World Middleweight champion Sergio Martinez talks about his March 12 title defense against Serguy Dzinzurak

Middleweight contender Andy Lee talks about his March 12 fight with Craig McEwan

Trainer Emanuel Steward talks Lee – McEwan; Miguel Cotto and Wladimir Klitschko

Promoter Gary Shaw talks about the March 12 battle between Sergiy Dzinzurak and Sergio Martinez as well as Tim Bradley, Alfredo Angulo and Chad Dawson

Undefeated Scottish Middleweight Craig McEwan talks about his March 12 showdown with Andy Lee

WBO Super Welterweight champion Sergei Dzinzurak talks about his March 12 showdown with World Middleweight champion Sergio Martinez

When you think of the Worlds top Welterweight’s Jan Zaveck doesn’t spring to mind. However the 34 year old Slovenian who boasts an impressive 30-1(17) career record is the current holder of the IBF championship. He won it late in 2009 in South Africa when he shocked reigning champion Isaac Hlatshwayo, stopping him in three rounds. Since then he has made two successful defence’s in front of adoring home fans stopping Rodolfo Martinez in the twelfth & gaining revenge for his only loss when he outpointed Rafal Jackiewicz. He holds the distinction of becoming the first Slovenian to win a world title. He regularly draws crowds upwards of 10,000, such is his popularity he’s the reigning Slovenian Sportsman of the year. He’ll once again be heavily supported when he faces Paul Delgado who is rated 15 with the IBF on 18 February in his countries capital of Ljubljana.

Hello Jan, welcome to 15rounds.com

Anson Wainwright – Firstly you have an IBF Welterweight title scheduled for 18 February in your hometown. Any ideas who you may be facing as yet?

Jan Zaveck – Yes, this is the American Paul Delgado.

Anson Wainwright – It has been rumoured that if you and Randall Bailey win interim fights you will meet over the summer. What are your thoughts on that?

Jan Zaveck – It will be a suspenseful fight for sure. If he is the official challenger in this mandatory title defence, I am going to fight him.

Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us about your team, who is your manager, trainer & promoter? Also what gym do you regularly train at?

Jan Zaveck – When I came to Magdeburg 2003, SES manager Ulf Steinforth believed in me and gave me support, led me to international title fights and finally to the champion title. I show him how thankful I am with sport achievements and wins. My coach Dirk Dzemski works in Magdeburg too. I trust him very much and feel there very comfortable, that’s why I train so much in Germany. I complete every single fight preparation session there but spend the rest of my time with my family in Slovenia, where I also train.

Anson Wainwright – How do you find making 147, do you walk around to much over that weight?

Jan Zaveck – I have never had big problems making my weight and feel myself really very comfortable in this weight class.

Anson Wainwright – You came from nowhere to shock Isaac Hlayshwayo for the IBF title in December 2009. What did it feel like to win a world title?

Jan Zaveck – That’s it, when dreams come true. It is impossible to describe it. Only the one, who accomplished his lifelong dream, knows what this feeling is. I have no words to describe it.

Anson Wainwright – Your very much under the radar in a very exciting division all of the big names are in America. What are your thoughts on the Welterweight division including Pacquiao, Mayweather, Mosley, Berto etc

Jan Zaveck – Welterweight is a very heavy division. Of course American names are in the spotlight. But my name will keep winning popularity. You know, I am the IBF champion. If somebody wants my belt, he should only knock at my door – no matter what is his name. I would give anybody a fair chance.

Anson Wainwright – Did you have much of an amateur career? If so what titles did you win and who did you fight that is now in the pro’s?

Jan Zaveck – My amateur boxing career is not very long. I spent some time in Austria because in Slovenia at that time there were no big boxing schools. Yet I wanted to become a pro and for this reason I changed the camp so quickly.

Anson Wainwright – Your country Slovenia isn’t known for Boxing, how did you first get into fighting?

