Joshua Clottey,Ghana hits the mitts during media day Thursday at Kingsway Gym in New York. Clottey is getting ready for the fight of his life against seven-time world champion and “Fighter of the Decade” Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao on Saturday,May 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas,Texas on HBO Pay-Per-View

Photos by Chris Farina / Top Rank

One of Boxing most outspoken characters James “Lights Out” Toney 72-6-3(44) took time out from training to speak with us earlier this week. Originally from the tough streets of Grand Rapids, MI, Toney was brought up the hard way first entering the ring as a pro in 1988 now a full 22 years later he’s still plying his trade in the squared circle as he approaches his 42 birthday this August. In that time he won the IBF Middleweight which he defended six times before vacating to move up to Super Middleweight where he won the IBF title and made three defence’s before losing the crown to Roy Jones Jnr in 1994. Though he remained active sometimes fighting at Heavyweight nobody believed Toney would ever win another world title however he got his chance against IBF Cruiserweight champion Vasilliy Jirov 9 years after the Jones fight. Toney rolled back the years and posted one of his best wins ever when he outboxed his younger foe even punctuating the victory with a twelfth round knock down. That win reinvourated him and he made a run up at Heavyweight beating living legend Evander Holyfield and then John Ruiz for the WBA Heavyweight title only to be stripped of it later for taking a banned substance. He ran Hasim Rahman close when they drew in 2006 before losing twice to Samuel Peter. Since then Toney has won 3 with one no contest and hopes to get back in the mix…if he can get a chance that is. Here’s what the straight talking 3 weight world champion had to say.

Hello James, welcome to 15rounds.com

Anson Wainwright – Firstly you last fought in September when you beat Matthew Greer in two rounds. Were you happy with how it went?

James Toney – Oh very happy. I you know I wanted a better opponent, you know what i’m saying. Klitschko’s, Valuev, David Haye, someone of there calibre. But i did what your supposed to do, i beat who was in front of me.

Anson Wainwright – Do you have anything in the works that you can tell us about?

James Toney – We’re trying our best to get everyone in the ring. The Klitschko Brothers, excuse me Klitschko sisters, they keep running from me. David Haye he keeps running from me. I’ll fight anybody place or anytime that’s my moto you know that.

Anson Wainwright – It has been rumoured that you may face Antonio Tarver, what can you tell us what the current situation is with that fight?

James Toney – That was going to happen but Tarver ‘s a chicken like everyone else you know what i’m saying, no balls. Like European fighters haven’t got balls, come fight me they say i’m old well put me out of my misery, don’t go being scared. There all hiding behind there momma’s skirt, there scared to death, there chicken sh1ts! They don’t wanna come fight in the States and if they do they fight soft opponents.

Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us about your team. Who is your manager, your trainer & promoter & also where do you regularly train for fights?

James Toney – I’m self managed, my advisor is John Arthur and my wife. I train at 360 that’s my main gym. But i’m going to work with Freddie Roach in the near future.

Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us about how things were for you growing up in Grand Rapids, Ma and how they took you into Boxing?

James Toney – As you know they call Grand Rapids fighters row because all on one street we had the Mayweather family, The Tony Tucker family, Buster Mathis we all live on one street. That’s how i grew up but i left there early.

Anson Wainwright – It’s funny how both you and Floyd Mayweather Jnr come from the same place did your paths ever cross back in those days?

James Toney – We talk, his family we’re cool. Floyd’s doing his thing, i’m doing mine.

Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us what still motivates you to fight at 41? What are you still hoping to achieve in what is already a Hall of fame career?

James Toney – My motivation is to unify the World Heavyweight Championship. I got one, i been Heavyweight Champion. They didn’t recognise me. The title didn’t make me i made the belt. I want every title there is David Haye, Klitschko sisters they got no balls. If they have balls come see me.

Anson Wainwright – Is there ever a fighter that you would really like to fight that you’ve never be able to so far? Maybe Bernard Hopkins who you were linked with in 2003. How come that never came off?

James Toney – I’m an old school fighter, he’s an old fool! If you look at Bernard Hopkins old school fighters do not run in there with there head and hit and hold. That’s what he does, he’s a coward. Bernard Hopkins is a straight up coward. Antonio Tarver coward, The Klitschko sisters coward, all of them. I pride myself on fighting the best opposition out there.

Anson Wainwright – Your an old school fighter who uses very subtle moves defensively like the shoulder roll and the way you tuck up. Can you tell us a little about how you learnt all those things that have preserved you so well over these years?

James Toney – The shoulder roll came from the 50’s & 60’s the great Jersey Joe Walcott. Well basically i learned it from my first trainer Bill Miller. He trained me as a child. We practiced old school moves all the time until one day it just came off. I can fight in the middle of the ring, i can fight going forward, i can fight going backwards. That’s where i got my skills from watching them guys. Archie Moore, Ray Robinson. All the greats, that was a great era for Boxing. I love my Boxing.

Anson Wainwright – In which fight do you think it all came together and was your best in your career to date?

James Toney – It aint happened yet, it’s coming. In the passed Evander Holyfield because everyone saying i couldn’t beat a real Heavyweight. I beat him real good.

Anson Wainwright – You have fought 14 World Champions in 5 weight classes. Who do you consider the best fighter you ever fought?

James Toney – Mike McCullum.

Anson Wainwright – You’ve been a pro for over 20 years and had 83 fights, what was your proudest moment in Boxing so far and why?

James Toney – Winning my first world title. I was a 20-1 underdog. I shocked the world.

Anson Wainwright – You must of trained with many good young fighters is there one who stands out that you could mention who you think has a big future?

James Toney – I aint noticed any great fighters. There babied to much. I don’t see anyone of my calibre. Manny Pacquiao yeah, i love watching him he trains with Freddie.

Anson Wainwright – What do you like to do when your not Boxing James?

James Toney – Oh play with my kids. My family is everything to me. I love my family, i cherish it.

Anson Wainwright – Do you have a message for your fans?

James Toney – I love you guys. I appreciate you guys. Keep watching my fights. For all the haters keep hating on me and spread hate.

Thanks for your time James, it’s much appreciated.

Anson Wainwright
15rounds.com

Exciting Philadelphian heavyweight, Joey Dawejko (2-0, 1KO) has been added to the Star Boxing promoted card, this Saturday night at the Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City. Dawejko will square off against Kimani Cunningham (0-2) over four rounds. The card is headlined by Shamone “The Truth” Alvarez (20-2, 11KO) taking on Alexis Camacho (17-2, 16KO) and will be broadcast live on GoFightLive.tv.

The 19-year-old Dawejko, who goes by the nickname “The Polish Thunder”, turned pro in September of last year after a very accomplished amateur career. As an amateur, Dawejko compiled a 56-12 record, winning the National Silver Gloves three times, the Ringside World Tournament twice, the National PAL tournament three times, and the 2008 Junior World Championship along the way. Dawejko has also gained valuable experience in the gym, sparring with former heavyweight champions, Samuel Peter and Hasim Rahman (Rahman along with Damien Klinger are managing Dawejko).

Dawejko has a very fan friendly style, which has made him a big local attraction throughout the Philadelphia area. With an impressive showing Saturday, Dawejko hopes to further expand his rapidly growing fan base.

“We were excited to be able to add Joey to the card,” stated Joe DeGuardia, CEO of Star Boxing. “We have heard he is a very exciting fighter, and really knows how to put on a great show, and those are exactly the type of fights we want to bring to our fans each and every time out.”

The card, promoted by Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing and sponsored by Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club, will be broadcast live on GoFightLive.tv . Tickets are priced at $100 (ringside), $50 and $30. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Star Boxing office at (718) 823-2000 or visiting www.starboxing.com. Tickets may also be purchased at any Ticketmaster outlet, www.ticketmaster.com, or at the Tropicana North Tower Box Office. The Tropicana Casino and Resort is located at 2831 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ and can be contacted by calling (609) 340-4000.

ABOUT STAR BOXING:

Star Boxing, Inc. has been in operation since 1992. Star Boxing has worked to produce some of the most exciting and memorable boxing events in recent history. Star has continued to work with and develop a number of very exciting world champions, world rated contenders and young prospects. Star has consistently brought credibility, integrity, and exciting fights to the boxing industry. For more information on Star Boxing, visit the official website at www.starboxing.com.

ABOUT TROPICANA CASINO & RESORT:

The Tropicana Casino & Resort is a 24-hour gaming destination located on the beach and Boardwalk. Featuring more than 2,100 rooms and suites and home of The Quarter, a 200,000 square foot entertainment complex, Tropicana is the premier resort in Atlantic City. With more than 20 restaurants, 25 shops, 12 bars and lounges, 2 pools, an IMAX Theatre and a spa, Tropicana is consistently rated as the “Must-See Attraction” in Atlantic City. For more information, visit the new official Web Site at www.tropicana.net For more exclusive discounts, current information, pictures, and video, be sure to check out the Tropicana on the Web at www.facebook.com/TropAC or follow us on Twitter twitter.com/TropicanaAC.

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Seven-time world champion and “Fighter of the Decade” Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao,General Santos,Philippines works out during media day at the Wildcard Boxing Club Wednesday as he winds down his training camp for his upcoming World Welterweight championship against challenger Joshua Clottey of Ghana. Top Rank’s “The Event”, will be held on Saturday,March 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas,Texas and televised live on HBO Pay-Per-View

Photos by Chris Cozzone/ Top Rank

In the biggest fight of his life Bobby Gunn showed up, fought his heart out, and was told he had had enough. With a world title opportunity lost, at age 35 it may have looked as though Bobby Gunn was finished, He’d like people to know he is far from.

“That fight was for the Ring world title, there are a lot of titles but everyone knows the Ring title is the only real one, very few men can say they have fought for it”

Thomasz Adamek earned a victory over the game Gunn, but failed to knock the New Jersey native down or stop him completely, as the Gunn corner made their desire to continue clear. Something of a consolation can be found in Adamek’s last two outings, where he stopped veteran Andrew Golota and outpointed Jason Estrada, at heavyweight.

“There were no knockdowns in that fight and I felt like I could have kept going and won a couple more rounds if it would have continued. I got to see him recently and he was about 220, I told him I was glad he wasn’t that big when we fought! He laughed and gave me a hug I really like the guy, it’s nothing against him but I didn’t agree with the ruling that night.”

Gunn may have had a chance to peer into his own future that night however, when he watched Ran Nakash do battle on the same card.

“A fight with Ran Nakash is in negotiations and I really like that fight. He’s 22-0 and it will be a great opportunity for me, it will be a great fight.”

A win over the undefeated Nakash would springboard Gunn right back into title contention and that is something he goes into this fight fully aware of.

“If I fight this guy Nakash and get the win I could be fighting for a world title again by the end of the year, I’d love to fight the Cunningham- Godfrey winner.”

Prior to the whisperings of a showdown with Ran Nakash Gunn was offered a bout in Nigeria with Bash Ali, an opportunity he also would have savored. Traveling to Africa would have been a rare opportunity, and a nice pay day.

“They offered me a number I couldn’t refuse but just my luck the fight fell through because of the things going on with their president. How would the president effect boxing? Well the fight was funded by the Nigerian government so things just didn’t work out.”

If anything can be learned through Bobby Gunn’s story it is that it’s never over until you decide it is. Having a world title opportunity fall through his fingertips by way of controversial stoppage, and missing out on a major pay day in Nigeria, Gunn still finds himself in the driver’s seat. In a sport where one shot can make or break an outcome Bobby Gunn has more than a puncher’s chance against Ran Nakash, but with Gunn’s power one shot may be all it takes. Now in position to put himself back into title contention Gunn offers east coast fans, and boxing enthusiasts across the country something that is easy to root for.

