The March 28 edition of ESPN Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra and ESPN Deportes’ Noche de Combates presentado por Corona Extra will feature the semifinals of the Lightweight portion of Boxcino 2014 sponsored by 1800 Tequila.
Friday’s show, from the 4 Bears Casino & Lodge in New Town, N.D., will air live at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN, broadband Spanish-language ESPN Deportes+ and WatchESPN. ESPN Deportes will televise the fights at 11:30 p.m. The card is promoted by Banner Promotions.
New Picture (4)Commentators:
Todd Grisham (@GrishamESPN), filling in for Joe Tessitore, will be ringside with Teddy Atlas describing the action for ESPN2. Doug Kezirian will fill in for Grisham in the studio. Delvin Rodríguez and Pablo Viruega will call the fights for Noche de Combates (Fight Night) on both ESPN Deportes and ESPN Deportes+, while Leopoldo González and Claudia Trejos will anchor the studio. Bilingual reporter Bernardo Osuna (@osunaespn) will present live interviews and reports for both shows. Current WBO Middleweight titlist Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin will appear in studio on both shows as a special guest.
Lightweight Semifinal Matchups: Eight Rounds Each
The semifinal round of the Lightweight tournament will feature:
Chris Rudd (13-1, 8 KOs) vs. Petr Petrov (33-4-2, 14 KOs)
Fernando Carcamo (16-5,13 KOs) vs. Miguel González (23-3,16 KOs)
Fighter backgrounds:
Spain’s Petrov, a former Jr. Welterweight world title challenger, won a six-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Fedor Papazov in the quarterfinal round of the Boxcino tournament. Rudd, fighting out of Tennessee, is coming off a six-round split decision win over Yakubu Amidu in the quarterfinal round. Ohio’s González scored a six-round split decision win over Miguel Mendoza in the quarterfinal round, while Mexico’s Caracamo is looking to advance to the finals following a second-round TKO win over previously undefeated Samuel Neequaye.
About Boxcino 2014:
The tournament, which started in February, is a single-elimination, two-weight class competition featuring eight fighters in the Lightweight and Middleweight divisions. Tournament details, TV schedule and brackets can be found on ESPN MediaZone. ESPN senior director of programming and acquisitions Brian Kweder, who oversees content strategy and acquisition for ESPN’s soccer, boxing and bowling properties, recently discussed the tournament in a Q&A on ESPN Front Row.
Upcoming ESPN Boxing Schedule:
Date
Time (ET)
Main Event
Location
Networks
Fri, Apr 11
10 p.m.
Gilberto Ramírez (27-0, 21 KOs) vs. Giovanni Lorenzo (33-6, 25 KOs)—10 rounds, Super Middleweights
Mandalay Bay Casino, Las Vegas
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
Fri, Apr 18
9 p.m.
Boxcino Middleweight
Semifinals: eight rounds each
Brandon Adams (13-0, 9 KOs) vs. Raymond Gatica (14-2, 9 KOs)
Willie Monroe Jr. (16-1, 6 KOs) vs. Vitalii Kopylenko (22-0, 12 KOs)
Turning Stone Casino, Verona, N.Y.
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
Thu, Apr 24
9 p.m.
Josesito López (31-6, 18 KOs) vs. Aron Martínez (19-2-1, 4 KOs)—10 rounds, Jr. Welterweights
Agua Caliente Casino, Palm Springs, Calif.
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN
Thu, May 1
9 p.m.
Roberto García (34-3, 22 KOs) vs. Victor Manuel Cayo (32-4, 23 KOs)—10 rounds, Welterweights
Hialeah Park Race Track,
Hialeah, Fla.
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN
Sat, May 10
8 p.m.
WBC World Heavyweight Championship: Bermane Stiverne (23-1-1, 20 KOs) vs. Chris Arreola (36-3, 31 KOs)—12 rounds
USC Galen Center,
Los Angeles
ESPN, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN
*Schedule subject to change
Friday Night Fights and Noche de Combates Social Media:
· Follow ESPN Friday Night Fights on Twitter @ESPNFNF or like it on Facebook.
· Score the fights round-by-round with the “Live Friday Night Fights Facebook Voting App,” an application on the ESPN FNF Facebook page that allows viewers to score the fight round-by-round.
· Follow ESPN Deportes’ Noche de Combates on Twitter @ESPNBoxeo.
· For the latest ESPN.com boxing news and analysis follow @ESPNBoxing.