LAS VEGAS — There is no advantage in hype, at least not at opening bell. Amir Khan has all of it. Marcos Maidana has none of it.

Maidana, an Argentine farm boy who can punch like a mule, is the son of a gaucho and about as anonymous as one in the hours before he faces Khan, whose good looks and versatile collection of agile skill have some anointing him as Manny Pacquiao’s heir apparent.

If this was a horse race, Maidana’s advertised chances Saturday night at Las Vegas Mandalay Bay would be about as good as a Clydesdale pulling a keg-filled wagon in six furlongs against Secretariat. It’s not. It is 12 rounds, thirty-six scheduled minutes and every second a chance for Maidana to unload a kick that damaged one prospect’s career with doubts that have yet to be eliminated.

Victor Ortiz still bristles at suggestions that he surrendered in June, 2009 to Maidana, who was more anonymous then than he is now. A few days ago during a conference call, Ortiz would not answer questions about whether he wants a rematch with Maidana. No answer needs no translation. Of course, he does. A complete rehab of his prospects can’t be complete without one.
For Khan, the good news is that Ortiz is there, on the Golden Boy-promoted and HBO-televised card against Lamont Peterson. Khan won’t have to look far to know what can happen if he lets the hype blind him to the imminent danger posed by Maidana.

Khan, a British silver medalist at the 2004 Olympics, is the latest Pied Piper for the UK media, which is about to stage its biggest invasion of Vegas since Ricky Hatton.

“A mini-England,’’ Khan said of beer, Union Jacks and more rounds of beer that he expects will transform Mandalay Bay into another colony for one night.

By the way, Hatton was a good example of what hype can do. Likable and entertaining, Hatton also was overrated, a fact proven first by Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and then Pacquiao in crushing stoppages. The guess here is that Khan, the British-born son of Pakistani immigrants, has more physical skills than Hatton and is smarter than Naseem Hamed. In boxing terms, Khan has the skill and instinct to be the UK’s best since heavyweight champ Lennox Lewis.

But Maidana stands in the way. For fans and often media with a short memory, the Argentine’s chances at an upset have been ignored, mostly because of a lousy performance against DeMarcus Corley, who hurt him with an uppercut.

But that performance was a lesson, says Maidaina trainer Miguel Diaz, a fellow Argentine with as much horse sense as anybody in any corner. The Argentina connection is coincidence perhaps, yet impossible to ignore. Khan’s quickness, precise jab and budding relationship with Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach are considered insurmountable.

Khan can just do more things. If that sounds familiar, think back to Atlantic City a few weeks ago. Paul Williams was feared, had speed, energy and all of the hype against Sergio Martinez, another Argentine. But with one big punch, Martinez made himself a contender for Fighter of the Year with a stunning second-round stoppage. Sometimes, upsets come in bunches.

If there is a weakness in Khan, it is his vulnerability to the big punch, which Maidana possesses two-fold, right and left. Breidis Prescott exposed that vulnerability in 2008 with a KO within a minute of opening bell. Sparring with Pacquiao and listening to Roach are the double-edged lesson in the plan to resurrect Khan and transform him into the fighter who was the talk of the 2004 Games in Athens.

Until opening bell Saturday night, however, the only sure thing is that the hype is back. The guess in this corner is that Maidana is too. That might not be enough against a fully-restored Khan. But for everybody talking about Khan as the next Pacquaio, or against Pacquiao or against Mayweather, beware.

Beware of Maidana.

Top Heavyweight contender Tomasz Adamek stopped veteran Vinny Maddalone in round five of a scheduled twelve round Heavyweight bout at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

It was evident early that Adamek’s handspeed would be a problem for Maddalobe as he pushed him back more with speed then with force. Maddalone got into the fight in round two as he connected on a couple flush shots. In round four, Adamek rocked Maddalone with a hard combination that seemingly had the Queens native in trouble but Maddalone contibued to fight back as he winged in some right hands.

Adamek dropped Maddalone in round five from a blistering three punch combination that was cleaned up by a pinpoint left hook to the head. Maddalone was hurt but showed tremendous courage as he fought his heart out as he was throwing wild hayemakers while Adamek was throwing a rapid fire onslaught in an effort to finish Maddalone off. He got that seconds later as with Maddalone eating hard punch after hard punch, Maddalone’s corner saved their fighter from any further damage as the fight was stopped at 2:17 of round five.

Adamek, 216 1/2 lbs of Gilowice, Poland is now 43-1 with twenty-eight knockouts. Maddalone. 230 lbs of Queens, NY is now 33-7.

Patrick Majewski vs. Eddie Caminero — 8 Rounds, Middleweights

In an absolute war, the Polish-born, New Jersey-based Patrick Majewski scored a thrilling 8th round KO over Lawrence, Massachusett’s Eddie Caminero.

From start to finish, both fighters were willing to stand in trade punches with one another, willing to get hit to land one of their own.

In the opening round, both fighter’s dug in and stood their ground, throwing ill-intentioned punches, with Majewski getting the better of Caminero — who started to bleed from a cut over his left eye.

In the second round, it was more of the same, except Caminero got the better of Majewski, opening up a cut of the fan-favorite’s right eye.

Round three echoed that of the first two, with the Polish fans increasingly getting louder in their support for Majewski, chanting “Polska! Polska!” and “Majewski! Majewski!”

By the time the bell sounded to end round three, Caminero was starting to bleed above his right eye.

Both fighters continue to trade bombs to the crowds delight until the 1:20 seconds into the 8th round when Majewski landed a huge right hand that sent Caminero to the canvass, where referee Sparkle Lee immediately called a halt to the bout.

With the win, Majewski stays undefeated and improves to 15-0, 10 KOs, while Caminero drops to 7-4, 7 KOs.–Kyle Kinder

Former U.S. Olympian got what amounted to a sparring session with tough Manuel Guzman as Ali pounded out an eight round unanimous decision in a Welterweight bout.

Ali peppered Guzman with an assortment of right hands and jabs and mixed in some nice body shots.

Ali, 147 lbs of Brooklyn, won on all cards by an 80-72 tally to raise his record to 11-0. Guzman, 145 lbs of San Juan, PR is now 7-10-2.

Gabriel Rosado vs. Jose Medina

Philadelphia’s “King” Gabriel Rosado earned a well-deserved unanimous decision over Guadalajara, Mexico’s Jose Medina. Rosado was awarded the decision by scores of 80-72, 79-72, and 78-73.

Rosado worked well behind an effective jab, which help set up devastating right hands.

Midway through the round, Rosado was able to tag Medina, who now resides in New Hampshire, with a right cross that sent him off-balance, ultimately forcing his glove to touch the canvass in order to keep his body off it. Rosado was awarded the knockdown, as Medina was able get up and survive the round.

The bout’s most exciting action came in the opening minute of round four which saw Rosado aggressively attack Medina, landing an overhand right that momentarily hurt Medina. Rosado followed up quickly, throwing heavy punches, landing two left hooks to the right side of Medina’s face.

To his credit, Medina was unwilling to back down as he stood in the pocket and fired right back at Rosado, ultimately warded off the North Philadelphia native’s attack.

In the end, Medina was unable to muster up anything significant, and Rosado rolled to a unanimous decision victory.

With the win, Rosado improves to 15-5, 8 KOs, while Medina drops to 12-9, 5 KOs.–Kyle Kinder

Tarvis Simms returned after a year layoff to score a six round unanimous decision

Simms rocked Lockett in round one with a hard counter right and a left-right to the head sent Lockett down. He beat referee Benji Esteves count and got out of round one. In round two, Simms landed a big left that rocked Lockett once more and buckled him in round three with yet another hard left as Simms switched between orthodox and southpaw. Simms jabbed well and landed some nice combination’s as he cruised to the decision.

Simms, 167 lbs of Norwalk, CT won by scores of 6054; 60-53 and 60-53 to 26-1-1. Lockett, 167 lbs of Takoma Park, MD is now 12-11-5.

Angel Concepcion vs. Lekan Byfield

Newark, New Jersey’s Angel Concepcion easily outpointed Yonkers, New York’s Lekan Byfield to improve his already perfect record to 4-0. All three judges scored the bout in favor of Concepcion, 40-36.

Concepcion hurt Byfield multiple times throughout the bout, the most notable coming midway through round 3 when Concepcion connected flush with a straight right hand. While Byfield was hurt, the Newark native did little to follow up, however, letting precious time pass in between throwing punches.

Byfield fought with his hands down for the most of the fight, invited Concepcion to land punches on to his ill-defended face.

In the end, it was an easy win for Concepcion, while Byfield dropped his pro debut. —Kyle Kinder

Bryant Jennings scored scored a second round stoppage over Randy Smith in a four round Heavyweight bout.

Jennings dropped Smith with a hard right and when he got up he was wobbly and referee Sparkle Lee stopped the bout at 2:18 of round two.

Jennings 223 lbs of Philadelphia is now 5-0 with three knockouts. Smith, 256 1/2 lbs of Cortland, NY loses his pro debut.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND / PHILADELPHIA, PA (December 8, 2010)—One of the most highly rated and decorated Jr. Boxer’s in recent memory in the United Kingdom is set to take his professional career on the road and invade America the same way the Beatles did some forty-five years ago from the same city of Liverpool, England.

