NEW YORK (Oct. 14, 2010)—Showtime Networks Inc. is proud to announce that the World Light Heavyweight Championship fight between future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins and young upstart WBC World Champion Jean Pascal will be televised live on SHOWTIME.

The 12-round world championship bout, originally proposed as a pay-per-view event in the United States, will be held in Pascal’s home of Quebec, Canada—at the Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec City—on Saturday, Dec. 18, and be televised live on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET. The event is co-promoted by Group Yvon Michel Inc. and Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Casino Montreal and Quebec Tourism. www.regionquebec.com

“We are thrilled to be able to offer this important championship fight directly to our loyal subscribers and fight fans,” said Ken Hershman, Executive Vice President and General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports®. “This is a milestone fight for each man’s respective career and thus this matchup fits perfectly into our programming strategy—to televise the most competitive and meaningful bouts in the sport.

“I want to thank the promoters for this event—Group Yvon Michel Inc., Golden Boy Promotions—and of course the fighters themselves for working with us to bring this bout to our faithful audience. It’s an early holiday present for SHOWTIME fight fans.”

Pascal and Hopkins are setting out on a multi-city, two-country press tour to officially announce their championship showdown with stops in Quebec City, Montreal, Toronto and New York. The press tour will mark Pascal’s first stateside appearance as WBC Light Heavyweight Champion. Please mark your calendars as these are events not to be missed.

PASCAL vs. HOPKINS TOUR DATES AND CITIES

Monday, October 18 Quebec City, Canada (Morning)

Quebec City Hall

Montreal, Canada (Afternoon)

Studio NRJ

Tuesday, October 19 Toronto, Canada

Air Canada Centre

Wednesday, October 20 New York City

Planet Hollywood – Times Square

*Additional Details (media call times, etc.) will be announced shortly.

For information on SHOWTIME Sports®, including exclusive video, photos and news links on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, along with access to the SHOWTIME Sports Facebook® and Twitter® pages, please go to http://Sports.Sho.com.

About Showtime Networks Inc.
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD™, SHOWTIME 2 HD™, THE MOVIE CHANNEL HD™, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL ON DEMAND™ and FLIX ON DEMAND®. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks™, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution, which offers SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL™. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.

CLICK TO ORDER THE FIGHT

LAS VEGAS, NEV (October 14, 2010) – Top Rank announced today that international television sports reporter INÉS SAINZ has been signed to provide daily fight week reports and features and be part of the international broadcast team for the Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito World Super Welterweight Championship. Pacquiao vs. Margarito will take place, Saturday, November 13 at the $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX and will be broadcast live on pay-per-view in the U.S.

Sainz, a sports reporter for TV Azteca in México and Azteca America in the U.S., will utilize her vast experience interviewing sports personalities from around the globe in producing fresh and insightful reports from the fighters’ camps throughout fight week, as well as live reports from the official press conferences, media workouts, the official weigh-in, all of which will be available to online portals as well as television stations and networks via satellite feeds. Sainz will also be reporting on the pre-fight festivities during fight night at Cowboys Stadium as well as part of the fight’s international broadcasting team .

“Inés will be a valuable addition in providing sports fans unique stories on the fighters and the event during fight week and the fight broadcast itself that we have never had before,” said Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank, which is promoting Pacquiao vs. Margarito, in association with MP Promotions, Cowboys Stadium and Tecate. “Inasmuch as she is bilingual and has the experience of covering major sporting events worldwide and has interviewed the top athletes in those events, she will help enhance our coverage of Pacquiao vs. Margarito and attract a wider audience to the sport of boxing. Top Rank feels very fortunate to have her for this event.”

Sainz, who holds graduate degrees in tax law and sports business administration, and is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, has covered major sports events that span the 2004 Olympics in Athens, the past six Super Bowls and the ATP’s World Tour Masters. She was also an integral part of TV Azteca’s coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament in South Africa. Sainz also hosts TV Azteca’s popular interview program Dxtips.

*****************************************

Remaining Tickets to Pacquiao vs. Margarito are priced at $700, $500, $300, $200, $100, and $50, and can be purchased in-person at the Cowboys Stadium ticket office in Arlington, or by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com.

For Pacquiao vs. Margarito fight week updates, log on to www.toprank.com .

On Friday October 22nd, lightweight prospect Jorge “The Truth” Teron (23-2-1, 15KO’s) returns to the ring, when he takes on James Hope in the feature bout of the evening on Star Boxing and The Empire’s rescheduled “Capitale Punishment II” card at the Capitale NY. The bout is scheduled for eight rounds in the lightweight division.

JORGE “THE TRUTH” TERON

The 25-year-old Teron, a Bronx native, was a three-time New York Golden Gloves champion as an amateur, before turning pro in 2005. Possessing a fan-friendly style, and power in both hands, Teron is looking to get back into the win column after suffering a defeat in his last fight, a shoot out against highly regarded, undefeated, Brandon Rios (25-0-1, 18KO’s).

“Jorge is an exciting, and crowd pleasing fighter,” stated Joe DeGuardia, CEO and President of Star Boxing. “We have had him on some of our shows in the past and he has yet to disappoint. We are looking forward to featuring this match-up, in what is promising to be an entertaining night of boxing in New York City, come October 22nd.”

Hope (6-5-1, 4KO’s) is by no means a pushover or easy fight for Teron. The 26-year-old is coming off a draw in an absolute war with unbeaten prospect Bayan Jargal (15-0) on July 17th, and hopes to bring some of that momentum in with him into the ring on the 22nd.

UNDERCARD ACTION

There are five exciting undercard bouts scheduled to take place, highlighted by the return of popular New York light heavyweight and former NY Golden Gloves champion “Irish” Sean Monaghan (2-0, 2KO’s) taking on Nick Whiting. The bout is scheduled for four rounds in the light heavyweight division.

Also scheduled to appear on the card is the Bronx’s Hajro Sujak (5-1, 2KO’s) as he takes on Naseem Dean (2-2, 1KO) in a four round light heavyweight contest.

In a battle of all-action bantamweight’s, Brooklyn’s Elton Dharry (5-5-1, 1KO) looks to make it four wins in a row when he takes on former two-time NY Golden Glvoes finalist, Jose “Chilli” Rivera (2-1-1). The bout is scheduled for six rounds.

Also seeing action on the card, in a special female attraction, is former world title challenger Eileen Olszewski (5-2-2) as she takes on fellow New Yorker, Suzannah Warner. The bout is scheduled for eight rounds in the flyweight division.

Rounding out the card will be a battle between pro-debuting Queen’s natives, as Elmer Vera squares off against Abdellah Smith in a four round super middleweight showdown.

“Capital Punishment II” is promoted by Star Boxing and The Empire. The Capitale is located at 130 Bowery, in Manhattan, NY. Doors open at 6:30PM with the first bout scheduled for 7:30PM. A complete undercard will be announced shortly. Tickets are currently on sale and are being priced at $200, **$150**, and $50. Tickets may be purchased by calling Star Boxing at (718)823-2000. **For information on discounted $150 seats (for $100) for advanced purchase call now!** For more information visit www.starboxing.com or www.theempirese.com.

ABOUT STAR BOXING:

Star Boxing, Inc. has been in operation since 1992. Star Boxing has worked to produce some of the most exciting and memorable boxing events in recent history. Star has continued to work with and develop a number of very exciting world champions, world rated contenders and young prospects. Star has consistently brought credibility, integrity, and exciting fights to the boxing industry. For more information on Star Boxing, visit the official website at www.starboxing.com.

ABOUT THE EMPIRE SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT:

The Empire Sports & Entertainment Co. is primarily engaged in the business of promoting entertainment events and the creation and distribution of sporting events. Today, The Empire acquires the rights to develop and promote sporting and entertainment events through contractual relationships and provides event management services. The Empire arranges events and coordinates venues, media and sponsorship. For more information please visit www.theempirese.com.

Star Boxing

Star Boxing Exclusive Merchandise

Facebook/Star Boxing

twitter.com/starboxing

North Bergen, NJ resident Jonathan Maicelo is accustomed to being a massive draw. All 13 of his professional bouts have taken place in front of adoring fans in his native Peru and hundreds of thousands more have viewed his fights on YouTube. Best described by Manager Nelson Fernandez as “a fighter who lives to entertain the crowd”, the always confident Maicelo enters uncharted territory on Saturday when he battles Oscar Cuero at Washington School in Union City, NJ.

