Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that WBA Super Lightweight champion Amir Khan will battle interim champion Marcos Maidana on December 11 in Las Vegas.

“We came to an agreement [Tuesday] night. Khan is on board. Maidana is on board and I am finalizing everything with Mandalay Bay,” Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer said outside of Staples Center during a news conference promoting Saturday night’s Shane Mosley-Sergio Mora HBO PPV card.

“Amir wanted to have this fight in the U.K. and Maidana wanted the fight to be in the United States, but we worked on things and I was informed by Amir’s lawyer that he would fight in the U.S.,” Schaefer said. “There was some urgency for us to make a deal because of the purse bid coming up, but now we have a deal and I will inform the WBA that the fighters have reached agreement.”

“We worked it out financially where everyone was happy,” Schaefer said. “It was a difficult fight to put together but this was the fight I kept hearing from fans and media that they wanted to see. Golden Boy made some concessions and we got the fight done.”

“I want this fight and the fans want to see this fight,” said Khan, who had called Schaefer’s cell phone from England and spoke to ESPN.com. “It’s two explosive styles meeting up. It’s the explosive puncher [Maidana] against the quick and explosive boxer. They say Maidana has a style to beat a boxer, so let’s see how good he is. Maidana wants to stop me from having my legacy, but that is not going to happen. But let him try.”

“I’m coming to fight him where he wants to fight. But I want this fight, so I am going where he wants to fight,” Khan said. “That’s how much I want this fight.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, The October 2nd Super six Super Middleweight showdown between Arthur Abraham and Carl Froch will be postponed due to an Injury to Froch.

“We were informed [Monday] morning of a back injury that prohibits him to fight on Oct. 2, but that would allow him a fight about seven or eight weeks later,” Chris Meyer of Sauerland Event, Abraham’s promoter, told ESPN.com.

There is no new date set for the fight, however. Sauerland Event and Froch promoter Mick Hennessy need to huddle with Showtime as well as with their European broadcast partners to figure out a new date.

“Froch claims he has a back injury and the promoters are talking to [Showtime’s] Ken [Hershman] about a new date,” Showtime spokesman Chris DeBlasio told ESPN.com

Passaic, NJ’s Glen Tapia (7-0, 5 KO’s) was slated to take on rugged veteran Edvan Barros last night in Las Vegas, NV, but the bout was scrapped due to a scheduling issue.

Tapia had a solid training camp and was ready to go however, the cancellation of another card prompted promoter Top Rank to put some of their fighters under contact on last night’s show, which forced them to can the Tapia-Barros fight.

Luckily for Tapia, his hard work and dedication to training wasn’t wasted. Tapia informed GSFS that he is leaving for Los Angeles this evening to spar with pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao leading up to his November 13 bout with Antonio Margarito.

The former amateur standout, who previously served as a sparring partner for Miguel Cotto, views everything that happened as a blessing.

“I am excited to get this opportunity to train with one of the greatest in the world,” said Tapia. “I am going to learn a lot from him and this will be a great step towards bettering my career.”

Tapia is also thrilled to share the squared circle with a fighter he admires and strives to model himself after.

“I am a big fan of (Pacquiao) and I really like the intensity he fights with because he goes in there to give the fans a show, beat his opponents up and knock them out. I like to do the same so working with him will make me better at what I do.”

Tapia’s next fight will take place October 30 in Atlantic City against an opponent TBA.

For more New Jersey boxing news, go to gardenstatefightscene.com

Mexican icon Erik Morales did not dare disappoint the crowd of over 50,000 on hand at the Monumental Plaza de Toros in Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico celebrating in advance of Mexican Independence Day Saturday night, as he stopped Willie Limond in six rounds to notch his 50th career victory. Just two fights into his comeback, Morales seems to have shaken off much of the rust left from his retirement.

Limond (33-3, 8 KOs) of Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom got off to a solid start. Limond, 143, showed solid defense as he blocked and parried a fair amount of the Morales, 143, offense for the first two rounds. While Limond may have been the naturally bigger guy, his eight kayos indicate that he is not much of a puncher. Morales (50-6, 35 KOs) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico was the heavy hitter in the fight, and that became clear as the fight progressed.

By the fourth round, Morales was asserting himself in the fight. Whereas Limond returned fire on even ground for the first few rounds, he was left defensive against Morales’ offensive pressure as the bout moved into the fifth round. In the sixth, Morales broke through with a vicious body shot that dropped Limond. While the Scot was clearly in pain, he was able to muster the energy to angrily punch the ground while taking referee Jay Nady’s count. Before the conclusion of the round, Morales dropped Limond twice more prompting the stoppage at 2:46 of the sixth.

Strangely, even though both fighters weighed in at the contracted 143-pounds, it was announced that the bout was for the WBC Silver Light Welterweight title. The light welterweight division limit, or super lightweight as the WBC calls it, is 140-pounds. Maybe even stranger, the WBC issued a press release earlier in the month that if Morales, the WBC #2 ranked light welterweight, defeated Limond, the Mexican legend would be made the mandatory challenger for the WBC Lightweight title. Morales has not made the lightweight limit of 135-pounds since August of 2007.

After the fight, Morales clearly stated his desire to campaign at lightweight. Looking ahead for Morales, the current WBC Lightweight Champion is Humberto Soto, who fights unheralded Fidel Monterrosa Munoz on September 18th in Mexico. Reportedly, Soto has a title defense against Marco Antonio Barrera in the offing. Should Barrera defeat Soto, it goes without saying that a Barrera-Morales IV would be the biggest fight either fighter’s handlers could make.

In a thrilling fight, WBC #1 ranked flyweight/IBF #5 108-pounder Edgar Sosa (40-6, 23 KOs) of Mexico City stopped game Filipino Ryan Bito (18-7-3, 6 KOs) of Sucat, Muntinlupa City, Philippines to win the WBC International Flyweight title.

Bito, the WBC #16 ranked flyweight, fought on even ground with Sosa, 111.76, early on in the bout, but eventually wilted to the Mexican’s vicious attack. Sosa supporters had reason to worry early on, as an accidental head clash opened a cut on his forehead in the third round. The blood seemed to give Bito, 110.26, additional confidence, as he landed several hard shots in the third and fourth.

Another accidental clash late in the fourth opened another cut on Sosa’s forehead late in the fourth. With two bad cuts bleeding steadily before the fight had gone long enough to become official, the bout was in danger of being stopped as a no contest. Especially considering Bito, fighting in North America for the first time, was having considerable success – it would not have been a surprise if the Mexican official stopped the fight at that convenient juncture.

Just as it seemed Sosa was in trouble, he rocked Bito just before the bell to end the fourth. As the fight entered into the middle rounds and the blood coming from his cuts stopped flowing, Sosa began to control the action. Sosa, in his third fight as a flyweight since dropping his WBC 108-pound title in controversial fashion to Rodel Mayol, varied his attack to Bito’s body and head, and started backing up the Filipino.

One minute into the tenth, Sosa dropped Bito with a horrid left body shot. Bito looked done, but gamely rose to his feet, and immediately entered into a fiery exchange with Sosa. A minute later, Sosa dropped Bito again with the same exact shot. Again Bito got up before the count of ten, but referee Guadalupe Garcia wisely stopped the contest. Official time of the stoppage was 2:05 of round ten. “I’d like to have one more fight before I fight for the title,” said Sosa after the fight.

Ana Maria Torres (22-3-2, 13 KOs) of Mexico City pleased her compatriots on hand at the bullring with an almost shockingly dominant ten-round unanimous decision over Alesia Graf (24-2, 9 KOs) of Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany to retain her WBC Super Flyweight title. Torres, 114.4, dropped Graf, 114.4, twice in the third round and continued to control the entire fight. Graf, the reigning WIBF/GBU 122-pound title-holder, not only had the superior boxing skills of Torres to deal with, she slipped at several instances on the rain dampened mat. Torres seemed on the verge of scoring a stoppage in the ninth, but Graf managed to make it the distance. All three judges scored the bout for Torres, 100-88.

