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Category Archives: boxing
FLOYD MAYWEATHER AND MANNY PACQUIAO LOS ANGELES PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES & PHOTOS SATURDAY, MAY 2, AT THE MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA IN LAS VEGAS LIVE ON PAY-PER-VIEW
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Meet Tonight’s ShoBox Fighters
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MEDZHID “B-52” BEKTEMIROV MAKES WEIGHT FOR UPCOMING CLASH AGAINST JOHNSON
Bektemirov 184 lbs – Johnson 186 lbs
HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 13, 2015) – Russian power puncher, Medzhidm “B-52” Bektemirov (14-0, 11 KOs) and his opponent James Johnson (28-44-4, 17 KOs) make weight for their upcoming 6-round bout on the“Battle on the Mainland” card taking place at the Charles Doyle Convention Center in Texas City, TX on March 13, 2015. Bektemirov tipped the scale at 184 lbs. while Johnson weighed in at 186 lbs. Gary Shaw Productions and Savarese Promotions co-promote B-52.
“Battle of the Mainland” tickets priced $35 (general admission), $75 (Table seats) and $100 (Ringside) are on sale now and can be purchased by calling (713) 658-0229 or online at www.SavaresePromotions.com. The Charles Doyle Conventions Center is located at 2010 5th Ave N, Texas City, TX, 77590.
184 – 186
Taylor to face undefeated fighter in title showdown on March 21st
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.”
ANTOINE DOUGLAS vs. THOMAS LAMANNA SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION FINAL WEIGHTS, QUOTES & PHOTOS
Quadrupleheader Tonight LIVE on SHOWTIME® At 10 p.m. ET/PT
From The Space at Westbury in Westbury, N.Y.
Photos by: Rosie Cohe/SHOWTIME
WESTBURY, N.Y. (March. 12, 2015) – Undefeated welterweight Antoine Douglas tipped the scale at 159¾ pounds and fellow unbeaten Thomas LaManna measured 157¾ pounds during Thursday’s official weigh-in for tonight’s ShoBox: The New Generation quadrupleheader.
At just 23 years old, Douglas (16-0-1, 10 KOs) is one of boxing’s fastest-rising prospects. The aggressive and exciting Washington, D.C., native will make his 2015 debut against LaManna (16-0, 7 KOs) in the main event of ShoBox: The New Generation, live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from The Space at Westbury in Westbury, N.Y.
In the co-feature, unbeaten southpaw Ismael Barroso (16-0-2, 15 KOs), of El Tigre, Venezuela, will shoot for his 13th consecutive victory when he faces Issouf “Volcano” Kinda (17-2, 7 KOs), of Bronx, N.Y., in a 10-round scrap for the NABO Lightweight Title. Barroso weighed 134 pounds, Kinda 133½ pounds.
In an eight-round featured bout, once-beaten Jerry “The King’s Son” Odom (12-1, 1 NC, 11 KOs), of Washington D.C., will try and avenge his lone loss when he takes on undefeated Andrew “Hurricane” Hernandez (8-0-1, 1 ND, 1 KO) of Phoenix, Ariz., in a super middleweight rematch. Odom weighed 168 pounds, Hernandez 167¾ pounds.
In the opening bout, Adam Lopez (9-0, 4 KOs), of San Antonio, and Houston’s Pablo Cruz (11-0, 3 KOs) clash in an eight-round battle of Lone Star State super bantamweights. Lopez tipped scale at 121½ pounds, Cruz weighed 120¾ pounds.
Advance tickets for the event promoted by GH3 Promotions and Greg Cohen Promotions in association with David Schuster’s Winner Take All Productions, are priced at $150, $125, and $60 for general admission. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, thespacewestbury.com, The Space at Westbury Box Office at 516.283.5566 or by calling the GCP Office at 212.851.6425.
The event is sponsored by Foxwoods Resort Casino & Westbury Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge and Ram Dealership & Maxim Group.
Here’s what the fighters had to say before Thursday’s weigh-in:
Antoine Douglas:
“The key is that I learn from my past experiences. Everything is a lesson. It’s only considered a loss if you don’t learn from it.
“I’m a disciplined fighter so once I enter the ring, the switch is on. That’s my comfort zone.
“If you look at my story, you see I’ve been through adversity all my life. Being in the ring is just another step for something I’m fighting for. I have people to fight for, burdens to get off my shoulder, my life is a fight. Once I step in the ring, it’s go time, I handle all my business there.
