SportzHype Boxing

JuanMa vs Marquez Tix Go On Sale August 2

2010-07-27T23:39:00.000-07:00

By Press Release

LAS VEGAS , NEV. (July 27, 2010) – Fireworks will fly during Mexican Independence Day weekend in Las Vegas, Nev., when two-division world champions JUAN MANUEL “JuanMa” LOPEZ and RAFAEL MARQUEZ collide for Lopez’s World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight title, Saturday, September 18, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The 12-round world title tilt will be televised live on SHOWTIME Championship Boxing.

These two warriors boast a combined record of 68-5 with an astounding 61 knockouts – a winning percentage of 93% and a victory by knockout ratio of 90%.

The fight will be promoted by Top Rank, in association with PR Best Boxing, Zanfer Promotions and Gary Shaw Productions. Tickets, priced at $400, $300, $200, $100 and $50, go on sale Monday, August 2, at 10 a.m. PT, and can be purchased at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino.) Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

"I am looking forward to showing my skills against a great champion like Rafael Marquez, one of the all-time greats and a future hall of famer,” said Lopez. “It will be the biggest fight of my career."

“To join the elite class of Mexican champions like Julio César Chávez, Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, Fernando Montiel and my brother Juan Manuel, who have won world titles in three different weight divisions, has always been a goal of mine and now that opportunity has arrived, fighting for a third division world title as my country celebrates its Independence Day. Making it even more special is that Juan Manuel and I would be the only brothers to accomplish such a feat,” said Marquez. “This has become the most important fight of my career and I will train for it as if I were fighting for my life.”

"This world title fight between Juan Manuel Lopez and Rafael Marquez is one of the premier battles in the sport of boxing. It will be fascinating and entertaining from start to finish,” said Bob Arum, CEO of Top Rank.

“Rafael and JuanMa have never taken a step backward in their professional careers, which is what makes them so exciting and attractive to their legions of fans,” said Gary Shaw, president of Gary Shaw Productions. “This has ‘Fight of the Year’ written all over it and I’m very proud to be associated with it.”

"Marquez and Lopez are both big punchers," said Fernando Beltran, president of Zanfer Promotions in México. "They can trade, deliver big hits and take it. That is what makes this such a big-time fight."

“Lopez vs. Marquez has all the makings of a classic,” said Ken Hershman, Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports. “The heart, determination and incredible power of Rafael Marquez make him the most formidable opponent in the young and impressive career of JuanMa Lopez. As a fan, I can’t wait for Sept. 18. As a television programmer, I know that this matchup delivers on our promise to subscribers—to televise the most competitive, compelling and significant fights in boxing.”

Lopez (29-0, 26 KOs), from Caguas , Puerto Rico, returns to Las Vegas for the first time in more than four years. The pride of Puerto Rico and a consensus Top 10 pound-for-pound fighter has won 16 of his previous 17 fights by knockout. He earned his first world title by knocking out defending WBO junior featherweight champion Daniel Ponce De Leon in the first round of their June 2008 fight. After five successful title defenses – four by knockout – he vacated the title and successfully challenged WBO featherweight champion Steven Luevano, stopping him in the seventh round, on January 28, at Madison Square Garden . In his last fight, Juanma successfully defended his featherweight crown with an exciting second-round TKO of the Manny Pacquiao-managed contender Bernabe Concepcion on July 10 in Puerto Rico .

Marquez (39-5, 35 KOs), of México City , also makes his first visit to the Entertainment Capital of the World since 2006. Already the author of a first-ballot Hall of Fame career, Marquez boasts victories over world champions Tim Austin, Israel Vazquez (2), Mauricio Pastrana (2) and Mark Johnson (2). Marquez captured the International Boxing Federation (IBF) bantamweight title in 2003, knocking out undefeated defending champion Tim Austin in the eighth round and ending his six-year title reign. Marquez successfully defended the title seven times before vacating it in March 2007 to challenge World Boxing Council (WBC) super bantamweight champion Israel Vazquez, winning the title via a brutal seventh-round stoppage, beginning one of this era’s most exciting rivalries. The second and third installments, both won by Vazquez, were named Fight of the Year in 2007 and 2008, respectively, by The Ring. Marquez evened up their historic series on May 22 with a third-round knockout victory, the first to be fought at featherweight.

Andre Ward Headed Toward Super Stardom, Not If Allan Green Has a Say

2010-06-15T10:35:00.000-07:00

By Tyler Curtis

This weekend the Super Six is back with the Andre Ward-Allan Green fight. To me this is the most important fight in the Super Six.

As far as points standings, it is a very important fight for Green. He has zero points and in the event of a tie, he has one less fight of judge scorecards to lean back on.

If you are not aware of how the tie is broken they have three ways to break it. First is head-to-head wins, then they go to knockout wins, and finally judges points in favor.

With Green missing the first fight, he is at a disadvantage on all of these. That is the first reason this is the most important fight of the tournament.

Also if Ward wins this fight, even by decision, he guarantees he moves into the next round.

So for him this is almost a must win.

With a loss he could move on but it would be at a lower seed and would be more difficult.

Those two reasons make it a very important fight without a doubt. The real reason I see this as the most important fight isn’t anything with points or moving on.

Its all about public perception. Ward is on the cusp of becoming a major star. He is already a star in California as he sells out an arena when he fights.

If Ward wins he will be on the map for all boxing fans. He has the looks, the Olympic pedigree, and a title. Those are three ingredients that make someone a star.

Will he become a crossover star and bring boxing back to the mainstream? No, he probably won't.

But he will become a fighter that is a can't miss when he is on TV.

When he fought before it was “Oh yeah Andre Ward is on, I better flick that on.” That will become “Andre Ward is on, I better be in front of my TV or have my DVR set.”

Ward doesn’t have the most exciting style and he isn’t a massive puncher. He does though do just enough work to keep a fight interesting and exciting.

Now Green isn’t the best super middleweight in the world and he wouldn’t even be the best name on Ward’s resume. That would still belong to Mikkel Kessler.

Everyone knows the saying “The most important fight is your first title defense.” Now that Ward is at the top, will he have the drive to work hard and show up in best possible shape.

If you asked me, it would be a 100 percent, yes. If he wins though he will become a major attraction to boxing fans.

If you flip the coin you have Green. Who is Green? He is a big punching, trash talking frustrating as hell fighter.

The guy has a punch and he fights in a fun aggressive style. He likes to trash opponents and ruffle their feathers before a fight.

He also likes to pull out of fights with no reason with less than 24 hours notice and sometimes, he just fights dreadfully bad.

If Green pulls the upset and grabs the WBA title, he will be a big time attraction in his own right. He will have the looks, the title, and more importantly the big punch.

Whoever wins this weekend will be a superstar, but who will it be?

Manny Pacquiao: America's Most Wanted is still Mr. Clean

2010-06-11T01:05:00.000-07:00

By Oliver Suarez

Ricky must still be feeling the after shocks of Pacquiao's left hand since he just added himself to the long list of boxers who are putting into questions the Filipino icon's recent accomplishments.

Athletes know the hard work that it entails to reach the pinnacle of success. As a result, they often have unwritten rules that they often apply among themselves.

One of them is not associating a fellow athlete with something that can negatively impact their career without any evidences.

There is very few if any that is worse than being associated with the use of performance enhancing drugs. As a result, it baffles the mind that some boxers can easily insinuate that Pacquiao is using PED without a hint of any evidences. It's nothing short of disrespect to the sacrifices and hard work that fellow athletes go through.

Sure, they may not directly accuse Pacquiao of using PED's but insinuating him with it in a clever manner might be just as worse.

It's like someone saying, "He acts like a kleptomaniac, but I don't think he stole it."

The issue of steroids regarding Pacquiao has been an ongoing issue for quite sometimes, and the fact is so far not even a minute evidence supporting his use has ever surfaced. They say that when there is smoke, then there is fire, but in this case it's been as clear as a sunny day that Pacquiao is just a once in a generation athlete that is destined to set new standards for his successors to follow or exceed.

It's also time to credit Pacquiao for his willingness to learn and improve upon his skills. Very few athletes in the history of sports has improved as much as Pacquiao from the middle to the latter part of his career. Only a few since it takes tremendous discipline, work ethic along with a touch of humbleness.

For example what did they use to comment on Pacquiao in his early fights? It was his balance and lack of great footwork. But now, even Steward has acknowledged that his improved in that area and even Roach during media day before the Clottey fight said that when Pacquiao's footwork caught up with his upper body movements is when he became the fighter he is today. According to Roach that happened during the David Diaz fight.

Now lets analyze the most said reasons that his accusers often point out to Pacquiao's supposed use of PEDs

Myth number one: Pacquiao has gained a great amount of weight in such a short time.

Fact: Pacquiao has weighed in around 144-148 since his lightweight days and might now be stronger since he doesn't have to cut as much weight.

Myth number two: Pacquiao must be using PEDs since he's knocking guys out left and right since moving up in weights.

Fact: He's always been a knock out artist from the beginning. Also, he's been dominating and knocking guys out in the higher weight class, but necessarily because his punching power has suddenly become extraordinary, but because as I said before he's got the unique ability to throw punches at odd angles and the vision to connect it at the right time. He also knocks his opponents out not by just one punch but by the volume of punches that he throws courtesy of his great stamina that he's always had.

So, until an evidence is found, all this PED issue regarding Pacquiao is just another excuse to downgrade his body of work. A body of work that no matter what his detractors say places him not just among the greats but legendary figures such as Ruth, Ali and Jordan. For now it's all much ado about nothing as Dennis Guillermo said in his last article.