Photos by Notimex

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com

Yuriorkis Gamboa suffered the fifth knockdown of his career but like the other four, he got off the deck and won. Gamboa scored a twelve round unanimous decision over Orlando Salido to regain his WBA and capture the IBF Featherweight championship at the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Gamboa boxed nicely and took most of the first six rounds by landing shots and moving in and out. Salido, the cagey veteran that he is made the fight a raggedy one as he bored in and either tied up Gamboa or landed some pitter pat combinations

In round eight, Salido connected on a perfect right to the chin and dropped Gamboa for the fifth time in his young career. Gamboa got things going again in round ten when he landed a combination that he followed up with a huge left hook that bucked the knees of Salido. In round eleven, Gamboa trapped Salido in the corner and landed a combination. While in the corner, the two clashed heads and a bad cut opened up on the right side of Salido’s forehead.

The twelfth was a wild when as Gamboa dropped Salido with a quick left hook. Gamboa went to end things and actually sent Salido to the canvas again but while Salido was down Gamboa landed a shot to the back of the head. Referee Joe Cortez immediately docked two points from Gamboa. Not much happened in the last moment and Gamboa held on for the victory

Gamboa of Cuba won by scores of 114-109; 115-109 and 116-109 to stay undefeated at 19-0. Salido of Mexico, actually lost his belt on the scales at the second day weigh in as he gained twelve pounds over night when IBF by laws only allow a ten pound gain. Salido is now 34-11-2.

Brandon Rios scored a disqualification victory over Anthony Peterson in a scheduled twelve round Lightweight bout.

The two went to war ealy as they stood in the pocket and started throwing heavy punches in close. In round two, Rios started to impose his will as he started landing wicked uppercuts that got Peterson’s attention. Rios continued to pound away at Peterson and hurting him on several occasions.

In round five, Rios landed a big left hook that dropped Peterson for the first time in his career. clearly shaken, Peterson’s shots started straying low and in the next round he was deducted twice for low blows. Ironically Peterson seemed to have been steadying himself for two round until a left that went below the belt just as the bell rang to end round seven and referee Russell Mora waved the fight off due to the excessive low blows.

Rios of Oxnard, CA is now 25-0-1. Peterson is now 30-1.

Diego Magdaleno scored a fifth round stoppage over Carlos Oliveira in a scheduled six round Lightweight bout.

Magdaleno dropped Oliveira with a right hook in round two and hurt him badly again with the same punch in the next round. Magdaleno kept up the pressure until referee Kenny Bayless stopped the bout at 1:13 of round five.

Magdaleno, 131 lbs of Las Vegas is now 16-0 with four knockouts. Oliveira, 134 1/2 lbs of Brazil is now 25-2

Notre Dame Grad Mike Lee made easy work of Alex Rivera by stopping him at 2:59 of round two of a scheduled four round Light Heavyweight bout.

Lee, 176 1/2 lbs of Wheaton, IL is now 2-0 with one knockouts. Rivera, 173 lbs of Las Vegas is now 2-3.

Seventeen year old wunderkind, Jose Benavidez scored his eighth consecutive knockout in as many fights as he took out Manuel Del Cid in round two of a scheduled six round Lightweight bout.

Benavidez scored well with a hard body shot that hurt Del Cid in round one. He hit Del Cid with similar shot in round two that backed Del Cid into the corner and landed a couple more shots before referee Kenny Bayless stopped the bout forty-one seconds into round two.

Benvavidez, 138 1/2 lbs of Phoenix, Arizona is 8-0 with eight knockouts. Del Cid, 138 1/2 lbs of Los Angeles is 4-3.

Matt Korobov remained undefeated by scoring an eight round unanimous decision over Anthony Greenridge.

It was a good fight with Greenridge trying hard against the much more skilled Korobov. Greenridge was cut badly around the right eye by Korobov’s combination punching. Korobov had a varied attack of body and head punches. Greenridge’s cut worsened in the final round and was rocked hard on the chin midway through the final stanza.

Korobov, 160 lbs of Russia won by scores of 79-73 on all cards and remained undefeated at 12-0. Greenridge, 159 lbs of Atlanta is now 14-5-1

Photos By Chris Farina / Top Rank

Follow all the action as Yuriorkis Gamboa puts his WBA Featherweight title on the line when he takes on IBF champion Orlando Salido from the Palms in Las Vegas. The action begins at 10pm eastern with an intriguing battle of undefeated Lightweight’s featuring Anthony Peterson and Brandon Rios.

REFRESH AFTER EACH ROUND

12 Rounds WBA/IBF Featherweight championship–Yuriorkis Gamboa (18-0, 15 KO’s) vs. Orlando Salido (34-10-2, 22 KO’s)

Round 1 Good right from Gamboa..Handpeed from Gamboa…right to the body…10-9 Gamboa

Round 2 left from Salido..Gamboa lands a jab..20-19 Gambia

Round 3: Gamboa lands a big flurry..Good right from Salido…30-28 Gamboa

Round 4 Good jab from Gamboa…Lead left..left hook to the body…40-37 Gamboa

Round 5 Good left from Gamboa..Salido lands a sneaky right..50-47 Gamboa

Round 6 Raggedy action with Gamboa getting in a few shots…60-57 Gamboa

Round 7 Lots of holding and clutching..Gamboa lands a shot after the bell..70-67 Gamboa

Round 8 Right from Gamboa…HARD RIGHT FROM SALIDO AND DOWN GOES GAMBOA…Right from Salido…Left From Gamboa…78-77 Gamboa

Round 9 Left from Salido..Guys feet get tangled and both hit the canvas..87-87

Round 10 Combination and good left hurts Salido..97-96 Gamboa

Round 11 Gamboa lands a lead left hook and a right..Salido cut above left eye and doctor looks at it..accidental headbutt ruled..lead uppercut from Gamboa..107-105 Gamboa

Round 12 QUICK LEFT HOOK AND DOWN GOES SALIDO…Good left right combination..Left ..Hard combination and down goes Salido…Cortez saying Saildo was hit while he was down…Cortez deducts 2 points from Gamboa…115-112 Gamboa

12 Rounds Lightweights–Anthony Peterson (30-0, 20 KO’s) vs Brandon Rios (24-0-1, 18 KO’s)

Round 1: Trading body combination..Jab from Rios…good uppercut shakes Peterson..Good right and another from Peterson…10-10

Round 2: Uppercut from Rios..Good combination…right…left..Peterson lands a counter..Right from Rios snaps Peterson;s head back..good left hook to the body from Peterson..20-19 Rios

Round 3: Big uppercut from Rios…left uppercut…right..hook to the head..left..hook to the body..Peterson lands a left, right, counter right and 2 body shots..30-28 Rios

Round 4 Combination hurts Peterson..left hook..uppercut…hard left hurts Peterson..left hurts him again…uppercut inside,,,40-37 Rios

Round 5 Rios lands a good jab..ripping right…Short left…Peterson lands a left..BIG LEFT HOOK AND DOWN GOES PETERSON..50-45 Rios

Round 6 Peterson double jab..Low blow landed by Peterson and is warned..LOW BLOW AND PETERSON IS DEDUCTED A POINT…ANOTHER LOW BLOW AND A 2ND POINT IS DEDUCTED……59-53 Rios

Round 7 Rios lands an uppercut..Peterson lands a body shot..left and right from Peterson..Rios with a right..Peterson with a left..combination..left right staggers Peterson…nice combination..LOW BLOW AT THE BELL AND PETERSON GETS DISQUALIFIED

Wladimir Klitschko was dominant against as he reatined the Ring Magazine/IBF/WBO Heavyweight championship with a tenth round beatdown of Samuel Peter in a rematch of a bout from five years ago at in front of nearly 40,000 onlookers The Commerce Bank Arena in Frankfurt, Germany.

It was a typical fight for Klitschko as he dominated the fight with his jab that was consistently followed by a hard right hand. Peter’s eye began to swell as early as round two as a result of that jab. Klitschko continuously landed that same combination and forced Peter to be relegated to nothing more then attempted winging shots and seemed almost too happy to clinch on the inside.

