All posts by FNU47

boxing, Showtime Boxing

ADRIEN BRONER OPENS UP ABOUT HIS CAREER, YOUTHFUL MISTAKES AND HIS FUTURE IN BOXING

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* * * VIDEO ALERT * * *
 
“You have to learn from your mistakes.  When you understand and you know why you’re losing, then you can fix it.  This next half of my career I’m going to be the AB that’s about business and about boxing.” – Adrien Broner
 
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Photo Credit: SHOWTIME
SHOWTIME Sports® met with Adrien Broner at HeadBangers Gym in Washington, D.C., as he prepares to face Khabib Allakhverdiev this Saturday on SHOWTIME®.  During the lengthy interview Broner spoke candidly about his approach to the sport and learning from past mistakes.  We found the interview compelling and, in lieu of limited access to Broner in the lead up to this event, felt it necessary to share this long form version in preparation for advanced stories you may be working on.
Broner vs. Allakherdiev for the vacant WBA Super Lightweight World Championship this Saturday live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT) from U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati.
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For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports follow on Twitter @SHOSports, @AdrienBroner, @WarriorsBoxProm and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook atwww.Facebook.com/SHOSports and www.Facebook.com/AdrienTheProblemBroner
boxing, HBO Boxing

MIGUEL COTTO ARRIVES IN LOS ANGELES FOR TRAINING CAMP WITH TRAINER FREDDIE ROACH AT WILD CARD BOXING CLUB FOR NOV. 21 HBO PAY-PER VIEW SHOWDOWN AGAINST CANELO ALVAREZ

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Photos: OPEN HERE

Photo Credit: Hector Santos Guia/Roc Nation Sports/Miguel Cotto Promotions, LLC

 

VIDEO: OPEN HERE

Video Credit: Team Cotto/Roc Nation Sports

 

LOS ANGELES (September 30, 2015) – Reigning WBC, Ring Magazine and Lineal Middleweight World Champion Miguel Cotto (40-4, 33 KOs) has arrived in Los Angeles to begin training camp at Wild Card Boxing Club with trainer Freddie Roach ahead of his Saturday, Nov. 21showdown against former WBC and WBA Super Welterweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 KOs) which will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View from The Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

 

Below is what Cotto and Roach had to say about the start of camp:

 

MIGUEL COTTO: WBC, Ring Magazine and Lineal Middleweight World Champion

 

“I am more than ready to get to work and am fully confident that the plan Freddie Roach has in place for our team is going to ensure that I am prepared to lock in this victory on November 21.”

 

 

FREDDIE ROACH: Hall of Fame Trainer, Seven-Time Trainer of the Year Award Winner and Trainer of Miguel Cotto

 

“The energy at Wild Card is at an all-time high. Miguel is one of the hardest working men I know and he did not waste any time getting into the ring with me. I know that we have the tools we need for a successful training camp that will put Miguel in the best position possible to beat Canelo.”

 

 

Remaining tickets can be purchased at the Mandalay Bay box office, ticketmaster.com,mandalaybay.com, all Ticketmaster locations or by calling (800) 745-3000.  Ticket orders are limited to four per person.

 

Cotto vs. Canelo, a 12-round fight for Cotto’s WBC and Ring Magazine Middleweight World Championships, takes place Saturday, Nov. 21 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The fight is presented by Roc Nation Sports, Golden Boy Promotions, Miguel Cotto Promotions and Canelo Promotions and sponsored by Corona Extra; Mexico, Live it to Believe it!; O’Reilly Auto Parts, Tequila Cazadores and Corporate Travel Management Solutions (ctms). The event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. Follow the conversation using #CottoCanelo.

boxing

Peltz Boxing Celebrates 46th Year Anniversary

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In the beginning…
While preparing for Friday’s Puerto Rican Boxing Classic at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, promoter J Russell Peltz, International Boxing Hall of Fame, class of 2004, recalls his start in boxing 46 years ago.

Today I celebrate-or perhaps observe-the 46th anniversary of my first fight as a boxing promoter. I could have waited another four years to write this story, but that seems like a long time from now and an even longer bet to reach that milestone.

I saw only a few minutes of my first boxing card. It was Sept. 30, 1969, at the Blue Horizon-not yet legendary-and I was busy in the box office with mom, selling tickets to the last of the 1,606 people we squeezed in there that night to watch middleweight Bennie Briscoe destroy Tito Marshall in their rematch. We actually turned people away that night and that’s something I would never do again. What was I thinking?

There was a miscommunication with the union that supplied the ticket sellers so when they failed to show, I hired mom-gratis, of course-and she helped to sell the tickets.