It's now time to ignore this issue the same way the BWAA ignored Mayweather when considering who the best fighter of the decade was.

Pacquiao's Nighline Feature Now Online

2010-05-13T02:20:00.001-07:00

By Press Release

LAS VEGAS, NEV. (May 12, 2010) – Fighter of the Decade, boxing’s No. 1 pound for pound world champion and box office attraction, Congressman-Elect MANNY PACQUIAO was featured on ABC News Nightline Tuesday night -- another first for the seven-division world champion, who has already made numerous appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Good Morning America and has been featured in Sports Illustrated, Gentlemen's Quarterly, ESPN The Magazine and on the cover of TIME magazine. This year Pacquiao was named for the second consecutive time to the 2010 TIME 100 Poll, finishing at No. 36 among the most influential people in the world.

The following link will take you to the Nightline feature on Manny: http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/champ-congressman-10629332

Manny Pacquiao Tonight at ABC News Nightline

2010-05-11T15:08:00.000-07:00

Photo By Oliver Suarez

By Press Release

And the winner is...

Nightline's plan for tonight currently includes a profile of boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao -- shot with him in his native Philippines in the run-up to a victorious congressional election.

That's right, the man considered by many to be the world's best pound-for-pound boxer, is now also an elected official in a country where his star is difficult to exaggerate.

And that's exactly why Clarissa Ward traveled there. We'll have an inside look at the rags-to-riches story that goes well beyond boxing, into song and screen and as of today government.

Meanwhile, for boxing fans, there are new reports about talks between the Pacquiao camp and Floyd Mayweather's team about the two boxers finally meeting in the ring.

Pacquiao's reluctance to submit to blood testing before the fight derailed the match-up last time. Mayweather implied that Pacquiao was doping.

So will they find a meeting of the minds on a mega-fight that would earn each millions? We shall see.

Will embed the segment in the morning. For now, here's a John Berman stateside report about the boxer for "GMA" http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/lord-boxing-ring-manny-pacquiao-10091875

Ana “The Hurricane” Julaton Primed for Rama Return

2010-05-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

By Press Release

RAMA, ON (Monday, May 10, 2010) – Immediately after the final bell sounded marking the end of ten heated, bruising, rounds of boxing action, the ringside accolades were near unanimous in their praise; Neven “No Surrender” Pajkic’s decision over defending champion, the “Steel Pole” Greg Kielsa was the best Canadian Heavyweight title fight anybody present had ever seen.

On Wednesday, June 30th, in the main event of Rumble at Rama XII, Pajkic (12-0, 5 KO’s) will get a chance to prove his upset win was no fluke, when he steps in with Kielsa one more time, in easily the most anticipated Canadian Heavyweight title fight of all-time.

“As great as their first fight was, Pajkic-Kielsa II promises to be the most eagerly awaited Canadian Heavyweight title fight in history,” said Allan Tremblay, President of Orion Sports Management, and promoter of the Rumble at Rama series.

“Unlike most guys vying for the Canadian title, neither one is a fringe contender lingering in the rankings. These guys have real ability, and bright futures. And they already showed us they’re willing to go to war. This could be the fight that puts Canadian heavyweight boxing back on the map.”

At a press conference today in Toronto, both Kielsa and Pajkic were respectful to each other, yet extremely determined to achieve their respective goals.

“I want my belt back,” Kielsa said of the Canadian title he held from November of 2008 until losing it to Pajkic.

“I’m not making excuses, but I wasn’t myself in our first fight. I’ll be ready for the rematch.”

Pajkic feels this is his chance to pick up where he left off in the first fight, and continue to impress fans, and win over critics.

“You saw in March that I put everything I had into our first fight, but there’s plenty of room for improvement,” Pajkic said.

“Greg’s a great man, athlete, and champion, but (turning to Kielsa), if you want your belt back, you can’t have it.”

In the evening’s co-main event, Ana “The Hurricane” Julaton (6-2-1, 1 KO) returns to Casino Rama, but this time as a full-fledged member of the Orion Sports Management roster, having recently signed a worldwide promotional agreement.

Julaton will vie for the vacant WBO world title against an opponent yet to be named.

“Anybody who saw the way Ana battled against Lisa Brown at Rumble at Rama XI knows that she’s a warrior in the truest sense. The Filipino people saw what she went through in that fight, and how she conducted herself, and they love her for it.” Tremblay said.

“After Ana gets through her defense at Rama on June 30th, we’ll take her back to the Philippines to defend her titles down there. She’s already a fan favorite in the Philippines, and the more she fights, the more popular she’ll become.”

As a result of their involvement in a series of cards in Mexico in conjunction with Yucatan Boxing, Orion Sports Management will showcase their latest signing, hard hitting 20 year-old bantamweight prospect Danny Flores (5-1, 5 KO's).

"I'm pleased to announce the signing of young Mr. Flores, who we'll promote in conjunction with Yucatan Boxing, and take him to the top of the sport. He’s been on some of the shows Orion has supported with Yucatan Boxing in Mexico, and is the first bonafide prospect to come out of those shows,” Tremblay said.

“He’s more of a puncher-boxer, rather than a boxer-puncher, with power in both hands. And once the fans in Rama see what he can do, they’ll want to see him again.

The other undercard fights showcase the continuing progression of Orion’s prospect-laden roster, with undefeated fan-favorite, welterweight Felix Mercedes (5-0, 3 KO’s), and hard-punching heavyweight “The Russian Tank” Artem Lipanov, making his professional debut, each facing opponents still to be named.

Rumble at Rama XII will be promoted by Orion Sports Management, in association with Casino Rama.

Tickets for Rumble at Rama XII are $125, $75, $50 and $25 and are available in-person at the Casino Rama Box Office, and at all TicketMaster locations, by calling (416) 870-8000 and online at www.casinorama.com. Ticket prices do not include applicable taxes or service charges.

ABOUT ORION SPORTS MANAGEMENT
Orion Sports Management is an Ontario based promotional company known for staging first class boxing events. Run by former Canadian Airline executive Allan Tremblay, Orion is the force behind Ontario’s biggest match ups, from their launch event at The Air Canada Centre ("The Night Of The Hurricane") to a series of televised events in the Niagara region featuring "Baby Joe" Mesi, Razor Ruddock, Egerton Marcus, Chad Brisson, and Steve Molitor.

ABOUT CASINO RAMA
Operating since July 31, 1996, Casino Rama is Ontario's only First Nations commercial casino. The Casino offers a complete entertainment experience with over 2,500 slot machines, more than 110 gaming tables, ten unique restaurants, a world-class 5,000 seat Entertainment Centre and a 300-room all-suite, full-service hotel, featuring spa and health club facilities. Casino Rama is operated by Penn National Gaming, Inc.

Erick ‘The Eagle’ Ochieng To Face Curtis Valentine In Battle Of The Undefeated

2010-05-10T11:25:00.000-07:00

By Press Release

This coming Friday, Stoke Newington’s rising Light Middleweight star Erick ‘The Eagle’ Ochieng is back in action on the under card of the Sky television broadcast, Frank Maloney promoted, British Flyweight title clash between Shinny Bayaar and Ashley Sexton at the Goresbrook Leisure Centre, Dagenham, Essex.

In his last fight, back in January, Ochieng decisively stopped Plymouth’s Jon Harrison at the Brentwood Centre in Brentwood, Essex. Harrison fought hard and tried all that he could to stop the stylish Ochieng from utilising his fight plan. Ochieng was patient though, constantly working away on Harrison’s body until the opportunity arose to finish him off with a beautiful left hook in the second round.

For his upcoming fight Ochieng will be facing Nottingham’s prospect Curtis Valentine. This exciting fight has an extra frisson as both Ochieng and Valentine are currently unbeaten.

Following some sparring at Johnny Eames’ Ultrachem TKO Boxing Gym in Canning Town, London, under the watchful eyes of his trainer/manager Brian Lawrence, a relaxed and smiling Ochieng spoke of his preparations for the upcoming clash with Valentine. “I’m looking forward to Friday, I’ve been training hard and I’m in good shape.

He’s a good fighter, but I believe I am more skilled. So It’s going to be a good fight. He’s a brawler, who likes to come forward, and I’ve heard he can hit a bit. That’s good but I can hit and I can box as well. It’s going to be good fight. You know what I’m saying, I’ll be smart, box and win.

I’ve sparred some very good fighters. I have far more experience than my fight record shows. You know, I sparred Darren Barker and I’ve been to Belgium to spar ‘Sugar Jackson’ Osei Bonsu, you know, these are World class fighters and the experience of sparring with them has bought me on more. I’m confident, I’m more experienced and I’m confident I will win the fight.”

Erick ‘The Eagle’ Ochieng versus Curtis Valentine is on the under card of the BBBofC British Flyweight title clash between Shinny Bayaar and Ashley Sexton at the Goresbrook Leisure Centre, Dagenham, Essex on Friday 14th May 2010.

Co-feature on the Frank Maloney promoted event is the Heavyweight battle between Larry Olumbamiwo and Colin Kenna for the vacant BBBofC Southern Area Title.

Also featured on the stacked under card are, at Welterweight, Martin Welsh against William Warburton and Scott Woolford versus Scott Haywood. At Heavyweight David Price against Daniil Peretyatko and Tom Dallas versus Lee Swaby.