Peter Taureo Gallagher JR. who was a two-time British Jr. Champion will be relocating to the United States to resume his promising professional career.

Gallagher, just twenty years old has a professional record of 1-0 and has not fought since a six round unanimous decision over Billy Graham in his pro debut that took place on November 7th, 2009 in England.

Gallagher compiled an amateur record of 38-7 with twelve knockouts while winning the NACYB and Jr. Golden Gloves. Gallagher is very excited to be getting ready to show the American fans what many top pros already know as Gallagher has sparred with the likes of Alex Arthur, currant WBA Super Lightweight champion Amir Khan, Hot Super Featherweight Jason Litzau, Former world champion’s Jorge Linares and Kevin Kelley.

Gallagher just completed a month stint as the chief sparring partner for WBA Super Lightweight champion Marcos Maidana as he prepares for his Saturday showdown with Khan.

“I cant wait to get back to America and start fighting”, Said Gallagher.

“I just signed with my adviser Marc Abrams and he immediately secured me some fights on the east coast where I know I will quickly become a fan favorite as there are a lot of great British fight fans and hopefully they will appreciate me for the way I fight. We already have a commitment from a major promoter to look at us very early in 2011 and I believe that I will quickly become a name here in America.”

“All of the sparring with the best of the best plus my amateur pedigree shows me that I am ready to compete at a high level. I am just twenty years old and I know its going to be a process to get me to where I want to be and that’s to be a world champion.

“I met Peter in Las Vegas on the weekend that Floyd Mayweather fought Shane Mosley”, said Abrams.
“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing as he is almost 6’2 and can make 140 lbs. I have seen the footage on Peter and the kid has the goods but he hasn’t fought in over a year so we plan to keep him very busy in 2011. Luckily I have good relationships with a lot of promoters here so I think we can get him six or seven fights minimum in 2011”

Gallagher is expected to arrive in the United States by mid-January after he spends the holidays with his family.

Turkey isn’t known for it’s Boxing, infact they’ve they’ve never produced a professional Boxing World champion. They have high hopes that Selcuk Aydin can become there first. So far he’s been impressive going 20-0(15). He comes with excellent amateur pedigree that saw him regularly medal in European competion, even competing for his country in the 2004 Olympics. However he lived up to his monicker of “Mini Tyson” when he was involved in an altercation with the referee of one of his fights in 2005, he was ultimately suspended for several years prompting him to punch for pay. After debuting in late 2006 he stayed busy in Europe, where he has had all but one of his fights to date. Aydin 27, is currently WBC Champion Andre Berto’s mandatory. He’s what the power punching Welterweight had to say.

Hello Selcuk, welcome to 15rounds.com

Anson Wainwright – You have a fighting coming up on the 17 December in Miami, do you know who you’ll be fighting yet?

Selcuk Aydin – We have slightly changed the schedule. I will not fight on December 17th in Miami but on December 18th in Germany. Turkish TV covers my fights and for them it’s better if I fight in Europe because of the different time zones. I am training in Miami though and will certainly be back to fight here as well very soon but for the moment it makes more sense for me to fight in Europe. It’s only a stay-busy fight anyways. I don’t know who my opponent will be. But whoever it will be I will do my best to knock him out.

Anson Wainwright – Back in June you fought Ionut Dan Ion that was a very close fight that you won. What can you tell us about the fight & how happy you were with your performance?

Selcuk Aydin – I was not happy with my performance in that fight. I did what was necessary to win the bout but I wanted to show my fans in Istanbul a better performance. There were lots of things before that fight which didn’t go according to plans so I was not at one hundred percent the day of the fight. Because the fight was in Turkey I got distracted and lost focus. I wanted to knock my opponent out but I didn’t fight a good fight. It felt like I couldn’t pull the trigger that night although I did enough to win. After the fight I was criticized in the Turkish media and I apologized for a rather poor performance. Still I won a championship bout against a decent opponent. I gave ‘Jo-Jo Dan’ the chance to make himself a name through me. But I will be more than happy to take that away from him again. I have offered him a re-match and I promise in case we ever meet again inside the ring I will be better prepared and I will simply crush him.

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

Selcuk Aydin – To me the most important people in my corner are my brother Yalcin Aydin and Vedat Alyaz who is a personal friend and important part of my team. The presence of these two is important for me to feel comfortable. Ahmet Oener is my promoter and manager. I am with him since I signed my first professional contract and I thank him for bringing me to where I am. Ahmet is one of the best promoters in the world today. He is successful in Germany and the USA and basically the only promoter who is doing big shows in Turkey. I also have people supporting me in Turkey foremost Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu who is a very influential person and experienced manager. Currently I am living in Miami where I work with my trainer Ismael Salas. He is a great coach and I appreciate the chance to work with him.

Anson Wainwright – Your mandatory to Andre Berto what do you think of him as a fighter? What can you tell us about the situation with when you will get a WBC title shot?

Selcuk Aydin – As you said I am the mandatory opponent for Berto. I have waited for this chance for a long time. All my life I wanted to prove that I am the best. To do so you have to beat the best. That is why I want to fight Berto who holds a title which should belong to me by now. He is a good fighter but he is not good enough to beat me. He hasn’t fought anybody as tough as me in his career so far. I have watched a couple of his fights. He’s fast and has a good technique but he didn’t impress me with his performances lately. And I blame Berto for making me wait for this fight for one and a half years. He did all he could to avoid me and I will make him pay for that once we meet in the ring. I heard that the WBC will call for purse bid shortly and Ahmet told me that the fight will take place before March 31st. I will fight him anywhere anytime. And I will strip the belt from him.

Anson Wainwright – Many boxers have tough upbringings and that’s how they first get into Boxing, what was your youngers days like?

Selcuk Aydin – I could not say that I had a hard childhood home in Turkey. I have a great family who has always supported me and my father has always told me: If you want to do something you better do it right. I recall one time when I was very young and skipped training to hang out and play with some friends. When my father heard about that he said to me: Don’t tell me you want to become a boxer if you don’t want to go to training. If you are not willing to sacrifice you will not go anywhere. From that day on I went to the gym everyday. And that is what brought me to where I am.

Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us how you first got into Boxing in Trabzon, Turkey, your country isn’t known for pro Boxers?

Selcuk Aydin – When I was in the first grade I always passed a boxing club on my way to school. One day I told my father that I want to go and train there. He tried to convince me to join a football or basketball team instead. Those sports are far more popular in Turkey than boxing. But I felt that I am a fighter. I wanted to prove that I am the best. That is hard to do in a team sport. Fighting was always part of my nature. So I convinced him that I wanted to become a boxer and he took me to the gym and accompanied me and my brother every single day. There were some decent fighters at the gym. When I saw them I wanted to be like them. I worked hard, improved and became the best fighter in the gym. After that I saw the best Turkish amateurs and wanted to be like them. So I worked hard, improved and became the best fighter in Turkey. Now I look at the best boxers in the world and I am working hard to improve and become better than all of them.

Anson Wainwright – You had a good amateur career twice winning medals at the European Championships, what can you tell us about your amateur days? What pro fighters did you fight and what was your final record?

Selcuk Aydin – I have had close to 400 amateur fights and lost only about 20. And even when I lost to somebody I surely gave all of my opponents the hardest time in the ring. Not many of the guys I fought at the amateurs became good pros. Maybe a handful. I can’t give you names because I don’t care a lot about my opponents. I only care about myself and my performance. One name I recall is Frankie Gavin from the UK. He cost me my world amateur championship title. I have always been better than him but because of stupid politics he got a win over me he didn’t deserve. I was so fed up with amateur boxing that I turned professional immediately while he went on to become world champion. I should have won that title. I heard that he is pro now, too. I hope to meet him in the ring someday to get revenge for the amateur title he stole from me.

Anson Wainwright – The was a moment in your amateur career when you had an incident with a referee, what is your side on what happened?

Selcuk Aydin – There are rumors about me hitting referees which are simply untrue. I never hit a referee. I may have pushed one but that’s all. I cannot stand injustice. And in amateur boxing very often politics influence decisions and fight results. When I fought Frankie Gavin the way he ran away from me and only clinched when he should have been fighting just made me furious. I chased the guy through the ring and was clearly the aggressor in the fight. Still he led on points and I couldn’t understand that. I screamed at him that he should fight like a man and I unloaded my frustration but I didn’t hit a referee. I was suspended because of political reasons. The AIBA president at that time was from Turkey. His opponents wanted to get rid of him and they chose me as sort of sacrificial lamb. Because of the suspension I couldn’t go to the world championships so I decided to turn pro.

Anson Wainwright – What do you enjoy doing when your not Boxing? What are your hobbies and Interests?

Selcuk Aydin – The most important thing to me is my family and my friends back home in Trabzon. After my fights I love to go home and just enjoy myself. When I’m at training camp – in Germany, the USA or wherever – I keep in touch with them through the internet. I think it’s great that we live in a time where we have the chance to communicate with people from all over the world so easily.