At 36 years old Gunn insists he feels the best he ever has and aims for another run at the title. With his previous conqueror finding success in the heavyweight division , he sees the cruiserweight door as wide open and has a message to relay to his fans.

“Just when you think it’s over, it’s just beginning”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the April 10th co-feature bout between IBF Light Heavyweight champion Yavoris Clous and Glen Johnson is off citing a hamstring injury to Cloud plus the champion signing a promotional deal with Don King.

“I got a call at literally 10 at night [Monday] from a representative of King [Roy Langbord] saying King did a deal with the kid,”Said Lou DiBella told ESPN.com on Tuesday night from Miami, site of the Wednesday news conference. DiBella is promoting the April 10 double header that will also feature AndreBerto defending hs WBC Welterweight title against Carlos Quintana. “I told him that Richie Boy Promotions was the kid’s promoter of record and that I had made deal for the fight with Glen. [Langbord] said there were issues and that King did a deal with Cloud, but that King would talk to me about doing a deal for the fight. I already had a deal for the fight. So I’m sitting there — I have a show on April 10, a press conference on Wednesday and a flight to Miami in 12 hours. What the [expletive] is going on here? I told [Langbord] to tell Don I have nothing to talk to him about.

“Ten minutes later I get a call back [from Langbord] saying Cloud is hurt. I was on the phone with his lawyer, with his manager and with his adviser. They said they had no idea about him being with King. They were in the blind about him doing a deal with King and to their knowledge he was healthy. He must have gotten hurt walking up the steps to King’s mansion to sign that deal.”

“I don’t know anything about any of that,” King told ESPN.com when told of DiBella’s version of events. “All I know is that the guy came to me five weeks ago and him and his manager [Jerry Attardi] told me they had no deal with anybody and they asked me to help and I said, ‘OK.’ We finalized the details. He signed with me and I didn’t know nothing about any of this.”

“This guy is hurt. He can’t even fight if he wanted to,” King said. “I told Lou [through Langbord] I’d be happy to have him fight Glen, but he can’t do it April 10. We’ll jump through hoops to fight Glen Johnson. But we asked for a medical exception from the IBF, the IBF granted an exception. It’s just a postponement of the fight. With or without me, Cloud wouldn’t be able to fight on April 10. So he’ll fight Glen Johnson as soon as the doctor clears him.”

“I had to make a decision in the middle of the night on whether I could save this fight and I didn’t think it could, so I turned to the most meaningful thing I could do and something that would also work for HBO,” DiBella said. “I was on the phone with Caballero’s people and we were in touch with Yordan’s people in Indonesia.”

“They got back to me quickly and they weren’t interested in the fight in this time frame,” DiBella said. “I had already locked in a doubleheader with the site and the promotional materials were done. So we made Caballero-Yordan overnight and changed everything.”

“There may be some lawsuits. I suffered damages,” DiBella said. “I don’t like litigating, but what went down was wrong and the way it went down was wrong.”

15rounds.com Claudia Bocanegra was on the scene when all the sparks flew between Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley as they announced their May 1st Mega Fight at a press conference in New York City—Click to see the biggest photo Gallery anywhere–also click each individual picture for enlarged pictures

15rounds in association with Gardenstatefightscene.com brings you our inaugural New Jersey pound for pound list, which will be updated on a regular basis. Unlike regular P4P lists, this one was a bit tricky, as many fighters are at different stages. In compiling the list, we factored resume with potential and what each fighter has left. Without further ado, here is who we think are New Jersey’s best.

1. Tomasz Adamek Heavyweight Secaucus: Adamek, easily Jersey’s best fighter, has impressed thus far since vacating his IBF/Ring Magazine Cruiserweight titles to move up in weight. The beloved Pole most recently took a competitive decision over 2004 US Olympian Jason “Big Six” Estrada, where he was hit a few more times than one would have liked.

Next up is an April 24 HBO showdown with heavyweight contender Cris Arreola in Arreola’s home state of California. This is fight fan’s dream, thus had been discussed within boxing circles in recent months since both men like to mix it up and have tremendous chins. Outside of a matchup with WBA champion David Haye, is there anything better that we could have asked for?

NEXT FIGHT: April 24 vs Arreola

2. Carlos Tamara Junior Flyweight North Bergen: Tamara went from a virtual unknown to one of the most talked about fighters locally after his stunning 12th round TKO over IBF Junior Flyweight champion Brian Viloria in the Philippines. Viloria, a Filipino-American, was up on points early, but Tamara rallied back late to end the fight in devastating fashion, giving him one of the best wins by a local fighter in years.

The 2004 Colombian Olympian was chasing a fight with WBO champion Ivan Calderon, but reports indicate Calderon has a fight lined up against another opponent in May.

NEXT FIGHT: TBA

3. Kendall Holt Junior Welterweight Paterson: Holt was shockingly stopped after six rounds by unknown South African Kaizer Mabuza last Saturday in Atlantic City. Holt was expected to win the fight – an IBF 140 lb eliminator – en route to taking on the winner of this weekend’s Juan Urango-Devon Alexander fight, but this wasn’t the case. Holt had a good opening round but after that, it went all down hill.

Mabuza took the fight over and Holt’s corner stopped the fight following the sixth. With back to back losses, especially considering how he lost to Mabuza, Holt has a tough road back. With that said if he can refocus himself and get back to the Kendall Holt who beat Demetrius Hopkins, he can still be a major player at 140 lbs.

NEXT FIGHT: TBA

4. Pawel Wolak Junior Middleweight North Arlington: The rapidly improving Wolak impressed in a virtual shut out victory January 23 at Madison Square Garden over once beaten Ishmail Arvin. Wolak’s defensive adjustments make him a potential player in the 154 lb division with another win or two. Since his last two fights have been on Top Rank’s most recent cards at MSG, expect him to return on the Miguel Cotto-Yuri Foreman undercard.

NEXT FIGHT: June 5?

5. Mike Arnaoutis Junior Welterweight/Welterweight Atlantic City: Arnaoutis dropped a debatable split decision to Tim Coleman December 3 in New York City. The bout wasn’t pretty, but Arnaoutis appeared to do enough to warrant a close decision. Unfortunately, two of the judges didn’t think so. Arnaoutis, who has struggled to make 140 lbs recently, is taking a risk by moving up to 147 lbs to challenge contender Delvin Rodriguez April 2 on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights. In addition to taking a tough fight in a new weight class, Arnaoutis is fighting at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT, where Rodriguez is a fan favorite. The cards are really stacked against him in this one.

NEXT FIGHT: April 2 vs Rodriguez

6. Shaun George Light Heavyweight Wayne: George is yet another local fighter who suffered a devastating loss last time out when he was stopped on July 10 by fellow 175 lb contender Chris Henry. George got off to a strong start but faded after the second round en rout to being viciously in round six. After some time off, George is reportedly back in the gym and close to signing with a new promoter. The talent is definitely there with George and at age 30, he can get right back into contention with a few notable wins.

NEXT FIGHT: TBA

7. Shamone Alvarez Welterweight Atlantic City: Alvarez fell just short last March against the aforementioned Rodriguez, dropping a split decision in an entertaining fight. The volume punching Alvarez also lost a decision to Joshua Clottey a few years back, which has caused some to question if he can truly hang with a top welterweight. He returns to the ring Saturday night in AC against hard hitting Alexis Camacho. A loss would likely destroy his career while a victory can help push him towards a minor title fight.

NEXT FIGHT: March 6 vs Camacho

8. Prince Badi Ajamu Light Heavyweight Camden: Ajamu was scheduled to face fringe contender Daniel Judah November 20, but surprisingly missed weight by 10 lbs, canning the fight altogether. Since then, he has been on a hiatus and his next move is unknown. Whether he fights on at cruiserweight (which appears likely since he is 38) or light heavy, he will be a handful for any contender/up and comer.

NEXT FIGHT: TBA

9. Jeremy Bryan Junior Welterweight Paterson: If this list was purely on potential, Bryan would easily be number one. He is a good boxer and has shown the ability to apply pressure as well. In his most recent bout, Bryan demolished Darren Fallen, decking the experienced veteran three times en route to a second round TKO.

Bryan is scheduled to return April 17 in AC as pat of the Kelly Pavlik-Sergio Martinez undercard and is definitely ready for a step up in competition. If he is victorious on the 17th, hopefully we can see him on an ESPN, ShoBox or Top Rank Live (who have a good relationship with Bryan’s promoter Pat Lynch) card in the near future.

NEXT FIGHT: April 17 vs TBA

10. Vivian Harris Junior Welterweight Carlstadt: Once upon a time Vivian Harris was the WBA champion and the most avoided man in the 140 lb division. Unfortunately for Harris, it seems all too long ago. Harris’ skills have greatly diminished and he honestly hasn’t been the same since getting viciously knocked out by Junior Witter in 07’. Since then, Harris had to come off the canvas twice to beat journeyman Octavio Narvaez, battled to a scary no contest with Noe Bolanos and was controversially stopped by unbeaten power puncher Lucas Matthysse on February 20.

Harris had a few good moments against Matthysse, but it’s clear he isn’t what he once was. Due to the controversial stoppage (the referee strangely halted the bout after Harris was buzzed by a single punch) a rematch appears in place for April 2 on ShoBox. His resume can get him a notable fight if he wins the rematch, but a loss would all but likely end his career.

NEXT FIGHT: April 2 vs Matthysse?

Honorable Mention:

Jorge Diaz Featherweight New Brunswick: Outside of Adamek, Diaz is the most entertaining fighter in Jersey. He returns March 20 against unbeaten Alejandro Lopez on a Top Rank Live card from Florida. His October 2009 knockout over Olympic Gold Medalist Yan Barthelemy was one of the best in recent memory.

Francisco Contreras Junior Welterweight Irvington: Contreras made a major statement in his National TV debut February 5, blowing away Juan Castaneda inside of one round on ShoBox. The cement fisted Contreras has been kept busy by promoter TKO Boxing. Hope to see more of him soon.

Bobby Gunn Cruiserweight Rochelle Park: Gunn captured the hearts of local fight fans with his gutsy performance against Tomasz Adamek on July 11. Gunn’s chin and willingness to mix it up with Adamek earned him more respect than all of his wins put together. Gunn recently notified us that he is targeting a showdown with unbeaten Ran Nakash and hopes the bout will take place in AC.

Patrick Majewski Middleweight Atlantic City: Majewski, an all action Pole, has solid wins over Latif Mundy and Jimmy Lubash. Like Adamek, his willingness to mix it up makes him worth the price of admission.

Jerson Ravelo Super Middleweight Newark: Talent wise, Ravelo is as good as anybody in Jersey, but many have questioned his ability to beat a top fighter (three of his four losses came to world champion Andre Ward along with contenders David Lopez and Allan Green) and how much he has left in the tank due to injuries. A self proclaimed refocused fighter, Ravelo hopes to surprise his harshest critics and show why he was a highly touted prospect coming out of the 2000 Olympics.

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

HAMILTON, NJ (MARCH 2nd, 2010)—On Friday night, March 26th a big night of boxing will commence from beautiful Hamilton Manor in Hamilton, New Jersey as Nadal Promotions LLC will showcase former four-time Super Middleweight world title challenger Omar Sheika, Cast member of the Contender Ahmed “Baby Face” Kaddour and perennial Welterweight contender Terrance “The Heat” Cauthen in separate co-features that will headline the eight bout card.

In one co-feature, Sheika of nearby Paterson, New Jersey will battle rugged vet, Jose “Macho” Medina in a eight round Light Heavyweight bout.