I was 22 years old, 15 months after graduating from Temple University and less than 30 days removed from working full-time on the sports staff at The Evening Bulletin. I had coveted the boxing beat at The Bulletin, but I got impatient when Jack Fried, the boxing writer, got an extension on his mandatory retirement at age 65 and I wasn’t about to hang around waiting for him to retire or, as dad would say, kick the bucket.

So I did what every 22-year-old college grad who was raised on the prestigious Main Line would do-I became a boxing promoter.

I had saved about $5,000 in college since I had worked full-time on what they called the Lobster Shift at The Bulletin, starting the summer after my junior year at Temple. I worked from midnight to 8 am, editing stories, writing captions and headlines and doing re-writes. Then I’d drive from 30th & Market Street to North Broad Street for my senior year at Temple, go to class from 9 am to 1 pm, then drive home to Bala Cynwyd to go to sleep.

It was a post-Olympic year in Philly and there was talent on every street corner. I remember the late summer of 1969, driving up Columbia Avenue-now Cecil B. Moore-and turning right after 22d Street where Columbia turns into Ridge. Two buildings from the corner stood the aptly named Roach’s Café. On top of Roach’s Café, up a steep flight of stairs, was Champs Gym, run by Quenzell McCall, who had made his bones training Percy Bassett and Leotis Martin and Kitten Hayward and Briscoe and many other top Philly fighters.

I met Sam Solomon, a friendly round-faced man who owned a Laundromat in West Philadelphia, and he introduced me to his new fighter, a 17-year-old stud who was looking to turn pro. His name was Eugene Hart. Sam nicknamed him Cyclone.

A year earlier, at a gym in the basement of the Annunciation Church at 12th & Norris, just off Temple’s campus, I had interviewed another young amateur boxer for a story I wrote for The Bulletin. His name was Bobby Watts. They called him Boogaloo.

There had not been a pro fight card in Philly since May and local fans were ready for some action.

I had dreamed of having my boyhood idol, Hall-of-Famer Harold Johnson, in the main event but I could not afford the $2,000 he wanted. I had become friendly with Pat Duffy, having written some stories about amateur boxing while I was at The Bulletin. Duffy controlled the amateurs in the tri-state area and he had his hand in the pros as well. He was involved with Leotis Martin and Sammy Goss and Bennie Briscoe and for a guarantee of $1,000 against a percentage of the gate receipts I got Briscoe to fight a rematch with Marshall, who had beaten Bennie four years earlier.

Duffy also had a heavyweight named Jerry Judge, from the Kensington section of Philly, and I added him to the card in his pro debut. On the poster I identified Judge as the Kensington Heavyweight Champion. Really!

George Hill, who was training at Champs Gym, agreed to make his own pro debut against Judge.

Jimmy Toppi, Jr., owned the Blue Horizon. He had promoted fights at various Philly venues in the 1940s and 1950s and as soon as he heard about my main event, he predicted a sellout. Toppi would close his office every day at 2 pm, so I would drive over to the Blue Horizon from my apartment in the Germantown section of the city, park outside and wait to see if any customers would show up to buy tickets. Whenever I saw someone ring the doorbell at the Blue Horizon, I’d get out of my car, call over to them and sell them tickets out of my trunk.

The card came together, although Watts’ original opponent, North Philly neighbor Lloyd Bad News Nelson, canceled out a couple of weeks before the show and it wasn’t until close to Sept. 30 that I found Ron Nesby, who was training at Gil Clancy’s gym in New York.

Dad was in the plumbing, heating and air-conditioning business and he took 100 ringside tickets and gave them out to his business associates. He paid me for all of them-they were $5 apiece. I guess he was worried I wouldn’t make it in boxing. My uncle Bob came to the fight and he got sick after eating a Blue Horizon hotdog.

I was at the gyms every night, Champs and the 23rd PAL in North Philly, Passyunk and the Juniper Gym in South Philly. There were others but those were the Fab Four.

Malcolm “Flash” Gordon, a long-haired New York boxing junkie who had bought a mimeograph machine with his Bar Mitzvah money years earlier, agreed to sell his now-legendary programs at the fight for 25 cents each.

Tom Cushman, the boxing writer for the Daily News, was a major player. I had met Cushman in Oklahoma City a few years earlier. He had stopped there–on his way East from Denver to start his new job at the Daily News-to cover Temple’s basketball team in a Christmas tournament and I was there as a correspondent for The Bulletin.

Cushman knew that boxing writers from other newspapers in town took money under the table from promoters to write pre-fight stories and he told me if he ever caught me doing that I could kiss our friendship goodbye. Not a chance!

