THE FNU TIME MACHINE: BACK WHEN THE “DUKE” WAS ONLY DREAMING OF A COMEBACK
Posted on | August 3, 2007 | No Comments
THIS STORY WAS ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2005
Return of “The Duke”
By AJ Vittone
“FORE”!!!
Everybody ducks.
“FORE”!!!!
Everybody ducks again.
The next thing you know a ball comes screeching by, hits one tree, bounces off of another and lands on the adjacent fairway.
That’s when I hear a man in a nearby golf cart utter the following, “We got a bunch of hackers out here!”
I laughed and then quickly complimented the gentleman on his keen observation.
After all, he was accurate. Very accurate.
The reason for all the errant shots and occasional outbursts saturated with humor was, at least to the several folks in attendance, blatantly obvious. It was the 1st Annual Jim McMahon GSE Celebrity Golf Invitational being held at the Alpine Country Club in Cranston Rhode Island. I was covering the event for a local television station and let me tell you, there were a bevy, a bastion, a plethora, a cornucopia of hackers on the course that day…. Including the man responsible for making that comment..
Moments later, the man who was sitting inside that near bye cart made his way to the 10th tee. He stood about 6”2, slim build, short hair brushed forward with a thin beard and glasses, resembling that of a history professor at Dartmouth or any other Ivy League institution for that matter. As he approached the tee box, driver in one hand, an ice cold beer in the other, he said, “All right, here goes nothing baby.”
And then, “Whack!”, a beautiful tee shot, hit straight as an arrow, dances down the fairway.
“I haven’t picked up a club in eight years”, the man said. “Not bad, ay?”
That man, was Tommy Morrison.
Yes, Tommy “The Duke” Morrison.
Yes, the same man who played the character “Tommy Gunn” in the movie Rocky V.
Yes, the same man who beat George Foreman in a unanimous 12 round decision to win the WBO Heavyweight Title in June of 1993.
Yes, the same man who was knocked unconscious by Ray Mercer in the 5th round of their WBO Title fight in October of 1991.
And Yes, the same man, who was once dubbed as, “The tough white kid with the killer left hook.”
Let’s just say a lot has changed since Morrison announced that he tested positive for HIV back in February of 1996. But one thing, however, hasn’t changed…. And that would be his knack for delivering the perfect soundbite. The soundbite we (media types) can’t wait to share with the world. After all, Tommy was never what one would deem as “shy.” Not in the least bit. Especially if he liked you and felt comfortable while in your presence. In other words, if you happened to be one of “the lucky ones”. You see, Tommy was never very trusting of the media back in his fighting days… As a matter of fact, there was a time when he despised journalists of any kind.. Often blaming them for all “the negative energy” that surrounded his fighting career… hovering around him like a giant funnel cloud about to let loose. But on this day, Tommy Morrison was conversating like it was going out of style …. It was Tommy, simply being Tommy. And I know you’re going to find this hard to believe, but he still loves to talk… And the good news is, he’s just as candid, raw, uncensored and unpredictable as he used to be back in his heyday.
“Check this out…. I’m like horrible for about three or four holes and then, all of a sudden, I’m able to pull the rabbit out the hat somehow”, exclaims Morrison, “I’ll be damned.”
That was Tommy offering a critique of his golf game. One that mirrored in many ways his boxing career. Plenty of highs and at the same time, plenty of lows. For the next two minutes of our conversation Morrison began to dissect his golf game a little more… and then, out of nowhere, Morrison threw in this little antidote, that caught both myself and my videographer by complete surprise.
“When you retire, life is a little too quiet you know, So I’m thinking about changing that. I think I might be interested in, at least considering the idea of fighting again and we’ll see what happens, how ’bout that?” Morrison said.
Keep in mind, this was unprovoked. A very Impromptu response, if you will. Needless to say I was shocked. The good kind of shocked of course. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The Duke is actually thinking about making a comeback. Say it ain’t so.
I was also happy, being a broadcast television journalist, about what appeared to be a world wide “exclusive” as we like to say in the biz. It was “Breaking News”, …. “The Big Story”,…. “An exclusive interview, only seen here, tonight at eleven!!”
You get the drill.
