SHOWTIME Sports will live stream two undercard bouts on Saturday, December 7 from Barclays Center leading up to undefeated WBC Middleweight World Champion Jermall Charlo defending his title against highly-ranked contender Dennis Hogan.
Once-beaten middleweight contenders Immanuwel Aleem and Ronald Ellis face off in a 10-round fight, while Australia’s Louisa Hawton battles Los Angeles-native Lorraine Villalobos in a rematch for the women’s Interim WBC Strawweight Championship on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING COUNTDOWN. The digital offering begins live at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT on the SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and SHOWTIME Boxing Facebook page leading into the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
The Premier Boxing Champions event is headlined by the undefeated WBC Middleweight World Champion Charlo defending his title against Hogan. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast also features middleweight star Chris Eubank, Jr. and top contender Matt Korobov squaring off in the co-main event for the Interim WBA Middleweight Title. In the telecast opener, former world champions clash when the Philippines’ Marlon Tapales and Japan’s Ryosuke Iwasa meet for the Interim IBF Super Bantamweight Title.
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING COUNTDOWN is hosted by Brian Campbell and Luke Thomas providing preview and analysis of that evening’s SHOWTIME telecast. Ray Flores will call the live undercard play-by-play action from ringside alongside Hall of Fame analyst Steve Farhood.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Lions Only Promotions and TGB Promotions, are on-sale now and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com and barclayscenter.com. Tickets also can be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.
In SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP COUNTDOWN streaming coverage, the 26-year-old Aleem (18-1-2, 11 KOs) from Richmond, Va., takes on ShoBox: The New Generation alum Ellis (16-1-2, 11 KOs), now 30-years-old and from Lynn, Mass. Nicknamed “The Chosen One”, Aleem scored a career-best win in an upset of levgen Khytrov, a sixth-round TKO in a Fight of the Year contender at Barclays Center in 2017 on SHOWTIME EXTREME on the Badou Jack vs. James DeGale undercard. Aleem’s last fight resulted in a draw against Matt Korobov at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Va., last May. Ellis suffered his first and only professional loss via decision on ShoBox against DeAndre Ware in February of 2019.
The 34-year-old Hawton (9-2, 5 KOs) from Perth, Western Australia, faces Los Angeles’ 23-year-old Villalobos (4-2, 2 KOs) in her first fight since she beat Villalobos in December of 2018 in Carson, Calif., when Villalobos’ corner ended the fight after the fifth round. Villalobos has rebounded with back-to-back wins, with her most recent being a TKO victory over Leanna Martinez in Albuquerque, N.M., back in August.
