Remember Antonio Margarito’s motivation for Manny Pacquiao? It was a fight to rehabilitate his reputation, knock out the cheato and restore his good name. Well, forget it. Marga-cheato became Marga-creepo with a video that could have been filmed, directed and produced by Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Margarito could still beat Pacquiao Saturday night at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Tex. He is the bigger fighter. He has a vicious uppercut. He is as tough as he is strong. Don’t delude yourself, he has a legitimate shot. But the advertised chance at rehab is gone. Margarito has already lost that one with an AOL FanHouse video that, weak apologies aside, will forever be seen as obscene.

If Margarito’s shaking hands aren’t a gesture that mocks Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach’s deadly battle with Parkinson’s, what is it? At least, those hands aren’t wrapped in something illegal.

Unlike stablemate Brandon Rios who stood up Thursday and accepted responsibility for his role in the mockery, Margarito has tried to spin, spin and spin away from accountability. If it sounds familiar, remember the wraps. Margarito said he didn’t know, couldn’t know, never knew that former trainer Javier Capitello had loaded his gloves with a plaster-like substance before it was discovered in the furor that preceded his loss to Shane Mosley in January, 2009.

Margarito refused to apologize, until finally he was badgered by the media into saying he was sorry for at least not knowing. I guess he doesn’t know when a rock is in his shoe, either.

Thanks to a loyal and defiant defense that cost promoter Bob Arum a reported $500,000, a willingness to give Margarito benefit of the doubt grew among some in the media and many in the public. California wouldn’t give him a license. But Texas did. Acceptance wasn’t complete. But Margarito had a chance and a $3 million purse. He’ll still get the money, but his reputation has been infected by video gone as viral as the racist, homophobic rant that Mayweather dropped into the Internet and onto Pacquiao in September. By the way, Mayweather tried to apologize, too.

Margarito apologizes by saying that his shaking hands were misinterpreted and taken out of context in a video that he suggests was edited in a way designed to create controversy.

“I would never make fun of Freddie Roach or anyone with that disease,” Margarito said Thursday in surprise appearance at a news conference for Saturday’s undercard. “I have someone in my family who has it. I’ll tell you how it happened: There was a guy in the gym with a camera and he said, ‘Freddie Roach said you’re going to be knocked out.’

“I shook my hands and said, ‘Oh, I’m really scared now.’ ”

But the video, without any apparent editing at that point, moves directly to Rios. He begins to shake his head. That’s when Margarito trainer Robert Garcia says “Hey, there’s Freddie Roach.’’ No denials are heard on the video. And there were no denials from Rios Thursday.

“I take responsibility for what I did,” said Rios, a lightweight who fights Omri Lowther on the undercard. “I’m a man about it. It was wrong and I’m sorry.”

Meanwhile, Roach said he got a call Thursday from Garcia, who offered a sincere apology. Roach said he accepted. He said he was ready to move on. Roach also told Yahoo’s Kevin Iole that he “would shake (Margarito’s) hand to end this.’’

But those are hands few can ever trust.

Goossen Tutor Promotions hosted a press conference this past Tuesday at Ricky’s Sports Theatre & Grill in San Leandro, California to officially announce the upcoming clash between Andre Ward and Sakio Bika. Ward (22-0, 13 KOs) of Oakland, California will be making the second defense of his WBA Super Middleweight title November 27th at the Oracle Arena in Oakland. Bika (28-4-2, 19 KOs) of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia by way of Douala, Cameroon is best known for winning The Contender tournament in 2007 and will be vying for a world title for the third time in his career.


Watch Andre Ward Press Conference

GRAPEVINE, Tex. – Antonio Margarito is sorry. Brandon Rios is sorry. Robert Garcia is sorry. And all three would now like to move on.

Thursday in a convention room of the expansive Gaylord Texan Resort, some 25 miles north of the stadium where Pacquiao-Margarito will happen, promoter Top Rank hosted a press conference for the fighters who will be featured on Saturday’s undercard. Each received warm introductions from Bob Arum, approached the podium, and then said he was ready, felt strong.

Brandon Rios was an exception. He had a different statement to make.

“First of all, I want to get one thing off my chest,” began Rios, addressing the AOL Fanhouse footage of him, Margarito and Garcia making fun of Freddie Roach’s trembling hands and straining neck – symptoms of Roach’s Parkinson’s disease. “It was between camps and camps. It was a bad video from my behalf.”

Then Rios did what he and his camp probably should have done earlier.

“If Freddie Roach is out there, I’m sorry,” Rios said. “Things got heated up in the moment. And I’m sorry.”

Before the press conference could conclude, Arum ended with a surprise visitor. Margarito, who did not talk about the video at Wednesday’s main-event press conference, made an unplanned trip to Thursday’s undercard event. He took the podium and explained that the footage of him was contextually inaccurate.

“The video was edited,” Margarito said. “I never, never, would make fun of Freddie Roach with that disease.”

Then Margarito tried to recreate the scene that preceded the odd face and outstretched, trembling hands he showed a reporter’s camera.

“I was just arriving at the gym,” Margarito said. “Someone said to me, ‘Hey, Margarito, Freddie Roach says Manny Pacquiao is going to knock you out.’ I said, ‘Ooh, what fear!’ and shook my hands.

“I wish for the gentleman (Roach) to accept my apology if he was offended.”

Margarito then apologized to anyone else he might have offended.

“If they were offended, I ask for forgiveness from all of those who have that disease,” Margarito said. “Never, never, would I make fun of that disease.”

After the fighters left the podium, Brandon Rios stopped and spoke a bit more about the bad-faith that has accrued to him and the Margarito camp.

“Robert called me and said, ‘Hey, f–k, dude, this sh-t is getting big!’”Rios said about the way he found out from his trainer that the video had gone viral on the internet. “My wife is yelling at me. I feel bad for saying it. Nothing personal. I feel bad.”

Then his trainer appeared and added to the apologizing.

“I just got finished talking to Freddie Roach,” Robert Garcia said about a two-minute conversation he’d had with Pacquiao’s trainer during the press conference. “I told him, ‘Freddie Roach, I want to tell you that I’m very sorry for what happened. Now that I am talking to you, I feel much better.’”

When asked, Garcia confirmed that Roach had been receptive to Garcia’s call.

“I accept your apology,” Garcia said that Roach told him. “And best of luck this weekend.”

Fight week festivities will continue on Friday when all combatants take the scale. The weigh-in will be held at Cowboys Stadium at 5:00 PM local time and is open to the public.

Oscar Meza ,Jose Benavidez Jr.,Mike Lee, and Robert Marroquin pose during the undercard press conference for their feature fights on the Pacquiao vs Margarito card on November 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington,Texas. Pacquiao vs Margarito is promoted by Top Rank in association with MP Promotions and Cowboys Stadium

Photos by Chris Farina / Top Rank

UNDERCARD PRECEDES SIX-FIGHT MAIN CARD
LIVE ON SHOWTIME®

NEW YORK (Nov. 11, 2010) – Former NFL player-turned-Mixed Martial Arts fighter, popular heavyweight Wes Shivers, of Brandon, Miss., returns to the cage to face Goldman Butler, of Tupelo, Miss., in the top undercard fight of a STRIKEFORCE Challengers event in Jackson, Miss., on Friday, Nov. 19, at Jackson Convention Complex LIVE on SHOWTIME® at 11 p.m. ET/PT, (delayed on the West Coast).

