Photos by Chris Farina / Top Rank

Photos by Chris Farina / Top Rank

Antonin Decarie scored a ten round unanimous decision over fringe contender Shamone Alvarez in a welterweight bout at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada.

Alvarez has some success early as he moved in and out and got through with some left hands. Decarie started taking over as early as round three has began to get through with some good right hands. In round five, Decarie sent Alvarez to the canvas with one of those sharp rights and again sent Alvarez down at the end of round eight eight. The plethora of right hands opened up a cut over the left eye of Alvarez. Alvarez was not much of a threat heading down the stretch as the native son Decarie performed well in his first major headlining appearance.

Decarie, 147 lbs of Laval, Canada won by scores of 99-89; 98-90; and 97-91 to raise his record to 25-1. Alvarez, 147 lbs of Atlantic City, NJ is now 21-4.

Jo Jo Dan scored a sixth round technical decision over former world champion Steve Forbed when a headbutt opened up a nasty cut over the left eye of Forbes.

Dan scored well with some decent shots while Forbes tried to work the body. In round six, Forbed came forward and two fighters clashed heads that opened up the cut and the fight was stopped.

Dan, 146 1/2 lbs of Montreal won by scores of 58-56 of all cards and is now 28-1. Forbes, 147 lbs of Detroit is 35-9.

Ghislum Maduma remained undefeated with a four round unanimous decision over Isaac Bejarano in a Lightweight bout.

Maduma dominated the action with an assortment of punches against a tough but overmateched Bejarano.

Maduma, 133 lbs of Montreal won by scores of 40-34; 40-36 to go to 3-0. Bejarano, 135 lbs of Ciudad, Mexico is now 9-9-1.

Former national amateur standout Guy Robb of Sacramento, California hopes to have the opportunity to showcase his boxing skills tonight at the Fairfield Sports Center in Fairfield, California. His ability to do such hinges on his overweight opponent not gaining any additional weight before a pre-fight weight check this morning. Should things go as hoped, local fight fans will get to see one of the area’s top prospects for the first time as a professional.

Robb (1-0, 1 KO) turned pro back in October with a first-round demolition of Jose Pacheco at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California on a card promoted by Gary Shaw Productions. “He looked fantastic,” says Ray Woods, Robb’s trainer, recalling his debut performance. Robb’s manager Repo Ric liked what he saw as well, but feels the two minutes the bout lasted was not enough time for the Sacramento native to show all that he had. “After five fights, I am taking him back home to Gary Shaw,” said Repo, confident the promoter will be even more impressed the second time around.

Robb was ranked near the top of the 125-pound weight class by USA Boxing for much of his amateur career, which was highlighted by a title victory at the 2008 Ringside World Championships. “It’s too early to start talking about it, but I think he is going to be a top notch fighter,” says Woods. “All he needs is time and experience.”

In order to get a young fighter experience, it is the job of his team to line up fights that will challenge him progressively. In Omar Sanchez (0-1), Robb’s team feels they have a fighter that could possibly extend Robb some rounds and give him a good fight. “I want rounds, and I watched Sanchez’ fight with [local prospect Maximilliano] Becerra,” said Woods. “He’s the type of kid that will be tough, but I don’t think that he could beat us.”

At Thursday’s weigh-in, Robb weighed in at 132-pounds. Sanchez, who fights out of Fairfield, came in overweight at 138-pounds. Sanchez did not want to lose the two pounds required to make the contracted weight of 136. Eventually a deal was struck between the camps that Sanchez would not gain a pound before a morning weight check, which kept the fight alive.

“I’m not worried about the weight too much,” says Robb. “I’m just glad to have an opponent. I am tired of having fights cancelled. While Robb expects the fight to go through, he would not be surprised if Sanchez did not live up to his end either. “It’s a possibility,” said Robb. “They don’t look like they want the fight like I do.”

Tonight’s event, which will be televised by Telefutura, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Don Chargin Productions, Jorge Marron Productions and Paco Presents. The event is expected to be a sell out. If any tickets remain, they will be available for purchase at the door.

WHO: STRIKEFORCE and DREAM Heavyweight World Champion Alistair Overeem

WHERE: ESPN2

WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 10, at Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT

WHAT: Interview on MMA LIVE Thursday on ESPN2

The STRIKEFORCE and DREAM Heavyweight Champion will discuss, among other things, the STRIKEFORCE Grand Prix – Heavyweight Tournament that begins this Saturday, Feb. 12, at IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J., live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).

In Saturday’s main event, Fedor Emelianenko (31-2, 1 NC) faces Antonio “Big Foot” Silva (15-2) in a STRIKEFORCE and M-1 GLOBAL co-promoted event. The opening quarterfinal on the telecast will match former world champion Andrei Arlovski (15-8) against Russian star Sergei Kharitonov (16-4).

The other two quarterfinal matchups in a three-stage, single-elimination tournament will take place at a site and date to be announced. Overeem (34-11, 1 NC) will face the only man to tap out Fedor, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist Fabricio Werdum (14-4-1), and hard-hitting Brett “The Grim” Rogers (11-2) will be opposed by Josh Barnett (29-5).

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that Nathan Cleverly will battle Juergan Brahemer for a Light Heavyweight belt on April 2nd at Wembley Arena in London.

“I’m delighted that I’ve been able to secure home advantage for Nathan,” said Frank Warren. “It wasn’t cheap to get Brahmer over here, but it will be worth it because I really believe in Nathan and he has a big future ahead of him. It looked like the fight was going to go to purse bids, but we made a substantial offer the night before and it was enough to persuade Brahmer to say yes.”

“Nathan has worked incredibly hard for this opportunity, and waited patiently to get his shot,” Warren said. “He’s getting this fight at exactly the right time, and it could be a massive moment in his career. This is a huge fight. Brahmer is a proven champion and belongs at elite level, while Cleverly is young and hungry and could be the next big thing in the UK. Don’t forget that light-heavyweight is a very sexy division right now.

