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‘Axeman’ Walters Wins Jamaican Sportsman of the Year
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Leon Margules of Warriors Boxing wishes to congratulate WBA Super World Featherweight Champion Nicholas “The Axeman” Walters for being named Jamaican Sportsman of the Year at the 54th RJR Sports Foundation National Awards.
29-year-old Walters (25-0, 21 KOs), a native of Montego Bay, Jamaica, had a spectacular 2014, stopping respected champions Vic Darchinyan (TKO 5) and Nonito Donaire (TKO 6).
“Getting sportsman of the year is like getting sportsman of the world,” Walters told reporters at the gala held in his honor. “We are very proud to be part of “Team Walters” said Leon Margules. “He is a superstar fighter who had his breakout year last year.”
Margules says things will only get better for the Jamaican star.
“This will not be the last time he wins this prestigious award. There are several big fights for Nicholas on the horizon that will further cement him as one of the game’s top fighters.”
# # #
About Warriors Boxing
Launched in 2003, Warriors Boxing operates under a simple philosophy-bring the best boxers in the world to fight fans, match them in competitive bouts, and in doing so help re-establish the sport of boxing for a new generation.
With a series of successful Pay-Per-View shows and packed houses to its credit, the Warriors business model is working wonders in a sport that was sorely in need of the innovation and energy that the company brings to the table.
When it comes down to it though, a promotional company is only as good as the fighters and fights it promotes. Warriors Boxing has delivered on all fronts, with outstanding bouts such as Lara-Molina, Cayo-Peterson, Abraham-Miranda I and II, Miranda-Pavlik, Miranda-Green, Ibragimov-Briggs, Ibragimov-Klitschko, Urango-Hatton, Urango-Bailey, Cayo-Maidana and Ibragimov-Holyfield.
For more information on Warriors Boxing, visit their website at www.WarriorsBoxing.com. |
NEF MMA ANNOUNCES FULL FIGHT CARD FORFEBRUARY 7 LEWISTON EVENT
Lewiston, Maine (January 20, 2015) –New England Fights (NEF), America’s number-one regional fight promotion, presents its sixteenth mixed martial arts (MMA) event, “NEF XVI,” on February 7, 2015 in Lewiston, Maine. The event is scheduled to originate from the Androscoggin Bank Colisee. Earlier today, NEF announced the full fight card for the event. A pair of title fights are scheduled to headline the card which will feature veterans of the National Football League (NFL), the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Bellator MMA, World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and Strikeforce MMA.
“This card might just be our most ambitious to date,” said NEF co-owner and promoter Nick DiSalvo. “There’s something here for everyone. If you like the big guys, we have plenty of heavyweight and super-heavyweight fights. If you like seeing the UFC and Bellator names, we have them. If you like wrestlers, they are well represented on this card. If you like women’s MMA, we have a women’s fight on here. $25 tickets to a fight card of this caliber is a steal for the fight fan. NEF continues to bring you the biggest bang for your buck as we open our fourth year of business.”
In the main event of the evening, Ray “All Business” Wood (5-0) will defend the NEF MMA Featherweight Title against the challenge of Philadelphia’s Anthony “Cheesesteak” Morrison (16-9). Morrison is a veteran of the Bellator and World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) cages. He will be Wood’s highest-profile challenge to date. Many insiders predict that Wood could be one or two wins away from getting the call to one of the national promotions himself.
The co-main event of the evening will see Tyler King (7-2) defend the NEF MMA Heavyweight Title against Terry “The Polar Bear” Blackburn (5-2). King is an NFL veteran, having played for the San Diego Chargers, St. Louis Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars and Arizona Cardinals after a very successful college career at the University of Connecticut where he recorded 19 sacks as a defensive end, and was named the team’s “Defensive MVP” in 2004. He appeared on the 19th season of UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter television series in 2014. Tyler is the son of Steve King who spent nine years with the New England Patriots as a linebacker during the 1970s and early 1980s. The challenger, Terry Blackburn, had a highlight-reel knockout victory over Jason Dolloff (6-19) in the NEF MMA cage in September 2013.
