Antonio Tarver, Jr. making pro debut Sept. 29 on card headlined by his father Antonio 'Magic Man' Tarver

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release MIAMI (September 17, 2014) - A boxing rarity will happen September 29 when Antonio Tarver, Jr. makes his professional debut on the same card his father, 5-time world light heavyweight champion and 1996 U.S. Olympian Antonio "Magic Man" Tarver (30-6, 21 KOs), is headlining in a 10-round heavyweight bout against veteran Johnathon Banks (29-2-1, 19 KOs). Tarver-Banks is the main event on a Golden Boy Promotions show, airing live on Fox Sports 1 from State Farm Arena in Hildalgo, Texas. Tarver, Jr. will face Zachary Briones (1-1, 1 KO), of Austin (TX), in a four-round, off-television bout. "This is a blessing," the 26-year-old Tarver, Jr. said about making his pro debut on a card headlined by his 45-year-old father. "I've always wanted to fight. This just happens to be on the same fight card as my father. My father came from nothing and he's always persevered. Everything has worked out wonderfully. "I grew up in Daytona Beach, playing basketball and football, but I've known fighters who were on the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team with my father - Floyd Mayweather, Jr., Nate Jones and others - since I was a little kid. I was always with my father at his fights and in the gym, but he never let me fight. Boxing is in my blood, though, and I finally started boxing after I hurt my ankle playing basketball. I was 19 and weighed around 200 pounds. I was in Tampa with my father and went to the West Tampa Boxing Gym, the old Legends, to get some help because my father said I had to lose weight before I could fight. It took me six months because of my ankle to get down to 180. I didn't have my first amateur fight until I was 20. I finished with an 11-1 record as an amateur and now I'm just trying to catch up. I'm getting my feet as fast as my hands; nobody is tougher than me. I'm going to fight as a junior middleweight but this fight will be at 160."   (L-R) - Antonio Tarver, head trainer Orlando Cuellar and Antonio Tarver, Jr. Father and son are quite different, in and out of the ring, outside of them both being southpaws. "I'm much more aggressive and he's more defensive," Tarver Jr. explained. "The first thing he taught me was defense. I have the best of both worlds, working side-by-side with him in the gym every day. My father taught me defense but I've learned how to mix it up. I keep my hands up but let 'em go, too. My father and I are different people and fighters. I don't have a shaved head like him, either." Tarver did everything he could to keep his son out of boxing. "I can't tell you how surprised I am he took it upon himself to choose boxing and really concentrate on it. He always came to the gym with me but I never thought I would see my son fight professionally, never mind make his pro debut on my card. He'd come to camp and soak it all in but I always tried to deter him from boxing. "I think he's a diamond in the rough, a sleeper prospect who will blossom. People should truly take notice because he's going to be a special fighter. Antonio is a quick learner and dedicated. I've tried to be an example for him and now he's pushing me in training camp. We are different. I'm a defensive fighter, something that's a lost art. He's aggressive, something I'm not, a real fan-friendly fighter. I'm going to help create and develop him into a fighting machine. An all-around, complete fighter with speed, power and defense. He only had a few amateur fights but he's going to be the next big thing in boxing. It would be unfair for people to compare him to his father because of our different journeys we've taken in boxing." Both are training at Brazilian Rocky Fight Club in Miami with head trainer Orlando Cuellar, who trained Glen Johnson for his two fights (1-1) with Tarver. Cuellar sees similarities and differences as well working daily with the Tarvers. "This is the first time I've trained a father and his son," Cuellar commented, "but I don't look at it that way. They are two fighters with separate needs. It does blow my mind when I think about it outside the gym. The father is more of an outside fighter who isn't going inside just to get some respect. His technique is deeper. Antonio is a boxer/puncher, while his son is a boxer learning to work the three distances. In that process, in time or in so many fights, he will develop his own identity picking up the technique of the three distances. He has taken from a 5-time world champion but has also added to it. "There are three places to fight in the ring: outside, middle and inside. I enjoy working with a pressure fighter like Junior because I want my guys to drop and stop opponents. They apply pressure to breakdown opponents, starting on the outside, working to the middle, and then getting inside. Junior is a very promising prospect who likes to mix it up and let his punches fly. His father, of course, has a lot more experience. He's a tactical fighter who plays mind games inside the ring with his opponent. He's a very intelligent fighter." The acorn hasn't fallen far from the Tarver's tree.   INFORMATION: www.OfficialAntonioTarver.com  @MagicMan5XChamp

