ELITEXC RATINGS REPORT

Posted on | June 2, 2008 | No Comments

THE INAUGURAL “CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS” MIXED MARTIAL ARTS EVENT LEADS THE NETWORK TO DEMOGRAPHIC VICTORY AND SIGNIFICANT TIME PERIOD GROWTH

CBS Places First in Key Young Adult and Men Demographics with Triple Digit Percentage Increases Versus the Network’s Season Average on Saturday

National Ratings for the Highest Rated Part of the Broadcast—Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson —which Did Not Air Until 11:30 PM, Will Not be Available Until Tuesday

Local Markets Show Ratings Surge in Final Quarter-Hour

The inaugural CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS mixed martial arts event, live from Newark N.J., led the Network to demographic victory and significant time period growth among all key young adult and young men demographics from 9:00-11:00 PM, according to preliminary Nielsen live plus same day ratings for Saturday, May 31.

The 9:00-11:00PM portion of CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS (2.7/05, 4.30m) was first in adults 25-54 (1.9/06), adults 18-49 (1.9/06), adults 18-34 (1.9/07), men 25-54 (2.6/08), men 18-49 (2.5/08) and men 18-34 (2.6/10).

Editors Note: Preliminary national ratings for Saturday night only include the 9:00-11:00 PM prime time portion of the broadcast and do not include the highest rated part of the telecast–Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson–which didn’t air until 11:30 PM. Full program ratings will not be available until Tuesday.

Also, CBS programming was pre-empted in approximately 5% of the country due to coverage of the Children’s Miracle Network Telethon.

The broadcast posted increases in every half-hour in key adult and men demographics:

Adults Men Adults Men Adults Men

18-34 18-34 18-49 18-49 25-54 25-54

9PM 1.4 1.7 1.4 1.7 1.5 1.8

9:30PM 1.5 2.1 1.6 2.0 1.6 2.2

10PM 2.1 3.0 2.1 2.8 2.1 2.9

1030PM 2.5 3.6 2.4 3.4 2.5 3.4

Compared to the 9:00-11:00PM regularly scheduled programming during the 2007-08 season, CBS was up +36% in adults 18-49 (from 1.4/04), +111% in adults 18-34 (from 0.9/03), +86% in men 25-54 (from 1.4/04), +127% in men 18-49 (from 1.1/03), +271% in men 18-34 (from 0.7/03).

In the 54 metered local markets, the broadcast gained in every half-hour, beginning with a 2.4/5 from 9:00-9:30 PM and peaking at a 4.7/10 from 11:30-11:45 PM during the Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson main event.

Half-hour by half-hour ratings in the 54 metered markets.

+ 9:00-9:30pm 2.4/5
+ 9:30-10:00pm 2.5/5
+ 10:00-10:30pm 3.2/6
+ 10:30-11:00pm 3.7/7
+ 11:00-11:30pm 4.0/8
+ 11:30-11:45pm 4.7/10

The Top 10 markets from 11:30-11:45 PM (featuring Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson)

1) Oklahoma City/KWTV 11.1/18

2) Nashville/WTVF 10.3/19

3) New Orleans/WWL 9.7/15

4) Memphis/WREG 8.4/14

5) Greenville-Spartanburg- 8.0/15

Asheville/WSPA

6) Las Vegas/KLAS 7.5/15

7T) Tulsa/KOTV 7.3/13

7T) Miami/WFOR 7.3/12

9) Los Angeles/KCBS 7.2/17

10) St Louis/KMOV 7.1/13

SHOWTIME will rebroadcast last night’s event on Friday, June 13 (11:00 PM, ET/PT).

THOUGHTS & RESULTS — WEC (WORLD EXTREME CAGEFIGHTING) – FABER vs. PULVER June 1, 2008

Posted on | June 1, 2008 | No Comments

by: Jack Bratcher

 

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This event took place in Sacramento, California at the Arco Arena and was shown Live on the Versus Television Station.

Rob McCullough vs. Kenny Alexander – Frank Mir commentating, said it perfectly, this fight looked like a sparring match. He said he didn’t see evil intentions in Rob’s strikes. I’m so glad Frank said this. Every once in awhile we see a fight like this and it kills me. It was a sparring bout and I could care less who won cause neither of them deserved a win in my opinion. They should give them a draw. The fans booed throughout the fight and at the end.

Alexander actually beat McCullough years ago. They gave Rob a split decision win. The crowd booing the decision, knowing that Rob did not give it his all. Rob attributed his lackluster performance to ring rust I guess. He said he just wanted to get the ring rust off. Whatever.

Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Danny Castillo were both unbeaten lightweights coming into the next fight. Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone you may have seen on the Tapout reality show on Versus. On that show, they said he came from a muay thai background. It’s easy to recognize fighters when you see them that were on the Tapout show because Mask’s voice gets stuck in your head like this….”COWBOY! COWBOY! WHAT’S UP COWBOY!” Verbal branding at its best. Castillo took the Cowboy down and got put in a textbook armbar for his reward. The Cowboy definitely had the quickest draw and submitted Castillo quickly in round one. Castillo verbally tapped out as the Cowboy put the pressure on his arm.