Anson Wainwright – What fighters did you like growing up and what fighters do you enjoy watching today?

Selcuk Aydin – As I said before I always looked up to the people who were close to me. I didn’t want any so called ‘big fights’ back home in Turkey. I saw the guys in our gym and later the guys in the Turkish national team and did my best to get to and above their level. One fighter who I respect and looked up to for most of my amateur career was two-time Olympic gold medallist Mario Kindelan from Cuba. He is a special boxer.

Anson Wainwright – What did you think of Manny Pacquiao’s performance against Antonio Margarito? How do you see a fight going between him and Floyd Mayweather?

Selcuk Aydin – I respect Pacquiao for his performances and the way he dominates his opponents. He is not the technically best boxer I have ever seen but he is very focused, very disciplined, hard working and a true fighter. He takes the fight to his opponents which is why he dominates them and wins. You have to give him props for how determined he is and for his professional attitude. I don’t know how a fight between him and Mayweather would end but I don’t care about the whole discussion either. Mayweather doesn’t seem to be interested in fighting Pacquaio because he’s afraid of losing. I would fight Pacquaio immediately if I got the chance but I know that I have to prove myself against top opponents before I can even think about a big fight like that. That’s why I want to take on Andre Berto first. By the way, I honestly think Berto shouldn’t call out Pacquiao before he has fought any notable opponent. I know that I am not considered a big name in the USA. But I would certainly give Berto a hell of a fight. An if he wants a shot at Pacquiao he should fight and beat me first. On the other hand, when I beat him and one or two other big names in the USA I might be ready to take on Pacquiao myself. I could not say how a fight between me and him would end. I know that even Selcuk Aydin is capable of losing a fight – as is Manny Pacquiao. The one thing that I can promise is that I would not surrender to anybody, I will accept every fight and give every opponent the fight of their lifetimes.

Anson Wainwright – Finally do you have a message for your fans?

Selcuk Aydin – All you boxing fans out there, watch out for Selcuk Aydin. 2011 will be my year. I lost some focus last year because I didn’t get the big fight I wanted. Now I remember how my father told me if I want to do something I should do it right. I am ready and willing to sacrifice and I will show the world what Selcuk Aydin is all about. I also want to thank all my friends and fans back home in Turkey as well as in Germany where I have always been welcomed very warmly and treated nicely by everybody. I will beat Berto, bring his green and gold world championship belt home to Turkey and dedicated it to all the people who supported me over the years.

Thanks for your time and good luck with your upcoming fight.

Anson Wainwright
15rounds.com

Midweek thoughts- Seems like the Top Rank show in Anaheim “In Harm’s Way” went down a storm. Nonito Donaire was stunning demolishing teek tough Wladimir Sidorenko. Soto-Antillon went to war with each other, hopefully Brandon Rios gets in on the act, any combination of those guys is can’t miss…Just thinking wouldn’t it be fun to see those three fight Robert Guerrero & Michael Katsidis. Those are the sorts of fights that would bring a load of interest to the Lightweight division and be great on Showtime or HBO After Dark. Just another reason to want to see Top Rank & Golden Boy end there feud…Ricky Burns defended his title successfully, he later admitted he felt something was missing. Sometimes you have to live by the old adage “Win and look good next time”…I like Amir Khan to win and win in a big way Saturday, can’t help wondering what happens if Maidana lands a bomb though… Word is WBO World Champion Juergen Braehmer and WBA Beibut Shumenov will meet in a Light Heavyweight World Championship Unification showdown January 8, 2011 at the Ice Mansion in Shymkent, Kazakhstan.

NEWARK, NJ — Earlier today, fighter’s participating on the Thursday night’s card — headlined by Tomasz Adamek vs. Vinny Maddalone — weighed in at the Prudential Center. Below are the weights.

12 Rounds — IBF International/NABO Heavyweight Championship

Tomasz Adamek (42-1, 27 KOs) — 216.5 lbs.

vs.

Vinny Maddalone (33-6, 24 KOs) — 230 lbs.

8 Rounds — Middleweights

Patrick Majewski (13-0, 8 KOs) — 160 lbs.

vs.

Eddie Caminero (7-3, 7 KOs) — 158.5 lbs.

8 Rounds — Welterweights

Sadam Ali (10-0, 6 KOs) — 147 lbs.

vs.

Manuel Guzman (7-9-2, 3 KOs) — 145 lbs.

8 Rounds — Junior Middleweights

Gabriel Rosado (14-5, 8 KOs) — 155 lbs.

vs.

Jose Medina (12-8, 5 KOs) — 156 lbs.

6 Rounds — Super Middleweights

Tarvis Simms (25-1-1, 11 KOs) — 167 lbs.

vs.

Willis Lockett (12-10-5, 5 KOs) — 167 lbs.

4 Rounds — Junior Lightweights

Angel Concepcion (3-0) — 177 lbs.

vs.

Lekan Byfield (Pro Debut) — 166.5 lbs.

4 Rounds — Heavyweights

Bryant Jennings (4-0, 2 KOs) — 223 lbs.

vs.

Randy Smith (Pro Debut) — 256.5 lbs.

——

The “Brick City Boxing Series” card will take place December 9th at Prudential Center, Newark, NJ, and is promoted by Main Events and Ziggy Promotions in association with Star Boxing. Doors open at 6pm.

To keep up to date visit the Main Events Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Totowa-… and www.mainevents.com and www.starboxing.com

Tickets priced at $53, $78, $103 and $253 (ringside) can be purchased at Prudential Center Box Office, by calling TicketMaster at 800-745-3000 or www.Prucenter.com

The fight is being distributed in North America by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 8PM EST / 5PM PST on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DIRECTV, Avail-TVN and DISH Network in the United States and Viewer’s Choice and Bell TV in Canada. for a suggested retail price of only $29.95.Tickets priced at $53, $78, $103 and $253 (ringside) can be purchased at Prudential Center Box Office, by calling TicketMaster at 800-745-3000 or www.Prucenter.com

Tomasz Adamek is set to make another appearance Thursday night at Newark’s Prudential Center. The Poland native, now fighting out of Jersey City, has made a second home at “The Rock”, and The Ring Magazine number four rated Heavyweight will bring his usual raucous crowd to pack the arena when he faces off against tough brawler Vinny Maddalone (33-6 24KO).

The Queens native will certainly have his hands full as he is the next target on Adamek’s path to possible future bouts with one of the Klitschko brothers. Already some murmuring around the boxing community about Vitali Klitschko’s camp talking with the Adamek camp about a potential 2011 date, Adamek is not one to take any opponent lightly and look towards the next one.

The task for Maddalone will include the 11,000 red and white clad fans, and a fast heavyweight who seems to never be in the same spot. Maddalone acknowledges this and will try to use a high pressure offense to force Adamek to do just that. Adamek’s boxing style is one where he moves in at the right time to let off combination’s and then back out, the heavy handed Maddalone figures his best shot at winning this bout is to land something big and force the champion to slow down and allow him to use a high pressure style to knock him out.

Is Maddalone excited for this bout? You bet he is, agreeing with most experts that Adamek is the more skilled and heralded fighter, this is his chance to really leave his mark on the sport. And he’ll be damned if he doesn’t go out in a brawl.

Adamek (42-1 27KO) will head into this fight doing what he does best, adapt to the style of the fighter brought against him and use his abilities to get the victory. Trainer Roger Bloodworth says it best about this contest “This fight is heart vs. heart. Two guys who are going to leave everything they have in the ring. Everyone watching this fight is in for a real treat.”

And with a win come Thursday night, Adamek is almost all but assured a shot at one of the Klitschkos.
Promoter Main Events also has lined up an undercard featuring highly touted prospect Sadam “World Kid” Ali, Patrick “The Machine” Majewski and “Marvelous” Tarvis Simms.

Ali (10-0 6KO) will try to continue to impress as he squares off against iron chinned journeyman Manuel Guzman (7-9 3KO) in an eight round welterweight contest. Guzman’s record is not impressive, but in his last bout knocked out Adrick Butler in the second round. Ali is riding a three fight knockout streak, alongside his perfect record, and will aim to maintain that.

Majewski (14-0 9KO), an undefeated Atlantic City based Pole, will also use the crowd to his favor as he faces off against knockout artist Eddie Caminero (7-3 7KO). Majewski got a late start to his pro career at the age of 26, but remains unbeaten and hopes to grab more high profile fights in the future. All of Caminero’s victories have come by way of knockout, the latest being in the fourth round, so he provides a tough challenge to Majewski, in a similar way that Maddalone will to Adamek in the main event.

Tarvis Simms (25-1 11KO) returns to action after a fourteen month layoff when he heads into the Prudential Center to fight Willis Lockett (12-10 5KO) in a six round super middleweight fight. Simms’ journey in boxing has been a roller coaster ride thus far. The 39 year old fighter also got a late start to his pro career at 26 following an excellent amateur career which saw him win the 1993 National Golden Gloves Championship, as well as earn a victory over future world champion Jermaine Taylor along the way.