The Inquirer headline the day before my card: Is Peltz Ready To Get Skinned?

We sold out. At the time, the 1,606 fans in attendance represented the largest crowd in the Blue Horizon’s history. The gate was $6,010 with tickets priced at $3 and $5. Briscoe’s percentage came to $1,314.58 and Marshall walked out with $788.75.

Middleweight Oscar Coor beat Clarence Finney in an all-local four-rounder to open the card-on time, naturally, at 8 pm-and Cyclone Hart blew away South Philly’s Sheldon Moore, who didn’t answer the bell for round two. Jerry Judge worked hard and stopped George Hill in the fourth round and Boogaloo Watts out-boxed Ron Nesby in a 6. In the main event, Briscoe had a blast. He nailed Marshall below the belt early and when Tito complained to the ref, Bennie went upstairs and it was all over in 60 seconds. Marshall never boxed again.

Columnist Sandy Grady was there from The Bulletin. His story the next day–Crazy Dream Comes True–told about my prediction in college that one day my friends would be coming to my fight cards. He also wrote that my (first) wife and I were living in an apartment in Germantown and the only things in it were a mattress, a TV set and a cat named Ophelia. With the money we made that night ($1,438.83), Grady wrote that perhaps now we would buy some furniture.

A few months earlier, my wife had asked me what made me think I could be successful in this business. I told her that it would take me about six months to blow my savings but I’d have a great scrapbook one day to show our kids about the time their daddy was a boxing promoter.
Amateur MMA, mixed martial arts, New England Fights

WILL ATHLETE’S RETURN BE A BAD OMEN FOR SHOREY AT NEF XX?

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Lewiston, Maine (September 30, 2015) – New England Fights (NEF), America’s number-one regional fight promotion, will hold its next event, “NEF XX: A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE” on Saturday, November 21, 2015 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine.  The event will feature a first for Maine – mixed-martial-arts (MMA) bouts and professional boxing bouts on the same event with an MMA cage and a boxing ring set up side-by-side.  Earlier today, the promotion announced the addition of a professional featherweight bout to the MMA portion of the fight card.  “Shatterproof 2.0” Derek Shorey (3-2) has signed to face the returning Damon “The Omen” Owens (2-0) at a fight weight of 145-pounds.

 

The founder and head coach of the Shatterproof Combat Club in Dexter, Maine, Derek Shorey has been impressive in his professional career thus far.  All three of his wins have come by first-round stoppage, including Shorey’s defeat of Tollison Lewis (0-5) earlier this month at “NEF XIX.”  Win or lose, Shorey does not believe in letting fights go to the judges’ scorecards.  All fifteen of his combined amateur and pro fights have ended by either knockout, technical knockout (TKO) or submission.

 

“I’m grateful to be part of this historical event that is NEF XX,” said Shorey.  “Thank you Matt Peterson and Nick DiSalvo for providing a platform for me to chase this ridiculous dream.  Damon is an interesting matchup for me because, stylistically, we are very similar.  I’m excited to get in there and mix it up with him and I think the fans will be the biggest winners on this night because they’re in for a hell of a show. I’ve only just begun to tap my full potential and to pull a ‘W’ over a fighter from the best camp in Maine, would be a very proud moment for me.”

 

Prior to moving to Colorado from Maine in 2013, Damon Owens was on the verge of becoming a breakout star on the regional MMA scene.  Owens put together a pair of solid, back-to-back wins against John Raio (2-8) and Josh Parker (4-8).  Like Shorey, Owens came into his own after leaving the amateur ranks.  Also like Shorey, Owens does not believe in letting the judges decide the outcome of his fights.  Only one of his bouts out of seven has gone the distance.  Owens is a member of Young’s MMA in Bangor, Maine.  Returning home, he has been welcomed back with open arms to his team.  Owens has been inactive from competition since moving to Colorado two years ago.

 

“Adding this fight to such a monumental event like ‘NEF XX’ was a no-brainer,” said NEF co-owner and promoter Nick DiSalvo.  “Derek and Damon have both proven themselves to be big finishers.  They match up very well and they’re both incredibly exciting fighters.  This fight has a very good shot at stealing the show!”

