According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, World Light Heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins will take on Chad Dawson in a rematch of their aborted October 15th bout. The rematch will take place on April 28th in a more appropriate venue at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

The first bout ended in a controversial no contest which was originally ruled a stoppage victory for Dawson when he threw Hopkins down to the ground in the second round of their fight and Hopkins could not continue with a damaged shoulder.

“I have a chance to settle the bull—- from the first fight and straighten that all out,” Hopkins said. “A real athlete don’t want to win something on a disqualification or a no-decision or get something handed to them without doing the work. I’m ready to go.

“Dawson has a chance to prove to the world what he thinks he can do to me and I have a chance to prove that he’s not going to do what he thinks he’s going to do.”

“Richard (Schaefer) and I have made a deal and we have presented the fight to HBO,” said Dawson’s promoter Gary Shaw. “We’re working on the numbers but I congratulate Hopkins on his willingness to take a fight that a lot of people said he would not take again. As for Chad, he can’t wait for the rematch. He believed he was going to beat him in the first fight and he believes he will stop him in this fight.”

“We haven’t agreed on the number yet, but HBO is would like to do this fight and they told us they are OK with April 28,” Schaefer said

“The shoulder is good,” Hopkins said. “I wouldn’t be going in this early to start getting ready if it wasn’t.”

“I think it’s a perfect place for the rematch,” Schaefer said.

“Since 2001, when I was 35 and I beat (Felix) ‘Tito’ Trinidad (to become undisputed middleweight champion in 2001), I’ve been hearing I was too old,” Hopkins said. “Now it’s 12 years later and I’m older, heavier and feel little things I didn’t feel 10 years ago, natural things that are supposed to happen to you. But I’m ahead of the game against any 47-year-old who took a punch or never took a punch. I’m in great shape and ready to do this again.

“It’s time to correct the first fight and let people get what they paid for, this time not on pay-per-view. They paid for a fight. They didn’t come to see a round-and-a-half and then have that ending. It happened. You move on and you go ahead and give the people what they want and I’m pretty sure Dawson thinks the same thing and that he will be overconfident and think I will be easy to beat.”

“Since 2001, when I was 35 and I beat (Felix) ‘Tito’ Trinidad (to become undisputed middleweight champion in 2001), I’ve been hearing I was too old,” Hopkins said. “Now it’s 12 years later and I’m older, heavier and feel little things I didn’t feel 10 years ago, natural things that are supposed to happen to you. But I’m ahead of the game against any 47-year-old who took a punch or never took a punch. I’m in great shape and ready to do this again.

“It’s time to correct the first fight and let people get what they paid for, this time not on pay-per-view. They paid for a fight. They didn’t come to see a round-and-a-half and then have that ending. It happened. You move on and you go ahead and give the people what they want and I’m pretty sure Dawson thinks the same thing and that he will be overconfident and think I will be easy to beat.”

CLICK TO ORDER THE FIGHT
NEW YORK (January 25, 2012)—This Saturday night, two of the most exciting Heavyweights in the east will take part in a twelve round war when Tony Grano takes on former world title challenger Brian Minto.

The fight can, which will originate from the Beautiful Turning Stone Resort and Casino and will be streamed LIVE all over the world on GFL.TV for a price of just $9.99 and can be ordered by clicking:

http://www.gfl.tv/Events/Fight/Boxing/Pro_Boxing_Fight_Night__Grano_vs_Minto/1313

Minto of Butler, PA has a record of 35-4 with twenty-two knockouts and challenged some of the best Heavyweights in the world.

He won his first eighteen fights which included a memorable tenth round stoppage over Vinny Maddalone on an ESPN 2 main event. After losing to former Heavyweight champion Tony Tubbs, Minto then went on to win nine in a row which included the rematch with Maddalone on the Antonio Tarver – Roy Jones 3 HBO PPV and with former world title challenger Axel Schulz. Minto went on to win seven more which was highlighted by a win over then undefeated Donnell Holmes (31-0-2)

Minto put up a great effort before being stopped by former world title challenger Chris Arreola in an HBO televised bout. Minto moved down to cruiserweight and challenged for the WBO World championship but was stopped by champion Marco Huck in Germany. Minto will be coming off a fourteen month layoff since his bout which was a second round stoppage over Pierre Karam on October 29, 2010.

Grano of Hartford, Connecticut has a record of 18-2-1 with fourteen knockouts.

He went 14-0-1 with twelve knockouts to begin his career which was highlighted by a first round stoppage over Lenroy Childs (13-1)

After suffering his first pro loss, which was a come from behind stoppage by Mark Brown, Grano came back two fights later with a stunning fourth round stoppage over previously undefeated and highly regarded Travis Kauffman 918-0) that was nationally televised on SHO BOX.

Grano avenged his only pro defeat to Brown before being stopped in two to Nicolai Firtha. In his last bout, Grano stopped Dominique Alexander in six rounds on April 9th

In the eight round co-feature, Eric Fields will battle Derrick Brown in an eight round Heavyweight attraction.

Fields of Ardmore, Oklahoma has a record of 19-1 with fifteen knockouts and won his first eleven bout which included an explosive first round destruction of former IBF Cruiserweight champion Kelvin Davis.

Fields lost his only fight to former WBO champ Ola Afolabi and is now on a eight fight winning streak which includes his last fight when he stopped former world title challenger Rubin Williams in the second round of their September 2nd fight.

Brown of New York is a knockout artist as eleven of his thirteen wins have come early.

