One of boxing’s biggest names makes his 2013 debut and an emerging star returns to the HBO spotlight when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ JR. VS. BRYAN VERA, ADONIS STEVENSON VS. TAVORIS CLOUD AND DAVID HAYE VS. TYSON FURY is seen SATURDAY, SEPT. 28 at 10:15 p.m. (ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports team will call all the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.
Other HBO playdates: Sept. 29 (9:00 a.m.) and 30 (11:45 p.m.)
HBO2 playdate: Oct. 1 (11:30 p.m.)
The main event features Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-1-1, 32 KOs) of Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico and Bryan Vera (23-6, 14 KOs) of Austin, Tex. in a highly anticipated 12-round super middleweight clash, presented live ET/tape-delayed PT from the StubHub Center in Carson, Cal. Making his 2013 debut, Chavez Jr., 27, returns to the region where he dethroned middleweight champ Sebastian Zbik in 2011. Known for an aggressive, fan-friendly style, he proved his mettle with knockout wins over Peter Manfredo, Jr. and Andy Lee, and exhibited versatility as a 12-round fighter with a unanimous victory over battle-tested veteran Marco Antonio Rubio. Chavez Jr. closed out 2012 with a loss to pound-for-pound ace Sergio Martinez, but the heart and courage he displayed in the final round left the boxing community eagerly awaiting his return to the ring.
Vera, 31, enters the biggest event of his career seeking his seventh win in eight fights. The accomplished veteran gained acclaim by knocking out the undefeated Andy Lee and edging out former welterweight titleholders Sergio Mora and Sergiy Dzinziruk. His latest win was a dominant effort over Donatas Bondorovas.
The evening opens with an intriguing 12-round heavyweight showdown (tape-delayed ET/PT) from Phones 4u Arena in Manchester, England, as David Haye (26-2, 24 KOs), 32, meets Tyson Fury (21-0, 15 KOs), 25. The tale of the tape is a David-and-Goliath story, with Fury holding a six-inch height advantage over his 6’3” foe, as well as a considerably longer reach, though Haye showed he can overcome such deficits when he defeated seven-foot Nikolai Valuev.
The middle bout, airing live ET/tape-delayed PT from Bell Centre in Montreal, features a compelling light heavyweight title fight as Montreal’s fast-rising Adonis Stevenson (21-1-0, 18 KOs), 35, defends his crown against 31-year-old former champ Tavoris Cloud (24-1-0, 19 KOs) of Tallahassee, Fla. in a 12-round contest. Making his HBO debut last June, Stevenson KO’d reigning champ Chad Dawson just 76 seconds into the bout. Now he faces a fearless veteran who has battled many of the 175-pound division’s top performers.
Immediately following the boxing action, the all-access reality series “24/7 Bradley/Marquez” debuts at approximately 1:00 a.m. (ET/PT).
