FULL UNDERCARD ANNOUNCED FOR MARCH 2 SHOWTIME®EVENT AT HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO IN LAS VEGAS

JORGE MELENDEZ-RYAN DAVIS &

THOMAS WILLIAMS- KEVIN ENGEL HEAD UP

SHOWTIME EXTREME^® ACTION

LAS VEGAS, March 1 - Puerto Rican power puncher Jorge Melendez squares off against Granite City, Illinois’ Ryan Davis and unbeaten light heavyweight prospect Thomas Williams of Fort Washington, Maryland puts his unbeaten record on the line in an eight round battle against St. Louis’ Kevin Engel on Saturday, March 2 on SHOWTIME EXTREME just before the SHOWTIME^® Boxing-Special Edition telecast from The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas featuring the lightweight world title fight between Richar Abril and Sharif Bogere and the featherweight battle between Gary Russell Jr. and Vyacheslav Gusev.

Abril vs. Bogere, a 12-round fight for Abril’s WBA Lightweight World Championship, will take place Saturday, March 2 at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, sponsored by Corona and will be televised live on SHOWTIME telecast beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) with preliminary fights to air live on SHOWTIME EXTREME at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). The co-main event will be a 10-round featherweight bout between undefeated phenom Gary Russell Jr. and Russia's Vyacheslav Gusev.

Tickets priced at $150, $100, $75, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, along with a limited number of VIP suite seats priced at $125, are on sale at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, online atwww.ticketmaster.com or by phone at (800) 745-3000.

Twenty-four-year-old Jorge Melendez (25-2-1, 24 KO’s) is bringing a 12-fight winning streak into his Las Vegas debut this Saturday and you can expect that he will be looking to add another victory and knockout to his record.  The winner of 17 bouts by stoppage in three rounds or less, the Manati, Puerto Rico knockout artist is on the fast track to big things in the coming years.  Hoping to slow Melendez’ progress is 34-year-old“Dangerous” Ryan Davis (24-9-3, 9 KO’s), a veteran of over 13 years in the sport.  Unbeaten in five of his last six bouts, the Illinois native once took Zab Judah the 12-round distance and is looking forward to scoring the upset this weekend.

Maryland’s Thomas Williams Jr. (12-0, 9 KO’s) earned rave reviews for a 2012 campaign in which he went 5-0 with four knockouts (three in the first round) and he got 2013 off to an equally impressive start in January with a third round technical knockout over fellow prospect Jason Smith.  On Saturday, the 25-year-old meets Missouri’s Kevin “Hitman” Engel (20-7, 16 KO’s), a hard-hitting 32-year-old who has won two of his last three heading into this pivotal matchup.

In other undercard action…

Unbeaten Jeffrey Fontanez (10-0, 9 KO’s) of Caguas, Puerto Rico faces longtime standout Daniel Attah (27-13-1, 10 KO’s) of Washington, DC by way of Calabar,Nigeria, in a six round lightweight bout.

Las Vegas super middleweight Luis Arias (3-0, 2 KO’s) who fights under the Mayweather Promotions banner meets Mexicali, Mexico’s Arsenio Terraza (9-3, 8 KO’s) in a six round matchup and in the four round welterweight opener, Monongahela, Pennsylvania’sSammy Vasquez (6-0, 4 KO’s) takes on Fort Lauderdale’s Leandro Albornoz (15-2-1, 5 KO’s).

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and follow on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/richard_abril,www.twitter.com/sharifbogere, www.twitter.com/mrgaryrusselljr,www.twitter.com/DestroyerPR, www.twitter.com/@Topdoggjr, www.twitter.com/@FontanezJeffrey,  www.twitter.com/TheJointLV, www.twitter.com/hardrockhotellv andwww.twitter.com/SHOsports, follow the conversation using #AbrilBogere or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing andwww.facebook.com/SHOsports.

WBA LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION RICHAR ABRIL, TOP-RATED CONTENDER SHARIF BOGERE, UNBEATEN GARY RUSSELL JR. & VYACHESLAV GUSEV FINAL WORKOUT QUOTES

“This motivates me even more to put on a good fight for the fans

and show them that I’m the real deal.”

– Richar Abril

“I’m confident that after Saturday, people will know my name and know who I am.”

– Sharif Bogere

The SHOWTIME BOXING – Special Edition Airs This Saturday, March 2,

Live on SHOWTIME^® (10 p.m. ET/PT)

From Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada; Tickets on Sale

LAS VEGAS (Feb. 27, 2013) – When Cuba’s Richar Abril (17-3-1, 8 KO’s), of Miami, Fla., steps into the ring to face undefeated Ugandan Sharif “The Lion” Bogere (23-0, 15 KO’s), of Las Vegas, this Saturday, March 2 in the main event of SHOWTIME BOXING – Special Edition live on SHOWTIME^® (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, he will be making the first defense of his WBA Lightweight World Championship.