 

New England Fights’ next event, “NEF XX: A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE,” takes place on November 21, 2015 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine.  The event will mark the first time in Maine history a mixed-martial-arts (MMA) event and a professional boxing event have taken place together on the same show.  Tickets for “NEF XX” start at just $25 and are on sale now atwww.TheColisee.com or by calling the Colisée box office at 207.783.2009 x 525.  For more information on the event and fight card updates, please visit the promotion’s website at www.NewEnglandFights.com.  In addition, you can watch NEF videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”

 

About New England Fights

 

New England Fights (“NEF”) is a fight events promotions company. NEF’s mission is to create the highest quality events for Maine’s fighters and fans alike. NEF’s executive team has extensive experience in combat sports management, events production, media relations, marketing, legal and advertising.

boxing, Fox Sports 1, Premier Boxing Champions

JAVIER FORTUNA STOPS CARLOS VELASQUEZ IN ROUND TEN TO RETAIN  SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT WORLD TITLE ON PREMIER BOXING CHAMPIONS TOE-TO-TOE TUESDAYS ON FS1 & BOXEO DE CAMPEONES ON FOX DEPORTES FROM THE PEARL THEATER AT PALMS CASINO RESORT

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UNDEFEATED SUPER WELTERWEIGHTS DOMONIQUE DOLTON AND OSCAR MOLINA FIGHT TO MAJORITY DRAW
Click HERE For Photos From Lucas Noonan/Premier Boxing Champions
 
Click HERE For Photos From Idris Erba/Mayweather Promotions
 
Fight Highlights Available HERE
 
LAS VEGAS (September 29, 2015) – Javier “El Abejon” Fortuna (29-0-1, 21 KOs) used a relentless attack to stop Carlos “Twin Dream” Velasquez (19-2, 12 KOs) in the tenth-round and retain his super featherweight world title on Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) TOE-TO-TOE TUESDAYS on FS1 and BOXEO DE CAMPEONES on FOX Deportes from The Pearl Theater at Palms Casino Resort.
Fortuna blitzed Velasquez from the opening bell, using his awkward-pressure style to open up opportunities to land punches. In the second round, Fortuna landed a pair of left hooks that sent Velasquez to the canvas. In that round, Velasquez began bleeding from the nose due to a head butt and may have broken his nose.
Also in that second round, Fortuna injured his left hand and was unable to throw it for much of the rest of the fight. He still proved to be too much for Velasquez however, out-landing him 168-51 while landing almost 40 percent of his punches.
He came out strong once again in the tenth round, landing a series of unanswered shots that prompted referee Russell Mora to stop the fight thirty-five seconds into the round. At the time of the stoppage, the judges’ scores were 88-82, 87-83 and 86-84 all for Fortuna.
In the co-main event, undefeated super welterweights Domonique Dolton (17-0-1, 9 KOs) and Oscar Molina (13-0-1, 10 KOs) fought to a majority draw in an entertaining, back-and-forth scrap.
Dolton threw more punches than Molina, but Molina landed at a higher percentage and was able to land his power punches over 50 percent of the time. In round three, Molina had his best moments when he wobbled Dolton with a right hand, but Dolton regained his composure and finished the round strong. Both men continued to flurry at moments throughout the remaining rounds and were throwing punches all the way to the final bell.
The judges’ totals were 95-95 twice and 97-93 for Fortuna. In total, Dolton landed 145 out of 479 punches while Molina landed 134 out of 326.
JAVIER FORTUNA
“I was just waiting to counter punch Velasquez. The rhythm of the fight was important. I was in control of the fight because I could control the rhythm.
“I’ve had this style ever since I was an amateur. I’ve learned more about how to be aggressive and I’ve always tried to press the action throughout my career.
“I knew I got him with a good shot when I knocked him down. I hurt my left hand after that but it was just a matter of time until I got him again. I didn’t throw my left too much after that.
“I saw his shots coming. I would have taken advantage earlier but I hurt my hand. If I hadn’t hurt my hand, he wouldn’t have lasted five rounds.
“I looked at his corner as I was hurting him because I wanted them to know that I could go the full 12 rounds and I wasn’t going to stop until the final bell rings.”
CARLOS VELASQUEZ
“The head butt, I think broke my nose early in the fight, and it effected my breathing throughout the bout.
“I take nothing away from Fortuna, he’s a great fighter. I left everything in the ring and I never quit. I wanted to give it my all and that’s what I did.”
DOMONIQUE DOLTON
“I knew it was a close decision. It would have been fine either way. Close fight. He landed some shots, I landed some shots. I wouldn’t have been mad either way.
“The game plan was to make him miss with the left hand and then get him with the overhand right. I got in there and started overpowering him. I decided to just beast him. I thought I would finish stronger at the end of the fight.
“He has really good timing. We’re both technicians. I wanted to make him miss, he wanted to make me miss. He landed some more power shots but I made him work for it at the end.”
OSCAR MOLINA
“I let it get too close, so I can’t complain about the decision. I’ll go home and watch the fight but right now I can’t complain. The judges saw what they saw.
“The game plan was to stay relaxed, but I fell out of the game plan. I hurt him in the third round and it kind of messed me up. I started looking for that one shot to end it. I have to work on staying steady and relaxed.
“Dolton had real good foot work, he caught me lunging in. I’ve known him since the amateur days so I know how good he is.
“I’m motivated to get back in the gym and start going 20, 30 rounds without getting tired. I got gassed at the end but It’s a learning experience.”
 
