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VANES MARTIROSYAN VS. JERMELL CHARLO & GARY RUSSELL JR. CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT

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Kelly Swanson

Thank you, operator.  Thanks, everyone, for calling in.  We have a great call this morning and this afternoon actually here on the East Coast to talk about the March 28 SHOWTIME show, CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING Show, featuring Jhonny Gonzalez, Gary Russell, Jr. and Jermell Charlo against Vanes Martirosyan.  We have all the fighters joining us today on the call.  We will start with Jermell and Vanes.  But, before we get to the fighters, I’d like to introduce Chris DeBlasio, Vice President of Communications for SHOWTIME Sports to fill you in a little bit about the fight.  Chris?

 

Chris DeBlasio

Thanks so much, Kelly.  I just want to take a quick moment to thank the fighters for being on this call, thank the press for being here, and just say on behalf of Stephen Espinoza, the EVP and General Manager for SHOWTIME Sports, and all of us at SHOWTIME, we’re really excited to get back into it with a nice live SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING event this Saturday.  As you may have seen in the boxing press, it was about two weeks ago that we announced the addition of a new platform called SHOWTIME Boxing International. The first fight will be this Saturday, March 28; it’s an international fight on the SHOWTIME network live to our subscribers.  So, the first instance is a nice way to kick off our Saturday March 28 boxing coverage, and that’s gonna be the Kell Brook versus Jo Jo Dan IBF Welterweight World Championship fight that’s taking place in Sheffield, England.  SHOWTIME is going to carry that fight live at 6:15 Eastern, 3:15Pacific.  And then, we will take a break during the afternoon hours and then go live at 10 p.m ET./7 p.m. PT SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING event with Jermell Charlo, Vanes Martirosyan, Jhonny Gonzalez and Gary Russell.  So, it’s sort of a two- part platform on Saturday with three live fights coming to you, which we’re really excited about.  And we appreciate the opportunity to be in business with the guys on the phone here today.  So, without anything further, let’s get it started.  We welcome you guys.

 

Kelly Swanson

Okay.  And  one quick note — or rather, media, one quick note — we have just sent out the Fight Week Media Schedule, so please look for that in your inboxes, and it will give you the details of what is going on this week for the fight.  Thank you.  Okay, let’s go ahead and open it up.  Actually, let me go ahead and introduce the two guys that are on the call right now.  They want to say a couple words.  First, we have Vanes Martirosyan.  He’s a world-ranked 154 pound contender.  Vanes, you want to say a couple words, tell us how training is going and how you’re getting ready for the fight?

 

Vanes Martirosyan

Training is going great, everything is going good.  We can’t wait to fight.  You know, I’m sure everybody says that before they fight, but we really are ready to go.  We just can’t wait to go.

 

Kelly Swanson

Okay, great.  Thanks so much.  And where are you training?

 

V. Martirosyan

I’m training here in California at Main Event Sports Club.  There’s been a couple of locations we’ve been training, but the major has been Main Event Sports Club, which the media will be at today.

 

K. Swanson

Now, I’m going to move to Jermell Charlo.  He’s an undefeated super welterweight contender.  Jermell why don’t you tell us a little bit about what’s happening in your training camp and how you’re feeling heading into the fight.

 

Jermell Charlo

Training’s been great.  Every time I step in the ring, every time I get ready for a fight, I feel like just there’s never been a time where I repeat myself or do something the same.  I’ve been learning from all my past mistakes.  Every win I’m still learning from.  So, training camp has been good.  Trainer Ronnie Shields, Danny Arnold. I opened my own gym, so I get a little late night extra hours in when I want to.  And, I want to fight with my twin brother.  We’re pushing to fight.  I can’t wait to fight.  Just like Vanes, he’s hungry, he’s ready. I’m  I’m ready.

 

Q

Given both of your positions, as considered as top 10 contenders in the 154 pound weight class, in your mind, do you consider this an elimination fight? Vanes, what are your thoughts about that?

 

V. Martirosyan

I think every fight right now at this point in my career and Jermell’s career should be considered a title fight.  It is — I think it is — an eliminator fight.  I’m looking at this as a championship fight.  Jermell is tougher than any of the champions, so to me, this is a championship fight, and that’s what we got ready for.  And it should be an eliminator fight.  I don’t know if it is or not, but that’s how we’re taking it as, and we’re taking this as a world title fight.

 

Q

Jermell, your thoughts on that – is it an official eliminator or a de facto one?

 

J. Charlo

Same thing with me.  I feel that this is a tough fight.  Every fight is a fight for my life.  And I step in the ring and make sure that I fight with that on the back of my mind.  Vanes is a great fighter — grew up with him. I know what I bring to the table.  And this fight is a fight for manhood, it’s a fight to show who the real tycoon of the sport is in the 154 pound weight division.  There’s a lot at stake, so it’s more than a title fight to me.

 

Q

Jermell, did you say that you grew up with him a little bit?

 

J. Charlo

Yeah, I grew up with him, at least two or three years with Vanes, you know, and his family, his people, you know?  So, I know — we know each other well.

 

Q

Have you guys ever sparred with each other?

 

J. Charlo

Yeah, we’ve sparred with each other several times.

 

Q

How often, would you say?  And how long ago?

 

J. Charlo

I can’t really say how often.  I know it was back when we were a little bit younger.  I was younger, still a little boy growing up into a man. So, right now, I don’t even think about how it was, what it was about, or how training was when we were training together. Wasn’t even 19 — I was 17, 16, 17, 18, I mean, those ages.  Here, we face each other because we’re both at the top, and that’s what happens when you’re in the same division.  Never had anything personal or different to say about him.  It’s just work.

 

Q

Vanes, you feel the same way about your times in the ring with him?

