Gary Russell Jr. gets a second chance to win a world championship when he fights World Boxing Council featherweight champ Jhonny Gonzalez on Saturday at the Palms in front of a national TV audience on Showtime.
Boxing
Officials apparently underestimated the take for the May 2 megafight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. The original estimate was for $200 million in revenue, but Top Rank chairman Bob Arum says revenue will be closer to $400 million and the live gate will exceed $70 million.
The Nevada Athletic Commission has another month to make its decision on the officials who’ll work the May 2 megafight. But executive director Bob Bennett already is drawing up lists lists for the referee and judges for the biggest fight Las Vegas has seen in decades.
News recently broke that acclaimed director Martin Scorsese will direct a biopic about heavyweight legend Mike Tyson with Academy Award-winner Jamie Foxx playing the controversial pugilist. Tyson recently reached out to his fans for help in picking his greatest fights to add to the movie.
Undefeated super bantamweight Jessie Magdaleno has hired Ismael Salas as his trainer and moved back to Las Vegas to be with his fiancee and their 9-month-old son after living in Palm Springs, Calif., and working with Joel Diaz the past two years.
MGM Grand, the host hotel-casino for the megaboxing match between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquaio on May 2, expects a 35 percent revenue windfall from the fight weekend compared to the room, food and beverage revenues on a typical weekend. Some 98 percent of the hotel’s 6,800 rooms are booked, with room rates, as of Friday, starting at $1,600 a night for May 1 and 2.
The Mayweather and Pacquiao camps appeared to be getting along as the countdown toward their May 2 megafight at the MGM Grand Garden continues, but the gloves came off Thursday after Pacquiao’s adviser, Michael Koncz, wanted Mayweather to agree to an addendum in the contract pertaining to drug testing.
Senior Queensland medical officials have called for a ban on boxing in Australia following a local fighter’s death after losing a title fight over the weekend.
The Barclays Center, home of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, will play host to the next installment of the Premier Boxing Champions on NBC on April 11. World champions Danny Garcia and Andy Lee will headline the card in separate fights.
Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao have agreed to take part in a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) Olympic-style testing program ahead of their May 2 mega-bout in Las Vegas, USADA said on Friday.
The May 2 megafight at the MGM Grand Garden was officially announced Wednesday in Los Angeles, and the cheapest ticket will be $1,500, with ringside seats going for $7,500.
The prime-time television debut of Premier Boxing Champions drew an average of 3.4 million viewers on Saturday. The ratings for the card at the MGM Grand Garden, were a “strong start,” according to an NBC official.
A familiar face appeared at the MGM Grand’s media center Thursday for the news conference promoting Saturday’s Premier Boxing Champions card.
Keith Thurman has skills and smarts. He used both to stay perfect and remain world champion.
Part of Keith Thurman’s charm is that you’re never quite sure what is going to come out of his mouth. All you know is it’s going to be interesting and intelligent.
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