The WBC visited Cardiff, Wales for The Night of the Champions. It took place over three days, opening on Thursday headlined by the movie premier of “Risen” about Howard Winstone’s unlikely road to the World Featherweight title. Many of the top amateur’s in the world met on Friday evening with many much anticipated fights. The finale took place on the Saturday evening when many of the greats gathered together at the C.I.A for a Gala awards banquet.

The first day opened up with everyone who had arrived heading to Cardiff Castle. First built in 1091, it’s ideally located in the City centre. It has also been the venue for many concerts and even a World title defence by Joe Calzaghe in 2002, it was also the scene of Joan Guzman’s first world title win. Many of the fighters walked around the grounds and enjoyed the sunshine before posing for a photograph together then heading to the top of The Norman Keep for more photo’s. The always energetic former WBC Lightweight champion Miguel Angel Gonzalez happily wandered around taking photo’s of the Castle. Shannon Briggs spoke with reporters telling anyone who would listen he was fighting Vitali Klitschko on 16 October in Hamburg. Another interested observer was Junior Witter who spoke with 15rounds.com at length about many things including a possible clash between Tim Bradley & Devon Alexander. When pushed for his opinion on who would win. Witter who lost to both in WBC title fights, Bradley via split decision in May 08 and Alexander stopped him in 8 last August, opinioned that he believed Bradley’s greater experience and ability to mix things up would lead to him winning the fight.

Afterward former female fighter Jane Couch MBE who won world titles at Lightweight & Light Welterweight took this reporter to Ronnie Rush gym in a suburb of Cardiff called Ely. The gym had previously been the home to former Welsh World Champions Steve Robinson, Barrie Jones & Robbie Regan. Couch spoke with several of the children who were in the gym giving them advice. All the while Rush told of his favourite moments with some of his fighters, one particular moment being when Robinson who won the WBO Featherweight crown in the early 1990’s at 48 hours notice complained of cramp during one of his bouts. Rush a man no bigger than 5 foot of West Indian descent stamped on Robinson’s feet and said “Welshman don’t quit” Robinson dually carried on and won the title in a modern day version of Cinderella Man.

It was then time to head back to the C.I.A for the movie premier of “Risen” 15 former fighters including Erik Morales, John H Stracey, Leon Spinks & Alan Minter were in the movie. Lasting approximately 2 hours and was generally well received with everyone enjoying it.

After a fantastic start the standard had been set. The second day started off with two buses touring the streets of Cardiff with all the fighters and dignitaries aboard. Approximately and hour later during which time Roberto Duran with two of his son’s in toe joined one of the buses. We arrived in Cardiff Bay at the Five star St David’s Hotel and Spa for lunch. Everyone sat inside overlooking the water of Cardiff Bay. Many old rivalries were relived including Iran Barkley & Roberto Duran exchanged a hug and a chat up.

Several fighters including John Mugabi, John H Stracey & Shannon Briggs visited The Mayor at his home. We were later joined by the Chinese Boxing team, who will be based in Cardiff ahead of the 2012 Olympics. Whilst awaiting the Chinese team Stracey told jokes and entertained everyone showing off his skills that now see him tour the country providing cabaret. Stracey told of his special relationship with the WBC which saw him become the first new champion under Jose Suliaman’s leadership the day after Suliaman was elected in December 1975. Mugabi was a joy to be around making people laugh constantly with a warm smile and handshake for everyone he saw. All three fighters were later presented with awards as a mark of respect of coming to visit the mayor in the form of a pennant.

Upon arriving back the C.I.A it was all hands to the pump setting things up ahead of the evenings 12 amateur fights between A British Team & a rest of the World team which included fighters from America, Swedon, China & Ireland. Just in time for the Boxing Vitali Klitschko arrived for his part in proceedings.

51kg Nicola Adams -V- Shipra Nilsson (Sweden) RSC4 1:48 (Nilsson’s right shoulder dislocated)
54kg Jaiwei Zhang (China) -V- Andrew Selby Pts 16-11
57kg Luke Campbell -V- Jun Tan (China) Pts 11-5
60kg Helena Falk (Sweden) -V- Amanda Coulson Pts 10-6
60kg Tom Stalker -V- Duran Cafferro (USA) Pts 16-11
64kg Scott Cardle -V- Ross Hickey (Ireland) Pts 20-12
69kg Savannah Marshall -V- Love Holgersson (Sweden) Pts 10-1
69kg Errol Spence (USA) -V- Fred Evans Pts 15-9 (Evans took standing-8 in first from body shots)
75kg Anthony Agogo -V- Jason Quigley (Ireland) Pts 7-4
81kg Fanlong Meng (China) -V- Obed Mbwakongo Pts. 10-3
91 kg Babacar Camara (Sweden) -V- Warren Baister Pts 8-4
91kg+ Sean Turner (Ireland) -V- Amin Isa Pts 18-14 raw score after original score of 7-7.

When all was said it all ended all square 6-6.

The final day saw everyone gather at the Town Hall for lunch, all the fighters once again took the stage for a group photo. After leaving several fighters agreed to take the stage outside at the music festival “Big Weekend”. One notable moment during the introductions that’s worthy of mentioning was when Former IBF Light Welterweight champion Terry Marsh was introduced he tripped as he entered sprawling across the stage. Fortunately Marsh was fine and later joked about the moment, even signing a picture one lucky photographer had taken of the incident.

The Champions were then given the afternoon off whilst the finishing touches were put to the main auditorium at the C.I.A for the Gala awards which took place that evening. It turned out to be a who’s who of World Boxing with many of the great fighters past and present attending including Vitali Klitschko, Roberto Duran, Joe Calzaghe, Mikkel Kessler, Carl Froch, Carlos Zarate, Alfonso Zamora, Jesse James Leija, Chiquita Gonzalez, Zab Judah, Yuri Arbachakov, Sergio Martinez, Vitali Tajbert, Javier Castillejo, Alan Minter, John H Stracey, Iran Barkley, Earnie Shavers, James Bonecrusher Smith & Tim Witherspoon plus many others.

The main awards were given to

Fighters of the Year: Vitali Klitschko & Sergio Martinez
Female fighter of the year: Ina Menzer
Knockout of the year: Toshiaki Nishioka TKO3 Jhonny Gonzalez
(honourable mention): Carl Froch TKO12 Jermain taylor
Fight of the Year: Giacobbe Fragomeni D12 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk I

Many of the fighters had there pictures taken & signed autograph’s for fans who had attended. It was also notable that Calzaghe & Froch met on the stage and appeared to get on well. Also on stage Rendall Munroe met WBC Super Bantamweight holder Toshiaki Nishioka for the first time ahead of there much anticipated fight in Tokyo Japan on 24 October.

The whole event was well recieved by the Welsh public with many people travelling from all over Britain to be apart of such a fantastic event. It is hoped that Cardiff will host the event again possible 2013.

Undefeated New York prospect, Christian Martinez talks about his fight in Yankee Stadium as well as his fight in Brooklyn, New York that will take place on August 7.

Watch Christian Martinez in Sports  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

CLICK TO ORDER THIS MEMORABLE FIGHT
In a fight that more than lived up to the billing, Derek “Pooh” Ennis retained the USBA Jr. Middleweight championship over “King” Gabriel Rosado via majority decision in the All Philly War at the Arena in Philadelphia.

The two waged a back and forth battle with Ennis landing various right hands that seemed to keep Rosado at the distance that Ennis wanted the fight. Rosado tried to and at times made the fight a toe to toe slugfest which thrilled the sold out crowd in the Arena.

Each man had a rabid cheering section as deafening chants of “GABBY GABBY GABBY” and “POOH POOH POOH” was belted out through the fight.

With the outcome in the balance the last two rounds were classic Philadelphia frames as the two left nothing in the ring as they battled it out to the very end.

Ennis will rise in the rankings of the IBF and now should be very close to fighting for the Jr. Middleweight championship of the world.

Ennis is now 22-2-1. Rosado is 14-5.

That fight plus seven big undercard fights can now be seen on demand on www.gofightlive.yv for just $9.99 by clicking: http://www.gofightlive.tv/showEvent.do?eventId=709

In a six round Jr. Lightweight bout, Anthony Flores (9-1-1, 6 KO’s) scored a six round stoppage over Gustavo Dailey (4-9)

In a six round Super Middleweight bout, Farah Ennis remained undefeated (15-0, 9 KO’s) with a third round stoppage over Demetrius Davis (20-24-5)

In a six round Super Middleweight bout, Dennis Hasson (10-0) remained undefeated with unanimous decision over Alberto Mercedes (14-16-1)

In a six round Light Heavyweight bout, Andre Hemphill (9-16-2) scored a unanimous decision over Tony Pietrantonio (6-6-1)

Heavyweight Bryant Jennings (4-0) remained undefeated as scored a four round unanimous decision over Bernell Stewart (1-2)

Angel Ocasio (3-0, 1 KO) scored a one punch knockout over Sidell Blocker (0-3) in a scheduled four round Lightweight bout.

Garrett Wilson (8-5, 3 KO’s) scored a one punch body punch knockout over Reshawn Scott (2-5) in a Cruiserweight bout

Note-When this card is ordered on demand it is available forever

Cestus Management’s 140-to-147 pound world contender Ashley Theophane scored an impressive decision victory over IBF number 3 ranked welterweight Delvin Rodriguez. Theophane displayed superb boxing skills as he constantly kept Rodriguez off balance by stepping around the Dominican’s offense and landing sharp combination’s to clearly win a close action packed fight. Rodriguez, who is a former 3 time world title challenger, worked hard but in the end, Theophane just proved to be the better fighter. The fight was the main event and took place at the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma and was televised live on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights.

The “Tresure” had this to say right after the fight; I’ll fight any top fighter in the world, I’m ready for any of them. I finally found myself and anyone who wants to step up and fight lets do it tomorrow. I “hit Delvin (Rodriguez) with some real hard shots and he still kept coming and never quit. I was ready to do anything to win this fight and i did. Me and my team (CESTUS) worked too hard for this and I knew I couldn’t let anyone of them down. This win is special and i can’t explain how good i feel inside. I promise whoever wants to listen that there is a lot more to come from me in the future. Like i said I’ll fight any top fighter in the world. I want a shot at a world title.”

Mike Michael, who is Cestus Management’s Chief Adviser, said, We are all very proud of “Ashley, he just beat the IBF World # 3 and he just proved that he is world class and is ready to fight the best. Ashley is one of the most consummate professional that i know and he showed how competitive and how much drive he has. Rodriguez is a tough kid but Ashley’s all round boxing ability and will to win was to much for him. This was a great win for Ashley and i am looking to fights him with any world ranked fighter that is willing to step up and fight us.

In closing, Michael said, “I would like to thank my good friend Jimmy “ZEKE” Hartofilis for his undeniable support, Warriors Boxing, Starboxing and Mr Tony Holden and his team at the fabulous Buffalo Run Casino and most of all the fans for all of their support.