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PBC TOE-TO-TOE TUESDAYS  was promoted by Mayweather Promotions.
Follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @MayweatherPromo, @FS1, @FOXDeportes @PearlAtPalms and @Swanson_Comm and become a fan on Facebook atwww.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions and,www.facebook.com/foxdeportes
boxing

SHOWTIME® TO TELEVISE KELL BROOK VS. DIEGO CHAVES IBF WELTERWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ON SATURDAY, OCT. 24, LIVE FROM SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND

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SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL® Brook vs. Chaves Airs

Live at 5:45 p.m. ET/ 2:45 p.m. PT with an Encore Presentation at 9 p.m. ET/PT

 

NEW YORK (Sept. 29, 2015) – SHOWTIME Sports® will present the IBF Welterweight World Championship between undefeated defending champion Kell Brook and contender Diego Chaves on Saturday, Oct. 24, live on SHOWTIME at 5:45 p.m. ET / 2:45 p.m. PT from Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield, England.

 

The SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL presentation of the Sky Sports telecast will feature analysis from SHOWTIME boxing experts  before and after the world championship showdown.  An encore presentation of the bout will air on SHOWTIME later that evening at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

 

“I’m delighted that my fight with Chaves is going to be shown in the U.S.,” said Brook, who hails from Sheffield and will be the favorite in this fight.  “I was thrilled when I saw my name in the top 10 of the pound-for-pound list in The Ring Magazine, and now is the time that I need to show the fans in the U.S. that I am a must-see fighter.

 

“Chaves is an all-action boxer who always comes to fight, and that is the perfect style for me to shine on Oct. 24.  I look forward to putting on an explosive performance and making the U.S. stand up and take notice that I am the best welterweight in the world.”

 

“We know Brook is a tough fighter, very technical,” said Diego Chaves. “But he is not a fast fighter and he is easily bothered by body punches, which is one of our strengths.  I believe he has problems going backwards, and we are going to test his punching power, too.

 

“I feel that my confidence grows with this challenge, knowing that I will have to face a champion like Kell Brook in his home country in England.  This raises the stakes for me, going up there as an Argentine and as a huge underdog.  We know all the bad blood that exists between Argentina and England and this will give me much more strength.  I will make history if I defeat an Englishman in his own country.”

 

“We’re excited to be back in business with Kell Brook, Matchroom Boxing and Eddie Hearn and to deliver this exciting matchup of top 10 welterweights to the U.S. audience,” said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports.  “Kell won the world title on SHOWTIME in an action-packed victory over Shawn Porter last fall, establishing himself as one of the top welterweights in the world – but Diego Chaves is a rugged fighter who has also proven that he can compete with the elite of the division.”

 

Brook (35-0, 24 KOs) will make his third consecutive title defense of 2015 in his native England after coming to the U.S. and dethroning previously undefeated IBF Welterweight World Champion Shawn Porter in August 2014 on SHOWTIME.   The Sheffield native has scored knockouts in each of his defenses – a fourth round TKO of Jo Jo Dan on March 28 and a sixth round TKO of Frankie Gavin on May 30.  Brook aims for a similar result against the veteran Chaves, who has faced some of the top fighters in the 147-pound division.

 

Chaves (23-2-1, 19 KOs), of Buenos Aires, Argentina, has been a road warrior in recent fights, facing favored Americans on the road in three of his last four bouts.  He challenged 147-pound titlist Keith Thurman in July 2013 and, after winning by knockout in a hometown fight in Argentina, was ahead on the judges’ scorecards against Brandon Riosin August 2014 until he was disqualified for an intentional elbow to the face.  In his last fight, Chaves fought to a draw against perennial welterweight champion Timothy Bradley.

 

mixed martial arts, World Series of Fighting

MAGOMED BIBULATOV FACES DONAVON FRELOW IN FIRST-EVER WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING FLYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17

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Live on NBCSN from Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn.