Jan Zaveck – I have always been fascinated by boxing. There were no educated professionalists at home. I started training completely alone and later tried with a few fellows who were also very keen on boxing. I have never had a trainer (I mean steadily) before Dirk Dzemski. It was my will to become a master of this sport and this will led me to the top.

Anson Wainwright – How popular are you in Slovenia? Do you get big crowds to your fights in Ljubljana?

Jan Zaveck – I’ve just been nominated the most famous Slovenian of the year 2010. I am athlete of the year. My last fight took place in the completely sold out 14 000 Arena Stozice in Ljubljana. Do you believe there is still somebody who does not know me?

Anson Wainwright – What do you like to do in your spare time away from Boxing? What are your hobbies & Interests?

Jan Zaveck – I am very keen on sports. I like a lot of other sports too. I watch football and go skiing in the winter but I am very devoted to my job – boxing. Apart from that I have a family, what I am responsible for.

Anson Wainwright – Do you have a job away from Boxing or have you ever worked a day job? What would you like to do when you retire from Boxing?

Jan Zaveck – I worked as a bodyguard of our president and I am working now on my future connected with boxing. That’s all I can tell you for now.

Anson Wainwright – Finally do you have a message for Boxing fans around the world?

Jan Zaveck – I am very pleased about every single person in the world that is interested in boxing. I want to keep presenting suspenseful and fair fights. That’s what my heart beats for and I keep my word .

Thanks for your time Jan.

Thank you for your interest.

Anson Wainwright
15rounds.com

Thursday Thoughts – Pascal-Hopkins 2 on 21 May in Canada has been mentioned with Chad Dawson on the undercard…For several months John Murray who owns the longest current unbeaten run in British Boxing has been touted around as a free agent. On Wednesday he decided to sign with Frank Warren…Tomorrow Eddie Chambers resurfaces after a near year long absence against Derrick Rossy. I’m interested to see how he looks after the KO against Wladimir Klitschko. On the undercard Rico Ramos & Cornelius White have step up fights against Alex Valdez & Don George respectively. I’m expecting Ramos to outpoint Valdez and looking forward to seeing if White continues his impressive record of stopping all but one guy…In Germany on Saturday Steve Cunningham will be defending his IBF crown against mandatory Enad Licina. While also in Cruiserweight action Yoan Pablo Hernandez meets WBA Interim champion Steve Herelius. I’m expecting the big Cuban to get through that one. Outside of the Super 6 tournament Arthur Abraham meets Stjepan Bozic, he desperately needs a confidence builder, he should get it and force a stoppage by the midway point…Marco Antonio Barrera resurfaces against little known Jose Arias in Guadalajara, Mexico. Such a shame to see such a great fighter continue past his prime, while hoping to become the first Mexican to become a 4 weight world champion…In Britain John Watson meets Anthony Crolla for the British Lightweight title after Gavin Rees gave up the title due to a problem with his nose that may need an operation. I’ll go with the more experienced Watson to prevail on points.

If you have any requests for a fighter who you would like to here about please contact me on elraincoat@live.co.uk

Gabriel Bracero once again thrilled his large and loyal fan base and is quickly becoming “Mr Broadway Boxing” as he scored a eight round unanimous decision over veteran Chris Fernandez at BB Kings in Midtown Manhatten on Wednesday night.

Gabriel Bracero vs. Chris Fernandez — 8 Rounds, junior welterweight

In the main event at BB King’s Bar & Grill in Times Square, Brooklyn’s Gabriel Bracero outpointed Salt Lake City’s Chris Fernandez to stay undefeated.

The first two rounds of the fight served as feeling-out rounds, as both fighter’s tried to establish their jabs. Both rounds were fairly uneventful and difficult to score.

In the third round, with the pro-Bracero crowd chanting “Tito! Tito!” Bracero picked up the pace a bit, putting together more combinations, and finally connected with his best punch of the round — a straight right hand — as the bell sounded to end round three.