Not knowing how serious he was when he made that statement, I asked him to repeat what he had just uttered to me. He did. After that, I then did what any other Boxing Enthusaist (desperate for something to cheer about in the heavyweight division) would have done in that situation, I pleaded with Morrison to make a return to Boxing. OK, I’ll be honest, I freakin’ begged him!
And that’s when he let me know that he wasn’t joking.
“I think it would be a breath of fresh air for the sport right now because it’s at a low point. It’s at the same low point that it was when Tyson came along and was weeding through everybody and everybody thought he was superman….. But, they didn’t know , the people who aren’t students of the game, that boxing goes through this about every 10 years and it’s pretty weak at this point.. And if I could just have my career over again, if certain things pan out, then it (boxing) looks very promising for me.” proclaims Morrison.
It was at that point, I knew he was for real, and as a boxing fan, I could not have been happier.
Boxing IS at a low point right now…. An EXTREMELY low point! As a matter of fact, it’s in complete disarray. A state of mass hysteria. I could go on….. But I know I’m preaching to the converted here… So I’ll refrain from doing so.
You’re welcome, by the way.
Let’s be honest here people, Who the heck are we kidding? Boxing is…. Well… A Cluster (you know what) right now…. Especially the Heavyweight Division. A division cluttered with yahoos who have about as much name recognition as the guy who played Pauly Shore’s stunt double in the 1992 masterpiece “Encino Man.” As a matter of fact, I bet that guy, whoever the hell he is, could probably beat both of the Kiltchko brothers……. At the same time!!!! That’s assuming Vitali Klitchko didn’t pull out of the fight first because of a cracked toenail or something. That’s right. I went there. And I know a great majority of you share the very same sentiment.
Let’s face it, Boxing needs some help right now….In the worst way possible!
Perhaps, just perhaps, the remedy for this gigantic problem might lie in the very hands of one of Boxing’s most charismatic and colorful fighters of all time…… The man they call, Tommy “The Duke” Morrison.
If nothing more, a return from “The Duke” would give boxing fans and non-boxing fans alike something to cheer about in the much maligned heavyweight division….. And it would give them something to actually look forward to on a Saturday night….Instead of watching two pathetic sloths (who should be mopping floors at the local mini-mart) hold and clutch each other all night as if they were auditioning for ABC’s “Dancing with The Stars”…. (And just think, former champ Evander Holyfield actually competed on that show… Scary, I know.)
The fact of the matter is, there is nothing…… And I mean NOTHING exciting about the heavyweight division right now which, if you take the time to think about it, is the only division most of this country gives a rat’s backside about. It is, after all, the only division most of America would actually care to follow (much like that of an NBA or NFL team for example) and the only division anyone ever seems to talk about during social gatherings and during work breaks involving the ever popular “water cooler”!
People love their heavyweights in this country… Plain and simple. People also love interesting characters with intriguing story lines, backgrounds, behaviors and idiosyncrasies. We want fighters with personality. We want fighters with charisma. They don’t have to be Muhanmmed Ali for crying out loud, but they have to possess at least one unique quality that makes them both entertaining and dare I say, marketable. Tommy Morrison was that fighter and from what I gathered during my interview with him, he still is! Let’s face it, his blue collar work ethic and Hollywood image combined for one heck of a marketing juggernaut. When Morrison fought (and he used to fight often if you recall) you always wanted to be there and for good reason. His fights were more than just fights ….. they were events….. Big time events. Bigger than the circus, the Harlem Globetrotters and a good concert all wrapped into one. You never knew what to expect (at least as far as the outcome was concerned), but you always left the venue entertained. That perhaps best describes a Tommy Morrison fight. A fight we will hopefully see again real soon. At least that is what I was led to believe during my interview with Morrison, an interview in which, Tommy insisted he was making a return to the ring.
“I’m looking forward to coming back, I really am”, cried Morrison. “I think it (the heavyweight division) needs me to be honest with you. I don’t mean to sound conceited , but it needs something, it needs a jump start and I think I got the tools to maybe make that happen.”
No arguments here.
I agree with that statement wholeheartedly.
The Heavyweight Division DOES need Morrison.
