TDR’S SCOTT CASBER MAKES THE LEAP FROM RADIO TO HDNET TV
Posted on | March 11, 2008 | No Comments
TakeDown Radio Host and Founder Featured on HD-Net Inside MMA Program
Des Moines, IA- March 10, 2008- Scott Casber, founder and host of the ten year old national radio program TakeDown Radio, will be a guest panelist on this Fridays premier airing of a new episode of Inside MMA on the HD-Net network. Casber is joined by other guest panelists UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and MMA sensation Cung Lee. The program is hosted by Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten and features an interview with Forrest Griffin.
The weekly television program is filmed entirely in high definition and is available via satellite as well as many cable systems. HD-Net is owned by billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban. The program provides reporting on all aspects of mixed martial arts (MMA) ranging from the UFC to regional promotions. This Fridays program (9:30 PM EST) marks the first time both Casber and Jackson have appeared on the show.
In conjunction with Casber’s trip to Los Angeles to appear on the show, he will visit Black Mat Mixed Martial Arts in Whittier, CA on Tuesday, March 11. Black Mat MMA is the non-profit organization founded out of a garage by Phillip Koon to enrich the lives of young people through MMA and wrestling. “Our mission is to build faith, love, acceptance, compassion, harmony, and respect with kids that need it most.” stated Coach Koon. The Black Mat program reaches out to at risk youth and serves as many as 30 kids at any time. Black Mat was featured in Tap Out, Extreme Fighter, and Wrestling USA publications and web sites.
During his visit, Casber will deliver a motivational speech to Black Mat members. Black Mat has been visited previously by other MMA dignitaries including Bas Rutten, Chris Horodecki, and Kimbo Slice. ” I learned first hand what Black Mat has done to turn peoples lives around when I interviewed several of their members on the radio program recently. I’m honored Coach Koon is allowing me to contribute to their meaningful effort.” Casber commented.
TakeDown Radio is heard each Saturday from 9AM-11AM CST on KXNO1460 Des Moines Sports Station and via the internet at www.takedownradio.com and www.matchannel.com
Tags: HDnet > Inside MMA > MMA > Sott Casber > Takedown Radio
Q & A WITH JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ AS HE GETS READY TO FACE PACQUIAO
Posted on | March 11, 2008 | No Comments
You do not attend your brother’s fights, nor do he go to yours. When did that start and is there any superstition behind it?
“There is no superstition whatsoever. Simply we do not feel that comfortable watching each other fight and that’s why when one of us fights, the other one stays at home. Honestly, we feel nervous watching each other fight.”
Do other family members go to your fights? If so, who?
“My father used to go to all our fights. A lot of friends too. My mother doesn’t like to go. The only time she went to one of my fights was against Freddie Norwood. I saw her and it made me feel more pressure. It’s easier to fight when my family stays at home.”
Are you and your brother good friends outside the ring? Do you live close to each other and do you hang out in the same group of friends?
“We are great friends but we usually don’t hang out together unless it’s at a family event or by coincidence. We don’t live that close to each other, which makes it that much more difficult to see each other.”
How do your personalities differ? Is one of you more talkative than the other?
“We’re actually almost opposites. Rafael is very quiet and introverted. I am outgoing and extroverted.”
Did you fight each other when you were both young learning the game?
“We sparred together a few times, but our trainer, Nacho Beristain, didn’t like for us to spar because we would get so competitive.”
When was the last time you trained with your brother and where was that?
“Ten years ago when the Romanza Gym was first opened.”
Do you visit each other during training sessions when preparing for fights?
“It sometimes happens when we are both training for a fight. When I am finishing my training, he is arriving to the gym for his.”
Do you ever give each other advice on how to fight an opponent?
“Always. If I see something about my brother’s opponent’s style that he can exploit, I will tell him and how he might be able to. He does the same for me.”
How do your parents feel about both of you being fighters? Is there any sibling rivalry?
“My parents are very happy that we have both been able to become world champions. They’re proud that we’ve both gotten to where we are today because of hard work and dedication, because that is a testament to the values they instilled in us. There is no rivalry between us. I actually think we drive each other to greatness and encourage each other to do the best we can.”
What do the parents do for a living?
“Both my parents are retired and my father is now part of both our teams, so we take care of him through the work he does for us.”
Your bio says there are eight children in your family all together. Where are you in the line and what do the other kids do?
“I am the oldest brother. Beside Rafael, I have a 27-year-old brother who lives in Los Angeles and does not fight. All the others children are girls.
Your father was a pro fighter. What involvement if any does he have in his career?
“He has been involved for a long time. He used to take us to the gym when we were kids, starting when we were nine and seven, and teach us fundamentals. He encouraged us to box. As I mentioned, he is still part of our teams today.”
Although fighting in a different weight division than they did when they first fought in their hotly contested and highly controversial draw four years ago, Juan Manuel Marquez will again enter the ring against Manny Pacquaio on March 15, as the defending world champion. Because he is known for squashing the dreams of many a Mexican fighter—Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Oscar Larios, Jorge Solis, Hector Velazquez, Emmanuel Lucero and Gabriel Mira—Juan Manuel badly wants a win in their re-match—not only for himself, but for all of Mexico.
