Tūtohu Archives: Christy Martin
Claressa Shields Is The BWAA’s 2018 Wahine Fighter o te Tau
Pāwhiritia HERE to read online|
By Joseph Santoliquito/BWAA President
In a pivotal year for women’s boxing that saw the sport reach more people than ever before, two-time United States Olympic gold medal winner Claressa Shields continued to soar, as she successfully defended her two world middleweight titles, then added three super middleweight belts before the end of a campaign that earned her the 2018 Christy Martin Award, which is given to the Boxing Writers Association of America’s Female Fighter of the Year. “I am thrilled and honored to receive the Fighter of the Year award from the Boxing Writers Association of America. It is a dream come true, and it furthers my goal to lift women’s boxing to new levels,” Shields said. “I roto i te 2019 my goals are to become undisputed champion, to be ranked in the top 10 pound-for-pound list regardless of gender, and to continue the march of women’s boxing toward equality with men.” The 23-year-old from Flint, Michigan becomes the second winner of the award, which was established in 2017. She will be honored at the BWAA’s annual award dinner, which will take place in 2019 at a site and date to be determined. “In such a big year for women’s boxing, it wasn’t a surprise that there were so many worthy nominees for this award, but in 2018, Claressa Shields took things to a new level by becoming a two-division world champion and successfully defending her titles at both 168 a 160 pounds in Showtime and HBO-televised bouts,” said Thomas Gerbasi, chairman of the BWAA’s women’s boxing committee. “That’s impressive in its own right, but the fact that she’s done this all before her tenth pro fight and under the glare of the spotlight that comes with being the face of the sport in the United States made her a unanimous choice for this year’s Christy Martin Award.” Joining Roy Jones Jr., Andre Ward and the late Emanuel Steward as members of the USA Boxing Alumni Association Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018, Shields began the year on a collision course with middleweight champion Christina Hammer, but first she finished up her business at 168 pounds by successfully defending her IBF and WBC titles with a shutout victory over Tori Nelson in January. Next was Shields’ middleweight debut against Hanna Gabriels in June, and what followed was a Fight of the Year candidate that saw Shields rebound from the first knockdown of her career to win a clear-cut decision and the IBF and WBA belts. Soon after, the news came that Hammer had to withdraw from her November clash with Shields due to injury, engari “T-Rex” didn’t slow down, as she defeated Hannah Rankin and Femke Hermans to successfully defend her middleweight titles while adding the WBC crown to her trophy case. |
Undefeated prospect Richard “Popeye te Sailor te tangata” Rivera takes his act South
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Hartford, Conn. (Whiringa 26, 2018) – Undefeated prospect Richard “Popeye te Sailor te tangata” Rivera will take his act South this Friday night, when he fights Joshua Robertson i roto i te “stay busy” fight on the “Boxing Bash” kāri, presented by Christy Martin Promotions, at Centerstage@Noda in Charlotte, Te Tai Tokerau Carolina.
Rivera vs. Robertson, contested at a 185-pounds catchweight, will be co-promoted by Rivera’s promoter, Hartford Boxing Promotions.
Rivera (8-0, 7 Koó), the reigning Universal Boxing Federation (UBF) All America light heavyweight champion, is part of a trio that formed Hartford Boxing Promotions earlier this year, including Rivera’s manager/head trainer Tony Blanco and their partner, Michael Tran.
Fighting out of Hartford (CT), Rivera has rejuvenated that market, whose rich boxing history dates back nearly a full century, headlined by International Hall of Famers Willie “Will o’ the Wisp” Pep a Christopher “Battling” Battalino. Other top-area boxers include world champion Marlon “Magic te tangata” Starling, challengers taitara ao Gaspar “El Indio” Ortega, a A Iharaira “kaua” Cardona, a 1996 USA Olympic Boxing Team captain Lawrence Clay-Bey.
Na, ahakoa, it’s Rivera’s time to shine. Arguably the hardest-hitting, most popular fighter in New England, Rivera hit Randy Campbell so hard this past April in New Hampshire that the force of his powerful right broke his opponent’s ankle only seconds into the contest.
Rivera has developed a strong fan-base throughout New England and now he’s bringing his “Popeye” persona to the South for the first time. “This is a good opportunity to expand my ‘Popeye’ brand,” Rivera said. “My last fight was in Mexico and this fight is in North Carolina. We’re on our way to going worldwide. I have a lot of family in North Carolina, Fayetteville and Raleigh, so I won’t be alone down there.