Sheika has a record of 28-9 with nineteen knockouts and is looking for one more big run as he is now campaigning in the Light Heavyweight division.

The thirty-three year old Sheika won his first fourteen bouts as he became a fan favorite by appearing on many nationally televised shows. After suffering his first loss, Sheika racked up six impressive wins in a row that included victories over two world champions in Simon Brown and Glen Johnson. Those wins catapulted Sheika into his first world title bout where he was stopped in five by the legendary Joe Calzaghe.

After the Calzaghe fight, Sheika went 3-1 and earned a shot at WBC champion Eric Lucas. Sheika dropped the unanimous decision and then went on two lose his two successive bouts.

Sheika went on a three fight winning streak to set up a shot at IBF champion Jeff Lacy. Sheika fought very well before dropping the unanimous decision (Sheika lost by just two points on two cards). That fight earned a trip to Germany and a fight with WBC Markus Beyer.

One again, Sheika came up just short and dropped a very close unanimous decision.

Since that fight, Sheika has gone 2-1 with the lone defeating being a stoppage loss to the great Roy Jones Jr. In his last bout, Sheika stopped Theo Kruger in eight rounds on Septermber 23rd in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Medina of Philadelphia has a very deceiving record of 15-17 with eleven knockouts.

Medina won his first nine fights, including eight by knockout.

After dropping back to back fights to Tybius Flowers and Nurhan Suleyman, Medina scored two more wins.

Medina started upping his level of competition and his wins became fewer and further in between.

Medina has lost to fighters such as Shamone Alvarez (10-0); Roberto Garcia (17-2); Perennial Middleweight contender David Lopez (29-12); Rasheem Brown (17-3); Marcus Johnson (13-0); Julio Garcia (40-3); Anthony Dirrell (14-0); Adam Hubinger (12-0); Isaac Rodriguez (13-0); Tyrone Brunson (20-0-1) and his last bout to Dyah Davis (16-1) on January 16th in Macon, GA.

In the second co-feature, former star of The Contender Season 1, Ahmed “Baby Face” Kaddour will battle underappreciated Jerome Ellis in a Jr. Middleweight bout scheduled for eight founds..

Kaddour is of Lebanese decent and spent time in Demark, Houston and has been training in New Jersey for this fight and he will bring in a record of 21-2 with nine knockouts.

Kaddour very quietly built up a record of 18-0 with nine knockouts before being picked for the Inaugural season of The Contender.

On the show, Kaddour showed an outgoing personality and quickly gained fans worldwide.

Unfortunately, Kaddour dropped his only fight on the show when he lost a unanimous decision to Ishe Smith (13-0). Kaddour came back on the show and dropped a five round unanimous decision to future Welterweight title challenger Alfonso Gomez (11-2-1).

Since the show, Kaddour’s career has been littered with inactivity as he has only fought four times in almost six years.

Kaddour won a eight round unanimous decision over Maxell Taylor (12-1) as part of the popular SHO Box series.

After a fourteen month layoff, Kaddour fought to a disputed draw with Jesus Valverde and just two months later he took an eight round split decision in the rematch.

Then after almost a three year break, Kaddour came back scored six round unanimous decision to Mike Ermis (6-7-2) last September 12th in Denmark.

Kadoour will be taking on the tough Jerome Ellis.

Ellis has a record of 12-10-2 with ten knockouts and like Medina, he has fought some very tough competition.

Ellis won his first five fights (including a split decision over Ed Peredes, who is now 24-3). Ellis then dropped two in a row which included a unanimous decision to then 14-2 Said Ouali.

After a 2-0-1 stretch, the native of Coconut Creek, FL lost to then hot prospect Anthiny Thompson (17-1) by unanimous decision. Ellis then scored an eighth round stoppage over Kevin Cagle (16-1) before dropping a six round unanimous decision to Irving Garcia (10-2).

Ellis scored three straight wins including upset stoppages over Felix Cepeda (7-0) and Neil Sinclair (28-4).

Ellis stepped up the competition as he has gone 1-6-1 in his last eight with some of those losses being to Future Middleweight title challenger Billy Lyell, Future Welterweight title challenger Miguel Angel Rodriguez (28-2); then undefeated prospect Henry Crawford (18-0-1); Hot welterweight prospect Antowne Smith (12-0-1). Ellis has a draw with welterweight contender Richard Gutierrez (24-2.) in Ellis last outing, he was stopped by hot prospect Shawn Porter (10-0) in four rounds on November 21st in Tunica, Mississippi

In the third eight round co-feature, Terrance “The Heat” Cauthen of nearby Trenton, New Jersey will battle Isam Khalil of Sweden.

Cauthen is a former U.S Olympian who has had a solid career fighting some of the better welterweights in the world and sports a record of 33-6 with nine knockouts.

Cauthen, a fourteen year pro started his career by winning fourteen consecutive bouts before being stopped by Teddy Reid on August 6th, 1999.

That did not deter Cauthen as he then went on to reel off eleven more victories to push his record to an impressive 25-1.

Cauthn then stepped it up and dropped two in a row including losing a decision to pound for pound resident Paul Williams.

Cauthen then went 6-0-1 including win over former U.S. Olympian Dante Craig.

He has gone 1-3 in his last four bouts as he has been in with Sechew Powell (21-1); Cauthen then defeated undefeated Alexis Camacho (16-0); but losses to Shamone Alvarez (19-1) and his most recent fight, which he was stopped by undefeated Canadian Antonin DeCarie (21-0) last October 3rd in Montreal.

This will be a huge step up for Khalil, who has an impressive record of 15-1-2 with nine knockouts.

He was undefeated in his first fifteen fights (13-0-2) until he was stopped in four rounds by rugged Doel Carrasquillo.

Since then, Khalil has won two in a row including a four round unanimous decision over Serjejs Savrinovics on March 27th, 2008 in Sweden.

This will be Khalil’s fourth fight in America after fighting in Sweden, England, Hungary, Germany, Finland and Spain.

That is not all the action scheduled for the card an exciting undercard has been put together which includes:

Alando Swain will make his pro debut in a four round Super Middleweight bout against an opponent to be named.

Billy Salser (3-0, 2 KO’s) battles Joe Njau (0-3) in a four round Light Heavyweight bout.

Marcus Smith (0-1) takes on Rami Ibraham (2-8-1) in a Lightweight bout scheduled for four rounds.

The big boys will get it on as Tomas Cabrera (1-2, 1 KO) and Bryant Jennings (1-0) will fight in a Heavyweight bout scheduled for four rounds.

Tickets for this great night of boxing can be purchased are priced at $125 (VIP with Dinner); $80 (Ringside) and $50 (General Admission) and can be purchased by calling The Hamilton Manner (609-581-6782); Nedals Inc. (609-396-3005); Kaars Inc (609-396-3000); and Nedal (609-227-6959)

First bout is 7:30 with doors opening at 6:30

The card will be broadcast on www.gofightlive.tv

The Hamilton Manner is located on 30 Route 156 off of Rout 130 in Hamilton, NJ

Vazquez-Sonsona; Mayol-Nino plus Allentown fights featuring Travis Kauffman now available on www.gofightlive.tv

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW YORK (MARCH 1, 2010)—This weekend’s biggest boxing events were captured by www.gofightlive.tv and it featured two world title fights that may have produced a new star in one and the second world title ended with controversy.

In Puerto Rico, Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. made history as he followed in the footsteps of his father as he destroyed highly regarded Marvin Sonsona from the Philippines.

Vázquez went after his man in the fourth and pinned him several times against the ropes using his jab and straight right hand until one of those right hands broke through Sonsona’s defense and hurt him. A follow up left hook to the body put Sonsona down for the full count and tonight, it was the Puerto Rican who made history by becoming part of the first ever Puerto Rican father and son duo to win world titles.

With the impressive victory, Vázquez earns his first belt and improves his record to 18-0-1 15KO’s while Sonsona loses his first one and goes to 14-1-1 12KO’s. After the fight, Sonsona told the press he made the mistake of trading with the man he now knows to be a strong puncher. Still he insisted he would remain in the weight class where he says he feels strong.

The scene then shifted to Mexico as Rodel Mayol and Omar Nino battled for the WBC Light Flyweight title.

It was a solid fight until Nino hit Mayol with a low blow in round three. While Mayol stopped and waited for referee Vic Drachulich to intervene, Nino knocked Mayol out cold with a vicious left hook. Mayol left the fight on a stretcher and the bout was ruled a draw.

Those bouts plus four more big fights can be viewed for just $9.99 on www.gofightlive.tv by clicking:

http://www.gofightlive.tv/showEvent.do?eventId=604

outside of the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the Philippines.

Kauffman, Cintron Dominate in Allentown, PA

Two of Reading, PA’s native sons made their triumphant returns to the ring last night as Travis Kauffman and Jason Cintron scored dominant wins over their opponents at the Rodeway Inn & Conference Center in Allentown, PA. King’s Promotions, who promoted the first boxing event in Allentown in two years, were proud to announce the event was a tremendous success as all 800 available seats were sold out.

In the heavyweight main event, Travis Kauffman boxed and banged his way to a shutout unanimous decision over Mike Miller. Kauffman, 228, came out in the first round looking to make a physical impression on the much larger Miller, 276, as he hammered hard body shots in the first round. Those body shots began to take their toll in the second round as Miller began to slow precipitously and allowed Kauffman to work his jab consistently.

Kauffman switched stances effortlessly and landed hard right hooks to the head and body. The durable Miller of Akron, OH absorbed thudding shots but remained standing for the duration of the fight. All three judges scored the fight 60-54 for Kauffman.

The win was Kauffman’s first fight back since losing a controversial fight with Tony Grano on Showtime last year.

“I was a little rusty and I wanted to get my rounds in,” said Kauffman, now 19-1 (15 KO). “I wish I had a little longer to train so I could have stopped him.”

Jason Cintron continued to put distance between himself and his only career loss by defeating Maurice Chalmers by unanimous decision. Cintron, 144, put Chalmers down hard with a right cross a minute into the first round but the defensive minded Chalmers held and survived. Cintron continued to box effectively and land hooks and right hands throughout that solidified the victory. Cintron moves to 12-1 (3 KO) while Chalmers drops to 7-10-1 (4 KO).

In other action, super-middleweight Farah Ennis of Philadelphia moved to 12-0 with a third round TKO of Emmanuel Gonzalez. Featherweight Coy Evans 7-0-1 (1 KO) of Philadelphia won a unanimous decision over a game Robert DaLuz. Allentown’s Eluid Torres raised his record to 3-1-2 (2 KO) with a third round knockout of John Willoughby. Derrick Webster of Glassboro, NJ moved to 5-0 (4 KO) with a fourth round stoppage of Pete Guthy.

The show can be seen in its entirety for just $4.99 by clicking:

http://www.gofightlive.tv/showEvent.do?eventId=626
———————————————————————————————————————

STAR BOXING THIS SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE FROM THE TROPICANA IN ATLANTIC CITY

Headlining the card is Atlantic City’s own former top rated contender, Shamone “The Truth” Alvarez (20-2, 11KO) taking on Lou Duva trained knockout artist, Alexis Camacho (17-2, 16KO) in a ten round welterweight showdown. In the co-feature bout of the evening, fan favorite, Vinny Maddalone (32-6, 23KO) will look to turn in one of his classic warrior-like performances when he squares off against Dominique Alexander (19-7-1, 9KO), in an exciting heavyweight matchup.

To Order the event live for just $6.99 Click:

http://www.gofightlive.tv/showEvent.do?eventId=589

Fresh off bringing ESPN Friday Night fights to Cleveland, Warner Promotions is teaming up with the Men’s Auxiliary from VFW Post 7647 & Old School Boxing Club, to bring boxing to northeast Ohio again, this time at the Soccer Sports Plex in North Olmsted on Saturday, April 24th!

