Pascal upset about his fight with Cloud being postponed; MSG presents seven weeks of Sunday night fights featuring Mayweather and Pacquiao

MONTREAL (July 26, 2012) – The much-anticipated showdown between undefeated International Boxing Federation (IBF) light heavyweight champion Tavoris Cloud (24-0, 19 KOs), of Tallahassee, Fla., and popular hometown favorite and former World Boxing Council (WBC) light heavyweight titleholder Jean Pascal (26-2-1, 16 KOs), scheduled for August 11 live on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on SHOWTIME®, has been postponed to a later date due to a right-hand injury sustained by Pascal during a sparring session 1 ½ weeks ago.

“To tell you the truth, Pascal said at yesterday’s press conference in Montreal, “I was so sad when the decision was made that I even cried. This is the first time it’s happened to me for a fight. I haven’t fought in 15 months and this was a golden opportunity for me. Thanks to everybody involved for rescheduling. This will make me stronger when I get in the ring.”

The “Shock Wave In Montreal” undercard, featuring an IBF super middleweight title eliminator between Canadian knockout artist Adonis “Superman” Stevenson, (18-1, 15 KOs), of Montreal, and United States Boxing Association (USBA) champion Donovan “Da Bomb” George (22-2-1, 19 KOs), of Chicago, Illinois, has been postponed until late August or early September.

“Jean Pascal tried hard to fight through his hand injury with a cortisone shot and therapy,” Pascal’s promoter Yvon Michel (GYM) explained, “but after yesterday’s second MRI on his hand, we were notified by Dr. Francis Fontaine that he would not give medical clearance for Jean Pascal to fight on August 11. The evaluation revealed that Jean has a bone bruise and only rest can heal it. He was in good physical condition and his weight was right where we wanted it to be at this stage. He had an excellent training camp, right on target, preparing to fight Cloud.

“Jean is a warrior. He tried extremely hard to convince us to let him fight because he believed he could beat Cloud with one good hand like he did when he defeated Adrian Diaconu (December, 2009) with a dislocated shoulder. At 29 years old and reaching his peak, we were not about to let him jeopardize his career by fighting injured. Jean has always challenged and fought best during his career. He certainly is not afraid of Cloud.

“Cloud vs. Pascal is the best fight the light heavyweight division can provide. Both are fan friendly fighters who want to establish themselves as the best puncher in the 175-pound division. It’s a huge fight in Montreal where tickets sales were very high and we were headed for a crowd of 10,000, which is great for a summer event in Montreal. Fans deserve to watch these two fighters at their physical bests. We are working with Stephen Espinoza (Showtime) and Don King to reschedule this great show in the fall. We are all committed to rescheduling and grateful that Showtime recognizes Cloud vs. Pascal as one of the most entertaining light heavyweight match-ups in years. Within a week we hope to have everything finalized in terms of rescheduled this great fight.”

“Pascal has Tavorisitis,” Cloud’s promoter Don King. “He needs more time to get his courage up to fight this smaller version of Tyson. Tavoris is of the Tyson ilk. He’s a search-and-destroy kind of guy.

“Pascal has been tweeting that he had a sad day because his Mercedes-Benz had a flat tire. Well, Tavoris is going to give Pascal a flat ass to go with his flat tire. This is going to be the fight of the decade. Tweet that!

“Tavoris Cloud is decreeing war on Jean Pascal and he’s taking no prisoners. He told me he can’t wait to get to Canada to destroy this faker and win the hearts and minds of his new Canadian brothers and sisters. Viva Canada!!!”

“When Tavoris heard Pascal said he cried over this injury, he said to just wait until he gets done with Pascal, he’ll be crying like a baby.”

Tickets purchased for the August 11th show will be honored on the new Cloud vs. Pascal date, but may also be reimbursed at point of purchase.

Broner delivers impressive performance in front of Cincinnati fans

CINCINNATI (July 25, 2012) – In front of a rousing hometown crowd at the U.S. Bank Arena, Adrien “The Problem” Broner left the junior lightweight division by making a big statement. Never disappointing his fans, Broner busted and bloodied California’s Vicente “Chente” Escobedo for five rounds en-route to a fifth round stoppage.