“I know what I worked on and what I prepared myself to do, so I don’t go in the ring expecting anything. If you go in expecting something, you may end up on the other side of that expectation, so I just do what I came to do, fight hard and win. If you go in expecting things, you’re going on a one-way path.
“Any man you get in the ring with, no matter how big or small, has the capability to do damage. I take on every fight with the same intensity and thought process; I can’t worry about anything else.”
Thomas LaManna:
“People try to underestimate me based on my appearance but once they get hit, it’s another story. I know Douglas is taking me seriously since he knows me from the amateurs. It’s in his best interest to take me seriously.
“I know I’m good at what I do, and that’s boxing. During my first fights, if I got hit, everything went out the window and I was ready to rumble. My new trainer helped me control my mental strength while really using my reach, but the key is to stick to the game plan.
“This opportunity to fight on SHOWTIME was too good to pass up. I want everyone to see that I’m the real deal. The press has said a lot of positive things about me and I want to live up to that. The risk and reward factor about this fight is getting out and being seen. I know what I can do but not everyone has seen it yet.
“I love the fact you have two 23-year-old young undefeated fighters getting in the ring. As a boxing fan, I think that makes for a great fight. I’m fortunate to be a part of a card with two legit young fighters. We’re both where we’re at for a reason.
“I believe in my shots and power. Any shot I throw, I believe in it. My skills, talent and hard work are what brought me here.”
Ismael Barroso:
“I want the U.S. fans to think of me as a great fighter who comes to go to war. I come to knock people out.
“In Cuba in 2001, I sparred someone on the Cuban National Team and laid him out cold.. As I kept training, I developed more power.
I’m in great shape. I trained for four months for this fight and I’m ready. I could go 12 rounds if I had to.
“He [Kinda] is just another fighter. This fight is mine. I will knock him out or get a decision. We took this guy because nobody wants to fight him. He [Kinda] has never been knocked out, but look at who he has fought.”
Issouf Kinda
“I have never been knocked down. I have never been hurt. And I don’t think that’s going to change now.
“This guy has never fought anybody like me. He thinks he can knock everybody out, but I’m not just another guy. I’m tougher than everybody he has ever fought. He’s not going to knock me down.
“I know how to fight a southpaw. I’m experienced. I can box. He better be ready.
“I’m going to show him he is fighting a man. If he punches me, I’m going to punch him back.”
Jerry Odom:
“I don’t think he wants to fight me. He’s just doing it because he has to. I’m not going to say I regret what I did to Hernandez in our first fight because I was just trying to get the win, so I went for the kill.
“Before I even saw fighting on TV or even started boxing, I knew how to fight. Where I come from, I was used to adversity so my instinct was to fight no matter what.
“When I changed trainers, it was for the better. We had a mutual understanding so there were no hard feelings. Instead of going to train in different places, my workouts feel more professional. I get everything I need in one session. I’ve been able to break down my old habits in order to show my real talent.”
Andrew Hernandez:
“He fought dirty the first time around. He hit me with a blow and I took a knee and while I was down, he punched me again.
“He’s definitely overrated. He’s fought a lot of tomato cans. I’m going to expose him. I’m sharper and better than him in all aspects, no question.
“I took the rematch because that’s not the victory I wanted. I wanted a knockout. I’ll get it this time around. I’m going for it with all I have.
“I heard some people questioning my punching power. I boxed Odom with an injured hand and I outboxed him. I’m healthy and in great shape now. I’m going to knock him out. You better be watching.”
Adam Lopez:
“Cruz is my countryman. I’ve seen him fight. I even sparred with him a while back and I can say with certainty that I outboxed him.
“This is the first time I’m going eight rounds, but I’m not concerned about it. I trained very well. I’m in the best shape I have ever been.
“Fighting on this card is a great opportunity for me. I’ve been under the radar most of my career, but now I have the opportunity to be on SHOWTIME, national television. I feel so blessed.”
Pablo Cruz
“It took me over nine years to get here. I worked hard, really hard and I’m not going to let this opportunity slip away.
“This is a huge fight for me, perhaps the biggest one of my career. I will go at him with everything I got.
“I’m not taking him lightly. I respect him as a fighter, but I’m hungry. I’m very hungry and I’ll do what it takes to get the job done. Tomorrow is my time and I’ll shine.”
