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.”

Our Last Amateur Show of 2010

The final show for the 2010 Gleason’s Gym monthly boxing series will be December 18, 2010.

The show is open to any registered amateur. This includes Juniors, Seniors and Master boxers. There will be both male and female bouts. (We already have four confirmed female bouts.)

If you wish to compete, please contact New York’s number one matchmaker Angela Querol at 718 797 2872 or gleasons75@aol.com.

The weigh in will begin at 4:00PM and the first bout will begin at 6:00PM.

All our bouts are pre-matched. They are sanctioned by USABoxingMetro. All boxers must have their boxing book with them in order to participate.

The ticket price is $20 per person. Children 6 and under are not charged. All gym members and registered amateurs with their books in hand pay $15 per person.

This show will be shown live and free of cost on: www.gofightlive.tv . The blow by blow for these fights will be done by our very own Champion Sonya Lamonakis.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the January 29 showdown between Jr. Welterweight beltholders, Devon Alexander and Tomothy Bradley will take place at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan.

“We’re going to the Silverdome, [outside of] Detroit. It’s done,” Said Gary Shaw who promotes Bradley.

“The two finalists were Atlanta and Detroit and at the end of the day, we felt Detroit was the best place to the put the fight. Detroit is a great fight town and has a rich fight history,” Shaw said of the city that produced several boxing stars, including Thomas Hearns. “We’re excited to go there and give them a great fight with these two great young fighters. HBO has promised to put a lot of muscle behind this fight.”

CLICK TO ORDER THE FIGHT
On Saturday night, Atlantic City native, Shamone “The Truth” Alvarez (21-2, 12KO’s) looks to take yet another step towards challenging for a world title when he takes on Ghana’s Ayi Bruce (17-3, 12KO’s) in the main event bout of the evening in the Grand Ballroom at Bally’s in Atlantic City. The bout, promoted by Star Boxing, is scheduled for ten rounds and will be for the vacant IBA Welterweight Championship.

Alvarez, recently sat down to talk about his upcoming bout, the loaded welterweight division, and where he sees himself in the coming years.

Q: Shamone, how has this training camp been?

SA: Training camp has been how it usually is, trying, intense, and I’m always learning. I’m always looking to improve and looking at what part of my game I need to focus more on. I feel great and I am more than ready to go Saturday night.

Q: What do you know about your opponent?

SA: I know my opponent is a tough guy and that he definitely is not coming to lose. He has busy hands overall and I expect him to be ready to go.

Q:In your last fight you showed that you have some serious power, knocking out your opponent with one shot. Is this something new to your arsenal or do you think you have always had this power?

SA: I believe I always possessed knock out power, it’s just the life trials I have had that kept me a little more focused on going in and doing what should be done. I’m on a mission now and you can expect to see more performances like my last from here on out. I just had a new baby girl about 9 months ago, and it has made me more focused and hungrier than ever to succeed in this game.

Q: You fight in a very loaded division, how do you think you match up against some of the other top guys out there? Is there anyone on your direct hit list?

SA: Yes the division is loaded but not only do I feel, but I know that I can hang with all of them. There is no one in particular at 147 I will avoid or not step up against. I’m ready, willing and able to go in with whoever my promoter Star Boxing puts in front of me.

Q: Give us your perfect 2011?

SA: Well first I must win this fight and pick up the IBA belt. Then I would like to defend my title and work my way back into a Title Elimination and by the end of the year I would like to be fighting for a World Championship.

Q: Thank you for sitting down with us, is there anything you want to say in closing?

SA: I just want to thank everyone for their continued support and look forward to having everyone come out and show their support this Saturday night at Bally’s. A lot of people counted me out after the Joshua Clotty fight and then most definitely after the Delvin Rodriguez fight. But so everyone is aware, I have learned how not to let things slip past me anymore. I’m the same with my focus, I just know what I have to do it to get the W. So for all those people who did count me out, remember I’m still here. I made some noise this year and plan to make even more in 2011. Remember GOD is all that matters in life and let him know you know every once and a while. Peace.

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 by calling Star Boxing at (718)823-2000 or visiting www.starboxing.com. 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

***All press releases are available in word and pdf documents. Contact Kevin Rooney Jr. at rooney@starboxing.com if neededd.***

Photo’s taken by Marty Rosengarten

The attached Photograph(s) may only be used for news, information or promotional purposes and only for the period commencing on the date of this e-mail and ending 90 days later (the “License Period”). Any other use and any use after the License Period is strictly prohibited without permission in writing from Star Boxing, Inc. All inquiries should be addressed to Star Boxing, Inc., 991 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, New York 10462.

