ERISLANDY LARA DEFEATS ISHE SMITH, RETAINS TITLE; FLOYD MAYWEATHER CALLS OUT MANNY PACQUIAO ON SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION® TELECAST

BADOU JACK STOPS FRANCISCO SIERRA IN THE SIXTH; CHRIS PEARSON SCORES UNANIMOUS DECISION OVER STEVE MARTINEZ Erislandy Lara vs. Ishe Smith Will Replay on SHOWTIMEEXTREME® Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT Click HERE To Download Photos Photo Credit: Stephanie Trapp / SHOWTIME® Idris Erba/Mayweather Promotions SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Dec. 13, 2014) -Erislandy "The American Dream" Lara (20-2-2, 12 KOs) retained his WBA Super Welterweight World Championship with a convincing 12-round unanimous decision victory over Ishe "Sugar Shay" Smith (26-7, 12 KOs) in the SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION main event Friday night from The Illusions Theater at The Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. After a strong first round for Smith, Lara dominated the remainder of the fight using a combination of movement, speed and accuracy to secure the decision 117-111, 119-109 twice. Lara, of Houston by way of Cuba, showed his skills and experience outpunching his opponent, landing 40 percent of his power punches and 22 percent of his total punches. Smith, of Las Vegas Nev., landed only four percent of his jabs.  "I'm an experienced fighter and I know how to read my opponent. I read Ishe in the first round and I set up my game plan," said Lara. "His body work didn't affect me. I trained hard with Jack [Edward Jackson] and Ronnie [Shields]. He tried to break my concentration with his cheap tactics and dances, but I know how to control myself. I can control my impulses and I don't let anything get in the way." "I want Floyd for my next fight. He's the best pound-for-pound, and I want to find the best. I already beat Canelo and everybody else in the division," added Lara.  SHOWTIME Analyst and Boxing Historian Steve Farhood on the fight, "The main event was about what was expected. Ishe tried, but wasn't capable because he's not as quick or as sharp with his punches. When he had the opportunity to bang the body he did but it wasn't enough because Lara was in such control in the center. He landed so many straight left hands that landed flush. Lara fought the fight he wanted to fight and in that kind of fight, he's very difficult to beat. He frustrated Smith throughout the fight." "I did what I had to do, we had a great camp and I went out there and let it hang," said Smith after the fight. "You win some you lose some. That's life. Floyd [Mayweather] told me to keep my head up and that he's proud of me." Unbeaten boxing superstar and perennial pound-for-pound kingpin, Mayweather (47-0, 26 KOs) broke his silence and called out Manny Pacquiao in an interview during Friday'sSHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION telecast from San Antonio. "I would love to fight Manny Pacquiao, we're trying to make the fight happen. Years ago we had problems with random blood and urine testing. I just want to have an even playing field," said Mayweather. "It's a little bit of everything that makes me want this fight because he's not on my level. The fans would love to see the fight and of course I want to go out with a bang. So let's make this fight happen."   "Let's make this fight for the people, for the fans. Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao May 2, Cinco de Mayweather." In the co-feature, Badou Jack "The Ripper" (18-1-1, 12 KOs) made quick work of his opponent with a dominating sixth-round technical knockout victory over Francisco "Panchito" Sierra (26-8-1, 23 KOs). Jack, of Las Vegas, Nev., by way of Sweden, controlled the fight from the outset, lighting up Sierra, the Tepic, Mexican native, with aggressive right hands and upper cuts to the body. Sierra struggled throughout the fight with a cut alongside his right eye suffered in the first round from an accidental head butt. Jack was highly accurate, landing 59 percent of his power punches, 41 percent of his jabs and 52 percent of his total punches. With 1:02 remaining in the sixth, referee Rafael Ramos stopped the fight and awarded Jack the technical knockout. "He was what I thought he'd be," said the 31-year-old Jack. "It wasn't a perfect fight for me. It's good to be back but I was looking a bit too much for the knockout, I should have relaxed a bit and used my jab. I felt good, I felt strong out there." Sierra was frustrated after the stoppage, "I'm angry with the referee for stopping the fight. I wanted to continue but the referee stopped it." In the SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION opening bout, Chris "YK" Pearson (12-0, 9 KOs) remained undefeated in an all-out brawl earning a unanimous decision over Steven "Hitman" Martinez (15-2, 12 KOs). Martinez, of Bronx, N.Y., by way of Puerto Rico, came out at the bell aggressively, winning three of the first four rounds on two of the three judges' scorecards. Pearson, of Dayton, Ohio, was able to stay disciplined, controlling the finals six rounds of the fight. The 10-rounder, a first for both fighters, was scored 98-92, 97-93 twice. Pearson, who hadn't fought since February, was enthused with his effort in the biggest fight of his professional career. "I knew he was coming forward, but I had to be smart because I know he's a good fighter. I wanted to be patient and be smart and use my skills," said Pearson. "It's not always going to be a knockout or exciting but it can be dominant and I thought I was dominant."  In a battle of rising prospects, both were able to impress at different times. "Martinez started very strong, but I think the fact that Pearson had many more difficult fights going into this one enabled him to tough out the rocky moments and come on later. Once he started backing Martinez up the fight was over," said Farhood. After the fight, the 24-year-old Martinez was disappointed with his performance, stating "I needed to pressure more. It was a much closer fight than the judges had it. It was a good fight, but I could have done better."   # # # "Lonestar Battle: Lara vs. Smith" was a 12-round WBA Super Welterweight World Championship fight promoted by Mayweather Promotions and sponsored by Corona Extra. The night of fights was a SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION (10:15 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) taking place at the Illusions Theater at The Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