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Manager Gary Hyde petitions WBA To enforce mandatory title fight Between Rigondeaux and Quigg
| CORK, Ireland (March 12, 2015) – International boxing manager Gary Hyde, president of Nowhere2Hyde Management, has formally petitioned the World Boxing Association (WBA) to enforce a mandatory title fight between Hyde’s fighter, WBA Super & World Boxing Organization (WBO) super bantamweight champion Guillermo “The Jackal” Rigondeaux (15-0, 10 KOs), and WBA “regular” 122-pound division titlist Scott Quigg (30-0-2, 22 KOs).
Below find a copy of Hyde’s letter to the WBA:
Dear Chairman Mendoza:
I write as the manager of Guillermo Rigondeaux, the Unified WBA/WBO Champion.
I write to request enforcement of the mandatory. Uniquely in the Super Bantamweight Division Guillermo Rigondeaux is the “Unified Champion” and Scott Quigg is the “Regular Champion.” Clearly as the Regular Champion Quigg is the highest ranked contender in the division. While he was injured he is now back in training and there is no reason why Mr. Rigondeaux cannot or should not fulfill his mandatory obligations against Mr. Quigg.
We are aware that there are some discussions about a bout between Quigg and Frampton. However, we have been in touch with the IBF and they will not sanction the unification fight with anyone other than the highest level champion which in this case is Guillermo Rigondeaux.
We respectfully suggest that it is best to deal with the mandatory issue now and request that Quigg and Guillermo be directed to begin negotiations.
Respectfully submitted,
Gary Hyde
Hyde also manages WBA Interim cruiserweight champion Youri “El Toro” Kalenga(21-1, 14 KOs), former WBO middleweight champion and current International Boxing Federation (IBF) No. 1 mandatory contender Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (31-1, 18 KOs), and top super bantamweight prospect Marcos Forestal (1-0, 1 KO).
Follow Hyde on Twitter at @NoWhere2Hyde and friend him atwww.facebook.com/gary.hyde.50? |
Marcus Upshaw Still has a lot of fight left
| MIAMI (March 12, 2015) – During the course of his nine-year pro boxing career, veteran middleweight Marcus “Arillius” Upshaw (17-13-4, 1 NC, 8 KOs) has been called a spoiler, gatekeeper, professional opponent, journeyman and road warrior.
Upshaw has been all of the above, granted, but more than anything he’s been an honest fighter willing to take on anybody, anytime. He’s fought all comers from world champions to top contenders and promising prospects.
All he wants now, though, is a fight against a world-class opponent, hoping a victory could propel him into an often dreamed about world title fight.
If draws, split and/or close decision losses, especially if resulting from fights in an opponent’s backyard, are generally considered “wins” in boxing, Upshaw’s record could be a much different 27-8 today and the 34-year-old Floridian would have been fighting in major fights on major cable networks.
Upshaw’s official record is a direct result of him taking fights as a late replacement, on the road in hostile and biased markets, against protected fighters and sons of famous boxers, occasionally in a higher weight class than his natural 160-pound division.
His most recent fight last week in Dallas ended in typical fashion, as Upshaw fought to an eight-round draw (76-74, 74-76, 75-75) with hometown favorite Anthony Mack(12-1-1), in which Upshaw hurt his opponent several times, winning seven rounds according to his new head trainer, Orlando Cuellar, longtime manager Si Stern, and just about every person in attendance.
“The boxing world is crazy,” Upshaw said. “I’ve now had draws in back-to-back fights (the other against Aaron Pryor Jr.). I won’t let it get to me, though. I guess it says a lot about me that I can go into a fighter’s backyard, after training hard, and come out with a draw in fights that really should have been wins. Now, I know I have to get knockouts to win and that was my intention going into the last fight because I fought a Texas guy in Texas. I wobbled him three different times and won every round but one.”
The height of Upshaw’s career was in 2010 when he traveled to Quebec City and shocked 21-1-1 local hero Renan St. Juste, winning a 10-round decision to elevate Upshaw in world middleweight rankings (IBF #6, WBO #9 and WBC #11). Prior to the St. Juste fight, Upshaw derailed the career of the then 19-1 James McGirt, son of famed world champion/elite trainer James “Buddy” McGirt, with a controversial 10-round majority draw. Two fights later, he stopped 10-0 prospect Ashandi Gibbs (10-0) in the fourth-round for the Florida State middleweight championship.