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (August 2, 2010)—On Saturday night, August 28th, Spartan Fight Promotions will present Battle I at the beautiful Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City with a terrific main event that will pit Heavyweight contender Chazz “The Gentleman” Witherspoon battling rough veteran Livin Castillo in a tough heavyweight bout scheduled for ten rounds.

Witherpsoon has a record of 26-2 with eighteen knockouts and is regarded as one of the top American Heavyweights.

When asked about fighting Castillo, Witherspoon responded “I am excited about getting back in the ring. It’s going to be an entertaining action packed affair because I know he comes to fight and I know I am coming to fight and I look forward to fighting back in Atlantic City.”

Witherspoon, twenty-eight years old of Philadelphia, PA, won his first twenty-three bouts with fifteen knockouts as he defeated the likes of Michael Alexander (11-0); Talmadge Giffis (24-6-3); Jonathan Haggler (18-1); which set up a big showdown with fellow undefeated and rising star Chris Arreola (23-0)

On June 21, 2008 Arreola scored a third round disqualification win in a fight that Witherspoon boxed well but decided “To bring out the Philly in him” and slug with the heavy handed Arreola.

Witherspoon went on to win three consecutive starts which included an eighth round stoppage over Adam “Swamp Donkey” Richards (21-1) on the undercard of the Jermain Taylor – Jeff Lacy battle in Memphis, Tennessee.

In his last bout, Witherspoon engaged in a slugfest with former world title challenger Tony Thompson on the Paul Williams – Sergio Martinez undercard on December 5th at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

It was an entertaining bout as both got in good shots until Witherspoon was stopped in round nine of the scheduled ten round affair.

Witherspoon is a graduate of St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and has a degree in Pharmaceutical Sales and he is very involved in the community as he is a mentor in many youth groups in the tri-state area.

Castillo of Borbon, Ecudor is known as a crafty veteran who will take on all comers.

Castillo has a record of 16-8 with ten knockouts.

Castillo won his first seven bouts with five coming by knockout. In just his eighth bout, Castillo was stopped by future undisputed Cruiserweight champion, Jean Marc-Mormeck who had twenty-two pro bouts.

After five wins, once again Castillo fought a world champion with world’s more experience than he had. This time it was 135 fight Jorge Castro (122-10-3) who stopped Castillo.

Castillo scored a six round unanimous decision over veteran Robert Hawkins (18-2) before being stopped in three by future WBC Heavyweight champion Oleg Maskaev.

Castillo scored a victory over Osborne Machimana (10-2) then lost to currant IBF #1 ranked contender Alexander Povetkin in Hanover, Germany.

After a victory, the murder’s row of opponents continued as Castillo lost three in a row to former WBA Heavyweight champion, Bruce Seldon (37-6); former World title challenger Eddie Chambers (31-1) and rising prospect Travis Kauffman (16-0).

In his last bout, the thirty-four year old southpaw scored an eight round unanimous decision over Jamie Quinonez in Quito, Ecuador on October 16th, 2009.

An exciting undercard is being put together that will feature Lightweight contender Jose Reyes (23-7, 8 KO’s) of Vineland, NJ; Super Middleweight Joel De La Paz (5-0, 4 KO’s) of Atlantic City; Light Heavyweight Lavarn “Baby Bowe” Harvell (5-0, 2 KO’s) of Atlantic City ; Bantamweight Qa’id “Kid Dynamite” Muhammad (5-0, 5 KO’s); Super Middleweight Eugene Soto (2-0, 1 KO) of Atlantic City .

“This is going to be an action packed evening of boxing”, said Mike Brestle, President & CEO of Spartan Fight Promotions.

“When you have a well rounded card that features one of the best American heavyweights in Chazz Witherspoon plus a guy like Jose Reyes who is looking to get back in the mix at lightweight and then add a handful of undefeated prospects we are proud to present what will surely be a great night of boxing. As we said in our mission statement, we are looking to bring back boxing to Atlantic City much like it was in the golden era down here some years ago , I think this card is a good start. We are showcasing a combination of world class contenders and bright prospects. The action is sure to explosive!”

Ticket Prices for this great night of boxing are priced at $90 / $65 / $40 and are available at the Trump Taj Mahal Box Office or by calling Ticketmaster 1-800-736-1420 or GNP Fitness 609-348-4999 VIP Tables are also available, for more information call 609-348-4999.

Doors to the Trump Taj Mahal, Grand Ballroom open at 7pm and the first bout is scheduled for 8pm.

LAS VEGAS – Juan Manuel Marquez might not be the man in this world you least wish to see in a dark alley. For at 135 pounds, he is slighter of frame than an average Homo sapiens. But if you’ve ever seen him pause in the frenzy of combat to study another man’s weakness, Marquez is the last man you’d ever want to see in a dark alley if you were hurt.

“Predatory” is the word that comes quickest to mind. It sure came to mind Saturday night. And chances are good, it came to mind every day of Juan Diaz’s last training camp, too.

That was the time of solitude, rigor and starvation Diaz put himself through before his rematch with Marquez at Mandalay Bay’s Events Center on Saturday before a goodish crowd of 8,383, a rematch Marquez won convincingly: 116-112, 118-110 and 117-111. “The Rematch” to determine the lineal lightweight world champion was not good as its predecessor, but that didn’t make it bad.

I, too, scored it 118-110 for Marquez. I gave Diaz rounds 2 and 3. Did he perhaps deserve the 11th or 12th? Sure. But by then, it was easy to be mesmerized by Marquez.

Here’s what was clearest: Diaz was not to allow the weight of his upper body to fall over his front knee. Naturally aggressive, if not heavy fisted, Diaz has long shown the habit every volume puncher must overcome; he lets too much of his upper body bend too far forward. Against some fighters, it does not matter so long as Diaz keeps whacking them. Against a fighter of Marquez’s caliber, though, it will always matter.

There was not an instant Saturday, in 36 minutes of those two men trying to hurt one another, that Marquez did not look for Diaz’s weight to tilt forward. Capable of throwing an uppercut with either hand from any position, Marquez wanted one more chance to catch Diaz with his head down and his arms wide and cocked – exactly as he had in 2009’s Fight of the Year.

Diaz did not take his weight too far forward too often all night. And so, Marquez took him directly out of the match.

The Diaz strategy went like this: I’m going to stay on my back foot, be careful this time, and hope that at 36 years-old Marquez is not prepared to go 12 rounds with a 26 year-old like me. It was a good plan for remaining upright. But there was no chance Diaz was going to outbox Marquez and no chance he was going to wear him down, either.

If anything, Marquez was the aggressor in “The Rematch,” and that made you sympathize with Diaz. When the man across from you is a better puncher with better balance and better combinations from which to choose, you’d be crazy to rush him and crazy to think you can win if you don’t.

Which brings us to Marquez’s studying regimen, perhaps his most frightful trait. After every exchange – that won’t end till he’s punched you one more time – Marquez bulges his eyes and examines you, looking for any hint of breakage. Woe is you if he finds it.

Sort of makes you long for an in-game camera like they have in team sports, doesn’t it? Would that we could connect sensors to Marquez’s eyes in a prizefight. The images from those cameras might reveal that Marquez looks in the exact right spot at every moment; those images would make a marvelous tutorial for aspiring prizefighters.

Then we’d just have to teach them how to throw an uppercut-cross-uppercut combination, switch the order of their hands, and throw the same combination again. See, there are things you don’t do in a championship prizefight if you want to remain conscious, and one of those is lead with an uppercut of any kind. Yet Marquez does it all the time.

He bets on his balance and your inexperience. He knows he’ll be in position even if that lead uppercut misses. And he knows no sparring partner has thrown uppercut-cross-uppercut at you in camp. There’s only one way to solve that sort of arsenal, and Floyd Mayweather showed it to us 15 months ago: Come to your fight 15 pounds bigger than Marquez, and keep your distance.

Diaz was no larger than Marquez and had no choice but to close distance, Saturday. And they don’t call him “Baby Bull” for nothing. In the championship rounds, when a decision victory was entirely out of reach, Diaz took chances. He engaged Marquez much as his well-being could abide.

How gorgeous was that final round? The Mexican template for bringing fans to their feet in the closing three minutes: You touch gloves, express mutual admiration, and then fight with utter contempt for the man across from you. Such spite is one more detail that marks the great ones. Look at the last 10 seconds. Marquez kept punching till the referee was collecting blows more than Diaz, and then he turned away from Diaz’s embrace. The blood was still too hot for hugging: Give me a few minutes, kid, and I’ll come visit; right now I still hate you too much for that.

Ah, contempt. It brings us to the opponent who consumes Juan Manuel Marquez’s legacy, the Filipino whale to Marquez’s Ahab, the man Marquez would likely fight to the death if those were the terms for a rubber match: Manny Pacquiao.

“I am ready right now for Pacquiao,” Marquez said in this post-fight press conference, as he said after his last fight with Diaz. “The priority is Pacquiao, more.”

That last word – more – made no more sense in Spanish than it does in English. It was an emphasis imprecise as it was meaningful.

If you were Pacquiao, though, would you give Marquez one more chance to find your weaknesses? Me neither.

Bart Barry can be reached at bbarry@15rounds.com

Cardiff International Arena, Cardiff, Wales

So it was on a Summer’s day that myself and Frank Warren corner man and good friend Lennie Lee, made the two hundred or so miles journey to Cardiff, in Wales in my trusty old scrap heap from my home in Colchester in Essex.

Driving down to the Welsh capital, we passed the green belt by the motorway, but where we were going there were going to be plenty more green belt’s of the W.B.C variety, so getting there we made how way in and was greeted by Alex Payne, Len however informed me he’d been here many times before, working the corner with the likes of Naseem Hamed, Joe Calzaghe amongst a hundred others etc….etc….

The place was rather plush to look at, a boxing ring was erected in the main hall used just as a background piece and nothing more as all boxers past and present were in tuxedo on this evening in celebrating the World Boxing Council’s annual awards, on a huge screen and a few smaller ones the guests were treat to various fight film excerpts of fights involving W.B.C title fights from yesteryear as the likes of Carlos Monzon, Oscar De la hoya etc….played out in front of the diners who’d paid good dollar for the honor of being present at this most prestigious of award nights, you could call it the boxing oscar’s almost.

Sitting there at the press table, I remembered my manners despite one or two who hadn’t, {to think they call us guy’s the gentlemen of the press, a joke surely}, I enthused as did Len on the various pieces of fine memorabilia on offer in this a silent auction, did I bid? no, and has it was a silent auction I didn’t say a word either!

Muhammad Ali’s dressing gown, shorts and boots all signed were framed nicely, has were Carmen Basilio’s and Jake Lamotta’s Ring championship belts replicated in respective frames and were an affordable £2,200 each and for such a cheap price weren’t bought, as were some of the organization’s green and gold bauble’s, the revered W.B.C’s trophy the championship belt framed and mounted professionally.

