“I know he’s [Brian Vera] motivated, I know he wants this win big…[but] I’m not 100% super-motivated with [fighting] Brian Vera.”

You don’t say!

The day before stepping in the ring and dropping a split decision loss to Brian Vera, Sergio “The Latin Snake” Mora spoke to Joe Tessitore on ESPN’s Heavy Hitting Boxing Podcast.

After stating that he lacked motivation, “The Latin Snake” went on to tell Tessitore, “Yet, I fear that he’s going to be stronger than me and hit harder than me. There are going to be moments in this fight when he’s actually going to connect and who knows how I’m going to react to these shots.”

So, Mora knew there were times where he would be tested. He knew Vera was a banger, and could dish out some punishment. And he knew Vera would be the crowd favorite, fighting in his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. Yet even with all of this knowledge, Mora was still lacking 100% motivation.

Going into the Vera fight, Mora was fresh off a draw with future hall-of-famer Shane Mosley — a fight that headlined a PPV card.

Perhaps it was the lesser name, Vera, or the fact that this fight was on ESPN, not PPV, that Mora was unable to get fully motivated. Or maybe it was the massive drop in pay that Mora would receive from the Mosley to Vera fights. Or perhaps it was the fact that the tough Texan had just one win in his last five bouts.

Whatever his reasons may have been, I found Mora’s admission to be quite telling and extremely honest.

In my brief thirteen months covering the sweet science, I have interviewed countless fighters. In most instances, before a fight, myself or other media members will ask how training has been going. Never once have I heard that a fighter is lacking motivation.

In fact, the answer we get is usually the exact opposite. More times than not it’s, “This is one of the best training camps I’ve ever had…I’m hungry to go out and get the win…etc, etc.”

I expected to hear something similar from Mora, as well. So when he admitted that he wasn’t fully motivated, I wasn’t sure if his words were refreshing or red-flag raising.

During the course of the twelve minute interview, Mora also confirmed to Tessitore that he trained by himself for this fight, ditching trainer Dean Campos in favor of doing it the old-fashioned way.

So as I watched the first stanza unfold, I saw a Mora who was a bit surprised at how relentless Vera was. “The Latin Snake” wasn’t particularly elusive early on, and was a bit befuddled by Vera’s early early success.

As the fight progressed, it was really just more of the same. Constant, non-stop pressure from gritty hometown kid. Mora had his moments throughout the thirty minutes between the ropes — landing some nice combinations in the middle-rounds — but they were few and far between. He was consistently inconsistent throughout.

When the bout concluded, one judge scored the fight 96-94, Mora, while two saw it the other way, 96-94, Vera, awarding him a hard-earned split decision win.

In a sport where so much rides on any single fight, there never should be a lack of motivation. This wasn’t supposed to be an easy fight for Mora, and like he said, he had his fears entering the bout. Unfortunately for Mora, Vera turned Mora’s fears into a reality.

While credit must be given to Vera for pulling off what was arguably the biggest win of his career, a fully motivated Sergio Mora with Dean Campos in his corner, beats the best Brian Vera nine times out of ten.

While we don’t know how Mora will rebound after this loss, one thing we can bet on is that this was the last fight “The Latin Snake” would have struggled to find motivation.

Kyle Kinder can be reached at Twitter.com/KyleKinder or KyleKinder1@gmail.com

Seven hours before the doors would open for the STRIKEFORCE Grand Prix Fan Experience Tuesday, a long line began to form outside the Roseland Ballroom in New York City. Once inside, the approximately 1,500 MMA fans who jammed the venue for the event were treated to a spectacular afternoon they will not soon forget.

All eight fighters who will compete in the eagerly awaited STRIKEFORCE World Grand Prix — Heavyweight Tournament were in attendance and signed autographs, answered questions from emcee Scott Ferrall and posed for photos. There were ticket, T-shirt and STRIKEFORCE fight gear giveaways, fight videos shown on giant television screens, workouts in the cage and photo opportunities with The Rockstar Girls. Music was provided by special guest deejay, DJ Clue.

The STRIKEFORCE World Grand Prix — Heavyweight Tournament begins this Saturday, Feb. 12, live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) with two quarterfinal fights from the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J. The first live, non-televised undercard bout starts at 7:30 p.m. ET.
In the main event, Fedor Emelianenko (31-2, 1 NC) returns to action against Antonio “Big Foot” Silva (15-2) in a STRIKEFORCE and M-1 GLOBAL co-promoted event. The opening quarterfinal will match former world champion Andrei Arlovski (15-8) against Russian star Sergei Kharitonov (16-4), the last fighter to defeat current STRIKEFORCE and DREAM Heavyweight World Champion Alistair “The Demolition Man” Overeem.

The other two quarterfinal matchups at a site and date to be announced are: Overeem (34-11, 1 NC) versus the only man to tap out Fedor, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist Fabricio Werdum (14-4-1), and hard-hitting Brett “The Grim” Rogers (11-2) against Josh Barnett (29-5).

Dyami Arroyo of The Bronx was the first to show at 8:30 a.m. Despite cold, bitter, windy conditions, he kept his spot at the head of the line. “There was no way I was going to miss a chance to meet Fedor and the greatest heavyweights in the world,” he said. “As soon as I heard about this, I told my boss I was taking the day off.”

His buddy, Freddie Diaz, of Queens, says he called in sick. “I love STRIKEFORCE, but this is a dream-come-true for any MMA fan.”

Said Brooklyn’s Joe Doyle, who arrived a little after Arroyo and Diaz: “To get this kind of access to these kinds of fighters is unbelievable,” he said. “There was no way I wasn’t going to be here. I am really happy that STRIKEFORCE did something like this for us. No other MMA organizations do anything like this around here.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Manny Pacquiao wull relinquish his WBC Super Welterweight championship as his promoter Bob Arum said he wont be fighting in that division anymore.

Pacquiao’s 154-pound title was “declared vacant, following the unanimous voting of the WBC board of governors, due to the inability of the champion to defend his WBC title,” according to a statement from the Mexico-based organization.

Pacquiao had no intention of defending the title, which was vacant when he won it by easily outpointing Antonio Margarito at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

In line to fight for the now-vacant junior middleweight belt are mandatory challenger Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and a contender to be appointed by the WBC.

Gabriel Bracero 142 – Chris Fernandez 140.6
Mark Tucker 174 – Ray Smith 176
Seanie Monaghan 176 – Angel Gonzalez 176 1/4
Boyd Melson 153 1/2 – Marquise Bruce 153 1/2
Keisher McLoed-Wells 107 1/2 – Melissa McMorrow 108
Ryan Kielczewski 129 1/2 – Wilshaun Boxley 132
Deano Burrell 131 1/4 – Sidell Blocker 133
Steven Martinez 153 1/4 – Ishwar Amador 153 1/2
Allan Benitez 126 1/4 – Joseliz Cepeda 127

Mahkota Promotions in association with Golden Boy Promotions & Sampson Boxing LLC announced in a press conference at the Jakarta International Expo, the championship boxing event scheduled for Sunday, April 17, 2011 at the J.I. EXPO, in Hall D-2. In the main even, undefeated WBA Super Champ. (Featherweight), Chris John (44-0-2, 22 K.O.‘s) vs. countryman, Daud Yordan (27-1-0, 21 K.O.’s). For Chris John, history will be made in Indonesia where he will be making his 14th title defense.
President of Sampson Boxing, Sampson Lewkowicz stated in the press conference “I am extremely pleased and honored to be the boxing steward for this historical event that the entire nation of Indonesia deserves to be a part of and see.” Mahkota Promotion’s best young Entrepreneur & Promoter in Indonesia, Raja Sapta Oktohari stated “This fight will be Indonesia’s equivalent of Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Marvin Hagler or Oscar De La Hoya vs. J.C. Chavez.” Long time Manager and Trainer of Chris John, Craig Christian had this to say “Chris is extremely focused and motivated for this fight. I view this fight as an unpredictable fight between a young prepared boxer matched against an experienced, well-trained fighter”.

The intriguing and beautifully renovated Jakarta International Expo venue has a capacity of 8,000 fans and is expected to be sold out. The site is located at the heart of the capital city of Indonesia and due to it’s partnership with local government, has on-going, complimentary shuttle buses that provide access to visitors of the event. For additional information on the venue’s access, you may also visit the Jakarta International Expo web site: http://www.jiexpo.com/home.php?menu=1&id=3
Additional fight announcements and details will follow in an ensuing Press Release as they are solidified.

