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JONES JR. Vs MORAN Open Press Conference, Liverpool, Wednesday 22nd July
The open to the public press conference for the Stephen Vaughan LEGEND event, headlined by the Roy Jones Jr. versus Tony Moran MBC International and World Boxing Federation (WBF) Intercontinental Cruiserweight championships bout, will take place at 1:30pm this coming Wednesday, the 22nd July at the BIERKELLER, 6 Thomas Steers Way, Liverpool One, L1 8LW.
In addition to Roy Jones Jr and Tony Moran in attendance will also be many of those that will be in action on the night, including;
Paul Economides, who will be defending his WBF Intercontinental Super Bantamweight title against Prosper Ankrah.
Tasif Khan, who will be challenging Isaac Quaye for the WBF International Super Flyweight championship.
Nick Quigley, who faces undefeated Nathan Decastro
Antonio Counihan, who faces Ghana’s Michael Ansah
Undefeated Liverpool based Russian hot prospect David Agadzhanyan.
Lee Boyce, who takes on Scunthorpe’s Matthew Pepper.
Unbeaten Jay Carney, who faces unbeaten Mathew Fitzsimons from Belfast.
Local prospect Dayle Gallagher, who faces tough opposition from Matt Scriven
Unbeaten Heavyweight Rob Beech, who will take on Blackpool’s Mathew Ellis
Plus local prospects Lee Monaghan, Lee Milner and Carl Donohue, who will all be making their pro debuts on September 12th.
Tickets, priced £40, £60, £100 and VIP Ringside £150 for the Stephen Vaughan Promoted Roy Jones Jr. versus Tony Moran MBC International Cruiserweight Championship headed LEGEND event at the Aintree Equestrian Centre in Liverpool on Saturday September 12th 2015 will be available for purchase at the press conference or are available to buy on line at www.tkoboxoffice.comand www.vaughanboxing.tv
Sanctioning for this event will be courtesy of the Malta Boxing Commission – www.maltaboxingcommission.com
Two critical decisions paying Dividends for Beibut Shumenov
 (L-R) – Head coach Ismael Salas and Beibut Shumenov (photo by Isaiah Gomez / Mayweather Promotions) LAS VEGAS (July 20, 2015) – Nearly one year ago, former World Boxing Association (WBA) Light Heavyweight World champion Beibut Shumenov (15-2, 10 KOs) made two critical decisions that are now paying dividends as the 2004 Kazakhstan Olympian prepares for this Saturday night’s (July 25) showdown with B.J. Flores (31-1-1, 20 KOs) at The Palms in Shumenov’s adopted home of Las Vegas. First, after struggling to lose weight in order to make the 175-pound light heavyweight limit, which often left Shumenov weakened during his fights, he decided to move up one weight class to fight as a cruiserweight. Then, after self-training himself for three fights, Shumenov started working with highly-regarded Cuban head trainer Ismael Salas, who also trains World Boxing Council (WBC) World Lightweight Champion Jorge Linares. He has also handled present and past world champions such as Guillermo Rigondeaux, Yuriokis Gamboa, Danny Green, and Jesse Vargas. With Salas in his corner for the first time, Shumenov made his cruiserweight debut last December at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, in which Bobby Thomas, Jr. (14-2, 9 KOs) retired after the fifth round when he could no longer take an old-fashioned beating. These two aforementioned critical decisions have already positioned WBA No. 1-ranked Shumenov to fight WBA No. 3-rated Flores for the interim WBA cruiserweight title, headlining a Premier Boxing Champions event to air live on NBCSN.