While waiting for the awards to get underway, an old face Alan Minter came over and greeted Len, and it was Len who traveled much further than he had done today with yours truly, way back in March 1980 as he flew to Vegas to see Alan lift the undisputed World middleweight championship when he outpointed the rugged bull like Vito Antuofermo over the championship course of fifteen rounds {they were the days}.

I had a few words with Minter myself, asking the former champ where his old nemesis Antuofermo was today has Vito had been expected to attend this event, “he missed the plane” Minter told me, to which I joked “maybe he didn’t fancy the trilogy!” in reference to Minter’s two championship fights with Antuofermo.

Before things got underway, the paying public got to mingle with the fighters, getting autographs and chatting away to the ringmasters was an awesome experience to behold, I myself had a chin wag with the likes of Robin Reid, John H Stracey, Alan Minter, Jeff Harding and Enzo Maccarinelli all former W.B.C champions with the exception of Maccarinelli who was a W.B.O king at cruiser, still though the likeable Welshman told me he hopes to be getting a crack at the W.B.C crown sometime soon if all goes well in his next fight on September 18th.

Also in attendance were former World heavyweight champions, James ‘Bonecrusher’ Smith and Tim Witherspoon, they knew each other pretty good though and even more so as fighters as they shared a ring twice and a version of the World crown as recognized by the W.B.A when Smith relieved ‘Terrible’ Tim inside of a round back in December 1986 for the title.

And talking of heavyweights, possibly the hardest puncher ever was here in attendance, the Acorn himself Earnie Shavers who hit so hard he split his glove against James ‘Quick’ Tillis back in 82 on the Holmes-Cooney card, but please don’t tell that to some big hairy curly haired Texan ‘with a gap in his grin, but plenty of iron in his chin’ the Texan being Tex Cobb the affable quick witted colorful heavyweight contender from the 80’s who defied logic and gravity against Larry Holmes in a title try in 1982 when he took a pasting over fifteen rounds which was severely inhumane, but Tex being Tex asked Holmes at the final bell ‘Let’s party’

Okay enough of a history lesson and back to the convention, so here goes the list of champions in attendance, now not all were of the W.B.C’s affiliation, like for example James ‘Bonecrusher’ Smith who was a W.B.A champ, but hey he was here, also was former W.B.C kings Paul Hodkinson, Witherspoon, John H Stracey, Robin Reid, Carl Froch, Calzaghe, Humberto ‘chiquita’ Gonzalez, John Mugabi, Iran Barkley and the legendary Roberto Duran, Zab Judah, Miguel Angel Gonzales and Rafael Herrera plus two fighters that had a memorable battle or two the ‘Z’ boy’s Carlos Zarate and Alfonso Zamora whose fights were billed as ‘the battle of the Z boys back in the 70’s, but there were plenty more here and far too many too mention, also amongst them were current W.B.C king’s Vitali Klitschko and Mikkel Kessler, as well as non World champions in Nicky Piper and Scott Welch, but they were champion’s at Commonwealth level, and also challengers for various versions of the W.B.C title, Piper having fought Nigel Benn for the full W.B.C World crown at super middle back in 92 and Welch up at heavy failing to dethrone the late Jame’s Oyebola for the W.B.C international bauble back in 1994, Welch gained revenge the year later and the British title but not the W.B.C international crown.

On the stage the champions were invited and they made there way as master of ceremonies Steve Holdsworth a useful pro himself and fight film collector, check out his site at www.steveholdsworth.com for his list of privately filmed fights from Britain, announced each champion as he and she made there way to the stage for the press to take there shots, each champion was presented with a single glove before leaving the stage.

Then a selected few were called to the stage to be presented with W.B.C medal’s as they were honored individually, but it wasn’t only the boys who got in on the act and the accolades, some of the ladies did also, one being Jane Couch M.B.E, a lovely lady so Len tells me, Len got a kiss from Ms Couch {lucky bloke}

However it was Brendan Ingle who was awarded a special W.B.C award from the one and only Joe Calzaghe for services to boxing, has did Frank Maloney as promoter of the year who spoke of his joy of landing his two fighters Rendall Munroe and Jason Booth World title shots, Munroe is boxing soon for the W.B.C super bantam title in October in of all places Japan, and it was Munroe who was awarded the W.B.C’s European fighter of the year also!

Fight and ko of the year belonged to Carl Froch, the kayo of Jermain Taylor proved the winning punch of the year, Vitali Klitschko was named the fighter of the year of the year 2009 a.d {please don’t tell David!}

Also receiving awards were John Mugabi and Enzo Calzaghe, Calzaghe for services to boxing, Terry Marsh was in the roll of honors also though he was I.B.F champ, and it was nice to have under one roof, Britain’s only two undefeated World champions in Marsh and Calzaghe, though Marsh was pretty upset when Joe retired undefeated after licking Roy Jones, Terry can always say he still remains as England’s only undefeated World champion, though Joe may argue as he was born in London, but has no English blood coursing through his veins, if that makes any sense, confused? don’t be!

And then here he was……..on the big screen the daddy of the W.B.C Jose Sulaiman who was too ill to attend and gave a message from his hospital bed which was very interesting to watch.

Then after all the awards were given out, the free booze was passed around the press table, not that I drank as I was driving!

So I got then the chance to interview the likes of Alan Minter, Robin Reid, Jeff Harding, John H Stracey and my mate Lennie Lee, {I have an interesting interview with Len to be put on here soon, so watch out for that one chaps} the aforementioned interviews also will be appearing fairly soon starting with Alan Minter, so keep a look out for those.

And so there it was a good evening spent in the company of many a World champion or ten, and as the night was no longer young me and Len decided to make the journey back from Wales to North London where Len lives as we left the venue, two hundred or more miles later and were home and safe, mind you its dawn as we get home, whoever she is!

A champion show full of champions, and a night that will live long in the memory, thank you Alex and Roy Payne for letting us come, it sure was a honor to be here!!!!

Michael Angelo Serra with Lennie Lee reporting from the World Boxing Council’s convention in Cardiff, Wales.

Light Heavyweight Jon Jones continued his dominance as he stopped Vladimir Matyushenko in round one of a scheduled three round bout at the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California.

Jones pounded a way at Matyushenko while holding his left arm and Matyushenko was unable to defend himself which led referee Herb Dean to stop the fight ninety-two seconds into the fight.

Yushin Okami scored a three round split decision victory over Mark Munoz in a Middleweight bout.

Scores were 29-28, 29-28 for Okami and 29-28 for Munoz

Okami, 185 lbs of Kangawa, Japan is now 26-5. Munoz, 185 lbs of Vallejo, CA is now 8-2.

Charles Olivera remained undefeated as he needed forty-one seconds to make Darren Elkins tap out from an arm bar in a lightweight bout scheduled for three rounds.

Jake Ellenberger scored a third round stoppage over John Howard when Howard could not continue due to excessive swelling around his left eye.

In a match that was back and forth, it was Ellenberger’s striking that made Howard’s eye swell grotesquely fro both over and under his eye. When the Octagonside physician asked Howard, Howard said he could not see which prompted the fight to be stopped at 2:21 of round three.

Ellenberger, 170 1/2 lbs of Omaha, NB is now 23-5. Howard, 170 1/2 lbs of Boston, MA is now 14-6.

Takanori Gomi scored a one punch knockout over Tyson Griffin in round one of a three round Lightweight bout.

Gomi landed a huge right hook that cracked Griffin to the canvas and the fight was stopped before anymore damage could be done.

The end came at 1:04 of round for Gomi, 156 lbs of Tokyo, Japan is now 32-6-1. Griffin, 154 lbs of Las Vegas was stopped for the first time and is now 14-4.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, ESPN will show the September 11 rematch between World Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko and Samuel Peter

The fight will take place Live at 5pm eastern time and be shown on the network’s on-line streaming arm of espn3.com.

The championship fight will also air at 8 p.m. ET on same-day tape delay on ESPN Deportes with a Sept. 12 replay at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

“We are always looking for opportunities to deliver quality boxing matches on multiple platforms,” said Doug Loughrey, ESPN’s boxing director of programming. “We are pleased to present another world title heavyweight bout to United States-based boxing fans.”

“I had to wait a long time for the rematch,” Peter said. “Now I will finish what I missed five years ago. This time I am going straight in and take him out. It’s not going to last real long.”

“Peter was one of the toughest fights of my career,” Klitschko said. “He is an extremely hard puncher and has improved a lot in his last [few] fights. I know what to expect on Sept. 11 and I will be well prepared.”

In a bout that should have taken place a few years ago, Jorge Arce scored a one body punch knockout over Martin Castillo in a battle of former world champions in Tepic, Mexico.

The bout was a scheduled yen round Bantamweight bout.

The first round was non-descript until Arce placed a left hand to the body of Castillo and Castillo stayed on all fours until the referee counted ten at 2:56 of round one.

Arce, 120 lbs of Los Mochis, Mexico is now 55-6-1 with forty-two knockouts. Castillo, 120 lbs is now 35-4.

Juan Alberto Rosas won the IBF Jr. Bantamweight title with a sixth round stoppage over defending champion Simphiwe Nongqayi.

The fight was an entertaining battle until Rosas Dropped Nongqayi from a barrage of punches in the sixth. The corner Nongqayi stopped the bout at thirty seconds of round six.

Rosas is now 32-6 with twenty-seven knockouts. Nongqayi of East London, South Africa is now 16-1.

In a battle of pro debuters, Luis Lugo scored three knockdown en route to third round stoppage over Roberto Morales.

Photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank

LAS VEGAS – In the beginning, the arena looked like a vacant warehouse. The Mandalay Bay Events Center felt empty. It didn’t stay that way.

A crowd began to gather, maybe to escape the recession, or the desert heat, or the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao talks. There’s a lot to run from these days. But a good main event isn’t among them. Juan Manuel Marquez’ unanimous decision over Juan Diaz Saturday night wasn’t one of the best, not even as a rematch.

But it was an attraction in a year without many. Or any. It also was a good example of a fan base hungry for a real fight instead of just talk about one that has yet to happen and perhaps never will.

“If I never hear another word about whether Pacquiao will fight Mayweather, that’s fine with me,’’ said Rudy Perez, a Los Angeles fan who was one of 8,383 who began to fill the Mandalay Bay arena not long before opening bell for the rematch of Marquez’ stoppage of Diaz in the 2009 Fight of the Year. “I just wanted to see a couple of good fighters, good guys, really fight. I’m so sick of all that bull.’’

After his one-sided victory over Diaz, Marquez couldn’t resist talking about Pacquiao. He still wants a third shot at the Filipino Congressman, who has quit talking about Mayweather and apparently has an agreement to fight Antonio Margarito on Nov. 13.

“Everybody wants that trilogy,’’ said Marquez, who lobbied to keep himself in line for rich shot at Pacquiao if a licensing problem in the United States or some other issue knocks Margarito out of the November date. “It’s the one fight I want.’’

Perez is skeptical that Marquez will ever get that opportunity. So, too, is Golden Boy Promotions, the Oscar De La Hoya company that promotes the Mexican lightweight champion. In two fights, Marquez has been more of threat to Pacquiao than anybody since Erik Morales beat the Filipino in their first bout.