Ryan Hodge (6-9) will see action against Nah-Shon “The Rock-n-Rolla” Burrell (11-4) in a middleweight feature fight. Hodge, who lives in Florida but has made a name for himself on the northeast regional fight scene, last appeared in the NEF MMA cage in November 2013. That night, Hodge had a big knockout win over Josh Watson (7-4). Burrell is a veteran of the UFC, Bellator and Strikeforce cages. He has competed a total of nine times on the biggest stages the sport has to offer.
“Those three fights on top of this card are worth the price of admission alone,” said NEF co-owner and matchmaker Matt Peterson. “All three of those fights are main events on any regional MMA event held on the east coast any night of the week. And we’re giving them all to the fans in one awesome night of MMA action for one low price of admission. You can bet your bottom dollar that you will be entertained on February 7, and you won’t have to break the bank to do it.”
On the amateur side of the card, Gravin “The Stampede” Guillen(1-1) and 56-year-old Mladin Holman (0-1) will engage in a rematch of their super-heavyweight bout from this past November. Many fans felt the bout was stopped early by the referee, awarding the victory to Guillen by technical knockout (TKO). NEF executives listened to fans and quickly arranged the rematch.
Also on the amateur card will be two of the three fighting Bang brothers, Sheldon Bang (1-1) and Steven Bang (3-2), along with their debuting father Dr. Steve Bang (0-0). Dr. Bang is a 46-year-old bariatric surgeon with a background in wrestling. His four sons, including Sheldon and Steven, have all followed in their father’s footsteps, each wrestling for Edward Little High School in Auburn, Maine.
The new blood is rising early on the amateur portion of the card when Caleb Hall (5-1) and Josh Harvey (2-1) open the show in what should be an action-packed featherweight bout. Top prospects Nick Spencer (7-4) and Aaron Lacey (4-1) are scheduled to meet in a catchweight bout. “Crispy” Michael Crespo(2-0) and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) phenomenon Johnny Crafts (2-0) will put their respective unblemished records on the line in a bantamweight contest. And the women will take to the cage whenHillary Cooledge (0-1) faces Fernanda Araujo (3-3-1).
The full fight card for “NEF XVI” (subject to change):
PROFESSIONAL
145*TITLE Ray Wood 5-0 (Young’s MMA) vs Anthony Morrison 16-9 (Daddis Fight Camps)
265*TITLE Tyler King 7-2 (Connors MMA) vs Terry Blackburn 5-2 (First Coast Full Contact/Team Riot)
185 Nah-Shon Burrell 11-4 (Fight Firm Elite & Renzo Gracie BJJ) vs Ryan Hodge 6-9 (F2 Arena)
265 Mike Hansen 1-1 (Independent) vs Artie Mullen 1-13 (MMA of Southern Maine)
155 Jesse Erickson 3-4 (CMBJJ-Team NEU) vs Frank Falso 0-1 (Team United & Santos BJJ)
145 Derek Shorey 1-1 (Shatterproof Combat Club) vs Jon Lemke 4-3 (Team Irish)
135 Matt Denning 1-0 (CMBJJ-Team NEU) vs Jovan White 1-6 (First Coast Full Contact)
AMATEUR
S.HWT Gravin Guillen 1-1 (Independent) vs Mladen Holman 0-1 (Choi Institute)
265 Brandon Lessard 0-0 (Independent) vs Billy Leahy 1-1 (Young’s MMA)
265 Ryan Glover 0-0 (Independent) vs Jason Field 0-0 (Independent)
205 Chris Perry 0-0 (Acadia BJJ) vs Ruben Redman 0-0 (Independent)
185 Frank Dellasala 0-1 (Choi Institute) vs Heath Hanson 0-1 (3Ronin Athletics)
185 Jacob Cameron 1-4 (Team Nitemare) vs Nick Shea 0-0 (First Class MMA)
185 Joe Staples 0-0 (Team Irish) vs Raymond Harrison 0-0 (Independent)
180 Caleb Farrington 1-0 (Team NEU) vs Brandon Russell 0-0 (Independent)
166 CJ Ewer 3-1 (Young’s MMA) vs Jakub Kazuba 1-0 (First Coast Full Contact)
155 Dr. Steve Bang 0-0 Sr. (CMBJJ) vs Matthew Hanning 0-0 (Independent)
155 Steve Bang Jr. 3-2 (CMBJJ-Team NEU) vs Jason LaChance 0-1 (MMA Athletix)
155 Ricky Dexter 1-0 (Team Irish) vs Corey Trial 0-0 (Ruthless Boxing & MMA)
155 Rick Matthews 0-1 (Team Irish) vs Emmett Huber 0-0 (The Academy)
145 Caleb Hall 5-1 (Choi Institute) vs Josh Harvey 2-1 (Young’s MMA)
145 Jimmy Jackson 1-2 (Young’s MMA) vs Kris Welch 0-0 (Independent)