The fight started at a slow pace, but in the second round things heated up when Broner landed a series of punches on Escobedo buzzing him. From thenceforth, it didn’t take long for Broner to figure out Escobedo. Using a steady attack to the body, Broner wore Escobedo down, bloodied his face, and finished things in the fifth overpowering Escobedo leading to his corner, having seen enough, stopping the fight.

After the fight Broner said, “I grew out of my weight class. I’m young and still growing. I’m going up now to lightweight and I’ll take on anyone. Vicente is a world class fighter, I can’t take anything away from him, but he never hit me with anything significant. I make all work look easy. I came in there and did what Broner does, I win. “

Renowned trainer of Broner, Mike Stafford, said to the media after the fight: “You have to understand Adrien. He doesn’t train like other fighters because he spars with fighters that are much, much bigger than him because he goes through so many. He spars with guys that are around 155 or even 160. You just don’t notice that he is not moving down because everyone he is around is so much bigger.”

For his part, Escobedo stated, “He definitely felt stronger. I felt his power. He’s fast and hard to hit. I was trying to work the body. But he was too quick.”

Escobedo’s manager Rolando Arellano spoke for him at the post-fight press conference saying, “He’s an amazing young man. He’s going to be the future of boxing. He was fast, he was strong. Adrien deserves a great victory and I would suggest that everyone keep a good eye on him.”

In the aftermath of the fight, promoter Richard Schaefer had high praises for the Cincinnati champion. Stating that Broner is a new superstar in the sport, Schaefer cited last Saturday’s TV ratings as proof. Speaking to Lem Satterfield of RingTV.com Schaefer said, “The fight this weekend with Adrien Broner and Keith Thurman, the Boxing After Dark, produced an outstanding rating of 2.9. That’s one of the highest ratings for Boxing After Dark, and it’s a rating that is consistent with the ratings that HBO has for World Championship Boxing.”

“We are not afraid to put him in with anybody. Based on what HBO paid for the event, and the rating that it generated, it is probably the highest-rated HBO boxing event from a cost point of view and a ratings point of view in the last five or six years.”

The main event portion of the broadcast generated a rating of 3.4, which is higher than the previous weeks Amir Khan vs. Danny Garcia broadcast and the Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley HBO tape-delay re-broadcast.

Broner has quickly grown to be a known commodity in the sport. He now plans to move up to the 135-pound division and continue to capture more world titles.

Undefeated former World Champion Adrien Broner (Right) throws a right hand en route to a fifth round technical knockout victory over Vicente Escobedo (Left) on July 21, 2012 at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Undefeated former World Champion Adrien Broner (Foreground) celebrates his fifth round technical knockout victory over Vicente Escobedo (Background) on July 21, 2012 at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio.

MSG PRESENTS SEVEN WEEKS OF SUNDAY NIGHT “MEGA FIGHTS!” FEATURING PACQUIAO AND MAYWEATHER

New York, NY (July 26, 2012) – As boxing fans clamor for Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. to step into the same ring, MSG will present Fight Sports: MEGA Fights!, showcasing some of the best bouts from Pacquiao’s and Mayweather’s careers. The fights will run on Sunday nights for the next seven weeks starting Sunday, July 29 at 8:00 p.m. with Pacquiao’s 2007 WBC International Super Featherweight bout versus Marco Antonio Barrera.

MSG’s Sunday Night Fights presented by Lion’s Gate Films will feature either a Pacquaio or Mayweather fight every Sunday night through September 9. In addition to the Pacquiao-Barrera fight, the Fight Sports: MEGA Fights! lineup includes: Pacquiao vs. Oscar De La Hoya (2008), Mayweather vs. “Sugar” Shane Mosley (2010), Mayweather vs. Ricky Hatton (2007), Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez (2008), Pacquiao vs. Hatton (2009) and Mayweather vs. Juan Manuel Marquez (2009).

Below is a full schedule of MSG’s upcoming Fight Sports: MEGA Fights! bouts as well as additional classic boxing programming on Sunday Night Fights.

MSG’s SUNDAY NIGHT FIGHTS

SUNDAY, JULY 29

8:00 p.m. Fight Sports: MEGA Fights! WBC International Super Featherweight Marco Antonio Barrera vs. Manny Pacquiao, October 6, 2007 – Entering the ring as the “2006 Fighter of the Year,” boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao faced three-division world champion Marco Antonio Barrera in a Vegas rumble.

