PHIL BARONI SIGNS WITH STEELE CAGE TO COMMENTATE DECEMBER 28th EVENT
Posted on | December 2, 2007 | No Comments
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Steele Cage Promotions Signs “New York Bad Ass” Phil Baroni to Commentate –
Joins Al Bernstein for December 28th MMA Event
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Las Vegas, Nevada ? December 1, 2007 ? Hall of Fame Boxing Referee Richard Steele and Steve Oshins, co-owners of Steele Cage Promotions, LLC (www.steelecage.com) and the International Fighting Organization, LLC (IFO), announce that they have signed “New York Bad Ass” Phil Baroni to join previously announced Al Bernstein as two of its three commentators for the December 28th MMA event at the Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday, December 28th with the first bout at 7:00pm. Tickets for the event can be purchased by calling the Riviera Box Office at 702-794-9433, Ext. 2. The fight card will be officially announced this week.
Phil Baroni was a two-time NJCAA all-american for Nassau CC and compiled a combined 17-0 amateur boxing and kickboxing record. He used this training to transition to MMA where he fought eight times in the UFC and six times in Pride. He has fought a who’s who of fighters including Frank Shamrock, Kazuo Misaki, Yuki Kondo, Ryo Chonan, Evan Tanner and Matt Lindland. Arguably one of the most famous fighters in the sport, there is no gray area with the NYBA; fans either love him or love to hate him, but either way he has always been worth the price of admission!
“We have put together what I feel is the #1 commentating team in MMA,” stated John “Ski” Stachofsky, Vice President of Steele Cage. “Phil Baroni and Al Bernstein are the ideal combination to have in the booth. I can’t wait to watch the tape of our show.”
About Mixed Martial Arts: Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) encompasses many different styles of fighting in which a wide variety of fighting techniques are used, In addition to Steele Cage Promotions and the International Fighting Organization, other popular MMA organizations include the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), PRIDE Fighting Championships, Strikeforce, BodogFight, the International Fight League (IFL), EliteXC and World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC).”
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JEFF MAYWEATHER INTERVIEW
Posted on | December 2, 2007 | No Comments
MAYWEATHER: ? I WILL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE IN THIS FIGHT??
??When talking about bringing their ?A? game, Ricky?s is an ?A? is a ?C? to Floyd?s.?
John Martinez
Boxingrealm.com
(30Nov07) On February 23,2008 the heavyweight division will take a major step towards determining who the true boss of the heavyweight division is when WBO champion, Sultan Ibragimov (22,0,1,17 KO?s) puts his title on the line against IBF champion, Wladimir Klitschko (49,3,0, 4KO?s) in the famed Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. The fight will be air on HBO. I spoke with Sultan?s trainer, Jeff Mayweather and discussed his fighter?s game plan leading into this fight as well as his nephew?s chances on December 8th against the hitter from Madchester, Ricky Hatton.
JM: Jeff, when will you have Sultan report to training camp for his upcoming heavyweight unification fight with IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko?
JEFF: Well we are going to report to camp right after the holidays. So we will be in camp close to maybe nine weeks for this fight.
JM: What advantages do you see Sultan having going into this fight with Klitschko?
JEFF: Well number one, he?s undefeated so that?s always a real good thing to have on your side. Number two, Sultan?s much faster than Klitschko is and also he punches just as hard has Klitschko does.
Overall, he?s a more complete fighter than Klitschko is he?s just a much smaller fighter than him. I think that since he?s been with me, he?s a smarter fighter that?s taking less punishment than he used to take and he?s winning rounds decisively. He?s throwing more combinations and using more head movement.
We know his chin is suspect. We?re going to test his chin. I mean, all of a sudden despite being knocked out cold, he?s a world-beater. That?s not the case. One thing about boxing is that you can change some things in a fighter, but you can?t all of a sudden tell a guy how to take a punch. That?s are advantage.
JM: What ideal weight would like to see Ibragimov come in at come fight night?
JEFF: You know, I?m thinking about 222 pounds and below. We don?t want to balloon up because all that will do is take away our speed advantage and we don?t want that.
JM: I would like to ask you if it is a fair assessment that when it relates to Wladimir?s weaknesses, most people believe he tends to be very basic with his punching combinations, leans too much over his lead foot, and doesn?t utilize head movement as much as a fighter should. Do you agree with this assessment?
JEFF: I think that is a very fair assessment because that is what I see as well. The thing that presents a problem is his jab and he is very tall and he has punching power. However, we?ve got hand speed and just as much punching power as he does.
When we get inside through smart aggression i.e. head movement working off angles, we are going to have to land big shots and break him down and I can?t see no way possible us not doing that.
JM: Do you feel a victory over Wladimir will solidify your charge as the true heavyweight champion of the world and in that sense define his career and if so, how do you think he will deal with that pressure?
JEFF: Well Sultan is a real calm person. He?s got a great amateur background and one thing we always talk about is pressure is self-inflicted. No one can apply pressure to you but your self.
I mean, Sultan is undefeated. He (Wlad) is not undefeated. He lost to lesser fighters than Sultan. He got knocked out by Corrie Sanders and Lamon Brewster. That?s one advantage that I think we have mentally over him. Plus, Klitschko, he?s looking at it from his situation and thinking Sultan got a draw against Ray Austin. But the other side of that equation is me. I was with Austin for that fight and that made the difference in that fight and I will make the difference in this fight as well.
JM: Any thoughts on your nephew?s (Floyd Mayweather Jr.) fight December 8th?
JEFF: To me, this is a situation where Ricky Hatton is a good fighter, but Ricky Hatton is not in Floyd?s ring. Hatton doesn?t belong in the same ring. Don?t get me wrong but to be honest with you, I think that even the most loyal Hatton fan honestly in their heart can?t believe that Ricky is a better fighter than Floyd is and will beat Floyd.
This is the same guy that after fighting at 147, he rushed back down as fast as he could to get to 140. The reality is this; Floyd had no problems at 147 or 154. He fought a great fighter in Oscar de la Hoya, beat him, and even proved that he was stronger than Oscar because he was backing Oscar up. He won?t have any problems with backing Hatton up. He?s stronger than Ricky, faster in hand speed, has better defensive skills than Ricky. He won?t have a problem.