Brown has been in with the likes with then-undefeated Jean Francois-Bergeron (14-0); Former world title challenger Matt Godfrey (15-0); Former world title challenger Jonathon Banks (17-0); Undefeated knockout artist Jeremiah Graziano (9-0) and in his last bout undefeated Heavyweight prospect Seth Mitchell (18-0-1).

Brown is capable as he has a win over Frank Wood (26-3) and a draw with Alfredo Escalera Jr. (14-0).

A terrific undercard has been assembled as local favorite and multi-time Turning Stone Fighter of The Night Jackie Trivilino (8-3-2, 1 KO) will battle the durable Ela Nunez (10-11-2, 2 KO’s) in a female six round Super Featherweight bout.

Undefeated knockout sensation Ryan McKenzie (8-0, 8 KO’s) of the Bahamas looks to stay perfect when he takes on Richard Starnino (9-6-2, 3 KO’s) in a six round Light heavyweight bout.

In a four round Cruiserweight bout, undefeated Brian Clookey (3-0-1, 2 KO’s) battles Ariel Espinal (8-19-3, 4 KO’s).

In a four round Super Middleweight bout, Travis Peterkin (3-0, 3 KO’s) takes on Steven Tyner (2-2-1, 2 KO’s)

In a four round Super Middlweweight bout, Schiller Hyppolite (2-0, 1 KO) battles James Denson (4-7, 2 KO’s)

Rounding out the card will be undefeated Derrick Evans (2-0, 2 KO’s) and Bakari (0-2) in a four round Light Heavyweight bout.

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– Friday, January 27, 2012 8:00pm ET featuring Cut Throat MMA Invasion 5 Aurora, La Sierra, Aurora, Illinois. In the main event, for the Cut Throat MMA Middleweight Title, Sam Ferguson (2-1-1) of Carlson Gracie Jiu Jitsu fights Ryan Kirwan (2-3). Ferguson is coming off a first round TKO victory in his last fight, and shows the evolution of the Gracie-schooled fighter. Ferguson’s other victory also came via first round KO so don’t let his home gym fool you, he is an all-around MMA fighter. Kirwan has hit a tough skid, but a victory against Ferfuson will erase his last three fights in a split second. Kirwan also likes to do damage with his fists, as both of this victories have come via KO or TKO stoppage. This could be a wild fight if the athletes decide to keep it standing, someone is bound to drop. It could also be a classic grappling contest, although one that Ferguson should have the advantage. So expect Kirwan to want to turn this into a kickboxing match, which might be just fine for Ferguson. Either way, both gladiators are coming out guns blazing as this is not only the main event, but a title fight, and it would be the first title for either man in their budding MMA careers. In the co-main event, Tom Shoaff fights Anthony Nichols. Being the co-main event is a huge step for these two, so don’t be surprised if they have “fight of the night” and impress the audience with their performance. Both Shoaff and Nichols are well rounded so it will be who can dictate the pace of the fight that might decide who the winner will be. The fighter with the best cardio conditioning will have an edge in this battle.

– Friday, January 27, 2012 8:00pm ET featuring TaKe-On Productions presents Battle at the 7 Train XI at the 7 Train Theatre in Flushing, New York. The card featured at hotly anticipated main event, along with the semifinals of the 155 lb “Rising Stars” 8-man tournament. If you love the striking game, this is the event for you. TaKe-On always puts together great Muay Thai events that feature high level striking with blistering kicks, punches, knees and elbows. In the main event, Turan “The Tornado” Hasanov (6-4) out of the Fight Factory in Brooklyn, New York battles Sean Hinds (15-5) from Mushin MMA in New York City. Hasanov is a fast paced fighter who likes to throw punches in bunches. Look for him to come out using all 8 striking points right from the opening bell. For Hinds, he has a more eclectic style as he has traveled the world and picked up various different styles and methods of Muay Thai. Hinds utilizes primarily stiff punches and kicks along with a very strong clinch to do his damage. This bout will be a matchup of one fighter who looks to constantly strike and put the pressure on while the other fighter is more methodical in his approach and a great counter puncher as well. In one of the 155 lb tournament fights, James Gregory (4-0) from Cool Hearts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, fights Andrilo “Jr” Suarez (2-0) from American Killer Bees in Queens, New York. Both Gregory and Suarez won by decision their last fight and for one of them, a victory here will keep their record perfect and also put them into the finals of the “Rising Stars” Tourney. Gregory has twice the experience as Suarez and will look to capitalize on that by giving Suarez a bunch of different angles when he throws his strikes. For Suarez, he will probably come out hands down and chin up, which has proven very successful in his career so far. In the second bout in the 155 lb tournament, Akio Nakasone (2-0) from The Wat in New York City battles Freddy Cheung (1-1) from Sitan Gym in Queens. Nakasone won his previous bout by decision, while Cheung won his by KO, the only fighter to do so. Both fighters are just getting their Muay Thai careers going and for one of them, a victory here already places them in the finals of the tourney.