The bout will be televised in his homeland and a preview series similar to HBO’s 24/7 has been airing to hype his American debut. I had the opportunity to catch up with Maicelo, who is putting the finishing touches on his preparations for the ten round showdown.

Matt Yanofsky: This is your first time fighting in America, which is thousands of miles away from your native Peru. How are you feeling leading up to your first bout?

Jonathan Maicelo: I feel pretty good and although my training here in the USA for this fight has been only 3 weeks I’m in great condition.

MY: In Peru, you have fought in front of thousands upon thousands of fans on multiple occasions. Your fight Saturday is as a small venue. Many view you as a crowd fighter. Will the smaller crowd perhaps take away some of your in ring pizzazz?

JM: Remember that although I am going to fight in a small venue I have the responsibility in front of all of my very critical fans in Peru of everything I do inside and outside the ring but I will give a good account of my fight not only to the American fan in the USA in the arena but all of my fans back home in Peru.

MY: What has life been like for you living and training in New Jersey? Do you like it here or are you homesick?

JM: This is my second time around here in New Jersey and I’m living in an apartment with 3 other fighters that are not only my friends but we get along very well and I love them dearly and yes, I love the USA and I shall stay here to continue my career become a world champion with the best boxing trainers and the best manager in the world.

MY: America is regularly referred to as the “Land of Opportunities.” What opportunities have you had here or you expecting that may not have come in Peru?

JM: The “Land of Opportunities” is going to create new markets for me as well as new fans, a better future for me and my family, and climb in the world rankings as a boxer that would have been very, very difficult in my country, Peru.

MY: What do you know about your opponent Oscar Cuero?

JM: I know he is very strong and likes to go toe to toe but I do not like to fight my opponents fight I like to fight my fight establish my rhythm, impose my will and I shall finish him because what I want in my first fight here in the USA is to start with a KO.

MY: Currently, you are the WBC Latino lightweight champion. Do you plan on defending that belt or fighting for different titles in the near future?

JM: I would love to defend my title here in the USA but I would also like to fight for other titles as well but that is the job of my manager Nelson Fernandez who knows when, where and with whom I should fight in the future.

MY: You live in North Bergen with three of your stablemates Juan Zegarra, Carlos Zambrano and Carlos Tamara. Zegarra and Zambrano are both from Peru and are extremely serious about their career, while Tamara was recently a world champion. How does living in this kind of environment help your career?

JM: As I had said before Zegarra and Zambrano we all know each other since we were kids and we love each other but more than love is our respect for each other and as they are serious about their career so I’m I.
Carlos Tamara and I speak daily at length and he has given me a lot of good advice but we also speak a lot about boxing strategies he has been like a teacher, professor to me outside the ring since we met each other he is tremendous.

MY: What can all the local fight fans who haven’t seen you expect this Saturday and beyond?

JM: They are going to see Maicelo the fighter that first conquered my city of Callao (with my style of fighting) and then with all that same intensity, dedication and guts conquered the rest of my country who I love very dearly EL PERU.

Editors Note: Special thanks to Nelson Fernandez for translating the interview.

For more New Jersey boxing news, go to Gardenstatefightscene.com

Several years ago A.J “Bazooka” Banal was widely touted as one of the top young fighters coming through. After being a pro for 3 years Banal was thrust into a fight with Rafael Concepcion for the Vacant Interim WBA Super Flyweight title, it proved a bridge to far as the more battle tested Concepcion ground out a tenth round stoppage. It was a tough defeat to take but to his credit Banal still only 21 took some time off moved up to Bantamweight and has reeled off 5 straight wins with all but one of them being inside the distance. Most recently Banal now 22-1-1(18) showed that the loss hadn’t diminished his fans support when an incredible 30,000 turned up to see him stop Big Yoo in five. With that win he has been catapulted into a fight with former world champion Luis Alberto Perez which takes place in the opulent splendour of the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel, Cebu. Banal is currently ranked WBC 11#, WBA 4#, IBF 3# & WBO 3# at Bantamweight.

Hello AJ, welcome to 15rounds.com

Anson Wainwright – You have a tough fight coming up at the end of October when you face former World champion Luis Alberto Perez. What are your thoughts on that fight?

A.J Banal – I think it will be a great fight because Luis Perez is a former world champion and he is a very good fighter as well. It will be a great fight and I hope a lot of people will support and watch our fight live.

Anson Wainwright – In your last fight you beat Big Yoo when you stopped him in five. What can you tell us about that fight? Also how happy were you with that performance?

A.J Banal – It was a great give and take fight with Big Yoo and he is a great fighter. My performance was okay. What made me happy was to see and please the 30,000 that came to watch our fight. It made the win sweeter. Many thank you’s to all that supported us.

Anson Wainwright – That’s a fantastic support. What can you tell us about fighting in front of so many fans was like?

A.J Banal – The experience was overwhelming. It was amazing. I was just so ecstatic after the win knowing that I did not disappoint everybody who came and supported me that night.

Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us about your team, who is your manager, trainer & promoter? Also what gym do you use regular?

A.J Banal – My manager is Michael Aldeguer who also happens to be the President of ALA Promotions. My trainer is Edmund Villamor and I fight under ALA Promotions. One very important person in my life is Mr. Antonio Aldeguer who I consider my second father. He has guided me not just in boxing but in life as well. I have been training under his wing since I was 9 years of age.

Anson Wainwright – The ALA gym is well know through out the world what can you tell us from your first hand experience of it? What other fighters train there?

A.J Banal – ALA Gym is my home and for me is the greatest gym in the world. I started training there since I was 9 years old. A lot of world class boxers train there like World Champ Donnie Nietes, Milan Melindo, Boom Boom Bautista, Michael Domingo and Mark Melligen to name a few. It is where boxing greats Gerry Penalosa, Rodel Mayol, Malcolm Tuñacao and Edito Villamor also trained.

Anson Wainwright – Your last few fights have been at Bantamweight whereas the Perez fight will be at Catchweight 120. Are you looking to stay at Bantamweight or are you moving up to Super Bantamweight? Also who are you targeting for a title shot?

A.J Banal – I am staying at bantamweight and i feel comfortable here. I feel I still have a lot to learn and in the future maybe challenge Fernando Montiel or the WBA Champion.

Anson Wainwright – It feels like you’ve been around for years already and your not 22 till December. You’ve been a pro for just over five years now, how happy are you with how your career has gone so far? What would you like to achieve in the coming years?

A.J Banal – I am happy with my career and I feel I still have a lot coming for me. My ultimate goal like every boxers dream is to become a great World Champion.

Anson Wainwright – You lost when you faced Rafael Concepcion a couple of years ago, looking back do you think that fight was a little soon for you?

A.J Banal – I don’t think it was too soon. We had a game plan but I failed to execute. I have learned a lot after that fight.

Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us about your early years growing up in Bukidnon? Were things tough as they are for many boxers or did you have a good childhood?

A.J Banal – I was only born there but grew up in Cebu. It was tough growing up in downtown Cebu with the gangs and all around. Good thing I got into boxing that taught me a lot especially discipline.

Anson Wainwright – What are your thoughts on what Manny Pacquiao has achieved and what it means to your country?

A.J Banal – Manny Pacquiao brought a lot of pride and honor to our country and opened the gates of other Filipino boxers to fight abroad.

Anson Wainwright – When your not Boxing what do you like to do with your time? What are your Interests?

A.J Banal – I just love to relax and play games on my laptop and hang out with my friends during our free time.

Anson Wainwright – Finally do you have a message for your fans around the World & your people in The Philippines?

A.J Banal – I would like to thank God for everything and thank all the boxing fans who have supported me with their prayers. I can only hope they will continue that support not only to me but all other Filipino boxers around. Thank you to all once again.

Thanks for your time A.J, keep up the good work.

Thank you Sir.