In the fifth round, Bracero hurt Fernandez with a right hand and had his opponent backing up against the ropes. Bracero followed up and landed a nice combination while Fernandez was still gathering himself against the ropes. To his credit, Fernandez ate Bracero’s best shots and fired back with uppercuts and short punches. Again, the best action came in the final ten seconds of the round, as the two stood in the pocket, trading punches, with Bracero seemingly getting the better of Fernandez.

Round six looked much like the first two rounds, with both fighter’s throwing mostly ineffective jabs. Bracero won the round, however, when he threw — and landed — combinations. Just like the previous rounds, Bracero broke through late, and found success just before the bell with a left to the body, right the head combination.

The seventh round proved to be close, with Bracero slightly outworking his counterpart. The eight and final round opened with the fans serenading their fighting with melodic chants of “Tiiiiito! Tiiiiito!” Fernandez pressed the action, coming forward more this round than any of the previous seven. It was mildly effective, but Bracero still got the best of Fernandez, opening up a cut over his right eye.

When it was all said and done, all three judges scored the bout in favor of Bracero. The three scores were 80-71, twice, and 79-72.

With the win, Bracero improves to 14-0, 1 KO, while the loss drops Fernandez’s record to 19-12-1, 11 KO.

In the co-feature, Light Heavyweight Mark Tucker remained undefeated with an uninspiring six round unanimous decision over Ray Smith.

Tucker came out very active as he started pumping the jab from the southpaw stance. Smith started to get through with some good shots and started smothering Tucker on the ropes in round two. Smith started landing rights and left that bounced Tucker’s head back and forth and seemed to be finding a rhythm. It was more of the same in round four but Tucker showed signs of life and began picking up the tempo in round five before the two had a action filled round six.

Tucker, 174 lbs of Eldsburg, MD won by scores of 59-55 on all cards to remain undefeated at 15-0. Smith, 176 lbs of Little Rock, Arkansas deserved better and is now 9-5.

Allan Benitez vs. Joseliz Cepeda — 4 Rounds, Featherweights

Before the first bout of the evening, promoter Lou DiBella, announced to the media that Allan Benitez is a fighter to watch. Benitez has a very strong amateur pedigree, and was hoping to showcase his skills in front of a very critical New York media. His opponent was Joseliz Cepeda, who was sporting a record of two wins and one loss. The featherweight bout was scheduled for four rounds.

The bout opened with Cepeda landing a strong right to the body that knocked Benitez back, and then following up with strong overhand rights. Benitez stayed strong, working with a body attack and not allowing himself to get caught up in a sloppy fight. The second round opened up with Benitez going hard to the body and eventually bringing it upstairs. A flurry that pinned Cepeda on the ropes seemed to take some of his confidence, because Benitez was met with much less resistance afterwards.

Despite being in control, Benitez still has a very amateur style in that he does not have any jab whatsoever, and all of his punches are good scoring blows that come in flurries, but there is not punch power behind them. By the end of the third, Cepeda regained some confidence and began landing short left hooks on the inside, and finishing off the round with two strong overhand rights. The last round saw lots of action, with Benitez starting very strong, and Cepeda landing a left hook that knocked Benitez back into the ropes. In the end, the scorecards read 40-36, 39-37 and 39-37 for Cepeda. We scored it 39-37 the other way. It seems as if Cepeda’s harder punches were favored over Benitez’ higher output but soft punches. — Arben Paloka

Steven Martinez vs. Ishwar Amador — 6 rounds, Jr. Middleweights

In a junior middleweight fight scheduled for six rounds, Steven Martinez (7-0, 6 KO’s) took on Ishwar Amador (11-8, 7 KO’s). Martinez is managed by New York Giants halfback Brandon Jacobs and is coming in with lots of support from the crowd and from his handlers.

