Soliman and Taylor Make Weight for Battle in Mississippi on Wednesday Night

Both IBF Middleweight Champion Sam Soliman and challenger Jermain Taylor were respectful to each other and thankful to their teams during a press conference/weigh-in held at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, in Biloxi, Mississippi, in advance of tomorrow(Wednesday, October 8) night's championship fight. Soliman and Taylor are headlining a mammoth 14-fight card that also features Andre Dirrell and a host of up-and-coming prospects and proven contenders. ESPN Wednesday Night Fights will broadcast the two main events and a four-rounder between Ahmed Elbiale and Dakota Dawson live.  Sam Soliman 160 vs. Jermain Taylor 159.8 IBF World Middleweight Championship André Dirrell 169 vs. Nick Brinson 168.8 Ahmed Elbiale 174.6 vs. Dakota Dawson 171.6 Carlos Velásquez 131.6 vs. Jean Javier Sotelo 131.4 Steve Lovett 176 vs. Ricardo Campillo 177 Phillip Jackson Benson 172.2 vs. Michael Gbenga 173.6 Joey Hernández 162 vs. Jose Miguel Rodríguez 157.6 Mario Barrios 125.4 vs. Abraham Rubio 127 Walter Castillo 142 vs. Shad Howard NA Justin DeLoach 156.2 vs. Joshua Snyder 155 Gervonta Davis 126.8 vs. German Meraz 125 BJ Flores 203.8 vs. Kevin Engel 190.8 Regis Prograis 142.2 vs. Mario Hermosillo 142.2 Erick Bone 142.6 vs. Peter Oluoch 144 Promoters: DiBella Entertainment and Warriors Boxing, in association with Soliman Stanley Promotions Venue: Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, in Biloxi, Mississippi TV: ESPN Wednesday Night Fights (9 pm EST/8 pm CT) Tickets: priced at $89.95, $69.95, $49.95 and $29.95, plus tax and service charges, and can be purchased at the Beau Rivage Theatre box office, or through any Ticketmaster outlet or online at Ticketmaster.com. Doors open at 5:00 pm, with the first bout scheduled for 5:30 pm.

MARIO BARRIOS BACK IN ACTION OCTOBER 8TH

Press Release For Immediate Release

Photo By Paul Gallegos   MISSISSIPPI (October 7, 2014) - 19-year old undefeated sensation, Mario Barrios(5-0, 2 KOs), returns back to action tomorrow Wednesday October 8, 2014 at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi.  Barrios, a rising star from San Antonio Texas, will battle Mexico's Abraham Rubio in a 4-round bout.  Barrios, who recently campaigned at Super-Bantamweight, will now fight at the Featherweight division. At 6'0, Barrios has a tremendous reach advantage negating any aggressive style that opponents try to utilize against him.  A pure boxer-puncher, Barrios knows what he needs to do to continue marching up the rankings. "I've been blessed to have some God given attributes that give me an advantage against my opponents," said Barrios. "My jab is long and it sets up everything.  My combinations are getting better. It's an ongoing learning process but something I'm constantly trying to improve.  I feel if I continue to master the art of using my jab, I'll be unstoppable." Barrios is managed by world renowned boxing advisor Al Haymon, believes his career is heading in the right direction. "I have the best team in boxing," Barrios continued. "I'm excited to have Al Haymon guiding my career, along Luis Decubas Jr. and Bob Santos.  Everything is going as planned.  My goal is to continue working hard and bring exciting fights to the fans.  I'm going to give everyone watching in Mississippi a great show."