Ricky has a punchers chance because he has two hands, but when talking about bringing their ?A? game, Ricky?s is an ?A? is a ?C? to Floyd?s any day. I look for the fight to maybe be stopped in the ninth or tenth and possibly even go all twelve only because Ricky is an extremely tough fighter mentally and physically. Ricky is the type that will go out on his shield, but I?m looking for Floyd to come out and put a performance on like he did against Corrales. That?s what I see in this fight.
john@boxingrealm.com
FLOYD MAYWEATHER CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT
Posted on | December 2, 2007 | No Comments
Golden Boy Enterprises
Moderator: Kelly Swanson
November 29, 2007
KELLY SWANSON: Thank you for joining us for Floyd Mayweather’s conference call before his fight, Saturday, December 8th, against Ricky Hatton. We all know it’s for the WBC and “Ring Magazine” welterweight championship of the world. Just a quick programming note, we had an excellent back-to-back media workout in Las Vegas yesterday. Both guys were in rare form and I’m going to go ahead and plug YahooSports.com and if you go to the photo section, there’s a really nice article on Yahoo! Sports from Kevin Iole, but if you go to the photo section, you can get a glimpse of some of the great pictures that were taken throughout the day with Associated Press and Getty Images. I think that the media workouts really were another indication, along with how many people who are on the call today to hear Floyd, of the magnitude of this fight and then just one other additional note. We want to just mention again that HBO’s Mayweather/Hatton 24/7 new episode. The third episode will debut this Sunday, December 2nd, at 10:00 P.M. Eastern Time and Pacific on HBO. That’s the third of a four part series and the fourth part will be shown live during fight week at the MGM and you will all be receiving a fight week schedule tomorrow, which will detail all of the activities happening, starting pretty much on Tuesday morning with their grand arrivals to the MGM Grand.
So we have joining us today, of course, Floyd Mayweather, Leonard Ellerbe of Mayweather Promotions, and Oscar de la Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions, who will introduce the call. So without further ado, I’d like to introduce Oscar de la Hoya, President Golden Boy Promotions. Oscar.
OSCAR DE LA HOYA, PRESIDENT GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS: Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen, for being on the call. Indications are going extremely well. We’re tracking about 60 percent of what Floyd and I did in our last fight. We did 2.4 million homes and the 60 percent is gaining steam as the fight gets closer and closer, so that’s a great indication that Floyd Mayweather is part of a big event that a lot of people are waiting to see. Obviously, you know that we sold out in half an hour, another great indication that people are anxiously waiting for this fight and now we’re up close to 18,000 seats on closed circuit in Las Vegas alone, which is just incredible. That again is another indication that, as the fight gets closer and closer, this locomotive is just gaining steam and going full force, so without any further ado, I would like to introduce now CEO of the co-promoter from Mayweather Promotions, Leonard Ellerbe. Leonard.
LEONARD ELLERBE, CEO MAYWEATHER PROMOTIONS: Thanks Oscar. I’d like to thank everybody for joining the call. We’re just excited. It’s been a great promotion thus far, working with Golden Boy and we’ve had a tremendous training camp thus far. Floyd is obviously in great condition, like he is for every fight and we’re just excited and looking forward to next Saturday, getting ready to put on another outstanding performance. So, without further ado, the best fighter in the world, Floyd.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER, BOXER MAYWEATHER PROMOTIONS: Hi, how is everybody doing? I’m just waking up. First I want to thank God, thank Golden Boy Promotions, thank Mayweather Promotions, thank Kelly Swanson and the Swanson Team, Team Mayweather and I want to thank all the media and all the press and everybody that covers this event. It’s truly been a blessing and I’m ready to go.
DAN RAFAEL, ESPN: Floyd, I was struck by Oscar’s remarks opening this conference call, talking about the fact that it was tracking so high as it compared to your fight with Oscar and all the closed circuit seats that have been sold and obviously the fact that it sold out in half an hour and, there’s a good chance that this fight may do over a million homes on pay-per-view. It sounds that way. That would make you the first fighter ever in the pay-per-view year to have back-to-back million pay-per-view in the same year. Do you have a chance to do in one year, more pay-per-view than even Oscar, and after so many years of not being on pay-per-view, what does that tell you about your popularity and about, and about what has just sort of mushroomed for your career over the past, say, like 16 months or so, 18 months?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: It’s the right chemistry and the right team. My team has really went out there and went to work for me, not just inside the ring but outside the ring, conducting business and I can remember meeting with you early on in my career and I just told you everything takes time. I’m going to keep dedicating myself. I’m going to keep just working hard and eventually everybody will open their eyes and see that I really want it and I need to be at the top, just working hard, hard work and dedication and going through the struggle but keep, just kept working hard, kept believing and one day I said, I’m going to be a pay-per-view attraction and here I am today. I truly believe that we’re going to do over a million homes and I think it took a lot and it.
Well, it took a lot of work. Guys that were writing articles about my career and about the different controversies I’ve been through as far as all the media, all the writers, Kelly Swanson my publisher is breaking her neck to try to get my face anywhere that she could possibly get it and Leonard and Al, there’s a good chemistry and, of course, Richard Schaeffer and Oscar de la Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions. They do a great of a job and, I’ve got my own company now, so all those things together, mixed in one is what pushed Mayweather to the top and, of course, the main thing is that my skills and my hard work.
FRANKLIN MCNEIL, THE STAR LEDGER: Hey Floyd, one thing that struck me when I watched 24/7, the second episode was the issue of your hand and your shoulder and it was a interesting comment you made and even your doctor was saying she didn’t really want you to go on too much longer in this career.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Yes.
FRANKLIN MCNEIL: The thing that struck me from that was, if Floyd Mayweather, or will Ricky Hatton be seeing – have the injuries affected Floyd Mayweather in any way, physically, and will
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: First
FRANKLIN MCNEIL: Let me finish – and will Ricky Hatton be seeing the Floyd, the same Floyd Mayweather that everyone’s used to being, everyone’s used to seeing.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Well, I feel that it’s like a lot of fighters go through ups and downs in training camp.
FRANKLIN MCNEIL: Yes.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I just wanted the people to get a chance to see that, of course, I’m not Superman. Of course, I put ice packs on my back. I go through, therapy also. And even though sometimes I may do or I don’t need therapy; sometimes I don’t even need therapy and I still go just to keep everything in place and in order. So we won’t have a problem once we do get to that plateau.
FRANKLIN MCNEIL: So he’s going to see the same Ricky; I mean we’re going to see the regular Floyd Mayweather.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Oh yes, absolutely. That’s why we do all that stuff and do it early on in camp and we continue to do therapy, like some days I don’t even need therapy and we do it, you know, just to cover all grounds.
MARK STANIFORTH, PRESS ASSOCIATION: I just wondered if you had any particular favorite British fighters throughout history and what your opinion is, broadly, of British boxing at the moment.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Well, boxing period, in the whole is a beautiful sport. Boxing is art and every fighter has his own style and I can respect that about different fighters but it’s not just a certain country of boxing that I like. I like all boxing; it really doesn’t matter what country it comes from and I’m not really a Ricky Hatton fan, not being disrespectful. I’ve seen a couple rounds of him in a Collazo and I’ve probably seen a couple rounds of him and another fighter but I never really watched Ricky Hatton fight and I don’t study tapes on fighters, so just come December 8th, I’m going to just have to adjust and adapt to his style, once we get in there. But, obviously he’s done something right to be facing Floyd Mayweather, so we’ll have to see December 8th what he brings to the table.