Patience is a virtue and it’s exactly what Ryan Rhodes 45-4-1(31) needs to be awhile awaiting his shot at a title. Rhodes 34, of Sheffield, England sprung onto the scene when he won the British Light Middleweight title in only his eleventh fight months short of being a pro for two years, he then became the quickest to ever win the Lonsdale belt outright. It looked like the self styled “Spice Boy” would become a star, but in Boxing that star can quickly be shot down. He stepped up to challenge the vastly more experienced Otis Grant for the vacant WBO Middleweight title and lost a decision. After 3 wins he fought dangerous puncher Jason Matthews against at 160 for the WBO Interim title. Again it wasn’t to be and Rhodes was stopped in the second. It looked as though that would be the end for Rhodes, that is unless you know him. He remained in the game and though he toiled away in small arena’s around the country losing a couple more, also both at Middleweight. His career looked to lack direction until he finally got what he wanted most a shot at his old British Light Middleweight title over a decade after he first held it. It wasn’t a chance he was about to let slip through his fingers and he stopped champion Gary Woolcombe in nine rounds. Since then he’s moved on to the European & International scene. Injury forced him to relinquish the European title late last year he’s now waiting for purse bids before he can try to win back the title he never lost in the ring against Lucas Konecny. Also in the works is a possible IBF title shot against Cornelius Bundrage. He’s currently on a ten fight winning streak that goes back to 2006, that see’s him placed highly among all the World sanctioning bodies WBC 3, WBA 9, IBF 3 & The Ring 4.

Hello Ryan, welcome to 15rounds.com

Anson Wainwright – You had to pull out of the fight with Lucas Konecny on the “Magnificent Seven” bill through injury, and fought in December in a stay busy fight. How did you feel in that fight, were you ok after the injury?

Ryan Rhodes – It went well, he was an unbeaten fighter. I felt I needed to get out before Christmas, it would of left me with just one fight last year if I’d not fought. I managed to get that one fight in. I was glad of the performance, 2 rounds. Training went well, my back felt fine. So onwards and upwards.

Anson Wainwright – Who are you looking at fighting next? Are you targeting anyone in particular?

Ryan Rhodes – I’m number one for the European title (Held by Lucas Konecny). I’m just waiting for purse bids to start. So we can start negotiations. So that maybe my next fight. I also had an interesting conversation with my trainer Dave Coldwell, who has been in contact with Cornelius “K9” Bundrage the IBF champ. Asking if he’d come to England and fight me. I’m number 3 in the IBF ratings. He turned around and said if there money’s right yeah.

Anson Wainwright – Although to an extent you can’t control this when would you hope to be back in action next?

Ryan Rhodes – Like I say it’s a waiting game. With the European I’m waiting on purse bids. That could be my next fight. With purse bids it has to happen within 90 days. I’d like to fight in late March if possible. I’m in the gym with my trainer Dave Coldwell and just waiting for that date to step it up.

Anson Wainwright – What do you think of Konecny & Bundrage?

Ryan Rhodes – Konecny is a good strong fighter, comes forward, everything seems to be big punches. He doesn’t throw many straight punches, everything’s hooks & uppercuts. I watched the Matthew Hall fight. The one thing that let Matthew Hall down was his defence. Konecny had better defence than Matthew Hall, that’s the only reason why he beat him. Now me fighting Konecny there’s no way I’d fight the same fight as Matthew Hall. I’d be Boxing on the outside, picking him off and using my Boxing ability and maybe in the later stages we’d take the it to Konecny.
I saw Bundrage when he came to England and beat one of our lads (Kevin McNeil KO7) in the contender series. He’s a short fighter, I think he’s about 5’6. He’s similar (To Konecny) throws bombs, uppercuts roughs you up inside and bully you. The same thing, I think my Boxing ability would outclass him by far. I wouldn’t even let him get close with my jab, stinging him with right hands and countering with big shots.

Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us about your team, as you said Dave Caldwell is your trainer. Who is your manager & promoter? Also what gym do you train at?

Ryan Rhodes – At the minute Frank Warren is my manager, I haven’t got a promoter. Dave Coldwell is my manager. I train in Rotherham with Dave Coldwell. I do a lot of fitness training with my conditioner Mark Wille, we use the Leisure Centre in Sheffield.

Anson Wainwright – You were a part of the same gym as Naseem Hamed, Johnny Nelson & Junior Witter to name a few those must of been interesting times?

Ryan Rhodes – Yeah we had some good times. It was really good back in the day, I’m talking 10 years ago. It was a fantastic gym to be in. Brendan (Ingle) was churning out champion left right and centre. As well as the guys you mentioned there was Pele Reid, John Thaxton just to mention a few more. The gym was buzzing with champions. When a gym has that many champions it rubs off on everybody else. Everybody else wants a piece of the glory and that’s what we were doing. Everybody was winning and winning well.

Anson Wainwright – You spent a lot of time with Naseem Hamed and know the real him, can you give us a bit of insight about him?

Ryan Rhodes – If Naz hadn’t been different, he wouldn’t of earnt the money he did or had the popularity he had. I think the cockiness, the showmanship, the razzamatazz what Naz brought was what earnt him money. It’s why he used to sell 16,17,18 thousand arena’s out in America & Britain. You look at a similar thing with Eubank he was the same. 50% of the people used to want Eubank to get beat 50% used to love him and think he was fantastic. Naz came into that bracket a little. A lot of it was just for TV.

Anson Wainwright – After bursting onto the scene and winning the British Light Middleweight title after 10 fights you went up to Middleweight and lost two fights that seemed to send your career into tailspin, who do you see that now?

Ryan Rhodes – The opportunity came at Middleweight. I won the British & IBF & WBO Intercontinental titles (At Light Middleweight) and Frank (Warren) offered the Middleweight title against Otis Grant. At that time I thought I was unbeatable and going up to Middleweight would give me that little bit more of weight allowance. I didn’t expect to get beat, I didn’t think anyone would beat me at that time. I was young, full of confidence and opportunities came at Middleweight and we took them. Looking back now maybe I should of thought about it a little bit more. Just analysed more and thought how big the Middleweights really were compared to myself. It’s alright looking back in hindsight but I’m still fighting, I’m in a great position. I feel I’m in a better position than when I was 20/21 years old fighting for world titles. I’ve got my best ranking ever WBC 3, IBF 3 & WBA 9.

Anson Wainwright – After several years in the Boxing Wilderness you got things back on track when you reclaimed the British Light Middleweight title stopping Gary Woolcombe before moving onto the European & International scene what are your thoughts about how you got things back on track and how they are now?

Ryan Rhodes – I just kept my self belief, I knew if I got my chance again I’d take it and take it well. It’s just believing in yourself and people around me believing in me and my ability and what I could do and what I could achieve. Changing trainers, moving from Brendan Ingle after being with him 22/23 years from being 6 years old all the way until 27/28 or whatever it was. Moving gym prior to that I think I’d become stale and a bit bored with the game. I carried on when I left Brendan to go with Dave and the spark came back, the love for the game came back. That’s why I was fighting better, I was producing better fights. My game raised to another level.

Anson Wainwright – When your not Boxing what do you like to do with your time?

Ryan Rhodes – I spend time with my kids and play Golf. I watch Football, I’m not a massive fan but I support the local teams Sheffield Wednesday & Sheffield United There not doing very well at the moment! I’ve got a lot of friends who are big fans. Whenever football’s on TV I go and support them.

Anson Wainwright – You’ve been a pro now for over 15 years what would you say has been the proudest moment to date?

Ryan Rhodes – Difficult. I’ve had some good one’s. I think winning the European title because I was a massive underdog. Everybody thought Jamie (Moore) would beat me and beat me well. I think winning back the British title, obviously winning it the first time was fantastic but I think after all those years and like you said being in the Wilderness. That was a fantastic moment. There were people saying I was finished, I was pasted it, things like that. I’m 34 and I feel I’m as good if not better that when I was 22/23. It just goes to show if you keep trying you’ll achieve your goals. I think I’m the prime example of that.

Anson Wainwright – I guess you appreciate the chance more now and fighters are fighting when they are older and longer like Bernard Hopkins?

Ryan Rhodes – Absolutely, I thought (Joe) Calzaghe was better when he was older, he produced better performances when he got older. Even Johnny Nelson, he was a massive inspiration to me. Johnny did what he did when he was younger and then we had a similar type of career having to box everywhere and he was a little bit in the Wilderness, he won his world title when he was however old. He just got better and better and then obviously he had the injury. Then he won the world title when he was however old and just got better and better. Like you said Bernard Hopkins, I think he just turned 46, that’s unbelievable!

Anson Wainwright – Do you think you have another 12 years in Boxing then! Ha-ha

Ryan Rhodes – I don’t think so Ha-ha

Anson Wainwright – Your highly rated by both the WBC & IBF at number 4. You obviously want that world title fight, do you want anyone in particular?

Ryan Rhodes – I did a couple of interviews the other week, one was in Boxing news. I don’t care who it is as long as it’s for a world title at Light Middleweight cause I don’t want to have any regrets and think what if I’d of fought for a world title at Light Middleweight could I do it or not. I just need that world title to put a few demons to one side.

Who were your Boxing hero’s and who do you enjoy watching fight today?

Ryan Rhodes – Growing up was Marvin Hagler, Leonard, Duran & Tyson. Hero’s today you’ve got to look at Mayweather, Pacquiao people like that.

Anson Wainwright – Several years ago Mayweather & Naz weren’t to far apart in weight. That would of been interesting?

Ryan Rhodes – Oh Yeah! Imagine that fight. You see I don’t think Naz reached his potential. What we used to see Naz do in the gym was unbelievable. To be fair I know Naz never reached that potential.

Anson Wainwright – Finally do you have a message for your fans?

Ryan Rhodes – Keep supporting me. I’m trying my hardest to get this world title fight. Thanks for supporting all these years and when I do get my world title fight I promise I’m going to give absolutely 110%

Thanks for your time Ryan, keep up the good work.