“I’ve been kicking it around for awhile that I wanted to get back in there,” said Shivers, a star offensive tackle at Mississippi State who was drafted by the Tennessee Titans where he saw action in three games. He also played for the Atlanta Falcons before being released and walking away from the game.

“I didn’t really have any motivation to get back to training. I got the phone call from (local promoter) Dave Ferguson who asked me if I wanted to fight again. I thought it was a great opportunity to be able to fight in front of my home crowd. Not to mention it’s a STRIKEFORCE show. I had to take the opportunity.”

In the main event on the first STRIKEFORCE event in Mississippi, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro (20-4) will face Justin “The Silverback” Wilcox (9-3) of Cincinnati in a lightweight (155 pounds) match.

The 33-year-old, 6-foot-8 Shivers (7-1), a Rankin County Deputy Sheriff, will take on Goldman (1-3) during the non-televised portion of a card that will include many fighters from Mississippi and Tennessee.

Shivers said it was a lifelong dream to play in the NFL, but he has no regrets over his short-lived NFL career, which ended in 2001.

“Any kid growing up in America wants to play a pro sport and I accomplished that goal,” he said. “When I got in there I realized what the whole business was about and it really wasn’t my cup of tea. I saw an opportunity to walk away from the game without any regrets and I did it. Looking back, I still don’t have any regrets. It’s a business. Like any sport, if you take the fun out of it, it’s not worth playing anymore.

“I had several opportunities to go other places after I was released. I just decided I could do more with my life than play football.”

Shivers started training for MMA as the sport began to get hugely popular in Mississippi and he had his first professional fight at the end of 2005.

“I just loved the competitiveness of it and testing myself on a daily basis,” he said.

Before Shivers and Butler tangle, Jacob “Pyscho” Noe (3-1) of Memphis, Tenn., will take on Wesley “Pitbull” Little (2-4) of Columbus, Miss.

Other pro bouts will pit four middleweights (185 pounds) against one another: Jeremiah “Bigg Rigg” Riggs (6-5) of Vicksburg, Miss., meets Jason Sharp (7-2) of Biloxi, Miss., while Jamie Houston of Olive Branch, Miss., takes on Dave Martin of Southhaven, Miss., in both fighter’s pro debuts.

Among the scheduled amateur undercard bouts: Anthony Mitchel (4-1), Madison, Miss., vs. Jeffrey Hedgepeth (2-1), Silver Creek, Miss, at a catch weight of 200 pounds; Brian “The Law” Hall (2-1), Memphis, Tenn., vs. Thomas “Die Hard Kid” Vasquez (14-3), Horn Lake., Miss., in a bantamweight (135 pounds) bout; and in welterweight (170 pounds) fights, Joel Cooper (9-2), Jackson, Tenn., vs. Brian Burse (8-1), Corinth, Miss.; and Travis Robertson (8-3), Memphis, Tenn., vs. Ken DuBoise (2-0), Jackson, Miss.

Tickets are on sale at all Ticketmaster outlets, including the Coliseum box office and Be-Bop Record Shops, by phone at 800-745-3000 and online at Ticketmaster.com and STRIKEFORCE.COM.

Doors at Jackson Convention Complex will open at 6:45 p.m. CT. The first non-televised preliminary bout will begin at 7 p.m. The first fight on SHOWTIME will begin at 10 p.m.

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

Before Showtime had even formally announced the formation of the Super Six World Boxing Classic, shortly after the tournament’s match-ups were leaked to the press, one scheduled bout that many fight fans, especially those based in the U.S., looked forward to was the Group Stage 3 pairing of former Olympic teammates Andre Dirrell and Andre Ward. Though the fight will not happen, at least not now or anytime soon, one of these Andres did suffer a damaging loss.

Rarely does a fight have a deeper, richer storyline than a match between the two Andres would have had. Casual friends, or at least acquaintances, since crossing paths at childhood boxing tournaments, Ward and Dirrell entered the Super Six as heavy underdogs and both had outperformed expectations while rooting for each other each step of the way. Ward surprisingly dominated tourney favorite Mikkel Kessler and then Allan Green in his two bouts. Dirrell lost a closely-contested, somewhat controversial decision to Carl Froch and then outboxed Arthur Abraham before getting hit late and taking a disqualification victory.

The match would not have only pitted friends, but the only two medalists from the 2004 U.S. Olympic boxing team. Dirrell took the bronze at the weight class Ward likely would have competed at, had it not been for his cousin DonYil Livingston’s attempt to make the squad in the same division or for his trainer Virgil Hunter’s foresight that his charge would do well to not have to worry about weight during the long preparatory period leading to the Athens Games. Ward of course left Greece with the gold.

The stakes were raised slightly when Kessler went down due to an eye injury, and the WBC title which he had held was added to the pot for the Ward-Dirrell clash. Dirrell had been previously been named the mandatory for the WBC belt due to the nature of his decision loss to Froch. The take by many in the media already was that Dirrell’s style may pose tournament frontrunner Ward his toughest hurdles to date.

Even though he had been brutally bashed while on one knee in the DQ win over Abraham, Dirrell was still expected to meet Ward this past September. Immediately after Ward’s one-sided schooling of Allan Green, Dirrell and his former teammate posed for pictures to seemingly begin the build-up to their eminent clash.

Slowly things got unexpectedly complicated.

The originally announced September 25th date was quickly approaching and no announcement regarding the fight had been made. Grumbles reverberated that the two sides were arguing over the location, something Ward promoter Dan Goossen acknowledged at a press conference in San Leandro, California Tuesday. “The only obstacle that we had, that I thought was going have any effect on whether or not the fight was going happen, since it was destined to happen, was where were we going to do it,” said Goossen.

“I was pushing for Oakland. It would have sold out Oracle Arena. It would have been a great storyline, a great fight, a great event for Oakland. They wanted to go to Detroit. The problem we had with Detroit wasn’t because it was his hometown, but I just didn’t think they could generate what Andre could do out here.”

Other rumors had Dirrell or Ward or both holding out for more money. Eventually the new date for the fight was announced as November 27th, but still no location was in place. Not too much later, Dirrell’s pullout was made official over the telephone during a conference call that Andre himself was not on the line for. The reason given was that he was suffering from neurologically-related symptoms since after the Abraham fight.

Ward of course is continuing on in the tournament, and will first meet the formidable Sakio Bika on the November 27th date – the fight for which Tuesday’s press conference had been held. Expect more on that fight in this space in the coming days. But at the moment, as was evidenced by the line of questioning offered up by the local fight media for a good percentage of Tuesday’s presser, the circumstances of the delays and eventually Dirrell’s pullout are very much still on some of our minds. Many jumped right out and called Dirrell’s injury a fake in recent weeks. Recently the validity of those questions gained steam.