This boxing event will have 12 fights, featuring both professional and amateur bouts! Headlining the card will be Dante Moore, a former USA Boxing Junior Olympic National Champion with a perfect professional record of 6-0, 4 KO’s! Also featured on the professional side of things will be Wilkins Santiago and Julius Leegrand! More pro fighters will be added to the card in the coming weeks as well!

There will also be live music performed by Jackie!!

Doors will open for this event at 6:00 PM, with the first fight scheduled to begin at 7:30.

Be sure to get tickets early as there are only 1,000 available! Warner Promotions last event drew over 2,000 people!!!

Tickets start at just $20! Tables are $600 and seat 8 guests. There are also limited $50 ringside seats available!

Tickets are available by calling 440-258-8117 or 216-854-0485. You can also pick up tickets at the North Olmsted VFW Hall or at the North Olmsted Soccer Sportsplex.

When you think of the Wild Card in Los Angeles you think of Manny Pacquiao first and formost, however there are fighters behind the scene’s who though only fledgling pro’s would appear to have obvious talent. One of those guys is Dean “The Irish Lightening” Byrne 11-0(4). Bryne 25, hails from Crumlin in The Republic of Ireland first debuted in early 2006 in Australia having had his first six fights there he moved to California and hooked up with Freddie Roach and has had 5 fights so far in America. Here’s what one of The Wild Card’s top up and coming prospects had to say on various things.

Hello Dean, welcome to 15rounds.com

Anson Wainwright – Firstly congratulation’s you have very recently just become a proud father. How are things going?

Dean Byrne – Yeah its so great being a dad I have been blessed, he’s so good eats and sleeps. He was 2 hours old and posing for a picture with his fists like a fighter I guess he takes after his dad! Haha

Anson Wainwright – Your currently back in London because of the birth of the baby. When do you intend to head back to Los Angeles and then fight next?

Dean Byrne – I’m heading back to the States next week Wednesday my flight is. I can’t wait to get straight in to some hard work possibly fight in April I don’t no exacted date.

Anson Wainwright – You had your first 6 fights in Australia but then moved to Los Angeles and fight and live there now. How did a guy from Ireland end up fighting so far from home?

Dean Byrne – I travelled a lot as I was fighting for Ireland as an amateur we boxed in Australia and I met Johnny Lewes out there he saw me fight and asked me if i’d like to go pro and stay in Oz. It was a lovely place so I started my journey with a legend who trained Jeff Fenech Kostya Tzsyu and then wanted to work with me which was a good boost at the time and within 5 fights I became Australian champion so I proved him right I guess.

Anson Wainwright – Do you have any aspiration’s to one day fight in Britain?

Dean Byrne – Fight in Britain sure why not my boy was born here so I would probly like to fight here some day the 02 headlining a World title defence give the English fans an Irishman to talk a bout not just any Irishman Irish lightning.aka right now my dream is in America to be world champion and prove Freddie Roach right.

Anson Wainwright – Who is your manager, trainer & promoter?

Dean Byrne – Freddie Roach he’s my trainer and manager. Also Steven Feder manages me with Freddie and they have big plans for my future. I’m in talks now with big promoter in the States so I haven’t signed just yet in negotiations.

Anson Wainwright – Training at the Wild Card is obviously very exciting and beneficial to you because of the impressive clientele. What are you feeling about the guy and what it does for you as a person and fighter?

Dean Byrne – As a fighter in Wild Card it feels like nothing else, so many champions and so much respect it really makes you feel good to be part of that and you learn from the best what it feels like to train like the best and be humble and enjoy it.

Anson Wainwright – Your a Light Welterweight so you right in the thick of things as far as being the same size as Manny, Amir & Jose Benevidez. Do you train and spar with them? Can you tell us about these experience’s?

Dean Byrne – I’ve sparred with Pac-Man for 2 World title fights. Amir Khan for 2 of his big fights. It’s great to be part of a team that at such a world class level. I haven’t sparred Jose Benevidez yet I will do when i’m back there. It’s great to train and spare with pound for the pound best on the planet when I know I can hold me own and learn from them. It wont be long be for Irish Lightning is World champion and i’ll be a name people will know.

Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us about your amateur career. What titles you won and what was your final record?

Dean Byrne – My amateur career was not to bad over 100 fights have won 80% of them. I’ve had Silver and Bronze medals in multi-nation competitions representing my country at Senior level Irish champion Leinster Senior Champion.

Anson Wainwright – What are your goals in Boxing?

Dean Byrne – My goals are to be world champion and move up weights like Pac-Man and win as many as I can and be a name people will always remember.

Anson Wainwright – Who was your favourite fighter growing up?

Dean Byrne – My favourite fighters were Roberto Duran, Ray Leonard, Ali. Today my favourite is many Pacquiao.

Anson Wainwright – So far what is your best memory as a boxer?

Dean Byrne – Best memory is beating the Australian champion and winnng my first belt. Being Champion is a great memory.

Anson Wainwright – Finally when your not Boxing what do you like to do?

Dean Byrne – What I like to do when not boxing, play poker like the game only when i’m not in training for a fight of course.

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

Thank you for your time and wanting to no bout Irish lightning talk soon take care an god bless.

Anson Wainwright
15rounds.com

A few weeks ago, on February 5th and 6th, a monster snowstorm dumped over two feet of snow on Atlantic City, bringing much of the city to a standstill. The storm forced Star Boxing’s exciting event at the Tropicana Casino and Resort, to be postponed until Saturday March 6th. Although the storm was unfortunate, the majority of the card, including both the main event and co-feature bouts of the evening as well as almost the entire undercard, which feature many of the New Jersey area’s up and coming talent, remain intact for the March 6th date.

Headlining the card is Atlantic City’s own former top rated contender, Shamone “The Truth” Alvarez (20-2, 11KO) taking on Lou Duva trained knockout artist, Alexis Camacho (17-2, 16KO) in a ten round welterweight showdown. In the co-feature bout of the evening, fan favorite, Vinny Maddalone (32-6, 23KO) will look to turn in one of his classic warrior-like performances when he squares off against Dominique Alexander (19-7-1, 9KO), in an exciting heavyweight matchup.

“It was an unfortunate circumstance that we had to postpone the show in February,” stated Joe DeGuardia, CEO of Star Boxing. “Fortunately though, we were able to lock in the March 6th date at the Tropicana Casino and Resort, and the card has basically stayed the exact same as it originally was. I applaud the fighters for maintaining their focus and handling the postponement like the true professionals they are.

The card, promoted by Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing and sponsored by Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club, will be broadcast live on GoFightLive.tv . Tickets are priced at $100 (ringside), $50 and $30. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Star Boxing office at (718) 823-2000 or visiting www.starboxing.com. Tickets may also be purchased at any Ticketmaster outlet, www.ticketmaster.com, or at the Tropicana North Tower Box Office. The Tropicana Casino and Resort is located at 2831 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ and can be contacted by calling (609) 340-4000.

To Order the event live for just $6.99 Click:

http://www.gofightlive.tv/showEvent.do?eventId=589

ABOUT STAR BOXING:
Star Boxing, Inc. has been in operation since 1992. Star Boxing has worked to produce some of the most exciting and memorable boxing events in recent history. Star has continued to work with and develop a number of very exciting world champions, world rated contenders and young prospects. Star has consistently brought credibility, integrity, and exciting fights to the boxing industry. For more information on Star Boxing, visit the official website at www.starboxing.com.

ABOUT TROPICANA CASINO & RESORT:
The Tropicana Casino & Resort is a 24-hour gaming destination located on the beach and Boardwalk. Featuring more than 2,100 rooms and suites and home of The Quarter, a 200,000 square foot entertainment complex, Tropicana is the premier resort in Atlantic City. With more than 20 restaurants, 25 shops, 12 bars and lounges, 2 pools, an IMAX Theatre and a spa, Tropicana is consistently rated as the “Must-See Attraction” in Atlantic City. For more information, visit the new official Web Site at www.tropicana.net For more exclusive discounts, current information, pictures, and video, be sure to check out the Tropicana on the Web at www.facebook.com/TropAC or follow us on Twitter twitter.com/TropicanaAC.

Star Boxing

Tropicana Resort and Casino

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“Regard friendship as the greatest thing in the world; for there is nothing which so fits in with our nature, or is so exactly what we want in prosperity or adversity. But I must at the very beginning lay down this principle: Friendship can only exist between good men.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero, “Treatises on Friendship and Old Age”

There is a certain refreshing selfishness about prizefighting. Rare is the fighter who is admonished by the boxing community for pursuing his own best interests. The most we do is criticize a prizefighter for misapprehending those interests and allowing shortsighted greed to send him careering away from what’s memorable.

Because boxing has no league, there’s no chance for the disingenuous spectacle of a television spot in which a participant recounts his selfless donation of time to children or elderly folks (when he’s told he has to). The boxing ring abides no half truths, and as a rule you should believe all sacrifices in prizefighting end at the apron’s edge.

But there are exceptions. One happened a couple of Thursdays ago in Brooklyn. Friends gathered at New York’s St. Francis College to announce the creation of the Arthur Curry Scholarship Fund on what would have been Curry’s 50th birthday had he not perished from a staph infection on April 6. Curry was a long-time employee of HBO’s. The nature of his position, colleagues and friendships at the network provides a different perspective on our beloved sport.

Following his beginning in the mailroom – a corporation’s least auspicious starting line – Curry worked his way into a self-made position of liaison between his employer and its talent. That is, Curry represented HBO to the prizefighters that fought under its banner. Often his job was to join under the tent of his credibility those who practice the sincerest profession – prizefighting – with entertainers whose insincerity is high art, and managers and promoters whose insincerity is lowest art.

The role was essential because by the time a prizefighter gains esteem enough to fight on HBO, he’s distrustful – not always because he started that way. Most prizefighters come from backgrounds in which their would-be perpetrators don’t trifle with stylish presentations; those who would do them harm rush across the street and do so.

Not until a fighter has shown a superlative spark, then, does he get introduced to men who assure his best interests before they fleece him with punches he can’t see. The unscrupulous manager or promoter may be among the first men in a young prizefighter’s life who say they give a damn about him. That sort of hard-won trust gets violated, and the prizefighter finds it easiest to distrust everyone going forward.

Arthur Curry’s job was to speak to prizefighters in their language and establish enough trust between them and his employer that mutually beneficial shows could be put together. His role was not without self-interest. Curry was a company man, in the best sense of the term. He kept a closet’s worth of HBO apparel. He was immensely proud of his opportunity. He represented his network from a position of gratefulness impossible to fake.

Curry had seen enough fakes. Those who would remember him on his 50th birthday mentioned how deftly he detected a hustle. Curry’s youth had been a picture of urban inhumanity, a portrait of the cruelty perpetrated on young folks by areas overcrowded with poverty and immorality. So he saw instantly the sorts of hustles fighters might see and try to exploit, or fear.

What made Curry’s position unique, though, was that he offered prizefighters a good deal. Think of all the criticism HBO Sports has taken in the last decade, and ask yourself: Does any of it reduce to profiteering at fighters’ expenses? To its viewers’ occasional dismay, HBO has made a habit of overpaying for talent. Curry may have represented a large corporation that made money by broadcasting prizefights, but he sure didn’t represent any ruinously one-sided deals.

