Highlights Include a Heavyweight Championship Showdown; Former Champions on the Comeback Trail; Talented Contenders Battling for Titles and Top Rankings Plus Unbeaten Prospects Fighting to Climb the Ladder
LAS VEGAS – (November 1, 2017) – Premier Boxing Champions swings through the month on November with a slate of four shows on three separate networks that will include entertainment for every kind of boxing fan.
“The month of November demonstrates the wide variety of matches that Premier Boxing Champions is proud to present,” said Tim Smith, Vice President of Communications for Haymon Boxing.
“You have exciting heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder defending his title; top-rated contender Sergey Lipinets battling for a world title; former champions like Shawn Porter, Anthony Dirrell, and Devon Alexander aiming to get into title fights; contenders like Julian Williams fighting for a second title shot and unbeaten prospects like Earl Newman and Miguel Cruz looking to rise up the ranks. So there is truly something for everyone.”
The month kicks off with undefeated heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder defending his title against top-ranked contender Bermane Stiverne at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on SHOWTIME on Nov. 4 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. In the co-main event former welterweight champion Shawn Porter will take on Adrian Granados, and Sergey Lipinets battles Akihiro Kondo for the 140-pound championship. Wilder took away the title from Stiverne (25-2-1, KOs) with a unanimous decision when the two met in 2015. Stiverne is the only man to go the distance against Wilder (38-0, 37 KOs).
Former 168-pound champion Anthony Dirrell (30-1-1, 24 KOs) will battle Denis Douglin (20-5, 13 KOs) in a special edition of TOE-TO-TOE TUESDAYS on FS1 and BOXEO DE CAMPEONES on FOX Deportes from Dort Federal Credit Union Center in his hometown of Flint, Michigan on Friday, Nov. 17 at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT. Dirrell, 32, will be fighting at home for just the third time in his career and wants to regain the title that he lost to Badou Jack in 2015. In the co-feature Domonique Dolton (19-1-1, 10 KOs) enters the ring for an eight-round welterweight fight.
The next night former 154-pound world champion Ishe Smith (29-8, 12 KOs) will take on Julian Williams (23-1-1, 15 KOs) in a 10-round super welterweight showdown from the Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas on Bounce Saturday, Nov. 18 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Smith, who is the first Las Vegas-born boxer to win a world title, will be defending his home turf against Williams and is hoping to move into position to fight for another title since his most recent title challenge of Erislandy Lara in 2014. Williams is on the comeback trail after losing via TKO to Jermall Charlo in his first world championship match last December. The co-main event features unbeaten light heavyweight prospect Earl Newman taking on Lionell Thompson in a 10-round light heavyweight bout.
Former welterweight champion Devon Alexander (26-4, 14 KOs) will battle rugged contender Walter Castillo (26-4-1, 19 KOs) on TOE-TO-TOE TUESDAYS on FS1 and BOXEO DE CAMPEONES on FOX Deportes from The Coliseum in St. Petersburg, Florida on Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. In the co-main event, unbeaten Miguel Cruz (16-0, 11 KOs) will take on David Grayton (15-1-1, 11 KOs) in a 10-round welterweight match.
The 30-year-old Alexander will end a two-year layoff due to health issues when he steps in against Castillo. Alexander, of St. Louis, Missouri, won the 147-pound world championship with a unanimous decision victory over Randall Bailey in 2012. He lost the title via unanimous decision against Shawn Porter the next year. Alexander, a southpaw, was a unified champion at 140-pounds and owns victories over Marcos Maidana, Lucas Matthysse and Jesus Soto Karass. Castillo, 29, will be ending a 16-month layoff and moving up to 147 pounds for the first time to take on Alexander. Castillo lost by TKO to Sergey Lipinets in a 140-pound clash in his last fight.