Just over a week ago, Showtime’s Fight Camp 360º program seemed to suggest that maybe the network’s opinion, or at least that of the show’s producers, is very much in line with the those members of the skeptical media. The recent episode cuts to a quote from Dirrell team member, Leon Lawson Jr. “It’s not a guarantee that we fight Ward next. It’s not a guarantee…If they want to dance, get that money right.” Audio from the aforementioned Showtime-hosted conference call announcing the fighter’s pullout plays minutes later in the episode. Moments later, footage rolls of a Showtime-conducted interview with the Dirrell family, who did themselves no favor with their responses to valid questioning. Highlights included Dirrell not having the name of the doctor who treated him and his grandfather Leon saying he wanted to end the interview until their lawyer could be present.

Tuesday, Ward wished Dirrell a speedy recovery, which suggests he believes his friend’s injury was in fact the cause for the cancellation. Ward’s promoter Dan Goossen had joked about Mikkel Kessler’s pullout for double vision, but continuing to drive his 80,000 dollar vehicle, both on air and again Tuesday. However, Goossen refuses to question the injuries of Dirrell or Kessler. “I will tell you what I feel about any fighter’s injuries: I will never ever question it,” said Goossen. “That doesn’t mean I can’t tell a little joke or something.” .”

Though he wished Dirrell well, Ward made clear he was never at fault for either the delay or cancellation. “A lot of things were said in the media about me and Andre Dirrell, and how people felt like we were behind the scenes trying to undo the fight,” said Ward Tuesday. “I just want to let my fans know that was never the case with me. I understood what I was getting myself into when I signed the multi-bout agreement. I was always prepared to fight.” When a reporter asked if Dirrell had contacted him, Ward smirked and replied, “No he did not call me. I haven’t talked to Dirrell since the press conference after my last fight. That is the last time I talked to him.”

Dirrell’s problems may very well be legitimate, and if so I too wish him a full and swift recovery. While I personally refuse to question him in this instance, in part because I cannot figure what Dirrell’s motivation or benefit would be, many others have. Dirrell has lost a fight he never fought, at least in the court of public opinion. If and when the day comes when Dirrell returns to the ring, those questions will likely remain. Whether they are boxing scribes, fans or colleagues, Dirrell will have his doubters until the day he meets Ward in a ring. Hopefully for his sake, and for those of us who admire the sweet science and are suckers for a good storyline, that day comes sooner or later.

Oh and by the way, Ward’s fight against Bika in a few weeks may not be accompanied by the most intriguing back story, but based on styles it could provide viewers with more entertainment than the Dirrell fight would have. But again, more on that later.

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

At the recent WBC Convention Germany’s unbeaten Sebastian Zbik 30-0(10) and currently hold the Interim WBC championship was mandated to fight the winner of the upcoming Sergio Martinez-Paul Williams fight. He hopes to get the winner possibly as soon as March 2011. The 28 year old who resides in Schwerin, Germany debuted back in 2004 and has been busy ever since. He won the Interim title in 2009 beating Domenico Spada beating him by close unanimous decision, since then he has retained the title three times all on points including one of them when he bested Spada in a rematch. He’s what Zbik had to say when he spoke with us.

Hello Sebastian, welcome to 15rounds.com

Sebastian Zbik – Hi Anson, nice to talk to you. What about the weather on your island? In Hamburg we have a great autumn. Very sunny.

Anson Wainwright – Haha It’s getting very cold here but thanks for asking Sebastian.

Anson Wainwright – You last fought in July, do you know when and against whom you will fight against next?

Sebastian Zbik – My promoter confirmed that I will fight against the winner of Martinez vs.Williams. I’m looking forward to delete the word interim in my title.

Anson Wainwright – You beat unbeaten Jorge Heiland in your last fight what can you tell us about the fight and you performance?

Sebastian Zbik – Argentineans are tough guys. They never give up. Heiland had enough power to work 12 rounds. That was a good test for me. Martinez is also Argentinean.

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

Sebastian Zbik – My Dad is my manager. My promoter is Universum Box-promotion. I work at famous Universum Gym. I like the atmosphere. And I have a very good coach. Artur Grigorian was a long time world champion at Lightweight division. It’s great to work with him.

Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us about your amateur career? What titles did you win & what was your record?

Sebastian Zbik – I was one of the most successful German amateurs. I had 152 fights with 129 wins. 99 and 2002 I won a bronze medal at European championship.

Anson Wainwright – When you’re not fighting or training for a fight what is your walk around weight?

Sebastian Zbik – I don’t know, at the moment it feels like I’m a Cruiserweight! 😉

Anson Wainwright – What do you like to do away from Boxing?

Sebastian Zbik – Music, Fishing, Soccer – what a surprise.

Anson Wainwright – Some people will say that your the Interim champion and would like to see you step up and fight the best around at 160 Martinez, Williams, Sturm, Macklin, Pirog etc what do you say to them?

Sebastian Zbik – I wanna fight all these names. Sturm made me an offer which was ridiculous. I asked him last week again, why he is avoiding me. He wants to fight big names, he can start in his neighbourhood! He lives 4 hours away from Hamburg. I would fight him in his living room. Let’s see what happens during the next weeks. I recently started training after a 2 months off-time.

Anson Wainwright – What do you consider the top 5 in order Middleweights today?

Sebastian Zbik – Martinez, Pavlik, Golvkin, Pirog and me anywhere between them. Everybody can beat everybody…

Anson Wainwright – Who do you consider your toughest opponent to date? What is your best performance?

Sebastian Zbik – Domenico Spada – he was my mandatory challenger twice. And it worked quite well for me. The first fight I was injured and I only had stamina for 5 rounds, but it was my first big title fight so I did it…

Anson Wainwright – Who was your hero growing up? Who do you rate as the best fighter in the World today?

Sebastian Zbik – Manny Pacquiao – I like his style of boxing.

Anson Wainwright – What do you like to do away from Boxing?

Sebastian Zbik – Umm let me think about it after my sports career. Maybe I visit a university in order to study sports science?

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

Sebastian Zbik – Let’s make big bouts! I m ready for it.

Thanks for your time Sebastian.

Much appreciated!

Anson Wainwright

15rounds.com

Superstar Manny Pacquiao sings with his band Wednesday night after the press conference today for his upcoming mega fight against three-time world champion Antonio Margarito on Saturday, November 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington,Texas. Pacquiao vs Margarito is promoted by Top Rank in association with MP Promotions and Cowboys Stadium. The Pacquiao vs Margarito telecast will be available live on HBO Pay Per View

Photos by Chris Farina / Top Rank

CLICK TO ORDER THE FIGHT
When sixty-five people make a Trans-Atlantic trip with the sole purpose of watching two fighters each make their professional debut, the fighters must have something special to offer the boxing world.