Boxing politics interfered with Simms path to a world championship, which led to a lack of fights. But Simms remained undefeated until October 2009, when he dropped his first fight to title contender Allan Green by decision. However, a determined Simms returns after signing a multi-fight deal with Main Events, and even at his age, is concentrating on obtaining the goal of becoming world champion.
Other match ups on the card include Newark’s own Angel Concepcion (3-0) against Lekan Byfield, who will be making his professional debut at Light Heavyweight. Gabriel Rosado (14-5 8KO) will square off against Jose Medina (12-8 5KO), Rosado scored an impressive victory over former world champion Kassim Ouma earlier in his career.

Jersey City’s Raymond Biggs Jr. (9-0 6KO) will have his clean record challenged by Philip McCants (8-1-1 3KO) who is on a run of six straight victories himself. Also, Philadelphia’s Bryant Jennings (4-0 2KO) will face Randy Smith, who is also making his debut, in a four round heavyweight fight.
Those that can’t make it to the area can order the bout on pay per view for $29.95.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, recognized Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko tore his abdominal muscle and his fight just three days away with undefeated yet unheralded Dereck Chisora in Germany.

However, during his final workout hitting the pads with trainer Emanuel Steward, Klitschko suffered the injury, manager Bernd Boente told ESPN.com.

“He was hitting the mitts and it just happened,” Boente said. “The fight is canceled. The pain is extreme. He couldn’t even sit in the car on the way to the hospital.” Klitschko (55-3, 49 KOs) had gone through a public workout earlier in the day, although they are light and just for show. However, Boente said a couple of hours later, he was working with Steward for real when he felt a sudden pain.

“The doctor said he needs four to six weeks to heal,” Boente said. “Wladimir has never had to cancel a fight before. He is totally upset. He had a great training camp in the Austrian mountains. He was in fantastic shape and he’s very, very upset and very sad. And not only for him but for all the people who bought tickets to the sold-out arena. We were all looking forward to the fight. We are sorry for the fans and for our TV partners. What can you do?”

“The abdominal muscle is injured and therefore Wladimir Klitschko will not be able to fight on Saturday,” Dr. Sven Roessing, an orthopedic specialist at University Hospital in Mannheim, said in a statement released by Klitschko’s K2 Promotions.

Boente said the entire card, which also was to feature cruiserweight contender Ola Afolabi and middleweight contender Andy Lee, has been called off.

Boente said he was not sure if the fight with Chisora (14-0, 9 KOs) would be rescheduled. “We don’t know. This just happened,” Boente said. “We have to check all the options.”

Former Heavyweight Champion, Oliver McCall 55-10(37) was crowned the new IBF Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion tonight in Hollywood Florida at The Heavyweight Factory’s Backyard Brawl which was co-promoted by Roy Jones Jr ‘s Square Ring, Inc. McCall, faced tough former world contender Fast Fres Oquendo 31-5(21KO), who has been in the ring with a long list of who-was in the Heavyweight division, everyone from Bert Cooper to John Ruiz. Oquendo knocked out a faded Bruce Sheldon, ending his career and he had similar plans with 45 year old, fellow Chicagoan McCall.

That was not the case tonight as McCall was the busier fighter and pushed the pace, a slow pace, of the fight from the opening bell, and through final bell landing occasional big shots. Oquendo landed some meaningful hard right hands on McCalls’ iron chin; however they never phased the former world Champion. Referee Frank Gentile kept busy as the two tied up often. This fight sends McCall closer to a possible title shot and Oquendo, possible retirement after a great career. The cards read 115-113 Oquendo and 115-113 and 116-112 for McCall.

In the Co-Main event WBA International welterweight champion Brad Solomon 15-0(7KO)shined again as he successfully defended his title against rough, tough and tested Anges Adjaho 25-3(14KO). Solomon controlled the pace of this fight throughout with great slick and very fast be-first boxing while creating great punching angles. The fight was largely competitive from the opening bell with the obvious speed and skill advantage going to Solomon. Solomon was a three-time National Golden Gloves champion as an amateur. The cards read 98-92 99-91-97-93

In the first fight of the night former Cuba amateur star Yasnay Consuegra made quick work of Watson Pierre with a dominate second round KO. Consuegra dropped Pierre in round one with a beautiful straight right hand and then a great uppercut at :49 of round 2 that ended the fight with the Haitian Pierre flat out on the canvas for the count.

Former Cuban Amateur standout Inocente Fiz 5-0(3KO) battled hard on his way to a 6th round TKO over tough Anthony Woods 7-14(3KO). Fiz controlled the whole fight with accurate punches and slick footwork. The end came from a flurry of punches at 23 of the 6th round. As an amateur, Fiz won a Bronze medal at the World Championships for Cuba at light welterweight.

Local Heavyweight product Erik “The Viking” Leander improved to 9-1(6KO) with a unanimous decision win over Larry Slayton 1-3-1. Leander had the local crowd behind him as he entered the ring ready for war dressed in full Viking regalia from his long, flowing jacket to his Nordic helmet bearing horns. His hulking presence of the Viking overshadowed his boxing skills as he fought as a brawler rather than a boxer. The Viking knocked Slayton down in the 2nd round and won by a unanimous decision. All three judges scored the fight 40-35.

In a brilliant clash Cuban Yoandris Salinas improved his record to 4-0 (1KO) with a close split decision victory over a very sharp Danny Aquino 5-1(1KO). Both fighters fought valiantly throughout the fight catching each other with crisp clean shots. This fight had the feel of a championship bout while these two warriors fought hard for four rounds. I am sure the crowd felt the same as I did, as I would have loved to seen this fight go another 6 rounds. Great Fight! The cards read 39-37 Aquino and 39-37 twice for Salinas.

Russian Heavyweight Magomed Abdusalamov remained perfect at 9-0(9KO) with a TKO win over Jerry Butler 8-9 (8KO). The southpaw Abdusalamov overwhelmed Butler throughout the fight and caught him in his own corner with a number of unanswered shots that prompted referee Sam Burgos to step in and call an end to the beating at 2:39 of round 2.

The Heavyweight Factory’s’ Luis Ortiz 5-0(3KO) stepped up in competition and won by TKO8 over Francisco Alvarez 12-2(10KO). The fight was fought at a very slow two or three punch rate which drew boos from the crowd. Ortiz finally turned up the heat in round eight when he dropped Alvarez and finished the fight with several unanswered shot with referee Sam Burgos stepping in at 1:27. With a 343-19 amateur record, Ortiz took a silver medal at the 2003 World Championships and gold medal two years later. He was trained by legendary Cuban boxing coach Alcides Sagarra for seven years on the national team.

Cedric “The Bos” Boswell (32-1) Captured the NABA Heavyweight title with a KO in the 9th over Owen“What the Heck” Beck (29-7). Boswell who’s only loss came to Jameel McCline via 10th round knockout was coming off a one year layoff and did not look as sharp as he has, Beck was not exactly slick in the ring either. Boswell was by far the more accurate fighter and landed a beautiful left hook that floored Beck at 2:29 of the ninth. These the two heavies 72 pro fights between the two of them.

Notables in the Crowd were Roy Jones Jr., Mike Marrone, Sherman “The Tank” Williams, Joey “Twinkle Fingers” Hernandez, John David Jackson, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Jason Gavern, John “Action” Jackson

Sources have informed 15rounds.com that Golden Boy Promotions has put their flag in the ground for the Cinco de Mayo weekend of 2011. Golden Boy reportedly has the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on hold for the date of Saturday, May 7th. Headlining the pay-per-view event would be Saul Alvarez (35-0, 26 KOs) of Juanacatlan, Jalisco, Mexico in a twelve-rounder against an opponent to be determined.

Alvarez, who has been anointed by many as the next Mexican boxing superstar, currently holds the WBC Silver Light Middleweight title. Alvarez successfully defended that title this past Saturday, with a decision victory over longtime division gatekeeper Lovemore Ndou in Mexico. The win capped a busy 2009 campaign for Alvarez, who entered the year as a word-of-mouth prospect. Three of his five wins played to wide U.S. audiences, beginning his stoppages over Jose Miguel Cotto and Carlos Baldomir, which took place on big HBO Pay-Per-View cards and ending with his decision over Ndou, which was televised on HBO Latino.

In recent years, either Golden Boy or rival Top Rank has offered up a pay-per-view event on the weekend that surrounds the Cinco de Mayo holiday. Most times the events feature established Mexican boxing stars. Reportedly Alvarez is targeted for a February or March return before the May pay-per-view event.

Photo by Alma Montiel/World Boxing Council

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

Tomorrow night, Newark New Jersey’s Prudential Center will once again transform into “Little Poland” as thousands of Polish fight fans will flock to 165 Mulberry Street to watch Tomasz Adamek square off against New York’s Vinny Maddalone.

But before the legions of Polish fans witness Adamek do battle with Maddalone, they’ll have the opportunity to cheer on another Polish-born, New Jersey-based boxer.

Welterweight prospect Patrick Majewski will look to add another win to his already perfect record when he faces off against Lawrence, Massachusetts’ Eddie “Thunder” Caminero in a bout scheduled for eight rounds.

Majewski (14-0, 9 KO) was born in Radom, Poland, but now resides in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where six of his fourteen professional bouts have taken place.