“Pacquiao should fight him,’’ Perez said. “But he won’t. No way that happens.’’

The good news is that Marquez probably will fight somebody as soon as he can. He’ll be there in the ring when there is only talk, rumors and denials on message boards.

LAS VEGAS – A trip to the hospital is no victory.

But that’s about all Jean Paul Mendy won in a scary moment Saturday night against Sakio Bika before the Juan Diaz-Juan Manuel Marquez rematch at Mandalay Bay.

Mendy was hospitalized for tests and observation after Bika was disqualified for hitting him while he was down on one knee 79 seconds after the opening bell of a super-middleweight bout.

“He put his life on the line,’’ Michael Bazan of the Mendy promotional team said.

Mendy was face down for several seconds after Bika threw an uppercut that landed like a baseball bat. Mendy never saw it coming. He was on one knee, dazed, after he had been rocked by an overhand right from Bika.

Mendy, a stationary target, was looking down at the canvas when Bika wound up and delivered the uppercut. Mendy, declared the victor by disqualification, had to be helped onto a stool.

“I’m really disappointed,’’ Bika said through a member of the publicity staff for Golden Boy Promotions. “I was very excited. I didn’t see him go to a knee.’’

It looked as if Bika would win easily in a 12-round eliminator for a shot at the International Boxing Federation title held by Lucian Bute of Montreal.

“We’re happy at the official call,’’ Gabriel Gaide, also of Mendy’s promotional team, said. “But I don’t want him winning that way. Jean Paul came to fight the right way.’’

Mendy didn’t come for the money. His purse was $12,000, according to Bazan, who said most of that went for expenses. Bazan said Mendy was fighting only for an opportunity that didn’t include a doctor’s bill.
No Maidana for Ortiz

Surfing has taught junior-welterweight Victor Ortiz something about boxing. Fights are like waves. There’s always another one.

Ortiz, a surfer when not in the gym, expressed disappointment Saturday at not getting a rematch against Marcos Maidana on Sept. 18 on the Shane Mosley-Sergio Mora card at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

But Ortiz — who has boxing gloves and his nickname, Vicious, inscribed on to his surfboard — was already looking forward, toward the horizon, for another opportunity. Maidana is gone, but it looks as if Vivian Harris will be there. Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer said Harris, a former World Boxing Council champion

“Sept. 18 was supposed be about a fight with Maidana,’’ Ortiz said at Mandalay Bay before Diaz-Marquez. “He turned it down.’’

Golden Boy President Oscar De La Hoya said Ortiz was anxious for some redemption in a rematch with Maidana, who scored a stunning 6th-round stoppage of Ortiz in 2009.

“I know the truth and Victor knows it too,’’ said De La Hoya, who also introduced Mosley, Mora, and emerging Mexican star Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. “He wants to redeem himself.’’

But Ortiz talked as if he only wants to continue his career, which has proceeded with three successive victories after Maidana. Questions about his will have lingered since the loss. Some in the media said Ortiz quit in the fight and that perhaps it’s time to leave the ring for the beach.

“Why retire?’’ said Ortiz, who promises that one loss didn’t wipe out the potential he displayed a few years ago. “I’m only 23.’’
NOTES, QUOTES

· Alvarez, a Guadalajara welterweight called the Mexican James Dean by Schaefer, is expected to face former WBC champ Carlos Baldomir on the Mosley-Mora undercard, which is being marketed as a celebration of the 200-year anniversary of the Mexican Revolution.

· WBC light-heavyweight champion Chad Dawson also met with the media Saturday to talk about his Aug. 14 against Jean Pascal on Pascal’s home ice in Montreal. “It’s my coming out party,’’ Dawson said of his appearance on HBO and an expected capacity crowd at Montreal’s Bell Centre.

· And Arizona’s tough immigration law continues to be a hot talking point among Mexican and Mexican-American boxers. De La Hoya told 15rounds.com Wednesday that he saw “racism” in the state’s controversial law, SB 1070. Mora wasn’t asked about the law at Saturday’s news conference. But he ripped it anyway. “Lots of ignorant laws are being passed in Arizona,’’ Mora said. “There’s a lot of bigotry and latent racism being expressed down there.’’

LAS VEGAS – It was entertaining as a one-sided fight could be, but finally, “The Rematch” was a one-sided fight. Blame it on Marquez’s class – the ageless type.

Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, in a rematch of 2009’s Fight of the Year, Mexico City’s Juan Manuel Marquez (51-5-1, 37 KOs) and Houston’s Juan Diaz (35-4, 17 KOs) squared up to determine the lineal lightweight champion of the world. Twelve rounds later, it was the same guy as it was when the night began, with Marquez winning by unanimous decision scores of 116-112, 118-110 and 117-111.

The 15rounds.com scorecard concurred, scoring it 118-110 for Marquez.

Diaz’s strategy, to box and keep his weight from falling over his front foot, was a sound one for survival. But starting in round 1, and with only a brief exception in rounds 2 and 3, it was not a strategy that would ever bring him victory.

For his part, Marquez was the same master craftsman he has always been, riddling Diaz with left uppercut-right cross-left uppercut combinations whenever the younger man’s enthusiasm brought him within range. The rest of the time, Diaz was safe, but he wasn’t in the fight.

Afterwards, Diaz hinted at the possibility of his retirement, saying he still wasn’t sure about his future and thanking his hometown of Houston for its undying support.

Marquez, meanwhile, addressed the possibility of a rubber match with pound-for-pound champion Manny Pacquiao, after his victory.

“I think the third fight with Pacquiao is the one the aficionados want,” Marquez said. “And it’s the best thing for the fans.”

Class tells: Pirog ruins Jacobs
Golden Boy Promotions’ eye for talent has been questioned often since its inception. What Russian Dmitry Pirog did to Golden Boy prospect Daniel “Golden Child” Jacobs in the co-main event of “The Rematch” will make such questions all the more prevalent.

Pirog (17-0, 14 KOs) outclassed Jacobs (20-1, 17 KOs) in each round, using fundamental boxing to solve the speedy Brooklynite, before catching him flush with a perfect right cross, knocking Jacobs out cold at 0:57 of the fifth round to become the WBO middleweight champion of the world.

After a fairly even opening stanza, round 2 began with Pirog marching forward behind a right cross and extremely efficient footwork, entirely neutralizing Jacobs’ reflexes. Then Jacobs wisely began the third on his bicycle, circling away from Pirog, fighting part of the round as a southpaw and regaining his composure. Round four, too, passed in a somewhat even fashion.

Pirog came out in the fifth, however, backed Jacobs to the ropes and waited for him to start a tentative punch. At that moment, Pirog stepped fully into a right cross that landed on Jacobs’ chin and dropped him to the blue mat in a pile. Referee Robert Byrd wisely forwent his 10-count, waving an immediate conclusion to the fight.

Guerrero brushes away “Cepillo”

Boxing may never know Joel Casamayor’s true age, but Saturday it learned how old he now is: Too old.

In a junior welterweight scrap some in Mandalay Bay’s Events Center hoped would be competitive, California’s Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero (27-1-1, 18 KOs) easily decisioned Cuban Joel “El Cepillo” Casamayor (37-5-1, 22 KOs) by lopsided unanimous scores of 98-89, 98-89 and 97-90.

Down in each of the match’s first two rounds and penalized a point for holding, the previously resilient Casamayor looked old and spent, Saturday, as Guerrero hurt him with every landed left hand. In round 2, a Guerrero left cross even stunned Casamayor to the point of dropping both gloves and looking around in disbelief before rallying to wrap his arms round Guerrero’s trunks.

Never a strict adherent to the Queensbury rules, Casamayor looked particularly sad in his opening six minutes against Guerrero, when he was reduced to fouling to survive rather than win.

After such a shaky start, though, Casamayor, whose chin has never been doubted, found enough of his stride to give Guerrero quality rounds. Still, a Guerrero left hand or two seemed to buckle Casamayor’s old knees in almost every round.

But as the fight progressed, and Casamayor threw more punches, Guerrero began to holster his left hand, gradually sapping the match of its emotion. By the ninth round, a few vocal fans began to boo the action in the ring while the large majority of the Events Center crowd expressed its displeasure with abject silence.

The final stanza, though, saw Guerrero over-commit to a left hand and impale himself on Casamayor’s outstretched right glove. But the suspense passed quickly when Guerrero rose and boxed to a comfortable victory.

Linares plays bus driver, takes Juarez to school

Venezuelan Jorge Linares literally towered over Houston’s Rocky Juarez at Friday’s weigh-in. Saturday night, Linares towered over him figuratively too.

In the first fight of “The Rematch’s” pay-per-view telecast, Linares (29-1, 18 KOs) easily decisioned Juarez (28-7-1, 20 KOs) over 10 one-sided rounds to win the WBA’s vacant lightweight title by unanimous scores of 99-90, 97-92 and 99-90.

The fight began as Juarez fights always do, with Juarez doggedly chasing his opponent, eating punches and unable to let his own hands go. Linares, who would look nimble in the ring with anyone, looked positively balletic across from the heavy-footed Juarez. Snapping jabs and dancing away, Linares gave Juarez a boxing lesson in the fight’s first four rounds.

Towards the end of round 5, Linares landed one of many left uppercuts, and this one caused Juarez to stumble backwards and drop to the blue mat, a place one rarely finds him. Unable to hurt Linares and now worried that Linares might hurt him, Juarez, who’s hesitant even when he’s winning, began trading two Linares uppercuts for his every landed jab – a formula destined to fail.

What few vocal fans there were gave a number of halfhearted “Rocky, Rocky” chants as the fight progressed, and Juarez’s eyes continued to close, but the arena was otherwise silent enough for the bell to cause echoes at the end of each round.

The final round saw most of the fight’s sustained action, but those three minutes did not feature nearly enough pressure from Juarez to undo the 27 minutes that preceded them. The problem for Juarez, finally, is not just that he is now 0-6 in world title fights. It’s that he’s losing by larger margins in his every subsequent challenge.

Undercard

It was a case of dog attacks man in “The Rematch’s” final off-television match, as undefeated junior welterweight Los Angeleno Frankie “The Pit Bull” Gomez (5-0, 5 KOs) went through Minnesota’s Ronald Peterson (2-3, 2 KOs) without a modicum of resistance. A Gomez left hook to Peterson’s liver ended the match at 2:14 of round 1, when Peterson chose not to continue.

The fourth match on the untelevised undercard might well have been its best, as unheralded Mexican lightweight Juan Manuel Montiel (6-3-1, 1 KO) swapped blows and taunts with Nevadan Mike Peralta (4-6, 1 KO) in a well-matched six-round bout, which Montiel won by unanimous scores of 58-55, 60-53 and 58-55.

Despite spitting blood for half the fight and appearing fatigued throughout, Peralta nevertheless entertained the local crowd with his heart and will. Finally, though, Montiel had too much class, and the judges did not see the fight competitive as fans did.

