Undefeated Super Flyweight prospect Patty “Boom Boom” Alcivar (2-0, 2 KO) will be back in action Friday August 13th 2010 in Tampa, Florida, squaring off against gritty former kick boxing contender Denise Jacobs (0-1.)

Currently in her best physical condition, Alcivar is coming off of an impressive fourth round TKO in May over Laura Gomez (3-2) of Mexico City, MX. Jacobs recently fought to a close decision loss to former WIBA and WBA World Boxing Champion Ria Ramnarine 13-5(Boxing) for a Pan Am Kick Boxing Championship.

Alcivar is a former amateur National and International Champion, as well as a two-time NYC Golden Gloves Champion, and is looking to stay busy as woman’s boxing continues to grow in popularity leading up to the 2012 Olympics.

Alcivar was the first female to win the coveted Athlete of the Year Award for boxing, presented by the United States Olympic Committee. The well rounded Alcivar is also a ten-time participant of the NYC Marathon & a 2-time Qualifier/Finisher of the Boston Marathon.

The event is with All Star Boxing and Fight Night Productions and is in association with Ker’s WingHouse Bar and Grille. Dubbed “WingHouse Fight Night, the event is a part of the nationally acclaimed “BOXEO TELEMUNDO” boxing series

Tickets for WingHouse Fight Night can be purchased through Ticketmaster, and the A La Carte Event Pavilion is located at 4050 Dana Shores Drive . Doors on the evening of the event will open at 7pm, with the first bell at 8pm.

Devon Alexander “The Great” says he is his own worst critic. He’s lucky that position is filled. Because if Alexander were accepting applications for his Worst Critic position, this week he might be inundated with resumes.

Sifting through such applications, Alexander would likely find critics long on enthusiasm as they are short on expertise – just like the folks who’d already anointed him boxing’s next prodigy and tuned in to Saturday’s fight expecting a coronation that did not come.

What did come, however, was an entertaining fight Alexander won with heart, chin and activity. Saturday on HBO’s “Boxing After Dark” program, at Scottrade Center in his hometown of St. Louis, Alexander outhustled Ukrainian Andriy Kotelnik to win by three scores of 116-112. How consequential were those scores? Their reading drew the loudest applause of the night.

I had it for Alexander, too, but by a slimmer margin: 116-115. I gave him rounds 1, 2, 5, 10 and 11. Rounds 3, 6, 8 and 9 went to Kotelnik. And I scored rounds 4, 7 and 12 even.

It was a fight that posed a fundamental question of preference. If you like activity, you scored it for Alexander. If you like craft, you scored it for Kotelnik – who landed more, meaningful punches than Alexander despite throwing a fraction as many.

Well, I like activity. I favor ineffective aggressiveness only slightly less than I favor its effective cousin. Rewarding busier fighters, over the long haul, leads to better fights. It encourages those who are busy to remain busy. And more importantly, it tells those who are not busy to keep fights out of the judges’ hands. Both make for good results.

I almost didn’t get a chance to score Alexander-Kotelnik live. Comedian Ron White was playing downstairs at the Majestic Theatre. And after watching Alexander’s fight with Juan Urango in March, I was not expecting a coronation.

White is a native Texan, a breed of persons you grow fonder of the more time you spend round them. He’s been practicing his craft for 26 years, while only being famous for about eight of them. On stage, he is comfortable. He relaxes. His persona is well-aged. White fears no sudden call for improvisation.

Alexander, meanwhile, seems not yet to have been allowed proper aging as a professional. He has the biography – kid from a dangerous neighborhood adopted by a trainer who’s a retired cop – that storytellers never tire of telling, even as their audiences wither under the repetition. He has fast hands, and one enormous technical flaw.

It’s his jab. No, not the way he pushes it sideways like someone who’s watched too many Apollo Creed highlights or worked in Cleto Reyes bag gloves for more than a week (a column of its own). Rather, it’s what happens to the left hand in his southpaw stance while his right hand is out flicking. It’s the sort of thing that happens when a youngster hears the word “snap” too many times, as in “Snap that jab!”

You see this in the gym. A kid comes to the bag or mitts ready to snap those jabs. But generally, that requires a cocking of some kind. The kid either drops his lead glove first – like a baseball hitter hitching his swing – or he pushes his opposite hand away from his face, as Alexander does. It is incumbent upon a trainer to stop whatever else is going on, at that moment, and tell the kid to get his guard back in place.

How did the rest of us miss this during Alexander’s last fight? That’s the very question I asked a respected peer in Dallas the night before Pacquiao-Clottey, six days after Alexander stopped Urango. His explanation? Writers who have never boxed are spellbound by hand speed.

From a foundation of quick hands, that is, there’s almost no edifice of acclaim for a prizefighter they cannot erect. They start to see accuracy, power, footwork, defensive wizardry, and finally, greatness. Along the way, they stop looking for flaws.

Kotelnik sure wasn’t spellbound by Alexander’s hand speed Saturday, and he found plenty of flaws. He did not exploit Alexander’s questionable defense often as he should, no, but he exploited it enough to give a lot of Alexander enthusiasts pause. He also gave Alexander’s trainer Kevin Cunningham pause. Cunningham began the night as a fire-breathing motivator and ended it with a much quieter mien.

“Listen to me, man, listen to me, hey, you gotta listen to me, man, listen to me,” said Cunningham for the first half of Alexander’s one-minute break after the eighth round. “You’re getting suckered into some bullshit.”

That he was. Ultimately, though, Alexander got through the fight with the one part of his arsenal which does seem verifiably great: His chin. Alexander took a number of clean shots in the championship rounds but never relented. His first impulse was to fire back at his inquisitor. You can’t teach that, and it probably won him some new admirers.

Then came the standing ovation the nervous St. Louis crowd gave the judges’ decision. Then came the last of the night’s bad decisions when – in what seemed to be a tactic better planned than most, Saturday – Alexander borrowed from his trainer a shirt that read “Bradley U Next” during his post-fight interview. Timothy Bradley, the recognized champion at 140 pounds, is the opponent Alexander wants next.

Bad idea, Devon. Bradley would go right through Alexander’s defense and test that excellent chin at least thrice as often as Kotelnik did. Bradley’s a more effective puncher who has better footwork than Alexander, is at least as well conditioned, and is more accustomed to winning ugly.

For the time being, Alexander needs to eschew the greatness track and get back on the Andre Berto track, blasting former champions from smaller weight divisions and outpointing predictable South Americans for good money. Lucky for him, he’s on the right cable network to do exactly that.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter.com/bartbarry

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Boxing returned Saturday night to the Aviator Sports Complex in Brooklyn, New York for the first time since 2008. The fight card, presented by Havoc Boxing, was headlined by a bout between Brooklyn’s own Mauricio Martinez vs. Reynaldo Lopez.

Mauricio Martinez (35-10-1, 23 KO) vs. Reynaldo Lopez (30-9-2, 22 KO)

It took less than a minute into the initial round for Reynaldo Lopez to send Brooklyn’s Mauricio Martinez to the canvas with a crushing right hook placed perfectly on the Panamanian import’s chin.

The former WBO bantamweight titleholder, Martinez, beat referee Steve Willis’ ten count and although clearly injured, proceeded with the fight.

Just seconds after action resumed, Martinez, standing on clumsy legs, was sent crashing to canvas again courtesy of another right hook from the southpaw, Lopez.

Once again, Martinez, beat the ten count — but as soon as the ten second intermission terminated, Lopez picked right back up where he left off.

Lopez sent the wobbly-legged Martinez across the ring with a flurry of rights and lefts that reached his opponent with hardly any opposition.

Lopez delivered a hard body shot to Martinez that backed him close to the ropes before finishing off the fight in style with one more blistering right hook that sent Martinez violently to the canvas for the final time.

The last punch of the night resulted in Martinez’s head banging hard against the edge of the canvas, underneath the ropes where the apron meets the mat.

And just like that, one minute and twenty-one seconds into the main event, which was scheduled for ten rounds, referee Steve Willis called a halt to the bout and Reynaldo Lopez was crowned the new New York State Jr. Featherweight Champion.

Gary Stark Jr. (23-3, 8 KO) vs. Leopoldo Arrocha (8-12-2, 6 KO)

The very popular Gary Stark Jr. (23-3, 8KO’s, 126lbs) stepped into the ring against the tougher than expected Leopoldo Arrocha (8-12-2, 6KO’s, 127lbs). Chants of “Gary, Gary” accompanied the opening bell, and both fighters wasted no time in getting to know each other. Arrocha worked the clinch and hoped to rough Stark around the ring, while Stark landed the stronger hooks.

The second round got really rough with both fighters exchanging hard hooks. They closed out the round in a vicious and spirited fashion, whaling on each other upstairs while jawing at the same time. The crowd was on their feet and stayed there for the rest of the fight. Early in the third, a left hook by Arrocha followed by a hard clinch opened up an awkward gash over Stark’s right eye. Swelling began to form around Stark’s right eye and that was because Stark was unable to get away from any left hooks. Arrocha opened up the fourth round by changing it up and landing a hard right hook that staggered stark. Arrocha was more wild, but was landing the harder shots. Midway through the round, after a rough clinch, the referee pulled the fighters apart and took a point away from Arrocha for leading with his head. Some at ringside felt that the referee was being too harsh. The fifth saw more even action until Stark closed the round out with a powerful right hand.