Upshaw has displayed his vast talents by going the complete distance in rounds, albeit in losses, with the likes of Mario Antonio Rubio, David Lemieux, Gilberto Ramirez Sanchez, Edwin Rodriguez, Patrick Majewski and Tarvis Simms. The latter opponent was another prime example of the injustice Upshaw has faced too many times. Simms was 24-0-1 in 2009 when he fought Upshaw at Mohegan Sun, which is a short drive from his home in nearby Norwalk. Simms won an eight-round split decision (77-74 X 2, 75-76).
Cuellar, best known for guiding the original road warrior,Glen Johnson, to a world title, added, “Marcus has always been in tough, he’s another road warrior, fighting more experienced, protected fighters including some who were super middleweights. He came close to putting this last guy away a few different times. He won seven of eight rounds and the ref even took a point away, without a warning, when Marcus’ poorly fitting mouthpiece fell out. It certainly didn’t happen because he was in trouble.
“We only had five weeks working together. We want Marcus to use his 6′ 3 ½” height to his advantage. He has to fight at a distance, using his reach from the outside. He can control a fight with a double jab, followed by a right, just like he did against Mack. I was impressed by the way he trained in the gym and even more now I’ve been with him in a fight. I think he can give anybody trouble if he fights on the outside. He gets in top shape, fights smart, and now we can plan a strategy in advance because we know each other. He has to knockout opponents to win. I train my fighters to drop and stop, which is what Marcus will be doing.”
Upshaw believes Cuellar is the missing link he’s needed to get back to the top. “I’ve already learned a lot from Orlando,” Upshaw explained, “but most of all I’ve learned that I can do anything in the ring. He doesn’t just tell a fighter to do this or that; Orlando gives a fighter the tools, the armor to go into battle, to be your best. He is like an old-school trainer. The hard part with him is training, not the fight. He’s put life into my career.
“I’ve been in with the best and also learned from those fights. My problem has not being focused the entire fight. I know I’m faster and stronger than my opponent, but I get bored sometimes and stop throwing punches. I don’t know why I do that but it’s been my mindset. Orlando has taught me that I need to stay focused and alert throughout an entire fight.”
With his size and rich athletic bloodlines – his uncle, the late Gene Upshaw, was an NFL Hall of Fame offensive guard for the Oakland Raiders – Upshaw clearly hasn’t reached his full potential, at least not yet.
“I am delighted Marcus is now training with Orlando,” manager Stern remarked. “Marcus is tall, strong and smart in the ring. I have great hope for him in the immediate future.”
INFORMATION:
www.facebook.com/pages/Marcus-
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Welterweight Prospect, ‘Speedy’ Rashidi Ellis will fight this Saturday for two belts in Caguas, Puerto Rico
Former amateur star, ‘Speedy’ Rashidi Ellis ( 13-0, 10 KO’s ) from Lynn, Massachusetts will return to the ring this Saturday, March 14th at the Roger L. Mendoza Coliseum in Caguas, Puerto Rico. His opponent will be Colombian, Victor Gonzalez ( 12-9, 11 KO’s ) in a 8-round bout, schedule for the vacants WBA FedeCaribe, and WBC Latino welterweight titles.
“I’m ready to take those titles to Puerto Rico and Massachusetts. I’m very grateful with my Puerto Rican people, and the fans can expect a war against a hard hitting Colombian fighter. The training with my coach Alex Rivera has been great, and we are very confident”, commented Rashidi Ellis, who next Tuesday will be joining Manny Pacquiao’s training camp at the Wild Card Gym as one of his sparring partners.
The event is promoted by Miguel Cotto Promotions and Roc Nation Sports.
In his last bout on November 14, Ellis outboxed, and defeated via fifth round knockout, tought veteran, Joseph De los Santos ( 18-14-9 KO’s ) from Dominican Republic in a 6 round bout at the junior middleweight division held in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Ellis, who at one point of his boxing amateur career was ranked number one at the Welterweight division (152 pounds) in the United States, ended up with a record of 60-11, which included:
-2012 National PAL (Police Athletic League) Champion-Three time New England Golden Gloves Champion
-Rocky Marciano Amateur Boxing Tournament Champion
-Silver Medal at the Independent Cup in the Dominican Republic
Ellis comes from a family of boxers. His older brother, Ronald “Akeem” is an undefeated super middleweight prospect. His sister, Rashida, is a 2012 PAL champion, and a favorite win medal for the U.S. Women`s Boxing Team in the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Greg Cohen Promotions Announces Multi-Fight Deal with CBS Sports Network
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