North Bergen, NJ (December 23, 2010) – Undefeated heavyweight prospect Mariusz “The Polish Giant” Wach (23-0, 11 KO) has signed a promotional agreement with North Bergen, NJ-based organization Global Boxing Promotions.

The 31-year-old Wach of North Bergen by way of Krakow, Poland will also be co-promoted by Prize Fight Promotions, with former three-time heavyweight champion Michael Moorer taking over as Wach’s trainer.

“I am very happy to have the support of Global Boxing and Prize Fight Promotions,” said Wach. “I left my family and homeland before Christmas to continue training because it is my dream to become the first world heavyweight champion from Poland. I make this sacrifice because I fight for my wife, my child and my country and I want to make them proud.

“Now with Michael Moorer in my corner, 2011 will be my year to realize my dreams.”

Wach, who cuts an imposing figure at 6-foot-7 and 260 pounds, won two gold medals at the Individual Polish Championships and a silver medal in the 2004 European Union Championships. Wach was also an alternate on the 2004 Polish Summer Olympics team that competed in Athens, Greece.

Said Global Boxing Promotions CEO Mariusz Kolodziej: “Wach is a hard-working, determined fighter and I am confident that he can become the heavyweight champion of the world. He wants it bad and I and the rest of the team are here to help him reach his goals.”

“Wach is a world class heavyweight fighter that has the potential to be a dominant champion,” said Brian Young, CEO of Prize Fight. “We will continue to build him the right way so when he does fight for the heavyweight championship of the world, he will be ready. I feel we have a great team around him and I’m proud to be part of it.”

Wach will leave next week to train at the Prize Fight Gym in Memphis, TN with Moorer, who defeated Evander Holyfield to win his first heavyweight title in 1994. Wach’s next fight will be announced shortly.

“It’s going to be a great opportunity to try and instill some good qualities and boxing skills into him,” said Moorer, who had a record of 52-4 (40 KO) as a professional. “Wach admitted to me that he never really had a trainer before, he was doing everything himself.

“To have someone to guide him and show him the rights and wrongs of the boxing game, to cultivate his punching power and improve his offense and defense will go far to making him a force in the heavyweight picture.

“If Mariusz is willing to work hard – and there is a lot of work in store for him – he can be the next heavyweight champion of the world.”

For more information on Global Boxing and Mariusz Wach, visit www.globalboxing.com. For more information on Prize Fight Promotions, visit www.prizefightpromoters.com .

NEW YORK (Dec. 22, 2010) – STRIKEFORCE World Welterweight (170 pounds) Champion Nick Diaz (23-7, 1 NC) will make his second title defense when he faces Brazilian powerhouse Evangelista Cyborg (18-13) in main event action and STRIKEFORCE World Middleweight (185 pounds) Champion “Jacare” Souza (13-2, 1 NC) will put his belt on the line for the first time when he squares off with power-punching knockout artist “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (18-6, 1 NC) in the co-main event of a stacked Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight card at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).

In other featured televised fights on SHOWTIME, football legend and MMA upstart, the incredible Herschel Walker (1-0) will return to the cage to face Scott Carson (4-1) in a heavyweight bout. The latest prospect from MMA’s first family, undefeated Roger Gracie (3-0), will battle former South African national wrestling champion and MMA star Trevor Prangley (23-6-1) at light heavyweight (205 pounds).

Tickets go on sale Monday, Dec.27, at 10 a.m. PT at the HP Pavilion ticket office, online at Ticketmaster.com and Strikeforce.com, and Ticketmaster by phone at (800) 745-3000.

The 27-year-old Diaz, of Stockton, Calif. has been unstoppable of late, winning his last eight fights. In his last effort, the 6-foot-1 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and potent striker settled a three-year old score with arch-nemesis KJ Noons, out-striking Noons en route to a five-round unanimous decision at HP Pavilion last Oct. 9.

Five months prior to the victory over Noons, the no-nonsense Diaz, one of MMA’s most intriguing figures, ventured to Saitama, Japan, to face top-ranked rival Hayato “Mach” Sakurai in a DREAM promoted affair. To the surprise of many, the southpaw Diaz made quick work of Sakurai, submitting the Japanese fighter with an armbar at the 3:54 mark of the first round.

Like Diaz, Cyborg, the husband of STRIKEFORCE Women’s Middleweight (145 pounds) Champion Cris Cyborg, possesses tremendous striking abilities, having KO’d 11 of his 18 victims. In his last outing, the 5-foot-10 Cyborg, who hails from Rondonopolis, Brazil, scored a first round TKO (punches) over highly-touted Marius “The Whitemare” Zaromskis at STRIKEFORCE: Live at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles last June 16.

Prior to defeating Zaromskis, Cyborg scored a first round-TKO on Daniel Zarate with a head kick and flurry of punches in Curitiba, Brazil on Dec. 12, 2009.

Souza, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, captured the vacant STRIKEFORCE middleweight crown last Aug. 21 when he earned a hard-fought unanimous decision over American military hero Tim Kennedy at Toyota Center in Houston, Tex. A slick submission specialist who has tapped out 10 of his 13 victims, the 6-foot Souza surprisingly opted to stand and exchange punches and kicks with his opponent for five rounds rather than take the fight to the mat.