Peter’s trainer Abel Sanchez tried to motivate his man after the seventh round by threatening to the stop the fight unless Peter started moving his hand. Peter tried in spots but it was was attempted shot at a time as he began to have a look of defeat on his face as his right eye closed.

Klitschko landed an uppercut in tenth that wobbled the challenger that followed up by a flurry of punches that were mostly glancing but it was enough to put Peter on his back that forced referee Robert Byrd to stop the fight at 1:22 of round twn.

Klitschko, 247 lbs of Kiev, Ukraine made the ninth title defense of this reign, and now fourteenth title defense overall and his record is now 55-3 with forty-nine knockouts.

Peter, 241 1/2 lbs of Las Vegas is now 34-4 with three of his four loss coming to the Klitschko brothers.

Steve Molitor traveled to England and retained the IBF Jr. Featherweight title with a hard fought majority decision over Jason Booth in Houghton, England.

The bout was fought at close quarters with Molitor being just a bit more active and landing the better punchers against Booth, who was visibly the smaller man yet continued to come forward. Molitor had a big eighth round as he pounded Booth on the ropes but was unable to noticeably hurt the challenger.

The fight was close down the stretch with many of the rounds being close.

Molitor of Mississauga, Canada made the first defense of his second reign as champion. He has made five defenses of the belt in his tour as champion, won by scores of 116-112; 116-113 and 114-114 to raise his impressive mark to 33-1.

Booth of Nottingham, England is 35-6

Fresh off his minor upset win over Chris Avalos, Christopher Martin was workmanlike before stopping Jose Luis Araiza in the eighth and final scheduled round of their Featherweight bout at the Four Points Hilton in San Diego, California.

Martin enjoyed a size advantage and that allowed him to do what he needed to do but Araiza was tough as he tried to press the action and wasn’t afraid to stand toe to toe on occasion.

Midway through round seven, Martin scored a knockdown with a hard right hand. Martin ended things with a left at 2:03 of the final round.

Martin, 123 lbs of San Diego is now 20-0-2 with six knockouts. Araiza, 124 lbs of Mexico is now 32-3.

John O’Donnell scored a twelve round decision over former U.S. Olympian Terrance Cauthen at Old York Hall in London, England.

O’Donnell was the more active of the two combatants as Cauthen tried to dart in and out and tie up on the inside. O’Donnell picked up the tempo as the fight moved into the later rounds which was ironic since it’s Cauthen who has fought many more rounds in his pro career then O’Donnell.

The score by the referee was 118-112 for O’Donnell, 146.9 lbs of Sheperds Bush, England and is now 24-1. Cauthen, 147.1 lbs of Trenton, NJ is now 35-7.

Massive young Heavyweight Tyson Fury scored an eight round decision over late replacement Rich Power in a battle of undefeated fighters.

Fury was particularly effective with his long right hand that continued to push Power back. the effects of that punch was evident as Power was cut around the left eye in the third round but the blood was not a factor during the fight. Despite his 6’9″ frame, Fury fought very well on the inside with the exception of one big uppercut that Power landed in round six.

Power was exhausted down the stretch but made it to the finish line. Referee Jefferey Hinds was the only scorer and he saw a shutout, 80-72 in favor of Fury, 263 lbs of Manchester, England and is now 12-0. Power, 221 1/2 lbs of San Diego is 12-1.

“Power was a bit more awkward than I expected,” Fury said. “He was slipping and sliding all over the place but I handled him well enough to win each round.”

“When I weighed in at 221, I knew I was in trouble,” said Power, who was outweighed by 40-plus pounds. “But I refused to give up and I think I proved to his crowd that I have heart and desire. I love to fight.”

According to TMZ.com, pound for pound best fighter, Floyd Mayweather may have been involved in an incident this morning in Las Vegas.

Multiple cop cars from the Las Vegas Metro Police Department showed up at Mayweather’s home early this morning. We’re told cops received a call at 5:03 AM from Floyd’s baby mama, Josie Harris, who claimed the boxer attacked her.

Sources tell TMZ Harris went to Southern Hills Hospital in Las Vegas at some point after the incident and has now left.

Law enforcement sources say police were unable to find Floyd and are now looking to interview him.

Cops want to speak to Floyd before determining if they will arrest him.

TMZ was told Harris is going to court today to get a restraining order against Mayweather.

In 2003 Harris accused Mayweather of punching and kicking her inside a Bentley in Vegas. Charges were filed but dismissed in 2005 after Harris testified she lied to cops because she was angry that Floyd had left her for another woman.

This hasn’t been a particularly good week for Mayweather as he released a profanity laced tirade last week against Manny Pacquiao that drew criticism from the boxing community and various ethnic groups around the world

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the much rumored four man Bantamweight tournament will begin December 11 in Leon, Mexico and will feature first round fights between Vic Darchinyan taking on Abner Mares and a rematch between Yonnhy Perez and Joseph Agbeko.

Gary Shaw, who promotes Darchinyan and Perez, said the tournament, which has been in the works for a couple of months, was finalized during an afternoon conference call.

“It’s a very exciting night of fights for a great year-ending card on Showtime,” Shaw said. “Time to see who the real 118-pound champion will be.”

“I think it’s a great opportunity for these guys,” said Frank Espinoza, who manages Mares and Perez. “I think what Showtime is doing for the bantamweight division is great. You have four top boxers in the division. The winner of the tournament will be a superstar in the making. There’s a lot of good stuff in this tournament and I am looking forward to this.

“I know Abner and Yonnhy are also looking forward to the tournament. We are happy that everyone involved, Gary Shaw, [Mares promoter] Golden Boy, [Agbeko promoter] Don King and Ken Hershman from Showtime made this happen. We’re really excited.”

Jorge Solis scored two knockdowns en route to a six round stoppage over previously undefeated Francisco Cordero to retain the interim WBA Interim Super Featherweight championship in Solis’ hometown of Guadalajara, Mexico.

Solis dominated the bout as he dropped Cordero in round one from a hard flurry in the corner. In round four he landed a booming right that sent Cordero to his knees and got up at the count of nine. Cordero barely continued in the contest. In round six, Solis landed approximately ten unanswered blows for which there were a handful of hard uppercuts that forced the referee to stop the fight at 1:45 of round six.

Solis of Guadalajara is now 40-2-2 with twenty-nine knockouts. Cordero of Colombia is now 23-1.

Omar Nino retained the WBC Light Flyweight title when challenger Ronald Berrera did not answer the bell for round seven of their scheduled twelve round round title bout.

Nino clashed heads on several occasions but landed the more telling blows and Barrera started to have a look of resignation on his face and called it quits before round seven began.

Nino of Guadalajara, Mexico is now 30-3-2 with twelve knockouts. Barrera of Colombia is now 27-8-2.

Alejandro Gonzalez Jr. remained undefeated as he scored a four round unanimous decision over Victor Orosco.

Gonzalez Jr. is now 3-0-1. Orosoco is now 8-7-3.

Felix Sturm returned after an almost fourteen month layoff to retain the WBA Middleweight championship with a unanimous decision over Giovanni Lorenzo in Cologne, Germany

Sturm dominated the action with with a stiff jab that was followed up by occasional right hands while Lorenzo never mounted more then a solid body attack.

Scores were 118-110, 117-111 and 117-111 for Sturm who is now 34-2-1 and made the ninth total defense over three title reigns. Lorenzo is now 29-3 and was making his second attempt at a world title.

Former German amateur star Erkan Teper made a successful pro debut with a third round stoppage over veteran Marcel Zeller in a scheduled six round bout.

Teper dropped Zeller with a left hand in round three and bloodied a battered Zeller until the fight was stopped in that same round.

Teper is 1-0 with one knockout. Zeller is now 22-8.

Mike Keta scored a six round unanimous decision over Atila Kiss.

Keta is now 6-1. Kiss is 9-58-3.