Anson Wainwright

CLICK FOR FULL EVENT INFO
On Saturday, October 16, 2010, All Star Boxing, Inc and Promoter Tuto Zabala, Jr. will return to the city that has hosted many of the company’s boxing shows during the past 10 years that have filled the Kissimmee Civic Center on many occasions. WBO Jr. Featherweight Champion Wilfredo Vazquez, Jr. of Bayamon, Puerto Rico will make the second defense of his title when he meets his toughest opponent so far in Ivan “Choko” Hernandez of Ensenada, Mexico in a bout schedule for 12 rounds with Vazquez WBO Jr. Featherweight Title at stake.

Tickets for Vazquez Jr. vs. Hernandez on October 16, priced at $202, $102, $52 and $27, are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, the Silver Spurs Arena box office and on-line at Ticketmaster.com.

Wilfredo Vazquez, Jr. vs. Ivan “Choko” Hernandez will be broadcast live on-pay-per-view, distributed by Integrated Sports in the US and in Puerto Rico by Pay Per View Connection beginning at 9 PM ET/6PM PT at a suggested retail price of $34.95.

ANTONIO LOZADA (Hernandez Promoter): Good afternoon and thanks foe being here. This is a very important fight for us because when Wilfredo Vazquez Sr won his world title, the WBA Jr. Featherweight title, we had the champion Jorge Perez. We did the fight because Jorge had beaten Wilfredo Sr. in Los Angeles 3 years earlier in a 10-round decision. Vazquez came to train in Mexico City for that fight and he was a tiger. Now after all these years I come to fight his son who is a world champion and we bring the challenger Ivan Hernandez to the fight. He is in great shape and we will have a great fight.

IVAN “CHOKO” HERNANDEZ: Thanks for the opportunity and thanks for letting me do what I like. Thanks to Juan LaPorte and Wilfredo Vazquez and thanks to the people who have faith in me and who have trained me for this fight. I want to thank Tuto Zaballa and my trainer who has been with me my whole career. Thanks you to Wilfredo for the opportunity. I just want you to know that I respect you here, but in the ring, I don’t respect you, NADA. Thank you for letting me work because this is my job.

WILFREDO VAZQUEZ SR: I want to thank my brother (Tuto) for having made my son a world champion. I want to thank you also for having my other son on the card who is a junior flyweight. also have another son that will be world champion also. (Israel Vazquez is not in Kissimmee yet. He has a ‘real job’ in a church in Puerto Rico and will arrive tomorrow). What I want to tell Choko that we respect him here but not over there (in the ring). We are ready for Saturday night. Junior is in great condition. We are taking this fight very seriously and he is going to hit you hard. Remember what happened to Jorge Perez in Mexico City. No one was more prepared than me for that fight. If you come to fight you are going to get hurt. We are going to take the title, once again, back to Puerto Rico. I promise you that Saturday is going to be your last fight. You will never fight again.

WILFREDO VAZQUEZ JR: I came here to talk little today because I have already said what I need to say and I will do my talking in the ring. The only thing I want to say to Choko is that I want to thank you for bringing the confidence that you have with you to Kissimmee. Thank you for not giving me my merit. That has made me more motivated to get into the ring and the only thing I can tell you is that on Saturday night you are going to pay for it.

The following conversation takes place after the fighters are separated at the face-off following a shove from each.

IVAN “CHOKO” HERNANDEZ: I do respect you, until you get into the ring. There I have no respect for you. I always treat you with respect, until Saturday night. I want it to be October 16 now, so I can hit you.

WILFREDO VAZQUEZ JR: I want you to respect me. I am tired of all the (stuff) you are saying. I am a man and you need to respect a man. I am going to hit all of you…everywhere. And after you, I will take care of all the Mexicans that come in my way. I am tired of this. The Mexican fighters are not giving me the respect that I deserve. I am a World Champion for a reason.

WILFREDO VAZQUEZ JR (after calming down): I love fighting in Kissimmee. These are the people that believed in me right from the start. Now I am very motivated, more than before. Mexicans are good boxers and he is a good boxer and I won’t take anything away from him.

MCJOE ARROYO: I am real happy to be able to fight on this card where Wilfredo Vazquez will be making the first defense of his world title. I made my pro debut when Wilfredo fought for the title in Puerto Rico on February 27 and its very exciting to be dong it here again in Kissimmee.

ISRAEL “Filipino” ROJAS: I am here from Mexico and I am in great shape and I am ready to give a great fight.

TONY LaPORTE JR: I would like to thank Tuto Zabal for allowing me to have my pro debut here in Kissimmee, FL. I will bring the… …yes, I am very nervous. Anyway, I am just glad to be on this card with Wilfredo Vazquez, Jr.

NEW YORK (Oct. 13, 2010) – Boxing fans viewing Friday night’s TeleFutura broadcast of “Sólo Boxeo Tecate” sat in the judge’s seat and cast their text votes in naming Philadelphia native Danny “Swift” Garcia as the fighter with the most character. His defeat over Greek native Mike Arnaoutis, after a third round knockdown leading to a fourth round technical knockout, led him to a landslide win (70 percentae of votes) over Arnaoutis.

Launched by Tecate, cerveza con carácter, the “Cinturón Tecate”award gives viewers the chance to recognize the strength, courage, and determination of up-and-coming fighters featured on “Sólo Boxeo Tecate.” The boxer who receives the most text votes will be featured in a 2-minute vignette during the following week’s program, giving viewers an insider’s look at the lives of this individual. As part of the promotion, adult consumers who participate will receive free ring tones and screen savers for their cell phones.

In case you missed Friday’s thrilling “Sólo Boxeo Tecate” episode from The Arena in Philadelphia, PA, below is a summary of the night’s excitement.

Winner
Loser
Method
Round

Danny Garcia
Mike Arnaoutis
Technical Knockout
4

Bastie Samir
Joseph Dunn
Technical Knockout
2

Victor Vasquez
Bryne Green
Split Decision
6

Wanzell Ellison
Aaron Anderson
Unanimous Decision
4

Kareem Cooley
Eilud Torres
Unanimous Decision
4

Arash Usmanee
Anthony Flores
Unanimous Decision
8

This week, “Sólo Boxeo Tecate” hits the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California for another exhilarating episode featuring some of today’s most promising boxing talent. Fans at home will have an opportunity to vote and determine whether Frankie Gomez or Ramon Montano is the boxer with the most character! Tune in at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT (10:30 p.m. CT) on TeleFutura.

For more information on “Cinturón Tecate” results or to speak with a brand executive about the program please contact FORMULATIN at (212) 219-0321.

Tecate Boxing

Tecate, cerveza con carácter, is the largest beer brand to sponsor boxing matches in the U.S. Part of its commitment to make boxing accessible to consumers is the title sponsorship of “Solo Boxeo Tecate,” which creates an opportunity for local fans to witness some of the most exhilarating fights by today’s up-and-coming prospects. Additionally, Tecate has been a primary supporter of Golden Boy Promotions’ marquee events since 2007, and has launched a variety of initiatives to ensure consumers are part of the boxing experience, including boxer autograph signing sessions, commemorative cans, PPV mail-in rebate offers, and most recently the launch of a mobile museum “Tecate Museo de Boxeo”, which showcases decades of the most memorable moments in the sport.

About Heineken USA
Heineken USA Inc., the nation’s premier beer importer, is a subsidiary of Heineken International BV, which is the world’s most international brewer. European brands imported into the U.S. include Heineken Lager, the world’s most international beer brand; Heineken Light; Amstel Light, a leading imported light beer brand; Newcastle Brown Ale, the leading imported ale in the United States; and Buckler non-alcoholic brew. Heineken USA is also the exclusive USA importer for the Tecate, Tecate Light, Dos Equis, Sol, Carta Blanca and Bohemia brands from Mexico. For a safe ride home, download the Heineken USA-sponsored Taxi Magic™ application from your smartphone. Please visit https://ui.constantcontact.com/rnavmap/acalva/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/BWYWEZMV/www.EnjoyHeinekenResponsibly.com.

