ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (July 27, 2010) – With G&P Fitness and Boxing Center officially opened, President and CEO Mike Brestle is continuing his quest to make a difference in the community of Atlantic City as well as the boxing and fitness industries. With a brand new state of the art boxing and training facility, located squarely in the heart of Atlantic City, Brestle is ready to launch Spartan Fight Promotions. Spartan Fight Promotions’ goal is to be Atlantic City’s premier sports and entertainment promotional company. “Our main focus and vision is to bring the sport of boxing BACK to Atlantic City, just as it was not too long ago during the times of Iron Mike Tyson and Arturo Gatti,” says Brestle.

Spartan Fight Promotions mission is to provide their fans with an exciting, competitive and entertaining evening of world class boxing action. What makes Spartan Fight Promotions unique is their willingness to work with any and all promoters, managers and fighters in the sport to help achieve their vision of making the best and most entertaining fights for the fans on a consistent basis. As Spartan Fight Promotions continues to grow and build their brand, their focus will remain to present fan friendly fight cards, while building and sustaining long lasting relationships that are based on trust, loyalty and mutual respect. This vision is the key to the success of Spartan Fight Promotions and their ability to represent the sport’s top talent on a local, national and international level.

The Spartan Fight Promotion team will be comprised by some of the sport’s brightest and freshest talent. Jim Kurtz is the President of Boxing Operations at Spartan Fight Promotions and will handle many of the day to day responsibilities. Kurtz is well versed in many areas of the sport and he is highly respected by his peers within the sport. He is one of the sport’s youngest and most well respected managers and advisors. He has vast promotional experience and he has even handled matchmaking responsibilities. Working along with Kurtz will be former Main Events matchmaker, Brian Little. Little has established an impeccable reputation within the boxing community. With over the fifteen years of experience and having worked hand in hand with some of the sports most respected talent, Brian brings a wealth of knowledge to Spartan Fight Promotions. Brian has experience handling everything from matchmaking, arranging boxer travel, public relations and site coordination.

“Kurtz and Little will coordinate the day-to-day and event operations for Spartan Fight Promotions,” according to Brestle. “Their extensive experience, combined with the rest of our dedicated staff, will help lead Spartan Fight Promotions towards achieving our goal, to ‘bring boxing back to Atlantic City’ while establishing a reputation throughout the boxing world for staging world class boxing events. Kurtz and Little will be key components to achieve our goal of signing, developing, and mentoring talented boxing professionals and helping them achieve their dreams of becoming World Champions!”

The Spartan Fight Promotions plan is to promote 6-8 boxing shows per year while establishing a well defined presence in New Jersey and the Atlantic City region in particular. To reach these lofty goals, Spartan Fight Promotions is committed to dealing with any promoter, manager and fighters in the sport to make the most competitive and entertaining fights for the fans. With each and every Spartan Fight Promotions experience boxing fans will be able to see and feel the Spartan Fight Promotions difference.

Brestle concluded, “We look forward to seeing everyone at the fights. I am sure the attendees will become loyal fans of Spartan Fight Promotions and they will continue to be a part of our future. Spartan Fight Promotions strives to be the best in all that we do and we look forward to providing our fans with events that they will remember!”

Program Lineup Through Friday July 30
Date Sport Event Price
Sat Jul 24 12:30PM ET Boxing Hall vs Power $FREE! More info
Sat Jul 24 6:00PM ET Boxing Gleason’s Gym – Amateurs $FREE! More info
Sat Jul 24 8:00PM ET Boxing Fights at the Fitz: Ty Barnett v Tyrese Hendrix $FREE! More info
Sat Jul 24 8:30PM ET MMA Wild Bills Fight Night 29:Guest Rich Franklin $9.99 More info
Sun Jul 25 14:00PM ET KickBoxing LIKO VI Fight for a Cure Kickboxing Show $FREE! More info

Boxing

Fights at the Fitz: Ty Barnett v Tyrese Hendrix
Sat Jul 24 8:00PM ET
Click here to watch this event on GoFightLive!

Prize Fight Promotions will put on a five bout card that will be headlined by a terrific Lightweight encounter between Ty Barnett and Tyrese Hendrix, from Fitzgerald’s Casino and Hotel. Barnett of Washington, D.C., will risk his impressive ledger of 17-1-1 with twelve knockouts against Hendrix of Gainesville, GA who is looking to rebound from his first professional loss and is now 18-1-1 with seven knockouts.

Barnett was 16-0-1 in his first seventeen bouts as he defeated the likes of former world title challenger John Brown, Pavel Miranda (15-1); Jose Leonardo Cruz (12-3-2); Johnnie Edwards (14-2-1) before being shocked by being stopped by Juan Santiago in one round. Barnett rebounded in his last bout by scoring a seventh round stoppage over the durable Braderick Antoine on April 16th. Hendrix has a very similar resume. After a draw in his first bout, he went on to win eighteen in a row which included wins over capable veterans such as Moises Pedroza (25-11-1); former world title challenger Luis Bolano (41-10) and Robbie Cannon (12-3-1) before losing for the first time to then undefeated Hank Lundy on April 16th in a bout that was televised on ESPN 2.

An outstanding undercard has been assembled of several undefeated Prospects: 6 Rounds Jr. Middleweights Mario Mina (5-0, 3 KOs) vs. Tim Connors (9-1, 7 KOs) 6 Rounds Light Heavyweights Donta Woods (7-0, 6 KOs) vs. Terry Porter (16-24-3, 9 KOs) 4 Rounds Jr. Middleweights Taureano Johnson (3-0, 3 KOs) vs Roy Ashworth (5-9, 1 KO) 4 Rounds Jr. Welterweights Rohan Wilson (4-2-1, 1 KO) vs. Keuntray Wilson (PD)

For full fight card and more details about this event, visit GoFightLive.tv or click here

Gleason’s Gym – Amateurs
Sat Jul 24 18:00PM ET
Click here to watch this event on GoFightLive!

Gleason’s Amateur Boxing Series continues this Saturday evening (7/24/10) from legendary Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn NY with the best young amateurs making their bones in the world reknowned Gleason’s Gym, where over 100 World Champions have trained.
For full fight card and more details about this event, visit GoFightLive.tv or click here

Hall vs Power
Sat Jul 24 12:30PM ET
Click here to watch this event on GoFightLive!

Stuart Hall will battle Martin Power for the British Bantamweight title in a rematch of a great fight that occurred just ten months ago.

In the first fight, Hall came back to stop Power in eight rounds, despite suffering a cut on his head in the very first round. Hall has a record of 8-0-1 with four knockouts and won the British title with an eighth round stoppage over the much more experienced Ian Napa on June 4th.

Power has a record of 21-5 with nine knockouts and is a former British Bantamweight champion himself. Power won his first sixteen fights before winning the British crown with a twelve round unanimous decision over Dale Robinson (17-1) on May 20, 2005. Power defended the belt twice, including a win over Napa before stepping up and being stopped in nine by Tshifhiwa Munyai for the vacant Commonwealth title. Seven months later, Munyai stopped Power in four in the rematch.

Despite the losses, Power still had British title but that was short lived as Napa came back to take a twelve round unanimous decision to claim the British title. After losing to Hall, Power won his last bout when he stopped Matthew Edmonds (10-3) on December 11th in five rounds.
In the ten round co-feature, Dean Harrison will battle Nigel Wright for the vacant English Jr. Welterweight title. Harrison has a record of 16-3 with five knockouts and will be fighting for the fourth time with a belt on the line. This past March 14th, Harrison captured the Midlands Jr. Welterweight title with a first round knockout over Ben Lawler. Wright has a record of 21-6 with nine knockouts. He is no stranger to championship fights himself as this will be his ninth fight for a belt. After going 12-1 in his first thirteen bouts, Wright won the English Light Welterweight title with a seventh round stoppage over Dean Hickman in 2005. He reclaimed the English Light Welterweight title with decision over Gary Reid and retained it with a draw with Daws in the rematch. In his last bout, Wright scored an eight round decision over former world champion, Alex Arthur (27-2) on December 5th in New Castle.

Another exciting bout featuring 2008 Olympic Bronze Medal winner, Tony Jeffries (8-0, 5 KOs) will battle Michael Banbula (10-25-3) in a Light Heavyweight bout scheduled for eight rounds.
For full fight card and more details about this event, visit GoFightLive.tv or click here

All Philly War / USBA Title
Fri Jul 30 7:30PM ET
Click here to watch this event on GoFightLive!

All Philly War /USBA Title – Derek ‘Pooh’ Ellis vs ‘King’ Gabriel Rosado.

For full fight card and more details about this event, visit GoFightLive.tv or click here

Ocean City, MD (July 20) – Middleweight boxing contender Jesse “The Beast” Nicklow will step out of the ring and into the octagon for a second consecutive time July 31 when he battles Matthew Dean in the main event of “Cage Time 3” from the Ocean City Convention Center.

Nicklow, who has an outstanding 20-2-2 record inside the squared circle, created a major buzz in his pro mixed martial arts debut, TKO’ing Jacob Estep via ground and pound. The Baltimore native is known as terrific striker with a solid wrestling pedigree.

Dean, 0-1, of Knoxville PA, is a BJJ specialist confident of his ability to pull off the upset.

The co-featured bout pits entertaining light heavyweight Kevin “Cowboy” Killian (1-0) of Ocean City, MD against Canada’s Andrew Craig.

Killian, a Purple Belt in BJJ and Judo Master, participated in the Ultimate Fighter trials before falling short of making it onto national airwaves. The wildly popular Killian entered the professional ranks in style last month, choking out Ray Elliot to a rousing applause from those in attendance.

Local favorites Jeremy Miller and Steven Baker will appear in separate bouts, while Pikesville’s Rich Langley and Ocean City’s Ruben Martinez battle it out for Free State bragging rights.

“July 31 is going to be a special night for fight fans and the Ocean City community,” said Promoter Jake Smith. “There is a lot of talent on this card and every fight has the makings to produce fireworks.”

Tickets starting at $15 are available by calling 1-800-626-2326 or logging onto ticketmaster.com. The Ocean City Convention Center is located at 4001 Costal Highway in Ocean City, MD.

All bouts are scheduled for three five minute rounds and the card is being promoted by Cage Time MMA. Steve Evans is the matchmaker.

Since their inception in April 2010, Cage Time MMA’s world class entertainment has received critical acclaim from both fans and nationally accredited media. Cage Time MMA Promoter Jake “The Snake” Smith has also put on successful boxing cards during the last six years.

Fernando Montiel tuned up literally and figuratively as pounded out Rafael Concepcion in round three of a twelve round Bantamweight fight to retain the WBC/WBO Bantamweight titles.

Montiel dropped Concepcion in the first seconds of round two from a perfect right. About a minute later, Concepcion walked into a left hook that sent him to seat of his pants for a second time in the round. Late in the round, Concepcion was docked a point for holding by referee Robert Byrd. Montiel ended things in the third when he landed a perfect right that knocked Concepcion down and out and Byrd stopped the fight without a count at 1:07 of round three.

Montiel, 118 lbs of Los Mochis, Mexixo will now look for a fall showdown with former Flyweight and Super Flyweight beltholder Nonito Donaire with a record of 43-2-2 with thirty-three knockouts. Concepcion, 118 lbs of Panama City, Panama is now 14-5.

Michael Medina scored a fourth round stoppage over Gilberto Flores in a scheduled ten round Jr. Middleweight bout.

Medina landed a barrage of punches that forced the referee to stop the bout at 1:41 of round four

Medina, 155 lbs of Monterrey, Mexico is now 24-2 with nineteen knockouts. Flores, 154 lbs of Tuianciago, Mexico is now 14-5.