“Whakapono ana ahau 2019 won’t be much different that my first year as a pro. I’ll be getting a lot of fights and I think that, by the end of next year, I’ll be fighting for something big. I stay in top shape in case a good opportunity comes around. I’m confident and I’ve really benefitted from being Joe Smith‘s sparring partner. This fight is about staying sharp because I don’t like having too much time off. The plan is to fight in a different part of the country, get a victory, and then remain in top shape.”
The wildly popular Rivera originally got his nickname because, when he was younger, his forearms were considerably larger than his biceps. Fighters in the gym jokingly teased Rivera about his enlarged forearms, calling him “Popeye,” and the nickname has stuck. Na, Rivera showcases his Popeye persona in full, which has added many females and children to his growing fanbase, and he attributes his wins to eating his spinach to be good to the finish.
“Fighters today need to be more than talented,” added promoter Christy “The Coal Minder’s Daughter” Martin, the two-division world champion who was a women’s boxing pioneer. I haven’t seen him (Rivera) fight yet, but I’ve been impressed by what I’ve heard about him. He’s a great addition to our card. Rivera is a big guy with power and everybody wants to see big guys. But he’s also smart, marketing wise, by capitalizing on ‘Popeye.’ He gets it.”
Blanco connected with Martin through social media and, as he explained, things went smoothly from there to place Rivera on that card. “We want to keep Richard busy and then have a breakout year in 2019,” Blanco noted. “The beauty of Richard is that he stays busy and works hard, sometimes when he’s training by himself. Boxing is his job and I believe he’s destined for greatness.”
Robertson (7-11, 2 Koó), o Lynchburg, Virginia, has fought the likes of unified world junior middleweight champion Jarrett Hurd, former USBA middleweight title holder Luis Arias, and ex- WBC FECARBOX welterweight titlist Thomas LaManna.
Utu Tickets e i $70.00 (ringside) a $35.00 (general admission and available to purchase at the venue.
Doors tuwhera i 6 p.m. ET with the first bout scheduled to start at 7 p.m. AND.
He whawhai me whawhai katoa raro ki te huringa.
Salita Whakatairanga manaaki Shields I 2017 Awards Tau-Whakamutunga
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“PREMIER BOXING Champions” STARS LEO SANTA CRUZ, Apanere uwha, TANIELU JACOBS, Shawn Porter, RANCES Barthélemy, ALFREDO ANGULO CONFIRMED FOR THIRD EDITION OF BOX FAN EXPO TAKING PLACE ON CINCO DE MAYO WEEKEND, SATURDAY MAY 6, I Las Vegas
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2-TIME WORLD CHAMPION MARCOS MAIDANA CONFIRMED FOR THIRD EDITION OF BOX FAN EXPO TAKING PLACE ON CINCO DE MAYO WEEKEND, SATURDAY MAY 6, I Las Vegas
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3-TIME WORLD CHAMPION JESSIE VARGAS CONFIRMED FOR THIRD EDITION OF BOX FAN EXPO TAKING PLACE ON CINCO DE MAYO WEEKEND, SATURDAY MAY 6, I Las Vegas
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CLARESSA SHIELDS KNOCKS OUT SZILVIA SZABADOS IN FIRST WOMEN’S MAIN EVENT IN PREMIUM TELEVISION HISTORY FRIDAY ON SHOWTIME®
Nikolay Potapov Outpoints Antonio Nieves, Wesley Tucker Defeats Ed Williams & Joshua Greer Jr. Knocks Out James Gordon-Smith On ShoBox: The New Generation From MGM Grand Detroit
Kaua e to Kami te Replay Rātū, March 14 I 10 p.m. AND/PT I te SHOWTIME EXTREME®
Pāwhiritia HERE No te Photos; Credit Tom Casino/SHOWTIME
Jonathan (March 11, 2017) – Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Claressa Shields shined in her television debut, knocking out the durable Szilvia Szabados in the fourth round (1:30) to advance to 2-0 as a professional in the main event on ShoBox: Ko te Generation New Rāmere on SHOWTIME at MGM Grand Detroit.
Shields (2-0, 1 Koó) put on a show less than an hour from her hometown of Flint, Mich., landing nearly 50 percent of her power shots in the first women’s boxing main event in premium television history.
Szabados (15-9, 6 Koó), of Hungary, didn’t touch the canvas but never really stood a shot against an opponent that has been billed as the future of women’s boxing. Shields came out blazing in the opening round, backing up Szabados with crisp, clean punches as she out-landed her opponent 31-4 in the first.
Shields was a bit more patient and settled in the second and third, but the onslaught continued against a relatively defenseless Szabados. After a flush right hand, left hook combo in the fourth, referee Harvey Dock had seen enough and stepped in to halt the contest with Szabados still on her feet.