Anson Wainwright
15rounds.com

Midweek Thoughts – So finally Amir Khan has an opponent for the 16 April. It’s going to be Paul McCloskey. Reports in Britain say that McCloskey who had turned the fight down twice previously will get around £200,000 it is belived that Lamont Peterson wanted £750,000…Over the weekend Tomas “Gusano” Rojas scored an impressive points win over former WBA 115 champion Nobuo Nashiro. It was Rojas first defence of the WBC trinket he had picked up late last year when he won the title also in Japan. The 30 year old doesn’t have an impressive record 35-12-1(23) but he’s always been willing to fight whomever is put in front of him and deserves credit for his persistence and willingness to go on the road and fight the best guys he can. Also on the same card Malcolm “Eagle Eye” Tunacao stopped Daigo Nakahiro in six in an OPBF 118 title fight. Tunacao is ten years removed from his brief reign as WBC Flyweight champion and seems to deserve another title shot. How about Koki Kameda-Tunacao…In Mexico Austin”No Doubt” Trout won the WBA Interim Light Middleweight title with a dominant performance over Rigoberto Alvarez…In a give and take British & Commonwealth title fight Jason “2 Smooth” Booth scored a split decision win over Jamie Arthur who put up a gallant effort. On the undercard 2008 Olympic Super Heavyweight bronze medallist David Price moved to 9-0(7) stopping Osborne Machimana in three. Machimana famously ended Corrie Sanders career. Frank Maloney later said he is willing to match Price with anyone in Britain. For now Price will head off to train with Odlanier Solis where he will be Solis chief sparring partner. Last Friday Sergio Mora was surprisingly beaten by Brian Vera, it looks a long road back for Mora from here.

NEWARK, NJ (February 7, 2011) – Polish boxers Kamil Laszczyk and Rafael Jastrzebski have been added to “Brick City Brawl” on February 19 at Essex County College, which will be promoted by Prize Fight and Global Boxing Promotions.

The main event will feature undefeated heavyweight Mariusz Wach (23-0, 11 KO) of Krakow, Poland against Jonathan Haggler (23-3, 18 KO) of Winston-Salem, North Carolina for the vacant WBC Baltic heavyweight championship on FoxSports.

Laszczyk, 19, is from Wroclaw, Poland and won six national championships back home during a 110-7 amateur career. Laszczyk was training previously with Polish super middleweight champion Piotr Wilczewski but will now work with Aroz “Terrific” Gist.

Making his pro debut, Laszczyk is the first product of the Global Boxing Foundation, which brings young amateur boxers from Poland to America to help them achieve their boxing dreams. As a featherweight, Laszczyk needed all the help he could get.

“There is a very limited market for smaller weight fighters in Europe,” says Mariusz Kolodziej, President of Global Boxing Promotions. “In the next couple of months, we want to adjust him to the American style of boxing and match him with the right fights to make him a world-class professional.”

Jastrzebski, 29, of Bydgoszcz, Poland competes in the super-middleweight division. His record of 3-6-1 (1 KO) is deceiving, as he was the victim of flagrant mismanagement early in his career. Often times the naive Jastrzebski was placed in cruiserweight (200 pounds) matches to build up the records of others, where he was outweighed by 10 pounds or more.

Now based in Atlantic City, NJ and trained by Bill Johnson and conditioning coach Sean Sutton, Jastrzebski is getting a second chance.

“I’m willing to give him another chance in life because he was misrepresented in his career,” says Kolodziej. “It’s more than just sports or money, this is his life. He came to America to be a champion and we want to give him every chance. I see great potential in him.”

Since teaming up with countryman and unbeaten middleweight Przemek “Patrick” Majewski, Jastrzebski is 3-0 with 1 knockout.

Both men will compete in four round bouts against opponents to be named later.

For more information on Laszczyk, Jastrzebski or any other Global Boxing fighters, visit www.globalboxing.com .

Tickets for this championship night of boxing are priced at $120; $70& $30 by calling 1-866-468-7619; logging onto www.ticketmaster.com or www.ticketweb.com as well as Global Boxing Gym (5601-5711 Tonnelle Ave. North Bergen, NJ, 07047)
Doors open at 7PM, first fight is at 8PM.

In March we journeyed to Arlington, Tex., to see Cowboys Stadium’s first prizefight, one featuring Manny Pacquiao. In November we returned to Arlington, Tex., to see Cowboys Stadium’s second prizefight, one featuring Manny Pacquiao. And in May we journey to Las Vegas to see a terrestrial network cover its first prizefight, one featuring Manny Pacquiao.

A cross-country trip to watch CBS cover an event, eh? That might be a bridge too far.

We’ll go to see a great prizefight filled with what drama and suspense have defined the Pacquiao Era, then! OK, maybe. But does anyone honestly doubt how the May 7 fight between Pacquiao and Shane Mosley will go at MGM Grand?

In the next three months, of course, some of us will create scenarios that see Mosley prevailing over Pacquiao in an upset. And bless us for it; such exercises keep the mind spry. But would any of us actually bet Mosley?

Not if he bet Antonio Margarito, Joshua Clottey, Miguel Cotto or Ricky Hatton – the last four Pacquiao opponents. None of those choices drew quite the initial derision among aficionados Mosley did, either.

But that was before CBS. As part of promoter Top Rank’s new relationship with Showtime, apparently, parent network CBS will broadcast an infomercial for Pacquiao-Mosley sometime before the fight. Good for Pacquiao. Good for Mosley. Good for Showtime. Good for Top Rank. And good for boxing.

Not so fast. This fight is not for you, the serious fan. This fight is for that elusive crossover guy boxing endeavors to seduce on a triannual basis. You know him. He asks you when Mike Tyson’s coming back while asking himself who would win a match between Clubber Lang and a prime Muhammad Ali.

Right, sure, but don’t be a curmudgeon. Remember, a rising tide lifts all boats.

But is Pacquiao-Mosley a rising tide, or merely a rising boat? Last year, Pacquiao enjoyed two of his career’s handsomest paydays. And his reluctant nemesis, Floyd Mayweather Jr., enjoyed one as well. But what good, really, did these do the sport of boxing?

Websites like this one have never been in a worse financial spot. Pacquiao may be his country’s most-famous figure, but is he actually recognizable to the 113 million American households that did not buy his last pay-per-view event? And Mayweather, for all the interest in prizefighting he supposedly brought to the black community, didn’t have an enduring enough effect to bring even 1,000 members of that community to “The Super Fight” a couple Saturdays ago.

No, friends, you are not obligated to attend Pacquiao-Mosley as part of some brand-of-boxing loyalty oath. And that’s good, too, because tickets for the fight apparently sold-out days before they went on sale.

In the spirit of your new liberty, then, how about trying something different? Like, say, the finals of Showtime’s Bantamweight Tournament on April 23 in Los Angeles’ Nokia Theatre. That card will feature two great fights: Ghana’s Joseph King Kong Agbeko versus Mexico’s Abner Mares, and Colombian Yonnhy Perez versus Armenian Vic Darchinyan. It will also establish a challenger for the winner of Nonito Donaire’s upcoming bantamweight title fight with Fernando Montiel.

And as Donaire-Montiel is a Top Rank promotion, and Top Rank is now allied with Showtime – and CBS! – there’s no reason to think the world’s best bantamweight prizefighter will not be crowned by the end of 2011.

Look, fans in the target demographic for Pacquiao-Mosley have no idea there’s a Ghanaian who once wore a gorilla mask and manacles during ringwalks. Fans who currently know Shane Mosley solely as “that guy with the same nickname as Leonard and Robinson” have no idea Mares went chest-to-chest and foul-for-foul with Darchinyan in December, and beat him. And there’s little possibility anyone desperately scouring online brokers for Pacquiao-Mosley tickets (if such a man exists) has any idea the consolation match of the Bantamweight Tournament could be better than its championship is.

Tickets will be a fraction as expensive for the Los Angeles card in April as they are for boxing’s big chance on CBS in May. And even with prices good and low, Bantamweight Tournament tickets will be in abundance.

Which leads us to the reason you can merrily play contrarian with a card promoted by Bob Arum’s Top Rank: They don’t need you. Top Rank is the infrastructural master of prizefighting promotion. Never was this clearer than after January’s trip to Silverdome – a venue that, working as a team, Don King and Gary Shaw failed to fill effectively as Top Rank filled just Cowboys Stadium’s East Side Plaza in November.

Golden Boy Promotions is the second strongest promoter out there, yes, but it’s a distant second. And their participation in the Bantamweight Tournament may not be more than tertiary. For all the praise Oscar De La Hoya and Richard Schaefer garnered four or five years ago, it has been quite a while since anyone’s appended the modifier “imaginative” to anything coming out of their shop.

And here’s something else to worry about while we get spiffed up for our big CBS debut: We aren’t ready for primetime. Underlying all our support for the recent terrestrial-network development is an assumption that if we could only get our sport force-fed to the public as, say, the NFL does, boxing would be popular as football.

Don’t be so sure. There’s a very real chance the quality of the product boxing offers – for many reasons but none so much as managers’ selecting of fighters according to television programmers’ tastes – is subpar. The fights we offer today may not be good as the ones we offered 25 years ago.