145 Henry Clark 1-0 (Choi Institute) vs Mike Peitersen 1-0 (Young’s MMA)
140 Nick Spencer 7-4 (Choi Institute) vs Aaron Lacey 4-1 (Young’s MMA)
141 Rob Kiah 0-0 (Young’s MMA) vs Clifford Redman 0-0 (Independent)
140 Bryant Orick 3-5 (Ruthless Boxing & MMA) vs Fred Lear 2-0 (Young’s MMA)
135 Johnny Crafts 2-0 (Team NEU) vs Mike Crespo 2-0 (MMA Athletix)
135 Fernanda Araujo 3-3-1 (Defensive Edge) vs Hillary Cooledge 0-1 (Choi Institute)
125 Dustin Veinott 2-3 (CMBJJ-Team NEU) vs Dave Brown 1-1 (White Mountain BJJ)
135 Sheldon Bang 1-1 (CMBJJ-Team NEU) vs TBD
Tickets for “NEF XVI” start at just $25 and are on sale now atwww.TheColisee.com or by calling The Colisee box office at207.783.2009 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.
Dmitry Salita, Star of David Boxing Promotions Team Up With Boxer Junior Wright To Honor NY Police Thursday Night, Jan. 22nd at Webster Hall in Manhattan
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FORMER WBC HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION BERMANE STIVERNE, HALL OF FAME PROMOTER DON KING, TRAINER DON HOUSE MEET THE MEDIA TO DISCUSS BOXER’S CONDITION, FUTURE FOLLOWING HIS LOSS TO DONTAY WILDER ON SATURDAY NIGHT
Press Conference Quotes; Monday, Jan. 19, at MGM Grand
LAS VEGAS (Jan. 19, 2015) – Two nights after being hospitalized following his loss to unbeaten challenger Deontay Wilder on SHOWTIME® from the MGM Grand Garden Arena, former WBC Heavyweight Champion Bermane Stiverne, his Hall of Fame promoter, Don King, and his trainer, Don House, hosted a press conference late today at the MGM Grand.
Here’s what they had to say:
PROMOTER DON KING
“We called this press conference because the Bermane we saw on Saturday night was not the Bermane we all know. Deontay Wilder did a very good job; this is not a press conference for excuses, it is for fact. The doctors at the hospital of the UMC said that he had a severe case of dehydration. His muscles were not working and they thought he had blood in his urine, so they took some tests and held him in the hospital until this morning.
“We want to applaud Deontay Wilder for doing his job, but the man before him was handicapped and unable to do his job, but that should not take anything away from his victory. Deontay performed and did a great job. It is unfortunate, but Bermane will have to do it another day. Knowing the champion we have in Deontay has so eloquently stated that he will take on anybody, I am certain without any equivocation he would grant a rematch with the real Bermane than the man who was handicapped in the ring, not taking away the victory he had and the way he shined.
“We praise Deontay and hope he can be champion long enough to where we can have a rematch of the ‘Return to Glory.’
“Just like our great military, when they get knocked down, they get back up again. Even with his severe dehydration Bermane still stood there for 12 rounds.
“We want to thank Richard Sturm, President of MGM Grand entertainment and Stephen Espinoza with SHOWTIME Boxing for playing a major part in getting this program together. We applaud both our staff and the MGM staff for doing a commendable job for making this happen. The spirit for ‘Return to Glory’ was high. We had a great card with Amir Imam in the fight of the night, getting knocked down and getting back up. All of the fights were exceptional. It was a good night of boxing for the fans and that is what we are really about.
“Don House so eloquently stated the health of Bermane is so important so when I found out he was in the hospital, I went to stay the day there with him because usually we just send them to the hospital to get checked out, but they decided to hold him. When they decided to hold him, I had to get over there and see my fighter. The staff was terrific and very gracious to me and very definitive about what could be wrong and investigating all aspects. They said he is healthy and should take off a month or so to get some rest and then get to work to prepare for his return to glory and recapture the heavyweight crown that is currently held by a great champion named Deontay Wilder.”
