Tag Archives: cruiserweight

Beibut Shumenov makes history once again in ring

TEAM SHUMENOV: (L-R) Assistant trainer Rodney Crisler, world cruiserweight champion Beibut Shumenov, Chingis Shumenov, head trainer Ismael Salas, cut-man Jacob “Stitch” Duran and assistant trainer Jeff Grmoja.

 

LAS VEGAS (Aug. 3, 2015) – Newly crowned World Boxing Association (WBA) Interim cruiserweight champion Beibut Shumenov (16-2, 10 KOs) recently made history once again, defeating B.J. Flores (31-2-1, 20 KOs) by way of a 12-round unanimous decision as Premier Boxing Champions series headliner, which aired July 25th on NBCSN live from The Palms in Las Vegas.

Shumenov, 31, became the mandatory challenger for WBA “regular” cruiserweight champion Denis Lebedev (27-1, 20 KOs, 1 NC), of Russia, as well as the first Kazakhstan native to capture a world title in two different weight classes having been the WBA light heavyweight champion from 2010-2014.

Boxing hotbed Kazakhstan has produced five other world champions during the past quarter-century: 1990 WBC super featherweight Aratoly Alexandrov, 2000 WBC heavyweight Oleg “Big O” Maskaev, 2001-2003 – IBF cruiserweight Vassily “The Tiger” Jirov, 2010-2012 WBA super middleweight Dimitri Sartison and reigning WBA Super/WBC Interim middleweight Gennady Golovkin.

In his fist historic fight back in 2010, Shumenov defeated defending WBA light heavyweight champion Gabriel Campillo viaa 12-round decision to establish the record for fewest-fights, 10, to become world champion of a major organization in the 175-pound division.

“I am very proud to set another record in boxing,” 2004 Olympian Shumenov said. “I’m honored to be the first fighter from my country to become world champion in two divisions. I’d like to thank my manager, Al Haymon, for giving me this opportunity. Lebedev is the main target and, if I pass that test, I want to fight the best fighters in the cruiserweight division.”

Shumenov went through a style transformation, under the direction of famed Cuban head coach Ismael Salas, who worked with the athletic Kazakh to change him from an aggressive, grinding fighter into a more complete, all-around boxer. Shumenov baffled Flores, who expected Shumenov to come to him and exchange punches, which would have given the naturally bigger, stronger Flores an advantage. Instead, Shumenov masterfully boxed his way to victory, using lateral movement, angles and positioning to frustrate Flores into ineffective aggression, resulting in an array of off-balance punches and misses.

After the fight, Shumenov explained the surprising change he went through after training with Salas since January. “I’m still in the learning process. Like my trainer says, there are no limits, and I still haven’t perfected what he’s teaching me. It really comes down to a lot of hard work, repetitions of muscle memory. My footwork for this fight came from my trainer. I was happy to be victorious but I still see myself getting a lot better, overall, as a complete boxer.”

(L-R) Shumenov & Salas

Salas also trains World Boxing Council (WBC) World Lightweight Champion Jorge Linares (39-3, 26 KOs), in addition to handling past and present world champions such as Guillermo Rigondeaux, Yuriokis Gamboa, Danny Green, and Jesse Vargas.

“There is a process for everybody in terms of bio-mechanics,” Salas commented. “There are specialties of training I teach that aren’t used often in boxing, specific exercises for the dynamics of motion. I originally learned to coach in the Cuban system, which is similar to the Soviet system in which Beibut first learned, but I’ve also been all over the world learning different methods of training. It still takes time for a world-class fighter like Beibut, who has been world champion as a professional, and had many amateur matches. Jorge Linares was a two-time world champion before we started working together. Beibut is getting there. He’s still not at his full potential, right now, using only 40-50 percent of his tools.”

Shumenov is a lawyer and successful businessman who speaks five languages. Although he’s a two-time world champion, he’s still a student of boxing, and Salas is his highly respected professor.

“He’s (Salas) humble but a genius,” Shumenov insists. “He asks and listens to my opinions. We concentrate on fundamentals and he explains everything to me. Our team had a daily routine in camp in which we shared our knowledge after each training session. The four of us (Shumenov, Salas, Grmjoja and Crisler) became one.”