According to wire service reports, John Arum, the forty-nine year old son of Hall of Fame Promoter Bob Arum was found dead on Friday evening after a five day search found his body on the mountain.

Arum, a avid outdoorsman, was looking the climb the Storm King mountain outside of Seattle when he failed to come home on Sunday evening after a weekend climbing expedition.

According to reports, It wasn’t immediately possible to retrieve the body but it was clear to searchers in the helicopter that the 49-year-old Seattle environmental attorney was dead, Olson said. Those involved in the search said Arum likely died in a fall, Said Kerry Olson who is a spokesperson for the North Cascades Park

The search for Arum began Monday after he failed to return from a weekend trip to climb the mountain, which is about 85 miles northeast of Seattle.

15rounds.com sends out heartfelt condolences to Arum and his family.

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that former Jr. Welterweight and Welterweight champion Zab Judah may fight undefeated Argentinian Lucas Matthysse on November6 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

“HBO likes the match,” Said Richard Schaefer. “So we are trying to work it out.”

Said Main Events chief Kathy Duva, “We are trying very hard to make it happen, but Zab is definitely interested. I’m all for it, but it’s a complicated thing to do. But I think if it’s going to happen, we’ll have it worked out in the next couple of days.”

Schaefer said former featherweight and junior lightweight titlist Robert Guerrero is slated for the televised co-feature. Schaefer said he could challenge lightweight titlist Miguel Vazquez.

“We’ve discussed that fight and HBO is interested. We’re talking to the Vazquez camp,” Schaefer said.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBC/Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight champion Jean Pascal will take on former Middleweight and Light Heavyweight king Bernard Hopkins on December 18th in Quebec City, Canada

“We agreed on everything,” Hopkins said. “There is no issue. There is no problem with my side or Pascal’s side. The contracts have been drafted. It’s a done deal. All I gotta do is sign.”

Hopkins said he is reviewing the contract, but “I’ll probably sign it before Friday because the [Labor Day] holiday is coming up and I’m going away for a few days.”

Said Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, Hopkins’ promoter, “The fact is that both sides have agreed to the terms. Now we have to get it signed, but I don’t anticipate any problems.

“Both fighters really wanted the fight. If you have two fighters who really want to fight each other then I think the promoters just have to cross the T’s and dot the I’s. I am excited to work with [Pascal promoter] Yvon Michel. I’m really looking forward to it.”

“It’s a big fight for Pascal and a big fight in Quebec,” Said Don Majeski who is the agent for Pascal. “Hopkins is one of the biggest stars in boxing and those are the kind of fights Pascal wants.”

“It could be live on Showtime. We’re having discussions,” Schaefer said. “Or it could be pay-per-view.”

“It’s a crossroads fight. It doesn’t get more crossroads than this one,” Schaefer said. “You have the young guy coming off the biggest win of his career and he’s at an all-time high. Can he beat another star like he did with Dawson? Then you have Hopkins, the experienced veteran wanting to again turn back the clock. Can he do it again and beat an emerging star like he’s done before? It’s a fascinating fight.”

Hopkins, who made a record 20 middleweight title defenses, won the lineal light heavyweight title against Tarver and lost it on a split decision to Joe Calzaghe in 2008. Regaining it is important to Hopkins.

“I need it around my waist,” Hopkins said. “This fight will prove to the world that I am not done.

“I hold no malice or bad feelings to those who are concerned about me, but I’ve always been a son of a bitch when it comes to rising up to the occasion. This for me is the type of fight where I have to top what I’ve done before. I want to keep giving them something where they can’t understand how I’m doing it.”

“I was going through my memory and I had a conversation with [trainer] Naazim [Richardson] and we got stuck on just [two] guys,” Hopkins said of heavyweight George Foreman and light heavyweight Archie Moore.

“It’s a very short list of the guys who’ve done that, so that’s one of my motivations,” Hopkins said. “To make that happen and to add it on top of all the other unusual things I have done in my career, it’s very motivating to me.”

“I have no problem going to Canada,” he said. “I suggested we go to Canada based on the fans that Pascal has up there. And the Canadians have been making a lot of noise lately with [super middleweight titlist Lucian] Bute and Pascal.”

Hopkins, of Philadelphia, has not fought outside the United States since 1994, when he received a draw against hometown fighter Segundo Mercado in a vacant middleweight title bout in Quito, Ecuador.

“I’d rather be fighting in Canada than Ecuador,” Hopkins said.

On Friday September 10th at the mecca of East End boxing, at the York Hall in London’s East End, Mick Hennessy makes a welcome return to boxing has he promotes a eight fight card.

Topping the bill is talented former Commonwealth welterweight champ, John O’Donnell a transplanted Irishman who bases himself out of West London taking on over twelve experienced American Terrance Cauthen, a former Olympian in an interesting international match up, O’Donnell is hoping that victory here could propel him into a British title challenge by the end of the year providing he comes through this.

Also booked for action is Lee Purdy, the first ever professional boxing champion from Colchester, England’s oldest recorded town!

Purdy last time out fought beyond the call of duty in possibly the fight of the year against Manchester’s Denton Vassell for the then vacant Commonwealth title, Purdy is scheduled to defend his Southern Area bauble against an opponent to yet be announced.

Further up the scales is gigantic Tyson Fury who at 6’9 has lofty ambitions himself has he hopes for a showdown with British champion Derek Chisora, last time out Fury disposed of one time nemesis John Mcdermott in crushing fashion in a much eagerly awaited rematch due to controversial scoring in there first meeting, Tyson showed there was no need for mathematics this time around, only for the ref to be able to count to ten!
Fury however takes on American Donnell Holmes over 8×3 minute rounds, and is the first time Tyson has met an American during his professional career.

Also featured is Greek hero Chris Evangelou from Enfield at light welter, has is Tyler Goodjohn who also debuts at 10st in his first pro outing, as does middleweight John Ryder whom is trained by ex pro Colin Lake, all face selected opposition.
Plus two more added to the card see’s improving Bradley Evan’s and Phill Fury, cousin of heavyweight Tyson who are appearing against select opposition.
For tickets please visit www.hennessysports.com

On Saturday September 11th at London’s York Hall, Goodwin promotions put on a interesting show, featuring no fewer than eleven fights in an almost marathon show, however topping the bill are two title fights featuring Pat McAleese who takes on over ten at light middle, Lee Noble.

Also another title fight between Ryan Barrett and Hackney’s Mark Alexander look’s like it could be rather interesting if the pre fight insults have been anything to go by, has Barrett has promised to humiliate and stop Alexander in there clash for the international masters super featherweight title.
“I will destroy and knock Alexander out to win the title!” the former Amir Khan opponent has promised, has both have hurled insults at eachother, even Barrett called Alexander ‘Minnie Mouse’!

But hey talking of cartoon charachter’s, or in true Warner Bros idiom ‘that’s not all folks’, there’s more…..

Also featured on the undercard is big punching Tony Conquest at cruiser who takes on much travelled Hastings Rasani, also booked for action is Erick Ochieng at middle against Alex Spitko, a true warrior.
Also featured are Darryl Setterfield against solid journeyman Matt Scriven, plus exciting light welter sensation Phil ‘the Phil Gill experience’ Gill against Damien Turner, in Gill’s sixth outing in the pro ranks, Gill is hoping sometime in the near future for a title chance.

At super middle Eder Kurti meets Danny Goode over four, while feather George Jupp takes on oft beaten Pavels Senkovs again over four while at middle Michael Norgrove takes on one time prospect Ian Eldridge.

Also making there professional debuts are Jamie Arlain at light welter and also Joel Mcintyre at light heavy.

For ticket information please visit www.goodwinpromotions.co.uk or alternatively phone 01525 851150.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former Light Heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver will make his first appearance as a Heavyweight when he takes on Nagy Aguilera on October 15th in either Memphis or California in a bout that will be broadcasted on Showtime.