In his last bout in October, the Polish-transplant defeated New Mexico’s Joseph Gomez (17-3-1, 8 KO) by seventh round stoppage in Kissimmee, Florida.

Majewski first hurt Gomez with a devastating left hook in the fourth round. Three rounds later, Majewski hurt his counterpart again and didn’t let him off the hook. Referee Frank Gentile stepped in and saved Gomez from absorbing further punishment, stopping the bout at the 1:50 mark of round seven.

But even after an impressive performance against tough opposition, Majewski and his team knew there was plenty of room for improvement.

“I made many mistakes my last fight,” Majewski said. “So my trainers — we tried to work on the leg movement, more head movement, and of course, more speed.”

Majewski will have a chance to showcase his sharpened skills against Caminero in front of an expected crowd of over ten thousand fans.

Caminero (7-3, 7 KO), who practices his trade under the watchful eye of “Irish” Micky Ward, has proven he is a rugged competitor who can out-will and out-punch his opponents.

In his last two bouts, Caminero scored upset victories over two seperate opponents, who prior to the bouts, sported a combined record of 14-1.

Caminero’s most recent fight took place in August in Brooklyn, New York against crowd favorite, and previously unbeaten fighter, Joe Smith, Jr.

The Massachussets native served as nothing more than a moving heavy bag for Smith in the opening round, as Caminero found himself with his back against the ropes, standing on unsteady legs.

Caminero was able to gather himself and survive the round, however, and by the third round, he began a relentless campaign against Smith’s body, which visibly took its toll on the taller Smith.

With blood dribbling out his mouth and the fourth round about to come to a close, Smith signaled to his corner he could no longer continue. Earlier in the round, Smith suffered a broken jaw courtesy of the heavy-handed Caminero, who notched his second straight victory.

Majewski is well aware of Caminero’s stubbornness inside the ropes, but is confident that his preparation leading up to this fight will result in a victory tomorrow night.

“I know that he’s tough, but I’m tough too,” said Majewski. “I’ve been training hard for this fight and I’m going to bring my work into the ring.”

Tomorrow night will mark the third time Majewski will fight at the Prudential Center and the second time he will fight on the undercard of an Adamek-headlined event. He knows there will be thousands of fans decked out in Poland’s colors of red and white who will be cheering his name. He also knows he cannot let the crowd become a distraction against a heavy-handed opponent like Caminero.

“It is a big feeling [to fight in front of the Polish fans], I’m really excited to fight over there,” Majewski said. “But during the fight you really have to focus on your opponent — don’t really worry about the crowd or the fans.”

Majewski, who turns 31 later this month, knows that one loss may result in a significant setback to his career and doesn’t plan on letting Caminero play spoiler.

With regards to his approach towards his fight tomorrow night, Majewski said, “Focus on your opponent then worry about the fans. Then after the fight we can celebrate together.”

Thoughts on select fights from last week

Javier Fortuna vs. Victor Valenzuela

Last Wednesday at BB King’s in New York City, two unbeaten prospects crossed paths in a bout that was scheduled for eight rounds.

Passaic, New Jersey’s Victor “Viper” Valenzuela squared off against the Dominican Republic’s Javier Fortuna, who was making his American debut.

Before the fight, Valenzuela sported an 8-0 record, with only one of those wins coming by knockout, while Fortuna entered the bout 12-0 with 9 knockouts.

For that reason, I was confused as to why Valenzuela was willing to fight fire with fire from the opening bell. Fortuna and Valenzuela forewent any use of a jab and began trading wild power punches — an exchange that would clearly favor the heavier-handed Fortuna.

Ultimately, a minute into the first round, Fortuna KO’d Valenzuela in a Sergio Martinez-esque fashion. Valenzuela scarily collapsed and just like that Valenzuela’s “O” had to go. His record and confidence both took a hit as he fell to 8-1, 1 KO, while Fortuna shined in his American debut, improving to 13-0, 10 KOs.

Crazy part about the KO is the fact that Martinez’s trainer, Gabriel Sarmiento, is also Fortuna’s trainer. Further, like Martinez, he was discovered and brought to the United States by advisor Sampson Lewkowicz and is also signed to DiBella Entertainment.

—

Alex Perez vs. Doel Carrasquillo

That same night, I was also impressed by Newark, New Jersey’s Alex Perez, who
successfully navigated past tough journeyman Doel Carrasquillo in an eight round welterweight bout.

The fight marked the unbeaten Perez’s first bout since inking a deal with DiBella Entertainment.

Unlike Fortuna, Perez (13-0, 7 KO) didn’t blow his opponent out of the water. Rather, Perez was forced to outbox a veteran brawler for eight rounds — and did so with relative ease.

“I was pleased with everything that he did,” said Perez’s trainer and manager, Jose Rosario. “He finally showed me the things I wanted to see — and that was being smart and outboxing guys like the guy we fought today.”

Working behind a stiff right jab, Perez successfully kept the always-moving-forward Carasquillo at range, setting him up for combinations and devastating left hands.

By the second round, Carrasquillo’s face was already puffy, turning red in the process. Each time Perez hurt his Carrasquillo, the determined journeyman would talk taunt Perez and shrug it off as if he was unharmed (which was a lie, of course).

Perez’s only slip-up in this bout came in the fifth round when he tripped over Carrasquillo’s feet and got caught with a right hand that ultimately put him on the canvass.

“I slipped over his leg and they ruled it a knockdown,” said Perez. “It is what it is.”

Following a brief and unsuccessful appeal to referee Arthur Mercante Jr., Perez got right back up and immediately picked up where he left off, snapping his jab and throwing meaningful combinations.

Credit Carrasquillo (14-17-1, 12 KO) for his persistence as he brought non-stop pressure for twenty-four minutes. He was stubborn in his aggressiveness, constantly walking forward, getting peppered by stiff jabs and straight lefts along the way.

“I want to stiffen my jab up even more,” Perez said. “It will be key when I fight more guys like him who keep coming and keep coming.”

Carrasquillo’s pressure would make most boxer’s uncomfortable, but Perez seemed to embrace this type of fight early on — a credit to his trainer and his preparation.

“I saw Carrasquillo fight a couple times and I knew he was tough and was better than his record shows,” Rosario said. “He always fought tough fights and we knew he was dangerous so we prepared mentally and physically for him.”

Except for the flash knockdown, Perez controlled this fight from start to finish, a tribute to the 28 year-old’s maturity and versatility. Now that Perez has found a home under the DiBella Entertainment banner, there should be more regularity in his fight schedule, which is a plus for tri-state area fight fans.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, a proposed early 2011 fight between world middleweight champion Sergio Martinez and three division world champion wont happen due to a big discrepancy over money between promoters Top Rank and DiBella Entertainment.

Lou DiBella, Martinez’s promoter, told ESPN.com that Top Rank’s Bob Arum, Cotto’s promoter, insisted on buying out the Martinez side instead of splitting the revenue on a percentage basis from what would have been a pay-per-view fight in March. DiBella did not say what percentage split he had in mind, but said it would have heavily favored Cotto, the proven PPV performer.

“The Martinez-Cotto discussions are dead because Bob doesn’t want to do any kind of co-promotion no matter what the split,” DiBella said.

DiBella said Arum offered him $2.5 million against an upside of the potential pay-per-view profits. DiBella declined and said he countered by offering to buy out Arum for $5 million against an upside of pay-per-view profits.

“Bob said no, so pretty much that’s the end of the discussion. There’s nothing more to discuss,” DiBella said.

Arum, who turns 79 on Wednesday, would not go in the details of their discussions but told ESPN.com, “We couldn’t come to terms. I talked to the Cotto people. They wanted particular terms and Lou wasn’t agreeable. Lou wanted to do a percentage deal and Cotto didn’t want to do a percentage deal. Cotto wanted to do a big number for Martinez plus an upside of the pay-per-view. I do whatever my fighters want. If Cotto wanted to fight Martinez on any particular grounds, as long as I could make some dough, of course, I would do it, not even a question.

“But I’m not going to tell you what did happen because those things are supposed to be confidential. Lou called and we couldn’t make a deal. Period.”

“I am not a paid booking agent. I am a promoter,” DiBella said. “Sergio Martinez is not an opponent. He’s a champion and right now one of the hottest fighters in boxing. Bob is entitled to take whatever kind of business positions he wants and I am entitled to say no. I went back to [Martinez adviser] Sampson [Lewkowicz] and the fighter and they not only supported my position but insisted on it.”

“He’ll fight Margarito,” Arum said of Cotto. “Margarito is going to get a physical to determine when he can fight. The earlier we can do it, the better.”

“Cotto-Margarito, at the end of the day, that’s the fight that everybody wants because that fight would do the most money,” Arum said. “The first fight did about 500,000 homes [on pay-per-view] and there’s no reason why [a rematch] shouldn’t do the same.”

Cotto has previously said he did not want to fight Margarito again because of his feelings that he cheated in their first fight. However, Arum said Cotto would do the fight.

“I know so that he is willing to fight Margarito again,” Arum said.