Ramon Maas scored a four round split decision over Carlos Penaloza in a Featherweight bout.

Maas 122 lbs of Merida, Mexico is now 21-0. Penaloza, 123 1/2 lbs of Mexico is now 10-11-1.

Photo’s by Chris Farina/Top Rank

Carlos Velazquez remained undefeated as he scored a fifth round stoppage in Puerto Rico over Luis Arcos.

This was an entertaining bout throughout at the the two traded from the outset. Velazquez won most of those exchanges and finally got Arcos out of the way after he landed a clipping left hook that staggered Arcos and Velazquez humped on him an began to batter Arcos all over the ring until the referee stopped the bout at 1:119 of round five.

Velazquez, 129 1/2 lbs of Puerto Rico is now 13-0 with eleven knockouts. Arcos, 130 lbs is now 16-2-1.

Jonathan Vidal scored a sixth round knockdown en route to a six round unanimous decision over Felix Perez in a Bantamweight bout.

Vidal, 116 lbs of Guaynambo, PR is now 9-0. Perez of Carolina, PR is now 7-2.

Juan Gonzalez remained undefeated as he scored a second round stoppage over Christopher Rivera in a scheduled four round Lightweight bout.

Gonzalez scored a knockdown early in round two for a hard left cross. He finished the fight by backing up Rivera, who took a knee and began shaking his hand in discomfort and the fight was waved off.

The fight was waved off at 2:40 of round two for Gonzalez, 132 lbs of Toja Baja, PR and is now 9-0 with eight knockouts. Rivera, 129 3/4 lbs of San Juan, PR is now 3-5.

Jamiel Rivera won his pro debut with a unanimous decision over Manuel Torres (0-2) in a four round Light Flyweight bout.

CLICK FOR FULL EVENT INFO
Wild Bill’s Fight Night Next Saturday Night: Special Guest MMA Star Rich Franklin!

PRIVATE DINNER WITH RICH FRANKLIN AND
RINGSIDE FIGHT TICKET FOR ONLY $100!!!

Saturday, July 24 at Wild Bill’s Fight Night is a stacked fight card featuring a main event for an NFC East Coast Championship, a co-main event between two Atlanta fighters that have absolutely hated each other for more than a year, a female pro MMA fight featuring one of Atlanta’s most powerful strikers and MMA star and former belt holder Rich Franklin will be at Wild Bill’s to witness it all!

Rich Franklin, one of the world’s most dominate MMA fighters and the guy that possibly ended the career of Chuck Liddell, will be at Wild Bill’s Fight Night on Saturday, July 24 for a meet and greet with all fans in the building. He’ll be signing autographs from 8:30 pm until midnight, but before that he’ll host a special Feast With the Beast at Wild Bill’s.

From 7 pm until 8:30 pm, a private group of 50 people have the opportunity to have dinner with Rich Franklin! For only $100 you get all you can eat wings, soft drinks, a Wild Bill’s Fight Night tshirt and a ticket in the first three rows for the fights that night! Also, make sure to bring a camera for photos and anything you want signed as you’ll have plenty of one on one time with Rich from 7 – 8:30 pm as they’ll only be 50 people in the room. You can sign up for this by CLICKING HERE and this is only valid for the first 50 that sign up!

The fights on Saturday, July 24 at Wild Bill’s promise to be explosive as local favorite Dustin Chovanic puts his 6-1 record on the line in the main event against New York’s Andrew Montanez. Montanez has fought three times at Wild Bill’s winning twice, only losing to Dan Lauzon. The two will be fighting for the vacant NFC East Coast Championship.

The co-main event will feature two Atlanta guys that have tried to fight each other for more than a year, but injuries have always prevented it. Jeff Boudreaux from Roberto Traven BJJ will square off against Will Kuhn from HardKnox MMA/X3 Sports. This promises to be a heated battle come fight night as the two have already exchanged words several times. To view a video from Boudreaux regarding his feelings toward Will, CLICK HERE .

Atlanta’s Maryellen Cano will fight North Carolina’s Linda Cunningham in a fight featuring two girls with stellar amateur careers that’ll both be making their professional debuts.

Former Atlanta fighter Ran Weathers, now training at Greg Jackson’s MMA, will return home to fight Lawson McClure from The HardCore Gym and Knuckle Up’s muay thai standout Eddie Walker is making his MMA debut versus Devan Plaisance from TN.

For more information visit www.FullThrottleMMA.com or www.UndisputedProductions.com or call the Fight Hotline at 678-TKO-0115.

For tickets visit any Ticketmaster location or CLICK HERE to purchase tickets online .

COUNTER PUNCH ON 790 THE ZONE
EVERY WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT 7 PM

Last night on Counter Punch, on 790 The Zone in Atlanta, hosts Jose Santiago, Dymond Jones and David Oblas had world famous trainer Emmanuel Steward on air. Next Wednesday night, tune in and call in to win free fight tickets as Rich Franklin and Brian Bowles will be the call in guests.

Both former champions, both calling in during the radio show. ONLY on Counter Punch on 790 The Zone in Atlanta. Wednesday, July 21 at 7 pm EST.

Cruiserweight contender Ran Nakash remained undefeated by pounding out a ten round unanimous decision over Victor Barragan at the Arena in Philadelphia.

Nakash was more active and boxed effectively against Barragan, who gave a good account pf himself despite fighting much of the bout with a bloody nose.

Nakash, 204 1/2 lbs of Haifa, Israel won by scores of 99-91, 97-93 and 96-94 and is now 25-0. Berragan, 198 lbs of Oxnard, CA is now 11-6.

2008 Olympic Gold medal winner, Felix Diaz scored an eighth round stoppage over Broderick Antoine due to cuts in their scheduled eight round Welterweight bout.

Antoine was cut over his left eye and the fight was stopped thirty-five seconds into the final round.

Diaz, 146 1/2 lbs of the Dominican Republic is now 6-0 with 4 knockouts. Antoine, 145 1/2 lbs of Troy, NY is now 10-11-1.

2008 Olympic Bronze medal winner Vyacheslav Glazkov stopped Mark Brown in round three of their scheduled six round Heavyweight bout.

Glazkov dominated the bout until a big barrage on the ropes forced Benji Esteves to stop the bout.

Glazkov, 219 lbs of Ukraine is now 6-0 with 4 knockouts. Brown, 223 1/2 lbs of Salem, NJ is now 15-4.

Oz Golenburg remained undefeated by scoring a four round majority decision over Marcos Garcia in a Lightweight bout.

Scores were 39-37, 39-37 and 38-38 for Goldenburg, 129 1/2 lbs of Israel and is now 2-0. Garcia, 132 lbs of Camden, NJ is 0-3.

Click for full event info
Philadelphia, PA–When Derek “Pooh” Ennis defends his USBA junior middleweight title against fellow-Philadelphian ‘King’ Gabriel Rosado on Friday evening, July 30, at the Arena in South Philadelphia, it will bring back memories of some of the local showdowns that once made Philadelphia one of the boxing capitals of the United States.

The list of outstanding fights reads like a page out of Who’s Who in Philadelphia boxing history: Al Ettore vs. Gus Dorazio, Bob Montgomery vs. Wesley Mouzon, Charley Scott vs. Sugar Hart, George Benton vs. Joey Giardello, Gypsy Joe Harris vs. Kitten Hayward, Bennie Briscoe vs. Cyclone Hart….

You could go on and on.

“The formula for success in Philadelphia always has been to match two local fighters against each other,” says Nigel Collins, editor of The Ring magazine. “There is nothing like it anywhere else.”
Hall-of-Fame promoter J Russell Peltz, who is staging the Ennis-Rosado fight, agrees.

“In 1961, when I was 14 years old, my dad took me to the old Arena at 46th & Market Street to see Harold Johnson defend his light-heavyweight title against Von Clay,” Peltz said. “Johnson was from Manayunk and Von Clay was from West Philadelphia. It was an unusually hot night in late April and the Arena was not air-conditioned and you couldn’t move in there it was so packed. It was sweltering.

“We sat on the first row. Johnson was my boyhood idol and when he knocked Clay out in the second round, my emotions ran wild. I was ecstatic that Johnson had won but I was upset at Clay because I wanted to see more of the fight.

“It was the second time I had been to a fight in person and the first time at an all-Philly showdown. There were plenty to follow.”

Philadelphia long has been synonymous with tough fighters, guys who throw the left hook all night, even from left field. Fighters who stand toe-to-toe until only one of them is still standing.

“I remember the night George Benton fought Jesse Smith at the old Convention Hall in 1962,” Peltz said. “Benton was known as the Mayor of North Philadelphia and Smith ran with a fast crowd from West Philly. Benton was just too much for him and he dazzled the crowd with an incredible defensive display by staying in the pocket and making Smith miss all night while landing his own solid shots.

“I was at the Arena the night Gypsy Joe Harris got off the floor to stop Kitten Hayward in seven rounds. Again the place was packed, about 7,000 fans. We sat in the balcony—it was the only seats we could get at the last minute.”

After Peltz got in the business, he became part of the story.

“The Philly fans always liked to see the neighborhood wars,” he said. “There was a lot of interest and a lot of passion. I had been promoting less than two years when I made Cyclone Hart against Kitten Hayward at the Arena in May, 1971. North Philly against West Philly. Hart had knocked out all 18 of his opponents and he was stepping in against his most experienced opponent. Hayward had beaten Curtis Cokes and Bennie Briscoe and Emile Griffith and we sold nearly 1,000 tickets at the Arena box office the day the fight was announced.

“Hayward stayed at a hotel in South Jersey across from street from the Garden State Racetrack. He didn’t think a 19-year-old kid like Hart could beat him and he spent most of his time around the horses.

“Briscoe was in the co-feature and Augie Pantellas, a popular featherweight from the suburbs, was in the third 10-rounder. You couldn’t get in the place it was so mobbed. About 30 seconds into the first round, Hart did a little shoe-shine on Hayward along the ropes, just touching him, and then he unloaded a tremendous left hook that sent Kitten flying into the corner. Three more hooks and Hayward was down. When he got up, Hart was all over him until Zach Clayton stopped the fight. It lasted 60 seconds and made Hart an instant hero.”

In the mid-1970s, Peltz staged all-Philly showdowns at The Spectrum featuring a group of middleweights which included Hart, Briscoe, Willie “The Worm” Monroe and Bobby “Boogaloo” Watts.
While Peltz won’t compare the upcoming Ennis-Rosado fight to those great ones of yesterday, he’s hoping all-Philly matchups can help to revive the once-great boxing town.

“The biggest stumbling block we face today is a new generation of fight managers who want their fighters to be 25-0 by fighting easy guys,” Peltz said. “This way the managers brag to their friends about their great fighter and his great record. They don’t want to put their fighters in tough and they certainly don’t want to fight guys from the same city. I love the excuses such as ‘they train side by side in the same gym’ or ‘they’re good friends’ or my favorite is ‘why should we knock off a local guy.’

“It’s a hard sell also because most of the TV networks frown on guys who have more than one or two losses so, in some cases, it’s hard to blame the managers. But boxing suffers along the way because there are too many shows featuring Cowboys and Indians and the fighters never get to experience being under fire. When we were kids, one of us would bet the blue corner all night and one guy would bet the red corner. I can go to most fights today, look at the lineup sheet, and make money by betting the corner with all the favorites in it.

“Philly is not alone in this. New York always had its neighborhood wars. Guys from the Bronx fought guys from Brooklyn. The Lower East Side against.Hell’s Kitchen. They did it in the small clubs and they did it in Madison Square Garden.”