Neither fighter needed much time feeling eachother out. Martinez started the fight with a hard left hook, and then followed up with a right hand. Shortly afterwards, a right hand, left hook, right hand combination floored Amador. He beat the count, but was greeted with a vicious beating from Martinez that knocked him from one side of the ring to the other. Powerful rights and lefts were landed at will. The referee jumped in to save Amador at the 1:11 mark of the first round giving Martinez a TKO victory. — Arben Paloka

Deano Burrell vs. Sidell Blocker — 4 Rounds, Lightweights

In a major upset at the lightweight division, previously winless Sidell Blocker scored a unanimous decision victory over heavily favored, Deano Burrell.

In the opening round, Blocker was intent on making a statement. The winless fighter came out firing, swinging wildly, looking to land big punches. Burrell looked a bit flustered, and wildly returned fire, often missing. Midway through the first round, Blocker opened up a gash above Burrell’s right eye, courtesy of a left hook. With about thirty ticks remaining int he first stanza, Blocker floored Burrell with a quick right hand.

The second round picked up where the first left off. Blocker and Burrell trading ill-intentioned blows. Just when Burrell was beginning to find success, he stunned Burrell with another overhand right. A quick flurry of punches put Burrell on the canvas for the second time in two rounds. To his credit, Burrell shook off the knockdown and scored big to close out the round. As round two was coming to an end, Burrell landed a bullet-like straight left right on the chin of Blocker, who took it surprisingly well.

The third round opened up with Burrell showing desperation. He began throwing wild, looping power punches, hoping to hit a fistic home run. Blocker, who was a bit reckless for a fighter with a four-point lead through two rounds, traded with Burrell throughout the third.

When the rang for the fourth, Burrell once again pressed the action, constantly coming forward, engaging Blocker. The London-import, visibly tired, continued to through wide left. Once again, Blocker decided to play with fire and instead of tightening his defense, or riding his bike to victory, he stood and traded with the decorated amateur. In a shocking upset, Blocker was able to weather the storm and earn his first victory.

All three judges scored the bout in favor of Blocker, 38-37 twice and 37-36.

With the win, Blocker improves to 1-3-1, while Burrell drops his first professional loss falling to 1-1, 1 KO. — Kyle Kinder

Ryan Kielczewski vs. Wilshaun Boxley — 6 Rounds, junior lightweights

Quincy, Massachusetts’s Ryan “The Polish Prince” Kielczewski impressed over six rounds en route to an easy unanimous decision victory over Minnesota’s Wilshaun Boxley.

From the opening round, Kielczewski established a crisp and effectively jab that created the distance necessary for him to go to work. A conscious commitment to the body from the “Polish Prince” proved to be an effective strategy to stop Boxley before he started.

Kielczewski beautifully pieced combinations together, most prominent in the middle rounds, and behind his tight defense, was rarely touched in this fight.

In the sixth round, it was clear that Kielczewski wanted to make a statement and not let this fight go to the scorecards. He came out firing, wailing heavy rights and lefts at the hard-to-miss Boxley. But no matter how hard Kielczewski’s punches landed — and they did indeed land — Boxley hung on to hear the decision read by the judges.

All three judges scored the bout a shutout for Kielczewski, 60-54.

With the win, Kielczewski improves his already unbeaten record to 9-0, 2 KOs, while Boxley drops to 6-8-1. — Kyle Kinder

Boyd Melson vs. Marquise Bruce — 4 Rounds, junior middleweights

The former Army man, Boyd Melson (1-0 1KO), hit the ring against Marquise Bruce (0-0-1) in a lightweight bout. Melson had many of his fellow West Point members in attendance for support. In his debut, Melson was very trigger happy to showcase his power in front of his friends, and ended up getting dropped. This time around, he took a very calm approach to start the fight and looked for his opponent to make a mistake. Melson, a southpaw, set the pace of the fight with his jab and straight left. Bruce tried turning the fight into a brawl, but Melson used his footwork to maintain a favorable style of fight.