Heck, it needs something right now and even though Morrison is not going to be the long term solution by any means…. At least he could serve as the band-aid that will temporarily stop the bleeding.
I say, as long as he’s healthy enough and in great physical shape, it’s worth a shot… And according to Morrison, he’s all of the above…. And then some.
“I never left the gym really. I lift weights a lot and that sort of thing. I haven’t gotten in the boxing gym in a while, but if I perform how I feel … Then I’ll be fine. I’ve kept myself in great shape and God only gives us one body and we’ve got to take care of it and I went though some rough times where I abused the hell out of it, but I got through it pretty quick and now things are looking up for me at age 36”, Morrison said.
The scary thing is, Tommy did abuse the living you know what out of his body during his career. What more can you say, the guy loved to party…. And I mean LOVED to party. As a result of his many exploits and escapades, Morrison was often described as “notorious.”
I asked “The Duke”, “Who partied more in their 20’s you or Vinny Paz?”
Morrison responded, “No one could hold a candle to me man, are you kidding me, I was an animal… I mean I’m a legend in some parts of this country.”
He’s not lying either.
And yet, despite his love for wild parties, Morrison is still angry at the media, for what he calls, “portraying him as an animal.”
Come on now Tommy, the media would never do something like that….. Well, then again, if you only heard what I said about Terrell Owens last night ….. Oh well, it was all in good fun…. moving on.
“I’m not an animal”, cried Morrison.
(If I’m the elephant man, I’m suing)
“That’s what the media played me out to be. I’m a nice guy you know. I’m just an extremist and when I train, no one trains harder than me, but when I party , no one parties harder than me either, that was back of course when I was 19, 20, 21 years old… Now I’m 36 , I’m in the prime of my life and common sense would tell me probably not to get back in this sport, but the opportunity that I see when I look through those goggles is very promising. I don’t know what I’ve got left, I know you can’t lay dormant for nine years and not doing anything and stay sharp, but I’m gonna test the waters and see what I do have left”, proclaimed Morrison.
One can only hope he still has something left.
One can only hope his workouts and sparring sessions are productive.
One can only hope the nine year layoff has done more to heal the former champ than to hinder him.
According to “The Duke”, it (the layoff) has only helped.
“Honestly, I’ve learned more about boxing, the game of boxing, in the nine years that I’ve been out, than I did during the 28 or so years I was in”, claims Morrison. “I never fought healthy. I was always overcoming injury. I had to get needles run up through my fingers everyday just to spar. Ten years of that stuff gets old quick, so I didn’t start feeling like a healthy person until about three years after I retired, then I started getting to where I could move again and joints didn’t ache as much… I feel refreshed now, and to think, I wasn’t a fighter who took a lot of punishment during my career.”
It’s true.
Take away the loss to Ray Mercer in ’91, and this guy was a brick “you know what” house when inside the ropes.. A fighter who could take everything you threw at him…. The kitchen sink, the gas stove, the dining table, the deck furniture, the neighbor’s Winnebago…. Bottom line is, Morrison could take punishment. He was, after all, one tough S.O.B… Unlike many of today’s heavyweights who tear up and crawl into a fetal position at the site of their own sweat. Not only could Morrison take punishment, but he could dish it out and do so in the most “crowd pleasing” fashion. The average heavyweight today would have difficulty breaking a grape in a fruit fight…. Not Morrison. His patented killer left hook would strike opponents as if it were fired directly out of a cannon. He just had that excitability about him. That explosiveness.
He was a true performer, in every sense of the word.
Which is why boxing needs “The Duke” right now.
Desperately!.
Let’s face it, “The Duke”, was never given a chance to ride off into the sunset like some athletes..
He was never able to leave on his own terms.
Tommy was forced to hang up his gloves.
He didn’t want to, but he knew it was his only option at the time.
For Tommy, it was simply an unfortunate situation that was completely unavoidable.
“I felt bad. I was just starting to get it all together when I had to quit (due to the HIV test in ’96) You see, I came from a tough man circuit so I had a lot of improving to do and it took me a while to catch up… that’s why I stayed so busy when I first started… I was the most active heavyweight on the planet at the time, Mike Tyson did the same thing when he was coming up and I know because we mere moved along by the same manager”, Morrison said.