 

And the result was a second world title.

 

Fans may friend Beibut Shumenov on his Facebook Fan Page atwww.facebook.com/BeibutShumenov.

GH3 Promotions statement on Jerry Odom defeat

Nutley, NJ (July 20, 2015) – This past Friday night at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, Jerry Odom (13-2, 12 KO’s) was stopped in three rounds by Samuel Clarkson (15-3, 9 KO’s) in what was supposed to be a fight contested in the Super Middleweight division.
Odom of Washington, DC did his part to meet his contractual obligation and made the 168 pound contracted weight.  Unfortunately Clarkson checked in over 4 pounds higher at 172.8
At the morning- after weigh in, Clarkson was only supposed to be 10 pounds over the contracted weight and could not come in over 180 but once again was overweight at 184.6 pounds. Odom was 173 pounds.
When they stepped on the unoffical scale just a few hours before the fight, Odom was 175.8 while Clarkson 189.7.
Knowing that the fight was to be on national television as part of ShoBox: The New Generation,  GH3 Promotions President Vito Mielnicki, while taking nothing away from the results wants the world to know that he made a bad business decision and shoulders the blame on himself for letting Odom go through with the contest.
“I should have cut the fight at the weigh in but I let my fighter make the final decision and Jerry wanted to fight.  I thought about it but wanted to give Jerry the opportunity to showcase that he is one of the best Super Middleweights out there,” Said Mielnicki.
“I still believe in Jerry as much if not more then I did before the fight.  He showed that he wont back down from anybody.  He was in there with a Cruiserweight and against my better judgement, I let the fight happen.  I signed options with Clarkson and I am looking to do the rematch on television at the proper weight of 168 pounds. If he knew that he would be coming in so over the weight limit, being professional he could have come to us and we could have worked it out so Jerry did not have sweat off the final pounds for the last two days before the weigh in. That was his way of giving himself a better chance to win the fight.  Look at some the pre fight pictures and interviews, Jerry was as dried out and drained as he could have got, yet Clarkson looked fresh as a daisy.  We will look to have a rematch on television in the next four months.”
GH3 Promotions features undefeated Middleweight Antoine Douglas, Super Middleweight’s Jerry Odom & Derrick Webster, undefeated Super Bantamweight Adam Lopez as well as Boxcino 2015 Jr. Middleweight Champion John Thompson, Jr., undefeated Welterweight Jerrell Harris,undefeated Super Bantamweight Qa’id Muhammad, lightweight Oscar Bonilla, Heavyweight Natu Visinia, Light Heavyweight Lavarn Harvell and Jr. Lightweight O’Shanique Foster to the GH3 Promotions stable.
For More information on GH3 Promotions, Contact:

Two-time world champion Steve “USS” Cunningham signs with Al Haymon

Philadelphia (April 21, 2015)–Former two-time world cruiserweight champion and current Heavyweight contender, Steve “USS” Cunningham has signed with adviser Al Haymon.
Cunningham of Philadelphia is excited about the prospects for his future.
“I’m looking forward to working with Al, he’s a genius at what he does.  I’ve been watching him for several years and seeing all that he accomplishes for his fighters but have always been on the outside looking in due to contractual obligations.  It finally lined up to where we can work together and it’s going to great.  I believe my best fights have yet to be seen,”said Cunningham
Cunningham has a record of 28-7 with 13 knockouts.  He won the IBF Cruiserweight championship when he traveled to Poland and defeated Krzysztof Wlodarczyk on May 26, 2007.  He defended the title by stopping Marco Huck via 12th round stoppage in Bielfield, Germany on December 29, 2007.  Cunningham became a two-time champion on June 5, 2010 when he stopped Troy Ross in five rounds.
Cunningham is coming off a controversial split decision defeat to Vyacheslav Glazkov on March 14 in Montreal.
Steve and his wife/manager Livvy will be honored this Friday night at the 90th annual BWAA Awards dinner as they will receive the Bill Crawford Courage Award for their perseverance while their 9-year old daughter Kennedy went through a life saving heart transplant last December.
The awards dinner will take place at Capitale in New York City.