“Since moving up to cruiserweight,” Shumenov said, “I have had no problems making weight. No stress at all! All I think about now is how I can be a better fighter. I really enjoy being a cruiserweight and I have only positive energy at the gym.” Salas agrees that Shumenov is comfortable and effective fighting as a world-class cruiserweight. “Beibut has adapted very well to fighting in the cruiserweight class,” Salas noted. “It is due to his healthy way of working hard and eating well. He doesn’t struggle anymore to make weight. Plus, he still has good mobility and power punching ability.” The connection between Shumenov and Salas was immediate, largely due to a similar boxing program Shumenov learned in Kazakhstan, Salas in Cuba, which focus on fundamentals. “Ismael is the coach I dreamed of finding,” Shumenov remarked. “We have a lot of similarities in our boxing school background. We had chemistry right away, from the first day of training. I also have two assistant coaches, Jeff Grmoja and Rodney Crisler, and we all discuss and share our boxing knowledge as a team to help me become a better fighter. We now all think as one.” Salas agrees with Shumenov about their instant connection, adding: “It is true that we come from very similar training systems. We’ve added a professional approach to training, stressing the fundamentals of boxing skills. Add Beibut’s mental strength and all his hard work to be prepared in the ring to adjust, in approximately 10 months, and we have a new team that works so well together.” On paper, Flores may have an experience advantage over Shumenov – 33 pro fights to 17 – but Shumenov has faced a much higher quality of opposition having fought in eight (6-2) world title fights. In his 17 pro fights, Shumenov has fought five world champions and five world title challengers. Flores lost to the only world champion he’s fought, then-IBO cruiserweight Danny Green. “We’re prepared to face anything BJ Flores will bring, so I believe it’ll be an exciting, competitive fight between two experienced fighters,” Salas concluded. “The first few rounds may be a like a master chess game.” Fans may friend Beibut Shumenov on his Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/ |
Shumenov is a physical specimen, impressively cut with bulging muscles. However, as he aged, the constant wear and tear associated with making weight – it’s much more difficult to lose muscle than fat – simply became too much for him to overcome. When he first came to the United States eight years ago, ironically, he thought about fighting as a heavyweight or cruiserweight, but he ultimately decided to fight as a light heavyweight. He went on to set the world light heavyweight record for fewest career fights, 10, needed to become world light heavyweight championUndefeated prospect Mario Barrios dominates in first 8-round bout
Photos By Lucas Noonan – PBC
EL PASO, TX (July 19, 2015) – In his first 8-round bout, undefeated Super-Featherweight sensation, Mario Barrios (10-0, 5 KOs), cruised to a sound victory against Arturo Esquivel (9-3, 2 KOs), to record his tenth win. The impressive conquest took place this past Saturday at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas on the PBC on CBS event, headlined by Carl Frampton vs. Alejandro Gonzalez Jr.
Using his tremendous height and reach advantage, Barrios controlled the action with a long jab and precise combinations. Esquivel, who was the naturally bigger man, wasn’t able to land any clean punches on Barrios, who won every round. Scorecards read 80-72 across the board.
“Going eight rounds for the first time was a great learning experience for me.” said Mario Barrios, who is managed by Al Haymon. “I was able to pace myself throughout the entire fight and never got tired. I could have gone four more rounds if this was a twelve round fight. Esquivel is a very tough fighter and I’m glad we both came out healthy. I’ll be ready to get back in the ring as soon as Haymon has another date for me. I’m very thankful for all the opportunities Haymon Boxing has given me.”
JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ JR. DEFEATS MARCOS REYESSATURDAY AT DON HASKINS CENTER IN EL PASO, TEXAS ON SHOWTIME®
McJoe Arroyo Wins IBF Junior Bantamweight World Championship & Amir Imam Earns Shot At 140-Pound Title On SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®
Watch The Replay Monday At 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME
EL PASO, TEXAS (July 18, 2015) – Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. earned a unanimous decision (97-92, 98-91, 96-93) over Marcos Reyes in the main event of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on Saturday in front of 9,245 at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas.
Reyes was the more active fighter – he doubled Chavez’s output – but simply couldn’t hurt his larger opponent. Following a loss at light heavyweight last April, Chavez decided to attempt to campaign at super middleweight.
Chavez (49-2-1, 32 KOs), who was fighting for the first time with trainer Robert Garcia, seemed to be able to land his power shots at will, however he would pick his spots and had long bouts of inactivity. Although he was working with a new trainer, Chavez continued to bulldoze forward and fought a very similar fight as he did against Andrezj Fonfara in April, this time against a smaller opponent.
