Northern California Notebook

Ward Carries the Torch for Boxing in Oakland

The long and carefully architected road to a crack at a world title ends Saturday for the last U.S. Olympic gold medalist boxer, Andre Ward (20-0, 13 KOs) of Oakland, California. In the first world title bout the city has played host to since Carlos DeLeon defended his WBC Cruiserweight title with a decision win over Bash Ali in 1984, Ward will attempt to unseat reigning WBA Super Middleweight Champion Mikkel Kessler at the Oracle Arena in Oakland. Not only is the title on the line, but their bout is also part of the Group Stage One portion of the much ballyhooed Super Six World Boxing Classic.

Both fighters began their fight-week media obligations with a public workout at King’s Gym in Oakland (Ward’s training home) on Monday. Since Ward turned pro in December of 2004, every fight has been carefully planned in order to bring him to where he stands on Saturday night, opposing a world champion in a big fight, at home no less. “This is what it’s all about, I’ve been at the highest level as an amateur and now I’m preparing for my first world title fight as a professional,” Ward told reporters on Monday. “I see all you guys and I know what a big fight is all about. I’m ready.”

In taking on Kessler, Ward and his promoters Goossen Tutor Promotions and Antonio Leonard Productions, have chosen the path of greatest resistance. Kessler (42-1, 32 KOs) of Copenhagen, Denmark is generally regarded as the world’s number one 168-pounder and the odds-on favorite to win the Super Six tournament. “In my opinion, this Saturday the two best super middleweights are going to face off against each other,” said Dan Goossen during a press conference on Wednesday. “I applaud Mikkel Kessler for coming to Andre’s hometown to defend his title.”

Ward’s longtime trainer Virgil Hunter showed nothing but respect for Kessler’s ability and credentials during the Wednesday press conference. “We have a formidable task in front us,” admitted Hunter. “Kessler’s a real champion. All accolades he gets, he deserves. We know what’s ahead of us. We know we got a real champ in our way and we know that things will never be the same after Saturday night.”

Not only is Kessler-Ward the first world title bout held in Oakland in 25 years, it is the most significant fight in the once-boxing mad city’s history since Jimmy Ellis defeated Jerry Quarry to win the vacant WBA Heavyweight title in 1968. These facts are not lost on Oakland’s current boxing pride, making just his second appearance in front of his hometown fans on Saturday.

“It’s incredible to have this fight at home and the support here has been outstanding,” said Ward. “A lot of people say that boxing is dead in Oakland. There used to be two or three gyms full of boxers here. Boxing was a huge thing and to see the excitement for this fight here in Oakland and in the Bay Area and to give them something positive to support, I’m excited about that.”

Tickets for the event are available online at Ticketmaster.com.

Martyniouk Gets Busy

Those in attendance at the Oracle Arena on Saturday will get a look at one of Northern California’s brightest prospects, lightweight Stan Martyniouk (7-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento, California. Martyniouk, a former amateur star, will take on Theron DeLorme (1-0-1) of Reno, Nevada in a four-round swing bout.

“Training is actually going really great,” Martyniouk told 15rounds.com earlier in the week. “I feel like I am in better shape, both physically and mentally, than before my last fight. I am progressing and I am ready for this fight on Saturday.” Martyniouk, who rejoined his former amateur trainer Seifudeen Mateen before his last fight, is excited to perform in front of the potentially packed house on Saturday. “This is a major fight in Northern California. It is a great way for me to showcase my skills on one of the biggest cards in Northern California in a long time.”

While fighting on a big card could be a daunting task for some, Martyniouk does not seem to have any pre-fight jitters. “I am just going to get into the ring and do my thing,” said Martyniouk. “I fought in front of big crowds before. This is the biggest stage I have fought on, but there is not going to be any added pressure. I am just going to do what I usually do in the ring and get the job done.” Helping matters, Martyniouk has international amateur experience to fall back on. “I have fought in front of big crowds in the amateurs, especially during the World Cup in Moscow, Russia. Amateur experience plays a big role, and will help me out.”

Admittedly Martyniouk does not know much about his opponent DeLorme. “I really don’t know much about him. I know he is 1-0 with one draw and he had a lot of amateur fights, but I never heard of him when I was in the amateurs. I don’t know really anything about him, but we will see what he brings to the table on Saturday.”

Should Martyniouk come out of the fight on Saturday unscathed, his next fight is already planned for December 11th at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, underneath the heavyweight main event of Oleg Maskaev against Nagy Aguilera. However, Martyniouk refuses to look ahead. “I am not looking at the December 11th fight yet,” says Martyniouk. “I am taking one fight at a time and I want to win this fight first, this Saturday. After Saturday then we will look toward the December 11th fight.”

Nave Continues Return in San Rafael

Locally popular former WBF Welterweight Champion Paul Nave (17-8-2, 7 KOs) of San Anselmo, California will fight the third fight of his return tonight at the Marin Center Exhibit Hall in San Rafael, California. In the six-round main event, Nave will take on Daniel Schlienz (7-16-1, 4 KOs) of Duluth, Minnesota in a welterweight fight. Nave ended a nine-year sabbatical this past March with a four-round decision win over Mikhall Lyubarsky which was followed by a hard-fought six-round split decision over Derrick Thomas three months later.