Stewart Allan’s Rivals Promotions Present An Evening Of Professional Boxing 25th April 2015 @ Rivals Gym, Newmains

Robb-Ellis & Allan-Quaye Co-Headline Rivals Promotions Apr 25th Newmains Event.

 

Scott Allan and Sandy Robb are set to co-headline the latest offering from famed promoter Stewart Allan, which takes place at the Rivals Gym in Newmains, Scotland on Saturday 25th April.

 

The stellar line-up features a number of exciting young prospects, however the match-up that has been attracting the most attention is the co-headlining Cruiserweight battle between Sandy Robb (9(5)-2) and Blackpool’s Mathew ‘The Rock’ Ellis (20(9)-10-2).

 

Robb, who has been competing in Canada since 2012, will be competing in his first bout on Scottish soil since his excellent fourth round stoppage victory over Poland’s Marcin Radola in May ’06.

 

Robb’s opponent, former WBC International title challenger Mathew Ellis, has battled it out with some of the very best in the domestic game, such notables as Tyson Fury, Enzo Maccarinelli, Tony Bellew, Matty Askin etc, so no surprise why this is particular bout has captured everyone’s attention.

 

The co-headliner with Robb-Ellis sees local Bantamweight prospect Scott Allan (4-1), who is bursting with confidence following his superb victory over previously unbeaten Omran Akbari back in December, face his toughest test to date, when he goes toe-to-toe with former Commonwealth title challenger Ghana’s Isaac Quaye (27(18)-9-1).

 

The support card for the outstanding co-headline bouts, features a mix of the experienced and brand new faces to the pro game.

 

Glasgow’s Ronnie Nailen makes his most welcome return to the fray, in a four round Welterweight contest, against Nottingham’s hugely experienced Matt Scriven.

 

Nailen, whose record stands at three wins and a single loss, will be looking to secure a good win on April 25th, to kick start part two of his career.

 

Glasgow based Iranian Mohammad Babazadeh (2(1)-0) will be looking to extend his winning start to his career, following an excellent points victory over Mitch Mitchell on his debut in November and more recently the excellent third round stoppage win over Bulgaria’s Borislav Zankov in March.

 

On April 25th Babazadeh will face Belfast bruiser Phil Townley, whose most recent outing see him unsuccessfully challenge Ireland’s Tommy Tolan for the Irish International title.

 

Scott Allan’s younger sibling, Sam, is set to make his professional boxing debut and in doing so gets handed a tough test in Dundalk, Ireland’s former Irish tile Challenger Michael Kelly (8(2)-6-1).

 

Also making his pro debut will be Ryan Lyall, who also has a tough test lined-up, as he goes against Middlesbrough’s Chris Wood, who scored a first round stoppage win over Latvia’s Edgars Milevics on his recent pro debut.

 

Sandy Robb versus Mathew Ellis and Scott Allan versus Isaac Quaye co-headline the Stewart Allan (Rivals Promotions) event at the Rivals Gym in Newmains, Scotland on Saturday 25th April 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 any of the boxers taking part, or call Stewart on 07711 725257.

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

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.

 

 

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 WBU title on line Pagliara vs Robertson on Thursday, January 22 at Webster Hall in New York City

Press conference this Thursday at Capizzi Restaurant (West 41st st at 9th ave) at 2 PM

 

Brooklyn, NY (January 13, 2015)-– Dmitry Salita announced today that the WBU Americas Featherweight Title will be up for grabs as an added co feature to his popular Brooklyn Brawl Boxing Series.

Floriano Pagliara, The popular Italian from Cecine Italy and now residing in Williamsburgh Brooklyn will take on slick moving Antwan Robertson from Minnesota USA

Pagliara has held title belts as the IBF Mederteranian Champion and Italian Federation in the Jr. Lightweight Division.

“Floriano loves America.  He has become very popular with the local Italian communities in the tri state area. He is very honored to fight for an American title in front of his American fan base. People respond to Flori. Dmitry and his promotional team will be very happy with the fan support that Floriano brings” quoted Rich Komissar, the American promoter for Pagliara.  “His fans support him” added Komissar

The move to featherweight is something that the Italian has been thinking of since his move to America a few years back.