“I won. This is big for me and Robert,” Chavez said. “I can do it better, but I won and that is the important thing. I’m going to fight at 168 pounds. Little by little, I’m going to get down in weight. We know we’re doing much better work in the gym.
“In the third round I hurt my left hand. I think it’s broken, I don’t know. I’ll see the doctor. With all respect to Reyes, if I hadn’t hurt my hand I would have knocked him out.
“I connected on the best punches to the chin and the body. I hurt him, but I couldn’t finish him because I hurt my hand. He threw a lot of punches but missed a lot. He never hurt me. I felt I hurt him every time I landed.”
After the fight, Reyes (33-3, 24 KOs) preached his case to SHOWTIME reporter Jim Gray and pointed out the weight disparity.
“I feel I won the fight. I showed him how I box,” Reyes said. “I made the weight at 168 and he didn’t make weight. He’s like a light heavyweight fighting a middleweight.
“I was against all odds – the referee, the weight, everything. I think I won the fight. It’s OK – I did my best.”
In the co-feature, McJoe Arroyo won a technical decision over Arthur Villanueva to win the vacant IBF Junior Bantamweight World Championship after the bout was stopped at 2:10 in the 10th round due to a deep gash over Villanueva’s right eye. The fight went to the judges’ scorecards and Villanueva was ahead 97-92, 98-91 after the judges scored the 10th.
The Puerto Rican Arroyo (17-0, 8 KOs) became the third fighter from the island to win a 115-pound title.
The lefty-righty matchup was at times highly technical and foul-filled. Referee Rafael Ramos deducted a point against Villanueva (27-1, 14 KOs) for leading with his head in the sixth. In a different clash in the sixth, a deep gash opened up over the right eye of Villanueva that ultimately led to the stoppage. Ramos ruled that the clash that opened the cut was unintentional.
Dr. Brian August inspected the cut midway through the seventh round and again after the eighth. Ramos again signaled for August to inspect the cut in the 10th and ruled that it was too deep to continue. In an interview with Jim Gray, August stated that he stopped the fight in the best interest of the fighter but that Villanueva claimed he was having no sight issues.
“When he was entering, he was entering low. He was clashing heads a lot,” Arroyo said. “Before the fight, I knew he was a tough fighter. All Philippine fighters come to fight. I knew I had to be ready for 12 rounds, boxing or brawling. It was a competitive fight but we just worked harder every round.”
When asked by Gray if it was hard to find his rhythm, Arroyo responded, “That’s a normal thing when a southpaw fights a right hander. We were both trying to be slick and smart. That happens when two boxers with the same style fight.”
Villanueva disagreed with the stoppage and called for an immediate rematch.
“It was a rough fight and very tough for me after the headbutt,” Villanueva said. “I thought I won the fight. I didn’t want them to stop the fight because it was just getting into the flow. I’m disappointed with the stoppage. I know I can beat him and I want an immediate rematch.”
In the opening bout of the evening, undefeated 140-pound contender knocked out Fernando Angulo with a thundering right to earn a mandatory shot at the winner of the scheduled fall showdown between Viktor Postol and Lucas Matthysse for the vacant WBC Super Lightweight World Championship.
It appeared to be a difficult fight for Imam (18-0, 15 KOs), but he was always in control and supremely accurate, landing 54 percent of his power punches compared to just 17 for Angulo (28-10, 16 KOs). Imam ended the bout in brilliant fashion with a powerful right to Angulo’s ear, forcing his opponent to fall face-forward to the canvas and the referee to instantly stop the contest at :56.
“I take my hat off. He’s a good opponent,” Imam said. “I just hit him with a big shot on his ear and he was done.
“These guys get the belts and just hold it. I’m going to get the belt and hold it with pride.”
Said Imam promoter and Hall of Famer Don King, “It was an excellent performance – just what I expected and more. You should never underestimate but pontificate when it comes to the ‘Young Master.’ We will take the belts and anyone that comes in front of us.”