That’s part of the reason Roy Jones Jr. was the keynote speaker at Curry’s 50th birthday party. As distrustful a champion as we’ve seen in a generation, a man whose legacy was made on HBO, a man who was later fired by HBO, Jones spoke happily of his close association with a person introduced to him by HBO. That said a lot about Curry’s character. It also said a lot about the character of Roy Jones.

Today fundraising efforts for Chile officially commence. They enter a life-and-death struggle with efforts in behalf of Haiti. Both countries suffered earthquakes. Both countries are about to suffer man’s finite capacity for caring about others’ misfortunes. A last commentary on what made the St. Francis College event special: It happened almost 11 months after Curry’s passing.

In the days that immediately follow a friend’s death, we all make memorial plans. We often renege as time passes. No one blames us. Commemoration promises are part of grieving’s calendar and sometimes go better unobserved. But Roy Jones, HBO commentator Jim Lampley and writer Thomas Hauser, among others, deserve recognition for remembering and exemplifying Henry Ford’s definition of quality: “Doing it right when no one is looking.”

None of this says you need to cheer Jones in his next fight. You don’t need to agree with Lampley’s play-by-play. Go right ahead and rebut Hauser the next time he fires a broadside at HBO management. But also acknowledge the friendship they shared with Arthur Curry by nodding to Cicero and giving them the benefit of the doubt as good men.

Too, when you get a chance, google “Roy Jones, Jr. & Jim Lampley Celebrate Life of Arthur Curry” and watch their video. Boxing needs more men like Curry. You didn’t need me to tell you that.

But boxing also needs more of the men that make guys like Curry possible – the very purpose of the Arthur Curry Scholarship Fund.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter.com/bartbarry

WBC Light Welterweight Champion Devon Alexander takes time out of camp to talk to the guys on the Sunday Sizzler! Alexander will face Juan Urango who is currently the IBF title holder. Catch this excellent interview from focused and humble Alexander. In addition, JSizzle and New York Dan will bring your the top boxing stories,and 15Rounds.com Marc Abrams will be LIVE on air with fight recaps and previews! Catch the live show Sunday 4pm est, and On Demand replays anytime afterwards.

Bayamón, P.R. – History was to be made when “Marvelous” Marvin Sonsona of the Philippines fought Bayamón’s own Wilfredo “Papito” Vázquez Jr. for the WBO super bantamweight title. Sonsona was aiming to be the youngest two division champion from the Philippines while Vázquez Jr. was aiming to become part of the first father and son duo from Puerto Rico to be world champions. Apparently the near capacity crowd at the Rubén Rodríguez Coliseum was aware of this as they went crazy when Vazquez Jr. entered the ring flanked by local hip-hop stars and his father, former three division world champion, Wilfredo Vázquez and again when announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. presented the boxers.

Vázquez jabbed and avoided most of Sonsona’s single shots in the first and both fighters landed their respective straights but neither scored with any significant punches. Vázquez landed a counter right hand off the ropes in the second that appeared to cut Sonona under his left eye and ended the round landing several jabs and powerful right hands. Sonsona seemed distraught by the end of the round. In the third, Sonsona landed a straight left that gave him some confidence as he let his hands go a little more. Still, the Puerto Rican managed to work the body and land rights of his own on the now swelling eye of Sonsona.

Vázquez went after his man in the fourth and pinned him several times against the ropes using his jab and straight right hand until one of those right hands broke through Sonsona’s defense and hurt him. A follow up left hook to the body put Sonsona down for the full count and tonight, it was the Puerto Rican who made history by becoming part of the first ever Puerto Rican father and son duo to win world titles.

With the impressive victory, Vázquez earns his first belt and improves his record to 18-0-1 15KO’s while Sonsona looses his first one and goes to 14-1-1 12KO’s. After the fight, Sonsona told the press he made the mistake of trading with the man he now knows to be a strong puncher. Still he insisted he would remain in the weight class where he says he feels strong.

The newly crowned champion was very thankful to his father Wilfred Vázquez, his promoter Tutico Zabala, to his fans and to God whom he says is the one who deserves the glory. As emotional as he was, he was still very clear in the fact that this is his job and his purpose in boxing is not to be famous but to make a living for his family. Regarding his future plans, he stated that he would most likely oblige with the WBO’s mandatory defense in ninety days.

The night started off with Osenohad “Cano” Vázquez (2-1), 141lbs. of Vega Baja, P.R. taking on Jorge Pérez Adorno (1-2), 140.2lbs. of Bayamón, at the junior welterweight division and set for four rounds. Round one lacked any significant action. The second one saw both fighters let their hands go with Vázquez landing more efficiently with his straight right and left hooks. Pérez Adorno tried to be more active in the third but was persuaded otherwise by several powerful left hooks. The fourth was a more even round where Pérez Adorno managed to make “Cano” fight going backwards at which he was still fairly effective. Scores were 39-37 for Vázquez on all three judge’s cards.

Next up and also set for four rounds was Marcos Adorno (0-2), 155.2lbs. of Vega Alta, P.R. against southpaw Giovanni “Tarantula” Rodríguez (2-0, 2KO’s) 154.8lbs., Trujillo Alto, P.R. Rodríguez quickly got to his over matched and visibly out of shape opponent with several lefts and put him down in the very first. The referee stopped the bout at 1:58 after seeing Adorno wasn’t up for it.

Lightweights Efigenio Pérez (0-1), 145.8lbs. of Aguada, P.R. and Luis Joel González (3-0, 2KO’s) 140.4lbs. of Bayamón were next in a fight originally set for the lightweight limit. Rounds one and two were slow in action and drew boos from the crowd even though González seemed to be boxing well and landing often but refusing to stay in the mix. Pérez managed to land some good shots in the third but not enough to dissuade his opponent who put him down in the fourth with a powerful one-two combination. Pérez got up but the referee stopped it at 2:47 of the final round.

Kicking off the televised portion of the card were José Angel Beranza (32-16-2 25KO’s), 121.4lbs.of Ciudad Mexico, Mexico and Jonathan “Polbo” Oquendo (17-2 11KO’s), 122lbs.from Vega Alta, P.R. fighting for the WBO Super featherweight title. In the first, Oquendo scored a flash knockdown and worked the body well. The second and third saw “Polbo” use good movement to evade Beranza’s punches and one-two’s to set up nice uppercuts. In the fourth Beranza landed solid counter punches and managed to open a small cut under Oquendo’s right eye.

In the fifth and sixth rounds, Beranza started pressing the action and stalking Oquendo who was breathing through his mouth and seemed tired. Both rounds provided good exchanges but Beranza showed better condition. In the seventh round, Oquendo tried to box a little more but ended up trading rights with his opponent and scoring a dubious knockdown. Going into the eighth, Oquendo seemed gassed but came back with powerfull rights that got the crowd to its feet.

Rounds nine and ten were dictated by Beranza who, even when missing, was pressing the action and stalking a tired Oquendo who seemed content with only landing counter right hands. In the eleventh Beranza tried to take his man down but was caught with several good counters and over hand rights. The final round was definitely a Beranza round as Oquendo didn’t want to trade or take chances and simply survived the round. Scores were 118-108, 114-112 and 117-109 all for Oquendo.

Former Puerto Rican amateur star McJoe Arroyo, 118lbs., of Fajardo made his pro debut against Giovanni Rivera (0-2),118.2lbs. of Arecibo, P.R. in a bout set for four rounds. Southpaw Arroyo made himself felt quickly scoring a knockdown halfway through the round with a solid left hook. After being warned for a borderline low blow Arroyo tried to finish the bout but Rivera’s holding gave him another round. In the second, Rivera tried in vain to run but was again caught by a left hand that ended the bout. Time of stoppage was 0:25 of the second.

Arroyo said he felt comfortable and was ready to go six rounds. He promised his fans he would give his best to please them and thanked the crowd for the massive support they showed. The future hopeful started his career with a sweet stoppage although against an overmatched opponent.

Up next was former Puerto Rican Olympian Carlos Negrón, 186lbs.of Villalba facing Roy Ashworth (5-7, 1KO’s) 185lbs. of Louisiana in a bout set for six rounds. Negrón tagged Ashworth with a right hand and a left hook that sent the American down a minute and fifteen seconds into the fight. With 50 seconds left, Negrón again put his man down with a left to the body that made Asworth spit out his mouthpiece. With several seconds left in the round, two flush lefts to the chin ended the fight in spectacular fashion for the Puerto Rican who moves his record to 8-0 6KO’s. Negrón desperately needs better opposition and agreed with 15rounds.com when asked about it.

Next up was McWilliams Arroyo, 113lbs. brother of McJoe and the other half of the promising duo of amateur boxers from the island. He was set to face Eliecer Sánchez 114.1lbs of Corozal, Puerto Rico also making his pro debut for four rounds. Arroyo stalked Sánchez from the opening bell and eve though he missed several right hands, when two of them landed the bout ended. The referee called it off as soon as Sánchez went down as he appeared seriously hurt. Time was 1:45. Arroyo said he wanted to impress as much as his brother had two fights before and was happy with the outcome.

Mike Jones got off to a bit of a slow start but turned up the offense to cruise to a unanimous decision over Henry Brusles in a ten round Welterweight fight in front of a sold out crowd at Ballys in Atlantic City.

It was Bruseles who came out and boxed well in round one as he moved in and out and landed a couple shots to Jones’ 5’11” body. Jones started to get things going a little bit in round two when Jones started to land some quick shots inside. Over the next couple rounds, each man took turns controlling the action with Jones winning his round with the more emphatic punching while Bruseles would squeak by with by getting through using angles and pot shotting.

The fight clearly turned in round seven with Jones landing some quick lefts and then rocking Bruseles with a hard three punch combination. Over the final part of the fight, Jones was in control as he started pumping the jab two and three times to set up quick one-two combination’s and he began to pull away on the cards. Jones was very solid in the fight but probably wasn’t the dominating performance that many of the sold out crowd came to see.

Nonetheless, Jones won by scores of 98-92, 98-92 and 97-93 (same as the 15rounds.com/gofightlive.tv ringside card).

Jones, 146 ¾ lbs of Philadelphia is now 20-0. Bruseles, 147 lbs of Guarbo, Puerto Rico is now 28-4-1.

In the television co-feature, Gabriel Rosado and Saul Roman hooked up in an entertaining ten round Jr. Middleweight clash.

Rosado and Roman fought very hard with Roman coming forward for most of the bout and Rosado doing a tremendous job of countering with the right hand.

The action really picked up over the last half of the fight with Rosado firing off right hands that caused a stream of blood from around the left eye of Roman. For his trouble, Rosado was cut from the forehead. This was a battle of geography as Roman wanted to make this an inside tussle while Rosado wanted and most of the time successfully had his way at distance. In round eight, Rosado landed countless counters to offset a big left hand that Roman got through at the beginning of the round.

The last two rounds did not provide as much action as the previous entertaining eight frames but Rosado’s out was more than enough for Rosado who won the bout by split decision.
Scores were 96-94 on two cards for Rosado (15rounds.com/gofightlive.tv liked the counterpunching Rosado to the tune of 99-91) while a third card read 97-93 for Roman.

Rosado, 155 ½ lbs of Philadelphia is now 14-4. Roman, 155 lbs of Tijuana, Mexico is now 32-6.
The opening bout of the night could have been the end of the line for former WBO Jr. Welterweight champion Kendall Holy as Kaiser Mabuza bludgeoned him over six rounds of their scheduled twelve round IBF Jr. Welterweight elimination bout.

Holt actually had a decent first round as he landed some body shots and combinations. After that it was a downhill freefall for Holt as Mabuza would just walk Holt down and pound away on the ropes for the next five rounds. Holt began to bleed from the nose in round three. If one saw round two, then he saw all rounds after that as Holt did next to nothing basically let Mabuza have his way. The sixth round was a bad round for Holt as he spent nearly the whole round eating punches and swelling around the left eye was starting to form.