Mark Munoz vs. Chuck Grigsby – Mark Munoz knocks out Chuck Grigsby in round one while Grigsby was laying flat on his back. Munoz stands up from Chuck’s guard, pushes Chuck’s legs out of the way and throws an huge overhand right that stuns him then attacks with 3 or 4 big punches that puts Grigsby unconscious. Beautiful ending with the six foot Munoz knocking out the six foot Grigsby. Good stuff there. Munoz is from Sacramento, where this event was being held. He had the whole place cheering for him. He trains with Urijah.

Yoshiro Maeda vs. Miguel Torres – Bantamweight Title Fight: Maeda immediately catches a Torres kick and puts him on the ground. Maeda lands some hard kicks to Torres’s legs as he’s laying on the ground. This noticeably agitates Torres. Torres gets back up but Maeda lands some knees and bloodies Torres’s nose. Maeda has some unorthodox striking where he will drop his hands to lure you in then throw some heavy strikes. Maeda also had some good kicks. The action went back and forth in the first round leaving it close on the scorecards. In the second round Maeda lands a good kick and a right hand. The champion lands a solid left and a few knees to the body. Maeda throws some combinations. Torres slips to the ground and Maeda goes for a heel hook. At the same time, Torres goes for a leg of his own and they are both actively seeking leg/foot submissions at the same time which leaves a very surreal image on the TV as Frank Mir states perfectly, “That is symbolic of how this fight is going.” Maeda finally gets out and of the ankle hold is rewarded with two choke attempts from Torres. Overall, Torres took round two. During the entire fight, the champ, Miguel Torres was using a left jab that was finding a home on Maeda’s left eye. Within one week now I have seen the textbook jab win two fights and this was the second one. After round three, the doctor stops the fight due to Maeda’s left eye being swollen so badly. It was large and puffy with just a tiny slit. Safety is paramount for these fighters and he would be unable to defend himself properly with that eye being swollen shut, not to mention he could possibly sustain some permanent damage to that eye if it got much worse. Now this was a GOOD stoppage. The first one of those I’ve seen over the weekend. This was a very impressive fight with both guys really going at it and giving it their all; something very pleasing to witness after the first fight. Torres seemed to be angry at times during the fight and was fighting with alot of emotion and Maeda was firing back with equal intensity. It’s a pleasure to witness two high-calibur athletes put their heart into it and fight with ferocity.

Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver – Featherweight Title Fight: Urijah had never been past three rounds prior to this fight. He lost one fight a long time ago but since that time has run through competitors like they were dominoes getting knocked over until tonight when he had to face Jens “Lil’ Evil” Pulver. Urijah is very fast and a superb wrestler. We don’t usually get to see a lot of stand up from him but tonight he stood toe to toe with the former professional boxer, Jens Pulver.

In each and every round Pulver had some good combinations and stunned Faber at least a couple of times during the fight. However, Urijah was winning each round which is what counts. Even though it was a unanimous decision and Urijah won each round it was still a very competitive fight. Like many people, I was very surprised that Jens looked as good as he did and was able to last five rounds with Urijah Faber. This was Pulver’s first loss at Featherweight. Jens is known for a powerful left hand but we didn’t see much use of it tonight, probably being negated by having to worry about blocking the strong right kicks to his midsection from Faber.

Many a man would have crumbled under the abuse that Pulver took tonight, but the product of the tough-as-nails Militech camp kept coming forward, kept swinging and kept defending the attack of Faber. Faber was unable to do much damage to Pulver on the rare occasions where he did get him down. Much to Jens’ credit, on at least one occasion he did what a lot of people have failed to do and that is to stand up once Faber got him down, thereby negating the takedown and avoiding damage. This really was a great fight.

Pulver has developed a very powerful and inspiring right hand. I say inspiring because to watch him throw it made me jump up and throw a few to try out the technique. I liked it. He cocks it back, measuring the distance with his left hand and fires that right hand from down low near his waist, throwing his shoulder into it thereby generating a ton of power. Jens landed some good uppercuts in this fight. Neither fighter was ever knocked down. But Pulver was taken down a couple of times but like I said before for the most part avoided too much damage but did eat quite a few elbows throughout the fight. No doubt about it, this was a war. It’s so nice to see real athletes in there who can go five full rounds without gassing. It is just beautiful and should be an inspiration to Heavyweights the world over.

I have one criticism and it is of Jens Pulver. Pulver had to know going into the last round that he needed either a submission or a knockout to win and HE DID NOT “GO FOR IT.” He didn’t let it all hang out. Either he did not want to risk a possible submission or ko himself or he was just satisfied to be able to go the distance with the champ; something no one had ever done. I have no other explanation for what I saw in the final round.