Copyright c Star Boxing, Inc. 2010 All Rights Reserved.

Kevin Rooney Jr.
Star Boxing

Director Media Relations

718 823-2000

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. – Pawel Wolak fight scheduled for Saturday night as part of a Top Rank PPV card is off due to Chavez being ill but the rest of the show will go on that will feature two title fights.

Chavez woke up with a 103-degree temperature on Tuesday and won’t fight, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told ESPN.com.

“He looked like he had shaken it and he worked out Monday. I was there and I saw it,” said Bob Arum, who will promote the show from Anaheim, California. “His legs were a little tight but he worked out OK. [Tuesday morning] he got up with a 103 fever. He tried. You can’t fault the kid. You can’t put him in a fight with a temperature. It is absolutely legitimate.”

Instead of the Chavez-Wolak main event, Arum said he would elevate the scheduled co-feature, a 12-round bantamweight match between the Philippines’ pound-for-pound-ranked Nonito Donaire (24-1, 16 KOs) and former bantamweight titlist Wladimir Sidorenko (22-2-2, 7 KOs) of Ukraine.

“He got sick last Thursday after sparring and we kind of knew something was wrong,” strength coach Alex Ariza told ESPN.com. “He felt a little weak, but he finished 10 rounds [of sparring] but he kept telling Freddie he wasn’t in the groove. We thought maybe it was just a bad day, but later that night when he did an interview he started getting the cold sweats.

“He got back in the ring on Monday. He did four rounds, but once he started hitting the mitts with Freddie, he had cramps in his legs and later that night when we went to my house, he had a low-grade fever. [Tuesday morning] he woke up around 7 when we were going to train and he had a higher fever, about 102 or 103, and we knew this was more serious than we thought. I reported to Bob and he said if the kid is sick, he’s sick and there’s nothing we can do about it between now and Saturday.”

Arum said Wolak (27-1, 17 KOs) would remain on the televised portion of the card and could face Mexico’s Jose Pinzon (18-1-1, 12 KOs), although Wolak and his team wanted to view a video of Pinzon before committing to the bout.

Also on the card: lightweight titlist Humberto Soto (53-7-2, 32 KOs) of Mexico defends his belt against Urbano Antillon (28-1, 20 KOs) of Maywood, Calif., and featherweight contender Miguel Angel “Mikey” Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) of Oxnard, Calif., faces Olivier Lontchi (18-1-2, 8 KOs) of Montreal.

“I’m not going to cancel the show,” Arum said. “Anyone who wants a refund at the gate can get a refund. But you can’t cancel the show and do that to the kids who were getting ready to fight for the past six or eight weeks. You have an obligation if you can to follow through on the card.”

CLICK TO ORDER THE FIGHT LIVE
Isiah Seldon (2-0, 1KO), the son of former heavyweight champion Bruce Seldon, has been added to this Saturday’s card at Bally’s in Atlantic City. The card, promoted by Star Boxing, is headlined by Atlantic City’s own, Shamone “The Truth” Alvarez (21-2, 12KO’s) taking on Ayi Bruce (17-3, 12KO’s) for the vacant IBA Welterweight Championship.

Seldon, whose last fight in August was also in Atlantic City, will take on Dover, New Jersey’s Todd Eriksson (2-4, 1KO). Seldon is trained by his father Bruce and Bruce’s long-time trainer Bill Johnson. The bout is scheduled for four rounds in the super middleweight division.

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 by calling Star Boxing at (718)823-2000 or visiting www.starboxing.com. 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

DOVER, Del. — The WBC Title fight on Friday, Dec. 3 at Dover Downs Hotel & Casino is confirmed for the vacant Continental Americas Middleweight Title, featuring Lajuan Simon against Dionisio Miranda. The fight card has been matched by Nick Tiberi. The first bout of the evening is scheduled to begin at 7:30 in the Rollins Center.

The fight order will be determined on Friday afternoon, following customary, day-of boxer weigh-ins. The card stands as follows:

· WBC Continental Americas Middleweight Belt, 12 Rounds: Lajuan Simon 23(12)-2-2, Philadelphia, Pa. v. Dionisio “Mister Nocaut” Miranda 20(18)-6(5)-2, Miami, Fla.