Antonio 'Magic Man' Tarver Fighting for his legacy

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release Returns Sept. 29 vs. Johnathon Banks in Texas MIAMI (September 4, 2014) - The long, arduous journey continues later this month for 5-time world light heavyweight champion and 2004 U.S. Olympian Antonio "Magic Man" Tarver (30-6, 21 KOs). The ultra-confident 45-year-old southpaw is on a mission to capture the world heavyweight title, undeniably securing his legacy as one of the greatest boxers of all-time. Tarver returns to the ring September 29against veteran Johnathon Banks (29-2-1, 19 KOs) in the 10-round main event, on a Golden Boy Promotions card, airing live on Fox Sports 1 from State Farm Arena in Hildalgo, Texas. "Al (Haymon, his adviser) has given me this chance," Tarver explained. "If I retiredtomorrow, I would feel unfulfilled despite so much I've done as a fighter. The only reason I get up every morning to train hard is to win the world heavyweight championship. I'm on a dream path again. Outside of falling a little short in Atlanta (he won a bronze medal, losing to eventual champion Vassiliy Jirov), I've never had a dream in or out of the ring that I didn't accomplish. I won the world light heavyweight title, made it to Hollywood (starring as Mason Dixon inRocky VI), and did commentary for a major network. "I will be world heavyweight champion and I'll break George Foreman's record as the oldest. I don't want to beat just any guy with the world title belt, I want Wladimir Klitschko, and to set-up that fight I will challenge and defeat David Haye, if he has the guts to fight me. Even at 45, I have so much fight in me, and there isn't a heavyweight I can't beat in a 12-round fight, unless they knock me out, something nobody's been able to do in my entire career." First, though, Tarver needs to win in impressive fashion against Banks, who, ironically, also trains Klitschko. "Banks is a good fighter," Tarver continued, "but I'm going into this fight in top shape, weighing 220 pounds, and totally focused. I'll be sharp, quick, elusive and throwing combination punches should be the keys to victory. I will prevail and continue my journey." Tarver, fighting out of Tampa, believes he's as much a threat today as he was during his "Murder's Row"-like 4-year, 9-fight stretch between 2002-2006, in which he had a 6-3 record, defeating Roy Jones, Jr. in two of three, splitting a pair with Glen Johnson, defeating Montell Griffin, Eric Harding and Reggie Johnson, and losing to Bernard Hopkins. "I never won a close fight and in my mind I've lost only twice, one to a 14-years younger version of myself, Chad Dawson, and Bernard Hopkins. Kelly Pavlik's the only other fighter than me who knows what it's like to be decisively favored and beaten by Hopkins, who is going to beat (Sergey) Kovalev, too. I never got a rematch with Bernard. "I've never gotten the credit I deserve. I'm going to quiet my critics who never mention me as a Hall of Famer. I'm the best defensive fighter in boxing history. I've never been cut or hurt and that's why I'm still here. Defense is a lost art. This is going to be sweet! I love boxing and I've forgotten more about it than kids today will ever know. I have a lot of experience. People have been sleeping on my abilities for a long time. I'm on a mission!" Tarver will be headlining the card his 26-year-old middleweight son, Antonio Tarver, Jr., will making his professional debut. The Tarvers train at Brazilian Rocky Fight Club in Miami, under the guidance of head trainer Orlando Cuellar, who, ironically, trained Johnson for his two fights with Tarver. Tarver & Cuellar "I believe in Antonio because of his dedication, discipline and willingness to do what it takes to do as well as he possibly can," Cuellar commented. "I've been sold on him since he walked in the gym and said he was 'in it to win it.' I'm not looking at his age. Hell, he's been pushing me in training camp. I studied him carefully when he fought Glen and now I'm training him. It's not so much about winning with Antonio, it's really how much he hates to lose. People can't write this guy off. There is a reason he's a 5-time world champion. When the lights come on, he's going to turn it up, and Banks is going to need his A game to deal with Antonio." The clock is ticking for Tarver. Every fight for him is now a must win. "My record speaks for itself," he concluded. "Writing me off is a big mistake. I'm going to do something big before I retire. People are going to see on September 29th the magic that's been missing for a long time. My last few fights I didn't scratch the surface of my abilities. I'm back...The Magic Man is back!" INFORMATION: www.OfficialAntonioTarver.com  @MagicMan5XChamp

