Tag Archives: International Championship Boxing

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ICB SIGNS FORMER MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMP PAUL MENDEZ TO CAGE BOXING PACT

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MENDEZ SEES ‘THE FIGHT ZONE’ AS ‘A PLATFORM TO GROW’ 

Former International Boxing Association middleweight champion Paul Mendez of Salinas, Calif., has signed a multi-year agreement with International Championship Boxing, promoter of the revolutionary and exciting new combat sport that features boxing in a cage.

“Our first former world champion has joined ICB, and I have every confidence he won’t be the last,” says Jack Fulton, founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Virginia-based ICB.

The 29-year-old, 6-foot-1-inch Mendez has a record of 19-3-2 with nine knockouts, including a mark of 12-1-1 for his past 14 bouts.

Mendez, nicknamed “El Gallo Negro” (“The Black Rooster”), won the IBA middleweight championship during 2015 by beating Ernesto Berrospe on a card co-promoted by the late, great Don Chargin, acknowledged industry-wide as one of the best judges of boxing talent ever.

“I am gratified by the number of boxers, mixed martial artists and kickboxers who are reaching out to us,” says Fulton.

“And it’s not just boxers and fighters from North America,” says Fulton. “We’re getting calls and emails from fighters in Europe and Asia who are eager to compete in the ICB.“

Mendez was never dethroned; instead, he retired during 2016 in order to spend time during the early formative years of his baby daughter, named Love.

“I wanted to be around my daughter at the beginning,” says Mendez. “But she’s three now, and I’m entering my prime years.”

And Mendez learned an important lesson, thanks to his daughter.

“She’s my driving force, my passion,” says Mendez. “So I had to learn to be an adult with adult responsibilities. Thanks to my daughter I’ve grown as a man and I’ve grown in the boxing process.

“I’ve been boxing since I was 10 and it’s always been a game to me, a sport, not a job,” says Mendez. “But now that I have a daughter I think of boxing as a business; it’s a serious work.

“I’ve sparred with ‘3G’ (Gennady Golovkin) several times,” says Mendez, “and he says, ‘Boxing is not a game.’ When I sparred with Andre Ward he always said to be ruthless in the ring.

I’m not scared or nervous of anyone,” says Mendez. “I don’t care if it’s King Kong. I’m ready to fight anyone, and now I’ll do it in the cage.

“When ICB came along I immediately saw it was a good fit for me,” says Mendez. “I’m a fighter, not a pitty-pat, and when I impose my size on opponents, this will be perfect for me.

“This is an opportunity for a fighter like me,” says Mendez. “I can and will use this as a platform to grow. I’m excited about it.”

Mendez offers specifics why the ICB cage, a 24-foot hexagon trademarked “The Fight Zone,” is to his liking.

“Six corners, not just four, is to my advantage,” says Mendez. “There’s more places to trap people. The ‘Fight Zone’ is all about angles and cutting off the cage.”

It took Fulton almost two years to get the cage designed, built, patented and approved by boxing and athletic commissions within the United States, including the state of Nevada.

An 18-year veteran promoter of the sport, Fulton, through the years, began to realize the sport needed something new, something fresh. And in 2016 he did something about it.

“The Fight Zone” has red and blue entry points with two opposing neutral corners. Boxers compete under Association of Boxing Commissions rules: no clinching, no grappling and no kicking allowed.

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NEW ERA DAWNS… ICB LAUNCHES BOXING’S MOVE TO MMA-STYLE CAGE

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With a patent, trademarks and official approval complete, Jack Perone Fulton, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of International Championship Boxing (ICB), is set to reboot the traditional sport of boxing by moving it into an MMA-style cage.

 

 

 

Trademarked “The Fight Zone,” the specially designed ICB cage is a 24-foot, six-sided fenced hexagon with red and blue entry points and two opposing neutral corners.

 

 

 

“ICB represents boxing for a new generation, one that has grown up watching combat sports in a cage,” said Fulton. “It’s truly a better boxing platform. It’s a larger fighting space and with better camera angles for broadcast viewers. And when a boxer’s heel touches the back of the cage fencing, they must come out swinging instead of resting on the ropes. Those are the main reasons we conceived, created and are now launching the ICB. We have no doubt the ICB will capture the imaginations of existing fans and attract new ones around the globe.”

 

 

 

It took Fulton almost two years to get The Fight Zone specially designed, built, patented and approved by boxing and athletic commissions within the United States. In March of this year, he received a unanimous approval from the Nevada State Athletic Commission, recognized as the industry leader when it comes to regulatory matters.

 

 

 

“I’m both ecstatic and excited we have been granted approval by the NSAC,” said Fulton. “It’s the first time anything remotely resembling this has been legally attempted.”

 

 

 

Real-life testing of the new format has gone extremely well.

 

 

 

“The initial sparring sessions have resulted in action that has exceeded our wildest expectations,” said Fulton. “MMA fans get what they want: stand-up striking, instead of the all-too prevalent ground game, which produces long breaks in the action. And boxing fans will enjoy the new action-packed toe-to-toe dynamic the cage produces.”

 

 

 

What has also exceeded expectations is the response from boxers and mixed martial artists alike. Several notable combatants in both fields have expressed enthusiasm about competing in the ICB. “You’d be surprised by the number of boxers – boxers whose skill sets range all the way up to world champions and world-ranked contenders – who not only are expressing interest but enthusiasm about boxing in the ICB cage,” said Fulton.

 

 

 

Because of the characteristics of a cage in comparison to a ring, boxers will have to learn and hone new skill sets.

 

 

 

“Some boxers will adapt and flourish quicker than others,” said Fulton, “but eventually, they’ll see the advantages of competing in the cage and will gravitate en-masse. Mixed martial artists, particularly those who excel at striking, will also feel the lure of boxing in the cage. It accentuates their strong points while eliminating their weak points.”