Australian Waffle Anthony Mundine gets cold feet after WBO Jr. Middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade Agrees to terms for title fight next month in Australia
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CARL FRAMPTON DEFEATS ALEJANDRO GONZALEZ JR. IN U.S. DEBUT ON PREMIER BOXING CHAMPIONS ON CBS
CHRIS ARREOLA AND FRED KASSI FIGHT TO A DRAW
DOUBLEHEADER KICKS OFF HUGE DAY OF BOXING IN EL PASO, TEXAS
Photo Credit – Esther Lin/CBS
Click HERE For Photos
Photo Credit: Esther Lin/CBS
El Paso, Texas (July 18) – Undefeated Irish star Carl “The Jackal” Frampton (21-0, 14 KOs) showed massive heart and determination, as he successfully defended his junior featherweight title against Alejandro Gonzalez Jr. (25-2-2, 15 KOs) at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso and live on PBC on CBS. Fighting in his U.S. debut. Frampton was knocked down twice in the first round, but bounced back in impressive fashion to win via unanimous decision (116-108 twice and 115-109).
In the televised opener, heavyweights Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola (36-4-1, 31 KOs) and “Big” Fred Kassi (18-3-1, 10 KOs) fought a close 10-round bout ending in a majority draw.
Gonzalez Jr. came out swinging and hit Frampton with a hard straight left jab less than a minute into the fight, sending the Northern Ireland-native to the canvas for the first time in his career. Frampton was knocked down again with less than 15 seconds left in the as first, when Gonzalez hit Frampton with a sharp right hand behind his ear. Gonzalez was deducted a point in the third round for a low blow and again in the 11th.
“The Jackal” lived up to the lofty expectations of his U.S. debut by throwing and landing 100 more punches than Gonzalez Jr., including nearly triple the amount of jabs. Gonzalez Jr., threw more power punches, however, Frampton was more accurate with his power shots.
“I didn’t feel great in the first round. I got up from two flash knockdowns though and recovered well. The kid could punch very well,” said Frampton. “The ring canvas was very soft. I couldn’t get up on my toes and that’s my best attribute. I got up and showed courage. I came back and won most of the rounds and gave excitement.”
Frampton continued, “I wanted to win by knockout. It didn’t happen. I’m disappointed, but I’ll re-evaluate and move on; onwards and upwards. He hit me low so many times, but you’ve got to deal with that and carry on and that’s what I did.”
“I definitely won the fight, I was much more effective,” said Gonzalez. “I want a rematch and I’m happy to do it in his hometown. I’ll take whatever fights are best for me either at 118 or 122.”
“The ref overreacted to the low blows, I was just doing my body work,” Gonzalez continued. “I’m not a dirty fighter, I play by the rules and this was disappointing. He’s a good fighter but I’m the best he’s ever faced.”
In the opening bout of the telecast, Arreola prepared to make a statement that he was ready for another world title shot, yet was unable to deliver the performance he had hoped due to Kassi’s solid game plan and heavy-hitting fists. The scores were 96-94 for Arreola and 95-95 (twice).
“It was a good decision. It was just a tough fight,” said Arreola. “Fred came to fight and he’s a survivor. He held right, he moved right. He came here with a good strategy and he got a draw out of it.”
Arreola continued, “I know if I get Deontay (Wilder), I’d be in much better shape and a lot better prepared. Not that I wasn’t prepared for Kassi, but he came here with a good fight and was prepared.”
Kassi did not take anything away from Arreola, but clearly felt that he won the bout.
“I’m not happy with the decision,” said Kassi. “I feel that I won every round of the fight. I showed tonight I was the better fighter. I take nothing away from Chris. I’ve been his friend for years. People don’t know me, so I just wanted to show the world I could do it. I proved that I belong in the heavyweight division. I showed my heart. I‘ve been training hard for many years and I showed it tonight.”