“I won’t be the biggest heavyweight. I won’t be the strongest guy, but I think I’ll be the quickest and most elusive and the best counter puncher the heavyweight division has seen in a long time,” Tarver said. “I want to see if I can hit these big boys and put a dent in them. It remains to be seen, but if I can put a dent in these big boys, I’ll be the next heavyweight champion.

“I think I have so much more to give to the game. People are dying for a guy in the heavyweight division who has a face and a name and has some credibility. That’s what I bring to the table. You look at the American landscape and we don’t have anything out there. So I will give it a try until they beat me. I look at it like I am undefeated at heavyweight. And I am not fighting a dead man. Aguilera is a credible guy and I will see where I stand right off the bat.”

The bout is slated to headline a special edition of Showtime’s “ShoBox: The New Generation” series. Tarver (27-6, 19 KOs) has been working as a ringside commentator on the series.

“Maybe I’ll fight and commentate at the same time and pick up two checks,” Tarver joked.

“I think I stayed too long in that division,” said Tarver, who is best known for defeating Roy Jones Jr. in two of their three fights, including a shocking second-round knockout in their 2004 rematch. “I outgrew that division a long time ago. I was 28 coming out of the amateurs. I fought at 178 and, as a pro, I had to lose three more pounds. It was tough. I did it for a long time and I don’t have any regrets. But my last performances show I wasn’t as strong as I was in the past, and Dawson was 14 years younger than me. That had a lot to do with it. I wasn’t able to be as strong as I should have been in a fight.”

“I feel good right now. My goal is to be very strong and solid at the weight,” said Tarver, whose promotional company AT Entertainment will promote the bout. “I’ll look better with the weight on me. I won’t look frail and drawn and skinny.”

“Aguilera is a bona fide heavyweight and did real well going the distance against Maurice Harris,” Tarver said. “We’ll see if we can best that and step up to the plate with the big boys. This is a great opportunity for him to fight a name guy after just losing a competitive fight. I’m not picking no dead man to fight. Aguilera can hit, so I’m testing myself. I’ll have to get used to the big guys punching me — if they can land one. I am looking to fight those big guys and prove I am worthy of the heavyweight championship.”

Lucas Matthysse remained undefeated by stopping Rogelio Castaneda in round one of a scheduled ten round Jr. Welterweight bout in Santa Fe, Argentina.

Matthysse dropped Castaneda three time in the round with the fight being stopped just as Castaneda’s corner threw in the towel in round one.

Matthysse, 139 1/2 lbs of Buenos Aires, Argentina is now 27-0 with twenty-five knockouts. Castaneda, 139 1/2 lbs of Sacramento, CA is now 26-16-3.

Former Welterweight world title challenger Sebastien Lujan scored a seventh round stoppage over Emilio Julio Julio in a bout scheduled for ten rounds.

Lujan dominated the action and Julio did not come out for round seven.

Lujan, 147 lbs of Santa Fe, Argentina is now 34-5-2 with twenty-seven knockouts. Julio, 146 lbs of Barranquilla, Colombia is now 18-6-1.

CLICK TO ORDER THE FIGHT CARD
A capacity crowd turned out to support Philadelphia, PA’s Chazz Witherspoon (26-2 18 KO’s) at the Grand Ballroom of Trump’s Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, NJ. The partisan crowd was hoping Witherspoon would return to his winning ways, while cagy veteran Livin Castillo (16-8 10 KO’s), of Atlantic City via Ecuador, a much better fighter than his record would indicate, was looking to make Witherspoon’s degree in pharmaceutical sales to use as his source of income.

Witherspoon got off to a slow start, losing the first four rounds on my card. Although he was the bigger man, Witherspoon was unable to mount an offense and was fed a steady diet of body shots by Castillo, whose game plan looked to be pot-shot then get out of range. The fight plan was working beautifully, on paper, as Castillo won the early rounds, taking no damage, but also delivering very little as well.

Sensing their fighter needed a lift, those in attendance came to life at the start of round five. Witherspoon did as well, feeding off the new energy. The St. Joseph’s university graduate started fighting with a greater sense of urgency, rediscovering his right hand, but his power shots failed to find the mark and the round that started as momentum changer ended with an even more confident Castillo.

One of the beauties of heavyweight division is a big strong man is never out of the fight. The fatal flaw in Castillo’s plan was letting a fighter with Witherspoon’s punching power hang around to long. The Philadelphia crowd soon got what they drove down the Atlantic City Expressway to see.

Early in the seventh round Witherspoon unloaded a right uppercut to the chin of Castillo that sent him to the canvas. A game but rubber legged Castillo got up, but Witherspoon landed several more right hands, forcing Referee Earl Brown to stop the contest at 2:21 of the seventh round.

In a battle of Super middleweights Philadelphia’s Farah Ennis (16-0 10 KO’s) bested an out classed Reggie Pena (6-4 1KO’s) from Ocala, Florida. Pena has a habit of leaning in with his head and Ennis was only to happy to use his right uppercut to demonstrate why that is not a good idea. Pena did manage to mount an attack in the third round only to be knocked down by a body shot in the closing seconds. Ennis sealed the deal in the third by another body shot and Pena was counted out at 1:56 of the round.

In a six round lightweight, contest Jose Reyes (23-8 8 KO) of Vineland, NJ got bested by Colombia’s Walter Estrada (37-13 25 KO) in a split decision. Estrada, a southpaw, knocked Reyes down in the first with a left cross. Estrada suffered a cut to the bridge of his nose in the fourth round. But his better ring generalship carried the day and swayed the judges his way. Scores were 58-55 and 57-56 for Estrada, with the third card reading 57-56 Reyes.

In a one sided match in the light heavyweight division Lavarn Harvell (6-0 3 KO) of Atlantic City knocked down Jackson, TN’s Nathan Bedwell (2-4 1KO) three times in four rounds on his way to a unanimous decision victory. Scores were a lopsided 40-33 on all three cards.

Super Middleweight (and son of former heavyweight champion Bruce Seldon) Isiah Seldon (2-0 1 KO) of Atlantic City drew a nice crowd to his second pro fight and didn’t disappoint them, stopping Jason Johns (0-3) of Danville Virginia at 2:57 of round 1.

In the opening bout of the evening, Atlantic City’s Eugene Soto (3-0 1KO) added another win to his record besting Maurice Williams (1-6 1KO) of Camden via majority decision. Mr. Williams may be the cockiest 1-6 fighter of all time and his clowning in the ring may have cost him in the judges’ minds. The scorecard of 37-37 was overruled by tallies of 38-36 and 38-37 for Soto.

For more New Jersey boxing news, go to gardenstatefightscene.com

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that the September 18th fight between Juan Manuel Lopez and Rafael Marquez that was postponed due to a hand injury to Marquez will now take place on November 6 at The MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“It’s done, we’re good,” said Gary Shaw, who promotes Marquez. “I talked to the Marquez camp and [Lopez promoter] Top Rank was fine with it. I spoke to [Top Rank president] Todd duBoef about it to get it done.”

“Fortunately, my thumb injury did not prevent me from continuing my conditioning, including running daily,” said Marquez, who proved his durability in an epic four fight series with Israel Vazquez. “I am extremely grateful that my fight with Juan Manuel Lopez was rescheduled so quickly. On November 6, JuanMa and I have a date with destiny. I can’t wait.”

The southpaw Lopez (29-0, 26 KOs) is 27-years-old and has been fighting professionally for five years. He is a consensus top-10 pound-for-pound fighter and is widely considered a rising star. A win over Marquez would easily be the most significant of his young career. Conversely, Marquez (39-5, 35 KOs) at 35-years-old is well into the second half of a remarkable career. He has fought in 11 world title fights in his 15 years as a pro and he is a virtual lock for the Hall of Fame. A win over Lopez would give him a world title in his third weight division.

“This has become the most important fight of my career,” Marquez said.

“I’m looking forward to showing my skills against a great champion like Rafael Marquez, one of the all-time greats and a future Hall of Famer,’’ Lopez said. “It will be the biggest fight of my career.”