Peltz recalled a couple of neighborhood wars he promoted at the Blue Horizon.

“We had plenty of showdowns there,” he said. “In 1985, I made a 12-rounder for the vacant Pennsylvania State Bantamweight title between Bryan “Boogaloo” Jones, of North Philadelphia, and Troy Fletcher, of West Philadelphia. Jones had had a big amateur career and Troy was Frank “The Animal” Fletcher’s brother. Jones was 8-0, Fletcher was 8-0-1 and the fight was so popular they were selling counterfeit tickets on North Broad Street. I wanted to know why you couldn’t move around upstairs and that’s when I sent a friend outside to buy one of the tickets and we saw that someone had made copies of the same ticket on a homemade printing press with the same number on it over and over.

“When Frankie Mitchell, of West Philadelphia, fought Anthony Boyle, of Kensington, in 1992 for the NABF lightweight title, fans started lining up at 5pm, three hours before the first bout. We still had general admission seating in those days and everyone wanted to be first in line for the front row of the balcony.”

For the time being, Peltz is concentrating on the Ennis-Rosado matchup.

Ennis, 29, is from the Germantown section of Philadelphia. His record is 21-2-1, 13 K0s, and he is ranked No. 12 in the world by the IBF. He is the defending USBA champion, a title he won by beating Eromosele Albert, of Miami, FL.

Rosado, 24, is from North Philadelphia. He is 14-4, 8 K0s, and has beaten ex-world champ Kassim “The Dream” Ouma, of Palm Beach Gardens, FL, and Saul Roman, of Mexico.

The seven-bout card begins at 7.30 p.m. and will be televised by www.gofightlive.tv.

Tickets priced at $50 and $75 are on sale at the offices of Peltz Boxing Promotions (215-765-0922) or online at www.peltzboxing.com.

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK (July 13, 2010)—On Saturday night August 7th, Havoc Boxing will make its initial foray in to boxing promotion as the upstart Promotion presents a terrific night of boxing at the Aviator Sports Complex in Brooklyn, New York.

In the main event, Curtis “Showtime” Stevens will see action a Super Middleweight bout scheduled for ten rounds against Corey Cummings

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

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

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

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

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

Cummings of Baltimore, Maryland has a record of 17-4 with thirteen knockouts.

Cummings won his first fifteen fights which included twelve wins coming by knockout. He then lost two in a row with the second coming to former WBC Middleweight champion Keith Holmes.

Cummings dropped two of his next three which includes losses to former Light Heavyweight champion Montell Griffin and Interim Light Heavyweight champion Chris Henry.

In his last bout, Cummings scored a ninth round stoppage over Demetrius Davis on March 29, 2009 in Baltimore.

In the co-feature, Former world Bantamweight champion Mauricio Martinez will take part in a ten round bout against former Light Flyweight champion Mauricio Pastrana.

Martinez, a native of Panama has a record of 35-9-1 with twenty-three knockouts.

Martinez was 8-0-1 in his first nine bout before being stopped and overmatched against twenty-six fight veteran and future world champion, Freddie Norwood way back on May 31st, 1997. Martinez split his next four fights with a win over undefeated Antonio Diaz and two losses to future WBC Super Bantamweight champion Hecto Arcero Sanchez.

That did not dissuade Martinez as he went on to win nine straights, all by knockout which included winning the WBO Bantamweight title with a fifth round knockout over Lester Fuentes in Manchester, England and making one defense which was first round knockout over Esham Pickering in Pickering’s home country of England. Martinez lost the belt to Cruz Carvajal via ninth round stoppage on March 15th, 2002.

Martinez went on to win nine in a row which set him up for another challenge of the WBO Bantamweight title. Martinez lost a controversial majority decision to Ratancchi Singwangcha in Singwangcha’s homeland of Thailand. Martinez won three in a row before being stopped by future world champion Gerry Penalosa.

Since the loss to Penalosa, Martinez has gone 4-2 with his latest outing being a twelve round unanimous decision loss to Heriberto Ruiz on March 20, 2009.

Pastrana has a record of 35-14-2 with twenty-three knockouts.

The native of Monteria, Colombia won his first fifteen bout before scoring a huge upset as he took a twelve round split decision over Michael Carbajal to win the IBF Light Flyweight title on January 18th, 2007 in Las Vegas.

Pastrana made two defenses before losing his belt on the scale before his scheduled title defense against Carlos Murillo on August 29, 2008.

Pastrana simply moved up in weight and captured the WBA Interim Flyweight title with a twelve round unanimous decision over Jose Bonila.

After winning his first twenty-three bouts, Pastrana suffered his pro loss as he dropped a twelve round unanimous decision to Jorge Lacierva.

In the last decade, Pastrana has fought for world titles such as losing a bid to win the IBF Super Flyweight title to Felix Machado on June 16, 2001. Losing twice to IBF Bantamweight champion Rafael Marquez and being stopped in eight by WBA Super Bantamweight champion Celestino Caballero.

Pastrana has dropped four in a row with his most recent bout being an eighth round disqualification loss to Mike Oliver on June 26th, 2010 in Uncasville, CT

In an eight round Light Heavyweight bout, Ronson Frank of Rosedale, New York 15-0 with seven knockouts will risk his undefeated mark against rough and rugged Ariel Espinal, 8-14-4 with three knockouts of Brooklyn.

Uundefeated Light Heavyweight Will Rosinsky will see action an eight round bout against Miguel Hernandez.

Rosinsky has a record of 12-0 with seven knockouts and has quickly become one of the most popular fighters in the New York area.

The native of Brooklyn has developed a string fan base as he has fought eleven of his twelve pro bouts in New York and has been steadily stepping up the competition.

In his last bout, Rosinsky made his second appearance at the famed Madison Square Garden and stopped Angel David Gonzalez in three rounds as part of the Ivan Calderon – Jesus Iribe undercard that took place on June 12th.

Hernandez of Chicago has a record of 20-11 with ten knockouts.

Popular Super Featherweight, Gary Stark Jr. 22-3 with eight knockouts of New York City will return to the ring against Pedro Rincon Miranda, 30-17-2 with twenty-five knockouts of Cartagena, Colombia in a six round bout.

Undefeated Featherweight, Joselito Collado, 10-0 with three knockouts of Jamaica, Queens will take on Ever Luis Perez, 12-19 with nine knockouts of Cartagena, Colombia in a six round bout.

Christian Martinez, 4-0 with four knockouts of New York City will tussle with Hector Rivera, 2-5 with one knockout of Paterson, NJ in a six round Jr. Welterweight bout.

Former 2008 U.S. Olympian Sadam Ali will fight a six round Welterweight bout against an opponent to be named.

Ali has a record of 7-0 with three knockouts. The Brooklyn native, who will be fighting on July 16th in Newark, New Jersey is coming off a four round unanimous decision over forty-two fight veteran and perennial spoiler Martinus Clay on May 21st in New York.

Light heavyweight Andy Mejia, 7-0 with three knockouts will take on an opponent to be named in a six round bout.

In a four round Featherweight bout, Chazz McDowell, 2-0 with one stoppage of Yonkers, NY will take on Jamel Brown, 0-1 of Bronx, New York.

Tickets for this special night of boxing are priced at $50 for all seats and can be purchased at the Following Locations:

The Aviator Box Office
Gleasons Gym (718) 797 2872
Sadam Ali Boxing & Fitness Center (917) 807 3630
New Legend Boxing Club (718) 487 4474

The Aviator Sports Complex is located at:

3159 Flatbush Ave – Brooklyn, N.Y. 11234

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

Norwalk, CT (July 12) – Even though he has tasted defeat just once in twenty seven professional bouts, Tarvis Simms’ career has not gone as planned.

In 2005 when he was a perfect 24-0, Simms entered the hometown of title contender Robert Frazier for what looked to be a step in the right direction. After ten rounds of stifling the local favorite, silencing his adoring fans in the process, the bout was surprisingly ruled a draw. The official scorecards left Simms both shocked and disgusted, but what happened next was simply unimaginable.

Although he was world rated and seemingly on the cusp of landing a match up with an elite middleweight, the Norwalk, CT native found himself on the shelf for an extended period of time. Before he knew it, two and a half years of his blossoming career were gone.

“I was always in shape and ready to go”, Simms said in regards to the long layoff. “I was constantly in contact with different promoters across the nation to get on cards but nothing panned out.”

Simms resurfaced in 2007 and scored five consecutive victories during next two years, defeating the likes of former world champion Carl Daniels and spoiler Marcus Upshaw. After defeating Upshaw, Simms’ long awaited opportunity came, albeit when he least expected it.

Nine days before fight night, Simms got a call about facing top rated super middleweight Allan Green on the Showtime Network. Even though he returned to the gym 48 hours prior to the fight offer, he accepted the potential career defining opportunity.

As per the short notice, Simms struggled to make weight and still put forth a valiant effort come fight night, but it wasn’t enough. He ultimately dropped competitive a ten round decision and hasn’t fought since.

With his lone defeat now nine months behind him, the 39 year old southpaw is itching for what may very well be his final opportunity. As a skilled technician who has taken minimal punishment during his career, Simms is eager to show that he can outpoint any middle or super middleweight on the planet.

“I’m willing to fight any of these top guys, just give me fair notice and a reasonable offer”, exclaimed Simms. “I know Kelly Pavlik is on the comeback trail, so if he wants to get it on I’ll take the next plane to Youngstown. I am ready to prove to the world that age 39, I haven’t lost a step. All I need is an opportunity.”

World champion Juan Manuel Lopez and wife Barbara will be married in a church on Sunday.

“We were first married in a civil ceremony,” said Juanma. “At the time that was all we could afford. Now we are going to have a nice church wedding. We are both excited and can’t wait,” Juanma said.

The guest list is over 250 friends and family.

Lopez announced the wedding plans following a riveting performance and knockout win over challenger Bernabe Concepcion on Saturday at the Coliseo in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico.

+++

MATT KOROBOV UPDATE

Unbeaten middleweight Matt Korobov of Russia is back in the gym, working with chief trainer Kenny Adams in Las Vegas. Korobov was out for weeks with a nasal septum deviation.

“Everything is fine now. Matt is training every day,” said manager Cameron Dunkin.

++++

STEVEN BADGLEY

U.S Army Chief Warrant officer Steven Badgley, who fought at Madison Square Garden last month, has been tranferred from Fort Drum, N.Y. to a base in Colorado. “I’m very busy training as a soldier right now, but I do plan to stay in boxing,” he said.

++++

HERNAN ‘TYSON’ MARQUEZ

Mexican fighter Hernan ‘Tyson’ Marquez, who lost to Nonito Donaire in a 115-pound fight on Saturday night in Puerto Rico, said he plans to return to the 112-pound divison. “That is where I belong,” he said. …..

Donaire said he will moving from the 115 pound division to bantamweight at 118 pounds.

Down on the scorecards by a wide margin, John Molina scored a come from behind stoppage over previously undefeated Hank Lundy in round eleven of a scheduled twelve round Lightweight bout at the Twin River Casino in Lincoln, Rhode Island.

Lundy came out boxing very well from the southpaw stance as he featured different punches from round to round. He showed a deft jab in the first and started landing the straight left from the southpaw stance over the next few stanza’s. In round five, Lundy’s shots were beginning to show their effect as Molina started to swell under the right eye. Molina came back towards the end of the frame as he got through with a couple of right hands.