In another battle of the unbeaten Travis Dickinson takes on Menay Edwards at Light Heavyweight . Also on the card will be Featherweight super star Akaash “Ash The Bash” Bhatia whose opponent has yet to be confirmed

WORLD CHAMPION BEIBUT SHUMENOV SIGNS WITH GOOSSEN TUTOR

2010-05-10T11:19:00.000-07:00

By Press Release

Los Angeles, CA (May 8, 2010) – In its nearly 30 years in the boxing industry Promoter Dan Goossen has grown accustomed to developing many young boxers from the amateur ranks into World Champions. Now, Goossen Tutor Promotions has entered into a promotional agreement with a boxer who holds a World Championship title belt with the goal of developing him into a Marquee World Champion.

“It is with great pleasure and honor that WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion, Beibut Shumenov, has agreed to provide Goossen Tutor with the privilege of being his promoter,” Goossen revealed at a press conference held at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA just hours before his company’s “THE WEIGHT IS OVER” promotion featuring Paul “The Punisher” Williams against Kermit Cintron in a scheduled 12-round super welterweight bout.

“This is just another facet we’ve worked for so many years, World Champions having the trust and confidence in our organization to bring them to another level,” Goossen expounded, “we will not disappoint Beibut nor his very astute advisor, Cary Lynn Redlin.”

Shumenov carries the distinction of winning the Light Heavyweight World Championship with the fewest number of professional fights under his belt, having won the title in just his 10th professional bout in a January 2010 rematch of a controversial loss against Spain’s Gabriel Campillo.

An amazing accomplishment for a young man who is still developing in his own right!

A 26-year old native of Chimkent, Kazakhstan, currently living and training in Las Vegas, NV with renowned trainer Kevin Barry, the 6-2, 175 lb. Shumenov (9-1, 6 KOs) is among the most unique figures to explode on the boxing scene in recent memory.

Following an outstanding amateur career in which he represented his native country as a Silver medalist in the first-ever Afro-Asian Games in India in 2003; as a Gold medal winner in the 2004 Asian Championships in the Philippines; and as a member of its Olympic Boxing Team in Athens, Greece the same year, Shumenov and his brother, Chingis, moved to Las Vegas and formed KZ Event Productions, Inc. in 2007.

Shumenov then turned pro under his own promotional umbrella and debuted with a first-round stoppage of Walter Edwards in Wilson, NC. In his next seven fights, this remarkable warrior would go on to face – and defeat -- a pair of former world champions in Montell Griffin and Byron Mitchell, as well as Epifanio Mendoza, who had an unsuccessful world title challenge against WBC champion Chad Dawson.

Then, in August of last year, came the disputed loss to Campillo by majority decision in Shumenov’s first attempt at a World Championship -- in Beibut’s home country of Kazakhstan. A rematch was ordered by the WBA and Shumenov captured the title by split-decision in Las Vegas earlier this year.

In becoming the WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion in just his 10th bout, Shumenov shattered the previous record of 15 bouts by Jeff Harding back in 1989. He also became the fourth boxer from Kazakhstan to win a professional world title. The others were Anatoly Alexandrov (WBC Super Featherweight, in 1990), Oleg Maskaev (WBC Heavyweight, 2000) and Vassily Jirov (IBF Cruiserweight, 2001).

And now Shumenov – who, along with his brother, Chingis, will continue to sign and develop talent for KZ Event Productions, Inc. – has decided to have Goossen Tutor promote his boxing matches so he can give one-hundred percent focus on training and becoming the undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion of the World.

“I'm excited about this arrangement with Dan (Goossen), one of the leading promoters in boxing today,” Shumenov declared. “They get a lot of television dates and have a strong stable of boxers and they always seem to maximize the opportunity for their boxers. That is all I can ask for… I will do the rest.”

“Being a world champion and promoter and all the work that goes into that, especially when I'm in training for a fight, makes it very difficult for me. I need to concentrate on training, which I'll now be able to do and let Dan and his great team at Goossen Tutor handle the business outside the ring. KZ Event Productions will still be promoting shows and my brother and I will still be involved with our KZ fighters and signing new talent. I look forward to even bigger and better things working with Goossen Tutor.”

Shumenov’s first fight under the Goossen Tutor banner is expected to take place in July in the United States against the very tough and undefeated Ukrainian Vyacheslav Uzelkov (22-0, 14 KOs), the mandatory challenger for the WBA Light Heavyweight Championship.

Paul Williams Defeats Cintron But In A Dissapointing Manner

2010-05-08T20:50:00.000-07:00

By Oliver Suarez

This bout was suppose to be a chance for Cintron to put himself among the elite fighters again and for Williams to further validate himself among the conversation of who is the best pound for pound fighter, but unfortunately an unfortunate marred the event and left some questions unanswered.

The event started out well as Cintron proved to be a more than competitive opponent for the 'Punisher' as he kept the latter at bay with his counterpunching during the first couple of rounds. In the third round, Williams started to get on his groove and raised his output, while beginning to find his target more often.

Williams kept his pace in the fourth round but while throwing a punch, the two fighters got tangled and both stumbled out of balance. Williams fell to the mat, while Cintron's momentum carried him all the way outside the ring. The replays showed he hit his head on the corner of the ring and his back landed on the table.

Cintron was unable to stand up and was shown holding his right should in pain. According to the HBO announcers, he wanted to fight, but the doctor wisely decided against it.

As a result, the bout left more questions unanswered. We still don't know if Cintron can be competitive with the elite of the division and whether or not Williams can handle a solid junior middleweight with a great punch.

But the accident was no fault of either fighter and a rematch might create more interest as the fight between the two proved to be more competitive than many analyst originally thought.

Manny Pacquiao Up Next? Not So Fast...

2010-05-08T01:28:00.000-07:00

By Sean Morehouse

Well, I guess that whole business about Floyd Mayweather Jr. being "afraid" of top welterweights was a bit overstated...

After being slammed in the press for months about "picking on" lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez. Mayweather did what would have seemed impossible before the fight, and beat legit welterweight champion Shane Mosley with possibly even more ease than he had "Dinamita."

Considering how brutally Mosley had defeated Antonio Margarito in his previous fight, the argument that Floyd would ever have had any reason to duck the plaster-gloved wonder (or any other 147 pound fighter) seems laughable now as well.

So where does "Money" go from here? A super fight with fellow P4P kingpin Manny Pacquiao is being trumpeted by every sportswriter who can get their hands on a computer, but would that really be the kind of challenge that we want to see for Mayweather?

Quite simply, no. HBO commentator Emmanuel Steward correctly observed that Floyd looked bigger than Shane Mosley, which was surprising considering that going into the fight, the size and power advantage was thought to be in Shane's corner.

This leads one to believe that Floyd would be much, much larger than Pacquiao if they were to ever share a ring. As much as boxing fans love Manny, the idea that Floyd could lose to somebody significantly smaller than him is borderline crazy.

In boxing, beating a bigger man requires superior speed and skills. How could anybody be faster and more skilled than Mayweather? Pacquiao may be able to match, or even slightly exceed him in athletic ability and explosiveness, but despite the good work of trainer Freddy Roach, his boxing skills are still not at all on par with Mayweather's.

The fight would still be a massive event, and would draw a lot of attention to the sport, but we have no reason to think the result could be any different. Frankly, I don't need to see another Mayweather blowout.

Floyd mentioned after the fight that he had considered a middleweight title attempt after seeing Sergio Martinez recently defeat Kelly Pavlik. Who knows, a chance at a belt in that prestigious division might even be enough to get him to cough up the dough for sanctioning fees.

In Martinez he would have an opponent who is in that very rare group of fighters (along with Pacquiao) who are his peer in terms of athletic ability. Martinez however, is bigger than Floyd. Considering that the most trouble Mayweather has had in the past has been against bigger fighters (Castillo, De La Hoya) this could be an intriguing match up.

While the casual fans continue to beg for a Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown, I instead will be hoping to see a match up with somebody that has a decent chance to give him a run for his "Money." We'll see what route he takes.

Williaims-Cintron: Williams Looks To Cement No. 3 Pound For Pound

2010-05-08T00:04:00.000-07:00

By Tyler Curtis

When it comes to top 10 pound for pound lists, spots one and two are easy. They are Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao in whatever order.

When you get to the three spot it starts to get murky for most. As far as I am concerned No. 3 belongs to Paul Williams.

The man is a freak of a nature and anyone would have a tough time beating him. He is currently on a five fight winning streak dating back to 2008.

During this streak he avenged his only loss (Carlos Quintana), knocked out a tough veteran (Verno Phillips), ended the world class hopes of a defensive wizard (Winky Wright), and beat the current middleweight title holder who is the hottest fighter in the game (Sergio Martinez).

Despite this hot run he is getting very little love. When people talk pound for pound he seems to be forgotten.

He fights this weekend against Kermit Cintron. Cintron is a very good fighter and a very live underdog but Williams should handle him with relative ease.

Cintron had good power but has never knocked out any of his top opponents. I also think that he is being overvalued by beating a slow footed and limited Alfredo Angulo.

The Angulo win was nice but it pales in comparison to the Martinez win for Williams. Williams will be the bigger more busy man tomorrow night and the better boxer.

If Cintron wins it would be a upset no doubt. He does have a chance however as he has the power in his right hand. If it becomes a brawl he could win at any moment.

Williams is a southpaw and the right hand is known as the southpaw killer. Also Williams has a somewhat weak chin and is there to be hit as he is always throwing.

I just think though that Williams is the better fighter and will get the win. He just has to much skill in my eyes and that will get him to a win.