He was active all right. Heck, I remember at one point it seemed as if Morrison was fighting every week…. As if he were going door to door in an effort to secure his opponents.
And let’s not forget, Morrison is no stranger to fighting in New England (which is where the golf tournament was taking place.) After all, Tommy Morrison is the answer to a very popular trivia question in the New England region…. And that question would be, “Who was the first fighter to headline a card at Foxwoods?”
Ahhh, it appears some of us may have forgotten that 3rd Round TKO vs. Kimmuel Odum on April 23, 1992 in the Main Event of what was, the inaugural fight card at Foxwoods. Yes, it was “The Duke” who christened what the kids like to call, “The Woods” and as a result, he will always be linked to Foxwoods and be a part of it’s folklore. And don’t think for a second that Tommy forgot about that historic night in 1992. No way Jose. The mere mention of fighting in New England brings an ear to ear grin to Morrison’s mug.
“I remember how enthusiastic the crowd was that night. I’ve found that anywhere you go on the east coast, you’ve got hard core boxing fans…. Where ever you go, it doesn’t matter”, claimed Morrison. “I recall there wasn’t that many people there (Foxwoods) .. Maybe two to three thousand people at the most and that was pushing it…. And it sounded like I was at the Thomas & Mack Arena at UNLV in Las Vegas fighting George Foreman…. That’s how loud it was. It was a very acoustic place, I can tell you that.”
I remember that night.
I remember it like it was yesterday.
Don’t get me wrong here, It’s not like I was there or anything, because I wasn’t. You see, I wanted to go to that fight at Foxwoods but my lame (insert expletive) friends didn’t want to go. They said it cost too much. Bunch of cheapskates! Even though they loved Tommy Morrison’s character, “Tommy Gunn”, in Rocky V, they still were too cheap to spring for tickets. The nerve of some people. Oh the humanity! I kept telling them “Come on man, it’s the dude from Rocky V, we gotta go.”… But as you can see, my efforts were clearly thwarted . Oh well, I tried. Hey, I was in school at that time and money was hard to come by. I hope “Tommy Gunn” will find it in his heart to forgive me.
And while I’m on the topic of “Rocky V”, let’s be brutally honest here, if it weren’t for that film, would anyone be even remotely fanatical about Tommy Morrison…. Let alone, know who the heck he is? Probably not. It was, Rocky V after all, that catapulted Morrision into the spotlight and made him a household name…. A bonified celebrity, if you will. Morrison’s popularity grew by leaps and bounds thanks to his character “Tommy Gunn” and still to this day people love asking him questions about the movie….. Including yours truly. Hey, I just couldn’t resist. Come on, you would have done the same thing.
When I began to ask my question, I prefaced it by saying, “Now I know you’ve been asked this question a million times before…..” And before I could finish my question Morrison quickly blurted out, “Let me guess, how tall is Stallone?”
I then laughed of course and quickly told him that wasn’t my question.
By the way, just for the record, I’ve stood next to Stallone and I don’t know what the heck these people are saying when they claim he’s so “bleepin'” short….. He’s not that short, trust me, he isn’t. People make it seem as if he’s 5’2 or something…. The guy is like 5’9 or 5’10 for crying out loud. My goodness, the way people were talking I thought Stallone was the same height as Emmanuel Lewis from the classic ’80’s sitcom, “Webster”! What I want to know is, who was the person who started this rumor? Kareem Abdul Jabaar????
Anyway, sorry about the tangent.
As I was saying before, it would appear to many, if not all of us, that the Rocky V experience was the single most important moment of Morrison’s career. A moment that changed his life forever. Similar to what Hulk Hogan’s appearance in Rocky III ultimately did for his wrestling career (how could we forget Thunderlips, what a nick name!), Tommy went from being a virtually unknown fighter to achieving a large degree of celebrity status almost overnight. Think about it for a second, he went from Jay, Oklahoma to Tinsel Town… It was, dare I say, a true Hollywood story. And of course Mr. Morrison is thankful. Mighty thankful.