BERMANE STIVERNE
“I want to apologize for not making the post-fight press conference. Unfortunately I was not able to perform in the fight like I wanted to due to severe dehydration and muscle damage. I did not know it was that serious until they told me. I could have died from it. I am happy to just be myself, walk and talk again. Thank God for this, that’s really what matters to me to be healthy right now.
“I did not know the severity of it Saturday night. I was able to give the people a good show, 12 rounds of boxing. If I had to do it again I would do it again. This is not the end for me. I will give it a couple weeks and then get back to work. I have a vision for this, but right now it’s just on pause. It’s just a matter of time before I will get back on my feet and walk again. When it comes to my health, I have been released from the hospital. They would not let me leave until I was sufficiently hydrated. I am grateful. Thank you to my promoter and trainer, everyone who has welcomed me.
“To my fans, I apologize for not being able to perform like Bermane usually does. I know that people who really know me, know how I fight. My last fight with Chris Arreola, I gave you a good show. It is unfortunate that I couldn’t do what I wanted to do with my fight with Deontay Wilder. I want to congratulate him, he fought a good fight. Hopefully somewhere in the future we will meet again.
“Thanks everyone for coming out to the press conference, I am back on my feet 100 percent right now. I just need a couple of weeks or a month of rest to be back where I left off.”
DON HOUSE, Stiverne’s Trainer
“Thank you guys for coming out. The most important thing is that Bermane is OK. That is my main concern. I noticed somewhere in the fight, probably around the third or fourth round, something wasn’t right. Even though he told me he was OK, we all know Bermane. I don’t mind losing a fight, but I knew something wasn’t right, so I was very concerned. Around the ninth or 10th round I was thinking to stop the fight because you don’t have to continue, but he wanted to keep fighting.
“You didn’t see Bermane, you saw maybe 10-15 percent of Bermane. I really believe and really felt this should have been a decent fight for Bermane, but would last four rounds or less because his power and speed. We never underestimated him. We trained as if he was fighting King Kong. I train every fighter like that, underestimate no one. But Saturdaynight, we had about 15 percent of Bermane.
“We are going to look back, see what we did wrong, how we can do things better, what we should have done. We will take a look at how the dehydration may have happened. We will take a look at the fight and some of the things we did in training and find out what we did wrong.”
# # #
“RETURN TO GLORY”: STIVERNE VS. WILDER, a 12-round fight for Stiverne’s WBC Heavyweight Championship took place Saturday, Jan. 17 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, and was co-promoted by Don King Productions and Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona and Mexico – Live It To Believe It!. In the 12-round co-feature, unbeaten WBC Super Bantamweight World Champion Leo Santa Cruzdefended against Jesus Ruiz and undefeated Amir Imam faced Fidel Maldonado Jr. in a 10-round super lightweight bout for the WBC Continental Americas Super Lightweight Title. The event took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., and will aired live on SHOWTIME (10:00 p.m. ET/ 7:00 p.m. PT). The telecast was also available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP). Preliminary bouts were televised live onSHOWTIME EXTREME® (8:00 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).
For more information visit www.donking.com, www.goldenboypromotions.com and www.sports.sho.com, follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @BStiverne, @BronzeBomber, @SHOSports and @MGMGrand and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing, or visit SHOWTIME Boxing Blog at http://theboxingblog.sho.com/.
Shinobi War 4 Card Shaping Up Nicely
Shinobi MMA Fighting Championships is pleased to announce the addition of 5 mouth-watering bouts to the upcoming Shinobi War 4 card.
Firstly, the Shinobi MMA FC Middleweight Title will be on the line as fan-favourite, Amadeusz Arczewski (3-1) will battle it out with Ben Forsyth (4-1) to determine who is the best 185lb fighter.
Arczewski has appeared on the last two Shinobi Wars and has dominated both his opponents with his strong wrestling. The man from Hustle Gym in Wrexham is a fighter that certainly embraces the grind.
Forsyth is one of the latest in a long line of top amateurs coming out of SBG in Ireland. He has totally embraced the SBG ethos and dedicated himself whole-heartedly to the cause. He has a fluid fighting style, which has become synonymous with SBG fighters.