In the sixth and final round, Stark was in control with the smarter boxing. As the fight ended, the crowd remained on their feet as they anxiously awaited the decision. The scorecards read 57-57, 58-56, and 58-57 for Gary Stark Jr. – Arben Paloka

Lennox Allen (13-0, 7 KO) vs. Darnell Boone (17-16-12, 7 KO)

New stud, Lennox Allen (13-0, 7KO’s, 167lbs), took on the notorious spoiler, Darnell Boone (17-16-2, 7 KO’s, 164 1/2lbs). Allen started the fight working behind his southpaw jab. Boone managed to slip in a right hand that was heard from afar, but Allen did not seem phased. The fight continued with both fighters taking well calculated risks, and slipping punches gracefully. Allen’s rangy hooks worked well, while Boone’s short counters worked well too. The key was who would land more.

Allen controlled the pace with his higher punch output, so Boone responded by becoming more aggressive himself. This worked well for a bit, but it gave Allen an opportunity to land some hard punches of his own. His body punching is what helped him pull away.

In the sixth round, Allen landed two hard right hooks that somehow made Boone complain to the ref and then to Allen. Boone continued and landed some hard jabs that seemed to bother Allen. The fight continued at the same back and forth pace entering the eighth and final round. Both fighters, very well trained, were hoping to end the fight big. Allen was still the one moving forward, and still landing the cleaner punches. The fight ended with both fighters feeling that they performed well enough to earn a victory. Eventually, it was the judges that sided with both fighters, giving them scores of 78-74, 76-76, and 76-76 for a majority draw. — Arben Paloka

Joe Smith Jr. (6-1, 6 KO) vs. Eric Caminero (7-3, 7 KO)
The popular Joe Smith Jr. (6-1, 6K0’s, 172 1/2lbs) took on the wild swinging Eric Caminero (7-3, 7KO’s, 172lbs) in a fight scheduled for six rounds. Both fighters started out the fight swinging for the fences. Smith, the much bigger fighter, stuck out his jab to keep Caminero out of range, and it quickly worked in his favor, as he was able to outland his opponent with hard punches. A right hand followed by a sneaky left uppercut had Caminero reeling into the ropes and holding on for dear life. He was able to make it out of the round.

As the fight progressed, the pace slowed, but smith still remained in command of the action. By the third round, Caminero began to viciously work the body, and it started working wonders as Smith looked visibly gassed. Smith still worked hard upstairs, but his jab was nonexistent.

By the fourth, it seemed obvious that something was wrong with Smith. Eventually, he signaled to his corner and pointed to his jaw. The ref broke the fighters soon afterwards and after a quick exchange, and blood flowing down Smith’s chin, the referee waved the fight off at the 2:58 point of the fourth round giving Caminero a victory. Afterwards, it turned out that Smith had broken his jaw which made him unable to close his mouth and eventually made him bite through his tongue. The look of pain and distress during the third and fourth rounds turned out to be Smith’s injury. Later on, we learned that Smith had also forgotten to remove his tongue ring prior to the fight and that it might have been an issue as well. — Arben Paloka

Joselito Collado (11-0, 3 KO) vs. Andres Ledezma (15-18-1, 10 KO)

Queen’s New York’s Joselito Collado (11-0, 3 KO) took on Miami’s Andres Ledezma in a six round bout at the junior lightweight division.

Good action marked the first round as both fighters were able to find success with various punches. Collado, with quick combinations, backed Ledezma to the ropes multiple times in the opening round. Even as Ledezma covered up, Collado was able to punch around the earmuffs to score points and win the first round.

Round two opened with Collado lunging forward to land a beautiful left that sent Ledezma into the corner, where Collado proceeded to work his opponent’s body. Ledezma spent most of round two on his bicycle forcing Collado to cut the ring off, which he did successfully and ultimately caught Ledezma with one more big left hand before the bell rang to end round two.

Round three was a successful round for Ledezma, who appeared to have a different game plan, as he stood his ground and used his height advantage to keep Collado on the outside as best he could.

The fourth round was back and forth as both fighters landed harsh punches. Ledezma started the round off by landing a big left uppercut, but Collado came right back with a right hand had Ledezma with his back on the ropes once again. Midway through the fourth round, Collado began experimenting fighting southpaw, but ultimately switched back to orthodox, where he was having most of his success.

Rounds five and six saw entertaining exchanges from the fighters, both finding success, but Collado getting the better of Ledezma.

When the bell rang to conclude the final round, two judges scored the bout a shutout, 60-54, while the third judge saw it, 59-55 — all in favor of Collado.

Mike Ruiz (9-4, 5 KO) vs. Noel Garcia (2-5-1, 1 KO)
In an entertaining bout at the junior middleweight division, Puerto Rican, Mike Ruiz (9-4, 5 KO) took on Springfield, Massachusetts’ Noel Garcia (2-5-1, 1 KO).

The first round opened up with Ruiz making a statement in the form a flush right hand that landed clean on Garcia’s face. Ruiz, who established ring generalship early in the four round bout, immediately found more success throwing his right over Garcia’s weak jab, as he continued to hit Garcia. Towards the closing seconds of round one, Ruiz rocked Garcia, but was unable to finish off his opponent before the bell sounded.

In round two, Ruiz, who now makes his home in Merrick, New York, continued his success by landing more right hands over Garcia’s jab. Garcia hardly threw any power punches at all in round two, as he spent most of it backpedaling away from Ruiz, constantly extending his left, but rarely throwing a purposeful jab.

Garcia awoke in round three as the fight saw more inside fighting, as well as more success for Garcia. Ruiz also had a solid round, as he started to land his left more frequently.

Round four was Garcia’s best round — one he arguably won. After eating a solid left hand by Ruiz, Garcia stood toe-to-toe with his opponent, getting the better of Ruiz in a series of exchanges that resulted in Garcia’s back against the ropes. In the closing seconds of the fight, Garcia landed a nice left hook on the chin of Ruiz, his best punch of the night.

When it was all said and done, however, all three judges were in agreement scoring the bout 40-36 in favor of Ruiz.

Andrew Mejias (8-0, 4 KO) vs. Juan Zapata (1-4, 1 KO)
In the night’s first bout, Utica, New York’s Andrew Mejias (8-0, 4 KO) took on the Bronx’s Juan Zapata (1-4, 1 KO) in a scheduled four round fight at the Super Middleweight division.

Along with the opening bell came a flurry a punches provided by both fighters as it was clear neither boxer planned on fighting the full twelve minutes.

Within the first 1:30 into round one, both fights had touched the canvas, but both times the referee ruled that the fighter’s had slipped. The action packed fight saw Zapata throw wild and wide punches in round one, but hardly connecting. The better boxer, Mejias, didn’t back down, however, as he stood in the pocket and was willing to bang with Zapata.

Round two featured more of the same from Zapata, who felt it necessary to throw wild and wide punches again, leaving himself vulnerable to Mejias’ counterpunches. Midway through the second round, as Zapata was loading up, Mejias caught his opponent with a left hook that sent the Boogie Down’s own to the canvas. Shortly after, deja vu occurred as Zapata was caught with another left as he loaded up for a big punch. This time Mejias’ left was enough to end the bout as Zapata was unable to continue the fight.

With the victory Mejias improved his perfect record to 8-0 with 4 KO, while Zapata fell to 1-4 with 1 KO.

Featherweight contender Antonio Escalante thrilled his home fans as he scored a third round stoppage over Edel Ruiz at the Don Haskins Center in Escalante’s hometwon of El Paso, Texas.

Escalante boxed well and in round three landed a four punch combination that drove Ruiz into the corner and Escalante followed up with a perfect left to the body that dropped Ruiz to his knees. Ruiz beat the count but the referee stopped the bout at 1:52 of round three.

Escalante, 127 1/4 lbs of El Paso is now 23-2 with fifteen knockouts. Ruiz, 126 3/4 lbs of Los Mochis, Mexico is now 31-23-5

Alex Becerra scored a six round unanimous decision over Francisco Dominguez in a Super Bantamweight bout.

Scores were 60-53 on all cards for Becerra, 121 1/2 lbs of El Paso, TX ans is now 20-8. Dominguez, 122 3/4 lbs of Ciudad Juarez, MX is now 8-7.

Cesar Valenzuela remained undefeated with a four round majority decision over Roni Alvarado in a four round Jr. Welterweight bout.

Scores were 38-38 39-37 and 40-36 for Valenzuela, 138 1/3 lbs of El Paso and is now 4-0. Alvarado, 135 lbs of Ciudad, Juarez, MX is now 3-3.

Devon Alexander’s speed, ring generalship, athleticism and pure boxing ability are without question.

Coming into Saturday night, Alexander impressively defeated three current or former world champions and at age 23, many felt he was one of the best young boxers on the planet. But following twelve tougher than expected rounds against Andriy Kotelnik, gaps in his defense were clearly exposed. The fighter dubbed as “Alexander the Great” looked far from it.

Alexander consistently worked behind a jab and straight left hand in attempt to keep his slower, more economical opponent off. The WBC/IBF Junior Welterweight champion dictated most of the pace throughout the twelve round contest however, Kotelnik had no problem tagging the unbeaten hometown favorite when he closed the gap.

