Outline for tonight's Friday Night Fights on ESPN2 & ESPN Deportes+

Mike Tyson will appear as a professional boxing promoter tonight on ESPN's Friday Night Fights. With his appearance on Fox earlier this week, Tyson has quickly embedded himself as one of the go to analyst for boxing promotion. Tonight's fight is the season finale on ESPN2 as college football will take center stage for the next 4 months starting next week. Here's the details from ESPN.

Former Heavyweight Champ Mike Tyson Makes Promotional Debut with World Title Doubleheader on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights’ Season Finale

ESPN2 Studio Show at Turning Stone Resort Casino; Tyson On Site Interview; ESPN Deportes Studio Interview with Joe Cortez ; Additional Fights on ESPN3

Former Heavyweight champion Mike Tyson will make his debut as a professional boxing promoter with a world title doubleheader August 23 from Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, N.Y., on the season finale of ESPN’s Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra.Friday’s show, promoted by Tyson’s Iron Mike Productions, will air live at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2, WatchESPN  and broadband Spanish-language ESPN Deportes+. ESPN Deportes will televise Friday’s fights on Saturday, August 24, at 7 p.m.

The 12-round main event will feature an IBF title fight between Junior Lightweight titlist Argenis “La Tormenta” Méndez (21-2, 11 KOs) and Arash Usmanee (20-1, 10 KOs). Friday’s co-feature will be a 12-round WBA interim title fight between undefeated Featherweight Claudio “The Matrix” Marrero (14-0, 11 KOs) and Jesús Cuellar (22-1, 18 KOs).

Commentators:

Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas will be ringside describing the action for ESPN2, while studio host Todd Grisham(@GrishamESPN) will be at Turning Stone Resort Casino presenting all the latest boxing news and highlights. Delvin Rodriguez, will call the fights with Pablo Viruega for ESPN Deportes’ Viernes de Combates (Friday Night Fights) on both ESPN Deportes+ and ESPN Deportes, while Leopoldo Gonzalez and Claudia Trejos will anchor the studio.

Studio Interviews:

Grisham will interview Tyson for ESPN2’s studio show. Retired boxing referee Joe Cortez will be in studio for ESPN Deportes’ Viernes de Combates and will discuss the challenges of officiating major fights.  Cortez will also score Friday’s fights.

Main Event:

New York’s Méndez won the IBF Junior Lightweight title in his last fight with a fourth-round knockout win over defending titlist Juan Carlos Salgado, while Las Vegas’ Usmanee is looking to rebound from a 12-round decision loss to Rances Barthelemy.

“I think Usmanee’s a good fighter and throws a lot of punches,” Méndez’s trainer Lee Beard said. “I believe that Méndez is a much better fighter, much more talented. He has speed and power in both hands. As long as he does what he’s supposed to do, there’s only one person that’s going to win this fight, and that’s Mendez.”

Usmanee said of Friday’s fight, “Mendez is a great boxer. He is very talented and has good speed and power. He’s a well-rounded fighter and I’m preparing for the best 130-pounder on this planet.”

Co-Feature:

Miami’s Marrero is looking to continue his winning ways after a fourth-round TKO win over former Bantamweight titlist Mauricio Martinez, while Argentina’s Cuellar scored a first-round TKO win over Gustavo Gonzalez in his last fight.

Additional Fights on ESPN3:

ESPN3 will exclusively carry two additional bouts at 7 p.m. before Friday’s 9 p.m. telecast. Friday’s fights on ESPN3: a 10-round Welterweight bout between Ed Paredes (33-3-1, 22 KOs) and Noe Bolanos (25-7-1, 16 KOs) and a 10-round Jr. Lightweight bout between Alexi Collado (16-0, 15 KOs) and Hugo Partida (18-4-2, 14 KOs).  

 ESPN3 is ESPN’s live multi-screen sports network, a destination that delivers thousands of exclusive sports events annually. It is accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and streamed on televisions through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold members and Apple TV. The network is currently available to more than 85 million homes at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider. The network is also available at no cost to approximately 21 million U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers connected to on-campus educational and on-base military networks.

Follow ESPN’s Friday Night Fights on Twitter @ESPNFNF or like it on Facebook. Follow ESPN Deportes’ Viernes de Combates on Twitter @ESPNBoxeo.  Also score the fights round-by-round with the “Live Friday Night Fights Facebook Voting App,” an application on the ESPN FNF Facebook page that allows viewers to score the fight round-by-round.

