Tag Archives: boxing

boxing, UK Boxing

The Incredible Fighting Turks – Ozgul Brothers Return To York Hall On Jan 30th

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On Friday 30th January boxing fans in London will once again be making their way to the famous York Hall in Bethnal Green, London for the first pro boxing event in the Capital of the New Year – the Shyam Batra promoted ‘Legends and Prospects’, headlined by the Hillyard-Vosyka for the WBU International Middleweight Championship.

 

A large majority that will be making their regular pilgrimage to the shrine of the pugilistic arts in the Capital, will be doing so to support two Hackney based, Turkish born youngsters, Siar and Onder Ozgul.

 

Over the past year or so the brothers have been building quite a reputation for themselves, as two of the most exciting, all action fighters in the Capital, their fan base has been growing at an incredible rate, so much so that as soon as it is announced they will be boxing on an event, their ticket allocation is usually sold out in a matter of days.

 

So just what makes these two lads so special and such a draw for fight fans you may ask, well for a start the older of the two, Onder, was dubbed ‘Little’ Mike by the Turkish fight fans back in his homeland, as he has is likened, fight style, to a certain ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson.

 

He was a regular member of the Turkish team that competed on the ‘World Series Of Boxing’ circuit, as well as racked up a numerous national and international accolades as an amateur.

 

Younger sibling, Siar, who also has a trophy cabinet crammed to the gills with the trophies and medals from his amateur career, is a little more refined in his boxing style, but still as with Onder presents an incredible forceful style of boxing that his opponents find very hard to cope with.

 

With five top class wins already under his belt, young Siar is the first to be stepping up to six rounders, as his team begin focusing on preparing him for the rigors of Championship boxing in the near future.

 

Following a normal day at the office, at the recently rebranded Champions TKO Gym in Hackney, Onder, Siar and their well known coach, former Commonwealth Lightweight Champion Mo Hussein, took a little time to talk about their upcoming fights as well as what the future may hold for the young stars.

 

Onder was the first to speak, “I’m comfortable with my training, I’m feeling really good and I’m determined to give a very good performance.

 

I don’t know about my opponent, I know he will come to fight and that is good for the fans, I’m ready for him and that’s good for the fans.

 

I’m ready to move forward, I came to England to fight for titles, I want to fight for titles that’s why I box, in the past things have happened that stopped me progressing but now I’m ready.

 

I’m not looking to be just an area champion, I want to be British, European and more than anything to be the World Champion.

 

When I am training that’s in my mind, train like a champion, I have big targets, I will be Champion.

 

The fans call me ‘Little Mike’ and I will not let them down, just like Mike Tyson I will be the Champion of the World, it doesn’t matter who they put in front of me I will win, boxing is my life.”

 

The highly affable Siar then spoke, “I have no problems moving up to six rounds, I was ready for six rounds before.

 

Now the opportunity has come up I’m very comfortable to do six rounds, even when I boxed at Light Middleweight, now I’m Welterweight I’m more ready than ever.

 

My aims are the same as Onder, I want to be World Champion, I will fight the best I can and earn the right to fight for titles.

 

God willing I will get the chance to fight for a title this year, English or International, I don’t care I just want to fight for a title as soon as Mo (Hussein) says I’m ready.

 

I’m ready for whoever they put in front of me to fight, I’m ready, no problem.

 

I’m happy with everything Mo is doing in training, I’m really, really happy, he’s a top trainer.”

 

Finally a smiling Mo Hussein spoke briefly about his young charges. “My thoughts on the two boys is I think they are both excellent prospects, I think the sky’s the limit and they are going to go all the way to the top.

 

They’ve already proved themselves, they train hard, they fight hard and live the life, there’s nothing to stop them.

 

The transition to the new Champions TKO Gym has been easy for them, it’s a nice gym and it’s local to them, it’s a bit more traveling for me but as long as the fighters are happy, I’m happy.”

Onder Ozgul versus Karel Horejsek and Siar Ozgul versus Vladimir Fecko will feature on the Shyam Batra promoted ‘LEGENDS & PROSPECTS event, headlined by George Hillyard versus Michal Vosyka WBU International Middleweight title clash, that takes place at York Hall in Bethnal Green, London, on Friday, 30th January 2015.

