NEW YORK (June 16, 2010) – SHOWTIME® is once again the place to be this summer for non-stop sports programming with exciting boxing, mixed martial arts and NASCAR coverage. It kicks off tonight as STRIKEFORCE delivers a special mid-week event with a stacked fight card from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Throw in a matchup of American fighters in the Super Six World Boxing Classic, the world’s No. 1 MMA heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko’s debut on SHOWTIME, ShoBox: The New Generation and weekly Inside NASCAR programs and you’ve got three and half weeks of blockbuster programming..
To kick off the summer, SHOWTIME will be providing a free sample of its programming. TONIGHT at 10 p.m. ET Inside NASCAR will stream live on NASCAR.COM simultaneously with the SHOWTIME telecast. Immediately following, at 11 p.m. ET/PT, STRIKEFORCE: Los Angeles will air live on SHOWTIME in the midst of the massive E3 Expo at Nokia Theatre.
The Super Six World Boxing Classic returns with 2004 Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward defending his new WBA world championship against Allan Green in Oakland, Calif., in the final Group Stage 2 matchup on Saturday night – live at 10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast.
Here’s a quick glimpse of the five events coming up in the next 25 days. In addition, each Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET/PT, Inside NASCAR takes you behind the scenes for an in-depth look at the week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. New episodes air Wednesdays through Nov. 24, 2010.
STRIKEFORCE from Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles
TONIGHT, June 16 live at 11 p.m. ET/PT
Robbie Lawler vs. Babalu Sobral (Catchweight at 195 pounds, three rounds)
Marius Zaromskis vs. Cyborg Santos (Welterweight, three rounds)
Tim Kennedy vs. Trevor Prangley (Middleweight, three rounds)
KJ Noons vs. Conor Heun (Lightweight, three rounds)
Lawler (17-5) will collide with former STRIKEFORCE light heavyweight champion Sobral (35-8) at a catch weight of 195 pounds in the main event. Lawler, 6-1-1 with one no contest in his last eight outings, is coming off a dramatic, come-from-behind 3:33, first-round knockout over highly regarded Melvin Manhoef on Jan. 30, 2010. Sobral’s start will be his first since losing his STRIKEFORCE belt to Gegard Mousasi on Dec. 19, 2009. Prior to the defeat, Sobral had reeled off five consecutive victories.
The special mid-week event will take place in the midst of the E3 Expo, the premier trade show for computer and video games. During E3 Expo 2010 at the L.A. Convention Center, EA SPORTS™ will exhibit its highly anticipated title, EA SPORTS MMA, in which STRIKEFORCE is featured as a premier league and SHOWTIME is the .
The principal fighters on the June 16 fight card, including Lawler, Sobral, Cyborg, Zaromskis and Kennedy, are all featured in the EA Sports MMA title.
Super Six World Boxing Classic From Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif.
Live on Saturday, June 19 at 10 p.m. ET/PT
Andre Ward vs. Allan Green (12 rounds for Ward’s WBA Super Middleweight Championship)
A world title will once again be on the line for the hometown favorite Andre Ward, who will defend his WBA super middleweight belt against fellow American Allan Green. A winner of six consecutive fights, Green replaced Jermain Taylor and enters the Super Six World Boxing Classic with zero points heading into Group Stage 2 and will be fighting for his first world title. Tall and strong with dynamite in both fists, Green is spotting points to three rivals, but a knockout victory for a fighter who prides himself on power would put him in the thick of things.
Ward will be making the first defense of the WBA belt he won on a convincing, 11th-round technical decision over Mikkel Kessler in their Super Six World Boxing Classic opener. Ward has emerged as a favorite following his performance and is currently listed as a 1:1 favorite by USA Today sports analyst Danny Sheridan.
Strikeforce/M-1 GLOBAL from HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.
Saturday, June 26 live at 10 p.m. ET/PT
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Fabricio Werdum (Heavyweights, three rounds)
Scott Smith vs. Cung Le (Middleweight, three rounds)
Cris Cyborg vs. Jan Finney (Women’s middleweight championship, five rounds)
Josh Thomson vs. JZ Cavalcante (Lightweight, three rounds)
Strikeforce returns to its home base for one of its biggest fight cards in history. The powerful night of fights includes the top ranked heavyweight and the man many consider to be the No. 1 pound for pound fighter Emelianenko and the world’s top female fighter Cyborg. Fedor meets Werdum, who has impressive wins against top heavyweights including Andrei Arlovski, Antonio Silva, Brandon Vera, Alistair Overeem, and even Fedor’s brother Aleksander Emelianenko.
Also scheduled is a rematch between Smith and Le as well as Thomson’s return to the cage to face up-and-coming Cavalcante.
ShoBox: The New Generation from Atlantic City Convention Center in Atlantic City, N.J.
Friday, July 9 live at 11 p.m. ET/PT
Mike Jones vs. Irving Garcia (Welterweight, 10 rounds)
Antwone Smith vs. Lanardo Tyner (Welterweight, 10 rounds)
Power-punching Philadelphia welterweight prospect Jones takes a perfect record (21-0, 17 KOs) into his fight with 31-year-old Garcia (17-4, 8 KOs) of Puerto Rico in a 10-round welterweight tilt. Jones, 27, is coming off a fifth-round TKO against Hector Munoz, also in Atlantic City. It was Jones’ third straight time that he had fought in Atlantic City and fifth overall appearance.
Garcia last fought in May, 2009, on ShoBox, a fourth-round knockout loss to unbeaten Luis Carlos Abregu. In the co-feature, Smith (18-1-1) of Miami, Fla., meets Tyner (23-3, 14 KOs). ShoBox fans will remember Smith’s action-packed ninth-round TKO against Henry Crawford in late 2009 from Newkirk, Okla.
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING From Coliseo De Puerto Rico in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico
Saturday, July 10 live at 9 p.m. ET/PT
Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Bernabe Concepcion (Lightweight, 12 rounds)
Nonito Donaire vs. Hernan Marquez (Interim WBA Super Flyweight Championship, 12 rounds)
Unbeaten Lopez (28-0, 25 KOs) goes from the Big Apple (where he beat Luevano earlier this year at Madison Square Garden) back to more familiar territory as the Puerto Rican meets Concepcion (30-2-1, 17 KOs) in a 12-round lightweight bout in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico.
In the co-feature, Donaire (23-1, 15 KOs) will battle Marquez (25-1, 18 KOs) for the interim WBA super flyweight championship. Donaire is currently ranked No. 4 in The Ring Magazine pound-for-pound list and is the former IBF world flyweight and IBO world flyweight champion.