In the second things got more heated as each fighter tried hurting the other. Left hooks were traded and neither fighter seemed phased. bruce landed another left hook that briefly stunned Melson, and now it was Melson on the retreat. Melson landed a right to even things out afterwards. The third round was absolutely wild as Melson decided to turn the fight into a brawl. Bruce obliged, but found himself against the ropes. Nothing serious was landed, but Melson was looking to make a statement. The pace slowed down by the middle of the round.

entering the fourth round, both fighters knew the fight was close and that the fight could possibly come down to wh owins the round. Bruce started things by landing a hard shot. Melson followed up with a higher volume of punching, but Bruce was able to land solid blows to counter. Both fighters traded hard straight punches. Melson’s nose began to bleed. The fight ended, and the scores read 38-38, 39-37, and 39-37 giving Melson a majority decision victory. — Arben Paloka.

Keisher McLeod-Wells vs. Melissa McMorrow — 6 Rounds, flyweight

In a female fight scheduled for six rounds and to be fought in the flyweight division, Keisher McLeod-Wells (3-1, 1KO) took on Melissa McMorrow (4-1-3).

McLeod-Wells started the fight utilizing her jab, while McMorrow, who was considerably shorter, tried getting beneath the jab in order to get inside. McLeod-Wells, a golden gloves champion, was too good and didn’t let down her guard. The second round saw McMorrow pick up ground as was finally able to land overhand punches. McMorrow began to work even harder as the fight progressed, and was able to turn the tables and turn the fight into more of a brawl. As the fight progressed, McLeod-Wells stayed disciplined and stuck to her game plan of keeping McMorrow at the end of her punches. In the sixth round, a stong straight right stunned McMorrow and she briefly touched the canvas. The pace of the fight remained the same afterwards, and McLeod-Wells rolled on to a unanimous decision victory with scores of 58-55, 57-56, and 57-56. — Arben Paloka

Seanie Monaghan vs. Angel Gonzalez — 4 Rounds, light heavyweight

In a bout scheduled for four rounds, Long Beach’s Seanie Monaghan squared off against Yonker’s Angel Gonzalez.

Good action was present throughout the first round, as both fighter’s were willing to engage one another. In the first half of the first round, Gonzalez outworked Monaghan, who ate a few powerful left hooks to the body and a series of uppercuts to the chin courtesy of his counterpart.

With an already marked-up face, Monaghan turned it on in the second half of the inaugural round, scoring with meaningful power punches to Gonzalez’s face. Perhaps the most significant punch landed by the fan-favorite, Monaghan, came at the rounds close, when he landed a perfectly placed straight right on the button.

In the second round, both fights came in close and never left. Both fighter’s went to work ont he inside and neither proved to be particularly elusive. Monaghan was able to land straight rights at will, while Gonzalez consistently landed his uppercuts. Midway through the first round, Monaghan cranked it up a gear again. He scored with a series of right hands, one so powerful it violently snapped Gonzalez’s head around. To his credit, Gonzalez came firing back, landing a series of punches while Monaghan was backed into the corner. Similar to the end of round one, Monaghan hurt Gonzalez with only seconds to spare in the round — this time it was a left hook to the body that had Gonzalez in pain.

Round three opened up with Monaghan once again finding a home for his straight right hand. Overall, round three belonged to Monaghan, but it didn’t come without him being on the receiving end of some punishment. With about a minute left in the round, a gassed Monaghan took a quick rest against the ropes. Gonzalez, who was equally as exhausted lost tons of steam on his punches by the third round.

When Gonzalez returned to his stool, he sat slumped over, his head resting just above his knees. The ringside doctor caught site of this, examined Gonzalez, and ordered the referee to call a halt to the bout before the fourth round began.

With the win, Monaghan improves to 5-0, 4 KOs, while Gonzalez drops to 2-5, 2 KOs. — Kyle Kinder

Photo by Claudia Bocanegra

Former WBO Heavyweight Champion Siarhei Liakhovich and Main Events CEO Kathy Duva announced today that they have entered into a promotional agreement.

