De La Rosas victorious!

By Roy Hess at ringside

Brothers J.P. and James De La Rosa made Saturday night’s “Sons of the Valley” boxing show at Harlingen Baseball Field a success with victories in the outdoor card’s featured bouts. J.P. “El Gallo Negro” De La Rosa (20-3-1, 15 knockouts) pounded out an eight-round unanimous decision ( 80-71, 78-73, 78-73 ) against Guadalupe Martinez (16-3, nine KOs) of Sugar Land in the main event matching middleweights. “King” James De La Rosa (19-0, 12 KOs), J.P.’s younger brother, prevailed in the six-round co-main event of super welterweights when his opponent, Marteze Logan (26-36-2, six KOs) of Covington, Tenn., was disqualified at the 1:15 mark of the sixth by referee David Avalos for repeatedly holding.

* * *

For J.P., defeating a quality opponent such as Martinez in front of his hometown fans was especially gratifying since he was making a comeback after a year away from boxing. “It feels great to be back and beat a tough opponent,” J.P. said. “I always said I wouldn’t come back against a chump. This guy was a very tough fighter from Houston. After my brother did his thing (and won), I couldn’t come out and disappoint everybody. James had the whole crowd on its feet, and I planned on doing the same thing. I couldn’t let this guy come in here and beat me in my house.

“It was great to fight in front of all these fans, I love them, and it’s just great to be back,” he added. After eight rounds, Martinez’s face was clearly red and puffy, while De La Rosa’s face showed little signs of being hit.

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Although “King” James was pleased to get a win, he was somewhat frustrated by the way it came about. From the start, Logan frequently went for the clinch, apparently trying to avoid being knocked out. He succeeded in not getting KO’d, but couldn’t avoid the ire of referee Avalos, who soon became fed up with his antics and stopped the fight.
“It got pretty frustrating the way he was holding me so much,” James said of Logan. “It was hard to work like I wanted to work. I had to throw whatever punches I could get off. It was just an ugly fight. He was telling me that I was holding too much, and when he talked trash to me, I talked trash, too, and just took it right back to him.”

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In another featured bout billed as a 10-round NABC lightweight title fight, “The ONE” Rashad Ganaway (9-0-1, seven KOs) of Little Rock, Ark., fought to a draw against Jaime “Super-fly” Sandoval (15-3-1, 12 KOs) of Austin. There was some confusion as the ring announcer initially proclaimed Ganaway as the winner, and then corrected himself by saying the fight was a draw. Upon hearing the change, the crowd booed the result loudly. “I thought for sure I won,” Ganaway said. “I definitely want a rematch.”

* * *

In other undercard bouts, heavyweight Homer “Oso” Fonseca (7-2-2, two KOs) of Driscoll won by unanimous decision as did super flyweight Joseph Rios (6-3, two KOs) of San Antonio. Also, welterweight J.D. Charles (5-0, one KO) of Kingsville dispatched Gilbert Elizondo (5-2-1, two KOs) of San Antonio on a technical knockout at the 2:47 mark of the second round.

Roy Hess writes for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him via e-mail at rhess@brownsvilleherald.com

Cayo outpoints Alcorro!

By Robert Coster

In a rather lackluster performance, WBA #9 Victor “Mermelada” Cayo (21-0, 14 KOs) won a unanimous nine round decision over veteran Wilson Alcorro of Colombia to retain his WBA Latin junior Welterweight title at the Teo Cruz Coliseum in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The Colombian visitor was too much of an elusive target for Cayo to land clearly and inflict any damage. Very little emotion in this very “ho-hum” bout.

Other results were the following:
Javier Fortuna KO1 late sub Ricardo Johnson (lightweight)
Kendall Mena Wu6 Rafael de la Cruz (welterweight
Alex Hernandez KO1 Valerio Marte (middleweight)
Doni Garcia W(split) 6 Amaury Matos (featherweight)
Dahianna Santana TKO1 Ruth Diaz (Jr lightweight)
Jennifel Vicente TKO3 Carlos Fulgencio (jr featherweight)
Jonathan Arias KO1 Euri Hernandez (jr featherweight)
Jose Ubaldo Cabrera TKO1 Ramon Jimenez (jr featherweight)

Pacquiao, Hatton in LA!

When you think about red carpet affairs in Hollywood, the first thing that comes to mind is celebrities. Several major Hollywood stars were on hand to join pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao and junior welterweight champion Ricky Hatton at a red carpet themed press conference Monday night on Hollywood Boulevard at the famous Roosevelt Hotel to announce their scheduled bout on May 2nd at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV.

“I am honored to fight one of the world’s most popular fighters in the world,” stated Hatton. ” I have lost only once in my professional career, I have beaten some great fighters in my division. People keep asking how I am going to overcome Pacquiao’s power, but I think he should be worried about my power.”

“Is not about the size or the speed is about the right timing and that’s what I am focusing on and moving a lot more,” the “Hitman” explained. “Luis Collazo was a difficult southpaw whom I defeated so it doesn’t worry me about Manny being a southpaw.”

“We’re both looking for that knockout,so you know no one is backing down. It is going to be exceptional fight.”

“The Hitman” from Manchester (45-1 32KOs) has been defeated once by the speedy hands of Floyd Mayweather Jr. in December of 2007, but with Mayweather Sr. in his corner Hatton promises victory.

“Pacman is over!,” proclaimed Mayweather Sr. as he addressed the media. “Come May 2nd we’re taking your crown away.”

The crowd began to yell for Manny Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach to fire back.

“I am not going to say much, Manny will do all the talking for me,” said Freddie Roach with a calm voice. When asked about the rumors of his request for Joe Cortez to be the third man in the ring:

” Yes, I want Cortez. I think he’s a great referee with plenty of experience; Hatton is the one who doesn’t want him because he knows Cortez won’t put up with his holding.”

Manny Pacquiao (48-3-2 36KOs) has earned his ticket to the hall fame with his spectacular boxing skills and his most recent victory over Oscar De La Hoya.

“He’s a nice guy, but in the ring we’ll fight for freedom,” stated the Filipino icon. “No one really knows who’s going to win. Only God knows.”

“Roach and I are training very hard just like we did against Oscar. I am going to be 110% ready. I just pray no one seriously gets hurt.”

“After this is over I want a rematch in a dart game, Hatton beat me the first game,” Pacquiao joked.

Mickey Rourke, Jr. who was a boxer in youth, but is better known for being a film actor who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and thriller films was a special guest in today’s event. Actor Mark Wahlberg was also on hand.

Pacquiao vs. Hatton “The Battle of East and West,” a 12-round bout for Hatton’s IBO and Ring Magazine world junior welterweight titles, is promoted by Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions, in association with MP Promotions and Hatton Promotions, presented by Rock star Energy Drink and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate and Southwest Airlines.

Subplot: Roach vs Mayweather Sr.!

When Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and Ricky “Hitman” Hatton meet in “The Battle of East and West,” more than just Hatton’s junior welterweight championship belts will be at stake. The ante will also include Pacquiao’s coveted title as boxing’s No. 1 pound for pound fighter. Simultaneously the stakes will be just as high for their respective trainers Freddie Roach and Floyd Mayweather, Sr., acknowledged as the two best trainers in the game today. The promotion commissioned a specially designed four-tier trophy, measuring over five feet in height, with the inscription “No. 1 Pound for Pound Best Trainer in the World,” to be presented to the trainer of the winning fighter. The trophy was unveiled to the trainers and international media covering Monday evening’s red carpet Hollywood premiere news conference for “The Battle of East and West,” at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, Calif., which hosted the very first Academy Awards eighty years ago.

Though “The Battle of East and West” isn’t scheduled to take place until May 2, the war of the words between the two trainers began in earnest the minute the fight was announced.

“They’ve got Roach in the Hall of Fame. He should be in the Hall of Shame,” said Mayweather. “Let’s tell the truth like it is, you see Freddie Roach training and you see me training, it’s night and day. Don’t even compare. Don’t even come close. Freddie Roach is a joke. And that’s why I say his name is “Freddie the Joke Coach Roach,” as far as I’m concerned.”

Roach, recently named 2008 Trainer of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America for an unprecedented third time has his own take on Mayweather.

“Floyd can read some good poems that’s all he’s good at that I know of. What has Floyd Senior achieved? His son’s a natural-born fighter. His brother Roger trained him anyway. Floyd never trained his son for a world title fight. He tells me he’s the greatest but what has he done? He trained Oscar De La Hoya after Oscar has already won four world titles. Floyd is a legend in his own mind.”

