Top boxing champions will provide live coverage of Luis Ortiz and Charles Martin’s final press conference and the official equalizer on the PBC YouTube page. Ortiz and Martin went head-to-head in an IBF Heavyweight Knockout titled FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View this Saturday, January 1 from Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood , Florida.
The new year will kick off with a bang, as five exciting heavyweight fights take place midstage on FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View on New Year’s Day live from Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
The main event will see top heavyweight Luis “King Kong” Ortiz take on former heavyweight champion Charles Martin in the main event, alongside rising heavyweight star Frank “The Cuban Flash” Sanchez against Christian Hammer in the main event. Hammer replaces Carlos Negron, who was forced to withdraw after testing positive for COVID.
The pay-per-view action kicks off at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT and will also see heavyweights Jonnie Rice and Michael Coffie battle it out in a rematch. Lasting 10 rounds, former title challenger Gerald “El Gallo Negro” Washington in a 10th round faced Turkish track and field athletes Ali Eren Demirezen and undefeated Viktor Faust faced Iago Kiladze in the match. 10 innings to unlock pay-per-view.
Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotion, said: “Heavyweight boxing has always been a must, and we’ll kick off the new year with nothing more than titanic fighters looking to impress in their fights. FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotion. “This is a stacked battle lineup available to fans for the affordable price tag of $39.99. Luis Ortiz and Charles Martin are both among the top heavyweights and should be able to cement their positions for a world championship with a win on January 1. One of the heavyweights. The most active rising star, Frank Sanchez, will return to action after the best victory of his career in October. With all five fights, New Year’s Day will be filled with non-stop action packed with fights. The epic battle took place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. ”
Ticket for the live event promoted by TGB Promotion, will go on sale Monday, November 22 at 10 a.m. ET and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com. Pre-sale tickets go on sale this Friday, November 19 at 10 a.m. ET.
With exceptional strength and great technical skill, Ortiz (32-2, 27 KOs) has been a fixture at the top of the heavyweight rankings for many years, with his only loss coming in tournaments. memorable fight against longtime heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder. Born in Camaguey, Cuba and coached by longtime coach Herman Caicedo in Miami, Ortiz won three matches between Wilder competitions, defeating Travis Kauffman, Christian Hammer and Razvan Cojanu. Before running, Ortiz took wins against Bryant Jennings, Tony Thompson and Malik Scott to build his heavyweight résumé. Most recently, Ortiz knocked out Alexander Flores in the first round of the match in November 2020.
“I can’t wait to give my fans in South Florida a great New Year’s Day performance and win another heavyweight spot,” Ortiz said. “Charles Martin is a good boxer, but he is getting in my way. The only thing on my mind is to get into the ring and make a big statement in this fight to show once again why the heavyweight class is so scared of me. ”
The 35-year-old Martin (28-2-1, 25 KOs) became the heavyweight champion in January 2016 when he won by TKO against the undefeated Vyacheslav Glazkov. After losing the title to Anthony Joshua, Martin has won five of his last six fights, with all of his wins coming from long distances. Originally from St. Louis, who now lives in Las Vegas and trains in Southern California with Manny Robles, Martin bounced back from a tight decider loss to Adam Kownacki in 2018 to claim three straight wins, including the most recent one. beat Gerald Washington in February 2020.
“No one wants to fight me, and nobody wants to fight Ortiz, so we will fight each other,” Martin said. “I will show the world on January 1 why I deserve a title. I have paid my membership dues and I want my belt back. Beating Ortiz would get me one step closer to that goal. To be a two-time heavyweight champion, I have to get past Ortiz first, so that’s exactly what I’m going to do. ”
A standout amateur from his native Cuba, Sánchez (19-0, 13 KOs) is currently training in San Diego with top coach Eddy Reynoso. The 29-year-old has kept busy moving up the heavyweights, scoring three wins in 2020 as he secured a unanimous decision against Joey Dawejko and stopped Brian Howard and Julian Fernandez. Most recently, Sanchez scored the best goal of his career in October, beating the previously unbeaten Ajagba Efe on his way to a decisive unanimous victory.
“I’m happy to be back soon after beating Agjaba, but the work has just begun,” said Sanchez. “There is still much work to be done. I believe I will be the first heavyweight champion in Cuban history. Negron is a strong and dangerous opponent. I will have to do my best, but I am confident that I will win. I believe in my team, and my team believes in me. We will start the New Year 20-0, stay busy and make a strong case for a world title at the end of the year. “
The 2008 Puerto Rican Olympian Negron (25-3, 20 KOs) had a five-match winning streak on January 1, including four wins in overtime. The 34-year-old returned from defeats to Dominic Breazeale and Brian Howard to put together his winning streak, including a March 2020 knockdown against the previously undefeated Robert Alfonso. Negron has been playing professionally since 2009 and currently lives in Miami, where he trains with Luis Ortiz.