The fight started to turn in round eight as Lundy got caught with his hands down and Molina clocked Lundy with a perfect right hand that sent the previously undefeated fighter from Philadelphia to the canvas. The fight got very exciting as the two stood toe to toe over the last thirty seconds of round ten.

In round eleven, Molina landed a couple of shots on the ropes which was mad easier as Lundy left himself wide open by holding on to the ropes. Lundy was chastised by referee Ricky Gonzalez. Moments later, Molina backed Lundy up on the ropes and landed a flurry for which all but two big right hands and Gonzalez jumped in, maybe a bit prematurely and stopped the fight at 2:17 of round eleven.

Molina, 135 lbs of Covina, CA is now 21-1 with seventeen knockouts. Lundy, 135 lbs of Philadelphia, PA is now 18-1-1.

Vladine Biosse remained undefeated by scoring an eight round unanimous decision over Joey McCreedy in a Supper Middleweight tussle.

Biosse was more pinpoint with his punches against the hard charging McCreedy in the entertaining battle of New England rivals. Biosse was crisp with combination’s and featured the uppercut in his arsenal.

Biosse had a 151-49 punch advantage and won by scores of 79-73, 79-73 and 78-74 for Biosse, 165 lbs of Providence, Rhode Island and is now 7-0. McCreedy, 166 lbs of Lowell, MA is now 11-5-2.

“I wanted everybody to know that, even though I haven’t been in this game too long, I’m an athlete,” Biosse said after the fight. “Any chance I get, in life, not just in boxing, I overcome adversity and did that tonight. I’m hoping for bigger and better fights. Joey’s tough. He gave it his best, never quit, and tonight I was the better man in the ring.”

Photo By Emily Harney

http://www.gofightlive.tv/showEvent.do?eventId=714

SYDNEY, Australia (July 9, 2010) – The much-anticipated “Uprising” series begins today as July 10th breaks in Australia. In just hours “The Brisbane Entertainment Centre, in Brisbane, Australia, will be fraught with mayhem when “The Uprising 1” takes place with an incredible fight card featuring some of the biggest names in MMA, including Pride and UFC veterans.

Headlining the event is former UFC heavyweight champion, Josh “The Babyfaced Assassin” Barnett (25-5-0) and Jungle Fight veteran, Geronimo “Mondragon” Dos Santos (18-9-0) who will battle it out for dominance in the cage. This mega match will be part of the exciting PPV on July 17th that will be available in approximately104 million homes, plus available worldwide (excluding US and UK) on-line. Other battles taking place on the mat in Brisbane will be former welterweight UFC fighter, Karo “The Heat” Parisyan against Ben ‘Knuckles 5 Percenter’ Mortimer who replaced Luis Dutra Jr. who sustained an injury during training, former UFC welterweight champion Carlos Newton taking on American, Brian Ebersole, UFC veteran, Abu Dhabi Champion, NAGA Champion, Jeff Monson matched against Brazilian fighter, Bira Lima, and DREAM middleweight champion Paulo Filho against, Keith Johnson, as well as a newly added bout between Queenslander Jai “The Tooth Fairy” Bradney and Thiago “Minu” Miller.

In addition to the Barnett/Santos match, the exciting PPV presents “The Uprising 2” live from Sydney Australia on July 17, a phenomenal stacked card tournament showcasing Ken Shamrock, Pedro Rizzo, Paul Daley, Daniel Acacio, Bob Sapp, Soa Palelei, Murilo Bustamante, Jesse Taylor, Paulo Filho and Denis Kang. Adding even more excitement are Australian fighters Murilo “Ninja” Rua, the older brother of UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Australian kickboxing legend, Peter Graham going head-to-head with the #1 ranked heavyweight MMA fighter in Australia, Jim Yorke and popular MMA star, Glover Teixeira taking on Croatian fighter, who is now based in Perth, Marko Peselj. Popular Australian surfer and MMA star, Ritchie “Vas” Vaculik is matched against Aussie fighter Luke Hume and Australian MMA rising star, Shane Nix will go up against Manuel Rodriguez from Sydney.

The landmark event, the first Australian MMA event ever to be broadcast on PPV, will be available in over 45 million homes on InDemand, on Dish Network in 22 million homes, on TVN US Cable/Telco in 12 Million homes, in Canada on Bell Express View to 9 million, on Viewers Choice in Canada in 3 million homes , on Sky in the UK in 10 million homes, on Virgin Media in the UK to over 3 Million, and on GoFightLive- Worldwide Online excluding US and UK. In rhw USA, at GoFightLive.com WORLDWIDE, at PrimeTimeLive.co.uk UK, and at MAIN EVENT.com.au AUSTRALIA.

“The Uprising,” is presented by Impact FC, Saturday, July 17th, 2010 at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT in the United States from local pay-per-view providers for a suggested retail price of only $29.95.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, disgraced former Welterweight champion Antonio Margarito was told by the Nevada Athletic Commission that he first my be granted a boxing License in the State of California before they would consider a license in it’s state.

The California State Athletic Commission revoked Margarito’s license following his Jan. 24, 2009 ninth-round knockout loss to Shane Mosley in a welterweight championship fight at the Staples Center in Los Angeles over a hand-wrapping scandal that erupted in the dressing room in the moments before he was supposed to walk to the ring.

“If I would have noticed there was something irregular or wrong I would have been the first person to say I can’t go out and fight,” Margarito said through a translator.

“I think he needs to go to California and clean this matter up,” commissioner Raymond “Skip” Avansino said during the hearing. “They should be the first to rule.”

Commission chairwoman Pat Lundvall, the lone dissenting vote, argued strongly on Margarito’s behalf both for taking a vote and for licensing him.

“I do not think he has a duty legally or morally to go back to California,” she said. “It is incumbent upon this commission to act upon the application. … There is no value in kicking the can down the road.”

“We were hopeful that the commission would rule on the application after hearing our presentation and hearing Antonio answer all of their questions. He did and he did magnificently,” David Marroso, Margarito’s attorney, told ESPN.com after the hearing. “We’re disappointed in their decision to, using their words, kick the can down the road, but we heard their instructions. Antonio, his family, the lawyers and Top Rank will huddle and decide what options we’ll pursue.

“We believe he has paid his price. He’s taken responsibility. We will assess our options and keep fighting just like he’s always done. We will continue to fight. He didn’t become Antonio Margarito by just staying down.”

“I understand their position, but don’t necessarily agree with it,” said Top Rank president Todd duBoef, who was at the hearing while Top Rank chairman Bob Arum was in Puerto Rico promoting Saturday’s Juan Manuel Lopez-Bernabe Concepcion featherweight title fight. “He has served his punishment in California and is not looking to fight in California, so why apply there for a license?

“The Margarito side doesn’t believe the California commission was objective [when the license was revoked] and that they could not get an objective hearing from California now. They were hoping that Nevada would be more objective and see that a commission that Margarito is currently in litigation with would be compromised.”

“Before the fight, my trainer Javier Capetillo, my former trainer, put a knuckle pad made of gauze on my hand,” Margarito said through a translator. “I learned later the knuckle pad had something irregular on the inside but I didn’t know that truthfully in the moment. The knuckle pad didn’t seem different to ones he had put on my hands before.

“I never felt anything hard or irregular. Everything I felt was that it was a knuckle pad that was normal. In that moment, I was focused on one thing and that was preparing myself to go out to the fight with Mosley.”

“I thought about it and talked to my family and decided not to fight,” Margarito said.

“I accept responsibility because they are my hands and that is why I have taken steps to make sure this never happens again.”

“We could take the commission’s instructions and proceed to California,” Said Marroso. “This is not something we expected so it’s not something we had thought through. We’ll let Antonio digest this. We’re going to digest it and huddle and come up with a game plan. It won’t be long until the game plan is set and we act on it.”

Margarito, 32, could go to California, he could fight again outside the United States or he could apply in another state.

“I think everybody was disappointed,” Said Todd duBoef of Top Rank, which promotes Maragito. “I think he’s being victimized by red tape and a process prohibiting him from making a living. I sat next to his wife and you know she wonders where the next paycheck is coming from and that’s very difficult.”

Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank

Welterweight prospect Mike Jones stopped Irving Garcia in round five of a scheduled twelve round bout to remain undefeated at Adrian Phillips Ballroom in Atlantic City, NJ

The action picked up in round two as Jones started to unleash some lethal offense he started pumping his jab that set up some nice combination’s while Garcia was able to sneak in a couple of decent right hands. The fast action continued in round three as Garcia landed several big right hands that more than just got the attention of Jones. Jones shot back later in the round with a hard combination that backed up Garcia. Jones started to unleash the heavy artillery at the end of round four and carried that mometum into round five when he drilled Garcia with countless shots on the inside as he was battering the visitor until a body shot that may have strayed a little low put Garcia down for referee Randy Neuman’s ten count at 1:22 of round five.

Jones, 146 1/2 of Philadelphia is now 22-0 with eighteen knockouts. Garcia, 146 1/2 lbs of Vega Baja, PR is now 17-5-3.

Lanardo Tyner scored an upset ninth round stoppage over Antwone Smith in a scheduled ten round Welterweight bout.

It was a close fight throughout as the the two fighters stood close and there wasn’t any running from either man. Smith started to forge a head slightly as he started putting punches together in the middle rounds. Smith started to swell up from his right eye from the continuous assault of Tyner as he seemed to pick up a second wind as the fight headed into the last third of the fight.

In round nine, Tyner landed a huge left to the body that was followed by a right to the head that dropped Smith to the canvas. Looking beaten up, referee Earl Morton ended Smith’s night at 1:15 of round nine.

Tyner, 148 lbs of Houston, TX is now 24-3 with fifteen knockouts. Smith, 145 1/2 lbs of Miami is now 18-2-1.

Ardick Butler scored an opening second knockdown of Manuel Guzman but he wishes that the fight could have been over right then and there as Guzman came back to score an explosive second round knockout at 2:53 of round two of their scheduled four round Jr. Middleweight bout.

Butler scored his knockdown from a right hand shortly after the fight began. In round two, Guzman uncorked an overhand right the knocked Butler out cold for several minutes.

With the victory, Guzman, 146 1/2 lbs of Lancaster, PA is now 7-9-2 with three knockouts. Butler, 148 lbs of Philadelphia is now 5-2.

Ryan Belasco boxed his way to a unanimous decision over Kevin Carmody in a six round Jr. Welterweight bout.

Scores were 60-54, 59-55 and 59-55 for Belasco, 137 1/2 lbs of Wilmington, DE and is now 12-4-3. Carmody, 138 1/2 lbs of Philadelphia is now 10-13-2.

Jason Sosa stayed undefeated as he pounded out a four round unanimous decision over Bryheim Douglas in a Jr. Lightweight bout.

Sosa was more active and landed some good shots on the inside while Douglas was very game as he landed some good shots but it was Sosa who got the better of the action.

Scores were 40-36, 40-36 and 39-37 for Sosa, 128 1/2 lbs of Camden, NJ and is now 3-0-1. Douglas, 129 lbs of Philadelphia is now 3-4-2.

Steven Martinez kept his perfect knockout streak in tact as he stopped Jason Thompson in round two of a scheduled four round Jr. Middleweight bout.

Martinez was caught with a right hand and looked to be dropped at the end of round one but it was ruled a slip by the referee. In round two, Martinez shook off the late round punch and went on the offensive dropped Thompson with a big right and. Thompson got to his feet only to eat a vicious flurry that had the fight stopped 2:37 of round two.

Martinez, 152 1/2 lbs of Bronx, NY is now 5-0 with all wins coming early. thompson, 151 1/2 lbs of NY is now 5-6-1.