 

V. Martirosyan

Yeah, I remember when we used to train.  It was good training.  We were always in competition — me, him and his brother.  We used to go running at Memorial Park every day, and we’d try to see who’d finish the lap first.  It was always competition between us — running and training or what-not.  But it was nothing but love and I respect him, his father, and his trainer, Ronnie Shields.  They’ve been good people to me. But Saturday night, he’s going to be my enemy in the ring. For now, outside the ring, I respect everybody.  Once we step in the ring, it’s a totally different story.

 

Q

Your fight that took place in October was a big win for you against Willie Nelson.  You harnessed a lot of the emotion going into that fight because it had taken place just after your promoter Dan Goossen had passed away and you had his brother Joe in your corner.  It was a lot of heavy emotion that night, and you really came through in a big way that night.  Is it gonna be difficult in any way to sort of get that same emotion behind you?

 

V. Martirosyan

No, because at that fight, we had to forget about a lot of things. Dan passed away.  We were all sad, and we didn’t know what to do.  And we actually thought — ‘should we fight’ or I don’t know if Joe (Goossen’s) going to be there.  I didn’t know what was going on.  There was too much emotion going into that fight.  We kind of got away from the fight a little bit.  But we used it as motivation for our fight.  This fight to me is big. When I lost to Andrade, I didn’t step into the ring 100 percent, and when I came home — when you come home a loser, it’s a bad feeling. I can’t look at my wife, my kids.  I feel like I let them down.  So, right now, I’m just in that mode where I’d rather die than see that again.

 

Q

If you were to win this fight, obviously, you’d be in position for a major world title fight. Are you comfortable with waiting for one of those, figuring those fighters only fight maybe twice a year, or would you want to stay active and take more fights between them? 

 

J. Charlo

You know, winning this fight to me — a world title would be ideal.  A world title is important.  I want to fight for a world title.  I want the world title.  That’s every boxer’s dream and envision whenever they’re young. Fighting for the world title matters and all this extra stuff, but if I’m here building my name and building my brand, that’s just as important. Being a household name throughout the World Boxing Council, everything. That matters to me.

 

V. Martirosyan

The fight, this fight — I’d say like a lot of the champions that are champions right now in our weight class, most of them just run their mouth, starting with Andrade.  A fight like this for me and Jermell, it’s such a big fight for me, you know,  but it’s not only for us.  I mean, it’s for the fans.  The fans are in, and it’s great.  I mean, you rarely get to see contenders like me and Jermell wanting to step up and fight each other.  You know, usually, people will get up to the rankings like we are, they just want to just talk a lot of bad stuff about the champions to get the world title fight.  But, you know, you rarely get to see contenders like that, you know, No. 1 and No. 2  fighting each other when,  you know they really want to fight each other and they both said yes to the fight.  So, it’s a big fight, but I feel like, you know, we’re all gonna be — we’re gonna do our best, and I feel like the fans are gonna be the winners for this fight.

 

K Swanson

Okay, great.  You guys, I think that was your last question, and so we appreciate you taking the time out of your training.  And Vanes, we look forward to seeing you later for your open workout.  And, Jermell, we will see you in Las Vegas later this week.

 

J. Charlo

No problem.  See you, guys.

 

V. Martirosyan – Thank you.  Take care.

 

Kelly Swanson

We’re going to switch the call over to Gary Russell, Jr.

 

K. Swanson

Gary Russell, Jr. will be facing Jhonny Gonzalez for Gonzalez’s 126 pound title, the WBC Featherweight World Championship.  Gary, if you want to tell us a little bit about how training is going, your anticipation to be fighting Jhonny Gonzalez for this world title and what you think about the whole fight in general?

 

Gary Russell Jr.

We had a great training camp. Everything has been perfect, no excuses, no cutting corners.  We’re 120 percent ready for this fight.  We can’t wait be able to call ourself the new WBC World Champion.

 

K. Swanson

Are you doing anything in camp in preparation for this that’s different from your other fights?

 

G. Russell Jr.

No, we’re not doing anything that’s different in preparation for any of the fights.  I think the only difference is, depending on the fight, you want to prepare depending on the opponent that you’re competing against.  So, I think the only difference is the difference in sparring. You want to bring in guys that have a similar style to who it is you’re gonna be competing against etc. That’s the only change that we’ve made so far.  Besides that — basic fundamentals, ring generalship, hand speed, punching power, strength and conditioning, all of that stuff is the same.

 

Q

Gary, were you surprised to get another shot at the title?

 

G. Russell, Jr.

No, I’m not surprised. I got the same Al Haymon Promotions, just Al Haymon in general when it comes to that. He’s my manager, and we know that he did everything in his power to try to make things happen for us, and give us another shot at a world title.  I’m extremely grateful and thankful for this opportunity.

 

Q

When you fought the fight against Lomachenko for one of the titles, do you take anything out of that defeat? Whether it’s the experience, or being on that level of the stage that you bring towards this next championship opportunity?

 

G. Russell Jr.

Of course.  One of the main things that we took out of it is, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.  In that particular fight with Lomachenko, we did a lot of things completely different in that fight that we normally wouldn’t do.  We brought other people in.  We let other people take the reigns and be in control of our conditioning. We’ve seen the outcome of that and the side effects of it. We don’t take losses easy, by far. So we’re back on pace.  We have the same team around us that have been here from the beginning of my career all the way up until now. We had the same team way back in motion. We’re ready, we’re focused, we’re determined, we’re driven and we’re just looking to give a good show.

 

Q

Do you see Gonzalez as a much better fighter than Lomachenko, or perhaps a bit of a more vulnerable fighter than Lomachenko or similar? How do you stack up the two title holders?

 

G. Russell Jr.

They’re two very different fighters. Lomachenko has a little bit more hand speed than Jhonny Gonzalez.  Gonzalez is more of a puncher.  Jhonny Gonzalez is more of a dangerous fighter than Lomachenko just because of his punching ability and just him being a seasoned professional, being able to get all these rounds in as a professional.  Lomachenko definitely is a good fighter.  We take every fight serious. You take no one for granted. We definitely said, oh, this is a dangerous fight taking with Jhonny Gonzalez, but we feel as though what we bring to the table will be superior in the end.