PETE SHUTTLEWORTH, WALES ON SUNDAY: Obviously, there’s been a lot of excitement about this Mayweather/Hatton fight over in the U.K. I mean not, the other one that people are talking about is Calzaghe against Hopkins. Floyd, is that something that you guys want to see in America? Is that something that excites you?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Like I said before, we like all boxing. I think Hopkins is a good fighter. I think Calzaghe is a good fighter and I think the British fans probably want to see it more than the American fans. But I think it’s a good match up and I think both guys are going to bring their best.
PETE SHUTTLEWORTH: Why did you say the British fans want it more than the Americans though, Floyd?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I mean that’s just the way I feel, you asked me a question and I gave you an answer.
PETE SHUTTLEWORTH: I mean it’s just a fight that a lot of people want to see and it’s obviously Britain against the U.S. You guys don’t have interest.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I mean, of course, I mean but like first you asked me a question, the only thing I can do is just be honest with them and that’s what they respect about me is my honesty. As you’ve seen he’s coming off a big fight in the U.K. with I think Kessler, that’s his name?
PETE SHUTTLEWORTH: Yes, that’s right.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: And I feel that they, the U.K. fans love their fights so why wouldn’t they love to see Bernard Hopkins, fight against Calzaghe. It doesn’t really matter where the fight takes place; I think it’s going to be; just it’s a good match up.
ROBERT MORALES, L.A. DAILY NEWS: Hey Floyd, I was wondering if I could get your reaction to an interesting comment that Billy Graham had on his conference call last week. He praised your fighting ability and he said you’re a fantastic fighter. Then he was asked about Floyd, the person, and he kind of gave two accounts. He said in one breath, he said that Floyd’s got himself a bad reputation of being a nasty person. He is disrespectful to people all the time. But then he said I don’t think Floyd is as nasty as he pretends. What do you think about those comments from Billy Graham?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Well, I mean everybody’s entitled to their own opinion and when it’s all said and done; only God can judge you. It’s obvious that I must be a good person because, look at my hand I’ve been dealt over my whole career. So I know who I am as a person and I know how I treat people. It’s just when it comes down to my job and my business I put my boxing, my business first and I dedicate myself to my craft and a lot of times people really want to get a chance to know Floyd Mayweather and there’s more like you’re going to judge, I’m already pre-judged before you even get a chance to know me because of the articles and the stories that are written about me from the past. But, I feel that everything is an obstacle. Everything is a learning experience and you live and you learn and only the strong survive and I’m one of the strong, I’m one of the strong ones. All I do is just keep fighting and no matter what anybody says, Floyd Mayweather’s going to be him. He’s going to continue to spend time with his kids and his family and love the people that love him.
GEORGE WILLIS, NEW YORK POST: Just too sort of almost piggyback on Robert’s question, Floyd, you’re a very public person. You like to go out. You don’t mind showing all the good things and the blessings that you have, even the money, things like that. In light of some of the things that have been going on, particularly lately, with the football player getting shot and murdered, some of the basketball players, people breaking into their homes and holding them at gunpoint, are you concerned about, you know, being so public? Are you going to have to maybe guard yourself a little bit in this day and age?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Well, I mean, of course I have to say my same security team that I’ve had for years and a lot of times that I’m doing interviews with you guys, I try not to bring all of my security around you guys cause I want you guys to be able to feel comfortable when you guys are giving me interviews but, you live and you learn. It’s easy for them to always see me giving, you don’t make any rating on TV, but they never talk about how Floyd Mayweather feeding a family for Christmas; Floyd Mayweather feeding families for Thanksgiving. Floyd, is always giving back. They always want to talk about what people want to talk about and then as I always told you in the first 24/7, it’s America. And America’s built on controversy and money and it tells you judge a person how they want to judge a person. Me, myself, I’m a good person. I’ve got a good heart and I’ll give a person my light.
The only thing I’m trying to do is give kids that come from the same background as, that I come from; the urban community is everything that you see on TV, I got it legally. I got it just from hard work and dedication. I never did anything illegal. I never sold anything to my peers. All I did was go out there and just dedicate myself to the craft of boxing and just be me, and it’s a lot of guys come from bad backgrounds but I just try to help and give them jobs. And some are able to cope; some are not, but you live and you learn and the only thing you can just try to do is just be the best that you can be at what you’re doing.
RAMON ARANDA, 411MANIA.COM : Well, I’m wondering, do you at all think that you might be taking Ricky Hatton a little bit lightly? I mean I know you’ve always been a very confident fighter in your abilities and obviously you’re the favorite going in, but we’ve seen in the history of this sport that a lot of, not a lot, but quite a few fighters, especially when they reach a certain level of success kind of take some of their opponents a little bit lightly. Now do you ever feel like you’re doing that with Ricky?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I don’t, I don’t overlook no opponent. If you just look back at my career, even when I fought a guy like Emanuel Augustus.
RAMON ARANDA: Augustus.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Yes, I never took him light. I knew that he was going to bring his A game. I knew he was going to be extremely tough. I don’t ever look at a guy’s record. I mean just because of, you may have one guy that’s, have 20 wins and 13 losses and another guy that’s 43 and 0, but the guy with the 13 losses has a lot more experience that he’s been with guys of A; he lost to a lot of A level fighters and you’ve got another guy that may be 43 and 0 that’s fought a lot of C and D level fighters and the guy with 13 losses fought a lot of guys with A level and decent A level fighters, so it’s not by a guy’s record, and me, myself, I approach every fight in a great matter. When I say great matter, I’m always pushing myself to the limit and trying to get the best out of Floyd Mayweather and I’m going to continue to push myself to the limit to get the best out of myself. Never overlook anyone, always train hard, always dedicate myself because boxing is something I love and I love to see you guys on the Internet and you guys, and the writers write about me and I want, I like the guys to write good stories, so 20 years from now, when my grandkids read stories, they know that I was one talented fighter.