Chambers says he’s ready!

In the aftermath of his win at LA’s Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE over former WBC heavyweight champion Samuel Peter, heavyweight Eddie Chambers has proclaimed himself ready for a shot at one of the recognized world heavyweight title belts. “It was definitely the next step toward a title,” Chambers (34-1, 18 KOs) said. “When you defeat a big heavyweight and one who recently held a world title, it feels good to have earned my opportunity to go for one of the world titles….I have worked long and hard to get there and I’m determined to be better next time out and win the heavyweight championship when I get my title shot. I am ready to take on any of the champions.” Manager Rob Murray, Sr., who has guided Chambers to four straight wins since taking over as Chambers’ trainer, said that Chambers hurt his right hand in the fight with Peter

“Super Boxeo” launches in May! New series on Fox Sports Español

(L to R) Mario Ragazzo, President Super Boxeo; Sal Musumeci, Promoter/Final Forum; and Eddie Tosado, VP Operations Super Boxeo

Sal Musumeci of Final Forum has teamed up with Mario Ragazzo of Super Boxeo and signed a three-year deal to promote 50 shows per year on Fox Sports Español. “I am proud and honored to bring this two hour program to the boxing fans,” said an ecstatic Musumeci. “Our mission is to bring the best boxing available to our audience around the world.” The show will be available to over 150 million viewers in North America, and will take place every Saturday night with the inaugural show airing on May 2, 2009 on Fox Sports Español. In addition to televising main event and co-feature, the show will also feature a 3-minute highlight reel of the under-card bouts so that TV audiences can familiarize themselves with the future main event fighters of the sport. This is just one of the many exciting segments planned for this broadcast. Super Boxeo is also very close to announcing a partnership deal with a well-known Puerto Rican boxing superstar. Stay tuned for more on this monumental boxing series.

New Froch, Taylor comments!

Undefeated Carl Froch, a household name in his native England, looks to enhance his reputation in America when he defends his World Boxing Council (WBC) super middleweight title against Jermain Taylor, a former undisputed middleweight champ and one of the most highly regarded and recognizable fighters of this generation, in a world championship fight on Saturday, April 25, live on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast). Froch (24-0, 19 KOs), of Nottingham, England, will be making the first defense of the vacant 168-pound crown he gained in his last outing with a unanimous 12-round decision over Jean Pascal on Dec. 6, 2008. Taylor (28-2-1, 17 KOs), of Little Rock, Ark., has had a prolific pro career since winning a bronze medal for the United States in the 2000 Olympic Games and is the only boxer to twice defeat future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins. When he outpointed Hopkins the first time, Taylor became 160-pound world champion in the WBC, World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Organization (WBO).

Both fighters took part in a teleconference call with media members on Tuesday. Highlights from the call follow:

Mick Hennessy:

“I believe this to be a genuine super fight. It’s one of the very best fights in world boxing right now. (We have) two fighters a similar age at the absolute peak of their powers. I would like to congratulate both fighters because, in these days, there are a lot of major fights being avoided and both of these fighters have stepped up to the fight.

“I genuinely believe that Carl is the best super middleweight on the planet. I think he’s going to prove that on April 25. One thing Carl brings to the table is he is never, ever in a dull fight. He brings the heat and is relentless.

“I believe Jermain is going to feel heat like he’s never felt before. We’re not coming to America to make up the numbers. We’re coming for Carl to launch himself in a big way and you’re going to see something very special on April 25.”

Lou DiBella:

“I want to thank SHOWTIME. I think Ken Hershman championed the fight and it’s happening because he understood the significance of this fight and how important it was for Jermain to have another shot at a world title. Carl Froch is a worthy champion who has already proven that he can be exciting in the ring. He’s going to try and come over and make sure that everybody in the world knows how to pronounce his name (It’s pronounced Fro-CH, not Fro-CK).”

Carl Froch:

“For me it’s not a big deal coming to America. I boxed in America once before. Traveling for me is not a problem. Obviously, to come and establish myself in the States, this is what I need to do. I need to come to America and showcase my talents on SHOWTIME. That’s the reason I’m coming over here. I want to establish myself on American soil. That’s what this fight is for. I’ll be coming over there and defending my title in style.”

Jermain Taylor:

“I’m looking forward to the fight. I’m just ready to fight.”

Carl on the keys to the fight:

“The key to winning this fight is for me to establish myself early on and let Jermain know that I’m there. I don’t want to take a step backward so it looks like it will be an exciting fight. It really does. But I’ll still do my thing landing the big, heavy shots and I think the usual thing will happen and my opponent will start to fade and fall apart in front of my very eyes. Then I’ll start to showcase my skills even more.”

Jermain on concerns about moving from 160-168?

“I’m not worried about his strength. He’s a strong fighter, so what? I’ll just go in there and box the hell out of him.”

Lou DiBella:

“Jermain Taylor wanted to win the WBC 168-pound title. Carl had it and SHOWTIME loves the fight and was willing to make it one of their premier fights of the year. ”

Froch on if Taylor is his toughest opponent:

“You could say that Jermain Taylor is the biggest fighter I’m going to box until this point. But, how would you define a great fighter? Jean Pascal was 26 years old, hungry and unbeaten. He was a hungry, young talented fighter coming to put it all on the line. He didn’t know what it was like to lose. I’d say that was a big fight for me for the title and a fight that I won convincingly in an exciting matchup.

“It’s easy to say that I haven’t fought anybody. But that’s what boxing is about. Like Mick said earlier, we’ve got two fighters here who are both putting it all on the line. We’re both of a similar age. We’re both on the top of our careers. We’re both fit and hungry. He wants my belt? I don’t want him to take my belt. It’s going to be a fabulous fight. I’ve been in 24 fights, I’m unbeaten, I haven’t been in any trouble. I’m coming to this fight confident that I’m taking my belt home with me. No problems.”

Taylor on Froch’s level of confidence:

“I don’t worry about it. With the opponents he’s fought, of course he’s going to be confident. He doesn’t know how to lose yet and I’m going to teach him.”

Froch concerned that he is the underdog?

“I am surprised because for my whole career I’ve always been a massive favorite. I’ve never been an underdog. Odds don’t mean anything as far as I’m concerned because I’m not a gambling man. But, I’m not surprised. The American media doesn’t necessarily know who Carl Froch is in terms of big-time boxing. This is why I’m going over there with my title to defend against such a top name as Jermain Taylor. Until I do that, then the odds probably won’t be stacked in my favor. I don’t mind being the underdog.”

Froch on if it will be a tough fight:

“There’s no such thing as an easy fight. I’ve been with awkward opponents….I’ve had my fair share of difficult fights. But, honestly, I’ve never been in a hard fight. What I mean is, I’ve never been in a fight where I didn’t feel that I was in control, I wasn’t dominating and didn’t think I was going to win.”

Froch on if he thought Taylor was trying to duck him:

“He’s good fighter. He’s obviously a confident man and he means business. He’s got what they call ‘Bad Intentions.’ He had absolutely no intentions of coming to England and fighting the Cobra, that’s for sure. You can take what you want from that, but I take it as he didn’t fancy to fight. I’m not going to say he didn’t want to fight because he signed up for the fight.”

Taylor on why he took the fight:

“It’s all about being a champion. All these other fights mean nothing until you get these belts back. As far as me going over there…Going over there? For what? I mean who is he? I didn’t even know who he was until now. So I wasn’t going over there. He needs to come over here.”

Froch on his style:

“My style is very rangy, very fast. I’m powerful. I can box out of range and not get hit. I can fight in close and I’m a puncher with the best of them. Styles make fights, well I adapt to my opponents. It’s hard to describe my style except for it’s a winning style. Whatever Jermain Taylor brings, I will be reacting in a positive way for me to win.”

Taylor on Froch’s style:

“He’s rangy. He moves and fights with a lot of strength. I don’t think he’s fast though. He tries to get you on a break. I think he’s too slow. The guy doesn’t know how to lose. So someone has to teach him how to lose. I have to break him down.”

Froch on if the fight will be easy:

“I feel like I will make the fight as easy as I can. I know what to do to give myself an easy night. If Plan A isn’t working then I’ll but Plan B together and it will be destructive, trust me.”

