Showtime Plans Huge Boxing Weekend Starting February 6

ByBoxing Press

One day before Vic Darchinyan risks his world super flyweight belts against former world champion Jorge Arce on Showtime, undefeated Andre Ward will defend his NABO super middleweight title against Henry Buchanan on Friday, Feb. 6, on ShoBox.

The ShoBox event, presented by Goossen Tutor Promotions, will originate from The Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino at Lemoore, Calif.

The only boxer from the United States to capture a gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games, Ward, of Oakland, Calif., will bring a record of 17-0 with 12 knockouts into the 12-round main event. This will be his third appearance on ShoBox.

Ward, who captured the NABO belt with an eighth-round TKO over Jerson Ravelo on June 20, 2008, on ShoBox, is highly ranked by the four major organizations. He is No. 3 in the WBC and WBO, No. 10 in the WBA and No. 14 in the IBF.

Buchanan, of Chesterfield, S.C., is 17-1 with 12 KO’s. He has won three in a row, including a ninth-round knockout over Brian Norman on June 25, 2008.

In his ShoBox debut on July 28, 2006, Buchanan, the nephew of San Diego Chargers Pro Bowl linebacker Shawne Merriman, triumphed via 10th-round disqualification over Lucas Green-Arias.

On Saturday, Feb. 7, the eagerly anticipated world title fight between Darchinyan, 31-1-1 (25), of Sydney, Australia, and Arce, 51-4-1 (39), of Los Mochis, Me xico, will highlight a telecast that begins at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).

In the Feb. 7 co-feature on Showtime, Antonio DeMarco, 19-1-1 (13), of Tijuana, Mexico, will take on Almazbek “Kid Diamond” Raiymkulov, 27-1-1 (15), in a 12-rounder for the NABO lightweight title from Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.