The WBA recently announced that it had elevated Abril from interim champion to regular champion, a decision fully supported by both Abril and Bogere.

“I had no idea it was happening and it was definitely a surprise,” said Abril during Tuesday’s media workout at Long Life Fit Boxing Gym in Las Vegas. “But it was a great surprise. Every fighter has aspirations of becoming a world champion.  Anybody who watched absolutely knows I beat Brandon Rios (in a bout on April 14, 2012) and that I deserved the decision.  Ever since then, in my heart, I always considered myself the WBA champion.  The WBA only made it official.

“This motivates me even more to put on a good fight for the fans and show them that I’m the real deal.”

Said Bogere after his workout, “I don’t think anybody is satisfied fighting for an interim title. We want a full title, a world title.  I’ve been waiting my whole life for this chance.  Uganda is one of the poorest countries on the planet.  Most people don’t know how hard it’s been to get from where I started to where I’m at now.  Fighting for the WBA title is an opportunity of a lifetime.

“People talk about my ring entrance, and that’s really good.  It’s gotten me a lot of attention. They may not know my name, but they’ve maybe heard of the kid and his lion.  I’m confident that after Saturday, people will know my name and know who I am.’’

In Saturday’s co-feature, talented, undefeated southpaw Gary Russell Jr. (23-0, 15 KO’s), ofCapitol Heights, Md., meets Russia’s Vyacheslav Gusev (20-2, 5 KO’s) in a 10-round featherweight bout.

Russell is coming off of one of 2012’s most devastating knockout victories, a brutal one-punch, third-round stoppage over Roberto Castaneda last Nov. 9 on ShoBox: The New Generation.

“I’m satisfied with the way my career is going and at the pace it’s going,’’ said the classy, world-rated Russell, who may possess the fastest hands in boxing.  “I refuse to listen to anybody who says anything negative about it.  I think in a couple more fights I’ll be ready to challenge for a world title.

“I’m not overlooking anybody.  I’ve seen tapes of Gusev and he seems to have that classic European style, although he does try and box.  He certainly has the potential to be a spoiler. He’s the type that if you allow him to set the pace, he’ll run up the points on you.  I expect a good fight on Saturday.”

Said Gusev, who’ll be making his second start in the United States: “I’m very relaxed, calm and confident.  I’ve seen some of Russell’s fights and know he is a very good fighter.

“I’m excited about this fight and looking forward to it.  It’s not going to be easy, but I am here to win.  I didn’t come all this way to lose.”

ABOUT "ABRIL VS BOGERE":

Abril vs. Bogere, a 12-round fight for Abril’s WBA Lightweight World Championship, will take place Saturday, March 2 at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.  The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, sponsored by Corona and will be televised live on SHOWTIME beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) with preliminary fights to air live on SHOWTIME EXTREME at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).  The co-main event will be a 10-round featherweight bout between undefeated phenom Gary Russell Jr. and Russia’s Vyacheslav Gusev.

Tickets priced at $150, $100, $75, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, along with a limited number of VIP suite seats priced at $125, are on sale at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at (800) 745-3000.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/richard_abril, www.twitter.com/sharifbogere, www.twitter.com/mrgaryrusselljr, www.twitter.com/TheJointLV, www.twitter.com/hardrockhotellv, www.twitter.com/SHOsports, follow the conversation using #AbrilBogere or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing or www.facebook.com/SHOsports.

SHARIF BOGERE REFLECTS ON LIFE IN UGANDA AND HIS GOAL AS A WORLD-CLASS FIGHTER

*VIDEO ALERT*

From Poverty and Humility in Africa To An Auspicious Future in Las Vegas:

SHOWTIME BOXING – SPECIAL EDITION: ABRIL vs. BOGERE

This Saturday, March 2 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME®

                               

The bright lights of Las Vegas, Nev., are a stark contrast to the mean streets of Kampala, Uganda, where undefeated lightweight contender Sharif “The Lion” Bogere had to hustle to survive.  A former African amateur champion, Bogere lived with his family in a one-room house in Kampala before moving to the United States in 2007 to focus on his boxing career.  This Saturday on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT), the aggressive and entertaining Bogere gets his first shot at a world championship against WBA Lightweight World Champion Richar “El Tigre” Abril.  Almost 10,000 miles away from Kampala in the boxing capital of the world, Bogere will look to make himself a household name.

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