Now to a little rant on Williams. It really bothers me that everyone says Mayweather-Pacquiao is the only fight out there.

How about Williams against either one of them? He has huge size, listed at 6’1” but looks closer to 6’3” and never stops punching.

Mayweather is a defensive wizard but it is hard to cover up when the other fighter never stops throwing. Also Williams would have a huge reach advantage and could stay on the outside away from Mayweather’s precision punching.

Pacquiao has never fought anyone nearly this tall and has a 67 inch reach compared to Williams 82 inch reach. Also the southpaw advantage would be gone because Williams is a southpaw and has fought many in his career.

Also Pacquiao is the one who usually overwhelms his opponents with punches but that may be negated to due to Williams style.

It all depends on Williams and his ability to get back to 147. For any of this to happen he will need to worry about beating Cintron and cementing the No. 3 pound for pound spot.

Is Joe Calzaghe Making a Comeback?

2010-05-07T23:57:00.000-07:00

By Joe O'Neill

Apparently, watching the Super Six tournament on Showtime proved too much for Joe Calzaghe.

The early word out of Wales is that he's considering a comeback against, of all people, Bernard Hopkins.

Joe, who is 38 and retired for two years, would be putting his perfect 46-0 record on the line.

I love the idea of an un-retired Joe Calzaghe.
I don't like the idea of him fighting Bernard Hopkins when there are so many other compelling fights.

Calzaghe has already beaten Hopkins, and that was one of the more boring fights of Joe's career. Hopkins couldn't handle Joe's speed and resorted to holding and wrestling for twelve rounds.

Let's start with Carl "The Cobra" Froch. His UK counterpart who has called out Calzaghe in the past. Froch, who was beaten by Mikel Kessler just three weeks ago, has quieted a lot of the Calzaghe talk.

Calzaghe dismantled Kessler in November of 2007.

The fight everyone would be talking about is if Joe got in the ring with Lucien Bute. The brawler out of Montreal who is considered, by many, to be the best super middleweight in the world.

There's even Kelly Pavlik. Pavlik, seemingly persona non grata after losing to Sergio Martinez last month, needs a big fight, and a good showing, to restore his tepid reputation.

Sergio Martinez or Paul Williams would make a very, very entertaining fight. Both could give Joe problems with their athleticism.

In his prime, Joe would have been head and shoulders among any of the Super Six contestants as well as Bute. He easily handled Hopkins, Roy Jones Jr., Mikel Kessler, Sakio Bika, and Jeff Lacy. All were top 10 fighters when he fought them, none of them came close to hurting Joe.

For my money, Calzaghe is the best super middleweight in history. His unblemished record speaks for itself.

However, as Larry Merchant said, "Time might stand still, but the clock doesn't."

How much does Calzaghe have left at 38 years old and after a two year layoff?

Then again, Joe was never in any "wars". His hand speed, foot movement, and ring generalship prevented him from being in any all-out brawls that quickly diminish a fighter's skills.

He's also never lost. Many times, the psychological damage of a loss is far worse than the physical damage. Pavlik is a great example. He just doesn't seem the same after Hopkins beat him. The same could be said of Juan Diaz after he was knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez.

Let's hope the rumors are true and the "Pride of Wales" is lacing up the gloves once again. For my money, there's not a more exciting fighter around than Joe Calzaghe. I can't wait to see him fight again.

Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Are Both Running From This Fighter

2010-05-07T23:51:00.000-07:00

By Joe O'Neill

The man both Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather are hesitant to face in a boxing ring is fighting on HBO tomorrow night.

I'll give you some hints.

He's tall, dark, lanky, a southpaw, and has a cool goatee.

No, not Will Smith (although, from what I've gathered, that's a pretty good guess from most Mayweather fans).

It would be one Paul "The Punisher" Williams.

The man Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao have been ducking for years and years.

Williams is a monster. At 6'1", he's got reach and length and his stamina could make a Kenyan marothoner jealous.

His power is good, but not outrageous.

His record 38-1 (27 KOs) speaks for itself. The one blemish, a unanimous decision loss to Carlos Quintana in February of 2008, was quickly avenged with a first round knockout of Quintana.

He's beaten Antonio Margarito (even while Margarito was still cheating with those casts on his hands), Winky Wright, and Sergio Martinez.

His win against Martinez cemented his stature as one of boxing's pound for pound best fighters.

Martinez, who subsequently beat Kelly Pavlik, is a very, very good fighter; athletic and slick and very active. He's undoubtedly the second best middleweight in the game today.

Williams will fight Kermit Cintron tomorrow night on HBO. Cintron is 32-2 with 28 KOs. He's a powerful puncher and a dangerous fighter.

A natural light middleweight, Williams is on record as saying he'll drop down to 147 lbs to face Mayweather or Pacquiao.

Both Pacquiao and Mayweather camps are suspiciously quiet when the subject of Paul Williams comes up.

The fight tomorrow night should be an excellent one. If you haven't seen Paul Williams fight, then you're in for something special.

He's about as active as they come, flurrying his opponents with a constant barrage of jabs and lefts from various angles. He never tires and will throw just as many punches in the 12th round as the first.

He can appear awkward at times, because of his length, but don't let that fool you. His balance, ring generalship, and defense are excellent.

There's no doubt the fight will be more entertaining than any of Floyd Mayweather's or Manny Pacquiao's recent fights. If you like watching one-sided brawls, this fight won't be for you.

I happen to think both Pacquiao and Mayweather would beat Paul Williams.

Williams is very, very good, but just a smidgen below the ability of Manny and Floyd.

The problem is, he's a dangerous guy without too many weaknesses. He can take a shot, as witnessed by his fight with Sergio Martinez, and he just doesn't tire.

He's also never lost an all-out war. He's a young, fresh fighter with legs and confidence.

He doesn't meet the usual criteria of an opponent for Manny or Floyd.

That Manny gets fighters after they've lost very tough bouts (Cotto, Clottey, and Hatton), and Floyd gets in the ring with either very old (Mosley, De La Hoya, and Marquez) or much smaller fighters (Hatton and Marquez).

I'm impressed that Williams would take the Cintron after his war with Martinez. Cintron is most certainly a dangerous fighter and capable of beating Williams.

It just goes to show that Williams has the heart of a champion and will get in the ring with the best.

If you haven't watched Paul Williams fight, definitely tune into HBO on Saturday night. I'd like to hear some analysis from objective fight fans (not Floyd and Manny minions), on William's chances against either fighter.

Sylvia plans to KO Pudzianowski

2010-05-07T22:41:00.000-07:00

By Press Release

WORCESTER, Mass. (May 7, 2010) – Two-time UFC heavyweight champion Tim “Main-iac” Sylvia feels disrespected regarding his May 21st showdown against the first 5-time World’s Strongest Man, iconic Polish powerhouse Mariusz “Dominator” Pudzianowski, headlining the “Moosin: God of Martial Arts” pay-per-view event, at the DCU Center in Worcester.

Sylvia (25-6-0), a natïve of Eastbrook, Maine, has defeated many of the top MMA heavyweights and super heavyweights – Andrei Arlovski (2) Brandon Vera, Jeff Monson, Wes Sims, Ricco Rodriguez, Mike Whitehead (2), Ben Rothwell and Jason Lambert. On the other hand, the 6-1, 275-pound Pudzianowski (1-0), a national hero in Poland, has had only one pro MMA fight.

In addition to his feats of strength as the World’s Strongest Man, Mariusz practices karate, boxing and even finished second last year in Poland’s version of “Dancing With The Stars.” Challenging a fighter of Sylvia’s stature in the May 21st super heavyweight main event, however, sends one clear message to the 6-8, 280-pound Sylvia.

“They’re underestimating me and obviously feel that I’m done,” Sylvia said. “I have another thing coming. He’s big, strong and a good athlete, but I’m going to knock him out. My last opponent (Jason Riley) thought the same thing and I knocked him out in the first round. I would have gotten him out even earlier but I broke my right hand.”

“God of Martial Arts” is being presented by Moosin, the South Korea-based promotional company, which has promoted MMA shows in South Korea and the United States. Moosin, in conjunction with the International Taekwon-Do Federation, plans expansion into to China, Poland and Australia.

Sylvia, presently training in Indiana, was a semi-pro football player in Maine who turned to MMA after attending a show. Although he fought in Rhode Island as an amateur, his May 21st fight against Pudzianowski will be his first as a pro in New England. “Fighting for the first time in New England is an awesome feel and I’m excited about it,” Tim remarked. “Training camp has been awesome. I have 4-5 different big, strong heavyweights rotating in fresh. It’s like the old days in Iowa.”

In the co-main event, Korean heavyweight Mu Bae “The Heavy Tank of Busan” Choi (9-4-0) meets veteran Travis “Diesel” Wiuff (59-14-0). Brazilian middleweight Rafael “Sapo” Natal (11-2-0) faces The Ultimate Fighter 4 winner Travis “The Serial Killer” Lutter (10-5-0), while Bahamian lightweight Yves “The Texas Gunslinger” Edwards (37-15-1) faces New England’s rising-star Mike Campbell (7-2-0).

A special female attraction features two of the premier women MMA fighters in the U.S., Tara LaRosa (18-1-0) and Roxy Modafferi (13-4-0), at a 130-pound catch-weight.