The night’s third bout came to a rapid and ugly end when Australian Sakio Bika (28-4-2, 19 KOs) fouled undefeated and unarmed Frenchman Jean Paul Mendy (29-0-1, 16 KOs) at 1:19 of the first round of their IBF super middleweight eliminator, losing by disqualification and bringing some well-deserved hostility from the desert crowd.

In a maneuver disappointingly reminiscent of a different super middleweight – Arthur Abraham and his right hand to a kneeling Andre Dirrell in March – Bika knocked Mendy to the canvas and then stepped forward and fired a point-blank right uppercut at the defenseless Frenchman. Mendy, who had almost no power to speak of while upright, tilted forward and landed on his own forehead. Referee Joe Cortez called an immediate end to the match.

Mendy was later able to walk from ringside unassisted.

At Friday’s weigh-in, ESPN commentator (and cruiserweight contender) BJ Flores said the man to watch on Saturday’s undercard was a Brit by the name of George Groves. Flores was right. Accompanied to ringside by heavyweight titlist David Haye and favoring a left hook-right cross combination, Groves (10-0, 8 KOs) chopped away at Mexican Afredo Contreras (11-8-1, 5 KOs) until a somewhat early intervention by referee Russell Mora halted the match at 0:48 of the sixth round.

While Contreras did not appear to be in any trouble, and never went down, Groves, for his part, appeared to be committing fully to each of the right crosses with which he tagged Contreras with increasing frequency.

Before that, “The Rematch” got off to a quick and violent start Saturday afternoon as Maryland heavyweight Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell (18-0-1, 12 KOs) went directly through overmatched Philadelphian Derek Bryant (20-6-1, 17 KOs), stopping him at 1:45 of the first round.

After firing a succession of left hooks to Bryant’s body, Mitchell went upstairs with lefts and rights to the head and continued his assault till referee Kenny Bayless had seen enough.

The opening bell rang on a sparse Events Center crowd at 2:40 PM local time.

Photo by Tom Hogan/Hogan Photos

Jr. Welterweight prospect Danny Garcia remained undefeated by stopping Jorge Romero in round nine of a scheduled round fight in Cancun, Mexico.

Garcia boxed very well as he picked his spots over the course of the bout. Garcia started focusing on the body through the middle rounds. In round nine, Garcia landed a perfect left hook to the jaw that viciously dropped Romero to the canvas. Romero was able to continue to only eat a barrage of punches that had the referee quickly stop the fight.

Garcia, 143 lbs of Philadelphia is now 18-0 with twelve knockouts. Romero, 142 lbs of Culican, Mexico is now 17-3.

Ashley Theophane scored a controversial majority decision over former world title challenger Delvin Rodriguez in a ten round Welterweight bout at the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma.

Rodriguez seemed to control the first half of the fight, mostly with his jab while mixing in some right hands. Theophane came on a bit late and had good spots over the last four rounds but it seemed like Rodriguez had easily banked enough rounds to get the nod.

When the scores were read, Rodriguez was stunned to hear 95-95, 96-94 and 96-94 for Theophane as the crowd and ESPN 2 broadcast team as it looked like Rodriguez should have had his hands raised for the win.

Theophane, 147 1/2 lbs of London, England is now 27-4-1. Rodriguez, 148 1/2 lbs of Danbury, CT is now 25-5-2

Francisco Sierra battered and bloodied previously undefeated Don George in a scheduled ten round Super Middleweight bout.

George had a good first minute of the fight and it was completely downhill from there when what appeared to be an inadvertent elbow hit George and blood began to leak from his nostrils. In round two, George was rocked from a big right hand that had George stumbling across the ring. The fight was never competitive after that.

In round six, Sierra continued to rock George all over the ring and blood was now all over the face of the native of Chicago. In round seven, Sierra landed a huge right that sent George to the canvas. At the end of round seven, Sierra landed a crushing left-right combination that sent George to the deck for a second time. Referee Gary Ritter correctly ruled that the second punch came after the bell. George was in bad shape as he had to be helped to his corner.

After a deliberation, Ritter ruled to take two points away from Sierra and then went to the score cards.

Sierra, 170 1/4 lbs of Tepic, Mexico won by scores of 69-62, 69-62 and 68-63 to raise his record to 22-3. George, 167 lbs of Chicago is now 20-1-1

LAS VEGAS – This town might be only a little bit closer to Houston than it is to Mexico City on a map, but if a town’s heart can be measured, this one’s a lot closer to Chilango than Houstonian. Or so it sounded Friday afternoon.

That was when Mexico City lightweight world champion Juan Manuel Marquez (50-5-1, 37 KOs) took the scale with Houston’s Juan Diaz (35-3, 17 KOs) in Mandalay Bay’s Events Center before a small but enthusiastically partisan-Marquez crowd.

As the challenger in Saturday’s fight, which is being billed simply as “The Rematch,” Diaz was first to be weighed. Looking relaxed and customarily fit, if a little soft, Diaz marked the lightweight limit on the nose, weighing 135 pounds for his first fight since two ill-advised trips to 140 last year.

Those fights, of course, came after his knockout loss in 2009’s Fight of the Year against Marquez a couple Februaries ago. Marquez, meanwhile, appeared both the taller and more muscular fighter, Friday, marking a well-defined 133 1/2 pounds.

If the Mandalay Bay crowd favored Marquez, so too did most boxing insiders milling about the stage during the weigh-in for Marquez-Diaz II. Though all gave Diaz a chance at an upset, knowledgeable fighters such as Shane Mosley and BJ Flores confidently predicted victories for the lightweight champion of the world.

Also taking the stage were Golden Boy Promotions fighters and partners. Michael Katsidis, David Haye, Amir Khan, Bernard Hopkins, and of course Oscar De La Hoya all greeted gathered fans.

LINARES TOWERS OVER JUAREZ
First on the Events Center scale Friday were Venezuelan lightweight standout Jorge Linares (28-1, 18 KOs) and perennial Houston contender Rocky Juarez (28-6-1, 20 KOs). Though Linares weighed only a half pound more than Juarez – 132 1/2 to Juarez’s 132 – he appeared to have significant physical advantages over the Texan. And the advantages didn’t stop there.

While Juarez has made unsuccessful challenges in five world title fights – all happening at or below the super-featherweight limit of 130 pounds – Linares sported a 4-0 (4 KOs) record in championship matches until a shocking first-round knockout to Mexican Juan Carlos Salgado last October.

Is Linares’ chin suspect? That is a question Juarez will have to ask early and often, Saturday, if he is to pull the upset in a fight most are only giving him a “puncher’s chance” of winning.

GUERRERO AND CASAMAYOR JAW THEN EMBRACE
Following a quiet run-up to his Saturday showdown with California lightweight Robert Guerrero (26-1-1, 18 KOs), Cuba’s Joel Casamayor (37-4-1, 22 KOs) briefly returned to form on Friday’s stage. After he’d made 138 pounds and Guerrero had made 138 1/2, Casamayor stepped into Guerrero’s chest and began speaking his trademark Spanish – which always features a Cuban rhythm and is often seasoned with unthinkable vulgarity.

After exchanging a few unfriendly phrases, though, the fighter’s made nice and embraced before leaving the Events Center.

Also making weight Friday were undefeated middleweights Danny Jacobs (20-0, 17 KOs), from New York, and Dmitry Pirog (16-0, 13 KOs), from Russia. In Saturday’s co-main event, Jacobs and Pirog will swap blows for the WBO’s vacant middleweight belt.

MOSLEY MAKES AN EARLY PACQUIAO PREDICTION
Receiving the largest ovation of any Golden Boy Promotions dignitary, Friday, was future hall of famer Sugar Shane Mosley. After exiting stage right, Mosley, cordial as ever, posed for photos and gave impromptu interviews that included, among other things, some details about his recent made-for-television match with NBA great Shaquille O’Neal – a fight in which, apparently, Mosley buckled the 350 pounder.

When asked for a prediction on rival promoter Top Rank’s upcoming fight between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito – the Mexican prizefighter Mosley knocked out 18 months ago – Mosley was initially reticent, sticking to the old cliché about styles making fights. Asked on whom he would bet the proverbial house, though, Mosley opened up slightly.

“Bet the house?” he said. “Probably Pacquiao.”

COVERAGE OF THE REMATCH
Saturday’s card will feature nine bouts. Four of them will be broadcast on the pay-per-view portion of “The Rematch.” 15rounds.com will have full ringside coverage.

Photo by Tom Hogan/Hogan Photos

LAS VEGAS – Shane Mosley likes to play basketball when he isn’t pounding a heavy bag. He did a little bit of both a few weeks ago.

Mosley got into the ring against Shaquille O’Neal, who is as big as a collection of heavy bags these days and just about as quick.

“It was fun,’’ Mosley said of his appearance on Shaq Vs., which is expected to be shown on ABC within a couple of weeks.

Mosley wouldn’t say who won the mock fight, which was filmed in Las Vegas on July 10. The pick-and-roll might have been his most effective combination.

O’Neal, who lost a mock decision to Oscar De La Hoya a couple of years ago, hasn’t been able to step up and defend against that fundamental combo since he left the Miami Heat for the Phoenix Suns and then the Cleveland Cavaliers.

But Mosley sounded as though he was relieved that his next opponent will be Sergio Mora instead of O’Neal on Sept. 18 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Mosley’s punches were enough to rock Floyd Mayweather Jr. in an eventual loss on May 1. But those same blows apparently didn’t have much impact on the 7-foot-2 O’Neal, who is big enough to slam-dunk Mosley.

“He gave me a couple of big shoves,’’ said Mosley, who must have felt like a point guard tossed around like a rag doll after just one push.

Mosley is scheduled to appear at a news conference for the formal announcement of the fight against Mora today at Mandalay Bay before the Juan Diaz-Juan Manuel Marquez rematch. Then, Mosley is expected to begin training, which won’t include O’Neal as a sparring partner.

Among other possibilities, Mosley would like to keep himself in line for a shot against Manny Pacquiao, who is headed for fight against Antonio Margarito on Nov. 13.

Margarito appears to be closer to getting a license for a fight in the United States. According to AOL’s Fanhouse and the Los Angeles Times, the California State Athletic Commission will hear an appeal on Aug. 18 from Margarito, whose California license was revoked for one year after altered hand wraps were discovered at Staples Center before his loss to Mosley in January 2009.

The Nevada commission told Margarito to face California regulators before it would consider his application for a fight. It’s not clear whether there’s time to get a license in Nevada, or whether the Nevada commissioners would balk at granting him a license because of the hand-wrap flap.

Texas at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas is another possibility. Margarito promoter Bob Arum also says he has an offer from Monterrey, Mexico, although the U.S. State Department has warned against traveling to the city because of drug-cartel violence.