LAS VEGAS (Sept. 29, 2015) –World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) announced today that it will crown its first flyweight (125 pounds) champion in history – the winner of a matchup between undefeated, surging stars Magomed “Gladiator” Bibulatov and Donavon Frelow – at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn. on Saturday, Oct. 17, live on NBCSN at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT.

The bout represents one of two world championship matchups that will unfold at “WSOF 24: Fitch vs. Okami,” the second being a previously announced heavyweight championship contest between reigning kingpin Blagoy Ivanov (12-1) of Sofia, Bulgaria and challenger Derek “Caveman” Mehman (19-6) of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
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“We are looking forward to crowning the first champion ever in our fast-growing and highly-competitive flyweight division, on October 17,” said World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo.

“As two of the weight class’ most dynamic stars who have yet to be beaten, Magomed and Donavon have earned their respective places in this historic championship fight, and we are confident that the winner will personify what being a champion in World Series of Fighting is about.”

The fight marks the U.S. debut of the 27-year-old Bibulatov (9-0) of Grozny, Chechnya Russia, following a perfect, two-year run competing against opponents in his homeland as well as in France and Portugal, eventually earning the coveted, number one ranking in his weight class in Europe.

Bibulatov, a practitioner of martial arts, including sambo and wrestling, since his early youth, remains the only fighter to have beaten UFC star Taylor Lapilus, over whom Bibulatov earned a unanimous decision on October 12, 2013 in the main event of a fight card held in Lapilus’ home country of France.

In his last start on March 14, Bibulatov scored a first round (1:30) KO (punch) onEduardo Felipe in co-main event action in Bibulatov’s hometown of Grozny.

A member of MMA legend Wanderlei Silva’s vaunted, Las-Vegas based fight team, the 30-year-old Frelow (5-0) has notched four of his five professional career victories, thus far, by way of submission.

Following a near-perfect amateur career that saw him amass an overall record of 5-1 between April 2011 and October 2013, Frelow accepted his first pro fight on just four days’ notice and at the flyweight limit of 125 pounds, 10 pounds lower than that he had previously been competing at.

Frelow persevered in his first pro start, though, defeating George Garcia by way of submission (guillotine choke) in the second round (:30) of their bout on March 6, 2014.

In his third pro outing on December 20, 2014, Frelow needed only 25 seconds to submit Donald Belcher with an armbar.  Frelow has since recorded two straight wins in the World Series of Fighting decagon cage.

Priced from $39.99, tickets for “WSOF 24: Fitch vs. Okami” are on sale at Ticketmaster.com and WSOF.com.

In the welterweight main event, Jon Fitch (26-7-1, 1 NC) of Fort Wayne, Ind. will face rival superstar and grappling technician Yushin “Thunder” Okami (30-9) of Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.

Doors at the Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino will open at 4:30 p.m. ETfor WSOF 24, and the first preliminary card bout will begin at 5:30 p.m.

The entire preliminary fight card will stream live on an embeddable video player on WSOF.com.

The card is subject to change.

MAIN CARD (Live on NBCSN)

Welterweight Main Event: Jon Fitch vs. Yushin Okami

World Series of Fighting Heavyweight Championship Co-Main Event:
Blagoy Ivanov vs. Derek Mehman

Lightweight: Nick Newell vs. Tom Marcellino

Light Heavyweight: Vinny Magalhaes vs. Matt Hamill

World Series of Fighting Flyweight Championship
Magomed Bibulatov vs. Donavon Frelow

PRELIMINARY CARD (Live on WSOF.com)

Featherweight: Rick Glenn vs. Adam Ward
Featherweight: Alexandre Almeida vs. Saul Almeida
Heavyweight:  Juliano Coutinho vs. TBA
Featherweight: Rodrigo Almeida vs. Bruce Boyington
Welterweight: Washington Nunes Da Silva vs. Colton Smith
Middleweight: Justin Torrey vs. Rex Harris
Middleweight: Louis Taylor vs. Nicolai Salchov
Heavyweight: Pat Walsh vs. Tyler King
Amateur MMA, mixed martial arts, New England Fights

EWER AND LACHANCE TO LOCK HORNS AT NEF XX

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Lewiston, Maine (September 29, 2015) – New England Fights (NEF), America’s number-one regional fight promotion, will hold its next event, “NEF XX: A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE” on Saturday, November 21, 2015 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine.  The event will feature a first for Maine – mixed-martial-arts (MMA) bouts and professional boxing bouts on the same event with an MMA cage and a boxing ring set up side-by-side.  Earlier today, the promotion announced the addition of an amateur lightweight bout to the MMA portion of the fight card.  CJ Ewer (4-2) is scheduled to face Jason “Second Chance” Lachance (2-2) at a fight weight of 155-pounds.

