FNF Features The Battle Of The Junior Welterweights In Valentine’s Day Broadcast

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN’s Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra and ESPN Deportes’ Noche de Combates presented by Corona Extra features a battle of the Junior Welterweights this week.

Undefeated Junior Welterweight Chris Algieri (18 – 0, 8 KOs) will face off against Emanuel “Tranzforma” Taylor (17 – 1, 12 KOs) in the night’s ten-round main event.  The fight will be broadcast live from the Paramount Theater in Huntington, N.Y. at 9pm ET on ESPN2 and online at ESPN Deportes+ and WatchESPN.  ESPN Deportes will air the fight in tape delay at 10:30pm ET.  This week’s card is promoted by Star Boxing.

Algieri, a Huntington, N.Y. native is the hometown favorite.  He comes into this week’s fight looking to add another notch to his “Win” column.  He won his last fight with a seventh-round TKO over Wilfredo Acuna.  He had nothing but good things to say of Taylor in a recent interview, and that he was looking forward to tomorrow’s fight because of how evenly matched the pair is.  “I think Emanuel Taylor is a good fighter. He’s a tough kid, he’s hungry, just like myself,” he said.  “I think it’s going to be a great night, especially for me. He’s (Taylor) a sharp guy, he’s a high-percentage puncher, but I’m a much busier fighter. It’s a good matchup, especially for the fans.”

Taylor comes into this week’s fight also looking to keep his winning ways going.  He has won his last three fights.  That streak includes an eighth-round TKO victory over Victor Cayo in his most recent fight.  Where Algieri was complimentary of Taylor in his comments, Taylor was far more self-assured in his comments about this week’s bout.  “I’ve seen a couple of videos of Algieri. He’s in shape, throws a lot of punches and stays busy,” he said.  “This is a step-up fight for him and it’s not going to be good for him. Stay tuned to the fight. It’s going to be a real good show.”

Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas will be ringside with all the action live on ESPN2.  Todd Grisham will join them live from the ESPN Studios with all of the latest boxing news and reports.  Delvin Rodriguez and Pablo Viruega will have the call for ESPN ESPN Deportes and ESPN Deportes+.  Leopoldo Gonzales and Claudia Trejos will be live in studio.  Bernardo Osuna will have live interviews and reports for both networks.

Before the night’s big fight, fans will be treated to an eight-round co-feature that will pit another pair of Junior Welterweights against one another.  Issouf “Volcano” Kinda (16 – 1, 6 KOs) will face Jeremy “Hollywood” Bryan in the fight in question.  Both fighters come into this week’s fight very hungry for a win.  Kinda suffered a sixth-round technical decision loss to Chris Howard in his most recent match.  Bryan fell to Amir Imam in his most recent match courtesy of a second-round TKO.

Next week on Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra and Noche de Combates presented by Corona Extra, the Boxcino 2014 tournament kicks off.  The tournament is sponsored by 1800 Tequila and presented by Banner Promotions.  The Boxcino Tournament schedule is available below.

Upcoming Schedule:

 

Date	Time (ET)	Main Event	Location	Networks
Fri, Feb. 21	9 p.m.	Boxcino 2014 Lightweight Quarterfinals: six-rounds each Chris Rudd (12-1, 8 KOs) vs. Yakubu Amidu (22-4-1, 18 KOs) Petr Petrov (32-4-2, 15 KOs) vs. Fedor Papazov (14-0, 9 KOs) Miguel Gonzalez (22-3, 16 KOs) vs. Miguel Angel Mendoza (21-2-2, 21 KOs) Fernando Carcamo (15-5, 12 KOs) vs. Samuel Neequaye (21-0, 15 KOs)	Edgewater Casino, Laughlin, NV	ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
Fri, Feb 28	9 p.m.	Boxcino 2014 Middleweight Quarterfinals: six-rounds each Donatas Bondorovas (18-4-1, 6 KOs) vs. Willie Monroe, Jr. (15-1, 6 KOs) Cerresso Fort (17-2-1, 11 KOs) vs. Vitalii Kopylenko (22-0, 12 KOs) Brandon Adams (12-0, 7 KOs) vs. Daniel Edouard (23-4-2, 12 KOs) Raymond Gatica (13-1, 7 KOs) vs. Sena Agbeko (15-0, 15 KOs)	Harrah’s Horseshoe, Hammond, Ind.	ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
Fri, Mar. 7	9 p.m.	Rustam Nugaev (26-6-1, 16 KOs) vs. Marvin Quintero (25-4, 21 KOs) — 10-rounds, Lightweights	Pala Casino, Pala, Calif.	ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
Fri, Mar. 21	9 p.m.	Vanes Martirosyan (33-1-1, 21 KOs) vs. TBD — 10-rounds, Junior Middleweights	Morongo Casino, Cabazon, Calif.	ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN

 

More information on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra and ESPN Deportes’ Noche de Combates presented by Corona Extra is available online at http://www.facebook.com/espn.fnf, http://twitter.com/ESPNFNF, http://twitter.com/espnboxeo, and http://twitter.com/espnboxing.  To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN Announces Information For Friday Night Fights Season Premiere

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN’s Friday Night Fights presented by Corona is returning for its seventeenth season.  The Worldwide Leader in Sports has announced that FNF will begin its new season on Friday, January 3^rd live at 9pm ET on WatchESPN and ESPN Deportes+.  The show’s seventeenth season will kick off with a bang, too.  Season Seventeen will open with a twelve-round IBF title bout between Junior Lightweight titlist Argenis Mendez ( 21 – 2 – 1,  11 KOs) and undefeated Rances Barthelemy (19 – 0, 12 KOs).  Also slated for the season premiere of Friday Night Fights presented by Corona will be a ten-round co-feature featuring up-and-coming Middleweight contender Caleb Truax (23 – 1, 4 KOs).  As an additional note, ESPN Deportes will re-brand its broadcasts with the new name, Noche de Combates.  The newly re-branded broadcast was previously branded as Viernes de Combates.

The season opening bout, the first of the 2014 season’s twenty-six total fights, will be broadcast live from the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN.  It is co-promoted by former Heavyweight Champion Mike Tyson and his promotional company, Iron Mike Productions.  Tyson also promoted the final bout of FNF’s 2013 season, which featured Argenis Mendez in the world title main event.

Brian Kweder, ESPN Senior Director of Programming and Acquisitions, expressed expectations for the 2014 season in a recent statement.  He also  noted changes being made for the upcoming season of FNF.  “We are eagerly anticipating the upcoming season of Friday Night Fights and Noche de Combates,” he said.  “We start the season just as we finished last season with a world title fight co-promoted by Mike Tyson’s Iron Mike Productions. The biggest change for 2014 is that we are assigning dates to promoters with as much advance notice as possible to allow for even better fights and bigger crowds.  We’ve partnered with a group of promoters who have always delivered in the past and are committed to upping the ante even further for 2014. Having a world title fight and names like Kendall Holt, Zsolt Erdei and Arash Usmanee early this season show that the strategy is already paying dividends.”

Long time FNF broadcast team Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas will be back again for all of the ringside action each week.  Tessitore will call the matches and Atlas will have in-match analysis for every match broadcast on ESPN2.  Both men have been awarded the Sam Taub Award for Excellence in  Broadcast Journalism.  Teddy Atlas won the award in 2001 and Tessitore in 2010.  Studio host Todd Grisham will be back for his second full season on FNF.  He will fill in for Tessitore in ESPN2’s season opener and will have all of the latest boxing news and highlights.  Also back again will be Bernardo Osuna.  Osuna will contribute to broadcasts both on FNF and Noche de Combates. 

Pablo Viruega and Delvin Rodriguez will have the call for ESPN Deportes and ESPN Deportes+.  The will be joined live by studios hosts Leopoldo Gonzalez and Claudia Trejos.  As a new addition to the studio show for ESPN Deportes and ESPN Deportes+, Hall of Fame referee Joe Cortez will join Gonzalez and Trejos in studio throughout the season.  Osuna will contribute reports and interviews each week.  The latest slate of fights is available below.

 

Date	Time (ET)	Main Event	Location	Networks
Fri, Jan 3	9 p.m.	Argenis Méndez (21-2-1, 11 KOs)  vs. Rances Barthelemy (19-0, 12 KOs) —12-rounds, IBF Junior Lightweight Title	Target Center, Minneapolis, Minn.	ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
Fri, Jan 10	9 p.m.	Arash Usmanee (20-1-1, 10 KOs) vs. Juan Antonio Rodríguez (25-4, 23 KOs) — Junior Lightweights	Emerald Queen Hotel & Casino, Tacoma Wash.	ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
Fri, Jan 24	9 p.m.	Javier Molina (14-1, 6 KOs) vs. Kendall Holt (28-6, 16 KOs) —10-rounds, Junior Welterweights	Little Creek Casino, Shelton Wash.	ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
Fri, Jan 31	9 p.m.	Zsolt Erdei (33-1, 18 KOs) vs. Elvir Muriqi (40-5, 24 KOs) —10-rounds, Light Heavyweights	Codey Arena, West Orange, N.J.	ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN

 

More information on the latest from FNF and Noche de Combates is available online at http://www.facebook.com/espn.fnf, http://twitter.com/ESPNBoxeo, and http://twitter.com/ESPNFNF.  To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.