Taylor on impressing the fans:

“I just know that hard work pays off. Those few fights I lost, I not only let myself down, I let my fans down; I let my hometown down. I just want to get these belts back and all of it will be erased. Now, I have a chance to do that and I’m going to take it. I’m Arkansas Razorback until the day I die. I have another chance to come back and be champion. It’s amazing. That’s what I love about boxing because I’m never out of it. Everything I’ve done in the past will be erased. I’m not worried about anything.”

Froch on the problems Jermain presents for him:

“I’m struggling to find major problems. I will say he’s very experienced against top level (opposition). He hasn’t been dominant at the world level. He’s had a couple of split decisions, he’s had a draw. I’m not worried. I’m really not. I’m just looking forward to going out there and doing what I do best. The fitness is there. The strength is there. I just know that I need to come there and put my work together.”

Taylor on Froch’s comment:

“He’s a cocky fighter and I love that because I plan on bringing all that down. He doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into and I’m going to teach him.”

Froch when asked if he could knock Taylor out:

“I’m the bigger, stronger man. Jermain Taylor has not stopped anybody for four years. But don’t get me wrong, he’s a good fighter. He thinks he’s fast, but I don’t know what he thinks his speed is going to do to me. I’ve fought fast fighters.

“I’m not giving him any disrespect or trying to be cheeky. I’m in no way cocky. I’m quite a very level headed man. I’m just very confident and believe in myself.

“Fact of the matter is, he’s fought most of his career at middleweight and I’m a big, strong super middleweight. And that can very well be the deciding factor. When I start connecting with the right hand on the jaw section there will probably be some damage done.”

Taylor on Froch’s size:

“I’m not worried about his power at all. As far as him never being on the floor before, there’s a first time for everything. He gets hit a lot. His defense is his head. He stands right there.”

Taylor on how serious he is taking on Froch:

“At the end of the day, he’s still champion. It doesn’t matter who knows him or who doesn’t. At the end of the day, he’s still got the belt. So, of course, I’m taking it seriously. I haven’t trained this hard in a long time. Those fights he was looking at me getting tired. You know what? Those are the past. Here it is. I got a chance to get those belts back and I’m going to take it. This is the best fight that you’re going to see me fight in my life.

“If he’s bigger, so what? It doesn’t mean anything as long as I’m boxing and moving.”

Taylor on what he respects about Froch:

“I just respect the fact that he has the belts. I think he’s way too cocky and he doesn’t know how to lose. He has to learn how to lose.”

DiBella on why Taylor is taking on Froch:

“When has Jermain Taylor ever fought an easy fighter? I think Jermain has always reached out for a challenge and always wanted to fight someone who meant something to him. He wasn’t familiar with Carl’s name, but I think Jermain agrees with what Carl said earlier in that he views the WBC belt as the biggest prize and that he wanted to get that belt back. That’s why this fight is happening.”

Closing Comments:

Mick Hennessy:

“Winners don’t need to learn how to lose and Carl Froch is certainly not going to learn how to lose on April 25. It’s not in his makeup. Showtime really knows their business and knows there fights because they picked a hell of a one right here.”

Lou DiBella:

“Stylistically, this can’t be a bad fight. This is a Fight of the Year candidate waiting to happen. I’m confident in my fighter and know he is going to get a belt again. This fight is can’t miss and Ken Hershman is going to look like a genius after this fight when Jermain Taylor wins a very hard fought fight over former world champion Carl Froch.”

Carl Froch:

“I want to thank SHOWTIME for coming on board for this fight. I think they’ll be thanking me and Jermain Taylor after the fight because it’s going to be one hell of a fight.”

Jermain Taylor:

“I’m just looking forward to the fight. I’ve been training in Miami hard. I’m training harder than I’ve ever trained before. I’m looking forward to getting these belts back. I’ve been missing them.”

The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast will air live from MGM Grand Theater at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods. The fight card is being co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Hennessy Sports. Tickets are on sale now and priced at $200, $100, $75 and $50. Tickets are available at www.mgmatfoxwoods.com, your local Ticket Master and MGM Grand Box Office 866-646-0649.

Rip Van Winky Winky Wright returns from long layoff to take on Paul Williams

Story and photos by Chris Cozzone

The last man no one wanted to fight will take on the latest man no one wants to fight.

“I’m coming back to the top level,” says former champion Ronald “Winky” Wright (51-4-1, 25 KOs), who’s staging his return April 11 on HBO against two-time welter champ Paul Williams (36-1, 27 KOs) at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

“Anyone else, they get an easy fight, or a tune-up,” says Wright, who’s arisen from a two-year nap of inactivity. “But not me. I only want to fight the best.”

Though Williams is considered one of the best in boxing, Wright doesn’t see it that way.

“He hasn’t fought anybody,” says the fellow southpaw. “He beat one guy—Antonio Margarito—and Shane Mosley destroyed the one guy he beat.”

Wright has back-to-back wins over Mosley in 2004.

“You got to beat more than one guy before people start throwing out praises.”

Lack of top shelf opponents or not, Williams three-bout winning streak has him favored over the inactive Wright on the sportsbooks.

“I like being the underdog,” says the former champ. “Boxing is about overcoming obstacles, about doing what people think you can’t do.

“Williams’ biggest challenge is his reach. He’s got a punch, but he’s no Tommy Hearns. He’s got an awkward style but I just got to fight smart, make him fight my fight.”

Fighting his fight was something Wright was not able to pull off in his last bout two years ago, when he was outpointed and outhugged by Bernard Hopkins.

“I still don’t feel I lost that fight,” says Wright. But it is what it is. All he did was hold and hug and headbutt. I tried to make it a fight.”

After the decision loss to Hopkins, Wright says he was unable to get any other big names to sign on the dotted line.

“HBO gave us a list of names and we went after all of ‘em,” says Wright. “But no one want to fight me. They’re lying if they say any different.

“I wanted Jermain Taylor, but they stalled and outpriced themselves, made it impossible to happen. I wanted Arthur Abraham, I wanted Kelly Pavlik . . . I went after all of them but couldn’t get them to fight me.

“I guess they were waiting for me to get old, or get ring rust. There’s been a lot of ducking and dodging.”

In the two years off, Wright went up to 192 but is now around 10-12 pounds from his 160-pound goal.

“I’m definitely ready for a guy like Williams,” says Wright. “We got a game plan for him.”

Boxing Buzz!

Film star Mickey Rourke will be one of the red carpet celebrities tonight for the Pacquiao vs Hatton press affair at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. Celebrities arrive at 7 pm. Pacquiao and Hatton arrive at 7:30 pm.
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The 47th Annual WBC Convention is going to be held in Jeju Island, Korea, from November 1st to November 7th.
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KZ Event Productions, owned by world-rated light heavyweight contender Beibut Shumenov and his brother, Chingis, announced today that it has signed unbeaten Uzbekistan light heavyweight prospect Gayratjon Ahmedov (10-0-1, 6 KOs) to an exclusive promotional deal.
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You can get a $20 mail-in rebate on the May 2 Manny Pacquiao vs Ricky Hatton pay-per-view telecast with the purchase of a 12-pack or larger of Tecate beer.

WBA has a new website!

By Gabriel F. Cordero

WBA executive vice-president Gilberto Jesus Mendoza has announced a new home on the web for the World Boxing Association:
Official Statement: The WBA apologizes for any inconvenient caused to all website users for the recent change of domain address. As part of our goals in pursuing the best service of all the worldwide boxing community, we decided to create a more interactive organization-user concept. In the near future, important members of the directorate will express views and opinions of different situations of the sport through the new blog section. Others improvements will come soon. The new address is http://www.wbanews.com

Abdusalamov comments on KO!

It’s clear to see that Moscow’s Mohammed Hadji Abdusalamov is starting to make a habit of first round knockouts after he took out Alabama’s Larry White in the opening round Friday night at the A La Carte Pavilion in Tampa, Florida. The victory was the former amateur star’s fourth as a pro, with all of his wins coming via first round knockout. But the ferocious power puncher remains humble. “I don’t go in there looking for a knockout, but if I see an opening, I’m going to take it,” said Abdusalamov. “I just want to keep improving, keep working hard, and more good things are going to come.” Abdusalamov, whose career is being guided by Seminole Warriors Boxing and Sergio Malani, hopes to be back in the ring as soon as possible. A date and opponent for his next fight will be announced shortly.
posted by www.fightnews.com

Open Letter from Irish Ropes

After reading some derogatory stories unfairly criticizing Irish Ropes Promotions for canceling its March 16th scheduled “Erin Go Brawl II” pro boxing show at WaMu Theater in Madison Square Garden, I am compelled to set the record straight about why we pulled the plug 10 days out and to explain what really happened leading up to the final decision.