“So far we have just one TV fight, but I’m trying to get [Showtime’s] Kenny [Hershman] to buy another one,” Shaw said. “I have an idea for a very good fight. The question is if Kenny has the money in the budget.”

Shaw said he’d like to match junior middleweight titlist Sergei Dzinziruk, who he co-promotes with Artie Pelullo, against Vanes Martirosyan, who is promoted by Top Rank.

“Ken was not opposed to the fight. It’s a question of money,” Shaw said. “I know Top Rank is fine with making that fight.”

Guaynabo, P.R.- After presenting former champions in attendance Wilfredo Gómez, Alfredo Escalera, Félix Trinidad and Wilfredo Vázquez along with current champion Juan Manuel López, the stars of the main event made their way to the ring.

As expected Segura started off aggressively seeking Calderón who managed to slip and block many of the oncoming shots while landing jabs and straight right hands. Still, Segura managed to land some hard hooks to Calderon’s rib cage in both the first and second rounds even if it cost him a warning from the referee for hitting low. The third round saw Calderón slip more punches and the chants of “Ole!” started emerging from the crowd. In the fourth, Calderón went into a corner and Segura started unloading everything only to miss most if not all of his punches. All the while, the Iron Boy was landing counter left hands to his opponent’s face who finished the round visibly out of air.

Segura had his best round so far in the fifth when he took Calderón to a corner and unloaded again but the Puerto Rican wouldn’t be as successful this time and was visibly exhausted and getting hit a lot. What appeared to be a knockdown was ruled as a slip. Segura started well enough the sixth but Iván managed to land some heavy looking punches on Segura who was now getting slower and clumsier with his punches.

The seventh round was the first round to actually resemble a previous Calderón fight as the little man from Guaynabo boxed in reverse making the Mexican miss and along the way making him pay for it. In the eighth round, when it appeared that Calderón was on his way to another successful defense, he got taken to a corner where he took a knee after taking some shots and stayed on it until he got counted out by Luis H. Rivera.

Time of stoppage was 1:34 of the eighth round for Giovanni Segura who now owns both WBO and WBA belts and improves his record to 25-1 with 21 stoppages. The Mexican said he was thinking about the opportunity he had in front of his hands when he was getting tired and that was what motivated him to keep on working. Segura showed he can not only bang but can do it smartly as he was able to cut off the ring and come back and reassert himself after having a slump where he admitted he was getting manipulated by the Puerto Rican.

Calderón, who admitted he made mistakes in trading and was hurt by a body shot more than the head shots. His record now sports a first loss and falls to 34-1-1 with 6KO’s.
Calderón said he planned on resting till next year when he hopes to get another shot.

Lightweights started off the action with Rey Diaz (0-1) and Jeffrey Fontanes (1-0, 1KO) making their respective professional debuts. Referee Roberto Ramírez Jr. stopped the action at just 0:43 of the first round after Fontanes took his opponent to the corner by a series of unanswered flurries. Díaz complained expecting a standing eight count instead of the quick, and to many ring side observers, unnecessary, stoppage.

Also fighting to four rounds were junior welterweights Christopher Vélez ( 1-0-1, 1KO) and José Carlos Lozada (1-1-1, 1KO) . After a slow first round, both fighters traded shots with Vélez appearing to have the better of rounds two and three. A bruised Lozada tried to use his jab to keep his aggressive tormentor at bay but still got tagged both upstairs and downstairs. Somehow two judges saw the fight even at 38-38 while the last one saw Lozada win all four of the rounds. The decision and Lozada were both loudly booed by the crowd.

Samuel Santana and Felix St.Kitts were up next in a lightweight match set for six rounds. Santana showed a slight edge in the first round but when they both started trading in the second St. Kitts appeared to be stronger. St. Kitts, a Guaynabo city policeman, started strong in the third round but appeared to tire towards the end of the round and fought the fourth round in spurts. Round five was a tad slower for both fighters and by round six, St. Kitts (12-8-2, 7KO’s) appeared spent. The policeman landed several low blows in the final round and tried some roughhouse tactics but still couldn’t take enough away from Santana (3-4-2, 0KO’s )to win the round. Scores were 59-55 and 60-54 twice for Santana.

Up next was former Puerto Rican Olympian Alexander “El Pollo” de Jesús who was allowed to fight while he is serving a prison sentence. His opponent, who came in over seven and a half pounds heavier than De Jesús, was José Angel Román. Their bout was also set for six rounds at the junior welterweight limit. De Jesús quickly demonstrated his superiority landing clean, accurate punches and slipping and blocking anything Román threw at him. Rounds two and three saw Román try a little more but be just as unsuccessful. By round four and into the fifth, Román looked but kept on coming and De Jesús contented himself with winning the rounds but wasn’t going for the stoppage. De Jesús let his hands go a little more but still couldn’t stop his opponent from charging on. Scores were 60-54 on all three of the judge’s scorecards for El Pollo who moves to 20-1 with 13KO’s. Román drops to 11-24-5 with 5KO’s and should consider what his next move will be.

Former Puerto Rican Olympian McJoe Arroyo (5-0, 2KO’s) went up against Sigfredo Medina (3-2, 2KO’s) in a bantamweight bout set for six. Arroyo’s accurate jabs, straights and uppers had Medina swollen and reddened by the end of round two and Medina had barely landed any shots on his southpaw opponent halfway through the bout. Arroyo added some left hooks to his punch output in the third and by the fourth round was basically boxing circles around his opponent. Rounds five and six were comfortably dominated by the former amateur star who only occasionally got hit after landing multiple blows on his opponent. All three judges saw the bout 60-54 in favor of Arroyo.

Undefeated prospects Hector Marengo of Arecibo, Puerto Rico and José “La Sombra” González of Toa Baja were up next in a lightweight match set for six rounds. González appeared stronger from the very first round and in the second, bloodied and imposed his will on Marengo even if he had to catch some leather to do it. Marengo was able to dodge and counter a little bit more in the third and by the fourth round was fighting on more even terms with González. By now, both fighters had basically forgone their jabs much to the delight of the crowd.

Midway through the fifth, González dropped his opponent with a series of unanswered uppercuts and kept on pounding on him prompting the crowd to ask for a stoppage. Still referee Roberto Ramírez Jr. let it go into the sixth before finally halting the action at of 1:19 the final round. It must be noted that Marengo kept on throwing punches till the very end. González improves to 12-0 with 8KO’s while Marengo looses his O to go to 5-1-4, 3KO’s.

McWilliams Arroyo, brother of McJoe and the other half of the set of Puerto Rican amateur stars fought Jovanne Fuentes at the flyweight limit in a bout set for six rounds. The first two rounds were fairly close with Arroyo’s greater output giving him a slight edge. In the third and fourth, Arroyo made his opponent back up against the ropes for long stretches at a time but was still finding it hard to land anything clean. In the fifth Fuentes tried letting his hands go more often and found some success with some strong hooks to the body. The sixth and final round was a more even one with both fighters taking turns throwing and landing combinations. Scores were 60-54 on all three of the judge’s score cards. Arroyo ups to 4-1 with 3KO’s while Fuentes drops his first one and falls to 2-1 with 1 KO.

Iván “Iron Boy” Calderón faces tomorrow one of the toughest challenges of his career when he faces hard punching Mexican, Giovanni “The Aztec Warrior” Segura. Calderón (34-0-1, 6KO’s) has faced the likes of Hugo Cázares, Roberto Leyva, Nelson Dieppa and Rodel Mayol, all fighters with heavy hands, but Segura (24-1, 20KO’s) may turn out to be a little more complicated than the above mentioned fighters. Not only is Segura a “thinking man’s” brawler but Calderón has showed signs of slipping more frequently as the years have gone by.

In his last outing, Calderón faced hard-hitting but limited Jesús Iribe and was knocked down before finding his groove and out-boxing his opponent to a convincing decision victory. Iribe is no Segura and carried five losses into his fight against Calderón. Some against marquee opponents such as Edgar Sosa and Brian Viloria but two other were against unknowns Erik Ramírez and Jesús Jiménez. Segura’s only loss came at the capable hands of César Canchilla and was quickly avenged by an emphatic fourth round TKO.