Nicknamed “The White Wolf,” Liakhovich has earned a professional record of 25-3, 16 KO’s. As an amateur, the current Scottsdale, AZ resident compiled a record of 145-5, was a member of the ’96 Olympic team from his home in Belarus and won a bronze medal at the 1997 World Championships. Liakhovich won the WBO Heavyweight Title in 2006 when he scored a 12-round decision over Lamon Brewster in Cleveland, Ohio. In his most recent bout, Liakhovich scored a ninth round KO over Evans Quinn in Germany.

“There is no doubt that Siarhei has what it takes to be competitive in the heavyweight division,” Duva said. “There are three heavyweight champions right now and it is our goal to put Siarhei in a position to challenge for one of their titles before the end of the year. We are delighted to be working with a fantastic team that includes Siarhei, his manager Tony Cardinale and trainer Tommy Brooks. ”

Tony Cardinale added, “I am happy for Sergei to be with one of the most respected and hardest working promoters in the industry. With their support and his ability it is just a matter of time before he is a two-time world heavyweight champion.”

Liakhovich had this to say, “First of all I would like to thank God for everything that has happened in my life: I am thrilled to have a newborn son; and I have a brand new team with well known and respected Tony Cardinale as my Advisor and Attorney and Main Events as my new Promoter. With their history and reputation in boxing business I know I am finally with the right team.” Liakhovich added, “I am very impressed with how hard Main Events work for their fighters. I know that they will work hard for me outside the ring and I can do my job in the ring.”

Liakhovich spoke about his upcoming fight, “I can’t wait to get back in the ring as soon as possible. My last two wins were in Germany and now I am glad to be fighting in US again. Thank you to all my fans for their support over the years, I would love to see all of them in New Jersey. This is a great new chapter for me. My first step in becoming a World Champion again!”

In what looks to be shaping up as the fight card of the year, Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. will defend the WBO Super Bantamweight championship against former world champion Jorge Arce on May 7th underneath Manny Pacquiao defending the WBO Welterweight championship against Shane Mosley

“We’re done, we’re good to go,” said Carl Moretti of Top Rank of the deal with Vazquez promoter Tuto Zabala. “We’ve agreed on everything. We’ll be doing a lot of fights with Tuto and Vazquez.”

We could sign the papers on the night of the fight for all I know. I’ve known Tuto for 24 years. This deal is a result of a relationship that goes way back,” Moretti said. “I trust him and he trusts us and because of what we do on the island, and the opportunities we have coming up, it’s a win, win for everyone, especially [Vazquez].”

“Tuto has seen how we can take guys to the next level on the island and then cross them over in the [heavily Puerto Rican] New York market,” Moretti said. “We’ll make joint decisions on everything about Vazquez. We do what makes sense for the fighter first.”

“Vazquez is in a perfect weight class,” Moretti said. “We have guys who can come up and challenge him, and eventually he will move up to featherweight where there are a lot of good fights. It’s a great situation. He is well liked in Puerto Rico and he has his father’s name as part of the package.”

In addition to the main event, this fight could be on a card that will be a rematch of a fight of what many called the 2010 fight of the year between WBC Lightweight champion Humberto Soto and Urbano Antillon as well as the return of former Middleweight world champion Kelly Pavlik

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com a much anticipated rematch between world Light Heavyweight champion Jean Pascal and Bernard Hopkins has a just a few hurdles to clear before it comes to fruition on May 21st.

The two fought a controversial draw on December 18th in a bout most people believe that Hopkins deserved the nod.

The fight was broadcasted on Showtime and the rematch will be headed to HBO if completed.

“The deal, as far as the fight itself, we have the date,” Hopkins said, adding that he also had worked out his financial agreement with Golden Boy promoter Richard Schaefer. “Now we have to find a site. I’d love to fight in Montreal. I’d love to go where the best offer is for the fight. Montreal, fine. In Las Vegas, fine. I’m ready and I just want to settle the score. I want to set the record straight.”