On a number of occasions, Kotelnik effectively flurried which clearly made Alexander, who bled near his left eye in the second half of the fight from an earlier clash of heads, uncomfortable.

Alexander vacated his game plan down the stretch, fighting toe to toe to the delight of a packed house at the Scottrade Center and the dismay of Trainer Kevin Cunningham. Had Kotelnik been busier, he may have been able to overcome the 11 to 1 odds stacked against him, but Alexander’s ability to keep his hands moving gave him the nod.

Scores were 116-112 on all three cards; all four if you count mine.

Alexander, who hails from St. Louis, is now 21-0 with 13 KO’s. Although he fell to 31-4-1 (13 KO’s), Kotelnik returns to Kiev, Ukraine as a serious threat in the 140 lb division.

In the televised co-feature, Tavoris “Thunder” Cloud retained his IBF Light Heavyweight title with a hard fought twelve round unanimous decision over heralded tough guy and former world champion Glen “Road Warrior” Johnson.

Johnson and Cloud stood toe to toe in the opening two stanzas, with the latter getting briefly buzzed following a right hand in the second. The two fighters exchanged rounds from that point forward, as each man had spurts of success. The 41 year old Johnson worked well in close quarters, relying on jabs, right hands and body punches, giving Cloud all he could handle.

The Tallahassee, FL based Cloud rocked and nearly dropped Johnson in rounds 5, 9 and 11 following a plethora of heavy head shots that would have decked any other fighter in the division. The younger and fresher Cloud clearly landed the cleaner, harder punches en route to sending Johnson, who gassed out in the final two rounds, home with yet another close defeat.

Scores were 116-112 on all three cards. 15rounds.com scored the bout 115-113 for Cloud.

Cloud, of Tallahassee, FL, is now 21-0 with 18 wins by kayo. Johnson, of Miami, FL via Jamaica, falls to 50-14-1 (34) following yet another tough defeat.

FLASH QUOTES

WBC/IBF 140 POUND LIMIT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

DEVON ALEXANDER VS. ANDRIY KOTELNIK

DEVON ALEXANDER

(Prior to the decision announcement) “We good. I think I did enough to win. (After the decision announcement) It was an okay performance for me. I am my own toughest critic. Kotelnik is a tough fighter, an ex-world champion. Like I told everyone, I have an A, B and C plan. I have all three, so I can adjust to whatever anyone brings. Kotelnik trained hard. Give him credit. I listened to my trainer (Kevin Cunningham). He told me to box. (Leg issue) My left leg was going out on me in the final round. I had a cramp. I trained for 12 rounds and got the victory. That is what I came here to do.

(On the cut to his right eye) It was my first cut, but I fought through it like a world champion does. We knew Kotelnik would come in, in shape and he did.”

ANDRIY KOTELNIK

“I want the belt. I deserve it. If the fight were anywhere but here, I would be champion. I am speechless. I have no words to describe what happened. That guy has something that belongs to me.”

TRAINER STACEY MCKINLEY (to Kotelnik are the fight)

“Everyone knows the fight was closer than that. In fact, you won the fight.”

IBF LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

TAVORIS CLOUD VS. GLEN JOHNSON

TAVORIS CLOUD

“I was head butted a lot. It was a heck of a fight. I have a lot of respect for Glen. I had the most effective punches. I hurt him worse. Glen Johnson said I was off balance. It is the same thing. You got hurt because I hit you. I was looking for a shot to get him out. He’s a slick fighter, so I didn’t get the KO. I definitely want to fight Chad Dawson. I was a little rusty tonight, so I will be better next time. I am a bad man. I going to be a unified world champion and undisputed champion.”

GLEN JOHNSON

“I made some adjustments throughout the fight. He was throwing a lot of punches, but I was blocking most of them. But the judges were counting them all. He caught me with a punch over there that I was not ready for. I was off balance and that was the only time I got caught.”

WBC USNBC CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

RYAN COYNE VS. WARREN BROWNING

RYAN COYNE

“Browning was a tough guy. He thought he would have the power advantage, coming all the way down from heavyweight. The truth is, I will walk you down, lock you in the closet and defeat you. We did what we came to do. Win a championship and make my promoter, Don King, proud. This is a great fight town. Leon, Michael, Cory, Devon and all the rest. I am just proud to be following in their footsteps.”

IBF JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIPCORY SPINKS VS. CORNELIUS BUNDRAGE

CORY SPINKS

“The referee stopped the fight, but I don’t know why. I totally disagree. He didn’t even hit me and I lost my title.”

TRAINER BUDDY MCGIRT

“Cory is a world champion and I think a world champion deserves the benefit of the doubt in that situation.”

REFEREE MARK NELSON

“Spinks had a staggered and dazed look. He shook his head (after the knockdown) as if to say, no. At the count of eight, he stepped backwards and I didn’t want his opponent to hit him again in that condition.”

CORNELIUS BUNDRAGE

“I knew I was going to get him. It was just a matter of time. I want Manny Pacquaio next. I am thankful. We have the best team in the land with Keith Lee, Emanuel Steward and Don King. I went after it. He was right there at the opening bell, so I went for it. I went right after him. It was just a matter of time.”

EMANUEL STEWARD

“It was a good fight. It could have been better. He was too anxious. He wasted a lot of energy. It has never been in this big of a fight. He is in a hot division and I am sure he will get a lot of offers.”

Dorado, P.R.- WBO Super Featherweight Champion Román “Rocky” Martínez weighed 135lbs. yesterday at the 30 day weigh in for his upcoming title defense in Glasgow, Scotland against local Ricky Burns. The Puerto Rican brawler was an impressive fourteen and a half pounds under the 149.5lbs limit weight for this stage.

Half an hour before midday, Martínez (24-0-1, 15KO’s) was doing abdominal work before getting into the ring with Dennis “Sensei” Rivera to do some padwork in the smoldering heat of the small gym. His public relationist, Ricardo Rodríguez, told 15rounds.com that the team would be traveling to Scotland the 29th of August at the latest, thus giving Rocky time to get used to the weather.

Martínez is not new to traveling to his opponents’ backyards. In March 2009, he knocked out British Nicky Cook in the fourth round in the M.E.N. Arena in Manechester, England. Rodríguez told us they will again be looking for a knockout victory, taking the judges out of the equation and looking to impress in order to set themselves up for the bigger fights. Among the fighters they wish to meet is WBA Interim Titlist, Jorge “Coloradito” Solis of Guadalajara, Mexico.

Rocky’s team, composed of Rodríguez, Rivera and trainer Raúl “Papo” Torres are all aware of the type of opponent they face Burns (28-2-0, 7KO’s). Torres knows Burns is a very skilled fighter who boxes well and knows how to move; he has never been stopped and his only two losses have come against Carl Johanneson and Alex Arthur. Still, Torres prediction is a stoppage before the sixth round.

In order to achieve that, Martínez has been working his lateral movements, slipping punches and hitting without getting hit. In Rocky’s case, this is easier said than done. A brawler by nature, the Puerto Rican has shown improvement in his boxing in his last fights but still reverts to his brawler self when anyone in the ring gets hurt; be it him or his opponent. In his last fight, against Gonzalo Munguia, Rocky boxed well the first two and a half rounds, slipping punches and landing his jab, until halfway through the third round he started trading bombs with Munguia and eventually finished him in the fourth. Impressive enough considering Gonzalo had never been stopped, but the Nicaraguan “Destructor” is a boxer who is there to be hit. Not the case with Burns.

Come the fourth of September we will see if Rocky can force his work plan on his opponent. Burns most likely doesn’t have the power to stop Martínez’s charge but he does have the movements to get away from it and counter effectively. The question is whether or not the Champion can pressure and cut off the ring well enough to land his ill intended body shots and come through with another overseas victory.

Devon Alexander and Andriy Kotelnik weigh-in for their IBF/WBC 140 lb championship fight in St. Louis

Video by Ed Keenan / EMC Events

Tavoris Cloud and Glen Johnson weigh-in for their IBF Light Heavyweight championship showdown in St. Louis

Video by Ed Keenan / EMC Events

Devon Alexander and Andriy Kotelnik meet the media before their IBF/WBC 140 lb title fight in St. Louis

Video by Ed Keenan / EMC Events

Final Press conference for Tavoris Cloud IBF Light Heavyweight title defense against Glen Johnson

Video: Ed Keenan/Emc Events

VIDEO: ED KEENAN/EMC EVENTS

CLICK TO ORDER THE FIGHTS FOR JUST $4.99
Mauricio Martinez 121 ½ – Reynaldo Lopez 122
(NEW YORK STATE SUPER BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE)
Gary Stark Jr. 126 – Leopoldo Arocha 127
Lennox Allen 167 – Darnell Boone 164 ½
Joe Smith Jr. 172 ½ – Eddie Caminero 172
Joselito Collado 128 – Andres Ledesma 129
Mike Ruiz 147 ½ – Noel Garcia 145 ½
Andy Mejias 167 – Juan Zapata 166 ½

PROMOTER: Havoc Boxing Promotions
VENUE: Aviator Sports Complex
1st Bell: 7:00 pm
WEBCAST: www.gofightlive.tv

Photo Credit: Felipe Gomez

In a battle of unbeaten Bantamweights, It was Chris Martin who pulled off an upset victory after he clearly out boxed the more heralded Chris Avalos over ten rounds to gain a split decision at The Grand Casino in Hinckley, Minnesota.