Holt’s corner decided to save their man from any more damage and called a halt to the action before round seven could commence.

Mabuza, 140 lbs of Johannesburg, South Africa now awaits the winner of next Saturday’s Juan Urango – Devon Alexander unification battle with a record of 23-6-3 with fourteen knockouts. Holt, 139 ½ lbs of Paterson, NJ is now 25-3.

Ariel Espinal landed two big rights in round three to drop Anthony Pietrantonio and in round four Espinal finished the job by landing four big head shots that forced referee Benji Estevez to call a halt to the action at 1:38 of round four of their scheduled six round Light Heavyweight bout.

Espinal, 181 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is now 7-12-3 with three knockouts. Pietrantonio, 171 lbs of Youngstown, OH is now 6-5.

Local favorite (and 15rounds.com blogger) Troy Maxwell made his large local throng of fans happy by scoring a four round unanimous decision over Todd Erkisson in a Super Middleweight bout.
Maxwell landed some big right hands and kept Eriksson at bay to cruise to the decision via 39-37 on all cards.

Maxwell, 168 lbs of Galloway, NJ is now 2-0. Eriksson, 166 ½ lbs of Dover, NJ is 0-3-1.
Good looking nineteen year-old prospect Glen Tapia scored a vicious knockdown just seconds into his scheduled four round Jr. Middleweight bout with Tyrone Miles and finished him off with a series of power punches that forced Esteves to stop bout just seconds into the fight.

Tapia, 152 lbs of Passaic, NJ is now 4-0 with three knockouts. Miles, 153 lbs of Camden, NJ is now 1-3.

Rugged vet, Ossie Duran scored a four round unanimous decision over Jamaal Davis in a Jr. Middleweight bout.

Scores were 40-36 on all cards for Duran, 155 lbs of Paterson, NJ and is now 24-8-2. Davis, 156 ½ lbs of Philadelphia is now 11-6.

Photos by Tom Brigila/ Top Rank

Antonio Escalante scored a ten round unanimous decision over Miguel Roman in a thrilling fight at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas.

Escalante showed his class throughout as he brawled very nicely against the tough as nails Roman, who kept coming forward. Escalante consistently landed combinations andwas especilly effective with the left hook. He mixed up his shots evenly to the head and body. The two engaged in many exchanges where Roman would come forward winging wide shots and Escalante would get through with crisper punches.

Escalante continued to land flurries and that did not deter Roman from coming forward. In round eight, Escalante landed a body shot that was followed by a leaping right hand that sent Roman to the canvas which thrilled Escalante’s hometwon fans. All that work briefly fatigued Escalante because over the next four minutes, Roman had his best output of the fight as his aggressive nature was not met with the same resistance of the previous eight rounds. The one minute respite in between round’s nine and ten seemed to do the trick for Escalante as he finished strong as he and Roman battled all the way to the bell.

Escalante (Ranked # 8 by 15rounds.com at 122 lbs) 126 lbs of El Paso, Texas won by scores of 97-92, 97-92 and 96-93 to raise his record to 22-2. Roman, 126 lbs of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico is now 28-7.

Unbeaten Jr. Welterweight prospect Danny Garcia was in with his toughest foe to date and his fight with Ashley Theophane but Garcia hung on to win a split decision in a ten round bout.

This fight was about what the judges liked between Garcia’s punching in and out with some solid counter punching or Theophane’s awkward style. Garcia was a bit more active and landed the more telling blows and got the nod despite being docked a potentially critical point in round nine for a low blow and won by scores of 96-94, 95-94 while Theophane took a card 95-94.

Garcia, 141 lbs of Philadelphia is now 16-0. Theophane, 140 3/4 lbs of London, UK is now 25-4-1.

Carlos Vinan scored a debatable split decision over local favorite Victor Vazquez in the six round Lightweight main event at The Arena in South Philadelphia.

Vazquez came out early firing some solid combination’s and punctuated round one with a nice uppercut at the bell. Vazquez landed some nice right hands in round two. He was getting through with the over hand right and seemed to be finding a home for that punch. Vinan finally started getting into the fight as he started to be effective with shots to the body. The action really picked in round four as both landed some good shots before a furious final half minute where the two stood toe to toe that delighted the Pro-Vazquez crowd.

Over the last two rounds, Vinan landed several solid straight right hands down the middle as the tough veteran continued to press the action. The rounds were very close and the fight could have gone either way but it felt like Vazquez did a little more for the victory.

When the scores were read, it was surprising to hear that Vinan took two cards by scores of 59-55 and 58-56 while a third card was almost as absurd as it was ruled that Vazquez took every round via a 60-54 tally. 15rounds.com/gofightlive.tv card saw 58-56 for Vazquez.

Vinan of Newark, New Jersey scored his second upset in The Arena (he previously beat undefeated Featherweight Prospect, Eric Hunter in the same venue) and is now 9-8-3. Vazquez of Philadelphia falls to 11-4.
In the co-feature, Kareem “Cool Breeze” Cooley took the decision out the judges hands as he scored a third round stoppage over Sidell Blocker in their scheduled four round Lightweight bout.

Cooley moved well and was effective the right hand. In round three, Cooley landed a perfectly timed counter right over the top that dropped Blocker. Blocker got to his feet but the fight was waved off at 1:12 of round three.

Cooley of Philadelphia, trains out of the Joe Hand Boxing Gym and is now 1-0. Blocker is 0-2.
Juan Rodriguez scored a third round knockdown en route to a four round unanimous decision over Dontre King in a Welterweight bout.

Rodriguez dropped King with a flurry of huge shots to the head and never looked back as he win by scores of 40-35 on all cards.

Rodriguez of Union City, NJ is now 2-0. King of Cumberland, MD is 1-6-1.

In a female four round Featherweight bout, Elizabeth Sherman scored a four round unanimous decision over Karen Dulin.

Sherman, 124 lbs of Philadelphia is 2-0. Dulin, 126 ½ lbs of Mystic, CT is now 1-5.

Anthony Yoder Jr. scored a four round unanimous decision over Francisco Portillo in a Lightweight bout.

Scores were 40-36, 40-36 and 39-37 for Yoder, 134 lbs of Vineland, NJ to win his pro debut. Portillo, 132 lbs of West Virginia is now 0-2.

Bryan Jennings made a successful pro debut by outpointing Zeferino Albino over four rounds in their heavyweight bout.

Scores were 40-36 on all cards for Jennings, 218 lbs of Philadelphia. Albino of Philadelphia is now 3-10-2.

Lavarn Harvell made quick work of Randy Campbell by scoring a first round stoppage in their scheduled four round bout featuring undefeated fighters.

Harvell dropped Campbell early in the round from a straight right hand. Harvell then jumped all over Campbell and landed a barrage of punches that forced referee Blair Talmidge to call of the bout just 1:52 into the fight.

Harvell, 173 lbs of Atlantic City, NJ is now 5-0 with two knockouts. Campbell, 171 lbs of Bowertown, OH is now 3-1.

In an action filled four round Lightweight bout, Angel Ocasio remained perfect on the strength of a second round knockdown to score a unanimous decision over Osnel Charles.

Ocasio dropped Charles in round two from a solid left hook. Charles showed a lot of moxey as he came on strong and was involved in some nice exchanges but Ocasio’s work rate combined with the knockdown were the catalysts for the unanimous decision by scores of 39-36, 39-36 and 38-37.
Ocasio of Philadelphia is 2-0. Charles of Atlantic City is now 1-2.

Boxing returns to Philadelphia on Friday night April 2nd with a big night of action presented by Vernoca L. Michael and Blue Horizon Boxing Inc. at The Legendary Blue Horizon

The following week, Greg Robinson’s Power Productions returns to The Arena on Friday Night April 9th

WBO Super bantamweight title
MARVIN SONSONA – 121.4 lbs. VS. WILFREDO VÁZQUEZ JR – 122 lbs.
General Santos City, Filipinas (14-0-1, 12KOs) Bayamón, Puerto Rico (17-0-1, 14KOs)
TRUNKS: TRUNKS:
CORNER: CORNER:

WBO Latino super bantamweight title
JOSÉ ÁNGEL BERANZA – 121.4 lbs. VS. JONATHAN OQUENDO – 122 lbs.
Ciudad México, México (32-16-2, 25KOs) Vega Alta, Puerto Rico (17-2, 11KOs)
TRUNKS: TRUNKS:
CORNER: CORNER:

6 rounds 185lbs.
ROY ASHWORTH – 185 lbs. VS. CARLOS NEGRÓN – 186 lbs.
Louisiana, USA (5-7, 1KOs) Villalba, Puerto Rico (7-0, 5KOs)
TRUNKS: TRUNKS:
CORNER: CORNER:

4 rounds 112lbs.
ELIECER SÁNCHEZ – 114.25 lbs. VS. MCWILLIAMS ARROYO – 113 lbs.
Corozal, Puerto Rico (PRO DEBUT) Fajardo, Puerto Rico (PRO DEBUT)
TRUNKS: TRUNKS:
CORNER: CORNER:

4 rounds 118lbs.
GIOVANNI RIVERA – 118.2 lbs. VS. MCJOE ARROYO – 118 lbs.
Arecibo, Puerto Rico (0-2) Fajardo, Puerto Rico (PRO DEBUT)
TRUNKS: TRUNKS:
CORNER: CORNER:

4 rounds 135lbs.
EFIGENIO PÉREZ – 145.8 lbs. VS. LUIS GONZÁLEZ – 140.4 lbs.
Aguada, Puerto Rico (PRO DEBUT) Bayamón, Puerto Rico (2-0, 1KOs)
TRUNKS: TRUNKS:
CORNER: CORNER:

4 rounds 154lbs.
MARCOS ADORNO – 155.2 lbs. VS. GIOVANNI RODRÍGUEZ – 154.8 lbs.
Vega Alta, Puerto Rico, (0-1) Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, (1-0, 1KOs)
TRUNKS: TRUNKS:
CORNER: CORNER:

4 rounds 140lbs.
OSENOHAD VÁZQUEZ – 141 lbs. VS. JORGE PÉREZ ADORNO – 140.2 lbs.
Vega Alta, Puerto Rico (1-1) Bayamón, Puerto Rico (1-1, 0KOs)
TRUNKS: TRUNKS:
CORNER: CORNER:

When Edison “Pantera” Miranda 33-4(29) steps into the ring next month and will try to win a world title at the second attempt when he faces Lucian Bute for Bute’s IBF Super Middleweight title. The fight will take place on home territory for Bute in Montreal. Miranda hopes capitalise on this fantastic opportunity which goes out on HBO. Miranda is used to fighting with his back to the wall in both life and the ring, the bigger the challenge the more he likes it. He’s an all action knock out artist who can back up his words more often than not. Miranda 29, is a highly entertaining fighter who fans and media a like enjoy watching. Previously he’s come up short in some of his biggest fights losing twice to Arthur Abraham PTS12 where he broke Abraham’s jaw and then LKO4. He also lost to Kelly Pavlik KO7 & Andre Ward PTS12. This fight gives Miranda the chance to prove he’s not a nearly man anymore. You can bet on one thing there will be fireworks in Montreal on 17 April.

Hello Edison, welcome to 15rounds.com

Anson Wainwright – Firstly congratulation’s on getting the opportunity to fight Lucian Bute for the IBF 168 title. What do you think of that fight?

Edison Miranda – I am very excited for this opportunity. Bute is a great fighter and has a big heart. I will need to be at my best to defeat him.

