06.06 - Press Release – Britain’s longest reigning titleholder and its 2001 Boxer of the Year, undefeated World Boxing Organization (WBO) Super Middleweight Champion Joe Calzaghe, will make his 13th consecutive title defense when he battles former two-time World Boxing Association (WBA) super middleweight champion and current WBO No. 9 contender, Byron Mitchell on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING Saturday, June 28. In the co-feature, WBO Junior Flyweight Champion Nelson Dieppa will defend his crown for the second consecutive time on SHOWTIME when he takes on mandatory No. 1 contender Jhon A. Molina in a rematch of their August 2002 scuffle. SHOWTIME will televise the two championship fights from Cardiff International Arena in Cardiff, Wales, at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Frank Warren’s Sports Network will serve as the event’s promoter.

Calzaghe (35-0, 28 KOs), of Newbridge, Wales, will make his seventh SHOWTIME appearance. The champion had won four straight defenses inside of the distance prior to registering a 12-round unanimous decision over former International Boxing Federation (IBF) 168-pound champion Charles Brewer April 20, 2002, on SHOWTIME. Regarded by many as the world’s premier super middleweight, Calzaghe has vowed to make history by holding on to his super middleweight title longer than former great Chris Eubank. Calzaghe, who defeated Eubank on Oct. 11, 1997, to capture the WBO crown, is three title defenses shy of Eubank’s British record of 15. Following an amateur career that included three consecutive Amateur Boxing Association (ABA) titles, each at different weights, Calzaghe turned pro on Oct. 1, 1993, and won 21 of his first 22 starts by knockout. Following a second consecutive 12-round decision in his 11th title defense on Aug. 17, 2002, Calzaghe scored a second-round TKO over American Tocker Pudwill in his most recent outing on Dec. 14, 2002, in Newcastle, England.

Mitchell (25-2-1, 18 KOs), of Ozark, Ala., captured the WBA super middleweight championship with an 11th-round TKO over Frank Liles on June 12, 1999. After losing the title in a rematch with Bruno Girard on April 8, 2000, Mitchell came back to regain the crown with a 12-round TKO over Manuel Siaca on March 3, 2001 in Las Vegas. Following a 12-round split decision win in a rematch against Siaca on Sept. 29, 2001, Mitchell successfully defended his crown for the second time in his sophomore stint as WBA champion by scoring a fourth-round TKO over Julio Green July 27, 2002, on the John Ruiz-Kirk Johnson undercard in Las Vegas. After rallying from two opening-round knockdowns, Mitchell took control and stopped Green on cuts in the fourth. In his lone 2003 outing, Mitchell lost a 12-round split decision to IBF Super Middleweight Champion Sven Ottke in Berlin, Germany. Also ranked No. 6 by the IBF and No. 15 by the World Boxing Council (WBC), Mitchell opened his pro career with 20 consecutive victories, including 11 via first-round knockout.

Dieppa (19-2-2, 11 KOs), of Vieques, Puerto Rico, did not allow a second opportunity at the WBO junior flyweight belt pass him by when he knocked out Andy Tabanas on April 14, 2001, in New York. Dieppa trailed on two of three judges’ scorecards heading into the 11th round when he hit Tabanas with a crushing right cross to the chin that sent the Filipino champion to the canvas. Dieppa came back to defend his title on Sept. 29, 2001, by earning a 12-round decision over Fahlan Sakkririn. In his first WBO title shot, Dieppa lost a 12-round decision to Will Grigsby on July 22, 2000. Grigsby was stripped of his title after testing positive for marijuana, and the WBO granted Dieppa a second opportunity at the championship. In his last contest on Aug. 24, 2002, Dieppa successfully defended his WBO crown on SHOWTIME after an accidental clash of heads caused a bad cut on the champion’s forehead and ended matters with No. 1 contender Molina at 2:30 of the second stanza. The Carolina, Puerto Rico-based bout was ruled a second-round technical draw.

Molina (19-3-3, 13 KOs), of Cartagena, Colombia, won 116 out of 120 amateur fights, and earned the Colombian National Championship twice. He captured the FECARBOX championship by stopping Victor Molino in the sixth round on March 30, 2001. Molina then boxed to a hard-fought draw against Juan Herrera for the WBO Latin 105-pound title in Colombia on May 18, 2001. Two months later, Molina successfully defended his FECARBOX crown with an eighth-round TKO over Jose Ospino in Cartagena on July 27, 2001. In two 2002 appearances prior to taking on Dieppa, Molina recorded early-round knockouts over Edgar Echeverria (second-round TKO on Jan. 4) and Edwin Barrios (first-round TKO on April 19).

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING’s Steve Albert and Al Bernstein will call the action from ringside with Jim Gray serving as roving reporter. The executive producer of the SHOWTIME telecast is Jay Larkin, with David Dinkins producing and Bob Dunphy directing.