Marquez vs. Pacquiao II: “Unfinished Business”—Promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank, in association with Romanza Boxing Productions and MP Promotions, the fight will take place Saturday, March 15 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The bout will be produced and distributed live on HBO Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
JEREMY “HALF MAN, HALF AMAZING” WILLIAMS TO TAKE ON ZACK PAGE AT THE LEGENDARY BLUE HORIZON ON APRIL 11TH
Posted on | March 11, 2008 | No Comments
PHILADELPHIA (March 10, 2008)—On Friday night, April 11th, Jeremy “Half Man, Half Amazing” Williams will continue on the road to a shot at the cruiserweight title when he takes on Zack Page in a scheduled eight round bout when Vernoca L. Michael and Blue Horizon Boxing inc. presents a huge night of boxing at The Legendary Blue Horizon in Philadelphia.
Williams, of Long Beach, California is plain and simple a power puncher. The former Heavyweight world title contender sports an impressive record of 42-5-1 with thirty-five knockouts.
Williams turned pro in 1992 and won his first fifteen fights, which included twelve by knockout. That put him in position to take on fellow undefeated heavyweight and 1992 U.S. Olympian, Larry Donald.
Williams lost a close majority decision but wasn’t deterred as he was back in the ring just seven weeks later. That led to an eleven fight winning streak where Williams stopped ten of those foes which led to a shot at the vacant WBO Heavyweight title.
Unfortunately Williams was stopped by Henry Akinwande in three rounds in Indio, California. Williams then went on another streak of eight straight knockouts before coming up short in a bout with perennial contender Maurice Harris.
Williams has gone 7-2-1 since which included victories over Attila Levin (29-1) and Andre Purlette (35-1) and only losing to Brian Neilson (56-1) and currant WBC Heavyweight champion Samuel Peter.
In the time between 2005 and mid-2007, Williams was involved in various acting opportunities and was one of the lead trainers on the second season of The Contender.
August 18th, 2007, Williams started out his Cruiserweight career with a split decision over Gary Gomez (18-8-1) in Sandy, Utah.
Page, Of Warren, Ohio has a record 14-18-1 with five wins by knockouts. Page is a tough veteran who has been in with a plethora of top prospects and ranked fighters from the Heavyweight & Cruiserweight division. Page will fight anyone at a moments notice no matter what the record or size is. He has given up as much as 50 lbs to opponents.
Some of the name opponents Page has fought has been Mike Marrone, Aaron Williams, Alonzo Butler, Lou Del Valle, Dominick Guinn, Mike Mollo, Jason Estrada, Guillermo Jones & Derrick Rossy.
Despite that stiff competition, Page has only been stopped twice which will make Williams work extra hard if he wants to put Page on his list of knockout victims.
One of the co-feature bouts will be an eight round middleweight affair between Blue Horizon fan favorite, Gee Cullmer and Anthony Little.
Cullmer of Philadelphia has a record of 13-1 with three knockouts and has fought his last eight bouts at The Legendary Blue Horizon which includes his last outing where he scored a six round unanimous decision over John Michael Terry.
Little of Akron, Ohio has a record of 7-10-1 with one knockout has fought solid opposition such Andre Berto, Pawel Wolak and James McGirt Jr. He is coming off a draw with George Klinesmith (23-13-3) on February 16th.
Steve Upsher Chambers makes his return to The Legendary Blue Horizon when he takes on the straight forward style of Jaime Morales in a six round Jr. Welterweight affair.
Chambers of Philadelphia is coming off a seven month layoff where he got some quality training in Vero Beach, Florida. He has a record of 15-1-1 (1 NC, 4 KO’s) and has fought every one of his fights at The Legendary Blue Horizon except for one fight.
In his last bout, last September 7th at The Legendary Blue Horizon, Chambers scored a six round unanimous decision over Jason Jordan.
Morales of Philadelphia is a come forward fighter who always is involved in action packed affairs. He has a record of 4-6 with two knockouts and is looking to get back in the win column after being stopped in one round by Daniel Sostre last November in New York.
In a much anticipated four round bout, Simon “One Punch” Carr will be making his long awaited Legendary Blue Horizon Debut. Carr will be battling Jason Quick in a Light Heavyweight bout.
Carr of Philadelphia has built up a big fan base and has had to overcome a lot in his life to get to a record of 4-1-1 with three knockouts. Carr is coming off an eight month layoff after he had a draw with Andre Hemphill last August in a much talked about rematch.
Quick, of New York has a record of 4-3-1 with three knockouts and is itching to get back in the ring after nearly a two year layoff.
Quick won his first four bouts, which includes a fight in 2004 when he had to get off the deck twice to stop William Scales at The Legendary Blue Horizon. Quick, is coming off a six round unanimous decision loss to Anthony Russell of May of 2006.
This will be Quick’s third appearance at The Legendary Blue Horizon.