Anson Wainwright – What do you think Bute does well and what do you think you can capitalize on?

Edison Miranda – He likes to fight and so do I. It will be a very good fight for the fans. He makes mistakes and we are working on taking advantage of these.

Anson Wainwright – You were scheduled to fight Robert Stieglitz for his WBO title in January but became ill. What can you tell us about this?

Edison Miranda – I was very upset having to cancel that fight. I was so much looking forward for the chance to fight in Germany again and in front of all the European fans. We had been training very hard and I had gotten sick. We tried to work through it slowly, but it just kept getting worse. I finally got to the point where I couldn’t even get out of bed. I wanted to train and stay in shape but it was not possible.

Anson Wainwright – Since we last spoke i believe you have changed trainers and now train with Joe Goossen in L.A. How did the change come about? What difference has this made to you?

Edison Miranda – I have always had great respect for Joe Goossen. I got to meet him and talk with him when I was in Oakland to fight Andre Ward. After that fight I felt in my heart it was time to make a change. Jose Bonilla is a fantastic trainer and he is like a father to me. I still talk to him almost every day. My managers and I both liked Joe Goossen for me and we set up a time to meet and it felt great. I knew very quickly that Joe would be a trainer that could get me to the next level. I feel like a new boxer already. People will see what Joe Goossen has done for me on April 17th.

Anson Wainwright – What do you think of the Super Six tournament that they are showing on Showtime? Who has impressed you and who do you think will win it?

Edison Miranda – I have said from the beginning that Andre Ward will beat Abraham in the finals.

Anson Wainwright – You have inside information having fought three of the six fighters in the Super Six. Who do you think will win the upcoming fights between Abraham-Dirrell, Ward-Green & Froch-Kessler?

Edison Miranda – Abraham will KO Dirrell. Ward will beat Green, but it will not be as easy as most people think. Don’t sleep on Allen Green. He is a very strong fighter. Froch will beat Kessler.

Anson Wainwright – Who do you consider to be the best fighter you have fought so far and why?

Edison Miranda – Andre Ward is the best fighter. I was in great shape for that fight. I would have beaten almost anyone else. He surprised me with his incredible athleticism. Andre will go on and be a great fighter for many years. After I beat Bute, maybe we can have a rematch when the tournament is over! With Joe Goossen helping me, I think we can expose his weakness.

Anson Wainwright – You are known as a big puncher having KO’d 29 of your 37 opponents leading to a 78% KO rate but which knock out do you consider your best and why?

Edison Miranda – Although my knockout of David Banks is considered to be one of the highlight KOs of all time, I still consider my stoppage of Howard Eastman to be my most memorable stoppage. That was the day people learned the name Edison Miranda and my power was no longer questioned. After April I may have a different answer for this question (laughing).

Anson Wainwright – You fought in Britain last March, can you tell us about that experience?

Edison Miranda – The people in London are very friendly and supportive. It was a small fight in York Hall. A place with much history in boxing. My hopes were to maybe return there someday and face Carl Froch. He and I would put on a great fight for the fans in Britain.

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

Edison Miranda – I want to thank my fans for sticking with me. It has been a rough ride these past few years and I know that I have let them down. My concentration since my loss to Andre Ward has been on boxing and I stay very focused. My switch to Joe Goossen has been better then I could have ever dreamed. If anyone is going to be in my corner to help me become a champion, Joe is the right man for the job. I am sure that Bute is training very hard and not looking past me. I promise to give him the fight of his life and a war for the fans to enjoy.

Thanks for your time Pantera, good luck on 17 April.

Anson Wainwright
15rounds.com

Victor Ortiz scored a stoppage win in the tenth and final scheduled round over Hector Alatorre in a Welterweight bout at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles, CA.

Ortiz dominated the bout as he systematically won every round from the tough Alatorre.

In the final round, Ortiz came out “Guns A Blazing” as he landed some hard left hands that set up a big right that floored Alatorre. Alatorre reached his feet but the fight was waved off fifty-one seconds into the final round

Ortiz, 143 3/4 lbs of Ventura, CA nowwill look for a May 15th fight with Nate Campbell with a record now that reads 26-2-1 with twenty-one, CA. Alatorr, 143 lbs of Tulare, CA was stopped for the first time and is now 16-9.

Charles Huerta scored a six round majority decision over Guadalupe De Leon in a Featherweight bout.

De leon was tough and kept coming forward but Huerta landed the more telling blows and won by scores of 59-55, 58-56 and 57-57.

Huerta, 125 3/4 lbs of Paramount, CA is now 13-1. De Leon, 126 1/4 lbs of Mission, TX was coming off an upset win over Derrick Wilson who ironically was the only man to defeat Huerta and is now 8-10.

Luis Ramos Jr. remained undefeated by scoring a four round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Walter Estrada.

Ramos had a little difficulty adapting to the lanky southpaw of Estrada but won all scores by shutout 40-36.

Ramos, 135 lbs of Santa Ana, CA is now 14-0. Estrada, 135 1/4 lbs of Barranquilla, Colombia is now 35-12

Timing and circumstances haven’t been kind to Joshua Clottey. He isn’t Floyd Mayweather, Jr., the welterweight everybody wanted to see against Manny Pacquiao on March 13.

Instead, Clottey has been cast as the substitute, which to a cynical public only means he isn’t Mayweather and he doesn’t have a chance against Pacquiao on a night when Cowboys Stadium in the Dallas metroplex might be the biggest attraction.

If he doesn’t feel like last season’s Detroit Lions or St. Louis Rams, then Clottey knows what it is to have been one of those replacement players in the last NFL work stoppage. In 1987, none of those guys belonged there and that’s exactly what you hear and read these days about Clottey. Pacquiao is supposed to kick him around like the soccer ball Clottey used to chase as a kid in Ghana.

Fair? I don’t think so. Then again, I’ve been wrong about these things before. I actually thought Juan Manuel Marquez was skilled, smart and tough enough to challenge Mayweather. After watching Mayweather humble Marquez through 12 one-sided rounds in September, I wondered if I had been kicked in the head one too many times.

Nevertheless, I like Clottey, perhaps not enough to pick him over Pacquiao, especially without a familiar trainer in his corner. He split with Kwame Asante after his loss by split decision in June to Miguel Cotto over a reported disagreement over money. Then, Godwin Kotay, also of Ghana, was denied a U.S. visa. Instead of Asante or Kotay, cut-man Lenny DeJesus will take the lead in Clottey’s corner.

In front a potential crowd of 45,000 and against Pacquiao’s varied skills and dangerous power, an unfamiliar face in the corner looms as a problem, especially when – not if – Clottey is in trouble.

Still, Clottey’s size, strength and durability are enough to make it difficult for Pacquiao, whose motivation could have taken a hit when an agreement to fight Mayweather fell apart because of demands that the Filipino icon undergo Olympic-style blood-testing for performance-enhancers.

Pacquiao also will jump directly into a rough-and-tumble political campaign in the Philippines after the fight.

In part, the public’s lack of any respect for Clottey might be a spillover from disgust at the abortive negotiations for Pacquiao-Mayweather. Fans and media are still angry. What they have forgotten, however, is just how close Clottey came to an upset of Cotto in front of the Puerto Rican’s loyal New York fans at Madison Square Garden.

“I did not lose the Cotto fight,’’ Clottey said Thursday during a conference call from his training camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Maybe not.

But Clottey also didn’t do enough in the last couple of rounds to convince anybody at ringside that he deserved more than a draw. That, like the victory he still thinks he deserves, eluded him. Clottey has been criticized for not throwing enough punches, which could quickly leave him with a deficit on the scorecards against Pacquiao’s whirlwind pace. But he is confident he can make his power count.

“I am not a flyweight,’’ Clottey said during the conference call, which will be followed by one Friday with Pacquiao. “I’m not a bantamweight. I’m a welterweight. I throw punches that connect.’’

As a natural welterweight, unlike the smaller Pacquiao (5-foot-6 ½), the 5–8 Clottey might have enough leverage to inflict some damage. Before Pacquiao’s 12th-round stoppage of Cotto in November, the Filipino’s trainer, Freddie Roach, said Clottey’s punches almost made Cotto quit during the ninth round.

“The more I play it over, the more I realize how competitive this is and that nobody with any certainty can predict the result,’’ said Top Rank’s Bob Arum, who promotes both fighters. “Everybody knows how Manny Pacquiao fights. Everybody knows the angles from which he throws punches.

“And everybody knows that Joshua Clottey is a tremendous defensive fighter and can put a real hurt on an opponent. And everybody knows that Joshua Clottey is the bigger man and Manny is the smaller man. There is talk about Manny going up in weight. But he really hasn’t. He couldn’t make 130 pounds anymore, He fought at 135. He was 138 when he fought (and knocked out) Ricky Hatton.

Now, he goes into the ring at 142 or 143 pounds on the scale and that’s not because he’s putting on weight. That’s because he has breakfast and lunch before the weigh-in. If he had to, he’d still make 135 pounds. So, the idea that he’s a big man is just not true.

“Joshua has the size. He’s the natural welterweight. Manny Pacquiao isn’t. That’s the intrigue in this fight.’’

The intrigue, at least, doesn’t include more of the noisy debate about blood-testing for performance-enhancers. Clottey, ever the gentleman, said he did not and would not demand the Olympic-style testing that Mayweather says he and every one of his future opponents, including Shane Mosley on May 1, will undergo.

“No, I don’t want to do that, because I respect him so much,’’ Clottey said. “He is a very nice guy. I feel comfortable around him. He’s respectful of everybody. I don’t think Manny Pacquiao did that thing. I trust him.”

If only, Clottey could enjoy some of that same trust. He’s not Mayweather. But, trust me, he’s a better fighter than people think.

PHILADELPHIA (FEBRUARY 25TH, 2010)—This weekend, three members of the highly regarded Joe Hand Boxing Gym will have big bouts in three different venues in the Delaware Valley.

First off, on Friday night, former Jr. Welterweight contender, Michael “No Joke” Stewart will take on Brandon Baue at Dover Downs in Dover, Delaware in an eight round Welterweight bout.

Stewart of nearby New Castle, Delaware is looking for one last run as the former USBA Jr. Welterweight champion, has been working very hard at The Joe Hand Boxing Gym and looks re energized under the guidance of trainer’s Danny Davis and Tommy Barnes.

Stewart has a record 44-7-2 with twenty-three wins coming by knockout.

The thirty-two year old is on a two fight winning streak with his previous outing being a six round unanimous decision over Louie Leija on November 7th in Atlantic City.

Just up I-95 on Friday night, Fans at The Arena in Philadelphia, fans will be able to witness the long awaited pro debut of Kareem “Cool Breeze” Cooley in a four round Lightweight bout against Sidell Blocker of Atlantic City.

Cooley, 22 years-old of Southwest Philadelphia was a decorated amateur as he amassed an impressive record of 110-10 before taking a couple years off due to injuries.

He has been back in the gym training real hard under the watchful eye of his grandfather and former pro fighter Roland Cooley and Ron Hammonds.

Cooley is managed my Doc Nowicki and Joe Hand Sr.

Then on Saturday, the attention shifts to the boardwalk in Atlantic City where the hottest prospect in America in Welterweight Mike “MJ” Jones steps up to face his toughest test in perennial contender Henry Bruseles of Puerto Rico.

Jones of Philadelphia is on the brink of a significant or world title fight has been the talk of the Philadelphia boxing scene with his dynamic abilities that have catapulted him to a perfect record of 19-0 with sixteen knockouts.

Jones has been named prospect of the year by several publications and with a win over Bruseles he will be looked at as a contender for anyone in Welterweight division. Bruseles has won seven straight fights over a five year span since his last defeat to Floyd Mayweather in 2005.