“You’ve got Chad Dawson, Bernard Hopkins, Tavoris Cloud and Jean Pascal out there, and Nathan has the chance to make a name for himself both here and in the [United] States.”

“I always thought that I would get my shot at Brahmer,” Cleverly said. “There was talk that he might be stripped or would vacate the title, but I never wanted that to happen. He’s the champion and the only way I would consider myself a true champion is if I took the belt from him, rather than picking up the vacant title. I’m going to take the fight to Brahmer, walk through him and give him some serious punishment. I feel that this fight has come at the perfect time for me and I want to make a big statement.

“You only have to take a look at Brahmer’s record to realize just how dangerous he will be. He’s a genuine champion and a genuine talent, but I think I have enough in my armory to beat him. Before my last fight I was only sparring amateurs, but this time around I’ve got some big professional cruiserweights in and I’ve been knocking them out. I’m going to significantly better against Braehmer than I was against Mohammedi, and I’m predicting a spectacular performance.”

NEW YORK (Feb. 10, 2011)—SHOWTIME Sports is producing a four-part documentary series titled FIGHT CAMP 360°: Pacquiao vs. Mosley to air on both CBS and SHOWTIME® that will give fight fans unprecedented access into the lives of boxing superstars Manny Pacquiao and “Sugar” Shane Mosley. The SHOWTIME critically acclaimed series will follow both fighters through their unique preparations leading up to the year’s biggest event on the boxing calendar—the forthcoming WBO welterweight championship clash and SHOWTIME PPV® blockbuster event on May 7 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

“This series will open a lot of eyes and surprise casual television viewers as well as boxing enthusiasts,” said Ken Hershman, Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports. “These athletes are global personalities that transcend sports, and their path to an event of this scope is complex, provocative and quite entertaining. From Pacquiao’s home and life as a Congressman in the Philippines to Mosley’s high-altitude training camp in Big Bear, Calif., and into the offices of Top Rank Inc. in Las Vegas, FIGHT CAMP 360°: Pacquiao vs. Mosley will turn a powerful backstage spotlight on this marquee boxing event.”

The series premieres on Saturday, April 2 on CBS (12:00 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT) before the network’s coverage of the Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship Final Four.

Below are the premiere dates and times for FIGHT CAMP 360° Pacquiao vs. Mosely

Episode 1 CBS Saturday, April 2 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT

Episode 1 SHO Saturday, April 16 10 p.m. ET/PT

Episode 2 SHO Saturday, April 23 10 p.m. ET/PT

Episode 3 CBS Saturday, April 30 8 p.m. ET/PT

Episode 4 SHO Friday, May 6 10 p.m. ET/PT

Episode 4 CBS Saturday, May 7 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT

FIGHT CAMP 360°: Pacquiao vs. Mosley will be available on SHOWTIME On Demand with multiple re-airings on SHO Extreme

FIGHT CAMP 360° launched in 2009 to follow the lives of the participants in the Super Six World Boxing Classic on SHOWTIME and was met by critical acclaim for its originality and revealing content. Created to connect viewers with fighters and not as a singularly focused promotional device, FIGHT CAMP 360° is the first-of-its-kind boxing series examining the entirety of the prizefighting business.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com former three time world champion Erik Morales will takes on Marcos Maidana to headline an HBO PPV card on April 9 in Las Vegas.

“I got the ‘Fight Freak’ card done,” Said Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions, referring to the hardcore boxing fans he hopes to please with the lineup. “Everything is locked in.”

The other televised bouts on the show:

• Robert Guerrero, a former featherweight and junior lightweight titlist, and Australian action star Michael Katsidis will meet in the co-feature matching lightweight contenders.

• Middleweight Winky Wright will face Matthew Macklin of Great Britain in a previously announced bout.

• Junior middleweight James Kirkland, one of boxing’s hottest rising stars before his career was sidetracked by an 18-month prison stint, will open the card against an opponent to be named. Kirkland’s fight is contingent upon winning and not being injured in a fight scheduled for March 5, his first fight since being released from a halfway house where he recently completed his sentence.

“I can tell you what Erik Morales said to me, that he feels like this is an early Christmas present,” Schaefer said. “It’s really the fight he wants. He feels that he has the style to beat Maidana and he feels with Maidana, he is taking on the most dangerous 140-pounder. He said, ‘I don’t want to just do a fight. I want to do a fight where a win will take me back to where I was.’ I agree with Erik that a win against Maidana will do exactly that. Maidana is one of the most credible 140-pounders and an exciting fighter. Most people rank him third in the division [behind Timothy Bradley Jr. and Khan].”

“He and his father were begging us for this fight,” Schaefer said. “He did take some time off and there is a history of fighters who took time off and came back and did write another chapter in the career, and not only pick up where they left off but go to bigger heights.

“Erik has had three fights [on his comeback], not against the easiest opponents, but not against the toughest opponents. But that shows how serious he is about his comeback. Each opponent was a gradual step up and it allowed him to measure where he stands. I’m happy for him that we were able to deliver that early Christmas gift to him. Not many fighters would sign up to fight Maidana.”

“It’s one of the most exciting fights one can make in boxing and I’m really looking forward to it,” Schaefer said. “Helluva fight. The winner will come out as a major guy.”

When touching on the Wright-Macklin fight, Schaefer said “There’s a lot at stake for both guys,”

“James Kirkland will open up the show,” Schaefer said. “The plan is that we have James fighting on March 5 in a non-televised bout and then he’ll come back on April 9 on the opening bout of the pay-per-view.”

