Heavyweight championship boxing makes an EPIX return next month! World Heavyweight Champion Wladimir “Dr. Steelhammer” Klitschko will defend his unified titles on Saturday, November 10, beginning at 4:30PM ET/1:30PM PT, exclusively on EPIX, the multiplatform premium entertainment service.
EpixHD.com will stream the fights live as part of a special free trial offer for boxing fans.
Klitschko, the WBA/IBF/WBO/IBO/RING heavyweight champion, will battle 6’7 1/2 undefeated world-rated contender MARIUSZ “The Viking” WACH at the O2 World Arena in Hamburg, Germany. It is the first time the 6’6 Klitschko has ever rumbled with a taller opponent. It will also be the first fight since 2004 that Klitschko will not have Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward in his corner.
The telecast will include a tribute to Steward who passed away on October 25.
The telecast and live stream will also feature ROBERT “The Nordic Nightmare” HELENIUS risking his undefeated record and his march to a world title shot against battle-tested veteran SHERMAN “The Tank” WILLIAMS, live from the Helsinki Ice Hall in Helsinki, Finland.These four gladiators boast a combined record of 137-14-2 (95 KOs) – a 90% winning percentage and a 69% victory by knockout ratio.
As has become the custom, EPIX will once again present the closed-captioned simulcast of this world championship rumble on its jumbotron in Times Square in New York City (Broadway between 44th and 45th Sts.)
“The big challenge for me is Wach’s height. It is the first time that I am facing an opponent who is taller than me and has a better reach,” said Klitschko. “He is unbeaten, a big puncher and has an irrepressible will. To fight in Hamburg once again is very special to me: I started my professional career here and last year Vitali’s and my dream to unify all heavyweight titles in the Klitschko family became true.”
“My fellow countrymen Adamek and Sosnowski did not have what it takes to beat a Klitschko. I am not a former cruiserweight but a real heavyweight,” said Wach. “Klitschko will take a lot of hard punches before I knock him out. I will be the first Polish world heavyweight champion!”
“I will be ready for the Tank,” said Helenius. “My shoulder has healed very well, my other arm has gotten much stronger now, so I will do damage with both hands. It´s great to make my comeback fight in Finland.”
“I look forward to coming to Finland. I will bring some sunshine to Helsinki. I have a special punch, the Conch Punch, an overhead right, and the Tank will catch Robert with that shot. That is my special weapon which will help me to win this fight,” said Williams.
“EPIX is very pleased to continue its exclusive live U.S. telecasts of championship boxing and the excitement of another Wladimir Klitschko World Heavyweight Championship defense. Klitschko’s dominance of the heavyweight division is a viewer magnet that keeps attracting U.S.-based fight fans and nurturing audience growth for the EPIX Sports boxing series,” said Travis Pomposello, EPIX CCO and executive producer of EPIX Sports.Klitschko (58-3, 51 KOs), of Kiev, Ukraine, is a two-time world heavyweight champion. Wladimir began his first title reign in 2000 when he captured the WBO heavyweight title via a unanimous decision over defending champion Chris Byrd. Byrd suffered two knockdowns in that battle. Klitschko’s two-year title reign included five successful defenses – all by knockout – before losing the belt to Corrie Sanders in 2003. Klitschko returned to the world championship throne in 2006, this time as IBF champion, when he dethroned Chris Byrd in a title rematch. This victory was even more emphatic than the first one with Klitschko stopping Byrd in the seventh round. Since that fight, Klitschko has taken on and defeated all comers while unifying the title with victories over WBO champion Sultan Ibragimov, and WBA champion David Haye. He enters this fight riding an eight-year, 15-bout winning streak. His most recent victories were a fourth-round knockout of former two-time world champion Jean Marc Mormeck, on March 3, and a sixth-round stoppage of mandatory challenger Tony Thompson, on July 7. Both title defenses were televised live to the U.S. by EPIX.
EPIX PROMO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQRZ0EpzPyA&feature=youtu.be
Wach (27-0, 15 KOs), a native of Poland who fights out of North Bergen, NJ, enters his first world championship battle having won his last seven bouts by knockout, dating back to 2009. At 6’7, the two-time Polish amateur champion holds a one-inch height advantage over Klitschko, the first time the defending champion has not been the taller man in the ring. He captured the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) International heavyweight title last year via a fourth-round stoppage of Kevin McBride, the man who knocked out Mike Tyson into retirement. Wach successfully defended that title with sixth-round knockouts of Jason Gavern and Tye Fields, last November and March, respectively. Gavern and Fields had a combined record of 70-12-4 when they fought Wach.
Helenius (17-0, 11 KOs), a native of Finland who fights out of Berlin, Germany, boasts knockout victories of three former heavyweight champions, including Siarhei Liakhovich, Lamon Brewster and Samuel Peter, who were starched in nine, eight and nine rounds, respectively, between 2010 and 2011. Helenius returns to the ring for the first time since last December when he won a very close split decision over future world title challnger Dereck Chisora. Helenius, who entered that fight world-rated No. 1 by the WBO and No. 3 by the WBA and the IBF, retained his WBA and WBO Inter-Continental heavyweight titles and captured the vacant European Boxing Union (EBU) heavyweight championship. However surgery to his right shoulder and subsequent rehabilitation kept him sidelined. The inactivity also cost him his high world ratings. On a mission to gt back into the world title hunt, Helenius enters this fight having won 10 of his last 12 fights by stoppage.
Williams (35-11-2, 19 KOs), a native of the Bahamas, fights out of Vero Beach, Fla. Always ready, willing and able to meet the biggest challenges, Williams has faced former world champions Evander Holyfield, Ruslan Chagaev and Al Cole and highly-rated contenders Obed Sullivan and Jameel Kline. He enters this fight having won 10 of his last 12 fights.