A resident of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Souza, who celebrated his 31st birthday on Dec. 7, earned a crack at the middleweight title by winning his first two STRIKEFORCE starts. In his STRIKEFORCE debut on Dec. 19, 2009, he submitted 1996 Olympic wrestling silver medalist Matt Lindland with an arm triangle choke at the 4:18 mark of the first round. Last May 15, Souza earned a unanimous decision over Joey Villasenor at Scottrade Center in St. Louis.

Souza’s only defeats came in his first career match in 2003 and to former STRIKEFORCE Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard Mousasi at the DREAM 6: Middleweight Grand-Prix Final in Saitama, Japan, in 2008. The showdown with Mousasi came shortly after Souza had claimed victory earlier on the same night over Zelg Galesic with an armbar submission in the first round of a quarterfinal round tournament bout.

Over the course of the 2008 DREAM tournament series, Souza also triumphed over Ian Murphy with a first-round (3:38) rear naked choke and over superstar Jason “Mayhem” Miller via unanimous decision.

The 28-year-old Lawler’s title shot will take place less than two months after the former Pat Miletich protégé decimated Lindland with a single punch just 50 seconds into their matchup at Scottrade Center on Dec. 4.

One of the hardest punchers in his weight class, the 5-foot-11 Lawler is a two-time 185-pound world champion who has earned 15 of his 18 career victories via knockout or TKO.

Last Jan. 30, Lawler produced a dramatic, come-from-behind, first-round (3:33) knockout over highly regarded, fellow striking machine Melvin Manhoef at Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla.

After turning pro at age 19 in April 2001, Lawler, who was born in San Diego, Calif., relocated at an early age with his family to Bettendorf, Iowa. He fought for years out of the Miletich Fighting Systems headquarters in nearby Davenport and eventually relocated to Granite City, Ill. His UFC bout with Aaron Riley on May 10, 2002, became the first MMA bout to air on network television (FOX Sports Network).

Lawler took on Scott “Hands Of Steel’’ Smith during the first-ever, live primetime network telecast of MMA on May 31, 2008, on The CBS Television Network. After the bout was ruled a no contest due to an accidental thumb to Smith’s eye, Lawler dominated Smith in their live CBS primetime-televised rematch on July 26, 2009, scoring an impressive second-round TKO.

The matchup between Walker and Carson was originally scheduled for Dec. 4, but was postponed after Walker sustained a cut above his eye during a training session.

Healthy, eager and ready to go, the 48-year-old Walker, the 1982 Heisman Trophy winner and two-time NFL Pro Bowl competitor, is undefeated at 1-0 in his latest athletic endeavor – MMA. A 1999 College Hall of Fame inductee who was also selected to Sports Illustrated’s NCAA All-Century Team that year, the 6-foot-1, 220 pound Walker of Atlanta already holds a fifth degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and boasts additional training in the combat disciplines of Muay Thai and Kenpo.

On Jan. 30, Walker made an impressive professional MMA debut, scoring a third round TKO (punches) over 26-year-old Greg Nagy at Sunrise, Fla.’s BankAtlantic Center. Walker has been training in San Jose, Calif. with Team AKA, one of the most prominent MMA fight camps in the world that is also the home of former STRIKEFORCE world champions Cung Le and Josh Thomson.

The 6-foot-2-inch Carson, a resident of Gardena, Calif., turned pro in September 1999 and won his initial four starts through June 2001. He is a WEC veteran who scored a first-round submission victory over Bryson Haubrick at the inaugural WEC event on June 30, 2001.

After being sidelined with a back injury and due to several scheduled fights falling out, Carson, a former longtime training partner of MMA legend Chuck Liddell, was finally able to fill his desire to get back in the cage 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).

The 29-year-old, 6-foot-4 Gracie, the winner of the coveted ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship, holds a second degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Carlos Gracie, Jr. He made history by submitting all eight of his opponents during the tournament, a feat that had never previously been achieved.

Not surprisingly, Gracie’s highly advanced submission skills have been his key to success in all three of his MMA starts. Last May 15, he made his STRIKEFORCE debut, submitting former UFC Heavyweight Champion and former NCAA National Wresting Champion Kevin “The Monster” Randleman with a rear naked choke in the second round (4:10) at Scottrade Center in St. Louis.

A native of Brazil, Gracie resides in West London, England, where he owns and operates The Roger Gracie Academy.

One of the most feared and dangerous fighters in the light heavyweight division, Prangley has proven he is capable of defeating anyone on any given night. Since his pro debut in January 2001, the 6-foot Prangley has fought some of the world’s toughest opponents, including former STRIKEFORCE World Light Heavyweight Champion “Babalu” Sobral, Jorge Santiago (his last loss) and Chael Sonnen. Prangley’s most significant victory may have come against Sonnen.

Prangley has competed in five STRIKEFORCE events, including Four Men Enter, One Man Survives, the first sanctioned MMA tournament in the state of California on November 16, 2007. During the second STRIKEFORCE event at the world-famous Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Sept. 20, 2008, Prangley was victorious over Anthony “A Train” Ruiz by way of unanimous decision.

After winning a national wrestling championship in his native South Africa, Prangley left his homeland for The United States in search of the highest caliber wrestling training, and later established himself as a force in the sport of MMA. He is a member of Team AKA in San Jose.