NEW YORK (Feb. 10, 2011) – Melvin “No Mercy’’ Manhoef (24-8-1) of Amsterdam, Holland, will replace an injured Luke Rockhold and face American Military hero Tim Kennedy (12-3) of Fort Bragg, N.C., in a featured fight at middleweight (185 pounds) on a STRIKEFORCE World Championship Doubleheader on Saturday, March 5, at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).

The promising Rockhold withdrew after suffering an injury to his left leg during training.

“Man, this is beyond really disappointing,’’ said Rockhold, a winner of six in a row. “I’d been feeling great and working hard and was really pumped for the fight with Kennedy.

“I know injuries are part of the game, but I want to fight. That’s what I do. It’s pretty swollen now, but once my leg is 100 percent I’m coming back with a vengeance.’’

Manhoef, who’s one of MMA’s most devastating and offensive-minded stand-up fighters, is making his second start for STRIKEFORCE on SHOWTIME. In his debut on Jan. 30, 2010, Manhoef had mostly manhandled hard-hitting, former two-time world champion Robbie Lawler before getting caught and losing in the first round.

The exciting, crowd-pleasing Manhoef does not know the meaning of a full night’s work. The Destructive Dutchman has registered KO or TKO victories in all but one of his 24 victories.

Manhoef, a winner in seven of his last 11, has participated in more than 60 professional fights between MMA and kickboxing, but is seeking his first MMA victory in the United States.

“I come to fight and give my very best,’’ the 5-foot-8, 34-year-old Manhoef said. “I am very, very hungry. I need to win this fight. I am looking forward to fighting Tim Kennedy.’’

Born in Suriname, Manhoef relocated to Rotterdam with his family when he was three years old. He was introduced to the sport of Muay Thai by a brother at the age of 18.

The popular Kennedy is an American military hero who’s toured the Middle East multiple times, and earned the Army’s Bronze Medal Star medal for valor under fire.

This will be the 5-foot-11, 31-year old’s fifth start for STRIKEFORCE and his first since losing a close, hard-fought decision to “Jacare” Souza in a fight for the then-vacant STRIKEFORCE middleweight title on Aug. 21, 2010, on SHOWTIME.

The disputed defeat ended a four-fight winning streak for Kennedy, who has split two fights against Jason “Mayhem’’ Miller.

In the March 5 main event, Dan Henderson (26-8), of Temecula, Calif., will challenge defending belt-holder Rafael “Feijao’’ Cavalcante (10-2) of Brazil for the STRIKEFORCE World Light Heavyweight (205 pounds) Championship. In a second world title fight, Marloes “Rumina’’ Coenen (18-4) of the Netherlands will risk her lightweight title for a first time against No. 1 135-pound contender, Miesha “Takedown’’ Tate (11-2), of Tacoma, Wash.

Undefeated Billy Evangelista (11-0) of Fresno, Calif., will take on Jorge Masvidal (20-6) of Miami, Fla., at lightweight (155 pounds) in a previously announced televised bout.

The event, STRIKEFORCE’s first in the state of Ohio, will take place in conjunction with The Arnold Sports Festival, the nation’s largest health and fitness exposition founded by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Tickets are on sale at the Nationwide Arena ticket office, online at Ticketmaster.com and Strikeforce.com and Ticketmaster by phone at (800) 745-3000.

Jersey City, NJ (February 10, 2011) – Lightweight prospect Danny “Little Mac” McDermott (8-2, 3 KO) of Jersey City, NJ will make his first ring appearance in almost a year when he faces Osnel Charles (6-2) of Atlantic City, NJ at Essex County College in Newark, NJ on February 19.

The six-round bout will be the main supporting fight to “Brick City Brawl”, which is headlined by Polish heavyweight Mariusz Wach (23-0, 11 KO) facing Jonathan Haggler (23-3, 18 KO) for the vacant WBC Baltic heavyweight championship. McDermott-Charles and Wach-Haggler will both be televised by FoxSports and Comcast affiliates throughout the country.
The show will be promoted by Prize Fight and Global Boxing Promotions.

McDermott, 31, hasn’t fought since his thrilling war with Brian Miller last year, which was named the “Garden State Fight of the Year” by Boxrec. Now training with former middleweight Dominick Scibetta in North Bergen’s Global Boxing Gym, McDermott is back in the groove.

“This is the opportunity I’ve waited for my whole life,” says McDermott, an alumni of Paramus Catholic High School. “I’m excited and hope to give the fans the best fight possible. I’m focused on one thing, which is being the best fighter I possibly can be.”

Besides being a fighter, McDermott is also a father of two and a graduate of the New York Film Academy.

Charles, 26, was born in Haiti but raised in West Palm Beach, FL. He is coming off his career best performance, an upset of Philadalphia favorite Victor Vasquez, last month.

Accompanying McDermott to the ring will be Joe Gatti, a former world title contender and brother of McDermott’s mentor Arturo “Thunder” Gatti.

Tickets for this championship night of boxing are priced at $120; $70& $30 by calling 1-866-468-7619; logging onto www.ticketmaster.com or www.ticketweb.com as well as Global Boxing Gym (5601-5711 Tonnelle Ave. North Bergen, NJ, 07047)

Doors open at 7PM, first fight is at 8PM.

Trainer Emanuel Steward talks Lee – McEwan; Miguel Cotto and Wladimir Klitschko

Former WBO Heavyweight Champion Siarhei Liakhovich and Main Events CEO Kathy Duva announced today that they have entered into a promotional agreement.

Nicknamed “The White Wolf,” Liakhovich has earned a professional record of 25-3, 16 KO’s. As an amateur, the current Scottsdale, AZ resident compiled a record of 145-5, was a member of the ’96 Olympic team from his home in Belarus and won a bronze medal at the 1997 World Championships. Liakhovich won the WBO Heavyweight Title in 2006 when he scored a 12-round decision over Lamon Brewster in Cleveland, Ohio. In his most recent bout, Liakhovich scored a ninth round KO over Evans Quinn in Germany.