FLOYD MAYWEATHER WILL BE INTERVIEWED TONIGHT LIVE ON SHOWTIME BOXING SPECIAL EDITION® FROM SAN ANTONIO Live on SHOWTIME At 10:15 p.m. ET/PT

SAN ANTONIO (Dec. 12, 2014) -- Unbeaten boxing superstar and perennial pound-for-pound kingpin, Floyd “Money” Mayweather (47-0, 26 KOs) will be interviewed on SHOWTIME^® during tonight’s SHOWTIME BOXING Special Edition^® (10:15 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from San Antonio.

The tripleheader, headlined by a world title fight between defending WBA Super Welterweight Champion Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara (19-2-2, 12 KOs) and former IBF Junior Middleweight World Champion Ishe “Sugar Shay” Smith (26-6, 12 KOs), is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and will take place at the Illusions Theater at The Alamodome.

Mayweather will be interviewed between fights by SHOWTIME’s expert analyst and boxing historian Steve Farhood, who’s expected to ask questions about, among other things, Mayweather’s future plans, his possible upcoming opponents and the night’s fight card.

ADDITIONAL EVENT INFO: In other “Lonestar Battle: Lara vs. Smith” bouts tonight on SHOWTIME, super middleweight contender Badou Jack (17-1, 11 KOs), of Las Vegas, will meet Samuel Clarkson (12-3, 7 KOs) of Cedar Hill, Texas, and undefeated junior middleweight and Mayweather Promotions rising star Chris “Sweet” Pearson (11-0, 9 KOs) of Dayton, Ohio, will take on Steve “Hitman” Martinez (15-1, 12 KOs), of Bronx, N.Y.

For more information, visit www.mayweatherpromotions.com and follow on Twitter with @mayweatherpromo, @ShoSports, @LaraBoxing, @IsheSugarShay, @_ChrisPearson or @BadouJack. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MayweatherPromo andwww.facebook.com/SHOBoxing or visit the SHOWTIME Boxing Blog attheboxingblog.sho.com. Also, follow the conversation using #Lonestarbattle.

FIGHTERS ARE CONFIDENT, POISED AND READY FOR FRIDAY’S TRIPLEHEADER

 

“People make excuses [for not wanting to fight me]. It has a lot to do with my style. I’m a crafty fighter but I can also punch.”

--Erislandy Lara

ERISLANDY LARA, ISHE SMITH, BADOU JACK, FRANCISCO SIERRA, CHRIS PEARSON, STEVE MARTINEZ MEDIA WORKOUT QUOTES AND PHOTOS

Live on SHOWTIME^®  (10:15 p.m. ET/PT)

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Credit: Stephanie Trapp/SHOWTIME

 Idris Erba/ Mayweather Promotions

SAN ANTONIO (Dec. 10, 2014) – Six of the talented boxers who will fight Friday on SHOWTIMEparticipated in an open media workout Wednesday at Champion Fit Gym ahead of what is expected to be an action-packed tripleheader.