“From a marketing standpoint it did amazing things for me. For the first time in my life I was exposed to something that I had a passion for. And that was acting”, Morrison said. “When I was fighting before I never really enjoyed it and you have to enjoy what you do for a living. But the politics of the sport (boxing) can really suck the life out of a person and there’s a lot of corruption involved…. As hard as you work to make your money, the people around you, at least some of them, are working twice as hard to try and take it away from you. That’s why, at that point in my life, I really embraced the acting. It was so much fun.”
Many people do not realize that Morrison actually signed a three-picture movie deal after appearing in Rocky V,… But because of his “busy body” nature when it comes to fighting and training, the movie deal eventually expired before Morrison could ever take advantage of it.
But don’t think for a second that the movie deal’s expiration was his biggest regret. Not even close. Try this one on for size. At one point, Morrison signed a $38.5 million dollar (three fight) deal with Don King and the third fight was going to be with Mike Tyson upon his departure from prison. Still to this day Tommy claims that would have been his final fight and he knows he could have beaten Tyson. Just thinking of how many people would have tuned in to watch that fight, sends chills riveting up my spine. Man, that would have been an “entertaining” fight to say the very least.
Even though that scenario never occurred, the opportunity to entertain us all again, just might.
“What can I say, I’m excited about coming back. Timing is everything in life and right now everything looks like a go for me”, Morrison stated.
I can only hope so.
PLEASE come back Tommy.
And even if you decide not to (which is all too common in boxing. As a matter of fact, I believe a fighter waffles on a decision about every 32 seconds in this sport) hey, I still had fun writing this story.
Best of luck “Duke.”
THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN REMOVED
Posted on | August 3, 2007 | 281 Comments
Boxing family loses one of its youngest!
Posted on | August 2, 2007 | No Comments
Car accident claims life of teenager Christopher Marrone.
By Mike Indri
Retired Boxers Foundation
August 2, 2007
Christopher Marrone, a Vero Beach High School varsity wrestler and football player, died last week in a tragic one-car accident.
According to a TCPalm.com article, the popular 17-year-old student athlete never made it home following a voluntary football workout.
Florida State Troopers received reports of a partially submerged vehicle in a canal off 66th Ave, south of State Road 60, at 6:43am this past Tuesday (7/24). Indian River County Fire Rescue reports confirmed the single body found being that of Christopher Marrone.
Loved by all his high school classmates and teammates, Christopher, # 66, was the starting nose tackle and a big part of the team’s solid defensive unit.
The 285 lb. state qualified wrestler was also a big inspiration to his older brother Michael, 21, a promising heavyweight boxer.
“My brother was great, the best brother I could imagine,” stated Marrone, 18-0 (13 KO’s), who is pursuing his dream to one day become a world champion.
Managed by the legendary Lou Duva, and under the watchful eye of long time trainer Gus Curren, Marrone spends countless hours at Vero Beach’s “House of Champions” gym.
All of Team Marrone, Duva and Curren, as well as skilled cutman Darren Antola are devastated by the loss of Christopher, a member of their boxing family.
All of the boxing community sends their love and heartfelt sympathies to Chris’s parents Joe and Michelle, sister Venecia Altimus and brother Michael. Christopher Marrone is in all of our prayers.
Mike Indri
RBFNJMIKE@aol.com
VALUEV TO FACE BERGERON INSTEAD OF VIRCHIS
Posted on | August 2, 2007 | No Comments
Former WBA heavy champ Nikolai Valuev returns to action September 29 in Oldenburg, Germany, against Canadian Jean-Francois Bergeron. Valuev has thus relinquished his position as mandatory challenger for EBU ruler Vladimir Virchis. Bergeron´s NABA title could be at stake.
Valuev is rated # 1 by the WBA while Bergeron is # 13.
REBECCA RYAN LONG ADDED TO FIGHT_NET RADIO CREW
Posted on | August 1, 2007 | No Comments
ELITE BROADCAST MEDIA PRESS RELEASE 7/31/07
HERE COMES MORE BOOM!
Fight news heard through out Southern California on Radio Station KCAA-NBC
1050 AM (yes real radio, you know the one you listen to in your car) We are about to go Nationally Sindicated very soon. THen you can catch us across the US.