About Golden Boy Promotions

Los Angeles-based Golden Boy Promotions was established in 2002 by Oscar de la Hoya, the first Hispanic to own a national boxing promotional company. In 2007, in its fifth year of promoting, Golden Boy Promotions set a record by selling over 2.5 million in pay-per-view homes in a single night. Also in 2007, Golden Boy Promotions established the record for highest grossing pay-per-view homes in a single year with more than 4 million total. In 2009, the company broke records again by breaking the million mark in pay-per-view homes again with the return of Floyd Mayweather against Juan Manuel Marquez. Golden Boy Promotions is one of boxing’s most active and respected promoters, presenting shows in packed venues around the United States and the world on networks such as HBO, HBO Latino, TeleFutura, SHOWTIME, ESPN2 and Fox Sports Net.

Golden Boy Promotions currently has over 60 fighters under contract, from future hall of famers Bernard Hopkins, Sugar Shane Mosley and Juan Manuel Marquez to current world champions and superstars Ricky Hatton, Amir Khan, David Haye, Marcos Maidana, Israel Vazquez and Chris John. Also included on the company’s roster are top contenders Juan Diaz, Robert Guerrero, Saul Alvarez, Victor Ortiz, Joel Casamayor, Daniel Ponce De Leon, Librado Andrade, Rocky Juarez and Abner Mares as well as highly regarded prospects Danny Garcia, Frankie Gomez, Erislandy Lara, Carlos Velasquez and Deontay Wilder.

Light welterweight prospect Mike Dallas Jr. scored three knockdowns en route to a second-round knockout of veteran Lenin Arroyo this past Thursday at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California. Dallas (16-0-1, 6 KOs) of Bakersfield, California spoke to 15rounds.com about the victory and his next move as he continues to climb up the ladder. Dallas will next be fighting October 30th at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan.


Watch Mike Dallas Jr. Interview with 15rounds.com

CLICK FOR FULL FIGHT INFO
Former world champion Ivan “Choko” Hernandez (27), ranked #10 by the WBC and WBO, had an open workout today in Orlando in preparation for his WBO Jr. Featherweight title challenge this Saturday night against defending champion Wilfredo Vazquez, Jr. (19-0-1-16 KO’s), of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, at the 10,500 seat Silver Spurs Arena of the Osceola Heritage Park in an event billed, “The Rising Son Returns,” promoted All Star Boxing.

Hernandez, who has fought world champions Mark Johnson, Fernando Montiel, Toshiaki Nishioka and Israel Vazquez, is coming off two 5th round knockout wins against Jaime Maldonado and Lisandro De Los Santos, to improve his record to 27-4-1 (17 KOs).

“The Rising Son Returns,” presented by All Star Boxing, 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, DISH Network and Avail-TVN, for a suggested retail price of only $34.95.

Tickets for Vazquez Jr. vs. Hernandez on October 16, priced at $202, $102, $52 and $27, are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, the Silver Spurs Arena box office and on-line at Ticketmaster.com.

For more information about the Vazquez-Hernandez PPV event go to www.integratedsportsnet.com. Follow Integrated Sports Media on Twitter @IntegratedPPV.

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, Vitali Klitschko, Ricky Hatton, Cristian Mijares, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr., Tomasz Adamek, 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 Real Madrid, 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.

2008 U.S. Olympian Shawn Estrada scored an unfulfilling technical stoppage over hapless Nathan Bedwell at Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California this past Thursday night. Estrada (9-0, 9 KOs) of East Los Angeles, California talked to 15rounds.com about the abrupt ending to the fight and his upcoming ESPN2-televised match-up.


Watch Shawn Estrada Interview with 15rounds.com

At age 41, Antonio Tarver is two days away from dipping his toes into heavyweight waters.

After suffering back to back losses to Chad Dawson, Tarver spent about a year and a half away from the ring. He will make his return inside the ropes as a heavyweight when he takes on 24-year old Dominican, Nagy Aguilera, Friday on Showtime.

Tarver, who in an October 5 conference call insisted that his walking around weight was 225 lbs., is foregoing fighting as a cruiserweight and making the jump from light heavyweight to heavyweight.

A few thoughts come to mind with regards to Tarver’s decision:

It must be REALLY hard to step away. REALLY REALLY hard.

We see it all the time in every sport and boxing is no exception. Sometimes athletes don’t know when to “hang it up.” Or they do know, but refuse to leave the game (Hello, Brett Favre and your 1-3 Vikings. Hello, Roy Jones, Jr.).

For what it’s worth, Tarver is neither Favre nor RJJ. In fact, with only 33 professional fights under his belt, Tarver’s body is less spent than either of the aforementioned aged legends.

But Tarver was seemingly content with life after boxing, doing a more than capable job as an analyst on Showtime. His rich analysis and insight offer viewers a refreshing take on the bouts; plus the “Magic Man’s” personality meshes well with the likes of Steve Farhood, Al Bernstein, and Curt Menefee.

If he never set foot in the ring again, Tarver would be remembered as an outstanding amateur boxer, an Olympic bronze medalist and the first man to knockout Roy Jones, Jr. (and beat him twice), as well as for his role as Mason “The Line” Dixon in the movie “Rocky Balboa,” among other things.

Now, Tarver, who won’t have to worry about losing weight, will add another chapter to his career when he throws his hat into the ring of heavyweight contenders. From the long list of athletes that came before him, it is definitely not easy to give it up.

Tarver feels his name alone will get him a title shot in the near future.

And that might be accurate. In a diminished, European-owned heavyweight division, perhaps Tarver would do a more admirable job than Chris Arreola or Eddie Chambers as the elite American heavyweight.

“I just need about two or three fights to show I’m a real threat,” Tarver said on the conference call. “You just look at the name. If it’s Tarver-Klitschko, Tarver-Haye, that’s a big name, that’s big business.”

But no matter the reasons for his foray into the heavyweight division — be it because he is opportunistic or he simply got the itch to fight again — Tarver’s experiment at the very least is something to keep an eye on.

The best result that Tarver can hope for is a carbon-copy of Tomasz Adamek’s career as a heavyweight. Like Tarver, Adamek also left the light heavyweight division after losing to Dawson. Difference is, however, Adamek made a two year pit stop cleaning out the cruiserweight division before he decided to step up and bang with the big boys.

Further, while Adamek’s transition to the heavyweight division has been a well-calculated, elongated process ultimately aimed at getting him a shot at a Klistchko brother or David Haye, it is unlikely Tarver will enjoy that same luxury.

Without father time in the 41 year-old Tarver’s corner, the “Magic Man” must rely on his name and hope it puts him on the fast track to a title shot.

Kyle Kinder can be reached at Twitter.com/KyleKinder

Promoters acted quickly after last week’s pullout of Andre Dirrell for his world title shot against WBA Super Middleweight champion Andre Ward as espn.com Dan Rafael is reporting that former world title challenger Sakio Bika will now step in for that November 27th opportunity.

“We’re working on that. Bika is definitely interested in doing the fight,” Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, Bika’s co-promoter, told ESPN.com on Tuesday. “It’s not done, but it’s being worked on.”

What has not been decided is whether Ward’s bout will be part of the tournament. He is the only fighter in the field to have already secured a semifinal berth heading into the Group Stage 3 bouts, the last of the round robin portion of the tournament. The tournament contract allows for fighters to fight outside of the tournament with Showtime’s approval.

“We’re working on that too,” Schaefer said.

NEW YORK (Oct. 12, 2010) – Top contender and former EliteXC champion Antonio “Big Foot’’ Silva has recently been calling out the biggest names in a STRIKEFORCE heavyweight division which arguably is, top to bottom, the most talented and deepest in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).

Silva won’t yet get the fighters he’s most often mentioned – most notably, STRIKEFORCE champion Alistair Overeem or Fedor Emelianenko. But Silva gets perhaps the next best thing when he faces Alistair’s older brother, Valentijn “The Python’’ Overeem, in one of the principal bouts Saturday, Dec. 4, at Scottrade Center in St. Louis live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).

The important heavyweight matchup rounds out the televised portion of a stacked, overloaded fight card that features MMA superstar Dan Henderson (25-8) of Temecula, Calif., against former STRIKEFORCE light heavyweight world champion Renato “Babalu” Sobral (36-8) of Brazil in a collision of world-class 205-pounders in the main event.