For the Puerto Rican southpaw, the fight represents his first opportunity to unify titles, something he could never do at minimum weight despite having defended his WBO belt eleven times (His eleventh round KO of Edgar Cárdenas was a non title fight when Cárdenas failed to make weight) and this being his sixth defense of his light flyweight title.

Segura on his behalf won the Interim WBA strap on his rematch with Canchilla and became champion after Michael Koncz a towel in the ring during his fight against Juanito Rubillar. Segura was declared the winner and went on to defend against Sonny Boy Jaro, Walter Tello and Ronald Ramos, all fights ending within the distance.

Calderón is as pure a boxer as can be. He has to be, for twelve rounds every fight, for he has no power to end fights. Segura is an unorthodox puncher. Segura will look to pressure Calderón using not only his power but his feet. All others who have tried to pressure Calderón into fighting their fight have failed to use their legs to make their pressure effective. Even though Segura has never faced a fighter of the Iron Boy’s class (none have until they face him) he has shown he can cut off the ring when he gets to his opponents and that may be the key to defeating Iván.

Still, Calderón’s experience should help him negate his opponent’s advantages in size, youth and power. The champion from Guaynabo has proven versatile and effective against taller opponents with longer reach. His toughest fights have come against very unorthodox fighters, which Segura is one, but he has still managed to pull off victories in every one of them except his first fight against Rodel Mayol which ended in a technical draw. In this Ring Magazine’s Champion against number one contender, I expect the Champion to remain so.

The card is presented by PR Best Boxing and will be available through pay-per-view

Another night at the Nokia Center downtown Los Angeles brings us another installment of Golden Boy’s Fight Night Club! With the music blaring and the crowd hyped up, the card was packed with 8 fights including 2 amateur bouts.

The first bout was a junior welter fight featuring Devo Donaldson of Hollywood and Osman Rivera of Pasadena. The action was saved for the second round as Donaldson was knocked down twice. On the second knockdown, the referee stopped the bout and Rivera was the victor.

The second bout was also in he 140 weight class. Out of Maywood, CA Sergio Nunez battled Joaquin Chavez out of nearby Commerce, CA. As to be expected these bys came out swinging and showed little to no defense. The third and final round had two knockdowns before going the distance. The winner was Sergio Nunez.

In the first professional bout of the evening, Bastie Samir (3-0, 3KO’s) of Ghana met Jacob Alvarez (0-1) of Victor Valley, CA. Bastie was like a bully, following Alvarez around the ring and landing meaningful power punches! The bout was stopped at end of the first round much to Mr. Alvarez’s delight

The next bout was a four round, welterweight bout pitting Stephen Rubalcava (0-1) against Salvador Rios who was making his pro debut. Rios worked his jab often while mixing in many body shots. It was only a matter of time before Rubalcava would have to succumb to the constant pressure but the referee stopped the fight midway through giving Rios a TKO victory in his first fight.

The next bout was another welterweight bout; undefeated Antonio Orozco (7-0, 5KO’s) was meeting the more experienced Humberto Tapia (15-14-1, 8KO’s). This fight was close and had tons of action with both guys in each others kitchen all fight. By the end of the fourth round it was anyone’s guessas to who was winning but in the fifth round Orozco seemed to take a slight lead as he began to double up his jab. And the scorecards were the same on all three cards, 60-54, to the winner Oroxco.

In our next fight, Johnathon Bobadillo met Juan Figueroa in a battle of junior welterweight fighters. Both fighting in front of a hometown crowd, these guys were looking to leave a lasting impression but both guys looked like amateurs, swinging wildly and missing. In a battle between two soda cans, how do you pick which one was less of a dud? Well the judges did…the scores were 39-36, 39-36, 38-37 all for Bobadilla who improves to 5-3.

In the main event of the night, local fave and undefeated Ronny Rios (11-0, 5KO’s) met Leivi Brea of Miami, FL (17-8-3. 9KO’s). The first was a feeling out round, both fighters were overly cautious but I would give the edge to Brea. Rios became more aggressive in the second, perhaps too aggressive as he dropped Brea from a low blow (by corcelli). Something lit a fire under these guys as the both came out swinging in the third. Both guys landed big shots. The fourth ended controversially…after a flash knockdown by Rios, a second knockdown came moments later but Brea tried to claim that it was from a low blow. While on the canvas complaining, Brea was counted out at 2:59 of the round.

In the final bout, Armando Dorantes of LA met Sergio De La Torre of Escandido, CA. With a very quick left hook, Dorantes dropped Torre in what seemed to be a flash knockdown. Seconds later Dorantes dropped him and the ref waved the bout off at 1:06 of the first. Dorantes is now 8-2 with 2KO’s.

Dan Rafael of espn.com reported that disgraced former welterweight champion Antonio Margarito received a boxing License in Texas and a proposed fight with Manny Pacquiao will now go forward on November 13th at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX.

“After a thorough review of his application it was determined Mr. Margarito met the requirements of the Texas Combative Sports Act and Rules,” William Kuntz, the executive director of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, said in a statement.

“I want to thank the state of Texas for granting me a boxing license which enables me to continue my passion for the sport of boxing in the United States,” Margarito said in a statement. “I have dedicated my life to giving the fans of the sport entertainment and excitement. On Nov. 13, this great opportunity will ultimately be fulfilled when I battle Manny Pacquiao.”

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, on vacation in France, was happy with the news.

“For me, it was like a terrible nightmare, this whole thing, and now the sun is shining,” Arum told ESPN.com. “I really believe that it will be a very competitive fight. One guy is much bigger and stronger [Margarito] and the other guy [Pacquiao] is quicker and hits with both hands. It will be a fascinating fight to watch.”

“I was never a big fan of the ABC, but they were totally honorable and very responsible in this whole situation,” Arum said. “They made us go back to California, which to me didn’t make sense. But we did it because they requested it and then they issued a letter saying any state was free to license him. I really believed that once we followed the ABC road map that we were going to be OK.”

“Based on the review of the above information I have authorized the issuance of a license to Mr. Margarito,” Kuntz said.

“I think the crowd will be much bigger and Jerry [Jones] thinks it will also,” Arum said. “The last fight was not during football season. This one is, and we have all the Dallas Cowboys assets they use during the season to help this time. We have a lot of stuff that we didn’t have for the Clottey fight. With Margarito being Hispanic, and this is North Texas, which has a huge Hispanic population, that will make this even bigger.”

Jones said: “This is a good one because we know Margarito — with our fan base, in our area — if we do the fight, then it’ll be a big draw.”

Tonight was the first card this writer covered where Boxrec.com couldn’t serve as a reference tool.

There weren’t any titles up for grabs and only two of the bouts were scheduled for more than three rounds. A ten point must system was nonexistent. Hometown decisions didn’t come into play. Most importantly, the combatants fought for pride and experience, not paychecks.

The Dover Boxing Club presented an entertaining fourteen fight amateur card at the elegant Palisadium in Cliffside Park, NJ, which has a breathtaking view of New York City. The venue was comparable to nearby Schuetzen Park, a popular North Jersey club show venue. Those on hand cheered loudly for the fighters they came to support, but also paid their opponents homage.

“I have always loved working with the amateurs,” said Rich Stoltenborg, the Dover Boxing Club’s Director who organized the show and also trains multiple pros. “It’s a different level of course but this is the heart of boxing. This is where the kids begin from eight years old until some of them turn pro.”

Stoltenborg also acknowledges that things are a lot smoother in the unpaid ranks than in the pros.

“Everybody basically gets along even though there are some arguments.” “We are all here for the same reason to build these kids’ character, keep them off the streets and keep them honest.”