 

Q

What specifically did you do differently to prepare for Lomachenko that you wish you hadn’t? 

 

G. Russell, Jr.

We brought someone in for our strength and conditioning.  We’ve known our strength and conditioning was completely different.  Even when it came to the way that we cut weight, it was different.  Leading up to the fight, we were in a sauna for the past two, maybe three days leading all the way up into the fight.  That’s what my strength and conditioning coach wanted me to do.

Anyone that’s seen that fight, whether it was Lomachenko or anyone else, they’ve seen the difference in my punching ability, my endurance, my speed, just me as a person. People knew that that wasn’t the Gary Russell, Jr. that they’d seen the previous 24 fights.And that was some of the things that came up in the Lomachenko fight.  I was completely tired and fatigued in the first round, you know?

 

Q

About Jhonny Gonzalez — he obviously is a guy who is a volume puncher, he’s not afraid to stand in and trade. How does this fight work to your advantage if he does fight a typical Gonzalez fight in your mind?

 

G. Russell, Jr.

I don’t think that he’s going to be able to deal with, once again, my speed.  I think we’ll be able to do it with my speed.  He’s always been slow in the speed.  Even though he’s been a puncher, a lot of punchers have to really sit to actually apply these punches efficiently.  I think he lacks the ring generalship as far as the footwork goes that he would need — the foot quickness. And a lot of his shots are a little wide. So, I’ll be about to outpunch him and be able to punch him between his shots.

 

Q

What did you think of the decision in the Lomachenko fight?

 

G. Russell Jr.

I didn’t think anything of it.  The only thing that registered in my mind was the fact that I didn’t have the ability to perform the way that I normally would have. I never really looked at a decision.  I never looked at how the referee was going about the fight or any of these things.  The only thing that came to my mind was the fact that I just lost my first professional fight, and I sort of saw the reason why I lost — it was because I wasn’t able to do what it was that I normally do.

 

Q

So, you feel that you lost the fight then?

 

G. Russell Jr.

Certainly.  I’d definitely say that I lost the fight.

 

Q

You touched on Al Haymon earlier. Can you explain what his impact is in your career?  And we’ve all seen the moves that he’s been making.  How is that gonna help you moving forward?

 

G. Russell, Jr.

I feel as though the fire is under these managers and promoters. There’s a team effort. You’ll be able to tell your manager or your promoter, ‘Hey, this is my game plan, this is what it is that I want to accomplish this year.’  I wanted to at least be able to contend for a world title.  I want to have maybe four fights this year, maybe six fights this year, etc. Your manager and promoter, where they come in at, they should be able to meet you halfway with their game plan.  If you want to have six fights within a year, etc., your manager and promoter should be able to get it done for you.  We feel as though that Al Haymon is very efficient in doing exactly what it is that we want from him. It’s about who you know, I guess.

 

Q

Heading into this fight, do you feel like you have to give a certain quality of fight to really make fans relate to you and make you a household name?  Now that there’s so many platforms for boxing, do you feel like there’s added pressure to put on an exciting fight, or do you feel like you can still just, methodically box and gain fans from that?

 

G. Russell Jr.

I honestly don’t feel as though that we have to do anything out of the ordinary. You’re going to see the typical Gary Russell, Jr. that you’ve seen the previous 24 fights — hand speed, punching ability, ring generalship and etc. ,A lot of fighters get caught up in the hype, and they feel as though they have to do things a little more to win the fans over,  etc.  That’s never one of my things.  I’m  always to be exciting without being reckless.  And I’m going to do what it is that I’m comfortable doing.

 

K. Swanson 

Okay, Gary, thank you so much for being available to answer those questions, and we appreciate you taking the time out of your busy day, and we look forward to seeing you fight this Saturday, March 28, at the Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas and live on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING.  Thanks, Gary.

 

*          *          *

 

Tickets for the live event are priced at $200, $100, $75, $50, and $25, plus applicable

fees are on sale now. Tickets may be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or by clicking HERE. Tickets are also available online at www.ticketmaster.com.

 

Gonzalez vs. Russell takes place at The Pearl at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas and will air on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT). In the co-main event, Jermell Charlo takes on Vanes Martirosyan in super welterweight action. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast will also be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP).

 

For more information, visit www.sports.sho.com, follow on Twitter at @SHOSports, @jhonnygbox, @mrgaryrusselljr, @TwinCharlo, @LouDiBella and @PearlAtPalms, follow the conversation using #GonzalezRussell, become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing or visit the SHOWTIME Boxing Blog at http://theboxingblog.sho.com.
boxing, Showtime Boxing

WORLD CHAMPION JHONNY GONZALEZ & WORLD RANKED CONTENDER VANES MARTIROSYAN ARE POISED TO MAKE THEIR MARKS IN A BIG WAY ON SATURDAY, MARCH 28 AT THE PALMS CASINO RESORT LIVE ON SHOWTIME®

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 MEDIA WORKOUT QUOTES AND PHOTOS,

MAIN EVENT SPORTS CLUB, GLENDALE, CALIF.

 

Click HERE For Photos

Photo Credit: Esther Lin/SHOWTIME

 

“Once he feels my power in the ring, he’s not going to be able to think in there.” – Jhonny Gonzalez

 

“I feel like this fight is more of a test for him [Charlo], and I have to make sure he fails the test.” – Vanes Martirosyan

 

Tickets Still Available!

 

GLENDALE, Calif. (March 28, 2015) – Current world champion Jhonny Gonzalez and once-beaten world ranked welterweight contender Vanes Martirosyan participated in a media workouton Monday at the Main Event Sports Club in Glendale, Calif., six days prior to their respective upcoming fights on Saturday, March 28, at the The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT).

 

In the 12-round main event on the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® doubleheader, the hard-hitting, current WBC Featherweight World Champion Gonzalez (57-8, 48 KOs), of Mexico City, will defend his 126-pound title against talented once-beaten former world title challenger Gary Russell Jr. (25-1, 14 KOs), of Capitol Heights, Md.