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

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com terms for the May 7th showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley have been reached.

“We came to a meeting of the minds,” Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told ESPN.com on Tuesday night after a final meeting with Mosley and his adviser, James Prince, at the Top Rank offices in Las Vegas. “[Top Rank matchmaker] Bruce Trample says it’s a very difficult fight. I believe it will be an exciting fight. Shane knows how to fight and how to deal with the speed. Manny is in for a hellacious fight. I really believe styles make fights.”

“I know that they think I’m an old man and that Manny is going to beat me. Let them think that,” said Mosley, a former lightweight, welterweight and junior middleweight champion. “I still have power and speed. They thought I was done before I knocked out [Antonio] Margarito, too. So they can think whatever they want. I know what I can do.”

“I hurt Floyd in our fight, but he’s a great fighter and has great defense,” Mosley said. “What can I do about Mora? Do you really think that was a draw? Come on. I won that fight. He ran from me all night. But Pacquiao? Come on, man. I’m a bigger guy than him and he gets hit. And you saw how I hurt Floyd. Manny is going to come forward and I will hit him on the chin at some point. His defense is not like Floyd’s. Manny will come at me, and I will knock him out.”

“I thought Mosley was the best draw of the three and it would do the best business,” Arum said.

“They had to be insane, putting Shane in the ring with Mora,” Arum said of Golden Boy’s decision to match Mosley with a fighter with a tough style who usually makes fights with little entertainment value. “With Floyd, Shane had him in real bad trouble in the second round, so he’s capable of doing a really good fight with Manny and Manny knows that. He’s talking to [trainer] Freddie [Roach] about doing five weeks of training in the United States rather than four weeks here and four weeks in the Philippines.”

“He’s getting a little older, which is in our favor, but I expect Shane to be at his best because he’s wanted this fight for a long time. I will get Pacquiao well prepared for this one.”

Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer was disappointed to hear that the deal for Pacquiao-Mosley had been made without even receiving a call from Mosley or Prince.

“Good luck. He’s obviously no longer part of Golden Boy. That’s all I’m going to say,” Schaefer said. “I wish him luck.”

Floyd Mayweather was arrested on Thursday night and charged with offenses related to an incident with a security guard last month.

According to TMZ.com, Mayweather arrested at a casino on the strip when a security guard recognized him and called the Las Vegas police.

Mayweather, who was all smiles in his latest mugshot, is still in custody.

A security guard patrolling Floyd’s gated community claims the boxer poked him in the face when confronted about a parking violation.

If convicted Mayweather faces a maximum of 6 months in jail

LAS VEGAS, NEV (December 17, 2010) – Las Vegas hosts its first world title fight of 2011 when World Bantamweight Champion FERNANDO “Cochulito” MONTIEL defends his title against two-division world champion NONITO “The Filipino Flash” DONAIRE, in the latest chapter of the storied México-Philippines rivalry, Saturday, February 19, at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Zanfer Promotions, the Montiel-Donaire world title tilt will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark, beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast.) The broadcast will open with undefeated NABO/NABA/WBC Continental Americas welterweight champion MIKE JONES defending his titles against Top-10 contender JESUS SOTO-KARASS in a rematch of their exciting battle which took place on November 13 under the Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito pay-per-view extravaganza.

Looking for a great last-minute Christmas gift? Yule love this! Tickets to Montiel vs. Donaire, priced at $250, $125, $50 and $25, not including applicable service charges, go on-sale Next Thursday! December 23, at Noon PT. They can be purchased at all Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Mandalay Bay at (877) 632-7400 or Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also will be available for purchase at www.mandalaybay.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Montiel (43-2-2, 33 KOs), of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, México, is only the fourth Méxican fighter to win world titles in three different weight divisions, joining Hall of Famer-elect Julio César Chávez and future Hall of Fame inductees Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera. Undefeated since 2006, eight of Montiel’s last ten victories (eight were world title fights) have been by stoppage.

Donaire (25-1, 17 KOs), a native of General Santos City, Philippines, now living in the Bay Area of San Leandro, Calif., is a consensus top-10 pound for pound fighter. He enters this fight riding a nine-year, 24-bout winning streak, which includes an IBF/IBO flyweight title knockout victory of defending champion Vic Darchinyan, and a fourth-round blasting of former WBA bantamweight champion Wladimir Sidorenko in his last fight on December 4.Nine of Donaire’s last 10 victories have come by way of knockout.

Co-promoted by Peltz Boxing, Jones and Soto-Karass return for an immediate rematch of their November 13 brawl. After Jones decked Soto-Karass in the second round, Soto-Karass came back to almost pull out the victory in a fight most ringside fans and media thought could have gone either way. In fact, Jones’ second-round knockdown of Soto-Karass provided Jones the one-point margin for a razor-thin majority decision victory instead of a Draw. The judges’ scores were 95-94, 97-93 and 94-94.

Jones (23-0, 18 KOs), of Philadelphia, PA., has been attracting rabid fans to his fights in the friendly confines of Atlantic City and Philadelphia. He took on his biggest challenge on the biggest stage he has ever fought on when he tangled with Soto-Karass, successfully defending his titles and adding the vacant WBC Continental Americas welterweight title. Considered one of the hottest prospects in boxing, six of his last nine victories have come by knockout. Victories over Brazilian strongman Juliano Ramos, Henry Bruseles, ending his five-year winning streak, Hector Muñoz and Irving Garcia, have catapulted Jones to the top of the WBA welterweight ratings. He’s also rated No. 2 by the WBO, No. 3 by the IBF and No. 4 by the WBC.

