MAURICIO HERRERA GIVES TRAINING CAMP UPDATE BEFORE HIS SATURDAY, DEC. 13 SHOWDOWN WITH JOSE BENAVIDEZ JR. AT THE CHELSEA INSIDE THE COSMOPOLITAN OF LAS VEGAS LIVE ON HBO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®

Photo Credit: Jennifer Arredondo  RIVERSIDE, CALIF (Dec. 8, 2014) - As fight week begins, Golden Boy Promotions' Mauricio "El Maestro" Herrera is winding down his training camp before he faces Jose Benavidez Jr. on the undercard of the Timothy Bradley vs. Diego Chaves fight on Saturday, Dec. 13 at The Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas live on HBO World Championship Boxing®. Take a look below at how Herrera's training camp has gone and what to expect on Dec. 13 in Las Vegas: Q: Tell us a little bit about your training camp? Where are you training and with whom? How long have you been training together for this fight? I've been training in Riverside, Calif. at the same gym I trained at for my last fight, Capital Punishment Boxing Club. I've been training for about eight weeks and it's been going great. I sparred today for 12 rounds. Alan Sanchez has been helping out a lot, as well as my brother, Albert. We've been switching it up though. My head trainer is Jose Torres and we've been putting in a lot of work. Q: What are your thoughts on your opponent Jose Benavidez Jr.? He's an up-and-coming young star.  A lot of people are waiting to see if he passes my test. He has some great tools. He uses his height very well and he's patient too. There's going to be a lot of new things for him to experience on December 13 though. Q: How are you preparing in training camp for the style of Benavidez Jr.? All of my sparring partners have been a similar height as him and some have been heavier too. I'm looking to get inside with a guy that tall and use a lot of head movement and defense. I'll be pulling out a little bit of everything. There's only one week left and we're ready. Q: You've been part of a number of big fights this year, how does that experience help you in this fight? I'll be a little more relaxed and more confident, but I'll still be on my toes. I'm always looking to prove myself. The tougher the guy is, the better fight I have. When the going gets tough is when I come out and do my thing the best. Q: What motivates you to continue fighting at a high level? Family, friends and people who love to see good fights and enjoy my style. I just want to give the people the best fight possible every time I step into the ring. Q: What are your goals for your career if you are able to win this fight? Getting past Benavidez Jr. will be a tough test, but I'm looking for a bigger name if I walk away with this win. I want someone I can fight for a world title and winning this should put me in line. Q: What are you holiday plans for 2014? After I win this fight I'll be throwing a big New Years Eve bash for my family and friends. Q: December 13 is a busy night of fights, what about your fight will stand out above the rest? I'm looking to steal the show. I want to give my all and make sure that people remember my fight. Both of our styles are hungry and aggressive. You're going to get an action packed fight. Q: What is your prediction for your fight on Dec. 13? What can fans expect? If I see an opening I'm going to take it. I'm not looking to go the distance. I'll be willing to take risks. # # # Timothy Bradley vs. Diego Chaves will headline an exciting boxing event on Saturday, Dec. 13 at The Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.  Bradley (31-1, 12 KOs), of Palm Springs, California, will be making his ring comeback against one-time interim world champion Chaves (23-2, 19 KOs), of Buenos Aires, in a 12-round welterweight rumble.  Herrera (21-4, 7 KOs), of Riverside, California, will be making his first title defense, against Benavidez (21-0, 15 KOs), of Phoenix, Arizona.  Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Golden Boy Promotions and Tecate, both fights will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing®, beginning at 10 p.m. EST/PDT. For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, www.goldenboypromotions.com, or www.hbo.com/boxing,on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, www.facebook.com/goldenboyboxing or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, www.twitter.com/goldenboyboxing or twitter.com/hboboxing.  For more information on The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, visit www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com. Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cosmopolitan_lv or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thecosmopolitan