“There is no doubt that Siarhei has what it takes to be competitive in the heavyweight division,” Duva said. “There are three heavyweight champions right now and it is our goal to put Siarhei in a position to challenge for one of their titles before the end of the year. We are delighted to be working with a fantastic team that includes Siarhei, his manager Tony Cardinale and trainer Tommy Brooks. ”

Tony Cardinale added, “I am happy for Sergei to be with one of the most respected and hardest working promoters in the industry. With their support and his ability it is just a matter of time before he is a two-time world heavyweight champion.”

Liakhovich had this to say, “First of all I would like to thank God for everything that has happened in my life: I am thrilled to have a newborn son; and I have a brand new team with well known and respected Tony Cardinale as my Advisor and Attorney and Main Events as my new Promoter. With their history and reputation in boxing business I know I am finally with the right team.” Liakhovich added, “I am very impressed with how hard Main Events work for their fighters. I know that they will work hard for me outside the ring and I can do my job in the ring.”

Liakhovich spoke about his upcoming fight, “I can’t wait to get back in the ring as soon as possible. My last two wins were in Germany and now I am glad to be fighting in US again. Thank you to all my fans for their support over the years, I would love to see all of them in New Jersey. This is a great new chapter for me. My first step in becoming a World Champion again!”

In what looks to be shaping up as the fight card of the year, Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. will defend the WBO Super Bantamweight championship against former world champion Jorge Arce on May 7th underneath Manny Pacquiao defending the WBO Welterweight championship against Shane Mosley

“We’re done, we’re good to go,” said Carl Moretti of Top Rank of the deal with Vazquez promoter Tuto Zabala. “We’ve agreed on everything. We’ll be doing a lot of fights with Tuto and Vazquez.”

We could sign the papers on the night of the fight for all I know. I’ve known Tuto for 24 years. This deal is a result of a relationship that goes way back,” Moretti said. “I trust him and he trusts us and because of what we do on the island, and the opportunities we have coming up, it’s a win, win for everyone, especially [Vazquez].”

“Tuto has seen how we can take guys to the next level on the island and then cross them over in the [heavily Puerto Rican] New York market,” Moretti said. “We’ll make joint decisions on everything about Vazquez. We do what makes sense for the fighter first.”

“Vazquez is in a perfect weight class,” Moretti said. “We have guys who can come up and challenge him, and eventually he will move up to featherweight where there are a lot of good fights. It’s a great situation. He is well liked in Puerto Rico and he has his father’s name as part of the package.”

In addition to the main event, this fight could be on a card that will be a rematch of a fight of what many called the 2010 fight of the year between WBC Lightweight champion Humberto Soto and Urbano Antillon as well as the return of former Middleweight world champion Kelly Pavlik

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com a much anticipated rematch between world Light Heavyweight champion Jean Pascal and Bernard Hopkins has a just a few hurdles to clear before it comes to fruition on May 21st.

The two fought a controversial draw on December 18th in a bout most people believe that Hopkins deserved the nod.

The fight was broadcasted on Showtime and the rematch will be headed to HBO if completed.

“The deal, as far as the fight itself, we have the date,” Hopkins said, adding that he also had worked out his financial agreement with Golden Boy promoter Richard Schaefer. “Now we have to find a site. I’d love to fight in Montreal. I’d love to go where the best offer is for the fight. Montreal, fine. In Las Vegas, fine. I’m ready and I just want to settle the score. I want to set the record straight.”

Said Schaefer, “Bernard is on board with everything. Now I just need to work out the venue with [Pascal promoter] Yvon Michel.”

Michel said he was confident he would come to terms with Pascal on their side of the deal.

“We haven’t finalized with Jean Pascal yet but we are working on the details,” Michel said. “It will be a few days before we finish that. And we have to meet with Richard and talk about some other things, but overall we are pretty happy that we could do this.”

The WBC, whose belt Pascal holds, ordered an immediate rematch with the winner mandated to fight Chad Dawson next. However, there was the thorny issue of a contractual rematch that Pascal already owed Dawson, who lost to Pascal in August. The rematch clause allowed the 28-year-old Pascal (26-1-1, 16 KOs) to take an interim fight, which he did against Hopkins, before he would be obligated to face Dawson again.

However, Pascal-Hopkins II is a far more lucrative fight than Pascal-Dawson II. So Gary Shaw, Dawson’s promoter, quietly worked with Golden Boy, Michel and HBO to work out a deal under which Dawson will pass on the rematch for the time being, fight on the televised undercard of Pascal-Hopkins II and then get a shot at the main event winner if he also wins.

“I believe Gary was able to get his own license fee from HBO to have a fight with Dawson on the show with the guaranteed license fee for Dawson to fight the winner of Pascal-Hopkins,” Michel said. “Overall, I believe Gary Shaw understood what was the most popular thing to do and he negotiated for his side to make sure Dawson was taken care of. He was very cooperative. He fought for his guy, but he understood the complexity. I really appreciated how he worked on the agreement. He helped make sure we could do this rematch, which is the best for the weight division and for the fighters and the fans.”

According to Schaefer and Michel, Dawson’s undercard fight could come against either Montreal’s Adrian Diaconu (a former titleholder) or Librado Andrade, the Southern California resident from Mexico who is popular in Quebec; he considers Quebec a second home. Andrade has challenged Montreal’s Lucian Bute for his super middleweight title twice in the province.

“I believe that it’s a historic situation for me and things worked out the way I expected,” Hopkins said. “I think it’s good for boxing and good for us to settle the score. I’m just very excited and looking forward to breaking George Foreman’s record and making history. I can’t wait [until] May 21 to show people I beat him the first time and I will beat him the second time. I’ll be a few months older than I was last time, which should put [the record] even more out of reach.”