Soto-Karass (24-5-3, 16 KOs), of Los Mochis, México, boasts an impressive 13-2-2 (one No Contest) record, over his past 18 fights, dating back to 2005. The only other blemish was a sixth-round technical loss to Alfonso Gomez last year. Highlights of that period include knockout victories of former world champion Vince Phillips and undefeated contender Michael Rosales in WBC Continental Americas welterweight title fights in 2006 and contender David Estrada for the vacant NABF welterweight championship in 2008. He is currently world-rated No. 8 by the WBC.

Doors will open at 4:00 p.m. PT with the first bell at 4:30 p.m. PT. The HBO-televised fights will begin at 6:45 p.m. PT.

Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank

SAN FRANCISCO – Three months ago, the Bay Area web series White Collar Brawler launched with nothing more than two out-of-shape white collar workers, a boxing trainer, and a website. Twenty episodes, two million video views, fifteen thousand social media fans, and two fiercely-trained fighters later, the series has cemented itself as a local and online sensation. And now for the final act: six minutes in the ring between two best friends for “The Final Showdown” on Friday, December 17th.

In the red corner will be Nate Houghteling, coached by Freddie Roach protégé and three-time world champion Ana “The Hurricane” Julaton. In the blue corner will be Kai Hasson, coached by USF boxing coach Angelo Merino.

“The Final Showdown” takes place in Berkeley, CA and features the final fight between the stars of the show, Nate Houghteling and Kai Hasson. Their headlining bout will be preceded by undercard matches highlighting some of the best boxing amateurs in the state, as well as live music and a performance by Turf Feinz, the sensational Oakland dance. The event is sanctioned by USA Boxing, sponsored by Tres Agaves Tequila and will be streamed live on the show’s web site.

Learn More About “The Final Showdown” Here: www.WhiteCollarBrawler.com/TheFinalShowdown/

White Collar Brawler has become one of the most popular and newsworthy web series in the genre, with over two million video views, one hundred thousand monthly visits to the show’s website, over fifteen thousand fans on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and repeated coverage in the San Francisco Chronicle, New York Times, Comcast Sports Net, the San Francisco Examiner and many others.

“The popularity of White Collar Brawler has far exceeded our expectations,” said the show’s promoter and business manager Zach Blume. “We wanted to create a multidimensional experience where people could watch the episodes, interact with the show online through social media, and come out to events and trainings to experience the show in person. The unanticipated twist of two close friends having to fight each other in front of such a huge audience has added an extra layer of unpredictability and excitement. It all comes down to six minutes in the ring between two best friends on December 17th.”

White Collar Brawler is a documentary web series that follows two lifelong friends, Ivy League grads, and former white collar workers who ditch the cubicle and pursue their dream of becoming amateur boxers. The show reaches its climax when the two step in the ring for the first time – to fight each other. Episodes are released in real-time on Tuesdays and Fridays of every week at www.WhiteCollarBrawler.com

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Pound for Pound king Manny Pacquiao’s next bout will be “pushed back” to May 7th instead of April 16th and the opponent for that bout will be announced within days.

“We had a meeting [Monday] night after dinner in my suite and went over everything and he absorbed it all, and we will talk further on Friday when I get to [Pacquiao’s hometown] General Santos City and see him again,” promoter Bob Arum said. “Friday is his birthday and he’s going to tell me Friday. We went over all the details and talked about it for about an hour.”

“Manny preferred May 7 because his congressional schedule is such that he preferred an early May date so the congress is definitely not in session,” Arum said.

“We’re going on May 7 and we reserved that date with all of the pay-per-view industry,” he said.

“The pay-per-view industry was very, very adamant about wanting Manny to go in May because they felt going in April there were too many pay-per-view events with WrestleMania and a UFC. While they may not be directly competitive for viewers, they are when it comes to the ad space on cable systems and the [satellite] dishes.”

We only can go essentially in a non-state tax state,” Arum said.

“Manny said he was going to work really hard and that he would train for four full weeks in the United States and maybe even five,” Arum said. “He’ll be in the U.S. longer this time, which is good for him and good for the promotion.”

Pacquiao will choose from Shane Mosley, Andre Berto and a third fight with Juan Manuel Marquez

“But the problem with Juan Manuel Marquez is the number he wants is so damn high and he hasn’t moved off it, and that’s preventing the Marquez fight,” Arum said. “We know what he got when he fought [Floyd] Mayweather and we feel that asking for double what he got for the Mayweather fight after he lost to Mayweather is a little bit much. Maybe he doesn’t feel that way.”

As for Berto, Arum said his offer was “the most reasonable. He came in below everybody and he would be an excellent, excellent opponent. But his promoter [Lou DiBella] got to get out and promote him so he has a persona and that if we put him in with Pacquiao people don’t say, ‘Who the hell is that?’ ”

Mosley is the most well-known of the three, but has shown significant signs that he is near the end.