 

In the 10-round co-feature, battle-tested, world-ranked contender Martirosyan (35-1-1, 21 KOs), of Glendale, Calif., will take on undefeated rising star Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo (25-0, 11 KOs), of Houston, in an important super welterweight showdown.

 

Here’s what the boxers as well as trainers, Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain (Gonzalez) and Dean Campos (Martirosyan), had to say Monday at the Los Angeles-area gym:

 

JHONNY GONZALEZ, WBC Featherweight World Champion

“First off, I would like to apologize for not participating in the media conference call that took place this morning. I have never missed a conference call before, and I take full responsibility for missing the call. I know how important these calls are and I promise that I will not miss another one.

 

“I have been very focused for the past three months during my training camp. I have been training in the high altitude in Toluca, Mexico.

 

“I have had two title defenses since beating Abner Mares and I am excited and ready for my fighton Saturday.

 

“Ever since beating Mares, I feel like I am finally getting the respect and support from the fans and media that I deserve. I get recognized all of the time now. The recognition motivates me to work harder than ever before and not let my fans down.

 

“I feel like I am in my boxing prime. There is still so much to prove and show to the world that I am still at the top of my game and capable of fighting with the best.

 

“In my fight on Saturday I am going to bring the same energy and intensity that I brought in my fight against Mares.

 

“I know that Gary Russell Jr. has fast and powerful hands. He is a quick and strong southpaw. I know he’s an excellent boxer.

 

“I am going to attack him with my power and speed. Once he feels my power in the ring, he’s not going to be able to think in there. He’s going to run, but if he decides to brawl with us, then we will have something for him.

 

“At this point in my career, he [Russell] is the fastest opponent I have ever faced. He has very fast hands and puts together good combinations.

 

“To prepare for Russell, I am constantly keeping my hands up at all times during my training. I am training that if he throws punches at me, I know how to immediately react and throw shots back at him.

 

“A lot of people are doubting me going into this fight because of the speed of Russell. It’s a great challenge for me and I can’t wait to get in the ring.

 

“I am absolutely looking for the knockout and I believe I will get it. I don’t expect this fight to go the distance. I am going to pressure him from the opening bell, my conditioning and confidence is at an all-time high. I am very anxious for this title fight, I want to fight right now.”

 

 

VANES MARTIROSYAN, World-Ranked Contender

“I am in great shape, training camp has gone great. I am just as excited for this fight as I was when I fought for the U.S. team in the Olympics.

 

“I feel like this fight is more of a test for him [Charlo], and I have to make sure he fails the test.

 

“I used to work with Ronnie Shields [Charlo’s Trainer] for about three years. I am pretty sure they have a game plan for me, but I am a totally different Vanes than the one who used to train with Shields. I hope they are getting prepared for that Vanes because I have changed a lot since then.

 

“Jermell [Charlo] is a good boxer, but he’s a basic boxer. He’s done well with guys that he’s supposed to look good against. There are some guys that he should’ve knocked out that he didn’t. If he hits me I will hit him right back and we’ll see how he handles that.

 

“If I stick to my game plan and everything goes as planned, I will say that it will be an easy fight. We have a B and a C plan if the fight doesn’t go exactly as planned.

 

“All I can do is prepare and go out there and win the fight. After I lost my fight to Demetrius Andrade I felt like a loser. I can’t lose this fight, I’d rather die than go out there and lose again.”

 

 

IGNACIO “NACHO” BERISTAIN, Gonzalez’ Trainer

“Gary Russell’s speed and quickness could be a factor for us in this fight. We must find a way to eliminate it.

 

“We need to find a solution to his quickness and do everything we can to win. We feel like we’ve prepared enough and are in a great position to come out on top.

 

“Russell has fast hands and he recovers quickly. He has had knockouts at different weight levels. But we’re working really hard, and on Saturday you guys are going to see a different Jhonny Gonzalez.

 

“Jhonny Gonzalez is a very strong fighter. I think the strength and power of his punch beats Russell’s. I think that will be one of the keys– Jhonny Gonzalez knows how to punch, hard.

 

“I don’t just believe in Jhonny because he’s my fighter, but because he’s fought and trained immensely hard — he knows what he wants.”

 

 

DEAN CAMPOS, Martirosyan’s Trainer

“Vanes is such a quick learner. He is able to pick up everything that I am trying to teach him to accomplish everything that we want to do to win this fight.

 

“We must exploit Charlo’s weaknesses. Charlo is a good fighter, but everyone has weaknesses. My job is to prepare him as best as I can so that he can get in the ring with the best opportunity to win this fight.

 

“I want to supply him with ideas to unlock that final last edge to come out on top. If he is able to do some of the things that we go over in camp, then he will be in a good position for a victory comeSaturday.”

 

# # #

“Gonzalez vs. Russell Jr.”, a 12-round world championship bout for Gonzalez’s WBC Featherweight World Title, is promoted by DiBella Entertainment. In the co-feature, Jermell Charlo takes on Vanes Martirosyan in super welterweight action. The event will take place at The Pearl at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas and will air on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT). The telecast will also be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP).

 

Tickets for the live event are priced at $200, $100, $75, $50, and $25, plus applicable fees are on sale. Tickets may be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or by clicking HERE. Tickets are also available online at www.ticketmaster.com.

 

For more information, visit www.sports.sho.com, follow on Twitter at @SHOSports, @jhonnygbox, @mrgaryrusselljr, @TwinCharlo, @LouDiBella and @PearlAtPalms, follow the conversation using #GonzalezRussell, become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing or visit the SHOWTIME Boxing Blog at http://theboxingblog.sho.com.

boxing, UK Boxing

Khan Marches On – TKO Win Over Miko Leads To May 2nd Title Shot In London

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On Friday evening Bradford’s Tasif Khan scored another sensational first round stoppage win, this time over Czech Republic’s Ladislav Miko, on the Stephen Vaughan promoted RED MIST event at the Grand Central Hall in Liverpool.