GEORGE ROSENWASSER, VALLEY NEWS: Floyd, I wanted to know, what do you think about your portrayal on HBO, the HBO show, 24/7?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: It is what it is. People, they’re going to portray you how they want to portray you. But HBO is my home and HBO will always be my home; it’ll always be my family. I mean, I feel that I take care of my body in a great fashion and I feel that I’m disciplined. You don’t see me at a pub drinking beer. After my fight, you don’t ever see me 20 and 30 pounds outside my weight. I fight at 147; I walk around at 147, because I’m disciplined as a fighter and I know what it takes. That’s wear and tear on the body; keep gaining that much weight and keep losing that much weight and that shows you what fighters are disciplined and what fighters are not disciplined. Just being around a sport knowing that that’s unhealthy for you, so hopefully you can find yourself a better fitness trainer.
GARETH DAVIES, DAILY TELEGRAPH: Can I just ask you, on the same kind of tack as the last guy, on your portrayal on 24/7, there does seem to be an element; you’re quite correct in what you say that, you don’t balloon up between fights but there seems to be a portrayal that Ricky’s a good guy and you’re the bad guy who’s mouthing off all the time. Does that bother you at all?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Just because I’m the type of fighter that truly believes in himself and says I’m going to go out there and work, or do you guys want something boring? I mean this fight, this sport is boxing and this sport is brutal and this is not art. It’s not a gentlemen’s sport. We conduct ourselves like gentlemen and I conduct myself like a gentleman. I’m not out there pushing Ricky Hatton on stage anything of that nature. We are shoving Ricky Hatton on this end without, I believe in my skills and I’m having fun on tour. Why not enjoy your job? I like to talk trash in my job and it’s like for you, for instance, you could be competing against other writers and you could be like I’m the best writer and I write the fastest and day and day out, if you prove, if you prove you’re the best writer, why not say it? I’m the best writer. They can’t take this away from me. And then another writer may come to the office and say look, no, he can’t beat me. And the guy would be like, well how, he’d be like how many tournaments have you won. You’d be like I won two. He’d be like well, I won 10 under my belt and ?
GARETH DAVIES: So what you’re saying is it’s just your confidence talking, really. It’s just your confidence that makes you talk that way.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: It’s just me just believing in myself; me believing in my skills, me believing in myself and I feel comfortable. I truly feel comfortable within myself, within my team and within my skills.
RICH BERGERON, FIGHT NEWS UNLIMITED: Ricky Hatton has said that you’re in for the shock of your life in this fight. What will you do to prevent an upset and what do you think is his greatest strength that you’ll have to overcome to do that?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Well 38 did all in this, 38 said they were going to keep pressure. Thirty-eight said they had a interesting game plan. Thirty-eight had great trainers. You must realize, trainers can’t get in there and fight for fighters. A fighter must go in there; execute the game plan and just better be in the best shape. If you plan on doing it, you’ve just got to be in the best shape of your life and bring your a game cause I’m always prepared mentally as well as physically.
DAN RAFAEL: Floyd, when you fought Carlos Baldomir a couple fights back, I remember the press conference afterwards, you were very emotional. You said you were going to retire from boxing; you didn’t want to fight anymore. Obviously, then along came the De la Hoya fight, which I think everybody would understand why you took it. It was the biggest fight out there that you could possibly make in the entire sport of boxing and then, I guess, Ricky mouthed off about you a little bit after his fight against Castillo and, as Leonard so eloquently said on 24/7, you know, make the fight. My question for you is, once this fight is over with and you’re very confident you’ll win, what other things are out there for you to accomplish in the sport of boxing or are you going to reconsider retirement?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I really don’t know. I mean that’s the great question. That’s one of the best questions that have been asked today. I really don’t. I mean I feel that I’ve accomplished really everything that a fighter can possibly accomplish in the great sport of boxing, but I really don’t know. I think I need to just sit back and talk it over, talk it over with my mother and see what she says.
DAN RAFAEL: Does a rematch with Oscar interest you in any way, because he needs an opponent for May?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I don’t know. As of right now I’m not interested in anything but my fight December 8th and we’ll see. But as of right now I just want to just focus on one fight at a time. I don’t want to overlook anybody and then see where we go from there.
RON LEWIS, THE TIMES: Your last fight, Floyd, you were stepping up and challenging Oscar how your weight, you were pound for pound, number one before that but is this a different challenge for you cause you’ve got ? he’s got everything to win and you’ve essentially got everything to lose. How do you approach it differently?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I mean I always say that all the pressure is on me, always, every time out. It’s more like, even like fighting Oscar de la Hoya or fighting Baldomir or even fighting Hatton. When you’re fighting Floyd Mayweather, you’re fighting the best, which we all understand but if I win I was supposed to win. That’s Floyd Mayweather. But if a guy gives me a good fight or if a guy happened to up, if a guy get a win over me, it’s an upset but if I win I was supposed to win, so basically I’m always in a no-win situation because once I beat a guy there’s always an excuse. He had weight problems, Mayweather was too big or, you see what goes on in the sport of boxing. I’ve been with guys and I’ve beat them clearly and they try to give me fights on split decisions and I’m like judge me for what I do inside the ring. Don’t judge me for hearsay or what they write.
ANDREAS HALE, HIPHOPDX.COM : My question is this. If you could take one thing that the media and HBO 24/7 has missed or misinterpreted about you as a person and wish they would focus on more, what would it be?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I mean it really doesn’t matter. They are going to judge me how they are going to judge me for training in a certain way how they want to anyway. You must realize in each fight there has to be a good guy and a bad guy. When I fought Arturo Gatti, I was considered a bad guy, but when I fought De la Hoya I was considered a bad guy. I guess when I fight ? but when I fought Zab Judah, I guess they said he’s worse than I am so it made me the good guy in the Zab Judah fight and made him the bad guy, so that’s how your hand is dealt, man. You just got to deal with it and you just fight through everything. Everything is a struggle and everything is a fight and you don’t let anything break your confidence or don’t let anything break your skills. Just continue to do what you got to do, stay focused and just be you.
JAMIE JACKSON, OBSERVER NEWSPAPER: Just a very, a very quick question. What’s the standout memory you have when you’re growing up as a, as a, as an amateur fighter before you turned pro?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Before I turned amateur I was in the boxing gym. I was in the gym training. The one thing that I think about probably every single day; every day I think about when I used to be a little kid, probably four, three or four. When I was a little kid, I can remember the guys in the gym used to always get in the boxing ring and get on their knees and box me and I used to run circles around them. I could always run around them and try to punch them in the back when I was a little kid, so the memory that they, that’s going to stick with me forever that I will never forget when I was a little kid.
JAMIE JACKSON: OK that’s very kind. Why does that one stand out? Was there a reason?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Because when ? oh, I’m sorry, when I was a young kid, I used to go to the boxing gym. I was like three or four years old.
JAMIE JACKSON: Yes.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: And the older fighters used to get on their knees and box me but I used to like to run around them then run around the back and try to punch them in the back.