First, though, I’d like to offer my condolences to Liam Neeson, and his family, for the loss of his wife. He attended several of the shows we promoted and I met him at many Irish benefits. Liam is a great man.

I’d also like to congratulate Brian Dunne on his great world-title winning performance last weekend and also to his promoter, Brian Peters, and trainer, Harry Hawkins - you reap what you sow! I’d also like to congratulate Mathew Macklin for winning the British middleweight championship, Paul McClosky for successfully defending his British title, and Andy Lee for his good performance.

I am, however, disappointed by what Lee said in newspapers back home about our show being canceled. I had a choice of losing $50,000 by canceling when we did, or to potentially lose $250,000 to go ahead. I was not under any contractual obligation to any of the fighters and chose to take the lesser hit.

The poor economy in New York and back in Ireland played a part in poor advance ticket sales, but the real reason for it was Team Lee. Let’s review the situation leading up to the cancelation. My first call to Manny Steward was for Lee to fight Walid Smichet. He agreed and it was even listed on Boxrec.com. Damien McCann, who is in charge of making deals for Lee, said they would take the fight but not for $30,000. Negotiations went back and forth for a few weeks and we finally agreed on $50,000, $4000 in comps (tickets), plus another $10,000 if the gross gate receipts were more than $425,000.

But then Lee said he wouldn’t fight Smichet because he knew about the animosity between Irish Ropes and John Duddy and he didn’t want to embarrass Duddy by fighting Smichet. Well, as it turned out, fans weren’t interested in buying tickets to watch Lee fight somebody that hadn’t won any of his last eight fights, Antwun Echols, who hasn’t won since 2004 and was knocked out the same night Andy fought in Ireland. Lee ridiculed us for the way we promoted the show and he even trashed the traditional Irish pub we had the press conference at, Jack Dempsey’s, where Gerry Cooney had his press conferences in the old days, as well as John Duddy and James Moore, and even a press conference for a documentary about Billy Collins was held there.

We promoted “Erin Go Brawl II” the same way we promoted any of our shows at Madison Square Garden. People simply weren’t buying tickets to see Lee fight a non-competitive fight against Echols. When I decided to pull the plug on the show, 10 days before the scheduled event, we had sold only 1500 tickets, approximately $130,000 worth, compared to $400,000 at the same time for our previous show (“Erin Go Brawl”) there. Bars that normally sell 300-400 tickets had sold only 20-30 for this one and nobody was going in or calling for tickets. It was inevitable and although I was terribly disappointed, I really didn’t have much of a choice about canceling the show.

Lee goes and talks to papers back home ridiculing me, saying he had to find-out from a third party that the show had been canceled. Within 10 minutes of deciding to cancel the show, I called, in order, the commission (New York State Athletic Commission), Madison Square Garden, (Irish-based boxing promoter) Brian Peters to ask if he could put Andy on his card, and then to Emanuel Steward. I told him the bad news was our show was canceled, but the good news was Andy would be fighting on Peters’ show in Ireland a week later than our show was scheduled. Andy Lee was with Emanuel.

Looking back at what happened, there was also a lot of bitterness about boxing in the Irish community (in New York City) resulting from a very negative article written by Thomas Hauser, of Team Duddy. My hands are tied on the advice of my attorney, but when everything is settled in court, I guarantee you the truth will come out on that subject.

We took the high road and didn’t blast anybody in the media for what’s happened to Irish Ropes Promotions. Too many lies and mistruths have been told, so I felt there was a need to explain everything from our side.

Regards,

Eddie McLoughlin,

Irish Ropes Promotions, President

Dirrell, Yorgey Speak!

Undefeated super middleweight Andre Dirrell outclassed Derrick Findley and Harry Joe Yorgey outfought Ronald Hearns in a battle of unbeaten junior middleweights en route to impressive victories on a special Saturday edition of ShoBox: The New Generation on SHOWTIME. Dirrell, of Flint, Mich., who is ranked WBO #1, WBC #3 and IBF #7 won by sixth-round TKO to improve to 18-0 with 13 knockouts. Findley, of Gary, Ind., who couldn’t answer the bell for the seventh, fell to 13-3 with 8 KOs. Yorgey (22-0-1, 10 KOs), of Bridgeport, Pa., triumphed by ninth-round knockout. In a terrific action fight, he registered three knockdowns, the last coming at 2:59 of the ninth. Hearns, of Detroit, scored one knockdown but suffered his first defeat. He is 21-1 with 17 KOs.

The doubleheader took place at the Buffalo Run Casino and was promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, LLC, and DiBella Entertainment. It aired live on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).

Dirrell was making his fifth appearance on SHOWTIME – he’s fought three times on ShoBox and twice on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING. He could not floor Findley, but he had his way throughout. After ending Findley’s winning streak at seven, the six-foot-1, 25-year-old Dirrell proclaimed himself ready for any boxer in the 168-pound division.

“I’ll fight any of the champions right now,’’ the 2004 Olympic Games bronze medalist for the United States said. “It doesn’t matter which one. I’m greedy. I want all the belts.’’

Dirrell did the vast majority of the belting Saturday as he made it look easy against Findley, who accepted the assignment on short notice. It was Dirrell’s sixth consecutive win inside the distance.

“It was target practice all day, all the time’’ said Dirrell, who switched from orthodox to southpaw several times. “Crazy as this might sound, I actually wanted the fight to go 10 rounds just to get in some work and to get more time to show off some of my ability.

“But this isn’t all about talent. It’s about hard work and dedication.’’

Yorgey, who knows all about hard work and dedication, dropped Hearns in the fourth, fifth and ninth rounds.

“I waited and waited for a chance to fight on SHOWTIME so when I got the call I said, ‘sure, let’s do it.’ ‘’ Yorgey said. “I’m a TV fighter. My fights are always exciting. I knew after the fourth round when I froze him with a body shot that I had him. I can adapt to any fight. Tonight, I was the aggressor.’’

Entering the ninth round, Yorgey was ahead on two of the scorecards (78-73 and 76-75) and behind on the other (76-75). After decking Hearns the first time, Yorgey also went down in the fourth, but it may have been more the result of a slip than from a clean punch.

“He never hurt me,’’ Yorgey said. “I felt great throughout. I usually don’t look to load up with the right hand, but I knew the opportunities were there. I told everybody I wasn’t just an opponent and I was coming to win. I’ve always believed in myself and that all the hard work I put in daily would pay off.’’

Yorgey dedicated the fight and the proceeds from a raffle that his family held during the show to his friend and Hatfield, Pa. resident Shannon Yoder, who has cancer.

Hearns, the oldest son of legendary eight-time world champion Thomas “Hit Man” Hearns, was making his fourth appearance on ShoBox. He offered no excuses afterward.

“I’m obviously very disappointed, but it’s just something that I have to write off as a learning experience,’’ Hearns said. “I was knocked down hard but I kept getting up. I never thought for a second that I wasn’t going to get him and that I was not without a chance. This is a very difficult moment, but I know I will bounce back. Give me two or three more fights and I would love to fight him again.’’

Nick Charles called the action from ringside with Steve Farhood serving as expert analyst. The executive producer of ShoBox is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.

Saturday’s bouts will re-air this week on Wednesday, April 1, 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME TOO. It will be available ON DEMAND from Tuesday, March 31-April. 27.

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Showtime Release: Holt-Bradley, Andrade-Tsypko Twinbill Saturday, Aug. 4

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING—Live at 10:45 p.m. ET/PT

From The Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada

NEW YORK (March 25, 2009) – If the action inside the ring is remotely close to the ongoing war of words that has been waged outside of it, then the Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley and Kendall “Rated R” Holt showdown will be a strong contender for “Fight of the Year.”

In what is being called the biggest international boxing event in Montreal, Canada, since Roberto Duran defeated Sugar Ray Leonard nearly 30 years ago, Bradley and Holt will meet at the historic Bell Centre to unify their respective World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) 140-pound titles.

The champions will clash Saturday, April 4, on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING live at a special time 10:45 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) to accommodate fans watching the conclusion of the 2009 NCAA® Men’s Final Four®.