Anthony Caputo remained undefeated as he scored a second round stoppage over Walter Edwards in a scheduled four round Light Heavyweight bout.

Caputo rocked Edwards at the bell at the end of round one witha huge right hand. Caputo was methodical in round two until a flurry on the ropes forced referee Steve Smoger to stop the bout at 2:44 of round two.

Caputo, 179 lbs of Kennett Square, PA is now 5-0 with four knockouts. Edwards, 173 1/2 lbs of Wilson, NC is now 1-5.

Josh Mercado scored a four round unanimous decision over Kywame Hill in a four round Welterweight bout.

Mercado was more aggressive and he was egged on by a loud cheering section as he hails from nearby Cape May, NJ.

Scores were 39-37 on all cards for Mercado, 145 lbs of Cape May and is now 5-1. Hill, 143 1/2 lbs of Philadelphia is 1-5.

Miguel Corsino needed just fifty-eight seconds to dispatch of Epi Cosme Rodriguez in a scheduled four round Welterweight bout.

Corsino scored two knockdowns, the first was set up by a huge right hand that was follwed by a flurry that dropped Rodriguez. With Rodriguez clearly hurt, Corsino landed a two huge uppercuts that was follwed by a left hook that sent Rodriguez down for a second time as referee Steve Smoger waved off the action.

Corsino, 145 lbs of Camden, NJ is 2-0 with both wins coming by knockout. Rodriguez, 145 1/2 lbs of Harrisburg, PA is now 0-3.

In the opening bout, Rafael Jastrzebski scored a four round unanimous decision over Joe Dunn in a Super Middleweight bout.

Jastrzebski battered and blooded Dunn by landing countless flurries for which the debuting Dunn had no answer for.

Scores were 40-36 on all cards for Jastrzebski, 167 lbs of Atlantic City, NJ who is now 3-6-1. Dunn, 162 lbs of Philadelphia is now 0-1.

NOTE: WEIGHTS (July 8, 2010) – Up-and-coming middleweight prospect Mike Jones and his opponent Irving Garcia both tipped the scales at 146.5 pounds during Thursday’s weigh in from the Atrium at Bally’s Hotel in Atlantic City, N.J.

Philadelphia’s Jones (21-0, 17 KOs) will make his SHOWTIME debut against the tough Puerto Rican Garcia (17-4-3, 8 KOs) in the 12-round main event of Friday’s ShoBox: The New Generation event live at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) on SHOWTIME®.

Miami’s Antwone Smith (18-1-1, 10 KOs) weighed in at 147.5 and the talented Lanardo Tyner (23-3, 14 KOs) of Houston, Texas, measured 148 pounds. The two will face off in a 10-round welterweight fight in the ShoBox co-feature.

Jones is ranked among the Top 10 welterweights by all four major world sanctioning bodies in one of boxing’s deepest divisions: No. 2 by the WBO, No. 3 by the WBA; No. 7 by the IBF and the WBC.

The fight is being promoted by Peltz Boxing Promotions in association with DiBella Entertainment.

What the fighters had to say on Thursday:

MIKE JONES

“He’s (Garcia) a good fighter but I come to win.”

IRVING GARCIA

“I am in the best physical shape. I’m planning to give the fight of my life.”

ANTWONE SMITH

“I wish him the best of luck. It should be a great, all-action fight.”

LANARDO TYNER

“I just hope he (Smith) wants it as bad as I want it.”

Curt Menefee will call the action from ringside with Steve Farhood and Antonio Tarver serving as expert analysts. The executive producer of ShoBox is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Chuck McKean directing.

For information on SHOWTIME Sports Programming, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast information and more, please go the new SHOWTIME Sports website at http://www.sho.com/sports.

About ShoBox: The New Generation

Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young talent matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to televise exciting, crowd-pleasing and competitive matches while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. The growing list of fighters who have appeared on ShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes: Leonard Dorin, Scott Harrison, Juan Diaz, Jeff Lacy, Ricky Hatton, Joan Guzman, Juan Urango, David Diaz, Robert Guerrero, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Malignaggi, Kendall Holt, Timothy Bradley, Bernard Dunne, Yonnhy Perez, Yuri Foreman and Andre Ward.

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®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL® ON DEMAND. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, 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®.

NABO LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

MAIN EVENT – 12 ROUNDS – ESPN FNF

“Hammerin’’ HANK LUNDY JOHN MOLINA, JR.

NABO Lightweight Champion/WBO #7 NABO #9

Philadelphia, PA Covina, CA

18-0-1 (10 KOs) 20-1 (16 KOs)

135 LBS. 135 LBS.

NEW ENGLAND SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

CO-FEATURE – 8 ROUNDS – ESPN FNF

“IRISH” JOEY McCREEDY VLADINE BIOSSE
New England & EBA Super Middleweight Champion Former URI Football Player
Lowell, MA Providence, RI by way of Cape Verde
11-4-2 (6 KOs) 6-0 (4 KOs)
166 LBS. 165 LBS.
4 ROUNDS – SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS
KEITH KOZLIN ERIC PINARETTA
Warwick, RI New Bedford, MA
5-1 (3 KOs) 2-3 (2 KOs)
170 LBS. 168 LBS.
4 ROUNDS – SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS
JOE GARDNER DEMARCUS “Main Event” CLARK
Woonsocket, RI Shreveport, LA
4-1-1 (1 KO) 1-2 (1 KO)
169 LBS. LATER
4 ROUNDS – SUPER LIGHTWEIGHTS
DIEGO PEREIRA RICARDO CALAZADA
Lincoln, RI Las Vegas, NV
4-0 (2 KOs) 2-1 (1 KO)
142 LBS. 142 LBS.
6 ROUNDS – FEMALE WELTERWEIGHTS
ALEKSANDRA MAGDZIAK LOPES KALI REIS
Marshfield, MA Providence, RI
2-1 (1 KO) 2-0 (1 KO)
150 LBS. 148 LBS.
4 ROUNDS – LIGHT MIDDLEWEIGHTS
DUSTIN REINHOLD JOEL NIEVES
Former So. New England Golden Gloves Champion Upset Minded
Fall River, MA Allentown, PA
1-1 (1 KO) 0-2
154 LBS. 153 LBS.
4 ROUNDS – CRUISERWEIGHTS
ERIC ESTRADA KEON GRAHAM
Providence Fire Fighter Potential Spoiler
Providence, RI Akron, OH
Pro Debut 2-2 (0 KOs)
195 LBS. 200 LBS.

(All Fights and Fighters subject to change)

Name: “Let Freedom Ring” Pro Card

Date: Friday night, July 9, 2009

Venue: Twin River Event Center, Lincoln, RI

Promoter: Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc.

Matchmaker: Ted Panagiotis

Television: ESPN Friday Night Fights (10-12 PM/ET)

Tickets: $35.00, $50.00, $75.00 and $100.00 and are available to purchase by calling CES (401.724.2253/2254), going online at www.cesboxing.com or www.twinriver.com, at Twin River’s Players Club booth at Twin River, or any TicketMaster location.

Information: Contact CES (401.724.2253/2254/www.cesboxing.com) or the Twin River Event Center (877.82.RIVER/ www.twinriver.com) for more information. Doors open at 6 PM/ET, first bout at 7 PM/ET.

(Twin River has waived its 18+ rule for “Let Freedom Ring.” Anybody under the age of 18 must be accompanied at all times by an adult and they must enter through the West entrance.)

PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES

Hank Lundy: “I’d like to thank ESPN for showcasing my talents again. There were fireworks on July 4th and there will be even more tomorrow night. You can teach fighters how to fight but, if if you don’t have heart, you don’t have it. Anybody who knows Hank Lundy knows I’ll fight anybody. Training in Philadelphia I’ve fought everything including elephants and lions.”

John Molina, Jr.: “You have two great fighters in a no holds barred fight. My only prediction is you’re going to see a great fight. There will be fireworks tomorrow night.”

Joey McCreedy: “It’s going to be a tough fight, a war – the Fight of the Year. Me and Biosse are both hard-headed, stubborn who will fight anybody. I love the kid and his whole team. There’s no hate; we’re fighters, He’s in real good shape, I’m in real good shape. I’m glad to be sharing the spotlight with him on ESPN. It’s a make or break fight for both of us.”

Vladine Biosse: “My dream was to fight professionally and do it big-time. As a boxer I’ve taken a step forward every fight. It doesn’t get any better than this. I want to thank Joey for taking this chance and giving me an opportunity to share the ring with him. You’re going to get my best, as always. He’s coming to fight, I’m coming to fight. It’s going to be a great fight. Keep your eyes open, it’s going to be war.”

Photo by Emily Harney

Newark, NJ (July 8) – Unbeaten welterweight sensation Alex Perez will throw out the ceremonial first pitch this Saturday at Riverfront Stadium prior to the Newark Bears’ 7:05 pm showdown with the Long Island Ducks.

A lifelong Newark resident with an 11-0 professional ledger, Perez’ next bout takes place just minutes away at the luxurious Prudential Center July 16 as part of ESPN 2’s Friday Night Fights telecast. Perez will battle an opponent TBA in the eight round televised co-feature to the Zab Judah-Jose Armando Santa Cruz showdown.

Tickets priced at $53, $78, $103 and $203 (ringside) can be purchased at Prudential Center Box Office, by calling TicketMaster at 800-745-3000 or www.Prucenter.com

LAS VEGAS (July 7, 2010)—Today the International Boxing Federation (IBF) ordered the camps of top available contenders, Yoan Pablo Hernandez and BJ Flores to have a free negotiating period until July 20th to complete a deal for the two fighters to engage in an elimination bout for the top contender spot for the right to face IBF Cruiserweight champion Steve Cunningham.

If a deal is not reached the bout will go to purse bid.

“I am very excited about facing Yoan Pablo Hernandez in this tremendous opportunity to be the IBF mandatory challenger.” said Flores.

“He is a very good fighter but I am 200% confident in victory. He will not beat me!!”

The potential of facing off with IBF cruiserweight champion Steve Cunningham has Flores’ mouth watering.

“it is very hard not to think about facing the best fighter in your division when you feel it is so close. First things first with Yoan and then we will have the opportunity of a lifetime to face the most accomplished cruiserweight in the division, Steve Cunningham. This is the break I have needed for a long time. A fair opportunity to face the BEST in the division”

Even though Flores has been inactive he has stayed busy working as sparring partners for World Light Heavyweight champion Chad Dawson and former WBA Heavyweight champion John Ruiz. Flores also was the main Sparring partner for current WBA Heavyweight champion David Haye before his April 3rd title defense with Former champion Ruiz.

“Even though i have been out of the ring I am always working out and always staying sharp. I put in a lot of hard work and hard rounds with those three former champions and learned many valuable lessons in the last year. People always are asking me when I am fighting again. The time is NOW… Stay tuned!! ”

On the part about staying sharp and sparring and putting in rounds i want to add in that “I have been lifting weights and doing ply metrics over the last year to become more explosive. This year off has given my body a chance to heal and I have no injuries and have become way stronger and gained valuable experience being in the camp of three different world champions. I will be in the best shape of my life to make sure this fight doesn’t go the distance…I can’t wait!”

Flores of Las Vegas has a record of 24-0-1 with fifteen wins coming by knockouts, can also be seen as a guest studio analyst on ESPN 2 Friday Night Fights for which his next appearance will be July 16th for the Zab Judah – Jose Armando Santa Cruz fight from Newark, New Jersey.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, an intriguing IBF Super Middleweight elimination bout between undefeated Jean Paul Mendy and former world title challenger Sakio Bika has been added to the off-tv portion of the packed cardthat will feature the Lightweight title rematch of the 2009 fight of the year between Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan Diaz that will take place July 31st in Las Vegas.