The bout from Ballys in Atlantic City can be seen nationally on Fox Sports Net and Fox Sports Espanol.

Before heading to training camp in Newtown, PA, Jones is known for his vigorous workouts at The Joe Hand Boxing Gym in Philadelphia.

Jones is trained by Vaughn Jackson, managed by Doc Nowicki and Jim Williams and promoted by Russell Peltz and Joe Hand Sr.

ABOUT THE JOE HAND BOXING GYM

Started by Joe Hand Promotions in 1983, the Joe Hand Boxing Gym has been a community landmark for over 25 years. Joe Hand, Sr., a retired Philadelphia police officer, saw the gym a safe place for Philly’s children and young adults to come and hone their skills in boxing or spend time learning computer skills for their futures.

A world of opportunity is right here, as kids are mentored by educators and athletes, guiding them down what can be a difficult path. The Joe Hand Boxing Gym offers regulation boxing arenas, brand new equipment, and a modern computer center where children from the community can participate in the education process, whether or not they’re interested in learning how to box.

Location:
543-547 North Third Street
Philadelphia, PA 19123

Phone: 215-271-4263

It’s Thursday now, 2 days to the fight. I can honestly say I am in the best shape I’ve ever been in for a fight thus far in my life. I am already on weight! You know someone recently asked me, what’s the difference from fighting in MMA? Why did you start boxing? See in MMA I fought because I wanted to open my own gym eventually, and needed the experience. I never really saw it as a way to make a living or a future. It didn’t matter what the outcome was I just had fun. That’s the difference I guess in boxing. I can see a future; there is something at the end of the finish line. I like that in boxing every fight counts. There is no option but to win.

Since I started boxing one year ago, people have got behind me in a strong way. I am building a huge fan base and most of my MMA fans have followed me out of the cage and through the ropes. I can’t wait till Saturday; anticipation is already boiling in my blood. I truly love to fight, and I love the pressure it puts on you. I love the way the fans come alive with emotion. South Jersey has been great to me since moving down here. I grew up in Perry County, Pennsylvania and after my time in the Coast Guard I stayed down here to train. It’s been six years and a blast and it’s my home away from home.

I have recently got my first sponsor in Maxwell Construction. This is a huge deal for me as I grew up around men working hard to earn a living. I admire how hard these guys who go out and brave the elements all day and sometimes half the night to put food on the table. I reflect often when feeling tired at the gym about my Pop working constantly just to keep the lights on when I was a kid. So when my trainers say,” Troy that’s enough you workout too much” in my mind I think about it and say not as hard as these guys. So it’s great to be able to represent a company like Maxwell construction. They have been great to me and have really helped with training expenses, not to mention the names kind of catchy.

So Saturday night is 2 days away and we just put the finishing touches on my training. The hard stuff is done. Next comes the fun part we get to go in there and throw some punches. All I can say is I guarantee you’ll see , “My trainers teach me how to box with skill, and where I grew up taught me how to fight with will, so come out and you’ll be in for a thrill”.

Troy Maxwell takes on Stanhope’s Todd Eriksson Saturday night at Bally’s in Atlantic City in a four round light heavyweight contest.

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

“BEACH RUN” — Challenger Joshua Clottey,Ghana goes for an early-morning beach run in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Thursday to get ready for the fight of his life against seven-time world champion and “Fighter of the Decade” Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao on Saturday,May 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas,Texas on HBO Pay-Per-View

Photos by Chris Farina / Top Rank

PHILADELPHIA (FEBRUARY 25TH, 2010)—This Saturday night at The Roadway Inn in Allentown, PA, undefeated Featherweight Coy “Pretty Boy” Evans of Philadelphia returns to the ring when he takes on his most experienced foe in tough veteran Robert DaLuz.

The bout will be part of a big night of action promoted by Marshall Kauffman’s Kings Promotions.

Evans is coming off a very impressive knockout on January 15th when he stopped Vineash Rungea at The Arena in Philadelphia.

Evans of Philadelphia is now 6-0-1 with that one knockout and will be looking to get good gage of his career as DaLuz has been in with some of the best Featherweights prospects in the world. Evans is looking to be on the fast track as with a win on Saturday night. He’s scheduled to be showcased in his first Main Event on Friday April 9th at The Arena in South Philly.

“We know that Coy is in with a tough, experienced fighter in DaLuz, but Coy’s a tough kid too. He’s not about to step aside any featherweights or take on any challenges we put in front of him. The kid is hunger, and he’s looking for the big time, the bright lights, and he understands the benefits that come along with that. He’s focus, dedicated, and a really good kid. Now is the season and were both grateful for the opportunity.” said Greg Robinson, Evans promoter.

Evans who just recently signed a promotional deal with Greg Robinson’s Power Productions, is a proud father of a six year old daughter and paralegal to a Center City Philadelphia Attorney. He also “Unleashed” his talents outside the ring with a successful endorsement deal proudly sponsored by Riveredge Beverage Company and their “Unleash 6 Hour Energy Drink” brand. Unleash the Power in You!

The bout as well as the rest of the card will be shown on a tape delay basis on www.gofightlive.tv for just $4.99 by clicking:

http://www.gofightlive.tv/showEvent.do?eventId=626

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, top U.S amateur Frankie Gomez has signed a promotional contract with Golden Boy Promotions.

Gomez, 18, was a 2009 U.S. national champion at 141 pounds, defeating highly touted Top Rank prospect Jose Benavidez 11-9 in the final. Gomez also received a silver medal at the AIBA World Boxing Championships in Milan, Italy, in September. He lost an 8-2 decision to Cuba’s Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo in the gold medal match, but was the only American to reach the finals, quite an accomplishment considering it was Gomez’s first open tournament.

“It’s really exciting that we signed him. Now I have to break it to my wife that we will be spending birthdays with him,” joked Golden Boy President Oscar De La Hoya, who won his Olympic gold medal the year Gomez was born and De La Hoya shares a February 4th Birthday with Gomez.

The 5-foot-8 Gomez is scheduled to make his professional debut on April 3 on the undercard of the Roy Jones-Bernard Hopkins rematch at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. After that, De La Hoya said Gomez would fight roughly once per month with regular appearances on Golden Boy’s “Fight Night Club” series at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles.

“I believe a perfect fit for him will be the ‘Fight Night Club’ shows,” De La Hoya said of the series, which begins its 2010 schedule on Thursday night. “We’re there once a month and we can also have him fight on whatever other big shows we have. But we want to build him up in Los Angeles.”

“I saw him spar about three weeks ago and I haven’t seen something like that in a long, long time,” De La Hoya said. “This kid was in control. This kid just has it. You can feel it in the air. He has that explosiveness, that ring generalship. I haven’t seen it in a long time. I am very happy we signed him.

“He sparred 12 rounds with three different pros, not anybody known, but he just impressed me. It reminded me of myself. I used to spar pros all the time. That’s how I made the transition from amateurs to the pros. He is so strong and fast.”

Gomez will campaign at 135 lbs.

“He said he can make 135, so what we discussed was if he can make 135 with no problem, why not shoot for a title at 135 when the time is right and then go up to 140 and 147,” De La Hoya said.

“He is the No. 1 amateur in the U.S. and one of the best in the world and as such, he deserved a package in line with what his credentials are,” Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com. “Golden Boy is the leading promoter and when we see talent, we have the financial resources to pay for it and we do. He’s a very, very talented fighter and I think there are tremendous opportunities for Frankie to make a name for himself as a pro.”

Allentown, PA (Wednesday, February 24, 2010) – The first taste of adversity for a professional boxer reveals a great deal about the character of the fighter. Heavyweight prospect Travis Kauffman of Reading, PA intends to show that what hasn’t killed him will only make him stronger when he returns to the ring this Saturday, February 27th at the Rodeway Inn & Conference Center in Allentown, PA against Mike Miller of Akron, OH in the six round main event.

King’s Promotions will promote the ten-bout event that will feature both professional and amateur boxing action.
The full card can be seen via tape delay on www.gofightlive.tv for just $4.99 by clicking

http://www.gofightlive.tv/showEvent.do?eventId=626
Kauffman, 18-1 (15 KO), will be making his first appearance since his first professional loss to Tony Grano in September. Ahead on the scorecards and trying to finish off his fading opponent, Kauffman was drawn in by his opponent’s dirty tactics and left himself open in the process. After taking some time to deal with the defeat, Kauffman has put the experience into perspective.

“It got me down a little bit at first,” admits Kauffman, “but I feel I’ve won bigger fights than that as an amateur. I fought with my heart instead of my head and that was my biggest mistake in that fight. I got over it in time and am now 100% focused in the gym. I still feel I have the potential to be the heavyweight champion of the world and hold the title. All this has done is strengthen my desire to prove that I am a world class fighter.”

Kauffman, a former number one ranked heavyweight amateur in the country, accrued a number of amateur accolades, including a gold medal in the 2004 PAL Nationals. The 6?3? Kauffman was on an eight-fight knockout streak prior to the defeat but has demonstrated technical boxing skills in addition to power.

Kauffman was originally supposed to face Baltimore, MD’s Bernard Brown but plans changed when Brown suffered from cold feet in the last 24 hours and pulled out of the fight. Stepping in on short notice is the durable Mike Miller, 6-15 (3 KO), who was the first person to extend Kauffman the distance in the pros. Miller has only been knocked out once as a professional, by the aforementioned Grano.

“It doesn’t matter who they put in front of me, I’m ready to fight. I want to show Allentown, the entire Pennsylvania and the world that I’m still on a mission to become heavyweight champion of the world.”

In the co-featured attraction, Jason Cintron of Reading, PA will clash with Maurice Chalmers in junior-welterweight action. Cintron, 11-1, is the brother of former welterweight champion Kermit Cintron. He is fresh off a unanimous decision win over Martinus Clay at Reading’s Sovereign Center in December.

Rounding out the professional action, undefeated super-middleweight Farah Ennis (11-0, 5 KO) of Philadelphia will face Emmanuel Gonzalez of San Juan, Puerto Rico in a six round bout. Featherweight Coy Evans (6-0, 1 KO) of Philadelphia, PA will face Robert DaLuz of Providence, Rhode Island in a six round bout. Middleweight Derrick Webster of Glassboro, NJ will face Pete Guthy of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in a four round bout. New York super-featherweight Emanuel Gonzalez will face Jamar Saunders of Atlanta, GA in a four round bout.

Bragging rights will be at stake in the amateur portion of the night when fighters from the Allentown Boxing Club challenge their counterparts from Reading’s King’s Gym.

Tickets are priced at $25.00, 50.00 and 65.00 and are now available at the Rodeway Inn (610-395-3731), Kingsboxing.com and the Allentown Boxing Club (Luis Melendez: 484-860-5162). A special student discount of $5.00 off any ticket price will be available at the door only along with student ID. A portion of ticket sales will be donated by King’s Promotions to the Allentown Boxing Club. Doors open at 6:00 pm; first bout starts at 6:3

This Saturday’s bout between Rochelle Park, NJ’s Bobby “The Celtic Warrior” Gunn (21-4-1 18 KO’s) and Nigerian Bash Ali has been canned due to multiple difficulties. The bout, which was to be promoted by the Nigerian government, was initially scheduled for December.

Many doubted that the bout would ever take place due to the fact that Ali tuns 54 on Saturday and in addition to not fighting since August 2004, but Gunn was set on taking it due to a handsome payday. Gunn, who made a name amongst locals for his brave performance last July against Secaucus’ Tomasz Adamek, now has his sights set on landing a bout with unbeaten Ran Nakash later in the year.