“It was about respect,” Shields said of her performance. “I wanted to go out there and show I had power and I wasn’t scared of her. I knew she was tough coming in. That’s why I started going to the body. I was going to get the clean shot in one round and she was going to go, but the ref stopped it in the fourth. A knock out is a knockout. It was exciting.
“I’m glad everyone came. I took advantage of this great opportunity once again. It’s another step toward winning a world title.”
Szabados said she was disappointed with Dock’s decision to stop the fight when he did. “I’m very sad and heartbroken right now because it only went four rounds and I could have kept going,” she said. “Her hits were not painful. Her right hook got me a lot, E mohio ana ahau ki. I could feel that one.”
I roto i te ShoBox co-āhuatanga, Nikolay Potapov narrowly edged Antonio Nieves in a close, 10-round split decision scored 96-94 Potapov twice, 96-94 Nieves.
The technical match between undefeated top-10 bantamweight prospects was close from the opening bell. Nieves was the more active fighter, tauranga 64 punches per round to Potapov’s 50, but the round-by-round breakdowns reveal that Potapov prevailed in total connects as well as in landed power shots.
“Whakaaro ahau ko reira he whawhai tata, but I came on strong at the end,” Potapov said. “I had more and finished stronger. That made the difference. I am much more aggressive now and I sit down on my shots. That’s the difference training at Kronk has done for me.
“I knew I won the fight. I wasn’t surprised when I got it. I wasn’t happy about the judging in my last big fight, but I thought this time I had done more than enough to win.”
Nieves did impressive work to the body, tūhono i runga i 59 total body shots compared to just 14 for Potapov, but it wasn’t enough to earn him the decision.
“Whakaaro ahau riro ahau. I thought it was a bad decision,” Nieves said. “I don’t even think it should have been a spilt decision. I thought I was up clearly. He didn’t really score like he wanted to. I was making him miss and landing all the sharper punches. Everything he was hitting me with I was blocking and coming back.
“I don’t know why close fights don’t go my way. From here I go back to the drawing board. My whole team and a lot of the crowd felt like I won. I would love to fight him again.”
In a featured matchup between undefeated welterweights, Wesley Tucker (14-0, 8 Koó) edged Ed Williams in an eight-round unanimous decision scored 77-73, 79-71, 78-72 Tucker.
The foul-filled fight featured little action. Toledo’s Tucker landed 31 ōrau o ana matā kaha whakaritea ki noa 19 percent for Detroit’s Williams (12-2-1, 4 Koó), who was deducted two points for hitting to the back of the head on separate occasions. Tucker (14-0, 8 Koó) didn’t land a jab the entire fight, but his heavier shots and accuracy with his power shots seemed to be more impressive to the judges.
“He was an awkward, long fighter, who knew how to move very well,” Tucker said. “I’m not disappointed it turned out like that. Not every fight can be pretty, so I came out with the win and that’s what matters most.
“I was really frustrated in there, but I’m an action kind of fighter, so when he was running it kind of was pissing me off. He was all over the place. He ran the whole fight.”
Williams landed only 17 ōrau o ana nifó katoa.
“He didn’t show me anything I didn’t expect,” Williams said. “This week was a great experience for me, but you want to come out with a win and I wasn’t able to get it done.”
I roto i te kaiwahi i afata teata, Joshua Greer Jr. handed bantamweight prospect James Gordon-Smith his firstloss with a brutal one-punch sixth-round knockout (2:06).
After a blazing first round that saw over 50 power shots landed, Greer pepped his opponent with a steady diet of counter rights as Gordon-Smith continued to charge forward and fight largely off-balance. Chicago’s Greer floored Gordon-Smith with a perfectly timed right uppercut in the opening seconds of the fifth and, despite looking dazed, Gordon-Smith rallied to survive the back-and-forth round.
In the sixth, Greer (12-1-1, 5 Koó) knocked Gordon-Smith out cold with a huge straight right that sent the Detroit native falling face forward as referee Harvey Dock immediately waved off the bout.
“I guess he blinked. That was the problem,” Greer said. “I told everyone when I got here I didn’t have that pillow for no reason. I said don’t blink and I wasn’t playing. I knew I was going to get him. The pillow is just my trademark. It’s nothing personal. You have to stand out somehow. That’s just what I do. Nothing personal to him.
“I knew what I came to do. I’m excited but I’m not shocked. My team knew what would happen and they had confidence in me. I knew it was only a matter of time.”