If that’s the case, four 118-pounders fighting in a 7,000-seat venue is likely the future of superfights much more than is Pacquiao-Mosley on CBS. Going to Los Angeles in May, then, is a good way to reward four deserving fighters, and maybe look like a visionary while doing it.

Bart Barry can be reached on Twitter via @bartbarry

MAYWOOD, CALIFORNIA — In what would have been a mild upset, Dyah Davis looked to have a decision victory in his grasp, but had to settle for a majority draw with world ranked super middleweight contender Francisco Sierra in Saturday’s main event at the Maywood Activity Center.

The actual fight will not further the career of either fighter, but Davis should have the victory on his record. Davis (18-2-1, 9 KOs) of Coconut Creek, Florida seemed to win a minimum of seven rounds, but two judges managed to find the fight even after ten rounds.

Sierra (23-3-1, 21 KOs) of Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico never got unhinged in the fight, which was not a crowd pleaser. Sierra, 170 ¾, could not get the bat of his shoulder and only managed to land one punch at a time whenever he did land. Davis, 169, worked well in spots from the outside, but most of the fight consisted of a lot of falling in and clinching.

Davis began to get more effective work done in the second half of the fight. A left hook forced Sierra to stumble coming in twice in the seventh, with the second having more power behind it. Davis’ confidence continued to rise, as he held his left hand down low and pursued Sierra in the eighth. Another lead left hook scored for Davis in the ninth and a left jab, straight right landed clean in the tenth. Sierra showed signs of life, landing a right late in the round, but as was the case for much of the fight, the Mexican could not maintain any sort of momentum.

In the end, only one judge had it for Davis, by the correctly wide tally of 98-92. The other two judges seated ringside unfortunately must have fallen asleep, deciding perhaps no one deserved the win, as they handed in scorecards of 95-95. Sierra entered the bout the WBO #10 ranked super middleweight, based solely on his knockout of prospect Donovan George last year.

Oscar Meza (21-4, 17 KOs) of Van Nuys, California by way of El Dorado, Sinaloa, Mexico moved past game journeyman Leo Martinez (15-15, 7 KOs) of Columbus, Ohio by way of Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl, Estado de Mexico, Mexico by unanimous eight-round decision.

After a feeling out round one, Meza, 136 ¾, turned up the heat in round two, as he put his punches together a little more. Martinez, 135 ½, became more offensive in round three, but it was still Meza landing the harder shots. Meza really began to put a hurt on Martinez in round five, which was evidenced by the marks on his face. Martinez did not fare any better in the sixth either, as Meza kept up the pressure.

Early in the seventh, a left hook dropped Martinez hard to the canvas. The Ohio-based warrior got right back up and gamely made it out of the round and actually may have won the eighth with his activity level. In the end, all three judges had the bout for Meza, 80-72, 78-73 and 79-72.

Andy Ruiz Jr. (7-0, 5 KOs) of Imperial, California by way of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico battered Kelsey Arnold (4-6-2, 1 KO) of Lexington, Tennessee en route to a third-round stoppage. Ruiz, 257 ½, got rough in round two, bloodying the nose of Arnold, 241, and flooring him with a jab on a break. The potential knockdown was correctly waved off by referee David Mendoza. In the third, Ruiz relentlessly pounded Arnold, who was leaking crimson quite heavily, before Mendoza called a halt to the violence at the 2:19 mark of the third.

Fighting before a vocal supporting crowd in the first walkout bout, debuting Raymond Chacon (1-0) of Los Angeles scored a four-round unanimous decision over Manuel Machorro (0-3) of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico. Chacon, 121, was the aggressor in an awkward fight, which was more than enough to get the unanimous verdict over Machorro, 119. All three judges handed in tallies of 40-36 for Chacon.

Jose Roman (9-0, 7 KOs) of Garden Grove, California remained unbeaten with a six-round unanimous decision over Johnny Frazier (2-5-3, 2 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada in the night’s final bout. Frazier, 132, coming off of a four-round decision loss to Jose’s younger brother Jessie Roman, was dropped in the first. A right hook stunned him and set the table for a left hook that cleaned up for the knockdown.

Roman, 133, rocked Frazier with another sweeping left hook in the second. Frazier came alive in the third as he landed well with Roman’s back to the ropes. Roman shut down his offense for a bit after getting buzzed, but awoke late in the fight. The sixth featured some tense action, but in the end Roman had no need to worry, the fight was already his on the cards. In the end, Roman won by scores of 60-53 and 59-54 twice.

In a closer than anticipated contest, Patrick Teixeira (12-0, 10 KOs) of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil just got by Nampa, Idaho’s David Lopez (3-4) via six-round split decision. Lopez, 155 ½, won over the crowd with his active pace, but it was Teixeira, 155, that won over the majority of the official judges in the end. Two had it 59-55 for Teixeira, while one had it the other way, 58-56 for Lopez.

Davis-Sierra Photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank
Additional Photos by Mark Ortega

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

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBA Super Lightweight champion Amir Khan will battle Paul McCloskey on April 16th in Manchester, England in a fight between two fighters from the United Kingdom.

“I am delighted that this fight has finally been put together following some tough negotiations,” Khan said in a statement Saturday. “This is a matchup the British public want to see and will be a fantastic fight between two of the best light welterweights in the country.”

HBO will televise Khan-McCloskey on same-day tape in the United States while Sky Box Office will carry it live on pay-per-view in Britain. HBO plans to pair the fight with live coverage of Andre Berto’s welterweight defense against Victor Ortiz, who would move up from junior welterweight, from a site to be determined in the U.S. Berto-Ortiz is close to being finalized.

“Amir is back. The ‘King’ is back. It’s his homecoming, his first fight at home in over 12 months,” said Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, Khan’s promoter. “He is excited to take on an undefeated fighter in Paul McCloskey. He is looking forward to the showdown. I am still working with [Berto promoter] Lou DiBella to finalize the live fight from the U.S., Berto-Ortiz. It will be a great night of boxing.”

“McCloskey is European champion and he has been calling out Amir,” Schaefer said. “Amir had other fighters on his mind, but for his homecoming, to fight a guy from Northern Ireland who is undefeated, it makes sense. It’s an important showdown for the British fight fans and for Sky. McCloskey has yet to taste defeat. That makes him dangerous and motivated because he doesn’t know how to lose. McCloskey is licking his chops to get his hands on Amir.

“I heard that he wants to go and finish what Maidana started. Of course, Amir will have something to say bout that.”

SANTA YNEZ, CALIFORNIA — Making the move from prospects to contenders, featherweight Luis Franco and cruiserweight Lateef Kayode were matched tough, but well as they passed their most demanding tests to date at the Chumash Casino Resort on Friday night.

Competing for just the ninth time as a professional, Franco (9-0, 5 KOs) of Miami, Florida by way of Havana, Cuba moved past veteran Leonilo Miranda (32-3, 30 KOs) of Huatabampo, Sonora, Mexico with an entertaining ten-round split decision.

Things did not start out well for Franco, 126, in the first. Miranda, 126, buzzed him early in the round and seemed to score a knockdown with straight left as Franco backed up. Though Franco looked hurt, referee Marcos Rosales ruled it a slip.

After a first round that was all Miranda, Franco came out and boxed in the second as if the fight was starting over. When the former Cuban Olympian utilized his superior boxing skills, he seemed to be on a completely different level than Miranda. Through the fourth round, Franco kept his range and frustrated the free-swinging Mexican with his constant movement.

Inexplicably, with the fight going his way, Franco decided to stand and trade with Miranda in spots. Franco was giving Miranda his only chance for victory, because when the Cuban boxed and moved, the Mexican had no answer. In the fifth, Miranda seemed to stun Franco with a left hook at one such instance, but the Cuban came back and closed out the round well.

In the sixth, Franco, the WBO #9/IBF #13 ranked featherweight contender, went back to his bread and butter style and controlled the next few rounds. Franco closed out the eighth pressuring Miranda against the ropes has he sat down on a flurry. However, in the ninth, Franco again decided to stand his ground and trade with the Mexican puncher. It was a risky move, but Franco was outworking the tiring Miranda.

Franco fought the tenth much the same as the ninth, and Miranda obliged as the round featured some excellent two-way action. Both warriors were visibly tired, but still throwing a ton of punches. Franco’s higher output and movement gave him an edge in the round as they closed out the ten-round bout.

Judge Ray Balewicz saw the fight for Miranda, 96-94. Judges Ralph McKnight and Steve Morrow had Franco the winner, 97-93 and 96-94 respectively. With the win, Franco retained his WBO Intercontinental Featherweight title and likely improved upon his world rankings.

In the co-feature, WBA #4/WBO #4/WBC #6 ranked cruiserweight Lateef Kayode (16-0, 14 KOs) of Hollywood, California by way of Lagos, Nigeria saw his 14-fight knockout streak snapped, but he did score a ten-round unanimous decision over Nicholas Iannuzzi (16-2, 9 KOs) of Tampa, Florida.