Flores' Career Finds New Hope Under Guidance of Haymon

NBC Commentator and Top Cruiserweight Contender Fights  This Wednesday Night in Biloxi Las Vegas-based cruiserweight contender BJ "El Peligroso" Flores (30-1-1, 19 KOs) has it all as a boxer, minus one important thing. An articulate and intelligent man with smooth on-camera delivery, Flores does excellent work in his regular role as a color commentator for NBC-televised boxing. As a fighter, he is clean-living and devoted to his craft, with a wealth of skills, an extensive list of regional championships won, and a work ethic in the gym that few can rival. The fact is BJ Flores could become an excellent ambassador for the sport of boxing if someone would just give him that one more thing... a chance at a world title. Flores will face Saint Louis, Missouri's Kevin Engel (20-10, 16 KOs) this Wednesday, October 8, at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, in Biloxi, Mississippi, on the undercard of IBF middleweight champion "King" Sam Soliman (44-11, 18 KOs) defending against former undisputed middleweight champion Jermain "Bad Intentions" Taylor (32-4-1, 20 KOs). Presented by DiBella Entertainment and Warriors Boxing, in association with Soliman Stanley Promotions, and broadcast live on a special presentation of ESPN Wednesday Night Fights (9 pm EST/8 pm CT), the night of boxing will also feature 2004 Olympic Bronze Medallist and WBC #9 contender Andre Dirrell (22-1, 15 KOs) taking on Albany, New York's Nick Brinson (16-2-2, 6 KOs) in the 10-round light heavyweight co-main event. Tickets are priced at $89.95, $69.95, $49.95 and $29.95, plus tax and service charges, and can be purchased at the Beau Rivage Theatre box office, or through any Ticketmaster outlet or online at Ticketmaster.com. Doors open at 4:45pm, with the first bout scheduled for 5:30pm. A buzz surrounded Flores when turned pro 12 years ago at age 23. Coming off a brilliant amateur career that saw him win the 1997 National Golden Gloves, as well as two (2001 and 2002) US National Amateur Championships at Heavyweight, he was universally recognized as one to watch. But 35-year-old Flores says promotional problems stalled his momentum and ground his once-promising career to a halt on more than one occasion. Since he signed with power-manager Al Haymon and advisor Luis DeCubas Jr., last April, however, Flores' bad career luck seems to be reversing and he may get that title shot someday after all. "2015 is going to be a big year for me," said an excited Flores. "This will be the year where it all takes off. I signed with Al in late spring and I've already fought May 10,June 26 and now October 8. I'm in a perfect position now and I'm ecstatic to have so much opportunity in front of me now, thanks to Al. I can't wait to show the world how well I can fight." Flores says DeCubas has also been instrumental in his career resuscitation. "Louis DeCubas Jr. has also played a big part in helping my career take off. We started working together last year, and since then, one thing after another has come my way. This kid really loves boxing and has been around it a very long time and knows and understands the business. He has been a great help." At the relatively advanced age for a fighter of 35, few would question Flores if he decided to make the transition from fighter to media figure. But according to him, that's not going to happen any time soon. "First and foremost I'm a fighter," he explained. "Commentating is something I started doing when I wasn't getting fights, but I'm still a fighter above everything else. For me, fighting for a world championship is not about the money. Boxing is my life. Since I was a kid I would stay home from school and watch boxing on tape. And now I have hope I will get the chance to see how far I can take it." The Beau Rivage Resort & Casino is located at 875 Beach Blvd in Biloxi, Mississippi. For more information, call (228) 386-7111. On fight night, doors open at 5:00 and the action starts at 5:30.

JERMAIN TAYLOR & CALEB TRUAX ERISLANDY LARA & RONALD HEARNS: FINAL WEIGHTS & QUOTES

ShoBox: The New Generation Doubleheader Tomorrow/Friday, April 20
LIVE on SHOWTIME® At 11 p.m. ET/PT

OFFICIAL WEIGHTS:

Jermain Taylor - 160.5

Caleb Truax - 160.75

Erislandy Lara - 156.5

Ronald Hearns - 156.25



BILOXI, MISS., (April 19, 2012) – All four fighters participating in Friday’s ShoBox: The New Generation doubleheader made weight at the Coast Nightclub at Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Miss., on Thursday, just one day before the exciting night of fights on SHOWTIME® (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).



In the main event former undisputed 160-pound World Champion Jermain Taylor (29-4-1, 18 KO’s) weighed in at 160.5 pounds, while his undefeated opponent Caleb "Golden" Truax (18-0-1, 10 KO’s) tipped the scales at 160.75 pounds for their 10-round middleweight bout. In the 10-round junior middleweight co-feature, former Cuban amateur standout Erislandy Lara (15-1-1, 10 KO’s) weighed 156.5 pounds and former world title challenger Ronald Hearns (26-2, 20 KO’s) 156.25 pounds for the fight contracted at 157 pounds.