“God of Martial Arts” is being distributed by Integrated Sports Media at 9:00PM ET/6:00PM PT in North America on cable and satellite Pay-Per-View via iN Demand, DIRECTV, TVN and DISH Network, as well as Viewer’s Choice, Bell TV and Shaw PPV in Canada, for a suggested retail price of only $29.95 (also available in HD). It is also available on www.GoFightLive.TV outside of the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Poland.

The show has worldwide appeal but also features several local favorites on the undercard: Korean light heavyweight Chang Seob Lee (2-4-0) vs. Lukasz “Juras” Jurkowski (5-6-0), Clinton’s Matt Lee (11-8-1) vs. Bridgewater’s Brett Oteri (5-0-0) in a match-up of Massachusetts lightweights, unbeaten Worcester (Mass.) welterweight Ralph Johnson vs. NAAFS champion Forrest “The Meat Clever” Petz (23-7-0 undefeated Rockland (Mass.) heavyweight Paul Barry (3-0-0) vs. Stipe Miocic (1-0-0), Stoughton (Mass.) middleweight Fred “French Foot Fighter” Belleton (6-2-0) vs. Anthony “The Recipe” Lapsley (14-5-0).

Also, fan favorite Eric “Butterbean” Esch (98-18-5, all-fighting) squares-off against former Boston Bruins enforcer and popular WAAF sports personality, Lyndon “LB” Byers, in a charity fundraiser. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Tickets, priced at $35.75, $55.75, $75.75, $150.75 and $250.75, are on sale at the DCU Center Box Office (50 Foster St., Worcester, MA), all Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com, or by calling 1.800.745.3000.

Doors open at 7:30 PM/ET, first bout 8:00 PM/ET, first PPV bout 9 PM/ET (6 PM/PT). Go to www.MoosinUSA.com or www.dcucenter.com for additional information. For odds on the fights go to http://partners.betus.com.

Moosin: A global event promoter based out of Seoul, South Korea, in conjunction with the International Taekwon-Do Federation, Moosin is known for bringing fans the finest in mixed martial arts competition. Moosin is revolutionizing the MMA industry by merging an international roster of talented fighters with recognizable stars from the world or music, sports and popular culture. Moosin pits warrior against warrior, featuring a hybrid of MMA and hard-hitting Moosin-style kickboxing, in hand-to-hand battles of skill, honor and art.

DCU Center: A multi-purpose arena and convention center uniquely designed to accommodate the needs of any size group from 15 to 15,000 DCU Center is owned by the City of Worcester and managed by SMG, the world’s leading private management and developing firm for public assembly facilities. Headquartered on Philadelphia, SMG provides management services to over 200 public assembly facilities internationally and also offers food and beverage operations through SAVOR...Catering by SMG. For more information, please visit www.dcucenter.com.

Integrated Sports Media: North America’s leading distributor of International Pay-Per-View and Closed Circuit sports events has presented World Championship and world-class boxing matches featuring Ricky Hatton, Christian Mijares, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr., Ivan Calderon, Rocky Martinez, Nicolai Valuev, Amir Kahn, Marco Antonio Barrera, Arthur Abraham, David Haye, John Ruiz, Wilfredo Vazquez, Jr., and Ruslan Chagaev. In addition, Integrated Sports Media distributed numerous International soccer matches showcasing teams like Club America of Mexico and the National Teams of Argentina, Honduras, El Salvador and the USA, as well as World Championship and world-class mixed martial arts shows featuring Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Bobby Lashley, Bob Sapp, Jeff Monson, and Roy Nelson. For more information on upcoming Integrated Sports events visit www.integratedsportsnet.com.

LAST WORDS FROM THE WARRIORS WHO WILL BATTLE IN LATIN FURY 14!

2010-05-07T20:28:00.000-07:00

By Oliver Suarez

AGUASCALIENTES, MÉXICO (May 7, 2010), -- The warriors who will be featured in Saturday’s Latin Fury 14 championship extravaganza had their final say at today’s Official Weigh-in.

Latin Fury 14 will feature the return of the Tijuana Tornado, three-time world welterweight champion ANTONIO MARGARITO, who is ending his 16-month ring hiatus with his 2010 debut, against Texas toughman ROBERTO "La Amenaza" GARCIA, who is riding a five-year, 14-bout unbeaten streak.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Zanfer Promotions and Tecate, the four-bout Latin Fury 14 will be broadcast Live on Pay-Per-View, Tomorrow! Saturday, May 8, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, from Aguascalientes, México, which is celebrating the San Marcos Fair. Top Rank's TRLiveStream will air the non-televised undercard bouts, free to fans, at www.TopRank.com/TRLiveStream, beginning at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT.

ANTONIO MARGARITO (154 Lbs) -- "I am so glad to get back into the ring. I really missed the crowds and all of the fans -- but I always kept training. I never left the ring. I feel strong and I am ready. During the last year I have always been in the ring working on my timing and keeping sharp. I expect Garcia to charge right at me on Saturday night. That is something I will deal with in the ring.”

ROBERTO GARCIA (153 Lbs) -- "My preparation was just not hard, but smart. This has been my best-ever training camp. My claws are sharpened. Working with Freddie Roach also means a lot of film study. Freddie knows everything there is about Margarito.

I am not the same fighter I was two years ago. I’m a world champion in waiting. And one thing is for sure – Margarito is going to have trouble hitting a moving target."

ROBERT GARCIA, Margarito’s Trainer --"Our whole training camp went so well. To see Antonio train so hard -- it helps our other fighters, seeing how hard he works and what it takes to fight on a high level. We worked on Antonio's stance, his head movement, little things. He's keeping his hands up better. He's a great listener when we are in the ring training. Antonio is in tremendous shape - he could have made 147 for this fight. We had great sparring and we are prepared for whatever Garcia throws at us."

JORGE SOLIS (130 Lbs) --"I feel great at this weight, at super featherweight. Méxican fighters are complete fighters - skilled and with a lot of courage. I know Mario Santiago is fast with quick hands. But he is a Puerto Rican fighter and we will find a weakness when we are in the ring Saturday night."

MARIO SANTIAGO (130 Lbs) -- "I am facing a tough, experienced, strong fighter in Solis and I am coming into his backyard. This is my first time in México and I know I must be more aggressive. Solis has an excellent right hand, a good left and is smart. I learned my lesson in the Concepcion fight and should have been more aggressive in the early rounds against him. I will not make that mistake twice. This fight against Solis will clear everything for me."

URBANO ANTILLON (135 Lbs) -- "I had my best training camp while training in Big Bear for two months. Rios is hurt and out of this event, but now I have an even bigger fight - a WBA Lightweight Title Elimination Fight. I’m going to shoot the works against Rene Gonzalez."

RENE GONZALEZ (135 LBS) -- "I was originally scheduled to fight elsewhere in México on May 14 so I was already in fighting trim when we got the call last Friday to fight Antillon. He is a strong fighter and this should be an interesting fight. I plan to move around and look for openings – the same way Miguel Acosta beat Antillon. I have studied that video. I’m going to pick him apart."

The Latin Fury 14 pay-per-view will feature the broadcast team of Al Bernstein, Alan Massengale, and former world junior middleweight champion Raul Marquez. The production will be produced and directed by Rick Seara.

The pay-per-view undercard will feature World Boxing Association (WBA) interim super featherweight champion JORGE SOLIS (38-2-2), of Guadalajara, México, defending his title against top-10 contender and one-time world title challenger MARIO SANTIAGO (21-2-1, 14 KOs), of Ponce, Puerto Rico; top-five contenders URBANO ANTILLON (27-1, 20 KOs), of Maywood, Calif., and RENE "Super Chiroz" GONZALEZ (27-1-1, 21 KOs), of Managua, Nicaragua, battle it out in a WBA lightweight world title elimination bout.

Margarito (37-6, 27 KOs), of Tijuana, México, captured his first world title in 2002, winning the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title with a tenth-round TKO of Antonio Diaz. He reigned as WBO champion for five years, successfully defending his title seven times – five by knockout – including victories over world champions Kermit Cintron, Andrew Lewis and Joshua Clottey. After losing the title to Paul Williams in 2007, Margarito dethroned International (IBF) welterweight champion Cintron in a rematch, knocking him out in their 2008 fight. Margarito claimed his third welterweight title when he stopped undefeated WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto in the eleventh round of their July 2008 battle, arguably the fight of the year.

Garcia (28-2, 21 KOs), a native of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, México who fights out of McAllen, Texas, enters this fight riding a five-year, 14-bout unbeaten streak. Garcia possesses impressive power in both fists, where 75% of his victories have come by way of knockout and many of those stoppages produced by devastating body shots. During his impressive streak, Garcia has captured the Caribbean Boxing Federation interim welterweight title and the Texas welterweight title.

Aguascalientes organizes the largest festival held in Mexico, the San Marcos Fair, which takes place from the middle of April to the beginning of May. The celebration was held originally in the San Marcos church neighborhood, and its magnificent neoclassical garden; since then, it has greatly expanded to cover a huge area of exposition spaces, bullrings, nightclubs, theaters, performance stages, theme park, hotels, convention centers, and other attractions. It attracts almost 7 million visitors to Aguascalientes every year.

The suggested price for the Latin Fury 14 pay-per-view is $39.95.

Donyil Livingston Makes Impressive Debut With 2nd Round KO Victory!!

2010-05-07T10:59:00.000-07:00

By Oliver Suarez

Donyil Livingston a former National Junior Golden Gloves champion made an impressive debut at the King of the West event in Hollywood, CA yesterday, a proof that hard work and determination does pay off.