“He’s the guy everybody knows, the pay-per-view guys, the casinos, the foreign television. Sugar Shane resonates,” Arum said. “The downside is he has two bad performances, but he’s still Sugar Shane. With Shane, there’s room to make an adjustment, a little tweak here or there, and I’m sure we could get it done.”

Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, This Saturday’s Lightweight bout between former world champions Erik Morales and Jorge Barrios will need a change of opponents due to Barrios not being able to travel outside of Argentina due to a previous legal problem.

In January, Barrios was involved in a car accident in which a pregnant woman was killed, which led to a lengthy court case. Barrios was eventually exonerated and resumed his career after an 11-month layoff in October.

According to Golden Boy Promotions matchmaker Eric Gomez, “about a month ago he got the green light to travel” for the Morales fight. “The judge approved Barrios to travel and everything was fine,” Gomez said. “He was supposed to pick up the special travel permit on Monday and then travel on Tuesday.”

However, Gomez said he was told by Mario Arano, the promoter from Argentina who is Golden Boy’s partner on Barrios, that the family of the woman who had been killed had gone to court seeking to reopen the case and wanted to stop him from leaving the country.

Gomez said that Arano told him that during a hearing on Monday, the judge told Barrios she would need some time to review the case. The judge was a different judge than one originally assigned to the case because that judge was on vacation, Gomez said.

“The judge made a remark and said she needed some time and I guess the attorney [for Barrios] snapped at her that the decision had already been made by the other judge,” Gomez said. “She got upset and said, ‘It’s my decision now.’

“After a recess, [the judge] said it was not a good idea for Barrios to travel and she denied it. Barrios is appealing, but there’s no time. The original judge was on early holiday and gone for the rest of the month,” Gomez said.

Gomez said the two leading possibilities are former world title challenger Francisco Lorenzo (35-8, 16 KOs) of the Dominican Republic and David Rodela (15-3-3, 6 KOs) of Oxnard, Calif., who is promoted by Golden Boy.

“Rodela has accepted the fight and we’re waiting to see about Lorenzo. He has a similar style to Barrios,” Gomez said. “Erik said he would talk to his dad about it and look at some film.”

NEW YORK (Dec. 12, 2010) – STRIKEFORCE Heavyweight Champion Alistair “The Demolition Man” Overeem of The Netherlands made history on Saturday by winning the annual eight-man, single elimination K-1 World Grand Prix Championship in Japan, thus making him the first fighter in history to simultaneously hold a major MMA and K-1 Grand Prix title.

On Saturday, the 6-foot-5, 30-year-old Overeem won three fights at the annual one night, eight-man K-1 Grand Prix, the most prestigious tournament in kickboxing. He capped off a winning night by scoring a first-round (1:07) TKO in the finals over K-1 legend Peter Aerts, a four-time champion of the tournament.

In the semifinal round of the event, Overeem produced a similar result, registering a first round TKO over Gokhan Saki (2:33). In the opening tournament round, he scored a unanimous decision over Tyrone Sprong.

Overeem has been unstoppable in the sport of MMA, not suffering a loss in over three years. On Nov. 16, 2007, he became the first STRIKEFORCE MMA heavyweight champion in history, crushing Paul “The Headhunter” Buentello, with knee strikes to the body in the second round (3:42) of their matchup at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Overeem returned to STRIKEFORCE action last May 15, scoring a first round (3:40) TKO on Brett “The Grim” Rogers at Scottrade Center in St. Louis and bringing his career MMA record up to 33-11.

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.

In a rare moment, just 24 hours before The Bantamweight Tournament,

Columbian native, Yonnhy Perez, was asked how he feels about training

far away from his family in order to become a champion and support them.

Perez began to answer and then broke down sobbing.

Click below for the raw emotional footage

captured by the cameras of SHOWTIME Sports’ Fight Camp 360º

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nate Moore vs. Nate Coy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

***ALL BOUTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE***

NEW YORK (Dec. 4, 2010) – A long-awaited showdown between top welterweight (170 pounds) rising stars, undefeated Tyron Woodley (7-0) and hard-hitting Tarec “Sponge” Saffiedine (10-2), will headline a STRIKEFORCE Challengers Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight card presented by Rockstar Energy Drink at Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn., live on SHOWTIME® at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast), on Friday, Jan. 7, 2011.

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

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

A special ticket pre-sale purchase opportunity for the event will take place for “STRIKEFORCE Insider” e-newsletter subscribers (http://STRIKEFORCE.com/insider.html), beginning at 10 a.m. CT on Wednesday, Dec. 8, and ending at 10 p.m. CT on Thursday, Dec. 9. STRIKEFORCE Insiders will receive a special e-newsletter with the pre-sale code.

Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. CT on Friday, Dec. 10, and will be available at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium ticket office, all Ticketmaster locations (800) 745-3000 including Kroger and FYE, Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) and STRIKEFORCE’s official website (www.strikeforce.com).

The first non-televised, undercard fight on Jan. 7 will begin at 7:30 CT. Doors will open at 7.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ST. LOUIS (Dec. 5, 2010) – Legendary MMA superstar Dan Henderson, 41, proved he is back in a major way Saturday as he closed an outstanding night of exciting, non-stop action fights by demolishing former STRIKEFORCE World Champion Renato “Babalu” Sobral in 1:53 in the main event on SHOWTIME® before a crowd of 7,146 at Scottrade Center.