Pulver seemed content to throw a few little combinations and that was it. Even when he got taken down near the end of the round he wasn’t looking for a submission nor an escape. Was he content just to survive? If so, that is highly disappointing. Especially if it’s a title fight, let that shit hang out man. Go for it. Aside from that, it was highly entertaining.

I found myself rooting for Jens in the fight because he was the underdog and he’s had such a long career with the ups and downs, I was hoping just maybe he could pull off an upset. But Urijah is the real deal just as I already knew. And he’s only getting better. His boxing and striking is noticeably improved. He even used the one-legged jumping knee on pure battle instinct at one point when Jens caught a kick. But Jens face told the real story when the match was over. His right eye was swollen and he was busted up a bit. Didn’t see any blood but some nice lumps. If Jens and I were good buddies and just hanging out playing some Call of Duty 4 which I know he loves. I even tried to get his gamername on Xbox live with no success but I would say this to him…” Hey buddy, you know one thing that kind of annoys me is when fighters in the middle of a fight, especially when standing toe-to-toe, is when they get hit with a shot and they check that spot with their hand to see if it’s bleeding and if there’s any blood on their hand. That process takes at least a second and you can’t afford to just give away a second worrying about some blood. So what if it’s cut, so what if it’s bleeding, what are you gonna do if it is? All it’s going to do is negatively affect you mentally. Absorb it, let it go, if it’s cut, save it for the cut man at the break and he’ll take care of it. That is so annoying.” Jens did that a few times in the fight when he was on the ground and once when standing. Of course I would only say that to him if we wer good buds and I was just rippin’ him like friends do.

It’s too bad we didn’t get to see the preliminary bout because we didn’t get to see them on TV and I saw some big names on the undercard such as Jeff Curran and Chase Bebe. But all in all, this was such a great night of fights. It was a very refreshing reality check after watching last night’s circus side-show. The next WEC card I think they said is in September and it will have three title fights. That card looks amazing with Brian Stann, Jamie Varner, and Carlos Condit all defending their titles. Can’t wait for that.

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Seldon and Simon club their way to KO wins!

Posted on | June 1, 2008 | No Comments

Prospect looks to move up, while former champ hopes to get back.

By Mike Indri
Retired Boxers Foundation
June 1, 2008

Atlantic City – Last night the popular House of Blues club, at the Showboat Hotel & Casino, was turned into a proverbial House of “Bruise”, as the Rising Star Promotions five-bout fight card held at the hot nightspot was filled with enough knockdowns and knockouts to keep any KO-minded boxing fan happy.

While much of the one-sided action was the result of several mismatches, the lively crowd did not seem to mind and actually appreciated the gutsy efforts put forth by the overwhelmed opponents.

Fighting in the main event, former World Boxing Association heavyweight champion Bruce Seldon overpowered an out of shape, and out-gunned, Livin Castillo, forcing the Ecuadorian fighter’s corner to humanely throw in the towel at the 53 second mark of round five.

While never tasting the canvas Castillo was literally knocked senseless and out on his feet at the end of round three. After controlling the first six minutes of the scheduled eight round contest, Castillo was unable to keep the stronger and heavier handed Seldon from finally landing several hurtful body shots, as well as stinging jabs, which lead to Seldon driving several lethal right hands to the head of the dizzy southpaw as the bell saved the spent fighter.

Castillo somehow came out for round four and actually got the better of the ex-champion, who was getting hit with every punch the still dazed southpaw managed to throw. Luckily for Seldon, the poorly conditioned Castillo’s shots were ineffective and without much pop. Still, it was not a good sign that Seldon’s left eye was badly bruised and appeared to be closing at the fights midway point. As round five began a motivated and desperate Seldon came out of his corner looking to end the fight and hoisted many heavy shots, which an exhausted Castillo was able to slip and avoid. Unfortunately Castillo did get caught and the KO-minded “Atlantic City Express” followed up with a bunch of thunderous headshots which had referee Earl Brown scrambling to pull the raging forty-one year-old fighter off the wounded Castillo as his towel was flung into the ring to mercifully stop the beating.

Castillo, now 14-5 (9 KO’s), was a one-time prospect that has now been knockout out in four of his last seven fights, and shamefully entered the ring last night totally unprepared and not in fighting condition.

“I hurt him to the body,” a happy Seldon, now 38-6 (34 KO’s), exclaimed afterwards. “When the cut happened I was taking a lot of shots to the head, they weren’t hurting me but I did not want it (the cut) to stop the fight, so I looked to take him (Castillo) out.”

In the co-feature bout Philadelphia’s Lajuan Simon made short work of Indiana native James Morrow. The USBA middleweight title-holder pounced on his overmatched opponent from the onset, forcing the bewildered fighter to take a knee in hopes of regrouping.