In a spectacular co-feature, Ukraine’s Vitali Tsypko (22-2, 12 KOs) will take on Librado Andrade (27-2, 21 KOs) in an International Boxing Federation (IBF) super middleweight eliminator.

The 12-round fights are being co-promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, LLC, Bob Arum’s Top Rank, Inc., and Gillett Entertainment Group. The Tsypko-Andrade bout is being promoted in association with Sauerland Events and Golden Boy Promotions.

There has been no shortage of verbal pre-fight jabs; “I’m coming for you. I am going to downgrade Holt’s ‘R’ Rating to a ‘G’ rating,” stated Bradley.

All eyes will surely be on this eagerly awaited fight as both Bradley and Holt are major reasons why the current 140-pound division is among the strongest and deepest in boxing. The ramifications are huge as the winner will likely be in line for yet another big-time matchup.

In a conference call leading up to the fight, both boxers would not back down from one another. “(At the press conference in Montreal) I spoke first and I told him that the only way I know how to beat Kendall Holt is to knock him out because in every fight that’s he’s lost he’s been knocked out,” Bradley said. “That got him a little heated and he started firing at me. But I was just giving the facts.”

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Holt-Bradley Clash in 140-Pound World Title Unification Fight April 4 on SHOWTIME

“’He’s never seen anybody like me in his career. He’s never been in the ring with a fighter that has the same speed as he has, the same power, if not more, with more ability. He’s never been in there with a real true athlete. He’s been in there with guys that don’t have a lot of athleticism like I do. That’s going to be the difference in this fight.”

Responded Holt: “It didn’t really get underneath my skin when he said he’d knock me out because when I’m in a fight I want to knock everybody out. Going the distance, going 12 rounds is just a bonus for the fans. I want to knock everybody out. I mean I look at my opponent as he wants to do the same thing to me.

“This is the biggest fight of my career to date so it’s the most important fight. Each and every fight is important because without winning the fight at hand you can’t move onto the next big fight.”

Bradley (23-0, 11 KOs), of Palm Springs, Calif., has successfully defended his title once since claiming the WBC belt with an unexpected win over Junior Witter in Nottingham, England, last May 10, on SHOWTIME.

Holt, the Paterson, N.J., native with 25 wins, 2 losses and 13 knockouts, retained his WBO belt with a split decision over late substitute Demetrius Hopkins in Atlantic City, N.J., on Dec. 13, 2008, on SHOWTIME.

Hopkins was a last-minute fill-in for Ricardo Torres, who claimed he was too sick to make the 140-pound weight limit and backed out of the fight. It would have been the third and final of a thrilling trilogy as both Holt and Torres had split their previous two memorable meetings.

Bradley again needled Holt about the experience issue. “I don’t think he has more experience than I do,” Bradley said. “I honestly don’t. As far as having more experience in the professional ranks, yeah? But I’ve had over 145 amateur fights. You get a lot of experience from your amateur career dealing with different styles and different heights, sizes and ability. I’ve got way more fights than him from that standpoint. As far as experience, he’s been in the professional game a lot longer than I have and I actually won a world title before he won his. If I’m inexperienced then just let me know. But I feel I’m experienced as well as he is.”

Shot back Holt: “Who the hell cares about the amateurs right now? Demetrius had more experience than me in the amateurs too, and he beat me in the amateurs. (Miguel) Cotto got beat in the amateurs by people he knocked out in the pros. Who the hell cares about the amateurs really?”

Boxing fans are well aware of Andrade, who suffered a controversial loss against undefeated IBF super middle kingpin and local favorite Lucian Bute last October in Montreal on ShoBox. The defending champion dominated the initial 11-plus rounds but fell apart late in the final round before being brutally knocked down in the final seconds.

Visibly shaken and hurt, Bute barely made it to his feet as he beat the referee’s 10-count to retain his belt via decision.

Andrade, who is currently ranked No. 2 by the IBF, figures to be a favorite over Tsypko, who is ranked No. 1 with the fight’s winner becoming Bute’s mandatory challenger.

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Holt-Bradley Clash in 140-Pound World Title Unification Fight April 4 on SHOWTIME

The highly anticipated April 4 telecast comes just three weeks after another important world title fight was staged at the Bell Centre in Montreal on SHOWTIME. On March 13, Bute made his third successful International Boxing Federation (IBF) defense with a devastating fourth-round TKO victory over Fulgencio Zuniga on ShoBox: The New Generation.

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING announcers Gus Johnson and Al Bernstein will call the action from ringside April 4 with Karyn Bryant reporting from ringside. The executive producer of SHOWTIME Sports is David Dinkins Jr., with Ray Smaltz producing and Bob Dunphy directing.

Dirrell, Yorgey win early!

By Kurt Wolfheimer at ringside

Olympian super middleweight Andre Dirrell (18-0, 13 KOs) scored a sixth round TKO over game Derrick Findley (13-3, 8 KOs) on Saturday night at the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma. Dirrell nearly stopped Findley in round one, but the gutsy Findley continued to take punishment for six full rounds before his corner stopped the beating. Impressive performance for Dirrell.
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In a battle of unbeaten jr middleweights, Harry Joe Yorgey (22-0-1, 10 KOs) scored an exciting ninth round knockout against Ronald Hearns (21-1, 17 KOs). Hearns, son of ring legend Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns, got off to an aggressive start, but in round four Yorgey dropped Hearns with a flurry of punches. Hearns was credited with a knockdown also in that round when Yorgey went down from a left hook he seemed to partially block. Yorgey dropped Hearns face first with a left hook in round five, but Hearns survived the round. Yorgey finally dropped Hearns again in round nine and this time Hearns was counted out by referee Steve Smoger. Time was 2:59.
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Lightweight Jose Guzman (7-0, 5 KOs), brother of former world champion Joan Guzman, outworked previously unbeaten Juan Noriega (3-1, 3 KOs), winning a four-round unanimous decision by scores of 40-35, 40-36, 40-36.
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Unbeaten heavyweight Bowie Tupou (17-0, 13 KOs) demolished journeyman Marcus Rhode (34-38-2, 29 KOs), putting Rhode on the deck four times in the first 81 seconds.
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Heavyweight prospect Chazz Witherspoon (24-1, 17 KOs) scored a TKO at 1:43 of round three against journeyman Travis Fulton (14-23, 14 KOs). Fulton was down in round two and Witherspoon forces a referee’s stoppage in round three.
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Unbeaten super middleweight Anthony Dirrell (16-0, 13 KOs) needed just 1:32 to demolish Dominique Azeez (2-17). A body shot put Azeez down and out.
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Cruiserweight Isiah Thomas (3-0, 3 KOs) got a first round stoppage of Sam Norwood (0-3). Seven unanswered prompted the referee to wave it off at the 1:49 mark.

The Point of Mayweather’s Comeback

By Calvin Betton: It’s going to happen, we all know it is, but what nobody knows for definite is who Floyd Mayweather is going to fight when it does happen.

Let me first put forward my opinions on Floyd Mayweather Jnr. He is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most skilled and complete boxers ever to walk the planet. He has speed, reflexes, power, stamina, defence and an unbreakable mental toughness. I also think it is great to have him back – I don’t know of any other sport where its finest exponent is in self imposed exile. On top of this, I have no problem with him taking a tune up fight to get his rhythm back.

My problem with his comeback though is I think Floyd has spotted an easy hole in the market to exploit. Mayweather is aware that he was often criticized for choosing weaker opponents, he also knows that most of the fighters who are being talked about for his P4P crown are quite a bit smaller than him. If he comes back and fights these guys, he will over power them and nobody will doubt that he was indeed always the P4P number 1. The sensible ones among us always knew this anyway, so what is the point in the comeback if that is his only intention?

Let’s look at the Mayweather’s likely opponents according to the word on the grapevine:

Juan Manuel Marquez: Marquez might just be my favourite boxer right now. I think he is a better boxer than Pacquiao and I think he won at least one of their fights. Apparently he wants to take on Floyd and Floyd is interested. Of course he is! Mayweather is at least two weight classes above Marquez! That is the equivalent of Joe Calzaghe taking on one of the Klitchkos! Though their boxing skills would match up pretty well, Floyd is faster, has a better defence and is much more powerful. I don’t see anyway how Marquez could win this match. Floyd with a late round stoppage.