I changed my opinion of fighting in Canada when it comes to Montreal,” Hopkins said. “I’ll go to Montreal. Everything is based on the referee and the judges. It wasn’t the fans that voted in the fight. The Canadian people treated me very well in Quebec City. The thing was the referee and the judges, mainly the judges. The judges didn’t do the right thing and the WBC agreed with us and ordered the rematch. I can’t punish Canada for what the judges see or don’t see. As long as the judges are straight and the referee is straight with the way he handles things, I will go back to Canada.

“Richard and I got the money done. That was not an issue with us. But looking for a fight sight, Richard asked me if I would go back to Canada. I said yes, as long as the judges and referee are neutral.”

“The date is very important to Bernard. He does not want to wait,” Schaefer said.

“I’m glad HBO invited me back home to end my historic career,” he said. “I still have a few things I want to do. My dream hit list is Pascal, Chad Dawson if he wins and then I would like to clean out Canada by beating Bute at light heavyweight. That’s an impressive list put together for an old man.”

Philadelphia, PA–Danny Davis, who has been Bernard Hopkins’ strength & conditioning coach for eight years, has been added in that capacity to Mike Jones’ team as Jones, the undefeated welterweight contender from Philadelphia, prepares for his rematch vs. Jesus Soto-Karass on Feb. 19 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

“I push and challenge Mike and bring out the best in him,” said Davis, who credits Hopkins, trainers Freddie Roach and John David Jackson and fitness nutritional specialist Mackie Shilstone as major influences. “Mike’s a hard worker who wants to go to the highest level and never complains about what he’s asked to do. That’s what makes a champion.

“He looks a lot stronger and his conditioning is right there. People will see a difference in Mike in this fight,” added Davis, who has worked with pro football and basketball players and is based at Joe Hand’s Boxing Gym in Philadelphia. “I hope I’m the missing piece to the puzzle. It’s a pleasure to be working with him. I’m blessed each and every day.”

Jones: “Danny has pushed me and has squeezed out of me every ounce of sweat I own in the drills he has put me through. Look at the shape Bernard (Hopkins) was in for his last fight. Staying in shape is a lifestyle that I also believe in, doing the right things in and out of the ring. Look at how long Bernard’s stayed on top. That’s where I want to be.”

“Danny has some great ideas on strength and conditioning that he brings to the team from his experience with B-Hop,” said trainer Vaughn Jackson, who brought Davis aboard three weeks after Jones’ first fight with Soto-Karass last Nov. 13. “Danny brings what he’s done with Bernard to our workouts. He’s put Mike through some strenuous sessions. He also gives me great feedback from Mike’s sparring sessions. He will be my other set of eyes in the corner for the fight with Soto-Karass.”

* * *

Mike Jones vs. Jesus Soto-Karass rematch, co-promoted by Top Rank and Peltz Boxing Promotions, takes place Saturday, Feb. 19, at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The 12-round title fight will be televised live on HBO beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET along with Fernando Montiel defending his WBC/WBO world bantamweight title against two-division champion Nonito Donaire.

Photo by Claudia Bocanegra

Seven hours before the doors would open for the STRIKEFORCE Grand Prix Fan Experience Tuesday, a long line began to form outside the Roseland Ballroom in New York City. Once inside, the approximately 1,500 MMA fans who jammed the venue for the event were treated to a spectacular afternoon they will not soon forget.

All eight fighters who will compete in the eagerly awaited STRIKEFORCE World Grand Prix — Heavyweight Tournament were in attendance and signed autographs, answered questions from emcee Scott Ferrall and posed for photos. There were ticket, T-shirt and STRIKEFORCE fight gear giveaways, fight videos shown on giant television screens, workouts in the cage and photo opportunities with The Rockstar Girls. Music was provided by special guest deejay, DJ Clue.

The STRIKEFORCE World Grand Prix — Heavyweight Tournament begins this Saturday, Feb. 12, live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) with two quarterfinal fights from the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J. The first live, non-televised undercard bout starts at 7:30 p.m. ET.
In the main event, Fedor Emelianenko (31-2, 1 NC) returns to action against Antonio “Big Foot” Silva (15-2) in a STRIKEFORCE and M-1 GLOBAL co-promoted event. The opening quarterfinal will match former world champion Andrei Arlovski (15-8) against Russian star Sergei Kharitonov (16-4), the last fighter to defeat current STRIKEFORCE and DREAM Heavyweight World Champion Alistair “The Demolition Man” Overeem.

The other two quarterfinal matchups at a site and date to be announced are: Overeem (34-11, 1 NC) versus the only man to tap out Fedor, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist Fabricio Werdum (14-4-1), and hard-hitting Brett “The Grim” Rogers (11-2) against Josh Barnett (29-5).

Dyami Arroyo of The Bronx was the first to show at 8:30 a.m. Despite cold, bitter, windy conditions, he kept his spot at the head of the line. “There was no way I was going to miss a chance to meet Fedor and the greatest heavyweights in the world,” he said. “As soon as I heard about this, I told my boss I was taking the day off.”

His buddy, Freddie Diaz, of Queens, says he called in sick. “I love STRIKEFORCE, but this is a dream-come-true for any MMA fan.”

Said Brooklyn’s Joe Doyle, who arrived a little after Arroyo and Diaz: “To get this kind of access to these kinds of fighters is unbelievable,” he said. “There was no way I wasn’t going to be here. I am really happy that STRIKEFORCE did something like this for us. No other MMA organizations do anything like this around here.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Manny Pacquiao wull relinquish his WBC Super Welterweight championship as his promoter Bob Arum said he wont be fighting in that division anymore.