Gordon-Smith (11-1, 6 Koó) ko te 160th fighter to suffer his first defeat on the prospect developmental series. And Nieves would later become the 161st.
Rāmere o quadrupleheader will replay on Rātū, March 14 i 10 p.m. AND/PT i te SHOWTIME EXTREME. The telecast will also be available on SHOWTIME on DEMAND® a SHOWTIME te Wā®.
“Detroit City Gold,” was promoted by Salita Promotions.
Barry Tompkins called the ShoBox mahi i te ringside ki Steve Farhood me toa mua ao Raul Marquez te taviniraa ei mohio kaitätari. The executive producer was Gordon Hall with Rich Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.
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ABOUT SALITA PROMOTIONS
Salita Promotions was founded in 2010 e Dmitriy Salita, a professional boxer and world-title challenger who saw the need for a promotional entity to feature boxing’s best young prospects and established contenders in North America and around the world. Viewers watching fighters on worldwide television networks including Showtime, ESPN, Koi TV, Universal Sports Network and MSG have enjoyed Salita Promotions fight action in recent years. We pride ourselves on offering our fighters opportunities inside and outside the ring. Salita Promotions looks forward to continuing to grow and serve the needs of fight fans around the globe.
“DETROIT CITY GOLD” FINAL WEIGHTS, Korukī & Whakaahua
Two-Time Olympic Gold Medalist Claressa Shields Faces Szilvia Szabados In First Women’s Boxing Main Event On Premium Television
Rāmere, March 10 E ora i runga i SHOWTIME® From MGM Grand Detroit
Pāwhiritia HERE To Download Weigh-In Photos; Credit Tom Casino/SHOWTIME
Jonathan (March 9, 2017) – All eight fighters participating in “Detroit City Gold”, te ShoBox: Ko te Generation Newquadrupleheader which includes headliner and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Claressa Shields, made weight i runga i Rāpare in advance of Rāmere o telecast from MGM Grand Detroit.
Shields (1-0) will face former world title challenger Szilvia Szabados (15-8, 6 Koó) in just her second fight since winning gold at the 2016 Olympics and in the first women’s boxing event in premium television history, ora i runga i SHOWTIME i 10 p.m. AND/PT.
“Detroit City Gold,” which takes place less than an hour from Shields’ hometown of Flint, Mich., is promoted by Salita Promotions. Shields vs. Szabados is a six-round middleweight bout.
I roto i te ShoBox co-āhuatanga, top-10 ranked bantamweight contenders Antonio Nieves (17-0-2, 9 Koó), o Cleveland, a Russia o Nikolay Potapov (16-0-1, 8 Koó) will put their undefeated records on the line in a 10-round matchup for the NABO bantamweight belt.
In an eight-round televised bout, Welterweight Wesley Tucker (13-0, 8 Koó) o Toledo, Ohio, faces Detroit’s Ed Williams (12-1-1, 4 Koó) in a matchup between two former amateur standouts. I roto i te kaiwahi i afata teata, Detroit-based bantamweight prospect James Gordon Smith (11-0, 6 Koó) will take on Chicago’s Joshua Greer, JR. (11-1-1, 4 Koó) i roto i te a'ee waru-a tawhio noa.
Pauna Official:
Claressa Shields: 159 ½ Pounds
Szilvia Szabados: 158 Pauna
Antonio Nieves: 116 ½ Pounds
Nikolay Potapov: 117 ½ Pounds
Wesley Tucker: 147 Pauna
Ed Williams: 146 ¼ Pounds
James Gordon Smith: 116 ¾ Pounds
Joshua Greer, Jr.: 116 ¾ Pounds
Korukī WHAKAMUTUNGA:
CLARESSA whakangungu rakau:
“I know about Laila Ali, and Christy Martin and Lucia Rijker, and I don’t box like any of them. I have my own unique style. I’ve never seen a female fighter like myself. I want to carry the sport.
“The boxers I like and study are Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Louis and Floyd Mayweather. Those are my favorites. And you can even throw Sugar Ray Leonard in there, rawa.
“I’m going to be aggressive. I’m not going to be nervous and I’m not going to freeze up. I’m going to go right out there and hit her in the face with a right hand.
“This is my hometown fight. I last fought in Michigan three years ago. I’m going to showcase my skills on SHOWTIME.
“I’m embracing all of this. I grew up and heard when I was young that women can’t fight. I’m ready to show everyone just how wrong that is i runga i te Paraire po ".
SZILVIA SZABADOS:
“I know Claressa is popular because of the two gold medals, and she’s young and 21. This is her hometown so I know the fans will be cheering for her. Congratulations to her. But I just have to worry about fighting my fight and staying focused.