“This is a great opportunity for me to win against a strong rising boxer and show everyone what I am capable of,” Negron said. “I’m training hard and I’ve had a great game to be ready for whatever Sanchez will bring. My experience and preparation will be different. I’m incredibly motivated to give the fans a great fight and put myself in a position to have a chance at world championships. ”
Born in South Carolina and currently competing out of Los Angeles, Rice (14-6-1, 10 KOs) will repeat the best performance of his career in a rematch with Coffie after stopping the undefeated boxer. earlier in the fifth round in July. Rice won six of seven games from 2018 to 2019 before losing a pair in 2020 to undefeated Efe Ajagba and Demsey McKean. In his professional career since 2014, the shortcomings of Rice’s record are related to previous undefeated boxers.
“In my last game against Coffie, I went there to prove myself and do what I was trained to do,” Rice said. “It was sinking or swimming, and I was on top. Now I have to go there on January 1st and prove it’s not a fluke. This is a great stage to showcase my talents and prove that I am capable of great things. I’m looking to give the fans a great performance and I know that Coffie is doing the same. Don’t miss this fight”.
Coffie (12-1, 9 KOs) is hoping to bounce back from the first setback of his career after losing his first game against Rice in July. Coffie quickly impressed in amateur tournaments, enough to earn spots alongside Deontay Wilder and Adam Kownacki, a Marine veteran who picked up boxing after returning from overseas. He was born in the Bronx but currently trains in Orlando, Florida, and breaks through in 2020 with three dominant wins in stoppage time, including a knockout over undefeated rivals Darmani Rock and Luis Pena.
“I want to take it back and turn it into a real fight against Jonny Rice this time around,” Coffie said. “Last time, I was in a position where I was faced with some adversity, and I had to decide to get through the fight. I know I can fight through adversity, and on January 1st, I’ll be ready for whatever the fight takes. On January 1, there will be a war”.
Washington (20-4-1, 13 KOs) is a 6-foot-six heavyweight contender, a former prominent Southern California college football player and a U.S. Navy veteran — born in San Jose, California, Washington most recently lost in a bout against former heavyweight champion Charles Martin in February 2020. Before that bout, Washington knocked out veteran rival Robert Helenius in July. 2019. Washington was unbeaten in its first 19 professional matches before letting go of a world championship challenge to Deontay Wilder in February 2017.
“I’m looking forward to being back in the ring on January 1,” Washington said. “I am ready to work and get back in place for some big games. My experience will be the difference in this matchup, and it will be a great night of heavy action! ”
2016 track and field athlete for Turkey, Demirezen (14-1, 11 KOs) has played against Hamburg, Germany, to compete professionally since turning pro at the end of 2016. The 31-year-old tennis player won his first 11 professional fights, including a second. – Rad Rashid’s surrounding save to win the European Heavyweight Championship in 2018. Demirezen had his only other US fight in 2019 when he became the first to overtake Efe Ajagba, losing decisively. Since that loss, Demirezen has recorded three consecutive wins, most recently stopping Nikola Milacic in March.
Demirezen said: “I learned a lot after losing to Ajagba, and I look forward to another opportunity to play in the US. “I am still angry about the fight with Ajagba because I know that I could have won. Now I want to show that I belong on this stage. I am proud to be in this position to show what I can do, and I will make the most of the opportunity. ”
29-year-old Faust (8-0.6 KOs) turned pro in February 2020 after an extended amateur career fighting in his hometown of Svitlovodsk, Ukraine. Faust knocked out his first four opponents before winning decisively in six and eight rounds. After a first-round knockout against previously undefeated Jacek Piatek in May, Faust made his US debut in October, beating Mike Marshall twice on his way to a TKO victory in the third round. .
“I’m excited to be back fighting in the US on January 1,” said Faust. “I was warmly welcomed, and the battle states were like my living room. I love the atmosphere. This is a great opportunity to show me on this pay-per-view program against a very high-quality competitor. I won’t let the fans down when I step into the ring.”
Kiladze (27-5-1, 19 KOs) returned to the winning column in September with a knockout win over Mathew McKinney. Since he started fighting full-time in 2017, Kiladze’s losses have gone to top heavyweights like Adam Kownacki, Michael Hunter, Efe Ajagba and Joe Joyce, who have a track record. aggregated 45-1 in the match against Kiladze. Originally from Georgia and now fighting outside of Los Angeles, Kiladze holds a 2019 draw against Robert Alfonso undefeated and won six straight games from 2014 to 2018.
“I will be ready on the night of the fight, and I will focus,” Kiladze said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity and worked hard to put on a good performance and leave the ring with a win.”
