year-old from Cuba now lives and trains in Las Vegas and adds another top Cuban fighter to a card already including Lara and heavyweight contender Luis Ortiz. He prepares to take on the 28-year-old Aispuro (11-6-2, 7 KOs), who enters this contest with a three-fight winning streak.

Non-televised action will feature 2016 Haitian Olympian and Brooklyn-native Richardson Hitchins (7-0, 3 KOs) taking on Nicaragua's David Morales (13-9, 13 KOs) in an eight-round super lightweight showdown, undefeated super lightweight Tyrek Irby (6-0, 2 KOs) facing Kenya's Dennis Okoth (2-1-1) for six rounds of action and unbeaten Aaron Anderson (3-0, 3 KOs)in a four-round middleweight fight against Atlanta's Chukka Willis (4-9, 2 KOs).

 

[KingOFKings]

I knew I wasn't the only one who noticed this!

 

[patscorpio]

Showtime Weights: Castano 154, Lara 153.75; Ramirez Heavy

By Jake Donovan

A little bit of everything is featured in Saturday’s Showtime-televised tripleheader, topped the dangerous crossroads bout between seconday super welterweight titlist Brian Castaño and former champ Erislandy Lara.

Both boxers made weight ahead of their headliner, which will air live from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Castaño came in at 154 pounds, while Lara tipped the scales at 153.5 pounds.

Argentina’s Castaño (15-0, 11KOs)—whose younger brother Alan also campaigns at super welterweight—has long flown under the radar, but whose boogeyman status has also resulted in undesired inactivity. The 29-year old has fought just twice in the past 27 months since winning a secondary version of the World Boxing Association 154-pound title.

Both bouts were title defenses fought on the road, each occurring in France. His biggest win to date came in July ’17, scoring a well-earned split decision victory over then-perennial Top 10 contender Michel Soro. Eight months later came his most recent win, an impressive 12th round knockout of Cedric Vitu last March.

Lara (25-3-2, 14KOs) enters the ring as an official title challenger for the first time in more than six years. The 35-year old Cuban southpaw—who now lives and trains in Houston—has held at least one portion of the super middleweight crown since a June ’13 interim title winning coming-from-behind knockout of Alfredo Angulo.

An upgrade to WBA “Regular” titlist preceded the first of his six successful defenses lodged, a run whose lone hiccup came in a July ’14 split decision loss to Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in a non-title catchweight bout. Often criticized for a less-than-entertaining style, Lara’s title reign ended ironically in his most thrilling bout to date, a spirited split decision loss to Jarrett Hurd in their title unification bout last April, marking his last ring appearance.

The televised co-feature pits veteran heavyweight contender Luis Ortiz in a 10-round battle with Romanian-born, Germany-based Christian Hammer.

Ortiz (30-1-0-2NC, 26KOs) weighed 238.75 pounds, his lightest weight in nearly 3½ years; Hammer (24-5, 13KOs) checked in at 257 pounds for his U.S. debut.

The bout marks the first time that Ortiz returns to Barclays since his instant classic versus Deontay Wilder, on this very weekend one year ago. The Miami-based Cuban southpaw—who turns 40 later this month—went tooth and nail with the reigning titlist before suffering a 10th round knockout, his lone loss to date.

Two wins have followed, both by knockout including a one-sided 10th round stoppage of Travis Kauffman last December on the undercard of Wilder’s 12-round draw versus Tyson Fury. Ortiz has long desired a second crack at his lone ring conqueror, and is now very much in the mix for future consideration ever since plans for Wilder-Fury II fell apart.

Opening the telecast, Panama’s Bryan De Gracia (24-1-1, 20KOs) takes on Mexico’s Eduardo Ramirez in a 12-round featherweight scrap, assuming the latter boxer is able to make weight in the next couple of hours.

De Gracia weighed 124.75 pounds for his first fight outside of his home country. He puts a four-fight win streak—all by knockout—on the line.

Ramirez stripped to his birthday suit before even stepping to the scale, still showing up one full pound over the limit at 127 pounds. He will have two hours to squeeze down to the 126 pound limit or else will not be eligible for the WBA “Gold” title, which is really just a placeholder for its claimant to eventually get a shot at an upgraded version of a WBA belt.

 

[Conscious Pilot]

 

[patscorpio]

def not sold on leduan barthelemy at all

 

[Big D Bangston]

down