RFA 29 – USA vs. BRAZIL
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MAIN EVENT:
RICKY MUSGRAVE vs. RAONI BARCELOS
FEATHERWEIGHT WORLD TITLE
CO-MAIN EVENT:
JORDON LARSON vs. ACKSON JUNIOR
ALSO FEATURING:
JOCELYN JONES-LYBARGER vs. KINBERLY NOVAES
HONORARY COACHES:
ROBBIE LAWLER vs. LYOTO MACHIDA
FRIDAY, AUGUST 21st LIVE ON AXSTV
LIVE at The Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, SD
Tickets on Sale through Ticketmaster.com
LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA) president Ed Soares announced today that RFA 29 will feature a team battle pitting top American prospects against top Brazilian prospects, when the MMA promotion returns to South Dakota next month. The honorary coaches will be current UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler (Team USA) and former UFC light-heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida (Team Brazil). RFA 29 will be headlined with an RFA featherweight title fight between top-contenders Ricky Musgrave and Raoni Barcelos. The event takes place Friday, August 21st at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The entire main card will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.
“RFA 29 will have a USA vs. Brazil team concept that will feature some of the top MMA prospects from each country,” stated Soares. “Robbie Lawler and Lyoto Machida will be the honorary coaches for each team. In the main event, Ricky Musgrave and Raoni Barcelos will also be competing for the vacant RFA featherweight title. This entire card is stacked and I can’t wait to see what happens at RFA 29 on Friday, August 21st.”
Tickets for RFA 29 – USA vs. Brazil are available for purchase NOW through Ticketmaster.com. You can also support your favorite fighter buy purchasing your tickets through CageTix.com.
Musgrave (14-4) is riding a considerable wave of momentum coming into this title fight. In his most recent outing, “The Spazmanian Devil” scored a dominant first round TKO win over four-time UFC vet and jiu-jitsu black belt Alvin Robinson at RFA 22 in January. The win took place in Musgrave’s hometown of Colorado Springs, Colorado and extended his winning streak to four fights in a row. The former U.S. Army Ranger has won six of seven fights over the last two and a half years and he is eager to bring home a title that he has had his eyes on for awhile.
“I’ve asked for it, I’ve waited for it, and now it’s finally here,” Musgrave said about his RFA title shot. “Everyone at Pariah MMA in Colorado Springs is excited about this and our gym is about to be put on the map. Barcelos is a tough kid, very aggressive, and a worthy opponent. I’m excited to get in there and fight.”
Barcelos (8-1) also returns to the RFA octagon fresh off a scintillating first round finish. The win came via KO over the previously undefeated NCAA Division I All-American wrestler Jamal Parks at RFA 23 in February. The bout was the Brazilian dynamo’s third for the promotion and he was able to showcase his well-rounded skill set in devastating fashion. On top of his tremendous KO power, Barcelos is a world class jiu-jitsu black belt that began training “the gentle art” with his father, black-and-red belt Laerte Barcelos, when he was just two-years old. The Nova União standout now looks to add the RFA featherweight title to his lengthy list of athletic accomplishments.
“I am very happy to fight for the RFA world title,” stated Barcelos. “RFA is an event that has been showing a lot of talent for the world to see. I’m sure with this fight I will have the opportunity to be recognized for my work. It’s a dream come true and an honor to be a champion of a great event like the RFA.”
The co-main event of RFA 29 will feature two welterweight MMA prospects, who are quickly rising the ranks of a historically deep division. The first is one of the most beloved fighters in the state of South Dakota. That would be none other than Jordon Larson (6-1), who was born and raised in Sioux Falls, but currently trains out of Power MMA in Gilbert, Arizona. Larson has been the recipient of two of the loudest ovations in RFA history and will be looking for his third onAugust 21st. He will be tasked with facing Brazilian juggernaut Ackson Junior (5-0), who trains out of the famed X-Gym in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. “Tank Russo” has been sensational fighting inside of his home continent of South America. He has stopped all five men he has faced with only one of those bouts lasting more than one round.