Avalos fought decent early as he was trying to mix up punches as he switched from orthodox to southpaw. That strategy maybe was an early sign of desperation as Martin began to time and counter Avalos as he seemed to lean in with his shots and Martin caught onto that and began his offense.

Martin settled into a rhythm and gained the confidence to even hold his hands down and and engage in some mid-fight “smack talking” in the face of Avalos.

Avalos did not have an answer to the slick, counter punching Martin and Martin started landing hard shots that began to effect Avalos.

Martin punctuated the fight with a hard right hand just before the bell.

Martin, 120 lbs of South San Diego, CA gave up twenty-five percent of his purse for coming over the 118 lb weight limit but won by scores of 98-92 and 97-93. A third judge somehow watched a different fight then most and scored the bout 98-94 for Avalos. Martin is now 19-0-2.

Avalos, 118 lbs of Lancaster, CA is now 16-1.

Power punching Lateef Kayode was extended past four round for the first time but it didn’t matter as he systematically broke down Alfredo Escalera Jr. and finally stopped him after eight round of their scheduled ten round Cruiserweight bout.

Kayode dictated the action throughout the affair as he boxed well landing power shots that focused on the body. In round eight, Kayode turned up the heat as he landed a hard body/head combination with the left hand that sent Escalera back to the ropes that referee Joe Cortez ruled a knockdown. Kayode tried to end things but time ran out on the frame. Escalera had a look of resignation as he walked back to the corner and Cortez stopped it between rounds.

Kayode, 198 lbs of Lagos, Nigeria is now 13-0 with twelve knockouts. Escalera, 199 1/2 lbs of San Juan, PR is now 18-3-1.

Breidis Prescott used a ninth round knockdown en route to a ten round unanimous decision over hard punching journeyman Harrison Cuello in a ten round Jr. Welterweight bout at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago.

Prescott landed a the harder blows and was more consistent as his shots continually moved Cuello back. Cuello had a few yet brief moments as he landed a couple of Heavy lefts that got Prescott’s attention. Prescott dropped Cuello in round nine with a hard over hand right but was unable to stop him and cruised to the unanimous decision by scores of 99-90, 99-90 and 98-91.

Prescott, 141 lbs of Miami is now 23-2. Cuello, 142 lbs of Albany, NY is now 17-13-3.

Patrick Lopez scored an impressive third round stoppage over previously undefeated Prenice Brewer in a scheduled ten round Jr. Welterweight bout.

Lopez came out working the body of the taller Brewer. Lopez domination really started to be evident as he was all over as he landed a vicious body punches and hard combinations.

Lopez finished off Brewer as he landed twenty or so unanswered blows until the referee stopped the bout at 2:38 of round three.

In an entertaining bout of two Lightweight prospects, Antonio Avila and Russell Fiore fought to a majority draw.

Avila scored a knockdown in round one from a perfect counter right. Avila staggered Fiore in round three from another big right. With the fight seemingly in control, Fore landed a big right that backed Avila into the ropes and it was correctly ruled a knockdown.

Scores were 38-36 for Avila while two other judges scored 37-37

Avila , 135 lbs of Guerrero, Mexico is now 3-1-1. Fiore, 134 lbs of Chicago is 4-0-1

Lopez, 140 lbs of New Hampshire is now 20-2 with twelve knockouts. Lopez, 139 1/2 lbs of Cleveland, OH is now 15-1-1.

ROBERTO MARROQUIN TO MEXICO
FOR TOP RANK LIVE! SATURDAY

Young, rising star Roberto Marroquin of Dallas is in Mexico for a Top Rank Live! fight televised card on Saturday night.

Marrroquin, 14-0-0 at junior featherweight, will box in his first eight-round bout when he takes on Jesus Quintero of Los Mochis. The Top Rank Live! telecast will be available on Fox Sports Espanol at 10 pm eastern/7 pm pacific.

Marroquin, 20, trained for weeks with trainer Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, Ca. Cutman Miguel Diaz is in Mexico and will work in Marroquin’s corner.

ROBERTO MARROQUIN, 14-0-0, DALLAS, TEXAS
2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials (amateur), 119 pounds – Silver Medalist…
2006 National Junior Olympics (amateur), 119 pounds – Gold Medalist…
2006 National PAL Championships (amateur), 119 pounds – Silver Medalist…
2006 International Aliyev Cup (amateur), 119 pounds – Silver Medalist…
2005 National Junior Olympics (amateur), 110 pounds – Silver Medalist…

++++++++++++++++++

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, who will fight Pavel Wolak on Sept. 11 (Top Rank Live! – Fox Sports Espanol), is scheduled to begin working out with Freddie Roach this weekend at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, Calif. ….

Notre Dame champion Mike Lee will be in a 4-round light heavyweight bout on the Yuriorkis Gamboa vs. Orlando Salido world title card at the Palms Resort Casino in Las Vegas on Sept. 11. Lee is training with Ronnie Shields in Houston. Fight fans will be coming in from Chicago to see Mike Lee, a finance graduate from Notre Dame, go into his second pro bout…

World champion Juan Manuel Lopez of Puerto Rico will arrive into Las Vegas on August 29. He will train at the Top Rank Gym in Las Vegas to get set for his world title fight against Rafael Marquez on Sept. 18 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. “I am going into the ring against a Hall of Famer. It’s going to be a real challenge,” Juanma said.

Program Lineup Through Friday August 13
Date Sport Event Price
Fri Aug 6 10:00PM ET MMA Tuff-N-Uff – Team Quest vs Xtreme Couture $9.99 More info
Sat Aug 7 7:00PM ET Boxing Havoc is Back $4.99 More info

MMA
Tuff-N-Uff – Team Quest vs Xtreme Couture
Fri Aug 6 10:00PM ET
Click here to watch this event on GoFightLive!

This is a truly special event. Mixed martial arts icons Randy Couture and Dan Henderson have thus far avoided an in-cage confrontation during their legendary careers, but in August, the pair will be represented in an epic clash.

What was originally announced as a five-on-five competition has now grown to a massive eight-bout contest. Eight fighters from Couture’s Las Vegas-based Xtreme Couture camp will clash with eight combatants representing Henderson’s California-based Team Quest academy in a showdown for the ages, and in addition to respect and bragging rights, Tuff-N-Uff’s featherweight title also hangs in the balance.

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

PHILADELPHIA (AUGUST 6, 2010)–Next Friday night’s big boxing event at The Arena in South Philadelphia has been postponed until Thursday night August 26th at the same venue.

The card, which will feature Philly favorites such as Victor Vasquez, Coy Evans, Tommie Speller, Derrick Webster, Angel Ocasio, Keenan Smith and Jackie Davis will go on with a bell time at 7:30pm.

The card is promoted by Blaine Garner’s Shalyte Promotions in associationm with SAM Promotions and all tickets that were purchased for the 13th will be honored on the 26th.

Tickets for this great evening of boxing can be purchased for $75 (VIP); $65 (Ringside) and $50 (General Admission) by calling the following the Locals:

Muhammad Ali Boxing Gym—267-979-2163 or 215 876 7741
Shalyte Promotions—302-333-0135
The Arena—267-687-7560

The Arena is located at 7 West Ritner Street (Corner of Swanson & Ritner)

Devon Alexander is the irresistible story that explains the battered game’s inexhaustible resiliency.

As reports of the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather talks continue to sound like a sequel to Seinfeld’s theme about nothing, along comes Alexander and the junior-welterweight division with a chance to talk about something real.

I’m not sure what to make of Alexander, unbeaten (20-0, 13 KOs) and in possession of the World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation titles. Not yet anyway. Don King, who loves references to ancient history and is old enough to be one, is calling him The Great. Maybe he is. Or will be.

Standing in his way, however, are Tim Bradley, Amir Khan, Marcos Maidana and Victor Ortiz, just a few who will try to turn him into Alexander The Wannabe.

In Alexander’s immediate path Saturday night in hometown St. Louis on HBO, there is Andriy Kotelnik (30-3-1, 13 KOs), an able Ukrainian who probably finds motivation in Russian Dmitry Pirog’s stoppage last Saturday that knocked-much hyped Danny Jacobs, The Golden Child, out of the ranks of middleweight contenders. Pirog’s stunner is a timely memo, reminding Alexander that a nickname only makes the target a lot bigger.

If Alexander doesn’t get deluded and decked by historical allusions, headlines and assorted other feints, he can help recreate interest in a business that has been backed into a dark and dull corner by the Pacquiao-Mayweather talks to nowhere.

Alexander’s well-documented story, tried and true, is a perfect fit for the timeless drama that always has a role for somebody who shakes circumstances and adversity that condemns neighborhood and friends to poverty and jail. Alexander, a child of the Midwest’s meanest streets in north St. Louis, is winning that one, thanks to a cop-turned-trainer, Kevin Cunningham.

King has almost sounded like a grandfather when talking about Alexander on conference calls and at news conferences. Alexander is a chance, one more opportunity, at getting back to the big-time for the aging promotional lion. Alexander lived at King’s home in Las Vegas while he trained for Kotelnik.