 

From the opening bell it was Miko that was the more aggressive, taking the fight to Khan, however in doing so the Czech fighter played straight into the Bradford man’s hands.

 

Khan had expected Miko to start fast and as such when the Czech fighter advanced rapidly, Khan simply danced to the side and let rip with a shot to the body.

 

Miko’s body language made it quite clear that he had been hurt, so no surprise that when he came in hard and fast again that the savvy Khan utilized a similar tactic, this time slipping to the right and letting rip with another body shot, followed up by a scintillatingly fast double handed salvo to both body and head.

 

On around the forty five second mark, Miko, who clearly hadn’t learned to be a little cautious, made yet another forceful attack, this time though Khan threw out a solid jab, followed by an uppercut and then just planted his feet and put full power into a lightning fast left hook, to send the Czech lad to the canvas.

 

Miko managed to make the count, but seconds later walked straight into another big left to the body. This time Miko really struggled to make the count, just managing to do so but was very unsteady on his feet, leaving referee Jimmy Byrne no option but to wave the bout off on the one minute and fifteen second mark of the first round.

 

Immediately after receiving the victor’s laurels Khan was informed by his team that he would get to challenge for his first Championship accolade, the International Masters Bantamweight title, on his next planned outing, which will be on the Billy James-Elliott and Mark Lyons promoted LORD OF THE RINGS event at York Hall in London on May 2nd.

 

Following receiving this news Khan spoke briefly about the fight as well as his upcoming title fight.

 

“Yeah brilliant, it was just brilliant.

 

I can’t complain that he didn’t last a round, I would have preferred it had gone on a bit longer, I mean it was a six rounder and I really would have liked to get some rounds under my belt, but as I’ve said before you don’t get paid overtime in this game.

 

We knew that he would start fast and rush in and the plan was to work off my jab to slow him down, basically to try and get the six rounds under my belt.

 

It didn’t quite happen that way as he really came at me much quicker than expected, instead I adapted and caught him with a good shot, I see his legs buckle a bit but he stayed on his feet.

 

He’s a game fighter, most people would have backed off to give themselves time to recover, not him he came back at me hard again, which gave me the opportunity to box him a little bit more and catch him as he came back in.

 

I caught him good with the uppercut and then the body shot, which he went down with.

 

Then I did more or less the same after the restart, although didn’t think I had caught him quite as well as the first time, but when he got up I don’t think he wanted to know anymore, even if the ref had let it carry on.

 

Hopefully onwards and upwards now, I’ve been talking with my team and been told we’ve got a title fight organized for May 2nd in York Hall, same night as Mayweather-Pacquaio fight, so hopefully I’ll pick up my first title, the International Masters, and bring it back to Bradford.

 

As you can see my fans turned out in force and make a lot of noise, they’re all ringside, they love their boxing, it’s a boxing city Bradford, they just need to get more shows there.

 

My fans are great, they travel to watch me, last time it was London, this time Liverpool and obviously it’s back to London again on May 2nd.

 

At the moment I haven’t got the opportunity to pick where I fight, hopefully if I win the title maybe we can get a promoter to put on a show in Bradford so even more of my fans will get a chance to watch me again.

 

I’m grateful for my team, the training went really well, I feel strong, I feel good and the fans coming out in force to support me is adding to that.

 

My sponsors, Kingsland Business Recovery in Bradford, Broadway Solicitors in Oldham, Kesser Jewelers in Bradford and Vyomax Supplements from Manchester, have been absolutely great.

 

These guys have been backing me up, which takes away a lot of the pressure so I can concentrate on my boxing.

 

Again I’ve got to thank my fans, they really are the best, they’ve followed me down to London and of course here in Liverpool, even though traffic was bad they all made it here tonight and really got behind me, making loads of noise, which is a bit like football fans being the twelfth man on the football pitch, it really inspires you, it lifts you hearing all the fans cheering you on, brilliant, just brilliant.”

 

boxing, UK Boxing

Khan-Miko in Liverpool Showdown this Friday

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This coming Friday evening Bradford’s sensational Super Flyweight Tasif Khan is set to lock horns with Czech Republic’s Ladislav Miko, in a six rounder on the Stephen Vaughan promoted RED MIST event at the Grand Central Hall in Liverpool.

 

Back in January Khan’s long awaited return to the fray, following a two year sabbatical from the sport, was a rather short lived affair, after he stopped the highly experienced Hungarian Richard Voros in just one minute and five seconds of the first round.

 

The fight may not have lasted very long but it was enough for Khan to impress a number of influential ringside observers, including a number of promoters such as Stephen Vaughan, Lee Murtagh, Mark Lyons and Billy James-Elliott, so much so that they all made offers for him to fight on their upcoming show.

 

Speaking from his Bradford home earlier Khan was clearly elated at the prospect of fighting again this Friday.

 

“It’s great to be back in action again so soon after my comeback fight, this’ll shake the ring rust off for sure.

 

I had a good comeback fight, I’m grateful for that. It only lasted sixty five seconds, it would have been good for it to have gone a bit longer but can’t complain, we don’t get paid overtime you know.

 

I’m really happy with the way everything is going now, I’m feeling good and the preparations for this fight have been spot on.

 

I’m learning a lot, I’m learning something new every single training session, right now I’m feeling fitter, sharper and stronger for this fight than I have before, it’s gone that well.

 

I can’t thank everyone enough for their support, especially as I’ve been out for so long, the support was fantastic last time out and will be even better this time around, it means so much having the fans cheering you on, it really does.

 

Not just the fans, the sponsors too, as a fighter you need to be able to focus and having sponsors supporting your career takes a little pressure off.

 

I’m really grateful to Kingsland Business Recovery in Bradford, Broadway Solicitors in Oldham, Kesser Jewelers in Bradford and Vyomax Supplements from Manchester, without whose support it would be much harder for me to be able to concentrate on my preparations as I have.