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING RETURNS TO THE COSMOPOLITAN OF LAS VEGAS

TIMOTHY BRADLEY vs. DIEGO CHAVES and MAURICIO HERRERA vs. JOSE BENAVIDEZ Saturday, December 13, Live on HBO® The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas Tickets On Sale Friday, October 24 at 10 A.M. PDT             LAS VEGAS, NV (October 20, 2014) -- Former two-division world champion TIMOTHY "Desert Storm" BRADLEY JR. returns to the ring where he will battle one-time interim welterweight world champion DIEGO "La Joya" CHAVES in a 12-round welterweight rumble, Saturday, December 13, inside The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas (3708 Las Vegas Blvd South, Las Vegas, NV 89109).  The fight will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing®, beginning at 10:00 p.m. EST/PST.  The telecast will open with World Boxing Association (WBA) Interim Super Lightweight World Champion MAURICIO "El Maestro" HERRERA defending his title against undefeated contender JOSE BENAVIDEZ, JR.             These four gladiators boast a combined record of 96-7 (53 KOs) -- a winning ratio of 93% with over half of those victories coming by way knockout.             Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Golden Boy Promotions and Tecate, tickets to the Bradley-Chaves/Herrera-Benavidez world championship event go on sale  Friday,  October 24 at 10:00 a.m. PDT.  Priced at $40, $60, $100, $125 and $150, tickets will be available for purchase at www.cosmopolitan.com or through Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 and www.tickermaster.com.  Room/ticket packages will also be available.             "I'm excited to get back into the ring and showcase myself," Bradley told ESPN.com.  "Chaves is not that well known but the boxing fans know him. The boxing fans know that this guy can fight and that it won't be a walk in the park for me. I think it's going to be a great fight. I can't wait."             "I give Timothy Bradley all the credit in the world for coming back after his first loss to face me, especially after seeing how I hurt Brandon Rios in my last fight," said Chaves.  "We both have a lot to prove on December 13.  If Bradley thought he had it rough against Ruslan Provodnikov, wait until he collides with me."             "I'm so happy that this fight was made and I get to showcase my skills once again on a huge stage," said Herrera. "I'm coming off of one of the most important wins of my career and I plan on using that momentum to defend my title and convincingly defeat Benavidez on December 13."             I'm obviously excited and grateful for the opportunity to fight for the title.  It's something I've worked for since I was a kid," said Benavidez.  "I know I'll be bringing the title back to Phoenix with me. I have heard Herrera is looking past me and talking about moving up in weight when he wins, and I'm sorry that I'll be disrupting those plans on December 13th."              "Tim Bradley's return to the ring may be taking place at the end of the year but it's the beginning of a new and exciting phase of the boxing career of one of the sport's elite fighters, a man who has held a world title every year dating back to 2008," said Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank.  "Diego Chaves came so close when he faced Brandon Rios in his last fight and I anticipate seeing that same intensity and aggressiveness when he faces Tim.  This will be a war.  The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas will once again be hosting boxing at the highest level on December 13 and the world will be able to watch it on HBO."               "So much hangs in the balance for both of these fighters - Herrera's WBA Super Lightweight World Title, Benavidez' undefeated record and much more," said Golden Boy Founder and President Oscar De La Hoya. "With Herrera's straight-ahead style against Benavidez' Olympic pedigree, we have all the makings of a fantastic fight for fans."               "There is no better way to present boxing fans with a pre-holiday gift than to feature the return of Timothy Bradley Jr. headlining an attractive card on World Championship Boxing, Live on HBO," said Peter Nelson, Vice President of Programming, HBO Sports. "Bradley squares off against Diego Chaves, whose in-your-face style of fighting will keep Tim on his toes the entire night. And we anticipate fireworks from the rest of the telecast action."             