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Springfield, NJ: Totowa, NJ-based promoter Main Events won the purse bid for the IBF-mandated eliminator for the #1 position in the IBF's light heavyweight ratings between #2-ranked Dmitry "The Hunter" Sukhotsky (21-2-0, 16 KOs) and #4-ranked Anatoliy "The Gladiator" Dudchenko (19-2-0, 13 KOs). The purse bid was held this morning at the IBF offices in Springfield, NJ.  The winner of the fight will become the mandatory challenger for Bernard Hopkins' IBF Light Heavyweight Title.

Main Events plans to add the elimination bout to the Friday, April 4th edition of NBCSN Fight Night featuring the USBA Heavyweight Championship battle between Steve Cunningham and Amir Mansour at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, PA. 

  Dudchenko, 35, is originally from Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine and now resides in Los Angeles, CA.  He is currently the IBF Intercontinental Light Heavyweight Champion.  This will be his first fight in the Northeast and his first since signing with Main Events.  "The Gladiator" has won sixteen straight bouts in a row (seven by knockout) dating all the way back to May 16, 2008 with his first round TKO of Chris Eppley in Evansville, Indiana. 

Sukhotsky, 32, of Barnaul, Russia will make his east coast debut on April 4th.  He has only fought once in the United States, on July 14, 2012 in Las Vegas, NV where he lost to Cornelius White via unanimous decision. However, "The Hunter" has won his last three fights in a row - all by knockout - dating back to December 8, 2012 with his first round TKO over Volodymyr Borovskyy in Podolsk, Russia.

Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events, said, "Sukhotsky versus Dudchenko is going to be a war that deserves this kind of exposure in the United States.  The winner will be in line to challenge Bernard Hopkins for the IBF Light Heavyweight Championship, so it's great that fight fans will get to see this eliminator."

About April 4th:

The event features a ten-round bout for the USBA Heavyweight Title between Steve "USS" Cunningham and USBA champion Amir "Hardcore" Mansour live on NBCSN Fight Night from the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, PA.  The Fight Night broadcast will begin at 10 pm ET/7 pm PT.  The card is presented by Main Events and Peltz Boxing in association with BAM Boxing and Joe Hand Promotions. The undercard will include the IBF Light Heavyweight Eliminator between Anatoliy Dudchenko and Dmitry Sukhotsky. The remaining undercard fights will be announced shortly.  Tickets are on sale now at www.comcastTix.com and the Liacouras Center Box Office.  

NBC Sports Live Extra:

NBC Sports Group's live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets - will live stream Fight Night at 10 pm ET/7 pm PT on April 4th.  Coverage will be streamed via "TV Everywhere," the media industry's effort to make quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.

For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app for mobile devices and tablets is available at the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and on select Android handset and tablet devices within Google Play.

All NBC Sports Network live events live stream to PCs, mobile devices and tablets through NBC Sports Live Extra, and to the digital platforms of participating cable, satellite, and telco services, via "TV Everywhere," which is available on an authenticated basis to subscribers of participating MVPDs.