Pacquiao’s 154-pound title was “declared vacant, following the unanimous voting of the WBC board of governors, due to the inability of the champion to defend his WBC title,” according to a statement from the Mexico-based organization.

Pacquiao had no intention of defending the title, which was vacant when he won it by easily outpointing Antonio Margarito at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

In line to fight for the now-vacant junior middleweight belt are mandatory challenger Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and a contender to be appointed by the WBC.

Gabriel Bracero 142 – Chris Fernandez 140.6
Mark Tucker 174 – Ray Smith 176
Seanie Monaghan 176 – Angel Gonzalez 176 1/4
Boyd Melson 153 1/2 – Marquise Bruce 153 1/2
Keisher McLoed-Wells 107 1/2 – Melissa McMorrow 108
Ryan Kielczewski 129 1/2 – Wilshaun Boxley 132
Deano Burrell 131 1/4 – Sidell Blocker 133
Steven Martinez 153 1/4 – Ishwar Amador 153 1/2
Allan Benitez 126 1/4 – Joseliz Cepeda 127

Mahkota Promotions in association with Golden Boy Promotions & Sampson Boxing LLC announced in a press conference at the Jakarta International Expo, the championship boxing event scheduled for Sunday, April 17, 2011 at the J.I. EXPO, in Hall D-2. In the main even, undefeated WBA Super Champ. (Featherweight), Chris John (44-0-2, 22 K.O.‘s) vs. countryman, Daud Yordan (27-1-0, 21 K.O.’s). For Chris John, history will be made in Indonesia where he will be making his 14th title defense.
President of Sampson Boxing, Sampson Lewkowicz stated in the press conference “I am extremely pleased and honored to be the boxing steward for this historical event that the entire nation of Indonesia deserves to be a part of and see.” Mahkota Promotion’s best young Entrepreneur & Promoter in Indonesia, Raja Sapta Oktohari stated “This fight will be Indonesia’s equivalent of Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Marvin Hagler or Oscar De La Hoya vs. J.C. Chavez.” Long time Manager and Trainer of Chris John, Craig Christian had this to say “Chris is extremely focused and motivated for this fight. I view this fight as an unpredictable fight between a young prepared boxer matched against an experienced, well-trained fighter”.

The intriguing and beautifully renovated Jakarta International Expo venue has a capacity of 8,000 fans and is expected to be sold out. The site is located at the heart of the capital city of Indonesia and due to it’s partnership with local government, has on-going, complimentary shuttle buses that provide access to visitors of the event. For additional information on the venue’s access, you may also visit the Jakarta International Expo web site: http://www.jiexpo.com/home.php?menu=1&id=3
Additional fight announcements and details will follow in an ensuing Press Release as they are solidified.

NEWARK, NJ (February 7, 2011) – Polish boxers Kamil Laszczyk and Rafael Jastrzebski have been added to “Brick City Brawl” on February 19 at Essex County College, which will be promoted by Prize Fight and Global Boxing Promotions.

The main event will feature undefeated heavyweight Mariusz Wach (23-0, 11 KO) of Krakow, Poland against Jonathan Haggler (23-3, 18 KO) of Winston-Salem, North Carolina for the vacant WBC Baltic heavyweight championship on FoxSports.

Laszczyk, 19, is from Wroclaw, Poland and won six national championships back home during a 110-7 amateur career. Laszczyk was training previously with Polish super middleweight champion Piotr Wilczewski but will now work with Aroz “Terrific” Gist.

Making his pro debut, Laszczyk is the first product of the Global Boxing Foundation, which brings young amateur boxers from Poland to America to help them achieve their boxing dreams. As a featherweight, Laszczyk needed all the help he could get.

“There is a very limited market for smaller weight fighters in Europe,” says Mariusz Kolodziej, President of Global Boxing Promotions. “In the next couple of months, we want to adjust him to the American style of boxing and match him with the right fights to make him a world-class professional.”

Jastrzebski, 29, of Bydgoszcz, Poland competes in the super-middleweight division. His record of 3-6-1 (1 KO) is deceiving, as he was the victim of flagrant mismanagement early in his career. Often times the naive Jastrzebski was placed in cruiserweight (200 pounds) matches to build up the records of others, where he was outweighed by 10 pounds or more.

Now based in Atlantic City, NJ and trained by Bill Johnson and conditioning coach Sean Sutton, Jastrzebski is getting a second chance.

“I’m willing to give him another chance in life because he was misrepresented in his career,” says Kolodziej. “It’s more than just sports or money, this is his life. He came to America to be a champion and we want to give him every chance. I see great potential in him.”

Since teaming up with countryman and unbeaten middleweight Przemek “Patrick” Majewski, Jastrzebski is 3-0 with 1 knockout.

Both men will compete in four round bouts against opponents to be named later.

For more information on Laszczyk, Jastrzebski or any other Global Boxing fighters, visit www.globalboxing.com .

Tickets for this championship night of boxing are priced at $120; $70& $30 by calling 1-866-468-7619; logging onto www.ticketmaster.com or www.ticketweb.com as well as Global Boxing Gym (5601-5711 Tonnelle Ave. North Bergen, NJ, 07047)
Doors open at 7PM, first fight is at 8PM.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBA Super Lightweight champion Amir Khan will battle Paul McCloskey on April 16th in Manchester, England in a fight between two fighters from the United Kingdom.

“I am delighted that this fight has finally been put together following some tough negotiations,” Khan said in a statement Saturday. “This is a matchup the British public want to see and will be a fantastic fight between two of the best light welterweights in the country.”

HBO will televise Khan-McCloskey on same-day tape in the United States while Sky Box Office will carry it live on pay-per-view in Britain. HBO plans to pair the fight with live coverage of Andre Berto’s welterweight defense against Victor Ortiz, who would move up from junior welterweight, from a site to be determined in the U.S. Berto-Ortiz is close to being finalized.