Bradley (31-1, 12 KOs), from Palm Springs, Calif., a former two-division world champion who unified the junior welterweight titles twice during his previous four-year reign, returns to the ring after suffering his first professional loss, in his welterweight championship rematch against Fighter of the Decade Manny Pacquiao last April. Before the Pacquiao rematch, Bradley posted three consecutive career-best victories.  After moving up in weight and beating Pacquiao in 2012 to capture the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight crown, Bradley co-starred in the Fight of the Year on  March16, 2013, winning a brutal 12-round decision over future world champion Ruslan Provodnikov though Bradley was suffering from a concussion throughout most of the fight.  In his most recent fight, on October 12, 2013, Bradley gave a virtuoso performance in defeating three-division world champion and Mexican icon Juan Manuel Márquez proving that Bradley is indeed one of boxing's elite pound for pound fighters.             Chaves (23-2, 19 KOs), from Buenos Aires, is a power puncher who stalks his opponent with only one goal -- THE KNOCKOUT! His victory by knockout ratio of 83% proves it is usually "mission accomplished" for him. Chaves made his Las Vegas debut on August 2 when he fought former world champion Brandon Rios at The Cosmopolitan.  The fight was all blood and guts as both warriors tore into each other in a foul-filled bout that ended in the ninth round with Chaves being disqualified by referee Vic Drakulich.  At the time of the stoppage, Chaves was ahead by one point on one scorecard and down one point on the other two cards.  Chaves captured the WBA interim welterweight title in 2012, knocking out defending champion Ismael El Massoudi in the second round. Chaves' one-year title reign included a successful title defense against José Miranda, where he scored another second-round stoppage. He lost the title to Keith Thurman July 23, 2013. Chaves began 2014 with a third-round TKO of Juan Godoy on February 15. He is currently world-rated No. 7 by the WBA and No. 10 by the International Boxing Federation (IBF).              Herrera (21-4, 7 KOs), from Riverside, Calif. and promoted by Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions, will be making the first defense of his interim world title.  He won the championship in his last fight, on July 12, dethroning Johan Perez via a majority decision in a fight that was as close as it was competitive.  It was a victory made sweeter by the fact Herrera had lost his previous title shot, against undefeated unified super lightweight world champion Danny Garcia on March 15, via a controversial majority decision that many thought Herrera had won.  Herrera's professional resume includes impressive victories over former WBO Junior Welterweight World Champion Ruslan Provodnikov and former amateur standout Mike Dallas, who had a combined record of 34-1-1 when he faced them.             Benavidez (21-0, 15 KOs), from Phoenix, AZ,  was a sensational amateur prospect, winning a Gold Medal at the 2009 National Golden Gloves Championships at the age of 16, the youngest fighter to ever win the National Golden Gloves Championships.  He turned professional one year later, at age 17, where he became the youngest professional boxer to be licensed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.  He was granted an exception (the minimum age requirement was 18) because of his exceptional talent.  After spending most of 2013 sidelined with a broken hand he has come back to win all three of his 2014 fights decisively, including a first-round TKO of Henry Auraad on July 26.               For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, www.goldenboypromotions.com, or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing,facebook.com/trboxeo, www.facebook.com/goldenboyboxing, orfacebook.com/hboboxing and onTwitter at twitter.com/trboxing,twitter.com/trboxeo, www.twitter.com/goldenboyboxing or twitter.com/hboboxing.  Use the Hashtag #BradleyChaves to join the conversation on Twitter.             For more information on The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, visit www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com.  Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cosmopolitan_lv or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thecosmopolitan.