 

CJ Ewer is a veteran of the United States Air Force security forces.  He is a product of Young’s MMA in Bangor, Maine where he has honed his craft under coach Chris Young.  Ewer had one of the most explosive starts to a career in NEF history, winning his first three amateur bouts in a matter of just ten weeks.  Earlier this month at “NEF XIX,” Ewer fought and defeated a very tough Ricky Dexter (3-2).  All of Ewer’s fights to date have been in the welterweight and middleweight divisions.  The cut to 155-pounds will be a first for Ewer.

 

“After watching Lachance’s videos, it’s obvious he comes into the cage well prepared,” noted Ewer of his opponent.  “He’s only lost to Jarod Tyler and Dom Cofone, who are both hardcore fighters, and his win against Steve Bang shows that he has a lot of different skills and drive.  It’ll be a great opportunity to show how I can compete at 155.”

 

Jason Lachance is a member of MMA Athletix based in Bath, Maine.  He has faced stiff competition in the first several fights of his career, as Ewer noted, so Lachance is accustomed to standing across the cage from the cream of the crop.  He is coming off a first round submission victory over David Thompson (0-1) earlier this month at “NEF XIX.”  Lachance will look to continue his winning ways when he meets Ewer at “NEF XX” on November 21.

 

“I’m excited for another opportunity to get in the cage,” said Lachance.  “I expect an exciting fight no matter where it ends up.  Ewer is tough competition.  I am looking forward to this one.”

 

New England Fights’ next event, “NEF XX: A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE,” takes place on November 21, 2015 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine.  The event will mark the first time in Maine history a mixed-martial-arts (MMA) event and a professional boxing event have taken place together on the same show.  Tickets for “NEF XX” start at just $25 and are on sale now atwww.TheColisee.com or by calling the Colisée box office at 207.783.2009 x 525.  For more information on the event and fight card updates, please visit the promotion’s website at www.NewEnglandFights.com.  In addition, you can watch NEF videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”

Amateur MMA, boxing, mixed martial arts

THE FLYWEIGHT TITLE IS ON THE LINE AT NEF XX

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Lewiston, Maine (September 28, 2015) – New England Fights (NEF), America’s number-one regional fight promotion, will hold its next event, “NEF XX: A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE” on Saturday, November 21, 2015 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine.  The event will feature a first for Maine – mixed-martial-arts (MMA) bouts and professional boxing bouts on the same event with an MMA cage and a boxing ring set up side-by-side.  Earlier today, the promotion announced the addition of an amateur flyweight bout to the MMA portion of the fight card.  Dustin Veinott (4-3) will defend the NEF MMA Amateur Flyweight Championship against Ryan Burgess(1-0).

 

Dustin Veinott has been the feel-good story of 2015 in NEF.  After going 0-3 to begin his amateur career, Veinott went on a four-fight win streak culminating in a split decision victory over Norman Fox (4-2) this past June to claim the inaugural flyweight title.  Veinott is a member of Central Maine Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (CMBJJ) in Lewiston, Maine.  He predicts a finish over Burgess on November 21.

 

“It’s an honor to fight a young up and comer like Burgess,” said the reigning champion.  “He looked like he had solid wrestling in his last fight with Witham.  However, I am disappointed in my last fight. Fight fans will want to see this one.  I will get the finish.”

 

Ryan Burgess is, indeed, an accomplished wrestler.  A veteran of the Mountain Valley High School (MVHS) wrestling program of Rumford, Maine, Burgess chalked up an amazing 150 wins and captured three state titles.  Later, he continued his wrestling career at Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire.  Burgess joined Berserkers MMA along with other MVHS wrestling alumni and won his amateur MMA debut this past June.

 

“Dustin has a lot of experience in the cage and had to earn his spot at the top, but he has yet to fight someone at flyweight with the same skill set and intensity that I bring to the cage,” said Burgess.  “I’m very excited for this opportunity and it will be a great chance to show how much I have improved over the last six months.”

 

“It’s not very often that you witness a fighter with a 1-0 record fighting for a title, but Burgess brings with him a lifetime of competitive wrestling and training,” said NEF co-owner and matchmaker Matt Peterson.  “He was so good at Mountain Valley High School that they retired his singlet when he graduated.  Veinott has found his groove and really come into his own as a champion fighter.  This is a bout between two guys with a ton of drive and determination, and I can’t wait to watch to see who strikes first in this fight.”