Iannuzzi, 198, probably fought the best fight he could have, but it was not enough to win over the official scorers seated ringside. The first two rounds featured little action, as Iannuzzi moved and moved, and Kayode, 199, was far too patient. The fight began to pick up a bit in the third, after Iannuzzi gained some confidence after landing a solid counter right. Iannuzzi began to mix in some offense with his constant movement, as he landed well in spots and wisely got out of danger.

In the fourth, Iannuzzi was even braver, as he stood his ground at times and landed well. Kayode was slow to pick up his work rate until late in the fifth round. The sixth round told the story of the fight. Iannuzzi landed a good combination after countering Kayode and picked his spots at other times in the round. However, the most telling blow was landed by Kayode, a short left that rocked Iannuzzi. It would be up to the judges if they preferred Iannuzzi’s higher output, or Kayode’s one or two power punches.

Iannuzzi continued to stick to the game plan in the seventh, as he landed a quick combination upstairs and quickly got out of range. At one moment, Kayode feinted being hurt to try and entice Iannuzzi forward. Late in the round, Kayode landed a solid hook upstairs and then placed another to the body. The second one seemed to take a little steam out of Iannuzzi for a bit.

Iannuzzi had his moments in the final two rounds, most notably a left hook that snapped Kayode’s head back in the ninth, but the Nigerian’s pressure seemed to win him the rounds. Iannuzzi was not moving as well as earlier in the bout, which allowed Kayode to get more work done. They traded at the bell to close the fight, with Iannuzzi getting one or two in after.

In the end, Iannuzzi had won over the crowd, but had lost the fight. Judge Ray Balewicz had it close, 95-94, but judges Ralph McKnight and Steve Morrow had it rather wide, 97-92 and 98-91 respectively. With the win, Kayode retained his WBO NABO and NABF Cruiserweight titles and gained some much needed experience.

Francisco Santana (12-2, 6 KOs) of Santa Barbara, California returned to action with a devastating first-round stoppage over Adan Leal (6-3, 5 KOs) of Nogales, Arizona by way of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. Santana, 156, quickly got Leal, 158, to retreat to the ropes and uncorked a picture perfect left hook that absolutely wreaked Leal. Referee Marcos Rosales began his count while Leal gamely tried to get to his knee. When Leal fell into the ropes, Rosales waved off the fight at the 1:57 mark of the first.

Welterweight prospect Michael Anderson (10-0, 8 KOs) of New York, New York scored a come from behind victory of sorts, stopping determined journeyman Octavio Narvaez (7-8-1, 4 KOs) of Chinandega, Nicaragua in the fourth round of a scheduled eight.

Narvaez, 148, was an aggressive adversary from the outset as he repeatedly pressured Anderson, 147, to the ropes. Narvaez did not seem to have all that much on his punches, but the sheer volume kept Anderson on the defensive for much of the four rounds. Anderson employed a Floyd Mayweatheresque defense, and was very selective with his shots.

Before the start of the fourth, Anderson was down 30-27 on two cards and 29-28 on the third. Scoring would not matter, as Anderson unleashed a left hook to the body that took the wind and all of the determination out of Narvaez. Official time of the stoppage was 2:42 of the fourth round.

Rufino Serrano (8-3) of nearby Santa Maria, California outboxed Jose Morales (6-3, 1 KO) of Denver, Colorado en route to a six-round unanimous decision. Serrano, 128, had both the better boxing skills and conditioning, which was more than enough to get the better of Morales, 128.

After controlling most of the first three rounds with his jab and movement, Serrano began to sit down on his punches more in the fourth. An exchange of hooks late in the round sent Morales to the ropes where Serrano landed a clean left hook just before the bell. Serrano highlighted the fifth with an attempted bolo punch and a clean uppercut. Morales seemed to be danger of getting stopped in the sixth, but Serrano did not have the power to get him out of there. In the end, two judges scored it 59-55 and the third had it 60-54, all for Serrano.

In his debut under the Gary Shaw Productions promotional banner, Kurtiss Colvin (3-0, 3 KOs) of Austin, Texas wowed the crowd with a first-round knockout of accomplished mixed martial artist-turned boxer Tony Hervey (0-2) of Detroit, Michigan. Hervey, 159 ½, stood up to the onslaught early, but eventually Colvin, 162, caught him with a combination upstairs that sent him bouncing against the ropes on two sides of the ring. Referee Raul Caiz Jr. stopped the bout with the official time of 2:12 of the first.

Former amateur standout Roman Morales (1-0, 1 KO) of San Ardo, California looked impressive in his debut without headgear as he stopped Shaun Solomon (1-2-1) of Moreno Valley, California in the first round. Morales, 123, landed a left hook, followed by a straight right hand up the middle that downed the southpaw Solomon, 124, early in the round. Another left upstairs forced a wobbly Solomon to touch one of his gloves to the canvas and thus another knockdown. Referee Marcos Rosales allowed the fight to go on, but when Morales landed two more hard rights, he leaped in to stop the bout at 2:59 of the first.

Two amateur exhibitions began the night. In spirited bouts, Francisco Ortega, fighting out of the Santa Rita Boxing Club, took on Brandon Gutierrez of the Santa Rita PAL and Maggie Soares of the Santa Rita Boxing Club met Erika Guaderama of the Santa Rita PAL to open up the evening.

Photos by Mark Ortega

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

CLICK TO ORDER THE FIGHT
Atlantic City, NJ—Heavyweight prospect Bryant “Bye Bye” Jennings, of Philadelphia, PA, goes for his sixth win in as many pro fights when he takes on veteran Terrell “Baby Bull” Nelson, of Plainfield, NJ, in a scheduled six-round contest Saturday evening, Feb. 26, in the Grand Ballroom of Bally’s Atlantic City.

Gabriel Rosado and Jamaal Davis collide in the all-Philadelphia junior middleweight main event, set for 12 rounds. Ronald Cruz, of Bethlehem, PA, and Dillet Frederick of Fort Myers, FL, square off in the scheduled eight-round junior welterweight semifinal.

The seven-bout card will be televised live by www.gofightlive.tv.

Jennings, 26, is 5-0 as a pro, with three knockouts. In his last fight Dec. 9 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, he K0d Randy Smith, of Cortland, NY, in two rounds. The combined records of Jennings’ five foes is 8-20-4, a far cry from the type of opposition Nelson has faced.

Nelson, 39, is 8-11-2, 5 K0s, but the combined record of his last five opponents is 86-13-1. He has traded punches with former title-holder Nikolay Valuev as well as top contenders Albert Sosnowski, Vinny Maddalone, Dominick Guinn, Devin Vargas, Maurice Harris and Shannon Miller.

Jennings, who did not begin boxing until little more than two years ago, was 13-4 as an amateur. He went to the Finals of the 2009 National PAL Championships in San Antonio, TX, and the Finals of the 2009 National Golden Gloves in Salt Lake City, UT, losing close decisions each time to lefty Lenroy Thompson.

“It’s a big step up for Bryant,” says manager-trainer Fred Jenkins, “but he has the ability to make things happen. He believes in himself and he’s looking forward to the fight.”

Four additional bouts complete the card, which begins at 7.30 p.m. The show is being promoted by Peltz Boxing Promotions, Inc., in association with Bally’s Atlantic City.

Tickets priced at $50 and $75 are on sale at the offices of Peltz Boxing (215-765-0922) and all Ticketmaster outlets (800-345-7000). They also can be purchased online at www.Ticketmaster.com and at www.peltzboxing.com.

Emerging super middleweight prospect Vladine Biosse of Providence, RI scored the biggest win of his fledgling career tonight at the Mohegan Sun Arena, knocking out former junior middleweight titlist Santiago Samaniego in the third round.

Samaniego, despite once holding a WBA title, was years removed from his best (he has only 1 win since 2002) but still represented a significant step up in class for the 28 year old Biosse. 30 of Samaniego’s 37 wins were by knockout, so at the very least he had a proverbial “punchers chance” coming into the bout. None of Samaniego’s achievements seemed to matter to Biosse though and from the opening bell, he stalked his opponent around the ring behind a southpaw jab; occasionally putting a straight left behind it for good measure. Biosse cut down the ring well and quickly had Samaniego along the ropes where he strafed him with two fisted combinations; firing them from different angles to keep Samaniego guessing. By the second round it was obvious that Samaniego had little chance against his younger opponent and despite his best efforts, Samaniego’s punches were simply too slow to come close to connecting with the ever-moving Biosse. Throughout the second round, Biosse continually utilized angles to turn Samaniego to the ropes where he would punish him with both hands. 25 seconds into the third, a flurry from Biosse dropped Samaniego along the ropes. Samaniego rose looking more tired than shaken and moved away from his pursuer to avoid more punishment. Biosse showed poise and didn’t go for broke on the follow up. He patiently waited for his moment, forced Biosse to the ropes and unleashed a left uppercut that dropped Samaniego to the canvas. Clearly out-classed and with no hope of winning, Samaniego took the full ten count while on one knee. Biosse has a lot to be proud of with the win and displayed that he is now ready to begin taking on the tougher challengers in the super middleweight division. The win improves his record to 10-0 5KOs. Samaniego, who looked about 10 pounds too heavy, ought to seriously consider his future as a professional fighter. His latest loss leaves him at 37-13-1 30KOs but with only 1 win in the last 9 years, his days as an effective fighter are clearly behind him.