Said Schaefer, “Bernard is on board with everything. Now I just need to work out the venue with [Pascal promoter] Yvon Michel.”

Michel said he was confident he would come to terms with Pascal on their side of the deal.

“We haven’t finalized with Jean Pascal yet but we are working on the details,” Michel said. “It will be a few days before we finish that. And we have to meet with Richard and talk about some other things, but overall we are pretty happy that we could do this.”

The WBC, whose belt Pascal holds, ordered an immediate rematch with the winner mandated to fight Chad Dawson next. However, there was the thorny issue of a contractual rematch that Pascal already owed Dawson, who lost to Pascal in August. The rematch clause allowed the 28-year-old Pascal (26-1-1, 16 KOs) to take an interim fight, which he did against Hopkins, before he would be obligated to face Dawson again.

However, Pascal-Hopkins II is a far more lucrative fight than Pascal-Dawson II. So Gary Shaw, Dawson’s promoter, quietly worked with Golden Boy, Michel and HBO to work out a deal under which Dawson will pass on the rematch for the time being, fight on the televised undercard of Pascal-Hopkins II and then get a shot at the main event winner if he also wins.

“I believe Gary was able to get his own license fee from HBO to have a fight with Dawson on the show with the guaranteed license fee for Dawson to fight the winner of Pascal-Hopkins,” Michel said. “Overall, I believe Gary Shaw understood what was the most popular thing to do and he negotiated for his side to make sure Dawson was taken care of. He was very cooperative. He fought for his guy, but he understood the complexity. I really appreciated how he worked on the agreement. He helped make sure we could do this rematch, which is the best for the weight division and for the fighters and the fans.”

According to Schaefer and Michel, Dawson’s undercard fight could come against either Montreal’s Adrian Diaconu (a former titleholder) or Librado Andrade, the Southern California resident from Mexico who is popular in Quebec; he considers Quebec a second home. Andrade has challenged Montreal’s Lucian Bute for his super middleweight title twice in the province.

“I believe that it’s a historic situation for me and things worked out the way I expected,” Hopkins said. “I think it’s good for boxing and good for us to settle the score. I’m just very excited and looking forward to breaking George Foreman’s record and making history. I can’t wait [until] May 21 to show people I beat him the first time and I will beat him the second time. I’ll be a few months older than I was last time, which should put [the record] even more out of reach.”

I changed my opinion of fighting in Canada when it comes to Montreal,” Hopkins said. “I’ll go to Montreal. Everything is based on the referee and the judges. It wasn’t the fans that voted in the fight. The Canadian people treated me very well in Quebec City. The thing was the referee and the judges, mainly the judges. The judges didn’t do the right thing and the WBC agreed with us and ordered the rematch. I can’t punish Canada for what the judges see or don’t see. As long as the judges are straight and the referee is straight with the way he handles things, I will go back to Canada.

“Richard and I got the money done. That was not an issue with us. But looking for a fight sight, Richard asked me if I would go back to Canada. I said yes, as long as the judges and referee are neutral.”

“The date is very important to Bernard. He does not want to wait,” Schaefer said.

“I’m glad HBO invited me back home to end my historic career,” he said. “I still have a few things I want to do. My dream hit list is Pascal, Chad Dawson if he wins and then I would like to clean out Canada by beating Bute at light heavyweight. That’s an impressive list put together for an old man.”

Atlantic City, NJ (February 9) – This Friday, #4 IBF ranked heavyweight contender
“Fast” Eddie Chambers (35-2, 18 KOs) will take on the #11 heavyweight contender
Derric Rossy (25-2, 14 KO’s) in an IBF Title Elimination bout on the undercard of
the SHOWTIME ShoBox: The New Generation broadcast taking place at the world-famous
Bally’s Atlantic City.