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Friday Night Fights heads to US Cellular Field August 16

For the first time since 1962, boxing will be featured at a baseball stadium in the Chicago area, and ESPN will be there to cover the action. Below are the details from ESPN Media Zone.

ESPN’s Friday Night Fights at U.S. Cellular Field August 16

First Pro Boxing Event at a Chicago Ball Park since Liston KO’d Patterson in 1962

Studio Show at U.S. Cellular Field; Former White Sox Player Ron Kittle in Teddy Atlas’ “Fight Plan”

 The first professional boxing event at a Chicago baseball stadium in more than 50 years will be televised live on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra  August 16 when the show visits U.S. Cellular Field, home of the Chicago White Sox. Friday’s show, a special three-hour telecast (normally two hours), will air live at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2, WatchESPN  and broadband Spanish-language ESPN Deportes+. ESPN Deportes will join Friday’s fight in progress at 10:30 p.m.

The 12-round main event will feature former Light Heavyweight titlist Gabriel “Chico Guapo” Campillo (22-5-1, 8 KOs) and Andrzej “The Polish Prince” Fonfara (23-2, 13 KOs). The co-main feature will be a rematch between undefeated Heavyweight Artur “The Pin” Szpilka (15-0, 11 KOs) and Mike Mollo (20-4-1, 12 KOs). In between the co-main feature and the main event will be an 8-round bout between undefeated Jr. Welterweight Marc “The Ring Shark” Salser (15-0, 9 KOs) and Adrian “El Tigre” Granados (9-1-2, 5 KOs).

The last professional boxing event to take place in a Chicago baseball stadium occurred on September 25, 1962 at Comiskey Park when then Heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson lost his belt in a first-round knockout to challenger Sonny Liston.  

Commentators:

Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas will be ringside describing the action for ESPN2, while studio host Todd Grisham(@GrishamESPN) will be at U.S. Cellular Field presenting all the latest boxing news and highlights. Alejandro Pombo, filling in for Delvin Rodriguez, will call the fights with Pablo Viruega for ESPN Deportes’ Viernes de Combates (Friday Night Fights) on both ESPN Deportes+ and ESPN Deportes, while Leopoldo Gonzalez and Claudia Trejos will anchor the studio. Bilingual reporter Bernardo Osuna (@osunaespn) will present live interviews and reports for both shows.

Former White Sox Player Ron Kittle in Atlas’ Fight Plan Segment:

Former MLB player Ron Kittle, who spent most of his career with the White Sox, will participate in Friday’s “Fight Plan” segment, in which Atlas and a sparring partner outline what each fighter needs to do to win. Kittle, a former left fielder and designated hitter, was named American League Rookie of the Year in 1983. Kittle played for the Chicago White Sox (1982–86, 1989, 1991), the New York Yankees (1986–87), Cleveland Indians (1988) and Baltimore Orioles (1990).  

“I started following boxing years ago when Howard Cosell was doing all the big heavyweight bouts – Ali, Frazier, Foreman, and even Jerry Quarry,” said Kittle, who is looking forward to serving as the “sparring partner” in the weekly “Teddy Atlas Fight Plan” segment, “I’m just glad they didn’t ask me to fight!”

Main Event:

Spain’s Campillo is coming off a fourth-round TKO win over Ionut Ilie, while Chicago’s Fonfara scored a seventh–round TKO win over south paw Tommy Karpency in his last fight.  Before that Fonfara won a 10–round unanimous decision over former Light Heavyweight titlist Glen Johnson.

“I’m prepared for this fight,” Fonfara said. “I want to win this fight and show people I’ll be the next world champion.”

Szpilka vs. Mollo II:

Poland’s Szpilka, a longtime fan favorite with Chicago’s Polish community, is looking to continue his winning ways after a 10-round unanimous decision win over Brian Minto. Chicago’s Mollo is looking to rebound from a sixth-round knockout loss to Szpilka in their first fight.  

Friday’s show will open with a replay of their first fight leading up to their live rematch.