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®: MALIGNAGGI VS. BRONER GARNERS SECOND HIGHEST VIEWERSHIP FOR BOXING ON SHOWTIME® WITH 1.3 MILLION VIEWERS

NEW YORK (June 26, 2013) – Last Saturday night’s hotly contested Paulie Malignaggi vs. Adrien Broner Welterweight World Championship fight attracted an audience of 1.3 million viewers, the second-largest viewing audience for a bout on SHOWTIME since the network began tracking individual fights in 2009. 

The average viewership for the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING televised tripleheader—promoted by Golden Boy Promotions from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center—was also the second highest average since Nielsen began separating SHOWTIME from the networks’ multiplex channels in 2004. 

In the nearly 10 years since 2004, three of the top-four most watched SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING live telecasts have aired in the last seven months—Cotto vs. Trout, Dec. 2012; Malignaggi vs. Broner, June 2013; Canelo vs. Trout, April 2013—marking an upward trend.  The fourth was Bernard Hopkins vs. Jean Pascal in 2010.

Further, the top-four largest audiences for an individual bout on SHOWTIME have come in the last 10 months—the aforementioned three plus Canelo vs. Lopez in Sept. 2012. 

The surge in average viewership over the past two years represents an increase of over 50% since 2011 with two consecutive years of double-digit percentage gains.  From 2011 through 2012, SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING ratings were up more than 30 percent and from 2012 to present, including last Saturday’s telecast, they are up 16 percent.

ADRIEN BRONER JOINS ELITE COMPANY WITH THIRD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN HARD FOUGHT SPLIT DECISION WIN OVER PAUL MALIGNAGGI

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING^® Telecast Will Replay Sunday Morning

at 7:30 a.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME^®

NEW YORK (June 23, 2013) – In front of a crowd of 11,461 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, Adrien Broner won a hard-fought split decision over Paulie Malignaggi to win the WBA Welterweight World Championship.  Broner (27-0, 22 KO’s) of Cincinnati, Ohio made history as he became the third fighter to jump two weight classes and win a welterweight world championship joining Hall of Famer Roberto Duran and future candidate Shane Mosley.

Brooklyn’s Malignaggi (32-5, 7 KO’s) and Broner entered the ring after weeks of trash talking throughout the event promotion.  Their disdain for each other was evident during the fight in antics that forced referee Benjy Esteves halt the action and demand that they “keep it professional.”  Malignaggi started out strong in the first five rounds, landing sharp combinations to the body, but Broner gained the momentum in the middle rounds and never relinquished.  The judges scored the bout 115-113 and 117-111 for Broner and 115-113 for Malignaggi.

Broner, who carried an 85-percent knockout-to-win ratio into the bout, was forced to earn the first split decision of his career against the crafty Malignaggi. 

“Paulie fought exactly how I thought he was going to,” said Broner.  “He was shadow boxing.  My next opponent, I’m going to let you all pick.  I’m good.  I beat Paulie.  I left with his belt.”

“I think I worked him.  This was a close fight,” Malignaggi said after the fight. “The fight could have went either way.  I don’t think he did enough to take the belt from the champion.”

In a heavyweight rematch between Jonathan Banks (29-2-1, 19 KOs) of Detroit, Mich. and Seth Mitchell (26-1-1, 19 KO’s) of Brandywine, Md., Mitchell outlasted Banks to take the victory via unanimous decision (115-112, 117-109, 114-112).  Mitchell overcame a tough third round to even their series at 1-1.

In the opening bout of the evening, Sakio Bika (32-5-2, 21 KO’s) of Sydney, Australia defeated Marco Antonio Periban (20-1, 13 KOs) of Mexico City, Mexico, to be crowned the WBC Super Middlewight Champion.  Bika prevailed in the tough, hard-fought battle by winning a majority decision (114-114, 116-112, 115-113) after sending Periban to the canvas in round seven and surviving a clash of heads in round nine.  Periban suffered his first loss in the emotionally charged fight.