In other fights on SHOWTIME, Paul “Semtex’’ Daley (25-9-2) of Nottingham, England, meets power puncher Scott “Hands Of Steel’ Smith (17-7, 1 NC) of Elk Grove, Calif., in a battle of explosive welterweights (170 pounds), exciting local favorite “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (17-6, 1 NC) of Granite City, Ill., takes on 2000 Olympic Games silver medalist Matt “The Law” Lindland (22-7) of Oregon City, Ore., in a middleweight (185 pounds) scrap and football legend and unbeaten MMA fighter, the remarkable Herschel Walker (1-0), will be opposed by an opponent to be determined

The 6-foot-4, 31-year-old Silva (14-2), of Coconut Creek, Fla., by way of Brazil, is one of the most talked-about and feared fighters in MMA. His freakish size is matched with brute strength, startling speed, incredible agility and quickness and brutal ground and pound skills. Factor in that he is also surprisingly nimble-footed and effectively combines Shotokan Karate and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and you seemingly have all of the ingredients of a future superstar.

Silva has won seven of his last eight starts, including a decisive, lopsided decision over former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski in his most recent outing last May 15. Silva’s lone loss since December 2006 came when he was narrowly outpointed by fellow Brazilian, and Fedor conqueror, Fabricio Werdum, on Nov.7, 2009. After an early onslaught that included decking Werdum and having him in serious trouble, Werdum rallied to eke out a decision by the scores of 29-28 three times.

“I want to fight and I’ll fight whoever they put in front of me,’’ Silva said. “My goal is to be the best and fight for a world title.’’

Overeem (28-23), of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, is a fierce, dangerous striker who has won his last two fights in a combined time of 47 seconds. The 6-foot-3, 34-year-old Dutch Destroyer scored a 40-second KO (knee) over Catalin Zmarandescu last May 21. In his outing before last, the previous April 17, a head kick finished off Tengiz Tedoradze seven seconds after the opening bell.

Overeem has several notable victories, including a 0:56, first-round submission over all-time great Randy “The Natural” Couture and a 2:19, first-round submission over Sobral. Overeem has only gone the distance twice in a 53-fight career.

A member of Team Golden Glory like his brother, Overeem is a four-time winner in PRIDE Fighting Championship competition. He’ll be making his debut for STRIKEFORCE after signing with the San Jose, Calif.-based promotion in June.

Crowd favorite and St. Louis native, welterweight Jesse Finney, will take on a foe to be announced in the top non-televised undercard scrap.

Tickets for the event are on sale at Scottrade Center, online at Ticketmaster.com and Strikeforce.com or by phone (800) 745-3000.

Doors at Scottrade Center will open for the event at 6 p.m. CT. The first preliminary bout will begin at 6:30 p.m. and the first SHOWTIME televised main card fight will begin at 9 p.m.

About STRIKEFORCE
STRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265. Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE, sanctioned by ISKA, has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts (MMA) series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.” In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose. In March 2009, STRIKEFORCE signed a multi-year agreement with SHOWTIME® to stage live events on the premium cable television network. The promotion has since also produced two live, primetime events on the CBS Television Network.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, IBF Light Heavyweight champion Tavoris Cloud will defend his belt against an opponent to be named while undefeated Heavyweight Odlanier Solis will take on Ray Austin in a WBC Elimination fight on December 17th at The American Airlines Arena in Miami.

Cloud’s trainer Al Bonani mentioned to espn.com that two fighters are being being talked to by promoter Don King for the coveted world title opportunity.

“Don is negotiating the price with both fighters so by Monday, maybe Friday, we should have somebody,” Bonani said.

“He just wants to fight in his home state and stay busy,” Bonani said of Cloud, who is from Tallahassee. “He wants to fight regularly. We’d like to have this fight and keep busy. He’s in the gym. We want to keep him sharp and also take this fight to have some Christmas money.”

“We’re interested, but it’s not on the top of the list,” Bonani said. “We have possible unification fights and fights overseas. But Dawson is an interesting match. We’re interested, but we’ve also been offered [former titlist] Adrian Diaconu in Canada on a [Lucian] Bute card. We’ve talked about Bute. A unification with [Beibut Shumenov] would be huge money in Kazakhstan and that’s been discussed. But I am glad HBO is considering putting Tavoris back on. The kid is ready to fight the best.”

Undefeated Welterweight Mike Jones talks about his November 13th fight with Jesus Soto Karass on the Manny Pacquiao – Antonio Margarito Undercard

Watch Mike Jones in Sports  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Undefeated Jr. Welterweight Danny Garcia talks about his 4th round destruction over Mike Arnaoutis

Watch Danny Garcia Post Fight Interview in Sports  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Danny Garcia and Mike Arnaoutis weigh in for their Jr. Welterweight showdown in Philadelphia

Watch VIDEO: DANNY GARCIA – MIKE ARNAOUTIS WEIGH IN in Sports  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Teon Kennedy and the family of the late Francisco Rodriguez accept the 2009 Briscoe Award for the Philadelphia Fight of the Year that had a memorable yet tragic ending

Watch Kennedy – Rodriguez honored for 2009 Philly Fight of The Year in Sports  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Super bantamweight contender Rogers Mtagwa receives the 2009 Briscoe Award for winning the 2009 Philadelphia Fighter of the year

Watch Rogers Mtagwa wins the 2009 Philadelphia Fighter of The Year in Sports  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

ATLANTA, GEORGIA (October 12, 2010)—This past Saturday night in Atlanta, Light Heavyweight sensation Sergey Kovalev ran his record to a perfect 10-0 with 9 KO’s as he was taken distance for the first time in his career and scored an eight round decision over veteran upset specialist Darnell Boone.

This was a great learning experience for Kovalev, who was sent to canvas for the first time in his career in round seven but stood up to win victory.

To have beaten a guy like Boone is a big growth for Kovelev specially in Boone’s home town as Boone has defeated against undefeated Ronald Johnson, Contender Willie Lee (14-3), undefeated James Countryman (8-0); prospect Rasheem Brown (17-2); undefeated James Johnson (7-0); prospects Calvin Green (20-3) and Louis Turner (12-2) in second round knockout stoped hot prospect Adonis Stevenson (13-0) and went to distance 10 rounds with Jean Pascal who is present Light Heavyweight WBC Champion . Boone also has the distinction of scoring a knockdown against world super middleweight champion Andre Ward.

“This is a great win for Sergey”, said Egis Klimas, who manages Kovalev.

“Boone is one of the toughest out there and for Sergey to beat him in just his tenth fight says a lot and gives us the confidence that he can compete with any of the prospects in Light Heavyweight division. “

Right after the win next day, Kovalev and Klimas hopped on a plane to Florida to meet with legendary promoter Don King about a potential promotional deal.

“We had a great meeting with Don”, continued Klimas

“If we can work something out, Sergey will be fighting on the big stage very soon”

15rounds.com Matt Yanofsky exclusively goes one on one with unified junior flyweight champion Giovanni Segura. Segura, who is fresh off a thrilling knockout over future Hall of Famer Ivan Calderon, touches on his future at 108 and possibly moving up to 112 lbs. Click below to hear all that one of the hottest names in boxing had to say!
click-to-listen-to-giovanni-segura

A head of his toughest challenge to date Eloy “The Prince” Perez took time out to speak to 15rounds.com about his fight with Dominic Salcido which takes place on 15 October live on Telefutura from the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, Ca. Unbeaten in 21 contests with the only blotches 2 draws & a no contest compiling an 18-0-2(5) ledger. He knows that he needs to keep building and add to his 3 wins this year already to improve his rankings. Currently he’s the NABO Super Featherweight champion and only ranked by sister organisation the WBO at number 2. A win over Salcido could see him edge into the other top organisations rankings. Here’s what the pride of Salinas, Ca had to say.

Hello Eloy, welcome to 15rounds.com

Anson Wainwright – You have arguably the biggest fight of your career to date when you fight Dominic Salcido on 15 October. What are your thoughts on that fight? Will it be on TV?

Eloy Perez – Yes it will be on TV on Telefutura, I think Dominic is a slick fighter I’ll be aggressive and hope to implement the style my coach Max Garcia wants me to. If Salcido stays back and tries to counter I’ll freeze him with feints and work, but if he decides to come forward I’ll pick him off with crisp straight punches either way my team has many plans we can adapt.

Anson Wainwright – How tough an opponent to you see Salcido as? He’s known as a skilled boxer who as never lost at 130? He looked pretty good last time out against Guillermo Sanchez what did you think of his performance?