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 April 9th AT THE LEGENDARY BLUE HORIZON AT 11 AM
For more information, log on to www.legendarybluehorizon.com
Philadelphia’s New Alhambra Boxing Results – 3/07/08
Posted on | March 9, 2008 | 1 Comment
Mtagwa Decisions Valtierra in Crowd-Pleasing Bout
By Tony Penecale (Ringside)
Certain fighters seem to bring out the best in each. If popular Philadelphia slugger Rogers Mtagwa is a powder keg, then Aldo Valtierra is a lit match. And when they meet, fireworks are bound to erupt. The two engaged in a stirring slugfest, a rematch of their July ’07 brawl, with Mtagwa rallying down the stretch to capture a unanimous decision in front of the partisan crowd at South Philadelphia’s New Alhambra fight venue.
Mtagwa, 129, Philadelphia via Tanzania, was originally slated to defend the NABF featherweight title he won against Valtierra against highly-ranked Roger Gonzalez. When Gonzalez and original replacement David Martinez both pulled out with injuries, Valtierra, 131, Mexico City, accepted the chance to avenge last year’s defeat. With Valtierra unable to make the limit of 126 lbs, the bout was switched to a 10-round non-title affair.
The bout started slowly with each combatant feeling the other out and looking for openings. Mtagwa was the aggressor, walking in behind a sharp jab and trying to create an opening for his potent right, one of which finally landed as the round was ending.
The action picked up in the 2nd round when Valtierra landed a hard right that sent Mtagwa stumbling to the ropes. Mtagwa roared back and regained control, landing a series of hard right hands, snapping Valtierra’s head back. Valtierra found more success in the 3rd and 4th rounds, controlling the tempo and using his reach advantage to keep Mtagwa at bay.
The tempo swung back to Mtagwa’s favor in the 5th round. After absorbing several punishing shots early in the round, Mtagwa attacked aggressively and rocked Valtierra late in the round. However, it was Valtierra who came out energized in the 6th round and landed a series of right hands against a seemingly fatigued Mtagwa.
As in their first bout, it was dead even after six rounds and up for grabs. And similar to their first bout, it was Mtagwa who grabbed it. Starting in the 7th round, Mtagwa found his second wind, and started to land his right hand with regularity, which had Valtierra on the verge of crumbling on several occasions. But just when it seemed the iron-jawed Mexican would collapse, he fought back and hit Mtagwa with a flush right hand and left hook.
A pivotal moment occurred in the 8th round, with Mtagwa in control, Valtierra was penalized one point for repeated holding of Mtagwa’s head. The vicious back-and-forth exchanges continued through the final three stanzas. At the final bell, both weary warriors raised their hands, to a standing ovation from the sell-out crowd.
The unanimous decision went to Mtagwa by scores of 97-92 and 96-93 (twice). Mtagwa improves to 23-12-3 (17) while Valtierra falls to 24-9-1 (13).
In the co-feature, Teon Kennedy remained on the fast track to stardom, out-punching and out-hustling, Castulo Gonzalez, over eight rounds. Kennedy, 125, Philadelphia, set the tempo in the 1st round, thwarting Gonzalez, 126, Lynn Massachusetts, spearing him with right hands and causing swelling around his left eye. Gonzalez kept pressing in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, but found little success, as Kennedy continued to rake him with combinations and uppercuts.
Kennedy remained just too good and too fast for Gonzalez, whose punches started to lose steam by the 5th round. Gonzalez kept trying to force the fight in close and Kennedy started to oblige in the 6th round, staying inside and landing hard body shots. With the fight in his favor, Kennedy starting boxing more in the 7th and 8th rounds, allowing Gonzalez to control the tempo.
Kennedy was rewarded by the judges for his overall body of work, winning by scores of 77-75 and 78-74 (twice). With the victory, Kennedy remains undefeated at 8-0 (4) while Gonzalez falls to 9-5 (3).
In other bouts:
Pedro Martinez, 194, Philadelphia, opened the card with a spectacular knockout over Kenyatte Ravenell, 196, Greensboro NC. The bout was back-and-forth from the opening, with Martinez landing clubbing rights and the southpaw Ravenell countering with straight lefts. Late in the 2nd round, Martinez trapped Ravenell in a corner and landed several vicious right hands, prompting the referee to stop the fight as Ravenell slumped to the canvas where he remained for several minutes.
Martinez wins his pro debut and is now 1-0 (1) while Ravenell falls to 1-3 (1).
Victor Vasquez, 136, Philadelphia, had to overcome the rough-house tactics of Rami Ibrahim, 137, Philadelphia, to win a majority decision. Ibrahim started fast, trying to wrestle and maul Vasquez, who after a slow opening round, started to land the crisper and cleaner punches from the outside. Vasquez found a home for his right hand in the 4th round while Ibrahim kept coming forward, even as his left eye was reduced to a grotesque mess by the final round. Vasquez was the winner by scores of 59-55 (twice) while the other judge had it even at 57-57.
Vasquez ups his record to 7-1 (4) while Ibrahim dips to 2-7-1.
Making his pro debut in front of a throng of loyal supporters, Dennis Hasson, 164, Philadelphia, won a unanimous decision over the brash John Michael Terry, 166, Portsmouth Virginia. While Terry was content to pose, play defense, and throw the occasional wild shot, Hasson stayed calm, landing more effective punches against his unorthodox opponent. In the end, Hasson was victorious as all three judges scored it 40-36.
Hasson is now 1-0 while Terry falls to 2-10-3 (1).