Undefeated Olympian Daniel Cormier To Face Veteran Devin Cole, Yancy Medeiros vs. John Salter, Julia Budd vs. Amanda Nunes,

Nate Moore vs. Nate Coy

Tickets Go On Sale Tomorrow/Wednesday, Dec. 8,
For STRIKEFORCE’s First Event of 2011

NEW YORK (Dec. 8, 2010) – An eagerly anticipated showdown between top welterweight (170 pounds) rising stars, undefeated Tyron Woodley (7-0) and hard-hitting Tarec “Sponge” Saffiedine (10-2), will headline a STRIKEFORCE Challengers Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight card presented by Rockstar Energy Drink at Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn., live on SHOWTIME® at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast), on Friday, Jan. 7, 2011.

Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. CT tomorrow/Wednesday, Dec. 8, and will be available at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium ticket office, all Ticketmaster locations (800) 745-3000 including Kroger and FYE, Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) and STRIKEFORCE’s official website (www.strikeforce.com). The first non-televised, undercard fight on Jan. 7 will begin at 7:30 CT. Doors will open at 7.

Undefeated up-and-coming heavyweight prospect and former Olympic wrestling star Daniel Cormier (6-0) of San Jose, Calif., faces what could be his toughest test to date when he meets veteran Devin Cole (18-8-1) of Medford, Ore., in a feature televised contest.

In other televised fights on STRIKEFORCE’s initial presentation of the decade: unbeaten Yancy “Frisson’’ Medeiros (9-0) of Waianae, Hawaii, faces John Salter (5-2) of Nashville in a middleweight (185 pounds) scrap, promising Julia “The Jewel’’ Budd (1-0) of British Columbia, Canada, faces Amanda “Lioness Of The Ring’’ Nunes (5-1), of Salvador, Brazil, in a women’s middleweight (145 pounds) match and Nate Moore (6-2) of San Jose meets Nate “Soulforce’’ Coy (8-3) of Portland, Ore., in a welterweight (170 pounds) fight.

The unbeaten 5-foot-9, 28-year-old Woodley of St. Louis, Mo., is a two-time All-American NCAA wrestler for the University of Missouri. After notching three straight victories on the Challengers series, Woodley made his debut at a STRIKEFORCE championship series event, scoring a thunderous first round (1:48) KO over fellow prospect Andre Galvao on the Diaz vs. Noons card in San Jose last Oct. 9.

Woodley fought five times in 2009, winning all five of his starts by way of submission. He was only forced beyond the first round on one occasion last year, submitting Zach Light with an armbar in the second round (3:38) of a STRIKEFORCE Challengers event on Sept. 25.

Woodley, who turned pro in February 2009, is a member of American Top Team. He won his initial start for STRIKEFORCE with a first-round submission (Brabo Choke) over Sal Woods in a non-televised, undercard bout on June 6, 2009, in St. Louis.

Like Woodley, Saffiedine, a 24-year-old, 5-foot-9 native of Brussels, Belgium, has been on a surge, winning all three of his bouts in 2010, and 9 of his last 10 fights. Saffiedine’s only defeat during this stretch came via narrow, split decision against Dong Sik Yoon at DREAM 12 in Osaka, Japan on Oct. 25, 2009.

Saffiedine’s strong striking foundation stems from his teenage years when he took up Karate at age 16. He now holds a black belt in Shihaishinkai, a form of Karate that combines striking, Judo throws and wrestling, and an amateur kickboxing record of 12-1-1. After immigrating to The United States, he added Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to his repertoire.

Saffiedine holds a record of 2-0 in STRIKEFORCE Challengers competition. In his debut for the promotion last Feb. 26 in San Jose, he earned a unanimous decision over James Terry. On May 21, Saffiedine scored a second-round (1:21) KO on Moore with a punch in Portland, Ore.

Cormier, a two-time JUCO national wrestling champion, six-time U.S. national champ, two-time Olympian and 2008 U.S. Olympic team captain, has been virtually unstoppable since turning pro on Sept. 25, 2009, winning all his fights inside the distance, all within two rounds.

The 5-foot-11, 31-year-old Cormier may be short in stature for a heavyweight, but he’s long on talent. His last five fights – all in 2010 — ended in the first round, the last three by submission. In his most recent outing, the exciting Cormier devoured Soa Palelei on Nov. 5. The farthest Cormier has been taken was in his pro debut when he triumphed by 3:39, second-round TKO (punches) over Gary Frazier at a STRIKEFORCE Challengers event on Sept. 25, 2009.

Cormier, who whipped Jason Riley in 1:02 in his last fight for STRIKEFORCE last Aug. 21, is a member of American Kickboxing Academy. One of his teammates and chief training partners at AKA is UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, whom Cormier helped get ready before Velasquez obliterated Brock Lesnar in November.

Cole is 6-1-1 in his last seven fights. Unquestionably, the most experienced fighter to face Cormier, Cole has fought several well-known, world-class fighters in a career that began in July 2003, including former STRIKEFORCE World Light Heavyweight Champion Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante, STRIKEFORCE star Mike “Mak” Kyle, Jeff Monson, Travis Wiuff, Krzysztof Soszynski, and Ben Rothwell.

An All-American wrestler at Oregon State, the 6-foot-4 Cole has been victorious inside the distance in 13 of his 18 victories, and has gone nearly two years without being submitted. An IFL veteran who’ll be making his STRIKEFORCE debut, Cole had a five-fight winning streak end in his last outing on Sept. 11 when he dropped a decision to Aaron Rosa.

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

CLICK TO ORDER THE FIGHT CARD
PENSACOLA, Fla. (December 7, 2010) – Square Ring Promotions and The Heavyweight Factory announced today the full fight card that will be streamed live this evening at 7:00 pm EST/4:00 pm PST on GoFightLive.com (PPV $9.99).

“The Internet is the wave of the future, and we are excited to be able to offer this exciting card in its entirety to boxing fans,” said John Wirt, CEO of Square Ring Promotions. “All the new television sets now come with some sort of Internet connection, and the ability to be able to stream an event with 72 scheduled rounds of boxing really demonstrates how the Internet is going to change the depth of the content available to fans. We greatly appreciate Kris Lawrence and Henry Rivalta of The Heavyweight Factory for making the entire card available.”

Roy Jones, Jr. will be providing his boxing analysis with play-by-play commentator Rob Brown. The scheduled bouts are:

BOUT # 1
4 ROUNDS HEAVYWEIGHT
Yasmany Consuegra NAME Watson Pierre
Miami, FL via Cuba CITY Sunrise, FL
3-0-0 (1 KO) RECORD 1-0-0 (1 KO)

BOUT #2
6 ROUNDS HEAVYWEIGHT
Inocente Fiz NAME Anthony “Psycho” Woods
Miami, FL via Cuba CITY Nassau, Bahamas
4-0-0 (2 KO’s) RECORD 7-14-0 (3 KO’s)

BOUT #3
4 ROUNDS HEAVYWEIGHT
Eirc “The Viking” Leander NAME Larry Slayton
Palm Beach, FL CITY Atlanta, GA
8-1-0 (6 KO’s) RECORD 1-2-1

BOUT #4
4 ROUNDS FEATHERWEIGHT
Yoandris Salinas NAME Danny Aquino
Miami, FL via Cuba CITY North Carolina via Mexico
3-0-0 (1 KO) RECORD 5-0-0 (1 KO)

BOUT # 5
4 ROUNDS HEAVYWEIGHT
Magamed Sbdusalamov NAME Jerry “Big Daddy” Butler
CITY Nassau, Bahamas
8-0 RECORD 8-8-1 (8 KO’s)

BOUT #6
8 ROUNDS HEAVYWEIGHT
Luis “Big Thing” Ortiz NAME Francisco Alvarez
Hollywood, FL via Cuba CITY Canovanas, Puerto Rico
4-0-0 (3 KO’s) RECORD 12-1-0 (10 KO’s)

BOUT #7
10 ROUNDS LIGHTWEIGHT WBA LATIN TITLE
Richard Abril NAME Miguel A. Muriguia
Miami. FL via Cuba CITY Mexico City, Mexico
13-2-1 (6 KO’s) RECORD 18-16-1 (15 KO’s)

BOUT #8
10 ROUNDS HEAVYWEIGHT NABA TITLE
Cedric “The Boss” Boswell NAME Owen ‘What The Heck’ Beck
Atlanta, CA CITY Nashville, TN via Jamaica
31-1 (24 KO’s) RECORD 29-6 (20 KO’s)

BOUT # 9
10 ROUNDS WELTERWEIGHT WBA INTERNATIONAL TITLE
Brad Solomon NAME Anges Adjaho
Lafayette, LA CITY Geneva, NY via Benin
15-0-0 (7 KO’s) RECORD 25-3-0 (14 KO’s)

MAIN EVENT
12 ROUNDS HEAVYWEIGHT IBF INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE
“Fast” Fres Oquendo NAME Oliver “Atomic Bull” McCall
Chicago, IL CITY Chicago, IL
32-6-0 (21 KO’s) RECORD 54-10-0 (37 KO’s)

***ALL BOUTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE***

In just over a week’s time Jean Pascal 26-1(16) takes part in a battle of ages against Cerebral Assassin Bernard Hopkins. Pascal’s WBC Light Heavyweight title will be on the line in what will be his fourth defense of the title he won in June of 09′ against Adrian Diaconu. It will be the last significant bout of the year, it pits Pascal 28, speed & skills against Hopkins stealth & cunning. Just weeks after the bout Hopkins turns 46 and will be older than George Foreman was when he Ko’d Michael Moorer back in 1994 for the Heavyweight title. For his part Pascal remains calm and intent on beating Hopkins and making a statement doing so. He’ll have the backing of several thousand fans in his hometown of Quebec City on the night. It’s sure to be an interesting fight, here’s what he had to say.