RFA 29 will also feature the biggest and most important women’s MMA bout to ever take place in the state of South Dakota. RFA fan favorite Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger (5-1) will be the female representative for Team USA. Jones-Lybarger has won all three of her fights in the RFA since making her debut for the promotion in 2014. The MMA LAB standout will be looking for her fourth win in the fourth different state she has fought in for the promotion. She has been given a tough assignment, which will see her clash with the highly-regarded Brazilian strawweight Kinberly Novaes (8-2). Novaes is a dynamic striker that trains under UFC and PRIDE vet Cristiano Marcello at CM System in Curitiba, Brazil. Noaves is perhaps best known for scoring a second round TKO victory over top-ranked UFC bantamweight Jessica Andrade in just her third professional fight. Additional bouts at RFA 29 – USA vs. Brazil will be announced soon. RFA 29 will be the promotion’s third event to take place in “The Mount Rushmore State” of South Dakota since the state sanctioned MMA last summer. The entire main card of RFA 29 – USA vs. Brazil will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT on Friday, August 21st.
Please visit RFAfighting.com for bout updates and information. RFA is also on Facebook at Facebook.com/RFAfighting, Instagram at @RFAfighting, and Twitter at @RFAfighting.
About RFA: RFA is a professional mixed martial arts promotion that gives rising stars and top contenders the opportunity to prove their talent to fans and leaders in the industry. The RFA presents live events on a monthly basis around the United States including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver and Milwaukee. RFA can be seen live in over 43 million homes nationally through its television deal with AXS TV. Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, RFA is one of the most active and respected MMA organizations in the fastest growing sport in the world. (The Octagon, Ultimate Fighting Championship®, UFC®, and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC. All rights reserved).
About AXS TV Fights: AXS TV Fights is renowned for its universally recognized Friday Night Mixed Martial Arts and Kickboxing events. As Your Home For MMA, AXS TV utilizes an expansive network of promotions from the United States, Canada, and Europe. And Asia to broadcast more LIVE fights than any other television network. “The Voice” Michael Schiavello and five-time MMA world-champion Pat Miletich provide viewers expert play-by-play, in-depth fighter coverage, and extensive analysis to each fight card. AXS TV broadcasts world-class LIVE fight events from RFA, Lion Fight, Legacy FC, and MFC every Friday night at 7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET.
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ANTOINE DOUGLAS DEFEATS ISTVAN SZILI WITH THIRD ROUND TKO IN MAIN EVENT OF SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION QUADRUPLEHEADER
Arif Magomedov and Adam Lopez Remain Unbeaten,
Clarkson Beats Odom On Upset Of The Night
Watch Replay On Tuesday, July 21, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME®
Click HERE To Download Photos
Credit: Rosie Cohe / SHOWTIME®
BETHLEHEM, Pa. (July 18, 2015) – ShoBox: The New Generation celebrates its 14th anniversary with an action-packed card. Undefeated middleweightAntoine “Action” Douglas (18-0-1, 12 KOs) of Washington D.C. finished offIstvan “The Prince” Szili (18-1-2, 8 KOs) of Frekendorf, Switzerland with an impressive third round TKO in the main event of ShoBox: The New Generation, Friday, July 17 from Sands Casino Hotel in Bethlehem, Pa. The event was televised live on SHOWTIME.
Both Douglas and Szili, had strong starts. Douglas exploited his reach advantage and strong right, while Szili showcased a few good combinations. However, Douglas showed dominance throughout the round by outlanding Szili 18-to-one in jabs.
Szili tried to wear Douglas down, but the 22-year–old Washingtonian countered the Swiss’ attempts with great combinations and strong rights. Douglas knocked Szili down with a left hook and two big rights with less than 10 seconds to go in the second, but Szili pulled himself together to finish the round. “The Prince” never fully recovered and Douglas used his speed and powerful jabs to deliver two more knockouts causing the stoppage just 29 seconds into the third round.
“Tonight was a team effort and I’m really proud of us. I rely on my team to help me move forward and continue to be successful,” Douglas said. “I will return again to fight under the SHOWTIME banner soon.