“I know she’s a come-forward fighter like me. Always go, go, go. I don’t know what she’ll bring. It’ll be a surprise. Everyone always has a plan and I have a plan, me. But I’m willing to change and improvise.
“I’ve been sparring with men mostly. It’s hard to find girls who can spar with me, especially in Hungary.”
ANTONIO NIEVES:
“I’m ready to go. I’m ready to show that night [a draw against Alejandro Santiago] was a fluke. There are no distractions this time.
“I’m ready to show people that I’m a contender at this weight. I’m here to prove that I deserve to fight for a world title.”
NIKOLAY POTAPOV:
“I’ve improved a lot working with Javan [Javan SugarHill Steward]. The sky’s the limit for me and I know I can be a legitimate contender in my division.
“There are going to be a lot of eyes on this fight so it’s important that I look good and get the victory. We’re both undefeated, and we’re both ranked, so there is a lot on the line in this fight.”
WESLEY TUCKER:
“I’m going to be the next world champion from Toledo. I’m a lefty and have power in both hands and I’m a pressure fighter.
“My right hook is my best punch and that’s rare for a lefty.
“I live 45 miles from here and I come here a lot so, yeah, it’s like a home fight for me.
“I know Ed Williams. He’s a nice little boxer, long and rangy. That’s about it.
“I’m going for the knockout and it may come early, or it may not. Kāore he mea he aha, I always put on a good show.”
ED WILLIAMS:
“This is one of the fights that will determine whether I continue and move up, or I do something different. Ko reira tenei. That’s what ShoBox has always been about for fighters like me.
“I took a break from boxing and got my college degree in industrial engineering. But I got the bug and came back. Things would have been much different if I would have stayed with it. I’m not doing anything with my degree yet, but will once I’m finished with boxing.
“I’m older but I don’t have many miles. I’m well-preserved. It’s going to be exciting and I’m looking forward to an exciting fight.”
JAMES GORDON SMITH:
“I’ve never lost to anyone from Chicago, a Rāmere night will be no different.
“I’ve been around boxing forever and all the talking doesn’t bother me. I would expect nothing else. He’s coming into my backyard and should be confident. He’s coming in with an eight-fight winning streak. It don’t bother me. It just gives me the extra motivation to make sure no one comes into my backyard and beats me.”
JOSHUA GREER, JR.:
“It’s not my first undefeated fighter I’ve fought so it’s no big deal. E mohio ana ahau ki te aha i ahau ki te mahi i.
Sure, we were going at it pretty good at the press conference. You can say it’s a Chicago-Detroit thing. Of course there’s a rivalry there.
“I’m fast, but people underestimate my power. My power is a bigger strength than my speed. It’s something not a lot of people expect of me.
“You will see fireworks from round one.”
Barry Tompkins Ka karanga i te ShoBox mahi i te ringside ki Steve Farhood me te toa o mua ao Raul Marquez i te tavini ei tohunga kaitätari. Ko te kaihanga matua, ko te Gordon Hall ki Rich Gaughan te whakaputa me te Rick Phillips aratai.
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TWO-TIME OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST CLARESSA SHIELDS DISCUSSES HER LEGACY AND BRINGING EQUALITY TO WOMEN’S BOXING IN SHOWTIME SPORTS® VIDEO
“I want my legacy to be that I’m the best female fighter to ever put on gloves.” – Claressa Shields
Shields Faces Szilvia Szabados Rāmere i runga i SHOWTIME® In First Women’s Boxing Main Event In Premium Television History
VIDEO: http://s.sho.com/2m3ZobR
Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Claressa Shields opens up about how growing up in Flint, Mich., shaped her career, bringing equality to women’s boxing, and her growing legacy in this SHOWTIME Sports video feature: http://s.sho.com/2m3ZobR
Shields (1-0) will face former world title challenger Szilvia Szabados (15-8, 6 Koó) apopo/Rāmere i roto i te hui matua o ShoBox: Ko te Generation New in just her second fight since winning gold at the 2016 Olympics. The six-round middleweight bout, which will air live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. AND/PT), is the first women’s boxing event in premium television history.
Te hui, labeled “Detroit City Gold,” is promoted by Salita Promotions from MGM Grand Detroit. I roto i te ShoBox co-āhuatanga, top-10 ranked bantamweight contenders Antonio Nieves (17-0-2, 9 Koó) and Nikolay Potapov (16-0-1, 8 Koó) will put their undefeated records on the line in a 10-round bantamweight bout.
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