CARLOS GONZALEZ, PRIMERA HORA: Floyd, I’ve got two questions. One, do you feel like you’re fighting more for respect today than you were a few years ago? And two, how do you see the welter division and how do you see Miguel Cotto play out in this division right now?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Well, I feel I’m not fighting for respect. I feel that I’ve earned my respect, just to get rated, pound for pound, the best fighter in the world, it’s obvious you had to do something right and somebody had to respect you to put you on that plateau. And to win Ring both, not just at one weight class but at a couple weight classes is, I feel that that’s an amazing accomplishment, I mean accomplishment in itself and Hatton is a good fighter. He’s going to bring his A game.
CARLOS GONZALEZ: How do you see Miguel Cotto play out in this division right now?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: This is not Miguel Cotto’s thing. That was with, this is Floyd Mayweather and we mixed it up a little bit.
ROBERT MORALES: Floyd, before I ask you this question, let me preface it by saying that I think you can and probably will stop Ricky Hatton inside the distance on December 8th. That, do you think there might, if there’s one complaint that I heard after the De la Hoya fight, and it wasn’t that you won because we all thought you won, including myself, it was that there wasn’t quite enough toe-to-toe action to make fans happy.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Well you don’t have to worry about that this time. You don’t have to worry about that. Believe me, when I tell you this, you don’t have to worry about that. You won’t get, you won’t get a lot, you’re going to get that from the opening bell.
EDDIE GOLDMAN, SECONDSOUT RADIO: I think it’s obvious that your popularity as a fighter is now at an all-time high with all these numbers of pay-per-view buys and seats and closed circuit seats being sold attest to. Where do you think your skill level as a fighter, do you think that this edition of Floyd Mayweather is the best or was it better when you, in the past when you were younger, you fought guys like Corrales or Castillo or both Hernandez’s?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I think that my skills were, I’m being honest, I think my skills would be sharp as they ? I think, in today’s time, if I was more active like I was back then. It’s just like, it’s like anything. If I’m going outside shooting jump shots every day, I’m going to be razor sharp, but if I’m only shooting jump shots twice a week I’m not going to be as sharp as me shooting jump shots seven days a week and, it takes a long time to bill pay-per-view, you have a pay-per-view fight four to six months. Between four and six months to build a fight of this magnitude so that’s why it’s a little bit different. Back then I was constantly active but that’s why I tried to start training a lot earlier on this go-round so I can be a lot sharp, a lot sharper cause, now I’m only fighting once every two years or twice or once a year and I just happened to luck out to fight twice this year, so but it’s been an amazing year for me, to become an A lister. I did Dancing with the Stars and so many different shows and just having the team that’s been supporting me and the fans that’s been supporting me and all the the writers and all the web sites, have been keeping my name out in the public eye, I think it’s been tremendous and I really; I want to let everybody know that who is on the phone that I really appreciate everybody.
RAUL SAENZ, NOTIFIGHT: Floyd, in the fight with Carlos Baldomir, you dressed as a Roman gladiator. For the De la Hoya fight, you wear the Speedy Gonzalez dress. For this, for this fight, are you going to have a costume, like a Buckingham Palace Guard or something like that?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: We don’t know what we’re going to have on. How about we let you buy pay-per-view. That’s why I’m different from every other fighter. I just like to keep everybody guessing. What is Floyd Mayweather going to wear? Some fans want to pay to see what I’m going to wear. Some pay for the name. Some of them pay to see the fight. Some pay to see the art. We just want you to tune in and buy the fight because you’ve got two fighters that are undefeated and this is a Mayweather Promotion, our first fight and it’s going to be an amazing fight but I don’t know what I’m going to wear. We need to get a web site so everybody can ask what I’m going to wear, probably talk about what I’m going to wear for this fight. I don’t know what I’m going to wear. You tell me what you think I should wear. People should write into a web site and tell the different web sites what they think I should wear, so I really don’t know but I’m going to go out there and put on a good performance.
RAUL SAENZ: Well thank you Floyd and, you know, not only the pay-per-view buyers here in the United States but I promise you everybody in Latin America and all over the world are waiting for you to put your shows not only on the ring but also out of the ring. Thank you very much.
BRIAN DOOGAN, SUNDAY TIMES LONDON: Just tagging along to what the last two guys have said, you’ve transcended boxing this year. Dancing with the Stars, how did you continue to train and focus on this fight while you were doing that Floyd?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Because I started training a lot earlier than I normally start training.
BRIAN DOOGAN: Right.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: But what’s so crazy is Ricky Hatton was talking about Dancing with the Stars was a show that he didn’t find too pleasing, but he must realize that Dancing with the Stars is a show that started in the U.K. It moved over to the U.S. It is a show that’s still goes on in the U.K. But it was an amazing show, a good experience; I was able to show the world that I can go outside the box and that I’m not just talented inside the ring but I can also get involved with things in other fields and also show my skills and take risks.
GEORGE ROSENWASSER: Hey Floyd, I know that Mayweather Promotions is working in conjunction with Golden Boy Promotions on this fight but how do you feel that Oscar has basically gone on record as saying Ricky Hatton is going to win this fight?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Everybody’s entitled to their own opinion. I mean Oscar de la Hoya said he was going to win May 5th. I mean just because he said it, did he win? So, I mean that’s your answer right there.
Oscar de la Hoya’s supposed to say that because he’s Ricky Hatton’s promoter. And it’s just like if he was my promoter, he’s going to say I’m going to win and Oscar de la Hoya is Ricky Hatton’s promoter. Even if he didn’t want to say that, that’s what he’s supposed to say, because if I was Ricky Hatton’s promoter and Ricky Hatton was fighting Oscar, guess what I’m going to say. Ricky Hatton going to beat Oscar. You always want your fighter to win.
IAN CHADBAND, LONDON EVENING STANDARD: Just a little bit more about that Dancing with the Stars, as far as I understand it, we obviously don’t see over this side of the Atlantic, but it only just finished this week. So are you telling me that you could have got to the final dance off and then beaten Ricky Hatton two weeks later?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I try to make the impossible possible. Anything is possible. I truly believe it could have happened because, you know me, even when Dancing with the Stars was going on after the show, as soon as the show was over, I never done media. As soon as the show was over I go straight to the boxing gym and after the boxing gym I go out for a six to seven or even eight mile run in. So, anything is possible.
IAN CHADBAND: I mean there’s a school of thought that would say that a boxer is not concentrating 100 percent on the fight but 50 percent on a bit of show business nonsense.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Well Dancing with the Stars has been over with a long time ago, weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks ago. I don’t know how many weeks I was off the show, but I’ve been training for this fight for nine weeks and come December 8th it’ll be nine weeks and I’m prepared mentally as well as physically and I’m in tip-top condition and I’m in great shape.