After the fight, Bika said, “I expected the fight to go the distance.  He was tough, very tough.  It was a great fight and I gave my heart and soul.  I worked hard and I dedicated myself to this fight.  I want to fight the best.  I’ll fight Andre Ward.  I’ll fight anyone.”

Barclays Center was buzzing with celebrities including pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather, Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko and his girlfriend, actress Hayden Panettiere, Super Lightweight Champion Danny Garcia, Middleweight Champion Peter Quillin and former World Champion Zab Judah.

The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast will replay Sunday at 7:30 am ET/PT on SHOWTIME and Tuesday, June 25 at 10:00 pm ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME.

Paulie Malignaggi: A Champ from the Neighborhood - SHOWTIME Boxing

WEIGHTS FOR SATURDAY, JUNE 22 FIGHTS AT BARCLAYS CENTER IN BROOKLYN

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT):

WBA WELTERWEIGHT TITLE - 12 ROUNDS
PAULIE MALIGNAGGI – 146.4 Pounds
ADRIEN BRONER – 146.8 Pounds

NABO & WBC INTERNATIONAL HEAVYWEIGHT TITLES - 12 ROUNDS
JOHNATHON BANKS – 216.6 Pounds
SETH MITCHELL – 243.8 Pounds

VACANT WBC SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE - 12 ROUNDS
SAKIO BIKA – 167.2 Pounds
MARCO ANTONIO PERIBAN – 167.2 Pounds

SHOWTIME EXTREME (7 p.m. ET/PT):

MIDDLEWEIGHTS - 8 ROUNDS

JULIAN WILLIAMS – 155 Pounds
JOACHIM ALCINE – 154 Pounds

CRUISERWEIGHTS - 6 ROUNDS

MARCUS BROWNE – 176.8 Pounds
RICARDO CAMPILLO – 176 Pounds

BANTAMWEIGHTS - 4/6 ROUNDS (Time Permitting)

RAU’SHEE WARREN – 117.6 Pounds
JOVANY FUENTES – 116.8 Pounds

NON-TELEVISED FIGHTS

FEATHERWEIGHTS - 8 ROUNDS

JUAN DOMINGUEZ – 121 Pounds
BRADLEY PATRAW – 122.6 Pounds

MIDDLEWEIGHTS - 6 ROUNDS

FRANK GALARZA – 155.4 Pounds
ROMON BARBER – 155.6 Pounds

LIGHTWEIGHTS - 6 ROUNDS

ROBERT EASTER JR. – 133 Pounds
ANTOINE KNIGHT – 132.6 Pounds

LIGHTWEIGHTS - 4 ROUNDS

JAMEL HERRING – 133.2 Pounds
CALVIN SMITH – 132.4 Pounds

#  #  #

ABOUT “MALIGNAGGI VS BRONER”:

Malignaggi vs. Broner, a 12-round fight for Malignaggi’s WBA Welterweight World Championship, will take place Saturday, June 22, 2013 at BarclaysCenter in Brooklyn, New York.  The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and R & R Promotions, supported by Golden Boy Promotions’ sponsors Corona and AT&T and will be televised live on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING^® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.  In the co-featured bouts, Johnathon Banks will look to repeat his 2012 upset win over Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell as he defends his NABO and WBC International Heavyweight titles in a 12-round fight presented in association with K2 Promotions and number one rated WBC super middleweight contender Sakio Bika faces number four rated WBC super middleweight contender Marco Antonio Periban in a 12-round fight for the vacant WBC Super Middleweight World Championship.  SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING^® is available in Spanish on secondary audio programming (SAP).  Preliminary fights will air on SHOWTIME EXTREME at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Remaining tickets priced at $250, $125, $75, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes and service charges, are on sale now at www.barclayscenter.com,www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-745-3000 and at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center.  For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.

