CURTIS STEVENS READY TO DO WHAT HE DOES BEST - Curtis "Showtime" Stevens vs. Derrick Findley - Sat. April 20th - The Theater at Madison Square Garden

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Rising middleweight power puncher Curtis "Showtime" Stevens, 23-3, 17 KOs, is raring to go for his next outing, an 8-rounder against Derrick Findley, 20-9, 13 KOs, scheduled for Saturday afternoon, April 20th, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. The fight will be part of a nationally televised NBC afternoon broadcast topped by the Tyson Fury vs. Steve Cunningham heavyweight elimination bout. The broadcast, which is part of the NBC Fight Night series, will begin at 4PM ET.

Stevens has been fighting as a pro since 2004, but it is his last two bouts that have started attracting serious attention. In January, he disposed of the usually durable Elvin Ayala in less than one round to win the vacant NABF middleweight title. That highlight-reel KO was his second straight first-round stoppage, and the Brooklyn native is looking to add another knockout to his collection.

"I don't get paid for overtime," Stevens said about his upcoming fight. "I go rounds in the gym, not in the ring."

Certainly Stevens has been on a real tear after a layoff stalled his promising career. But now that he's fighting regularly and has trimmed down to the middleweight division, the New Yorker looks like he could be a real player among the top fighters in the world.

In Findley, Stevens will be up against a sturdy opponent who's never been knocked out and who is always looking for a fight.

"He looks to knock you out, and that's what I do too," Findley said. "I'm pretty sureI won't have to look for him, and he damn sure won't have to look for me."

If this is true, the fight figures to be explosive.

"He's never been knocked out, but he's never been hit by a guy like me before," Stevens said.

With everyone watching, both live at the Garden and at home on TV, another strong showing by Stevens may start to open some important doors for him.

"This is a great opportunity to go out there and showcase my skills," Stevens said. "In December (NBC's last Saturday afternoon boxing event) four million people were watching, that's incredible. I'm excited to be here in my hometown, at the Mecca (Madison Square Garden), and fighting on NBC. On April 20th, I'll just do what I do best."  

APRIL 20TH FIGHT INFO  

April 20th at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York features a 12-round heavyweight battle between Tyson Fury and Steve Cunningham in the main event. Curtis Stevens will take on Derrick Findley in the 8-round middleweight co-feature. Six additional bouts are planned for the undercard. Doors open at The Theater at Madison Square Garden doors open at 1:15PM ET. The main event and co-feature will be broadcast 4PM ET on NBC as a special 2 hour afternoon presentation of NBC  Fight Night. The card is presented by Hennessy Sports and Main Events.  

  

The main event is an official IBF Heavyweight Voluntary Eliminator fight for the #2 position. The winner must meet #1 or the leading available contender to establish the mandatory challenger for Heavyweight King Wladimir Klitschko.   

♔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, 2021, 2013 All photos other than those specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Impress Photo-Studios♔ and KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Blog-Online Publication all rights reserved.

CURTIS "SHOWTIME" STEVENS SIGNS PROMOTIONAL CONTRACT WITH MAIN EVENTS

Main Events announced today that they have signed middleweight hopeful Curtis "Showtime" Stevens to an exclusive promotional contract. Stevens, born and bred in Brownsville, Brooklyn, NY, has a strong amateur pedigree, a solid professional record of 23-3, 17 KOs, and is a hot commodity after his most recent bout.

Stevens needed less than one round to finish off the seasoned and usually-durable Elvin Ayala last month in a nationally televised fight for the Vacant NABF Middleweight Title. Stevens brutally handled Ayala, dropping him twice in the opening round to send the message that he is ready to take on the best of the 160-pound division. It was the second consecutive first round knockout for Stevens, who halted Romaro Johnson after just 2:16, last March in his first middleweight bout.

After trimming down from the super middleweight division, Stevens is in the best shape of his life, and the move seems to have raised his game to a whole new level.  

Stevens feels he now has the right tools to dominate the division. He expressed, "Everybody on your team isn't always in your corner, but now I'm signed to Main Events, and I have a great team in my corner. I had 2 years off and now I'm back. Now I'm going to take over the middle weight division. All glory be to God."