Making the trip from Iceland with Shinobi MMA FC Lightweight Title Contender, Birgir Tomasson, are two of his Viking teammates, Bjarki “The Kid” Omarsson and Magnus “Loki” Ingvarsson. They too will be taking on some of the best local talent that Liverpool has to offer. “The Kid” is set to face-off against HAMMA protégé, Beau Gavin, whilst “Loki” is due to collide with MMA Academy’s unbeaten prospect, Tim Barnett.
Also added to the card is a welterweight clash between Mick Stanton (2-2) and Tomasz Wojtyna (3-2). Both fighters are coming off losses against very tough opponents. Stanton lost to amateur stand-out, Jai Herbert at BAMMA Fight Night 2 and Wojtyna dropped a decision to James Duckett in an absolute war at Shinobi War 3.
And Finally, Kyle Preston (1-0) and Paul Williams (0-1) will fight it out in a bantamweight bout. Preston is yet another fighter from HAMMA and Williams is a local fighter hailing from Liverpool Vale Tudo.
Shinobi War 4 will take place on Saturday 7th March 2015 at the Liverpool Olympia.
Shinobi MMA Fighting Championships are thrilled to announce the Main Event for the upcoming Shinobi War 4 card. The Main Event will feature Liverpool’s very own, Gavin Hughes (5-0), taking on Shinobi Fan Favourite, Birgir Tomasson (2-0). The bout will be for the Shinobi MMA FC Lightweight Title as, current champion Thor Palsson, is leaving the amateur ranks and moving into the professional world of MMA.
Unbeaten prospect, Gavin Hughes, fights out of HFFS in Liverpool under the guidance of UKMMA legend, Tom Blackledge. Hughes is a 2-time Shinobi veteran stopping both of his opponents in the very first round. In his last bout at Shinobi War 3 Hughes climbed off the canvas following a knockdown and fought off a tight guillotine to submit Aaron McDonnell.
Birgir Tomasson made his Shinobi debut at Shinobi War 3 and stole the show with his Fight of the Night and Knockout of the Night performance against Bobby Pallett. In that fight Tomasson epitomised the Viking spirit and truly embraced the Shinobi ethos. Therefore with his teammate (Thor Palsson) vacating the title, it was only right that Birgir should be given the opportunity to fight for the Shinobi MMA FC Lightweight Title.
Shinobi War 4 will see the return of Jordan Barton (1-1) who will square off against Matt Hampson in a featherweight encounter. Barton and Hampson were previously set to collide at ICE FC 4 in November 2014. Unfortunately, Hampson sustained an injury and the bout was subsequently removed from the card.
After an unsuccessful MMA debut at the first Shinobi War, Barton switched camps and went to train at HFFS alongside the likes of Gavin Hughes, Bobby Pallett and Chris Pieroni. He returned to action at Shinobi War 3 where he dominated his opponent en-route to a TKO victory.
Matt Hampson (1-2) fights out of Full Contact Performance Centre under the watchful eye of UKMMA stand-out and Bellator fighter, Martin Stapleton. Hampson started his MMA journey at bantamweight and after a win in his debut he has found himself on a 2 fight skid. The FCPC man will be hoping that a change of weight class will get him back in the win column.
Also lined up for Shinobi War 4 is a welterweight bout between debutantes Theo Blackledge and Ricardo Lima. Theo is the younger brother of UKMMA legend Tom Blackledge and possibly due to this has found it difficult to find a willing opponent. Lima, a young man from Portugal by way of Burton-on-Trent, fighting out of Beyond Black Belt has risen to the challenge.
Shinobi War 4 will take place on Saturday 7th March 2015 at the Liverpool Olympia.
Regards,
Press & Media Relations
Shinobi MMA Fighting Championships
VIDEO: Meet The Fighters – Nick Alley vs. JT Harold – Combat Zone 52 Welterweight Title Fight
Check out what these two welterweight powerhouses have to say about their upcoming fight on January 30! For tickets, go to CZMMA.com
BOXCINO 2015 PAIRINGS SET; BOXCINO 2015 Kicks Off Friday, February 13
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FIGHT NETWORK BOXING PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE (Jan. 19-25, 2015)
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FIGHT NETWORK MMA & KICKBOXING PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE (Jan. 19-25, 2015)
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