Eloy Perez – I didn’t see his performance against Guillermo but I know he is skilled, he has fast hands but so do I. I don’t think he’s as versatile or as crafty as I am, but he does have good power he’s pretty tough and like I said has fast hands. I’m not so much thinking or worrying about Salcido as I am working on my own game, honing my skills and getting better. I know I’m not going in there taking on chumps or cupcakes these are real fights against skilled guys, going back all the way to Dannie Williams i’ve been in tough. I expect to be in tough October 15 but I also expect to win like 18 times before.

Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us a little about your training for this fight, how are things going so far? Also where are you training and who are you sparring with?

Eloy Perez – Training is going as planned we settled in Oxnard California, and are sparring with Brandon Rios, Alfonso Blanco, and Aris Ambriz. I’m in great shape sparring 8-10 hard rounds and running my butt off with road work. My team has me ready I’m on weight things couldn’t be better.

Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us about your team, who is your manager, trainer & promoter?

Eloy Perez – I have the best team on the planet and maybe the universe, my manager is the hardest working woman in boxing Kathy Garcia she’s the heart of our team, she works everyday to make us all comfortable in the right hotel rooms, she plans everything without her my team wouldn’t be here getting the incredible training I’m getting from Max Garcia Kathy’s husband. He keeps me disciplined, he’s a great trainer, conditioning and boxing strategy. His son Sam Garcia is his assistant and helps with all training. Dean Familton helps with strategy he and Max come up with game plans for every fight, his father was originally part of the team (Don Familton,) he was a southern California legend he passed last year, I fight every fight with him in my heart and his name on my trunks. Melissa Garcia, Max and Kathy’s daughter is always supportive she handles most charity events for the Garcia Boxing Organization. The whole Garcia family is just as hungry for a title and to prove themselves as I am we want a world title!

Anson Wainwright – You fought on the high profile Mayweather-Mosley card in May, what was that experience like for you?

Eloy Perez – It’s was great to be on a card like that the buzz the people the electricity in the crowd, it’s something you dream of as a fighter it’s why we fight for moments like that. I hope next time I’ll be the fight that ends the show.

Anson Wainwright – What was your amateur career like? What title did you win? What top fighters did you fight and what was your record?

Eloy Perez – My amateur career seems like ages ago I’m a completely different fighter than I was lol. I fought about 60-70 fights winning all but 6. I fought Victor Ortiz, Shawn Porter Mike Chippers. I won the ringside worlds in 2004. It wasn’t a long amateur career I couldn’t wait to turn pro.

Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us about your early years and how you first got in to Boxing?

Eloy Perez – I was a big chubby troublemaking kid so my dad got me in the gym at Jim Dougla’s gym in my hometown of Rochester Washington, the rest is history.

Anson Wainwright – When your not Boxing or training what do you like to do with your time?

Eloy Perez – When I’m not boxing I like going hiking, fishing, hunting, I like the outdoors. I enjoy football, and other sports.

Anson Wainwright – Your currently ranked at number 3 by the WBO and there were a few rumours that you could face Roman Martinez for his title he lost to Ricky Burns a few weeks back, what did you think of that fight? Would you like to fight Burns? or are you looking at the other 3 titles?

Eloy Perez – I think the Burns/Martinez fight was fight of the year so far, both are deserving to be as high as they are. Of coarse I would love to fight Burns for the title it would be a dream come true that’s why I moved to California that’s why I sacrificed all I have for an opportunity to be the best in the world at what I do. With that said I am only thinking about one guy right now that’s Dominic Salcido. I have no other plans other than meeting him in the middle of the ring October 15, at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio California. I let my manager work her magic she knows I’ll take on anyone anywhere.

Anson Wainwright – What do you think you’d be doing if you weren’t a boxer?

Eloy Perez – If I wasn’t boxing I have no idea what I’d be doing this is all I know lol

Anson Wainwright – What are your goals in Boxing?

Eloy Perez – My goals are to become a world champion and fight mega fights that entertain the audience with skill and bravery. We have a new motto we stole from the Stanford University football “we’re here to win with character and cruelty” that pretty much says it all.

Anson Wainwright – Finally do you have a message for the Super Featherweight division?

Eloy Perez – My message to the rest of the division is let’s not be like the other divisions that are deep with talent let’s all fight each other and bring respect back to the Super Featherweight division. If everyone fights each other the top guys against the top guys this can be a fun and exciting division.

Thanks for your time Eloy, good luck with your upcoming fight.

Thanks 15rounds and Anson Wainwright keep up the good work boxing is the best sport in the world let’s not forget that.

Anson Wainwright
15rounds.com

Currant WBO Bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel was injured while riding a dirtbike in Mexico according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

Montiel and a friend were riding in Alamos, Mexico, a resort town a couple of hours from his home in Los Mochis that he was visiting for the weekend, when the accident happened. Montiel (42-2-2, 33 KOs) suffered several bad cuts and bruises and had a bone fragment cleaned out of the leg.

“He got very scared and is very sad by the accident, but the leg is not fractured,” Top Rank spokesman Ricardo Jimenez said.

Jimenez said Montiel had a “deep wound” and that he was advised to stay off the leg, which is heavily bandaged, for three weeks.

Baltimore, MD (October 11) – Sensational prospect James “Keep em’ Sleepin” Stevenson will make his highly anticipated return Saturday, October 23 when he battles once beaten Phillip McCants in the main event of Baltimore Pro Boxing’s “Who’s The Man II” at the Pikesville Armory.

Tickets start at $40 and can be ordered by calling 410-675-6900 or going to the Armory’s box office.

Stevenson, 13-0 (10 KO’s), is regarded as one of the top young fighters in the Beltway Region, but injuries have sidelined him since March. The hard hitting Baltimore native has wowed local fight on various occasions with his punching power and boxing ability, winning all of his bouts in impressive fashion.

Dubbed as “The Mongoose”, McCants is a winner of six straight. The Philadelphia, PA native, who is 8-1 with 3 KO’s, soundly outpointed his last three opponents and is expected to give Stevenson all he can handle.

Stevenson-McCants is scheduled for six rounds in the junior middleweight division.

Unbeaten crowd favorite Steve “Show Stealer” Wheeler, 6-0, of Catonsville, MD looks to take another step in the right direction when he battles Akron, OH’s Bob Wilder in the six round co-feature. The rapidly improving Wheeler has sent every one of his opponents home early and stopped his last four foes within two rounds.

Appearing on the talent loaded undercard is exciting heavyweight prospect Maurice “Freight Train” Byarm, heavy handed Thomas “KO” Snow, former amateur star “Slick” Nick Kisner and Jed “The Punisher” Phipps.

In addition to $40 general admission seats, tickets are available for $50, with individual VIP seats on sale for $75 and $100. Exclusive VIP tables are $1,000 for ringside and $750 for second row seating. All VIP ticket holders will receive free Hor’dourves and half priced drinks.

Doors open at 7 pm and the opening bell is slated for 8. The Pikesville Armory is located at 610 Reisterstown Rd in Baltimore, MD.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, IBF/WBO/Ring Magazine Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko will defends his titles against undefeated and unheralded Dereck Chisora on December 11 in Mannheim, Germany.

“I think it’s an interesting fight because a guy who is unbeaten is always an interesting opponent,” Klitschko’s manager Bernd Boente told ESPN.com. “He has a very good record and Wladimir and [trainer] Emanuel [Steward] watched some of Chisora’s fights on YouTube and they said he’s fast and can punch. They were impressed. They said he can definitely punch, has good hand speed and is mobile, and that always [makes for] a dangerous opponent.”

“I know that Dereck Chisora is a very dangerous opponent,” Klitschko said. “He’s young, he’s fast and he’s a very hard puncher. My coach, Emanuel Steward, has warned me about Chisora’s quality and reminded me about the great Muhammad Ali, who lost his championship in 1978 to Leon Spinks in his eighth professional fight. I won’t underestimate Chisora. I will prepare myself as intensely as I always do and try to give Chisora no chance.”