On Friday night, at Schuetzen Park in North Bergen, New Jersey, identical twins Scotty “Spade Ace” Burrell and Deano “Bad Newz” Burrell will each forego their amateur status and start fighting for pay.

In a sport full of compelling stories, the Burrell twins’ tale can be found atop the list.

Born in Queens, New York, the brothers — who are of Jamaican descent — moved to London, England when they were just two years old. Twenty years later, after storming through the English amateur scene, they have returned to New York to pursue their fistic careers here in the States.

Once back in the city where they were born, the twins found themselves training in Brooklyn’s famous Gleason’s Gym under the tutelage of the great Hector Roca.

“Hector is a legendary trainer,” Deano said. “He’s helped us with the way we think, making sure we stay calm, different defenses, footwork, all around, he has tweaked a little bit of everything.”

Scotty chimed in, “He didn’t try to change our style, but he [corrects] the mistakes that we make.”

With Roca by their side, the two will embark on their professional journeys when they fight in two separate four round bouts at the featherweight division. Scotty Burrell is slated to square off with Sidell Blocker, while Deano will duke it out with Noel Escobera.

Though the sixty-five passionate fans traveling across the pond from England to North Bergen know just what to expect from the highly touted twins, most in attendance will be seeing the Burrell brothers for the first time.

What they should expect is a healthy mix of speed, power, and ring generalship.

“Both of us are boxer-punchers,” Scotty said. “We’re quick. We can move when we need to move and we can fight when we need to fight.”

Adding to that, Deano said, “We’re elusive. We’re poised. We hit and don’t get hit.”

When speaking with the Burrell twins, it is easy to see why they have garnered such a following overseas. Besides being well-spoken and personable, it is clear that they take great pride in their craft, understanding that hard-work and dedication outside of the ring will ultimately dictate one’s performance inside it.

“On Friday we’re going to give one-hundred percent,” Deano said. “We’re going to put on a good show and we’re going to win.”

“We’re both confident and in good shape,” Scotty proclaimed. “It’s going to be an entertaining night and hopefully we’ll get two knockouts.”

If that’s the case, for the sixty-five people making the journey from London to North Bergen, they can consider this trip money well-spent.

—

On Friday night November 12th, Paterson New Jersey’s “Ghanian Gladiator” Ossie Duran, 24-8-2, 9 KO’s will take on Matt “The Predator” Vanda, 43-11, 23 KO’s who fights out of Saint Paul, Minnesota. This 10-round junior middleweight bout will set the tone for a card featuring fighters who take great pride in the fact that they do not turn down fights and they come to fight 100% every time out. “Rumble in the Park” will take place at Schuetzen Park in North Bergen, New Jersey.

The night of boxing will feature Newark, New Jersey’s Jr. middleweight prospect and 2000 Olympian Jersen “Superjerz” Ravelo, 20-5, 12 KOs, and “The Brick City Spoiler,” world ranked lightweight, Carlos Vinan, 10-8-4, 2 KOs. Exciting, well-known prospects will both make their pro debut, Deano “Bad Newz” Burrell and Scotty “Spade Ace” Burrell. Local favorite, KEA Boxing’s Juan Rodgriguez, 4-0, 2 KOs will also be fighting in addition to three other bouts. The girls of www.Roundcardmodels.com will also be featured.

Tickets for “Rumble in the Park” are priced at $100 and $45 and can be purchased by calling 201-774-1646. Doors open at 6:30 pm, first bout is at 7:30 pm.

CLICK TO ORDER THE FIGHT

CLICK TO ORDER THE FIGHT

ARLINGTON, Tex. – Unless the weekend’s combatants come to blows on the dais itself, Wednesday press conferences usually are dull affairs. Television executives, beer sponsors, secondary and tertiary promoters, personal trainers, all, read rehearsed remarks to writers who patiently await lunch. Business as usual.

The president of a sanctioning body, though, can be a refreshingly different story – as the media learned at Cowboys Stadium.

Wednesday afternoon in the final pre-fight press conference Filipino Manny Pacquiao and Mexican Antonio Margarito will have to attend before their Friday weigh-in, the president of the World Boxing Council, Jose Sulaiman, made his way to the podium and stole the show. More about Mr. Sulaiman in a bit.

Pacquiao and Margarito and their entourages gathered in the “House that Jerry Built” – though the builder, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, was not present – to say one last time that they were ready for one another.

Pacquiao, introduced by promoter Bob Arum as “the greatest credit, in our era, to the history of boxing,” presented his customarily likable self, filled with a gracious smile, words of thanks for everyone gathered, and a becoming humility that has not changed one bit throughout his rise to international prominence.

His opponent in Saturday’s superfight, Antonio Margarito, cut a grimmer figure. Exonerated fully by his promoter, if no one else, for the illegal inserts found in his hand wraps before a 2009 fight with Shane Mosley, Margarito and his team have recently acted several times in questionable taste. There was the footage of Margarito wrapping a piece of concrete over his knuckles during the second episode of HBO’s “24/7” series. And now footage of several people, from Margarito’s camp, imitating the effects of Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach’s Parkinson’s disease has surfaced on YouTube.

Margarito trainer Robert Garcia spoke at the podium about this, Wednesday, saying that he had admonished his fighters about inappropriate behavior like that in his gym. He further explained that one of his fighters claimed not to know even that Roach has Parkinson’s disease. Garcia did not, however, simply turn a few degrees to his right and offer an apology to Roach.

Freddie Roach, for his part, did not address the Margarito camp at all, preferring to focus on Congressman Pacquiao’s initial distractions.

“Little bit of a different training camp this time,” Roach said from the podium. “Just a little bit mental at first. (Pacquiao) wasn’t 100 percent there.”

But things did apparently improve when the camp relocated from the Philippines to California, and Roach saw no reason for concern.

All of those statements, though, were preceded by Jose Sulaiman, president of the WBC. Dressed in a silver suit with a white shirt and blue tie, Sulaiman ambled to the podium, apologized for his English and then offered Wednesday’s most entertaining spectacle.

He asked who could have imagined, way back in a time of short pants, that his friend Bob Arum would grow to become boxing’s “greatest promoter.” When that title was inadequate, Sulaiman then announced the WBC’s annual convention had just voted, unanimously, to declare that “in the 300-year history of the WBC,” Arum was one of boxing’s “two greatest promoters.” And then Sulaiman presented to Arum a curious piece of hardware that appeared to be a gray figurine balanced on green felt.

Finding his stride, Sulaiman next explained the colors of his suit. In a nod to Cowboys Stadium, Sulaiman declared not just himself but also his family “Cowboys.” He raised his blue tie and waved it at the media for dramatic effect before proclaiming the depth of his clan’s loyalty to Dallas’ professional football team:

“We cry when they lose, and we get drunk when they win!”

Friday’s Pacquiao-Margarito weigh-in will take place at Cowboys Stadium at 5:00 PM local time and will be open to the public.

Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank

Superstar Manny Pacquiao and three-time world champion Antonio Margarito are surrounded by the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders during the final press conference Wednesday for their upcoming mega fight on November 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington,Texas. Pacquiao vs Margarito is promoted by Top Rank in association with MP Promotions and Cowboys Stadium. The Pacquiao vs Margarito telecast will be available live on HBO Pay Per View.

Photos by Chris Farina / Top Rank

BROOKLYN, NY (November 10, 2010)—Two of the most recognizable names in the New York boxing scene in recent memory will headline a giant night of world class boxing on Saturday November 20th at the Aviator Sports Complex in Brooklyn, New York

World ranked Super Middleweight Curtis “Showtime” Stevens, and perennial Light Heavyweight contender Elvir Muriqi will headline the show that is promoted by Robert Diaz and Havoc Boxing Promotions.

Stevens, of the boxing hotbed of the Brownsville section of Brooklyn is one of the most feared punchers in the Super Middleweight division and has a record of 21-3 with fifteen knockouts.

Stevens started out his career as one of the most ballyhooed prospects in boxing as he racked up thirteen straight victories with eleven knockouts. After suffering a controversial stoppage defeat to veteran Marcos Primera, Stevens scored a eight round unanimous decision in the rematch that took place four months later.

After winning four consecutive bouts, Stevens dropped a ten round unanimous decision to former U.S. Olympian Andre Dirrell in a bout that was shown on HBO.

Stevens went on to win four consecutive bouts which included a three round pounding over then undefeated Piotr Wilczewski (22-0) in front of predominantly Polish crowd in Newark, New Jersey.

In Stevens last bout, he came out strong before dropping a twelve round unanimous decision to former member of the Contender Jesse Brinkley (34-5) in an IBF title elimination bout on January 29 in Brinkley’s hometown of Reno, Nevada.

Stevens currently ranked number five by the IBF.

Muriqi of New York via Kosovo has a record of 37-5 with twenty-three knockouts and will be back in the ring after a thirteen month layoff.

Muriqi won his first thirteen bouts before suffering a suffering controversial loss to Dan Sheehan on March 24, 2000.

Muriqi went on to win seventeen straight fights which included signature victories over Sam Ahmad (16-2-3) & Tony Menefee (77-19-1).

After a run where Muriqi went 4-2, he challenged former undisputed Light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver.

Muriqi fought a valiant fight against the heavily favored Tarver only to fall short by a razor thin majority decision.

Muriqi has gone 3-1 since with his only defeat being a twelve round unanimous decision to former world champion Clinton Woods in Woods hometown in England.

Muriqi is on a two fight winning streak with his latest outing being a 2nd round stoppage over Tiwon Taylor on October 10, 2009 in Greensboro, North Carolina.

A terrific undercard featuring the brightest prospects in New York area has been assembled:

In eight round Light Heavyweight bout featuring Brooklyn undefeated Heavyweights, Will Rosinsky (12-0, 7 KO’s) will take on Yasin Rashid (7-0, 2 KO’s)

Joselito Collodo (11-0, 3 KO’s) will take part in a eight round Featherweight bout against an opponent to be named.

Undefeated Cruiserweight Stivins Bujac (2-0, 2 KO’s) of New York will fight a four round Cruiserweight bout against an opponent to be named.

Undefeated Light Heavyweight Seanie Monaghan (3-0, 2 KO’s) of Long Island, NY will take on Maurice Amaro (1-3) of Philadelphia

U.S. Army Captain, Boyd Melson of Brooklyn will make his pro debut against Andrew Jones (0-1-1) of Buffalo, NY in a four round Jr. Middleweight bout.

Popular Lightweight, Shemuel Pagan (1-0) of Brooklyn will battle Emil Brooks (0-1) of Buffalo in a four round bout.

In a four round Light Heavyweight bout, Joel Castillo (5-0, 3 KO’s) will see action in a four round Light Heavyweight bout

In a four round Featherweight bout, Allan Phalen will make his pro debut against Joshua Arocho (0-2) of Kissimmee, Florida.

There will be a press conference on Wednesday November 17th at 2pm at Portobello’s Pizzeria at 83 Murray Street between Greenwich and West Broadway in New York City

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
New Legend Boxing Club (718) 487 4474 or
www.havocboxingnyc.com

The Aviator Sports Complex is located at:

3159 Flatbush Ave – Brooklyn, N.Y. 11234

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

CLICK TO ORDER THE FIGHT
(November 10, 2010-East Norriton, PA) KEA Boxing’s welterweight sensation, Juan “The Beast” Rodriguez (4-0, 2KO’s) is ready to put his undefeated record on the line Friday night at Schuetzen Park in North Bergen, New Jersey. The hard hitting prospect from Union City, New Jersey will look to show the fans in North Bergen the explosive nature of “The Beast” when he tangles with Salim Al Quaadir (1-2) in what is scheduled to be the last four rounder of his career.

In his last bout, Rodriguez pounded out a majority decision victory over a very defensive minded counter puncher by the name of Marqus “Goose” Jackson (2-3, 2KO’s). Though Juan won the fight, he was disappointed in his performance. “My grandmother passed before the fight and I really lost focus,” said Rodriguez. She helped to raise me and I was really close to her. It showed in the ring as I abandoned everything I was taught to do and swung wildly for the knockout,” noted Rodriguez. “My punches became wide and it allowed Jackson to stay in the fight.”

“I immediately went right back in the gym and worked on tightening up my shots. My power is back! I am in fantastic shape and ready to show the world my true talents come Friday night,” exclaimed Rodriquez. “You won’t want to miss this one!!!”

The main event of the evening is an important ten round junior middleweight crossroads battle between Matt “The Predator” Vanda (43-11, 23KO’s) and Ossie “The Ghanaian Gladiator” Duran (24-8-2, 9KO’s).

The Gulf Stream Promotions card appropriately titled “Rumble in the Park” will feature some of the top local and regional talent matched tough. Presently scheduled for the card are 2000 Olympian and New Jersey junior middleweight sensation Jerson Ravelo (20-5, 12 KO’s), “The Brick City Spoiler” and world ranked lightweight Carlos Vinan (10-8-4, 2KO), as well as undefeated Peruvian knockout artist and North Bergen’s own junior welterweight Juan Zegarra (5-0, 5KO’s). Two highly touted local amateur featherweight prospects are scheduled to make their professional debuts as Scotty “Spade Ace” Burrell and Deano “Bad Newz” Burrell rumble in separate bouts.

Tickets for this explosive night of action are set at $100 and $45 and can be purchased by calling 201-774-1646.

Doors open at 6:30PM. First bout is scheduled for 7:30PM.

Former U.S. Olympian and undefeated Welterweight, Sadam Ali talks about his knockout win over Gary Bergeron

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Undefeated Jr. Welterweight Adrien Broner discusses his first round stoppage over IIlido Julio and future plans

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For Zab Judah, Saturday night was supposed to showcase to the world that he had regained championship form; it was supposed to be a night that stamped Judah as a legitimate contender in boxing’s deepest division. But as his fight with Lucas Matthysse entered its latter stages, it was clear that “Super” Judah was going to have to grind this one out — not only for a win, but for his relevancy in the sport.