Travis Thompson, 133, Pottstown Pennsylvania, scored an impressive one-punch knockout over Emmanuel Roses, 134, Philadelphia. Thompson was the aggressor throughout before he finally caught up to Roses, in the 2nd round, landing a brutal left hook that crumbled Roses face first where he was counted out.
Thompson improves to 2-1 (2) while Roses remains winless at 0-2.
In the battle of fighters making their pro debut, Anthony Flores, 130, Philadelphia made quick work of Gustavo Dailey, 132, Philadelphia. Flores immediately found a home for his straight right hand against the southpaw Dailey, sending him sprawling to the canvas in the opening minute. Dailey rose on unsteady legs where he ran into a barrage of Flores right hands, finally prompting the referee to intervene and rescue him from further punishment.
Flores with the victory is 1-0 (1) while Dailey is now 0-1.
The card was promoted by Peltz Boxing and Joe Hand Promotions. The next bout card at the New Alhambra is scheduled for Friday, May 9.
XYIENCE BANKRUPTCY CRUISES TOWARD APRIL FOOLS DAY AUCTION
Posted on | March 9, 2008 | 7 Comments
By: Rich Bergeron
One of the greatest lessons a writer can ever learn is that fact is stranger than fiction. It’s one of the hallmark themes of the hit movie No Country For Old Men and a reality that is overwhelmingly supported by the ongoing scandal regarding Xyience, Zuffa, and Fertitta Enterprises.
Some new developments managed to fly under the mainstream MMA media radar in recent weeks, and the story has gone pretty cold since fightlinker.com interviewed me in early February. First, let’s take a quick look at the rapidly deteriorating Xyience lawsuit against me.
Xyience’s bogus case is now almost 8-months old. The third law firm employed on Xyience’s behalf recently took over and had the case transferred to a second judge. If anyone suggested this would happen back in July of 2007 when I first got sued, I probably would have laughed in their face and called them crazy.
As my own attorney, I never expected this case to get this far. I honestly expected to be railroaded by a corrupt Nevada judicial system. Instead, what started as a threatening, daunting, seemingly impossible to overcome obstacle has now become much more manageable since I’ve learned so much about the legal process and managed to win my first hearing.
Since then, however, I ran into the ruthless lawyers at Fennemore Craig, P.C., which is a giant nationwide law firm that is handling Xyience’s bankruptcy proceedings. These slick hucksters managed to get Judge Timothy Williams recused and also earned themselves a 60-day extension through circumventing my rights to due process.
This all happened because the new lawyers managed to get themselves a hearing without me being present or appearing telephonically. Why? Well, take a listen to the following answering machine recording left for me by the new judge’s secretary:
When I followed those directions I wound up finding out that the judge had already ruled and barred me from appearing telephonically at any future proceedings in this case. The new lawyers made sure to get the hearing at an earlier time so they could lock me out of the process.
I am now fighting tooth and nail to get some crucial hearings on the docket to overturn the judge’s ruling, restore my right to due process, and get some much-needed financial relief before Xyience goes to auction on April Fool’s Day. I’ve filed the following motions hoping to get some positive momentum going:
MOTION TO STRIKE EXTENSION ORDER
MOTION TO STRIKE ADAM FRANK’S AFFIDAVIT, ETC.
Meanwhile, Xyience has received an offer from the first prospective buyer. According to Sherdog’s Adam Swift:
“On Feb. 22, Xyience entered into a preliminary purchase agreement with Manchester Consolidated Corporation. Under terms of the agreement, Manchester will pay $15,017,000 for the company — $200,000 in cash to Xyience plus the assumption of $14.8 million in secured debt held by Zyen, LLC.”
A public auction will still be held on April 1, 2008 to see if any other buyers may be interested. Yet that offer might be the best deal Fertitta Enterprises could hope for since it allows them to recover much more than what they’ve put into the ailing company so far.
Though the news of the Manchester Consolidated Corporation (MCC) bid has been widely reported in recent weeks, not much research has been published regarding their possible motivation for buying the brand. Upon closer inspection of the company it’s clear why there’s such heavy interest.
The CEO and Chairman of MCC is Anthony M. Pallante. According to the company’s Web-site: “Previously, Mr. Pallante served as a Vice President and Officer of Cott Corporation. Over his tenure with Cott sales increased from less than $50 Million to over $500 Million world-wide. In addition, the stock value realized a forward split 3 times providing an exponential increase in shareholder value. Prior to Cott Mr. Pallante was President & CEO of Exclusive Beverage, the Royal Crown Cola franchise in Toronto Canada. His expertise is focused on financing (using both public and private companies), mergers and acquisitions strategy and general corporate structuring.”
Cott is the producer of Xenergy, one of Xyience’s most valued and hyped products.
Not surprisingly, Pallante is not the only Cott convert to come over to MCC. The Web-site also details the background of Mr. William Smith: Executive VP of Corporate Finance/Mergers & Acquisitions. Before his employment at MCC, Smith also worked at Cott. The MCC Web-site reports:
“Mr. Smith was Vice President, Taxation, Investor Relations and Treasurer of Cott Corporation, the worlds largest private label manufacturer of soft drinks and a publicly traded company in both Canada and the United States. He carried out a wide range of responsibilities which included M&A activity, all financings, international tax structuring, cash management worldwide (Cott operated in over 10 countries), analyst presentations for Wall Street, all contact with the media, speech writing for the CEO, writing annual reports, and arranging annual general meetings.”