The winner of Bika-Mendy will earn a mandatory shot against 168-pound titleholder Lucian Bute.

“This is truly a ‘Fight Freak’ card for the ages,” said Richard Schaefer , CEO of Golden Boy Promotions who will promote the card. “We are going all out to make July 31 a night to remember for boxing and sports fans. The addition of Bika versus Mendy is another all-action fight which supplements a card which I consider to be one of the best top to bottom boxing events in the past few years.”

Schaefer said Bika-Mendy will take place just before the HBO PPV telecast begins but that highlights of the bout would air during the broadcast. However, he said is working on having the fight, along with another undercard match featuring blue-chip junior welterweight prospect Frankie Gomez, shown live as a free preview in the hour preceding the start of the pay-per-view telecast.

“We’re trying now to secure the free window from the PPV channels,” Schaefer said. “Looking good.”

As unbeaten Mike Jones, of Philadelphia, PA, who is 21-0, 17 K0s, and ranked as high as No. 2 welterweight in the world by the WBO behind champion Manny Pacquiao, prepares to defend his NABA and NABO titles against Puerto Rico’s Irving Garcia (17-4-3, 8 KOs) on July 9 at Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall, he has had his best-ever training camp.
MIKE JONES COMMENTS

• On his training camp: “I’ve had a great camp and I’m in terrific shape. I’m ready. As each fight goes by, I get in better and better shape. I’m smart. I take nobody for granted. When it’s time to shine, I’m gonna shine.”

•His feelings about fighting for a world title (possibly before the end of the year): “It would be a dream come true. I’ve been preparing for this for years. You just want to get a piece of the pie. I’m ready.”

• On his goals: “My No. 1 goal is to be No. 1, nothing less. I’m getting closer but not there yet; not where I want to be. My ultimate goal: World Champion.”

• On staying at welterweight: “I can make that weight (147 pounds) easily. I want the advantages on my side: my height (6’1”) and speed. I’m still learning to use the height as a big advantage over other welterweights.”

• On how he got started in boxing: “As a teenager, I liked basketball and could dunk. I was above average, but not above above average to make it to the NBA so I wanted to try something else. The other sports weren’t rough enough. My dad took me to Joe Frazier’s gym. I picked it up pretty good. I was determined and had a good work ethic. They threw me into my first amateur fight one month after I started and I lost. It made me work harder and I stopped my next 11-12 foes. I eventually sparred with the guy who first beat me and I beat him up pretty good. I had 50-60 amateur fights.”

• On his style: “I have power like Tyson (“taught to me by Smoke [Joe Frazier] and Marvis Frazier as an amateur; I was taught how to bang early on: just plant my feet on the floor and bang “); a jab like Ali (“Snap that jab and then throw combinations off that”) and ring tricks like Roy Jones. I have long, long arms, am tall for a welterweight and fast. I’m pretty good at blocking a guy’s shot. I like to box. I look to be smart. If I see a weakness I like to go in and pounce.”

• His favorite fighters: Muhammad Ali (“He always kept popping that jab”); Mike Tyson (“I like his ferociousness & quickness); Roy Jones; Pernell “Sweat Pea” Whitaker; Evander Holyfield (“Great combinations”); Oscar De La Hoya (“He’d snap that good jab of his.”)

• On his increased media exposure: “I’m happy to be getting so much positive feedback. But there’s always going to be somebody who hasn’t seen me fight before that I want to look good for. Like they say, you only get one chance to make a good first impression. I want to do that every time I fight.”

• On who he’d like to fight in the future: “Anybody with a world championship belt would be a dream fight. That’s what I’ve worked so hard for… to be recognized as one of the best fighters in world.”

• On a future fight with Floyd Mayweather: “It would be a dream come true. He’s the man. He always works so hard. Look at his stomach, how ripped it is. I keep working hard every day to get that. Give me 10% of what Mayweather has. I’d work his body and keep working the left side and hope he gets tired. You can’t touch him on his right side. He snaps that great jab, up and down. He waits for you to open up and he’ll counter. You must counter his counter. I’d have to be in the same­­ tremendous shape like him.”

• On a future fight with Manny Pacquiao: “I’d keep Pacquiao at the end of everything. He jumps in and counter punches. It’s hard to counter punch 3’s and 4’s but you have to be patient.”

• On a future fight with WBC titlist Andre Berto (which has been mentioned by Berto’s promoter as a possibility for the fall): “Great talent, very fast…brings a lot of power. I’d try to use my height. Mix it up. When he throws exchanges he leaves himself open. I see myself catching him and knocking him out.”

• On his soft-spoken nature: “I’m humble and don’t like to brag or boast. But on fight night, I let my fists do the talking. My fists are rather loud.”

VAUGHN JACKSON, JONES’ TRAINER

• On training camp: “ Mike looks great in training. He’s on fire. It’s hard to find sparring partners for him. No one wants to get in there and take a beating. Mike shows no mercy.”

• On Irving Garcia, his July 9 opponent: “We’ve seen tape on Garcia. He’s a nice counter-puncher, with a good right hand but he’s too laid back. Mike’s too tall, too young. Youth (Jones) will overwhelm him. I’d be surprised if it goes past the 5th (round). It’s Mike’s time.”

• On Jones’ future: “We want to get past Garcia and then see what’s out there for the future we’re aware what position Mike’s in and we want to keep him busy. He’s getting better each fight. He belongs where he’s at (in the ratings).”
“I think this is a very good time for Mike Jones. It’s his time to shine. He’s at his peak right now. It’s like the dominoes are finally starting to fall.”
“Mike’s not as big, namewise, as Floyd Mayweather and Manny Paquiao, but he hasn’t yet had the same great opportunities. When he gets the opportunity, he’ll be great.”

J RUSSELL PELTZ, JONES’ PROMOTER

• On one reason why Jones has moved up quickly in the various boxing organizations’ ratings: “Even though I didn’t know it at the time, that weekend (on April 17 that Jones last fought) there was a convention (in Atlantic City) of the four world sanctioning bodies. So everybody was at Mike’s fight, and everybody was impressed. He shot up (the ratings) after that fight.”

• On Jones’ outlook: “He’s a young guy and he’s in a hurry. He believes he’s ready for anybody.”

• On Jones’ next fight: “If he beats Garcia, he’s not going to fight [Manny] Pacquiao or [Floyd] Mayweather next. I don’t see that happening. He doesn’t have the name recognition yet. But somebody like [WBC welterweight champ Andre] Berto? That’s another story. I could see a Berto fight being made, or a fight with the WBO’s No. 1 contender, Kell Brock. The IBF champion is Jan Zavek. That’s a doable fight, too.”

• On the July 9 fight vs Irving Garcia: To me this is the fight. Not only do I consider it Mike’s toughest fight, but I consider it the last before something really substantial. If he doesn’t stub his toe against Irving Garcia, he’s on the doorstep.”

DOC NOWICKI, JONES’ CO-MANAGER

• On training camp: “Mike’s looking excellent and he’s in great shape. He’s been working on his combinations and the usual tricks of the trade. He’s ready and can’t wait for the fight.”

• On his July 9 fight: “I don’t think the fight will go the distance but Mike will get some excellent work out of it. He likes to fight. He’s not looking for an easy fight.”

• On the future: “There’s nobody we would be afraid to put Mike in against now. We’d welcome a fight against Andre Berto (WBC titlist). We want to fight anyone above Mike in the ratings.”

JIM WILLIAMS, JONES’ CO-MANAGER & CUTMAN

• On Jones’ training: “Training camp was great. It always is with Mike. He’s a workhorse in the gym. When you think he’s done with his long workout, he starts over his routine again. He goes on and on. He’s a real gym rat and real serious. He’s always in great shape.”

• On Irving Garcia his opponent: “Probably the most skilled fighter Mike has fought. Garcia’s a tough, rugged guy but doesn’t have a great chin. When Mike sets up his jab and touches his chin, it’ll be over within 5 or 6 rounds. Not an easy night though.”

• On Jones’ future: “Mike will definitely be a world champion. But he says he wants to be more than a champion, he wants to be one of the best of all time. He is very focused and has both feet on the ground.”

# # #

Mike Jones vs. Irving Garcia: The Fireworks Continue on July 9, 2010 at Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall is promoted by Peltz Boxing Promotions and DiBella Entertainment in association with Caesars Atlantic City. The 12-round main event will be for Jones’ NABA and NABO welterweight titles.

Tickets are $100, $75 and $50 and are available at Ticketmaster.com (800-736-1420) and through Peltzboxing.com (215-765-0922)

NEW YORK (July 7, 2010) – After getting cut from his high school freshman basketball team, Mike Jones turned his full attention to boxing, and he’s been a one-sport guy ever since.

Philadelphia’s welterweight prospect Jones recently answered six questions in anticipation of his fight against Irving Garcia, a 12-round main event bout on ShoBox: The New Generation on Friday, July 9, live on SHOWTIME ® (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from the ballroom at the Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall.

Jones, 27, puts his perfect 21-0 record (17 KOs) on the line against Puerto Rico’s Garcia (17-4-3, 8 KOs), while promising, once-beaten Antwone Smith (18-1-1, 10 KOs) of Miami, Fla., will face Houston’s Lanardo Tyner (23-3, 14 KOs) in a 10-round welterweight tussle in an exciting co-feature.

The fight is being promoted by Peltz Boxing Promotions in association with DiBella Entertainment.

Question: You’ve been trained and managed by the same people since you turned pro. Has that consistency helped you?

Jones: “Yeah, Vaughn Jackson is my trainer and Jim Williams and Doc Nowicki are my managers. They’ll all be in my corner. I’m just really comfortable with them and it’s been great to have the same guys around and to just have that familiarity. They do their jobs pretty well, which is to make sure I’m ready for each of my fights. I’ve been in better shape for each [consecutive] fight.”

Question: You fight in one of boxing’s toughest divisions. Who would you like to fight most in the future?

Jones: “I’ll fight anyone. Throw them in there with me. There’s been word that I might fight Antwone Smith if we both win on Friday night. I won’t be watching his fight Friday, but I’ll have it Tivo’ed and will catch it later.”

Question: You come from boxing-rich Philadelphia. Do you feel any added pressure being from an area that has produced some great world champions like Joe Frazier and Bernard Hopkins, just to name two?

Jones: “There’s no pressure. I’ve worked at Joe Frazier’s gym and he trained me as an amateur and I’ve worked out with his son Marvis. They’re great guys. But I was actually a Muhammad Ali fan growing up. I’ve sparred with Bernard’s nephew Demetrius. There are a lot of great ones that have come through here. There’s never a shortage of boxing talk in the barbershops.”

Question: Did you play in any other sports growing up?

Jones: “I was actually a basketball player. I didn’t start boxing until I was 15 after I got cut from the high school team. I thought I was going to play for the 76ers but I knew some guys who boxed and I found out I was good at it and just kept going. I could dunk when I was a kid, but basketball and the other sports I played weren’t rough enough.”

Question: You’ve fought in Atlantic City the last five fights. You must be on a first-name basis with some of the ushers by now.

Jones: “Yeah, it’s pretty exciting fighting there. I have a lot of fans that come out that have seen me fight before so you start to develop a little bit of a following. It’s an electric venue. These are my fans and they expect greatness from me. That’s what I’m going to give them on Friday night.”

Question: “What did you do last Monday (June 28) on Mike Jones Day in Newtown, Pa.?