“Hendo answered the questions about his age, about his desire,’’ said SHOWTIME analyst and MMA pioneer, Frank Shamrock, after the fight. “There was never a question about his power.”

Other results on the televised portion of STRIKEFORCE: Henderson vs. Babalu presented by Rockstar Energy Drink:” World-ranked welterweight Paul “Semtex’’ Daley (26-9-2) of Nottingham, England, knocked out Scott “Hands Of Steel” Smith (18-8, 1 NC), of Elk Grove, Calif., with a ferocious counter left hook at 2:09 in the first; new-look Robbie Lawler (18-6, 1 NC), of Granite City, Ill., returned to his old, “Ruthless” self with a devastating 50-second, first-round knockout over Matt “The Law” Lindland (22-8), of Oregon City, Ore., in a middleweight match; Antonio “Big Foot’’ Silva (15-2), of Coconut Creek, Fla., by way of Brazil, rallied to register a second-round TKO (punches) over Mike “Mak’’ Kyle (18-8), of San Jose, Calif., in a heavyweight scrap and former University of Tennessee linebacker Ovince St. Preux (9-4) of Knoxville, Tenn., won his sixth in a row and second in two weeks with a dominant three-round unanimous decision over Benji “Razor’’ Radach (19-6, 1 NC), of Laguna Beach, Calif., at light heavyweight (205 pounds).

“I’ve said it before but not often enough: we have some of the most devastating and talented fighters in the world on the STRIKEFORCE roster,’’ said STRIKEFORCE CEO Scott Coker after the final STRIKEFORCE fight card of the year. “And these guys — Hendo, Daley, Lawler — proved it tonight. These aren’t even the champs of their divisions in STRIKEFORCE and they put on some display tonight.

“This is a second chance for Daley. He’s shown remorse for his past action and he’s earned the right to keep fighting. As for Mike Kyle: Watch out at 205 because he’s got devastating power.”

Henderson, making his first fight at 205 pounds in three years, moved a step closer to a title shot against STRIKEFORCE Light Heavyweight Champion Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante.

“Whoever STRIKEFORCE comes up with, I’ll fight,’’ said Henderson, who floored Babalu with two solid right hands and finished him with a series of shots. “But I prefer 205. I’m ready to fight at 185 but there are plenty of good fights for me at 205.

“My body felt better for this fight. I appreciate all the support from the fans in St. Louis.’’

This was the second victory over Babalu for Henderson, who won a decision in February 2000.

Daley-Smith turned out to be the slugfest most everybody expected, but Daley, making his STRIKEFORCE debut, landed the first telling shot and that was that.

“I’m very happy with this fight and for the opportunity STRIKEFORCE is giving me,’’ said Daley, who delivered a perfectly-placed left look that sent Smith crashing head-first to the canvas.

By stopping Lindland with a picturesque, short right hook, Lawler put himself right back into the stacked STRIKEFORCE middleweight picture.

Unlike his last outing on June 16 when he may have played it a little too cautiously in a points’ loss to Babalu, Lawler was all business Saturday.

“For some reason I thought he’d try to stand with me,’’ said Lawler, who was sporting a beard and hair on his head for this one. “He probably shouldn’t have. I knew I was in good enough shape to fight my fight and not worry about take downs. I’ll take a one-day break and talk to managers and then we’ll go from there.’’

When asked if he knew the fight was over before the referee stepped in, Lawler said, “I always know when the fight is over.’’

The Silva-Kyle fight looked like it might be over in the first round, a five-minute session dominated by Kyle, who dropped Silva with a booming right hand in the opening seconds and spent the remainder of the round in the top position pounding the Brazilian with both hands.

But Silva, who outweighed Kyle by 44 pounds, rebounded strongly to triumph for the eighth time in nine starts.

“He surprised me at the beginning,’’ Silva said. ‘But I never felt I was in danger of losing or that the referee would stop the fight.’’

Kyle, who took the fight on a week’s notice after Valentijn Overeem withdrew with an injury, came close to scoring a major upset.

“I thought they were going to stop the fight,’’ said Kyle, who entered the cage having gone 5-0 with one No Contest since losing to Fedor conquerer, Fabricio Wedum, on Aug. 15, 2009. “I was really excited but they didn’t and then I realized I broke my hand and I was out of the fight mentally’’

In the opening bout of the telecast, Saint Preux dominated what many felt would be his toughest fight, outpointing Radach by the one-sided scores of 30-27, 30-26 and 30-25.

It was the second consecutive points victory for the 6-foot-3, 27-year-old Saint Preux, who was coming off a unanimous over Antwain Britt during a STRIKEFORCE Challengers event on Nov. 19.

Saturday’s thrilling event will re-air as follows:

DAY CHANNEL

Tuesday, Dec. 7, at 10 p.m. ET/PT SHO2

The telecast also will be available On Demand beginning Wednesday, Dec. 8, and running through Dec. 21.

Mauro Ranallo called the action on SHOWTIME with MMA legends Shamrock and Pat Miletich serving as expert analysts.