The special edition of ShoBox: The New Generation is promoted by DiBella Entertainment in association with Golden Boy Promotions.

Tickets, priced at $150, $100, and $50 plus tax and service charges, are available online at http://www.beaurivage.com/ , by phone at (888) 566-7469, or in person at the Beau Rivage Theatre box office. Beau Rivage room reservations can be made by calling (888) 567-6667 or visiting http://www.beaurivage.com/ .


What the fighters had to say on Thursday:


JERMAIN TAYLOR:
“I just want to say thank you to my team. I'm back in love with boxing. I can't say it any other way. After losing in Berlin, I took two years off. They were the best two years of my life, because I’m hungry again.

“I've been boxing since I was 11 and I never took a break. Never. When I lost those fights, it was time for me to take a break. I spent time with my family and for the first time in a long time, I missed boxing. Now, I'm back. I feel strong. I took care of business in December and I'm going take care of business tomorrow.

“I love this sport because I'm a fighter. And this is the only sport where you can lose, get knocked out, look bad and then fight your way back to the top. You can get down real low and you can still come back and be on top. I'm on my way back.”

CALEB TRUAX:
“I've prepared for the man that beat Bernard Hopkins but we'll see where Jermain's at tomorrow. I think he might be on the decline but that's not who I prepared for so I'm ready.

“This is where I wanted to be with my career, in a big fight. Being from Minnesota, I don't get all the opportunities to fight in California and New York or other big places. This is the biggest opportunity of my life and I plan to take advantage of it. Everything went well in my preparations. All I have to do is go in there tomorrow and get the job done.”

ERISLANDY LARA:
“I'm part of the A class of my division. A lot of guys don't want to fight me so I have to thank Ronald Hearns for taking this fight.

“I'm going by the name of "The Punisher" for this fight because people saw that I punished Paul Williams. I'm ready to fight another great fight.”

RONALD HEARNS:
“I'm grateful for my fight tomorrow. Thanks to my team, Lou DiBella and SHOWTIME. This is the opportunity of a lifetime and I can't wait for the world to see me perform. It's time to get to work.”

LOU DiBELLA, Promoter:
“The Beau Rivage is our southern home away from home. It's truly the jewel casino of the South. Thanks to SHOWTIME and Stephen Espinoza for putting on this great card. It should be a tremendous night of boxing.

“Jermain is not an ordinary fighter. This is a man who was a pound-for-pounder, one of the few men to hold all four middleweight belts at one time and the only man to beat Bernard Hopkins twice. And this is a new beginning. It's not usual for you to see a guy like him fight in a 1,400-seat venue. But this is a comeback done the right way. It's not a cash out. He is looking to the future by looking into the past and remembering what got him to the top.”

PAT BURNS, Taylor's trainer:
“Jermain has made a new commitment to boxing and life. We're fighting a heck of a tough kid because that's how you pave a comeback. You can't fight guys from the graveyard. Caleb knows his life will change if he wins. It will change his financial situation so he's hungry.”

For information on SHOWTIME Sports, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast information and more, please visit the website at http://sports.sho.com/ .

About ShoBox: The New Generation
Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young talent matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to televise exciting, crowd-pleasing and competitive matches while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. The growing list of fighters who have appeared on ShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes: Leonard Dorin, Scott Harrison, Juan Diaz, Jeff Lacy, Ricky Hatton, Joan Guzman, Juan Urango, David Diaz, Robert Guerrero, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Malignaggi, Kendall Holt, Timothy Bradley, Bernard Dunne, Yonnhy Perez, Yuri Foreman, Andre Ward, Cornelius Bundrage and, most recently, Rico Ramos.

About Showtime Networks Inc.:
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD™, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND, and the network's authentication service SHOWTIME ANYTIME®. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution, which offers Smithsonian Channel™. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.