IAN CHADBAND: So is it fair to say that you really weren’t taking the dancing too seriously, that in fact you were probably quite glad that you were out after about four weeks?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I mean I’m glad that I was off the show and better earlier than later. I would have hated to have been on the show then done the whole thing and then lost, you know, went on the show 10 weeks then lost. That’s why I’m glad I was off the show earlier than, so I could focus mainly on the fight.
IAN CHADBAND: And who won it in the end, by the way. I didn’t see. Did you watch it? Did you see it through to its conclusion?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Well, I was there. I took a private jet. It was like 40 minutes away. I took a private jet over there, sat in the audience, watched it, flew right back and went right back to training. But I think Helio won it, the race car driver.
KELLY SWANSON: Yes, the race car driver.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: But I thought Mel B. really won. I mean, my honest opinion, I thought Mel B. was the best and she’s from the U.K.
IAN CHADBAND: Well I mean, I can’t believe that you got beaten by a Spice Girl.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Oh, well, things happen.
DIEGO MARTINEZ, REFORMA NEWSPAPER: Floyd, in your country you only have faced one fighter, undefeated fighter, Diego Corrales, and now you face another undefeated fighter. Is it same to face a fighter with one loss, two loss or an undefeated fighter?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I mean we truthfully when we’re being honest, Ricky Hatton has one loss. He lost to, I mean they already to Louis Collazo. I mean you can ask anybody that. I don’t really know; I never seen the fight but go ask the world. That’s all they say, He lost it. I mean he got a gift, but I’m not really worried about a guy’s record. Because once we go in there and face each other a guy could be as I told you before, have 30 wins and 10 losses. Once we face, once we face each other, we’re both zero and zero.
JIM EVERETT, SADDOBOXING.COM : Floyd, recently on 24/7, you mentioned that money is not the driver at this point in your career. I’m just curious, was it the money or the challenge of facing Hatton that brought you out of retirement?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: This is something different, country versus country. That’s something that I’ve always looked to do. It’s just, I’ve never done everything else in the sport but you’ve never had a country versus country so that’s why I took on the challenge.
HENRY BEDOY, BOXINGSTARS.NET : Floyd, how do you approach this fight? Do you approach this fight exactly like all your other fights or this is just a special fight in your career?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: Well, I think if you approach it different from any other fight, anything can happen, so that’s why I try to approach it like I approach every fight. Just go out there and dedicate myself to boxing. Just go out there and just work hard. That’s what I do. I’m the hardest worker in the gym. For all the people that came to see me yesterday at the media workout and the press workout, they seen I was working hard. I mean I’m in tip-top shape and everybody say my body looks a lot better this fight than they ever seen it, so I mean I’m in tip-top condition and I feel good and I’m going to go out there and put on a good performance. That’s why I started camp early and that’s why we got Mayweather Promotions up and running. I feel’s good. My team feels good, so I think we’re going to get a good outcome.
RAMON ARANDA: Can you tell us a little bit about Baldomir? How did training with him come about and what did you learn from him?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I was in the boxing gym and he was like Baldomir going to be here. Then Leonard told me that Baldomir’s going to be here Friday. I said well; I said we are boxing, right. He’s like yes. I said OK, that’s good. We need that. So he has another guy that’s undefeated. I think he’s 20 and 0 with 18 knockouts that’s going to be here too. So I was like no problem. So he came Friday and I think being on Friday, I don’t think we box because I just wanted him to get comfortable first, coming in he’s going to get comfortable. I like a guy to get comfortable cause like I said before, we are fair. So he came; he trained at my gym and enjoyed himself, I mean and then we had fun, actually, cool dude. And then Monday, we started boxing and we were throwing down.
KELLY SWANSON: OK, great. That was our last question for this conference call. Floyd, do you have any closing comments before we go ahead and let you go?
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: I just wanted to say that I appreciate all the media because, I mean you guys are the ones that helped Floyd Mayweather get to the level that he’s at over the years, writing all the articles and I appreciate, I mean everybody. I really, and I truly mean that and thanks for supporting me. My family appreciates you guys. Be there December 8; if you can’t, buy pay-per-view because you, this go-around I have to give you guys a toe-to-toe battle and I’m not going to let you guys down. I’m going to go out there and perform well and all my U.K. fans, all my U.K. writers, I appreciate all the articles and continue to write about Ricky Hatton and continue to write about Floyd Mayweather and I’ll see you guys next week. Thanks.
KELLY SWANSON: All right. Thank you so much Floyd. That concludes the conference call and thanks everybody for your participation. Again, tomorrow, you will get the fight week schedule with all the activities for next week in Las Vegas. Thank you.
END
“UNDEFEATED” ? WBC world and Ring Magazine welterweight champion ” Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather will meet world junior welterweight and Ring Magazine champion Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton for the WBC world welterweight and Ring Magazine championships Saturday, Dec. 8 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Mayweather Promotions, and sponsored by Rock Star Energy Drink, Tecate Beer and Southwest Airlines, the fight will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View. For more information on Mayweather vs. Hatton, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com .
The HBO all-access series “MAYWEATHER/HATTON 24/7” debuts a new episode Sunday, Dec. 2 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO. The four-part series, with unprecedented access, will chronicle the fighters’ preparations for the Dec. 8 super-fight at MGM Grand and will provide viewers with a compelling look at two extraordinary champions.
EUROPEAN BOXING NEWS
Posted on | December 2, 2007 | No Comments
EBU welter champ Jackon Osei Bonsu, one most exciting fighters in Europe right now, defends the title against Frenchman Brice Faradji January 12 at the Lotto Arena in Antwerp.
Purse bids for EBU middle champ Sebastian Sylvester?s mandatory defence against WBA # 1 challenger Javier Castillejo will now not take place until January 28, 08. This means Finn Amin Asikainen, EBU # 1, will be kept waiting. Sylvester will make a voluntary defenceof the title January 26 in Berlin against Francois Bastient in a supporting bout to the IBF heavyweight eliminator between Eddie Chambers and Alexander Povetkin.
Hungarian cruiser Gyorgi Hidvegi defends the WBF title December 15 in Dessau on the same bill as female multiple champ Natascha Ragosina looks to add a fifth belt to her collection.
Belgian Ismail Abdoul headlines the annual December 25 show in Izegem. Abdoul, normally a cruiser but with his best weight at lightheavy, looks to win the vacant national title at heavyweight before going away on a lengthy “vacation” – Abdoul have as previously been reported been sentenced to several years in jail.
German supermiddle Jurgen Brahmer face another trial, writes Bild Zeitung. Brahmer is accused of assaulting a man in Schwerin in June of 2006. The WBO # 1 is still on probation from his last prison term and another sentence could put him a long way back.