“Margarito has the height advantage,’’ Mosley said. “Anything could happen. But the winner would probably be Pacquiao.’’
NOTES, ANECDOTES

· Juan Diaz stepped on the official scale Friday at 135 pounds. Unlike Marquez (133 ½), there was no muscle definition. There was baby fat where other fighters have a six pack. “That’s why fans identify with me,’’ Diaz aid. “I look like the average Joe.’’

· Golden Boy Promotions says it has invested $4 million in the Diaz-Marquez card. Out of that, $1 million will go to Marquez, $540,000 to Diaz, $200,000 to Danny Jacobs, $75,000 to Robert Guerrero and $40,000 to Joel Casamayor.

Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank

Tickets for Top Rank’s ‘Battle of the Champions’ — Yuriorkis Gamboa vs. Orlando Salido – on Sept. 11 at the Palms Resort Casino in Las Vegas go on sale tomorrow, Saturday, July 31.

Gamboa, the WBA featherweight champion, will take on Salido, the IBF featherweight champion, in the Pearl Concert Theater.

Gamboa, a big puncher, has a record of 18-0, 15 KOs. He is a four-time Cuban national champion and a 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist. Salido is the IBF featherweight champion. He has a record of 34-10-2, 22 KOs and is trained by former world champion Daniel Zaragoza.

“This is an exciting matchup of champions – a real battle,” said Bob Arum of Top Rank.

Two strong undefeated lightweights, Brandon Rios of Oxnard, Ca. and Anthony Peterson of Washington, D.C., will fight in a World Lightweight Eliminator. Rios has a record of 24-0-1, 17 KOs; Peterson is 30-0, 20 KOs.

Notre Dame champion Mike Lee of Chicago will be in a special attraction bout. Lee is trained by Ronnie Shields in Houston.

“Mike Lee is very popular. He is bringing a new fanbase into the sport of boxing,” Arum said.

Top Rank is promoting in association with Arena Box and Zanfer Promotions. The Gamboa vs. Salido and Rios vs. Peterson bouts will be televised on HBO After Dark.

Tickets are $200, $100, $50 plus applicable fees and will be available on Saturday, July 31.

To purchase tickets, please visit the Pearl Box Office, any Ticketmaster location, call 1-800-745-3000 or visit www.ticketmaster.com

The Pearl Box Office is open Sunday from noon to 7 pm, Monday from noon to 10:30 pm, Tuesday from noon to 7 pm, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from noon to 9 pm and Saturday from noon to 10 pm.

Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank

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Molestias ultricies, ante quam urna ut volutpat, egestas dolor dui, nec hac ultrices nulla non netus. Placerat vehicula donec non suscipit egestas, augue vel suspendisse. Et felis venenatis blandit sed est ultrices, adipiscing urna, at aliquam nullam facilisis aliquet sapien, eget duis consectetuer tristique nunc vitae erat, mi purus nisl lorem. Ac magna lobortis non, vulputate vitae viverra. [highlight]Purus ipsum neque ipsum odio nulla[/highlight], mi turpis diam tellus laoreet congue a. Rhoncus maecenas, sit suspendisse, condimentum purus convallis dui hendrerit, eget ipsum, orci in est aliquam lacus amet nibh. Sit quam massa diam sit rhoncus, semper vitae. Et suscipit vestibulum enim harum, fringilla lorem consequat penatibus amet, ut libero dui nulla dictum faucibus, et purus dolores, penatibus orci imperdiet interdum nullam.

Posuere class eget sollicitudin vitae, commodo libero nascetur. Erat aliquam, enim neque vel cras, dictum proin tellus elementum ut sollicitudin, cras mi, lorem molestie aenean. Augue eu illum sed ac wisi. Felis id cursus vestibulum lorem quam vivamus. Nonummy eget maecenas, mi donec et, etiam quam ultrices. Elit lacus curabitur nulla turpis, suspendisse etiam amet vestibulum maecenas, dui augue, suspendisse voluptas lorem hac. Morbi sed, fusce quis nam. Vestibulum vel nunc vitae pede. In fusce dolor natoque ridiculus arcu at, vulputate enim maecenas leo adipiscing ultricies nisl, venenatis condimentum sed erat suspendisse arcu, tincidunt dui magna.

• Sed lorem aliquam eget, vehicula voluptate et eaque nec.
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Aenean in pharetra arcu class in, justo orci varius, sociosqu in ante massa wisi, vestibulum vitae aenean ante. Lectus neque congue, mi mi natoque vivamus nostra. Cras enim ultricies, commodo sed vivamus. Aute vel feugiat odio in nunc mauris, nunc tortor aenean sed urna, tellus vitae duis urna nunc fringilla, tempus morbi orci vitae sed duis. Vulputate in ipsam lacus vivamus ut turpis, vitae nulla ipsum, dignissim maecenas aliquam donec aliquet ipsum elit. Elit condimentum, augue placerat pellentesque cras. Parturient ornare tortor donec sem, maecenas nunc eget elit, ligula a mattis lectus, justo tempor arcu in dolor per. Rutrum neque molestie nulla accumsan risus a, commodo lorem mi nonummy nulla mus, placerat rhoncus tempus quam ac suspendisse justo.

Diam wisi quam lorem vestibulum nec nibh, sollicitudin volutpat at libero litora, non adipiscing. Nulla nunc porta lorem, nascetur pede massa mauris lectus lectus, in magnis, praesent turpis. Ut wisi luctus ullamcorper. Et ullamcorper sollicitudin elit odio consequat mauris, wisi velit tortor semper vel feugiat dui, ultricies lacus. Congue mattis luctus, quam orci mi semper ligula eu dui, purus etiam in doloribus, semper convallis faucibus omnis donec, lorem id ligula in vulputate proin rhoncus.

Suscipit sed at montes at tellus. Aliquam nisl penatibus commodo massa mi rutrum, ut massa mollis dolor dui at, tortor ullamcorper vel diam pretium sit leo, pellentesque in leo eu mauris mollis aliquam, ultricies adipiscing eu a dui sollicitudin posuere. Massa vivamus ac ipsum, pede enim quam sit, mus aliquam amet pede quis laboriosam.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, nullam sapien erat tristique tempor nulla, blandit sit metus volutpat integer wisi. Sed elementum, nec nec inceptos vestibulum diam proin erat, sociosqu et sit provident pellentesque sed aenean. Faucibus per turpis est pellentesque potenti, tristique iaculis adipiscing mauris, ante velit et massa donec facilisis, sed felis sed est.

Molestias ultricies, ante quam urna ut volutpat, egestas dolor dui, nec hac ultrices nulla non netus. Placerat vehicula donec non suscipit egestas, augue vel suspendisse. Et felis venenatis blandit sed est ultrices, adipiscing urna, at aliquam nullam facilisis aliquet sapien, eget duis consectetuer tristique nunc vitae erat, mi purus nisl lorem. Ac magna lobortis non, vulputate vitae viverra. [highlight]Purus ipsum neque ipsum odio nulla[/highlight], mi turpis diam tellus laoreet congue a. Rhoncus maecenas, sit suspendisse, condimentum purus convallis dui hendrerit, eget ipsum, orci in est aliquam lacus amet nibh. Sit quam massa diam sit rhoncus, semper vitae. Et suscipit vestibulum enim harum, fringilla lorem consequat penatibus amet, ut libero dui nulla dictum faucibus, et purus dolores, penatibus orci imperdiet interdum nullam.

Posuere class eget sollicitudin vitae, commodo libero nascetur. Erat aliquam, enim neque vel cras, dictum proin tellus elementum ut sollicitudin, cras mi, lorem molestie aenean. Augue eu illum sed ac wisi. Felis id cursus vestibulum lorem quam vivamus. Nonummy eget maecenas, mi donec et, etiam quam ultrices. Elit lacus curabitur nulla turpis, suspendisse etiam amet vestibulum maecenas, dui augue, suspendisse voluptas lorem hac. Morbi sed, fusce quis nam. Vestibulum vel nunc vitae pede. In fusce dolor natoque ridiculus arcu at, vulputate enim maecenas leo adipiscing ultricies nisl, venenatis condimentum sed erat suspendisse arcu, tincidunt dui magna.

• Sed lorem aliquam eget, vehicula voluptate et eaque nec.
• Odio hac volutpat in malesuada, vulputate facilis imperdiet nec.
• Ligula dolor sodales lorem, blandit phasellus nulla cras.
• Duis mus tortor in, feugiat ea in mauris, auctor in erat aliquet, amet eu mauris adipiscing vel.

Aenean in pharetra arcu class in, justo orci varius, sociosqu in ante massa wisi, vestibulum vitae aenean ante. Lectus neque congue, mi mi natoque vivamus nostra. Cras enim ultricies, commodo sed vivamus. Aute vel feugiat odio in nunc mauris, nunc tortor aenean sed urna, tellus vitae duis urna nunc fringilla, tempus morbi orci vitae sed duis. Vulputate in ipsam lacus vivamus ut turpis, vitae nulla ipsum, dignissim maecenas aliquam donec aliquet ipsum elit. Elit condimentum, augue placerat pellentesque cras. Parturient ornare tortor donec sem, maecenas nunc eget elit, ligula a mattis lectus, justo tempor arcu in dolor per. Rutrum neque molestie nulla accumsan risus a, commodo lorem mi nonummy nulla mus, placerat rhoncus tempus quam ac suspendisse justo.

Diam wisi quam lorem vestibulum nec nibh, sollicitudin volutpat at libero litora, non adipiscing. Nulla nunc porta lorem, nascetur pede massa mauris lectus lectus, in magnis, praesent turpis. Ut wisi luctus ullamcorper. Et ullamcorper sollicitudin elit odio consequat mauris, wisi velit tortor semper vel feugiat dui, ultricies lacus. Congue mattis luctus, quam orci mi semper ligula eu dui, purus etiam in doloribus, semper convallis faucibus omnis donec, lorem id ligula in vulputate proin rhoncus.

Suscipit sed at montes at tellus. Aliquam nisl penatibus commodo massa mi rutrum, ut massa mollis dolor dui at, tortor ullamcorper vel diam pretium sit leo, pellentesque in leo eu mauris mollis aliquam, ultricies adipiscing eu a dui sollicitudin posuere. Massa vivamus ac ipsum, pede enim quam sit, mus aliquam amet pede quis laboriosam.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, nullam sapien erat tristique tempor nulla, blandit sit metus volutpat integer wisi. Sed elementum, nec nec inceptos vestibulum diam proin erat, sociosqu et sit provident pellentesque sed aenean. Faucibus per turpis est pellentesque potenti, tristique iaculis adipiscing mauris, ante velit et massa donec facilisis, sed felis sed est.

Molestias ultricies, ante quam urna ut volutpat, egestas dolor dui, nec hac ultrices nulla non netus. Placerat vehicula donec non suscipit egestas, augue vel suspendisse. Et felis venenatis blandit sed est ultrices, adipiscing urna, at aliquam nullam facilisis aliquet sapien, eget duis consectetuer tristique nunc vitae erat, mi purus nisl lorem. Ac magna lobortis non, vulputate vitae viverra. [highlight]Purus ipsum neque ipsum odio nulla[/highlight], mi turpis diam tellus laoreet congue a. Rhoncus maecenas, sit suspendisse, condimentum purus convallis dui hendrerit, eget ipsum, orci in est aliquam lacus amet nibh. Sit quam massa diam sit rhoncus, semper vitae. Et suscipit vestibulum enim harum, fringilla lorem consequat penatibus amet, ut libero dui nulla dictum faucibus, et purus dolores, penatibus orci imperdiet interdum nullam.