This past week Fight_Net Radio joined forces with pound4pound.com to provide live streaming audio and video, plus exclusive content to be found ONLY at pound4pound.com. Now we have made an improvement to the on air staff… Fight_Net Radio would like to introduce Rebecca Ryan Long to the Fight_Net Radio Crew to help cover MMA and keep Lee in line. “She is a glorified Psycho, Chris and Manny are always a handful now I have a walking-talking FCC nightmare! She’s opinionated, educated and she’s a pro MMA fighter! It’s like I lost some kind of F’ing bet! I get a hot chick with intelligence for a co-host and all she wants to do is kick my head in!” Lee Honish host of Fight_Net Radio on the new addition to ‘team’ Fight_Net.
“He’s either insane or a genius…”
Danny Bonaduce on Lee Honish
Fight_Net Radio is a nationally syndicated boxing, MMA and sports talk show that emanates from Southern California KCAA-NBC AM 1050 and broadcasted around the world. In a recent Aribitron’s rating book Fight_Net Radio scored a 2 share in the 18-54 demographic on a last place talk station in San Diego… In its first three months of broadcasting. It is a 3-hour extravaganza of fight! Hour 1 is boxing, hour 2 is MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) and hour 3 is FNR_Live bringing you live fights from around the world with play-by-play that is definitely not ordinary!
“I’ve never seen anyone act that crazy before”
Jackie Kallen on Lee Honish
Matt Aguilar (Boxing) – Columnist and writer for boxingtalk.com and the Albuquerque Journal he has covered the boxing beat for over 11 years. His work has also appeared in USA Today, The Ring and KO magazines. He is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the Texas Sports Writers Association.
Andrew Lapachet (Boxing) – Writer Primer Round Magazine and straightjab.com
Chris Erskine (MMA) – Writer and insider on all things MMA.
Manny Rodriguez (MMA) He’s the F’ing King Of The Cage Heavyweight Champion of the world… Does this really need explanation?
Reymundo Diosis (Executive producer) – Writer for the Colton city News
Rebecca Ryan Long (Co-Host) – Pro MMA Fighter. “I hate people for the most part. I’m opinionated. I don’t give a crap what anyone thinks. The FCC is going to hate me, but screw it cuz i’m going to be F-ing Famous.”
Lee Honish (Host/Creator) – He’s brash, arrogant and he can be a freaking a-hole! Whatever he does seems to be compelling. Recently fighting Danny Bonaduce, he is now working on a book and completing a television deal to bring Fight_Net to a new audience. “I’m a human car crash. I don’t want to say what I say… It just happens that way…”
ALEXANDER TO FACE PHELPS AT BLUE HORIZON IN SEPTEMBER
Posted on | August 1, 2007 | No Comments
Alexander to take on Phelps as The Legendary Blue Horizon is “Back in Session” on September 7th
Philadelphia (August 1st, 2007)—On Friday night September 7th, light-heavyweight Max Alexander will look to stay undefeated when he takes on Corey Phelps in a scheduled ten round bout that will headline a big night of boxing that will be promoted by Vernoca L. Michael and Blue Horizon Boxing Promotions at The Legendary Blue Horizon in Philadelphia..
Alexander, 14-0-1 with two knockouts is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Demetrious Jenkins on April 6th at The Legendary Blue Horizon. In that fight, Alexander had to really dig down deep. During the fight, he broke his hand which showed his tremendous heart and diversity as he used his jab effectively to outpoint Jenkins with basically one hand.
When asked about his upcoming bout, Alexander recently said “My hand is feeling good. So I feel sorry for Phelps, The real Max is back.”
This will be Alexander’s eighth appearance at The Legendary Blue Horizon.
Phelps, of Catlettsburg, Kentucky brings in a respectable record 10-3 with six knockouts and will be looking to get back in the win column after his last bout which was a loss to highly touted prospect Donavan George in his last fight that took place this past June 14th.
Steve Chambers Upshur will return to The Blue Horizon. He too is a top prospect.
The Jr. Welterweight from Philadelphia will be appearing at The Legendary Blue Horizon on September 7th against a yet to be named opponent.