Jones: (Laughing) Not a lot. It’s not my hometown but it’s close to it. I always go up there and train at the Newtown Athletic Club. It’s pretty nice to be recognized by them.”

Curt Menefee will call the action on Friday night from ringside with Steve Farhood and Antonio Tarver serving as expert analysts. The executive producer of ShoBox is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Chuck McKean directing.

For information on SHOWTIME Sports Programming, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast information and more, please go the new SHOWTIME Sports website at http://www.sho.com/sports.

About ShoBox: The New Generation

Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young talent matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to televise exciting, crowd-pleasing and competitive matches while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. The growing list of fighters who have appeared on ShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes: Leonard Dorin, Scott Harrison, Juan Diaz, Jeff Lacy, Ricky Hatton, Joan Guzman, Juan Urango, David Diaz, Robert Guerrero, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Malignaggi, Kendall Holt, Timothy Bradley, Bernard Dunne, Yonnhy Perez, Yuri Foreman and Andre Ward.

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®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL® ON DEMAND. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, 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®.

FRANK MALONEY has continued his excellent relationship with Sky Sports by signing a new two year contract with the broadcaster.

Maloney and Sky have enjoyed a successful working partnership for nearly 20 years and the new deal starts in September.

All future Maloney’s shows will be screened live on Saturday night’s and he said: “I am delighted to continue my relationship with Sky.

“They have a top class boxing team from top to bottom and you would go a long way to find a more professional bunch.

“It is a massive boost for boxing in general that they have decided to move our sport from Friday to Saturday and proves how committed they are.”

Maloney has developed a heap of world champions during his time with Sky including former undisputed world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis, Scott Harrison, David Haye and Paul Ingle,

And with Jason Booth and Rendall Munroe primed for world title challenges in the autumn, Maloney is confident that list will grow before the end of the year.

Booth’s challenge for Steve Molitor’s IBF world super-bantamweight title at Rainton Meadows Arena, Houghton-le-Spring on September 11 will be shown live on Sky Sports.

Munroe is to challenge Japan’s Toshiaki Nishioka for the WBC super-bantamweight championship, most probably in October.

Maloney said: “I’m very bullish about Jason and Rendall’s chances.

“The two year-deal also gives me time to develop other fighters that I am very excited about.

“Tony Jeffries is a fighter who I expect to win a world title in time and I think my stable has the most exciting crop of heavyweights in Britain.

“David Price will develop into a world class heavyweight, Tom Dallas is the sleeper of the division and Larry Olubamiwo is a fighter you cannot turn away from.”

Maloney has been behind two of the biggest boxing events ever screened by Sky Sports.

He promoted the biggest all- British heavyweight fight ever, the WBC battle between Lewis and Frank Bruno in October 1993.

Maloney also staged the Ricky Hatton-Juan Lazcano fight which drew a record 58,000 crowd to the City of Manchester Stadium in May 2008.

PHILADELPHIA (July 7, 2010)—Tough nosed cruiserweight spoiler, Victor Barragan will now be the opponent for world ranked and undefeated Cruiserweight Ran Nakash on Wednesday night July 14th at The Arena in South Philadelphia.

The original opponent, former WBA Light Heavyweight champion Lou Del Valle was supposed to come to Philadelphia to get his medical examinations last week but never stepped on his plane from Florida where he had been training.

The card is promoted by No Limits Promotions in association with Joey Eye Boxing and will be the inaugural fight card of the new Comcast Boxing Series.

Barragan, twenty-eight years of Oxnard, California has a record of 11-5 with three knockouts.

After losing his pro debut, Barragan won eight straight fights with the best win coming against Villi Bloomfield (7-1) on March 31, 2007.

Barragan then stepped up the competition and dropped three straight fights to the likes of Eric Fields (7-0); heavyweight Evans Quinn (14-2) and Kevin Reynolds (7-1) in a bout that was televised on ESPN 2.

That didn’t dissuade Barragan as he then went on a three fight winning streak as he defeated undefeated Patrick Liles (7-0-1); Henry Namauu (3-2) and a shocking seventh round knockout over former cruiserweight world champion “King” Arthur Williams (46-15-1).

In his last bout, Barragan dropped a close split decision to prospect Nick Iannuzzi (14-1) on March 5th in Iannuzzi’s hometown of Tampa, Florida.

Nakash (24-0, 18 KO’s) is now ranked number-thirteen by the WBC and a win over Barragan will forge him closer to realizing his dream of winning a world championship.

In the co-feature, 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist, Felix Diaz (5-0, 3 KO’s) will take grizzled veteran and fan favorite Emanuel Augustus.

Augustus, 38-32-6 with twenty knockouts and has fought just about everyone from the Lightweight division during his sixteen year career.

The Thirty-five year old has been in the ring with former world champions such as Jesus Chavez, John John Molina, Floyd Mayweather, Leonard Dorin, Leavander Johnson and David Diaz.

The list is just as impressive in terms of title contenders, challengers and prospects.

Augustus is known for his crowd pleasing yet unorthodox style for which he has made him a staple on network television.

On July 13, 2001, Augustus engaged in one of the most memorable fight‘s this decade as he and Mickey Ward fought an incredible fight that is till played on ESPN Classic.

Augustus has fought in The United States, Puerto Rico, Germany, Denmark, United Kingdom, Canada, Russia and Australia.

Augustus, who has been known to take fight on very short notice and sometimes able to pull off the upset victory, will be fighting in Philadelphia for the third time and is 1-1 with his latest foray to “The City of Brotherly Love” being a ten round unanimous decision defeat to Almazbek Raimkulov on January 11, 2007 in a bout that Augustus took on short notice.

Augustus has dropped three in a row which includes his last bout where he was stopped in nine rounds to undefeated prospect Ruslan Provodnikov on May 21st in a bout that was televised on ESPN 2. Once again, Augustus took that bout on short notice.

2008 Olympic Bronze Medalist, Vyacheslav Glazkov (5-0, 3 KO’s) of Ukraine will take on the widely popular Mark “Oak Tree” Brown (15-3, 7 KO’s) of Salam, NJ in a Heavyweight bout scheduled for six rounds.

Undefeated Russian Middleweight, Maks Liminov (12-0, 8 KO’s) will take on Julius Fogle (15-5, 10 KO’s) of Cary, NC in a bout scheduled for six rounds.

Undefeated Russian Super Flyweight, Rustam Nabeev (5-0) will take on an opponent to be named in a four round bout.

Former world Jr. Amateur champion, Joey Dawejko (3-0, 1 KO) will take on an opponent to be named in a four round Heavyweight bout.

Undefeated Israeli Lightweight, Oz Goldenberg (1-0) will take on debuting Mike Latorre of Scranton, PA

William Miranda (1-0) of Allentown, PA will take on debuting Carmen Marrero of Readinbg, PA in a four round Heavyweight bout.

Former Penn State offensive lineman, Imani Bell will be making his pro debut against Lee Thomas (1-3) of Saginaw, Michigan in a Heavyweight bout scheduled rounds.

Tickets for this memorable night of boxing are priced at $100, $75, and $50 and can be purchased at following locals:

Peltz Boxing (2501 Brown Street) 215- 765 -0922
The Arena (7 West Ritner St.) 267-687-7560
Joey Eye 267-304-9399
Don Elbaum 610-933-7510

The Arena is located at 7 West Ritner Street in Philadelphia

http://www.gofightlive.tv/showEvent.do?eventId=714
“The Uprising” Fighters Head to Australia
SYDNEY, Australia (July 07, 2010) – As Impact FC fighters get ready to rumble and head to Australia, they are rigorously training around the world preparing to bring the first-ever televised MMA event to Australia. The fighters are all top of their game ready to deliver non-stop action to those in Sydney, Australia, as well as to viewers around the world who will be tuning in to the live pay-per-view event on Saturday, July17th at 10PM ET, 7PM PT.

Along with their strength and conditioning routines, honed skills and unfailing determination, Impact FC fighters are also bringing along their social media savvy, sending daily tweets to fans and regularly updating their facebook pages. Thousands of MMA fans hungry for information have been populating Impact FC’s facebook page which features photos, videos, meet and greet dates and giveaway items. This gives fans an opportunity to follow the fighters every step of the way as the excitement builds toward the explosive July 17 bouts. For some of the fighters this is their first foray into the world of social media and they are learning the power it can pack to engage fans. To visit the Impact FC facebook page and stay updated on developing news, go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/Impact-FC/117930254896775 and follow Impact FC on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/impact_fc

“The Uprising” features former UFC Champion and Hall of Fame Member, Ken Shamrock returning to the ring to take on former UFC Champion, Hall of fame member

and PRIDE Veteran, Pedro ”The Rock” Rizzo. In the Co-feature, English MMA fighter, Paul Daley who is ranked as the #8 welterweight in the world by Sherdog.com and ranked #5 by MMA Weekly will do battle with Brazilian MMA fighter, Daniel Acacio who is most notable for his fights in PRIDE Fighting Championships and his aggressive fighting style.

With a full card that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats, Uprising match-ups include, Pride K-1 and MMA legend Bob Sapp in a fight for dominance over Australian star and UFC veteran Soa “The Hulk” Palelei, DREAM Middleweight Champion, Paulo Filho will face dangerous striker, Denis Kang, Elite XC Champion and Pride veteran Murilo Ninja Rua with square off against former Ultimate Fighter Jeremy May, former UFC Champion and Pride veteran Murilo Bustamante will battle Jesse Taylor from the Ultimate Fighter, Australian kickboxing legend Peter Graham will fight the #1 ranked Heavyweight MMA fighter in Australia, Jim Yorke, popular MMA star Glover Teixeira is pitted against Croatian fighter from Perth Marco Peselj, Australian surfer and MMA star Richie “Vas” Vaculik is matched with Glenn Taylor-Smith, and Australia’s rising MMA star Shane Nix will face Sydney’s own Manuel Rodriguez.

“The Uprising,” is presented by Impact FC, Saturday, July 17th, 2010 at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT in the United States from local pay-per-view providers for a suggested retail price of only $29.95.

NEW YORK (July 2, 2010) – With dreams of becoming the next great champion to come out of boxing-rich Philadelphia, welterweight prospect Mike Jones will face Irving Garcia in a 12-round main event bout on ShoBox: The New Generation on Friday, July 9, live on SHOWTIME® (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from the ballroom at the Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall.

Jones, 27, puts his perfect 21-0 record (17 KOs) on the line against Puerto Rico’s

Garcia (17-4-3, 8 KOs), a tough, aggressive brawler who ShoBox fans might remember for twice knocking down undefeated Carlos Abregu before eventually suffering a fourth round knockout in his last main event fight on May 1, 2009.

In an exciting co-feature, promising, once-beaten Antwone Smith (18-1-1, 10 KOs) of Miami, Fla., will battle Houston’s Lanardo Tyner (23-3, 14 KOs) in a 10-round welterweight tussle.

Jones is ranked among the Top 10 welterweights by all four major world sanctioning bodies in one of boxing’s deepest divisions: No. 2 by the World Boxing Organization (WBO), No. 3 by the World Boxing Association (WBA) and No. 7 by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and the World Boxing Council (WBC). In addition to his camp touting Jones as the WBO’s top-ranked American 147-pounder, ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael recently wrote, “The 27-year-old from Philadelphia sure looks like he has the potential to become a top welterweight.”

Philadelphia Daily News boxing writer Bernard Fernandez has suggested that Jones could possibly replace the late Arturo Gatti as the next big Atlantic City drawing card. This will be Jones’ fifth consecutive fight in Atlantic City and his first as a headliner at Boardwalk Hall. Not only will Jones’ unbeaten record be on the line but also his North American Boxing Association (NABA) and North American Boxing Organization (NABO) titles.