While Nave’s first two bouts this year were fought at light middleweight, the “Marin County Assassin” will return to the 147-pound welterweight class tonight against Schlienz. Nave, who turned 49 in September, plans to campaign at 147-pounds going forward, with the ambition of eventually vying for a world title. Schlienz, who is 40-years-old himself, is 1-6 in his last seven bouts.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Nave’s Liberty Boxing Enterprises, are available online at Ticketmaster.com.

Julaton Ready for Biggers

Less than two months ago, rising female star Ana Julaton claimed the IBA Super Bantamweight title with a hard-fought ten-round decision over the vastly more experienced Kelsey Jeffries in front of a jam-packed crowd at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.

Julaton (5-1-1, 1 KO) of Daly City, California will return to the site of her title-winning bout on December 4th, as she vies for another world title against another experienced veteran in Donna Biggers (19-8-1, 16 KOs) of Boiling Springs, South Carolina. The vacant WBO Super Bantamweight title will be on the line as Julaton returns to headline in a second-straight world title bout at the HP Pavilion.

It is apparent that Julaton has not let her world title go to her head as she is not overlooking the threat Biggers may pose. “She is very tough, very experienced and she’s game,” commented Julaton. “I feel like, it doesn’t matter how many fights you have, as long as anyone has that type of attitude, it’s anyone’s game. So I am taking this fight very seriously. We signed a contract and both of us had eight solid weeks to train for this fight. So we are expecting a big splash on December 4th.”

Biggers dominated the competition in the South and Southeast on her way up the ladder, as she amassed one of the better knockout percentages in all of women’s boxing. Soon Biggers graduated to the upper echelon of the sport and went on to fight some of the biggest names, including distance points defeats to Kelsey Jeffries, Jackie Nava and Mia St. John.

In addition to training for the fight, Julaton and her team have been very active in relief efforts for the victims of the typhoons that swept through the Philippines in September. “What is happening in the Philippines right now is not something that is going to be fixed over night, so I foresee myself continuing to help with the typhoon relief,” Julaton told 15rounds.com. “They went through four unexpected typhoons, and how do you deal with that? It is tough just watching it on TV and seeing people’s lives and all their property gone.” The tragedy hit close to home, as Julaton herself had family members struck by the disaster. “It affects us all, even here in the States.” In another effort to aide the victims, Julaton and her team have arranged for a portion of their ticket sales purchased through TeamJulaton.com to be donated to the relief efforts.

Perez Has New Opponent for Co-Main Event

WBC USNBC Super Featherweight Champion Eloy Perez (14-0-2, 3 KOs) of Salinas, California was to meet returning San Jose native Arturo Quintero (15-4, 9 KOs) in the semi-main event on the Julaton-Biggers undercard on December 4th. Although the ten-round fight had been approved by the WBO-affiliated NABO, which was to have sanctioned the fight for the WBO NABO Super Featherweight title, the California State Athletic Commission decided against approving Quintero for the fight.

Quintero, once a promising prospect, has been out of the ring since June 2006, which apparently gave the Commission reason enough to not allow for him to fight in a ten-rounder. Quintero’s loss is unheralded Juan Santiago’s gain, as the Denver, Colorado-based fighter will now take his place against Perez. Santiago (11-2-1, 7 KOs) recently upset previously unbeaten prospect Ty Barnett by first-round kayo and has fought as high as 143-pounds.

Perez is coming off of his biggest victory, a ten-round decision over fellow unbeaten Dannie Williams at the Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, California in September. The victory netted Perez the regional WBC title, inching himself closer to a world ranking. Winning the WBO NABO 130-pound title will do the same for the winner of the December 4th bout, as far as the WBO world rankings go.

The rest of the undercard at the HP Pavilion will consist of three four-round bouts. Former National Golden Gloves Champion Melissa McMorrow (3-1-1) of San Carlos, California will take on Gloria Salas (1-3, 1 KO) of Riverside, California in a rematch of their bout at the HP Pavilion last November. McMorrow scored a unanimous four-round decision over Salas, who was making her professional debut.

In a cruiserweight bout, San Jose’s Tony Johnson (3-0, 1 KO) will make his third straight appearance at the HP Pavilion, taking on Ron Simmons (3-3, 2 KOs) of Lewiston, Idaho. Johnson scored a devastating first-round knockout of Artis Walker at the last Fight Night at the Tank, which earned him the AMI Cup and a cash bonus. Simmons, who has competed in Washington and Idaho throughout his entire pro career, is coming off of a fifth-round knockout of Leo Bercier to avenge one of his losses.

In the opener, former multi-time amateur champion Aaron Alafa (3-1, 1 KO) of Visalia, California will take on HP Pavilion favorite Jonathan Alcantara (1-1-1) of Novato, California in a super bantamweight bout. Alcantara avenged a thrilling four-round decision defeat to Juan Tepoz in another exciting bout on September 12th. Both of their fights took place at the HP Pavilion this year and had the crowd cheering for the duration. Alafa is coming off of an entertaining four-round nod over Danny Pantoja last month, where he survived a slip that was ruled as a knockdown to earn the decision.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Roy Englebrecht Events, are available online at TeamJulaton.com.

Photo by Jan Sanders/Goossen Tutor Promotions

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.