In Saturday’s non-televised professional results: Fernando Bettega (7-4), Cerritos, Calif., split decision over Wayne Phillips (4-4), San Jose, at 170 pounds; Justin Lawrence (1-0), St. Louis, unanimous (technical) decision over Max Martynuk (0-1), Los Angeles, at 155 pounds; Pat Cummins (1-0), Carlsbad, Calif., TKO 1 (strikes) over Terrell Brown (2-1), O’Fallon, Mo., at 205 pounds; Matt Ricehouse (4-0), St. Peters, Mo., unanimous decision over Tom Aaron (8-2), Troy, Mo.; Booker DeRousse (4-4), St. Louis, TKO 2 (strikes) Coltin Cole (1-1) of Duquion, Ill., at 185 pounds; Cortez Coleman (6-1), Granite, City, Ill., submitted (guillotine choke) Lucas Lopes (19-11), St. Louis, in the first round (2:04) at 185 pounds; Mike Glenn (7-4), Springfield, Mo., first-round TKO over Lee Brousseau (7-3), of River Wood, Mo., at 205 pounds; and J.W. Wright (1-0), St. Louis, submitted (guillotine choke) Josh “The Loose Cannon’’ Epps (2-3), St. Louis, in the first round (1:29) at 130 pounds.

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

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.

About Showtime Networks Inc.

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

CLICK TO ORDER THE FIGHT
Before a standing room only crowd at Bally’s in Atlantic City, Ghana’s Ayi Bruce, upset hometown favorite Shamone “The Truth” Alvarez and in the process picked up the Vacant IBA Continental Welterweight Title winning a majority decision over ten exciting and action packed rounds. Alvarez-Bruce headlined a seven bout card promoted by Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing.

Alvarez came out hard and fast in the first landing with both hands to the head and body of Bruce and setting a pace that would continue for much of the fight.

The middle rounds saw both fighters more than willing to sit and trade, bringing the packed house into a frenzy time and time again.

Bruce began finding a home for a looping right hand in the 5th against the southpaw Alvarez. Alvarez was the aggressor as he continuously pressed the action, but Bruce countered nicely from the outside.

Both fighters traded big shots in a very close action packed 8th. Near the end of the 9th round Bruce landed a huge over hand right that nearly dropped Alvarez.

Both fighters came out in the

tenth looking for the knockout hoping to prevent the close fight from going to the judges scorecards. The two traded heavy artillery for the entire round and brought the crowd into a standing ovation as they stood toe-to-toe to end the action packed main event.

In the end Bruce was awarded a close majority decision, winning by scores of 97-93, 95-94, while the third judge had it dead even at 95-95. With the win Bruce improves to 18-3, 12KO’s while Alvarez drops to 21-3, 12KO’s.

SERRANO DESTROYS SPRUIELL

In the co-feature bout of the evening, Philadelphia’s hot rising welterweight prospect Raymond “Tito” Serrano knocked out extremely tough and durable Geoffery Spruiell with a single left hand in the 5th round of their scheduled eight rounder.

Serrano came out in the first and began immediately sticking a stiff jab in the face of Spruiell. Midway through the round a short left hand dropped Spruiell on the seat of his pants. He beat the count but soon after was dropped again by a beautiful over-hand right.

Serrano used a vicious body attack during the middle rounds to begin breaking Spruiell down, as Spruiell was left trying to unsuccessfully counter off the ropes.

In the 5th round Serrano came out in a southpaw stance, and landed a vicious left hand that caught Spruiell right on the button and sent him down hard. Spruiell made it to a knee but was in no condition to continue. Official time of the stoppage was 27 seconds of the 5th round. With the win Serrano improved to a perfect 14-0 with 8 big wins coming by way of knockout.

MUSSACHIO DECISIONS KRUGER

Local fan favorite Chuck “The Professor” Mussachio improved to 17-1-2 with an unanimous dround decision over Theo Kruger (10-11-2, 3KO’s). Mussachio consistently worked off his jab and used his super speed and boxing ability to out work the rugged Kruger round after round. Kruger hung tough, but simply didn’t have enough fire power to keep up with the Wildwood, New Jersey native Mussachio who by scores of 80-72, 80-72, 79-73. Another impressive showing for the guidance counselor by day, boxer by night, Mussachio.

UNDERCARD ACTION

Ismael Garcia W4 Joe Yerdon

Isiah Seldon W4 Todd Eriksson

Althea Saunders W4 Natoya Ervin

Rashad Brown W4 Corey Preston

ABOUT STAR BOXING:

Star Boxing, Inc. has been in operation since1992. Star Boxing has worked to produce some of the most exciting and memorable boxing events in recent history. Star has continued to work with and develop a number of very exciting world champions, world rated contenders and young prospects. Star has consistently brought credibility, integrity, and exciting fights to the boxing
industry. For more information on Star Boxing, visit the official website at www.starboxing.com

Star Boxing

Star Boxing Exclusive Merchandise

CLICK TO ORDER THE FIGHT
All participants for tomorrow night’s Star Boxing promoted show at Bally’s in Atlantic City weighed-in today. The card is headlined by Atlantic City’s own, Shamone “The Truth” Alvarez (21-2, 12KO’s) taking on Ghana’s Ayi Bruce (17-3, 12KO’s) for the Vacant IBA Intercontinental Welterweight Title. Below is the scheduled bout sheet with weight’s included.

Main Event – Welterweights
10 Rounds

Shamone Alvarez – 146 1/2 lbs.
Vs.
Ayi Bruce – 144 1/2 lbs.