PAULIE MALIGNAGGI, ADRIEN BRONER, JOHNATHON BANKS, SETH MITCHELL, SAKIO BIKA & MARCO ANTONIO PERIBAN FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING Tripleheader This Saturday, June 22 Live on SHOWTIME® (9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT) From Barclays Center in Brooklyn Preliminary Fights On SHOWTIME Extreme (7:00 p.m. ET/PT) Tickets Still Available   Click HERE To Download Photos Paulie Malignaggi "It's gotten a little bit crazy, we'll admit that.  I can take some of the blame, but I can't take all of it.  I can only apologize for my end, but at the end of the day, this is how the creation of Adrien Broner happened, in my opinion.  They put everything that's wrong with boxing in one room, did everything that's wrong with boxing in that room and gave birth to Adrien Broner and you people are eating it up.  "I don't have to admit anything on Saturday night.  I'll admit he's a talented fighter now, but there's a lot more than talent that it takes to get to the top.  I've been in gyms across the country, across the world and you see talented fighters all the time that don't make it, just hanging out in the gym, working out.  They just don't get those breaks, so it isn't about talent.  A little bit of the package is talent and he's got that part of the package; I'm not going to lie to you.  "Did anybody notice he was here a half hour before the press conference and then pretended he was late?  Then he shows up an hour into the press conference trying to show up fashionably late.  Stop trying so hard, bro.  Just do what you have to do.  You're being a clown.  "Mr. Schaefer talked about detours and how some fighters have to take detours and others don't.  It all depends on the matchmaking.  It all depends on who's got your back.  Mr. Al Haymon has taken good care of Adrien Broner and that's why he is where he is now.  There are a lot more talented fighters than Adrien Broner that don't get the credit they deserve.  I'm not saying he's not talented, I'm just saying Al Haymon is responsible for this creation right here.  "There are detours that he hasn't had to take.  I was a talented prospect at one time too.  You know what I was rewarded with my first title fight?  Miguel Cotto.  You know what his reward was for his first world title fight?  Some guy Rodriguez, who I can't even remember his name.  OK?  There's a difference.  We end up on detours because of the people that have our backs.  Instead of praying to God every night he should pray to Al Haymon for making him the creation that he is.  "This guy is nothing and on Saturday night I'm going to prove how nothing he is. [To Broner]  "You remember in that locker room at Wild Card Gym a couple of years ago when you were getting ready to fight (Daniel) Ponce (de Leon) and we were in the locker room and your were all nervous about going the distance?  You think I forgot that conversation you had with me?  I had to explain to him how to go 10 rounds without mentally killing yourself.  He gets to the fight and throws about 16 punches for 10 rounds and gets the decision.  My man, you're going 12 Saturday.  I'm going to beat your ass." Adrien Broner "I really didn't come here to talk trash, we did enough of that.  We're two days out.  It's really fight time for me.  It's about business. I really wasn't going to come up here, honestly.  I really wasn't going to come up here and talk, but that would have been disrespectful to my fans, even the ones who hate me.  They're still my fans because they want to see me lose, so I came up anyway. "All I want to say is, I HAVE to put on a hell of a show on Saturday night.  Like I said before, I'm not here to bad (mouth) Paulie.  You're a great champion, you're a great Italian, I'm dead serious. "I'll be a three-time world champion on Saturday at the age of 23.  With that being said, let Paulie talk his little BS.  At the end of day, I'm knocking him the (expletive) out.  He's never been knocked out. "I just say to you Paulie, who I know is a very good commentator, you asked a lot of questions about Adrien Broner.  You said, 'how is he in big fights?  Can he punch?  What's going to happen when someone punches him back?'  I'm just asking you man to man if he comes in and proves this to you, as a great commentator make sure you tell the world how good this kid is.  He's not getting his accolades. "I went from 120 to 135 pounds.  I'm moving up to 147, two weight divisions, and that has not been done.  I'm looking to make history and be the first current American three-time champion, so make sure you [Malignaggi] tell the public he is truly a good fighter. "I'll see you all on Saturday night.  It's going to be a hell of a fight...a hell of a fight." Johnathon Banks "I want to thank K2 Promotions, SHOWTIME, Golden Boy Promotions and, once again, the respect, honor and the hard work of Team Mitchell.  I definitely respect him as a fighter and his whole team.  "Saturday night is going to be a good night.  It's going to be a night of fireworks from the main event and I think the whole card.  With all the talking that's been done at the press conference, the telephone calls, the media workouts and all that stuff, I look forward to Saturday.  "This is what I do.  This is my life.  This is what I always have done and this is what I'm going to be doing.  "I want to thank my team, my coach, my cut man.  I want to thank everybody for helping me prepare for the fight.  We've had a good camp and we're just looking forward to Saturday night." Seth Mitchell "First and foremost, as always, I'd like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for giving me strength to endure some trying times in my life.  I want to thank SHOWTIME for giving me this opportunity.  I'm very fortunate and very blessed considering what happened in the last fight to have this opportunity to redeem myself on this level. "This sport is very unforgiving and I understand that.  I want to thank my team, Andre Hunter, my trainer, Al Haymon, who's my advisor and I want to thank Golden Boy Promotions for sticking behind me and giving me this opportunity. "The first fight was a tough loss for me and it took me a little while to get over it, but I truly believe everything happens for a reason.  We went back to the drawing board, we did a couple of things and I'm very excited about this rematch. "I'm thankful that Johnathon Banks gave me this rematch.  He's a class act, but this Saturday we're not going to be nice to each other in the ring.  He's well-prepared.  I'm prepared.  I'm just excited.  I want to thank all my fans for continuing to stick behind me.  Just know that I have truly learned from this loss.  I don't talk about it much because no matter what I say I have to go out and show it on Saturday." Sakio Bika    "Thank you to everyone at Barclays Center.  I want to say thank you to God and thank you to my trainer, Kevin Cunningham, for putting me in this position.  I'm very happy to be here.  "It's going to be a very good fight on Saturday.  If you don't have your tickets, you need to go get some tickets.  This fight with Marco is going to be very entertaining.  I know he's coming to fight and I'm coming to fight too.  I'm very confident that I can win this belt.  "I want to thank you to my family back in Australia and my new baby girl.  She's going to be very happy to see me come home with the belt.  I'm really sure I'm going to be a world champion on Saturday." Marco Antonio Periban "It's a pleasure to be here.  I want to thank all the people from Brooklyn for giving me the opportunity to come over here and fight.  I'm here to put on a great fight, enjoy myself and win the world title. "I want to dedicate this fight to a trainer of mine who passed away recently, Rudy Perez.  Most of you in the boxing business know him as the great trainer of Marco Antonio Barrera. "I look forward to seeing you all at this great event.  It's going to be a hell of a fight." Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions "Weekend after weekend, fight after fight, SHOWTIME has really stepped up to the plate and has brought the best boxing has to offer to fight fans here in the United States.  The man responsible for that is Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President & General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports and it is a pleasure to introduce him. "There are different ways to get to the top.  Some go straight and some take a detour.  Actually, most take a detour and I think that's what Team Mitchell experienced when they fought their last fight against Johnathon Banks. "Seth Mitchell wanted the rematch right away.  He didn't want to take another detour.  He wanted to go for the rematch straight away and so did his team and us as his promoter. "Of course, Johnathon Banks was happy to get into the ring with Mitchell again and show what he is all about.  He is going to try to repeat and Seth Mitchell is looking to correct and learn from the mistakes he made in the first fight. "The captain of the ship, Seth "Mayhem" Mitchell, with a record of 25-1-1, is really one of my favorite people outside of the ring as well.  He is polite, he's kind, he's well spoken and a great representative and ambassador of the sport of boxing.  He has been a successful athlete before as a former Michigan State linebacker who found his true calling in the ring and has torn through his opposition leading up to the Johnathon Banks fight.  Many felt he was the next great hope for the American heavyweight title.  We still believe he is, and I'm excited to see Seth Mitchell on Saturday night. "Adrien is an amazing fighter, an amazing talent, very charismatic, a great self-promoter as well.  He's really the kind of fighter who evokes emotions and there are very few fighters who have that talent to evoke emotions, good ones or bad ones, but he does evoke emotions, and as a result people watch.  People want to see him win, or they want to see him lose, but people watch.  Adrien Broner is one of those few, few talents who might come around once in a lifetime, once in a generation.  He is one of them. "Paulie has been counted out many times, but has always found a way to turn back the doubters and prove the people wrong.  He moved up to 147, a lot of people thought he was done and he proved them wrong.  He went to the Ukraine, everybody thought he was crazy, that he was never going to win and he proved them wrong.  