Winner of Pacquiao and Hatton: We have already seen Mayweather Hatton so we know exactly how that one pans out. What exactly would be any different this time? With regards to Pacquiao, it’s a very similar situation Marquez – he is just too small to trouble someone as good as Mayweather. His all out attack routine would play straight into Floyd’s game plan. He might be slightly quicker than Floyd, but he doesn’t come close on power, skills or defence. Floyd overpowers him to a late stoppage.

Fighters in his own Weight Class: Of whom the obvious ones are Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto and Paul Williams. I think ideally, Mayweather would like to take a tune up fight, then Marquez, then the winner of Hatton and Pacquiao, and then fight Shane Mosley in about 18 months time, then says he has beaten everyone out there and retire again. This would mean that Shane is nearly 40 by the time he fights him and his greatest asset – his speed – will have deserted him quite a bit. By doing this, Mayweather avoids the 2 biggest challengers – Cotto and Williams. Cotto is just as big as Mayweather, and though he is not as quick or skilled as Floyd, he is comfortably more powerful. I’d still have Floyd as a very slight favourite, but this would be an awesome spectacle. Williams’ size, as with all his opponents would cause Mayweather all sorts of problems, and although it wouldn’t be as good a fight as Mayweather – Cotto, it would be equally competitive.

In conclusion, if he is to enhance his already outstanding legacy, Mayweather should let the smaller guys fight each other and fight Mosley in the next 6 – 12 months and / or Cotto and Williams. If he then beats two or all of them, and the public still want to see him take on one of the smaller guys, then fair enough. However, if his sole intention is to just face Marquez, Pacquiao and Hatton again, that makes him nothing more than a flat track bully.

Cotto comments on Margarito! "He should never step into a boxing ring again"

WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto has commented on the news that Antonio Margarito was found to have elements of plaster of Paris in his handwraps before his bout with Shane Mosley. “I understand that Margarito not only played with my health but he played with health of many boxers,” said Cotto. “Only God knows. I have received punishment in my career but I never had my face swell like in that fight. In the heat of the fight I didn’t feel the punches, but my face didn’t say that. I understand that one year of suspension is not much for the kind of unsportsmanlike act that Margarito presented against Mosley. He deserves the same suspension as trainer Panama Lewis. He should never step into a boxing ring again.”

KO Night in Tampa

By Lee Bates

Starfight productions returned to the A La Carte Event Pavilion in Tampa on Friday night with a solid 6 bout boxing show. Longtime and well known boxing matchmaker Johnny Bos put together the very fan pleasing and well matched fight card. In featured bouts, cruiserweight Nick Iannuzzi, light welterweight Derrick Samuels and highly regarded heavyweight Magomed Abdusalamov all secured knockout victories.

The main event featured Starfight productions’ Nick Iannuzzi who stopped Theodore Kruger in round six of their scheduled for 8 round NBA cruisweight title fight. The bout was action packed from the beginning as both fighters exchanged and connected with several heavy power shots. Iannuzzi however was landing the cleaner and more crisper shots. In round six Iannuzzi hurt Kruger badly with a barrage of power punches that put Kruger down. Kruger remained on his knees and took the full 10 count from the referee. Iannuzzi remains unbeaten with the win and improves to 10-0, 7 KOs, while Kruger drops to 9-8-1.

In the semi-main event NABA U.S. light welterweight Derrick ‘Super’ Samuels (17-4-1, 5 KOs) stopped Roberto Valenzuela in round seven of their scheduled for eight round junior welterweight bout. Valenzuela a veteran of nearly 100 professional bouts came to fight as he weighed in at his lowest weight since 2007. Samuels immediately took the initiative from the beginning by pressing the action with a mixture of well placed body and head shots. Samuels also showed that his KO percentage is deceptive as he rocked and hurt the veteran Valenzuela on multiple ocassions to both the head and body. In round 7 Samuels turned up his aggression as he stunned Valenzuela with a series of punches that prompted the referee to stop the bout as Valenzuela was taking a great deal of punishment. Stopping the normally durable Valenzuela inside the distance may now open the doors for Samuels to challenge other world ranked fighters in the junior welterweight division.

Outstanding Russian heavyweight prospect Magomed Abdusalamov (4-0, 4 KOs) has still yet to see round two as a professional as he completely dominated and stopped Larry Brown (3-5, 2 KOs) in less than a round. White to his credit came to fight and was very agressive but Abduslamov was simply a major cut above White in all areas. In less than three minutes of work Abduslamov showed excellent defense, extremely fast hands, and serious heavyweight power.

Adam Hubinger (13-0, 10 KOs) remained unbeaten as he won a hard earned split decision victory over veteran Jose Medina (14-14, 8 KOs) in a six round light heavyweight bout. Medina gave Hunbinger all he could handle pressing the action from the opening bell but Hubinger made the necessary adjustments and counterpunched the stalking Medina in route to victory. The official scores were 59-55, 58-56 for Hubinger with the other score being 58-56 for Medina.

In the opening bout Tampa’s Charlie Serrano (8-2,2KOs) unanimously decisioned Vineash Rungea in an exciting featherweight bout. The scores were 39-37 twice and 40-36 in favor of Serrano.

Tampa’s Jenna ‘Cowgirl’ Shiver (7-4-1,2KOs) defeated Christina Leadbeater (2-2,1KOs) by unanimous decision in a very entertaining women’s featherweight contest that had the fans on their feet at the end of the bout. All the judges were in a agreement at 40-36 in favor of Shiver.

Though times are tough economically all over it didn’t stop the A La Carte Event Pavilion from being completely full in the classy ballroom. “There is no doubt in my mind boxing will survive these currently hard economic times. Our tickets sales for this function were very good. We charge fair ticket prices, the fight cards are exciting, and the fighters are paid fairly. It’s fair for everybody which is the way it should be,” stated Starfight Productions executive Shea Bailey.

Chambers outpoints Peter!

By Rocco Morales at ringside

IBF #3 heavyweight Eddie Chambers (34-1, 18 KOs) won a ten round majority decision over former heavyweight champion Sam Peter (30-3, 23 KOs) on Friday nigbt at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. The quicker Chambers did a little more than the sluggish Peter, who came in at a career high of 265 pounds, but was reluctant to engage in sustained attacks against the big-punching ex-champ. Scores were 95-95, 96-94, 99-91. It was Peter’s first fight since losing his world title against Vitali Klitschko.
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In his pro debut, Olympian welterweight Javier Molina outclassed 36-year-old Jaime Cabrera, who was also making his pro debut. Molina dropped Cabrera twice with body shots before the bout was waved off at 1:50.
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Hot unbeaten lightweight John Molina (16-0, 12KOs) over came a strong start by journeyman Carlos Vinan (8-7-3, 1KOs) to score an impressive second round TKO. Referee David Mendoza waved it off at the 2:40 with Vinan taking heavy punishment.
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Olympic super middleweight Shawn Estrada (3-0, 3 KOs) needed just 1:41 to blow out Ray Craig (5-5, 2KOs). Craig was down three times.
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Unbeaten light heavyweight Ismayl Sillakh moved to 7-0, 6 KOs with a third round stoppage of Carlos Reyes (4-1, 2KOs).

ShoBox: Final Quotes! Hearns, Yorgey, Dirrell, Findley

Undefeated super middleweight Andre “The Matrix” Dirrell faces Derrick “Superman” Findley and Ronald “The Chosen One” Hearns meets “Lightning” Harry Joe Yorgey in a battle of unbeaten junior middleweights in the 10-round co-features tomorrow/Saturday, March 28, on a special edition of ShoBox: The New Generation live on SHOWTIME (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast). Dirrell (17-0, 12 KOs), of Flint, Mich., is 17-0 with 12 KOs; Findley, of Gary, Ind., is 13-2 with 8 KOs. The son of legendary Thomas “Hitman” Hearns, Ronald Hearns is 21-0 with 17 KOs while Yorgey, of Bridgeport, Pa., is 21-0-1 with 9 KOs.
The ShoBox doubleheader at the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Okla., is promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, LLC, and DiBella Entertainment. The first live fight Saturday starts at 8 p.m. CT. The world-ranked Dirrell and Hearns are familiar faces to SHOWTIME Sports viewers. This will be Dirrell’s fifth appearance on the network and fourth in a row. He’s twice fought on ShoBox and SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING. Hearns has fought three times on ShoBox, including two of his last three fights.