The Brooklyn native didn’t look as sharp as in his two past fights with Ubaldo Hernandez and Jose Armando Santa Cruz, fights that led many to believe there was a new, old Zab Judah on the boxing scene. Although racking up 10 point rounds early, mostly behind effective jab-work, Judah failed to find the same rhythm that he found in his recent bouts.

He had a hard time uncovering and creating openings that would allow him to throw the power punches many at ringside thought would end the fight in the mid to late rounds. In fact, Judah ended up throwing just 138 power punches to his counterpart’s 418.

For much of the fight, Zab kept his left-arm coiled and tucked at his side, waiting patiently for the right time to throw his signature left uppercut. Those times were few and far between, as “Super” Judah was left with no other choice but to continue scoring with snapping jabs.

Perhaps he was thrown off by the fact that Matthysse was actually boxing him, as opposed to looking for the fistic home run. Although Judah’s Argentinian counterpart threw plenty of ill-intentioned straight rights at him, many believed that would be the only thing Matthysse was going to do, throw punches in bunches and try to stop Zab. That wasn’t the case, however, as Matthyse moved around the ring, content with landing crackling body punches to Judah’s midsection whenever the opportunity presented itself.

If Judah was a bit surprised by Matthysse’s strategy, credit Gabriel Sarmiento for that. Sarmiento, who serves as the primary trainer of Sergio Martinez, was in Matthysse’s corner for the fight. While Luis “Cuty” Barrera holds the title as Matthysse’s head trainer, it was Sarmiento barking out the orders when the Argentinian returned to the stool during the one minute intermissions. He encouraged more movement and boxing, and assured his fighter that the body punches were going to pay off.

Matthysse’s plan from the get-go was to wear down Judah with a steady stream of body punches — he said so himself in the pre-fight press conference. On Saturday, Matthysse executed his strategy to the best of his ability and it was clear that Judah was fading during the later rounds.

The heavy-handed Argentinian stuck to his commitment to wail away at Judah’s body, a commitment that seemed to have paid off in round ten when Matthysse hurt Judah with a straight right then followed up with one more, dropping Judah.

Down to one-knee, Judah rose to his feet to beat the ten count, and within a matter of seconds, landed a few of his own power punches to momentarily stop Matthysse in his tracks.

Judah ate a few more straight rights, and absorbed some more punishment to the body before the final bell sounded, but all of Matthysse’s efforts in the second half of the fight were not enough to capture the victory in Newark. One judge saw the bout in the Argentine’s favor, scoring it 114-113 for Matthysse while two judges agreed on the score 114-113 for Judah, awarding the Brooklyn-bred fighter the split decision victory.

After the fight, Judah admitted that being on the receiving end of Matthysse’s punches was no walk in the park.

“He is the strongest fighter I’ve ever fought,” Judah said during the post-fight press conference. “The dude was punching like he had cinder blocks in his gloves.”

While Judah insisted that he was pleased with his performance and the successful training camp that enabled him to battle the full thirty-six minutes with Matthysse, he did acknowledge that this fight was not his best.

“Everybody boos and says whatever because they are so used to seeing me dominate guys for so long,” Judah said at the post fight press conference. “Can I have a bad day one time? I’m only human.”

The Judah hype train may have left the station prematurely. A performance like Saturday night’s against any of the A-List 140 pounders would undoubtedly have resulted in a loss for “Super” Judah. Amir Khan, Devon Alexander, Marcos Maidana, and Timothy Bradley all would have bested Zab on this night.

But while this performance didn’t turn any heads, it doesn’t mean his next one won’t. With another IBF title eliminator likely on the horizon versus Kaizer Mabuza, Judah will once again have the opportunity to convince the boxing world that he is back in championship form.

Whether his next fight is against Mabuza or not; whether it is Newark, New York, or South Africa, one thing is for certain: the 2010 version of Zab Judah will be fully prepared to fight. The days of two-week training camps are long gone. This version of Judah is more mature and humble; more focused and more determined. The new, old Zab will give it one hundred and ten percent.

And at the end of the day, that’s all we can ask of boxers, right?

Photo By Claudia Bocanegra

A standing-room-only crowd of media and fans showed up to see superstar Manny Pacquiao during media day Tuesday. Pacquiao takes on three-time world champion Antonio Margarito on November 13, at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington,Texas. Pacquiao vs Margarito is promoted by Top Rank in association with MP Promotions and Cowboys Stadium

A standing-room-only crowd of media and fans showed up to see three-time world champion Antonio Margarito during media day Tuesday. Margarito takes on superstar Manny Pacquio on November 13, at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington,Texas. Pacquiao vs Margarito is promoted by Top Rank in association with MP Promotions and Cowboys Stadium. The Pacquiao vs Margarito telecast will be available live on HBO Pay Per View.

Superstar Manny Pacquiao runs early in the morning Tuesday after arriving in Dallas late last night. Pacquiao takes on three-time world champion Antonio Margarito on November 13, at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington,Texas. Pacquiao vs Margarito is promoted by Top Rank in association with MP Promotions and Cowboys Stadium. The Pacquiao vs Margarito telecast will be available live on HBO Pay Per View

Superstar Manny Pacquiao and wife Jinkee(R) get ready to board his chartered “Air Pacquiao” American Airlines 757 enroute to Dallas Monday night. Pacquiao takes on three-time world champion Antonio Margarito on November 13, at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington,Texas. Pacquiao vs Margarito is promoted by Top Rank in association with MP Promotions and Cowboys Stadium. The Pacquiao vs Margarito telecast will be available live on HBO Pay Per View.

Photos by Chris Farina / Top Rank

Superstar Manny Pacquiao hits the double end bag at the Wildcard Boxing Club Monday. Pacquiao takes on three-time world champion Antonio Margarito on November 13, at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington,Texas. Pacquiao vs Margarito is promoted by Top Rank in association with MP Promotions and Cowboys Stadium. The Pacquiao vs Margarito telecast will be available live on HBO Pay Per View

Photos by Chris Farina / Top Rank

It’s been a busy year for Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios and it just got even busier. Originally scheduled to fight on the “In Harms Way” card on 4 December in Anaheim, Ca instead Rios has been promoted to fight on the huge Pacquiao-Margarito card in Dallas on Saturday. Rios 24, entered 2010 as a prospect and if he can secure his third win of the year he’ll exit it as a contender very much in line to face the winner of Humberto Soto-Urbano Antillon for the WBC title in early 2011. So far this year he has beaten Jorge Luis Teron KO3 & Anthony Peterson DQ7 who’s combined records were 53-1-1(36). Here’s what Rios had to say.

Hello Brandon, welcome to 15rounds.com

Anson Wainwright – Things have changed for you over the last week, it seems now that you will face Omri Lowther on 13 Novermber. What can you tell us about this situation and how it came about?