Now he wants to prove wrong all of those people who think that it's going to be a walk in the park for Broner." Tom Loeffler, Managing Director of K2 Promotions "There's not much to be said about the main event, they speak for themselves.  It's a terrific main event, but as Richard said, the first heavyweight title fight here at Barclays Center is really something special. "The first fight only went two rounds, but it was an electric two rounds.  Seth Mitchell was targeted as the number one ranked heavyweight at that time, so with Johnathon beating him, we believe that he is the best heavyweight right now here in the United States. "With the fight coming up on Saturday, both fighters are very respectful and very well-spoken, but you will see in the ring there will be fireworks. "One additional note with Johnathon, he is the only fighter that I know of in history to be a trainer of heavyweight champions and also compete at the championship level at heavyweight. "Wladimir Klitschko, the boxer that he trains, is coming to support him Saturday night." Brett Yormark, CEO of Barclays Center "We are thrilled to hosting our fourth night of world championship boxing here at Barclays Center. "Brooklyn is known for its great champions such as Mike Tyson, Riddick Bowe, Zab Judah and we have a great Brooklyn champion fighting Saturday night in Paulie Malignaggi.  We're proud to have him back at Barclays Center defending his title against Adrien Broner. "We are thrilled to be hosting our first ever heavyweight title bout at Barclays Center with Johnathon Banks versus Seth Mitchell.  We're happy to have three title fights here Saturday night, but we also look forward to continuing to launch the careers of other Brooklyn fighters such as Juan Dominguez and Frank Galarza." Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President & General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports "With all the attention that the main event has gotten, deservedly so, it's easy to forget that this is a tripleheader.  It's not just any tripleheader, it's a tripleheader of evenly matched, competitive fights, and that's what we at SHOWTIME want to become known for and, quite honestly, have become known for this year...evenly matched, competitive fights.  All three fights on this card are 50-50 toss-up fights.  They're the type of fights we've been showcasing all year.  Our card on June 8 from The Home Depot Center was probably the most exciting card of the year...again, evenly matched, competitive fights.  "Periban-Bika is a fight that quite honestly for which you could flip a coin.  It's a very tough one.  Banks-Mitchell, one of the most exciting fights of year in the heavyweight division, is a fight not to be missed as well.  Of course, you can't say enough about Paulie and Adrien and the battle that they've been waging outside the ring and finally will be waging inside the ring.  "I also want to acknowledge Brett Yormark and Barclays Center staff.   One of the things that we've been trying to do is continually innovate.  One of the newest innovations that Brett has been pushing is BarclaysCenter.com and the featuring content there.  This press conference is being streamed on SHO.com as well as BarclaysCenter.com.  The same is being done for tomorrow's weigh-in.  If you can't make it out to Borough Hall, you can watch it on SHO.com or BarclaysCenter.com.  We look forward to working with the Barclays Center and developing more content going forward.  "Finally, we are very pleased to be welcoming Bernard Hopkins in as our color commentator.  The future Hall of Famer will be a temporary replacement when our normal color commentator is otherwise occupied on Saturday night." #  #  # ABOUT "MALIGNAGGI VS BRONER": Malignaggi vs. Broner, a 12-round fight for Malignaggi's WBA Welterweight World Championship, will take place Saturday, June 22, 2013 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.  The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and R & R Promotions, supported by Golden Boy Promotions' sponsors Corona and AT&T and will be televised live on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.  In the co-featured bouts, Johnathon Banks will look to repeat his 2012 upset win over Seth "Mayhem" Mitchell as he defends his NABO and WBC International Heavyweight titles in a 12-round fight presented in association with K2 Promotions and number one rated WBC super middleweight contender Sakio Bika faces number four rated WBC super middleweight contender Marco Antonio Periban in a 12-round fight for the vacant WBC Super Middleweight World Championship.  SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® is available in Spanish on secondary audio programming (SAP).  Preliminary fights will air on SHOWTIME EXTREME at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). Tickets priced at $250, $125, $75, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes and service charges, are on sale now at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling800-745-3000 and at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center.  For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.