– Saturday, January 28, 2012 8:30pm ET featuring Elite 1 MMA – Heavy Hitters, Casino New Brunswick, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. In the main event, for the Elite 1 MMA Light Heavyweight Championship, Chris Johnson (2-2) fights Dana Dickeson (1-1). Johnson is coming off a victory in his last fight for Elite 1 where he won by rear naked choke in the first round. Johnson likes to bang on his feet, but is also a competent grappler as his last victory showed. For Dickeson, he is looking to get the fight to the ground where he won his first bout via TKO, and deliver some ground and pound on Johnson. With both gladiators liking to fight on the mat, this could be a contest where the wrestling and grappling is nullified and it turns into a boxing or kickboxing match. If that happens, don’t expect the fight to go the distance as these two beasts will be throwing heavy leather. In the co-main event, for the Elite 1 MMA Welterweight Championship, Richard Arsenault (1-2) battles Ricky Goodall (6-4). Arsenault is coming off of a long layoff, so ring rust might be a factor in this bout. It could also be a positive as it gave Arsenault time to hone his craft and come back a completely different fighter. For Goodall, who has 3 times the cage experience as Arsenault, look for him to test Arsenault early to see where his cardio conditioning is go for the win in the opening round. If that happens fans should be treated to a barnburner of a fight, because this bout if for a title and that tends to lend itself to fighters pushing the action even more.

Other events this week:

Boxing: Pro Boxing Fight Night – Grano vs. Minto, Jan 28, 2012 7:30pm ET. Star Boxing Rockin’ Fights at the Paramount, Jan 28, 2012 7:30pm ET.

Pro-Wrestling: Future Stars of Wrestling (free view): Jan 26, 2012 10:00pm ET. Impact Zone Wrestling(free view): Jan 28, 2012 8:00pm ET.

GFL now offers full access to over 6,000 fights for the low monthly price of $9.99 subscribe now at www.GFL.tv

***GFL is a pioneer in Internet Sports Broadcasting. Over the years GFL has broadcast more than 1100 live events with over 6000 combat sports videos in 196 countries. GFL is especially proud to have served greater than 5 million public viewers over the years with more than 250 combat sports related website affiliates in its network. GFL is also available on Roku, Android, IPhone, IPad, as well as other internet ready devices. Check the event page for details.

If Combat Sports is your game…Go Fight-Every Night with GFL Combat Sports Network

Join us at: www.GFL.tv or twitter.com/GFL or youtube.com/user/Gofightlive or inquiries contact press@gfl.tv

New York, NY – January 25, 2012 – This Saturday night history will be made at Resorts in Atlantic City as the debut of Team Snooki Boxing will feature a trio of Irish brothers. The Hyland Brothers comprised of Patrick “Pajo” Hyland (Featherweight, 24-0, 11 KOs, Irish Featherweight Champion, Former I.B.F Intercontinental Featherweight Champion, Intercontinental Super-Featherweight Champion, and WBF World Featherweight Champion), Eddie Hyland (Super-Featherweight, 16-1, 6 KOs, Former Irish Super-Featherweight Champion),and Paul Hyland (Super-Bantamweight, 20-2, 6 KOs, Irish Super-Bantamweight Champion, and former EU Super-Bantamweight Champion).

The Hyland Brothers will headline a night of boxing at Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Saturday, January 28, 2012. Patrick will put his undefeated record on the line against tough super featherweight Manny Lucaro (26-8 (14 KOs), Paul will face an opponent to be named and Eddie will be up against Franklin Gonzalez (14-0, 10 KOs). While in the United States, they are trained by two- time World Champion, Tracy Patterson and their father, Paddy who has trained them since birth. The event, to be titled “The Irish Invasion,” will mark the first time that three brothers, who are all Irish champions have fought on the same card in America.

It will be a great test for Paul Hyland as Lucero has faced the cream of the crop in the boxing world.

He has faced he pound for pound best in Manny Pacquiao as well as world champion Daniel Ponce DeLeon and undefeated prospects Valdimer Periera, Jorge Diaz and Diego Magdaleno

“We are incredibly excited to introduce The Hyland Brothers and Team Snooki Boxing. We’ve seen what these boys can do, and expect nothing less than continued success and ‘living up to the hype’ for each of them here in the States,” said Mike Pascale, Vice President of Final Round Promotions. “The Irish Invasion” will be presented by Final Round Promotions on Saturday, January 28th, 2012.

A packed undercard has been assembled that features one of the top Heavyweights in the United States plus a bevy of undefeated prospects.

Derric Rossy of Medford, New York has a record of 25-5 with fourteen knockouts was just one fight away from fighting for the Heavyweight championship of the world and will look to get on track when he takes on veteran Livin Castillo (16-10, 10 KOs) of Atlantic City.

This will be a good test for Rossy as Castillo has fought just about every top Heavyweight such as Jean-Marc Mormeck, Oleg Maskaev, Alexander Povetkin, Bruce Seldon, Eddie Chambers and Chazz Witherspoon to name a few.

Three undefeated prospects will look to keep their perfect marks intact as Jr. Lightweight Chazz McDowell (4-0,1KO) of Yonkers NY battles Phil Nazario (0-1) in a four round bout.

Former world amateur Heavyweight champion, Joey Dawejko (6-0, 2KO’s) battles Alvaro Morales (6-10-6) of Las Vegas.

Newark, NJ based Middleweight John Thompson (4-0, 1KO) will take on Andre Espeut (2-3, 1 KO) of Morristown, NJ in a four round bout.

Anthony Gangemi of Mine Hill, NJ will make his pro debut against Esau Tatum (0-1) out of Pine Bluff, Arkansas in a four round Jr. Middleweight bout.

Rounding out the card will be pro debuting Moses Molina of nearby Bridgeton, NJ battling Desi Williams (0-3) of Wilson, NC in a four round Jr. Lightweight bout.

Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi appeared on WFAN and MSG Network’s “The Boomer and Carton Show” on Wednesday, December 14 to announce the latest venture in her growing empire which is the formation of Team Snooki Boxing.

Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster and Resorts Hotel Casino.. For additional information please visit www.thehylandbrothers.com, www.resortsac.com or www.ticketmaster.com

Boxing fans can save $25 on any ticket over $100 by using a special promotion code “TSB”

Atlantic City, NJ—USBA cruiserweight champion Garrett Wilson returns to action when he takes on fellow-Philadelphian Pedro Martinez in a scheduled eight-round contest on Saturday evening, Feb. 25, in the Grand Ballroom at Bally’s Atlantic City. First fight is 7.30 pm.

Topping the seven-bout card is a scheduled 10-round welterweight contest between undefeated Ronald Cruz, of Bethlehem, PA, and hard-hitting Allen Conyers, of The Bronx, NY.

Wilson (right), 29, is back at Bally’s for the first time since his last-minute, come-from-behind one-punch knockout over game challenger Chuck Mussachio, of Wildwood, NJ. That 12th-round knockout came in Wilson’s first defense of his USBA cruiserweight title.

He had won the vacant title April 23 at Caesar’s Atlantic City when he pounded out a unanimous 12-round decision over former world-title challenger Omar Sheika, of Paterson, NJ. A pro less than four years, Wilson is 11-5-1, 5 K0s. He is ranked No. 9 in the world by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and No. 24 by the World Boxing Council (WBC).

Martinez, 28, asked for this assignment, despite his deceiving record of 6-4, 3 K0s. In his last fight Aug. 13 at Bally’s, Martinez avenged a previous setback by turning the tables on Elvin Sanchez, of Paterson, NJ, and winning on points.

The win over Sanchez was Martinez’ only previous fight at Bally’s. Wilson is 3-0 there.

Style-wise, this should be an excellent fight to watch. Neither man is big on defense and both men like to walk forward and slug it out.

Wilson is managed and trained by Rodney Rice. Martinez (left) is managed and trained by Mike Plebani.

In a six-round contest, middleweight Fred Jenkins, Jr., of Philadelphia, PA, takes on Alando Swain, of Trenton, NJ. Jenkins is 4-0, 2 K0s, while Swain is 4-1, 1 K0. A six-round welterweight match features DeCarlo Perez, of Atlantic City, NJ, vs. Rafael Montalvo, of St. Clair, PA. Perez is 6-1, 2 K0s; Montalvo, 1-1, 1 K0.

Three four-rounder fights complete the card.

Tickets priced at $50 and $75 can be purchased at the offices of Peltz Boxing Promotions (215-765-0922) and all Ticketmaster outlets (800-745-3000) and online at www.peltzboxing.com and www.ticketmaster.com.

In Bethlehem, PA, tickets are available at Pronto Notary, 232 East Third Street, Bethlehem, PA 18105. The phone number is 610-419-6790. Tickets in Bethlehem, PA, also are available from Lemuel Rodriguez at 484-893-9359

Jr. Middleweight contender Gabriel Rosado talks about his big win over Jesus Soto Karass plus promoter Russell Peltz talks about the future of Rosado and Heavyweight Bryant Jennings

Undefeated Heavyweight Bryant Jennings talks about his big win over Maurice Byarm

PHILADELPHIA–Bryant Jennings scored an impressive ten round unanimous decision over Maurice Byarm in a battle of Philadelphia based Heavyweights at the Asylum Arena.

Jennings outworked Byarm for most of the fight. Jennings came out moving around the exterior of the round with Byarm just following Jennings around the ring. that gave Jennings an opportunity to use his reach and land several blistering combinations on Byarm. That same scenario played out for much of the first half of the fight.

Byarm got going in round five as he started to let his hands go and begin to land combinations as he focused on some body work before coming upstairs.

Neither man had gone more than six rounds in any fight and both seemed to have just brief periods of fatigue but did a nice job of getting second and third winds.

Jennings came on at the end of alot of the rounds and finished strong which enabled him to get the verdict in most of the rounds. Jennings came out blistering in round eight as he landed a huge right hand that Byarm not only shook off but came back with a nice combination of his own.

Both guys fought well down the stretch, but Jennings had a solid lead and came away with the victory.

Both fighters should be commended for taking the bout on less than a week’s notice after the sudden pullout of Eddie Chambers who was supposed to fight Sergei Liakhovich.

Jennings, 220 lbs of Philadelphia won by scores of 97-93; 96-94 and 96-94 to remain perfect at 12-0. Byarm, 244 1/2 lbs of Philadelphia is now 13-1-1.

Gabriel Rosado scored a fifth round stoppage over veteran Jesus Soto Karass in round five of a scheduled ten round Jr. Middleweight bout.

Rosado was dominant throughout as he landed some solid shots with both hands. Rosado featured solid straight rights and uppercuts on the crouching Soto Karass. The domination really started in the third round as as a right hand opened up a nasty cut over the left eye of Soto Karass. the momentum continued in round four with Rosado landing big combinations that was followed by a big uppercuts. the cut worsened towards the end of the round. In round five, Rosado landed a huge combination that sent a visibly beaten Soto Karass back to the corner where Rosado landed six hard shits that forced referee Steve Smoger to stop the bout at 2:06 of round five.

Rosado, 153 1/2 lbs of Philadelphia is now 19-5 with eleven knockouts. Soto Karass, 154 lbs of Los Angeles is now 24-7-3.

In a battle of undefeated Light Heavyweights, Sullivan Barrera scored a six round unanimous decision over Damar Singleton.

Barrera was much more active in this uninspiring fight as there was a lot of holding and clinching but it was Barrera’s lead right hands that were getting through before much of the clutching would commence.