On the streets, Alexander whipped temptations more dangerous than Kotelnik, a former World Boxing Association champion. But in the here-and-now, only Kotelnik matters. A few weeks ago, the talk was about Bradley, whom Alexander has been pursuing for a long time. Neither Cunningham nor Alexander was impressed with Bradley’s welterweight experiment, a unanimous decision last month over Carlos Luis Abregu of Argentina. “A subpar decision,’’ Cunningham said.

Real subpar, Alexander said.

“I didn’t see nothing special,’’ said Alexander, whose potential for stardom continued to emerge in a stoppage of Juan Urango in his last bout. “I don’t really see the hype about, you know: Am I up to Timothy Bradley’s skill level. I mean, he has heart, but nothing special. It was a lame performance.’’

After beating Abregu, Bradley announced he wanted to fight Pacquiao. Other than Mayweather, who doesn’t? But Cunningham called Bradley’s predictable declaration a “disgrace.”

Alexander, Cunningham says, doesn’t talk about fighting Pacquiao or Mayweather. He can’t, Cunningham said. There’s too much else to do, a lot left to conquer. It took a long time for the ancient Alexander to be great. His story was a long one.

Hopefully, the modern Alexander’s story will be too.
NOTES, ANECDOTES

· The $115-million lawsuit against Mike Tyson is either a result of too many unemployed lawyers, or web sites starving for frivolous content, or all of the above. Somebody named Mike Landrum, 49, filed the suit in Los Angeles, alleging that Tyson stole his nickname, “Iron Mike.’’ TMZ reported Landrum was 6-4 as a fighter and alleged he was unable to get fights or endorsements because Tyson had ripped off his moniker. Maybe, TMZ got that record from Lindsay Lohan. According to boxrec.com, Landrum was 0-2 as a junior-middleweight, losing in the first round in 1982 and in the second round in 1985. The pick here is that Landrum is about to go 0-3. ·

It was Deja vu all over again in news last week of an eviction notice filed against Mayweather’s promotional company. Through an attorney, the landlord said Mayweather owes $63,000 in back rent. Mayweather has until Aug. 17 to respond, or exactly one month after he failed to respond to Bob Arum’s deadline for a yea or nay on a deal to fight Pacquiao on Nov. 13.

Nelson Fernandez, manager of former IBF Junior Flyweight champion Carlos Tamara, informed 15rounds that Universal Promotions is suing current champion Luis Lazarte and his his Promoter Osvaldo Rivero over their disregard of Tamara’s rematch clause. Tamara was slated to face Lazarte on September 4 in Argentina, but will now take on Nerys Espinoza on that very same date. Lazarte, who won the title by split decision in May, was contractually obligated for a rematch, which is standard when the champion loses his title.

“We had a date for the fight and (Lazarte’s promoter) tried telling us that the people putting up the money weren’t available”, said Fernandez. “It was a bunch of bull s*** and now they won’t answer any phone calls or emails now.”

Fernandez also said that everything was agreed to and there was no issue over the fight date or venue.

“The bottom line is that there is a written agreement between Lazarte, Rivero, Tamara and Universal Promotions for a rematch and they aren’t abiding by it.” “Our team is doing everything in our power to block the fight from September 4th from happening.”

Tamara, a North Bergen, NJ based Colombian, won the title in January 09′ with a dramatic come from behind stoppage over Brian Viloria and had been preparing for the rematch. In the mean time, Fernandez is fielding offers for Tamara to battle other top fighters at 108 and 112 lbs.

CLICK TO ORDER THE FIGHT FOR JUST $4.99
NEW YORK (Aug. 5, 2010) – Undefeated super middleweight prospect Lennox “2 Sharpe” Allen, a native of Guyana, makes his “new” home debut Saturday night (Aug. 7) at the Aviator Sports Arena in Brooklyn, New York.

Allen (12-0, 7 KOs) is a much traveled, 25-year-old now living in Brooklyn. The aggressive southpaw faces his stiffest test to date, veteran Darnell Boone (17-15-2, 7 KOs), in an 8-round bout on Saturday’s card in Brooklyn, presented by HAVOC Boxing Promotions.

Allen is coming off of a sixth-round stoppage of Victor Paz last month. Boone, who has been stopped only once in his career, is somewhat of a super middleweight gatekeeper having extended world champions Andre Ward and Jean Pascal the full distance. In his last bout, Boone upset previously unbeaten Adonis Stevenson (13-0) via a second-round technical knockout.

Allen’s promoter, Boxing 360, has a full weekend of boxing. In addition to having Allen fighting Boone in New York on Saturday night, Boxing 360 heavyweights “Merciless” Mike Mollo and Maurice “Moe Sugar” Harris will be fighting Friday evening, respectively, in Chicago and Hinkley, Minnesota. Mollo (20-3, 12 KOs) returns home for an 8-round bout against Gary “Pit Bull” Gomez (18-11-1, 7 KOs) at the UIC Pavilion Center. Harris (23-14-2, 10 KOs), winner of the 2002 “Thunderbox Heavyweight Tournament,” takes on IBF #15 rated Nagy “Dominican Dynamite” Aguilera (16-3, 11 KOs) for the vacant USBA title, in Hinkley, Minnesota.

Go to www.boxing360.com for more information about Boxing 360 and any of its fighters.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Warner Promotions held a press conference on Wednesday at the Flat Iron Café in the Flats to officially announce the complete card for their Aug. 20 event titled “Friday Night Fights” at the Nautica Pavilion in Cleveland, Ohio. The main event fighters Nick “The Stoneman” Firtha and “Lightning” Mike Sheppard were on hand to talk about their 10-round clash for Firtha’s NABA U.S. Heavyweight championship and the vacant Ohio State Heavyweight title.

The two fighters were cordial and expressed their excitement for the date to arrive, knowing that the bout is a crucial one for each of their careers. The winner will receive ranked in the World Boxing Association, putting them in position to earn a chance to fight for a world championship.

Firtha (18-7-1, 8 KOs) is a native of Northeast Ohio hailing from Akron. He takes great pride in being able to fight in his hometown and wants to put on a good show. “I know Mike Sheppard and he brings it,” Firtha said. “I know he’s going to have his A-game.”

Sheppard (15-10-1, 8 KOs), from Palestine, W.Va., knows that this is this biggest opportunity of his career and feels it’s time to put his experience and talents on the line. “Nick’s going to get my best effort, I promise,” Sheppard said. “He’s on top of his game and the proof is in his last fight. This is going to be a heck of a fight and I’m giving it all I got.”

In his last fight Firtha made a big leap in his career when he was brought in as an opponent for upcoming heavyweight prospect Tony Grano. The night ended early for the favored fighter when Firtha stopped him in the second round. “(Firtha) kind of shocked the boxing world in his last fight; to everybody except himself and his trainer Terry Nicopolis,” said Warner Promotions president Antonio Castro.

In addition to giving their all in the ring, both fighters let it be known that they are coming to give the fans their money’s worth. “I don’t intend to step back,” Sheppard said. Echoing his statements, Firtha promised a war in the ring. “He’s not going backwards, I don’t like to go backwards, but somebody is going to have to at some point,” Firtha said. “I expect a really good fight.”

In addition, this will be Firtha’s first meaningful fight in Ohio in four years. “All these athletes fighting to get out of this town; I’m fighting to get back in,” Firtha said. “I just want to let Mike know that I haven’t fought in Northeast Ohio for a while and I take immense pride in fighting in my hometown, so I’m going to have my best stuff come Aug. 20. I wish him a lot of luck.”

Also in attendance at the press conference was 20-year-old co-feature fighter and Cleveland native Dante Moore. An undefeated junior middleweight prospect with a record of 6-0 (4), Moore will be facing the toughest challenge of his career in Minneapolis, Minn., native Corey Rodriguez (4-1-1, 3 KOs). The two will fight in a six-round match.

A bevy of talented Cleveland fighters were also in attendance and introduced by Castro. Among those were lightweight prospect Julius Leegrand (3-0, 1 KO) who will be facing off against Taide Torres of (0-2) of Milwaukee, Wis., in four-round action. Leegrand, 22, is a talented slick boxer who also works full-time.

Wilkins Santiago (1-0), of Lorain, Ohio, was announced to be facing another local fighter in Matt Keglovic (1-1, 1 KO) at the middleweight division. Heavyweight Jason Massie (5-0, 4 KOs), of Cleveland, has a tough task in Shaker Heights fighter Mujaheed Moore (4-3, 3 KOs) who has never been down in his career. Both fights will last four rounds.

Middleweight Michael Moore (2-0, 2 KOs) of Cleveland, light heavyweight Demar Singleton (4-0, 3 KOs) of Toldeo, Ohio, and junior welterweight Johnny Garcia (2-0, 1 KO) of Holland, Mich., are all awaiting announcement of their opponents.

In addition to the fights there will be live music presented by popular local acts Jackie, Tenafly Viper and A Punch’s Pilot. “We’re trying to add more of an event type atmosphere to what we’re doing,” Castro said. “Cleveland’s really never seen something like this and it’s something that we want to take pride in to start adding value to the people that are coming out and paying money not only to see great boxing but also entertaining music.”

