HBO Sports visits Maryland for the first time since 1979 when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: VASYL LOMACHENKO VS. JASON SOSA AND ALEKSANDR GVOZDYK VS. YUNIESKY GONZALEZ AND ALEKSANDR USYK VS. MIKE HUNTER is seen SATURDAY, APRIL 8 at 10:00 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from The Theater at MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md., exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports team will call the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino. Photos by Mikey Williams/Top Rank.
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Other HBO playdates: April 9 (8:45 a.m.) and April 11 (12:35 a.m.) HBO2 playdate: April 10 (1:05 a.m.)
The fights will also be available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and affiliate portals.
In a junior lightweight title fight, rising sensation Vasyl Lomachenko (7-1, 5 KOs), of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, Ukraine, puts his crown on the line against Jason Sosa (20-1-4, 15 KOs), from Camden, NJ, in a scheduled 12-round contest. Named 2016 fighter of the year by several media outlets, the multi-talented Lomachenko is a two-time Olympic gold medalist who has become a two-division world champion after just a handful of pro fights.
Known for his punching power and aggressive style, Sosa is on a five-year, 20-bout unbeaten streak, amassing a 70% knockout-to-win ratio along the way. With more professional ring experience, Sosa looks to derail Lomachenko’s momentum in the 130-pound division.
The middle bout is a ten-round light heavyweight fight that pits Oleksandr Gvozdyk (12-0, 10 KOs) from Kharkiv, Ukraine, against Yuniesky Gonzalez (18-2, 14 KOs), a native of Pinar del Rio, Cuba, who now lives in Miami. Gvozdyk captured the bronze medal as a member of the 2012 Olympic team, which also included the other two Ukrainian fighters on the evening’s card. Gonzalez also has a rich amateur background, with more than 300 fights in his native Cuba, a hotbed of amateur boxing stars. Both men look to make a major impression in the talented 175-pound division.
Undefeated fighters vie for a cruiserweight title in the opening bout, as Aleksandr Usyk (11-0, 10 KOs) from Kiev, Ukraine, makes his second HBO appearance for a 12-round tilt with Mike Hunter (12-0, 8 KOs). Defending his 200-pound title belt, Usyk, a 2012 Olympic gold medalist, trains in Onxard, Cal. Hunter hails from Las Vegas and was a member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team.
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