In the main event of Friday’s SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION tripleheader live on SHOWTIME (10:15 ET/PT) from The Illusions Theater at The Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, current WBA Super Welterweight Champion Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara(19-2-2, 12 KOs), of Houston, Texas, by way of Cuba, puts his title on the line against former IBF Junior Middleweight World Champion Ishe “Sugar Shay” Smith (26-6, 12 KOs), of Las Vegas, Nev., in a 12-round title fight.

In a pair of 10-round co-features, once-beaten super middleweight contender Badou Jack “The Ripper” (17-1, 11 KOs), of Las Vegas, Nev., by way of Sweden, takes on upset-minded power-puncher Francisco “Panchito” Sierra (26-7-1, 23 KOs), of Tepic, Mexico, and promising undefeated junior middleweight rising star Chris “Young King” Pearson (11-0, 9 KOs), of Dayton, Ohio, will take on once-beaten Steve “Hitman” Martinez (15-1, 12 KOs), of Bronx, N.Y., in a bout that will open the telecast.

Tickets, priced at $100, $75, $50 and $25, may be purchased by calling The Alamodome Box Office at 800-745-3000. Tickets are also available online at www.ticketmaster.com.

Below is what the fighters said at Wednesday’s workout:

ERISLANDY LARA

“People make excuses [for not wanting to fight me]. It has a lot to do with my style. I’m a crafty fighter but I can also punch. I look at it as excuses. Look at my record, look at all the styles I have fought. In 23 fights, there is not one guy in the sport who has fought all the guys that I have fought. I have fought [Carlos] Molina, Paul Williams, Alfredo Angulo, Canelo [Alvarez], [Austin] Trout. That’s six top 10 guys in 23 fights. Not even Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao have fought that type of opposition in 23 fights.

“Absolutely, I’m living the American dream. I am living a dream in general. To get good things in life, you have to go through hard times. Just like they say, hard times don’t last, tough people do, so I just keep marching forward.

“I have been working on making it absolutely clear there is no question of who won the fight [against Canelo]. As fights go on, you have to keep getting better and keep improving.

“You take an experience from every fight. I think there is no question I won over seven rounds of the fight [against Canelo]. If you want to give Canelo some of the rounds I wasn’t punching, that’s no problem, but you are not going to tell me I wasn’t punching and that he beat me in seven of the rounds. That’s crazy.

“I just want to fight the best. I want to fight Floyd Mayweather. I want to fight [Miguel] Cotto. If Canelo dares to do it again, I’ll beat him again. I’m not afraid of fighting anyone. I’ll fight the best. Look at my record, it speaks for itself.”

Ishe Smith

"This is a good opportunity being in San Antonio. This is my first time fighting here, but the fight fans are wonderful. I was here for Canelo vs. Trout and it was great. It's just good to be here in San Antonio. Fighting in the main event, I've done it before and I’ve done it on the road. I won a title fighting Cornelius Bundrage in his hometown so its nothing I haven't experienced before. 

"Every fighter's dream is to win a world championship. This is just another opportunity where I can cement my legacy in boxing when I'm gone. Obviously I can't do this forever. I'm 36 now, its getting to that point but I've got many years left. I'm just excited to cement my legacy Friday.

"Lara had to do what he had to do in terms of making more money to fight Canelo. The opportunity was greater and he was on a bigger stage, so I understand that. Things happen for a reason and now we're back here.

"We've prepared for the best possible Erislandy Lara on Friday. Whatever he brings to the table we’re ready for. He may shock everyone and want to stay there and fight. I've been hearing reports that he wants to be the first to knock me out so that means he has to fight. I'm excited about that. We're just prepared for anything he may bring.

"Floyd brought me in when he was training for Cotto. He said boxing hadn't been fair to me and that I deserve a title shot at least. He said, 'I'm going to get you to the door. It's up to you what you do when you get there.' This is just another opportunity. He's got me back to the door and I'm going to take advantage of it.

"Sometimes I have to pinch myself to realize I'm here. Every day I count my blessings and I don't take it for granted that I'm still here and one of the few guys that made it out.

"On Friday, I'm going to win and as Al Davis says: 'just win baby,' that's it. That's the only thing I'm focused on. After I win I'm going to take a long vacation. These camps take a lot out of my body. I'm not 26, I'm more like 46...All I'm focused on is winning. That's how I was going into the K9 fight. Everything was against me, we were in his backyard. All I told myself was 'just win.'”

Badou Jack

“Camp went well; I had an injury before and its 95 percent good right now in my right hand. I had a good camp; I sparred with Ronald Gavril, Louis Arias, and a couple other guys.