Despite a successful amateur career, Donyil had found it hard to obtain a fight. Contrary to popular belief, talent and skills alone doesn't automatically provide a smooth transition to the professional level. Sometimes knowing the right people and being in the right place among other things are needed.

Donyil found that out, but quickly overcame those obstacles by focusing on his goal and further perfecting his skills in the gym.

Last night the hard work paid off as he knocked out his opponent in the 2nd round. Donyil started out slow as he carefully studied his opponent, but quickly found his groove in the latter half of the first round. Using movement and stiff jabs, he was able to consistently find his target with his power punches.

Then it the 2nd round, Donyil agressively stalked his opponent and took the advice of the fans to use his jabs to get inside. Donyil followed the advice and connected on a few power punches that backed up his opponent defenseless to the ropes, which prompted the referee to stop the fight.

A great victory indeed, but what made it more impressive was he did it to an opponent, Lamar Horne, who might have had an unfair advantage in strength and size due to the latter's failure to make the weight.

Donyil, might not yet be known to most fans but with his skills and work ethic, he will definitely have a solid career. He might even be mentioned along the same lines in the future as his more accomplished cousin, Andre Ward.

One of the classiest and humble person in the sport, he also proved that arrogance and constant display of false bravado is unnecessary in promoting oneself.

Some of personalities who came to show support were David Duenez and his crew from Leave It In The Ring Radio Show, Andre Berto, Vanes Martirosyan, Elie Seckbach and Minny Pacquiao: All Access.

check out also:

Minny Buboy's cribs

Mayweather Returns

Latin Fury 14 Free Live Streams Friday & Saturday

2010-05-06T14:27:00.000-07:00

By Press Release

LAS VEGAS, NEV. (May 6, 2010)—Top Rank will offer another exciting entry in its webcast series, TRLiveStream, Tomorrow! Friday, May 7, beginning at 1 P.M. ET / 10 A.M. PT, with a live broadcast from Aguascalientes, Mexico, of the weigh-in for “Latin Fury 14,” featuring Antonio “The Tijuana Tornado” Magarito’s grand return to the ring against the powerful Roberto “La Amenaza” Garcia. The following day, Saturday, May 8, beginning at 7 P.M. ET / 4 P.M. PT, Top Rank will air the non-televised undercard bouts from the Magarito-Garcia card. Both events are available for free and will air exclusively on www.TopRank.com/TRLiveStream.

The latest edition of Top Rank’s TRLiveStream series will provide wall-to-wall coverage of the weigh-ins for “Latin Fury 14”, including all of the undercard fighters, and culminating with the hard-punching Garcia (28-2, 21 KOs) and three-time world champion Margarito (37-6, 27 KOs) stepping on the scale. The following day, Saturday, May 8, fans can whet their appetites for the main event—which airs Live on Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT—by watching all of the non-televised bouts. Among others, the undercard fights will feature the Freddie Roach-trained 18-year-old wunderkind Jose Benavidez (4-0, 4 KOs), unbeaten featherweight Miguel Angel Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs), and Mexican knock-out artist Hanzel Martinez (7-0, 6 KOs).

TopRank.com, the official site of Top Rank, Inc., is the boxing destination on the web. It features exclusive videos of everything from training camps to fight highlights to one-on-one interviews; detailed fighter bios; photo galleries; breaking news; up-to-date schedules; and much more in a dynamic, interactive format. Anchored by Top Rank’s Twitter and Facebook pages ( twitter.com/trboxing and facebook.com/trboxing) and YouTube Channel (youtube.com/trboxing), TopRank.com offers fight fans a one-of-a-kind online experience.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Zanfer Promotions and Tecate, the four-bout Latin Fury 14 will be broadcast Live on Pay-Per-View, on This Saturday! May 8, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, from Aguascalientes, Mexico, which will be celebrating the San Marcos Fair.

Headlined by the Margarito-Garcia 10-round super welterweight rumble, the pay-per-view undercard will feature World Boxing Association (WBA) interim super featherweight champion Jorge Solis (38-2-2), of Guadalajara, Mexico, defending his title against top-10 contender and one-time world title challenger Mario Santiago (21-2-1, 14 KOs), of Ponce, Puerto Rico; top-five contenders Urbano Antillion (27-1, 20 KOs), of Maywood, Calif., and Rene "Super Chiroz" Gonzalez (27-1-1, 21 KOs), of Managua, Nicaragua, battle it out in a WBA lightweight title elimination bout; and the pay-per-view debut of flyweight sensation Alfonso López (4-0, 2 KOs), of Mexico City, Mexico, the son of legendary world champion and Mexican icon Ricardo López.

Margarito (37-6, 27 KOs), of Tijuana, Mexico, captured his first world title in 2002, winning the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title with a tenth-round TKO of Antonio Diaz. He reigned as WBO champion for five years, successfully defending his title seven times – five by knockout – including victories over world champions Kermit Cintron, Andrew Lewis and Joshua Clottey. After losing the title to Paul Williams in 2007, Margarito dethroned International (IBF) welterweight champion Cintron in a rematch, knocking him out in their 2008 fight. Margarito claimed his third welterweight title when he stopped undefeated WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto in the eleventh round of their July 2008 battle, arguably the fight of the year.

Garcia (28-2, 21 KOs), a native of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico who fights out of Weslaco, Texas, enters this fight riding a five-year, 14-bout unbeaten streak. Garcia possesses impressive power in both fists, where 75% of his victories have come by way of knockout and many of those stoppages produced by devastating body shots. During his impressive streak, Garcia has captured the Caribbean Boxing Federation interim welterweight title and the Texas welterweight title.

Aguascalientes organizes the largest festival held in Mexico, the San Marcos Fair, which takes place from the middle of April to the beginning of May. The celebration was held originally in the San Marcos church neighborhood, and its magnificent neoclassical garden; since then, it has greatly expanded to cover a huge area of exposition spaces, bullrings, nightclubs, theaters, performance stages, theme park, hotels, convention centers, and other attractions. It attracts almost 7 million visitors to Aguascalientes every year.

The suggested price for the Latin Fury 14 pay-per-view is $39.95.

Margarito-Garcia Press Conf Quotes & Photos

2010-05-06T14:23:00.000-07:00

By Press Release

AGUASCALIENTES, MEXICO (May 5, 2010) -- Three time world welterweight champion ANTONIO “Tony” MARGARITO and ROBERTO “Amenaza” GARCIA promised a great fight at today's tension-filled final press conference touting their main event rumble headlining Saturday's “Latin Fury 14.” Promoted by Top Rank, Latin Fury 14 will be televised Live on Pay-Per-View to the U.S., This Saturday! May 8, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. Margarito and Garcia will go mano-a-mano in a 10-round super welterweight battle.

“I am really looking forward to this fight like it was my first. I am still very hungry and still have a lot to accomplish in my career," said Margarito to a packed house at the Tecate Boxing Tour on the grounds of the San Marco Fair. "This fight Saturday against Garcia is very important because I want to come back and give the fans a great fight.".

“I have no pressure on me here. I have everything to win and nothing to lose. I have come to win and make a name for myself by beating Margarito and that’s what I intend to do this Saturday night,” said Garcia who lives in McAllen, Texas. “The biggest difference between Margarito and me is that I can fight in the United States and he can’t.".

Margarito took it in stride and said: “Your fight with me will be your five minutes of fame. Enjoy it. I have big plans for you on Saturday night.”

The co-main event will feature World Boxing Association (WBA) interim super featherweight champion Jorge Solis defending his title against Mario Solis.

“I have prepared very well for this fight and will give it all I got. As a world champion I have a big responsibility to the fans to come ready to fight and I will be ready,” said Solis, who is also the brother of former world champion Ulises “Archie” Solis.

“I believe the fight between Solis and me, will be the fight of the night," said Santiago. "I had a great training camp and I feel very confident that I can win this fight here in Mexico and take the title back to Puerto Rico."

The pay-per-view undercard will feature WBA interim super featherweight champion Jorge Solis (38-2-2), of Guadalajara, Mexico, defending his title against top-10 contender and one-time world title challenger Mario Santiago (21-2-1, 14 KOs), of Ponce, Puerto Rico; top-five contenders Urbano Antillion (27-1, 20 KOs), of Maywood, Calif., and Rene "Super Chiroz" Gonzalez (27-1-1, 21 KOs), of Managua, Nicaragua, battle it out in a WBA lightweight title elimination bout; and the pay-per-view debut of flyweight sensation Alfonso López (4-0, 2 KOs), of Mexico City, Mexico, the son of legendary world champion and Mexican icon Ricardo López.

Margarito (37-6, 27 KOs), of Tijuana, Mexico, captured his first world title in 2002, winning the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title with a tenth-round TKO of Antonio Diaz. He reigned as WBO champion for five years, successfully defending his title seven times – five by knockout – including victories over world champions Kermit Cintron, Andrew Lewis and Joshua Clottey. After losing the title to Paul Williams in 2007, Margarito dethroned International (IBF) welterweight champion Cintron in a rematch, knocking him out in their 2008 fight. Margarito claimed his third welterweight title when he stopped undefeated WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto in the eleventh round of their July 2008 battle, arguably the fight of the year.

Garcia (28-2, 21 KOs), a native of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico who fights out of McAllen, Texas, enters this fight riding a five-year, 14-bout unbeaten streak. Garcia possesses impressive power in both fists, where 75% of his victories have come by way of knockout and many of those stoppages produced by devastating body shots. During his impressive streak, Garcia has captured the Caribbean Boxing Federation interim welterweight title and the Texas welterweight title.