Upcoming Schedule:

Date	Time (ET)	Main Event	Location		Networks
Fri., Aug 23	9 p.m.	Argenis Méndez (21-2, 11 KOs) vs. Arash Usmanee (20-1, 10 KOs)—12 rounds, Jr. Lightweights	Turning Stone Casino, Verona, N.Y.		ESPN2,  ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN

*Schedule subject to change

Follow ESPN’s Friday Night Fights on Twitter @ESPNFNF or like it on Facebook. Follow ESPN Deportes’ Viernes de Combates on Twitter @ESPNBoxeo.  Also score the fights round-by-round with the “Live Friday Night Fights Facebook Voting App,” an application on the ESPN FNF Facebook page that allows viewers to score the fight round-by-round.

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Rustam "The Mongoose" Nugaev vs. Jose "El Loco" Hernandez on Friday Night Fights August 9, 2013

ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes+ will bring you all the action live on this week's edition of Friday Night Fights. ESPN Deportes will be airing Lga Bancomer MX matches live during this time, but they will air the match Saturday evening tape delayed. Here's all the details from ESPN Media Zone.

Lightweights Nugaev and Hernandez HeadlineESPN’s Friday Night Fights

ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes Shows Include Interviews with Pacquiao and Rios

The August 9 edition of ESPN’s Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra  will feature Lightweights Rustam “The Mongoose” Nugaev (24-6, 14 KOs) and Jose “El Loco” Hernandez (14-6-1, 6 KOs) in the 10-round main event. Friday’s show from Morongo Casino Resort in Cabazon Calif., will air live at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN2, WatchESPN  and broadband Spanish-language ESPN Deportes+. ESPN Deportes will televise Friday’s fights on Saturday, Aug. 10, at 6 p.m. The card is promoted by Gary Shaw Productions.

Commentators:

Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas will be ringside describing the action for ESPN2, while studio host Todd Grisham (@GrishamESPN) will present all the latest boxing news and highlights.Alejandro Pombo, filling in for Delvin Rodriguez, will call the fights with Pablo Viruega for ESPN Deportes’ Viernes de Combates (Friday Night Fights) on both ESPN Deportes+ and ESPN Deportes, while Leopoldo Gonzalez and Claudia Trejos will anchor the studio. Bilingual reporter Bernardo Osuna (@osunaespn) will present live interviews and reports for both shows.

Pacquiao-Rios Interviews:

Both shows will include taped interviews with Manny Pacquiao (54-5-2, 38 KOs) and Brandon Rios (31-1-1, 22 KOs). Both fighters visited ESPN’s Bristol, Conn., headquarters on Monday. While at ESPN they participated in an ESPN.com chat, interviewed with ESPN the Magazine, appeared on First Take and more. Photos

Rios and Pacquiao will meet in a 12-round Welterweight bout Saturday, Nov. 23, at The VenetianMacao’s Cotai Arena in Macau, China. The fight will be available on HBO Pay-Per-View.

Main Event:

California’s Nugaev is coming off a fourth-round knockout win over Daniel Attah. In his previous fight he scored an eighth–round knockout win over previously undefeated Jonathan Maicelo. After that fight ESPN.com boxing writer Dan Rafael wrote: “Nugaev wound up scoring a highlight-reel upset knockout over Maicelo. Nugaev and Maicelo fought a good, competitive, toe-to-toe slugfest that came to an abrupt end when Nugaev caught Maicelo with a clean and powerful right hand that dropped him face-first before he rolled over on his back.”

Texas’ Hernandez is looking to build momentum following an eighth-round TKO win over previously undefeated Tony Luis.

“The first thing that comes to mind with this guy we’re fighting (Nugaev) is that he’s tough,” Hernandez’s trainer Richard Best said. “You can see in his fights that he tries to wear his opponents down with pressure. He’s a tall guy, and comes in forward. He’s not too technical, but we are not underestimating him.”

Co-Feature:

Friday’s 10-round co-feature will pit undefeated Jr. Lightweight Jose “The Sniper” Pedraza (13-0, 9 KOs) against California’s Gabriel “The Ghost” Tolmajyan (13-2-1, 3 KOs). Pedraza, a 2008 Olympian for Puerto Rico, scored a seventh-round TKO win over Sergio Villanueva in his last fight, while Tolmajyan  is coming off  an eight-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Jorge Maysonet Jr.