“I won my last fight with one hand basically. I threw a couple of rights, but I couldn’t throw it with any power. I had a torn ligament in my right hand, but it’s healed and I feel good right now.

“I haven’t seen that much about him [Francisco Sierra], but I guess he’s about my height. He seems to have a good right hand.

“I’m confident I’m going to beat him.

“It’s a big opportunity to fight on SHOWTIME. A lot of people dream about this so I am very blessed and happy for that. I want to thank Floyd Mayweather and SHOWTIME for this. If everything goes well this fight, hopefully we get a big fight in May maybe, we’ll see.”

Francisco Sierra

"I spent the first part of training in Tepic, Nayarit and I trained the last two weeks in Guadalajara, Jalisco. Training camp has been very good. I've been doing very well. I've been training a lot, almost too much.

"I've fought on television many times and been to San Antonio a bunch of times. I like fighting in front of a large crowd.

"My biggest strength is my wicked punch. When I was a young kid my trainers got me up to 22 wins, 21 by knockout, and I’m just trying to keep impressing people. 

"I know Badou Jack is a strong fighter but what we've got in common is that we've fought the same man, Marco Antonio Periban. I lost to him and Badou Jack didn't win. We fought the same guy so we're in the same category and Badou Jack's going to have to fight. He's going to have to give it. 

"There's a lot of Mexican blood up here in San Antonio and the Mexican people like boxing. 

"It's going to be a tough fight but I'm going to win.”

Chris Pearson

"It's another opportunity God is giving me to put my skills and confidence on display so I'm thankful. Any time I get an opportunity I'm thankful. We put in a lot of work so we're ready.

"I’m a boxer-puncher. I have a lot of amateur experience. I've been in with some tough guys and I've been able to beat some tough guys, so I feel like I'm proven. At this point I'm focused on Steve Martinez and on Friday night. The fans will see everything they need to see.

"Steve Martinez is just a solid guy. Not too much I'm looking out for. I know he comes to fight and I'm coming to fight, so we'll see what happens.

"I fought in San Antonio in the amateurs. I won in the National Trials here so I've been here a few times...San Antonio has a lot of Hispanics here and Hispanics are some of the biggest boxing fans that support the sport. It's going to be fun to have these guys at the Alamodome. I know the energy is going to be high.

"I'm focused on the fight right now. If I do what I need to do and take care of business and I'm sure 2015 will be a much bigger year, but I've got to take care of business Friday first.”

Steve Martinez

“To tell you the truth, for this training camp, I had tunnel vision. I have been focused on boxing, Chris Pearson, strength and conditioning, training, running and sparing. I have had tunnel vision preparing for this fight. The only thing I needed was a poster of him to wake up to see every morning. Everything else was blocked out.

“I watched his last fight and a couple of fights before that, but I wasn’t checking footage on him every day. A couple of times I checked him out to see what his defects are. I wasn’t doing that much studying, I let my trainer and my people around me do that.

“In his last fight there were times he got lazy, if he was to get lazy in there with me, it would be a different story. He should be on his toes and active 24/7. Every round, he must stay awake and active or else he will be baffled.

“I’m really humble, I know its SHOWTIME. I’m staying level headed. I’m not trying to be Mr. Big Shot and the star, I’m just trying to stay level.  If anything bad happened [in this fight], I could rocket down.  I’m staying level and staying humble. Coming out of the Bronx there are a lot of teens, kids, family members and neighbors that look up to me from my gym. It is a pleasure and an enjoyment. They know I’m working hard and I’m hungry. Coming out of the Bronx, it’s not a place where a lot of successful people come out of, so I am happy to show people that it is possible.

“My parents, friends, family and trainer know that this is a fight that I’ve been waiting for since I started boxing at 11-years-old. This is the fight I’ve been working more than half my life for to become a world champion. This is the first step to accomplishing my goals and dreams; my dream of becoming a world champion.”

# # #

“Lonestar Battle: Lara vs. Smith” is 12-round WBA Super Welterweight World Championship fight promoted by Mayweather Promotions and sponsored by Corona Extra. The night of fights is a SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION (10:15 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) taking place at the Illusions Theater at The Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Tickets, priced at $100, $75, $50 and $25, are on sale and may be purchased by calling The Alamodome Box Office at 800-745-3000. Tickets are also available online atwww.ticketmaster.com