Eight months after being KO’d in one round by rising middleweight prospect David Lemieux, New Haven CT’s Elvin Ayala got back into the win column with a 6 round unanimous decision over Indianapolis, IN’s Mustafah Johnson. Ayala controlled most of the bout from the outside, utilizing a crisp jab to keep Johnson at bay. Ayala also mixed in left hooks to good effect and was able to slip most of what Johnson threw back in return. The fight progressed in much the same way until the 4th round when Johnson was able to catch up to Ayala and force his back to the ropes. In response Ayala began fighting more and boxing less, opening up with stinging left hooks and using angles to spin Johnson onto the ropes. Johnson was game and continued to press the action, but Ayala proved too fast and accurate for Johnson to mount any significant offense. When the scorecards were read, it was no surprise all three favored Ayala by scores of 60-54. Although Johnson was a soft touch, Ayala deserved an easy win after the nature of his knockout loss to Lemieux. Ayala is now 21-5 9KOs. Johnson drops to 8-10-1.

Prior to the 4 round middleweight bout between New Haven CT’s Greg McCoy and Pawtucket, RI’s Thomas Falowo, the ring announcer warned the crowd: “Watch out. This fight just might steal the show.” The statement couldn’t have been more accurate. The 4 rounds between McCoy and Falowo had everything the crowd had paid to see: non-stop back and forth action, big punches and a definitive winner. At the opening bell, both fighters charged from their corners throwing (and landing) every punch in the book. Hooks, uppercuts, straight right hands; every punch either fighter threw landed and on multiple occasions both fighter looked to be on shaky legs. The crowd was on their feet at the end of the first and though the action in round 2 was no less impressive, Falowo began to out-land McCoy. As the round progressed, McCoy began to steadily tire and his punches had less and less effect on Falowo, who began to press the action and land hard right hands. By the 4th, McCoy was still fighting back valiantly but it was clear he was all but spent. Falowo backed him into the ropes and hurt him with an overhand right. Sensing the end was near, Falowo poured out everything he had and landed 10 plus unanswered punches before referee Dick Flaherty jumped in and stopped it at 1 minute 40 seconds of the fourth round. With an impressive display of stamina, Falowo picked up his second professional win and now stands at 2-0 2KOs. McCoy drops to 2-2-1 1KO but no doubt did well to secure a good pay day in his next fight with his incredible display of heart.

If there were an award for punch of the night, it would belong to Hartford, CT’s Javier Flores. Flores, who was matched against Rochester NY welterweight Marcus Hall, was being out-boxed though much of the first 2 of a scheduled 4 rounds when he began to launch left uppercuts that landed hard on the chin of Hall. As Hall was backing up to escape them, he became trapped against the ropes and ate another crunching lead left uppercut that dropped him to the floor. Referee Eddie Cotton didn’t bother with a count and called the fight at 2 minutes 5 seconds of the second round. With the impressive display of power, Flores bumped his record up to 5-0 5KOs. Hall, who fought well up until the stoppage, drops to 4-3-1 2KOs.

In an ugly bout, welterweight Sean Eklund of Lowell, MA was able to muscle his way to a 4 round unanimous decision over Springfield, MA’s Noel Garcia. From the opening bell both fighters appeared nervous and came at each other winging punches. Neither fighter was able to land anything of note, although Eklund settled in as the aggressor and began to press the action. Each round appeared to be a mirror image of the last, with Eklund pressing forward with wild abandon and Garcia flailing punches when Eklund came in close. With the amount of punches being thrown, it was surprising that very little was landing for either fighter. The difference in the fight was Eklund’s commitment to coming forward and no doubt was the deciding factor on the judges scorecards. At the end of 4, all three judges had it 39-37 in favor of Eklund, improving his record to 8-4 1KO. Garcia notches another loss and stands at 2-7-1 1KO.

Local junior welterweight favorite Edwin Soto (6-0-1 2KOs) of New Haven, CT, easily won a six round unanimous decision over his game opponent from Niagara Falls, NY James Ventry (7-13 4KOs.)
Soto began the fight moving and boxing well, getting in and out with two fisted combos to the body and head of Ventry. Ventry was consistently coming forward but did not utilize a jab and paid the price for not working his way inside; often taking 4 or 5 shots to land one. Soto began to slow in the 4th round and as a result, found himself with his back to the ropes and Ventry looking to tee off on him. Soto responded well though and countered Ventry successfully from the ropes with left hooks to the body and head. Ventry had his best round in the 6th when his shots finally began to find the chin of the tiring Soto. At that point though, it was too little too late and Soto had already secured his victory. Scores at the end gave little credit to Ventry as all three judges scored it a shutout at 60-54.

One of the unfortunate realities of the heavyweight division is that in comparison to every other division in boxing, the skill level of the average practitioner is markedly lower. As I watched heavyweight’s Theron Johnson of Chicago, IL and Billy Mofford of Randolph, MA fight for six rounds, there seemed little reason to question this. Mofford appeared out of shape and seemed to have no game plan outside of throwing single shot hay-makers and praying for a knockout. Johnson easily out-worked Mofford by throwing in combination, but won nearly all of the six rounds on the strength of his overhand right. One of his overhand rights in round two caught Mofford in the nose and caused him to bleed off and on for the rest of the fight. Mofford’s only moment came in the 5th when he managed to connect with a solid right hand that buzzed Johnson momentarily. Johnson shook it off and out-boxed Mofford through the rest of the fight. Scores at the end read 60-54 and 59-55 (twice) in favor of Johnson who improves his record to 5-3 1KO. Mofford slips to 9-2-2 4KOs.

Ledyard, CT middleweight Brian Macy returned from a two year layoff to lose a surprising 4 round split decision to Fort Myers Florida’s JC Peterson. Peterson, who was 0-8 going into the bout, started impressively by dropping an off balance Macy with a left jab to the face early in round one. Over the course of the next 3 rounds, both fighters stood shoulder to shoulder and traded punches to the body and head which made for difficult scoring. The close nature of the bout was reflected by the scorecards at the end: 38-37 for Macy and 38-37 (twice) for Peterson. With the win, Peterson picked up his first professional win and now stands at 1-9. Macy drops his second in a row and falls to 5-2 2KOs.

In the opening bout of the evening, New Haven, CT super bantamweight Luis Rosa (5-0 4KOs) dismantled Cape Coral, Florida’s Justin Goodall (1-2 1KO) in 3 lopsided rounds. Rosa dropped Goodall in the opening 15 seconds with a sweeping left hook, and Goodall appeared all but spent when he rose on shaky legs. He managed to survive Rosa’s follow up barrage and was able to make it through rounds one and two on his bicycle, offering little more than a keep away jab to discourage Rosa. By round 3 Goodall has lost his legs completely and coming out of one of the numerous clinches of the round, Rosa landed a sharp left hook that dropped Goodall flat on his back. Referee Eddie Cotton immediately waved off the fight, stopping it at 1:14 of Round 3 and giving Rosa his 3rd KO victory in a row.

Michael Perez remained undefeated with an eighth round stoppage over Marcos Herrera in the final scheduled round of their Lightweight bout in Lares, Puerto Rico.

Perez bloodied Herrera as early as round two and continued to the pressure until round eight when he rocked Herrera with a barrage of punches that sent him to the corner and the bout was stopped at 1:36 of the final round.

Perez, 136 lbs of Newark, NJ via Puerto Rico is now 12-0-1 with six knockouts. Herrera, 135 lbs of Denver, CO is now 6-4-1.

Good looking Featherweight prospect Jayson Velez stopped John Molina after five rounds in a scheduled eight round bout.

Velez, 123 1/2 of Juncon, Puerto Rico is now 15-0 with twelve knockouts. Molina, 123 1/2 lbs of Cartegna, Colombia is now 28-15-3.

Eddie Gomez remained undefeated with a second round stoppage over Jose Ramon Sanchez in a scheduled four round Middleweight fight.

Gomez floored Sanchez with an overhand right and the referee waved off the fight at 2:31 of round two.

Gomez is 3-0 with three knockouts. Sanchez is now 2-9-1.

Braulio Santos needed just sixty-seven seconds to win his pro debut over Jose Padilla in Super Featherweight bout scheduled for four rounds.

Padilla is now 0-3.

Brian Vera scored an upset split decision over former world champion Sergio Mora in ten round Middleweight bout at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas.

It was a close fight throughout with Vera being the aggressor while Mora looked for spots to counter and he did that very nicely at times. Vera would get inside consistently with short combination’s and flurries. At times Mora would set combination’s up with his jab but he did not do that enough.

Late in the fight, the blood was flowing as in round seven Mora was cut around left eye from a punch and in round eight the right was split open due to a headbutt. There were some good exchanges in the final round with Vera being cut around his right eye just moments before the final bell sounded.

Vera, 163 of Fort Worth, Texas won two cards by a 96-94 tally while Mora won a card 96-94.

Vera, who also scored an upset over Andy Lee is now 18-5. Mora, 163 of East Los Angeles, California was coming off a draw with legendary Shane Mosley and is now 22-2-2.

Chris Chatman needed a last round knockdown to fight a majority draw with heralded and previously unblemished in an eight round Jr. Middleweight bout.