Aguascalientes organizes the largest festival held in Mexico, the San Marcos Fair, which takes place from the middle of April to the beginning of May. The celebration was held originally in the San Marcos church neighborhood, and its magnificent neoclassical garden; since then, it has greatly expanded to cover a huge area of exposition spaces, bullrings, nightclubs, theaters, performance stages, theme park, hotels, convention centers, and other attractions. It attracts almost 7 million visitors to Aguascalientes every year.

The suggested price for the Latin Fury 14 pay-per-view is $39.95.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. Shuts Up Haters with Big Win

2010-05-03T22:59:00.000-07:00

By Tyler Curtis

Floyd Mayweather Jr. shut up his haters last Saturday. He put on the best performance of his career against the best opponent he has ever faced.

He totally outclassed Shane Mosley. He made the fight look easy after he got rocked in the second round.

I don't want to make this sound like I am bashing Shane Mosley. He is a hell of a fighter and fought a gutsy fight. He was just outclassed.

I really want to direct this to the legion of haters that Mayweather has. I am no Mayweather fan, but I do enjoy watching him in the ring. He is truly amazing.

His defense, speed, and reflexes can't be matched. I will say it now: There isn't a fighter in the world that can beat him right now. With last night's win he took over as the pound-for-pound No. 1.

My real question is, how are the Mayweather haters going to spin this one to make it look like a soft win? It just can't be done.

I have a lot of thoughts and want to keep them organized so I am going to list them.

1. Mayweather beat a man his size. Everyone gets on him for beating up on smaller men.

That may be the case but last night he beat a legit welterweight.

2. He outclassed a man who was thought to have a good shot at beating him. All the haters yelled loudly that Mosley was going to be the man to beat "Money" May.

That just didn't happen. Mayweather eats up fighters that come right to you and that is what Mosley did. He didn't have a good enough jab or good enough defense to win.

3. You can't hit what you can't see. Mayweather again proved last night that he has the best defense in the game.

Mosley caught him in the second round and then fell off the face of the earth. He landed three punches in one of the rounds. Truly amazing defense.

4. Mayweather didn't tuck his tail and go home when he got rocked. In the second round he got hurt badly.

It is the worst he has ever got hurt in a prizefight. Many haters say he doesn't want to fight and if he got hit he would call it a day.

He didn't do that at all. He tied up, like he should have, never panicked and won every round for the rest of the fight.

5. He put on an offensive clinic. He wasn't the best offensive fighter ever last night but he amped it up.

He threw a lot more than he usually did. He had Shane in trouble and landed a lot of good shots.

6. Do not blame Mosley's age. Mosley is old at 38 but he was being praised as the guy to beat Mayweather.

7. He broke Mosley's will. You could just see the look on Mosley's face and it said I am getting beat up and can't stop it.

I have never seen Mosley have that look on his face. He was totally discouraged and looked mentally broken down.

Most people will go back on what they said and go, "Well Shane is 38." You can't blame age after you said Mosley was the man to beat Mayweather.

I can hear it now. People will say Mayweather didn't go for the knockout, Mosley was old, he made Mosley wait in the ring, he hung on when hurt.

There will be 1,000 excuses about what Mayweather did wrong. The problem with that is, Mayweather shut up the haters last Saturday.

Age Does Matter: Mosley Unable to Weather Mayweather Jr.

2010-05-03T21:08:00.000-07:00

By Luis Sebastian Rusiana

You can train all your life in the gym if you want. You can eat as many healthy foods your stomach can take. Despite of all those youth preserving methods, father time will never be denied.

Sooner or later, you will still grow old. Along with that comes the wear and tear of your physical attributes.

Sugar Shane Mosley learned this lesson the hard way. His once feared power and speed combination was only evident in the first two rounds. After that, his opponent, Floyd Mayweather Jr., took over and literally made the match look like a target practice session for his laser like punches.

The best chance a boxer has against Floyd is to throw punches in volumes especially when he is on the ropes. Oscar Dela Hoya did this effectively in the early rounds during his encounter with Floyd, only to lose on points because he was unable maintain the pace in the later rounds.

I believe that Mosley's trainer, Nazim Richardson, knows that this was their ultimate blueprint to success. Sadly, this victory formula was never used because Nazim knows first hand that Shane does not possess the Manny Pacquiao level of stamina required to execute this game plan. This is most likely the reason why Shane was always looking for that big punch instead of slowly breaking down Floyd.

Unfortunately for team Mosley, no one has ever succeeded, nor will anyone ever succeed, in landing that massive knockout punch on Floyd. His legendary defense will never allow such a tactic to work. I give credit to Floyd for yet another masterful virtuoso performance.

With all that being said, it looks like boxing's public enemy number one will be making more money should the fan clamored Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight materialize.

As for Mosley, he better retire. It was a fantastic career worthy of a hall of fame status. Let's face it, his spirit may still be willing to fight but clearly his body is not.

Borrowing one of Freddie Roach's famous line, I would dare say "Mosley could no longer pull the trigger".

Boxing Champion Yuri Foreman’s Unusual Story on ESPN’s E:60

2010-05-03T21:04:00.000-07:00

By Press Release

ESPN's award-winning primetime newsmagazine E:60 will tell the unusual story of boxing champion Yuri Foreman in the episode airing Tuesday, May 4, at 7 p.m. ET.

It's an old story, kind of. A penniless immigrant finds his way to America, wins fame and fortune in the boxing ring and marries a model. But as E:60’s Jeremy Schaap reports, this is a story with a twist.

Foreman isn't the typical immigrant boxer. He's a Belarusian Jew and is studying to be an orthodox rabbi. After Foreman won the WBA super welterweight title last November against heavily favored Daniel Santos, he said his faith, as much as his fists, was the determining factor.

"I believe that, looking back, I needed to find Judaism in order to become a world champion," Foreman said.

Foreman was born in Gomel, Belarus, then in the Soviet Union, and began cultivating his boxing skills at age 7. His family immigrated to Israel when he was 10. Growing up in a poor neighborhood in Haifa, Foreman believed boxing was his only way out of poverty. In 1999, he moved to Brooklyn to pursue his dream of becoming a professional boxer. There, he met a local rabbi who pushed him to make a deeper connection with his religion. Three years ago, Foreman decided to begin classes to become a rabbi.

Undefeated in 28 fights, Foreman says his Jewish studies make him more focused in the ring. He defends his title against Miguel Cotto on June 5 at Yankee Stadium.

ESPN’s E:60, which launched in October 2007, combines investigative reporting, in-depth profiles of intriguing sports personalities and features on emerging star athletes. These stories are presented in a fresh and innovative format that incorporates producer/correspondent meetings.

A preview clip of the feature can be viewed here.

Heavyweight prospect Jesse Barboza has Micky Ward and Dicky Eklund in corner

2010-05-03T21:02:00.000-07:00

By Press Release

PROVIDENCE (May 2, 2010) – Unbeaten Cape Cod heavyweight Jesse Barboza has two new formidable additions to his corner, the stars of the soon-to-be-released movie, “The Fighter,” 3-time Fight of the Year participant “Irish” Micky Ward and his brother and former trainer, Dicky Eklund.

The highly-regarded Barnstable (MA) native Barboza (3-0, 3 KOs), a 3-time New England Golden Gloves Tournament winner, faces an opponent to be determined in a 4-round bout Friday night (May 7) on the “Spring Fever” pro boxing card, presented by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc. (CES), at the Twin River Event Center in Lincoln, R.I.

In a special 9-round main event, New Bedford police officer Jason “School Boy” Pires (22-3-1, 9 KOs), a former USBA super bantamweight champion and 1996 U.S. Olympic Team alternate, faces former world title challenger Michael “Cold Blood” Clark (39-5-1, 18 KOs) for the vacant NABA-U.S. junior welterweight title.

The 23-year-old Barboza is an impressive specimen, standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 230 pounds. He’s registered the “Knockout of the Night” in each of his three pro fights, including the last one (March 19) in the second round against Richard Mason, with Ward and Eklund in his corner for the first time.

“I’ll tell you, Micky pushes you hard,” Barboza said of working under Ward. “I’m tired and he gets his second wind. No respect to 60-year-old trainers who never fought before, but everybody saw Micky do it in the ring, and he’s still the same. It’s different when he tells you something to do. He’s out there hittin’ and sweatin’ with you. We bonded quickly. Dicky is like an Energizer bunny. He may be older than Micky, but never gets tired. Dicky not only works out with you, he gets in the ring and spars, too. This (being trained by Ward and Eklund) is hard to believe.”

Barboza was a standout middle linebacker for Barnstable High and planned on playing college ball. Both of his parents, however, lost their jobs at the same time. Jesse, admittedly, didn’t work too hard on academics and, after graduating from BHS, he found himself at home and missing the competitiveness of sports. “I needed a competitive edge after high school, so I went to the gym one day,” he explained. “I liked what I saw and decided for the first time in my life I’d give 100 percent. My grandfather was an amateur boxer and I became one. I enjoyed watching Mike Tyson. I have short-range goals and in about 10 more fights I want to be considered one of the top heavyweight prospects in the United States. I want to go in boxing where Micky has already been.”