Simon, who made note of the fact that fellow prospects Andy Lee & Tyrone Brunson both had previously registered first round knockouts over Morrow, then drove his hapless foe to the canvas twice more with thudding right hands, before referee Ricky Vera called a halt at the 2:23 mark of the first round. The super middleweight bout was scheduled for ten rounds.

Simon, currently ranked # 13 by the International Boxing Federation, will need to fight a better class of competition to get serious recognition from the sanctioning bodies, in his quest to move up in the rankings and in hopes of getting considered for a world title shot.

Morrow, while game and willing, has lost all three of his fights this year and five of his last six. Since suffering his first professional loss in 2005 (TKO 2 against Dante Craig), Morrow has only been able to win three of his last fourteen fights (3-9-1, with 1 no contest).

Simon remains undefeated, 19-0-2 (9 KO’s).

On the Rising Star Promotions undercard:

Opening the show Camden, NJ middleweight Alex Sanchez, making his pro debut, wowed the crowd with his explosive display of power. After a slow start against Mario Fisher (now 0-2), Sanchez caught the Salisbury, MD native on the ropes and hurt him with a big right hand. Sanchez showed why he is called “Too Strong” as he followed with a nasty barrage of head shots that hammered his wincing foe down to the canvas as the ringside physician ran into the ring while referee Ricky Vera was stopping the carnage.

Thankfully Fisher, who was stopped this past Feb. in his other loss (TKO 2 against Mike Denby), appeared fine as he walked out of the ring under his own power.

Middleweight Mike Tiberi continued the assault, taking out his unskilled opponent William Armstead after depositing the Columbus, Ohio native to the deck three times within 2:13 of the first round. Tiberi improved to 5-0, with his third knockout win.

Armstead slipped to 2-6 and has not won a fight since 2005.

In his last fight, a similar first round knockout loss, against talented Ronny Vargas of New York (02/09/2008), Armstead embarrassed himself after rolling out, and then rolling back into the ring following Vargas’s first combination. With referee Eddie Cotton counting ever so slowly, Armstead made it to his feet at the count of nine and three quarters – only to say he was unable to continue!

The fight of the night honors went to Bryne Green and Gustavo Delli, a pair of young lightweight that battled in a four rounder.
Green, from Orlando Fla. and under the expert tutelage of Oscar Suarez, one of the finest trainers and people within boxing, remained undefeated (3-0, 2 KO’s) while Philadelphia’s Delli remained winless at 0-2.

From the opening bell it was obvious to all that the finely tuned Green was the better skilled and more proficient boxer, yet Delli won over the crowd with his determination, concrete chin and toughness, that would make any “Philly fighter” proud.

Suffering ruled knockdowns in rounds two and four as his gloves touched the canvas after several of Green’s blistering combinations, Delli never stopped and never took a backward step. Presenting a new look to the twenty-four year old Green, the southpaw Delli displayed the tenacity and heart of a grizzled veteran and fought hard to earn the right to be known as the first fighter to go the distance with the gifted Green.

Both fighters gave the judges their only work for the night as Lynne Carter scored it 40-35, and both Robert Grasso and George Hill saw it 40-34 for Green who looked impressive in his unanimous decision victory.

Former world champions Virgil Hill and Tim Witherspoon being on hand further enhanced the Rising Star Promotions event.
The boxing fans were treated to potential greatness in the likes of Lajuan Simon and Bryne Greene – both of who exhibited tremendous skill, as well as the true meaning of boxing in the proud efforts of Gustavo Delli.

The crowd also got to see a big win, a meaningful victory, for Bruce Seldon. While it was far from perfect, the win provided some much needed jubilation for the former world champion, who looked happier than he has been in a very long time.

Mike Indri can be reached at RBFNJMIKE@aol.com

CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights Photos, Brief Recap And Undercard Results

Posted on | June 1, 2008 | No Comments

Photos By Tom Casino/EliteXC

CLICK ON IMAGES TO SEE FULL SIZE

Kimbo Slice follows up with an uppercut as a bloodied James Thompson attempts to retaliate.On a history-making evening which featured a lot of exciting, entertaining two-way action and a little bit of everything, including licks, kicks and controversy, unbeaten Kimbo Slice (3-0) of Perrine, Fla., scored a hard-fought third-round TKO over England’s James “Colossus” Thompson (16-9) in the main event of the inaugural “CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights” on the CBS Television Network.

The monumental event, the first-ever mixed martial arts card shown live in primetime on network television, was witnessed by 8,033, at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., and millions more on CBS.

It was presented by Los Angeles-based ProElite, Inc.’s live fight division EliteXC.

“The night was electric, every fight was exciting,” EliteXC Live Events President Gary Shaw said. “I’m sure all the viewers who watched stayed glued to their television sets for the entire show.

“Kelly Kahl (Senior Executive Vice President, CBS Primetime) and everybody at CBS, Ken Hershman (Senior Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports Programming) and everybody at SHOWTIME, the EliteXC fight team, everybody at the Prudential Center, the media and fans, I can’t thank them all enough.”

