STAR BOXING’S FINEST IN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOUTS THIS SATURDAY NIGHT ON HBO

Ruslan Provodnikov- Joe DeGuardia-Chris Algieri

   Photo courtesy Star Boxing (by Rich Villa)

Bronx, NY (June 12, 2014) Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing is headed to one of their biggest nights in their more than two decades as the leading promoter in the New York City area coming up this Saturday night, June 14 at the Barclays Centerin Brooklyn and live on HBO Boxing After Dark®, beginning at10:00 p.m. ET/PT. 

Headlining the action packed evening of world class professional boxing, “The Pride of Huntington, New York” CHRIS ALGIERI will challenge WBO Junior Welterweight World Champion RUSLAN “The Siberian Rocky” PROVODNIKOV.

In the televised co-feature, WBO Junior Middleweight World Champion DEMETRIUS “Boo Boo” ANDRADE will defend his title against for the first time against BRIAN “The Lion” ROSE of England.

Both Algieri and Andrade have long fought under the Star Boxing banner.

These two fights truly exemplify what Star Boxing has done since its inception. Star’s President and CEO, Joe DeGuardia, is well regarded for developing fighters from the start of their pro careers to fight on the biggest stages and shine under the brightest lights.

“Demetrius won his world title in November in an impressive performance on HBO and Algieri has truly earned this opportunity not only with his terrific win over Emmanuel Taylor in February but also through the way we’ve worked with him over the past few years leading the massive renaissance of boxing on Long Island.  Algieri has accomplished a lot both in and out of the ring and Saturday he has the opportunity to capture the world championship as well”

Continued DeGuardia, “Right out of the 2008 Olympics where Demetrius represented the U.S., we set out a plan with his team to not only win a world title but have the opportunity to fight on the biggest stages such as this Saturday night.  It is now his time to show the world that he is the sport’s next star.”

“It’s a huge night for Star Boxing and our fighters and we look forward to giving the New York City boxing fans outstanding events for many years to come.”

Provodnikov vs. Algieri takes place on Saturday, June 14, at Barclays Center.  The fight will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark®,beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.  The co-main event will feature undefeated WBO junior middleweight champion DEMETRIUS “Boo Boo” ANDRADE,  making his first title defense, against No. 1 contender and mandatory challenger BRIAN “The Lion” ROSE.  These four gladiators boast a combined record of 87-3-1 (44 KOs) – a 96 percent winning ratio, with more than half of their total victories coming by way of knockout.

Promoted by Banner Promotions and Top Rank®, in association with Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing, remaining tickets to the Provodnikov-Algieri world championship event, priced at $31, $56, $86, $106 and $206, can be purchased online via Ticketmaster by visiting www.barclayscenter.com or www.ticketmaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group tickets are also available by calling 855-GROUP-BK. For information on individual suites, please call 718-BK-SUITE.

The action-packed undercard will feature undefeated World Boxing Council (WBC) Continental Americas champion, Top-Five contender and Long Beach, Long Island fan favorite “Irish” SEANIE MONAGHAN, and the debut of professional women’s boxing at Barclays Center with HEATHER “The Heat” HARDY of Brooklyn risking her undefeated record.

Provodnikov (23-2, 16 KOs), born and raised in Berezovo, Khanty-Mansi, Russia in Siberia, is trained by Hall of Famer Freddie Roach.  He had an incredible year in 2013. OnMarch 16 of last year, he was on the wrong end of a hotly-disputed unanimous decision loss to undefeated WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley, Jr.  Provodnikov, who moved up in weight for his first title shot, hurt Bradley numerous times during their slugfest, nearly knocking out the defending champion in the first and second rounds and scoring a knockdown in the final round.  Two of the three scorecards had Bradley winning by only one point.  It was voted the Fight of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America.  Provodnikov moved down to his natural weight in his next fight and challenged WBO junior welterweight champion Mike Alvarado, scoring a dramatic 10th round stoppage to claim his world title, last October 19. Five of Provodnikov’s last six victories have been by knockout.

Algieri (19-0 8 KOs), hails from nearby Huntington, NY. Over the last 18 months Chris has elevated himself to a world-class contender after accumulating significant victories over top prospect Jose Alejo, former USBA champion Mike Arnaoutis, and most recently highly-rated contender Emmanuel Taylor in February.  He’s as much a scholar as he is a brawler.  He graduated from Stony Brook University with Honors in 2007 with a Bachelors of Science in Health Care Management and then went on to receive his Masters degree from the New York Institute of Technology in 2010.  He aspires to attend Medical School.