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

Tickets, priced £30 (Standard Seated), £40 (Gallery) and £65 (Ringside) – are available direct from Tasif – tel: 07756 311857 – from any of the boxers taking part in the event, on-line at www.tkoboxoffice.com or call the box office on 07960 850645

 

boxing

Raymond Serrano decisions Jerome Rodriguez in Philadelphia

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Philadelphia (January 22, 2015 ) – This past Tuesday night at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Jr. Welterweight Raymond “Tito” Serrano scored a clear unanimous decision over Jerome Rodriguez.
With the win, Serrano raised his record to 20-2 as the score cards read 59-55 on all cards.
“It was a fight that I worked on things in training,”said Serrano.
“I knew going in that Rodriguez was a slick boxer but he was a little more aggressive then I expected so I adjusted and fought smart.  After the 3rd round he seemed to fade a little bit and I started to land my shots.”
This was Serrano’s 2nd bout after a 22-month layoff and he is happy with the improvement shown in this bout.
“I thought I was better.  Rodriguez is young and hungry and he comes to fight.  I had to be smarter in this fight and I was better than the last one.”
Serrano will get right back at it as he is looking to fight on February 27 in Huntington, New York on a show that will be promoted by his promoter Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing.
“I should be back on February 27 on the Star Boxing card.  I am getting right back to the gym.  I am moving forward to accomplish the dream of becoming world champion.  I know my promoter will put me in the spots to accomplish that goal.”
“I want to thank my manager Mark Cipparone and all my fans.  I want to know that I am back and I am taking my quest to become champion one bout at a time.”
” This was the perfect fight for Ray in every measure. From the very first round it was clear to all in the building that Rodriguez, who is certainly no push over was in the ring with an elite professional. Ray landed impressive shots to the body of Rodriguez all night and his veteran boxing skills made it all look too easy. I have been in the gym for some time now watching Ray closely, comparing and measuring and he will be a problem for anyone out there. Tito has earned my attention for sure so don’t sleep on him because his comeback is now a reality! “, said Club 1957 Management CEO Mark Cipparone
Club 1957 Management was founded in 2013 by local businessman Mark Cipparone.  Cipparone is the owner of the widely successful and popular Rocco’s Collision.  Since the formation of Club 1957 Management he has guided the careers of some the top fighters in the country.  Currently he manages Heavyweight Joey Dawejko, Welterweight Raymond Serrano, Jr. Lightweight Tevin Farmer and Jr. Lightweight Jason Sosa and others.
boxing, Showtime Boxing

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®: BERMANE STIVERNE vs. DEONTAY WILDER DRAWS RECORD VIEWERSHIP

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Main Event Becomes The Highest Rated Bout On Any Premium Network In The Past Year;

The Three-Fight Telecast Draws The Highest Rating on SHOWTIME®In More Than Two Years;

All Three Fights On The Live Telecast Rank In The Top-20 Most Watched Bouts On Record For The Network

 

NEW YORK (Jan. 21, 2015)—SHOWTIME Sports garnered a record audience for Saturday’s2015 SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING premiere telecast headlined by newly minted WBC Heavyweight World Champion Deontay Wilder in his breakout win over Bermane Stiverne.  The main event ranks as the highest-rated fight on any premium network in the past 12 months while the entire three-fight telecast becomes the highest rated on SHOWTIME in more than two years.  The Jan. 17 telecast attracted the second largest audience since 2004* behind the Miguel Cotto vs. Austin Trout event from Dec. 2012.  (*since Nielsen began to separately measure premium television multiplex channels)

 

Wilder’s impressive win captured an average audience of 1.24 million viewers, ranked as the fourth highest-rated fight on record for the network, with a peak audience of 1.34 million viewers.

 

The average individual audiences for each of the three fights on the telecast now rank in the top-20 of the most watched bouts on SHOWTIME since 2009.  WBC Super Bantamweight World Champion Leo Santa Cruz’s eighth-round TKO of Jesus Ruiz ranks 12th highest while the telecast opener, super lightweight Amir Imam’s fifth-round TKO of Fidel Maldonado Jr. ranks 20th.