 

I’m really pleased that people like Stephen Vaughan, Lee Murtagh, Mark Lyons and Billy James-Elliott are all getting behind me and having me fight on their shows.

 

I’m really pleased to be working with people like those I just mentioned, they’re professional, genuine and get the work done and that helps me to go forward on their big shows and I know it’s just a matter of time before I can start bringing titles back to Bradford.”

 

Tasif Khan versus Ladislav Miko features on the Stephen Vaughan promoted RED MIST event at the Grand Central Hall in Liverpool on Friday, 20th March 2015.

Sanctioning for this event will be provided courtesy of the Malta Boxing Commission (MBC) –www.maltaboxingcommission.com

Tickets priced £30 and £40 are available direct from Tasif on 07756 311857 and will also be available at Grand Central Hall on the night.

 

Doors open 6:30pm first bell 7pm

boxing, Showtime Boxing, UK Boxing

SHOWTIME® TO TELEVISE KELL BROOK VS. JO JO DAN IBF WELTERWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ON SATURDAY, MARCH 28, LIVE FROM SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND

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 SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL® Brook vs. Dan Airs At 6:15 p.m. ET/3:15 p.m. PT

Prior To That Evening’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® Doubleheader

 

 

NEW YORK (March 16,  2015) – SHOWTIME Sports® will present the Sky Sports telecast of the IBF Welterweight World Championship between defending champion and hometown favorite Kell Brook and No. 1 challenger Jo Jo Dan on Saturday, March 28, live on SHOWTIME at6:15 p.m. ET/3:15 p.m. PT from the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield, England.

 

Later that evening, live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT), WBC Featherweight Champion Jhonny Gonzalez (57-8, 48 KOs), of Mexico City, will defend his 126-pound belt against quick-fisted southpaw Gary Russell Jr. (25-1, 14 KOs), of Capitol Heights, Md., in the main event on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING.  In the co-feature, from The Pearlat Palms Resort Casino in Las Vegas, undefeated world-ranked contender Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo (25-0, 11 KOs), of Houston, faces experienced 2004 U.S. Olympian Vanes Martirosyan (35-1-1, 21 KOs), of Glendale, Calif., in a 10-round super welterweight showdown.

 

SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL Brook vs. Dan will replay immediately following the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast.

 

Brook’s upcoming title defense, promoted by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, will be a raucous homecoming for the popular Brit, who last fought in Sheffield in October 2013.  Billed as “Unbreakable” in the U.K., the event is also Brook’s comeback fight after getting attacked while on vacation last September.”

“March 28 will be an emotional night for Kell and the team. I remember being by his bedside in September in a Spanish hospital after that horrific knife attack, it looked like his career was over, Aid Eddie Hearn, Managing Director of Matchroom Sports.  “He has shown incredible physical and mental strength and looks better than ever in camp. Fans on Showtime will get to see in my opinion the best 147 pounder in the World light up a 10,000 sell out arena on March 28—don’t miss it!”

 

Brook (33-0, 22 KOs) of Sheffield, England, will be making his first start and initial defense of the 147-pound title he took from previously undefeated Shawn Porter via a 12-round majority decision last Aug. 16in Carson, Calif., on SHOWTIME.  In an impressive performance in his long-awaited shot at a world championship, Brook, 28, won clearly on two of the scorecards (117-111, 116-112) while the third judge had it even (114-114).

 

“After everything that’s happened over the last six months, it feels incredible knowing I will be defending my World title in Sheffield,” said Brook. “I’m not looking past JoJo I know he will bring the heat but I want to get this mandatory defence done and then target those mega-fights that are out there in the division. I know he feels he worked so hard to get into the mandatory position just like I did, but I will be working twice as hard to keep the belt that I earned. After May 2nd, there will only be two champions in the division—myself and Floyd or Manny. I want to unify this division in style. I’m coming for them all.”

 

Dan (34-2, 18 KOs), of Quebec, Canada, has won five in a row and eight of his last nine. The 33-year-old earned the crack at the crown with a 12-round split decision over Kevin Bizier in an elimination bout last Dec. 19on SHOWTIME.  Dan also won a split decision over the then-unbeaten Bizier on Nov. 30, 2013.

 

A native of Romania, the crowd-pleasing Dan, whose full name is Ionut Dan Ion, has lived and trained in Montreal since his pro debut in April 2004.  The only blemishes on the southpaw’s record are a pair of close, controversial decision losses to then-undefeated contender Selcuk Aydin–the first in 2010 and the second in 2011– both in Aydin’s native Turkey.

 

“Kell has not fought anyone like me,” Dan said.  “I believe in myself and I don’t think he can bring anything I can’t deal with on fight night. I saw his last fight where he won the world title and it was a great performance, but I just let my team study him in depth and come up with a winning strategy.

 

“I have waited a long time to get a world title shot so I am determined to take advantage of this opportunity.  My prediction for the fight is simple –Jo Jo Dan becomes the new IBF Welterweight World champion.”

 

# # #

 

About Showtime Networks Inc.:

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD™, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND, and the network’s authentication service SHOWTIME ANYTIME®. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution, which offers Smithsonian Channel™. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.

boxing, UK Boxing

Taylor to face undefeated fighter in title showdown on March 21st

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26 year old Ryan “Crash Bang” Taylor is set to explode back into the big time when he faces undefeated Danny Gunn for the vacant International Masters Light-Welterweight title in front of what will be a sold out York Hall crowd on the Olivia Goodwin promoted “Best of Enemies” card on Saturday 21st March.

 

Talyor who was a highly touted amateur was undefeated in his first 8 fights including capturing the International Masters Lightweight title.

 

On his 9th fight he fought Liam Shinkwin for the Southern Area Lightweight title at Wembley Arena losing a close points decision.  After reaching the Semi Final of the sky sports Prizefighter competition, Ryan then had his second attempt at the southern Area title in December 2013 at the Excel arena where he was defeated by Floyd Moore.