ANDRE DIRRELL — “I want to thank everybody, my promoter, grandfather and SHOWTIME – again – for putting me in my first main event and for giving me another opportunity to fight and for helping me get to this point. This is a great card and I hope you watch it if you can’t be here.

“I’m ready to make something happen. Findley is a strong guy and I am not taking him lightly. I have trained for this like it is a world title fight.

“There is no pressure for me to put on a spectacular performance, but I really feel I learned something after the Curtis Stevens fight, which is why I feel I’ve looked a lot better in my last few fights. So, yes, I am looking forward to a spectacular fight.

“I believe I am peaking at just the right time. My time is now and I feel I’m ready for anybody at 168.”

DERRICK FINDLEY — “I am a man of few words. I’m not into all the BS talk. I know that everybody is counting me out, but Dirrell is making a big mistake if he’s looking past me. I’m a good fighter, but everybody seems to look down on fighters from the Midwest.

“I am very excited about this fight and this opportunity. I have always lived and dreamed about getting this kind of fight. It is like fighting for a world title. I’m well prepared and ready to fight.

“Dirrell is a good fighter, but I’m not impressed. I’m not impressed by any fighters.”

RONALD HEARNS — “There’s no question that I feel blessed every time I fight on SHOWTIME. It gives me a chance to showcase my abilities. You always want to look good on television because so many people will be watching. I respect Yorgey, but I’m ready for anything he brings.

“Experience-wise, I feel I’ve grown into a true professional and I’ve felt really comfortable in my last 3-4 fights It’s true I’m still fighting in the shadows of my father, but the more opportunities I get like this, the more people will get to know and appreciate me as a fighter, and not just as the son of Thomas Hearns.

“I’ve dealt with pressure my whole life, going back to the days when I had to fight in the streets. Guys knew who I was and were like, ‘well, let’s see what he’s got.’ It didn’t take long for them to find out.

“My dad has been very supportive and I always remember three things he told me: (1) To make it in this sport, you have to be an entertainer; (2) everything you do in the ring starts with the jab and (3) you have to train harder than anybody else, that physical ability and talent don’t always guarantee success.”

HARRY JOE YORGEY — “I want to thank SHOWTIME for putting me on this card. It is going to be a great one – if you don’t have SHOWTIME, go out and get it.

“There is a lot at stake for both of us. I know I’m ready, and he’s ready. This is a great opportunity to fight on the big stage. This is going to be a great fight, maybe the fight of the night.”

THOMAS “HITMAN” HEARNS — “I’m so proud of my son for what he’s accomplished and the way he’s handled himself in and out of the ring. I have never seen anyone work harder. He’s a natural athlete who got a late start in boxing, but it hasn’t slowed him down. He continues to improve.

“It has never been easy for him, and I respect him so much for that. It’s extremely tough on any fighter to make it in this game, but trying to make and do what your dad did makes it even harder.

“But he has what it takes: the attitude, the enthusiasm. He’s always in shape. He knows he can’t cut corners and expect to get away with it.

“I know he wants to do this for me and to prove so many people wrong about him, but I keep telling him that it’s OK to pattern yourself after somebody but ‘it’s all about you.’ For me, now, it is a great pleasure watching him fight and it has always been almost like an honor to have him as a son. I really love him.’’

Early Results from LA

Hot unbeaten lightweight John Molina (16-0, 12KOs) over came a strong start by journeyman Carlos Vinan (8-7-3, 1KOs) to score an impressive second round TKO. Referee David Mendoza waved it off at the 2:40 with Vinan taking heavy punishment.
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Olympic super middleweight Shawn Estrada (3-0, 3 KOs) needed just 1:41 to blow out Ray Craig (5-5, 2KOs). Craig was down three times.
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Unbeaten light heavyweight Ismayl Sillakh moved to 7-0, 6 KOs with a third round stoppage of Carlos Reyes (4-1, 2KOs).

A Treat for the Fans.

Froch-Taylor London Presser!

Undefeated Carl “The Cobra” Froch and Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor participated in a press conference on Wednesday in London – Froch was joined by a host of U.K. journalists and television crews, while Taylor took part via satellite from his training camp in Miami, Fla. In a highly anticipated world title fight on Saturday, April 25, Froch will look to make a major statement — and enhance his reputation in America — when he defends his WBC super middleweight title against Taylor, a former undisputed middleweight titleholder, live on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast) from the MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Mashantucket, Conn.

Froch (24-0, 19 KOs), of Nottingham, England, will be making the first defense of the vacant 168-pound crown he gained in his last outing with a unanimous 12-round decision over Jean Pascal on Dec. 6, 2008. He earned the title shot after registering a fourth-round TKO over Albert Rybacki on May 20, 2008, on ShoBox: The New Generation on SHOWTIME.

Taylor (28-2-1, 17 KOs), of Little Rock, Ark., has had a prolific pro career since winning a bronze medal for the United States in the 2000 Olympic Games. The six-foot-one-inch, 30-year-old Taylor is the only boxer to twice defeat future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins.

Froch, Taylor, who both spoke confidently yet respectfully, their trainers Robert McCracken and Ozell Nelson, and Mick Hennessy, CEO of Hennessy Sports, discussed the upcoming match and fielded questions from the media.

Press conference highlights:

CARL FROCH: “I’m a fan of Jermain Taylor. He is a big name world-wide and a great fighter who knows his way around a ring. It is strange that now we are going to meet and he is fighting me.

“But I am looking forward to going to America and showing to SHOWTIME and the fans what this English guy can do. I feel I am a world star in the making and looking forward to showcasing my talents.

“Taylor says he is going to take me into deep waters, but I can swim. I like it when opponents come forward and say stuff like that…

“I’m sure he is prepared to fight and I expect to see a lot of movement, but I can adapt to any style. More than anything I box and move and love to counter-punch. I am looking for 12 rounds, in the trenches, going blow-to-blow. I hope he is a very good swimmer.

“Obviously, it is correct that American fans don’t know me. But I am a boxing superstar, which is why I am coming to fight on American soil on SHOWTIME.

“If British fighters want to become big stars, they definitely need to go to America. It took (Joe) Calzaghe 10-12 years to go there and make a name for himself.

“(But) For me, as a fighter, I need to do this (now). I am 31 and my best years are now. I could stay in England and fight mandatory defenses, but I want to prove to the boxing press and America that I mean business and that I am the real deal.

“I am the defending WBC champ. I’ve never had a hard fight, or struggled. I’m not sure if Taylor moved up because he can’t make the weight at 160. But I am fit and the stronger fighter. He is in for a surprise.

“I don’t want to sound bigheaded, but I can’t see Taylor going the distance with me. I’ve been training too hard. He was one of the best middleweights and junior middles, but he fought small men who wouldn’t go two or three rounds with me.

“I don’t want to disrespect Taylor, but I can’t imagine him doing more than he showed against Jeff Lacy, a fight I turned off after seven rounds.

“By me going to America it shows I want the fight more than him. But we will settle everything in the ring. He was a great middleweight champion, but I am the WBC super middleweight champion and it is my belt on the line.

“I am not insulted by anything he might say. I will fight anybody to prove that Carl Froch is a marquee superstar.

“If I can emulate what Kelly Pavlik, a good fighter was who bigger than Taylor, did, I will be fine. I am going to try and get him out of there soon as soon as I can.’’

JERMAIN TAYLOR: “I’ve been waiting for this fight for a long time. I was ready after I fought Lacy. But now that I have the opportunity, I am going to take advantage of it. I can’t wait for April 25 and I am really looking forward to doing my thing.

“I wasn’t dodging anybody. But I wasn’t going over there. Not that I couldn’t beat him in England–it didn’t matter where we fought–but nobody knew who Carl Froch was.

“To be honest, I didn’t know who Carl Froch was. I would tell people all the time here in the States that I was fighting Carl Froch and everybody was saying, ‘Who?’ It was kind of embarrassing.

“He needed to come here to make a name for himself, so people would know who he was. He can make a name for himself by beating me, or by getting beat up.

“Froch needs me as much as I need him. This is his way to prove that he’s the best.

“I was hungry for the Hopkins’ fights but I think I got too relaxed and too comfortable after them. I was confident against Pavlik but I did some unnecessary things that I should not have been doing. I didn’t do what I was supposed to do in the gym. In the second fight with Pavlik, I had him ready to go but I was too cautious.