Brandon Rios – Well Kelly Pavlik pulled out with an injured rib. I guess Bob Arum and the people at Top Rank who I’d like to thank for giving me the opportunity for mentioning my name and giving me the opportunity to fight on a card like this. So I’m blessed. I was ready for December 4, preparing myself but fortunately they brought up my name and they want me to fight on this card. I’m ready, I’ve been I the gym since my last fight with Anthony Peterson. So it’s not like I’m not in shape. I’m ready to fight.

Anson Wainwright – You had a terrific win back in September when you beat Anthony Peterson via Seventh round disqualification. What are your thoughts on that fight looking back?

Brandon Rios – I just did a tremendous job, I did what my corner told me to do. I just followed the game plan. From there I dominated the fight and I think I did it in good fashion and good way to show people I’m one of the Lightweight contenders out there. Hopefully i can fight for a world championship next year or something.

Anson Wainwright – Looking at Anthony Peterson in that fight, do you think he was looking for a way out and got himself disqualified because he knew on the night you were going to stop him?

Brandon Rios – I think that too, I think that was his way to get out of the fight. He hadn’t been knocked down or out before and I dropped him in the fifth round. He’d never been dropped or knocked out so he figured I’ve already been knocked down, I don’t want to get knocked out so I’ll take myself out of the game. So he threw low blows, low blows that’s what I think he did.

Anson Wainwright – It’s been a huge year for you, you’ve moved from prospect to Contender. What do you think has clicked for you?

Brandon Rios – What helped me out a lot too was finding my motivation in the ring and determination is my wife. She’s been helping me out a lot keeping me out of trouble a lot. Not only that, I’m taking training really serious this time. I’m not like I used to be. I messed around with people go home get in trouble. I’ve turned my life around and I see training pays off. If you train right you can make good adjustments in the ring and outside the ring. So lately I’ve done my work and my wife has helped me out a lot. I give everything up to her.

Anson Wainwright – Your next scheduled to fight against Omri Lowther what do you know about him?

Brandon Rios – I’ve seen some video’s of him the other day and we have tape of him. I know he’s an awkward fighter, quick hands and moves a lot. We’re going to be ready and prepare for that fight.

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

Brandon Rios – My manager is Cameron Dunkin. Robert Garcia is my trainer then I’m promoted by Top Rank. I have other team like my assistant Paco Navarro there part of my team and another guy Javier Garcia their all in the guy with me constantly helping me out. They help me with what’s wrong, what’s right, my weights, they help me with everything. My wife is my nutritionalist so she takes care of my food. I train at Robert Garcia Boxing Academy, Team Grandpa.

Anson Wainwright – You lived in Garden City, Kansas when you were young, can you tell us about your early days?

Brandon Rios – Well I was born in Texas but I grew up all my life in Garden City, Kansas that’s my home town and back there I had a lot of trouble. Now that stuff is over I’m looking forward to the future. I go back for a week or two then comeback before when I was getting in trouble I used to go back for a month or two get in trouble go to court, have to pay fines and stuff like that. Now I am looking to the future, my daughter is on the way. So I’m looking forward to being with her now.

Anson Wainwright – We touched on in in some of the other questions but getting married has helped you settle down in a big way. How is married life treating you?

Brandon Rios – Well today married life is going great. We still haven’t lost that love since we fell in love the first time. Everybody has different relationships but I can say I love being married right now. Everything she does for me is great. She loves the sport that I do, she’s in love with the sport that I do. She’s a great girl. She helped me out with a lot of things in the ring and outside the ring. I have no complaints, she’s an awesome girl. She’s very smart.

Anson Wainwright – What can you tell us about what you like to do away from Boxing?

Brandon Rios – When I’m not training I go to the gym and see the kids train. I stay at home and me and my wife we go to the movies or we’ll have a romantic dinner something like that. mainly just stay with my wife and family now we’re waiting for my daughter to come. Last time we were getting the nursery ready buying stuff.

Anson Wainwright – You have a big cross town rivalry with Victor Ortiz, what can you tell us about how that is today and about that situation?

Brandon Rios – Well I don’t know the situation today. What I said before is I’m still ready to do it if he is. It’s just a long story between me and him, it’s a blood bath. Bad blood between each other and you know hopefully they make the fight happen if they don’t we’ll see what happens in the future. If he keeps winning like he has been and if I keep doing what I’m doing you never know it could be Vargas-De La Hoya 2! Haha

Anson Wainwright – Which one would you be out of those two?

Brandon Rios – This time Vargas will come out with the victory!

Anson Wainwright – Your in camp with Antonio Margarito he’s fight Manny Pacquiao. What’s it like having someone like him to learn from?

Brandon Rios – It’s a blessing, I’m glad he came to the gym and show what it takes to be a champion and the way he trains is unbelievable. He trains like he’s never been a champion before and he wants to become one. He has so much desire to become champion again. It’s the same, if you see him work it’s crazy, he’s 110% in shape. He’s ready, he’s ready to rock and roll, he’s ready to be champ again. He’s ready to show the world who he was and all the false things they said about his hands. He’s ready to show the world Antonio “The Tijuana Tornado” Margarito is back again.

Anson Wainwright – How do you see the fight going?

Brandon Rios – A late round stoppage between 8 and 12 rounds. To me Margarito throws punches from ever angle, he keeps coming, he’s like a Tornado it’s the perfect name it suits him. He keeps throwing punches from different angles, different sides everywhere. It’s like there’s 3 guys in there fighting you.

Anson Wainwright – What fighters growing up did you look up to?

Brandon Rios – I always looked up to Julio Cesar Chavez Snr and I looked up to Marco Antonio Barrera and I looked up to Chico Corrales and Arturo Gatti. I resemble a bit of everybody I kept looking at there styles the way they fight. I was in camp with Barrera and picked up some stuff he taught me and they helped out a lot and I thank him for teaching me. I was in camp with them for like two months. It was awesome training with a World champion, being a sparring partner.

Anson Wainwright – Barrera is with Top Rank like yourself, is that a fight you would like? Or do you think this guy is one of my idols and it’s not something I’d like to do now?

Brandon Rios – It’s business in the ring. If we had a fight, I’d fight him. But outside the ring he’s my hero, one of the idols I look up too. I’ll be his friend no matter what. I have respect for him but when I’m in the ring that goes out of the window. It’s my career verses his career.

Anson Wainwright – What fight would you most like today?

Brandon Rios – The fight i want most today is Humberto Soto, “La Zorrita” he’s fights on December 4. He defends his title with Antillon. Hopefully we can make it happen instead of moving up in weight, i really want to fight him. If not there’s the winner of Marquez-Katsidis. I’m ready to take on these type of fights.

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

Brandon Rios – Thank you for the support, thank you for following my career. People who don’t know me hopefully can tune in on Saturday and see me fight.

Thanks for your time Brandon, keep up the good work.

