The Return of Antonio Tarver, Abner Mares vs. Eric Morel, STRIKEFORCE World Grand Prix Final Victor Ortiz vs. Andre Berto II

SHOWTIME^® SPORTS SPRINGS FORWARD

WITH HEAVY-HITTING BOXING & MMA SCHEDULE

On Friday, March 16, ShoBox: The New Generation returns with a doubleheader from Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif. In the 10-round main event, unbeaten lightweight Omar Figueroa (14-0, 11 KOs), of Weslaco, Texas, meets Ramon Ayala (23-2, 11 KOs), of Mexico. Super bantamweights Randy Caballero (13-0, 7 KOs), of Coachella, Calif., and Jose Luis Araiza (29-5, 20 KOs), of Mexico, will mix it up in the 10-round co-feature.

On the Friday, March 23 edition of ShoBox, unbeaten sensation Diego Magdaleno (21-0, 7 KOs), of Las Vegas, returns in a 10-round super featherweight bout against an opponent to be named. In the co-feature, undefeated junior welterweight prospects Yordenis Ugas (11-0, 5 KOs), of Cuba, and Johnny Garcia (11-0, 8 KOs), of Holland, Mich., will square off in an eight-rounder from Casino Del Sol in Tucson, Ariz.

Then, on Saturday, April 21, on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING (9 p.m. ET/PT), former bantamweight world champ Abner Mares (23-0-1, 13 KOs), of Hawaiian Gardens, Calif. by way of Guadalajara, Mexico, will make his super bantamweight debut against former flyweight kingpin Eric Morel(46-2, 23 KOs), of Madison, Wisc., by way of San Juan, Puerto Rico, in a 12-round bout. The telecast will also include a 12-round WBA Bantamweight Super Championship fight between champ Anselmo Moreno (31-2-1, 11 Kos) of Panama City, Panama, against Tijuana’s David De La Mora (24-1, 17 KOs). Plus, preliminary bouts will be televised live on SHOWTIME EXTREME.

STRIKEFORCE mixed martial arts returns to the network on Saturday, May 19, with the championship fight in the STRIKEFORCE World Grand Prix – Heavyweight Tournament. The final will match Josh Barnett (36-5), of Seattle, Wash., against Daniel Cormier (9-0), of San Jose, Calif. A full card, complete with preliminary fights on SHOWTIME EXTREME, will be announced by STRIKEFORCE in the coming weeks.

The following Saturday, May 26, former undisputed light heavyweight champ Antonio Tarver (29-6, 26 KOs), of Tampa, Fla., will face a top cruiserweight prospect he critiqued while serving as expert analyst on ShoBox, Lateef Kayode (18-0, 14 KOs), of Los Angeles, in the 12-round main event.

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING will wrap up its spring schedule the way it started it – with a sensational and highly anticipated rematch between two of boxing’s most talented and exciting fighters. Victor Ortiz (29-3-2, 22 KOs), of Ventura, Calif., will try to rebound from his loss to pound-for-pound champ Floyd Mayweather while Andre Berto (28-1, 22 KOs), of Winter Haven, Fla., will look to avenge the only loss of his career when the two square off in a 12-round welterweight bout on Saturday, June 23. In the co-feature, veterans Humberto Soto (54-7-1, 34 KOs), of Los Mochis, Mexico, and Lucas Matthysse (30-2, 28 KOs), of Trelew, Argentina, will square off in a junior welterweight bout. Plus, additional preliminary fights will air live on SHOWTIME EXTREME.

(ANDRE BERTO, VICTOR ORTIZ AND ANTONIO TARVER PHOTOS BY; Keisha Morrisey)

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time.EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Intercontinental Titles On The Line In Kiev This Weekend‏

Two World Boxing Federation Intercontinental title fights are set for
Saturday March 17 at the Fitnessclub Sportlife in Kiev, as undefeated
Ukrainians Vitali Kopylenko and Vasyl Tarabarov clash for the vacant
Middleweight crown, and Timur Akhundov faces Hungarian Arpad Vass for the vacant Featherweight title.

Switzerland-based Vitali Kopylenko, 16-0 (7), will be in his first
championship bout as a professional, and will fight in his country of
birth for the first time since his professional debut in 2008. Tarabarov,
22-0-1 (8), on the other hand has several title fights under his belt.

Vasyl Tarabarov was born in Smolensk, Russia in 1981, but later relocated
to Ukraine and made his professional debut at nineteen years of age. In
2002 he captured Youth and Intercontinental titles in only his eights paid
bout, and the following year he added another regional strap to his
collection.

In 2006 Tarabarov won the Ukrainian national title, and while it has only
amounted to four fights since then he is now determined to win his fourth
championship and rejuvenate his career with a victory over his 28-year-old
countryman on March 17.

Timur Akhundov, 12-2-1 (4), will also, just like his opponent, be going
for his first professional title in the co-feature. After a rough start to
his career where he went 4-2 in his first six outings, he has since gone
undefeated in ten bouts, facing tough veterans such as Andrei Kostin, Suat
Laze and Mamed Yadgarov.

Arpad Vass, 8-3 (6), from Budapest is a live underdog against Akhundov,
and is a dangerous opponent with his considerable punching-power. His tree
losses came against Luke Wilton (9-2-1), former European title-challenger
Andriy Kudryavtsev (37-9), and former British and Commonwealth champion
Stephen Smith (12-1), so he has been in with championship caliber boxers
before.

The Kopylenko vs. Tarabarov and Akhundov vs. Vass WBF Intercontinental
title double-header will be promoted by Oleg Bruskov, and is shaping up tobe an interesting night of boxing in the Ukrainian capital.

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time.EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Middleweight John Thompson Looks To Extend Unbeaten Streak April 18

On April 18 at the Robert Treat Hotel in Newark, super middleweight John “Apollo Kidd” Thompson will be looking to extend his unbeaten record to 7-0 as he steps into the ring against Jamond Bourgeois.

Since turning pro last June, Thompson has been active in his young career, fighting three times to conclude 2011 and three to begin the new year. In the ring he has shown the poise and experience of a fighter with triple the amount of fights he has, and Thompson attributes it to an extensive amateur career.

“I’ve been boxing since I was four years old,” said Thompson. “As an amateur I had 111 fights and won nearly every amateur title out there.”

With two knockouts in six wins, Thompson feels his biggest weapons are his speed and his brain.

“When you first get in the ring, 9 times out of 10 you know something about your opponent, but for the time you might not know anything about him, you have to be able to adapt. I am very good on judgment and character, as far as from what I feel when I’m in the ring. When round 1 starts I have everything in my head that’s going to happen.”

Thompson recently signed with First Round Promotions, and anxiously looks to move forward with them in his career. The 23-year-old Newark native eats, sleeps and breathes boxing, and is working toward a goal of fighting for a title within the near future.

“I am happy to sign with First Round Promotions,” said Thompson. “It is a great opportunity to get myself out there, and for people to see me and acknowledge my boxing presence. Having the chance for people to see me is a blessing.”

Going forward in 2012 Thompson looks to remain active inside the squared circle. “I look at the way I have been progressing, and I see myself fighting for a title by the end of this year. And within two years I think I’ll be fighting for a world title.”

“I want to thank everybody for all their support,” said Thompson. “This is not for me, this is for everyone else. I want to show people that it is possible for anyone to make it. In life you have to take the initiative and go for it.”

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time.EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.