“Amir is back. The ‘King’ is back. It’s his homecoming, his first fight at home in over 12 months,” said Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, Khan’s promoter. “He is excited to take on an undefeated fighter in Paul McCloskey. He is looking forward to the showdown. I am still working with [Berto promoter] Lou DiBella to finalize the live fight from the U.S., Berto-Ortiz. It will be a great night of boxing.”

“McCloskey is European champion and he has been calling out Amir,” Schaefer said. “Amir had other fighters on his mind, but for his homecoming, to fight a guy from Northern Ireland who is undefeated, it makes sense. It’s an important showdown for the British fight fans and for Sky. McCloskey has yet to taste defeat. That makes him dangerous and motivated because he doesn’t know how to lose. McCloskey is licking his chops to get his hands on Amir.

“I heard that he wants to go and finish what Maidana started. Of course, Amir will have something to say bout that.”

CLICK TO ORDER THE FIGHT
Atlantic City, NJ—Heavyweight prospect Bryant “Bye Bye” Jennings, of Philadelphia, PA, goes for his sixth win in as many pro fights when he takes on veteran Terrell “Baby Bull” Nelson, of Plainfield, NJ, in a scheduled six-round contest Saturday evening, Feb. 26, in the Grand Ballroom of Bally’s Atlantic City.

Gabriel Rosado and Jamaal Davis collide in the all-Philadelphia junior middleweight main event, set for 12 rounds. Ronald Cruz, of Bethlehem, PA, and Dillet Frederick of Fort Myers, FL, square off in the scheduled eight-round junior welterweight semifinal.

The seven-bout card will be televised live by www.gofightlive.tv.

Jennings, 26, is 5-0 as a pro, with three knockouts. In his last fight Dec. 9 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, he K0d Randy Smith, of Cortland, NY, in two rounds. The combined records of Jennings’ five foes is 8-20-4, a far cry from the type of opposition Nelson has faced.

Nelson, 39, is 8-11-2, 5 K0s, but the combined record of his last five opponents is 86-13-1. He has traded punches with former title-holder Nikolay Valuev as well as top contenders Albert Sosnowski, Vinny Maddalone, Dominick Guinn, Devin Vargas, Maurice Harris and Shannon Miller.

Jennings, who did not begin boxing until little more than two years ago, was 13-4 as an amateur. He went to the Finals of the 2009 National PAL Championships in San Antonio, TX, and the Finals of the 2009 National Golden Gloves in Salt Lake City, UT, losing close decisions each time to lefty Lenroy Thompson.

“It’s a big step up for Bryant,” says manager-trainer Fred Jenkins, “but he has the ability to make things happen. He believes in himself and he’s looking forward to the fight.”

Four additional bouts complete the card, which begins at 7.30 p.m. The show is being promoted by Peltz Boxing Promotions, Inc., in association with Bally’s Atlantic City.

Tickets priced at $50 and $75 are on sale at the offices of Peltz Boxing (215-765-0922) and all Ticketmaster outlets (800-345-7000). They also can be purchased online at www.Ticketmaster.com and at www.peltzboxing.com.

Roman Morales, long one of the top amateurs in the country, makes his professional debut tonight at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California. Morales, fighting out of San Ardo, California, will take on the capable Shaun Solomon (1-1-1) of Moreno Valley, California in a four-round super bantamweight bout.

Morales scaled 123-pounds, while Solomon came in at 124. Solomon comes in off of his first career pro victory, a split decision over Floyd Smith in October of last year. Morales capped a stellar amateur career by claiming a gold medal at the Four Nations Tournament in France this past November and has been sparring with several world class pros in preparation for tonight’s bout.

The Morales-Solomon bout will open a stellar night of boxing promoted by Gary Shaw Productions and the two featured bouts will be televised on Showtime’s Shobox: The New Generation. In the main event, former Cuban Olympian Luis Franco will square off with Leonilo Miranda in a featherweight tilt scheduled for ten. In the co-feature, fast-rising cruiserweight contender Lateef Kayode takes on once-beaten Nicholas Iannuzzi in a ten-rounder. Tickets for the event can be purchased online at ChumashCasino.com.

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that a terrific undercard is being assembled underneath the May 7th showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley that could feature the rematch of one of the best fights of 2010 as well as the return of former world Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik.

The co-feature in the works would match lightweight titlist Humberto Soto (54-7-2, 32 KOs) against Urbano Antillon (28-2, 20 KOs) in a rematch of their epic Dec. 4 slugfest, which Soto won via tight unanimous decision.

“There’s no paperwork done yet, but the sides are aware of it and have [verbally agreed to the rematch],” Top Rank’s Carl Moretti told ESPN.com Thursday. “We’ve talked to both sides and the camps are both up for the date and we’re trying to get it closed up.”

Pavlik (36-2, 32 KOs) has not fought since losing the middleweight championship to Sergio Martinez last April. He pulled out of a comeback fight scheduled for Nov. 13 on Pacquiao’s last undercard and checked into an alcohol rehabilitation clinic for the second time. He spent two months at the Betty Ford Center before coming out in early January.

“He’s itchin’ to fight,” Moretti said.

“All indications are that Kelly would like to take advantage of that,” Moretti said, adding that there has been no discussion yet of a specific opponent.

Cameron Dunkin, Pavlik’s co-manager, said Pavlik is planning to fight on the card.

“The idea is that is he going to fight on May 7,” Dunkin told ESPN.com. “We’re just taking it one step at a time, but he’s scheduled. He’s terrific. He’s working out and very happy, spending time with his family. Everything is wonderful right now.”

“I would think he will fight at 168 or 169 pounds,” Dunkin said. “He says he wants to be a super middleweight now. There’s no way he can go back the other way [to 160]. He realized he is just too big.”