The 16 fighters that will participate in the French version of the Contender have now been announced and include relatively big names such as Morrade Hakkar, Thierry Karl, Pierre Moreno and Denis Saioni. The “Grand Tournoi” begins January 24 with two contests and continues all through the spring and fall with the “Finale de Grand Tornoi” set for December 11, 2008.
The Henry Akinwande-Steve Herelius clash for the vacant EU heavyweight title have been set for February 19. Site tba in France with Gerhard Teysseron?s EuroProm staging the fight.
French welter Issa Hamza defends the WBF title December 14 in Yaound?, Cameroons, against Uruguayan Ruben Francisco Silva Diaz. Hamza is managed by former world champ Thierry Jacob.
HammerKnockout Promotions in Poland promotes in Rzeszow December 15 with lightheavy Dawid Kostecki taking on veteran Mukadi Manda on top. At cruiser former IBF champ Krzysztof Wlodarczyk square off against Aloyri Mensah.
IBF I/C heavy champ Oleg Platov defends the title against British veteran Danny Williams on the undercard to Abraham vs Elcock December 8 in Basle.
Henry Akinwande and Steve Herelius will clash for the vacant EU heavyweight title. EuroProm in France promotes the fight with date and site to be announced.
German heavy Timo Hoffmann?s contract with Sauerland Event expires at the end of the year. Timo?s grand stand against Aleksander Dimitrenko didn?t go unnoticed and he is likely to continue his career with a different promoter in Germany.
US-based Polish jr middle Pawel Wolak, 18-0, returns home December 15 and headlines BoxingEurope?s show in Krakow in an International Polish titlefight.
Former WBC lightheavy champ Tomasz Adamek – now at cruiser – could have his next fight December 29 in Bielefeld, Germany, on the undercard to Cunningham vs Huck. Adamek have reportedly split with 12rounds, the Polish promotional company, that handled his comeback fight earlier this year.
Universum?s show in Karlsruhe with Regina Halmich?s farewellbout on top has had some bad luck. First WBO jr middle champ Sergey Dzinziruk?s defence of the title against Lukas Konecny was postponed when the challenger got injured in training, then EBU lightheavy ruler Thomas Ulrich injured his hand forcing a postponement of his fight against Yuri Barashian. Returning from a injury layoff though, earlier than expected, is Russian heavy Dennis Boytsov who face Brazilian Ademar Leonardo Correa while middleweight Khoren Gevor eases back against Gabriel Lecrosnier.
A promotional outfit called “Stars of Professional Boxing” promotes in Lviv, Ukraine, December 12. Welterweight Viktor Plotnikov headlines with lightheavy Vasyl Kondor on the undercard.
Goran Delic and David Blanco clash for the UBO cruiser title December 14 in Banja Luka.
Veteran promoter, matchmaker, agent, matchmaker and advisor Mogens Palle told Danish paper BT the other day that he was near death in Cardiff just before the Calzaghe vs Kessler fight. The main problem was kidney failure. As it was Palle was unable to see the fight even on TV – and according to BT still haven?t seen it. However, for the future the 73-year old veteran with 50 years in boxing gives a hint that the last punch haven?t been thrown. Team Palle?s main star, Mikkel Kessler, is currently resting and healining his injured hand while cruiser Johny Jensen fights EBU champ Vincenzo Cantatore December 14 in Rome. The team as a whole face an uncertain 2008 though with no TV deal at home.
Finland?s Steel Ring, based north of the Pole circle, plans to do four events during 2008 but is faced with the in a way nice problem that its main fighters – for instance 10-0 jr middle Mika Joensuu – is past the six-round level fights and ready to go for bigger things. This also means a bigger budget and if it all comes together is an open question.
Italian heavy Paolo Vidoz returns to action December 21 in Mantova. Opponent is to be announced.
CHAVEZ JR. AND JORGE ARCE TO FIGHT ON UPCOMING CARD
Posted on | December 2, 2007 | No Comments
Chavez Jr. vs. Sanchez III
On December 1st, at the Tingley Coliseum in Alberquerque, New Mexico. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. will face Ray Sanchez III and El Travieso Jorge Arce will do battle with Medgoen Singsurat.
A press conference took place in Los Angeles on Monday to announce the fight. Martin Castillo was at hand as well as Francisco Arce, the younger fighting brother of Jorge Arce.
?Latin Fury? will be on pay per view for only $34.95. A bargain compare to the high HBO and Showtime $59.95 pay per view. This fight card is an explosive one that you don?t want to miss.
Chavez Jr. [33-0-1, 26 KO?s] of Mexico takes on Sanchez [20-1, 15 KO?s] of New Mexico for a schedule 10 rounds super welterweight bout. Arce [47-4-1, 36 KO?s] of Mexico faces Singsurat [48-4, 34 KO?s] of Thailand for a 12 rounds super flyweight bout.
A title bout between champion Ivan Calderon [29-0, 6 KO?s] of Puerto Rico and Juan Esquer [20-1-1, 15 KO?s] of Mexico will duke it out for Calderon WBO junior flyweight title belt. And, Mike Alvarado [18-0, 12 KO?s] of Colorado versus Henry Bruseles [25-3-1, 14 KO?s] of Puerto Rico fight for a schedule 10 rounds super lightweight bout.
Armando Cabrera
BRITISH BOXING INVASION
Posted on | December 2, 2007 | No Comments
Murray and Meager lead Manchester invasion
The British invasion of Las Vegas begins on Friday (December 7) when Hennessy Sports duo John Murray and Lee Meager feature on a Golden Boy promotion at the MGM Grand Conference Center.
?BRITISH INVASION ? THE U.K. VS. THE WORLD? is a night of world-class professional boxing presented by Golden Boy Promotions. Telefutura?s Solo Boxeo will broadcast the event beginning at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Murray 22-0 (12 KOs) and Meager 21-2-1 (8 KOs) both face Mexicans the night before their fellow Manchester boxer Ricky Hatton faces American Floyd Mayweather for the WBC Welterweight Title.
It will be a chance for many of the thousands of fans from Manchester and Britain who will make the trip to Vegas to see two more of their countryman in action.
Newly-crowned English Lightweight Champion Murray faces Miguel Angel Mungui 16-9 (13 KOs) while former British Lightweight Champion Meager is up against Jose Alberto Gonzalez 14-4 (6 KOs). The Hennessy Sports team arrived in Las Vegas on Thursday.