Barrera, 174 1/2 lbs of Miami via Cuba won by scores of 60-54; 60-54 and 59-55 and is now 9-0. Singleton, 176 1/2 lbs of Toeldo, OH is now 7-1.

In the opening bout of the evening, Naim Nelson kept his undefeated mark in tact with a four round unanimous decision over Pedro Andres.

Scores were 40-36 on all cards for Nelson, 137 1/2 lbs of Philadelphia and is now 4-0. Andres, 136 lbs of Bridgeton, NJ was making his pro debut.

Jose Peralta ALejo scored a six round unanimous decision over Lenwood Dozier in a Welterweight bout.

Alejo, 145 lbs of Jersey City, NJ won by scores of 60-54 on all cards and is now 7-1. Dozier, 146 lbs of Glen Burnie, MD is 7-4-1.

Ray Robinson boxed well and scored a eight round unanimous decision over grizzled veteran Doel Carrasquillo in a Welterweight bout.

Robinson, 148 1/2 lbs of Philadelphia won by tallies of 79-73; 79-73 and 78-74 and is now 13-2. Carrasquillo is now 16-19-1.

This show was the first event of the new NBC Sports Network boxing series and was promoted by Main Events and Peltz Boxing with the main event co-promoted by Greg Cohen Promotions

Javier Molina is back on track with his winning ways

Matt Villanueva and Mike Ruiz battle it out on Showtimes “ShowBox.”

Joel Diaz Jr. and Guy Robb have the fight of the night on Showtime.

Rico Ramos suffers a lost to Guillermo Rigondeaux on Showtime. Ramos offered no excuses but vows to get right back in the gym

New York, NY – (1/6/2012) – At the press conference last week in New York City to announce DiBella Entertainment’s HBO Championship Boxing St. Patrick’s Day card at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Andy Lee, who was slated to fight in the televised co-feature bout of the evening, stated, “I want to thank Lou (DiBella – Lee’s promoter) for letting me showcase myself on this show. There is nothing more I can wish for then to have this opportunity to fight at MSG on St Patrick’s Day.”

After seeking an opponent for the past two months and not being able to come up with anything suitable, Team Lee has announced that they will be coming off the card, and now it is rumored he could be the next opponent for WBA Middleweight Champion Felix Sturm.

“It is with great regret that I have to withdraw from the March 17, St Patrick’s Day Promotion at MSG Theater,” stated Lee. “Unfortunately due to the unavailability of a suitable world ranked opponent Team Lee have collectively decided it is in my best career interest to pass on a fight on this occasion. I would like to thank my promoter, Lou DiBella and HBO for planning to have me on the card and for their efforts to secure a suitable opponent for me from the limited boxers available.”

While it would have been a special treat for the and Irish community to see Lee showcase his skills on the 17th, Lee feels that his time for a world title opportunity is now, and while he wanted to be part of what is expected to be a spectacular event at The Garden when Sergio Martinez defends his Middleweight Championship Crown against Ireland’s top-rated middleweight contender Matthew Macklin, he now has his sights set on pursuing the fight with Sturm. Sturm has a tentative date schedule in Germany for April 13th.

New York, NY – (1/6/2012) – At the press conference last week in New York City to announce DiBella Entertainment’s HBO Championship Boxing St. Patrick’s Day card at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Andy Lee, who was slated to fight in the televised co-feature bout of the evening, stated, “I want to thank Lou (DiBella – Lee’s promoter) for letting me showcase myself on this show. There is nothing more I can wish for then to have this opportunity to fight at MSG on St Patrick’s Day.”

After seeking an opponent for the past two months and not being able to come up with anything suitable, Team Lee has announced that they will be coming off the card, and now it is rumored he could be the next opponent for WBA Middleweight Champion Felix Sturm.

“It is with great regret that I have to withdraw from the March 17, St Patrick’s Day Promotion at MSG Theater,” stated Lee. “Unfortunately due to the unavailability of a suitable world ranked opponent Team Lee have collectively decided it is in my best career interest to pass on a fight on this occasion. I would like to thank my promoter, Lou DiBella and HBO for planning to have me on the card and for their efforts to secure a suitable opponent for me from the limited boxers available.”

While it would have been a special treat for the and Irish community to see Lee showcase his skills on the 17th, Lee feels that his time for a world title opportunity is now, and while he wanted to be part of what is expected to be a spectacular event at The Garden when Sergio Martinez defends his Middleweight Championship Crown against Ireland’s top-rated middleweight contender Matthew Macklin, he now has his sights set on pursuing the fight with Sturm. Sturm has a tentative date schedule in Germany for April 13th.

Fighters discussed included Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin; former title challenger Martin Murray; and George, who would have met Lee at a catch weight of 164 pounds.

“Due to the unavailability of a suitable world-ranked opponent, Team Lee have collectively decided it is in my best career interest to pass on a fight on this occasion,” Lee said. “I would like to thank my promoter, Lou DiBella, and HBO for planning to have me on the card and for their efforts to secure a suitable opponent for me from the limited boxers available.”

DiBella told ESPN.com that another reason Lee (27-1, 19 KOs) is off the show is because there is a possibility he could challenge 160-pound titlist Felix Sturm (36-2-2, 15 KOs) in Germany on April 13, although Sturm may wind up facing mandatory challenger and interim titlist Gennady Golovkin.

“Andy wanted a bigger fight,” DiBella said. “He didn’t want to put all his high rankings in the organizations at risk for a fight that wasn’t a big fight and, simultaneously, the possibility of Sturm also arose. He wants to pursue a bigger fight instead of a low-budget risk fight.”