“I worked him [Istvan Szili] off the jab and once I caught him a few times, I was able to give him the combinations. After that my power punches kicked in and you saw the result of that.”
Douglas is an active fighter, making this his fourth win in a row since his draw with Michel Soro in July 2014. For Szili, this was his first time fighting in 11 months.
“I wasn’t able to show what I was capable of doing. I had a great sparring camp and looked tremendous going up against world champions, so I’m not sure what happened,” Szili said. “Once I was hit in my ear, I lost my balance.
“Loses happen. Some of the best people have been beat before. Now I have to decide if I will come back or retire after this but I would love another chance to show what I can do.”
“This is the fourth time Antoine Douglas has fought on ShoBox, and I thought [Istvan] Szili would give him more trouble. I thought Szili would try to take him into the later rounds, but Douglas was much faster, much quicker on his feet. Szili made him look really good because Douglas was able to do whatever he wanted,” said Boxing Historian and SHOWTIME analyst Steve Farhood.”I’ve seen Douglas four times now, three wins and one draw and every time I take away the same thing: I want to see him again.”
In the co-feature, Derrick “Take it to the Bank” Webster (19-1, 10 KOs) of Philadelphia, Pa. suffered his first loss against fellow unbeaten, 22-year-old Arif Magomedov (16-0, 9 KOs) of Glendale, Calif. by way of Russia in a one-sided 10-round middleweight matchup.
Magomedov impressed the crowd by outboxing the 33-year-old southpaw with poise and aggressiveness. He fought on the inside, pressuring Webster and dictating the pace of the fight. Webster struggled to adapt to his opponent’s style, but picked up the rhythm in round four only to be outboxed by Magomedov in the following rounds. Despite Webster being knocked down twice (seventh and tenth) the victory for the Russian wouldn’t come by way of knockout but by the judges’ scorecards. Magomedov won by unanimous decision 99-89, all three judges.
“I thought I would knock [Derrick] Webster out but I could tell he was prepared. Because of his height, I was surprised by how easy it was to get inside. In the end, I did what I was supposed to do. I did what we prepared to do in the gym – get inside. The ref did a good job of letting us fight on the inside.”
“Only time will tell where what’s in store for me next. I still have a lot of learning to do.”
“I was very prepared for the fight but due to my stomach virus and fractured ankle, I wasn’t 100 percent health wise. This was also my first time at 160 in about five or six years. No excuses, he [Magomedov] was the better man tonight. I’ll be right back in the gym on Monday.”
“[Arif] Magomedov is also 22, just like Douglas. He looked very good against [Derrick] Webster – a six foot four southpaw – a fighter that is not easy to look good against,” said Farhood. “Magomedov, relatively new to the American boxing landscape, is definitely one of the best young middleweights in the world.”
During his second appearance on ShoBox, Adam “Mantequilla” Lopez (13-0, 6 KOs) was victorious in his 10-round super bantamweight bout with Dominican Republic-native Eliezer “Campeoncito” Aquino (17-1-1, 11 KOs).
This may have been Aquino’s first fight in the United States, but he showed that he was a true competitor. Aquino chose a relentless approach by unloading punch after punch, while Lopez was able to strategize and take smarter shots. Typically, Lopez has been able to finish off his opponents in the sixth round, but tonight the two went the distance.
Aquino was relentless initially, hitting Lopez nonstop. It was clear that Lopez was frustrated, but he wouldn’t let Aquino dominate for long.
Lopez won by majority decision, 95-95 and 96-93 twice.
“I knew nothing about my opponent. Every round I had to learn a little bit about him. I got the drop early. I never thought that he was going to last the full ten rounds. I also thought I won by a bigger margin than that,” said Lopez. “He’s a good boxer and has a lot of power. He threw a few solid shots, but he didn’t really have a hook so I was basically trying to block his right hand.
“This is my first 10-round fight; a good learning experience. Before, I had only gone to six once. Aquino had a lot of energy and hit me with a lot of awkward shots. It wasn’t easy, but I weathered the storm.”