“I knew that my victory over Sam Sexton would be a big step in the world rankings, but this chance is unbelievable,” Chisora said. “Everybody thinks my chances against Klitschko are as good as a snowball’s chance in hell, but I don’t care. I have fought my whole life and I am ready for a battle. This will be my night and by the end of this year the whole world will know the name Dereck Chisora.”

“The atmosphere at all my fights in Mannheim is great,” Klitschko, 34, said. “I will always link the SAP Arena with winning my second world championship there against Chris Byrd. It is one of the highlights of my career.”

In following the sport of boxing, fans get well acquainted with all sorts of different personalities and types of people. To succeed in boxing, or most professional sports, it takes a minimum amount of ego and self-confidence. Fighting in the spotlight and making it to the upper levels of the sport can inflate those attributes in some, while others are able to keep themselves in check. This past September, two prominent fighters again proved which side of the coin they are on.

Sugar Shane Mosley is one of the greatest fighters of his era. His accomplishments are too plentiful to list in this space, but include legitimate titles at three weight classes from lightweight to junior middleweight. He notched two wins over Oscar De La Hoya and Fernando Vargas to go along his victories over other noteworthy names, such as Antonio Margarito, Ricardo Mayorga, Jesse James Leija, Phillip Holiday and others. Time and again, Mosley has also proved to be one of the great class acts in boxing.

Paulie Malignaggi has proven himself to be a world class boxer, but he has usually tripped up at the elite level. His accomplishments can be listed in this space. Malignaggi ran up an unbeaten record against the usual suspects into a junior welterweight title fight against world class Miguel Cotto. In that fight, Malignaggi surprised many by showing incredible heart and lasting the distance. Two fights later, Malignaggi picked up a title against Lovemore Ndou and made three successful defenses before losing to Ricky Hatton. Malignaggi split two with undersized, but world class Juan Diaz, losing the first one controversially, and then was completely outclassed by Amir Khan.

Time and again, Malignaggi’s emotions have got the best of him at inopportune times, which has precluded him from consideration for the class act label outside of the ring. A glaring occasion in the recent past was his post-fight temper tantrum after the loss to Hatton, which was beamed nationally by HBO. Soon after that fight, his trainer Buddy McGirt, who stopped the uncompetitive fight, was thrown under the bus. Another event to point to would be Malignaggi’s “Boxing is full of shit” rant after the loss to Diaz, which also aired on HBO.

Mosley has had to deal with very public setbacks, but has managed to do so in a professional manner. Mosley parted ways with his father/trainer Jack Mosley twice, but you would be hard pressed to find any quotes from Sugar Shane blasting his father. Quite the contrary, Mosley has repeatedly given his father credit for shaping him into the fighter that he has become. There was BALCO and a divorce from his wife/manager Jin Mosley. Shane never took the easy way out and blamed a conditioning coach for the BALCO scandal, nor can I recall him publicly tearing down his ex-wife.

Recently, Malignaggi exercised his ego and emotions again by blasting his former promoter Lou DiBella shortly after signing with Golden Boy Promotions. DiBella was the promoter that steered Malignaggi’s career from its infancy and somehow managed to get a light-hitting, trash talker with brittle hands eight fights on premium cable and two fights against money players, i.e. Cotto and Hatton. The public digs at DiBella would be surprising had they come from another source, but for Malignaggi it seems par for the course.

On the other side of the coin last month was Shane Mosley. The vast majority of experts and critics believed Mosley was wronged when three California judges scored his fight with Sergio Mora a draw. It would not have been out of line for Mosley to claim he felt he had won the fight, but it would have been out of character. Even weeks later, with public sentiment clearly in his favor, Mosley refused to trash the decision when the fight was brought up with him at the commentators’ desk during a Fox Sports Net telecast.

It may not be fair to Malignaggi to hold him to the standard of a Shane Mosley. There are not many fighters today that would look favorable when compared to one of the more genuine class acts the sport has seen over the years. It is a bar few could attain with such longevity, but it is one that should be strived for. If more fighters attempted to duplicate Mosley’s example, our sport would be much better off.

Photo by Tom Hogan/Golden Boy Promotions

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

SAN ANTONIO – If you walked along the remnants of Chalk It Up on Houston Street, Saturday, hundreds of drawings in dusty pastel colors underfoot, then came to a staircase for the River Walk – no, not the tourist loop but the one that takes you to Brackenridge Park – and exited at Navarro Street, heading eastwards, you were on your way.

Municipal Auditorium was on your left. A majestic stone building erected in 1926, during the period that saw most of the city’s enduring stone landmarks constructed, Municipal Auditorium stood before, but cast no shadows on, two war memorials. Korea then Vietnam – the latter housing, in an air-tight compartment, the names of all 60,000 San Antonians who served in Southeast Asia.

Inside Municipal Auditorium were the National Association of Police Athletic / Activities Leagues boxing championships, known universally as “The PALs.” This year’s championships were especially important because the winners in each weight class qualified for a berth at the Olympic trials in Colorado Springs. Ten dollars, in other words, bought you a seat at ringside where you got to see 40 of our country’s best boxers.

It was a good respite from another lousy week in an astoundingly bad year for prizefighting. Last week’s announcement that Andre Dirrell would not fight Andre Ward in November changed Showtime’s “Super Six” tournament to a Super Three. More about that in a bit.

Back to Municipal Auditorium. A few minutes after I took a random seat, Saturday evening, good fortune sat a teacher one row behind me. He was Tom Mustin, Team USA’s 2000 Olympic coach, mentor to future stars like Jermain Taylor, Jeff Lacy, Rocky Juarez and Brian Viloria. And along with being a fine conversationalist, Mr. Mustin was a pair of reminders.

First, no matter how much you know about professional fighters and their trainers, no matter how many fights you’ve seen or stats you’ve memorized, beside a career amateur coach you don’t know much. Men like Tom Mustin or Kenny Weldon teach eight year-olds how to box, travel the world with their kids and act as surrogate fathers as much as trainers.

And second, you should temper your criticism of USA Boxing’s results with an appreciation for the sacrifice its teachers make. The hours are brutal. The pay is low. And the responsibilities are many more, and deeper, than what professional trainers, gunslingers by comparison, take on.

Watching a national amateur championship also affords you insights into someone like Rau’shee Warren. A two- and likely three-time Olympian, Warren is probably America’s best amateur. Among his feats is maintaining the same weight at age 23 that he had at 17. The training grants he continues to win from USA Boxing are superior to the purses he’d earn as a 114-pounder, so why turn pro?

He is now, in both age and skill, a man among boys. His Saturday bout matched him against San Antonio’s Adam Lopez, a boxer now trained by Jesse James Leija. Lopez opened the first minute of the first round with an interesting tactic. He punched at Warren’s right arm. Warren, a southpaw, carried his lead hand low, and the theory was that by targeting the middle of his arm, Lopez might disrupt Warren’s up-jab and activity. It worked.

For about 60 seconds. Then Warren came alive with quickness, accuracy and unexpected ferocity, and everything stopped working for Lopez. The final line – “Warren dec. Lopez, 20-2” – squashed further description.

The evening’s most curious spectacle came a little later in the 201+ division, and he came complete with pink headgear and an infuriating style. Lenroy Thompson, originally from Florida but now boxing out of Kansas, does everything technically wrong en route to beating everyone he faces. I asked Mr. Mustin if someone like Thompson might actually represent our country in London in 2012.

“Why not?” said Mr. Mustin, and he began to chuckle. “He’s the type that could win a gold medal.”

Thompson’s style and achievement are a good place to turn and start back towards the matter of Andre Dirrell. Amateur boxing is a meritocracy based on computerized scoring, which has its own logic. If you know where to position yourself on the canvas and how to hit your opponent in a way three of five judges can see, while precluding your opponent from doing the same – à la Lenroy Thompson – you become a champion.

Professional fighting is a different sort of meritocracy, one adhering to box-office receipts. Just as being exciting does not win you amateur titles, being able to hit your opponent twice in a round in which he hits you but once does not win you lucrative purses, or many fans.

Of the two meritocracies, Andre Dirrell came closer to mastering the amateur than the professional. He was an Olympic boxer whose style was so displeasing to so many people in his first title fight, with Carl Froch, that many doubted the sincerity of his injury when Arthur Abraham fouled him in his last match. I did not.