Said Doug DeLuca, Executive Chairman, ProElite, Inc. “All the athletes did the sport of mixed martial arts proud. The sport has a whole new audience after tonight.”

Robbie Lawler connects with a vicious kick to the body against Scott Smith.In other CBS fights, EliteXC middleweight champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (15-4) of St. Louis, by way of Granite City, Ill., retained his belt when his match with Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith (15-4) of Sacramento, Calif., was declared a no contest. A good action fight with ferocious exchanges was stopped with 1:34 left in the third round after Smith was accidentally poked in the eye. Since a world title fight in New Jersey must go three full rounds to be official, it went into the books as a No Contest.

Gina Carano delivers a perfect leg kick against Kaitlin Young.Gina Carano (6-0) of Las Vegas, Nev., defeated Kaitlin Young (4-2) of Circle Pines, Minn., by TKO at the end of the second round. It was a brutal back and forth battle with both fighters keeping most of the combat on the feet. This was a great fight to highlight the ability of women to throw down in the cage with the best of them. Kaitlin Young performed amazingly well until the punches to her eye became too much to bear. Carano narrowly evaded some phenomenal kick attempts from Young. In the end it was Carano’s never-quit attack that won the day. Using well-placed 1-2 combinations, hooks, and looping roundhouses Carano took complete control in the second round and never let go. Young was not allowed to come out for the 3rd round, and her eye had already become a heavy shade of black and blue as the cageside doctor examined her.

Joey Villasenor lands a smashing right hand as Phil Baroni attempts to cover up.Joey Villasenor (26-6) of Albuquerque, N.M., registered a 1:11, first-round TKO over Phil Baroni (10-10) of Long Island, N.Y., in a battle of 185-pounders. Baroni talked a great deal of smack about what he was going to do to Villasenor, but “Smokin’ Joe” lived up to his namesake and dropped the New York Badass on his ass with a picture perfect left hook. The knockout win came after a brief back and forth slug fest between both fighters. Baroni, thinking Villasenor couldn’t hang in a caged boxing match, kept the fight on the feet and paid the ultimate price. Baroni fell to .500 with 10 wins and 10 losses to his credit. Villasenor continues to impress and raised some eyebrows against Baroni. It won’t be long before he gets a shot at an EliteXC belt.

Brett Rogers lands a short, solid right hand to the face of Jon Murphy.Hard-hitting Brett Rogers (7-0) of St. Paul, Minn., who called out Kimbo at the post-fight press conference, scored a 1:01, first-round TKO over Jon Murphy (4-3) of Minersville, Pa. Murphy got a haircut for the fight after donating his former trademark dreds to the Locks of Love charity. Rogers finished up the makeover by giving Murphy a nose job he didn’t ask for. The affair ended early due to the overpowering slugging of Rogers and Murphy’s inability to land any significant staggering blows of his own. In true heavyweight fashion they put it all on the line and went toe to toe with Rogers standing in the end.

In fights streamed live and for free at ProElite.com: Chris “The Story” Liguori (9-7) of Red Bank, N.J., scored a second-round TKO over Jim Bova (3-1) of New Ringgold, Penn., Carlton Haselrig (2-0), of Johnstown, Penn., won by TKO when Carlos Moreno (5-3), of Elizabeth, N.J., failed to answer the bell for the second round; Matt Makowski (3-0) of Philadelphia, Pa. registered a second-round TKO over Nick “The Mad Monkey” Serra (8-3) of East Meadow, N.Y.; Wilson Reis (4-0) of Philadelphia submitted (rear-naked choke) Justin Robbins (12-4-1) of Granite City, Ill., at 4:06 of the opening round; and James “Binky” Jones (7-5) of Baltimore, Md., triumphed by submission (rear naked choke) over Calvin Kattar (2-1) of Methuen, Mass., at 4:49 of the first.

In preliminary bouts that were not streamed at ProElite.com, Zach Makovsky (4-1) of Philadelphia took a unanimous decision over Brazilian Andre “Gigetto” Soares (5-2) of Pinebrook, N.J., by the scores of 29-26 twice and 29-28; and Joe Sampieri (1-2) of Manhattan, N.Y. knocked out Mike Groves (0-2) of Philadelphia at 4:58 in the first round.

CBS announcer Gus Johnson handled play-by-play Saturday with legendary Frank Shamrock and Mauro Ranallo serving as analysts and Karyn Bryant as cageside reporter.

CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS was produced by SHOWTIME Sports. The executive producer was David Dinkins, Jr. with Bob Dunphy directing.