Posuere class eget sollicitudin vitae, commodo libero nascetur. Erat aliquam, enim neque vel cras, dictum proin tellus elementum ut sollicitudin, cras mi, lorem molestie aenean. Augue eu illum sed ac wisi. Felis id cursus vestibulum lorem quam vivamus. Nonummy eget maecenas, mi donec et, etiam quam ultrices. Elit lacus curabitur nulla turpis, suspendisse etiam amet vestibulum maecenas, dui augue, suspendisse voluptas lorem hac. Morbi sed, fusce quis nam. Vestibulum vel nunc vitae pede. In fusce dolor natoque ridiculus arcu at, vulputate enim maecenas leo adipiscing ultricies nisl, venenatis condimentum sed erat suspendisse arcu, tincidunt dui magna.

• Sed lorem aliquam eget, vehicula voluptate et eaque nec.
• Odio hac volutpat in malesuada, vulputate facilis imperdiet nec.
• Ligula dolor sodales lorem, blandit phasellus nulla cras.
• Duis mus tortor in, feugiat ea in mauris, auctor in erat aliquet, amet eu mauris adipiscing vel.

Aenean in pharetra arcu class in, justo orci varius, sociosqu in ante massa wisi, vestibulum vitae aenean ante. Lectus neque congue, mi mi natoque vivamus nostra. Cras enim ultricies, commodo sed vivamus. Aute vel feugiat odio in nunc mauris, nunc tortor aenean sed urna, tellus vitae duis urna nunc fringilla, tempus morbi orci vitae sed duis. Vulputate in ipsam lacus vivamus ut turpis, vitae nulla ipsum, dignissim maecenas aliquam donec aliquet ipsum elit. Elit condimentum, augue placerat pellentesque cras. Parturient ornare tortor donec sem, maecenas nunc eget elit, ligula a mattis lectus, justo tempor arcu in dolor per. Rutrum neque molestie nulla accumsan risus a, commodo lorem mi nonummy nulla mus, placerat rhoncus tempus quam ac suspendisse justo.

York, PA’s Carney Bowman informed 15rounds.com that he will battle Union City, NJ’s Roberto Acevedo tomorrow night at Sovereign Bank Stadium in the ten round main event of the “Battle of York 5”.

Acevedo, 9-10-3 (1 KO), is a tough veteran who has not been matched easy. The rugged Puerto Rican import battled both Bey Brothers (Mickey and Cortez), Jose Gonzalez, Chris Howard, Vincent Arroyo, Ramesis Gil, Adrien Broner, Kenny Galarza, Abi Santizo, Joshua Cordero, Ray Robinson and Khabib Allakhverdiev, all of whom were unbeaten at the time. Acevedo has victories over both Santizo and Cordero by decision, while also holding a decisioning the tough Lenin Arroyo. His most recent bout came against the aforementioned Howard, who beat him by decision.

Bowman was a highly touted amateur prior to turning pro. He won medals at a number of amateur tournaments and at 14-0 (6), is one of TKO Boxing Promotions’ prized prospects. This will be the local favorite’s first fight in 364 days.

The bout is slated to take place at 130 lbs, five pounds less than Acevedo has ever fought.

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

Tonight, live on ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights” Cestus Management’s undefeated Super Middleweight contender, Donovan “Da Bomb” George (20-0-1, 17KO’s) will have the opportunity to win his first title as a professional when he fights for the vacant WBO/NABO Super-Middleweight Title against tough and rugged, power punching Mexican, Francisco “Ponchito” Sierra (21-3, 20KO’s) at the Buffalo Run Casino, in Miami Oklahoma.

George, of Greek decent, is coming off a impressive and highly entertaining win in his last fight against once beaten Osumanu Adama. It was George’s 2nd win in 2010, and an another win tomorrow night on the nationally televised broadcast will be a yet another major step forward towards Super Middleweight supremacy for the Chicago native.

George said, I can’t describe the incredible feeling i have; my manager (Cestus) made this title fight possible and i have the chance to fight for a title, its a dream come true and the victory will be even more sweeter. George added, I know that Sierra can punch, but so can i and if he fights hard like he said; i will fight even harder, I have never been more ready in my life the title is mine.

The power punching Francisco Sierra, is a ferocious all action fighter who has won 20 of his 21 victories by way of knockout. Sierra is an all action fighter who puts non stop pressure on his opponents and grinds them down before he knocks them out. At the end of the day both fighters know what’s at stake and the fight fans are guaranteed to see a barn burner.

Mike Michael, who is Cestus Management’s Chief advisor, said, Everyone at Cestus worked overtime to give Donovan this opportunity to fight for the NABO Title. We believe that Donovan is the real deal and we are backing him 110% and tonight Championship fight is the beginning of big thing fto come in the future. Michael added, For Cestus this is a special time as Donovan is a Greek American and our Company is also a Greek American. So tonight Donovan will be representing every Greek across the world. Michael further added, “I want to thank Jimmy “ZEEK” Hartofilis for his undeniable support, our Promoters, the fabulous Buffalo Run Casino, and ESPN for this great opportunity.

USBA Jr. Lightweight champion, Argenis Mendez scored an eight round unanimous decision over Shamir Reyes in an eight round non title Jr. Welterweight bout that headlined a six bout card at BB Kings in New York City.

Mendez dropped Reyes with a counter right to the head in the first round and never looked back as he used he decided height advantage and scored against the hard charging Reyes.

Scores were 80-71, 80-71 and 79-72 for Mendez, 131 1/2 lbs of Brooklyn, NY and is now 17-1. Reyes, 136 1/4 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is now 18-7-2.

Gabriel Bracero scored four knockdowns en route to a fourth round stoppage over late-sub Raymind Betancourt in a scheduled six round Jr. Welterweight bout.

Bracero scored the first knockdown in round one from a right to the body. In round two, Bracero rocked Betancourt with a hard right and dropped him with a big left.

Bracero was all over Betancourt in round four as he landed a big seven punch flurry that was ended by a left hook that sent Bentancort to the canvas. Bracero ended things by landing a four punch flurry that had Betancourt holding on and then dropped him with a left and the fight was halted at 2:53 of round four.

Bracero, 140 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is now 11-0 as he scored his first stoppage. Betancourt, 137 lbs of Boca Raton, FL is now 8-5.

Phillip Jackson Benson put on a power display in round three as he dropped previously undefeated Alexander Santana with a big combination and finished him off shortly after by scoring a third round stoppage in a scheduled six round Super Middleweight bout.

Benson, 165 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is now 6-1 with five knockouts. Santana, 165 lbs of the Dominican Republic is now 6-1.

Joe Smith Jr. kept his knockout streak alive as he scored a second round stoppage over Charles Wade in a scheduled four round Light Heavyweight bout.

Smith of Long Island is now 6-0 with six knockouts as he scored the stoppage at 1:10 of round two.

Willie Monroe Jr. scored a fourth round stoppage over Loren Myers after a bad gash on the forehead of Myers forcedc the fight to be stopped after the fourth.

Monroe, 158 1/2 lbs of Ithaca, NY is now 9-0 with three knockouts. Myers, 157 1/2 lbs of Fresno, CA is now 7-9-1.

The opening bout saw Stivens Bujaj make a successful pro debut with a stoppage at the end of round two of Calvin Rooks in a scheduled four round Cruiserweight bout.

Bujaj, 200 lbs of Brons, NY is 1-0 with one knockout. Rooks, 193 lbs of Las Vegas is now 1-2-1.

LAS VEGAS – Long before management and marketing promoted him as The Golden Child, his grandmother called him Baby Maniac.

Cordelia Jacobs knew her grandchild better than anybody. She saw the fight in Danny Jacobs before it matured and began to look as if it had value.

“I was probably the worst baby you could possibly have,’’ said Danny, who at 23 isn’t a child anymore, yet retains potential that is as golden as ever. “I was doing everything. Running into walls, knocking everything down.’’

Grandma Jacobs is gone. She died Sunday, within a week of her grandson’s first shot at a major title, the World Boxing Organization’s middleweight championship, this Saturday night against Dmitry Pirog at Mandalay Bay. Danny was there, at her bedside in New York before leaving for Vegas.

“There are people in life you can’t live without,’’ said Jacobs, who will fight for the vacant WBO title in a HBO pay-per-view bout on the undercard of the Juan Diaz-Juan Manuel Marquez rematch. “She was that person to me.

“I took it hard. I sat there and watched her pass. I was in the hospital and witnessed everything. I get emotional just talking about it. But I know I have to be strong at the same time.’’

Strong is what his grandmother would expect. He and his mom, Cordelius, raised him in Brooklyn after his parents separated when he was a toddler. Grandma Jacobs was not a boxing fan. She couldn’t be, Danny said, because of her faith. She was a Jehovah’s Witness.

“She couldn’t support boxing, but she supported me,’’ Jacobs said of a grandma who taught him to believe in the person more than the profession.

The unbeaten Jacobs (20-0, 17 KOs) said his grandmother did not attend his fights.

“To actually go there is something she just couldn’t do,’’ he said. “She’d see me fight on TV, but never in person. Then, she’d only watch the fight after it’s done. So, she already knew that I’d won. Then, she would only watch the first round, probably because that might have been when I was at my best.’’

But, Jacobs said, she always would tell him not to skip any part of his daily workout. Call her Grandma Trainer.

“Her advice to me was always: ‘Make sure you do your sit-ups, so when they hit you in the stomach you won’t cry,’ ‘’ he said.

Jacobs joked that he has been working harder than ever to strengthen his abdominals for his first scheduled 12-rounder against Pirog, an unknown Russian and also unbeaten (16-0, 13 KOs).

In remembering his beloved grandmother, her lessons will always be with him. He has dedicated Saturday’s fight to her. Her nickname, Lady Bird, will be stitched onto his trunks.

A few hours after the fight, he will take the red-eye home. The funeral is scheduled for Sunday in New York.

He plans to celebrate Saturday night. He knows he will mourn Sunday. He will have to be strong to do both. But without Grandma’s lessons, a Baby Maniac would never have become The Golden Child.

NOTES, ANECDOTES
· Despite eight options, an octopus in the Shark Reef aquarium at Mandalay Bay had the same pick as everybody else. The eight-armed octopus picked Marquez over Diaz Thursday in a promotion borrowed from the World Cup. Two boxes, each with a prawn inside, were lowered into a tank. Marquez’ name was on one box. Diaz was on the other. In a quick TKO, the octopus immediately attacked the Marquez box.