The live music will start before the fights at 5 p.m. with the first fight to begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on-sale through all Ticketmaster locations, livenation.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Tickets start at just $25 for general admission. There are also tables seating eight for $600, tables seating four for $300, Ringside for $75, and floor seats for $50. For more information please call 216-854-0485 or visit www.warnerpromotionsllc.com.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Undefeated Jr. Middleweight looks to have an early release from prison after being incarcerated for a gun charge which was a violation of his parole.

Kirkland’s original release date of Oct. 2 has been moved up to Sept. 17, according to Kirkland’s manager Cameron Dunkin.

“Sept. 17 is my birthday, so that’s the greatest birthday present I could have right now,” Dunkin said. “I’m so happy.”

“He’ll go to the halfway house, but he’ll have the right to travel and the right to train and fight,” Dunkin said.

Dunkin said Kirkland, 26, intends to fight as soon as possible after his release, and Dunkin has already spoken to his promoter, Golden Boy, about a plan.

“I’ve been talking with [matchmaker] Eric Gomez and [CEO] Richard Schaefer about when he’s going to fight,” Dunkin said. “We think we can get him a fight in October and get him going.”

“The plan would be to have him fight a couple of times before the end of the year, starting maybe in October,” Schaefer said. “We’ll see what works best for him, but then have him fight again in December, maybe on one of our [untelevised] HBO undercards and maybe HBO could show highlights of his fight. After that, hopefully, James and his management feel he is ready to pick up where he left off, which was terrorizing the junior middleweight division.”

“It was wrong, what he did, and he had to pay for it,” Schaefer said. “Hopefully, now he will be able to resume his career and learn from what has happened.”

Boxing is full of hard luck stories, however Yonnhy Perez 20-0-1(14) isn’t such a case. The Columbian, is the current IBF Bantamweight champion of the World and has been for nearly a year. He broke away from the pack when he stunned Joseph Agbeko in late 2009. It was an eye opening performance that catapulted him from the fringes to amongst the best Bantamweight division has to offer. Perez 31, has never had anything easy in life. He first moved to America and was guided by Abner Mares father, though they don’t work together anymore. Today Perez is one of the most disciplined fighters around living with his trainer Danny Zamora, off a meagre $400 a month which is for food and rent when in training in Los Angeles, the rest he sends home for his family. While at home in Cartagena, Columbia he lives in the same area he’s always lived in, his home is made of Cinderblock with no windows just spaces with curtains hanging to separate each room. His first defence was ironically against one time friend Abner Mares in chief support to Vazquez-Marquez 4 at the Staples Center in May of this year. It was a hotly contested battle between the more battle hardened, harder puncher Perez and the quicker, better boxer Mares. Depending who’s work would depend on who you though edged it. In the end the 3 judges couldn’t be split and awarded a draw. It appears as though Perez will next be in action on 6 November in a rematch with Agbeko, as part of a mooted Bantamweight tournament that has been mentioned.

Hello Yonnhy, welcome to 15rounds.com

Anson Wainwright – Firstly, i believe you returned home to Colombia after your fight, how are things?

Yonnhy Perez – I returned to Colombia right after the fight so i can go be with my two sons Yonnhy, Mateo and my wife because its very difficult being without them.

Anson Wainwright – Your back in America now, when do you start light training? You will fight Joseph Agbeko in a rematch, any idea when or where it will be?

Yonnhy Perez – I already started my light training when i got here. When i come to the us it is to train and get ready. About the Agbeko fight or my next opponent i don’t know what’s next for me i just get ready and let my promoters take care of that.

Anson Wainwright – In May you fought your Abner Mares. You seemed the stronger guy and he seemed to box well. How did you see the fight?

Yonnhy Perez – It was a tough fight i fought the fight i had to fight and Abner fought his fight and it turned out to be a great fight.

Anson Wainwright – What can you tell us about your relationship with Abner Mares and his family, i know they had a part of your contract at the start of your career? It must of been hard for you mentally to fight Mares?

Yonnhy Perez – Abner is a great friend because of him i was able to come to the U.S. he treated me very well when i did arrive here in the U.S. His father saw me in the amateurs and was interested in bringing me and that’s how i got here. Mentally i get ready the same way for everybody because i know that there after my title, so i train hard and prepare myself to the best.

Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us about your team. Who is your manager, trainer & Promoter? Also what gym do you use ahead of a fight?

Yonnhy Perez – My trainer is Danny Zamora, i’m now managed by Frank Espinoza my promoters are Thompson Boxing Promotions and Gary Shaw I train at the Santa Fe Springs Activity Center.

Anson Wainwright – During the build up to your fight with Mares Gary Shaw spoke very highly of you and how humble you are. He said how you live in a tough neighbourhood and that your home is made of cinderblocks. Can you tell us a bit about how life was for you as a child and how you first got into Boxing?

Yonnhy Perez – I started boxing when i was 8 years old and then was on the national team and then i turned professional. My dad introduced me to boxing. Life was very hard i come from a poor neighbourhood so i saw how hard it was for my parents to give the little that we got but one they always gave me all there love and support and that was motivated me all my career to be the best in the ring so i can give them what they need and also my immediate family. I thank god for everything he has done for me.

Anson Wainwright – Your last 3 fights have all been tough fights Silence Mabuza, Joseph Agbeko & Abner Mares. Who has been the toughest of your career to date? Who was the best boxer & who hit the hardest?

Yonnhy Perez – Silence Mabuza was the hardest hitter and hardest fight Abner was the best boxer.

Anson Wainwright – What do you like to do away from Boxing? What are you hobbies and Interests?

Yonnhy Perez – Listen to music and eat.

Anson Wainwright – What goals do you still have in Boxing? Maybe move up to Super Bantamweight or defend your title in Colombia?

Yonnhy Perez – Continue being a world champion and be a good example to fellow boxers and especially the young kids in my country and to the kids in my community. I would love to fight in my home country it would be a great honour

Anson Wainwright – How popular are you in Colombia? Are you recognised in the streets by fans?

Yonnhy Perez – It seems like everybody knows me in Cartagena when i return from my fights they wait for me at the airport. When i won the title they picked me up in a fire truck and paraded me through the streets.

Anson Wainwright – What would you be doing if it wasn’t for Boxing? What do you intend to do when you retire from Boxing?

Yonnhy Perez – I would still be in the military. Go home and live with my family and spend as much time with them as i can because its been very hard on my family being away from them.

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

Yonnhy Perez – I would like to thank everybody who has supported me in my career and especially the community of Santa Fe Springs and My home country Colombia and all my fans. Thanks

Thanks for your time Yonnhy, keep entertaining us.

Anson Wainwright
15rounds.com

A one-time Next Big Thing in professional boxing, Michael Grant has been to the top of the hill, but only to look. His stay wasn’t long, and he did not descend as its king. Instead, like Jack in the nursery rhyme, he tumbled down—repeatedly— at the point of Lennox Lewis’ right hand. Canvassed three times in the first round, he failed to rise by the count of 10 in the second. That championship bout, all two rounds of it, took place in April, 2000.

In fights to follow, Grant (46-3, 34 KOs) was knocked down and out by both Jameel McCline and the once promising Dominic Guinn. At 6’ 7” Michael Grant has a long way to fall. Against McCline he broke his ankle on the way down (first round, very first punch). Against Guinn he was knocked down four times in 7 rounds, the last from a clean left hook that landed Grant almost motionless in a big hulking mass on the floor.

He tasted canvas nine times in a total of 10 rounds in these three losses. He is now 37 years old.
A gifted athlete, Grant played football prior to boxing. But football is not boxing. And given the helmets, a propensity to fall when punched in the head does not pose a particular hindrance to a football player. For a boxer, it is fatal.

Michael Anthony Grant has an Achilles Chin. Training can’t change that.

But power and hope are the last things to go on a heavyweight, and there is no reason to believe that he does not have a puncher’s chance. Eddie Mustafa Muhammad is Grant’s latest trainer. Michael Grant has told anyone who would listen that he’ll win.

Since losing to Guinn in 2003, Grant has fought and won a total of eight times. Beating the likes of Wallace McDaniel (8-21-1, 4 KOs), Billy Zumbrun (23-12-1, 13 KOs) and Demetrice King (15-18, 13 KOs). He did not fight in the calendar years of 2006 or 2009. If nothing else, he is well rested. In May of this year Grant scored a technical knockout in the first round over Kevin Burnett (13-4-1, 8 KOs). Grant weighed in at 257 pounds for that fight, only 7 pounds more than the weight at which he fought Lewis.

On Aug. 21 Michael Grant will face former WBC light heavyweight and IBF and IBO cruiserweight champion of the world, Tomasz Adamek. The two men will square off in a scheduled 12 rounder in Newark New Jersey’s Prudential Center. The fight will be available on Pay Per View. Adamek (41-1, 27 KOs) is relatively new at heavyweight, but coming off an impressive victory earlier this year over the powerful 250-plus pound brawler, Cristobol Arreola (28-2, 25 KOs).

Before that, Adamek scored wins at heavyweight over Jason Estrada (16-3, 4 KOs) and the old Polish workhorse, Andrew Golota (41-8-1, 33 KOs). In his fight against Arreola, Adamek weighed in at 217 pounds and proved that he could fight against Big.