Also slated to fight in 4-round bouts are some of New England’s finest prospects: Providence super middleweight and former University of Rhode Island football player Vladine Biosse (5-0, 4 KOs) vs. TBA; Warwick (RI) super middleweight Keith Kozlin (5-0, 2 KOs) vs. Greg McCoy (0-1-1); Hartford middleweight David Bauza (4-0, 3 KOs) vs. Richard “Hurricane” Grant (4-3, 2 KOs); New Haven light welterweight Edwin Soto (3-0, 2 KOs) vs. Carlos Hernandez (pro debut); Marshfield (MA) welterweight Aleksandra Magdziak Lopes (1-1, 1 KO) vs. Natoya Ervin (1-4), Lincoln (RI) light welterweight Diego Pereira (4-0, 2 KOs) vs. TBA, and New Haven (CT) middleweight Ricky Dawson, whose younger brother Chad is recognized as one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world, making his CES and pro debut. All boxers are subject to change.

Ticket prices for “Spring Fever” are $35.00, $50.00, $75.00 and $100.00 and are available to purchase by calling CES (401.724.2253/2254), going online at www.cesboxing.com or www.twinriver.com, at Twin River’s Players Club booth at Twin River, or any TicketMaster location.

Contact CES (401.724.2253/2254/ www.cesboxing.com) or the Twin River Event Center (877.82.RIVER/ www.twinriver.com) for more information. Doors open at 6 PM/ET, first bout at 7 PM/ET.

(Twin River has waived its 18+ rule for “Spring Fever.” Anybody under the age of 18 must be accompanied at all times by an adult and they must enter through the West entrance.)

Martinez fighting for worldwide recognition May 29 on

2010-05-03T20:59:00.000-07:00

By Press Release

HOBOKEN, N.J. (May 3, 2010) – WBO junior lightweight champion Roman “Rocky” Martinez (22-0-1, 143 KOs) makes his second title-defense May 29th in the 12-round co-feature against WBO No. 10 rated Gonzalo “El Destructor” Mungia (17-6-3, 13 KOs) on the “Undefeated Champions” pay per view event, airing live in the United States from Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

“Undefeated Champions,” presented by PR Best Boxing in association with Al Star Boxing, features three world title bouts. It is being distributed in the United States by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 9 PM/ET – 6 PM/PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DIRECTV, and DISH Network, for a suggested retail price of only $34.95.

The 12-round main event features the first title defense of Boricua star, WBO Junior Featherweight Champion Wilfredo “WV2” Vazquez, Jr. (18-0-1, 15 KOs), against No. 1 contender Zsolt “Mr. Lefthook” Bedak (14-0-1, 12 KOs).

Martinez, rated No. 3 by The Ring, captured the WBO championship this past March 14, stopping Nicky Cook in the fourth round of their title fight in England. The popular Puerto Rican fighter successfully defended his crown last September, stopping Feider Viloria in the ninth round.

Martinez is excited about fighting on pay per view. “This fight is very important to me because it opens the way for me to fans in the United States,” he said. “They’ll learn more about me and my boxing career. It will also help me later when I go for a unification fight. If everything goes good in this fight, I may fight mandatory challenger Ricky Burns, possible here in Puerto Rico, in August. But what I’d really like to do is unify the title against any of the other champions (WBC Vitalki Tajbert or WBA Takashi Uchiyama).”

Reigning WBO Latino super featherweight title-holder Mungia, fighting out of Nicaragua, has won his last four fights, three by knockout.

“Mungia is a good fighter who comes to fight,” Martinez noted. “I love to fight, too, so if he really comes to fight, it’s going to be a something to remember. I’m going to use my distance and put my shots where we want. We trained hard, studied him and are ready for all Mungia’s style. I’m going to make my fight; relax and be ready for him. I studied him with my trainer, Raul Torres, and I’m going to knock Mungia out. This bout isn’t going the distance.”

The third world title fight on this exciting card matches females Hanna Gabriel (9-0-1, 5 KOs) and Gardy Pena (9-1-2, 6 KOs) for the vacant WBO super welterweight crown in a 10-round bout. Fighting on the undercard are the Arroyo twins, bantamweight McJoe (1-0, 1 KO) and McWilliams (1-0, 1 KO), the former Puerto Rican Olympians. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Integrated Sports Media: North America’s leading distributor of International Pay-Per-View and Closed Circuit sports events has presented World Championship and world-class boxing matches featuring Erik Morales, Ricky Hatton, Cristian Mijares, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr., Ivan Calderon, Rocky Martinez, Nicolai Valuev, Amir Khan, Marco Antonio Barrera, Arthur Abraham, David Haye, John Ruiz, Wilfredo Vasquez, Jr. and Ruslan Chagaev. In addition, Integrated Sports Media distributed numerous International soccer matches showcasing teams like Club America of Mexico and the National Teams of Argentina, Honduras, El Salvador and the USA, as well as World Championship and world-class mixed martial arts shows featuring Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Bobby Lashley, Bob Sapp, Jeff Monson, and Roy Nelson. For more information on upcoming Integrated Sports events visit www.integratedsportsnet.com.

Steve ‘USS’ Cunningham Signs With Sauerland Event

2010-05-03T20:56:00.000-07:00

By Press Release

Former Cruiserweight Champion of the World Steve ‘USS’ Cunningham announced today that he has signed a promotional contract with German promoters SAUERLAND EVENT.

On making the announcement ‘USS’ Cunningham, whose eight year promotional contract with Don King Promotions came to an end on March 28th, said, "I’m excited about this new chapter, I made the decision to go where I can continue to fight in my weightclass and make a good living at the same time. Cruiserweight is a respected division in Europe and everyone knows I'm a road warrior already, so I'll be fighting overseas more now. I don't mind at all and I'm looking forward to it, Germany has great boxing fans.”

‘USS’ Cunningham, who has made no secret that he loves fighting in Europe following his successes there, continued saying, “When I fought Huck back in 2007, Sauerland promoted the fight, and they treated me very well, it was a great experience, they were first class all around. I'm looking forward to increasing my activity in the ring, I feel I am in my prime and I am ready to show the world what I am capable of."

It was Europe where ‘USS’ Cunningham enjoyed his championship successes. Three years ago, on the 26th May ‘07, ‘USS’ Cunningham sailed in Katowice, Poland to battle with then IBF Cruiserweight Champion Krysztof ‘Diablo’ Wlodarczyk for the second time. After twelve hard fought rounds ‘USS’ Cunningham was declared Champion.

For his first defense, on the 29th December ‘07, ‘USS’ Cunningham again sailed across the Atlantic, this time to Bielefeld in Germany, to face Marco ‘Kapt’n’ Huck. A scintillating battle of epic proportions, between the two best Cruiserweights in the World, ensued. With just one minute and four seconds of the final round remaining ‘Kapt’n’ Huck’s challenge came to an end after Huck’s corner threw in the towel to save their man, who was reeling and defenseless following a storming final assault that saw ‘USS’ Cunningham chasing Huck across the ring whilst letting rip with a salvo of remarkably accurate overhand rights.

Just over one year later, on the 11th December ‘08 ‘USS’ Cunningham’s reign as Cruiserweight King came to an end after losing a close split decision to Tomasz ‘Goral’ Adamek following their ‘Fight of the Year’ nominated battle at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

In his only fight since losing to Adamek, ‘USS’ Cunningham defeated former WBC Cruiserweight Champion Wayne ‘Big Truck’ Braithwaite in the IBF final eliminator.

Following Adamek’s decision to move to the Heavyweight division ‘USS’ Cunningham was due to fight for the vacated IBF title on the 26th March this year, but this was called off following Godfrey decision to withdraw.

‘USS’ Cunningham’s next opponent, for the vacant IBF World Cruiserweight title, will be Canada’s Troy Ross. The date and venue for this highly anticipated match is expected to be announced shortly.

www.usscunningham.com

World Super Welterweight Champion YURI FOREMAN To Run Clinic for the “Police Boxing Program for Kids”

2010-05-03T11:03:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow! Tuesday, May 4 at 4 P.M. ET

Demarco’s in Staten Island

WHEN: Tomorrow! Tuesday, May 4

TIME: 4:00 p.m. ET

WHERE: Demarco's

101 Ellis Street

Staten Island, NY

WHO: Yuri Foreman, WBA Super Welterweight Champion

Joel Lion, Consul for Media, Consulate General of Israel in New York

WHAT: Israeli World Boxing Association Champion Yuri Foreman will run a boxing clinic for 35 children of the “Police Boxing Program for Kids”. While Yuri Foreman has his mind set on his world title defense against Miguel Cotto at Yankee Stadium on June 5, tomorrow, he will take a break from his rigorous training to give 35 young boxers some personal trainer tips and pointers. The master class, organized in collaboration with the Israeli Consulate in NY and the NY Police Boxing Program for Kids, is intended to expose the amateur boxers to the challenges of the professional world.

WHY: “I'm excited for the opportunity to team up with the representatives of my homeland and give back to the community. I started boxing at a very young age and it taught me discipline and respect" said Foreman. "Boxing is not just throwing punches in the air, it's about staying focused mentally. I believe that through boxing these children will become not only stronger but smarter."

“We're glad to join Yuri Foreman once again in giving back to the people of New York. Yuri has taught us that being a world champion isn't just a title but a responsibility and that a true winner uses his influence to make a change in the lives of others,” stated Joel Lion, Consul for Media at the Israeli Consulate.

“The Atlas Foundation/NYC Cops & Kids Boxing program is honored to have Yuri Foreman speak to our boxers and provide them with a boxing clinic in Staten Island. Yuri is the perfect role model for our young boxers. Graduating from college, hard working and always a gentleman, Yuri is a true champion inside the ring and out,” said Pat Russo

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