  

Stevens began boxing professionally in 2004 and reeled off thirteen straight wins to start his career. Among his victims in that opening streak was former world champion Carl Daniels. "Showtime" went on to defeat undefeated Pitor Wilczewski by knockout, and well as road warriors Dhafir Smith and Darnell Boone by decision.

Now with two explosive middleweight victories in his pocket and two Top-10 world rankings to his credit, #8 WBC and #10 IBF, Stevens is poised to make a run to the top of the division.

Main Events, whose NBC SPORTS NETWORK boxing series FIGHT NIGHT kicked off its second season with the Stevens-Ayala bout, has created an effective platform where hungry fighters can build and advance their boxing careers. Curtis Stevens took advantage of the opportunity to use the popular series as a springboard to a world title. 

Kathy Duva, Main Events CEO, said, "Curtis has the potential to go all the way. He has power, skills, and miles of personality. His stunning first round KO of Elvin Ayala on NBC Fight Night in January made quite a statement and we listened. We are so pleased to make Curtis part of the Main Events family and look forward to having much success together."

♔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.

High Voltage Double Header Tops Off NBSN Fight Night Season Opener Jan 19‏

High Voltage Double Header Tops Off NBSN Fight Night Season Opener Jan 19‏

NBC Sports Network's Fight Night boxing series kicks off its second season on Saturday, January 19th, with a high-voltage double header. The nationally televised event will be shown live from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT, beginning 9PM ET.

In the Internationally flavored main event, light heavyweights Gabriel Campillo, 21-4-1, 7 KOs, of Madrid, Spain, meets Sergey Kovalev, 18-0-1, 15 KOs, Chelyabinsk, Russia, in an compelling 10-rounder. The bout looks like a classic boxer-puncher match up, with Kovalev bringing the power while Campillo provides the finesse.

Campillo is a former WBA light heavyweight champion, who came within a whisker of winning the IBF crown against Tavoris Cloud last year. Cloud retained his title by controversial decision, but most believed slick southpaw Campillo deserved the victory. "The Handsome Man" will look to bounce back by schooling the hard-punching "Krusher", but this main event is a toss-up.

Kovalev has been on the rise, knocking out almost everyone put in his path. He hasn't been extended to the final bell in more than two years, and will certainly be looking to add another KO to his resume, especially one with a name as distinguished as Campillo's.

In the 10-round co-feature, Elvin Ayala, 26-5-1, 12 KOs, takes on Curtis Stevens, 22-3, 16 KOs, in a battle between two middleweights hungry for the spotlight. Their clash before a nationally televised audience should provide them with the perfect opportunity to shine.

Ayala, of New Haven, CT, is a well-travelled vet with six straight wins, three of them by KO. He stopped John Mackey at the Mohegan Sun in his last fight, and before that, pitched a near shutout on national TV against Eric Mitchell at Foxwoods, also in CT. Against Stevens, Ayala will again have the home-state advantage.

Curtis Stevens, of Brownsville, Brooklyn, is a rising star who's kayoed four of his last six opponents. His most recent foe, Romaro Johnson, didn't make it out of the first round. Another of his KO victims was then-undefeated Pitor Wilczewski, whom Stevens starched in three rounds.

Ayala and Stevens are both boxer-punchers with something to prove, and should provide each other with a serious test.

With these two excellent bouts on tap, and their likelihood to produce knockouts, boxing fans are certain to be the big winners on this busy night of televised boxing. With other cable boxing shows scheduled for later in the evening, these excellent Fight Night wars should be settled long before the other programs even begin.

Seven bouts are planned for the January 19 card to be held at Mohegan Sun Arena, 1 Mohegan Sun Boulevard Uncasville, CT. Sergey Kovalev, 19-0-1, 17 KOs, takes on Gabriel Campillo, 21-4-1, 8 KOs, in an international 10-round light heavyweight main event. In the co-feature, Elvin Ayala, 26-5-1, 12 KO's, battles Curtis Stevens, 22-3, 16 KO's, in a 10-round middleweight contest. The card is promoted by Main Events and Jimmy Burchfield's Classic Entertainment Sports in association with Peltz Boxing, Sampson Boxing, and Dovolani Boxing.

♔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.