Murray, 22, is delighted to get the chance to show the travelling British fight fans and an American audience what he can do. Last year?s British Boxing Writers? Young Boxer of the Year fought on the undercard of Oscar de la Hoya against Floyd Mayweather in May, when he stopped Lorenzo Bethea in the seventh round. He then stopped Dean Hickman for the English Title in four rounds in a career-best display on November 9.
John Murray said: ?It?s a dream to be fighting in Las Vegas again and is great experience for me. It will be a good chance for me to put on a good show in front of a lot of British fight fans who might not have seen me before, especially Manchester fight fans.
?There?s 25,000 Brits coming out to Vegas to see Ricky, so hopefully a few will come down to watch some more boxing the night before. Not everyone could get tickets for Ricky?s fight, but they?ve got the chance to see two other Manchester fighters the night before. It?s a great chance to show my talent to the American audience again and I feel great after my last performance.
?I?ve been sparring with Ricky Hatton and what he has achieved is something that I am aiming for. I want to be fighting in Las Vegas as the main event one day.?
Lee Meager said: ?It?s very exciting to have the chance to be fighting in front of a lot of Manchester fans on such a big weekend for British boxing. It?s great to be part of it and I intend to get the weekend off to a good start.?
Murray and Meager?s promoter Mick Hennessy said: ?This is an incredible event taking place before the Hatton fight for British boxing fans in Las Vegas. It?s a chance for fight fans to see two absolutely class Manchester boxers. John Murray is unbeaten and headlines the British side of the show. We?re also hoping to get it on British TV.?
Other British boxers on the bill include middleweight Craig McEwan (Edinburgh) 8-0, middleweight Jimmy Campbell (London/Indianapolis) 10-1, lightweight Martin Gethin (Walsall) 10-0 and welterweight Dean Harrison (9-0).
Former world title challenger Bronco McKart (USA) 51-7 faces Enrique Ornelas (Mexico) in the main event.
Tickets for ?The British Invasion,? priced at $125, $75 and $50, may be purchased at any MGM Grand box office outlet or by calling MGM Grand at 702-891-7777. Fans also can obtain tickets at all Ticketmaster locations (select Smith?s Food and Drug Centers, Macy?s West at the Fashion Show Mall and Ritmo Latino), by calling Ticketmaster at 702-474-4000 or online at Ticketmaster.com. Doors open at 4 p.m. and the first bell will ring at 4:30 p.m.
ERIC FIELDS VS. LOUIS MONACO
Posted on | December 2, 2007 | No Comments
FIELDS ? MONACO to Battle at the Boat
EQC Series Last Show of the Year
For Immediate Release
Nov. 30, 2007 Tacoma , WA — One of America?s longest running and most successful Boxing Series the ? Battle at the Boat? will have their last show of 2007 on Saturday, December 1, 2007 and the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma , Washington . The series is promoted by Brian Halquist Productions and is the 9th show this year.
The main event will see new BHP signee Eric Fields face veteran Louis Monaco in a 10 Rounder. Fields hails from Ardmore , Oklahoma and had a successful amateur Career. In 2004 and 2005 Fields won the national Golden Gloves Heavyweight title and was named Golden Boy (outstanding fighter) at the tournament. Louis Monaco is a veteran fighter who has fought the best cruiserweights in the world.
?This will be a great test for Eric,? said promoter Brian Halquist . ?We are going to have Eric at a good pace this next year. We hope to get him on TV as soon as possible and plan to fight him tough. We want to fight Eric here at the Emerald Queen Casino and other venues as well as back home in Oklahoma . We are going to keep Eric on the fast track.?
The semi-main 6 round fight will feature two fighters who the Northwest fight fans have seen before and liked. Daniel Gonzalez will fight Derrick Moon in a welterweight bout.
?Both Gonzalez and Moon have fought for us before. This should be a great fight!? Halquist said.
Other bouts on the card are:
James Sangrey of Great Falls , MT vs. Frank Dojaquez of Pomona , CA ; Welterweight; 4 Rounds
Noe Luengas of Oaxaca , Mexico vs. Gabriel Cruz of Oceanside , CA ; Flyweight; 4 Rounds
Daverne Morrison of Billings , MT vs. Jennifer Barber Van Nuys , CA ; Super Featherweight; 4 Rounds
Michael Birthmark of Billings , MT vs. Fernando Barajas of Michoacan , Mexico ; Middleweight; 4 Rounds
The 62nd installment of The Battle at the Boat Series will be January19, 2008.
Tickets are available at the Emerald Queen Casino Box Office or Ticketmaster for $75.00, $40.00 and $25.00.
For additional information contact:
Brian Halquist Productions
253-564-2090
Danny Green Ready For WBA Title Showdown
Posted on | December 2, 2007 | No Comments
World rated light heavyweight contender Danny Green has entered the most crucial phase of training camp in preparation to his title challenge of WBA Champion Stipe Drews at Challenge Stadium in Green’s hometown of Perth, Australia on December 16, 2007.
Current IBF Pan Pacific, IBO Asia Pacific and PABA titlist Green, 24-3 (22), is producing the bout in partnership with manager Justin Manolikos in their successful company Green Machine Promotions. “Danny is right in the middle of sparring,” said Manolikos.
“He’s right in the most intense part of the training at the moment and really starting to ramp it up. He’s been sparring quite a few local blokes but we’ve also brought a Ukrainian out for him to spar with as well.
“The Ukrainian is six foot five and a half inches tall, a half inch bigger than Drews. It’s just essential that Danny gets used to the awkward style, the long arms, the long reach and also the height difference as clearly, this is the tallest opponent that Danny’s ever faced.”
Drews, 32-1 (13), won the WBA title by defeating Silvio Branco in April. Towering height and a difficult southpaw style have earned the Croatian the “Spiderman” nickname and saw him through four European title defenses but doesn’t unduly concern Manolikos, who feels that Green’s aggressive, hard punching approach will bring the Perth native a world title.
“I think when you’re fighting an Eastern European, who is probably going to have a five inch reach advantage, it’s no secret that you’re not going to stand outside and box with him,” he said.
“Danny’s obviously going to have a game plan that he needs to stick to and I think that will be just to chop Drews down, break him down in the later rounds, just take his spirit away.”
Green Machine Promotions presents the WBA World Light Heavyweight Championship between reigning titlist Stipe Drews and challenger Danny Green with full undercard at Challenge Stadium, Mt. Claremont, Perth, Western Australia on Sunday, December 16, 2007.
Tickets are priced at $185 Premium Plus, $155 Premium, $135 General, $95 Standard and are available at www.ticketmaster.com.au . Doors open at 4:30PM.
Main Event will provide live televised PPV coverage at 6:30PM for Austar, Foxtel and Optus customers for $49.95 inc. GST
Press Release composed by Curtis McCormick for www.dannygreen.com.au
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