Anson Wainwright
15rounds.com

Undefeated Welterweight Mike Jones works out for his showdown with Jesus Soto Karass on the Manny Pacquiao – Antonio Margarito card

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Undefeated Mike Jones talks about his showdown with Jesus Soto Karass on the Manny Pacquiao – Antonio Margarito card

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

Scott Carson Rips Into ‘Keyboard Warriors’
And Vows ‘To Shut Them Up’

NEW YORK (Nov. 8, 2010) – STRIKEFORCE formally announced that legendary football superstar and unbeaten MMA fighter, Herschel Walker (1-0), of Wrightsville, Ga., will be opposed by Scott Carson (4-1), of Lake Forest, Calif., in a featured heavyweight matchup on Saturday, Dec. 4, at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).

The 6-foot-1 inch Walker, the 1982 Heisman Trophy winner and a 1999 College Hall of Fame inductee, holds a fifth degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and boasts additional training in the combat disciplines of Muay Thai and Kenpo. He has been honing his MMA skills at world-renowned American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in San Jose, Calif., under head trainers Bob Cook and Javier Mendez.

The remarkable Walker, 48, will be making his first start since winning his pro debut with a unanimous three-round decision over Greg Nagy on Jan. 30, 2010, at STRIKEFORCE: Miami on SHOWTIME.

So, who is Scott Carson?

“I’ll tell you one thing. I’m a lot better fighter than the one I’ve been reading about on the Internet,’’ Carson said. “This is a huge deal for me, a tremendous opportunity, but you’d think I was nothing going off what has been written by some of these keyboard warriors, who I doubt have ever stepped in a cage. It’s a lot easier to sit in front of a computer and talk (stuff) than it is to actually fight.

“I am trying to take it all in stride, but I have no idea why some people are talking so negatively without ever having seen me. They don’t know me. I’m pretty well-rounded with good standup and wrestling.

“They say I’m old at 40 but I don’t feel 40 and I certainly don’t look 40. I think I look 30 and I’m in great shape. I’m ripped, just like Herschel.

“I’m going to be more ready for Dec. 4 than I have been for any other fight. I plan to shut up all the critics, each and every one of them. Let them write something factual after they’ve seen me on Dec. 4.

“I’m really excited about fighting a great athlete like Herschel. I’m training every day. But the fact that some people aren’t giving me a chance is only giving me extra motivation. This is going to be a great fight.’’

The 6-foot-2-inch Carson turned pro in September 1999 and won his initial four starts through June 2001. He is a former WEC veteran who scored a first-round submission victory over Bryson Haubrick at the very first WEC event.

After being sidelined with a back injury and due to several scheduled fights falling out, Carson didn’t return to the cage until last June 12 in Los Angeles. A member of Reign Training Center in Lake Forest, he got knocked out in the first round by undefeated Lorenz Martin (3-0 going in, 5-0 now).

“I was out a long time because of my back and I did rehab for a while,’’ said Carson, who trained for years with Chuck Liddell before he joined Reign Training Center in Lake Forest. “I never thought much about not fighting again; I always wanted to come back.

“But I couldn’t do anything until I was 100 percent. Once I got healthy again, I got better the more I trained. I’ve helped a lot of guys get ready for fights while waiting for my chance. I had a few fights lined up before my last fight, but they all fell out for one reason or another.’’

The comebacking Carson makes no excuses for his last start, his first in nine years.

“It got to the point for the longest time that all I did was train,’’ he said. “Then, the next thing we know, I’m fighting. I felt good going into that fight but just got caught. It can happen to anybody.’’

In the main event of a stacked card on STRIKEFORCEC’s return to Scottrade Center, MMA superstar Dan Henderson (25-8) of Temecula, Calif., faces former STRIKEFORCE light heavyweight world champion Renato “Babalu” Sobral (36-8) of Brazil in a collision of world-class 205-pounders.

Other televised fights: Former world heavyweight champion Antonio “Big Foot’’ Silva (14-2), of Coconut Creek, Fla., by way of Brazil, faces the older brother of STRIKEFORCE heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem, Valentijn “The Python’’ Overeem (28-23), of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Paul “Semtex’’ Daley (25-9-2) of Nottingham, England, meets power puncher Scott “Hands Of Steel’ Smith (17-7, 1 NC), of Elk Grove, Calif., in a battle of explosive welterweights (170 pounds) and exciting local favorite “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (17-6, 1 NC), of Granite City, Ill., takes on 2000 Olympic Games silver medalist Matt “The Law” Lindland (22-7) of Oregon City, Ore., in a middleweight (185 pounds) scrap.

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

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

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

Rico Ramos remained undefeated with a devastating one punch knockout over veteran Heriberto Ruiz at 1:03 of round two of their scheduled ten round Super Bantamweight bout in front of U.S Army members at Camp Lejuene, North Carolina.

Ramos landed perfect right that knocked Ramos, who was trying to land his own wide right hand, out with a perfectly placed shoton the chin.

Ramos, 123 1/2 lbs of Downey, CA is now 18-0 with ten knockouts. Ruiz, 122 1/2 lbs of Los Mochis, Mexico is now 44-10-2.

Former U.S. Olympian looked to be on his way to his tenth straight knockout as he dropped Tony Hirsch midway through the first round of their scheduled six round Super Middleweight fight but Hirsch showed courage but it was Estrada who walked away with the unanimous decision in the Super Middleweight bout.

Estrada dropped Hirsch with a left hook and Hirsch was in trouble but held on to get out of round one. Hirsch fought well in spots and Estrada was even cut over his left eye from an appear ant headbutt. Estrada took the latter rounds to win by scores of 59-54; 59-54 and 58-55

Estrada, 163 1/4 lbs of East Los Angeles is 10-0. Hirsch, 160 1/4 lbs of Oakland, CA is 12-4-1.

41 Years Old? Dropping an Extra 7 Lbs.? These are mere numbers for

GLEN JOHNSON

He’s been called The Gentleman, The Road Warrior and The Hardest Man in Boxing.

Now, Johnson is being called a Super Six Semifinalist.

Hear his story, through his words, as Glen explains why – above all – he is a fighter.

Last Saturday, SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING delivered an unforgettable doubleheader: Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Rafael Marquez & Allan Green vs. Glen Johnson.

Don’t miss a replay of Saturday night’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast, TOMORROW, Tuesday, Nov. 9 at 10p on SHO2!

Lopez, coming in as the young champion with a questionable chin, silenced the critics with a career-defining performance. Battling through Marquez’ hellacious onslaught, Lopez retaliated with his own signature power shots and retained his WBO Featherweight World Championship with an 8th round TKO—the 27th KO of his 30-fight career.

Johnson, a veteran at 41-years old, out worked the younger Green (31) to capture the last coveted Semifinal spot in the Super Six World Boxing Classic. His knockout win shook up the tournament standings by vaulting Johnson into a tie for second place with Arthur Abraham. Abraham meets fourth-place Carl Froch on Saturday, Nov. 27 to determine the seeding for the Semifinals