When Moretti is in Puerto Rico for a news conference on Tuesday to formally announce featherweight titlist Juan Manuel Lopez’s April 16 fight with Orlando Salido, he said he is going to meet with promoter Tuto Zabala Jr., who promotes Puerto Rican junior featherweight titlist Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. (20-0-1, 17 KOs).

Moretti said he and Zabala will try to close the deal that they have been working on to match Vazquez in a title defense against Mexico’s Jorge Arce (56-6-2, 43 KOs), a former flyweight and junior bantamweight titlist. Part of that deal could be Top Rank coming aboard as Vazquez’s co-promoter.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, World Featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez will defend his title against former champion Orlando Salido in Lopez native homeland of Puerto Rico and the bout will be televised on Showtime.

” ‘Juanma’ is one of the top four television fighters today. He makes great fights,” Top Rank’s Carl Moretti said. “No matter who he is in with, you’re going to be entertained. We’re at a great arena in Puerto Rico that will have 8,000 to 10,000 people and I think it will be a good evening all around.”

“I think it’s a tough fight for Juanma,” Top Rank president Todd duBoef said. “Salido is a really solid, durable guy. Yuriorkis Gamboa had to work really hard to get past him and with this fight we will be able to see comparatively where the two hot, young featherweights are. Salido is going to be there all night. Juanma is really going to have to work for it.”

“Salido is a hard-nosed, grizzled Mexican with a great chin and good power [and] this could be his last shot at a title,” Moretti said. “And Juanma has been known to catch better sometimes than fellow Puerto Rican Jorge Posada.”

Said Salido: “It’s a tough fight, but for me it’s an opportunity to win a title belt and become a world champion again.”

“It’s going to be a measuring stick on where both of them stand against each other, so what Juanma has to protect against is fighting the guy and thinking, ‘I gotta look good. Can I knock him out? Do I get out of my game plan just to prove a point because Gamboa went the distance with him?’

“There’s a feel for when it’s ready to go,” DuBoef said. “I think sometimes there’s a road map and sometimes it’s a sixth sense when it’s time to match them up. We’re working to get there with these guys and to make this as big as it can be. We’re creating a business around both guys. Lopez is more advanced in that sense because he’s become a big draw, especially in Puerto Rico. But we’re working on it with Gamboa. There is something naturally that happens where fighters are on two independent paths and they eventually merge into one, and the fight happens.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that former four-time Heavyweight champion, Evander Holyfield will now take on Danish star Brian Nielson in May 7th instead of March 5th after Holyfield suffered a cut around his left eye in his January 22nd bout with Sherman Williams.

“I had hoped to be fully fit to fight Brian on March 5 but after another close examination this week the doctor said I could not do sparring until the end of the month,” said Holyfield, who is due to earn $500,000 against Nielsen. “My good physical shape and my meticulous preparation have been my biggest advantages throughout my career, and I will not enter the ring against a determined opponent like Nielsen when I am not 100 percent prepared.

“I take Nielsen very seriously. I need a convincing victory to put myself back in line for another shot at the world title, so I will give the cut enough time to heal before resuming practice. I will be in top shape on May 7 and defeat Brian Nielsen.”

“Always look on the bright side of life,” Nielsen said. “The more training I get, the stronger I will become. I would have been ready to give Evander a great fight on March 5. I have worked my butt off in practice where [trainer] Karsten Rower has been torturing me twice a day.

“Although I am not exactly thrilled to be in his German training hell for two more months, every single practice session will only make me better,” he added. “I will make sure Evander gets a nice souvenir from his trip to Copenhagen. I will cut his other eye, too. He will be good friends with the doctor he has been seeing.”

“We fully understand Evander’s decision. It is the right thing to do,” promoter Kalle Sauerland said. “We have stressed from the very beginning that we would never let a fighter inside the ring if he is not 100 percent ready, and that includes a perfect preparation. As we have learned from Brian, let’s look at the bright side. Two more months of professional boxing training and sparring will make him even better.”

Philadelphia, PA–Undefeated welterweight contender Mike Jones (23-0, 18 KOs) has taken advantage of the snowy conditions in Philadelphia to help prepare for his rematch with Jesus Soto-Karass (24-5-3, 16 KOs) on Feb. 19 at the Mandalay Bay Event Center in Las Vegas.

The Jones vs. Soto-Karass fight is being co-promoted by Top Rank and Peltz Boxing Promotions.

“Shoveling snow at home has been an excellent workout for my arms,” said Jones, who has shoveled a-near-Philadelphia record of 37.8 inches of snow over the 12-13 days that it’s fallen to date this winter.

“I’m glad I stayed home for training this time (Jones has gone away for training for his fights over the last two years). I focus better. I don’t drink, smoke or go out so there’s no problem with distractions at home. It’s soothing being home.

“Plus, the snow workouts have made me stronger.”

Jones, rated No. 2 by the WBO, No. 3 by the WBA, No. 3 by the IBF and No. 4 by the WBC, won a majority 10-round decision over Soto-Karass in their first fight Nov. 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX, to retain his NABO and NABA welterweight titles while winning the WBC Continental Americas belt.

The Jones-Soto-Karass fight, this time scheduled for 12 rounds, opens the 9:45 pm (EST) HBO telecast prior to a title fight featuring world bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel defending his title against two-division champion Nonito Donaire.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, world rated Heavyweight Tomasz Adamek will take on the man who retired Mike Tyson, Kevin McBride on April 16th in either Poland or New Jersey.

“We have confirmed Kevin McBride as Adamek’s April opponent, but we were holding off on a formal announcement until after I had the chance to meet with [Adamek co-promoter] Ziggy [Rozalski] to go over the two site alternatives with him and make a decision.”, said Adamek’s promoter Kathy Duva.