Hello Jean, welcome to 15rounds.com

Anson Wainwright – Firstly you have a huge fight coming up when you defend your WBC Light Heavyweight title against Bernard Hopkins. What are your thoughts on this fight?

Jean Pascal – Bernard Hopkins is one of the biggest names in the sport today. His name is synonymous with excellence. I am extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to fight against such a great – well-known boxer.

Anson Wainwright – What are your thoughts on Hopkins as a fighter?

Jean Pascal – Hopkins has a great record to uphold. He has beaten most of the great names past and present, over the last twenty years. You have to respect a record like Hopkins’.

Anson Wainwright – He’s a master of mind games and isn’t afraid to do something to ruffle feathers, for instance when he went to Puerto Rico and threw their National flag on the floor before his fight with Felix Trinidad. Do you think he may try something fight week with you?

Jean Pascal – I am aware that Hopkins likes to engage in mind games. Inconsistent behaviors tend to throw some boxers for a loop. IN that regard, Hopkins has been a teacher and an educator to many great names in the sport. I already am aware that his focus is on playing mental games, both directly, and also indirectly through others. There is nothing much I can do to account for someone else’s games.

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

Jean Pascal – I have worked with Yvon Michel as my promoter since I began in the sport. I interviewed with several potential promoters but chose Yvon Michel and his company GYM because I knew him and have trusted him. Yvon worked with several other well-known boxers residing in Canada before me and did a great job with and also for each of them. He has done the same for me.

Anson Wainwright – You were born in Haiti nearly a year ago now they had that terrible disaster, what can you tell us about that and how it effected you?

Jean Pascal – That was a terrible tragedy that left the country in a real mess and killed a lot people. Even though nobody died in my family I was very scared for first 72 hours because I had no news from anyone. I send my prayers to everyone who looses they’re loves one.

Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us what it was like in Haiti as a kid growing up and how the move to Canada came about and how that changed your life?

Jean Pascal – Its hard to tell you because I did not grow up in Haiti. I came to Canada at 4 years old and have lived in Quebec ever since. At a more general level, I was sad to follow the footage about Haiti though also amazed about the resilience of the people, and also their generosity to one another while under stress.

Anson Wainwright – You got in to Boxing because of your elder brother when you were 13 years old, can you tell us about those early days and how it came about?

Jean Pascal – I am a former hockey player – though I realized at a certain point that I was quite small physically for that sport. One day I decided to follow in the foot steps of my older brother Nicholson who was the Golden Gloves Champion in 1996. I just wanted to be like my brother, so I began to box. Before long I discovered my talents as a boxer and just wanted to see where my gifts might bring me. I have experienced quite a journey to this point, but that journey is only beginning.

Anson Wainwright – You had a standout amateur career in which you fought in the Olympics & World Championships. Can you tell us what tournaments you won & how you did the major tournaments you fought in? What current pro’s did you fight & how did they go? Also what was your final record?

Jean Pascal – I am a 7 time Canadian Amateur Champion a Francophone Games Gold medalist, a Commonwealth Games Gold medalist, a Pan-American Games Bronze medalist, I finished 5th in 2001 at the World Amateur Championships, and I represent Canada at the 2004 Olympic Games. These were a few of the highlights from my amateur career. Though I will say that I am far more cut out for professional boxing than I was for amateur boxing.

I fought: Paul Smith (UK)….Alfredo Angulo (Mex)… Craig McEwan (sco)… Yordanis Despaigne(cub)….and a lot of other good amateur boxers I don’t even recall. The thing about amateur boxing is that you get exposure to lots of different style, tactics, antics, and boxing strategies. That exposure makes for a versatile boxer assuming the boxer is open-minded and aware of what can be learned. I found that the exposure to those great athletes opened my eyes to the possible types of opponents I now encounter at the top of the game.

Anson Wainwright – What do you like to do when your not Boxing? What are your favourite past times and Hobbies.

Jean Pascal – I enjoy looking movies at home with my daughter Angel and I also have several long-term friends I have been close to since childhood. I continue to hang out with those friends. Finally, I like to study boxing and discuss what I study with my working team.

Anson Wainwright – What are your thoughts on the rest of your division including the other champions WBA Beibut Shumenov IBF Tavoris Cloud & WBO Jurgen Braehmer?

Jean Pascal – MY focus right now is Bernard Hopkins. I do not believe in thinking beyond one fight to the next. After this fight I will work closely with my working team and we will see what options work best for me as a boxer and a business man.

Anson Wainwright – You were in Nottingham in 2009 for the start of the Super Six to watch & support former opponent Carl Froch. What are your thoughts on the tournament?

Jean Pascal – The tournament is fantastic and it reflects an investment on the part of ShowTime to bring to the viewers some of the most interesting fights out there today around the Super Middleweight division. It seems that they have had a few bumps along the way, but on the other hand, they continue to bring great bouts forward. I have watched the bouts with interest given the quality of opposition.

Anson Wainwright – There will be a big crowd in Quebec supporting you on the 18 December what message do you have for those fans ahead of the fight?

Jean Pascal – I feel extremely thankful to my fans for the support. I love my province and also the city of Quebec. It is my hope that we will do many more historic fights there as part of my career. The Mayor of Quebec City invested his enthusiasm in the fight and I am very fortunate for his support. We cannot wait for the bout – it is going to be an extremely hot night in Quebec City.

Thank you for your time and good luck with your up coming fight.

Thank you and watch: www.jeanpascalboxing.com

Anson Wainwright
15rounds.com

CLICK TO ORDER THE FIGHT
HOLLYWOOD, FLA/ NEW YORK (December 6, 2010)—TOMORROW night, a crossroads heavyweight fight between former Heavyweight champion Oliver McCall and former world title challenger Fres Oquendo will take place with huge implications for the winner. The bout will headline a card from the beautiful Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida and will be seen around the world, LIVE on www.gofightlive.tv

The bout will be for the IBF Intercontinental Heavyweight championship.

The bout plus a full undercard can be seen LIVE at 7pm est. for just $9.99 by clicking: http://www.gofightlive.tv/Events/Fight/Boxing/Tuesday_Night_Fights__McCall_Vs_Oquendo/894

With the consistent uncertainty in the Heavyweight division, the winner of this bout will get a big leg up in being able to once again compete for the Heavyweight championship of the world.

McCall has a career that has spanned twenty-five years, has a record of 54-10 with thirty-seven knockouts.

McCall has been in the ring with just about every big-time Heavyweight that has competed in the last quarter century as he has shared the ring with former undisputed champion James “Buster” Douglas (L 10); Former Cruiserweight champion Orlin Norris (L 10) ; Former WBA Heavyweight champion Bruce Seldon (TKO 9); former world title challenger Tony Tucker ( L 12) before shocking the world by stopping WBC Heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis with the right hand heard round the world on September 24, 1994.

McCall made one defense against the legendary Larry Holmes before dropping the belt to Frank Bruno in Bruno’s homeland of England.

Two fights later he lost a rematch to Lewis in an effort to regain the WBC crown.

McCall then racked up thirteen straight victories, which included a stoppage over former WBO champion Henry Akinwande, McCall lost a close decision to former world title challenger DaVarryl Williamson.

McCall once again ripped off a long winning streak as he won ten straight before losing to former world title challenger and former Cruiserweight champion Juan Carlos Gomez.

McCall has won three of his last four which includes has fight when he dropped a twelve round unanimous decision to Timur Ibragimov on June 15.

Oquendo has not been around as long as McCall but he is still a tough veteran and has a lot of success beating top competition.

Oquendo has a record of 32-6 with twenty-one knockouts and has been a pro for thirteen years.

Oquendo won his first twenty-one bouts which included solid wins over Duncan Dokawari (12-0); former world title challenger Phil Jackson (42-7); former world title challenger Bert Cooper; A breakout performance over Clifford Etienne and a 3rd round stoppage over David Izon (27-3) before Oquendo’s first loss came at the hands of future world title challenger David Tua (27-3).

After two wins, Oquendo received two consecutive shots at the world Heavyweight title.

On September 20, 2003, Oquendo dropped a twelve round unanimous decision to IBF Champ Chris Byrd in a bout that many believed that Oquendo won. That earned him an opportunity to fight WBA champion John Ruiz in Madison Square Garden.

This was a bout that was basically even on the scorecards until Ruiz stopped Oquendo in Round 11.

Three fights later, Oquendo lost a hotly disputed decision to former four-time world champion Evander Holyfield.

In his last eight bouts, Oquendo has gone 6-2 with a win over former WBA champion Bruce Seldon and dropping bouts to former world champion James Toney and his last bout which was a razor thin loss to former world cruiserweight champion Jean Marc Mormeck.

