It was worth the wait: Combate SPACE Joins Forces with Top Rank!
(March 4, 2020) — Combate SPACE has had a presence in Latin America since 1991, and now they are about to start their 2020 season with new events and new faces, always live from ringside, which is in the DNA of the show.
The biggest news this 30th season of the show is the landmark agreement just signed between SPACE and Top Rank, the preeminent global player in the world of boxing. The company was established by Bob Arum, a true boxing legend who has promoted the likes of Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Marvin Hagler.
This is great news for thousands of fans, as they will have the opportunity to see Top Rank stars such as Vasiliy Lomachenko, Tyson Fury, Terence Crawford, Naoya Inoue, Teofimo Lopez, Artur Beterbiev, Eleider Alvarez, Oscar Valdez, Miguel Berchelt, Alex Saucedo, Jose Ramirez and Shakur Stevenson.
Combate SPACE’s new season will kick off on Saturday, March 14, with a world championship fight featuring rising superstar Stevenson defending his WBO featherweight world title against Colombian slugger Miguel Marriaga.
Said Mariano César, VP Content & Brands Portfolio General Entertainment, Turner Latin America: “We are very pleased to start this year with a partnership with a key player such as Top Rank. We know this will translate into a great offering for boxing fans in Latin America. We have already confirmed several world-class fights that will take place over the next few months in order to make good on our promise to bring audiences the best boxing fights, with a local outlook and right from ringside.”
Bob Arum, a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame and Chairman of Top Rank, said: “We are honored to be partnering with SPACE to bring Top Rank’s roster of champions and hungry young fighters to boxing fans across Latin America. Boxing is a truly global sport, and this deal will help build our fighters into global superstars.”
In addition to the above, Combate SPACE, the record-breaking pay-TV show in Latin America, will continue to offer what audiences expect: high-quality images, ringside presence, the passion and experience of Victor Silva and Paco Gonzalez, and the best coverage and pre-fight news on Facebook (facebook.com/combatespace), Instagram and Twitter (@canalspace), including videos, photos and comments. The show’s social media presence is completed with a YouTube channel, which will feature exclusive material, as well as Combate SPACE’s original production specials.
March 14: Stevenson vs. Marriaga
Combate SPACE will start the year with a fight that is all about “youth vs. experience,” featuring Shakur Stevenson (USA) and Miguel Marriaga (Colombia), live from Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden. Stevenson (13-0, 7 KOs) won the WBO featherweight championship last October in a dominant performance against Joet Gonzalez and will be making his first title defense. Stevenson captured a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and Gold at the Pre-Olympic Games in Buenos Aires.
Marriaga (29-3, 25 KOs) is a three-time world title challenger, having fallen short in valiant efforts against Vasiliy Lomachenko, Oscar Valdez and Nicholas Walters. He has won four consecutive bouts — all by KO — since the Lomachenko defeat.
March 28: Beterbiev vs. Meng
Two world titles will be at stake, as WBC/IBF light heavyweight world champion Artur Beterbiev will battle No. 1 contender Meng Fanlong, live from Quebec City, Canada. The Russian-born Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs) is currently boxing’s only champion with a 100 percent KO ratio. His latest victim was Oleksandr Gvozdyk (Ukraine), whom he toppled last October via 10th-round knockout.
The challenger has also remained undefeated as a pro for 16 fights. Nicknamed “Cold Blood”, with several fights in the U.S. under his belt, Meng seeks to become the first male world champion from China to win a world title in a weight class above featherweight.
April 25: Inoue vs. Casimero
The third fight of the year will take place at the Mecca of modern boxing, Las Vegas, and will feature WBA/IBF bantamweight world champion Naoya “Monster” Inoue hoping to unify titles against WBO world champion Johnriel Casimero. Inoue has an impeccable 14-0 record in championship fights and 8-0 when fighting world champions and former world champions (including Omar Narvaez, Juan Carlos Payano and Emmanuel Rodriguez). Last November, he defeated Nonito Donaire via unanimous decision in what was regarded as the best fight of the year.
Casimero previously won championships in other two divisions (light flyweight and flyweight) and holds a 7-2 record in world title fights and a 5-3 record in fights against world champions. He has not lost a fight since 2017 and has won five consecutive fights, all of them by KO. Casimero most recently knocked out Zolani Tete in the third round to capture the WBO belt.
May 9: Ramirez vs. Postol
The fourth event confirmed by Top Rank will feature WBC/WBO super lightweight world champion Jose Ramirez and former world champion Viktor “The Iceman” Postol. Ramirez (25-0, 17 KOs) won the WBC championship when he beat Amir Imam in March 2018. Last July, he knocked out Maurice Hooker in six breathtaking rounds to unify the WBC and WBO world titles.
Ukraine-born Postol upset Lucas “La Máquina” Matthysse (Argentina) via knockout in October 2015 before losing his title the following year in a unification bout against Terence Crawford. Postol has won two in a row since a competitive decision defeat to current unified world champion Josh Taylor.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/canalspace; https://twitter.com/trboxing
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/canalspacela/; https://www.instagram.com/toprank/
Facebook Combate: http://www.facebook.com/combatespace
Facebook Space: http://www.facebook.com/canalspace.tv
Facebook Top Rank: https://www.facebook.com/trboxing/
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/canalspacetv; https://www.youtube.com/trboxing
Plataformas de PR Combate SPACE:
Press Room: https://prensa.turner.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/TurnerPrensa/
Twitter: @TurnerPrensa
ABOUT SPACE
Ever since it was first launched in 1991, SPACE has been a pioneer in Latin American pay-TV. The network, which brings the best action contents for an audience seeking powerful emotions, offers a mix of the most intense Hollywood movies, high-quality original productions, exclusive series, wrestling, big boxing events on Combate SPACE, and live football (on an exclusive basis for the Brazilian market). SPACE is targeted at viewers 18-49, and reaches 62.9 million subscribers in Latin America, in Spanish and Portuguese.
ABOUT TOP RANK
Innovation has been the standard at Top Rank since it was established in 1966 by Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum. The boxing industry’s leading promotional company, Top Rank has shaped, developed, and promoted the careers of top international pay-per-view superstars and Hall of Famers, including Muhammad Ali, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Aaron Pryor, Alexis Arguello, Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Miguel Cotto, Erik Morales, Terence Crawford, Vasiliy Lomachenko and Tyson Fury.
Top Rank has promoted some of the most memorable fights in the sport’s history, including 26 Ali events, Leonard vs. Hearns, Pryor vs. Arguello, Duran vs. Leonard, Hagler vs. Hearns, Leonard vs. Hagler, Foreman vs. Holyfield, Morales vs. Barrera, De La Hoya vs. Trinidad, and the most lucrative fight in boxing history, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. In addition to the previously mentioned super fights, Top Rank possesses one of the largest sports libraries, which includes nearly 10,000 fights.
Known for creating strategic collaborations between athletes, sponsors, and television networks, Top Rank has been an architect of boxing’s global growth by staging high-profile events in landmark settings around the world, including Madison Square Garden, MGM Grand Garden Arena, Staples Center, Wembley Arena, Araneta Coliseum, The Venetian Macao, Yankee Stadium, Radio City Music Hall, The “Fabulous” Forum, and AT&T Stadium. Top Rank has also been the leader within the boxing industry in creating unforgettable in-arena experiences for fans and embracing 21st century technological advancements to distribute world-class fights and shoulder programming across a variety of platforms.