Upcoming Schedule:

Date	Time (ET)	Main Event	Location		Networks
Fri., Aug 16	9 p.m.	Andrzej Fonfara (23-2, 13 KOs)  vs. Gabriel Campillo (22-5-1, 9 KOs)—12 rounds, Light Heavyweights	U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago		ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+,WatchESPN
Fri., Aug 23	9 p.m.	Argenis Méndez (21-2, 11 KOs) vs. Arash Usmanee (20-1, 10 KOs)—12 rounds, Jr. Lightweights	Turning Stone Casino, Verona, N.Y.		ESPN2,  ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN

*Schedule subject to change

Follow ESPN’s Friday Night Fights on Twitter @ESPNFNF or like it on Facebook. Follow ESPN Deportes’ Viernes de Combates on Twitter @ESPNBoxeo.  Also score the fights round-by-round with the “Live Friday Night Fights Facebook Voting App,” an application on the ESPN FNF Facebook page that allows viewers to score the fight round-by-round.

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Curtis Stevens vs. Saul Roman Saturday on NBCSN's Fight Night

While ESPN and Fox air boxing more often, they aren't the only sports networks to feature live fights. Obviously Showtime and HBO get the big matches, but NBC Sports Network does have a contract as well. NBCSN's Fight Night returns this Saturday with 3 matches that most people will probably enjoy. Here's the press release from NBC Sports Group outlining the event. 

NBC SPORTS NETWORK’S FIGHT NIGHT RETURNS WHEN CURTIS STEVENS BATTLES SAUL ROMAN, SAT., AUG. 3RD

Co-Features Include Cruiserweights Eddie Chambers vs. Thabiso and Heavyweights Mchunu & Tomasz Adamek vs. Dominick Guinn

STAMFORD, Conn. – July 31, 2013 – NBC Sports Group’s Fight Night series returns this Saturday, August 3 at 10:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network with an exciting slate of live action from Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. The evening’s three-bout card is headlined by middleweightsCurtis “Showtime” Stevens (24-3, 17 KOs) of Brooklyn, N.Y., against Saul “La Fiera” Roman(37-9, 31 KOs) of Tijuana, Mexico. A victory for Stevens would notch his 25^th as a professional, while Roman aims for his fourth consecutive knockout.

Fight Night’s twin bill of co-feature bouts include a cruiserweight tilt between former USBA heavyweight champion “Fast” Eddie Chambers (36-3, 18 KOs) of Philadelphia against South Africa’s Thabiso “The Rock” Mchunu (13-1, 10 KOs). In the heavyweight contest, IBF North America heavyweight titleholder Tomasz “Goral” Adamek (48-2, 29 KOs) of Poland returns toFight Night to take on Dominick “The Southern Disaster” Guinn (34-9) of Hot Springs, Ark. Saturday’s telecast will be the eleventh edition of Fight Night since the series debut in January 2012.

Matches on Saturday, August 3, on NBC Sports Network at 10:30 p.m. ET:

Fighters	Class	Schedule
Curtis Stevens vs. Saul Roman	Middleweights	Headline
Eddie Chambers vs. Thabiso Mchunu	Cruiserweight	Co-Feature
Tomasz Adamek vs. Dominick Guinn	Heavyweight	Co-Feature

NBC Sports Group’s Fight Night broadcast team of play-by-play announcer Kenny Rice, analystB.J. Flores and reporter Chris Mannix will call the action from Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. Special guest and former boxer Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini will join the booth.

FIGHT NIGHT ON NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA

NBC Sports Live Extra — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets — will live stream Fight Night on Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET.

Coverage will be streamed via “TV Everywhere,” the media industry’s effort to make quality content available to authenticated customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.

For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app for mobile devices and tablets is available at the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and on select Android handset and tablet devices within Google Play.

Coverage airing on NBC Sports Network will live stream to PCs, mobile devices and tablets throughNBC Sports Live Extra, and to the digital platforms of participating cable, satellite, and telco services, via “TV Everywhere,” which is available on an authenticated basis to subscribers of participating MVPDs.

Click here for the participating cable/satellite/telco companies offering NBC Sports Live Extra: http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/2013/06/06/nbc-sports-live-extra-providers/

About Fight Night: NBC Sports Network’s Fight Night series is collaboration between NBC Sports Group, Main Events and Hall of Fame matchmaker J Russell Peltz. The series premiered on January 21, 2012 and featured six original telecasts on NBC Sports Network and one broadcast on NBC. In 2013, a total of seven original telecasts will air on NBC Sports Network and NBC.