SHOWTIME OFFERS TWO SPECIAL ENCORE PRESENTATIONS OF THE YEAR’S MOST TALKED ABOUT NIGHT OF FIGHTS

Andre Berto vs. Jesus Soto Karass

Omar Figueroa vs. Nihito Arawaka

Keith Thurman vs. Diego Chaves

“… six brave fighters served up the best card of the year so far, with three action-packed and dramatic fights.” – ESPN

The entire SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast promoted by Golden Boy Promotions will replay tomorrow, Tuesday, July 30 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME and a Special Encore on Wednesday, July 31 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME. Also available on SHOWTIME On Demand and SHOWTIME ANYTIME.

“The bravery, determination, courage and toughness that Figueroa and Arakawa showed… will live forever in boxing lore.”  – Yahoo! Sports

 Click below to watch a recap from Saturday night’s thrilling SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast.

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JESUS SOTO KARASS KNOCKS OUT ANDRE BERTO; OMAR FIGUEROA & NIHITO ARAKAWA STEAL THE SHOW IN A BRUTAL SLUGFEST

Keith Thurman Crowned Knockout King With KO Of Diego Chaves

In A Night Of Shootouts At AT&T Center In San Antonio

Replays Sunday, July 28 at 9 a.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME

& Tuesday, July 30 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME

Click HERE To Download Photos

Credit: Tom Casino/SHOWTIME

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS (July 27, 2013) - Jesus "Renuente" Soto Karass knocked out Andre Berto,Keith Thurman was dubbed Knockout King, but Omar Figueroa and Nihito Arakawa stole the showSaturday night on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING. 

Soto Karass scored a 12^th round technical knockout victory over a remarkably resilient Berto in front of 8,811 fans in the main event on SHOWTIME at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. 

In an event dubbed Knockout Kings II, Soto Karass came out of the gate strong, establishing and displaying his power against Berto, who injured his right shoulder in the early rounds of the fight and was essentially limited to his left hand for the majority of the bout. 

Berto fought through the pain, at times was able to hurt Soto Karass (28-8-3, 17 KO's) and assert himself back into the fight, but Soto Karass kept his foot on the gas and continued to pick apart Berto (28-3, 22 KO's), finally scoring a knockout at :48 of the final round, capturing the vacant NABF Welterweight Championship. 

"My corner just told me to keep on working and I didn't think at any moment about his shoulder," Soto Karass said.  "I'm dedicated 100 percent to boxing. I stopped clowning around.  My corner told me to come out and start boxing, but I said, 'no, I'm going to knock him down.'"

No one would have blamed a visibly injured Berto if he stopped fighting due to the shoulder injury, but he pressed on knowing it was a must-win crossroads fight. 

"I think I tore it out of the socket early, maybe the fourth round," Berto said.  "That's why I kept using my left.  I couldn't really use it at all.  At the end of the day I show that warrior spirit every time.  I don't care if I mess up my shoulder. I'm going to put it all on the line."

In an absolutely brutal war that stole the show, Omar "Panterita" Figueroa won a wildly exciting 12-round unanimous decision (118-108 twice, 119-107) over the game Nihito Arakawa to capture the vacant WBC Interim Lightweight World Championship. 

In what will surely be a Fight of the Year candidate, Figueroa (22-0-1, 17 KO's) and Arakawa (24-3-1, 16 KO's) threw 2,112 total punches over 36 minutes of non-stop action.  While Arakawa threw 1,170 punches, he landed just 280 to Figueroa's 480.  Figueroa, who was cut on the nose from an accidental head-butt in the third, landed power shots, knocked down Arakawa twice and at times seemed to have his opponent out on his feet. 

"It's what I've looked forward to since the beginning," said Figueroa, who complained to his corner that he injured both his hands in the fight.  "My respect to this guy.  He can take a beating.  We both took a beating.  The only things that didn't hold up were my hands."

Arakawa deserved the praise as he showed tremendous heart in the slugfest in which he went down for just the fourth and fifth times in his career.   

"The only thing I can say is Figueroa was very strong," Arakawa said.  "I was thinking about all the people that supported me up to this point to get to this level and that's what kept me going.

In the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING opening bout, undefeated contender Keith "One Time" Thurman handed Diego "La Joya" Chaves the first loss of his career and walked away with Chaves' WBA Interim Welterweight World Championship with a knockout at :28 of the 10^th round. 