· Middleweight, 8 Rounds: “Mighty” Mike Tiberi 14(7)-1, Smyrna, Del. v. Marcus Don “The Barber” Hall 11(4)-5(3), Savannah, GA

· Heavyweight, 8 Rounds: Amir “Hardcore” Mansour 10(7)-0, Wilmington, Del. v. Joseph Rabotte 9(3)-14(9)-1, Myrtle Beach, SC

· Welterweight, 6 Rounds: Michael “No Joke” Stewart 45(24)-7(1)-2, New Castle, Del. v. Chad “Taz” Greenleaf 13(6)-16(7)-1, Parkersburg, WV

· Light Welterweight, 6 Rounds: “Rockin” Ryan Belasco 13(3)-4-3, Wilmington, Del. v. Gustavo Dailey 4(1)-9(4), Philadelphia, Pa.

· Light Heavyweight, 4 Rounds: Anthony “Caputo” Smith 7(5)-0, Kennett Square, Pa. v. TBA

· Cruiserweight, 4 Rounds: Dan “Bada Bing” Biddle 4(4)-1, Hockessin, Del. v. Zeferino Albino 3(1)-11-(4)-2, North Philadelphia, Pa.

· Super Middleweight, 4 Rounds: Gabriel “GPHAM” Pham 4(2)-0, Atlantic City, N.J. v. TBA

· Super Bantamweight, 4×2 Rounds: Rachel Clark 5(3)-4-1, Philadelphia, Pa. v. Michelle Garland 0-0-1, US.

Doors will open at 6:30 and will call will be open from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. The event, times and fight card are subject to change or cancellation without prior notice. Tickets available through VIP Services at 800-711-5882.

November 30, 2010 – New York, NY) New York City fight fans looking for some seasons beating are in luck at Broadway Boxing returns to the BB King Blues Club tomorrow night with a action-packed eight bout card that is nearly sold out. In the main event, undefeated fan favorite Gabriel Bracero (12-0, 1 KO) will face the stiffest test of his career in 28 fight veteran Hector Alatore.

DiBella Entertainment’s Broadway Boxing is presented by AT&T: Think Possible, the Dominican Republic: It Has It All, and Latinoboxing.com: The #1 Latino Boxing Site. Tickets for Broadway Boxing are on sale now through DiBella Entertainment, and start at only $55. Tickets can be purchased by calling DiBella Entertainment at (212) 947-2577.

In a special attraction in the co-main event, unbeaten Dominican bomber Javier Fortuna (12-0, 9 KOs) faces his toughest test to date in New Jersey slickster Victor Valenzuela (8-0, 1 KO). Also on the undercard are some of the most popular pugilists from the New York region: heavyweight Tor Hamer (12-1, 9 KOs), welterweight Alex Perez (12-0, 7 KOs), heavyweight Sonya Lamonakis (2-0, 1 KO), junior middleweight Steven Martinez (6-0, 6 KOs), and junior middleweight Delen Parsley, Jr. (3-0, 2 KOs).

Bracero, 29, of Brooklyn, is coming off a win in his first ever Broadway Boxing main event, winning a clear eight round decision over Terry Buterbaugh. Bracero is known for his all action style, only matched in intensity by the spirit his rabid fans base brings to each of his fights.

Fortuna, 20, of La Romana, Dominican Republic, is making his US debut after reeling off 12 straight wins to begin his career, including six first round knockouts. Brought to America by famed advisor, promoter, and talent evaluator Sampson Lewkowicz, Fortuna is looking to win over the New York City fight crowd.

Hamer, 27, of New York, NY, is back to his winning ways after starching experienced veteran Terrell Nelson in just one round in October on Broadway Boxing. He’s looking forward to racking up another win as he awaits an opportunity to avenge his controversial split decision loss in May to Kelvin Price.

Perez, 28, of Jersey City, NJ is making his DiBella Entertainment debut. With 12 wins already under his belt, Perez is on the fast track to big opportunity in the near future.

Lamonakis, 35, of New York, NY, is a school teacher by day, and by night a fighter who uses the ring a classroom for her opponents. This will mark the third appearance on Broadway Boxing for Lamonakis this year.