Matt Villanueva Talks Fighting Mike Ruiz Jr. on Showtime

Mike Ruiz Talks Fighting Matt Villenueva on Showtime

Guy Rob Talks Fighting Joel Diaz Jr. on Showtime

Joel Diaz Jr Talks Fighting Guy Rob on Showtime

Guillermo Rigondeaux talks about fighting Ramos on Showtime

Rico Ramos talks about fighting Rigondeaux on Showtime

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that Floyd Mayweather placed a phone call to Manny Pacquiao in an effort to make a mega fight between the two superstars for May 5th.

“They spoke,” Leonard Ellerbe, one of Mayweather’s advisers, told ESPN.com on Thursday.

Mayweather provided details of his conversation with Pacquiao in an email to ESPN anchor Stan Verrett.

“I called him and asked him about us fighting May 5 and giving the World what they want to see,” Mayweather’s email read. “I also let him know we both can make a lot of money. He ask about a 50/50 split and I told him no that can’t happen, but what can happen is you can make more money fighting me then you have made in your career. I also let him know I’m in control on my side but he needs to get on the same page with his promoter so we can make this fight happen.”

The message continued: “I told him to tell his promoter that he only wants to fight Mayweather and that this fight will be the biggest fight in history. His manger came to my boxing gym a few months ago and we spoke about getting the defamation of character lawsuit dropped against me and about both fighters taking the random blood and urine test. I spoke to his manager again last night about the same thing. The call last night lasted 15 or 20 minutes. I mainly spoke to his manager he got on and off the phone real quick.”

Ellerbe said he was unsure how Mayweather obtained Pacquiao’s direct line but added, “I’m sure that’s not hard to get or find out because there have been members of Manny Pacquiao’s camp who have reached out to me and other members of our team in the past. It wouldn’t be that hard.”

On Thursday in Las Vegas, where Mayweather donated $100,000 to the Southern Nevada affiliate of the Susan G. Komen breast cancer charity as part of his promise to the judge, he spoke about his desire to face Pacquiao with a handful of media on hand.

“There is no fight I want more than the Manny Pacquiao fight,” Mayweather told the gathered media. “I guess he said he agreed to fight. The only thing that is stopping this fight right now, that I truly believe is stopping the fight, is Bob Arum.”

Final Press Conference for NBC Sports Network 1st show that will Feature Maurice Byarm battling Bryant Jennings and Gabriel Rosado taking on Jesus Soto Karass

Undefeated Heavyweight, Bryant “By By” Jennings talks about his showdown with fellow undefeated Maurice Byarm

Jr. Middleweight contender, Gabriel Rosado talks about his showdown with Jesus Soto Karass

Undefeated Heavyweight Maurice Byarm discusses his showdown eith fellow undefeated Bryant Jennings on NBC Sports Network

CLICK TO ORDER THE FIGHT
Venue: Hilton Garden Inn – Staten Island, New York

Promoter: Greg Cohen Promotions
Date: Thursday, January 19, 2012

Mikey Faragon 137 vs. Andres Ledesma 136

Diana Prazak 128 vs. Lucia Larcinese 131

Nicky Demarco 132 vs. Cesar Gonzalez 131

Tommy Rainone 155 vs. Josh Williams 154

Anthony Young 146.25 vs. Clifford McPherson 147

Streamed LIVE on www.gfl.tv for $9.99 beginning at 7:30 pm eastern.

To order the entire fight card, click: http://www.gfl.tv/Events/Fight/Boxing/Greg_Cohen_Promotions_Presents_Championship_Boxing/1316

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– Friday, January 20, 2012 9:00pm ET featuring School of Hard Knocks 19 Calgary at the Century Casino, Calgary, Canada. In the main event, Paapa Inkumusah (4-3) from Gracie Barra in Calgary, AB takes on Advin Omic (8-4) from Arashi-do in Red Deer, AB in a welterweight tilt. 3 of Inkumusah’s victories have come via submission, which is no surprise as Gracie Barra is one of the most well-known and respected grappling schools in the world. Expect Inkumusah to look for a choke or armlock early if the fight gets to the mat. Omic is on a two-fight win streak and has a variety of submissions wins to his credit too. It will be interesting to see if Omic wants to play the grappling game with Inkumusah or he tries to keep his distance and work the standup game. Either way, fans are in for a great main event. In co-main event, Keto Allen (6-3) from Canuckles MMA in Calgary, AB matches up against Ryan Machan (14-7) from Arashi-do in Red Deer, AB in a 180 lb contest. Allen looks to get back on track with this bout as the tough Calgary scrapper suffered a loss in his last bout. Allen is a fan favorite in Canada for his explosive and aggressive style and he will be ready to put things in to high gear in this bout and see if he can push the pace and break down Machan. For Machan, who is a perennial MFC vet, this bout is very important for him to get back to center stage in Canadian MMA. He is matched up against a very game opponent who needs a win here just as badly, so expect the fireworks to start early and this bout be a candidate for “fight of the night”.