The Cott Connection makes sense. Mid-February saw Bankruptcy Judge Mike Nakagawa approve a $1.6 million loan and a marketing agreement for use of the Ultimate Fighting Championship logo on Xenergy. Without the agreement, Xyience would have had to scrap $8 million of product already labeled with the UFC logo that was made by Cott.
The Las Vegas Review Journal published an article about the deal that stated, “Xyience attorney Laurel Davis expressed cautious optimism late Tuesday, noting that one potential buyer was sitting in the audience during the bankruptcy court hearing.” Perhaps Davis was talking about someone from Manchester Consolidated Corporation.
Coincidentally Davis is also now handling my case.
Rumors are still swirling on other fight news sites pointing to the Fertittas intending to purchase Xyience at the auction, but that doesn’t appear to make much sense considering other recent findings.
I recently received a stack of documents relating to an independent audit of Xyience by A.J. Robbins, P.C. Certified Public Accountants. The audit paperwork (dated November, 2007) details the 2005 and 2006 end of the year financial statistics for Xyience. Inside sources have told me Xyience still owes A.J. Robbins $100,000 for the audit, which has not been fully completed.
Still, the numbers A.J. Robbins did include are intriguing. The changes that occurred at the company in just one year’s time are staggering. The company suffered a net loss in 2005 of $13,032,555 according to the audit. For the following year A.J. Robbins puts the company’s net loss at a whopping $70,994,687. The gross profit listed for 2006 was just $4,276,183, and the largest expenditure was $44,194,630 for “selling and marketing expenses.” The company’s total accumulated deficit as of December 31, 2006 was listed as $84,367,339.
Also interesting to note was the sheer amount of litigation Xyience was either engaged in or about to face during the audit period. Xyience spent $2228,000 on litigation alone in 2006 compared to none in 2005 according to the audit. The company had five pending lawsuits they were fighting at the time and 15 separate categories listed as “potential litigation.” One paragraph of that category was particularly telling:
“Federal and State Securities Laws – The company may have previously violated certain federal and state securities laws with respect to prior securities issuances by the Company and, as a result, may have to take certain actions in order to remedy those violations, which actions and remedies may require the Company to expend significant amounts of capital and otherwise may have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company, and there is no guarantee that the Company will be able to adequately remedy such alleged violations. Moreover, if the Company is not able to remedy such alleged violations, it would have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company.”
The audit documents also list 9,390,302 shares in the company outstanding. The audit further raises questions as to whether or not the company ever actually received a large chunk of the proceeds from those sales of shares. The last increase in total shares allowed to the company put the number at 200 million, though it is not yet exactly clear how many Pre-IPO shares were ultimately issued before foreclosure and bankruptcy proceedings began.
The bottom line conclusion made by A.J. Robbins in their reporting of the financial figures: “…the Company has experienced recurring losses and negative cash flows from operations and has a capital deficit at December 31, 2006, that raises substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern.”
That glaring statement may be what led the Fertitta Enterprises team to bankrupt the company, but had they done their homework before the investment they should have known about the serious losses the company was experiencing. Considering the intimate relationship between Xyience and Zuffa that existed before the Fertitta Enterprises investment, it’s hard to believe that the financial facts raised by the audit were a huge secret that Fertitta Enterprises would not be in any position to know about before they invested in the company.
Even if they only had a hint of what was going on, it stands to reason that they would have kept away from such a dangerous and volatile situation unless they could find some way to profit off of it with minimal risk. Furthermore, if they didn’t know how bad off the company was at the time of their investment, why would they send out a funding consent letter that promised investors their capital infusion would keep the company from going bankrupt? They knew about the mess they were getting into, and they invested anyway. So, the question must be asked: did they know all along that there was a way they could spin this whole thing into a huge profit?
I think the answer to that is a resounding yes.
Fertitta Enterprises and their fellow investors behind the current bankruptcy deal could potentially double their money in a matter of mere months. The funding consent letter went out a day after the injunction in my case came through on September 13, 2007. The deal was “ratified” on October 4th, 2007. So, if they can successfully sell the company at auction for anything more than what Manchester Consolidated Corporation is offering, they’ll succeed in their grand scheme to make millions off of a simple six-month fraud process.
Due to the ruthless and highly profitable previous business ventures that put the Fertitta family in their current financial position in the first place, it’s almost impossible to conceive any scenario in which all this just came together on its own with no planning whatsoever. There simply had to be some calculated process involved, and that orchestrated setup leaves countless victims in its wake with little potential for retribution in the end. Justice will be even harder to secure once the dust settles.
Given the current climate where the U.S. economy is looking more and more dismal with each passing day, the gap between the haves and the have nots is already wide enough. Yet, this steadily worsening situation widens that gap even further. While some burned investors wonder how they will get by, fund their retirement, or pay for their children to go to college due to the huge losses Xyience’s bankruptcy is forcing upon them, the Fertitta brothers just made the Forbes list:
THE FERTITTAS’ TAKE THEIR PLACE ON THE FORBES LIST.