THE AFTERMATH OF ELITE XC on CBS – MAY 31, 2008

Posted on | June 1, 2008 | No Comments

by: Jack Bratcher

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Wow, what can I say about this card? I have alot of different feelings about this card. I watched the preliminary fights and the main card. I’m not going to go over every bout in detail. Instead, I’m going to go by the “highlights” and what stuck out to me. I have to talk about Nick Serra’s performance in the preliminary bouts. Matt Makowski was Nick’s opponent. I’m going to assume that Matt kicked Nick’s legs so hard that it took all of the strength out of them because he began walking around looking like the Hunchback of Notre Dame and very flat-footed. Then out of nowhere, Nick tries to pull guard but his opponent is a few feet away from him so Nick ends up jumping straight up in the air and falls on his back hard. Then Nick pulls himself up and a few seconds later tries to throw a kick and he falls down flat. His opponent points and laughs at him and looks at the ref. The ref keeps telling him to get up. Nick just sits there. He wont or can’t get up and finally the ref say “if you don’t get up I’m stopping the fight” and that’s what happened. I was flabbergasted and still don’t even know what to make of what I saw in that fight.

There were some really decent fights in the prelims but Nick’s performance or lack thereof is what stuck out the most to me.

Then on the main card we had Phil Baroni, “The New York Bad Ass.” He strutted into the cage like a superstar. But he was stopped decisively by Joey Villasenor. Phil looked good for about ten seconds then it was all Villasenor and the ref stopped it by TKO in round 1.

Gina Carano vs. Kaitlin Young. First of all, I was extremely disappointed that Gina didn’t make the catch weight that was made just for her. It spoke to me of a lack of commitment to her training and in the cage although she put on a great fight you could tell she was getting winded too early. These two girls put on a great show with technical striking and good grappling. Kaitlin received a black eye and maybe some tiny cut(s) and at the end of the second round the referee stopped the fight and would not let Kaitlin return to the ring. The question has to be asked, “Was this fight stopped because it was a fight on Network TV, it was two women, and Kaitlin had a bit of a messed up face?” I thought it was a ridiculous stoppage and just a really crappy ending to a great fight. I didn’t understand the stoppage at all. There was no blood coming into her eyes, no cuts above her eyes, and as far as I saw no blood at all. But she had a black eye and was busted up a bit but definitely not deserving of a stoppage. (To be fair, I just heard Gus Johnson say on the radio that Kaitlin Young may have a broken ocular bone)o

Next, we had Robbie Lawler, ranked as #4 middleweight in the world and Elite XC middleweight champ vs. Scott Smith. This was an awesome awesome fight. This fight went back and forth with Lawler throwing some bombs. Smith was landing some good kicks. At one point Lawler landed a big kick to the mid-section followed by some hard strikes and then a flying knee. This was destined to be probably the fight of the year and definitely the fight of the night. It was that good. Smith put up a great fight. In the second round Lawler accidently poked Smith in the eye, they stopped it to let Smith recover. The doctor came in to see how Smith’s eye was and Smith said, “I can’t see now but I’ll be fine after the five minutes”. (The rules state he has five minutes to recover) But the doctor took this that Smith couldn’t see and called the fight. Fight declared a No Contest so neither fighter gets the win. This was just a terrible terrible stoppage and an awful letdown and really ruined one of the greatest fights of the year. Thanks guys.

I was thinking to myself…..do they have a doctor in there who has never worked and MMA fight in their life? What could be the explanation for this crap? I think the doctor was some little lady; whoever it was I have to question their judgment on more than one of these fights.

And finally, the main event, the “biggest fight in mma history” or so we were sold. Kimbo Slice vs. James “The Colossus” Thompson. The first thing I noticed about this fight was when I saw Thompson’s face appear on my TV screen. I was horrified. If my daughter had been in the room I would have covered her eyes. I thought to myself, “if this guy beats Kimbo, is that the face they want to represent Elite XC?” This guy has a very strange looking large growth coming out of his head in the spot most people have ears. Particularly on the left side of his head where the ear belongs. Mauro Ranallo, one of tonight’s commentator’s referred to it as an “alien growth”. At one point in the fight, Kimbo hit this growth on James’ head and it exploded like a pinata but instead of candy, blood came out. When Kimbo hit Thompson that thing would flop and wiggle and jiggle like it had a life of it’s own. It was terrible and vulgar and kids everywhere should be kept from ever seeing something that horrible. That man needs to have it removed for the sake and well-being as everyone.

Kimbo got really tested in this fight. I just wanted Kimbo to have to go at least one round to see how it handled it. And he REALLY got tested. James Thompson came out and took Kimbo to the ground. Thompson gets on top but Kimbo had a great reversal. They both exchanged and it went back and forth in round one. In round two Kimbo had a great sprawl but finally ended up on his back and near the end of round two Thompson once again mounted Kimbo, pinned him against the cage, and delivered elbows one after the other for almost a minute. Alot of fights would have been stopped right there. They gave him a real break there and did not stop it. Kimbo looked like a beaten man after round two. But as round three starts Kimbo went to his bread and butter and landed some great strikes on James Thompson. To be exact, Kimbo landed four or five huge bombs that rocked Thompson badly; his ear (growth) popped, blood squirted everywhere, his eyes rolled back and he stumbled and the ref steps in and stops it. Kimbo falls to the mat arms outstretched in thankfulness and exhaustion. I thought it was stopped to early although it could have easily been stopped in round one when Kimbo was mounted and pinned against the cage. Probably a couple of more shots and Thompson would have ended up right on the mat staring into space but instead of letting it play out, the ref stopped it. There’s always conspiracy theories when stoppages like this happen. It’s not the worst stoppage ever but still pretty bad. The crowd booed at the stoppage and booed Kimbo after the fight, something I never thought I would see and that’s the proof they thought it was stopped too early. Gus Johnson, one of the commentators, called the stoppage controversial.