Hatley scored a knockdown in the first minute of the fight and almost had Chatman out before the opening frame was complete as he peppered Chatman with clean shots. The fight never seemed to get a good rhythm to it as Chatman regained his composure and continued to press the action started getting through with some good shots. Hatley won most of the middle rounds until he seemed to tire late.

Chatman scored a knockdown with a left hand with over a minute to go in the fight and had Hatley holding on until the final bell to get the draw.

18 year old Ray Ximenez Jr. scored a four round unanimous decision over Alfredo Berto in a Bantamweight fight.

Scores were 40-36 on all cards for Ximenez, 117 lbs of Dallas and is 2-0. Berto, 118 lbs is now 1-4.

Hatley, 153 lbs of Dallas, Texas was a former national amateur champion won a card by 77-73 but that was over ruled by the two remaining judges at 75-75.

Hatley is now 14-0-1. Chatman, 153 lbs of San Diego was fighting his third consecutive undefeated fighter and now 9-1-1.

Since its 2001 debut, Showtime’s long-running series Shobox: The New Generation has been a proving ground for several of the sport’s brightest prospects on their way to claiming world championships. Tonight the series showcases two more unbeaten potential future champions looking to move forward in their careers in separate bouts at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California. Former Cuban Olympian Luis Franco takes on his toughest challenge to date in the form of 34-fight veteran Leonilo Miranda in the main event, while cruiserweight knockout artist Lateef Kayode meets Nicholas Iannuzzi in the co-feature. Fighters weighed in Thursday evening at the casino.

Just four fights ago, Franco (8-0, 5 KOs) of Miami, Florida by way of Havana, Cuba was fighting in a four-rounder. Now, just entering his ninth pro bout, Franco is just a win or two away from serious contention. Franco is coming off of a disqualification victory over once-beaten Eric Hunter in December and now finds himself the WBO #9/IBF #13 ranked featherweight.

Franco, who represented Cuba at the 2004 Olympic Games, plans to fall back on his amateur experience to get past the veteran puncher Miranda. “I won’t have an issue fighting a southpaw,” said Franco. “I fought plenty as an amateur. “I think he’s knocked out guys who just stood in front of him. We won’t be doing that.” Franco will look to outbox the forward-moving Miranda, but the Mexican will be dangerous for every frame of their scheduled ten-rounder. Franco, who will be defending his WBO Intercontinental Featherweight title, scaled 126-pounds.

Miranda (32-2, 30 KOs) of Huatabampo, Sonora, Mexico rebounded from an 0-2 run in 2009 to score two knockouts in 2010, one of which was a short-notice stoppage of Andre Wilson on ESPN2. With an upset victory tonight, Miranda would catapult himself into the world rankings at featherweight. Miranda has to force the fight and try to rough up Franco in order to make his puncher’s chance prove fruitful. “I’m coming to fight ten rounds, but I have the punching power to change the fight at any time,” understands Miranda. “We’ll try for the kayo if it’s there.”

Kayode (15-0, 14 KOs) of Hollywood, California by way of Lagos, Nigeria has allowed only one opponent to last the distance, and that was in his pro debut. Last time out, Kayode, the WBA #4/WBO #4/WBC #6 ranked cruiserweight, stopped Ed Perry with a perfectly place uppercut to the body in the sixth. “These knockouts have been a blessing for me,” said Kayode. “I’m aggressive. If I land a good shot I’m not going to stop. I’ll keep coming until the kayo comes, until they are down.” Kayode, defending his WBO NABO/NABF Cruiserweight titles, weighed 199-pounds for the ten-round encounter.

Iannuzzi (16-1, 9 KOs) of Tampa, Florida has bounced back from his sole defeat to reel off four consecutive victories. The last came against former Kayode knockout victim Jose Luis Herrera, as Iannuzzi scored a six-round unanimous decision this past October. Iannuzzi feels his one loss has served him well. “My only loss was good for me,” said Iannuzzi. “It was a huge stepping stone for me and I won’t let it happen again. I learned a lot from it.” Iannuzzi weighed in at 198-pounds.

In off-television action, Rufino Serrano (7-3) of nearby Santa Maria, California will take on Jose Morales (6-2, 1 KO) of Denver, Colorado in a six-round super featherweight fight. Serrano, who closed out 2010 with a six-round decision over Rodrigo Aranda at the Chumash Casino Resort in December, scaled 128-pounds. Morales, out of action since a first-round stoppage to Gabriel Tolmajyan last April, weighed in at 128-pounds.

Francisco Santana (11-2, 5 KOs) of Santa Barbara, California will take on Adan Leal (6-2, 5 KOs) of Nogales, Arizona by way of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico in a six-round middleweight bout. Santana, coming off of a kayo loss to prospect Karim Mayfield back in November of 2009, scaled 156-pounds, while Leal, a kayo victim in his last two, came in at 158-pounds.

Recently signed by Gary Shaw Productions, Kurtiss Colvin (2-0, 2 KOs) of Austin, Texas will meet Tony Hervey (0-1) of Detroit, Michigan in a four-round middleweight fight. Colvin weighed in at 162-pounds, while Hervey scaled 159 ½-pounds.

Undefeated welterweight prospect Michael Anderson (9-0, 7 KOs) of New York, New York will meet Mexican journeyman Octavio Narvaez (7-9-1, 4 KOs) of Chinandega, Nicaragua in an eight-round bout. Anderson, looking for his seventh straight knockout, scaled 147-pounds, while Narvaez, normally a durable opponent, weighed in at 148-pounds.

In the opener, former amateur star Roman Morales of San Ardo, California makes his pro debut against the capable Shaun Solomon (1-1-1) of Moreno Valley, California in a four-round super bantamweight bout. Morales scaled 123-pounds, while Solomon was 124.

Tickets for event, promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, are available online at ChumashCasino.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

WBO Intercontinental Featherweight Title, 10 Rounds
Franco 126
Miranda 126

WBO NABO Cruiserweight Title
NABF Cruiserweight Title, 10 Rounds
Kayode 199
Iannuzzi 198

Super Featherweights, 6 Rounds
Serrano 128
Morales 128

Middleweights, 6 Rounds
Santana 156
Leal 158

Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Colvin 162
Hervey 159 ½

Welterweights, 8 Rounds
Anderson 147
Narvaez 148

Super Bantamweights, 4 Rounds
Morales 123
Solomon 124

Photos by Tom Casino/Showtime

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

Roman Morales, long one of the top amateurs in the country, makes his professional debut tonight at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California. Morales, fighting out of San Ardo, California, will take on the capable Shaun Solomon (1-1-1) of Moreno Valley, California in a four-round super bantamweight bout.

Morales scaled 123-pounds, while Solomon came in at 124. Solomon comes in off of his first career pro victory, a split decision over Floyd Smith in October of last year. Morales capped a stellar amateur career by claiming a gold medal at the Four Nations Tournament in France this past November and has been sparring with several world class pros in preparation for tonight’s bout.

The Morales-Solomon bout will open a stellar night of boxing promoted by Gary Shaw Productions and the two featured bouts will be televised on Showtime’s Shobox: The New Generation. In the main event, former Cuban Olympian Luis Franco will square off with Leonilo Miranda in a featherweight tilt scheduled for ten. In the co-feature, fast-rising cruiserweight contender Lateef Kayode takes on once-beaten Nicholas Iannuzzi in a ten-rounder. Tickets for the event can be purchased online at ChumashCasino.com.

While hoping for a Super Bowl that doesn’t turn into the stupor left by Tim Bradley and Devon Alexander in a fight preceded by the same advertising adjective, some headlines and counters:

News item: An estimated 16,000 tickets are sold within about three hours for the Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley fight on May 7 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand.

Reaction: Promoters Gary Shaw and Don King couldn’t give away that many tickets in 16 days or 16 months for Bradley’s technical decision over Alexander at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Mich., where the estimates were like the empty seats. They were all over the place. There are no reports on the number of paying customers. Let’s just say that the Silverdome’s box office has collected more dollars for its drive-in movie business last spring and summer.

News item: Bradley is expected to sign with Bob Arum or Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions after his deal with Shaw expires, reportedly in May.

Reaction: If it’s Arum, don’t expect Bradley to fight for 140-pound supremacy with Golden Boy-promoted Amir Khan. If it’s Golden Boy, don’t expect a Bradley fight against the Arum-promoted Pacquiao.

News item: Bradley says he wants to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Reaction: Get in line. Las Vegas and Nevada’s Clark County already have a couple of mandatories against Mayweather, including a trial on misdemeanor battery, rescheduled for April 25, and a hearing on March 10 for felony domestic abuse.

News item: Bradley says he wants to fight Pacquiao.

Reaction: Break the head-butt habit. It’s a pattern that continued with Alexander badly cut over his right eye, first from a Bradley head-butt in the third and again in the end, the 10th Pacquiao hasn’t lost since 2005 when a fifth-round clash of heads with Erik Morales left him badly cut, also above his right eye. Pacquiao was clearly bothered by blood streaming from the wound for the rest of the 12-round bout, which Morales won with a unanimous decision. Pacquiao might think twice about the threat of a bloody encore if he thinks Bradley can’t break the habit.