All is not right with the world when so many people look the other way and continue to let this kind of thing happen over and over again without raising any protest whatsoever. It boggles the mind to imagine how this whole chain of events occurred with no laws being broken and nobody being brought to justice for the massive fraud that took place. Fertitta Enterprises will screw a whole host of victims and get away clean with a much bigger bank account as long as they can get through the April 1 auction unscathed.
Meanwhile they managed to prop up Xyience long enough for them to pump money back into Zuffa by way of a huge sponsorship deal that subsequently led to them justifying even bigger deals with Harley Davidson and Bud Light. They kept the company alive just long enough to benefit themselves, and now they’re killing it off and burying the body where nobody can find it and link the Fertittas to the financial murder they’ve committed.
All the while, they’re suing everyone who moves funny. Each and every possible threat is dealt with by way of massive litigation. Everyone who smites them is hit with a huge lawsuit. Any poor sap who infringes on their ridiculously long list of trademarks gets smacked by the long arm of the law until they submit in shame. They just continue to take and take and take, and nobody dares to stand in their way and tell them to stop. Nobody ever says enough is enough.
Yet, through it all there is one peculiar point of fact I can’t help but remind myself of each and every day.
Zuffa still hasn’t sued me.
They haven’t even sent me a letter telling me they MIGHT sue me.
They didn’t even want to be referred to by name in Xyience’s initial complaint against me though it’s clear they were part of that first claim.
Are Zuffa’s lawyers just too busy to bother with me? Do I not have enough assets to go after? Do they think suing me is giving me too much credit? Or…
Do they realize that everything I’ve printed about their corrupt and fraudulent behavior from the very beginning has all been true?
It appears that finally someone has managed to come along and challenge Zuffa to a fight it can’t win, even though I’m just one man against their army.
They say the pen is mightier than the sword, and I agree. But, there’s one thing that’s even more powerful and awe-inspiring than the pen…
The Truth.
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A KNOCKOUT NIGHT FOR COMBAT SPORTS
Posted on | March 9, 2008 | No Comments
By: Rich Bergeron
Saturday night proved to be a banner night for combat sports with all the main events in the major televised boxing and Mixed Martial Arts cards ending in knockouts. Showtime’s broadcast of David Haye’s complete domination of Enzo Maccarinelli kicked off the night and ended with a brutal 2nd round knockout. The timing of that quick telecast put the following Cage Rage 25 broadcast on Showtime up against Sam Peter vs. Oleg Maskaev on HBO. Just as Ken Shamrock started his short brawl with Buzz Berry to mark his EliteXC debut after a long absence from the sport, Peter and Maskaev were poised for their own long-awaited heavyweight battle for the WBC belt.
WBA and WBC Cruiserweight Champion David Haye (21-1, 20 KOs) came in as the much more chiseled fighter, and he cruised through the first round with a cautious and tentative approach. WBO Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Maccarinelli (28-2, 21 KOs) used a stiff jab to keep Haye out of firing range in the first frame, but Haye would not be denied in the second. Maccarinelli’s reach proved to be a nuisance early on, but then Haye caught his opponent with one of his best thundering overhand rights early in the second round. Maccarinelli didn’t waver or wobble at that point, but he did back off and stop throwing punches. Haye waded in a few moments later and ended the fight with another right hand followed by a flurry of blows that sent Maccarinelli staggering straight to an early stoppage.
Maccarinelli admitted later on that he’d made a stupid mistake and didn’t follow his trainer’s advice. Ironically, one of the pre-fight tips Showtime announcers offered Maccarinelli was to keep the left hand up. The bad habit was too tough for the losing fighter to break Saturday, and he received a hard lesson in the importance of maintaining smart defensive posture.
Haye expressed his hopes of moving up to heavyweight to emulate Evander Holyfield, who was in the audience for the fight. Haye has only the IBF Cruiserweight Title standing in the way of him becoming the unified Cruiserweight Champion. IBF belt-holder Steve “USS” Cunningham has been calling Haye out in recent weeks and may be next in line to fight the champion unless he moves up to heavyweight right away.
Over on HBO, Juan Diaz (33-1, 17 KOs) took his first professional loss against Nate Campbell (32-5-1, 25 KOs) to lead off their boxing telecast. Diaz weathered an early storm of punches from Campbell, who never let up as most of Diaz’s previous opponents have after starting so strong. Diaz fought bravely through twin cuts over his left eye, but his hampered vision and Campbell’s high output of punches put Diaz in a hole he simply couldn’t make his way out of by the final bell.
Campbell maintained a steady, hammering pace throughout the fight and taunted Diaz regularly at the close of almost every round. At one point he was overheard promising Diaz he could expect more of the same “all night long.” By the final round Diaz was a lumbering, bloody mess despite his early ability to trade blows with Campbell and land more meaningful, scoring shots.
Campbell took the IBF, WBA, and WBO Lightweight titles with the split-decision win and said the key to his victory was knowing Diaz just couldn’t handle the punishment.
John Ruiz (43-7-1, 29 KOs) made a successful comeback to boxing in an un-televised bout against Jameel McCline (38-9-3, 23 KOs) earlier in the night. Ruiz won a unanimous 12-round decision by scores of 119-109, 118-110, and 117-111.