For more information about NBC Sports Group shows and properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios and headshots, please visit NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com

– NBC Sports Group –

ESPN2 & Deportes to run Fortuna vs. Franco live on August 2, 2013 Friday Night Fights

For one week, and quite possibly one week only in the month of August, Friday Night Fights returns on the main ESPN Deportes network. ESPN Deportes+ has aired the last 2 weeks and will be the exclusive Spanish home for the next 3 weeks of fights due to increased coverage of Liga MX on ESPN Deportes. Still, for this week Spanish fans that don't have the online feed available can watch the action live (instead of waiting until Saturday's tape delayed broadcast).

Of course this isn't meant to take away from what Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas do. It's just a straight out fact that this is the one week Spanish boxing fans won't have to tune in online to catch the Spanish feed. And why do I mention this you might ask? Because ESPN doesn't mention it at all in their press release. Here's this weeks fight info from ESPN Media Zone.

Former Interim Featherweight Titlist Fortuna to Meet Franco on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights

The August 2 edition of ESPN’s Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra will feature undefeated former interim Featherweight titlist Javier “El Abejon” Fortuna (22-0, 1 NC, 16 KOs, ESPN.com No. 10 ranked Featherweight) and Luis “La Estrella” Franco (11-1, 7 KOs) in the 10-round Featherweight main event. Friday’s s

how from Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Okla., will air live at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes

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dband Spanish-language ESPN Deportes+ and WatchESPN. The card is promoted by Warriors Boxing.

Commentators:

Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas will be ringside describing the action for ESPN2, while studio host Todd Grisham(@GrishamESPN) will present all the latest boxing news and highlights. Delvin Rodriguez, will call the fights with Pablo Viruega for ESPN Deportes’ Viernes de Combates (Friday Night Fights), whileLeopoldo Gonzalez and Claudia Trejos will anchor the studio. Bilingual reporter BernardoOsuna (@osunaespn) will present live interviews and reports for both shows.

Main Event:

California’s Fortuna, trained by Pablo Sarmiento (who also trains Middleweight Champion Sergio Martinez), is coming off a first-round knockout win over Miguel Zamudio.

“Franco is very dangerous, but this fight will prove that Fortuna is the best Featherweight in the world,” Fortuna’s advisor Sampson Lewkowicz said. “When he wins this fight, he will challenge any Featherweight or Super Featherweight in the world.”

Miami’s Franco, a 2004 Olympian for Cuba, is looking to rebound from a 12-round split decision loss to Mauricio Munoz.  

“Franco has prepared well for this fight and he’s training hard,” Franco’s trainer Jorge Rubio said. “I think we’re going to win the fight. Fortuna is a big puncher, but we’re going to be better than him in that fight.”

Co-Feature:

Friday’s 10-round co-feature will pit former Welterweight titlist Kermit Cintron (33-5-2, 28 KOs) of Pennsylvania against Dominican Republic’s Jonathan “Muka” Batista (14-1, 7 KOs). Cintron is looking to get back to his winning ways following a 10-round draw with Adrian Granados in his last fight, while Batista scored a first-round TKO over Carlos Rodriguez.

Upcoming Schedule:

Date	Time (ET)	Main Event	Location		Networks
Fri., Aug 9	10 p.m.	Rustam Nugaev (24-6, 14 KOs) vs. José Hernández (14-6-1, 6 KOs)—10 rounds, Lightweights	Morongo Casino, Cabazon, Calif.		ESPN2,  ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
Fri., Aug 16	9 p.m.	Andrzej Fonfara (23-2, 13 KOs)  vs. Gabriel Campillo (22-5-1, 9 KOs)—12 rounds, Light Heavyweights	U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago		ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
Fri., Aug 23	TBD	Argenis Méndez (21-2, 11 KOs) vs. Arash Usmanee (20-1, 10 KOs)—12 rounds, Jr. Lightweights	Turning Stone Casino, Verona N.Y.		ESPN2,  ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN

*Schedule subject to change

Follow ESPN’s Friday Night Fights on Twitter @ESPNFNF or like it on Facebook. Follow ESPN Deportes’ Viernes de Combates on Twitter @ESPNBoxeo.  Also score the fights round-by-round with the “Live Friday Night Fights Facebook Voting App,” an application on the ESPN FNF Facebook page that allows viewers to score the fight round-by-round.

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