Against Michael Grant, Adamek looks now to show the world that he can fight, and win, against Tall.
The two-headed heavyweight champion of the world, brothers Wladamir and Vitali Klitschko, is tall. Wladamir is 6’6 ½” and Vitali is an inch taller at 6’7 ½”. They have a reach of 81” and 80” respectively. Michael Grant is 6’7” with a freakishly long reach of 86”. Adamek is 6’1 ½” with a reach of 75”.

When David Haye stepped out of his scheduled fight with Vitali Klitschko in the Fall of 2009, Adamek got the short notice call. His team declined at the time (wisely I think), with Arreola instead taking the fight against Vitali—and the loss. But having got the notice, Adamek has worked. He had weighed in at 199 pounds against Bobby Gunn back in July of 2009, and weighed in at 214 in his win against Golota in October that same year—and picked up something called the IBF International Heavyweight Championship belt for his troubles. On the scale in Newark against the former Olympian Jason Estrada in February of 2010 he weighed 220; against Arreola in April, he weighed a quick 217. The addition of Ronnie Shields as trainer has paid big dividends. Adamek wears his new weight well. Ask Arreola.
Adamek has stated in no uncertain terms that he wants a shot at a heavyweight title. Any Klitschko or David Haye—any time, any place.

Consider this fight against Grant a test run, or maybe even a dress rehearsal. But consider it. Adamek can bang, and he can box. He’s got heart and he can also take a punch. On Aug. 21 we’ll see if he can fight tall. My guess is he can. And Michael Grant? This may well be his last chance to fetch a pail of water in the heavyweight division.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, hot shot Welterweight prospect Saul Alvarez will take on former undisputed Welterweight champion Carlos Baldomir on September 18th as part of the Shane Mosley – Sergio Mora Pay per View at Staples Center in Los Angeles

“When Alvarez recently fought in Mexico, there was an average between six and eight people per home watching this fight,” said Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, referring to statistics he said he received from Mexican network Televisa. “The fight got a 17.8 rating, which is equivalent to 600,000 homes watched by 60 million people.

“Canelo has reached superstar status in Mexico. The ratings he gets on the national Mexican broadcaster, Televisa, are unheard off and in line with what the national soccer team gets.”

“I’m glad to be on such an important card with such good fighters,” Alvarez said. “It’s business as usual when I step into the ring. I fight with desire. I hope everyone comes out that night to watch because this is a really exciting night of boxing.”

Said Jose Reynoso, Alvarez’s manager and trainer: “This is a very important date. As Mexicans, we are celebrating the bicentennial of Mexican Independence. [Alvarez] is No. 1 in Mexico and now we want to conquer the world. A big part of that is being successful in L.A.”

“Carlos Baldomir is a fighter with an iron will and iron chin. He will come to Los Angeles and try to derail the fast rise of Canelo Alvarez,” Schaefer said. “He is on a mission to come and capture the American market and display his talent and excitement at Staples Center on Sept. 18. He realizes that Los Angeles is the largest Mexican market outside of Mexico and wants to come and show what he is all about.”

Said Golden Boy president Oscar De La Hoya: “I walked the streets myself the other day in Mexico where I watched Alvarez fight [on July 10]. I was asking people from all walks of life, ‘Have you heard of Canelo Alvarez?’ And everyone answers with a glowing face [and said], ‘He’s our next promise. He’s our next guy.’”

There are over half a million Polish immigrants living in New Jersey, most of them residing somewhere in the northern half of the state.

When Tomasz “Goral” Adamek (41-1, 27 KO), North Jersey’s adopted son, prizefights at Newark’s Prudential Center, thousands of them flock to Mulberry St. to cheer on their fellow Pole, each fight attracting more fans than the last.

In February, Adamek’s last fight at “The Rock”, 10,017 fans were present — virtually all of them there to see “Goral”. Adamek’s North Jersey fans are some of the loudest fistic fans on the continent. They come to Newark decked out in red and white with “POLSKA” scarves draped across their shoulders. They bring the red and white flag of Poland, waving the White Eagle high in the air. They sing Adamek’s entrance song, “Pamietaj” by Funky Polak, and they chant in their native language throughout his bouts.

But perhaps more impressive than the frenzied fans that flock to the Prudential Center every time their horse is in the race is Adamek’s one-two punch of his management team — Main Events (Adamek’s promoter) and Ziggy Rozalski (Adamek’s manager).

After a stint with Don King that guided Adamek to a WBC light heavyweight title, but left him without a true home-base, Rozalski and Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events, struck a deal that resulted in Adamek fighting under the Main Events banner.

In an attempt to appeal to the millions of Poles in the Windy City — a market that was exploited by fellow Pole Andrew Golota some fifteen years earlier — Adamek was first brought to Chicago to see if it would become his home away from home. However, after just one fight with Main Events in Illinois’ largest city, Main Events decided it best to bring their most prized fighter home. Not to “Goral’s” home of Gilowice, Poland, but to Main Events’ home in North Jersey. Main Events, based in Totowa, New Jersey — only twenty minutes or so from downtown Newark — is surrounded by vibrant Polish communities, where handmade pierogis are consumed by the ton and Zywiec flows freely from the taps.

To quote the now much-despised Lebron James, after fighting most of his career in Europe and after a brief stint of fighting in Chicago, Main Events, Rozalksi, and Adamek decided “to take Adamek’s talents to North Jersey.”

And so it is in Newark, New Jersey that Adamek claims home-ring advantage against his opposition.

Main Events and Rozalski’s more-than-impressive management of Adamek does not end at their ability to turn out over 10,000 Polish fans at “The Rock”, however. Their navigation of Adamek through his foray into the heavyweight division has been just as stellar.

After cleaning out the Cruiserweight division, claiming the IBF Cruiserweight title, as well as the Ring Magazine belt, Adamek turned his attention the heavyweight division in late 2009.

Adamek has stated his goal is a simple one: become heavyweight champion of the world. His first three fights at his new division have all served as mini tests for Adamek and so far he has passed with flying colors.

In October, “Goral” first dipped his toes into the heavyweight waters by taking on veteran boxer and fellow Polish hero, Andrew Golota.
In a fight that had more Poles tune in to watch than when Pope John Paul II returned back to his homeland, Adamek made quick work of his aged counterpart. Through five rounds, Adamek twice made Golota one with the canvas — once in the bout’s opening round and again in round 5. The fight was stopped shortly after Golota climbed back to his feet only to be greeted by more vicious blows courtesy of “Goral”.

From there, Main Events brought Adamek back to his adopted home in Newark and put him to the test against former U.S. Olympian, Jason Estrada (16-3, 4 KO). While Main Events and Rozalski knew the feather-fisted Estrada wouldn’t be a threat to knock out Adamek, this fight served as a test to see if Adamek can deal with a quick-fisted heavyweight. Although Estrada is a big man with a big frame, he possess uncharacteristically fast hands for a man his size.

Adamek was able to carry his new weight well and avoid most of what Estrada threw at him, ultimately defeating the Rhode Island native by Unanimous Decision.

After the Estrada fight, Adamek and his team agreed to fly out to Ontario, California to take on Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola (28-2, 25 KO) in Arreola’s backyard in a bout that was televised on HBO’s “Boxing After Dark.”

The fight, which took place on April 26, was a test of chin for Adamek, as Arreola is known not for his boxing skill, but his punching power.

Going into the Arreola fight, many experts questioned whether or not Adamek had the discipline to not stay in the pocket and bang punch for punch with Arreola — a risk that would likely not pay off. Conversely, the same experts that questioned Adamek’s discipline in the ring, questioned Arreola’s discipline outside of the ring with regards to his weight.

Arreola once again came into the fight out of shape, while Adamek, fighting at his heaviest weight, was able to carry it well — proving to be elusive for his Mexican-American counterpart.

When the final bell rang after thirty-six hard-fought minutes in “The Ring of Fire,” Adamek earned a Majority Decision victory. For the first time in his career — the fan-friendly Adamek put on a clinic in defense and rolling. And with that, along with fiery combinations that left Arreola’s face looking like “Shrek,” Adamek had passed his third test.

Now, “Goral”, along with his loyal fans, await their next opponent, “Big” Michael Grant, in a bout that will take place on August 21 at the fore-mentioned Prudential Center. This will be Adamek’s “tallest” order yet, as Grant stands at 6’7”, a clear set up to see if Adamek can find ways to defeat a much taller opponent.

Grant, who hasn’t lost since 2003, but has only fought since 2008 — is a shell of a Klitschko. He has the height, but not the skill nor the hardware that either Ukrainian possesses. Regardless, this will not be an easy fourth test for Adamek, as he continues to fight purposeful bouts all in an attempt to claim a world heavyweight title.

With a win over Grant, Adamek will have passed one more test and cleared one more hurdle on his quest to become a world heavyweight champion.

Main Events and Rozalski should both be applauded for the way they have handled Adamek since coming to the Totowa-based promotions company in 2008. Together they have built one of the best fan bases in all of North America and they have pitted their fighter against meaningful opponents time and time again — all well-calculated maneuvers in an attempt give Adamek the best shot at winning a title..

If, or as many believe — when, Adamek does fight for a heavyweight title, Main Events and Rozalski have made sure that “Goral” will be fully equipped and prepared to bring heavyweight hardware to New Jersey. For that, they should be applauded.