Martinez, 20, of Bronx, NY, is one of the latest additions to the DiBella Entertainment stable. Managed by New York Giants running back, Brandon Jacobs, the young junior middleweight is surrounding himself with people who know what it takes to be a champion. Martinez will look to keep his perfect knockout percentage intact in his second Broadway Boxing outing.

Parsley, 22, of Brooklyn, NY, is a former amateur standout and son of famed Gleason’s trainer Delen “Blimp” Parsley, who doubles as his trainer. Parsley will be making his Broadway Boxing debut.

Tickets for Broadway Boxing are on sale now through DiBella Entertainment, and start at only $55. VIP Ringside tickets are $125, Floor Seat tickets are $75, and General Admission tickets are $55. Tables for groups of 5 are also available. Tickets can be purchased by calling DiBella Entertainment: (212) 947-2577, and more information can be obtained by visiting www.dbe1.com.

For more information about DiBella Entertainment, including a list of all upcoming bouts, please visit www.dbe1.com, or follow Lou DiBella on twitter, @loudibella.

Morganville, NJ (November 30, 2010) – Due to unforeseen circumstances, junior middleweight prospect Denis “Da Momma’s Boy” Douglin is off this Friday’s card in Santa Ynez, CA and will now be fighting December 17 at the Doubletree Hotel in Monroeville, PA.

A multi-time amateur champion who won the coveted National Golden Gloves title in 2008, Douglin is 11-0 with 7 wins by way of knockout as a professional. The Morganville, NJ native stopped his last four opponents in impressive fashion while displaying sensational skills each time out.

Douglin will square off against an opponent to be announced in an eight round bout.

Tickets are available by calling 1-800-745-3000.

Fans can follow Denis at twitter.com/damommasboy

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former lightweight champion Nate Campbell has retired after his disappointing loss to Walter Estrada this past Saturday night in Las Vegas as part of the Juan Manuel Marquez – Michael Katsidis undercard.

“First of all, I want to let everyone know that I’m fine. But after thinking about Saturday’s fight, I know it’s time for me to hang it up,” Campbell said in a statement. “I’ve reached the point where I can still see the openings, but I just can’t get my shots there in time. In this business, a tenth of a second delay is too much. And in no way do I mean any disrespect to Estrada. He came to fight and won the fight fair and square, but I’m not supposed to struggle in fights like this. And if I do struggle in fights like this, then what would that mean for me against a top tier fighter?

“I didn’t enter this sport to be anyone’s opponent. I entered this sport to become a world champion. I am fortunate that I was able to accomplish that goal. I would have liked to continue on to win titles in other divisions. However, when your body tells you that it’s time to go, then it’s time to go.”

“I had hoped that the back rehab I went through after my injury in training camp for the Ortiz fight would have made a difference,” Campbell said. “However, mobility obviously wasn’t my only issue, and the rehab couldn’t fix my age. As we get older, things slow down a bit, and the 135 and 140 divisions just don’t work well for a 38-year-old.”

Terry Trekas, Campbell’s longtime adviser and close friend, believes Campbell’s retirement will stick, even though boxing is littered with fighters who make ill-advised comebacks.

“I’m extremely confident it will stick,” Trekas said. “I don’t think he’ll ever get the idea he can compete at the level he wants to and used to be able to. I hope someone doesn’t offer him money to be a stepping stone and that his financial circumstances don’t make him consider it. There’s nothing wrong with being an opponent because the sport can’t survive without opponents, but I don’t want to see that for Nate and Nate doesn’t want to see that for himself.”

“Nate came up out of nowhere at an age where nobody was interested in him and went against the grain the entire way and wound up winning three world titles. In my mind it’s a great story,” Trekas said. “I would liked to have seen it end a little differently. The best part of his career got wasted with his issues with King. It might have been different had he been able to stay active. But it was a success story. He went from being a nobody to being champ of the world. That’s in the record books forever. Nobody can ever take it away.”

Said Campbell, “I would really like to publicly thank Golden Boy for still believing in me after the Ortiz fight. It’s no secret that I’ve had many issues with promoters over the years, but if I had one regret in this sport, it’s that I wasn’t with Golden Boy at the time of the Diaz fight. I think the last three years would have played out significantly different had I been with them the whole time.”

“I’ve got no complaints,” he said. “I came into this sport as a nobody at 28-years-old, ultimately appeared on NBC, ESPN, Showtime, HBO, and PPV, managed to win three world titles in the process, and made a few bucks along the way. Not too shabby for a wise-ass kid from Jacksonville.”