“There’s a lot at stake for me with this fight and other big ones in the future,” said Jones. “But all of my focus is in winning this fight and looking good in possibly my toughest fight to date.”

The Atlantic City fans will be rooting for Jones, who lives and trains in Philadelphia. In the weeks leading up to his fights, Jones takes to the Newtown Athletic Club in Newton, Pa. for final preparation. Jones has developed quite a following in Pennsylvania, so much so that the Newtown civic leaders proclaimed June 28 “Mike Jones Day.”

The 6-foot Jones is coming off a fifth-round TKO over Hector Munoz of Albuquerque, N.M., also at the Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall in April. In February, he scored a 10-round unanimous decision over Puerto Rico’s Henry Bruseles at Bally’s Park Place Hotel and Casino Ballroom.

Jones says he has “Tyson power” which was taught to him as an amateur by “Smokin” Joe and Marvis Frazier. “I was taught how to bang early on: just plant my feet on the floor and bang,” he said. “I have a jab like Ali; snap that jab and then throw combinations off that and my ring tricks are like Roy Jones. I have long, long arms, am tall for a welterweight and fast. I’m pretty good at blocking a guy’s shot. I really haven’t been boxing too long and I’m still learning every day.”

Garcia is no stranger to fighting highly touted prospects, having faced the world-ranked Abregu and the dangerous Said Ouali.

SHOWTIME announcer Nick Charles called the Abregu-Garcia fight “one of the most wildly entertaining fights I’ve seen in years,” while SHOWTIME expert analyst and boxing historian Steve Farhood considers the Abregu-Garcia battle as the most exciting bout to ever air on ShoBox.

“This is a difficult fight but not an impossible one to win,” said Garcia, who turned pro in 1998. “I am working very hard to come into this fight in my best physical condition. I know how important this fight is for my future and the future of my family.”

The event is promoted by Peltz Boxing Promotions in association with DiBella Entertainment.

In the co-feature, all eyes will be on Smith, who is the early favorite to beat Tyner. Many feel that the winners from each of the night’s top fights will likely square off against each other in an upcoming match.

The 5-foot-7, extremely athletic Smith is a boxer-puncher who is not averse to trading punches. In his last fight on April 10 in Sunrise, Fla., the 23-year-old knocked out Franklin Gonzalez with a body shot in the third round on the Andre Berto-Carlos Quintana card. In November of last year, Smith earned a ninth-round stoppage against undefeated Henry Crawford in an all-out slugfest that ShoBox fans won’t soon forget.

Smith is rated No. 13 by the IBF and has been a pro since 2006. Smith also has wins over Jerome Ellis, Norberto Gonzalez and Richard Gutierrez.

Tyner, 34, is originally from Detroit. He turned pro in 2004 and has beaten Kenny Abril, Leo Martinez and Gilbert Venegas. He also went 12 hard rounds with Mexican knockout sensation Saul Alvarez, losing by decision last year in Mexico.

Curt Menefee will call the action from ringside with Steve Farhood and Antonio Tarver serving as expert analysts. The executive producer of ShoBox is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Chuck McKean directing.

For information on SHOWTIME Sports Programming, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast information and more, please go the new SHOWTIME Sports website at http://www.sho.com/sports.

About ShoBox: The New Generation

Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young talent matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to televise exciting, crowd-pleasing and competitive matches while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. The growing list of fighters who have appeared on ShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes: Leonard Dorin, Scott Harrison, Juan Diaz, Jeff Lacy, Ricky Hatton, Joan Guzman, Juan Urango, David Diaz, Robert Guerrero, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Malignaggi, Kendall Holt, Timothy Bradley, Bernard Dunne, Yonnhy Perez, Yuri Foreman and Andre Ward.

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®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL® ON DEMAND. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, 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®.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (July 2, 2010) — With one week to go before Classic Entertainment & Sports presents “Let Freedom Ring” July 9th, 2010 at the Twin River Event Center in Lincoln, R.I., the number of available tickets are dwindling fast.

As of today, all $35.00 and $100.00 ringside VIP tickets are sold out. Only $75.00 seats (front row outside of the ringside corral) and $50.00 seats are available, and those are moving fast, too, so get yours today or risk being left out in the cold on July 9th.

“Let Freedom Ring” will broadcast live on ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights” with NABO lightweight champion “Hammerin'” Hank Lundy (18-0-1, 10 KOs) defending his title against John “The Hammer” Molina (20-1, 16 KOs) in the 10-round main event. Friday’s card also features a highly-anticipated border war between Vladine Biosse (6-0, 4 KOs) of Providence and Lowell, Mass., native “Irish” Joey McCreedy (11-4-2, 6 KOs) in the 8-round co-feature for McCreedy’s New England super middleweight title.

The undercard includes Keith Kozlin (5-1, 3 KOs), Joe Gardner (4-1-1, 1 KO), Dustin Reinhold (1-1, 1 KO), Maceo Crowder (2-0, 1 KO), Diego Pereira (4-0, 2 KOs), Providence firefighter Eric Estrada (the brother of 2004 U.S. Olympian Jason Estrada) in his pro debut and a long-awaited rematch between female welterweights Kali Reis (2-0, 1 KO) and Aleksandra Magdziak Lopes (2-1, 1 KO).

To purchase tickets, call 401-724-2253 or visit CESBoxing.com. Be sure to visit the site in the next few days for more information on your favorite fighters and CES’ upcoming shows. Also, join Team CES at the Twin River Casino tonight for an open workout from 7 to 9 featuring several fighters from next Friday’s card, including Biosse, McCreedy and Kozlin.

Featherweight contender Bernabe Concepcion of the Philippines and chief trainer Bueboy are off to Puerto Rico today. Concepcion is taking on world champion Juan Manuel Lopez there on Saturday, July 10.

Concepcion, 22, boxes in the Manny Pacquiao stable and has been training for weeks at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, Ca. Both Concepcion and Lopez have promised victory in the world title fight which will be at the Coliseo of Puerto Rico in Hato Rey.

“Bernabe has all of the ingredients to make a great champion,” Pacquiao said. “He works hard and is focused only on boxing. We have very high hopes for him.”

Lopez, 26, is the WBO 126-pound champion. He is 7-0 with six knockouts in world title fights.

Michael Koncz, chief advisor to Pacquiao, is taking a flight from the Philippines and will be with Concepcion in Puerto Rico.

Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Bernabe Concepcion and Nonito Donaire vs. Hernan Tyson Marquez is promoted by Top Rank in association with PR Best Boxing. The two title fights will be broadcast live on SHOWTIME (9 pm eastern/9 pm pacific – delayed on West Coast)

YURI FOREMAN ON ROAD TO RECOVERY

Yuri Foreman, who had a knee injury during the recent fight with Miguel Cotto, is on the road to recovery. Yuri, from his iPad, wrote…”walking a bit with a knee brace…rehab going well….but I would like to speed up the process.”

Top Rank Notebook — Steven Badgley, the U.S. Army helicopter pilot who fought several weeks ago at Madison Square Garden, has been transferred from Fort Drum, N.Y. to an undisclosed location. “I am fine – don’t let anyone worry,” said Badgley, a Chief Warrant Officer……

Tony Martin, chief trainer for Mark Melligen, says Manny Pacquiao – even as a very young fighter in the Philippines – always had a ‘warrior style of fighting’ whenever he got into the ring.’….

Melligen, from Rizal, Philippines and Martin are off to Reno, Nevada today for a Top Rank/Let’s Get It On Promotions press conference. Melligen, who trained for weeks in Las Vegas, is taking on Anges Adjaho, in the opening televised bout on the Top Rank Live! (FSN) fight card on Saturday, July 3. The live telecast is 10 pm eastern/7 pm pacific.

Thanks to all

TOP RANK SCHEDULE

Saturday, July 3, Grand Sierra Resort & Casino, Reno, Nevada – FSN
10 Rds., Flyweights
ULISES ‘ARCHIE’ SOLIS, 30-2-2, 21 KOs, Guadalajara, Mexico
vs. ERIC ORTIZ, 31-10-3, 20 KOs, Mexico City

10 Rds. Welterweights
MARK MELLIGEN, 18-2, 13 KOs, Cebu City, Philippines
vs. ANGES ADJAHO, 17-2, 9 KOs, Geneva, N.Y.

8 Rds., Middleweights
JOEY GILBERT, 20-2, 16 KOs, Reno, Nevada
vs. BILLY BAILEY, 10-8-1, 4 KOs, Bakersfield, Ca.

Saturday, July 10, Coliseo of Puerto Rico, Hato Rey, Puerto Rico – SHOWTIME
12 Rds., WBO Featherweight Championship
Champion JUAN MANUEL LOPEZ, 28-0, 25 KOs, Caguas, Puerto Rico
vs. BERNABE CONCEPCION, 28-3-1, 15 KOs, Rizal, Philippines

12 Rds., WBA Interim Super Flyweight Championship
Champion NONITO ‘FILIPINO FLASH’ DONAIRE, 23-1,15 KOs, San Leandro, Calif.
vs. HERNAN ‘TYSON’ MARQUEZ, 27-1, 20 KOs, Empalme, Mexico

12 Rds., NABO Super Bantamweight Champioship
JONATHAN OQUENDO, 18-2, 11 KOs, Vega Alta, Puerto Rico
vs. EDEN SONSONA, 19-5, 8 KOs, Paranaque, Philippines

Saturday, July 17, Chiapas, Mexico – FSN
12 Rds., WBO Bantamweight Championship
Champion FERNANDO MONTIEL, 41-2-2, 31 KOs, Los Mochis, Mexico
vs. Interim Champion ERIC MOREL, 42-2, 21 KOs, San Juan, Puerto Rico

6 Rds., Junior Featherweights
ROBERTO MARROQUIN, 14-0, 11 KOs, Dallas
vs. To Be Announced

Saturday, July 31, Tepic, Mexico – Fox Sports Espanol
Main Event to be Announced

Photo By Chris Farina / Top Rank

KGC Marketing Team is proud to announce that two of the most sought after gentlemen in the fight game have come together to form a partnership and promote professional MMA events in South Florida. 1976 Boxing Olympic Gold Medalist, Boxing Director of Coconut Creek’s American Top Team, featured trainer on Spike TV’s “Ultimate Fighter”, Boxing Trainer for Season 11 TUF Champion Court McGee and recently seen on UFC pay per view as Chuck Liddell’s trainer; Howard Davis Jr.. And former World Kickboxing Champion, CEO of Elite Promotions who has been promoting professional boxing and mixed martial arts events in Florida for ten years while guiding many fighters on to become world champions, and providing an avenue for many MMA fighters to fight in the UFC & WEC. Over the last ten years Elite Promotions has been a part of many Sunsports, ESPN, HBO, and Showtime fights brought to South Florida. This partnership will definitely make a mark in the fight world!

JEFF GIBSON; “With our two promotion companies coming together our goal is to provide exceptional fights for the fans, and to give some of these young fighters the opportunity to grow and possibly fight in the UFC or WEC themselves someday. Utilizing our expertise and contacts in the fight game Howard and I can truly help a fighters dream come true.”

HOWARD DAVIS JR.: “This is a great opportunity to feature some of the latest talent in MMA. This partnership will help to make MMA a permanent staple in the South Florida community and it’s my pleasure to be a part of something so positive. Jeff Gibson and I are looking to put some quality and exciting shows that can help expose the next champ!”