HBO’s main event proved to be one of the best fights of the evening as Nigerian Sam Peter (30-1, 23 KOs) settled an old grudge with Russian Oleg Maskaev (34-6, 26 KOs). Both fighters had moments of brilliance early on, but it was Peter who provided the most effective approach early on. The WBC open scoring system had Peter ahead on all the scorecards after four rounds. Maskaev did manage to wobble Peter on a few occasions, though.
Both fighters traded some heavy shots throughout the fight, and at certain points both fighters appeared exhausted from the output. Shaking off the ring rust from being on the bench for more than a year, Maskaev looked pretty impressive at times before the sixth round ended his hopes of holding onto the WBC belt. Peter simply caught him against the ropes with one of his punishing overhand rights and beat the Russian into a corner where the referee waved the contest to a close before Peter could put Maskaev on the canvas.
Post-fight talk of future opponents included the mention of both Klitschko brothers. Peter maintained he would beat them all and that he was the best heavyweight in the world. Don King, who promotes Peter, re-iterated that thought and will hopefully make sure the better of the two possible fights is made. A rematch of Peter and Wladimir Klitschko has been talked about for a long time, and both fighters have vastly improved their game since the first fight. If anyone can make that fight happen, it’s Don King.
Over on Showtime, another knockout ended the main event as Ken Shamrock (26-13-2, 0-1 CR) couldn’t even make it through the first round against Buzz Berry (12-7, 7-3 CR) at Cage Rage 25. Shamrock danced around the cage for most of the round landing a few jabs and avoiding the heavy-handed attack of Berry for the first half of the round. At one point Shamrock went for an ill-advised body lock takedown against Berry, who came into the fight 25 pounds heavier than “The World’s Most Dangerous Man.” Shamrock might have been better suited to go for Berry’s legs to get a takedown.
Instead, Shamrock chose to bounce back to the outside and continue trying to make the fight more of a boxing match. Berry finally caught up to his quick opponent and landed a combination that dropped Shamrock just long enough for the referee to stop the contest as Shamrock lay on his back dazed but not hurt too badly. Though it is the fifth straight loss for Shamrock in Mixed Martial Arts, in all fairness his opponent was a formidable one to face after such a long absence from the sport. Shamrock would have fared much better against more of a tune-up type of opponent. Look for him to come back strong the next time out and break his losing streak against a more fitting opponent.
Masakazu Imanari (14-5-1, 2-0 CR) hobbled Jean Silva (15-8-3, 7-5-3 CR) earlier in the night by rolling into a reverse heel hook to end the featherweight championship fight with Silva screeching in pain. Imanari secured the hold late in the first round despite Silva’s rigorous training designed to avoid Imanari’s trademark submission. Silva did well wriggling out of previous attempts until the final seconds when he yelped and slapped Imanari’s thigh repeatedly so the referee would intervene and make the Cage Rage featherweight champion let go.
Ryan Shamrock lasted a bit longer than his legendary father, but a broken hand forced him to retire after the first round against Giorgio Andrews in an earlier featherweight fight. Ironically, the only fight of the whole card to go the distance was between two super heavyweights.
For more Cage Rage 25 results and post-fight reporting check out: THE FOX SPORTS WRAP UP.
EliteXC will be back at the end of the month with the grudge match between Frank Shamrock and Cung Le. Hopefully that night is filled with just as many knockouts.
Tags: Boxing > Buzz Berry > Cage Rage > Cage Rage 25 > David Haye > Enzo Maccarinelli > Evander Holyfield > Jameel McCline > Jean Silva > John RUiz > Juan Diaz > Ken Shamrock > Masakazu Imanari > Mixed Martial Arts > MMA > Nate Campbell > Oleg Maskaev > open scoring > Rich Bergeron > Ryan Shamrock > Sam Peter > WBC
HAYE STOPS MACCARINELLI IN SECOND; Ken Shamrock Suffers First KO Loss at EliteXC Presents Cage Rage 25
Posted on | March 9, 2008 | No Comments
LONDON (March 9, 2008) – South London native David Haye disposed of Welshman Enzo Maccarinelli in less than two rounds to unify the cruiserweight division. Haye entered London’s O2 Arena on Saturday night with the WBA and WBC belts and collected Maccarinelli’s WBO strap after a brilliant show of speed and power.
The fight began shortly after 2 a.m. local time with a delirious, sold out crowd of 20,000 rocking the O2. Maccarinelli vs. Haye was a promotion of Frank Warren’s Sports Network.
It was a special night on SHOWTIME Sports as the premium network aired a boxing and MMA doubleheader for the first time in history. Immediately following the live boxing telecast, SHOWTIME aired EliteXC presents Cage Rage 25 from Wembley Arena via tape delay from earlier in the night.
In a battle of big punching British champions, Haye landed the first big punch early in the second round staggering Maccarinelli. Haye stalked him into the corner and followed up with a barrage of lefts and rights. Haye, aptly nicknamed “The Hayemaker,” landed another big right hand to send Maccarinelli down. Although he was able to get to his feet, Maccarinelli was on unsteady legs as referee John Keane began to count. Keane waived off the fight before completing his count at 2:04 of the second.