· Marquez’ victory, a ninth-round stoppage of Diaz last year, was voted the 2009 Fight of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America. “I think this fight will be better than the first one,’’ Marquez said.

· Boxing’s international reach was evident Thursday at a news conference. Jorge Linares, who faces Rocky Juarez of Houston, is a Venezuelan lightweight who has been living in Japan for the last several years. Linares has a Japanese trainer, Sendai Tanaka. Tanaka is bi-lingual, but that doesn’t include English. He spoke to the media in Spanish, which was translated into English by Golden Boy matchmaker Eric Gomez, who would have been in trouble if Tanaka had spoken Japanese.

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK (July 29, 2010)-On Saturday night August 7th, Havoc Boxing will make its initial foray in to boxing promotion as the upstart Promotion presents a terrific night of boxing at the Aviator Sports Complex in Brooklyn, New York.

In the main event, Former world Bantamweight champion Mauricio Martinez will
take part in a ten round bout against Reynaldo Lopez for the New York State Super Bantamweight title.

Martinez, a native of Panama has a record of 35-9-1 with twenty-three knockouts. Martinez was 8-0-1 in his first nine bouts before being stopped and overmatched against twenty-six fight veteran and future world champion, Freddie Norwood way back on May 31st, 1997. Martinez split his next four fights with a win over undefeated Antonio Diaz and two losses to future WBC
Super Bantamweight champion Hecto Arcero Sanchez.

That did not dissuade Martinez as he went on to win nine straights, all by knockout which included winning the WBO Bantamweight title with a fifth round knockout over Lester Fuentes in Manchester, England and making one defense which was first round knockout over Esham Pickering in Pickering’s home country of England. Martinez lost the belt to Cruz Carvajal via ninth round stoppage on March 15th, 2002.

Martinez went on to win nine in a row which set him up for another challenge of the WBO Bantamweight title. Martinez lost a controversial majority decision to Ratancchi Singwangcha in Singwangcha’s homeland of Thailand. Martinez won three in a row before being stopped by future world champion Gerry Penalosa.

Since the loss to Penalosa, Martinez has gone 4-2 with his latest outing being a twelve round unanimous decision loss to Heriberto Ruiz on March 20, 2009.

Lopez of Santa Fe Springs, CA via Colombia has a record of 30-8-3 with twenty-one knockouts.

Lopez started out his career by going 15-0-1 before a loss to undefeated Carlos Meza.

Lopez then went 10-1-1 in his next twelve bouts which set him up for an IBF Jr. Bantamweight title elimination bout with future champion Dimitry Kirillov.

Lopez dropped a close majority decision but went on to win three straight before losing a twelve round unanimous decision to Cristian Mijares for the WBC Interim Super Flyweight championship.

Lopez was then stopped in five rounds to former 122 lb champion Daniel Ponce De Leon before scoring a vicious third round stoppage over undefeated Mike Oliver (21-0).

In his last bout, Lopez dropped an eight round unanimous decision to undefeated Rico Eamos (15-0) on April 24th in Ontario, Ca.

In the six round co-feature, Popular Super Featherweight, Gary Stark Jr. 22-3 with eight knockouts of New York City will return to the ring Leopaldo Arocha

Stark won his first seventeen bouts and was looking like one of the top prospects in the lower weight divisions.

He then met fellow 17-0 prospect Mike Oliver and dropped a unanimous decision for the USBA Jr. Featherweight title.

After a stunning knockout defeat to Andreas Ledesma, Stark went on to win four straight which included a ten round unanimous decision over Ledesma in the highly anticipated rematch.

Stark will be making his first ring appearance in nearly sixteen months as in his last bout he was taken out in three rounds against top contender Antonio Escalante (19-2) on April 24, 2009.

Arocha of Panama City, Panama has a record of 10-12-2 with six wins coming via knockout.

The road has not been easy for Arocha has he has faced a murderers row of world champion, title challengers and top prospects.

To look at the dossier of Arocha, one would find names such as former WBA Super Bantamweight champion Celestiono Caballero (TKO by 3) in Arocha’s third bout; Jose Beranza (TKO by 4); Former WBO Super Flyweight champion Adonis Rivas, for whom Arocha fought a spirited draw with; Former WBA Bantamweight champion Nehomar Cermano (TKO by 7); former world title challenger Feidor Viloria (TKO by 5) the aforementioned Mauricio Martinez (Loss bu unanimous decision)

In his last bout, Arocha traveled to Japan and scored an eight round unanimous decision over Yosuke Takeuchi on November 3rd in front of Takeuchi’s hometown fans.

Undefeated Featherweight, Joselito Collado, 10-0 with three knockouts of Jamaica, Queens will take on an an opponent to be named in a six round bout.

Christian Martinez, 4-0 with four knockouts of New York City will tussle with Jose Luis Perez Adorno (2-3, 1 KO) of Caguas, PR in a six round Jr. Welterweight bout.

Former 2008 U.S. Olympian Sadam Ali will fight a six round Welterweight bout against an opponent to be named.

Ali has a record of 8-0 with four knockouts. is coming off an explosive knockout over Julias Edmonds on July 16th in Newark, NJ.

Light heavyweight Andy Mejia, 7-0 with three knockouts will take on Juan Zapata (1-3, 1 KO) of Bronx, New York

Mike Ruiz (8-4, 5 KO’s) of Long Island, NY will take on Noel Garcia (2-4-1, 1 KO) of Springfield, MA in a four round Jr. Middleweight bout

Danny Valle, 1-0 with one knockout will take on debuting George Santiago in a four round Super Featherweight bout.

Rounding out the card will be female heavyweight Sonya Lamonakis (1-0, 1 KO) of Turner Falls, MA in a four round bout.

Tickets for this special night of boxing are priced at $50 for all seats and can be purchased at the Following Locations:

The Aviator Box Office
Gleasons Gym (718) 797 2872
Sadam Ali Boxing & Fitness Center (917) 807 3630
New Legend Boxing Club (718) 487 4474

The Aviator Sports Complex is located at:

3159 Flatbush Ave – Brooklyn, N.Y. 11234

For more information on Havoc Boxing, Click:
www.havocboxingnyc.com

Watch Derek “Pooh” Ennis and Gabriel Rosado weigh-in for the biggest Philly fight in nearly a decade as the two will battle for Ennnis’ USBA Jr. Middleweight title LIVE on www.gofightlive.tv on Friday night at 7:30 pm est

Watch ALL PHILLY WAR WEIGH IN in Sports  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

CLICK LINK TO WATCH THE WEIGH IN
http://news.gofightlive.tv/2010/07/ennis-vs-rosado-weigh-in/

TO ORDER THE FIGHT FOR JUST $9.99 CLICK:
http://news.gofightlive.tv/2010/07/ennis-vs-rosado-weigh-in/

Earlier today in Cardiff, Wales whilst attending the WBC “Night of Champions” Shannon Briggs 51-5-1 (45) confirmed to 15rounds.com that he had signed to fight Vitali Klitschko for Klitschko’s WBC title on 16 October in Hamburg, Germany.

Briggs 38, returned to the ring in late 2009 and has won three straight this year all by first round KO since his two and a half year lay off. He will be hoping to become a two time champion and seems highly motivated to achieve that goal.

Carlos Vinan’s professional record doesn’t exactly stand out.

At 10-8-2 with two wins by kayo, The Newark, NJ based Ecuadorian journeyman is not regarded amongst the top fighters in the lightweight division. He has however proven to be a battle tested veteran without the luxury of hand picked fights.

When it comes down to taking a deeper look into Vinan’s losses during his 5 year career, things certainly become a bit more interesting. Carlos’ opponents that managed to defeat him came into those bouts a combined 73-9-4. The latest, Diego Magdaleno was a perfect 10-0 and is one of the more heralded prospects around. Naturally, Carlos and his team are not ones to turn down bouts with promising fighters.

“We look for fighters whose styles match up well with Carlos,” said manager Jose Rosario. “Carlos is a skilled fighter. His only problem in his closer fights is that he fights to the level of his competition. When Carlos fights an undefeated fighter, he seems to fight much better than when going against someone not as good.”

This proved to be the case on the undercard of the David Tua-Monte Barrett matchup earlier this month in Atlantic City.

Vinan was pitted as the opponent for IBF #2 rated lightweight, Anthony Mezaache. At 18-5-3 (4 KO), the Frenchman had not suffered a defeat in his past 11 matchups and spring boarded up the IBF rankings. With bigger fights on the horizon, Mezaache likely failed to realize Vinan was far better than his record indicated.

Early in the bout, Mezaache seemed to control most rounds, using his jab to keep Vinan from winning too many rounds. This was until crunch time.

In the 8th and final round, Vinan came out of the corner with a newfound energy and sent Mezaache to the canvas following a barrage of punches. Just moments later, a follow up assault forced his corner to throw in the towel 37 seconds into the round.

When asked about what was the drive behind the furious 8th round by Vinan, Rosario noted “He is not afraid to finish off fighters; we felt we were ahead in the scorecards. Carlos isn’t afraid to finish off fights. And this was the biggest fight that Carlos won.”

Another big victory of Vinan’s career was against skilled prospect, Eric Hunter, 13-1 (6 KO). At the time, the undefeated Hunter was looking for a fight, and Carlos stepped in on 15 days notice. Hunter bit off more than he could chew.

After getting knocked down in the second, Vinan outhustled the well regarded hunter over the next four rounds. Even though he appeared to be a clear cut winner, Rosario and Vinan were worried that the hometown favorite Hunter would win on the scorecards. This didn’t turn out to be the case. Vinan was awarded a split decision.

After the victory at the Tropicana against Mezaache, we look to what is next for Vinan. Rosario is hoping to get him ranked in the top 10 by the IBF and WBC, but knows that if he is, they must be careful. He is worried about some of the talent at the top of the division. Stylistically, southpaws tend to give Vinan problems, and with many tough fights behind him, he is not a young 30 years old. Either way I hope to see Vinan compete for a while longer.

He is a fan’s boxer; he is going to trade blows with the bangers and is going to show his boxing IQ against the more technical fighters. Hopefully, for all of his sacrifices fighting against undefeated boxers and other heavily favored opponents, Carlos is rewarded with a bout that is showcased in front of a large audience. With few easy fights and most of his matches taking place in his opponent’s hometown, this is something he earned.

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

PROVIDENCE (July 28, 2010) – Jimmy Burchfield, President of Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc., categorically denied reports issued today that lightweight prospect “Hammerin’” Hank Lundy (18-1-1, 10 KOs) is a promotional free agent.

“He is not a free agent and promoters shouldn’t be speaking with him or his team,” Burchfield explained. “CES turned him pro and we have completely and totally honored our end of the contract. We just had him fighting on national television twice within 90 days.

“We’ve worked through his different managers and trainers, never wavering in our full support of Hank. Like with all of our fighters, other than actually fighting for them, we do everything we can to help them, in and out of the ring, including Hank. We still strongly believe in him.”

Go to www.cesboxing.com for information about CES or any of its fighters, including Lundy.

Photo by Emily Harney