This night was the first time Mixed Martial Arts has ever been on Prime Time Network Television. It didn’t come off without a hitch. There were plenty of hitches and plenty of glitches. Was I entertained? Yes. Is it good for MMA? I guess so. Is it better than the UFC? Not even remotely close. Will I watch again? Definitely.

[/mpinpage]

 

Henry Crawford: Anytime, Anyone, Anywhere

Posted on | June 1, 2008 | No Comments

By Terrell James

MyWorldofSports.com

I had a chance to catch up with rising welterweight contender Henry Crawford at the P.A.L. boxing gym in Passaic, New Jersey. Despite being under the weather, the Patterson native still managed to show up for an interview and an intense workout with his trainer Nettles Nasser. Although Crawford does not have a definite date for his next fight, he expects to land a fight within the next couple months. Regardless, Crawford is a gym rat who is always in tremendous shape, whether he is preparing for a fight or not. His discipline and determination are unmatched and have propelled Crawford to a flawless 18-0 record. Crawford is fresh off a victory against Jerome Ellis in March—an impressive feat considering he took the fight on a few days notice. Crawford touched on everything from an encounter in the amateurs with Miguel Cotto, to a possible future in modeling after his boxing career ends.

Terrell James (TJ): First off, congratulations on your last fight. What’s up next for Henry Crawford?

Henry Crawford (HC): We’re trying to take a step up … so, anybody in the top ten. Just small steps; I’ve been a pro for three years so I’m in no rush.

TJ: Against Ellis, you got hit with some hard shots and Nettles gave you a love tap to get you re-focused. What did you learn from that experience?

HC: I took the fight on a four-day notice so I wasn’t prepared mentally but I am always in physical shape. And the guy was strong. He is a natural junior middle-weight who’s been fighting at that weight his entire career. But I never back down and I just put my heart into it. It was a nice test.

TJ: Everyone knows your division is loaded. Anyone in particular you’ve got your eyes on?

HC: Whoever my promoters put in front of me, I’m going to fight. Anytime, anyone, anywhere. I’ve never turned down a fight.

TJ: As a three-time golden gloves champ of New Jersey, you have an extensive amateur background. Describe that experience.

HC: It was a lot fun. Traveling, competing in national tournaments and gaining experience at the same time.

TJ: Did you fight anyone in the amateurs who is still fighting today?

HC: I fought (Miguel) Cotto in the amateurs and look at him. I also fought Brock Allen.

TJ: What was it like fighting Cotto in the amateurs?

HC: I lost the fight but I didn’t have too much experience then but I definitely learned from it.

TJ: Nettles mentioned you’ve sparred against him recently. Are there any similarities between the Cotto you fought in the amateurs and the one you’ve sparred with?

HC: Not really. In the amateurs, he was more of a boxer who moved around a lot but now he is relentless and he wears guys down.

TJ: Does watching how Cotto progressed from the amateurs motivate you?

HC: Of course. If he can do it, so can I.

TJ: A lot of fighters are nurtured by fighting hand-picked opponents close to home. However, you’ve fought tough competition all over the U.S. How has that helped you?

HC: It has helped a lot. If you look at my background, I’ve fought guys that were undefeated or had one loss. I knew that I didn’t have the same amateur background as other fighters, so I was trying to get noticed.

TJ: Everyone sees the glitz and glamour of the game, such as the championship belts and the HBO and Showtime contracts. What are some things the average fan doesn’t know that they should know?

HC: How tough it is to make it to that level. It’s not like football or basketball where you get a big signing bonus. It’s all about getting noticed and making your way to the belts and the contracts. If you don’t have a good amateur background, you have to take the hard way up—and that’s what I am doing.

TJ: Did you ever feel like quitting?

HC: The business aspect of it, but I love boxing—I love what I do.

TJ: What are two things people don’t know about you that they should?

HC: I’m humble and I’m dedicated.

TJ: What fighter did you watch growing up?

HC: Sugar Ray Leonard, definitely one of the greatest to ever do it. He mastered the art of hitting and not getting hit. A lot of fighters talk about how tough they are and that’s cool, but I want to have a life after boxing.
Nettles Nasser: He has to protect his face. He wants to get into modeling. (Laughter from Crawford and Nettles)

TJ: What do you want to say to your fans?