____________________________

Welterweights
8 Rounds

Raymond Serrano – 147 1/2 lbs.
Vs.
Geoffery Spruiell – 148 1/2 lbs.
_____________________________

Cruiserweights
8 Rounds

Chuck Mussachio – 177 lbs.
Vs.
Theo Kruger – 184 1/2 lbs.
__________________________

Jr. Middleweights
4 Rounds

Ismael Garcia – 156 1/2 lbs.
Vs.
Joe Yerdon – 155 lbs.
___________________________

Welterweights
4 Rounds

Althea Saunders – 138 1/2 lbs.
Vs.
Natoya Ervin – 142 1/2 lbs.
__________________________

Super Middleweights
4 Rounds

Isiah Seldon – 167 lbs.
Vs.
Todd Eriksson – 168 lbs.
____________________________

Middleweights
4 Rounds

Rashad Brown – 161 lbs.
Vs.
Corey Preston – 159 lbs.

*** ALL BOUTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE***

Tickets are currently on sale and are being priced at $75, and $50 with a few limited 1st Row VIP Packages also available ($150). Tickets can be purchased by visiting any ticketmaster location, or simply by CLICKING HERE:. TICKETS MAY ALSO BE PURCHASED OUTSIDE OF THE GRAND BALLROOM AT BALLY’S TOMORROW STARTING AT 4PM. Bally’s Atlantic City, is located at Park Place and the Boardwalk (1900 Pacific Ave.) Atlantic City, NJ 08401. For more information call (609) 340-2000.

ABOUT STAR BOXING:

Star Boxing, Inc. has been in operation since1992. Star Boxing has worked to produce some of the most exciting and memorable boxing events in recent history. Star has continued to work with and develop a number of very exciting world champions, world rated contenders and young prospects. Star has consistently brought credibility, integrity, and exciting fights to the boxing
industry. For more information on Star Boxing, visit the official website at www.starboxing.com

Star Boxing

Star Boxing Exclusive Merchandise

Longtime top ranked U.S. amateur Roman Morales of San Ardo, California went to Berck Sur Mer, France to take part in the prestigious Four Nations Tournament and came home with the gold medal at 122-pounds, having defeated French National Champion Nordine Ait Ihya in the championship round. Next for Morales may be the leap into the paid ranks as he begins his pursuit of pro gold.

In the final round of the championship bout, Morales found himself trailing in the fight with only seconds remaining. “I started off a little slow, but I picked it up and the fight was pretty interesting,” recounts Morales. “I was down some points, but I knew I had to go forward and do something else. So I was just going all out and giving everything I had. I made the points up and came out with the victory.”

With the 8-7 victory over Ait Ihya, Morales effectively notched the biggest victory in what has been a stellar amateur career. “This is one of my biggest [wins] yet. This one, fighting international and representing the USA, is a pretty big accomplishment,” said Morales.

Morales, one of only two Americans to take home gold, showed the poise and maturity of an experienced veteran in France. “My coach told me to keep in mind that I am going in three points down, so make sure that you score as many points as you can, because you are already down three,” said Morales. “I learned that [the Europeans] don’t like pressure. When I applied pressure, they couldn’t concentrate and they couldn’t work right because they were counter-punchers. If I would throw one punch, they would counter it, so I realized I had to throw a lot of punches and keep going forward to take them out of their game.”

Now Morales is contemplating the move from amateur to pro while mulling over a managerial contract with Repo Ric, known as the biggest hype man in boxing. The Fresno, California-based Repo Ric is looking to add Morales to a stable that already boasts prospects Michael Ruiz Jr. and Guy Robb Jr.

“He’s 5’8 ½” and he goes both ways, left and right,” says Ric, who would have him make his pro debut on January 8th at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California, of Morales. “Any given time, if you watch him, he’ll switch and he doesn’t even realize what he is doing when he’s switching. He’s left and right. He can brawl, he can box and he can fight.”

Repo Ric has been aware of Morales for sometime, as the San Ardo resident would make the trip to Fresno at times for sparring. “I saw his amateur fights, and he’s sparred a lot in Fresno, California. He’s sparred Michael Ruiz, and he was on the same 2008 USA Men’s team with Guy Robb,” says Ric, who has already had preliminary discussions with Goossen Tutor Promotions and Gary Shaw Productions about Morales.

Morales looks forward to making his debut as a professional, and when he does he plans to have his amateur trainer Rodolpho Tapia with him every step of the way. “He is the one that made me into boxing and everything, so I am going to keep him as my professional coach,” says Morales. “There is no way that I would change him. To me, he is one of the best coaches ever and he has taught me so many things and that is who I want to stay with.”

Once Morales makes the move, anyone who has fortunate enough to claim a victory over him as an amateur will eventually have a target on their back as a professional. “I would like to face off with them again,” says Morales. “Any losses I had as an amateur, they weren’t easy losses. I always gave them a good fight, and I know I have my respect in amateur boxing. If they beat me, then I know that they are one of the best, and I want to fight the best.”

Though his success in the amateurs has definitely paved the way for him to find success as a pro, Morales understands it will take hard work and dedication. “I want to make it to the top,” says Morales. “I want to start out good and end up good, without any defeats. Whatever it takes, I am going to do it.”