– Friday, January 20, 2012 10:00pm ET featuring Epic Fighting 10 at the Sheraton Hotel, San Diego, California. In the main event, Francisco Castro (5-5) battles Marvin Madariaga (3-0) from Blackhouse Gym in a featherweight scrap. Castro is coming off of a tough loss in the California State Finals back in December and before that bout was on a 4-fight winning streak. Castro is a cage general and controls the pace of the action very well, as he grinds out his opponents for unanimous decisions. He will look to do the same against the upstart Madariaga. For Madariaga, training out of the same gym as UFC Middleweight Champion, Anderson Silva, is a big advantage over most other training camps. The undefeated prospect looks to keep his MMA record perfect with a victory against Castro. Madariaga has finished 2 of his fights inside of one round, so expect him to try and implement a style early on that will get Castro on his heels. The co-main event is a rematch between Carlos Caliso Jr. (5-2) from Spiritwolf MMA fights Oscar Gonzalez (4-2) from Victory MMA in a lightweight matchup. In their previous fight, Caliso Jr. picked up the unanimous decision victory. Caliso Jr. is on a 2-fight win streak including picking up a tough victory last June with Epic Fighting. Caliso Jr. is a well-rounded fighter who would prefer to stand and throw down, but is also a competent grappler. For Gonzalez, a veteran of Epic Fighting as well, he will look to extract some revenge on Caliso Jr. and give him a taste of his own medicine. Gonzalez is coming off of a submission victory in his last fight and looks to put all the pieces of the MMA puzzle together, when he steps into the cage with Caliso Jr.

– Saturday, January 21, 2012 7:00pm ET featuring CSC 32 Battleware Fighting Championship at the Crown Plaza Hotel, Richmond, Virginia. Virginia’s #1 hybrid promotion featuring MMA and Muay Thai is back as Combat Sports Challenge (CSC) partners with Battleware Technologies to present CSC 32 Battleware Fighting Championships on January 21 at the Crown Plaza – Richmond West in Richmond, Virginia. The event will be a mixed event featuring pro/am fights in MMA and Muay Thai, including 4 WKA Title bouts and airing live on the GFL Combat Sports Network. In the main event, on the MMA side, Ring of Combat veteran Dwayne Shelton (9-9-1) of Team Combat in Virginia fights Joe Maiani (2-2) of Team Genocide in Ohio. Shelton is comfortable in the standup and grappling games alike, so look for him to mix up his attacks against Maiani in the beginning and try to use his cage experience to pick apart his opponent. Maiani is coming off a first round submission victory and looks to start 2012 off with another quick victory. Maiani is a fast starter, so look for him to try and bring the action to Shelton from the get go. This could be a contrasting of styles, but for MMA fans it should be an exciting and interesting matchup to see which fighter can impose their will. In one of the top Muay Thai battles, Ani Hilditch battles Robin Reese. Hilditch and Reese will be battling for a WKA Championship so expect these two women to come out throwing punches and kicks with bad intentions. Hilditch has been a veteran to the Muay Thai scene for some time now and looks to finally cement her legacy with a championship belt. To do so, she will have to overcome Reese, who has quickly shown that she is ready to fight for a championship. Muay Thai can be a brutal contest of bone cracking strikes. Both Hilditch and Reese promise to do everything in their power to devastate and debilitate one another in this championship bout.

Other non MMA events this week: Boxing: Greg Cohen Promotions featuring Mikey Faragon vs, John Trigg Jan 19, 2012 7:30pm. Pro-Wrestling: Future Stars of Wrestling: No Rish No Reward 2 Jan 20, 2012 10:00pm ET , Impact Zone Wrestling(free view): Jan 21, 2012 8:00pm ET.

GFL now offers full access to over 6,000 fights for the low monthly price of $9.99 subscribe now at www.GFL.tv

***GFL is a pioneer in Internet Sports Broadcasting. Over the years GFL has broadcast more than 1100 live events with over 6000 combat sports videos in 196 countries. GFL is especially proud to have served greater than 5 million public viewers over the years with more than 250 combat sports related website affiliates in its network. GFL is also available on Roku, Android, IPhone, IPad, as well as other internet ready devices. Check the event page for details.

If Combat Sports is your game…Go Fight-Every Night with GFL Combat Sports Network

Join us at: www.GFL.tv or twitter.com/GFL or youtube.com/user/Gofightlive or inquiries contact press@gfl.tv

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona (January 18, 2012) – Former world heavyweight champion Sergei “The White Wolf” Liakhovich is not fighting this Saturday because his scheduled opponent, “Fast” Eddie Chambers, failed in a timely fashion to notify Team Liakhovich that he was pulling out of their fight due to broken ribs, which resulted in the cancellation of their fight as well as insufficient time to find a suitable replacement for Chambers..

Liakhovich (25-4, 16 KOs) and Chambers (36-2, 18 KOs) were scheduled to headline Saturday’s NBC Sport Network’s “Fight Night” debut show live from Philadelphia’s Asylum Arena.

“Eddie Chambers is trying to save face in the press but I want to set the story straight by telling everyone what really happened,” Liakhovich said. “Chambers’ medical report about his broken ribs is dated, January 6, 2012. He knew about his broken ribs back then but he didn’t let us know until January 13, seven days before our fight. Instead of shooting his mouth off to the press for a week about how easily he was going to beat me, when he already knew he was not going to fight me, he and his team should have acted professionally and immediately informed my team of his injury. If we had two week’s notice, I have no doubt that finding a suitable replacement and making training adjustments wouldn’t have been a problem, but it was a serious problem trying to do so with only seven days to go before the fight.

“I think boxers like Chambers should be punished by every promoter and networks should know how he operates. He plays the good guy to the press, but Chambers is a fake. He didn’t have the simple decency to tell another athlete about him pulling out of the fight as soon as he knew. It was his obligation to inform everyone immediately.I wasted six weeks of training, as well as the expenses for training camp, and now I’m not fighting because of his actions. NBC Sport Network, Main Events and everyone involved had to scramble to put together a main event at the last minute, all the results of Chamber’s action. He is all talk and no action. So, for now, Chambers is history.”