In what started out as a slugfest and turned into a boxing match, Thurman (23-0, 19 KO's) bounced back from a bloodied nose in the third round, altered his strategy and changed the pace of the fight.  Thurman dropped Chaves (20-1, 18 KO's) with a lethal left hand to the body with less than a minute to go in the ninth, just the third time the previously unbeaten Chaves touched the canvas in his career.  Thurman swarmed Chaves to opened up the 10^th round, dropping him with a strong right had after an onslaught of power shots.  Chaves got to one knee, but didn't try to beat the count and the referee stopped the bout.

Thurman was awarded a $10,000 bonus by Golden Boy Promotions for the knockout of the night. 

"I came in this fight to have multiple game plans," Thurman said.  "I knew he would be my toughest opponent.  I wanted to punch him, I wanted to box him and later on, I was able to hit him with that beautiful body shot.

"You save the tools that you want to use for the later rounds.  I had a feeling he was going to die out."

Chaves, who was trailing on all judges' score cards (84-86, 87-83, 87-83), didn't argue with the stoppage.

"He connected very well on my temple and I couldn't recuperate," Chaves said.  "I don't regret that the referee stopped the fight.  I thought I was winning the fight when they stopped it.  I hope I get a rematch and come back soon."

On SHOWTIME EXTREME, undefeated contender Anthony Dirrell improved upon his perfect record with a dominating third round technical knockout win (2:36) over Anthony Hanshaw.  Dirrell (26-0, 22 KO's) showed off impressive power in both hands against Hanshaw (23-4-2, 14 KO's), who was defeated by Anthony's brother Andre in similar fashion in 2008. 

"I'm feeling good about the TKO.  I did it and I want (Sakio) Bika next," Dirrell said.  "I definitely planned it this way.  I just knew it was a matter of time before I knocked him out.  My brother told me what it was going to take and I went out and did it."

"I knew he was a lot bigger than Andre," Hanshaw said.  "I came to fight, but he was too strong.  I wanted to box more and stay within my range, but he caught me with a right hook and again with a left and that was it."

In other SHOWTIME EXTREME bouts Joseph Rodriguez (4-0, 2 KO's) registered a four-round unanimous decision (39-37, 40-36 twice) over Jesse Anguiano (1-3-2) and Armando Cardenas (2-0, 2 KO's) dominated Stephen Salazar (0-1) with a first round technical knockout (1:21).

Saturday's SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING fights will replay on Sunday, July 28 at 9 a.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME and Tuesday, July 30 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME. 

Brian Kenny served as host of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING with Mauro Ranallo calling the action, Al Bernstein and Paulie Malignaggi serving as expert analysts with Jim Gray reporting.  BarryTompkins and Steve Farhood called the SHOWTIME EXTREME action while Alejando Luna and Raul Marquez called the fight in Spanish on second audio programming (SAP).  The executive producer is David Dinkins, Jr., with Ray Smaltz producing and Bob Dunphy directing.

"KNOCKOUT KINGS II," featuring former Two-Time Welterweight World Champion Andre Berto facing tough Mexican veteran contender Jesus Soto Karass was a 12-round main event for the vacant NABF Welterweight Championship, on Saturday, July 27 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.  The event was promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Leija & Battah Promotions and sponsored by Corona and AT&T.  In the 12-round co-featured attractions, Weslaco, Texas' undefeated rising star Omar Figueroa Jr. squared off against Japan's Nihito Arakawa for the vacant WBC Interim Lightweight World Championship in a fight promoted in association with Teiken Promotions and undefeated power- puncher Diego Chaves faced fellow unbeaten knockout artist Keith Thurman for Chaves' WBA Interim Welterweight World Championship in a fight promoted in association with KO International.  The tripleheader was broadcast live on SHOWTIME^®and preliminary fights aired on SHOWTIME EXTREME^®.