The WBC visited Cardiff, Wales for The Night of the Champions. It took place over three days, opening on Thursday headlined by the movie premier of “Risen” about Howard Winstone’s unlikely road to the World Featherweight title. Many of the top amateur’s in the world met on Friday evening with many much anticipated fights. The finale took place on the Saturday evening when many of the greats gathered together at the C.I.A for a Gala awards banquet.

The first day opened up with everyone who had arrived heading to Cardiff Castle. First built in 1091, it’s ideally located in the City centre. It has also been the venue for many concerts and even a World title defence by Joe Calzaghe in 2002, it was also the scene of Joan Guzman’s first world title win. Many of the fighters walked around the grounds and enjoyed the sunshine before posing for a photograph together then heading to the top of The Norman Keep for more photo’s. The always energetic former WBC Lightweight champion Miguel Angel Gonzalez happily wandered around taking photo’s of the Castle. Shannon Briggs spoke with reporters telling anyone who would listen he was fighting Vitali Klitschko on 16 October in Hamburg. Another interested observer was Junior Witter who spoke with 15rounds.com at length about many things including a possible clash between Tim Bradley & Devon Alexander. When pushed for his opinion on who would win. Witter who lost to both in WBC title fights, Bradley via split decision in May 08 and Alexander stopped him in 8 last August, opinioned that he believed Bradley’s greater experience and ability to mix things up would lead to him winning the fight.

Afterward former female fighter Jane Couch MBE who won world titles at Lightweight & Light Welterweight took this reporter to Ronnie Rush gym in a suburb of Cardiff called Ely. The gym had previously been the home to former Welsh World Champions Steve Robinson, Barrie Jones & Robbie Regan. Couch spoke with several of the children who were in the gym giving them advice. All the while Rush told of his favourite moments with some of his fighters, one particular moment being when Robinson who won the WBO Featherweight crown in the early 1990’s at 48 hours notice complained of cramp during one of his bouts. Rush a man no bigger than 5 foot of West Indian descent stamped on Robinson’s feet and said “Welshman don’t quit” Robinson dually carried on and won the title in a modern day version of Cinderella Man.

It was then time to head back to the C.I.A for the movie premier of “Risen” 15 former fighters including Erik Morales, John H Stracey, Leon Spinks & Alan Minter were in the movie. Lasting approximately 2 hours and was generally well received with everyone enjoying it.

After a fantastic start the standard had been set. The second day started off with two buses touring the streets of Cardiff with all the fighters and dignitaries aboard. Approximately and hour later during which time Roberto Duran with two of his son’s in toe joined one of the buses. We arrived in Cardiff Bay at the Five star St David’s Hotel and Spa for lunch. Everyone sat inside overlooking the water of Cardiff Bay. Many old rivalries were relived including Iran Barkley & Roberto Duran exchanged a hug and a chat up.

Several fighters including John Mugabi, John H Stracey & Shannon Briggs visited The Mayor at his home. We were later joined by the Chinese Boxing team, who will be based in Cardiff ahead of the 2012 Olympics. Whilst awaiting the Chinese team Stracey told jokes and entertained everyone showing off his skills that now see him tour the country providing cabaret. Stracey told of his special relationship with the WBC which saw him become the first new champion under Jose Suliaman’s leadership the day after Suliaman was elected in December 1975. Mugabi was a joy to be around making people laugh constantly with a warm smile and handshake for everyone he saw. All three fighters were later presented with awards as a mark of respect of coming to visit the mayor in the form of a pennant.

Upon arriving back the C.I.A it was all hands to the pump setting things up ahead of the evenings 12 amateur fights between A British Team & a rest of the World team which included fighters from America, Swedon, China & Ireland. Just in time for the Boxing Vitali Klitschko arrived for his part in proceedings.

51kg Nicola Adams -V- Shipra Nilsson (Sweden) RSC4 1:48 (Nilsson’s right shoulder dislocated)
54kg Jaiwei Zhang (China) -V- Andrew Selby Pts 16-11
57kg Luke Campbell -V- Jun Tan (China) Pts 11-5
60kg Helena Falk (Sweden) -V- Amanda Coulson Pts 10-6
60kg Tom Stalker -V- Duran Cafferro (USA) Pts 16-11
64kg Scott Cardle -V- Ross Hickey (Ireland) Pts 20-12
69kg Savannah Marshall -V- Love Holgersson (Sweden) Pts 10-1
69kg Errol Spence (USA) -V- Fred Evans Pts 15-9 (Evans took standing-8 in first from body shots)
75kg Anthony Agogo -V- Jason Quigley (Ireland) Pts 7-4
81kg Fanlong Meng (China) -V- Obed Mbwakongo Pts. 10-3
91 kg Babacar Camara (Sweden) -V- Warren Baister Pts 8-4
91kg+ Sean Turner (Ireland) -V- Amin Isa Pts 18-14 raw score after original score of 7-7.

When all was said it all ended all square 6-6.

The final day saw everyone gather at the Town Hall for lunch, all the fighters once again took the stage for a group photo. After leaving several fighters agreed to take the stage outside at the music festival “Big Weekend”. One notable moment during the introductions that’s worthy of mentioning was when Former IBF Light Welterweight champion Terry Marsh was introduced he tripped as he entered sprawling across the stage. Fortunately Marsh was fine and later joked about the moment, even signing a picture one lucky photographer had taken of the incident.

The Champions were then given the afternoon off whilst the finishing touches were put to the main auditorium at the C.I.A for the Gala awards which took place that evening. It turned out to be a who’s who of World Boxing with many of the great fighters past and present attending including Vitali Klitschko, Roberto Duran, Joe Calzaghe, Mikkel Kessler, Carl Froch, Carlos Zarate, Alfonso Zamora, Jesse James Leija, Chiquita Gonzalez, Zab Judah, Yuri Arbachakov, Sergio Martinez, Vitali Tajbert, Javier Castillejo, Alan Minter, John H Stracey, Iran Barkley, Earnie Shavers, James Bonecrusher Smith & Tim Witherspoon plus many others.

The main awards were given to

Fighters of the Year: Vitali Klitschko & Sergio Martinez
Female fighter of the year: Ina Menzer
Knockout of the year: Toshiaki Nishioka TKO3 Jhonny Gonzalez
(honourable mention): Carl Froch TKO12 Jermain taylor
Fight of the Year: Giacobbe Fragomeni D12 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk I

Many of the fighters had there pictures taken & signed autograph’s for fans who had attended. It was also notable that Calzaghe & Froch met on the stage and appeared to get on well. Also on stage Rendall Munroe met WBC Super Bantamweight holder Toshiaki Nishioka for the first time ahead of there much anticipated fight in Tokyo Japan on 24 October.

The whole event was well recieved by the Welsh public with many people travelling from all over Britain to be apart of such a fantastic event. It is hoped that Cardiff will host the event again possible 2013.

Undefeated New York prospect, Christian Martinez talks about his fight in Yankee Stadium as well as his fight in Brooklyn, New York that will take place on August 7.

Watch Christian Martinez in Sports  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

CLICK TO ORDER THIS MEMORABLE FIGHT
In a fight that more than lived up to the billing, Derek “Pooh” Ennis retained the USBA Jr. Middleweight championship over “King” Gabriel Rosado via majority decision in the All Philly War at the Arena in Philadelphia.

The two waged a back and forth battle with Ennis landing various right hands that seemed to keep Rosado at the distance that Ennis wanted the fight. Rosado tried to and at times made the fight a toe to toe slugfest which thrilled the sold out crowd in the Arena.

Each man had a rabid cheering section as deafening chants of “GABBY GABBY GABBY” and “POOH POOH POOH” was belted out through the fight.

With the outcome in the balance the last two rounds were classic Philadelphia frames as the two left nothing in the ring as they battled it out to the very end.

Ennis will rise in the rankings of the IBF and now should be very close to fighting for the Jr. Middleweight championship of the world.

Ennis is now 22-2-1. Rosado is 14-5.

That fight plus seven big undercard fights can now be seen on demand on www.gofightlive.yv for just $9.99 by clicking: http://www.gofightlive.tv/showEvent.do?eventId=709

In a six round Jr. Lightweight bout, Anthony Flores (9-1-1, 6 KO’s) scored a six round stoppage over Gustavo Dailey (4-9)

In a six round Super Middleweight bout, Farah Ennis remained undefeated (15-0, 9 KO’s) with a third round stoppage over Demetrius Davis (20-24-5)

In a six round Super Middleweight bout, Dennis Hasson (10-0) remained undefeated with unanimous decision over Alberto Mercedes (14-16-1)

In a six round Light Heavyweight bout, Andre Hemphill (9-16-2) scored a unanimous decision over Tony Pietrantonio (6-6-1)

Heavyweight Bryant Jennings (4-0) remained undefeated as scored a four round unanimous decision over Bernell Stewart (1-2)

Angel Ocasio (3-0, 1 KO) scored a one punch knockout over Sidell Blocker (0-3) in a scheduled four round Lightweight bout.

Garrett Wilson (8-5, 3 KO’s) scored a one punch body punch knockout over Reshawn Scott (2-5) in a Cruiserweight bout

Note-When this card is ordered on demand it is available forever