9:00 p.m. MSG Fight Night in 60: John Duddy vs. Shelby Pudwill (2006)

10:00 p.m. MSG’s Fight Night Classics: Heavyweights at MSG Through the Years

SUNDAY, AUGUST 5

8:00pm Fight Sports: MEGA Fights! Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Ricky Hatton, December 8, 2007 – Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (38-0) puts his WBC Welterweight Championship on the line against Britain’s Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton (43-0) and hands him his first career loss with a tenth round TKO.

9:00 p.m. MSG Fight Night in 60: John Duddy vs. Yory Boy Campus (2006)

10:00 p.m. MSG’s Fight Night Classics: George Foreman Grilling at MSG

SUNDAY, AUGUST 12

8:00 p.m. Fight Sports: MEGA Fights! Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez, March 15, 2008 – In the second fight of their exciting trilogy, Pacquiao and Marquez returned to the ring to settle the controversial draw of their first bout. With the decision coming down to the judges’ scorecards, Pacquiao notched a split decision.

9:00 p.m. MSG Fight Night in 60: John Duddy vs. Anthony Bonsante (2007)

10:00 p.m. MSG’s Fight Night Classics: Rocky at the Garden

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19

8:00 p.m. Fight Sports: MEGA Fights! Welterweight Super Fight Manny Pacquiao vs. Oscar De La Hoya, December 6, 2008 – The reigning World Boxing Council’s lightweight king at the time of the fight, Pacquiao defeated Oscar De La Hoya in his first welterweight bout.

9:00 p.m. MSG Fight Night in 60: John Duddy vs. Dupre Strickland (2007)

10:00 p.m. MSG’s Fight Night Classics: Roberto Duran – Hands of Stone

SUNDAY, AUGUST 26

8:00 p.m. Fight Sports: MEGA Fights! Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton. May 2, 2009 – In what was promoted as “The Battle of East and West,” Pacquiao dropped Hatton twice in the first round, and quickly finished the IBO and Ring Magazine junior welterweight champ off in the last moment of the second round.

9:00 p.m. MSG Fight Night in 60: John Duddy vs. Alessio Furlan (2007)

10:00 p.m. MSG’s Fight Night Classics: Patterson vs. Chuvalo at MSG

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 2

8:00 p.m. Fight Sports: MEGA Fights! Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Marquez, September 19, 2009 – Returning from a nearly two-year retirement, Mayweather faced lightweight champion Marquez in a non-title welterweight match-up. Dominating each round, Mayweather took the unanimous decision.

9:00 p.m. MSG Fight Night in 60: John Duddy vs. Prince Arron (2007)

10:00 p.m. MSG’s Fight Night Classics: Hurricane at the Garden

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9

8:00pm Fight Sports: MEGA Fights! Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Shane Mosley, May 1, 2010 – In a “show and prove” response to his critics, Mayweather secured a lopsided unanimous decision after going 12 rounds with “Sugar” Shane Mosley in their WBA welterweight match.

9:00 p.m. MSG Fight Night in 60: John Duddy vs. Howard Eastman (2007)

10:00 p.m. MSG’s Fight Night Classics: Griffith vs. Benvenuti – Fight of the Year

Throughout the summer, visit www.msg.com/summer for the latest programming information as well as photos, video, trivia, polls and more. Also, fans can get the latest Summer Block Party information by liking MSG on Facebook (/MSGNetworks) and following MSG on Twitter (@MSGNetworks).

As the exclusive local television home of the New York Knicks, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres, New York Liberty and New York Red Bulls, MSG Networks telecasts nearly 700 live professional games per year. MSG Networks also telecasts 150 live college basketball games and 50 live college football games from top national conferences (SEC, Pac 12, Big 12), as well as horse racing, boxing and award-winning original programming. MSG Networks recently earned 16 New York Emmy Awards, including 14 for MSG – tops in the New York region for the third year in a row – and two for MSG+. Over the past five years, MSG Networks has totaled 77 New York Emmy Awards, including 69 for MSG – also the most of any New York station or network in that time – and eight for MSG+.