“I always try to think of making the featherweight limit but in Italy my training and diet did not allow for this. But in America I have the best training for this and now I am never more than 132 lbs when I am regular time and not training” said the affable Italian with his operatic dialect.

“Star of David Promotions is happy to add this bout as a co feature” said Dmitry Salita of Star of David Promotions. “I have seen Floriano fight a few times here in  New York Area. He is far and away one of the New York Area’s most popular fighters. He always brings a good crowd and he gives a great show. I believe the matchup we are giving you here (Pagliara / Robertson) will produce an all out action packed fight that the fans will like. Antwan Robertson is never in a dull fight. He reminds me a little bit of Junior Jones… This fight will be a war”.

The Brooklyn Brawl Series will hop over the river to Manhattan for this show on January 22nd. The card will be held at the world famous Webster Hall 125 East 11th Street NYC New York 10003.

There will be a press conference this Thursday at Capizzi Restaurant at 2 PM.  Capizzi is located at West 41st street and 9th ave.

Below is a video of Pagliara, who has been coined “The Brooklyn Rocky”

 

 

 

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Full Brooklyn Brawl card announced for Webster Hall

Star of David Promotions will kick off their 2015 year in boxing on Jan. 22, with a jam-packed show at Webster Hall in New York City.

Promoter Dmitriy Salita is pleased to announce a compelling main event for the January 22nd card at Webster Hall in New York, which pits cruiserweight contender Junior Wright, a Chicago-based pugilist, against tough Texan Rayford Johnson in a 10-round bout.  “Junior was in camp with Adonis Stevenson for Adonis’ fight on Dec. 19, and Junior is ready to challenge the best in world,” Salita said. “He’s looking to make a statement.” Johnson is still buzzed from beating 16-1 Vincent Miranda last September so Wright will need to be on message.

 

Salita is pumped for a “fight of the year potential” clash pitting lightweight Dimash Niyazov against former NYS lightweight champion Ariel Duran in a bout scheduled for 6-rounds.. “That will be Dimash’s toughest test,” Salita said.

 

Rising prospect Gary Beriguette of Brooklyn is looking to impress in a junior welter clash; he meets NYC fan favorite Raphael Luna of Albany in a six round bout, someone who has never engaged in a dull fight, and Salita expects him to continue that trend onJan. 22.

 

A KO is a distinct possibility when fight fans see the SODP debut of heavyweight bomber Ytalo Perea, an Ecuador native, looking to leave his mark on Emilio Salas in a 4-round bout.  The Pan Am Games champ seeks to bring a heavyweight belt back to his native land to show off proudly.

 

Salita looks to be cornering the market on heavy hitting prospects at cruiser and heavy; another one in that category, looking to show off his stuff in NYC,  is Russian Alexey Zubov, a 28-year-old hitter who craves KO climaxes.  He will face Eric George in a 4-round bout.

 

Welterweight prospect Treysean Wiggins, out of Newburgh, NY, is another KO-craver under the Salita banner who wants to lay the smack down at Webster Hall when he takes on Llyas Aksbaev.

 

Fan favorite Floriano Pagliara draws hordes of fans who love his high-volume punching, pleasant personality and attractive visage; he will be in action on Jan. 22 as well in an 8 round bout against Antwun Robertson in a 8-round bout.

 

Rising middleweight Akil Auguste is looking to score another KO, extending his perfect streak of wins-by-KO to six when he takes on Eddie Edmond in a six-round bout.

 

National and NY Golden Gloves champion Marcos Suarez, a possible future star in Salita’s eyes, wants to steal the show at Webster Hall.  He takes on undefeated Usiel Hernandez of Geneva, New York in a 4-round Jr. Welterweight bout.

 

Damien Yero of the Bronx will look to make his pro debut a successful one as he takes on Brooklyn slugger Mack Babb in a 4-round Welterweight bout.

 

The Star of David team clapped hands for their heavyweight hopeful Jarrell Miller, who rose to 11-0 on Friday night, with a decision win over Aaron Kinch in California. It was high-profile outing, featured on ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights.”

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