 

The event was co-promoted by Don King Productions and Golden Boy Promotions and took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

 

#  #  #

 

SHOWTIME releases Stiverne vs. Wilder Round 7 in its entirety! http://s.sho.com/1J52G55

 

Plus, catch the entire SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast again on SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and on mobile devices via SHOWTIME ANYTIME®

Photo Credit: SHOWTIME/Esther Lin

 

Suggested Tweet

Entire Rd7 from #StiverneWilder http://s.sho.com/1J52G55; Catch the replay ON DEMAND & SHO ANYTIME. @BStiverne vs @BronzeBomber

 

# # #

 

“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 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 andwww.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 athttp://theboxingblog.sho.com/.

 

boxing, Golden Boy Promotions, mixed martial arts

BOXING LEGEND OSCAR DE LA HOYA ANNOUNCES NEW COMBAT SPORTS, TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE NETWORK

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De La Hoya TV will capitalize on huge boxing and MMA fan base among U.S. Hispanics, taking them inside the lives of their heroes

 

MIAMI (Jan. 21, 2015) Olympic gold medalist, 10-time world champion in six weight divisions and leading boxing promoter Oscar De La Hoya will launch a new Spanish-language sports, travel and lifestyle cable television channel called De La Hoya TV, the “Golden Boy” announced today at the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) annual conference in Miami.

 

Offering news, analysis and original programming surrounding combat sports including boxing and MMA, the multi-platform network will feature entertainment, travel, lifestyle and news on international sports, giving fans another level of access to the champions of the sports that they love.

 

“De La Hoya TV will be the premiere authority on boxing and other combat sports, providing fans with a behind-the-scenes look into the world and lifestyles of their favorite athletes,” said De La Hoya, chairman of De La Hoya TV. “The network aims to inspire all to live the life of a champion, delivering exceptional insight into the athletes and featuring entertainment, global destinations, news and more.”

 

Building on boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya’s brand, De La Hoya TV will launch with Spanish-language content and focus on engaging the U.S. Hispanic market.

 

Latino audiences, which now total more than 50 million in the U.S., have long fueled the popularity of combat sports, and De La Hoya TV will provide the Hispanic market with an experience that they’ve longed for. Among U.S. Hispanic audiences, boxing is the second most-popular sport after soccer, and recent data suggests that more than 50 percent of the Mixed Martial Arts’ fan base is Hispanic.

 

The multiplatform network will launch in the spring of 2015 and be available for cable and satellite distribution. Initially launching in Spanish, the network will in the future provide English content, offering today’s modern consumers with multiple options to engage with network programming.

 

De La Hoya TV is a partnership between Oscar De La Hoya, businessman and international boxing promoter José Alberto “Pepe” Gómez, and media executive and Fashion TV Latin America partner Victor Hugo Montero.

 

Gomez is a successful business owner and major promoter of Mexican and international boxing. Gomez operates several media companies in Mexico, including a popular newspaper and radio station.

 

Montero is an experienced television and cable executive, having launched Venezuela’s first cable channel, Sun Channel Tourism Television, which is currently available throughout Latin America. More recently Montero helped re-launched Fashion TV Latin America, an international cable channel.

 

“In my decades of working in television, I’ve seen few opportunities to connect with an untapped market with such an exponential opportunity for growth. For over a year we have worked on this project and are focused on expanding content from Spanish to include English and make it available to a larger audience, all to serve the consumer’s appetite,” said Victor Hugo Montero, CEO and general manager of De La Hoya TV.

 

“The popularity of combat sports continues to grow throughout the United States, Latin America and the globe, and now fans will finally have a unique resource to get news and analysis through De La Hoya TV,” said José Alberto “Pepe” Gómez, executive chairman of De La Hoya TV.

 

De La Hoya TV’s unique content, which will complement existing boxing programming on the established networks, like HBO, SHOWTIME, FOX, and Televisa will help continue to fuel the growth of the sport and the intensity of the fans.

 

Original production for De La Hoya TV will begin in early 2015, with details on programming schedules to be announced soon. The network is based in Miami, Florida.