Chambers, 14-1 with four knockouts will bring in an eleven fight unbeaten streak and has fought all but one of his bouts in The Legendary Blue Horizon ring.
Also on the card will be another in the long line of Philadelphia middleweights in Gee Culmer.
Culmer, 10-1 with three knockouts will be making his sixth consecutive appearance at The Legendary Blue Horizon when he takes on twenty-seven fight veteran James North of Weston, West Virginia in a scheduled six round bout.
One interesting prospect Alex Perez, will be making an appearance at The Legendary Blue Horizon; he is a Jr. Middleweight. Perez, 8-0 with six knockouts is coming off an impressive first round knockout over Jesse Williams on June 23rd in Whippany, New Jersey.
He is a prospect that has high aspirations as the twenty-five year old fought on the Arturo Gatti-Carlos Baldomir and Miguel Cotto-Carlos Quintana undercards in Atlantic City in 2006.
A familiar name to boxing fans will be making his pro debut as undefeated middleweight, Aaron Pryor Jr.
The son of the great Jr. Welterweight champion, has an record of 8-0 with six of those wins coming by knockout, is carrying on the legacy of his dad who thrilled many fight fans throughout the 1980’s.
The Cincinnati native will take on a yet to be determined opponent.
Jules Blackwell, 4-0 with two knockouts of Phoenixville, Pa will take on debuting Rick Velasquez of New York in a scheduled four round Featherweight bout.
Two other fighters with Blue Horizon experience will also see action as middleweight, Naji Murray, 1-0 will take part in a scheduled four round bout.
The Philadelphia native is coming off an impressive debut at The Legendary Blue Horizon that took place on June 6th.
Undefeated featherweight Paul Fernandez of Philadelphia will bring his 1-0-1, one knockout record into the ring on September 7th as he takes on debuting Bernie Marrero of New York in a scheduled four round bout.
Don Elbaum, matcher, is assembling an action packed under card that will feature top prospects as well Legendary Blue Horizon favorites.
More great fights will be announced shortly.
This big night of boxing will be shown nation-wide on Comcast Sportsnet on a tape-delayed basis as well as on demand.
Ticket prices for this great night of boxing are $200 for Queen Seating, $125 for Presidential seats, $60 for VIP, $47 for Ringside, and $40 for General Admission and can be purchased by calling The Legendary Blue Horizon at 1-215-763-0500. 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
For more information, log on to www.legendarybluehorizon.com
Contact: Marc Abrams (856) 287 7611….mabrams@15rounds.com
All Credential requests by September 5th, 2007
MAYWEATHER VS. HATTON A DONE DEAL
Posted on | August 1, 2007 | No Comments
FLOYD MAYWEATHER vs. RICKY HATTON
“UNDEFEATED”
SET FOR SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8
Live on Pay-Per-View
LOS ANGELES (August 1, 2007) – They are two of boxing’s best, two of the most exciting fighters in the sport today, and both are undefeated. They stand atop their weight divisions and fight fans are in for a thrill as pound-for-pound king of the ring and welterweight champion “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather will meet British icon and junior welterweight champion Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton on Saturday, December 8 for the 147-pound championship. With a combined record of 81-0, this is the biggest match-up of two undefeated welterweights since the record setting mega-fight between Oscar de la Hoya and Felix Trinidad in 1999.
The fight, officially announced today and aptly named “UNDEFEATED”, will be promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Mayweather Promotions and produced by and distributed live on HBO Pay-Per-View. With several sites interested in hosting this special event, a location will be announced shortly.
“I am extremely excited to announce Golden Boy’s involvement in another boxing extravaganza such as Mayweather vs. Hatton,” said Oscar de la Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions. “We are proud to continue to provide fans with the best match-ups and fights in boxing today. This will be an exciting way to end this record-breaking year for the sport.”
“We are very happy that the first fight for Mayweather Promotions will be an event of this magnitude,” said Leonard Ellerbe of Mayweather Promotions. “To be in partnership with Golden Boy Promotions working on another big event is a great way to show we are serious in bringing great fights to the fans.”