 

New England Fights’ next event, “NEF XX: A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE,” takes place on November 21, 2015 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine.  The event will mark the first time in Maine history a mixed-martial-arts (MMA) event and a professional boxing event have taken place together on the same show.  Tickets for “NEF XX” start at just $25 and are on sale now atwww.TheColisee.com or by calling the Colisée box office at 207.783.2009 x 525.  For more information on the event and fight card updates, please visit the promotion’s website at www.NewEnglandFights.com.  In addition, you can watch NEF videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”

 

About New England Fights

 

New England Fights (“NEF”) is a fight events promotions company. NEF’s mission is to create the highest quality events for Maine’s fighters and fans alike. NEF’s executive team has extensive experience in combat sports management, events production, media relations, marketing, legal and advertising.

Bellator, mixed martial arts, Spike TV

HEAVYWEIGHTS BOBBY LASHLEY AND JAMES THOMPSON TO SETTLE THEIR SCORE AT ‘BELLATOR 145: VENGEANCE’ NOVEMBER 6 ON SPIKE

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SANTA MONICA, Calif. (September 25, 2015) – This past June, fans in St. Louis were deprived of a highly anticipated heavyweight rematch between Bobby “The Dominator” Lashley (13-2) and James “The Colossus” Thompson (20-14, 1 NC), when Thompson was forced to withdraw from the bout due to injury.  On Friday, November 6, the two heavyweights will finally square off at “Bellator 145: Vengeance,” at the Scottrade Center in the Gateway City.

 

The contest completes the main card of “Bellator 145: ‘Vengeance,” which airs live on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream on Spike.com at 7 p.m. ET.

 

Top billing at the November 6 event features two world title bouts when Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (24-2) defends his strap againstDaniel Straus (23-6) and Will “Ill Will” Brooks (16-1) meets submission specialist Marcin Held (21-3) with the 155-pound belt on the line. “Bellator 145: Vengeance” on Spike will also feature a rematch pitting “Iron” Michael Chandler (13-3) against David “The Caveman” Rickels (16-3, 1 NC).

 

Tickets for “Bellator 145: ‘Vengeance,” which start at just $30, are on sale now on Ticketmaster.com and at the Ford Box Office at Scottrade Center. Doors for the event open at 5:00 p.m. CT local time, and the first contest takes place shortly after.

 

Lashley looks to avenge a 2012 split decision loss to Thompson.  The unfinished business between the two giant heavyweights was originally scheduled to be settled at “Bellator 134: The British Invasion” and again at “Bellator 138: Unfinished Business,” but an injuries sustained by both men caused the fights to be rescheduled.

 

Thompson, a 6-foot-5 striking specialist, hails from England and has been fighting professionally since 2003. A former rugby player and bodybuilder, “The Colossus” found his true calling in MMA and has been competing around the globe ever since. Fighting some of the best heavyweights in the sport, including Kimbo Slice, Alexander Emelianenko, Don Frye, Alistair Overeem, Mariusz Pudzianowki, Bob Sapp, Dan Severn and Hidehiko Yoshida, among others, Thompson has racked up 11 wins by knockout and another seven by submission.

 

A 6-foot-3, former WWE superstar, Lashley started training in the grappling arts at age 12 and would go on to win several titles, including: three National Championships at Missouri Valley College, an NAIA National Championship, a CISM World Championship Silver Medal and two Armed Forces Wrestling Championships during his tenure in the U.S. Army. In addition to a professional wrestling career with stints in WWE, ECW and TNA, Lashley began his MMA career in 2008, and has built an impressive resume that includes Bellator MMA submission wins over Karl Etherington, Josh Burns and most recently, a technical knockout of Dan Charles.

 

“Bellator 145: Vengeance” Updated Fight Card

 

Bellator Featherweight World Title Bout: Patricio Freire (24-2) vs. Daniel Straus (23-6)

Bellator Lightweight World Title Bout: Will Brooks (16-1) vs. Marcin Held (21-3)

Bellator Featherweight Feature Bout: Pat Curran (21-7) vs. Justin Lawrence (7-2)

Bellator Lightweight Feature Bout: Michael Chandler (13-3) vs. David Rickels (16-3, 1 NC)

Bellator Heavyweight Feature Bout: Bobby Lashley (13-2) vs. James Thompson (20-14, 1 NC)

 

Preliminary Card:

Bellator Lightweight Feature Bout: Vince Eazelle (9-2) vs. Chris Heatherly (9-3, 1 NC)

Bellator Bantamweight Feature Bout: Scott Ettling (2-0) vs. Garrett Mueller (2-0)

Bellator Lightweight Feature Bout: Garrett Gross (6-4) vs. Luke Nelson (2-1)