 

There was no doubt that the efforts of continuing to drain his body down to the 9 stone 9 lbs limit was draining Ryan. Ryan took a brief break from boxing and then teamed up with trainer Frank Greaves and Manager/Promoter Steve Goodwin.

 

A decision was made that Ryan needed to step up in weight and campaign in the Light-Welterweight division. Ryan returned to the ring in December 2013 where he was impressive in recording a points win over Vasil Vasilev.

 

Now it’s the big one. Danny Gunn is an undefeated prospect from Norwich who considers Taylor to be a stepping stone to the big time whilst Ryan knows that a title victory here will open doors to the bigger titles later in the year.

 

Full credit must be given to Ryan for taking such a hard fight on his second fight at the new weight “I have had incredible support for this fight” said Ryan “I would like to thank everyone who is coming to support me and I have a few tickets left so should anyone want to come please contact me.”

boxing, UK Boxing

Former Welsh Champ Lee Churcher Returns With A Bang

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Newport’s former Welsh and British Masters Champion Lee Churcher made a successful return to the ring last Saturday night, Nottingham’s Matt Scriven by a 40-35 points margin.

 

Churcher, who hasn’t fought since his ninth round stoppage victory over Barrie Jones that secured him the Welsh title in May 2012, almost didn’t get to fight at all, after his opponent Ratislav Frano, as well as Elimer Rafael, who was due to face Andy Bell, Julius Rafael, who was to be Matt Scriven’s opponent on the night, and their trainer all failed to make their flight from Slovakia.

 

With time running out promoter Wayne O’Hara initially tried to get the errant Slovakian boxers on another flight, when it was clear that wasn’t going to happen then tried in vain to locate UK based opponents.

 

With time fast running out Matt Scriven, who had fought Churcher back in 2010, suggested that rather than lose all three bouts off the show that he and Churcher could fight each other.

 

Right from the off it was clear that both protagonists were in the mood for a good old fashioned slug fest.

 

After some nice tidy exchanges it was Scriven that was first to let rip in anger, with a scorching body shot, Churcher responded in kind and then for the rest of the round it was pure toe-to-toe pugilistic heaven for the fans, as the pair slugged it out big time.

 

More of the same in both the second and third rounds, much to the delight of the crowd, who had been on their feet for virtually every second of the fight.

 

In the forth stanza Scriven came out of the blocks fast, intent on securing centre ring with some beautiful jabs and crisp combinations, however Churcher was in no mood to play second fiddle to anyone, coming in hard and fast throwing powerful body shots and uppercuts at every opportunity.

 

About half way through the round Churcher landed a peach of a right, sending Scriven to the canvas. Scriven recovered before the count concluded and boxed smart, as Churcher went all out to finish off the Nottingham man.

 

At the end of four scintillating all action rounds, referee Lee Murtagh scored the bout 40-35 in favour of Churcher.

 

Prior to the excellent Churcher-Scriven bout, there were five top class exhibition bouts, featuring some of the young guns from Nottingham’s Robin Hood Gym.

 

These bouts gave the crowd an early peek at some of the future stars that are destined to follow in the footsteps of Nottingham’s most famous boxing star, Mr. Carl Froch.

 

The first of the bouts featured Robin Hood’s Jack Whitehouse against Will Smith from Leeds.

 

What a cracking closely fought fight, both boxed beautifully throughout, but at the end of the bout it was Whitehouse whose hand was held aloft in victory.

 

Following the excellent Whitehouse-Smith battle see Carl Coulthard in action against another local lad Aaron Stark.

 

Both lads went hammer and tongs for virtually the whole two rounds, but with just about twenty seconds of the second round to go Stark landed a peach of right hand to send Couthard to the canvas, unfortunately Coulthard tried to get to his feet but just failed to make the count.

 

Next up see Connor Riddick take the victory laurels against another local lad Dan McCreedy.

 

Right from the off it was clear Riddick wasn’t interested in anything but a good win, letting rip with big rights and lightning quick double handed flurries.

 

About midway through the bout McCreedy clicked it up a notch, in doing so played straight into to Riddick’s hands, as he was well up for an old fashioned slug fest and ultimately produced the second win of the night for the Robin Hood Gym crew.

 

The fourth bout of the night was a sensational all action battle royale between Tom Mulligan and Peterborough’s Dominic Masses.

 

The first round was very much a fifty/fifty round, with both protagonists more than happy to box at a fast pace, however saying that Mulligan shook Masses a couple of times with some pin point accurate exocets.

 

Round two see Masses in the ascendance, however even though the Peterborough man was backing Mulligan up for a good part of the fight it was the Nottingham man that secured the round, after sending Masses to the deck twice.

 

With blood pouring from his nose and on unsteady legs nobody would have been surprised if Masses decided not to come out for the third, but he did and as before took the fight to the Nottingham man.

 

For about two thirds of the round it looked like Masses would turn the tables on Mulligan, having shook the Nottingham man with some big right hands, however it wasn’t to be as Mulligan managed to settle himself after yet another barrage of shots and land a seriously hard right to the head, that sent Masses to the deck once more.

 

Before Masses had even landed on the canvas his corner had decided enough was enough and quite rightly threw the towel in.

 

The final exhibition bout was yet another stormer, this time featuring the highly exciting Tom Langley taking on Portsmouth’s Jules Phillips in a four round Super Bantamweight contest.

 

What a fight, without doubt both lads have a good future in the sport, especially young Tommy Langley, who boxed with a maturity that belied his tender years, keeping his distance nicely and just stepping in whenever he liked to land a cracking right or a tidy combination.

 

After four fantastic rounds it came as no surprise that it was Langley whose hand was raised in victory, most deservedly in my eyes.

 

Tom Langley is one seriously talented young man, boy oh boy can this kid box, definitely one to watch in the future, word is the eighteen year old is going to be turning pro this year, I for one look forward to him boxing on the pro circuit, that’s for sure.

 

With so much drama preceding the event who could have expected that the show would have gone so well and whilst there was only one pro bout in the end, nobody moaned or asked for their money back, how could they, it really was a good night of boxing.

boxing, UK Boxing

Champions Return: Bell and Churcher Co-Headline 7th March Nottingham Event.