“Mayweather-Hatton is a world-class showdown between two undefeated superstars in their prime,” said Mark Taffet of HBO Pay-Per-View. “It’s the biggest welterweight fight since De La Hoya-Trinidad, and figures to be a memorable night for boxing fans.”
Mayweather, 30, is 38-0 (24 KOs) and the reigning world welterweight champion. He is a six-time world champion in five weight divisions including super featherweight, lightweight, super lightweight, welterweight and super welterweight. Coming off of his decision victory against Oscar de la Hoya—the largest grossing event in the history of boxing—Mayweather is one of the most gifted fighters to ever step between the ropes.
“I am the best fighter in boxing today and I’m prepared for any challenge my team puts in front of me,” said Mayweather. “And with Ricky Hatton it’s already personal. He has talked and disrespected me so much in the past months that I can’t wait to get him in the ring and show him he is not even on my level. He’s definitely getting knocked out.”
Hatton, 28, is 43-0 (31 KOs), and hails from Manchester, England. He is also a multi-division champion and universally recognized world junior welterweight champion. He has fought once before at 147 pounds, winning the welterweight belt from Luis Collazo in May of 2006 before moving back down to 140 pounds and capturing his third world title. His most recent contest was a four-round destruction of Jose Luis Castillo in Las Vegas in June.
“It is a dream of every boxer to fight the best boxers in the world,” said Hatton. “”I respect Floyd Mayweather immensely for his boxing ability and it will be an honor to share the same ring with him. He is rightly regarded as the best pound for pound boxer in the world. However, I am confident and determined that I will be the first boxer to beat him in the ring and I am looking forward to this fight.”
A global press tour is being planned to promote this event. In addition, on-sale ticket information for this championship title fight will be announced in the near future.
TAKEDOWN RADIO SIGNS DEFENSE SOAP SPONSORSHIP
Posted on | August 1, 2007 | No Comments
DEFENSE SOAP JOINS GROWING LIST OF SPONSORS FOR TAKEDOWN RADIO PROGRAM
Des Moines, IA- August 1, 2007- Defense Soap, a natural preventative and remedy product for various skin ailments, signed an agreement with TakeDown Wrestling Radio (TDR) today to sponsor the show for a minimum of one year. Defense is particularly popular throughout the combat sports community, given skin contact in wrestling, mixed martial arts (MMA), and boxing is the most aggressive way to transfer bacterial or fungal infection.
“We’re absolutely pleased when a sponsor not only helps us promote these sports, but goes beyond to protect our participants and competitors. Defense contributes to reducing down time from injuries, thus keeping them in the game. It’s a product that can benefit one and all and essentially our sports as a whole” commented TDR’s Scott Casber.
Defense Soap offers a variety of products for sale through distributors as well as their website. The product mix includes bar soap, gel, essential oils, and even travel kits. “Defense soap is a potent, completely natural antibacterial and antifungal product. The synergistic effect of the essential oils contained in Defense Soap have been clinically proven to be effective in the treatment and prevention of ringworm, staph, herpes, and countless other skin infections” stated Erhardt Bell M.T., Clinical Microbiologist and President of Pet Labs Diagnostic.
Defense prides itself in the endorsements it has received from athletes using their products. Tommy Rowlands, two time NCCA champion wrestler, Richard Bonacci, wrestling coach for 36 years at Cleveland State University, and internationally known superstar Chuck Norris are among those providing endorsements. The new TDR agreement places Defense Soap in close proximity to top sports personalities as they are regularly featured on the show.
TDR recently announced a Presenting Sponsorship from Brute adidas, a company providing a complete line of top quality wrestling products to sporting goods dealers, amateur and professional athletic clubs and teams, and is the exclusive distributor of adidas wrestling products for North and South America. The Defense Soap sponsorship is considered to be complimentary by all close to the subject. “The synergistic relationship between our program, listeners, and sponsors continues to grow. The sense of community builds each time a meaningful contributor is added to the program. That’s certainly the case with our most recent announcements. The community has welcomed Defense Soap with open arms and new relationships are formed every day” added TDR’s Casber.
Full details on Defense Soap products and the company can be found at http://www.defensesoap.com
Information, as well as TakeDown radio broadcasts can be found at http://www.takedownradio.com
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