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Showtime PPV Boxing Briggs vs. Mercer
August 26, 2005 The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Florida 9pm ET/ 6pm PT
Heavyweight Bout (10 Rds) Shannon Briggs (42-4-1, 36 KOs) vs. Ray Mercer (34-5-1, 25 KOs)
IBF Cruiserweight Title Bout (12 Rds)
Champion
O’Neil Bell
(24-1-1, 22 KOs)
vs.
Sebastiaan Rothmann
(18-3-2, 12 KOs)
Heavyweight Bout (10 Rds) David Tua (43-3-1, 38 KOs) vs. TBA
Heavyweight Bout (10 Rds) Jameel McCline (31-5-3, 19 KOs) vs. TBA
Jr. Welterweight Bout (10 Rds) Juan “Iron Twins” Urango (15-0-1, 12 KOs) vs. Andre Eason (15-3, 6 KOs)
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Briggs vs. Mercer and an IBF World Cruiserweight Title Bout Featuring O'Neil Bell Highlight The Biggest Boxing Show of 2005
Also; The U.S. Return of
"The Terminator" David Tua wins and a 118 knockouts), add a world cruiserweight title bout involving one of boxings most exciting young champions, and throw in a dash of a junior welterweight contender who hits like a heavyweight? You get a show so spectacular that they had to build a new arena just to hold the legion of fight fans who will be lining up to see it!
On Friday, August 26, Warriors Boxing Promotions, Inc., in association with Cedric Kushner Promotions and The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, is pleased to present an evening of world-class boxing at a new state-of-the-art entertainment venue - “Hard Rock Live” in Hollywood, Florida. The event can only be described as “unforgettable.”
In the Heavyweight main event, scheduled for ten rounds, former world title challenger Shannon Briggs looks to keep his dream of becoming Heavyweight Champion alive when he squares off against granite- chinned warrior ‘Merciless’ Ray Mercer. It’s a match up of two fighters who gave former World Heavyweight Champ Lennox Lewis some of his shakiest moments as a professional, and who have fought and beaten the best in the world for over a decade.
Co-featured on August 26 will be IBF Cruiserweight Champion O’Neil ‘Super Nova’ Bell, who will defend his world title for the first time against South African strongman Sebastiaan Rothmann. Anywhere else in the boxing world, that would be enough for one show, but not here.
Also in action will be top Heavyweight contenders David Tua and Jameel McCline, who will face opponents to be announced in ten round contests. McCline is coming off razor thin decision losses to IBF heavyweight champion Chris Byrd and rising star Calvin Brock, and is eager to get back into the title mix with a win at the Hard Rock Live. Tua, the concussive punching ‘Terminator’ from New Zealand, will be making his return to US shores for the first time since his 2003 bout with Hasim Rahman.
Want more? We’ve got it! As highly regarded Junior Welterweight contender Juan “Iron Twins” Urango, will aim to keep his unbeaten record intact on August 26 when he battles slick boxing New Yorker Andre Eason in a bout scheduled for ten.
Doors open at 6.30pm, and the first bell rings at 7.30.
The Hard Rock Live is a state of the art arena which seats 5,500 fans for sporting or entertainment events. Since opening in July of 2005, the arena has played host to hit music acts like Kelly Clarkson, and already has sold-out dates in the coming months with Tim McGraw and Def Leppard. Shannon Briggs (42-4-1, 36 KOs) is the former lineal Heavyweight Champion of the world, having beaten George Foreman in 1997 to join Mike Tyson and Riddick Bowe as heavyweight champs from the same Brownsville, Brooklyn neighborhood. In his last bout, on June 10, Briggs destroyed previously unbeaten Abraham Okine in three rounds.
An Olympic Gold Medalist for the United States in 1988, Ray Mercer (34-5-1, 25 KOs) has long been considered one of the top Heavyweights in the game, with his relentless pressure and unbreakable chin earning him the nickname ‘Merciless.’ Holder of wins over Tommy Morrison and Tim Witherspoon, Mercer is coming off a ten round decision victory over Darroll Wilson on June 24.
One of the most exciting champions in the game today, O’Neil “Super Nova” Bell (24-1-1, 22 KOs) finally got his long awaited title shot in May, and he made the most of it, scoring a hard fought 12 round decision over Dale Brown to earn the IBF cruiserweight crown. A knockout puncher with either hand, Bell plans on having a long reign at the top.
Sebastiaan Rothmann (18-3-2, 12 KOs) is the latest in a long line of hard-nosed South African warriors with the skill and determination to give any fighter in the world a tough time. A former WBU and IBO cruiserweight champion who is coming off a ten round win over Anton Nel in February, the 30-year-old Rothmann wants to add a third world title to his trophy case on August 26.
David Tua (43-3-1, 38 KOs) is one of the hardest punchers in heavyweight history, and it’s for this reason that the New Zealander remains as popular today as he has ever been. A knockout victor over the likes of world champions Hasim Rahman, John Ruiz, and Michael Moorer, Tua returned to the ring in March after a two year layoff and scored a tenth round stoppage of Talmadge Griffis, giving notice to his peers that “The Terminator” was back.
A fighter who has never shied away from a challenge throughout his almost ten year career, imposing 6-6 Jameel “Big Time” McCline (31-5-3, 19 KOs) is one good break away from wearing a championship belt. In November of 2004, McCline was one point shy of winning the IBF championship from Chris Byrd as he ended up losing a controversial split decision, and the native New Yorker wants to stay busy and keep fighting the best as he earns another crack at the sport’s greatest prize.
Local Florida favorite Juan Urango (15-0-1, 12 KOs) has taken the boxing world by storm with his two-fisted power and crowd pleasing style. Ranked in the 140-pound top ten by three major sanctioning bodies, Urango aims to keep his rankings intact with a win over tough Brooklynite Andre Eason (15-3, 6 KOs), a speedy boxer who has given fits to the likes of Demetrius Hopkins and Francisco Bojado. Additional bouts will be announced at a later date.
For information on upcoming SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING and “ShoBox: The New Generation” telecasts, including complete fighter bios and records, related stories and more, please go the SHOWTIME website at http://www.sho.com/boxing.
- Press Release issued by Showtime with a little editing from us (color, highlights, etc...)
card subject to change
(7/28/05)
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