TOTOWA, NJ - Main Events announced today that they have signed middleweight hopeful Curtis "Showtime" Stevens to an exclusive promotional contract. Stevens, born and bred in Brownsville, Brooklyn, NY, has a strong amateur pedigree, a solid professional record of 23-3, 17 KOs, and is a hot commodity after his most recent bout.

Stevens needed less than one round to finish off the seasoned and usually-durable Elvin Ayala last month in a nationally televised fight for the Vacant NABF Middleweight Title. Stevens brutally handled Ayala, dropping him twice in the opening round to send the message that he is ready to take on the best of the 160-pound division. It was the second consecutive first round knockout for Stevens, who halted Romaro Johnson after just 2:16, last March in his first middleweight bout.

After trimming down from the super middleweight division, Stevens is in the best shape of his life, and the move seems to have raised his game to a whole new level. 

Stevens feels he now has the right tools to dominate the division. He expressed, "Everybody on your team isn't always in your corner, but now I'm signed to Main Events, and I have a great team in my corner. I had 2 years off and now I'm back. Now I'm going to take over the middle weight division. All glory be to God."

 

Stevens began boxing professionally in 2004 and reeled off thirteen straight wins to start his career. Among his victims in that opening streak was former world champion Carl Daniels. "Showtime" went on to defeat undefeated Pitor Wilczewski by knockout, and well as road warriors Dhafir Smith and Darnell Boone by decision.

Now with two explosive middleweight victories in his pocket and two Top-10 world rankings to his credit, #8 WBC and #10 IBF, Stevens is poised to make a run to the top of the division.

Main Events, whose NBC SPORTS NETWORK boxing series FIGHT NIGHT kicked off its second season with the Stevens-Ayala bout, has created an effective platform where hungry fighters can build and advance their boxing careers. Curtis Stevens took advantage of the opportunity to use the popular series as a springboard to a world title.

Kathy Duva, Main Events CEO, said, "Curtis has the potential to go all the way. He has power, skills, and miles of personality. His stunning first round KO of Elvin Ayala on NBC Fight Night in January made quite a statement and we listened. We are so pleased to make Curtis part of the Main Events family and look forward to having much success together."

CHICAGO, IL - Chicago fan favorite and perennial contender Donovan “Da Bomb” George will battle world title challenger David “The Destroyer” Lopez of Nogales, Mexico in a ten round middleweight bout on FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 2013 at Chicago’s UIC Pavilion.

 

The George/Lopez clash will be featured as the main event broadcast on ESPN Friday Night Fights complimented by an all-action ten round welterweight tilt between sensational prospect and hot Chicago attraction Adrian “EL Tigre” Granados and former world champion, The Fighting Pride of Carolina, Puerto Rico, Kermit “EL Asesino” Cintron. 

 

Presented by 8 Count Productions, Round 3 Productions, Warriors Boxing and Blue Wave Boxing, advance tickets to ESPN Friday Night Fights are priced at $150, $100, $50 and $30 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000), the 8 Count Productions Offices, 312-226-5800 or the UIC Pavilion Box Office, 312-413-5740.

 

Doors will open on the night of the event at 7pm CT with the first bout scheduled for 8:00pm CT. The UIC Pavilion is located at 525 S. Racine, at the corner of Harrison and Racine on the campus of the University of Illinois-Chicago.

 

“We’re thrilled at the tremendous success that our events at the UIC Pavilion have had. As I said at The Palmer House at our last press conference, Chicago used to be the best fight town in the country and our TEAM is putting it at the top of the pedestal once again” said Frank Mugnolo, President of Round 3 Productions. “The fan and media support has been tremendous and MARCH 22 will once again be a special evening for Chicago boxing fans.”

 

Said Dominic Pesoli, President of 8 Count Productions, “Donovan has been a favorite in Chicago for many years, he’s had numerous terrific wins over his nine year career and has become a must-see attraction. He’s now campaigning at middleweight and this fight against Lopez presents the first step towards his ascent in the world rankings at 160.”

 

            ‘A fight between Donovan George and David Lopez is exactly the type of main event our fans have come to expect at our shows. Lopez is a true Mexican warrior who has only lost once in eight years and that was against Austin Trout, one of the sports’ elite champions.”

 

“With the addition of the excellent co-main event between Adrian Granados and Kermit Cintron, we’re off to a terrific start of what will be an outstanding evening of world class boxing for the Chicago boxing fans and those watching the telecast across the country.”

 

Continued Pesoli, “This is also the second straight month that ESPN Friday Night Fights is broadcasting our event and their commitment to these events strongly validates our growing presence in Chicago. It’s always a pleasure working with their TEAM.”

 

The 28-year-old George, 24-3-1 (21KO’s), known as one of the most exciting fighters in the sport, makes a quick return to action following his body crunching first round knockout of James Cook on FEBRUARY 1 at the UIC Pavilion.

 

Widely recognized for his must see-TV aggressive style and winning back flips, George’s three fights in 2012 were broadcast across three separate networks.

 

On MARCH 17, 2012, George was featured in a ten round war against Edwin Rodriguez from The Theatre at Madison Square Garden in a battle broadcast on HBO’s Boxing After Dark. Rodriguez was declared the winner of the hard fought battle by a close unanimous decision.

 

Five months later on AUGUST 17, George brutally knocked out Dionisio Miranda in the sixth round from the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma. Taking the fight on three days notice when original opponent Adonis Stevenson was injured, the brilliant performance by George was telecast on ESPN Friday Night Fights.

 

At the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada, on October 12, George and Stevenson participated in a 2012 Fight of the Year candidate before a massive crowd and a Wealth TV national audience, the war being halted in the final stanza as Stevenson earned the stoppage.

 

A professional since 1995, Lopez sports a record of 41-13-0 (23KO’s) and has only lost once since 2005, a very close twelve round decision to WBA Junior Middleweight Champion Austin Trout on JUNE 11, 2011.

 

Prior to the Trout loss, Lopez had won sixteen fights in a row and followed up the world title challenge to Trout with a ten round unanimous decision over Julio Cesar Garcia on MAY 26, 2012.

 

A former amateur standout and member of the 2008 Mexican Olympic Team, the 23-year-old Granados has already proved himself against world-class competition and become one of the brightest prospects in the sport.

 

With numerous hard fought, memorable fights in Chicago, Granados has compiled a record of 11-2-1 (7KO’s) over his four-year career.

 

In his last start on December 12 in front of a packed house of loud and proud local boxing fans at Cicero Stadium, Granados dominated and out-classed the previously undefeated Antonio Canas winning every round prior to the bout being stopped in the fifth stanza.

 

The much more experienced and hard punching Cintron, 33-5-1 (28KO’s), first came to national attention in the boxing world winning the IBF Welterweight Championship by knocking out Mark Suarez on October 28, 2006.

 

Over the course of his twelve-year career, Cintron has fought many of the sports top names including Sergio Martinez, “Canelo” Alvarez, Antonio Margarito, Paul Williams, Carlos Molina and Alfredo Angulo.

 

A full undercard featuring many of Chicago’s best prospects and fan favorites will be announced shortly for this event.