“‘The Hayemaker’ doesn’t lie,” said the jubilant and fresh unified champion. “It is nice to know that the cruiserweight division is now cleaned up. It is time to move up to heavyweight and fix that disgraceful division.”
Haye improves his record to 21-1 with 20 knockouts.
“Ever since I was a boy, I’ve said I would be the heavyweight champion of the world,’’ Haye said. “Against my speed, my athleticism, my amateur pedigree, there’s nothing those heavyweights out there can do.”
“I didn’t box the plan,” said Maccarinelli, who drops to 28-2, 21 KOs. “Take nothing away from David Haye. It was a crackin’ shot and I just got caught. Enzo (Trainer, Enzo Calzaghe) will crucify me for this.”
The renowned tandem of Steve Albert and Al Bernstein called the action for SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING with Bob Dunphy directing. The executive producer of SHOWTIME Sports is David Dinkins, Jr.
Across town, before an equally excitable crowd of 8,000-plus at Wembley Arena, MMA pioneer Ken Shamrock of the USA was handed his first knockout loss by English powerhouse Robert “Buzz” Berry.
Berry landed a series of strikes to the head of Shamrock and sent him down. The referee waved off the fight at 3:26 of the first round as the 240-pound Berry prepared to pounce on his fallen opponent.
In other televised fights, Cage Rage featherweight champion Masakazu Imanari of Japan applied a text book reverse heel hook to destroy the knee of formidable Brazilian adversary Jean Silva. Silva tapped out at 2:35 of round one, and appeared to be in tremendous pain.
In a battle of big men, heavyweights Rob Broughton of England won a majority decision over fellow countryman Neil Grove by scores of 29-28 twice and 28-29. The two men entered the cage at a combined 250-plus pounds and fought an entertaining scrape for three full rounds.
And local favorite Tommy “Kong” Watson thrilled his adoring fans with a knockout of American Pierre Guillet. With Watson on his back during first-round action, Guillet dove in to attack, but Watson struck first by landing a devastating upward heel strike to Guillet’s head. Watson quickly pounced on top of the fallen Guillet and finished him with fist strikes to the head.
SHOWTIME announcers Mauro Ranallo and Stephen Quadros called the action at Wembley Arena. The producer of the EliteXC telecast was Richard Gaughan with Rick Phillips directing. The executive producer of SHOWTIME Sports is David Dinkins, Jr.
Catch an encore of Saturday’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast:
Monday, March 10 8 p.m. SHO Extreme
Tuesday, March 11 10 p.m. SHO2
Wednesday, March 12 10:30 p.m. SHOWTIME
And on SHOWTIME On Demand (where available) beginning March 11.
Catch an encore of Saturday’s EliteXC telecast:
Monday, March 10 9:30 p.m. SHO Extreme
Tuesday, March 11 Midnight SHOWTIME
Tags: Buzz Berry > David Haye > Enzo Maccarinelli > Ken Shamrock
WBC Teams With Don King For Historic Title Fight
Posted on | March 7, 2008 | No Comments
The world’s premier boxing organization pairs with the top promoter in the sport this Saturday, March 8, 2008 as the WBC teams with Don King Productions for “History In Cancun”, the first heavyweight world title fight to ever be held in Mexico.
In the most anticipated bout of the year, WBC heavyweight champion Oleg Maskaev meets top challenger and interim champion Samuel Peter at the famed historic bullfighting ring, Plaza de Toros, in Cancun on a shared Don King, Duva Boxing, Pepe Gomez Productions and One Punch Productions promotion, televised live in America on HBO World Championship Boxing starting at 9:30PM ET/6:30PM PT.
This bad blood grudge match has been over a year in the making and has generated such excitement that such legendary former champions as Larry Holmes, Ken Norton, Gerry Cooney, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran and Saoul Mamby will be on hand to witness this spectacular WBC title fight.
Reigning champion Maskaev, 34-5 (26), comes into this clash with Peter on the strength of a knockout of former titlist Hasim Rahman to win the much coveted WBC belt and the resolute California based Russian remains confident that he’ll walk out of Plaza de Toros with the Green Belt around his waist. “I’m ready and I’m coming to win on Saturday night, I’ve worked very hard,” said Maskaev.
In contrast to the level headed champion, Peter, 29-1 (22), is furious in the conviction that Maskaev has been avoiding his challenge. “I’m going to knock you out, I’m going to eat you alive.” said Peter to Maskaev. “I’m going to punish you and beat you up. I’ve been fighting for seven years and I’ve never ducked anyone.”
A full undercard supports the main event and features the WBC super lightweight title eliminator between Jose Luis Castillo and Timothy Bradley, a WBC heavyweight qualification bout between John Ruiz and Jameel McCline and the WBA, IBF and WBO lightweight title fight between champion Juan Diaz and challenger Nate Campbell.
Tickets are priced at all levels between $1,000 and $10 and can be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets, including www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster in Mexico at +5255 5325 9000.
Photo of Don King, Jose Sulaiman, Julio Cesar Chavez ©David Martin Warr/DKP
Press Release composed by Curtis McCormick for www.wbcboxing.com
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