Last week, though, after Showtime had rescheduled Dirrell’s match with Andre Ward for November – location “TBA” (Ticket Buyers Absent) – most fans doubted the sincerity of the “neurological issues” that caused Dirrell to be the third man to drop out of the Super Six.

If I were Dirrell, I would have offered some medical documentation with my press release.

Which brings us to the Super Three. Something else we can borrow from amateur boxing is the “walkover” result. Let’s use that and say Ward “walked-over” Dirrell, leaving Froch-Abraham to decide who’ll fight Ward in the finals. Those are the only two fights anyone wants to see now, anyway.

Finally, while Ward and Dirrell were Olympic teammates, only one of them – in style, charisma and box office – made a successful transition to pro. There’s really no shame in that for Dirrell. But now that we realize it, we must move on.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter.com/bartbarry

Although 15rounds was notified on Friday that unbeaten New Jersey featherweight prospects Victor “The Viper” Valenzuela and Carols “Mina” Zambrano were set to meet October 16 in West New York, NJ, both parties informed us that the bout is off.

According to Manager Nelson Fernandez, Zambrano will now fight Lante Addy, 8-5 (5 KO’s), of Ghana due to Valenzuela’s unwillingness to fight a ten rounder. Fernandez also said that Valenzuela, who hails from Passaic, stated that it had to be an eight round bout even though he’d loquaciously challenged Zambrano.

“On Friday, (Valenzuela’s promoter) John Lynch accepted the fight, but later in the evening they said the purse wasn’t acceptable and they wanted more money,” said Fernandez. “(Promoter) Mike Indri told them that there wasn’t any more money available and (Valenzuela’s team) than insisted the fight be eight rounds.”

Fernandez was also shocked that Zambrano-Valenzuela was axed over two rounds.

“He called (Carlos) out saying he wanted the fight but the fight was (scheduled for) ten rounds (all along), not eight.” “That’s like me calling the Yankees and saying I have the best baseball team out there but I only want to play three innings instead of nine because I don’t have a nine inning team. It was (always a) ten round fight and he was the one calling us out, not (vice versa).”

Although Fernandez said the fight was previously set, Valenzuela’s team claims that brief negotiations had taken place but nothing was agreed upon due to the aforementioned issues.

“I never made arraignments to make the fight for ten rounds and the only reason we discussed it was because (Zambrano) was having a problem finding an opponent,” said Valenzuela’s Co-Manager Sal Alessi.

Alessi also believes he would have done wrong by his fighter if he were to put him in a ten round bout against a well regarded and unbeaten opponent on short notice.

“How am I going to get Victor ready (for a ten round fight) on 11 days notice?” “He wanted the fight but I can’t do that to him and I can’t jump him from (fighting) six (round bouts) to ten.” “We discussed the fight making the fight hypothetically (if they didn’t) find an opponent, but the fight wasn’t going to be ten rounds under any circumstances. Zambrano only wanted a ten round fight and we weren’t willing to do that.”

But as they say, the show must go on.

Zambrano, a North Bergen based Peruvian, will now face an opponent who went the distance with hard hitting fighters in Teon Kennedy, Jorge Diaz, Kiko Martinez and 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist Guillermo Ringodeaux.

“We have a few tricks up our sleeves but I think this fight is going to go the distance,” said Fernandez. “He’s got a high defense and his last four opponents have been unbeaten guys, so we expect to get ten good rounds out of (Addy).”

The good news is that Fernandez and Alessi each cited their 30 year friendship, and while the situation was frustrating, the bout could be revisited without any complications or animosity. Even though it’s now out of the immediate picture, a fight between Zambrano, 11-0 (5 KO’s), and Valenzuela, 8-0 (1 KO), appears to be a feasible option for both sides in the future.

For more New Jersey boxing news, go to gardenstatefightscene.com

In what turned out to be more of a boxing match then an MMA bout,Nick Diaz got revenge on the last man to beat him while retaining the Strikeforce Welterweight title over KJ Noons in a grudge rematch at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.

Both guys were cut around their right eye’s in round one as the punches were landing with authority with each guy taking turns landing heavy blows. Diaz would mix in an occasion kick and each guy mocked each other. Diaz was outlanded but he landed the flashier punches in what was a intense atmosphere in the arena.

Noons said that he was beaten fair and square but with each guy winning a match there is already talks of a rubber match.

“I knew I won the decision but I’m a little disappointed I didn’t finish him in the first round,’’ said Diaz, a Cesar Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt who only attempted a handful of takedowns.. “I’m a little surprised he hung in like he did because he took a lot of punishment. But he has a good chin.’’

“I was worried about the cut, but my corner told me it wasn’t a big deal,’’ he said. “I am not opposed to a third fight down the road if Noons wins a few fights. Whatever the fans want. Anything is possible.’’

Noons took the tough setback with class. “Honestly, he beat me fair and square. But I landed more punches than him. I out-struck him. Even though I got a little tired at the very end, I kept pushing all the way. I know I was getting to him. If they want a third fight, you know I’ll go for it.’’

Diaz, 169 1/2 lbs of Stockton, CA won by scores of 49-46; 49-47 and 48-47 to go to 23-1-1. Noons, 169 lbs of San Diego, California is now 9-2.

Josh Thomsan fought back from the brink of submission to score a three round unanimous decision over JZ Calvalcante in a Lightweight bout.

Calvalcante almost had the fight over in the first round as he had Thomson in a guillotine head lock for approximately two minuets but he was able to turn the tables in the last seconds of the round. Thomson took the final two rounds and he even played to the cameras while he had Calvalcante in a triangle.

“I probably could have fought much harder but JZ is a very dangerous guy and one of the best in the world and it was obviously very important for me to win so I played it a little safe,’’ Thomson said. “I felt this might go the distance but no way I won that fight, 30-27. He got me a few times, but I hurt more from his two headbutts (that required stitches).’’

Scores were 3-27; 29-28; 29-28 for Thomson who is now 18-3-1. Calvalcante is 15-4-1.

Marloes Coenen won the Ladies Welterweight championship with a stunning submission victory over previously undefeated champion Sarah Kaufamn.

Kaufman had the upper hand over first two plus rounds as she smothered the taller Coenen blows and backed up Coenen. With Coenen down on her back, she went for an armbar with her legs and locked it in successfully and Kaufman tapped out at 1:59 of round three.

“Like I said before, winning the world title can be a life-changing thing for me,’’ said Coenen, whose first defense is slated to be against Miesha Tate, who won a four-woman, one-night 135-pound elimination tournament earlier this year on STRIKEFORCE Challengers on SHOWTIME.

“Miesha won the tournament, she’s a great grappler and obviously very good,’’ Coenen said. “I will definitely have to stand with her. For tonight’s fight, I worked very hard. This is an unbelievable feeling.’’

A disappointed Kaufman took the defeat in stride but is hopeful of a rematch. “This kind of thing happens,’’ she said. “I made a mistake and Marloes capitalized. Up until then, I was fine and felt I was hurting her. She never hurt me. If I have to get back in line and win a fight or two to get a rematch, that’s what I’ll do. I’d love to fight her again.’’

Coenen, 134 lbs of Amsterdam, Netherlands is now 18-4 with thirteen submissions. Kaufamn, 134 1/2 lbs of Victoria, British Colombia is 12-1.

Tyron Woodley made short work of Andre Galvo by scoring a first round stoppage in a scheduled three round Welterweight bout.

Woodley hurt Galvo a handful of times with hard rights and a kicks. Woodley landed a big right hand and pounced on Galvo and before he was able to inflict more damage on a prone Galvo referee Josh Rosenthal stopped the bout at 1:48 of round one.

“I feel awesome,’’ said 5-foot-9, 28-year-old Woodley, a two-time All-American NCAA wrestler for the University of Missouri who was making his first start on the Saturday championship series after fighting three times on STRIKEFORCE Challengers. “I knew I hurt him but wasn’t sure if he was faking or not so I had to be patient.

“Strikeforce Challengers prepared me for this, and it is a tremendous win. But I really expected it to go a lot longer.’’

Woodley, 170 1/2 lbs of St. Louis, MO is now 8-0 with his first stoppage victory. Galvo, 170 1/2 lbs of Rio Brazil is now 5-2.