Liakhovich, a 1996 Bellarusian Olympian, captured the World Boxing Association (“WBO”) heavyweight title in 2006 by way of a unanimous 12-round decision over Lamon Brewster.

Already in top shape for his now cancelled fight against Chambers, Sergei is now targeting world heavyweight contender Chris Arreola. “Arreola is waiting for another big payday to fight one of the Klitschkos,” Liakhovich commented. “He’s been fighting journeyman after journeyman. How about a real fight with me? I challenge Arreola to take a fight with me. This is a fight boxing fans would love to watch.”

LOS ANGELES (January 17, 2012) – Due to the fact that there was only to be partial representation of fight officials who were involved with the December 10, 2011 Amir Khan vs. Lamont Peterson bout at tomorrow’s scheduled appeal hearing of the fight’s outcome before the International Boxing Federation (IBF), Golden Boy Promotions and Team Khan have decided to withdraw their appeal and focus their full attention on Amir’s next fight.

Golden Boy Promotions and Team Khan are pleased to have been vindicated by the World Boxing Association’s (WBA) recent decision to mandate an immediate rematch and still hope that Mr. Peterson will honor earlier statements in which he asserted that he would be happy to agree to a rematch. In that vein, Golden Boy Promotions and Team Khan would agree to a 50/50 split of worldwide revenues derived from a rematch (including those derived from the United Kingdom) should Mr. Peterson agree to participate and hope that this will be both financially and professionally satisfying to Mr. Peterson and his team.

SAN JUAN, P.R. (January 17, 2012) – World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight champion ORLANDO “Siri” SALIDO and former WBO featherweight champion JUAN MANUEL “Juanma” LOPEZ will finally square off for their World Featherweight Championship rematch, Saturday, March 10. Their battle will be televised live from Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, P.R. on SHOWTIME Championship Boxing, beginning at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast.) If the rematch is anything like their first rumble, more than palm trees will be swaying when these two warriors start throwing. The SHOWTIME telecast will open with undefeated No. 1 featherweight contender MIKEY GARCIA risking record and rating as well as his impending world title shot in a 10-round featherweight battle.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with PR Best Boxing Promotion, Zanfer Promotions and the city of San Juan, tickets to Lopez-Salido II go on sale Today! Tuesday, January 17. Priced at $400, $200, $100, $75, $50 and $25, tickets can be purchased at www.tcpr.com or by phone charge by calling Ticket Center at (787) 792-5000.

“The stakes are high for the heated rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico,” said Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank. “There is no predictability in this rematch as the first fight showed…. Anything can happen!”

“SHOWTIME has made a name for itself by televising the most competitive fights in boxing,” said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports. “This match-up is not only competitive, but explosive as well. Add the intensity of the Puerto Rican fan base at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum and you have a recipe for a sports spectacle. Boxing fans have been asking for this rematch since last April, and we’re happy to give them what they want.”

“I shocked the world last year with my win, but when I do it again no one will be surprised,” said Salido. “I know I belong among the elite in the world at featherweight and look forward to been a world champion for a long time”

“I am very happy to finally get the opportunity to regain my world title and to show everyone that I am still the best featherweight in the world and that what happened last April was just a bad night,” said Lopez. “I will make my Puerto Rican fans proud on March 10.”

Salido (37-11-2, 25 KOs), from Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, México, is a two-time featherweight champion. A professional fighter for 15 years, Salido captured the International Boxing Federation (IBF) featherweight crown in 2010, dethroning defending champion Cristobal Cruz winning an exciting split decision and avenging his previous split decision world title loss to Cruz in 2008. After losing the title to undefeated superstar Yuriorkis Gamboa via a 12-round decision, also in 2010, Salido has been on a mission to seek and destroy, winning all three of his 2011 fights by knockout, including the WBO featherweight title from Lopez, and a title defense against Kenichi Yamaguchi.

Lopez (31-1, 28 KOs), from Caguas, Puerto Rico, returns to the ring for this rematch fresh from winning the the WBO Latino featherweight belt, via a second round knockout of Michael Oliver, Jr., in October. The pride of Puerto Rico has won 18 of his previous 20 fights by knockout, with the he only blemish, his eighth-round TKO loss to Salido last April. Lopez earned his first world title by knocking out defending WBO junior featherweight champion Daniel Ponce De Leon in the first round of their June 2008 fight. After five successful title defenses – four by knockout – he vacated the title and successfully challenged WBO featherweight champion Steven Luevano, stopping him in the seventh round, on January 28, at Madison Square Garden. He successfully defended his featherweight crown with an exciting second-round TKO of the Manny Pacquiao-managed contender Bernabe Concepcion and an eighth-round TKO of two division world champion Rafael Márquez.

Garcia (27-0, 23 KOs), from Oxnard, Calif., makes his Puerto Rico debut having won 11 of his past 12 bouts by knockout. Considered to be one of boxing’s top young prospects, Garcia, 24, returns to the ring fresh from a career-best year in 2011, knocking out previously undefeated contender Matt Remillard in the 10th round last March to capture his NABF and NABO title belts, as well as Rafael Guzman and Juan Carlos Martinez, both in the fourth round, in title defenses. Trained by his father Eduardo Garcia and co-managed by his brother Robert Garcia, the former IBF junior lightweight champion, Garcia is currently world-rated No. 1 by the WBA, No. 2 by the WBC, No. 3 by the WBO.