Rossy will look to avenge the February 2007 match against Chambers when he was stopped
in the 7th after a back and forth battle for six rounds. Chambers realizes Rossy
had only 15 bouts in their first meeting and he has improved dramatically, now
possessing a seven-fight win streak.

EDDIE CHAMBERS
CAMP NOTES

On Training: “I have had world class sparring with Steve Cunningham, Chazz Witherspoon
and Yusaf Mack. Its good work and we help each other in the process. There are
a lot of top fighters at Shular’s Gym”

Recovering from the Klitschko Loss: “I had a long talk with Emanuel Steward and
he told me after a loss like I had against Wladimir that I should get away from
the sport for a few months and let my body regenerate. I kept my body in shape
by being in the fitness gym and I slowly migrated back to the boxing gym and by
the end of 2010 I felt I was ready to get back in the ring and this is a great
opportunity for many reasons, most of being that it’s a fight that will put me at
the front of the championship pecking order”

“I been training and focused for this fight. I have put the Klitschko fight behind
me long ago and am looking forward to getting back in the mix for the title”

The first fight with Rossy: “The first fight doesn’t mean anything. That was a
few years ago. He is a different and improved fighter. I have to have the mindset
that I have never fought him before. I have seen him on ESPN and he looks much
improved.

“Along the same lines I did have a decisive victory over him and I am sure that
has been on his mind. Yes he has improved he probably will have a different game
plan but that won’t work either.”

On the IBF Elimination bout: I am grateful that the IBF kept me in this position
to where I am able to have this significant fight which will be the first step back
into regaining my number-one spot so I can fight for the title yet once again.

Final Thoughts: “On Friday night the fans will see what they have always seen and
that’s hard working Heavyweight contender with a lot of skill and a game plan specifically
for an improved Derric Rossy. He may be improved the game maybe different but the
outcome will be the same.

Photo by Claudia Bocanegra

Philadelphia, PA–Danny Davis, who has been Bernard Hopkins’ strength & conditioning coach for eight years, has been added in that capacity to Mike Jones’ team as Jones, the undefeated welterweight contender from Philadelphia, prepares for his rematch vs. Jesus Soto-Karass on Feb. 19 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

“I push and challenge Mike and bring out the best in him,” said Davis, who credits Hopkins, trainers Freddie Roach and John David Jackson and fitness nutritional specialist Mackie Shilstone as major influences. “Mike’s a hard worker who wants to go to the highest level and never complains about what he’s asked to do. That’s what makes a champion.

“He looks a lot stronger and his conditioning is right there. People will see a difference in Mike in this fight,” added Davis, who has worked with pro football and basketball players and is based at Joe Hand’s Boxing Gym in Philadelphia. “I hope I’m the missing piece to the puzzle. It’s a pleasure to be working with him. I’m blessed each and every day.”

Jones: “Danny has pushed me and has squeezed out of me every ounce of sweat I own in the drills he has put me through. Look at the shape Bernard (Hopkins) was in for his last fight. Staying in shape is a lifestyle that I also believe in, doing the right things in and out of the ring. Look at how long Bernard’s stayed on top. That’s where I want to be.”

“Danny has some great ideas on strength and conditioning that he brings to the team from his experience with B-Hop,” said trainer Vaughn Jackson, who brought Davis aboard three weeks after Jones’ first fight with Soto-Karass last Nov. 13. “Danny brings what he’s done with Bernard to our workouts. He’s put Mike through some strenuous sessions. He also gives me great feedback from Mike’s sparring sessions. He will be my other set of eyes in the corner for the fight with Soto-Karass.”

* * *

Mike Jones vs. Jesus Soto-Karass rematch, co-promoted by Top Rank and Peltz Boxing Promotions, takes place Saturday, Feb. 19, at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The 12-round title fight will be televised live on HBO beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET along with Fernando Montiel defending his WBC/WBO world bantamweight title against two-division champion Nonito Donaire.

Photo by Claudia Bocanegra

“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.

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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.