 

ABOUT DE LA HOYA TV

De La Hoya TV is a new multi-platform sports, lifestyle and travel network serving as the authority of boxing and combat sports. Focused on their slogan, Beyond Boxing, the new Spanish-language channel will feature entertainment, tourism, lifestyle, news and international sports, engaging the audience on an exciting adrenaline filled journey with behind the scenes access to the life of their favorite athletes. For more information, visit www.delahoyatv.com and follow De La Hoya TV on social media: Facebook, Twitter,Instagram, and YouTube.
boxing, UK Boxing

Shyam Batra Presents LEGENDS & PROSPECTS

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30th January 2015 @ York Hall, London

London – Wednesday, 21st January 2015

Khan Returns To The Fray On Jan 30th – Faces Voros at York Hall In London

 

On Friday 30th January 2015, Bradford’s Tasif Khan makes his most welcome return to the fray, following a two year sabbatical from the sport, when he faces Hungarian Richard Voros on the Shyam Batra promoted Legends & Prospects event at York Hall in London.

 

First time around Tasif, who turned professional in 2005, proved not only to be an exciting prospect but also highly popular with the fans, so much so that after just his sixth fight young Khan became a regular on events, at the Reebok Stadium in Bradford and at the M. E.N. Arena in Manchester, promoted by Ricky Hatton, including the Amir Khan versus Paul McCloskey WBA World Championship bout in April 2011.

 

For his return bout Tasif is set to face the Hungarian #4 ranked Richard Voros, a tough globe trotting fighter, who is more than comfortable competing in his opponents own backyards, including those in the UK, such as current IBF Inter-Continental Super Flyweight Champion Khalid Yafai, who he fought back in 2012.

 

Speaking from his Bradford home Tasif spoke briefly about his impending return to the ring on the 30th January.

 

“I’m really looking forward to the fight, I’ve been itching to be back in, it’s been way too long I’ve been out of the ring.

 

Mentally I feel good, physically I feel good and I’m more motivated and more hungry than ever.

 

I don’t know too much about Richard Voros, other than he’s an experienced fighter, I know he’s had quite a few fights and has fought all over in a number of countries.

 

I don’t doubt he’s going to bring his A-Game, so am I and I’m hoping to put on a really good display for my comeback fight.

 

This fight means so much to me, almost as much as when I fought at the M.E.N. on the undercard of Amir Khan-Paul McCloskey.

 

That was a great experience, I’ll never forget that night as long as I live, it was a great experience and great people.

 

I get on really well with Amir Khan and his family, they are great people, they really made it a great experience for me, all of it even during the build up to the fight.

 

I put in a really good performance on the night, it went really well and was a great experience and puts me in a good position for fights in the future, hopefully get to fight on more big events like that in the future.

 

At the time I didn’t really take it all in because of the moment of the fight and everything like that.

 

This should be a really good night and will be the first time I have fought at York Hall, really looking forward to that, as well as watching George Hillyard when he fights for the WBU International title.

 

I would like to say thank you to all my fans for traveling down to London, I know it’s a fair trek so really appreciate everyone for their support, whether they make it or not.

 

My family and friends have been great, by my side from day one, even with the absence I’ve had I’ve still had great support from everyone and want to say that I am dedicating this fight to my fans because they have been great and stood by me.

 

Also a big thank you to my sponsors Kingsland Business Recovery and Vyomax Nutrition, they have been great from day one, even through my absence and the injuries that have kept me out of the ring.

 

Finally I’d like to say thank you to Rio (Malta Boxing Commission VP Gianluca Di Caro) and Johnny (Champions TKO head honcho Johnny Eames) for their support and the work they have been putting in behind the scenes, it’s much appreciated, cheers.”

Tasif Khan versus Richard Voros will feature on the Shyam Batra promoted ‘LEGENDS & PROSPECTS event, headlined by George Hillyard versus Michal Vosyka WBU International Middleweight title clash, that takes place at York Hall in Bethnal Green, London, on Friday, 30th January 2015.