News item: HBO will honor its $1.25 million guarantee to Alexander with a possible fight against Marcos Maidana.

Reaction: Save the money, Devon, because it figures to be your last big payday. If the powerful Maidana is in shape, he will win by a crushing knockout, which narrowly eluded him in a scorecard loss to Khan.

News item: Khan fires conditioning coach Alex Ariza, who says he has yet to be paid for his work before a Fight of the Year victory over Maidana in December.

Reaction: Maidana trainer Miguel Diaz, who called Ariza “a fraud,’’ is laughing.

News item: Evander Holyfield’s fight with Brian Nielsen is postponed from March 5 to May 7 because of a Holyfield cut suffered on Jan. 22 in a bout with Sherman Williams.

Reaction: Huh? Holyfield fought Williams? He is scheduled to fight Nielsen, who hasn’t fought in nearly a decade? Holyfield-Nielsen has been re-scheduled for May 7? Won’t everybody be watching Pacquiao against Mosley then? Holyfield-Nielsen in Copenhagen? Not the Silverdome? Must be a night for drive-in movies.

News item: Pacquiao is already 2-0 at Cowboys Stadium, which means he has competed there two more times than the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers.

Reaction: Pacquiao will get some company in that unbeaten column. Steelers, 27-24.

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that a terrific undercard is being assembled underneath the May 7th showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley that could feature the rematch of one of the best fights of 2010 as well as the return of former world Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik.

The co-feature in the works would match lightweight titlist Humberto Soto (54-7-2, 32 KOs) against Urbano Antillon (28-2, 20 KOs) in a rematch of their epic Dec. 4 slugfest, which Soto won via tight unanimous decision.

“There’s no paperwork done yet, but the sides are aware of it and have [verbally agreed to the rematch],” Top Rank’s Carl Moretti told ESPN.com Thursday. “We’ve talked to both sides and the camps are both up for the date and we’re trying to get it closed up.”

Pavlik (36-2, 32 KOs) has not fought since losing the middleweight championship to Sergio Martinez last April. He pulled out of a comeback fight scheduled for Nov. 13 on Pacquiao’s last undercard and checked into an alcohol rehabilitation clinic for the second time. He spent two months at the Betty Ford Center before coming out in early January.

“He’s itchin’ to fight,” Moretti said.

“All indications are that Kelly would like to take advantage of that,” Moretti said, adding that there has been no discussion yet of a specific opponent.

Cameron Dunkin, Pavlik’s co-manager, said Pavlik is planning to fight on the card.

“The idea is that is he going to fight on May 7,” Dunkin told ESPN.com. “We’re just taking it one step at a time, but he’s scheduled. He’s terrific. He’s working out and very happy, spending time with his family. Everything is wonderful right now.”

“I would think he will fight at 168 or 169 pounds,” Dunkin said. “He says he wants to be a super middleweight now. There’s no way he can go back the other way [to 160]. He realized he is just too big.”

When Moretti is in Puerto Rico for a news conference on Tuesday to formally announce featherweight titlist Juan Manuel Lopez’s April 16 fight with Orlando Salido, he said he is going to meet with promoter Tuto Zabala Jr., who promotes Puerto Rican junior featherweight titlist Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. (20-0-1, 17 KOs).

Moretti said he and Zabala will try to close the deal that they have been working on to match Vazquez in a title defense against Mexico’s Jorge Arce (56-6-2, 43 KOs), a former flyweight and junior bantamweight titlist. Part of that deal could be Top Rank coming aboard as Vazquez’s co-promoter.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, World Featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez will defend his title against former champion Orlando Salido in Lopez native homeland of Puerto Rico and the bout will be televised on Showtime.

” ‘Juanma’ is one of the top four television fighters today. He makes great fights,” Top Rank’s Carl Moretti said. “No matter who he is in with, you’re going to be entertained. We’re at a great arena in Puerto Rico that will have 8,000 to 10,000 people and I think it will be a good evening all around.”

“I think it’s a tough fight for Juanma,” Top Rank president Todd duBoef said. “Salido is a really solid, durable guy. Yuriorkis Gamboa had to work really hard to get past him and with this fight we will be able to see comparatively where the two hot, young featherweights are. Salido is going to be there all night. Juanma is really going to have to work for it.”

“Salido is a hard-nosed, grizzled Mexican with a great chin and good power [and] this could be his last shot at a title,” Moretti said. “And Juanma has been known to catch better sometimes than fellow Puerto Rican Jorge Posada.”

Said Salido: “It’s a tough fight, but for me it’s an opportunity to win a title belt and become a world champion again.”

“It’s going to be a measuring stick on where both of them stand against each other, so what Juanma has to protect against is fighting the guy and thinking, ‘I gotta look good. Can I knock him out? Do I get out of my game plan just to prove a point because Gamboa went the distance with him?’

“There’s a feel for when it’s ready to go,” DuBoef said. “I think sometimes there’s a road map and sometimes it’s a sixth sense when it’s time to match them up. We’re working to get there with these guys and to make this as big as it can be. We’re creating a business around both guys. Lopez is more advanced in that sense because he’s become a big draw, especially in Puerto Rico. But we’re working on it with Gamboa. There is something naturally that happens where fighters are on two independent paths and they eventually merge into one, and the fight happens.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that former four-time Heavyweight champion, Evander Holyfield will now take on Danish star Brian Nielson in May 7th instead of March 5th after Holyfield suffered a cut around his left eye in his January 22nd bout with Sherman Williams.

“I had hoped to be fully fit to fight Brian on March 5 but after another close examination this week the doctor said I could not do sparring until the end of the month,” said Holyfield, who is due to earn $500,000 against Nielsen. “My good physical shape and my meticulous preparation have been my biggest advantages throughout my career, and I will not enter the ring against a determined opponent like Nielsen when I am not 100 percent prepared.

“I take Nielsen very seriously. I need a convincing victory to put myself back in line for another shot at the world title, so I will give the cut enough time to heal before resuming practice. I will be in top shape on May 7 and defeat Brian Nielsen.”

“Always look on the bright side of life,” Nielsen said. “The more training I get, the stronger I will become. I would have been ready to give Evander a great fight on March 5. I have worked my butt off in practice where [trainer] Karsten Rower has been torturing me twice a day.

“Although I am not exactly thrilled to be in his German training hell for two more months, every single practice session will only make me better,” he added. “I will make sure Evander gets a nice souvenir from his trip to Copenhagen. I will cut his other eye, too. He will be good friends with the doctor he has been seeing.”

“We fully understand Evander’s decision. It is the right thing to do,” promoter Kalle Sauerland said. “We have stressed from the very beginning that we would never let a fighter inside the ring if he is not 100 percent ready, and that includes a perfect preparation. As we have learned from Brian, let’s look at the bright side. Two more months of professional boxing training and sparring will make him even better.”

here carne asada marinade

Segun explico Brian D. Levin, vocero de CBP en un comunicado de prensa, algunos oficiales de aduanas ayudaron a rescatar vidas y propiedades en peligro.

El martes 13 el oficial Juan Osorio dejo su trabajo para acudir al lugar donde se desato el multiple incendio, justo cerca de su hogar. Al llegar se dio cuenta que su casa estaba siendo consumida por las llamas.

“El es oriundo de Nogales y fue miembro de los bomberos, y por eso inmediatamente supo el peligro en el que estaban vidas y propiedades en el incendio”, dijo Levin del oficial Osorio, quien ayudo a los bomberos a apagar el fuego, despues de nueve horas de trabajo del departamento de bomberos.

Ahora estan planeando una venta de “carne asada” el 1 de mayo de 10 a.m. a 4 p.m. en Karam’s Park, ubicado entre Morley Avenue y Park Street.

La venta consiste en un plato con tres tacos de carne asada, frijoles, salsa y una bebida por el precio de 5 dolares.

Habra venta de boletos con anticipacion en Nogales-Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce, Royal Road Market, Nogales Fire Department, pero el dia del evento tambien pueden adquirirse. web site carne asada marinade

Habra tambien un segundo evento para recaudar fondos el mismo dia durante la celebracion de Las Fiestas del 5 de mayo en Fleischer Park, ubicado en Hohokam Street.

En las fiestas habra una vendimia de hamburguesas, hot dogs y bebidas.

“Invitamos a la comunidad a que compren carne asada, hamburguesas, que realmente significa ayudar a nuestra gente en circunstancias dificiles”, comento Osorio.

“La comunidad nogalense debe unirse para ayudar a estas familias que estan en necesidad financiara”, concluyo Levin.

Contacte a Berenice Rosales al 807-8479 o en brosales@azstarnet.com Ayude a ayudar Eventos para recaudar fondos para las cinco familias que perdieron su hogar en un incendio el pasado 13 de abril.

* Donde: Karam’s Park, ubicado entre Morley Avenue y Park Street, venta de carne asada, plato con tres tacos frijoles, salsa y bebida a 5 dolares.

* El mismo dia pero en Fleischer Park, ubicado en Hohokam Street habra venta de hamburguesas y hot dogs durante Las Fiestas del 5 de mayo.

* Cuando: 1 de mayo a partir de las 10 a.m.

* Para mayores informes llame a la camara de comercio local al 287-3685.

BERENICE ROSALES