“This was a great learning experience for [Adam] Lopez going 10 rounds for the first time against an opponent that wouldn’t stop coming at him,” said Farhood. “He definitely won the fight, but the type of experience that he gets with the level of opposition at SHOWTIME, allows a fighter like Lopez to grow.”
Opening the ShoBox:The New Generation telecast, Samuel “The Main Event” Clarkson (15-3, 9 KOs) of Dallas, Texas delivered a huge upset by knocking down Jerry “The King’s Son” Odom (13-2, 1 NC, 12 KOs) of Washington, D.C. three times before the referee, Shawn Clark, stopped the fight at 1:15 of the third round.
The scheduled super middleweight 10-rounder started strong, with big lead rights and uppercuts from Odom and strong body shots and good connections from Clackson. Odom seemed to take the lead in the second, breaking Clarkson down, landing bigger shots and looking for an opportunity to put his power to good use, but Clarkson fought back and finished the round by knocking Odom down for the first time in his career with a right uppercut. In the third and final round, Clarkson led from the get go knocking Odom down twice more before the referee stopped the fight.
“This is a blessing, my team and I struggled a lot to get here. This win is really a blessing” said Clarkson. “We did what we had to do, we overcame the distractions and we won. I wasn’t supposed to win, but you can’t judge a book by its cover and a fighter by his record.
“I studied [Jerry] Odom in and out, and everything I expected, he did.
“We’ve been working on the uppercut for almost six weeks. I met a lot of great orthodox fighters before, and one thing that I noticed is that when a fighter comes with a right hand, the real bonus comes after with the right uppercuts. So, when I saw him [Jerry Odom] leaning in and his head wasn’t moving with his punches, I would just slip in and throw an uppercut and he was there on the canvas.
“In the world of boxing, sometimes you get caught. Tonight, I got caught,” Odom said. “I just want to thank all my supporters, this is just a small setback and I will be back.”
“[Samuel] Clarkson stole the show. I think he was the biggest underdog on the card coming in and he exposed [Jerry] Odom,” said Farhood. “Odom was the bigger puncher; Clarkson was the one with the suspect chin. Turned out to be exactly the opposite, a good example of the fact, ‘You never know in boxing.’”
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Barry Tompkins called the ShoBox action from ringside with Steve Farhood and former world champion Raul Marquez serving as expert analysts. The executive producer was Gordon Hall with Mike Arnolddirecting and Rich Gaughan producing.
About ShoBox: The New Generation
Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young talent matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to televise exciting, crowd-pleasing and competitive matches while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. Some of the growing list of the 62 fighters who have appeared on ShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes: Andre Ward, Deontay Wilder, Erislandy Lara, Shawn Porter, Lamont Peterson, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Omar Figueroa, Nonito Donaire, Devon Alexander, Carl Froch, Robert Guerrero, Timothy Bradley, Jessie Vargas, Juan Manuel Lopez, Chad Dawson, Paulie Malignaggi, Ricky Hatton, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Williams and more.
Unbeaten Prodigy Mario Barrios makes weight with swing bout looming on PBC on CBS
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Photo by Team Barrios
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EL PASO, TX (July 17, 2015) – San Antonio’s undefeated Super-Featherweight prodigy, Mario Barrios (9-0, 5 KOs), made weight for his upcoming bout with Jose Arturo Esquivel Porras (9-2, 2 KOs), set to take place at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas. Barrios weight in at 131.2 while Porras tipped the scale at 131.8.
Barrios vs. Porras will serve as the swing bout to the PBC on CBS event, headlined by Carl Frampton vs. Alejandro Gonzalez Jr. Televised coverage begins at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT with a heavyweights Chris Arreola and Fred Kassi opening up the telecast.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to showcase my skills on an international stage,” said Mario Barrios. “I know there will be a lot a fans tuning in form the USA and the UK. With that being said, I want to put on a great performance. Hopefully the fight makes it to the televised portion of the show so the fans can see what I’m all about.”