HC: Watch me grow. I’m on my way up and I’m going to make it.

Nettles Nasser: Don’t blink you might miss it.

For inquiries or comments, contact Terrell James at terrell_james81@yahoo.com.

JOLLEY REPLACES CASTILLO AT THE LEGENDARY BLUE HORIZON ON JUNE 6TH

Posted on | June 1, 2008 | No Comments

WILL FIGHT ADAM HARRIS IN EIGHT ROUND MAIN EVENT

PHILADELPHIA (May 31, 2008)—Harvey Jolley will replace Elieser Castillo this Friday night to take on the undefeated Adam Harris in the eight round main event at The Legendary Blue Horizon.

Castillo hurt his hand earlier this week and was ruled out of the fight on Thursday.

Jolley, 8-8-1 with five knockouts was summoned just hours after his first round knockout over Jonathan Felton in Glen Burnie, Maryland.

“We were disappointed when we were informed about Castillo’s injury” said promoter Vernoca L. Michael. “Our matchmaker Don Elbaum reacted quickly and secured a quality fighter who just had a fight himself on Thursday night.”

Jolley, of Adrian, Michigan and Harris (10-0, 7 KO’s) of Philadelphia will get it on in a bout that will be broadcasted live on www.gofightlive.tv

There will be eight other fights on June 6th.

Jules Blackwell (7-0-2, 2 KO’s) of Phoenixville, Pa battles Tyrell Samuel of Baltimore (9-2, 5 KO’s) in an eight round featherweight co-feature.

Steve Chambers Upsher (16-1-1, 4 KO’s) of Philadelphia takes on Jaimore Morales (4-7, 2 KO’s) of Philadelphia in a six round Jr. Welterweight affair.

Ran Nakash (12-0, 8 KO’s) of Haifa, Israel makes the trip to Philadelphia to fight James Porter (5-12-1, 1 KO) of Terre Haute, Indiana over six rounds in the cruiserweight division.

Gerald Smith (2-0, 1 KO’s) takes on Ikem Orji (3-0, 1 KO) of Laurel, Md. in a four round super featherweight battle

Paul Fernandez (2-1-1, 2 KO’s) looks to get back in the win column when he takes on Darrell Martin (2-3) of Baltimore in a featherweight tussle.

Kamarah Pasley (0-2) looks to get his first round when he takes on debuting Rehawn Scott of Philadelphia in a four round cruiserweight fight.

Julias Edmonds (1-1) of Philadelphia will engage Soumana Nandou Abdoulaye of Africa in a four round Jr. Welterweight fight.

Also seeing action will be Jr. Middleweight Orlands Lews (4-1, 4 KO’s) of Vineland, New Jersey.

Ticket prices for this great night of boxing are $200 for Queen Seating, $125 for Presidential seats, $65 for VIP, $55 for Ringside, and $45 for General Admission and can be purchased by calling The Legendary Blue Horizon at 1-215-763-0500 or by logging on to comcasttix.com. Doors open at 6:30 PM / 1st bout begins at 7:30 PM

The Legendary Blue Horizon is located at 1314 North Broad Street in Philadelphia, PA

THERE WILL BE A PRESS CONFERENCE ON WEDNESDAY JUNE 4th AT THE LEGENDARY BLUE HORIZON AT 11 AM

For more information, log on to www.legendarybluehorizon.com

FANTASY DREAM FIGHTS: WHO WOULD WIN?

Posted on | May 30, 2008 | No Comments

Tony Penecale’s New Bi-Weekly Column

There will be a new bi-weekly column on Fight News Unlimited entitled “Fantasy Dream Matches”. Since my Preview and Prediction articles have been very popular, I wanted to do something where I can match past and present fighters in their primes, analyze their strengths and weaknesses and come up with a result.

Some matchups that I am already considering:

Welterweight – Miguel Cotto (present) vs Felix Trinidad (1994 version)

Heavyweight – Joe Frazier (1971) vs Mike Tyson (1988)

Middleweight – Bernard Hopkins (2001) vs Carlos Monzon (1973)

Welterweight – Sugar Ray Leonard (1981) vs Floyd Mayweather (present)

Heavyweight – George Foreman (1973) vs Lennox Lewis (2000)

Middleweight – Sugar Ray Robinson (1948) vs Roy Jones Jr (1994)

Heavyweight – Muhammad Ali (1967) vs Joe Louis (1937)

If you have any matchups that you would like to see included, please contact me at phllybox1@aol.com with your inquiry.

Rules:

All Fights will be 15 rounds.
3 Judges will be used for each bout.
The 3 Knockdown Rule will not be in effect.
I will only consider a fighter if he actually participated in the weight class and I will use that version of him (example – any requests for Roy Jones Jr at heavyweight will get the 2003 version who won a decision over John Ruiz).
I will not be including any MMA fighters unless they competed in a sanctioned boxing match. So until Kimbo actually steps in the boxing ring, I will not match him with Tyson.

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