Here are this evening’s results

170 lb Sub Novice: Darius Wesley (Silver City Boxing Club) Dec Henry Logan (Dover Boxing Club)

147 lb Sub Novice: Justin McGee (Middletown PAL) Dec James Kuehnapfel (Dover)

180 lb Sub Novice: Paul Stanton (Union City Boxing Club) Dec Dave Shahinian (Evolution)

130 lb Open Class Female: Jamielee Smith (Dover) Dec Candice Perez (Aces)

201 lb Sub Novice: Ken Reid (Middletown PAL) RSC 2 (TKO) Alex Banari (Passaic Boxing Club)

140 lb Sub Novice: Jason Herrera (Evolution) DEC Daniel Gonzalez (Hackensack PAL)

201 lb Novice: Michael Lowery (Plainfield Boxing Club) DEC Dan Mansfield (Dover)

151 lb Sub Novice: Andrew Ridner (Dover) Dec Damien Elliott (Hackensack)

160 lb Sub Novice: Miles O’Connor Dec Tim Rajkumar (Aces)

125 lb Novice: Herkin De La Rosa (Union City) Dec Jose Martinez (Plainfield)

201 lb Sub Novice: Chase Hoookway (Dover) RSC 2 Jose Marrero (Aces)

163 lb Open Class: Anthony Gangemi DEC Haquil Glen (Elite)

150 lb Sub Novice: John Tealan (Hackensack) Dec Argenis Matos (Elite)

For more New Jersey boxing news, go to gardenstatefightscene.com

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (Aug. 25, 2010) – Team Sauerland regrets to inform the boxing world
that WBC Super Middleweight Champion Mikkel Kessler has been forced to pull out of the Super
Six World Boxing Classic due to an eye injury. His title defence against Allan Green in Herning,
Denmark on September 25 has been cancelled.

“This is the most disappointing moment of my boxing career,” Kessler said. “After defeating Carl
Froch, I was on the way to win the tournament, so pulling out now really hurts. The eye problem has
bothered me since the beginning of the Super Six in my preparation for the bout against Andre
Ward. It also bothered me in the fights against Ward and Froch, and in my training for the fight
against Green it has become unbearable. I have consulted leading experts in Denmark and
Germany and they have advised me to take a break from boxing so that the problem can heal. I
have been assured that it will heal completely and that I will be back in the ring next year. As a fair
sportsman, I do not want to delay the Super Six, which is still the best thing that has happened to
boxing for a long time. I wish my fellow contestants the best of luck – may the best man win. I will be
there to fight the winner in 2011.”

SHOWTIME Sports Executive Vice President Ken Hershman expresses his disappointment for
Kessler but assures the boxing fans around the world that the tournament will go on.

“I commend Mikkel Kessler for his decision,” said Hershman. “He has made a wise choice in light of
his doctors’ recommendations and he is showing tremendous respect for his fellow competitors and
for the tournament format itself.

“We will publicly address how this turn of events affects the tournament in the coming days. I
assure you we will make the best of this scenario. In fact, I have been aware of Mikkel’s situation for
a few days and I have a vision for how we can proceed that will enhance the excitement of the
tournament. First, I must have some internal discussions but mark my words, the drama of the
Super Six will be unrelenting and we will crown a champion in the early part of 2011.”

Promoter Kalle Sauerland said Kessler did “absolutely the right thing.” He stated: “You can recover
from losing in the ring but you cannot recover from losing your health. There is nothing that is of
bigger importance than the boxer´s health. As much as we regret to see Mikkel pulling out, he was
left with no other choice. He should take all the time in the world to recover. He can take comfort in
the fact that he looked reborn in his last bout. Once he is recovered, he will continue where he left
off. The Viking Warrior will be back.”

Added Team Sauerland General Manager Chris Meyer. “We are saddened to see Mikkel pulling out
but his health is more important than anything he could win inside the ring. The WBC will probably
make him “champion emeritus” so that he can fight against the reigning champion once he is ready
to come back.”

Highly-reputed eye specialist Professor Dr. med Gerhard Lang, who is the Director of the Eye
Hospital at Universitätsklinikum Ulm and also served as the 2010 World Ophthalmology Congress
President, examined Kessler and believes a proper rest is all the “Viking Warrior” needs. “Mikkel
said he has been bothered by problems with his vision during the fights against Ward and Froch as
well as in the training in the build-up to these fights. There is a weakness of the superior oblique
muscle of his left eye. To continue boxing, the muscle needs a proper rest, meaning no fighting or
sparring for nine months. After this break, a complete recovery is expected.”

For information on all SHOWTIME Sports telecasts, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video
and photo galleries from its events and complete information on the Super Six World Boxing
Classic, please visit the website at http://www.sports.sho.com

Heavyweight Timur Ibragimov 29-2(16KO) won the WBO Inter-Continental heavyweight title with a TKO win over previously undefeated Gurcharan Singh 20-1(11KO), who represented India in the 2000 Olympics. Ibragmov, who was on the 1996 Uzbekistani Olympic Team, paced himself through the beginning of the fight and then dropped Singh in the 9th round with a huge overhand right and came out to finish the fight and dropped Singh with another over hand right that nearly knocked him out of the ring, at 1:45 of the 10th and final round.

Brad Solomon 13-0(5KO) was impressive and won the WBA International and the WBC Latino welterweight titles with a TKO win over veteran Wilfredo Negron 26-15 (19). Solomon, the former 3 time national champion was very slick and fast and often rocked the old pro Negron. The very fast athletic Solomon was coming off of an impressive win on ESPN over formerly undefeated heavy handed Kenny Galarza. Sam Burgos stepped in at 2:56 of round six after Solomon overwhelmed Negron with an onslaught of punches. The very skilled Solomon has a style reminiscent of Roy Jones Junior and is on his way to being a contender in the welterweight division. This was Solomon’s’ first fight under the Heavyweight Factory promotional company.

Former Cuban amateur star Luis “Big Thing” Ortiz 3-0 (2KO) won the WBC Fecarbox heavyweight title in just his third professional fight with a unanimous decision win over Kendrick Releford 22-14 (10). Ortiz put his punches together well throughout the fight and dropped Releford with a great left uppercut in the second round. The cards read 80-72 and 79-72 twice. Heavyweight Factory fighter Ortiz, being billed as the next great Cuban heavyweight, had over 360 amateur fights.

Heavyweight Watson Pierre 1-0, fighting out of Fort Lauderdale made a successful debut with a 2nd round KO over big Ray “Hurricane” Tillman 0-1 who was fighting out of the Heavyweight Factory in Tampa. Pierre dropped Tillman with a huge overhand right in the second and Tillman was unable to beat the count. The end came at 1:30.

Heavyweights Emmanuel Augustama 2-0-1(2KO) and Robert Turner 3-2-1(2KO) fought 4 rounds to a draw with the cards reading 39-37 40-36 38-38.

In the third fight of the night former Cuban amateur star Inocente Fiss 3-0 2(KO) looked great with a win over Reynaldo Cepeda 4-1(3KO) representing Tampa’s Fight Factory. After a competitive action packed first round. Cepeda showed great slickness and boxing while fighting hard, but Fiss was the aggressor and landed the bigger shots. The official cards read 59-55 and 60-54.

In an awesome fight of undefeated Miami Cruiserweights, Pedro Rodriguez 3-0(3KO) showed great heart with a great sixth round TKO over Abdulah Dobey 4-1(4KO). Rodriguez stunned Dobey in the second round and continued with a barrage of shots up until the end of the round putting Dobey out on his feet, Dobey was so rocked he went to the wrong corner but came out to a great round three as Rodriguez noticeably slowed and appeared to have punched himself out. Dobey started gaining ground through the middle rounds however was caught with a big comeback by Rodriguez and was dropped at 1:30 of the sixth round.

Jayce Monroe 2-0(1KO) handed Heavyweight Factory’s James Bryant 3-1(3KO) his first career loss with a split decision win in a sloppy fight. Bryant got knocked down early in the first round. The scores card read 38-37 Bryant 39-37 Monroe 38-37 Monroe

Notable fighters in attendance were Shannon Briggs, Joey Hernandez, Guillermo Rigondeaux, John David Jackson, and Oliver McCall.