In the co-feature world ranked (WBC #8; WBA #4) Welterweight Brad Solomon will put his undefeated mark of 15-0 (seven Knockouts) against tough Anges Adjaho in a ten round bout.

The native of Lafayette, Louisiana has defeated undefeated Ray Robinson (11-0) and knockout artist Kenny Galarza (13-0).

Solomon fought just twelve days ago when he scored a second round stoppage over Javier Gallegos in Nicaragua.

Adjaho has a record of 27-3 with fourteen knockouts and won his first twenty-five fights.

He lost a close split decision to future world champion Miguel Acosta before winning two in a row which included a win over former world title challenger Fernando Angulo.

Adjaho has lost two in a row which includes his last outing when he lost a ten round unanimous decision to Mark Melligan on July 3rd in Reno, Nevada.

FULL CARD
12 Rounds Heavyweights—Oliver McCall (54-10, 37 KO’s) vs. Fres Oquendo (32-6, 21 KO’s)
10 Rounds Welterweights—Brad Solomon (15-0, 7 KO’s) vs. Anges Adjaho (25-3, 14 KO’s)
10 Rounds Lightweights—Richard Abril (13-2-1, 6 KO’s) vs. TBA
8 Rounds Heavyweights—Luis Ortiz (4-0, 3 KO’s) vs. TBA
6 Rounds Cruiserweights—Azea Augustama (9-0, 6 KO’s) vs. Epfanio Mendoza (30-10-1, 26 KO’s)
6 Rounds Cruiserweights—Pedro Rodriguez (3-0, 3 KO’s) vs. TBA
6 Rounds Jr. Middleweights—Inocente Fiz (4-0, 2 KO’s) vs. Damian Tinker (3-3, 1 KO)
4 Rounds Heavyweights—Eric Leander (8-1, 6 KO’s) vs. TBA
4 Rounds Heavyweights—Magomed Abdusalamov (8-0, 8 KO’s) vs. TBA

The other night Mexican Saul “Canelo” Alvarez made his ringwalk to a song from the American movie “Rocky IV.” If you were thinking Crossover Appeal, well done. I’ve long thought there was a better song for him, though: “Güero Canelo” by Calexico, an Arizona band.

But then I checked the lyrics. The song might be about a Tucson restaurant and the general crime that happens in the southern part of its city, or maybe not. Whatever it’s about, “Güero Canelo” features an exhaustive list of narcotics. It’s probably better, then, that a Mexican star not precede his performances with a song like that.

Saturday night in the Mexican state of Veracruz in a venue called Estadio Beto Avila, Jalisco’s Alvarez won a unanimous decision over South African Lovemore N’dou by scores of 120-108, 120-108 and 119-109. N’dou fought like a good sparring partner should, trying to win no more than 30 of the match’s 2,160 seconds. And the Veracruzanos went home certain they’d seen a future great.

Since we won’t know about that for a long time, let’s go back to the Calexico tune.

Did you catch 2004’s “Collateral” with Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx? If so, “Güero Canelo” was the song that played for the dancing Sinaloans in the scene at El Rodeo night club. If not, here’s a touch of back story.

Vincent is a hit man played by Cruise. He climbs in a taxi driven by Max, a cabbie played by Jamie Foxx. Max learns the destinations to which he is chauffeuring Vincent are actually hits, witnesses for the prosecution in a drug case set to begin the next day, and demurs. Eventually, he also trashes Vincent’s witness work-ups, with two hits to go. Vincent sends Max into a Mexican club called El Rodeo to pretend he is Vincent and retrieve work-ups on the two remaining witnesses.

And this is where most American moviegoers meet actor Javier Bardem for the first time. Bearded and elegant, Bardem plays a Mexican narcotraficante named Felix. Enraged by “Vincent’s” having lost the work-ups, Felix tells a wonderfully imaginative story about Santa Claus’s special helper in Mexico named “Pedro el Negro.” And Bardem shows incredible presence.

Despite being the first Spanish actor ever nominated for an Oscar, four years before, Bardem was cast in what might have been a five-minute throw-away scene in the middle of an action movie in 2004 – his first American work in two years, at the time.

Not exactly Saul Alvarez’s career path.

After a shaky opening to his own American debut in May on the undercard of “Who R U Picking?” – when the 19-year-old Mexican was temporarily walked down Queer Street by Jose Miguel Cotto (yes, the other Cotto) – Alvarez rallied and won by TKO in round 9. A couple months ago, Alvarez also blasted his way through Carlos Baldomir. Saturday he was a red-headed rock star whose girlfriend got about as much camera time as N’dou’s corner did.

That old saw about nothing attracting a crowd like a crowd perfectly captures the reflexivity that feeds the hype machine and so, too, aptly captures Alvarez’s celebrity. Fight aficionados, of course, want an organic star, someone who learns his craft in obscurity before emerging properly seasoned, preferably in an upset – someone like Michael Medina, Dmitry Pirog or Sergio Martinez. Promoters, and the casual fans they hope to feed, want something else entirely.

They want someone who’s equipped for immediate stardom if not pugilistic excellence. Someone like, say, Alvarez. Golden Boy Promotions, whose eye for talent gets blackened by reality here and there, needed a Mexican prospect to offset rival promoter Top Rank’s cynical celebration of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., son of Mexico’s fistic legend. The country’s other famous Juniors all had a loss or three on their records. And HBO hates that.

“Canelo” is good-looking, undefeated, and of Mexican origin, so he became the next Oscar De La Hoya.

Look, Alvarez is a good fighter. He has uncommonly powerful legs for a junior middleweight. His footwork is serviceable. He counters right hands fairly well after nibbling on them. His punches are straight and committed.

But he’s slow-handed more than heavy-handed. N’dou, a 39-year-old man whose best days came at 140 pounds, was not in trouble for a moment against the 154-pound Alvarez, Saturday. Alvarez showed characteristics of a young fighter accustomed to blowing through overmatched opponents. He threw lead hooks and paused after they landed, expecting N’dou to be felled instantly.

Perhaps Alvarez will become Mexico’s next legend. Right now, though, his celebrity feels wholly manufactured.

A month before his 18-line performance as the narcotraficante Felix, Javier Bardem arrived in the United States as a semi-obscure foreign actor. He spent five weeks perfecting the differences between English spoken with a Mexican accent and English spoken with his Spanish one. Then he made an unforgettable performance. And today, American moviegoers know him as the Oscar-winning actor from “No Country for Old Men” – a role that still didn’t come for three years after “Collateral.”

Bardem’s celebrity feels a bit more authentic by comparison, doesn’t it?

One other thing about “Canelo”: He’s only 20 years-old, and he’s had 36 professional fights. That point was rehearsed and exuberantly retold numerous times by HBO Latino’s commentators Saturday. Well.

The last time we heard about such a young sensation from Mexico, his name was Julio Cesar Garcia, and his nickname was “Baby Face.” Garcia was 40-2 (34 KOs) on his 20th birthday. He’s 1-2 in the three years since then. And before you think De La Hoya will be the difference for Alvarez, remember that Garcia had Roberto Duran.

Saturday’s fight, lastly, was Alvarez’s second defense of an esteemed WBC Silver title. WBC Silver, you’re thinking, who else has a silly title like that? Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., actually.

A proposal, then: Alvarez and Chavez Jr. fight to determine whom we should take seriously going forward – and the loser stays in Mexico to defend the silver.

Bart Barry can be reached at bbarry@15rounds.com. Additionally, his book, “The Legend of Muhammad Ali,” co-written with Thomas Hauser, can be purchased here.

Many first time promoters have small corwds and average fights. Saturday night that changed asNFC Promotions christened their new organization with a MMA show that would make the casual observer think they have been around for years. Shawn North’s NFC Promotions came to Hocking College for the first installment of the “Caged on Campus” fight series. Using the largest cage in Ohio (a standard UFC championship size ring), the sold out, standing room only crowd was treated to 8 action packed MMA fights.

Chris Warren def. Eric Rodgers
Anthony Crosby def. Jon Withrow
Jack Coates def. Donnie McKnight
Rick Cullison def. Eric Battcher
Mark Spears def. Andrew Taylor
Zack Cook def. John Grant
Maria Messier def. Jennifer Pierce

In what was arguably the fight of the night David “Bubba” Crabtree defeated Ryan Cunningham via a Tap Out due to strikes at 1:08 of the second round. Crabtree was subjected to a onslaught of clean punches all throughout the first round and was knocked out on his feet when the horn sounded to end the round. Crabtree was moments away from having the fight stopped. Many in the sold out crowd felt that Crabtree’s corner would not let their fighter continue. Crabtree, insisted on continuing and gathered his legs back under him. Visibly hurt, he began the second round attacking his opponent. Crabtree saw an opening, and took his opponent down the the mat with a hard shot to the ribs winding Cunningham. A few punches later the fight was stopped. Both fighters showed the hears of champions and the crowd was standing on their feet cheering for both fighters.

Prior to the main event, it was announced that the Caged on Campus Series would be returning to Hocking College in late March / early April 2011.