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

Tickets, priced £30 (Standard Seated), £40 (Gallery) and £65 (Ringside) – are available direct from Tasif – tel: 07756 311857 – from any of the boxers taking part in the event, on-line at www.tkoboxoffice.com or call the box office on 07960 850645

 

Boxcino, boxing, ESPN Friday Night Fights

Boxcino 2015 Matchups Announced on ESPN Friday Night Fights and Noche de Combates

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 Matchups for Boxcino 2015, a boxing tournament presented by Banner Promotions, that will begin in February on ESPN Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra and ESPN Deportes’ Noche de Combates presentado por Corona Extra, were announced on this past Friday’s edition of Friday Night Fights and Noche de Combates.
The first of five shows will be held Friday, Feb. 13, at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., and will air live at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2, broadband Spanish-language ESPN Deportes+ and WatchESPN. The single-elimination, two-weight class tournament, which garnered positive reaction from media and fans in 2014, will feature eight fighters in both the junior middleweight and heavyweight divisions. Last year, Willie Monroe Jr. (middleweight) and Petr Petrov (lightweight) were crowned Boxcino 2014 champions in a tournament that featured fighters in both the lightweight and middleweight divisions. ESPN televised the first Boxcino tournament back in 1997, which was won by future four-time world champion Acelino “Popo” Freitas.

Boxcino 2015 Tournament Brackets:

Boxcino 2015 Schedule:

Date Time (ET) Main Event Location Networks
Fri, Feb 13   9 p.m. Boxcino 2015 Quarterfinals- six rounds each, Junior Middleweight Mohegan Sun, Uncasville,  Conn. ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
Fri, Feb 20 9 p.m. Boxcino 2015 Quarterfinals- six rounds each, Heavyweight Turning Stone Resort and Casino, Verona N.Y. ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
Fri, Apr 3 9 p.m. Boxcino 2015 Semifinals- eight rounds each, Junior Middleweight TBA ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
Fri, Apr 10 9 p.m. Boxcino 2015 Semifinals- eight rounds each, Heavyweight TBA ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
Fri, May 22 9 p.m. Boxcino 2015 Finals- 10 rounds each, Junior Middleweight and Heavyweight TBA ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN
boxing

‘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.
boxing

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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For Immediate Release

Brooklyn, NY (January 20, 2015)– Boxing and law enforcement working in tandem have a long and admirable history. Police Athletic Leagues have provided a haven for wayward youths, and allowed at-risk youth and law enforcement personnel to interact and form bonds which prove personally beneficial, and also help strengthen fragile communities. With that in mind, promoter Dmitriy Salita and his headliner on the Thursday, Jan. 22 pro boxing card at Webster Hall in Manhattan are teaming up to honor the memories of the two NYPD officers slain last month in a tragic incident.

Junior Wright is a 12-0 cruiserweight, with 10 KOs, who fights tough Texan Rayford Johnson on the Salita show. He stepped up and decided he wanted to do his part to honor the cops’ memory, and also smooth out the trauma in the community, perhaps aid in minimizing the friction between cops and youth in some disadvantaged neighborhoods.

“I heard about the two New York City police officers that were ambushed in December and all the trouble that’s been going on,” Wright said. “I grew up in Chicago and all that comes with it. All my dealings with the police have been above board. They’ve helped me a lot with my career.” His manager Steve Clemente is a 25 year veteran of the Illinois State Police while co-trainer Pete George recently retired after nearly 30 years as a suburban Chicago police officer. With that, Junior has dedicated this fight to the memory of N.Y.P.D. officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos.

When Salita heard the plan, he was more than happy to come on board. “Junior is a great role model,” Salita said. “He is hard-working, determined and focused on making a positive influence through boxing.”

N.Y.P.D. officers who attend Thursday night will receive a half-price ticket.

“We will also have a ceremonial 10 count for the fallen heroes before the main event,” said Salita.

Webster Hall is located at 125 East 11th Street, New York, NY 10003.

Doors open for the 10-bout card at 7 PM ET, with ticket prices starting at $40.

 

 

Please log on to DSalita.com

for up to date information on the Jan. 22 show.
boxing, Showtime Boxing

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

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  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.”

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“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/.