“But you learn from mistakes and that makes you a better fighter. This is my way of getting back on track and showing everybody that the fights I lost, it wasn’t me in there.

“This fight means more than the Hopkins’ fights meant to me. I am going to get the belt. I (once) had all the belts. The WBC belt means as much to me as any of the others.

“Since the fight was made, I’ve watched tapes on Carl; he’s a good fighter but he showed me nothing that I can’t handle. Nothing he did impressed me. I think he gets hit too much.

“I was supposed to move up anyway a long time ago, but I just waited. After I lost to Pavlik, I decided to move up. I was always a big middleweight, but I can’t make 160 anymore.

“I wish Froch the best. I hope he makes for a good fight because I plan on winning the belt. He will be leaving the belt here with me. That would make me a two-time world champion.

“I am not nervous. I’ve been through this before and fought at this level for a while.

“There is nothing wrong with trying to make a name for yourself and I give Froch respect for going to another man’s country to do it. But, that’s it.

“I predict a victory and already have decided on the place on my arm where I am going to have ‘Two-time Champion’ tattooed.”

ROBERT MCCRACKEN (Froch’s Trainer): “Taylor is very good, but the differences are that Carl is a little fresher, has a better reach, a higher work rate and the edge in power.

“This is just the start. What we needed to do was get to America, fight a great fight and be victorious. There was no point in us staying here for three or four years. When it is all said and done, the big fights, the money are in America where legends are made.

“We’ll see whose intentions are right on April 25. How special is Carl? He’s always been thought to have the makings of great fighter. You could see that way back when he was an amateur, even when he wasn’t training 100 percent like he does know.

“Carl is a throwback fighter with the kind of power and strength that fighters aren’t used to. He’s awkward, but he learns and always listens. He is 100 percent professional and is not only totally comfortable fighting in America, but looking forward to the occasion. He’s not like other Europeans who have fought there. He makes all the sacrifices.

“Taylor is obviously a great fighter with a couple wins over Bernard Hopkins. But Carl is a special guy and this is his big opportunity.

“It will be a great fight, but there will only be one winner and it will be Carl Froch.’’

OZELL NELSON (Taylor’s Trainer): “Carl Froch is a good fighter who is giving us this opportunity to get the belt and we are looking forward to getting it. Jermain is very dangerous and hungry and wants to make for a good fight on SHOWTIME, who we thank for putting the fight on. Bring it on.

“I know Carl has been saying a lot, but Jermain is a quiet guy who does his thing in the ring. Jermain is a lot bigger, faster and stronger. I see him giving Froch a real good whipping.

“I don’t want to take anything away from Froch. He is strong, has long arms and a good right uppercut. But I just don’t see him getting in a lot of punches and I don’t see him slipping any either. He’s too slow. He’ll be a sitting duck. Jermain will tear his head off with those jabs.

“I am very happy that this fight is happening and looking forward to a good fight. I know in his heart that Froch believes – well, I don’t know that he believes – that he is going to win, but Jermain has nothing on his mind but bad intentions and winning that belt.

“I won’t predict a knockout but only that Jermain will win and there will be a new champion. I hope Froch can survive the deep waters because Jermain might drown him on the beach.’’

MICK HENNESSY (CEO, Hennessy Sports): “I consider this a super fight between two fighters at their peak, at similar ages and with similar records. They both could have gone in different directions, but they didn’t and I applaud them for that. This is truly a special fight between two marquee fighters and it should be treated like one.

“It is common knowledge that this fight doesn’t happen if it doesn’t come to the States because Taylor didn’t want to fight in England. But Carl wanted a big fight and it was his decision to go to the States. He made the fight and is doing what no other English fighter has done, going to the States (for his initial defense). We thank SHOWTIME for really getting behind the best fights.

“We have always believed in Carl and we feel he is the best super middleweight on the planet. We expect (to see) a lot of Brits at this fight.

“Something special is going down on April 25 when Carl Froch wins a sensational fight by knockout and proves that he is on his way to becoming a major star. He is going to really shake things up.’’

The event is being co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Hennessy Sports. Tickets, priced at $200, $100, $75 and $50, are on sale at www.mgmatfoxwoods.com, your local Ticket Master and MGM Grand Box Office 866-646-0649

Giovanni Parisi dies!

By Enrico “Erik” Crociati

Former two time world boxing champion Giovanni Parisi has died at the age of 41. Parisi died in Voghera, Italy, this evening in a car accident, he was born December 2, 1967 in Vibo Valentia, is one of the greatest Italian boxers. He was Gold Medalist at featherweight in 1988 Seoul Olympic Games and world champion at lightweight and junior welterweight limit. Parisi fought from 1989 to 2006, and retired with a record of 41 wins (29 KOs), 5 losses and 1 draws. He was an icon, a true great fighter and a great representative of the Italian sport. Sad day for all Italian boxing people.

Lopez ready for 5th title try!

By Lee Bates

Puerto Rico’s Jose ‘Carita’ Lopez (38-7-2, 32 KOs) goes for his fifth attempt at winning a world title when he battles Thailand’s Pramuansak Posuwan (45-1-1, 24 KOs) this Saturday at the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. The two will be fighting for the vacant WBO super flyweight title. The event titled ‘Night of Champions’ will be promoted by PR Best Boxing and televised on Direct TV. Though Lopez’ previous four attempts have been unsuccessful he is confident none the less of winning that elusive world title this time around. “I’m extremely focused and in excellent condition for this fight and simply won’t be denied of winning the world title this time” stated Lopez.

Fightnews spoke with Lopez just days away from the event and he spoke on his knowledge of Posuwan, still fighting at the elite level at 36 years of age, and pressures of winning in his now fifth world title opportunity.

What do you know about Pramuansak Posuwan?

I’ve seen video on him and he is a very technically sound fighter. I’m prepared for a very tough fight but expect in the end to be victorious.

You share a common opponent in then WBO super flyweight champion Fernando Montiel who you both challenged for his title. Based on how you both faired against Montiel how do see things playing out between you and Posuwan?

We both lost by decision to Montiel so there really isn’t much to take from that. Styles make fights in boxing so we will see what happens when we actually fight each other.

Do you feel pressured to win this fight knowing that this is your 5th and maybe your last chance to win a world title?

I don’t feel pressured at all. It’s been more than 7 years since my last world title fight with then champion Fernando Montiel. I’m a very hungry fighter and extremely focused for this fight.

36 is generally an age where most fighters slow down especially in the smaller weight divisions yet you have been able to remain steadily consistent and fighting extremely well on a very high level. What do you attribute that to?

Thank you for the compliment first of all. Many fighters that are my age or older are currently successful like Bernard Hopkins and Shane Mosley to name a few. For me It’s a matter of me taking care of myself and being able to stay very active thanks to my promoter PR Best Boxing (Ivan & Peter Rivera).

Having never won a decision in your previous 4 world title opportunities are you seeking a knockout this time around?

I really don’t think about the past opportunties as I can’t change the past. Winning is the priority but it would be nice to win the title by knockout in front of the fans in my native Puerto Rico.

Lacy to Face Griffin

Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy’s April 10 homecoming fight in Tampa, FL at the USF Sun Dome just got a bit more interesting. Original opponent Manuel Esparza (20-8) was scrapped, and is being replaced by “The Next Great Champ” winner Otis “Triple OG” Griffin (19-4) in the evening’s main event. “Griffin brings a bigger challenge to me than Esparza would have, so from that perspective I’m glad the switch was made. But it really don’t matter who I fight, I’m just looking to get them out of there” said a confident Lacy. “Homecoming” is presented by Left Hook Promotions and One Punch Productions, and features several Bay area notables on the undercard. Undefeated featherweight Kermit “Bazooka” Gonzalez (6-0-1) faces undefeated Derrick Wilson (4-0), and St. Pete heavyweight Lenroy “TNT” Thomas (11-1), Sarasota light heavyweight brawler Adam Jaco (4-2-1), and undefeated welterweight Said El Harrak (3-0) are also featured bouts. 9 bouts in all are scheduled, including a special attraction female bout featuring a rematch of an all-action war between Tampa featherweight Adawirky Lopez and Louisville, KY’s Caitlin Dance. Tickets are priced at $18.50, $40, $85, $135, and there are a limited number of $200 Platinum Ringside seats. Tickets are on sale now at all Ticketmaster locations, ticketmaster.com, and the USF Sun Dome box office. VIP packages are available by calling 813-503-8109.