HBO SPORTS PRESENTS

A BLUE-RIBBON DOUBLEHEADER UNDER THE VEGAS LIGHTS WHEN

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®: RICKY HATTON VS. PAUL MALIGNAGGI

AND JAMES KIRKLAND VS. BRIAN VERA

IS SEEN LIVE SATURDAY, NOV. 22 ON HBO

Relentless combatants square off when HBO Sports presents WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: RICKY HATTON VS. PAUL MALIGNAGGI AND JAMES KIRKLAND VS. BRIAN VERA live SATURDAY, NOV. 22 (10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT), from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, exclusively on HBO.

Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton (44-1, 31 KOs) of Manchester, England returns to the States to battle Brooklyn’s Paul “The Magic Man” Malignaggi (25-1, 5 KOs) in a scheduled 12-round junior welterweight fight. Enormously popular back home, Hatton is an aggressive brawler who enters attack mode at the opening bell, swarming his opponent with persistent punches. Raising his profile in America last December when he opposed Floyd Mayweather in a welterweight showdown, Hatton now returns to his natural weight of 140 pounds and seeks to reassert his dominance in the division.

Affable Paulie Malignaggi is known for his flashy style in the ring, where he displays quick combinations and a huge heart, and a larger-than-life personality outside the ropes. Earning a 140-pound title in 2007 when he decisioned Lovemore N’dou, Malignaggi never backs down from a challenge, and now intends to prove that he’s the best at 140 pounds.

Two Texans clash in the opening bout, as hard-hitting James Kirkland (23-0, 20 KOs) returns to HBO to face rugged contender Brian Vera (16-1, 10 KOs) in a ten-round middleweight contest. Undefeated Kirkland is an exciting knockout artist, with 18 of his 20 knockout victories coming in the first three rounds. Vera is fresh off an impressive victory over highly-regarded prospect Andy Lee.

All WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING events are broadcast in HDTV. HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.