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Doncaster’s former English and British Champion Andy Bell and Newport’s former Welsh and British Masters Champion Lee Churcher are set to co-headline Wayne O’Hara’s Chief O’Hara Promotions OUTLAWS BACK event, at the Britannia Hotel in Nottingham this coming Saturday – 7th March.

 

After a near five year absence from the sport, following the surprise loss to John Donnelly, in a non-championship six rounder in May 2010, Doncaster’s Andy Bell finally makes his long awaited return to fray this Saturday.

 

Bell’s Championship campaign began in April 2007 with an eighth round stoppage victory over Shrewsbury’s Neil Marston for the BBBofC Midlands Area Bantamweight title.

 

Two months later he added the British Masters Bantamweight crown to his trophy cabinet, with a solid points victory over Sheffield’s Mo Khaled.

 

Just three months later Bell was back in Championship action once again, this time challenging Bradford’s Robert Nelson for the vacant BBBofC English Super Flyweight title. Bell added a third belt to his growing collection, with a yet another stoppage victory, this time in the dying seconds of seventh stanza.

 

In his final fight of the 2007 season Bell successfully defended his English title with a tidy points victory over Grimsby’s Wayne Bloy.

 

In March 2008 Bell added the coveted Lonsdale belt to his collection, after beating long time BBBofC British Super Flyweight Champion Chris Edwards in a thriller that went the distance, Bell winning by a clear margin of 117-111 on Judges Phil Edwards and Terry O’Connor’s scorecards and 115-113 on Judge John Keane’s scorecard.

 

In November 2008 Bell defended the British crown, against current British and European Bantamweight and former WBA Inter-Continental Champion Lee Haskins.

 

After twelve sensationally close fought, all action, rounds Bell lost out to Haskins by a close points margin of 116-113, on Judges Howard John Foster and Dave Parris’ scorecards and an even closer margin of 115-114 in Judge Victor Loughlin’s eyes.

 

On Saturday Bell will face the highly experienced Slovakian Elemir Rafael.

 

Co-headlining the OUTLAWS BACK event is another returning Champion, Newport’s BBBofC Welsh Area Middleweight Champion Lee Churcher.

 

Churcher, who hasn’t fought since the ninth round stoppage win over Barrie Jones that secured him the Welsh title in May 2012, makes his most welcome return to the ring on Saturday, where he will face a strong challenge from Slovakian hard man Vladimir Tazik in a four rounder.

 

The support card for the two former Champions is headed by a rare home bout for Nottingham’s very own Matt Scriven, when he faces Julius Rafael.

 

The OUTLAWS BACK event will also feature a number of Nottingham’s home grown talent, including Clinton Chambers, Tom Langley, Connor Ruddoch, Jack Whitehouse, Tom Mulligan, James Wheldon, De La Menace as well as feature the showdown between Carl Coulthard and Karston Lejoint.

 

Lee Churcher versus Vladimir Tazik and Andy Bell versus Elemir Rafael co-headline the Wayne O’Hara, Chief O’Hara Promotions OUTLAWS BACK event, at the Britannia Hotel in Nottingham on Saturday 7th March 2015.

Sanctioning for this event will be provided courtesy of the Malta Boxing Commission (MBC) – www.maltaboxingcommission.com

Tickets, priced £35 and £55 (Ringside) for OUTLAWS BACK at the Britannia Hotel in Nottingham, are available from any of the competing boxers or call Matt on 07833 995770.

 

Doors open at 6pm, first bout 6:30pm

amateur boxing, boxing, Goodwin Boxing, UK Boxing

It’s make or break for Sharif in rematch on Matchroom fight Pass show

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When 32 year old Aji Sharif turned professional in 2013 he had high hopes with his sole defeat as an amateur coming at the hands of Olympic Gold Medallist Anthony Joshua.

His professional career started off in good fashion with 3 straight victories including a stoppage. His fourth professional fight was set for December 2013 on a Goodwin Promotions Matchroom fight pass show where he took on 6 foot 9 ins “The Giant” Imantas Davidaitis. Davidaitis had been to the UK shores before knocking out Sheffield prospect David Howe in two rounds.

“It was a fight I was happy to take” said Sharif. I needed to beat the likes of Davidaitis to move onto toSouthern Area title level. However 6 weeks before the fight my trainer Andy Edge decided that he needed to take a break from training and I was left without a professional training establishment. Looking back I should have pulled out of the fight but I stupidly went through with it.” Sharif continued “People around me tried to help but it just was not working”.

Sharif went through with the fight to get knocked down twice in the first round and then getting stopped in the second. “My Manager/Promoter and his family were great afterwards. They all came to my dressing room and I could see they were as upset as me. A week later I went to Steve’s offices and told him I wanted an immediate rematch. Steve was initially reluctant to do this but it is pride. I have to avenge this loss. Steve then went and got me the best training camp which will be revealed after the fight. I am in the best shape both physically and mentally of my life”

Sharif finished by saying “I really need everyone’s support in this rematch as it is a career make or break for me”.

Sharif will be back under the lights on another Matchroom fight Pass show as he goes to avenge the loss. There is no doubt that this is an intriguing undercard clash supporting the Larry Ekundayo v Dale Evans (British Welterweight title eliminator) Lee Markham v Jahmaine Smyle (English Super-Middleweight title) and Johnny Garton v Nathan Weiss (Southern Area Welterweight title) clashes.

The show also features former Premiership professional footballer Leon McKenzie in his first title shot when he takes on Ivan Stupalo from Croatia for the International Masters Super-Middleweight title.

13 fights in all and one of the best non mainstream tv cards to be shown for a long time.

Remaining tickets can be obtained from either www.goodwinpromotions.co.uk or from Aji Sharif himself at www.iboxingtickets.com

Here is the full footage of the first Sharif v Davidiatis fight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gDI9RgNrB0